Busy Mom Reviews

As a Sara Lee MOMent Maker, this post is part of a series on making family moments. Sara Lee has provided me with compensation and coupons in return for this post. Participation in this program is voluntary; all opinions are my own. My love for strawberry shortcake is long standing, and definitely my own.

We don't have dessert every night around here. Not because we're against it or anything, it's just that, for starters, we have 3 kids (2 of them teenagers) and food of any sort in our house doesn't tend to stay around for very long, so there's often nothing to have, and dessert kind of implies that we're all at home to enjoy it together after an organized meal.

Let's just say that this time of year that doesn't happen as much as it should. Spring is really, really busy around these parts, and I feel a little guilty sometimes that we're often going our separate ways at meal time.

I LOVE strawberry shortcake, but don't always have time to prepare it, so I picked up a Sara Lee® Strawberry Shortcake since it's one we'd never tried before, thinking I'd save it for a special occasion we could enjoy together.

Only? See my statement 3 paragraphs ago. It's hard to get everyone home for dinner at the same time, so there never seemed to be a good time to have it.

Since the good folks at Sara Lee encourage us to Make Moments, I decided I'd try to stop waiting for the the perfect meal to pull it out.

Late one night, we were all in the kitchen (having eaten dinner at different times for various reasons) and somebody said, "Hey, we're all home at the same time, we ought to throw a party, or something."

So we did:

At first, I thought it wasn't the family moment I had envisioned (note post-rugby match look of my middle child), but then I realized it was better. We had a spontaneous celebration of just being together. Creating a family memory doesn't have to be reserved for special occasions, and dessert doesn't have to be complicated or formal.

The giveaway

The prize: Five (5) commenters will each win one (1) coupon for a FREE any ONE (1) Sara Lee® Sweet Goods product valued up to $6.00 (expires 7/31/2011)

1. (Required): Tell us (comment below) about one of your favorite spontaneous family moments.

2. For an extra entry, tweet about this contest (I'm @busymom), and be sure to leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet.

2. Five (5) winners will be picked randomly via Random.org from the comments.

3. Contest is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older

4. Winners have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise another winner will be drawn.

5. Hurry! Ends May 18, 2011 at 10 pm CST

Also, please come by my blog, Busymom.net and say "hi" if you're so inspired!

Thank you to Yahoo! Mail for sponsoring this post about staying connected. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

I remember when I was first became aware of the Internet. I was in college, and I was immediately mesmerized by the fact that you could connect to other computers no matter where they were. I was only vaguely aware of e-mail, but it seemed foreign to me, the domain (ha!) of my computer science major friends rather than a nursing student like me.

Time passed, and I eventually got my own portal to the Internet with an awesome 56k modem. After it went through all it's boops and beeps, it was fascinating to be connected to other computers able to see lists, and books and even some conversations as I dabbled in IRC, even if it was all text-based.

Eventually, we became "cutting edge" at work when our department got an e-mail address. Yes, one e-mail address for the entire department. You had to put your name in the subject line so that everyone knew who the e-mail was for, but it was still exciting to be able to message people both near and far through the computer.

I eventually got my own e-mail address when I needed to join a message board thing, and after that, there was no stopping me. (It was a Yahoo! account, and I've proudly had it since 1999 and I still use it today.)

Over the years, and each day I conduct business, catch up with friends, share news, write notes to myself and communicate about my childrens' sports teams.

Even though my inbox isn't all fun and games, I get excited when there's a new e-mail waiting. Maybe it's a friend just saying hello, maybe someone liked something I wrote on my blog, or perhaps someone wants to give me money (hey, it could happen...). I also think it's fun to send someone a note so they have something waiting for them, too.

I also love the idea of someone being just an e-mail away. I can easily reach my family during the day (if necessary), I can spontaneously interact with a group of friends even if we are too busy to get together, and it can even make a far-away friend seem closer.

Sometimes, electronic communication can be more, it can be a connection.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Ogilvy Interactive for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

There's so much going on in the world today, it's hard to keep up. There's so many news sources competing for your attention, and I know for me, it results in just skimming topics that I'd really like to (and, need to) know more about.

the collection  is a new iPad app just released April 12, 2011, and it looks like a  great way to gather lots of information about globally relevant topics. It's a single monthly topic magazine (“appazine”) for the iPad and it's even available in English, German, and Chinese. 

the collection is well-written and takes full advantage of the iPad platform with (what looks to be stunning from the screen shots) media rich delivery though audio, photos, videos and inter-active elements including panoramic photography, 3D digital animation, creative morphing, X-Ray lens and more.



The premier issue is about Prince William. The Collection included audio and video interviews, 360 degree panoramic photographs, details about the Royal Wedding complete with 3D palace walk-through of the celebration and more.



Why not check out <a href ="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-collection/id427145593?mt=8">The Collection</a> (it's only for iPad) from the iTunes App Store?



<strong>To celebrate,  the collection is giving away an iPad! (hurry, ends May 15, 2011). Here's how you can enter to win</strong>



1.) Tweet the following message to enter: Stay up-to-date with current events by using #thecollection iPad App

That's it. Hurry, though! The contest ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on May 15, 2011 

Sometimes it's good to change up meal time a little since it can become routine and a little uninteresting. Often, by this time of year, we're able grill out, and make dinner a little more interesting, but spring hasn't found it's way here quite yet, so we'll have to wait a while for that.

Every now and then, the kids ask if we can eat in the dining room, dress up a little and use the "good dishes" just for fun. We haven't done that in a while, mainly because the dining room table is covered in various projects at the moment. But, also it takes more time and effort than we usually have on weeknights.

They asked if we could "eat in the dining room" the other night, I hated to tell them we couldn't because I feel like I say "we don't have time" too often, but the table just wasn't ready for use, and it was a school night.

When someone suggested we have a picnic inside instead, there was much enthusiasm, but a power outage during a storm threatened to dampen our plans (it was really dark!) we got the lanterns, candles and flashlights out and moved dinner to the floor in the living room for an impromptu "candlelight dinner".

And, what "fancy" dinner is complete without dessert?

I had some Sara Lee desserts I was saving to use to do something fun with the kids, but since this turned out to be fun (and, I was worried they'd begin to thaw) a Sara Lee Original Cheesecake and (my all-time favorite) Sara Lee Poundcake was just what we needed to round out our fancy candlelight picnic meal.

The severe weather eventually passed and we got our power back, but I'm sure glad I didn't say, "Not this time" to the fancy picnic request, and I'm sure glad Sara Lee desserts added to the fun.

***********

The giveaway

The prize: Five (5) commenters will each win one (1) coupon for a FREE any ONE (1) Sara Lee® Sweet Goods product valued up to $6.00 (expires 7/31/2011)

1. (Required): Tell us (comment below) about one of your favorite spontaneous family moments.

2. For an extra entry, tweet about this contest (I'm @busymom), and be sure to leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet.

2. Five (5) winners will be picked randomly via Random.org from the comments.

3. Contest is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older

4. Winners have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise another winner will be drawn.

5. Hurry! Ends June 1, 2011 at 10 pm CST

Also, please come by my blog, Busymom.net and say "hi" if you're so inspired, and I'd be honored if you'd "like' Busy Mom Blog on Facebook.

As a Sara Lee MOMent Maker, this post is part of a series on making family moments. Sara Lee has provided me with compensation and coupons in return for this post. Participation in this program is voluntary; all opinions are my own. My love for dessert is long standing, and definitely my own.

Today, Wednesday, May 25th starting at 9am EDT, Coastal Contacts is giving away 10,000 free (you do pay shipping and handling, though) pairs of glasses to Coastal Contacts Facebook Page. (first-time participants in the US, only, please) .

Here’s how it works:

1. Visit Coastal Contacts Facebook Page. and click on the ‘Free Glasses!!’ tab on the left side of the page.

2. Click the “like” button to reveal the coupon code or if you’ve already “liked” us the code will be displayed when you click on the tab.

3. Visit Coastal Contacts and select a pair of glasses.

4. Starting on Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 at 9am EDT, place your order and enter the coupon code at checkout to get your free pair of glasses.

No payment or consideration was given for this post, I just thought you might be interested.

If you have a child in a sport that requires spending lots of time at the field, the gym or the pool, you probably have your meal routine set. After a while, you know what works and what doesn't and you can make a quick trip to the grocery in any city and be all stocked up to haul breakfast lunch or dinner around with you.

A staple at our house for volleyball and soccer is Smucker’s® Uncrustables®. We love them because they're fast, they travel well and can be used any time of day (I myself, have eaten more than one Uncrustable at dark-thirty in the morning in a convention center lined with volleyball courts).

To mark the launch of the new Uncrustables Facebook page and Uncrustables on Twitter, Uncrustables will give fans the opportunity to win a year's supply of Uncrustables sandwiches and a $5,000 college fund in their "Perfect. Portable. Simply Delicious” Promotion.

From now through June 27, be sure to enter the promotion by “liking” the Uncrustables Facebook page and sharing your favorite place to take Uncrustables Sandwiches while on the go.

But, there's more, you can enter for a chance to win a prize here at Busy Mom Reviews!

The giveaway

The prize: 10 free Uncrustables coupons and a $50 gas card to keep you and your family moving this summer.

1. (Required): Tell us (comment below) your favorite place to take Uncrustables Sandwiches.

2. For an extra entry: like Uncrustables on Facebook and follow @Uncrustables on Twitter (be sure to leave a separate comment telling me you did so)

3. For even another entry, tweet about this contest (I'm @busymom), and be sure to leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet.

4. But, wait, there's more! "like' Busy Mom Blog on Facebook for a 4th chance to win. Be sure to leave a separate comment telling me you've done so.

5. One (1) winner will be picked randomly via Random.org from the comments.

6. Contest is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older

7. Winner has 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise another winner will be drawn.

8. Hurry! Ends June 8, 2011 at 10 pm CST

Also, please come by my blog, Busymom.net and say "hi" if you're so inspired!

*****
I have other contest, too!

Enter to win a $100 Shutterfly gift card (ends 5/31, think Father's Day!) and also be sure to enter for a chance to win 1 of 5 full value Sara Lee Dessert coupons (ends 6/1).

*****

I received a prize pack as described above to thank me for my participation. But, we really do go through a bunch of Uncrustables, and I thought you could use some coupons and a tank of gas, too.

A while back, I told you that Busy Boy was getting ready to start Invisalign Teen orthodontic treatment.

He's been at it a while, and I'm pleased to say that everything is going great!

If you're not familiar with it, in general, the way Invisalign Teen works is that you have a series of custom made trays made of smooth plastic that fit over your teeth. They aren't retainers, they are actually made to align your individual teeth. The trays are worn for approximately 2 weeks each, and they are removed only for eating or as directed.

It was pretty simple for us to get started. We found our nearest Invisalign provider, and made an appointment for an evaluation. Once he was deemed a candidate, he was ready to go with the first visit.

They do an extensive evaluation including measurements, photos and making a mold of the teeth and mouth in order to make the custom trays:

The trays are are created just for him based on where each tooth needs to move.

Appointments are about every 6 weeks (sometimes it varies) and he usually gets several sets of trays and changes them every 2 weeks. The Invisalign Teen product is especially nice because there are wear indicators and you can tell if he's been wearing them properly.

He's done very well with them, and has only had some minor pain when he starts a new tray and his teeth are moving.

That's a general overview of our experience with Invisalign Teen so far!

I'd be delighted to answer any questions you might have, fire away!

I am a member of the Invisalign Teen Mom Advisory Board. My son
has received complimentary treatment from Invisalign, but all opinions expressed are
my own.