Piggy Paint review and giveaway

Piggy Paint is the natural non toxic odorless kid friendly polish that is good for both fingers and piggy toes. I have reviewed Piggy Paint before and you can read that review here

The reason I love Piggy Paint is because I know it is safe for my little Princess. Princess is all girl even if she loves little cars and trucks, can stay up with the boys and is tough as nails. Princess is the type of gal that likes to have her fingers and toes done, carry a purse, look good in a dress and still do all the things boys can. Piggy Paint is tough enough to keep up with her but safe enough to be trusted as well.

Reasons to love Piggy Paint:

• Non-toxic


• Low Odor


• Water-based formula


• Hypoallergenic


• Fun, vibrant colors


• Dries to a hard, durable finish

Piggy Paint is as natural as mud. There is no need to put up with the harsh smell of fingernail polish that is chemically backed. The ingredients found in Piggy Paint are simple and include Water, water-miscible acrylic resins and thickeners (well below 100 parts per million), glycol ethers. May contain mica, D&C red lake, ultramarine blue, iron and titanium oxide pigments.

You can order Piggy Paint directly off their website. Piggy Paint has recently lowered the cost of their products as well is offering free shipping with orders of $35

Win: one of Annies Home readers has the chance of winning a $15 gift code to Piggy Paint.

To enter the giveaway please visit the Piggy Paint website and let me know what color of paint is your favorite.

Extra Entries:

• follow my blog
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• comment on any post on my blog (let me know which one in comment)

Giveaway starts now and will end March 20, 2010. Good Luck If email is not in comment or on blog you can not win.

Saturday 9

1. Have you ever been on a date and you had to tell the person to just go away?

no never

2. Do you wish you were someplace else right now? If yes, where?

yes somewhere warmer

3. Do you have any pet peeves?

yes lots of them just ask my kids

4. Tell us about a guilty pleasure of yours.

I love a great chocolate bar

5. If you could change places and become a celebrity, who would you'd like to be?

would love to be donald trump for just a while so I could fire our ex governor

6. What do you consider your biggest talent?

ability to make friends and talk in front of others

7. Do you have a favorite actor/actress that is not a big star, yet they are your favorite?

I love gabby but she is becoming a famous person in her own right

8. Name your five favorite rock bands of all time.

skillet

zz top

heart

motley crue

bangels

9. If you were to start a new relationship (for whatever reason), how much of your sexual history would you share? Would you resort to lying?

it for sure would not be a sexual relationship so they would not need to know about my past

play here

Girl Scout Cookies and Ice Cream

My mother and grandmother for as long as I can remember served cookies on the side of a dish of icecream. With this great recipe from MyRecipes.com this can be done in a new twist of things

Samoas Ice Cream Truffles

1 pt. vanilla ice cream
8 coconut-chocolate cookies

Let ice cream stand at room temperature 15 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place in freezer. Process cookies in a food processor 1 minute or until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour cookie crumbs into a shallow dish. Scoop ice cream into small balls using a 1 1/4-inch ice-cream scoop, and roll in cookie crumbs. Arrange on prepared baking sheet in freezer. Freeze truffles at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours

Six Word Saturday : Curling

Me and son watching olympics curling

what is your six word statment? Share it on the blog Show My Face

Who Would you invite to dinner

I posed todays question to my five (5) children that were at home and my hubby and here are the answers I received. As you can see from the pictures above which are (1) Nostradamus, who was chosen to discuss his great predictions (2) Mark McGuire who was chosen to talk about both great and not such good things in his carreer. (3) Hitler to discuss why he was full of so much hate and why he could not have spent his time doing good rather than bad (4) Aramis Rameriz to discuss how it feels to be on top of the world (5) Tony Stewart to see what the world of NASCAR is truly like (6) and God because we should always invite him to the table.

St. Patrick Craft : Blarney Stone

Most of us have heard of "kissing the blarney stone" but do we really know what a blarney stone is? The Blarney stone is a famous stone in Ireland that is believed to have special poser. The legend of "kissing the blarney stone" goes that if a person kisses the blarney stone they will be blessed with eloquence and persuasive power.

A fun way to teach young children about the Blarney Stone is to go on a walk and look for a good looking stone. It needs to look as if it will make a good paper weight. Wash it well, wipe it dry and using green paint, paint the words "kiss me" or perhaps paint a shamrock on the rock.

Aloha Friday : ready for spring

Aloha Friday hosted by An Island Life in an attempt to keep life simple

I can not wait I just heard this weekend is going to be a bit warmer. I am so ready for spring and my beautiful little flowers. I love to take walks in the spring with all the birds, the buds, and flowers looking great. For my question I want to know

What do you look most forward to in the spring?

Hamburger Stroganoff

Do you ever want an elegant yet easy recipe to serve to the family? Try this recipe for

Hamburger Stroganoff

8 ounces uncooked medium egg noodles
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef, extra lean
1 cup prechopped onion
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 (8-ounce) package presliced cremini mushrooms
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley


Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms to pan; cook 4 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until slightly thick. Stir in salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream . Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with parsley

St. Patrick Day Craft and Recipe

St. Patrick Day Napkin Holder

A Paper Towel Roll (inside)
Green Construction paper
Gold Glitter
Scissors
Glue
Green Paint
Once you have everything assembled Follow these steps:

1.Cut Paper Towel Roll so that it is about an inch and a half (one section like this for each ring)
2.Paint each ring with Green paint and let dry
3.Use Green construction paper and draw a Clover about 1 1/2 inches wide
4.Put some glue on it and sprinkle gold glitter on, and let dry
5.When Paint and Glue are dry, Glue clover on top of painted
paper towel roll

found this cute craft here

Here are a couple of great snack ideas for St. Patricks Day as well:

Irish Apples

Pair this great veggie snack with an equally wonderful fruit snack. To make Irish Apples, cut some Granny Smith apples into wedges. Then mix equal parts cream cheese and mallow cream and add food colouring to them. The kids will all love dipping their apple wedges into this delicious dip!

Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies

If you want to send your child to school with something a little more sugary, you can make Zucchini Oatmeal cookies. The zucchini and oatmeal keep these cookies a little healthier than other varieties and you don’t even need to add food colouring – they will be green when you cook them because of the zucchini. This is what you will need:

• ½ cup butter
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups grated zucchini
• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup granola
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.) Cream together the butter and sugar in a medium bowl until they are fluffy. Add the egg and the vanilla and mix until it is fully blended and then stir in the shredded zucchini. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir the dry ingredients into the zucchini mixture. Then add the oats, the granola, and the chocolate chips.
3.) Drop teaspoonfuls of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving approximately two inches between cookie drops. Bake in the preheated oven for ten to twelve minutes

Found these cute recipes here

sharing this inspiring idea on the blog inspired room what is inspiring you?

also shared at Amys Finer Things

Planet Meno review and giveaway

WOW!!! I have a great new book to share with you. Planet Meno along with his friends
Yamagoo and their friend Wishi are ready to go on adventures with your preschooler and young children. Tony and Angie Diterlizi created the fun Planet Meno book series. The main character Meno is a space elf that is ready to go on adventures around earth. Yamagoo is a jellyfish and Menos best friend Wishi is a wish granting sprite who has been friends with Meno since they were tiny. Your young child will have fun using their imagination to travel together through many great adventures.

Book one: Big Fun! Meno and his best friend Yamagoo find out what Meno thinks is the biggest fun of all.

Book two: Wet Friend! Meno and Yamagoo decide they want a "friend trio" and thanks to their wish granting friend Wishi, get some out of the ordinary choices along the way.

Tony DTerlizzi is a well known aurthor with picture books such as Jimmy Zangwow's Out of this WOrl Moon Pie Adventure, G is for One Gzonk! to chapter books such as Kenny and The Dragon which was listed on the New York Times best seller list. Visit Tony at http://www.diterlizzi.com/ . Angela has created her own great books including the picture book Say What? Angela and Tony have a young daughter and live in Amherst MA.



My Take: while the books would be great adventures for read alongs or for young readers older children will find that the book may be a bit young for them. The adventures are exciting it is the language of the book that seems a bit childish. The art work in the book are great and very colorful. It is a book that I enjoyed sharing with a very special young man in the first grade. His adventure, and energy level were perfect for us to enjoy the books together.

Win: You can signed copies of the Meno books and custom made Meno (blue) or Wishi (pink) blankets.

To enter: Visit the Planet Meno website and let me know what you think and who you would share this great book with.

Extra Entries:

• follow my blog
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• visit my monkeymommy or amandasthoughts and leave a comment (1 entry each) leave me a comment letting me know what you did

giveaway starts now and ends March 14, 2010. Good Luck Email must be in comment or on blog

Friday Fill Ins

1. A cup of tea _____________. (Please)
2. _________ makes a place feel like home. (A good song and a bit of love)
3. Everything has its beauty __________. (in its own personal way)
4. _____________ the taste of strawberries? (icecream goes great with )
5. Art makes me ______________. (dream and wonder about what the artist was thinking)
6. LOL I just noticed I forgot ________. (what I was doing)
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! (tonight= eating pancakes, tomorrow= sleeping in and have warm weather on Sunday)

Friday 5

The Questions
1)What's your favorite magazine?
2) What book are you currently reading?
3) What's the worst book you ever read?
4) What makes a book perfect for you?
5) If you could buy any book right now, which one would it be

My answers
1) womans day is my favorite magazine love the tips, ideas etc...
2) none at this time looking for good one to start
3) cant say recently all were great probably one for school that I had to read
4) when I can relate to it
5) a new Joyce Meyer book

share your answers here

Friday Fragments from messing with my twitter to hubbys health

Man what a week we have had this week. Not as warm as I like it but not as cold as it could be the weather man promises it will warm up. I sure hope so as I am ready for spring. Not a big fan of winter except for the snow days when I was a kid I feel winter has overstayed its welcome.



Well, my twitter account was hacked and I sent nearly 1,500 people a message that was very inappropriate. I am sorry if you received a message. Be aware that it was not me and I would never send a message out like that. The problem is fixed now but if it ever occurs again please drop me a note and let me know. THANKS



Children over 18, are you responsible for bills or are they. My son because of an illness as a college student has let a few bills go bad. Some of the collectors will yell at me and others will give me not information at all. I am the one that till pays the bills most the time since he is still going to school with no income. I can tell you that this gets frustrated but is another step that we must go through as parents I reckon



My husbands health has not been so well as of late. The doctor is great but currently my hubby is on 4 pills a day. WOW!!! That is alot I thought 2 were alot. The doc thinks there will be more needed. My husband has let his health slide alot but he is only 3 years older than me. I ask my friends to please pray for him and his health.



what is going on with you this week?

Facing Growing Pains Head On

Do your tweens seem as if they are growing too fast? Do your teens act as if they know it all. While they may they may also be falling apart on the inside while showing a strong frong. I read a wonderful article on the Focus on The Family website which you as parents as tweens or teens may find useful.

Flirty Aprons Discount

Flirty Aprons have been featured on my blog before. You can read a review of Flirty Aprons here Right now Flirty Aprons is offering a great deal at this time. They are offering 30% off any order between now and February 28, 2010. Simply use the coupon 30coupon to take advantage of this great discount.

Thirteen Recipes to find on my blog

Thirteen Recipes you will find on my blog

1. 
   grilled ham and cheese
2. cheesecake shot glass desserts
3. taco night pasta
4. potato potluck casserole
5. polish sausage and kraut casserole
6. Raviolli Lasagna
7. crockpot applesauce
8. Very Good Spongecake
9. Mini Meatloaves
10. Frito Corn Chip Dessert
11. Brown Sugar Smokies
12. Slow Cookers Ministers Delight
13. Smoked Sausage Soup

Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

This is one of our favorite recipes for lunch time. Served along with handful of chips it is a very simple meal The theme over at Life As Mom Ultimate Recipe Swap is lunch

Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

8 (1/2-inch thick) slices country-style bread
•12 ounces Monterey jack, farmhouse Cheddar, Gruyere, or imported Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
•8 slices baked, sliced deli ham
•4 tablespoons unsalted butter (or Smart Choice butter)


Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Place 4 slices of bread on a cutting board and generously butter the top sides of each slice. Melt another tablespoon of the butter in the skillet; swirl around to coat the pan. Lay 2 slices of bread, buttered side down, in the skillet. Put a few slices of the cheese on the bread. Lay the ham on top of the cheese. Cover with a few more slices of cheese. Top with 2 of the remaining slices of bread, placed buttered-side up.
Cook, without pressing, until the bread browns and the cheese is slightly melted, about 5 minutes. Turn the sandwiches with a spatula and add a small piece of butter to the pan. Cook slowly, adjusting the heat as needed to melt the cheese completely before the sandwiches are brown, about 3 to 4 minutes more. Repeat with the other 2 sandwiches. Serve.

Potluck Potato Casserole

Potluck Potato Casserole

1 1/2 cups fat-free sour cream
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) finely shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced fresh onion
5 teaspoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (30-ounce) package frozen hash browns, thawed (such as Ore-Ida)
1 (10.75-ounce) can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup (such as Campbell's Healthy Request)
Cooking spray
1 cup coarsely crushed cornflakes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350°.Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl; spread evenly into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle cornflakes over potato mixture.Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until bubbly. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Taco Night Pasta

Taco Night pasta

1 pound wagon wheel-shaped pasta
1 can (15-ounces) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14-1/2-ounces) no-salt-added stewed tomatoes
1 can (10 ounces) mild enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
1 teaspoon hot chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package (12-ounces) soy crumbles (such as Morningstar Farms)
1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
Directions

Cook pasta following package directions. Drain and return to pot. While pasta is cooking, prepare sauce. In a large skillet, stir together beans, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, chili powder, cumin and salt. Break up tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Simmer over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the soy crumbles and simmer for an additional 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir the sauce into pot with pasta. Add half of the cheese, and stir to blend.
Spoon pasta into a large serving bowl and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the top. Serve immediately.

find more great recipes on Parents Online

Cheesecake Shot Glass Desserts

I thought these little desserts I found on the Pillsbury website would be great fun to make with my kids

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon coffee-flavored liqueur or 1 teaspoon chocolate extract
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
4 tablespoons chocolate cookie crumbs
Chocolate-covered coffee beans or grated chocolate
4 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
Blueberries and raspberries

In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Divide mixture in half; place in separate bowls. Stir coffee liqueur into half; stir lemon peel into remaining half of cream cheese mixture. Spoon 2 teaspoons chocolate cookie crumbs into bottoms of six 2-oz cordial glasses (shot glasses). Top with 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons cookie crumbs and another 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur cream cheese mixture. Top each with coffee bean. Spoon 2 teaspoons graham cracker crumbs into bottoms of six 2-oz cordial glasses (shot glasses). Top with 2 tablespoons lemon cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons graham cracker crumbs and another 2 tablespoons lemon cream cheese mixture. Top each with blueberries and raspberries. Refrigerate desserts at least 30 minutes before serving.

Juno Baby Review and giveaway

Music is very important in mine and my children's life. Princess loves music as much as we do. I believe that she will learn a lot through music as well. My children have learned how to count, multiply, learn their geography as well as many other lessons through music. Juno Baby is opening the world of music up to children. Belinda Takahashi Ph.D. created beautiful orchestra music that she is now using to entertain children while developing their minds. My readers know how much I am a fan of hands on learning and this style of music is right down the lane. Anywhere you go in the world music is around and enjoyed by all. Cultures, classes and lands all enjoy music and often find their own way to express their thoughts from it. Juno baby wants to create beautiful music for the youngest among us to engage their minds, inspire them artistically and nurture them emotionally.





Before Princess could talk and barely made any cooing noises at all she loved music. She has always had crib musical toys that would comfort and soothe her. Juno Baby wants to do the same sort of thing by making music the first language of young children. Exposing children to the orchestra music will allow them to be aware of a classical world among them. Juno Baby is meant for the parent and child to have fun together. The Emmy award winning Cd's , story books, and the DVDs featuring the Juno Baby puppets learning will come easy and fun with a great shared experience.



Juno Baby gives back as well. Through the Juno Baby One For All Program Juno Baby donates a product for every DVD, CD or book purchased.




You can purchase your wonderful Juno Baby products from their website.





Win: one lucky Annie's Home reader will win a Juno Baby CD

To enter: visit their website and let me know something I did not share with you

Extra Entries:

• who do you want to share this with?
• follow my blog
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Eating Certian Foods help Diabetes

 Did you know there are certain foods you can eat to help beat diabetes? A few of these include:

Coffee: now I drink coffee occasionally and with splenda and cream in boot. Studies by an Australian research team publised in the Archives of Internal Medicine actually show that coffee drinkers who drink 3 to 4 cups a day had 25% lower risk of diabetes. Each extra cup was defined as slashing another 7% of the risk. WOW!!! No wonder my mom does not have diabetes

Nuts: my dad was the nut eater in our family and I love honey roasted peanuts but never knew that nuts were a great way to battle diabetes. Harvard research has shown that women who eat nuts at least 5 times a week had a 20% to 30% lower chance of developing diabetes than those who rarely at them.

Grains: not one for whole grain bread this is an area that I miss the most out on. Harvard found people who ate high fiber diets had 40% lower risk of diabetes.

shared at 

friendship friday

Talking to your kids

Are you the mother of tweens or teens? Are you finding it hard to communicate with them? Activities are a great way to communicate with your child. The Examiner.com shares a great post on making conversation while making meatloaf. I thought it was an interesting read and you may as well. You can read the post here

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday is hosted by Iris is at Grace Alone and this week she talks about change. I too have great difficulty with change. Perhaps the one area in life that affects me most with change is my children. When my first daughter moved out I had a real hard time with this praying daily nearly all day long I would pray and not cease. I was unable to accept all and prayed alot that the Lord would help me allow my daughter to make her own mistakes and that he would guide her in life and allow me to not controll the situation. In the end all worked out well there. Second my son moved out which we had great time talking about this but I knew that he would be coming home on breaks etc... so this was not so difficult. However, this year my oldest son will be away in school again and this year my other daughter gets ready to go to school. I worry, pray and know that the Lord will take care of all. I am thankful that I have such a great family that will bind together when needed but is active enough to go out in the world alone. I am thankful that the lessons I taught them through their life will stay with them as they have demonstrated this more than once. I am also thankful after a family mishap where we had a "burp" in life that my family has also demonstrated they love each other so much that forgivness comes quickly.

what are you thankful for today?

Earth Best Printable Coupons

Not for sure if you all are aware or not but there are great printable coupons on the Earth Best website located here Among the coupons available are those for baby food and sesame street cookies.

The View : Wednesday February 24, 2010

Did you catch today's show? Wow was it a great one. Two different personalities of moms on the show today for sure. With the octomom and Danielle Steel the romance writer. Wow Nadya is highstrung but Danielle such a great lady raised 9 children of her own and you can just tell that she raised them well. Barbara sure did seem to agree with Danielle and the way her children were raised.

What about the difference of opinion that the gals had on yesterdays guest. I guees snookie was not appeciated by all. Whoopie and Joy had the opinion that they were having a bit too much fun while the other two gals enjoyed the visit

what did you think?

tommorow on The View:

"having a baby" will be the theme with Giuliana And Bill Rancic as guest

“I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other The View branded items to facilitate my review.”

ABC Wednesday: F is for Four

The letter of the day at ABC Wednesday is : F

This is the cutest little four year old that I know and love.

wordfilled wednesday

I love this picture. It is beautiful and the words of the verse mean so much in my life at this time

hosted by http://susan2956.blogspot.com/

A Very Special Young Man

This is the son of one of my best friends. He is a splendid young man and has three younger sisters to take care of. What a great young man he is his grandmother would be very proud of him.

Today Show Cooking School Giveaway

Was you aware that the Today show has started a new feature called the cooking school? Sounds very interesting to me and one that I will be checking out often. The site and on air segments include recipes, video and cooking tips from celebrity chefs and food experts and is located at
http://cookingschool.todayshow.com/



In order to bring awareness the blog Melinda Joy is hosting giveaway where the winner will receive

Giveaway ends March 25, 2010.

Whats Wrong Princess

While not too terribly upset but yet not so happy either I wonder what she was thinking when this picture was being taken

Crockpot Lasagna

My youngest son asked me if I could make a lasagna. Since I have no oven at this time I told him this would not be as easy as he thinks. I told him I would look for a crockpot lasagna and if I found one I would make it for him. Thanks to Find My Recipes I found one and thought I would share

Crockpot Lasagna

2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
Kosher salt and pepper
16 ounces fresh ricotta
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
12 ounces dry lasagna noodles
1 bunch Swiss chard, tough stems removed and torn into large pieces
12 ounces mozzarella, grated

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In another medium bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, Parmesan, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spoon 1/3 cup of the tomato mixture into the bowl of a slow cooker. Top with a single layer of noodles, breaking them to fit as necessary. Add half the Swiss chard. Dollop with a third of the ricotta mixture and a third of the remaining tomato mixture. Sprinkle with a third of the mozzarella. Add another layer of noodles and repeat with the other ingredients. Finish with a layer of noodles and the remaining ricotta mixture, tomato mixture, and mozzarella. Set the slow cooker to low and cook, covered, until the noodles are tender, 2 to 3 hours.

If You Don't Have a Slow Cooker: Heat oven to 375° F. Follow the recipe above using no-boil lasagna noodles in place of the dried ones and layer the ingredients in a Dutch oven or large casserole. Cover and bake until the noodles are tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Wee Rascals review and giveaway

WEE RASCALS

Here's a quick question for all you mommies out there. How many blankets did you have for your baby? I was on the lucky side since my grandmothers were quilters, my mother was a shopper and my father was a dealer. I got so much stuff for my little ones that it was unbelievable. When it came down to it I believe I needed all of them as well. When you think about the ones in the wash because of an early morning diaper leak, the ones the baby spit up that are now in the wash, the one you forgot at grandmas or in the car and the ones that you are using at the time being there never seemed to be enough. When you have soft, comfortable, warm, and pretty blankets like Wee Rascals has you can never have enough.

Wee Rascals was started by a mom of twins who loved to swaddle her babies. She learned quickly that swaddling her twins kept them secure, warm, and comfortable throughout the night. She loved receiving blankets and had many. The problem was that her babies out grew them quickly the great thing was that their grandmother who was a seamstress could make bigger ones quickly. It seemed perfect that the mother and grandmother form a business to offer the same type of linens to other mothers. The business now sells crib fitted sheets, taggie blankets, extra large receiving blankets, play pen fitted sheets, as well as many other wonderful linen products.

We received a lovely extra large receiving blankets. It is the same soft texture and warmth of a regular receiving blanket but in a larger size and since Princess was large at birth nearly 10 lbs. is perfect that she can use for naps etc...

Buy: you can purchase any of the great products that Wee Rascals offers directly from their website where they accept paypal as well as other methods of payment.

Win: One of Annie's Home readers will win a set of receiving blankets in their choice of color or pattern.

To win: you must visit the Wee Rascals website and (1) tell me what color or pattern you would want your blankets made in and (2) let me know something else that you liked there

Extra Entries:

• follow my blog
• subscribe to my blog
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• follow Wee Rascals on twitter
• facebook fan of wee rascals
• follow my blog on twitter
• tweet about the giveaway (1 entry per tweet) link in comment
• blog about the giveaway (5 entries) link in comment

Contest starts now and ends March 17, 2010. Good Luck. Email must be in comment or on blog

Answers for Toddler Health Concerns

Are you the parent of a Toddler? If you are I am sure you have tons of questions. If you have questions and concerns about their health Parents online can help you. They have devised a great Q&A for Toddler Health Concerns. You can read all of them by going here

Tips for Parents of Teens

I recently read an online article from Womans Day titled 7 Sanity Savers for Parents of Teens I would love to share my thoughts of this article with you

1. Be A Parent Not A Pal: This is very hard to go from always being the one that they look up to to going to being the one that dictates all the rules that they may agree with or not. Allowin them to still know that you love them to me is the key here. One can not be too strict yet not allow them to do things that will hurt them as well. Sometimes I feel teens are their own worst enemies. Learning how to live life is not always easy and that is what parents are there for to allow them to live but be there to guide, direct and catch them when they fall.
2. Get Tech-Savvy To Stay Connected: sounds odd but there have been times that my son has told me he can sit in the other room tell me what he would if he were in the same room with me and yet the reaction is different. We have had deep conversations through key boards I often think that is because we must think what we are writing down rather than blurting it out The computer also makes a great way to converse with your children as they head to college. Moving away changes things a bit schedules are different but through the computer you can leave a personal message it is different than the answer machine. Once again I think because you must say the words as you read them.
3. Throw Your Own (Good) Taste Out the Window: by nature our children are not always going to agree with us. They will have a difference of opinion and I believe that if you state what you think but do not overstate your opinion it works best. There are ways that things that you dont agree on can be discussed. After all the way they appear will reflect on them and if it is not welcome by friends it will change soon. There are larger things to be debated so the small battles should not be an all out war.
4. Develop A Thick Skin: I actually have a funny story to this one as all of my teens have at one time or another went through a dark passage. Saying things they know they should not have is almost something that happens as a reflex in teen years I feel. My daughter always would go to her room and slam the door turn up the radio to the song "I need my wide open spaces" LOL. She also had the ability to say "I hate you" at the drop of the hat. The funny thing is I would always say "I love you" back to her. One time I did not say this because I was busy and she came back and asked "Are you mad at me? because you did not say you loved me"
5. Know How To Go Zen: something very hard to do but in order to keep confrontation to a means and to also teach a lesson rather than start a battle. I punish my teens by minutes = minutes on minimum rule breaks or minutes = minutes on more major ones. They are grounded from computer, phones, things they want to do etc... but it is specific so they can see they are working it off
6. Know When To Snoop or Scram: be careful in this department. It is very important to either to not overstep boundaries so they dont close you out. There are times when you want to know what is going on but allow them to have their privacy a bit as well. As difficult as this sounds allow them to come to you. I do have my children on my facebook, myspace, etc... so I know primarily what is going on.
7. Don't Think He Would Never Do That: no child is perfect and anything is possible, know their friends, their hangouts, what they do and where they go.

They sang it loud they sang it proud

This is a group of our youth that performed recently at our church. They truly are talented. I enoy watching them as they grow

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5 Vines Monkeys blog is having a giveaway

Want to really make a difference in someone's life? Angie at 5 Vinez Monkeys is hosting a giveaway on her blog, courtesy of MyBlogSpark and Win One Give One, and is giving one of her readers 2 boxes of Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks and a $25 donation to One Laptop Per Child on their behalf. Winning is great, but giving is what really makes a difference. Show your support for this fantastic program by entering to win. Stop by before 11:59pm ET on March 10th to get all the details and enter

Hoover Wind Tunnel T Series giveaway

I could use a new vacuum for sure. With six kids and a husband let alone the dog and cat I have plenty to clean. I would love to win the Hoover Wind Tunnel giveaway on the Rave And Review blog. This contest ends March 22, 2010 if you want to enter as well.

Create your own snowflakes

With all the snow that we have had lately I thought it would be cool to make a few to hang up inside. I have made snow flakes since I was a little girl but for those of you who have not here is a quick tutorial for you to follow. (I found the tutorial here)

Every snowflake is different so have fun switching it up a bit.

for other great ideas to do visit Mom Tried It and the Tried and Tell meme