The What-did-they-do-before-breast-pumps? Evenflo Giveaway

***UPDATE 5-9-09***
Winner of the Evenflo Comfort Select breast pump and nursing pads is....Rusti!
Congratulations and thanks everyone for entering!
****************

This is not a ‘product review’ as I am not currently breast-feeding and I have not actually tried this product. I do, however, know a little something about breast pumps.

What I know about breast pumps.

I pumped a lot.
I pumped 4 times a day for 45 minutes at a time.
I pumped in front of people. Men even.
I pumped driving up the New Jersey Turnpike racing to get to my father before he died.
I believe I remember pumping IN the hospital as I waited to give him my last goodbyes but those memories are fuzzy and all I know is that I was in that hospital all day and so I would have HAD to pump at some point.
I then pumped before and after my father’s funeral.

You see, my twins did not take to breastfeeding. Oh, I tried. I tried, then I cried. I tried, I cried again, I went to a lactation consultant. The lactation consultant was very nice. She told me at least one of the girls had a strange sucking thing that meant she could latch on all day and NOT get and ounce of breast milk. She told me I could work at teaching the babies how to suck correctly, but as I mentioned before, my father died. I had a lot going on.

I remembered thinking, “What would I have done if I didn’t have a breast pump? Would my twins have just perished?” So pumping is one reason I did not go completely insane those early days, because while I was an emotional mess, at least I knew they were getting breast milk.

Evenflo Comfort Select Performance Breast Pump

The Evenflo brand was definitely one that I trusted. Infact, I think I JUST tossed out the leftover Evenflo nursing pads that prevented many a wet spot for me. The Evenflo Comfort Select pump really seems to be made for moms who are on-the-go. The carrying case is much smaller than the one I had, and it has dual motors. That might have cut down on my pumping time! I like that all components are made without BPA and contain less than 0.01% phthalates. But what really caught my eye is the base – you know, the part that holds the bottle...so when you are done pumping what little breast milk you can get after 45 minutes it won’t tip over and spill all over the place!

For more information on the Evenflo Comfort Select pumps visit www.Evenflo.com and check out www.MomCentral.com as well where you can read breast feeding tips and enter to win your own Evenflo breast pump.

Enter to win an Evenflo pump for yourself or win one as a gift!

Thanks to Mom Central I have one Evenflo Comfort Select Performance breast pump AND two boxes of Evenflo Comfort Select nursing pads (one with Lanolin) to giveaway to one lucky reader!

Here’s how to enter: Leave a comment telling me who the pump is for and either why they(you) need it OR your funniest breastfeeding / pumping story! Winner will be chosen by random drawing.

Extra entries (the more chances you have of winning) – be sure to leave a separate comment for each!

• Tweet this giveaway (include link): " Win an Evenflo Comfort Select breast pump --> http://tinyurl.com/dm9vee "
  
• Blog about this giveaway and link back (I need link for this too)
• Subscribe to this blog (need your email to verify)

Contest ends Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 11:59pm
Good luck and I'm looking forward to some funny stories,
Janine

Mister reviews Ragu Old World Style Sauce

Normally Mister does not contribute to my blogs. Occasionally he'll leave a comment or two. A number of times he's helped me figure out html code. Usually I'm throwing him under the bus in one of my posts.

But this time I was running out somewhere being fabulous and all, and he was in charge of making dinner.

I had thawed out some previously made penne with ricotta but it was lacking in the sauce department.
So the mister grabbed a bottle of Ragu Old World Style sauce I had just received from Mom Central and unknowingly became part of the Twofer review team.

Here's how it went:

Me calling to check in from my land of fabulous to see how the kids are doing, "Hi! How'd it go?" (I'm rather verbose)

Mister, "That pasta stuff was awesome!"

Me, "Really? Because it was frozen and I didn't know how it would taste."

Mister, "I used that Ragu sauce...that stuff was great! You should get that more often."

Me annoyed by his sexism, "YOU should go to the store and get that more often."

Mister, "{sigh} Whatever. That Ragu sauce is good and the girls ate it up."

Me, "Well........good. I love you."

Mister, "mmm, hmmmm" which means 'I love you back'.

So you see, Ragu Old World Style sauce not only tastes good, it can help you communicate with your spouse.

Eating the leftovers,
Janine

Interesting Study: Healthy Choice meal + walking lowers cholesterol & weight

Earlier this week I got to sit in on a call with Dr. James Rippe who will be releasing results of a study he did with 130 participants who all had at lease one major risk factor for heart disease.

The Rippe / Healthy Choice Study

In this study one group of participants were required to eat one Healthy Choice frozen, prepared meal a day plus participate in a walking program.

The other group only did the walking program.

The result was the Healthy Choice group lowered their cholesterol by an average of 12 points. They lost an average of 18 lbs and all of that weight was body fat. More importantly, according to Dr. Rippe, the participants did NOT have a decrease in dietary quality which is often the case when people diet.

Why Healthy Choice for this study?

Apparently Healthy Choice is the ONLY brand of froze, prepared meals that fit the criteria 'healthy' in terms of calories, fat, sodium, etc. as determined by the FDA.

In addition, Healthy Choice has developed a new line of All Natural Entrées that are filled with protein, whole grains, fiber and antioxidants to help promote heart and digestive health...without preservatives, artificial flavors or colors.

I have yet to try these frozen entrees but the study findings were interesting enough for me to check out Healthy Choice on my next visit to the grocery store. If any of you follow me on twitter (@twincident) you'll know I've been trying to watch what I eat including less carbs, sugar and sodium (using hashtag #dietingsucks) so this may be just what I need! (Thanks Mom Central for letting me know about this!)

For more information on the study visit: http://www.rippehealth.com/index.html

For a list of Healthy Choice All Natural Entrees including vegetarian choices like Mediterranean Pasta,or Pumpkin Squash Ravioli visit HealthyChoice.com.

Janine

X-14 Mold & Mildew Sounds Powerful (and is)

I was one of those people that hired a cleaning lady as soon as I could afford one. Working full time I valued my Saturdays and Sundays and could not stand losing one to a day of cleaning...especially bathrooms.

Me versus the Bathroom versus X-14

Well last year we were looking at ways to cut back and I decided to TRY cleaning my house myself (with some help from the Twofer and Mister). So I hugged my beloved Martiza and told her this is not "goodbye"! This is "see you later"! And then I went to the store and loaded up on cleaning supplies that would make this new job of mine easier.

Supplies I bought just to clean the shower:
tile cleaner, bleach for the tub ring, gloves, and various scrubbers for the tub and tiles.

X-14 Eliminates Mold, Mildew, and the Bucket

Had I known then what I know now...Mom Central just introduced me to X-14 Mold & Mildew cleaner which virtually replaces my bucket-o-goodies with one neatly packaged blue bottle. Not only does "X-14" sound like some top-secret, powerful agent, it really is! A powerful cleaning agent that is. {feel free to chuckle now at my lame joke} X-14 Mold & Mildew Stain Remover doesn't require scrubbing so off come the gloves and the brushes, and it cleans the ring in the tub AND the tile and grout. That leaves me with just this....

Much easier to carry from bathroom to bathroom

Other Cool Facts About X-14 Mold & Mildew Stain Remover

• proven to keep mildew stains from returning for up to 2 weeks
• can be used on hard, non-porous surfaces in the home, RV or boat!
• can clean vinyl surfaces like showers, vinyl bath mats, shower curtains,
• great for plastic garbage cans
• excellent as a deck wash (unpainted wood surfaces)
• great for preparing surfaces for painting

I'm curious, how many products do you currently use to clean your tub and shower?
Janine

Win an Electrolux eco-friendly washer & dryer that's really "Kelly Green"!

Kelly Ripa and Electrolux have a new way to bring the outdoors in:
Green your laundry room with the new limited edition "Kelly Green" front load washer and dryer from Electrolux!

Great for spring, and even better for the environment, Electrolux washers are up to 83% more energy-efficient and use 56% less water. This comes just in time for Earth day when Electrolux is kicking off its virtual flower garden campaign to drive awareness and raise funds for Global Green USA.

Starting today, when you go to electroluxappliances.com and plant a virtual flower for a friend, Electrolux will donate $1 to Global Green USA to support their healthy green schools initiatives across America. Everyone who logs on to the site and plants a virtual flower will be automatically entered for a chance to win a new eco-friendly Kelly Green front-load washer and dryer!

In addition, Mom Central will be giving away one Kelly Green washer and dryer set to a member of their community!
Simply go to www.momcentral.com and leave a comment with:
1) the flower you planted on the Electrolux site and
2) your own "laundry tips" for saving time and energy.

Mom Central will pick one lucky winner in a random drawing from all entries received!* (Mom Central giveaway ends April 27, 2009)
* small print tax stuff that you can read at Mom Central but trust me...still a good deal :).

Good luck! I'm off to plant my flower now!
Janine