Juice + Tree Top = One Happy Kid

My soon-to-be 6-year-old loves apple juice. Whenever he's given a choice between AJ and anything else, he always chooses the apple. It's no surprise really, his favorite fruit is an apple as well.

We've tried a wide variety of juice brands, and recently we had the opportunity to try Tree Top. Samples of their apple juice, mango peach juice drink and applesauce were sent to us and Dawson and I practically fought over the contents of the box.

I wanted to use the applesauce in an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, but Dawson had container cracked open before I could stop him. He absolutely loves applesauce and the Tree Top brand is delicious, without being too sweet like some of the other brands we've tried.

As for the apple juice, I froze part of it in ice cube trays and let Owen use them as a teething remedy (I place the cubes in his mesh food server for safety). He thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.

Dawson and I shared the Tree Top Trim Mango Peach juice drink. I didn't think he'd like it because he's never tried anything like it. Boy was I surprised that he thought it was fantastic:

I was happy he was consuming 50% less sugar and calories. I always try to water down juice when I give it to the kids to drink, but Tree Top Trim is a healthy choice and that is very important to me.

The Tree Top brand is definitely added to our grocery list. For more information visit the Tree Top website.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Tree Top and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Infantino: Baby Gear You'll Love

I've been working with the fabulous consultants at Mom Central for quite some time and was offered the opportunity to test drive some awesome baby products from Infantino. I'm on my second go-round of motherhood and while I saved most of the gear I used with Dawson, I realized how worn out it had become because he played hard with his toys.

Infantino sent three products for us to try: the Twist & Fold Activity Gym, the Fold & Go Bouncer, and the Jumbo Wheel Play Space. When the box arrived I was very excited to rip it open and see what was inside. My first impression was very positive. These products are bright and colorful without being too busy and over-stimulating. I love the jungle themed activity mat with the lion, monkey and elephant hanging down from the crossbars. Owen loves the activity gym as evidenced here:





The Jumbo Wheel Play Space is so much fun! There are so many things that grab his attention, from the rings to the squeaker in the elephant's hat, to the crinkly ears on the elephant and monkey. Check out this happy baby:




He is fascinated with mirrors and both these toys include them in the fun. My little loves to look at "the baby" in the mirror. It's even more fun when he catches a glimpse of Mommy, Daddy or Big Brother Dawson in it, too. We took this wheel mat to the park with us and five other moms commented on how big the play space is and how much they love the colors.

Lastly, we received the bouncer. Owen is just growing too quickly; the chunky monkey barely fits in the seat, but he still loves the toy bar and the vibrating chair:



I love that this bouncer can go anywhere! It folds flat and fits nicely in the trunk (along with the stroller and diaper bag and every other baby item imaginable!). It has soothing vibrations, and by pressing a button you get a heartbeat and 2 nature sounds as well as three different melodies and volume control. This bouncer is full of options for being so compact!

My best friend recently gave birth to her first child and I've recommended Infantino products to her because I truly believe that Infantino puts a lot of thought into their products. Not only do they care about our precious babies, but they come up with unique designs and features that appeal to us picky parents, too. Kudos to you, Infantino!

For more information about these products click the links above or visit www.infantino.com.

Do You Have Smart Taste?

I love whole-wheat pasta. I try to incorporate it into our weekly meal regime but, my husband isn't a fan of the way it tastes. And the kids? They don't really care what they put in their mouths as long as it's covered in cheese or marinara sauce. We have tried many different brands of pastas and recently had the chance to try Ronzoni Smart Taste spaghetti noodles.

The best thing about Ronzoni is that it's the first "white" pasta to be enriched with Fiber, Calcium and Vitamin D, so I can feed my family something healthy as well as tasty. Ronzoni Smart taste has the Calcium and Vitamin D equivalent to one 8-ounce glass of milk. While I'd never replace any food for milk, I do love that we're getting enough calcium in our bodies to prevent brittle bones and osteoporosis. This pasta is lower in calories and fat, too, which I think will keep those extra pounds off my middle.My husband was skeptical at first, but I pleaded with him to just try it. Here's the dish we made:

Looks delish, doesn't it? Check this view out:

Yes, we really did garnish our pasta with green onions -- it was fabulous.

Ronzoni Smart Taste isn't a whole wheat pasta, but it is super nutritious and everyone in my family loved. Even little Owen had a few noodles. He loved playing with the box, too:

Dawson asked for "that same pasta, but I want the curly noodles! And with butter!" Buttered noodles is his favorite dish. I'll gladly make it for him any time using the Ronzoni Smart Taste rotini.

If you'd like to try Ronzoni Smart Taste, click here to get a coupon for 75 cents off.


“I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Ronzoni and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review and photo contest entry. In addition, I received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Noodles & Company: Great Taste in Pasta

I love pasta. My family loves it, too. One of our favorite places to grab great tasting pasta dishes is Noodles & Company. When Mom Central asked us to review the restaurants menu selections I was thrilled!

We received coupons for 5 dishes of noodles. My husband ordered his favorite, Japanese Pan Noodles. Dawson went with his old standby, Buttered Noodles. I chose the new Asparagus & Lemon Linguine. It was delicious. I love asparagus, whether it's grilled, steamed or sauteed, but this entree whet my palette; it was unexpectedly fantastic.

The taste of fresh asparagus, sugar snap peas, feta cheese, basil, red onions, mushrooms and fresh lemon juice is awesome. The flavors meld together perfectly. I'm definitely ordering this again.

What we love about Noodles & Company, aside from great tasting pasta, is that we are able to choose healthy choices when we can. I prefer whole-wheat pasta over regular semolina, and N & C offers whole wheat in their Tuscan Linguine as well. Now that it's aparagus season, you can add it to any dish for just $1.25.

If you love pasta, Noodles & Company is the place for you! Go on, order the aspargus in your fave dish!

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I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Noodles & Company and received five Noodles & Company bowl cards to facilitate my review. Mom Central also sent me a thank-you gift certificate.

Halls Spells Allergy Relief

Everyone in my house suffers from seasonal allergies. My husband has attacks in Spring and Fall. My oldest son, Dawson, sneezes and coughs from May to August. I started noticing allergy symptoms after I had my first child. (Owen, our youngest child, is showing signs of allergies, too.)

Recently we had the opportunity to try Halls cough drops for allergy relief. The thought had not occurred to me to use what I considered a cold medicine to relieve allergy symptoms.

Halls cough drops helped reduce the scratchy throats, watery eyes and sneezing that all come with allergy territory. My husband was very impressed with how fast they worked. He typically used over the counter medicines like Claritin for his allergies, but Halls cough drops seemed to work well while waiting for his allergy meds to kick in.

Dawson tried a cough drop, too. His only complaint was the taste. Even though they were cherry flavored, he prefers the sweeter, candy-like cough drops. Typical 5-year-old.

I liked the way the drops taste. They are not too sweet, but they aren't sour like some others I've tried. I was glad that my sore throat pain lessened as the lozenge dissolved in my mouth.

Overall we really like the Halls cough drops and recommend them to anyone who suffers from allergies.

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I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Halls and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.