This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and GATORADE.

When I officially became a blogger back in 2004, I toyed with calling my space on the internet “But I’m NOT a Soccer Mom.” because I firmly believed that I would be the very anti-thesis of a soccer mom. But, then, suddenly, I not only became a soccer mom, I became a basketball mom, a swimming mom, a softball mom, a hockey mom, an ice skating mom, a hip hop dance mom, a karate mom. I spend a tremendous amount of my days chauffeuring my children to and from various sports activities. I spend a tremendous amount of my days sitting on the sidelines, cheering on a girl, a boy, a girl. There is only ONE day in my entire week that I am not as a sport of some kind. We are a busy bunch, we Martells.

I can admit it now.

I am a SPORTS MOM.

And even though I went kicking and screaming to this title, I have embraced the title, and have embraced the chaos. Because you know what? We Sports Moms are an interesting group. We come from different backgrounds, different neighborhoods, different everything. And yet…we have that one thing in common. WE ARE THERE FOR OUR CHILDREN.

Gatorade recently conducted a Sports Mom survey and polled 900 moms. The results of the polls show that Sports Mom spend, unsurprisingly if you ask me, a third more time and more than twice as much money as moms of kids who aren’t into sports. But, interestingly, 79% of the moms say that juggling the extra time and juggling the extra expenses are totally not a big deal, i.e., they are totally worth it. Sports mom are proud of their kids, and want to help them as best as they can.

And because of this, we aren’t only there to support their jump shots and their breast strokes and their penalty shots and their russian jumps. We are also there to make sure they are fueling those moving and shaking bodies. We are their moms. We have been responsible for our children’s nutrition since we became their parents. We made sure they were fed and nourished as babies. We make sure they are fed and nourished as children. We make sure they are nourishing their bodies when they play sports. Or, at least, we try.

Gatorade, a company that I have always supported, as you can even see in some of the pictures above, knows how integral our role as Sports Mom is. They know that sometimes Sports Moms don’t know that our athletes need to eat protein within 30-60 minutes after sports. I know that I didn’t. They know that sometimes Sports Moms don’t know that our athletes sometimes show up to games already dehydrated. I know that I didn’t. Because they know that sometimes Moms need some information, some support, some assistance, they have created Gatorade.com/moms, a space on their site dedicated to moms like me.

Sports Moms.

Visit the Official site here and check out some great YouTube videos here.

And because this Sports Mom is feeling generous today, I want to give YOU a $100 Gift Card to Dick’s Sporting Goods. Your comment on this post is your entry to win. All you have to do is tell me what YOUR favorite Gatorade product is. Easy peasy, no?

The contest runs from March 31st through April 30th. Check out Blogher’s Prizes & Promotions section for MORE chances to win!

Visit the Official Rules.

GOOD LUCK!

The fine print:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment
on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on
this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.

The Official Rules are available here

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and La Crème.

My days start with coffee. Always. Not too dark; not too sweet.

My relationship with coffee started in middle school. YES, I know. And NO, it’s not the reason why I am a midget. That’s just a myth, people. I am short because my mother is not even five feet tall. But, yes, middle school. That’s where it all began. My friend and I decided that we needed to be grown-up and rebellious and, obviously, being grown-up meant drinking coffee, like our mothers. Yes, that’s how we rebel in Wisconsin. If I’m being honest, I hated that bitter black coffee and thought my mother was kind of a crazy person for choosing to drink it more than once a day.

It wasn’t until high school that I discovered that the lighter and sweeter I made my coffee, the more dessert-like it tasted. It didn’t need to be black…it could be BLACK! It could be jazzed up and completely delicious. Coffee became more than just a morning ritual; it became breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner.

Obviously, at some point I had to come to a compromise with coffee. Not too dark; not too sweet. But, I tend to switch it up a bit,depending on the day and on my mood. Sometimes I use a little sugar, sometimes I use a lot. Sometimes I use cream, sometimes I use milk. Look at me, still a rebel after all these years!

So, when I was asked if I’d give La Crème Real Dairy Creamer a try, I was on board immediately.

The fact that it is 100% DAIRY is a huge plus for me. I once tried a non-dairy creamer that was labeled as “an edible-oil product.” True story. Now, granted, I have no idea what the heck that even means, but, really, there’s nothing appealing in that description, is there? And it sounds very…artificial. I prefer words like real and 100% and dairy.

Bottom line: With no trans fats and no partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, with the texture and taste of real cream, with no hint of it being artificial, it is most certainly a product I could use regularly and feel good about. If I’m being honest, I’m more likely to use the flavored options over the original; I’d probably choose actual milk over a creamer…but I love the flavor options that are neither powdery nor chemical-tasting.

And today is your lucky day because I want to give you a $100 Visa gift card so you can buy a whole lot of 100% dairy creamer…or whatever pleases you. All you have to do is tell me in the comment section which of the four flavors you’d like to try: Original, French vanilla. Hazelnut. Cinnamon vanilla. (Dessert in a mug!) The contest runs until March 31st, 2011.

See what others thought of this product and get more chances to win by visiting Blogher’s Exclusive Offers section.

To find out more about La Crème Real Dairy Creamer and other La Crème products, visit their official site.

The Fine Print:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

But, that doesn’t mean we don’t jump at the chance to try the new flavors.

So, when two bags of two very different varieties of Doritos showed up on my doorstep, I quickly opened up them up and got my three pint-sized taste testers to decide if it was

that we liked the best.

Chip A, Onion Rings N’ Ketchup or Chip B: Buffalo Wings N’ Ranch.

The interesting thing with this Doritos campaign is that they aren’t just introducing two new flavors. They are introducing two and leaving it up to YOU to decide which one stays and which one gets destroyed forever. It’s true. Until March 13th, Canadian consumers have a chance to head on over to the WRITE THE END website and compose the last twenty seconds of an unfinished Doritos commercial that destroys one of these two flavors.

THE PRIZE? $25,000 and 1% of future sales from the winning flavor.

Worth playing for, eh?

(PS. The Martells are creating their ending destroying the Buffalo Wings N’ Ranch, because, ew, none of us liked that one!)

But not only do I want my lovely readers to be able to win $25,000 from the WRITE THE END site, I want YOU to be able to win something here! So, I have up for grabs a Doritos prize pack (worth over $150) including tshirts and mugs and movies that start with their endings (like Pulp Fiction, Inception, and Memento) AND the two new Doritos flavors for you to try. To win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me your absolute most favorite Doritos flavor EVER.

The contest is open to all Canadians and will run from today, February 18th, until 5pm EST next Friday, February 25th. Winner will be selected randomly by random.org. Good luck!

(In the interest of full disclosure, I was approached by Fleishman-Hillard Canada to participate in this Doritos program. All opinions expressed here are my own and definitely do not represent Doritos.)

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Seriously, though, I miss living in the south. I miss being around my parents and my siblings and my nieces. I miss the nice weather. And I REALLY miss the biscuits. There are certain edible delicacies that really don’t translate north of the border, or north of the Mason-Dixon line, even. Canadians don’t drink sweet tea. Canadians don’t eat black-eyed peas. Canadians don’t eat chicken and waffles. Canadians don’t eat grits. Canadians don’t eat pimento cheese.

And Canadians certainly don’t eat biscuits.

But McDonald’s knows how ridiculously awesome biscuits are and they want all Canadians to see what all the fuss is about. They are unveiling their first significant addition to the breakfast menu since 2003…

And they want you to try it for free.

Yes, it’s true. On February 9th and 10th, at participating McDonald’s restaurants in Canada, you can enjoy any Buttermilk Biscuit breakfast sandwich FREE – no strings attached!

And because McDonald’s is feeling EXTRA generous this week, they want to give one of you lucky CANADIAN readers a $50 gift card too! All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what your favorite southern food is.

EASY, no?

And for an extra entry, tweet this:

I want to win $50 from @McD_Canada and @alimartell: http://tinyurl.com/4gxxy3g

Good luck!

Contest ends February 11th. Winner will be chosen randomly.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and Welch’s.

Once upon a time, a family that was made up of Jews, Christians, Atheists and Agnostics created a new holiday of sorts and named it Chrismukah. And I can assure you, the Mintz/Martell/Boye/Resudek family was celebrating it far before Seth Cohen made the holiday a household name on The O.C.

Oh, no, we have been lighting menorahs while drinking egg nog (only I would never drink egg nog…because GROSS) and hanging dreidel ornaments on the tree since before Seth Cohen had any emo tendencies. In fact, historically, the holiday has been around since the 1800s when it was referred to as “Weihnukkah,” because Weihnachten is the German word for Christmas. (That’s your history lesson for today, folks. You can thank me later.)

So, it would an understatement to tell you that our family is unconventional, and we are always creating new holiday traditions. Every year we all come together. We light candles. We open presents (on December 27th). We have carolers come over to sing. We wrap our gifts in Hanukkah paper and put them under a Christmas tree. It’s different, to say the least. But, to me, it’s nothing short of fantastic. It’s the only time of the year that we are all together. All of my siblings. All of the cousins. Everyone. We spend many days stuffing our faces with cheesecake and pumpkin pie and chocolate mousse cake and green and red peanut m&ms. We do touristy stuff. We spend days playing Rock Band in our pajamas. We build gingerbread houses and decorate them with Hanukkah candy.

We make memories.

We create traditions.

The folks at Welch’s know that there are many types of families out there. They know that every family celebrates differently. But there’s one thing that seems to be universal…when families get together, they create memories and traditions. And they have a line of sparkling juices that can make any occasion a little more personal, a little more exciting. They have recipes for drinks like The Holiday Toasting Cup, The Sparkling Holiday Punch, The Sparkling Cranberry Spritzer, and The Sparkling Cranberry Punch. These are all super easy to make, and are all sure to add a little something something to your holiday festivities.

Personally, this Chrismukah, I’m hoping to try this little ditty out on my family:

Spiced Grape Punch

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 whole allspice
• 3 cans (6 oz. each) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 2 bottles Welch’s Sparkling White Grape Juice Cocktail, chilled
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. In a medium saucepan, heat water, cinnamon sticks, cloves and allspice to boiling. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Strain; discard spices. Cool. Just before serving, fill punch bowl half way with ice cubes. Pour in cooled spice mixture, lemonade concentrate and Sparkling White Grape Juice Cocktail. Float lemon slices on top. Makes about 25 servings.

See? SO EASY!

So…what do the holidays look like in your family? What do you celebrate? How do you celebrate? Would you try making one of these new drinks? Which one would you like to try???

Let me know in the comments and you will be automatically entered to win a $100 Visa gift card.

For a second entry, you can:

·         Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

·         Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

·         Sweepstakes ends 5 PM PST on December 31, 2010.

·         For Official Rules click here: http://goo.gl/PPqgR.

Worth playing for???

Check out the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page to see the other 11 bloggers talking about their holiday traditions. Go on, go! It’ll give you 11 more chances to win! And everyone likes to win!

Welch’s Sparkling Juice cocktails are the perfect choice for happy family celebrations
* Non-alcoholic, so they’re perfect for the entire family.
* Deliciously refreshing with a light, bubbly sensation.
* Upscale package perfect for special celebrations.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is not a secret.

I drink a lot of it. I drink it often. I heat it up in the microwave (I know. I am gross.) Coffee makes me a better worker, a better mother, a better person. I am a much lovelier person to be around with caffeinated goodness coursing through my veins. Trust me on this one.

So, here’s the thing. When I hear that

Free Coffee is back at McDonald’s

I make a run for my nearest store.

Because, yes, it’s true. Between Monday, November 15^th and Sunday, November 28^th you can enjoy a free small cup of McDonald’s Premium Roast Coffee at absolutely no charge – any time of day – with no purchase necessary.

And because McDonald’s is feeling EXTRA generous this week, they want to give one of you lucky CANADIAN readers a $50 gift card too! All you have to do is leave a comment telling me how you take your coffee. Black? Light and sweet? Even lighter and even sweeter?

EASY, no?

And for an extra entry, tweet this:

I want to win $50 from @McD_Canada and @alimartell: http://tinyurl.com/32usmhn

Good luck!

Contest ends November 23rd. Winner will be chosen randomly.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

If there’s one thing my stepmom knows how to do around the holidays, it’s how to keep people fed and full. I’m not even joking. Holidays in the Mintz household start early in the am with a Starbucks run and end in the pm with white chocolate mousse cake or pumpkin pie and they are filled with delicious goodness throughout the entire day. (and don’t even get me started on the glass jars filled with festive peanut m&ms. Please don’t. It’s not pretty for MY ARSE.) But, the most wonderful meal that is served is the giant southern breakfast.

Eggs. Pancakes. Biscuits and gravy. Pumpkin butter. Oatmeal. Fruit.

Did I mention pumpkin butter?

It is A SPREAD. Trust me on this one.

It’s also tradition that I wouldn’t dare bring up to Canada and try to recreate. This meal doesn’t belong anywhere but in Grammy Doris’ kitchen. Breakfast never gets this good and fancy around here. Pancakes, maybe. (Pink ones once!) Cereal. Donuts. Eggs, occasionally. The word spread does not enter our breakfast lexicon.

It’s something I always look forward to.

It’s something I always enjoy.

And it’s something I always wear my elastic-waist pants for.

To enter, leave a comment letting me know if your family has a holiday breakfast meal tradition…for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter, Passover.

For a second entry, you can:

·         Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

·         Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

·         Sweepstakes ends 5 PM EST on November 1, 2010.

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 more chances to win $100. TWENTY FOUR!

For official rules, click here.

For more information about the Love Your Cereal program, click 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.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

It’s no secret that I am a weeeeeee bit of a picky eater. I fit somewhere in between my son, who eats approximately 4 things and refuses to try anything new unless I bribe him with silly bandz and even then he is usually uncooperative and my daughter, who eats approximately anything and everything that is put in front of her and will try anything new and her absolute favorite food to eat ever is salmon sashimi (for those who are new here…that’s a piece of raw salmon. And that’s it.)

So, yes, I fall somewhere in between. I will try some new foods and sometimes I will actually surprise myself. I tried Thai food under protest and now it’s one of my most favorite foods. But, there are some foods that I am just averse to…I will not eat anything that swims or that goes near the water – no fish, no shellfish. No. Uh uh. I don’t eat anything with any sort of Indian curry. I just cannot. I do not eat organ meats. I don’t eat raisins. Or olives. It took me about three years to try cheesecake. THREE. I didn’t eat ice cream until this summer. I know.

BUT. My tried and true favorite…cereal. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner. There really is never an inappropriate time for a bowl of delicious cerealy goodness. Cookie Crisp. Count Chocula. Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch. Apple Jacks. Corn Pops. Frosted Flakes. Crunch Berries. Cocoa Krispies. Cheerios. Special K. Life.Wheetabix. Crispix. Kix. Lucky Charms. Mini-Wheats. Grape Nuts. Shreddies. I’m not even that picky. I love cereal.

It makes me happy. It makes me RAINBOW happy.

What about you? Are you a picky eater? Do you eat anything that doesn’t eat your first? Where on the spectrum to you fall? Have you ever tried anything under protest and ended up loving it? Let me know in the comments. Your comment is your entry to win a $100 Visa Debit Gift Card! Simple as that! Well, what are you waiting for??!?!

For a second entry, you can:

·         Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

·         Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

·         Sweepstakes ends 5 PM EST on October 25th, 2010.

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 more chances to win $100. TWENTY FOUR!

For official rules, click here.

For more information about the Love Your Cereal program, click 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.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

If there’s ONE thing my family knows, it’s pancakes.
Mickey Mouse shaped ones. Silver dollar ones. Pancakes with sprinkles. Flower shaped ones. Pancakes with strawberry eyes and blueberry mouths. Chocolate chip pancakes. Cinnamon pancakes. Pancakes with syrup. Pancakes with butter.

So, one night while watching something I am sure was super educational, I saw a commercial for THIS:

And it had to be mine. HAD TO.

I made amazing pancakes, but here was my chance to make THE PERFECT PANCAKES. I mean, infomercials are always right, right? So, of course, I bought it.
And do you want to take a guess how it ended?

JUST GUESS.

It didn’t work.

Not even one bit. Not only did it not make the perfect pancakes, it pretty much made completely inedible pancakes. my kids completely rejected them. The perfect pancake machine went straight into the garbage. And I went back to making my regular old amazing pancakes.

That is, of course, until I saw the infomercial for THOSE FILLED PANCAKES OMG.

I totally have to have that.

Are you a sucker for as-seen-on-TV products?? Have you ever bought one? Let me know in the comments. Your comment is your entry to win a $100 Visa Debit Gift Card! Simple as that! Well, what are you waiting for??!?!

For a second entry, you can:

·         Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

·         Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

·         Sweepstakes ends 5 PM EST on October 18, 2010.

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 more chances to win $100. TWENTY FOUR!

For official rules, click here.

For more information about the Love Your Cereal program, click 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.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

Breakfast is a busy time in our house.

So, since school started, I have instituted something new.  It’s genius, I tell you. GENIUS.

Before going to bed at night, I make sure these things are available: bowls, spoons, cups, boxes of cereal.
I make sure that the milk is sitting prominently on a shelf where the kids are sure to see it.

So, there you go. Genius.

My children can go downstairs and pour themselves some cereal in the morning, while I get everything else done….getting their clothes, packing their lunches, finding their missing shoes, making sure their backpacks are filled, getting their clothing ready for dance, making sure they have their swim stuff…you know, all those things we need to do in the mornings.

Tell me something you do in YOUR household that you think is genius (even if other people think it’s just laziness. I promise that *I* will think it’s genius) in the comments. Your comment is your entry to win a $100 Visa Debit Gift Card! Simple as that! Well, what are you waiting for??!?!

The contest will run from today, Tuesday, October 5th until 9pm on Monday, October 11th, 2010. The winner will be chosen randomly by our friends over at random.org. PSST. Want an extra entry to win? Tweet a link to this contest and come back and tell me about it!

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 more chances to win $100. TWENTY FOUR!

For official rules, click here.

For more information about the Love Your Cereal program, click 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.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars