Want to have a sexy Valentine's Day with your someone special? K-Y just might be able to help with its new America's Top Couple contest. Enter to win a trip to New York, a romantic photo shoot and, best of all, $1000 cash. Click below for more information.
No, we don't know if the little guy saw his shadow today. Yes, we will play the "I Hog The Ground" video every Groundhog Day from now 'til eternity because it is perfect. If you've never seen it before, it's from Jack's Big Music show and it stars Steve Burns (former Blue's Clues guy) and Steven Drozd (of the Flaming Lips). Learn some fun facts you DIDN'T know about the groundhog!
"I Hog The Ground"
All families need hardworking appliances, but it isn't always easy to get quality items without planning ahead. Frigidaire is making it a little easier by giving you the chance to win a Frigidaire Affinity washer and dryer. Each day you register or log in to the sweepstakes, you'll be automatically entered for the chance to win a randomly selected prize AND the washer/dryer set. The great part is, no purchase is necessary to enter or win. This sweepstakes is worth entering even if you don't need a new washer and dryer, because Frigidaire will donate a dollar to Save the Children for every entry received.
The promotion runs through April 26th. Enter the Spin & Win Sweepstakes or get more information by clicking below. 
Let's face it: Some kids just need more choices in life. Lots of parents claim to have a picky eater. I actually have one. Making any meal for my 3-year-old is a chore, but lunch is especially tough. There's just no way to tell at seven in the morning what he's going to want to eat at noon. Many days last year his teacher at daycare would have to tell me that the little one didn't eat anything at all or only picked through his lunch. In November, she suggested getting him a bento box to hold lots of different foods instead of just one. It sounded like a great idea since I had long since given up on controlling exactly what he ate during the day and was far more concerned that he eat something healthy. But it also sounded like an idea that could potentially make things more complicated. How would packing more food be less troublesome?
I was browsing Amazon.com
for gifts during the holiday season when I spotted the Goodbyn. It was advertised as a good-for-the-planet lunchbox that eliminated the need for disposable packaging, was BPA free, and could go in the dishwasher. But I'll admit my first thought was simply, "compartments!" Let's face it, the Goodbyn was probably as "bento" as I was going to get. So after a few more days of stalking, gazing, and figuring, I bought it in green. (I see that they now have blue, too. Dern it!) It was 29.95 with free shipping. I love Amazon. 
When the Goodbyn arrived, I immediately put it to work - actually packing my son's lunch that night (not scrambling the next morning). I'd made the decision to pack only healthy things because with all these choices my preschooler would eat something, I just wouldn't know exactly what. I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (that's actually a soy nut butter and Polaner All-Fruit on whole wheat), wrapped it and put it in the compartment shaped like a sandwich. Then I filled the juice container with Motts-for-Totts and tossed in a cheddar cheese stick, some sliced apples, a container of yogurt and a handful of veggie crackers. It was a pretty quick process and I reminded myself that I wasn't making a meal, I was providing (fairly) healthy choices. I sealed the Goodbyn and popped it into the refrigerator, happy that I'd fixed lunch without the pressure of coming up with the one perfect thing that might be eaten at daycare. I couldn't wait until that evening when we got the lunchbox back. I ripped into it to see what was left and just about everything was gone. Weeks later, my son is still eating better than he ever has at daycare and I can say that I highly recommend the Goodbyn. It really has saved my sanity and it's always easy to use no matter what I have in the house. I can pack leftovers, fruit, cheese, cold cuts, pudding, soup - just about anything - and something will be eaten. 
Now, here are some things you should know if you're in the market for a bento-ish lunchbox like this one: Sue me, but I still use a small amount of disposable packaging such as sandwich bags, because it keeps the lunchbox nice and clean. Working on that part. Also, the Goodbyn is slightly larger than most lunchboxes, but it still fits in the backpack. I see that the website shows children carrying it by its handle, which is very very cute, but we're trying to cut down on the number of items we carry to the car. Also, closing the lunchbox is a lot like closing Tupperware, but we've had no problem at all keeping it closed. Once it sealed, it's sealed. But what your little ones will probably appreciate is that the Goodbyn comes with two big rolls of stickers so they can "decorate" their new lunchboxes as they see fit.
Read more about the Goodbyn Lunchbox here.
I can't really answer that question myself, but hopefully we can all wind up with photos of ourselves on a blog like "My Parents Were Awesome" one day. It celebrates the "coolness" of parents before they were parents through pictures sent in by adult children. Here are some faves: 
We were catching up on our blog-reading today when we stumbled upon a post about a product that promises to get "out" many of the things that kids get into. It's called Removeez and it sounds great. Now does it work? If you've tried it, please let us know!
If you're still pulling together your holiday plans, you have lots of company. Like most American families, we're still trying to plug in all the nuts and bolts. But we do know we want to take the time to see The Princess and the Frog. As you've probably heard, the movie features Disney's first Black princess in a retelling of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. But what you may not know is that it is set in the city of New Orleans during the Jazz Era. For us, that's makes it a must see. Have you seen The Princess and the Frog already? If so, what did you think about it? If you haven't seen it yet, do you plan to make it part of your holiday plans? Let us know! 
Just in case you missed one of the most popular online videos this holiday season, we're here to keep you in the loop. We're talking about the Muppets' new parody of Queens' "Bohemian Rhapsody" featuring no fewer than 40 of your favorite muppets and it's closing in on almost 10 million views since last Monday. But don't take our word for it. See for yourself why it's being called the "king of Queens tributes".
Or at least that's what The Huffington Post calls it because sweet potato pie is supposedly the presidents favorite dessert. I followed the recipe they call "Obama Sweet Potato Pie" last year and it came out great. So I'm passing it along to our readers, since it's really simple and great for holiday season.
Ingredients:
1 pound sweet potatoes
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
Directions:
Boil sweet potato whole in skin until soft when poked with fork (40 to 50 minutes for 1 large sweet potato or 20-25 minutes for group of smaller ones). Run cold water over cooked potatoes, remove skin, and place in large mixer bowl.
Preheat oven to 350.
Mash cooked potato and beat with softened butter until combined. Add sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Pour into unbaked pie shell.
Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a soufflé, and then sink down as it cools.
Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
.jpg)
