Nature's Peak fruit coupon winners!

Thanks to everyone who entered my Nature's Peak frozen fruit coupon giveaway! The winners are:

Evan and Brighid
Ashley's Allowance

Congrats to the winners! I hope you enjoy trying out some of the recipes you found! Winners have been emailed, and have 72hrs to confirm.





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CLOSED - Nature's Peak Frozen Fruit - review and giveaway!

I LOVE fruit. It's why summer is one of my favorite times of year, and winter is by far my LEAST favorite! Frozen fruit has always been a go-to for me during the colder months, it tends to be comparably priced but much fresher than the shipped-in offerings in the produce section. When Mom Central offered to let me try out Nature's Peak frozen fruit, I was ready for it! I received the Sun Ripened Trio (a mix of peaches, strawberries and mango), and the Sunburst Mango to test out.

Nature's Peak frozen fruits have no added sugar and are quick-frozen at the peak of ripeness for the best possible flavor. When I opened the bag, the fruit pieces were brightly colored and not pale from being picked too early or frozen incorrectly. The bags are resealable, which is a HUGE bonus - unless I'm going to use the whole bag in one sitting, I want to know that the bag will still protect my food!

I made a smoothie for myself from the Sun Ripened Trio, and it was SO convenient to be able to toss the ingredients together into my blender without having to chop, pit, and clean up! The smoothie was a yummy way to start the day, too! The Sunburst Mango had a great recipe for Mango Salsa right on the bag (their website has a recipe section if you're looking for new ways to incorporate frozen fruit into your meals!) but I actually used it for baby food! I pureed some of the mango chunks, mixed it with a little baby cereal to thicken it up, and my 5mo old LOVED it! I used both varieties as mix-ins for my homemade yogurt as well. It was so much easier to use than fresh fruit and I love not worrying about wasting fruit because we didn't eat it often enough, or having to buy something that's less-than-fresh because it's out of season.

Nature's Peak has mixed fruit blends in Berry Quartet, Paradise Fruit, Sun Ripened Trio and Summer Fruit Salad. They also have single-fruit varieties in Harvest Gold Pineapple, Country Strawberries, Cranberry Harvest, Ruby Raspberries, Sunburst Mango and Wild Blueberries. They are currently available in the following areas:
Florida (All Regions)
New England (All Regions)
New Jersey (All Regions)
Maryland (All Regions)
Virginia (All Regions)
Washington (Seattle Area)
Oregon (Portland Area)
California (Los Angeles, San Jose Areas)
Arizona (Phoenix Area)
North Carolina (South West Area)
South Carolina (North West Area)
Georgia (South East and North East Areas)
Missouri (Northern Area)
Louisiana (New Orleans Area)
Arkansas (Little Rock Area)

I have TWO coupons to give away for a FREE bag of Nature's Peak frozen fruit!

For your first (mandatory) entry, visit the recipe section at the Nature's Peak website and tell me what you'd like to try with your coupon! **be sure to leave your email address in any comments so that I can contact you if you win!

For additional entries (one comment each):
- Follow me on Google connect
- subscribe to me via email or in a feed reader
- Follow me on twitter @scorbett and tweet about this contest! You can copy and paste the following: I just entered the Nature's Peak Frozen Fruit giveaway at The $200 Mission! Ends 1/21! @scorbett http://tinyurl.com/y9jvvbx
You can tweet once per day, comment with the link to your tweet.

Giveaway will close on 1/21 at 10PM EST. I will choose TWO winners via Random.org and notify them via email. Winner(s) will have 72 hours to reply and confirm before the contest is re-drawn.



I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Nature’s Peak and received a sample to facilitate my candid review as well as two coupons to giveaway. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. This review reflects my honest opinion based on my experience in using the product, and this post was not edited or reviewed by anyone.




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Disney on Ice Giveaway! - CLOSED

Attention Boston and Providence peeps! (and anyone coming our way this Christmas)

Disney on Ice:100 Years of Magic is coming to Boston from December 26th thru December 29th at the TD Garden - and thanks to the fine folks at Mom Central, you can get a family 4-pack of tickets for just $44 (additional tickets for $11 each, but you must buy a minimum of 4)!!

Disney on Ice presents 100 Years of Magic: 65 of Disney’s unforgettable characters from 18 beloved stories come to life in Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic! You’ll be captivated by the one and only Mickey Mouse, the irresistible Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio and all the Disney Princesses. Be thrilled by exciting moments from The Lion King; Mulan; and Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Toy Story films; in a skating spectacular filled with magical Disney moments you’ll remember forever as Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic!

I used to love going to see the Ice Capades when I was a kid, there was something magical about the way the performers moved on the ice that stuck with me. I can't wait for the look on the Boy Wonder's face when he sees it for the first time! We're really excited to go since this will be his first big entertainment event.

Just go to Ticketmaster.com, purchase at least 4 tickets, and enter the promo code MOM at checkout - you'll get weekday tickets for $11 each, or $4 off Friday night and weekend shows!

Mom Central has been kind enough to offer me a family 4-pack of tickets for opening night (Dec 26th at 7pm) to give to one of my readers! You don't need to have a blog to enter, but you DO need to be available for opening night.

To enter: Leave a comment telling me what your all-time favorite Disney character is! Make sure you include your email address so I can reach you if you're chosen.

For additional entries (leave a comment for each entry):
- Follow me on Blogger or subscribe to my feed (1 entry)
- Subscribe to my blog via email (1 entry)
- Follow me on Twitter @scorbett and tweet this contest - you can tweet once per day. Feel free to copy and paste this text:
Disney on Ice 4-pack tickets giveaway at The $200 Mission - http://tinyurl.com/yczvoeu (ends 12/15) @scorbett

Contest will end at 10PM EST on December 15th. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and will be notified via email. Winner will have 24 hrs to respond before a new winner is chosen.

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target="_blank">Click here to see the entire Giveaway Blog Hop List....

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Gorton's Seafood - Review and Giveaway-CLOSED

I have to admit, I'm not a huge fish eater. Which makes me a kind of heathen among the New Englanders, but I blame my childhood in Colorado :) And since I'm picky about my fresh fish, I'm even more finicky when it comes to the frozen variety. When Gorton's offered to let me try a few of their products I was curious, but definitely cautious.

We first tried the Potato Crusted Fish Filets - hubby, who doesn't normally like fish, raved about the flavor. As for whether "kid-friendly" can be applied to something more than fish sticks? My two year old DEMANDED more - he ate a full sized portion instead of the half-portion we gave him. We also tried the Lemon Butter shrimp - I sauteed them with broccoli and garlic, and served over pasta. Yet again, my toddler ate everything on his plate! The shrimp were tender, and the sauce was good but not too salty. Overall, I was impressed! Gorton's does tend to be a little pricier than I like to pay, but you are actually getting better quality product for the price.

I was really excited to see that the Boy Wonder liked both dishes so much - seafood is rich in Omega-3 fatty acid, which has been shown to promote healthy brain development (like he needs more help in becoming an evil supergenius!) Gorton's is really helping promote fish as a healthy part of kids' diets, and even has a whole section on their website devoted to kid friendly meals and tips for picky eaters.

Want to try some of Gorton's products on your family? You can head over to Gortons.com for a printable coupon right now!

Gorton's has graciously provided a 2009-2010 calendar (featuring over $10 in coupons and some beautiful pictures of Gloucester, MA) and two Gortons pocket electronic Sudoku games for one of my readers!

For your first (mandatory) entry, visit the Gorton's website recipe section, and let me know in a comment what recipe you'd most like to try!

For additional entries: (leave a comment for each!)
- Subscribe to my blog via email
- Follow me in Google reader or in an RSS feed
- Become a fan of Gorton's on Facebook
- Subscribe to the Gorton's Newsletter
- Follow me on twitter (@scorbett) and tweet this contest! One entry per tweet, one tweet per day. You can use the tweet button at the top of this post, or copy and paste the following: It's no fish tale! Gorton's Seafood giveaway at The $200 Mission @scorbett http://tinyurl.com/y87vscb ends 12/18

This is a sponsored post and giveaway, and I did receive compensation in the form of free product coupons and a set of the giveaway prizes for this review. The sponsor also provided the items to be awarded in a giveaway. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. This review reflects my honest opinion based on my experience in using the product, and this post was not edited or reviewed by anyone.

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Winner - Vaseline Sheer Infusions

Just a quick thanks to those who entered my Vaseline Sheer Infusions giveaway - welcome to my new readers, and I hope you all picked up the $1.50 coupon for the lotion while you were here!

The winner of the 3 full-sized bottles of Sheer Infusion is Tamara B! She's been emailed and will have 72 hours to claim her prize.

Congrats Tamara!




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CLOSED Vaseline Sheer Infusion with Stratys-3 - Review and Giveaway!

Winter is approaching, and (at least in the Northeast) so is the dry skin that comes along with the cold weather. If the outside cold air doesn't get you, the dry heat inside will! So it was very timely that I received Vaseline Smooth Infusion with Stratys-3 to try out and review for you!


I'm pretty picky about my lotions because I have my hands in everything during the day and can't deal with sticky or greasy feelings that linger. The first time I tried the lotion, it went on SO smooth and soaked in almost immediately. I noticed that the LOOK of my hands had changed, even after a few hours - the skin looked smoother and healthier, and I didn't feel like I needed to re-apply every hour to keep that hydrated feeling.

Vaseline Sheer Infusion delivers two times more moisture than leading body lotions and is the only lotion that can infuse and suspend moisture into each layer of the stratum corneum (surface skin) – the top, the core and deep down. This results in unprecedented hydration leading to better, more healthy moisturized skin and an unmatched silky skin feel. Clinical studies show that more hydration leads to improved skin softness, smoothness and quicker elimination of dry skin.

The real test for me was a lingering dry spot on my ankle - the one that in my wedding pics looks like someone colored my anklebone greyish white and wouldn't go away with pumice stones, creams, scrubs or anything else. I used it in that particular spot for a week and there was a NOTICEABLE difference in the skin - it was less scaly, more skin-colored and started to feel softer. That alone makes this lotion a necessity in my beauty arsenal!

One lucky reader will win THREE full sized bottles, one each of Botanical Blend, Mineral Renewal and Vitamin Burst. For your first (mandatory) entry, visit the Vaseline website and comment with something you learned about Vaseline Sheer Infusion, or another Vaseline product that helps you fight dry skin in the winter! (and don't forget to pick up this $1.50 coupon so you don't have to wait for the contest to try it out!)

For additional entries (be sure to leave a comment for each!):
- Become a subscriber to my blog via email
- Follow me on Google Reader or subscribe in a feed
- Follow me on Twitter (@scorbett) and tweet this contest! (One entry per tweet, one tweet per day) You can use the Tweet link at the top of this post, or just copy and paste the following: Stay smooth all winter! Vaseline Sheer Infusion giveaway at The $200 Mission http://bit.ly/2d0Do @scorbett ends 11/18

Contest ends at 10pm on November 18th, when the winner will be chosen via Random.org. Winner will be notified via email and will have 72 hrs to claim their prize!

This is a sponsored post and giveaway, and I did receive compensation in the form of free product for this review. The sponsor also provided free product to be awarded in a giveaway. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. This review reflects my honest opinion based on my experience in using the product, and this post was not edited or reviewed by anyone.




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WINNER - Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer

And the proud owner of a new Exergen Temporal Thermometer is...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
32
Timestamp: 2009-09-26 02:18:04 UTC

Angela said...
Its best to take the child's temp in the middle of the forehead. Interesting product. How easy!

Congratulations Angela!

An email has been sent to the winner to confirm, they will have 72 hours to claim their prize. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!






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Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer - Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED

I hate having to use a thermometer on my kids. Let's face it, there's nothing pleasant about having to put something....um...down there when your kid already feels miserable. And you can't tell an infant to stop flailing your legs, or this could get ugly.

So I was THRILLED when given the chance to try out Exergen's Temporal Artery Thermometer! Their thermometer measures the body's core temperature from your temporal (forehead) artery. The results are as accurate as what you would normally get from a rectal temp. And because you are "scanning" the forehead, you can take your child's temperature even while they are sleeping!

The science behind it is pretty impressive:

"With a gentle stroke of the forehead it captures the naturally emitted heat from the skin over the temporal artery, taking 1,000 readings per second, selecting the most accurate. With its patented Arterial Heat Balance system the Temporal Scanner measures ambient temperatures, mathematically replaces the small temperature loss from cooling at the skin, and displays an accurate arterial temperature."

Temporal readings will be more accurate because the arterial temp reflects your body's true core temperature sooner than a rectal temperature, and a temporal scan isn't affected by movement (coughing, breathing, shifting position) as with traditional thermometers and ear scanners.

When I received my scanner, one thing impressed me - its simplicity. Single button operation, no disposable covers like with ear thermometers, and 2-second results mean that when I have a sick child and my nerves are frayed, I won't be fumbling with extra parts or waiting too long for results. We didn't have any illnesses in the house so we just had some fun testing it out on each other!

It was incredibly easy to use - just place the sensor on the center of the forehead, press the scan button, and move the sensor over to the hairline, and your temperature immediately displays. I even sneaked into my toddler's room one night to test him while he was sleeping, he never stirred! I wanted to test the accuracy, so I used it on my squirmy infant right after taking a rectal temperature - it was accurate within 0.2 degrees and my baby was a LOT more comfortable during the scan!

Exergen's Temporal Artery Thermometers retail for about $49.99 and are available at Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Costco, Drugstore.com, Babies R Us/Toys R Us and http://www.baby.com/. But one of my lucky readers will win a scanner of their very own!

For your first (and mandatory) entry, visit http://www.exergen.com/ and share something you learned that wasn't mentioned in this post! Be sure to leave your email or blogger contact so I can reach you if you win.

For additional entries:

1. Subscribe to my blog via email or feed (comment if you already subscribe)
2. Follow me on Blogger (let me know if you already follow)
3. Add my button to your sidebar or blogroll page (or let me know if it's already there)
4. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to my blog, leave a link to your post in the comment (2 entries, leave 2 comments)
5. Become a fan of Exergen on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Exergen-TemporalScanner/37004097909
6. Follow me on twitter @scorbett and tweet about this giveaway! Leave a link and your twitter name in your comment. You can tweet this contest once a day! Copy and paste this text:
RT: WIN a Temporal Artery Thermometer from The $200 Mission! @scorbett ENDS 9/25 http://tinyurl.com/psvegt

Contest will end at 10PM EST on Friday, 9/25. Winner will be chosen via Random.org, notified via email and will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Sponsor will ship prize directly to the winner.











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Book review and giveaway! - CLOSED

IF YOUR KID EATS THIS BOOK EVERYTHING WILL STILL BE OKAY!

Not just good advice, but also the title of a great new book I had a chance to read! Written by Dr. Lara Zibners (an Emergency Medicine pediatrician), this book is meant as a medical companion guide for parents and it delivers! Dr. Zibners offers sound advice on everything from bumps to bodily functions to real emergencies. As the book says, over half of the 25 million visits children make to the Emergency room are unnecessary or can be avoided - but unless you have a doctor in your living room, how is a mom to know what to do?

If you have "What to Expect..." books or any of Dr Sears' books, this is a MUST-HAVE addition to your library. Dr. Zibners has put together an easy-to-read guide that covers just about any medical situation you could encounter with your child...and be assured, you will have to be "Dr Mom" more often than you might like! She divides the book into areas of the body for easy reference. She writes in a great casual style - I never felt like I was reading an encyclopedia, I felt like I was talking to a real, experienced mom! At some points I was laughing out loud :) And she offers solid advice (never push your doc to prescribe antibiotics, since most of our kids are ill from viruses not bacteria!), funny stories (what has she found up the nose of a toddler?), and good home remedies and treatments when it's safe to do so (like liquid antacid for diaper rashes).

If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay: How to Know if Your Child's Injury or Illness Is Really an Emergency can be found currently on Amazon.com and in Borders Bookstores near you starting today. This is one book that I will include in every baby shower gift from now on! And FIVE of my lucky readers will win a FREE copy for their own home libraries!

To enter:

1. Follow me on Blogger or subscribe to my blog and leave a comment letting me know you've done so. If you're already a subscriber leave a comment for your first entry. Be sure that you have included an email address where I can reach you!

2. Follow me on twitter and tweet the contest! One additional entry per tweet, please include the link!

3. Share a story! Moms encounter so many weird, scary and silly medical situations with their kids, share something you experienced and/or learned while being "Dr. Mom"! Leave a comment, get another entry!

Contest will close on 6/24 at 10PM EST, winners will be selected by Random.org!

Dr. Lara Zibners on Facebook
Hatchett Press Publishing









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