Oh well, congratulations to Jenna and Leslie.

I was sent some Ideal No Calorie Sweetener to try out.  I drink a cup or two of coffee a day with sugar and we also cook and bake a lot which means we use a lot of sugar.  I haven’t been as concerned with my sugar intake since I have been pregnant but just prior, when I was losing all the weight, I was cutting out a lot of sugar.  After this baby, I will be back on the healthy eating kick and will be happy to have found a great substitute for sugar. 

Today in America sugar consumption is the highest it’s ever been which leads to health problems such as obesity and tooth decay.  Ideal contains Xylitol which is found in fruits and vegetables.  It tastes like sugar and is a great alternative.

So, I thought I would put it to the test and I made some sugar cookies this afternoon.  Now here was the only problem I ran in to with the recipe.  It says it was supposed to make 48 cookies and I was only able to get 18.  With 48 cookies the calories were only supposed to be 33 but since I o nly made 1/3 then each cookie came out to be around 76 calories.  The problem is we need to find a low calorie butter.  I know they have some like “I can’t believe it’s not butter” and I have baked with it before but it’s just not the same. 

So anyways here is the recipe:

1 cup Ideal No Calorie Sweetener
1/2 cup butter softened
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

In a mixing bowl cream together butter and Ideal No Calorie Sweetener; beat in egg and vanilla

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt and add to butter mixture.  Blend well until ball is formed. 

Cover and refrigerate for 2 hrs or until firm. 

Shape dough in to small balls about 3/4 inches in diameter.

Set cookies on lightly greased baking sheet; press cookie until 1/4 inch thick

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown

Nutrition information (if you can get 48 cookies):  33 calories; 1g Protein; 2g total Fat; 3g Carb; 0g Fiber; 7 mg Calcium; 0g Iron; 38mg Sodium; 9mg Cholesterol 

I have already tried a cookie and I must say they are delicious.  Tony also used the sweetener in the corn muffins he made for dinner, those were also tasty. 

I am really excited that I was able to try Ideal No Calorie Sweetener out, I will say, it tastes just like sugar without the calories. 

Now for the greatest part, THE GIVEAWAY!  Ideal would like to offer 3 of my readers a chance to win Ideal No Calorie Sweetener.  Each winner will receive a 10.6 ounce baking bag of Ideal and a 50 count box of Ideal packets, PLUS coupons!  YIPPEE!!!!

All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment telling me why it is important you incorporate No Calorie Sweeteners in yours and/or your family’s diet.   

This giveaway will end July 27 at midnight EST.

Thanks again Mom Fuse and Ideal No Calorie Sweetener!

So for the Temporal Scanner she chose #4:

Leslie Says:
June 20th, 2009 at 9:35 am   edit

I’ve got 5 kids.

9, 7, 5, 3 and 9 months. I would love this for all of us!

And for Norman PhartEphant:

Mindy Says:
June 13th, 2009 at 2:31 pm   edit

Big Fun in Cleveland Ohio. It has everything! I submitted that to their site.

Thank you to everyone that entered!

So both my lil ones were sick for about a week or so.  They both had fevers on and off the whole time.  The Temporal Scanner came in handy.  Both of my kids have no patience.  I have tried the thermometer that goes under the arm and it just takes too long.  They never sit still long enough.  I don’t feel the reading is accurate.  The Temporal Scanner on the other hand is very easy to use and a very quick and accurate reading. One push (and hold) of the button as you gently swipe the Temporal Scanner across the forehead and you will get a reading in seconds.

You can pick up a Temporal Scanner at some of your more frequent shopping centers, Babies R’ Us, Walmart and Walgreens just to name a few.

Now for the giveaway, one of my readers will win a Temporal Scanner.  I will make this easy to enter….al you have to do is leave me a comment telling me how many kids you have and their ages, if you are entering to win it for someone else, just tell me who.    That’s it.

This giveaway will end June 23 at midnight EST. 

Thanks again Mom Fuse and Temporal Scanner for this great opportunity.

Norman was a great addition to our road trip.  His fart sounds are so real.  Tony and lil Tony laugh at each other when they fart so I knew this toy would be awesome to review.  When lil Tony first heard it, he just couldn’t stop laughing.  Not only is this a great idea for a stuffed animal but the Elephant is so soft and cuddly.  All you do is push his tail and with each push he will let out a different sound, a total of 8 sounds.  Thankfully there is no smell because some of those sounds could really be deadly, they are silent but they’d surely be deadly. LOL! 

Other than being a great toy for your child, co-worker, friend or family member, a portion of Norman’s sales gets donated to charity.  Smile train, Half the Sky and Ronald McDonald House Charities..click on each to read more about them.

Now here’s the best part, one of my readers will win their very own Norman PhartEphant to take home and call their own.

**There is only one requirement to enter, check out Norman’s site and under the “retail locations” tab help the out by naming your favorite Mom and Pop toy store.  There is a submission form on their site and then come back here and tell me you’ve done it and the name of the toy store.**

This giveaway will end June 23rd at midnight EST.

Thanks again Mom Fuse and Norman PhartEphant for this great opportunity.

For my Bon Bon Cupcake giveaway the winner is:

7. Heather Says:
April 30th, 2009 at 8:59 pm edit

I love the Black & Pink Dot Leggings!

I will be contacting Heather to let her know.  Congratulations and thank you to everyone that entered.

First, they are packaged in this cute plastic box that you can see through and see a beautifully wrapped, like a cupcake, pair of leggings.

So creative, I love it.  As much as I loved the Double Layer Leggings which have a variety of styles from polka dots to cheerleader styles, I chose a pair of the Basic Leggings.  Also very adorable, they just have solid colors, that I thought would work better for my daughters wardrobe.

The great thing about Microfiber is they let your skin breathe. They are not to warm and stuffy which is great for us since we live in Florida which is warm almost all year round.
They have a great selection of leggings from basic leggings to double layered leggings and even holiday leggings.

I love these pair.

They also have a wide range of sizes, they start at 0-9 months and go all the way up to 6-8 yrs of age.  I just think that they are very well presented and very well made.

Now here is the coolest part, Bon Bon Cupcakes is offering one of my readers a chance to win a pair for their lil one.

I will make this giveaway easy too, all you have to do is visit the Bon Bon Cupcakes website and come back here and comment on which pair you would chose.  You can have your choice of any one pair with the exception of the Cupcakes with Icing Leggings.

That’s it!  This giveaway will end April 30th @ 11:59pm EST.  So don’t delay, enter today!  Thanks again Mom Fuse and Bon Bon Cupcakes for this wonderful opportunity!

I will email Lauren and she will have 48 hrs to respond or another winner will be chosen.

You can also check out Ecostore USA on TWITTER @ ecostoreusa.

Check out their event page on Facebook for great deals, event and news!

And don’t forget in honor of Earth Month Ecostore USA is offering FREE SHIPPING on orders $25 or more!

Congratulations Lauren!

I will email Krystal and she will have 48 hrs to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Congratulations Krystal!

I try to do my part in the “Go Green” efforts but I have not completely converted yet.  I am however open to new products and I will give anything a try.  Especially products that are Eco-friendly.  I have done some reviews in the past for items that were chemical free.  From doing those reviews I was forced to “research” some of the nasty chemicals that take over our everyday useful products.  All the toxins that are added.  It is a little frightening.

I was given the opportunity to review some products from Ecostore USA.  I had my choice of several products and it was a tough choice.  They had so many great products to chose from.  The products I chose were the Vanilla shampoo and conditioner (for myself) and the baby body wash.

Their eco-friendly, plant based household cleaning products are just as effective as the supermarket brands. The best part is that it is without the nasty chemicals. They have hair care, pet care, baby care, household and bath/body products.

For starters I used the baby wash on my 2 lil ones. The baby wash has an aromatherapy sent. It was clean and refreshing it just made me think of when I got a pedicure. It is a very mild formula but it left my baby’s skin feeling clean and soft. My son has always had some rougher skin, I don’t want to say it’s eczema because it is not really bad at all but I will say that it seemed to leave his skin a little less bumpy from using this baby wash. Maybe all the chemicals of the normal baby wash is what is causing his skin to be so rough.

Next I tried the shampoo and conditioner. The aromatherapy in the shampoo helps nourish your scalp. I enjoyed the vanilla scent of both shampoo and conditioner. It rinsed clean in my hair and didn’t leave a slimy residue. The conditioner restores the hairs natural, healthy balance.
They have different hair products just right for your hair type, dandruff control, oily or dry/chemically treated.

Now for the best part, Ecostore USA is offering one of my readers a $25 gift certificate.  Even better is since April is Earth month, if you make a purchase during the month of April for $25 or more, you will get FREE SHIPPING!

How great is that.  So what I am going to do is run this giveaway until April 12 @11:59pm EST.  That way the gift certificate can reach the winner before the end of the month and they can take advantage of the free shipping.

So this giveaway is easy to enter as well, just visit Ecostore USA and tell me what you would spend the $25 on. Leave me a comment and you will be entered in to the giveaway!