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Being pregnant, I have to be careful about the cleaning products that I use around the house, especially for when Jayden gets here. When offered a chance to sample Clorox Green Works, I jumped at the chance. I received their natural all-purpose cleaner as well as their natural glass & surface cleaner. Both cleaners carry a lemony fresh scent and get the job done just like any other non-green product!

The advantage to using Clorox Green Works is that their are no chemicals in their formula. Clorox Green Works products are made from sustainable renewable resources. As of now, Clorox Green Works products aren’t disinfecting, but a formula to disinfect is in the works. Whether Clorox is jumping on the Green bandwagon or not, it’s about time for cleaning products that are healthier to use and have positive effects on the environment no matter WHO makes them.

In the Mommy Daddy household, we eat lots of pasta. If you were to open our cupboards you’d find that they are packed with linguine, rotini, and rigate, our favorites. On a recent trip to the grocery store, I attempted to place whole grain rigate into our basket. I’m a whole grain fanatic and thought it would be great to have since we’re both trying to eat healthier. BUT, Daddy has this thing with wheat products, he refuses to eat them. So of course he “ew’d” at the whole grain pasta that I wanted to try. This resulted in me walking away from the whole grain rigate with my bottom lip poked out and a plan to sneak the pasta into the basket next time when Daddy isn’t looking.

Ronzoni must have received a signal from me because they were kind enough to offer us some boxes of Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Penne Rigate to try! And guess what? Daddy loves it! Whole grain pasta tastes no different than traditional pasta, but it’s so hard to convince Daddy when it comes to the “brown” stuff. Thing is, Ronzoni Healthy Harvest lightens in color when cooked so naysayers won’t even notice! Daddy’s definitely preparing me for the battle I have ahead with JT. Hopefully he won’t be as picky as his Daddy!

Tonight’s dinner featuring Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Penne Rigate!

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest’s whole grain pastas were introduced to provide more nutritious meal options. Ronzoni Healthy Harvest’s pastas contain three times more fiber than traditional pasta and is an excellent source of Omega-3!

In honor of Leap Day (February 29th), also the last day of Heart Health Month, Ronzoni decided to offer all Americans a free box of Ronzoni Healthy Harvest to encourage families to take a leap towards healthier eating. To find out how to get your free box of Ronzoni’s Healthy Harvest on February 29th, visit the special leap day rebate offer (no longer available)!

You also have a chance to WIN a free box of Ronzoni’s Healthy Harvest Penne Rigate! Since Ronzoni was so good to us, we wanted to share the wealth. Leave a comment telling us why you would like to try Ronzoni’s Healthy Harvest to be entered! Comments will be closed on March 5th at 11:59PM CST and 4 winners will be chosen shortly thereafter!

Update: Comments have been closed and the winners have been announced here! Thanks to everyone who entered!

I remember how back when I was in elementary school, my teachers would always put so much emphasis on eating breakfast. They would always say, “Make sure you eat a nice breakfast every morning before school because it will keep your mind sharp and focused for the day ahead!” And when it came around the time to take state tests and such, don’t get me started! Every other sentence that came out of their mouths was, “Don’t forget to eat breakfast!” They even brought cereal bars to school for students who did forget to eat breakfast. Back then, I never knew breakfast was so important. If it wasn’t for the persistence of my teachers, I probably would’ve rarely ever eaten breakfast.

Unfortunately, not every child has those persistent teachers that I had, so some children may not know the importance of eating breakfast. There’s a reason why breakfast is called “brain fuel”, and an excerpt from GoAskAlice.com on the Importance of Eating Breakfast best explains why:

“Your brain (and central nervous system) run on glucose — that’s the fuel you need to think, walk, talk, and carry on any and all activities. Let’s say that the last time you eat something at night is at 10 or 11 PM (not optimal, just an example). The following day, you don’t eat breakfast but wait until about noon or so to eat — you’ve gone thirteen or fourteen hours with nothing in your system. Your poor brain is surely deprived — and your body has to work extra hard to break down any stored carbohydrate or turn fat or protein into a usable form for your brain to function. That’s a lot to ask for when you’re sitting in a classroom, trying to concentrate on reading, or doing any other work. Eating breakfast has been proven (many times) to improve concentration, problem solving ability, mental performance, memory, and mood. You will certainly be at a disadvantage if your classmates have eaten breakfast and you’ve gone without. On average, they will think faster and clearer, and will have better recall than you. School or work can be tough enough without this extra added pressure.”

So now you know the importance of eating breakfast in the morning, but there’s still a problem. You don’t have the time to cook a breakfast for your little ones every morning and they don’t have the time to sit down and eat anyway. That’s where Breakfast Breaks comes in!

Breakfast Breaks are complete, nutritional, and portable breakfasts for kids on the go! Featuring one of four General Mills cereal (Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms) bowl packs, a Minute Maid Fruit Juice, and a nutritious snack in each portable box, your child never has to go through the day unfocused and hungry until lunch again! These are perfect for the child who rides the bus to school, as everything included in each Breakfast Break is easy and quick enough to consume before he/she arrives at school. Although Breakfast Breaks do not include milk (for the cereal), a suggestion would be to buy small cartons of milk (like the ones served in schools) for your little one to carry along with him/her, instead of pouring the milk at home before leaving. That way, he/she can pour the milk into the cereal at the time and place of their convenience and comfort instead of trying to balance a bowl of cereal and milk while trying to walk to the bus stop or school. And each Breakfast Breaks box features a handle for easy transportation. So there’s no added hindrance for your child while he/she carries other essentials to school, such as books.

Breakfast Breaks are now available in many grocery stores nationwide! So pick up some “brain fuel” for your little one today!

Yoplait has launched a new line of yogurt and yogurt drink for toddlers, both now containing DHA for the brain! Yoplait has made sure that all toddlers are able to enjoy yogurt and receive extra nutrition, calcium and vitamins A and D, without sacrificing taste. Yoplait Kids is blended smooth with no fruit chunks, this is to prevent choking hazards. I know we all love our fruit chunks but our little ones may not be able to handle them. The flavor is toned down a bit from your average kid yogurts. The yogurt remains to keep its rich fruity taste, but contains 25% less sugar than leading brands of yogurt for kids. The texture of the yogurt is made to hug the spoon to ease the mess of feeding. Even I can have a spill while eating yogurt, so I loved this about Yoplait Kids when given a sample.

The Yoplait Kids yogurt drink is a personal favorite. It is made just like the yogurt, but of course it is in the form of a drink. It comes in 3.1 ounces bottles to fit perfect in the grip of a toddler’s little hands. It is very convenient, just grab it and go. No need for fighting with a spoon if your tot is still having a hard time with coordination.

My suggestion for Yoplait Kids would be maybe changing the name of the line from Yoplait Kids to Yoplait Tots. Since Yoplait Kids caters to toddlers, some parents may get confused and buy this for their older children who may prefer their yogurt to contain fruit chunks and be less thick in texture. Overall I think Yoplait Kids is a great idea, but the name should be reconsidered or to go further, make the yogurts for different age groups.

Yoplait Kids can now be found at your local grocery store. The Yoplait Kids yogurt is available in many flavors including strawberry-vanilla, strawberry, vanilla, banana, peach, and strawberry-banana, and the yogurt drink in strawberry, banana, mixed berry, and strawberry-banana flavors. Yoplait Kids is currently offering a coupon for a free pack of Yoplait Kids yogurt. Visit yoplaitkids.com to get yours!

I carry myself as a very cheery person. I am very polite, I smile, I nod, BUT it peeves me to the point of no return when people talk to me like I don’t know any better and when I am ticked off, I will speak my mind or at least let it be known that I didn’t appreciate what was said. I haven’t gotten any crazy advice from people, but nurses keep asking me if this is my first baby. I smile and reply with “yes”. I don’t know if they are just curious or asking in hopes that they could nudge me to ask questions. I’m not leaping into parenthood blindly, therefore I don’t have much to ask. Maybe I’m being defensive, but I like to consider all things possible.

Yesterday my doctor told me that my body is built perfect for having a baby and that I shouldn’t let any one tell me that I can’t have a baby because I am small. I thought about that and pictured a person saying something like that to me. Something like that would just light my fuse!

Mamas, how many of you have been given some pretty ridiculous advice while being pregnant or after delivering? How much of that advice was given by total strangers? Well have I got a solution for all pregnancies and pregnancies to come; the Unsolicited Baby Advice tee by Mommy Trends! This tee has been added to my maternity wardrobe to ensure that I don’t receive any insane advice, plus I love the humor in the tee. I also love getting attention :-). Yesterday I wore the tee to the doctor and I received some compliments. Of course I told my Dr. that he’s authorized to ignore it, lol.

If would like to shield yourself from unsolicited baby advice, pick up an Unsolicited Baby Advice tee from Mommy Trends! They offer a selection of trendy maternity tees. One size fits all from the beginning to the end of pregnancy. The tees are made of 92% cotton and 8% spandex, so they are really stretchy and comfy. I wonder why all tees couldn’t be made like maternity tees? Enjoy 15% off your purchase by using the code LOVE during checkout and free shipping when you order 2 or more tees! Expect to be hearing about Mommy Trends again on Mommy Daddy Blog because I have another tee that I will not be revealing until the time is right!

While I’m on a role with asking questions, here’s one more. What is the most ridiculous unsolicited baby advice you’ve received during your pregnancy and/or post pregnancy?

During a server upgrade we lost the comments to this post! Ooo, sorry!

Me being the preggie lady that I am, I’m always trying to find hip and trendy gear to sport during this pregnancy and pregnancies to come. I love wearing tees with witty quotes written on them. While searching for the quote “we’re hungry”, I stumbled upon 2 chix! 2 chix offers some of the coolest novelty shirts for the haute mama and baby daddy! In 2007, 2 chix won Maternity & Style’s viewer’s choice award for favorite maternity clothing designer! Check Daddy and I out sporting our tees from 2 chix!

Whenever I want Daddy to bring something out of the kitchen for me or splurge on a snack at the grocery store I frown and say, We’re Hungry. So of course I HAD to have the We’re Hungry tee! The 009 Months tee (not pictured) has also been added to my maternity collection. I’m secret agent mommy, only I can’t do the crouch and roll too well! I’ve already gotten many compliments and giggles from friends while sporting 2 chix. I can’t wait to send pictures to the family to humor them! Celebs go crazy for tees from 2 chix and I can see why! Not only are the tees humorous, but they are super soft and extra stretchy for the ever-changing body. An original size fits 2-12 and voluptuous fits 12-18. At $38 each, 2 chix tees are well worth the splurge. Celeb or not, tiny or voluptuous, 2 chix leaves no haute mama behind!

So what does Daddy have to say about 2 chix?

………………oh, am I on now?……sorry…EHEHM!……

For me, I had to go with the Look what I did tee simply because I frequently find myself staring at Mommy’s preggo tummy and saying to myself “I did that!” This tee is perfect for the guy out there (*cough*me*cough*) who loves to brag about knocking up his woman. The tee just gives off a feeling of masculinity. Whenever I put it on, I just get the urge to proceed to the living room to watch Three Stooges, drink a few beers, and scratch myself. Yep, it’s THAT powerful.

As for physical characteristics, I went with a size XL. I’m a tall person, but at the same time I’m also built like a tank skinny. So I need a shirt that’s long enough to the point where it can at least shake hands with the top of my pants, but not wide to the point where I look like Subway’s Jared trying on his old clothes. This is a common problem that I have with shirts. They’re either thin but too short, or long but too fat. Not with 2Chix. The Look what I did tee was the perfect length; not too short, not too long. It was also the perfect width; not too thin, not too wide. I also like my shirts loose and the tee satisfied that also. So all in all, I love my Look what I did tee! *runs to closet, throws on Look what I did tee* *nyuk, nyuk, nyuk* *gulp, gulp, gulp* *scratch, scratch, FART* Yep, I love it!

(I’d also like to note that in the second picture of me (fifth from the left), I didn’t intend to make that “rockstar” hand gesture with my right hand. I was pointing to the tee and somehow my pinky finger shimmied its way out. I think it has a mind of its own. I will take over the world! Bwahahahahahaha! <----- My pinky just typed that on its own, no lie!)

(I'd also like to note again that in the third picture of me (sixth from the left) where I'm holding up two fingers and two eggs (yes those are eggs), that's supposed to stand for 2 Chix. Yeah you know, two fingers are equal to the number 2. And two eggs are like chicks. Baby chicks. Well wait, chicks are babies. Well they aren't chicks yet because they're not born yet. Wait, can chicks be born once they've been refrigerated? Oh no, have I been eating unborn chickens?!?!?!...... yeah, I pretty much suck at charades.)

This past Christmas, I was lucky enough to receive something I’ve wanted for a very long time: a camcorder. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted a camcorder of my own. I remember how I’d used to take my miniature toy T-Rexes and my miniature toy cars that came with plastic roads, and have the T-Rexes “terrorize” the city, crushing and demolishing every car in its path (ahh, the joys of being a kid!). That’s when I always wished that I had a camcorder of some sort, so that I could create “Godzilla-like” movies. But, that never happened. Since then, up until the past couple of years, my interest in camcorders sort of waned. But when the YouTube phenomenon began a couple of years back, and creating and posting videos became the thing to do, my interest in camcorders sparked again. I’ve watched numerous videos become famous on the internet, and I’ve always thought to myself, “Hey, I can do that!” After dropping a few (thousand) subtle hints to my family about what I’d like for Christmas, my mother and grandmother… uh, *ahehm* I mean Santa Claus came through and got me a JVC Everio GZ-MG155! I think I’m in love!

So, of course, over the past couple of weeks since Christmas, I did what basically anyone else who has just gotten a new camcorder would do; shoot hundreds of thousands of random, pointless videos! This thing comes with a 30GB hard drive and up to 37 hours of recording, so I’m taking full advantage baby! I’m not really too fond of the quality of the videos it creates in dark settings though. It comes with a light that you can easily switch on, but that only helps a little. Maybe if I play around with the settings a little bit, I can figure something out. So far, I’ve just been running it on auto (where all settings self-adjust themselves when appropriate while recording), and I have yet to run it on manual. The videos play pretty well on my computer, except in Windows Media Player. For some reason, the videos kept coming out extremely choppy for me in WMP. So I downloaded Media Player Classic and the videos came out perfect. I’ve read that a lot of people have problems playing the videos on their computer due to the fact that the videos are .MOD files when they are transferred onto a computer from the camcorder’s hard drive. This can easily be fixed by just renaming the .MOD extension to .MPG. I haven’t had this problem though. My video files already have the .MPG extension when I transfer them from the camcorder. The Everio GZ-MG155 is also capable of taking pictures, although I haven’t too much experimented with that part yet. We have about a gajillion digital cameras in the house, so another one really isn’t a big deal to me.

As for physical traits, the JVC Everio GZ-MG155 is extremely small and extremely lightweight. It fits in the palm of my hand and weighs about that of a can of pop.

All of the buttons and toggles and switches are located in easy to reach places (as if it were even possible to put one in a hard to reach place as small as the camcorder is).

Did I also mention how sexy it is? Yep, if this camcorder was human, it would be right up there with Halle Berry. (Mommy is gonna kill me for saying that.)

So overall, it’s a pretty damn decent camcorder! I’d recommend it to the Moms and Dads out there who want to capture those very special moments of your children’s lives. As for my current plans for it, I couldn’t have gotten this thing at a better time! Jayden is due in four months and that’s when the camcorder will definitely be used to its full potential. I also would like to start incorporating videos into my posts here at Mommy Daddy Blog, so be sure to look out for those!

So, what’s the one gift you received this past Christmas that you are just totally in love with? I’d love to know!