IKEA Visit on President's Day

 

While building my IKEA storage cabinets, I needed a level.  I'm really starting to love my iPhone....

We had a great visit to my favorite furniture store, complete with the boy and the girl making their rounds in Smaland.  You should have seen hubby, the biscuit and I work the store and get all the stuff on our shopping list for the hour that we had.  Oh, and we all got to eat at the restaurant for free since we spent over $100 on our cabinets.  We love IKEA, especially when school is out!  Not too shabby....

Review & Giveaway: Zarbee's All-Natural Children's Cough Syrup

Mothers of little ones know all too well the struggle of soothing kids with coughs and colds.  Fortunately, there is an option available for preschoolers called Zarbee's All-Natural Children's Cough Syrup. 

We had the chance to personally try out this product and it has three significant advantages:

• You can safely give this syrup to babies that are 12 months old.  Most manufacturers recommend using their product if the child is older than two years of age.
• The ingredients are all-natural, based on a proprietary mix of honey, vitamins and immunity boosters.  You can feel confident that this is a safe remedy to try out which will not react with other medicines.
• It is available at larger pharmacies and retailers, such as Walgreen's, Wegmann's and Weis.

The syrup is fairly thick so it may be better to use a dosing syringe for little ones.  We tried the grape flavor and while it is a little tart, there is no chemical taste and it was easy going down.

The big question is, does it work?  I can definitely give a resounding thumbs up.  My six year old woke up complaining of a sore throat one morning, so I gave him the syrup.  It was a bit sour for him (he might prefer the cherry flavor, over the grape), but Zarbee's soothed his throat immediately.  He went to school and didn't complain once about a sore throat again.

My little 17month old eyed the medicine and since he had a little cough, I decided to try it with him as well.  The grape was a bit tart for his taste, but using a syringe, I was able to slow down the amount that he swallowed and it did provide relief.

The Frugal Writer loves to save money, so I'm pleased to tell you that you can get a $1 off coupon right from the Zarbee's website.

My results are unscientific at best, but you can have a shot at trying this remedy out for yourself with my Free Giveaway of a 4oz bottle.

Here's how to enter:

1. Like Zarbee's on Facebook
2. Like The Frugal Writer on Facebook
3. Follow The Frugal Writer on Twitter
4. Add your link using the Mister Linky widget below and leave a comment here confirming actions 1-3 and and why you'd like a sample of Zarbee's.  
5. Send an email with your email or contact information to mar4jc at verizon dot net

The winner, chosen at random, will be picked and announced on (giveaway extended!) Monday, February 28th, here, on Twitter and on Facebook.
Best wishes!

Disclaimer:  I was not paid for this product and only received a sample to provide this review.

Quick Tips: Fast Cooking in the Kitchen

Here are some fast cooking tips that you can use right when you are in the thick of attempting to get dinner done.

1. When pressed for time, cut whatever you are cooking into smaller pieces.  Meats, potatoes, etc, cook much faster when the pieces are small.  This is the reason why stir fry foods cook so fast.

2. Ground meat always makes a great meal fast.  Even if it's frozen, you can still quickly brown it while cooking pasta for a quick, filling meal in about a half hour.

3.  Still in a rush?  Use a lid to cook foods faster and retain moisture.  This saves time and energy because the lid traps heat that continues to help cook the covered food.

4. Need to thicken something that came out too watery?  Just add a bit of flour or cornstarch.  This will absorb extra fluid and can give a dish a nice, creamy texture.

If you want more cooking inspiration, check out my Ten Fast and Easy Cooking Tips.