Currently, the Mile High Chapter of the Red Cross is offering Infant & Child CPR Certification courses and Babysitter Training Courses throughout the Denver metro area.

Learn more about each course and how you can get 15% off in my post, Get 15% off Red Cross Mile High Chapter child and infant CPR and babysitter training classes, at This Mama Cooks!

You may have read that Pepsi is not advertising in the Super Bowl this year. (The only exception is the Doritos brand.) Instead they have decided to invest their resources – over $20 million – to fund community projects through the Pepsi Refresh Project

Pepsi wants to fund great ideas

Pepsi is looking for people, businesses, and non-profits with ideas that will have a positive impact and are asking people to look around their communities to think about how they want to change it.

This could be anything from upgrading a worn out playground or ball field to starting a food bank in your community. Maybe your child’s school would like to start a greenhouse project like my kids’ school does. Or maybe your senior center needs a new roof or van. Whatever it is Pepsi wants to hear what your community needs so they can help.

How to participate

Each month, you have the opportunity to submit a proposal in one of six categories: health, arts & culture, food & shelter, the planet, neighborhood, or education. (Grants range from $5,000 to $250,000.)At the end of the month, Pepsi will post the top submissions on RefreshEverything.com and let the public vote on the winners.

This month, visit RefreshEverything.com and vote for your favorite submissions for February's grants. You can also connect with the Pepsi Refresh program via Twitter @Pepsi, on Facebook or on the Refresh Everything blog.

For more information:

• Submission kit for tips [PDF]
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Official Application Guidelines
• Send Pepsi Refresh an email
• Call Pepsi Refresh at 1-800-768-2784

Mom Central interviews Lauren Hobart, mom and CMO of Sparking Brands at Pepsi

Why is Pepsi Refresh Unique?

The program is unique because it puts the power in the hands of the consumer. Individuals submit their ideas and then the nation votes on the idea that moves them the most. This is done in a very ground up way. Essentially, we’ve democratized the process.

What are some exciting ideas you hope to see submitted through the PRP this year?

We’re excited to see the range of ideas that are submitted through the program. There are six different categories, and we want ideas across all of them. So far we’ve seen a fantastic response to the program. Within the first week we received over 1000 ideas, which came from every state and every age group.

As a Mom what types of lessons do you hope children learn by getting involved in community projects?

Parents want to instill good values in their children and encourage them to act on their ideas and beliefs. As a Mom myself, I’ve shared this program with other moms in my community and have found that it sparks a cord with everyone. I’ve also seen my own children get very excited about it. I think it just feels right to them.

What is your advice for moms that have ideas about refreshing their communities? What level of grant is idea? How should they craft their submissions?

First figure out the size and scope of the idea. Most individuals should opt for the $5000 grant, but it really depends on the idea and who you’ll be working with to bring it to action. People should also remember that winning comes with the responsibility to bringing you idea to life. If you need inspiration, there are example ideas on the Pepsi Refresh website to help get you started as well as a toolkit that guides you through the application process.

Who are the ideal grant applicants?

There isn’t really an ideal applicant. Anyone over 13 and a US resident can submit an application for the program. That said, people who are tapped into many different networks and able to promote and share their ideas once submitted may have the best chance of success.

Who should be involved in the submission process? If my child has an idea, should she submit it, or should I, or should her teacher help?

Young children, particularly those under 13 years old, should work with parents or teacher. Pepsi Refresh offers an amazing opportunity for a teaching moment with parents since you can get your kids to think about what impact they can have how they can make a difference. The program can get them engaged, thinking and talking about their impact on the world in a whole new way.

_________________

Disclosure: I wrote this post while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Pepsi Refresh. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

I also have a working relationship with Pepsi having been invited to their headquarters in Chicago as part of a Quaker Oats Living Proof Blogger Event, invited to speak at their blogger panel, Dad is the New Mom, at SXSW 2009, and participating in the Common Threads event with Quaker. I have also done giveaways of Pepsi and Quaker products on my blogs.

As you may have noticed I’ve put a Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) badge on all my blogs.

MSF appeals to me for many reasons including that they make sure 87% of donations go their work, only 12% to fundraising and 1% to administrative costs. I also like how they make good use of social networking sites like Twitter at @MSF_USA, YouTube, Tumblr and Facebook. But that’s me and you may want to help out in other ways. Here’s how:

Check out Mom Central's 5 Ways to Help Haiti. Besides linking to MSF, they also give you ways to donate through Oxfam, UNICEF, Mercy Corps., and via your cellphone.

Another way is to donate to the William J. Clinton Foundation for Haiti Earthquake Relief, President Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation. There are two ways to help. You can donate online at clintonfoundation.org/haitirelief to help provide immediate relief and long-term support to earthquake survivors. You can also text "HAITI" to 20222 and $10 will be donated to relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill. One hundred percent of your donation will be used for Haiti relief efforts.

The Clinton Foundation is also suggesting that you donate to:

UN World Food Programme (BlogCritics is recommending them, too, as part of their Bloggers Against Hunger efforts.)

If you’re a blogger you can put badges on your site:

• UN World Food Programme’s badge page
• Doctors Without Borders badge page
• Partners in Health badge page (lower right)

You can create a Mercy Corp donation page. And make sure to join all the charities Facebook and Twitter pages, too!

Blogher has some excellent suggestion on HOW to raise money for Haiti.

Finally, On Friday, January 22 at 8-10 p.m. ET, George Clooney and Wyclef Jean will host a live telethon to benefit earthquake victims in Haiti. The telethon will air on all of the MTV channels worldwide, along with ABC, NBC, HBO, and CNN. You can also donate money to Wyclef Jean's Yéle Haiti Foundation by texting "yele" to 501501 from your cell to automatically donate $5 to the Yéle Haiti Earthquake Fund.

GORDONSVILLE, VA., December  2 , 2009—PBM Products, LLC, a leading infant formula company that supplies store-brand infant formulas to Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, and other retailers, has received a favorable jury verdict and a $13.5 million damages award in its false advertising lawsuit against Mead Johnson & Co., the operating subsidiary of   Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN) (“Mead Johnson”), the makers of the national-brand Enfamil® LIPIL® Infant Formula.  Mead Johnson is 83 percent-owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

PBM’s lawsuit claimed that Mead Johnson engaged in false and misleading campaigns against PBM’s competing store-brand of infant formulas, suggesting they do not provide the same nutrition as Mead Johnson’s brands.  PBM’s store-brand infant formulas cost up to 50 percent less than Enfamil® LIPIL®.  The $13.5 million in damages awarded by the jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of the largest damages awards ever for a false advertising case.

“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.”

U.S. District Court Judge James R. Spencer issued his written rulings yesterday following the November 10^th jury verdict. 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

The nutritional supplements under examination in the case are two fats, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid), which Mead Johnson calls “LIPIL®” solely for marketing purposes and touts as promoting infant brain and eye development. 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®. 

This decision marks the third time PBM Products has sued Mead Johnson for false advertising claims. On the prior occasions Mead Johnson admitted that it made false claims about PBM’s products.  It is also the first false advertising case to focus on the issue of DHA and ARA nutritional ingredients in formula, which were introduced into the market in 2003 and have become a staple in recent years by many brands as key components for infant development.

“This jury verdict should send a significant and clear message to Mead Johnson about the way it conducts marketing and advertising for its brands,” said Manning.  “This lawsuit also demonstrates our complete commitment to defending our products and the valuable brands of our retail partners.”

“As a parent and supporter of children’s medical research, I take a personal responsibility in assuring our customers that the products we produce are healthy and nutritionally equivalent to brand names like Enfamil® LIPIL®.  It is important, especially now, for parents to know that there are lower priced yet highly nutritious store-brand formulas that will provide the same benefit to their children as any national brand name formula product,” Manning added.   

The U.S. infant formula market is estimated at $3.4 billion and the global market is estimated at $7.9 billion.

All of PBM’s formulas, and for that matter all of U.S. infant formulas, are subject to the exacting standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pursuant to the Infant Formula Act of 1980.  This legislation vested FDA with the authority to ensure that all infant formula products sold in the United States provide the necessary levels of identified nutrients required for the growth of healthy babies. For more information, visit this FDA link.

PBM Products was represented by the law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP.  Partners from the firm’s advertising practice, Harold P. Weinberger and Jonathan M. Wagner in New York, led the team.  

About PBM

PBM is privately owned and based in Gordonsville, VA.  PBM companies specialize in manufacturing, distributing, and marketing consumer food, nutritional, and pharmaceutical products. For more information, visit www.pbmproducts.com.

Enfamil® LIPIL® are registered trademarks of Mead Johnson & Co.

The Cars part of the show was a bit silly since it featured the characters from Cars driving around the ice. Not exactly ice skating though it was interesting to figure out where the driver was inside the “costumes.”

The Little Mermaid part was fun since I knew the songs and story. However, I didn’t get much out of the Tinker Bell performance, which took up the second half of the show. I haven’t watched the movie though my kids have, so that was part of the problem. In fact, I actually felled asleep, more from the medication I was taking for my bad back (my husband drove) than the show.

What was really important was the kids’ reaction to the show. They loved Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy! My daughter, Lucie was screaming, “It’s Minnie. Mommy, it’s Goofy. Oh look it’s Ariel!” My son, Nathan thanked me for taking him and said he enjoyed it very much.

It was a nice way to get my kids pumped up for going to Disneyland later this month. Next time, I’ll be having a double latte before the show begins, or I’ll bring a blanket and settle in for a nice nap. Either way, I know my kids will have a grand time for any Disney on Ice show.

Schedule

Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy is still playing the Denver area at the Denver Coliseum. Show times are as follows:

The Denver Coliseum
Dec. 11th: 11:00am, 7:30pm
Dec. 12th: 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
Dec. 13th: 1:30pm, 5:30pm

Special Discount Offer

Purchase a 4‐pack of tickets for only $44 for weekday shows or receive $4 off weekend tickets by entering the coupon code: MOM.

You can get 4 tickets for $44 a Monday‐Friday matinee, or $4 off weekend tickets by entering the code “MOM” in the promotion code box on Ticketmaster or Tickethorse. A minimum purchase of 4 tickets is required. Additional tickets can be purchased at $11 each. Offer not valid on Rinkside or VIP seating. Remember, service charges and handling fees will apply.

This discount code is good for ALL the Disney on Ice shows, not just the Denver shows

Complimentary with your ticket purchase, you’ll be able to attend the Disney Princess Pre-Show. Prior to each Worlds of Fantasy performance, families can view the exclusive collection of enchanting gowns and mementos from the Disney Princess stories. Don’t forget your camera!

______________

Disclosure: I wrote this post for Mom Central on behalf of Feld Entertainment. For my efforts in spreading the word about the show, my family and I were given complimentary tickets to see the show.