I've moved from Blogger to Wordpress

Well it’s official… I made the move from Blogger to WordPress.  It took a few calls to my hosting company and a few emails to a blogging friend but I did it!


Here are some of the Pros and Cons of Wordpress that I've noticed so far...

PRO: Alexa Rank instantly increased (yay)

CON: Unfortunately, spam comments also increased (boo)

PRO: More options- plugins, widgets, etc.

CON: More options means more to learn!

PRO: Hundreds of different themes (ie. layouts) to choose from

CON: You actually have to narrow it down and choose one!

PRO: Posts can be detailed and organized with tags and categories

CON: Tags, categories… who can keep up?!

Overall I’m happy to be out of Blogger’s grasp (ie. Google), but I can’t quite say yet that I’m one of those bloggers who’s completely happy to have made the switch… but hopefully WordPress will continue to grow on me and I’ll get more comfortable using it.

I've also had a complete blog makeover so I hope you'll come by and visit me at the updated site.  :)

I'm Moving...

I'm not sure yet how all this is going to work out when I make the move from Blogger to Wordpress, since I'm attempting it myself (gulp).  So bear with me if my site looks or acts strange for the next few days or so.

source

Please be patient and if I disappear for a couple days don't forget about me... I'll be back (said in my best Terminator voice).  Thanks in advance for understanding.

And if you are technically savvy and do Blogger to Wordpress moves, leave a comment or email me... I may need professional help if I can't figure this all out on my own!

OrganicVille Foods: Organic, Vegan, & Gluten-Free {Review & Giveaway}

I try my best to give my family things that are good for them... it makes me feel good when I can provide them with organic natural products instead of ones that are processed.

OrganicVille Foods was started in 2004 and it's goal since day one has been to "...create exceptional organic products that your whole family can enjoy."  They have pasta sauces, condiments, salad dressings, salsas, and more... even ice cream.  They offer healthy alternatives to all your favorites!

• Certified Organic
• Vegan
• NO Added Sugar
• Certified Gluten Free

You can find great recipes on their site too, like this Best Ever Coleslaw perfect for summer:

Ingredients

• 1/2 Green Cabbage, Shredded
• 1/4 Red Cabbage, Shredded
• 1 large Carrot, Julienne
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 bottle Organicville Non-Dairy Coleslaw Dressing

Directions

In a large bowl toss together cabbage and carrot. Mix in salt, pepper, and coleslaw dressing.

Cover with plastic, and let marinate at least 8 hours.

I was able to try two products- it was tough narrowing it down since a lot of the products were ones my family uses on a regular basis.  I decided to go with the Organic Mayo and one of the Organic Pasta Sauces.  When I used both of the items, I didn't tell my family I was using anything different and no one noticed a thing, including my husband.

We tend to go through a lot of mayo- between sandwiches, tuna, pasta salads, even on burgers!  The first time I used the Non-Dairy Organic Mayo, I put it on chicken sandwiches.  The taste is great- no weird flavor.  I also used it in tuna to make a healthy lunch and it tasted delicious!

The second product I tried was the Tomato Basil Organic Pasta Sauce.  It's seems some sort of pasta dish is usually a weekly staple in our house.  I thought the basil was actually a tad overpowering in the sauce but no one else seemed to mind.  I topped it off with some parmesan cheese before serving it.

OrganicVille Foods taste great and  I felt good knowing it was completely organic and good for my family.  I love that I can pronounce all the ingredients on the label too!

BUY IT:  You can use their store locator to find OrganicVille products near you in natural food stores, grocery stores, and supermarkets nationwide.  You can also order directly from their online store.

WIN IT:  1 lucky reader is going to win 2 products from OrganicVille Foods!!

Mandatory entry:  Visit OrganicVille Foods and tell me which product you'd most like to try

Extra entries (can be done after mandatory entry is completed, leave a separate comment on this post for each entry you do):

•  Follow OrganicVille on Twitter
•  Like OrganicVille Foods on Facebook
•  Follow my blog publicly via GFC  +2 entries
•  Subscribe to my blog via Email  +2 entries
•  Follow me on Twitter
•  Like me on Facebook
•  Enter any of my other giveaways (+1 for each)
•  Vote for my blog at The Picket Fence Blogs (can be done daily)
•  Post about this giveaway (Facebook, Cafemom, Blog, etc.) +5 entries, leave link
•  Tweet about this giveaway (may be done daily, leave link)

#WIN 2 products from @Organicville Foods- organic, vegan, and gluten free!! via @SusieBHomemaker http://goo.gl/aeLAm #Giveaway ends 6/10

U.S. ONLY

This contest ends on 6/10/11 at 11:59 pm EST. Open to U.S. residents only.  The winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning notification email before another winner is drawn.  Please make sure your email is visible on your profile or leave with your comment(s).

Disclosure:  I received a product in exchange for my review.  No other form of compensation was given.  All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and completely honest.

JoeShopping.com- Shop, Share, Socialize!

Have you heard of JoeShopping.com?  It's a site to find you tons of incredible hot deals and bargains as well as a place to connect with other community members.  Think of it like a social networking site for couponing and deal hunting.

JoeShopping offers a ton of ways to save all in one place right at your fingertips.  You can comparison shop hundreds of items, read product reviews before you buy, and discuss the latest and greatest deals with other users.

You can also find the newest discounts for a variety of stores, including amazing Chadwicks coupon codes- a clothing outlet store.  They also even have popular Target coupon codes- one of my favorite places to shop!  And you can print your grocery store coupons right from the site to save you even more money.

While you're there, you can also click on the Hot Deals tab and find super savings from all over the web.  You can see the percentage of other members who thought it was a hot deal (ie. a great bargain!) and not to be missed out on.  And if you have your own hot deal you'd like to share, you can add it to the list for everyone else to see.

And one of the coolest things... the $100 Sweepstakes!  Every month JoeShopping is giving away $100 to one of their members.  You earn JoePoints for doing different things on the site- just for registering, free daily points, reviewing a product, referring a friend and more.  Then you can exchange your hard-earned points for entries into the monthly sweepstakes.

You only have to enter once during the month and then all the points earned during the rest of the month automatically get you more entries into the sweepstakes.  So you're saving money and getting a chance to win $100 at the same time... it doesn't get any easier than that!

Dealing with Birthday Disappointment

I think I've been referring to my oldest daughter as my "almost 6 yr. old" for several months now.  I've also had it in my head that she'd be getting a big over the top Barbie party with all her friends from school and playgroup.

Unfortunately I've come to the realization that what I had planned isn't necessarily what's going to happen.  Her birthday is in a couple weeks... which is also in the midst of when we're supposed to start our kitchen renovation.

Since my husband will be helping out with the kitchen remodel, I'd be on my own throwing a party with my 3 girls plus trying to entertain a dozen or so more kids.  I'm thinking it's going to be a much smaller affair now.  Just a few friends, probably at a local park (weather permitting) since we can't have it at our house.

I'm just bummed that it's not what I had in mind.  I already explained to my daughter that it wouldn't be all the kids from her class but just a few friends instead.  I thought she'd be more disappointed, but she really didn't seem to care.  Playing at the park with friends sounds like fun to her!

I guess I'm more upset about it than she is.  When you get it in your head of how something's going to turn out, and then it doesn't, it can be a huge letdown.  And feeling like I'm not giving my daughter the huge birthday party she deserves is tough to deal with as a parent.

I know it'll still be a fun day... it's all about her having a good time.  And she is getting a family birthday celebration out at the Grandparent's house in addition to the small get-together with her friends, so I don't think she'll be lacking in the 'birthday fun' department.  I just need to realize that as much as you can try to plan things, you have to leave room for the unexpected and be flexible for any changes that may come up.