Make time for CHANGE

"Spring ahead, Fall back" is the way that I always remember which way to turn the clocks once Daylight Savings time comes or ends. This year, our "Fall back" day arrives on November first. (Yay!! An extra hour!!)

Frigidaire and their new spokesperson, Jennifer Garner, are asking moms to think ahead about what they are going to do with that extra hour and pledge to use that time to help make a difference in the lives of children. Save the Children created the CHANGE program (Creating Healthy, Active, and Nurturing Growing-up Environments) to promote healthier lifestyles for children living in poverty by providing nutritious snacks and regular opportunities for them to be physically active.

For every person who goes to Frigidaire.com and commits to make time for a child,Frigidaire will donate $1 to support the CHANGE. (As an added bonus, you will be entered for a chance to win a new Frigidaire Professional double wall oven.)

Mom Central also has a Frigidaire Professional double wall oven to give away to our Mom Central Community!* To enter to win, simply go to http://www.momcentral.com/reviews/frigidaire-giveaway-and-celebrity-ambassador.html and tell us about your pledge and how you would give back your time to children in need. Mom Central will pick one lucky winner in a random drawing from all entries received!

* All taxes, including but not limited to federal, state and local taxes, and any other costs and expenses associated with prize acceptance are the sole responsibility of the winner, including any costs of installation.

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

Wendy's High School Heisman Program

If you are the parent of a high-schooler, you have a pretty good idea of all that is asked of them these days. Kids are expected to maintain good grades, participate in sports, and be involved with their community as well. And sometimes it can seem to them they they do not get recognized for all of the hard work and effort they put in.

Wendy's High School Heisman program presents a great opportunity to help those students who have managed to balance so much to stand out. This award celebrates high school seniors who excel in academics, athletics, and community involvement.

High school seniors who have a 3.0 average or higher, participate in a school-sponsored sport and contribute to their community can apply at www.wendysheisman.com , or a high school educator, guidance counselor, or coach can nominate them. As a little reward, the first 41,100 applicants will receive a free Wendy's gift card in amounts ranging from $5 to $50. One male and one female from each high school will win the award and continue on in competition for state and national awards.

Twelve national finalists will participate in Heisman Weekend festivities during an all-expenses-paid trip Dec. 11-13 to New York City. ESPN2 will feature all 12 national finalists during the Wendy's High School Heisman Awards Ceremony, which airs Dec. 13. The Wendy's High School Heisman website will display the names of all applicants and individual school winners on October 22, 2009.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Wendy’s and received a gift certificate to giveaway and to thank me for taking the time to participate

A healthy lunch alternative.

With school back in full swing, moms everywhere are running into the same problem: What to pack for Junior's lunch.

Coming up with exciting and healthy lunches that the kiddos will actually eat can be challenging. With many schools banning the old standard PB&J, easy and healthy lunches seem hard to come by.

It's tempting to purchase those prepackaged lunches at the supermarket. I have done it myself a few times. I had the chance to share one of those lunches with Little J and I happened to pick up the package and READ it while we were eating. I was horrified. The next time you are in the store, pick one up and read both the nutritional information and the ingredients on the package. You'll be shocked.

I was really bummed that I could no longer buy those lunches in good conscience knowing what was in them - they were so easy and Little J thought they were yummy.
Then I was introduced to GoPicnic.

GoPicnic creates the highest quality, best tasting ready-to-eat meals that
are exceptionally convenient and require no refrigeration or special preparation – you can truly enjoy them anytime, anywhere! Every GoPicnic meal is ready to eat right from the box, just grab a drink and enjoy one of
our delicious, nutritious meals today. GoPicnic meals come in many
varieties, including full meals, kids meals, and quick snackboxes. (from www.gopicnic.com)

The folks at GoPicnic were nice enough to send a variety of samples for us to try out. I'd love to recommend one over the rest, but we honestly loved them all. Little J liked that there were a variety of choices in each pack and I loved that they are healthy and I can give them to him without feeling guilty, since they are all natural with no artificial flavors or colors.

The folks at GoPicnic would love for you to try them out as well. The first 10 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a free sample from GoPicnic as well. GoPicnic would also like to offer Wisconsin Mommy readers a 20% discount off of any order with the coupon code GPMOMS.

Organizations can also sell GoPicnic products to as fundraisers - a great alternative to wrapping paper!! Find out more at www.GoPicnic.com/fundraisers.

Help Fund Ovarian Cancer Research

Starting today (Sept 9th), you can help fund research for the early detection and CURE of ovarian cancer by participating in "Text-a-Thon for a Cause". You can easily donate $5 toward this cause by texting "KELLY" to 85944from your mobile phone. (Standard text messaging rates apply.) Or, if you're not the texting type, you can log into http://www.kelly-confidential.com/.

Here's the part for you - each day you log on, you are entered for a chance to win a luxury frontload washer and dryer from Electrolux in Turquoise Sky, the color of ovarian cancer awareness. Mom Central is ALSO giving away another washer/dryer set on their site, so be sure to go over and enter there as well.

Looking for more ways to support the cause?? During September, visitors to Kelly Confidential can also help spread awareness for this important cause by sending a virtual T-shirt to a friend. For every virtual T-shirt sent, Electrolux will donate $1 to the OCRF. You can also purchase a limited edition T-shirt designed by Ripa; 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts will go to OCRF.




I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Electrolux and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate. To highlight the authenticity of my belief in this cause, I am donating the money I received for this post to the OCRF.

Wendy's Boneless Chicken Wings

I signed on to participate in the Wendy's Boneless Chicken Wing blog tour with Mom Central and was excited to try Wendy's new offering. I visited our local Wendy's and purchased the Honey BBQ wings.

They were served promptly and were hot and fresh. They were not at all greasy or tough. However, I have to admit - I didn't love them. On the other hand, Big J loved them.

Hmm, I thought. What's up with that?

Big J immediately pointed out that I am not a big BBQ fan, so why would these be any different. Thinking he had a good point, I tried the Bold Buffalo wings and loved them. (But then again, I am a hot wings fan!)

So, my review of Wendy's boneless wings is a big thumbs up with the added advice to choose the flavor you like before judging them!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog and giveaway campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Wendy's and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Mamapedia - A Resource for Moms

What do you do when you have questions about the everyday mom stuff? You know, the kind of things that keep you awake at night, but don't warrant a call to the pediatrician.

Most moms turn to other moms for answers.

But suppose your pack of playgroup moms don't appreciate a 2 am phone call about how to handle the fact that you just caught Susie texting her friends again when she's supposed to be sleeping. Or how your little toddler is screaming again, and you don't know why....

Or suppose it's a question you don't WANT to ask people you know...

Or suppose most of the moms you know are also newbies and can't offer much experience or wisdom as they're facing the same questions you are....

Enter Mamapedia.

Mamapedia.com is your online connection to moms who have "been there, done that" and don't mind being Googled at 2 am. Chock full of moms who are understanding and sympathetic, Mamapedia is available anytime you turn on your computer. You can search just about any subject, and come up with dozens of answers from real life moms, just like you.

Be sure to check out Mamapedia and sign up for your free membership.

Thanks to Mom Central and Mamapedia for sponsoring this review!

Current by Discover Card

To help us teach the important lesson of how to handle credit wisely, Discover Card has come up with their Current by Discover Card program. It features a debit card designed for kids aged between 13 and 18.

This innovative card allows parents the last word by letting YOU set the spending limits, either daily, weekly, or monthly. You can also block certain merchants (think liquor stores or cash withdrawals) and track how your teen is spending the money.

Since the card is a debit card, it stops working when the money limit is reached without costing you for any overdraft fees. Experience really is the best teacher and this card allows teens the ability to "practice" budgeting and handling credit without doing any lasting damage.

You can learn more at www.currentbydiscover.com.

Thank you to Mom Central for sponsoring this blog post.