Amazon Deals for Mom, 2/25/13

Amazon is running another 15% sale on select baby items. All you need to do is select items from the sale and enter in 15BABY15 when you check out. There are some great items, some of which aren't often on sale.



One of the most popular car seats around is the Chicco Keyfit 30 Car Seat. This is a great deal at only $166 after the discount and free shipping.

It's easy to install and one of the highest rated for safety. Also, it can hold a child up to 30 pounds. Now that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping your child rear-facing till two years old, a seat like this prevents the need for another seat before they're ready to go front facing.


I know some parents would say, "But the baby gets too heavy to use the carrier by the time they're 9 months old!" This is true, but you don't actually have to use the carrier. Just leave the carrier in the car attached to the base once they're too big to be carried around. Problem solved.

Need a stroller/car seat system? Consider the Chicco Cortina KeyFit 30 Travel System. This is also part of the sale and is available in five colors.



If you need a convertible seats (seats that can be rear facing or front facing) and are interested in top of the line, the Peg Perego Convertible Car Seat is a great choice and you'll save big if you're not picky on color. The beige seat with the discount saves you $50! It must be well liked, since 57 out of 61 reviewers gave it 5 stars (and it has an overall rating of 4.9).

There are tons more baby stuff on sale as well, including many strollers and car seats, so if you're needing any baby stuff, now's the time.

5 Favorite Things of the Week - 2/22/13

This week I was thinking about the things that I love, and I thought about writing an individual post about them, but I figured why not put them together in one post. This will be a fun weekly post every Friday of my favorite things from that week:

Via JunkFoodGuy.com

1. Zachary Chocolate-Covered Marshmallow Eggs. Have you guys had these? They are seriously addictive and so delicious. The chocolate melts in your mouth and is definitely the real stuff. I've always loved chocolate and marshmallows, so of course I love these. Plus they're only $1 for a dozen at Walmart. They come in foam egg crates too. So cute! They're only around for Easter so try them while you have the chance.



Via IowaGirlEats.com

2. H&R Block online tax program. TurboTax and H&R Block online each have their own advantages and disadvantages, but the last two years I've gone with H&R because they're less expensive and it works! I so love doing my taxes online. What would we do without the Internet?
3. Hebrew National Hot Dogs. These hot dogs are the best. If you haven't tried them (and you do eat hot dogs) I highly recommend them. They are more expensive than other brands for the most part, but their taste is just amazing. They are not only kosher (not that that matters to me), but they also don't have any fillers, by-products or artificial anything. I find myself more full than with other hot dogs, and did I mention the flavor? Seriously, delicious.
4. Pineapple, Banana, Coconut Smoothies. Yeah, they're that good. Mmmmm ...
5. Minecraft. It's a game with simple graphics but lots of fun possibilities and takes a lot of creativity. It's a fun activity to do after the boys are in bed. I admit, I'm a geek girl at heart :P.
   

What were your favorite things from this week? Please share in the comments!

(Expired) Two Free Recipe eBooks: Cookie Indulgence and 101 Bread Pudding Recipes

I'm always on the lookout for free ebooks. Remember, you don't have to have an ebook reader to get these freebies. They can be read on computers or through Kindle apps for Android and IOS. Here they are:

101 Bread Pudding Recipes (Secret Recipe Archive Series) is the perfect recipe book if you love bread pudding and features recipes like caramel bread pudding and pumpkin bread pudding with pecans.

Cookie Indulgence: 150 Easy Cookie Recipes features the traditional cookies along with the unusual. Looking for a cookie that you haven't tried? You're sure to find inspiration with this FREE ebook!













Thanks to Happy Money Saver and Books on the Knob for sharing!

Pinapple, Coconut, Banana Smoothie

My very favoritest drink is pina coladas. I love them with a passion. When I was a kid, my mom and dad would buy those frozen Bicardi pina colada mixes and we'd have pina coladas as a dessert (minus the alcohol, of course). Whenever I go to restaurants, I pretty much always order one.

But I've had trouble duplicating the drink at home. This pineapple smoothie isn't the same as a real pina colada, but this tropical smoothies recipe is so good it definitely tastes like a dessert. And as you know, I love me some smoothies and pineapple smoothies are like heaven in your mouth.

Now the quality of this smoothie with pineapple will depend on the quality of ingredients. When choosing a pineapple, find one that is sweet and juicy. If you've never had a fresh pineapple before, you're in for a treat. A good pineapple tastes as sweet as candy and is oh so good.

As for the coconut milk, you'll want to get one from the refrigerated section near where you would find organic milk and other milk alternatives (almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, etc.) which should be next to the regular milk section. The milk here has a stronger coconut flavor than the ones you'll find in a can or on the shelf.

So here's the recipe:

Pineapple, Coconut, Banana Smoothie

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 of a fresh pineapple with skin cut off and cut into chunks (leave the stem on for extra healthy goodness, assuming you have an awesome blender that can blend it up :)

1 banana, medium to large

6 to 10 ice cubes

Put coconut milk, pineapple, banana and ice in the blender in the order given. Blend till smooth. Enjoy immediately.

And if you're craving something sweet, smoothies with pineapple are a great way to help with the cravings without resorting to candy, chocolate, or ice cream. So skip the cookies and blend up your dessert!

Get Free Android App + $1 MP3 Amazon Credit

Right now you can get the Android app Wubbzy's Train Adventure for FREE (usually $1.99) and as an added bonus, you'll get $1 MP3 credit along with it for FREE. So get a free app and then choose a free song. This is a great deal whether you want the app or not (and the app is 4.6/5 stars).

Get it the deal while you can! This won't last forever :).

Thanks, Happy Money Saver and Clip and Follow, for sharing!

Free iPad App: Miss Spider's Bedtime Story

So when my son turned 4, we got him an iPod Touch. I know what you're thinking: "Who gives a 4-year-old such an expensive gift." But there are some caveats, the first being that we got a used one so it was a lot less expensive (and we put an Otterbox cover on it, so over a year later, it's still in great condition).

The second reason we decided on it was we wanted to get him one of those educational products like the LeapPad, but between the cost of accessories, batteries and games, we were able to get the iPod (with a lithium ion battery) and there are tons of free apps that are fun and/or educational.

So every once in a while, there are apps for the Apple family of products that usually cost money that are made free. The nice thing about these apps is you don't actually have to own the item in order to get them free. For example, right now there is a free iPad app available, Miss Spider's Bedtime Story, that's usually $4.99, but right now it's free (though that could change, so don't wait!). Don't have an iPad? No problem. Get it today and if you get an iPad someday, you'll already have the app. All you need is an Apple ID.

This is a great app to keep on your iPad in case you need to keep the kiddos busy or to share with them at bedtime.

Thanks, Freebies 4 Mom and Mobile Savvy Mama, for sharing!

Review: Vitamix Blender

Via ElissaGoodman.com

So I'm a bit of a smoothie enthusiast. I love just sticking stuff in a blender and ending up with a delicious drink that is yummy and full of good things for you.

So back probably 6 years ago or so, I was frustrated. I would put things in my blender (can't remember what type now but it was one of those $50 blenders you buy at super marts) and if they were too frozen, they wouldn't blend. I would actually have to thaw them out in the microwave in order to make the smoothie and there was no way I could have ice in there, and what was the point of the smoothie if it wasn't cold?

Enter the Vitamix blender. Best thing ever to happen to smoothies.

Where Did I Buy It?

I bought my Vitamix from Costco because they would have someone come to our neighborhood Costco every couple months to demonstrate them. They were cheaper than anywhere else and came with a 7-year warranty. Still, all-in-all, it came to a whopping $400 (after I believe a $100 discount)! Wow! Yeah, I was that desperate for a blender THAT ACTUALLY WORKED.

So now that I've owned it for a couple of years, what do I think? I LOVE IT! Yeah, it's true that it's expensive, and I don't know if it's worth the cost or if there are cheaper blenders that work as well, but I do love knowing I can put whatever in there and it will be smooth at the end. Oh, also, it's so much cheaper than buying a smoothie at Jamba Juice et al (and hey, you don't have to change out of your pajamas to do it!).

But Does It Do More Than Make Smoothies?

As for the other things that it can supposedly do, like make soups and chop up vegetables, I'm not sold. I've tried chopping up onions and green peppers in it and