OreIda Easy Fries are for mom's on the go who need good tasting fries in minutes

Microwave fries! Who microwaves fries? OreIda does, that's who and apparently so do I. Normally I wouldn't be caught dead microwaving fries. I mean every time I have cooked french fries for my children I have put them in the oven and waited the 20-30 minutes for them to be done. But the waiting is over. OreIda Easy fries are done by the time it would take you to pre-heat the oven. To make things even better they taste great when you take them out. Now I did get a coupon for free to give these a try, but I am so glad I did. Mom's on the run can't wait for oven's to pre-heat and cook french fries. We need to pop in a box of Ore-Ida Easy Fries feed our children and get to soccer practice. I am now a believer in Microwave fries. Not all the time- because all that microwaving stuff can't be good for us... but when I am in a hurry you better believe I will have boxes of these fries in the freezer ready to go.  Just think what Mrs. Cleaver would do. She would be jumping for joy right now. I mean first of all to have a microwave during her time would be fascinating, and then to see it cook fries in just minutes. Ah... that's just more time to spend with Wally and the Beave.

#OreIdaEasyFries
@Oreidapotatoes
 @Influenster

Don't look like a reptile! Blue Lizard Protecting You Skin From the Summer Sun

I was recently asked to try Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen. Sounds fancy doesn't it? Well it looks fancy too. When exposed to the sun's rays the top of the container turns blue. My kids thought that was fantastic. As for the product, they wouldn't stand around long enough to put it on. That is one of the negative points. This is a thicker, zinc oxide formulas. So it's white, and it goes on white, and after some rubbing it blends in. Now if you have children in a hurry, like I do. This is not he sunscreen for them.  But on another note, a little goes a long way. So if you can get a dab on their noses and cheeks and rub rub rub. They are good to go, and in my opinion protected from the sun.

Even though this is a thicker sunscreen, it is silky, so it's not like you are spreading drying mud on your face. It also doesn't smell so I offered it to my husband for his face and used it on my own. I do feel like it protected my face well. The one I tried was for sensitive skin, so I liked knowing that when I put it on my face. Every time I pick up a face-sunscreen I am reading about it to make sure it's not going to my face freak out. I used this one only a few times, but each time my face was fine. This is one of the selling points for this product. It doesn't irritate your skin!

Another selling point is how little you can use, and still cover a lot of skin. That will help people when it comes to the price. When I shopped around I saw that it is a little more expensive then some of the other brands I buy. Now I am testing this product, so I did not pay for it, but for those of you who will pay for it, I think you are getting a good value for your money.

If you try Blue Lizard sunscreen I don't think you will be disappointed. I will say if you are looking for something natural do your research first. Most of the sunscreens I have used in the past have some type of chemicals in them. I try to find the brands with the less amount, but I still need the coverage and I am not convinced all natural is the way to go. This sunscreen says it is Paraben free and Chemical Free.  With that said the list of ingredients is still hard to pronounce. So do your research if you have concerns.

Do you need a great snack for children on the go consider GO GO Squeeze

I was recently provided a sample of a squeezable snack and asked to try it. I have tried this type of snack in the past, mainly applesauce. This time the Buzzagent sent me Go Go Squeeze fruit and vegetable snack. I requested zipping' zigin' pear as my flavor to try. Much to my surprise my children are big fans. 2 of my 4 children said they would take it to school in their lunchbox, so since my free sample I have bought a few more boxes. Different flavors this time, which depending on your child's taste will depend what flavor is for them. The pear flavor combines pears, apples and carrots. All pretty agreeable flavors for my children. They enjoyed the taste, but described the consistency similar to baby food. So if you can get past the baby food consistency then this is the snack for you.

After my children, I decided to let the children I babysit give the product a try. I will say their response was just as good as my own. They loved it. Now ages vary for these tykes, but the littlest is 10 months and the oldest is 3. Since it was something they enjoyed I used my coupons and loaded up. Now I am not sure what Mrs. Cleaver would say about fruit and vegetables in a squeezable bag, but I am thinking GOGO squeeze is going to be a staple in this house. I am not sure if all the flavors will go over as well as the pear but the convenience of this fun snack is worth a try.

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Reese's Spreads: All the great Reese's taste in a spread

Nutella beware, there is another chocolaty spread that is making it's ways into people's pantry and it's called REESES. Now before you get all upset this one is a little different, it has peanut butter with the chocolaty goodness. By different do I mean better? Well that depends on your taste.

Now I was asked by a company to taste this new spread and share my thoughts. This request was a no-brainer. Of course I am going to sample some chocolate and peanut butter spread. I will tell you at first taste I thought it was spectacular. It tasted just like the inside of a peanut butter cup. So now you can put Reese's peanut butter cups on your pretzels, apples, bananas, celery, whatever you usually put peanut butter or chocolate on. It has many different options. Then there was my second taste.

Still good, but there was a texture I didn't like. Kinda gritty- so I figure that is the peanut butter factor.

I asked my four children to try. They were mixed. The 10 year old girl, who loves peanut butter, loved it. The 13 year old, who loves Reese's didn't. The 5 year old boy didn't care for it, but my 8 year old girl, couldn't stop dipping her fingers in it.

There you have it. The grittiness was a turn off for me, but the taste was good. Very sweet, but other chocolate spreads are too. It was a little harder to spread because of it's texture, but not impossible. It smells great, and the container is very attractive.

So What would Mrs. Cleaver do? Well let's consider the price- you know Beaver and Wally's mom was on a budget. The price of Reese's chocolate peanut butter spread is comparable to other chocolate spreads. Price is not a factor when it comes to which one we would buy. Suger is high in all of these spreads, so that is something to take a look at. I don't know how much Mrs. Cleaver would have cared about sugar, but now a days, we know too much sugar is not a good thing. After take a look at the labels the sugar is about the same too. Nutella is a little higher, but it's not enough for me to pick one over the other. I would say it comes down to the taste and in my house, we are not buying Reese's  spread. My children love the smooth chocolate spread: Nutella.

I loved the opportunity to try this spread, and if I have a coupon I would buy it again. It's just not going to be my go to chocolate spread. #REESE'SSpreadnotbadjustnotthebest

A need for speed, when it comes to swimwear

Looking for some advice I come here to my blog in the hopes that someone will read it, and give me the answers I am looking for. Today the subject is swimsuits. I know, it's February, and it's freezing, but it is now time to talk about swimwear. Don't feel pressured. I am not talking bikinis, I am talking competition. Even if you don't compete you may have the knowledge I need to make the right decision for my daughter.

She swims all year long, and this year she is hitting a growth spurt so it is time to get some new suits. She loves her TYR Fusion Aerofit 2. This speed suit was recommended by her swim coach, so we bought it right away and are so glad we did. The TYR suit is the best suit we have ever had. I decided it was a no brainer to order another. So I logged on to SwimOutlet, because I am an online shopper, and ordered it up. As I was there, I looked around to see if there was anything else we should try. She swims so much, it makes sense to have a few suits. The TYR is mainly for meets, so what about practice. I decided to do some research.

That's when things got pricey. I did find some other options, but I don't want to pay $200 for them. So I kept looking for something that would help her keep her speed, but I wouldn't have to sell speed on a street corner to pay for it.  She has some Dolphin Uglies that she really likes, but her body as matured and the suits are too baggy. Now I could buy another, but I was really looking for something that was similar to the TYR. 

An article sold me on the Speedo Aquablade Recordbreaker. A great suit for a great price. I ordered it up. It just came in the mail, and I am sad to say we are sending it back. The Speedo suits just don't fit the same way as the TYR. I am also concerned it looks like you might be able to see through it. The tight fit of a speed suit leaves little to the imagination as it is, and I just didn't like the way the light hit the fabric. I just felt I could see too much. 

So I am still on the hunt. I have read article after article, but I am a person who reads lots of reviews, and really likes reviews from real people. Mom's who have ordered suits, sent them back, and ordered more. Maybe there is another suit TYR makes that might be a good fit for practice. I will keep looking around. I could order a grab bag. For those of you who aren't familiar, it's a suit that is cheaper, but you buy it without knowing what it looks like. You pick the brand and style. I think my daughter thinks we are past the grab bag, at age 12 you just can't get her to wear anything. If that suit shows up purple with red polka dots, she is not wearing it. That's the risk you take with the Grab Bag. 

So if you have a suggestion, please let me know. I would really love to hear what suits you are buying for your swimming children. I ask what Mrs. Cleaver would do, probably make the Beaver wear Wally's hand me down speedo, and tell Wally to get a job to buy himself a new one. If only that were a viable option. At the age of 12, in this day and age, it looks like I am going to keep searching until the price and the fit is just right.

#TYRFusionAerofitfillstheneedforswimspeed

Sometimes it doesn't hurt to ask

I am thinking about making bracelets, you know WWMCD. Who's Mrs. Cleaver you ask? I guess I am dating myself, but she is the mom from the very entertaining Leave it to Beaver show I used to watch as a child. Now I watched it in black and white, and I am not that old, but I did enjoy the humor of it. I guess you could also ask, What would Mrs. Brady do? or maybe you would insert Mrs. Cunningham or Mrs. Duncan or Mrs. Dunphy. Am I loosing you? I guess my point is where do you go when you aren't sure what parenting move to make next.

The game of child versus parent is in full force at our house. Unfortunately for me, I am outnumbered. I do my best to keep the peace, but there are times where I wish there was an 800 number to call to find out what to do next. Trying to stay a few steps ahead is exhausting.

Lets discuss social media for example. There is Instagram, Vine, Kik, and snapchat. I can't keep track. Every time I get a minute to rest, someone is asking for my password so they can download a new app. If I approve the purchase, then I have to monitor the content. Right now I have one 12 year old girl very into social media. No Facebook yet, but the rest is in full force. As of now I have not allowed Snapchat. Sending pictures that disappear after a minute or so, never to be seen again, has me worried. I guess I should admit, the rest has me worried too. But for some reason I feel better with this "no snapchat" line in the sand.

I do talk with other moms. Some agree, and some don't and then some don't have a minute to even know what is going on. If you read any of my blogs you will know my motto "make a minute." If we don't, I feel like it will be what destroys us. It's hard, I for one know that, but I feel it has to be done.

So when you make a minute, let me know your thoughts on social media and pre-teenagers. I have heard stories that taint my view, but I am always looking for more information. I am that consumer, who researches everything twice before she buys, and really like to read reviews. I would love to hear what your young children use, and if you have protection in place to keep them from getting into "internet trouble."

This year is the first year my children's school talked about social media. From the conversations with my kids, the main focus was on internet bullying, but it's a start. I really feel more schools should broaden the education to include, predators, and inappropriate pictures. How images can make it out into cyber space and across the globe if you aren't careful. Also discuss how words, once texted or commented, can't be taken back or denied. Children should know that law enforcement agencies can track computer activity, so they should think long and hard before they post something hateful or inappropriate because deniability is not an option.

So what would Mrs. Cleaver do about this particular problem? In the black and white television days, before internet and Instagram, I guess it wouldn't be an issue. Gosh, sometimes I wish I was Mrs. Cleaver.