Yummy! Yummy! Yummy! Fiber One Bars and Another Contest!!!

Now, if you know me, you already know that I just LOVE Fiber One bars.  Way back when I first started my blog over at homeschool blogger I posted about my three favorite products.  One was Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, one was Cover Girl Outlast liptick, and one was Fiber One bars!

Now they've gotten even better!  The chocolate bars I was sent courtesy of Fiber One  and MyBlogSpark had a delicious layer of chocolate on the bottom.  And, they are portioned to be only 90 calories per bar!  I love that because I find they are more filling than a candy bar, but have less calories.  Can't beat that!  Plus, of course, they have the fiber!  :)

I was thrilled because when they sent me my box of Fiber One bars, they also sent me a pedometer, a water bottle, and a diet and exercise journal.  How would you like to get everything I did?

That's right!  A contest!!!

The picture above shows everything you will get if you're my lucky winner.  (Sorry the pic is so small, but when I tried to make it larger, it got all blurry.)  Anyway, here's the deal:

To enter, all you need to do is leave me a comment telling me one of your best tips for weight maintenance.  Mine is to not drink calories.  I stick to tea pretty much most of the time.  :) 

This time, though, I am going to give you more ways to enter.  First you must leave your original comment; that will enter you into the contest.  However, if you want more ways to win, come back and comment once for each of the following:

You follow me, or become a follower on Twitter
You are or become a Facebook Fan
You subcribe or sign up to subscribe to my blog through Feedburner
You follow me, or sign up to follow me with Google Friend Connect
You follow me in some other way.  (I can't keep up with them all!  LOL)

YOU MUST MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL OR BLOG ADDRESS OR PROVIDE SOME OTHER WAY FOR ME TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN.  ENTRIES THAT DO NOT PROVIDE A WAY FOR ME TO CONTACT YOU WILL BE VOID. 

You must also be 18 or older to win, and unrelated to me.  :)  The contest will end Sunday, March 7 at 11:59 PM Eastern time. 

Fiber One® provided me with the free product, information, and gift packs through MyBlogSpark.

Fit Mommy Friday ~ Week 8 ~ My Sly Moves

Well, first I have to admit that, as I write, I did exercise three times, but the first two times were not for a full ten minutes, so before I go to bed tonight, I need to put in at least ten more minutes to satisfy my commitment to God and all my Fit Mommy friends!!!

One day this week, I don't remember which, my kids actually decided to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I happened to be in the room during the part of the movie where the Oompa Loompa does his dance.  If you remember from last week, the Oompa Loompa is my dance instructor.  So I danced along.  That only lasted around 3 or 4 minutes, though.

On Wednesday, I had some groceries to put away.  I put on the Rocky theme as I put them in the cupboards.  I was having a grand old time hamming it up as I exercised my way from the living room to the kitchen several times, often "weight lifting" with things like cans of soup.  That was maybe another 4 or 5 minutes.

Then Thursday, I decided that the since the Rocky theme worked for me, I ought to use it.  I had my daughter hook up her MP3 player to my computer speakers so I could play the theme as I exercised.  We put it on loop.  I "trained" like Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky movies.  I jumped rope, boxed, ran in place, etc.  I have to say, there is just something about that song.  When I am exercising to the Rocky theme I just feel compelled to exercise.  It's funny that it works like that, but it does.  I even went over and did 12 minutes! 

Last night I planned to do 10 more minutes.  (It was actually Friday as I am a day late finishing this.)  I did 5 but had to get up help one of my kids do something.  I never did go back and do that last five minutes.  However, I am not going to kick myself over it.   I was only 5 minutes short, but I am sure I got a few extra minutes in here and there.  For example, during Praise and Worship time at church, we play some songs that we clap and sorta "move" too.  What can I say?  David danced before the Lord, and you should all just be glad I was fully dressed. :)

Now, I am even making some strides in my eating.  I am participating in Lent this year.  I have been doing this for the last few years.  I'm not Catholic, so I don't follow Lent as far as no meat on Fridays or anything, but I do give something up and try to just get closer to the Lord at this time.  Yes, I am always trying to get closer to the Lord, don't get me wrong, but there is something about putting aside my flesh in anticipation of Easter that just does something for me. 

Now, I am not "doing Lent" to lose weight or anything like that.  It's purely a spiritual thing.  However, I have to say that it can't hurt in the purely physical sense.  I have given up all pop and candy and will only eat sweet snacks in a social environment (this has only happened once and I ate a Weight Watchers snack at my friend Barb's.)  I haven't weighed myself, and I think I won't.  I don't want to lose my focus. 

So, there you go.  I am trying really hard to work in some exercise in a fun way.  I am trying to serve the Lord, but what can I say?  Serving the Lord is good for me in more ways than the spiritual. 

I am so pathetic compared to, say, our  fearless leader Denise who is practically an exercise guru.  However, compared to where I was at, I am an exercise guru myself.  Next week I am simply going to try to continue to do my three days of ten minutes. I'll keep working on my sly moves, and who knows, maybe I'll even knock myself out!  (Sorry!)

I have just one more thing to say:

YO ADRIAN!!!

To see how all the other Fit MOMMYS did this week check out Chai Mommy's blog here. 

Five Question Friday ~ February 26, 2010

  I've been a follower all my life.  Help a girl out; won't you  follow me?  :)  Check out my sidebar to find out how!!! 

Here's another edition of Five Question Friday.  To participate or read more Five Question Friday entries, check out

http://www.fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com/.

1. Do you sing karaoke? If so, what is your go to song?

Ha! Ha! Ha!  I honestly can't sing to save my life.  I might be able to pull of "Tequila."

2. What is your favorite coffee drink?

Guess I'd have to say a mocha.

3. If you could choose your own name, what would it be?

You mean not be Crazy Mom?  What else would fit?  LOL

4. Were you ever bullied?

Of course!  Well, more teased and put down than actually physically bullied.  Once, though I remember a girl saying she was going to beat me up after school.  I still have no idea why.  She didn't though, so I think I'm safe.  But maybe I should change my name, eh?

5. How often do you eat fast food?

More than I should!  Really, I don't all that often, though I actually did today.  Got me a sausage biscuit, I did.  My reward for being up, dressed, and out of the house before 8 AM.

WIN A FREE MAKEOVER OR PROGRESSO PRIZE PACK!!!

Sorry!  My contest is now closed, but you can still enter to win the NYC Makeover!!!

Hey there! Thanks for stopping by! Won't you be my friend? Just check out my sidebar for lots of way to stay connected to my blog!!!

Can you even imagine winning a free makeover in New York City? Like, yeah, that would be totally cool! I need all the help I can get! Well, I was excited to find out that I can enter the contest, and so can you! The instructions for entering are below, but please humor me and let me tell you about another contest that I am having with a little help from MyBlogSpark right here on my blog!

A while back, I was contacted by MyBlogSpark to see if I might want to try out their Progresso soups as well as get a free jump roap and mug. Well, duh! LOL Soup is great to have around during the cold winter months. They make for an easy to prepare and tasty lunch. What I really like, though, is that they sent me 15 cans of soup including both Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups. If you read my blog much, you'll know that I am TRYING to get in better shape. I figure eating a light lunch is just one small step I can take to achieve that goal! (*Note: Mr. Personality, I just realized, is eating a can of my soup as I type!)

Would you like to win two cans of soup, a jump rope and a mug? It's easy to enter. Just leave a comment telling me what your favorite soup is. I will choose the winner on March 1, 2010 You must enter by 11:59 P.M. on February 28, 2010.  You must be 18 to enter and unrelated to me!  :)  Note: This does NOT enter you in the contest for the makeover.

Also, you must leave me an e-mail or blog/ address unless I know you personally and can figure out who you are from your comment. I will NOT include your comment in the drawing if I don't know who you are and have no way of contacting you.

Now, on to the BIG contest!!!

Progresso “Souper You Debut” Contest

From January 4 through March 15th, you can visit http://www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to enter the Progresso “Souper You Debut” contest for the chance to win a full makeover in New York City.

Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 21st-23rd. The prize includes round-trip airfare, a two-night stay in a NYC hotel, a full makeover, a $1,000 wardrobe shopping spree, and personal consultation at a New York department store.

To enter, you’ll need to do the following:

Go to www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to learn more and enter the contest.

Submit your essay (200 characters or less) telling Progresso why you love Progresso Light or 100 Calorie Soups and why you would like a makeover.

In addition, please submit a photo of yourself that visually reinforces the theme of your essay.

Once you enter, you’ll have the chance for your photo and/or an excerpt from your essay to appear on http://www.Progresso.com/SouperYou, so be sure to check back frequently! Once the 10 finalists are announced, you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYou from March 29 through April 12 to vote for your favorite.

In addition, throughout the duration of the contest you can visit http://www.Progresso.com/SouperYou  to download a coupon for $1 off any three varieties of Progresso Soup!

So there you have it. Two contest for you to enter this time around! I'm looking forward to announcing the winner, and maybe even winning a makeover myself!!!

NOTE: The Progresso soup, gift pack, information, and giveaway were all provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark.

New Review!!! The Beehive Reader 1 from All About Spelling!

It would just so totally ROCK if you'd sign up to get my posts in your inbox.  Got to my sidebar where it says FEEDBURNER and simply enter your e-mail address.  It's that easy!!!

About the product/service:  As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received a free copy of the Beehive Reader 1 by Marie Rippel from All About Spelling for the purposes of this review. You might have heard of All About Spelling.  I did a review of their spelling program last year.  You can read all about it here.

The Beehive Reader was created for kids just learning to read.  There are ten simple, beautifully illustrated stories for your little one's reading pleasure.  (Illustrations are by Renee LaTuilppe.)  The book is hardcover, and looks like it will hold up under the "gentle care" of your new reader.  :)  

Any beginning reader should be able to read most of the words in the book, though it was specially designed to compliment All About Spelling's Level 1. 

Your young reader will find out what happens when...

...a busy cat lives in a windwill.
...a sleepy bear cut takes a nap.
...a grumpy duck demands a snack.

What are the pros of this product? My first impression is that it looks like a very high quality book.  It's hard cover, the pages are thick and made with special non-glare paper, and the illustrations are just adorable.  The stories are a little more interesting than in many of the other readers I have seen. 

What's not to like? I really don't see any issues with this book.  It is a tad expensive, but it does look like it should last.  Frugal as I am, I am learning that you have to pay for quality.  I have a lot of torn up paperbacks around here to back up my point.  LOL

The Crazy Mom take:  I like this book and look forward to using it with Baber soon.  I tried getting him to read it, but he is not quite ready for it yet.  He is getting there though!  I did read to him a couple of the stories.  I am hoping in a few months I can pull it out and have him read it to me.  Most of my kids just did not learn to read until about seven.  Baber is still six.  He can sound words out, but right now it is just too laborsome to make him try to read a story.  There's pleny of time for that later. 

I did find it to have sort of an "old fashioned" feeling, which I like.  I would say the illustrations remind me a bit of the "Little Bear" stories.  It's cute.  Oh, and one of the stories has lots of tongue twisters in it.  I'm not sure I'm ready for that!  :)

 

What's the bottom line? $19.95

I am going to give out of The Beehive Reader 1, 4 our of 5 smileys!!!  :)  :)  :)  :)  :) 

(I couldn't get my regular smileys to work, so please forgive my low tech smileys!) 

Check it out!

 http://www.all-about-spelling.com/beehive-reader-1.html

See what my fellow TOS Crew members have to say @ http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HomeschoolCrew/763935/


 
*The Smiley System: 

I can't really recommend this product.

 I doubt this product would be helpful to many people.
 This is a good product, but isn't right for everyone.
 Most homeschool moms will find this useful.
 This is great, and I would recommend it to anyone!!!

Disclaimer!!!  I reviewed this product because I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew.  I was given the product by the vendor to use and evaluate in my home so that I might share my insights with others.  Other than receiving the product, which I kinda have to to be able to assess the product, I am not compensated for my reviews in any way.  I am in no way obligated to give a positive review.  I do try to point out negatives when I see them, though I am admittedly a pretty easy going gal!  What you read are my honest assessments of the products I receive. 

As with all products, you must do the research before buying.  Please visit the the other crew members' blogs, the vendor websites, and any other review sites you might find before buying.  I can't guarantee that a product will work for you.  You must decide what will fit with your teaching style, and your child(ren)'s learning style(s).  I do not judge anything other than the educational value of the products I review.  I am not qualified to make judgements as to the safely of any product, and I make no guarantee that the products I review are safe for you, your family, or anyone else.  I am simply giving my opinion; only you know what is best for you and your family.

Don't use your blow dryer while you sleep or take a bath.  Don't read my reviews in the tub either, and please do not read them when you are asleep, though I do not guarantee that you won't fall asleep reading them!

Copyright 2010 Ramblings from the Crazy House

New Review of an Old Favorite!!! Math Mammoth!!!

I'm not too proud to beg!  Please sign up with Feedburner to get my posts right in your inbox.  C'mon!  It'll be fun!!!  :)

 

About the product/service:  As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received four different products from Math Mammoth at no charge for the purposes of review. 

I chose to to check out Multiplication 1, and three books from the Make it Real Learning Series:  Arithmetic 1; Fractions, Percents, and Decimals 1; and States by the Numbers.  (Not telling you which state, as I blog from a secure and undisclosed location!  LOL)

I did a very thorough review of this company last year, so I do not want to reinvent the wheel.  Just click here to read last year's review.  This company also made my Top Ten Products List from last year's crew.  I've also purchased additional products from them on my own.  Yeah, I do like them!  :)

For the purposes of this review, I'll simply give you my take on the new products I reviewed.  Namely those in the Make it Real Learning series.

What are the pros of this product?  The Make it Real Learning series suppliments the other books by giving, well, real life examples.  In other words, story problems.  :)  The state books are neat because you get to sneak in some interesting facts about your state during math class!  Of course, all the convenience of the digital format applies!

They are CHEAP!!!  :)


What's not to like? Can't think of anything!  :)

The Crazy Mom take:   I decided to use the Multiplication 1 book with Bear, 8.  She is my little workbook girl, so she loves it!  :)

I got the Make it Real books for my older kids.  I don't plan to use these on a regular basis, but as a supplement when I want to change things up a bit.  I noticed that the Fractions book had some pages on modifying recipes, so I had Princess do those.  We worked on the problems together. She has been in an "I hate math" mood, but an "I like cooking" mood, so I hope she is realizing that she needs math to cook!  :)  I can't promise she made that connection, but I think she did.  LOL

For the sake of our sanity, I decided just to look over the other two books myself rather than have my kids work through them right now.  We have all been just stir crazy.  They have been using Math Mammoth products now for about a year, so I have a pretty good handle on how they work for the kids.  :)  I am NOT going to feel guilty now.  Don't try to lay that guilt trip on me! 

I do think the whole idea of the States by the Numbers is a cool idea.  What a neat way to sneak in a little information about your home state during math class!  :)

To be completely honest, though, as much as I love the other Math Mammoth products, as a relaxed homeschooler, I probably prefer "making it real" for real when I can.  I mean, it probably makes sense to work on modifying recipes when I'm actually cooking with Princess.  So, I don't consider these books are real "must have," but more like a "nice to have."  Still, sometimes it's nice to work these things out on paper, so that when a real moment comes up, you have already laid the foundation. All in all, though, in my humble opinion, Math Mammoth products are well worth checking out.

I'm tired tonight, and I hope I'm making sense.  If not, you can always contact me and I'll try to help you out!  :)

Be blessed!

What's the bottom line? Multiplication 1 is $5.00, Arithmetic 1 and Fractions, Percents, and Decimals 1 are $4.99, and the books in the States by the Numbers series are only $2.99!

I am going to give Math Mammoth 5 out of 5 smileys!!!

Check it out!  http://www.mathmammoth.com/

See what my fellow TOS Crew members have to say @
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HomeschoolCrew/767136/



*The Smiley System: 
 I can't really recommend this product.
 I doubt this product would be helpful to many people.
 This is a good product, but isn't right for everyone.
 Most homeschool moms will find this useful.
 This is great, and I would recommend it to anyone!!!

Disclaimer!!!  I reviewed this product because I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew.  I was given the product by the vendor to use and evaluate in my home so that I might share my insights with others.  Other than receiving the product, which I kinda have to to be able to assess the product, I am not compensated for my reviews in any way.  I am in no way obligated to give a positive review.  I do try to point out negatives when I see them, though I am admittedly a pretty easy going gal!  What you read are my honest assessments of the products I receive. 

As with all products, you must do the research before buying.  Please visit the the other crew members' blogs, the vendor websites, and any other review sites you might find before buying.  I can't guarantee that a product will work for you.  You must decide what will fit with your teaching style, and your child(ren)'s learning style(s).  I do not judge anything other than the educational value of the products I review.  I am not qualified to make judgements as to the safely of any product, and I make no guarantee that the products I review are safe for you, your family, or anyone else.  I am simply giving my opinion; only you know what is best for you and your family.

Don't use your blow dryer while you sleep or take a bath.  Don't read my reviews in the tub either, and please do not read them when you are asleep, though I do not guarantee that you won't fall asleep reading them!

Copyright 2010 Ramblings from the Crazy House

Cool Starwars Lego Giveaway!!!

My friend Lori from the TOS CREW is giving away a totally cool Lego set.  Check it out here!!!

NOT ME MONDAY!!! FEB. 22, 2010

Don't miss a moment of my insanity!!!  Go to my sidebar and sign up to get my posts deliverered right to your inbox!!!  Just put your e-mail address in the little box where it says FEEDBURNER, verify, and start reading my posts without having to come over to my blog!!! 

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Last week was NOT surreal. I was not an emotional wreck for no apparent reason. I did not feel like crying every minute of every day. And as a matter of fact, I did not break down and cry just because my son told me my jokes weren't funny. No, I did NOT throw myself on the bed like a jilted teenager and just bawl my eyes out. That would just be too weird. (And it would freak out my dear son! LOL)

I did NOT have to spend an entire day looking for my son's expensive calculator.

I did NOT pass up my turn on the way to church.

I did NOT get in my ten minutes of exercising doing the Oompa Loompa dance in the basement with my four youngest children.

I was NOT a day late for two of my TOS reviews, and a shocking TWO DAYS LATE on one of them! (Or they might not let me back on next year!!! Yikes!!!)

I was totally emotionally balanced, efficient, organized, and mature in every way.

Of course I was!!! :)

Could the Next "American Idol" be from a Large Homeschool Family???

No, not one of mine!  LOL  We all sound like dying cows, but check this kid out! 

http://hilltophomeschool.blogspot.com/2010/02/ben-and-tim-urban-apologizing.html

I only watched Idol one season when Taylor Hicks won.  I saw the guy, found him just quirky and weird enough, and was hooked.  Yes, I even called and voted for him, can you believe it?  LOL  Wait, maybe I did watch some of another season, because I remember, oh, what was her name?  Jordon Sparks.  Yeah, that's it.  Anyway, I remember watching her win.  But I haven't watched since then and have no intention to.

However, should Tim Urban continue to stay on when they get to the Top 10 or whatever it is, I just might tune in.  It would be cool to have a large homeschooling family kinda guy win.  And no, I wouldn't vote for him just because he is a homeschool kid.  I do like the way he sings too!  :)

New Review!!! Frederic Chopin Early and Later Years Special Offer Set!

Before you read this post, do you know what would make me truly estatic?  If you'd sign up to get my posts sent right to your inbox!  Sign up for Feedburner right in my side bar!  It's easy, and it only takes a few seconds.  And it would really, really make my day.  (Go ahead...)

 

"It is better to build children than to repair men."

About the product/service:  As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received a free Frederic Chopin Early and Later Years Special Offer set which includes:  Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland, Early Years and Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland, Later Years and the combined study guide for each book as well as the Chopin Companion CD which is part of Zeezok Publishing's Great Musicians Series. 

Frederic Chopin is one of the most famous composers for the piano the world has ever know, yet many children know little or nothing about him.  This special offer from Zeezok will allow you to acquaint your child with one of the greats.  As you might have guessed, the first book, Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland, the Early Years is a biography of Chopin's life as a boy.  The second book, Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland, Later Years, details his life as a man.  The study guide covers both books. The CD not only has on it Chopin's music, but also contains sheet music that you can print out and play if you are blessed enough to know how to play piano and coloring pages for you to color if you don't!  :)

Other books in the series include those about Handel, Schubert, McDowell, Mozart, and more.  Zeezok also publishes many other books on several other topics.  Their goal is to help develop your family's love of God and country.  A fine goal indeed!  :) 

What are the pros of this product?  These books are a nice way to introduce your children to not just the music of Chopin, but to Chopin himself.  :)


What's not to like? The only thing I could really think of is that the word "gay" was used a lot in the book.  Of course, the book was written long ago when the word simply meant "happy" or "merry."  Still, just a little heads up that you might want to explain this to your children before they read it.  :)  (Surprisingly, mine never said a word about it!)

The Crazy Mom take:  I enjoyed reading the book (I only got to the younger years so far) with my children.  I sort of like the old-fashioned writing style.  At first, I thought the books were newly written, but once I started to read them I realized that they had been originally published back in the 40's (my fave decade.)  It's always nice to add a little culture to our day.  Unfortunately, we don't often make time for these types of books, so I'm glad I had a chance to review this one. 

After we read together, I played the CD.  The kids seemed to like it.  It came in handy as I have been trying to listen to less talk radio, and more music.  I'm trying to bring a little sanity to the Crazy House, and this is one way I'm trying to do it.  :)

I have always loved biographies, and this was no exception.  I love to learn about the early lives of great and talented people.  I think Chopin was especially interesting because he was such a virtuoso.  I mean, Baber is six, and Chopin first began to play piano at his age.  I can't imagine Baber playing like Chopin any time soon, but it was fun to tell the children that they, too, can do great things if they have a passion for it and are willing to practice. 

If you want to learn a little more about Chopin (or some of the other great composers) I think you ought to check Zeezok Publishing's Great Musicians series out!  :) 

 
What's the bottom line? $30.90 (Also available seperately, see website for details.)

I am going to give the Chopin Early and later Years Special Offer and Zeezok Publishing 5 out of 5 smileys!!!

Check it out! http://www.zeezok.com/

See what my fellow TOS Crew members have to say about this and other Zeezok products @
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HomeschoolCrew/759249/




*The Smiley System: 

I can't really recommend this product.

 I doubt this product would be helpful to many people.
 This is a good product, but isn't right for everyone.
 Most homeschool moms will find this useful.
 This is great, and I would recommend it to anyone!!!

Disclaimer!!!  I reviewed this product because I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew.  I was given the product by the vendor to use and evaluate in my home so that I might share my insights with others.  Other than receiving the product, which I kinda have to to be able to assess the product, I am not compensated for my reviews in any way.  I am in no way obligated to give a positive review.  I do try to point out negatives when I see them, though I am admittedly a pretty easy going gal!  What you read are my honest assessments of the products I receive. 

As with all products, you must do the research before buying.  Please visit the the other crew members' blogs, the vendor websites, and any other review sites you might find before buying.  I can't guarantee that a product will work for you.  You must decide what will fit with your teaching style, and your child(ren)'s learning style(s).  I do not judge anything other than the educational value of the products I review.  I am not qualified to make judgements as to the safely of any product, and I make no guarantee that the products I review are safe for you, your family, or anyone else.  I am simply giving my opinion; only you know what is best for you and your family.

Don't use your blow dryer while you sleep or take a bath.  Don't read my reviews in the tub either, and please do not read them when you are asleep, though I do not guarantee that you won't fall asleep reading them!

Copyright 2010 Ramblings from the Crazy House