Tassimo Home Brewing System

I was so excited to be able to try out the new Tassimo Home Brewing System.  When the new system, arrived in the mail I was very excited.

About Tassimo

• Tassimo is Kraft Foods' properitaty home brewing system that lets customers make delicious coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cappuccino, espresso and lattes- one cup at a time.
• The Tassimo brewer, developed and designed by Kraft Foods and manufactured by Bosch, contains a microprocessor that reads the bar code printed on each T disc label to automatically calculate the correct water amount, temperature and brewing time for every beverage.
• Tassmio has an expanding selection of beverage brand options including, Twinings, Maxwell House, Seattle's Best Coffee, Gevalia Kaffee and Mika.

Golfersmom and Golfergirls review of the complimentary Home Brewing System

One of the T-Disc's that we recieved to review was the Milka Hot Chocolate

This just happens to be one of  Golfergirls favorite drinks. Despite the hot weather she was really wanting to try it out.

For the hot chocolate we received two discs per cup of hot chocolate.  One was a milk product and the other the hot chocolate mix.

The T-Disc is so easy to place in the machine.  Golfergirl placed it in the machine closed the lid.  Be sure to place the coffee cup under the machine first.  Golfergirl forgot this the first time.  Oh, well she is only 9 we know.

Now does that not look good.  Wish we had smell a blog because it smelled delicious. Now what we needed was the taste test.

and drum roll please.  The taste test resulted  the following response from Golfergirl.

I think the hot chocolate was a pass.  She loved it and it was so easy to use that she can make her a cup when she wants one.

Conclusions 
The tassimo is very easy to use and the drinks are very good.  The one thing that I do not like about the machine is the T-discs are hard to fine where I live.  I have to drive about 45 minutes away to find a store that sells the discs.  I like the hot chocolate and the latte's but we will not be having it very often since we have to drive so far to get them.  You can order them online and I might do this when the weather gets cooler so Golfergirl can have her hot chocolate.  I do not see myself ordering enough to have everyday however.

Buy:
The cost of the Tassimo runs around $129.99.  If you would like to buy a Tassimo click here Bosch TAS1000UC Tassimo Single-Serve Coffee Brewer, Anthracite


Thanks so much to Tassimo and Kraft Foods for giving us this complimentary machine to try.

Are things really as they seem?

I got the chance to watch the new AMC show "Rubicon"  which is a fantastic show about a man that tries to crack codes. 


I have always been one that looked deeper into things.  I never really took anything at face value.  I was always looking for the why behind everything.  That is why I love shows like these.

Watching this show got me to thinking about recent government activities such as the Russian spy ring.  Now just how does someone become a spy?  It is really like they show in the movies or TV shows where someone walks up behind someone and starts talking to them or do they get kidnapped and told they have to be a spy.  How exactly does someone get picked for this type of job?  I am pretty sure there is not a job application that you can fill out.  Those are some of the questions that I have when I hear a story like that.  I don't really think about they got caught.  I always think there is some more to the story then what is being told. With the spy ring it got covered up pretty quickly by trading spy's so that leads me to think both the US and USSR are covering something up. I do not think things are they way they are being  told in the media.  Watching Rubicon has made me question things even more than I did before ( if that is possible).

Do you take everything you hear or read at face value or do you wonder if there is more to the story?


Watch below the first episode of Rubicon.  I think you will be thinking about things differently after watching and I know I can not wait until the season begins.


AMC’s newest original drama series “Rubicon” debuts on Sunday, August 1 with a special two-hour premiere from 8–10pm ET.

If you would like to learn more about Rubicon check out this website: http://www.amctv.com/originals/Rubicon/


SP

Ten Tips for Ensuring a Healthy, Safe and Happy School Year

Twittermoms and Airwear have asked us to post our Ten Tips for Ensuring a Healthy, Safe and Successful School Year.  This is in promotion of Airwear’s essay contest at www.LighterSaferGreener.com. Airwear and fellow TwitterMom, Beth Aldrich, are sponsoring an essay contest for consumers, encouraging parents and care-givers to share how they plan to help their kids live a healthy, safe and successful school year. Families can submit their thoughts by visiting LighterSaferGreener.com. One grand prize winner will be awarded $1,000, while 10 first prize winners will receive vouchers for Airwear lenses valued up to $400. On LighterSaferGreener.com can learn more about Airwear’s eco-friendly practices and view more of Aldrich’s tips to ensure kids have a healthy, safe and successful school year.

These are the my Top 10 Tips:

1.  Make sure your child gets a good breakfast every morning.  This helps give them the fuel they need to have a good day.

2.  Keep an open dialogue with your child's teacher.  This keeps you in the know of what is going on in your child's school life.  The teacher is more likely to tell you about your child's if they know you care.

3.  Watch your child for any signs of trouble your child may be having.  If you spend time with your child on a daily basis you can see any changes in your child.

4.  Make sure your child gets enough rest.  If your child is rested they can learn more.  It is hard to concentrate when you are tired.

5.  Make sure your child gets a healthy lunch.

6.  Eat supper with your child  every night.  You can learn a lot by listening and what better time to talk then at dinner time.t

7.  Help your child with their homework.  You will know what is going on at school and can learn if your child is having problems with a subject.
 
8.  Let your child do something after school to unwind before starting their homework.  Golfergirl plays golf.
 
9.  Talk to your child about safety on the computer and monitor their activities.

10.  Keep an open line of communication with your child.  This way they feel safe telling you anything.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Airwear blogging program, making me eligible to get a $25 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, visit http://airwear.twittermoms.com/about.

Superstitions

Do you believe in Superstitions?
I am not really superstitious.

I remember when I was little, my grandmother was very superstitious. If a black cat crossed in front of our moving car, she would make an "X" in the air to "cross out the bad luck"  I remember thinking it was funny. I also remember her being very real about it and not thinking it was funny.  Some other things I remember is not opening an umbrella in the house and not walking under a ladder.

I do remember spending a lot of time as a kid either trying to step on a crack or not stepping on crack depending on if I was mad at my mom at the time. LOL.  You have to remember that game " Step on a crack and break your mothers back"  The game came a halt one day when a friend of mine stepped on a crack and that afternoon her mom hurt her back.  Looking back on as an adult I see where the two had nothing to do with the other but as a kid it scared me to death.

I was given the chance to watch the preview of AMC's newest original drama series "Rubicon" which debuts on Sunday August 1st with a special two hour premiere from 8-10 pm ET.  Rubicon is a thriller for anyone who loves mystery and action shows.  It is based in New York and follows an analyst who finds out no.thing is what it seems in his attempt to figure out what to do next.  He is surrounded by quirky, superstitious co-works that are very intelligent.  They work to solve "codes" found in places you would never expect to find a code.  There are so many superstitions in this show.  The one that got my attention was the one where you are not suppose to let a broom touch your foot.  You will have to watch to see what is suppose to happen when you a broom touches your foot. Can't give everything away now!!

I liked the show and will be setting my DVR to record since Sunday nights are kinda busy at my house.  I love being able to record shows to watch when I need some Mommy time.


SP

The Waiting Game: Tips to Keep Kids Busy

MobiStories.com Guest Contributor Wendy Toone shares great tips on how to keep your kids occupied when you've got tons of errands to run!

As a mom of two, I know I'm not alone when I say how challenging it is to keep young kids occupied while doing any sort of waiting. And by challenging, I mean "grit-your-teeth, pull your hair out, I can't believe they're doing that in public" challenging. How many times have you had to stop in to the bank for a quick transaction with a toddler in tow, only to find a line so long you think you made a wrong turn and ended up at the DMV. What to do?? You look at your toddler...at the line...at the very important banking you need to do...at your toddler.... at the line. It may seem like a hopeless situation, but it's not. I'm here to help.

Here are a few of my tried and true tips and ideas to try the next time you find yourself in a queue, a waiting room, on a plane, or any other situation where you may need to keep your little ones quiet and at bay. They've worked for me; I hope they work for you. The basic premise is to keep your child busy. By giving them something specific to do you'll be combating boredom, and may have fun in the process. So, give your toddler a job...Part 1 offers Gross Motor Exercises. In my follow up article I offer some Fine Motor Exercises. And the series will finish with the all-important Cognitive Exercises, to keep your little one thinking all the time.

"Gross" Motor Exercises (exercises for the large muscle groups, not the yucky ones)

Youngsters need to be active. It seems as though they're wired that way. Running, jumping, rolling are all part of everyday life for toddlers - after all, physical and cognitive development is their job. So, since screen time may not be an option, how can we expect them to stand still for any length of time? That doesn't mean you can turn your little one loose in the lobby. But you can encourage the use of large muscle groups, keeping them active but in one spot.

1. Flamingo Stand - have your child extend his/her arms out to the side for balance, then pick up one foot and see how long they can stand on the other foot. Naturally you'll want to make sure you both have a bit of room in case of tips and tumbles. But the goal is not to fall down. The goal is to stay up...counting helps and creates an opportunity for improvement as each time they try they get to higher and higher numbers.

Once your child (and probably you as well) tire of the Flamingo Stand, move on to this one.

2. Little, Big - have your child do basic squats. For those of you who workout, you know how fatiguing it can be to burn those thigh muscles. Your child reaches as tall as she/he can, up on tiptoes, then squats down as little as they can, but staying on their feet. Think duck squat. In fact, you can even give a whispered little "quack, quack" if it helps. You can get big, now get little, as often as you'd like. Be certain not to go too fast.... otherwise you move into jumping, which may require more room than you have at hand.

We adults will probably feel the burning sensation in our legs much sooner than your child; however, you can probably stop at any time and watch your child go, go, go, go.

These are just a couple of gross motor exercises you can do with your child. By the way, why do they call them gross motor exercises? I'm sure you can now think of many others along these same lines. When it comes to waiting on long lines, giving your child something productive to do will make the waiting time pass more quickly. I look for anything to pass the time by. Whether it's Gross Motor, Fine Motor or even just watching digital picture books to exercise your child's brain. You know, whatever it takes. They're only this young once!

Wendy Toone is a child expert having owned and operated a leading franchise children's fitness center and now producing MobiStories, Virtual Books for KidsTM, as well as being a mom to her two children. To experience the world of digital children's picture books, visit MobiStories.com.

To download a free digital book for your PC visit MobiStories.com, click on Summer (in the Ages 2 - 4 category) add it to the cart along with Michelle Obama (Ages 6-10) then enter the code SUM0710 in the Coupon Code Box.

*This advertorial post is sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer's Network.

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo The Complete Series Review

Synopsis: The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo is about the adventures of Scooby Doo, Shaggy Rogers, Daphne Blake, and Scrappy-Doo chasing after more mysteries.  Now they are joined by a magnificent warlock called Vincent Van Ghoul, who is a cartoon caricature of Vincent Price ( who also provides the voice) and a mischievous boy names Flim-Flam.  Together they have to catch 13 ghosts and put them in a magical "Chest of Demons" that Scooby and Shaggy were  tricked into opening by two sneaky ghosts names Weerd and Bogel.


Release Date:  June 29th

Official Site:  www.kidswb.com

 Buy: The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo: The Complete Series



I received the DVD 13 Ghosts Scooby Doo the complete series for doing this review.