Oh Valentine!

 Valentine's Day is creeeeping up on us, I swear it was just Christmas.  This year I have two kiddos in school, which means twice the Valentine cards.  I have already been looking around, and the selection of cards at the stores is sort of crummy.  I know I could probably have them make cards but my oldest is "too old" to make Valentines (apparently it is no longer cool at her age) and my youngest would lose interest after making two.  I have found some really cute ones on Tiny Prints.

I love this one for my son, totally manly, yet heart-felt.  Totally beats those ones they sell at the store.

I dig this one for my daughter, you can add a piece of chocolate to it too to complete it.  It actually looks pretty yummy....but I digress.  I do have one that is my super, ultimate favorite....

Heavy Metal of course!  I love this one, I think that this will be the one I order for my son....I'll let the picky 3rd grader pick her own.  These are sure to stand out from the pile.

What a start to the year!

If you follow my facebook page you may have read that some big things have been happening in my life, and its only January.  You may have already read about my blogger ambassadorship with Slim-Fast and my trip to NYC.  Another great thing is my blog has had some serious growth since Christmas.  For some of you that may not mean a whole lot, but to me that is amazing, so thank you for all your support, and a big WELCOME to my newest subscribers.  Another big thing is I got braces. 

Again, to some of you that may not be a big deal, but I think it is.  I have wanted them for a while but finally we made the decision to go ahead with it.  It's not as common for 30 year olds to have braces, so I do feel a little self conscious, but I know the end result will be well worth it.  Ok, lets add another great thing to my list of January awesomeness....my 4 year old son has become quite the reader!  I have known for a while that he knew some words, he has a great memory for sight words, but he knocked me out of my chair the other day when we were reading a story and he read 75% of the words in the book.  I'm so proud of him :)  I'm still hitting the gym, although I have been busy this month and haven't been there as much as I would like.  So far, this year is off to an amazing start and I could not ask for more.  How are you guys doing so far in the New Year?  Any exciting news?

Keurig Elite, K-Cup Carousel and K-Cups of Your Choice Giveaway!!

 

Are you a coffee lover?  Want to win an awesome Keurig Elite Brewer?  I have teamed up with some fellow bloggers to bring you this amazing giveaway, where one happy camper will walk away with a brand new Keurig, a K-Cup Carousel and a box of K-Cups in whatever flavor your little heart desires.  Can't beat that!

This giveaway will be open until February 1st so hurry and get yourself entered in.  To enter just follow the directions on the Raflecopter widget.  Good Luck!!!

We Hosted an Oral-B and Crest Cars 2 Viewing Party

Getting your children to floss and brush their teeth is usually a chore.  Oral-B and Crest have made it more fun by making products that are appealing to children, encouraging them to take better care of their teeth.  My son loves the Toy Story flossers from Oral-B, the handle is bigger and easy for little hands to hold, and they're colorful and have the characters from the movie on them.  My daughter on the other hand, likes the For Me line from Crest, with toothpaste, brushes and flouride rinse made just for kids her age.    The toothbrushes are the right size or her mouth and the toothpaste has a flavor she likes.  Having products that are made for kids makes brushing and oral care fun for them and they actually enjoy doing it.

At our party we played a game of yucky mouth, healthy mouth.  The kids placed cards with junk food, or healthy food in the appropriate category.

They did pretty well figuring out which stuff was good and which was bad.  We then got to watch Cars 2!  They were so excited since they loved the first Cars movie.  We popped some popcorn, got comfy on the couch and enjoyed the movie.

After the movie each kid got a great goodie bag filled with toothbrush, toothpaste, and flossers.  They really love those flossers!  Since the party, my four year old has flossed every night before bed!

Pizza Pizza (and Giveaway)

I just got home from a Girl Scout meeting.  We just completed our cookie sales, so my co-leader had a great idea to reward the girls with a pizza party.  It was sort of a surprise for the girls, and they were so excited to see the pizza boxes being brought in.  Thankfully we have a Little Caesars in town, and with their awesome deal of $5 HOT-N- READY pizzas, we had a nice little party.  We also got some yummy, buttery crazy bread, and sauce, and I think they ate every last bit.

We usually have a pizza night at home on the busiest day of the week.  After running around all day, its nice to be able to stop in there, grab a pizza for $5 and be on your way home, no waiting.  Everyone likes it and really, and where else can I feed all four of us for $5.  Yep, sometimes just one pizza is enough for all of us.

If you are not sure if there is a Little Caesars near you, you can check out the store locator by clicking HERE.



You can win a gift certificate for a free Little Caesars pizza just by entering below:

Great Op for Bloggers!

If you are a blogger and would like a chance to review/giveaway Diamond Candles, head on over HERE and fill out the form.

**FYI I am not the one organizing this, I got this form form another blogger...its worth a shot**





Hunter's Stew (Polish Style)

One of my favorite Polish dishes is Hunter's Stew, or Bigos.  I'm sure there are many variations of this recipe all over the internet, as well as different ones from family to family, but I wanted to share with you how I make it, because my way is the best hehe.  If you don't like cabbage, this recipe is not for you.  But you really need to give cabbage another shot because it has tons of health benefits  such as treatment of constipation, stomach ulcers, headache, excess weight, skin disorders, eczema, jaundice, scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), rheumatism, arthritis, gout, eye disorders, heart diseases and ageing.  Cabbage is also rich in iodine, which helps in proper functioning of the brain and the nervous system, this makes it good in treatment of Alzheimer's disease.  Oh and if you measure things really precisely when you cook, this recipe is not for you, I usually taste as I go, but luckily there is not too much to measure in this one.  One of these days I will write down measurements but for now you will just have to deal with it.

You need 1 head of cabbage
1 jar, or bag or 2 cans of saurkraut
mushrooms (I use portabella)
for the meat you can use pork and polish sausage chopped up and browned.  I use venison that is cooked in a crockpot for a few hours, and it works great
bay leaves (larger green dried leaves sold in the spice and seasoning section, come in the same kind of container as other spices)
pepper
tomato sauce...the canned kind, just one small can

Ok so first take the saurkraut and put it in a colander and rinse it for a while, to get all the sour taste out of it.
Put it in a LARGE sauce pan and cover with water, just enough water to cover it, not too much.  Bring to boil, let it simmer a while stirring occasionally to let out the "gasses" lol. You can add some pepper and the bay leaves, I use about 4, you can take these out at the very end or leave them in, just don't eat them they taste gross.....

While that continues to simmer (uncovered) start cutting up the cabbage into small pieces and add it in a little at a time...so chop a little, add, stir....chop, add, stir....until you have the whole head of cabbage chopped up and added in....do not use the very center of the cabbage its too hard.   Cut up the meaat into small pieces and brown lightly, chop up the mushrooms.  Add the meat and chopped up mushrooms and more pepper (I use it generously) to the cooking cabbage,  cover and let simmer stirring occasionally. You should not have to add any more water, unless it looks like there is none on the bottom, you don't want it to be watery.

This will need to cook a while, until the cabbage is tender, so check it often. When its close to being done, add the can of tomato sauce and let simmer a little longer, and voila, there you have it. This will make your house smell awful while you are cooking is, just a warning, but it tastes great, especially reheated the next day.

You really need to try it....really its delish!

Tales From the Coop: The Crazy Chicken Lady

So I am already known around these parts as the chicken lady, at least someone told me that the other day.  I don't mind it really, but I think I may have just crossed the line to CRAZY chicken lady. Why?  I'll tell you why.  The temps here have been like minus arctic winter (thats really cold), well like -10 with the wind chill, and my poor chickens are cold out there in their little coop.  So yesterday, as I was cleaning out the fridge a little, I had a great idea.  I had all these veggies that were not quite fresh enough for us to eat, but not bad enough to throw away.....do you see where I'm going with this....

I made some chicken soup.   Not from chicken, but for the chickens.  Well I guess it wasn't really soup, more like a veggie stew, I guess.  I figured they needed a nice hearty warm meal, right?  I mean, they deserve it, with all that hard work they do laying eggs for us to eat.  Well I think they enjoyed it because there were no leftovers....Don't judge.

The Long Awaited Official Announcement

I know I had been hinting for a while about something big happening to me, that I could not talk about just yet.  I did finally let you guys know what it was but only on my facebook page, so I think it is time for the formal announcement....

I was contacted a little while before Christmas by the lovely people of Slim-Fast, and asked to be one of their Blogger Brand Ambassadors, or as we are formally called the Women of Wow.  I accepted their offer and was flattered that they picked me.  I have never been a brand ambassador before, I was so excited, but was told I could not talk about it just yet.  Boy was it hard to keep this quiet.  Well, I do not have to keep anything quiet any longer.  If you are following my facebook page, I made an announcement about this awesome opportunity, and you may have gotten a little sneak peak at what I was doing yesterday....wanna know?

Oh, I was in New York City, hanging out with four of my fellow Women of Wow, the behind the scenes team and Team Wow.  Do you want to know who team Wow is?

Registered Dietitian Ali Auerbach, Chef Robin Miller, beauty expert Joey Maalouf, photographer Nigel Barker, and stylist Jacqui Stafford

See some familiar faces?  Let me tell you, they were all great and I got a one on one with each one of them!  Ok I'm getting ahead of myself, lets back track.  When I agreed to be one of the Women of Wow, I was told I would be going to New York City.  My country butt had never been there before, so this was a big deal.  I was picked up (yes, I didn't even have to drive to the airport, total bonus) at 5:30 in the morning and dropped off at the airport.  I flew into NYC and again was picked up by a car (sorry, the car service thing, totally made me feel important) and taken to Studio Wow.  Now I know some of you out there know my obsession with restoring furniture, and that I love that old rustic, distressed style, so I have to tell you....Studio Wow could have easily been my new home.  Let me show you around, and check out all the neat Slim Fast stuff everywhere.

This was part of the downstairs, look at that amazing floor.  There was tons of rustic accents, like that rocking chair in the corner that I wish I got a closer shot of.  But really, if I had a suitcase big enough, I wanted to take home ONE thing, really, really badly....

Isn't it divine?  So before we continue on our tour, I just wanted to tell you about the great restaurant we went to for lunch, its called the Bryant Park Grill and the food was super yummy.  Here is a little peak into the restaurant

looks like we got a little bit of Tiffany in the picture too, a fellow Woman of Wow

Here are five of us (some ladies could not make the trip) after our lunch

Ok, back to showing you around the place.  We then headed upstairs via elevator, and when the doors opened it looked like this...

To the right  was a nice sitting area, behind which was Nigel's photo studio, which I did not get a picture of, but I do have a picture of the nice sitting area

To the left was even more to see....

There was this great setup for Joey where we got made over like celebrities.  Really, the whole day we got treated like celebrities, everyone was so nice.  Continuing on there was a "styling" area where Jacqui talked to us about ways to dress to flatter our figure.  I got some great tips from her, and apparently I have been doing swimwear completely wrong.  Thank you Jacqui for the great advice, I have already been browsing swimwear on the internet for this summer, but I am going to wait until I reach my weight loss goal to purchase anything.

This is Jacqui and I, notice my before hair....wait til you see the after!

Next was a fabulous kitchen area where we got to talk with chef Robin, as well as taste test some of her yummy recipes.  She talked to us about ways to prepare a well balanced 500 calorie meal, so we could stay on our weight loss track.

Ok, so you saw my before hair in the photo above right?  And I mentioned we got a little make over right?  Well, to our surprise (and total delight) we were told that we would each have a photo shoot with Nigel Barker!!!  Oh Em Gee is right.  Talk about being nervous.  The whole thing was very surreal but SO AWESOME!  I can't wait to see my pictures, hopefully I wasn't too cheesy.  I got to take a picture with Nigel as well, you know, so I have proof.... :)

So there he is.  And there is my after hair, what do you think, didn't Joey do an amazing job?  My hair is straight and honestly I would have never thought to do it like this myself, but I love it and feel like I have more styling options now. 

So there you have it, out in the open.  For the next four months I will be updating you all on my progress with Slim-Fast, but if you want to follow my journey even more, you can check out the Women of Wow tab on the Slim-Fast facebook page, or by clicking HERE.  Feel free to post comments or questions there too, I will be checking in frequently!

This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Slim-Fast Women of Wow program.  Visit www.facebook.com/slimfast to join the conversation

Its Here! Kindle Fire Giveaway, Yes! Kindle Fire Giveaway!

If you are reading this, I am currently (hopefully, weather permitting) in New York City right now.  But I couldn't just leave you guys all alone, so I have teamed up with some awesome bloggers to bring you this amazing giveaway for a Kindle Fire. (woo hoo right?)

Haven't heard of the Kindle Fire and all of its capabilities?  Well....it is WiFi enabled,  offers access to thousands of apps and games (yes...even angry birds), 19 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and all of your favorite books., oh yeah and its touch screen.  The web browsing is powered by Amazon Silk, trust me, its fast.  It also comes with cloud storage to back up all of your Amazon content.  I have one and I love it, my kids love it too since they can play games on it. 

Now if you do not win the Kindle, there is a second place prize, how about $20 cash via Pay Pal sound?  Not too shabby!  So enter below for a shot at one of two awesome prizes:


 

Lysol No-Touch Kitchen System

No sure if you guys remember, a little while back I reviewed the Lysol No-Touch hand soap system.  I mentioned that I set it up in my kitchen because that is our high trafic, hand washing area.  Well Lysol just took things up a notch, and although I wish I could say it was because of me (but its not lol), they just came out with the Lysol No-Touch Kitchen System...Woo-Hoo!

This is what I have been looking for, a no-touch system that is great for dishes, surfaces AND hands, all wrapped up in one modern looking little package.  The liquid is powerful enough to cut through greasy messes, kill 99.9% of bacteria but also be gentle on your hands. 

There are two starter kits, one in tangerine and one in berry scent.  We tried the tangerine, which smells wonderful.  My son is obsessed with it, he keeps washing his hands and telling me it smells -sooo good.  The start-up kit includes everything you need, including the batteries.  The refills come in three scents, the two that come in the start-up kits as well as lemon.

This product is a time saver for me, all I need is one sponge and I can wash my dishes, clean my counters, wipe off the stove, and my hands will smell great and won't get dried out.  Best of all, I don't have to get my dirty hands all over a soap pump, just place my palm below the dispenser and voila! just the right amount comes out.



Tried Purex Triple Action Yet? Want to Win a Coupon for a Free Bottle?

Doing laundry is already a big chore, shopping for detergent should not be.  I swear, the prices of detergents just keep going up and up.  I have been using Purex for years now, not only because its more reasonably priced, but because it works.   They just came out with a new and improved Purex formula, the Purex Triple Action, so if you were a fan before, you are really going to love it now!

I just tried it out and I love it.  My clothes came out clean and smelled great.  I really don't know why anyone would want to spend more money on a higher priced detergent when this one works so well.  And don't worry, Purex works with both regular and high efficiency washers.

Those of you that prefer the Purex Natural Elements and Free and Clear will be excited that they too are available in the triple action formula.

If you want a chance to win a coupon good for a free bottle of Purex Triple Action, just enter below:

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Find Your Happiness, Plus Giveaway

Chicken Soup for the Soul books have been inspiring and and warming our hearts for years.  These stories are written by real people about real life events.  With the New Year in full swing, Chicken Soup for the Soul has a brand new book out called Find Your Happiness.

Find Your Happiness is 101 stories about finding your purpose, passion, and joy in life. The writers share personal and exciting stories that are sure to encourage readers to find their own happiness. This book continues Chicken Soup for the Soul's focus on inspiration and hope and is the follow up to the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive.

The stories in this book will teach you how to use positive thinking to change your attitude, find the good in every day, listen to your heart and persue your true passions.  Not only that but also to find your purpose at work, play, and through volunteering, experience the joy of giving and most importantly....stop and smell the roses!

You can buy a copy of this book on Amazon.com by clicking HERE.

I am giving away a copy of this brand new book, all you have to do to enter is follow the directions on the Rafflecopter widget below:

Want a chance to win an iPad2 or Kindle Fire?

Rafflecopter is celebrating the new year, their new version, and new and improved widgets by giving away an iPad2 and several Kindle Fires!  Entering is super easy, just follow the simple directions on the widget below, and don't forget, when it asks who referred you, put in Agnes Rhodes. The giveaway started Monday 1/9 at 12:01 a.m. and lasts for a month.

I will leave a link to the giveaway in my left sidebar so you can check to see who won when it is over....Good Luck!

What in the Heck is Going On?

Well isn't it ironic, they were predicting this to be the worst winter the midwest has ever seen, that Chicagolanders were going to want to move after this winter with its 52 inches of snow and so on and so forth.....  Well mother nature is having a laugh right now at all of us that ran out and got all our snow gear early in preperation for this horrible winter.  Trust me, I am not compaining, its January and my kids are riding their bikes in sweatshirts.  I want to know who it is that was making these predictions because last year was supposed to be mild and we got hit with tons of snow and this year its the complete opposite.  Whoever this almighty weather predictor is, I'm hoping he has been fired.  The kids are compaining, they got new sleds and snowboards for Christmas and have not had any snow to test them out on.  Wanna know what I think.....it seems to me like the seasons are shifting.  Summer doesn't get scorching hot until its almost fall and now winter isn't starting on time either.  I looked at the 10 day forecast and there is still no snow predicted, besides a 10% chance on Thursday.  Seriously, my daffodils have sprouted and I'm not really sure what to think at this point.  The chickens that stopped laying in the early cold weather have now started to lay like crazy.  What do you guys think, will we see some snow this year, will we get hit hard come February, or will this be the mildest winter we have ever seen?

Hey Bloggers, you don't want to miss this!

Are you looking to gain followers on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, email subscriptions and more? Want to host a big giveaway on your blog? Giveaway events are an awesome way to boost your followers, as well as offer a stellar prize to your readers! Don’t have a ton to spend? This event is affordable at only $5 for two links! You can even purchase two additional links for $3 each.

Giveaway Details

Dates: January 17-31

Cost: $5. This gets you two links. You can purchase up to two more links at $3/each.

Grand Prize: One lucky entrant will win a Kindle Fire ($199 value!), complete with Wi-Fi, apps, and more! Sweet!

Sign Up!

To join this event, fill out this form (http://svy.mk/wit4Ae). Once you do, you will receive an email with a link to the Facebook group where you can receive updates about the event, along with other important information.

Payment Details

Make payment via PayPal to ashley@diaryofasahm.com as a GIFT. In the notes section,include your blog name in order to see who has paid :).

Want to get in to the event for free? The blogger who refers the most blogs will have their entry fee refunded! True story!

Here’s how you can promote this event:

Tweet and Facebook: "Playing With Fire Kindle giveaway event sign ups are open! $5 buy in! Make sure you say **YOUR BLOG** sent you! http://bit.ly/xKtOwi"

Sign ups will close January 15. Once you fill out the form and submit payment, you'll receive an email with important information. I hope you'll join me! Don't forget to say ***Diary of a Stay at Home Mom*** referred you!

What are Your Kids Watching on TV?

For any parent, the task of making sure that your children have access to appropriate entertainment is a difficult, but vital one. This has always been the case. However, with the spread of the Internet, and increased options from cable and satellite tv providers, video streaming services, and all kinds of other technologies, it is becoming harder and harder to keep children from seeing programming that you may prefer them not to see. Of course, to some extent, children will always manage to venture outside of their parents guidelines, whether intentionally or by accident. However, by providing them with the right programming, you can go a long way toward assuring that there is no need or desire to stray. Fortunately, this is possible through the same technology and programming options alluded to above. For example, consider the following kids movies that came out this past summer and are already available through TV programs.

- Kung Fu Panda 2 was exactly the hit that it was expected to be this summer, following the sweeping success of the original installment. The animated film follows a goofy, accident-prone panda voiced entertainingly by Jack Black, as he performs his duties as a world-renowned Kung Fu master, protecting China from various dangers. It's a perfect film for kids, and, actually, for entire families, as it possesses plenty of animated fun, with both childish and sophisticated humor.

- Mr. Popper's Penguins is another film that came out this summer and is already available for home viewing. The film, adapted from the extremely popular kids book, features Jim Carrey as the iconic Mr.Popper, who has to deal with a house full of lovable, shenanigan-conducting penguins. What child wouldn't love such a story?

- For younger children, Winnie The Pooh the movie is also well worth your attention. The film came out this past summer and was hailed as an extremely effective homage to the famed kids books that have captivated children for generations, and will no doubt continue to do so. Particularly if your children are fans of Winnie the Pooh already, this movie is absolutely fantastic.

These are just a few examples of the type of brand new, appropriate programming that is available to kids through tv providers. You can learn more about satellite TV options at www.satellitetvfamily.com. If you provide your children with access to these sorts of movies, or to kid-geared TV channels, etc., you can keep them interested in the things they are supposed to be enjoying, and keep them from straying toward more mature shows. This is great compromise, as it can gain you peace of mind, and keep your children happy and watching appropriate entertainment.

**Guest Editorial**

Breakfast is Served! #TysonGoodness #CBias

I have to admit, I am so excited that Christmas break is over and school is back in session.  When we don't have a routine, I really  fall into a slump.  I literally could wear my pajamas and robe all day and do nothing but read.  This morning was a little rough for both me and the kids, ok, mostly me.  I got so used to staying up late and sleeping in that the last thing I wanted to do this morning was get up super early and cook breakfast.  My usual solution to this would be to just let them eat cereal but the past couple of days have been so cold that I feel guilty not giving them something warm in their tummies to start the day. 

The other day while shopping at Wal Mart, I picked up some Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches.  I had heard about them and wanted to try some, but my local Wal Mart did not have them so I picked them up in the neighboring town.

We had to do a little bit of a scavenger hunt to find them because Tyson has so many products in so many locations in the freezer section, that we kept missing them.  I finally found them in the section with the appetizers, they were not in the bright red packaging that Tyson products usually come in so they were a bit tricky to find.

I thought that these little guys would be perfect for breakfast on a day like today.  These mini sandwiches are so easy to make.  You just put the package on a plate, you don't even take the plastic off, and microwave 35 seconds, then flip and microwave another 35 seconds.  Let it sit a minute and you are done.  My 8 year old can make these on her own, heck, even my 4 year old can make these if I tell him how long to set the time for (yes, he does use the microwave and toaster on his own, but only when supervised)

My daughter gobbled these up, I liked them a lot too, kind of wished we had some lettuce and tomato, but they were great plain.  The patties were juicy and the bread was soft but not too mushy.  I really recommend these for a quick, warm breakfast.  Ooh, just had a brilliant idea, you know how sometimes your kids try to make you breakfast in bed, well they can make you these!  It sure beats soggy cereal spilling on the bed, or whatever other concoction they come up with.

Just to let you know, these are not available in every Wal Mart, but if you do locate them near you and buy two boxes, you can get a $5 Wal Mart gift card.  Click here for details.

You can see all the photos from my shop by visiting my Google+ album Here

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias but all opinions and photos are my own   #CBias