What’s for Dinner? Shrimp Delicate!

I made a sort-of New Year’s Resolution to try at least 2 new dinners a week.  Thankfully my kids will eat most anything and I have a husband who likes to try new stuff!  This recipe is from Louisiana Cookin magazine.  Delicious and Easy.  You’ll think you’re eating in the heart of NOLA!

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Shrimp Delicate

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

*I added about 3 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

3 Tablespoons All Purpose flour

1 pacakage  (1.5 ounce) beef stew seasoning mix

4 green onions, green and white parts chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley

3 cups hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

dash of garlic powder

2 pounds Shrimp (preferably Louisiana shrimp), peeled and de-veined (41-50 count) * Can also use 2 pounds cooked crawfish tails OR 4 cups cooked, diced chicken)

4-6 servings hot cooked rice

In a large saucepan set over meduum-high heat, saute the onion, bell pepper, and celery (add garlic if you decide to use that) in oil until soft.  Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to make a roux (this means you cook it, stirring constantly, until the flour browns but be careful not to let it burn).  Stir in the beef stew mix, green onions, parsley, and water.  Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder.  (if you are subbing chicken or crawfish, add that now)  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Add shrimp and cook for an additional 10 minutes until shrimp are pink and heated through.  Serve over cooked rice.

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Bebe Soleil Stroller Sunshade: Review and Giveaway

Most children love being in a stroller, which is a blessing considering it is such a necessity!  There are a vast range of stroller options but whether you go for the budget-friendly or the one with all the bells and whistles, they all tend to suffer from the same issue:  glare from the sun.  Thank goodness for Bebe Soleil!

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From their website:  “When I would wheel my grandchildren in their stroller on sunny days,they would cry if they were facing into the sun,” says Ilka Gordon, the grandmother- turned-inventor.  Her grandchildren refused to wear sunglasses but she was determined to come up with a solution.    Her idea:  instead of putting sunglasses on the child why not create sunglasses that attach to the stroller.”

Bebe Soleil was born!

Bebe Soleil is easy to use, stores quickly, and most importantly, protects your little one from the sun’s damaging rays.  Did you know that children’s eyes do not have the same ability as adults to protect from UV radiation?   Bebe Soleil protects your child’s eyes and skin by creating a larger surface area that reduces glare and shields the sun’s harmful rays that can easily burn delicate young skin.  Bebe Soleil easily attaches to any size stroller canopy.  I would most definetely recommend this for anyone who still has a stroller-age child, and am adding Bebe Soleil to my list of “must buy” baby shower gifts.

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Does your little bebe need protection from the sun?  Bebe Soleil has generously offered one The Not So Blog reader a protective sunshade of their own!

How to enter:

1. Visit Bebe Soleil and tell me why you like this protective sunshade.

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on January 24th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This review is the opinion of The Experimental Mommy. Other may have a different experience with the product. Thank you to Bebe Soleil who provided the product for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product

The Monogram Swap: Initially Yours

I know I have told y’all before that I have a serious illness when it comes to children’s clothing.  I try really, really hard to restrain myself because I tend to overbuy and now that both of my children are wearing school uniforms 9 months out of the year it’s getting harder to justify spending a small fortune on stuff for them to wear.  One way I am able to fanagle some of it without my husband having a heart attack is Ebay.  You can find some really good deals on children’s clothing and also make extra money on nicer things that your children have outgrown.  One thing that can be tricky is to either buy and/or sell on Ebay is stuff that’s monogrammed.  So, I am so excited to find out about The Monogram Swap.

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This is an ingenoius idea!  You can both buy and sell monogrammed items and find some really good deals!  The Monogram Swap handles baby and children’s items, plus items for the home, sports items, and even things for you!   If you have never consigned before, I urge you to try it.  It’s so worth the relatively small amount of time and effort and makes so much sense in today’s economy!  The Monogram Swap launched in October of 2009, so they are just getting started.  Tell a friend and start watching for your initials!

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Spruce up your Blog in 2010!

Out with the old and in with the new!  With the arrival of the year 2010, many people make resolutions they hope to achieve this calendar year.  If your resolution includes getting a new bloggy makeover, you will be SO GLAD you found this post!

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Recently, I was introduced to Gisele Jaquenod by my friend Cissy over at Cool Baby Kid.  Gisele is helping us design and launch our new ventured to be formally unveiled very soon.  I have absolutely fallen in love with her designs!  She has been thorough, creative, and patient with all of my questions…all of the qualities that make her desirable to work with for a blog makeover project.

Gisele is making it super simple to follow through on your New Year’s Resolution by offering a FREE blog makeover to one of her lucky readers!  Your new design will include a custom blog theme/template for a self-hosted WordPress or Blogger blog
with up to 15 credits in istockphoto images for the design!  Check out the contest details and get your entries in before January 31st!

Apparently, Jesus needs a Kleenex

Some of my best conversations with my daughter Lily (almost 5 years old) happen during bathtime.  Something about this quiet time together makes us both relax and share stories from the day.  Last night, we had a conversation that literally left me in tears, so I thought I would share it with you.

Lily: “Mom, why does Jesus want us to pray for snot?”

Me: “WHAT?  Snot?  Who told you that?”

Lily: “It’s in our prayers, Mommy.  We pray for snot everyday.  Duh….”

Me: “I don’t know, Lily.  I can’t say that  have ever directly prayed for snot.  What in the world are your talking about?”

Lily: “You know, Mommy….in the Our Father…..we say ‘lead us snot into temptation.’  We are praying for snot.”  <giggles>

Me (trying to contain the laughter):  ”No, Lily.  It says, ‘lead us not into temptation’ in the Our Father.  There is no mention of snot, sweetie.”

Lily:  Well, that’s just silly.  I want to pray for snot.  Jesus wants me to pray for snot.

Sometimes, there is just no reasoning with a 5 year old.  So we just concluded that maybe Jesus needs a Kleenex.

AMEN (or should I say, ACHOO).

Got Free Stuff?

I absolutely love the holidays!  The decorations, the food, the family and even giving gifts.  But, my bank account isn’t quite as fond of the holidays as I am!  Every year, I carefully set a budget and every year, I ignore it.  So come January, I am looking for ways to cut back and help my wallet recover from all that free-flowing holiday spirit!

I must not be alone in my search to cut back, because sites that list bargains, coupons and free samples are becoming more popular.  Recently, I hopped on over to List Free Samples to see what they had to offer. From the website:

ListFreeSamples.com is created specially to provide users with completely legal free samples , printable coupons and more. No credit card or payment needed, no spam, no scam, just the best and coolest freebies available on the internet. They are absolutely dedicated to becoming the primary source for anything that is free and update their website every single day with a fresh batch of selected free stuff collected from the internet.

kelloggsAfter browsing the site, I found some great free samples of lip gloss, cereal coupons, and even fast food coupons!  You will be able to find your favorite brands such as Dove, Kellogg’s or L’Oreal by using the convenient search tool.  In just a few seconds I found ways to lower by grocery bill by signing up for free samples and great coupons.  List Free Samples does not distribute the free products, but rather provides a service to it’s readers by creating a one-stop-shop for all things FREE!

If you are looking to lower your grocery bill and pad your wallet, make sure you stop by List Free Samples before heading out the door!

This is a sponsored post, however all opinions are 100% mine.

GummyLump Toys: Review and Giveaway

hypothesis GummyLump will be able to provide a wonderful play food set by Melissa and Doug that will not only be fun for my girls to play with, but encourage pretend play and creativity.

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One Melissa and Doug Birthday Cake play food set and two excited girls with growing imaginations.  About GummyLump:

gummylumplogo“Toys that make sweet memories…We are dedicated to retailing only the highest quality and most unique toys, building blocks, and puzzles available. Our goal is to bring you the best selection of creative & educational toys for children Ages 0-6.  Many of our wooden toys and building blocks are past award winners. We are proud that many of our toys have won prestigious awards. We feel that these honors are a testament to the quality of our toys as well as an endorsement of their play value!”

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My daughters were fortunate to receive two Melissa & Doug play food sets this holiday season (the pizza set and the cookie set).  I can honestly say that they have played with them more than any other toy they received.  So, when GummyLump asked us to try out the Melissa & Doug Birthday Cake set, my girls were more than eager to be guinea pigs!

gummycakeBecause Lily’s birthday is this month, she generally wants to celebrate just about every day.  The birthday cake set is perfect to help her get in gear for her upcoming special day.  The 30 piece set includes 6 slices of cake, candles, toppings, a serving spatula and plate all neatly placed in a storage box.  The pieces velcro together and allow the girls to “slice” the cake and serve.  The Happy Birthday decoration is removable so the cake can help celebrate just about any event.

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We were so pleased with our new GummyLump toy that I decided to surf their site a bit to see what else they had to offer.  GummyLump has many of the latest hot toys while still offering the classic toys.  Looking for a ride on toy?  Check out this cool Plasma Car!

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Both of my girls loved playing with their new Melissa & Doug play Birthday Cake set from GummyLump!  The play food set went perfectly in their pretend kitchen and inspired many birthday parties complete with singing!  The set allows your child to bake, decorate, slice and serve any kind of cake to their party guests.

GummyLump is now offering 20% off ALL Melissa & Doug toys!  Plus, if you buy 3 Melissa & Doug play food sets, you get the 4th one FREE!  And if that wasn’t enough, you can get FREE shipping on orders over $75!  Have an upcoming birthday party or just want to start shopping for Christmas 2010?  Take advantage of the sale now!!

Do your kids love to pretend play?  GummyLump has generously offered one Not-So-Blg reader a Melissa & Doug Birthday Cake set of their very own!

How to enter:

1. Visit the GummyLump and tell me another product that catches your eye!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and GummyLump (@gummylump) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and GummyLump on Facebook.

5.  Place my blog banner on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on January 28th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This review is the opinion of The Experimental Mommy. Other may have a different experience with the product. Thank you to GummyLump who provided the product for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product.

National Geographic Kids 2010 Almanac: Review and Giveaway

hypothesis The National Geographic Kids 2010 Almanac will be a book to introduce to Lily during our bedtime reading rituals while teaching her in a fun and exciting way!

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One National Geographic Kids 2010 Almanac, my almost 5 year old daughter, and storytime.  About National Geographic:

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Dare to explore—from modern day adventures to close calls and narrow escapes. In this book, amazing animals take readers into the wild and into the water. Readers discover cultural connections from food, currency, literature and lots more from around the world.  Filled with maps, facts and more this book helps readers learn to go green and help our threatened earth!

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Reading has always been a very important part of Lily’s bedtime routine since she was as young as 6 months old.  I actually think I enjoy it is as much as she does!  Snuggling up with her and reading a new story each night, and watching as she soaks up the will be something I miss as she gets older!

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We are always on the lookout for new stories and books to read, and as Lily gets older, her taste in books is maturing.  So, I knew she would love the National Geographic Kids 2010 Almanac.  This hardcover book includes over 300 pages and 500 incredible photos which teach subject areas such as science, geography and history.

My husband is a history teacher, so he loves reading to her the sections on government, Presidents and First Ladies!  So far, Lily’s favorite is the story about Barack Obama’s two daughters.  Pretty soon, we will dive into the Science section!  The stories are written on her level and include many gorgeous photos which keep her attention and spark her quest for knowledge.

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Lily loves picking out a short story to read with her Daddy before bedtime.  The National Geographic Kids 2010 Almanac is very well put together, speaks to children, and is absolutely beautiful.  This book would make a great keepsake for your child, or a welcome addition to any elementary school classroom.  The book (and other great National Geographic Kids Magazines) can be purchased directly for $19.95.

Would your child love an almanac of their very own?  National Geographic has generously offered one luck Not-So-Blog reader a Kids 2010 Almanac!

How to enter:

1. Visit the National Geographic store and tell me another product that catches your eye!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and National Geographic Kids (@NGKids) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Halls on Facebook.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on January 27th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This review is the opinion of The Experimental Mommy. Other may have a different experience with the product. Thank you to National Geographic who provided the product for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product.

WINNERS!

Tons of contests have ended, so it’s time to announce the lucky winners!  Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter!

Safeway $50 gift card: Molly

Coffee For Less: Laura

Moving Comfort: Soha

Coca Cola Guitar Hero 5:  Darla (Guitar Hero 5), Kelly (shirt and plush), Patti H. (shirt and plush), Shel (shirt), Susan C. (shirt), Jessica (shirt)

Musselman’s Gift Basket: Lisa

Night at the Museum 2: Sonya, Jerrica, Betty, Michelle P., Joseph

Vitalicious Sampler Pack: Bebe

Sporty U Tee: Susan V.

Halls $100 AMEX card: Christine

Crazy Dog Tee: Sarita

Nestle Gift Basket: Michelle M.

JVC Picsio: Ellie W.

Kraft Gift Basket: Jammie

Tinycandy Book:   Jenn K.

Congrats to all the winners!  You will all be emailed shortly.  Please respond within 72 hours to claim your prize!

Wordless Wednesday

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Happy King's Day! Lord help my diet, here come the King Cakes!