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I don’t know how the weather is in your part of the woods, but here in west Michigan it’s been quite hot & humid.   Due to the heat not only has the ac been running non-stop, but I’ve been trying to keep something nice and cold in the freezer for the kids to snack on.  We have some frozen blueberries, Popsicles and just last week we were lucky to try a new ice cream (at least for us) to try and cool us down.

Once I walked in from the grocery store with the box of Breyers Smooth & Dreamy tripple chocolate chip bars in hand, my kids (and husband) couldn’t wait to try it!   After listening to all three of them begging to try one I ended up caving and with in seconds I could hear the box rip open and then Kevin quick getting the scissors to open up his & Katie’s. 

Then it happened, the house got nice and quiet.  Had I of had a pin in my hand, I think I could of heard it drop.   I looked at the kids and asked them how they liked it and they (along with Dad) gave it a thumbs up.  Kevin was kind enough (I think honestly it was brown nosing as he knew there were 3 more in the box) to let me have a nibble or two so I could at least blog about what I thought.

 I know every person is different, but for me it was a little to much chocolate so I would for sure label this one as an ice cream to buy for chocolate lovers everywhere!  While I could of chose a different flavor of Breyers ice cream to try I knew that my family (Especially Paul) would like this one the best so that’s why I went with the Triple Chocolate Chip.  When the box says extra creamy, I can tell you that the box didn’t lie as the ice cream was rich & creamy.  To me, that can be a good thing because when I buy the store brand ice cream bars as soon as the kids finish their first ice cream bar they are already begging for a second one.   With the Breyers Smooth & Dreamy it left the kids very satisfied where I didn’t have to hear them begging for another one right away.

By looking at this picture you can tell that Katie very much enjoyed her ice cream, but both kids ended up having 1 problem comparing these to the store brand ice cream bars.  Their problem was that there was only 6 in a box!!   What Mom & Dad liked about it though was they were a great bargining tool.. if they wanted a 2nd one, then they had to use their legs at swim lessons.  If they did, they would get one of the last 2 bars, if not.. Mom & Dad got them.   Needless to say the kids ended up getting the last two bars the next day.

It was Thanks to Mom Central and Breyers that I was able to try these ice cream bars and not only did they give me a coupon to try them for free, but they also gave me enough coupons that I can give 5 of my lucky readers a coupon as well so 5 of my readers will be able to try a box of Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Ice Cream Bars or Sandwiches for FREE!!   (What a great Summer’s Day gift!)

If you would like to try a win one of the coupons all you have to do is visit http://www.smoothanddreamy.com, go to their product page and visit their Smooth & Dreamy Bars & Sandwiches and leave a comment on this post letting me know which one of the 6 you would want to try!  It’s simple as that!     The contest will close Thursday, August 5th at Midnight so that will give my readers a week to figure out which ice cream they can’t wait to try.  Then on August 6th I will come back here and let you know which 5 readers won the coupons to try their own Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Ice cream bars or sandwiches.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Breyers and received products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Kevin and I had a fun day today as we were able to go to a ceremony to watch his Karate instructor earn his 7th degree black belt today! I don’t know to much about karate yet except for punching, kicking, and their a couple of the forms, but I do know that earning a belt like that is a big deal! So I wanted to make a shout out a CONGRATULATIONS to Master Rick and let him know how proud and honored Kevin is to be his student.

If you’ve never seen Aloha Friday then here is the run down from Island Life….

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought on Fridays I would take it easy on posting too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you would like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave the link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participates! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

Now on to my question of the week:

What’s been your favorite thing you have done this summer so far?

For me it’s been having the kids in swim lessons!  Origionally we were only going to put them in one session, but ended up putting them in 2 sessions and am amazed at how well they are both doing!  The first day Kevin was doggie paddling.  Now he is learning to dive and is able to swim without a floation device.  Katie’s first class was more just getting used to the water, but now being in level two she is getting the hang of using her arms & legs (she needs to learn to use her legs more) and the other day ended up jumping off the diving board without a floation device!  She did need some help back, but she is getting there!

I can’t believe that August is right around the corner and you know what that means, the beginning of back to school shopping!   Thankfully I already received the list from Kevin’s school letting me know what he will need for first grade and I feel lucky enough that with the back to school sales going on already I’ve been able to get a majority of the stuff and it cost me $1.89, of course I still have to buy clothes and 2 pairs of gym schools (one needs to stay at school).  I’m really hoping that Kevin didn’t grow to much this summer and he will be able to wear the same clothes that he wore last year.  (Is that bad of me?)

While a majority of people do their back to school shopping at local stores you can save money by also doing the shopping online thing buy using online coupons and the best of it is you don’t have to go deal with the crowds, parking and kids whining they don’t want to go school shopping!   In a way it sounds like a win-win situation to me.

I will admit I never have made this yet, but will be making it the next time we go pick blueberries! Since it’s blueberry season I just wanted to share right now! I hope you enjoy!

Watermelon Blueberry Banana Split
INGREDIENTS

* 2 large bananas
* 8 “scoops” watermelon and/or cantaloupe
* 1 cup blueberries (or raspberries or strawberries)
* 1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
* 1/4 cup granola

DIRECTIONS
1. Peel bananas and cut in half crosswise, then cut each piece in half lengthwise. For each serving, lay 2 banana pieces against the sides of a shallow dish.

2. To make watermelon “scoops” use an ice cream scoop to create balls of watermelon. Remove seeds, if needed. Place a watermelon “scoop” at each end of the dish.

3. Fill the center space with berries.

4. Stir yogurt until smooth, spoon over the watermelon “scoops”.

5. Sprinkle with granola.

Serves 4

A couple years ago I ended up having an allergic reaction to something (eyes were swelling) and had no clue why.   It was then that my best friend jokingly said “Maybe you’re allergic to your laptop” as I had just bought it a week earlier.  I said no as there wasn’t any rubber on it (I’m allergic to black rubber) but then realized the wireless mouse I had bought to go with it had rubber on the sides.  So here I would use the mouse and the rub my eye.. hence that was why my eyes were starting to get all puffy and miserable looking. 

Thankfully I was able to get on some drugs and my dermatolgist gave me some of the best eye cream out there (don’t remember the name of it) as it was suppose to help too.  Thankfully it did and my eyes got back to normal.   Since then I’ve gotten used to not having a mouse so I no longer need a wireless mouse, but I still will always check them when I go past them in the store and am amazed that they no longer seem to carry any without the rubber.   I’m amazed at how many other things are now having rubber added to them… even your wii controllers have the rubber around them too.  So no playing wii for me.