I apologize for the weird sound delay once again. Me and Ben wanted to make this huge announcement via our HP Media gear but evidently I am still inept at this computer recording & uploading stuff. If anyone has suggestions then please let us know! We record then upload to YouTube and then this momentary delay occurs. Any ideas will be appreciated!

In the mean time, those at the BlogHer Conference 2009 will definitely miss out on the guys who could be the best entertainment available! Although my man Ben is a huge flirt, he's a gentleman at heart. Just between you and me he's definitely the best dancer. Also he's the only one I know who can actually get away with one of those "banana hammocks." Me? I prefer something a bit more modest...like clown pants?

Grand Prize Winner of the Capri Sun Sunrise Contest

Goes to Jan McDonough of Queen Creek, Arizona! Jan was chosen randomly from well over 300 entries, including some who had up to 3 entries each via a comment, a Tweet, or blogging about the sweepstakes. While Jan gets the $250 gift card (which I'd like to note would buy a bunch of Capri Sun Juice boxes in all kinds of flavors just to keep cool in that "dry" desert heat) our family still has some business to follow up. Because there were so many last minute entries we're still pouring over some of your morning experiences so that we can award a couple of secondary prizes.

Some of these great stories include sending your child to school on a weekend, forgetting to wear underpants, rescuing a pet from skunk spray before the bus arrived, brushing teeth with a product other than toothpaste, and a whole slew of wonderful tips to get your day started in a more orderly and tranquil fashion. I will be getting in touch with those winning a second prize in a few days and will update here once again to share the highlights of what you had to say!

We thank Capri Sun and BlogHer for allowing us to participate. We also thank each of you for sharing with us! Come back soon since more contests are in the works!

Fun in the Sun with Capri Sun!

Note that this is a compensated review from BlogHer and Capri Sun

Like most modern families weekday mornings around here are usually utter chaos, sort of like an unscripted ballet. Depending on mood, weather, amount of sleep or lack of it each of us dance around the rest of the family not knowing whether to bend, point, or plia’. Add to this frenzied choreography one nurse arriving to get Ben ready for school right about the time the ladies are headed off for the day and we now have a morning production of Running of the Swans from the Lake.

It’s not uncommon for Jessie and Joan to grab something quick like cereal from the cupboard needing something to wash it down with. The key word here is healthy. Healthy is sometimes not a consideration with soda or tea being the convenient choices. The trade-off between convenience and nutrition is honestly not a factor when the first moments of the day are already spinning out of control.

When I was offered the opportunity to review a new product from Capri Sun I jumped on it! We’ve been huge fans of this wonderful product since Jessie was in kindergarten. Most of her lunches and snacks throughout the years included one or more Capri Sun juice packets. Not only did she enjoy the taste but mom and dad could be assured our daughter was getting nutritional value as she quenched her thirst.

We also discovered that these wonderful packets fit very well inside a cooler, backpack, or tote bag. Jessie and I have carried Capri Sun into the woods as our source for hydration on backpacking trips. On hot summer days at the beach you certainly can find a cooler full iced down juice packets that the entire family enjoys. And you'll often find a few of these juice bags in the ice chest behind my booth at art festivals. Hey, Capri Sun is not just for kids!

Making Every Day Better

Capri Sun has now introduced a new breakfast drink called Sunrise. These newest blends contain 100% of the daily value of antioxidant Vitamin C and a great source for calcium. Think of combining the nutrition of low fat milk with orange juice! What an awesome concept!

It just so happened that our trial boxes of juice arrived right before Spring Break which we spent with my sister-in-law’s family at…you guessed it…the beach! Along with 12-year-old Jessie, her cousins Graham (11) and Chandler (9) got to participate in our review. Let’s just say that the experiment was a great success for Capri Sun.

The overwhelming favorite was Tropical Morning, a tropical punch blend of flavors. But the other two blends were still quite satisfying. Berry Tangerine Morning combines the flavor of the tangy orange fruit with strawberry. Yours truly joined the taste test. Honestly I couldn’t tell the difference between Orange Wake Up and a popular brand of 100 percent orange juice!

The Contest

Now the good part for you! Capri Sun is offering a $250 Visa gift card to one of my lucky readers! All you have to do is tell us about the wildest funniest morning adventure getting your kids from the bed to their planned destination OR share YOUR morning routine tips that help get your kids ready for their day! To enter, leave me a comment below this post - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog. Just be sure to let me know via the comment section below. The contest will begin on April 29 and end on July 9, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct!

Official Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US residents, over the age of 18.
• Winner will be selected via random draw and notified by e-mail.
• Once I contact the winner you will have 48 hours to get back to me; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

You can read more reviews here and find more information about this new product here! Good luck and enjoy some refreshing Capri Sun Sunrise!