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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!

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!

Over the past few years photo birth announcements have risen in popularity. Photo birth announcements are more convenient and budget friendly than purchasing birth announcement cards sold at a local department store. When purchasing birth announcement cards at the store, you have to pay for the announcements and the quantity of pictures that you are going to insert in to them. You then have to assemble and write out every single announcement; imagine how time consuming that can be. Depending on if the announcement cards that you’ve purchased have ribbons or scrap pieces attached to them, you may have to pay more than standard first class rates to mail them. Imagine having all of your birth announcements returned to you because of this issue. Now imagine the simplicity of ordering photo birth announcements. When ordering photo announcements, all you have to do is provide only 1 copy of the pictures you wish to use, pick out a design from a plethora of designs, and provide the company with the text that you’d like to add to your photo announcements. That’s it!

With the high demand for photo birth announcements, loads of photo announcement businesses are sprouting up. Some offer quality designs at high prices, some don’t put much effort in designs at all and still charge high prices.

Having an eye for photography and being a freelance graphic designer, I have pretty high expectations when it comes to the quality of photo birth announcements. I’ve come across a handful of sites that offer great designs at reasonable prices, one being PhotoAffections.com. Photo Affections offers vibrant, chic designer birth announcements that blew me away! Just by browsing through their collection of over 200 designs, you can see that their graphic designer puts in a lot of effort to perfect each and every one of them. Color schemes are unique and both fonts and accents are very crisp. Photo enhancements are done automatically and are free of charge! Announcements are printed on 5×7 Fuji Crystal Archive photographic matte/luster finish paper and come with premium 70 lb. envelopes. A minimum order consists of a quantity of 35 and special discounts are given with orders of 50, 75, 100, 150, and 200+!

Photo Affections is an experienced company. They’ve been in the printing business since 1997 and have been online since 2004. They are also in charge of the entire designing and printing process. There are no middle men involved. You can place your order, have proofs in less than two days, and have your completed order shipped off to you in another two days or less. Talk about a smoking fast turnaround!

Offering quality designs, affordable prices, extended discounts, with a fast turnaround, Photo Affections exhibits great leadership in today’s photo announcement industry!

I just came across an interesting video of a promo for an upcoming documentary entitled, “Being Dad: USA”. Just as the title suggests, the documentary is all about being a father. It looks like the producers are going around and interviewing regular ol’ dads and getting their perspectives on fatherhood and parenting as a whole. I came across the promo through Keith of African American Dad, a blog that I frequent, who’s included in it. It’s definitely worth checking out and I can’t wait until the complete documentary is available!

I laughed at the part at the beginning where the guy was explaining how he found out his wife was pregnant. As for those of you too lazy to watch the video:

Guy: You’re pregnant?

Wife: How’d you know?

Guy: I was just talking sh*t, I had no idea!

It made me think of when I got “the call” from Mommy when she found out that she was pregnant with Jayden. The conversation went a little something like this:

(Just a little back story: Mommy and I had a feeling we were pregnant weeks before it was official. She wasn’t experiencing any pregnancy symptoms, she had just developed a slight stomach pudge. There were no missing periods to go off of because she had just gotten off of Depo Provera. If you’re a first-time visitor here, you may want to read Mommy’s conception story. So now that you’re up to speed, we had just bought a pack of two home pregnancy tests. When we got back home, I had to get ready to head out to one of my classes to take an exam. So Mommy told me that she would take the pregnancy tests while I was in class.)

So I was sitting in class, waiting for the exam to start, when my cell phone rang. It was Mommy.

Me: Hello?

Mommy: Hounie… (”Hounie” is what we call each other; it’s a variation of the word “honey”)

Me: …yeees? (I had already sensed what was coming next)

Mommy: It said yes!

Me: Are you serious?! (smiling from ear to ear)

Mommy: Yes!

Me: Oh my God! (as if it were a big surprise to me) Did you take both of them?

Mommy: No, I only took one. But I wanted to call you when I saw that it said yes!

Me: Ok, take the second one and call me as soon as you get the results!

After we got off the phone, I could not stop smiling. I’m pretty sure the people around me were looking at me as if I was crazy (guy next to me: “Why the heck is that guy smiling for no reason?”). I couldn’t concentrate at all on my exam because I was so happy (two plus two is five, right? Right? No? Well who cares, I’m going to be a daddy!). As soon as I got done taking my exam, I called Mommy back.

Me: So…?

Mommy: It said yes too!

Me: Yes!!!

And it was official, we were pregnant!

Surprise!!! This 29th week update is full of pictures! Yes I am all belly and JT’s using up every bit of space that he has in there! He’s going to be a little HAM like his mommy. Note to self: upload our baby pictures. JT’s workouts are so powerful that they no longer tickle, they hurt!

I made Top Momma, go vote for me! I’m the picture of the pregnancy test. I wish I had chosen a different picture, I thought I would be able to change it later… I want to last after delivering JT so keep voting, paaaleeeese! Until next time! Enjoy the pictures!

(We have been keeping weekly accounts of our pregnancy since the 22nd week. If you’re interested in reading weekly updates prior to or following this one, click here!)

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!

Pardon my lateness. This week hasn’t been so pleasant, and it wasn’t due to being pregnant, but being sick. I’m done with the funky part of having a cold but I am now dealing with being light headed all day long. I’m feeling better but I need a solution. It seems like I feel this way right after meals. I remember going through this in September. I shall give my doctor a call.

Thursday’s doctor visit went quick. JT’s powerful heartbeat was checked. I was prescribed iron tablets because my hemoglobin was a tad low but my glucose score was 73, so I passed that. I was also given a number where I would have to schedule a time to come in a watch an epidural DVD. Basically it just covers the process, the risk, yadda yadda. If I don’t watch the DVD, I won’t be issued an epidural during labor no matter how bad that I beg or scream. I don’t know what the future holds, so I’m not going to take that risk of not going to see that DVD!

It seems that now my stomach isn’t growing fast enough for JT. He’s doing a great job with announcing his presence by leaving his little elbow and other body part imprints against my stomach. I find myself poking them back in.

Last night while cooking dinner Daddy asked me Who’s my Haute Mama? and proceeded to lift my shirt to rub my belly. A cheerio fell out on to the floor! I’m Haute and greedy, lol! Before cooking, I was eating honey nut cheerios in the bed and that one of many got trapped in my shirt!

I discovered last night after a shower, that my boobs can leak colostrum. Normally after taking a shower, I poke at my nipples to make sure that they are free of lint and that’s when they dripped. I know, TMI! I screamed and laughed out loud. Now I can get an “I Make Milk” shirt!

I leave you with the song that I think JT’s dancing to in my stomach! *sings* Ladies leave ya man at home! *sings*

(We have been keeping weekly accounts of our pregnancy since the 22nd week. If you’re interested in reading weekly updates prior to or following this one, click here!)

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!