Super Cute Cookie Cutters

I saw these cookie cutters are adorable! I always joke about my cookies are never perfect so this would be fitting. I also think they would be a great gag gift yet practical one for that foodie in your life!

Glade Candles Holiday Collection Giveaway!

I love candles. I love the light and the fragrance. I love the ambiance. But I don't like the prices of the fancy candles or what is worse, when you light them and there isn't really much of a fragrance. So I was delighted to discover Glade candles years ago. They smell wonderfully and burn for a long time. Not only are they really affordable, there are even coupons to make them even more affordable!

I love the holidays and all the scents that go with it. So when I discovered the Glade Holiday Collection it was a jackpot! I love the Peppermint Crush because it just makes everything so fresh and minty! I got the Bayberry Spice to try and I love it. I have a fake Christmas tree (allergic to pine) and I really miss the piney smells. This is great for that! Now there is a problem with these candles. My husband came home to the Apple Cinnamon burning and he was crushed. He thought that I was making an apple pie;).

So how would you like to win your own Scented Oil Candle Tin?

Win it!

A Glade Scented Oil Candle Tin will be given to 1 luck NerdFamily Things winner!

To enter:

* Just leave a comment telling me your favorite scent in the Glade Candle Holiday Collection!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on December 9th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed (if you already do, that counts).
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter and then Tweet about this!
* You can tweet everyday for an additional entry, just make sure to leave a comment for each time!

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday

This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and SC Johnson, who provided the product for review and giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product.

Sunsweet Giveaway!!!

I hadn't had a dried plum since I was a kid. My mom hated them and prejudice me against them so it was great when I got a chance to try them again. I love raisins and plums so it would make since that I would like them. So when I unwrapped the first Sunsweet Ones individually wrapped dried plum it was like a piece of candy! My kids don't have all the old people stigma that went them so they were clean slates. They also liked them! These are great snacks. The kids feel that they are getting a treat and it is really good for them. How good???

* Antioxidant rich. Prunes have a high antioxidant (ORAC) score. Antioxidants help to slow the oxidative damage to our bodies, and many researchers believe that antioxidants slow the aging process.
* Potassium punch. Move over bananas! Ounce for ounce, prunes have more potassium than bananas. Studies have shown potassium helps prevent hypertension and stroke.
* Bone health. A handful of nutrient-rich prunes a day may help bone metabolism and the reversal of bone loss for people with osteoporosis. They may also lead to improved bone formation.
* Low Glycemic Index (GI). Prunes are a low GI food, and therefore help to contribute to a low Glycemic Load diet and can aid in preventing and managing conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and obesity.
* Heart health. Prunes can help play a role in preventing heart disease and chronic diseases because they’re rich in antioxidants, which slow the chemical process of oxidation and protect key cell components from damage.
* Prebiotic power. Prunes naturally contain prebiotics, which stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria in the large intestine. This helps dietary fiber perform well and promotes immune system and digestive health.
* Weight loss. Prunes are a good source of fiber, and this can help keep hunger pangs at bay. As a food component, fiber isn’t absorbed, so it doesn’t contribute calories that’s why high-fiber foods are included in weight loss diets. Plus, four prunes have just 100 calories!

Win it!

Five (5) NerdFamily Things Readers are going to win a Sunsweet reusable shopping bag and a Sunsweet VIP Coupon, which is good for ANY Sunsweet product up to $5.50 in value.

To enter:

* Just leave a comment telling me either your favorite healthy treat to eat!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on December 7th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed (if you already do, that counts).
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter and then Tweet about this!
* You can tweet everyday for an additional entry, just make sure to leave a comment for each time!

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday

This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and Sunsweet Ones, who provided the product for review and giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product."

Our Secret Weapon to Teach Reading

We have always been a fan of the Bob Books that help kids learn how to read but we have a new favorite. We were given a set of Reading for Fun (Enrichment Library), A Beka, Kindergarden

book by a good friend (love Sue!) since her kids were done with them. Well, I looked at them and they seemed a little advanced because they didn't just concentrate on one syllable like the Bob Books.

So they sat for a little bit on the shelf. NerdDad picked them up a few weeks ago and said he was going to start taking the 4 year old through them. They are set up with "words to sound" and "words to know" in the front cover. Then it has a little story. There are many books in this set and they build on each other. The copyright date in the ones we have are 1979 and I don't know if they continued to print them. So you may have to look for a used set but it is totally worth it!

Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked Review and Giveaway

Food Network has made a Wii game, Food Network: Cook or be Cooked!!!! Do I really need to go any farther? For those of you who aren't familiar with an of the other NerdFamily blogs (like the NerdFamily Food Blog) food, food television, and the Food Network are favorite things, I daresay even passions in the NerdFamily house. And if you are here, you obviously know that we love video games! So we were stoked to receive this game in order to review it.

First off we love the fact it is rated E for everyone because we love to play with our kids and this is truly appropriate for them all (8, 6, 4, and 2). I love the fact it is educational. The challenges take you step by step through cooking dishes so those who can't already cook (like my kids) will learn the steps, the timing and the basic procedures. For those of us who can cook it is just a fun game!

Now for the nerd analysis. The graphics are ok. They aren't cutting edge but you are see everything you need. There are 3 gaming modes: 1 player, hot potato and a competitive mode. Right off let me warn you. The hot potato mode is a cooperative mode but it is truly a hot potato. You ans whomever you play with will have to pass 1 controller back and forth. So this mode wasn't our favorite. But we did really like the other two modes! NerdDad and I really enjoyed playing against each other! (we don't spend a lot of time playing alone) The game play itself was good. There were detailed specific tasks to complete and you got points based on how well you did them. Including penalties if you did it wrong (like taking your eggs off too soon) or bonuses for perfectly pouring your oil.

The final verdict was that Food Network: Cook or be Cooked is a big hit here at the NerdFamily! We are going to spend many, many happy hours playing over here!

Win it!
How would you like to win some of your own Food Network: Cook or be Cooked?

To enter:

* Just leave a comment telling me either your favorite recipe to make or your favorite Wii game.
* A random winner will be selected and notified on December 4th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed (if you already do, that counts).
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter
* Tweet about this!

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday

( I was given a copy of the game to review and that was the only compensation. Thoughts and opinions are all mine!)

Kinderbach: The Adventure Continues

Ok, I admit it. I am enjoying our Kinderbach journey even more this month than last month. One of the things I like about it is its flexibility. I had to go have surgery this month so it really cut down on how much school (and Kinderbach) we did but that isn’t a problem and I love that. But back to the music!

I am loving watching my kids learning with Kinderbach. They sing, clap, dance and do art! It is great that it uses so many forms to teach the musical concepts. We are learning about real musical concepts as the kids are learning about ”walks” being quarter notes and beats.

We also have become familiar with the train stations on the piano keyboard. The kids are really stoked because there are also songs to go with both Dodi’s houses and the train stations that they can play. In addition to giving them an awesome sense of achievement they are also working on fingering!

I can’t wait to see what this next month’s musical learning has for us! If you haven’t checked out Kinderbach for yourself go over to the Kinderbach site and look at the first couple lessons that are for free! But be warned, you might fall in love to and have to subscribe;).

(KinderBach has graciously given us access in order to write these columns)