Day: May 3, 2010

It’s not every day that you get to meet an amazing celebrity Role Mommy and bring your daughter and son along to meet her too, but that’s what we got to do recently when the team at Frigidaire invited us to a special smart snacking event featuring movie star and mom of two, Jennifer Garner.

As soon as we arrived at Chelsea Market (which incidentally has some of the most amazing baked goods known to mankind), the kids enjoyed a healthy lunch that included pizza, veggies, fruit and smoothies. Next, after the kids finished coloring, they participated in a magic show and had a limbo contest – actually, my son was the magician’s sidekick while my tween daughter chose to hang out with some of my favorite blogging moms, Colleen, Audrey, Amy and Whitney. Before we knew it, it was time to head to the Frigidaire test kitchen where we got the chance to roll up our sleeves and prepare a few healthy snacks our whole family can enjoy.
Once we walked inside, I was blinded by the gorgeous stainless steel appliances – including Frigidaire’s brand new Professional French Door refrigerator which features a bottom freezer and double doors with plenty of room for storage. At that very moment, my mind wandered off into a dreamy place where I had a fridge that wasn’t stuffed to the rafters and an oven that could pre-heat in less than six minutes. While I contemplated where I would place my double door fridge, my son nudged me to snap out of it so that I could catch Frigidaire GM Marty O’Gorman introduce the beautiful and incredibly down to earth Jennifer Garner. Jennifer was joined by Executive Food Director of Martha Stewart Living Lucinda Scala Quinn, author of the new cookbook Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys
and Save the Children’s Mark Shriver. Take a look…(and please excuse the shaky camera work).

Garner is teaming up with Frigidaire to launch “Make Time for Snack Time,” a virtual campaign to get kids snacking smart. Starting now, for everyone who visits Frigidaire.com and stops the clock for snack time, Frigidaire will donate $1 to support Save the Children’s work to help children in need in the U.S. as part of their $250,000 commitment to this worthy cause. (Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children’s U.S. Program each day you stop the snack time clock, with a minimum of $40,000 and a maximum of $50,000). Save the Children’s Mark Shriver was also on hand to praise the campaign. “Thanks to the support of Frigidaire and Jennifer Garner, we’re making a difference, one smart snack at a time,” he said.
Incidentally, if you register on the site, you will instantly be entered to win that incredible refrigerator – now what are you waiting for anyway? I’ve already tried to enter like five times! (just kidding – could only enter once…bummer!)
Lucinda then showed us some great ways to give our kids healthy snacks – from making Yogurt parfaits, to sandwiches shaped like hippos to ricotta and cucumber pita treats. And then, Jennifer walked over to all the moms and dads and their kids where she chatted with us and posed for pictures. And best of all, when my artistic daughter showed her the parfait and elephant inspired ricotta sandwich, she got high praise from Jennifer and Lucinda, who said she was well on her way to becoming a food stylist! And did I mention that Becca made it into InStyle Magazine???? Good thing she has a publicist who works cheap.
Before we all headed home, we were invited back to the kitchen to take a quick photo with Jennifer Garner. And the moment we stepped inside, it was as if we had just welcomed a brand new blogging mom into our brood. Jennifer thought it was really cool that we were all friends with one another even though many of us lived in different states…especially since we are busy moms with a million things on our plates. After we each got the chance to pose with her (I am not including my photo since I look like a deer in headlights), we also took this wonderful group photo and then left the event with the biggest smiles on our faces! Nothing like Jennifer Garner, a fun afternoon with your kids and great snacks to make your day a whole lot brighter.
To find out how you can help make a difference in the lives of kids who need it the most, visit www.Frigidaire.com and join the Make Time for Snack Time campaign, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children’s U.S. Programs.