Christmas Advent and a contest *contest closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®.

The video below gives the details of our homemade Christmas Advent Calendar.

We cut the stockings out of pretty scrapbook paper using a stocking stencil, wrote selected activities on the back, put numbers on the front, and strung them up on a ribbon attached with mini clothespins. For a list of my suggested activities, email me at amiedanny@msn.com

Want to win a $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer?

Sure you do! Please comment on this post and tell me your favorite holiday tradition. (Mine is visiting the LDS temple to look at the awesome Christmas lights and watch the showing of Luke II, then hit the QT for yummy hot chocolate on the way home.) Contest runs December 13, 2010 until December 25, 2010. Please leave a name and email so if you win I can contact you!

To enter, leave a comment

For a second entry, you can:

· Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

· Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

· Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

You have 9 chances to win! Check out the other reviewers’ creative videos by visiting the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page.

Visit the Official Pop-Tarts site

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.

Visit the Official Rules.

See what else we’re doing over on my main blog, Life with the Boys.

Gingerbread Pop-Tarts and a Contest *contest closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®.

I was asked to come up with something special using the limited edition Printed Fun Gingergbread Pop-Tarts from Kellogg’s.

Ginger is one of those finicky ingredients that only works with so many other flavors. Eggnog for one, but I am not a fan. Instead, I decided to mingle some hot and cold foods: ice cream topped with the crumbled Pop-Tarts and a steamy creamy cup of homemade cocoa.

These gingerbread Pop-Tarts have a little design printed on them, but you can’t see that too well once broken up.

What do you think?

Does it look like a yummy afternoon snack?

Or a holiday treat while gathered ‘round the campfire?

Everyone in the house found the combo of the gingerbread Pop-Tarts and the vanilla ice cream really tasty.

Priceless.

And the hot chocolate chaser kept us nice and warm on this really cold December day.

On to the good stuff!

Want to win a $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer?

Sure you do! Please comment on this post and tell me your favorite holiday song. (Mine is “Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella” at present) Contest runs December 13, 2010 until December 25, 2010. Please leave a name and email so if you win I can contact you!

To enter, leave a comment

For a second entry, you can:

· Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

· Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

· Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

You have 9 chances to win! Check out the other reviewers’ recipes by visiting the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page.

Visit the Official Pop-Tarts site

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.

Visit the Official Rules.

See what else we’re doing over on my main blog, Life with the Boys.

25 Days of Gratitude Thankful Jar with $100 contest *contest closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®.

We made a Thankful Countdown jar to help keep us in the Thankful spirit all month long.

We started out by following Valerie Lee's template that you can download here. It comes with directions on how to put this advent together. There are 26 Thankful-For themes as well as suggested activities for each theme.

We cut them out, rolled them up, tied them with ribbon, and put them in our Thankful Jar. November 1st we started pulling one out a day, talking about that day's Thankful subject, and then did the activity as suggested. It's a great reminder for the kids to be more thankful for every day things (and people!)

Check out the video we made!

Want to enter the contest for $100 Visa Gift card from BlogHer? Sure you do! Please comment on this post and tell me how you keep your family feeling thankful. This contest (in association with our Pumpkin Pie flavored Pop-Tarts post) runs November 11, 2010 until November 25, 2010. Please leave a name and email so if you win I can contact you!

We have had so much fun making and using our Thanksgiving Countdown. You should try it! You have 9 chances to win! Check out the other reviewers’ recipes by visiting the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page. And learn all about Pumpkin Pie flavored Pop-Tarts here.

To enter, leave a comment

For a second entry, you can:

· Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

· Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

· Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

Official rules can be seen here.

See what else we’re doing over on my main blog, Life with the Boys.

Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts and a contest *contest closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®.

We are having so much fun learning how to use our Pop-Tarts in creative ways. We again went with the dessert theme and decided to make S’mores using Pumpkin Pie flavored Pop-Tarts! Here’s what Ethan and I did to make our S’mores.

First, with mom’s help, we cut two Pop-Tarts in half.

Then put a big puffy marshmellow on two of the halves.

Have Mom microwave the marshmellows on top of the Pop-Tarts for 20-30 seconds.

Or until they get nice and puffy like this. (Watch out, the marshmellows and Pop-Tarts will be pretty warm!)

Next, slather some cream cheese on top of the two remaining halves of Pop-Tarts.

Then sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the cream cheese.

Here you can see what the Pop-Tarts look like with cream cheese and cinnamon on them.

Then smush the two halves together! (we later decided it was better to put cream cheese and cinnamon on both halves, then add and cook the marshmellow )

Doesn’t it look good?

Doncha want a bite?

“Don’t mind if I do!”

“It’s good, Mom!”

“Wanna share?”

(He didn’t.)

Want to enter the contest for $100 Visa Gift card from BlogHer? Sure you do! Please comment on this post and tell me your favorite holiday treat. Contest runs November 11, 2010 until November 25, 2010. Please leave a name and email so if you win I can contact you!

To enter, leave a comment

For a second entry, you can:

· Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

· Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

· Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

We had so much fun making S’mores with our Pop-Tarts. You should try it!You have 9 chances to win! Check out the other reviewers’ recipes by visiting the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page.

Official rules can be seen here.

See what else we’re doing over on my main blog, Life with the Boys.

$100 contest for your Halloween Traditions *contest closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts.

So...Halloween is here. I've kind of been dreading it all month.

I mean, sometimes, it just gets so expensive, especially with 3 kids.

The search for the perfect costume and whatever is needed to accessorize it...the pressure of trying to come up with the perfect yet clever costume as an adult...the bags and bags of candy for our church's annual Trunk-or-Treat party and then bags and bags more for Halloween night itself....and the hubby always wants to add something to our Halloween decor. These things add up!

Then, there's the existence of all that yummy tempting caloric candy in the house (I can't turn down a peanut butter cup...I just can't!), and the constant begging by the kids, the wrappers all over the place, the hyperactivity, the cavities...

I mean it's fun, and I enjoy it always, but it's work.

As far as costumes go, we go alternate costume buying every other year. I try to recycle and make our own as much as possible, but sometimes, ya just gotta put some money into it. Sean wants to be a vampire ("not a Twilight vampire mom, a real one"), Cameron wants to be a mummy (I'm envisioning toilet paper strewn around the house for days) [*EDIT, he's since corrected me--he wants to be a zombie! huh? how am I gonna pull that one off?*], and Ethan wants to be Black Spiderman, which I was able to find for $8 since it's not a really popular character any more. This will be a buying year for all of them I'm afraid.

One thing we love to do every Halloween, and I'm not sure how or why this started, but I love it: after the trick-or-treating is done, we stay up late and watch "Goonies." Something so classic and quotable about that movie! "Heeeeey youuuuuu guuuuuyyyyyys!" Love it.

Do you have any special Halloween traditions? Share them in the comments for your chance at $100 Visa Gift card sponsored by Blogher.

Enter 9 times by visiting the other reviews on the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page. Official rules can be seen here.

Please visit my main blog and say hello over on Life with the Boys.

V8 V-Fusion & $100 giveaway = great blend *closed*

Contest is closed and the winner has been notified and responded. Thanks to all who entered!

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and V8.

Over the years there have been many successful and not so successful mixtures of two food products or flavors combined together to make one yummy one. Certain things just go together. Such as:

• chocolate & peanut butter anything
• broccoli & cheese
• french fries & ranch dressing
• ham & pineapple
• meatloaf & ketchup

Is that last one only me? I apologize. Though in our house, ketchup is its own food group and has been seen accompanying such food items as french toast, mashed potatoes, grilled cheese sandwiches, and of course, fish sticks.

On the other hand, there are flavors that just do not work together. Such as:

• orange juice & mint (don't believe me? go brush your teeth and then try to down a glass of OJ. *shudder*)
• lime gelatin & bacon bits (I've seen it done...it ain't pretty)
• chocolate ice cream & lemonade
• and I know I'm in the minority here, but, potato salad & eggs (yuck Yuck YUCK)
• anything with brussel sprouts--strike that, brussel sprouts are revolting all on their own

However the folks over at V8 have come up with a perfect vegetable and fruit blend in their V8 V-Fusion. We all know that child or spouse (or self) who has a hard time getting his daily allotment of vegetables. V8 V-Fusion combines the vegetables and fruits together giving a full serving of both in one glass.

I found the vegetable taste to be subtle, and secondary to the juice flavor, but it was definitely there. It reminds me of drinking V8's regular vegetable juice (which I love) but only at first, and then the fruit juices take over.

There are several flavor combos to try out including Passionfruit Tangerine, Cranberry Blackberry (my favorite), Strawberry Banana, Pomegranate Blueberry, and others. And for those who are watching their sugar intake, there are also several Light varieties.

My kids and hubby all really liked the juice--hubby said he liked knowing that it was healthy while still being tasty, and I like that the kids can get a full serving of veggies without even knowing it!

Want to try it? Go here to get a coupon for $1 off.

And I wish I'd seen this sooner--a site dedicated to recipes you can try using your V8 original or V8 V-Fusion! From chili to berry dip to smoothies recipes.

Please check out reviews from other BlogHer reviewers and enter their giveaways on the BlogHer.com special offers page.

To enter this contest for $100 Visa gift card, leave me a comment below and tell me what your favorite V8 V-Fusion variety is, or if you haven't tried it, which one you are most excited to try. Or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin 1/12/10 and will end 2/09/10. 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.
  

Please visit my blog at Life with the Boys.

Hershey's $100 giveaway winner!

My winner was #40, Melinda.

Congrats!

spreading the holiday calories—uhh, I mean--cheer (now closed)

(this contest is now closed)

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Hershey's

So, my mom is a baker. A fantastic baker. Every holiday there were always mounds and mounds of treats of all varieties. Christmas was always amazing with red & green candy cookies, coconut christmas tree cookies, wreath sugar cookies, fudge, wassail, and more. For each holiday during the school year, she’d make literally dozens and dozens of holiday-shaped sugar cookies that we would share with our classes in school. I could go on and on but I just gained 4 pounds thinking about her yummy treats.

All this to say that, baking is in my blood. My mom practically lived in the kitchen when we were growing up—partly due to the fact that we didn’t have a dishwasher—but mostly due to the fact that she cooked and baked and gave things away as charitable acts of service. Someone’s sick next door? Let’s take them over a casserole. So and so had a baby? Let’s take them some chocolate cake. Your friend had a bad day? Go take her these cookies.

I have to admit I’ve taken after her just a wee bit when it comes to giving away food. Since I too love to bake, but unfortunately am an eternal dieter, I often bake dozens of cookies just for fun, only to give them away to neighbors and friends so I don’t have to be tempted by them. I have a friend who is going thru a rough pregnancy and I’ve volunteered to take them a meal every single week if to help out just a little bit. I remember when an old friend had a horrific miscarriage—I showed up with some cinnamon rolls and said, “I don’t know what you’re going through, and I don’t know how I can help, but I can bake, so please, eat.”

One of my favorite ways to share treats, like many of you, is to make goodie plates during the holidays. Yes, Christmas—there, I said it. =) No political correctness on my blog! And like many of my neighbors, I like to come up with some special recipes, some tried and true, and some brand new what-do-you-think-of-these treats.

For this review I was given the opportunity to test out several of Hershey’s Kiss varieties. I baked and baked one Saturday afternoon, standing for approximately 4.5 hours (and yikes did my back hurt the next day!), taunting myself because I was on a liquid cleanse that week and couldn’t taste test what looked like master succulent creations. I had fun trying new things and make a humongous mess of my kitchen.

And forgive me, but I had my kids and hubby snap pictures of my journey along the way. I leave it to you to guess which shots were snapped by my hubby of eleven years. :)

I tried the recipes listed here on Hershey’s Kisses baking website. I made the Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies, the Triple Chocolate Cookies, and the Peanut Butter Blossoms. I also made the Kisses Cocoa Cookies but those didn’t turn out right. (I now know precisely what happens when you accidentally add twice the amount of required butter to a cookie recipe.)

I used the Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses for all these cookies—minus the ones that failed, I used the Hersheys Meltaway Kisses (which are oh-so-yummy)—and then shared them with friends, neighbors, and my kids’ friends. I’m still finding Hershey’s Kiss wrappers all over my house!

Anyway, it was interesting to see how people responded to the three different kinds. The Chocolate Thumbprints have a lot going on—chocolate cookie covered in peanuts and then a dollop of white icing and the Hershey’s Kiss on top. It gives a nice blend of sweet and salty. These were a favorite of some.

The Triple Chocolate variety consists of a chocolate cookie with chocolate chips inside and then a Hershey’s Kiss on top. Many said this cookie tasted like a brownie and it was the overall favorite. [It will in fact be the big Go To Cookie for the neighbors for Christmas this year]

My favorite was the Peanut Butter Blossoms as I am a huge sucker for anything peanut butter. The cool thing about these is they were made with sweetened condensed milk, which I do not bake with often. I love how soft the milk made this recipe. Several said there wasn’t enough peanut butter for these to be true peanut butter cookies—but the softness and consistency easily made these my favorite.

Ummm…yeah….there’s one of my hubby’s shots.

What’s your Go To Cookie for the holidays?

To enter the drawing for $100 Visa gift card from Hershey’s and BlogHer, comment or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin 12/4/09 9:00am and go until 12/31/09 11:59pm. It makes is much easier for me to contact winners if they include their email address in their entry. Please 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 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.

You have 8 chances to win! Enter them all here at the BlogHer.com special offers page.

Check out many more recipes on the Hershey's Holiday website.

Please check out my website Life with the Boys.