Poised for anything

Last year I took my little guy to one of those inflatable playground type places. And when they asked if I'd be jumping, I was all, "Yeehaw. If adults can jump, count me in!" So we get to jumping and whoops -- a bit of leakage. I'm thinking, "Eh. No problem. Go to the bathroom, pee, get back on the jumpy-thingee."

But again, the same thing happened. Its not like I do alot of jumping in my day-to-day life. So I was a bit surprised by this. And guess what? I spent the rest of the visit making up excuses as to why mommy couldn't do anymore jumping -- not like a little boy is going to understand that a mom's bladder gets totally beaten up during pregnancy and often times doesn't make a full recovery.

When it comes to bladder leakage, I've shrugged it off and figured it was just a part of life for us moms. Some have it worse than others. But I've never thought it was something to be embarrassed about. But in talking to other women about this issue? I was amazed to find out this is an incredibly awkward subject for some. In fact, some women experience painful intercourse and pain during bowel movements as well as leakage.

And that's why MomCentral and Poise have teamed up. They are hoping that if enough of us share our stories, others won't feel so alone. And the subject of incontinence won't be the taboo subject it is.

In fact, click on this link to hear Linda's story. She shares some very personal health information. (And mentions that her doctors blew her off for YEARS before she was able to get help. Hey. I can relate to that!) She's the winner of the first ever Poise Passion Award. (She's the middle person in that photo.)

Linda's willingness to talk about her experience and her message of "there IS something you can do about this" is uplifting and inspirational. For more information on bladder control issues and Poise products, visit their website.

This post was written on behalf of MomCentral.

Berry delightful

"Let's go strawberry picking," was all mom had to say. To my siblings and I, these were sweet, exciting words. We'd quickly change into junky clothes (the kind its ok to stain). We'd beg to leave right then and there. We were like Pavlov's dogs.

We'd drive to the strawberry patch... Row and rows of tantalizing juicy strawberries. We'd chatter away as we picked. Then we'd get home, take off the stems and clean them. Certain bags were frozen so we could enjoy a bit of summer-y sweetness in the cold of winter. Some were put in a big bowl and kept in the fridge for snacking. And others were used for mouth-watering homemade jam.

These strawberry picking times were some of my fondest childhood memories. So its no surprise that any time strawberries are in a store (no matter how expensive) I buy some. Its one of the few fruits my son will eat and one of the few that we'll consume before the food grows moldy.

Why am I sharing this memory? Because NOW is the perfect time of year for strawberries! That's why MomCentral has asked a bunch of bloggers to announce the California Strawberry Commission's blog tour. If you want to know more about the commission, click HERE. (But don't blame ME if you short out your computer from all of the drooling!)

Oh and lest I forget, if you go to THIS SITE, you can find some cool facts about strawberries and even some cool games. (And no, a competition as to who can shove the most strawberries in their mouths isn't one of the ideas included. But if you ARE going to go that route? Don't forget the whip cream!)

This post was written on behalf of MomCentral.com

Scrub-a-dub

Like most people, I LOATHE cleaning the bathrooms. Our shower will seriously grow black and orange stuff all over it before I clean it.

Its not the cleaning, per say, but the fumes from so many products. Buy product, get nasty headache free!

So when MomCentral offered a chance to try Scrubbing Bubbles' latest product, I was curious.

But ya know? This is a pretty cool product. This made scrubbing nasty gunk off of tiles and the shower door easy. And that dried hairspray film that gets in the sink and all over the floor? That can be quickly whisked away too! And no fumes! YEAY.

Alot of products leave the skin on your hands feeling very tight and dry afterwards. But since there's a nice little gripper at the top, your skin's not really coming into contact with the chemicals, so this isn't an issue. It is easy to "assemble" - the pad sticks on the gripper and viola! Add water and "get your clean on".

But... I had problems with the pads sticking to the gripper. Granted I've only tried two so far, so this might not be an issue for others. Also, this little device can't fit in between little crevices like the space been the wall and faucet. Or tiny spots between the back of the toilet and wall. But no doubt at some point, they'll invent a product for that too!

This post was written on behalf of MomCentral.com.

Sun and fun -- Beaches style

Want a summer vacation that'll be a blast for everyone in the family? Look no further than THIS WEBSITE!

When I started checking out the WonderFALL website, I seriously started drooling! What an amazing adventure for a family! Escape the rigors of daily life and enjoy some family time in The Turks or Jamaica! (I know! I am using too many exclamation points! But its because this sort of vacation looks so awesome!)

The hubby and I had originally looked into this sort of vacation (at a Beaches Resort, no less) just a mere 6 weeks ago. But then we were slapped upside the head with a heaping dose of reality when we looked out the kitchen window at our rotting retaining wall. Oh and then we also remembered how the hubby really needs a different vehicle and the porch needs to be replaced. It will be an expensive summer, but not because we threw financial caution to the wind and went on a luxurious month-long tropical retreat. (Sigh)

But we are definitely making plans for next year. (At least for a week's stay somewhere!) And Beaches Resorts, with their many locations, is a website that's been "favorited".

This post was written on behalf of MomCentral.

Roll with it, baby!

I remember the first time I saw a Fruit Roll-Up. I was in fourth grade and in the middle of a bustling cafeteria. A classmate, a few seats down, whipped out the new treat, tore off a chunk and began to nonchalantly chew. I was awed and envious. Throughout my childhood, my mom believed sugar was the enemy. So no Fruit Roll-Ups (or any thing like that) for my siblings and me!

Eventually, I got to try one at a friend's house. I could totally understand the appeal. To this day, Fruit Roll-Ups are still a popular lunchtime treat in schools and at playdates. Now my son's one of those kids happily chomping along with the rest of the bunch.

So when Parent Bloggers Network mentioned a new campaign for a little somethin' called My Fruit Roll-Ups, I was all, "YEEHAW"! The gist? Now you can customize your Fruit Roll-Ups!

The most difficult part of the process? The decision making! Do you want a two-part design or three? What size font? (There are several sizes.) What color font? (There are three colors.) What kind of font? (There are four choices.) What kind of picture would you like? (There are clip-art like pictures for many a holiday or special occasion. There are even a few characters and lots of animals too!)

The website is very responsive so if you want to adjust or change a detail on your work-in-progress, you can quickly do so. There's even a place where you can save your designs to tinker with later on. And ordering is quick and easy.

The animated characters on the website are lively and cute. The accompanying sound effects are fun too. My son got a big kick out of creating his own design. The only thing he had trouble with was the touchpad on MY computer. If an almost 6-year-old can navigate through the design process, that says alot for ease of use, yes?

The product is great for graduations, birthdays and weddings. And since we've got so many bloggers adding to their families, I couldn't help but think... Wouldn't this be a fun treat for kids to design and give out to announce their new status as big brother or sister?

The timing for the campaign couldn't have been more perfect. I ordered them on May 27 and was told they'd get in sometime next week. But we got them June 3 -- just in time for Seth's birthday party with extended family. Plus, he's got enough left to pass out as a birthday treat in summer school.

A box of 30 customized treats costs $29.99 (plus tax, where applicable). Shipping charges and times vary.

Enter to win a FREE box of My Fruit Roll Ups! Leave a comment on this post or the most recent one on Midwestern Mommy. Let us know what you'd design! A winner will be picked at random by Friday morning.

This post was written on behalf of The Parent Bloggers Network.

For cleaner air in your home...

After many visits to a neurologist and trying a number of medications to prevent migraines, (that failed) someone mentioned a visit to an allergist.

I came. I saw. I got tested. And I was allergic to more than 25 things. And since many of the allergens would "kick in" at different seasons, I'd had year round allergy issues and never really realized it. (And since my allergies were a migraine trigger, I got ALOT of migraines.)

Aside from getting allergy shots, changing the type of bed sheets/pillow sheets I use, vacuuming ALOT and taking allergy medications, I still have issues. That's why I very, very interested in THIS website!

According to the website, the AccuClean Whole Home Air Filtration System "removes up to an unprecedented 99.98% of unwanted particles and allergens from the filtered air in your home." That means all of those little floating causes of misery -- like mold spores, pollen, animal dander and dust mites are removed before they settle on your carpets and flooring.

I have a small air purifier in the master bedroom. I LOVE it. Aside from breathing cleaner air, one of the other benefits I hadn't anticipated (but makes sense now that I think about it) was less dust on the furniture. Hey, less dusting equals more time to do stuff you WANT to do.

But the small purifier we have can't help the entire house. So we do need some sort of system - especially since "the boy" has developed allergies too. This AccuClean Whole Home Air Filtration System is something I definitely plan to check out!

This post was written on behalf of MomCentral.com

Make Dinner "Fresh and Simple"

You know how it goes -- the evening rush to get home and feed the fam. Well, apparently the people at Ragu are all too familiar with the drill too! Recently, they've come out with a new take on an old favorite. Enter Ragu Fresh and Simple.

Ragu Fresh and Simple is sauce in a pouch that can be heated in 90 seconds then poured over pasta for a quick meal.

Recently MomCentral asked me if I'd give the sauce a try. We love our pasta in these here parts. And we buy ALOT of Ragu. So I was game. The package was small -- about three servings per pouch. So when the hubby was out of town last night, I figured this would be the PERFECT time to try it out. (Like alot of the women with hubbies who frequently travel, I typically don't do much cooking when the hub's out of town.) I boiled some multigrain pasta then poured the All Natural Garden Veggie pasta sauce.

It was... yummy. The flavor has a little bit of a zing to it but overall is pretty mild. And since the sauce came from a pouch, there was no extra pot to clean up. (Any harried mom who's trying to get her dishes done at 10:30 at night will tell you that's a good thing.)

The boy loved the sauce. He's not a big fan of the multigrain pasta, but because of the sauce, he didn't seem to notice the healthier swap. And speaking of healthy --there's a full serving of veggies in every 1/2 cup of sauce. (If your kiddos loathe veggies like mine? You appreciate stuff like that!)

I've got another package of Ragu Fresh and Simple. But I'm saving it for the next time hubby goes out of town. No doubt "the boy" will enjoy the Tomato Basil sauce as much as he did the Garden Veggie.

Oh and did you know? Ragu has created a recipe booklet with bunches of yummy meal planning suggestions and time-saving tips. The FREE booklet (found at http://www.fedourkidswell.com/) includes recipes/tips from Food Network’s Robin Miller, celebrity fitness trainer Kathy Kaehler, and MomCentral's Stacy DeBroff. (I've met Stacy. And if she's involved, its gotta be good!) So take a few minutes to peruse!

This product review was written for MomCentral.