My husband loves salsa and honestly I believe he could eat it on anything. When given the opportunity to try the new Pace Pineapple Mango Chipotle Salsa, how could I refuse! When it arrived, I couldn't wait to give it a try. It is a fantastic blend on spices. It has a mild heat, but with the added sweetness of the pineapple.

I decided to mix this Pace salsa with cream cheese to make a thick dip that went wonderfully with crackers and tortilla chips alike. It was super easy. I used approx. 6 tablespoons of the salsa and mixed it in with 8oz. of cream cheese. Everyone in the family loved this delicious creamy blend.

In 1947, a young Texan named David Pace has a passion for producing the freshest tasting picante sauce. Determined to create a product that lived up to his expectations, David experimented with ingredients and bottling techniques.

The final product-a special blend of tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos and a unique production process.

If you are looking for a unique blend of flavors to help add pizazz to one of your dishes, I would recommend the Pace Pineapple Mango Chipotle Salsa.

My son loves being at the beach and will spend the entire day swimming and playing. As you can probably guess, finding good quality and comfortable swim trunks are very important. It seems to sometimes be difficult to find that perfect pair for a little ones.

Recently while looking for a pair of swim trunks that would not only be comfortable, but would also be "adorable" on him I ran across Hatley Nature. Let me say that the minute I looked at these little swim trunks, I fell in love.

Being that I fell in love with just the picture, let me say that I was floored once they arrived. They are super soft and so light weight. Not only is the exterior soft, but even the liner is soft. These shorts are made from 100% polyester microfiber and dry fairly quick. They are a board short style that offers two velcro-close cargo pockets which allows him to have pockets that are perfect for storing his seashells (or sand) in, elastic waist, faux-fly with tie string. The print on these shorts are so unique, and he gets tons of compliments on them. They have the cutest little camp characters on them.

I wanted to share the Hatley story with my readers. My two year can totally relate to running around naked. He hates to wear clothing of any type, but he will wear his little Hatley swim trunks without a fight. So they are true to their word when they say that their mission is to help get clothes close to nature.

...the Hatley story...

Growing up in the small town of Hatley, the Oldland boys loved running naked through the woods. But the day came when Chris, Nick and Jeremy had to leave Hatley and enter the real world where public nudity just wasn't understood. To be accepted the boys combined their love for nature with comfortable clothing, and the Hatley line was born!

Our mission is to help "get clothes to nature" - to get any closer you'd have to be naked!

Hatley also caught my eye for not only their quality, but also because they also think of the environment. They have adopted many practices that ensures that their line of apparel and gift products are produced in the most environmental way possible and the materials used are known to be safe.

Hatley Nature not only has children clothes, but also a great line of women's, men, tweens, and even a kitchen and gifts section.

Hatley Nature is generously giving one of my readers to win a swimsuit or swim trunks of their choice.

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I was very much in need of a new flat iron. My old one, just was not delivering the results that I needed. It seemed to take forever to get my hair straight and even after all that it still wasn't the way it should be.

First off, I am excited to say that this fantastic Flat Iron is cordless! I have always worried about my two year old reaching up and pulling the cord to my other flat iron since he is always in the bathroom as I am getting ready. The cordless features on this flat iron so easy to use. There is no more fighting with cord. Once it's charged, the charge will last 5 minutes. I know it doesn't sound like a huge amount of time, but I was surprised. I was able to completely straighten my hair in less time than that. Also, once it is ready to use, it lets out three chimes. I love that features because I can hear it no matter where I am in the house. With my old one, sometimes I would plug it, get busy with my son and completely forget about it. Here is a little before and after picture that I took.

With both my daughters, it seemed like once they reached a certain age no matter how often they washed their hair, it just didn't look clean. There have been many times that I have had them go and rewash their hair since it didn't look clean. Eventhough they said that they did in fact wash it the first time.

My 14 year old daughter recently had the opportunity to review a great new shampoo geared specifically for tweens and teens. This product is called Totally Texty. I love the "texty" part, because it really helps to connect to this age group. Totally Texty is shampoo and conditioner. Her first thought when she placed it on her hair was that it felt "gross". This product is super concentrated so a little goes along way. Let's just say that she used a little much at one time. It rinsed out really easy (she has very thich hair) and once it dried her hair had more body than it had ever had! She absolutely loves this product and keeps it with her even if she is going to just be away from home over night. She doesn't want to use any other shampoo and conditioner these days.

Made specially for the scalp needs of teens and tweens, Totally Texty is Sodium Laurel Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Parabens, DEA, and TEA free. It will help the hair stay fresh longer, without adding harsh chemicals to the hair. We have achieved this by adding a new deodorizer to the formulation.

Totally Texty is available for not only boys but also girls.

The YTMN shampoo for boys is an everyday shampoo for normal hair. Totally Texty™ uses a quality surfactant (soap) and a natural deodorizer that helps keep your hair smelling clean and fresh longer between shampooing. YTMN's youthful masculine scented shampoo will leave your hair soft and manageable. Our shampoo comes in 12 oz (300 ml) fully recyclable bottle.

The DDG Shampoo and Conditioner for girls:

DDG shampoo is an everyday use formulation for normal hair. Totally Texty shampoo uses a quality surfactant (soap) and a natural deodorizer that helps keep your hair smelling clean and fresh longer between shampooing. DDG's fresh and clean feminine scented shampoo will leave your hair soft, silky and manageable. Our shampoo comes in a 12 oz (300 ml) fully recyclable bottle.

DDG conditioner is an everyday use conditioner for normal hair. Totally Texty conditioner also uses a natural deodorizer in its formulation that helps keep your hair smelling clean and fresh longer between usage. DDG conditioner closes the hair shaft resulting in a softer, smoother condition and comes in a 10 oz (250 ml) fully recyclable bottle.

WIN,WIN,WIN
Totally Texty is generously giving one of my readers the chance to win. The winner can pick between the Totally Texty Shampoo and Conditioner for girls or the Totally Texty Shampoo for boys.

MANDATORY ENTRY:

• Follow Me on Twitter & Tweet about the contest. (be sure to leave the tweet link)
  
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• Follow My Blog (See sidebar)
• Become a fan of As They Grow Up on Facebook (See sidebar)
• Subscribe to As They Grow Up Email
  

One winner will be chosen ! I will be using a random number generator to select the winner. Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on July 21, 2009. If the prize is not claimed in 48 hours a new winner will be chosen.Contest open to U.S. residents only.The winner will be announced in this post(and emailed).

Being a mother of 2 teenage daughters, I can assure you that my husband and I have had a few battles with catching them using MySpace and Facebook. Don't get me wrong, my husband and I both use Facebook but we are adults. However, when I find out my 12 year old daughter is using it, then I know she has easily lied about her age. Some social networks worry me more than others and I just feel it isn't a safe place for children to be. My daughters are older now, ages 14 & 17 but they are still not allowed to have a social networking page.

A new place for kids to get together and chat has recently came out. It's called My Secret Circle.“Studies show that more than 25 percent of girls ages nine to 17 are heavy users of social networking sites. Girls rule the social networking world, yet there aren’t any secure communities geared toward them,” says Mike Nakamura, founder and CEO of Senario. “My Secret Circle presents this demographic with the ability to create completely private communities with friends, while avoiding the advertising and strangers present on other social networking sites.”

My Secret Circle is invisible to the online world and is not a Web site. By purchasing online access keys featuring proprietary technology with embedded browsers and unique ID codes, only friends can connect on My Secret Circle by exchanging private codes. Once a code is used to connect two friends, it is inactive and can never be used again. Since the codes are embedded in the product itself, girls never need to upload personal information online, further enhancing the security of the network.

Other key features of My Secret Circle include:

• All-About-Me profile pages with a Diva Designer avatar tool
• An online journal that can be kept private or public for friends to read
• Instant messaging
  
• Games
• An extensive photo feature in which girls can upload photos, add text and decor and even create slideshows
  

My Secret Circle access keys can be purchased individually or in a B.F.F. (best friend forever) Pack, which includes two online access keys, to shared among friends or siblings. Also available is a headset with microphone, which allows girls to voice-chat online in a secure environment.
The headset with microphone is purchased separately.

“Parents can finally feel at ease knowing their daughter is only accessible to her best girlfriends,” says Nakamura. “My Secret Circle is revolutionizing the way young girls communicate, and the way parents feel about their child’s safety while spending time on the Internet.”

My Secret Circle is currently available for purchase at Justice stores across the nation for $19.99. Justice is the subsidiary of Tween Brands (NYSE:TWB), the largest premier tween specialty retailer in the world providing the hottest fashion merchandise and accessories for girls ages seven to14. The B.F.F. Pack retails for $29.99 and the chat headset with microphone is $14.99. To learn more about My Secret Circle, visit www.mysecretcircle.com.

Senario is offering one As They Grow Up reader a My Secret Circle Online Access Key!

Being a busy mom of three, whenever I can find a way to cut down my time in the kitchen I am willing to give it a try. I recently received a Fagor Rapid Express Pressure Cooker and from the first time I used it, I knew it was something that I would end up using all the time.

I will be the first to admit that I was a little scared to use it the first time. I'm not sure how many of my readers had even seen a pressure cooker explode but it isn't a pretty site. I remember when I was little, my mother's blew up. Then after that, everytime I mentioned a pressure cooker to my mom or even my husband all I heard was how unsafe they are and that they will explode.

Pressure cookers really have came a long way over the years and with Fagor, it is known to be a top of the line brand. So I kept reminding myself of this when I went to use it. Fagor has quality parts that puts it way ahead of the competition. Exterior mirror finish and a high gauge stainless steel with aluminum base is what gives it the fantastic distribution it offers. All Fagor models contain three safety mechanisms that allow steam to escape when over-pressurizing happens. This is a great feature in that it means that the lids will not open until all the pressure has been released.



Once you have good pressure, the regulator valve starts rising. There will be a hissing sound coming out of the pressure cooker and a steam will escape from the valve. There are three ways of releasing pressure in a Fagor pressure cooker.

• Natural method - With this method, you will just let the temperature drop easily while your food is inside, being cooked slowly.
  

• Cold water - In this method, you will simply put some cold water on the lid to release the pressure.
  

• Automatic release - All Fagor models have valves that will release the pressure so you won't need to put them under cold water.

You may be asking why cook with a pressure cooker? Well not only does it speed your cooking time up by 70%, but it also reatains water soluble vitamins and minerals, and achieves amazing flavor without the need for added fats and oils.

If you are looking for a wonderful pressure cooker, I would recommend Fagor. The unit that I received can be purchased at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $99. This set includes 8-quart pressure cooker, stainless steel steamer basket and trivet, recipe booklet, owner's manual and instructional DVD. UL listed. 10-year warranty

Also, it is canning season and Fagor offers some of the best Pressure Cookers/Canners on the market.

It seems so hard to be able to find a comfortable pair of jeans these days. So when I did run across a pair, I just had to share with my readers how wonderful they are.

I recently had the opportunity to try Miraclebody jeans by Miraclesuit and these jeans are fantastic! Not only are they comfortable with a little added stretch, but they also instantly make you appear 10 pounds lighter and are completely figure flattering. These jeans are made with a lightweight denim which simply just adds another reason on why I love them so much. They are perfect for anytime of year!

The Miraclebody jeans that you see me wearing in this picture offer a medium rise and the classic five pocket style. They are made with cotton/spandex and wash up amazing! I have yet to experience fading or shrinkage with these jeans. Also, I get tons of compliments when I wear these jeans!

Features of the Miraclebody jeans:

• Handcrafted panels comfortably smoothes tummies.
• Mid-rise waist is lower in the front, higher in the back.
• Universally flattering bootcut leg. 32 1/2" inseam.
• Embroidered back pockets for slimmer look.
• Five-pocket styling; button-and-zip closure.
• 96% cotton, 4% spandex. Machine wash. Imported.

Miraclebody Jeans can be purchased for approx. $110.

If you are looking for a great way to get into shape for the summer, then why not take the EA Sports Active 30 day challenge. I recently took the challenge and have lost a total of 6 pounds in 30 days. This is even going on vacation for a week. Now you are probably wondering if I took my Wii with me on vacation and I can simply answer this by saying...yes I did. I mean why not. It is easy to take along because of the size and then the EA Active Sports game isn't big at all.

When at home, I do use the Wii balance board with some of the workouts, but this is only optional. So if you don't have a Wii balance board, no need to worry. You can still get the same great workout without it.

When I started doing the EA Sports Active 30 day challenge, I wasn't sure what exactly to expect. So my first workout, I set for easy. Ok, I will admit that eventhough I am not in the best physical shape, this was an easy workout. So, the next day I bumped it up to a little more intensity. It felt great once the workout was completed, but I know what my body is capable of. From the third workout on, I have kept it on high intensity and loving every minute of it. Did I just say loving every minute? Actually it is a fun game, but you can really start feeling the burn about 1/2 way through the workout. At the end, my legs feel like jello.

Here are a few of the progams that EA Sports Active has to offer:

Cardio Track

• Walking and Running
• High Step and Kick-ups

Activities:

• Tennis-Back Court, Front Court, and Mid Court
• Cardio Boxing-Targets and Heavy Bags ( One of my favorites)
• Cardio Dance
• Volleyball-Serve, bump, set and blocl
• Basketball-Shooting and Passing
• Inline Skating (another favorite of mine)
• Baseball-Catching, Pitching and Batting

Exercises (This is only a few, there are approx. 22 of these exercises:

• Bicep Curls with Shoulder Press
• Bent Over Row with Tricep Kickbacks
• Bent Over Rows
• Jump Lunges ( love this one)
• Alternating lunges
• Alternating Side Lunges with Toe Touch
• Upright Rows
• Standing Twists
• Side to Side Jumps (I will admit that it is fun, but a workout)

EA Sports Active is exclusively for the Wii. It is designed in collaboration with fitness experts, EA Sports Active gives you fun, easy to learn exercises and activities that create a western fitness circuit you ocan do with family and friends, all from the convenience of your living room.

Key Features of EA Sports Active:

• Active Fitness Made Fun & Easy: Workouts feature variety and familiar activities that target upper body, lower body as well as cardio.
• Benefit of a Trainer in a Box: Your trainer will be the focal point of the experience guiding you towards your own version of personal achievement.
• 30 Day Challenge-The game will track your progress as you embark on a 30 day challenge and tailor workouts to your level of fitness.
• New Way to Play:Slip the Nunchuk into the specially designed leg strap and hold the Wii Remote in your hand to track your movements from both your upper and lower body. A resistance band is also included to increase the intensity of exercises such as bicep curls and shoulder press.
• Workout Your Way:Circuits can be customized to your interest and fitness level.
• Wii Balance Board Compatibility: Get more out of your EA Sports Active workout using a Wii Balance Board with added functionality and physical benefits for many exercies.

EA Sports is a great workout overall and I will continue with the workout eventhough my 30 days have ended. I can really tell a difference since starting to workout. EA Sports can be purchased at Amazon, Gamestop, Walmart, etc. The average price of EA Sports Active is $59.99