Delicious Drinks for New Years Eve

If you are entertaining for New Year's Eve, you might be looking for some new ideas on what drinks to serve.  The folks at Alizé Liqueur have some great holiday inspired and easy to make drinks I'd like to share.

Peppermint Kiss (Pretty and refreshing)



3 parts Alizé Red Passion
3 parts Taittinger Champagne

Serve chilled in a champagne glass with mint leaf to garnish.

Rosy Cheeks (My personal favorite!)


2 parts white wine
1 part Alizé Gold Passion

Serve chilled in a champagne flute.

Baby It’s Cold Outside (Sure to warm you up on the coldest of nights)



2 parts Alizé Gold Passion
1 part apple schnapps
½ part vodka
½ part triple sec

Shake well over ice, strain and serve straight up in a martini glass.

Snowflake Sip (I just love the way this one looks!)


3 parts Alizé Bleu
2 parts club soda
Blend ingredients and serve over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lime or lemon twist.




 
 
 
 
What if you have guests who do not care to drink alcoholic drinks?  No need to sentence them to boring soda!  How about providing some HINT Premium Essence Water to drink.  HINT water comes in just about every flavor you can imagine, is naturally flavored and sugar free!  Throw in a fruit garnish and you have a fabulous healthy beverage to ring in the new year.

Disclosure: Both Alize and HINT provided beverages for me to use while ringing in new year at my house.  My opinions are my own and are not influenced by any compensation, no matter how tasty!

Free Healthy Recipe Book from Woman's Day

Is eating healthier one of your resolutions for the new year?  I know after many way too many meals out these last few months, I am making a real effort to cook more healthy meals at home.

If this sounds like you too, be sure to take advantage of this offer for a free Healthy Recipe Book from Woman's Day and United HealthCare.  The offer is good until January 3rd and is limited to one per address.

Shipping at The UPS Store #lovinlogistics

With relatives on both coasts (and me here in the middle), coming up with a unique yet easily mail-able gift each year can be a challenge.

This year, I decided to go with a peppermint theme.  I decided on peppermint hot cocoa with peppermint marshmallows, white chocolate and peppermint pretzels, peppermint tea cookies, and some assorted peppermint candies to finish it off.

I started by melting white chocolate and stirring in some crushed candy canes.

I dipped pretzels into the mix...

And set them on waxed paper to cool.

Next I dipped marshmallows into the melted chocolate...

And dipped them into crushed candy canes.

For some variety, I also melted some milk chocolate to use for pretzels and drizzled some over marshmallows as well.

I whipped up some peppermint hot cocoa mix...

And gave it a try to make sure it was good (it was!).

I added the box of peppermint tea cookies, some candies, and was all set to ship!

I headed down to my local UPS Store.

Kathy (the owner) helped me get my boxes ready to ship. 

Did you know that you can do all kinds of things at The UPS Store besides shipping?  You can rent a mailbox, have packages received for you, print and make photo copies, and even return your AT&T Uverse equipment!

And if you need any shipping supplies, The UPS Store has got them!

The UPS Store offers all kinds of extra TLC - I got an email confirmation when the packages were delivered and Kathy put special stickers on them to let the drivers know that they were presents.  That way they could give them priority to make sure they arrived on time.

Thanks so much to The UPS Store and Collective Bias for sponsoring my shipping!! The opinions expressed are my own.

Land's End helps Wisconsin Mommy Spread the Christmas Cheer

I want to give a huge shout out and an even bigger "thank you" to my friends over at Land's End.  Anyone who reads Wisconsin Mommy regularly knows that I am a huge fan of their products.  Between the superior quality, reasonable prices, and their innovative ways of providing customer service, it's a company I am proud to work with regularly.

Well, they've gone and topped themselves this year.  Earlier in the holiday season, Land's End made a generous contribution to Wisconsin Mommy with the instructions to go out and spread the holiday cheer.  Their donation allowed me to help to Stuff the Bus with 99.1 The Mix and FeedingAmerica.org, provide gifts to children who might not otherwise have had any through 620WTMJ and Kapco's Kids to Kids Christmas, and also make a donation to a foundation near and dear to my heart for all of the support they have given my aunt.

Thank you, Land's End.  You made my holiday brighter by allowing me to give a little more than I would have been able to on my own.  I wish I could send you all the smiles I have seen as a result of these great projects! I look forward to working with you in 2011.

Let Bank of America Help You Save Time (and a $50 giveaway!!)

It seems like moms are always time crunched - and even more so around the holidays.  It's less than a week from Christmas and I still need to wrap presents, mail out my cards, work on the activity I'm doing with LJ's class at his holiday party, plan Christmas eve dinner and Christmas morning breakfast, and a bunch of other things that keep popping up at the last minute.

I love to steal time wherever I can and one of my favorite ways to do that is to avoid going out unless I have to.  Especially at this time of year, I am a huge fan of having groceries delivered, Christmas shopping online and online banking and bill pay.  The time I save just using those online solutions increases the probability that I will actually finish the rest of the things on my list.

Bank of America has but together some time saving tips for you and asked me to share them. ( I know that I personally would be lost without online banking, but their method of depositing checks saves time at the ATM as well - no more trying to find a deposit slip and filling it out!  You just feed the check in and get a scanned image back as a receipt!)

• Bank on the go: It’s easy to set up mobile banking and secure access to your money wherever you are. Download the mobile banking app and you can check balances, transfer money, pay bills, and locate ATMs. Sign up for text banking and you’ll be able to send a text message to get your balance instantly in a reply.
• Make quick and easy deposits: Holiday means a lot of extra work, so eliminate the labor of depositing checks. With Bank of America’s Deposit Image ATMs, you simply feed checks or cash into the ATM with no envelopes or deposit slips required. You get images of your checks and a list of cash deposited on your receipt as proof.
• Save a trip to the bank: Don’t worry about making an extra stop to the bank during all of your holiday shopping. Keep track of your spending by using Bank of America’s online banking: set up alerts, check balances, and transfer money.

Find more great time-saving tips at http://www.bankofamerica.com/solutions and be sure to follow BOA at @BofA_Tips.
 
To help your holiday plans go a little more smoothly, I am giving away a Bank of America  giftcard pre-loaded with $50 to one lucky reader.
Here's how to enter:
1) Leave a comment telling me one way you save time during the holiday season.
 
Additional entries:
2) "Like" Wisconsin Mommy on Facebook.  Leave me a comment letting me know you did this.
 
3) Tweet about the contest by signing into Twitter and then clicking here. Then leave a comment.
 

4) Subscribe to Wisconsin Mommy via email here.  Be sure to verify your subscription by clicking the link in the email you receive.  Unverified subscriptions will be disqualified. Leave me a comment so I know you did this.

 

5) For two extra entries, sign up for Sponsored Tweets using my referral link. Leave me two comments letting me know you did this - and I will check ;)

 

This giveaway will end at 11:59 pm central time on December 26th.  The winner will be chosen using random.org and notified by email (please make sure to leave an email address!!) and will have 48 hours to respond.

 

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Bank of America and received a Bank of America preloaded gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.  The giveaway portion of the post is not sponsored by BOA and is hosted solely by Wisconsin Mommy Media, LLC.

Brainstring Puzzle by Recent Toys

So many people love puzzles and brainteasers - just look at the popularity of Sudoku.  Recent Toys takes brainteasers to a whole new level with their 3D puzzles like Brainstring.  The challenge is to not only get a solid color on each side (think Rubik's Cube) but also to untangle the knot in the middle.

Hours of brainteasing fun are available from all of the Recent Toys products - gift one or all to your favorite brainiac.

On the Cuff

Looking for an unusual but helpful gift?  On the Cuff is the perfect solution to stop water from running down your arms. Ideal when:

• Washing your face
• Rinsing the dishes
• Washing the car
• Cleaning shower tiles
• and so much more!

Made of a unique stretch material, ON THE CUFF™ is easy to use and comfortable to wear. It can be used over and over again! Featured on the Today Show not once, but twice, the "one size fits all" design is perfect for both women and men. And you can be sure that your gift will be both unique and remembered!

Available at select retailers or at www.onthecuff.net.

SensoGlove: Great Gift for Golfers

Got an avid golfer on your shopping list?  The SensoGlove is a unique gift idea that is sure to be a hit. (Pun intended!)

The SensoGlove computer is a small, lightweight, sweat-proof monitor that analyzes pressure settings from four tiny sensors sewn right into the glove. Other than the computer plug in socket, the SensoGlove works just like any other glove, so you can use it during a practice round on the course.


The SensoGlove computer is incredibly easy to use. Simply dial in your pressure on a scale of 1-to-18 and swing with any club. The SensoGlove reads and displays your pressure and warns you if you exceed your target level. The SensoGlove even shows you what finger is gripping too tight, so you can adjust your grip accordingly.

Best of all, the SensoGlove reads your grip pressure during your address AND swing. Many golfers start out with a light pressure only to grip tighter at take-away and through the backswing and downswing. Using the built-in audio warning, golfers will know if they are gripping too tight exactly when it happens during their swing.

Telestrations Family Game

Do you remember that old game, telephone?  You know, the one where one person whispers something to another and then it goes all the way around a circle until the last person says it out loud.  By the time it has reached the last person, the result is usually nothing like the original phrase.

USAopoly's new family game, Telestrations, is a hilarious twist on that old favorite game. It's a fun-filled sketching game in which everyone's attempts at "art" can turn hilarious. The game starts with a secret word that is passed from player to player. As the word is sketched, interpreted, and then sketched again, it undergoes a visual transformation that will surprise and delight everyone. Designed for players ages 13 and up, Telestrations is sure to be a hit at parties.

KIDZ GEAR headphones.

For us, the holidays usually means some sort of travel.  Whether by car or by plane, our Portable DVD Player is one item we are never without.  While we don't encourage LJ to watch a lot of TV, we make an exception when he is strapped into an airplane seat for hours at a time.

To save the sanity of the driver or other passengers, we usually have LJ use headphones but finding ones that are comfortable and safe for young ears can be a challenge.  Kidz Gear headphones are a great solution to that problem.

Available in both wired and wireless (for in-vehicle entertainment systems), they are comfortable and have a built-in volume control.  Reasonably priced for both models, they are guaranteed for life and have a 100% satisfaction guarantee as well.

Dave Ramsey's Books for Kids

I've been a huge Dave Ramsey fan since I was first introduced to his Total Money Makeover back in 2005.  I love the no baloney stance he takes on eliminating debt and love listening to him on his radio show.

I wholeheartedly agree with him that the lessons he is teaching need to be introduced to children when they are first becoming aware of money.  When I was offered a set of his books aimed at children, I jumped at the chance to review them.

Junior's Adventures include six short stories each illustrating one of the lessons Dave teaches:

• The Super Red Racer - Junior really, really wants an awesome new bike, but he doesn't have the money to buy it. So, what does he do? He goes to work to earn the money! Join him on his adventure to learn the rewards of hard work.
• My Fantastic Fieldtrip - Hop on the school bus with Junior and his class as they take an exciting fieldtrip to learn about money from their favorite cartoon character, Dollar Bill! This book teaches children the benefits of planning ahead for big expenses and unexpected emergencies
• The Big Birthday Surprise - Come learn what his big birthday surprise is and how Junior learns a lesson about giving to others on his special day. This book teaches children about the many ways to give to others, not only with their money but also with their time.
• Careless at the Carnival - Junior and his friends learn the hard way how it's not wise – or fun – to spend all their money all at once. This book teaches children a valuable lesson in budgeting their money and spending it wisely.
• A Special Thank You - When you were a kid, did you daydream about finding a bunch of money and imagine all the things you could buy with it? What would you have done if the money you found actually belonged to someone else? This story teaches your child the value of doing what is right, even though he may be tempted to do otherwise.
• Battle of the Chores - When you were a kid, did you ever borrow money from your brother or sister? Did they make your life miserable until you paid them back? In this book, Junior learns that being in debt to someone is not fun! This story teaches your child the value of working for money and the disadvantages of borrowing money.

Right now, Dave Ramsey is having a HUGE sale over on his website.  Many items are only $10, and the set of all six kids books is on sale for $19.95 (regularly $59).

Soma Intimates Personality PJ's

One of my favorite holiday promotions so far this year has got to be the Soma Intimates Personality PJ's tour.  After being invited to participate, I was directed to take a personality quiz (you can take it too) to determine the best style of PJ's just for me.

Apparently I scored as a romantic and was then sent a pair of "Romantic" Personality PJ's.  "Great," I thought, "I can always use another pair of PJ's."  Plus they were super cute.

Then I put them on.

They quickly sped to the top of my "favorite things to lounge around in" list.  The fabric they are made of - a super soft jersey cloth - feels like air and is slightly stretchy and SOOOOO comfortable.  They are cut perfectly and look attractive enough that you feel comfortable wearing them around company.

And right now Soma is having a buy one, get one sale on their Personality PJ's.  You can buy one as a gift and grab one for yourself - without any guilt!!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Soma Intimates and received a pair of Personality PJs to thank me for taking the time to participate

Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker Giveaway (closed)

I am a huge fan of slow cooking.  There is something almost magical about throwing a few things into a pot in the morning and then having dinner all ready for you at the end of the day.

For years, I had one slow cooker and was perfectly happy with it.  Then I discovered the secret to having a complete meal ready in the evening - MULTIPLE SLOW COOKERS!  Now, it's not uncommon to see two, even three, lined up on my counter.



Just last week, I roasted a chicken in one, baked potatoes in another, and made creamed corn in the third*.  I've also been known to do a one-pot meal like Mushroom Beef Stew* in one and a dessert like Eggnog Gingersnap Custard* in another.

*These recipes came from the Fix It and Forget It Christmas Cookbook
just released this holiday season.  A must have for any slow-cooker fan!

Now that you see the value in having two three four many slow cookers, let me point you toward a good one to pick up.  The Hamilton Beach 5 Qt. portable slow cooker has some great features that set it apart from the rest:

• a gasket around the lid that keeps moisture in and creates a great seal
• a band that keeps the lid in place while you move the cooker
• a removable crock that can be used on your table and washes up easily 
• a "keep warm" setting that keeps your food warm without over cooking it
• comes in a festive red or stainless to accent your holiday decor

Walmart has these slow cookers on rollback right now for $14.88 - or you could win one here.

Collective Bias and Hamilton Beach are working together to give one lucky winner a red Hamilton Beach 5 Qt slow cooker of their own - since you can never have too many!!

Here's how to enter:

1) Leave me a comment telling me your favorite slow-cooker recipe.

For additional entries:

2) Follow Wisconsin Mommy using Google Friend Connect here.  Leave me a comment letting me know you did this.

3) Sign into Twitter and tweet about this contest by clicking here.  Leave me a comment with a link to your tweet.

4) "Like" Wisconsin Mommy's page on Facebook.

5) Click on the Google Buzz symbol at the end of this post and submit the post to Buzz.  It looks like this:

This contest will end at 11:59 pm Central time on December 20th.  The winner will be chosen using random.org and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  Please make sure I have a way to reach you, either Twitter DM (you have to be following me for me to be able to DM you) or email address. 

I was given a slow cooker to use myself as well as one to gift.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Update: random.org chose comment #20 as our winner.  Sandy - I have sent you an email!

Got a photography fan on your shopping list?

Whether they are a pro or just the one in the family who always has the camera, these gifts will be winners.

The Epson Artisan 835 Printer:

I used to detest printing out photos at home. It was a pain to hook up the photo printer (since it couldn't fax, scan, or copy, I had two and would have to switch the wires each time) plus the pictures always looked like they had been printed at home.  The quality just wasn't worth the effort it took.

The Epson Artisan 835 changes all of that!  It is a combnation of printer, fax, ultra HD photo printer AND it is wireless!!  Plus, the quality of the pictures is breathtaking.

• It has an easy to see, adjustable 7.8" touch panel that allows you to view and edit any images you are working with.
• It is easy to connect to your home's wi-fi network (or the wired network if you do not have wi-fi) so that you can print from any room in your house.
• It can print from your iPhone or iPad Touch or other Bluetooth enabled phones.
• It prints amazingly sharp and beautiful pictures with optimized speed using MicroPiezo printing technology.

The Epson Artisan printers are a great gift for professional and amateur photographers alike!  They are available through Epson directly or at Amazon.com.

Epiphine Camera Bags

I looked long and hard to find a camera bag that I liked loved.  Either they looked great, but didn't provide the protection I wanted for my DSL camera or else they were very protective, but looked horrible. 

Finally - a bag that is going to keep your camera safe AND help you look good doing it!

Available online at http://www.epiphaniebags.com/, it's a gift perfect for every photographer!


Lenses for the iPhone

For the mom (ahem, like me) who winds up taking waaaay more pictures with her iPhone than any of her fancy-dancy cameras, there are a series of lenses that are a must-have.  Using the macro, fisheye and wide-angle lenses from Photojojo, even iPhone pictures will look like professional shots!

What to do on a cold night? #ColdStoneCocoa

Well, make some hot chocolate and head out to see the local lights display, of course!

I headed to our local Walmart to pick up some hot cocoa.

I was excited to try the new Cold Stone Creamery collection of hot chocolate.

But what flavor to buy? Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, sugar-free??

I decided on milk chocolate and went about making many cups of hot cocoa.

Jay and I picked up a few more passengers and headed up to West Bend to the Enchantment in the Park.

It is being held at the Washington County Fairgrounds and features Christmas lights set to music.  Admission is either a $10 or a donation of canned goods.

The lights were very cool - and look much better in person than in photos!

 

This post was sponsored by Collective Bias and Cold Stone Creamery Hot Cocoa.

It was a chilly night, but our Cold Stone Creamery Cocoa kept us toasty warm!

 

Christmas Cheer at Land's End

Our friends over at Land's End are busy as elves spreading a little Christmas cheer around!  There are two ways you can participate:


Today: Enter the Land's End Live Sweepstakes.
Log into Land's End new live online video chat feature at landsend.com, tell the customer care representative that you you’d like to enter for the sweepstakes and they’ll help you to enter for one of five (5) $100 Lands’ End gift cards.


Today until December 17th: 12 Days of Twitter
Everyone is invited to join Lands’ End and a variety of holiday hosts for 12 Days of Twitter from now through December 17.  Each day, from 12:00 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. (EST)Lands’ End will host a festive Twitter event where followers will have the chance to learn about great values and answer fun questions for a chance to win more than 72 great giveaways over the course of the 12 days.  Daily themes will range from great gifts and holiday entertaining tips from Every Day with Rachael Ray experts to holiday travel and home decorating.To attend, Twitter users can follow @LandsEndPR and #landsend to join in the fun. 

Lands’ End 12 Days of Twitter Event

Date:                     Daily from December 6 – 17, 2010 

Time:                    12:00 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. EST

Location:              #landsend

Follow:                 @LandsEndPR, #landsend

Scentsy Giveaway (Closed)

It's no secret that I am a huge Scentsy fan!  Between the fantastic scents they have and the fact that I can't burn down my house with it, it really is the perfect gift for me - and probably for many of the people on your shopping list as well!

My wonderful Scentsy contact, Angel Johanek, is offering a great discount to help you finish out your holiday shopping.  Place any order with her before December 16th, and receive 10% off your total.  Additionally, host a home or basket party in 2011 and get an additional 5% added onto their already generous host rewards!  Angel has a great Scentsy flameless candle website where you can browse and pick out things for YOUR wish list!

But wait, there's more! (I love doing that - I'm such a nerd!!)

Angel is giving away a holiday Scentsy Plug-in and Scentsy bar of your choice.  All you need to do to enter is:

1) Pop over to Angel's Scentsy website and tell me what scent you think you would like to try. There are some great holiday scents and anything from the bakery collection is always a winner too.

For additional entries:

2) Head over to Angel's Scentsy Facebook page and "Like" it - leave her a note telling her Wisconsin Mommy sent you!  Leave a comment here so we know you did that.

3) Tweet about the giveaway.  I've made it super easy - all you need to do it sign into Twitter and then click here.  Leave a comment with a link to your Tweet.

This giveaway will run until 11:59, Wednesday, December 15th.  A winner will be chosen using random.org and notified via email.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond otherwise another winner will be chosen.

Thanks to Angel for providing the prize being given away!

Update:

The winner is....comment #35.