Old ElPaso Makes Any Night a Party Night at Our House! Give-Away!

A Packet of Old ElPaso Taco seasoning mix was sent to me along with 2 fun bowls shaped like a Red pepper and a Cactus,  By the folks at My Blog Spark and Old ElPaso.

*At the bottom you’ll see how you can win your own  fun “Old ElPaso” taco kit along with links  for coupons,  great down loadable games and recipes using Old ElPaso )

The challenge? How could I put some fun into dinner at my house?

You see I have not just my Superman of a husband but also 4 grown kids and 2 tots (5&8).

See what I’m up against? (grin and sigh)

So here’s what I did.

I took Flour tortillas warmed,and diced cooked chicken (cooked with the Old ElPaso taco mix) ,a nice tomato and cilantro salsa ,tortilla chips and 1 can each of black beans and corn. Set them all out in the trays along with some shredded cheese and it was game on! Which was awesome because there really was a game on. (The Green Bay Packers) (Go Green Bay!) .

Ok,  I just lost track…Where was I? Oh,The taco night!

It rocked. Every one got to make their own  creation and it brought us all together.We ate, laughed , cheered and ate some more.

I can honestly say I’ve never seen so many people in cheese heads scarf tacos that fast!

Best of all (budget wise) I fed my whole crew for about $15.00!

*By the way, With Halloween coming,  there’s a link to a recipe for cool Tarantula Tacos here: Betty Crocker *

So if you’re looking for an easy and quick way to please everybody,grab the Old ElPaso and get that party started!

*A couple more things,If you want some great Old ElPaso free down loadable coupons you can pop over to http://www.myblogspark.com/uc/main/b069/ and download a printable coupon for $0.60 off any two Old El Paso products today .Thenvisit Old El Paso for news, great tips, recipes and more, When you’re done, take a minute to share family fiesta photos and videos from your gang’s taco nights on the El Tacodor Family Spotlight !

*To keep your family laughing at the dinner table, have some fun with El TacodorTM, the world´s only family taco night game. With El Tacodor, your family can share a special night at home by challenging one another to quick fire trivia, wordplay and pantomime. Visit www.ElTacodor.com today to download instructions, a score card, and a challenge sheet for even more fun on family taco night!

Just click this link: Betty Crocker Old ElPaso

* Win It!!!

My Blog Spark will also provide us with an additional prize pack to give away to one of our readers!
Just leave a note telling us how you get your taco party started/ for more chances facebook or tweet the post and let us know below:

On Halloween night we will toss your  favorite taco party ideas , along with all the tweet entries and facebook shout outs  into our trusty bowl and draw a winner.

Dont forget to leave an email address  so we can let you know you’ve won.

*It will be sent by me (Kathi) Using my Mkdieb@aol.com address.

****Open to USA residents only (sorry) ****

*Through My Blog Spark, Old ElPaso sent me a small gift card( to help pay for the tacos) and the cool bowls as a thank you for letting you know how I felt about Old ElPaso but all opinions are my own. (Oh and those of my kids) (Boy do they have opinions!)

Eat Hearty,Eat healthy and have fun!

Kathi 🙂

New Disney CDs Are Easy on My Ears

If you are a parent you know that one of the hardest things to deal with in the car is the radio. Trying to find kid friendly music appropriate and acceptable to both a 6 year old and a 3 year old, let alone music that won’t push a parent over the edge can be a challenge.

Well this summer Walt Disney Records is launching a Music Block Party Tour and as part of it they are releasing five new CDs that are fun, entertaining and appropriate for the entire family.

Through MomCentral I recently had the chance to check out the following CDs being released as part of the Music Block Party Tour:

• Ralph’s World
• Imagination Movers
• Choo Choo Soul
• They Might Be Giants.
• Disney Music Block Party CD (Classic Disney tunes by popular artists)

Ralph’s World:

Who doesn’t love Ralph’s World? This new CD, The Rhyming Circus was a hit with the boys. They danced around the house for over an hour listening to this CD. The really liked songs like Folsom Daycare Blues and Polka Dot Shirt.

Imagination Movers:

Titled, Juice Box Hero’s, the Imagination Movers CD is another CD that won’t be painful for parents to listen too. You’ve probably caught the videos to a couple of these songs on the Disney Channel like Calling all Movers and Numbers in a Bag. The CD sound is a little more “rock” than most and the boys liked jamming to it at their grandma’s house.

Choo Choo Soul:

So I will admit that I was not looking forward to listening to this album. My boys occasionally watch Choo-Choo Soul on Disney and every time I hear the “All Aboard the Choo Choo Train” song it sticks in my head all day long. It’s so catchy it’s ridiculous! Let me just say, much to my chagrin, the entire album is just as catchy. While this wasn’t the boys favorite CD, the did really like “The Polite Song” as well as Do Your Own Dance.” If your kids watch this show on Disney than this is a definite must buy.

They Might Be Giants:

Here Come the 1,2,3s CD includes 24 catchy songs that incorporate learning without the kids even knowing it. My favorites, and the boys, include Zeros, High Five!, Pirate Girls Nine and Seven Days a Week. We listened to this CD for two hours straight during our recent trip to Lake Cumberland and it didn’t make me want to rip my hair out.

Disney Music Block Party:

This CD features music by some of the most popular Playhouse Disney artists. It includes some of my favorite Disney songs from my childhood and the boys really liked it. Artists featured on the album include Wayne Brady (love him!!) singing The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room and the Doodlebops singing Under the Sea. If you want to share the songs you enjoyed as a child but with an updated sound, this album will surely meet that need.

If you are looking for some fun new music for your children that will also be enjoyable for the adults in the room, then I would recommend heading out and picking up any one of these CDs. The boys really had a great time with them and it was great having music that they both could get into.

"Green" Brushing

Did you know you can now find toothbrushes made from 100% recycled plastic at Target? I didn’t.

I stumbled upon them the other day when I was picking up some essentials for my trip to Oklahoma (look for a post on that debacle later…) – a new toothbrush, travel toothpaste, travel face wash, etc. when I found them. They are made by a company called Recycline. The super sleek and fun line of toothbrushes are called Preserve (Preserve your health, Preserve the Earth) and they’re made from 100% recycled plastics. The pricing I thought was really fair at around $2. In addition to getting the toothbrush, the packaging doubles as a travel case (bonus!).

I looked them up online and according to the Recyline Web site, when you are finished with the toothbrush you can print out a pre-paid postage label from their site and send the used toothbrushes back to them. It’s a little bit of effort on your part but they’ll recycle them into something new and that’s is a good thing.

For the little ones, they also makes Preserve Jr. brushes with animal colors and shapes.

So, here is the cool part. The same day that I found the toothbrushes at Target, MomCentral emailed me about them, and offered me a coupon to share with my readers for a $1 off the purchase of two Preserve toothbrushes.

Even without the coupon I’d probably buy these. They are made from recycled materials, they have really soft bristles (I have sensitive teeth), they actually fit in my toothbrush holder and they’re reasonably priced at $2 -just a $1.50 each if you use the coupon.

PS. I went to take a picture but I couldn’t do it justice. I ended up just stealing one from their Web site……

Hane’s Kids Giveaway

Summer is here and families like mine are hitting the road and taking advantage of the break from school.

To help families enjoy their summer travels Hanes is offering families everywhere in the US the chance to “Vacation in Comfort” during the Year of A Million Dreams at Walt Disney World® Resort! Now, let me just say that I would kill for this vacation. I am one of the few people on the planet who has never been to Disney. Winning this contest would rock. My boys are just about old enough so that I…. er, I mean they, could go and remember the experience.

Entering the contest is really easy. Just purchase specially marked packages of Hanes products, enter your code at Hanes.com and your could win a Walt Disney World vacation.

The contest runs from June through August 30, 2008 and seven families will win. For details and to enter, visit www.hanes.com/vacationincomfort.

To help celebrate this promotion Hanes is also teaming up with Emily Kaufman, aka The Travel Mom, to help spread the word. Emily will be posting tips on hanes.com/kids that will help every family getaway be what it should be: fun and stress-free!

So now the fun part. Hanes is offering Mommy Bits Reviews readers the chance to win a $25 gift certificate to use on Hanes.com.

If you are thinking Hanes is just undies and socks, you are wrong. Today they have cool graphic tees and hoodies for boys as well as a Mix & Match collection for girls which includes leggings, layered tees, etc. in fun prints and colors.

To enter, just leave a comment with a travel tip for fellow readers.

The giveaway will run through Sunday, June 29th at 1:00 p.m. and is open to U.S. residents only.

Puppy Plays the Classics Giveaway! We have a Winner!

We Have a Winner!
Congrats to Kari !!!
send us a note to mommybits@gmail.com with the address youd like your new Puppy Plays the Classics to and we will ship it right out!

OK folks you HAVE to see this!

Recently we were contacted by the people at Puppy Plays and asked if we’d like to have a look at their new Puppy Plays the Classics video.

Puppy Plays, LLC recently produced the video, the first in a series of specials, for HBO Family entitled “Puppy Plays the Classics” that introduces children and their families to the world seen through the eyes of real-life adorable puppies.

Well when I read that I couldn’t wait to show the DVD to my little guys.

It was an instant hit! From the moment it began the boys were hooked.

The DVD has a series of short tales (and short tails) each with a different message…cant judge someone too soon,what is really important in someones character , etc. All of the messages are tied together through the explorations of one cute fuzz ball named Ollie.

Each story is viewed through the eyes of the puppies themselves, at their level so your children have the true feeling they are right there. And the music is great! Each classical piece, from Mozart, Schubert, Tchaikovsky and more make the viewing even more wondrous!

The video is just the first in what looks to be a great series.You will be doing your children and yourselves a favor adding them to your collection.

The suggested retail price for the DVD is $14.99 and it is available at
PuppyPlays.com, Amazon.com and various specialty retailers.

Go check out their web site when you have a chance. You’ll find more info about the series, info on raising puppies, downloads and more.

******* Free Giveaway!!*********
Leave a comment telling us something you find important for all children to learn and on the 17th of this month we’ll pop all your names in the old salad bowl, draw a name and the winner will get their own copy of Puppy Plays the Classics!!!