Before I went shopping, I checked out the Weis website to see which stores were in my area. I know there’s one around the corner, but from memory, it’s not very good (this was confirmed by one of our therapists who visited very recently when I mentioned this project in conversation), and it’s hard to get out of the parking lot. It’s just not a good location as it’s on the corner of a very busy intersection. So I did a location search for another store. The store finder told me there were no other stores within 100 miles.

Then I decided on my recipes and shopping list. Based on the multiple food allergies, I need to take into consideration when cooking, and my family’s preferences, I decided to make chicken and gnocchi soup, fudge drop cookies, and hot chocolate. Perfect food for the cold weather, even if we don’t currently have snow on the ground. I checked the cupboards to see what I already had on hand. I had a lot of the ingredients already. That’s unusual. Usually when I set out to make something specific I need to buy a lot of what I need. For this meal, I needed carrots, spinach, celery, gnocchi, chicken, and cream.

I waited until Sunday morning and checked the Weis circular for sales. Nothing really caught my eye until I got to the back page. Our local store is not the only store within 100 miles. There are several stores in the area, and the one in Linglestown offers a service where you can order online and pick up your order when you get there for a service fee of $4.99, but that is waived on your first order. If Linglestown wasn’t so far, and I knew where I was going, I would have tried it, but I opted for one of the Mechanicsburg stores instead.

When I got to the store, I had to get a new shopper’s club card. Mine was old (think 1999-ish), and I know the last time I was in the store they told me I needed to update, I just didn’t have the time. Well, this time I didn’t even have my old card on my person, and I wasn’t in the system anymore, so I got a whole new card. They were able to easily scan my driver’s license at customer service, and all I had to do was give my phone number to get the new card. It was very easy and only took a minute.

The gas rewards points at Weis are a good idea since they work at Sheetz, and you can use your Sheetz card on top of that to get another 3 cents off per gallon for double savings. The downside is that you only get your gas points when you spend $50 increments in the grocery store in one transaction. It’s not cumulative, so if you spend $47, no points. Even though the other stores in the area require spending a higher dollar amount to get 10 gas points, I prefer their programs because they’re cumulative. Every dollar I spend counts on every transaction, and one store partners with the schools to give them money when I shop there as well.

After getting my new shopper’s club card, I set to shopping. I started in the front of the store. Right as you walk in, there’s a store directory hanging from the ceiling. The bakery/produce/deli area is all very brightly lit and aisles are wide. The bakery was very small. I noticed when shopping for my produce that sale items were clearly marked. Some items weren’t all grouped together though. I found some celery over in one area, but yet more in another. Organics were sprinkled throughout, but not in a separate section (I’d find later this is true of the whole store). It was fairly easy to find the celery, spinach, and carrots I needed. I would have preferred to use whole carrots, but I only needed one, and I thought we’d be more apt to eat the baby carrots as snacks than I would to use any leftover large carrots.

Other than produce, I needed gnocchi and chicken for the soup. I headed towards the pasta aisle. There was an extensive selection of pastas and sauces, but no gnocchi. None. Again, organics were mixed with the regular products. Since there was no gnocchi, I headed towards the meat to get chicken. There was no organic meat. I did note that the boneless skinless chicken breasts were marked 99% fat free. That sort of struck me as odd since most people know those are really low in fat.

I perused the rest of the store since I had never been there before with only my carrots, celery, and spinach. I found some items in strange places. There were pine nuts in the baking aisle in between some extracts and recycled baking cups. The gluten free section was towards the end of one aisle between the SPAM and school supplies. The coffee wasn’t by the other beverages or cereal, but rather at the end of the store across from the dairy case with the cheese and yogurt. I did notice an extensive selection of Goya products. I also noticed the white Kraft deli slices. Those are getting harder to find, and something my family eats.

I didn’t buy my cream there because we’re very picky about our dairy, and I get that at the commissary whenever possible. No store in the area has been able to match the quality of milk the commissary carries from a regional dairy.

Overall, I saw some of the brands we use in the store, but there are some major drawbacks for me. With the gas point system, the lack of organic meats, the prices that were generally higher than other stores, and the many times I found myself confused at product placement, I can’t see myself changing where I shop for groceries.

Gratuitous kid shot of Zach enjoying the cookies and cocoa.

Gratuitous kid shot of Aaron enjoying the chicken and gnocchi soup

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

Have you ever checked the ingredients on your favorite salad dressing? Are they good for you, or do they defeat the purpose of eating a salad in the first place? I think you’ll find that a lot of dressings defeat the purpose of eating the salad in the first place. As an avid label reader, you might be surprised at what you’ll find listed in the ingredients.

I was excited when the opportunity to try the Marzetti Simply Dressed salad dressing presented itself. Here is a line of dressings without high fructose corn syrup (I’m not here to debate it’s merits or not, I’m just avoiding it personally). I was also quite relieved when I looked at the ingredients and found things I could pronounce and knew what they were. Unfortunately, that is becoming a bigger challenge. To find foods with labels that we can pronounce. It was refreshing to see! Another refreshing bonus is that it is gluten free. Not that we follow a gluten free diet, but I know many people that do.

There weren’t too many choices to choose from in my store, but I chose to try the Champagne flavor of the Marzetti Simply Dressed salad dressing. I’m not all that into Ranch (lactose intolerance and all), and I wasn’t sure how I felt about the Pomegranate or Balsamic. Champagne was the winner! I would also be eager to see what other varieties are available, or if my local store will bring different varieties into the store.

I bought the dressing, and also the produce to make salads for my husband and I for dinner. We’ve been on a kick where we’ve been trying to eat one entree salad per week. Do you have anything you try in your weekly meals to eat healthier?

I’m pretty choosy about my salad dressings, so I wasn’t sure how it was going to go straying from the norm. It was pretty much awesome. The Champagne Simply Dressed dressing tasted great! It was like a new take on the Italian dressings I usually choose. I prefer a golden Italian, and this was a great take on that. You know, now that I think about it, there was a Marzetti golden Italian dressing that I really liked that I can’t find anymore. That may explain why I liked the Champagne Simply Dressed so much.

This particular night, I had some sirloin thawed, that I pan seared and put on a bed of lettuce with some veggies like mushrooms, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Since the dressing itself is light, it might even work as a simple meat marinade to enhance the flavor of the steak.

The next time I have this (or any other dressing from Marzetti’s) I might see what it could be paired with. Perhaps a stir fry or wrap? Maybe it could be used as a stand-a-lone dipping choice for vegetable trays. My husband seemed to enjoy it too, which is always a bonus when trying new products. Now if only I could get my other boys to jump on the bandwagon! Do you have Marzetti’s products at your supermarkets? I would love to hear how you like them!

I was one of the bloggers selected by T. Marzetti Company and Clever Girls Collective to host a Marzetti Simply Dressed review. They provided me with product to test myself and compensation for my time. However, my opinions are entirely my own.

For my participation in the campaign, I bought TEN boxes to spread cheer. One for my family to cut out the postcard to send to another military family, and the other NINE boxes to spread some more cheer. But what to do with the other nine boxes?

Display at Walmart was fairly picked over.

Wait! College students! College students are typically on a VERY tight budget. My husband is an Army ROTC instructor, so we spread our cheer by offering the other nine boxes to any cadet who needed them. I figure the effect is two fold. We’re not only helping out people who can use it, but the cadets are a good group. I think they’ll be likely to cut out the cards and send them to military families and keep the cheer going. They too will be soldiers if they commission.

Our postcard all cut out.

With our box, we cut out the postcard to send (of course!). I wrote the message as dictated by my 10 year old since I write the smallest. Then we took it to the post office to the post office to mail. Plus the boys like saying hi to our postmaster.

How are you spreading cheer this holiday season?

*This post has been compensated as part of a sponsored charitable opportunity for Collective Bias. All opinions are always my own.

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Zingo has been awesome. It’s seen much wear and tear over the years in our home. In fact, our younger son, who is now 5, is on a Zingo! kick himself. I’ll admit, he’s almost making me regret buying it, but that’s more of the autism, and less of the game. You see, once we start playing, we MUST play ALL of the cards on both the green AND the red sides, and we can’t stop until we do. See? That’s an autism thing, not a game thing.

We have many other ThinkFun titles. Some I have bought myself at the store, some they have sent us to review. All of them we play regularly and love as a family. All of them get the boys to use skills they need to work on, but they don’t realize it while they’re having fun playing.

We have Bug Trails, S’Match!, Snack Attack!, Flip Over! (I swear this one is rigged. My 5yo wins 99% of the time), and Swish.

Bug Trails makes the boys use problem solving skills. How many legs of the bugs you can match at one time determines if you must draw another bug or even discard one. Sometimes the game is fast, and other times it’s slow. It’s all in what you draw and how it’s played. Using the flag in this game helps the kids focus on where to play next. This is also a great game to take on trips because everything fits into a convenient pouch. It’s small and easy to take along.

S’Match
is a great way to get kids thinking while they play memory. The spinner tells you if you’re matching by color, number, or category. In our house, this gives the rest of us a chance at winning since our 5yo has a memory like a steel trap. He cleans up in the traditional version, but S’Match! challenges his abilities more.

*Note: We did have an issue with our spinner, but ThinkFun has awesome customer service, and instead of having to return the whole game, we were able to easily get a new spinner. Good customer service is hard to find these days, but ThinkFun has it, hands down.

Snack Attack I would say gets as much play as Zingo! in our house. The box tells the tale. Players race to match the foods on their cards, and the player with the most at the end wins. This is a great game for our boys because it gets them to scan the circle for the foods they need, it gets our 5yo using his speech, and most of all, it’s fun!

FlipOver is another matching game. My boys like it because the animals are split in half, and as they say, “head and butts.” This produces a lot of giggles while they play. It has gotten to the point where no one except my 5yo wants to play this game because he always wins. It doesn’t matter how many people play. The rest of us have even tried various cheating tactics. The child STILL wins 99% of the time. It’s just not fun when you know you’re probably going to lose every time.

Swish is awesome. It’s clear cards with circles and dots that you match in sequences of set numbers according to which game you choose to play. I LOVE how the rules lay out different levels of play, and each player can be held to a different level during the same game based on ability to level the playing field for everyone. I honestly can’t get enough Swish. It is for older kids, but it’s fantastic for getting them to try and visualize a sequence in their heads. We did start out playing where you could physically move the cards, but then we moved away from that. I know I’m geeky, but this is just a really fun game to play.

I think any of these games would be great for a family looking for new games to add to their collection. What are your favorite family games?

Update: I forgot that we also have Zingo To Go. The boys take this in the car. I don’t let them play in restaurants because the dice part is noisy, but it’s great for visiting the grandparents. It gives them an easy to take along game since everything fits into a pouch and there aren’t any small pieces to lose.

Enter adulthood. I was happy to get a reprieve from acne in my 20’s. I still had the occasional break out, but my face was much clearer than it had been in my teens. Then I turned 30. I swear that turning 30 was like a light switch flipping in my body. Everything disintegrated.

Not only did my acne come back in my 30’s, but my face now has combination skin. Where it was once oily all over, I have to try and find a balance between the dryness of my cheeks and the oilyness of my T-zone. It’s very frustrating. It’s even more frustrating than just having a face that’s oily all over. With combination skin, it’s also hard to find an effective acne treatment because I don’t want something that’s too drying to the parts of my face that are prone to dryness, but I need something that will combat oil for those oily parts.

When I had the chance to try Proactiv, I was very excited. It seems like I’ve tried everything in the drug store from the traditionally advertised over the counter acne treatments to organic and all natural cleansers. Nothing has worked. I can’t find anything that strikes that balance with my combination skin. I was hoping the Proactiv would deliver the results that I see touted on TV all the time.

So far, no such luck. I’ve been using Proactiv for three weeks now. I have noticed that I don’t tend to get those really deep painful pimples anymore, but I’m still breaking out all over my face. I started out with the Proactiv using it every other day since it was drying my face (I found this tidbit on the Proactiv 365 site). I didn’t want to dry out my face too much since I know this is counter productive to fighting acne. I’m still using the Proactiv every other day since after cleansing my face gets dry and feels taut, even with using the moisturizer.

I was let down to discover that Proactiv wasn’t that miracle acne treatment for me that it’s shown to be for so many on their TV commercials. I am glad that I got the chance to give it a try since it seems like I’ve tried everything else, and I’ve wanted to try Proactiv for a very long time. I don’t regret trying Proactiv at all. If I wouldn’t have tried it, I wouldn’t know if it worked or not. I know people that it has worked for them.

In the end, Proactiv is like every other acne treatment. There is no one size fits all. It may have some aspects that are better than some others, but personal body chemistry in the end will determine a lot of how successful the products are that you use. Everyone’s body reacts to different products in different ways.

*I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Proactiv and received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

As a parent and consumer, Heelys are really well constructed for every day wear. I wouldn’t recommend them for gym class since the sole isn’t very flexible, but otherwise a very well made shoe. Huge bonus points to Heelys because they don’t slip on Zach’s heels. His feet are like mine, and we both have narrow heels with a wider toe box to try and fit. It’s not easy for us to find shoes, but Zach finds the Heelys comfortable. To a mom who often has to sit while her son tries on every pair a store will have in his size, and still walk out empty handed, that alone is worth the price of the shoes.

Some parents may have some reservations about the safety of Heelys. Honestly, I make my son treat them like a pair of roller skates. To me, that’s what they are – a cool, newer version of a skate. This means that the same safety precautions should be taken. Given how things went the first several times out, I wouldn’t be beyond suggesting knee, wrist, and elbow pads as well as a skate helmet (I’ve been asked to not show the video by my son).

If you have a child who gets frustrated easily, you may want to reconsider a Heelys purchase. Zach, being an Aspie, is very black and white in his thinking. He thought that he should be able to go right out there and be a pro. He didn’t care about the Skate 101 Guide either. When he wasn’t, he was extremely angry. He decided that after one time of not being able to skate in the Heelys meant he’d never ever ever be able to do it. I also think in Zach’s case the Heelys provided him with a new sensory experience that he thought he was ready for until he was actually out there with the shoes on his feet. In cases like this, I would suggest to parents to know their child. Just because you think it will be fun for your child, take into consideration their tolerance level for learning new things, and maybe even sensory needs.  If you’re just looking for a well constructed shoe for your child to wear, I would say that Heelys without putting the wheels in will provide this.

*A pair of Heelys was provided to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. 

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Since the event was taking place on a Saturday, we wanted to get there right when it started to avoid as much of a crowd as possible. The boys don’t do well in crowds due to sensory overload issues. We were pleasantly surprised when we got to our local Walmart at about 5:15pm, and they were already handing out samples. I had gotten there early to pick up a few other things since I knew the boys would be asking if we were buying ice cream, and what kind would we be getting, etc. after we tried our samples. I figured better to be all set to get the ice cream after we tried it than to make them wait, and to listen to, “are we taking ice cream home,” all through the store.

The ice cream section in our Walmart looked ravaged. I honestly don’t buy food at our Walmart often unless it’s bread. They have an awesome bakery. Without prior knowledge, I would chalk up last night’s half bare ice cream section to the holiday weekend and hot weather. I know stores don’t generally get new deliveries on a weekend, and especially not a holiday weekend. The only thing I couldn’t excuse was the layer of ice on the ice cream in several of the cases. It wasn’t appealing as a shopper at all.

Despite a lot of the ice cream stock being gone, there was still plenty to choose from. We saw some types of Nestle Drumsticks we had never seen before. My husband and I both remember when Drumsticks were vanilla ice cream with the hard chocolate coating with nuts. Now there are all sorts of varieties with mint and strawberry ice creams, chocolate and caramel centers, nuts, sprinkles, cookies, plain on the coating, and even the Lil’ Drums. Nestle Drumsticks are the one ice cream treat that saves me freezer space because we all like them. There is no, “I like chocolate

marshmallow,” and “I like cookie dough,” and “I like mint chocolate chip,” that we tend to run into when we buy regular ice cream. Last night we settled on the Cookie Dipped Drumsticks since we’ve ever tried them, and we all like all three flavors in the box.

I did notice that the setup for the Nestle Drumstick event was in the middle of the food area near the bakery. There was no signage to direct people to that area from other parts of the store, so the only foot traffic would have been from people food shopping on that end of the store. The ice cream end cap closest to the kiosk didn’t have any Nestle Drumstick products in it. There was Breyer’s and Great Value ice cream, and Edy’s popsicles. If I wanted to try and sell more Drumsticks I would’ve moved those to the end cap closest to the event to entice people. There was also a cooler with the Lil Drums behind the kiosk. There was the cookie dough and fudge brownie like we tried, and there were the vanilla and chocolate. Since they were behind where the samples were being handed out, you had to ask if you wanted a box or two to take home. Again, I would’ve placed some of these in that end cap cooler so people could help themselves.

Overall, I think any time a store has samples it’s good for sales. I see it often when I grocery shop. Most Saturdays, the grocery store I go to has several samples spread throughout the store, and I’ve noticed most of the displays see heavy foot traffic. I have then seen people go in search of the products used that they just tasted. Last night we didn’t buy the cookie dough and fudge brownie Lil Drums because we’ve had them before. We like the Nestle Drumstick brand, and chose to try something new to us.

Do you often end up buying foods you’ve tried at an in store event? What are your favorite ice cream treats?

*This project was compensated as part of a campaign for Nestle. As always, all opinions are my own (and my family’s).

1. I ordered the letters from StickerYou choosing the style and color I wanted.

2. They came in the mail. I waited so I could see exactly what color the blue was that I chose so I could match it to the rest of the project.

3. I made a trip to the craft store. I purchased a 24″x18″ frame, wall decals, a roll of paper, and Cars scrapbooking Chipboard pieces.

4. I measured the paper and cut a piece for the frame.

5. I measured and applied the wall decals trying to center them.

6. I applied the StickerYou letter stickers for Aaron’s name.

7. I decorated the rest of the paper with the Cars chipboard pieces.

8. I erased my pencil lines and put the finished product in the frame to hang.

*I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

I had given up on Zach riding since he’s now 10, but Aaron’s only 4. He absolutely loves to ride the old toddler bikes we have that he’s long outgrown due to his height. We have a Big Wheel that Zach really enjoyed while he fit on it, but Aaron’s not keen on the whole pedal/feet off the ground concept. Enter the Boot Scoot Balance Bike. Not only could Aaron practice on a “big boy” bike, but he could keep his feet on the ground. We could work on the whole balancing thing, and then move on to pedals.

A month later, Aaron likes the Balance Bike OK enough, but he has to be in the mood to ride. I think it’s still an assault on his senses. He has the most sensory issues of anyone in our house. What I didn’t account for was that having been told that he’s too big for the Balance Bike, Zach would grab the bike we had in the shed for him for the last 2 years and learn how to ride it in a weekend!

While we’re still working on it, I can see how the Balance Bike is chipping away at Aaron’s sensory issues, and teaching him balance – just slower than most other kids, and that’s OK. Each boy has a BCBA that comes to the house, and they have both commented on what a great product the Balance Bike is to make that transition to a bike.

• 10 cents equals 2 minutes of talk time.
• $1 equals 20 minutes of talk time.
• Promotion ends July 4, 2011

-AXE is donating $50,000 to The Wounded Warriors Project. Like AXE’s Facebook page to show your support, and make a donation if you’re so inclined. While you’re there, check out AXE’s new Buzzed Look Cream with SPF 15. Protect those bald heads this summer.

-A new study shows that Transcendental Meditation can lower PTSD symptoms by up to 50 percent. Some Transcendental Meditation points:

• The Transcendental Meditation technique is an effortless technique practiced 10-20 minutes twice a day sitting comfortably with the eyes closed.
• TM is not a religion or philosophy and involves no new beliefs or change in lifestyle.
• Over 350 peer-reviewed research studies on the TM technique confirm a range of benefits for mind, body and behavior.
• Several studies have compared the effects of different meditation practices and found that Transcendental Meditation provides deeper relaxation and is more effective at reducing anxiety, depression and hypertension than other forms of meditation and relaxation. In addition, no other meditation practice shows the widespread coherence throughout all areas of the brain that is seen with Transcendental Meditation.
• The Transcendental Meditation technique is taught in the United States by a non-profit, educational organization.
• More information can be obtained by calling 888-LEARN-TM or visiting, www.tm.org, www.AskTheDoctors.com, or David Lynch Foundation, which offers courses for the Military through it’s Operation Warrior Wellness program.

-Chevy Racing was once again able to take veterans around the track in GM vehicles before the Indianapolis 500. Visit the Faces of GM article to see the video of the parade lap and words from the CEO of GM among others. I watched the video, and I didn’t notice anyone sitting during the lap. As a military spouse, that outpouring of support from the crowd is beyond words. I can’t imagine how the military members feel since they’re the ones out there doing the job. I’m just in a support role here at home.

-MOAA has partnered with Cell Phones for Soldiers to help bridge the gap in communication for deployed troops.

MOAA has set a goal of providing one million minutes of free talk time to troops this year. To reach this goal, MOAA members will need to collect at least 16,667 cellular devices nationwide.  The 413 chapters that make up the MOAA chapter system are collecting phones for this cause through January 2012, and the state council and individual chapter that collects the most devices will be honored at the MOAA Council Presidents Seminar in Washington D.C. in April 2012.

Those interested in supporting this cell phone mission of MOAA should visit www.moaa.org/cellsforsoldiers or contact your nearest MOAA chapter.  Questions can be sent to moaacellphones4soldiers@gmail.com.  For additional information about Cell Phones for Soldiers please visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.

Also look around post if you live on or near one. I know periodically, ours has had collection points set out for Cell Phones for Soldiers.