Family Fun & Dinner

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Jackie

Every once in a while I try to do something to bring the family together whether it’s a movie, a game, or some sort of outing but there is a huge challenge in that. The challenge is trying to find something that will make everyone happy from a toddler, a tween, and two teens…. you’re laughing aren’t you? Go ahead… you can laugh because I would too. It really is difficult but once in a while I do succeed.

So I rented the Disney version of Just Dance from Redbox for Couch Critics and I have to say that it was a lot of fun! I enjoyed it and I know that my younger two kids did too…. the teens well they watched for a few minutes and moved on to something else. And I do have to say that it is so much better than a game of Monopoly…. that is a long… long… long game that nobody but my husband wins at.

Maybe the game was a flop with the teens but dinner well, that was a huge success! Homemade broccoli cheddar soup, bread, shrimp cocktail, and the kids favorite… mini corn dogs.

I’ll be honest… I kinda like corn dogs too but I skipped eating them simply because I wanted the soup more and I was really trying to watch what I eat.

Dinner at our is important to me and it’s the one time of day that we all sit down together at the table with no cell phones, television on, or any other distractions. It’s when we can talk over our day and share a bit about what we’ve done, it’s a time to connect as a family and spend quality time together every day.

It’s important for so many reasons to sit down together as a family too. It’s a time where you can engage with your kids which is important all on its own, but there are health benefits for us as adults and kids too. It can also be fun!

It’s incredible how many laughs we have shared together at the dinner table whether it was something the toddler did or tried to say after hearing something that one of his sisters said.

The soup was great! The kids all loved it, I loved it, but my husband… well he didn’t. I think that it was the veggies…or that it was soup (both he doesn’t like).

Do you have family dinners together? What about family games?

I shopped at Walmart for our dinner and you can check out my Google+ album. You can check out Redbox on Facebook & Twitter if you want to learn more about them.

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ #CBias #SocialFabric

Silk Fruit and Protein Smoothies

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Jackie

When I first saw that Social Fabric had a shop available for Silk Fruit & Protein I had to sign up for it because we love Silk here at my house! Ever since we first bought it a few months ago it’s been a regular item on my grocery list.

Normally we just drink it plain for a quick breakfast… pour it in a cup and drink it down! But I wanted to try something different with it. My first thought was to use it for homemade ice cream but I was having trouble finding a good recipe and when I did they called for ingredients that weren’t readily available at my local Walmart store. I decided to hold off on the ice cream…. I didn’t want to ruin the Silk Fruit & Protein! Instead we settled for a traditional smoothie.

Off to the store we went to collect all the things that we needed to make a tasty & healthy treat for dessert.

Strawberries were at the top of our list! They’ve been really good lately and we had to add them to our smoothie.

Of course we ended up getting more than what was on our shopping list but that always happens.

The ingredients were simple and few for our smoothies.

Ice
Vanilla ice cream
Strawberries
Silk Fruit & Protein

The instructions are just as easy! Toss it all into the blender and blend until smooth and top with a bit of whipped cream.

Honestly this stuff is great alone or as an extra boost to your homemade smoothies and best of all they’re really healthy!

You can check out #SilkFruit on Facebook for great coupons or Twitter! And if you want to check out more pictures from my shopping trip and our smoothies check out my Google+ Album.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias Feel free to add any additional wording you would like such as “all opinions are my own

I am One of Millions ~ Improving the lives of kids

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Jackie

This week my daughter and I wrapped up our Simple Service Project that I wrote about last week and delivered them to the school! And let me tell you how much fun it was and how excited my daughter was to drop them off!

When we first started the project I explained it to her and why we were doing it and she was immediately on board with it and couldn’t wait to get to Walmart and start shopping for our Winter Care Kits.

Somehow we made it through Walmart in an hour but it took a few trips round and round the store…. but that was because we brought the busy toddler with us and there isn’t a seat belt in the world that can keep that kid contained! However, he did find the Energizer flashlight entertaining enough to let us finish our shopping.

When we shopped what I kept in mind was that no matter what season it is here in Michigan the possibility of losing power is pretty high when there are storms…. wind, rain, ice, and snow can all make it dangerous.

Some of the items that we purchased were meant to keep a child safe & warm during a time without power.

Blankets
Energizer Weather Ready flashlight with LED lights
Extra batteries
Handy Wipes
Hand sanitizer
Bottled water
Granola bars

We made it through the store and I couldn’t believe how much money we saved! I had expected to have spent a lot more money but with everything that we bought for our Care Kits plus some extra things we needed at home I was surprised that it was all under $100!

We live in a small community and we don’t have a homeless shelter but I do know that there are kids who are in need of some help and because of that we decided that the best way to help those kids is to donate our care kits to the school that my daughter goes to. Lauren was pretty excited as we made our way into the school!

The office secretary was almost as excited as her when we explained what we were doing and why. I even when on to explain about the Champions for Kids website and all of the projects that they’re part of and then the mission;

Champions for Kids works to mobilize MILLIONS of people by providing training and resources to improve the lives of children in communities across America and beyond. Our goal is to mobilize 20 Million people by 2020.

My hope is that they will check out the website and see what kind of projects that they can work on with the kids there at school. There is so much that the school, the teachers, and students together could do when they put their minds to it.

What about you? Have you checked out the website? Will you be One of Millions?

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias, but all opinions are my own.

~ #CBias ~ #EnergizerCFK ~ #ChampionsForKids ~

Champions for Kids Mission

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Jackie

Winter in Michigan can be pretty harsh sometimes with the snow, the cold wind, and the unpredictable temperatures. Even if it’s a mild winter the temps range from the 20’s to the 40’s and this can be dangerous for anyone who is out in the cold, especially kids.

With the weather here can also lead to dangerous road conditions and I know first hand that ending up in the ditch is something that can happen faster than you expect. But that isn’t the only thing that can lead to danger for kids…. power being shut off due to non-payment or ice storms or lack of a permanent home.

I am working with Collective Bias and Champions for Kids who provide training and resources to improve the lives of children in communities across America. I live in a small town and we don’t see a lot of the homelessness that you see in larger cities, but that is not to say that it doesn’t happen here. I know that it does and that is why I want to help kids stay safe and warm this winter.

There are kids who are living with friends or other family members because their families have lost their homes. True, they have a place to stay but they are still homeless.

Did You Know?
•   Over 9 million children suffer from non-fatal injuries each year, and accidents are the leading cause of death for children. Additionally, dangerous weather events cause hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries every year.
•   70% of power outages in the U.S. are weather related. Numerous power failures are caused by natural weather phenomena such as lightening, rain, snow, ice, wind, and even dust.
•   The Center of Disease Control recommends having a kit ready in preparation for any emergency that may arise. They recommend the kit include food, water, flash light, extra batteries, medications, first aid kit, sanitation and personal hygiene items, copies of personal documents, and other necessities.

Ways YOU Can Help!

GATHER your friends, family, and co-workers to help children stay safe and be prepared by putting together Care Kits for kids! Include items like band-aids, hand wipes, tissues, flashlights, extra batteries, and bottled water.

LEARN about the safety and health needs of children in your community by asking a teacher, social worker, or other community representative to speak to your group.

GIVE the Care Kits to a school, religious organization, shelter, or other community organization that helps children in your community.

REPORT back to us at www.championsforkids.org/simple so that we can celebrate your participation! How many people participated in the Energizer Light Up A Life project and became Champions for Kids? We want to know that you were part our vision of mobilizing 20 Million people by 2020 to become Champions for Kids!

This week I will be creating 2 care kits with my kids that we can donate to a local shelter for women and children and one of the local elementary schools. I’m looking forward to shopping with my youngest daughter this week because I know that she will really get into this because she is always open to helping out those who need it.

So what goes in a care kit? Well, some of the items that we’re going to be getting are band-aids, hand wipes, tissues, flashlights, Energizer batteries, energy bars and bottled water. You could put in just about anything that you wanted to help keep a child safe and warm this winter… mittens, warm blankets, or even a gift card to provide a warm meal.

I am one of millions…. will you be one too?

There is a lot that you can do to help…. create your own care kit and donate it to your local school, church, or homeless shelter. Give a child something to keep them warm and safe. Check out the Champions for Kids site for ideas for a simple care kit.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias, but all opinions are my own.

~ #CBias ~ #EnergizerCFK ~ #ChampionsForKids ~