With all the healthy changes we’ve been making around our home over the last several months, I guess it’s not surprising that the changes made their way to my husband’s coffee routine. Jeremy is a coffee lover, and take his with cream and sugar like most people. Up until about eight months ago, Jeremy often used real sugar and a variety of flavored creamers. When we started our healthier living journey, he switched to an all-natural artificial sweetener, Truvia. One thing was missing though – an all-natural creamer. So, when I heard about the new Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss creamers, I knew he had to try them!

I headed to Walmart and picked up two bottles, one of the Sweet Cream flavor variety, and one Caramel. I printed out a coupon for $1 off 2 bottles of Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss from the Walmart website beforehand, happy about the savings and hoping for a good deal.

I was even more excited when I found $1 off 1 coupons right on the bottles, and ended up getting the creamer for only $1.30 a bottle. Click here to see a slideshow of my shopping experience and find out more.

I knew Jeremy would like the Caramel flavor and I was right. He also likes the Sweet Cream, but says the Caramel is his favorite.

When asked if there was anything he noticed to be different in his new creamers, Jeremy said that he was definitely able to use LESS sweetener since the creamers seemed to have a sweeter flavor. Super cool! This was when I hit him with the news. Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss is not only all-natural, but has ONLY FOUR ingredients!

Jeremy was pretty blown away, and very pleased with his new creamer. Hey, his coffee makes him happy, and if it can be healthier for him…. I’m all for that!

Find out more about Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss creamer at www.naturalbliss.coffee-mate.com. Be sure and visit Coffee-Mate on Facebook, and go here to download your $1 off 2 coupon!

** I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric The opinions I have expressed are my own. If you have any questions please refer to my Terms of Use.**

Anybody excited about school being out for the summer? I know my kids are. At our house we try to keep the learning going throughout the summer, and often that is done through books. I’m going to be doing a few posts with some summer reading list ideas for the younger ones coming up in a couple weeks, but heard about something that you moms of girls ages 9-13 will want to check out. Scholastic has just started a Mother-Daughter Book Club! The new Scholastic Mother-Daughter Book Club launched May 1st just in time for the summer. Each month two new titles will be featured, but to start us off FOUR new titles are featured for May! Here’s a little about each book:

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood
As much as Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory as everyone knows her, wants to turn twelve, there are times when Glory wishes she could turn back the clock a year. Jesslyn, her sister and former confidante, no longer has the time of day for her now that she’ll be entering high school. Then there’s her best friend, Frankie. Things have always been so easy with Frankie, and now suddenly they aren’t. Maybe it’s the new girl from the North that’s got everyone out of sorts. Or maybe it’s the debate about whether or not the town should keep the segregated public pool open.

Augusta Scattergood has drawn on real-life events to create a memorable novel about family, friendship, and choices that aren’t always easy.

Pie by Sarah Weeks
When Alice’s Aunt Polly passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily surly cat Lardo… and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice.

Suddenly Alice is thrust into the center of a piestorm, with everyone in town trying to be the next pie-contest winner… including Alice’s mother and some of Alice’s friends. The whole community is going pie-crazy… and it’s up to Alice to discover the ingredients that really matter. Like family. And friendship. And enjoying what you do.

The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone
Seventh grader Louise should be the captain of her school’s gymnastics team—but she isn’t. She’s fun and cute and should have lots of friends—but she doesn’t. And there’s a dreamy boy who has a crush on her—but somehow they never connect. Louise has everything going for her—so what is it that’s holding her back?

Phoebe Stone tells the winning story of the spring when seventh grader Louise Terrace wakes up, finds the courage to confront the painful family secret she’s hiding from—and finally get the boy. Check out other books by Phoebe Stone.

Tomorrow Girls: Behind the Gates by Eva Gray
Louisa is nervous about being sent away to a boarding school—but she’s excited, too. And she has her best friend, Maddie, to keep her company. The girls have to pretend to be twin sisters, which Louisa thinks just adds to the adventure!

Country Manor School isn’t all excitement, though. Louisa isn’t sure how she feels about her new roommates: athletic but snobby Rosie and everything’s-a-conspiracy Evelyn. Even Maddie seems different away from home, quiet and worried all the time.

Still, Louisa loves CMS—the survival skills classes, the fresh air. She doesn’t even miss not having a TV, or the internet, or any contact with home. It’s for their own safety, after all.

Or is it?

We received all of four titles, plus the two titles that will be featured in June - The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Caitlyn LOVED this one), and Whatever After: Fairest of All by Sarah Mlynowski. You’ve heard me say before that Caitlyn is a reading machine and she has proved it, devouring four of the six books in less than two weeks! Needless to say, I’m a little behind and still reading the first book we started ‘together’. It has been fun reading together, and gives us something to talk about besides clothes, hair, and whether or not she remembered to do the dishes.

The Scholastic Mother-Daughter Book Club website makes it super easy for you to have fun book club get-togethers with your daughter, her friends, and their moms to talk about the books. The site features fun recipes that correlate to the books (like making blueberry bars to go along with the part in Tomorrow Girls where they forage for blueberries in the forest), and book discussion questions. Plus, they have a monthly Skype sweepstakes where you can enter to win a Skype visit from one of the authors at your next book club meeting! May’s sweepstakes author is Augusta Scattergood, author of Glory Be.

Not only is this concept fun, it gives you time to bond with your daughter through books. Believe me, a love of reading is something that has always created a special bond between Caitlyn and I. It makes it easy to find something to talk about, even as she ventures into her tween years. Find out more at www.scholastic.com/motherdaughterbookclub, be sure to visit Scholastic on Facebook, and follow @Scholastic on Twitter!

Win It:

One lucky reader will win a copy of ALL six May and June titles, PLUS a $50 VISA gift card to host your own Mother-Daughter Book Club! For your first required entry, leave a comment below telling me which title you can’t wait to read with your daughter! All entries must be received by 11:59 PM EST on June 4th.

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** Thank you to Scholastic for providing the products for review and giveaway! I only recommend products or services I can stand behind and believe will be good for my readers. I was not required to post a positive review, nor was I paid for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. If you have any questions please refer to my Terms of Use.**

George shared a super easy (and quick) picnic pasta salad recipe, as well as a creative Caesar salad wrap idea that I never would have thought of. Using the rice paper wrap idea alone, you could create so many great on-the-go meals perfect for picnics!

George shared lots of great kitchen and picnic tips as well including (LOVE the tip about DIY croutons!):

• To save calories in preventing sticky pasta while you’re preparing your other pasta salad ingredients, spray a little PAM Olive Oil nonstick spray in your pasta and mix it around.
• To create a non-slip surface for your cutting board, put a damp paper towel underneath it. (Why didn’t I think of that?!)
• To eat salad with your fingers, turn it into a spring roll. Make your salad and roll it in rice wrappers.
• To make your own croutons to save money and eat healthier, cut up bread, put it in a sheet pan and spray it with PAM Olive Oil, then toast and season it. Freezes well.
• At a picnic, bring giant cutting boards for serving. If a table isn’t available, they will help create a flat surface for pitchers, plates and other items.
• Consider creating a toppings bar if you have guests over for a picnic. Grill hot dogs and hamburgers and let them choose their own toppings.
• Remember to pre-cut food so people can easily eat with one hand or eat standing up at the picnic location. Grilled vegetables are a great picnic option, especially for vegetarians and vegans.
• To make sure you’re getting a sweet watermelon, buy a pre-cut watermelon so you can see the color inside. Make sure it’s bright red.

Click here to get even more tips and see a recap of the class!

Talk sponsored by ReadySetEat.com and ConAgra Foods.

LUNA Bars are amazing healthy snacks that pack a punch in a small bar. With protein, fiber, calcium, folic acid, antioxidants, and more, LUNA bars are a great ‘power up’ snack perfect for after a workout. My favorite is the Peanut Honey Pretzel bar, and I’m not even a big peanut lover. These nutritional bars are also loved by the kiddos at my house, so when we received a couple of the new LUNA Fiber Bars, I wasn’t surprised when they disappeared in a matter of minutes! Luckily, I was able to snag a couple quick bites, and snap this photo of Luke and his LUNA Fiber Bar before it disappeared into his mouth.

LUNA Fiber Bars contain more fiber than regular LUNA Bars, with 7 grams of fiber, and the ‘Core 4’ combo of calcium, iron, folic acid, and vitamin D. They may seem a bit small, but their hunger curbing fiber fills you up and they taste fantastic. My favorite has to be the Vanilla Blueberry topped with sweet sprinkles, but the Peanut Butter Strawberry and Chocolate Raspberry (with raspberries and chocolate chips) were pretty tasty as well.

LUNA Bars have long been toted as the ‘Whole Nutrition Bar for Women’, and the Core 4 vitamins and minerals are one that women tend to lack most. Watching those calories like me? No worries, each LUNA Fiber Bar is between 110 and 120 calories! Each bite gives you vitamins and minerals your body needs, plus terrific flavors you will start to crave. Find out more about LUNA Fiber Bars online at www.lunabar.com, and click here to find a retailer near you. LUNA Fiber Bars are available at Target stores. Be sure to visit the LUNA Facebook page, and follow @LUNAbar on Twitter!

** Thank you to LUNA for providing the products for review! I only recommend products or services I can stand behind and believe will be good for my readers. I was not required to post a positive review, nor was I paid for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. If you have any questions please refer to my Terms of Use.**

At TVFlashbacks.com you can find full seasons of sitcoms like Roseanne, That 70′s Show, and 3rd Rock From the Sun. I received seasons 3 and 4 of both Roseanne and That 70′s Show. They come packaged in a single DVD case with each disc encased in it’s own individual envelope. I love the fact that the whole multiple disc season only takes up the room of one DVD case, although getting the disc in and out of the envelopes can be a pain sometimes. Of course, I may just be lazy. You can go here to see all the seasons they have available of these shows. The season DVD sets are available for only $12.99 each.

Thanks to TV Flashbacks, I got to relive some of my favorite moments from season 3 and 4 of Roseanne. Now that I look back, I would probably never let my kids watch this show, but I remember watching it all the time growing up. Roseanne season 3 is the season where Roseanne gets a job as a waitress, and Dan open his short-lived motorcycle shop. That also means it’s the season when Becky meets Mark. Season 4 also has some memorable events like guest stars Neil Patrick Harris and Leonardo DiCaprio, and it’s the season when Jackie becomes a truck driver.

That 70′s Show is a secret pleasure of mine. I know it’s so wrong, but it’s so funny! That 70′s Show Season 3 is full of hilarity including Fez’s first girlfriend, and it’s the season when Jackie starts liking Hyde. Season 4 finds Eric and Donna split, Hyde back at the Foreman’s house, and the the classic “That ’70s Musical” episode.

I also received the 6-part documentary Medal of Honor (available for only $7.99). This documentary covers all the medal of honor recipients from the Civil War through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you don’t like history documentaries, this probably isn’t for you, but I have found it quite interesting. I’m not completely through the entire thing, but have been amazed at some of the great stories of courage documented in this series. Medal of Honor runs for about four hours, and is on 2 discs. Check out the video clip below…

Okay, now for that deal I was talking about! From now until May 31st, you can snag a 25% off discount code to use on any of these three 50 Movie DVD Packs. That’s 50 movies in one case! I just received mine and I’ll be posting a review and giveaway later this month, but I couldn’t believe how small the case was. Click here for more information, and to get that discount code. Here are the three movie packs available:

TIMELESS FAMILY CLASSICS: More than 62 hours of smiles, songs and superb family entertainment. A galaxy of stars to dazzle your world including Ginger Rogers, Shirley Temple, Jack Benny, Kirk Douglas, Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, James Cagney and many more.

NIFTY FIFTIES: It was the era of drive-in movies and cultural changes. Stars like Sidney Poitier, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Charlton Heston, Eva Gardner, Kim Novack, Marilyn Monroe and Gregory Peck deliver more than 65 hours of timeless movie magic.

DARK CRIMES: Silent streets. Hidden secrets. Grifters, heroes and criminals. More than 60 hours of classic noir films featuring some of cinema’s greatest stars, including Lee J. Cobb, George Raft, Lloyd Bridges, Ann Sheridan, Boris Karloff, Yul Brynner, and many others.

Win It:

One lucky reader will win the same DVDs that I did which includes Roseanne Season 3 and 4, That 70′s Show Season 3 and 4, and Medal of Honor on DVD! For your first required entry, leave a comment below telling me your favorite sitcom that you wish was available on DVD! Mine would be The Wonder Years! All entries must be received by 11:59 PM EST on June 4th.

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** Thank you to Mill Creek Entertainment for providing the products for review and giveaway! I only recommend products or services I can stand behind and believe will be good for my readers. I was not required to post a positive review, nor was I paid for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. If you have any questions please refer to my Terms of Use.**

We’ve got a new fun-filled family game to top of your summer vacation experience! Actually whether you’re on vacation and looking for a little extra fun for you and the kids, or you’re at home and deciding what to play for family game night, Yackety Smack from ThinkFun will be sure to please! Yackety Smack is a unique game like none we’ve played before. You get to record your own personal sound effects, and believe me, that adds tremendously to the hilarity!

Everyone gets a stack of cards, and the goal is to be the one with the most cards at the end of the game (similar to the War card game). Spot the cards that match the silly sounds you’ve recorded and be the first to smack the Sound Smacker! Be warned: This game can get quite competitive!

Snag your own Yackety Smack at ThinkFun for $17.99. Game comes with one Sound Smacker (voice recorder w/long lasting battery), and 60 Yackety Smack Sound Cards (15 of each style). Geared toward ages 6 and up, this game is fun for all ages! The funnest part is listening while the other players try to record sounds without sounding like a total goof. Not possible!

Don’t forget, ThinkFun is now on Pinterest! They’ve got great educational ideas posted on there, so be sure to check it out. Find more educational games for kids young and old online at ThinkFun.com. Be sure to visit the ThinkFun Facebook page and follow @ThinkFun on Twitter!

Win It:

One lucky reader will win their own Yackety Smack game from ThinkFun! For your first required entry, leave a comment below telling me who you can’t wait to play Yackety Smack with! All entries must be received by 11:59 PM EST on June 4th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

** Thank you to ThinkFun for providing the products for review and giveaway! I only recommend products or services I can stand behind and believe will be good for my readers. I was not required to post a positive review, nor was I paid for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. If you have any questions please refer to my Terms of Use.**

This is the first in a new series (of sorts) that I decided to write. It’s not really a series in the respect that there is no set number of posts (Who knows? They may go on forever!), but they will have a common thread…. me…. diggin’ deep. What does that mean? Well, basically, it’s me writing about things that matter to me, honest, open, sharing my passions, fears, struggles, and successes in life. Whether it’s spiritual, family-related, or just what’s on my mind. I wanted to take time to write it out, in the hopes that along the way I will encourage you, inspire you, and maybe even make you laugh, while at the same time helping myself work through my thoughts and emotions.

This first ‘Mamma Monkey… Digs Deep‘ post is about something that happened to me over the weekend. It was disheartening and a reminder of how sometimes I live in a bubble of love and trust, oblivious to the fact that not everyone thinks like me. I was having a discussion with someone I consider to be a friend. I’ve known this person for almost 14 years, so I am comfortable with her…. maybe too comfortable. Something came up in the discussion and I shared my personal opinion regarding it. Nothing crazy, just matter of factly. My response came purely from a motherly concern for my child (it was a kid-related issue), but my friend became highly offended. The conversation ended abruptly, and I could tell she was not happy.

Later in the day, I texted her to apologize. Even though I didn’t feel like I had done anything wrong, I am aware that you can accidentally offend someone or hurt their feelings, and apologizing is the right thing to do. When she texted me back, I knew that she had not accepted my apology nor explanation of why I said what I did. At this moment, I have no idea whether she is still angry over my comment, or whether she has cooled down and logic has taken over. I don’t handle drama well and avoid it at all costs, so this is not sitting well with me.

I find it frustrating that we can be so distrusting of those around us that we automatically jump to the worst possible conclusion when something is said or done. Women are the worst at this, often quickly assuming that they are being judged. Many times, that’s not the case at all. While I too am guilty of this from time to time, I try very hard to take the whole picture into consideration. What feelings/emotions might have caused that person to say/do what they did? That cashier that was so nasty to you at Walmart, may have just lost someone close to them, or they may have just been told they had to work a day that they had asked off for an important event, or maybe they are just being grouchy. The truth is that you don’t know.

When my husband says something short to me, I try to remember that he loves me and wouldn’t on purpose hurt my feelings. I try to imagine the busy day at work he may have just come home from, or the stresses and people he had to deal with during his day. Am I saying make excuses for someone being just plain ugly? No, but I am saying that since we can only control us and our actions, try to have a little compassion or understanding. I mean, haven’t we all acted like that before?

I’m not sure how my situation will end, but I do know that a friendship shouldn’t be damaged by a single statement made, an opinion I have every right to have. The sad part is that it probably has been, and now I will have to deal with that. Next time you start to assume that something was said or done to hurt you, step back for a moment and consider the alternative. Maybe they were just having a bad day. Maybe they didn’t mean anything by it and were merely stating their opinion. Don’t always assume the worst. Don’t always get defensive, assuming you are being judged. Without being corny or cheesy and saying something along the lines of ‘Can’t we all just get along?”…. can’t we all just get along?

$50 Food Lion Gift Card – Cheryl A.

$150 Cash Giveaway from Ebates – LaTanya

25 Custom Cards from Photo Card Creations – Pamela H.

Child’s Nudge Tees T-shirt – Taylor M.

Distraction Card Game from ThinkFun – Gina H.

~All winners have been contacted and has 48 hours to contact me!

Don’t forget to check out our other great giveaways!

My Mother’s Day Gift from @myfourmonkeys from @theplanetjill arrived today!Love these pics of my boys. instagr.am/p/K6Je21NUqr/

— Felicia (@gograhamgo) May 22, 2012

You can read more about the necklace and see pictures here in Felicia’s post from today. It turned out super pretty!

And now for the reveal…. what did Felicia send me as her perfect Mother’s Day gift pick? Felicia originally wanted to send me a nap (I could really use one!), but figured a SpaFinder gift card would be the next best thing.

She was right! I can’t wait to utilize this gift card. I actually had plans to go last week, but life with four kiddos is always a bit chaotic and I had to postpone it for a few days. But I will definitely be using it before I head to Reviewer’s Retreat in less than two weeks! I’m thinking a pedicure and a facial would do me wonders. Who knows? Maybe I’ll take along my oldest daughter, and make it a pedicure for two. While I do enjoy time alone, rarely do her and I get to spend time with just us, and this might be the perfect opportunity to get some relaxing and bonding in at the same time!

** Thank you to BabyBjorn for providing the funds for purchasing the gift for my fellow blogger! I only recommend products or services I can stand behind and believe will be good for my readers. I was not required to post a positive review, nor was I paid for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. If you have any questions please refer to my Terms of Use.**

I am a happy Costco Club member, and have been off and on for several years. When my children were in diapers, Costco was the place to go to save money on diapers and wipes. Now, I buy a majority of my produce and meat each month at Costco. I also stock up on cereal and snacks occasionally, and it was on a recent shopping trip to Costco that I noticed the new Cheerios packaging. The all-new 2 box Cheerios packaging makes Cheerios an even better purchase, offering better storage and usage convenience, plus even more cereal!

The new 2 box Cheerios contains two individual boxes, making them easier to store and easier to pour! And they aren’t small boxes. These two boxes are the X-large sized cereal boxes. Cheerios sent us two of the all-new 2 box Cheerios packages, and I love how the two boxes tear easily apart to stack and store in the pantry.

Here’s a few others notes about the new packaging:

• By reducing the amount of air in each individual bag, these enhanced containers fit 10% more cereal than before and use less packaging
• While each box contains more cereal, packaging material has been reduced by over 200,000 lbs, saving 1,000 trees and taking 130 Cheerios trucks of the road, decreasing CO2 emissions

Find out more at www.Cheerios.com/Club2Boxes, and check out this video:

New and improved 2 box Cheerios are now available on the shelves of Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s nationwide!

Win It:

TWO lucky readers will win a TWO new 2 box Cheerios packaging (four boxes)! For your first required entry, leave a comment below telling me how will new 2 box Cheerios packaging benefit you and your family! All entries must be received by 11:59 PM EST on May 28th.

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** Cheerios® cereal, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. I only recommend products or services I can stand behind and believe will be good for my readers. I was not required to post a positive review, nor was I paid for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. If you have any questions please refer to my Terms of Use.**