Hunt’s 100% Natural Ketchup

You might wonder why this is such a big deal, or not completely understand what high fructose corn syrup is. If not, let me enlighten you. High Fructose Corn Syrup is a sweetener that comes from corn starch. I remember watching a talk show a few years back, and seeing high fructose corn syrup. Its consistency is like syrup, it’s really cheap, and has a long shelf life – thus a lot of companies use it in their foods. There has been argument as to whether it is the same or worse for you than sugar. After doing some reading, it sounds like there might be evidence that our bodies don’t metabolize high fructose corn syrup in the same way which can cause problems in the liver, cause a block in insulin, and other problems. I honestly think that I have found more cons than pros when it comes to corn syrup, so the less consumed, the better. Sugar should also be consumed in moderation though, yes?

Taste Test
Now that I’ve gone off on a “sugar” tangent, how did it taste? I honestly could not tell the difference between our normal ketchup and Hunt’s new 100% Natural Ketchup. The boys loved it, and I know that I would rather have them eat ketchup with sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup.

I think this is a change I will definitely be implementing, buying ketchup without high fructose corn syrup.

Hunt’s High Five Family Photo Fun Contest
Interested in winning a family vacation? Right now, you can submit a photo to Hunt’s Facebook page depicting family accomplishments and simple victories. To enter, visit http://www.facebook.com/Hunts for a chance to win a family vacation (up to $5,000).

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Hunt’s and received a ketchup sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate

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As I have been looking for care and a preschool, and having daycare experience, there are a lot of things that I am looking for. I’m looking for a safe and loving environment where my children are well cared for. I’m looking for stimulating activities, healthy snacks and meals, and cleanliness.

Did You Know?

In a nationwide survey of parents, KinderCare Learning Centers learned that when selecting a school, 76% of parents are most concerned that their school of choice employs quality and passionate teachers and 80% want to know that their child is excited to take part in activities while at school.

I definitely agree with these. After looking into their programs for my boys, I just filled out an informational form because I definitely want to learn more. If you are interested in a finding a KinderCare near you, visit their website and type in your zipcode. It’s that easy. I think you’ll be impressed with what you find.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of KinderCare Learning Centers and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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Jeralee
I am a 37 year old mother of two girls, married for 16 years and living in the Pacific Northwest. I am primarily a stay at home mom and spend my days hauling my 10 year old, the aspiring future Olympic athlete, to swim practices and wading through homework with kids.

I am a professional harpist with a degree in music and freelance, playing for weddings, open houses and other functions. I also teach harp and piano lessons privately. My interests include, gardening, knitting & crocheting, home improvement, and a brief 4 year stint as an amateur boxer.

I also am parenting an 8 year old child with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, primarily – Sensory Processing Disorder, Communication Disorders and Learning Disabilities. I love to learn and read as much on topics that help better me as a person, or make my family’s life just a bit easier.

Now that you’ve been propery introduced, here is one of Jeralee’s first projects:

The Coffee Table
A few weeks ago, I saw this coffee table advertised on Craiglist.

The top was a little rough, but it had nice lines, it was cheap – $15, I didn’t have a coffee table, and after spending hours perusing over Mustard Seed Creations , My Repurposed Life , Funky Junk Interiors, and Better After – I knew I had the creative tools to transform this find into something I could use. Those are just a few of the many creative blogs I have come across. My recycling/re purposing nature was REALLY coming out – courtesy of living 16 years in Oregon. The thriftiness? Well, we used to hit the garage sales a lot growing up.

So onto refurbishing…

First came the lovely process of stripping off the top coat.

It was a lot of work and took about 6 hours to fully strip it. I used an eco- friendly stripper ( that doesn’t sound quite right – now does it? ) that didn’t smell so toxic. The girls helped a long the way, doing some sanding etc. I wasn’t quite sure what type of wood it was, but figured it was pretty soft wood. When it was completely stripped, I determined that it was pine, perfect for a first project.

Next came sanding, priming, and painting the legs. After several different tries, I settled on Rustoleums’ Heirloom White – satin finish.

Then it was prepping the top surface with MinWax Pre Stain Wood Conditioner, which I already had on hand from another project. By the way, always follow directions on products. I decided to neglect the instructions on the can of Plastic Wood and filled the holes in BEFORE I stained it… It didn’t work and was next to impossible to absorb the stain properly.

Finally, I did 3 separate applications of MinWax’s Stain – Special Walnut. After that, if was MULTIPLE layers of MinWax’s Polycrylic seal in a semi-gloss. It’s a water based sealant that will take a beating more than the polyurethane, and won’t yellow over time. Yes, I did learn all of these tips on the Internet… my lifeline.

So here is the finished project.

Does it have lots of flaws? Oh yes, but it was fun and I learned a lot.

To see more of Jeralee’s projects, visit Seeing the Potential.

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Camping is a great way to spend quality time with your family. The North Face was actively involved in National Camping month, and with good reason. They have amazing outdoor and camping gear and as someone who has some of their products, they are great quality and really last.

More About National Camping Month
As part of their mission to get kids and families outside, The North Face has created an online community database called PlanetExplore where families can go to find fun, educational outdoor events and activities happening right in their area. Aside from camping, PlanetExplore offers local listings for activities such as biking, running, skiing, volunteering, hiking, climbing and more. Some areas even offer experiences such as surfing and rafting.

I actually just checked out PlanetExplore, and it’s an awesome resrouce to see what is going on in your area.  There was a lot that I wasn’t aware of.

Outdoor Youth Summit
During National Camping Month, The North Face, in conjunction with The Outdoor Foundation, held the nation’s largest-ever outdoor youth summit in central park. The event was called Outdoor Nation and it brought together 500 youth delegates from across the country to discuss important environmental and social issues like park conservation and childhood obesity. At this youth summit, The North Face and The Outdoor Foundation announced the establishment of a grant program called The Explore Fund that will donate $300,000+ in support to organizations that encourage youth outdoor participation, focus on sustainability initiatives, or help to create a connection to nature that will empower the future leaders of tomorrow.

As National Camping Month Comes to a close, Babes and Kids and The North Face wants families to continue to go camping through the rest of the summer months and get outdoors all year long, so we are doing a gear giveaway to get you started!

Win It
One Babes and Kids reader will win a camping gear prize package valued at over $160, which includes: an Interval 25 day pack, Stowable Vaporwick Endurance Hat, Planet Explore Water Bottle, and 1 year-long subscription to Backpacker Magazine

Here’s How to Enter: (This entry is mandatory)

• Tell me your favorite spot to go camping.

Additional Entries

• Tweet about this giveaway. (daily entry) – 2 entries
• Follow The North Face on twitter – 2 entries
• Subscribe to my feed via e-mail – 2 entries
• Follow me – 2 entries
• Comment on any non giveaway post that you haven’t previously commented on – 2 entries
• Become a fan of Babes and Kids on Facebook – 2 entries

Please leave each entry as a separate comment. Contest is open to US residents and will end at 11:59 MST on July 14th. Winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning e-mail or prize will be forfeited and given away in a live giveaway.

The information in this article was provided by the representing PR company and The North Face.  Prize package also provided by The North Face.  I did not receive any product or compensation for this post, and all opinions are 100% mine.

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Since school is getting out, I’m sure there are many of you looking for great craft ideas to keep your kids occupied and their minds going. FedEx has a great blog called Out of Office that offers great ideas when it comes to crafts for kids.

Bookmarks 
Fedex and MomCentral sent us a craft kit to make bookmarks for the boy’s books. It was a fun and simple activity for the boys, and I made my own bookmark along with them.

They started out by coloring their bookmarks, and adding stickers.

Then I cut them out for them, punched a hole in the top, and attached ribbon. They turned out really cute as you can see below, and the boys were so proud of their coloring/sticker job.

There are lots of other great craft ideas on FedEx’s Out of Office blog. One of my personal favorites was the kite. I think it’s a great idea, and we are planning on trying this one out. Head over the Out of Office blog and check out some of their ideas. Any in particular that you like? What DIY projects have you done with your kids?

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of FedEx Office and received the items necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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One thing that I noticed that was added within the last month was dining options.  I see that there’s an option for an Arby’s near me.  It’s a 2 for 1 discount: Enjoy one complimentary TOASTED SUB & MEDIUM DRINK when a second TOASTED SUB & MEDIUM DRINK of equal or greater value is purchased. Best of all, this is only 1 point to redeem! To find dining near you, go to Tropicana’s website, type in your zipcode, and select dining. Happy eating!

I wrote this review while participating in the Tropicana Juicy Insiders Ambassador program by Mom Central on behalf of Tropicana. I received 12 free Juicy Rewards points and a $50 Visa gift card to use in redemption of the points and to facilitate my review

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It consists of exfoliating, shaving, and then moisturizing with Dove’s ultimate beauty care line. The ultimate beauty care line consists of a tri-moisturizing system that definitely helps hydrate dry skin.

About the moisturizing system from Dove:
Tri-moisturizing system: occlusive, humectant and nourishing, which includes Dove 1/4 Translucent Moisturizers™ to care for and condition skin.

After following the tips outlined in the video below, I noticed less irritation in my underarms.

Spa Day
Last week, Dove sent some me and some of my close family and friends out for a spa day. We got great treatment with pedicures, manicures, and upper back massages. We spent the day being pampered and it was much needed girl time.

Getting pedicures…ahhhhh. 

Dove also provided each of the guests with deoderant from the ultimate beauty care line so that they could do a PitiCure and notice the difference as well!

If you are interested in trying out a PitiCure yourself, try it, your underarms will thank you. 

The products buzzed about in this article were samples provided to me and my guests.  Additionally, Dove sponsored our day out at the spa.  All opinions remain 100% mine.

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The Perfect Gift
Do you have people on your list that are hard to buy for? Whether it be birthdays, Christmas, or some other special occasion and you just don’t know what to get them? I know I definitely do. Gift cards make a great gift because that means that the recipient can choose their own gift. It seems like you can buy gift cards a lot of different places, but I bet you have heard of a place quite like FriendGiftr.

FriendGiftr is a website that allows you to choose from over 120 merchants, in increments starting at just $10 and going up to $100. I noticed that Sephora is included in these merchants. It’s a personal favorite of mine

What makes this service unique is that the person receiving the gift can exchange the gift card for one from another merchant without the person giving it knowing, and without extra cost. So let’s say you get a gift card to a popular restaurant in your area, but you’d rather have a gift card to buy apparel. No problem, just exchange it! You can also split gift cards across multiple merchants. I don’t know of any other service that will do this. Not only can you use this service on the web, but you can also find it on Facebook, iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android. So if I’m in a pinch and need to get a gift card right away, I can pull out my iphone and have this resource at my fingertips. Pretty cool!

I remember a time a few months back where I got a gift card for a friend who was going through a hard time. I’m sure she probably appreciated the thought, but who knows if she wanted the gift card for that particular service. If I had used FriendGiftr, she would have been able to exchange the card had she wanted to.

So if you are looking for a gift card but want a resource that offers it all, with options and an easy to navigate website, check out FriendGiftr.

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After eating some of the original Pringles that hubby had brought home, I decided that I actually prefer the taste of the new multigrain Pringles. I like that I get all of the flavor that I normally would with original pringles, but I also get a taste of multigrain as well. These new chips are available in three varieties:

• Truly Original
• Creamy Ranch
• Cheesy Cheddar

U Taste
Not only are these new chips delicious, they are striving to make a difference. Simply go to the Pringles Website between now and June 30th, enter your UPC code in a designated box, and $1 will be donated to Pringle’s Share Our Strength® No Kid Hungry campaign. Share our Strength is an awesome program to ensure that kids in America are not growing up hungry.

By weaving together a net of community groups, activists and food programs, Share Our Strength catches children at risk of hunger and ensures they have nutritious food where they live, learn and play

I’ve already entered UPC codes to help contribute to this cause and you should too!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Pringles Multigrain and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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Field Trips
Remember those field trips in elementary in middle school? I sure do. It seems like I would look forward to them forever, and it was always fun to leave school and have a different experience. Those are the experiences that you really learn from and take with you, however some schools are cutting down field trips according to the following statistic:

According to a 2009 report from The American Association of School Administrators, it’s estimated that over the course of the current school year, the number of school districts eliminating field trips will increase by 56 percent. That’s more than 30,000 schools.

Lunchables recognizes the importance of field trips, and wants to help deserving classes go on inspiring and educational field trips. That’s why they launched “Field Trips For All.”

I loved this following video. It was fun for me to see the kid’s eyes light up and see the wheels turning in their heads.

Nominate a Class
As I mentioned above, Lunchables wants to help classes go on field trips, and that is why they are giving 50 field trips away. Anyone who is age 6 or older can visit here to nominate a class.  I have some very deserving nieces and a nephew that I will be nominating for these field trips.  I want to see them succeed and get the best education and experiences that they can get, and I think one of these field trips would do just that.  So go ahead, nominate a classroom that you think deserves a field trip.  Who would you nominate?

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