Mr. Chewy Orijen Dog Food Review

Just like with the rest of my family I like to make sure my dog is eating enough and getting the proper nutrition. Sometimes for us on a budget it means getting my dog a base food an then adding in a higher end food. She thinks of it as a treat to get great dog food like Orijen with her normal food. Its like being able to have lobster for dinner when you normally eat chicken. She really loved the flavor and I loved the high quality ingredients. 

Orijen is a Canadian dog food brand. They select all their ingredients regionally including free range chicken and turkey and wild caught fish. Almost sounds good enough for me to try! Orijen Adult Dog Food is Biologically Appropriate. Which means "formulated to nourish dogs and cats in keeping with their evolutionary and anatomical adaptation to protein-rich diets that include a broad variety of fresh meats." Many dog foods have the first ingredient as corn or corn meal, this is not the natural main ingredient a dog would eat, they are meat eaters by nature. I love that Orijen Dog food contains no corn. My dog has refused some brands of dog food and I assumed she was picky but she is not, she just knows she likes meat!

Mr.Chewy.com carries a variety of Dog and Cat food including Orijen Adult Dog Food that can be delivered to your dog step. No more trying to get a big bag into your cart than into the house. Makes shopping for dog food super easy. With a wild two year year old and a busy schedule it can be easier to have it delivered.

 *I was not paid for our review. The opinions are 100% mine and may vary from others. I was provided the product mentioned in this post to review for free from the PR company that represents them. 

Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks “Win & Give” Campaign and XO Laptop Giveaway

I love when our blog can be used to help promote a good cause. Children's charities are important for us as a family to support. We have worked with several great charities since starting our site and we are happy to now help support Betty Crocker in their Win and Give Campaign.

One of the great ways to share with kids about helping other kids is through programs like this one. Many kids do not understand about how children in other countries may not have as much as they do and how a computer can connect them to the world and to a better education. By purchasing Betty Crocker fruit snacks you can begin the conversation about helping others in need. The value of giving to others is something we teach to all the kids at Frugal Family Tree. Plus what kid does not love eating fruit snacks! My son loves to have them with string cheese.

With the Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks “Win and Give” campaign there are a few ways to help give a laptop to kids in Africa. When you purchased Betty Crocker Flavored Fruit snacks you can enter your UPC codes on the Win and Give website and for every 100 UPC codes received in a day they will donate one laptop to a child in Africa. Specially marked boxes of Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks can be an instant winner for your child to win an XO laptop and one to be donated to a child in Africa.

Parenting expert Dr. Michele Borba is working Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks and the “Win and Give” campaign, a partnership with the non-profit One Laptop per Child (OLPC), not only to make it easy for moms and kids to give to others, but also to show that giving to others can be fun.

Dr. Borba recently traveled to Rwanda with Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks and OLPC to help give XO laptops to kids in schools. For her thoughts on the trip and the program itself, please visit www.MicheleBorba.com.  For more information, you may also check out www.WinOneGiveOne.com to see first-hand the incredible impact these laptops have had on the kids in Rwanda along with additional tips from Dr. Borba and videos of her speaking about the positive impact giving back has on the lives of children.

To help promote the Win and Give Betty Crocker Campaign we are hosting a Giveaway for one XO Laptop for one lucky reader and one will be donated to a child in Africa. How cool is that!!!


GIVEAWAY

Win a XO Laptop for your child and one will be donated to a child in Africa. Plus some Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks for you to share with your family.

 

To Enter This Giveaway: (mandatory entry before extra entries)

What type of giving do your and your kids do to help others in need?

*Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if its not public in your Google account*

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry. If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on.

-Like Betty Crocker on Facebook +1
-Follow Betty Crocker on Twitter +1

-Tweet this Tweet once for the duration of the giveaway: +1

See how your child can participate and donate laptops to kids in Africa.  Together we can make a difference.  http://www.Winonegiveone.com

-Follow/Add to your circle  Frugal Family Tree on Google+ ( right hand side) +1
-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree +1
-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +1

-Share this giveaway on Facebook ONLY, using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +1 for each share you do. (can be done once a day)

-Copy and Paste This Tweet on Twitter and leave me the link (to find the link click on the time stamp under your tweet. Can be done once a day for the duration of the giveaway)

#Win a XO Laptop and @BettyCrocker Fruit Snacks and one laptop will be donated at @FrugalFamTree #Giveaway ends 4/25 http://www.frugalfamilytree.com/2012/03/betty-crocker-fruit-flavored-snacks-win.html

 *Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts March 24, 2012 and ends on April 25th, 2012 at midnight PST. Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize. The prize laptops will not be sent until after the program concludes in May and may take 4-6 weeks for delivery.

FavoriteThings A Birthday Present

I have always loved birthdays. We have a large family so there is always someone's birthday to celebrate. As a mother of five children, I loved giving the birthday parties and buying the presents for their special day.

But like many women, when it comes to my own birthday I shy away from wanting a big fuss. As mothers we always seem to put everyone else first.

So a few years ago when my lovely and talented friend Cathy gave me a painting she had made for me, I was very touched. I loved that she had thought of me, had spent the time painting something that she thought I would like.This painting never fails to cheer me up. It's vibrant, yet calming, and I will always have it hanging on my wall, wherever that wall may be.

To me, a painting is such a special gift because it is a piece of the artist herself that she has put into the work. So thank you again, my friend. It really is one of my favorite things.

Hershey's Easter Chocolate Candy Review and Giveaway

When The Easter Bunny fills all those millions of baskets for children, it's a good bet that there will be a lot of Hershey's candy in them. Who doesn't love Hershey's candy? I know I do!

The familiar brown wrapper on a chocolate bar, the famous Hershey's Kisses, and that yummy syrup that made my milk taste so good are all happy memories of childhood for me. For generations of children, Hershey's Chocolate was a part of everyday life.

The company was started back in 1900 by Milton Hershey, in a rural town in Pennsylvania. Today the Hershey Corporation has sales in excess of $4 Billion. America's most popular candy company has certainly come a long way from Mr. Hershey's vision and it's humble beginnings.

One of my favorite Hershey's Easter candies as well as other family members is the Cadbury Creme Egg. Its something we all look forward to during the Easter season. Robin Eggs are one of my daughter's favorites. When Sam and Laura were little they would lick the Robin Egg and use it on their lips like lipstick to have Easter colored lips. I enjoy that now as a Grandmother I get to make Easter baskets for my grandkids and see which Hershey's candies they will love.

To celebrate the Easter Season, we are hosting a giveaway of Hershey's Easter candy products.

GIVEAWAY

Win a Hershey's Easter Candy Prize Pack 

 

To Enter This Giveaway: (mandatory entry before extra entries)

What is your favorite Hershey's Easter Candy?

*Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if its not public in your Google account*

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry. If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on.

-Like Hershey's on Facebook +1

-Sign up for the Hershey's Newsletter +1


-Follow/Add to your circle  Frugal Family Tree on Google+ ( right hand side) +1
-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree +1
-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +1

-Share this giveaway on Facebook ONLY, using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +1 for each share you do. (can be done once a day)

-Copy and Paste This Tweet on Twitter and leave me the link (to find the link click on the time stamp under your tweet. Can be done once a day for the duration of the giveaway)

#Win Hershey's Easter Candy Prize Pack at @FrugalFamTree #Giveaway ends 4/2 http://www.frugalfamilytree.com/2012/03/hersheys-easter-chocolate-candy-review.html

 *Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts March 23, 2012 and ends on April 2nd, 2012 at midnight PST. Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize.

Keeping My Family Close with Daily Rituals and Tropicana Orange Juice

Even though there is only 3 people in my immediate family we still do need to take the time to connect each day. My son is a rambunctious boy who is always busy doing something, my husband is the opposite he is quiet and more to himself, then there is me. I am super talkative and always busy in the middle of 10 different things. We are all under the same roof but often living in different worlds. To make sure we stay connected we have our daily rituals and also weekend rituals to make sure we have family time together.

We all have our morning coffee together in the living room. By all of us I mean my son too, just not coffee. He is very much our little parrot and did not want to be left out in the mornings when we sat down to have coffee. We got him his own coffee cup and put his "coffee" in it. His coffee is Orange Juice. He sips it says "Ahhhh" and smiles as he sits with us. He will grow up thinking OJ is coffee but he will know we all drink it together.

We have our evening ritual of eating dinner together. This one might not always happen but for the most part we do our best. We sit at the table in the kitchen and we eat dinner as a family. Most of the time we might not be eating the same things but we are doing it together.

We have weekly rituals too. We have family movie night snuggled up on the couch eating snacks is a great way to spend a Friday or Saturday night. Sunday is the day we have family breakfast. My husband is not much of a breakfast eater but he is a great cook. My son and I sit at the table reading books or magazines while we watch my husband cook us breakfast. We have the standard breakfast items like eggs, bacon, pancakes and orange juice or "coffee" lol. I really enjoy drinking Tropicana Pure Premium 100% Pure Florida Orange Juice with Sunday breakfast. Its the tart you want in an oj with the sweetness that makes it wonderful.  

The soil and the variety is what gives Tropicana its flavor. The different microclimates and soil types mean that fruit reaches peak maturity at different times, allowing Tropicana to harvest ripe fruit throughout the entire growing season. The two major orange types in Tropicana Pure Premium are Valencia and Hamlin. Valencias typically have more intense color and flavor, while Hamlins can be sweeter. They each add unique characteristics to the TPP blend.

To celebrate the love of Orange Juice and Florida Tropicana is hosting a sweepstakes.

Enter the Tropicana sweepstakes for a chance to win 100 Florida prizes, including one-year-supplies of Tropicana (in the form of twelve 59 oz Tropicana Pure Premium containers) and a trip to Florida to visit an orange grove. Share the news about the sweepstakes with your readers! Ninety-nine winners will get a one-year supply of orange juice in the form of twelve coupons for (12) 59 oz Tropicana Pure Premium® containers. One winner will get a trip to a Florida orange grove and invite three (3) guests for:  Round-trip airfare for four (4) to Florida, three (3) night stay at a Florida hotel.The winner will have an exclusive experience at experience at a Florida orange grove.

For official rules and regulations, visit the “sweeps” tab on Tropicana’s Facebook page and be sure to Like them on Facebook to be able to enter.

** I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Tropicana blogging program, to earn My SocialMoms Rewards Points. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.