A Mom's Balancing Act

As a busy mom of three young children, finding the time to make a big meal for supper each night is not always an easy task. I am always looking for easy to prepare meals, that are still delicious and something everyone will like. That's why I love my crockpot! I can throw ingredients in and by suppertime we have a delicious meal!

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I plan on sharing some of the easy recipes I make, and hope you'll share yours in the comments section below. I'm always looking for more recipes, especially crockpot recipes!

My husband loves meat and potato type meals, as do I. We both love a good pot roast, and I appreciate how easy it is to make! I have always made my pot roast in the crockpot, using water and a packet of Onion Soup. Although this has always turned out very good, my hubby and I were ready to try something new. About a month ago, I had been coming across several recipes calling for soda as a substitute for water and thought we'd give it a try.

Ingredients:

1 pot roast (we've used different types of roast, most recently a sirloin tip roast)
1 packet of Lipton Dry Onion Soup Mix
1 can of Dr. Pepper (or any soda you prefer to try)

Directions:

1. Place roast in crock pot
2. Pour packet of onion soup mix and soda over roast
3. Cook on low for 8-9 hours or High for 2 hrs/Low for 6 hrs

I didn't have a can of Dr. Pepper, so I used about 1/2 of a 20 oz bottle of Dr. Pepper instead. It made a nice amount of gravy.

Every time we have this recipe, everyone loves it! The roast is so tender and just falls apart....it's delicious! We serve it with mashed potatoes and the soda gives both the meat and the gravy such great flavor! We have tried root beer in the past as well, however it was too sweet for our liking. The Dr. Pepper has been our favorite by far!

This is such an easy recipe and one everyone enjoys!! As I said, feel free to leave a link or recipe in the comments section below and share some of your favorite recipes with us as well.

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There are many instances when it's important for my kids to find quiet activities to do. Whether it be in church, a long car ride, or even while my 3 month old sleeps...I am always on the lookout for these types of activities for my 4 year old and 2 year old. That's why I love Find It Games!

Founded by husband and wife partners, Bob and Lynn knight in 2003, Find It Games began as a fun family idea at the dinner table. Now grown into a business that has sold over 1 million units, Find It Games is a brand name that is recognized by the best specialty retailers in the industry and found in over 7,000 specialty retail stores such as Barnes & Noble, Borders, Hallmark, Target, Christian Book and more!

As a child I loved hide and seek, scavenger hunts, etc. My kids are no different! They love to find things, which is why I love the idea of games that help them find hidden objects and spark creativity. That's why I was happy when introduced to Find It Games this past summer and couldn't have been happier when asked to review their new product, Find It On The Farm!
The product is great quality! This Find It Game comes in a clear cylinder shaped like a silo...and is extremely durable and well made. It holds up well to my kids shaking it, twisting it, etc. I can tell it is something that will last us a long time, and for that I am thankful!

This game is recommended for ages 8+, but my kids still really enjoy it! It's the perfect size for little hands and the colorful pellets are very appealing to them. Both kids love the new On The Farm hidden object game and enjoy searching for the 42 different items tucked among the pellets. Everything is packaged inside a silo-shaped cylinder, which makes it all that much more fun! Unlike the last Find It Game we received to review, On The Farm adds more of a challenge, as the items are very close in color to the pellets inside. I can definitely see how this could be something that my kids will enjoy playing with for years to come!

The game comes with a score pad to check off items as you find them. There's also a checklist of all the items on the bottom of the cylinder for when you're in the car, etc. I think these are great for older children as they try to find each item.
One way this could be more geared toward younger children Kaelyn's age who are not reading yet, is an image of each item on the other end of the game and scorecards so they can easily see what objects there are to find and check them off as they go.

Overall we've really enjoyed On The Farm! It's entertaining, portable, great quality, fun, and seems to hold the kids' attention for a very long time. They enjoy the challenge of trying to find the hidden treasures, yet it doesn't become too stressful which is great. Even my husband and I have enjoyed playing it! I would definitely recommend it to families with children of all ages!

Of course this is only one of so many great products found at Find It Games. They are also launching three new jigsaw puzzles, under a collection called Pieces of History, that mimic the “finding” activity of its award-winning and well-recognized contained adventures. The puzzle series targets a significant event familiar to both children and adults. Once the pieces are put in place, the history-themed puzzles offer an instant lesson to children and adults as they read the parchment-like list of hidden items. Each is for Ages 8 and up, and costs $13.

Buy It: You can purchase Find It On The Farm from Find It Games for $23.

Win It: One very lucky reader is going to win their choice of either the On The Farm game OR one of the jigsaw puzzles mentioned above.

Mandatory Entry - Visit Find It Games and tell me another game you'd love to try.

Extra Entries: Only valid after the mandatory entry has been completed. Leave 1 comment for each extra entry)

1. 1 extra entry - Like Find It Games on Facebook

2. 3 extra entries- Blog about this giveaway (linking to this post and Find It Games) and leave THREE comments with the URL to that post.

3. 1 extra entry- Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (You can tweet once a day for one extra entry every day)! You can copy and paste:

#Win a On The Farm Find It Game OR Choice of jigsaw puzzle from Find It Games! http://bit.ly/xcB8qP Ends 2/23

4. 3 extra entries- Post my blog button or blog URL to your blog and leave a comment with the URL to your blog. (If it already is, leave me a comment letting me know)

5. 2 extra entries- subscribe to A Mom's Balancing Act via e-mail (found along the side column) and leave TWO comments letting me know.

6. 2 extra entries- 'Like' A Mom's Balancing Act on Facebook

7. 2 extra entries- Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect

8. 1 extra entry - Enter any of my other current giveaways. Leave me a comment on which one(s)....ONE entry for EACH giveaway you enter!!

Leave one comment for each entry you complete above including with each, your e-mail address (or make sure it's visible in your profile) so that I can easily contact the winner!!

This giveaway will end February 23rd and is open to US Only!

**The products for this review and giveaway were provided for free. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way. The opinions of others may differ from my own**