AMC & OLTL cancelled? :-(

Ever since I was 4 years old I can remember watching All My Children, One Life To Live and General Hospital. I know that soap operas are sometimes cheesy and the acting isn't always Emmy award worthy but the soaps have always been a daily part of my life. I found out that ABC is getting rid of All My Children and One Life To Live. I am so sad. I actually stopped watching AMC for a few years now but I do consistently watch OLTL and if I miss it in the daytime then I can catch up on Soapnet at night or the following morning. ABC says that the ratings are down so much that they can't afford to keep the shows. I heard one radio person say that it might be the fact that more moms (the main watchers of soap operas) are now working in the daytime. I even have my daughters hooked on OLTL and it has been a great teaching tool. How you ask? They have touched on the subjects of teen pregnancy, gay relationships, abusive relationships, mental disorders and more. These are in fact real-life things and it has been a great way for us to talk about certain subjects during the show that might otherwise be embarrassing being brought up at the dinner table. The girls are going to be devastated to find out that their favorite show is being cancelled. I guess they will have to find something else. My guess is they will get deeper into the Law & Order shows. They enjoy those shows. I feel like it beats the "reality" shows that are out there any day! Are you an ABC Soaps watcher? What are your thoughts about the cancellations?

Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products| Saving you $

This is a compensated post written by me on behalf of Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

I recently received a bottle of Walgreens Brand Mouth Rinse in Spring Mint flavor to try out. I do generally purchase Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products but this is my first time using the mouth rinse. I really liked the overall taste and feel of the mouth rinse and quite honestly could not tell that it was the Walgreens brand and not a traditional name brand product. I noticed that is is priced a lot lower than the other brands and also comes in different sizes and varieties. I feel like you are truly getting more for your money going with the Walgreens brand. I would completely recommend giving the Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products a try. 

Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products are a great value, allowing families and individuals to save money without sacrificing quality or trust. With the rising cost of health care, saving money on over-the-counter medications can really benefit a family’s budget. In addition to being an exceptional value, Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products:

a. Are Walgreens pharmacist recommended.

b. Most contain the same active ingredients as other national brands.

c. Have a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

d. Visit www.walgreens.com/walgreensbra… to learn more about Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products

Purchase of every Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Product supports bringing preventive wellness services to local communities through the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™

Walgreens will contribute up to $3 million annually to the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™. The Walgreens Way to Well Fund™ will provide free preventive health tests as well as other health and wellness services and education to local communities. Some of those services will include preventive health tests through the National Urban League Health & Wellness Tour and vouchers redeemable in select stores. For details, visit walgreens.com/waytowell .

Cooking with Coke- Share your recipes & memories {Giveaway}

Contest Closed
Winner is #61 Julie~ Congratulations!

Hey friends! I am so excited to be working with Coca-Cola on the launch of their new website called Cooking with Coke- a site dedicated to Coke-loving moms and families. Celebrity chefs Ingrid Hoffman and G. Garvin are featured on the site and they both share their memories of Coca-Cola along with some great recipes. I am sure Coca-Cola has been a part of your family gatherings, barbecues, parties and just everyday life since you were a kid. I know it has been that way for me! I have passed along my love for Coke with my kiddos and they always insist on the Coca-Cola brand every time we shop.

Cooking with Coke is intended for moms and families to share their recipes and stories with others. I think most of you will agree that food and Coke are a great combination! Here is my recipe. I loved browsing through the recipes of other fellow Coke lovers.
One of my Coke memories~ Check out these Coke bottles we have had since 1999 (still with 12+ year old Coke in them). They were given to us by my mother-in-law as a souvenir from when the Super Bowl came to Miami, January 31, 1999. We had moved up north but Miami was always in our hearts so it was a big deal when they had the big game in our hometown. We also have some Florida Marlins Coke bottles (when they won the World Series in 1997) in our storage room. Hmm, maybe I should re-do my kitchen with a Coca-Cola theme?!
For the giveaway: In an effort to help promote the Cooking with Coke site, Coca-Cola is providing an Ingrid Hoffmann 12qt Tamale Pot and Steamer with Lid by T-fal® {$59 value} to give away to one lucky Momfiles reader! Nice huh? Imagine all the new food memories you can create with this beauty...
To enter *Mandatory: You must go to the Cooking with Coke site and submit your favorite recipe. It does not have to contain Coke as an ingredient. It's really easy (I promise)- You connect through Facebook and it brings up a simple form to add your recipe with an option to add a photo and to share a memory. It can be as simple as a drink or a dessert. You can refer to my recipe as an example. You must then leave the link to your recipe. If you do not leave your link then your entry will not be valid and it will be deleted. This will count as 5 entries (just leave the link and #1, #2 etc... as an individual comment)

You can gain additional entries by any of the following:
~ "like" Momfiles and Coca-Cola on Facebook and leave your name you are liking from
~ Follow Momfiles and Coca-Cola on Twitter (leave your Twitter name)
~ Tweet this (once a day):

Enter the @CocaCola Cooking with Coke #Giveaway @momfiles http://tinyurl.com/3cfnf3b to win a 12qt Tamale Pot and Steamer w/ Lid by T-fal®

~ Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect
~ Sport the Momfiles badge on your blog/site

This giveaway is open to US Residents and will end at 9:00 PM EST on April 29, 2011. One winner will be selected via random.org and will be contacted via email. Be sure to leave your email address if you do not have a Blogger profile. Good luck!

This giveaway prize was provided by The Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company is not a sponsor, administrator or connected in any other way with this giveaway. T-fal® had zero involvement with this contest. I will receive the same prize as a thank you gift for spreading the word about the new site.

WTH Wednesday | Walmart edition

Most of you who read Momfiles regularly, are friends with me on Facebook or Twitter or if you know me personally then you know I am a regular Walmart shopper. I go in there about 2-3 times a week. Time after time I am faced with the ugly side of Walmart but I have learned to deal with it. Now today I greeted the cashier in my usual friendly way by saying "Hello, how are you?" She mumbled something and kept sucking her teeth and rolling her eyes. I obviously did not get the picture that she did not want to be bothered so I proceed to ask her how her day was going so far. Her response was "it's a day". What the hell kind of response was that? Meanwhile she goes back to her eye rolling, disgusted "I hate my job" attitude. I had some items that I had a FREE coupon for, meaning the items would not cost me anything. I even left those 3 items last and put the correct coupon on top of each item to make it easier for her (nice huh?) I also did it because Walmart cashiers treat me as if I am robbing the store when I present a coupon for something free. She then goes on to ring up the last items and scans the coupons. The items cost $2.89, $2.50 & $2.98. The coupon amounts she took off were $2, $2 & $1. Hmm, that doesn't make sense if they were for a FREE product right? I asked her about it and she rolls her eyes and tells me that they round coupons down to cover the tax. I was confused. I do know that Walmart has updated their coupon policy and I can understand most of the rules but not honoring a legit free coupon? What the hell! That is ridiculous and the fact that I have to deal with Ms. Attitude doesn't make it any better. She tells me that she does not agree with the policy and that Walmart must have gotten tired of giving things away for free. I just wanted to smack her. Walmart WILL get their money back when customers use coupons. What a freakin' crock! Needless to say I will NOT be buying anything that requires a coupon at Walmart and as a matter of fact I will be taking a break from giving them my money. In the famous words of Dwayne-- "Now that's some BULLS@#T!"

Random family updates

Is it just me or has time been flying by? I swear it was just January and I look at the calendar and we are about halfway through April. Last week was Spring break and it was wonderful. The girls had an actual break from the usual 4-7 hours of school work they have on a daily basis (weekends included). They had to nerve to complain that they were bored! I told them they had better enjoy that down time since from here until June 3rd there will be no school work break. We sort of lingered around all week and did a little shopping, eating out and getting together with friends. I enjoyed the quality time with the girls that we don't get much of during the busy school week. William was treated like a King while the girls were home. I hate to admit that William is a bit spoiled. The even carried him around like a baby! He loved every minute of it.

Now I am back to my usual getting up at the crack and driving kids everywhere. I would not have it any other way. Chardie has been getting some driving practice in although she will not be getting a car until she graduates high school. There's no need for it if I am available to drive them anywhere they need to go. I don't mind waiting either. I will let her drive herself to school once she gets her license. I'll just have to scoot myself back in the driver's seat and go home.

I have been working with William on his "school" work and he is doing an amazing job! He knows the entire alphabet phonetically and recognizes a lot of words. He has been saying a lot of bigger words as well as speaking in complete sentences. It's amazing how much he adds to his vocabulary daily. We are very proud. We have also been working on potty training. He is getting good at going pee pee and staying dry all day and overnight. Poo poo is a whole other beast. He still hided when he has to go. I don't really know what to do about that one. I guess I have put it in my head that he will get it eventually and thankfully since he is not in daycare/preschool it won't be as big a deal to be fully trained. I'm not stressing.

Dwayne and I have been talking about getting a treadmill. I am willing to buy one that is used but we have not been able to find what we want within our spending limit. I can't believe people think they can sell their USED treadmill for $800! If I was spending money like that I would buy it brand new. We are hoping the right deal will come along.

We have been getting some home improvements done. We are doing a little at a time since we don't use credit cards. Cash goes FAST! I feel like our bank account is a recycling center. All in all everything is going well for the Ismail family. How is everything going with you?