Char Crust® Dry Rub Review & Giveaway

I received 4 boxes of Char Crust Dry Rub Seasoning in 4 varieties (Roasted Garlic Peppercorn, Ginger Teriyaki, Amazin' Cajun and All American Barbecue) to try out. Since I am a big at-home cook I was very eager to try it out. I decided to go with the All American Barbecue flavor. I really did not know what to expect. I am the type of cook that has an arsenal of seasonings. I literally use about 10-12 items for one dish. I figured I would grab some chicken and see what happens...

I opened the box and it contained a packet of the dry rub seasoning. I poured some onto a plate and pressed my boneless, skinless chicken thighs into the rub and coated them all over. There was a tiny part of me screaming to add some of my own flavors but I quickly shut myself up *ahem*

I had my trusty cast iron griddle heated up and coated the surface with some Canola oil. I added my chicken and let it sizzle for a few minutes. When I flipped them over a tiny bit of panic came over me because I thought I might have burned them! Turns out they were "charred" brown.. very brown! 

I transferred my chicken to a smaller cast iron skillet after browning them and popped them into the oven to be sure they cooked all the way through. I heated the oven to about 400 and cooked them for about 10 minutes. 

Now came the moment of truth. Tasting it. Oh my googlie goo it was so juicy and tender!! The flavor was a perfect blend of 'sweet heat'. I was so surprised and pleased with it and was I ever so happy that I opted to not add anything else. It has a great kick that I noticed intensified when it was reheated. Next time I cook the chicken like that I want some big, fluffy whole wheat rolls and some fresh crunchy veggies to make some sandwiches. I am already planning what types of dishes I will make with the remaining varieties. The great part for a busy mom like me? It was so fast and easy! It was interesting too that these rubs are one of the very few certified Kosher rubs and are low sodium. I was so happy to find out that one of the local butcher shoppes located about 5 minutes from my home carries Char Crust dry rubs! You can see if there are any locations near you here. You can also purchase them directly from the website. 

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I am so thrilled to be able to host a giveaway for 4 boxes of Char Crust Dry Rub Seasonings for one lucky Momfiles reader to win! 

**To enter (mandatory) just leave a comment telling me which Char Crust variety you want to try. 

For extra entries (leave a separate comment per entry method):

~ "like" Char Crust and Momfiles on Facebook

~ Write on the Momfiles Facebook wall letting me know you entered

~ Follow Momfiles on Twitter 

~ Tweet about this giveaway (once daily) 

Win 4 boxes of #CharCrust Dry Rub @momfiles and make your meats extra juicy! http://tinyurl.com/cprkzgk #food #giveaway

~ Subscribe to Momfiles via email

~ Follow Momfiles on Pinterest 

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on April 7, 2012 at 12:00 AM EST. One winner will be chosen at random. Please leave an email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger profile. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck! 

I received free products for review purposes and all thoughts/opinions are 100% mine as always.

Mommy anxiety, do you have it?

For weeks now I have been starting posts and then hitting "backspace" and deleting everything I wrote. Anxiety takes over and I walk away from the computer. Is what I am about to write going to offend anyone? Is it interesting or thought provoking? Countless thoughts go through my head and I have to sit down and take a few deep breaths. I start thinking about everything... Am I doing enough with training William to become more independent? Am I giving the girls enough of myself to help them be better women? Am I a good enough wife? What do I cook today? Why have I stopped using coupons? I don't call people often enough. Why am I avoiding certain things? The grass needs to be cut and the house needs repairs. Why on earth am I feeling like backspacing this whole post? Where is all this stupid anxiety coming from anyway? Please pardon how poorly and very randomly written this post is. Maybe I just think too much! My brain needs a vacation :)

Do you suffer from anxiety? What tips can you share?

William is 4!

Our little guy just had a birthday and he is officially 4 years old! William has hit many milestones in the last year and we are so proud of him.

Some facts about William:

• He has gotten over his shyness and loves to be around other people! This is great since we are trying to get him prepped for kindergarten next year.  
• He is a very compassionate boy. If he senses you are in pain he will ask you if you are okay and offer to rub you or kiss it to make it all better. Sweet boy.
• William shows great discipline. I have to credit having a strong father for that one. It is amazing how well he will listen and pay attention. 
• I get told all the time what a mature little boy I have. Most people are amazed that he is his age and behaves the way he does. That makes me proud.
• William wakes up full of joy. He greets you with "good morning" and a lot of times starts the day singing the "good morning song" that his daddy taught him. 
• William shows how much he retains what you teach him. If you are caught doing something wrong he will be the first one to let you know "That's not a good choice". Trust me, I get told about my bad choices all the time!
• He loves animals, trucks, robots, all things Disney, fishing, playing outdoors and hanging out with his daddy. Daddy is his favorite person. I have becomes alright with that. Sort of.
• He is showing so much more independence and I have been working hard on letting him do things for himself. Operation un-spoil the child is progressing well so far. It turns out that he really likes doing things for himself! Again, I credit his father for that. He helps so much with the boy child. 
• William has become very talkative and asks a lot of questions. I love it! I love helping him learn and understand things. He asks some really good questions too! 
• William is into Scooby Doo, Phineas & Ferb and programs on Animal Planet/ NatGeo Wild. It is amazing how he really gets into some of these shows. He loves to go down to the man room and watch with his dad. The part I don't like... he puts his hand in the front of his pants like most men do. Gross. Of course his daddy is proud of that! 

Overall William is a vibrant and loving little boy. We are so excited to see all the new things he learns over the next year. We are so proud of him!

My Very Happy Birthday Review & Giveaway

Today is our little William's 4th birthday. Although he does not fully understand birthdays, it has not dulled his excitement! He is at such a fun and curious age. We were so thrilled to receive a personalized board book from I See Me! in the "My Very Happy Birthday" version... right in time for his birthday! William recognizes his name and squealed in excitement when he saw a book that was made just for him.

This sweet book has cute pictures and personal details throughout. The ordering process is so simple. You can take a virtual tour here. William really enjoyed listening to the whole birthday adventure that was all about himself. I love that he can have this sturdy book for many years as a keepsake that he can show his own children. This is such a neat gift idea for your own children, grandkids, family or friends and also for the kid who has everything. Right now you can sign up for the Refer-a-friend program to get $5 off for each customer you refer. There is no limit to how many people you can refer!

I am so thrilled that my friends at I See Me! are offering one lucky Momfiles reader a chance to win a personalized birthday book. Enter below...

*Mandatory- Let us know who you plan to give this book to if you are selected as the winner. What other I See Me! titles do you like? 

For extra entries please leave a separate comment per entry method:

~ Like I See Me! and Momfiles on Facebook

~ Share this giveaway on Facebook 

~ Follow I See Me! and Momfiles on Pinterest

~ Follow I See Me! and Momfiles on Twitter

~ Tweet this giveaway (once daily):

#Win a personalized #book from @ISeeMe_Maia and @momfiles  http://tinyurl.com/732d7nr  #giveaway

~ Follow Momfiles via GFC and leave the name you are following as.

~ Subscribe to Momfiles via email (upper right hand side)

This contest is open to US Residents only and will end on April 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM EST. Please leave your email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger profile. One winner will be chosen at random. Failure to follow the rules will disqualify your entries. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

I received a book for review purposes. All thoughts/opinions are 100% my own.

Our experience with allergy shots

When my daughter Briahnna was about 7, she started suffering from severe headaches. It went from maybe 2-3 times a week to 24/7 over the course of a few years. We took her to the doctor and he recommended an MRI. It came out fine. He had her go through it again. Two tests later, nothing. He couldn't figure out what was causing it. He then sent us over to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. She has her first allergy test when she was about 10. Turns out she was suffering from all the elements in the air... dust, pollen, pet dander and everything else. She was put on allergy medication and it started to help. Her headaches stopped and she was feeling normal again. Well that lasted all of about 3-4 months. The ENT tried changing her meds and although it would work for a while, it eventually stopped. There was always the discussion about allergy shots and I was really not sure how I felt about it. I did know that I was really tired of seeing my child suffer like she was. Finally we gave in and started her on the allergy shot. She would go once a week and get check-ups to see how she was progressing every 3 months. Literally within her first 3-4 months there was a drastic change with the headaches. They were getting less and less. Now she has been going for the shots for about 3 years and lives headache free. It was one of the best decisions we could have made. I wish we did is sooner but like I said, I was very skeptical.

Do you or anyone in your family suffer from allergies? Do you get the shot?

Disney has ruined my kid!

You might recall reading a post about our family going to The Magic Kingdom a few months ago. Well apparently little William has not gotten over it. He is obsessed with all things Disney. He is, as I write this post, singing the "Happy Holidays" song that was being performed at one of the parades. He carries around a map of Disney in the house, the car, the store and asks to go to Disney World... several dozen times a day!

Dwayne recorded video of the parades and William watches them repeatedly. It also doesn't help that Disney commercial come on all day long!! When he meets new people he immediately tells them all about the "castle". SMH, I need to hit the lottery quick so we can take this boy back! I really thought he would have been over it by now. I guess the magic is still in him. I won't lie, I want to go back myself! Looks like it will be on the places to visit list in the next couple years.