$50 GC to EdenFantasys - *ADULT 18+* Coupon Cabin's 25 Crazy Dayz #Giveaway Hop

Welcome to CouponCabin’s 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz! This multi-blog event is hosted by Simply Stacie, Makobi Scribe and Sassy Mama in LA and is sponsored by CouponCabin. This is the biggest event the blogosphere has seen with over 400 giveaways each at $25 value or more plus a huge giveaway with some major prizes like a MacBook Air, iPad2 & Visa Gift Cards. You can find all the giveaways from the participating blogs by visiting the host blogs, Simply Stacie, Makobi Scribe and Sassy Mama in LA. Each host blog will feature a different set of giveaways for you to enter!

No matter what type of coupon you're looking for, you'll find it and over 100,000 others at CouponCabin.com, a leading destination for coupon codes, printable coupons, deals and more. Now with a new and improved grocery coupons section and the largest selection of coupon codes that are guaranteed to work, CouponCabin is the best place to start your search for savings. This holiday season, CouponCabin is dedicated to making holiday savings as easy as pie by bringing you the best deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You can also download our CouponDetector and we'll let you know when the site you’re shopping has coupons and deals available.  Never pay full price again with help from CouponCabin.com!

CouponCabin is giving away the following fabulous prizes:

• Grand Prize: MacBook Air (11-inch, 128GB; ARV $1,199)
• 2nd Runner Up: iPad2 (16GB, with Wi-Fi +3G; ARV $629) & $200 Visa Gift Card
• 3rd Runner Up: iPad2 (16GB, with Wi-Fi +3G; ARV $629)
• 4th Runner Up: $300 Visa Gift Card
• 5th Runner Up: $200 Visa Gift Card
• 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Runner Ups: $100 Visa Gift Card each

Please visit Simply Stacie, Makobi Scribe and Sassy Mama in LA to enter the giveaway and make sure to say ACTING BALANCED referred you! You can enter on all three sites or just one- it’s up to you! If you enter all three giveaways that just means more chances for you to win.

*This is a giveaway for EdenFantasys - an adult product website - this post is G rated but the links will go to an ADULT place - 18 + only!

Welcome to Acting Balanced!

I am giving away a $50 GC to EdenFantasys

 - open WORLDWIDE!

What do you think? Are babies or puppies cuter?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Puppies vs. Babies for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

This is a topic that I honestly had never really considered until the Puppies vs. Babies online contest came up and I was offered the opportunity to write about it... are Puppies or Babies cuter?  When you look at a photo of either or both, which ones make you go awwwww more often?

I guess there's merit out there for both camps, but the creators of the contest are adamant that this online contest will decide the question once and for all...

I personally am partial to babies - having had and known some of the cutest babies ever, I think that a baby, particularly a sleeping one has that certain something that puppy dogs just don't have... My daughter, Robyn, will disagree completely with me - she sees every puppy, dog, kitten, cat and any other animal and falls completely in love and when she looks at her baby brother she sees diaper changes and crying... I guess it's all about perspective.

So, between now and November 23rd, you have your chance to vote and share your opinion - is it Puppies or Babies?  Share your opinion here and then go and vote for your choice - it's Puppies vs. Babies!

MMMmonday - Carrot Cookies and Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook Review

I love finding new cookbooks, especially ones with history and great food!  When I got the opportunity to review the Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook, as part of MMMmonday I knew I'd find some great recipes to share with you. One of my other favorite cookbooks, Food That Really Schmecks: Mennonite Country Cooking, comes from a similar Mennonite tradition in Ontario and if this cookbook was similar, I'd be trying almost every recipe!



The Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook offers a glimpse into Beverly Lewis' personal family history by introducing recipes from her own maternal grandmother and many others collected over years.  The book also contains Amish sayings, household tips, bible quotes and personal glimpses into this prolific author's world.

#Giveaway and Review - Carmex Healing Cream and Lotion

Once again, being part of the Carmex Blog Squad has given me the opportunity to test out two more great products and sent me this fabulous set (which I also get to giveaway to one reader)

• 1 Carmex Healing Lotion
• 1 Carmex Healing Cream
• 1 Travel size Carmex Healing Lotion
• 1 Travel size Carmex Healing Cream 

It's a fact of life...

I was at Walmart tonight and they were REMOVING Halloween and inserting Christmas into the same aisles... of course this is in addition to transforming the entire garden section last week...

Have you started your holiday shopping and preparations yet?

Happy First Birthday Erik!

Warning: This is all pics!

Guest Post: How To Diversify a Diet When A Child Has a Significantly Limited Food Repertoire

Do not withhold the few foods that are acceptable. If you take away that one brand of mac n’ cheese, you’re taking away one of the few sources of nutrition for your child, even if it is a poor one. Pizza can be healthy if you buy or make it with high-quality ingredients.

I start by identifying one food the parent would like to add to a child’s diet, typically a fruit or vegetable. If possible, the child selects the particular fruit or vegetable.

Here’s how we approached a similar situation with a client your daughter’s age. She and her mom identified bananas as a food she would consider eating “when she is older.” For about 10-20 minutes each session, we worked on bananas. Session 1: We made a collage of banana pictures. Real bananas were within sight. Sessions 2-4: she learned to slice bananas and fed them to her mother, in a playful, unpressured interaction. She smelled and felt the banana and observed her mother enjoying it. Sessions 5-8: She touched one banana slice to her lips before either feeding it to her mom or throwing it away.  Sessions 9-12: She touched the banana slice with her tongue and threw it away. Sessions 13-14: She nibbled on the banana slice and then spit it onto a napkin. On the 15th session, she swallowed the nibble. Sessions 16-17: She ate one slice of banana. Session 18: She ate half a banana. Now she loves bananas and has selected sweet peas as a vegetable she will eat when she is older.

While you do want to “work on” just one food at a time, don’t give up introducing new foods. When it’s dinner time, go ahead and serve her favorite food but also make other food available on the table. One exception is if your child cannot bear the smell of a food such as brussel sprouts, which may be so nauseating that she will be unable to eat at all. Remember that it may take dozens of introductions before a food becomes familiar enough to try. Here are a few other ideas: 

• Combine acceptable foods with new foods. While your sensitive child will immediately detect when you’ve snuck some peas into her mac n’ cheese, you may be able to get her to dip a “tree” (broccoli) in the cheese sauce. Many kids are willing to try new foods if they can dip them into a favorite sauce such as ketchup, tahini, or salad dressing.
• Try introducing a food that is similar to another food the child already eats, such as a different and healthier brand of frozen pizza or chicken nuggets. Remember, you may have to introduce the new food dozens of times. Change accepted foods slightly to present new textures, shapes, and colors. Break crackers into four pieces instead of two, cut bread into a funny shape. Experiment with food temperatures. A child might try frozen blueberries or snow peas for the novelty of it.
• Avoid empty calories. Don’t let your child fill up on high-sugar fruit juice during the day or snack on high-calorie junk foods like chips. Keep treat portions small. Rather than give a full bag of Veggie Booty (which doesn’t count as a vegetable), serve a small bowlful.
• Provide “oral comforts” that help normalize mouth sensation. These nonfood items are safe to suck and chew on and come in a variety of shapes and textures. Some favorites include: Chewy Tubes, Chew-Eaze, Dr. Bloom’s Chewable Jewels, and Kid’s Companion Jewelry. You can find these in most therapy catalogs and on the sensorysmarts.com website under Toys & Equipment/Oral Comforts. 

Above all, avoid food battles. Mealtimes are social time, not therapy time. Serve food you know your child will eat when your family sits down for a meal and focus on having a pleasurable family experience.

You may need to work with a feeding specialist (usually an occupational therapist or speech language pathologist) especially if your child has significant oral sensory issues, oral motor weakness, muscle tone problems, or extreme reactions to food. The feeding therapist will evaluate your child’s issues and implement a therapeutic program with a home component. Also investigate supplements such as multivitamins and essential fatty acids to make sure your child is getting the nutrients he or she needs to stay healthy.

Find more on eating difficulties and other sensory challenges in Raising a Sensory Smart Child and at sensorysmarts.com. You may also want to check out these books: Just Take a Bite (by Lori Ernsperger, available in bookstores and online) and Happy Mealtimes with Happy Kids (by Melanie Potock, available at MyMunchBug.com).

Got a question? I’d love to hear from you. Please email questions to Lindsey@sensorysmarts.com.

This article was reprinted from Autism Asperger’s Digest March-April 2011 issue with permission

Product Review - NotJustAnyOldDay Key Jewelry

Notjustanyoldday.com and it's sister site, YourCancerversary.com were sponsors in this months In Honor of the Tatas event and Michele was sweet enough to send me my very own Not Just Any Old Day pendant! 


It was tough to pick just one special day to commemorate.  I mean I could choose one of my graduations, one of my kids birthdays, the day I started my blog... so many dates were running through my mind! I already have some jewelry celebrating my kids and their birthdays and although I wear my wedding ring constantly, it doesn't proclaim a date to specifically acknowledge my anniversary, so I asked for a key celebrating May 30th, 1998 (Can you believe that I've been married for almost fourteen years to the same wonderful man?)

We were LIVE at Yo Gabba Gabba!

I wasn't sure taking both boys to live theater by myself would work out well, but we had a blast on Tuesday afternoon!  Liam was bouncing, jumping and singing along in his own way to DJ Lance and the gang, while Erik took a more subdued approach - probably because we went during the second half of his normal nap time... he sat on my lap and just took it all in!


And there was a lot to take in!





Not only was Yo Gabba Gabba Live a singing and dancing extravaganza, but since we were close to the stage we were showered with confetti, paper leaves, 'snow' and more!  Liam was just fascinated by watching the tissue paper fall to the floor and also how all the lights and things worked!  I don't think he spent more than five minutes in his seat, except during intermission when I bribed him with a gluten free snack and a juice box to stay put!

 Erik's favorite part was Biz Markie (I didn't get a clip of this so I found one from a different show on You Tube)

Dispite my reservations, not only did my boys have a great time, but I did too!  And so did a couple thousand other families who attended the show at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center!

Yo Gabba Gabba live is still touring throughout the US - visit www.yogabbagabbalive.com/ to see if they're coming for you!

Five Question Friday from @5crookedhalos #5QF

As an addition to my regular Five Question Friday post, I am passing along a request from Mama M., our illustrious host, to please consider voting in the What's Your Hero Mom Story contest - she is trying to win $2500 for her sister-in-law whose husband passed away tragically last year in a freak accident. Her sister-in-law is now raising seven children on her own!

Please consider clicking on this link to vote - you can do it once per day and you do NOT have to sign up for anything!

Now on to learning more about me as I play along with Mama M. and her friendly Five Question Friday gang:

Friday Fragments

TGIF!  Or at this point will be Friday when I wake up... hopefully I'll get to sleep long enough for the calendar to switch over... but Erik is in a growth spurt and hungry all the time, not to mention teething... so I've been having to get up and soothe him in the middle of the night...

42 Hour #Giveaway - Freschetta Fresh Connections Pizza and Pink Earbuds!

As a member of the Freschetta Fresh Connections blogging program, I had the opportunity to try out a Freschetta Fresh Pizza for a great cause!  

Freschetta is hoping to donate $50,000 to Breast Cancer Research through www.ProudToSupportPink.com by donating $1.00 for every code entered on the website!  You can also go on with a special code just for FRESCHETTA® pizza fans that allows you to donate $1.00 to Breast Cancer Research on www.ProudToSupportPink.com with no purchase required. The code is FRESCH11.

Book Review - Veronica's Nap by Sharon Bially

I am pleased to have been asked to be part of the Virtual Book Publicity Tour for Veronica's Nap by Sharon Bially as part of her month with Pump Up Your Book.

Product Review - Happy Belly Bags - #GLUTENFREE #CASEINFREE

As a mom who publicly and proudly proclaims my son's Gluten Free status, I often get asked how to get started on going gluten free with a preschooler and now I can direct new parents to a fabulous source!  Happy Belly Bags sent me one of their Gluten-Free, Casein-Free bags to test and I have to say that it would be an absolute gem for parents just starting out on the GF lifestyle!  

Filled with kid friendly snacks, meal ideas and more there is a good selection of products to help you wade through the sea of change and come out with a better understanding of what you can actually find that's gluten free!  

Thirsty For Comments - get great comments by linking up here!

Welcome to 

Thirsty for Comments Thursday! 

 

Hosted by Acting Balanced and SilverFaeries and Dragonflies 

Grab our badge for your sidebar or post:

Due to the crazy, currently unbalanced world of Heather at Acting Balanced, there is no Featured Blog this week... I promise that there will be two featured bloggers next week!

If you want to be featured in the near future, visit your fellow participants and give good comment!

What is Thirsty for Comments?

This is a blog hop dedicated to giving good comment - please, when you are visiting, actually READ the post that is linked and make a thoughtful comment!  

This is NOT a hop for "I'm here from the hop, follow me back" comments!

Link up your own SPECIFIC POST that you'd like comments on - remember - no giveaways!

*****************************************

The rules are simple - 

1. Link up a SPECIFIC POST (NOT just your blog URL) that you'd like to have more comments on - can be anything EXCEPT GIVEAWAYS and OTHER BLOG HOPS - they will be deleted

2. Visit AT LEAST THREE other blogs and READ the posts and then comment thoughtfully on the post.

Extras (nice but not required):

Consider following the blogs you visit 

Add the Thirsty for Comments button to your post

Blog about Thirsty for Comments

Add Thirsty for Comments to your Meme List!

Leave a comment here on how I can improve Thirsty for Comments :)

 **** This is a BLOG HOP LINKY, so you can grab the code for your own post and share the linky directly! ****

Make a Lorax O'Lantern :-)

One of my favorite books ever is coming to the big screen in the spring!  

It's going to be a 3D animated feature - Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (In theaters March 2, 2012). The film features the voice talent of Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle and Betty White!

What better way to celebrate Halloween than to create a Lorax O’ Lantern for all to see!

Use this free pumpkin carving template and bring The Lorax to life on your front step. Once you’re done post/tag your creation on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/theloraxmovie.

Robyn is the only one who has a pumpkin left to decorate in our family... I wonder if she'll make a Lorax pumpkin?  I used to read it to her all the time...


More details about the movie:

The 3D-CGI feature "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" is an adaptation of Dr. Seuss' classic tale of a forest creature who shares the enduring power of hope. The animated adventure follows the journey of a boy as he searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.

Danny DeVito will lend his vocal talents to the iconic title character of the Lorax, while Ed Helms will voice the enigmatic Once-ler. Also bringing their talents to the film are global superstars Zac Efron as Ted, the idealistic young boy who searches for the Lorax, and Taylor Swift as Audrey, the girl of Ted's dreams. Rob Riggle will play financial king O'Hare, and beloved actress Betty White will portray Ted's wise Grammy Norma.

Wordless Wednesday - At Yo Gabba Gabba!

More to come in my full wrap up soon!


Disclaimer: I received our tickets at no cost to me for the purpose of promoting and reviewing this show.  All photos and opinions are my own.


And now that I was a little more wordful than I had planned... please feel free to link up your own wordless, wordful or other Wednesday post here:

Presenting: Ocha Baby!

I love finding new and exciting clothing options and I found this one at a place I'd never expected, my son Erik's KinderMusik class in Charleston!  It's a new venture called Ocha Baby.

Real Moms Love to Eat is coming soon!

I have been tweeting back and forth with blogger, Certified Health Counselor and author, Beth Aldrich, in advance of her new book - Real Moms Love to Eat!  I am looking so forward to getting my hand on an ARC and hopefully a full copy of this book - it looks so yummy and I'm sure there will be a few MMMmonday's that are inspired by Beth's recipes.


I am also hoping that I'll be able to bring Beth and her book tour through Charleston in a few months with the help of my wonderful MOMS Club friends who are all about great food!

Stumble Tumble Tuesday

Welcome to Stumble Tumble Tuesday hosted by Shopper Gal, Acting Balanced and Kelly’s Lucky You! The goal of this hop is to use Stumble Upon to help you promote your blog posts and get more traffic.

Even if you think you are stumbling correctly, please read this post on how to check and see if your stumble was successful. Some stumbles aren't showing up, thanks!

Meet Me on Monday

Every Monday I participate in Meet Me on Monday so you can learn a little more about me... just click on the button to join yourself or just peruse the other answers:



Questions:

1.  My favorite kind of animal is _______?
2.  Do you like your handwriting?

3.  What is the last movie you saw?

4.  Do you buy things on eBay?
5.  What did you have for lunch yesterday?
---------------------------------------------------------------
My Answers!



1.  My favorite kind of animal is the monkey?

2.  Do you like your handwriting?


I love my handwriting and wish that they hadn't dropped cursive from most curriculums ... I also used to do calligraphy when I had more time

3.  What is the last movie you saw?

I honestly can't remember the last time I sat in a movie theater... actually yes I can ... and I saw some chick flick about dating that I can't remember the plot of...or the name of... was a girls night out.


4.  Do you buy things on eBay?


Yes- and I got a good deal on my kindle cover from there... but I often find that I'm looking at other sites more often now.

5.  What did you have for lunch yesterday?


nothing exciting... a Lean Pockets Garlic Chicken pocket


So, now that you know my answers, share yours with me or head over to nevergrowingold.blogspot.com to play along!

Spooktacular Book Blog Giveaway Hop Giveaway!

 Welcome To Acting Balanced!

This giveaway is for one $15 GC to your choice of Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com or the Book Depository and is OPEN WORLDWIDE so that you can pick any book you want!!!

You must follow Acting Balanced in at least one way and all entries must be done on the rafflecopter widget:






And now that you've entered my giveaway, please check out these other great giveaways - over 400 different ones to enter!:

#Giveaway - Tropical Traditions Gold Virgin Coconut Oil

You can check out my MMMmonday Review of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil by clicking this link and reading about the yummy Dairy Free Coconut Pie recipe I found.


This is a giveaway for one bottle of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil 

MMMmonday - Dairy Free Coconut Pie with Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil

I had the opportunity to do a review of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil and was amazed at the breadth and variety of recipes available on their website!  I had a GF pie crust in the house so I decided to try out the filling part of this recipe but I'm sure that the whole wheat crust recipe would be equally delish with this pie so I am including it.

Dairy Free Whole Wheat Crust:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon organic sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut milk*

Coconut Pie Filling:

• 1 cup organic sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 cup coconut milk*
• 1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened dried coconut
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust Directions:

Mix dry ingredients together: flours, sugar, and salt. Add coconut oil. Use a pastry cutter to cut the oil into the dry ingredients. Add coconut milk a little at a time (you may not need any at all). Turn on a floured surface and knead several times. Roll dough into a 9 inch circle and transfer to a pie plate, using fingers to shape dough as needed.

Pie Filling Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together sugar and eggs. Add oil and flour and mix well. Add coconut milk and fold in 1 cup coconut. Add vanilla and mix well. Sprinkle remaining coconut on top of the pie. Pour into your whole wheat pie crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes.

* For the freshest coconut milk make homemade coconut milk. (See video at this link.)

Recipe submitted to Tropical Traditions by Kelly, Charlotte, NC


My Review: 
I am definitely glad to have found Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil - it's so versatile and adds a unique flavor to the dishes I've made with it.  I also love how informative their website is - I learned so much about the health benefits and ways to use coconut oil, as well as how they produce it! Here is a little of what I learned:

Virgin Coconut Oil is a food, and is one of the best cooking oils you can use. It has been a staple cooking oil for thousands of years in tropical climates. As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils.Virgin Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a nutrient that supports the body’s immune system. Lauric acid is also found in human mother’s milk.  Dr. Mary Enig suggests the average adult include about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day in their diet to take in an equivalent amount of lauric acid that a nursing infant would receive from breast milk.

The pie was excellent and you didn't miss the dairy at all!  It was rich and definitely satisfied my coconut craving!  


I've used the coconut oil for a stir fry and also to coat my pan when making eggs and both times it had an excellent consistency and caused me no problems at all.  I am looking forward to trying more of the recipes available on their site and experimenting with cooking with my coconut oil!  


I have also been given the opportunity to giveaway one bottle of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil - you can click here to find the giveaway post.