Merry Christmas and a fantastic 2013 from my family to yours!

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Amy Michelle's Holiday 2012 - Let it snow

Fresh Produce Clothes review

I can not believe it's been so long since I have been on my blog! Lots has happened but I will tell those stories in my next post. Today I wanted to share with you a company I LOVE!
I'm sure you've heard about them: Fresh Produce.

As you know I've lost a lot of weight, I'm now at 60 pounds down and when I got the opportunity to review one of their Items I couldn't wait to order a casual dress for the Summer!

I chose the Impromptu Dress in Fiji for my review and let me tell you, it's amazing! The dress has an asymmetrical hem, and just fits very comfortable. I chose my dress in white, perfect for the Summer. The dress is made from 92% rayon, 8% lycra and after a lot of washes already is still in the same beautiful and comfortable shape.

Left is the dress on a model, right on me in my garden.

This dress is now also on sale!
What I love about Fresh Produce is their great quality, affordability, lots of color variations and there's a size for everybody!
Check out some of their vacation clothes or some more of their dresses.
I have my eyes on this High Shore Wrap Dress:

If you are already looking around for clothes for the Fall, they have a great selection of sweaters, cardigans, jackets and pants too.

Thanks Fresh Produce for letting me review this dress, it's one of my favorites!

"Disclosure: I received the Impromptu Dress to use for my review, I was in no other way compensated and all opinions are mine."

Friends with Kids screening

I had never been to a screening of a movie before so when I was asked if I wanted to go, I didn't hesitate.

My friend and me went to see "Friends with Kids". The release date of the movie was March 9th and all I can say is, go watch this movie. It's hilarious! Especially when you are married and/or have kids, then this movie will make you laugh out loud! There's so many similarities in this movie, things that we have experienced.

It's been a long time where I went to see a movie where the whole theatre was laughing out loud.

I can't wait for it to come out on DVD as I want to watch it with the hubby too!

Have a look at the trailer:

Synopsis:

Friends With Kids is a daring and poignant ensemble comedy about a close-knit circle of friends at that moment in life when children arrive and everything changes. The last two singles in the group observe the effect that kids have had on their friends' relationships and wonder if there’s a better way. They decide to have a kid together - and date other people.

Jennifer Westfeldt wrote, directed, and stars in the romantic comedy Friends with Kids. She plays Julie, a Manhattanite whose biological clock is about to run out, so she convinces her longtime platonic best friend, Jason (Adam Scott) to father a child with her. They seem to have a much easier time juggling the responsibilities of new parenthood without the complication of being in a relationship with each other, which is in contrast to the two couples they are closest to. As their friends' marriages implode, Julie and Jason's happy equilibrium topples over as well when he falls for a hot young artist (Megan Fox) and she begins dating a successful businessman (Edward Burns).

There are big laughs and unexpected emotional truths as this unconventional 'experiment' leads everyone in the group to question the nature of friendship, family and, finally, true love.

Friends With Kids stars Adam Scott ("Parks and Recreation"), Jennifer Westfeldt, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O'Dowd, Megan Fox and Edward Burns.

Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein).

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions will release Friends With Kids on March 9, 2012.

Go see the movie if you're in need of a good laugh!

"Disclosure: Child's Play Communications provided me with tickets to go see the screening and they will send me a goodie bag to enjoy. I was in no other way compensated to write this post"

General Mills cereal & MyBlogSpark review

Ringing in the New Year often means new eating habits. We know whole grain is important to you, and the Dietary Guidelines recommend choosing products with a whole grain listed as the first ingredient. Now every cereal with the white check has more whole grain than any other single ingredient with the same great taste. You will see “whole grain” as a part of the first ingredient on the ingredient list, indicating that whole grain is the first and most prevalent ingredient.

According to Dr. Travis Stork, emergency room physician and host of “The Doctors,” identifying whole grain products can be challenging. Shoppers can look for nutritional cues on the front of the box, but they need to read the ingredient list to know if they are getting enough whole grain. Ingredient lists detail ingredients in order of prevalence, and if the words “whole grain” are followed by a grain like wheat or oats, it means the food contains more whole grain than any other single ingredient. Here’s how to determine if your cereals have whole grain as a first ingredient: With all the health messages facing grocery store shoppers, it can be confusing to translate what appears on food labels into nutritional needs, and hard to determine which foods have a meaningful amount of whole grain. Dr. Stork has some additional recommendations to help you include whole grain easily into your diet. They include: Start Early! The Dietary Guidelines recommend people get at least 48 grams of whole grain in their daily diets. Get a jump-start on the day’s nutrition by incorporating whole grain into your morning routine. For instance, when choosing cereal make sure whole grain is listed as the first ingredient. One easy choice is cereal with the white check, which have more whole grain than any other single ingredient. Make Simple Swaps. Choose whole grain versions of the foods you love. Great options include whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread or even whole grain crackers. Also, try different types of whole grain. Use brown rice instead of white rice as a side dish at dinner or popcorn, which is a whole grain, for a snack. Don’t Judge a Food by Its Cover. The front of food packages provide good nutritional cues, but don’t forget to read the ingredients and check the nutrition label and side labels for additional health information. Cereals with the white check even include the amount of whole grain per serving on packaging. To help with choosing products with whole grain, General Mills developed “Fast Lane for Whole Grain,” an online educational game. Consumers can navigate virtual grocery store aisles and identify products that have whole grain as the first ingredient, with the option to enter a sweepstakes to win one of each of the 50 cereals with the white check. Make a commitment to add more whole grain to your diet by simply pouring a bowl of cereal with the white check including Cheerios®, Lucky Charms®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Honey Nut Cheerios® and Total®. For more information on the importance of whole grain and a chance to enter the “Fast Lane for Whole Grain” sweepstakes, visit www.WholeGrainNation.com.

My family was lucky enough to try the above cereal options: Total, Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cheerios. It is very important to me that my kids get a good breakfast in the morning and I have to admit I look for whole grains. My kids don't always love the whole grain bread but they do LOVE the whole grain cereals! I LOVE the Total cereal and of course my kids love the Lucky Charms (I need to remind my little one to eat all the cereal and not just the marshmallows), the Cinnamon Toast Crunch & Cheerios!

All these cereals get our thumbs up! My son said, and I quote: "it's all about healthy options, mom!"

“Disclosure: The prize pack, information has been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.”

Valentine's Day is coming fast!

Can you believe it that it's almost Valentine's Day? For us this will be an extra special one this year as this is our new dog Bella's birthday!

Just wanted to let you all know about the following:

Have you noticed the Exergen Thermometer's on Grey's Anatomy? These thermometers are amazing! We had one (actually we still do somewhere I think) but after this Summer's camping trip, we can't find it anymore.

In advance of Valentine's Day, Exergen Corporation is sponsoring the Love Bug Temperature Challenge. This grand prize sweepstakes is worth $105,000 and offers contestants the opportunity to win Valentine's Day prizes that include shopping at Tiffany & Co., his and her cars and a trip to Hawaii!

It's super easy to enter, I already did!

• visit www.exergen.com
• complete the entry form and play the instant win game for the opportunity to win an Exergen Temporal Scanner and the chance to win a $1,000 Tiffany & Co. gift card
• The lucky winner of the Tiffany & Co. gift card is then challenged to enter to win a grand prize of "his and her" cars and a trip to Hawaii by correctly predicting the Academy Award winners of Sunday, February 26th.

You can play the instant win game once a day. I'll certainly be doing this for a chance to win a new Exergen Temporal Scanner!

"Disclosure: I was not compensated to write this post. As usual, all opinions are mine alone"

Pillsbury coupon

For all you readers that love Pillsbury, here's a coupon for $1.10 off when you buy 3 of any size/variety refrigerated Pillsbury® Grands!® Biscuits, Crescent Dinner Rolls, Ready To Bake! Cookies, Sweet Rolls OR Grands!® Sweet Rolls.

http://bit.ly/PillsburyCoupon4

Also have you checked out the Pillsbury website? There's lots of convenient, delicious recipes on there!

"Disclosure: I received this info and coupon offer from Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark"

Listerine Oral Care Challenge blog tour

My family had the great opportunity to participate in the Listerine Oral Care Challenge. We started our challenge on the 1st of December (see earlier post) so we're almost 4 weeks into it and I wanted to share our experiences with you all.

The kit we received included a lot of really fun things, like Reach Barbie, Phineas & Ferb and Batman toothbrushes, Listerine Barbie/Batman Smart and Anticavity Fluoride rinse, Reach Total Care mint floss and Listerine mouthwashes and toothbrushes for adults.

Our task was to brush, floss and rinse twice a day (which we were pretty much already doing, except for the flossing part).

The kids each chose their character toothbrush and rinse, and off we went with the whole family.

I think from all of us, my youngest Abby enjoyed the routine the most as she could use her Barbie toothbrush and rinse. She got a Barbie house for Christmas so this all fitted right in! :-)

My husband prefers the Coolmint Listerine Antiseptic mouthwash, I prefer the less intense (zero alcohol) Total Care Zero mouthwash.

Did you know that despite parents' best efforts, 50% of children will have a cavity or filling between the ages of 5 and 9?

Candy and soda are the main culprits. However, fruit juice and milk can also be the source of cavities.

We had my son's dentist appointment early this morning (had to be there at 8) and he has NO cavities whatsoever. Very good news for him as he sometimes "forgets" what 2 minutes of brushing is like :-)

The younger your kids are, the harder it seems to be to keep your kids engaged long enough to brush, rinse and floss their teeth. But I have to say that having mouthwash and toothbrushes with characters definitely helps!

You should go check out the Listerine website, it has lots of very useful information on there and they always have offers on the site.

I've had gingivitis before and have been working real hard to improve the condition of my gums and it's paying off as my gums bleed less and less and the dentist actually has seen a huge improvement!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Listerine and received a sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”