This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

Our go-to breakfast when we’re in a hurry – dry cereal and fruit! It seems, despite my best laid plans, we have at least one of those mornings each week. A morning where someone doesn’t get up on time, or someone dillies, while another dallies… or we can find shoes, or socks don’t feel right… or mom loses general track of time.

On those mornings, I am thankful for fruit… and for cereal we can pour into a container or baggie and eat on our drive to school. Combine that with a travel cup of milk, and I know I can wave my kids into the school building knowing they’ll be set until snack time.

Phew.

How about you? What’s your go-to breakfast when you are in a hurry at home? Please share your story in the comments! If you do, you will be entered for a chance to win a $100 Visa giftcard! This contest runs 8/31- 9/07/2010. There are 24 other chances to win! Please visit the round-up page to find out how —> BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page

Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• BlogHer.com Smuckers roundup page. You can find the official rules here.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

You can check out their official site here!

********

Keep up on the ridiculous, the insightful, the always digressive…

Get Jenny On The Spot by RSS or EMAIL or newsletter!

Follow JOTS on Twitter, join the Facebook Fan Page and/or Networked Blogs!

I have never been SO excited to finish school supply shopping! Why? Because of Mabel’s Labels and the fact that it was going to as easy as “peel & stick” to label the my kids’ school supplies!

I received an Ultimate Back-to-School Combo pack for each of my 3 children… Each set includes dishwasher-safe labels for small school supplies, waterproof & extra sticky labels for shoes, laundry-safe labels for clothing, and couple metal tags for backpacks and such.

Each child’s label set is distinctly different from the other… so even my youngest (who cannot quite read), knows HERS is pink!

And was it fun to get the kids’ stuffs all organized!!! From backpacks…

To binders, pencil pouches, rulers, scissors…

Highlighters to cups…

Even the shoes!

Watch out winter coats. No more Lost and Found for you! We have Mabel’s Labels! *gives stink eye*

Here’s the deal, friends. Mabel’s Labels is only offering this Ultimate Back-to-School Combo until September 25th. I. Know. The classic line (solids) is valued at $39. The design-ier kind (Label Out Loud) is valued at $44.

I’m kinda thinkin’ you might like a your own combo pack. I see that lust for organization in your eyes! Well, the lovely people at Mabel’s Labels is giving away one of these not-around-forever Ultimate Back-to-School Combos! Here! Just leave a comment about why you think getting organized for back to school is important… or ooze about how cute Mabel’s Lables are

I. Know!!!

Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to Residents in Canada and the US.
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• This contest runs from 8/25 to 9/1/2010.

You can visit Mabel’s Labels site here. You can “like” them on Facebook here. And… follow them on Twitter – @mabelhood! I have got me some Mabel fever, and have been plotting the conquest of my pantry… Yes – THE PANTRY!!! I feel all warm inside…

I received labels for my kids’ school stuffs as part of this review/giveaway. The opinions and excitement expressed here are my own.

********

Keep up on the ridiculous, the insightful, the always digressive…

Get Jenny On The Spot by RSS or EMAIL or newsletter!

Follow JOTS on Twitter, join the Facebook Fan Page and/or Networked Blogs!

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

*We have a winner! Commenter #44! Congratualtions to Deanna!*

Our family is big on cereal. But what is our favorite cereal?

I can’t answer that. Well, I can’t come up with just ONE cereal!

As different as our fingerprints, so are our tastes — and as seasons change, so do our preferences. With a family of 5, it would be challenging if there few cereal choices for my family.

Despite our diverese preferences, there are certain cereals that seem to rise to the top. The ones I try to keep in the pantry. Such as:

• We love our Frosted Mini Wheats. It is probably one of my favorites because it travels well… a great option for those “got-up-too-late” mornings.
• On a particularly happy and silly morning, we may dive into the Rice Krispies for the snap, crackle and pop!
• Of course there is the Special K Red Berries… I just have to keep the littlest from stealing all the berries!
• And a recent new-found love in our home is the timeless Frosted Flakes.

With the exception of the Special K Red Berries, all of these cereals were ones I shared with my family when I was a kid. I remember giggling with my sister over the *snap, crackle and pop* sounds of my Rice Krispies… I remember the excitement when I’d see Tony the Tiger in our cabinet… and the memory of soaking the frosted side of my mini wheats to *just right* before I’d take a bite

How about you? What are your family’s favorite Kellogg’s breakfast cereals or, do YOU have a favorite Kellogg’s cereal from when you were growing up that you and your family now enjoy together? Please share it in the comments! If you do, you will be entered for a chance to win a $100 Visa giftcard! This contest runs 8/24- 8/31/2010. There are 24 other chances to win! Please visit the round-up page to find out how —> BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page

Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• BlogHer.com Smuckers roundup page. You can find the official rules here.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

You can check out their official site here!

********

Keep up on the ridiculous, the insightful, the always digressive…

Get Jenny On The Spot by RSS or EMAIL or newsletter!

Follow JOTS on Twitter, join the Facebook Fan Page and/or Networked Blogs!

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

In the early years of my parenting journey, I was anti-gun. AN-to-the-TI. No squirt guns, no Nerf guns, no stick guns, no finger guns, no, no, no, no, NO… Then one day my, I gave my 2.5 year old son a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

A PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH.

Soft, whole grain bread. Sweet jelly… Innocent of the innocents.

I turned to clean the counter… then I heard little boy shooting sounds, “pewpewpewpewpew”… I turned. He said, “Look, Mama! A gun!!!”

I threw up my hands. Literally.

That was the day I gave up. My son is 11 now. And he is good boy. No, a GREAT boy. One of the most compassionate, caring and well-mannered boys to walk this earth. But he is a BOY. He is no longer making peanut butter and jelly sandwich guns. No, he saves his allowance and birthday money to make sure he has a well-stocked, and well-ordered Nerf gun arsenal.

He is well-prepared. Well-ordered… and clearly — a Nerf-force to be reckoned with!

Just think… it all started with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I am SO glad I gave in. Could you imagine an arsenal of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? That’d be a MESS!

Your turn! Share a funny story (ANY story!), video clip, picture, etc… in the comment section and you will be entered to win $150! Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry. There are 11 other chances to win $150 each month & the chance to win $100 each week from the Daily Laugh Hub on BlogHer! If you share something really funny, we may even use it in The Daily Laugh! Sweepstakes ends 9/12/2010.

Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• You can find the official rules here.

********

Keep up on the ridiculous, the insightful, the always digressive…

Get Jenny On The Spot by RSS or EMAIL or newsletter!

Follow JOTS on Twitter, join the Facebook Fan Page and/or Networked Blogs!

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

We have our winner! Commenter #66 – Cori! Congratulations Cori!

It seems the end of summer comes on suddenly, and every year I find myself standing with my arms out asking, “Where did the time go?”

Most summers,  we close with a long weekend camping trip with a dozen other families. But due to schedule conflicts, we don’t get to do that this year. *sad face*

With the realization that summer is coming to a close, we often try to cram in a few activities in the last weeks of our freedom… ranging from a baseball game, trips to the beach, a trip to the zoo, and this year we are going to shell out some cash to take the kids on a local tourist attraction – The Ducks of Seattle.

Truth is, times are tight, and our summer excursions have had to stay local… even going to the movies can get expensive, but not if you have friends with a projector – and a white garage door! This summer we have enjoyed “Drive-in on our drive way” night!

How about you? What are some fun summer activities that you plan with your kids as the summer comes to a close? Please share it in the comments! If you do, you will be entered for a chance to win a $100 Visa giftcard! This contest runs 8/17- 8/24/2010. There are 24 other chances to win! Please visit the round-up page to find out how —> BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page

Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• BlogHer.com Smuckers roundup page. You can find the official rules here.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

You can check out their official site here!

********

Keep up on the ridiculous, the insightful, the always digressive…

Get Jenny On The Spot by RSS or EMAIL or newsletter!

Follow JOTS on Twitter, join the Facebook Fan Page and/or Networked Blogs!

I had the delightful opportunity to go visit their new office in Seattle last week… they have only been in their new space a couple of months, and now they are celebrating their 14th birthday, AND launching their new video series — What’s Cooking?

Busy bees!

It was a fun afternoon filled with food (like, DUH!), and great company. I am not a foodie blogger, but I am a huge fan of food, have blogged about food, am a fan of meeting fellow bloggers, and loved the opportunity to cruise the Allrecipes new digs. Forget a RED carpet. This is allrecipes.com – they rolled out the ORANGE!

I met many people, but you know there are always a few you gravitate to — Kimberly of Peas On Moss (you can read Kimberly’s post about the event on The Examiner here – she took GREAT pictures & is way more of a professional than I am… she actually took notes on a NOTEBOOK!)… Deseree of Life’s Ambrosia, and Kristin of KristinPotPie. We mingled with many in the open dining area…

and the Twitter Lounge…

And I shamelessly ate cookies in the Twitter Lounge…

And also some popcorn… I could have totally O.D’d on the Coconut Macaroon Crack Popocorn. Have. Mercy. And I don’t eat macaroons, but this stuff… I swear it made me see double rainbows.

And salmon, and all kinds of goodness… and my pictures just don’t do it justice.

Of course there was the view…

And when I looked down (Westlake Center) I saw an elaborate chalk drawing being created 5 stories below…

I want to work here. *stomps foot*

I have used allrecipes.com often-often. It’s my go-to place when I have specific ingredients that fall short of a meal plan. I go there to help me fill in the gaps. So when an opportunity to go on a little field trip came up, I was glad my schedule permitted!

My takeaway from this little field trip is (besides how awesome the people at allrecipes are) – I think I want to write more about food. I was so inspired by the bloggers I met… and the video series tickled and nudged the vlogger in me. Perhaps I could call the series “Foodie Friday”, or “Food is Fabulous”, or “I Really Like to Eat, but Hate the Clean-up”. Yeah. I’ll have to work on that…

********

Keep up on the ridiculous, the insightful, the always digressive…

Get Jenny On The Spot by RSS or EMAIL or newsletter!

Follow JOTS on Twitter, join the Facebook Fan Page and/or Networked Blogs!

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

*Winner Update: Congratulations to commenter #41 – Stasha!

What is the breakfast routine in the Ingram home?

The best way for the kids to get breakfast is for them to get it themselves!

I’m kidding.

A little *wink*.

My kids are 11, 8 and 5.

We are finally in a season of life where *cue victory music here* the kids usually get their own breakfast. Hitherhencetofore… Cereal, yo. They like the independence, I dig their growing independence… They know what their breakfast choices are, and I make sure they have a couple choices in the pantry.

Let me defend myself, I am not MIA during breakfast, but if I am… it’s all good! The older two are happy (no, really) to pour milk over the cereal for the youngest… add a banana or a nectarine to the mix and voila! A simple breakfast that makes getting out the door on time easier. With this little “arrangement”, Mom can be switching out laundry, making lunches for school, showering (WOO-HOO!!!) or maybe even sleeping “just two more minutes”. The kids know what to do and where to go.

I am LOVING this stage of motherhood…

How about you? What is the breakfast routine in your home? Is there a particular food you and your offspring tunr to each morning? Please share it in the comments! If you do, you will be entered for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card! This contest runs 8/11- 8/16/2010. There are 24 other chances to win – definitely visit the round-up page to get in on THAT action!

Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• BlogHer.com Smuckers roundup page. You can find the official rules here.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

You can check out their official site here!

********

Keep up on the ridiculous, the insightful, the always digressive…

Get Jenny On The Spot by RSS or EMAIL or newsletter!

Follow JOTS on Twitter, join the Facebook Fan Page and/or Networked Blogs!

This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and Smuckers.

We have our winner! Comment #306 – Kimbly! Congratulations and thank you!

Lunch.

It happens everyday.

Every. Day.

*insert excitement here*

Can I be honest? The school-lunch-making process can be, shall we say… mundane. But when I put a pen to napkin… the food feeds the belly, but the words feed the heart. While the kids pack their fruit, snacks and drink — I make their sandwiches and often, a note…

Somewhere in my boxes of childhood memorabilia, are several notes… written on napkins and torn pieces of paper… from MY dad. I remember reading those short words of silliness and reminders of love from him… I remember how much those little surprises meant.

Now it’s my turn… to surprise my kiddos. With a little joke, a “you rock” or just a “Love you, Mom”… I am carrying on, well, a family tradition!

I was sorting through piles OF piles in my son’s room recently. Can you guess what I found? A couple of my lunch notes to him. I figured he’d toss ‘em. Nope. Looks like he’ll have a few notes from mom is his childhood box of memorabilia too.

Is there anything that you do, as part of a lunch time ritual, or to make lunchtime special in your family? If you do, share it here for a chance to win a $200 Visa gift card. But this isn;t only place to join in on the lunchtime conversation — 9 other bloggers giving away a $200 Visa gift card, and there is also a sweepstakes on the round-up page for a $400 Visa Gift Card! Follow this link to go to there! Contest runs from 8/5 to 8/25/2010.

Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• BlogHer.com Smuckers roundup page. You can find the official rules here.

Create a Kidvitation — Home can be a busy place with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. That’s why it’s important to set time aside to spend with your kids. Use Smuckers® Kidvitations to invite your kids to share a moment with you over a perfect PB&J. Check it out HERE! Also, I invite you to visit the Smuckers official page!

********

Keep up on the ridiculous, the insightful, the always digressive…

Get Jenny On The Spot by RSS or EMAIL or newsletter!

Follow JOTS on Twitter, join the Facebook Fan Page and/or Networked Blogs!

What is my proudest fitness achievement? That is a hard question to answer, but I do come up with an answer — click here to read my story about it, to read how others answered that question, and to find out how to enter for a chance to win a $1000 Visa gift card.

********

Keep up on the ridiculous, the insightful, the always digressive…

Get Jenny On The Spot by RSS or EMAIL or newsletter!

Follow JOTS on Twitter, join the Facebook Fan Page and/or Networked Blogs!

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

*We have a winner! Commenter #31! WillBinMN! Thank you everyone for participating!!!

At one point in my fitness journey I realized I needed to brave the weight room. *gasp* Something I read about “toning” and whathaveyou. But I hated the thought of the weight room — for many reasons:

• The weight room is a room of mirrors… not unlike what one might find at a local carnival or county fair.
• There are men with necks the size of big rig tires that frequent this mirrored, carnival-like space.
• There is heavy machinery in there… with cables and movable parts that could quite possibly smoosh a girl who may or may not struggle with balance issues.
• Grunting. The men (with necks the size of torsos of gradeschool children) often grunt – loudly. Not unlike a mother cow giving birth.
• To make matters worse, I even spied one or two of those grunters wearing a fanny pack. I think he was a trainer. Wrong, I know…

Mirrors? Big-necked grunters? Fanny packs?

But this is about MY embarrassing moment… not the moments of big-necked, fanny pack-wearin’, grunting-but-not-giving-birth men.

Before going in, I created some rules for myself:

• Keep my head down.
• Never, NEVER wear a fanny pack.
• Never, evereverever grunt. Ever.
• Measure my neck.

I had standards.

But then one day… It was early. Before 6 a.m. I sat upon a machine to work my deltoids… pectoids… adenoids? Some -oid or something…

I had recently read that if one did fewer reps with more weight that it did *something*. Like, build muscle in some sort-of way… Anywho… I loaded a machine that, when engaged, it looks like one is trying to clap ones forearms together. Hawt much?

But with that whole “heavier weight, less reps strategy”, during the release, it felt as if my shoulders might detach — from my shoulders (read: not good). So in an attempt to keep the machine from flying away with my arms, I had to fight… a fight in which cause a girl to…

grunt

*winces*

Lucky for me, there was a man standing at the machine next to me. Yeah. He was spraying it down with disinfectant after sweating all over it (My gosh, why do we go to gyms???). After my grunt was complete, he stopped. He turned, and with wide eyes that screamed concern… he asked,

Did I just squirt you?

I was all, “Dude. I totally just pwned that machine. That was the sound of victory and power. Woman over machine, not woman squirted by disinfectant!”

Reluctantly, and with my head half-down I replied, “No. NoNoNoNoNo. You didn’t squirt me. I. Uhhhh… Well… I just… I, uh… I emoted. I am not… I don’t… I just…”

Yay. It’s funny now. That morning I wanted to crawl in a hole.

Your turn! Share a funny story, video clip, picture, etc… in the comment section and you will be entered to win $150!  Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry.  There are 11 other chances to win $150 each month & the chance to win $100 each week from the Daily Laugh Hub on BlogHer! If you share something really funny, we may even use it in The Daily Laugh! Sweepstakes ends 8/15/2010

Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• You can find the official rules here.

********

Keep up on the ridiculous, the insightful, the always digressive…

Get Jenny On The Spot by RSS or EMAIL or newsletter!

Follow JOTS on Twitter, join the Facebook Fan Page and/or Networked Blogs!