Win A Yoplait Get Active Prize Pack!

No doubt about it, the warmer weather is moving on in and with it comes the perfect opportunity to get outside and get active!

Need a little motivation? Yeah, me too. So this Yoplait Get Active Prize Pack from My BlogSpark arrived at just the right time.

My kids absolutely adore yogurt and I love the convenience and health benefits of it. It appears somewhere on their menu at least five days a week. And that's great news! Because you know what? Research has shown that fewer than half of all kids ages two to 12 get the calcium they need each day. And calcium and Vitamin D are both essential nutrients for building strong bones. Yogurt is a great source of both nutrients!

So I was thrilled to receive a coupon* for a free 6-pack of any of the Yoplait for Kids yogurt products (Go-Gurt, Trix, Yoplait Kids). These yogurts are available in a wide variety of flavors and none of them have any "chunks"- handy, since many kids are opposed to chunks in their yogurt! My two preschoolers like all the flavors of Yoplait Kids... seems that while they appeal to tons of others, the bright colors of the Trix yogurt turn my kids off. (I should also note that my kids refuse to eat applesauce that is any color other than "apple colored"!)



Along with the yogurt coupon, we received a Yoplait Get Active Prize Pack. Perfect for a fun-filled day for active children, it includes:

• A travel cooler (to take the yogurt on the road!)
• A jump rope.
• A water bottle.
• An outdoor game set that includes a beach ball, paddle ball, Jai-Ali, and a Frisbee

And it's all neatly packaged in a drawstring net bag. Can I tell you how much I appreciate that fact? Much less clutter sitting next to my door!

It was a shame that our package arrived on a drizzly, 30-something degree day because my kids were raring to go! We've since had the chance to go outside and "get active" together and we've had such fun. There's nothing like new outdoor toys to help get you busy and moving out there. It had been awhile since I'd had the opportunity to show off my mad Frisbee skills...

Since I truly feel strongly about the importance of good nutrition and staying active for our kids, I am absolutely delighted to be able to offer THREE of these prize packs (each including a coupon* for a free 6-pack of yogurt) to my readers. I 'll be giving one away each week for the next three weeks.

This first giveaway will run through next Tuesday evening, April 21st.

To enter, simply leave a comment answering the following question:

What types of activities do you do as a family to stay healthy and active?

(*Important: This coupon offer for a free six pack of Yoplait for Kids yogurt is not valid in some states, including Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Tennessee.)

Good luck! I just know the winners are going to have a blast with this prize.

Portrait Of A Pregnancy After A Preemie: Part 6

So there I am! Seven months pregnant and wearing my most "pregnant-looking" top. I have a most definite bump now and my husband and I are both very aware of it. The rest of the world? Not so much, apparently. Yesterday I dropped my son off at preschool and ran into someone I hadn't seen since January. She exclaimed, "Oh! And you obviously had your baby!" Um, no. Still seven months pregnant here. And very happy to be so!

I'm doing another little dance of joy now that I've passed the 28-week mark. Twenty-eight weeks was my "big goal" to hit when I went into labor so early with my second child. As you all know, I only made it to just barely 24-weeks. But I've never forgotten all the statistics they threw at me that went with these weekly milestones. I take nothing for granted.

As delighted as I am to be this far along, I am even more thrilled at the prospect of two more months of carrying this precious life. While I tend to have rough first trimesters (I usually end up hospitalized at some point because I just get so sick), I seem to have very comfortable third trimesters. I don't retain water or have issues with swelling. I don't suffer significant back pain. I sleep very well at night. As a result, I really have nothing to complain about and get to just enjoy every moment of letting this baby grow and thrive.

I had my last "monthly" OB check-up today. From here on out, I go in every two weeks. My blood pressure was down a bit, which is more typical for me (and good!). I did manage to gain a few pounds, so I'm at a net gain of 14 pounds right now. I won't lie-- I think our Easter feast helped nudge me along in that area! ;)

I got the results of my gestational diabetes test and the doctor was thrilled with my levels. To be truthful, I really never had any concerns about those results, but it's still always nice to hear that things are as they should be.

Baby's heart-rate is in the 140's and strong. I measure spot on. My OB laughed because she could watch the baby move all around my belly while she took the measurements. And that's how things always are with this little one! All three of my babies have been very busy in utero... but this one? This one takes the cake. Even through a fleece pull-over, this child's acrobatics are perfectly visible to the outside world. I love it!

In case you can't tell... everything's great. I still get told I look small. People remain unimpressed with my bump. But knowing that baby is growing and thriving is all I need to know....

Grow, baby, grow!

Looking Beyond the Ketchup...

I adore ketchup. I really do. I'm one of those people. You know the ones... I like it on my scrambled eggs. I like it on roast beef. And you better believe, I like it on my burger. I like a huge variety of burgers... all manner of flavor combos and just about anything you can think of for a topping. About my only rule is that I insist on is cheese. Can you believe I've made it 32 years without EVER eating a burger without cheese? It's true.

Anyway, while I'm a stickler on the cheese issue, I'm decidedly more lenient about how I top and/or dip my burger. I love ketchup, as I said, but I also love salsa, hot sauce, grainy mustards, horseradish, chili, and on and on. My latest fave? This quick and easy recipe:

1/2 cup sour cream (I use reduced fat, but any variety will do...)
1/4 cup ketchup (of course!)
2 heaping tablespoons dill pickle relish

Mix in a small bowl and allow to sit in fridge for at least fifteen minutes and up to a few hours- it tastes better if the flavors have a chance to combine!

This topping is like a fresh take on Thousand Island dressing... and it tastes fabulous on a fresh-from-the-grill burger. Warmer temps are on the way... bust out the charcoal!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This recipe is linked to:
Kitchen Tip Tuesdays and
Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

The Virtual Great American Bake Sale is Here!

Did you know?

The Virtual Great American Bake Sale is here! Click here to learn more about this fantastic opportunity to pick up some great new recipes AND help a wonderful cause.

My great-grandma's Sour Cream Cookie recipe is in there.


I just made another batch of these for Easter and, well, out of the 6+ dozen that I made, only two cookies remain on the tray!

Welcome to the Virtual Great American Bake Sale. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these ebooks will go toward Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale program. Funds raised through Great American Bake Sale are donated to after-school and summer feeding programs--food programs that many kids depend on when school is not in session. Great American Bake Sale is a program of Share Our Strength, a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry.

The ebooks are a compilation of recipes from submitters across the blogosphere and beyond. The ebooks are available for purchase based on any donation amount of the buyer's choosing.

The Complete 2009 VGABS Recipes Ebook

Features all 170 of the submitted recipes. Many of the recipes include pictures.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.


Shopping cart courtesy of E-Junkie.

Because we know file size may be an issue for some, the below ebooks have split the 170 recipes into 4 categorized ebooks so that you can choose just 1 or 2 of your favorites, if you'd prefer. Just like for the Complete ebook, many of these recipes include pictures. And again, they are available for purchase based on any donation amount of the buyer's choosing.

Muffins & Breads

Features 24 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Cookies, Candy, Cakes, Bars & Brownies

Features 50 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Desserts

Features 49 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Beyond Baked Goods (Appetizers, Breakfast, Main Dishes, etc.)

Features 47 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.


Please consider purchasing this fantastic ebook with a donation today. Thanks!

Getting My Head Above Water

I spent most of last week trying to get through the days with a cold that kicked my tail (which, blessedly, is almost gone now) while attempting to potty-train two children (more on that in a post at a later date) and preparing to host my husband's entire side of the family for Easter...

Needless to say, I wasn't around the bloggy world very much!

But I'm back now, and I've just about got my head above water again. Here are a few things I've got planned for this week:

• I've got summer cook-outs on the brain and a great burger topper recipe for tomorrow.
  
• Playing outside with the kiddos and a great giveaway to make summer playtime even more fun! Giveaway starts Wednesday.
  
• The Virtual Great American Bake Sale has arrived!
• Stretching a ham throughout the week.
• A 7-month pregnancy update... has the bump finally become impressive???

So please stop by and see me as I embark on a more regular writing schedule again! It's so good to be back.

Fiber One Choclate Mocha Spa Basket Winner #3!

Congratulations, Annette!

Here are your random numbers:

3

Timestamp: 2009-04-13 13:46:35 UTC

Annette is the winner of our third and final Fiber One Chocolate Mocha Spa Basket. When asked what fiber-enhanced or fiber-rich food she was afraid to try or had tried and didn't like, Annette wrote:

"Grapenuts Cereal--I was afraid I might break a tooth."

Another commenter, Heather, helpfully offered...

"...Annette you MUST heat your grape nuts in the milk so it soaks in good (and of course add a bit of sweetness) and then it's YUMMY!!"

Good to know!

Congrats to you, Annette, and I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks to all of you who entered. I have to say that I really loved reading all your responses to my question this week!

I'll be offering up another fantastic giveaway from My BlogSpark starting on Wednesday... be sure to come back and check it out!

Cutting Raw Meat Easily

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm a tad under-the-weather. So here's my super quick tip of the day...

Just in case there is anyone out there who does not already know this-

If you need to chop, slice, or cut meat neatly, it is much, much easier to do it while the meat is still partially frozen. This is especially true for chicken, but works well for beef and pork as well. Use a sharp knife and partially frozen meat and you'll get neat strips or cubes every time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For more Kitchen Tips, please visit Tammy's Recipes every Tuesday.
For more recipes and advice, be sure to check out Tasty Tuesday at Forever, Wherever.