A little help? {giveaway}

Friends! This is a cry for help, with an incentive :D 

A little back story-I've mentioned before that my father had a stroke last year. He lost the use of his right side, his dominant side. It's been quite a struggle for my parents, always 1 step forward and 2 steps back in his progress, but they always have a smile on their face for us so I know they are trying so hard to be positive! What I might not have mentioned before, is that years ago, my mother was hit by a drunk driver :( She lost the use of her left arm, which was her dominant arm/hand. My parents joke that together they are a perfect pair of hands! They've had so much struggle this past year, and as Valentine's Day approaches, I can't help but to feel a little sad. This will be their first Valentine's Day since dads stroke. My dad was a great gift giver when it came to my mom. Even if there was not much money, he found a way to get mom something special. Jewelry was his specialty, and he had great taste, and it was always a surprise for mom. 

Here is where I need your help. I've entered my parents in a "cutest couple" contest at my local jewelry store. 

I'm asking for your vote!! And in exchange, you will be entered into a giveaway!

What's in it for you?

$10 Amazon Gift Code!

To enter the giveaway:
Go to: Stambaugh Jewelers Facebook page and "like" them
Click the "vote" button, and my parents are on page 4.
This is the picture you'll need to find and click vote! That is all!

Taken just weeks before my dads stroke, one of my fave pictures of them!

Now when you've done that-and Please, be honest! This means so much to me, and if I win, I can give my mom the necklace from my dad, it would be a huge surprise!!
Come back here, and leave a comment that you've voted!! That's it!
I'll pick a random comment at the end of the contest (via Random.org). This giveaway opportunity will end February 11th and the winner will be announced that day!

Thank you ALL so much! I'll let you know if we win, we need about 60ish votes to win right now!
<3

KitchenAid Savings!

I have been after a KitchenAid Mixer for years!! I scour stores and online ads for sales, but never found one worth my while. I have to admit, I'm a bit of a tight wad, and even though it was something I really wanted, I couldn't justify spending the money on it. Well this past Christmas, we found the deal of a lifetime on a KitchenAid Mixer, and I had one under the tree with my name on it (yes I wrapped it :D)!

KitchenAid is a household name when it comes to mixers, and while they are pricey, they are well worth their weight in gold (in my opinion!) I use mine almost every day, I've incorporated more homemade cooking and healthy eating because I'm excited to cook again! And plus, it's super pretty sitting on my counter top!

There are many places that sell KitchenAid Mixers, and if you really want one but don't want to pay full price, the internet is your friend! There are some great resources out there to help you find KitchenAid mixer savings! If you can find a good coupon discount to pair up with a % off, would you find it in your heart and purse to spend the money?? I know I did! And I think my family (at least their appetites!) are glad I did too!
Here is my beauty hard at work!

There are so many uses to a KitchenAid Mixer, it's not just a whisk! You can make dough, grind meet, make noodles, any dessert in the book, soup-you name it, you can do it in one of these mixers! I was really surprised in the difference in using a stand mixer versus a hand mixer. Cooking is a lot more enjoyable, no need to borrow an extra hand in the kitchen to mix while you get other things ready!
And really, KitchenAid mixers make a great conversation piece too! My friends and I compare ours-the color, style, how  much we use it, etc. We can share recipes that we've tried and know work well with the mixer.
I've gone on and on like a love sick school girl, but I really do enjoy having my mixer. It might have been a small dream, but finding a great deal on my KitchenAid mixer really was a dream come true! Be persistent, the right deal for you is out there, it's likely just a click away!

General Mills Whole Grain Prize Pack Giveaway!

General Mills is giving  us a tastier way to eat whole grains! They have a new campaign right now, The Whole Grain Nation, and all boxes of cereal with the white check on teh front will have "More whole grain than any other ingredient*" (*as compared to any other single ingredient)

According to Dr. Travis Stork, emergency room physician and host of “The Doctors,” identifying whole grain products can be challenging. Shoppers can look for nutritional cues on the front of the box, but they need to read the ingredient list to know if they are getting enough whole grain. Ingredient lists detail ingredients in order of prevalence, and if the words “whole grain” are followed by a grain like wheat or oats, it means the food contains more whole grain than any other single ingredient. Here’s how to determine if your cereals have whole grain as a first ingredient:

With all the health messages facing grocery store shoppers, it can be confusing to translate what appears on food labels into nutritional needs, and hard to determine which foods have a meaningful amount of whole grain. Dr. Stork has some additional recommendations to help you include whole grain easily into your diet. They include:

• Start Early! The Dietary Guidelines recommend people get at least 48 grams of whole grain in their daily diets. Get a jump-start on the day’s nutrition by incorporating whole grain into your morning routine. For instance, when choosing cereal make sure whole grain is listed as the first ingredient. One easy choice is cereal with the white check, which have more whole grain than any other single ingredient.
• Make Simple Swaps. Choose whole grain versions of the foods you love. Great options include whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread or even whole grain crackers. Also, try different types of whole grain. Use brown rice instead of white rice as a side dish at dinner or popcorn, which is a whole grain, for a snack.
• Don’t Judge a Food by Its Cover. The front of food packages provide good nutritional cues, but don’t forget to read the ingredients and check the nutrition label and side labels for additional health information. Cereals with the white check even include the amount of whole grain per serving on packaging.
  

To help with choosing products with whole grain, General Mills developed “Fast Lane for Whole Grain,” an online educational game. Consumers can navigate virtual grocery store aisles and identify products that have whole grain as the first ingredient, with the option to enter a sweepstakes to win one of each of the 50 cereals with the white check. 

Make a commitment to add more whole grain to your diet by simply pouring a bowl of cereal with the white check including Cheerios^®, Lucky Charms^®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch^®, Honey Nut Cheerios^®and Total^®. 

For more information on the importance of whole grain and a chance to enter the “Fast Lane for Whole Grain” sweepstakes, visitwww.WholeGrainNation.com.
MyBlogSpark and General Mills have provided a cool prize pack for one lucky reader!
You'll win all of the cereals below!

Check out the Rafflecopter form after the jump!

Check out Perricone MD! {Giveaway}

As a woman, I feel a lot of pressure to look a certain way. But really, the only one pressuring me is myself! I feel better about myself when I look and feel my best, so I try to take care of my skin the best I can.

One company that is helping me feel and look my best is Perricone! They have amazing products to help reduce the signs of aging and to help our skin be as healthy as it can be! As I get older, one of the things I fear are the dreaded under eye wrinkles! Perricone has the best under eye wrinkle cream, it was even featured in Vanity Fair! There are products to help with acne, anti aging products, hydrating products, and more! Perricone even offers amazing supplements to help you be a better you! This Super Perricone supplement "provides antioxidant protection to help defer the visible signs of aging" made with Acai berry!
Perricone MD products were created by Dr. Nick Perricone, a board certified dermatologist who created this line of products to promote inner health and outer beauty by giving our skin the nutrients it needs!
Check out all Perricone has to offer, and right now all orders over $50 get free shipping!

One lucky reader is about to score big-Enter to win the Perricone product of your choice! (ARV up to $150!) Rafflecopter form is after the jump!

My top 5 Mom inspired driving tips!

Driving is stressful enough, but add to the mix a few kids capbable of every distraction in the book and driving gets even scarier! I think about all the times I'm getting after my boys to stop picking on each other, or to leave the window along, or to not try and unbuckle themselves-and I get scared! I'm not paying attention (yes I am admitting it!) to the road when I should be and I've had to collect myself and get my priorities in check to make sure my kids and I are safe on the road.

Inspired by this recent Esurance blog post , here are a few of my top tips!

*Don't drive tired or hungry-Easier said than done, I know! Moms are always tired it seems! But I notice that when I haven't slept well or haven't eaten and get that shaky feeling, I'm not at my best and cannot concentrate as well as when I'm rested. And if I can't concentrate at home, I'm sure as not able to concentrate on the road, so unless it's an emergency, I put off my errands until after I'm more alert and ready to take on the day!

*Keep toys at home for safety reasons. I've come to know some great car seat instructors and advocates, and one of their top tips that most of us don't even think about is to avoid keeping objects in the car that can fly around in case of an accident. Toys, phones, books-they all need to be in a secure location if you want them in your car. If you were to crash, a toy could be a dangerous object when flying through the car at rapid speed. I am guilty of having things in my car that are just laying around, and I try to be more of aware of that these days!

*Have a safe and secure car seat that is not expired. This should be a no brainer, but many people dont' even realize that car seats expire! The older they get, the more wear the plastic has and it starts to break down even if we can't see it, making it less safe in the event of a crash. Do your research and find the best seat for your budget, car, and child and follow the guidelines when using it (follow weight requirements, latching system, etc) to ensure your child is as safe as he/she can be!

*Keep the cell phone OFF!! It's hard to do, but a cell phone is so distracting!! If your phone rings, pull over, or call back when you are stopped. We all know that is just common sense, but I know that ignoring your cellphone something that is hard to do but lets keep each other accountable and keep it off!

*Click it or Ticket!! Yes, I said it! We all know the laws. Lets be good examples to our kids and remember our seat belts!

Lets make our lives easier, after all, moms have enough to deal with! Driving doesn't have to be as stressful as we make it out to be. We can do a few simple things to ensure that we are focused when on the road, and above all, that we're all safe!

Disclaimer “I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Esurance blogging program for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.” (make sure you link tohttp://esurance.socialmoms.com/about) 

Slobproof.com Paint Pen review!

When we bought our house, we knew right away we'd be painting to update it and make it our own. What we didn't plan on was the first weekend we were moved in, I would have to fly out of state for my sisters wedding, so my inlaws came down and did a lightening speed paint job to help get the house ready by the time I got back (I've got the best inlaws!) Well, in that time, we've found a few spots that were missed, but two kids later we just haven't had a free minute to touch up the paint!! Well, www.Slobproof.com is helping us with that, with their brand new Paint Pen! It's an empty pen that you can fill in with any paint, and touch up nicks and spots that might have been missed! I was sent one for a review, so I did a little video blog to show how it worked in my house.

{I'm super embarrassed about how I look, I keep going back and willing my video self to brush my hair or wear more flattering clothes, lol! But I am tyring to get over my fear of vlogging plus I couldn't redo the video, so bear with me!}

So without further ado, the Slobproof paint pen! Learn more by visiting their website or finding them on Facebook! 

Disclaimer: I was given a product to review, no compensation was given. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday

One of the fun parts about going to visit Grandma is feeding the deer!

As soon as the sun starts to rise, Cooper goes out and feeds the deer and then comes in to wait and watch!

From your Kitchen, with love!

The Stevens kitchen-that is our home base, where we reconnect at the end of the day. We end our busy days every night with a warm meal around the table in our kitchen. 

But my kitchen, where I spend a good chunk of  my day, is not "mine". We've owned our home for 3 years now and have been slowly making it our own, and our kitchen is the last on the list. We've painted the walls, bought new dishes, but we're using the previous owners appliances. They work, but they are not what I want if I were to have my dream kitchen!

Starting with the stove...I'm a gas girl all the way. My mother cooked with a gas stove and taught me to cook using one, so that is what I've always preferred! Gas Range Cookers make the best meals-the food is evenly cooked, you can adjust the temp easier, and all around I think it makes the food taste better. I find myself window shopping online, making a list of my favorites, and when the time is right I know my dream kitchen will be a reality! I love the look of this Belling range cooker, I'm already dreaming of all the home cooked meals and memories it will  make for my family!

I suppose in the end, all I need is my family around the table...but, a girl can dream right?? And if that dream can render something my family will look back on with a smile as they say "Remember when Mom made that cake that one time...?" then I say, dream on!