four little monkeys

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

I recently started dieting. It's always such a nasty word, and the mere thought of dieting sends my sweet tooth into hysterics. I've always been a cake and candy girl, so on a daily basis I have to have something sweet to satisfy me. I don't like diet sodas, sugar free chocolate is dangerous to the intestines, and all the fake sweeteners out there... yuck!

When I first heard about Truvia (tru-VEE-yuh)I was honestly excited. I knew all about the stevia plant, but also knew that it can be hard to find unless you're willing to scour the local health food store. But now we have Truvia! It's made from the stevia plant, but without the funky after taste stevia was known for. It's readily available on all the major store shelves, it has ZERO calories, and... oh yea, the most important part. It tastes fantastic!!

My first time trying Truvia was in a cup of tea. It was good, but hey, it's just tea right? Next time I used it in my coffee. PERFECT! Then I got braver and put it on cereal. It made my unsweetened Cheerios taste so sweet and yummy! Then the big test. My family has made strawberry shortcake ever since I can remember. The strawberries are simple, but, by far, the most important part. It's easy, you just slice up fresh strawberries, add sugar, and let it all marinate until you have a beautifully scrumptious strawberry topping. So, for Valentine's Day I made an ultra light version of my family's decadent shortcake. I used angel food cake as the base, and the strawberries were mixed with Truvia. Now, because the sweetness of Truvia far outweighs that of sugar I used less than normal, so I didn't know how the ratio would work out. It was so delectable! The berries were perfectly sweet, and even though I knew there was no sugar, I couldn't tell a difference in the taste!

One Grab Bag reader is going to have the Truvia experience theirself, for FREE! Everyone else can go and buy a box at your local store! The winner here will not only get their boix of Truvia but also a branded garden tote and gloves!

How To Enter: Go to Truvia's website and tell me what local store carries Truvia. INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS.

Extra Entries:please leave in separate comments
- add Grab Bag's Baby Fever button to your sidebar (you also earn 2 extra entries to every Baby Gever giveaway by doing this!)
-follow me
-add me on twitter and tweet this contest: (GrabBagReviews)
-add my button to your sidebar
-post about this contest on your blog
-subscribe to Grab Bag Reviews (top left)
-"stumble" this contest
-fave me on technorati

Contest ends March 8th. Please leave your email address.

Truvia is a Playdate Pick!

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

ENDED Honestbaby Giveaway!

Sometimes the truth hurts. And sometimes it's just hilariously funny. I have recently become a fan of Honestbaby's laughable one-liners. My youngest son has their "I'm My Mom's Job" tee, that serves as a gentle (or not so gentle) reminder that, even though I don't receive a paycheck, I still work hard. See the dirty shirt to the left? Yup. That's going to take a lot of hard work to clean!

Honestbaby has a plethora of cute sayings that were coined by Jill Besnoy. These include "Sharing Is Over-Rated" "I'll Walk When I'm Good And Ready" and "I'm Not A Performing Monkey". HILARIOUS! No parent is perfect, we all make mistakes, and this was the driving force behind Honestbaby. Here is the story!

Honestbaby was founded by a mom frustrated with the myth of perfect parenting.

From the moment a new mother holds her baby, she’s bombarded with the “right” and “wrong” way to parent; breastfeeding, ferberizing, nipple confusion, the family bed, Baby Einstein, organic food, pacifiers…everyone has an opinion.

Whether it’s other new moms, family, friends, or self-proclaimed parenting experts, they push their views and make us doubt our ability as parents. Desperate for answers and prone to guilt, we believe everything we’re told.

Until we realize…there is no “right” way to raise a child and few women can live up to those super mom expectations anyway.

honestbaby is a place where it’s okay to tell your real stories, the good and the bad, without being judged. Where parents can admit they’re just giving it their best shot. Because truly that’s all that we can really do.

It’s time to bring parenting back to where it belongs – humorous, light, enjoyable and above all realistic. It’s time for all parents to celebrate imperfect parenting.

Now onto my favorite part of the show. Of course I love trying cool new things, but it's always better to give than to receive. I love that I get to share Honestbaby with you guys! And someone VERY lucky is going to pick their very own Honestbaby shirt!

How To Enter: (MANDATORY ENTRY) Go to Honestbaby's website and check out their line. Then come back and tell me about your most imperfect parenting moment. INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS.

Contest ends March 8th. Please leave your email address.

Honestbaby is a Playdate Pick!

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Monday, February 16, 2009

Who's got baby fever? I've got baby fever!

So The Hubby and I were talking the other day and it seems that we will not be trying to have another baby until at least June. *sigh* I've had some MASSIVE baby fever working it's way though, and this isn't something aspirin is going to help! So, what have I been doing to alleviate my feva'? Shopping for baby items, OF COURSE! As if there were any other way.

The good news? YOU WIN! I've fallen in love with some really great items and the entire week of March 2nd - 9th YOU are going to get the chance to win them. That's right! An entire week of giveaways dedicated to pregnancy, childbirth, and newborns. Everyday there will be a minimum of 2 giveaways. At the end of the week I will choose 1 winner from each day's group of giveaways. So you'll have to be quick, because the later in the week, the less time you'll have to enter. And hormonal women can be pushy!

The products? Oh yes, they are fabulous! Here is a small sampling of some of the companies you're going to see during Baby Fever Week.

So be sure to put the Baby Fever Logo up on your site b/c that gives you 2 extra entries to every contest! Post about the upcoming Baby Fever Week and that's another 2 extra entries. Just comment here with a link to your post! There will be plenty of ways to win, and we're going to have a blast!

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ENDED Naturebag Giveaway!

Spring is just around the corner. All the signs of life start creeping out, and my guys love to be creeping right along side nature. We recently discovered Naturebag, and this has added a whole new dimension to our outdoor explorations. The Naturebag comes with a plethora of simple, eco-friendly items, that help you and your children find new ways to explore the outdoors. Here's what's included.

All Seasons Activity Book

No matter what time of year it is, there is a project in this book that you can do OUTDOORS with your kids. One of the hardest things about our first midwest winter has been figuring out what to do when it's cold and uninviting outside. We now have a list to check off, and we know everytime we step outside we're on a new adventure.

2 Leaf Viewers

Have you ever actually looked at the intricacy of a leaf? The leaf viewers are such simple things, but their picture frame view of a leafs insides help bring the plant world to life for you and your little ones. Just stick a leaf between the 2 sides, hold it up to the light, and you'l be amazed at what you see! Stretch a piece of saran wrap across the window and it will also work for snow flakes!

8 Coulorcards

These have sticky backs that allow you to attach leaves, flowers, pinestraw, feathers, or anything else your child finds that they want to hold onto.

Recycled Notebook

Or as my oldest calls it, his "handy dandy notebook." Bet you don't know where that one came from.

Recycled Pencil

This is actually made form recycled denim. Who knew!

Soy Based Crayons

Non-toxic is a plus. And when your crayons are down to scraps or have been smooshed into pieces, melt them all together to make a stained glass crayon!

Hemp Twine

The tie stuff! Make a bundle of leaves or a pretty bouquet for the table.

Organic Cotton Blindfold

One way to experience the sounds and smells of nature in a more heightened state is to disable other sense. Like sight. When a child is forced to listen, smell, and touch as their only means of discovery a whole new world opens up.

Rubberwood Magnifying Glass

I'm not a wood expert, but I know that Rubberwood is better. Here is why Naturebag says so

"Our magnifying glass is made from rubberwood. The wood from the Pará Rubber tree is a strong, tightly grained wood that is ideal for toys. It is commonly cultivated in South America and Asia for its natural latex sap but when the trees have reached 30 years in age, sap production greatly diminishes. So, instead of these valuable trees going to waste, they are cut down for timber, and new rubber trees are planted to replenish the stock. Unlike mahogany or teak, rubberwood, is considered a sustainable source of wood."

As you can see there are innumerable ways to use the Naturebag. This set is so fun and so interactive that this also makes for a great new way to have parent/child time. Explore, have fun, learn. To get your own Naturebag you can purchase on from their website, or you can try to win one right here!

How To Enter: Go to Naturebag's website and tell me something about them, not mentioned here, in a comment below WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS.