Ragú's Fresh & Simple Pouches

I am usually a pretty good cook. I try to have some sort of homemade meal on the dinner table at least five or six nights a week. It's not always fancy, but it usually is pretty healthy and somewhat yummy.

Before we had Little J, we used to eat out quite a bit. We have since scaled back due to concerns about the health of our wallets and waistlines. Still, there are those days when cooking a meal seems overwhelming on top of running to practices, getting the laundry put away, running errands, and everything else that needs to get done in a day.

Ragu has come up with a great product to help out on just such a day...Fresh and Simple Pouches. Heated up in 90 seconds in the microwave, Ragú's Fresh & Simple Pouches can be added to any pasta, meat, or seafood dinner and taste delicious. In addition to how easy Ragú's pouches are to prepare - all you have to do is snip off a corner and toss in the microwave - they also contain only all-natural ingredients, along with Vitamin C, calcium, fiber, and protein. And to make me feel less guilty, the sauces have no sugar added, no artificial additives or preservatives. Plus, no messy pan to clean up at the end of the meal! Thanks so much for the free samples, Ragu!!

Check out Ragu's website for more information as well as some great recipes to try. (Be sure to print out their free recipe booklet.)

Cranergy

Ocean Spray has come out with its own energy drink, Cranergy. A delicious and naturally energizing juice drink, Cranergy is made with a base of cranberry juice, which is then enhanced with natural energizers like green tea extract and B vitamins. It contains no high fructose corn syrup and is sweetened with Splenda and has only 35 calories per eight-ounce serving (50 percent fewer calories than other leading energy drinks and traditional sodas).

Best of all, Cranergy tastes great! Ocean Spray was kind enough to supply me with some samples of their new beverage in Cranberry Lift and Raspberry Cranberry Lift flavors. Now I have to add that I grew up on cranberry juice and have always been a huge fan of it, so I wasn't sure if I was going to like this jazzed-up version. I had nothing to worry about. Ocean Spray has stayed true to their juice roots and only improved on what they have already done. Both flavors were crisp and refreshing and definitely not overly sweet, like I had feared.

Not only is Cranergy refreshing, but the green tea and B vitamins give a little extra lift to your energy without having that sugar or caffeine crash in the afternoon. I will definitely be adding Cranergy to my grocery list. If you would like to try Cranergy for yourself, grab a coupon here.

Go For the Gold!

It's hard to believe Tony the Tiger and Frosted Flakes turn 56 this year (and does he look good for his age or what?). Frosted Flakes were such a major part of most people's childhood breakfasts. They conjure up feelings of home and family.

The folks at Kellogg's have improved on this breakfast staple with a new product, Frosted Flakes Gold. With ten grams of whole grain and three grams of fiber in each serving, Kellogg's has combined better nutrition with that great taste we all remember.

Kellogg's has also teamed up with the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), Little League® International and Girls on the Run International to create the Earn Your Stripes™ program. This program encourages kids to be more active, eat right and work hard to achieve their goals.

Thanks to Kellogg's for the cereal sample and to Mom Central for their sponsorship.

SimplyMobile Moms

Have you ever been at the grocery store wishing you had your computer with you? You know, when you realize that your grocery list is at home, on your hard drive, and not in your hand printed out like it should be?

Have you ever run into a friend that you never see and wished you could magically produce all those great pictures of your kids that are home, on your computer?

Have you ever been stuck at your child's practice (piano, soccer, taekwondo) wishing you could access a document on your computer and give it another once over before tomorrow morning's presentation?

SimplyMobile Moms is an incredibly easy and practical tool that allows you to send, access, and share the key electronic information that you need throughout the day via your mobile phone. SimplyMobile Moms is a unique, free service that helps us moms stay connected and organized via mobile phone, keeping our lives running smoothly when we are away from home. Doesn't the idea of having access to those lists, catching up on e-mails, and even reading your favorite blogs while on the go make your to-do list seem so much more manageable?

In the interest of full disclosure, the more advanced features like maps, emails, and large amounts of content are suited best to smart phones (iPhones and Blackberries, for example) which can access the content via a one-click web link. I do not have one of these fancier phones and have not tried these features. However, phones without an Internet browser receive content via text messages, so you can send yourself short to dos and ingredients from online recipes that can then be accessed while you're standing in the grocery aisle. This is amazingly helpful in so many ways.

My two initial reservations were about cost. SimplyMobile Moms is a free service, but I was concerned about the cost of the text messages. Turns out, as long as you are using a supported carrier - they are FREE!! (Their list of supported carriers is quite extensive, most phones are covered.) My other concern was about SPAM...I did not want a sudden influx of SPAM messages. They have a "guaranteed no SPAM" policy and I can report that I did not receive one single piece of SPAM. The downloaded software installed quickly and easily and is very simple to use.

Did I mention that this is a FREE service? I did? Well, to make it even better, SimplyMobile Moms is giving away and iPhone and two years free service. So what are you waiting for?? Head over there now and sign up!

Thank you to MomCentral and SimplyMobile Moms for sponsoring this blog tour!

A better way to deal with lice

It's the moment all mothers dread - the moment you realize that your child has caught head lice.

There is such a stigma attached to lice, like it is a character flaw or something. Many people don't want to admit that their child has it. They are afraid that they will be judged as bad parents, unclean, sloppy. They fear that their child will be shunned and ridiculed. The treatments have not helped the situation. In the past they have been smelly and horribly unpleasant. Some have even been unsafe. In fact, in 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency even went so far as to ban lindane, an ingredient found in some lice treatments, as an agricultural insecticide due to its toxicity. Yeah, just what I want to put on my child's head.

Lice MD is a new treatment for lice that puts an end to most of the fears moms have about treating head lice. It is pesticide free (which also means the lice cannot develop pesticide resistance to it) and completely odorless. It works in 10 minutes and conditions rather than dries out your child's hair. It will eliminate the lice, eggs, and nits which is important to prevent continued outbreaks.

The box also includes a comb to help eliminate the nits and eggs and detailed directions on how to rid your house of the little buggers. LiceMD is sold over-the-counter at food, drug and mass retail outlets and wherever lice treatments are sold. It doesn't make having lice pleasant (nothing could!) but it does make treating them a little less unpleasant.

Dare to Wear White

So you may remember that a while ago, I posted about some, um, feminine issues I was having. And how I had a minor meltdown in my ob-gyn's office when she decided that there was "nothing wrong" with me and that I should just go on the pill.

Well, I am happy to report that the pill has somewhat helped with some of the issues I was facing, mainly the incredibly heavy periods I have been having since giving birth to Little J almost four years ago. (Migraines are still an issue.) However, I am not thrilled with the idea of spending the rest of my menstruating life on the pill and I can't bear the thought of going back to the ways things were before.

Turns out there is another option. Who knew? Not me - which makes me wonder WHY didn't I know this? Which also made me jump at the chance to help Mom Central spread the word about this option. It isn't for everyone - you need to be sure that you are done having children. But if you are, be sure to check out the Dare to Wear White (I love that name!!!) website and take their survey. If you are one of the first 250 women to take the survey, you will get a $10 Amazon gift card. (Please only take the survey if you have heavy periods AND are done having children.)

Here is some additional information about heavy periods from Barb, the resident nurse at Mom Central:

Frequently Asked Questions & Answers about Heavy Periods

By Barbara Dehn NP
MomCentral.com
AskNurseBarb.com




How do I know if I have heavy periods?

Although many women may feel as though they are the only ones experiencing heavy periods, women of all ages have heavy periods that interfere with their day-to-day lives. You may have heavy periods if your period:
• Lasts a long time
• Is so heavy that you need to change pads or tampons every 1 to 2 hours
• Is so heavy that you often have a tampon AND a pad for more protection
• Is so heavy that you have to change pads at night

Is it normal to miss work or other activities once in a while because of heavy bleeding?

Many women are surprised to learn that it’s not considered normal for periods to disrupt their normal activities and life. Heavy periods may be interfering with the quality of your life if you:
• Wear dark clothing because you worry about “accidents” during your period
• Miss work or social activities because of heavy periods
• Find that your mood is significantly affected by your heavy periods
• Have had to significantly alter sexual relationships because of heavy periods
• Feel that your life would be much better without your periods

Who is likely to experience heavy bleeding?

Women of all ages may experience heavy bleeding, yet many women in their 30s and 40s may develop heavy bleeding for the first time. Women who have stopped taking birth control pills, those who have had their tubes tied (tubal ligation) and women who are pre-menopausal are especially likely.

What causes heavy periods to occur?
Hormonal changes are usually the cause of heavy periods. This tends to be most prevalent in younger girls and teens who are beginning adolescence, and women in their late 30s and early 40s, due to big swings in their hormone levels. These hormone fluctuations usually mean that she is not ovulating regularly and heavy and long periods may result.

What else may cause heavy periods?

Though most heavy periods are caused by hormonal changes, there are other medical conditions that can also cause heavy bleeding. Before considering any treatments for heavy bleeding, the following possibilities need to be ruled out:

• Polyps – Small, non-cancerous growths attached to the lining of the uterus
• Fibroids – Non-cancerous growths of the uterus that are common in women over 30. Fibroids may be within the lining of the uterus, within the muscle, or on the outside wall of the uterus. While some women experience no symptoms, some fibroids can lead to irregular bleeding or pain
• Pre-cancerous or cancerous changes within the lining of the uterus – The lining of the uterus is known as the endometrium, and cancer here, thankfully, is rare. However, if a woman over 35 has been bleeding continuously for more than a few months, she should consult a health care provider to rule out this possibility
• Adenomyosis – In this condition, the lining of the uterus grows into the muscle of the uterus and causes heavy and painful periods
• Thyroid imbalance – Too much or too little of the thyroid hormones can interfere with normal cycles

Are there safe treatment options available for heavy periods?

There are a number of different options available to women with heavy bleeding. The treatments depend upon whether a woman wants more children, the results of any tests she may have had, her age, and how long she’s been dealing with heavy periods.

For a complete list of treatment options see: www.DareToWearWhite.com

What tests may be performed on a woman experiencing heavy bleeding?

Depending on how long a woman has been bleeding heavily, one or more of the following tests may be recommended:
• Pelvic Ultrasound – This test looks at the size and shape of the uterus and ovaries, and measures the thickness of the lining of the uterus
• Endometrial Biopsy – A thin, flexible tube is passed into the uterus to obtain a small sample of the tissue, which is analyzed for any abnormal or cancerous cells
• Sonohysterography – During an ultrasound, a small amount of fluid is introduced into the uterus through a thin, flexible tube to look for polyps or fibroids that may be interfering with regular cycles
• Hysteroscopy – A thin flexible scope is passed into the uterus to obtain a view of the uterine lining. Polyps or small fibroids also can be easily removed during this procedure. Anesthesia is necessary for this test
• Other lab tests – Health care providers may order blood tests for anemia, thyroid issues and bleeding disorders

Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition

So you may have noticed that my blogs have gotten a much needed face lift lately. This is all thanks to a very talented graphic designer who managed to interpret my lame (that is being kind!) explanations of what I was looking for. Seriously, I think I answered a few questions for her and she nailed the designs on the first try. Very impressive stuff!

I highly recommend her should you have any design needs: headers, buttons, etc. You can find her over at Flibby Pie Graphic Design and her prices are MORE than reasonable. And tell her Wisconsin Mommy says hi!