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Disney Creates a Hit With Cars 2 (Giveaway)

July 5, 2011 by Jennifer 62 Comments

Disney has done it again, created another number 1 hit with Cars 2. My family had the pleasure of going to see the movie premiere a couple of weeks ago.

We loved the first Cars, so I knew this one would have big shoes to fill.

As you can see from the trailer, this Cars 2 is definitely more action packed. I wasn’t quite sure if L would sit through the whole movie, but she did. The girls and hubby seemed to really enjoy the movie, but I still think the first Cars is my favorite. This one is definitely more intense with the races but being the girly girl I am, I loved the red carpet scene overseas. You will totally laugh out loud with Tow Mater and the bathroom scene.

I will not spoil the movie too much, but definitely recommend you see the movie in 3D if you can. To keep the awesomeness going with Cars 2, I have a giveaway to one lucky reader.

Giveaway:

– CARS 2 t-shirt (your size choice – youth sizes of S, M, L, XL)

– CARS 2 set of 3 bumper tickets

– CARS 2 temporary tattoo sheet (2 per winner)

– CARS 2 puzzle

To Enter:

1. Leave a comment below of who your favorite Cars character is…

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Make sure to leave an additional comment for each extra entry.

Giveaway ends Friday, July 8 at noon EST.

How to have July 4th family fun

July 4, 2011 by Jennifer 3 Comments

Come on down to NC and a fun time is definitely in store for the entire family. We started out our July 4th fun in Blowing Rock, NC where they had their festivities on Saturday. The morning starts with fun games for the kids.

My precious M loves the outdoors as you can see. The girls headed with my Aunt for some water fun at the lake while hubby and I stayed to watch the beautiful hometown parade.

After picnic fun with the cousins in the afternoon, we headed over to the Blowing Rock Country Club for the fireworks show.

M was so excited to see all the fireworks as you can see here:

We then finally headed home after two weeks on the road and took part in our hometown festivities here with our wonderful friends over at Carolina Mama.

We had an absolute blast… take 2 minutes and join in the fun.

It was time to get in from the heat and enjoy some delicious 4th of July treats.

Cherry Yum-Yum that I came up with based off my Aunt’s recipe = 4pts Weight Watchers!

Red, white and blue stuffed strawberries. I changed up the recipe to make it zero points weight watchers. I used fat-free whip cream instead of cream cheese.

We topped off the evening with a Patriotic Mocktail!

Hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July! Here’s to more fun summer memories to come… :::cheers:::

Make time for your family this summer

June 29, 2011 by Jennifer 1 Comment

Is it me or is summer one of the fastest seasons? It seems we blink our eyes twice and poof summer is gone. Don’t let summer get away from you without creating special family memories. The evenings in the summer are perfect times to create those special memories. The sun goes down which means the temperatures usually go down as well.

In my family, we take nightly walks and have the best conversations. I am giving my kids my undivided attention without any technology around, and the girls just smile ear to ear with this mommy/daddy and daughter time.

Tonight, we took a walk through where we are staying at in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The cool crisp air was so divine tonight. The girls were scoping out different areas and would yell “mommy, mommy, you have to take a picture of this.” The scenery in the mountains is breathtaking. See for yourselves:

We saw deer along our walk which were too fast for my camera, and even a swan on her nest.

Taking the nature walks really gets the girls into some fun conversations. It warms my heart to see how excited they get when seeing certain things. Make sure to take time this summer and do things as a family. Need help with ideas? I have 6 other ideas over on BabyCenter’s blog Momformation this week.

Enjoy your summer and create lots of fun memories!

More Ovaltine Please (Win)

June 27, 2011 by Jennifer 238 Comments

Congratulations to comment 198 Rita. You have email!

Growing up, those three words were said many of times in my household. Now as a mom, I have passed those three short words onto my girls. Most kids love chocolate milk, but depending on the chocolate that you give them, there could be very little nutrition value. This is why, Ovaltine is always welcome in our house. Ovaltine is healthier in my opinion and Nestle just took it even further to make Ovaltine more healthier for families.

I am so proud to announce that Ovaltine is hitting the shelves improved by having all artificial flavors removed and only colors from natural sources are used in the product. Oh and it does not stop there, Ovaltine now has 12 vitamins and minerals. So if your child asks for more chocolate milk, you will not feel guilty saying yes. The three flavors are Classic Malt, Rich Chocolate and Chocolate Malt.

As soon as the new and improved versions arrived at our door, I had to immediately do a taste test with the girls. M loves the Rich Chocolate and both L and I are loving the Classic Malt. Hubby is a tough one to win over and was not a huge fan of Ovaltine before, but I mixed up the Rich Chocolate for him to taste test…. and he LOVED it. In fact, he said: “I actually really like this now.” So there you have it, a difference in taste can be found, but it is a positive difference.

How about one of you getting the chance to taste test the new and improved line in your own home? That is right, I have a super fun prize pack for one of you.

The giveaway package includes three canisters of the new recipe OVALTINE (one of each flavor), the recipe booklet, the countertop straw dispenser, and a $25 Visa gift card.

To Enter:

1. Leave a comment below detailing what your favorite healthy summer snack is!

Extra Entries:

Tweet about this Giveaway

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Make sure to leave an additional comment for each extra entry.

Contest ends 11:59pm ET on July 5, 2011.

Disclosure: I am an Ovaltine Mom and received Ovaltine for our taste test. I was not compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

Shepherd Hills of Branson MO gives thrill ride 170 feet in air

June 27, 2011 by Jennifer 6 Comments

We are back from one amazing trip to the midwest. Over the next few days, I will be writing about our journey to Branson, MO. Whoever said that Branson, MO was only for senior folks has definitely planted a myth. As a family of four, we had a blast.

Shepherd of the Hills was one of our stops in which it reminded me of a place in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. The Shepherd of the Hills is an old homestead in which they have an outdoor drama that has been in existence since 1960. We were not able to see the show, but we sure were able to do other fun activities that can be found in and around the homestead.

First up, L being the huge animal lover she is, jumped right onto a pony. The smile did not leave her face the entire time.

The ponies are available for kids under age 7, since they are not able to ride the big horses. The big horses were tapping their feet (literally) waiting for M and I to take on a great adventure through the woods.

Once we were all saddled up, we headed into the hills. M took to the trails like she had been riding horses for years. Our guide asked how many times she had rode before and when he found out only once before, he was amazed. He said you are doing so good leading that horse, I will hire you if you come back when you get older. Of course, this made M’s day.

After the 45 minutes of going uphill and downhill through the trails, it was time to take the thrilling, get your blood pumping Ziprider. M and I had already two days earlier went on our first ziplining tour and did a free fall of 102 feet (more to come on that this week), so we were confident that the ziprider would be a piece of cake.

Harnesses were placed and all of a sudden, my nerves start. Am I crazy to be going 170 feet in the air? No way, let’s do it.

It literally felt like you were flying through the air. The smiles, the adrenaline rush, it was so worth it. It definitely gets your blood pumping. M just amazes me as she is such a big thrill seeker in the outdoors at even her age. We make a good team.

These fun outdoor activities can have you work up quite the appetite for sure. Shepherd of the Hills offers different meals on certain days. I was delighted to be a taste tester. One thing we noticed though, Branson sure does love chicken. It was a common denominator in most of the meals!

One thing for sure though, the chicken is always baked and not fried. They definitely were speaking my language with all the baked foods. Very delicious!

As we brought our day to an end, we went on a homestead tour to take a look back in time. A jeep serves as our ride and will take you through the old log cabin that was the original home of the character in Shepherd of the Hills book. The tour continues onto the second highest peak of Missouri which is Inspiration point. You will never know when a donkey will decide to up and cross your tour either so keep your eyes peeled.

So much fun all wrapped up in a half day. I was impressed of how family oriented and the employees taking their time to tell you all about the history. Definitely recommended stop when you are in Branson. I am told that Shepherd of the Hills is what started the tourist industry in Branson, MO. I can see why people would flock.

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