Better Than Bouillon #Giveaway 5/6 CLOSED

I am always struggling when it comes to simple weeknight meals that taste great.  I like to find things that make preparing a meal for the family that everyone will eat.  It can be very challenging coming up with meals that everyone likes.  Better than Bouillon helps make preparing delicious meals much easier.  

I use a lot of things like broth or bouillon in my cooking.  However, sometimes they just don't have the best flavor.  They are lacking something.  Better than Bouillon is a unique product that can be used similar to broths, stocks and bouillon.  It has a much better flavor.  It is made with real meat and flavors.  It gives your dishes a much richer flavor than other products do.  The best part is that the Better than Bouillon products are easy to use.

I received 3 great Better than Bouillon flavors.  I chose beef, chicken and mushroom.  I love the beef and chicken to use as a soup base.  They are a great way to start off any soup with lots of flavor.  The flavor is authentic tasting too.  The soup base mix can be added to water to create a rich and flavorful broth.  You can also get creative with these soup bases and make gravy with them.  They can be used for so many things.  You can even use them to make some amazing flavored rice too!

I was really excited to try the the mushroom base from Better than Bouillon.  This is made with real mushrooms and has a wonderful flavor.  I decided I was going to make some mushroom sauced pork chops with the help of the soup base from Better than Bouillon.  I combined a can of cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 TB. mushroom Better than Bouillon, 1 tsp. steak sauce, 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper and 1 and 1/2 cups water.  I mixed this all together and poured it over my pork chops in a 13 by 9 pan.  I covered it with foil and then baked it at 275 degrees for 2 hours.

These were the best mushroom sauced pork chops I have every had.  The mushroom Better than Bouillon added so much flavor to the sauce.  My entire family loved this recipe.  I think it would be great on chicken too!  What would you make with the Better than Bouillon soup bases?

You can learn more about all of the Better than Bouillon products by visiting their website.  You can also find Better than Bouillon on Facebook and Twitter.

Giveaway - Enter to win a sampler of Better than Bouillon Products.

Open to US residents 18 years of age and older.  The giveaway will end on 5/6/13 at 8:59 pm PST.  The winner will be chosen randomly.  The winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to contact me back to claim their prize.  Mommie of 2 is not responsible for lost prizes or prizes that are not received.

Disclosure - I received a free sample to facilitate my review.  No monetary compensation was provided.  All opinions are completely my own.  My participation is voluntary.   I am disclosing in accordance with FTC 16 CFR Part 255.    

Zymbol Interactive Jewelry #Giveaway 5/4 CLOSED

Zymbol offers some of the most unique jewelry I have seen.  There is a neat story behind the making of this jewelry.  It was created by Sally Short.  Sally was doodling and wrote the words "Love is all u need."  She didn't write them normally like you would, but instead she wrote each letter on top of the next.  Then she also added a peace sign to this at the end.  She had this turned into a necklace.  She received the necklace and her and her family realized that every letter in the alphabet could be found in this necklace.  They also noticed that every number could be found hidden in it too!  The short family decided to turn this symbol into a jewelry line.  This is very neat!

I received a Zymbol pendant and I love it.  It is not only really neat looking, but I like the story behind it.  This is a great gift too.  I can see these being a fun gift for mom or grandma for Mother's Day!  Zymbol is what you call interactive jewelry.  You can trace things on it like names, dates or anything you might find important.  It is a great way to remember things too.  It can be inspirational because when you look at it then you will remember.  I love the idea behind this.

Zymbol offers jewelry for both Men and Women.  They offer pendants, charms, earrings and more.  I received a wonderful pewter pendant.  I am in love with it.  They offer the women's pendants in different colors choices too.  The colored options are made out of acrylic.  They are available in silver too.  When you purchase a piece of jewelry from Zymbol another piece is also given to a child in a Children's Hospital.  This is wonderful!  

You can learn more about all of the great items that Zymbol offers by visiting their website.  You can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter too.

Giveaway - Enter to win a Zymbol Pendant Necklace!

Open to US residents 18 years of age and older.  The giveaway will end on 5/4/13 at 8:59 pm PST.  The winner will be chosen randomly.  The winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to contact me back to claim their prize.  Mommie of 2 is not responsible for lost prizes or prizes not received.

Crayola's Big Colorful Birthday Adventure

I personally love Crayola products.  I still enjoy coloring with their crayons.  They are something I remember from my childhood.  I also buy them for my children too.  We use Crayola Crayons almost daily!  I was really excited when I found out that Crayola is celebrating it's 110th birthday.  Pretty Neat!  You can also join in the fun.  Head over to Crayola's Facebook page and enter for a chance to win a trip for 4 to the grand opening of the Crayola Experience.  This sounds like so much fun.  Come back and let me know if you win too!  Good luck.  

Note - Please visit the Crayola Facebook Page for complete details and rules on the contest.  

Disclosure - This info has been provided by Crayola.  I will receive a free sample in return for this post.  

Super Mother's Day Giveaway Prize Package $120 value 5/15 CLOSED

This giveaway is for 3 great prizes!  

Prize #1 - Bar Method DVD

This at home exercise program helps you get into shape with ballet bar techniques!  Bar Method offers clothing DVDs, accessories and more.  They even offer some cute workout tanks and tops.  The DVDs sound like a fun way to shed some pounds.  Have you tried them?  Bar Method DVDs are said to give great results.  This type of a workout helps sculpt your body.  

Prize #2 - Beyond Diet Book

This is a book by Isabel De Los Rios.  This is a great way to help you start eating well.  The book includes about 100 great recipes.  I love healthy and delicious recipes.  This is a great place to go if you are stumped on how to prepare food that will help you lose weight.  These look like they would be great for the entire family too.  I was impressed with the amount of info available on their website.  It seems like a great place to go for health and diet related information.  It helps you learn how to eat right and change your life!
  

Prize #3 - BKeepsakes.com $50 Giftcard

This is a neat online shop that offers personalized gifts for moms and children.  They offer birthday keepsakes, name meaning keepsakes, name wish poems and much more!  I think that their personalized books are a great gift for a child too.  These look like they would be a fun way to get a child excited about learning.  I love the Sleep Sheep that they offer too.  This is a neat baby gift that helps lull your baby to sleep.  What would you use the $50 giftcard on if you won?    

Enter to win this $120 Prize Package!!!

Open to US residents 18 years of age and older.  The giveaway will end on 5/15/13 at 8:59 PM PST.  The winner will be chosen randomly.  The winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to contact me back to claim their  prize.  Mommie of 2 is not responsible for lost prizes or prizes that are not received.  

The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey Review

I was so excited when a copy of The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey was waiting for me at my door the other day.  My family and I are Lord of the Rings and Hobbit fans.  Let's just say that we have seen the Lord of the Rings movies probably 20 times each.  I expect that we will watch The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey at least that many times.  This is an amazing movie that is definitely worth watching at least once, or in my case 20 times!  

The movie begins with Frodo and Bilbo talking.  Many of us are familiar with the character Frodo because he was in the previous movies.  This is a nice way to start because the majority of this movie follows Bilbo's journey.  It is a great way to introduce him as the main character.  Then Gandalf arrives and he needs Bilbo's help.  Then shortly after, the Dwarfs arrive.  I absolutely love the scene in the beginning with the dwarfs.  They are too funny.  Why has Gandalf and the Dwarfs arrived though?  They need Bilbo's help to reclaim the Dwarf's kingdom and travel to Erebor.  This is a dangerous journey that they have ahead of them to take back Erebor! 

They set out on an amazing journey.  The journey is entertaining.  The journey takes them through so many different dangers.  The movie keeps you on the end of your seat.  I have a 6 and 8 year old.  You would not expect that children of this age would be able to sit for a movie this long.  They have actually sat and watched it for 3 times now.  I am not saying this is for every child this age though.  It truly depends on your child.  My kids have watched this movie with us along with all of the Lord of the Rings movies too.  The movies have inspired my son to want to read the entire set of books too.  He plans on reading these this Summer.  He loves the stories from the movies, so I assume he will love the books too.

I don't want to ruin the movie if you haven't seen it.  The end of the movie proves that Bilbo Baggins is an amazing individual.  He proves to himself and everyone else that he is one courageous Hobbit!  He gets the "precious" ring in his possession at the end of the movie.  This is when he runs into Gallum.  Gallum is such an interesting character and is just as entertaining as ever!

I hope you check out the Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey for yourself!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Disclosure - I received a free sample to facilitate my review.  No monetary compensation was provided.  All opinions are completely my own.  My participation is voluntary.   I am disclosing in accordance with FTC 16 CFR Part 255.    

A Spindlewood Tale Books 1 & 2 Review

I am always on the lookout for books for my 2nd grader to read that are quality material.  I love The Spindlewood Tale Books because I know he is reading good books when he is reading these.  There are 2 books in this series so far.  My son loves them.  These books are geared for grades 3 through 7.  These are books that are a bit dark and spooky.  If your children love that then they will like this.  I enjoyed them too.  The books are very well written and very detailed.  The author of Pip and the Wood Witch Curse and Pip and the Twilight Seekers is Chris Mould.  Chris does an excellent job getting you into the book by painting a great picture in your mind.  My son loves the illustrations included in these books too.

Pip and the Wood Witch Curse starts out with the boy Pip who finds himself trying to be sold off from the people who had taken him in as an orphan.  He is a young and skinny boy, but he escapes.  He soon finds himself in trouble though and finds that he is not in a better situation than before.  He wants to be able to rescue the lost children.  This is a great book for children 8 and up.  I don't want to tell you too much and spoil it for you though!  You will have to read it for yourself to see what happens.

Pip and the Twilight Seekers starts off where the creepy story of Pip and the Wood Witch ends.  This book is just as creepy and dark as the first one.  My son loved the story and the great illustrations in this one too.  This book is all about how Pip is stuck in the horrid city of Hangman's Hallow.  He spends his time trapped in this hideous place.  Jarvis is a super dark character and his goal is to find Pip.  You will have to read this one for yourself to see if they are able to defeat Jarvis!

If you are interested in either of these books you can order them directly from the Albert Whitman website.

Disclosure - I received a free sample to facilitate my review.  No monetary compensation was provided.  All opinions are completely my own.  My participation is voluntary.   I am disclosing in accordance with FTC 16 CFR Part 255.    

  

Inspirational Cosmetics HD Sheer Lip Gloss Review

Inspirational Cosmetics offers a cosmetic line that offers lip glosses, eyeshadows, skincare products and more.  Their cosmetics were created to be easy to use and easy to carry.  I love products that fit easily in my purse and are easy to use.  I love makeup, but I may not always be the best at applying it.  I am not an expert, so I love products that are easy to use.

The Inspirational Cosmetics website is user friendly.  I love that they even have an area that is gives you some makeup tips.  This is something I can definitely use too!  It even tells you what colors are hot for 2013!  They suggest using these hot colors in your makeup, jewelry and more.

I was introduced to Inspirational Cosmetics HD Sheer Lip Gloss.  It is a great product to keep in your little makeup bag in your purse.  The gloss is super shiny.  They come in flavors too!  Just because you are an adult there is no reason your lip gloss shouldn't be fun anymore!  Although, my daughter wanted to snag these right away.  I didn't let her take both!  I received a Blueberry HD Lip Gloss and a Melon HD Lip Gloss.  They both are amazing.  The gloss goes on clear, but is sparkly.  They really are fun.  They give you a  natural look that is fresh for Spring and Summer too.  These glosses retail for $12.95 and can be purchases right from the Inspirational Cosmetics website.  What flavor would you want to try? . . . Tangerine Creamsicle, Bubblegum or maybe Grape?

You can visit Inspirational Cosmetics and learn more about all of their easy to use products.  You can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure - I received a free sample to facilitate my review.  No monetary compensation was provided.  All opinions are completely my own.  My participation is voluntary.   I am disclosing in accordance with FTC 16 CFR Part 255.