I See Me! Contest

I wanted to share this with you guys...

I See Me! is having a contest. They will choose TWO (2) GRAND PRIZE Winners! (open to US residents only) Winner 1 will receive a girls wooden bookcase and 10 I See Me! personalized storybooks and Winner 2 a boys wooden bookcase and 10 I See Me! personalized storybooks. Each grand prize is valued at approximately $500 retail value. 10 runners up will receive an I See Me! gift certificate valued at $32.95 plus standard shipping (good for 1 storybook). The Promotion begins on April 17, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on May 17, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Go enter here

Can you lose weight without trying?

Last year around this time, I was going through something I never imagined I would have to deal with... my weight. For most of my life I have been very underweight. As a child I was so underweight that I was teased and ridiculed about it. It was very hard and I spent many nights crying myself to sleep feeling a lot of shame and pain.  Nobody knows how much I longed to gain weight. Fast forward to after having William... I weighed what would be called a healthy weight. I was the average for my height and weight for the first time in my life (without being pregnant). Then it came to a point that I was at the top of that average weight. It started to freak me out because my wedding rings no longer fit and all of my clothes were too small. I figured that maybe it was my time. I finally gained the weight I desired my entire life.

I think I came to a point when I started to break down after trying on swimwear and finding that I was no longer in Junior's sizes. Last year at this time, I became very interested in reading about health and nutrition. Although I have heard it before, I read an article about drinking diet sodas and my favorite Crystal Light. I found out how they trick your body and make you crave bad foods. I have always been a sweets freak and junk food addict since childhood.  Could this be true? I used to drink about 2-3 packets of Crystal Light everyday especially during the Summer months and exclusively purchased diet soft drinks. I figured zero calories made sense. I couldn't have been more WRONG! I stopped all of the diet beverages and replaced them with water and indulged in the occasional soda. As a matter of fact, I switched from using margarine and butter spreads to real butter. I noticed almost right away that I slowed down tremendously on eating sweets and junk food. I wasn't having as many cravings to eat bad stuff.  It's as if I was changing my naughty ways. I started to find that my pants were fitting less snug. I had to start wearing a belt with my jeans and even had to tighten it on occasion. So one year later I am finally able to put on my wedding rings and I can wear things that were too small very easily. As a matter of fact, I can't wear most of the clothing I have since they are too big. I need to buy all new stuff. I stepped on the scale at the gym last week and could not believe it. I don't weigh much more than my teenagers!  My advice to you if you are trying to lose weight is to kick the diet drinks!

8th Continent Soymilk Review & Giveaway

**Contest Closed** Winners are kimmiesb, Krystel S, Kimberly, Maryann D and Dealsfan32. Congratulations to you all!

Hey guys! I wanted to share my review of 8th Continent Soymilk. I have always heard about the great health benefits of soy and thought I would check it out for myself. The girl in me just loves the fun prints on the cartons. Who wouldn't want to drink something that came in such a happy container? I was really amazed by the very long shelf-life, refrigerated of course. I picked up the Original variety to try out. I confess, I am not a big milk drinker so I have to drink mine out of a wine glass :) You know what? It was very delicious! I prefer the taste over traditional cow's milk. 8th Continent Soymilk comes in 8 varieties ~Original, Light and Fat-free versions including Chocolate and Vanilla. My husband wants me to buy the Light Vanilla so he can use them for his protein shakes.

I was checking out the website and I did not realize you can substitute 8th Continent Soymilk in almost all your recipes. They have some really nice recipes from all different categories. It's a great choice for those that are lactose-intolerant or live a gluten-free lifestyle. You can learn more about the health benefits of 8th Continent Soymilk here. Be sure to stay connected with 8th Continent Soymilk on Facebook and Twitter.

The great folks from 8th Continent have provided me with coupons for FREE product to give away to you guys! 5 winners will get 2 coupons each. Enter in the Rafflecopter widget below. Make sure to do the mandatory entry first in order for your extra entries to count.

Spring cleaning with Stanley Steemer {$100 Gift Certificate Giveaway}

**Contest over** Winner is Pascha. Congratulations!

It is Springtime and there is an abundance of dust and allergens floating around in the air as well as lodged in our carpets, ducts, floors and fabrics. This is a great time to do some deep cleaning and Stanley Steemer is a phone call away. Did you know they do more than just clean carpet? Stanley Steemer’s expertise extends to hardwood, tile, air ducts, water damage restoration, and more! I have made a service appointment for next month to have our air ducts cleaned out. It has not been done in a few years, so it is really time! I have used Stanley Steemer in the past and the difference is always astonishing after having your carpet cleaned.

Check out the video below from fellow blogger Corine of Complicated Mama



We will be replacing the carpeting in our home soon and plan to make sure we have Stanley Steemer in twice a year to get the 'ick' out! Stanley Steemer’s proprietary equipment and cleaning processes remove more than 98% of dry soil from floors With over 70 branches and 220 franchise locations in 48 states, Stanley Steemer services 95% of the country. You can find Stanley Steemer on the web, Facebook and Twitter.

I am really excited that Stanley Steemer (through MyBlogSpark) is providing a $100 gift certificate for one lucky Momfiles reader to win. How fantastic is that!?

Enter below in the Rafflecopter widget. Be sure to complete the mandatory entry in order for your extra entries to count!

How to jazz up store-bought desserts with COOL WHIP

I love to bake as often as possible since my family really enjoys home-baked goodies. There are some weeks that get a bit too hectic with carpool, activities, doctor appointments and errands. I sometimes have to rely on store-bought desserts for my family. I wanted to share some very easy ways that you can add a little something to ordinary store-bought items to make them extra special with COOL WHIP.

I started off with some chocolate brownie cookies and a sour cream angel food cake that I purchased on sale.

I took the angel food cake and sliced it up. I added some sliced strawberries that were tossed with a little bit of powdered sugar to enhance the sweetness and topped it off with a dollop of COOL WHIP. Pretty easy huh? It took me no time at all and I am reconsidering the amount of time I spend baking! This is a great idea for entertaining. Less time in the kitchen means more time with your guests.

Next up I took the chocolate brownie cookies and made a cool and minty treat. I put a small scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream on top of the cookie. I then added a dollop of COOL WHIP and sprinkled some brownie cookie crumbs on top. How cute it that?! My kids loved it and felt like they were eating a fancy dessert. The have already asked to have this dessert again but instead with vanilla ice cream, COOL WHIP and colored sprinkles.

You don't have to stress out about a dessert when you can take something so simple like a store-bought cake or pie and add a dollop of COOL WHIP along with your own special touches. I would love for you to share any ideas you have on how you can make store-bought desserts extra special. 

Be sure to stay connected on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for great recipe ideas using COOL WHIP. If you haven't already seen the behind-the-scenes footage from the COOL WHIP ad photo shoot, you can check them out here. 

I am working in partnership with the COOL WHIP brand and I am receiving compensation for my participation in this campaign. All thoughts/opinions are 100% my own.