>U Mom Knows Best: March 2013

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Dial Kids Hair and Body Wash and a Giveaway #2

I love kids body wash as they are made for their skin. Dial has a new Kids Body and Hair Wash that is made for children 2-5 and 6+.  The body wash comes in fun scents like peach,watery melon, and berry. They offer mild cleansing without drying out your child's skin.
 My boys received the watery melon Dial Kids Body and Hair wash to try out. My son loved the way it smelled so good and said "mmm" when I washed his hair with the body wash. I love the colorful bottles the body wash comes in. My son gave Dial Kids Body and Hair wash two thumbs up.

For more information on this wonderful product visit Dial or see them on Facebook


The Dial Kids Sweepstakes Is LIVE!
In conjunction with the NEW Dial® Kids Body & Hair Wash Insider Kit, Dial is proud to introduce the Dial Kids Sweepstakes featuring NEW Dial® Kids Peachy Clean for ages 2+, and Dial® Kids Watery Melon for ages 6+.
One lucky winner will receive $1,000, while 250 second place winners get to try NEW NEW Dial® Kids Body & Hair Wash for FREE!
To enter go to Dial contest


Dial sent me some coupons to share with my readers,so you can buy New Dial Kids body and hair wash. I will be giving away 2 coupons to one lucky reader. Just enter on the Rafflecopter below and good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, March 25, 2013

How To Make Thin Mint Cookies


I discovered a recipe to make yummy Thin Mint cookies. Mine may not look the same but they taste wonderful. Here is the recipe and the website I found it at
http://www.cravelocal.com/all-favorites/how-to-make-delicious-thin-mint-cookies-from-home/



Thin Mint cookies

Original recipe makes 3 dozen
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
3 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup butter
 Directions:
In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter or margarine until creamy. Add the sugar, and beat until mixed well. Beat in egg and mint extract.
Sift flour, cocoa, and salt together into a small bowl. Add flour mixture by halves into creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface roll dough into two 1 1/2 inch diameter cylinders. Wrap each cylinder in waxed paper, and refrigerate 5 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thirty minutes prior to baking, place both cylinders in freezer.
Remove one cylinder at a time, and slice 1/4 inch thick pieces with very sharp knife. Place on cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
Melt 1/4 cup butter or margarine and the semisweet chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Drizzle over warm cookies. Place on wire racks, and let cool and harden completely.
Here are my pictures of how I made them
 I love using my food processor to cream the butter and sugar,one day I will buy a Kitchenaid mixer.
After mixing the dough,I rolled into logs. This is where I should have made them wider to have cookies that looked like circles.

I place the cookies on the pan that had Silpat sheets on them. I love these as there is no need for greasing the sheets and they are reusable.
 I used mint chocolate chips to give my cookies more mint flavor.



 It was easy to dip the baked cookies into the melted chocolate.
 Then I let the cookies set on the Silpat sheets.
 Here is my cookies. The picture below shows how they were suppose to look. Next time I will try to make them look like that.
Thin Mint Cookies Recipe

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Dial Kids Body And Hair Wash And a Giveaway


Dial now has a body and hair wash product made just for kids two years and up! This wonderful product is meant for children aged 2-5, it is perfect for kids that have outgrown traditional baby soaps,yet are not ready for adult strength body and hair wash. The peachy clean  is gentle on kids skin with a light scent. It provides cleansing with fun. I love that it is a 2-in-one formula that combines shampoo and body wash to clean up my little ones skin. Dial Kids was developed with pediatric dermatologists to give children clean healthy skin.

My little was was excited to try Dial Kids body and hair wash at bath time. He loved the peach scent and it did not sting his eyes,like adult shampoo. I loved that I could use the same product on his hair and body. My little one gave it two thumbs up!




The Dial Kids Sweepstakes Is LIVE!
In conjunction with the NEW Dial® Kids Body & Hair Wash Insider Kit, Dial is proud to introduce the Dial Kids Sweepstakes featuring NEW Dial® Kids Peachy Clean for ages 2+, and Dial® Kids Watery Melon for ages 6+.
One lucky winner will receive $1,000, while 250 second place winners get to try NEW NEW Dial® Kids Body & Hair Wash for FREE!
To enter go to Dial contest

Dial sent me some coupons to share with my readers,so you can buy New Dial Kids body and hair wash. I will be giving away 2 coupons to one lucky reader. Just enter on the Rafflecopter below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"These opinion are my own and I was sent a sample of Dial Kids to review on my blog."

Nuby's Belly Butter



Nuby makes a wonderful cream for moms to be and also moms who have kids.  The product is called Belly Butter as you use it on your belly when you are pregnant to help keep away stretch marks. The Nuby Belly Butter is a great way to pamper yourself when you are pregnant. It also is great for after having the baby to smooth and tone your skin. I love the way it smells so great like Cocoa Butter and it is very thick and creamy. I also use it on my hands to make them smooth and soft.

 Nuby's Belly Butter is a highly concentrated formula with Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E, Collagen, and Elastin. It is widely recommended for stretch marks during and after pregnancy. It penetrates as deep as the dryness and restores vital moisture. It can smooth marks and tone skin. This cream is thick and absorbs well.


For more information on this wonderful cream visit www.Nuby.com
Nuby Belly Butter is available at Babies R Us and www.BuyBabyDirect.com

Check out Nuby on these links:

"These opinions are my own and I was sent the Nuby Belly Butter to review as part of being a Nuby Mommy Blogger."

Exploring Microgravity With Janet's Planet and A giveaway



My boys love to watch TV and as a parent I want them to learn while watching TV.  So I jumped at the opportunity to review a DVD about microgravity. This DVD is from the website http://www.janetsplanet.com 
This website is a great place to learn about space. The DVD is a 37 minute exploration of gravity and microgravity. Not only is it fun to watch,it's highly educational and geared towards elementary school age kids. My yongest boys are 4 and 6 years and they also enjoyed watching the movie. Their favorite part was when the crew was in the zero gravity plane. 

The DVD focuses on science,technology,engineering,art, and math. Your kids will get to meat Galileo, Newton and Cavendish and find out how the universe works! 
Teachers will be happy to know Exploring Microgravity is supported with integrated curriculum and are provided with a lesson plan designed to intergrate with common core standards, base on a curriculum endorsed by NASA and Space Florida. 
For more information visit:

I have a copy of the DVD Exploring Microgravity to giveaway to one of my readers. Just enter on the Rafflecopter below and good luck!

.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

"These opinions are my own and I received a copy of the DVD Exploring Microgravity With Janet's Planet to do this blog post."

Corn Dog Muffins



I found a wonderful recipe the other day, while surfing the web, for Corn dog muffins. This is not only a great way to do something different with hot dogs but is a healthy alternative for corn dogs. I found this recipe on another blog(www.blissfulanddomestic.com.) which is a great blog for frugal living. I made mine with a cornbread mix, as I had one in the freezer,and chicken hot dogs. I found the chicken dogs deep in my freezer,as I normally don't buy those.


I first made the cornbread batter according to the package. Then I place cupcake liners into my cupcake pans. My picture shows that I placed the cut up hot dogs first into the cupcake liners, but I later learned,it is best to put a spoonful of batter in the liner first. After placing the hot dog into the batter put more batter over the hot dog. Bake according to the cornbread recipe or golden brown.





These made a wonderful easy dinner for my family and my kids loved them.  Yes,those are Christmas cupcake papers. I got them for .10 cents after Christmas. That is one way I am frugal. For more ways to be frugal check out the blog where I found the recipe--http://www.blissfulanddomestic.com



Saturday, March 16, 2013

Nuby's Firming Butter

I love being a Nuby Mommy blogger as they make wonderful baby and children products. They also make products for moms too. The process of becoming a mom takes a toll on your body through being pregnant. Nuby has a wonderful product-Nuby Firming Butter,that helps restore our bodies to its original firmness,after  pregnancy or weight loss. The product is made from Shea butter,collagen,elastin, and vitamin E to help firm and tone skin while improving skin elasticity and texture. Nuby Firming butter also smells wonderful with a brazil nut formula. It also is clinically proven to help increase skin's firmness in 6 weeks.

 While I am not a new mom, I still pampered myself daily with this wonderful butter. It is a nice thick cream that smells wonderful. My 6 year old says it smells like caramel corn. My skin feels so soft after I put on this Nuby firming butter. So treat your self to this wonderful product. You can purchase this wonderful product at
·          www.BuyBabyDirect.com

 For more information on this wonderful cream and other Nuby products go to
                                       www.Nuby.com
                                       www.twitter.com/nubyusa
                                       www.facebook.com/nubyusa
                                        www.pinterest.com/nubyusa
                                        www.instagram.com/nubyusa

                                       "These opinions are my own and I was sent the product mentioned above as part of being a Nuby Mommy blogger."
                                     
                                        

New Purex Natural Elements Tropical Splash Detergent and A Giveaway



I love scent in my detergent as makes doing laundry more enjoyable. Purex  brand has launched an exciting new fragrance as part of their Natural Elements line. Their new Purex Natural Elements Tropical Splash combines exotic fruits like pineapple and coconut with flowers to take your nose on a tropical vacation. This new detergent delivers the same great cleaning power you expect from Purex with naturally sourced ingredients and provides a great scented formula that is gentle on sensitive skin. I love that the biodegradable formula promotes green cleaning practices. Purex Natural Elements Tropical Splash detergent is made for high efficiency or traditional machines and costs half the price of the leading brand.


 I choose to wash my sons blanket in Purex Natural Elements Tropical Splash, as it would make sleeping enjoyable for him. Right away,when I opened the bottle,I was inhaling a wonderful tropical scent. After the blanket came out of the wash,it smell wonderful. I hung the blanket up to dry and all day my house smelled like the tropics. Purex helps to add a tropical splash to your laundry room. For more information on this wonderful detergent go to Purex

Purex sent me three coupons for free Purex Natural Elements Tropical Splash detergent to give away to one of my readers. Just enter on the Rafflecopter and good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

"These opinions are my own and I was sent the product from Purex to do my blog post."

New Soft Scrub Advance Surface and A Giveaway



I love Soft Scrub cleansers and when they made one that is safe on granite,I got excited. My kitchen has granite countertops and I want to clean them with a cleaner that is safe for granite. Soft Scrub sent me their new Soft Scrub Advance Surface cleaner to try and I put it to the test right away. I love that Soft Scrub Advance Surface is a rinse-free gel that cleans and polishes granite and marble countertops, glass cooktops, and stainless steel. This cleanser is tough on stains yet gentle on surfaces.
 I applied the Soft Scrub Advance Surface to my countertop and wiped the dirt away with a damp sponge. It was so easy and did not have to rinse. My granite countertop looked great and had a nice shine to it. Now you can get the cleaning performance you've come to love from Soft Scrub in an easy to use gel.  For more information on this wonderful cleaner visit Soft Scrub
 Soft Scrub also sent me 2 coupons for free Soft Scrub Advance Surface to share with my readers. Just enter on the Rafflecopter form below and good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

"These opinions are my own and I was sent the product from Soft Scrub to do my blog post."

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Purex plus Fabric Softener with Crystals Fragrance And A Giveaway

I have discovered a simpler way to do laundry. I do a lot of laundry at my house and with 3 boys and a husband  I have dirty clothes. I love using fabric softener in my wash,but I always forget to add it to the wash. Now with  Purex plus Fabric Softener with Crystals  Fragrance detergent I don't have to remember. Purex Crystals detergent has fabric softener, with the wonderful scent of Crystals fragrance, all ready added to it. Purex Crystals detergent also has Dirt Lift Action which works deep into your clothes to get out dirt. I can rest assured that my clothes will stay bright,white,and clean.

 New Enchanting Fragrance,Same Great Value
  Purex plus Fabric Softener with Crystals Fragrance leaves your clothes smelling fresh for half the price of the leading brand. In fact,an average family could save over $ 45 a year by using Purex with Crystals fragrance detergent.  You also will not have to buy any fabric softener and that will save you space in your laundry room. No more forgetting to add the fabric softener.
New  Purex plus Fabric Softener with Crystals  Fragrance is availableat your local Walmart,Target, Kroger and other Purex retailers.
For more information on this great detergent go to www.Purex.com or check them out on Facebook

Purex is also hosting a sweepstakes in conjunction with he launch of Purex plus Fabric Softener with Crystals  Fragrance. One grand prize winner will receive $ 1,000 and a year of free Purex detergent while 500 second place winners will receive a coupon for free Purex detergent.
     Go to contest to enter and good luck

I am also hosting a giveaway for my readers,where one lucky reader will win 2 coupons for free  Purex plus Fabric Softener with Crystals  Fragrance detergent. Just enter on the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"These opinions are my own and I was sent a sample of  Purex plus Fabric Softener with Crystals  Fragrance detergent from Purex so I could write my blog post."

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Juicy Juice Deal at Target



Juicy Juice is on sale at Target,buy 2 get one free. Print 2- $ 1.00 off coupons here coupons and get 3 Juicy Juice for a 1.00 each. This is a great time to get juice boxes. I will be buying some for for when it is my son's turn to bring snack to school.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

How To Get Rid Of Ants

I hate ants in my house and will take extreme measures to keep them out. Every spring, while I do my spring cleaning, I also do things to prevent the ants from coming into my house. My husband says our house is built on an ant hill and I believe he is right. My methods are a lot of work but it keeps the ants at bay. I hate waking up and hearing the kids say "mom there is ants in the kitchen!" Cleaning up ants can ruin my whole day.

Here is what I do to keep ants away.  I spray  all the bottoms of the base boards with Ortho home defense spray. I also spray the walls inside closets and my pantry with the Ortho spray. I have had ants in the past in my bathroom cabinets so I spray inside those too along the edges. Once I found ants in my dresser,so I spray behind the dressers and around the edges too.  For areas where there is food like cabinets in the kitchen, I use baby powder. This is the only natural item I have found that works. Last year I tried cinnamon and pepper but the ants still came out. In my kitchen cabinets I will put baby powder around the back and side edges and they lay a cut to fit placemat over that so the powder wont get on things.  After every space in the house is sprayed and powdered, I will then spray the outside around my house.  I usually respray out side once a month during the summer as it rains.  By doing all this,I have only about 1-2 ant episodes compared to more than I can count when I did not do this prep work.


My method also saves money compared to hiring someone to spray your house. The Ortho spray costs about 10.00 and the baby powder about 3.00.

So how do you deal with ants? Share your tips to help me and others to get rid of ants.

Monday, March 11, 2013

My Cheater Cookies



I wanted to make some cookies that are like Girl Scout Thin Mints but Walgreens did not carry cocoa powder and I did not want to drive to another store as I was walking today. I will make the Girl Scout ones next week after I go to the grocery store and post it on my blog. Since the oven was already heated up for bread,I decided to make what I call "cheater cookies." Cheater cookies are those cookies you buy at the store and just bake them. I found a pack of sugar cookies and some chocolate kisses in my deep freezer. I then decided to make cookies with both items. I placed the frozen cookies on a sheet and baked them. About 2 minutes before they were done,I put a kiss on every cookies and baked 2 more minutes.


Here is what the cookies looked like after they baked. My family loved them.


Saturday, March 9, 2013

How To Get a Kindle Fire HD For Free



I am all about great deals and getting stuff for free,so when I saw an ad in the paper last Sunday to get a free Kindle Fire HD I got excited. This deal came with some work and that is fine by me as the Kindle they are giving away is worth $ 200.00 . Compass bank is giving away a free Kindle Fire HD when you open a checking account,make 3 online bill payments, and set up a direct deposit. This deal is only good through March 31st 2013 so you better hurry. For more details go here http://www.bbvacompass.com/special/201301/kindle/
I can't wait until I receive my new Kindle!


I Love How God Works

I love it when you can see God working in your life. Today Michael and went to a bank to set up a new account to take advantage of a great deal,I will have a post about that later. The customer service rep asked Michael for his drivers license so she could create his profile on the account. She looked at it and said "do you have a valid drivers license?" We were shocked when she said his license was 3 months expired. She told us we could not open the account without Michael renewing it. I was bummed as the process of getting the great deal delayed but thankful we were told about that problem. The state does not notify you when your license is about to expire.On the car ride home we realized if we had not gone to the bank that day, Michael's would have not been able to go to Haiti in June for a mission trip with our church. He would have never thought to check his license and when he got to the airport in June he would have not been able to board the plane. We were both wowed that God used a bank promo to get Michael to realized his licensed was expired. Thank you Lord! Michael will be going to the Mvd  on Monday!

My Facebook Fan Page


I have a Facebook fan page! My blog has been doing so well that I made a Facebook fan page. I love that my fans are growing and every day I get excited to see new followers on my Google Friend Connect. More followers means more opportunities for me to do wonderful giveaways for my fans. So I want to say thank you to all my readers and my blog friends who helped me over the last year get to this point. I am having fun with this job. So go visit my fan page on Facebook and say hello. I would greatly appreciate if you would like my page also.  Click here to get to my fan page

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Noizy Bandzs


banner

Check out this new Noizy Bandz! NoizyBandz is the World's First Bandz That Play Music!

Noizy Bandz Children's wristbands are musical, educational and a whole lot of fun! Watch your children light up as they hear the music and fun sounds coming from their wristbands that they control. First of its kind, expect more from your silicone bandz check out Noizy Bandz and hear the music at www.noizybandz.com Great for all ages and all occasions. Have a Birthday party give a musical Happy Birthday band instead of a card kids just go crazy for them. Check them out at www.noizybandz.com

I have a coupon to share with my readers so you can get your own Noizy Bandz
http://www.usfamilycoupons.com/coupon.php?bid= 11095&dealid=1165&regionid=75


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Nuby Sound Bite Spoon






I love this Nuby Sound Bite spoon and so does my son. These spoons are not only cute and fun but perfect for delicate baby gums. Although my son is not a baby any more, this spoon still makes mealtime fun for him.  The handle is easy for him to hold and he loves the airplane sounds that the spoon makes. The Nuby Sound Bite spoon is great for feeding babies as it has a soft tip and the cute airplane sound will motivate them to open their mouth. The spoon also comes in train and car designs will cute sounds. As a parent,you no longer have  to make train,car or plane sounds to get your baby to eat.  Older children will have fun with the spoon at mealtimes. My son loves to make the plane fly food into his mouth.

To purchase this cute spoon go to www.bestbabygear.com
For more information on this cute Nuby Sound Bite spoon and other great Nuby products go to these links:


"These opinions are my own and I was sent the product to review as part of being a Nuby Mommy blogger."




Tuesday, March 5, 2013

How To Be Frugal

Most of my friends know me as a person who is frugal and can find great shopping deals. I decided to share some of my frugal tips.
           1. Groceries
                        This is the easiest place to save money for me. I buy most everything when it's on sale. To know which items are on sale look at the grocery ads that come in the mail,most of the sale items are on the first page. My kids and husband know they get to eat for that week the fruit that is the best buy. Last week Sprouts had oranges on sale for .10 a pound. They may want grapes but they wont get those until they are 1.50 a pound or less. When I am buying lunch meat for my husband I choose the brand that is cheapest per pound.  I dont buy soda or other drinks as water is better for you.
     2. Clothes and shoes
        I have wonderful friends who give my kids hand me down clothes. My boys enjoy looking through a bag of hand me downs and to them they are just like brand new. I only buy one pair of shoes per season for my younger boys as their feet grow so quickly. For the older boys,they get their shoes from Big 5 as they are just last year models at a better price. Of course always search online for a Big 5 coupon to save more money. My husband and I buy our clothes from Goodwill if we are able to. I will buy my husbands work pants at Target or Walmart.
   3. Cleaners
    Most cleaners are full of chemicals so I make my own from vinegar and baking soda. Search online for homemade cleaners. My favorite one is unclogging a drain with baking soda and vinegar.
         

Ingredients Needed to Unclog a Drain

1. Box of baking soda
2. Vinegar
3. A facecloth or a rag, big enough to put into the opening of the drain hole to clog it up.
4. A kettle full of boiling hot water
That’s all you need. Told you it was simple to unclog a drain without the bad stuff! Now comes the fun part.

Steps to Unclog a Drain

Step 1 – Pour about 1/2 of the box of baking soda down the drain. This is done dry, so do not wet or combine the baking soda with anything. Just dump it right down the drain.
Step 2 – Gather up your facecloth or rags, and have them ready at your side.
Step 3 – Following the baking soda, pour 1/2 cup of vinegar down the drain. Immediately after you pour it in, be sure to plug the drain with the cloth or rag, filling the hole completely so nothing can escape. This is because the interaction of the two ingredients, vinegar and baking soda, will cause a “mini volcano” that will want to come up and out of the drain – but you want to keep it down there.
Step 4 – Leave this concoction in the drain for about 30 minutes. While you are waiting, boil a tea kettle full of water.
Step 5 – After 30 minutes, remove the cloth or rag and slowly pour the boiling water down the drain.
All done! Your drain should flow smoothly now. If not, just do it again. 
4.  Phone service and Cable
    My husband and I just have basic cell phone service as all the rest is costly and we have no need for it. We only have basic cable as the internet is cheaper with that. We find enough programs to watch on regular tv. 
5. Gym memberships
    I see no need for that and just go for a walk or run outside everyday. 
6.  Coffee
Starbucks does not get my money. I can make coffee at home cheaper and it saves me time. I don't understand people who wait in those long lines in the morning for a expensive cup of coffee.  When I mystery shopped Starbucks long ago,I used to wait over 5-10 minutes for coffee. I timed making coffee at home at it took 3 minutes.
7. Craigslist
i love selling items on Craigslist and I made 100.00 selling old furniture we no longer needed. It is also a great place to buy things
I have many more ways of being frugal and if saving money appeals to use just google on the internet for more ways.


I


Yummy Lemon Bars

lemonbars
I love the web as it inspires me to cook. The other day I came across this blog promoting their lemon bar recipe. Here picture looked wonderful so I had to try making them. This blogger was promoting a Kitchenaid stand mixer,something I am hopping to win one day, so I had to check out her recipe.
http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2013/03/01/whole-lemon-bars/#comment-12273
 I followed her recipe using a food processor and had great results. My lemon bars may not look like hers but they taste great. My family loved them and they were easy to make.

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Mom knows best