Try-Something-New-Tuesday: Green Giant Veggie Chips Review

My kids love to snack.  I am pretty sure they learned that from their momma.  Recently a big box of Green Giant Veggie Snack chips showed up on my doorstep from Bzz Agent.   My kids were thrilled!

As a Bzz Agent, I was able to try the two new flavors of Veggie Chips:  Sweet Potato and Zesty Cheddar.  The Sweet Potato chips were a hit with my kids because they came in their own individual bags.  What kid doesn't love his/her OWN bag of chips?

 Actually, there is a lot more to love...like the REAL sweet potato flavor, 14 grams of WHOLE grain, and 40% less fat than a regular potato chip. My children enjoyed the flavor and I enjoyed the freedom from the guilt that I usually have when I let them have "chips" for a snack.

 

The chips were salty and crunchy...just the way I like them!  And at least they are healthier than some of my snack choices.   

While we enjoyed the Sweet Potato chips, the Zesty Cheddar Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips were incredible!  My hubby and I both agreed that we could substitute these for our beloved Doritos. In fact, I have bought 2 bags since.  

While they have a different taste, they still have the similar cheesy taste we enjoy.  In fact, these chips are so much better because they are made with broccoli, carrots and tomato..can you believe that?  Talk about tricking my kiddos!  They loved them!  It also helps that they are made with whole grains.  Finally a healthier snack that tastes so good! 

 If see these in your local Kroger store, pick one up and try them out for yourself!  Or better yet, ask me for a coupon...I have a couple left to share! 

Note: Although I was given these products to test for free, my opinion is completely honest and true. 

Six Days Worth of Decluttering

Every week day in May, Crystal from Money Saving Mom is challenging her readers to find 7 items to eliminate from their house.  In an effort to clear out the clutter from our home, I am joining in.  How about you?


I guess I was too busy de-cluttering last week to actually post about it!  I must admit, I have been taking this challenge more seriously than others in the past and I am LOVING the difference it is making in my house!!!

I started last week out with getting rid of other people's stuff.  I actually packed everything up and shipped them directly to them.  It felt so good.  Some of the items were things I borrowed, others were gifts that I have been meaning to drop off.  I even mailed out a few items to brighten someone's day.  

Since we finally have some summer temps here, it was time to get out the water toys.  This was a great opportunity to get rid of items that were outgrown or in some cases moldy.  Yuck!

Thanks to all the lovely blogs I follow, I frequently get the chance to snag a free subscription to many magazines.  Unfortunately, I don't always have the time to read them.  I went through my basket of magazines and got rid of any that were older than a month and recycled them.  (Maybe if I actually read the SHAPE magazine, I could lose the rest of this pesky weight!) 

By midweek, I was on a roll with the de-cluttering and hit the toy room up.  I was hoping to have better results, but Big Brother kept insisting that he actually played with the each and every toy in the basement.  We were able to get rid of a few toys that were missing parts and a couple of toys that were not longer being played with. 

I was able to sneak in the next morning and grab a couple more toys that my children have outgrown, as well as a few items from our storage room that were taking up space.

Finally, today was by far my most productive day.  I got rid of 16 THOUSAND emails!  No, I did not just hit delete all.  Instead, I did make up a few folders, and then sorted my emails by sender. I was able to eliminate old emails easier this way.  I still have 100 or so emails that are sorted into folders and I will need to make sure that I keep on it!  Also, I will be busy unsubscribing to incoming emails that I no longer read or find the need for. 

Even my Hotmail account praised me for my "clean" inbox.  

Are you doing the challenge? How is it going? 

Whatcha Eatin'?: Monday, May 13th

My goal this summer is to try one new recipe each week.  Well, I went a little overboard this week and will be trying three! This is what's on the menu this week...

Sunday:  Dinner Out!
Monday:  Cheesy Chicken (Crock Pot) over noodles, Green Beans **New Recipe**
Tuesday:  Southwest Roll-ups, Mexican Rice, Mixed Fruit 
Wednesday:  Pulled Pork (Crock Pot) Sandwiches, Cheesy Potatoes, Veggies & Dip **New Recipe**
Thursday:  Baked Pierogi Casserole, Dinner Salad, Rolls **New Recipe**
Friday:  Leftovers or Frozen Pizza
Saturday:  Steaks on Grill, Potatoes, Green Beans

I am linking this post up at Organizing Junkie's Blog...Join me in the Fun!

Clutter Busting Challenge: May 10th... Twelve Items to Stamp Out Hunger!

 

Every week day in May, Crystal from Money Saving Mom is challenging her readers to find 7 items to eliminate from their house.  In an effort to clear out the clutter from our home, I am joining in.  How about you?
  
I am still a bit behind on my days for the Clutter Busting Challenge, but yesterday I took some time to go through the pantry to find some non-perishable items for the Stamp Out Hunger food drive this weekend.  All USPS mail carriers will be picking up bags of items from your mailbox and will donate to local food pantries.  I called my post office to double check that they are in fact participating since we live in the country...and they are!  

Here are my items that I will be donating...

• 4 Cans of Soup
• 1 Can of Olives
• 2 Cans of Chili
• 1 Can of Enchilada Sauce
• 1 Box of Spanish Rice
• 1 Package of Potatoes
• 1 Box of Mac & Cheese
• 1 Box of Hamburger Helper 

Join me in Stamping Out Hunger in America!

 

A Little Wedding Fun

Call me nosy, but I love to peek at other blogs and see what people do in their everyday lives.  Looking back on my last couple months of posts, I realized that I've been quite boring.  No our lives are not overly exciting, but I think I could be sharing a bit more. So...

A week ago yesterday my one and only little brother got married.  This is a picture of all my siblings together.  I am the oldest girl, but after six boys.  My only sister and I are super close despite being six years apart.   I love my family.  One thing that you can't tell in this particular photo is that we all have the exact smile.  It is pretty awesome.  This was a snapshot, but I can't wait to see what the professional photographer captured.

We tried to get a picture of our sweet little family...but this is the best we could get.  Gotta love it!

At least we were able to get a couple of decent photos from the wedding...

Here is a rare one of me and sweet pea.

Here is a picture of my hunky hubby and big brother waiting for the wedding to start.  It was supposed to be an outdoor wedding, but unfortunately it rained most of the day so they had to move it inside.
  

My beautiful mother and Little Brother waiting for the festivities to start.  The reception hall was gorgeous and they had this awesome furniture set up in the middle of the tables so people could sit, chat and watch the dancing.

Baby Sis was adorable in her dress.   She loved all the attention that she got from her Aunts, Uncles & Cousins.

 and of course her Grandpa!

 

We loved having the whole family together.  Thankful that we are all so close.  Here are some fun snapshots of the kids and their cousins. 

The ceremony was nice, a bit difficult to keep my kids quiet, but thankfully it was quick. The tables were beautifully decorated.  Aren't these cute little cake ball favors adorable?

The cake was amazingly decorated and delicious!

 After the yummy cake the real fun started...dancing!

The kids had a blast! 

But most of all, we were all so very happy for my brother and his beautiful bride.

They were high sweethearts who broke up in college and ended up back together ten years later.  It was cute to see how in love my little brother is with his new wife.  

Congratulations to the Mr. & Mrs! 

Clutter Busting Challenge Days #5, #6, and #7...Too many to Count!

 Every week day in May, Crystal from Money Saving Mom is challenging her readers to find 7 items to eliminate from their house.  In an effort to clear out the clutter from our home, I am joining in.  How about you?

After watching an episode of Hoarders on TLC, I found myself in the mood to purge this week.  I spent a good part of the last couple of days in my boys' bedroom switching out clothes for the season and getting rid of items that were too small.  I think I was quite successful!

 

I, then, moved onto the kitchen drawers and got rid of several duplicated or never used items. 

And finally I cut up and filed a huge stack of coupon inserts that have been cluttering my kitchen counter.  

Can't wait to wake up and get rid of more tommorrow!

Another reason why I love Lysol Touch of Foam Soap...

When you have a son who thinks it is fun to take sidewalk chalk and mix it with water to make an ooey gooey paste...

 

It's nice to have a great smelling soap to wash it all off! Thank you Bzz Agent for the Freebie!  

 Read all about my review on Lysol Touch of Foam Soap here.  

Weigh in Wednesday

Yep!  I am back at it.  This time I am already down 10 pounds and on my way to a new, healthier me.  I joined a 52 Day Weight Loss Challenge on Facebook and hope to get 20 lbs off by June 28th.  I am signed up to run my first 5K June 8th, so I am hoping with all the running and healthier eating, I can be one hot momma by then. 

This week's weight....

Did you really think I would show you the entire scale?  :-)  You'll have to wait until the end!

Try-Something-New-Tuesday: Lysol Touch of Foam Review

We are loving this Spring weather that we have been having.   Finally, we can get outdoors...and let me tell you, my kids are loving it!  The only downside to this weather is the dirt, sand and grime that my kids are coming into the house with.  Thankfully, I have a bathroom right inside the backdoor and a bottle of the new Lysol Touch of Foam Antibacterial Hand Wash.  As a Bzz Agent, we have been able to try it out for free, and we're loving it!

We were sent a lovely bottle of the lavender scent to try out and some coupons to pass around.

First of all, I love the lavender scent.  It might be a bit feminine, so men might not enjoy the scent left behind, but my hubby hasn't said anything yet.  One thing I like about this is the thick foam.  It doesn't slip off your hands.   Another awesome thing about this soap is that it kills 99.9% of the germs that may crawl onto your skin throughout the day.  This is a huge plus for me, especially since I have a little boy who will pick up anything!  Today he came running into the house with two worms wiggling around his fingers.  This was after he kept picking up a poor tree frog in our backyard. 

Thankfully, this little stinker loves the foaming action of the Lysol hand soap and I don't have to fight with him to get him to wash his hands (or mouth..Do you see how filthy he is?) like I do with other soaps.  What little kid doesn't like foam?

If you need hand soap, give Lysol a try!

Note: I was given the Lysol Soap to try for free as a Bzz Agent.   I was not in anyway compensated for my true opinion.  

Clutter Busting Challenge: Day #4...NINE ITEMS!

Every week day in May, Crystal from Money Saving Mom is challenging her readers to find 7 items to eliminate from their house.  In an effort to clear out the clutter from our home, I am joining in.  How about you?

Wow, I must admit, I already failed a little because I skipped Thursday and Friday of last week.  I had a good reason though...my little brother got married!  We had the rehearsal dinner Thursday and then the wedding on Friday, so I took a break from the challenge and will do a double duty a couple days this week to make up for it.

Today, I spent a good ten minutes collecting all the stuffed animals that my daughter drags around the house and decided that we really had too many.  Really, she only likes her "babies" which are the teddy bears.  One in particular I could not get rid of...she takes it with her EVERYWHERE.

I also couldn't get rid of the Original Care Bears that I had as little girl...

 but, Here is what I did get  rid of today...

Woo hoo!

Whatcha Eatin'? Monday, May 6th

After a really unproductive weekend, I decided that I better be productive and at least create a menu before blowing a bunch of money at the grocery store.  My hubby was happy because I ended up $30 under budget.  Woot Woot!

Here is our plan...

Sunday:  Sloppy Joes, Mac & Cheese, Carrots & Dip

Monday:  Pot Roast in Crock Pot, Dinner Rolls

Tuesday:  Cheesy Enchilada Hamburger Helper (The only HH we will eat!) served on tortillas, Mixed Fruit

Wednesday: Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Corn

Thursday: Chicken Mozzarella, Corn, Tossed Salad, Garlic Bread

Friday: Fast Food or Frozen Pizza

Saturday:  Grillin' Out...whatever we have on hand.  

What are you eatin'?  Join me in linking up on Organizing Junkie's Blog.