Queen Mother Blog

My blog-friend (and Martha Stewart excursion roomie!) Kelly of The Censtible Life is celebrating her one year blog-iversary with a bunch of giveaways (including cash) totaling over $600!

Click here to go right to her giveaway post and starting entering!  Good luck!

...She's so much better than me, who forgot my blog-iversary ;o)

I don't get out to anywhere near as many blogger events as I'd like to & that's something that is on my list of blog-related goals for 2010 (among MANY other things, such as making the switch from Blogger to Wordpress--anyone have recommendations on this? I need someone who can take me there from soup to nuts as I am tech-stupid!)  That aside, I love to meet new people and make friendships and connections along the way.

Well, let me just tell you that the blogger events goal?  It is already in over-drive for me!

Recently, my "real life" friend Linda from TGF Mom passed on information about a special audience casting call for The Martha Stewart Show before I heard about it from anywhere else. The girl is a Martha Stewart show junky! ;o)  Martha is having a show all about blogging and wants real live bloggers in the audience with their iphones and netbooks!  I excitedly applied and was accepted to go.  Then I found out that half of the world (exaggeration) was going to this very same show & it has turned into an *overnight* NYC trip complete with a tweet-up the night before & a blog-buddies lunch the next day. Hooray!  Oh yeah, and seeing Martha Stewart up close and personal! :) I am sure we will be doing some type of live-blogging from the show, so look out for that on Thursday.

Then what's next on my plate?  Another awesome session of Mrs. G's VIB series.  Remember my Mrs. G's blogger event with Electrolux post?  If you don't, just click that link and read all about it (and tell all your friends...the more unique clicks the more entries I get for a new dishwasher! ;)  At the end of the month, the Mrs. G's Very Important Bloggers have the pleasure of meeting Dr. Joanna Dolgoff, author of "Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right" and a child nutrition expert.  I am slightly obsessed with nutrition these days, so I'm excited for this!

AND THEN (this is where I wonder if I have completely lost my mind, in a good way) I am going to the Blissdom Conference AND the Disney Social Media Moms Conference in February!  These are both amazing trips that I can't wait to tell you more about!  As usual lately, I'm super short on time, so I promise to share more details on these in another post very soon because I am so, so excited about them!

Remember when I became a Purex Insider?  Well now it is finally paying off for you :)

I was told to pass this link on to my readers so you can get a two sheet sample of Purex 3-in-1 Complete to try.  Be sure to ACT FAST as these samples will not last long and I'm sure you will love trying these out!

Click here to request yours.

I have lots of military friends and readers so I wanted to pass this on in case it applies to you and you didn't already know about it!  Anheuser-Busch is offering a free admission to one of their theme parks for members of the military and up to three direct dependents.

This applies to one visit at an Anheuser-Busch park (this includes SeaWorld Orlando, San Diego, or San Antonio; Busch Gardens Tampa Bay or Williamsburg; Sesame Place; Adventure Island or Water Country USA)

Click here to visit their website and register for your free visit!

Thanks to The Happy Housewife!

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 haven't figured out the WW points for my recipes this week, but everything is very WW-friendly.  If you have read this blog for a while, you might remember a little series I did on pantry/freezer organization.  I've been wanting to re-do that, as I have reached a place again where I have no idea what I have.  I haven't had the time to set aside to do this, but I do want to use up some cans that have been bouncing around for some time (salmon & chicken...I'm not a fan of either in canned form, but I want to just use them up).  So I just put this together really quick using a couple of "stand-by" favorites:

Monday- This recipe for WW Beef Goulash

Tuesday- Salmon casserole from Fix-it and Forget It Lightly cookbook (I found a linked up copy of this recipe on this page, it is near the bottom)

Wednesday- My stand-by Chicken & Orzo

Thursday- Homemade pizza

Friday- Another standy-by, Chicken Tortilla Soup

Saturday- Out!

Sunday- Leftovers

If you need a little inspiration, check out the other menu plans over at Orgjunkie.com!

I stopped in Toys R Us last night and found this deal, which I thought was definitely worth sharing! From 1/1-1/3 Earth's Best Chlorine Free Diapers are on sale for $5 a pack (Jumbo).  There is a limit of 3 per person.

Thought this was a great deal, but also a good way to try diapers that are a bit more sustainable ;o)