[Sponsored Post] Private Selection Taste of Summer Campaign

Private Selection Brand foods are available at Kroger Family Stores.

BZZAGENT Alert :-)

I recently joined the Private Selection Taste of Summer Campaign on Bzzagent.  Bzzagent if you didn't know is a website that you sign up for and then receive products which you then review to your friends and family and acquaintances.  They usually send you a product, a coupon for a free product, and coupons for dollars off to share with friends.

I received a bag of Private Selection Sea Salt and Black Pepper Kettle Chips.  They were pretty tasty.  my son described them as tasting like french fries.  It took me several tries to get my daughter to taste them as the 'black pepper' in the title made her take an instant dislike.

I thought they were very good.  They are not too salty and the black pepper added a nice flavor punch without any added spiciness.

I also received coupons for a free pint of Private Selection ice cream, a free pound of Angus ground beef, and a six inch Apple or Cherry pie.  I used the beef in spaghetti last night.  It cooked up very nicely with too much grease to drain off.  It also cooked up with a very fine crumb and that went very nicely with my spaghetti sauce.  The apple pie was small but was enough for each of us to have a decent sized SMALL portion.  I added some ice cream to mine to round it out.

This time around I have been pretty impressed with the quality of the offerings.  last time I was involved with a promotion from Private Selection I wasn't impressed.  I am glad that they are paying attention.


[I received free items either in the mail or in coupons to be used and then provide my honest review]

[Sponsored Post] Kroger Private Selection store brand foods

I received coupons from Bzzagent to try a new brand of food at Kroger. Not just any brand either but a store brand called Private Selection.

I think I had tried one or two things from this brand before, but with the coupons that Private Selection sent me through Bzzagent, I was able to make a thorough dent in the product line.

I will definitely continue buying things from this frozen line of store brand foods. They are less expensive and the same or maybe better quality than some of the name brand things that i have tried.

Thanks Bzzagent for allowing me to try out this brand from Kroger.

[Sponsored Post] Kroger Truly Awesome Homestyle Chocolate Chip cookie

I bought these at Kroger and found that they are a pretty tasty treat. When you don't have time to bake something, I think this is a great exchange. They were not too crunchy, and just the right amount of chewy. I loved the amount of chocolate chips too. I am glad that buzz agent got me interested in trying the cookies.

Minor Plans for Homeschooling

I have been spending a lot of time this summer with my unschooling friends. This has had the effect of helping me feel satisfied about my children instead of hopeless for the coming year.

I still have a plan though ;-)

I am planing on using a little bit of a lot of different things this year. Here is a list of them.

Life of Fred Elementary Series

Life of Fred is just awesome. I don't know any other way I could describe it. It is a story book set with a few questions at the end of each chapter to help the child work through and remember the lesson.

SOS Math for practice on the computer.

Cantering the Country (Unit study using the United States)

It Happened in America - True Stories from the 50 States

Travel the Great States - an Activity book

You can probably tell from the above that I plan on focusing on US history and Geography this year.

English will consist of working in the book Voyages in English #2 and #5.

We will try to get more Museum time in as well as parks and meeting up with friends.

In September we will be at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine during Home School week. If you see me come and talk to me :-)

Wands

Someone private messaged me about the wands in the picture in the post I wrote highlighting our trip to Nebraska. I found that craft online.

Harry Potter Wand Tutorial

Next time I do this craft I will try silicone instead, and then finish off the tips and designs with the hot glue.

I filled the wands myself, but if you try it out I think that teenagers could do this pretty easily if they are the type to not hurt themselves randomly.

I think this is a really cool craft and I am glad that we had a chance to try it out.

Painting the Wands

Hot gluing the designs on a wand

Traveling With My Kids

We just got back from the annual AP Jamboree last week. It was a week full of fun conversations, spending time with friends and loads of tea and toast.

Highlights of the week we were gone:

The Unschool Bus!

No picture because I haven't liberated one from Tiffany yet, but here is a link to their blog.

Unschooling Liberty

.

STORMS! We are in TX and going through a nasty drought so these while noisy, were welcome.

Bugs! They have cool bugs in Nebraska :-)

Going Barefoot!

Injuries. Only this one if I remember correctly.

Sleeping on couches.

WANDS!

Pork Chops Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach

Had this at our monthly recipe swap and it is WONDERFUL!!! Lori
bruught it to the swap, I don't know where she got it...

Pork Chops Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach

Ingredients

   * 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
   * 2 cloves garlic, minced
   * 6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
   * 1 (10-ounce) bag of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
   * 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
   * 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
   * 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
   * 1/4 cup (2 ounces) Feta cheese
   * 1/3 cup cream cheese
   * 4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork chops [or 8 THIN-cut]
   * 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
   * 1/2 lemon, zested
   * 2 tablespoons lemon juice
   * 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions

Warm the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium
heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the
sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until
combined, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
Add the goat cheese and the cream cheese. Stir to combine and set
aside.

Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the thickest portion of the
pork chop. Stuff each pocket with 1/4 of the spinach and sun-dried
tomato mixture and close the pork around the stuffing. Season the
outside of the pork with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mustard.

Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet
over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the pork. Cook until
golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the pork
to a side dish and tent with foil to keep warm. Add the chicken broth
mixture to the skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape up the brown bits
from the bottom of the pan as the chicken broth simmers. Reduce the
broth by half to make a light sauce, about 8 minutes. Spoon some sauce
over the pork before serving.

(NOT) Homemade Sour Cream Enchiladas

3/4 C. Sour Cream [about 1/3 of a 1lb container]
1 10.5 oz can Cream of Chicken
small can chopped green chilies
Shredded Cheddar [ I used a cheddar Monterrey Jack combo]
frozen chicken Taqitoes [I used El Monterrey brand]

Mix the soup and sour cream. Add green chilies to your heat preference.

Put the Taquitoes into a glass oven proof dish in one layer. Spread the sour cream sauce on top and then top generously with shredded cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

HAWAIIAN FALLS GIVEAWAY

This is a announcement from http://www.northtexaskids.com

Giveaway: I Wanna' Make A Splash!

It's summertime in Texas, which means I'm one HOT mama (literally!) and I could use a great way to cool off … without breaking the bank. My fingers are crossed (oh, the toes, too) that I can snag the North Texas Kids Splashfest fun pack for the whole family.

This awesome giveaway includes four passes to Splashfest, a water-filled family expo at Hawaiian Falls in The Colony, and a rockin' cabana! Best part(s), well in addition to the total greatness that is free stuff? Radio Disney, 20 family-friendly vendors and Sci-Tech Discovery Center (hello, poolside science for the kiddos? Sweet!) will all be there.Event Details:
North Texas Kids Splashfest
benefiting Sci-Tech Discovery Center?Hawaiian Falls in The Colony
Saturday, July 18
11 am-4 pm
discounted admission tickets available at www.northtexaskids.com

While I'd love to win the golden ticket, I'm a sucker for dishing details—especially when other mamas can benefit. So, here goes. If you, too, would like a chance to soak in the sun, fun and latest in parenting support courtesy of North Texas Kids magazine, simply copy this entry (including headline and the above link to the pub) and repost it on your own mama blog, then shoot the magazine an e-mail at  HYPERLINK "mailto:info@northtexaskids.com"info@northtexaskids.com to let them know you're participating (be sure to include a link to your post). 

Next Thursday, a winner will be drawn from the "inbox" and notified via e-mail … it's that easy!

Good luck ladies, may the "hottest" mama win. ;)

Thanks for your help!

Minette Riordan

Publisher

North Texas Kids magazine

Advances in Robotics

I read a blog today about this
<http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2009/04/08/japan's-child-robot-learns-to-walk/>
it is abotu a robot learning.

I thought it was interesting :-)

Easy Enchiladas (with home made sauce)

Easy enchilada sauce

2 Tablespoon Oil
2 Tablespoon all purpose flour
2 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups water

heat oil in large 2 quart sauce pan. Stir in flour and chili powder.
Cook for one minute. add remaining ingredients. bring to a boil and
simmer for 10 minutes.

Easy enchilada's : preheat oven to 350 F

ingredients of your choice : shredded Mexican blend, or cheddar, or
Monterey jack; grilled onions (YUMMY!), grilled bell peppers, olives,
cooked meat of your choice...

Prepare corn tortilla's by softening them. The traditional way is to
fry them in hot oil for a couple of seconds. heating them in the
microwave will also soften them but the taste is slightly different.

place a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the pan before placing
the enchiladas.

insert the ingredients of your choice and then roll. Place in a 9x13
(or smaller pans separating out each family members choices). place
in the pans seam side down. Cover with enchilada sauce and sprinkle
with cheese. heat in the oven for 20 minutes for just until the
cheese is melted and bubbly.

DID you KNOW that MAGICAL things HAPPEN every DAY?

I want to do a blog highlight!  

I am a part of a group that was started by the founder of the website Magical Childhood.  I am really blessed to be a part of her group.  She is the infamous author of the article:  What Should a 4 Year Old Know?  This article has been sited all over the web by people who believe that children will LEARN so stop forcing flashcards down their throat.  She has a lot to offer,  she is a mom of 5, she has wonderful ideas.  Her main website is A Magical Childhood and it offers up articles on so many helpful things, like how to make homemade ooblek to ideas for art and other wonderful crafts.  

She has started a blog to go along with the Magical Childhood site, and although it just started I know that there will be a lot of great and 'cool' things that will be coming through there.  I definitely suggest that you add this one to your feed reader.   The Magical Childhood Blog   will be one of your favorite reads, I promise.

Find her website here:  A Magical Childhood

Find the New Magical child Blog here:  A Magical Childhood Blog

Find her Home school Blog here:  Magic and Mayhem

Find a wonderful yahoo group of AP Mama's here.

EDIT:  Alicia kindly let me know that she had 4 children and 1 husband, not 5 children as previously mentioned.  

Too much time (and Beer) on their hands

I watched this youtube video today.  I thought it was hilarious.  I am glad I am not theone that had to clean up after them... 

If anyone that reads this can translate this to english I would be interested in know what the text says (just not interested enough to transcribe and input into a translation matrix LOL)

Books for learning

I use google feed reader every day. I subscribe to all kinds of feeds
from Mommy blogs to Frugal/money saver blogs, to home school and
Montessori.

Today on the blog Montessori for Everyone, She wrote about the books
she thought essential in an Elementary classroom (or home school
bookshelf).

I recommend going and reading her blog today I might just be about to
spend a lot of money on books lol.

<http://www.blog.montessoriforeveryone.com/recommended-elementary.html>

April
--
Turn off the TV and read a book. It is called thinking outside the 'box'.

Shoe throwing: The new insult

I was minding my own business browsing through my emails in GMAIL and up popped this news piece in the news feed.

Protester Throws Shoe at China's Premier 

It only reminded me of this:

Iraqi journalist hurls shoes at Bush

and then I wondered, with all the shoe throwing going on, is there a lot of left wing elitist gits walking around limping because they only have one shoe on?  I mean come on, I don't like you so I am going to throw my shoe at you??  Therefore making my chances of running away (or rather GETTING away by running) unsuccessful.

Is this one of those times where you award an 'I'm Stoopid' sign?

You might think that by calling some imaginary people 'left wing elitist gits' that I am a right wing moral upstanding citizen.

You would be wrong.  I believe in making fun  equal representation of  all political idiots.

Rice pudding is my nemesis

So every month or so, instead of SAVING leftover rice to eat, I decide I just have to make some rice pudding.   Well I call it rice pudding, but growing up it was just called sweet rice.   So whatever you want to call it be my guest.   You take leftover rice and you dump a bunch of milk over it in a pan and you cook it for like 20 minutes at a simmer and sometime in there you add some sugar and spices of your choice.   I like cinnamon and nutmeg.   You simmer away and at about the 12-14 minute mark slowly stir in 2 beaten eggs.   (See the addition of eggs makes it pudding because pudding has eggs.   AND  if it didnt have eggs it would just me some milky sweet rice mixture that was just thrown together but because there is eggs you totally meant to make this gloppy mess)

But hell on wheels I just can't figure out why I make this stuff.   Imean I make it, set it on the counter to cool, have a very small portion of it usually consisting of me walking by about 10 times and jabbing my finger into it and tasting it...  then 24 hours later I come along and throw the stuff away because really I don't like it and no one else here will eat it.

So why do I make it? I don't have a clue.   I mean why does a man not ask for directions and why do Jehovah Witnesses ask you if you know jesus when obviously you are alive and they believe Jesus is the cause of all that so why do they go around asking unless they aren't sure in which case why are they asking me since I totally don't know.

So if you hear me say I plan on making rice pudding please remind me that I don't like it.

SENSA weightloss my my ass

So I have been using Sensa for about a month (in a day or so).   I weighed myself this morning and I weighed 211.5 and I was like woohoo, I am using this powdered white stuff that they say is 'just smells' to make my brain say "you're full, you fatty" but really is probably amphetamines in disguise because whoever heard of smells in white powder form?

So I am brushing my teeth (at 12pm because when you home school you can totally sleep in and then do school after lunch)  thinking about 211.5 and I think, "I wonder if I weigh again if it will be the same?   Cause I mean I haven't been dieting or anything and I didn't zero the scale out so I bet it was a mistake."    Well who is always right?   WHO?   Me that's who.   I shouldn't argue with myself.   I zero'd the scale out and the new weight is

217.5

I wish I could say I was happy about that number but I have that body dismorphic disorder where you look in the mirror and your eyes see a big flabby fat ass.   The number is lower than
the starting number and I HAVEN'T done anything to lose weight other than sprinkle white powder on most of the food that I eat.    OK so I am a little happy and a little pissed off because really free weight loss products should kick ass.

Ok so almost 10 pounds in a month (226 - 217.5 = 8.5) 8.5 pounds is no laughing matter for a month.

Congratulations to me.

Mommy dating / Girl dates

I was invited to go grocery shopping with Woman I met on freecycle.
This happened last week. I went shopping and afterwards she asked me
over to her house. Her husband (no kids) was out of town and I felt
really naughty for going.. I mean frozen food in the trunk, my hubby
at home with the kids.

But I did. I went to her house. I drank apple cider from a packet
and she drank something... not sure she mentioned it wasn't tea so
that it wouldn't keep her up all night.

We got there about TEN and I Left a little after midnight. I felt
exhilarated! I felt like I had been on a date.

Then today I read this article and realized, I felt that way because
pretty much it WAS a date.

<http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2008/11/06/the_perils_of_mommy_dating/>

It was a meeting of two people in a public place to initiate
friendship and find out if you can stand each other. That is what
dating is right?

So I went on a girl date.

I am so proud of me for making a friend. We have been emailing a
little about gardens and compost. Just what close friends talk about
right [GRIN]!

Sensa media todo's and an update

I wanted to mention some recent articles that have been written on Sensa.

The first one is on the Daily Candy. I was checking the site out
after Amanda sent me the link and the Daily Candy seems like a hip fun
place. I like pages that have good articles and arrange them in such
an easy way to navigate.

The Daily Candy featured 2 articles about Sensa on January 7, 2009.
The links are below:
<http://www.dailycandy.com/new_york/article/40986/Sensationally+Thin>
<http://www.dailycandy.com/new_york/article/40987/Sprinkle+Your+Way+to+Slim>

The two articles are good at distilling the main ideas about Sensa. I
like the Sensationally Thin one because it is all simply technical :-)

Today, Sensa is featured on the homepage on HSN and MSN. The links are below:
<http://www.hsn.com/todays-special_xh.aspx?cm_re=billboard*SENSA_DietProgramTS_BB_and_Launch*background>
http://www.msn.com/ (Shopping Section on homepage)

This is a link to buy Sensa from HSN and there is also some reading
material on there about it. It is on Today's Special (1/26/2009) for
74.95 for a 2-month starter kit. If you visit the Daily Candy article
you can click through to a sale for 31 percent off on a 3 month
starter kit - the better deal.

I am on my 3rd week on Sensa. I feel ok, I am not constipated (more
of the opposite but not quite), my energy levels are good, and I am
losing weight... a little bit but still losing.

I want an electric treadmill but I don't want to pay $1000 or more. I
asked on freecycle but no luck. <sigh>

HS activities and posterity

For activities with the kids: I joined 2 groups. One 'free' group.
The kind you find on yahoo and etc. They do park days and started a
coop this year that I didnt join in on because it was happening while
I was busy when it started and they were fairly disorganized at that
point. They are pretty nice so I do hope to continue doing park days
with them and hopefully in the future maybe it might become something
more that 'those homeschool kids'.

The second is a pay to join group. They are organized (roberts rules
of order lol) and have a coop on fridays. I didnt join their coop
this term because the classes offered didnt quite fit into a workable
schedule. But they do have open lego play and pokemon league during
the coop day so I am welcome to bring the kids any time for that. I
plan on it and everyone is really nice.. maybe more crunchy than me
but maybe just the vocal ones lol. I think that this is one that
could turn into something that is a keeper too. The age range in
this coop is avg to younger than my kids so it is potentially a group
that we can grow with.

I went to a face to face meet with the above group a couple of weeks
ago (by myself) and it was nice to sit with a group of women drinking
tea and talking in coherant sentences, and not have to worry about the
kids. My kids are good kids by the way, or at least I think so, but
still being somewhere where the only person you have to worry about is
yourself is GREAT. I guess those meetings will be my version of Risa's
Thursday night yoga classes :-P

I think I will post this letter to my blog as well because I think it
is the kind of thing that will be interesting to look back on and see
hey I am doing so much better now than I was then.

April