The Chatty Momma: July 2011

Wordless Wednesday "Skype Daddy"

I Have a Secret...I Love Klout Perks!

I don't just have one Secret. I actually have four!

Recently, I received my latest perk from Klout, which just so happened to be a one year supply of Secret Clinical Strength Deodorant (Waterproof).

How cool is that?

Very cool I must say, and very dry!

Today was the first time I have ever tried the Waterproof Secret Clinical Strength, and so far I am very pleased.

As we all know there is currently a heatwave on the east coast, and the heat index in DC has reached 116 degrees.

That's HOT!

There isn't a better time other than a heatwave to test out the strength of a deodorant.

Today's Performance Grade: A+

Not only was I out and about during the hottest hours of the day, but I took the girls to Pentagon City's Fashion Center for a reunion with friends, and returned during thundershowers on the highway. All that was followed by a nice long nap.

So, my grade is based on Secret Clinical Strength (Waterproof) passing the following tests:

A trip to the mall with two kids under four
A reunion with old friends
A 30 minute drive through a storm
A two hour nap

By this time of day some deodorants would have quit or failed, but my Secret Clinical Strength (Waterproof) is still working hard.

I'm pleased!

Were you one of the fortunate ones to receive your own year supply of Secret Clinical Strength (Waterproof)? How would you grade it's performance?

Didn't get a year supply of Secret Clinical Strength (Waterproof), but would like to? Be one of my five friends to enjoy this Klout Perk!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free from Klout as a result of my influence and network in social media. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Disney Family Fun Magazine $2.99 Today!

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Excited About Ketchup - I'm Easy To Please

This may sound crazy, but I am excited about the new Heinz Dip and Squeeze ketchup packages at fast food restaurants.

You may be so cool that you're thinking, "Ketchup? Really?"

Well, YES. I'm not! (so cool that is)

I must have been under a rock or dining at the wrong places, because I am just now finding out about them, and I am seriously goo-goo for the design and functionality of the package.

Here's why:

My kids are car diners (so what, slap my hand). Every time we get in the car they require food. Every time!

Now that they are of age to enjoy sauces (4 and almost 2), they do. They scream for them. Who doesn't think everything tastes better with ketchup? I know I do.

The problem I always have is the fear of my kids squirting ketchup packages all over the back seat and their clothes. Sadly, I've done it a million times myself.

The way the old ketchup packages are designed you almost have to be a seamstress to rip the package open without tearing the side too and getting covered in a dollop of ketchup. Imagine, red sauce on everything but your fries.

Not cute!

The neat (pun kind of intended) thing about the new ketchup packages is that they can be opened two ways.

You can:

Tear the package for squeezing
Peel the package to dip

Both ways are clean and easy.

I shall no longer worry about the dollops of ketchup that plop out of the side of an open ketchup package. It doesn't happen anymore.

More ketchup for my kids please, and a little extra for mommy too, mmmkai.

Thank you Heinz. I love it!

Would you say that I'm excited about ketchup?

I'm not hard to please.

Dang, iTunes In-App Purchases: Stop Preying on Kids

Yesterday, I received an email from hubby, obviously annoyed at the fact that more iPhone apps have been purchased.

On Jul 20, 2011, at 8:02 AM, Ryan Sanders wrote:

Did Bella buy these or something? This is not good.

Ryan Sanders
Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: iTunes Store
Date: July 20, 2011
To: Ryan Sanders
Subject: Your receipt

After looking over the receipt, I confirmed that the purchases weren't made by me.

By who then, you wonder?

By my unsuspecting 4 year old techie daughter, Isabella! (of course)

My response to hubby's inquiry:

I had no idea. Okay...no more free downloads in front of her! My word!

Seriously, I'm trying to figure out how the apps say "FREE" in the title, but yet I have been charged $1.99 twice (for the same purchase).

I'm going to need Bluebear to explain that to me, for sure.

Bella is normally really good about looking at the apps and choosing the FREE apps from iTunes and asking for them, so I'm not mad at her at all.

She knows I'm always more than happy to punch in my password for any free kiddie app that she requests.

I am mad at the sneakiness of the app developers. They prey on kids by creating other ads and busy stuff all over their apps for them to click on and empty their parents wallets with innocent enjoyment.

(The app is preschool level. My toddler even plays it)

I know Bella didn't know she was buying anything. The app developers make that so easy!

First, they make a flashy colored button for the In-App purchase. (surely to a small child this looks like a "start" button for the game.

Then they fill the screen with a bunch of text. (small children can't read, they're just clicking around to try to get to the game)

Then depending on which button they push, they receive even more text that they can't read. (once again, they'll click around trying to get to the game)

Ultimately, they'll wind up at the password entry screen to confirm the In-App purchase. Depending on how long ago you last entered your password, it may still be active.

One click of a button can buy you a very expensive app that is non-refundable.

SCORE! (for developers)

I know a lot of money is being pocketed by this technique. There really isn't a way to fight it.

My solution:

Download kiddie apps at night that they can play with the next day.
Never enter your password and hand over the iPhone, iPad, or iPod to children for at least twenty to thirty minutes.
Stay in close proximity while the kids play with apps. (Chances are if there is text that pops up with you nearby, they may ask you to read it to them.)

So now that hubby and I have learned a valuable lesson about our password being active for a time after downloading apps, next I'd like to learn how apps that are FREE, charge so much?

Clutching my wallet.

;(

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Wordless Wednesday "My Little Kung Fu Panda"

PICA - That Pregnant Mom Eats Furniture Polish? Well, I Craved Baby Powder and My Friend Ate Soap!

So, apparently the world is spending time gasping at the latest reports of pregnant women craving the untraditional diet of unusual things "other" than food.

My reaction? "Hmmmmm, is that so?"

After reading in the news that currently Emma Veness, 26 years old, is pregnant and eating furniture polish, and discussing pica cravings on Twitter, I was prompted to write a post about it.

Eight years ago I would have been extremely weirded out. I had never really been around a pregnant woman long enough to experience anything of that nature, but seven years ago that all changed.

A former co-worker was expecting her first child and in a matter of time she was sharing pregnancy stories that were so interesting to me. Then one day she shared something that blew my mind.

She was hiding Dove soap at home.

"What? What for?" I was shocked. I love Dove soap. It's all I can use. I can't hide it!

She on the other hand had to hide the soap, because she wanted to eat it!

She had pica.

Pica (pi·ca)

Noun A tendency or craving to eat substances other than normal food (such as clay, plaster, or ashes), occurring during childhood or pregnancy, or as a symptom of disease

"OMG...that's crazy!" I thought.

Isn't it?

Well, fast forward two years and one evening as I was semi enjoying a solid twenty minutes of my pregnancy that I wasn't vomiting, hubby walked into our bedroom and grabbed the camera and started snapping pictures without hesitation.

Here's why:

Yes, that's me in a daze underneath the cloud of baby powder dust. I was in heaven!

(If heaven is like being topless covered in Johnson's Baby Powder that is)

It was definitely the closest thing to heaven for any pregnant woman with pica, craving powder!

I didn't eat the powder like some pregnant women with pica do. I was scared to death of suffering from any more issues in addition to hyperemesis and ptylism already.

So, I did the next best thing. I poured the baby powder all over me and the room and enjoyed the dust cloud.

A little baby powder dust falling into my mouth isn't the same as sucking down a spoon of it, is it?

Nice try!

I also bought a fragrance sash in gardenia that was the end all be all of deliciousness. Or at least I thought it was. The brand was Florasense, and I was in love with the smell. It stayed under my pillow for easy sniffing access. I still think "yum" when I see it.

I wasn't even shocked at the craving caused by pica. For some reason I felt like it was very normal. I still do.

Personally, I think that for every story that is told of a woman having pica, ten are keeping the secret.

I could be wrong, but the weirdness of the cravings is enough to keep women on the hush about it. Everyone isn't comfortable sharing their oddities, even if they are only temporary.

So for pregnant women suffering from pica, you are not weird and not alone!

"What are typical pica cravings during pregnancy?

The most common substances craved during pregnancy

are dirt, clay, and laundry starch. Other pica cravings

include: burnt matches, stones, charcoal, mothballs, ice,

cornstarch, toothpaste, soap, sand, plaster, coffee grounds,

baking soda, and cigarette ashes."

American Pregnancy Association

Fast forward three more years into my pregnancy with my second daughter.

Pica again!

This time I was even more creative. I put baby powder on my first daughter and husband in the bed and loved sniffing them like crazy. I would've gobbled them up, but once again I was suffering from hyperemesis and ptylism. After so many hospitalizations due to pregnancy complications, you couldn't have paid me to indulge in my craving.

And as the saying goes, "All is well that ends well."

I have two beautiful, sweet, and most importantly healthy little girls that I adore!

Everyone craves something during pregnancy!

For more information and stories on pica, check out these sources:

To read more about pica in the news, click here.

If you are pregnant suffering from pica and you can't control your urge to eat things that are harmful to you and your baby, please seek help from your doctor.

The Benefits of Cereal: Maintaining a Healthy Weight in Children & General Mills Cereal Giveaway (CLOSED)

When it comes to fighting childhood obesity, there is a lot to love about cereal!

Did you know that frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights?

Check out these facts:

Teen girls who eat cereal are less likely to become overweight than non cereal eaters.
Boys´ cereal consumption is associated with lower body mass index (BMI).

That's great! Day after day on the news and in the newspapers and health magazines we are seeing more and more reports about childhood obesity and looking for ways to change it. Children eat what they are provided. Perhaps the first step is taking a look into our first meal of the day and getting children started off on the right path to a leaner healthier lifestyle and body! By giving our kids a healthy breakfast such as cereal, we can contribute to the fight against childhood obesity daily. Having active healthy children is very important to me. We try to start each day off with cereal, milk, yogurt, and fruit so that we can maintain our energy and a healthy weight. Since my children are four and under, it's often that I am met with some resistance (about eating and choices), but recently I've found that with so many cereals available that are low in sugar, I am able to give the kids more options and they can get creative. I try my best to make breakfast fun and enjoyable!

We do make a mess sometimes (cereal jewelry, cereal artwork), but my kids are eating and they're healthy! That's what is most important to me. For more information on cereal and nutrition, go to CerealBenefits.com Start your kid's day with a healthy breakfast! Enter my "General Mills Cereal Set" Giveaway Start July 15 End July 22

To enter: Leave a comment about having breakfast on the go and what choices you make or plan to make for a healthier lifestyle. Winner will be chosen by random.org and emailed. Please be sure to include an email address.

Photo Credits: GeneralMills /MyBlogSpark & Consumer Reports

This post is sponsored by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free for the purpose of reviewing the mentioned product and/or doing this giveaway. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.