Favorite PEEPS Moments

It is already April...wow where has the time gone?? That means it is also almost Easter and you know what that means>>>>Candy!! Do you ever notice how candy has become such a big part of so many holidays?? And the fun part is that there are different candies for each holiday so we can always have a variety! My kids get so much candy that we end up throwing away about half of it.  I cannot remember as a child ever getting so much candy. In fact, I had a friend at school that would bring me some of her candy to share. But I can say that the times that I did get candy and other treats, I enjoyed it more than my kids probably do today because of the fact that I did not get it as often.

One of my favorite candy as a child was the Peeps candies. They are so fun to eat and play with. I am the type that when I get any candy, I eat it layer by layer and as slow as I can so that I can enjoy it longer. With the peeps, they are fun to stretch and distort.  Then you have to eat off one ear at the time and pretend it is crying, so you eat the face. Am I the only one that plays with my food this way?? I am not completely crazy, I just enjoy to have fun with my food and everything else too!

Here are some fun facts I bet you didn't know about Peeps:

• In 1953, it took 27 hours to create one PEEPS® Marshmallow Chick. Today, thanks to advances in technology, it takes six minutes.
• Just Born produces enough PEEPS® Brand Marshmallow Candies in one year to circle the earth twice.
• In the late 1950's PEEPS® wings were "clipped" to give them a sleek, modern look.
• PEEPS® Brand Candies have been the #1 non-chocolate brand at Easter for over 20 years*. *Source: IRI Total U.S. FDMx.
• Yellow is America's best selling color of PEEPS® chicks and bunnies.
• Yellow and white PEEPS® chicks and bunnies came first, followed by pink, lavender, blue, green and orange.
• PEEPS® branded products have made celebrity appearances on many programs including: Good Morning America, The Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, The Early Show, Saturday Night Live, Martha Stewart, Ellen, South Park, and The Daily Show.
• If you had 8,000 PEEPS® bunnies, and you stood them in a straight vertical line, you could reach the top of the Sears Tower in Chicago.
• PEEPS® have become gourmet favorites as fondues, Crème Brulee ingredients and cappuccino toppings!

Wow, did you notice the one about makeing enough Peeps to go around the Earth two times?? That is a lot of Peeps!!  Check the Peeps mobile tour and see if they are coming near you.

Do you need some Peeps for your Easter baskets?? Shop online and use this promo code at checkout - SMSPRING11 for 20% off all of your purchases until 5/4/11!

About PEEPS & COMPANY®

In 2009, Just Born, Inc., maker of PEEPS®, MIKE AND IKE®, HOT TAMALES® and PEANUT CHEWS® opened its first retail store named PEEPS & COMPANY®.

PEEPS & COMPANY® is located at the banks of the Potomac, minutes from Washington D.C. at the very center of National Harbor’s dynamic main plaza. Directly in front of the PEEPS & COMPANY® store is the Seward Johnson’s famous statue, The Awakening, along with sweeping views of the beautiful Potomac River. The store’s location is at a converging point for residents and thousands of visitors arriving by bus, car, and ferries, which dock at the piers in front of the store.

 Keep up to date with our friends at PEEPS and Company:
 http://www.peepsandcompany.com/

PEEPSandCOMPANY.com online store

http://www.facebook.com/PEEPSANDCOMPANY

http://twitter.com/#!/peepsandcompany

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and PEEPS blogging contest, for a chance to get a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Little Switches That Make a Big Difference

Have you noticed how so many times our lives will become so routine that we get bored and want a change? In 2008, when Barack Obama was running for president he used the slogan a lot about time for a change. So many things have changed over the years with technology and other things that we can't even keep up; yet, our lives still seem to be so routine and we become bored.

Well, I am a firm believer that sometimes you can make little switches that can make a big difference. I am not much of a cook, my husband is a great cook so I do not usually break that routine of him cooking dinner. Recently I was given the opportunity to review some Country Bob's all purpose sauce (see my review here). I cooked dinner one night while my husband was working and had dinner on the table for him. And it was wonderful!! I made cheeseburgers and they turned out so juicy and tender all because of a little change I made in an ingredient. But that little thing really made a big difference that night in our home....I now have more confidence in my cooking and am eager to try more new things, and my husband was glad to be able to come home like I do so many nights and just be able to sit and relax.

Another example of little switches with big differences is drinking water. We all have heard of the health benefits that water has on our bodies and we know we need to drink more water, and a lot of people did start drinking a lot more water over the last few years. But unfortunately, we are using way too many plastic bottles. If each person would use reusable water bottles, we could make a huge difference in the amount of waste we have. I have started using the recycle containers they now have at Rite Aid, and I am really surprised at the amount of recycling I have each week that was normally going in with the regular trash. Unfortunately, so many people have the mind-set that they cannot make a difference; but we all need to realize that it is the small things that each of us can do that in the end will result in a big difference.

There are so many areas in our lives that we can make little switches in as well. I would almost make a bet that most of the time when someone in a relationship has an affair, or even thinks about it, it is because their own relationship has become boring. Not that I am saying that makes it alright, but I do feel that we have to do the small things to keep our relationships alive! My husband and I have been married for 13 years, and this year we have gone out on 2 date nights.Those date nights have not been anything extravagant, but yet they have made a big difference in our relationship. All couples need to have time set aside that they can spend together without the kids. If everyone did this, I believe we would have fewer divorces.

I want to hear from my readers...What are some ways that you can make little switches that make a big difference? If you really think about it, I bet we can all come up with some great tips. And if we get these tips out to others, then maybe we can all really make a BIG difference!

Cottonell also is making little switches. The Cottonelle brand provides innovative comfort solutions for perineal personal care. Cottonelle toilet paper is available in three forms: Cottonelle Ultra toilet paper, Cottonelle Aloe & E toilet paper, and Cottonelle Premium toilet paper. To help people feel cleaner and fresher than with toilet paper alone, Cottonelle offers Cottonelle Fresh Flushable Moist Wipes and Cottonelle SoothingClean Flushable Moist Wipes enriched with Aloe & E.

More info about the Cottonelle Ultra Switch: http://www.cottonelleultraswitch.com/
Cottonell on Facebook
http://twitter.com/#!/cottonellebrand


“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Cottonelle blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Rebecca St. James CD review and giveaway

Rebecca St. James charts yet another new course with I Will Praise You, a new collection of worship songs she terms “ her most personal recording to date.” From the opening notes of track one, listeners are offered a welcoming connection with Rebecca’s recognizably authentic vocal warmth and delivery. More than anything, I Will Praise You represents the latest steps in Rebecca’s life long journey towards the presence of God.

I absolutely love to listen to good music, so when I was given the opportunity to do a review of Rebecca St. James' new CD I Will Praise You, I was ecstatic. I was looking forward to the mail arriving each day and when it finally came, I was not disappointed!

I work in an office at an assisted living facility. I am one of only a few Christians that work in this facility so I enjoy having my gospel music going on my radio at all times. I enjoy hearing preaching too, but when I am busy in my office I can't concentrate on what they are saying so it is hard to get into the preaching, so I really enjoy it when I can get a good CD to listen to so I don't have the interruptions. Sometimes I will have clients, staff or even visitors come in and catch me singing along too.

The new CD, I Will Praise You, by Rebecca St. James is great for listening to and singing along with. In only a few days, my daughter and I can sing along with a few of the songs! The songs on this CD are great easy listening, yet wonderful worship songs. And I absolutely love that each song has a Bible scripture that is coincides with. In the insert page, the words to the songs are written out, and at the title there is a Bible scripture.

This CD hits stores TODAY, April 5th!! If you would like to have a great worship CD to listen to at work like I do, or in the car or even at home, you can buy it starting today or you could win one!!

Be sure to check out Rebecca St. James on the web:
Website: http://www.rsjames.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rsjames
YouTube: http://rsjames.com/updates/2011/3/22/video-rebecca-explains-her-song-shine-your-glory-down.html
Amazon: http://amzn.to/gqOroA

On top of getting a CD to review, I have also been given the opportunity to give away a CD to a North Carolina Momma reader!!  If you would like to win a copy just follow the entries below!!

Mandatory Entry:
Go to http://rsjames.com/listeningparty and hear a preview of the songs on this CD, then come back here and tell me what your favorite one is.
That is the only required entry.

Extra Entries:
The extra entries are not required but will give you extra entries and a bigger chance of winning. Please leave a seperate comment for each entry.

• Subscribe to this blog through email or RSS feed (1 entry)
• Follow this blog through GFC (1 entry)
• Follow Southern Mom of 4 blog with GFC (1 entry)
• Follow me on twitter - be sure to leave your twitter name in your comment (1 entry)
• Tweet about this giveaway - be sure to include @shaffermom and a link to this giveaway in your tweet. Leave a link to your post in your comment (1 entry per tweet per day)
• Email a friend about this giveaway - CC me at gerrie.shaeffer(at)yahoo(dot)com (1 entry per person emailed)

Make sure your email address is in your comment. To protect you from SPAM, you may leave the email like this gerrie.shaeffer(at)yahoo(dot)com. This giveaway will end on April 16th and the winner will be chosen on April 17th.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

SMB Super Miracle Bubbles

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce --- Review & Giveaway

Well I must start out by saying that I have heard all over the blogosphere about Country Bob's sauces.  I have entered many giveaways trying to win some of this sauce, because if what everyone was saying was true, I wanted to try some! But I also have to say that I am NOT a cook! I am very spoiled and anyone that knows me will tell you that. My husband does most of the cooking in my house, and my mother in law lives with me so she does the cooking when she is not working. Both of them have schedules completely different than mine, so they are able to have dinner on the table by the time I get home from work.

With that said, I was sent two (2) bottles of Country Bob's all purpose sauce.  I was thrilled to finally be able to try this sauce that so many bloggers we already talking about. And I wanted to cook something myself too. So I brain stormed about what a non-cook could cook and use this sauce in.  I decided on hamburgers. Easy enough right!?! The funny thing was that my MIL also picked up stuff for hamburgers the same night. I told her what I wanted to do so she stood back and let me fix the burgers! I thought, if my burgers turn out bad then we can always cook hers up; win, win!

I mixed some of the sauce in with the hamburger and then patted them out into patties. My MIL did not trust me enough so she did the cooking. OK so that is not completely true, she did trust me, but she is a natural in the kitchen so after I put my patties on the griddle she just kind of took over. I was completely OK with that anyway, that way I was not the only blame if the burgers were not good.

When hubby finally got home from work we sat down to eat the absolute best burgers ever!!! The Country Bob's all purpose sauce made them so juicy and tender and also gave them a little bit of a sweet taste. I was thrilled! Everyone loved them!! The only bad thing about these burgers....is now I am the official hamburger maker. But as long as I have Country Bob's, I am good to go!!

One of the best thing, to me, about Country Bob's is the fact that they are a Christian company. Here is a quote from their page "It would be nice if we could claim responsibility for the success of the company, however, credit must be given where credit is due. Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." We have placed true ownership of Country Bob, Inc. in the hands of God. "Christ is our CEO" and He is an Awesome Boss!" 

So, what about you...how would you like to try some of this wonderful sauce?? You can go to their page and order some OR You can win some here!!

I have two (2) bottles of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce to giveaway to TWO (2) North Carolina Momma readers!!

Mandatory Entry:
Go to Country Bob's  website, and then leave a comment below with something that you learned! That is the first and only required entry to this giveaway.
Be sure to leave your email address in your comment. To avoid spam, leave it like this gerrie.shaeffer(at)yahoo(dot)com. I will not search for an email so please make sure it is included!

Bonus Entries:
Leave a seperate comment for each entry!! If it is worth 2 entries, be sure to leave 2 seperate comments.

• Become a follower of this blog through GFC - 1 extra entry
• Go to my sister's blog Southern Mom of 4 and become a follower of her blog with GFC - 1 extra entry
• Become an email subscriber of this blog - 1 extra entry
• Share this giveaway on facebook (leave a link with your comment)  you can do this once a day - 1 extra entry each day that you share
• Follow me on twitter (shaeffermom) - 1 extra entry
• Tweet this giveaway - be sure to include a link to this post and add @shaeffermom in your post - you can do this once daily for an extra entry each day
• Like Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce on facebook - 1 extra entry
• Email a friend about this giveaway  - CC me @ gerrie.shaeffer(at)yahoo(dot)com - 1 extra entry for each person you email

This giveaway will go through April 15th. Winners will be drawn on April 16th and notified via email. Winners will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be drawn!

Disclaimer: "I received 2 bottles of Country Bob's all purpose sauce for the purpose of this review/giveaway. I was not asked to make a positive review and I was not compensated for this review in any other way. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine and my family"

By Your Grace, For Your Glory

This is my baby girl and a young man from church singing their first duet together! They did a wonderful job...I may be a little biased but I am also a critic!!

10-tips for a fun, distraction-free family vacation

It is hard these days to plan a true distraction-free family vacation, with all the technology out there for us to stay up to date on everything. I have teamed up with the Twitter Mom group and have come up with a list of things that you can do to plan a fun vacation that does not include distractions.

1) Don't let the kids take their portable games. If they have their games in hand they are going to want to play and may not be as involved with the family activities as you would like. If they are left at home, they will have no choice!

2) Only take one cell phone. We all know that we need a cell phone these days in case there is an emergency. But if you use your cell phone for business then you need to leave it home - you are on vacation so business will just have to wait!!

3) Leave laptop computer at home!!! If you take it you will be tempted to work, and how can your family enjoy being with you if you are still working?? There are those neat little messages that you can put on your email that says "I will be on vacation but I will reply as soon as I can when I get back". I suggest using these messages to let others know that you are on vacation and you are not just ignoring them, but also so they won't be tempted to try to continue to contact you.

4)Come up with fun games to play in the car. If the kids don't have their games they are going to be bored but there are lots of fun games that the family can all get involved in during the trip. One that I have always enjoyed is the 50 states license plate game. See who is the first person the see a license plate from each state, or see who sees the most.

5) Nobody wants to go on a vacation where you have so many plans that you are tired and miserable, but you do need to have some plans. If you do not have any idea of what you want to do then you may find yourself bored and possibly arguing over what to do. So make plans before you go, but make sure these are plans that can be changed if needed.

6) Let the entire family (including the kids) help out with the plans for the trip. Get the family together before the trip and look at all the possibilities of things to do, then let each person give their input of what they want to do. The kids will have more fun if they get a part in deciding where to go instead of being "drug" to places they are not interested in.

7) Depending on how far you are traveling, it may help to schedule special stops on the way. Look at the map and search before your trip of some fun and exciting places that the family would love to stop at and explore. This may be just a simple place that has a nice lookout or an old country store, but somewhere that will give everyone a break from the ride and keep the interst up.

8) Make a check list of things that need to be done before you leave home. It would not make for a fun time if you are constantly trying to remember if you turned the coffee pot off, etc. Make your check list ahead of time so that you can have time to think of everything that needs to be done before leaving and check everything on the list before walking out the door.

9) Make sure that you have completed all of your tasks at work. Don't go on vacation thinking about what you needed to do at work but didn't, or think about what you will have to do at work when you get back. Claer your mind from work things so that you can enjoy being away from work.

10) And finally, probably the most important tip I can offer is...make sure there is no tension among the family. If you and your spouse have been in a recent argument, make sure everything has been cleared up before vacation. Clear your mind, clear your schedule, and relax and HAVE FUN!!!

I hope some of these tips will be beneficial to someone as you take your summer vacations this year. I am also interested in some tips that you may have as well.

How I Keep My Family Happy

In 2011 there are so many games, gadgets, and our phones are "smart". We no longer have to read a real book because now we can read it on a device. Our phones can do about as much as a computer. And the gaming systems are so high-tech these days that you can actually play online, download movies and other fun things.

So why is it so hard to make our families happy?

I am a firm believer that "stuff" does not make you happy. And all the things that I described above is proof of that. It starts out with small babies and toddlers. Have you ever noticed that when a small child gets a gift, they would rather play with the box? So it starts when they are small, but we still continue to get them "stuff", which only makes them happy for a short while. They really would love to just have that big box to make a space ship out of it.

Now I am not judging anyone by no means because my family has a lot of these games and gadgets as well. But it is not those items that keeps my family happy. My son is happiest when he can go outside and play with the "scrap pile" and find something to build. Him and my nephew have built a clubhouse, and now they are adding more things to it. They have swing and a slide and each day they look through the scraps to see what else they can come up with. Those are the moments he will treasure the most when he is grown.

My daughter loves to sing. She is happiest when we get together and put in a CD, or plug in the MP3 player in the car, and we sing together. She walks around the house with the MP3 and sings all the songs over and over. She is going to be the next American Idol cause this girl loves to sing!

Farm Rich wants to help you “Keep ‘em Happy” with a selection of tasty and easy-to-prepare snacks! They have great snacks such as cheese sticks, quesidillas, and meatballs. Around my house we love to get together for family movie nights. We love making these kinds of snacks, put them on a big platter, and sit around the t.v. eating and watching. When I was growing up I can always remeber my dad being at work. We did not do many family activities other than family vacations. I appreciate all of the time that my dad spent working for our family, but I do love the fact that my children will have the memories of us having family time together.

So what is it that makes your family happy? Is it food that makes them happy, or something else?  Please share your thoughts about your family in the comments, I would love to read some of your stories!!

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Farm Rich blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

What is your favorite part of Easter?

Easter is right around the corner and the group from Social Moms wants to know, what is your favorite part of Easter. When I was younger I really enjoyed the Easter egg hunts. We would go to church and the adults would hide the eggs and then the kids would go out and run as hard as we could to find the most eggs. And someone would find a special egg! It was so much fun. And of course on Easter morning, the thrill of getting up to an Easter basket full of goodies. But all that aside, I think my absolute favorite part of Easter was getting a new dress to show off at church.

As I got older, my ideas and favorites changed but stayed the same. I know that statement did not seem to make sense so I will explain. Now that I am a mother, I don't hunt eggs or get an Easter basket, but I love the excitement that they have with these experiences. The fun and excitement they get when it is their turn to hunt eggs is priceless. And although my kids stopped believing in the Easter bunny a long time ago, they still enjoy the surprise of the basket that the bunny leaves for them. It is a wonderful feeling transitioning from the one with all the excitement about Easter traditions, and then making those traditions fun for the next generation.

But Easter would not be worth celebrating at all if we did not mention, or celebrate the true meaning of Easter which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. My family enjoys the Easter egg hunts, and getting the Easter baskets, but our top priority is going to church and participating in the Easter program. If it were not for the resurrection, there would be no reason to celebrate so we make sure that is the most important part of our celebrating. And I love that our church has a different program each year. We have a program for the kids and one with the adults. They become very thought provoking and inspirational.

So, I ask you...what is your favorite part of Easter? Do you have some traditions or favorite activities? Share your favorite Easter activities in the comments. I would love to read some of your ideas. To make new memories, make sure to take your family out to see the movie Hop. It looks like it is going to be hilarious!

Disclaimer:“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hop blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Make Money Monday

When I began this blog, I never really imagined the possibilities to make extra money. Now I have not made enough that I can quit my job and stay home full time, but I have made enough to take care of birthdays and other holidays. So I decided that each week I would share some of those "money makers" with you.  Some readers may be like me, and work full time but need extra money on the side; or you may be a stay-at-home mom and need a way to make some extra money. Either way, I hope you can have success in some, if not all, of these ideas from each week.

For the first one, I want to share SwagBucks. SwagBucks is a site that offers different ways to earn "Bucks". These "Bucks" can be used to get different items from the swagstore such as gift cards, gift items, or even cash put into your paypal account. I love getting the Amazon gift cards, and I usually earn enough to get about 2 a month (@ $5.00 each). So, how do you earn swagbucks?? Well let me tell you!!

Click on this link SwagBucks and sign up. Then use swagbucks to search the internet. Periodically you will get rewarded with Swagbucks! You can also earn swagbucks by playing games, watching videos on Swagbucks TV, and so many other ways.

This is not one of those sites that will make you an instant millionaire, but if you want something to do, and want to earn "swagbucks" to trade in for stuff, then sign up and have fun!

Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products

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

Do you take vitamins on a regular basis? I have known for a while that I need to take vitamins but they seem to be so expensive. With gas prices on the rise still, and everything else going up as well, I put vitamins on the way back burner. But like I said, I know I have needed them because I am always tired! In fact, my doctor recommended prenatal vitamins because they have extra iron that is good for energy. But to get prenatal vitamins, you still need money or a pregnant friend that don't take theirs. I have neither.

But there is good news; I recently found out about Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products. They are just as good as the "name brands" that we are so used to, but the cost is so much better. I received a sample of the Walgreens Brand vitamin A to Z. It is comparable to Centrum but at only a fraction of the cost. If you can get the same benefit at a lower cost, why would you not? I am asking myself that now wondering why I went so long without taking vitamins. You really feel better, or at least I have.

 

Another great thing I learned about Walgreens is the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™.  Purchase of every Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Product supports bringing preventive wellness services to local communities through the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™.

a. Walgreens will contribute up to $3 million annually to the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™.

b. 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.

c. For details, visit walgreens.com/waytowell.

So, the next time you need any Health and/or Wellness products, check out Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products and help the community through the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™.

Dive into the season's sexiest swimwear

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Spring is upon us! With that comes warmer weather, which means swimsuit season is fastly approaching as well.  Express has some new women's swimwear for this spring season. Since I have a very ugly c-section scar, I can't wear the two piece swimwear or bikinis, but they have a great selection of swim suits that we all can wear and feel sexy in. My favorite piece is this pretty one piece.

 Right now if you sign up for Express e-mail, you will have a chance at winning  one of ten $200 Express gift cards! Check out the sweepstakes rules for more information. The sweepstakes ends 4/21/11 @ 11:59 p.m. EST so sign up now!

Shop Our Newest Arrivals in the Express Spring 2011 Swim Collection!

* Available in our always-popular monokini, sexiest string bikini and must-have strapless and halter bikini styles.
* Shop bright solids, on-trend graphic prints, the essential reversible style, nautical-inspired striped and sleek metallic styles.
* Designer details include flirty ruffles, sexy self-tie sides, glam beaded embellishments and polished metal hardware.
* Removable padding in tops.
* Bottoms fit smaller to size for moderate back coverage.
* Swim shorts available for men.
* Accessorize with Express spring essentials including sandals, tote bags, sunglasses and hats For Him and For Her.

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