Campbell's Dinner Sauces Hosted Party via @crowdtap #SauceItUp

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe would be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255:  "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

I was recently selected to host a Campbell's Dinner Sauces Hosted Party.  I have friends who love red meat and I have several guests who are vegetarians.  I decided to split the difference and do two different things to accommodate everyone.  Easy to do when you are using Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauces and Campbell's Skillet Sauces.  Really. It couldn't have been easier to make both the dishes.

On the left above I have my organic meat for the Campbell's Sweet Korean BBQ and on my right I have my tofu for my Thai Green Curry.

All you have to do is throw the meat into the slow cooker and empty the packet of sauce on top of it. Cook it on low for 8 hours and you are done. That is it.

I decided it would be fun to make Korean BBQ soft tacos so I picked up some napa cabbage and chopped it up and warmed up the tortillas after the BBQ had cooked for about 8 hours. 

 I love my crockpot!  There I am trying to squeeze in there. 

Meanwhile I put some rice up to cook for the Thai Green curry which was easy enough to do. Then I grilled some tofu and chopped it up. You can use chicken as well, remember I had to have some food for the vegetarians for this party.

I added the Campbell's Skillet Sauce in Thai Green Curry and mixed it in with the tofu. If you use chicken you want to make sure you cook the chicken first then empty the Skillet Sauce over the cooked chicken!

All ready for my guests!  Everyone loved the Campbell's Skillet Meals and could not believe I didn't make both of the entrees from scratch. 

Purex Crystals Natural Formula Fresh Mountain Breeze {Giveaway}

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I am a member of the Purex Insiders. I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe would be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255:  "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

I don't know about you but it is just freezing here in the mid-Atlantic.  Bone chilling cold that is just unrelenting.  Boy, I could really use a spring getaway, but that isn't happening anytime soon. You can imagine how I perked up when a package arrived from Purex in the mail today though!  

I found a bottle of NEW Purex Crystals Fresh Mountain Breeze along with some information about a terrific new giveaway.   That cheered me up a lot since I love the fresh scent of clean laundry softened and lightly scented with Purex Crystals.  I am one of those people who is always opening bottles before I buy things to make sure I like the fragrance. I really like laundry products with fragrance and one of the things I enjoy about Purex products is that there are always new scents.  The fragrances are always light and refreshing...never overpowering either.  I was excited to investigate this new scent.  

This new Purex Crystals Fresh Mountain Breeze scent is made from a natural formula that is safe for your family and the environment which makes me happy. I love how it keeps my sheets and clothes fresh for weeks too...just like the other Purex Crystals scents. Towels remain just as absorbent and plush as ever too! Purex Crystals are better than the standard fabric softeners out there.  They really work hard to freshen your laundry. Your clothes smell great and the crystals help to eliminate odor too.  I love this new scent. It makes me feel like I am escaping the laundry room for a bit and going on a little stroll in the warm, breezy mountains.  I can almost hear the little birdies singing and see the spring flowers, can't you?  Look for Purex Crystals Fresh Mountain Breeze and let me know how you like it.

Don't forget to enter my Rafflecopter giveaway below to win a free coupon to get your own Purex Crystals!a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disney Side Celebration Party #DisneySide

Disclosure:  I was given the opportunity to host a Disney Side @Home Celebration from Disney Parks and Mom Select.  I anticipate receiving complimentary products to host the party as well.  As always, my opinions are my own.

Woohoo!!  I was selected out of tons and tons of applicants to host a Disney Side @Home Celebration Party just last week.  I am pretty excited about it.  We had so much fun on our Disney Cruise/ Disney World vacation a few years ago...we can't wait to do it again!  The Disney Magic just had us spellbound from our huge suite with the balcony and roomy bath to all the Disney characters...to the private island with magical "snow" when we arrived. We adore all the classic and new Disney movies and own a bunch of them.  We just saw Frozen in the theatre....can't wait to see it again.  My little one loves The Disney Channel shows too...great programming that I feel good about.  Daddy and I very often sit with her to watch "Good Luck Charlie" and her other faves.  

 

Disney wants you to find your fun loving Disney Side because everyone has one. You know, the side that laughs out loud when you are watching Frozen with your kids in spite of yourself. The one that decides to get your hair braided when you are on that fun Disney Cruise with family. You know the one. Disney is going to help you find it again!

Families like mine who were selected to host a Disney Side @Home Celebration will be holding their celebrations sometime during the last two weeks of February. All the lucky hosts get an amazing kit containing Disney themed party favors, decorations, games, activities and recipe ideas.  It is so adorable. A big suitcase filled with all kinds of craft ideas for an amazing party. All the Disney Side Hosts get the opportunity to personalize their @Home celebration and make it their own.  I am hosting a Frozen Disney @Home celebration. You can share in the fun and get some ideas for your own party by checking out the Disney Side Celebration website.  Disney is giving everyone the opportunity to share in the fun and happiness so get hopping and see what ideas Disney has cooked up.

Bruce Feiler’s “The Secrets of Happy Families” Kindle HDX Giveaway!

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe would be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255:  "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Wow, so I know all about the basis for this new book:  the Sandwich Generation. If you have little kids still living with you or older children that flown back to your comfy nest and are also taking care of your parents...you too are part of what the Bruce Feiler and many others call the "Sandwich Generation."
 
Feiler mentions other novel concepts that weren't around when we were kids like "Life Boating." It is the modern way to make it through life now...a totally new concept for families although challenging.  How we just jam in the lifeboat and try to stay alive paddling like crazy! Many of us have had to incorporate this changing lifestyle into the way we live day to day through no choice of our own.  Holiday celebrations are an opportunity for disagreements and lots of tension with teenagers texting and parents health issues.  Many families are falling apart more often than they used to on a regular basis. I see this with many of my friends and colleagues.  It can get so stressful!  Okay, so what was the catalyst to all this crazy dysfunction in families?  Feiler shares that all in his fascinating book.  Even more important, the author shares  what it is that makes some families effective, resilient, functioning and just, well....happy.  Isn't that what we all want in the long run?  I truly think so I just think many of us need some direction.
 
Feiler discusses how today's parents can navigate all these new paths that are a reality now.  The big stuff like teaching discipline and negotiating screen time. Throwing some fun in there too though. He says it is really possible!  He shares how it really is possible to keep timeless values in a world that prizes instant gratification with texting and internet 24 hours a day via small and big screens. He shows you how to actually find time to be a couple and still be good parents.  Feiler discusses how you can rewrite the book of life rules and introduces some interesting but not totally novel concepts. Bruce Feiler is very open that most of the ideas he brings into play in the big are not big old secrets.  Some of his sources that he shares are the Harvard Negotiation Project, ESPN coaches, Green Berets and even Warren Buffet's banker as well as Silicon Valley game designers. Kind of wacky but it all comes together.  Coaches know alot about building teams, and bankers know how to make money work for you as in allowances for example. 

The author has some simple ideas on how to connect as a family.  How about bringing a new vocabulary word to the dinner table each night? We are big readers (well, at least my daughter and I are!) so we liked that idea.  Even my hubby thought it was great. We thought that was very doable as we do eat dinner together most every night. If you don't that one isn't going to work for you. But you could even keep a dictionary in the car and introduce the word on the way to activities each day if you have that kind of schedule.

The author reminds us not to forget to share our history with our children. This is a key concept in The Secrets of Happy Families. You want your children to feel like they are part of the family.  Our daughter loves to hear our stories over and over. Gramma is good about sharing too and these are classics for us. I was glad to hear about this because we have been doing this since our daughter was a toddler. She loves to hear Gramma's hurricane story from her childhood. How about my Chicken Gumbo Soup story. Yup.

Another idea Feiler suggested was permitting your children to pick their own punishments.  I was kind of dubious about this but he says that kids tend to be harsher with themselves than we would be with them.  He goes on to say that the children feel more invested in the rules when they have a say in the consequences. I have to think about this one. Bruce Feiler also suggests weekly family meetings...I think this might be an excellent suggestion for a larger family. We have one child so we are pretty focused...perhaps when you have 4 or 5 children it is a great idea to check in with a meeting once a week so everyone is on the same page.  He mentions the life skills kids learn at these meetings from team leadership, negotiating and building winning teams.

As a busy working mom who is very involved with her family, I would recommend giving The Secrets of Happy Families a read.  There are definitely some tidbits that are takeaways for any family with children. Not everything is going to work for every family but there are a lot of great concepts that are useful and something for every family big and small. 

Would you just LOVE to win a Kindle HDX?  Enter here and good luck to everyone!