Kid Tested, Mother Approved

Watkins Giveaway

2009-06-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

While your over entering the giveaway at Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls for the Healthy Chef also check out her other give-aways including one that I would love a $25 Gift certificate for Watkins products!

Dried Bananas

2009-06-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

My little guy loves bananas but sometimes it is a major pain trying to always half fresh bananas on hand, so I tried drying some for him and he loves them! As a little experiment I tried using bananas in 3 different stages of ripeness and got some interesting results.

just slightly green = drying time aprox 6 hours, average browning, crunchy
average ripe banana = drying time aprox 18 hours, high browning, chewy
very ripe banana = drying time 24+ hours, very little browning, chewy

I really thought the difference in drying time and browning amounts was amazing- I never would have thought that the ripest bananas would brown the least. The taste is all pretty similar but for kids the ripe bananas are probably a little better because they are more chewy.

My dehydrator is an old one we got at a garage sale so results on a newer model might be different. I would love to have the Healthy Chef 4 in one dehydrator/steamer/rice cooker/yogurt maker by Lexan Products. Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls is having a giveaway on her blog for one right now that I would love to win - If your in to dehydrating this one is really worth checking out!

Scentsy Giveaway!

2009-04-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

Have I told you how much I love scentsy? I can't tell you how many times I used to leave the house and worry if I remembered to blow out the candles but Scentsy solved that problem for me- If you are familiar with the product you know what I am talking about! Check out this great give-oh-way for a warmer and a bar of your choice at the SPANGLERS blog!

$20 Giftcard Giveaway

2009-04-01T19:44:00.001-07:00

That's right everyone I am giving away a $20 Gift Card to the store of your choice (as long as I can purchase it locally or online) There is however one little catch.... I entered a contest for the "messiest" craft room and I need your vote to win!! And If I do win I'll even give away two more gift certificate each for $10!!

For details on how to enter my give-oh-way check out my scrapbook blog Audra's Little Scraps

If you just love me and want to vote you can do so Once a Day per Computer until April 22nd at The Original Scrap Box . I am #11 (I have a blue tote in the left hand picture and a stereo speaker and stacked spools of ribbon in the right hand picture) It is really easy - You don't have to register or anything just click on the check mark next to my pictures.

So go vote on your computer- your husbands computer- your laptop- anywhere you can!!!

GIVEAWAYS GALORE!

2009-02-25T10:43:00.000-08:00

I as you know have been busy catching all the Giveaways for Love of Learning month and I can't believe that I almost missed this great mega-giveaway at Mormon Mommy Blogs- They have not just one- not two but SEVERAL items that they are giving away including my personal favorite Scentsy items! You won't want to miss this one but hurry it ends soon!!!

Today's Giveaway

2009-02-25T07:51:00.000-08:00

Love of Learning month is almost over but you still have a few chances left to win- Be sure to check out todays give-oh-way at Mom Generations!

Today's Giveaway

2009-02-22T15:39:00.000-08:00

Love of Learning Month is almost over- only 6 more day's of Giveaways to enter! Check out today's learning tower giveaway by A Cowboy's Wife over at My Wooden Spoon.

The giveaways keep coming!

2009-02-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

Here's another Learning Tower giveaway for you all to check out at
From Date's to Diapers and Beyond

FYI As for us we're still in diaper stage looking forward to the beyond.....

More Give-oh-ways! to check out

2009-02-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

You knew it was coming another great learning tower giveaway for you all to check out at Mamanista!

Also be sure to check out another great giveaway for a Protect-a-bed cover!

Learning Tower Giveaway!

2009-02-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

I soooo want to win one of these! It's just not in the budget to buy one right now so my repeated entries into all these contests are my only hope lol!!!! The fun part too is that I am finding some cool new blogs to add to my reading list! Here's another learning tower giveaway and blog for you to check out!!!

Learning Tower

2009-02-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting one of these for my little guy for awhile now... The Learning Tower is so AWEsome! It lets your child get right up to the counter or table and involved in the action all while keeping them safe and secure from falls! You can check out the Learning Tower at Little Partners then go right over to Love of Learning Month and enter the giveaways!

Another Learning Tower Giveaway!!

2009-02-09T10:37:00.001-08:00

That's right you heard me- There is another learning tower giveaway!!!! Check it out at

http://www.chicshopperchick.com!!!!

1200 Free Digital Prints & 20pg photobook for $6.99 w/Free Shipping

2008-12-09T08:11:00.001-08:00

Have you heard about Artscow.com yet? It is an AWESOME printing service for not only for photo prints but scrapbooks as well- I have several fun projects for Christmas but I can't tell you the specifics just in case the lucky recipient is reading this.

Right now they are offering 1200 free prints and a $6.99 20 pg photobook with FREE shipping and some other fun FREE ITEMS just for signing up with them- Their photobooks are so easy to do you just upload pictures from your computer drag and drop them on the pages and tada- an AWESOME gift or memory book to keep!

Plus they give you additional freebies for every $15 you spend (including your shipping costs) you can sign up at artscow.com and start ordering great Christmas presents!

Also if anyone is interested I have a couple of coupons from them for an 8x8, 20 pg photo book for just 11.99 with FREE SHIPPING- I don't have many so if your interested (and serious about using it) just e-mail me at audrajjensen@msn.com

Nativities for the Whole Family

2008-11-04T07:36:00.000-08:00

The weather is getting colder... Can you believe there is only 51 days until Christmas! I love pulling out the Holiday decorations especially the nativities. My very favorite nativity is from Fisher Price- It is part of the Little People series- Perfect for little fingers to play with. - It does however definitely look like a toy.

This beautiful wood nativity I just found out about from Leaps and Bound is not only kid safe but isn't so toyish in appearance. Right now Pauline over at Berrie Sweet Picks is giving away one of these great nativities- but hurry contest ends on the 8th!

Bloggy Giveaway Time

2008-10-27T10:05:00.001-07:00

Every three months Bloggy Giveaways hosts a huge giveaway with over 1000 different AWESOME prizes You can check out the full giveaway list HERE or check out my personal faves below: BE SURE TO KEEP CHECKING BACK - I will continue to add to this list over the next week!!!

STORY TIME FELTS I was really excited to find this giveaway- I bought some of these stories at a garage sale and always wondered where to buy them and now I know. Be sure to check out this great giveaway at Katydidandkid AND at Mustard Seeds

WIGGLE GIGGLE LEARN Educational CD What an amazing product. Learning activities and games for children 1-5 years old.

These activities are designed to target 10 goals parents have for their children 1. Be in good health 2. Be happy 3. Have positive self-esteem 4. Have a love of learning 5. Become independent 6. Become responsible 7. Have opportunity 8. Have time with mom and dad 9. Succeed in school and life 10. Have many friends

I have really been looking for a product to help my little guy get a head start on his education and I think that this is exactly what I've been looking for!
You can enter to win @ Frugal Mommy of 2 girls but just to warn you I plan on winning this one for sure!!

SCRIBBLE IT VINYL WALL ART Too many cute options to choose from and at great prices. My personal favorites are the Family names with the established dates and the monograms.
Enter to win @ Everything Up Close

$25 BPGAS CARD - and now that gas prices are actually dropping that will get you even a little farther. You can enter to win at Wisconsin Mommy

FABKINS (FABulous napKINS)- Not just cute but sooo usefull too. Check em' out at MomMostTraveled
(be sure to check out the African Safari style!)

ALL POPART.COM PORTRAIT- What fun for your kids room!
at Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls
also check out the coupons on her sidebar!

$30 PAYPAL CASH!!- You know you want it!!!
at Sandier Pastures (desert living, Dubai style)

POTTERY APPLE BAKERS: My mouth is watering just thinking about them! at LANEY POTTERY
Be sure to visit LaneyPottery.com to see the Pottery Apple Bakers for yourself.

TUPPERWARE: You Gotta love It!
at My Parenting Ideas Perfect for those Holiday Jello's!!!

V-Tech Laptops for Kids

2008-10-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

Megan of meganblethenphotography sent me and e-mail about a toy her kids love the V-Tech laptops for kids.

"My kids are very easy and hard to please at the same time. Sometimes a paper plate will do the trick and other times only a specific train or car toy! But without fail my kids love legos and Mega Blocks! I actually love them too. Yes they are a big mess to clean up, but my oldest son (he'll be 4 in October) has developed quite an imagination in the last year and it interesting to see the things he comes up with! So I love Legos!:)

Another toy my kids love are their laptops. We have the V-tech age 3-5(I think) and my oldest son will sit and use it for hours. It teaches reading, letters, math, etc. He gets really into it. I think it's great for him. When he accomplishes something it makes him excited. "

I don't know about your kids but my little guy loves the computer- It may come from all the time he watches mom typing away but any time he gets close he tries to pound away at the keys and goes crazy with the mouse. When he was six months old in an effort to 'distract' him from my computer I brought him his very own V-Tech laptop - the infant version and although it didn't completely distract him from my computer he did love pounding on the keys and watching the lights flash.

Chistmas is coming....

2008-10-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

That's right folks, you heard me Christmas is right around the corner! I am what some might call a picture taking fanatic so when I heard about this cool store Photoworks I was so excited!! They have an awesome selection of Photo products and all at very reasonable prices. My favorite is this cute little brag book for your purse- I bet the grandma's would just love one!!!

Right now they are giving away a $50 gift certificate to Photoworks over at This Full House (another fun site) so get yourself over there and enter soon- There contest ends early Tue morning (oct 7th).

Tupperware- You gotta love it!

2008-09-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

My first thought when I hear the word Tupperware is the green set my mother has had forever... all little outdated but virtually indestructible! It has always amazed me the cool kitchen solutions that Tupperware has.

When I was a kid on vacation with my grandma she always brought what we called the carrot elevator (Pick-a-deli at left) full of tasty carrots or celery.

Tupperware has all sorts of cool kitchen contraptions including great lunch sets for kids- like this Playhouse Disney set that I adore. To grab your favorite tupperware items you ca visit Leslie over at You Just Gotta Laugh. It's Tupperware- YOU GOTTA LOVE IT!

Doodle's Place- A Fun New Website

2008-08-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

Always on the lookout for cute new stationary I found a wonderful new company today! Sugar Lump Stationary has the cutest note cards- not only can you actually customize them- you can send them a photograph and they will do a doodle just for you for your cards. I am thinking they would make awesome Christmas Cards.

I found these cute cards at another fun site Doodles' Place- be sure to check out Mandi's posts on Children's activities and some tasty looking recipes.

Welches Dried Fruit Snacks

2008-07-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it but I almost missed stumbling across this tasty little treat! My little nephew who is three loves these- one day he was kind enough to share and boy are they tasty. They are bite size which makes them great for kids and not over sugary like some dried fruit.

I just gave some to my little one year old today and he gobbled them right down- they don't dissolve quickly so it's best your child is fairly good at chewing food before you give them these (they are little enough however they won't choke a child if swallowed whole)

In our store they are hidden in with the fruit snacks and not the other dried fruit so you may have to do a little looking to find them. - Welch's website has a tasty looking recipe for the Berry Medley variety (Berry Sensational Salad) that I can't wait to try you can check it out here.

Keeping It Clean When Baking/Cooking

2008-06-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

I love to bake but sometimes it seems like even the simplest recipes leave my kitchen looking like a mini twister came for a visit. Here are a few tips that I have found help cut down on clean up time.

Peeling Vegetables/Cutting Fruit- Spread butcher paper or old newspapers on the counter. You can peel vegetables right on to the paper or set it next to the cutting board to slide the rinds from fruit on to. When your done you can easily throw the whole mess away.

Baking Cookies/Rolls- Line the bottom of the pan with tin foil- Clean up is a breeze! This also works well when you are making multiple batches of cookies with only a few pans. As the first batches are baking- place dough on pre cut sheets of tin foil- when the first batches are done you can easily slide off the tin foil with the baked cookies, placing in on the counter to cool- and quickly replace with the second batch of cookies to bake.

Mixing Bowls, Utensils, Measuring Cups & Spoons- When someone shared this tip with me it seemed like such a no brainer that I couldn't believe I wasn't doing it already- When you are baking/cooking keep a sink of soapy water full- Just taking an extra second or two to rinse of the bowls and utensils you use then putting them to soak can save so much time scrubbing off dried food later.

Cooking Spray- Cooking spray is a handy thing to have on hand- If you spray a little in a Tupperware container before you store tomato based foods your Tupperware wont stain. You can spray it on your hands before you knead dough or roll cookies to help food from sticking to your hands. It also works great to spray a little on a measuring cup or spoon before measuring things like peanut butter- or syrups. You can even spray it on your grill to help foods keep from sticking to it!

What kitchen tips do you have?

Drop & Roar Dinosaur by Fisher Price

2008-06-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

Although the product had a suggested age range of 6 mo- 3 years we thought it might be a bit old for our little guy (10 months). We were happily surprised however when it quickly caught his attention when we turned it on and started sending the roll-a-round balls down the chutes.

It only took a couple of times showing him what to do before he had the lights flashing and the balls moving- He is still figuring out the concept between where you put them in and where they come out- but he definitely knows how to make the music and lights come on! I can easily see this being a toy that he continues to enjoy for several years.

To see this fun toy in action you can visit this interactive DEMO.

The Drop & Roar Dinosaur is available at Toys R' Us, Wal-Mart, Target and most larger retail stores. They are a popular item and not always in stock so you might also try E-Bay and Amazon.

Drop & Roar Dinosaur by Fisher Price Review

Wupzey High Chair Food Catcher

2008-05-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

What a great product! Think of all the time you could save not having to sweep up after you feed your little one! The Wupzey comes in lots of great styles you can check them out HERE.

PEEK-A-BOO Bag

2008-05-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

PEEK-A-BOO Bags

As a child I had a pop bottle filled with rice with things like a saftey pin, coins, small toys, etc. The peek-a-boo bag by Peek-a-Boo Stuff is just like that but better. Its a soft bag so it's easier to carry with you - not to mention the items that are in it for the child to look for are so much fun! They have a bag for boys, girls, and an alphabet bag.

If you are crafty you can also get the supplies to make one of these bags at most fabric stores- it is on my list of things to attempt so I will keep you posted on how that goes!

Travel with Children- Fun Family Blog

2008-05-12T07:45:00.000-07:00

KIPIIS BIB CLIP

I just found a great website with all sorts of great ideas for travelling with kids. Visit her at winnermama The author has a 2 year old and a 8 month old and LOTS of great tips in her recent posts. She also has some fun giveaways on her blog for kids- a recent one was this great clip that makes any napkin into an instant bib. Be sure to check out the product site Kipiis.

Parmesan Chicken Dinner

2008-03-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

If your looking for a quick, easy dinner that your family will love this is a great one to try. Grill enough Chicken Breasts for your family and cut it into strips. Steam your favorite Veggie and add some Rice (brown rice adds a nice flavor to the dish) and top with Homemade Parmesan Cream Sauce.

To Make Homemade Parmesan Cream Sauce.
Whisk together 3/4 cup flour with 1 cup milk. Add. pinch of nutmeg, 1/4 tsp onion powder, salt & pepper (to your desired taste). When well blended with no lumps add 2 more cups milk and cook over MEDIUM heat, stirring constantly, until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and quickly stir in 2 TBSP butter and 1 Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese.

This is one of my favorites sauces and so easy to make. It is great on so many things. Another great more "grown up" recipe with a similar sauce is Brown Butter Gnocchi with Mushrooms in Parmesan Sauce you can find HERE at Kraft foods (the sauce is slightly blander and in my opinion not as good) but it is great with the Gnocchi and Mushrooms.

Clorox Wipes "To Go"

2008-03-05T13:41:00.000-08:00

Maybe I am just germ-aphobic but I love Clorox's Disinfectant Wipes in the "To Go" pack. These are an absolute must have for me. The little pack fits conveniently in your purse or diaper bag and is always there to conquer those "not so clean" surfaces when you are out and about. My personal favorite uses are shopping cart handles, and restaurant booster seats and high chairs. They are especially great on restaurant tables so that you don't have to cringe when your child drops food off his plate on the table then eats it.

Chocolate Chip Bananna Bread

2008-02-28T17:09:00.000-08:00

Easy to make & even better to eat. Great use for those bananas that are starting to get old that no one wants to eat.

Cream 1 Stick Margarine and 1 Cup Sugar add 2 eggs and blend until creamy. Next stir in 1 tsp baking soda, 1 pinch salt, 1 pinch cinnamon, 1 pinch nutmeg. When everything is well blended add 1 cup banana and 2 cups flour.

Stir in Chocolate Chips (milk chocolate or semi-sweet) I usually use about 1 cup but you can use more or less. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes clean. Makes 1 loaf.

Rainforest Highchair Spinner by Fisher Price

2008-02-27T18:36:00.000-08:00

Product Rating A-

I love putting my little guy in the highchair while I get stuff done but started getting SO tired of picking up his toys off of the floor over and over again. When I saw this in Walmart I had to get it. Unlike other highchair suction toys I have tried it actually stays on for awhile before he finaly manages to pull it of and send it sailing. Both the animals and the part they are attached to spin. The animals also make different "rattle" noises when spun. Lots of fun- but like all highchair toys eventually this too will fall.

Shout Ultra Gel Stain Remover

2008-02-22T20:53:00.000-08:00

Product Rating: A

AJ, Mom to 6mo old boy

I was given this as a gift at my baby shower and can't live without it now! I wish that I had found it even before I had kids. It has worked great on every stain I have tried it on including, baby food, grass, blood, and the one I hate the most GREASE! It even works on set in stains. It is truly a must have for every laundry room!

Rainforest Jumperoo by Fisher Price

2008-02-21T12:20:00.000-08:00

Product Rating A+
AJ, Mom to 6mo old boy

My little guy got this for Christmas from Grandma (purchased at Target) and absolutly loves it. There is a good variety of toys for him to play with and the seat spins easily so that he can turn to reach something new. I love that it can keep his attention form more than 5 minutes! The base is fairly large but it easily folds up so that it can move through doorways. He is on the shortside so at first we did have to fold up a towel under him so he could reach the floor, but now that he's reached 25" it's fine without it.