Unfortunately, there is only one official winner of this MommyB Knows Best giveaway and the winner this time is…Tabathia B! Congrats Tabathia, I am emailing you and hope to hear back from you soon.

Be sure to enter my current Hooked on Phonics giveaway and check out my reviews on Anni Zola, and a fun one on The Little Gym coming up too!

Did you know that Good Humor revolutionized the ice cream industry as the first ice-cream-on-a-stick? I sure didn’t but that’s a pretty cool fact. Another great fact is that Good Humor is hosting a national summer sweepstakes until September 6, 2010 in honor of their 90th anniversary.

Win one of the great 10,000 prizes or even better $10,000 in cash by purchasing any specially marked 4 oz single-serve bars (Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Eclair, Toasted Almond and Candy Center Crunch). If you are a winner you’ll discover an instant-win message right on the ice cream stick. If you find the lucky message go to http://www.goodhumor.com to redeem your prize. These instant winners will be automatically entered in the $10,000 grand prize drawing. Not a winner? Don’t worry, you can go to Good Humor’s website too to enter for a chance to win the $10,000 grand prize too. *A winner will be selected via a random drawing and announced in September.

To commemorate their 90th, Good Humor sent me (and some other great bloggers) a coupon for a free Good Humor product. I’m a total chocoholic and I love their Chocolate Eclair so I thought I would give this review an unbiased tilt and try a flavor I have never tried, so I went with the Strawberry Shortcake, what a summery flavor!

I really enjoyed the creaminess of the vanilla ice cream, especially when I let it melt just a little bit. One small thing that I noticed while eating this bar was that some of the red “bits” on the outside are made from coconut and the texture and taste were a little weird with the strawberry and cookie coating.As for the strawberry it has a pretty strong tart taste, and again I’m a smooth flavor kind of girl so while I didn’t love the Strawberry Shortcake flavor I would probably eat it again, but not over the Chocolate Eclair.

Luckily, Good Humor offers 4 different bars, and so many more choices in ice cream, so there’s something for everyone, even if you don’t care for one flavor you’re bound to like something.

Check out Good Humor on their website: www.goodhumor.com or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chasingthegoodhumortruck

What’s your favorite ice cream?

I heard about this great line of “super-fruit” juices that tout calorie-conscious, low sugars, and healthy ingredients in a unique beverage. Now that I’m leaning towards clean eating  Bossa Nova fruit drinks sound like they would be a great addition to my drink selection.

In fact, after receiving samples of several flavors, Daddy B, and Little Miss A and I found out that these drinks are appropriate and healthy for the entire family to enjoy.We were able to try out 6 of the 10 flavors including; Açaí the original, Açaí with blueberry, Goji Berry with tart cherry, Acerola with mango, Açaí with mango, and Mangosteen with passionfruit.

My absolute favorite was the Mangosteen Juice with passionfruit. I am a huge fan of peaches and mangosteen is said to have similar flavor notes to that of peaches. The juice, in my opinion, was very flavorful but not too strong and didn’t taste healthy or organic, (you know what I’m talking about.) The description on Bossa Nova’s website says that mangosteen is often described as the world’s best tasting fruit and even Miss A totally agrees!

Daddy B also liked the taste of Acerola with mango and he was excited about getting in 20 times the amount vitamin c than in oranges at the same time and although we really liked a couple of these there were two that were just okay on our flavor scales. Daddy B thought that the Açaíthe original tasted a lot like medicine, but this was his very first Açaí experience anyway, I’ve heard Açaí alone can be an acquired taste. Miss A thought the Goji Berry with tart cherry was a little too tart for her refined palate, ha ha and it got a C+ from me, compared to the others we got to taste.

Overall, I was really impressed with the taste of the Bossa Nova fruit juices, but I was also blown out of the water when I found out the varying drinks contain ingreditents to help maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, boost your immunity, have anti-aging and body balancing properties and so much more!

I give Bossa Nova two thumbs up for making a great product at a reasonable price compared to juices in it’s category. We are definitely adding these to our fridge for not only the sweltering summer, but for all-year-round. If you’re looking to purchase Bossa Nova drinks, find a store near you by going to their website http://www.bossausa.com/flash/ and checking out their “where to buy” tab, ps they sell the Açaí Original, Açaí Blueberry, and Acerola Mango in 32 ounce bottles as well as the standard 10 ounces.

You can also enter to win because Bossa Nova is giving one lucky MommyB Knows Best Reader a chance to win one of each flavor, that’s 10 different bottles of Bossa Nova drinks people!

Here’s how to win: Using the entry form directly below this post (NOT the comment form), submit your name, an email address that you check regularly, and the entry you are submitting. *Please note the Mandatory Entry MUST be completed before you can qualify for additional entries.

Giveaway ends August 25th @12:00 am. The winner will be chosen at random, verified, emailed, and announced in a Winner’s post. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email from MommyB to claim the prize, if the prize is not claimed within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen at random. You must be a US resident and 18 years or older to enter.

Thank you to everyone who entered, I know the person who won will really put hers to use, congratulations to Paula B from Bell’ Alimento YUM!! I’m emailing you right now, please be sure to respond within 48 hours.

Like I said since there was such a great response I may have some other Ball goodies up my sleeve in the near future, so keep checking out MommyB Knows Best.

Now in a perfect world I’d get up at 10:30 and the whole family would be ready to head out the door by 11:00 right? Not with us, not only did I need to get myself around, I needed to feed Baby C, get her dressed, dress Little Miss A, and then, dum…dum…dum…Mis A’s hair….this is an entity in itself. Often times I find myself wondering why I prayed for daughters with curly hair, and I love the look when it’s all pretty and done up, but it sure does take some energy, time, and product! After all of us getting ready plus 30 minutes for two puffy piggies, we were finally out the door…at lunchtime?!?!

What were we, as parents thinking…we ended up giving Miss A a snack to tide her over. Once we got to the Farmer’s Market we were excited to check out all of the goodies we were going to score. There were a few different areas to shop around, we saw trees and plants, crafts and wood carvings, a fruits and veggies (with preserves,) and a flower area. If I could give anyone advice, when going to your first farmers market you may want to choose something a little to start off with. I for one was a little overwhelmed with all of the sellers choices, so many people had the same items and we had to stroll up and down the aisles looking for the freshest, best priced items.

Overall though we had a really great time, I learned a few things about produce, we got a chance to discuss healthy options with Little Miss A, and got some exercise, although it was pretty warm. Luckily, I have a little hand-held fan that Miss A used to keep the sweat from dripping down her face. We spent about $30 but got a great amount of food, and here it is, our bountiful harvest, $30 later, we filled our fridge with God’s Goodness!

There were some ideas of tips that came to my head while we were shopping.  Now that I’m well seasoned after just one farmer’s market *insert eye roll here.* I would go back and tell myself, being a first-timer.

1. Get there early, but not too early, you’ll miss the crowds but not the late arriving sellers.

2. Bring your own reusable bags, to save from using plastic AND it’s easier to carry than flimsy plastic handles.

3. If you have children strollers are a MUST, there are a lot of adults and many opportunities for your little one to wander off, it’s a great place for your child to rest from all of the walking, plus it gives you a good place to store your finds. – Just make sure your goodies don’t outweigh your child…or everything will be on the ground (no this did not happen to us,but that would have been funny, er horrifying  )

4. Haggle, haggle, haggle. Daddy B begs to differ with me, but I told him most things in the world you can bargain down, plus it can’t hurt to ask right???

5. In the Summer be sure to bring drinks and hats to keep cool.

6. See what is in season, and remember supply and demand when it comes to prices. Check this list to see what’s in season in NC: http://www.ncagr.gov/markets/chart.htm, if you’re not in NC check out google for the fresh finds near you.

7. Bring snacks for you and the kiddos, the fruit and veggies have not been washed, if you’re like me I’m not a believer in the “a little dirt never hurt,” saying, that’s the overprotective mommy-type A in me.

Here are a couple of pictures of the rows of preserves we had to choose from, Daddy B got us Strawberry Rhubarb, because apparently they don’t sell just Strawberry preserves…is that weird or just me?

And some yummy berries, we ended up getting 2 pints of the organic, homegrown, insecticide-free blue berries and they are tasty. That’ll be another post

So back to how we ended up at McDonalds…well we were all starving, and in a hurry, Miss A was upon rest time, with the heat we weren’t sure leaving our new goodies in the 100 plus degree car would be a good idea, Baby C needed to nurse and we were hot and tired. So, we opted to go to McDonald’s which for some reason keeps drawing us back. At least next time we’ll be a little more prepared. Lesson learned.

Until next time, happy and healthy eating!!

Back to Tommee Tippee, it’s hard to believe that we’ll be going through Baby C starting solids in just a few weeks. She doesn’t seem as interested in food like Miss A was, but I’m not worried, she’ll do everything in her time. I did get a chance to test out a few products though, I like to try things out and watch things before the kiddos do, just to find out all the quirks and whatnot. When I first got the Tommee Tippee products I noticed how bright and vibrant the colors were. I received an Explora Water-Bottle, in stage 4, the 2 Explora Weaning Bowls with Lid and Weaning Spoon, and an Explora Easy Mat.

Miss A loved fun, pink, Explora Spill-Proof Sippy and so do I! Lately every single sippy we own has been leaking in my diaper bag or all over the car, I’m so over it. This Tommee Tippee cup is a breath of fresh air. It is completely Leak Proof, and has arrived just in time to give me some sanity. The spout of this sippy is rubbery, which I really like because Miss A hated the hard feeling of other sippy’s and would not drink from them when she was younger.

The cup is designed for children 18 months and up, which I agree with, I don’t think a smaller child would be ready to go from breast or bottle to a sippy designed more like a sport squirt bottle,  and even though Miss A is 3, it’s a great alternative to carrying around a regular cup when we’re on the road or somewhere I don’t want the drink to leak out. I also like the ridges on the side of the sippy that give little kids more grip. Tommee Tippy Explora cups come in several stages so check to see what is best for your child.

I was also very impressed with the Easi-mat and Weaning Bowls. The Explora mat covers a good surface, without being too large for standard high chair or booster chair trays. It sticks to all flat surfaces and I even saw on another great mommy blog that it stuck to her wall, unfortunately in our house we have textured walls, so I can’t try that one out for you, but I did try something even cooler for an awesome testimonial on how great the Easi Mat works try holding up a Step 2 table using Tommee Tippee Explora Easi-mat and Weaning Bowl, I did it and it totally worked.  That’s pretty cool if you ask me! *Make sure you wipe all surfaces (and even the bottom of the Easi-mat if you want) with a damp cloth for maximum stickage.

Even though Miss A is 3 these are still great products for older children. I slapped the Easi-mat on her table and pressed the weaning bowl into place and I don’t have to worry about the endless bowls of cereal that fling to the floor. And although A is pretty good with her bowls it definitely helps me feel better about not having to clean up more than I already do.

I never tried Tommee Tippee products before today and have to say that I honestly fell in love. I enjoy not having to clean up my diaper bag, Miss A’s carseat cup holder, change endless wet or stained outfits, or sweep and mop from all the sippy and food spills.

If you want to try Tommee Tippee now is a great time, both Babies “R” Us and Toys “R” Us sell Tommee Tippee products and best yet, today and tomorrow (July 23rd) you can buy any Explora item (cups and toddler feeding), get the second 50% off at BabiesRUs.com.

Thanks again to Mom Bloggers Club and Tommee Tippee for providing review materials, I can’t wait to go buy more for both Miss A and Baby C.

What kind of spills do you hate cleaning up??

I had no clue where to sit so I grabbed a seat next to three great women, Kathy from Kath Eats Real Food, Emily from The Front Burner, and Caitlin from Healthy Tipping Point, right away I noticed these ladies were total foodies, I felt a little weird sitting there, being a stay-at-home-mom who usually eats standing and often with my fingers, but again I don’t think anyone really noticed. From what I gathered I think I may have been the only mom blogger there, which was pretty cool. The girls and I talked a little about Virginia and DC as two of them are moving away very soon.

I got to meet Chef Keith Snow from PBS’ Harvest Eating who was really down to Earth and seemed very nice. Once the presentation began the yummy food from Charlotte’s Mimosa Grill arrived on the table. Everything I tasted was very delicious, of course I had my favorites of a goat cheese stuffed chicken breast and tomato and mozzarella tower, and you can’t forget dessert, I was offered two, but the Carolina Mountain Cherry Cheesecake was my favorite by far, so rich and creamy…..yum…oops back to what you all came for, Ball Canning…

I learned so much I hadn’t already known about Ball as a company and their products. I don’t want to overwhelm you with all of my newly acquired knowledge but I will say that I did not realize that Ball is made in the US and was started over 125 years ago, that means my grandma’s grandmother could have used Ball canning goods. CRAZY! Chef Keith Snow’s grandmother used Ball so not only does he love using Ball for his own canning needs, but it carries a personal attachment to his family as well.

Although I don’t recollect details, I do remember people in my family canning, but from what I remember I remember a long, tedious, process with lots of steam, and tongs which at the time was sort of scary for me being so little. Definitely not something I would think I would be considering when I grew up, but here I am, mother of two beautiful little girls, trying to make healthy decisions for my family and not wanting to spend hours in the kitchen because trading off time spent with my girls is just not an option for me.

It seems like a lot of people are in my position, and if not, I know there are a bunch of you who are trying more local foods or better yet growing your own gardens, (go you!!), and canning is a great option for you. For those of us who are afraid of canning I learned at this luncheon how easy canning really can be (no pun intended, unless you want it to be,) an easy process.

Chef Snow showed the luncheon attendees, bloggers, retailers, consumers, how simple it is to make a Zesty Salsa from scratch, using just a few ingredients he cooked up a fresh, vibrant salsa that was ready to be canned. After cooking up the salsa and heating his Ball glass canning jars he poured the mixture in, put the lid on top and screwed on the band and set the jars in the water to heat up and cool. Voila you have a great dish, or even a fun gift and the nice thing is you can make batches to save for future use. There are some items need to be pressure cooked, but water boiling is a great option for canning simpler items.

Ball introduces it’s newest Canning Discovery Kit. This kit is amazing for anyone who wants to learn how to can on a budget. At $10 to $12 you really can’t go wrong, and you get 3 pint-sized Ball Home Canning Jars, with lids and bands, plastic canning rack with lifter, and a step-by-step beginner’s guide to canning and recipe booklet. As long as you have pots, pans, water, and ingredients you’re all set. Not too shabby!

The recipe book that comes with the Ball Home Canning Discovery Kit gives mouth-watering recipes for Dill Pickles, Corn Relish, and more. I’m most excited about trying to make some Blueberry Syrup, but that’s if I ever get enough time to do so.

Check out the Ball Website for more great items here: http://www.freshpreservingstore.com/ and get your Home Canning Discovery Kit at Ball, at Lowe’s, or Walmart. I have yet to see the products on the Lowe’s or Walmart online and noticed it’s back ordered with Ball but you can be emailed through the Ball website.

Have you ever tried canning? What are your memories or experiences with canning?

Ball Home Canning is giving away a Discovery Kit to one lucky MommyB reader.

Here’s how to win: Using the entry form directly below this paragraph (NOT the comment form), submit your name, an email address that you check regularly, and the entryentries you are submitting. *Please note the Mandatory Entry MUST be completed before you can qualify for additional entries.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Giveaway ends July 27th @12:00 am. The winner will be chosen at random, verified, emailed, and announced in a Winner’s post. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email from MommyB to claim the prize, if the prize is not claimed within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen at random. You must be a US resident and 18 years or older to enter.

In attendance will be several other local bloggers, retailers, consumers, and local press. The event also features Chef Keith Snow of PBS’ “Harvest Eating.” Chef Snow is a Carolina resident and touts wholesome eating. I’m very excited to meet him and learn some mommy tricks to bring back home to my family and yours. Check out his other site http://www.thoughtfulharvest.com/ as well.

I’ll be posting all about my fun luncheon today very soon. I just hope Baby C is good for daddy while I’m gone.

With summer upon us, we’re all looking for a refreshingly cool drink. Chilly Twist is the company to give it to us. Chilly Twist is a 16-ounce plastic cup with a freezer-safe coolant bottom. It’s like having an icepack in your drink, but a little more sanitary.
For those of you who are concerned with being eco-friendly, Chilly Twist is BPA and lead free and good for the environment as long as you wash and reuse the cups for several occasions.
The cups come in a variety of cup and base colors and combinations. One fun thing about this product is that you can mix and match when purchasing. Once you get them home you can make all sorts of combinations — fun for the kids and easy to remember which cup belongs to which drinker.
Chilly Twist is better than ice because it doesn’t water down your drink, and better than those freezable mugs because they often take up too much space in your freezer. The Chilly Twist base screws apart from the cup for ease in cleaning, storing, and freezing.
I did find that Chilly Twist worked better at keeping drinks cool rather than cooling room temperature drinks. This makes sense, but when reading their site one could mistake their “drinks stay colder longer (24 degrees is possible)” claim for saying that it would cool drinks that weren’t already cold to that temperature.

Here are a few tips on making your Chilly Twist work better for you: Place the base in the back of your freezer for optimum freezing. Freeze your base for 12 to 24 hours; the longer you freeze it, the better the job it does. Do not place your Chilly Twist base in the dishwasher; hand wash only.
Overall the Chilly Twist is a good alternative to ice, but I would say it works about the same. So, if you hate watered down drinks or buying/making ice for beverages, this is a great, reusable alternative.

Article first published as Product Review: Chilly Twist Cup on Blogcritics.

Chilly Twist is great for tail gaiting and the beach this summer, what’s your favorite summertime beverage?

I’m not a huge fan of black licorice but Panda makes a bunch of great flavors of licorice and better yet, it’s all natural! Panda licorice contains no preservatives, no artificial colors and no artificial flavors. Panda Licorice is a simple, natural, guilt-free way to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Panda offers several great flavors of their soft licorice including Original (the black kind), Cherry, Raspberry, Herb with 18 herb extracts, and Cremes in Carmel, Banana, and Strawberry flavors.I had the opportunity to taste the Cherry and Raspberry flavors. I enjoyed the consistency of the chew. My favorite part about the boxes and bags is that the pieces of licorice come pre-cut so they’re the perfect size to pop into your mouth.

Both the Cherry and Raspberry flavors are made from the actual fruit puree, which I love. Now, if you’re looking for something super sweet like most commercial licorices you will not find that same sweetness, however I thoroughly enjoyed the taste of both flavors and could tell that it was not only yummy but good for me.

My favorite part of the licorice chews are that Little Miss A likes them and I don’t feel guilty giving her sticky too sweet candy with hydrogenated oils and corn syrups and when she asks for more I’m okay with giving her another piece. She also enjoys the taste, just like her momma.

Most people know that licorice in general is a low fat snack and Panda offers their bars at only 100 calories, if you’re counting. Plus, if you’re on a vegitarian, vegan, Kosher, or Halal diet Panda Licorice (not including the Cremes, filled with skim milk powder), work for you as well! How accommodating.

Want to try some yummy, all natural licorice of your own? Think Panda and check out their website here: http://internaturalfoods.com/panda/panda.html

Panda is also giving one lucky MommyB Knows Best  reader this beautiful gift basket:

Here’s how to win: Using the entry form directly below this post (NOT the comment form), submit your name, an email address that you check regularly, and the entry you are submitting. *Please note the Mandatory Entry MUST be completed before you can qualify for additional entries.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Giveaway ends June 9th @12:00 am. The winner will be chosen at random, verified, emailed, and announced in a Winner’s post. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email from MommyB to claim the prize, if the prize is not claimed within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen at random. You must be a US resident and 18 years or older to enter.