>U Mom Knows Best: July 2013

Monday, July 29, 2013

Alone Yet Not Alone Book Review And Giveaway


I love when I get to promote books that are great for kids. The book Alone Yet Not Alone is an historic book that is recommended for children ages 8 and up and is a read they will love. It combines adventure with great values - kids won't even realize they are learning about history.

Settled in the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania, deep within America's new frontier, the Leininger family celebrates the blessings of a beautiful homestead and bountiful harvest. That is, until tragedy strikes with the beginning of the French and Indian War and the devastating raid known as the Penn's Creek Massacre.

The lives of this simple, God-fearing family are forever altered when Barbara and Regina, two young sisters, are carried away by the Delaware tribe. Driven by their faith in God and the powerful bonds of family, Barbara and Regina hold firmly to the belief that they are never alone, evn in their darkest hour, and that they will be reunited again.

 Rich in historical details, Alone Yet Not Alone is an inspirational, true story of a family caught in the cross fire of the French and Indian War.

My 13 year old son is a history and war buff and will love reading this book. I love that the book also included eight color pages of scenes from the up coming movie Alone Yet Not Alone to be released in theaters September 27th, 2013 - find a theater here: http://seatzy.com/main/moviedetail/alone-yet-not-alone






About The Author: 
Tracy Leininger Craven loves history and retelling real-life stories in her historical fiction books. She also loves spending her free time in the great outdoors with her husband David and their four children.


Alone Yet Not Alone (the book)
Written by: Tracy Leininger Craven
Publisher: Zonderkidz 
Paperback: 148 pages 

Stay Connected
Bring Alone Yet Not Alone to Your Cityhttp://seatzy.com/main/moviedetail/alone-yet-not-alone
                Watch The Movie Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n0TORpISk8


Flyby Promotions has reserved a copy of this wonderful book for one of my readers. Just enter on the Rafflecopter form below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Fels-Naptha Laundy Bar & Stain Remover And A Giveaway


I never knew that this handy bar called Fels-Naptha is great in the laundry room to take care of stains on clothes.
I remember seeing Purex Fels-Naptha many years ago when I was young. When I was a camp fire girl we had to bring a bar along to camp in case we came into contact with poison ivy. No one in my troop ever came into contact with poison ivy, so I never saw the Fels-Naptha being used. I did research on poison ivy and Fels-Naptha and this wonderful soap gets the poison ivy oils off your skin to prevent itching. This wonderful bar pretreats dozens of stains and is safe on colors. It also is great for grease and ring-around-the collar. It is easy to use and more effective than spray.Purex Fels-Naptha laundry bar and stain remover has been around since 1894.
 Purex sent me a bar of Fels-Naptha to try so to my laundry room we went. I found a shirt that my son had a stain on and put the stain removing bar to the test. The stain is in the middle of this frame which is the shirt.

I opened up the package of Fels-Naptha and applied it to the wet shirt. Yes, it's that simple. The bar can then be stored on the laundry shelf.


Then into the machine the shirt went to be washed. My son is happy to have a clean shirt and I am happy I have Fels-Naptha for the next stain.

For more information on this laundry bar go to Purex. You can also visit Purex on Facebook and Twitter


Purex is having a wonderful contest where one person will win $ 500 and 119 will win a free Purex 
Fels-Naptha laundry bar. That is 120 winners for every year Fels-Naptha has been removing tough stains. The contest runs through August 28th so get your entry in here. Good luck and go enter http://insiders.purex.com/120Years120Winners?id=491

Now for the fun part! Purex has sent me Two coupons for free Purex Fels-Naptha to giveaway to one of 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 above mentioned product to compose my blog post."

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Making Farro With Bob's Red Mill





 I like trying new healthy food and I discovered a new whole grain called Farro. Bob's Red Mill sent me a package to try. This mother wheat comes from ancient Rome. Farro was the main source of nourishment back then and is still grown by Tuscan farmers.
Farro is similar to taste and looks to barley. It is also high in protein and fiber.



Cooking Farro is also easy but takes about 30-40 minutes. I used my cooked Farro as a base for my beans, salsa, cheese, and avocado.



Farro

1 cup Bob's Red Mill  Farro
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Bring the Farro, water, and salt to boil in a saucepan. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30 - 40 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.

You can use the wonderful Farro in dishes you would use rice or barley in. It is also great for a hot cereal with cheese or sugar on it. I like mine with beans, salsa, cheese, and avocado. Yum!
For more information on this wonderful grain or other Bob's Red Mill products go to bobsredmill.com

"These opinions are my own and I was sent a package of Bob's Red Mill Farro to sample."

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Easy Hummus Made With Peanut Butter


Making hummus is so easy to make and so much cheaper than store-bought. My recipe is also lower in fat as it uses only a tablespoon of oil. You only need a few ingredients.


Hummus
2 cups chickpeas
1 cup peanuts
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup water


Then you combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Yes, it's that simple. You can add other spices like red pepper to make a different taste. 




Got Zucchini?


My neighbor had a abundance of zucchini from her garden and gave me some. I love when people share veggies from their garden as I don't have a green thumb. I decided to make some baked parmesan zucchini circles.


These are great for an appetizer or as a vegetable with dinner. They are so simple to make.


Slice the zucchini into circles and then brush with oil on both sides. Dip the oiled zucchini circles into a mixture of  1/2 cup grated  parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make sure to press the mixture onto the zucchini. Then place the zucchini circles on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 450 degrees.





Enjoy,they are so yummy!




Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The Great UGLee Ergonomic Pen



I received this cool pen, or should I say UGLee, to try out.  The UGLee Pen was designed, created, and used by a real physician. This ergonomic pen is good for people who experience challenges such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, arthritis, or who simply want a comfortable pen to write with. The UGLee pen is great for young children who are just learning to write as the overall shape, as well as the detailed contours, are perfectly engineered to follow the anatomy of the hand.  This comfortable pen is great for everyday writing or when you have to write long letters.


I found the UGLee pen to be comfortable in my hand and writing with it was so comfy. My 6 year old also said the pen feels squishy. I take that comment as a good thing. My 13 year old already grabbed a pen to take to school as he though they were cool looking. So order your UGLee pens now to get them in time for kids going back to school. 

The UGLee pen comes in red like mine or many other cool colors. They come standard with black ink but refills come in red, blue, and black ink. To see more color choices and to order the pen go here.

Here is the creator of the UGLee Pen story


Dr. Lee's Story

As a medical student, I wrote volumes in terms of notes. In medicine, medical notes are all hand written. I averaged 20 full pages of hand written notes a day... day in and day out for years.
You can imagine how my hand kept cramping up! I spent a lot of time and money looking for a comfortable pen. After trying what I believe to be every pen out there, I failed painfully to find even one!
I was frustrated because most pens were not designed for comfort at all. The few that were listed as "comfort pen" were obviously mislabeled.
I was determined to create my own pen - one that would meet my expectations of comfort. Since then, I have spent over eight years to create the first truly comfortable pen. The pursuit of pen comfort became a hobby... no, an obsession during this eight year period. I dedicated an inordinate amount of my own time and resources in this endeavor.
Luckily, I am blessed with an extremely patient and understanding wife - our garage is full of various machinery, pen prototypes, and pen materials collected over the years!
My drive to create the ultimate comfort pen led me to go as far as to study the structure of the human hand using X-ray and researching the attachment and function of hand muscles to design the perfect grip.
The result is the UGLee Pen. A pen that is not only the most comfortable pen, but is physician designed to be the most comfortable ergonomic pen around.






I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

A Day At The Park


Summer is here and the kids are out of school. My kids and I love going to the park. We go every day during the week to play and eat lunch. In Albuquerque, many parks serve a free lunch in the summer to kids ages 1- 18. This is a great program for kids to get a lunch and some exercise. The program was created for kids, who are on the free lunch program at school, to get a healthy lunch when not in school. The wonderful thing is all kids are welcomed and income does not matter.

 Here is one of my sons waiting for his lunch. My other youngest son is pictured above. The 13 year old is camera shy.

This summer lunch program is a great way for children to get out to play with friends while eating a healthy lunch. Todays lunch was chicken nuggets, an orange, chocolate milk, and raisins. 


My boys also had fun with other kids. They built a tower with the raisin boxes.


For more information on Albuquerque's summer lunch program go to summer lunch





Purex Fabric Softener Sheets And A Giveaway



My favorite detergent company has introduced a new product to its line. Purex now sells fabric softener sheets and the scents are wonderful, just like their detergents. So take a deep breath and experience the freshness of Sweet Lavender and Mountain Breeze. I was sent the Sweet Lavender to try out in my laundry. New Purex fabric softener dryer sheets do more than just leave your clothes soft and smelling fresh, they also reduce static cling and repel pet hair and lint.

These wonderful dryer sheets arrived on laundry day and I was excited to use them right away. The smell of the sheet out of the box reminded me of a lavender field. 

I placed a fabric softener sheet in my dryer with my clothes and while they dried, my house smelled wonderful.

Purex fabric softener sheets have many more uses beyond the laundry room. Place them in hampers, linen closets, drawers, and even shoes to keep your whole house smelling fresh.
For more information on Purex fabric softener sheets and other great Purex products go to www.purex.com
Laundry day at my house is now a whole lot better!




Now for the fun part! I have two coupons for free Purex fabric softener sheets to giveaway so you can experience the great freshness and softness in your clothes. Just enter on the Rafflecopter form below and good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"These opinions are my own and I received the above product to write this review."

Monday, July 8, 2013

Fruit Crisp With A Cookie Mix Topping


I had a lot of fruit that was ripe and did not want to see it go to waste. I decided to make a fruit crisp and as I was making it, I thought because I also had a lot of cookie mixes, I decided to make the topping with the cookie mix.


I got this cool baking dish last Christmas on clearance and love the way it looks.


The first step was to peel and chop the fruit in large pieces.  Then add the pineapple juice, sugar, flour, and cinnamon to the fruit pieces and stir to combine.


Then pour the fruit mixture into the baking dish.


Then place the cookie mix ( make sure to add the cinnamon topping included in the package) and butter into a food processor and process until it crumbles. I used a snickerdoodle mix but a sugar cookie one would taste great also.

Spread the cookie mixture over the fruit and bake at 350 for 50- 60 minutes. 



What is your favorite fruit to make a fruit crisp from?


Ingredients

9 ripe pears
3 green apples
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon

                                                             For the topping

                                                              one package snickerdoodle or sugar cookie mix
                                                                1/2 cup soft butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel, core, and cut the pears and apples into large chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and  juice, sugar, flour, and cinnamon.. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch oval baking dish.

For the topping:

Combine the cookie mix, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.

Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm.



Friday, July 5, 2013

How To Make A Poke Cake


I love making Poke cake as it is so simple to make and tastes wonderful. I wanted my Poke cake to be festive for the 4th of July so I chose those colors in my ingredients. My 13 year old son also helped me decorate the cake.
 The first step is to make a boxed white cake according to the directions on the box. Make the cake in a 13" x 9" pan. After cooling the cake for 15 minutes,you take a fork and poke holes in the cake(that's where the name comes from.


Then you make a package of Jello with 1 cup hot water and 1/2 cup cold water in any flavor. I chose blue. You then pour the Jello over the cake and refrigerate for 3 hours.


Then you frost it with Cool Whip and decorate with strawberries and blue berries to make it look like a flag. I did not have any blue berries so my son just used sliced strawberries. The cake also tastes great without the fruit. My son had fun decorating the cake and it tasted great.




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