A to Z Challenge Begins!

Okay, so I did something really stupid.
I signed up for the A to Z Blogging Challenge. 
This means I have to post something every day (except Sundays,) during the month of April, with each day's post corresponding somehow with the next letter of the alphabet.Tomorrow, (April 1st) is A, the next day is B, etc.
This will definitely be a challenge for me.Especially since I haven't gotten around to following the wise advice of the challenge leaders and written any posts ahead of time.
* gulp *
Things could get spicy around here...What am I going to post for X? ...Z? 

Ultimate Blog Party 2011

I just found out about this fun event this evening, 

and I'm so glad I did!

What a fun way to meet new and like-minded bloggers!

The Ultimate Blog Party is hosted by 5MinutesforMom.com and will include prizes!

Mostly it's a great place to find links to a bunch of other (mostly mom) bloggers!

  For those of you who are visiting from the party, welcome to my blog, where I, (Johanna,) write as "Mama Chocolate" about my life as a stay-at-home-mama and wife! 

  God has blessed me and my husband, John, with two beautiful daughters, and we pray He continues to give us the wisdom to bring them up, (and any future children!) in the fear of the Lord.

February 2011

photo by Polka Dot

  We are Christians and plan on homeschooling our little ones! John and I are both homeschool graduates and are excited to be passing on that vision on to our children!

  We enjoy living out in the sticks and raise kids, sheep, dogs, cats and weeds, (the ordinary, legal kind.)

  Our oldest daughter, Kathryn, (Katie,) just turned 2 this week (how did this happen?!) Victoria is our latest edition, is already 4 months old, and bringing more joy to our family every day!

  I love my life and am living what I have always dreamed: out in the country, raising beautiful children with a godly, loving husband.

Join me as I learn the intricacies of homemaking, share recipes, reviews and giveaways, and brag about my kids!

Leave me a comment and let me know you stopped by! I'd love to visit your blog and meet you! 

Tropical Traditions Raw Honey Review & Giveaway - 4/15

* This giveaway is now CLOSED *

I recently had the privilege of trying out Tropical Traditions excellent Gold Label virgin coconut oil, and now I am pleased to bring to you their Organic Raw Honey!

17.6oz - $12.99

Description on the jar:

Tropical Traditions Organic Raw Honey comes from the remote areas of Canada where the bees roam in wild areas. This honey is not processed to make it liquid, and it retains its natural crystal form. It is never heated above temperatures that the honey is naturally exposed to in the beehive. The term "100% Organic Honey" is very specific and very few honeys can meet this standard, due to the fact that bees cannot be controlled in the wild. 

The beehives must be placed in isolated areas miles from dense population, industry, traffic congestion, and farm fields treated with pesticides and chemical fertilizers. The bee's flying range is carefully calculated. Our Organic Raw Honey is gathered from the frontier areas of Canada. All aspects of the honey production, including the source of the nectar, the forage areas of the bees, the extraction process, the transportation and th repackaging are all taken into account in the organic certification process for honey.

My review:

Besides enjoying the commendable and healthy features of being organic and raw,  I can honestly say this is the best-tasting honey I've ever had!

All other honeys I've eaten have always left a sharp, too-sweet taste in my mouth and feeling in my throat, and I've never cared for spreading honey on pancakes, toast, etc, like my husband always does!

Even though it is crystallized unlike your "normal" honey, it has a super-smooth, creamy texture that is nothing like the grainy, nastiness that happens when your honey gets older and crystallizes.

 I am now spreading this honey on anything that sounds remotely compatible, and, yes, after I took this photo, that spoonful went straight into my mouth. 

Followed by another.

Tropical Traditions is an excellent company, and, I just recently discovered, is recommended by Jordan Rubin in his book "The Maker's Diet" as a resource for safe, healthy foods!

To get delicious recipes for using Tropical Traditions' excellent foods, check out FreeCoconutRecipes.com.
Frozen Chocolate Coconut Fudge sounds mighty delicious!

Tropical Traditions is giving away another 17.6oz jar of their Organic Raw Honey to one of my lucky readers!

You must use the form below to enter!

Please feel free to comment to remind yourself that you entered, (if you've forgotten, email me and I'll check for you. I don't mind, and I don't usually bite. I'm nice that way.)

jccchocolate@gmail.com

Remember, however, that comments will not be counted as entries, except to count daily tweets. (see details on the form)

Current Entries as of Friday, April 15th, 11:59pm PST: 347

Giveaway will close April 15th, Friday, 2011 at 11:59pm PST.

This giveaway is open to residents of US and Canada. I will choose the winner via Random.org, and the winner will be announced here on the blog and notified by email. Make sure to leave your email address or have your contact info available in your blogger profile. The winner will have 48 hours to respond, after which a new winner will be chosen.

*Disclaimer:Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Links You'll Want

Tropical Traditions Newsletter Sign-Up
Tropical Traditions on Facebook
Tropical Traditions on Twitter
Coconut Recipes Website
Mama Chocolate on Facebook

Mama Chocolate on Twitter

Toddler Talk Thursday - Late Night Wake-Up Calls

Check out the hosts of this fun weekly link-up, Family and Life in Las Vegas, Crazy about My Baybah, and My Life as a Sippy Cup Mom!

This week, my suggested topic was chosen!

"Does your toddler ever wake up in the middle of the night? If so, what do they want and how do you deal with it?"

I am grateful to be able to say that Katie has been a pretty good sleeper from the beginning. She has regularly slept through the night since she was about 3 months old.
She tried to even when she was a month old, but she was having so much trouble gaining weight during those early weeks that we had to wake her to make her eat!

A tuckered-out 16-month-old Katie back in August

Shortly before Victoria was born, and ever since, she'll occasionally have a couple nights in a row when she wakes up, usually very sad, almost scared. I think she has a vivid imagination that works its way into her dreams. If I ask her what's wrong, she'll often say, "Bad guy!"
Sometimes I think she just says that because in all her "stories," if the princess is crying, it's because of "the bad guy."
Either way, it's sad!



Since we've been working on potty training, she will sometimes wake up saying, "MAMA! Potty!" over and over again, until I drag my bleary-eyed self in there and help her to the bathroom.
I try to keep as quiet as possible and let her get the business done. If I talk to her too much or start to tell her a story, (as she almost always requests,) she starts to think it's an awesome late-night party!
She usually asks me to sing Amazing Grace to her. Then I get her a drink and we snuggle for a minute before I set her back in her crib.

I am usually pleading with God this whole time that her hollering and chatter will not wake up Victoria, who sleeps in the same room.
God must love me, 'cause in the last two months of them sharing a room, I can honestly say that they've woken each other up no more than 5 or 6 times!

In the mornings, when I hear Katie waking up, I usually leave her alone for 5 minutes or more before I go in there.
She needs her space to fully wake up.

Otherwise, I get this:

Already not a morning person at 14 months

Can you tell she hasn't had her coffee yet?

If I let her wake up a bit and then bounce in there with a cheery "Good morning!" everything's good.

She'll sometimes even giggle and bounce excitedly in her crib, 

ready to start another glorious day of being a toddler...

Next week's Topic Suggestion:

How does your toddler relate to your pets or animals in general?

WINNERS! SafetyTat Temporary Tattoos

We have some winners!

The SafetyTat giveaway ended with 34 valid entries, and the random number generator picked #17 and #25!

 Entry #17 is...Kira!

Check out Kira's new business, Tuney Tots!

Entry #25 is Erinn S!

Congratulations! I'll be sending you both an email shortly, and you'll have 48 hours to respond before I must choose new winners!

* Update: Both winners have responded! Congrats! *

If you didn't win, be sure to check the sidebar for exciting new giveaways coming soon!

Wordless Wednesday - Teething!

My 4-month-old child is teething...loads of fun, as I'm sure you can imagine.

This was part of a photo shoot we had with the cousins, which was actually loads of fun...

...more photos will come!

CSN Review - Robeez Booties

Classic Bootie by Robeez 

Features:

• Girl's Classic Bootie in Pastel Pink Leather
• Available in whole sizes only
• Available in Medium width only
• The sole is constructed out of textured suede
• The upper is constructed out of premium leather
• Part of the Classic collection
• Leather insole
• Elasticized ankle design always ensures they stay on
• Flexible soles and podiatrist-approved designs
• Soft materials that flex with each step
• Durable non-slip suede soles

Adorable and Comfortable!

By Mama Chocolate from Oregon on 3/29/2011

5out of 5

These booties are great for my daughter in our wood-heated house. We have hard floors that are often cold, especially in the mornings, so it's essential to have something to keep her little toes warm!

It's even better to be able to be stylish at the same time! :-)

We often use them when we're going out, too.
We LOVE the soft soles of Robeez and the excellent, durable quality.

Vist CSN Stores to find almost everything imaginable: cookware, shoes, furniture, and baby supplies, (I've even ordered a Moby Wrap from them!)

Disclosure: A gift card was provided to me to purchase this item in exchange for a review for CSN Stores. All the ideas and opinions expressed are my own. I was not paid nor compensated in any other way.

$10 Blogging Class!

If you’re just getting started with blogging – or you’re looking for ways to take your blogging to the next level – you should consider joining this exciting 4-week class.

I have enjoyed this class immensely, and learned SO much! I'll be working for months processing and implementing all the helpful information I picked up from Tanya, the class instructor, and the dozens of other bloggers, (that know so much more than I do!) who were taking the class with me!


New and exciting things are coming for Mama Chocolate, and it's almost all thanks to Blogelina and the things I've learned in the class!


Incredible as it sounds, keep in mind that everything listed below is yours for just $10 (it’s valued at over $100) – no gimmicks, surprises, or hidden fees! It's guaranteed.*

• The Class Manual – packed with 60 pages of information that will help take the overwhelming out of starting your own blog
• 4 weekly online class sessions where you can ask your questions and get personalized feedback
• A FREE Year of Web hosting! Blogelina is partnering with GoDaddy.com to provide each person who registers for Blogelina’s Online Class complimentary year of web hosting ($84 value)!  That’s right – no strings attached, no hidden requirements…  Just register for the class through the button below and start building your profitable blog today!  (Wondering why paid web hosting is so important for your blog? Oh, and did I mention that the pros recommend it?)
• Save yourself a lot of time, trouble, and money – learn from Tanya's own experiences what to do and not to do!

The best thing...even after the 4-week class is over, I can keep coming back to get a refresher...for no extra cost! I can ask Tanya any questions I have, plus I have all the classes and chats recorded to go back to and read over again!

NOTE: If you can’t commit to making class each week… Don’t worry!  Weekly follow-up notes and a copy of each class presentation are sent out via email the day following class. 

*If you’re not 100% satisfied with your experience with Blogelina, let them know within 30 Days of your class session ending and they'll refund your registration fee!  PLUS You’ll get to keep your copy of the class manual and your free year of hosting!
Disclosure: I have enjoyed this class so much I became an affiliate for Blogelina! All links to the Blogelina class are my affiliate links. 

...and welcome to my hoppers! 

Fun with Food Friday - Easiest Taco Soup

Welcome to Week 4 of Fun with Food Friday! (ALERT: Read to the bottom for extra bonus entries opportunity!)
Check The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom for another recipe review this week!
Today's recipe comes from reader Amanda E! It's quick, delicious, and the ingredients are easy to always have on hand! 
Easiest Taco Soup

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can enchilada sauce (this is the secret ingredient)

1 can refried beans

2 cans some sort of juicy tomatoes (diced, sauce, crushed/pureed) use more or less depending on how thin/thick you want the soup

If you like corn in soup, throw in a can of that or a few handfuls from the bag in the freezer. 

And that could be it. It's extra good if you keep little bags of taco meat in the freezer. Otherwise you could brown a pound of ground beef and season it with taco seasonings to put in too.

You can warm it slowly in the crock pot if you're going to be gone or working on a project or visiting with friends. Or you can heat it over the stove in about 15 minutes. You get bonus points if you can serve it with cornbread.

I was cooking for a bunch of people, (including two teenage boys,) so I doubled it!

So quick and easy! You literally just throw every thing in your soup pot, (or crock pot!) and warm it up!

I even had time to whip up PW's Pico de Gallo and Guacamole!

Delicious with tortilla chips and spooned on top of the soup with a dollop of sour cream! 

YUMMY!

I've made this at least three times in the last 2 weeks. 

It is SO good, and is awesome for my "I-forgot-to-do-anything-about-dinner-and-it's-7pm" moments.

Very rare, of course.

 Also an excellent candidate for a make-ahead crock pot meal!

**********************We'll be doing this again next Friday, and we need your recipes!

To encourage ya'll to produce your tasty gems, I'm offering 10 extra entries into any ONE giveaway of your choice for each recipe you submit, (you can send me as many as you like!)


Just send the recipe(s) to mamachocolateblog@gmail.com and tell me which current giveaway(s) you'd like your extra entries to go into. I'll add the entries!


Don't forget to check The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom to see what Michelle cooked up this week!

If you have a blog post about a favorite recipe, I'd love it if you'd comment with a link to it!
Spread the word about our event and grab the button!




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Toddler Talk Thursday - Toybox

Check out the hosts of this fun weekly link-up, Family and Life in Las Vegas, Crazy about My Baybah, and My Life as a Sippy Cup Mom!

This week's topic is:

"What non-toy items make up your toddler's toybox?"


For starters...here's a photo I snapped last week:

Katie feeding beans to her bunny, with my measuring spoon in a Sterilite tub.
How's that for "non-toy" toys? :-)

She also has an old, dead cell phone that she loves to use to call random people, including, but not limited to, Papa, Nana, Aunt "Boppy", Aunt "Sooby", and...Jesus.
Oh, yes. She was telling Him quite seriously the other day that He needed to "call Mama."

Not sure whether she just thought I could use some encouragement...or she was tattling on me, or...?

 I love my girl.


Next week's Topic Suggestion:
Does your toddler still ever wake up during the night? If so, what do they want and how do you deal with it?

WINNER! BabyBond Nursing Cover

We have another winner!

The BabyBond nursing cover giveaway ended with 127 valid entries, (including extra entry comments,) and the random number generator picked #7!

Entry # is...Beverly!

Congratulations! I'll be sending you an email shortly, and you'll have 48 hours to respond before I must choose a new winner!

If you didn't win, be sure to enter my other current giveaways, and watch for exciting new giveaways coming soon!

Current Giveaways:

SafetyTat Tattoos - 3/30 Enter here!

Wordless Wednesday - Chilly Girl!

Katie helping us "catch a lamb!" last Saturday...

Her current favorite past-time. :-)

It's about time...

I finally wrote an "About Me" page! Yay.

May not seem like a big deal, but I've been trying to get around to this forever, so I will now pat myself on the back for getting it done.

*pat, pat*

Thank you.

February 2011

photo by Polka Dot

Welcome to my blog, where I, (Johanna,) write as "Mama Chocolate" about my life as a stay-at-home-mama and wife! 

God has blessed me and my husband, John, with two beautiful daughters, and we pray He continues to give us the wisdom to bring them up, (and any future children!) in the fear of the Lord.

We are Christians and plan on homeschooling our little ones! John and I are both homeschool graduates and are excited to be passing on that vision on to our children!

We enjoy living out in the sticks and raise kids, sheep, dogs, cats and weeds, (the regular, legal kind.) ;-)

Our oldest daughter, Kathryn, (Katie,) will be 2 at the end of March 2011 (when did this happen?!) Victoria is our latest edition, is already 4 months old, and bringing more joy to our family every day!

I love my life and am living what I have always dreamed: out in the country, raising beautiful children with a godly, loving husband.

Join me as I learn the intricacies of homemaking, share recipes, reviews and giveaways, and brag about my kids!

...and Welcome to my hoppers! ;-)

Fun with Food Friday - Crock Pot Pork Chops

Welcome to Week 3 of Fun with Food Friday! (ALERT: Read to the bottom for extra bonus entries opportunity!)
Check The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom for another recipe review this week!
Today's recipe comes from reader Karen W! It's beautifully simple and super quick! A perfect hearty dinner to come home to after a long day out and about, since you can start it in the morning in the crock pot!
Crock Pot Pork Chops

Boneless 1 inch thick Pork chops 

(we make up about 8 so we have left overs)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

Throw those in the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.

During the last hour, make brown rice:

1 cup brown rice

2 cups water

1 tbs butter

1 tsp salt

(I ignore the package directions and put the rice in the cold water with the butter and salt.  As soon as it starts boiling-stir, cover, reduce heat to low.  Set timer for 45-50 minutes. It is done when all the water is absorbed.)

When the pork chops are done remove them from the soup, whisk up the soup to use over the pork chops and rice.  Serve with salad.

I put a little of the soup in the bottom before the first layer of chops and then added some in on each chop to make sure they all stayed good and moist!

I used 3 cans of cream of mushroom soup instead of the recommended 2 just to have some extra sauce.

I think 2 would have been just fine...the pork puts out a lot of juice, too, so all the chops were well covered.

Cooking away!

After 8 hours on low, they turned out flavorful and delicious!

 We poured the soup/sauce over the rice and it was excellent! I've always loved brown rice anyway, but with that sauce on it, I could eat platefuls!!
(don't judge my portions, okay? I'm a nursing mother.)

Definitely a winner! I recently resolved to use the crock pot more often, and this super-easy, almost-no-preparation, delicious dinner is now on my list of crock pot possibilities!

**********************We'll be doing this again next Friday, and we need your recipes!

To encourage ya'll to produce your tasty gems, I'm offering 10 extra entries into any ONE giveaway of your choice for each recipe you submit, (you can send me as many as you like!)


Just send the recipe(s) to mamachocolateblog@gmail.com and tell me which current giveaway(s) you'd like your extra entries to go into. I'll add the entries!


Don't forget to check The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom to see what Michelle cooked up this week!


If you have a blog post about a favorite recipe, I'd love it if you'd comment with a link to it!
Spread the word about our event and grab the button!




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Toddler Talk Thursday - Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Check out the hosts of this fun weekly link-up, Family and Life in Las Vegas, Crazy about My Baybah, and My Life as a Sippy Cup Mom!

This week's topic is:

"Show off your little leprechauns"

I didn't have any adorable green outfits or anything this year, so I'll just show you some photos I snapped yesterday of what could be a rather leprechaunish attitude!

I also realize I'm kind of cheating here...since this isn't the toddler. But I'm pretty sure my toddler taught her this new "skill."

So it counts. ;-)

Get ready...

Look! I have a tongue. See it?

Ain't it COOL?

Ha. Your tongue isn't as awesome as mine.

SafetyTat Review & Giveaway - 3/30

* This giveaway is now CLOSED *

SafetyTat˙, "The Tat That Brings Kids Back!",  specializes in temporary tattoos which display a parent/caregiver's mobile phone number, helping the parent and child to quickly be reunited if separated.  Founder Michele Welsh, Mom of three (twins + plus one) is proud to be called a "Mompreneur" and has personally designed, patented and marketed this line of super convenient child safety products. Michele created these products to make her life measurably less stressful, and coincidentally discovered a much needed new market segment. 

While even the thought of actually losing one of my children is too terrifying to even want to think about, let alone plan for, I am grateful for this invention that gives a lot of peace of mind when heading out to crowded public places. 

'Course, out here in the sticks, we don't have too many of those: crowded public places! ;-)

When we are out and about, our girls are still young enough to be worn or to ride in the stroller, but it won't be long before they'll be adventurous little ponies, apt to gallop off and lose themselves!

SafetyTat has a very helpful page of Child Safety Tips, including how to teach your children what they should do if they get lost and what kinds of people are best to approach for help, (women, especially mothers.)

You can also learn interesting, (and somewhat worrisome!) facts about child safety.

• Over 2000 U.S. kids get lost every day.
• Less than 10% are reported to any authority.
• 90% of families will experience losing a child in a public place. 20% have lost a child more than once.
• 95% will forever remember the trauma of getting lost.
• Parents rank losing a child 5 times more concerning to them than terrorism and 3 times more concerning than abduction.
• Kids get lost most often in malls and stores (45%)
• 27% of families that visit an amusement park lose a child while they are there. That's nearly 1 in 3!
• Only 9% of parents put some form of safe ID on their children.
• 76% of parents want to know what to do to prevent a child from getting lost.

My Review:

I was sent a 6-pack ($9.99)of the Princess Quick Stick Write-On! tattoos and a set of 24 Original customized tattoos.

Quick Stick Write-On Tattoos

Made with our proprietary tattoo material, Tateck®, this ultra-durable skin safe applique "tattoo" sticker is waterproof and will last an extra long time -- up to two weeks -- until you are ready to remove it. The Quick Stick Write-On! requires no water to apply. Simply peel and stick -- "Quick Stick!" Perfect for traveling with children, theme parks, school field trips, drop-off birthday parties and play dates, sporting events, scout trips and extracurricular activities.

These skin applique tattoos are shipped BLANK, so you can write your information on them with the included waterproof tattoo marking pen.

18 pack just $19.99 

Includes 18 SafetyTats and one tattoo marking pen.

I liked that with the Quick Stick tattoos, you could use different phone numbers, if, say your child was on an outing with their grandma or friends. (Katie also loved the princesses, of course!)

The only problem that I had was having to write on the tattoo after it's already applied to the skin...which means I had to get a squirmy toddler to hold still enough to keep my writing legible. 

I mostly failed.

This wouldn't be such a problem with older kids, (I hope!)

The Quick Stick is easy and quick to put on (as its name suggests!) and a little easier to get off, which, depending on the cleverness/mischievousness of your child, could actually be a problem.

"Printhess! Dress! Cwown!"

Original SafetyTat & TatBuilder Basic Tattoos


The Original SafetyTat temporary safety ID tattoo is preprinted with one line of customization. Choose your design, select a quantity, and add your phone number. Or you can try "TatBuilder" to design your own Original SafetyTat...

You and your child can be official Tat Artists with TatBuilder! With over 100,000 possible combinations, it’s tons of fun designing an Original style SafetyTat.

Check the TatBuilder page to see the possiblities!

30 Original or 24 TatBuilder Tattoos for $19.95

These tattoos were my favorites. There are huge possibilities for customization with the TatBuilder, and they come with your phone number already printed on, (thus eliminating the squirmy toddler problem.)

I also found that they stayed on better. Katie started picking at the Quick Stick one the first day and got it loose enough that I ended up just taking it off. 

I finally scrubbed off the pre-printed Original one with an alcohol wipe almost two weeks later. It was still in perfect, legible condition!

BUY:

Browse the many options on the SafetyTat website!

Use code "MamaChocolate" (case sensitive) for 10% off any order of $15 or more!
Expires March 30th!

WIN!

SafetyTat has graciously offered a Quick Stick Write On! Multi Pack to TWO lucky Mama Chocolate readers!

You must use the form below to enter!

Please feel free to comment to remind yourself that you entered, (if you've forgotten, email me and I'll check for you. I don't mind, and I don't usually bite.)

jccchocolate@gmail.com

Remember, however, that comments will not be counted as entries, except to count daily tweets. (see details on the form)

Current Entries as of Tuesday, March 22nd, 10:00am PST: 23

Giveaway will close March 30th, Wednesday, 2011 at 10am PST.

This giveaway is open to residents of US and Canada. I will choose the winner via Random.org, and the winner will be announced here on the blog and notified by email. Make sure to leave your email address or have your contact info available in your blogger profile. The winner will have 48 hours to respond, after which a new winner will be chosen.

*I was sent a sample kit of tattoos from SafetyTat for the purposes of this review and was not paid or given any other compensation. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are not influenced in any way.

Links You'll Want

SafetyTat Website
SafetyTat on Facebook

Mama Chocolate on Facebook

Mama Chocolate on Twitter