Movie & a toothbrush..

The best time to start learning about brushing your teeth is when you are little. The sooner you create a good habit the more likely you are to stick with it. That's why I was so excited to have the opportunity to host a MommyParties party sponsored by Oral B.

My Daughter asked her cousin to invite all her daycare friends over for a Winnie the Pooh/Oral B party.

First we took a little quiz to see how much they knew about teeth care. The kids & moms had fun competing as teams. Then we talked about the importance of teeth brushing from a young age & how to get the kids involved.

Then we watched the new Winnie the Pooh movie w/ popcorn & poohlistic snacks. Following the movie we handed out party bags filled w/ Oral B goodies. each bag had an Oral-B Stages Tooth­paste (in 1 of 3 Dis­ney themes: Cars, Toy Story, and Princess), an Oral-B Stages Dis­ney Win­nie the Pooh Tooth­brush, a bot­tle of Win­nie the Pooh Dis­ney Nat­u­rals Hair & Body Wash, plus coupons & Oral-B fact sheets.

The little girls were all excited to receive the new toothbrushes. They loved them so much...

my daughter couldn't wait to get home to try her's out.

Overall it was a great party! All the kids & Moms had lots of fun. What a great way to spend the day. Thanks MommyParties & Oral B.

Dis­clo­sure: I received the prod­ucts shown above for review & party pur­poses cour­tesy of Oral-B and Mom­S­e­lect via Mom­my­Par­ties. However all opin­ions and expe­ri­ences are strictly my own.

Back to school

Back to school time is just around the corner and that means school shopping for new clothes & school supplies. For some kids that means entering a new school. This can be a scary adventure if they aren't fully prepared. As a parent you can help them ease into this new school & routine by following some simple tips.

1) Visit your child's new school before the first day. Many schools will host an open house allowing you & your child to tour the school, view their new

schedule, located classrooms, master locker combinations and visit with new teachers before your child is thrown into the mix of a regular school day.

2) Get a list of need supplies & make sure your child has those packed & ready to go for the big day. This will avoid additional frustration that first day.

3) Talk with your child about how they are feeling & if they have any concerns that may have not been addressed. Sometimes your child's biggest fears can be things we may consider to be little bumps in the road.

4) Let your child know that the teachers and staff are there for them. If they have a problem or question all they have to do is ask & someone will help them try to find the answer.

5) Most of all you are here if they need to talk or they can't find the answers they require.

Those are just some tips to help start the school year off right.

For more tips check Master Lock®'s new specialist on student life The Master Mind. Along with his clever Little Sister, they are setting out to answer students’ most frequent, awkward and perplexing questions to help students safely and securely navigate this school year in style. Check out their video series on www.facebook.com/masterlock.

Parents and students are invited to submit their own questions for the Master Mind and participate in daily sweepstakes for a chance to win back-to-school must-haves, including popular Master Lock school and campus security products.

Good Luck & enjoy the rest of your summer.

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Disclosure: This post is part of a contest for a Master Lock back-to-school prize pack as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club. Though by now you know I blog what I think, even when I don't like something. :)

GoGreen for a chance to free diapers

To celebrate Baby Half Off reaching their milestone of hitting 55,000+ awesome fans! GoGreen Pocket diapers is giving away a 12 pack of GoGreen Pocket Diapers to one lucky winner on this momentous occasion! Winner takes all in either a boy/gender neutral combo or girl/gender neutral combo, your choice!


To Enter: Just make sure to like GoGreen Pocket Diaper’s FB page, BHO’s FB page and leave a comment here as to why you NEED to win! Re-post, tweet and blog it up to get the word out about this awesome giveaway for a second entry (leave a separate comment for each entry) and let’s rock the house!

Winner will be drawn with Random.org. Giveaway ends Saturday April, 16th 3pm.

To learn more about GoGreen Pocket diapers visit their website here.

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Preparation Time: 20 minutes	Level: Easy
Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours	Serves: 36

Thumbprint cookies are an old-fashioned treat, a little cookie well holding a dot of jam. Here, they're reinterpreted with walnut oil and whole-wheat pastry flour for today's healthier eating standards - and, of course, with chocolate, simply for the taste.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup toasted walnut pieces, (see Tip)
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup walnut oil, or canola oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips, melted (see Cooking Tip)
• 6 tablespoons apricot jam, (see Enhancements, below)

Preparation:

1. Position rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Grind walnuts in a food processor until they resemble coarse meal.
3. Beat butter, oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until almost creamy—the mixture may still be a little grainy. Beat in egg and vanilla; scrape down the sides and beat in melted chocolate and the ground nuts. Stir in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.
4. Roll 1 tablespoon dough into a ball, place on the prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly until it looks like a deflated basketball. Continue with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart.
5. Bake the cookies for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently press your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon in the center of each cookie. Place 1/2 teaspoon jam in each indentation. Bake until the jam is melted and the cookie is set but still a little soft, 8 to 10 minutes more. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the pan cool for a few minutes before baking another batch. Enhancements: Use any flavor jam you want, just don’t use preserves (the pieces of fruit may be too large) or jelly (it will melt too quickly and run).

Tip:

Tip: To toast chopped walnuts: Heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add nuts and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

Cooking Tip: To melt chocolate:

1. Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a double boiler set over medium-high heat, then place chocolate in the top pan. (Alternatively, to improvise a double boiler, place chocolate in a heat-safe mixing bowl that fits snugly over a pan with 1 inch of simmering water.) Stir until half the chocolate has melted. Remove the bowl and continue stirring until the chocolate has fully melted. Cool for 5 minutes at room temperature.

2. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on High for 1 minute. Stir well, then continue microwaving in 30-second increments on High until two-thirds of the chocolate has melted, stirring well after each heating. Remove the bowl and continue stirring until all the chocolate has melted. Cool for 5 minutes at room temperature.

Nutritional Information: Per cookie
Calories	109 kcal
Calories From Protein	-
Calories From Carbs	-
Calories From Fat	-
Carbohydrates	14 g
Dietary Fiber	1 g
Fat	6 g
Saturated Fat	2 g
Monosaturated Fat	-
Polysaturated Fat	-
Protein	1 g
Potassium	42 mg
Sodium	53 mg
Iron	-
Cholesterol	9 mg
Folic Acid	-

Nutritional Bonus: Per cookie

Strawberry Bruschetta

Preparation Time: 15 minutes	Level: Easy
Cook Time: 15 minutes	Serves: 4

Astoundingly good for minimal effort, this makes an indulgent weekend breakfast or anyday dessert. A judicious smear of mascarpone (half the fat of butter) is part of the luxury, but even lighter low-fat cream cheese will work as well. The real secret is warming the berries just enough to make the flavor bloom and transform their juices into a rosy syrup.

Ingredients:

• 4 thick slices whole-wheat bread
• 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 cups sliced or diced hulled strawberries
• 4 tablespoons mascarpone, (Italian cream cheese)

Preparation:

1. Toast bread in a toaster.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over high heat. Add sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts and the mixture begins to bubble, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add strawberries and stir until juices begin to exude and the berries are heated through, 30 seconds to 1 minute more.
3. Spread 1 tablespoon mascarpone on each piece of toast. Top with the warm berries.

Nutritional Information: Per serving
Calories	203 kcal
Calories From Protein	-
Calories From Carbs	-
Calories From Fat	-
Carbohydrates	40 g
Dietary Fiber	4 g
Fat	5 g
Saturated Fat	2 g
Monosaturated Fat	-
Polysaturated Fat	-
Protein	4 g
Potassium	240 mg
Sodium	152 mg
Iron	-
Cholesterol	9 mg
Folic Acid	-

Nutritional Bonus: Per serving

Vitamin C (108% daily value), Selenium (16% dv).

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Preparation Time: 20 minutes	Level: Easy
Cook Time: 1-1/2 hours	Serves: 45

We can't resist big, soft, fudgy cookies, like those found in glass jars on bake-shop counters. These freeze exceptionally well - just layer them in a freezer-safe container between sheets of wax paper. Thaw the cookies for 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped and melted (see Tip)

Preparation:

1. Position rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 350° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until foamy, about 1 minute. Beat in granulated sugar in a slow, steady stream. Scrape down the sides, then beat in brown sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate. Stir in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.
3. Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, 1-1/2 inches apart.
4. Bake the cookies until flat yet springy, with slightly cracked tops, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the pan cool for a few minutes before baking another batch; replace parchment paper if torn or scorched.

Tip:

Two foolproof ways to melt chocolate:

1. Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a double boiler set over medium-high heat, then place chocolate in the top pan. (Alternatively, to improvise a double boiler, place chocolate in a heat-safe mixing bowl that fits snugly over a pan with 1 inch of simmering water.) Stir until half the chocolate has melted. Remove the bowl and continue stirring until the chocolate has
fully melted. Cool for 5 minutes at room temperature.

2. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on High for 1 minute. Stir well, then continue microwaving in 30-second increments on High until two-thirds of the chocolate has melted, stirring well after each heating. Remove the bowl and continue stirring until all the chocolate has melted. Cool for 5 minutes at room temperature.

Enhancements: Stir 2/3 cup raisins, dried cherries or dried blueberries into the Chewy Chocolate Cookies batter along with the flour mixture. Or use 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts.

Nutritional Information: Per cookie
Calories	68 kcal
Calories From Protein	-
Calories From Carbs	-
Calories From Fat	-
Carbohydrates	14 g
Dietary Fiber	1 g
Fat	1 g
Saturated Fat	1 g
Monosaturated Fat	-
Polysaturated Fat	-
Protein	1 g
Potassium	54 mg
Sodium	51 mg
Iron	-
Cholesterol	0 mg
Folic Acid	-

Nutritional Bonus: Per cookie