Delicious and Easy Banana Bread Recipe

It seems that during the summer months the bananas in my house seem to ripen twice as quickly.  I hate to waste any food, which is hard with a toddler anyway.  Yesterday I had a small bunch of bananas that I knew no one would eat.  So my choices were a smoothie or banana bread.  I chose banana bread since I haven't made it in forever and I needed a new recipe anyway.

I found a GREAT recipe on simplyrecipes.com.  It was simple and it uses ingredients I readily keep in the house anyway.  There is also no need for a mixer.  I like spoon mixed batters best.

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the finished result since my family ate it all up.  Give it a try and you will see how fast it goes too.

Banana Bread Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour   ***(My bread too about 1 hour 15 minutes to cook)

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Yield: Makes one loaf.

Disney Princess Fountain and Bubble Boat and Disney Princess Ariel and Sister Set Review

If you follow along and read my posts, you know I have a son named Mason.  What you don't know is that I have two nieces and nephew that I adore!  So, for this post, it was only fitting that my 5 and 3 years old nieces, named Anna and Kylee, help me with this review.  Not only are they in love with everything Disney and princess, but they will honestly tell you what they think.

Saying they were excited when I gave them the toys is a huge understatement.  They were so excited and kept jumping up and down, screaming the Ariel Boat, the Ariel Boat!  Apparently they have had their eyes on the Disney Princess Ariel Fountain and Bubble Boat for a while and couldn't be happier to check it out for me.

Once we assembled the boat and added the bubbles, we were set to go!  Kylee's favorite part was the bubbles the boat made.  Anna loved the fountain. This toy seems to have the perfect combination for any little girl.  Anna and Kylee were able to easily turn the dial to turn on the bubble maker.  When they turned the dial one more time, the fountain sprayed into the air and they giggled and giggled the whole time!  The play set came with a very cute Ariel doll, who they had a ball sending down the slide and swinging on the seashell throne.  

I love the interactiveness of this toy, yet it allowed the girls to use their imagination to create a watery world.

The Disney Princess Fountain and Bubble Boat retails for $26.99 and is recommended for ages 3 and up.  It also requires 3 AA batteries, which are not included, so make sure you have them stocked up!

A perfect compliment to the Disney Princess Fountain and Bubble Boat is Disney Princess Ariel and Her Sisters Doll Set.  This doll set is based on the characters from the classic Disney film, The Little Mermaid. The set includes Ariel and her two sisters, Alana and Arista. 

This doll set was a huge hit also.  All of the dolls have "magical" tops the change color in the water.  The girls also liked that they could move the doll's "hips" and pretend to make them swim.  This is a great feature that adds to the creativeness of play. If you purchase the Fountain and Bubble Boat, be sure to get this set as well so your little princess will have hours of fun in or out of the tub!

The Disney Princess Ariel and her Sister Doll Set  retails for $14.99.  It is appropriate for ages 3 and up.

Thanks to Mattel for providing the items above in order to facilitate the review.  All opinions are 100% mine.

Sky Ball Review and Giveaway (Closed)

The Sky Ball is pretty cool.  Ok, so you might be thinking...it's a ball...whats's so cool about it?...what's so different?  A ball is a ball and it can bounce and roll and you can have a a game of catch with it.  It is simple and fun and you can never go wrong with a ball.  The Sky Ball is a softball-sized toy that bounces as high as 75 feet!  It is a lightweight ball filled with a combination of compressed air and helium.  This combination also makes it easy to throw this ball far distances.  It will provide hours of fun and is a neat gift for any kid.

I gave Mason one of these balls to play with and he loved it!  It bounces so high with minimal effort.  This is great for me since Mason get frustrated easily when a toy doesn't perform as he thinks it should.  The smaller size of the ball was perfect for in-house play.  Another great feature inherent to the ball is the bright colors used.  When we played with the ball outside, it was easy to find and did not get lost in the grass. 

 The Sky Ball retails for $7.99 and is recommended for ages 6 and up.  It is available in several colors. 
 Find out more online at :http://www.mauitoys.com/sky-ball.

Would you like to wina Sky Ball for your very own?  FIll out the form below and enter for a chance to win.  The Sky Ball Giveaway will run from 5/24/11 at 12:00pm EST to 5/31/11 at 12:00pm EST.


Congratulations to Joseph F, Vayda T, and David S, the 3 winners chosen for the Sky Ball Giveaway!  The winners will be contacted and will have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Maui Toys provided the items above in order to facilitate this review and giveaway.  All opinions are 100% mine.

OxiClean's Brighten Up Your Ball Game Contest

OxiClean, OxiClean, OxiClean!  Oh, how I love you!  You have saved many shirts from my little man who loves to play in puddles and dirt.  I never have to worry that a shirt will be ruined or a pair of pants will never be worn again.  I know that I can get any stain out or brighten a load of Mason's dirtiest clothes with OxiClean products. 

I use OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover to keep my families' clothes bright.  This chlorine free stain remover helps to boost your detergents power and keeps the whites whiter.  If I have a tougher stain to tackle, this is when the OxiClean Max Force Pre-Treater Gel Stick comes in.  I can get the toughest dried in stains out.  Best of all, I can treat a stain and wash the item up to a week later if I am not ready to throw a load of wash in at the time the stain happens. 

Everyone knows OxiClean is famous for being the go-to stain remover to help parents get their kids’ dirty uniforms their whitest and brightest all season long.  OxiClean is now helping to brighten up the season by asking parents to submit their own story and photo on the new OxiClean Facebook page on why their child’s softball or baseball organization needs help from OxiClean to clean up their game. From new uniforms, lights, equipment, or turf, to handicap accessibility or transportation – whatever the little ballplayers need, OxiClean will donate $10,000 to one organization in need.

OxiClean just launched the national “Brighten Up Your Ball Game” contest on Facebook.  With sports funding and athletic programs being cut all over the country, OxiClean will donate $10,000 to one lucky youth baseball or softball organization in need of a little brightening up!

For more details about the "Brighten Up Your Ball Game” contest including official rules and regulations, visit www.facebook.com/OxiClean.


Thanks to MamaCheaps.com and OxiClean for providing the the products above for review.  All opinions of the product are 100% mine.

Matchbox Big Rig Buddies Scrap Yard Adventure by Mattel Review

About six months ago, my township began a major construction project a couple of roads over from my house.  Thankfully, the noise hasn't been bad.  However, there has been an abundance of trucks, bulldozers, and dump trucks rumbling through my neighborhood.  Enter Mason's new obsession with big trucks and everything dirty and involving construction.  When I found out I'd have the opportunity to review Matchbox's Big Rig Buddies Scrap Yard Adventure Playset, I was very excited for Mason.  I know this was right up his alley and he would be in heaven with his new truck friends.

This scrap yard play set is so much fun!  It is very easy to put together and easy to play with.  You can set up the pieces however you want.  This play set is conducive to allowing your child's imagination to take the reigns and make this construction site come alive.  There are so many pieces to set up and configure and reconfigure however you want. 

Included in this set is Rocky the Dump Truck and many obstacles including barrels, wheels, and elevators.  Rocky has many adventures in his scrap yard including riding a gear ramp, which is great for little fingers to manipulate.  Rocky can also ride the ramp up to the transformation stage.  Here Rocky can turn into a "mega dumper".  Rocky can also ride the rolling barrel and down the ramp.  Mason loved watching the dump truck shoot out at the end of the ride!

Mason loved that Rocky the Dump Truck was movable.  This is definitely a unique feature since all of his other trucks are non-functioning.  Mason also loved the ramps that lift the truck to get into the barrel and the ramp to the gear ramp.  From a parents perspective, my husband was quick to point out that no batteries were required.  That definitely gets 5 stars in our book! 

The Scrap Yard Adventure Play Set is recommended for ages 3+ and retails for $16.99.  There are also other sets available Mattel so you can mix and match sets to create your own Big Rig Buddies world. 

Thanks to Mattel and Matchbox for providing the item above in order to facilitate this review.  All opinions are 100% mine.

Questions About Cars? Check This Out!

Obviously, I am a girl. So that must mean that I wear dresses, make-up and love shoes and shopping malls...Right?   And that means that when it comes to car maintenance and repairs, I am totally clueless...Right?  Oh, and that means that some mechanics try to take advantage of my seemingly lack of knowledge of anything car related.  Well, the last statement is correct anyway.

If you are in the same boat as me and would like to become more car repair savvy, you have to check out RepairPal.com.  This site truly has everything you could need to know about your car, whether it is repair related or a general "how to" question.

RepairPal.com is a free website that gives unbiased repair estimates and reviews.  RepairPal.com offers a Repair Price Estimates, a Shop Directory, a My Car Page, Encyclopedia Page, and a Car Info Page.  My two favorites are the Repair Price Estimates and Shop Directory. 

RepairPrice Estimates:  This is my favorite part of the website.  I never know how much a repair should cost and when I receive a quote, I always feel like I am being taken advantage of.  With RepairPrice Estimates , I can get an estimate for a specific job and know what a fair price for repair will cost.  You can even get a printable version of the RepairPrice Estimate sent to your email.

Shop Directory:  This is a nice feature too.  All you have to do is enter a city or zip code then you can search by car make or a shop name for the shop in your area that best fits your needs.  Best part...there are user rating and reviews posted so you don't choose a poor shop to take your car to.

Check it out!  What do you have to lose?

GOPromos.com

Ever since I started this Blog, I have wanted to get some promotional items that I could hand out when I meet new toy reps or moms on the playground.  A business card is ok, but I really wanted something more fun, and more memorable.  I have found a great site that has all the the promotional items I could every need.

GOPromos.com is the site to check out.  This site has everything you are looking for.  From promotional pens, to bags and totes, pens, calendars, t-shirts, key chains, and promotional mugs, you will find what you need.  GOPromos.com offers a large variety of promotional items at the lowest prices.  They also guarantee your satisfaction with every purchase!  If you find the same item at a lower price anywhere else, let GOPromos.com know and hey will match it—guaranteed!  What makes the whole process even easier is GOPromos.com offers a friendly customer service staff that is available online or by phone to help you with your order.

If you are looking to get your message out there, you can start with notepads from GOPromos or be creative and advertise with stress balls, GOPromos.com will get the job done for you.