Momma Told Me: September 2015

Blog Archive

Anyone Can Benefit From Prepaid With The American Express Serve Cash Back Card #IC

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for American Express Serve. I applied for the Serve Cash Back card to facilitate my review and received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
The American Express Serve prepaid card offers 1% instant cash back on all online and offline purchases as well as many other AMEX exclusive discounts and benefits, for a low monthly fee that beats the competition. #IC (ad) #ServeSomeGood

Momma Told Me: Spend smart to save smart.

I opened my first bank account at 10 with a $5 deposit and the intent to save up for a SONY Walkman. While it was merely a joint parent/child savings account, Momma taught my how to balance a checkbook and was sure to see that I visited weekly to deposit a portion of my chore allowance. It even had the benefit of a minute interest rate, which I only ever saw pennies of, seeing as my highest balance was somewhere around $40. Regardless, financing, saving, and money management are skills my parents were sure to instill from an early age. As I've aged, I've learned that, no matter your income or lifestyle, keeping track of your money and managing your finances is never an easy task.
The American Express Serve prepaid card offers 1% instant cash back on all online and offline purchases as well as many other AMEX exclusive discounts and benefits, for a low monthly fee that beats the competition. #IC (ad) #ServeSomeGood
I'll admit, I rely on online baking solutions for a lot for my money transactions- they offer me a lot of securities outside of my primary bank account that prove useful; but there are a few drawbacks, such as limited funding methods, and singular accounts that can limit the benefits for my purposes. When I heard about the American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit card I was immediately excited to learn I could enjoy the discount and special offer details associated with an American Express branded card in addition to 1% cash back on all purchases. And I'm not talking about an annual cash back deposit or a gift card, 1% of all online and in store sales is immediately deposited back into your American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit account at the time of transaction completion!
The American Express Serve prepaid card offers 1% instant cash back on all online and offline purchases as well as many other AMEX exclusive discounts and benefits, for a low monthly fee that beats the competition. #IC (ad) #ServeThemGood
But you may be wondering why a seemingly financially responsible adult with a bank account in good standing would want to use a prepaid account and card. For us, it has been a matter of managing our 'expendable' income versus necessary bills, and savings. In total, we have 4 household debit accounts; 2 of which will remain on our American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit account (as secondary accounts are free and even allow unique cardholders.) Whenever possible I prefer to not even keep my bank card on hand, as that is our 'savings' and 'necessary' funding source. It's the account we desire to keep in good standing to help build interest and maintain for first time homeowner purposes. Using a prepaid debit card like with benefits like these allows us to experience more freedom in financing when traveling, or recreating, as we can never overdraw the card or go outside of our monthly budget.
The American Express Serve prepaid card offers 1% instant cash back on all online and offline purchases as well as many other AMEX exclusive discounts and benefits, for a low monthly fee that beats the competition. #IC (ad) #ServeThemGood
Using the American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit card for day to day purchases, utility payments (a secondary sub account with set spending limits,) and even direct deposit is easy with the online user portal or smartphone app. I love that I can do everything I can do online through my smartphone's app, so I can truly manage my finances in the go. I even receive balance updates and payment receipts regularly, and can locate the nearest FREE ATM when traveling or shopping. And all of those amazing discounts and deals you see advertised exclusively for American Express cardholders? I now get to take advantage of those too, simply by showing my card or using it for specified purchases. That's an amazing savings on top of the already generous 1% cash back!
Traveling and planning vacations while saving to buy a house can be stressful, but having our American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit card on hand to prevent theft or fraud while abroad provides priceless piece of mind. Vacation is one of those times where it;s easy to get caught up in the revelry and over-spend, but this account can keep you on track with spending limits and charge notifications every step of the way. At some point during every vacation I find myself longingly looking at some over-priced local artisan goods and am tempted to reach into my wallet and pay well over what I normally would without the margaritas and Mai Tais running through my veins. This past trip I clearly understood my budget and knew, once it was gone, I would not be able to dip into the bank account to fun such frivolous purchases.
The American Express Serve prepaid card offers 1% instant cash back on all online and offline purchases as well as many other AMEX exclusive discounts and benefits, for a low monthly fee that beats the competition. #IC (ad) #ServeSomeGood
There are many more reasons why we're excited to explore everyday uses for American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit cards, but, primarily, we are optimistic this will be a powerful budgeting tool to separate our savings and household finances from our fun money and impulse buys. And, did I mention, we see our direct deposits up to 2 days faster when using the American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit card (over other prepaid cards?) Yes, its not only convenient, but the extra bonuses built in truly help extend the value of this card beyond 'just another prepaid card.' We look forward to sharing our experiences over the next few months but, for now, you can learn more on Serve's Facebook and Twitter pages. Have you ever used a prepaid debit card to help manage finances?

What Daughter Says: Save while spending with 1% cash back and exclusive American Express cardholder benefits with the American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit card.

MARVEL Power Poppers: Taking The Fun Up to 6 Feet High

We received product samples in order to facilitate this post. No other compensation was provided. All photos copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2015.
MARVEL Power Poppers are made of a compressed foam body that's extra light and soft, with a self propelled (battery free) operation that sends them flying up to 6 feet in the air!
Momma Told Me: Take that outside!

We've already established that I was a bit of a tomboy; I'd play with anything muddy, loud, sticky, or potentially dangerous and it drove Momma crazy. As a young girl with primarily male friends I was used to playing rough and action based pretend play involving super heroes, cops, robbers, and cowboys. But my favorite toys were the ones Momma wouldn't allow in the house. In fact, if I picked something up at the toy store and it immediately solicited a concerned face and "Not in my house!" from Momma, it made me want it even more. Naturally, she was only looking out for me, or her good China, but the same fascination with loud, obnoxious, potentially fast moving toys still lingers today.
One of my favorite childhood toys was deceptively small and fell within the same 'quarter machine' wheelhouse as Silly Putty and those 'crawling' bugs you'd throw at walls simply to watch them cartwheel on down. I wonder if the same people who invented those slime trail leaving quarter toys also had an investment stake in magic eraser scrubbers! In any case, this toy was extremely simple and something I couldn't leave the arcade without trading my tickets in for. It looked like a hollow bouncy ball cut in half and operation was simple; snap it inside out and place it on the ground. The force of the sphere inverting itself would result in an unpredictable 'POP' that sent the toy sky high and in every direction. I could watch it for hours.
And, on Thursdays, I get to play the fun, funky, rule breaking Aunt once a week when I visit my friend's after school daycare to do what I do best, play. Because outdoor play is so crucial to active, healthy, kids and social skill development I'm always excited to find toys that motive kids to get moving and these new Power Poppers, sold at Walgreens, do exactly that while mimicking the fun and surprise of my childhood popper toys. They look unassuming at first, available in fun Marvel Avengers characters even the girls in our group were fighting over. (Apparently Captain America is quite the hot commodity.)
MARVEL Power Poppers are made of a compressed foam body that's extra light and soft, with a self propelled (battery free) operation that sends them flying up to 6 feet in the air!
Power Poppers are fun, self propelled, projectile (don't let the word scare you) toys intended for fun and play outdoors. Their bodies are made of dense foam to minimize impact in the event of a collision, and there are absolutely no batteries required to power them. They are entirely kid propelled! Simply press the bottom launcher into the cap-like base and tap the bottom of the Power Popper character on the ground. Make sure to let go as the foam super hero rockets up into the sky as high as 6 feet!
We have kids as young as age 4, and as old as 13 in our after-school group and it was interesting to see how each of them problem solved to get the best height and easiest release. Some of the middle aged kids tended to want to throw it into the ground, while the younger were more hesitant and found the perfect tapping action more naturally. Whatever the case, nobody ever got bored of watching these toys pop up into the air and several demonstrations and contests were even initiated by the older kids.
MARVEL Power Poppers are made of a compressed foam body that's extra light and soft, with a self propelled (battery free) operation that sends them flying up to 6 feet in the air!
We kept everyone seated for our playtime, to minimize the chance of Power Poppers shooting over a fence of into someone. Those that weren't launching the poppers helped spot and catch the wayward superheroes ensuring everyone was engaged and actively participating. The plastic bases seemed to take a beating quick, but this actually only made them respond even faster, and with less force, to the driving launch force. At around $7 a piece at Walgreens, these were the perfect afternoon toy to fascinate a wide range of children. What kid doesn't like watching things rocket into the air?
MARVEL Power Poppers are made of a compressed foam body that's extra light and soft, with a self propelled (battery free) operation that sends them flying up to 6 feet in the air!
Currently Power Poppers come in MARVEL super hero themed designs ranging from Captain American and Iron Man to Hulk and Spiderman. This didn't seem to bother the girls one bit, who identified with the superheros and discussed their own potential super powers while waiting their turn to play. We were a bit worried that Power Poppers would be one of 'those' toys that quickly got out of hand but were thrilled to observe how well the kids followed instructions at the promise of shooting a fast moving foam rocket into the air! What was one of your favorite 'outdoor only' toys, growing up?

What Daughter Says: Some of the best toys require a trip to the park or backyard!


Spooky HERSHEY's Smore's Spiderweb Pudding Cups Tutorial


Spooky S'mores Spiderweb Pudding Cups- Are you prepared to snack with delicious new Hershey's ready-to-eat refrigerated pudding cups from Walmart? Hershey's pudding cups come in delicious flavors such as Chocolate and S'mores and are made with real Hershey's Cocoa. Make these fun s'mores spiders and chocolate webs to help kick off the Halloween season and add a little extra fun to your snack time!
Momma Told Me: Snack time should be fun time.

When I was a young girl there were 2 things I looked forward to most in my lunches; special notes scribbles on plastic baggies and wrapper seams from my father, and a pudding cup. There was something so simply satisfying scooping that plastic spoon into the river of velvety pudding that could wash away even the most dreadful of days. And, while the nature of daily fiascos have changed from getting watercolor on my favorite Jansport backpack to watching my hard-drive eat an entire folder of photos, the comfort of a pudding cup timeout has not wavered one bit.
Spooky S'mores Spiderweb Pudding Cups- Are you prepared to snack with delicious new Hershey's ready-to-eat refrigerated pudding cups from Walmart? Hershey's pudding cups come in delicious flavors such as Chocolate and S'mores and are made with real Hershey's Cocoa. Make these fun s'mores spiders and chocolate webs to help kick off the Halloween season and add a little extra fun to your snack time!
As a lifelong, self-proclaimed, 'Chocoholic,' I like to reach for unique, full flavored chocolate treats that tempt even the staunchest weekday grumbles to run away. And, with the introduction of all new Hershey's ready to eat pudding cups I can pack a little slice spoonful of sweet, silky, chocolate heaven for enjoyment just about anywhere. These little ready-to-eat pudding cups are individually portioned and refrigerated for the freshest texture and decadent snacking experience to satisfy even picky chocolate lovers. After all, it has the namesake of one of the most recognized chocolate brands; Hershey's and is made with real Hershey's cocoa.
Save with the September/October issue of ALL YOU magazine, on racks at Walmart. #ReadySetSnack (ad)
And I'll let you in on a little secret- you can not only find delicious Hershey's ready to eat pudding varieties in the refrigerated yogurt and snack cases of your local Walmart, but you can pick up an exclusive ready-to-clip coupon in the September/October issue of ALL YOU Magazine. If you're unfamiliar with the ALL YOU periodical you're going to want to grab a copy from the checkout lines on your way into the store. This month's issue is just $1.99 and packed with valuable coupons, such as the exclusive $0.55/1 Package of Hershey's Ready to Eat Pudding (4 Pack) coupon, and seasonal recipes! That's what I call a win/win scenario
Spooky S'mores Spiderweb Pudding Cups- Are you prepared to #ReadySetSnack with delicious new Hershey's ready-to-eat refrigerated pudding cups from Walmart? Hershey's pudding cups come in delicious flavors such as Chocolate and S'mores and are made with real Hershey's Cocoa. Make these fun s'mores spiders and chocolate webs to help kick off the Halloween season and add a little extra fun to your snack time! Grab the FREE printable template! (ad)
In fact I was so inspired by all of the amazing recipes and Halloween projects featured in this month's ALL YOU that I also picked up some special ingredients to make a truly spooktacular Hershey's pudding cup creation for our upcoming Halloween party! Playing with the delicious S'mores flavor palette of my favorite Hershey's pudding cups, I decided I would craft some edible white chocolate cobwebs and mini s'mores spiders to decorate my pudding cups. And, for that extra flair of seasonal fun, I planned to decorate the outside of my Hershey's cups with white yarn to recreate a spiderweb motif.
Spooky S'mores Spiderweb Pudding Cups- Are you prepared to #ReadySetSnack with delicious new Hershey's ready-to-eat refrigerated pudding cups from Walmart? Hershey's pudding cups come in delicious flavors such as Chocolate and S'mores and are made with real Hershey's Cocoa. Make these fun s'mores spiders and chocolate webs to help kick off the Halloween season and add a little extra fun to your snack time! Grab the FREE printable template! (ad)
The first step in making my silly s'mores spider cups is to print out the FREE Chocolate Spiderweb Template found HERE. I've gone ahead and put this printable together just for you so you don't have to fuss with hand drawing your webs, or playing with sizing. These are the perfect fit for laying over your Hershey's pudding cups, or displaying in the rich layer of chocolate pudding. The Hershey's S'mores pudding cups have a gooey marshmallow creme layer on top that blends perfectly with these cobwebs for an eerie decorative effect that doubly delicious.
Spooky S'mores Spiderweb Pudding Cups- Are you prepared to #ReadySetSnack with delicious new Hershey's ready-to-eat refrigerated pudding cups from Walmart? Hershey's pudding cups come in delicious flavors such as Chocolate and S'mores and are made with real Hershey's Cocoa. Make these fun s'mores spiders and chocolate webs to help kick off the Halloween season and add a little extra fun to your snack time! Grab the FREE printable template! (ad)
Place a piece of semi-translucent wax paper over your FREE printable chocolate spiderweb printout, on a cookie sheet, and prepare your white chocolate by melting 6oz of white chocolate morsels/chips with 1/2 TBS of vegetable oil shortening. Add shortening in between stirs until the chocolate has reached a 'flowing' consistency that coats the back of a spoon but trails evenly off in a thick drizzle when lifted. Place your melted chocolate in a piping bag, or plastic baggie with the corner snipped, and trace over the spiderweb templates. Place the cookie sheet directly in the freezer or refrigerator to harden.
Next, to make my bite-sized s'mores spiders, I used mini marshmallows, character shaped graham cookies, and semi-sweet melting chocolate. While any type of graham cracker will work for this I prefer character shaped cookies that offer rounded shapes that better suit a spider theme. You'll often find animal and cartoon character shaped graham cookies in boxes nearby traditional graham crackers.

 Preparing the chocolate in the same manner as the white chocolate above I created a 'dipping station' with a small bowl and slotted serving utensil. Place 1 or 2 mini marshmallows on the graham cracker cookies/pieces and microwave for 20 seconds on HIGH. This will cause the marshmallows to puff up a little and give more of a shape to your spider's body. Immediately place the 'spider' bodies on your dipping utensil and submerge them in the prepared chocolate. Place the dipped spiders on a piece of parchment paper and add eyes or markings as desired. Refrigerate or freeze them until they have set.
Because pudding cups tend to have a lip/ledge around the top where the foil lid peels back I thought it would be fun to dress up my Hershey's pudding cups with a spider web yarn decoration. I cut about 6-8 notches into the lip of the cups and spend a few moments criss-crossing the yarn around and under the cup to create a web effect.
Spooky S'mores Spiderweb Pudding Cups- Are you prepared to #ReadySetSnack with delicious new Hershey's ready-to-eat refrigerated pudding cups from Walmart? Hershey's pudding cups come in delicious flavors such as Chocolate and S'mores and are made with real Hershey's Cocoa. Make these fun s'mores spiders and chocolate webs to help kick off the Halloween season and add a little extra fun to your snack time! Grab the FREE printable template! (ad)
Spooky S'mores Spiderweb Pudding Cups- Are you prepared to #ReadySetSnack with delicious new Hershey's ready-to-eat refrigerated pudding cups from Walmart? Hershey's pudding cups come in delicious flavors such as Chocolate and S'mores and are made with real Hershey's Cocoa. Make these fun s'mores spiders and chocolate webs to help kick off the Halloween season and add a little extra fun to your snack time! Grab the FREE printable template! (ad)
Next all that was left to do was to put all the elements together into one frightfully delightful Halloween snack display. Laying the larger webs across the top of my Hershey's ready-to-eat pudding cups, and overlapping the smaller webs to create depth I balanced my mini s'mores spiders over the river of gooey marshmallow. Because these Hershey's S'mores pudding cups are kept refrigerated the marshmallow layer has a fun sticky, yet foamy, texture that really plays well with the creepy web and spider theme!
For a completely one-of-a-kind ready to eat pudding cup experience you simply must try Hershey's new refrigerated pudding cups. The creamy, sticky, fluffy 's'mores' marshmallow is the perfect companion to the beloved Hershey's chocolate flavor. It's a classic chocolate bar flavor in a favorite childhood treat, with a campfire twist- does it get more nostalgic? Make sure to keep an eye out for the Chocolate and S'mores varieties on your next shopping trip to Walmart!
Spooky S'mores Spiderweb Pudding Cups- Are you prepared to snack with delicious new Hershey's ready-to-eat refrigerated pudding cups from Walmart? Hershey's pudding cups come in delicious flavors such as Chocolate and S'mores and are made with real Hershey's Cocoa. Make these fun s'mores spiders and chocolate webs to help kick off the Halloween season and add a little extra fun to your snack time!
While I've highlighted just one fun way to dress up these delicious ready-to-eat Hershey's pudding cups for the upcoming Halloween holiday, you'll be sure to enjoy these convenient cups all year round. Pack one with your loved one's lunch as a nice midday surprise, take a time out with some graham crackers dipped in Hershey's S'mores, or take it way back to school-day memories with the classic flavor of Hershey's. Just when you thought pudding couldn't get any more comforting, Hersheys pudding cups are in stores at your local Walmart- grab the September/October issue of ALL YOU and save today with the exclusive $0.55 coupon! Do you have a favorite way to dress up or enjoy pudding?

What Daughter Says: Combine the comfort of ready to eat chocolate pudding with real Hershey's cocoa for snack time smiles, any time.

Spooky S'mores Spiderweb Pudding Cups- Are you prepared to snack with delicious new Hershey's ready-to-eat refrigerated pudding cups from Walmart? Hershey's pudding cups come in delicious flavors such as Chocolate and S'mores and are made with real Hershey's Cocoa. Make these fun s'mores spiders and chocolate webs to help kick off the Halloween season and add a little extra fun to your snack time!

I'm Headed To Alaska- Back On September 19th

Hey guys! You may have noticed it's gotten kind of quiet this month. I've been blogging for 5 years here at Momma Told Me and I've always blogged through vacations. While I have a lot of amazing things drafted and in the works, I'll be taking the next 2 weeks off to actually ENJOY my vacation and do, well, whatever it is people do on vacation. I'm not really sure, but I've been told there's a lot of eating and laying around. Since we're going on a cruise I'm sure there will be lots of food but I know there will be little recreation as we zipline, riverboat, and photograph our way through Alaska into Canada.

Don't worry, I'll be back September 20th with some amazing stories and content! Thanks for understanding!

5 Tips To Make Treat Time Fun For You You + Your Cat

5 Simple Tips to make treating your cat more engaging and fun for both you and your cat!
Momma Told Me: We got the cat/dog/hamster so you wouldn't be bored. And there you are both laying around bored!

It's no secret my pets are my children. I don't go to a grocery or major retail store without stopping to think, is there something I need to buy for 'the kids.' If you're lucky, like me, you don't have a picky eater. When your pets are as enthusiastic about their food as a child is over an ice cream cone, you can get away fairly 'cheap.' Whenever I run out of 'cat treats' I turn Truffle's food into a reward of it's own through engaging activities and fun bonding time.  Of course, in order to 'treat' with the very same food you feed your pet you have to keep your pet on a portioned diet. (Which is a good idea, anyway.) Grazers aren't as motivated to perform or play for 'treats' they can readily eat from their food dish at any time!
5 Simple Tips to make treating your cat more engaging and fun for both you and your cat!
I digress- So, back to me, in the stores.

I simply cannot walk past a pet aisle and NOT grab something for my fur children. I don't care if I just went down the aisle 3 days ago, I'm going back down it again. And, in my head it's as if my pets are sitting there in the shopping cart with me pointing and asking for everything in sight. (And it's rather good they're not because Truffles can be quite demanding.) Let's just say, if there's a new product intended to pamper, treat, or engage cats or dogs, I'm probably walking out of the store with it. But you don't have to buy fancy whirly-gigs and colorful treat dispensers to make 'snack time' fun for you and your cat. Let's check out 5 simple ideas-
1. Hide the treats- Cats are hunters. They enjoy a challenge, and they enjoy treating objects like prey. Place treats in a favorite toy, a cat Kong, or even out in the open, up high. Consider places where you can treat your cat that require a little bit of their own ingenuity. Always make sure that your cat is aware of what you are doing by shaking or rattling the pet treat container before removing and hiding the treats. For less creative pet parents, several cat treat brands now have their own treat dispenser system that engage a cat's need to stalk, attack, and chew with bobble style toys.

Friskies Wobbert PullNPlay
2. Add catnip- No, I don't mean to your cat's toys and loungers- I mean physical catnip to your cat's treats and treat dispensers. Organic catnip is edible and comes in fresh grass and (more traditional) dried varieties. Utilize catnip just before treating to help set the mood for playtime or physical activity, or offer catnip greens with a few of your cat's favorite treats.

3. Train your cat- Yes, cat's can do anything intelligent that dogs can. If you can train a mouse for the circus, you can train a house cat to do all the tricks their canine counterparts can do. As with most animals, training will be easiest when your cat is young, but Pavlov's response can be used to condition a multitude of behaviors even in adult cats.

Over the past few weeks I began giving Truffles a small piece of cheese whenever I pulled out the shredded cheese from the fridge. Now she not only comes running when she hears the fridge open, she tries to walk into the fridge! That wasn't an intentionally conditioned behavior, but it's the perfect example of using rewards to trigger behavior. Teaching your cat to high five, and stand up (on their back legs) are the simplest commands you can master through treats.

Begin with your cat sitting in front of you. Hold the treat between your index and middle finger, waving the treat in front of your cat, just above their head, out of reach. Once your cat reaches up to grab, or take, the treat say 'high paw' or 'high five' and immediately give your cat the treat. Do this for several days and your cat will begin mimicking the behavior on their own with visual cues alone. Then you ma move onto 'stand up' by producing the same training behavior, with the treat just slightly higher out of reach!
5 Simple Tips to make treating your cat more engaging and fun for both you and your cat! (Frisies Wobbert Pull N' Play shown)
4. Play Fetch- Believe it or not many cats naturally pick up the habit of playing fetch if played with as a kitten. It is a natural behavior for cats to present prey to their owners as a sign of respect and fetch very much fosters this behavior, as well as a cat's need to stalk and hunt. Reward your cat for bringing you a toy, whether you're thrown it or not, and for returning a toy you've thrown. Who says dogs get to have all the fun?
Forgive the dirty floor, this is the 'cat's corner of the house :)
1. Just the two of us- Designate a special time or activity each week to hand treating your pet. Make this a special time you specifically schedule into your busy life. Perhaps it's a time where you and the cat can curl up and read a book, or after the weekly brushing- Repeat the same series of activities, in the same location of your house every week. Be sure to give your cat ample love and undivided attention during this time. The event does not have to be lengthy or involved so long as it involves you and your cat exclusively and a regular task that ends in treating them. This serves to designate a spot in your home as a safety spot and clearly associates the treats (regardless of whether you treat at other times during the week) with love.

There are several ways to make treat time more engaging and meaningful for you and your cat. Regardless of what or how you treat, the act of treating should always be done along with an act of affection or love. Treats are not a substitute for your time and attention and should only be used sparingly as part of regular nurturing and interaction. How or when do you treat your pets?

What Daughter Says:  Your cat's health relies just as much on attention and activity as yours does, why not achieve a little bit of both, together?