…well, you know.  It rhymes with “grass”.

I looove peanut butter.  I’ve always loved it in combination with chocolate, or in a PB&J sandwich - strawberry jam and soft white bread for me, please.  It’s good on crackers, and it helped me gag down celery sticks, forced upon me by my father who never believed my claims that celery makes my tongue numb.

Dad, I get at least ten Google search hits a day for “celery makes my tongue numb”.  It’s true!

Similar to my feelings for whipping cream and soft cheese, my love for peanut butter has only grown as I’ve gotten older, just like my posterior.  Now I like it in sauces and spreads and even straight from the jar.  At a time when my derriere can least afford my love for peanut butter, that love has reached an all time high, thanks to Maranatha peanut butter.

Regular peanut butter, the kind you find in mass quantities on the grocery shelves, is delicious, no doubt.  But Maranatha’s organic no-stir peanut butter blows the old stuff away.

It’s not nearly as sugary, which makes it ideal for cooking.  My kids still dig the Skippy, but their taste buds are unsophisticated, so they can’t appreciate taste variations the way that Kyle and I do.  When I tried the Maranatha, I could immediate taste the difference.

Not all foods that go by the same name are created equal.  For example, anything from 80/20 beef (or worse, those frozen JTM hockey pucks) to ground sirloin can be called a hamburger.  The same is true for peanut butter, and Maranatha is definitely at the ground sirloin end of the spectrum.

It’s expensive - I’ll get that out of the way right now.  A 16-ounce jar at Target cost me $4.99.  So unless the kids want to pay for it out of their allowance, I’m going to hoard my Maranatha for my own PB&J sandwiches, sharing it only with Kyle if he feels like cooking something with peanut butter.

Who am I kidding?  It doesn’t matter whether or not he feels like it; I’ve already started bookmarking recipes for him to try, because this peanut butter’s taste is so pure that it’s ideal for cooking.  Oh, and eating it straight from the jar too.

Want to try Maranatha peanut butter for yourself? I’ve got five coupons, each for a free jar (up to $4.99 value).  Get it at Whole Foods or Kroger or Target or wherever else you’ve already seen it - it’s popping up more and more.

Before midnight Sunday, leave a comment to tell me how you like your peanut butter - in cookies, on crackers, slathered on a celery stalk, smothering your chicken satay.  I’ll choose five commenters at random (US only, please).

When CJ was three months old, I took a two-day house-hunting trip to Colorado.  I pumped the whole time and took great pains to properly store my expressed milk.  I needn’t have bothered; by the time I was able to give it to her, it had degraded such that she didn’t want it.

Breast milk isn’t exactly hardy stuff.  It’s best when consumed directly from the source.  But since that isn’t always possible, we mamas need a better way to store it for more than a few hours.  And once we’ve spent precious time and energy pumping it, we definitely need containers that keep it from spilling or leaking.

MilkBank makes some amazing products that I wish I’d had when Tacy and CJ were babies and I was pumping regularly and sending bottles off to day care.  The MilkBank breastmilk storage system is a giant leap beyond any other storage system, be it bags or bottles.  The vacuum pump removes the remaining air at the top of the bottle and creates a tight seal, which helps the milk retain taste and nutrients.

I’ve defrosted many bags of breastmilk only to sample it myself before filling the bottle and toss it out of utter disgust.  With MilkBank, that doesn’t happen.  If there’s no air in the milk container, there’s no opportunity for contamination or spoilage.  It’s that simple.

The MilkBank bottles are also unique in their design.  Of course these bottles are BPA, phthlate and PVC free, but they have two other features that I especially love.  One, they’re triple vented.  Basically, that means there are three vents on the ring that fits over the nipple and screws onto the bottle.  The air that comes in through those three vents as the baby drinks goes into an internal tube that extends the length of the bottle, venting the air to the bottom of the bottle - not back into the milk.

Totally confused?  Just look at the picture:

Still confused?  The point here is that when the baby drinks, he’ll get milk - not air.  Less air in the baby’s tummy means less discomfort and spitting up.  Got it?

The second reason these bottles rock is that they’re leak proof.  Seriously - they are.  I’ve tried all sorts of supposedly leak proof bottles and sippy cups, and my kids were able to make every last one of them leak.  Considering Oliver mostly futzed around with the MilkBank bottle instead of drinking from it, we had a prime opportunity to test its leak potential, and I was amazed.  I want MilkBank to start making sippy cups too.

One component of MilkBank bottles that we didn’t personally test was the insulated feeding bottles.  They’re geared toward teeny babies, and they hold three ounces.  These days, Oliver can drink three ounces in a single gulp.

Also, I have to admit that although breastmilk is served at body temperature, straight from the source, my kids have always taken their formula and milk cold.  I’ve never been much for warming bottles.

But MilkBank’s website notes that “warm milk or formula provides superior nutritional absorption“.  So my school of hard knocks approach probably wasn’t in the kids’ best interest after all.  Whoops.

I wish I’d known about MilkBank when Oliver was a newborn.  I’d have pumped more and offered bottles more often.  Maybe I could have taken a break from bedtime once in the last 400-odd days.

Alas, I can’t change the past - but thanks to MilkBank’s generosity, I can help change someone else’s future!  Yes, you - I’m talking to you there, with the picky baby and the pumping aversion.

Congratulations to Sarah, lucky winner of a MilkBank feeding and storage set!

BlogHer08 attendees may remember that while breakfast at the Westin included lots of pastries and fruit, protein was nowhere to be found - unless you count the pitchers of milk that were intended tea and coffee. None of us were expecting steak and eggs, but something to counteract the inevitable carb-crash would have been fantastic.

Likewise, now that Tacy has started playing soccer, the team’s post-game snacks are almost always carb-laden goodies that send her bouncing off the walls for a good forty-five minutes until she collapses on the sofa and claims she’s too exhausted to even walk upstairs.

So even though I rarely stock snacks in the house, I’ve got to admit that I love Quaker Chewy Granola Bars. I’ve brought them to the hospital with me for all three births. And now that they’ve got two new varieties that include a good dose of protein (5 grams), I’m an even bigger fan.

A couple of drawbacks that must be aired for safety’s sake: the two protein varieties are Nutty Peanut Butter and Peanut Butter and Chocolate. Now, for peanut butter addicts like me, this is a huge pro. But where it comes to kids who go to school with other kids who have peanut allergies, it’s a deal-breaker. So while I’ll keep these around the house for us, I won’t send them to school with Tacy.

Another drawback on the allergy side - they’ve got rice in them. Believe it or not, there’s a rice allergic child on Tacy’s soccer team. So although I would have gladly brought these bars to practice on our assigned snack date, I couldn’t do it.

But in spite of the allergen hurdles, I think these bars are a big winner for both kids and adults. So I’ll have them ready for Tacy after school and after soccer practice. Hopefully then she’ll have enough energy to haul herself upstairs without assistance.

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Did you see the cute bag over Tacy’s shoulder over at mothergoosemouse? Want to win one yourself? It’s not just a bag either; it’s got goodies inside - like a soccer ball, tennis balls, a water bottle, colored shoelaces, and a couple boxes of these Quaker Granola Bars with protein.

Congrats to Karianna, winner of the soccer bag filled with goodies!!

Updated with winner below!

When Tacy was in day care back in New Jersey, we had to send all of her meals with her. Lunch and two snacks. It doesn’t sound like much, but try packing five lunches and ten snacks each week for a two year old whose tastes change with the wind.

I’d steam vegetables and chop them up. I’d peel and slice fruit. I’d pour three sippie cups of milk. I’d make a sandwich that generally went uneaten. The one and only convenience I allowed myself was a cup of Yoplait Kids.

I could always count on her to eat her yogurt. And since Yoplait Kids has been so good to me for the past five-plus years, I’ve kept buying it.

CJ’s a little iffy where it comes to yogurt. She’ll ask for it, eat half the cup, and leave the rest of it on the counter. Even so, that’s better than if she ate a few fistfuls of crackers. Plus I can usually count on Tacy to eat what CJ’s left behind.

When we asked the PBN bloggers if they wanted to try Yoplait Kids, I joked that half of them probably had a six-pack or two in the refrigerator already. We moms are pretty good at figuring out what works, and then sticking to it.

But for those parents who haven’t yet figured out what a great snack yogurt is for kids, hopefully the results of the PBN campaign will convince them. Or maybe the $1.50 off coupon on the Yoplait Kids site. (Go ahead, click!)

Yoplait Kids also sent along some goodies for me to give away. I’ve got a Yoplait Kids cooler and a My First Brain Quest game (way cool - CJ and I have been playing it already), plus a coupon for a free six-pack of Yoplait Kids. You’ve probably seen these same goodies around the blogosphere - this giveaway has been making the rounds recently.

So if you want in, leave me a comment here between now and Sunday at midnight. I’ll announce the winner on Monday.

I’m late!  But I’ve got a winner, thanks to random.org - congratulations, Katie!

On Tacy’s sixth birthday, she wanted to go to Build-a-Bear Workshop.

We drove to the location where we thought there was a Build-a-Bear, only to discover that we were wrong. Thanks to the lousy weather that afternoon (snow…on April 9…ugh), we decided to forego looking for another location and went out for pizza instead.

But she hasn’t forgotten about Build-a-Bear. So when fellow blogger Average Jane asked if we’d like to check out Tropical Hello Kitty, courtesy of Build-a-Bear Workshop, I jumped at the chance. It’s not like we needed another stuffed animal around here, but unlike almost all of the others, I knew Hello Kitty would be special.

And she is. The girls ADORE her. We’ve had to draft a schedule for her sleeping arrangements. Clothing has been sacrificed by American Girl dolls so that Hello Kitty can change her clothes a dozen times a day. The little girl two doors down has a Hello Kitty too, and the two cats got together for a playdate yesterday.

What makes this kitty so entrancing? I’ve got to admit, she is extremely huggable. Much more huggable than any real live cat I’ve owned. Plus, I love her because she doesn’t shed. A huggable, hairless cat - my favorite.

Tacy agrees with the huggability factor. When I asked her, “Why do you love Hello Kitty?” she gave me a look as if to say, “Well, DUH. Why do you think?” When pressed for actual words to describe that love, she told me, “She’s beautiful and soft and cuddly.”

On the Build-a-Bear site, you can purchase your own Hello Kitty and dress her up any way you please. Check out all the furry friends there - personally, I love the donation animals, where a portion of the proceeds are donated to local pet shelters and rescue organizations.

I’ve got a $25 Bear Bucks card to give away to a lucky reader! Email me at mothergoosemouse AT mothergoosemouse DOT com by midnight PST on Monday, June 9, and tell me how you’d spend your Bear Bucks at the Build-a-Bear site. I’ll draw one winner at random (US and Canada only!) and announce on mothergoosemouse on Wednesday, June 11.

The first night I met Kyle, he did card tricks for me.  I was smitten by his patter and smooth sleight of hand.  I’m a magician’s dream audience - I giggle at all the jokes and gape incredulously at the illusions.  And I really don’t want to know how the tricks are done - I love to believe in the illusion.

Our older daughter is just as fascinated by magic, but unlike me, she wants to know how the tricks are done - so that she can perform them herself.  Kyle has tried to teach her a few simple card tricks, but her tiny fingers aren’t quite adept enough to carry off sleights of hand.

Given her interest in magic, I knew she’d love the new DVD from illusionist Lyn Dillies - “Learn Magic With Lyn”.  Even though she’s a bit younger than the target age range (7 and up), she was able to follow the tricks easily and has had a great time trying them out on Kyle and me.  Some of the tricks require more attention to detail than others, but the simplest ones were no problem for her.  So I’m sure that kids who are within the target age range - and who are interested in magic and have the patience to practice tricks (and the patter to carry them off!) - could easily get good enough to perform for their friends or even in a school talent show.

Lyn herself is attractive and engaging, and I admire how she has built a career in entertainment borne out of her own longtime fascination with magic.  Her interaction with the kids in the DVD makes the show even more fun for kids who are watching.

There are lots of books about magic tricks, but watching an actual illusionist perform the tricks and then break them down step-by-step makes it much easier to learn and perfect the tricks.  I would definitely recommend this DVD for kids who are interested in learning magic themselves, and even adults like me - who still believe in magic - will get a kick out of it too.

Buy it!  Click HERE!

Win it!  I’ve got a copy of “Learn Magic With Lyn” - to enter, just e-mail mothergoosemouse@mothergoosemouse.com with MAGIC in the subject line by Sunday at 6pm EDT.  I’ll draw randomly from all the entries and announce the winner on Monday.