Operation Beautiful

A couple of weeks ago I was changing my sons diaper in the Tampa airport. I noticed a post-it note on the wall above the changing table. Rushing , as usual, I didn't really look up. I finished changing my son and took a quick second to see what the note said , it read

" You are a Mom and you are Beautiful"

I smiled and walked out. Upon returning home and getting settled back into daily life I decided to go through the pile of mail that was waiting for us. I received a book called "Operation Beautiful" to read and review. Much to my surprise, the post it note I received was from this Operation Beautiful Campaign.

The goal is to leave notes anywhere and everywhere to let women know just how beautiful they are ...AS IS, so simple and it takes a second. My 8 year old loved the idea and started making post its for us to leave everywhere we went. She later told me that " mommy it feels so good to say nice things to people"

GOAL ACHIEVED!

Get this book and pass it on, especially to pre-teens and teens, the positive messages will up lift them!

Happy 1st Birthday - Pro Flowers

We received the Birthday Bear Gift set from Pro Flowers just in Time for my son's 1st Birthday. What a nice surprise to come home and have this little surprise waiting on the front porch! The above photo is of everything received in the box. Which included 1. Brown Plush Bear 2. Miniature Yellow Rose Plant (one rose in bloom) in Terra cotta pot and 3. Mylar balloon. I was very surprised to see that the plant was alive and healthy. The bear, balloon and plant arrived in GREAT condition. I would have no problem spending the $34.99 to send this as a gift for someone. It is nice to know that what is described on their site, is exactly what arrived at my home.

Thank you Pro Flowers for the awesome gift!

and for the legal stuff : I received the Teddy Bear Gift set for Free from Pro Flowers and was asked to give my honest review.

Big Boy Cup! Tommee Tippee Review

My son will be 1 this Sunday and for the last few months we have been trying out different cups. Sippy cups, cups with straws, cups with spouts, you name it we've tried it and nothing has worked. Some leaked, some dripped, some flowed continuously and some he couldn't even get anything out of. Luckily we received a wonderful package in the mail from Tommee Tippee to review. I received a Spill Proof Bottle, Non Slip Mat and 2 Bowls(w/lid) and a spoon.

So here are my thoughts on the Tommee Tippee Products.
The Spill Proof Water Bottle(Sippy Cup) is WONDERFUL, my son feels like he is a big boy and has a cup like his sisters BUT he can shake it upside down and nothing comes out. Also, he is able to hold the cup with both of his little hands and drink by himself, the cup is lightweight and the beverage comes out easily.

Do your kids dump their bowls/plates upside down when eating and make a HUGE mess? This is where the Non Slip Mat comes in. It is a wonderful silicone mat that you lay on the high chair tray or any table. You then attach your bowl to the suction cup on top....no more messes!Why didn't I think of this? This is a great product and easy to use and clean, the non slip mat lifts easily off of any surface.

I have washed all of the products on the top shelf in the dishwasher and they have turned out fine. I will be heading to Toys R Us to add to our Tommee Tippee Collection! We now have our 1st Big Boy Cup!





Now – July 23: Buy any Explora item (cups and toddler feeding), get the second 50% off at BabiesRUs.com (http://bit.ly/cDYhv8)

Tommee Tippee is now available in the U.S. at Toys”R”Us and Babies”R”Us stores as well as online at BabiesRUs.com.



....and for the leagal stuff...
I received products from Tommee Tippee and am a reviewer for the Mom Bloggers Club. I was asked to give my honest opinion.

Have you heard?

Have you heard about Etsy?  Do you know about this fabulous online boutique where you can purchase anything from vintage earrings to hand-made baby clothes?  Quilts to knitted caps?  Shoes to dolls to wall hangings?  And everything in between.

Etsy is a favorite place of mine.  There are amazing finds and real deals on the site.  I love that I can purchase handmade/homemade products and most crafted by moms.  How great is that?

Today I want to introduce you to possibly my favorite Etsy mom crafter.  Sandi is a SAH who somehow finds time to sew, quilt and craft.  She makes many of the amazing outfits her children wear by hand.  She is one of the most involved school moms I've ever known, and is officially a HOTmama for her strong, loving 16 year-but-its-like-their-first-date marriage and oh-so-intelligent and delightfully feisty four kids.

For me, it was love at first quilt: Sandi's work is amazing.  The detail and fabrics are amazing.  We've washed this "Piece of Africa" quilt about a million times, and it just gets softer with each wash. 

 Knowing how much we love the "Piece of Africa" quilt, Sandi recently made the matching name banner for Sam.  

Sandi's work is very reasonably priced and I invite you to check out her site.  Let me know what you think.

Note: These are my honest personal opinions.  I was not paid for this review.  I have purchased many items from Sandi's shop.  She did recently send the banner as a gift for Sam but in no way requested a positive review in return.

A Mom's Ultimate Book of Lists

If you need to get organized, and we all do, you will LOVE this book by Michelle LaRowe. It is a reference book full of quick and practical tips! There are lists for everything imaginable. From a list of things to do when preparing for a baby, to what to do once the baby gets here, to a list of shots needed...it's all covered. I think that my favorite "lists" in the book is the section on "Lists for saving your time, money and sanity", what mom couldn't use a LITTLE MORE of any of these 3?This section covers things such as, ten tips for balancing home, work and family...how to create date night and become more organized in your home.

My absolute FAV list is LIST 111, THE VIRTUOUS WIFE of Today, This list takes the Bible scripture and translates it for today's mom. This list has some things that I think we all strive for:

She takes care of her body, working to keep fit
She helps others in need
She seeks to be of good character
She carefully considers her purchases and doesn't buy on impulse
She is a blessing to her family.
......I could put the whole list here....it truly is a wonderful book and would help any woman, get more organized.

“Available January 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”




disclaimer: I was given a copy of the book and asked to give my honest opinion.

AVEENO NOURISH + MOISTURIZE

Last night I tried the newest Shampoo from Aveeno. It is wonderful! I have very curly dry hair and this definitely did the trick and I didn't even use a conditioner. Although not heavily scented, it reminded me of the beach and summer. It is VERY clean smelling.This product nourishes the hair by replacing the moisture and helps repair each strand. They do have a conditioner and a leave in treatment as well that I would LOVE to try. Thanks to Glamour for the sample!Anything that is simple and saves this busy Mommy time is A-ok in my book!


I was given this Sample to do an honest product review by Glamour Magazine and Aveeno. I was not compensated for the review.

Prost Productions - Sponsored Post

Hey, just wanted to share this! I found a very cool site that makes wine tags for the bottles that you give as gifts. Very unique and custom and pretty cool!

Prost Productions - www.prostproductions.com
How unique! We gave out several bottles of wine over the holidays and without gift tags! I don't think the recipients knew that they were from us at all. What a unique idea! A definite must!

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Product review: need your input!

I want to write a review of the Signature Minerals makeup I recently told you about.  But what good is MY opinion?

So, calling all HOT mamas: If you got your free sample and tried the makeup, email me and let me know what you thought.  I'd love to include your experiences/opinions in my review.

Spoiler alert: I LOVED it!

Picture Perfect

I take TONS of pictures of my kids, TONS! At dance class the other day ,one of the moms , Debra , mentioned a site where you could upload the pictures to scrapbook pages and they get mailed to you. No time spent buying papers and accessories and not time spent cutting and gluing. Mind you that I LOVE to scrap book , I just can't find the time to ever finish a project. I have started books and never finished and have shoe boxes full of pictures. The site is called Create Inspiring Story Books you can make scrap book pages, greeting cards, posters, thank you cards etc...all at a reasonable price(scrapbook pages are around $3 a page). It saves time and money. I don't have to buy all of the items to scrap book and I can make duplicate pages with a click of a button! This is definitely a time saver and a fun way to make gifts for family members and friends! Oh, and did I mention there are over 2000 pre-made TEMPLATES? You can't go wrong!

Check out what I created here.



P.S. To buy items on the site , you pre-pay for credits and have a year to use them. You can even buy gift credits for others! L-O-V-E IT! For more info you can reach Debra at Debra@createinspiringstorybooks.com

Product review: baby wearing/baby carriers

Zenful Mommy and Sam's Mom both have little ones we "wear." Baby wearing is a wonderful way to bond with your child, while keeping you hands free to GET STUFF DONE. Sam's Mom primarily does baby wearing in grocery stores/errands, and outside walks. Sam also loves to be in the carrier when he's super-fussy; being close, feeling mama's heartbeat seems to calm him. Zenful Mommy is a SAHM and without babycarring, would NOT be able to get cooking/cleaning/laundry and everything else done. We have each tried a myriad of carriers over the last few months, and want to share our favorites with you.

MAYA WRAP

Description: the Maya wrap is a long (6 foot) piece of light-weight fabric, secured with D rings. It is an over-one-shoulder sling wrap and adjusts for newborns to toddlers (up to 35 lbs.) You can hold baby in many different poses, and even breast-feed while wearing baby. It's quite versatle and, depending upon the style you purchase, has padding on the shoulder and a pocket that can hold a diaper, keys, wallet, etc.

Sam's Mom: My Maya wrap is the newer version with a padded shoulder and large zippered pocket.  I really like it.  It took me a bit to get used to the D rings, but I find they are VERY secure (a worry at first) and allow for a total custom fit.  Sam likes the hip hold the best, but also the front hold (if he's fussy.)  When he was smaller we used the cradle hold and he would fall asleep in the carrier.  It was a god-send while we were in Ethiopia!

Zenful Mommy: My Maya wrap is actually a discontinued version and is more like the Hotsling(see below). I LOVE LOVE this sling. I ordered the wrap after my daughter was diagnosed with Reflux at less than a week old and basically had to be kept in an upright position 24 hours a day. This sling was my SAVIOUR and was really easy to use. I was able to order the wrap in a size (S,M,L) which fit my frame perfect! There were buttons if I needed to make it a little tighter or make any slight adjustments. I use this for my 3rd baby now, its great for infants and especially easy to put on as well as to insert the baby or toddler. Toddlers can sit on your hip and see what going on and you can still have free hands. It is also great for nursing and does provide slight coverage.As I mentioned, my Maya Wrap is a version that is no longer available but I absolutely LOVE it and still use it to this day. MY ALL TIME FAV!

HOTSLING

Description: Hotslings are a continuous piece of slightly stretchy fabric, sewn in a circular shape. You fold the fabric in half, and baby fits in between the 2 sides, just like in the Maya Wrap. It's also an over-one-shoulder sling wrap and can be used for newborns to toddlers (up to 35 lbs.) Again, you can hold baby in many different poses.

Sam's Mom: I LOVE LOVE LOVE this wrap! It's the quickest to put on,  requires very little adjustment, and had the smallest learning curve. I find it very convenient for errands, as I just pop him in when we are at the store.  If he wants out (to ride in a cart, etc.)  It's small and compact and can easily fit into the diaper bag.  It is wide, so provides support across my back to take pressure off the shoulder. It also has a padded rail under Sam's legs, so it's more comfortable for him. He is very secure, and I don't have to worry about re-adjusting him while wearing it. I also love all the patterns available. Mine even has a pocket for keys/cash/credit cards. The pocket is too small for a diaper, but I don't miss that space. It's sleek and stylish and is definitely my favorite of all the carriers we tried.

MOBY

Description: The Moby is a long piece (15 feet) of slightly stretchy fabric. It is tied on and has a lot of position options. It's for newborns to toddlers (up to 35 lbs.) It CAN be difficult to get used to at first, and the tying definitely has a learning-curve.

Sam's Mom: There are loads of You-Tube videos to help you out, but at first I needed the help of my husband to get the hang of it. It's also the most difficult to get Sam into/out of. That being said, it is THE MOST COMFORTABLE because it evenly distributes the weight across both shoulders and your entire back. The fabric is wide, so it doesn't dig into your shoulders. It also covers baby more, so is great for the fall. I can fit Sam in it with or without a jacket/coat. For me, this isn't a grocery/errand kind of wrap, because it's just too complicated to get on. However, it's great for long walks/hiking and longer wearing. It is really, really comfortable, I cannot stress that enough. I have been told by many moms that the more I wear/use it , the faster I'll get (tying it on.)

BABY BJORN

Description: the Baby Bjorn is a structured wrap (think: back-pack for baby.)

Zenful Mommy: Our Baby Bjorn is mostly used by my husband as it looks more masculine for him. It is quite pricey but well worth it. I did try it on a weekend trip but found that it hurt my back and was quite difficult to put the baby in because of all of the snaps and hooks. My husband loves carrying my son in this and says that it does not hurt his back or cause any stress. You can carry babies thru toddlers and they can face you or face outward. We have this for a back up and for when we go out with all of the kids and daddy has the baby while I have the girls.

ERGO

Description: The Ergo is a structured carrier, like the Baby Bjorn.

Zenful Mommy : My Ergo was given to me a couple of weeks ago by a mom who I was talking to after school one day. I was telling her how I had to nurse my son in the bathroom at the school. She proceeded to go to her car and bring me the Ergo baby carrier and told me to try it out. I can NOT say enough good things about this carrier. First of all it is super easy to put on and super easy to put a baby in...but the best WOW factor is that you can nurse and snap up a little cover over the baby and no one can see! YIPPEE! This means that I can nurse anywhere and anytime and not feel self conscious at all. I would definitely suggest this if you want something that is easy to use from newborn on up and a MUST if you are going to nurse.

If you have any questions about any of the carriers or about our review in general, please contact us.

Do you have a favorite carrier? We'd love to hear about it!

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