REI_Aug11_Review_001

MORE WORDS!!!! This is 7 of the 8 of us at the Knorr4 Cook-off which was hosted at BlogHer'11. Just looking at the picture makes me want to run back and experience all of it again. AH-MAZE-ING. For real.
It was such an amazing experience and to any of you bloggers out there, please go to BlogHer'12. PLEASE! You will NOT regret it. There is such a comraderie between everyone. We just get each other. We know what it's like to try to build your name, keep the kids happy, stay sane and do what you love.

Knorr and BLAKE IS MESSING WITH MY POST!!!!!!! did an amazing job. The day of the competition started out fantastic, but by the time I was prepping my food I had become nervous. Jan, from A little Glimpse (the one on my right) was so kind and just kept reminding me to take a deep breath.

We were able to use the kitchen to prep all of our dishes. I was getting sick to my stomach because I had specifically prepared something that was delicious, full of flavor, but most importantly, easy for every day cooks. Around me, wow, the dishes were amazing. Tons of fresh ingredients, some I'd never even worked with before. I kept thinking, "Ok, um I really should have gone for something more impressive!" Then I would think, no, this is what I'm all about. I want to teach people that you can start off slow and easy, but still impress your friends, family and loved ones.

By the time we made it out to the Knorr booth I was feeling anxious to get cooking. It's funny because once the cameras turned on and we were cooking our recipes I actually felt completely fine. Not at all nervous. Well, not true. At the beginning everyone was introducing themselves and one contestant had a whole crowd of supporters while the rest of us didn't know a soul at BlogHer. That threw me for a second. Everyone erupted in cheers for her and I leaned over to Crepes of Wrath and said, "wow. Nothing like having the crowd cheer for your competitor." But, let me make it clear... I wasn't bugged. I just had that moment of, "I have no one here in person cheering me on." AND THEN....
Amy from Super Healthy Kids showed up and gave me a little thumbs up and a smile. Friends, I suddenly was perfectly fine. I remembered who I was, why I was there and that I had all of you cheering me on from all over the United States. (Thank you so much for your sweet comments, emails, texts, and tweets) Love you all ;)

Away we all cooked. I loved it. Can I have my own show? Knorr, why don't you think about that? It would be awesome. We could teach recipes through the internet vs. cable. Call me ;)
I had met Sydney, an amazing chef that competed on Chopped, and he let me talk through my whole recipe with him. I felt like I had already had a dry run. The cameras watched our every move. Einav asked us questions. We cooked. We cooked some more. Then it ended and we all took a huge, deep breath.

Want to watch me in action? I know you do!!! Click HERE see how it all went down and what I have to say about Knorr!

So, then we waited around, did some interviews and got hit with exhaustion. All of us kept saying that once we were done we were suddenly so tired. We had all been nervous etc. Anyway, then they announced the winners.

Oh guys, I thought I had no chance. I had 100% decided that my prize was just getting to come so I kinda just chilled. Then Einav announced my name. You can kind of see it in the video, I say, "Shut the front door!" Haha. I'm so embarassed. What a dork. Oh well. Too late now. Can't be taking that back. I was just so shocked!!!!!!

This experience was AMAZING. The chefs are so talented. Knorr is a quality company and Oglivy is one of the best PR companies I've worked with (And I've worked with a lot being on the Simply the Sweet Life team).

I can't tell you how much I believe in Knorr. It's a company that truly cares about their products and wants to help consumers to know how to use it and become better cooks.
I'm so excited to have the opportunity to get out there and talk to people about what I believe in, Reinventing Family Dinner. It's so important. I would give anything to teach the world that cooking does not have to be a chore. It doesn't have to be hard, time consuming and expensive. Being in the kitchen helps families create healthier food choices and healthier lives. It does. You think more about what you're eating and how much. It's the best place to bond with your loved ones. You get to teach your children how to cook, about math and science and you get to spend quality time together which opens up the door for your children to talk to you. Really talk to you.

Here's what I love about the Knorr Concentrated Homestyle stock. Since so many of you have asked why I prefer it.
*More flavor vs the tasteless water that other stocks can be
*Ease of use. You can use it without diluting it like I did, or you can add it to ANY liquid
*Ease of storage. Hello!! No more cartons and cans taking up so much space in your pantry.
*Quality. It's quality stock. Period.

HERE ARE SOME SHORT FORM RULES WRITTEN IN RICH TEXT

here are some short form rules written in HTML

So grateful for this experience. I am so excited!!
I hope you'll all stop by and say hello. I love hearing from people. (What blogger doesn't?)

This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and MasterCard MarketPlace - and I'm giving away $100! Contest is now over - but the deals are still happening!

I'm not always the savviest shopper, when it comes to finding great deals. I'm also easily irritated by bargain-hunting crowds and the Extreme Holiday Shopping mentality. I want to get a good deal, but I also want to stay in my comfort zone with familiar retailers and products that I don't have to fight over at 4am. All this adds up to a whole lot of online shopping as the winter holidays approach...and a whole lot of uncertainty that I'm getting a great price.

I know there are sales and discounts out there, but I rarely have time to seek them out. In fact, my inbox is already crowded with mostly-unwanted emails from online retailers, announcing deals that rarely make me sit up and pay attention.

BlogHer asked me to sign up for MasterCard MarketPlace to check out their deals. It took me less than a minute to create an account, and begin selecting merchants that I'd like to receive special deals from. I wanted to see if there were better, more customized deals available through MasterCard MarketPlace.

Lo and behold, I've been really impressed by the significant discounts being offered by some of my favorite stores (helloooooo Sephora!) and the special limited time deals are fabulous (and happen year 'round!) I love that if you've indicated interest in a particular company and signed up for e-mail alerts, you'll receive a heads-up advance notice email so you don't miss the opportunity to shop . This has already helped me check off some important gifts on my list, at a discount that makes me feel like doing the "Rocky At The Top Of The Stairs Fist Pump."

Now, because MasterCard is behind all this - they've got extra special deals for MasterCard cardholders who register with the site. Holiday Overwhelming Offers are these really great, really short-time 50% off offers that get posted every weekday, until December 24th, at 1pm Eastern. That kind of thing makes me hyperventilate with excitement. They say Overwhelming Offers provide Overwhelming joy. Sounds about right to me!

Do you want to easily uncover Black Friday-like deals at deep discounts all year long? Check out MasterCard MarketPlace, and share your favorite deal in the comments. I'm going to be awarding one lucky commenter a $100 MasterCard gift card from BlogHer so you can get your shop on. Not only that - you've got 19 chances to win, because there are 19 other BlogHer Reviewers telling you about their experience with MasterCard MarketPlace this holiday season, and they're all hosting giveaways too. Check the Exclusive Offers section section for more details.

Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
• a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
• b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
• c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
• d) Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.
• Sweepstakes ends 5 PM PST on December 31, 2010.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
• You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• The Official Rules are available here.

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and LG Text Ed

To me, it was a temporary jail sentence. To my 11-year-old daughter, it represented The Future.

"Mom, when you are done with the phone, can I have it?" she asked.

"Uh, why do you need a cell phone?"

"So, I can text with my friends! And take funny photos to send to people!"

Yeah. I'm not sure that's a good idea. Especially after I saw her cock her hip to the side and hold the phone aloft to take an overhead, profile-style self-portrait.

See, as a parent, I'm not always the best example for my kids. I cuss in front of them on occasion, goose my husband in the buns when he walks through the front door, and don't always demonstrate mature, responsible behavior with my cell-phone.

In fact, when I call my husband, a close-up shot of my cleavage appears on his cell-phone, a shot that my kids saw me jokingly taking. We've had some risque conversations via text and face-time chat, albeit not THAT risque, and not in front of the kids.

My 11-year old is quite web-savvy, and we've done a lot of talking (and double-checking) about web safety and common sense behavior both online and off. We control her internet access and review her activities with her, and I've explained that while I trust her to do the right thing online, I also don't expect her to know what the right thing is in any given situation, which is why we are actively involved in her online life, with her full knowledge and permission.

Hey, it's one of the benefits of being a mommyblogger - she assumes I'm all-knowing and all-seeing on the internet.

But with a cell-phone, the element of "mom could be looking over my shoulder" is lessened. While I plan on spending a lot of time talking about all the possible repercussions of sexting and sharing inappropriate images, I am aware that I haven't set the best example.

Do I have to clean up my own act in order to set a better example for my kids? Does a slightly raunchy text between two old married people even count as sexting?

How do you start the conversation with your kids?

Each comment left on this post benefits DoSomething.org with a $0.50 donation!

Visit LG Text Ed , where Dr. Rosalind Wiseman explains the dangers and consequences of this new form of flirting. You can also watch Emmy award winning actress Jane Lynch share a lesson on the sensitive stuff kids are sending around without thinking about the consequences.   

This is a sponsored post from 8th Continent and BlogHer.

BlogHer and 8th Continent asked me to share one of my many mommy-blunder moments in support of their new campaign that celebrates the real soul of motherhood: doing your best every day, and trying not to screw up too much. Can I get an amen?

Read on to hear about one of my hall-of-famers, and then share your own awesometastic parenting blunders in the comments for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and a 6-month supply of 8th Continent products. Contest has ended! Winner announced soon :)

Ah, motherhood. From the moment you first lay eyes on your child, you are owned, heart and soul. And by owned? I mean PWNED.

There is (pretty much) nothing you won't attempt in order to earn a smile from your little tyrant. You'll find yourself frosting elaborate cupcakes and handcrafting color-coordinated decorations for a birthday party populated by kids who communicate like chimpanzees. You'll spontaneously break out into manic singing and dancing in order to quell a tantrum, no matter who is judging. And believe me, there's judging aplenty for a mom whose best just isn't cutting it that day.

You will stay up until midnight for a week straight to help create a science project. You will walk the halls in the early morning hours singing lullabies to teething monster children with profanities swapped in as lyrics.

You should get some sort of parenting badge for the first time you catch vomit in your hands.

Yes, for the love of your child, you'd attempt to climb Mt. Everest. The problem is that very few of us are actually equipped to climb Everest. Sure, you can hike up your yoga pants and haul that backpack full of snacks and toys all the way up to the dead zone. Moms know that once you get there, you're likely to realize you forgot an extra pair of big-boy underpants and you'll find yourself gasping for air while improvising a breechcloth with a hair scrunchy and a maxipad.

(For those of you who are trying to picture that particular fashion configuration, I'm sorry. For those of you who've lived it, I salute you.)

I've had some memorable mommy blunder moments over the years, but by far, the most hysterical was when I attempted to take my 18 month-old daughter and newborn son to the zoo:

Shortly after the birth of my second child, I ventured to the zoo for an outing with a friend. All was well until the baby had a diaper blowout of epic proportions, and my 18 month old took off for the playground while I was trying to change his diaper.

Crunch time. Baby with naked, poo-covered butt. Toddler heading for the hills. Stroller with purse and camera and video camera and enough supplies to survive a winter in the arctic plus run a triage unit in a major city hospital, resulting in a heavy load that required two hands to push.

Time's up. What do you do?

With a strangled aaaaaargh! I shouldered my month old son, slimy naked hiney displayed to God and Country, and abandoned the stroller as I sprinted after my fleeing, flapping daughter, who had the indecency to giggle and say "git you!" at me as I was closing in on her. In slow motion, I reached a hand out, and snagged her shoulder. I spun on my heel, long hair swinging in an arc, baby wailing, and toddler protesting. We made it back to the stroller and I held my daughter's torso snugly between my knees while I wrangled the baby in to a clean diaper.

And then I began to laugh and cry at the same time.

That was the transforming moment, when I went from normal woman to Evil Mommy. I'm thinking the time has come for me to design an outfit. Probably would be a good idea to stick with poo-brown, though, to save on dry cleaning.

8th Continent totally gets it - this whole mom gig. If you haven't seen their hilarious videos that feature some not-so-awesome mom moments, you've got to check them out. Here's just one example:

Nice Job, Mom. Indeed.

So, okay - let's hear it. Can you top my son's two-buns salute with bonus fleeing todder? Share your tale below for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card and a 6-month supply of 8th Continent products. Then, go share another tale or eight with my fellow BlogHer Reviewers - you've got 8 chances to win!

Then, submit your amusing parenting faux pas on our 8th Continent Facebook App and join the hundreds of stories from moms just like you. Share it with your friends and vote on your favorites. You could win a room of choice makeover from Home Line Furniture or the grand prize of a complete adventure package from Caravan Tours.

8th Continent is also on Twitter. As am I. Even sometimes when I am supervising homework.

My sweepstakes rules:

• The sweepstakes runs from September 22, 2010 to September 30, 2010
• No duplicate comments
• You may receive an entry by tweeting about and linking to my giveaway, and then sharing the link to your tweet in the comments below.
• Please note, only two entries per email address will be accepted.
• Entrants must be 18 years or older, and US-residents
• See theofficial rules
• Winners will be selected by random drawing - please make sure leave a valid email address!

BlogHer and Lincoln recently gave my family the opportunity to test drive the brand-spanking-new Lincoln MKT for a week. Although I had been a passenger in an MKT briefly (like, around the block) during last summer's visit to Ford's Taurus plant near Chicago, I was in a car full of women yelling things like WOOOOO! so I might have been a bit distracted. In any case, I was excited to get the chance to discover what the MKT was all about in some real world scenarios.

The morning they dropped her off, I immediately grabbed the camera:

I don't know what comes to your mind when you think of Lincoln, but in my mind, I used to think:

The beauty sitting in my driveway caused quite a few head-turning reactions, and open disbelief from friends, neighbors and total strangers alike. To which I say I KNOW. Also, look! It IS a Lincoln.

We had an absolute blast discovering all the super-fun bells and whistles on the MKT - and this experience has opened up a whole new world of must-haves for our future next car. First of all - check this out - when walking back to the car after the school's winter concert, I hit the unlock button on the keyless remote, and the whole car glowed with welcoming, golden light.

That's the car equivalent of a puppy wagging its tail when you approach, and it made me very happy during the cold, rainy week we had with the MKT. Also, I know, we're switching from black and white to color with the photos now. Pretend you've just landed in Oz.

The interior was luxurious and comfortable for my entire family of five. Lincoln has packed in so many thoughtful features that I don't even know where to start.

The third row of seating is easily accessible with a few quick hand motions, and if you've ever had three squirrelly kids sandwiched into a bench seat, you'll know what I mean when I say that third row of seating can make all the difference between your sanity and wondering why your car doesn't have a sound-proofed barrier between the driver and passengers. Actually, okay, I still wondered about that. Lincoln, would you please consider adding a soundproofed barrier for us harried moms? Please?

In the interest of science, I climbed into that back seat, and can say that I fit comfortably enough, although my head was barely clearing the roof, and I'm just under 5' tall. There was adequate legroom for my little peanut legs, too, but I think a larger adult would probably not want to sit in this seat. That said, I believe that there are different seating configurations available, and perhaps one of the other versions would make this space more accommodating to a grown-up sized grown up.

The leather seats were scrumptious, and the console storage was epic. Everywhere you look in the MKT you can find handy pockets, recessed compartments and consoles that open up to reveal enough storage room to hide a small child. Okay, a really really small child. Alright, fine - a ton of DVDs, portable gaming systems, shin guards, books, you name it would fit in the compartments.

Even more exciting for the kids was the refrigerated compartment in between the two back rows. And no, we didn't let them eat or drink in the car, but man - what a nice feature to have, especially if you are like me and constantly on the go from school to soccer to baseball and home again. No more coolers to kick around on the floor, or eat up valuable trunk space.

Other awesome features include integrated sunscreens on passenger windows and heated/cooled seats. Seriously. My buns were all about that. I kept on cooking and chilling my hiney, to the point that it was a little excessive according to my husband, who was getting tired of having to touch my rear repeatedly while I insisted he "feel it now!"

The panoramic roof was also a huge hit. Man, with a few taps on a button, you could open the roof all the way up, which made me wish that it wasn't raining, so we could take a drive out at the redwoods or the coast or something. This car totally made us want to take a road trip.

But, since we were limited on time and weather, we decided to test out a couple of my other favorite features while heading out for some family fun.

The SYNC system rocks. Within minutes of the car being dropped off (whereupon I stood in my driveway and waved cheerfully to the cutie-patootie driver until he was out of site and then did a weird end-zone dance) I had managed to get my iPhone not only talking to the hands-free phone function, but had imported my contacts into the system - all without cords or plugs or drama. Not only that, but it effortlessly (and wirelessly!) picked up music from my iPhone - allowing us to rock out to tunes on demand.

Not only that, but you can totally talk to the system, and it understands what you want. I was able to get driving directions, change radio stations, change the temperature of the car, and guide my family into the closest In-N-Out Burger all without touching the screen.

Mmm. In-N-Out Burgers.

Okay, so then it was back in the car for more rockin' out. That's how we roll.

I'm one of those people who regularly runs over my trash can on the way out of the driveway because my husband thinks it is fun to put the can right behind my car. I can't see it back there, and I always forget to look. That's a pretty significant problem, don't you agree? Never mind that that is also about the height of a child on a bike, and the fact that we live in a busy neighborhood full of not so attentive kids and... let's just say that while the rear visibility through the windows of the MKT was initially frustrating, I quickly fell in love with the rear-view camera and warning system.

There's some sort of radar built into the car's sides, too, that allows the MKT to warn you (via your side mirrors lighting up) if a car is approaching from your right or left when you're trying to back out of a parking spot, and it is this same radar that allows the MKT to parallel park itself, perfectly, every single time.

I tried to make a video of it doing this, but it was basically me screaming with glee, so I'll spare you. But I will admit that I drove around for about an hour repeatedly parallel parking, and it never got old. Not even a little bit old. That is some super awesome fun technology.

Another thing that really impressed the heck out of me was the Adaptive Cruise Control feature. I'm a chicken with using cruise control. I like the idea of it, but I'm always worried that someone is going to pull in front of me, and I'll have to stop using it, and then restart it, and it's confusing and waaaah. So when I learned that the MKT actually senses the speed of the cars in front of you and adjusts your speed to maintain a safe distance, and then will readjust back to your set cruising speed as soon as it is safe to do so - well, sign me up for that. We

There are lots of other amazing features on the Lincoln MKT - a V6 engine that performs like a V8, state-of-the-art safety features right on down to rain-sensing windshield wipers (cool!) and headlights that turn in the same direction as your steering wheel to better light your way.

We spent a lot of time looking at each other and saying "Shut. Up." about the cool things the MKT could do. It totally changed the way I'll evaluate cars in the future, and I feel really lucky to have had the chance to have this extended test drive opportunity.

Would you like the chance to drive a 2010 Lincoln MKT for a Night on the Town? Here's your chance to win a first class experience from Lincoln. Indulge in style. Enter to win a night of pampering with the Lincoln MKT. (valued at $1,500).

You and a guest could win:

• A chance to drive a 2010 Lincoln MKT* for the evening


• Local spa package for two


• Dinner for two at a local restaurant


• One night stay at a local hotel

To enter, please visit the BlogHer.com special offers page.

But wait, before you go... be sure to check out all the reviews, because each reviewer is giving away a $500 Visa Gift Card! Want to win MY gift card?

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me your favorite technological feature in your car - or in your dream car - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin January 25, 2010 and will end February 24, 2010. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:
• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US residents, aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• Please see the official rules here: Official rules

In September, the lovely folks at Euro-Pro paid for my flight and hotel in New York City for a special blogger launch event for the Ninja Master Prep. I also received a Ninja of my own, in order to write this review.

The event itself was held at the super-lovely Mandarin Oriental in New York City. Will you look at the view from our reception room?

We were greeted warmly and allowed the opportunity to mingle with our fellow attendees.

(from left to right, Carmen from Mom to the Screaming Masses, Y from Joy Unexpected, Lotus from Sarcastic Mom and yours truly.)

Then, we were whisked into a special demo featuring celebrity chef Robin Miller showing us how to use the Ninja.

I announced my excitement:

And got random props from a roving band of ninjas:

This was just before things got underway for reals. I kept the silly tweets to a minimum, because honestly, I was totally into the presentation.

Right about that point, Robin was pulverizing ice cubes into snow, in a side by side demo with a blender. SNOW. She made a bunch of other recipes - a fish thing, salsa and guacamole, several blended drinks, soup... she had me at "SNOW."

After the presentation, we had the opportunity to play with not only the Ninja, but a whole bunch of other Euro-Pro products (reviews forthcoming on those as well.) We also got the chance to visit with Robin Miller.

We enjoyed a lunch featuring the dishes that Robin had demonstrated before scattering back into the city. All in all, the event was really fun and informative, and made me super-excited to get my Ninja on back at home.

So, here's the thing. I absolutely love love LOVE this thing. I've had blenders and I've had food processors, but neither was capable of effortlessly whacking just about anything into submission with almost no cleanup after the fact. The motor goes on top, and even if it is plugged in, it will not engage unless all the parts are properly seated, making it completely safe for even my seven-year-old to operate (provided I do the assembly of the blades.)

I have broken two blenders making frozen fruit smoothies. BROKEN. As in tore-up, motor-on-fire, can't- handle-it broken. Plus, I always had to stop it 500 times to stir things around, and mush things down so that the blades could do what they are supposed to do.

My food processor was great at chopping and mixing, but I always managed to make a holy mess with wet ingredients. Plus, you can't serve from the bowl - you have to disengage the whole thing from the machine, and then scoop or pour it into a serving vessel.

Now, I seriously just dump in the fruit and pulse it about 5 or 6 times, and I've got frozen fruit snow. SNOW.

In fact, we've successfully made fruit sorbet this way, that was ready to eat straight from the Ninja. This is a bag of frozen pineapple blended with a can of light coconut milk. That's it, and it was delish. No sweeteners needed!

I seriously use it every. single. day. We make salsa, guacamole, frozen drinks, smoothies and even whipped cream. That one blew me away. In LESS time than it takes to use my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, it whipped heavy cream perfectly. Like, six little pulses or so. That is crazy talk, my friends. It took longer to scoop it onto the pie than it did to whip it.

I use it so much that I've managed to rub the logo off the motor pod part. It's now known as the "JA" around here.

Hi-JA!

While I don't do the whole dual bowl prep, if you wanted to make, say, fresh salsa and frozen margaritas at the same time, you can! You just move the motor from one container to the next.

Some of the other great features: everything comes apart easily and effortlessly for cleaning, and the plastic used for the pitcher and smaller bowls don't discolor or get etched like my old food processor's bowl did. Because the motor is on the top, and the blades lift out of the mixer bowl, you can serve right from the mixing container (and they provide handy snap on tops if you want to store in the fridge.)

Part of the reason that my review is taking place so long after the trip and receiving the Ninja at my home is my 38-year-old sister was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after my return from New York. She's doing really well now, thankfully. As part of her therapy, she's modified her diet to include a ton of fresh, raw foods. Right away, I knew that she needed a Ninja of her own, and I was delighted to give her one on Christmas. I'm happy to report she's a convert, too.

As usual the second any new game arrives, the kids made off with it immediately. I can always tell when a game is a big hit, because I have to be sneaky to get a chance to play it myself.

The game follows the plot of the new movie, and allows you to play as 5 different characters. It has great music and the game play is smooth and intuitive. I really appreciated the onscreen directions that appeared at critical junctions of the game - they kids seemed to wiz right through the levels after an attempt or two, but it took a little extra prompting for me, and I'm glad it was built right in.

There is a lot of variety as you move through the game, too... you can switch characters easily, solve puzzles, win battles, and can unlock really fun mini-games as you play. You use the touch screen and occasionally the microphone to control the game play, and while even my five year old could successfully play, the game had enough challenging elements to keep my older kids happy and playing (for hours. Seriously.) Even better, there is the capability to play mini-games wirelessly with two or more other DS-slinging players.

Activision has created a winning translation of these great characters and totally captured the flavor and sass of the Madagascar crew. We all give this game a huge round of applause.

Thanks so much for letting us test it out!

But I'm getting off track, because The Parent Bloggers Network recently emailed me and offered me the opportunity to review Hasbro's latest collaboration with EA games - Littlest Pet Shop for the Wii. When the box arrived, I opened it with a flourish and presented it to my nine-year-old daughter, who immediately snatched it out of my hands and headed to the living room, teeth tearing into the cellophane wrapper in her impatience to get it going.

I trailed her and offered to assist with set up but she elbowed me out of the way, and within moments was naming her new characters. My soon-to-be-six-year-old was also able to easily manipulate the game controls, and although it is a single player game, the kids really enjoyed working together and helping each other select fashion accessories and create names.

I'll be honest, I didn't get the chance to touch the remote. This game was such a huge hit with my kids - even my son, who normally won't play with what he considers "girlie" stuff - that I finally gave up trying and let them have at it without me. They loved the 16 different mini-games and despite repeated playing, the ability to change the difficulty of the games has kept their interest. The four different worlds that are available for game play are charming and colorful, and really capture the imagination. They are well on their way to unlocking and collecting all 32 available critters, and while at first I wished that they could play together - the fact that they can't compete with each other, and have to take turns totally rocks, now that I think about it. No bickering!

Thanks EA and Hasbro for letting us have this opportunity. To check out what other Parent Bloggers Network moms had to say - visit the round up.

I totally enjoy Wii Boogie - the original game, although I have some issues with the available characters and songs being a little too sexy and mature for my elementary school aged kids. So it was with glee that I fired this up and noticed a new look for the characters.

Gone are the weird animal and monster-looking people. Instead, they have a whole host of male and female characters in a variety of kid and tween friendly looks that you can customize.

The game play is different too - gone is the need for the nunchuck controller, and the moves are triggered by the movement of the Wii remote. The basic dance moves are easy to master, even for my kids, and the tutorials were fun and easy to follow. Within ten minutes of opening the box, we were having a dance-off.

I really liked the onscreen move prompts - they are easy to follow, and simple combos are possible right from the get-go. We haven't tried choreographing our own routines yet, but I like that it is an option.

My kids really get a kick out of the American Idol-style stage and contest format and judging. I love that you can select your events and song, or leave it all up to the whim of the judges. I found the karaoke portion was more challenging than I expected, but then again, these songs are current hits - over 30 songs that you will actually hear on the radio, if you get the chance to listen to anything other than The Wiggles. I'm not as up on the lyrics and songs as I could be - and I'm betting most kids and teens are going to know all of these songs well.

# Angel, Love Like This [remix], Pocketful of Sunshine - Natasha Bedingfield
# Dance Like There's No Tomorrow - Paula Abdul
# Bullseye, Like Whoa, Potential Breakup Song - Aly & AJ
# The Great Escape - Boys Like Girls
# Everytime We Touch, What Hurts the Most - Cascada
# Fancy Footwork - Chromeo
# Thnks Fr Th Mmrs - Fall Out Boy
# Glamorous - Fergie
# Elevator - Flo Rida feat. Timbaland
# I Don't Want to Be in Love (Dance Floor Anthem) - Good Charlotte
# Wake Up - Hilary Duff
# Hold On, SOS, That's Just the Way We Roll, When You Look Me in the Eyes [remix] - The Jonas Brothers
# No One - Alicia Keys
# Take You There - Sean Kingston
# Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
# Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
# Shake It - Metro Station
# What You Got - Colby O'Donis
# I Don't Think About It - Emily Osment
# Nine in the Afternoon - Panic at the Disco
# Hot N Cold - Katy Perry
# Jump to the Rhythm - Jordan Pruitt
# Don't Stop the Music, Shut Up and Drive - Rihanna
# Yahhh! - Soulja Boy Tellem
# Radar, Toxic - Britney Spears
# He Said She Said - Ashley Tisdale
# Makes Me Wonder - Maroon 5
# Stronger - Kanye West

It did crack me up that the one song that sounded pretty familiar was Paula Abdul's new one from last year. Hahahaha. Mama needs to get caught up on some new music, I think. Boogie Superstar comes with one microphone so you can sing your heart out - or you can mumble along tunelessly like me, whatever works for you.

If you're looking for a fun, user-friendly game for your pop-star or dancing queen, this is a great place to start. I'm looking forward to getting a little deeper into the features of the game - but the fact that we were engaged so quickly, and having so much fun right out of the box, tells me that this game is going to be a big hit.

Pick up your own copy of Boogie Superstar with Microphone
here. To see what other Parent Bloggers reviewers had to say - check out the roundup post.

Trying to decide what to buy now, and what to buy later... it's a challenge. That said, new socks and underwear are always on the list. So when the Parent Bloggers Network offered to outfit my kids with new socks and underpants from Hanes, I was thrilled.

My youngest wasn't quite big enough for the sizing offered for this program, but I was downright giddy to receive new boxers and briefs for my eight-year-old son, bikinis and briefs for my nine-year-old daughter and new ankle-length socks for both kids.

We're a Hanes family from way back. Early on, I'd try to save a few pennies by purchasing socks and underpants from other labels. I'd bring home packages of socks with toe seams that rubbed blisters into my kids' toes, and stretched out or wore out after just a few wearings. We've never had those problems with the socks we've purchased from Hanes - the yarns they use are simply stronger and thicker, and provide more cushioning for busy feet. The construction on the heel and toe fits better in their tennis shoes - no balling up or blisters from these socks - and best of all, the elastic ribbing on the tops of the socks just doesn't give up.

My daughter has always been finicky about her underpants - elastic that digs in or doesn't stay put causes her (and me) no end of grief. We've battled over panties for years - until once again, we found that Hanes made excellent, comfortable panties and briefs that do not ride up, and move comfortably with your kids without binding or irritating. They are 100% cotton, which is actually really super-soft and the tagless design is a huge bonus.

My son is very slender through the hips, and while he prefers boxer-briefs most of the time, he was delighted try out Hanes No Ride Up Briefs and No Gap Fly Boxers. The premium cotton and great styling - especially the tagless design and wide, covered waistbands make both of these options comfortable and non-irritating. I was really pleased to see how cleverly styled the No Gap Fly Boxers are - they allow total freedom of movement without the risk of accidentally exposing anything. Hanes, for the win!

Thank you Hanes, for allowing my family to go back to school in comfort and style!

To see what the rest of the Parent Bloggers Network reviews had to say - be sure to check out the roundup.

As yes, the final week of summer vacation.

With the help of my kids, who were taking as much credit for the arrival of the box as a pack of Woolly Mammoth hunters would be for bringing down a furry elephant, we hauled it inside, and ripped open the seal.

See, I knew that I would be doing a review of the new M&M's Premiums chocolate candies for BlogHer, but I figured that I'd be getting a small sample, or a few coupons or something. I assumed this had to be something else.

As soon as I cracked the seal on the box and got a look, I started laughing. I had a giant box of 35 pounds of super-deluxe candies, nested in a shiny silver liner to keep them cool. I swear to you that as soon as the first flap was lifted, a chorus of angels sang and a sunbeam struck the silver liner, rendering the kids awestruck. I seized this moment of temporarily spellbound children to grab one of the end flaps on the box and started dragging that thing towards my bedroom as fast as I could go.

The kids instinctively knew that there was some high quality stuff in that box. I tried to convince them that it was rocks. Then, when they got the whiff of chocolate, I told them that it was special grown-up Lady Chocolate and not for kids.

LadyCandy. Aw yeah.

I handed each kid a random box and shooed them away. Faced with 57 remaining boxes of gorgeously colored chocolate, my mind began to work. Should I empty the boxes into a giant pile and play pirate's treasure? Should I wait until my husband came home from work and leave a trail of M&M's Premiums down the hall and into the bedroom, where I would be waiting on a bed covered with pretty little candies? Shaking the vision of doing M&Ms angels in a snowdrift of candy, I wisely decided to hold off on any drastic action.

I called my co-workers and taunted them about my giant box of candy instead. They loved that, as you can imagine, and advised me not to eat them all myself, because they were afraid the resulting sugar buzz and giggling fits could cause the earth to fall off its axis.

I really love the packaging - they have an elegant, hour-glass shape to the box, and the inner wrapper is resealable - which, as Chris noted, is so adorable. Actually, my nine-year-old is using a few of the boxes as storage for some of her little trinkets and collections of tiny things. At a generously sized 6 oz each, you can really get your snack on - and still be able to share with a friend.

One of the really distinctive things about these candies is the lack of the candy shell. I'm a girl who chews up my cough drops, and can't be bothered to let things melt in my mouth, but hand to the heavens, with the rich flavors and creamy consistency of the chocolate on these new M&Ms, I was moved to put one candy in my mouth at a time and just let it happen. And it was gooooood.

The five flavors are:

Triple Chocolate - "truly tempting layers of milk chocolate, white chocolate & dark chocolate"

Mint Chocolate - "sinfully good white chocolate mint wrapped in dark chocolate"

Raspberry Almond - "berry blissful raspberry flavored white chocolate & almond wrapped in dark chocolate"

Mocha - "simply tantalizing mocha flavored milk chocolate"

Chocolate Almond - "delightfully delicious freshly roasted whole almond wrapped in milk chocolate"

As you can see, there is something for everyone to love here. I'm partial to the mint and triple-chocolate myself.

Last Wednesday was the first day of school for all three of my kids - for the first time ever. After I returned home from dropping the kids off and settled down at my desk with a cup of coffee, it felt anti-climactic. Where was the party?

Right here. Here's a little party for ya.

I've been gleefully sharing my bounty with my family and friends - and the reactions have all been pretty dramatic - everyone is blown away by the great new flavors and beautiful gem-like colors.

You have GOT to try them.

Don't want to take my word for it? Head over to the roundup page and see what my fellow reviewers had to say!

Remember this?

Rocking Out to Choo Choo Soul from BigSliceJenny on Vimeo.

Here we are, a few years later, and FINALLY! We have the CD in our hands. No more pausing TiVo and rewinding thirty million times!

I've been a huge fan of Choo Choo Soul since the very first video hit the airwaves, and more importantly, so have my kids. Genevieve and DC have put together a fantastic collection of songs for kids that ARE NOT CHEESY. I hear that the discs will be available August 22.

We also received They Might Be Giants' Here Come the 123s. Filled with the wit and bouncy alt-rock vibe they are known for, we all love this album as much as the earlier No! - and that's A LOT. Nothing gets my kids moshing around the living room, cracking up and dancing like fools like TMBG.

Ralph's World's The Rhyming Circus take a sweeping approach to genres - there's a little something from everywhere in these songs, and it is so fun to watch the kids change their movements and their attitudes as the music shifts from rock to country to oompah and back again.

The kids were excited to see Juice Box Heroes from Imagination Movers in the stack of CDs, too. This one didn't get as much airtime as the others so far, but I've got to say, I'm impressed with the catchy hooks and funny lyrics.

The final disc we received is the Disney Music Block Party - featuring classic songs from the Disney movies performed by popular artists and characters from the Playhouse Disney crowd. I was more excited about this one than the kids - they haven't seen many of the films that these songs are from, but I was really pleased with the fresh takes on some of my old favorites.

Thank you, Disney and MomCentral! If you'd like more information on this great new catalog of albums, visit Disney Music Block Party.

For more reviews, check out the round up post at MomCentral.

The box arrived and I put it in my office, ready to unveil it on the weekend. And then I forgot about it for a couple of weeks. With 6 weeks, left until my review date - I suddenly remembered (woke up from a dead sleep in a panic, in fact) and tore it from its packaging.

We did the basic set up in less than five minutes - the instructions were clear and easily followed. I appreciate that, especially now that my kids are old enough to want to do it all themselves. After spending a good 10 minutes happily raking the growing medium into zen garden-like patterns with the miniature green rake and then patting it smooth with the miniature green shovel, we headed out to the local garden center to buy seeds for the kit.

I urged my kids to select some herbs seeds, and I wandered around selecting some other goodies for the yard. When we got home, the kids planted their seeds, and we placed the greenhouse on the counter.

Flash forward one week - we've got a few little seedlings popping up, and we followed the instructions and changed out the water.

Week two - lots of little seedlings now - we switch the water again.

Week three - the seedlings are thick now, and we weed a bunch of them out. The little sprouts are starting to reach toward the window now. We switch out the water.

Week four - wow - the plants are really starting to take off. We've got lots of leafy goodness going on.

Week five - what. the. heck. happened? The plastic greenhouse top has been knocked asunder and the sides and swiped a bunch of the little plants out of the growing medium. We replant them as best as we can, and move the greenhouse up higher. My five-year-old disavows any knowledge of the plant mayhem.

Week six - miraculously, some of the plants have survived. The morning my review is due, I grab the camera, and wander out into the kitchen to snap a photo of our little victory garden.

Catastrophe. Literally. Our little garden lay on its side, with my cat crouching over it, looking drunk. It seems that we planted catnip, instead of the oregano seeds I had help the kids select.

Um, whoops!

I opted to clean up the growing medium and throw the cat outside, rather than take a photo of the mess.

The Hydro Greenhouse was a fun, easy project for the kids - as an all-around black-thumbed gardener, I appreciated the easy set-up, and the continuously fed watering system. The growing medium was really pretty cool, and the seedlings seemed to thrive in their little plastic house.

We're going to give the Hydro Greenhouse another shot - and this time? We're sticking with oregano.

To read what my fellow Parent Blogger reviewers had to say - check out the roundup.

This fun adventure starts off when you select your pet - you can either choose to be a cat or a dog - or if you're not sure, the game will help match you with your perfect pet with a fun questionnaire. Right after I helped my five-year-old start up the game, she mastered the simple navigation, and grabbed her older sister for a two-heads-are-better-than-one play session. They were having a blast navigating the island and "buying" toys and outfits for their new pet, and I enjoyed the relative peace and quiet.

Later in the week, I took a spin around Vacation Island, although I did it on a different DS (we have several) and the date was off by a day or two for some reason. I was scolded by a rock in the game for reasons unclear to me - seriously, a rock. I made it sad. I am so not even close to understanding all of THAT.

So, while Go Pets: Vacation Island wasn't as engaging for me, my kids all loved it. With my assistance, they learned how to connect to the wifi and went global - briefly. They really enjoyed all the mini games that are part of the play, and enjoyed learning how to befriend other pets.

This is a really fun addition to our little arsenal of DS games, and unlike other titles, the kids are really still enjoying it. Thanks MomCentral!

When we bought our home in 2000, the plan was to update everything as we had the time and budget.

And then we didn't. Whoops!

So we've got this, um, vintage situation going on. It's sort of grody, actually.

Mom, avert your eyes. No matter what I try, that mildewy nastiness just keeps coming back... and any sealant from years past is long gone. It has been time to recaulk this sink for 10 years. And we totally were gonna, I swear. TOTALLY. And I do so clean my sink. It just keeps coming back. It's not my fault!

You can't argue with the excellence that is this jewel-like faucet. Ba-da-bling!

Now, that is high class. They don't make 'em like that any more. Or, um, if they do? They probably should knock it off.

So! Onward. I grabbed the little package and despite the super-reflective packaging, managed to get a shot. Behold!

I peeled the directions off the back of the package, to find that pages one and two were comically sealed to each other, allowing me to view only pages three and four. After a few moments of panic, I finally managed to unstick the other two pages:

Clean the surface. (I TOTALLY DID, MOM!)
Remove any old caulk.

Oh, um... wait. How do you do that?

Razor blade...rusted. (Wail that like Cindy Wilson in "Love Shack")

Scrape scrape scrape....

This obviously could have ended badly. I was prepared (heeeey random shout out to Johnson and Johnson) for the mishap that didn't happen. Prepared to be cute, even!

Once I got the stuff scraped off and sucked up with the shop vac, I was presumably ready to go with step three - applying a smooth bead of caulk.

True confessions time - I was feeling kind of cocky (caulky?) about this project, because I'm a pretty good cake decorator. I'm able to make flowers and stuff with icing, so, like, I should be able to make a straight, even line with this thing, right?

Yeah, not so much. I had a cup of real coffee AKA jitter-juice which may have contributed to my bravado about this whole project, but my hand was shaking really bad. Despite the neat, easy to open, smooth squeezing packaging, I smeared a line of the stuff on the edge, and then, using my wet finger, tried to make it do that thing it is supposed to do.

And then I used a bunch of paper towels and smeared it around. And then I got mad and wiped it all off, and started over. The GE Caulk Singles have more than enough for three around the sink applications of the world's fattest, most messy bead. Ask me how I know! Go on!

In the end, though? I got it mostly right. And look:

It's like a brand new sink! Now, if I can just do something about the faux-wood cabinetry and chipped mirror...

This is my entry for the Spruce Up Your Space contest from GE Caulk Singles and BlogHer - for a $1000 Visa Gift card.