I get a lot of water bottles of various types in gift bags at events I go to. Honestly, most of them I never use and they are given to others or donated to charities. However, I received my favorite water bottle EVER from the Disney Social Media Moms event recently. It is a gorgeous shiny deep red – my favorite color, and it has the fun bling around the top! I drank more water the day of that conference and I think it was because I liked the water bottle so much!

Do you have a favorite water bottle? What makes it your favorite?

© 2013, Robyn Wright. All rights reserved.

My family loves Kraft Zesty Italian Anything Dressing. We have been buying it for a while now and it is so flavorful! When you taste it zesty really is the right word to describe it – you get a zip, zing, and zap of that zesty flavor in every single bite. We use it on salads, but we also use it as a marinade often and in other ways. Mom It Forward asked me, on behalf of Kraft, to share some ways that I use it to get zesty in the kitchen!

For me, quick and easy leaves more time for enjoying the zest of life. Now, trying to eat healthier and better portions helps me feel more zesty too! Because of that I thought I would share with you Zesty Turkey Burgers and Zesty Baked Sweet Potato Fries plus a Zesty Greek Yogurt Sauce today.

I started with the baked sweet potato fries since they take the longest to cook. You can use regular potatoes for this recipe too if you are not a fan of sweet potato fries.

Zesty Baked Sweet Potato Fries

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Anything Dressing
• 1/4 cup Kraft Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a large sheet pan with foil (for easy clean up). Peel the sweet potatoes and wash. Now cut into fries. I used a regular kind of fry shape, but you can do thick or thin, wedges, waffle cuts, whatever you like. Just adjust the cooking time based on thickness. Mix together the Kraft Zesty Italian and Kraft Parmesan Cheese in a bowl or plastic bag. Add the cut sweet potato pieces and toss well to coat all. Now place the coated pieces on the lined sheet pan and bake approximately 40 minutes. I generally toss them a bit about 25 minutes into cooking. Again, if you make thicker fries you will need to cook longer. I do not add salt to these since they already have lots of flavor.

Zesty Greek Yogurt Sauce/Spread

This is super easy and a great substitute for mayo on your burger and it is also great to dip the fries in.

• 1 part Kraft Zesty Italian Anything Dressing
• 3 parts Plain Greek yogurt

Mix together the two ingredients well. You can add more or less Zesty Italian as you like to taste. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the flavors blend together well. Delicious!

Next up are the Zesty Turkey Burgers. Now when I made these they were just a tad “soft” (but cooked). I have adjusted the recipe to make the burgers a little firmer. The flavor is great though!

Zesty Turkey Burgers

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1/4 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Anything Dressing
• 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
• Burger buns
• Zesty Greek Yogurt Sauce (see recipe above)
• Other toppings of choice which could include greens, baby spinach, cheese, red onions, tomato, etc.

Mix together the ground turkey, Kraft Zesty Italian, and bread crumbs together in a bowl. Divide the mixture into 4 equal parts and shape into patties. Grill or cook in a skillet until done – use a meat thermometer to make sure they reach 165 F. If you are using cheese add it to the top of the burgers the last minute or so for it to melt. Serve on burger bun of choice – I use the thin buns to save on calories, carbs, etc. Add your favorite toppings and some of the Zesty Greek Yogurt Sauce. Enjoy!

Now that is a ZESTY MEAL! If you want something even easier, pour some Kraft Zesty Italian into a plastic bag and then add your favorite cut of beef, chicken, or pork and let it marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge. Throw it on the grill – super easy! You can also use the Kraft Zesty Italian to baste whatever you are grilling as it cooks. It really is a great go-to item to keep in your kitchen at all times.

Now, I would be remiss if I did not mention the Kraft Zesty Guy! Whoa! Have you all seen his commercials? He is definitely zesty too! Kraft has put the videos up and made some Zestygrams (ecards) on GetMeZesty.com. My favorite video is where Zesty Guy makes a salad (sort of). Yum! Trust me, it is worth visiting ladies! You can also follow @theZestyGuy on Twitter, and like him (or love him) over on Facebook. If you want more recipes try the Zesty Italian Chicken Salad or Zesty Primavera Pasta Toss. Zesty Guy is even offering my readers a gift – once lucky reader will win a bottle of a zesty Italian perfume, such as Versace!

The Giveaway: One of my readers will win a bottle of an Italian perfume, such as Versace (choice of perfume is by the sponsor)

Required Entry: Leave a comment telling me how you zest up your life and also send out the following tweet once and include the link to your tweet in the same comment. (This is the requirement of the sponsor)
Tweet

Extra Entries: The following are all extra things you can do for more entries. Leave an additional comment for each thing you do to earn extra entries.

• Subscribe my feed via and then leave a comment letting me know you have done so. Subscribe to Robyn’s Online World
• Follow @RobynsWorld on Twitter and send a tweet about the giveaway. You can do this one time per day. Leave a direct link to your tweet (instructions here) in your comment for an extra entry for each tweet. Just click the Tweet button below and follow simple instructions. The tweet must include #GetZesty
  Tweet
  

Rules: You may only enter the stated number of times per method listed above. No entering on behalf of others, using extra identities or others identities, no automated program entries, etc. If I catch you cheating you will be banned from this and all of my future giveaways! This giveaway is only open to those in the USA, ages 18+. All entries must be received by 11:59 pm Central Time on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. I will pick a winner and email them and they have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, I will pick a new winner. Good luck!

© 2013, Robyn Wright. All rights reserved.

I try very hard not to focus on what T does not or has not done. He is a unique individual, just like everyone’s child is. Sometimes it is harder though because his path has been so radically different from the “normal” path of most kids. As a mom I think we look forward to certain milestones that we did ourselves and want to see our kids doing similar things. I grew up doing plenty of things in school programs, I took dance lessons, played softball, was a Girl Scout, went to the junior high dances, went to my senior prom, and did the whole high school graduation ceremony and all the activities leading up to it. My brother is two years older and he also did a ton of things. T on the other hand does not like groups in general and is just not a joiner. His bipolar and anxiety had him on an alternate path in school. Just not a lot of the things I was expecting as a mom.

Now I love my son dearly. I am happy to support him in his interests to the best of my ability. Forcing him to do anything to meet my own personal needs is not an option for me even. But there is a mourning process for me. As I wrote last week about that melancholy feeling at Walt Disney World recently, I think this is all part of that same process for me. With it being his senior year in high school I just thought things would be so much different than what they are. I was looking forward to the craziness of ordering his cap and gown, getting senior pictures taken, planning a graduation party, ordering invitations, and even dealing with who gets to attend the ceremony if we were only allotted a few tickets. It seems like high school graduation is just as much a rite of passage for the parents as it is for the students.

So for now, I wait. T is in a program where he has actually completed all of his class work. He does not have to get up and go to school at all. What he does have to do is work (or volunteer) and get a certain number of hours registered. Once he does that he graduates. Right now though his job is not full time and I cannot seem to motivate him to get a second job or to even volunteer to get his hours in. This is extremely frustrating for me and Hubby. I guess frustration is just part of parenting a teenager though.

For all of you who are feeling overwhelmed with graduation activities for your kids right now please slow down and savor these moments. Enjoy the chaotic pace. Enjoy the achievement of your child and yourself. For those like me who are waiting patiently, I understand.

© 2013, Robyn Wright. All rights reserved.

The description on the box of the Beef Merlot: Tender beef and broccoli florets in a delicate Merlot wine sauce.

My more accurate description: Fatty beef pieces and broccoli in thin brown gravy.

It is not an overly attractive meal to look at. I was surprised at the fattiness of some of the pieces of beef. The broccoli tasted like it may have had some sort of butter-like flavoring added to it, but I’m not sure. Not the best tasting dish, not even the best tasting frozen dish. I doubt that I will be buying this again. It is not the most horrible thing in the world, but just not enough to my liking.

Atkins Beef Merlot Nutrition Info (from box):

Calories: 310
Calories from fat: 190
Total Fat: 21g
Sat Fat: 4g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 50mg
Sodium: 920mg (yes, it was salty tasting too)
Total Carbs: 9g
Dietary Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 16g
Atkins Net Carbs: 6g

Have you tried the Atkins Beef Merlot yourself? What do you think of it?

© 2013, Robyn Wright. All rights reserved.

Disclosure: I was provided this info by the PR firm, but have not been compensated. Just sharing with my readers because you all love prizes!

TWEET: RT to win: Step up to new 3rd rack @boschappliances dishwasher at@lowes. Details & addtn’l prizes http://bit.ly/11SaFBf.  #BoschatLowes

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING.  Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, 18 or older at time of entry.  Void where prohibited.  Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:00 p.m. CDT on 5/20/13 and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. CDT on 5/31/13.  Promotion includes two separate components, (a) and (b) as defined below.  Each component is independent; entering one does not constitute entry into the other.  (a) To enter for a chance to win the Dishwasher Prize:  Use your Twitter profile on www.twitter.com and tweet the following: RT to win: Step up to new 3rd rack @boschappliances dishwasher at @lowes. Details & addtn’l prizes http://bit.ly/11SaFBf #BoschatLowes.  (b) To enter for a chance to win a Lowe’s Gift Card Prize: Visit 3RackBoschatLowes.rewardpromo.com. and follow the online instructions to complete and submit an entry.  Limit one (1) entry per person/household/email address per entry method/prize level.  Dishwasher Prize (1): a Bosch  Dishwasher (White, Black, or Stainless Steel).  ARV: up to $899.  Lowe’s Gift Card Prizes (2): a $250 Lowe’s Gift Card.  Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received for a given drawing.  Subject to full Official Rules available at www.3RackBoschatLowes.com.  Sponsor:  BSH Home Appliances Corporation, 1901 Main St., Suite 600, Irvine, CA 92614. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. and its affiliates are not sponsors of this Promotion.

© 2013, Robyn Wright. All rights reserved.

One very important thing is to inspect your life jacket. Has it seen better days? The infographic below shows you what to look at. This might be the year to replace them. Father’s Day is coming up and if your dad is hard to buy for usually, what about getting him a set of new life jackets for his boat?

Some extra resources for you to check out in connection with National Safe Boating Week:

• Safe Boating Campaign Website
• National Safe Boating Week Event on Facebook
• Sidekicks site for kids – lots of games, coloring pages, and activities for kids about safe boating
• @BoatingCampaign on Twitter
• National Safe Boating on YouTube
• Choosing a Life Jacket – There are a lot of options these days, find what is best for your needs

Do you go on a boat (any kind) often? Are you as safe as you should be?

© 2013, Robyn Wright. All rights reserved.

Disney Parks recorded the coronation event also so you can watch Merida being crowned a Disney Princess by her mother.

There has been some controversy over Merida’s recent makeover also. I happen to agree with many that I would prefer Merida keep her original and less “glamorous” look. While I understand the traditional look of a Princess, I also think it is much more important for our children to understand that their beauty and strength come from within! Regardless of how many of us feel, our kids still do adore Merida for the strong character that she is. The magic I feel for Disney is very special but it does not mean I always agree 100%, but Disney lets all of us go back to our childhood for moments and pretend and believe and enjoy.

The Giveaway: One very lucky reader will win a Brave Merida Prize Package which includes a Collector’s Edition Brave Blu-ray/DVD Combo, Brave Merida Doll, a Merida Wig, Smaller Brave Merida doll with MagiClip dress, Merida stickers, a Princess Magazine, and a reusable Brave shopping bag.

Required Entry: Leave a comment telling me why you (or your little one) enjoys Merida so much.
Winners notified by mail only, so make sure I have a way of accessing your email address when you comment.

Extra Entries: The following are all extra things you can do for more entries. Leave an additional comment for each thing you do to earn extra entries.

• Subscribe my feed via and then leave a comment letting me know you have done so. Subscribe to Robyn’s Online World
• Follow @RobynsWorld on Twitter and send a tweet about the giveaway. You can do this one time per day. Leave a direct link to your tweet (instructions here) in your comment for an extra entry for each tweet. Just click the Tweet button below and follow simple instructions
  Tweet
  

Rules: You may only enter the stated number of times per method listed above. No entering on behalf of others, using extra identities or others identities, no automated program entries, etc. If I catch you cheating you will be banned from this and all of my future giveaways! This giveaway is only open to those in the USA, ages 18+. All entries must be received by 11:59 pm Central Time on Friday, May 31, 2013. I will pick a winner and email them and they have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, I will pick a new winner. Good luck!

© 2013, Robyn Wright. All rights reserved.

What was your favorite part?

© 2013, Robyn Wright. All rights reserved.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing –Benjamin Franklin

© 2013, Robyn Wright. All rights reserved.

We all feel stuck a bit sometimes on topics for a post. For some of us keeping some ideas and an editorial calendar handy can get us past that stuck, but sometimes it just does not seem to work. Really open up your eyes and ears to the world around you though for more ideas for your blog posts.

An example of this just happened a few minutes ago (and inspired this post). I was tweeting with @nerdmom and @leighbra and we were talking about getting out and doing things in your own local area. I am in St. Louis and there is oodles of things to do here in my area and a lot of free things even. Both @nerdmom and @leighbra are out on the west coast and they have great things too, but @nerdmom was saying she has not really done a lot of things. As we tweeted I thought what a great idea for a post, how to find things to do locally for fun. That of course leads to writing posts about the things you do locally as well and you could make a series of it, talk about things for families with little ones, families with teens, things for singles, things for young adults, free events, and on and on. For me, one idea usually snowballs like that into many. Where it actually took me to today was this post. It is Wednesday and I needed to write a post for Work Wednesday. So I went with sharing about getting post ideas based on the post idea I had from the conversation on Twitter! Don’t you love how it all flows together?

5 Ways to Find Topics for Blog Content

1. Conversations with Friends
   Just as in my real life example above. Jump on Twitter, Facebook, the phone (you remember that thing you talk into), or even talk to folks face to face. Did someone have a question, problem, experience that you all talked about? Can you think of a way to incorporate that into a blog post?
2. Old Photos
   Take a walk down memory lane and look at old family photos – you know pre-digital even. Do any of them stand out and spark a specific story you could share? Scan your favorite old photos into digital format to have on hand to inspire posts. Readers generally love memory posts like that I have found. Find a photo of you with a classic toy at about your child’s age, now take a photo of your child with their same toy and compare how you all play with them.
3. Current News
   Do a quick scan of the headlines and your favorite sections of news to see if anything catches your eye. You obviously do not want to do the same story, but you can give your thoughts and opinions about it or share a how-to or some related experience. An example right now is the Angelina Jolie story in the news about your double mastectomy and upcoming ovary removal because she tested positive for BRCA1. How do you feel about her radical approach? Have you been tested or want to be? Do you worry what insurance companies will do with genetic testing results and future coverage? Do you think the media is over-hyping this because it is Angelina Jolie? There are tons of avenues you can take based on that news item.
4. Share a Problem or Question
   Our readers and followers are full of fabulous answers and advice on an endless range of subjects. While we tend to share our suggestions and answers with them often, turn it around and you ask this time. Ask for your readers advice on a problem or the best way to do something. Not only will you get help, but your readers will be engaged and help strengthen your community. It is a win-win situation! For me as I am loosing weight I am realizing that I am clueless on how to be stylish as I get new clothes. I will be asking for help on all my social media channels on this.
5. Free Association
   Look around where you are sitting. Pick out one thing, it does not matter what. It could be a Post-It note, a furball, a doll, the couch, an empty box, anything. Now either with pen and paper or on your computer, although I think pen and paper works best for this. Write down that item and just do some free association for 3 or 4 minutes. Wherever your brain goes, write it down. Even doodles are good to put on the paper. There are no right or wrong ways to do this. Just let your brain loose. After the time is up go back and look at what you have done and chances are you will find something to blog about from that!

Do you ever get stuck finding ideas for content? How do you find inspiration? Have you tried any of the suggestions above?

© 2013, Robyn Wright. All rights reserved.