TFH Family Favorite Finds

V8 V-Fusion +Tea Review and Giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS:  MELISSA O. (COMMENT #24) PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!!!

It's no secret, my family loves V8 V-Fusion inspired smoothies (makes good adult-friendly drinks, ahem, too!) so, I was excited to be given the opportunity to try their new V-Fusion +Tea.

My kids, not so much.

"Tea is for when you're sick."

Anyhow, there's no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives in V8 V-Fusion +Tea juice beverages and they are available in 3 flavors: Raspberry Green Tea, Pomegranate Green Tea and Pineapple Mango Green Tea.

I'm allergic to mango (dangit!) but, my oldest girls (they are 14 and 16) loved it and the youngest two (they are 9 and 11) enjoyed the raspberry blend, the most.

Me?  Anything with the word "pomegranate" is okay, in my book -- the tea flavor is very subtle and there is no bitter aftertaste (which I get sometimes with green tea!)  Also, I think it tastes a lot less sweeter than most blended juices I've had.

So, you want some and have you heard/seen the “Bottle Song,” yet:

V8 V-Fusion in Single Serving Cans? Time for a Picnic at the Beach Giveaway!

[YAY! SHARING WITH MATT -- COMMENT #6 -- PLEASE SEE YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS]

Campbell's was one of the first companies to open their doors and reach out to moms (and dads) like me, in asking them about their families' nutritional and fundamental needs.

My favorite part of visiting with the folks at Campbells Soup Company -- besides, the food...I mean -- was learning about all the great stuff they make; a lot of which I happened to have, in my cupboard, right now. 

Wanna know what really goes into their Campbells Chicken Soup?

One of the challenges discussed at the event was how many families today are taking their meals on-the-go (be it baseball, soccer practice, dance, whatever) so, finding foods that are both travel-friendly AND nutritionally-better can be real tough.

So, when I found out that V8 V-Fusion (one of our favorite drinks, btw) is now available in single serving cans, well, you know I had to hold it, right?

We received a 6 pack of Pomegranite Blueberry and Strawberry Banana -- so, what's really in it and, like, do you want some?

Holiday Survival Guide 2009: SNEAK PREVIEW

CONGRATULATIONS: WE'RE SHARING WITH KERRI (#150) PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS :)

HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE IS LIVE:  DAY 1, DAY 2, DAY 3, DAY 4, DAY 5, DAY 6, DAY 7

Welcome to a preview of our Holiday Survival Guide 2009 -- yep, in 2 weeks, I'm having a virtual open house (sort of) and invite each and everyone one of you to join me on Thanksgiving Week, November 23rd and...heck...stay the WHOLE week...until November 29th...if you'd like, I don't mind!

Why?

Well, some of my favorite and awesomely generous brands have graciously agreed to provide some really cool stuff for you (yes, YOU!) I mean, yours...um...okay, isn't it time we ALL put the WIN back into the winter holidays and made re-gifting a rule?!? 

Seriously. 

Raising 2 teens and 2 tweens (yikes, is right!) my husband, Garth (not his real name) and I try really hard to remember these 4 simple rules to surviving the holidays: 

1. Take care of yourself - seriously, the rest will follow. 
2. Keep expectations reasonably low - it can only get better, from here, right? 
3. Take back your calendar - limiting commitments only encourages downtime and that's a good thing. 
4. Celebrate with family and friends - oh, and there's no shame in including them in preparations, or asking for help, either. 

It doesn't always work. Sometimes, we score...BIG TIME. 

Just so you know -- my picks, product features and blog posts (as always) are advertorial free. No one is paying me, to talk about their product. It's just some really nice stuff that I thought you guys would like, too. 

Here's a preview of some of our favorite brands joining us:

• Build-a-Bear
• Campbell's Soup
• Disney Digital Books
• HABA Toys
• Jonas Brothers
• Pampered Chef
• Quiet-Time
• SKYPE Holiday Look Book
• Xbox

So, stay tuned as we continue to collect a few of our favorite things on the internet and share ways in which (hopefully) can help folks (like me) keep from going A LITTLE NUTS this holiday season.

In fact, let's start...RIGHT NOW!

V8 V-Fusion 100% Juice: It's a Smoothie Season Giveaway

[THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED:  CONGRATULATIONS LOIS SHORES (#70) YOUR COMMENT WAS PICKED VIA RANDOM.ORG, ANNOUNCED VIA EMAIL AND MY GIVEAWAYS PAGE ON PRIZEY.NET.  PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!!!]

Earlier this year, I was very excited to have been invited as one of the Campbell's Mom Bloggers to visit the Campbell Soup Company's headquarters in Camden, NJ and received the 4-star treatment to an AWESOME tour of Campbell's Kitchen!

It was very clear to me (and, I feel it safe to say that the other mom bloggers in attendance will agree) that everyone at Campbells Soup Company really love what they do and work very hard at promoting their brand as honestly and real, as possible.

We even had a chance to get a sneak-peek of their new V-Fusion commercial (a V8 Juice that is manufactured by Campbell's) and, I have to say, my family has been drinking the stuff, ever since.

No, not so much because of the commercial.  Although, having a penchant for using emoticons, whenever possible, I also believe their being able to focus on one clear and simple message -- creating a vegetable juice that tastes like fruit, that my kids like and I may actually get them to, you know, drink -- is a flash of true brilliance :o) 

Want to try some?

Campbells Mom Blogger Event: Wanna Know What Goes Into Their Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe - Watch Campbell's Chef Tom Make it LIVE!

[THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED:  WE HAVE A WINNER - CONGRATULATIONS, REBECCA C.!!!]

The Campbell's Mom Bloggers visit Campbell's Kitchen and get to video tape a live demonstration of Campbell's Chef Tom cooking up chicken noodle soup!

I was very excited to have been invited as one of the Campbell's Mom Bloggers on an all expenses paid trip to visit the Campbell Soup Company's headquarters in Camden, NJ last month (I blogged about our arrival, here) when (thanks to the good folks at Weber Shandwick) they opened their doors, for the first time to bloggers, like me:

MomCentral.com
Table4Five.net
ThisMamaCooks.com
MomAdvice.com
Busymom.net
FromDatesToDiapers.com
BecauseISaidSo.com
MomToTheScreamingMasses.com
MomOf3Girls.net
Chicagonista.com

Today, I would love to round out my recap on the inner-workings of the Campbell Soup Company (that's me standing to the left of Chef Tom) and answer reader questions, by giving you more information on their new lower sodium kid soups.

I'm a couple of weeks late, in doing this (I hate it when life happens, don't you?) but, I'm glad I waited to gather my thoughts, because the Campells Soup Company has put together something really special for me...to give...to you!

Campbells Mom Bloggers Event: The Arrival

 

Campbell's Soup Mom Bloggers Event 1/29/09 [photo credit]

I was very excited to have been invited as one of the Campbell's Mom Bloggers to visit the Campbell Soup Company's headquarters in Camden, NJ (I posted the blogging guest list, earlier this week) and I'm happy to report that we all got the 4-star treatment to an AWESOME tour of Campbell's Kitchen!

The Campbell Soup Company has been manufacturing soup for 140 years (among many other products that is in my pantry, right now, as I found out) and this was the first time that the they opened their doors to this sort of an event.

I'll be burping up loads of information, for you, all week:

• A tour of Campbell's Welcome Center
• Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe prepared by Chef Tom
• V-8 Fusion Smoothie Recipe prepared by Campbell's Kitchen Expert Cathy
• An Insider's Look at what's new at Campbell Soup Company
• Campbell's answers to This Full House reader questions

Today, it's all about the eventual arrival into Philadelphia, PA (Mother Nature is a bitch!) and how we almost didn't make it into Campbell's Soup Company.

Campbells Mom Bloggers Event and V-Fusion Frown Commercial For Your Eyes, Only!

I was very excited to have been invited as one of the Campbell's Mom Bloggers to visit the Campbell Soup Company's headquarters in Camden, NJ (I posted the blogging guest list, earlier this week) and I'm happy to report that we all got the 4-star treatment to an AWESOME tour of Campbell's Kitchen!

The Campbell Soup Company has been manufacturing soup for 140 years (among many other products that is in my pantry, right now, as I found out) and this was the first time that the they opened their doors to this sort of an event.

So, yeah, I've got lots of cool things to tell you, oh and show you, too (because, I flipped a whole lot of the event with my video camera) but, since I only got home this afternoon, my children are requesting (okay, more like DEMANDING) that I attend This Full House Friday Movie and Pizza Night, RIGHT NOW!

In the meantime, I got to sample V-Fusion (a V8 Juice that is manufactured by Campbell's) as well as a sneak-peek of their new commercial.  I have to say, it is one of the cutest ads I've seen since, well, the Superbowl.

It's not airing nationally until next week -- but, the Campbell's Mom Bloggers have been given the okay to go ahead and share it with our readers -- wanna see?

Because, that's how Campbell's rolls!

Tune in next week for more really interesting, informative and fun stuff from Campbell Soup Company - here's a taste:

• A tour of Campbell's Welcome Center
• Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe prepared by Chef Tom
• V-8 Fusion Smoothie Recipe prepared by Campbell's Kitchen Expert Cathy
• An Insider's Look at what's new at Campbell Soup Company
• Campbell's answers to This Full House reader questions

[Read more posts about the event:  Campbell's Mom Bloggers]

Have a great weekend!

© 2008 This Full House and This Full House Reviews - All Rights Reserved.

This Full House Visits Campbell's Kitchen: Got Questions?

Remember this commercial?

Nuh-uh, me either.  Still, I loved coming home after school and eating Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup and, like me, It's grown quite a bit, since then.

This week, I'm heading to the city of brotherly love (because, this Jersey mom knows, don't even think about calling it Philly!) I have the pleasure of being invited to visit Campbell Soup Company's headquarters in Camden, NJ (about an hour and a half drive from my own backyard, really) and tour Campbell's Kitchen, along with some of the coolest bloggers, I know:

MomCentral.com

Table4Five.net

ThisMamaCooks.com

MomAdvice.com

Busymom.net

Fromdatestodiapers.com

BecauseIsaidso.com

Momtothescreamingmasses.com

Momof3girls.net

Chicagonista.com

Campbell's products are sold in 120 countries around the world and I was surprised to learn that they also distribute a lot of brands you'll find in my pantry, too - like Pace, Pepperidge Farm, Prego Spaghetti Sauce, Swanson broths and V8 beverages.

I'm taking my Flip camera (thank you, Suave) and, hopefully, will be able to catch a bird's eye view of the Campbell Soup Company.

In the meantime, please feel free to leave any questions, or comments, you'd like me to relay to the soup people and I'll be more than happy to serve as your Ambassador of Mmmm...Mmmm...well, you know.

[Edited to Add:  Click here to read more about Campbell's Mom Blogger Event!]

© 2008 This Full House and This Full House Reviews - All Rights Reserved.

[No payment has been received for this blog post]