Van's All Natural Winners!

Congratulations to: Leann and Beatriz! 

Be sure to check your email so you can claim your prize.

Thank you to everyone that entered!

Van's Giveaway

I am a HUGE fan of Van's Natural Foods! At any given moment you will find a dozen or more boxes of Van's products in my home. I was lucky enough to sample some of their new products and now I can share them with you!

My bag of goodies included Van's Gluten-Free Cereals in Cinnamon Heaven and Honey-Nut Crunch, Van's Crackers in Lots of Everything, Say Cheese and Multigran, and Van's Snack Bars in Chocolate Chip, Cranberry-Almond and Peanut Butter Chocolate.

Jillian immediately zoned in on the cereal. She cannot get enough of the Honey-Nut Crunch.

Van’s gluten free Honey Nut Crunch cereal is packed with 19g of nutrient-rich whole grains and 5g of fiber per serving. Plus, it tastes great!

I, personally, love the Cinnamon Heaven cereal. The cinnamon taste is subtle and not overpowering at all.

With 17g of nutrient-rich whole grains and 5g of fiber per serving, Van’s gluten free Cinnamon Heaven cereal is the perfect way to start your morning. 

The Van's Crackers are equally delicious and make a perfect midday snack. Please, don't ask me to pick a favorite flavor, it's near impossible. However, if you ask Scott, he'll say his favorite is the Say Cheese!

 

All three flavors have 16g of whole grains, are gluten free and totally delicious.

Finally, the Van's Snack Bars are great for on the go snacking.  The Cranberry-Almond and Peanut Butter Chocolate made the trip to my office and did not last long at all. 

 

All of the bars are gluten free and packed with whole grains and fiber. Aaron loved these bars too, his favorite was Chocolate Chip.

I never actually got to try the Chocolate Chip...someone ate them all.

Now that I've shared how much I love Van's newest products with you, I'm giving two lucky readers the chance to try these products for FREE! All you have to do is fill out the information below in Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winners will be announced on Wednesday, April 10. Good luck everyone!

Le Tour de France Giveaway!

The Tour de France is in full swing right now and to celebrate I'm hosting a fabulous giveaway with some pretty sweet Tour swag.  Before we get to the awesome prizes, here are some great tips for cycling with your family (talk about a great way to stay fit together!):

The Tour de France is the single most important competition in the entire sport of cycling with billions of viewers each year, and more than 10 million spectators lining the roadway. Cycle Force Group is an importer of bicycles, parts, and accessories serving all facets of the cycling industry and produces TDF bicycling gear. Cycle Force Group is excited to share with you bike tips to keep you and your family safe and healthy this summer.

Road Safety

 • Pump check: Before going for a ride, check your tires! Pump the tires with your pedals to make sure that it will be a safe ride.

 • Get a headlight: For those that are bicycling at night do not forget to add a headlight. It not only is required by the law but will keep you safe.

 • Wave: Always wave at the driver! It is easier for drivers to see arms indicating your direction instead of seeing a bicycle coming.

 • Arm Signs: Learn the different arm signs that will let drivers know the direction you are turning.

 • Road Rules: Stop at all stop signs and obey traffic lights.

 • Direction flow: Ride in the direction of traffic so people can predict the movement and direction of a bicyclist. In some states such as Flordia, bicyclists can get a citation for not riding in the same direction as traffic.

 • Keep Your Distance: Stay away from parked cars, for doors can open suddenly.

 • Crossing An Interaction: When you arrive at an intersection, walk your bicycle across the crosswalk.

 • Leader Of The Pack: If riding with a group of people, always ride behind one another to share the road with motorists.

 • Avoid Noise: Avoid wearing listening to music while biking. Many bicycle accidents could have been prevented if riders were not distracted.

 Choosing a Bicycle and Helmet For Your Child 


 • Maturity Level: The most important component of buying a bicycle is the child’s age and the environment they are going to be biking.

 • Be Bold: Make sure that the bicycle is visible to drivers and other cyclists.

 • Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): Each certified helmet will have a sticker that indicates that the helmet is a quality helmet.

 • Check Your Helmet: Because they lose their ability to absorb shock, routinely check your helmet each season.

 • Tight Fitting Helmet: Do not wear a hat underneath.

 • Love Your Helmet: Do not throw your helmet around. A damaged helmet may be unable to protect you in the event of an accident.

 • Spacing: There should be a space of 1-2 inches between your body and the top bar of a road bike, and 3 to 4 inches between your body and the top of a bike.

Caring For Your Bicycle 

 • Inflate Tires: The recommended pressure to inflate your tires is listed on the sidewall of the tire.

 • Regular Maintence: Oil the bike chain regularly and remove any dirt.

 • Adjust The height: Change the handlebars to appropriate height as children frequently have growth spurts.

 • Complete A Break Check: Look for frayed cables and worn-out brake pads.

 • Checking The Tread: Check your tread regularly. By letting the tread on your bicycle wear out you are setting yourself up for danger.

 Health Benefits Of Bicycling 

 • Activation Of Muscles: The muscular system is made stronger and is able to function more efficiently through cycling.

 • Balance: Cycling improves balance through the circulation of oxygen.

 • Calorie Burning: Bicycling not only is good for the environment, but it also burns calories.

 • Exercise Alternative: Bicycling is an alternative exercise for people who are unable to run.

 Hydration and Nutrition 
 • Hydration: For each hour riding drink 20-24 ounces of water. By taking the time to rejuvenate your body you are helping to prevent Charlie Horses and muscle cramps.

 • Weigh Yourself: If you have lost a significant amount of weight, such as a few pounds after a ride, it means that you are dehydrated.

 • Nutrition: Take time to plan your meals to ensure that you are getting your daily need of vitamins to prove ample energy for your ride.

 • Professional Advice: Seek advice from a nutritionist and your general practitioner to help with your training.

One lucky reader has a chance to win some fabulous Tour de France swag, including a Tour De France licensed bike seat, racing gloves, and water bottle.

Simply fill out the required in the Rafflecopter widget below and check back on August 1st to see if you've won!


a Rafflecopter giveaway  


About Cycle Force Group 

Cycle Force Group is an importer of bicycles, parts, and accessories serving all facets of the cycling industry including independent bicycle dealers, sporting goods retailers, e-commerce customers, premium and incentive companies and OEM customers worldwide. Cycle Force Group’s Premium and Incentive Division also offers custom designed products for promotional and incentive needs. Le Tour de France® is a Registered Trademark of, and used under license from Amaury Sport Organization. 

About Tour de France 

The Tour de France is an amazing event that has extraordinary deliverables as an annual global event. The Tour de France is the single most important competition in the entire sport of cycling with billions of viewers each year. With more than 10 million spectators lining the roadway the inherent brand media exposure for Le Tour de France far exceeds the media footprint of all other bicycle brands combined.

Check out The Tour de France on the web:

TourdeFranceCycles.com
Facebook.com/TourdeFranceCyc
Twitter.com/TourdeFranceCyc
Pinterest.com/TourdeFranceCyc
YouTube.com/TourdeFranceCyc

Swing sets and More

In my opinion one of the best investments you can make is a backyard swing set. I cannot get over how many options there are when you are looking for swing sets for kids. We have definitely gotten more than our moneys worth out of it, and it's great to have something right in the backyard for them to play on.

When we were looking at swing sets we took a lot into consideration, what it was made of, if it was affordable, how big it was, if it would grow with them. It took us months to nail down which set we wanted to get. If money was no object I truly believe we would have gotten something like this:
Isn't it amazing?! There's a great site called Swing sets and More that has pretty much every style of swing set you can imagine, all in one place. I wish I would have known about this when I was doing all of my research. Be sure to check it out!

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a promotional post for CSN Stores. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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."

Tiny Prints Review

I was lucky enough to review Tiny Prints Christmas Cards. When I got on their site I was immediately blown away by the huge selection that they offer. Everything is really clean, hip, and chic. This only made my decision of which cards to select harder.

I finally decided on this design, here's the front:


And here's the back:
The whole process of ordering the cards was extremely easy. After a few days I received an email asking me to approve the online proof. Now here's where my blondeness may come into play. I thought I checked approve and apparently I did not. Thankfully, the helpful team at Tiny Prints called me to let me know I never actually hit approve.

Tiny Prints offers a ton of different invitations, announcements and cards. You should really check them out. The paper quality, print quality and customer service is beyond phenomenal and totally worth it!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from Tiny Prints. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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."

Christmas Cards from Hallmark

I love this season and love getting holiday cards from everyone. I especially love photo cards, they are so easy and still look amazing.

This year I was lucky enough to try out some of Hallmark's photo cards. They are really reasonably priced and there are literally a ton of designs to choose from. Here's the one I picked:


My favorite part about this card? You get to add a message and another photo on the back:


I'm a huge Hallmark fan, and not because I worked for a Hallmark in high school, but because they are high quality products.

Hallmark.com offers photo cards for pretty much every occasion. I used them for our baby announcements when the kids were born. I was shocked that they offered an announcement for twins and it didn't cost an arm and a leg. Plus everything is shipped so quickly, it's amazing.

Be sure to check out all of the amazing things Hallmark.com has to offer and use the code BABY20 to get 20% off your personalized greeting order (promo code expires 12/31/10).

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from Hallmark. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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."

Review: Jason Aldean's My Kind of Party

It's no secret that my taste in music is unique, my iPod is hands down the craziest selection of music you will ever see. I have everything from Cole Potter to Nappy Roots to Tim McGraw and Poison. Seriously. My theory is, if it's good I'll listen to it, if it's not then I won't. I don't have a "type".

Anyway, the kind people at Red Music sent me a copy of Jason Aldean's new album My Kind of Party. I had no idea this was his 4th studio album, surely it was his 2nd, maybe 3rd? Where was I when the other two came out? I like Jason Aldean, I've been a fan since the first time I heard Hicktown, and don't get me started on Big Green Tractor, love it, so I was excited to hear his new album.

Comparing the CD to his other songs, you know it's him. He definitely has a distinct sound, the only thing that really surprised me on this album was his duet with Kelly Clarkson. When I saw it I thought it was kind of out of left field, but when I heard the song, wow. It really worked, and is one of my favorites on the album.

I really liked all the songs except for one, Texas Was You, and not because of the lyrics but because all I can hear is The Who's Teenage Wasteland on the guitar. That's really my only complaint about the CD. Like I said, all the other songs are great. I loved Tattoos on this Town, I ain't ready to quit, Don't You Wanna Stay (with Kelly Clarkson) and Church Pew or Bar Stool.

I have a feeling this CD will not come out of my car for a while, it's really that good. If you like Jason Aldean, be sure to check him out tonight (Nov. 15) on Jimmy Kimmel Live and watch for him on the American Music Awards. I really hope he wins, it's about time.

Thanks again to Red Music for providing me with a review copy! You can get your own copy from iTunes (go there to listen to the samples, you'll love them!), Amazon or wherever else you buy your CD's.