Price: Under $10

Sweet to Dry Scale: 6*

I decided to go with a white this week because it’s been so hot that it’s nice to have something refreshing and cold! This wine is a bit on the tart side, as well as very sweet. It’s a little like liquid honey, so if you’re a dry wine drinker, beware. It would probably overpower most foods if you tried to pair it, so you might want to just use this one for sipping. All in all, not the best white wine I’ve ever had, but I’ve had much worse. If you need a cheap white, this is a decent option!

Bang for your Buck: Not bad.

*The Sweet to Dry Scale tells you just how dry the wine is, based on a number that my husband and I agree on. The higher the number, the dryer the wine. (0=sweet, 10=dry) My husband likes wines that are a 9 or 10. I like wines that are a 7 or 8.

Want non wine related deals? Check out The Budget Mommy’s Facebook Page!

Submitted by Annemarie (http://annemarieschiavipedersen.blogspot.com/)

Between my puppy Vito and the blog, I don’t get out much, let alone spot big-time celebrities. So I was excited to find Detroit Red Wings Head Coach Mike Babcock at Christina’s lacrosse game. No, Babcock wasn’t switching from professional hockey to girl’s prep lacrosse; like me, he was there to watch his daughter. Fortuitously, I had my new video camera.

Bloggers sneak photos of celebs all the time. The hope is that the celeb will misbehave. If I was lucky, I could record the Olympic-gold hockey coach do something awful, like throw his Starbucks at the 80-year-old referee.

That’s how millionaire celebrity blogger Perez Hilton (who I used to think was Paris Hilton trying to spell her name like a rapper) got his start.

Nonchalantly, I extended the camera outward so it looked like I was recording Christina. But really, I angled it toward Babcock.

It was bright outside, and as I tried to find him in the lens, the crowd erupted. Christina scored. But I missed it because my camera was aimed at Babcock, who I couldn’t see through the glare.

My friend Pat walked up with a quizzical look. No wonder. Unconsciously, I had turned from the field with my camera blatantly aimed at Babcock.

I whispered to Pat that Babcock was behind her. He was on the phone and really wound up – so much so that Pat couldn’t hear me. So I said it louder – exactly when Babcock stopped talking. He looked me dead in the eye.

“Way to be discreet, mom,” my daughter Beth whispered.

Now that he caught me, I had to pretend I didn’t care about him. At the perfect moment, a gorgeous Golden Retriever, the Farrah Fawcett of dogs, appeared.

The lady with the Golden set her chair next to Babcock. He and the lady smiled at each other. She didn’t appear to care who he was, so I guessed the lady was his wife.

Her dog was pure Hollywood, a video blogger’s dream. Only now I didn’t have the nerve to take its picture because it might belong to Babcock.

Babcock left without saying goodbye to the woman with the dog. Now I was pretty sure they weren’t married. So, not only did I not get a video of Babcock, I didn’t get one of the dog either. Also, I missed Christina’s goal.

I verbally flogged myself — I’d never be Perez Hilton.

“Mom …” Beth caught my hand before I threw my camera into the pussy willows … “I’ve got a picture of you and Mike Babcock.”

There we were caught on Beth’s I-Phone.

Apparently the Perez Hilton-gene skips a generation.

In the coming weeks you’ll see some video postings from Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach®, so we thought we should probably tell y’all who she is! (drumroll please…)

Don’t be scared away by Laurie’s big fancy wine title (though she is a certified sommelier, wine educator AND a published author!). First and foremost, she’s a Mom to a spirited 7-year old daughter Michaela, and wife to husband Michael, a chef. She grew up in New Jersey in the 80s where wines were often in a box and pink (her first was Boonesfarm Strawberry Hill). She was a big (BIG) beer drinker until her job as a sales exec had her entertaining clients at fine dining restaurants where she was expected to select the wines. In order to not totally embarrass herself, Laurie decided to actually learn something about wine. And she fell in love.

Several years later Laurie founded “The Wine Coach” because she wanted to strip the pretentiousness away from wine and start playing up the fun part. (Wine? Fun? She’ll fit right in here!) Laurie writes for several magazines including Baltimore Style and What’s Up Annapolis. She’s a guest on radio shows across the country, including Martha Stewart Radio… and she’s the award-winning author of “The Sipping Point, A Crash Course in Wine” (a book which those of you in our wine club will receive with your first shipment)!

A few of Laurie’s step-by-step tasting videos can already be found on the “Video” tab on our Facebook page. Look for more to come shortly. PLUS… Laurie will be doing exclusive video wine tastings of each of the wines in our own Wine Club… so that we can learn about the wines as we sip (or chug) them.

For more on Laurie, visit her website or her Facebook page. Or just keep your eye out for her on our boards and wall… she likes to chime in!

Submitted by Sarah (UK)

Much as I adore my wine, I cannot help but feel a little resentful of it at times.

Yes, it has been my saviour through many a tough time and I feel guilty speaking ill of it when it has been such a loyal friend. But I see it much like I see the Oh So Perfect Friend. You know the type. Oh So Perfect Friend always looks immaculate, well dressed, never dishevelled. Oh So Perfect Friend never breaks down on the way to school and arrives in the playground covered in oil. Oh So Perfect Friend never walks into Tesco with her skirt tucked into her knickers, or drops her tampax in front of the sexy gym instructor, etc. etc.

As for wine…well it seems on paper we have very similar attributes.

Mature? Tick.

Full Bodied? Not half.

Fruity? Tick (Well, it has been known).

Rich in Colour? Oh yes, the menopause has a lot to answer for…

But somehow these qualities manage to be positives when referring to wine, though strangely lacking when applied to me. Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s not exactly the wine’s fault—but when, at the end of a long and tiring day, I ease myself into my pyjamas whilst wondering if He Who Watches Football fancies “getting fruity” with his “full bodied” and “rich In colour” wife, I guess I can see the appeal of the glass of Red calling from the occasional table.

Friend or Foe? I’m still undecided so I give He Who Watches Football the last word.

“If you had to compare me to a wine, what would I be?” I purred…

“Dunno” He replied, “But I hope you’re on the Buy One Get One Free shelf…”

3 year old son, buck-naked, “Mom, who do I look like, God or Jesus?”

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My son was around 5 and at a hockey game went to get some stick on tatoo’s. When he came back he said the lady at the counter was mad because she said he needed to buy them. I said Oh I should have given you some money. He then said no there was a sign there that said 3 for a dollar and I only wanted two!

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whilst building blocks with my 3 year old – he went off to his room…’where are you going’? i asked. His reply… “I’m just going to get my imagination”

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When my then three year old farted, I said “what do you say?” She said, “you better get outta here.”

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My daughter aged 4 asked how babies grow in the tummy. I said “Its like a tiny seed that grows” She replied “OH and can you see the child’s face on the seed packet before you choose”

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My two year old daughter who was playing with a toy screw driver shouted- ‘Look Mummy, I’m screwing the driver!’

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my 5 year old daughter was brushing my long hair from behind and said ” oh mommy, you look so beautiful without your face!”

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“Jack, do you need to go potty?”
No, Dad.
“Then Why are you holding yourself?
My penis just wants me to.

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When looking at the dog next door i said to two year old i think its a boy. She looked at it and said i think its a dog!

Submitted by Karen (www.pinchhitmarketing.com)

Valentine’s Day is near, and the media are full of ads touting the ideal gifts for your sweetheart. Take some advice from a mature, hopelessly romantic woman. We don’t want cheap polyester underpants covered in hearts, and we don’t want some fuzzy knick-knack that’ll end up being given to a child or tossed in the air as a toy for an English Springer Spaniel.

What we want is something from the pyramid. Yes, like the food pyramid which the FDA created to help people understand how to eat healthy, this pyramid helps men understand how to make the most romantic of gestures, how to avoid giving cheesy or unappreciated gifts, and how to keep your romantic relationships healthy.

At the top of the gift pyramid is the Jewelry Group. Women love jewelry whether it’s a clunky trinket with a cute little heart charm or the full blown knock me over diamond heirloom that actually would make a woman scream, “I love this man,” at the top of her lungs in a crowded city square. With one exception (rubber charity bracelets), you can never go wrong with jewelry.

Next up, the Cosmetic Group. We’re very particular about the types of cosmetics we use and the type of perfume we wear. The fact that you, significant other, might like the smell of something is no guarantee that your lady will. In fact, many women can’t stand the smell of some perfumes and get horrible headaches – real headaches – that will put the damper on any romantic escapades you might have planned. If you feel the need to buy perfume for your honey, stay out of the drug store! Another note -while it’s perfectly okay for a woman to buy alpha hydroxy anti-wrinkle cream; it would be an insult if her significant were to do it.

In the middle, and appropriately so, is the Chocolate Group. More