cbias – Page 19 – Nifty Mom

Potty Training Tips – High Fives & Pull-Ups #HuggiesWalmart

My two older sons are 2 & 3 and are only 14 months apart in age. My two year old always wants to be like his big brother, do everything he does and follow his lead. My oldest has been pretty much potty-trained for awhile now and last week it was clear Chase wanted to be as well. One morning as Ethan got a new pair of underwear, Chase also got one, handed it to me and said he wanted to wear them too and be a ‘big boy like Ethan’. Throughout the day, he showed more signs of his readiness and eagerness to start his potty training journey. He would tell me when he wet his diaper and asked to sit on the potty a few times. I say it’s time for some training pants!

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How I Enjoy Restaurant-Style Salads at Home with Lean Cuisine #BYOL

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably know from my profile that ‘I am probably craving a salad right now.’ I enjoy them so much I could literally eat a salad for every meal. However, just because I am craving one doesn’t mean I get a chance to indulge in one daily. During meal time, I tend to only focus on my kids (3, 2 & almost 1). By the time I get their lunch prepared, food on the table and start to feed my 11 month old, I realize I forgot about myself. Most days I end up just grabbing some (unhealthy) snack foods and more days than not, I really don’t eat lunch.

My goal lately has been to stop skipping meals and start eating healthier. I would love to have a salad everyday, but I have to find something that is quick and easy to make. When I was making a late night run to Walmart last week, I may have found my match made in heaven.

Promoting Good Health this Holiday Season with Colgate for Children #HolidaySmiles

My two and three year old both love SpongeBob SquarePants. If something has SpongeBob on it, they got to have it, no matter what it is. When my two year old doesn’t want to put his pajamas on, all I have to say is “I have your SpongeBob pajamas” and his attitude changes and he’s get excited to put them on. The same works for brushing his teeth. If he gets to use a fun cute toothbrush, he will ask to brush his teeth throughout the day. I can’t go wrong there! This is something I keep in mind when I am buying gifts and necessities for the little ones.

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ on VUDU Viewing Party #SpiderManWMT

Last month, you may remember when I pre-purchased ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ at Walmart. The best part about the pre-purchase was having access to a digital copy of the movie over a week before the DVD release date (11/9). Our family is a huge fan of Spider-Man. My sons are always singing the Spider-Man song and asking to watch the cartoons. We didn’t get a chance to watch it at the theater, so we were excited to be able to watch it before the release date. Since we gained access to our digital copy on October 30th, we decided to throw a Spider-Man Party to watch the new movie and enjoy time with family and friends. I headed to Walmart to pick up some party supplies, food and a Marketside Pizza.
First we need a pizza and we picked out a Marketside 16″ Ultimate Meat pizza with Spider-Man on the box. Walmart is definitely gearing up for the Spider-Man release. They are releasing The Amazing Spider-Man themed Augmented RealityApp with trigger points that will be on the pizza box & throughout Walmart on displays.

I found a lot of Spider-Man themed party supplies, toys, and apparel throughout the whole store. There was so many different items, I had a hard time picking out just a few.

All parties need ‘goodie bags’ for the little ones and this was no exception. I put Spider-Man masks, stickers, fruit snacks, and candies a cup for each of the kids. Since I love decorating cakes, of course I had to make a Spider-Man cake and cupcakes that I displayed on a spiderweb cake stand.

After icing the cakes with red icing, I used melted chocolate to complete it and add the Spider-Man effect. To do this just melt some chocolate and put it in a sandwich bag (my homemade cake decorating bag). Then snip a very small corner off the bottom and squeeze it out onto wax paper into spiderweb shapes. When they are all done, put it into the freeze to harden for about 20 minutes. They easily peel off to put on top of the cupcakes. For the cake, I also used melted chocolate to create the eyes. Just pipe the dark chocolate first and after it starts to firm up, fill it in with melted white chocolate.

The kids played with stickers, masks, and threw ‘spiders’ at a spiderweb on the wall. We watched ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ on VUDU and it was amazing. It was over 2 hours though, a little long to watch with kids running around.

After the movie, it was a great night to hang out by the fire and enjoy the evening. Spider-Man made a guest appearance ;)

For the latest news and updates for ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’, make sure to stay connected and follow them on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, and visit the website. Did you pre-purchase it yet? You still can to get the access to the digital copy!

“I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions expressed are 100% mine.”

Snacking Healthier with Del Monte’s New Fruit Cups #SmartSnack

When it comes to snack time in my house, my kids typically want cookies. I am trying to give them healthier snacks and avoid the cookies as much as possible. How great would it be if they were asking for fruits, not cookies every day? However, I have yet to find that perfect fruit snack that they crave and ask for. I wanted to find something new not only for my sons to enjoy, but also that I would like. I tend to skip meals sometimes, because I easily lose track of time trying to get other things done around the house. When I need a quick snack, junk food is always at hand and I end up with regret after I eat it. In search for that perfect snack food for the family, I headed to Walmart.

While shopping, I was excited to find some new flavors of Del Monte fruit cups: Diced Apples & Pears with Caramel flavor and Diced Pears with Vanilla & Spice. Not only did they look delicious, but they just sound like they would be full of flavor. I purchased a few to give them a try. When I pulled them out for snack time, my sons were very interested.

We first tried the Diced Apples and Pears with Caramel flavor. Caramel is my favorite flavor and it definitely gives the fruit cups a sweet addition. There is just a hint of caramel so it is not overwhelming. Both my sons loved them. My three year old wanted more when he finished his cup. My two year old managed to drink all the juice out of the cup after he was finished. Almost the whole time he was eating, he was saying, “mmm, yummy” repeatedly. The small size of each fruit piece was perfect for the little ones. The Diced Pears with Vanilla & Spice was also just as delightful and flavorful. The cinnamon spice gives it an extra kick of flavor with each bite. They are easy and convenient for the kids and myself.

I am proud to say, the same day they first tried the fruit cups, they asked for them that evening! Healthier snacks: Total Success!

How healthy are Del Monte’s new fruit cups?

Each fruit cup has a full serving of fruit and just 60 calories. Unlike a lot of other fruit products I have purchased in the past, they have no high fructose corn syrup. They are in a extra light syrup and are gluten free.

With their convenient size and packaging, I have added two cups to my ‘ready-to-go’ tote/diaper bag. When we are out running errands or on play-dates, I will always have a healthy snack on hand.

I can’t wait to try more flavors. I think I may try the Diced Peaches in light syrup with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar next time.

Be sure to check out my Google+ photo album for my full shopping trip and experience. For the latest updates and snacks visit Del Monte, follow @DelMonteFoods on Twitter, and become a fan on Facebook.

“I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Del Monte #CBias #SocialFabric. All Opinions expressed are 100% mine.”

Pre-Purchase The Amazing Spider-Man Movie & Get an Early Digital Copy #SpiderManWMT

At least once a day, you can catch my three year old singing “Spider-Man. SPIDER-MAN. SPIDER-MAN!” I really have no clue where it came from, but one day, him and his two year old brother decided they were huge Spider-Man fans. I don’t mind at all. I myself am a fan of Spider-Man and my husband has been anxiously waiting to see ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ movie since we never had a chance to see it to the theaters. The movie’s DVD release date is November 9th. However, I just learned not only can you pre-purchase it now at Walmart, it also comes with access to an UltraViolet digital version that can be viewed on October 30th!

Reasons why to pre-purchase ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ at Walmart:

It’s an awesome price just under $25 for the Blu-Ray combo, or $18 for the DVD combo
Get access to bonus featurettes (deleted scenes and stunt rehearsals) immediately.
View the movie over a week before the release date starting October 30th on VUDU.
If you are new to VUDU, when you register you get a FREE movie.
You don’t have to rush to the store on November 9th. The movie will be mailed to you.

This past weekend I headed to Walmart to pick up the pre-purchase box of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’. When I got back to the electronic section, I easily spotted the pre-purchase boxes with the new releases.

For only $24.96, I got the pre-purchase of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Exclusive Blu-Ray + DVD Movie Gift Set which includes the Blu-Ray + DVD + UltraViolet Combo Pack and a Bonus DVD & Limited Edition Mask DVD Case.

Family Night with the Newly Released Avengers Movie #MarvelAvengersWMT

When a hit movie is about to be released on DVD, my husband is normally anxiously waiting to purchase it on that day. Not only is he a huge movie fan, he is also a Marvel fan. When the Avengers movie was in the theaters, we never got a chance to go see it because we rarely get time for a ‘date night’ having three little ones. This past Tuesday, the Avengers was released and at my husband’s disappointment, we had to wait until Wednesday to go purchase it. We decided to take the kids and headed to Walmart because not only do they have an exclusive Avengers Blu-Ray/DVD/Graphic Novel Combo Pack for only $24.96, they also have an Avengers Augmented Reality App that we were looking forward to using.

We downloaded the app on our Android phones and tablet via the Google Play Store for free. When we got to Walmart, we looked for special trigger points to activate the app and unlock quiz questions and 3D characters. We first headed to the Deli section to get a MarketSide Pizza for our family movie night and there was a trigger point to start the ‘Which Avengers Are You’ Quiz.

Specially marked pizzas can also be activated for a 3D action scene in a city (I’ll get back to that later). We picked out a huge 16″ cheese pizza for under $10 which I think is a great deal and plenty of pizza us.

After we picked up some stuff to make a salad and a few other grocery items we made our way to the electronics section. There was Avengers everywhere: Playing the display TVs, lots of different movies available, and another trigger point on the movie display. This one lets you take a picture with the Avengers as they appear to be in the store with you. Our two year old was trying to get next to the Hulk.

We almost didn’t get the DVD because they were all out the that display. But we finally found one after walking around for awhile. As we were getting a few other things we needed, we tried to find more trigger points, but we had no such luck. We found some Avengers toys and apparel, but after almost two hours, we were ready to call it a night.

My little guy really wanted to take his new friend Captain America home. He’s so cute, isn’t he?!

Last night we were ready for pizza and a movie!

First, we played with the app some more with the pizza box and the DVD. My sons really enjoyed it. They thought it was funny, but kept looking for the city to really appear on the boxes. We could have played with it for hours, I am sure. It is pretty neat with sound effects and complete animation.

My sons love pizza night. My husband has been getting our sons all pumped up about superheroes and the Avengers so they were pretty excited. It is a fairly long movie, so the kids watched the beginning with us while they played with some new hot wheels and colored. The DVD combo we got included an exclusive graphic novel, which I read to the kids for a little bit and then they were arguing over it because they each wanted to have it. It got added to their collection of books for future use and to ensure it would not get ripped up.

After the kids all went to bed, we finish the Avengers and as expected, we love it. Check out my Google+ album to view my full Avengers adventure and shopping trip.

Stay connected with Marvel for the latest and greatest updates by following @Marvel on Twitter, becoming their fan on Facebook, visit their website, and be on the lookout for the hashtag #MarvelAvengersWMT. Check with your local Walmart for Avengers Character Appearances in select Walmart stores on Saturday, September 29, 2012.

“I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Marvel. #MarvelAvengersWMT #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions expressed are 100% mine.”

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How healthy are Del Monte’s new fruit cups?