Helping Kids Smile & Saving You Money!

by Mama Chocolate on May 16, 2012

Most of us can’t imagine what it’d be like to be living in poverty, in a country with limited medical help and then have a child with needs that we were simply unable to meet. Surrounded by supportive family and friends in a relatively wealthy country, the thought of being in that situation is foreign and heartbreaking to me!

But every three minutes, a child is born into the world with a cleft. A cleft is not just a cosmetic issue, either. It often prevents a child from being able to eat properly, speak, socialize or smile. When a child with a cleft is born into a poor family, who are unable to get help, they often are shunned and rejected as they grow up, causing lasting damage, both nutritionally and emotionally.

Operation Smile is bringing hope and a bright future to kids all around the world, in over 60 different countries, providing help and surgeries to the neediest. Through donations and volunteer work, Operation Smile sends medical professionals to treat these children, trains doctors and nurses to work in the field, and invests in sustainability programs, empowering partner countries to treat more children on their own.

It takes as little as $240 and as few as 45 minutes to repair a cleft, changing a child’s life forever!

With a goal of providing at least 1,000 life-changing surgeries through Operation Smile, www.CampusBookRentals.com is announcing their “Making a Difference Program”. For every book rented, they will donate a portion of the proceeds to Operation Smile to reach this goal.

A brilliant way to save potentially hundreds of dollars during the course of getting your degree, you seriously need to check out Campus Book Rentals if you are attending college!

 


Join Campus Book Rentals in bringing hope to 1,000 kids this year!

{ 3 comments }

Don’t worry…

by Mama Chocolate on May 16, 2012

 

thank you to Some Call it Natural for sharing!

 

{ 4 comments }

$200 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

by Mama Chocolate on May 15, 2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This contest is sponsored by Mid-Atlantic Door Group

{ 2 comments }

Delicious Dish Tuesday Recipe Link Up

by Mama Chocolate on May 15, 2012

Photobucket
Welcome to another Delicious Dish Tuesday, a blog hop for and about delicious food!

Join us each week as we share our favorite recipes and give you the chance to share yours!

One of my favorites from your link-ups last week was the Chicken Parmesan Grilled Cheese Sandwich from over at A Gluten Free Journey! You have to head over there and see all 84…(yes, EIGHTY-FOUR) other linked-up grilled cheese recipes on her post! I am drooling on my keyboard.

Which reminds me that you need to make this Grilled Mozzarella Tomato Basil Sandwich:

Please link a post that is Delicious! If you are new, read the original post which includes the rules for linking up. As always, if you have any questions please email me at info@mamachocolateblog.com.

Please include a link back to one/any of the host sites (through worded link or badge).

The Delicious Dish Tuesday hosts include:

Amanda of Coping with Frugality
Alesha of Full Time Mama
and me, Johanna of Mama Chocolate

Mama Chocolate

Don’t forget to leave a comment after you link up your post!

{ 2 comments }

Adoption Fundraiser – with over $700 in Prizes!

by Mama Chocolate on May 14, 2012

Photobucket

There is an adoption fundraiser going on over at the Modest Mom Blog, and I highly encourage you to head over and donate!

For a $5 donation, you will be entered to win any one of 18 amazing prizes, including a Beco Gemini baby carrier, a $50 Amazon gift card, a complete character-training package from Doorposts, and MUCH more!

There are 18 winners, so your odds are good, and no matter what, you’ll be supporting a wonderful cause, bringing a needy child into a loving home!

This fundraiser giveaway ends May 22nd, so don’t delay!

{ 0 comments }

Ergo or Pikkolo Baby Carrier Giveaway!

by Mama Chocolate on May 12, 2012

Welcome to the Carry Me Please giveaway! Babywearing can be a wonderful time for both mom (or dad) and baby! For some it is a necessity for others it is just a way of life. For what ever reason you wear your little one, you should be able to do it in style!

Tailor Made Momma has put together an amazing giveaway and is offering up the winner choice of an Ergo or Pikkolo baby carrier!

This giveaway is open to the US and Canada and will end on May 26th!

Don’t forget to come back and get your daily entries in!

Click here to enter the giveaway with easy Rafflecopter form!

{ 29 comments }

Immediately after everyone arrived on the scene for Brandcation on Friday afternoon, we dived right into our “Blogger Olympics”, generously sponsored by Jambu Footwear!

I had heard we’d be doing “Olympics” but wasn’t quite sure what to expect, or how involved I’d get to be with my big ol’ baby belly complicating things. ;-)

After signing in, getting my name tag and wings…wait, wings?!

Who’s idea was this again? My team was The Ladybugs and someone had the brilliant idea to give us wings, (*cough* KIM *cough*.) On the plus side, Victoria is thrilled to now have her own pair of “fairy wings” just like big sis.

After poking out a few eyes, we managed to gather together and get started on our first task – a scavenger hunt.

We were given a list of things to get photos of, and the team with the most items on the list that came back the soonest would be the winners. We split up and some of us went off to get photos of as many pools on the resort property as possible. Did you know the Portofino Island Resort has EIGHT different pools? They’re not all lined up right next to each other, either, ya’ll.

After running around in the heat and humidity for a bit, we decided that was for the birds, not smart ladybugs like us. Kadi (of Our Seven Seeds) flagged down one of the staff on his golf cart…we may or may not have shamelessly used my pregnant state as a plea to find his humanity and give us a ride to each pool to get our photos. (It didn’t actually take much pleading…he was more than happy to help us on our quest!)

What’s more, we knew for sure we hadn’t missed a single one, cause this fellow knew the place like the back of his hand.

With all eight pools, we managed to come in first place on the scavenger hunt, after which we all headed down to the beach, where we had 15 minutes to build a sandcastle resembling the White House!

15 minutes is not a very long time to make a White House sandcastle, just FYI. We managed beautifully however, and even had a limo out front with our hermit crab “President” about to climb in. See that water there in the background? That is the Gulf Coast! Amazingly clear, calm, warm water. One of the locals was saying it was a bit cold…but she obviously hasn’t been to the Pacific NW ocean lately, LOL!

We finished up with a couple relay races, (one in the ocean) and a hula-hoop face-off. Denise (mother of quadruplets!) rocked the hula-hooping #likeaboss and kept it up even after the most strong-hearted (or hipped?!) had dropped their hoops!

(In case you’re wondering, I had the good sense to not even attempt this feat in my state. Watching me attempt to hula under any circumstance would not be a pleasant site at any time, let alone at 6 months preggo!)

 

Our fearless leaders!

Blondie, Lynsey, Kim and Trisha organized the whole event and here they represent each of our teams!

Trisha’s team, “The SEO’s” ended up taking away the overall championship for the Olympics and it was well deserved!

I am so grateful for Jambu Footwear‘s sponsorship that made all of our fun that afternoon possible!

Before Brandcation, I hadn’t even heard of Jambu, and now I’m pretty sure I need a separate shoe budget for the next year. They have so many styles that I actually LOVE. (I’m honestly not usually a rabid shoe-shopper.)

I especially love how they managed a sporty feminine shoe! Their amazingly lightweight All Terra line averages between 5 – 9.7 oz per shoe, perfect for summer outdoor wear!

Also special thanks to Jambu for generously providing each blogger with a sporty bag for our swag!

Photography credit: Brandy Goleman Photography

{ 1 comment }

MyBabyClothes.com Review & Giveaway

by Mama Chocolate on May 11, 2012

As the mama of two (though-I-say-so-myself,) insanely adorable girls, I am always watching for equally adorable outfits for them!

Seriously, ever since my own baby dolls, I have looked forward to having daughters to dress up in frills and ribbons.

It’s in my blood. Letting me and my mother together loose in a kids or baby clothes store is perilous. And we’re not alone. As moms, grandmas, aunts, etc, most of us are hardwired to enjoy outfitting our miniature people with the perfect ensemble. (Maybe some of you guys are, too…most of the men I know generally prefer to avoid clothes shopping of any kind!) ;-)

When MyBabyClothes.com expressed interest in doing a review and giveaway with Mama Chocolate, I was thrilled to bring you another source of cute and quality kids’ clothing!

Katie obligingly helped me review the Bonnie Jean Yellow Flamestitch & Pantset:

I love how “girly” my sweet Katie is. She is thrilled about any new article of clothing, especially a pretty dress like this one!

It took no effort or coaxing on my part to get her to “dress up” just to go to the playground for these photos.

The quality of this outfit seems great! I was a little nervous about how it was going to hold up, (especially being worn by an active toddler,) with the zigzagged, held-together-by-thread stripes, but it’s done beautifully through several wearings and washings! (We line-dried the dress part, but put the leggings through the dryer.)

No snags or tears whatsoever! I can also attest that spaghetti stains can be easily removed from the fabric! ;-)

Although a boy would be fun for a change, I will be thrilled if #3 turns out to be another girl. There is almost nothing cuter than baby headbands on a little newborn, and it already feels like a long time since Victoria was that age! (She yanks headbands off in under 60 seconds now.)

You’ll also find adorable baby hats and even girly tutus and pettiskirts from MyBabyClothes.com!

MyBabyClothes.com is generously giving one lucky Mama Chocolate reader a $25 gift certificate to spend on their site!

What will you pick if you win?!

Click here to enter the giveaway with easy Rafflecopter form!

{ 21 comments }

Cowgirl Chocolates Review & Giveaway

by Mama Chocolate on May 10, 2012

review by Janelle P.
also now blogging at Mother Necessity 

I have to say, I was a little excited to review some chocolate. Technically, my husband was reviewing the chocolate since neither Mama Chocolate or I are very tolerant of spicy foods.

Spicy?! Yes, spicy chocolate.

I decided to brave it and try out Cowgirl Chocolates Spicy Truffle Bars myself too since honestly, I couldn’t resist four beautiful unwrapped chocolate bars sitting on my counter. It’s the first time I’ve reviewed something while drinking a glass of wine. (it was a MUST as you will find out later.)

Cowgirl Chocolates sent us four different flavors of their chocolate truffle bars: Mild Milk Hazelnut, Spicy Dark Almond, Spicy Dark Raspberry, and Spicy Milk Toffee. Each bar is 1.75 oz of chocolate. The bars seemed small before I opened them, but seriously, there was PLENTY of chocolate in each bar. You really only need one or two squares since it’s so flavorful (and spicy). I was glad each bar had a little different design on the chocolate so I could tell them apart.

 

I decided to try the spicy bars first so I could calm down the heat with the mild bar later if I needed to. I am glad I took a small bite and waited before eating more. At first, it tasted like normal chocolate then a little heat started, then more and more. It wasn’t intolerable, but I did need to sip some wine before I could try the next one.

 

Each bar seemed to have about the same amount of heat which started off negligible and slowly built up. Out of the three spicy varieties I found I preferred the spicy toffee flavor the best. The sweetness of the toffee flavor balanced the spiciness nicely. I really loved the mild hazelnut bar the best though and downed all of it myself except for the square my husband tried out.

 

On to DH’s point of view:
“I thought they were the perfect amount of spicy.” he reported.

 

He said they weren’t extremely hot (he likes things that are so hot they melt your insides), but they had the right amount of heat for a tasty chocolate bar. He couldn’t tell me which one he liked the best, but he did think that if they had a chocolate sauce it would be amazing on a cheesecake. (he’s in luck, they do have a chocolate sauce!)

 

About Cowgirl Chocolates:

 

“Head Cowgirl Marilyn Lysohir founded Cowgirl Chocolates in 1997. Her two favorite things in the world are art (she has a notable career as a ceramic sculptor) and chocolate. In fact her first job was working in a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania. Marilyn mingled some favorite memories with some new ideas to create an American original, Cowgirl Chocolates…chocolates with a spicy cowgirl kick. She was the pioneer, one of the first companies to offer spicy chocolates in the world.”
Overall, we really enjoyed sampling Cowgirl Chocolates’ Truffle Bars. I think they would be a perfect addition to a wine and chocolate tasting night with some friends.

 

Cowgirl Chocolates also carries several other items including solid chocolate bars, caramels, caramel and chocolate sauce, brittle, and hot chocolate. All the items seemed reasonably priced as well for specialty chocolate items.

Cowgirl Chocolates is generously giving away a Spicy Truffle Bars prize package to one lucky Mama Chocolate reader!

Click here to enter the giveaway with easy Rafflecopter form!

{ 23 comments }

Recharging on the #GulfCoast at #Brandcation!

by Mama Chocolate on May 9, 2012

Wow. I got home from Brandcation three days ago, and I still feel like something like a zombie chipmunk. (Weird mental picture there, yikes.)

The traveling (all the way from Oregon to Florida!) and non-stop fun certainly wore me out, but at the same time, I came home inspired, refreshed and in general, more excited about my blog and where it’s going than I’ve ever been!

For three days, I got to hang out with 30 other amazing bloggers, all wonderful women that I am proud to be able to now call my friends! Just look at that lovely bunch of ladies!
(I’m the big preggo one in the magenta dress up there in the middle.) 

It’s going to take a few posts to tell you about everything we did…I can’t believe how many adventures we packed into such a short time. We did Blogger Olympics on the beach, had a pajama swag party, zip-lined, went tubing down 4 miles of river, and went on a dolphin cruise! (We even occasionally slept!)

Huge thanks to MomDotBrandfluential, and the hard-working ladies who put on the event, and to all the generous sponsors that made it possible! As I tell you about everything we did, you’ll learn more about each one and just how generous they all were!

I want to especially thank the Portofino Island Resort for keeping us all comfortable and well-taken care of! Our deluxe accommodations and the cheerful and capable guest services impressed me on several occasions.

view of the Portofino Island Resort from the Gulf (taken while we were on our Dolphin Cruise!)

Watch for obscene amounts of photos accompanying further details of our exploits!

{ 2 comments }