How Eating Cereal can get you a free movie!

I've written before about how much we looove cereal in my home. General Mills Cereals just happen to be some of our faves.

Well get this, you can receive a free movie ticket when you purchase two specially marked packages of General Mills´ Cereals. After purchasing two cereals, visit generalmills.com/moviecash to enter the code found inside each box of cereal and print your free movie certificate good for admission to any movie.

Participating brands include select sizes of: Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Trix and Reese´s Peanut Butter Puffs.

To find a participating theater near you, log onto
http://emoviecash.com/dis_locator/.

And to celebrate this cool promotion, I get to offer one of you lucky peeps a "Movie Moment" prize pack that includes 4 e-movie cash certificates ($12 each) and one (1) free coupon for a General Mills cereal.

Simply leave me a comment telling me your favorite movie and you'll be entered to win. One winner will be selected at random from all comments received by Tuesday 12/15/09. For an extra entry, you may tweet about the giveaway. Please be sure to leave an additional comment with the link to your tweet.

And don't forget to leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you've won.

*disclosure- General Mills and MyBlogSpark furnished me with a Movie Moment Prize pack and the information contained in this post.

Chicco Toy Giveaway: Billy Fun Wheels *** Updated with Winner

***** Congratulations to commenter number 10 Chris**********

It's no secret I have a love affair with Chicco. No it's not because they send me free things(in fact, I didn't receive free products for this or the last giveaway I did for them)

No, no it's because I honestly believe Chicco makes great quality toys. Sure my twins are six now and have outgrown many of their Chicco items. But when I think about the remote control cars, the beginning roller blades and countless other Chicco toys we've had, I look back on them as some of the best toys we've had for their ease of use, sturdiness and outright entertainment value! And if I can bring that to you...then why the heck not.

The deets on Chicco's latest Billy Fun Wheels

The first motion-controlled monster truck for preschoolers!

Intuitive steering wheel can be rotated left or right to steer the truck

Realistic engine, reverse capability, and honking sounds

Headlights light up -

Rubber threads help prevent damage to floors

For children ages 2 years and up

Where you can find it:

Diapers.com, ToysRUs.com, EToys.com, Rightstart.com (retail 34.99)

Or win it here! Simply enter a comment telling me the one toy your child absolutely has to have this season. For an extra entry tweet the contest and leave a seperate comment with the link.

One winner will be selected at random from all comments received by 11/24.

Oh and please be sure to leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you've won!

Promise to Make a Difference

According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer within her lifetime.

Two years ago one of those eight women was my mother. And while she's doing wonderfully today it's become my personal mission to support breast cancer research and raise awareness. Which is why supporting companies like Yoplait is crucial as they've donated more than $22 million to the breast cancer cause through Save the Lids.

For every pink lid mailed in by December 31, 2009, Yoplait will donate $0.10 to the Susan G. Komen for the cure, up to $1.5 million with a guaranteed minimum donation of $500,000.

It's easy to help. You can visit Yourlidmatters.com to create online lid collection teams and engage and inspire your friends family and colleagues to join the cause.

And to one of my readers I offer a "Promise to Make a Difference" gift pack* which includes a free coupon for Yoplait YoPlus Yogurt, a breast cancer awareness bracelet and a leather jewelry case as pictured above.

If you'd like to win this great gift pack simply leave me a comment telling me how you support breast cancer awareness and or research and you'll be entered to win. One winner will be selected at random from all comments received by November 2.

*Gift pack courtesy of MyBlogSpark and Yoplait who also furnished me with a gift pack

Family Fun at Disney on Ice and a Special Offer

I know where I’ll be the weekend after next. My twins, who are both big Disney fans, and I are positively geeked to be heading to the Everett Events Center for Disney on Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy.

The Deets:

Worlds of Fantasy showcases beloved characters from Disney/Pixar's Cars, Disney's The Lion King and The Little Mermaid, as well as a live debut of the magical cast of new Fairies from the 2008 release of Walt Disney Pictures Tinker Bell DVD.

In a captivating "fairy tale" segment, audiences will enter into the wondrous world of Pixie Hollow and meet the Disney Fairies from Tinker Bell. The entire ice floor will transform into springtime, as the fairies' magical role in the mysteries of nature is finally revealed. From wheels to waves, Pride Lands to pixie dust, your family's favorite Disney moments come to life at Disney On Ice presents World of Fantasy with dazzling skating, special effects and beloved characters certain to create a lifetime of memories.

What’s that you say? You have no plans and your kids will never talk to you again if you don’t take them. Well I’ve got just the thing for you. Everett Events Center has a special offer:

4 tickets for $44
click here and enter "mom" to purchase


Special Bonus! Disney Princess Pre-Show: Arrive up to one hour early to tour our dazzling display of gorgeous gowns.

Hope to see you there

Yoplait Delights with a new yogurt treat

Delights parfaits are the latest in Yoplait's line of lowfat yogurt treats. At only 100 calories per serving and totally portable, these incredibly creamy, melt in your mouth goodies are the perfect snack anytime of the day.

A great new twist on an old fave,Yoplait pairs two decadent flavors for a match made in heaven. The lemon torte is absolutely to die for (totally taste like pie filling, y'all) and with 3 other flavors including Chocolate Raspberry, Triple Berry Cream and Creme Caramel you're sure to find your favorite in the bunch too.

Cheers to Yoplait for coming up with a line of delicious treats to help win the war against sweet tooths and expanding waistlines everywhere.


Go check 'em out. They're now available in major grocery stores. And be sure to grab a coupon too http://bricks.coupons.com/bstart.asp?o=58158&ci=1&c=GM&p=mtiwHNq8.

Chicco - Talking Vacation Car Giveaway ******Updated with winner

*********Congratulations to lucky commenter number 12, Nad!

Having just come back from a family vacation, I know the stress of wanting to keep children entertained while in transit.

Prior to our first time traveling with the twins several years ago, I asked everyone and read everything I could get my hands on in an effort to make sure that we weren't those parents(you know the harried, sweating, stressed out parents with the unhappy, bawling kids). It was then that I came upon the best recommendation I could have ever imagined. That recommendation: To bring a brand new toy that the kids have never seen - worked like a charm.

Enter the brilliant minds at Chicco and their Talking Vacation Car. Yay for Chicco for being in tune to what we parents and our kiddos want and producing some of the highest quality, fun and educational toys for babies and kids.

The Talking Vacation Car is a convertible car with flashing headlights and working wheels that not only helps your child develop language skills in English and Spanish, it has 3 different modes to help them discover new words, complete stories and solve riddles. It's bright,colorful and full of fun sound effects to keep the kiddos (don't worry parents, there is volume control) entertained. For children 18 months and up the Talking Vacation Car will be yours (and your childrens)best travel buddy.

And you can win one here. Simply leave a comment telling me your best (or worst) vacation story and you'll be entered to win. One winner will be chosen at random from all comments received by 7/28.

For extra entries
1 entry - Tweet the contest
2 entries - Blog the giveaway

Please be sure to leave a comment for each entry method and a valid email address so I can contact you if you've won.

Special K Protein Shakes (Review & Giveaway!) ***Updated with winners

**** Congrats to Encheva, Lisa, Angela R and justme.

I’m a Special K fan. As someone who's actively trying to watch her weight, I have been for a while. Their cereals, particularly the Chocolatey delight and Red Berries, have been mainstays in my pantry. It’s a brand I’ve come to know and trust. So you can imagine my excitement when I was asked to try Special Ks new protein shake.

The shake arrived in the evening and as much as I (and my kids) wanted to tear into it that evening I decided the true test would be to have it the following morning, on my way to work. On an empty stomach.

The shake was well worth the wait. With its rich, creamy, decadent chocolate flavor the shake felt like a real treat. The part of me that loves everything chocolate found myself craving another. Of course what I’m learning is that I need to be more in tuned to how I’m really feeling and not to just eat because something tastes good. And what I really felt was full. Surprisingly so. I really did not expect that a shake would make me full. I’ve tried other meal replacement shakes before and was hungry within five minutes. Not so here. The shake kept me full for a good couple of hours which was perfect for me because I tend to like to eat smaller meals and/or snacks every few hours instead of 3 large meals.

Each shake contains 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber (which I'm sure accounts for why they're so filling). The French Vanilla and Strawberry flavors are 180 calories, the Milk Chocolate is 190, which for you Weight Watchers folks like me is only 3 points.

Want to try the goodness for yourself? Click here for a coupon for $1.00 off of a 4 pack (good through 7/30/09). You'll find them in the diet and nutrition aisles of your local grocery store (I've seen them at drugstores too)

**And, the Kellogg’s PR folks graciously allowed me to give away shakes to 4 lucky people. Simply leave a comment telling me your favorite Special K or Kelloggs product and you’ll be entered to win. Winners will be selected at random from all comments received by July 7th.
Please be sure to leave a valid email address so that I can contact you if you're a winner

The Wiggles Live! - Review & Giveaway****Updated with Winner

***********Congrats to commenter number 1, Annie!

One of my favorite memories is of driving home after work with my not quite 2 year old twins watching the Wiggles DVD on the portable player. Although they had a rather limited vocabulary at the time, they would sing their little hearts out chanting "Go,Go,Go,Go,Go" and bobbing their little heads.

I got such enjoyment from seeing their delighted little expressions in the rearview mirror. And so began our love affair with the Wiggles. We had to start our weekend days after the Wiggles came on in the morning. Our DVD collection grew exponentially as did the Wiggles themed toys and gear.

On more than one occasion, I caught myself singing "Fruit salad, yummy yummy" or "Where's Jeff ?" at work. Truthfully, I think I got as much of a kick out of them as the kids did. They were songs we could all sing along to. It was good clean, wholesome family fun. Months later when I discovered the Wiggles were coming to the Tacoma Dome I was overjoyed and quickly purchased tickets for our family.

The day of the show, hubby and I were like teenagers about to attend their first rock concert. Seriously, we were so jazzed to be able to experience the Wiggles live with our little fans.

The stage was set amazingly,resembling the tv show to a tee. I was suprised at how excited I got when Greg, Murray, Anthony and Jeff (I know there is a new Wiggle now...forgive me) arrived on stage in The Big Red Car. We danced , we sang, we wore out our throats hoping Dorothy would come to us and get roses. It was great fun spending that family time being silly and enjoying the show.

And I'd like for one of you to share that same experience with your family. Comcast Arena has graciously offered four tickets for the July 17th, Wiggles Go Bananas show in Everett, WA. To enter: simply leave a comment with your favorite thing about the Wiggles. One winner will be selected at random from all comments received by July 10th,11:59 PST.

For extra entries (each counts for 1 entry)
1) Tweet about the contest
2) Blog,post to FB, or if you don't do either, email your friends and family about the giveaway

**Please be sure to leave a valid email address and comment for each entry method completed.

Cheerios Spoonful of Stories Program

I love that Cheerios Spoonful of Stories Program has given away more than 35 million children's books by distributing them in cereal boxes and partnered with First Book, a non profit organization that provides books to children from low income families.

In my book (I couldn't resist),Cheerios deserves major kudos for this. Thus I'm doing my part to support their efforts by bringing this contest to you.

Cheerios is hosting it's 3rd annual Spoonful of Stories New Author Contest. Entries are being accepted through July 15, 2009 and will be judged on appropriate story and content for ages 3-8 , emotional connection, writing quality, uniqueness and read-aloud potential(additional details can be found here

And whether you're an aspiring author or simply someone who loves to read aloud with your children I've got a cute set of books from the Spoonful library to offer including "The Great Dog Wash" from the first years winner.

Simply leave me a comment letting me know your favorite children's book and you'll be entered to win. One winner will be chosen at random from all comments received by June 15th at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Applied Labels : Review and Giveaway!

As a mom of two kindergartners, I find that stuff that is sent to school often gets misplaced, lost or forgotten. Easily. From gloves, to jackets, to glasses. I almost had a coronary when my son "lost" his $300 glasses. Sure we'd written his name inside the case but over time that had worn. Fortunately, they resurfaced a few days later in the lost and found. We were lucky... that time.

Enter Applied Labels. At first glance these labels appeared like something that could be done on any laser printer. Honestly, I was a little hesitant to review them. But when I received my packet I was clearly proven wrong.

Not only do they have a completely professional appearance, these suckers are indestructable.

Applied Labels, a company started by a chemical engineer turned mompreneur produces such high quality labels they withstood sweaty kid feet, several washing machine cycles, rain and snow. They are easy to apply and a challenge to remove, which is exactly what I like. The twins loved putting labels with their very own name on their coats, shoes and backpacks. In fact they loved it so much I've found Applied Labels on socks, dolls,toys and on food packages in the pantry. I know...but what can I say - my kids totally got a kick out of them.

I loved the peace of mind they gave me that my kids would return home with the items they'd gone to school with.

Ideal for daycare, preschool or camp, Applied Labels come in your choice of 4 fonts and can be ordered in quantities of 30,60 or 90.

And because I found them so useful, I'd like to share them with one of you.

One lucky winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to Applied Labels. Go on check 'em out. Then come back and leave me a comment telling me how you'd use your labels. One lucky winner will be selected at random from all comments received by 04/10.

*For an extra entry, Tweet the contest using @twinmomoftwinz.

Good luck!

"One" terrific way to increase your fiber intake and enjoy doing it - A Giveaway ***Updated w/winners

Congratulations to Kathy55439,Melissa and Amy. You 3 are the lucky recipients of a Fiber One Spa Break gift basket.

***************************************
Ever since my daughter, J was told she needed to be on a high fiber diet in order to regulate her digestive system it's been a constant quest to add more fiber to my family's diet. We've tried just about everything.

Nothing has been quite as satisfying as Fiber One Chewy Bars. Seriously. They're like eating candy bars without all the fat and calories plus there's the added perk of getting 35% of your recommeded daily value of fiber in each bar.
We got the opportunity to try out the new mocha flavor recently and if you're a fan of coffee flavors you will absolutely enjoy them. While my daughter didn't love this flavor as much as she does the Oats and Chocolate, I enjoyed it's rich decadence.

Still wondering what all the fuss is about fiber ? Did you know that in addition to helping keep your digestive system on track , fiber helps satisfy your appetite and research suggests that people who have high fiber intakes have healthier body weights. Who's not for that, right?













Well guess what ? Three of you have the opportunity to win your very own Fiber One Chocolate Mocha Chewy Bars Spa Break gift basket: complete with a coupon for a box of Chocolate Mocha Chewy Bars, a bath pillow, chocolate scented soap, lotion and bath salts and a coffee scented candle.


Simply leave a comment telling me your favorite Fiber One product and you'll be entered to win. Three winners will be selected at random from all comments received by Tuesday, March 10 11:59 pst.

Yoplait Does it Again!

A few months ago I had an opportunity to review Yoplait's cake inspired yogurt flavors .

In a word they were incredible. At just 110 calories I remarked that they were perfect for those afternoon and evening sweet cravings and don't come with the guilt of having had that slice of cake or worse yet, that full bag of cookies.

This month, Yoplait does it again with the introduction of two new flavors from their Light,Thick and Creamy line.

The new Cinammon Roll and Cherry Cobbler flavors are decadent and delicious and allow you to indulge without the guilt.

Fat free,100 calories and containing 20% of the recommended daily value of calcium and vitamin D, these gems are perfect for those of us that are waistline conscience or anyone simply wanting a healthy sweet treat.

My fridge is now stocked with them. Wait 'till you try them. You'll want to do the same. Ooh and here's a little coupon love to entice you to go and get some.

Personalized Fruit Rollups Winner **Edited

Congrats to The Student! She was lucky number 12 (drawn via random.org)

****My deepest apologies to The Student,who graciously emailed to let me know I am a fool and didn't realize these couldn't be shipped to Canada. Sorry!!

I've selected another winner. McGann, you're it. Congrats.

Personalize your Fruit Roll-ups just in time for Valentines Day

My kids are big fans of Fruit Rollups, as am I. We love the taste, the fact that they are great grab-n-go snacks and the fact that they're just plain fun to eat.

Just when we thought we couldn't have any more fun with these delightful snacks they introduced a website where you can personalize your fruit rollups with your very own message which I reviewed last year. My kids got such a kick out of giving out Fruit Rollups that actually had their names and a thank you message to their friends that attended their birthday party.

I loved that it took just a few minutes on an easy to navigate site and then we had such a wonderfully unique party favor.

Now, Fruit Rollups have made the experience even cooler with new design themes, new art and you can even upload your own picture. Sheer awesomeness.

And for one of you I offer the chance to win a code for a case(30)of personalized Fruit Rollups.

Simply leave me a comment telling me your favorite Fruit Rollup flavor and you'll be entered to win. Hurry, as this giveaway ends Sunday,February 1 at 11:59 p.m. pst.