One Busy Mom Blog - featured post

Sheri Carpenter is the owner of One Busy Moma. She and I have been online friends for over a year! We have both been there for each other through our own personal struggles and have risen above it all and started our journey to much success!

Sheri's blog is about her life with weight loss, business, and much more!

She does many reviews, giveaways, specials and discounts for her personal businesses as well as lots of great sponsors.

I can tell you.. I have a sneak peek on some info and I can tell you that she has lots of AWESOME things coming!

SOMETHING amazing Sheri is doing right now is....

Hosting an even at The Dive in Nashville, TN and all local vendors are welcomed. This event is highly promoted and lots of great games and vendors are expected!!

You can contact Sheri for more details.

 You can find sheri on  Facebook Twitter http://sensiblearomas.com/


http://www.wrapnashville.net/


http://baileysbargainbin.com/


http://miraclemomas.net/


http://sherisstory.blogspot.com/ 
   Click here to check out her blog and please be sure to follow her via GFC   
  ** I was not paid in any fashion for this post. **

Conquer Chiari Walk Across America

Tara Hendrickson's Conquer Chiari Walk Across America

 

The Conquer Chiari Walk Across America is a series of coordinated walks held on the same day across the country in order to raise awareness of Chiari, raise money for research, and to get people involved. It is our goal to have at least one walk in each of the 50 states and raise at least $300,000 for research. In 2009, more than $250,000 was raised with 90% of the money going directly to fund exciting, new research projects.

Learn more about Chiari

Message from Tara:

Please help me raise money for Chiari Malformation research. I was born with Chiari and had decompression surgery October of 2005. It is still something I struggle with everyday. Please help me and others with conquering this!

Tara's goal is to raise $200 for this cause. My son has Chiari Malformation type one which they say is "minor" but he has had many of the symptom and we are only 7 months in diagnosis and he is only 5 years old.

Tara is a great person and has helped me so much learning about this disorder and helping me through my thoughts and being scared for my son.

Please take the time to help her spread the word and make a donation if you can. Even $1 helps!!!

 

Chiari Malformation (Arnold-Chiari) is a serious neurological disorder where the bottom part of the brain, the cerebellum, descends out of the skull and crowds the spinal cord, putting pressure on both the brain and spine and causing many symptoms.

Quick Facts About Chiari Malformation:

• Affects more than 300,000 people in the US; 30% of children born with spina bifida are also born with a Chiari Malformation.
• Causes a wide ranging, diverse set of symptoms. Research has shown that 95% of patients experience at least 5 symptoms.
• Diagnosed using combination of MRI, neurological exam, physician’s judgment, and other tests; patients often go 5 or more years before being properly diagnosed.
• A study of over 300 Chiari Malformation patients found that 57% had at one time been told by a doctor they were suffering from a mental or emotional problem.
• Many patients undergo serious brain surgery in an attempt to stop symptoms from progressing.
• Research has shown that surgery can improve symptoms for about 80% of patients, but fails about 20% of the time.
• Chiari can place a tremendous physical, mental, emotional, and economic strain on patients and their families.

  Click here to visit Tara's Conquer Chiari page to learn more about this event and condition and make a donation.       
   ** I was not paid in any fashion for this post. **  

Brazilian Men Swapped at Birth - Yahoo News

This is a beautiful story of two families who learned their children were switched at birth and then combined families and now live together! This is amazing!

By STAN LEHMAN, Associated Press Writer Stan Lehman, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 3 mins ago

SAO PAULO – Two years back, Dimas Aliprandi and Elton Plaster didn't know of each other's existence. Then they learned they had been accidentally switched at birth more than 20 years ago.

The discovery didn't bring bitterness or recrimination. Rather, it led to the creation of a bigger family.

Today, the two 25-year-olds are living and working together with both sets of parents growing vegetables and coffee on a small farm in southeastern Brazil.



The chain of events started with Aliprandi, who was always intrigued that he did not resemble the four sisters he grew up with.



"There was something different," he told The Associated Press by phone. "I had blonde hair and blue eyes and my sisters had dark hair and eyes.



"I had the typical features of a descendent of German immigrants, while my sisters and parents were of Italian stock. Something did not add up"



Aliprandi said he was 14 when his suspicions intensified after watching a TV news report on babies getting switched at birth because of mistakes at hospitals.



"I told my father of my doubts and that I wanted to do a DNA test. But it was too expensive" for the family, he said.



A decade later, Aliprandi did it on his own.



"In December 2008, when I was 24, I decided I needed an answer to my doubts and paid 300 reals ($166) for a DNA test that confirmed my suspicions that I was not the birth son of the man and woman who had raised me," he said.



It was a big shock for his parents, Zilda and Antonio Aliprandi. They at first refused to believe the results, but eventually decided to help him look for his biological parents.



The search began at the Madre Regina Protmann Hospital, where he was born.



"I showed the hospital the results of the DNA test and told them that they proved that I had been switched at birth," Aliprandi said.



But hospital officials were skeptical, he said, and asked him to have another DNA test, which he did three months later.



Repeated calls to the hospital for comment went unanswered.



The DNA results were the same as the first — Aliprandi had been given to the wrong mother as an infant.



He said the hospital then searched its records and found Elton Plaster was born there on the same day.



The records led Aliprandi to the 35-acre (14-hectare) farm where Plaster lived with his parents, Nilza and Adelson, in the town of Santa Maria de Jetiba, about 30 miles (45 kilometers) from the Aliprandi home in Joao Neiva.



The Plasters agreed to do DNA tests.



"They discovered that Elton was the biological son of the man and woman that I had been calling Mom and Dad for 24 years," Aliprandi said. "Meanwhile, Elton discovered that the couple he had always regarded as his biological parents were mine."



The discovery did not cause any upset, he said.



"Instead it sparked a desire to join our families," Aliprandi said. "Elton and I wanted to remain with those who raised us and with our birth parents. We wanted to expand our families."



So about a year ago, Aliprandi and the parents who raised him accepted an offer from the Plasters to move to their farm, where they built a home.



"This is the way it should be," Adelson Plaster recently told Globo TV. "We are all together and I now have two sons living and working here."



Aliprandi and Plaster both feel blessed by their new circumstances.



"It's not everyone who can say he has two fathers and two mothers living together with him," Aliprandi said.
               
  ** I was not paid in any fashion for this post. **  

Continental 2-Slice Toaster 55% OFF - SearsOutlet.com

 

Click here to make your purchase. This deal ends today!

   
   ** I was not paid any form for this post. I am not a Sears Outlet Signature Mom Team Member. Pictures provided by SearsOutlet.com  **
 

Homemade Coconut Banana Split Recipe - FreeCoconutRecipes.com

The Coconut Banana Split Deconstructedfrom freecoconutrecipes.com 

Servings: 6-8

Preparation Time: 35 minutes

A light variation on a classic!

•3 or 4 large bananas
•4 tablespoons unsalted butter
•4 tablespoons organic dark brown sugar
•1/2 cup organic shredded coconut
•3/4 cup organic cane sugar
•2 cups buttermilk
•2 cups whipping cream
•1 teaspoon rose water
•pinch of salt
•1 cup yogurt
•organic powdered sugar to taste
•chopped pistachios

Cut the bananas in rounds. In a deep skillet, heat unsalted butter. When the butter melts, add in the brown sugar. When the sugar has dissolved in the butter, toss in the banana pieces and coat them well.

When the bananas are cooked and glossy (this only takes a few minutes), add in shredded coconut. Blend it in well, then take the bananas off the heat and set them aside to cool.

Now on to the ice cream part. I decided a Sweet Lassi Rose Ice Cream would be great with the bananas.


This is what I did:

In a large bowl mix cane sugar and buttermilk. Whisk it together well until the sugar is blended in, then add in whipping cream, rose water, and salt. Pour everything into an ice cream maker and process as usual. Put it into the freezer until you're ready.

Next we make something called Sirkhand. Take the yogurt and place it in a yogurt strainer suspended over a glass. Let it drain for at least 4 hours, or until it's slightly thickened. Mix in a bit of powdered sugar to sweeten it slightly.



Putting It All Together

On the bottom of a small, slender glass place a spoonful of Sirkhand. Add a sprinkling of finely chopped pistachio nuts, 3 pieces of the cooked coconut-coated bananas, 2 scoops of Sweet Rose Lassi Ice Cream, and another small sprinkle of chopped pistachio nuts. Repeat the process in other glasses until everything is used up.


There it is. When a spoon is dipped in, one gets all the flavors of a banana split, without the traditional shape. With the butter and coconut flavor, a small dessert goes a long way. It's rich but not heavy. So this is my version of a Banana Split.



Recipe submitted by Kathy, Sonoma, CA

I will be reviewing the Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil 32oz which is currently on sale. Buy one get one FREE until August 5th. $37.50 for 64 oz.

Stay tuned for my Coconut baking goodies :D

  
 ** I was not paid in cash form for this post. I will receive a sample of the product for my review in exchange for a review post. I was under no obligation to post an upcoming review post. Recipe photos and details provided by http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/ **  

Spa Hanging Cosmetics Organizer from Thirty One Gifts Giveaway ends 8/29 - Miracle Momas

I am excited about doing this giveaway because it is something different then the other giveaways we have had. Beth Reed was awesome to host this giveaway for us for the Month of August. Check out this awesome Bag.

 

Tired of your makeup and jewelry all over the dresser and sink when you’re traveling, or even at home? Hang this up and keep all your cosmetics together. 

Click here to view the entire giveaway and enter to win!

** I was not paid in any fashion for this post. **

Lotus Shield Frizz Control Review and Giveaway Ends 8/29 - Miracle Momas

I am so excited to be doing this review. I was contacted by Karen Foster last week about doing a review of an AVON product for her. Of course I always get excited to do any kind of review, and was really excited to be reviewing some AVON.  Now I don't wear alot of make up so I told her we would have to chose a different product. I couldn't believe it when she emailed me back and asked me to review the new Frizz Control they have come out with. My first question to her was, "How did you know I need to tame my mane?" LOL.

About AVON Advance Techniques Lotus Shield Frizz Control:

Say good-bye to frizz, flyaways & hair that is untamed.

One application, and frizz is finished.

Like a lotus leaf repels water, our breakthrough lotus-inspired technology defies up to 97% humidity. Keeps hair smooth and well-behaved for 3 days. Bad weather is no longer the enemy.

Leave-in treatment forms a lightweight barrier that helps block out humidity to fight frizz without weighing hair down. Apply to damp hair. Dry & style as normal. For all hair types. 2 fl. oz. Complete your routine for maximum results with Frizz Control Shampoo & Conditioner.

Click Here for complete review and to enter the giveaway!!

** I was not paid in any fashion for this post. **

Kidz Bop 18 Review & Giveaway - MommyPR.com

Who doesnt love music?
Sometimes the newer songs can contain lyrics that you may not like but your kids are hooked. Now is your time to switch it up and still be a cool mom. Give your child Kidz Bop!
Now out is Kidz Bop 18 with all the latest songs from California Gurls (Katy Perry) to Lady Gaga. All sang by KIDS! But to make it even better, if their are some lyrics that are unsuitable for kids, they change them.
I noticed in the California Gurls song the singer took out the words about Rum and drinking, makeing it kid friendly again.
My girls were rocking out like usual and didn’t even notice the switch.
Click here to sample songs from Kidz Bop 18.

2 winners will get a Kidz Bop 18 cd

To enter click here to read all the details.

Entries are not accepted on this site.

 
 ** I was not paid in any fashion for this post. **  

Couple Reunites 61 YEARDS After First Date

  Second Wind Dream, a group that focuses on people living in eldercare communities, brought Gene McNeill and Joanne Strickland together for a date in Raleigh, 61 years after their first BLIND date. Joanna says he was her first love! Watch the video of their reunion here. 
    
  ** I was not paid in cash form for this post. **

Lawn Mower Review & Rechargeable Screw Driver Set Giveaway - SearsOutlet.com - GuessingAllTheWay.com

Who Knew Mowing Could be So Much Fun? GIVEAWAY!

I have always been the type of girl you would find outside doing yard work. I never liked cleaning house even when I was a young girl. Seriously, give this girl a lawn mower and a weed eater and I am good to go!

Thanks to Sears Outlet, I got just that. The first review I am doing is for a Brute Push Mower Briggs & Stratton 6.5 TP. As you can see from the below picture, we really needed a new lawn mower. I was actually afraid people were going to start calling the fire department every time we mowed our lawn.

We headed to our local Sears Outlet store and met with their friendly staff. They took us directly to the section where the lawn mowers were kept. The Westminster store, which is where we picked up the review item, is so nice! The store is incredibly clean and well kept. I was very impressed. The Westminster store also carries clothes and smaller items that you won't find at the Denver location.
I never knew how heavy a boxed lawn mower could be, but thank goodness the Sears Outlet staff was more than willing to help us out to the car.

My husband and I were both so excited to get home to mow the lawn. We actually argued over who got to mow first. Putting the Brute Lawn Mower together took less than 5 minutes and we were set to go.

The Brute Push Mower Briggs & Stratton 6.5 TP (22") is a great mower. It definitely has everything a person could need for caring for their yard. Here are a few of the great features it offers.

Features & Benefits

3-n-1 convertible
3-n-1 system for all grass types that quickly and easily converts from bagging to mulching to side discharge.

Premium Briggs & Stratton 190cc Engine
The Briggs & Stratton 650 Series engine was chosen for this mower to ensure quick starts and outstanding performance. The no prime, no choke feature makes for quick starts, every time. The Fresh Start® fuel cap keeps fuel fresh for up to six months.

Height-Of-Cut Adjustment
Each wheel adjusts to nine different cutting heights and is easily changed to meet lawn conditions or your preference. Cut heights from 1.25” to 4”.

Easy Bag Removal and Emptying
The 2.0-bu rear bag packs tightly and handles moist clippings easily due to the mower deck design and rear discharge opening.

Hi-Wheel Design
The large diameter (12-inch) rear wheels provide better mowing on rough lawns. The large wheel and tire smooths out the bumps.

If you are in the market for a new mower at a reasonable price, check out your local Sears Outlet. You may find the lawn mower to manicure your yard to perfection just like we did!
In the meantime, how about entering a giveaway for another great product you can find at Sears Outlet, the Solid Tool Rechargeable Screw Driver Set. Reg retail price $49.99.