If you are a parent that formula feeds your baby, and you’re looking for ways to save money in 2010… then listen up.

As I’ve posted before, I used Parent’s Choice infant formula when my girls were babies. We saved so much money, and were very pleased with how our girls did with it. I know there is some debate among consumers about whether or not store brand infant formula is just as good as the national name brands, and something happened last month that should let anyone who has thought about switching to store brand formula put their mind at ease.

Early December, Federal Court found store brand formulas to be nutritionally equivalent to and confer the same developmental benefits as the more expensive national name brands. This is a huge deal! PBM Products, LLC, the parent company to many store brand infant formulas, such as Parent’s Choice (Walmart), as well as Target, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Walgreens, and several other retailers, filed it’s 3rd law suit against Mead Johnson & Co. (Enfamil) several months ago, claiming that Mead Johnson engaged in false and misleading campaigns against PBM’s store brand infant formulas, suggesting that they do not provide the same nutrition as Mead Johnson’s brands. US District Court Judge James R Spencer (and jury of the people) awarded PBM Products, LLC $13.5 million in damages, one of the largest damages awards ever for a false advertising campaign.

“This decision by a jury of the people confirms that Mead Johnson’s ads have been false in suggesting that there is a nutritional difference between our store-brand formula products and their products, when in fact the only major difference is price,” said PBM CEO Paul B. Manning.  “Despite Mead Johnson’s scare tactics, parents are assured that PBM’s formula products are as high quality and nutritious as Mead Johnson’s.”

Judge Spencer’s written rulings permanently enjoined Mead Johnson from making any false statements concerning PBM’s infant formula, including the claims Mead Johnson previously made in Enfamil advertising that “It may be tempting to try a less expensive store brand, but only Enfamil LIPIL is clinically proven to improve brain and eye development,” and “there are plenty of other ways to save on baby expenses without cutting back on nutrition.”  The Court also ordered Mead Johnson to retrieve from the public domain all advertising or promotional materials containing these or any other false claims about PBM’s store brand infant formula.

The details of the decision and the complaint are posted online in full at:

• http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/Order_Laches.pdf
• http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/PBM_Complaint_MJ_III_LIPIL.pdf

What Mead Johnson’s ad did was pretty surprising. PBM’s claim focused on Mead Johnson’s direct mailing to more than 1.6 million parents of an alarming blurry picture of a child’s cartoon duck next to a clear picture of the same image which suggested that anything other than the Enfamil LIPIL® blend of ingredients is inferior and will result in poor eye and brain development.  Other parts of the false advertising campaign consist of statements that only Enfamil LIPIL has been proven to confer visual and mental benefits on infants, and store-brand formulas are a “cut-back in nutrition” compared to Enfamil.

PBM successfully argued that these advertisements were false and misleading especially since PBM store- brand infant formulas have the same nutrients at the same levels as Enfamil.  PBM infant formulas are formulated to contain DHA and ARA, and are sourced from the same supplier in amounts which equal or exceed the DHA and ARA in Mead Johnson’s Enfamil LIPIL®.

So there you have it… There is no such thing as a “generic” infant formula, there are no substandard infant formulas. Just because they cost less doesn’t mean they’re not as good! Store brand formulas are an excellent way to save money for other important baby items! Even though my girls are way out of the infant formula stage, we still buy other Parent’s Choice items when needed. I still check the labels, and still see the same nutritional facts, and ingredients lists when I compare. It’s pretty much an easy decision. Save up to 50%, and still give your baby the nutrition they need!

For more information, or to read theofficial Press Release from PBM Products, LLC go to http://www.pbmproducts.com/press.aspx?ID=310

For more information about Parent’s Choice infant formula: http://www.parentschoiceformula.com

**Disclaimer: I work with PBM as a Social Media Consultant, this post was not solicited. Opinions are 100% mine. I did use Parent’s Choice and write based on my personal experience with the product.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

So you’re looking for a great place to spend some of your vacation time… especially during the holidays. With the economy as crazy as it has been, many places are trying to make getaways a little more affordable, and to woo customers to come check out their part of the country, they have some great specials!
The Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel both have some excellent packages available for visitors to Branson, Missouri!

Although Christmas is over for this year, you can definitely keep this in mind for next year (although prices may change):

With packages like It’s a Wonderful Life, starting at $329 per night and running from Nov 15 thru Dec 23, you’ll experience the ultimate holiday getaway for shopping, relaxation and entertainment with receipt a Branson Landing passport loaded with discounts at dozens of shops and restaurants along with a treatment at Aspire Medical Spa.
Bring family together in the warmth and comfort from Friday thru Sunday Nov 15 thru Dec 23 where little ones will enjoy Story Time with Mrs. Claus in the lobby of the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, and Santa himself will deliver presents, cookies and milk to guest’s rooms with the Santa’s Coming to Town Package, starting at $189 per night.
With these exciting holiday packages at the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, you are in for a true holiday treat!

By the way… there is still time to get in on a New Year Celebration at the Hilton Branson! Call them for more details!

I took a look at some of the other packages they have going.. some until the end of the year, and some through the end of 2010. Talk about getting away! They have a Romance package that includes in-room sparkling wine, a full breakfast in their room, and early/late checkout upon request. You’ll have to call for their package price, but that sounds like it would be pretty fun! They even have deals with Southwest Airlines & Delta Airlines to earn bonus miles with your stay at their hotel!

I’ve never been to Missouri myself, but it seems like it would be a pretty place to check out. For more information on any of these packages or to check room availability, go to Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing

So, I’ve been working on losing weight, and getting healthier. I’ve been working out, and eating better… Yes, I am human and have occasionally had slip ups.. but for the most part, we’ve changed a lot of our habits. We’re eating more whole grains, and less fats. We’ve cut out a lot of our red meats, and have brought a lot of fish into our diet. We have removed all sodas from the house, and we have removed just about all of our junk food from the house..

I think the biggest thing is that I’m working on being a good role model for the girls. I want them to learn how to eat correctly. I don’t mind them eating snacks, but I don’t want them to eat bad snacks. They’ve started actually CHOOSING apples and bananas, and carrots as snacks! It makes me so happy that they’re eating those things instead of chips or cookies, etc.

Now, I’ve started losing some weight, and I’m looking forward to losing even more. It just seems that sometimes I lose my steam.. I lose my motivation. I wish I could keep going. I know I have accountability… but It just gets so disappointing when I don’t lose weight fast enough. I know it’s a long road. I mean, it didn’t take me 6 months to put all of this weight on… so it most certainly is going to take longer to lose all of this weight. I just have to keep going, and get rid of it.. for my health, and so I can be here for my girls…

I’m hoping that by the end of 2010, you’ll be seeing a whole lot “less” of me!

Next month, I’m going to be trying to be one of the #Mamavation moms on bookieboo.com, so I really really really would love your support. Applications start 1 January… so please stay tuned on how you can help me win.. I would really really appreciate it!!!

Winners:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

24
48

Timestamp: 2009-12-31 04:01:22 UTC

Congratulations to Mami2jcn & Tamara B.!!!

——

If there’s one thing I know, making holiday meals can get expensive… and when you count the time it takes to shop, prepare, then cook everything… not to mention cleaning up afterwards.. sometimes it just doesn’t seem worth it!

This year, you can save the time and the money by just letting Walmart take care of everything for you. Of course, they won’t be able to send someone over to do your dishes, but they can at least help you out with the before stuff!

Walmart is offering all of this… for an amazingly low price…

• One 12-pound Grade A turkey*
• Three 11 to 15.5-ounce cans Green Giant vegetables
• Two 14-ounce cans Ocean Spray cranberry sauce
• Three 6-ounce boxes of Stove Top stuffing
• One 5-pound bag of red potatoes
• One 12-count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls
• One 22-ounce pumpkin roll cake

*Limit of 2 turkeys per person. Weights and brands vary by location.

How much would you spend if you did all of this yourself? Probably around $50. Well you can get this for just $20 at your local Walmart!

Walmart has given me two $30 gift cards to offer to my readers… so leave me a comment telling me what your favorite holiday dish is! Mine is definitely the Turkey!

You may gain additional entries by doing either or all of the following:

* Subscribe to Mommy Brain Reports via RSS or Email and leave me a comment telling me you did so! If you already do, leave me a comment!

* Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway by clicking the green Retweet button, or by copying the statement below:

Save on your holiday meal with Walmart & Enter 2 win a Gift Card from @mommybrain! http://bit.ly/5NEjtL

Leave me a comment letting me know each time you tweet!

You may enter as many times as you wish, but you must leave a comment each time for it to count.

Entries will be accepted from December 23- December 30 @ 5pm EST. Winner will be chosen at random. Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond to claim their prize. Winner must be a resident of the USA. Again, you must leave a comment for each option you choose to enter. *Rules subject to change without notice*

Good Luck!

** I did receive a Gift card from Walmart for hosting this giveaway.

So, I have said in the past, how much I really like the Clorox GreenWorks line of cleaning products. I’ve even said it on Good Day Sacramento!  They seem to be a safer alternative to some of the harsh chemicals out there on the market. Well, thanks to Mom Central, I’ve been given the chance to try out the new Green Works Laundry Detergent and Stain Remover. If it’s supposed to be safer for the family, it should be safer for the clothes too right?

Well, I have no actual way of checking the threads, or the chemical makeup of things, but I can tell you that these products do quite well in taking out set in stains. I wonder if the stain remover is ever going to be available at warehouse stores?? It did take me a couple of tries to get some marker (apparently not washable) out of some clothing, but it’s gone enough that it’s not even noticeable now.

As for the laundry detergent. It’s HE compatible, which is a big deal for me. It smells amazing. I’m not sure if there are other scents, but this one really smells clean when the wash is done. I love the smell of freshly washed laundry too… I know there are others that would agree with me.

If you would like more information about the Clorox Greenworks line of products, especially their new laundry detergent line, check out http://www.greenworkscleaners.com!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Clorox Green Works and received a bottle of Green Works Natural Detergent and Stain Remover to facilitate my review and a $20 thank-you gift certificate.”

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of 123 Media Max. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’m a person that believes in backing things up… even having backups of backups…really.. especially when it comes to my photos and videos! Another thing that I wish I had backups of are my movies. My girls love to watch movies in the car when we’re driving around, and I am notorious for not exactly putting them back in the case as I should. They sometimes end up getting scratched to the point that they are unplayable and I’ll wish that I had backups of these movies. Instead, I’ve had to spend $10-$20 to buy the movie all over again. It’s just a bunch of wasted money.

I was offered the opportunity to write about 123 Media Max and their Blu-Ray Copy Breakthrough. While checking out the site, I really liked what I saw… The only problem is that I don’t run Windows, and this program requires Windows. So lucky for your Windows users… check this out.

• 123 Media Max lets users create backup copies of any Blu-ray movie to standard DVD-RW with HD quality.
• 123 Media Max also backs up any DVD movie to DVD.
• 123 Media Max converts video from cameras to DVD.
• 123 Media Max also allows users to create a DVD from multiple video files, editing the audio and video pieces independently.
• … and more.

You’ll never have to worry about losing valuable Blu ray and DVD movie collections when you can have perfect backups playable on Blu-Ray and DVD players or Sony PS3!

If you’re interested in checking out more about 123 Media Max, go to http://www.123mediamax.com and see all the features this software offers! 123 Media Max is also available at major retailers such as Best Buy, Office Max, Fry’s, Staples and more!