This is default featured slide 1 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

This is default featured slide 2 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

This is default featured slide 3 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

This is default featured slide 4 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

This is default featured slide 5 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Salba Smart – Smarter Chia Seeds

salbaproducts Salba Smart Smarter Chia SeedsI’m making an effort to be healthier (although I have given up the vegan diet – for the most part).   Two things that I really need to integrate into my diet is more fiber and Omega-3s – both of which help reduce cholesterol.  Chia seeds, which I’ve recently started reading about, include both fiber and Omega-3s.  Salba Smart, a company that makes organically grown and non-GMO chia, sent me some samples of their products, and I’ve integrated them into my diet over the past six weeks.

Salba Smart makes chips and salsa as well as ground and whole chia seeds.  The prepared products are wonderful – they taste great and are healthy. But, my favorites are the seeds, because I can then add them directly to my food.  I’ve added them to water, or to my granola in the morning.  They also work well as an egg substitute in recipes, and sprinkled onto yogurt, smoothies, and fruit.  It’s an extra step, but it’s so worth it.  According to their website, Salba chia, gram for gram, has:

8 x more Omega-3 (ALA) than Atlantic Salmon (EPA/DHA)2.8 x more antioxidants than pomegranates (based on ORAC values)6 x more calcium than whole milk3 x more iron than spinach15 x more magnesium than broccoli3 x more fiber than oats

All of those great benefits are definitely worth the extra step – and the seeds don’t have a taste, so they are easy to integrate into your food.

To learn more about Salba Smart, visit their website.

Disclosure: I received complimentary samples for review.

pixel Salba Smart Smarter Chia Seeds Tagged as: healthy food


View the original article here

Inspiration for the Whole Family With Papersalt

boston mom review blog - paper salt

Despite my love of the electronic world, I’m still a sucker for the written word.  I like to touch and feel the paper in my hand, and give paper as gifts.  So when Papersalt, a Seattle-based company, asked me to review some of their family books, I was excited to receive them.

Papersalt’s products are all written and researched by them, and produced in Seattle.  They have a fun, professional appearance, and look great in any office.  The books are all inspirational and educational, and make great gifts.  They are wire-bound and produced on high-quality paper – with cool-looking rounded corners and stylish fonts.

My personal favorite of the books is the “me” book – a thick, wire-bound book where you are inspired to answer such questions as “These things make me happy” and “These women inspire me”.  I also love the “being a girl – the things mom wants you to remember” book.  It includes advice such as “Be the best YOU that you can be.  Sometimes others will be good at different things than you.  That’s okay.”  I was so thrilled to give this book to my daughter, because she can learn so much from it.

They also offer books for high school graduates, new drivers, and families.

Visit Papersalt online for more information.

Win it!  Win a copy of the “me” book and the “being a girl” OR the “being a boy” book (winner’s choice).  Enter via the Rafflecopter.

Disclosure: I received samples from Papersalt at no cost for review.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

pixel Inspiration for the Whole Family With Papersalt Tagged as: graduation gifts, paper products


View the original article here

Recording Your Daily Feats

DailyFeats logo 1186x200 300x50 Recording Your Daily FeatsLast week, through Boston Parent Bloggers, I had the chance to visit a local Boston company, DailyFeats, first-hand. DailyFeats, a new start up, is a website and app that tracks the steps you take toward goals.  You add your feats, and earn rewards after you reach milestones.  You can also participate in challenges.  The interface is easy to use, and I love the little stamps they’ve designed for each feat.

collage 200x300 Recording Your Daily FeatsDailyFeats invited Boston Parent Blogger members to Gather Here, a craft shop and studio in Cambridge, MA.  There, we worked on several feats – eating healthy, drinking water, meeting new people, and learning a new skill (embroidery).  It was really fun to get together with friends before the busy summer season, and I really enjoyed learning how to embroider.

I just loved meeting the DailyFeats staff and seeing Gather Here – a really fun spot.  I had to take some photos because I loved the atmosphere so much.

To register for DailyFeats, use the code momsfavoritestuff100 to get extra points in your account!

Disclosure: I was compensated by DailyFeats for participating in a focus group at their office.

pixel Recording Your Daily Feats Tagged as: Boston Parent Bloggers


View the original article here

Father’s Day Gift Picks

So, it’s a few days before Father’s Day, and if you are anything like me, you are still scrambling for ideas for Father’s Day gifts.  Well, look no more – here are a few of my favorites for the season.

newbalance Fathers Day Gift Picks

Fitness Apparel

Do you have a weekend warrior or a steady athlete in your family?  Athletic apparel is always appreciated as a gift, and New Balance is offering some great items for Father’s Day, including this latest version of their iconic 990 running/walking shoe.  It’s available for women and kids too – so the whole family can match if you’d like.

sonosplayers 300x166 Fathers Day Gift PicksThe Sonos Wireless HiFi System 

The Sonos Wireless HiFi system is perfect for any music-loving dad on your list.  With the bridge, purchased separately, you can hook it up to your wireless network, play the music that is already on your computer, and control things with a remote or an iPhone/Android device.

Citizen PCAT Fathers Day Gift Picks

Citizen Eco-Drive Watch Perpetual Chronograph AT Watch

My husband got this watch for Valentine’s Day this year and he absolutely loves it.  If your husband or dad needs a nice watch, this is the perfect one.  It never needs a new battery, and sets automatically after you choose the time zone.  Read my full review here

Disclosure: I received these items at no cost for review. 

pixel Fathers Day Gift Picks Tagged as: Citizen, father's day, New Balance, Sonos


View the original article here

Left Brain Right Brain

When I was in business school, my whole Organizational Behavior class took a personality test.  Without telling us the results, my professor called four of us up front and paired us.  Each pair was tasked with drawing a house, alternating turns with the pen, without speaking at all.  My partner Jenna and I worked so well together, creating straight line after straight line.  Then, the professor switched up the partners, and our groups switched.  My new partner Leticia and I couldn’t figure out how to work together at all.  She would draw a swiggly line, and I would draw a straight line.  Then, the professor told us what had happened.  Jenna and I were the most left-brained people in the class, while Leticia and her partner were the most right-brained people.

I thought about that story last week, when my son had a kindergarten homework assignment due.  He was asked to draw a set of eyes for each member of his family, and he could include pets.  I know exactly what I would draw – six sets of eyes in a row.  If I was feeling especially creative, I may have drawn eyelashes and eyebrows.  Maybe.

Here’s what my son drew:leftbrain Left Brain Right Brain

I’ve always had a difficult time figuring out what makes my son tick, and I finally figured out that he is super right-brained – so different from my husband and me.

I think it’s time to sign him up for an art class!

pixel Left Brain Right Brain

View the original article here

New Spot It! On the Road Travel Game

SpotItOnTheRoad PackagingLowRes 300x287 New Spot It! On the Road Travel GameMy family is doing quite a bit of traveling this summer – from some road trips to a Canadian cruise.  We love to play board games because it’s a great way for us to bond as a family – without pulling out the Leapsters, laptops, and iPads, but they aren’t always the easiest to travel with.  And, travel versions of full board games are often a bit too small for my little ones to realistically play with.  So, I really love the new Spot It! On the Road travel game – which is great for the whole family.

On the Road is the latest of the Spot It! games.  It is played the same way as the traditional Spot It!, but with travel icons.  Kids have fun spotting the matching icons on their card, and it really is something that kids and adults are pretty equal at – so the kids have a good chance at winning without mom and dad throwing the game.

To learn more about Spot It! On the Road, visit the Blue Orange Games website.

Disclosure: I received this game at no cost for review. 

pixel New Spot It! On the Road Travel Game Tagged as: board games


View the original article here

Everyday Health Editors' Product Review Blog

Reuters: Business Travel

MedicineNet Nutrition, Food and Recipes General

Pages

MedicineNet Diet and Weight Management General

Frommer's Deals and News

Behind the Guides

Media Releases: News Desk

About.com Day Trading

Frommers.com Cruise Blog

Arthur Frommer Online

Dictionary.com Word of the Day

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com