Queen Mother Blog

Friday, January 22 I had the privilege of attending a press event at The Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia.   The Please Touch Museum was unveiling the new traveling exhibit "Exploring Trees Inside and Out".  This interactive exhibit, sponsored by Doubletree Hotels & the Arbor Day Foundation, encourages visitors to explore trees, well, from the inside and out!


There were various activity stations which appeal to a variety of ages and learning styles:

• The "become a forest creature" area lets kids don costumes of birds, squirrels, butterflies, etc. in front of a green screen which projects them onto different backgrounds.  This was a big hit with the kiddos because who doesn't want to see themselves on tv?
• A giant acorn where you can help a seed grow (Rayna loved hiding in the acorn, it was like a private little house for someone her size)
• A station for smelling & guessing various tree-related scents and another for hearing & guessing tree-related sounds
• The coloring station--sit on mini acorn-shaped chairs and draw a picture of a tree (of course the simplest thing would be Rayna's favorite, right?)
• A little spot perfect for toddlers to make a "nest" out of soft twigs
• And of course a tunnel and slide area to let out some steam

This exhibit was designed for ages 2-10 & gives kids a multi-sensory way to learn more about the great outdoors.  It gave us a little taste of both spring and fall smack in the dead of winter.  Exploring Trees Inside and Out will be at the Please Touch Museum until May 2, 2010 & is included in the price of regular admission.


On an extra note, this was our first trip to the Please Touch Museum. I have always wanted to go, but I'm not a fan of driving into the city in general, especially with Rayna in tow. Sarah from Chester County Moms had mentioned this event & nothing motivates me like trying something for free. :)

We were able to check out the whole museum while we were there and Rayna had a blast. She is just about two years old, so she was thrilled with every little thing at Please Touch. It was larger than I imagined, with lots of areas to explore, such as a train station, an Alice in Wonderland area and the big hit, the ShopRite Supermarket.  It didn't take long for Rayna to "lose it" however, and we had to leave sooner than I would have liked, so I definitely want to go back soon.  In addition to all the different areas, there is also a carousel (which is not included in admission) & I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the Please Taste cafe, which had reasonably priced lunch items & lots of healthy options.

To learn more about the Please Touch Musuem, click here to visit their website. For more information about Exploring Trees Inside and Out, click here.

Disclosure:  I was granted free admission to the museum as part of the preview for this exhibit.  I was also given free parking and carousel tickets while I was there.  I was not under any obligation to write this post.  All opinions are mine. 

My dog Buddie Love eats better than I do.  I say this because he eats Merrick brand Turducken dog food, which is an organic, American-made dog food (I wish I ate all organic).  It is quite pricey, but after the death of my first and super beloved Dalmatian, Freddie, I made the vow that I would feed my next dog the best food that I could.

We've had Buddie for almost 4 years and this was before all of those scary pet-food recall issues.  When they went on, I did have peace of mind knowing that his food is from a reputable (and Christian, family-based) company.  Oh and did I mention that the food is pricey? lol... That is one issue that gets me time and again when I pay just about $50 for a 30 lb. bag.

If you live in my general area & have a pet, you should check out Cutter's Mill.  There are stores in Princeton & Cherry Hill, as well as Chalfont & Paoli, PA.  It's a great place to find natural and organic pet products and here's my favorite part: they love to send out coupons.  Sign up in the store or online and you'll get coupons both mailed and emailed to you, some for as much as 25-30% off one item.

They've been sending me coupons for a while now, but I don't always go to the store because the one near me is not exactly the most convenient location for us.  But a couple days ago I went into the store with my mom and I asked the question I never asked before: "are the 'one item' coupons good on food?"  The sales person told me that they are valid on any regular price item, and food is rarely on sale, so yes.

Epiphany!  Armed with my 30% off coupon, Buddie's 30 lb. bag of Turducken was only $35.  I just got another email from Cutter's Mill with a 25% off one item coupon, and I don't have to tell you that these are big savings!

If you also tend to spend a lot of money on your furry friends, I hope this tip helps you out!


Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I was not compensated in any way for this review. All opinions are my own.

I know that I've mentioned Ebates before in the past, but I just thought I'd point it out to any new readers.

If you are going to make *any* online purchases, I highly recommend going through Ebates.  You will get a % of your purchase back in cash (a check is mailed every few months).  This is like free money!  The best part is you can still use your coupon codes.  Just scope out a coupon code you want to use (or if you don't have any, Ebates will suggest some), sign up or login to your Ebates account, click the link to the store you want to shop in and then proceed as usual!  Ebates will give you credit for the purchase just by clicking through their link.

If you click here and sign up, we both get $5 (thanks!) & last year when I signed up Ebates also sent me a bonus $5 gift card to Target out of nowhere in the regular mail as a thank you for signing up.  I don't know if they still do that, but I was just so amazed how easy & rewarding it has been for me to use Ebates.

Also, don't forget to check out Retail Me Not for any coupon codes that might help you in your online shopping!

At the very end of my pregnancy with Rayna, I went to the ob-gyn to get the usual non-stress tests and the like. Before the tech got started with me, she asked if I had used any cocoa butter on my belly that day. I told her that I hadn’t, and she said that was good because caffeine from the cocoa butter could enter my bloodstream and give the baby an erratic heartbeat, thus causing mixed test results. I went home and tried researching this and I didn’t find anything to indicate that it was true, but it did get me thinking.

When I was pregnant I went through great lengths to stay away from paint fumes, lunch meat (the hardest for me, since I craved Italian hoagies every day, lol), possibly unpasteurized cheeses, etc, but I never really gave too much thought to what items I was slathering on my body multiple times a day. Belli Skincare is the #1 recommended pregnancy skincare brand by OB-GYNS and is the only skin care line in the world that is teratology screened. That means that every product and ingredient is safe, even for pregnant mommies. I wish I had heard of Belli when I was pregnant, because I definitely would have confidently used their products (and possibly even saved myself a few stretch marks in the process).

Well when Belli Skincare asked if I would review their products I was pretty excited. You know all about my frugality and I have to say that I don’t buy cool stuff for me very often. They hooked me up with some awesome products and I’m going to go over a few of my favorites here. They also are so generous to give a special discount to my readers and one lucky reader will win a Motherhood Essentials Kit (valued at $38.99)! Keep reading to get all the details.

The Motherhood Essentials Kit contains:

-Pure Comfort Nursing Cream- Now, I am not currently nursing, but I do have SUPER dry skin, so I used this thick lanolin balm to moisturize really dry spots (like elbows and knees).
-Eye Brightening Cream- This one really was awesome. It revives puffy and tired eyes and must contain some type of light-reflecting property, because instantly my dark circles looked much improved. Not that I'm traveling anywhere these days, but I think this would be great to perk your face up after those long, dry flights.
-Body Firming Serum- I don’t know if there is a product under the sun that could firm my stretch-marked stomach. My husband was VERY concerned that I was going to post before and after pictures…seriously! What could he really have been thinking?! Anyway, I have tried all of the stuff I could think to try, like Bio-oil, PreferOn, etc. and nothing has helped. I can honestly say that I have seen some improvement in my saggy belly skin since using this product. Now according to the Belli website, you can use this product all over as “a multi-vitamin for your skin”, but so far I have exclusively used it on my stomach. You won’t see any after pictures, but you can take my word for it.
-Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer- Pretty straight-forward. Moms are constantly sanitizing their hands and those Purell-types leave skin pretty dry. This hand sanitizer actually leaves them softer than they were before. The size that comes in this kit is perfect for the diaper bag.

I got to try a few other products, including the Belli Baby Bundle of Joy Gift Set which left Rayna soft and smelling faintly like honey. Yummy! ;) But my favorite product was the Skin Smoothing Body Exfoliator. Honestly, this was the first thing I tried because I love anything that smells minty. I used this exfoliator before I applied the Body Firming Serum, so that everything would absorb the way it should. I like that the consistency of the “scrubbers” is like a fine sand (instead of those ones that feel like broken shells, you know which ones I mean!) and doesn’t hurt or irritate you in the process. So combine the refreshingly minty smell and that it gently sloughs away dead skin cells and you have my new favorite scrub.

I think that Belli Skincare really fits the need for products that you can feel good about using and giving to others, knowing that they are both safe and effective. But I’m sure you’ve heard enough of my thoughts on them and are ready to try some out yourself or give to a loved one. Check out the Belli Skincare website here and shop around. When you place an order, you will receive a 20% discount for being a reader of mine. Just enter the code OTHERHOOD at checkout.

PS- The folks from Belli found my blog through my friends at Otherhood, a social event company for moms in South Jersey. -- If you are in this area and are looking to get out of the house (with and without your little one!) check out their website here for their awesome events. I have been to a few of them and they’re fun and worthwhile. You can also check out (and subscribe/follow) their blog.

Also ready to enter the giveaway? To enter: Visit Belli Skincare and then come back here and post a comment telling me which product you’d most like to try. Be sure to include your email address so I can get a hold of you if you win! If you are worried about spammers, type your email address something like this: queenmotherblog(at)gmail{dot}com and you're good! This giveaway is open to residents of the US only.


**Want up to FOUR extra entries?**
1. Add my button to your site! Look over to my right sidebar where it says "Grab this button!" and copy and paste the code somewhere on your site. Then come back and leave me the link to your page in a comment.
2. You can post about this giveaway on your blog and then leave the link to your post in a comment. Though I would love a fancy write-up, a quick link on one of your posts will do!
3. Subscribe to my feed and post a comment letting me know.
4. Follow my blog and post a separate comment letting me know.

Just be sure to post separate comments for each additional entry, as I will be using a random number generator to choose the winners from all of the comments.

I will be accepting entries until 5 PM EST on April 17, 2009. The winners will be notified by email and also a post here on the site. Enjoy, and good luck!!

Have you heard of Yoplait Yo-Plus yogurt? This isn't just any low-fat yogurt: Yo-Plus contains probiotics (which aid your digestive health), vitamins A&D and fiber. Well, Yoplait has just introduced a new flavor of their Yo-Plus yogurt--Blueberry Acai--and they let little 'ol me be one of the first to try it! We all know that blueberries are a super-food (one that I almost never eat, shame on me!) and recently I have been hearing so much about the antioxidant properties of Acai. This new flavor combines both of these healthy berries into one creamy yogurt.

So what'd I think? I was honestly surprised that I really liked this yogurt! Blueberry is not my favorite flavor and I didn't know what Acai would taste like. To me, this new Yo-Plus tasted like a mixed-berry flavor, was creamy and delicious. We've all tried both those runny yogurts and those thick, custard-y ones and I think the consistency of Yo-Plus Blueberry Acai was perfect. It was smooth, but also had little pieces of blueberry mixed in. And, it doesn't have any artificial sweeteners, which I really don't like in my yogurt!

Since I am on a never-ending quest to eat better and keep my weight on track, I especially like that each serving has only 110 calories and 1.5 grams of fat. This is way more nutritious (and filling) than a 100 calorie pack!

Ready to taste it for yourself? Yo-Plus has offered a $1.50 off one printable coupon available here so you can try Blueberry Acai right away. My Acme has these for $2.50 this week, use the coupon and that's only $0.25 a serving to try it out! If you want more information on Yo-Plus and your digestive health, you can visit their website here.

Now are you ready to win an awesome prize?! I am giving away a Yo-Plus gift bag to three lucky winners! The Yo-Plus gift bag includes a coupon for a free 4-pack of Yo-Plus yogurt, a Yoplait cooler tote bag, a BPA-free water bottle and a little nutrition journal – great for keeping with you and journaling what you eat! The cooler tote bag is huge and I can't wait to use mine to carry healthy lunches and snacks to the beach this summer! :)

To enter: Post a comment telling me one thing you are doing this year to maintain a healthy diet. Be sure to include your email address so I can get a hold of you if you win! If you are worried about spammers, type your email address something like this: queenmotherblog(at)gmail{dot}com and you're good! This giveaway is open to residents of the US only.

**Want up to FOUR extra entries?**
1. Add my button to your site! Look over to my right sidebar where it says "Grab this button!" and copy and paste the code somewhere on your site. Then come back and leave me the link to your page in a comment.
2. You can post about my giveaway on your blog and then leave the link to your post in a comment. Though I would love a fancy write-up, a quick link on one of your posts will do!
3. Subscribe to my feed and post a comment letting me know.
4. Follow my blog and post a separate comment letting me know.

Just be sure to post separate comments for each additional entry, as I will be using a random number generator to choose the winners from all of the comments.

I will be accepting entries until 5 PM EST on February 19th, 2009. The winners will be notified by email and also a post here on the site. Enjoy, and good luck!!

For years I have heard people talk about Aldi, but I have never ventured into one. Recently, I found out that my friends Dylan & Stephanie really love Aldi. The fact that someone I know personally shopped there made me feel a little more open to trying it. After Dylan's whole-hearted endorsement, I finally went yesterday in the name of 'blog research'.

What is Aldi?
It is a discount grocery store that carries almost entirely generic products. They don't just take the 'no frills' attitude with the products, they are sparse with their features (no bakery, no deli, etc.) & even require you to put a quarter in the cart & bring your own bags. If no one told you to bring your own bags, ahem, you can buy them for a few cents each. I remember that paper bags were 6 cents each, because I thought I was buying three, but my cashier never charged for them. Oops!

Are the prices really that good?
Yes. The prices are very low! They aren't as low as combining a really good store sale with coupons, but they were very good everyday prices. For example, I always buy Berkeley & Jensen diapers (Bj's brand) that are 17 cents a diaper. That is my "cornerstone price" that I compare other deals and sales to. If a diaper sale doesn't work out to be cheaper than 17 cents a diaper, I don't bother, because I know that the everyday price at Bj's will beat the so-called deal. Here at Aldi's, their store brand diaper worked out to be 15 cents a diaper! There were a lot of other good prices for random things, like full-size frozen pepperoni pizzas for $2.49.

Am I going to give up Acme for Aldi?
Not at all. I think that I'll be sure to shop Aldi once and a while (especially for parties, there were tons of affordable chips, dips, cookies, frozen appetizers, etc. that beat what I could buy at Acme or Bj's any day--also staple items were very good prices), but I can usually do pretty well for my weekly trip going to Acme using my deals and coupons. For example, right now at Acme, boxes of Quaker instant oatmeal are on sale for $2.50 and I have a bunch of $1 off coupons. The price would be $1.50 for a box of Quaker oatmeal, and Aldi had their brand at $1.50 regular price. Now, you're saying, that's contradictory, why bother with the coupons in the first place? Well I get a lot of other great deals at Acme & I just can't stop shopping there for other stuff I regularly buy. While I was at Aldi I searched high and low for natural applesauce for the baby, and I couldn't find one variety that didn't contain high fructose corn syrup. I also only buy organic milk, it is just one of my preferences and even though Aldi's milk was awesomely cheap ($2.49 a gallon), I just couldn't buy it.

This is what I bought (and don't mind that it is super random) and the prices:
Diapers 40 pack - $5.99
3 frozen pizzas - $2.49 ea.
1 lb. frozen tilapia filets - $3.69
3 lbs. sweet potatoes - $1.29
2.5 lbs. bananas - $1.20
lunchmeat variety pack - $1.99
bacon - $2.29 (they actually had a ridiculous selection of bacon varieties, this one was a middle of the road choice)
1 lb. ground turkey - $2.49
instant oatmeal (to compare with Quaker, lol) - $1.49
stuffing mix - $0.79
2 cans mushrooms - $0.49 each
swiss cake rolls - $0.99
So just about $30 for all of that stuff.

Hopefully my review helped de-mystify the store for you if you never shopped there before. Aldi doesn't really deserve it's reputation as a "poor people's store" as the quality seems good and you could really do quite a bit of your regular shopping here and still not buy all processed foods. As a matter of fact, there is another blogger out there who calls herself The Aldi Queen, and she has a whole website devoted to menu plans using only ingredients found at Aldi's and her recipes look really good!