Baking Cookies

Bless his heart, my sweet husband took it upon himself to bake some cookies yesterday with the kids.  It was a stormy, rainy day around here, and the kids were running out of ways to entertain themselves indoors when he took them all downstairs to whip up a batch of Chocolate cookies.  (from a boxed mix in the cabinet.)  Now, with the exception of cleaning up the dinner dishes or foraging for food, my husband does not spend much time in the kitchen.  But I didn't doubt his ability to follow the directions on the back of the box to make a simple batch of cookies.  The end result being anything less than perfect never even crossed my mind.  Until I got a look at this:

Yummy, right?

As I said, bless his heart.  It's the thought that counts.  Love you, honey!

Winner Announcement

Please excuse my tardiness in posting this.  The winner of the Gevalia Kaffe Coffee Giveaway is post #3, Karin who said... "follower #2."  Thanks for reading my blog, Karin... hope you enjoy your coffee!

My Next Million Dollar Idea...

Car Seat Pee-Pee Pads!  What mom of a potty-trainer doesn't think that an absorbent, waterproof pad wouldn't be helpful during those times when you just don't make it in time?  Seriously... genius.  (By the way, I have had many million-dollar-ideas... none of which I've actually made a penny from.)

You're probably wondering how I came up with this idea.  Or maybe you aren't wondering, and you're ready to click the x in the top right corner.  Either way, I'll tell ya.  The weather is getting warmer down south (set to hit 82 tomorrow!) and when I get in my car after it sits in the hot sun I noticed a faint familiar smell.  Baby pee.  Well, not really a baby anymore.  Almost 3-year old Olivia pee. 

Gross, I know, but it got me thinking that it's probably high time I take off that pain-in-the-*ss car seat cover and throw it in the good ole washing machine. Usually when someone has an accident in the car I try my best to soak up the fluid, and wipe the seat with a few Lysol wipes.  Because taking the pad off to wash it is a job that I absolutely dread.  It is always so hard to figure out how to get the damn straps back in, hook the elastic thingys back in the appropriate spot, etc. etc. etc.  And it's gross.  Once I take the cover off I become well aware of all of the yucky dropped cheerios, pop-tart pieces, Chicken McNuggets, spilled juice, etc.  And then I have to clean that off too!  Yuck, what a pain. 

Anyway, as I thought about the dreaded job of car seat cover cleaning I thought about how one could prevent their child's car-ride accidents from soiling the seat cover in the first place.  And thus, I came up with the idea for a car seat pee-pee pad.  Wouldn't that be great?  Your kid decides to take a pee while on the road... no problemo, just take the kid out of the seat, throw out the pad, put a new one down, and voila- you're good to go.  And it isn't something you'd have to do often (hopefully), or for a very long time span (hopefully), just change as needed, and in time your little one will get better at holding it.  I think it's a genius idea, and now that I've put it out there on the wonderful World Wide Web hopefully someone will create it so I can go to Walmart and get me some!

And that my friends is yet another reason why I am a potty-training champion.  (or maybe not... my kid is, after all, peeing in her car seat on a regular basis on occasion...) 

Gevalia Kaffe Giveaway

I'm addicted to coffee.  I could easily consume an entire pot of coffee in a day.  I don't, but I could.  So you can imagine my excitement when I was contacted by Kraft Foods through MyBlogSpark to sample some Gevalia Kaffe Gourmet Coffee.  You may recognize the name, as this Swedish brand is hitting the American market hard lately.  (be sure to check your papers... I'm seeing lots of coupons for Gevalia Kaffe lately!)

Here's a little bit about Gevalia Kaffe's company and coffee:

Gevalia, now available at stores nationwide, brings unexpected Swedish-style luxury and rich, never bitter taste to the grocery aisle.

• Gevalia has been refining the art of luxurious coffee since 1853 and has a deep history of finding and blending the finest Arabica coffee beans from locations around the world.
• Previously available online only, Gevalia is now offering its top-ten varieties in U.S. coffee supermarket aisles nationwide in 10 varieties, including roast and ground, whole bean, flavored and decaffeinated varieties.
• With its Swedish heritage and rich, never bitter taste, Gevalia is a premium coffee unlike any other.
• Having Gevalia in your kitchen means you care about the quality of the coffee you consume and enjoy rich, authentic flavors.
• Gevalia offers a variety of authentic rich flavors that are perfect for everything from a relaxing morning cup of coffee to an indulgent after dinner compliment.

I was lucky enough to receive 2 full size bags of Gevalia Kaffe and a branded coffee mug to sample their product in. We tried the House Blend and French Roast. Both deliciously smooth and full bodied, I preferred the House Blend, while my husband was more a French Roast fan. (Good thing we have a coffee machine that brews one cup at a time!)

Kraft Foods has agreed to send one of my readers their own prize pack of Gevalia Kaffe as pictured above. To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me how you like your coffee. My standard giveaway rules apply, and are posted below:
• Become a follower of Thou Shall Not Whine (3 extra entries!) *Just click the little "follow" button on the right-hand sidebar, then leave me 3 additional comments stating, "follower #1, follower #2, etc."
• Follow my blog on Facebook (2 extra entries) *click on the networked blog button on the right-hand sidebar, then leave 2 additional comments stating that you did!*
• Grab my button and display it on your blog (2 extra entries!)
• Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back to it. (2 extra entries!)
• Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post. (leave an additional comment here to count as your entry!)
This giveaway starts now and will conclude on Wednesday, March 14th, 2012. Winner will be selected via Random.org and contacted via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: Kraft Foods has provided sample product to me and is providing the prizes for this program at no cost to me. This program is not administered or sponsored by Kraft Foods or its affiliates, but solely by Thou Shall Not Whine. All opinions expressed are my own.

Winner Announcement For Kroger Gift Card

Congratulations to Post #167, June L. who said, "GFC follower as June L #2." Thanks so much for following my blog, June... I hope you enjoy your $25 Kroger Gift Card!

Thanks to all who entered, another giveaway will be up soon so don't forget to check back often!

Kroger Cart Buster Information and Giveaway

Kroger Cart Buster Savings has begun!  Right now you can find the hottest prices on over 35 brands of items throughout the store.  This is a great time to stock up on household items, snacks, cereals, and more.  Some of my favorite brands are being steeply discounted for this event, so I was really excited to have a $25 Kroger card sent to me to kick off my big week of shopping.  You'll find great savings on tons of great brands, here is just a sampling of what is included:

Cheerios Lucky Charms Pillsbury Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper Yoplait Progresso Totino’s Green Giant Cascadian Farm

Tide Charmin Bounty Pampers Pantene Crest Iams Febreze Old Spice Bounce

Pepsi Ruffles Quaker Tostito’s Rice A Roni Tropicana Stacy’s Sobe Mountain Dew Gatorade

Participation may vary, so be sure to check your local store to confirm the exact dates for your Cart Buster Savings Event.

Looking for even more ways to save time and money? Visit CartBuster.com to find money-savings digital coupons, shopping lists and more. And starting 2/29/12 you can participate in the “Deal of the Day”! How does the Deal of the Day work?

• During seven days of the Cart Buster Savings Event, 2/29/12 - 3/6/12, there will be a super hot, exclusive offer good on one participating Cart Buster item. Each offer will be exclusive and available for one-day only – but the offer will be good for the duration of the entire event.
• You’ll see savings of up to and over 50% with the Deal of the Day offers – maybe even some freebies - and that’s on top of the already-low, low prices that Cart Buster has to offer!
• Look for seven days of “Deal of the Day offers” beginning 2/29/12. The Last Deal of the Day offer will be up on 3/6/12. But don’t fret - the Cart Buster event will continue even after the Deal of the Day ends. Check your local store for the exact end date for the Cart Buster Savings Event.

Ready to shop? Great.  I've got a $25 Kroger Gift Card to giveaway to one lucky reader who leaves me a comment on this post.  You can do some or all of the following to earn some extra entries:

• Become a follower of Thou Shall Not Whine (3 extra entries!) *Just click the little "follow" button on the right-hand sidebar, then leave me 3 additional comments stating, "follower #1, follower #2, etc."
• Follow my blog on Facebook (2 extra entries) *click on the networked blog button on the right-hand sidebar, then leave 2 additional comments stating that you did!*
• Grab my button and display it on your blog (2 extra entries!)
• Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back to it. (2 extra entries!)
• Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post. (leave an additional comment here to count as your entry!)

This giveaway starts now and will conclude on Monday, March 5th, 2012.  Winner will be selected via Random.org and contacted via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: The Kroger Family of Stores gift card, information, and giveaway were all provided by the Kroger Family of Stores and General Mills/Nestle/Proctor & Gamble/Pepsi/Kraft through MyBlogSpark.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Whole Grains Cereal Winner Announcement

Congratulations to post #57, sweepmom, who said, "Follower #3." I've said this before... but becoming a follower does pay off! I hope you enjoy your Cereal.

Stay tuned for more great giveaways, and *hopefully* some more funny stories about my kids.