Family * Travel * Food

New from IHOP: Scrambles Inspired by Tastes from Around the Globe

The Restaurant Famous for Making Eggs Any Way You Want Them Has Three New Scrambles Inspired by Tastes from Around the Globe

Do you have a taste for adventure, but can’t get away? For a limited time, you need only go as far as your local IHOP® restaurant:  they are bringing exactly that—a taste of adventure— straight to your table with the introduction of their new World Scrambles, which capture the best flavors from destinations both near and far!

Guests at IHOP restaurants have always been able to enjoy a multitude of egg dishes, prepared any way they want them, and now three new savory egg scramble sensations, available now through September 7, give them even more “egg-citing” choices to enjoy:
All-American Bacon Scramble: Fluffy scrambled eggs topped with diced fresh tomatoes, crispy hickory-smoked bacon and shaved white cheddar cheese.
Tuscan Scramble: Eggs scrambled with sweet basil, roasted red peppers, finished with shaved Parmesan cheese, diced tomatoes, and topped with delicious fresh spinach
Californian Scramble: Jack & cheddar cheeses melted into fluffy scrambled eggs topped with our salsa & fresh avocado.

Each World Scramble, a satisfying choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner, is made to order and perfectly paired with golden hash browns and your choice of a warm flour tortilla, toast, or two of IHOP restaurant’s classic buttermilk pancakes.

Guests can also beat the summer heat with refreshing new lemonades, also available until September 7. In addition to a traditional lemonade, IHOP restaurants are now offering a cherry lemonade and a mango lemonade, each garnished with a slice of lemon, and available with free refills. Each ice-cold lemonade pairs well with IHOP’s new dinner salads, sandwiches and other entrees. For more information or to find an IHOP restaurant near you, please visit www.IHOP.com.  Follow IHOP on Facebook and Twitter.
SHARE:

To a Cultured Land — Interesting Educational Family Days out in the UK

A family holiday to the UK can be one of the most memorable yet educational adventures children can experience. Packed with history, culture, wildlife and fun, the UK is the perfect destination for American families abroad. Not only are there loads of kid-friendly activities, but everyone speaks English, making family travel that much easier. Here are a few of the best family-friendly days out on a UK holiday.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
With attractions that cover 800 years of naval history, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is located in the larger HMNB (Her Majesty’s Naval Base) Portsmouth, a fully functioning port for the British navy. The Historic dockyard is an enthralling day out for families since it’s a maritime museum featuring educational exhibits including the raised wreck of the Tudor carrack Mary Rose, the HMS Warrior (from 1860) and HMS M33 which was a WWI monitor. The museum is one of the world’s most renowned maritime museums and children will love seeing relics from the adventurous seafaring days of yore.

Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is the largest, oldest occupied castle in the world and is — to this day — an official royal residence. The castle is open to visitors and offers free audio tours for families, narrated by such colorful castle residents as Gilbert the Grotesque, Tipu Tiger and Cyril, a Page of the Back Stairs. As well as guided tours, there are loads of family activity trails to explore, shops, and a regular schedule of insightful programs throughout the year.

Sutton Hoo
This Suffolk gem in the east of England is an ancient Anglo-Saxon burial ground covering 91 hectares overlooking the Deben estuary. The site has a fascinating archaeological history and seamlessly melds contemporary children’s fun with ancient historical exhibitions. There are woodland walks, an adventure playground, tracker packs and activity trails to keep the whole family engaged and entertained for an educational day out.

Family travel can be expensive and the exchange rates are rarely in favor of anyone coming into the UK. To make the most of a UK holiday, take public transport wherever possible, search for discounts prior to arrival and bring pack lunches, because the UK is best appreciated over a civilized picnic in a quaint location.

SHARE:

Managing LBL with Poise (FREE Sample Kit offer) #ad

Thanks to Poise for sponsoring today's discussion and keeping me feeling confident!

Turning 40 last year was not only a big milestone in my life, but also an eye-opener for many reasons. I have come to realize that my body has changed over time and with having three kids, some things are not the same. One in three women experience Light Bladder Leakage (LBL), which can be triggered by everyday occurrences like coughing, sneezing, laughing or exercise. Many women rely on feminine care products or nothing at all to manage their little leaks because they don’t know there are solutions designed specifically for LBL or they don’t think incontinence products are for them. As the leader in the light incontinence category, Poise brand offers a variety of pads and liners to make it easy to find protection for every woman’s needs.

These shockingly thin and surprisingly absorbent liners feature SAM (Super Absorbent Material) to provide discreet Light Bladder Leakage (LBL) protection that helps keep you dry and comfortable all day long so you can manage life’s little leaks with confidence. Poise Microliners are the thinnest liners in the light incontinence category and are designed to absorb wetness, neutralize odor and stay three times drier than period liners.

Now I can go put on my red lipstick and face the world with confidence! Poise Microliners are so thin and discreet, I even forget they are there.

Get a Poise Liner or Pad sample kit for FREE. Check it out for yourself and feel free to share with others who may need to get their confidence back from LBL.

SHARE:

Summer must-have items-- Carmex lip balm

With summer finally here you’re probably packing your bags to hit the beach, the road or just your back yard. Now you can ensure your pucker is always on point this summer with these pocket-sized travel essentials from Carmex® and tips from Shannon Tor, Director of Research & Development for Carma Laboratories, the company that makes Carmex® lip balms!

Soaring temps can leave your lips dehydrated because “your lips don't have any oil-producing or sebaceous glands so the only moisture they get is from saliva,” explains Shannon Tor. Saliva in turn “evaporates quickly and enzymes in which dissolve oils, which can actually lead to dry, chapped lips.” Be sure to pack Carmex® Lip Balm ($1.59) in a tube to keep them hydrated!


Hotter weather can leave your makeup melting so this summer go lipstick-free and instead sport well moisturized and protected lips with the Carmex® Protecting Lip Balm Sticks ($1.59). Plus, Shannon Tor explains that your natural lips are designed to be flaunted “since your lips have fewer layers of skin than the rest of your body, underlying blood vessels, blood-filled capillaries, are close to the surface, giving your lips a reddish or pink tint.”


With summer often comes summer romance so before you pucker up, turn to the Carmex® Lip Balm ($1.59) that has been around for 77 years to make your pucker memorable! Shannon Tor explains that “a lip balm is only as effective as the ingredients in the formula” and that the time-tested formula of the Carmex® Lip Balm “contains camphor and menthol to soothe severely dry lips and petrolatum to create a long-lasting protective barrier.”

Carmex® Lip Balm is available at retailers nationwide. For more information, please visit www.mycarmex.com.

b391b74cdeebb4af59f1806c5cc01145f013b379f99e4d2651
SHARE:

Save the turtles-- please share!

I wanted to pass along this information...

Please help to save a turtle's life and perhaps even your child's.

In August, your children will be enjoying another edition of the extremely popular, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. This will include a whole new generation of kids who missed the 2007 animated film. It's fun and great entertainment.

But, your help is needed. Since the first movie was released in 1990, hundreds of thousands of live turtles, mostly water turtles called red eared sliders, were purchased for between $10 and $25 after each ninja movie was released. The result? Many, if not most, were dumped and even deliberately killed or flushed down the toilet. Remember people buying thousands of dogs that ended up in shelters after 101 Dalmatians came me out? Same problem.

Unfortunately, children do not realize that real turtles do not fly, perform stunts or do any of the exciting moves fictional movie turtles do. Parents, trying to please their children, purchased live turtles which ended up languishing in tanks. Or, when the kids realized after a few weeks that these were not ninja turtles, the turtles were dumped illegally into rivers and lakes as well as dumpsters, flushed down toilets or relinquished to shelters and overcrowded rescues. It's estimated that 90 percent died. Additionally, zoos do not take turtles.

Turtles have been around for 200 million years and outlived the dinosaur. Is this the way we want to treat our precious wildlife? Most of these turtles are taken out of the wild and sold to pet stores, breeders and mercados for profit.
Here's the bigger problem. Turtles carry salmonella which can make a child very, very sick and can even kill them. That's why turtles less than four inches were banned from sale in the U.S. in 1974 and still are...tiny turtles easily fit into a child's mouth. Children also tend to touch the water and don't wash their hands. It's an ugly problem. A nine month old baby in Los Angeles got salmonella meningitis from a turtle after its parents touched it and then held the baby. We do not recommend live turtles or tortoises for children under 13 because of salmonella exposure and because the kids lose interest almost immediately.

What can you do to help? Buy Ninja Turtles action figures and toys instead of live turtles and save a turtle's life, and perhaps even your child's.
SHARE:

Turn your spare room into the ultimate den

Your idea of bliss might involve curling up on a plush, overstuffed sofa with your favorite paperback and a steaming mug of tea. For your partner, heaven might be the thrill of tearing up some virtual tarmac with the latest white knuckle racing game and a mini fridge full of ice-cold craft beers. Everyone likes a little time away from the rest of the family, so it’s only natural to want to dedicate a small portion of the home to the preservation of everyone’s sanity. If this sounds like you, it’s time to transform your spare room into a family den.

If you do have a box room eligible for promotion to living space status, it has probably been used as the household dumping ground. Your first step towards creating your family haven is to banish the bumf and clear out the clutter. Any long lost articles of clothing and literature you are not instantly overjoyed to rediscover in the clear out should be recycled. Hoarders is not an aspirational lifestyle.

Once the room has been completely emptied, you can begin to determine the function and personality of your den with a bit of decor. Need a brooding man cave? Dark maroon or bottle green with wallpaper accents or wood paneling may exude the sophistication you crave. An airy meditation retreat will require lighter colors; duck egg blue will help you reclaim serenity, while light woods and white walls are necessary to make the most of the light in an aspiring artist’s studio.

As for furnishings, comfort trumps style every time. While we all picture ourselves staring into a crackling fire from the embrace of a chunky Chesterfield, the reality is that Chesterfields are a bit slippery, and fires consume as much time as they do fuel. Big, plush sofas scattered with squishy cushions work best. For the pyromaniac seeking a bit of fiery atmosphere, a few candles or fairly lights in a hurricane lamp will work as well as an inferno. In the same vein, exposed mahogany floorboards might sound grand, but toe splinters are no joke. Instead, layer traditional oriental rugs near well-trafficked spots to keep bare feet warm.

If you do have a forlorn little spot in your house, show it some love; not everyone has the fortune of a spare room to play with. Whether you choose to transform it into a home cinema, a billiards room or a crafts haven, you’ll find getting creative with a bit of personal space can do wonders for the soul.
SHARE:
Blogger Template Created For Mom Files All Rights Reserved