Free Baby Jogger with Cryo-Cell Service

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of CryoCell International. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you pregnant right now? Do you know someone who is? If so, and you are interested in saving your baby's cord blood, you should really check out Cryo-Cell this weekend. Cryo-Cell is one of the largest cord blood banks and has been helping families since 1992. They provide families like us the option to cryogenically preserve our baby's umbilical cord blood stem cells in a safe and secure environment.

Cryo-Cell not only understands the importance of preserving our baby's umbilical cord blood, but they also understand how hard it can be for us mom's to get fit again after having a baby!  One thing that I have found to be a great advantage in helping me loose some baby weight is my jogging stroller.  I can just the strap my kids in and go for a walk or jog whenever.  When they were babies, I would do it either around naptime or first thing in the morning before my kids were ready to run around.  Now that they are older, I tend to do it later in the afternoon to help them wind down before dinner.  Either way, I've found my kids have enjoyed their rides in the stroller while I've had the advantage to get some excercise!

Cryo-Cell is offering new moms who enroll in their signature U-Cord service before midnight on May 30, 2010 an award-winning Baby Jogger City Mini stroller (plus $120 savings in the Cryo-Cell service)!  The total retail value for this offer is $350! This will allow new moms to be able to work out and enjoy some time outside, all while spending time with their new buddle of joy!

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Happy Heiny's Cloth Diaper Giveaway!

Happy Heinys is looking to reach 1000 Twitter followers!!!!  When they reach 1000 followers they are going to giveaway 6 Happy Heinys diapers to a random tweeter who tweeted the contest. 

Here are the rules from the Happy Heinys blog:

"So how do you win the diapers??? Tweet away! The more you tweet, the better your chances of winning. Each tweet counts as ONE ENTRY so you can tweet as many times as you wish to increase your chances of winning.

1) Follow Happy Heinys on twitter www.twitter.com/happyheinys

2) Tweet about our giveaway on Twitter after you follow us. Use #clothdiapers #giveaway @happyheinys

3) Post our giveaway on YOUR blog and tweet about it. Be sure to include #clothdiapers #giveaway @happyheinys in your tweets."

Giveaway will end once they reach 1000 followers. Head over to the Happy Heinys blog to see the full rules for the contest.  If you join in - good luck!  My daughter loves her happy heinys diaper :) 

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Dinosaurs & a Day at the Garbage Museum!

My son is obsessed with dinosaurs right now. If I put the TV on for the kids, he wants to watch either Dinosaur Train or The Land Before Time. When we go to the library, the only books he picks out are about dinosaurs. The only coloring books he uses right now are with pictures of dinosaurs. When we play with our toys inside, he is always playing with dinosaurs. When we go outside in the yard, he is always digging up our yard for dinosaur fossils. His pajamas all have dinosaurs on them. He has a few dinosaur t-shirts and if it were up to him, that is all he would ever wear.


So I don’t really think I’m over exaggerating when I say he is obsessed!

Here is a conversation we had yesterday:

Me: Honey, do you want to go to the Garbage Museum tomorrow? It looks like a lot of fun.

My son: Will there be dinosaur bones there?

Me: I don’t think so – it’s a museum where we can learn about recycling and how to make less garbage.

My son: Oh. Well, I don’t think I want to go then. Can we go to a dinosaur museum?

So after some talking to my son about how we cannot do EVERYTHING related to dinosaurs ALL THE TIME, we left for the Garbage Museum. The first thing he notices on the sign in the parking lot is that there is a blue dinosaur on it. And then the first thing we see when we walk in the door…..

Trashosaurus – a dinosaur made out of other people’s trash (old toys, tires, license plates, etc.). Seriously? I finally think I have my son on board to do something non-dinosaur related and the museum’s mascot is a huge dinosaur!!!!!! Needless to say, my son was ecstatic!

If you live in the Connecticut area, I would definitely recommend the Children's Garbage Museum if you have young kids. It is all inside (so great for hot days like today or this coming winter!). The downstairs has lots of displays for the kids to play with and learn about recycling and reusing. There was a also a cute 10 minute video for the kids to watch about how Recycle Rex (a dinosaur of course!) learns to recycle in order to save this park from becoming a new landfill. One of the best parts was upstairs – where you could view the recycling trucks dumping all the plastic bottles and cardboard collected and being processed at the recycling center.

Here are my 3 little ones patiently waiting for that truck to be emptied...

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Museums, Zoos & Parks - At a Discount!

I love taking my kids to museums, zoos and parks. Since I'm not working and I stay home with them, I feel like we need to add different things to our routine to keep things fun. I can always count on great behavior when we are doing something different. It's those days that we are stuck at home (especially when it's a few days in a row) that the worst in my kids comes out.

But you all know that I do not like to spend a lot of money. Since stay at home mom's haven't started earning a salary yet, it's hard to justify spending money on a museum or a zoo that a 1, 2 or 3 year old may never remember. And with my 3 kids, activities like these can get pretty pricey now. But for anyone that has ever taken a 1, 2, 3 or 4 year old to one of these places, you totally want to be able to take them all the time!!! They become mesmerized by EVERYTHING! They ask so many questions and learn more in those few hours than days of just seeing pictures or just talking about it. I love to watch my kids at these places - some of their most favorite places have been Miami Seaquarium, Lion Country Safari, Dolphin Research Center, Palm Beach Zoo, Butterfly World, The Peabody Museum, the Connecticut Science Center, and Dinosaur State Park.

Since moving to Connecticut, I found an awesome program at our local library for families that love to do these types of activities! They have museum passes which you can check out for 4 days with your library card. Depending on the museum, there are different discounts offered. We recently visited the Dinosaur State Park for free and the Yale Peabody Museum for $2. We also received 20% off our total admission to the Connecticut Science Center (I can't remember how much it cost us because there was a group of us and we also saw an IMAX film).

There is a large network of libraries in the state of CT that participate in these museum passes, so if you live in the area, you should check it out. If you aren't in CT, you should still check out your local library and ask. I really do think more museums and libraries should make programs like these. I know when we lived in FL, there wasn't a program like this at the time. I just made sure to sign up on all of the area's websites to receive coupons when they were offered.

If you can't find any discounts for these types of activities, here are some other things I've done to keep the kids occupied for pretty cheap:
1) storytime at our local library
2) I'm part of a local mom's group and we meet up at various parks or each other's houses for the kids to play and us mom's to talk
3) went on our own nature walk and let the kids point out all the cool things they've found
If you have any other cheap & fun ideas to do with your kids, please share! :)

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Winner for 3 Free Freschetta FlatBread Pizzas!

The winner for the 3 free Freschetta FlatBread pizzas is Jennifer!!!  Congrats Jennifer!  You have 24 hours to get in touch with me or I will have to pick a new winner.

Thanks for everyone who entered!  Remember, you can head here to get a $1 off coupon to try some Freschetta FlatBread pizzas yourself. 

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Giveaway Ending Today - 3 Freschetta FlatBread Pizzas!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for coupons for 3 FREE Freschetta FlatBread pizzas (they are super yummy!!!).  The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST tonight!  Right now there are low entries so your odds are good :)   Enter here.

Good luck!

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Aloha Friday - 5/21/10

From Kailani at An Island Life:

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link HERE. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

We've been working on our colors here at my house this week with the kids, so my question for you this week is what is your favorite color?  Mine is purple :) 

Have a great weekend!

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Friendly Friday

I had fun last week participating in Friday Follow - and wouldn't you know - as soon as I started to join in - it ended!

I was excited to see though that Xenia @Thanks, Mail Carrier, Christi @ Frugal Novice, and Charla @ Healthy Home Blog have teamed up to create a new meme for Friday - Friendly Friday!  So if you are interested in meeting other bloggers and finding new blogs to read, you should join in.  Make sure to leave me a comment letting me know you are following me from Friendly Friday and I'll head over to read your blog and follow you too :) 

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Decorate-a-monster Giveaway at Mama Smiles

Maryanne at Mama Smiles created this very cool plush monster that she is giving away on her blog!  I had never seen anything like this before and thought it was so creative and great for little kids (mine especially - haha!).  It is a plush monster that your kids can decorate with washable markers and then when they are done, just wash with some cold water, let dry, and then decorate again! 

Sorry to give you such late notice though - I only found out about it today. It ends tonight at midnight (EST) so hurry over and check it out and enter :) 

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Linens 'N Things Free Shipping Coupon

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Linens 'N Things. All opinions are 100% mine.

Linens 'N Things is offering an exclusive coupon for readers of my blog.  From now until June 1, 2010, you can use the code "MOMBLOG" to receive free shipping on your order over $26. 

Have you checked out the new Linen 'N Things website yet?  They have such a large assortment of anything and everything you would need for your home - bedding, bath, home decorating, electronics/small appliances, outdoor and gift.  When we moved back in December we had a bunch of our cereal & soup bowls and 2 dinner plate break.  I've been looking around for awhile now for a new set (as many of the pieces I still have are a bit chipped) and I think I found the one I want - it's the Pfaltzgraff Pistoulet Collection - I think it's so pretty. 

So what are you interested in buying with your free shipping coupon? 

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Sibling Love

My baby girl who is now almost 16 months old has always been a cuddler and has recently become very affectionate too.  I swear she gives the best hugs that I've ever seen a 16 month old give before - she grabs on so tight and really wraps her arms around my neck.  And her kisses crack me up - she leans in for the kiss and would keep her wet lips on my face forever if I didn't move!  It's probably one of the sweetest things.  She will give hugs & kisses to her Daddy and her brother & sister if she is asked, but I've never seen her take the initiative and give out hugs & kisses to anyone but me....until tonight...

The kids and I were sitting on the queen bed finishing up our bedtime stories.  My 4 year old and 2 1/2 year old started to get a little rowdy so I told them to stop what they were doing and sit nicely on the bed before anyone got hurt.  Of course, as my son moves to sit up, he hit his head on the headboard pretty hard.  And the tears begin to flow!!! The baby was sitting on my lap, so I have my son come sit next to me and I rub the back of his head and try to calm him down.  The baby just keeps looking from me to him - it looked like she was really taking it all in.  As my son wiped his tears and started to calm down, the baby leaned over and gave him one of the biggest hugs!!!!!!!   My son gave his baby sister a hug back and with that, she kept giving him hugs - I lost count after the first 4! It was the sweetest thing that I had ever seen (or so I thought).

After the hugs were done, my son laid down next to me so we could say our prayers.  And then the tear-jerker moment.....

My baby girl crawled over to her big brother, sat next to him, and rubbed his back! She kept looking over his shoulder at his face too - I think she was waiting to see his reaction.  And as soon as he cracked a smile, her face lit up!  The whole exchange between them brought tears to my eyes. 

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Facebook Like You Back

I am joining in on the Facebook Like You Back meme sponsored by Kelly’s Lucky You,Coupon Mommy of 3 and Simply Stacie! It's a great way to find new facebook pages to follow and new friends to like your facebook page :)

Head to one of the sponsors above if you want to join in! Make sure to leave me a comment here or on facebook letting me know you are a new follower of my facebook page and I'll follow you back - thanks!

Here's a link my facebook page.

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Dove's "My Mini Moment" Contest

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dove Ice Cream. All opinions are 100% mine.

So I think I may be one of the biggest chocoholics around - one of the first things that I crave in the morning when I wake up is chocolate! And I'm picking about my chocolate too - only the good stuff...

One of my favorite brands is Dove. I was very excited to hear of a new contest that Dove Ice Cream Miniatures has launched - it's a "My Mini Moment" contest. Dove is asking us women to share our favorite ways to escape for a mini moment. And one lucky woman will win one of 3 mini-grand prizes: a mini-getaway to Napa Valley, Spa services for a year or a mini-home makeover. And of those three prizes sound great to me! All you have to do to enter is submit a photo and short essay at DoveIceCream.com/myminimoment by June 7, 2010.

Have you had a chance to try a Dove Ice Miniatures yet? I haven’t but plan on picking some up at the grocery store this week – I’m not one that can resist chocolate or ice cream! They are only 70 calories each and feature ice cream wrapped in real Dove chocolate making them the perfect treat. There is a new decadent Café Collection which features Java Chip and Cappuccino Flavors

I find it important to find some “me-time” everyday. I try to make it time for myself to either workout or read a book, but some days it just doesn’t happen – that’s when I shoot for an un-interupted shower after my husband comes home from work. Dove Ice Cream Miniatures conducted a survey of over 400 mothers and an astonishing 70 percent of these moms said that they are taking time for themselves each day. The “My Mini Moment” contest celebrates these cherished moments.

Everyone has their own idea of what their favorite mini-escape would be. Dove Ice Cream Miniatures has given us three luxuriously indulgent choices.

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Wordless Wednesday - Sunset at Mallory Square

One of the best parts of visiting Key West is watching the sunset from Mallory Square....






For more Wordless Wednesday, head over here.

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A Life Lesson from a 1 Year Old...

We all wish sometimes that life could be easy...

But we should always remember that no matter how many times we fall and things don't work out like they should...

We need to pick ourselves back up and try again...

And eventually we will succeed...

Congrats to my baby for learning to walk! Her months of hard work have finally paid off :)

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A Huge Applecheeks Giveaway!

I have never tried an Applecheeks diaper :(   I really, really want to so that's why I'm trying to help Applecheeks reach 2,000 facebook fans.  Once they hit that goal, they are giving away over $240 worth of cloth diapering goodies - including an Applecheeks starter kit!  So maybe this will be my chance to finally try out some Applecheeks on my daughter...

If you love Applecheeks, head over and become their facebook fan!  If you are like me and would love to an Applecheeks, go over and become a fan too.  And if you are interested in joining in the contest to win - here are the details (click here to enter):

From Applecheeks: " We're not that far off as I write this note, but we need a big push to help us spread the word about our AppleCheeks™ Fan page, so we'd like to enlist your help!


Can we hit 2000+ fans by May 31, or the end of this month? It all depends on you. And for your willingness to help, we'll be giving away a great goodie basket.

One lucky fan could win:

• An AppleCheeks™ Starter Kit in the size of your choice (http://www.applecheeks.com/site/en/What_Starter_Kit.html) VALUE $158CDN

• A 4-pack of our NEW, super-soft, super absorbant, Washable Nursing pads (http://www.applecheeks.com/site/en/What_NursingPads.html) VALUE $10.30CDN

• A bottle of our Gentle Cleansing Solution (http://www.applecheeks.com/site/en/What_Gentle_Cleaning.html) and a 6-pack of our Plush Bamboo Wipes VALUE $10CDN

• A Washable Swim Diaper in your choice of size and colour (http://www.applecheeks.com/site/en/What_Swim_Diapers.html) VALUE $19CDN

• A Size 2 Storage Sac in your choice of colour (http://www.applecheeks.com/site/en/What_Storage_Sacs.html) VALUE $23CDN

• A set of Nellie's Dryer Balls VALUE $20CDN

Total retail value: $240 WOW!

So how can you win? All you need to do is suggest our page to 10 of your friends and then post that you did so in the comments section of this post. Keep a list of the names you suggested this page to as proof for when you we choose YOU to win!

A winner will be chosen at random and their name will be posted on our page on June 1, 2010. The contest will close at midnight EST on May 31, 2010.

Win an AppleCheeks™ Starter Kit, along with a whole bunch of other goodies!

FOR EXTRA ENTRIES - 1 entry per item, and you can get up to 2 entries per day for Tweeting

1. Blog about our contest and link up to this note.
2. Tweet about this contest.
3. Share the link to the contest publicly on your Facebook homepage."

Good luck!

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Some Me Time (Not Without Risk)

When we visited the local farm a few weeks ago, there was a woman there with lots of little felt farm animals on display that my kids really liked. Okay, let me correct myself, they were obsessed with these little animals! A few times we'd be standing right next to a cow or a goat or a horse and all my kids could talk about were those little felt critters.

The easy thing to do would have been to just buy them each one, but it wasn't really an option. Before we got there we had warned the kids that we would not be buying anything there (my kids seem to be in a phase where they want something where ever we go and I've been trying very hard to not let get something all the time). And then I learned that these felt animals were not even for sale. She was actually advertising for her needle felting classes. Now this caught my attention!!!

I attended my first class on Friday night and really enjoyed it! This month's class was learning how to make a felt pig. I will admit - I was very nervous at the beginning. It turned out most of the women in the class with me had taken her classes before so had some sort of idea what they were doing. Out of 10 of us, there were only 2 of us who had NEVER needle felted before. And then the instructer made sure to point out the package of band-aids in the middle of the table for when we would draw blood (trust me, she did not say "if"). She also went on to warn us to not share our needles either because of the risk of poking ourselves and drawing blood. Seriously? I hadn't realized I had signed up for something so risky!!! And then when I looked down at my pile of pink wool fiber, I was at a loss as to how that would ever look like a pig. This was the point that I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. I obviously really love my kids!

In the end, the class was definitely worth it and I really enjoyed it. The women I met were friendly and easy to talk to, I had 3 hours of time alone without the kids and I made something that I think resembles a pig.

And the bonus - I didn't even draw blood!

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Win Freschetta Pizza for the Family! Ends 5/21!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Freschetta. All opinions are 100% mine.

Who doesn’t love a good pizza? I know my family sure does! Not only is pizza delicious, but that is usually my “easy” night for dinner. Making our own doesn’t take too much time and the nights I really want to be lazy, our local pizza restaurant is like heaven. In the past we didn’t usually buy premade pizzas from the grocery store because I could never find a brand I really liked. That is until I had the opportunity to try the new Freschetta FlatBread pizza!

Freschetta Pizza contacted me and provided me with 5 coupons for a free Freschetta FlatBread pizza. My husband was working late the other night, so I decided to buy 2 pizzas for the kids and I. We probably could have just eaten one (my 2 and 1 year olds do not have huge appetites). But I really wanted to try their Roasted Garlic and Spinach pizza – and I knew my kids probably wouldn’t like that one. So I opted for the Five Cheese (for them) and the Roasted Garlic and Spinach (for me).

The Roasted Garlic and Spinach pizza was really good. I liked that the roasted garlic flavor was not too strong or overpowering. I was a little nervous about the spinach topping because I never really like frozen spinach. When I was younger I would eat it all the time, but now I’ve kind of become a spinach snob and really only like it fresh now. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of the spinach on the pizza. It was not as great as the fresh spinach I usually get added to my pizza from our local delivery restaurant, but it was still better than any other brand of frozen pizza I've tried. This is definitely not your typical, bland, kid friendly frozen pizza!!

The Five Cheese pizza was delicious! The cheese was definitely full of flavor and did not taste like the cheap bland cheese found on so many other frozen pizzas. All 3 of my kids devoured their pieces – and my 4 year old even asked for seconds. When my husband came home from work later on, he finished off the leftovers from this pizza and said he really liked it.

For me, with both pizzas, I LOVED the crust! I have always been a fan of thin crust pizzas (if you ask any of my roommates from college they will vouch for that statement – I think I lived on our local pizza restaurant’s thin crust variety during my 4 years there!) This is the only frozen pizza that I’ve ever purchased that has a thin crust that actually got crispy when I cooked it.

So after I used up only 2 of my 5 free coupons, I thought I would share with you the remaining 3 so you can try out this delicious pizza for yourself. Since the coupons expire on May 31, I am going to have this be a quick giveaway. One lucky winner will win the 3 coupons that are each for a free pizza. I will select that lucky winner this Friday, May 21st at 11:59 p.m. You will only have 24 hours to get back to me so that I can get your coupons in the mail so you can take advantage of your free pizza before it expires!

If you can't wait until this Friday to see if you won, you can always print a $1 off coupon from the Freschetta website - http://www.freschetta.com/thin-crust-pizzas/flatbread-pizza/default.aspx and purchase some of your own.

If you are entering, please make sure to follow the entry rules below. Make sure to leave me a comment below for each entry. Also make sure that your email address is visible in your profile. If it isn't, make sure to leave me your email address in your comment.

Required Entry
1) Visit Freschetta - if you win, what pizza will you try and why?

Bonus Entries - 1 additional entry each if you:
1) Follow my blog publicly
3) Follow @freschetta on twitter
4) Follow @3littleonesblog on twitter
5) Tweet this giveaway with the following tweet: "Win 3 #freschetta pizzas @3littleonesblog http://bit.ly/b843ly ends 5/21 #giveaways" (can tweet up to 3 times per day)
6) Are a facebook fan of 3 Little Ones
7) Are a facebook fan of Freschetta
8) Add my button to your blog

9) Become a public follower of my new blog – Domestically Green
10) Blog about this giveaway (this gets you 5 extra entries)

11) Enter any of my other current giveaways

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You're Gonna Love This!!! $50 Gift Card to CSN Stores Giveaway!

Awhile back I did a review and giveaway for CSN Stores. I had reviewed a floor puzzle for my kids and then gave away to 1 lucky reader a Melissa & Doug Sea Life Puzzle. CSN Stores is a Boston based company that is becoming one of the largest online retail stores around. CSN Stores consists of over 200 online stores where you can find anything on your list - toys to cookware to furniture to outdoor grills. Are you looking to remodel and need a new bathroom vanity? Going on a much needed vacation and need some new luggage? Or are you like me and trying to get in shape so may be in the market for a new treadmill? Trust me, if there is something you are looking for, I'm pretty sure you can find at CSN Stores.

So are you in the mood to do some online shopping? CSN Stores and I are going to help you get some shopping done - if you enter below you can win a $50 Gift Card to use on whatever you want at CSN Stores!

How to enter:
1) Visit CSN Stores and let me know what you would like to spend your $50 on

Bonus Entries – Receive 1 additional entry if you:
1) Follow my blog publicly
2) Subscribe to my blog
3) Follow @3littleonesblog on twitter and leave a comment letting me know your twitter name
4) Follow @csnstores on twitter
5) Tweet this giveaway “Great #giveaway! Win $50GC to @CSNStores http://bit.ly/9TywEo @3littleonesblog ends 6/6" (can tweet twice per day)
6) Are a facebook fan of 3 Little Ones
7) Grab my button and place on your blog – leave a comment letting me know where on your blog my button is. (this gives you 5 extra entries - make sure to leave 5 comments)
8) Blog about this giveaway (this gives you 5 extra entries)
9) Become a public follower of my new blog – Domestically Green (this gives you 5 extra entries)

10) Enter any of my other giveaways currently going on

I will select a winner via random.org on Sunday, June 6, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Please make sure that your email address is available in your profile or please leave in your comments below so that I have a way to get in contact with you. Once a winner is selected, I will email the winner and post the winner on this blog. You will have 48 hours to respond to me or I will have to pick another winner.

Good Luck!

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Do You Buy Store Brands?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don't know about you, but there are days I wonder how my husband and I can spend so much money on food. Granted, our family keep growing, so obviously I would expect our weekly grocery bill to increase. But still, I am always trying to find ways to reduce the amount of money we spend on food every week. We rarely eat out - cooking food at home is much cheaper for our family. I cut coupons a lot (and then make sure to actually use them!). I try to plan our weekly meals (and try to plan a few meals that use the same ingredients) so our food waste is minimized. We try to shop around at a few different stores so we can get the lowest price on the items we buy frequently. And one of the newer things we've been doing to save money is buying store brand rather than the popular national brands on many products.

The Private Label Manufacturing Assoc (PLMA) recently published a consumer research report titled Recession, Recovery & Store Brands: What Consumers Are Saying Now. Overall, their research suggested that during this poor current economy, many shoppers are turning to private label store brands rather than spending extra money for the popular national brands. They have seen a continued rise in the market share of private labels and believe that this trend will continue. Here are some key points that were identified during their research:

- 8 of 10 supermarket shoppers see no improvement in the economy, and 40% say things have actually gotten worse in recent months.

- 62% of consumers plan to buy more Store Brand products as they deal with the tough economy.

- Shoppers who identify themselves as frequent buyers of store brands are at an all-time high (57% of shoppers)

- 43% of shoppers are trying Store Brands for the first time in categories where they used to buy only national brands.

- Virtually all (97%) of shoppers who switched to a Store Brand are happy with their new choice.

- 49% say their new Store Brand selections compare “very favorably” (this is up from 35% in June 2009)

I know for myself, I have definitely started to buy many more store brand products. For the longest time I avoided the store brands because I couldn't find them in an organic version and I was always afraid they would taste different. Surprisingly though, I have actually been able to find many organic foods in a store brand at our grocery store in town. So not only am I still providing our family with organic foods without all those crazy ingredients I cannot pronounce, but I am also able to save money on our weekly grocery bill.

Some more popular store brand/private label products that I have noticed lately are Our 365 Everyday Value (located at Whole Foods), Nature's Promise (located at Stop & Shop), Market Pantry (located at Target), and Parent's Choice(maker of infant formula).

So what about you - do you buy store brands?

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The Little Things & The Big Things

I really do have an amazing husband. He's perfect for me (and I like to think I'm perfect for him). Don't get me wrong, he can definitely do things that can annoy me - like not put his dirty clothes in the hamper, or put his empty cans in the recycling bin, or wait for days to empty his suitcase after he comes home...

But those are the little things. And I know that his list of little things that I do to drive him crazy is about twice as long as mine (it could even be longer - haha!). But if there is anything I've learned in the past, it's to not focus on those little things, but to look at the big picture. I'm not going to go into detail of all the great things my husband has done for me and our family(this post could go on and on for a long time....)

But I thought there were 2 great examples:

The day he traded in this:

For this (for me)....

My husband swore he would never drive a minivan! Granted, I was pregnant with our third (in 3 years) and we needed a car to fit our whole family before she was born. But he willingly gave up his truck (his first baby) and is still (2 years later) driving my old Corolla. Did I mention that nothing really works in the Corolla anymore and it leaks horribly (probably due to the tree that fell on it 5 years ago in a hurricane)!

When we moved into this house this past winter, one thing that my husband was very excited for was the built-in bar in the basement. He's always wanted to have a bar, and our old place was way too small for one. But because he loves me so much (and I think a little part of it has to do with he was sick of seeing my sewing machine on the dining room table), he let me have the bar...

I really do feel bad for my husband when he comes down to our basement. The bar is the first thing you see when you walk downstairs - so first he is reminded that it really isn't a bar anymore and then he sees how I really do not take care of it - it's the one part of the house that I rarely clean!

So this morning when I was moving his empty diet coke cake from the counter to the recycling bin and putting his dirty clothes in the hamper, I reminded myself of these things, and then continued to clean up the house with a smile :)

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Friday Follows!

So I've seen all these Friday Follow meme's for the longest time but never jumped in and joined. Not sure why - probably because I always remember at the end of the day on Fridays and by then, I just say I'll try it out next week. Anyway, here's a first for me - I hope to meet some new blogs today :)

Join in if you like for Friday Follow and Follow Me Fridays!

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