Review: Leggo My Real Fruit Pizza Eggo!

I've mentioned (a lot) that my boys really love pizza. I can serve them pretty much anything on a pizza and they'll eat it. This is how I get vegetables into my three year old since spinach pizza is his fave.

When I heard about the brand new Eggo Real Fruit Pizza, I knew we had to try it. Mom Central contacted me and told me all about the warm toasted granola, fruit and berry flavored cream cheese. They can be microwaved (in a minute or so) or baked in the oven and come in two flavors: Strawberry Granola and Mixed Berry Granola.

That sounded YUMMY! I had to see if it lived up to the description.

Once we received our samples, I decided to try the strawberry version first. Here is the Eggo Real Fruit Strawberry Pizza right out of the microwave:

I decided to make this one first in the microwave to see how well it did by that method. It came out hot and tasty. The boys gobbled it right down and it had a really good, fruity taste. It has plenty of granola and bits of chopped up strawberry. The only thing that was a bit lacking was that signature pizza crunch. It did come with a crisping tray and it had a bit of crispness, but was not as crisp as I personally like. I made the mixed berry version by the oven method and it was just as good tasting, but had a crispy crust. I can see making it in the microwave for a quick breakfast for the boys since they like it fine that way, but if I make it for me, I'll use the oven method. Although it takes a bit longer (5-7 minutes), it's still fast and worth the extra few minutes (I can brew my coffee in that time).

All in all, both flavors tasted good and were easy to prepare. I will definitely pick up a couple of these for fast breakfasts for the kiddos next time I'm in the store. I like that I don't have to feed them fruit, bread or cereal separately and they still get several different food groups into their diet. As you can probably see by the photos, my boys ate the new Eggo Real Fruit Pizzas right down and approved.

For more information, check out www.leggomyeggo.com.

Fine Print: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Eggo Real Fruit Pizza and received a sample of the product and a $20 Amazon gift certificate to facilitate my review.

BABYBJORN Carrier: Try Before You Buy!

Do you like to try before you buy? You know I do. Well here is a promotion I think parents of new babies will love.

BABYBJÖRN invites you to visit a participating store through August 13, 2010 to test drive the new BABYBJÖRN Comfort Carrier (designed to allow parents to wear larger babies longer and more comfortably) and enter to win a BABYBJÖRN Babysitter Balance ($169.95) or a BABYBJÖRN Soft Bib ($9.95).

On a side note, if you are a long time reader, you may already know that we are big fans of the Soft Bib as the two I purchased for the boys when they were little still show up in photos from time to time. Just to show you a few posts: Click here for one example, here for another and most recently you can see the Soft Bib in this post. More can be found in the archives. They are the easiest bibs to clean and look as new today as they did when I bought them. I just throw them in the dishwasher. The best part is they catch food and the boys even retrieve fallen cereal and other bits of food so there is less waste.

I think this is a great promotion because when mine were small, I spent hours perusing websites, blogs and talking to friends to try and figure out what the best carrier was for babywearing. I ordered a few without having the chance to try them and not all were winners. It would've been great to test drive one before buying.
Please visit babyswede.com/feelthecomfort for a list of participating stores throughout the U.S. and Canada and for more information.

Pop On Pals: An Amusement Park In The House

Lately, the boys are getting more and more into imaginative play so I wanted to get them more toys that fed that new curiosity. I wasn't sure which ones my little train loving boys would gravitate towards.

Recently, through my affiliation with Team Mom, I was offered the opportunity to try out a toy that promises to let little ones be anything they want to be. A fireman can become a musician, a princess becomes a baker, a puppy becomes a ballerina. I was happy to hear that they encourage imaginative play and help develop fine motor skills. The toy is called Pop On Pals from Spin Master. They are just that... a toy that lets you pop them on rides, in cars, on buses and even pop different arms and outfits onto them to change them into a different figurine. When we received the Pop On Pals Amusement Park Play Set, complete with roller coaster and Ferris Wheel, I knew it would be a hit with my boys. See this post to see why I was so sure.

Pop On Pals are geared towards children ages 2-4 (perfect us and our two and three year old). There are all sorts of combinations and kiddos just press down on the pal and pop on the mix and match rings. The parts are chunky and perfect for toddler hands. As soon as my first born son saw the box, he started running one of his little trains down the roller coaster while it was still in the box. He had no patience with me while I opened the toy (you know it takes awhile to open toys). Luckily, once I had wrangled it out of the packaging, assembly was a snap (literally). I just snapped on the end of the roller coaster and it was ready.

Finleypotamus had a blast playing with it alone with the little character that came with it. That is until his brother wanted to play at the same time. That is the one suggestion I have for improvement of this set. I would suggest that these big sets come with at least two Pop On Pals. The boys got into more than one fight that ended in tears because they both wanted to play with the Pal at the same time. It would be neat to have two so that one could play with the roller coaster while the other maneuvered the Ferris Wheel or another part of the Amusement Park. There are plenty to buy separately though, so if you buy this for siblings, I suggest buying the extras right off the bat.

These pictures tell the story better than I can so I'll just let you see how much the boys enjoy Pop On Pals by showing you these:

I love that the coaster set is simple enough that they figure it out right away, but features lights, sounds and enough action and versatility that they don't get bored easily. It's a fun toy and I look forward to adding to our collection. In addition to the set we reviewed, there are also Pet Packs, Pal Packs, Ring Deluxe Ring Packs, 2 n' 1 Vehicle Sets, Pop and Go Airplanes and Pop and Go School Buses.

Buy: Check out poponpals.com to find all of the retailers that currently sell Pop On Pals by Spin Master. They include Toys "R" Us, Target, Kmart, Sears and more.

Fine Print: We received the set in this post in exchange for our honest review from Pop On Pals through Team Mom. The opinions are my own.

Mommy Makeover? A Girl Can Dream!

You know, when I look in the mirror I sometimes wonder who that is looking back at me. The three years of diminished sleep and two c-sections in a 12 month period show up in a flabby tummy and extra wrinkles accentuated by dark circles under the eyes.

Thank goodness for makeup and clothes that hold you in in the right spots, right? A tummy tuck would be nice too, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. When I got married, the one thing I splurged on was a professional makeup application and hairstyle. I felt like a princess and loved how smooth my skin looked and how the makeup artist made my eyes "pop". Since then, five years have passed and I now have two beautiful children.

So, here's my question... If you could have a free makeover, what would be on your wish list? I think I'd opt for a flat tummy, a facial, manicure and pedicure, nice long massage, new hairstyle and a makeup and style consultation. I always wanted someone to tell me what clothes would look best on me and teach me advanced makeup application techniques. Something to smooth these wrinkles would be welcome as well! I am already looking into Microdermabrasion as I mentioned before and teeth whitening is something that would be helpful (all that coffee to make up for my sleep deprivation is starting to show).

What would be on your makeover list if you could get a free makeover? We can all dream, right?

This is a sponsored post. The opinions and personal experiences are my own.

Juice In The City Houston Launches: Sign Up Today!

Hey readers, have you seen the neat new Juice In The City (JITC) box on my sidebar (looky there to the right)?

Yep, there is a great new site called Juice in the City (just launched in Houston), and I'm a contributor to it! Check it out to see a new great Houston activity recommendation every day, and "like" the activities to let Juice in the City know you want them to become great deals for us! If you aren't from Houston, I'd still love you to sign up as there are activities and deals and great content for other cities as well! The content that is pertinent to your city should show up in my sidebar widget.

Play the "I like that!" Houston game:

1. Each day, a new activity is featured on JITC.
2. Each day, an email to all subscribers goes out in the early morning, informing them of the daily Activity and asking them to come to the site and “like” the Activity if it appeals to them, and to share it with their friends!
3. By “liking” an activity, you are “voting” for it as something you’d like to see offered as a deal in the future. The more people who “like” the activity, the more likely we can turn it into a great deal for everyone to enjoy. So please, like and share and help us get other moms to vote for what they want!

Just click the "like" button below (or on the widget on my sidebar) and be sure to sign up to receive the daily emails so you won't miss an activity and possibly future deal!

Daily Deals on Juice in the City

Check it out and sign up! You won't want to miss my suggestions... Hint, hint, my first one has to do with one of my favorite Texas cuisines. Can you guess what it is? Let me know when you spot it. 

Fine Print. I am an affiliate of Juice In The City. Cities with activities do not yet offer deals. Activities precede deals in each city and are used to find out what moms in your area want offered as deals in the future!

C9 by Champion: Versatile Activewear Review

As you know, we just got back from a fun and fabulous vacation in Destin, Florida. We had a blast and the boys spent much time in the pool and on the beach. As you can see by the photo of my Kierbear, it was a relaxing time.

The one thing that wasn't relaxing was making sure I remembered to slather the boys with sunscreen constantly. To help protect them, I kept them in shirts a lot of the time. Luckily, we had recently received samples of the C9 by Champion line that is exclusively available at Target. This line is great for adults and teens who are working out, but also really good for little ones who like to swim. The shirts kept the sun off of their backs and dried really quickly once we were out of the water. They also didn't get heavy and droop or lose shape like a regular t-shirt would. I love a multi-purpose shirt that can go from the playground to the pool like that. We received several styles and you can see my boys in the white and blue version of the Boys' C9 by Champion® Surf the Web Short-Sleeve Compression Tee. We also received the Boys' C9 by Champion® Training Muscle Tee (that is still too big on the boys but will be great to grow into) and the long-sleeved version of the compression tee that will be awesome in the fall (and will be available on Target.com at that time).

The shirts we reviewed come in kids sizes 4-16 and feature a moisture wicking, quick dry fabric (84% Polyester and 16% Spandex). They are UV resistant and that's why they helped protect my boys from the sun.They wore them almost daily last week and they stood up to repeated washings looking like new (even an accidental run in the washer with a red shirt that ruined everything in the load but the C9 shirt). My three year old has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and he loved the smoothness of the shirt and the fact that there isn't a tag. These shirts would be really neat to wear while playing outdoors to keep dry and would transition well, in my opinion, to a nice undershirt in the winter.

Here's more information on the C9 by Champion line from the company:

This fall, no matter how challenging your workout may be, C9 by Champion, Target’s exclusive fitness apparel collection, is designed to help you look and feel your best. With affordable performance technology, comfortable and versatile styles for the entire family, C9 by Champion performs better so that you can perform better.

From the ever-popular seamless sports bras and Power-Core compression shirts to yoga pants and Duo-Dry tees, C9 by Champion has essentials for all of your training needs. The simple, clean styling and durable materials means that you will always look good and finish dry, comfortable and strong.

The women’s fitted yoga pants for $24.99 paired with the bright, multi-strap cami for $14.99 are a perfect combo for any yoga-lover looking to add color and style to their next session. The men’s performance Duo-Dry shirts priced at only $14.99 help him get through that long run—whether on the treadmill or the trails. For the kids, fun, graphic tees and training shorts are available for just $9.99 and easily transition from the classroom to recess to after-school practices.

To see these and other styles from C9 by Champion that will help you meet all of your fitness and wellness goals, we invite you to check out the new fall collection or visit Target stores or Target.com.

Buy: What I love most about this line is the price. The shirts shown in this review are only $9 each ($7 for the sleeveless version) and can be purchased at www.Target.com.

Fine Print: We received samples of the C9 by Champion line in exchange for our honest review. No other compensation was received and the opinions are our own.

Texas Bloggers Event at Fiesta Texas Equals FUN!

I am back from vacation and trying to catch up on life.... laundry, housekeeping, appointments, reviews, etc. but I wanted to share some photos from a fun weekend trip we took earlier this month to San Antonio.

San Antonio, TX is one of my favorite cities in Texas. My mother grew up there and I spent a lot of time there as a child visiting my grandparents. When Fiesta Texas opened, I was in high school and that was the last time I went. The place has really grown and changed since then. We were lucky enough to be invited for the day to check out Six Flags Fiesta Texas as part of the first annual exclusive Texas bloggers event. I wasn't sure what my boys would think since they are only two and three, but they loved it. They loved the shows, the food and watching the roller coasters.

Here is a slide show of some of our photos:

They ADORED Wiggles World. They are big fans of the show on SPROUT and had a blasting driving the Big Red Car and dancing during the show. I think Finley's favorite thing to do was ride the train and watch the roller coasters. He was super excited to watch them loop and twirl. It was definitely a highlight for him.

Something I liked as a mom was the fact that there are plenty of indoor activities to give the family a chance to cool off. I really liked that. My boys even snuck in a nap in their strollers after lunch during one of the indoor shows. I liked that there were a lot of different food options and rides for kids of all ages. I was surprised at how many options they had for my little ones. This would be a fun weekend. The family could go to Fiesta Texas one day then spend a leisurely day on the River Walk the next day (my favorite San Antonio attraction).

To be fair, I must say that as a stay at home mom on a tight budget, the one downfall for me is that it can become pricey fast at Six Flags. This is one day trip you'll need to save up for. I suggest buying your tickets (you can also buy your parking pass there) online where you can save a good bit of money by taking advantage of specials. No food is allowed inside the park unless there are special dietary needs, however you can keep food in your car in a cooler and there are picnic tables outside of the gates where you can enjoy your food if you want to save money that way. Also, if you don't like long lines you'll need to pay extra for The Flash Pass. This is a great option for those that don't want to wait and don't mind paying for that privilege. This option was out of our budget range though.

This event was put on in support of the Summer 2010 campaign by the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau. Readers, you have the opportunity to win a Heart & Sol Getaway to San Antonio just by clicking here and signing up. If you've never been to San Antonio, you should check it out. There is so much to see and do... Sea World, the San Antonio River Walk, Fiesta Texas, El Mercado, enjoy delicious food and much more.

Fine Print: Thanks to the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, we received complimentary entry into the park for my family as well as free parking and food during this event. No other compensation was received and the opinions are our own.