Try Nevella To Go for a little #sweetnesstogo [spon]

My relationship with sugar is very bittersweet.  I tend to be a purist when it comes to food.  You will not find many processed foods in our fridge, nor in our pantry.  Nothing compares to real butter or maple syrup.  We do not drink a lot of soda, so when we do, we only buy those with real cane sugar.  My philosophy is that if you're going to indulge, you may as well do it right.  Most of the time.  There are a couple of times when I make an exception and switch to a sweetener other than sugar. 

For instance.  Did you know that I had gestational diabetes with my son?  Yep.  Exception number one: This sugar purist learned rather quickly to change her diet.  Instead of mixing a couple tablespoons of sugar into my daily tea, I would use Sucralose instead.  Luckily, the diabetes disappeared as soon as my son was born.  Due to my experience, I wholeheartedly agree that sweeteners are a necessity for anyone with diabetes.

It is well documented that I have a latte addiction here at Mommycosm.  I'm a one-a-day kinda gal - until the dark and cold days of winter hit here in New Hampshire.  While I accept the calories in one latte within my diet, calorie and carb counts get way beyond my comfort level when you start adding up two, three lattes a day.  It's cold.  It's dark.  I need warm, comforting beverages.  Considering we escape to Aruba at some point every winter, my bathing suit season arrives a little earlier than for most.  It becomes necessary for me to use a (zero calorie) sweetener unless I want to sport an extra winter layer on the beach;-)

Why am I telling you all this?

BlogFrog recently sent me samples of Nevella to Go to try out.  There are three different types of sweetener: Sucralose, Stevia and Monk Fruit.  All are zero calories and zero carbs.  I love that they are super concentrated and in liquid form.  Just a small squeeze is all you need to add a little sweetness.  The bottles are sized so that you can take them with you on the go.

Now, I am familiar with Sucralose from my gestational diabetes days.  It tends to be my go-to simply due to familiarity.  Stevia has been piquing my interest lately.  It is made from a plant found in South America that is supposedly 200-300 times sweeter than sugar.  Monk Fruit has been used in Asia for over 800 years as a natural sweetener.  Aptly named, it comes from a fruit.

I set up a little comparison taste test recently.  After trying all three, Sucralose is still my favorite.  The others tasted fine and, in all honesty, if you blindfolded me, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart, but each has a slight odor that is unfamiliar to me.

So, if you're looking for zero calorie and carb sweetener to use on the go, I definitely recommend trying out Nevella To Go.  You can find them at your local WalMart Supercenter.  Before going, definitely check out their website and download the $1 coupon.

Do you use a sweetener?  If so, which is your favorite?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Nevella. The opinions and text are all mine.

First Annual "eBay thanks you" campaign

In addition to their new logo, eBay recently announced a cool, new campaign they are calling "eBay Thanks You".  

In a blog post recently, they said:

As we head into the holidays, we at eBay want to reach out and thank you personally for everything you do. From October 16 through November 6, we’re hosting the first annual “eBay Thanks You” campaign, exclusively in your honor.

Gotta love a company that takes time to give back to their community.  So, what exactly is this campaign?

•  Enter to win daily and weekly prizes—including iPads, home entertainment systems, and even a new car!
• Get in on extra-amazing Daily Deals.

In addition, eBay is releasing a series of videos on their YouTube channel in which members of their community are featured.

These are two of my favorites, thus far.

1) I <3 Michael J. Fox.  So very cool to be raising so much money for his foundation through eBay.

and

2) Not just celebrities.  Love this story about a retired couple using eBay to help make a difference in the world.  Inspiring.

There are perks for sellers, too.  You can Enter to win these great thank-you prizes:

• FREE LISTINGS FOR A YEAR—up to $50,000
• Free pass to an eBay Business Boot-camp with Griff
• 20% discount on final value fees for a day (up to $500)
• FREE 2-month eBay Stores subscription

Since first meeting the folks at eBay through their Parent Panel, I've been incredibly impressed with the culture of the company.  They get how to treat people, both their employees and their customer base.  Despite their size, they always strive to do what is right.  It doesn't surprise me they would have a campaign with a goal of giving back.  Pretty cool.

Disclosure: This post was created in connection to my appointment as a member of eBay's Parent Panel.  Thoughts and opinions are always my own.

Zumba and tell

Have you heard about the Zumba studio in Kennebunk, Maine where the owner is accused of prostitution?  It's big news around here it seems to have hit the national news circuit now as well.  Noticed a recent article in Huffington Post even.

What's cracking me up the most, aside from the fact that prosecuters gathered over 100 videos and 14,000 screen shots from her computer that were supposedly shot without the mens' knowledge *snicker*... that alone cracks me up on so many levels... can you imagine being the person to process this media for the case?!

I digress.

Get this... this part cracks me up more... some of the men involved were trying to block authorities from releasing their names.  They claim it will hurt their families, children and careers.  The judge clearly wasn't buying it nearly as much as they were (ha) and the names are now slowly being released in the papers.

Wondering what my itelligent, witty readers feel about this.

I mean, personally, I think they should have been thinking about their families, children and careers before they paid a whore to have sex with them.  They knew they were breaking the law and their marriage vows.  No matter the issues they may have in their marriages, pretty sure a solution is not found in the form of a prostitute.

What is wrong with society today?  I work so hard to raise my kids to be aware of consequences for their actions.  Perhaps this concept needs to be re-taught to adults as well?

How much do you want to bet there's going to be an influx of divorce lawyers moving into the area?

Thoughts?

Mommyisms

I mentioned before that inspirational quotes seem to hit me over the head just when I need them.  With that in mind, I've decided to start sharing them more regularly here at Mommycosm under this [Mommyism] category.  That being said, they won't all be Mom, or even parent, related.  I'll share the ones that resonate with me the most and hope that someone out there hears the words they need upon stumbling across this pebble in their internet stream.  Without further adieu...the first Mommyism...

---

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years trying to get other people interested in you.

- Dale Carnegie

Earthquake in New Hampshire

Yep, we experienced a 4.6 magnitude earthquake last night here in New Hampshire.  I was home alone with the kids and we were snuggling on the couch watching TV when the house started to rattle.  At first, I thought it was just the furnace kicking on.  Then it got loud and strong.  I wondered if it blew up.  I grabbed ahold of the kids and started to get up - not sure where I was planning to go?  Run out of the house?  Because that's what one should do when their furnace blows up, right?

Then it stopped.

It lasted all of about 20 seconds, but left us rattled the rest of the night.  The kids ended up refusing to go to bed unless I agreed to sleep with them.  My daughter was anxious about a volcano spontaneously popping up and erupting while we slept.  Good times.

You California folks are probably laughing at us Sallys here on the east coast.  But you need to realize that I've only one other time experienced an earthquake and that was almost 2 years ago in Aruba.  

The dogs were pretty freaked, but only towards the end and after.  I thought they were supposed to have some sort of special sense when something like that is about to happen.

*sigh*

I threatened my husband that when he returned home from his trip, he might find a new kitty in the family.  A cat totally would have picked up on that, don't you think?

Have you ever experienced an earthquake?

Oh, and if you want to know more about the earthquake, here's a local article.  No damage.  Lots of Facebook jokes, nervous laughs and tired residents this morning here in New Hampshire.