It's Not Too Late To Donate - The Kidney Walk Is May 22

Please support this worthy cause. One of our Mom Squad Members, Lisa Burns, is in need of your donation if at all possible. Her husband, Johnny is a disabled Persian Gulf veteran on Peritoneal Dialysis at home. She is slowly approaching her goal but needs your help. Let's do what we can to make the lives of kidney patients better and help find a cure for kidney disease. The Kidney Walk will take place at the Akron Zoo. You may send a check to their home address: 2520 McDowell St. NE, Canton, Ohio 44721 or for more info go to their website:

http://walk.kidney.org/site/TR/Walk/OhioInc?px=1044342&pg=personal&fr_id=1170&s_tafId=1382

Savvy Shoppers Unite!

We LOVE this! Amy Bergin is a stay-home mom and inventor of "Couponizer". Not only does she help moms organize our coupons, but she offers great advice saving money overall. Sign up for her newsletter, order the couponizer, and find out more HERE

Monkey Tail Bread - Make a Sweet Treat For Mom for Her Special Day!

Go bananas with banana bread, and frost it with the favorite flavors of chocolate and peanut butter.
Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:2 hr 35 min
Makes:1 loaf (16 slices)
Go to www.bettycrocker.com for more great treats.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana (3 medium)
2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy ready-to-spread chocolate frosting
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 9x5x3 loaf pan with shortening.

Beat 1/2 cup shortening and the sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in eggs and bananas until smooth. Beat in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt just until mixed. Stir in peanuts and chocolate chips. Pour into pan.

Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Place frosting in small plastic food-storage bag. Microwave on High 6 to 10 seconds or until pourable. Add peanut butter to bag; gently squeeze bag until peanut butter and frosting are well blended. Cut off tiny corner of bag. Squeeze bag to drizzle chocolate mixture over bread.

CANCER AWARENESS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US

The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign is underway. Please make any donation that you can. No amount is too small. Our own Gina Hart is heading up the annual team for 95.5 The Fish once again. Also, we hope you can join us on Saturday, May 31, to walk Progressive Field in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness. Go to www.955thefish to make a donation on behalf of Team Fish, start a team of your own and/or sign-up for the walk. TODAY, (4/28) is the last day to register for the walk to obtain your FREE T-shirt, so don't delay.

Paula found the following information in the latest issue of Good Housekeeping Magazine. The Olay Company is sponsoring a program called Skin Cancer takes friends. Olay has teamed up with the ASDS (American Society for Dermatological Surgery) to sponsor free screenings with a surgeon of dermatology for you and a friend. Just go to www.skincancertakesfriends.org. Find a doctor near you and follow the instructions on the site.

Last but not least, please see an important announcement from Lifetime Television regarding the bipartisan Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2007 (S.459/H.R 758.) This act is urging Congress to end the practice of “drive-through” mastectomies, where women are forced to leave the hospital following their physically and emotionally difficult breast cancer surgeries before they and their doctors feel they are ready. Thanks Sherry Gilley of WV for notifying Darlene of this info. Go to http://www.lifetimetv.com/breastcancer/
petition/signpetition.php

Recipe Of The Week - Saucy Sizzle

Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 small onion
1 lb well-trimmed sirloin cut into small strips (feel free to try chicken, fish or soy meat as alternatives)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 cups cooked rice

Sauté peppers and onion, transfer into a bowl
Sauté meat, garlic and pepper
Add soy sauce
Cook meat through
Add BBQ sauce and veggies
Serve over rice

QUICK & DELICIOUS. Go to www.kraftfoods.com and subscribe to their Free Magazine!

Hair Color Made Easy

Busy moms are always trying to find ways to save time and money. I just tried the new Perfect 10 by Clariol Nice n Easy and it works great. It has a great comb applicator which makes applying the color easy and neat. And there is a wonderful conditioner that you use right after you color, and again once a week for the next 6 weeks so your color stays fresh and your hair remains shiny. Not only does it save you time and money, it also helps you to look great. You don't need to sit with color on your head for 25-35 minutes, 10 minutes is all it takes!! And the price is about $12.00 a box, a whole lot less than getting your hair done at a salon. No longer can we use the excuse that we don't have time or money to cover those grey hairs or to make a fun change in our hair color. So if you are a regular at home hair colorer, or a novice, head to the store today and pick up a new hair color for Spring. It's fun, easy and worth the try. I did and I love it!

Book Review - Mommy's Choice, by Scott Curtis

I love this book! It is 3 stories within itself. 1 is the story of a lady searching for a past that she thought she had lived, 2 is the same lady and the life she lived with her son and a man she met and married after the father of her then unborn child walked out on her. The man that became her husband was a Christian and from him she learned love and how to trust God and she developed a desire to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ, and 3 is the story of her son, his biological father that meet in a somewhat unknown place and the reason they are there, which is not divulged until the very end (NO PEEKING). Mommy's Choice is written in a way that will intrigue and enlighten. There is Biblical searching and revelations from various characters that is insightful. The story makes you happy for this family but it also has the feel of a mystery and once the reader reaches the end, it opens up great opportunity for prayer and dialog. It is the type of story that you will right away, want to pass on to someone else to read. There is definitely a gentle message, with a powerful impact. I read it in one sitting. It is very thought provoking. Scott's book is now in over 16 libraries and can be purchased at Borders and various book stores or ordered online via Amazon.com, Target.com, BarnesandNoble.com, etc.

Those of you that utilize The Mom Squad Forum, may be familiar with Scott as he is one of our Dad's! After researching publishing options, he decided to go with Xulon Press, which is a Salem Communications company. He is thrilled with the results of his association with Xulon. Feel free to contact Scott directly at scurtis.fiction@sbcglobal.net