Green Giant Prize Pack Winner.

Thanks to all who entered into the Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers giveaway, and a special thanks to General Mills and My Blog Spark for making it possible! I plugged in the information into random.org and got the following:

And the 2nd comment was from Shannon:

Congratulations Shannon! Please email me with your information within 48 hours to claim your prize pack!

Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers | Review & Giveaway

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for the easiest way to cook dinner. Any corners I can cut means an extra 5 minutes that I can spend folding laundry, cleaning dishes or changing dirty diapers (just being real with yall... that's about what my extra time is spent doing these days... incredibly exciting life I lead right? ha!). Seriously though, making dinner these days is such a challenge for me. 4pm turns into hell hour at our house, so if I can whip something together that's easy, I'm all for it.

That's why I was so excited to be able to have the opportunity to review the Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers. It's as easy as 1.2.3. Simply purchase the Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamer variety of your choice, bring it home. pop it in the microwave, and in about 8 minutes, you have steamy fresh vegetables with delicious sauce as a perfect side to your dinner. Here's the kind of Valley Fresh Steamer bag that I picked out:



My entire family loved them, including the picky 2 year old (well, he wasn't quite a fan of the cauliflower, but that wasn't because of Green Giant... that was because he's 2 and he's picky! Connor LOVED the cauliflower)!


I would totally buy these veggies again. In fact, I'm thinking these may be the new veggies I bring with me when I make meals for people who just had a baby. That way it's fresh cooked when they eat, and they don't have to reheat anything! PERFECT!

The Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers come in a TON (and I mean a TON) of varieties, including some that even have pasta in them as well, so you're sure to find something that will be a hit with any appetite you have in your home.

Would you like a chance to win a Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers prize pack so that YOU can try one of the awesome Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers? I knew you would, and I am so happy to tell you that General Mills and My Blog Spark have given me an extra prize pack to give to one of my lucky readers! The prize pack includes:

• 2 Green Giant placemats (just like the one that you see with Brayden in the picture. He LOVES his "giant" placemat!)
• Broccoli stress reliever
• 32 oz. serving bowl
• Surprise face serving spoon
• A VIP coupon for the new Valley Fresh Steamers with Pasta

To enter for the prize pack, simply leave a comment telling me how you make eating vegetable creative so that your family will eat them!

This contest is open to US residents only. 1 comment/entry per person. Winner will be selected via random.org and will be announced on this blog and contacted by email so please be sure that you leave a way for me to contact you should you win. Comments are open until Wednesday, December 7th, 2011, and the winner will be announced Thursday, December 8th, 2011. Good luck!



Disclosure: In exchange for this review I was given a prize pack for both myself and one of my readers. Both prize packs were provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. No other compensation was given, and all views and opinions stated in this review are my own.

Sam's Club & Yoplait Giveaway Winner

Many thanks to those of you who participated in my Yoplait giveaway. I had 6 comments in all, and after plugging it all into random.org, they gave me this:

The second comment was from Renee Peg:

Congratulations Renee! Please contact me within 48 hours to claim your $40 Sam's Club giftcard!

Yoplait Yogurt and Sam's Club | Review & Giveaway

If you're like me, then you're always trying to find good, healthy things to pack in your kid's lunches for school. Brayden is a picky school eater, and most of the time the teacher regretfully tells me how he only nibbled on the food. Thankfully we've figured out that he likes soy butter, which allows me to pack a PB&J sandwich to school without the nut allergen to worry about. But after a sandwich, I sometimes find myself scratching my head for side items. One of my "go to" items for the school lunch is most definitely the Yoplait GoGurts.

At home we actually eat yogurt out of a big tub, but I hate to send something super messy to school (God bless his teachers who have close to 10  two year old students... can you imagine?!). Yoplait GoGurts virtually eliminate the messy part, which is great for his teachers, and also help with the "I do it myself" mentality that is PREVALENT in my toddler. One of the things that I love about the Yoplait GoGurts is that they have no high fructose corn syrup. Since we're trying to eliminate that from our diet, it helps me rest easy knowing that while the ease of the yogurt is there, it's also in line with what we are trying to achieve with our diets. Another great thing I LOVE about Yoplait GoGurt is the fact that I can freeze it, and it will be dethawed and cold for Brayden by the time he eats lunch. PERFECT.

While we were perusing the dairy aisle at Sam's Club the other day (you know, our second home-- haha), I noticed they had bulk packages of Yoplait GoGurt available. I loved the box they came in... perfect for the fridge door (the top just pops right off, so you can stand it up straight in your fridge door). The only thing I wished that Sam's Club had was the Yoplait Simply GoGurts... I prefer those over the originals since the Yoplait Simply GoGurts have no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners AND no high fructose corn syrup. But for not having to run to the store every couple of days, I compromised for what was offered at Sam's Club. Sometimes convenience supersedes my preferences :) 










Would you like to try Yoplait's GoGurt, or some of the other yummy Yoplait products that Sam's Club offers? Well, you're in luck because Sam's Club and Yoplait have teamed up through My Blog Spark to give YOU my lucky readers a $40 Sam's Club giftcard!

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment sharing what YOUR favorite Yoplait product is that Sam's Club offers. (Please be sure to leave a good way for me to contact you in your comment if your email is not attached to your profile).

Bonus Entry opportunity: 

TWEET about this giveaway! Be sure to include me, @bloggerlinds in your tweet along with the hashtag #myblogspark 

(if you do tweet as a bonus entry, be sure to leave it as a separate comment, or it will not count as an extra entry!)

You must be a US resident to win this prize.  The winner will be selected on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 using random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me once I have announced a winner on this site. Should the winner not contact me within the allotted time, a new winner will be selected. Thanks for participating, and Good Luck!

Disclosure: In exchange for this post I was given a $40 Sam's club giftcard for my dispense as well as a $40 Sam's Club giftcard prizepack to giveaway to one of my readers. I was in no other way compensated and all opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Sam’s Club gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by Sam’s Club and Yoplait through MyBlogSpark.

Easy Canvas Prints.

If you read my personal blog, then you know that I am an avid hobbyist photographer. I LOVE photography. It provides a creative outlet for me, and it also provides a way to capture memories of my kiddos. Well, I have a confession to make. I don't have a single print hanging on my walls. Oh, I have frames on tables, that I change out maybe once a year. But that's it. Until now.

I was approached by Easy Canvas Prints to review their canvas products and I didn't hesitate in saying yes to the opportunity. Having my pictures on canvas has been a dream of mine, but I honestly just haven't taken the time to have it done. But that ends today. Look what I got in the mail!


I know, I know. Irresistible cuteness on canvas. Something for me to always remember their sweet smiles. It's one of my very fave pictures of them together, and now thanks to Easy Canvas Prints I am able to hang it on the wall FOREVER! And don't worry... I plan on framing it and not just leaving it on the table. It takes a while for things like that to get done on here, and I was just too excited to wait to share with you until it was in it's finished place at my house :) I'll be sure to update once I get it framed and in it's final home in my home.

I was very impressed with the customer service I received at Easy Canvas Prints, and their order process is seamless. In fact, I was so impressed with their service, process and product, that I actually ordered a canvas for a recent photo shoot I had for a friend's newborn baby boy. Their prices are very competitive, probably some of the best I've seen, and they run great sales; like the one right now which includes free shipping and 25% off! All in all, I'd say that if I had to recommend a place to get your pictures on canvas, Easy Canvas Prints definitely wins my vote!



I was given a free 8x10 canvas in exchange for this review. I was in no other way compensated and all opinions expressed here are my own. To view my full disclosure policy click HERE.

Rhea Lana's: How I Fared.

Today was our fall Rhea Lana's sale. I enjoyed a quiet morning at home (Drew took the boys for me so I could have some peace), and then left early so I could stand in line at the sale. I was really nervous for some reason this year; I think it had more to do with the AMOUNT of stuff there than anything, as this was their largest sale yet, and it was PACKED to the rim with all kinds of kids stuff. I was able to get most of the toys I wanted (I scored a brand new in box Bunco game! yay!), plus almost all of the clothes I wanted for the boys. I forgot to take a picture of all of our toys, so you'll just have to take my word that I got some great stuff for the boys for Christmas (side note: I know some people don't really like giving second hand gifts for holidays and birthdays. But I feel like for now, that it's the best way for us to get them exactly what they want and not break our budget, especially when they don't even know the difference right now anyways). Here are their clothes... SO cute!



C-man's clothes. I was able to get him mostly name brand, like Ralph Lauren, Old Navy, Carter's, baby Gap (his khakis were my fave find of the day-- $4 baby Gap khakis!).

This is some of B's clothes. Notice that B and C got some matching jammies!

The other pieces of B's collection


When I went back through everything, I realized aside from the orange striped rugby shirt I got for B, everything I bought for the boys is name brand (one of the chaps shirts I got for C was BRAND NEW-- didn't even know it till I got home and saw the tag on it!). Brayden spent a good while this afternoon going through everything. He would look through it and then hold up a shirt or pair of pants and say "oh look Momma. This cute!" haha! He also insisted he wear his "new" snow boots... with his basketball shorts. I didn't get a picture, but trust me-- it was a sight to behold!

If you're local and want to check out Rhea Lana's, the sale opens tomorrow and runs through August 23rd (the 22nd is a 25% off day, and the 23rd is 50% off day!). Happy Shopping!

Box Tops for Education WINNER

It's 11pm and I am EXHAUSTED, as I am most nights. But before turning out the lights I realized I forgot to get all of the giveaway information in order. Thanks to all who entered my Sam's Club giftcard giveaway, and a special thanks to General Mills and My Blog Spark for making it possible!

In all, 16 people participated, and random.org chose the following entry as the winner:

And the 8th comment was from Blessed Mom::

Congratulations Blessed Mom! Please contact me at lifesdollop at gmail dot com within the next 48 hours to claim the giftcard, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Box Tops for Education | GIVEAWAY

Is anyone else like me, sitting here in the spit-fire of summer, looking the school year (or preschool year) smack dab in the face, wondering where summer really went anyways? Not that it FEELS that way, as the temps creep steadily over the 100s in our area. But it's here (the school year, that is).

Even though my little munchkins are not in actual school yet, we know good and well about the box tops for education program. It's a great way to earn money towards your child's school (or a local school in your community if you're children are not in school), that's free and easy for you to do. Just purchase participating products in the box tops program, clip the box tops, enter them in online and VOILA-- money towards your school! This year you can earn box tops even faster, by purchasing select General Mills products at Sam's Club, which have 6 box tops per pack.

To help you kick off the school year right and earn a few box tops yourself, I have a

$25 Sam's Club giftcard to giveaway to one of my readers!

Simply leave a comment letting me know what you are most looking forward to about this school year. Comments will remain open until Friday, August 5th, 2011 and the winner will be announced Saturday, August 6th, 2011, and will be selected using random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. Contest open to US residents only. One entry(comment) per participant.

Disclosure: The Sam’s Club gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. All opinions are my own.

It's Rhea Lana's Time!

Have you ever wondered how I can talk about being frugal and then in the next picture have my boys dressed in Ralph Lauren and Baby Gap? Don't worry, I'm not being two faced. I have a secret I'd like to share with you... about 95% of my boy's clothes is used. I love, love, love a good bargain, and will search high and low for finding the best deal that will allow me to dress my boys super cute. Thankfully I don't have to look that hard. Wanna know why?

Rhea Lana's.

Right before Brayden was born a friend of mine told me I just HAD to go to a Rhea Lana's, a local consignment sale that occurs twice a year. 3 years later, I now consider myself a Rhea Lana's seasoned vet and one of their biggest supporters. Do you like name brand children's clothing? Rhea Lana's has it. Need baby gear? Rhea Lana's has it. Want to get some fun toys for your kids? Rhea Lana's has it. Need... well, you get my drift. Anything to do with children's clothing, toys, baby gear, etc., they have, and it's all in GREAT condition at GREAT prices. They even offer furniture!





just a small sample of what I got during the Spring 2011 sale


For the past 2 years I have volunteered with the sale, either by distributing flyers, a yard sign, a car magnet, and even working a shift. I have to say, working a shift for the sale is my fave, as I get to meet other moms and have a good time. And volunteering is a win-win because not only are you able to enjoy the company of other mom's, but you also earn a pass to get into the sale before the public!

The fall 2011 sale is coming soon to the Frisco Station Mall in Rogers. The sale dates are August 21-27. If you are looking to consign your kid's clothing or gear, I don't think there's a better way to go than  Rhea Lana's. And if you are looking for a great way to dress your kids cute and at a fraction of the retail cost, then PLEASE check out the sale this year! You'll be glad you did, trust me!

If you're interested in consigning, volunteering, or finding out more information about Rhea Lana's of Northwest Arkansas, you can visit their facebook fan page or their website for more information.

Brayden's Strider Bike: Best. Thing. Ever.

Yesterday, if someone hadn't told me, I would have thought it was Christmas morning. Or Christmas evening really, since the UPS man came during bath time. I wasn't really sure who was more excited: Drew, who was the one who got the package, or B, who was told about the package at bathtime. 

Wanna know what was delivered?

Why, it was Brayden's new balance bike of course!

You may remember my recent post where I told you about a balance bike we were able to review for CSN Stores. In case you missed it and aren't familiar with balance bikes, basically the theory is that a child has a hard time cognitively learning how to peddle and balance at the same time. Thus, the need for training wheels. The balance bike eliminates this problem by removing the pedals and allowing the child to learn how to balance first. It develops self confidence, it allows them to go at their own pace (from tottering to actually balancing) and it sometimes even eliminates the need for training wheels once they transition to an actual bike.

The original bike we got was OK, but there were some issues with the size of the bike. Brayden loved it, but we were left to wait until he got tall enough to reach the ground when he sat on it. Enter the Strider PreBike.

After seeing my post, the Strider Sports company contacted me to let me know they wanted to see Brayden on a bike now, not when he grew a bit more, and wanted to send B a Strider bike to try out. We were more than happy to take them up on their generous offer, and have waited patiently during our blizzards last week for the bike to arrive. It showed up last night, and Brayden (and Drew) could not have been happier.... CLEARLY...

It was SO easy to put together.

Once it was together Brayden hopped right on. He EASILY touched the floor, and acted as if he'd been riding the bike all 2 years of his life.

He even spent some time tuning his new bike up for a ride :)

(crazy biker dude!)

Today he's spent a majority of the day either riding the bike around the house, or talking about it. We skyped my mom this afternoon so that she could see him ride. He was so proud. The cutest part is when he comes up behind something and says "beep beep!" as he's passing by. SO funny. I love how light the bike is; Brayden is easily able pick it up and carry it around on his own. It looks and feels like a real bike though, and Brayden has often said "like me Daddy" today as he rides around the house.

A big thank you to the Strider Sports company for making Brayden's bike dream come true! 

PS-- if you're wondering why Brayden is only wearing a diaper in these pictures, it's because when he found out his new bike was in the living room, he bolted out of the bathroom from his bath. It was all we could do to get a diaper on him while Drew put the bike together. Be thankful... you almost got pictures of him naked with his new bike... haha!

Disclosure: The Strider PreBike was given to our family as a gift from Strider Sports Intl. Inc. All opinions and views in this post are my own, and I was in no other way compensated for this post. To view my blog's complete disclosure, click HERE.

Prince Lionheart Balance Bike: A CSN Stores Review

Remember this post, in which I listed a couple of things on my want list? Well, guess what? I got one of them!

CSN Stores was gracious enough to allow me to review one of their many products from one of their 200+ stores. Drew and I had been talking about getting Brayden a balance bike soon, and so we took the opportunity to purchase and review the Prince Lionheart Balance Bike.

First off, let me just say that any mention of the word 'bike', or the sight of a bike, Brayden immediately starts stuttering the word "Daddy" because he gets so excited. He has correlated that Daddy has a bike, and so he wanted a big boy bike like Daddy. A friend of ours had purchased a balance bike for her 4 year old daughter for Christmas and swears by it. Basically, the theory is that a child has a hard time cognitively learning how to peddle and balance at hte same time. Thus, the need for training wheels. The balance bike eliminates this problem by removing the pedals and allowing the child to learn how to balance first. It develops self confidence, it allows them to go at their own pace (from tottering to actually balancing) and it sometimes even eliminates the need for training wheels once they transition to an actual bike. The concept is genius really, and since Drew is an avid biker, this was a no brainer for us.

I had a few problems with my giftcode going through, and as always I had the great help of a CSN Stores representative to help me through my transaction. That's what I like about CSN... it's not just a website where you have to search high and low for contact information... they have phone numbers that you can call and talk to REAL people, and you can even complete your transaction on the phone! I've always had great service through their customer service center. ALWAYS. Once I placed my order, I was happy to find out that they UPGRADED my shipping for me, and shipped it THE SAME DAY! WHOO HOOO!

It only took 4 business days for the bike to arrive. And when it did, Brayden was BEYOND excited. We had to wait until Daddy came home to unpack and put it together.




So excited to open his new bike!




helping daddy put on the wheels!

All ready to ride his new bike!

So here's the lowdown: the bike says it's for ages 2-5. Brayden is a bit tall for his age (he'll be 2 in April), and still is not able to touch the floor at the lowest seat setting (there are 3 settings in all). We were (Brayden included) a little disappointed. It's ok though because I know he'll grow into it. On the flip side, the seat has 3 settings, so we know it's something he'll eventually grow into and be able to use for quite a while. The bike is made out of quality birchwood. While I think it will be OK, Drew is a bit worried about the seat having a piece of wood that is only screwed into the seat, not the actual body of the bike. He's worried it won't hold up with two boys, but all of the reviews I've read online make me think that we shouldn't really worry about it too much. The tires are REAL bike tires, so it makes the bike seem more like a big boy bike, which I know B loves. Overall, I think this bike is a GREAT concept, I think we probably just shot the gun a little early on it. If you have a 2 year old (or older) I would definitely recommend the bike, especially if they are interested in a big boy (or girl) bike... it's a great alternative to having to deal with training wheels. And if you're looking for a place to purchase it, I'd DEFINITELY recommend CSN Stores.


Disclaimer: In exchange for this review, CSN Stores provided me with a giftcode to go towards the purchase of the bike. I was in no other way compensated for this review, and all opinions expressed in this post are my own. To view my blogs full disclosure policy, please click HERE.

Things I WANT...

Perhaps it's because it's the New Year, and everyone has organizational items and new home decor out, but I really have the desire to redo our living room. More so, the floors than anything else. Our carpets are disgusting and since all of the traffic goes through the living room, wooden floors would be nice, perhaps with a nice modern rug to top it off?

In dreaming of my new living room floors, I hopped on over to CSN Stores. I mean, you do realize that they offer virtually everything under the sun? Floor coverings are no exception. They have a fabulous selection of modern rugs... Look at this beautiful rug that they carry:

If you've read my blog for long, you probably know by now that I LOVE Red. It's an accent color throughout our house, so this would flow perfectly-- with those nice wooden floors of course ;o) Believe it or not, they offer wood flooring too. I am a sucker for the distressed flooring look (because we all know having two boys means it will look distressed whether I want it to or not!) Check out these beauties:

 As I was looking at rugs and thinking of flooring, I came across these cute chairs:

They offer other colors too, and the print is so adorable!

Of course, while perusing all of the cute modern stuff that CSN Stores offers, I thought about how one day I'd love to have a playroom. I thought this rug would be so cute in a gender neutral playroom:

And what's a playroom with awesome new toys... CSN Stores carries some of the coolest modern toys I've seen. One of my new faves is the balance bikes they carry.

Some friends of ours got one of these for their little girl for Christmas and she LOVES it.

I really could go on and on about everything I WANT. But for now, I guess I'll keep dreaming over at CSN Stores. Perhaps you should go and dream too ;o)