Blogs I Enjoyed Reading This Weekend

I thought I would mention some blog posts I particularly enjoyed reading this weekend. I am trying my darndest to read more blogs and comment more, and not just because I signed up for Harriet's March Comment Challenge,  because I really want to connect more (my biggest Achille's Heel when it comes to blogging!). So here we go.....
Small Town Mommy is lamenting the weather  ( again). Just Kidding! This is one funny mommy blogger, and no one can make snow days sound as fun as she does! I have a new prayer to say tonight, thanks to Kat from Mom's Place (I just hope it works out--will let you all know!). I always feel good after reading Maitri's Heart, and her latest post is no exception... and I so want to visit the new cottage!

I am thankfully all caught up with American Idol, and who was cut this week, thanks to Cute As a Buggy! I was intrigued by Mom Fever's Murder Mystery, and Orient Lodge has a new post up today that gave me something to ponder. And finally, I am immensely jealous in awe of Julie from Moms Perspective who got to interview both Soleil Moon Frye & Melissa Joan Hart from TV’s “Punky Brewster” and “Sabrina The Teenage Witch!"

So that about wraps up my Sunday reading  list for today!  Off to take the munchkin boys to the park--Have a great Sunday afternoon, and see you all Monday!

Banquet's Thanks a Million!

First off, in this post I am going to make a confession. Yes, yet another. I do love frozen meals. I make them and serve them to the family. I have said before and will reiterate, Betty Crocker I am not. So throw stones, raise the eyebrows, and please feel free to cluck away. But, yes, my freezer has frozen dinners in it.

My kids love to eat. Love. Like every half hour. Or every 15 minutes. And having a frozen Mac'and Cheese (or a variation thereof.)  to pull out of the freezer is just fine with me. And the kiddos.I do not serve frozen dinners all the time, of course, but I will never give up the convenience of them, that's for sure!

So when Banquet asked us to review some frozen dinners, I had no problem jumping up and down saying yes! Since all three of my kids will agree on one food, and pretty much one food only, I got the Mac and Cheese. And all three enjoyed every bite of their meals. And I again loved the ease of serving the dinners, and the very little clean up I had to do! I also added some soft rolls w/ butter, and a salad (which only my 12 year old daughter ate. Shocking that my five and three year old refused the green stuff!) and some cut up apples. Easy peasy.

What I really wanted to share about however, is that Banquet is giving away more than $1 million worth of redeemable cash prizes this February through April as part of their "Thanks A Million" promotion.Through February and March, look for Banquet frozen dinner meals with the "Thanks a Million" logo on the box. Each of these specially-marked packages will contain a special game piece, either one of over 16,000 redeemable cash prizes worth anywhere from $10 to $100,000, or a Banquet coupon. Yep-- spend a $1 on a Banquet frozen dinner meal, and maybe win $100,000 dollars! (which I'm sure you will agree should be shared with yours truly as I did share this contest with you.)


“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Banquet and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

I Am a General Hospital Ambassador!

I am now a General Hospital Ambassador for Mom Central! I have been watching General Hospital for years--since I was in High School. I would babysit my nephew everyday after school for my sister-in-law who is a nurse. I remember practically running the entire way from my high school to their house just so I could get there in time for the opening scene (you know-where the ambulance would pull up to the hospital, remember??) and the theme song!

So I am excited to be a part of this program through Mom Central. I still stay caught up with the happenings in good old Port Charles, and look forward to my daily escape (which more often than not is at night when the kiddos are in bed.)

As a General Hospital Ambassador, I will be able to bring you news, interviews with cast members (look for a question-answer coming up with Alexis's Nancy Graham!), contest news, and more. As a matter of fact, right now there is an exciting contest happening over at Mom Central. One lucky winner will be randomly selected to receive an all-expenses paid trip (with a friend) to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital and have a walk-on role! The sweepstakes is open until February 28th. To enter, just fill in the sign up survey here!

So stay tuned for more General Hospital happenings and news (and watch for my first interview coming soon with Nancy Graham!)!

“I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.”

Thinking of a New Career or Business To Start?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Allison Maslan, author of "Blast Off!". All opinions are 100% mine.

If you are at a place in your life where you want to change careers, start a new business or discover what your passion is so you can create an income from it, you might be interested in Allison Maslan's new book,Blast Off!
A successful serial entrepreneur for the past 25 years, Allison reveals her failures, successes, and the obstacles she overcame throughout her life with determination, passion, and purpose.
She not only shares the story of her personal journey from despair to triumph, Allison also shares specific actions you can take right now to create the personal and professional life you want. Reading her book can give you the inspiration and motivation to find your true passion, and go after it. Whether you are thinking of starting a business or changing your career, this book provides tools, strategies and real-life experiences to help you.
Blast Off! is not outrageously priced either, which is nice. It is just $24, and is also available on Amazon probably at an even lower price. So if you are asking yourself questions like, am I where I want to be, doing what I want to do, and am I in the place I want to be in ten, or even five years from now, and finding yourself shaking your head no, you might want to check out this book!

Giveaway: $35 Gift Cards Plus $100 Coupon Savings Books From Jiffy Lube!

Between February 1 and March 14, 2010, more than 87 percent of Jiffy Lube® service centers across the U.S. will participate in the Jiffy Lube Maintenance Partners for Life campaign. Their goal is to raise more than $1 million to benefit the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Go Red For Women® movement.

Although research has shown that heart disease is the #1 killer of women, only 21 percent view the disease as their biggest health threat. Did you know that according to the American Heart Association, Nearly 2,400 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day – an average death of one every 37 seconds?

Jiffy Lube collaborated with the AHA to create the Jiffy Lube Maintenance Partners for Life campaign, which emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy heart and a healthy vehicle through basic preventive maintenance practices. Customers at participating Jiffy Lube service centers across the U.S. can support this cause with a donation of $3, receiving in return a
Jiffy Lube Maintenance Partners for Life savings book containing heart-healthy recipes, as well as $100 in savings from Jiffy Lube. 100% of the funds will benefit local AHA chapters in the communities in which they funds are raised. People can also donate online at www.JiffyLubeGoesRed.com

To help spread the word and support the campaign, Jiffy Lube has generously offered to give 3 Readers EACH a $35 Gift Card to Jiffy Lube, and a $100 in savings Coupon Book! That is 3 gift cards and 3 savings books I have in total to giveaway! 3 winners will be chosen using random.org.

To Enter This Giveaway

(mandatory first entry)

1.Visit  www.JiffyLubeGoesRed.com and take the “Jiffy Lube Car CheckUp” and “Go Red Heart CheckUp” to assess your vehicle preventive maintenance knowledge and heart health respectively.

2. Become a fan of the Jiffy Lube Maintenance Partners for Life campaign Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/jiffylubempfl) to support the cause.

3. Come back here and leave me a comment aboutsomething you learned about heart disease.

**Entries must have a valid email address, or a blog profile with email address, or will be disqualified.**

EXTRA ENTRIES

1. Become a Follower of Happy Healthy Families (widget on left side bar)

2. Post about this giveaway on your blog

3. Follow me on Twitter

4. Tweet this giveaway (get extra entries each time you tweet. Remember to leave me a comment for each tweet with url)

5. Become a fan of Happy Healthy Families on Facebook

6. Subscribe to Happy Healthy Families (left sidebar)

Giveaway will end March 10th at 11:59 EST. Open to US addresses only. Three winners will be chosen by random.org. Winners will be notified here and by email, and will have 36 hours to confirm or new winner will be drawn.

This giveaway is sponsored by Jiffy Lube and its Maintenance Partners for Life campaign. The Maintenance Partners for Life savings books and gift cards, as well as information about the campaign were given to me by Jiffy Lube.

GIVEAWAY! Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls and Photo Album Gift Pack

Ask me what I love best about those Pillsbury Sweet Roll packages in the refrigerated cookie area of the markets? Go on, ask! I love love love the easy- no mess- no fuss baking! All I have to do is pop open that long tube (and don't you kind of get a kick out of doing that?? LOL), and put those yummy slices of sweet rolls on a cooking sheet, pop in the oven and bake.

I love baking like that. So I am not a Betty Crocker sort. (well, once or twice a year I may get my real baking on...but I am a busy mommy.. really busy...and I love Pillsbury for recognizing this fact....just saying.)

Thanks to Blog Spark, our family enjoyed free Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls this morning. Delicious gooey sweet rolls and a cup of hot coffee--heaven! I do believe we looked just the image of a happy family enjoying a lazy weekend morning together at the breakfast table! So what if it lasts a few moments....at least we shared that time together smacking and licking our fingertips.

Bliss on a Sunday morning. Sweet orange- tasting-no kids-fighting at-the-table bliss.

And you can have this moment of bliss too! As well as a cute picture album to store those moments of pure bliss in! That's right! Thanks to BlogSpark and Pillsbury, I get to give one lucky reader a gift pack which includes a VIP Coupon for Pillsbury Sweet Rolls, and a Photo Album!
.
HOW TO ENTER

(mandatory requirement); Please leave a comment telling me what your favorite Sunday morning breakfast with your family is, or a favorite childhood memory of Sunday breakfast. Please include a valid email with your comment or a current email listed on your blog profile, or your entry will not be counted.

EXTRA ENTRIES

1. Become a fan of Happy Healthy Families on Facebook.
2. Share about this giveaway on Facebook.
3. Twitter this giveaway (twitter every day for extra entries...just be sure to leave me a comment for each tweet with url)
4. Follow my blog (3 extra entries)
5. Subscribe to Happy Healthy Families
6. Post about this giveaway on your blog.(3 extra entries)

Open to US addresses. Giveaway ends Feb. 28th @11:59 EST. Winner to be drawn by Random.Org, notified here and by email, and will have 36 hours to confirm or new winner will be drawn.

Pillsbury provided Happy Healthy Families with Pillsbury sweet rolls, information, and gift pack including Photo Album through MyBlogSpark. No financial compensation was received.

Baby Formula Savings

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

My "babies" are not such babies anymore. No more bottles and formula around our house anymore. Even though I mostly nursed my kids when they were babies, I did sometimes supplement with formula, and I remember how much those cans of formula cost! I am so not missing buying them anymore. A small fortune can easily be spent on formula, especially the name brand ones. Did you know that using the store brand can save you as much as 40% per ounce compared to a name-brand formula? And per FDA regulations, all formula marketed in the U.S. must meet the same basic nutrient specifications. I know everyone has their own opinion and experiences when it comes to using store brand formulas (or any formula for that matter), but if per chance you are a mom using store brand formula, I wanted to pass on some coupon savings available through babyformulaquiz.com

To get the coupon (which will save you about $3.00,) just take their Baby Formula Quiz which is only about seven questions long. You can also get a store-brand formula coupon by completing the name-and-address form at StoreBrandFormula.com. The coupons can be used at major retailers such as Kmart, Target, and Walmart.

Hallmark Ovation Contest: A Girl's Gotta Laugh

I think truer words may never have been spoken! So many days I find myself ready to cry at the madness that is my life, but then if I just laugh, it feels so much better. Hallmark and Ovation TV must understand women and stress, and how important bonding and laughing can be, because they have joined together and started a new contest called "A Girls Gotta Laugh".

The objective of the contest is to create a funny card that helps any mom laugh about the crazy reality of motherhood. The contest launched on Feb 8th and the deadline for submissions is Feb 22nd. 24 winners will be selected to have their greeting card creation sold in stores and one lucky winner will have their card broadcast on Ovation TV - reaching more than 38 million homes!

To learn more about the contest, visit Ovation TV which offers step by step instructions on how you can create an award-winning greeting card. plus there's a direct link on the Ovation site where you can visit Hallmark and enter your work.

Good luck if you enter, and remember to laugh today! (hey, it beats crying!!)

I wrote this post as a member of Role Mommy Writers Network, and opinions expressed are my own.

WINNERS of The Triaminic Cold and Flu Thin Strips: Giveaway (1/31)

Finally. I have the three winners for the Triaminic Cold and Flu Strips. Sheesh....I do apologize for the delay on this giveaway, and beg your forgiveness.....

I will be emailing the winners today, so please confirm with your mailing info and I will have these mailed out to you asap!

Without further ado:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

9
17
11

Timestamp: 2010-02-18 21:11:08 UTC

Rainbow Brite Returns

Rainbow Brite is back, along with her pals, Moonglow and Tickled Pink.

When Hallmark first introduced the Rainbow Brite brand about 25 years ago, girls all over the world fell in love with this colorful character. Rainbow Brite was launched with a consumer products program that included toys, books, comic books, cereal, party goods and even a traveling stage show. Girls enjoyed Rainbow Brite as a TV series, in addition to three TV specials and a feature film.

As a part of the re-launch of this adorable doll, we received a Rainbow Brite promotional cd pak. The CD has games, puzzles, and songs. And I'll share a secret that cannot go farther than this blog (like....do not tell the hubbs..ok?) My two munchkin boys loved the Rainbow Brite games. I think that is cool. But hubby is another story. Anyhoo. After playing some games, we checked out the new Rainbow Brite website, and I got all nostalgic and sappy and  watched new mini-episodes. My three year old especially liked the horses.... Starlite, Shimmer and Sunrise. I think my five year old appreciated the "new look" of Rainbow and Co. (though of course he does not have the old "look" to compare. Let's just say Rainbow and her pals are, uh, more contemporary and a tad 'grown-up' now as compared to the original versions of the doll...)

The newest Rainbow Brite fashion doll collection is now available at Target, and soon will be in Toys R' Us. If my munchkin boys happened to be munchkin girls, we would so be buying some of these dolls because I love them and they bring back such happy memories!

(Maybe I could bribe convince my 12 year old daughter to take up playing with dolls again.) 

I received a Rainbow Brite promotional cd pak from Momselect and Hallmark. The opinions expressed are my own and I was not compensated for this review.

Winner of Caress Beauty Bars Giveaway!

Here are your random numbers:

11
37
61
37
17

5webs said... I follow you on Twitter(5webs)
Alicia Webster

Congratulations!

Thanks to all who entered!

Winner of Escentuals Rare Minerals Eye Cream!

Here are your random numbers:

154
122
115
88
80

Timestamp: 2010-02-14 23:19:03 UTC

Congrats to # 154!!

I have sent you an email, and please do remember with this giveaway I need to have your confirmation  by 11:00 pm tonight (EST) or I will need to draw a new winner tomorrow.

Thanks for o all who entered!

Giveaway: Rare Minerals Eye Cream (THIS WEEKEND ONLY...HURRY!)

Woohoo! The one thing I really truly seriously intensely get excited about are skincare products that really help me stay looking young and gorgeoust look the best I can. (did you think I was going somewhere else with this. maybe?). So when I got the chance to check out Rare Minerals Active Triple Treatment Eye Cream by Bare Escentuals, I was super delighted!!

And I get to Give One to a Lucky Reader! This is a quick giveaway, so do not delay: enter today...ends Sunday!


"Visibly diminish fine lines and wrinkles, restore firmness, and reduce puffiness around your delicate eye area for smoother, firmer, brighter skin. Infused with our RareMinerals Active Soil Complex, this groundbreaking eye cream uses mineral electrolytes and Marine Peptides to rejuvenate skin around the eyes instantly and over time."

Anything that can help the lines and wrinkles around my eyes, I am all for!  The  Rare Minerals Active Triple Treatment Eye Cream retails for $28, but one lucky reader can win one here, this weekend!

 WIN :

Leave me a comment telling me what you do now to help the eye area, and if it works. Make sure you leave me a valid email address with your comment.


Additional Entries:

Follow me on Twitter
Tweet this giveaway (five entries!)
Follow HHF on Facebook
Blog or share this giveaway on Facebook (5 entries!)
Post about this giveaway on your blog (5 entries!)

I will close this contest Sunday, Feb. 14th at 3:00 pm. Winner will be notified by email that same day, and MUST REPLY by 11:00 pm that night, or new winner will be drawn.

This giveaway is only open to the U.S. and over 18 years of age.
  **I was not paid to do this giveaway.  I will be given a product sample to review myself**


Giveaway Now Closed.

Giveaway: Curious George 2 Soundtrack

My munchkin boys love Curious George, and I enjoy watching it with them (which I cannot say about every cartoon they watch!). There is something endearing and captivating about that inquistie monkey, George, and watching him figure out ways to solve the dilemmas he gets into.

And George is back in “CURIOUS GEORGE 2: FOLLOW THAT MONKEY,” the sequel to the 2006 animated hit movie. YAY!

" Follow Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat as they set out on a madcap cross-country adventure to reunite Kayla, a homesick elephant, with her family. This unlikely trio faces all types of comic calamities and colorful characters and in the end learn that with family, friends and determination you can achieve anything. Featuring the voices of Tim Curry, Matt Lauer, Jamie Kennedy and Jerry Lewis, CURIOUS GEORGE 2: FOLLOW THAT MONKEY, “proves that family, friends—and curiosity—are number one.” (Francine Brokaw, Los Angeles Family Magazine)"

The soundtrack to “CURIOUS GEORGE 2: FOLLOW THAT MONKEY” features the Rivieras hit “California Sun” performed by Brian Wilson as well as all new songs by Carbon Leaf, a special title track recorded by 429 Records’ artist Jackie Greene and an original score by Heitor Pereira.

The new Curious George 2 CD will be released worldwide on March 2nd to coincide with the release of the DVD.

Here is the tracklist from the Curious George 2 soundtrack:

1) “Life Less Ordinary” Carbon Leaf
2) “The Friendship” Carbon Leaf
3) “California Sun” Brian Wilson
4) “On A Roll” Carbon Leaf
5) “Heart Of The Day” Carbon Leaf
6) “Let Your Troubles Roll By” Carbon Leaf
7) “Walking In The Sun” Carbon Leaf
8) “Follow That Monkey” Jackie Greene
9) “Moon Man” Heitor Pereira
10) “Going East” Heitor Pereira
11) “Giving A Hand” Heitor Pereira
12) “Zoo” Heitor Pereira
13) “Friendship” Heitor Pereira


All great songs that my boys now sing around the house and in the car. We are keeping our CD in our car, and I am pretty sure that they will know all the words to each song in no time flat!!

WIN A CURIOUS GEORGE 2 SOUNDTRACK

One lucky reader will win a and Curious George 2 Soundtrack. To enter, visit 429records.com, and listen to the tracks. Leave me a comment letting me know which was your favorite song.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow me on Twitter

2. Post about this giveaway, linking to this post url. and the sponsor.

3. Follow my blog.

4. Blog (or share on Facebook) about the giveaway with a link back to the giveaway!

5. Become a fan of HHF on Facebook.

6. Tweet this giveaway. (you can do this everyday for additional entries).

7. Subscribe to Happy Healthy Families (left sidebar).


Giveaway will end @ 11:59 est Feb. 27th, 2010 Winner must have email listed in comments or blog profile. Winner will be notified by email, and will have 3 days to confirm or new winner will be drawn.

This post was written for Family Review Network as part of a program for 429 Records, who supplied the product for review. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

Babies R Us Introduces New Baby Products Line

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

Babies R Us now has it's own official brand of infant care products at its stores. They have always offered a big selection of baby gear for parents-to-be to check out there, not to mention great deals on clothes for the pint-sized fashionistas, and now with their own infant care line, there will be more potential savings available as parents shop for their little ones.The brand includes powdered infantformula, diapers, baby wipes, laundry detergent and purified water at prices said to be up to 50 percent less than comparable brands.

The baby products line began appearing in Babies R Us and Toys R Us stores late last year. “Babies R Us has long been a destination and trusted source for new and expectant parents as they navigate through the early stages of parenthood. We are proud to leverage our position as the baby products authority to offer parents a line of must-haves for their babies from a name they rely on and recognize,” said Jerry Storch, Toys R Us Inc. chairman and CEO. “The Babies R Us line of essentials provides our value-conscious shoppers with a lower-priced alternative that matches the quality of the other trusted brands in our stores.”

Johnson's Baby Shower Blog Tour

I have always used Johnson's Baby Lotion for all my babies. I love the scent and the gentle feel of it, and cannot even imagine having a baby without that trusted pink bottle of lotion on the changing table. Another staple in our house has always been Johnson's No Tears Gold Shampoo. The only way I can convince both my boys to wash their hair is by showing them that shampoo bottle first. And of course myself and my daughter have both used it as well, many times!

Over the years with our kids, we have also consistently used Johnson's Baby Powder, Head to Toe Baby Wash (remember those first baths in the little plastic baby tubs??) and mineral oil. I have found using the mineral oil to help remove make-up a wonderful trick. And of course, the Desitin! We still need and use this, as my littlest one is still quite happy to be wearing his diapers and showing very little interest in potty training! So those diaper rashes are still with us from time to time.

And just recently we were able to enjoy Johnson and Johnson's new fabulous Bedtime Bubble Bath & Wash formulated with Natural calm essences, a unique blend of soothing aromas to help babies and children sleep better. I should say my boys were able to enjoy it, but believe me, mom did as well. The scent is so soothing and wonderful, we all enjoyed bath time. And I really do think the Bedtime Bubble Bath helped the munchkin boys settle down a little easier and drift off to sleep a bit easier.

In my opinion, nothing is more fun, practical and smells as good as a baby basket full of Johnson Baby goodies at a baby shower! And I have yet to meet another mommy who does not consistently use, or did use, Johnson's Baby Products with their babies and kids!

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Johnson’s and received samples of Johnson’s Baby products to facilitate my review."

OxiClean : My Washing Machine's New Best Friend!

Doing laundry is one thing I absolutely do not enjoy. But doing laundry is also the one thing that I have to do every day or else wind up with hills of laundry along our hallway! With two messy munchkin boys and an almost equally messy husband, my washing machine has to deal with stains from ketchup to markers to oil. Poor thing had quite a hard time with some weird stains over the years. But now my washer and I have a new 'best friend' in the laundry room-- OxiClean!!

I was sent two new products from OxiClean that will be available in stores later this month, and I love both products completely. The first I think I will never be without again--it is the OxiClean Max Force Laundry Stain Fighter & Booster Power Paks. These little packets are sooo easy to use-just toss one in the laundry with your detergent (you do not even have to take the wrapper off,) and that's it. These little paks have brightened and cleaned our dirtiest laundry so much better than using detergent alone. Plus, I am loving the scent in our laundry now.

The second product is the OxiClean Max Force Pre-treater Gel Stick. Now this is one fun laundry toy to have around! You just rub it on any though stain and let it sit a bit, then wash. My hubby actually had the first chance to try this Gel Stick out when he spilled Olive Oil on his pants. He gave this a try, quite dubiously however, and when the stain was totally gone, he was delighted.

I think both of these new OxiClean products are awesome, and am so happy I was able to try them out and share my thoughts on them. Both should be available in mid-February in stores, and if you try them, I think you'll love them as much as I do.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of OxiClean and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Charter's High Speed Internet Offer

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you have DSL, you are probably suffering from "blank stare-itis" like I do. You know, the way you sit and do nothing but sit, and sit, and sit some more while staring at your computer screen waiting for a video to load. Wasted time spent staring at a blank screen while a little "progress bar" slowly inches along. Even waiting for one of my online accounts to fully load can be as annoying as nails being scratched along a chalkboard. Seriously. Everyone tells me DSL is like the new dial-up, and I guess they are right.
Charter wants to help with the cure for "stare-itis," and make DSL a thing of the past. So they are offering High-Speed Internet for only 19.99. You can get the speed you crave and the instant gratification you demand back in your life. It’s reliable, it’s secure, and once you’ve had it, Charter is convinced you’ll agree that DSL is the new dial up. They will even install it free to get you going.



So if you have been thinking of switching from DSL to High Speed Internet soon, you may want to stop waiting and get going now. You can also check out Charter’s Facebook page and learn more about their offers and services.

I Don't Want to Miss Contest With Danny Gokey and Clorox

Clorox is spreading the word about flu prevention with American Idol finalist Danny Gokey. Together they have launched the I Don’t Want to Miss…, a national campaign designed to get teens and their teachers involved in flu prevention. Clorox is calling on school musical groups nationwide to develop a video performance of a song written by Berklee College of Music student, Will Wells, on what teens would not want to miss out on if they were home sick and why prevention is important. School groups are encouraged to be creative and put their own spin on the song.

Contest Details:

• Download the song I Don’t Want To Miss…
• Get your music class, group or glee club to learn the song and create a video
• Include a video introduction and be sure that your teacher is in the video
• All students must sign consent forms
• Upload your entry onto School.Tube
• Open to USA middle schools and high schools that are not-for-profit schools
• Entries can be submitted up to March 4 at 11:59 ET
• See complete rules for more information

And guess, just guess, what the winning school will win???? A music class led by former American Idol finalist Danny Gokey! Now how cool is that, I ask you?

Plus, for each entry submitted, The Clorox Company will donate $100 (up to $10,000) to the Sophia’s Heart Foundation, a charity founded by Gokey in honor of his late wife, Sophia, and dedicated to helping children achieve academic success via musical training and restoring musical dreams in children.

As for my own pre-teen, I know she misses socializing with her girlfriends at school when she is sick! When she was little, sick days were much more fun for her (as long as she wasn't feeling too bad, of course!) then she loved laying around in bed and watching her favorite shows and eating in bed. Now though, she gets pretty miserable when she has to miss school and her friends. And to be fair, I think she also realizes now that missing school will mean having to 'catch up' on all her class work that she missed when sick....never any fun! Luckily my daughter is much more cooperative as well as aware of the importance of preventing colds and flu. For example, she will wash her hands more, agree to wearing a sweater on chilly days, and getting more sleep.

To help Clorox and Danny Gokey with this important campaign, you can also visit the contest page on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/Clorox) and learn more. And note that for the first 100 groups to submit, the teacher will receive a wellness care package from The Clorox Company.

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Clorox and received $20 thank-you gift certificate."