Amy in OHio

nfl.com/pink

Sitting here watching the Bengals game – don’t worry, there will be a full episode of Monday Morning Quarterbacking tomorrow.  But just wanted to share my appreciation to the NFL for rallying such a visual scream of support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Pink armbands, gloves, pins, shoes, and hats – its absolutely wonderful.  Who knew how purdy pink would look with our black and orange?

www.amystable.com

But we can’t all be Ocho-Cinco, so there are plenty of ways to help raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.  My favorite?  Buy Amy Tobin’s cookbook.  During the month of October, she is donating 100% of her royalties to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  Word has spread quickly and Amazon is now SOLD OUT!  What a great response!

You can get info on purchasing the book directly from the publisher here or if you are in Cincinnati you’ll find it at The Party Source, Joseph Beth, Borders or Barnes and Noble,

Heck, if you want to buy one, leave me a comment here and we’ll make sure you get a copy!  And keep this under your hat, but I’ll be raffling off a SIGNED copy of the cookbook here at Amy in OHio next week.  I’ll keep you posted, but keep that on the DL, eh?

When all is said and done this month, the one thing I hope is that all of you remember to self-check, get your mammograms if you are supposed to and prioritize your health.  I want healthy, happy readers ’round here!

I gotta be honest, I’m a little bit of an ice cream snob.  I like the fancy (aka expensive) stuff.  I think it comes from childhood when the hoarder my mother would hide her Graeter’s or Aglamesis pints in the way back of the freezer so we wouldn’t see ‘em.  Then, late at night she’d dig ‘em out and scarf it down thinking we were tucked in our beds fast asleep.  To her I lovingly say: BUSTED – THE JIG IS UP SISTA.  WE KNEW WHAT YOU WERE DOING YOU GREEDY, GREEDY WOMAN.  And this, all the while she was scooping us the cheapest stuff the grocery store had to offer.  Fine, I’ll say it: it gave me an ICIC*

For years (well up until last week truth be told) I was convinced that grocery store brand ice cream was basically where joy went to die.  If it wasn’t good enough for my sneaky mother, I sure wasn’t going to eat it now that I was running the show! “I’ll go without before I lower myself to the cheap stuff!” would be my chant through the ice cream/novelty aisle. It was all very Scarlet O’Hara (meets Carol Burnett).  Side note: If you get that reference you’re golden; you’re old, but you’re golden.

Then Kroger’s asked me to try their Deluxe Ice Cream and sensing my reluctance, gave me some gift cards to try it for free.  Sure, my snobbery had me skeptical, but I figured if I didn’t like it, I’d just give it to Doug, right? So while shopping recently, I picked up a couple flavors – Crispy Candy Crunch and for my healthier side (ha), some fat-free Orange Sherbert.  P and I tried them on Sunday after the Bengals’ exciting victory.  The Crispy Candy was good right out of the container and we added a little Hershey’s syrup to the sherbert (wouldn’t want it to be too healthy afterall).  Creamy and rich, they were both delicious – definitely “way back of the freezer-worthy”!

Yes folks, I’ve become my mother.

Thanks to Kroger’s and their social media team, I’ve got some free ice cream to give away.  Simply leave a comment here and start making room in your freezer.  One lucky winner will win a six-month supply of ice cream.  Warning: if you’re like me, that ice cream won’t see Halloween – it is so yummy.  I’ll choose at random on Friday, October 2nd at 11:58 pm – so hurry.

In the meantime, check out Kroger Deluxe Ice Cream’s Facebook page and get the scoop and dish with other ice cream lovers.  I’ve already checked out the comments and have a list of flavors I MUST try next, so look for me in the ice cream case.  With a spoon.

Maybe we’ll try out the Kroger Deluxe Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream and top it with some crumbled Kroger’s Private Selection Chocolate Two-Bite Brownies – though its such a challenge just to get that bag of yummy goodness home from the store!

*ice cream inferiority complex

Comments are now closed – thanks to all who entered – I’ll announce a winner soon!

P & O rock out at Disney on Ice Wednesday

There is one more show here in Cincinnati for Disney on Ice – tonight (Sunday) at 7:30 pm – be spontaneous and surprise your kids or grandkids. Believe me, it is a great show for all ages!  I’m tempted to go back myself!  Take a look at how much fun we had here!

And remember, use the code MOM to get $4 off regularly priced tickets.  More info here in my earlier post. 

A month or so ago, the gentlemen from Newport Gangster Tour invited Doug and I for a sneak peek.  Fancying myself a bit of a mafia buff, what with having seen anything and everything Casino, Sopranos and Godfather, I jumped at the chance.

The tours gather and head out from the historic Syndicate – former home of Glenn Schmidt’s Lanes, a backdrop to many of Newport’s most fascinating tales.  From there you venture around the city blocks – each with its own collection of stories and speculation about the people that put Sin City on the map of the nefarious.  We throughly enjoyed it.

Now these gangland afficionados are launching their next big thing with Gangsters, Gamblers and GHOSTS.  Fridays and Saturdays starting October 9th and running through Halloween, join other brave souls on a hike of the haunted, a stroll with the sinister.  What a perfect way to get in the spooky spirit of the season.

More information can be found on their website – book now as spots are filling up quickly.  And don’t miss the $5 off coupon found on the site.

Quick Note: Gangsters, Gamblers, and Ghosts is the brain-child of Newport Walking Tours, LLC.  This entire project started as a fundraiser for Global Service Learning, a group that takes local high school students to Central America to perform service work.  Learn more about their work and how to get involved by clicking here.

(Depeche Mode, oh I’ve missed ya)

How sad am I that the Season 2 of the greatest show ever created has come to an end?  Sadder still is the announcement at the end of the show that there wouldn’t be any more new episodes til next Summer. 

NEXT SUMMER?!! Alan Ball are you trying to kill me? NEXT SUMMER?!!

I’m trying to get through, but if anyone knows of a support group, @amyinohio me wouldya?  NEXT SUMMER ?!!

Disclaimer: We do not let P watch True Blood, she has no idea who Sookie is, she simply loves to get into the coffin, er, I mean ottoman.

We had twenty comments on yesterday’s post for the free Disney tickets.  A few were tossed out for various reasons and each comment was assigned a number based on the order they were posted.

The magic Random.Org winning number is: 13!

Congratulations Andrea!  Someone will be reaching out soon to get some information for your tickets.

And remember, special pricing is available for everyone else, simply follow the link here to find out details.

PS: My SINCEREST apologies to Mom Central for mis-naming them in yesterday’s post.  With all those Princess names in my head, I barely know what MY name is!!

Not an afternoon goes by when I’m not “quizzed” by my daughter during our drives home from preschool. At three, she is well on her way to a successful career in either interrogation or drill sergeantry. With spit-fire quickness and relentless badgering, no question is out of bounds and there are no free passes.

“Mommy what is my favorite color?”

“What does Goofy eat?”

“Does Goofy eat what Bella (DoginOHio) eats?”

“Does Goofy have a cat too like we do? Remember when our cat threw up on the carpet?”

“Who is Mickey Mouse married to?”

“Who is Daddy married to?”

“What are the princesses’ names?”

“Mommy you didn’t name all the princesses”

“Mommy you don’t know all the princesses’ names, do you?”

“DO YOU?”

And with that, another mom FAIL.

No, I don’t know all the Disney Princesses. When I was her age there were what? Two? Three, if you counted Snow White. Now, there are 437 and frankly I can’t keep ‘em straight. Plus, apparently you don’t have to have royal cartoon blood to be considered a Princess in the mind of a three year old. Nope, you basically need long hair and poofy dress. And the poofy dress is optional if you are a mermaid. Dude, there are a lot of rules.

But life for this momma just got easier because thanks to Disney and Mom Central, we’ve been invited to see Disney on Ice – 100 Years of Magic - live and in person when it hits Cincinnati later this month. To say P is excited would be an understatement and I get to brush up on some of my character recognition for the next pop-quiz I’ll have to face. (Note to self: ask Goofy what he eats)

And wait, it gets better, one lucky winner will have the chance to do the same. Simply leave a comment here and I’ll select a winner at random for a family four-pack of tickets to opening night on September 23^rd in Cincinnati.  Extra entry if you tweet the contest – just leave another comment telling me you did so.  Hurry, contest ends tomorrow (9/16) at 11:59 pm.

You know here at AmyinOHio, no one walks away a loser though, so even if you aren’t selected for the free tickets, you can still get a great deal on tickets for your family by following this link for details.  There you can purchase tickets for the Dayton or Cincinnati shows at a special Mom Select rate – 4 tickets for $44 for Monday thru Friday matinee shows or $4 off tickets for weekend shows.  Again, this discount is good for Dayton or Cincinnati shows.

Disclosure: As noted above, my family, as well as one lucky reader, will be in the audience on opening night in Cincinnati thanks to the generosity of Disney and Mom Select. No other form of compensation was received for this posting.