Because I Said So!!! Mom Knows Best!

Easter is on the way, almost here, right around
the bend and I would love to tell you its meaning.
Really, I would. I was raised Roman Catholic and
my Grandparents were founding members of our Church
and not only that my Grandmother taught there, I went
to the school there and it was a huge part of my life.
The meaning of Easter is a beautiful one and something
each person needs to discover in his or her own way. It
is not something you come to a blog like mine where you
normally come for product reviews and light hearted banter
and just plain help and friendship. Here we try to keep things
simple and Easter is not a simple subject unless you break
it down to how the kids see it. Yeah, they know the
story's I know. We all teach our children the meaning of
Christmas and Easter is not just about presents and candy
but come on, kids are kids and they look forward to that
part and you can't take away some of the few simple joys
kids today get. So lets not talk about the real meaning lets
talk about kids and candy instead and something you
guys can all do together! This year when you are making
your eggs make some candy too! Not just any old candy
but a favorite candy of kids everywhere. Something so
recognizable even little toddlers can be seen standing next
to their Moms and Dads and pleading, " Mom, Dad,
Can I have a piece of Bubble gum?" So this year with
your colored eggs make some brightly colored bubble gum too!
I feel like I am seeing little question marks popping up
all over. Loads of my readers all wondering how in the
world can they make bubble gum. Isn't that a difficult thing
to make? This isn't like making a Chocolate Bunnie where
you just melt it down and pout it in a mold, this is Bubble
gum. Is it even do-able? Well guess what it is do-able and it
is also easy as pie too! Don't fill your kids up on
colored eggs, fill them up with Glee! Glee Gum that is!

There is a little web store called Glee Gum where they
sell kits so you can make home-maid candy and bubble
gum with your kids. Think it might take forever and be
really time consuming? Boy are you wrong just like I
was, it can be done in minutes and it is a lot of fun!
Want more? Sure thing folks! Not only can it be a lot
of fun it can be really educational too! On the site they
have a whole educational guide so not only are the kits
great for home and some time with the kids with a
totally new kind of craft project they would be awesome
in day cares and schools and Brownies and Girl scouts,
as well as Cub scouts and Boy scouts! They can learn
all about Gum, where it came from and how it is
processed into the stuff we chomp on today. They also
have kits for Gummie Candy and Chocolate or you can
just buy some of their all Natural Gum and profess you
did it your self just like I did in a fishing contest once.
The guys went one way and us gals another, whom ever
had the bigger trout by the end of the day had to cook,
clean and do the dishes and lucky for us ladies I knew
a local place that all you needed to do was toss in your
pole and then some pellets and you had a huge fish right
on your hook where you paid by the pound. WE won.
Not I don't recommend telling that kind of fib to your
kids but they do sell the gum and hubby is an okay target!
In truth though, we made the Gum here with the
kit and it was easy as pie and was Yummy to boot. We
had a blast and now that Andrew is getting older and older
and I really wish he would stop that but since he isn't now
that he is getting up there it is getting harder to get him
to do stuff with me and this one he loved! The only thing
I was sad about is though Rowan thinks she is all big she
is just a little too little for Bubble Gum but now that I know
where to find them I can try again later with her. Or, hum,
chocolate might be fun to do with her and I know Andrew
would be in! With the Gum it really didn't take long at
all for everything you need is in the kit. You just mix and
toss in the microwave and then shape how you want. You
can add colors or leave plane or flavors as well. Get a
little bit of imagination and just have a blast. No matter
what you decided it is going to taste good for the gum as
is tastes great and since we didn't have the colors and limited
flavors we went with that. Andrew did roll his into chicklet
size pieces though for he was determined to do that and
to keep it from sticking we used some powdered sugar and
Yummy, almost drooled a little there. It turned out great!
Glee Gum also has some really cool stuff to check out
on the web site too! You and your kids have got to
check out from Tree to Glee for that was totally interesting
and being a huge discovery channel family we all read
that, even John who only shook his head and left the
room when we announced we were making gum had to
come in for the Tree to Glee page. Really really neat!
They also have a lot of fun facts that your kids will
love to spring on their friends next time they share
a piece of their home maid gum! Just silly things like:
Humans are the only animals on earth that chew gum.
If you give a monkey a piece he will chew it for a
couple of minutes, then he will take it out and stick
it to his hair. Ha ha! Now my son must have been
born part Monkey for I have yanked a few pieces out
of his hair, just last............... ah never mind!

Anyway you slice it, making your own gum is a blast!
Next time your kids are bored and you want to find something
the whole family can do make some Gum, or Chocolate or
even some Gummy Candy and watch them light up in smiles!
Glee Gum is going to let on of my readers test out making
their own gum too! To enter just head over to the site and
take a look around and then come back here and post what
you have learned in a comment. The contest will start tonight
and run to Midnight on May 7th.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day, every day, and then posting that you did here
and other ways to enter are posted below.


Glee Gum




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is completed.


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and post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times. You may only do this
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here. 5 entries, please post five times. You
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tweet. For Each Daily entry there must be a
tweet for that day!


3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times. You may only do this one time!
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4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries. Please
post five times. You may do this once per
day per new blog post! For each Daily entry
there must be a blog post for that day!






Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Radius Toothbrush and isABelt Contests!

Who's says people who live on a diet never get
to eat anything good!
I used to!
I I have been on a diet since 1984 and used to struggle
for everything I ate was nasty and was diet food! Can
you believe that? How dare they put diet food in my
diet stuff! I went for years and ate things like lettuce
with mushrooms and green peppers and lemon juice
as a dressing. Those are really low calorie
veggies even in veggie world and I tried to stay under
800 calories a day. The sad part was I weighed like 120
pounds back then at was 5'9" and did not even need
to be anywhere near a diet. I have just always been too
chicken I would gain a pound to put anything in my mouth
that might add a millimeter of an ounce to the scale.
When I hit my 20s such dieting habits became more
of a detriment then a way to keep me in shape. I would
hold off eating anything but the bare necessity's for so long
I would literally crave something to the point of desperation
and over eat like a mad woman. At times even making myself
sick. What happened next? You guessed it, my weight
went up and down faster then a Duncan Yo Yo. I could
literally gain, lose and gain back 20 pounds in a month.
I ended up making myself pretty unhealthy that way and
though I was pretty darn toot en thin I also ended up
with Mono and in bed for a month. As I grew older I
realized that you should rule what you eat not the other
way around and took some nutrition classes. The most
valuable lesson I learned has kept me in shape since
then and I can now enjoy the foods I want, when I want
and never gain an ounce. In fact I often loose weight
without even trying and though I go on and on about
still having extra weight from giving birth to Rowan the
truth is I am just frustrated that the first 60-70 pounds
fell off and now it is coming off at a much slower pace,
maybe a pound or two a month. BUT, it is still coming off.
What I learned was not some secrete way of life or wonder
drug but just some common sense that if I followed when I
was younger I never would have struggled a day in my
life. What I learned is:
1. Make sure at least half of what you eat is fresh
fruit or veggies.
2. Do not diet. All it will do it make you feel like you
are depriving yourself and you WILL gorge later.
3. Make sure you get your vitamins. I don't care if
you get it through food or a supplement, just get them.
They keep your body running at peak performance.
4. Get sleep. At least 8 hours a day. If we let our body's
get worn out they slow down and so will your metabolism
and whatever you do eat your body will store, even
if you eat only 900 calories a day it will all stick to your
thighs!
5. Eat several small meals a day. Try to eat at least 6-8
small meals a day or more if you can. Graze! It keeps your
bodies metabolism running all day long and you will
always be burning calories.
Eat like that and wait like a month and jump on the
scale and you will be surprised. Now for what you eat.
Make it anything you want. I try to eat healthy but still
hit sweets like they are nobodies get out. It works for me
but you have to remember the sweets I eat are not
necessarily bad for you. I have a family history of
diabetes that is a large concern. My Grandfather was
borderline and my mother has it so I have always been
careful to error on the side of caution. One of the things
hardest to handle with that little ditty and I added to my eating
plan is finding items that are sweet, taste good and not
filled with loads of sugar, preservatives, additives, junk
and 4,000 calories a bite. I have found the 100 calorie
packs perfect for me because they allow me to keep with
my small meals rule and taste something sweet and
defiantly out of the dessert category or morning goodies
like donuts and muffins I had been taking a pass on.
When I got the chance to do a review for Vitalicious. I
was all into it. These guys are so right up my alley. Sweet
Treats, 100 calorie packs, all the flavors I love but then
saw the add vitamins and goodness. Hey, I am all for
vitamins and goodness but I try to get that in my veggies
and fruit for in my experience the sweet cookies and cakes
and yummy yummy items always taste a little funny and I
try to stay clear of anything in that department. I said healthy,
not nasty. Still, the review was on the way and I might as
well give them a shot.

Well it is time to eat my words, or this here Muffin!
Vitamuffins are Vitalicious! I was sent of box of mixed items
for review and those guys just happened to send a lot
of my favorite flavors! Each Muffin or Muffy for they
remind me of Panaras Muffys are really soft and tasty
and super good. The fact they have extra nutrients and
vitamins is an added perk you really don't care about
once you get a taste. What Vitamuffin has done is take
a great tasting snack and tossing it into 100 calorie
servings so instead of over eating your favorite treat
you get just the right amount for it is not what we eat
but rather how much we eat that get us in trouble now
a days. Super size this, double size that and a big gulp
isn't enough we need a super duper double jumbo big
gulp to quench our thirst. Vitamuffens saw this trend as
the problem it was years before the 100 calorie packs
we see everywhere today hit the shelf's and are a pioneer
in their field. With tasty treats such as Muffins, Tops, Cakes,
Brownies and drink mixes they make it easy to eat just
the right amount and unlike the retail versions you see
from other brands Vitalicious makes sure theirs is also
packed with nutraceuticals, vitamins and nutrients and
are made with no artificial ingredients, no preservatives,
and whole grains. All of this is blended into a delicious
treat you will not soon forget. Now that I have tried them
next time I am in the store I will be sure to walk right
on by those other brands for now that I have had a
chance to try the original 100 calorie treat I know
why everyone else has been scrambling to catch up.
They still have a lot of running to do for Vitalicious
is fantastic. Don't forget they are also a great thing
for School lunches and it is never to early or too late
to get your kids started on the right track to a healthy
diet. My final thoughts on Vitalicious, I have at least
a 100 reasons to love them! Two thumbs up!
Vitalicious can also make its way into your house. One
lucky reader of mine if going to win the same pack I
got to try, and you will have to share it with a lot of you
friends for it is huge! It is a Super Sampler and it includes:
4 Low Fat Deep & Velvety VitaBrownies
2 Low Fat Chocolate Mint VitaTops
2 Low Fat Banana Nut VitaTops
2 Low Fat Double Chocolate Dream VitaTops
2 Low Fat Deep Chocolate VitaTops
2 Low Fat Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip VitaTops
2 Low Fat Golden Corn VitaTops
2 Low Fat CranBran VitaTops
2 Low Fat AppleBerry VitaTops
2 Low Fat RaisinBran VitaTops
2 Low Fat BlueBran VitaTops
To enter just head over to their site and take a look around
then come back here and post what you liked best in a
comment. The contest starts tonight and runs to Midnight
on March 27th.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day and other ways to enter are posted below.

Vitalicious!


Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.

1. Become a follower of my blog or
post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.

2. Enter any of my other contest. I entry
per contest, separate post for each entry.

3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.

4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.

5. Tweet about this contest and post the
link. 5 entries, please post 5 times.

Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Costumes for Less and Happy Baby Foods Contest!