While I was pregnant I gained weight easily because my appetite really increased and also my activity level decreased as it was harder and harder for me to move around.

Now that baby Everly is here my appetite has gone back to what it normally was and my activity level has also increased. I am still eating healthy stuff, just burning it faster and eating less of it now.

This has resulted in me loosing all but 5 pounds of my “pregnancy weight” and contrary to what you might think this is NOT a good thing.

Since I am breastfeeding Everly and not supplementing with formula my diet and nutrition is especially important. Unfortunately finding time to eat well is a challenge for me, even more now that I’ve got a daughter to care for 24/7!

I am taking a long hard look at my diet and I am trying to squeeze in as many healthy foods as I can. I need to eat more! Problem is finding the time and free hands to do so.

Now that I am working several days a week it is important for me to have snacks on hand that I can keep in my diaper bag and enjoy duirng my breaks at work while I am also carrying Everly around.

I love me some cheese and peanut butter crackers, I’ve got my ensure drinks on hand and most recently I’ve added Dole fruit bowls to my snacking regiment. I love them because they do not require refrigeration so I can just toss one in the bag with a spoon and enjoy it even while it’s spent hours in my bag out in the hot sun.

What? We don’t get lunch break time and we’re all out in the hot sun perfecting the marching band show so our snacks and drinks need to be easy to enjoy and able to withstand the elements, lol.

Anyway I am really loving Dole fruit bows (so is N) and I am surprised because I was sure I wouldn’t like them, I am not a fan of preserved fruits. Now that N got me to try them I am loving them, especially since they are healthier for me than most other convenience foods that we have on hand (like chocolate or pop tarts).

Have you tried any of the DOLE fruit bowls and what did you think? We are enjoying several of the new flavors right now and N is even writing a witty review for Dole on some of them.

Turns out is Dole is challenging people to live healthier (and win prizes in doing so too). From now until October 2 you can sign up for the Dole Bowl-a-Day Challenge to win the weekly prize!

You know how much I love contests and prizes right? Well, we are now taking the Dole Bowl-a-Day Challenge and thought you might like to consider it also.

All you have to do is register to explore the Dole Kitchen at http://www.DoleChallenge.com, where you have 3 chances to win some great prizes:

* Share a tip on how YOU enjoy Dole Fruit Bowls for a chance to win $300!
* Challenge YOUR friends to play along for another chance to win $1000!
* Then, reward yourself and download a FREE coupon!

N’s Dole Fruit Bowls review*:

As an adult, opening up your lunch box or brown paper bag just doesn’t have the same excitement it once did as a child. I remember gathering at the lunch room table with my elementary school friends to see what surprises Mom had packed for each of us in our lunch box. We were also willing and ready to trade for something exotic and exciting that we never got in our own lunch.

Those days are long gone and so to has been the excitement of taking my lunch to work. The nifty insulated lunch bag my wife bought me sure has gone a long way though. Often it’s what I throw inside that I’m not too excited about, that is until I discovered the new Dole Fruit Bowls.

The plastic bowls are packed with several different varieties of fruit, fruit in gel and fruit parfait. The great thing about the fruit bowls is that they don’t need to be refrigerated. You can simply throw the plastic bowl into your lunch and forget about them. They taste better refrigerated but can also be eaten on the fly at room temperature if you’re in a hurry. They also sport an easy peel plastic lid so there’s not much to worry about when it comes to cleanup.

Nutritionally, Dole Fruit Bowls also make a good snack or lunch addition. They’re naturally free of fat and saturated fat. It’s a low sodium food and they’re naturally high in vitamin C.

While Dole Fruit Bowl are convenient and good for you, they also taste great too. One of my favorite flavors is the Peaches in Strawberry Gel. It’s just like if you were to throw a can of peaches into strawberry gelatin; light and refreshing. Mixed Fruit in Cherry Gel is another great flavor with a nice variety of preserved fruit waiting inside.

When it comes to just a quick fruit kick, I love the Diced Pears in Light Syrup, Mandarin Oranges and Diced Peaches. I wasn’t too excited about the Diced Pineapple but maybe that’s just because I’m a fresh pineapple snob.

If you’re wanting something that’s a little more like desert but without the sinful feeling later, try the Dole Fruit Bowl Parfaits. I really enjoyed the Peaches & Cream Parfait. It’s the perfect blend of fruit and creamy sweetness to make me feel satisfied and to top off my meal with a sweet treat. The Apples & Cream Parfait was also delicious.

Hopefully I can share my excitement over a new lunch box treat with other adults and help bring some fun back to the sack lunch!

* Dole provided us with a few free coupons so we could try out some of the different flavors in exchange for a review. We were not paid to write this.

The post A breastfeeding mom's quest to eat well on the run… appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

Win the chance to cook alongside acclaimed chef, Ben Ford. Ben has created four signature recipes with DOLE Canned Fruit and wants to share his culinary tips with you and three of your friends at his latest hot restaurant in Los Angeles. Enter your short essay and you could win a beautiful weekend in Los Angeles in June cooking and sharing a feast with Ben Ford!

Now, normally we aren’t canned fruit kind of people but we thought we would give it a try since there were so many creative recipe ideas on the site.

I decided to try out one of Ben Ford’s signature recipes with the canned DOLE tropical fruit I got this week since I am trying to eat better these days.

Lately I have been loving smoothies and frozen fruit blends. They are better for you than a candy bar and they are also a sweet treat right? I tried Ben Ford’s Easy Aloha Smoothie, I wasn’t feeling like having to chop up fruits and do lots of prep work. Do you know how much of a pain it is to cut up a pineapple?

What? I am a lazy pregnant lady who is going to be 7 months pregnant as of this Thursday! Wait, I am 7 months pregnant already? WOW. I guess I’ve just slept right through the whole pregnancy huh? Dang…

Anyway, back to my lazy smoothie making. It is called the “Easy Aloha Smoothie” because all you need is a can of mixed fruit, some yogurt and ice. The can of mixed fruit has a nice variety of different fruits to enjoy and you don’t have to peel, cut or slice anything! It doesn’t get easier than that and it was yummy too!

The most important factor in choosing my favorite recipe was ease and quickness. No pregnant lady wants to be standing in the kitchen forever! So, now I want to know which is your favorite of Ben Ford’s recipes? All you need to do is visit this site and click on the recipe link.

Also, if you do decide to enter the essay contest (which you should) please also post your essay in the comment field for us so we can cheer you on!

The post DOLE Recipie Review, what do you think? appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

I was reading your blogs, commenting and tweeting throughout the day just wasn’t in the mindset to post anything worthwhile when one of the people I follow tweeted about a contest that was right up my alley! It was for 3 Fuzibunz cloth diapers, I still have none so I went and entered.

Then I got to thinking, “Hey whiny baby! Change those poopy pants and do something to improve the situation instead of just being all sad about it.”

So I did a twitter search on diaper giveaways then I found all these other bloggy contests to enter. Instead of keeping them to myself I figured I could share them with all you. If you have a need for the stuff then I’ve helped you, if you don’t you can still enter the contest and just give your winnings to me if you are drawn as the winner, Ha! (Kidding, but not really).

So here is what contests I’ve found:

• Ending March 20th – Win a $50 gift certificate to swamibabyboutique.com over at: http://theohanamama.com/
• Ending March 20th – Win a New Native Baby Carrier over at: http://delectiblemommies.blogspot.com
• Ends March 22nd – Win an assortment of baby goodies, 2 winners drawn over at: http://www.designmom.com
• Not sure when it ends – Win an assortment of mama goodies over at: http://www.lifestarringellieandeve.com
• Not sure when it ends – Win a Moby Wrap over at: http://ourlifeupstate.blogspot.com
• Ends March 25th – Win a newsgirl or newsboy crochet hat over at: http://babylovingmama.blogspot.com
• Ends March 29th – Win a Bumgeneous 3.0 cloth diaper over at: http://hotbellymama.blogspot.com
• Ends April 2nd – Win 3 FuziBunz one size fits all cloth diapers over at: http://meandmyboys-abby.blogspot.com
• Ends April 6th – Win any 2 Natures Baby Organics items over at: http://kindredspiritreviews.blogspot.com

Then I found the Ultimate Blog Party Giveaway and found a ton of great baby/ kid giveaway items! My top 3 picks that I’ve entered for there are:

• #19 – $50 gift certificate to Target Stores: Provided by: Shoot-Me-Now
• 21 – $50 gift certificate to Target Stores Provided by: Agoosa
• 22 – $50 gift certificate to Target Stores Provided by: Beginner Baby Blog

And if my top three picks are already chosen, I’d love any of the following (in order of preference) or anything else related to babies since I have my first child, a girl, on the way!

• 26 — $30 gift certificate to Target
• 7 — Ergo Baby Carrier
• 45 – Ultra Chic Diaper Bag with matching Diaper Pocket
• 91 — $25 gift card to Target
• 118 — $25.00 Old Navy Gift Card
• 123 — $20 Gift Card to Kohl’s
• 30 $25 gift certificate to weeBgreen
• 43 — Two $25 gift certificate to eco Store USA
• 83 – Prize: $25 Gift Certificate to ecostoreusa.com

The post Hey mama, win some goodies! appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

• Becky S
  

  Well, my message would sort of be for two people. I recently adopted our beautiful daughter from China. I would write a thank you to her birth mother for giving us life’s greatest gift. However, we don’t don’t who her birthmother is, so I would have my daughter hold onto it as a keepsake. Then she could someday add her own thank you, too and remember the special woman who loved her enough to let her go.

• witchypoo
  

  I would love to brighten my Grammie’s day because ever since she had to give up her car, she has been depressed.
  She’s 95.

I’ll contact the winners to get appropriate shipping address and to find out what message they would like written on the scroll. Now, don’t be to disappointed if you didn’t win, you can still buy one for your loved one over at Custom Gifts by Talina, they are only $10.00 plus S&H!

The post Bloggy Giveaway winners!! appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

What would a day be like for my pants? Hm, it would be hard I think. I wake up in the morning, have some coffee and then I spend about 30 minutes sitting in the car (dropping N off at work in town and driving back home). Once I get home I have some breakfast, sit on the couch and work on the computer for about an hour. So for my pants that basically means lots of sitting.

I head back into town to teach at about 10:30am, when I get to the school I dance my butt off so that means much stretching, rubbing and torture for the pants. I once had a pair of pants rip in the crotch while I was teaching, we do the splits, kick and all that fun stuff. It’s important that my pants be durable and stretchable. When I can I wear pajama pants or sweats so that I don’t ruin any good pants.

When I get home from teaching I run around the house cleaning, gardening and taking care of the house. That means my pants get dirt on them from the garden, dust from cleaning the house, soap from doing the dishes and an array of other stuff. Dockers contest wants to know what a day is like in YOUR pants, are you creative? If so turn the story of your pants into a video submission and then submit this content to the Dockers TV Commercial Contest. You could WIN and winning is FUN!

The post A day in the life of my pants! LOL appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.