Every so often I try a new product. I might be strolling the aisles at Costco. I’ll see a sample kiosk. If I have my children with me, we ALWAYS stop. No questions asked. I’ll stand while my children take a sample. If there are enough samples left, I take a sample myself. I’m rarely disappointed. I’ve found samples that were so tasty. Without the sample stand in a discount warehouse or grocery store, I would never have known.

Last summer, the Musings from Me family journeyed to Southern California. While the kids and dad explored San Diego, I walked the Expo Halls at BlogHer. I met people, played in-booth games at the Expo Hall, learned about products I had never heard of, and most importantly, sampled some awesome treats. Walking the Expo Hall is thirsty work.

As I hauled my bags out of the Expo Hall one day, I spotted a white booth with comfy white couches. As I cast my eye to the side and back of the booth I spotted several displays of Trop50. Trop50? I was intrigued as I looked at the familiar shaped bottles with a name I had never heard of. What was this Trop50? Looked like the Tropicana I buy for my family, but what was it exactly?

I sampled the Trop50 Lemonade. Let me tell you how it tasted…it was delicious. Tart, but not too tart. Sweet, but not overly so. Kind of like a lemonade stand lemonade, but with 50% less sugar and 50% less calories. Plus, no artificial sweeteners. I knew my family would love it and that I would be happy to buy it for them. In fact, I brought a few bottles back to my family in our hotel room, which we enjoyed on our drive to Legoland. Delish!

Which brings me to New Year Resolutions and the thorny subject of sticking to ‘em. I think of resolutions each, but do I stick to them? Sometimes. I find that the smaller, more focused, and more doable the resolution, the more likely I am to do it. For instance, resolving to exercise is not nearly as effective as resolving to exercise every other day. I need a resolution spelled out for me. Another resolution is to cook more dinners that are healthy, with mostly fresh ingredients. My resolutions need to be short on vagueness, and long on specifics.

More about Trop50…

• Trop50 by Tropicana offers fruit juice goodness with 50 percent less sugar and calories, and no artificial sweeteners.
• Trop50 juice beverage comes in the following flavors: No Pulp, No Pulp with Calcium + Vitamin D, Some Pulp, Farmstand Apple, Pomegranate Blueberry, Lemonade, Pineapple Mango, and Raspberry Lemonade.
• New! Trop50 introduced the following new flavors: Red Orange, Raspberry with Green Tea, Peach with White Tea, and Pear Lychee with White Tea. Can’t wait to try these!
• Do you like those funny Jane Krakowski spots? Here are a few funny ones.

Connect with Tropicana and Trop50:

• Find a store near you that sells Trop50 juice beverage.
• Like Trop50 – 50% Less Sugar and Calories on Facebook.
• Follow on Twitter by following @TropicanaOJ and searching for hashtag: #Trop50.
• Visit the Trop50 Web site.

I was given samples of Trop50 juice beverage to facilitate my review. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

Way, way back when my oldest was born, going out was a snap. Dinner? Movie? Dinner and a movie? No worries. I’d pack her and her diaper bag. I wouldn’t pack my daughter in the diaper bag, of course(!), but I’d pack practically every other baby gadget, gizmo, you name it. With everything packed, I’d hustle my husband to the car. And, that was it.

Grandma and Grandad were always willing and able to babysit. We would drop our daughter off with food and diapers, leave a list of instructions about what her routine was, and hightail it off to dinner with friends, to watch a movie, or even a date night. At the end of the evening, we’d return to my parent’s house. My husband would carry our sleeping (and happy) daughter out to the car. And that was it.

Many years later with a Teen, a Preteen-now-Teen, and a Kid, going out is exponentially more complicated. We have to sync my work calendar to my husband’s work schedule cross referenced to the sports/school/activity schedule of the three kids and then if the stars are aligned and no one gets sick we can go out. Are you exhausted? Do you think we go out a lot? If you answered “No,” you are correct!

Two Saturdays ago, the stars as they say aligned for us. One kid went to bed early. One kid stayed home to babysit the sleeping kid. One kid was at a friend’s house. And so my husband and I ventured out on a sleety, icy Saturday night around 9ish. We eat late, but never that late. Actually, and I know this sounds a little pathetic, but I was actually quite excited to go on an impromptu date night even though it was late and we would have to be home by 11 p.m. at the latest. But, excited I was!

I was last at Red Lobster in the late 80/early 90s. Today’s Red Lobster is very, very different from what I recall. The restaurant we visited on Saturday night was in Frederick, Maryland. My first impression was wood. The wood paneling is dark…reminded me of a the galley of an old sailing ship. I loved all the wood paneling and decorative accents. The nautical theme was subtle but not overpowering. We were shown promptly to a booth in a quiet part of the dining room. There was a small bar area as we walked in that was also nautically themed.

The service was impeccable. Our waitperson seated us. A few moments later a second person stopped by to let us know that our waitperson would be with us momentarily. She appeared a few minutes later. Good service!

While we both wanted to try Red lobster’s new Four Course Seafood Feast, with the lateness of the hour and the fact that both of us had had snacks earlier in the evening, we chose to share two appetizers instead. We will definitely return with the kids. In fact, the next day the “sleeping” kid asked if he could try the Seafood Feast the next time we go. I said “Yes!” This kid has a bigger appetite at 8 than his sisters combined when they were 8.

We shared two appetizers: Shrimp Nachos and Lobster-Crab-and-Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms. I washed my meal down with a yummy Sangria drink. By the way, there are variations between the menus at each Red Lobster restaurant. Each restaurant offers a fresh catch of the day. Our server announced that Atlantic salmon, tilapia, rainbow trout, and North Atlantic haddock were available that night. To find out what is available go to the Red Lobster Restaurant Locator page, find the location nearest you, and take a peek at the offerings at that location. I know your mouth will start watering as you read the dishes.

As our meal wound down, our waitperson returned to see how we were doing. We told her we were definitely coming back with our children.

For more information about Red Lobster…

• Follow @RedLobster on Twitter.
• Like Red Lobster on Facebook.
• Don’t forget the Four Course Seafood Feast! Four yummy courses AND Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Only $15. Limited time only!
• Find a location near you and find out more about menu offerings.

I was given a gift card to Red Lobster to facilitate my review. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

Some tips for getting the most out of Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

FASTPASS

• FASTPASS is the key to getting the most out of your Disney experience. My husband is somewhat of a pro about the FASTPASS.
• FASTPASS can be used on the following attractions at Disneyland: Autopia, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, Roger Rabbit’s Car Too Spin, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Star Tours.
• Use FASTPASS on these California Adventure rides: California Screamin’ (well worth it even though I was terrified!), Goofy’s Sky School, Grizzly River Run, Soarin’ Over California (our family’s favorite ride at both EPCOT and California Adventure), The Twilight Zone of Terror (I couldn’t get anyone to ride this ride with me!), and World of Color.
• When you enter a Disney park, check the bulletin board at the park entrance. The board shows wait time for rides and which rides are FASTPASS. You will also see which rides are closed for the day.
• Look for FASTPASS distribution kiosks near the entrance to each ride.
• Check the FASTPASS return time to know when you can ride the attraction. Don’t use a FASTPASS if you will not be available to ride the ride. Save your FASTPASS for another ride.
• A tip about World of Color at California Adventure… World of Color is a spectacular light, water, color, and movie show. You will want to use your FASTPASS to get a good viewing spot. Go early to the Grizzly River Run to get your FASTPASS for World of Color. You can hold a World of Color FASTPASS and a FASTPASS for a ride, so go get one as soon as you arrive in California Adventure.

Season

• We have visited Walt Disney World twice in the fall. While the parks have shorter hours in the fall than in the peak seasons, we loved walking on rides and waiting for just a few minutes to get on a ride.
• In addition, to short wait times, you’ll also find that flights in off-peak season are cheaper as well as hotels.
• On this trip we visited in August. Because it was the height of a peak season, we planned our days with FASTPASS, wait times, and our stamina in mind. If we were all up for waiting in a long line, we did.

Technology

• Our two-day stay at Disneyland Resort would have been far less fun had my husband not had an app on his phone. He kept us apprised of wait times. With a Kid, a Preteen-now-Teen, and a Teen, we had the flexibility to race from one ride to another. Families with younger kids will want to pace themselves due to weather, crowds, and wait times.
• Here’s an app for Disney World Wait Times.
• Visiting Disneyland? Here’s an app for wait times.
• And of course, charge those batteries. Bring all chargers on your trip. Charge digital, video, and phones at the hotel each night.
• We had a couple of Flip Video Cameras which we let our kids carry.

Safety

• Stay connected with cell phones.
• Our Teen and Preteen-now-Teen did not carry their phones as they were worried about losing them or getting them wet. Because of this we stayed in a group of 5 or we split in to a group of 2 and a group of 3. My husband and I coordinated a meeting spot if we split up to ride different attractions.
• Let each family member carry his Disney ticket in a lanyard. You can bring a lanyard from home or buy a colorful lanyard from any of the Disney stores. Each lanyard comes with a clear plastic case for holding the Disney ticket and money. We found it helpful for each child to carry his own lanyard and ticket so that it was easier to get FASTPASS.
• My older two know their name, address, home and all our cell phones, but I wrote down all our details on a piece of paper for my youngest child to carry with him. If he got separated from us, I wanted him to know how to reach us.

I was given passes to Disneyland and California Adventure. We paid for our own flights, car rental, and hotel accommodations while in Southern California. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

As a child, we traveled a great deal. I lived in three countries. Attended three preschools. Three elementary schools. Two middle schools. And one high school. Lived in seven homes, including one hotel. Yikes that’s a lot of moving!

As well as moving, we vacationed all the time. When we first moved to the U.S., my parents weren’t sure how long we would stay. Consequently in a 6- to 7-year period we visited Niagara falls, Williamsburg (VA), Skyline Drive and Luray Caverns (VA), West Point (NY), Pennsylvania Dutch Country, the Jersey shore, New York City, and Washington, D.C.

One memorable trip was a quickie visit to Disney World. It was 1974. I was about 8. My parents knew that a return to England was in the near future. We stayed off site at a motel in Kissimmee (FL). March can be chilly even in Florida, so I recall wearing a sweatshirt while we were there. It was back in the day where you bought tickets for each ride. We had a handful of “A,” “B,” and “C.” As near as I can recall, you needed 2 A tickets to ride one ride, but only a C ticket to ride something else. While we didn’t ride every single ride, I have vivid memories of Captain Nemo’s 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the Hall of Presidents, the Country Bear Jamboree, Tom Sawyer’s Island, the magic Tea Cups, and the Polynesian Resort.

Disney IS the most magical place on earth. While we had taken the kids twice to Disney World, none of us had visited Disneyland. I was anxious to experience a Southern Californian Disney with my husband and kids. After a stay in San Diego, a visit to LegoLand, and a brush with celebrities in Hollywood, we were ready to do Disneyland.

On Day 6 of our trip to Southern California, we hit Disneyland. Our experience was magical from start to finish. Our day began at the park bright and early after a buffet breakfast at our hotel.

We took a spin on Buzz Lightwear’s Astro Blasters in Tomorrowland. Everyone loves to laugh about Mom’s low score. I guess I have a little hand-eye coordination problem! While we were in Tomorrowland, we also rode Autopia, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Space Mountain, and Star Tours the Adventure Continues.

This is not my score!

Heading to Tom Sawyer’s Island. I was the most excited to explore the island. The kids were meh about it. Disneyland’s version of Mark Twain’s classic story of growing up in America is very different to Walt Disney World. We spent close to 45 minutes running through caves, climbing ladders, hopping on swing bridges, and generally having a boatload of fun (pun intended!). This part of Adventureland is actually called Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer’s Island.

Autopia otherwise known as “Who let that 8-year-old get behind the wheel?!” Actually everyone was a better driver than mom. I needed the hefty bumpers!

I was given passes to Disneyland and California Adventure. We paid for our own flights, car rental, and hotel accommodations while in Southern California. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

With a Kid, a Preteen-now-Teen, and a Teen, finding something fun for all of us to do is a challenge. You wouldn’t think so, but it is. Years ago, we could pop in a DVD. Go to a museum. Go out for ice cream. But, then school intervened. And homework. And weekends packed with birthday parties, sports, and play dates.

I struggle and stress and fret about the amount of time I have left before my oldest heads to college. She is one of those kids who never gave me a backward glance when stepping on the elementary school bus. Who was already planning what AP classes to take in high school when she was in 6th grade. Who now as a 10th grader is loving the envelopes that have started to arrive post-PSAT. She’s ready for college. I’m not ready to let go of her.

So, I have made it my goal to find fun things to do both at home, in our neighboring towns and cities, and in the places we visit for vacation. We’re not a family that travels to far away places every year. We have had years where we grabbed a quick week at the beach with the grandparents. Other years we have visited Niagara Falls–the Canadian side; Colonial Williamsburg, VA; Pennsylvania Dutch Country; and of course, the beach. Two summers ago we took a long-awaited, yet hastily planned trip to my home country…England. We had a fabulous time. I wish we could do a big trip each year, but we can’t.

Last summer, the chips fell in to place. I purchased a BlogHer ticket at the early bird rate. I planned to find a roommate and fly to San Diego by myself. The more I thought about going to SD and BlogHer, the more I wanted to involve my family.  How could I think of visiting California without them? But, how would I bring them?

A quick check of Southwest.com showed that we could get reasonably priced flights for all 5 of us. Not bargains, but not out-of-sight prices. I had a room at the Marriott Marquis and Marina, which would do. It was a relief not to look for a roommate. Although going to a conference with a roommate in tow is super fun, especially if it is your first blogging conference. With a hotel and flights, all I needed was an itinerary.

Within days of booking flights we had our itinerary planned. While I gallivanted about at BlogHer meeting people, making connections with brands, and of course, having fun, my husband and the kids toured San Diego. Post-BlogHer, the plan was for me to join the family and tour L.A. and Anaheim. Obviously our family works well under stress and tight deadlines…in fact we thrive on it.

Our itinerary went something like this:

• Wednesday — Travel Day. Arrived in San Diego. Kids and husband relaxed in the room, while I met up with some bloggers at a wine party hosted by @guavalicious. What can I say…BlogHer is part work and part play!
• Thursday — Day One — Sea World. While I attended one of the pre-conference sessions hosted by Procter & Gamble, my husband took the kids to Sea World. While I was very sad to miss out on the amazing-ness of the San Diego Sea World, my son and I got to experience the Orlando Sea World.
• Friday — Day Two — San Diego Zoo. I was very sad to miss out on a zoo I have heard so much about, but obviously I had obligations at BlogHer. Don’t worry, I had my husband text photos and tweet while he was there with the kids.
• Saturday — Day Three — Hotel pool. Bus to the airport. Pick up of rental car. Drive to beach. Husband and kids accomplished all this while I was hauling myself and sundry swag bags from the San Diego Convention Center Expo Hall  to my hotel room to meetings to sessions back to the Convention Center Expo Hall back to the hotel room, with a quick pitstop before the evening events and parties began. I was exhausted. I’m not a beach or pool lover, so I wasn’t upset about missing the beach and pool day. Highlight for my kids and their dad was catching a beach volleyball game. We’re East Coast volleyball players. They weren’t able to play, but loved experiencing a bit of Southern California.
• Sunday — Day 4 — Legoland. With BlogHer over and bags packed and swag exchanged at the Swag Room, we hit the road to drive to LegoLand.
• Monday — Day 5 — Starline Tour of L.A. and Hollywood. I was so glad to experience Southern California with my family!
• Tuesday — Day 6 — Disneyland. Our first experience of Disneyland was a success. Yes, it was crowded, packed, and we missed out on a couple of rides towards the end of the day when Fast Passes ran out, but we had an awesome day. Probably our best day as a family on our trip..
  
• Wednesday — Day 7 — California Adventure. Second day of Disney…we hit our stride. Figured out how to maximize the Fast Pass. Got prime “seats” at the World of Color. And, I may have been persuaded by a certain Kid to ride California Screamin’. Whoa that was an experience!
• Thursday — Travel Day. Sadly, we had to say farewell to Anaheim and Southern California. And say hello to our lives back home.

I was given passes to the attractions in this post. We paid for our own flights, car rental, and hotel accommodations while in Southern California. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

As a little kid living in New Jersey, I recall seeing a couple of movies at the drive in movie theater. The movies were loud and I think one was a James Bond film, Goldfinger(?). Not all that appropriate for kids, really. I have very strong recollections of falling asleep while watching the movie.

As a big kid living in Manchester, England, I saw a scant few movies. Our local movie theater (The Rex in Wilmslow, Cheshire) would show the same movie on the sole screen for weeks and weeks and well, you get the idea…weeks. I saw the original Star Wars a few years after its release in the U.S. In a interesting turn of events, I saw the uncut Rocky Horror Picture Show on British TV when I was about 16…I was very shocked by the movie, but didn’t stop watching!

As a college student living in PA, I saw many, many movies through the college’s movie program. I very much made up for my movie-light childhood by watching everything from The Godfather to the Gods Aren’t Crazy. I watched whatever movie was showing, no matter what the movie was.

As a young dating person, then engaged person, then married person, I watched movies 2 or 3 times a month. While I still watched many, many movies, I began to look closely at my “movie spending” dollars. As the price of movie tickets increased, not to mention the sky-rocketing cost of movie snacks, so did my need to ensure that the movie I planned to see was “worth” it. Out when any comedies. Back in my dating days, I watched movies based on who was in the movie. As I became more budget conscious, I began to read reviews. If the movie received a so-so, lackluster review, there was no way I was spending my hard-earned cash.

To this day, I want to take my family to movies that are well acted, produced, directed, and most importantly have a storyline that is uplifting and positive. We would much rather take our kids to see a film with a good message than one with cheap laughs and jokes. And that is why I am very happy to tell you Big Miracle.

The Big Miracle is inspired by a true story. You may remember the story from a few years back of the small town news reporter, played by John Krasinski, and an animal-loving volunteer, played by Drew Barrymore, who band together with others to save a family of whales trapped by ice in the Arctic Circle. I don’t recall the news story, but apparently a coalition of people — Inuit natives, oil companies, the Russian and American military — joined together to free this family of whales from the ice cap.

We’ll be catching this movie shortly after it is released. I hope you will too. Read on as I have a giveaway for Big Miracle goodies for you. To learn more about Big Miracle:

• Print out this handy activity page about whales. Fun games!
• Like Big Miracle on Facebook.
• Go to the Big Miracle site to learn more, including watching videos.

Now, here’s what you have been waiting for…the giveaway! I have one Big Miracle prize pack for one lucky reader of this blog. The Big Miracle prize pack includes:

• a $25 Fandango Gift Card
• Whale Plush
• a Big MiracleT-shirt 

Winning is easy. First, leave a mandatory comment. Second, leave one or more of the optional comments. Remember, you must leave the mandatory comment for the other comments to count. Oh and don’t forget to leave your email address in the comment. so I can contact you if you win!

Mandatory Comment — Leave a comment.

Subscribe to Musings from Me by reader.

Optional Comment — Leave a comment.

• Follow @MusingsfromMe on Twitter.
• Like Musings from Me on Facebook.
• Tweet this giveaway and leave a link to your tweet: @MusingsfromMe is giving away a Fandango $25 GC to promote #BigMiracle movie! Enter for a chance to win! http://bit.ly/zRCzaz #giveaway
• Like Jill MusingsfromMe on Facebook.
• Stumble one of my posts that is not a giveaway.  Use your Stumble toolbar or use the Share button that is placed to the left of the post.
• Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
• Like Big Miracle on Facebook.

I was given a Fandango Gift Card to facilitate my review. Prizing is provided by Universal Pictures. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity. Giveaway ends February 1, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. Giveaway is open to U.S. mailing addresses only.

Over the past few months, I have purged, recycled, consigned, and moved a ton of stuff from our family room. I’m about to declutter the dining room office. Early last year I tackled the playroom. The year before last, the master bedroom was on my hit list of rooms to declutter.

Some days I can actually see the top of the family room coffee table. Some days…not so much. Baby steps. Likewise, some days my floor is clear and other days…not so much. What works for me is storage units. No, not the storage unit complexes in industrial parks. No, I mean storage units, shelves, and tubs. Give me a Rubbermaid or other tub and I have the tools to tackle the clutter.

Over Christmas break, I set up a couple of storage shelves and a small table for my son’s Lego. With our new found family space, game playing is back on the table — literally — as a fun activity for our family to do. It’s hard to play a board game amid the clutter of papers, glasses, books, magazines, and who knows what else is stored on top of the coffee table!

The start of the new year also heralds kids going back to preschool, school, or even college. Sam´s Club wants to help you keep yourself and your children organized. You can also find Box Tops for Education products at Sam’s. Collect Box Tops for Education to help your school of choice.

Check out these sweet deals and promotions from Sam´s Club and Box Tops for Education to make your life as easy! While purchasing some of your favorite General Mills brands you can also earn more cash for your local school with the Sam´s Club “6 Box Tops on a Pack” promotion.

• At least 6 Bonus Box Tops will be located on your favorite return-to-school brands such as Nature Valley Oats ‘N Honey Crunchy Granola Bars, Yoplait, and Progresso.
• From groceries to computers to notebooks, Sam´s Club makes shopping for all of your return-to-school needs simple.
• This January, be sure to visit your local Sam´s Club to find all your return-to-school necessities. To learn more about the Box Tops for Education Program and how you can help contribute to your school, visit www.BoxTops4Education.com.

I have a Sam’s Club $25 Gift Card for one lucky reader! Winning is easy. First, leave a mandatory comment. Second, leave one or more of the optional comments. Remember, you must leave the mandatory comment for the other comments to count. Oh and don’t forget to leave your email address in the comment. so I can contact you if you win!

Mandatory Comment — Leave a comment.

Subscribe to Musings from Me by reader.

Optional Comment — Leave a comment.

• Follow @MusingsfromMe on Twitter.
• Like Musings from Me on Facebook.
• Tweet this giveaway and leave a link to your tweet: @MusingsfromMe is giving away @SamsClub $25 GC! Enter for a chance to win! http://bit.ly/AaP6NC #MyBlogSpark #giveaway
• Like Jill MusingsfromMe on Facebook.
• Stumble one of my posts that is not a giveaway.  Use your Stumble toolbar or use the Share button that is placed to the left of the post.
• Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

Keep your eye on this blog for more giveaways. Coming soon: Another fun toy from Best Pals and a Giveaway! And a week of DVD Giveaways!

I was given a Sam’s Club Gift Card to facilitate my review. The review samples, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity. Giveaway ends January 30, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

I have nightmares that one day I will see myself in a news story about overweight people. Only the story isn’t about me or my weight gain or loss. No. I am just one of the people filmed from the waist down as I walk down a city street as part of the background film for the story on overweight people. Yikes, I’d hate to see myself in this type of news story…wouldn’t you?!

As the new year progresses, I am making goals for myself. I don’t want to blog about my New Year’s resolutions because (1) I’m not ready to commit them to “paper,” and (2) I see resolutions as for my eyes only. But, I will admit to wanting to change a few things about my way of life. As with previous years, a huge goal of mine is weight loss. I’m one of those people still trying to lose baby weight from a decade ago. Yikes! It’s hard reading that sentence, but the reality is that I need to make changes.

One of my downfalls is snacking. I either eat foods that are not that healthy OR I eat a too large portion of healthy and nonhealthy foods. One key factor for me is portion control. If I bag up popcorn or baked chips, I eat less. Recently, I was given a few boxes of fruit snacks.

Now if you are picturing those super-sugary, character-themed snacks your child begs you to buy in the grocery store…think again. Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks are in a different league. The fruit flavored snacks are full of taste. You can taste juice spilling out of the fruit snack.

Now for the details on Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks…

• Great snack for kids and adults. Pop a pack in the lunchbag or stash a pack in your purse. Tasty anytime.
• Available in two delicious varieties, Ocean Spray^® Fruit Flavored Snacks: Assorted Fruit and Berries and Cherries.
• Made with real fruit juice, natural colors (colors from natural sources), and flavors.
• Made with apple, pear, and cranberry juice concentrate, but are not intended to replace fruit in the diet.
• 80 calories, gluten free, and contain 100% of the Daily Value of Vitamin C.
• Like Ocean Spray on Facebook.
• Follow @OceanSprayInc on Twitter.

BONUS for MOMS of SCHOOL-AGED KIDS! Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks are available year round Double Box Tops! Is your school a member of the Box Tops for Education Program? If not, why not? For more information on Box Tops for Education, click here.

The kind folks at Ocean Spray have asked me to host a giveaway. Did you know that 80 years ago Ocean Spray was started as a cooperative with three families? Today, the values of community are integral to Ocean Spray’s 600 grower families? But, back to the giveaway…

Four lucky readers of Musings from Me will each receive 6 boxes (3 of each variety) of Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks!

Winning is easy. First, leave a mandatory comment. Second, leave one or more of the optional comments. Remember, you must leave the mandatory comment for the other comments to count. Oh and don’t forget to leave your email address in the comment. so I can contact you if you win!

Mandatory Comment — Leave a comment.

Subscribe to Musings from Me via reader.

Optional Comment — Leave a comment.

• Follow @MusingsfromMe on Twitter.
• Like Musings from Me on Facebook.
• Tweet this giveaway and leave a link to your tweet: @MusingsfromMe is giving away @OceanSprayInc Fruit Flavored Snacks! Enter for a chance to win! http://bit.ly/xXrXvO #MyBlogSpark #giveaway
• Like Jill MusingsfromMe on Facebook.
• Stumble one of my posts that is not a giveaway.  Use your Stumble toolbar or use the Share button that is placed to the left of the post.
• Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

Keep your eye on this blog for more giveaways. Posting reviews and giveaways through the end of January and beyond. Coming soon: Another fun toy from Best Pals and a Giveaway! And a week of DVD Giveaways!

I was given six boxes of Ocean Spray^® Fruit Flavored Snacks to facilitate my review. The review samples, information, and giveaway have been provided by Ocean Spray^® through MyBlogSpark. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity. Giveaway ends January 23, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

I’m in a race, of sorts. But, I’m not sure where I am going. Every feel like every day you are really simply racing from Point A to Point B with a pit stop at Point C before heading back home at some point? A rat race, of sorts.

Mornings start later than usual. You know how it is. After getting three kids on three buses to three schools with three backpacks, three lunchboxes, three permission slips…I am exhausted. Even weekends are busy with swim meets, volleyball tournaments, school projects, and household stuff. So, a busy day followed by a late night of working is a recipe for a sleepy me once the kids are off to school. I’ve been known to catch a quick or not so quick catnap.

But, back to today. No napping for me. Lots to do. I feel mostly rested. We’ll see how I feel at the 3 p.m. slump! Before sleep catches up to me, here are the winners of my Holiday Gift Guide Giveaways. Congrats to all! I’m so pleased that so many of you visited and commented and entered my giveaways. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

• Kerfuffle! Dicecapades! — Congrats, Kristin!
• Lego Duplo My First Fire Station — @rsgrandinetti. Congrats, Renee!
• Lego Pirates of the Caribbean — @dagmarbleasdale. Congrats, Dagmar!
• Tonka XT Ricochet Tricksters — @WiCProject. Congrats to Miriam!
• KRE-O Transformers Sentinel Prime — @italiaangel80. Congrats, Brooke!
• HTC Status Phone — @ddx155. Congrats, Douglas!
• HTC Wildfire S — @chrisdeglen. Congrats, Debbie!
• Sam’s Club Gift Card — Congrats, Deanna!

Many congratulations to all my winners. And a huge thank you to the companies that helped make my Holiday Gift Guide and Giveaway a rip-roaring success!

Stay tuned for my week of DVD giveaways! Now what should I call my week of giveaways? Any ideas?

As a little kid, we traveled five or more times a year. Some trips were short to moderate car rides. Other trips were transatlantic flights. There was one constant on all our family trips. My mother’s tartan holdall.

The bag was dark blue with a green and black checkered pattern. Tartan. Does anyone use the word tartan? Except when describing a kilt. The holdall was probably two feet long and one foot deep. No carrying strap just two short handles.

My mother's bag was not nearly so stylish as this bag

The bag must have weighed a ton. Think about it…it was the 70s…way before little kids carried all their stuff in backpacks. My mother was the designated hauler of all items needed on the trip. She dragged that tartan holdall across the Atlantic close to 15 times.

On a transatlantic, my mother’s tartan holdall contained:

• my dad’s book
• my mother’s book
• coloring books for my sister and I and of course, crayons…n0t the 64-pack, not even the 24-pack, but probably a pack of 8 crayons that we shared.
• a sleeping bag…invariably during a long flight one or both of us would lie across a row of seats…it was the days where flights were never full…especially transatlantic flights.
• a change of clothes for my sister and I…it was also the days of rough flights, rocky landings, hair-raising take offs. You know the air sickness bags? We always filled a bag or two on take and landing.
• and probably a bunch of other things.

I have no idea what happened to the tartan holdall. My kids have always carried their own backpacks. We never flew with any child under the age of three, but we did fly to Disney twice with a three-year-old. I let my kids carry anything they wanted in their backpacks as long as they could carry it. For the three-year-old’s, I packed a couple of board books, a sticker book, coloring book/crayons, and a stuffed animal or two.

I’d like to thank aerospace engineers everywhere for making passenger airline travel blissfully air-sickness bag free.