Since the last two weeks have been all about great food and home products, the promotion of this fantastic sweepstakes couldn’t have come at a better time.  Right now the Food Network and Kia are offering the What’s Your Forte? Sweepstakes where you can win a $10,000 Kitchen Aid kitchen makeover.  Yay!

In addition to that grand prize, there are also other great prizes from Kitchen Aid and iRobot.  Be sure to visit the sweepstakes’ site for all the details and to enter!

One of the sponsors of this event is Kia Motors and of course the namesake behind the sweepstakes is their cute Forte.

“There have been many firsts throughout time. Like the invention of the engine, the first vehicle to be incredibly safe, the first vehicle to be incredibly powerful. There have been many designers that mastered their craft. There have been plenty of technological innovations such as satellite radio, MP3 devices and Bluetooth. As an automotive company, we weren’t the first at any of these. But when it comes to putting all of this into a compact car, we are pioneers. The Forte. The first of its kind.”

This is such a great car in so many ways, and like all Kia’s I’m sure that the price is great too!  Now, if only my family was a little smaller…  You can even follow them on Facebook!

Just for checking out this sweepstakes, I am excited to be able to offer a fantastic prize for one very lucky reader!   Just visit the sweepstakes site and check it out…enter if you want while you’re there.  Then come back here and leave a comment and you will be entered to win a $25 Fandango gift card and $30 worth of Crate and Barrel Gift Cards!

Extra ways to enter…(be sure to leave a NEW comment for EACH extra entry!):

• Become a Facebook Fan of Kia Forte!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by October 13th, 2009.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure:  I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like. I will receive a gift card as well for presenting this opportunity to you.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

When I was contacted about this fabulous product, I was totally in love with the idea of a product that easily helps me in my effort to make workouts more effective. The Motiva Petite is easy to use and very small and fashionable.

The directions were so easy to follow, and it was so attractive to wear. I use it whenever I’m working out and it is brilliant. Why you ask…the features are absolutely amazing!

• ECG accurate heart rate, without a chest strap
• Smallest heart rate monitor on the market
• Visual indicator of exertion level based on heart rate and personal data
• Percent of maximum heart rate display based on age and gender
• Multiple timers (5)
• Patented calorie management system allowing users to track calorie intake throughout the day and calories burned during exercise, against a daily calorie target
• Can be used for MIO’s 3500 Calorie Countdown Program
• Full-featured sports watch including alarm, exercise timer, date and backlit display
• Water resistant to 30 meters
• MIO’s signature interchangeable Petite watch band (other colors sold separately)
• BONUS: One extra signature interchangeable Petite watch band!
• BONUS: MioSENSE Guide to Healthy Living

With all the different functions available in the Motiva Stride Petite, you’ll want to wear it all the time for whatever you’re doing. I especially love that it tracks daily caloric intake as well as heart rate, basic time/date, etc.

You can find out more about this great Mio product and more on their website, their Facebook page, through Twitter and on YouTube.

They have offered one very lucky reader your choice of product from their site. Be sure to visit and choose something, then come back here and leave a comment with a link to the product you would like to win in order to enter.

There are lots of great ways to get extra entries!

(be sure to leave a NEW comment for EACH extra entry!):

• Special Extra entries for this giveaway! One each for becoming a fan on their facebook page and/or following them on Twitter.
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here. Be sure to enter by October 5th, 2009. This giveaway is open to US and Canadian addresses!

Disclosure: I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like. I was sent the Motiva Stride Petit watch to try for myself in order to present you with an informed review. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

This month I’ve been focusing a lot more than usual on offering you great recipes and cooking tips.  Today I wanted to tell all of you about Country Bob’s,  a really great company I was recently introduced to.  They offer some amazing sauces for cooking.

Country Bob’s All Purpose sauce makes getting just the right flavor especially for hamburgers and steaks.  It’s gluten free and can be easily ordered in bulk online and the prices include shipping!  You can marinade, grill or basically use it in any way imaginable to enhance the flavor of many different types of dishes.

They also offer a Spicy All Purpose Sauce (I think my husband would LOVE this one), a Barbeque Sauce (yum yum) and a Seasoning Salt that sounds wonderful.  You can even buy all of these products in a Gift Pack to try them out!

The Country Bob’s website offers some great recipes in addition to their cookbook that you can purchase.  They also have a blog where some of the latest information can be found.

Country Bob’s has offered one lucky commenter the opportunity to win 2 bottles of Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce for themselves! To enter, visit Country Bob’s and take a look at their products.  When you’re done, come back here and leave a comment telling me what dish you would use this sauce in.

Extra ways to enter…(be sure to leave a NEW comment for EACH extra entry!):

• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by September 24th, 2009.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure:  I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  I was sent 2 bottles of the All Purpose Sauce to try in my cooking in order to present you with an informed review.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

What’s Labor Day without a little nudge to all the new moms out there?  What!  That’s not what Labor Day is about.  Well, to most of the moms I know it is!  Seriously, say the word “labor” and what’s the first thing that pops into mind?  That’s right!  But I digress….

I recently found out about a great company called aden+anais (isn’t that a great name?). It was started by two mothers who both moved to the US from Australia in 1996 and they were stunned by the lack of great quality baby wraps here.  In Australia, babies are always wrapped in muslin, and the wraps are a lot larger than those available here.

These comfortable wraps are perfect for almost any baby use from swaddling and sleeping to a great stroller cover because of how large they are.   The more you wash these swaddling blankets, the softer they get and they are ultra breathable which makes them perfect for any season/climate!

In addition to their muslin wraps, aden + anais also carries towels and muslin cotton washcloths!  Be sure to check out their entire line.

One lucky commenter will have the privilege of receiving a set (4 pack) of aden + anais’ Mod Muslin Swaddling Blankets (value $44). In order to enter, visit aden + anais’ website and take a look at their products.  Then, come back here and tell me why you’d love to have these wraps!

Extra ways to enter…(be sure to leave a NEW comment for EACH extra entry!):

• Become a Facebook fan of aden + anais!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by September 18, 2009.  This giveaway is open to US and Canadian Addresses!

Disclosure:  I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  I was sent a package of these swaddle blankets for Sis and Little Miss to try.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Who hasn’t grown up with Elmer’s Glue? Those little white school glue bottles are totally a trademark of all things back to school. Sure, their label may have changed (but only slightly) over the years, but it’s still the must-have and go-to product for back to school.

Seriously moms, tell me it’s something you don’t just automatically grab off the shelf when you’re purchasing school supplies.  You don’t have to look at the list, you know it’s there.  Though more recently I have had a few years where I was required to send fifty zillion glue sticks to school instead of just the traditional white glue (and you think I’m joking).

Elmer’s Glue Crew has introduced a wonderful classroom recycling program.  I love this because it’s making school supplies even more reuseable than they already are (can I hear it from all the moms who have been known to even do crayon melting inventions with all the crayon bits..).  Here’s the details…

The Elmer’s Glue Crew Recycling Program, launched in 2008, encourages classrooms nationwide to actively learn about recycling by collecting empty glue bottles and glue sticks to be recycled. Starting on Earth Day through the end of the school year, teachers and parent volunteers simply take their boxes of “empties” to the nearest Walmart store and drop them off with the people greeter. From there, Walmart ensures the empty products are handled by facilities designed to recycle these specific types of plastics.

Whether you’re a big fan of Walmart or not (those who know me know my answer to that), all it takes is one bin in your classroom to collect the items and one person from that class who is willing to take them to the nearest store and hand them to a greeter!

If you love shopping with Upromise (great program, be sure to check it out), Elmer’s glue is now part of that program as well, so be sure to stop by their site to get all the details on everything mentioned here…and more!

Elmer’s Glue Crew Recycling Program is offering a fun back to school pack for one lucky reader.  This pack includes one of each of the following products: 8 oz. Washable School Glue, 8 oz. Elmer’s Glue-All®, Washable School Glue Stick, Extra Strength Gel School Glue Jumbo Stick, Washable School Glue Stick, All-Purpose Glue Stick, Washable School Glue, Washable School Glue Gel, 3D Jumbo Glitter Paint Pen, No Wrinkle Glue Pen.  Whew!

Yes, I’m sort of on a School supply kick yesterday and today, but just wait there’s still so much more to come.  Today’s post obviously is going up quite late, so be looking for tomorrow’s Ready for School Feature (a discount next time) to go up a little after noon.

To enter, be sure to leave a comment telling me your favorite Back to School memory!  If that happens to include something about Elmer’s glue, I’m sure our sponsor for today’s giveaway would be delighted to hear about that.   Remember, if you are a participating blogger (ie. have our back to school button on your sidebar), be sure to leave an extra comment for that as well with a link to your blog’s home page.

Extra entries?  Sure, why not!  Be sure to leave a new comment for each entry!

• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by August 29th.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure:  I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  This post was sponsored by Elmer’s Glue Crew Recycling program and I was sent the same products as are being offered in the prize pack to try for myself.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

One of the classic fundraisers for school has to be Box Tops for Education.  These unique little rectangles can be found on products throughout your local grocery store, just clip them and send them to your child’s school to add to their Box Tops collection!

This year if you visit Box Tops for Education’s website, you can enter to win a back-to-school prize pack as well as a chance to win 5,000 Bonus Box Tops for your child´s school, free Pillsbury Toaster Strudel and Totino´s Pizza Rolls, and school supplies from Box Tops´ newest partner, Avery.  To enter, make sure you sign up on the site and enter by October 4th.

Specially marked packages of Tostino’s Pizza Rolls and Pillsbury’s Toaster Strudel have double the box tops right now.  These are fabulous fast snacks for your kids too!  The Toaster Strudels are a warm treat (served only on special occasions around here) with the do-it-yourself icing that all kids love.  Tostino’s Pizza Rolls are a nice warm (quick) snack for after school!

I personally think it’s very fun that you can now find box tops on Avery products as well!  Having them on school supplies is such an obvious place and now schools can benefit by that as well.  For all the details on the Box Tops for Education program, just visit their site.  There you can check on your school’s earnings, shop online to earn even more cash for your school, get coupons for box top products and much more!

To kick off our Ready for School week, they are offering one very lucky commenter a fantastic prize pack that includes one (1) free coupon for Toaster Strudel, one (1) free coupon for Totino´s Pizza Rolls, a Box Tops For Education certificate worth 10 bonus Box Tops as well as some great school supplies for your family.

To enter, visit the Box Tops for Education Website, then come back here, leave a comment and mention one product that you have purchased and donated the box top from.  If you have already placed our “Ready for School Week button on your site, leave a second comment with a link to your blog.

Extra ways to enter…(be sure to leave a NEW comment for EACH extra entry!):

• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by August 28th.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure:  I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  My Blog Spark sent me this prize pack to try for myself.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

I have just been introduced to several amazing products for my family to use with our Wii.  I had never heard of most of this equipment, so I am very excited to share it all with you.

You can find all of these products at Performance Designed Products also known as PDP, and you can find equipment for almost all of the other gaming systems as well.   From Energizer power systems, NERF sports products, Rock band gear, Transformers armor and much more, they have it all!

All the products are manufactured by Performance Designed Products (PDP). PDP is an industry leader in designing and manufacturing products for all major video game platforms including the Sony PS2, PS3, PSP, Nintendo Wii, GameCube, Nintendo DS, Microsoft XBOX and XBOX 360. The company has been supplying video game accessories to the U.S. market for more than a decade.

The product that my kids had the most fun with is definitely the NERF Sports Pack.  This pack includes add-ons for baseball, golf and tennis.  Use these official NERF attachments with your favorite sports game for even more Wii fun!  You just clip the attachment you want to the durable grip handle and away you go.

The NERF Racing Wheel is the next most popular product.  Making all of the racing games even more fun and white knuckle racing a little less “white knuckled” with NERF’s soft grip wheel.  Because of course, you’re only going to find a thick molded layer of NERF material on the NERF Racing Wheel!

One of the things that is the most challenging around here is batteries for the Wii remotes…guess what, they have a solution for that as well and I LOVE these products.  I am absolutely DONE with batteries being scattered through the house and battery covers missing!  The Energizer Power & Play Wii Induction Charger and the Energizer Power & Play Wii 4X Charger are definitely the solution!

With the Energizer Power & Play Wii 4x Charger, just remove the sleeve (you can leave the strap attached) from all 4 of your remotes and pop them in, it’s that simple.  The charger is small and can sit right next to your Wii base, whenever you want to play, you’ll know that you have fully charged batteries for the next adventure.

With the Energizer Power & Play Wii Induction Charger, just grab your two remotes, silicone cover and all, and pop them onto the convenient charging station.  If you have Wii Motion Plus attachments, you can leave those on as well!

A Giveaway: Guess what, PDP has offered some amazing prizes for my readers to enter to win!  There are two prize packs, please be sure to mention which one you prefer. I personally think that it will be difficult to choose one over the other, but please do.

Prize Pack One will include the NERF Sports Pack (value $19.99) and the Energizer Power & Play Wii 4X Charger (value $39.99).

Prize Pack Two will include the NERF Racing Wheel (value $9.99) and the Energizer Power & Play Wii Induction Charger (value $49.99).

To Enter: Leave a comment on this post telling me which Prize Pack you want and what your favorite thing about the Wii is.

Extra Entries: Of course we love to offer extra entries.  Just be sure to leave an extra comment for each new entry you qualify for!

• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

Eligible Shipping Addresses: As long as your shipping address is in the USA or Canada, you are eligible to enter!!!!

The Conditions: Be sure you enter by August 26th to be eligible to win.   This giveaway is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.

How I will choose: I will randomly choose two numbers at the end of the giveaway and the first number chosen will get their choice, the second number chosen will get the other prize.

Disclosure:  I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  I received all of the products offered in the prizes to review and write about.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Play-Doh is definitely a classic that never gets old.  Generations of children have been enjoying this creative product and mine are no exception.

Though I have found that my children in particular can NOT be left unattended with Play-Doh products (especially the older ones…go figure), I love how it sparks their imagination.  Whether you choose a product that helps them create something in particular, or just a couple containers of Play-Doh and a few household items and let them create, it will always be an adventure.

It might surprise you, but I recommend that you include Play-Doh on your back to school list.  Whether your children are in public, private, or homeschool, many moms will be looking for activities to entertain the younger ones while the older ones are in school for the day.  This is a perfect way to keep them busy.

Also, if fall afternoons are too nasty for your school age children to go outside and play, this is a great activity for them as well.  It helps them unwind from the day and just be creative.  It’s also great as we gear up for the new school year to start and the children start saying those dreaded words…”I’m bored”.

Their brand new products are very fun, and I just have to say that Play-Doh never gets old.  It’s nostalgic for many parents too, so don’t be afraid to dive in and create right along with your children!

The Play-Doh Burger Builder was “cool” (according to my 11 year old who I asked to give me an opinion)!  The kids loved pretending they were running their own restaurant and serving everyone.  The fry part of this set was definitely a favorite because some of the older ones decided to get even more creative.  Making fries was fun, but they discovered that they can create things like fettuccini (in their minds anyway) and more.

This is the one set that is probably most reminiscent of sets we had growing up which is very fun!

With the Play-Doh Spaghetti Factory, kids can cook up all sorts of noodle creations…complete with meatballs, tomatoes and much more.  Complete with cans of Play-Doh to make things look especially Pasta-ish and a play mat for moms peace of mind and a little less mess when it comes to clean up time.

*Be sure to read below for all the details on the giveaway featuring this great Play-Doh set!

In keeping with the food theme, let’s not forget dessert!  The Magic Swirl Ice Cream Shoppe should satisfy any imaginary sweet tooth!  Kids can create imaginary ice cream treats with this great kit, Ice cream cones, parfaits or sundaes, the choice is up to you.  With over 40 molds this set is complete with cones, ice cream and a plethora of toppings like sprinkes, whipped cream and hot fudge.

Kids can even create pretend strawberries, cookie crumbles and a cherry for the top of their pretend sundae if they want.  This set was a lot of fun for my boys!

It gets even better though, they have offered one lucky commenter the opportunity to win a Play-Doh Spaghetti Factory™ for their family! Just leave a comment telling me one of two things…1) what is your child’s favorite Play-Doh product or creation….or 2) what is your favorite Play-Doh product memory from when you were a child?

Want extra entries?  Here’s your opportunities (just remember to leave a new comment for each one)…

• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

Please note: This giveaway is limited to non PO Box shipping address in the continental U.S.  Entry deadline is August 19th, 2009.   This giveaway is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.

Disclosure:  I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not post about a product that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  I was sent all three of these Play-Doh products for my family to try in order to offer you an informed opinion.  I did not receive any other compensation for reviewing this product.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

I have to applaud the inventiveness of cereal creators.  They do so many fun things with cereal to make it more appealing to children.  My kiddos do not eat “sugar” cereals often, but when they do, this is definitely a hit.  The swirls are very fun, but more than that, ask them one question in reference to this cereal and you will get quite a bit of entertainment…

“How do you think they made them swirl like that?”

Try it with your family (and leave a comment here to be entered to win a prize pack…but more on that in a minute) and you’ll get some very fun results.

Trix Swirls is a good source of Vitamin D and calcium and comes in some great fruity combinations…including lemony green, berry berry blue, and rasporangey orange.

I have a fun Creative Kid gift basket to offer to one very lucky commenter.  This great prize pack includes a sample of Trix Swirls along with a colorful apron, a set of watercolor pencils, watercolor paints, brushes, a sketchbook, and an art supply box.

To enter, leave a comment here telling us how your child (or you) thinks that Trix Swirls was made.  There are extra ways to enter as well (below), just be sure to get all your comments in by August 14th, 2009!  Open to US addresses only (sorry).

• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.

Disclosure:  I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  My Blog Spark sent me this prize pack to try for myself.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Kix® has long been one of my favorite cereals for my kids!  It’s one of those that I started feeding my little ones as soon as they were old enough to grab it and stick it in their mouths.  Simple and yummy I could count on it not adding too much sugar to their diet while being fun for them to eat.

Even now as they are older it is still one of the healthier cereals that I know I can count on my boys eating.  So, when I found out that they have just come out with Honey Kix (and had an opportunity to share it with all of you), I was thrilled to try it out.  It definitely does not disappoint!

Honey Kix is a good source of fiber, calcium and vitamin D, contains 16 grams of whole grain per serving (at least 48 grams recommended daily) and has no artificial flavors or preservatives. A perfect balance of taste and nutrition through simple ingredients, which both moms and kids can agree on!

Want to give it a try for yourself? Well, you’re in luck! One commenter will receive a VERY fun Honey Kix prize pack that includes a coupon for a box of cereal, a honey jar, a cereal bowl, a container to take your cereal and milk on-the-go (which is very fun!), and a great container to keep cereal fresh at home. Whew!

To enter, just leave a comment telling me what you do to get each morning off to a good start! If you’d like extra entries…no problem! Here’s a variety of ways, but you must leave a new comment for each one!

• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

This giveaway is open to US addresses only.  Entry deadline is August 5th.  It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.

Disclosure:  I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  I received the prize pack to review for myself from My Blog Spark on behalf of Honey Kix.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.