My Velveeta Cheesy Skillets House Party

Last week I was lucky enough to throw a House Party for the new Velveeta Cheesy Skillets! House Party and Velveeta provided the food and party favors. They made it so easy for me to host a great party!

I was very impressed with the Velveeta Cheesy Skillet Meals. The meals come with the noodles, cheesy sauce packet & seasonings. All you have to do is add the meat. They could not be any easier to prepare. We tried several varieties at my party and they were all delicious. I know that the kids most enjoyed the Nacho Supreme. My mom and I preferred the Zesty BBQ Chicken.

I posted pictures from our party that you can check out on My Cheesy Skillets House Party Page!

Sign up for a chance to host your own House Party.

Is True Blood Worth Paying $16 A Month for HBO?

I find myself in a dilemma this week. Last season I let myself get hooked on the show True Blood, while I had a free 3 month trial of HBO through my satellite provider. I cancelled HBO after the trial offer to avoid billing $16 per month. We live on a pretty tight budget and do not afford many luxuries like paid movie channels.

This past weekend our satellite provider gave us HBO free for the weekend, which just happened to be the same weekend of the True Blood season premiere. They hooked me again! I have between now and Sunday to decide if I am willing to pay $16 per month just to watch True Blood.

Do I bite the bullet and allow myself this one indulgence?

None of my friends or local family has HBO, so I cannot go somewhere else to watch it.

Is there a way to watch True Blood online that I do not know about?

I have a few days left to ponder this decision and would appreciate your input!

I Am Sorry For Neglecting This Blog

This morning I realized it's been a couple of weeks since I have posted on this blog. I have had a lot going on and regret not sharing more of it with you. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been working on a new blog About A Mom, where I will be much more dedicated to posting daily. The site is still under construction but I see the first post on the horizon.

I have been struggling with doing my own custom design. So, I was so excited to find out last week that I won a blog design from Samantha's Day Blogger Design through a giveaway sponsored by Kelly's Lucky You and Simply Stacie. Samantha does original art work for her blog design which is exactly what I am looking for. I can't wait to see what she cooks up for me.

With this new custom blog design, I am sure to posting away very soon!      

My Oscar Mayer Kraft First Taste

I recently had the opportunity through Kraft First Taste to try the new Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Combo and Sandwich combo for free! I love it when I get to provide feedback when I really loved the product. This was definitely the case with the new Oscar Mayer Lunch Breaks.

I purchased the turkey and honey ham deli meat combo and they were both really good. My only complaint might be that the turkey was sliced a little too thin which made it difficult to pull apart. I was able to make 4 sandwiches from the package, but I tend to be a little heavy handed when it comes to lunch meat. I liked this deli meat so much that I purchased some the next week when I went grocery shopping. If you like to mix it up a little, I definitely recommend the new Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Combo!

The Sandwich Combo was equally as good to me, but in my case since I no longer work outside the home it is not something I would purchase often. The sandwich kit came with round flat bread, Oscar Mayer chicken deli meat, a slice of cheddar cheese, packet of spicy mustard, Wheat Thins and Jello Chocolate Mousse and a plastic spoon. Really, it is everything you need for lunch on the go. For me, the highlight of this combo was probably the chocolate mousse since it was a product I have not tried before. I am now officially hooked! Priced $3 at my Wal Mart, I think this is a great alternative to the fast food run on your lunch break. It would also be great to take to the park with the kids.  

Overall, I was very satisfied with both products and appreciate that Kraft First Taste gave me the opportunity to try them. You can sign up for the Kraft First Taste program here to have your own taste test opportunities!


For a chance to win $1000 and to share your thoughts on Kraft products go to ChatThreads to participate.

All You Reality Checker

I recently signed up to be an All You Reality Checker. If you are not familiar with All You, it is a monthly print magazine that is loaded with coupons. As a Reality Checker I have been contacted on several occasions to give my feedback or opinion on different topics.

A few days ago, I unexpectedly received a package in the mail from All You. It included a large 80 count package of Sani-Surface Disinfecting Wipes and a note that All You will be contacting me soon for my feedback.

I have to say that this is a great product and I cannot wait to give my feedback! The wipes are generous in size at 8.2 x 9.8 inches and they are very durable. They have a pleasant odor and work great for cleaning and sanitizing a multitude of different surfaces. The packaging is also Eco-Friendly which is all the better. I will definitely be looking for these in the store when my free pack runs out!  

New Blog On The Horizon

I have been a bit absent from this blog lately, but for a good reason. I have made the decision to get more serious about blogging and have begun the process of designing a new blog.

I have done the following so far:

• Purchased the domain http://aboutamom.com
• Scoured the net for blogging tips for beginners
• Found some blog sites that I really like for inspiration
• Began reading the book "Google Blogger For Dummies" by Susan Gunelius
• Checking into hiring a blog designer vs. Using one of the free blogger templates available

I will be blogging daily about things that will interest a savvy mom and posting product reviews/giveaways. There is a lot to do before submitting my first posts. I am trying not to rush into it and instead am thinking long term when making decisions about the new blog. There is a lot to consider regarding marketing, social networking and monetizing the blog.

So, wish me luck and be patient with me! I would appreciate any tips or ideas that you might have for me! 

Keeping The Electric Bill In Check

My electric bill more than doubled this month from last month. It is the highest bill we have had in this house since moving in last August and it is not even summer yet. I am pretty concerned. I have to wonder if it is even correct, considering just how much it has gone up.

I am trying to come up with ways to conserve energy and keep this bill manageable. Our only cooling source in this old house is a window unit in the living room and fans in just about every room. I have been turning the air off at night and relying on the bedroom fans to keep us cool and so far it is working out ok.

I am washing in cold water and running the dryer only once, making sure to pull clothes out right away so I don’t need to run it again.

I will now make sure that I turn off the bedroom fans in the morning, since those rooms are not used during the day. Turning off unnecessary lights and the television when not in use should help. I will have to get use to not listening to the television when on the computer.

Do you have any suggestions on what else I can do to conserve energy? Every little bit helps!