When I first heard of the Magic Bullet, it was when I was pregnant with the twins.  I would be up at odd hours of the night with heartburn, a desire to eat the entire freezer or a baby (or two) kicking my bladder.  Basically, I turned into a night owl.  I became obsessed with infomercials since there is nothing else on at 3 am.  The Magic Bullet was my favorite.  I'm pretty sure the same commercial is still on 3 years later.  I always wanted one, but figured since I have a blender, it was pointless.

January 2009- I was VERY ready for the twins to be born!  They finally had to induce me in February!

Flash forward to last week, I finally received a Magic Bullet as part of a gift bag.  Since then, I cannot believe I have lived without one.  The Magic Bullet chops, blends and mixes everything!  I absolutely love that there are so many different attachment cups so that I can do all my chopping jobs at once.  I'm pretty obsessed here!

Best part?  It makes smoothies.  It comes with 4 mugs, so everyone in the family can have one.  Well, Gabby takes sips of mine.  We each like different ingredients in our smoothies, so we can mix them all up quickly and still have our favorites.

The girls love to help me add fruit to their cups and pour the milk.  It's a great way to teach them how to measure and whatnot.

We have many favorite combos, but here is our top one right now!  It has been named Very Berry Mango.  It is pretty, pretty, pretty good. (Like my Curb Your Enthusiasm reference?).

Here's what you need.  This is portioned for one Magic Bullet cup.  Multiply for a regular blender!

• 1/3 cup yogurt.  I adore Stonyfield Banilla.  Here's a coupon to try it.
• 1/2 banana, frozen or fresh
• 1/3 cup blueberries
• 1-2 whole strawberries
• 3-5 raspberries
• 1/3 cup mango, frozen or fresh
• 1/3 vanilla almond milk
• 1 tablespoon flax (not needed, but I like to add extra fiber where I can!)
• 2 ice cubes

Mix it up!  

You might need to add a bit more milk or a splash of water to get it going. 

I don't know how those little bellies drink those big cups!

 Want to win your OWN Magic Bullet?  Enter my giveaway here, by 7/31.

Fun freebie: Breakfast on the Farm

Find a breakfast near you!

Looking for something fun to do on the weekend?  Check out Breakfast on the Farm!  It's a free event where you and your family can enjoy food and a tour of a local farm.  There are many locations all over the state of Michigan. 

Next weekend there is one in Sparta that I am hoping to check out with the girls.  Ever since I returned from my tour the other day, the twins have been wanting to visit a farm.  What a perfect opportunity!

Although the event is free, you still need tickets.  All ticket locations are listed on the website.

 Don't forget to check out my new giveaway!  You can win a fun dairy recipe book, $50 MasterCard gift card and a Magic Bullet system.  It's my biggest one yet and you have until 7/31 to enter!

A mooo-velous GIVEAWAY!

Don't you love my title?  I am laughing at myself like a crazy woman right now.


Friday, I was lucky enough to be a part of a great event at Goma Dairy farms in Marlette, MI.  It was a perfect opportunity for me to meet other local bloggers!  Plus, I drove myself and had a kid-free ride with my favorite tunes.

I cannot believe I have never been to a dairy farm before.  Between growing up here in Michigan and living in Wisconsin for 8 years, how is that possible?!  I envisioned a bunch of bloggers trying to milk cows on a farm.  Obviously, that is not quite what happened!

(Goma = their last name + Marlette) 

Upon arrival, we met the wonderful van den Goor family who runs the Goma Dairy Farm.  Gertie led a tour of the farm and taught us how milk is produced.  We learned everything from what the cows eat to how the milk is chilled.

If you ever have a chance, I highly recommend touring a farm.  It's nice to know where your milk is coming from.  1 out of every 10 Yoplait yogurts purchased in Michigan use milk from their farm. 

Born Thursday!

That is the size of the bottle they use for a calf.  They drink two a day!

 

Here are some resources to check out to learn more!

• United Dairy Industry of MI 
• Facebook page for Michigan Dairy News Bureau

As a gift for taking the tour, I received a great gift and you are lucky enough to get a chance to win the same thing!

Here's what is up for grabs: $50 Mastercard giftcard, a Magic Bullet system and a Got Milk? Bag filled with socks, a hat and recipes for tasty dairy related food.  Use the Rafflecopter below to enter!


Check back later this week for a great smoothie recipe!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Quick Tip: Look for coupons in products!

This was a great deal because it was on sale, I had a coupon and I got $2 off the yogurt I was already buying!

Whenever you are buying a product, do you check the other boxes to see if there are coupons on or inside?  Usually I move a few boxes to make sure there aren't any with special markings. It's a simple step, but you can end up saving more money!

Currently, we have a bunch of cereal boxes and granola bars that state "$5 breakfast savings inside" and there are great coupons.   The perk to getting these is they are usually better than ones you can find in the Sunday paper.  Plus, they usually have much later expiration dates.

At Target, I always check peelies.  If they are "Target" coupons, you can double them up with manufacturer coupons.

Make sure you aren't buying a larger size or spending more money just to get the extra coupons though! 

{Giveaway!} Let's be honest: win free Purex!

Need a good laugh?  Check out the videos here.

To be honest, I don't even watch too many commercials now that we have a DVR, but when a funny one comes along I make sure to check them out.   Purex has a great new batch of videos on their website that crack me up.  They are short and to the point.

My favorite (or most like me) is the "Current Events" video.

They are running a great giveaway where you can win a free year of detergent!  With three little ones, I have my fingers and toes crossed.  We have SO much laundry!  I love Purex because it's cheap, yet super effective at getting out stains.  It also smells great!

Here's how you can win free detergent: check out the videos and pick a favorite.  Come back and enter in the rafflecopter below and you can win 3 coupons for free bottles!  Super simple!

This is a quick giveaway, ending Thursday, so make sure you enter soon!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kiddo need new 'do? Free cuts all of August at JCP!

Find a salon near you!

I wish our girls were eligible for this! If your kiddo needs a cut, head on over to JCP for a free one!  Okay, not quite right now, but the whole month of August!  Mark your calendars.  You could snag one while you are out back to school shopping.  Don't you miss those days?  I am still obsessed with buying school supplies...especially when they go on clearance!

You just need to be a JCP Rewards member. 

Not a member?  Super easy to sign up!

Speaking of haircuts, this Mama really needs a new look.  Any ideas for curly hair?

Check out your Aldi ad this week!

Happy Sunday everyone!

As you know, I love Aldi.   I talk about it all of the time and I have been shopping there for years! Great prices and small stores make your shopping trip quick and easy.

If you check out their weekly flyer, I'm quoted on page 2!  It's paraphrased slightly, but I'll take it!

7/8/2012 Aldi ad, page 2!

If you haven't shopped there before, I have two great posts which help break down the store for you!  If you aren't sure where to find an Aldi, you can use the store locator here.

• Aldi for beginners
• Why I love Aldi

I am so honored to be quoted, I truly think that more people need to give this store a chance!  Thanks Aldi!

Don't forget your quarter and reusable bags!

{Giveaway} Snapatoonies Counting Kids DVD!

Check out their website!

When it's smokin' hot outside, sometimes it is nice to have an educational movie on hand for the kids to watch to cool off.  As much as I hate the girls sitting in front of the TV, it is also nice to be able to get some laundry or dishes done for 20 minutes or so. 

We got the Snapatoonies Counting Kids DVD to watch and the girls are crazy about it!  To be honest, I had never even heard of this series, but I am always eager to get some new shows on.  You can only handle Yo Gabba and Dora for so long!  We have been trying to work on numbers lately and this is a perfect way to do so.  This DVD is a hit in our house because it encourages the girls to interact and it is very repetitive.  The twins already knew how to count, but it is nice for them to see the numbers and count objects.

Maddie loves the theme song. We hear it all.day.long.  At the end of the movie, there are some bonus games and Olivia loves the color game.  There are different color pears which you have to call out.  From this video, when we go to the store Olivia wants pears more than apples now. 

Besides being educational, I like the simplicity of the movie.  The cartoons are not super high tech, but the message still gets across.  The characters rhyme a lot, which my girls love.  I would recommend this movie from 0-4 years old.  Gabby, who is 1, dances along to the songs and it holds her attention for a little bit.  The twins, who are 3, can watch the whole movie.   They don't just sit still staring at the TV, though, they are counting, dancing and interacting with the show.

If you want a chance for your child(ren) to check out this movie, enter the giveaway below!  You have until
July 10th to enter! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Breakfast fun for the kids!

Tonight was one of those nights where I had no ideas for dinner.  When that happens, it's brinner time!  AKA: breakfast for dinner, if you didn't watch Scrubs.  Shame on you, by the way!  It was an amazing show!

I realized that we were out of pancake mix, so I came up with a new idea for the ladies.  When I was in college, my roommate Kim made these eggs she called "bird's nests" and they were so amazing.  You get toast and eggs in one pop! 

This is a great meal to have your kids help with! 

Here's what you need (pretty self explanatory...):

• Bread
• Eggs
• Butter
• Cookie cutter
• Keep the shape simple.  We tried a hand and it was a mess.

 Simple steps

1. Butter the toast on both sides
2. Cut a shape out of the middle with a cookie cutter.  
3. Add both to a pan over medium-high heat.  Make sure to spray it!
4. Crack an egg in the middle of the toast.  Season with S + P.
5. Flip after 2-3 minutes

Voila!  We use the shape to dip.  The girls love some dippy eggs right now!

What's your favorite brinner meal?