Earn a Gift Card by Writing about Travel

As I've mentioned before, I'm a BzzAgent and have the opportunity to participate in Word-of-Mouth marketing. It's something I enjoy doing but seldom actually post about on my blog. BzzAgent, for the uninitiated, is a company that sends out samples and coupons to participating volunteer "Agents" who in turn, hand them out to people. As BzzAgent grew, the Frogpond was created to handle online companies and their Word-of-Mouth marketing efforts. Once again, it's something I seldom talk about on the blog.

Today, however, there was a Frogpond offer that I wanted to pass along to my blogger friends. Writing is something that all of us blogger-types enjoy doing - so why not make a few bucks off it? As part of a Frogpond promotion for a travel blog called GoneGoing, they're offering the following:

Frogpond™ Special Offer
This promotion runs from 1 February 2008 to 31 March 2008

We're giving away $10 Amazon.com® gift cards* to all Frogpond Agents and their referrals who contribute to GoneGoing. Simply use the form below to participate, then write a travel blog article containing at least 200 words and at least 4 photos from a recent trip. Each article will get a $10 Amazon.com gift card, and each person can submit up to three articles. For more information look in the "My Promotions" area of your profile once you've joined below.

Although I take a ton of pictures everywhere we go, I seldom post them on the blog. Since I have so many pictures, I'm considering posting at least one article because I like to shop at Amazon and can always use the free gift card. Figured I would share the link and let all of you take advantage, too!

I want to make it clear that I do not get compensation of any kind for anyone signing up for this through my blog. I'm posting my BzzAgent referral link so they'll know you were referred through an agent and therefore can take participate in the promotion.

If anyone posts anything, let me know!

Rotisserie Chicken Salad Recipe

I'm not very creative in the kitchen. I can follow a recipe (most of the time) and it will turn out okay (most of the time). Fortunately, DH is a good cook and has been the head chef of our family for the majority of our marriage. Being that I'm thrifty, it was killing me to keep paying deli prices for chicken salad. My favorite hotspot for it was SuperTarget where they had a Rotisserie Chicken Salad but it was very expensive. Finally, I decided to research recipes and experiment until I had one that I really liked. I found that it was easier to just modify the recipe each time I made it until it was right - trying different spices or extras such as onions. To my surprise, I came up with my own recipe for Rotisserie Chicken Salad. There's probably one exactly like it somewhere on the internet but I didn't find it before and I don't plan to search for it now. Instead, this is a brag and share post.

My first custom recipe…

Nicole's Next-Day Rotisserie Chicken Salad
3 lb Rotisserie Chicken (Our favorite – Sam's Club)
¼ tsp Oregano
¼ tsp Basil
¾ tsp Tarragon
1 tsp Garlic powder
¼ tsp Kosher salt
1 cup Mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip! Our favorite – Hellmann's)
Pepper to taste (Straight from the pepper mill)

Note: Best if prepared while the chicken is still warm then allowed to chill in the refrigerator overnight.

• Pull and dice entire rotisserie chicken. Discard all but a few well-seasoned pieces of skin for added flavor. Dice skin pieces.
• Combine all ingredients. Don't skimp on the mayo - It may look too creamy but much will be absorbed while refrigerated.
• It's great on crackers or as a sandwich… but we love it best by the spoonful!
  
  Enjoy!

Free Fitness Magazine Offer and More!

I'm a sucker for a free magazine. Only thing better than a free magazine subscription is a free two year subscription. Everyone makes fun of me because we receive so many magazines it's ridiculous. Whenever we move, I have to put together a spreadsheet just to make sure I took care of all of them. I think my record is somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 subscriptions at one time. Thank goodness DH is a big reader. And for anyone who is concerned - I've always donated/recycled our "used" magazines to the hospital, doctor offices, gym or library.

With that being said - here's an offer for Two years of Fitness magazine from a site called Valuemags. I've used them for years and have never had a problem with them. Don't worry, they don't ask for your credit card. I never apply for a free magazine if they ask for my credit card number because that just doesn't make sense. In addition, I always use my initials instead of my full name when applying for any free offer and I make sure to use a junk email like hotmail. For this offer, just go to their site, provide your name/address/email information and you're good to go.

As a bonus, they have a few additional free magazine offers like Bridal Guide, Parents, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Games for Windows, Sport Diver, Boating Life, and Waterski.

Edited 2/15 to add Parents Magazine and Sport Diver to the list.

Five then Driving then Married

Miss M recently had a birthday and turned five. F-I-V-E. On her birthday, she proudly proclaimed that she's "Almost six" then proceeded to say "Then I'll be seven then eight...(continued) ...then sixteen and I get to drive a car." Excuse me? You're five and you're already thinking about driving? We're in for a very rough eleven years.

Then tonight, while I was tucking her in, it got worse. She was admiring my necklace and asking about it. "I love your beautiful necklace, Mommy. Who gave it to you?"
We've been through this before, so I replied "Who do you think gave it to me?"
She said "Grandma L and Pappa M."
I said "That's right."
"Why did they give it to you?" she asked.
We really haven't talked about it in that much detail so I decided I would play along. "They gave it to me when I finished going to school."
"How old?"
"When I was about 18, a long time ago. Maybe I'll give you a necklace when you're done with school, too."
"Oh."
"You have a long way to go, honey."
I guess she got bored with that line of questioning, so she moved on to "How old are you?"
"Well, honey, I'm 37 and I'll be 38 on my next birthday."
"When I'm 38, I'm going to be a neighbor and be married."
She's really into the idea of neighbors because we keep baking cookies for them when we get new ones. Where she came up with "married" is beyond me. Deep breath. "That's right, you'll be married when you're 38."
Then she asked "Are you going to be married when you're 38?"
"Honey, I'm married to Daddy. He's my husband."
"Oh, who am I going to be married to?"
"I don't know, honey. You'll have to find your Prince Charming."

"Oh."

When I tuck her in tomorrow night, if she asks me about having kids, I'm going to cry.

Cookies from Heaven

So... I'm working my tail off at the gym and what do I decide I need to do? Bake cookies with the girls. It's been miserably cold here and baking just seemed like a good idea.

A few days ago, I wandered over to Cookie Baker Lynn's blog and searched for something that the girls would like that wouldn't require a trip to the store. After browsing her tag for chocolate cookies, I found Perfect Presentation Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies. I had all the ingredients except for the peanut butter chips. Actually, I thought I had those too but couldn't locate them once I was emotionally invested in making these. I used milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet which worked great for the cookie, but not for the ganache. They weren't "perfect presentation" when I made them, but they were scrumptious. Note - WERE. Past tense. Almost all gone. Ugh.

Although I'm trying to create healthier meals, I feel that baking cookies with the girls is a right of being a mom. So we made cookies, gave some away to lighten the load and enjoyed the rest. If you're in the mood to bake and want something different, give these a try.

How to Tuck a Kid into Bed

Generally, I'm the one who takes care of getting the kids ready for bed. Even on days when the kids specifically ask for Daddy to tuck them in, I make an excuse to get him out of it. Something akin to "Dad has work to do so I get to tuck you in." I often view it as a chore because they want to play, be ornery or find an excuse to have me come back upstairs the second I get comfy on the couch – all of which gets extremely tiresome. So when DH offers to read to them and sing to them, I usually tell him "No, I'll take care of it."

Each night after brushing their teeth, we read two books together. As I tuck each of them in individually, they get to select one song, create a new one to sing or ask me to make up a new song. Lately though, they've been asking for "Daddy to sing a new song" to them. I finally talked him into filling me in on why his "new songs" are so much better than mine because I obviously need some tips. He explained that every time he tucks them in, he sings the same song to them but switches it up a little to personalize it and make it a little different. It was sweet and the girls obviously love it.

Tonight while he was tucking them in, there was so much giggling I could hear it all the way downstairs. I realized that when I tuck them in, it's all business. Stick to the routine. I chat with each of the girls for a short while before singing to them. Sometimes about events to come, other times about the day we just finished. But we don't really get to the level of giggling I heard from them tonight. Ever.

This is a good reminder that it's not a chore - it's a benefit of being a parent. And the best way to tuck a kid into bed is Daddy's way… ending the day on a happy note… laughing.