Thursday, March 28, 2013

Kiddo Tags: Personalized Labels for Your Little Ones

Having three kids means we have lots of stuff. Often this “stuff” leaves the house with us – backpacks, coats, shoes, lunch boxes, water bottles, etc, etc, etc.  I’ve been lucky so far that mainly this stuff has belonged to Isabelle. Although she is only five she is more responsible than some adults I know. She not only knows everything that belongs to her but also everything that belongs to everyone in our family and everything that belongs to every child in her class. If she leaves the house with something you can bet your bottom dollar that it is coming back to our house in the same shape that it left in.

This year, however, Henry started preschool and various classes as well. Henry is as sweet as they come but definitely didn’t inherit his sister’s abilities to be responsible for his belongings. He is a kid who needs labels…..enter Kiddo Tags! What are Kiddo Tags, you ask? Well they are custom name labels that stick to your child’s toys, bottles, cups, pacifiers, AND kid's clothing. They are Dishwasher and Microwave Safe, Waterproof and Weather-proof (UV-Resistant). Kiddo Tags are durable labels with over 150 character icons, 18 different colors, 25 different fonts AND many shapes and styles to choose from!

Kiddo Tags recently sent me their Value Pack Kiddo Tags, Clothing Tags, and the Social Kiddos Playdate Card Kit to try out. Since I have three kids I made the stickers with our last name on them in order to optimize usage. They have so many color choices, design choices, fonts, size, shapes, and all that jazz. It was hard to choose which ones since there were so many cute ones! I got them about a month ago and they have been useful and durable (lots of dishwasher/laundry machine trips!). It’s a win/win since the kids also love them because of the cute designs. We've started labeling Isabelle's belongings just for fun!

Although I find them useful as a stay at home mom, I think they would be a HUGE help to people who send their children to daycare. I can remember spending many a nights with a sharpie in hand when Isabelle was a baby and went to daycare. It would have been so much easier to just slap a sticker on everything! Also, the clothing tags are great because they are sticky labels that you can place directly on the clothes tag (or even clothes directly). There’s no need to iron on (although they do have that option if you prefer)!

Isabelle is also excited about the cards that I had made up for her. They have her name and my information on them and are designed to give out for playdates, at the playground, etc. They also come with their own carrying case (in varying colors) too so it makes the kids feel extra cool!


So if you’re in need of any kind of labeling product for your children (including allergy/health information) be sure to check out KiddoTags! You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.


*This post is part of a compensated campaign with Kiddo Tags. As always, all opinions are my own.*

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Seven Tips to Make Your Family Healthier

I’ve been focusing a decent amount lately on my expanding muffin top, creating make ahead meals, and trying to shop healthy. So I was very excited to have the opportunity to participate in a conference call last week with Michelle Dudash, a registered dietitian and Cordon Bleu-certified chef. I learned lots of great tips for eating healthy with your family (keep reading to find them out!) and also about the great initiatives from the Walmart Foundation. This non-profit division of Walmart helps 250,000 Americans access school breakfast and nutrition education programs through grants. The Walmart Foundation has committed $2 billion (yes, Billion!) cash and in-kind commitment through 2015 to help fight hunger in America. Pretty cool, huh?

There were so many useful tips discussed on the call that included cleaning out your kitchens of unclean foods, getting kids in the kitchen, quick meal ideas and so much more. I could write all day about the tips but instead I’m going to pinpoint a few topics/items that hit close to home for me. In no particular order they are…

  • Semi-homemade can be healthy. Convenience is okay. Don’t beat yourself up over not having a full three course meal made from scratch on the table. Take short cuts when necessary but be sure to read labels. Choose products with names that you can recognize (and pronounce!).
  • Fuel your body with beneficial items. Skip the junk. Example: Choose a serving of nuts over a serving of potato chips. You’ll get more energy and feel full longer.
  • If watching your budget it’s okay not to buy organic. Your main focus should be buying fresh, healthy foods. Don’t break the bank worrying about organic.
  • High Fructose Corn Syrup is not your enemy. Okay, it’s not your friend either but neither is sugar. Truly eating healthy means limiting all forms of sugar (not just high fructose corn syrup).
  • Artificial Food Coloring is your enemy. I’ve actually been working on reducing/eliminating this from my kids’ diet as much as possible. On a TMI note, Daniel recently had cake with a vibrant frosting color that not only came out the same color but also stained the skin on his bottom for a day. If the color couldn’t be broken down in his body and then also still had the power to discolor his skin there is NO way it could be good for him.
  • If your kid will only eat one thing just make sure it’s the healthiest version of the food. Got a kid who will only eat PB&J (ahem…Henry!)? Well then shoot for whole wheat bread, natural peanut butter, and a glass of milk. Eventually they’ll change their eating habits (knock on wood!).
  • Making one meal that everyone will eat is the goal. Meal planning will make your life easier!
So there you have it, those were my top takeaways. If you’d like to hear more from Michelle you can check out her book Clean Eating for Busy Families. She is honest, down to earth, and really has some useful information to share! I was glad to have had the opportunity to chat with her on the call!

*This post is part of a compensated campaign on behalf of the Motherhood and the Walmart Foundation. As always, all opinions are my own*

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Crock-Pot Freezer Meals

I've written before how I 'm not great at having meals planned ahead for dinner time.  Sometimes we have really busy days and I don't have time to make a nice meal. And honestly, sometimes I'm just lazy and don't want to. So when an acquaintance posted on her Facebook page that she was looking for a partner to do some make ahead freezer meals with I jumped at the opportunity. Now I had only met Allison twice before but she didn't flinch when I asked to join her (well not openly anyway!). She also happens to be the wife of a fellow blogger (that you can check out HERE) so from reading his blog I did feel like I knew her pretty well already.

So on Saturday, I headed out solo to pretty much a stranger's house to spend the day cooking. But I am happy to report that Allison is AWESOME. She planned the menu and did all the shopping for her, me, and another friend of hers that was participating as well. Amazing, huh? I did bring with me some tulips and black jelly beans (gag!) to help win her over. So the three of us got to work washing, peeling, and chopping veggies and getting everything all set up. Once it was "go" time we filled Ziploc freezer bags with each ingredient from the recipes.


Allison had also pre-written the name of the dish and the cooking instructions on each bag. Seriously, I love her. So at the end of the day I left with twelve meals (including beef, chicken, and pork) all set and ready for the crock pot whenever I choose.

I am seriously so psyched that I had someone to kind of push me in to this because I never would have spent an afternoon on my own doing this. Now that I have had practice though it's totally something I would do again. I look forward to trying out the meals and not having to rifle through the cabinets at 4:30pm again for a while!

Dinner, anyone?

UPDATE: On April 11th I posted the chicken recipes. Click HERE to find them!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Growing Pains

I came home Monday night around 10:30pm looking forward to my late night time to watch General Hospital after the house is asleep, but instead found Isabelle awake on the couch with my husband. Red alert - red alert! No child should EVER be up at my house at that time. I looked at Tim and he said, "It's her leg." It's all I needed to hear to know I would be up again during the night. Isabelle is five now but has been having leg pains sporadically at night for probably two years now. Based on my expert internet research, the diagnosis is Growing Pains.

To be honest, I had never really heard of someone having Growing Pains and thought that they were made up. When she first started having them my husband said he could remember having pains like that when he was little. Of course, I just assumed he was making up memories and a wimp. But alas, years later I do believe in Growing Pains.

It happens maybe every couple of months or so. Sometimes I find it's after she has a busy/active day but that's not always the case. You can hear her tossing and turning in her bed and moaning. She'll then wake up crying and say that her leg is bothering her. She is half asleep, in pain, and a sore sight. We usually try to just comfort her and massage her leg the first time she wakes up to see if that helps. If we're still up (like the other night) we'll bring her downstairs with us for a bit. Usually though, one time is never where it ends. She'll fall back asleep and then wake up within an hour later and the process repeats. I've learned now to give her a pain reliever after she wakes up the second time because if she's up twice she'll be up off and on the whole night. Clearly, I don't want her in pain but do try to wait on the meds because I don't want to give her medicine if I don't have to. Once I give her the medicine and she falls back to sleep she'll be fine for the night. She often doesn't even remember the incident during the night and is always fine the next day.

On Tuesday, she asked why there was a bottle of Motrin on her bed stand. I told her it was the same reason for the bags under my eyes :)

Does anyone in your house have Growing Pains? How do you handle it?

The culprits

Monday, March 18, 2013

Simple Tips to Make Your Grocery Trip a Healthy One



In case you missed my recent post, my muffin top is taking on a life of its own recently. I need to do something about it. The problem is it’s way easier to eat junk food and sit on the couch as opposed to eating healthy and working out BUT I am going to work on it!

Convenient with timing, March is National Nutrition month. I recently found out tips from Stop and Shop’s full time nutritionist Julie Menounos on ways to get the most out of my grocery trip. Below I’ve included the tips and if I personally follow them. Spoiler alert: I have a lot of work left to do!


Before You Leave for the Store: 

  • Don’t shop hungry. Be sure to have a light meal or snack with fiber and protein before shopping to avoid impulse buys. This is a total no brainer yet I don’t always do it. If I do shop hungry I always end up leaving with a muffin from the bakery. They are so gosh darn good (and to blame for my muffin top)!
  • Make a grocery list. Plan out your week of meals, snacks and beverages and those you need to restock. Organize the list by the departments of the grocery store to save you time shopping. I do make a list (on my phone) but I don’t organize it by department. However, when shopping I always think how much easier it would be if I had so then I wouldn’t have to backtrack through the store. I also am not a good meal planner for the week but someday I’ll be better at it (my husband hopes!).

During Your Shopping Trip:

  • Shop the perimeter of the store. This is where the freshest, most natural food lies. So fill most of your cart with fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and dairy items then venture down the center aisles to stock up on staple goods like whole grains, beans, vegetable-based soups, canned tuna and wild salmon. I’m definitely a sucker for the middle. I could live in the cookie and cracker aisle.

  • Pay attention to symbols to help you shop. For example, at Stop & Shop, you can look for the Healthy Ideas® symbol next to the price to find products that are better for you and your family. Stop and Shop is my go to shopping store so I do actually see these stickers and give myself a high five when I pick up one of these items.

  • Read the ingredient list. If you are not sure how to accurately interpret the Nutrition Facts label, the ingredients list can provide you with enough information to make a healthy decision. Ingredients are listed in order of weight from high to low. In general, the less ingredients the better. If sugar is listed in the first or second ingredient of your breakfast cereal, look to swap it. When time allows I do check out the ingredient list. One of my struggles is getting the kids to eat things that are actually good for them. Again, we’re a work in progress family!

When You Get Home: 

  • Focus on filling half your plate with fruit and non-starchy vegetables. Fill the other half with whole grains (bread, rice, pasta and starchy vegetables like corn, peas, potatoes) and lean protein (chicken, turkey, beef seafood, beans). This one is also on the “working on it” list!

  • Don’t forget a serving of dairy (milk, yogurt or cheese) either incorporated into the meal, on the side or as dessert! This one is easy peasy for us – we mega heart milk!

  • Think about adding fruits and veggies to your families favorite foods. Add strawberries in cereal, blueberries in yogurt, sliced pears in a grill cheese sandwich, shredded carrots and zucchini to pasta sauce and broccoli on pizza. My favorite way to sneak them in is in smoothies – yum!

So there you have it – some expert tips from Stop and Shop with some Dollops facts! For people (like me) trying to continue down the road of healthy living I think the key is baby steps and consistency. It’s an uphill battle, people!
*Photo courtesy of Stop and Shop. I received a gift card from Stop and Shop to try my hand with their nutrition tips. As always, all opinions are my own.*

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Memories from my Trip to Ireland!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! In honor of the holiday, I'm taking a trip down memory lane by reminiscing about my trip to Ireland in April 2004. My cousin, Janet, and I did our own self guided tour of the Emerald Isle for nine days. We started in Dublin and then went to Limerick, Dingle, Galway, and Ennis.

Random things that I remember in no particular order from the trip include:

  • I almost DIED the first time we went to eat and the restaurant didn't have any ketchup. Who knew ketchup wasn't a standard condiment in Ireland?? We then went to McDonald's and took ketchup packets so that I could carry them in my backpack for future use. Priorities, people.
  • I made my poor cousin drive (in our tiny rental car) the entire time since I was afraid to drive on the "wrong" side of the road. One night she came down with horrible food poisoning and as she was vomiting all night I stayed awake worrying that I would need to drive the next day. Luckily, she pulled through and drove (she's good like that). 
  • Ireland is where my love of country music came from. When we went we had no idea that each county only had one radio station which was talk radio most of the time. My cousin had one mix CD that she had made in her luggage and we played it on repeat in the car. In the beginning I was making fun of all the songs and by the end of the trip (which included lots of time in the car!) I was belting out the tunes myself.
  • It took us FOREVER to find the street that we would be staying on in Limerick. We drove around for what seemed like hours (it could have been) before we found it. We also learned that on Sundays everything is closed in Limerick. Perhaps, not the best day to go there!
  • We saw sheep - lots of sheep.
  • On every telephone pole/tree there was a sign advertising the Kerry Home and Motor Show. Literally, every single pole. 
  • In Galway, we stopped at the village of Claddagh. We thought it was super cool to buy Claddagh Rings in Claddagh itself. That ring was one of the items that was stolen when my house was broken in to and I never got it back. Sadness.
  • It poured when we were in Ennis so we ended up going to the movies to see Under the Tuscan Sun. I can't even remember what the movie was about but I always remember that's what we saw. I also made Janet walk in the rain with me to find a store to buy soda. I need my soda. 
  • Dingle and The Cliffs of Moher were my favorite spots of the trip!
I made a scrapbook after the trip so most of my pictures are in that but here are a couple of extras...

My cousin made this sign and we had our picture taken at the top of the Cliffs of Moher for our grandparents. Side note: We forgot the sign in the car and she had to walk halfway back down the hill to get it. She was not happy.

"Beehive Hut" in Dingle which would have been inhabited from ancient times to 1200AD (per the pamphlet in my scrapbook!)
This is me eating a Fried Snickers bar - yum!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

My Muffin Top Needs its Own Zip Code

A year ago, at this time I was finishing up a Biggest Loser challenge with a group of friends. I successfully lost sixteen pounds and was down to my pre-Isabelle weight. I was skinny and feeling great. Fast forward a year later and I'm not feeling so great. I honestly haven't stepped on the scale but it's clear that my weight is up because my clothes aren't fitting right. You know when you try on three different sweaters and then settle for a baggy hoodie instead? Yeah, that.

I've written before about growing up in a house void of vegetables and the challenges I had with weight. Making healthy food choices is something I still struggle with. The roots are deep on that one. Last year, I was tracking the food I ate with My Fitness Pal and it was a huge help. The problem is that not only did I stop tracking but I also stopped caring so much. An extra dessert here and there? Sure, why not! An extra glass of wine? Yes, please! And now here I am wearing the extra pounds from dessert and wine like a horrible badge of honor.

I am a strong believer that people can be happy and (generally) healthy at any weight. It's not about what the scale says but rather how you feel. The problem is that I'm not feeling great right now. I just wish I had a magic wand for my thighs through my waist.

I think I may have reached the point that I need to suck it up and start a real exercise regime. The problem? I hate exercising. I just don't have that gene in me that some people have that makes them love it. I think I got double the bacon gene instead. I envy people who run races. It's just never been me. If you see me running, it's most likely because I'm chasing a toddler who's heading for oncoming traffic. But I'm beginning to think that I just need to suck it up and start exercising. Sigh.

I'm using this candid picture from BabbaCo as the registration form for my new zip code


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

BabbaBox, Barefoot Books, and UrbanSitter! Oh, my!

On Sunday, I got to attend a great event with Isabelle and Henry put on by BabbaCo and Barefoot Books. Babysitters were also provided by Urban Sitter (score!).

I had never been to the Barefoot Books store in Concord, MA before and let me tell you it was adorable. They have a great story telling area, tons of books (obviously!), toys, and a great room in the back for parties and events. They also put on all sorts of events so if you live in the area you should definitely check out their events calendar HERE.

After we got over the awe and excitement of such a cool space, the kids got to work on maracas and tamborines. 

These crafts are actually part of one of the most recent BabbaBoxes. What is a BabbaBox you ask?  Well let me tell you! It's a monthly subscription activity box designed for kids ages 3-7. It's a box delivered to your doorstep with everything you need to have lots of fun with your child!

Not a crafty Mamma? No worries, the BabbaBox has got you covered. Each month it contains:
  • 2 to 3 projects kids do with their hands. ALL the physical materials included! (No more trips to Michael's!)
  • A theme-based product where your child will engage with the world & nature.
  • Carefully curated books to stimulate your kids' imaginations.
  • Interactive learning with prepaid downloads approved by BabbaCo experts.
Sounds pretty aweseome, huh? Well BabbaCo is providing Dollops readers with a $10 off coupon code for your first month of either an annual or monthly membership. Simply use the code BOSTONMOM at checkout. You can find out how to sign up right HERE!

At the event, they also had babysitters/helpers provided by UrbanSitter so that I could eat endless amounts of coffee cake learn more about the products. We attended an event in the fall that had UrbanSitter at it and one of the sitters remembered me and my family (from months ago!). I feel like that goes to show how attentive (and nice!) that they are.

The kids had so much fun making the instruments and then shaking their groove things at story time (more like dance party time!).


We also got to leave the event with goody bags that had a handwritten note from Jessica, the owner of BabbaCo. What a nice touch!


*I attended this event and received a goody bag. No other compensation was received. As always, all opinions are my own.*

Monday, March 11, 2013

Tiny Snowmen

Between Wednesday night and Friday night we got over two feet of snow dumped on us. When the fun of crafts was over, it was time to head outside. Since the hubs and I had (endless) shoveling to do, the kids were on their own for making snowmen. They may not have been the biggest snowmen but the kids were pretty proud of them.

Henry and his snowman

Isabelle and her snowman

When Daniel wasn't busy trying to destroy the snowmen, he worked on his snow angels.


Although the kids love to play in the snow I am hoping with every ounce of my being that this was the last snowfall of the season. Bring on spring!

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Cute Bunny Craft with Cotton Balls!

We were supposed to get 6-8 inches of snow the other day but somehow ended up with just over two feet. Since we were somewhat unexpectedly homebound we passed our time with some crafts. This bunny craft came out pretty cute if I do say so myself.

What You Need: 

Paper Plate
Cotton Balls
Construction Paper
Googly Eyes
Pipe Cleaners
Pom Poms
Glue
Scissors
Crayons

Optional: Ribbon and Bell

Steps:
  • Cut out the inner circle of the paper plate. Plates are more sturdy for glue/cotton but if you don’t have plates you could just use a piece of construction paper.
  • Trace two ear shapes on white construction paper and cut them out. Color the inner part of the ear pink (could also use pink construction paper for this if you have it).
  • Glue (or staple) ears on to paper plate.
  • Generously cover plate with glue and apply cotton balls
  • Decorate bunny with eyes, nose, whiskers, and mouth. We used googly eyes, pom poms, and pipe cleaners (cut) that we had around the house.
  • We also had ribbon and bells left over from a previous craft so we gave the bunnies necklaces. After all, what makes a craft better for kids? Making it a noisy craft!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Easy Chicken and Spinach Rice Dish #LoveEveryMinute

Even though I’m home all day and should have all the time in the world to plan out meals, I’m honestly not great at doing it. I often find myself looking at the clock at 4:30pm and realizing I have no idea what we’re doing for dinner. I keep saying I’m going to get better with planning but to date I haven’t. Therefore, I LOVE quick and easy recipes. If I can add healthy on to the end of that sentence it’s a total slam dunk.

One product that helps me out in a jam is Minute Rice because…well it cooks in just minutes! In a total pinch I can cook it up and just add a little butter and cheese and the kids will eat it!

The other night though I made a simple and easy Chicken and Spinach Rice dish with the help of my little chef Isabelle. 



Here is the recipe we used.

Chicken and Spinach Rice

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut into bit size pieces)
1 bag (10 ounces) Fresh Baby Spinach
1 ½ cups Minute White Rice (uncooked)
1 cup Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
¾ cup Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic (use more or less based on your taste preference)
½ Tsp Ground Pepper
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)

Directions

(1) Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and cook through (approx. 10 mins)
(2) Add spinach, garlic, rice, tomatoes, pepper, and chicken broth; mix well. 



(3) Bring ingredients to a boil.
(4) Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
(5) Finally, stir in the parmesan cheese and you have dinner!


One of the reasons I like this recipe is because you can also mix it up and add other ingredients, spices, etc based on your likes (or just what you have in the pantry!). 
 
Minute® Rice is so quick and easy to prepare and is great pantry staple. When meal time seems like a hassle, Minute® Rice is a go-to ingredient your whole family will love and allows you to have more quality time doing what you want with your loved ones.

Leftover rotisserie chicken or veggies from a meal earlier in the week? Minute® Rice can easily be paired with some of your leftover ingredients to make a quick, easy and wholesome meal your whole family will love in just a matter of minutes.

Visit http://www.minuterice.com/ to create a great main meal or side dish for your next family get-together or potluck. 

*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute® Rice. All opinions are my own.*

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Seventh Generation Free and Clear Baby Wipes Review and GIVEAWAY!

When I had my first baby I knew that I needed to buy baby wipes (duh!). However, I had no idea how much I would grow to NEED them. Now as a mom of three (and only one still in diapers) I am not afraid to say that I am obsessed with wipes. Even when I am going out of the house without kids (a rare treat!) I still bring a pack of wipes with me. The thought of being somewhere without them scares me because they are so gosh darn useful. So beyond the usual bum wiping I use them for cleaning off tables, high chairs, and you name it in public places. I use them around the house to dust the tables when I don’t feel like getting out all the cleaning supplies. I use them in the car to wipe off the dash board (although I should do it way more frequently than I do!). Oh, and let’s not forget when a poor baby doll (My Little Pony, superhero, etc) gets a little too messy and needs to be wiped off. Seriously, there are so many uses for “baby” wipes that I never knew. It’s like the moms of the world’s best kept secret.

So I was beyond excited to receive a box of Seventh Generation Baby Wipes in the mail. Now I admit that I usually buy the store brand wipes since I go through so many that I like to buy them cheap. However, the Seventh Generation wipes are much thicker and bigger than my other wipes so I don’t have to use as many (score!). The first time I wiped my four year old’s face with them after lunch he said, “These are much softer than the other wipes!” Clearly, I’m raising the next generation of wipe fanatics!


Some other fun facts about the new Seventh Generation Baby Wipes: With the new wipe they’ve reduced plastic use by 70% through the use of plant materials. As always, the baby wipes are free of alcohol, dyes, synthetic fragrances, parabens and phthalates. Wipes that are good for you and for the environment - what's not to love?

Want to try out the wipes for yourself?  One lucky Dollops reader will win a box of Seventh Generation Wipes! To enter, see the Rafflecopter form below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*This post is part of a compensated campaign on behalf of The Motherhood and Seventh Generation.  As always, all opinions are my own.*

Monday, March 4, 2013

Smooth and Sleek Saturday

On Saturday, my husband took the kids to a birthday party solo since I had a bachelorette party to go to that night. Pretty nice, huh? The kids' party was also two hours away so I found myself with a few hours of alone time before I had to head out myself. I caught up on my DVR'd shows, wrote a blog post, and then wasn't quite sure what to do with my time. Sure there was tons of laundry, dusting, and cleaning to do but this was MY time. I wasn't going to spend it doing something useful. So I decided that I was going to spend the time straightening my hair. I used to straighten it every day in college and for a while after. At this point though I can't even remember the last time I had straightened it. It had definitely been years. So I spent the afternoon leisurely straightening out section by section and the end result was....


I had totally forgotten what it looked like straight and how smooth it felt. It also looks so much longer when it's straight. I already posted this picture on my Facebook page but I'm posting it here as well. I figure it might be five years before I straighten it again so I have to get as much bang for my buck with the picture as possible!
GFunkified

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Cozy Up With the Honeywell EnergySmart® 360° Surround Heater (Giveaway!)

I recently confessed that I’m in the minority and don’t regularly read books. However, if you’re like most of America (and the world) you probably love cozing up under a blanket and enjoying a good read on a chilly night. The makers of Honeywell recently asked women what their favorite books to read were and the top 10 included the Bible and Fifty Shades of Grey. I never thought I would type the names of those two books in the same sentence!

To see the books that rounded out the top 10 click HERE. It will be no surprise to my readers that I haven’t read any of them (although I did see the Hunger Games movie if that counts!).

Also, while you’re there you can enter for a chance to win a Honeywell Heater or one of six Amazon gift cards. How cool is that? Click HERE to enter!

As if one giveaway wasn’t enough, the gracious folks at Honeywell will also be giving away a Honeywell EnergySmart®360° Surround Heater (retail value $59.99) to one lucky Dollops reader.


Want to know more about the heater? Well the new 360 Surround Heater is a versatile, energy efficient ceramic heater. Equipped with an energy savings thermostat that gives you just the right amount of heat by regulating the wattage consumption based on your desired temperature, the EnergySmart® 360 Surround can save consumers money without sacrificing comfort.

Key Features Include:
  • EnergySmart® Technology regulates power consumption to help save up to 35% on energy bills vs.conventional heaters*
  • Digital LEDs accurately indicate room temperature and desired temperature
  • Programmable thermostat
  • Overheat Protection Device and Cool Touch Carrying Handle
  • Ceramic Technology for quiet, even heating
  • 1-8 hour timer
  • 3 year warranty
Enter to win one using the Rafflecopter form below!a Rafflecopter giveaway  
*Honeywell is providing the product for giveaway on this blog. As always, all opinions are my own.* 
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