The Blog

The Fabulous Healthy Dessert Maker – Yonanas!

A few weeks ago the most amazing thing landed on my doorstep. An appliance that would change the way we had desserts in my home. It is called Yonanas! With this miraculous machine, you can actually make most all your favorite ice-cream flavors using fruit! The name comes from the fact that it mainly uses bananas, but there are many ways you can make incredible desserts and treats. I love this machine!

Using frozen ripe bananas (what is generally called “cheetah” bananas due to the spots) and other frozen fruits, dark chocolate, wine, etc. and the Yonanas appliance, you can create a dessert similar to soft serve ice-cream or sorbet. It is very simple to do and Yonanas offers many indulgent recipes for you to try, such as:

I decided to start off with just an easy frozen fruit treat using bananas, blueberries and strawberries. I placed them all in a bowl and froze them overnight.

The next day I placed them out and waited until they ‘perspired’, as instructed, and then whipped it up in the Yonanas.

My tot honestly thought it was ice-cream! And really, the texture overrides the flavor of the bananas and makes you kind of think it is ice-cream. After all, it has the exact consistency of soft-serve and you could even scoop it in a cone!

You can also make all sorts of other desserts like pies and Popsicles, check out the video on How it Works!

Bananas contain many vitamins and minerals that help elevate our moods, increase brain function and offer good energy! Just check out all the health benefits of using bananas in Yonanas! Adding it to other vitamin packed fruits and foods makes this a must have for families looking for healthy options, especially with treats and desserts.

As the school year is coming up and kids are going to be rushing home and begging for after school snacks, this would come in so handy for many families. You can make the Yonanas ahead of time and pop them in the freezer for when they get home, make Popsicles for after-school fun outside or have a great time making them with your kids! You don’t have to make your Yonanas like me (using fresh fruits and overnight freezing) you can grab frozen fruits at the supermarket, like DOLE bags, and have them ready to go. Since the Yonanas appliance comes apart super easy and can be washed in the dishwasher, it is really a quick cleaner-upper.

Connect: You can find out more on Yonanas, interact and check out recipes on their Facebook Page and/or @Yonanas on Twitter!

Purchase: You can also purchase the Yonanas Maker for $49.99 in their shop!

BEABA Sac Open Diaper Bag Review

Blog· Review

B?ABA (pronounced BAY-ba) is known worldwide for its unique ability to create innovative products for the juvenile industry with a focus on design and technology. Since 1989, the company’s mission has been to listen to what parents want, ensuring that safety, functionality and ergonomics are at the forefront of every baby item created.

It’s hard to believe that our little guy will be arriving any day now and I will be a mom of 5. That is just CRAZY to me! As we finish prepping for his arrival, I have been busy getting my bag packed for the hospital and making sure that I have the essentials ready for him at the hospital as well.

Thanks to our friends at BEABA, we have all of baby Joey’s hospital gear packed and ready in their beautiful Sac Open diaper bag.

We are LOVING this diaper bag!! The Sac Open is so roomy and it opens up extra wide so that you see everything inside with one quick unzip!

This diaper bag comes fully equipped with water resistant fabric (in your choice of pink or blue), beautiful stainless steel hardware, a zippered front pocket, 5 external and 4 internal pockets and of course an insultated bottle pouch, dirty laundry bag, pacifier keeper and a changing mat. Really, what more could a parent ask for?

I honestly, cannot get over how much room this bag has. We managed to fit all of the basics and then some into it for the hospital, including a package of diapers and wipes (because I like to be well stocked).

I’m pretty sure if I wanted to, I could stick all of my stuff in there too and still have plenty of space left over!

I am also happy that this bag offers both a long cross body strap (that can be removed) in addition to built in shoulder straps and stroller straps too!!

Now we just have to wait for our little dude to arrive so we can really put this bag to use!

Connect:

You can connect with BEABA on Facebook, and/or @BEABAUSA on Twitter!

Buy It!

You can buy the BEABA Sac Open for $99.95.

I received a sample product for this review. All opinions are my own and/or my family’s, take it or leave it. Click here to view my whole disclosure policy.

I’m a Boys & Girls Club (BGCA) Back-to-School Ambassador!

Blog

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating

I strongly believe that the children are our future. I mean, when you stop and think about it, they really are. One day we will all be old and our kids will be in our shoes. They will be the ones to keep our legacy going and to help make this world that we live in a better place.

The issue that I see is society. So many people just run around without a care in the world for other human beings or any living thing for that matter. The biggest problem with that is that so many of these people have children who are learning from them. Without any real ties to supportive and caring people in their lives, what are they to become?

That’s why I have always been a passionate advocate of Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). Their mission statement says it all.

“To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of America strives to help children everywhere by giving them a safe, friendly and caring atmosphere. All of the workers that I have ever encountered through my life have been very caring individuals and I’ve seen firsthand how much of a difference an open heart can make in the life of a child – whether they are troubled or not.

You can help to make a difference too!

There are many ways that you can help children across the country to grow up to be better people. A little attention and love go a long way – longer than you may think!

You can also volunteer and help organizations like BGCA in other ways. One way that you can help during the month of July is to participate in the ‘jcpenney cares round up campaign’ during the month of July. During your normal shopping at jcpenney simply round up your purchase to the nearest dollar. 100% of all donations received will go to BGCA centers across the country! This is a great way to help out. You may not think it seems like much, but every single penny adds up!

Make sure to check back here in the next couple of weeks for another great initiative to help your local BGCA!

All Natural Lovely Candy Review

Blog· Review

Even though I am trying to work out and eat healthier I still like to feed my occasional sweet tooth. I am a lover of all things candy and I don’t discriminate…I really like almost all of them. Since I do not eat candy very often when I do I want it to be quality candy that tastes good. The Lovely Candy Company does just that with their line of candy.

All-Natural
Gluten-Free
GMO-Free
Soy-Free
No High Fructose Corn Syrup
No Artificial Flavors
No Artificial Colors
No Preservatives

Lovely Candy Fruit Chews (in Apple, Cherry and Blackberry)

Lovely Candy Super Fruit Chews (in Cranberry, Raspberry and Blueberry)

Lovely Candy Chocolate Swirl Caramels

Lovely Candy Original Chewy Caramels

Each bag was delicious! My favorite would have to be the chewy caramels with the fruit chews as a close second. You can’t go wrong grabbing a bag of any of these! I can easily see these becoming my family’s favorite candy because even my toddler (her piece cut up into smaller pieces) loved them!

Connect:

You can connect with Lovely Candy on Facebook.

Buy It:

You can purchase these in the Fall at grocery stores like Giant Eagle Market District and The Fresh Market, national chains like Burlington Coat Factory and specialty retailers like Hallmark as well as online at Amazon.

Giveaway Winner: Entry #757Donna H.

I received a sample product for this review. All opinions are my own and/or my family’s, take it or leave it. Click here to view my whole disclosure policy.

Is She REALLY Sleeping in There Motorola Video Baby Monitor Review

Blog· Review· Tech

PEACE OF MIND

It’s a lot easier when you know your little one is safe and sound.

When Simone, now 4, was a baby I was dead set against a video monitor. I feared I would be letting my new mommy fears get the best of me, obsessively checking on her every second of the night. So we got a mediocre regular baby monitor and made do.

Then at 3, Simone started having seizures in her sleep. Once at nap time at preschool and 3 at home during the night. It was terrifying. She slept with us for months afterwards and every time she moved I panicked, thinking she was having a seizure. Thankfully she has been seizure free since November (*knock on wood!*), but I still worry. I worry that she is having small seizures at night that don’t wake her (or us) up. Her neurologist thinks this is pretty unlikely, but I’m a Mom; I am pre-programmed to worry, right??

So when I got the Motorola Video Baby Monitor (MBP41) I was really excited and relieved.

The Motorola MBP41 Wireless Video Baby Monitor offers everything you
need to keep a close eye on baby. Its digital technology gives you peace
of mind knowing that its signal is secure, so others can’t eavesdrop.
The 2.8″ full-color LCD screen has convenient pan, tilt and zoom
functionality and infrared night vision for keeping an eye on things,
even in very low-light conditions. With everything that Motorola’s MBP41
has to offer, you’re free to watch your little one dream.

The set up was incredibly easy. I put the battery in and plugged it in, done! The camera (baby unit) comes pre-programmed to the parent unit so you don’t have to worry about codes or anything.

The camera has some really awesome features! It MOVES, which is really cool. You use the arrows on the parent unit to pan around so you can see your little one no matter where they are in the room. You can even buy additional cameras for other rooms, all viewable through the one parent unit.

I put the camera (baby unit) on Simone’s dresser next to her bed. It was nap time and I wanted to check to see if she was REALLY sleeping.

She wasn’t. See those little feet jumping on the bed?? Oy.

Then I remembered the Parent Unit has a two-way communication feature, so I pushed the button and told her she could read a book if she wasn’t sleepy.

She did that for a while. Then she was quiet, I could only hear her quiet music coming through the speaker. So either she was up to no good or she was asleep.

Nap time success! And I didn’t have to press my ear against the door or risk waking her by peeking in her room!

But by far my favorite feature is the Infrared Night Vision on the camera. Night time is when I really worry about her. So last night I heard a noise and took a peek using the Video monitor. Turns out Simone snores! It was really nice that I could hear and SEE that she was fine.

There is nothing more priceless than knowing your child is safe and sleeping soundly. I highly recommend the Motorola MBP41 Video Baby Monitor. It gives parents, both new and old, valuable peace of mind.

Motorola has another awesome Video Baby Monitor, the MBP26! This monitor, like the MBP41, has some awesome features!

2.4″ color LCD monitor with Infrared Night Vision
520 foot range
Optical Pan and Tilt
2 way communication

With all the things in the world that parents worry about, every little thing helps, so give yourself some peace of mind knowing your little one is sleeping soundly with a Video Baby Monitor from Motorola.

Connect:

You can connect with Motorola on Facebook, on their Blog, YouTube and/or @motorola on Twitter!

Buy It!

You can buy the Motorola Video Baby Monitor (MBP41) for $189.99 exclusively at BabiesRUs, and the MBP26 for $129.99 exclusively at Amazon.com!

Giveaway Winner: Entry #1137Richard H.

I received a sample product for this review. All opinions are my own and/or my family’s, take it or leave it. Click here to view my whole disclosure policy.

« Previous Page