Eggland's Best America's #1 Egg [Giveaway]

**Contest Closed**
Winners are #248 ZESTYWONDERLAND & #141 ababe28

For many years now, my family has been exclusively eating Eggland's Best eggs. A lot of people call us egg snobs. Hey, we can't help it if we like the best eggs! I was just reading an article the other day about the old beliefs that eggs were bad for you. Turns out eggs are a nutritious choice and are packed with vitamins and are a good source of protein and Omega 3. Eggs are so versatile and not just a breakfast food. We have eggs at all times of day and it is one of our most common go-to foods. We love them fried, scrambled, in omelets, boiled, deviled and more. As a kid, I ate eggs curried and stewed. I think deviled eggs are my favorite and I make up a tray for every cookout we go to.

Compared to ordinary eggs, each Eggland’s Best large egg contains:
• 25% less saturated fat
• 35% more lutein
• 10 times more Vitamin E
• 3 times more Vitamin B12
• 2 times more Vitamin D
• Double the Omega-3

You can read all of the great benefits Eggland's Best eggs have as well as EB's Nutrition facts.

We are giving away an Eggland's Best prize pack to 2 lucky Momfiles readers! The prize pack includes: 1 month of FREE Eggland’s Best eggs (in the form of coupons), an eco bag, a plush egg and a spatula.

To Enter:
Mandatory: Do you eat Eggland's Best eggs? What is your favorite way to eat eggs?

For extra entries (leave a separate comment for each entry method to count):
~ Tell us a fact you learned about Eggland's Best eggs
~ Share your favorite egg recipe (3 entries) Be original!
~ "like" Eggland's Best and Momfiles on Facebook
~ Mention this giveaway on Facebook and leave a link
~ Follow Eggland's Best and Momfiles on Twitter
~ Tweet this giveaway and leave a link (once daily):

Enter to win an @EgglandsBest prize pack from @momfiles (2 winners) http://tinyurl.com/3tc4yrt #giveaway

~ Follow Momfiles via Google Friend Connect
~ Place the Momfiles button on your blog (leave blog link)

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on August 1, 2011 at 9:00 pm EST. Two winners will will be chosen at random and contacted via email. Please leave your email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger Profile. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post and all opinions are 100% mine as always

Guess what? Bees STING!!

My family went away for the weekend to Atlanta, GA to join our family for the annual family reunion. The weather was picture perfect to be in the car for 3 hours. We were able to ride with the windows down~ we were loving it! The road trip was so much fun. We chatted, made fun of each other, laughed and lived frivolously with no cares or worries. We really enjoyed the time we spent together in the car....until.... a bee flew in! It ended up on my window (the passenger side) and I quickly put it down all the way but it seemed like the bee went down into the door and not out of the window. Oh well, we just kept right on along and stopped for a snack. We are all laughing and carrying on and suddenly the bee appears again! I quickly let the window down and it went out, but it looked like it came back in. I was not sure but the family seemed convinced that it was gone. Three minutes later I started screaming hysterically. The freakin' bee was on my upper back!! It stung me and I was freaking out like you would not believe. I am 37 years old and have never been stung by a bee before. Dwayne told me to calm down and he grabbed it with his fingers and killed it and threw it out of the window. He pulled the car off to a safe location and tried to see if the stinger was still intact. I don't even know what happened to it. I am however really glad that I am the mom who thinks of almost everything and packed Benedryl and Ibuprofen. I took both about 5 minutes after it happened. I think that saved me a lot of pain and swelling. I am SO thankful that I am not allergic in the deadly kind of way since I obviously survived. It is itchy and red but I am okay otherwise. Our trip was able to go on as planned and we had a blast. I would recommend that if you ever travel to be sure to take your Benedryl and Ibuprofen "just in case". I'm glad I did!!

Back-to-school with Walmart | Giveaway

**Contest Closed**
winner is lyndseyluvsjj

We are already almost halfway through the month of July and most of us will have to start buying back-to-school items for the kids. Walmart has always been our favorite place to purchase school supplies and lunch box items. Right now you can find almost 70 items at Walmart with 4 Box Tops for Education on the package. I have been saving up our Box Tops and donating them to the girls' schools ever since they were in kindergarten. For every Box Top you clip you earn your school 10 cents. You would be amazed how quickly they add up. Good thing for me is a lot of the snacks my kids like are participating products like Nature Valley, Cheerios, Yoplait and more. This is a great way to buy the brands my family loves as well as help out the school. It's like fundraising without any real work! You can see the complete list of participating products that have the Box Tops here.

Giveaway: I have a $25 Walmart gift card to give away to one lucky Momfiles reader to help get a jump on that back-to-school shopping.

To Enter:
Mandatory: Let us know what items you plan to buy from Walmart for back-to-school or which Box Tops items from General Mills you plan to purchase?

For extra entries (leave a separate comment for each entry method to count):
~ "like" Walmart and Momfiles on Facebook
~ Mention this giveaway on Facebook and leave a link
~ Follow Walmart and Momfiles on Twitter
~ Tweet this giveaway and leave a link (once daily):

Enter to win a $25 @Walmart GC #giveaway from @momfiles and #myblogspark http://tinyurl.com/62vqxfp for #backtoschool

~ Follow Momfiles via Google Friend Connect
~ Place the Momfiles button on your blog (leave blog link)

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on July 30, 2011 at 9:00 pm EST. One winner will will be chosen at random and contacted via email. Please leave your email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger Profile. Good luck!

Disclosure: The information and $25 gift card to Walmart has been provided by Walmart and General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Are you "in" Google+ ?

Seriously, don't we have enough to keep up with and now there is Google+? I am "in" and honestly I don't see what all the hoopla is about. I don't even know how to use the darn thing and it seems like it's way over the top. I like simplicity. Some people have said it is like Facebook and Twitter in one place. I think I am more partial to Facebook by itself as well as Twitter by itself. Maybe I'm just too old school to appreciate all this social networking technology. I am trying to figure how the heck you delete it!

What about you? Are you a part of Google+? Do you like it? Am I missing something? Please share..

I am so happy that the girls have returned from their volleyball camp in Charleston. They both had a great time and learned a lot. Of course after visiting College of Charleston, they are both considering applying there. I would be fine with that since it is only 2 hours away. It was certainly very quiet with them gone! Well, it's time to go cook them a big ole dinner. Have a great day friends! :-)

Info on the new Verizon Wireless data plans

I have been a long time Verizon Wireless customer, even before they were called Verizon. I have been very pleased over the years and was really shocked when I heard about the new data package requirements being implemented as well as the end of "unlimited" data. This scared us since Dwayne and I are dedicated smartphone users. We do it all~ social networking, blogging, Google, Pandora, email.... you name we do it. I read some of the awful customer comments on Facebook and Twitter and thought to myself, "How can such a big and great company do this to their customers?" Of course I had to find out for myself and not go with all of the ignorant comments you see all over the internet.

I called Verizon's customer service center to inquire how this new change will affect my family. It turns out that the new data package pricing only affects new customers getting smartphones and also current customers upgrading to a smartphone from a regular phone. As long as you were an unlimited data customer prior to the new changes you will not be affected. Even if we upgrade to newer smartphones, we will still be able to keep our current unlimited package with the same price. I was so happy to hear that because I was starting to think I was going to have to go back to a normal phone since I am a heavy smartphone user. I am glad I did my homework and did not just assume the worst. I am also happy that I won't have to switch from a company I love.

My girls are gone :-(

I woke up this morning at 4:30 so I could take the girls to meet up with their volleyball teammates to board the bus to Charleston for a 3-day camp. You would not believe the amount of stuff 2 teenage girls carry along for such a short time! I tell you what though, I miss them already. As a matter of fact I started missing them since Monday. William woke up this morning and gave his usual good morning greetings. He then asks to go downstairs so he can see his girls. Yep, he refers to his sisters as "my girls". I told him that they were not home and he got teary eyed. I am sure he will be missing them a whole lot too. I know the girls will have a blast and at least they can get away from the mountains of summer work they have for a few days. The upside to all of this is that we will actually have food in the house for the next few days!

Oh, one last thing...Chardie got her score from her AP European History exam she took in May for college credit. You get scored from 1-5 (5 being the highest) Guess what? My girl got a 5!!!! We are so proud!!!

Sustenex back-to-school immunity kit giveaway

** Contest Closed**

I recently got the chance to try out Sustenex Probiotic Gummies and Probiotic Chews. These dietary supplements contain probiotics which help maintain a healthy digestive system that can lead to a healthier body. What are probiotics? As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), probiotics are live microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Sustenex® contains the probiotic, BC30.
My daughters and I decided to see what Sustenex Probiotic Gummies taste like. We were all amazed at how much the gummies looked and smelled like traditional gummy bears. Guess what? They taste exactly that way! We all had to stop ourselves since the daily recommended amount you can have is 1-4 of them. They contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives and have only 24 calories for every 2 pieces. We tested out the Probiotic Chews the following day and were a bit leery. Lucky for us they tasted like a cross between a Starburst fruit chew and a Laffy Taffy! Each chew contains 1 billion cells of the probiotic, BC30 and has only 20 calories. The great part is there is no worries about refrigerating your probiotic supplement like you would with yogurt and you don't need to swallow enormous pills. You can keep some in your purse, desk or take them along when you travel.

Sustenex probiotics are great for the whole family and are a delicious and convenient way that can help support your digestive and immune health. You can purchase Sustenex products at a variety of retail stores including Target, Walmart and Amazon.com. You can find a complete list of retailers here.

How would you like to win a back-to-school immunity kit? The kit comes with a lunch tote, 1 box of Sustenex Probiotic Gummies, 1 bag of Sustenex Probiotic Chews, 1 travel sized Kleenex facial tissues and 1 Clean Well all-natural (alcohol free) spray on hand sanitizer. One lucky Momfiles reader will win this great gift pack simply by leaving a comment to this post letting me know why you want to win this prize.


For additional entries you can (leave a separate comment per entry method):
~ "like" Sustenex and Momfiles on Facebook
~ Share this giveaway on Facebook
~ Follow Sustenex and Momfiles on Twitter
~ Tweet this giveaway (once daily):

Enter to win a @Sustenex #Probiotic back-to-school immunity kit #giveaway from @momfiles http://tinyurl.com/6gmf4oq

~ Follow Momfiles via Google Friend Connect
~ Place the Momfiles button on your blog

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end at 9:00 PM EST on July 15,2011. Please be sure to leave your email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger Profile. One winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email to claim prize. Good luck!

I received products samples to review and all opinions are 100% mine always.

Flashback Friday | 1991

This was me back in high school when I was just 17. In those days I wore a size zero and I loved to dress up for school. This shot does not show you how big my hair was in the front! Dwayne took this photo when he decided he would just waltz into my class during the middle of the school day. As you can see I was not exactly happy about it since he popped up and surprised me. Hey, he could have at least given me a heads up so I could be ready. I remember everyone thinking it was so cute of him to take a random picture of his girl. Senior year was amazing! :)

Hmm, I wonder why was I holding my folder while everyone in the background was doing school work?

Lemon tree update and a bargain

Remember my post about planting a Dwarf Meyer lemon tree in a pot? Well check out how big it has gotten in the past 7 weeks!

Before:

After 7 weeks:

Of course I will not see any lemons until maybe next year if I am lucky, but I am thrilled with the fact that it is actually growing! I was worried since I paid so little for it but so far so good.

Here is my bargain of the week- Every year I buy a Mandevilla so that I can have flowers blooming throughout the summer. Normally I would have purchased it by the first of May. This year I decided I did not want to pay $20 for a plant. I am glad I did not get it at that time. Last night Dwayne and I were doing some work in the front yard and we had to make a quick run to our local home improvement store for a couple items. We both noticed that there was an abundance of plants on clearance. The garden center lady informed us that all clearance plants were an additional 50% for that day only. I found my plant that was originally $22.48 marked down to $11 and with the extra 50% off it ended up being $5.50! I was so happy! It is really big and all that was wrong with it was one little branch was broken. I pulled that sucker off and voila, new pretty pink mandevilla :-)

Teaching geography

Every evening when Dwayne comes home from work he tries to make sure he does something with William. Whether it is reading a couple books, playing outside or just getting on the floor to play with blocks/toys it has become a part of the weekly routine. For the past week they have been putting together a wooden puzzle that is the map of the United States. We recently got this neat puzzle from eBeanstalk called the USA Sound Map Puzzle by Melissa & Doug. Although it is intended for ages 6+ it still seemed like a great way to teach Will about the United States of America. This puzzle is unique since it "talks to you". When you place the state in the correct space on the map it tells you the name of the state as well as the capital city. William's eyes lit up the first time he heard it.

Dwayne and William worked on it together and would complete it about 2 times each evening for the first few days. William has figured out where most of the pieces go on his own. It's amazing how intelligent a young mind can be. Dwayne even commented how much this puzzle has refreshed his memory of what a lot of the capital cities are as well as the exact location of some states you don't think about often. This is such a fun way to teach geography without it feeling like a lesson. I would absolutely recommend this to any parent with preschool aged children. We loved the durable wooden pieces since 3 year old kids can be a bit rough on their toys. This puzzle costs $24.99 but is worth every penny. We do have to store on a high shelf when it is not in use so a certain little boy will not lose any of the states :)

Does your child love to put together puzzles?

William's playground

Lately William has really been into going to the playground. Since it has been so hot out, it makes it harder to take him on a daily basis. The rare time of day that it is cooler is when the sports teams are playing so parking is scarce and the playground becomes way too crowded. We decided to get him his own swing set or as he prefers to call it "William's playground". We went with a smaller one since he is the only little one and also he still has the majority of the yard to run and play ball.

The good thing is we never have to leave home and we put it by a tree where we can get some decent shade for most of the day. I am also glad we can take potty breaks and get a cold drink when we need it. William is loving his new toy and it's a great way for him to get some of that boy-energy out. It really wears him out with all of that physical play so he sleeps very well at night (score!)

Dwayne and I put the swing set together and it was not as bad as I thought it would be. Of course there was that 30 minutes that was wasted trying to get the ladder rungs assembled. No matter how many times we tried, we just could not get the screws and nuts to connect. I then find a little bag of 4 screws so I decided to open them up. Good move~ turns out that the paper enclosed stated that the directions were not revised with the fact that you needed to use those specific screws and NOT the ones we struggled with for so long. You know Dwayne was rolling his eyes at me and will be talking about me for a long time to come since I was in charge of the instructions.

In the end, our boy is happy and so are we! :)

Your children are really watching you

This morning I took the kids out to a few stores so that they could buy some health and beauty products. They both had their own money and the oldest one has a job so she had her fresh, new debit card. Chardie was so proud to feel like a grown-up using her own debit card and ever more so that it was her own money that she earned. Before we left for the stores Chardie asked me if I had any coupons for some of the things she needed on her list. We looked through the coupons and she selected the ones she needed. Both girls shopped very carefully by checking prices and comparing brands. If they were unsure they would go and scan the item at the kiosk. The words I kept hearing as they shopped was "this is not a necessity" or "that is way too expensive". Those words sounded very familiar to me.

After the first store we headed to the next destination. The first place the girls went to was the clearance racks. You would not believe the excitement a $3 top could stir up in a teenage girl. We took our time and looked around and they picked out a couple items each. We were taking one last look in the Junior's department and Chardie told me that she was feeling bad about spending money. She said that all of her friends that have jobs spend every dime of their paychecks and end up with an empty bank account. Chardie said she was really glad that she does not ever want to drain her account and then she tells me, "I am just like you Bawbi". That really made me very proud. My kids are smart and responsible when it comes to money. This is so important for them to learn before they get out into the real world. This goes to show that even when you think they are not paying attention to what you are doing~ they really are studying your every move.

Only my husband would do this

Dwayne was drinking his cherry soda the other day aka his "brotha drink". I will never understand why he likes to put his glass in the freezer with soda and ice in it. It stayed in there for days. Brie got tired of looking at it and let it thaw out on the counter and then poured it out. Does anyone in your house do this sort of foolishness?

Dr. Drip Coffee review

I recently tried the neatest portable "coffee maker" that is called Dr. Drip Coffee. Each serving size comes individually packaged and contains actual ground coffee~ NOT instant. How does it work you ask? You take the Dr. Drip pack and tear the top off. You then place in on top of you mug as pictured below.


Next, you slowly pour hot water into the top opening. The good thing about it is you can brew it to your liking. More water for a lighter brew and less water for a stronger brew. I personally like mine strong so I opted for less water. I tried the Ultimate Pick-me up and boy did it do just that! Maybe I should not have been drinking coffee after 4:00 since I could not go to sleep that night. It tasted just like drip coffee and nothing like instant. That was a plus for me. Dr. Drip Coffee comes in 4 varieties: The Organic Tonic, The Double Daily Remedy, The Ultimate Pick-me-up and The Decaf Energizer.



I love the idea of having a freshly brewed cup of coffee that I can make myself over going to a coffee shop. Dr. Drip Coffee is a great idea to have at work since it is a sanitary choice and of course a way less expensive way to have a good cup of coffee without paying the coffee-house price. This would also be a great choice for travel, especially if you go camping often. You can buy Dr. Dip Coffee here and you can also check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

I received product samples for review purposes. All opinions are 100% mine as always.

Wordless Wednesday | 1974

This was taken on my first birthday.

Throwback: Don't Mess With The Man's Records!

Over the weekend, Dwayne and I cleaned out and organized one of our storage rooms. We came across a lot of things that were keepers and just as many items that were either going to be donated or thrown out. Now if you have been reading Momfiles for a while then you would know that we are really old school. Actually my husband sort of takes old school back way more than I do. We came across billions of cassette tapes...EPMD, Slick Rick, Luke, Vanilla Ice, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Salt 'n Pepa and the list goes on for days. He has a suitcase full along with a few shoes boxes full. He refuses to ever part with them. He tells me if I ever try to get rid of his collection that it will be grounds for divorce! Of course he says this in his Bernie Mac voice.

We had at least a couple dozen mix-tapes. I remember making them off the radio and the DJ always messed up the last part of the song. If you have no idea of what I am talking about then you are a youngen.

After we browsed through some of the tapes we moved on to the records. He has a big box full that he has actually put in his will. I think they will go to William.

I laughed so hard when I saw the Beat Street album. On the left hand side it says "Dwayne AKA Little Wizard" bahahaha! That was his Junior High School dance name.

We sure reminisced over some good times. He has the first album Prince put out and so many other classic artists. Now I need to buy Dwayne a record player.

Do you still have your old cassette tapes or record albums? If you are laughing at us right now, shut it up!

eBeanstalk makes toy shopping so easy

I have been purchasing toys through eBeanstalk for about 3 years now and I have never been disappointed. We are really big into educational toys for our son. Whether you are looking for gifts for 3 year olds or babies, you will find just the perfect item. I have been looking for something new for William and I am thinking either a puzzle map of the United States or some building toys might be cool. He has really gotten into making castles and houses with anything he can get his little hands on. I also have my eye in this cute Green Toys Tool Set. I can just see William trying to be like his dad! I actually caught him the other day trying to pick up a very heavy hammer. He scared me silly!
The good thing is it is pretty easy to find toys for 3 year olds and as well as children of all ages through eBeanstalk. The website is so user friendly and you can break down toys by age and gender. I purchased William the Band in a Box by Melissa & Doug and he LOVES it so much! eBeanstalk carries a lot of well known brands and Melissa & Doug happens to be one of my favorites. I completely recommend eBeanstalk for your toy shopping needs.

A lower food bill in the summer?

One of the first things that was on my mind with the end of the school year was feeding the kids and not wanting to spend a fortune. I was really afraid of what I might encounter. Strangely, it has been costing me LESS with the kids being out of school. I didn't think it was possible but I figured out why... When school is in session I always have to be sure that the kids have a variety of quick options for breakfast since we leave the house at 7. This means no time for home-cooked big breakfasts. I buy things like bagels, cinnamon toast, granola bars etc... Both girls took lunch from home as well as extra snacks. I am one of those moms who goes above and beyond to make sure they have quality things to eat. This is where it costs me a whole lot. Yes, school lunch would be cheaper but my kids don't eat it plus I don't want them to. There would also be the numerous times that they stayed after school for sports, activities and projects so I always made sure they had extra snacks and drinks.

Being home makes it so much easier. I can cook a good breakfast and even make ahead items like pancakes, waffles and bacon. Lucky for me my kids can eat just about anything so they tend to have whatever was leftover from last night's dinner for lunch. They drink water ALL day long (not that they don't ever drink anything else).

I think I am spending about $30-$50 less per week in food. Not bad huh? I really did not think it was possible! Perhaps since they are so busy they are not thinking about eating as much.

Has you food budget changed with school being out?