I blogged about the Barilla Family Dinner Project here, last year.
For the second year in a row, Barilla is encouraging families (like mine) to Share the Table and Mario Batali, Julianne Moore and 10 other notable celebrities (including my female crush and fellow mom of Hungarian descent, Mariska Hargitay) have joined together to create the limited edition Celebrity Pasta Lovers’ Cookbook:
Continue reading "Download FREE Mario Batali Cookbook & Barilla Will Donate to Meals on Wheels!" »
Shrimp Scampi Skewers - get the recipe, here!
I had the pleasure of visiting with the nice folks representing Unilever (as it turns out, makers of a surprisingly large number of items found in my bathroom and kitchen at the moment) while attending and/or rescuing injured bloggers at the BlogHer 2010 Conference in New York City.
I got to sample some of their delicious dishes (my favorite being, the Shrimp Scampi Skewers, pictured above, courtesy of the I Can't Believe It's Butter brand) chatted with professional chefs, like Unilever Test Kitchen Chef Normajean and learned ridiculously simple ways to spice up my grill, here at home, too.
Now, it's YOUR turn!
Here are a few quick and simple ideas to add great flavor to a few grilling favorites:
Continue reading "I Can't Believe It's Butter!: Late Summer Grilling Gift Pack" »
Outback
Steakhouse Presents $1 Million Donation In Support Of The U.S. Troops
Through Operation Homefront
Waaaay back in March (seriously, with the kids home for the summer, it seems like a lifetime ago) I blogged about how Outback Steakhouse is supporting our troops.
Why? Well, like I said:
To me, "support our troops" is more than just a sound bite on a t-shirt or bumper sticker (my minivan sports a magnet, actually) personally, I understand the sacrifice, dedication and difficult decisions members of our military make, every day, and honor that commitment, by showing my support in little ways -- like, blogging about stuff like this.
My twin brother is full-time Army (GO UNCLE BUD!) so, I personally want to take this moment to thank the brands (like, the generous folks at Outback Steakhouse) who continue to allow consumers (like me) help give back to their communities and support really, really great causes, like Operation Homefront!
You did REAL GOOD, Outback...HOOAH!
© 2010 This Full House Gone Shopping - All Rights Reserved.
Small Gray-ish Print: No payment, product, or any other consideration was given, other than a chance to share something REAL nice with other families (like mine) was received for this blog post, because nice matters and indifference sucks wet poodle.
I am very, very proud to partner with TheMotherhood.com and participating in 77kids Do Good Day on July 14th (that's next week, btw!) by doing good in our local communities in all sorts of pay-it-forward kinds of ways.
Me and 76 other bloggers, from 11 cities across the U.S., I mean.
Why?
Well, here in Jersey, I'm in REAL good company:
Bay - http://www.queenmotherblog.comOkay, GREAT, but why 77kids and what's all this Do Good stuff about, really?
Continue reading "77kids + 77 Mombloggers = A Whole Lot of Good Stuff Happening on Do Good Day!" »
Operation Gratitude (www.OperationGratitude.com)
annually sends 100,000+ care packages filled with snacks, entertainment
items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually
named U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions such as Iraq and
Afghanistan, and on Naval ships at sea.
pingg and Operation Gratitude have joined forces and they need OUR help to build the Gratitude Card collection!
Why?
Because, nice matters and the very brave members of the U.S. Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force and Army...like, my twin brother SFCKat...have committed themselves to protecting us, regardless!
Expressions of gratitude can be very easily shared in the following ways:
Complete this sentence in 10 words or less: “I’m grateful to the troops (for/because)….”
OR
In your own 10 words (or less) describe what gratitude to those who serve means to you...
Here's mine:
"I'm grateful to the troops because...if you mess with me, you'll deal with my brother!"
You get the idea, right?
You can submit your expressions in email to [email protected] -- submissions must be received by June 18th to be considered for the Gratitude Card collection.
They will then select 8 expressions as taglines for the Gratitude Card collection to be featured on pingg.com.
Go ahead and check them out (when you have time, of course!) and consider donating at www.OperationGratitude.com
In the meantime, Happy 4th of July...everyday...GO ARMY!
HOOAH!
BlogHer.com and BookRenter.com, a company that rents textbooks to college students, have launched a book donation drive.
All you have to do is visit and leave a comment, sharing the book that's had the greatest impact on your life.
Bookrenter will be donating 1 book for every comment left on the post up to May 28th (my birthday!) or, up to 1,000 books to kids in need.
Why?
Books are shockingly scarce for kids in need:
- In low-income neighborhoods there is an average of only one book for every 300 children, compared to 13 books for every child in middle-income neighborhoods.
- 80% of preschool and after-school programs serving low-income populations have no age-appropriate books for their children.70% of 4th graders from low-income families in the US score ‘below proficiency’ in reading.
- 85% of juvenile offenders have reading problems.
- Among adults at the lowest level of literacy proficiency, 43% live in poverty.
- Among adults with strong literacy skills, only 4% live in poverty.
Here's the link to the book donation drive:
Remember, all you have to do is click and leave a comment for a donation to be made -- I just donated a book with this blog post -- thanks for reading!!!
© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.
DISCLOSURE: NO PAYMENT WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST -- BECAUSE NICE MATTERS AND POVERTY SUCKS!!!Did you know that freshly cleaned, wet hands transfer pathogens more readily than dry hands or hands not washed at all.
[cringe]
Me, either.
I am very excited to partner with my friends at TheMotherhood.com and in the Kleenex Hand Towels campaign and share some important facts about hand drying -- like, how I've spent the last 16 years reminding my kids (constantly) to wash their hands and never once worried about their hand drying habits, or lack thereof.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (you know, the CDC, they specialize in ICK!) recommends hand drying with a single-use towel to help reduce the spread of germs, but consumers have not had a practical alternative to traditional cloth hand towels in their home bathrooms – until now.
Why?
Because, I am ALL about ridding my house of pathogens (the killer dust bunnies are getting real jealous) and my family and I get to work on this project, together!
No, I am NOT going to sing (you're welcome!) but, my oldest daughter is working on this really cool idea and, well, did I mention she's 16 and digitally/graphically gifted?
[the sound of crickets chirping]
Oh, and there's a lovely prize to help kick-off the promotion.
Continue reading "Kleenex Towels Hand Drying Song: Dry Hands Are Happy Hands - Now With Less ICK!" »
It's no secret, I love sharing information on multi-functional gadgets that perhaps help make life for families (like mine) a little easier.
Here, in Jersey, it's illegal to drive while talking on your cell phone.
Still, if I had a dollar for each time I saw someone driving, while holding a cell phone to their ear, well, I'd FINALLY be able to take my kids to Disney...maybe.
I get it. Maybe you're on hold with the doctor's office, your kid missed the bus, or you've won the HGTV Green Home (DANGIT!) like, my pledge with Mom Sends the Msg says:
"Put...the...cell...phone...down...or, just pull over!"
Today is National No Phone Zone Day and I am very proud to partner with the Oprah Winfrey Show in helping to spread the word about the No Phone Zone campaign:
Continue reading "Oprah's No Phone Zone Pledge
Pull Over, Rover!" »
You know Emily McKhann, right? Well, you should, because she and Cooper Monroe founded TheMotherhood.com and, yes, they ARE very, very smart.
How do I know?
Well, personally, I've been working very closely with The Motherhood Creative for a long time, now (in Gemini years, anyway) and, quite frankly, I feel way smarter, already.
[sound of crickets chirping]
Aaaaanyway, Emily attended a lunch for DC bloggers (Amie Adams, Gayle Weiswasser, Diane MacEaachern), hosted by Jaime Matyas and her great team at the National Wildlife Federation to help them learn a little more about a few NWF programs.
You can find the rest of the post on my personal blog: (http://bit.ly/bRQOV7)
WARNING: It's most likely gonna make you itch!
I wanted to cross-post it here on my shopping blog and let you know that you can donate to the National Wildlife Federation today and get a FREE gift, too!
Wanna see?
As a Founding Mother of the National Wildlife Federation's new Be Out There campaign, I've accepted the challenge of finding and sharing ways to help promote outdoor activities families (like mine) can do, together.
Gardening is one of my favorite ways to get my kids outside: they really do enjoy helping me and my husband, Garth [not his real name] grow our own fruits and vegetables, in the summertime.
Earth Day is just around the corner (April 22, 2010) FamilyFun Magazine also has some terrific tips on creative ways to help celebrate, this month:
10 Ways to Make Gardening More Fun: By maximizing the magic and minimizing the chores, our readers bring out the green thumb in their kids.
Tips for Creating Your First Garden (with your kids!): Giving your child his or her own miniature flower garden provides the right balance of big dreams and little tasks. A small garden of annual flowers is easy to take care of, and she will learn many skills as she nurtures seedlings and cuts bouquets for the kitchen table.
Also featured are gardening ideas that bring both city and country kids outside to learn about the earth, and have some fun!
Continue reading "Celebrate Earth Day with Green Crafts & More from Disney FamilyFun" »
Did you know that March 22nd is World Water Day? I know what you're thinking -- what's next, National Pond Slime Week -- but, raising 4 children, our house uses a lot of water and, truth be told, we're probably wasting a lot more, than the average family, too.
Here are some quick (and easy) tips to help families (like mine) save water:
Seriously, it's that simple.
One of my favorite brands is helping, too -- Crystal Light will give to The Nature Conservancy 100 percent of net profits from Crystal Light powdered drink mix products sold that day – no less than $350,000 and up to $750,000.
The funds will support the river and lake projects across the U.S., including: the Colorado River, Great Lakes Basin, Meramec River (part of the Mississippi river), Potomac River and Southern Rivers.
But, wait, there's more -- wanna see Sheryl Crow?
Continue reading "Tips from Crystal Light and The Nature Conservancy for World Water Day 2010" »
My twin brother (a.k.a. Uncle Bud) is full-time Army and a big part of his job, lately, is to help ready his troops for deployment.
To me, "support our troops" is more than just a sound bite on a t-shirt or bumper sticker (my minivan sports a magnet, actually) personally, I understand the sacrifice, dedication and difficult decisions members of our military make, every day, and honor that commitment, by showing my support in little ways -- like, blogging about stuff like this.
From March 3rd to March 31st, Outback is offering a special, "Red, White and Bloomin" menu in its restaurants and donating proceeds to support the troops.
Customers can also donate directly to Operation Homefront by texting "HERO" to 50555.
Additionally, Time McGraw is helping to spread the news. A portion of the proceeds from a commemorative Tim McGraw T-shirt sold during his "Southern Voices" tour will be donated to support the cause.
It may NOT sound much to some folks (personally, I don't know of anyone who would say so) but, it's nice to know that even the smallest effort can truly make someone's day!
HOOAH!
© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.
DISCLOSURE: NO PAYMENT WAS RECEIVED, OR CONSIDERATION GIVEN, OTHER THAN A CHANCE TO SHARE SOMETHING NICE WITH OTHER FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POSTMmmmm, pancakes...it's what's for dinner, at our house (a lot!) especially, when supporting of a really great cause!
Join IHOP to celebrate National Pancake Day, TODAY -- Tuesday, February 23, 2010. from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., IHOP will give you one free short stack (three) buttermilk pancakes.
GREAT -- but, what's the catch?
All IHOP asks is that you consider making a donation to support local children's hospitals through Children's Miracle Network, or other local charities.
Now, feel free to go and share some pancake love!
© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.
DISCLOSURE: NO PAYMENT WAS RECEIVED, OR CONSIDERATIONS, OTHER THAN A CHANCE TO SHARE SOMETHING NICE WITH OTHER FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST, COURTESY OF IHOP.COMThe BOOK IT! Program, a reading incentive program sponsored by Pizza Hut, is hosting its third America’s Biggest Bedtime Story on Feb. 18th with a live webcast with one of my favorite actors and Golden Globe winning author, John Lithgow, reading one of his favorites, Carnival of the Animals
Want to know how you can help, a copy of the book, or how about some pizza?
Continue reading "Book It Program: A Reading By John Lithgow - Grab Your PJ's and Help Feed Haiti" »
