My kids race each other to see who gets to accept the package that either UPS or FedEX is bringing to our door.  It’s so funny, because sometimes – they stand by so excited by what might be in the box and it turns out to be something pretty boring by kid’s standards, like a loaf of bread, and sometimes it’s something fun and exciting!

Friday, UPS came while we were eating dinner.  The box had packing tape sealing it closed imprinted with “THE NEW TOY” on it – so obviously, I couldn’t play it off as “oh, it’s a loaf of bread” – they KNEW it was a toy. LOL

So I opened the box and freed one of it’s captors – while explaining to them why I had chosen this particular toy to review.

Introducing………….

BRAIN NOODLES!

LOL  What a crazy name!  Brain Noodles are essentially pipe cleaners on steroids. LOL  They’re so much better, though.  Brain Noodles are soft and furry. They don’t have sharp ends, so there’s no pin cushion fingertips to contend with.  They’re great fun for my pretty wide age range of 3-14.  All three kids got into the action, creating bats, spiders, flowers, monsters, and even the Olympic rings!  I looped a bunch of them together to make a giant necklace.  We made hearts.   We spent hours coming up with different things we could do with them.  It was a ton of fun!

Brain Noodles help stoke that creativity in you and the child(ren) in your life.

Each package comes with 26 Brain Noodles and there’s 2 sizes (27 inches and 13 inches) and LOTS of fun colors.  They’re just… FUN.  I selected them primarily because I like to provide my kids with things that they can play with that encourage creativity and Brain Noodles are perfect.

The New Toy (http://thenewtoy.com) is a family owned toy store with 2 brick & mortor locations.  They offer a unique toy shopping experience online with beautiful, high resolution photos and descriptions of each of their SELECT toys, making your online toy buying experience comfortable and satisfying.  You’re going to love it!

And now, the news you’ve been waiting for!

I have 1 package of Brain Noodles to give away!

As always, I offer you a ton of ways to earn an entry.  The first is REQUIRED.  The rest are optional (but highly recommended).

Please be sure your email is visible on your blogger profile or you’ve left it in your comment.

Comments that do not meet set requirements or state that something has been done but hasn’t – will be deleted.  I DO verify that you’ve joined, followed, fanned, etc.  So please be a grown-up and be honest.

1 – REQUIRED – visit http://thenewtoy.com and tell me what toy you would have liked when you were a child.

For extra entries, please leave a comment letting me know which of the following you’ve done.

• Fan my Facebook page.  Leave a comment with your Facebook name.
• Fan The New Toy’s Facebook page. Leave a comment with your Facebook name.
• Follow me on Twitter.    Leave a comment letting me know your Twitter name.
• Follow The New Toy on Twitter.  Leave a comment letting me know.
• Subscribe to Dawniemom Reviews in a feed reader.
• Tweet this giveaway– leave a link to your tweet here.  You can do this 2x a day, every day if you wish – just come back and leave the link.
• Join my newsletter – (found in the sidebar as “Join the club”). Leave 2 comments letting me know.
• Google Friend Connect me.  Leave me a comment with your google name.
• Link to me from your blog.  Leave me the URL in your comment.
• Blogging about this giveaway gets you FIVE entries – just leave 5 comments.
• Share this giveaway on Facebook, Yahoo, etc. by clicking on the “Sharing is Caring” link right below this blog entry. Leave a comment with which one you choose.  Do them all, earn a whole buncha entries!

This giveaway is limited to the USA.  Giveaway ends November 8th. I will draw a winner from all qualified entries.

How exciting! My post has been chosen as a

This giveaway has ended.  See below for winner.

I seldom buy frozen “meals” – mainly because one package doesn’t feed my family of 5.  But there are times when I do buy something that will only feed the two of us who eat seafood – my 7 yr old daughter & I.  So when I was asked to take a look at P.F. Chang’s Home Menu frozen entrees, I said yes.

I choose the Shrimp in Garlic Sauce because – well, yum – who can pass up garlic AND shrimp in one meal, right?

I decided to prepare it on a night when I was pressed for time, but needed something that would fill us up. We were getting ready to go to the county fair, and you KNOW how expensive it is to eat at those places, so I needed something filling and fast – and easy as possible.

You cannot GET much easier than “open package and pour into a skillet”.  That’s ALL you do.  You cook it on medium-high heat for 10 minutes – and I have to say, the ingredients had my mouth watering.  The vegetables – peapods, water chestnuts, peppers and carrots looked SO fresh! The shrimp looked delicious – and in 15 minutes, it was DONE!

I’d also prepared some stir-fry noodles to go with it, and threw them in at the last minute to coat with the yummy garlic sauce.  We went to town!  It was delicious. The vegetables held up to the heat and didn’t get all mushy, like some frozen meals I’ve used in the past.  The shrimp was tender and the sauce itself was good – not too spicy, not too sweet. Best of all, it didn’t taste like a frozen meal at all. It tasted like take-out.

They take about 10-12 minutes to cook in a skillet without the addition of any other ingredients and there are eight varieties available including General Chang’s Chicken, Orange Chicken, Shanghai Style Beef, Shrimp in a Garlic Sauce, Shrimp Lo Mein, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Ginger Chicken & Broccoli and Beef with Broccoli.

Some company facts

Created with the expert chefs at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro® and produced and distributed by Unilever, P.F. Chang’s Home Menu is a new line of premium Asian frozen entrées that captures the bold flavors associated with P.F. Chang’s. With P.F. Chang’s Home Menu, fans of P.F. Chang’s can now conquer their cravings for its signature Asian cuisine at home, when they can’t get to a restaurant.

Made with high-quality ingredients and featuring intense flavors, the bold, frozen meals for two are convenient and easy to prepare, going from the skillet to a succulent restaurant-quality meal at home in just minutes.

Where can you get some?

You can pick up P. F. Chang Home Menu frozen entrees in your local market in the frozen meals section, but even better is that I have a coupon for a FREE P. F. Chang Home Menu frozen entree for one of my  lucky readers.

Win!

Winning is easy, of course.

For each step you choose to complete, leave a separate comment. On August 20, I will draw a winner through random.com from all qualified entries.

• Go to P. F. Chang’s website and browse the delicious options they offer. Then come back here and comment with the variety you’d choose, and who you would share it with.
• Google friend connect me
• “Like” my page over there on my sidebar
• Tweet this giveaway by clicking on the Twitter birdie right here.

Do one, do all, it’s up to you!

Note: I received a sample of the dinner described above in the form of a coupon.

and the winner is………………………………

Commenter # 12, Sandra!  I’ll be emailing you!

Thanks for entering

With the plethora of stuff (putting it mildly) that’s out on the market for kids’ snacks & such these days, it’s really no wonder that America’s youth are obese.  It is so hard for parents to fight the onslaught of product placement, commercials, sponsorships, etc. for JUNK food that their kids are subjected to and inject some healthy alternatives here & there.

Enter Fruit Roll-ups.  It’s fruit.  But it’s fun.  But it’s fruit!  But it’s fun!  (See a pattern?)  Fruit Roll-ups have contiually evolved and changed to keep kids engaged and wanting more.  When the first ingredient in a kids’ snack is a FRUIT, I’m sold.

Now Fruit Roll-Ups can be PERSONALIZED, too!  Now, I have to explain something.  My oldest son has never liked Fruit Roll-ups because he doesn’t like getting his fingers sticky (I know… ), so I ordered our personalized Fruit Roll-ups for my daughter.  When she first opened the package and unrolled it, she saw the message I’d put on there for her: 

She got SUCH a big kick out of that!  Over the next couple of days, as the box of 30 dwindled, my oldest decided to try one.   HE LOVED it! LOL 

Ok, so anyway – you can order your own personalized fruit roll-ups for any occasion!  I am thinking they’d be a great birthday party favor!  

The best part, of course, is that I have a code to give away for you to receive your OWN box of 30 personalized fruit roll-ups (a $30 value)! 

If you’d like to win, leave a comment below!  Want extra entries?  For each thing you do, leave an extra comment!

• Tweet about my birthday bash giveaways and use #dawniemom in your tweet.
• Post my button and a link to this blog on your blog, then enter your blog address in your entry.
• If you have a food blog, head over to my food blog and sign up for the Food Buzz Publisher program through my link – that’ll earn you 10 extra!