My 2012 in Pictures - Day 7

Day Seven is a photo of the Satellite Bowl

I chose from Uncommon Goods with 

the $50 Gift Card I won a few weeks ago.

The fake fruit has been sitting in a box in the pantry

just waiting for the right bowl to come along.

7000 Facebook Fans Party Giveaway

It's time to party! Thank you to all my fabulous fans! There are over 7100 of you on Facebook now, over 6000 on Twitter, and my Google+ is trying to catch up. Make sure you never miss anything by signing up via RSS and by email too. I'm so blessed that all of you come here to my blog to visit, read, comment, enter my giveaways, and so much more. Without further ado, let's get the party started!

One Planet Weidknecht winner will take home a Mini Donut Bakery from Nostalgia Electrics (read my review HERE), a $50 Gift Card from Howard Computers (read more HERE), and The Oregon Train Game for Wii (read my review HERE). Talk about a fabulous prize package!!!!! You must be at least 18 to enter and win, and be a US mainland resident. The giveaway is open until midnight on Friday the 13th!

Sponsor Spotlight - Red Wagon Games - 7000 Facebook Fans Party Giveaway

This photo alone could be the entire review for Red Wagon Games' newest release - The Oregon Trail for Wii! When my kids were younger, I had this game on the daycare computer (think Windows98) and all three of my kids played it constantly, as well as some of the older daycare kids. My kids were so excited to get their hands on this copy that two of them actually argued about who got to try it first.

The game is very similar to the beloved game of the past, but with much more interaction on the Wii. He began his 2000 mile journey with his family from Missouri and headed towards Oregon. His obviously accident-prone daughter broke about six bones during the trip! His whole family got sick with one thing after another.

He hunted and fished to feed his family and drove the wagon with a crack of the whip. He also had to deal with Native Americans along The Oregon Trail in the 19th Century. There are four unique stories on this game, with three different time periods. He even got to customize his wagon with the colors and tarps of his choosing. The game is rated E-10, for Everyone ages 10 and up, for Mild Violence. As a parent I'd probably let my kids play this at age 7-10 years because there is really a lot to learn from it and it piques a child's interest in history.

As he drove into a town, he had to figure out how to spend his money. He had to plan what he'd need based on how much money he had. It was funny to listen to him complain about his family getting sick because he had to pay for their medicine. The graphics are now so much better than I remember from the old pc game, but I love how they kept the look of the game old-timey. My son played the game long past the time I sat there reviewing it. We are loving this game!

One lucky Planet Weidknecht reader will win their own copy of The Oregon Trail for Wii from Red Wagon Games in the 7000 Facebook Fans Party Giveaway, starting later today! Be sure to LIKE Red Wagon Games on Facebook to get a head start on entries! By the way, The Oregon Trail is also now available for 3DS too.
Disclosure: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Eight Weeks on Nutrisystem #NSNation

I've officially closed out eight weeks so far on Nutrisystem. December was very, very difficult because of all the goodies available. Plus I took two weeks off work for my annual vacation, which meant I laid around and did a whole lot of relaxing. I let my exercises to the wayside and slept blissfully until noon most days. I tried faithfully to follow the program, but I did sneak a little treat in here and there. I was absolutely terrified to step on the scale at the end of my eighth week, but I knew I must. I am so happy to report that I did not gain any weight at all. I didn't lose any either, but I'm still at 15 pounds lost and that in itself is a huge accomplishment!!!

Breakfast

Now that it's the new year, I have renewed determination to avoid temptations again, to exercise regularly again, and lose even more weight. Since I'm also back to work and chasing all these preschoolers around all day, I'm moving around much more just in my daily activities. Plus I'm fitting into jeans I couldn't wear before I lost the 15 pounds and that's really a great motivation for me!

Lunch

Plus, I'm eagerly anticipating the arrival of my SUCCESS program foods, the new Nutrisystem program that is working great already for Janet Jackson and Terry Bradshaw. The Chef's Table selections are exquisite and I have about ten dinner favorites from their regular menus that I can't wait to have again. These photos are just the Nutrisystem foods. I also get to add fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, protein drinks, and so much more. Check out one of my complete dinners HERE.

Dinner

Nutrisystem has an awesome sale going on right now, with savings of over 20%, plus all the Chef's Table entrees come free with the program. If you're thinking of losing weight Nutrisystem has a plan for you! It's definitely working for me and I'm so happy with the results so far.
Disclosure: In exchange for blogging my progress, I am receiving the Nutrisystem program at no charge.

Dessert

Want to lose weight and get healthy this year? 

 Join Nutrisystem today by calling 1-888-853-4689 

 or by visiting http://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog.

Group A Winner $50 Friday and Group B Winner

Congratulations!

Come back next Friday

to enter again!

Group B was Sherie M.
Hooray for you too!

#Bloggers Wanted Hurry Sign Ups for Cupid's Arrow Giveaway Hop

We are excited to start taking sign ups for the Cupid's Arrow Giveaway Hop, Hosted by One Busy Moma and Miki's Hope!

Event Details:

Start Date : Jan 25th, 2012 at 12:01 AM EST

End Date: Feb 5th, 2012 at 12:01 AM EST

This will be a giveaway hop with a Grand Prize as well.

There will be a $5 sign up fee that will be used towards advertising and the Grand Prize Giveaway.

 Each blogger will be responsible for securing their own sponsors and offering a giveaway with at least one prize package worth $25 or more. You may have more than one package and more than one winner but please understand that each winner should receive a prize worth $25 or more.

There is a special prize for the blogger who sends the most sign ups! 
If you send the most sign ups you will win $25 CASH and a $25 GC to Scentsy!! 
So tell them PLANET WEIDKNECHT sent you!!!!

  Ready to sign up? CLICK HERE for full details and sign up form!

Get a Move On with Cafe Well

This post brought to you by Cafe Well. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am so excited about the Cafe Well concept. Probably half of you have already said you'd like to lose weight and be healthier in the new year. Me too! Imagine a corporate wellness program that actually works. Seriously! It's called Race to the Moon. Everyone who participates in the program gets a FREE wireless pedometer that tracks every step you make and then rewards you for milestones and total steps!

In less than one month, Race to the Moon participants have already walked over 50 MILLION steps. That's 2.5 million steps a day. So, why does it work? It uses the power of social media, providing support in a fun and rewarding way. It took me just two minutes to register for my account at http://www.cafewell.com and there is no requirement to do this through a corporation. Anyone can join!

Race to the Moon participants are excited that the program is finally getting them off their couches and moving, walking, jogging, and more. Hosted by Cafe Well and sponsored by Health America, the Race to the Moon program is giving people the tools to manage their health and wellness goals. If I were going to create a health challenge for my readers, it would probably be a workout challenge because I can always use extra support and incentive to keep moving!

Sponsor Spotlight - Howard Computers

I promised you an awesome party when I surpassed 7000 Facebook Fans and I'd like to introduce you to a fabulous sponsor for the giveaway! Introducing Howard Computers, a technology manufacturer and distributor of computer products, cameras, projectors, software, and hundreds of other products!

Howard Computers also does custom-built computers, so you can get exactly what you want. They have divisions for technology, medical, lighting, power, and transportation.

They work with individuals, small businesses, large corporations, schools, government, healthcare and higher education. But WAIT, the best part is that this company does all this at AFFORDABLE PRICES!

I am so excited to announce that Howard Computers is sponsoring a FIFTY DOLLAR GIFT CARD for the 7000 Facebook Fan Party Giveaway! That means the winner will get $50.00 to go shopping at http://www.howardcomputers.com/ and spend it on whatever their heart desires! How cool is that?

Watch for the 7000 Facebook Fan Party Giveaway post coming up very soon to enter to win! Be sure to follow Howard Computers on Facebook and Twitter to get a headstart on your entries!
Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation for this post.

BeeSavy - Save Money

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My 2012 in Pictures - Day 6

Today God added a beautiful baby girl to my family tree.

Congratulations to my nephew Timmy and his wife Ashley!

Welcome to the world Caroline Grace!

Born @ 2:36 p.m.

7.9 pounds

19.5 inches long

Planet Weidknecht Weekend Hop 1/6

The work week after vacation is always so long.

I feel absolutely exhausted and can't wait to do nothing tomorrow.

Nothing except hop all around and meet new friends!

Link up your Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+

then hop around to follow others.

Thanks for coming by today!
Check out my giveaways while you're here!

A Peek at Sunday's Coupons

offer expired

Free Online Account & Bill Organizer

offer expired

Bloggers Wanted for Share the Love Event

The Share the Love Giveaway Hop is proud to announce that Tweetalicious will be joining the event as a grand prize sponsor!

The goal at Tweetalicious is simple: To give people a place to find, manage and use the best deals and coupons on Twitter from anywhere and at anytime. The site is an invitation only destination where members can discover great deals from brands they love and share with friends on Twitter.

Tweetalicious will be sponsoring the grand prize giveaway of a Kindle Fire as part of the Share the Love Giveaway Hop!

Registration is still open if you are interested in participating in the Share the Love Giveaway Hop. Don't forget to come back on February 7th and hop around to win some fabulous prizes including a Kindle Fire from Tweetalicious! They are definitely sharing the love this Valentine's Day season!

My 2012 in Pictures - Day 5

Today I am posting a picture of my husband, Johnny Weidknecht.

Today is his 43rd Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the love of my life!

SIX Current Giveaways

• $50 Friday - $50 Cash - Ends Jan 6
• New Year's Resolution Blog Carnival - $20 Walmart Gift Card - Ends Jan 10
• The Swiss Cheese Theory of Life book or ebook - ends Jan 11
• Two Free Meals at Sweet Tomatoes or Souplantation - ends Jan 12
• Total Blog MakeOver Giveaway - Ends Jan 18
• $500 in Target Gift Cards - Ends Jan 18

It's Another $50 Friday

Everyone loves cash, right? How would you like a chance to win $50 EVERY FRIDAY? Well, I am very excited that I have joined with an amazing group of bloggers to offer you a WEEKLY cash giveaway! Cool, yes? 

Well, there is only one catch, this giveaway is only OPENED TODAY!

Sponsor Spotlight - Nostalgia Electrics - 7000 Facebook Fan Party Giveaway

In the blink of an eye, Planet Weidknecht has surpassed 7000 Facebook Fans! I promised you an online party with giveaways and here is the first Sponsor Spotlight....Introducing Nostalgia Electrics, makers of some of the most novel small appliances ever! I received the Mini Donut Bakery and I couldn't wait to make my first donuts.

This is such a cute gift! I can think of so many people who would love to have this. After I get the hang of using it, I'm going to make goodies with my preschoolers in my home daycare.

I took it out of the box and read the directions. It seemed easy enough. I plugged it in, sprayed it with oil spray, and preheated it while I gathered my ingredients for blueberry donuts. 

The blueberry donut recipe was in the booklet that came with the Mini Donut Bakery and I quickly learned that the amount of batter it creates is definitely for more than six mini donuts. I was looking at batter for maybe two dozen donuts.

The next thing I learned was to be very careful when pouring the batter. Using a large measuring cup made too much mess. I switched to a 1-cup to pour and that worked perfectly. I also discovered the blueberries I had here were too large for mini donuts so I scooped out the blueberries with a spoon.

Once the donuts were a warm golden brown, I took them out with my wooden salad tongs (which worked perfectly by the way and didn't harm the nonstick surface). I think I left them in just a minute too long, because they were a little too brown on the bottom.

But I tasted one and it was delicious! I don't have any frosting laying around here, so my son suggested topping them with jelly to make jelly donuts. I found a jar of strawberry jelly in the back of the fridge and spooned it on top of each donut.

Not only did that make them look much prettier, they tasted even better. My son decided that he should be the taste tester of the jelly donuts, which apparently meant he was planning on eating the entire plateful of donuts (which I didn't realize until he polished off the entire batch, but that's teenage boys). He would have smiled for the camera, but his mouth was full so I got a thumbs-up instead.

For my next batch, I'm going to try chocolate cake donuts. It was really easy to clean up the Mini Donut Bakery and it stores easily standing up in the pantry, barely taking up any space. Be sure to connect with them on Facebook and Twitter to be first to know about specials! I love my new Nostalgia Electric Mini Donut Bakery and one lucky Planet Weidknecht reader is going to win one just like this one! Look for the 7000 Facebook Fan Party Giveaway post coming up very soon to enter to win!
Disclosure: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Yum Yum and Smart Resolutions for your Diet

If you're a long time reader of my blog, you might remember one of my earlier posts about Yum Yum Dishes. If not, you can see it here. Since last May when I reviewed the Yum Yum Dish, the company has continued to grow and even add some great new products to the line!

The Yum Yum Dish was created by one very smart mom (Tracy Adler) who figured out a way to consciously control her portions of snacks. I mean, who among us has never eaten half a bag of chips before realizing it? I know I've done it. Having the Yum Yum Dish keeps me from mindlessly snacking. It's a great portion control device! It now comes with a plastic lid so you can take your snacks to work, pack them in your children's lunches, or even keep a tiny chocolate stash in your nightstand drawer.

The Yum Yum Dish comes in a set of four, one each of blue, red, green and yellow. There is even encouragement to stop snacking because "Yum yum time is over" is printed on the bottom of every dish. It's a great concept and mine has been a family favorite ever since we got it. Now onto the big announcement...There is now a Yum Yum 9Plate!

Typical plates are 11 to 13 inches, but these 9 inch plates help you focus on eating the proper portions of food. Look closely at the above photo and you can see that the plate is sectioned off to help you concentrate on eating the recommended portions...half a plate of veggies, a quarter plate of carbs, and a quarter plate of protein. The 9Plate also comes as a set of four in the same bright colors as the Yum Yum Dish. You can buy them online at http://www.yumyumdish.com/. I love their Snack Ideas section too. Be sure to link up on Facebook and Twitter too so you can be notified of special sales and new products!

SPECIAL DISCOUNT CODE FOR MY READERS - Use PLANET20 (all caps) which will give you 20% off your entire Yum Yum order from 1/6/12 until 1/20/12!!!

FREEBIE Scrapbook Kit Downloads

My Memories has just released

another FREE Scrapbook Designer Kit!

Isn't it pretty?

It's a .png file so anyone can use it!

Just click HERE to get it!

See what I did with one of the pages?

It's so easy! Just add photos!

I used the My Memories Suite v3

software to add a few embellishments.

If you'd like to purchase their software,

here's a $10 discount code:

STMMMS93122

Losing Weight? Sweet Tomatoes Souplantation Giveaway

This giveaway is now closed. 

The winner is #24 Catie! 

Congratulations!

Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes have resolved to provide you an abundance of fabulous-tasting whole wheat dishes to help you start the new year off right! You can choose Turkey Noodle Soup with Whole Wheat Noodles, Arugula Citrus Prepared Salad, Tomato Spinach Hot Pasta, and many more. Every month they offer brand new delicious foods on their menu; check out January's amazing additions to their 55 foot salad bar:

Avoid the high-fat meals of fast food and zip through Sweet Tomatoes or Souplantation to create your own custom salad from 50+ ingredients. Enjoy their seasonal soups that are made from scratch, plus delicious fresh-baked muffins and whole wheat biscuits with just a touch of honey butter.

Choose from dozens of healthy indulgences and balanced meals free of artificial flavors, colors, additives or artificial trans fats. Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes believe so strongly in providing their guests a fresh meal that none of the restaurants have freezers or microwaves. I ate at a Sweet Tomatoes a few months ago and you can read my restaurant review HERE.

GIVEAWAY - One lucky Planet Weidknecht reader will receive TWO COMPLIMENTARY MEAL PASSES that can be used at any Sweet Tomatoes or Souplantation. Find your nearest location HERE. To enter, just leave a comment below telling me something on their menu you'd like to try this January! Be sure to leave me a way to contact you if you win! You must be a Planet Weidknecht reader and you must be at least 18 years old to win. US only please. One entry per person. Enter until midnight EST on Jan 12, 2012.

Planet Weidknecht Facebook - New Poll Posted

Let's have some Facebook fun!

Go HERE and answer the short poll.

My 2012 in Pictures - Day 4

Today's slice of life comes to you compliments of Nutrisystem!

I hadn't yet shared a dinner meal with my readers and 

thought this would be a great shot for this photo-journal series.

I'm eating Rotini with Meatballs and Tomato Sauce,

which is one of my favorite meals from Nutrisystem.

I'm also having a salad of iceberg lettuce, four little tomato wedges,

and two cucumber slices fourthed, with a calorie-free roasted tomato dressing.

On the side is a bowl of steamy hot brussels sprouts (one of my faves)

with a sprinkling of black pepper on top (yes, I drink the veggie water too).

My sweet tooth will be satisfied by the blackberries.
This is no ordinary diet!!!

Plus, I get a Nutrisystem dessert in a few hours!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Want to lose weight and get healthy with me? 

Join Nutrisystem today by calling 1-888-853-4689 

or by visiting http://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog.

Disclosure: In exchange for blogging my progress, I am receiving Nutrisystem at no charge.

Review - Starbucks Blonde Roast Coffee

I love coffee. I mean, I really love coffee. But it has to be a great coffee. I won't drink nasty coffee. I'd rather do without. So I was a bit wary of reviewing the sample of Starbucks Blonde Roast Coffee that I received from ALL YOU Magazine as part of their Reality Checker program. So far, there are only a couple of coffee brands that I will even drink and I've never even tried Starbucks (yes, really).

I opened it and liked the smell. It wasn't overpowering, sort of mellow and soft (like the package says). I scooped two scoopfuls of ground coffee into a filter in my Mr. Coffee and brewed me up a pot of coffee. After ten minutes I grabbed my favorite coffee cup, added two ice cubes like I always do, and poured a cup of coffee to taste.

I have to be honest, I really did like this coffee!! I was actually surprised because I am so picky about what I like to drink. And 99% of the time, whatever I drink has chocolate gourmet coffee mixed into it, but I tried the Starbucks Blond Roast Coffee as it came. I even had my husband try the coffee to see what he thought and he agreed with me that it was good.

So, now I know that if I'm out somewhere and desperately need a cup of coffee, I can find a Starbucks and order a Blonde Roast Coffee black. Thanks to ALL YOU Magazine for the free sample and thanks to Starbucks as well.

Disclosure: I received this coffee at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

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Self-Employment Drawbacks

The biggest, most-dreaded job of the year has appeared. That annual box, full of unsorted, undocumented receipts from running a household and an in-home business of child daycare. To add to the mix this year, there is all the blogging receipts and paperwork that have piled up as well. I keep all the receipts and even make a copy of them (so they don't fade on me) before I stuff them into a box or envelope until the end of the year. It's sort of organized, but only in my mind. On the first day of each year, I get a new box and new folders out for the onslaught of the next year's paperwork. Then I gather up all of last year's stuff and stick it under the side table next to the couch, just to the right of my desk, so I have to see it every day that it goes undone, until I finally spend an entire weekend griping about it while I do it. I used to be really good about logging everything and making sure I put it in the computer before it hit the filing box or envelope. Then one year, halfway through the year, my computer crashed and I had to recreate it all. I was so mad. So, I decided I'd rather do all the data entry at one time, then file the taxes at the same time. To top it off, I usually wait until late March or early April. Maybe this year, that box will entice me sooner...