Test Driving Tyson Chicken Mini Sandwiches for Breakfast - #tysongoodness #CBias

As a busy, homeschooling family, I am always looking for quick and easy ways to feed my brood.  Breakfast is one of those times when we tend to default to a quick snack, or cereal, or, in my case, just a Diet Coke.

We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but, not being a morning person, preparing something wonderful each morning just isn’t going to happen.  That doesn’t mean the desire isn’t there – it’s just the brain doesn’t engage until my second or third caffeine.

My boys are really good about grabbing breakfast before we start our studies.  Right now we are on break, so they’ve been more lax about trying to eat something good before kickstarting the day.

I was given the opportunity to try out the new Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches.  Chicken, bread, cheddar cheese – that sounds like a winner.  Plus, they are microwaveable – my kids can all run a microwave with the best of them.

We gave them a shot. Today is two days before Christmas.  Besides wrapping up loose ends before the official holiday, we wanted some family time.  Breakfast wasn’t really in that equation – so I gave the men a box of the mini’s and let the dice roll.

The verdict – they really liked them.  My hubby was especially impressed.  He needs something quick to grab on his way to work, so I’ll add these to our freezer supply.  The boys liked them too!  This is a win.  I have to be gone next week, so having something the men can make quickly and is good for them is great!  I’m glad I got the chance to try them.  If you’d like to see our shopping experience, click here.

Right now, Tyson is offering a rebate.  If you buy two packages from Walmart and use this form, you can get a $5 giftcard for Walmart.  That amounts to a free box.  Free being my favorite number, of course.  Be sure to check out the store locator - they aren't available in all Walmart stores just yet.

If you’re looking for something a little different for a snack or quick breakfast for the family, give these a try.  They are a nice, warm change from cereal.

*** This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias

Champions for Kids - A Stocking for a Special Young Man #CBias #DisneyCFK

The thing I love most about the Christmas season is the opportunity to give to others.  There is nothing more warming than giving unexpected gifts to those you love, admire, respect.  Gift giving comes from the heart and demonstrates to others the value they hold.

Champions for Kids is a non-profit organization focused on children.  Their mission is to:

"... work to mobilize MILLIONS of people to improve the lives of children in their communities.
Champions for Kids began with a core commitment: to improve the lives of children through the leverage of people. We are motivated by one purpose—to support people and organizations working to make our communities a better place for children."

Disney has partnered with Champions for Kids this Christmas season to create a Stocking Stuffer Celebration - offering people in the community a chance to give back this season by gifting stockings to children.

My family was blessed to participate in this effort.  When we realized we had the chance to give a stocking, it was important to pick just the right young recipient.  That wasn't hard.  There is a young family that participates at the Taekwondo dojo we go to.  Their two year old son is absolutely precious.  I knew he was the one we wanted to give our stocking to.

I was a young parent.  I had my first two children while in college starting at 19.  This was a tough road to take, but one that ultimately blessed me with a wonderful family.  I learned, though, that it takes a village to really raise children.  It shouldn't be done in isolation.  I want this family to know - they have a village supporting them. 

Shopping for the stocking stuffers was such fun.  The boys and I went throughout Walmart looking for just the right items we knew our little guy would love.  His parents helped us out by telling us he enjoys movies, books, stuffed animals, and I got permission to add candy to that list.  :-)  My boys were very proud of their careful selections!  You can see our entire shopping trip here.

Stockings fill up quickly - it took a little finesse to get everything in, but the boys were able to do it! 

Then, we were off to deliver our gift.  Our young man went straight for the Simba stuffed animal sticking out of the top.  He didn't even realize there was more inside.

Once he did, however, he was digging in.  The cell phone was a big hit!  We all got to spend time taking a call from the Lion King. 

He made sure his puppy knew these toys were for him and not to be touched.  He would point at the toy and then at the puppy - "No, no, no, no, no!"  with his little finger dramatically pointed.  The puppy did end up with the stocking as his very own Santa hat, though.

While the intention was to bring cheer to a family this holiday, the real gift came from them: the opportunity to spend time with their son seeing childlike joy at receiving a small gesture.  I'd do it one hundred times over if I could.  My boys learned too how much fun it is to give to others and see the excitement it brings.

Champions for Kids will host other simple service projects.  If you're interested in participating, you can find them on the web at www.championsforkids.org, on Facebook here, and on Twitter here. 

*** This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.

Giving Back During the Holiday Season - Champions for Kids #DisneyCFK #CBias

One of the things I really love about the holiday season are the overt opportunities to give back.  Unlike during other times of the year, occasions to give back are everywhere.  We see the Salvation Army bell ringers at the store, the Toys for Tots boxes are everywhere, the groceries have food boxes setup for donation.  While giving should be a year-round habit, this time of year makes it easy even for those who might not otherwise find the time.

As a parent, I think it’s very important that my children grasp opportunities to share their blessings with others.  My husband and I want to be good stewards of what we have been given and provide ways to help our family understand the importance of thinking of others.

Some of the ways we’ve found to do this are through our church.  Each year, churches fill shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, adopt families in need to provide them with a Merry Christmas, collect food or provide a food bank, go to homeless shelters and retirement/nursing homes to carol – all activities we look forward to each year. 

This year, we have the opportunity to fill a stocking for one special child as part of the campaign for Champions for Kids partnered with Disney.  Picking the child was easy.  My boys and I participate in taekwondo at an amazing dojo near our home.  A young family also goes there.  The father and mother participate in TKD, and they have a young boy age two. I remember when I was just starting out – being young and raising a child.  It really does take a village.  Feeling very isolated and alone raising my two oldest kids was difficult - I would have loved the support of a community of parents.  We want them to know – they are part of a village.

The mission of Champions for Kids is to improve the lives of children through the leverage of people.  What better way to leverage people than to take adults like myself who have been raising kids for a long time now and offer our love and support to a young family?

We’ll be giving this young man his stocking next week.  The boys and I had a great time shopping for things we thought he’d love! 

If you'd like to learn more about Champions for Kids, click here.  You can also follow them on Facebook here, or Twitter here.

What ways do you enjoy giving back over the holiday season?  How do you keep the spirit of giving going even when the holidays are over?  Is there a special child or young family in your area you could help out this holiday?

*** This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias

STP TLC for our Poor Cars! Guest Posts by Oldest and Hubby! #CBias #engineluv

As many of you know, especially if you follow me on FB, we have had quite a year when it comes to cars.  My husband's poor car has been hit on three separate occassions.  (No injuries - thank goodness!) First, at work, where someone hit it and left leaving over $4000 worth of damage.  Yay for insurance!  Second, when he hit a deer - I'll show you the homespun repair he and my father-in-law affected since this happened two days after it was in the shop for the first accident.  And third, quite recently, when a friend accidentally backed into it.  Add to that the two accidents my teenagers have been in in the last month (both were with friends, so not our cars), and it's been quite a car year!

I was excited to work on this STP Shoppertunity for three reasons.  First, I do feel like our cars need a little TLC.  Second, because I've often used STP products and believe them to be excellent.  Third, because it allowed me to work with my oldest son who is studying automotive technology and working as a mechanic.  It was fun working with him and seeing some of his expertise.

Oldest and I went out shopping for STP Multipurpose Motor Treatment.  It's new to shelves.

In fact, it was so new, the Walmart we went to buy it at didn't have it in stock yet.  Given our tight timeframe, Oldest and I bought the next best STP product, Complete Fuel System Cleaner.  Here's his assessment of the product and the process.  Enjoy a guest post by my Oldest son:


When my mother told me about this Shoppertunity, I was more than willing to participate. As an automotive student, I was happy to go and purchase STP Multipurpose Motor Treatment. We started our errands at a Bed, Bath and Beyond for some gifts for the holidays. We then went to Verizon in order to get my phone fixed.

Then, we decided that the best place to go for the STP treatment would be Wal-Mart. We headed there and began shopping for various items. We were quickly able to find the automotive section of the store because of the obvious signs that had been placed. When we got to the automotive section, I was surprised at the how many different types of STP products Walmart had to choose from. However, I was disappointed that they didn’t have the one we were looking for – the new Multipurpose Motor Treatment.  Among those available were the Complete Fuel System Cleaner, Fuel System Cleaner for Ethanol, Super Octane Booster, and Gas Treatment.  I grabbed the STP Complete Fuel System Cleaner as I felt it was most comparable and proceeded to pick up other automotive items such as an oil filter wrench and automotive hand cleaner.

After making our selections, we headed to the checkout line. The cashier was more than helpful and very friendly.  I would more than happily return to this store and make several more purchases. I have used many of the STP selections in my own personal car. I have a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse with over 100,000 miles on it.  At this point, the car needs consistent maintenance to keep it running well.

The New Multipurpose Motor Treatment would be great for your engine based on the information on the web site, and I will look to use it in the future.  Fuels additives are one of the best things you can do quickly for your engine. They are used to clean out your engine deposits, clean out your fuel injectors and intake valves, protect against harmful viscosity build up, and help to keep sludge from building up inside your engine. All of these things are simple steps of preventative maintenance that should be done on a regular basis to keep your engine running strong and lasting longer.   I think that STP works great and is one of the most reasonably priced motor treatments you can buy."

Not bad for his first blog post!

I was still on a mission, however.  I wanted the Multipurpose Motor Treatment.  Two more stops (AutoZone and another Walmart), and I found it! 

I really like that it can be used in multiple engines - I plan to get another bottle (I wish I'd seen the coupon and bought it then!) to use in our weed eater and mower when spring gets here.

Here's my hubby getting ready to use it in his car, a 2005 Nissan Altima, the one that needs the TLC.

Here's the homestyle deer crash repair pic I promised you.  My father-in-law can repair anything.  I think it makes the car have a Frankensteinien (my word) look to it!

Hubby's thoughts on the process were as follows!  Yep - two guest posters!

I am not a good caretaker of my car.  My dad was an amazing mechanic that kept the cars humming when I was young, and my wife actually does more for the family vehicles even today than I do.

Because of that, I count on little things like a tank of engine treatment or some premium gas or some fuel injector cleaner once in a while.  It makes me feel like I am at least trying. 

Recently, my car has been through the ringer.  It was rear ended by a thoughtless co-worker who didn’t even leave a note.  Two days after getting that repaired, I hit a deer on the way home and dented the front fender.  Then last week, another friend accidently backed into my parked car and dented the hood.  Just a bad month for the old Altima. 

I consoled it with a tankful of STP Motor treatment. 

I’ve known the name STP for decades, going back to the times when Richard Petty was a big spokesperson.  If it’s good enough for the king, I know it’s good for my car.  It always feels to me like STP products give the car a nice massage.  The car just runs a little smoother and seems to be in better health.  It’s the least I can do, and with my mechanic skills, it’s the most I can do.  So thanks STP.

Thank you, Hubby, for a great contribution!

If you'd like to see the whole shopping experience, check it out on my google+ page, here.

You can follow STP on Facebook here.  When you like them, you are taken to a page for a coupon.  I'm using the coupon for my next purchase.

STP is also on Twitter - you can follow them here.


***  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias

Converting Photographs to Digital using iMemories #CBias #Preserving Memories

I remember when my first child was born - my camera was an extension of my own body.  That child had more pictures taken of her than Marilyn Monroe.  I made my weekly trip to the convenience store to drop off film and anxiously await the return of my precious memories.  Of course, more times that not, I'd look through my 24 shot role only to find several duplicates and the occassional picture of my thumb, knee or big toe. 

When digital camera came out - I was on it!  Of course, I love all things tech.  But, the idea of being able to take virtually unlimited photos and to simply delete those I didn't want was very appealing.  In addition to that, I could store these memories away safely without worry they'd melt in the attic or turn yellow or get thumbprints all over them, or simply get lost.

What to do with those pre-digi photographs I had laying around?

The hubby and I began converting many of them to digital using the household printer/scanner.

This is a tedious process, but one we deemed worth it.  We'd scan for a while, then lose steam and quit for a while.  We've even offered young'uns compensation for a day spent chained to the scanner.

There is one tub of photos that I just can't seem to get around to scanning.

They are wonderful photos, but my motivation has utterly waned.  In to the rescue comes a wonderful shoppertunity where I was able to use iMemories for the conversion and the UPS Store for mailing and delivery!  Yay!

The hubby and I sorted through the tub of photos removing the blurry, duplicate and unidentifiable. 

Out of a LARGE stack of photos - we came up with 123 we really wanted converted.

Off to the UPS Store I went.  Mailing it out was quick and easy - yay!  They even packaged it for me!

About week after I sent them off, iMemories emailed me letting me know that my memories had been received, and I could choose whether to have them simply converted, put on DVD and sent to me or whether I wanted to use their online program to sort and lable the photos.  I said - just send them to me! 

They arrived today!  They were meticulously packaged so as to ensure no damage - I really appreciate that!

Here is my tub of memories all in jpg format.  You KNOW some of these will end up on this blog!  :-)

I have to say - it's a bit expensive, but, honestly, memories are priceless!  Having them on DVD and eventually stored in the cloud will ensure I can harken back to days gone by worry free.  What a great opportunity to preserve my children's growing up years right at a time they are starting to leave the nest!

*** This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias #Preserving Memories