Yummy in my tummy *GIVEAWAY*

Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month? While it's something Mama is always thinking about for the kids, often Mamas forget to take care of their own nutrition needs. Breakfast is often a hurried rush out of the house with sometimes a cup of coffee to-go, if we're lucky, or a bite of burnt toast. Lunch is ho-hum with maybe a piece of lunch meat and stale bread or if it's a good day, a salad with protein packed tuna or chicken on top. 


After a long day running about, dinner is the last thing Mamas want to plan so sometimes it's just whatever doesn't have freezer burn. If this sounds like your meals...read on for some fast and easy tips and recipes that both you and the kids will LOVE to eat!


Smoothies -- With the warm weather coming, Mama is breaking out the blender once again for smoothies!! It's a great way to get kids the calcium they need to get their day started right. A new favorite that Mama just tried yesterday with Lily-girl is from RealCaliforniaMilk.com and is a latin-inspired Luicuado that has a bit of cinnamon, milk and berries. 

Breakfast for dinner -- who doesn't sometimes just pour the kids and yourself a bowl of cereal for dinner?! Sometimes, we have it three times in one day (okay, it was only once when Mama had the flu and who knows where the hubs was...!). Kick-up the breakfast for dinner idea a notch with pancakes. Not just any pancakes but California Cottage Cheese Pancakes. The extra dose of protein will give you and the kids the nutrition you need and all of you will leave the table feeling full.


After-school snacks -- be the hippest Mama on the block when you put out an after-school snack of fresh fruit and a yogurt dip spiked with honey and cinnamon. YUM for you and the kids. 

Sweet treat -- for dessert try the new Fiber One yogurts in flavors like Strawberry, Peach, Vanilla and Key Lime Pie. With 5 grams of fiber and only 50 calories, even the Hungry Girl gives it two thumbs up. Perfect to satisfy any sweet tooth late at night or anytime of the day. Mama would love for you to try it too! Enter to win a Fiber One Prize Pack with $50 Safeway gift card (can also be used at Vons, Dominick's, Tom Thumb, Randall's and Genuardi's) below.


Plain or chocolate-- milk straight up or chocolate flavored are both healthy and much better for your kids then drinking juice or sports drinks. Pour a glass for Mama too!


Oh, and since Mama is from California...look for the Real California Milk seal...because California Cows are Happy Cows!! MOOO!

***Giveaway***

One lucky Everyday Mama reader will win a Prize Pack courtesy of Safeway and Fiber One that includes a $50 Safeway gift card.*  

Two lucky winners will receive a Real California stuffed cow courtesy of the California Milk Advisory Board. (they really are so cute...!)

To enter: Post a comment telling Mama what your favorite nutritious meal is and why. For additional entries you can follow Mama on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway and you can become an Everyday Mama Facebook fan and post a comment on my fan page. Giveaway is for U.S. residents only and ends on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 5 p.m. PST. The winner will be chosen at random by Random.org. Good luck and thanks for reading!!!

*Disclosure: Mama also received a gift pack with VIP coupon, gift card, giveaway prize pack and information courtesy of Safeway and Fiber One. 

Irish Leaping Leprechauns

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Today is the day to wear your brightest green, an excuse to pinch cheeks for those not wearing green, eat lucky charms, search for four leaf clovers, go chasing rainbows, search for the pot of gold, eat corned beef and cabbage, drink whiskey (Mamas only!), and catch leprechauns!!


Okay...so that's kind of a lot of stuff to do in one day. To help you get started on the celebration, Mama has picked her favorite two St. Patrick's Day crafts that are super easy and fun. Oh, and a link to an easy recipe for Irish Soda Bread with Raisins...for a tasty and healthy St. Patty's snack.


Start out by making the Irish Soda Bread with the kids then by the time you finish the crafts, the bread is almost ready to eat. 


Craft #1
Next step to FUN, make Four Leaf Clover Stamps out of potatoes. Take a large size potato and cut in half. Then either free-hand or using a cookie cutter, take one half and cut out a heart shape. Dip the stamp in green paint and make your clovers by connecting four hearts together to shape the clover. It's easy and fun. This can actually be done for any holiday just using your imagination to create different shapes in the potatoes.


Craft #2
Once you hang up your clover artwork to dry, it's time to make a Leprechaun Trap! They are very sneaky and hard to catch so be creative. Use anything you have around the house like cardboard boxes, nets, paper towel and toilet paper rolls, tinfoil, empty yogurt containers, and paper, to get started on your design. Then start decorating and putting together the trap using your gathered materials. Leprechauns are attracted to green so use green glitter, stickers and pens to draw clovers and other designs like rainbows on your trap. Leprechauns are greedy little creatures so for bait put out coins or maybe some Lucky Charms cereal. Once it's done, set it in a secret place and look for the trail of glitter the little Leprechaun will leave behind...


Mama will leave you with this Irish blessing because on St. Patrick's Day...we're all a little bit Irish!

May you always have 

Walls for the winds,

A roof for the rain,

Tea beside the fire,

Laughter to cheer you,

Those you love near you,

And all your heart might desire!

Playhouse Dreams

It's time for Mama to do another shopping experiment. Using my handy little widget, Mama found the most amazing playhouses and treehouses that any little kid would be lucky to have. Mama is sure someone out there must have one of these...otherwise, why would they still be on the market?! Or maybe they are one-of-a-kind waiting for the right buyer?


So Mama is dreaming a little dream of one day having the playhouse of her dreams...maybe if we just build it, they will come?! Oh, and don't mind the price tag -- just have fun "window shopping!"

Ride-On & Outdoor Toys at Posh Tots
Ride-On & Outdoor Toys at Petit Tresor

For more budget friendly options, Mama loves these playhouses too. Mama is so excited to get outdoors and enjoy the sunshine...spring has almost sprung!

Wooden Cottage -- a real log cabin style playhouse...just the size for a small backyard at a great price. Available at PlayhouseStreet.com, $250.

Savannah Wood Playhouse -- wooden shingles, window sills and a weather vane...so cute! Available at Toysrus.com, $450.

What is your dream playhouse?

Brought to you by the letter L and the number 4...

March 15 is not just another day to Mama, it's Lily-girl's birthday and Mama's anniversary of becoming a Mama! As much of a milestone as graduating high school, graduating college, getting your first "real" paycheck, and getting married...becoming a Mama ranks right up with all of these. While not all women become Mamas in the literal sense, I think we are all Mamas in some way or another.


Before Lily-girl entered the world, Mama was selfish and clueless to the world around me. Since that rainy night when Mama brought Lily-girl home and snuggled in bed with her, my world changed. I was no longer the selfish and clueless me, I was Mama. Much like you change your last name when you get married, you change it again once you bring home your baby. 


While each day is an adventure, Lily-girl has taught Mama many important life lessons, including: patience, to laugh at myself (and the situation at hand), spilled milk happens...a lot, stripes and polka dots DO go together, when life hands you lemons...do an art project, a little snot never hurt anyone, shopping online is just as fun as shopping at the mall, and it is OK to sing loud in a restaurant...especially a fine dining restaurant!


As much as Mama has learned from her beautiful baby girl in the past four years, Mama hopes that she also learns from Mama. There are so many emotions and things to say to my baby girl on this big day but maybe it's better left unsaid here and instead a big hug, kiss, "I love you," and quality time spent together laughing and playing.


Happy 4th Birthday Lily-girl and Happy Anniversary to me...wishing us both many more birthdays and anniversaries to share together! 

Tears, Smiles and a Plea

Mama gets asked to do a lot of things. Mama simply just can't do everything that is asked of her because it's just not possible...or sometimes it's not a fit, or sometimes Mama just doesn't want to! Today Mama is so honored to share with you a story about a beautiful little girl named Penelope (Penny) that is fighting a battle with Stage 4 cancer. It's actually more than a story, it's also a plea for help.


See that picture, that's Penny! Mama has never met her but I feel like I know her just by her toothy smile and sparkling eyes. She was even born at the same hospital here in San Diego that Lily-girl and Baby Boy were born at. At just 11 months old, Penny is in the fight of her life battling Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. As Mama writes this, tears are dropping on the keyboard. It's hard to imagine what Penny's parents go through each day knowing that their baby girl has to go through this and how they are going to PAY for it. 


Rather than try and tell Penny's story, Mama invites you to read it HERE. When you read it, Mama hopes it inspires you to help a little or a lot and also that you find your own children and hug them a little longer and tell them how much you love them. So often we complain about what we don't have and take for granted what we do have. 


Without getting into any kind of politics, Mama knows that the health care in the U.S. is expensive and health insurance is even more expensive when weighing into the budget whether you want to eat for the month or pay for "insurance" that may or may not be needed at that time. We all know that we would choose to feed our family. 


Here's more about what Penny has been through:

Since then she’s had 2 MRI’s, a bone scan, two nuclear medicine scans, a bone marrow biopsy, two surgeries, 7 rounds of anesthesia, daily X-rays, 1 cycle of chemotherapy, countless meetings/reviews with Dr’s, and 12 days inpatient.  On top of that we were informed that once we’re released she needs daily GCS-F shots.  A 10 day treatment of these shots costs $1,500.  So, we’d need two 10 day cycles per month, since she’ll get chemo every three weeks and be inpatient 3-5 days after.  Of course, this medication is NOT covered by our insurance. ~www.pennies4penny.org

Next week there will be an online auction of items...including some of Mama's favorites like aden + anais, who generously donated a $250 gift certificate, for people to bid on. All the proceeds will go directly to the family to pay for Penny's medical bills and treatments. Mama will post the link to the auction once it's available. If you can donate, please do and if you are a company that is offering something to Mama, please consider donating the item to the pennies4penny auction.


Mama hopes that she never (or that you) has to experience what Penny's family is going through but I do hope that if Mama did, people would come together to help anyway they can. 


On a side note, if you live in Carlsbad check out this news story from @nbcsandiego -- Carlsbad a hotbed for cancer? Please tell Mama your thoughts on this! 


http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/health/Carlsbad_Families_Demand_Cancer_Study_San_Diego.html

Birthday Charms **GIVEAWAY**

With Lily-girl turning FOUR next week, Mama has started thinking about how to commemorate this special birthday. While four isn't exactly a milestone birthday like one, five, thirteen or sixteen...kids just don't understand why every year isn't as special as the last. For the first birthday, naturally we threw a huge fiesta. While it's no secret that Mama loves to plan a party (for any reason or none at all!), the first birthday only comes once so it's hard to explain to Lily-girl that for the fourth birthday their will be no tattoo artist, no bouncer, no spin art frisbees, no cotton candy machine, no popcorn machine, no Mexican taco truck, no dessert bar...oh, and no live band! 


So here we are days away from the big event and Mama is hoping to replace that idea of a huge party with a special gift that can be shared and kept for years to come. Here's Mama's short list of commemorative birthday gifts -- what's your way of making your little ones feel special on their birthday?


Books -- there is nothing better than a book for a child! The gift of reading is so special and it's even better when the book includes a special handwritten inscription from the person gift giver. Pick a book that reminds you of the person you're giving it to at that point of time. Mama thinks Ladybug Girl is perfect for Lily-girl at age 4. Baby Boy got Love You Forever for first birthday book.

Charm Bracelet -- while little girls don't quite get the whole jewelry is not always for dress-up only concept, this is by far my favorite gift. How special is it to get a new charm each year to put on your bracelet and then eventually pass the tradition onto your daughter someday. Mama is a HUGE fan of the Charm Factory. They recently sent Mama their signature Silver Heart Bracelet and it's just perfect for Lily-girl to wear now and add charms too for the future! In fact, they have so many -- it's taken me a long time to figure out which one to get for the BIG 4. Everything from simple crystal birthstones to "personality" charms like shoes and bubblegum machines, you'll find a charm for every personality. Available at CharmFactory.com, $24.99 for Silver Heart Bracelet. Love it? Enter to win your own charm bracelet from The Charm Factory below.

Piggy Banks -- Mama's parents started a piggy bank collection for me and gave me a new one each year. Mama would use the one piggy bank for the whole year filling it with coins, dollar bills, and sometimes buttons (weird, I know) and then at the next birthday I would get half of whatever was in the bank to  spend on what I wanted and the other half, went into a savings account. Mama adores the personalized banks for boys and girls at Nordstrom.com, $46, but there are so many cute and creative piggies out there so have fun with this one!

***GIVEAWAY***

One lucky Everyday Mama reader will win their own charm bracelet thanks to The Charm Factory. To enter: post a comment below telling Mama what is the best gift you've ever received (or given).

For additional entries you can follow Mama on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway and you can become an Everyday Mama Facebook fan and post a comment on my fan page. Giveaway is for U.S. residents only and ends on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 5 p.m. PST. The winner will be chosen at random by Random.org. Good luck and thanks for reading!!!

Mama's Favorite Pets

There is a new obsession in Mama's house and it's a pet. While Mama is a proud PUG Mama, my new favorite pet is a Pillow Pet. The pillow pet doesn't need anything from Mama - no food, water, walks or attention. You can simply sleep on it, cuddle with it or play with it -- it's a fantastic pet! 


While Mama is NOT a fan of stuffed animals...okay, more than not a fan more like an enemy -- there is something different about a stuffed animal that is not only the softest, and most cuddly animal in the world that just melts Mama's heart. 


Created by a local San Diego mom of two, the Pillow Pet can be folded for play and lay flat to sleep. There are over 30 animals to choose from including a bumble bee, zebra, giraffe, whale, unicorn and bunny. 


In the meantime, Mama is also holding out for the cute animal backpacks. Which one is your favorite? Don't you think they make a great little Easter basket stuffer...hint, hint!


Available at MyPillowPets.com, $19.99 for backpacks and $24.99 for large pillows.


Mama's other favorite pets:

Zoobies -- It's a plush blanket with an animal face that is too cute for words! Available at Zoobies.com, $25


Littlest Pet Shop -- little Lily is crazy for these toys right now. Mama thinks the parts are too little for baby boy but I do like the ones she can decorate and draw on. Available at Amazon, $12.99.


Furreal Friends -- Boys will also love these farm and safari animals from the Hasbro Furreal Friends line. Mama personally loves the piglet and the PUG but there are so many to choose from you can make your own farm right in your own living room! Available at Amazon, $16 and up.