Test Drive BabyBjorn...and Enter to Win!

As any mother knows BabyBjorn is a name brand you have learned to trust. When I think of the name I usually envision carriers. If you are a new mom or looking for a new carrier BabyBjorn has a new opportunity to test drive their new comfort carrier.

BabyBjorn’s “Feel the Comfort” promotion.

Starting July 1, 2010 through August 13, 2010 you can test drive the new BABYBJÖRN Comfort Carrier — designed to allow parents to wear larger babies longer and more comfortably — and enter to win a BABYBJÖRN Babysitter Balance ($169.95) or a BABYBJÖRN Soft Bib ($9.95) at a local retailer. Visit http://www.babyswede.com/feelthecomfort for more information and a list of participating stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. The following stores in or near your area are participating:

New Baby Products
2200 Cheshire Bridge Rd
Atlanta, GA 30324
(404) 321-3874

PLUS for all of you new moms I am giving away a BABYBJÖRN Plate and Spoon. This dish set has a unique design to promote self feeding. Also, it is dishwasher-safe and can be heated in the microwave to a maximum of 90°C/194°F and is a Safe plastic product, free from BPA!

Here is How to Enter:

MAIN ENTRY: For your main entry, leave a comment with your favorite BabyBjorn product and Follow Atlanta Mothers Guide

Extra Credit Entries: (must do main entry first- post a separate comment for each extra credit entry)

* Follow me and BabyBjorn on Twitter
* Tweet about this giveaway using #AtlMomGuide and @BabyBjorn (good for one entry per day)
* Fan/Like Atlanta Mothers Guide and BabyBjorn on Facebook

Giveaway end at MIDNIGHT EST on 7/27/2010

BabyBjorn provided me with a plate and spoon set to review. As always the opinions are my own.

Roger Mooking, Free Ice Cream, and Curried Mac and Cheese OH MY!

This week I had the pleasure of speaking with father and chef Roger Mooking, host of Everyday Exotic on the Cooking Channel about family food, cooking, and music. Roger currently lives in Canada with his wife and 2 daughters ages 2 and 3. When I asked Roger which recipes were a hit at his house he said that pretty much all the recipes he has on the show and in his restaurant start at home. I can imagine 2 toddlers would be pretty tuff critics! Roger’s cooking mantra is pretty simple. He believes that like most things in life you will sometimes find yourself in a cooking rut. Every week you are making the same food which makes dinner time boring and cooking more like a chore then fun. Roger suggested that even if you don’t want to try a whole new recipe how about just trying a new spin on an old one! He also said that the way he gets his girls to try new things is to introduce them to one new ingredient a week.


I felt pretty proud of myself when I got to tell him about my adventures cooking I have been doing lately. However my adventures in the kitchen have not been ending to well! So I decided to take Rogers advice and try a new spin on a family favorite…Mac and Cheese. I found Rogers recipe for Curried Mac and Cheese online and even though I don’t really like curry I decided to give it a shot!

So far so good...

I got to use flour...I NEVER use flour!

I am a PRO at boiling water!

THIS was my proudest moment! I made a Roux...AND a cream sauce!!!

Before oven...

After Oven!

and don't skip on the asparagus because they were YUMMY!

However

Unfortunately it was not a hit at my house but the kids did eat it and at least I tried right?! Also, with Rogers reassurance I did make a couple changes like adding red peppers and using less noodles.

It was such a joy to get cooking tips from an expert chef! The good news is you can meet him too!

The Cooking Channel truck will be giving out free ice cream from local favorite Jake's Ice Cream )www.jakesicecream.com) at East Lake Farmers Market on Saturday, 7/17 from 9am-1pm. The market is located at Hosea Williams Dr & 2nd Avenue SE. Roger Mooking will be making an appearance to help serve ice cream there from 11am-1pm.

Also, here are some more tips from Roger…Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: TWISTER!

Thomasville Heights Elementary School Gets a NEW TOY Thanks to a HUGE KaBOOM!

When I think of KaBOOM I usually think of something like…

or

But not…

KaBOOM! is a national non-profit

dedicated to saving play for America's children.

Our mission is to create great playspaces through the participation and leadership of communities. Ultimately, we envision a place to play within walking distance of every child in America.

And they are coming to Atlanta! With the help of Forester’s, other HUGE companies, and people like YOU KaBOOM! Is going to give Thomasville Heights Elementary School, located in the Thomasville Heights community in southeast Atlanta something they have never had…a place for the kids to play! The build will take place in early September. Volunteers are welcome to join the effort, and we will have details soon about how families in the area can participate. So stay tuned!

In the meantime you CAN visit www.parents.com/playground or http://playspacefinder.kaboom.org between June 7 and August 20, 2010 and nominate YOUR local playground for the Imagination Playground in a Box giveaway!

What was your favorite part of the playground as a child???

Pop Weaver NEW Healthier Popcorn GIVEAWAY

Popcorn has always been my go to snack. You will rarely find chips in my cupboards but they ALWAYS have popcorn! I never really thought about the health benefits/risks of different types of popcorn until Pop Weaver contacted me about their new product. Pop Weaver has introduced the first microwave popcorn to be made with Canola oil, making it lower in calories, total fat, saturated fat and sodium, but even better tasting. The new product also contains whole grains, antioxidants, and Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9 fatty acids, which help protect against heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.


Now I’m not going to pretend I did a blind taste test or anything but in my opinion it taste just as good if not better than other pop corn products! Pop Weaver is offering their new canola oil popcorn in 3 flavors:

Extra Butter
• Richest buttery flavor
• 260 calories per full bag popped
• 2g saturated fat per full bag popped
• Provides only 10% of the Recommended Daily Value of saturated fat per full bag popped
• 0g trans fat per full bag popped

Butter
• Rich buttery flavor
• Earned the American Heart Association Heart Check Mark
• 230 calories per full bag popped
• 1g saturated fat per full bag popped
• Provides only 5% of the Recommended Daily Value of saturated fat per full bag popped
• 0g trans fat per full bag popped

Light Butter
• Light buttery flavor
• Earned the American Heart Association Heart Check Mark
• 210 calories per full bag popped
• 1g saturated fat per full bag popped
• Provides only 5% of the Recommended Daily Value of saturated fat per full bag popped
• 0g trans fat per full bag popped

You can already find this product in the stores but you can also WIN IT here!

Atlanta Mothers Guide AND Pop Weaver are giving away 2 boxes of popcorn to 2 lucky winners!

Here is how to enter:

MAIN ENTRY: For your main entry, leave a comment with your

favorite popcorn recipe and Follow Atlanta Mothers Guide

Extra Credit Entries: (must do main entry first- post a separate comment for each extra credit entry)

* Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.co/atlmomguide)

* Tweet about this giveaway using #AtlMomGuide (good for one entry per day)

* Fan/Like Atlanta Mothers Guide on Facebook

Giveaway ends Friday July 16th at Midnight EST so HURRY

1 Box o new Pop weaver pop corn was provided to me to review. However as always the oppinions are my own.

Win Tickets to the Bug Out Festival at Fernbank this Sunday!

WHO: The WHOLE Family

WHEN: Sunday, July 18 from noon to 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: Fernbank Museum of Natural History
767 Clifton Road, N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30307
Information: 404.929.6300
Tickets: 404.929.6400
E-Mail: visitor.information@fernbankmuseum.org
WHAT: Bug Out Festival
COST: All Bug Out Festival activities are included with Museum admission and are free for Museum Members. (IMAX® films require a separate ticket.) Museum ticket prices are $13-$15 or free for Museum Members. Value Pass admission, which includes both Museum and IMAX admission are $19-$23 or $8 for Museum Members. Children ages 2 and younger receive free admission on a space-available basis.


Scheduled Activities Include:

Entomology Lab
Noon to 4 p.m., the Naturalist Center
Learn more about insects and other invertebrates through a variety of hands-on activities.

Radio Disney Street Team
12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Great Hall
Enjoy music, games and prizes with our friends from Radio Disney AM 590.

UGA Insect Zoo
12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Great Hall
Hands-on learning with live and preserved insects, scorpions, spiders and more.

Insect Encounters
12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Great Hall
Take an up-close look at insects and other invertebrates with a Fernbank educator.

Bunch o’ Bugs Counting Contest
12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Great Hall
How many bugs does our special container hold? Guess correctly and you might win a great prize.

Spider Web Toss Game and Coloring Corner
12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Great Hall
Try your bug tossing skills and see if you can make it through the web.

Free Ice Cream, courtesy of Bruster’s Real Ice Cream
12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Great Hall (Line closes at 3 p.m.)
Chill out with free ice cream provided by Bruster’s Real Ice Cream (Toco Hills and Decatur locations). While supplies last.

BUZZ Photo Opportunities
1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Museum-wide
Meet BUZZ, Georgia Tech’s iconic mascot. Don’t forget your cameras!

Want to go???

Here is how to enter to win a set of tickets for Sunday’s Bug Out Festival!

MAIN ENTRY: For your main entry, leave a comment and Follow Atlanta Mothers Guide

Extra Credit Entries: (must do main entry first- post a separate comment for each extra credit entry)

* Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/atlmomguide)

* Tweet about this giveaway using #AtlMomGuide (good for one entry per day)

* Fan/Like Atlanta Mothers Guide on Facebook

Contest End at MIDNIGHT on Thursday July 15th

so HURRY

I was not compensated in any way for this post. However Fernbank did provide me with the tickets to giveaway. As always the comments are my own.

Simon Kidgits: Moms & Tots Weekly Program

WHO: Children under 4 and their Parents


WHAT: Moms & Tots Weekly Program for Simon Kidgits
Moms and their little ones are invited to join in for fun games, stories, music and more every Wednesday at Gwinnett Place.

WHEN: Every Wednesday
July 7 – July 28, 2010
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Themed Activities Include…
July 7 – Beach Day / Belk Fashion Show
July 14 – Pirates and Princesses Day
July 21 – Food Around the World
July 28 – Back to School Finale

WHERE: Gwinnett Place
(Upper level Belk wing, in former Waldenbooks space)
2100 Pleasant Hill Rd
Duluth, GA 30096
770.476.5160