Carla Hall partners with Country Crock to share casserole tips and tricks.

Do you have what it takes to be a rock star in the kitchen? Share the secret tip, trick, or ingredient that makes your casseroles sing and YOU could win $5,000 and a trip to New York City! Ends 5/31/2013.

Country Crock is searching for the next “crock star”. To enter, follow these instructions:

1) Share a photo of you and your favorite casserole

2) In a 100 words or less, share how you stay creative and resourceful

3) Submissions will be accepted at the County Crock Facebook page

12 semi-finalists will receive cookware and three finalists will win $5,000 and a trip for two to NYC.

Watch the video below to find out Carla Hall’s (former “Top Chef” contestant, and current co-host of ABC’s “The Chew”) tips for yummy casseroles and further information on the Country Crock contest.

Sponsored Post

Nothing brings a mom from back from the brink of the post-baby doldrums and stressors like getting your old body back.

Take it from a mom who’s been through it — if the anxiety and fear of parenting failures isn’t enough to overwhelm you, looking in the mirror and realizing that your old life is but a distant memory and that your prior bohemian lifestyle is on a 18-year hiatus, one tends to want to simply give up. One thing that may bring some order to this strange new world is having the control over your eating choices and getting something back that was unjustly taken from you — your pre-baby body.

Sometimes while perusing the grocery aisles, I’ll see a mom whose sweatpants, tired eyes and tussled hair screams to me to call Stacy London and Clinton Kelly of “What Not to Wear” stat!’ Of course, we all know, it’s what’s on inside is what counts, but being healthy inside and out has the added benefit of looking good and feeling great!

In our house, Slimfast is a staple product in our refrigerator. My high-schoolers grab one while on the go and I know it’s one less meal to worry about or come up with for myself when I’m left to my own devices and meal preparations. For years, I’ve been a Slimfast fan and grateful for the convenience and effective way to help me lose weight after having children and help me maintain my weight years later.

Just because we have children doesn’t mean we don’t want to feel hot and sexy. I beg of you, don’t give up. There is a hot mom inside all of us moms, just waiting to make the other PTO moms jealous.

The moms in the following videos are far too relatable, proving that looking good and feeling great is a common goal among many of us moms. One wants to be a MILF, one wants to look great naked and one wants to show off her hot bod for her high school reunion. One common theme — they want to feel better about themselves:

(Sponsored by Slimfast)

Tide’s Miracle Stain proves to be a secret weapon for a Ravens fan who happens to be married to a 49ers fan. In a parody that makes light of holy figures showing up in the most unlikely places, a sports husband’s new-found fame over a randomly begotten stain on his white jersey, which bears the likeness of his idol, Joe Montana, becomes the thorn in the side of the man’s Ravens cheering wife.  The wife isn’t very much amused and seems rather annoyed at her husband’s good fortune.

The prized stain set jersey seems like the perfect target for sweet Ravens revenge after the wife decides to clean the stain. The husband comes home to the once framed Joe Montana stained jersey and finds it missing. Just then the husband witnesses his wife with a load of laundry, a very clean load of laundry. A load of laundry that has been treated with Tide Miracle Stain.

Holy stain of legendary Joe Montana — erased. (Sad trombone.)

Sweet revenge or just plain rude?

Judge for yourself.

Zyrtec offers greats tips and strategies to help allergy suffers. Photo via zyrtec.com.

Sometimes I think there’s no rhyme or reason to when my allergies hit. Lately, my nose has been throbbing and I’ve been sneezing like crazy. I know it’s different from a cold since I don’t have a sore throat or fever. I actually think that my central air furnace has a lot to do with it. I was so tired of having itchy, watery eyes that I ran out to the drug store a few days ago and got some 24-hour Zyrtec. So far, so good.

A friend once told me that men grow out of their allergies whereas women grow in to them. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but it seems like a lot moms my age have been complaining of allergies lately.

Perhaps it’s the constant exposure to irritants and dander as they tend to be around their kids who are often walking allergens spores, especially when they forget to wash their hands.

Zyrtec has just released a 10-video explanation on how to identify allergies and manage them. It’s pretty informative.

For example, did you know that:

• Heavy drapes, as well as carpet are allergen magnets.
• Cold and allergies are mostly differentiated by body achiness and sore throat (cold) and sneezing and itchy, watery eyes (allergies).
• Dog allergies aren’t caused by fur, but rather dander, saliva and urine that triggers allergy symptoms. (Who knew?)
• If sneezing and itchy watery eyes last for more than two weeks, you may have an allergy to pollen.
• On an average day, pollen counts rise in the morning and peak about mid-day and then start to fall again.

Other tips include:

• Have your kids take showers daily to rinse off dander and allergens.
• Make sure your kids wash their hands frequently.
• Have kids put stuffed animals in closed containers.
• Vacuum weekly with a HEPA filter.
• Scrub bathrooms regularly to minimize mold.
• Keep your windows closed so that dander and dust doesn’t get stirred up in your home.
• Kids with allergies should leave shoes outside to minimize tracking allergens inside.
• Wear a hat and sunglasses outside to keep pollen away from hair and eyes.

To learn about Zytec rewards and access more tips and tools on allergy management, visit Zyrtec.com.

Mayim Bialik, an attachment parenting advocate. Photo via Touchstone.

After Mayim Bialik recently announced her split from her husband of nine years, some people were blaming her continued devotion to extreme attachment parenting as a potential cause.

Bialik, 36, who was a former child actress on “Blossom” and now stars on “The Big Band Theory” has written several books on attachment parenting, hailing the act of co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding, bare-bottom potty training, child driven discipline (where the child decides his or her own punishment) and home birthing without medications.

An article that appeared on People magazine’s website today had the comments buzzing with speculation that her devotion to attachment parenting may have played a role.

What do you think?

Are the following comments far too judgmental? Is it any of their business really?