Review « A Review and Giveaway

iCaughtSanta.com

By review, on December 21st, 2011%

Imagine the look of wonder and surprise when a child receives a photo of Santa caught in the act in his or her very own home. iCaughtSanta.com is a unique website that helps visitors create those memorable keepsake photos.

In three simple steps anyone can upload a holiday photo, add Santa Claus and print it as proof… or share it via Facebook and Twitter. Last-minute shoppers can purchase Gift Cards and eGift Certificates for loved ones with children, making iCaughtSanta.com a great gift idea even if you don’t have kids yourself.

Here’s a 50% off coupon code for you to use if you decide to purchase SANTA50

Merry Christmas!

The Black Shard ~ Book Review

By review, on December 8th, 2011%

Victoria Simcox

The Black Shard by Victoria Simcox is the sequel to The Magic Warble. Both books are excellent for younger readers who love a good story. My 8 year old daughter adores these books. As soon as this one came in the mail she couldn’t wait to get her hands on it. At 253 pages long I was even surprised when the very next morning she told me she had finished it and was wondering if there would be a third book in the series. I had to laugh because she is way to much like her mother in that aspect! She can’t wait for the next one in a series.

The book picks up where The Magic Warble left off. A couple of years have gone by and Kristina can’t decide if her memories of Bernovem were real or just a dream. She misses her friends and animals that she met there. Kristina has decided to go to a summer horse camp. She is miserable. Two of her least favorite people are at the camp and giving her a hard time. They decide to play a trick on Kristina that ends up sending all three of them back to Bernovem.

Kristina’s friend Werrien who is the prince of Bernovem asks Kristina to sail with him back to his home land. Werrien becomes obsessed with a black shard that is really a seeing stone. I don’t want to go into to much more detail on the plot because I don’t want to spoil the story for you. I highly recommend getting a copy for yourself. This much I can tell you, you will not be sorry you did.

The Black Shard is meant for the middle school reader. As an adult I enjoyed reading this book as much as my daughter and I think it would appeal to boys just as much as girls. There are gnomes, fairies and dwarfs in the book that will appeal to everyone. I enjoy Victoria’s writing style. It’s fun and captivating. Her attention to detail and ability to have her characters grow from one book to another was seamless. The story kept me guessing and excited to continue reading which can be hard to do in a young adult book. As a mother of a young child who reads well above her age and grade level I appreciate that there is nothing inappropriate in The Black Shard. Yes, the characters are in high school but a kiss is easily explained to an 8 year old and I was not worried about having her read this book before I did. She appreciated that I didn’t read it before handing it over also.

I did not think to ask Victoria if there would be another book in the series so I don’t have an answer for you on that. The ending is fairly open and it would be nice to see a third book added to the story.

If I hadn’t been given the opportunity to review this book I know that I would definitely have bought The Black Shard as a Christmas gift for my daughter. The Black Shard will be in our library collection for many years to come because I know I plan to reread it and hope to have my youngest daughter fall in love with it just like her older sister did. If you’d like to purchase this in time for the holidays you can buy it on Amazon or check for it in a bookstore near you.

I was given a copy of The Black Shard for review purposes. My review is my honest opinion and was not influenced in anyway.

Kroger Milk $25 GC ~ Giveaway

By review, on November 18th, 2011%

Hurry into your nearest Kroger store from now until November 26th and get free milk or receive $3 0ff your shopping order when you purchase any four participating General Mills products. It doesn’t get much more simple than that! Some of our favorite General Mills products are Cheerios and Nature Valley Bars. I can always depend on my youngest daughter to ask for a bigger glass of milk than her older sister when she eats either of those. I know that an extra gallon of milk is essential in our home during the holidays.

As always make sure to check your local Kroger store to make sure this deal applies in your area. Kroger family stores include kroger, Ralphs, King Scoopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith’s, Fry’s, QFC, Baker’s, Owen’s Jay C Food Stores, HIlander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Fred Meyer, Pay Less Supermarkets and Scott’s Food & Pharmacy. This deal excludes General Mills meal and baking products including ; Betty Crocker, Old El Paso, Progresson, Hamburger Helper, Macaroni Grill, Wanchai Ferry, Yoplait.

Giveaway: One lucky reader will win a $25 Kroger Gift Card good at any Kroger Family Store.

Mandatory Entry: Leave me a comment saying which General Mills Products you would stock up on if you win.

Bonus Entries:Please leave a separate comment for each entry. I verify each comment so if you don’t see it right away it’s because I have to approve it.

Follow me on Google Friend Connect
Like Kroger on the Kroger Facebook Page
Follow Kroger on Twitter @KrogerTwitter
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Tweet about this contest up to 3 times a day with at least an hour in between each tweet. Leave the link

Open to US only

Contest ends 11/30/11.

Thanks so much and Good Luck!

Disclosure: The Kroger gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by Kroger and General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Weight Watchers Smart Ones Review ~ #SmartOnesReview

By review, on November 18th, 2011%

Recently I was given the opportunity to try two of the new Weight Watchers Smart Ones Satisfying Selections. I’ve tried the regular Smart Ones before and while they were good I was still hungry after I finished them. I felt like they could use just a little bit more and they would be perfect. Obviously the point of eating a Smart One would be to control your calorie intake without feeling deprived. I get that you wouldn’t expect a huge meal from a diet food but I thought there should be a slightly bigger portion. Maybe it could work like a step down from your regular meals and then you could move onto the regular sized Smart Ones after you had gotten used to a smaller meal. Someone at Weight Watchers must have read my mind because that’s basically what the Satisfying Selections does for you.

The Satisfying Selections are 30% larger portions with heartier pieces of meat and vegetables. Perfect for a more satisfying dinner. Each entree is less than 400 calories and if you are following the Weight Watchers points plan they are between 8 – 10 points each. I love that they each have 25 grams of protein leaving you more satisfied and feeling full longer. The Satisfying Selections meals come in a bag instead of a box and can be prepared in either the microwave or a stove top. They would be easy to take to work or eat at home.

There are 5 flavors to choose from. They include

Sesame Chicken

Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

Ziti with Meatballs & Cheese

Chicken with Broccoli & Cheese

Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry

I selected the Sesame chicken and the Chicken with Broccoli & Cheese. Both of the entrees I tried exceeded my expectations. They were very flavorful. I used the microwave for both. It takes roughly 5 minutes from start to finish because you need to let it rest for a minute after it finishes cooking. I was a little worried about the rice cooking all the way through. It has been my experience in the past that rice doesn’t really cook all the way through in the microwave. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it did and it tasted good. Another thing I’ve found in frozen meals is that what ever sauce is included never seems to be enough. That was not the case with either of the choices I made. Both were very flavorful and I didn’t feel like I was eating a diet food. Over all if I were looking to easily monitor my calorie intake while eating healthy fiber filled meats and vegetables I would definitely choose Weight Watchers Smart Ones Satisfying Selections again. Sometimes prepackaged food can get expensive quickly. The listed price at my local Walmart was $3.69 which is the suggested retail price from Weight Watchers. It’s cheaper than buying a value meal at your local hamburger place and better for you too. If you haven’t tried Smart Ones in awhile I’d recommend trying them again. They just might surprise you at how filling and tasty they are.

If you would like to find out if the Satisfying Selections are available near you by use the product locator at http://www.eatyourbest.com/storelocate.aspx and of course you can always find out more information by visiting www.eatyourbest.com or by connecting with Smart Ones on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/eatyourbest

Disclosure: This post is part of a SocialMoms product evaluation, for which I’ve been selected. I’ve been compensated for my time with 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of SocialMoms or Heinz.

German Chocolate Pizza with @Rhodesbread ~ Recipe

By review, on October 26th, 2011%

I am so lucky to be a part of the Rhodes blogging team. I have tried some amazing new recipes and fallen in love with Rhodes bread products all over again. If you’d like to see the full German Chocolate Pizza recipe head on over to the Rhodes blog and check it out. I’d love for you to leave a comment either here or on the Rhodes blog telling me what toppings you would try on a dessert pizza! I hope you enjoy.

Rhodes Bread