johnporcaro: mktg@large

Reason 11 to Love Halloween

How could I have forgotten Booberry, Frankenberry, and Count Chocula? 

  
 

Variety for the Family (humor)

My little sister Jenny sent in this video of "the worst commercial ever," saying "...we saw this and thought of you instantly...not because of the guy with crossed-eyes. If you're looking for some "Variety" for your "Family", you might want to take a look..."

Destined to be a Boston Classic.  And FWIW, wicked good viral idea from the folks at Alka Seltzer...

"...Experience the VARIETY that your whole FAMILY has been begging you for..."

Wordless Wednesday

Yep.  Deep Fried Twinkies and Oreos.  

Jif Peanut Butter Tasting Party

There are only a couple of things my family can't go without: Milk, TP, apples, bananas, and, of course Peanut Butter.  We all enjoy a good PBJ with cold milk, and who hasn't made good old-fashioned Ants on a Log?

I got to participate in an online tasting party, sponsored by Jif (a Mom Central client).  To prepare, they sent a nice box of goodies to a couple of us here, and to a dozen or so Mom Bloggers we work with.  The bag they sent included several flavors of Jif Peanut Butter, along with some things to try a few new ways to enjoy it. They also gave us a $25 gift card for Walmart, so we could buy fresh fruit and veggies.

Not sure what an Online Panel looks like?  By using UStream.tv, Jif was able to broadcast directly from their test kitchen, while we participated right along by trying out the things they showed us, and asking questions and getting responses in real-time.  Kind of a personalized Cooking Channel, just for the few of us participating.  Everyone had a blast, had a few surprises, and got to know each other, along with the folks at Jif. We all especially enjoyed meeting Sara Donavan, and our MC Cody.

And for the record, I had my eyes opened to the awesome possibilities of the crunchy combination of Jif and bacon.

For my part, I had a few PB and somethings yesterday.  For lunch, I debated how to keep the carbs low, while still eating a sandwich.  Patrick introduced me to the idea of carving out most of the bread from a bagel, and filling it.  In my case, I stuffed the chewy shell with Crunchy Jif, and sliced up a kiwi to sweeten it.  Yum.

During the tasting, I tried carrots, brocolli (really good!), animal crackers, pita chips, pretzels, teddy grahams, grapes, and for fun, cottage cheese.  Before working out, I mixed up a chocolate Muscle Milk shake, adding in a couple of tablespoons of Jif.  Talk about a dose of protein, with a creamy, chocolaty, peanut buttery taste.  Mmmmmm.

My daughter Emily especially likes Peanut Butter.  She'll take a big spoon, dip it in, and eat it like a lollypop.  And Alyssa likes spreading it on warm toast with a little honey.  She told me that just the other day, she ordered a PBJ shake at Emerald City Smoothy, where they added peanut butter and grape jelly to a protein shake.  Sounds pretty good to me.

A few things that I didn't know were talked about during the webcast:

• More creamy peanut butter is sold nationwide by Jif than crunchy: 80% to 20%.  Wow.  I'm such a huge fan of crunchy, that was hard to believe.
• It takes 1,218 peanuts to make a 28 oz jar of Jif.
• Jif has an unrefrigerated shelf life of 3 months.  Unopened, it will last up to two years.  Though most of the moms and dads participating never have a jar last that long.
• Jif's new Omega 3 has some interesting ingredients, but tastes really good.  I was pleasently surprised, and will probably make this my favorite brand to keep on the shelf.  Though I might have to mix it with crunchy every now and then.
• Jif's Peanut Butter with Honey ROCKS.

Jif has posted lots of recipes on their website, with sandwiches, sauces, desserts, main dish ideas, and more.   And a lot of them included bacon.  I've always wondered how to make a good thai peanut sauce.  They showed us how, so I'm going to try that this weekend.  A great way to get a little more protein along with chicken (or bacon).

My favorite idea was mixing in a ziplock baggie a a spoonful of Jif with a spoonful of vanilla frosting, adding a little cinnamon.  Take some scissors, snip the end of the bag, and use it to squeeze the frosting onto cookies or crackers.  My kids loved that idea.

Finally, they announced the Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest for kids 6-12, to submit their recipes to Jif.  The winner gets a $25,000 scholarship, and all finalists get a trip to NYC, and a $2500 scholarship.  So get out your jars of peanut butter, and get a little creative!  And while supplies last, if you enter by Sept 10, you'll get a Jif to Go Back to School Pack.  So get your entries in!

 

 

Beat the Heat: How Do You Keep Your Kids Safe When It's Hot Outside?

Leslie Bonci, Director of Sports Nutrition at the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine and a nutrition consultant joined us today on Twitter to discuss how you can help your kids beat the heat. And today, Gatorade (client) will donate $1 to charities for every download of the Heat Safety Kit.

Making sure kids stay hydrated, especially during outdoor sports where it's warm, and dry, can cause serious problems.

Last summer, my son complained about feeling dizzy and even started slurring his speech during a soccer tournament during a rare, very hot day in Seattle.  He had on a full-length goalie jersey and goalie pants, plus goalie gloves.  We tried to make sure he was hydrated, but we probably didn't do enough to prepare.

Some great suggestions from the Twitter meetup:

• Get plenty of rest the night before @grantquonce
• Hydrate, with protein too, before the activity.  Don't forget to stretch. @mom4everandever
• Make sure uniforms aren't too tight fitting, and light colors help. @WildOrchids09
• Bring cold fruit, orange slices, grapes.  @CleverGayle @sethandshannon1
• Of course, bring the Gatorade! @simplydab
• Make some ice cubes made of Gatorade.  (Love that!) @BillieGH
• Keep an eye on the young ones.   Ask if they're okay.  @simo_8
• Stay in the shade if possible (I know I keep my umbrella handy for rain and sun!) @shannon717717
• Educate your kids so they're aware (good suggestion!) @simplydab
• Have them take "hydration breaks" @iamfor48nascar
• If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated.  Drink before you're thirsty.  @scm74
• Make sure kids drink, at least as often as you apply sunscreen (or vice versa!) @glassfishie
• Make sure your kids like the sport they're in, they'll do better and excel @PlumSage
• Don’t forget about your internal equipment – breakfast, lunch and fueling before practice. @momcentral
• Make sure your kids know each teammember is important and valuable @cstironkat
• Grocery shop with your kids so you can set a good example @artisticbaker
• Watch for warning signs of heat-related illnesses: confusion, nausia, headache nausea, vomiting, light headedness, weakness, fainting, flushed skin, poor concentration @JoeyfromSC @cnaes

More information:
Beat the Heat! Campaign
Preventing Heat-Related Illnesses (PDF)
Heat Safety (PDF) | Hydration Tips (PDF)

P90X Round 2.5

Now that I have an apartment, I can get back to my regular routine of working out.

It's been about a month since I started work here at Dad Central Consulting, and moved from Seattle to Boston.  In the middle of it all, I was traveling a lot, working crazy hours, and didn't plan well enough to carry everything I needed to do P90X the way it should be done.   I finished P90X in April, then started Insanity.  About halfway through Insanity, I started P90X Plus.  I was about halfway through P90X Plus, and ended up missing the last month or so.

This time, rather than start P90X Plus back up, I would go back to P90X Classic, and start again at the beginning.

I kept a pretty accurate journal on another site that I HIGHLY recommend, MyFitnessPal.com.  If you're regularly working out, or watching what you eat, this free site is really great.  Before starting P90X last January, I had never counted calories nor tracked what I ate.  It really opened my eyes to what I should be eating, how short I was in one area (usually Protein), or when I should be eating more to keep my energy up.

You might have seen the infomercials for P90X on TV.  I'm not usually attracted to that kind of thing, but the results they showed, and the low price of about $100 made me think it would be worth a try.  After checking around for reviews, I found almost NO negative reviews online, but I did find lots of positive reviews from enthusiastic people.

I really liked the format, different workouts everyday, a good challenge everyday, and almost immediate results.  I went from a size 40 pant to a 34 (that's what I wore in high school), and actually got the beginnings of a six pack in just 90 days.  I even impressed my brother enough that he gave it a try, and had similar results.

There's no secret sauce, other than consistently spending 60-90 minutes a day doing the workouts for 90 days, and following the eating plan.  So starting today, I'm back to high protein/low carbs (for the first 30 days).  Cottage cheese, chicken, greek yogurt, egg whites, and muscle milk--lots of it...

Thinking you might want to give it a try?  There is a 30-day money back guarantee...   :)

What have you done to work out?  What works best for you to stay in shape, with your busy lives?

Disclosure: I paid for my copy of P90X, and all supplements, etc.  I really enjoy BeachBody's products, and signed up to be a coach.  If you order through my coach site, I do get a small portion of the price.  But if you can find the product somewhere else, it won't hurt my feelings.

What Are You Doing for the Fourth?

Interesting idea from Dad Blogger Ben Martin, from The Father Life.  He worked with Hersheys Summer Celebrations to document how he made Red, White, and Blue parfaits.  Sounds yummy.

Check out his whrrl story, and check out the Summer Celebrations site for more ideas. 

More check-ins at Wal Mart

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Using Social Media to Overcome a PR Crisis

As the social media guy on the Xbox PR team, I got to be involved in one or two situations that might be considered a crisis by some companies.  In this week's WOMMA Word (worth subscribing if you're involved in social media as part of your job),Pat McCarthy outlines how Kraft responded to a situation with a comment on their Facebook page. 

Is seven hours too long to reply to a post that could have wide-ranging ramifications?  How quickly do you expect a response when you post on a company's Facebook page?  If you own a company page, how often do you check it?  Is it somebody's job to monitor it?  Is your PR team prepared if something comes up? 

Pat writes:

Backlash is swift and often stinging on social media. Kraft learned this in May when one customer found a “gross blob” in a Capri Sun package. Naturally, she reported it to the company on Facebook. Then there was 7 hours of silence…from Kraft’s end at least. 

More at MGH's blog. 

A Family of Six in Cancun

For the first time since we had our four children, we all got on a plane together, and took a real vacation.

Why did it take us 14 years?  Have you traveled with toddlers?  You end up spending more time packing/unpacking/lugging baby seats around, making sure your kids are with five feet of you, and trying to entertain them every minute they’re sitting still. 

At 7-14, our kids are behaved well enough to sit on a plane for several hours.  They’re responsible enough to pack their own bags (for the most part).  And they are obedient enough to do what they’re told (especially if you threaten them with turning the plane around and heading home). 

My wife spent a lot of time investigating options.  I had a pretty firm budget in mind (I was, after all, unemployed at  the time and living off savings….).  But I also knew that I might not get the chance to take so much time together with them all, at a time when they will really enjoy a memory-making vacation. 

It was spring, so somewhere warm sounded awesome.  It had to include a beach, some snorkeling, and lots of age-appropriate activities.  Eventually, Jeri ended up at BookIt.com.  Turns out, there were some good deals going on during Spring Break in Mexico, and we found a deal at an All-Inclusive resort that was perfect. 

We ended up at Crown Paradise Cancun, in a “Family Suite” on the main floor.  It was a perfect room for us, with a split-level stairway at the entrance that went to the parent’s room upstairs (King bed, master bath), and kids space downstairs (bunk beds and queen bed, plus a pullout bed under the bunk bed, and their own bathroom).  The space was open, there wasn’t tons of privacy, but it was really great to have everyone in one room. 

Now for the fun stuff.  All-inclusive is THE WAY TO GO.  Great food, drinks, desserts, even room service, all completely no charge.  There was enough variety to keep the picky eaters happy, there was lots of fruit/veggies/meat/and other healthy choices for my wife and me, who were just finishing up P90X and Slim in Sixrespectively.  And there were pools, and water slides, and zip lines, and a game room, and lots of places just to hang out and get some sun.   And the beach was AWESOME.