Earlier this week I wrote about the different summer activities I have in mind. Of course, as any mom knows, going on any day-long expedition with kids means that food must be part of the plan or you will have very grumpy kids.

Buying food while out and about may be an option for some, but not only do I find it terribly expensive (two tweens and a teen who eat a ton aren’t cheap to feed), but I also find it to be quite inconvenient. So packing up the troops with great food for lunch and snacks is a must.

Costco and I are great friends through the summer in particular! So when I was sent a summer snack pack with Fruit Rollups and Nature Valley granola bars I was very excited (though they didn’t last long at all around here).

Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Bars are filling and nutritious and in my boys’ opinion (well ok and mine) very yummy. Packed with almonds, peanuts, raisins and cranberries these will stick with kids and their activities.

Simply Fruit Roll-Ups come in a variety pack of strawberry and wildberry flavors. Made with 90% real fruit and fruit juice, your kids are getting a full serving of fruit with each roll-up. They are also gluten-free.

Personally though I wouldn’t stop there! Because those two options are a little higher in the sugar content department, I’d definitely stock up on drinks (horizon organic chocolate milk, yum), crackers, fresh fruits and veggies, homemade trail mix and much more to make sure that I’m not caught empty handed when the hungries strike one of the boys and we’re at the zoo.

Giveaway

I am so very excited to offer one lucky reader the same snack pack I received which includes 1 box of Simply Fruit Roll-Ups (42 ct), 1 box of Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Bars (48 ct) and a $25 Costco gift card.

To enter, simply leave a comment below telling me all about your favorite snack foods to pack when your family goes on a day-long adventure.

Want extra entries (of course I do that!)? Here’s what you do, just make sure you leave a NEW comment for each new entry!

• Become a Facebook Fan of A Frog In My Soup!!!
• 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 July 6th, 2010.  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.  MyBlogSpark contacted me on behalf of General Mills and asked me to review the items listed in the review…these were provided to me in order for me to offer you with an honest review of their product. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Celebrity chef Tyler Florence created Sprout Baby Food, the leading organic gourmet baby food now available on the market.  Reminding us that healthy eating needs to continue as babies begin to try solid foods, delicious combinations of healthy food is what you will find in Sprout.

Available in three stages to grow with your baby, you’ll find yummy combinations such as Roasted Bananas, Sweet Peas & Garden Green Beans, Roasted Pears & Apricots, Sweet Baby Carrots and Sweet Potato and many more.

My niece got to try out a few samples of Sprout Organic Baby food and my sister was very impressed not only with the fact that it’s organic, but with the packaging itself, “I love that I can seal it and throw it in the bag not worrying about it spilling all over.”

The packaging is very unique, definitely not your average baby food….

Complementing Sprout’s high quality organic recipes is the Company’s dedication to serving its gourmet baby food in the Company’s proprietary ecologically packaged, re-sealable pouches. Not only are the pouches eco-friendly and convenient to use, they also deliver Sprout’s organic baby food in a revolutionary manner that maintains superior taste and nutrition when compared to traditional glass jar baby food packaging techniques.

Sprout Baby Food also provides added assurance with your baby’s nutrition and development by providing a recipe growth chart, guiding parents on what meals to feed their child until they are toddlers. In addition to being available online, Sprout Organic Baby Food’s 18 highly nutritious “farm-to-pouch” recipes are also available at retail locations across the country.

You can purchase Sprout Baby Food at Whole Foods, Publix, Kroger, United Supermarkets, Raley’s and many other locations. If you are looking for a discount, you can shop at Amazon.com or Diapers.com.

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 sample pouches of Sprout Baby Food that my niece tried out…these were provided to me in order for me to offer you with an honest review of their product. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Today is the first day of summer vacation for most of my kids. The challenge is to make sure that today isn’t the end of all sanity for me. Coming up with plenty of activities for the boys to do is definitely key. From the 14 year old to the 4 year olds, if they aren’t kept busy we definitely have issues.

So to keep my sanity intact and help them have a fun summer experience, I have a few little ideas…

The Not-So-Nice Days

I have to face the fact that living in the Pacific Northwest we tend to get a lot of weather variations. There are almost no months during the summer where you can truly predict that it will be sunny, though August is usually nice.

So when the weather isn’t so fun we have a couple of choices…

• At Home: crafts, inspired projects (these are when I give them an idea, like “create a board game” and letting their creativity flow), games, or even a movie day occasionally complete with popcorn (this is usually something we’d do on a dismal Friday if they have earned it).
• Daycation: indoor destinations such as the Science Center, Children’s Museum, Aquarium, library, or even a planned trip to grandma’s house (they really think this is fun).
• Staycation: local indoor waterpark (though we will not be doing this ourselves this summer it is a fun idea I thought I’d share) stay one night and play in the waterpark for two days. These parks often have an indoor and outdoor area. So if you live where weather can be unpredictable this is a lot of fun.

Nice Weather activities…

• At Home: water games and sprinkler fun, pool party (just your family or invite the neighbors &/or cousins to join in; make it fun with lemonade and mini sandwiches), chalk art (sidewalk, driveway, etc kids love sidewalk chalk and letting them be very creative with it is a fun summer activity). My kids will also spend a lot of time roaming the “forest”, riding bikes, golfing in the yard and much more.
• Daycation: zoo, parks (check your community for parks that might even offer music and/or movie activities for the family), waterslides, beach (sandcastle competition anyone?)…anywhere you can go as a family that you can just spend the day having fun together and making a memory.
• Summer nights: One thing we love to do as a family at least once during the summer is go to a drive-in movie. They do still exist in some areas so do a little research to see if there’s one near you.  They are much more affordable than going to the theater, and usually feature two movies so check listings. The first movie will often be a child/family movie and the second will typically be a more adult movie. Either we leave before the second movie or often the children fall asleep between movies anyway so we can enjoy the second one too.!

I hope this offers you a little inspiration as well to help you have a great, fun, memory-filled summer!!!

For the first time in 7 years Sarah McLauchlan has just released a brand new album called Laws of Illusion. It’s available today and I can tell you it is beautiful. She is one of my favorite artists and I even have a Sarah McLauchlan “station” on my Pandora app and account.

Her music is soothing, meaningful and simply beautiful… as is her voice. So I was so excited to participate in this project and get my hands on a CD right before the release. Click on the continue reading link to see a video of one of the songs, if you love it make sure you grab a copy of the CD at a local retailer. CLICK HERE to continue reading!!

As moms many of us think little of all we do from day to day and week to week…sometimes even moment to moment. We do it simply because we are the mom. Sometimes though we find ourselves in a position where we have to go a little beyond what we would normally have planned to do as a mom.

That could mean caring for a very sick child, making major decisions based on the needs of a child and so many other things. Overcoming unique challenges and going above and beyond the call of duty definitely should have it’s own chapter (or more) in the Mom handbook.

Aquafresh & Mom Works Beyond

Aquafresh recently contacted me to offer all of you a spectacular opportunity! I was oh-so-thrilled! Here’s the plan in a nutshell…following this post I want ALL of you moms to post a comment (yep they might be a little long and that’s just fine).

I want you to respond and tell me how you have gone the extra mile for your kids.

Ok, I’ll admit it…I am totally biased when it comes to toothpaste. I think we all are, but since this is the toothpaste I grew up using and still use with my own family I think it is deeply embedded in my psychie (lol).  Oh, by the way, visit their website for coupons…yay!

So there will also be some fun prizes!

This giveaway is very unique so please please please read through the instructions following the prize listings.

• One story will be randomly chosen from all entries as the Grand A Frog In My Soup winner. Not only will this winner receive a $50 Walmart gift card as a prize, but they will also be nominated (by me) to the Aquafresh Creative team to be entered to win a huge prize package (1 year of free Aquafresh) from them.
• Two other stories will be chosen randomly. Each will be sent 2 coupons for Aquafresh iso-active whitening toothpaste.

How to enter:

Like I said earlier this is a different giveaway so here’s the scoop…

• One entry per person. Entry must be a story about going above and beyond as a mom.
• You can write your own story or you can write a story about your mom.

Hurry though, you only have until June 9th, 2010 to enter!!!

CLICK HERE to continue reading!!

Recently during lunchtime the Twinkies started singing this age old classic rhyme. It was so cute.

They sing all the time and I am forever stopping to either listen or join in throughout the day. It’s the little things like this that are so fun!

Trying to enjoy all those moments can be difficult in the midst of housework, meals, deadlines and to-do lists but they are oh-so-important.  They are just as important for you as a mom as they are for the children.

Sure, you don’t get to pick when they decide to burst into song…and you typically don’t get to pick (though children are usually very open to suggestions) the song they sing.  But hearing those sweet little voices singing a song, made up or known it doesn’t matter can soften the heart and is just such a sweet thing in the midst of life’s chaos.

I hope you can enjoy those moments today!

Crystal Light has recently come out with a great new product that we love!  When I was told that Crystal Light Pure Fitness was sweetened with Stevia which is a natural sweetener I was very excited to give it a try.

Crystal Light has been around for a long time, but usually products like it use Splenda or other artificial sweeteners in them to keep the calories down.  Artificial sweeteners and I don’t get along, there are several reasons I say this but suffice it to say that I simply avoid them now.

Crystal Light is the first nationally-available, low-calorie fitness beverage mix with no artificial flavors, preservatives or sweeteners and it is colored with natural ingredients. I love that it only has 15 calories per serving, and that it’s sweetened with evaporated cane juice and TruviaTM (an all-natural, calorie-free sweetener derived from the stevia plant), and it’s colored and flavored with natural ingredients.

Pure Fitness also contains electrolytes to aid hydration during light physical activity, making it a great fitness partner. Each packet will transform a 16.9-ounce bottle or cup of water into a light, refreshing beverage in any one of three flavors – Lemon Lime, Strawberry Kiwi or Grape.

The very best part in my opinion is not only that it tastes good, but that it mixes perfectly in water. No more clumpy powder in your drink!!! yay!

So next time you’re in the grocery store, stop by and give it a try. Strawberry Kiwi was my favorite, but the others were very good as well. Enjoy!

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.  Kraft Foods sent me a sample of Crystal Light Pure Fitness and asked me to review the items listed in the review…these were provided to me in order for me to offer you with an honest review of their product. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

I’m pretty sure there comes a time in every blogger’s life where they aren’t entirely sure what they will share or even if they should. Although my blog started so small, I know that now there are many that actually read it and I want to make sure that the things I share are an encouragement not a downer.

That said, life happens. I have found it necessary occasionally to put down the blog and pick up my kids. That would explain my absence last week. They needed me…and…well…you didn’t so much.

I am so close to feeling normal again, it has been very nice. We still live in our cramped little house as a family of 8 and that still makes me a little crazy from time to time but the laughter has come back and that’s what I love.

Depression is an ugly word and can do very ugly things to a person’s life. I won’t (and don’t) talk about it often here because it is so heavy and in many ways just too personal and even difficult to explain. I will say this though, as a mom of so many my biggest frustration was wanting things to be back to “normal” for my kids!

But I digress….I really just wanted to say thank you to all of you for hanging in there as things have been fairly inconsistent. This week there should be yet another great giveaway for all of you to participate in so I will talk to you all again soon.

Until then, be blessed and hug your family!

I definitely have had summer on my mind lately. As the weather starts to get just a little sunnier I’m seeing glimpses of summer. So over at Mom Central Food I posted about some summer favorites last week.

Be sure to hop on over and check out a fun summer salad recipe for Roquefort Pear Salad and a very yummy Rhubarb Strawberry pie recipe that I got from the May 2010 edition of Real Simple Magazine.

So here’s the bottom line:

Living the Truth is not at all about being religious…it is so much simpler than that. Christ didn’t walk around beating everyone over the head…it’s so important to remember the genuine, human nature of his life. His love and acceptance of the people that so many saw as unclean and the ultimate sacrifice he made for all of us…regardless of our shame, regardless of our past, regardless of our future.

My Pastor had so many stories and amazing illustrations through the years…they truly were incredible. But there’s one simple thing that I will always have ingrained in my heart and mind. God doesn’t ask us to come to him clean.

We don’t have to wait and get our lives all cleaned up before we come to Him…which really is a good thing considering that so many of us would never be able to stand before him if that was the case! The simple act of Accepting, Believing, Committing is all it takes. Yes, really.

I always have to laugh at those who say that Christianity is so limiting and stuffy and you don’t get to have any fun because there are so many rules.  Simply put…it is Freedom. Pure simple freedom. Freedom from so many things. Sure, we are all still human and totally fallible creatures. We will fall again and again and again….and he’ll be there, waiting for us…every single time!

Faith isn’t complicated. When you allow faith to stay simple (after all, it is simply a relationship between you and God), it’s like taking a huge refreshing breath outdoors on a gorgeous sunny day. I know of no other way to describe it, but when you allow Him to just “hang out” with you, you’ll know a peace like no other.

I know that there’s so much more to it than this, but really, when you think about it, living faith every day and having a simple relationship with God is all it takes. I just wish everyone could understand the true heart of God and I wish there were more Pastor Tom’s in the world to touch and influence those very lives that need to know this truth.

The reason for this post:

Last Thursday, May 20 2010, my Pastor, one of  most amazing men I have ever known, passed away. This news was so difficult in a way because it was sudden and I felt (still feel) that we lost him way too soon. When I was 12, my family began attending Pastor Tom’s church, I was so greatly influenced by him and continued to be even now, since he was again the pastor of the church my family attends.

There was always something about him, a kind and gentle demeanor…but there were so many other assurances that you felt…didn’t need to be told, you just knew…peace filtered through the room, just there like a calming breeze. You felt welcome, you felt loved.  In a way I would describe it as feeling like God was always there too, just hanging out in the midst of us all, telling us He loves us.

His son Andrew and I were the same age, and grew up through Jr High and High School together. We hung out a lot because we had so many mutual friends and I am honored to know him to this day. But when we were all grouped as friends, you got to see the Dad side of Pastor Tom. He lived it people…each and every day, in a real and genuine way.

To be someone who could show the love of Christ so completely through my life is something I feel like I could only hope for, but he did it.

Although his passing is so sudden to us and we are saddened to have lost his amazing leadership and teaching, we do realize that it was no surprise to God and that He has a greater plan.

He leaves behind an amazing wife and 4 great kids (all grown + 8 grandchildren). I cannot imagine what they are going through!  Andrew in particular has a difficult road ahead of him. He too is a pastor and they have been in the process of handing him the reigns for a few years now. The difficult part is, Andrew is grieving for his father and his pastor…all while an entire community (several communities in fact, so great was his ministry and the lives he touched) is grieving as well and would normally turn to him.

If you have ever had anyone so greatly influence your life…especially spiritually, you will understand how great a loss this seems to be. Pastor Tom helped me to understand who Christ really was is and that He loved loves me for who I was am regardless. Yesterday, today and forever.

I can only dream of having that kind of impact on another person…even just one.

Through the years, there have been plenty of times I have seen religion get in the way of the truth, interpreting the scriptures to it’s own benefit, cause or prejudice…instead of absolute truth. I am very blessed to have had Pastor Tom all these years in my life, viciously and adamantly protecting his people.

Today I was wondering how best to honor the life of my Pastor and I honestly believe that sharing the very essence of what I learned from him (though I will not do it any justice) would honor him the most.

Final Note:  This post was born of a desire to honor a true man of God who influenced too many lives to count (honestly, I have no idea how they plan to fit us all into a church…even a large one). I spoke simply, from my heart just the basic thoughts. Tonight was not a post on theology, just a simple relationship with Christ.