Party, party weekend

From time to time I host MommyParties. To learn more about them go here. As part of being a mommy party host I invite my friends and family over to try new products and then share the reviews here.

This weekend I hosted not one but two mommy parties! One was for the great new Mega Bloks Barbie line. This was a huge hit with the guests and my daughter, although I have to say my hubby spent more time building it than he does helping with the family chores .

I was given 10 mini sets to give out to all the guests who came as well as the mansion and pool house for my daughter! All the girls (and one little guy) had tons of fun and days later my kiddos are still playing with them!

		Barbie Party VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The second one was for Premama prenatal vitamin mix. I posted my personal review of this product a few months ago. you can find it here. My guests had mixed feelings about this product and most say they would probably stick to their current vitamins.

I was given a pitcher and 5 boxes (a month supply each) to share with my guests. As well as a gift card to purchase drinks to mix Premama in.

A few of my guests trying out Premama in their favorite beverage -

Drinks on hand were- punch, apple, grape, and orange juices, tea, and water.

		Premama drink party VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Overall it was a very busy weekend but everyone had lost of fun!!

 

DISCLOSURE: By publishing this post, I received free products as part of a promotional program with MomSelect. All opinions are my own.

Helping girls give back (Hearts For Hearts Party)

 

What if you could change the world just by buying a doll? You can, with Hearts For Hearts Girls™ dolls! Each doll is a girl that wants to make a difference in her life, community, and culture. Right now, there are eight Hearts For Hearts Girls dolls: Lilian (Belarus), Zelia (Brazil) Rahel (Ethiopia), Nahji (India), Tipi (Laos), Consuelo (Mexico), Lauryce and Dell (both from the United States). Each of them has an important story to tell about life in her country, inspired by real girls who are strong, smart, courageous, and determined to rise above challenging circumstances. When you buy a Hearts For Hearts Girls doll, a portion of the purchase price is donated to children’s causes in those countries. There is tons of information about the Hearts for hearts mission and games for your child on their website: Hearts for Hearts.

I was recently given a chance to host a mommy party featuring Hearts for Hearts dolls. I was given 2 dolls, one for my child to keep and one to give away to a party guest, as well as a bracelet and coupon for each girl in attendance.

 

      

We were sent  Consuelo from Mexico City. Colorful and warm, Consuelo provides aid to hungry children who are homeless and live on the streets near her parents´ bakery.

 

And Nahji who hails from Assam, India. Brave Nahji breaks tradition to bring courage and education to the girls who work in the tea fields of India.

When our package came Pumpkin wanted to keep both dolls but was very excited to have a doll party. We had a fun sleepover party with all of Pumpkin’s friends and family members. The party started off with a doll tea party, and getting to know the dolls. We played the provided passport game. Where each of the girls received a passport to fill out and earned stickers for each doll/country, as they learned how to say Hello in each langue. After our tea party the girls checked the bottom of their cups for the H4H logo and the winner won the second doll. We researched where they came from and how girls in their countries lived. We had lots of fun learning about the different foods from around the world and for dinner we even sampled some. (Hearts for Hearts and Mommy Parties provided a few recipes to try)  As the evening settled down we played games like hair dresser and doll fashion runway. Everyone won a bracelet and after lots of giggling, the girls slept. All the girls couldn’t wait to ask their parents for a hearts for hearts girl of their own. (And the parents were grateful for the $5 off coupon for a H4H doll) Pumpkin chose to keep Consuelo and we gave away Nahji . Both dolls were supper cute and very detailed.

Below is a picture of the party set up and my pumpkin with they doll she decided to keep. As Always there are no other pictures of the other children as per the requests of their parents. 

 

Each girl received the items pictured.

 

 

My Pumpkin and her new best friend Consuelo.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER:I WASNT COMPENSATED IN ANY WAY FOR THIS POST. HOWEVER I DID RECIEVE A PARTY PACK TO SHARE FROM MOMMY PARTIES. I WAS NOT COMPENSATED IN ANY OTHER WAY FOR THIS POST

Gearing up for school! (Gutzy Gear Party)

I know, I know but its still summer but the start of school is right around the corner. I recently received a party package through Mommy Parties,  Mom Select and Gutzy Gear. I was pretty excited to have been chosen to host a Gutzy Gear party.

Gutzy Gear is a way for kids to customize their backpack or bag with Gutzy strap covers and Gutzies, which are removable patches.  Kids can collect Gutzies or even trade them!

Gutzy Gear can be found at Toys R Us, Kmart, Walmart, and Target, to name a few.  You can use their store locator to find a store near you!   Check out Gutzy Gear's website for more information!  They can also be found on Facebook and twitter.

I was very excited to host a party sponsored by Gutzy Gear!  My little Pumpkin is going to start school this fall. I was provided with starter kits for each guest that included 1 set of Gutzy strap covers and 1 Gutzie. In addition, each guest got to take home 2 additional Gutzies!everything I’d need to host a party featuring Gutzy Gear. As well as enough recipes, games to make the party a hit! We had an outdoor picnic, to soften the blow of School talk during our precious summer. But it wouldn’t have mattered because all the children present were thrilled about Gutzy gear.

 

My children and party guests really enjoyed playing all the Gutzy games! Like pin the patch on the pack!

And best of all my little pumpkin and all the guests are exited about their backpacks, if not school.

 

 

(my pumpkin sporting her new gutzies and backpack.)

 

 

 

 

(a few late arrivals may have missed out on the fun but were happy to receive some Gutzy gear anyway.)

 

 

Thank you to the parents who allowed their children to be pictured on my blog, as always most guests (if not all) have not been pictured due to parental preferences.

Disclosure: I received a Gutzy Gear Party Package through Mommy Parties,  Mom Select and Gutzy Gear; no other compensation was received. All opinions expressed are my own!

Yummy! Pilsbury Potluck Party.

I have to say the Potluck party was a success. Everyone brought at least one dish with a Pillsbury product featured in it. Any boy was it yummy! There are no left overs here. (Something that made my hubby sad.)

When I was asked to host this potluck party, I chose to make it a great way to get my Mommies and kiddos together from our play date group. We kicked the guys out and sat back for a fun evening filled with Yummy food and great conversation. As the children sat playing together, we swapped recipes and cooking stories. There was a lot of laughs and taste testing. Our #1 pick of the night from each category was:

Dessert (yup I start with the best course) – We had a few but monkey bread took the cake!

stock photo (it went fast before I could get a picture!)

Side Dishes – There were a few but everyone loved the mini hotdogs wrapped in crescent rolls.

Main Dishes – biscuit pizzas, chicken and rice casserole, and pepperoni roll ups! Yumm!

Overall favorite of the night – chicken and rice caserrolle with breadsticks.

Per my post from before the winning recipe voted on by you, my readers, was the Chicken and Broccoli breadstick bake (above with some modifications, added rice). The kids surprisingly loved it and I cant blame them. I loved it too!!

Due to most of the guest being children. I respect the privacy of my friends and they have asked me not to post pictures of their children on the internet. I have chosen not to post pictures of my guests to honor that request.

If you haven’t had your holiday get together yet and still plan to. Think about hosting your own Pillsbury potluck party. To get you started take a look at these links:

• Ideas Made Easy on Pillsbury.com
• Pillsbury on Facebook
• Pillsbury on Twitter

Also the great folks at MyBlogSpark and Pillsbury are offering a coupon for $1.10 off Pillsbury products. That can be found in the Pillsbury widget on the right.

“Disclosure: The Pillsbury product, information, food ideas, online coupon link, and prize pack have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.”

Betty’s Red Hot Holiday Trends -

Happy Holidays! Right about now, you’re probably gearing up for a wonderful holiday season filled with great family, great friends, and of course, great food!

Thankfully, Betty Crocker is here to help make cooking and entertaining easier than ever with Betty Crocker’s Red Hot Holiday Trends 2011! The food experts at Betty Crocker have selected trends that will be red hot this holiday season, and have created delicious recipes to bring each one to life. These fun and delicious recipes are sure to fire up any holiday event, and keep you toasty and warm for the New Year ahead.

Trend: Double Desserts

Taking two desserts and mixing and mashing them together is one of our favorite trends. Things like pie shakes, cookie stuffed cookies, and pie-filled cupcakes deliver a whole new kind of delicious. It’s a 1+1=3 kind of thing.

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Cookies

Pie, meet cookie. Cookie, say hello to pie. When two all-time favorites come together, you get Pumpkin Pie Cookies, the star at your next holiday cookie exchange.

Trend: Boozy Baking

From booze cakes to cocktail pies, bakers everywhere are bringing the bar into the kitchen. A titch of tequila or a skosh of scotch whiskey adds a serious shot of fun and flavor for the over 21 crowd. We’re loving these boozy baked goods!

Recipe: Boozy Bourbon Chocolate Cupcakes

Taste for yourself what the buzz is all about! A bit of bourbon, a hit of coffee liqueur and some vanilla vodka-spiked frosting make these sophisticated chocolate cupcakes the ultimate “holiday helpers.”

Trend: Color. Flavor. Fun.

Traditional baked goods are being transformed with bright colors and playful flavors. With a little creativity and imagination, no one can resist this happy, fun food!

Recipe: Cake Batter Cookie Stackers

Take sugar cookies to a whole new level of delicious! Kids and adults will love these cake batter flavored cookies with colorful frosting, and lots of sprinkles! Stack ‘em up and watch ‘em go.

Trend: From Cave to Kitchen

Forget the man cave. Today guys are in the kitchen making (or at least appreciating) really good food. Big food. Really good, big food that’s stacked and stuffed with the flavors they can’t resist.

Recipe: Mantastic Fried Chicken ‘n’ Waffle Sandwich

Here’s a new take on chicken ‘n’ waffles - made better with beer, bacon, and bourbon. It’s the ultimate manly man meal.

Trend: Skinny Cocktails

Here’s the skinny! Drinking high-calorie cocktails is so last year. The modern mixologist is shaking things up with light & flavorful cocktails.

Recipe: Skinny Clementine Martini

Add some clever sparkle to your next party. Enjoy these natural, light martinis made with fresh juice, high-quality liquor, and a splash of club soda. Lower calorie cocktails never tasted, or looked, so sweet. Cheers!

Trend: Better Than Bought

From canning to candy making, there’s a renewed interest in handcrafted foods. This season, homemade food gifts are just the right thing to show your care and creativity.

Recipe: Cajeta Caramel Fudge

Create the perfect combination of flavor and crunch with this homemade candy. Rich chocolate fudge layered with cajeta caramel, cashews and a sprinkle of sea salt—a recipe to impress.

Trend: Veggie Love

Once just tolerated, vegetables are now celebrated. Omnivores and herbivores alike have discovered that veggies offer variety and great taste, and are feeling the love.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Hummus

Hummus with fresh sweet potato packs even more plant power. Add a delicious blend of smoked paprika, coriander, and cumin to make this flavorful dip.

Trend: Share worthy & Allergen-Friendly

Allergen-friendly foods may be free from things like nuts, dairy and eggs, but shouldn’t be free from flavor. Thankfully, we’re seeing new foods and recipes that can be enjoyed by everyone – whether you’re allergy-sensitive or not.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

Gather everyone around the table to enjoy this moist and delicious pumpkin bread. Made with no nuts, no dairy, no eggs, and no gluten - no kidding!

Trend: D-I-Y for D-O-G

Man’s best friend deserves man’s best effort. That’s why making your own dog food is one of the latest canine crazes! This year, homemade dog treats are at the top of fido’s list.

Recipe: Dog Bark

This treat will make your dog sit up and beg for more. Make the bark by melting carob chips and peanut butter then top with your dog’s favorite ingredients – bacon and cheese. Bow WOW!

Trend: Food Craft

The kitchen is the new craft room. With food as their medium, clever cooks are making amazing edible food crafts that are as good to look at as they are to eat.

Recipe: Chocolate Coal Lumps

Naughty or nice, everyone will love these easy cho-coal-late treats. Cocoa Puffs® cereal dipped in melted chocolate and marshmallows create these tasty stocking stuffers.

I hope you might try some of these hot holiday trends with your family, friends. If you do end up posting, please Come back here and share your thoughts!!

I received this content from Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark.