Simple GAB

Wow the Back to school Giveaways this year are plentiful and some of them are so awesome!
One great giveaway I see is over on Moms Need to Know,  it is for an Acer Aspire 4280T! She is participating with 11 other bloggers to offer up this and some other great prizes such as:

Belkin router prize pack

Lands’ End Backpack

$100 AmEx gift card from Invisalign Teen

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Other blogs participating are:

Bargain Brianna

Mommin it Up

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Common Sense with Money

Coupon Cravings

Mommy Snacks

Passion for Savings

Saving cents with Sense

Southern Savers

Stretching a Buck

So head on over and try your luck, and be sure to stick around a bit and see all the other good stuff they have to offer.

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I just got word of a great sale from Boden!

This is great for Back to School shopping (or a little something for Mom).

• 25% off all tops and t-shirts
• Offer Code AFTT
• Valid 8/10 – 8/12

Click the link below to get to Boden USA for this great sale:

Get 25% off all tops and t-shirts at Boden – use Code AFTT

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Truth in Blogging: Within posts we will often include links to a variety of sites, and for doing so we may receive some form of compensation. These sponsors help us to defray the costs of maintaining the site and bringing our content to you.
Thank you for helping by clicking and checking out our sponsors.

Do you like Dry Erase boards?

Are you working on a Command Center for your family?

This new product may be just the thing you need!

I recently found out about IdeaPaint™ on the BzzAgent site.  After perusing all the ideas on the IdeaPaint™ site I thought of so many ways to use this product in our home.

The product can used to paint one whole wall, or frame in a small spot, make a design (it comes in several colors), and even can be used to cover a desk or table. Check out the Home Gallery for inspiration, or read their blog.

Other uses are for work or school (painting over existing chalkboards is my fave idea, I mean who likes writing with chalk? )

We’re deciding where to put our IdeaPaint™ project, and will follow up with a review after having a chance to try it out for a bit.  You can buy it online or find it at Lowes.  Want a dry sample? Request one here.

What do you think of the concept of  Idea Paint™?

Where would you use it?

Have you already tried this product?

Disclaimer: I have not been compensated for my opinion, nor have I received any complimentary products from IdeaPaint™. My opinion is based solely on what I have read about the product.

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Wow Summer is  really into full swing here, and we have been pretty busy.

The boys made a great summer to do list of all the fun things they want to do or accomplish. We tacked it up to the wall in the kitchen as a constant reminder to fill our days with some fun.  This was a great idea I saw last summer on The Inspired Room, see this post for her list and some inspiration.

A few things on our list:

• See Fireworks  (check)
• Take Swimming lessons  (we’re into that this week)
• Make a bean pole Tee Pee  (it is growing, need pics soon)
• Go to the Beach @ the ocean, not just our lake’s beach   (check)
• Pick Blueberries  (check, but we will be picking more, just like last summer)
• Build new beds from Knock-off Wood (not yet)

Do you have a Summer Fun to-do list?

What is on it?

What have you done so far?

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YIKES!

My desk is a mess!

Obviously there is work to be done here.

Sometimes I wonder where all this stuff came from…IKEA 2006 catalog, 2 bottles of hand sanitzer, spa hand & nail kit, rechargeable battery plug, those pesky Coke rewards codes,  random photos and artwork, spool of thread, a coffee mug and a Megaman toy figure for eBay, ink cartridge for the printer I no longer have, an obviously unread copy of “Easy Household Tips”, paper, paper and more paper.

Thankfully this week FlyLady is tackling the home office as one of the Zones for cleaning and decluttering!

If you don’t know who FlyLady is, well you may want to go check out her site.

So I am tackling this mess one mission at a time.

After I get it cleaned up, I am working on a new system for organizing all the paper and other stuff that finds its way into my office area.

Stay tuned for more photos, updates and ideas.

Feel free to join me in a little desk cleanup.  The great thing about following FlyLady’s plan is you only have to do a little bit at a time, so as not to get overwhelmed or burnt out. That makes the process a little bit easier to tackle.

With this project you never know what you may find.  I used to have a large wooden desk with one of those big center drawers, and at  the bottom of  that drawer I left this quote  ”Cleaning one’s desk leads to exciting discoveries”.   Gee sometimes just getting to the bottom and seeing that would make me smile because I made some progress.

If you join in and have a blog,  be sure to do a little post on your blog with some before & after photos. Everyone who joins in please  come back to leave a comment, and  mention some wacky or random thing that was your “exciting discovery”.

Ready, set, go!

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I have been told if you make meatloaf in a muffin tin it looks more appealing to kids, so I thought I would give it a try.  Bubba is not too fond of meatloaf at all so I searched high and low for a recipe I thought he would enjoy.  The one I found has both broccoli and cheddar cheese in it,  two of his favorite things. Besides adding cheese to meatloaf makes it a little more like a cheeseburger, don’t you agree?

We had just gotten a great deal on ground turkey so I decided to sub in the turkey for ground beef in this recipe from the website of my local grocery store, Hannaford.   Bubba was very excited to help make Muffins (a favorite food).  He measured and mixed, but when reading the nutrition info said ” there is not very much sugar in this, that is healthy, and there is a lot of protein”. Of course later when he tasted them he said “these are not like regular muffins!  I thought they were very tasty eating just plain, but the boys chose to try dipping in various condiments like Ranch dressing, A-1 steak sauce, and Barbeque sauce.  Hey as long as they eat them they can dip away!

The best thing about having any leftovers is they make a great grab & go breakfast!  Mr B&W took a few to work on a hurried morning and said they definitely hit the spot.   We are going to make a double batch and freeze them.

Cheddar and Broccoli Meat Loaf Muffins

Directions:

What Kids Can Do to Help
* Crack and beat eggs.
* Measure ingredients and mix together.
* Scoop mixture into muffin cups.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with vegetable cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, use a fork or whisk to beat eggs until yolk and white are completely mixed. Add all remaining
ingredients and use a wooden spoon or fork to mix until well combined.
3. Divide mixture among muffin cups, about ½ cup mixture in each cup. Press mixture into cups.
4. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, until cooked through and browned on top. Let muffins rest in pan for 5 minutes. To serve,
run a knife around edge of each muffin. Use a fork to lift muffins out of pan and transfer to a plate. Serve warm.

May be refrigerated for up to 2 days, or frozen. Reheat in 350°F oven, 5 minutes for refrigerated, 12 minutes for frozen muffins.  (or you can reheat in microwave for 30-50 seconds depending on the power of your microwave)

Recipe courtesy of Hannaford fresh magazine March/April 09.

Click here for  a printable copy that includes nutrition information (when made with ground beef)

Let me know if you try these.

Have you made meatloaf in muffin tins? What recipe do you use?

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What’s a busy mom to do? Some days getting the kids ready and out the door to school can be a whirlwind of activity.  I am so not a morning person,  therefore getting up at the crack of dawn on a school day to cook a full course meal is not happening!  My boys love the quick, and the easy, so cereal very often fills the bill.  If you saw my pantry you may be shocked to see no less than 25 boxes of cereal in it at any given time!

Now many of us probably struggle with that fine line between healthy breakfast and convenience.  Some studies have shown that kids do benefit from eating breakfast, performing better in school, so we know they need to eat something!  Cereals can be a quick way to get them to eat something before heading out the door.  Add some fruit on top or on the side and that is even better!  Here is a Cereal & Health guide provided by General Mills.

General Mills has recently committed to lower the amount of sugar in cereal advertised to children under 12  to single digit grams per serving.  In addition they are increasing key nutrients like Vitamin D and calcium, along with providing whole grains.

Some other cereal benefits:

• Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets.
• These cereals are often the #1 source of whole grains in a child’s diet.

• More frequent cereal eaters tend to have a healthier body weight and lower BMI measurements.

Recently I went on a quest to find some of the new lower sugar cereals to have my boys and I do a taste test.  We were provided some free coupons* from General Mills and MyBlogSpark in order to try some products.  In my area we did not find too many with the single digit grams of sugar, so I think either my store is still selling out of current inventory or the products have not rolled out everywhere yet.

One product we did try that has only 8g of sugar per serving was Berry Berry Kix, part of the Big G family of cereals.  Now my boys have never eaten Kix cereals before,  so they could not compare before and after taste, but I do recall having Kix myself long, long ago.  For me the taste was less sweet than I expected, but was satisfying. Actually I preferred it to the taste of some of the other children’ s cereals I have tried.  Of course I am not the target audience, but I suppose if Mom thinks it is not too sweet then it may pass muster and make it to the shopping list.  Bubba was the first to try it, and he really enjoyed it, no mention of it not being sweet enough! Score!  AJ is not a fan of corn cereal, so he did not really have strong opinion, it was just okay, no mention of not being sweet enough, but he probably will not eat it again.  He likes some of the other cereals better.

The other cereals we tried were still in the double digit grams of sugar range…Lucky Charms Swirled (11g), Cinnamon Toast Crunch( 10g) and the new Wheaties Fuel(14g).  All of them were big hits for Bubba, he especially likes Lucky Charms and the new Wheaties Fuel. AJ’s top pick was Cinnamon Toast crunch…although he loved the cool new packaging on the Wheaties Fuel boxes.  I thought the Wheaties Fuel tasted great, with a nice solid cinnamon flavor that was not overshadowed at all by a sugary taste.  Cinnamon Toast Crunch was less satisfying for me, both in taste and texture. I would choose the new Wheaties Fuel if I were looking for a cinnamon flavor. Younger children  are probably not the target audience for this cereal, though.

I did noticed on the shelves that Honey Nut Cheerios had 9g sugar, so even though they are not as heavily marketed to children, they may be another alternative. We will be looking to see if the lower sugar versions  of some more General Mills children’s cereals arrive soon in our stores.

If you want to try some of the General Mills cereals here you will find a  coupon for $1 off one of four children’s cereals: Trix, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms or Cinnamon Toast crunch.

So is cereal a hit in your house? What kinds do you like?

Do you struggle with the sugar issue?  Have you noticed any of the new General Mills cereals in store near you?

*Disclaimer:  General Mills via MyBlogSpark provided us with coupons  good for free products in order to test some of their Children’s  Cereals, and asked if we would pass along our thoughts on the products.

What’s a blog without a year in review post?? Probably infinitely more interesting and engaging, but WTH lets give it a whirl. Thanks to Heather at Hopelessly Flawed, and all those who joined in before her,  for the nudge to post.

So before the year is officially over I better get at it…

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

Started a blog, worked in the snack shack at baseball, grew garlic in my garden, painted cabinets, made freezer jam and bought a vehicle sight unseen via an internet auction.

2. Did you keep your New Years resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t really set any resolutions other than hey the holidays are over time to get back to reality, clean the place up and stop eating so many desserts.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes! My sister-in-law gave birth to my cute little niece Lucy, and my friend gave birth to a great little guy named Cooper!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Thankfully, no.

5. What countries did you visit?

Only those in my dreams.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

Focus.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory?  Why?

Dates, um no dates for me…well except for those random “date nights” Mr B&W and I have.

As far as dates on the calendar, well November 11 was memorable because AJ turned 11 on 11/11.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Keeping the budget in line and making it work.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not conquering the clutter monster.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Well no, unless you consider sore joints from too much shoveling an injury.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My new-to-me minivan. It’s loaded & it rocks. (and the boys can easily be separated)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

AJ had a great year with  High Honor Roll, a Baseball Championship, Sportsmanship Award and a golden Birthday.

Bubba deserves credit for a fabulous start to his first school year, and no trips to the principal, yet.

G-Man had a great internship and is poised to graduate on schedule and make 2010 memorable too.

Mr B&W gets kudos for keeping it all together and working his butt off for us.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Some real loser teenagers that think killing random people is somehow fun. UGH disgusting, appalling and depressing.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Money, what money?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

My youngest starting Kindergarten and him being really into it.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

You Spin me Round (Like a Record Baby) by Dead or Alive.  Bubba sings and dances to it incessantly so it is now permanently etched in my mind.

17. Compared to this same time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
b) thinner or fatter?
c) richer or poorer?

Who said we were supposed to be keeping track?

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Play with the boys, listen, exercise, declutter, and finish all the projects I started.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Procrastinate.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

With my family at home, reveling in the magic and joy on their faces.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

I fall in love with my guys over and over when I look at their cute faces. I am sappy that way.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Well now that The Shield is over I’d have to go with House.  Although Survivor and Jeopardy are family must-watch TV shows.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

I don’t really go around saying I hate people.  But I am sure there are some bozos who probably deserved it, like pedophiles, wife beaters and psycho teenage killers.

24. What was the best book you read?

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, really makes you think about what you eat.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

That I play a pretty mean base on Guitar Hero World Tour.  Oh, and I don’t really know EVERY word to all the songs I thought I did.

26. What did you want – and get?

More time with my husband.  (isn’t self employment great?)

27. What did you want – and not get?

No snow.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

I did not see very many new movies, so the re-release of The Dark Knight would have to be it.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Officially I turned 47 this year, so yeah all I recall is the delicious Chocolate truffle cake with raspberry sauce.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeausurably more satisfying?

If it were 75° and sunny all the time.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

I embodied the Mom-on-the-Go style thanks to Angie at You look Fab.

32. What kept you sane?

Mr B & W  and those random margaritas.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I am not big on fawning over celebs, but I do enjoy watching Gordon Ramsey rant and rave.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

I would have to say healthcare. It bothered me terribly that so many people with coverage think everything is fine, which for them maybe it is, but seem to not care that many people do not have affordable healthcare, or any at all.

35. Who did you miss?

I miss G-man and AJ when they are not at home.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

AJ’s new social studies teacher! She is super nice and has a clue.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

Don’t drink wine with Shelly.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Another one Bites the Dust

Alrighty then, now it is your turn…go ahead it’ll make you think, and maybe grumble a little  too. Post to let me know you  joined in, and the Comment Luv will link you up.

Happy New Year!

Any of you with small children know how much clutter their school and activities can generate.

I love perusing the web looking at all the clever ideas out there for what has now become a new catch phrase…the Command Center.  There are simple options and the oh so beautiful (and pricey) options a la Pottery Barn:

Yes I covet these fabulous modular set ups.

If you need a simple, quick option, try this Family Matters® system from Day Runner®:

It is color coded for each family member, with little clips under for notes and such. It could fit most anywhere, and can be hung on the refrigerator, too.

Our system is far from fancy, but it works for us:

The large bulletin board is where we hang the school calendar, lunch menu, sports schedules, community rec. dept. information/registration sheets, and other assorted to-dos. Also during the school year we will hang up artwork, projects, tests or other accomplishments for the boys.

Below is their dry erase calendar:This gets updated with sports practices/games and all the other social stuff that comes up during the year. We also notate on the dry erase when library books are due.

I am not a fan of refrigerator door clutter, so everything goes here on the bulletin board. Getting the papers up here also keeps the nasty hot-spot at the end of the counter clear!

We also have the coats/shoes/backpacks area, but I will save that for another post!

Do you have a Command Center?

What is your setup like?

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Here are a few other links for inspiration:

Command Center Round-up at I’m an Organizing Junkie (link up your own Command Center post for a giveaway!)

Small Spaces Wall mounted Command Center at Organize Magazine

Elegant French Memo board, a great DIY project from Pecuniarities

From Gaudy Art to Fabulous Chalkboard, a DIY project from Twice Remembered