SodaStream House Party

It's been too long since I last posted!  I've kind of had writer's block.  Oh...and a job that took up a LOT of my time and energy.  But the job is gone, so now I have no excuses. 

The good news is I have more time to do fun things with my friends and my kids!  Like make and drink our own soda!

Last Saturday we hosted a SodaStream House Party.  We received the Source model and a bunch of flavors, along with the carbonation cartridge to make the fizz!  Set-up was simple and in a matter of about five minutes we were adding bubbles to everything from water to juice!

 

 

The boys and a few of their friends went first and had a great time making their own sodas and mixing and matching flavors. They tried really weird combos like rootbeer and lemon-lime.  Why?  Because their boys and they do weird things.  That rootbeer/lemon-lime combination?  Was disgusting.

 

 

Then the other moms and I all took our turns.  Our favorite flavor was Cranberry-Raspberry mixed with Lemonade.  It was light and bubbly and delicious and the SodaStream was so easy and fun to use!  All the moms agreed that the 1 liter bottles that come with the SodaStream are the perfect size.

 

One of my camera shy friends - photo by one of the other 5 camera shy friends!

 

 

 

Really bad picture of me giving a demo...fire the photographer!

Here's a video of how it works, not sure you can see it all that well, but it will give you a general idea about how the SodaStream works. Ignore the ridiculous conversation taking place as I film and try to control mother my children.  Oh...and please turn your cell phones to vibrate so you don't disturb the other viewers...it's that good.  You won't want to miss a second of this high quality video. 

 

 

 

So...we enjoyed just about everything the SodaStream has to offer.  The only negative thing I would bring up is that many of the flavors I received to try contain sucralose or Splenda.  I am not a fan of sucralose or Splenda.  But the good news is that SodaStream offers some all natural flavors that do not have the artificial sweetner, so I am looking forward to trying those.  I am a fan of sparkling juices though and I think that we can save a lot of money making our own sparkling cider and non-alcoholic mimosas using SodaStream!

 

The other great thing about SodaStream is that it is great on the environment.  Their reusable 1 liter bottles mean no more empty 2 liter bottles going in the garbage or ending up in landfills.   

 

SodaStream is definitely going to be put to good use in our home.  We already have plans to include it as part of my youngest son's b-day party and it makes an appearance every family movie night as well. 

 

I have three $20 rebate coupons left over from the party if anyone is thinking about buying one for Christmas.  Shoot me and email, I'll be happy to get the coupon to you via snail mail!

 

 

**Disclosure:  I was not compensated for this blog post.  I did receive a SodaStream kit from SodaStream and House Party to help facilitate this review.  My opinions are always honest and are my own.**

 



Surf Sweets Giveaway and Review

Do you love gummies?  As in Gummy Bears, Gummy Worms, Gummy Fruit, Gummy Whatever?  Boymom's family is big on Gummy's, the boys especially love the sour gummies.  I don't buy them very often though, because I am trying to incorporate more healthy eating habits into our routine.  So candy has taken a big hit this year when it comes to what I will purchase for a treat for them. 

Luckily for my boys, Surf Sweets has created an all natural and organic candy that is a much healthier choice than some of the other gummies out on the market.  And even luckier for the boys was the fact that they were able to try some of Surf Sweet's products, as was I, when they arrived in the mail a few days ago. 

So here's the scoop on Surf Sweet and their gummy stuff:

• Made with Organic Fruit Juice and Sweeteners
  
• Natural Colors and Flavors
  
• 100% RDA of Vitamin C
  
• Free of Corn Syrup and GMO's
  
• Made in a Nut-Free Facility
  
• Gluten Free
  
• Casein Free
  
• And Made in the USA!!
  

These are great for people with food allergies and intolerances and the truth is, they really taste good!  They were fresh and soft and chewy and seriously full of flavor.  I tested the Fruity Bears while the boys tried out the Sour Worms.  Big thumbs up from the boys as they played with and ate the Sour Worms.  Big thumbs up from mom as I ate the Fruity Bears and thought about how glad I am to have a healthier alternative to the sugar filled gummies we usually purchase.  I also like supporting a company that supports good causes.  Surf Sweets donates a portion of their sales to help fight childhood obesity.  You can learn more about their products and causes here.  

And by the way...I also like the clarity of the Fruity Bears.  Have you ever held a gummy bear up to your eyes?  The really clear ones let the light through and you can see the world through rose colored gummy bears.  Try it sometime when you have nothing better to do but play with your food.  It's kinda cool, despite the fact that it's really juvenile, and the kids think I am a pretty fun mom for thinking of fun things to do with my candy. Like when I pull the heads off the bears and put them on different colored bodies. What?!  Don't sit here reading and act like you've never decapitated a gummy bear!

My only problem now is where to buy them!  You can find them at your local Whole Foods or Buy Buy Baby and even at Lifetime Fitness, as well as other natural and specialty food stores.  We don't have any of those stores close to us (actually NO STORES of any kind are actually close to my home), but I will be looking for Surf Sweets in some of the health food stores next time I go shopping. 

Are you craving some candy now?  You could win some Surf Sweet Gummies of your own!  Stop by Surf Sweet's website and then come back here and leave a comment telling me which product you would like to try. If you want extra entries, feel free to do any or all of the following:

• Twitter this contest
  
• Post a link on Facebook to this contest
  
• Post a link on a giveaway Mr. Linky somewhere and leave a comment with the site name
  
• Write about it on your blog!
  

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each item you do so I can give you an entry credit for each effort you make!

I will choose the winning comment using Random.org.  Contest is open to US residents only and ends on February 13th at 12 midnight PST.

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my blog!

**Disclosure: I did not receive monetary compensation for this post.  I did receive product samples from Surf Sweets in order to facilitate this review.