Review: My Job Chart, Great For Kids and Parents!

I was recently just introduced by MomSelect to a service that will help make things easier for me. My Job Chart is a FREE online Chore Chart that teaches kids to work in a fun and productive way. Using an easy and fun online system, My Job Chart inspires kids to do their chores on time. An interactive point system tracks your child's progress, creating excitement and enthusiasm among kids. And the fully customizable chore chart allows you and your child to decide upon mutually determined rewards, fostering communication and developing responsibility. You even get an email or text message when your kids finish their chores or they earn a reward!


I will admit that I do 99% of the chores around here, it's just quicker for me to do it than to keep telling them to clean up and it gets done the way I want it. I know I have to stop that, they need to learn it themselves, besides it wears me out! I think this will help, and well incentives always work too! I am thinking little gifts from the dollar bins will work great, then maybe they can save up points for something really great! This will be a great time to enforce the job chart since we have Spring Break.



I've already gone online to set things up and set each of our children up with chores I know they can accomplish. What's great about My Job Chart online, is you can set what chores needs to be done, what days to do it and also in the morning or night or both! My rule will be it has to all be done before going to bed. Then you can get the PDF file of the chart to print out for the fridge for a friendly reminder. Once the chore is done, simply go online and mark it off. Each child's point per chore will be tallied up for the end of the week.

S0 if you're thinking about a chore chart for your kiddos, head over to My Job Chart and check it out, it's pretty cool!

Find My Job Chart on Twitter and Facebook too!

I wrote this review for "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" about My Job Chart. I received a free store gift card to keep as part of this review from MomSelect. All opinions for this review are that of myself & family.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Coconut Tea Cake

Carmen of Carmen Cooks picked Coconut Tea Cake for her TWD week. This almost didn't happen for me, we had family stay the weekend and it's the start of race season where both our girls race their Mini Dwarf & Jr. Sprint cars (It's a daddy doing). Well, I made it happen at the very last minute, that's why this is an afternoon post.


This recipe has coconut milk and coconut in it and smells wonderful baking! I could not wait, I sliced us up a slice of warm coconut tea cake and it was just wonderful! I baked mine at 345' (dark bundt pan) for only 50 minutes and it was perfect to me.
Other TWDers said theirs was dry and didn't taste much of the coconut flavor. Sure the shredded coconut you add to the batter pretty much disappears once baked, but I thought it had a nice flavor. (I also omitted the rum.)

I would say this is safe for non coconut lovers, there's nothing textural about it and the flavor is mild.



I also made a simple icing with coconut milk, powdered sugar and vanilla and sprinkled some coconut on top of the icing. Man was that stuff good! It sure boosted the coconut flavor.


I think this may go on the 'Dorie's make again list'! This would be perfect to have for Easter this weekend, even cuter with pastel colored coconut on top! Head over to Carmen's blog for the recipe.




enjoy,

Review and Giveaway: Hillshire Farm Sausages and Recipes

I am sharing some fun and delicious recipes courtesy of Hillshire Farm. With spring and Easter quickly approaching, it’s great to have a few ideas for warm, easy-to-prepare meals to share with your family and friends. Hillshire Farm Beef Smoked Sausage and Polska Kielbasa are delicious and versatile meal options that are sure to please.

Hillshire Farm Beef Smoked Sausage and Polska Kielbasa can be prepared in many ways from Gumbo to kebabs! A variety of recipes are available for your consideration, including:
· Crustless Quiche
· A Fun twist on the classic Potatoes Gratin
· Baked Penne with Sausage

We were sent coupons to purchase Hillshire Farm products so I picked up some sausages and their delicious lunch meats. I wanted to try their recipe for a Tex Mex skillet dinner as well as an old recipe we all like here.

Southwest Chicken Smoked Sausage Skillet
Make your supper a little Tex-Mex tonight with the Southwest Hardwood Chicken Smoked Sausage Skillet. Sizzle up some Hillshire Farm® Hardwood Chicken Smoked Sausage with sliced zucchini, red and green bell peppers, and black beans. The real kick comes from that half cup of salsa with some chili powder.
*I used frozen thawed corn, and frozen peppers and onions, diced up.

1 package Hillshire Farm® Hardwood Chicken Smoked Sausage, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 large zucchini, sliced
2 cups frozen corn with red and green bell peppers and onion, thawed, drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed
2 cups cooked white rice
1/2 cup salsa
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Mexican cheese blend

Spray a large non-stick skillet with no-stick cooking spray. Add sausage, zucchini and corn mixture; cook and stir over medium-high heat for 8 minutes or until vegetables are cooked and sausage is heated through.
Stir in black beans, rice, salsa and chili powder. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until heated through.
Sprinkle with cheese and cilantro (if desired); just before serving.

Kielbasa Skillet

adapted from my original post

1 package of Kielbasa polish sausage, sliced
2 Cups cabbage, thinly sliced
1 Cup carrots, thinly sliced
2 Tbl butter or olive oil
2- 4oz packages Knorr-Lipton Pasta Sides Chicken flavor, made as directed (or other flavor you'd like)

In heavy skillet, saute carrots and cabbage in butter or oil, until tender, remove from pan, set aside. Add kielbasa and let brown and heat through. Add cooked noodles, carrots and cabbage, gently toss together and serve.

For more Hillshire Farm Recipes and a money saving coupon be sure to visit their site! You've probably seen their catchy commercials, here's one we like and another too.



ONE "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" reader will win a year's supply of Hillshire Farm products!!

(a year supply is equivalent to 12 free product coupons, one for each month)




(This is a must before any extra entries will be accepted!)

1. All you have to do is visit their site, look through their products and tell me which you'd like to try! (be sure to click at the list on the left, they have lots to choose from)




Earn up to 4 extra entries by showing some "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" bloggie ♥ with these rules*!
-Please post yourself a separate comment for each, letting me know which ones you do.

2. (+1 bonus entry) Follow me on Twitter here

3. (2 bonus entries) Tweet about this giveaway using my Tweet button above & post your link or ID here

4. (+1 bonus entry) Click the icon to share this giveaway link on your Facebook then post your link here:






This Giveaway ends: 11:59 pm pst, Thursday, April 8, 2010.
Please read the fine print:
- Open to USA
- Please leave your email!
- I will verify links/names
- Winner(s) will be notified by email & announced on my Blog & Twitter as soon as the following day
- I will choose my winner(s) using Random.org
- Important! Please read about my giveaway rules HERE*

Don't forget to follow along and be the first to see new recipes, reviews and giveaways! By the way! Have you seen I've added a FeedBurner to my sidebar, so now you can get all my updates right in your email!


I wrote this review for "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" about Hillshire Farm. I received free product coupons to keep for this review. All opinions for this review are that of myself & family. Product info & stock images provided by PR.

enjoy,

Roasted Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce

Surf and Turf. I always do a shrimp scampi for Mr.'s Birthday but not this year. I made this for Mr.'s Birthday along with some grilled tri tip steaks (thanks to the Meat Dept. guy for offering to cut it for me! It was good!). Thinking only he and I would eat this roasted shrimp I got 1 1/2 lbs. Lo and behold our 6 yr old daughter ate about as much as I did!

Anyways some time ago, I saw Ina make this and thought how wonderful roasting is to whatever foods you're preparing, roasted shrimp must be great! Then funny enough my pal Faye had made it before I got the chance and they loved it!

This is the simplest recipe, and it would be perfect for a party, holiday appetizer or just because. I even made the homemade cocktail sauce. I did a taste test with some store bought sauce Mr. had bought some time ago, and guess which one won? This one! This were great and Mr. loved it.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail
Ina Garten

For the shrimp:
2 pounds (12 to 15-count) shrimp (big ones!)
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:
1/2 cup chili sauce (recommended: Heinz) or this one I just found
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish (I used about 1 3/4 Tbl)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco) I used Cholula

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on (for handles). Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

For the sauce, combine the chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Serve as a dip with the shrimp.
See more at "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" http://ldylvbgr.blogspot.com/
Store bought and homemade! Guess who won?

enjoy,

Winner for the Exergen Thermometer goes to...

Exergen Temporal Scanner Thermometer giveaway winner is...

#36 Andrea!

Congrats!! Please check your email and reply soon.

MamaBuzz Book Review: Where Do We Go? by James Weinsier

This MamaBuzz review is something for the young children who need some help understanding, Where Do We Go? by James F. Weinsier.

The death of a loved one is difficult enough for an adult to understand and cope with; imagine how much more difficult it is for a child! Where Do We Go? delicately explores the theme of death in a child-friendly fashion with reassuring, thought-provoking text and cheerful illustrations. With compassion and sensitivity, James F. Weinsier addresses the age-old, complex question: Where do we go when we die?

James F. Weinsier's child-friendly, non-secular exploration of death compatibly blends with any religious, spiritual or nondenominational framework, opening a pathway for parents, caregivers and other adults to approach the subject of death within any given belief system, while giving children the comfort they desperately need. Where Do We Go? helps them find the answers to the mystery of death within their own hearts.



Born in New York City in 1945, James Weinsier was raised on Long Island. He received an Associates Degree in Applied Sciences from Nassau Community College in 1964, followed by service in the U. S. Navy. Upon completing his tour of duty, he resumed his education at the University of Miami, graduating with a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration. He is now retired and lives with his wife, in Fernandina Beach, FL.

Weinsier first grappled with writing in 1996, when in anticipation of his daughter's 21st birthday, he decided to give her something unique and straight from his heart. The result was a 100-page journal of special memories he and his daughter shared written in poetic verse. The manuscript was so well-received by his daughter that he published a 70-page book of thoughts for his father, Here…and Afterthoughts, and gave it to him for his 90th birthday. James continued to write, and three years after his first published work was released More…Thoughts was completed. This book contains 199 pages of sentiments commonly shared between parents and their children. James presented it to his father on his 93rd birthday-shortly before his passing.

In 2006, James experienced the devastating losses of three family members: his father, a son and grandson, Isaac Randolph, who died in a neonatal infant care unit from complications of necrotizing enterocolitis (an intestinal disorder) 10 days after his premature birth. In response to the pertinent questions from his other young grandchildren about what happens to us after we die, James wrote a children's book, Where Do We Go?, which was published in 2008.

"Wondrous" events took place a couple of weeks after the book's publication, which was two years after Isaac's death. On the exact month and day of Isaac's death and only a few minutes from the exact time of his death on that date, Weinsier's daughter gave birth to her second child, James Walter. Baby James was premature and followed his brother's path into the NIC Unit. Fortunately, his issues were not catastrophic, and on his 10th day of life, James W. was strong enough to go to his family's home in Kansas; while on the 10th day after Isaac's birth, he had passed away. Both boys went "home" on the 10th day...



My Review:

My copy arrived just before I left to get my children from school. We have a wait time between the two schools so it was a great time to sit and read this to my 6 year old. Grandma S. passed away 3 years ago, and sometimes she still does not fully understand where she is. This book was great in providing her a fun way to sort of understand what Grandma could be doing up there as well as our kitty. The story line kept her enthralled and she enjoyed the illustrations that went along with the book. I asked her to pick part of the story she liked most and she choose the pets page. Even though right now, she still may not fully understand about the afterlife, she can think about these questions and have wonderful thoughts.

The illustrations are wonderful in this book, and have so much detail. It sure kept my 2 little ones looking at the page before I was reading to read the next. I would recommend this book to anyone with young children who need a joyful way of understanding death, something more upbeat and perhaps to help them understand and give comfort about where loved ones are and what they might be doing up there. This is not a religious book, but refers life after death in a subtle way.

For a chance to win 1 of 3 copies of this book visit mamabuzz, ends 4/12!



For more information click here.
http://www.fivestarpublications.com/index.php

Illustrated by Cliff Beaman
Publisher: Wondrous Publications L.L.C.
Fernandina Beach, Florida
Price: $12.95 U.S.
Softbound / Nonfiction
Size: 9.3" by 9.01" / 44 pages
ISBN: 978-0-61523-805-0
Pub Date: 2008
Website: www.GoodGriefBook.com

I wrote this review for "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" about Where Do We Go?. This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by James F. Weinsier for this review. All opinions for this review are that of myself & family.

Meatball Sandwiches and Marinara

Mr. has been bugging me to make meatball sandwiches and then I was talking with family on Facebook and they were brought up again. SO I went searching for a recipe, since I didn't really have a great meatball recipe. Google Food Search brought me to Pam's blog For The Love Of Cooking. Her recipe sounded great, I must admit the addition of mushrooms sold me!

But before I get into this recipe, I have to tell you a secret. For the first time EVER, I caught my pan on FIRE! I was dicing mushrooms and onions and heating up the stock pot (my fave one non the less) so it's be nice and hot, and went and poured in the little oil to heat up...and BOOM! Huge fire in my pot! Thank Goodness I had a lid right there, and without hesitation or freaking out, I thought out loud (to myself), "put the lid on it!". Thankfully Mr. was on there with me, and also told me to put the lid on it as I was already grabbing it. Luckily we have faulted ceilings nothing was damaged, just a really bad stink of oil in the house. SO warning!...do not get your pan too hot before adding the oil!

Last time I used mushrooms in a recipe I diced them super fine and my family didn't mind them. I knew I could get them by them again. I actually diced them pretty small but wish I had done them in the processor, next time I will. This sauce was great! The meatballs were good too. Together, these meatball subs were fantastic! AND 4/5 of us ate them and liked them, even my 6 yr old had seconds. The mushrooms add such a great flavor, don't pass on them, and use fresh cremini or bellas, not white buttons or jarred ones. These will be THE recipe I use now.

Meatball Sandwiches
slightly adapted by For The Love Of Cooking (in green)

Mushroom Marinara:
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
6 oz of button or cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed (I omitted)
1 tsp white sugar
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute until tender; add the garlic and cook for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 2 hours.

Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef
7 button mushrooms, diced finely
1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced finely
1/4 cup of Italian style breadcrumbs (I used homemade breadcrumbs w/extra Italian seasonings)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 egg
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp fennel seed, crushed (I omitted)
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp olive oil (for cooking)

Put the onions, garlic and mushrooms in a food processor to chop, otherwise chop them as small as you can. Combine all ingredients (except for olive oil) together gently. Form into small meatballs and set aside (I used my small scooper). Once the meatballs are prepared. (I then baked them at 350' for 20 minutes on a large baking sheet) Heat a skillet over medium heat with 1 tsp olive oil. Cook the meatballs until golden brown on all sides. Remove from skillet and place the cooked meatballs in the mushroom marinara.

Hoagie rolls (I used French rolls)
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, shredded
Fresh basil, chopped

To assemble, place meatballs with some sauce in the hoagie rolls. Sprinkle the top with mozzarella and Parmesan. Place in a pan, under the broiler and melt cheese - watch carefully so don't burn. Top with basil and serve. Enjoy!

meatballs & sauce

enjoy,

BLOCKBUSTER Express kiosks

How many times in your life has a DVD saved the day? From entertaining fidgety kids on long trips to curing the rainy day blues, I think we can all agree that renting a DVD can be a busy Mom's secret weapon.

Taking the whole family down to your local movie rental store can end up being an hour long ordeal. By the time you get home you're too tired to even watch the movie and what seemed like a great idea ended up being quite a chore. Luckily, there's a great solution!

Moms, here is your newest secret weapon: BLOCKBUSTER Express™ kiosks. They make renting DVDs fast, easy, and affordable! You can rent DVDs online for only $1 per night at blockbusterexpress.com and you don't even need a membership to do it.

Through the rent online feature at blockbusterexpress.com, you can create a favorites list, browse available movies at your preferred kiosk, complete the rental of up to three movies at once online and then pick up the DVDs from the kiosk at your convenience. Now you can spend less time renting and more time enjoying your DVDs with your family.

Start planning your next movie night tonight! BLOCKBUSTER Express offered a special Rent One Get One Free coupon code for MomSelect members to use and share with all of my friends, family and followers. The coupon code is 555G13B.

When you rent a movie at the regular price using the code in the banner above*, you'll receive the first night's rental on the second movie FREE. This offer expires on 3/31 so make sure to take advantage of it soon and encourage your friends to do the same!

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to blockbusterexpress.com to check out their great new releases! From family friendly features like The Princess and The Frog and The Blind Side to date night picks like Twilight: New Moon and Did You Hear About the Morgans?, there's sure to be a title for even the pickiest movie watcher!

Find a kiosk near you! Click here and enter your zip code. Order some dinner to go and relax with a movie!

Unfortunately, as big as San Diego is, there isn't one near by!

For all of the latest news on BLOCKBUSTER Express you can follow them on Twitter and on Facebook.

*Code is valid thru 3/31/2010. When you rent a movie at the regular price, you'll receive the first night's rental on the second movie FREE. Extra night charges and taxes apply. Limit one per customer. May not be combined with any other offer. Rental terms and conditions apply. Not valid at Blockbuster store locations.

**This sweepstakes is sponsored solely by MomSelect, a subsidiary of BSM Media. more at "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" http://ldylvbgr.blogspot.com/

Lands' End Harbour Island Twitter Event Tonight!

Join Lands' End and representatives from the Islands Of The Bahamas and iexplore.com for a Twitter Event TONIGHT! to celebrate the Lands' End's Bahamas Adventure to Harbour Island promotion at The Hub www.landsend.com/thehub. The site features engaging content focusing on travel through the summer as well as the chance to win a trip for four to the pink-sand beaches of Harbour Island.

Be a part of this exciting Twitter Event and tweet with representatives from Lands' End, the Islands Of The Bahamas and iexplore.com. The event will feature more than 25 fun giveaways ranging from Lands' End luggage, beach towels, travel kits, beach bags and gift cards. Whoo hoo!

Come join in the fun and win win win!

Lands' End Harbour Island Twitter Event

Date: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 TONIGHT!
Time: 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. CST
Location: #landsend on twitter

Join the fun and follow:
@LEprMichele, @LEprMolly, @LEprLibby, @VisitTheBahamas,
@iexplore and @iexplore_Amanda

I am participating in the Lands' End Harbour Island blog promotion.

Winner for the Secrets of a Skinny Chef Cookbook!

Something to brighten your morning... some beautiful smelling orange blossoms, from my yard.



Secrets of a Skinny Chef cookbook goes to....

#47 Amy B!

Congrats! Please watch your email and reply asap.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Dulce de Leche Duos with Homemade Dulce de Leche

Jodi of Beansy Loves Cake decided on Dulce de Leche Duos for her pick of TWD this week. She will have the recipe for these cookies on her blog, and be sure to check out her cute cakes too!

I don't think I have ever tasted Dulce de Leche before? Maybe it was swirled in some ice cream, but tasting it by itself, no. Carmel (or caramel), yes. This week I have. To me, the two taste very different. Dulce de Leche (DDL) is much richer, milkier. I will admit I prefer carmel. *ducks out of the way of rotten tomatoes*

Anyways for these cookies, you add some homemade or store bought DDL into the cookie dough, then you sandwich them together with more DDL. It makes these cookies very sweet, kinda sticky to the touch, a little crispy out of the oven and durable. I used 1 can of sweetened condensed milk to make my DDL, and found that I only had enough DDL left to sandwich about 9 cookies! SO if you'd like to make this, with homemade DDL, use 2 cans and you'll have leftover DDL for ice cream! So I thought these cookies were very sweet and rich but too much for me.

There are a few methods to make Homemade Dulce de Leche. You could boil it, crock pot it, stove top it, or bake it, see here for methods we discussed. After 2 failed attempts in the crock pot (mine overcooked it, my low must be a med-high), I decided to try one more time in the oven.

It came out great, maybe a little light in color, but it was not overdone! Yay!

OVEN METHOD

(Eagle Brand website)

HEAT oven to 425°F. Pour sweetened condensed milk into 9-inch pie plate. Cover with foil. Place pie plate in larger shallow pan. Fill larger pan with about 1/2-inch hot water to surround pie plate. (I used my large roasting pan)

BAKE 1 hour or until thick (mine took 1 hr 25 ish mins) and caramel-colored. Carefully remove from oven; remove pie plate from shallow pan. Whisk caramel until smooth. Cool 20 minutes before serving. Store any leftover caramel in refrigerator. Bring to room temperature or heat until warm to serve.

enjoy,

Review: Shopping Online: CSN Stores

Love to shop online? Looking for new items for your everyday lifestyle?

Since 2002, CSN Stores has been delivering affordable, high-quality home goods direct to your door. Whether you're looking for furniture, dinnerware, decorations, lighting, cribs, kids beds, rugs, or anything else, CSN has got you covered. From bedroom furniture and barstools to TV stands and toys, CSN has 200+ e-boutiques and over 1 million items to help you find what you're looking for, fast! Before you have it shipped to your door, remember to ask, is it a CSN Store?

It is time for spring cleaning, and maybe you want to do a little redecorating or get some new pieces for your home? Check out CSN Stores, great prices and most items ship free!

CSN Stores has graciously offered us a store credit for a review of their products. I sure had trouble trying to decided what we could all use from CSN Stores. They have quite the selection of everything! So what did we choose? You'll have to stay tuned to find out!


Become a fan of CSN Stores at Twitter and Facebook!
See more at "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" http://ldylvbgr.blogspot.com/
I wrote this review for "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" about CSN Stores. I received free store credit for this review. All opinions for this review are that of myself & family. Product info & stock images provided by PR/website.