JOHNSON'S® Baby Bubble Bath & Wash Contest Information

Every day, more and more of us are watching our wallets, trying to stretch every dollar in order to properly care for our kids. With that in mind, JOHNSON'S® has created a new way for moms and dads to not only bond with their little ones, but also win $10,000.

Earlier this year the brand put out a new product called JOHNSON'S® Baby Bubble Bath & Wash - safe for both boys and girls. As part of the launch, JOHNSON'S® is reaching out to online savvy moms to enter a contest searching for the hosts of its YouTube Baby Channel.

Entering the contest is easy. Parents, with children under the age of six, just need to upload an under three-minute video that features tips to enhance a child's bath time experience. The grand prize winner will be awarded $10,000 to start a college fund, and the top 3 will have the opportunity to be selected as the new hosts of the JOHNSON'S® Baby YouTube channel. JOHNSON'S® execs and actress (and mom of three) Angie Harmon have the honor of selecting the finalists.

I encourage you to participate - for fun as well as a chance to win a nest egg college fund for your children. So you can grab your camcorder or look through your favorite family videos to enter now! Submissions end on April 16. For more rules and regulations - or to upload your video - go to www.youtube.com/baby.

Click here for valuable JOHNSON'S® coupons.

Your Child's Very Own Book!

Turn your kids' fantastic tales and drawings into a hardcover book for all to enjoy at tikatok.com! Older ones can write their stories, while imaginitive preschoolers can dictate their story to Mom or Dad. Makes a great gift for teachers, grandparents, and friends alike!

Spring Break Activities

There are lots of Spring activities going on this weekend and this coming week. Don't forget to check our community calendar for info on area events.

If you know of something going on in Chester County, that isn't on the calendar and would like to share it with your fellow Chesco Moms, please email sarah@chestercountymoms.com.

Pump It Up, in West Chester is hosting a Bunny Hop on April 9th. Below is a coupon for $1 off admission.

GMAC Job Fair - 4/7/09

Job Fair
Thursday, May 7, 2009
4:00pm - 8:00pm
1100 Virginia Drive Ft. Washington, PA

GMAC Bank currently has openings for:
-Bank Associate- responsible for opening and closing of accounts, account maintenance, opening mail. Retail Bank Teller experience required.

-Team Lead- 2-3 years of retail bank operations to manage Bank Associiates team that will process all incoming work. Assistant Branch Manager Experience preferred.

-Bank Supervisor- 5-7 years of retail bank operations experience to assist in managing day to day functions. Branch Management experience preferred.

-General Ledger Reconciliation Analyst- 4-5 years of Item Processing experience. Responsible for the reconciliation of the cash account against the items in the general ledger.

-Business Report Analyst- 3 years of retail banking experience or financial services. This individual will be responsible for analytics, reporting and delivery of data.

*You can forward your resume to staffing@gmacm.com and visit www.gmacfs.com for additional opportunities.

Awesome Craft Link

Craft Ideas for Kids

Tasty Tuesdays - Kids in the Kitchen

Tasty Tuesdays: Kids in the Kitchen - Edition 1

Well, we've been doing Tasty Tuesdays for a few weeks now and I hope that all the Chester County Moms have been enjoying them! It's always helpful to find new ideas of things to make in the kitchen!

Tasty Tuesdays is now going to be doing a "Kids in the Kitchen" segment once a month. So, in addition to everyday meal ideas, this monthly Tasty Tuesdays theme will showcase extra kid-friendly ideas! Kids in the Kitchen posts will be mainly geared towards recipes and other ideas about the month's holiday (if there happens to be one that month)! So, get the kids together & enjoy!

Here's a fabulously delicious recipe for Easter! These would be great treats to bring to your child's classroom Easter Parties...they're a great alternative to cupcakes!

Mini Easter Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

• 20 chocolate or vanilla wafer cookies
• 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups chopped SNICKERS® Bars
• 2 cups flaked coconut
• Green food coloring
• 2 cups M&M’S® Brand Speckled Chocolate Eggs
• Mini muffin tin
• Mini muffin paper liners

Directions:

• 1. Line muffin pan with paper muffin cups. Place one wafer cookie in the bottom of each cup, set aside.
• 2. Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and almond extracts until smooth. Slowly add eggs and sour cream, mix until creamy. Stir in chopped SNICKERS® Bars.
• 3. Spoon mixture into muffin cups and bake in a preheated 375ºF oven until set, about 25 minutes. Cool completely and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  To serve:
• 4. Combine coconut with a few drops of food coloring to desired shade of green. Arrange on top of cheesecakes to resemble a nest. Fill nests with M&M’S® Brand Speckled Chocolate Eggs. Serve at room temperature.

For this & other great recipes, visit Bright Ideas.

Happy Spring!

Do you have a fun kid-friendly Easter recipe or idea you'd like to share? Leave us a comment and tell us all about it!

Sane Fit Preggers - Give Away

SANE FITNESS Preggers was not invented by a fitness guru who preaches endless hours in the gym and a diet consisting of no sugar, no carbohydrates and basically…no fun! Instead SANE FITNESS Preggers was invented by a wife, mother and business woman for women just like her, who never seem to have enough hours in the day. Beverley Caen is the perfect example of an overextended working mother and wife who has found a way to make fitness and healthy eating a part of her everyday life; especially when pregnant. With a little help from prenatally certified fitness expert John Cruz, this Wall Street career woman and mother of three has developed an exercise program that is safe and easy to follow, for pregnant women that want to continue exercising throughout their pregnancy. Once you are given the ok by your own obstetrician to exercise, Preggers is a complete program that begins in your 2nd trimester-- the stage in your pregnancy when your body starts to really change.

SANE FITNESS -Preggers Deck is the perfect little gift for yourself, your pregnant sister, daughter or friend, SANE FITNESS Preggers offers expecting women a sane way to stay healthy and active during this very special and exhausting time. The Preggers Deck contains 24 weeks of full-body workouts that you can do at the gym or at home with minimal equipment. The card set is enough to get you through your entire pregnancy. The contents of the box include 72 cards, an instructional brochure and a ring with a stylish lanyard, for conveniently transporting the card set around town. The suggested retail price of the SANE FITNESS Preggers is $24.95 and is available for sale by calling 1-800-429-5001 or at http://www.sanefit.com/.

So with all of that said.... we are really excited to offer a SANE FITNESS - Preggers Deck to one lucky Chester County Mom. To enter to win this awesome giveaway, simply leave a comment along with your email or blog link. We are adding a fun little twist to this contest. Your friends and family can enter the contest for you. So increase your chance to win and email everyone you know and ask them to visit www.chestercountymoms.com and leave a comment along with your first name & email. The winner of this contest will be announced on April 3rd. The winner of this contest must be a Chester County resident and will be notified via email . The winner has 10 days to respond to the "You won" email and claim their prize. Good Luck!

Twitter 411...

Twitter is all over the news. So we thought we would try and explain what all the buzz is about.

Twitter is the fastest growing social network in the United States, and not just among social media strategists and techie types. Moms, baby boomers and even celebrities (Ellen - Holla!) are contributing to the growth in record numbers too. And, as Twitter grows, so does the wealth of applications and tools you can use to help you search and communicate on Twitter:

Knowing how many times someone tweets about a brand or topic has value, but knowing whether those tweets are positive or negative proves much more important. One of the more sophisticated Twitter search tools to come out in the past three months is Twendz. Twendz allows you to search for a keyword, whether a topic or a brand, and see the breakdown of sentiment. Learn more at Twendz.com.

Tweet Scan is a Twitter search engine that works in real-time. It provides a searchable index of all of the public messages on Twitter, so you can find conversations, people, and tweets relevant to you. The best part is that Tweet Scan lets you filter by keyword, author, and date and you can get the results via email. Learn more at TweetScan.com.

So.. still not sure if Twitter is for you? With Twitter, you can stay hyper–connected to your friends and always know what they’re doing. Or, you can stop following them any time. You can even set quiet times on Twitter so you’re not interrupted. Twitter puts you in control and becomes a modern antidote to information overload.



Follow Us on Twitter: ChescoMoms

What will you be doing tonight at 8:30pm? We're wondering what you have planned for Earth Hour 2009. If you'd like to share your plans with other moms in Chester County, please leave a comment or send us an email to sarah@chestercountymoms.com. Don't forget to include your first name and what town you live in. (Example - Sarah, West Chester)

Calling all bakers!

At the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest in 2008, Carolyn Gurtz walked away with the million-dollar grand prize for her Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies!

This wife, mother and grandmother with a passion for baking was introduced to cooking at age seven and she hasn't stopped since then. One contest judge stated that Carolyn's recipe was "a new twist on an old classic." Other judges called out its simplicity and approachability and described it as a delightful taste that combines two classic cookies - a snickerdoodle and a peanut butter cookie.

Anna Ginsberg, a stay-at-home mom who you might know from her blog, Cookie Madness, earned the $1 million prize for her Baked Chicken and Spinach Stuffing in the 42nd Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest. At the 2004 competition, the 41st Contest, former librarian wrote her own page in history by capturing the top prize with her Oats 'n Honey Granola Pie recipe. Inspired by pecan pie, Conrad adapted a family-favorite pie and caught the judges' attention with its wonderful flavor and simple preparation.

All it takes is one easy and delicious recipe idea, so it's time to get creative in the kitchen for a chance at a million! One hundred finalists will win a trip to the finals, April 11 - 13, 2010, at the Waldorf-Astoria Orlando and Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek hotel in Florida. Pillsbury is looking for original recipes that taste and look delicious, are easy to prepare and that families across America will love to eat. There are four recipe categories - Breakfast & Brunches, Entertaining Appetizers, Dinner Made Easy and Sweet Treats. Yum!

Entries are being accepted online between now and April 20th, 2009, at http://www.bakeoff.com/. You'll also find contest details, including eligible products, prizes and the official rules, at the web site.

Earth Hour 2009, Saturday, March 28th at 8:30PM

Celebrate Spring...and WIN!!! {Giveaway}

There's nothing like a shameless plug. But...the best part about this is that it includes a giveaway! And who doesn't like a giveaway, right?!

Well...it's officially Spring! It's a time of renewal and rejuvenation. And I can't think of a better way to celebrate that than with a giveaway!

So here's what's up for grabs...It's a 5 piece hair clip set called "Garden Party" from Lil Boo & Co. valued at $15.00!
Lil Boo & Co. is owned by a Chester County Mom

Click HERE for your chance to enter and win!!!

Sun & Earth Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to Erika and ahillestad, the winners of our Sun & Earth goodie bag giveaway! We hope you enjoy using all of the fantastic Sun & Earth cleaning products that are coming your way!

Mark your calendars for our Earth Day week of green giveaways! You won't want to miss it!

And the winner is...

Local middle school students participated in Chester County's 2009 Youth Essay Competition and we are happy to announce that, YingYing Shang, a student at Fugett Middle School is the winner of Chester County’s 2009 Youth Essay Competition. YingYing presented her essay, "Jeanne's Cigarette", on 3/5/09 at the Chester County Book & Music Company, along with 15 fellow finalists in support of National Kick Butts Day.

Congratulations, YingYing, on winning the essay competition and to all of the other kids that participated... you all Kick Butts!!!!

1st place: YingYing Shang, Fugett Middle School, "Jeanne's Cigarette"
2nd place (TIE): Hope Corry, Great Valley Middle School, "In Memory Of Mom" AND Devonne Moore, Phoenixville Area Middle School, "A Smokey Story"
3rd place: Emory Saia, Great Valley Middle School, "Guardian Angel"
4th place: Jack Halliday, Great Valley Middle School, "The Day My Life Changed"
5th place: Meaghan Young, Lionville Middle School, "Big Tobacco Shouldn't Be Big"

Caitlyn Burruss, Great Valley Middle School
Danielle Autieri, Saint Joseph School
Ellie Delany, Phoenixville Area Middle School
Hannah Weisman, Charles F. Patton Middle School
Justin Herget, Great Valley Middle School
Kenneth Ramondo, Great Valley Middle School
Olivia Warrington, Fred S. Engle Middle School
Paige Rodgers, Great Valley Middle School
Peggy Findeison, Saint Joseph School
Will Miller, Phoenixville Area Middle School

Chester County’s 2009 Youth Essay Competition - Winning Essay

Jeanne’s Cigarette

by

YingYing Shang

Fugett Middle School

Jeanne always smoked. Her house smelled perpetually like cigarettes. The short stick in her hand never seemed to disappear; that puff of smoke always surrounded her in a sort of cloudy haze.

Jeanne died last April, of a heart attack. Who exactly was she? My babysitter, my neighbor, but also, and most importantly, my friend. Portland, Maine is scenic, picturesque, but when that chill, New England breeze blows, it seems rather cold and deserted. Jeanne was the opposite – warm and friendly. When my parents looked for a babysitter, she volunteered. She had that Maine lilt to her talk and frequently lauded me as “brilliant” because I had skipped a grade. Her greetings were always curt, and she never placed much on formalities.

A glass of milk, an apple, a pear. Some sign that the immense world out there would accept me. Those were the things Jeanne provided. That unmovable faith in me. As a rather ostracized fourth grader without many friends, Jeanne gave me the reassurance that every kid needs. She had a large family, and quickly pulled me into it. For my ninth birthday, she baked a cake, and invited her granddaughter who was my age. Those little things that show qualities like kindness, compassion, concern.

Even when I moved to Pennsylvania, she was one of the few people that still kept in contact with me. She still sent presents every holiday, every birthday. I’ve moved so many places, and it was such a rarity to find someone who actually cared about me no matter where I was. Every Christmas, that big box that always came represented someone out there who genuinely cared.
A heart attack was what killed her. More specifically, smoking is what killed her. Even when talking to someone, even when holding a lengthy conversation, she never snuffed out the cigarette. Packs and packs of cigarettes over time had harmed her health, and that showed in her persistent cough. After a couple of months of staying at her house everyday after school, I picked it up too. Only in retrospect did I realize what I was doing: secondhand smoking. I had asthma and bronchitis for two years because of that. If that is what it did to me, three hours a day, for five days a week, then what did it do to her?

She wasn’t even that old – in her early sixties. If it hadn’t been for her nasty habit, who knows how many years it would have added to her life?

Jeanne was my friend. An old friend. A real friend. But when I close my eyes and envision her once more, here’s how I see her:

Sitting at her dining room table, with the shades pulled down halfway. Eyes half closed. On the table is a pack of cigarettes. In her hand is that short stick, with that wisp of smoke trailing off into the air.

Jeanne died last April. Smoking.

Sweet Princess Sing Alongs

Once upon a time there was a girl that loved to sing. She would sing for anyone, anywhere, and at any time! As a child she loved to sing beautiful songs from her favorite princess movies and entertain her family and friends. As she grew older her love for singing continued, as well as her love for princesses! She noticed that many children in her community shared her love of music and princesses and she decided to find a way to bring her two favorite things together. She began to entertain as a princess at children's parties through lovely SingAlongs to make others happy! This is how Sweet Princess SingAlongs came to be and all of the children who have experienced this sweet treat have lived happily ever after!

Give your child the royal treatment by hiring their favorite princess character for your next party! With a variety of packages available, you are sure to find something to suit your needs. This magical experience will bring your child's dreams to life and is the perfect way to make their birthday party the most memorable it can be!

Information including party packages, samples and testimonials can be found by clicking here.

Tasty Tuesdays

This week's Tasty Tuesdays is: Pasta!

Everyone loves pasta, right?! It's definitely the "go to" meal in our house. We love pasta. The best part about pasta dishes is that they are so versatile. It doesn't just have to be thin spaghetti noodles and red sauce...there's so many options! Here's one of my favorite pasta dishes...I discovered the recipe in Kraft Foods magazine a few years ago...it's so yummy!

Creamy Bow-Tie Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli

What you'll need:

3 cups (8 oz.) farfalle (bow-tie pasta), uncooked

4 cups broccoli florets

3 Tbsp. KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing

6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups tomato-basil spaghetti sauce

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese, cubed

1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

How to Make It:
COOK pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the cooking water for the last 3 min. of the pasta cooking time. Meanwhile, heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and garlic; cook 5 min. Turn chicken over; continue cooking 4 to 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through (170ºF).

DRAIN pasta mixture in colander; return to pan and set aside. Add spaghetti sauce and cream cheese to chicken in skillet; cook on medium-low heat 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is completely melted, mixture is well blended and chicken is coated with sauce, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm. Add sauce mixture to pasta mixture; mix well. Transfer to six serving bowls.

CUT chicken crosswise into thick slices; fan out chicken over pasta mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese.

For more pasta recipes and other great dishes, go to Kraft Foods. You can even access the Kraft Foods Magazine for free...click here to see what recipes were scrumptious enough to include in their quarterly publication!

Do you have a favorite pasta dish that you'd like to share? Leave a comment on this post with the link to your "go to" pasta dish!

Sun & Earth GIVEAWAY!!!

Last week, The Chester County Moms Blog was invited to the Sun & Earth offices in King of Prussia, PA to meet with their AWESOME team and get a very fun, kid-oriented tour of the plant where they manufacture all of their safe, natural, non-toxic cleaning products. Our kids even got to decorate their own bottles of Sun & Earth All Purpose Spray Cleaner and watch their bottles go down the filling line!

Sun & Earth is serious about the environment! After many years of watching advertisements claiming that petro-chemicals with mysterious names were the best way to clean house, Sun & Earth set out to prove that non-toxic cleaners can clean as well or better than more well-known national brands. They knew people wanted products made with non-toxic ingredients that didn't sacrifice performance. After extensive research, they developed cleaners that clean and shine beautifully and have an appealing fresh citrus scent. Their cleaning agents are from plant, fruit and vegetable oils that are non-toxic to your family and safe for the Earth.

Not only are their products environmentally friendly and safe for our families as well as incomparably effective, but Sun & Earth is a local company. By purchasing their fantastic range of products, you are getting all of the benefits of supporting a local business AND further helping the earth by not buying products that had to be shipped from great distances just to reach you. You can find Sun & Earth products locally at area Giant and Acme markets. You can also purchase Sun & Earth products directly from their website! Don't have Sun & Earth products in your local market??? Request it by name!

We'd love for you to give Sun & Earth products a try... we KNOW you won't be disappointed. In fact, we have an awesome Sun & Earth goodie bag to give away to 2 lucky Chester county Moms Blog readers! This bag is stuffed with full-size bottles of many of Sun & Earth's best selling products, including:

Sun & Earth All Purpose Spray Cleaner

Sun & Earth 2X Concentrated Laundry Detergent

Sun & Earth Ultra Fabric Softener

"New" Sun& Earth Xtra Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid

Sun & Earth Liquid Hand Soap

Sun & Earth Dishwasher Detergent Pacs

Sun & Earth On the Spot! Instant Stain Remover

And, all of this comes in a fantastic reusable, foldable Sun & Earth Bag!

**These giveaway bags are valued at over $45, folks! Don't miss out on a chance to win these fantastic cleaning products. All you need to do is leave us a comment in this post telling us your favorite Sun & Earth product. If you haven't tried them out yet, take a peek at their website, and tell us what product you'd most like to try first! Make sure your entry has your email address included, please!

This giveaway will close on Tuesday, March 24th at Midnight. The 2 lucky winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 25th. This contest is open to Chester County residents only. One entry per person. All duplicate entries will be deleted. And, again, please remember to include your email in your post!**

Good luck and safe cleaning!

Children’s Consignment Sale benefiting St Matthew's Lutheran Church

Saturday, March 21, 2009
8:00am -1:00pm
* * * 50% Off Sale starts at 11:00 * * *

St Matthew’s Lutheran Church
2440 Conestoga Road
(on Route 401 east of Route 100)
Chester Springs

610-458-2044

Gently worn top quality spring/summer children’s clothing from size newborn to size 12.
Gently used games, puzzles and toys including outdoor play toys, ride-ons and bikes
CD’s, DVD’s, videos, books, baby equipment, strollers, and maternity
You may pay with either cash or check. Checks may be made payable to St Matthew School’s. All sales are final.
Over 50 sellers are consigning a large selection of gently used children’s clothes, toys, books and large equipment, including maternity, baby equipment and outerwear
Snow, sleet or hail.

An event not to be missed!!!

rita's Welcomes Spring!

For the past 16 years, Rita's has been giving away a free, regular size Italian Ice to each and every guest to mark the first day of spring! This is a sweet date for Italian Ice lovers, as each year, hundreds of thousands of our guests visit Rita's in search of the first taste of spring.
A Philadelphia-born springtime tradition, the 17th annual Rita's giveaway will be held on Friday, March 20, 2009 from noon to 10 p.m. at participating Rita's locations.

Click here for more information or to lacate a Rita's near you.