Children’s Advil®

Did you know that according to TWO national surveys from the makers of Children's Advil®, more than half of all parents report feeling fearful, anxious or helpless when their child has a fever. In addition, the surveys also found that parents were not managing the fever correctly. 94% of pediatricians believe that parents need more training in fever management.

Children's Advil® has partnered up with nationally recognized pediatrician, Alanna Levine, M.D., to introduce a new fever relief program to help educate parents this cold and flew seasons. To teach parents common misconceptions and better practices when it comes to treating fevers in their little ones.

Dr. Alanna Levine and the makers of Children's Advil® recommend the following tips during this cold and flu season:

FEVER RELIEF TIPS:
Stay Cool: Remember that most fevers are in fact indicators that the body is fighting an underlying illness.
Be Prepared: Start the season by talking to a pediatrician about proper fever management. Also, check the medicine cabinet to ensure that all medications have not expired or been recalled.
Watch for Serious Signs: Generally, it's time to call a pediatrician:
- if your child is less than three months old and has a fever of 100 degrees or higher;
- if the fever is over 103 degrees, no matter what the child's age;
- if the fever lasts more than three days;
- if your child has a fever and looks and acts very sick;
- if you are concerned regarding your child's health.
Long Lasting Relief: When choosing a fever medication, be sure to consider how long the medication will last. Children's Advil®, which contains ibuprofen, provides up to 8 hours of relief with one dose.

I must say, I much prefer to give my children Advil, if possible, over tylenol as not only was tylenol recalled but tylenol doesn't seem to have the same effect as a small dose of Advil does. It works better, faster and seems to make my son much more comfortable.


DISCLOSURE: I want to send a special Thank you to Children's Advil® for providing free product samples, the survey information and a gift pack.

Pillsbury Bake Off - Sponsored by Walmart & General Mills

Every year for the last 45 years, Pillsbury has sponsored a Bake Off contest that challenges home cooks to create award winning recipes with some of their ingredients. This year, I was very intrigued by the amazing recipes that were submitted. From breakfast items to desserts, every category was covered. Since I am head over heels for desserts, I'll stick to those but please, check out the other categories. They couldn't be anymore delicious. One of the recipes that caught my eye is: 

Chocolate Chip, Oats 'N Caramel Cookie Squares

Are you kidding me? Don't these little squares just look divine? I'm seriously going to have to make some of these, I'm not even joking. To view the recipe, please click here.

And while you're browsing around looking for recipes to try out, why don't you head on over to find some great deals at walmart so you can purchase more ingredients for less. To take advantage of some great coupons, head on over to EveryDaySaver.com/Walmart to purchase ingredients you need to make the recipes you've found at Pillsbury. I'm telling you, they have a TON of Pillsbury coupons that you can take advantage of.

What are your favorite Pillsbury Bake Off Recipes?

You can also keep updated with both Pillsbury and Walmart in the following ways:

Walmart on Facebook

Walmart on Twitter

Pillsbury on Facebook
Pillsbury on Twitter

Disclosure: I was provided with a $25 Walmart giftcard for review as well as one to give away provided by Walmart and General MIlls, through MyBlogSpark.

Choffy - My Not-so-Guilty Pleasure

Have you ever heard of Choffy? No? Me, either, until recently. Choffy is another one of those inventions that you wish you would have heard about sooner. It's one of those "Why didn't I think of that" moments when you hear about what it is. After I found out what Choffy was (Yes, I had to google it.) I was intrigued to know more. Thankfully my friend Shana was ordering some and when she got it, she was more than happy to let me try it out. For those of you who don't know what Choffy is, here's more information:

WHAT IS CHOFFY  
Choffy is 100% organically brewed chocolate! In the same way coffee beans are roasted and brewed, Choffy does the same with cacao beans. However, unlike coffee, it isn't addicting or give you the well known crash feeling that coffee can provide. It's much healthier and much, MUCH more flavorful.

BENEFITS
Antioxidants: Raw cacao contains the highest concentration, by weight, of antioxidants over any other food in the world, including; red wine, blueberries, acai, pomegranates and goji berries. Even if you were to combine all these ingredients, raw cacao still wins.


Detoxification: Choffy is a super-detoxifier and helps rid the toxins that weaken your system, keeping you younger, longer.

Heart Healthy: Theobromine is a long lasting, yet gentle, stimulant that helps provide you with energy by dilating the cardiovascular system which in turn, makes the hearts job easier, without affecting the nervous system negatively. Therefore, you won't feel the crash or after effects of caffeine, like you do in coffee. Theobromine is also a vasodilator. It increases your heartbeat, as well as dilates blood vessels which helps you reduce your blood pressure and provide your body with greater blood circulation. There is also an abundant amount of flavanols in cacao that activate Nitric Oxide in your blood which helps prevent vascular disease.


Feel Great: Cacao contains the bliss chemicals phenylethylamine (PEA) and anandamide. Anandamide is a chemical present in our brain when we feel good and PEA is an adrenal chemical that helps us to feel focused. These two chemicals, combined, causes a change in blood pressure and blood sugars which leads to a feeling of excitement and alertness without the negative side effects of caffeine.


VARIETIES OF CHOFFY

Ivory Coast - A nice deep chocolate with light natural grain undertones and a classic earthy flavor.

 La Espanola - Created from limited edition single estate cacao beans from the Dominican Republic, creating a deep, rich, yet smooth chocolate flavor with nutty overtones.

Mamberamo - This limited edition carries an exotically deep, smoky chocolate flavor with subtle hints of spice. This flavor is exceptionally rich and smooth.

























My favorite flavor would have to be La Espanola, with Mamberamo coming in a VERY close second. Really, though, you cannot go wrong with any flavor. Pair any of these up with some Almond Joy Creamer and you have my all time favorite drink. I love the smooth chocolate flavor that it gives off, without you feeling extremely full like hot cocoa can.


I also love the feeling that I get when I drink Choffy, not only does the taste make me super happy, like dessert in a cup, but the after effects have seriously saved me more than once. Being the mother of a two year old and almost three month old twins, I have to be on my toes at all times. Choffy gives me the ability to do that without feeling like I've just taken speed. I have more patience with my children and my husband and I don't run down nearly as quickly as I do otherwise.


I must say that this is a staple drink at our play group.


HOW TO BREW CHOFFY
Choffy comes pre-ground and ready to brew. For best results, it does require a french press, like the one here. You can, however, brew choffy in a standard drip coffee maker, if you chose to. For best results with the standard drip coffee maker, use a gold or nylon filter, although, any can be used.

If you would like to learn more about Choffy, please contact Todd or Shana at: tschamberlain[at]hotmail[dot]com
If you would like to purchase Choffy, please click here.


Disclaimer: I am chosing to write this post for my own love of Choffy and my friends Shana and Todd. I have not been paid to write this post. All opinions expressed are my true, honest opinions.

Perrigo Nutritionals Infant Formula

When I gave birth to my son in late 2009, I was determined to breast feed. To me, breast was best and in my opinion, the only option (for me) to feed my child. When I gave birth to my twins, late last year, I was forced to change my opinion. You see, my girls were born 5 weeks early and were unable to nurse. Their latch was sloppy and their energy levels were not strong enough to accommodate an adequate nursing session. In order for them to gain enough weight to go home, we were forced to enhance our milk with formula. After two months of expressing my milk, my body gave in. Unfortunately the girls were no closer to nursing and I was no longer able to produce enough milk to feed my girls. This forced me to change my views. To learn that it was acceptable to feed my children formula because, after all, as long as they are eating and thriving, that is all that matters to me.

When researching different formula brands, I came across a statistic that I was a little surprised by. Only 30% of mom's will buy a store-brand product for their children.Can you believe that?

DID YOU KNOW? All infant formulas that are made in the United States must meet FDA requirements for safety, nutrition and quality. They must also provide complete nutrition for growing babies. This means that store brand formulas are a nutritional equivalent to similar national brands but cost half the price. These savings can add up to $600, per year!

Perrigo Nutritionals produces quality store brand infant formulas that are avilable at retailers such as; Walmart - Parents Choice, Target - Up & Up, Kroger - Comforts and Sames Club - Simply Right. They adhere to the highest of standards so you can feel good about meeting your child's needs while saving money. Don't take my word for it, click here to learn more.


Recently, I was given the opportunity to review a few different products from Perrigo Nutritionals. I was sent a package that included two Perrigo Nutritionals store brand infant formulas, an 8 ounce bottle, a fleece baby blanket and a baby bib.

After spending two months with my girls on formula, one thing I have learned is that not all formulas are the same. In the instance that there are many different varieties of each formula. However, there is always a store brand alternative and I have found is that every one works just about the same as the name brand equivalent. One example, my daughter, A, has a very hard time with a certain brand of formula. It makes her projectile vomit all over the place. I tried the store brand alternative and the same thing happens. Fortunately for me (and my daughter), we have found an amazing formula that both my daughters do amazingly well on and the store brand works just as great for our girls. I will say, if they're equivalent, why would I want to pay double the price for the same exact product?

Next time you're looking into formulas, or any product, check out the store brand and save some money while you're at it.

Disclosure:  Prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by Perrigo Nutritionals through MyBlogSpark.