The Lemonade Stand

Good Enough is the New Perfect: An Interview with the Authors

2011-04-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

Three years ago I came up with an idea for a book. It was going to be a gentle nudge to my table top protector and shopping cart covering mom friends to say "Enough. Relax. Enjoy your kids. Haven't you heard? Good enough is the new perfect." I outlined the chapters and then remembered how much I prefer writing fiction so I wrote some of that instead.

Lucky for me, I then met two delightful ladies who have written the book. So yay. I'm off the hook on that.

They cover it all from being a "good enough" wife to being a "good enough career dog." They're out to show us all how we can have it "all," we just need to define the "all" for ourselves.

Aside from getting my very own copy of Good Enough is the New Perfect, I've also been given my very own interview with the authors. Which I'm going to share with you right now. But not the book. You can get that on your own. Lucky you, it just came out today.

Q&A with Becky Beaupre Gillespie and Hollee Schwartz Temple, authors of

Good Enough Is the New Perfect: Finding Happiness and Success in Modern Motherhood.

1. You talk about two types of working moms in your book: the Never Enoughs and the Good Enoughs. Who are these women?

BECKY: We’re going to generalize here for a moment, but the Never Enoughs are the women striving for perfection at work and with their kids, the women focused on always being #1. We called them the Never Enoughs because many described themselves as constantly running toward expectations but rarely reaching them — or reaching them and deciding it wasn’t enough, or reaching them and then feeling like they’d completely failed elsewhere as a result. These women struggle the most to say no, they’re the ones who beat themselves up the most for making mistakes. In our survey, the Never Enoughs were the women who described themselves as having “a strong need to be the best at everything.” They were six times more likely than the Good Enoughs to say, “I try to be a superstar at work AND at home, even if it kills me.”

The Good Enoughs, on the other hand, told us that being the “the best” wasn’t important, as long as they were “good enough and happy” at work and at home. These were the women who had hopped off that hamster wheel and created their own definitions of success. They were more satisfied with their choices, and less likely to feel they’d sacrificed too much. They were also far less likely to describe their marriages as “a disaster” or “not very good.” They were better at making time for themselves, and at finding time to spend with friends and family. The part that surprised us? The Good Enoughs had given up very little ground at work to achieve this state of contentment.

2. So which ones are you? Good Enoughs or Never Enoughs?

BECKY: Depends on the day! We both have our Never Enough moments — you should have seen me the month before our manuscript was due — but we’re both more “Good Enough” than we’ve ever been. It’s an ongoing effort to embrace this philosophy. I’ve become better at knowing the difference between needing to be the best at everything — and choosing to throw my energy into something that means a lot to me. I’ve learned to accept my imperfections, which, frankly, saves me a lot of time. I don’t need to sit around second-guessing myself as much, and I don’t feel compelled to say “yes” to as many things. Of course, I still fall off the Good Enough wagon all the time. After all, I spent a lot of years trying to accrue “gold stars” — trying to be the best mother, the best at work, the best Downward Facing Dog in yoga class. It was exhausting, and it was pointless.

HOLLEE: I think I am pretty squarely in the Good Enough camp these days. The best example I can think of — which I detailed in the book — involved a kindergarten snack. This fiasco occurred three years ago, during my first foray into providing school snacks, and for some unexplainable reason (maybe a tinge of guilt about being a working mom), I felt a real need to outdo myself (and honestly, the other moms) with this contribution.

So when Gideon said he wanted me to make Oreo spiders (from a Highlights magazine) with pretzel legs for the 22 kids, I was all for it. Until two hours later … when I was still struggling to get the pretzels firmly entrenched without breaking the cookies! As my husband was nibbling on some “spiders” that I had rejected, he wondered out loud whether anyone would appreciate (or even notice) this effort!

Flash forward to this past winter, when I realized about 8 p.m. that I hadn’t made anything to send in for Gideon’s third grade holiday party. I really didn’t feel like making a late-night run to the store — and then I spotted an (already-opened) box of Oreos in the pantry. I sent them the next day, and the kids were thrilled! Lesson learned.

3. What are the “New” Mommy Wars?

HOLLEE: The “New” Mommy Wars are the latest development in the country’s evolving work/life story. In the previous Mommy Wars, at-home mothers were pitted against working mothers, and careers were considered to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Briefcase or stroller — you had to pick.

But with the changes in technology and the shift in mindset toward increased work/life balance, the Mommy Wars have found a new battleground — this time inside the minds of today’s mothers. This generation, groomed from birth to believe they could Have It All, obsesses and overanalyzes and overthinks every parenting and career-related decision. With our unprecedented access to information, we often feel overwhelmed by our ample inheritance, fretting over what’s the “right” or “best” thing to do for our children and our careers. This internal battle becomes even more complicated because there are so many different ways to work and parent today. We have work-at-home moms, freelance moms, hybrid moms … the lines aren’t as sharp as they used to be, and that’s very hard on women. Moms want to be validated and they want to belong. Instead, one of our most surprising findings was that many women said they felt utterly alone in their work/life choices, that no one else was quite like that them. And that made the self-questioning, that new Mommy War, even more difficult to fight.

BECKY: This loneliness was particularly apparent in some of my early reporting. One week, I did a string of interviews in which every woman issued the same complaint: “I’m the only mom in this town who works.” It was funny because these women all lived in the same town. Later, the same thing happened in a different town, too. I pointed this out to one of the women, and it didn’t make her feel any better. She still felt like the odd one out because her jobs, her work arrangement and her attitude differed from the other working moms she knew.

4. Shouldn’t this shared loneliness bring women together?

BECKY: Many women don’t speak up. Some don’t want to admit that they’re struggling, that they don’t have things figured out. Others don’t want to seem ungrateful and whiny. Our generation has been told over and over that we have advantages our mothers and grandmothers could never have imagined. As a result, many of us are reluctant to admit that, despite this, we’re still having a hard time. Or worse, that we don’t appreciate what we have.

5. Another book by a working mom, Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, has garnered a lot of attention in recent months by advocating a rather extreme approach to motherhood. What do you make of this philosophy?

BECKY: You could call us “anti-Tiger Mothers.” We embrace a completely different approach to motherhood — one that allows women to succeed by accepting their imperfections and using that as a springboard to greater success. Amy Chua writes about demanding perfection from her daughters: no grade less than an A, practicing musical instruments for hours each day, never being anything less than the #1 student in every class, except drama and gym.

We think this is too narrow a view of success — and, frankly, we think it’s a bit lazy. Knowing our own passions, shrugging off other people’s ideas of success, figuring out exactly where to spend our energy — that’s hard work. It requires critical thinking instead of single-minded focus. The New Perfect requires constant recalibration, the ability to read cues and understand other people’s talents and viewpoints, and the ability to balance a bunch of goals simultaneously. It means knowing ourselves. Yes, Perfect requires the ability to prioritize, but the New Perfect requires something even harder: the ability to re-prioritize.

HOLLEE: Frankly, I felt disgusted when I first read about Prof. Chua’s approach in the Wall Street Journal. I remembered her darling girls from when I was a student at Duke Law School, and my heart ached for them. Having high standards is one thing, but conditioning love on performance and modeling perfection as the only option — those aren’t prudent choices.

Good Enough Is the New Perfect is available at bookstores nationwide and at Amazon.

About the authors:

Becky and Hollee are the work/life balance columnists for the ABA Journal, the nation’s premiere lawyer magazine. Both graduates of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, they first worked together in the early 1990s, when Becky was Hollee’s first editor at The Daily Northwestern. Like so many of the working mothers they interviewed, they forged non-linear career paths, taking detours in their quests to balance work and family. They blog about work/life and parenting issues at TheNewPerfect.com.

Becky is an award-winning journalist who has written for the Chicago Sun-Times, The Detroit News, USA Today and the Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester, N.Y. In 2001, while on staff at the Sun-Times, she co-wrote a groundbreaking investigative series on “failing teachers” that led to statewide reforms in teacher testing and a crackdown on teacher quality in the Chicago Public Schools. The three-day series, which began one week after the birth of her first child, gave Becky her first experience at balancing motherhood and career. She lives in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood with her husband, Pete, an employment litigator, and their two daughters.

Hollee is a journalist-turned-lawyer-turned-professor at West Virginia University College of Law. After graduating at the top of her class with a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Hollee headed to Duke University School of Law. She graduated in 1999, and then began a four-year stint as a litigation associate at an international law firm. After her first son was born in 2002, Temple returned to her firm on a part-time basis before joining the WVU faculty the next year. Hollee lives in Morgantown, West Virginia, with her husband, John, an author and journalism professor, and their two sons, Gideon and Henry.

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Insect Lore Ant Hill Review and Giveaway - Updated with winner info

2011-01-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

I'm not a bug kinda gal. I have real issues with the ones with wings, but really, I'm not much a fan of any creepy crawlies, which explains why I have plenty of bug spray on hand. Knowing this,my fascination for the Insect Lore Ant Hill came as a huge surprise to me and to anyone who knows me.

First we got the ant hill in the mail and I was intriegued by its shape. Instead of a flat, tall, skinny "traditional" type ant farm, this is a half dome - much smarter construction and considerably more stable than what I had expected.

We read all the documentation and carefully clipped out the little section of the manual that needed to be sent back in order to receive the ants. I slipped the paper and a small check into an envelope and smiled. I felt like a kid sending away for a prize featured on the back of an Archie comic. My first gut reaction - annoyance at the archaic system - gave way to that childish glee that I felt as a kid myself when I sent away for stuff.

Of course, having to wait two weeks for my ants wasn't nearly as fun. How quickly I've gotten used to next day delivery!

And then the ants came. Two little vials of ants, seriously ticked off about being stuck in little vials, with a note saying that they had to be put in their ant hill as quickly as possible.

They arrived on a Tuesday evening in the middle of a crazy week filled with early mornings and late nights. For two days I passed the envelope filled with its increasingly frantic ants and felt nothing but guilt about jeopardizing the lives of bugs I would have felt zero qualm about killing had they shown up in my kitchen in any other way.

Finally a quiet evening loomed and I brought the ant hill out of its box. The girls and I huddled around the instructions - which I clearly hadn't read carefully enough the first time around - and realized we should have set everything up as soon as we got the ant hill. I crossed my fingers and poured in the sand and required drops of water.

After a brief stint in the fridge to stun them, the ants went into their new home sedately and started exploring their new digs. (Pun intented)

Hours later, and I really mean hours later, we were all still huddled around the ant hill watching them do their thing.

It's mesmerizing. There's no apparent rhyme or reason. Some ants take sand away, others bring it back. They climb over each other, shove each other out of the way, ignore each other. And yet, when we got up in the morning, a clear tunnel had been dug.

Weeks later the ants are no less mesmerizing. The tunnels have changed and moved in no apparent pattern or for no apparent reason. We haven't figured out why they do what they do, but we are no less drawn to watching them be endlessly busy.

A few things we've learned about the Insect Lore Ant Hill:

- Set up the Ant Farm when you send away for your ants so the sand has time to settle.

- When they say a corn nibblet amount of food, they really mean that little. The ants eat microscopic amounts and the rest goes moldy. Ew.

- Ants seem to bury their dead. That's cool. And takes away the worry about wondering what to do with the dead ants.

- You do have to open the ant hill every so often to give them fresh air. They love it. It makes them all perky. But they do try to escape, so ignoring them is not an option.

- It's a lot less gross than you might think - as long as you don't think about the ants as, well, ants.

Insect Lore Ant Hill Giveaway:

Insect Lore wants you to discover ants up close and personal too! We're giving away two ant hills, one for the winner and one for the winner's child's classroom.

To enter, simply leave a comment below telling me one thing you've done for your child that grossed you out or that you would never have done in any other circumstance.

Alternative entries:

Visit the Insect Lore website and leave a comment letting me know what other cool buggy product catches your eye.

Facebook or tweet this giveaway. (Leave a comment with the direct link to your tweet or Facebook post please.)

~~Giveaway winner will be chosen on Sunday, Jan 9th at 10pm PST.~~

This giveaway is now closed! Thank you to everyone who entered and tweeted it out!
Congratulations to WWillows6, #42, winner of one Ant Hill for her family and one for her children's classroom!

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Marie Callender's Multi-serve Bakes - Review and Giveaway

2010-11-30T22:32:00.000-08:00

I'm a working mom. My husband is a working dad. Between school, daycare, preschool, and our jobs, we're not home a lot during the day which makes getting meals on the table more than just a little challenging some days. We manage to have dinner as a family at least three times a week, but I'll be honest and admit that one of those times is out - usually at a fast food joint.

So when I heard about the new Marie Callender's bakes, I was not just interested, I was downright intrigued. Good meals that I could microwave and that came with better nutritional stats than our fast food dinners? Sign me up.

First I sent my husband to the grocery store and he came home with the wrong meals. (Who knew Marie Callender's had so many frozen meal options?) Then I went and surveyed the "bakes" options. The trick, which I did not know when I dispatched my better half, is to look in the family meals section of the freezer aisle, not the single entree section.

I looked at the options offered by our grocery store - I really wanted to try the three meat and four cheese lasagna, but it was not meant to be. Instead I brought home the Vermont White Cheddar Mac&Cheese. It wouldn't do for a family dinner, but if it meant I could get dinner on the table for the girls in under 10 minutes, it was definitely worth a try. Plus, the box made the Mac&Cheese look both harmless and delicious.

Tonight, at long last, I finally pulled the package from the freezer and popped it in the microwave. 5 minutes later I was drooling as the smell of melted cheese filled the kitchen. Another 4 minutes later and I was pulling dinner out of the microwave. I added some turkey slices and fruit to their plates and served up dinner.

I wish I could tell you that both children fell over themselves as they gorged on mac&cheese. Sadly that wasn't the case. At first I thought it was because I've spoiled my kids with homemade mac&cheese (they won't even eat the stuff out of the box any more...), but after tasting it I understood.

The benign dish pictured on the box had an unexpected kick to it.

I sat down at the table and grabbed a bowl. The cheese was perfectly cheesy and the red pepper flakes gave the creamy noodles a tasty - somewhat more grown-up - twist.

My own dinner was cooking so I regretfully put down my fork. The kids won't want this dinner again, but I'm putting it on the shopping list for those nights when my husband is out of town I'm so crazed I don't have time to cook a meal for myself. (He doesn't do so well with cheesy dishes...)

Side note: I'm an avid nutritional content checker and this dish compared admirably with other leading brands of frozen mac&cheese. It even bested them in the protein and vitamin department.

Marie Callender's Multi-serve Bakes Giveaway

Want to try for yourself? You're in luck! I have two sets of Marie Callender's coupons - one free dish and a few discounted dishes - to give away to two lucky readers.

To enter leave me a comment sharing a quick dinner short-cut that works for you.

Bonus entries: Tweet or Facebook this giveaway. Please be sure to come back and post the direct link to your tweet or Facebook post.

Giveaway will close at 10pm Tuesday, Dec 7th.

Please note, I was compensated by Marie Callender's and TheMotherhood for this post, but all opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

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Petz Fantasy - Moonlight Magic Review

2010-11-21T21:27:00.000-08:00

This post is part of a sponsored series from Ubisoft, celebrating "12 Days of Giveaways." See below for how you can enter up to 12 times to win fun and family-friendly video games.

I have a love hate relationship with the Nintendo DS. I love playing with it and hate it when the kids play. It's not that I'm loath to share my toy, it's more that neither child can read so I constantly have to stop what I'm doing to read what it says on the screen.

Since we opened Petz Fantasy, I'm changing my tune.

First of all, this game is cute. Seriously adorable. The little magic pet makes cute little noises and has a sweet little face.

Second, this game is manageable for my 5yo. She still needs me to read some of the messages, but she can sit and play without needing my help every three seconds. Even better, she's actually having fun! She loves taking care of her little beast and is even tackling the more challenging magical realm games with glee.

As a mom I'm quite impressed with the different skills she's mastering. Even though her hand/eye coordination is quite good, since she's learning to write, extra practice is never a bad thing. To feed her little pet she has to color in his food being sure to stay within the lines (Harder than it sounds!), to console him she has to burst his tears before they explode. And that's just the start. Each level offers up a new challenge and I, like my daughter, can't wait to see what's next!

To Purchase Petz Fantasy:
Visit Toys R Us where you can find it for $29.99.
Visit Amazon.com where you can also find it for $29.99

Want to win your own copy of this game?
Easy enough!

Leave a comment below telling my why this game sounds perfect for your child.
Get an extra entry by tweeting or promoting this giveaway on Facebook. Please make sure to come back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet or FB post.

~~Winner will be drawn at 10:00pm Friday, December 3rd and will be announced Saturday, December 4th.~~

This giveaway is now closed! Thank you to everyone who entered and tweeted it out!
Congratulations to Rhoneygtn, #35, winner of the Petz Fantasy Moonlight Magic game!

Want more ways to win great games for the whole family? Visit each of these blogs during our 12 Days of Giveaways from now through December 3!

I was selected to participate in this sponsored series by Ubisoft and Clever Girls Collective. I received a video game and compensation for my participation in this program. We believe in Blog With Integrity.

Please visit these participating bloggers for more chances to win games, including Just Dance 2 (Wii), Battle of Giants: Dinosaur Strike (Wii), Petz Fantasy (DS) and Petz Nursery (DS)!
Rookie Moms
motherbumper
DaDa Rocks
Crash Test Mommy
Scraps of My Geek Life
Mommies With Style
The Fairly Odd Mother
All Things Fadra
Mom to the Screaming Masses
Beccarama
Romy Raves

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Insect Lore Buzzerks Review and giveaway - Updated with winner!

2010-11-10T22:43:00.000-08:00

I am not a bug lover. To be exact, I'm not a huge fan of anything with wings, bugs don't bother me beyond that. In fact, if I'm honest I find them somewhat fascinating. I often find myself wondering what it would be like to have one day, or one week be a whole lifetime. Then I ponder what it would be like to see the world through a kaleidoscope.

Thanks to the Insect Lore Buzzerks my girls have been able to experience what it's like to "see" the world like an insect. The insect "goggles" - shaped like a fire and, mantis, and hornet - are a fun way to dress up like an insect. A neat lens inside the masks allow the kids to see the world through the multiple "eyes" of an insect.

C instantly wanted to be a fire-ant, insisting on a full outfit change so she could dress in all red to fully embrace the role. Little L donned the green glasses of the mantis and the two of them crawled around the house all day. It's a nice change from playing princess all day long! Even better, it's led to a lot of fascinating conversations about insects and what life must be like when it only lasts a day or two.

Insect Lore Buzzerks Giveaway

We've been having so much fun with our Buzzerks, we want to share the fun with you!
Insect Lore is giving away two sets of Buzzerks to one lucky winner - one set for your family, one set for your child's class.

To win leave a comment below telling me what your child would love about the Insect Lore Buzzerks or a funny story about bugs. Giveaway will end Monday, Nov 15th and the winner will be announced at 10pm PST.

Congratulations! We have a winner!

Commenter #7 was.... Nicole! Congratulations Nicole! I'll be in touch via email to get your address.
Stay tuned for more exciting Insect Lore giveaways. There's going to be one a month for a whole year!

I'm participating in a long campaign for Insect Lore. I was sent Buzzerks for review and am being compensated for participating in this campaign. However the thoughts contained in this post are mine and mine alone. Stay tuned to see what else we have in store for you!

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Disney Mickey Mote Review

2010-11-10T21:58:00.000-08:00

Kid shows are very inventive when it comes to trying to get children to interact with the action. There are varying degrees of questions and comments directed at the child. Some shows carefully build in "wait time" to give the child a chance to react and answer before the show moves on. But until now, there were few if any shows that put an interactive tool directly in the child's hand.

I was really excited to receive and test the new Disney Mickey "Mote." I loved the concept from the get go. Anything that can turn a predominantly passive activity into an active thinking one can't be bad.

First things first though. Before being able to test out the Mickey Mote I had to set it up, which meant I had to find the DVD remote. I located it in the last place I thought to check (The empty packaging for the new TV that was heading to the trash. Thank you Mickey Mote! I would never have searched for it if it weren't for you!) and started the set up.

I set the two remotes head to head on the floor and followed the instructions carefully, pushing the buttons in order. Clearly I've been working too hard because it took me a good three times to get the set-up right. Had I read the instructions exactly as they were written I would have gotten it right the first time. It really wasn't that hard.

With the remote set up the girls were ready to play. The timing was perfect, Little L was ready to be set up for her nebulizer treatment. I usually sit with her on the couch to read to her as the medicine does it's thing, tonight I sat her in front of the TV and handed her her Mickey Mote.

We're big fans of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so they were delighted to see the familiar opening credits, not to say a new episode they'd never seen.

A few things to note:
The Mickey Mote doesn't come into play during the usual episode. You have to select the bonus material to have access to the interactive portion of the DVD. For a child who's been handed a fun red remote, it can be a bit hard to be patient until playtime starts. Even if you go straight to the interactive section, there's still a bit of wait time before the questions start.

The first level of play was perfect for my 3-year-old. She was able to easily answer the questions, but they made her think. The second level of play was a bit easy for the 5-year-old, though she did enjoy the interactivity.

All in all I'm a fan of the Mickey Mote. I like the fact that it teaches the children to be active observant viewers. I wish the integration of the interactive parts was a bit less choppy and a bit more seamless. But all in all, this is a nice little product that will entertain preschoolers and help them feel like they're part of the action.

I received a copy of the Disney Mickey Mote and an extra DVD for review. I received no other form of compensation. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone.

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Eddie Bauer Yukon Classic Down Jacket - Review

2010-10-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

I live in California. Let me start with that. So when my new BFF at Eddie Bauer reached out to me to ask me to review a down jacket, I balked. I usually get by with wearing various sweaters and fleece jackets except for the couple days we spend in Lake Tahoe every Thanksgiving and the week we spend out East with my sister and her family when Christmas rolls around.

But my new friend convinced me that the Yukon Classic Down Jacket, while being rated for temps all the way down to 0F, wasn't too warm for more chilly California nights.

I bit and ordered it in red.

Back in college I bought myself a bright pink very puffy down jacket. I loved everything about that jacket except for the fact that my school friends promptly nicknamed me The Raspberry. When I put it on I felt cozy, warm, and just plain comforted.

My Eddie Bauer Yukon Classic Down Jacket brought back that exact same feeling... without the unpleasant nickname. The fleece lined collar and cuffs are extra soft and the down is warm without being unflatteringly puffy.

It's the middle of October and I've already worn my jacket twice. And no, I haven't been out East or up to Tahoe. It's a light enough jacket to work for the cooler CA temps, but I'll also definitely be packing it when we head to the snow. Like all of my other Eddie Bauer duds (pretty much my entire closet...) I love that it's classy, fashionable, but utterly comfortable and functional. Plus, you know, should I ever be caught out in almost sub-zero degree weather, I'll be warm and toasty. Though I better not, I do live in California for a reason after all, namely because I enjoy not being cold.

The Yukon Classic retails for $129-139, but right now Eddie Bauer is having their 70th Annual Down Sale and the jacket is $40 off until 11/7. It's an unbeatable deal for a jacket you'll have for years.

Just so you know, I was sent a jacket for review purposes, but I was not compensated in any other way to write this post. All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone. I adore Eddie Bauer and will happily model for you whatever I'm wearing when we meet. 99% guaranteed it'll be from there.

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Not too late for Bay Area Disney on Ice Tickets

2010-10-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

Disney on Ice opened at HP Pavilion tonight, but it's not too late to get tickets for tomorrow or this weekend!

(Not in the Bay Area? Get the full Disney on Ice show details and tour listings here.

Disney On Ice presents Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey
HP Pavilion at San Jose-October 20-24

Special Offer!

WEEKDAY SHOWS-Purchase a 4-pack of tickets for only $44 (not valid for FR/ VIP seating); redemption code: MOM
WEEKEND SHOWS-$5 off tickets to all performances (not valid for FR/ VIP seating);

Use code: MAGIC at http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/ajyhf0 to get the discount.

There are two shows tomorrow (Matinee and evening) and three shows each day this weekend.

So grab those princess dresses and come on! We've been to two Disney on Ice shows and I've been beyond impressed by how much fun they really are. Even my daughter who swears she'll never go to Disney Land because she's scared of Mickey, adores going to these presentations. Frankly, I always have fun too! Plus, there's truly something special about seeing a sea of little girls in their princess finery!

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Pop on Pals Review

2010-07-28T23:56:00.000-07:00

When the package came in the mail I was intrigued and then, I'll admit it, a bit disappointed. When I'd learned about Pop on Pals I'd had great hopes for the product.

The concept - characters with interchangeable body parts seemed like it might foster great imaginative play and jump start some fun story telling.

When I took the toy out of the box I was dismayed to see that the construction wasn't as sturdy as I would have hoped for a toddler toy and I was a bit sad to see that the Amusement Park kit only contained one little person. I was prepared to watch the girls give it a once over and walk away.

Turns out I was wrong. Over the last few days this toy has been the focus of their play time. They send the roller coaster car speeding down the ramp, take the little girl for a ride in the ferris wheel, and since there is only the one little girl, they add toys from other lines to make the play more fun.

I had thought that changing the little girl's arms around would have been what they found most fun, but the arms have been set aside and they've been mostly focused on imaginative play with the girl. Not a bad thing at all! I can't help but wonder if having another set of people with removable parts might change their focus though.

Pop on Pals Pros:
- Cute, engaging toy.
- Music is tolerable. (We have a lot of toys that play really annoying music. This one I can handle.)
- Affordable - the big amusement park kit runs around $40.
- More fun than I imagined!
- Very cute website poponpals.com where little kids can do a little coloring and everyone can discover the full Pop on Pals line.

Pop on Pals Cons:

- The construction doesn't seem sturdy enough to withstand tough toddler play.
- Need a second set of people to make it really fun.
- Not quite readily available yet, though it's coming soon!

All in all, a fun toy to consider for your bigger and not too rough toddler or preschooler.

Please note, I did receive a Pop on Pals for review, but I was not otherwise compensated for this post. The opinions are mine and mine alone.

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Parent's Night Out deal for Bay Area Peeps

2010-07-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

Some nights you just can't get a sitter and you still really need to get out. This weekend the brand new and awesome Juice in the City (Your daily kick in the pants (to go have fun!)) has paired up with Cubes&Crayons to allow you to do just that.

Drop your pajama clad kids off in the snazzy Mountain View Cubes&Crayons for a few hours of fun and entertainment while you and whoever you chose to be with scamper off to go have some fun on the nearby Castro Street.

Hurry, the deal ends at the end of the weekend and you're not going to want to miss this 1/2 off offer.

This not the deal for you? Subscribe to the Juice in the City newsletter so you can see all the other deals that will be offered! Not a local? Check it out anyway. New cities coming very soon!

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Vtech Mobigo Review

2010-05-31T23:04:00.000-07:00

I have always been skeptical of gaming consoles for kids. They're either too complicated (which leads to crying) or too simplistic (which leads to boredom). I have seen kids (and adults) addicted to the Nintendo DS and Sony's PSP as well as other gaming systems which are great fun, but really fail when it comes to education. Frankly, I thought no one could get the right mix of playability and education into one box. And then we tried the MobiGo by Vtech.

Let me begin by voicing loudly my biggest complaint. We were only provided one MobiGo to review and now my kids (5 and almost 3) fight constantly to play with it. In the last three days the MobiGo has had to go in time out a good five times while they figure out how to take turns.

At first glance the MobiGo seems like all other portable electronic gaming systems. It's got a 4-directional button on the left, a screen in the middle, and a big button on the right. It's got a cartridge on the top. Seen it. Done it. Yawn.

Ok, fine. So I plug in the "Touch & Learn" cartridge and turn on the thing. It wants you to put in your name. Seen that before too, right? Oh wait the whole screen flips up to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard! (Those who play with a Sidekick or other flip phones know what I'm talking about). OK that's pretty cool, but come on my kids are 5 and 2. Seemed a little excessive for me at first. But I'll get back to that later.

So then I get to select different games to play from the Touch & Learn cartridge. I can immediately tell there are letter games, number games, and other games to try out (actually 6 games in all). I tried to select one with the directional button but it didn't work. I have an iPod Touch, so my instinct was to touch the screen. It worked! The entire screen is touch sensitive! It turns out that (duh) the Touch & Learn cartridge relies heavily on the touch screen.

So the technology is there, but I was still skeptical about playability and educational value. I tried out what I call the "Squirrel game" first. In this game you simply use the touch screen to help a squirrel get nuts. The game directs you to basically connect the dots to move the squirrel. Pretty simple, but very intuitive especially for a 2 or 3 year old. The graphics are fantastic and the squirrel makes a cute noise every time he reaches a nut.

I moved on to the letter game. The goal of this game is to shoot rubber ducks with a water gun. Each duck has a letter on it and you shoot by finding the letter on the QWERTY keyboard. This is great! After about 10 minutes my 5 year old had a pretty good grasp of the location of many of the letters on the QWERTY keyboard. This game was actually both fun and educational. My 5 year old was reviewing her letters and was learning about the QWERTY keyboard all while being sucked into the fun graphics.

I like music so I had to try the music game. I was shocked to realize that this was Rock Band/Guitar Hero for little kids (except instead of Megadeath, you play Oh, Susanna). The guitar (or more aptly ukulele) has only four strings and a little note falls down each string for you to "pluck" it at the right moment. Brilliant! As I played more, the sophistication of the system revealed itself and you can also play piano and drums.

OK the technology is great, the games are fun and educational, but my last concern was would it hold the kids' attention for more than a day. Each game has an "easy" or "difficult" mode. The "Easy" level was easy for my 5 year old on some games (the squirrel game) and adequate on others (like the letter and number games). If you do well on the easy level, then you're invited to play the difficult level. Frankly, the games are so much fun that both kids are still having a great time and my 5 year old is really learning her keyboard. She's even making distinct progress with her numbers, something we only recently realized she needed to work on.

The system is marked as being good for kids to 3-8-year-olds. The "Touch & Learn" cartridge supplied with the console won't keep the attention of the older kids for long, but VTech is releasing a large array of affordable games ($20 or so) to go with the console.We only played with the original cartridge which didn't use any of the directional buttons on the console, but we're beyond impressed with the technology and functionality of the system and we can't wait to test out some of the other games.

So, in short, great game console with amazing potential. I love the fact that some of the mini-games are harder than others so that the kids have something easy to fall back on when they get frustrated with the more challenging tasks. The fact that they've still gone back to try the more challenging tasks after speaks volumes. The fact that they haven't stopped playing for the last three days and have made noticeable progress with numbers, letters, and problem solving speaks even higher to the quality of the educational content of this game system.

Pre-purchase the MobiGo at Amazon for $59.99. (Release date is supposed to be June 7th, though the date there says July 1st.)

Or Purchase the MobiGo at ToysRUs now for $59.99 and games for around $20.

Please note, I did receive a MobiGo console from VTech for review (and we get to keep it thank goodness or there would be a mutiny) however the opinions contained in this post are mine and mine alone, except for the parts written by my husband who was so taken with the device that he felt the need to write this review. His opinions are his and his alone too.

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Dance your way to Paris! Just Dance Contest (Deadline looming!)

2010-05-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

I miss my home town more than you could imagine, and if I could dance at all I'd be first to participate in this contest. But since I can't dance to save my life, you'll have to go eat some crepes and say hi to my friends for me.

What am I talking about? Why the Just Dance Talent Search! That's what!

Oh fine, just read on.

HOW TO ENTER:

Do you love to Just Dance? Here's YOUR chance to win a trip to Paris to choreograph a dance and to star in the next version of Just Dance!

Grand Prize
·         A trip to PARIS! Just Dance will send you and a friend to Paris. (I could be your friend! hint... hint...)
·         Become a professional choreographer! Work with the developers of the next version of Just Dance at the Ubisoft studios for 2 days to integrate YOUR moves into the game!
·         Star in the game! You will be transformed into a Just Dance character and star as the guest choreographer in the next version of Just Dance!

Enter now and YOUR moves could inspire millions...

Here's how to enter
1.     Choose a Song from the list below:
a.     'Proud Mary' by Ike and Tina Turner
b.     'When I Grow Up' by Pussycat Dolls

2.     Film yourself dancing to at least 60 seconds of the song
a.     Choreograph an original dance! Dance should be for all skill levels and FUN FUN FUN!!
b.     You must dance solo, there is no group prize.
c.      Be sure to film your entire body, we want to see all your moves!

3.     Upload your video to YouTube and submit your YouTube link via the "Submit Your Video" button here.

4.     Fill in all your information on the registration form found here.

5.     Check back often and get your friends to vote for you! The winner will be announced on Monday, May 24th so make sure to submit your video and get your votes in before then!

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Frap-it-your-way! However-You-Want-It Frappuccinos at Starbucks starting today

2010-05-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

Did you know that at Starbucks there are 87,000 ways to create your Latte? If that wasn't enough, starting tomorrow, Tuesday, May 4th, you'll also be able to have 87,000 ways to create your Frappuccino.

Now, personally, I'm a simple coffee girl. I like drip coffee, hot old cold, maybe with a splash of cream, and a dash of sugar, but even I had a blast designing my own Frappuccino. (For the record I went with White Chocolate, whole milk, decaf, with a Cinnamon Dolce topping. It was yum. And I don't want to know how many calories were in it. Thankyouverymuch.)

The long and short of it is that now you'll essentially be able to have whatever you want blended into a delightful cold frothy drink - from the 100 cal tall Skinny Frap to the please-don't-tell-me cal anything you want in a cup.

Worried you won't find what you like? Not a fan of coffee coffee? No worries. They have you covered.
Strawberries & Creme, Vanilla Bean, Chai, Green Tea, Double Chocolaty Chip, Mocha, Toffee Nut, Peppermint, Raspberry, Caramel, Hazelnut, Cinnamon Dolce. And I haven't even covered the toppings! I'll let you discover those for yourself.

But my favorite part in all this? Brand new, state of the art blenders that blend faster, smoother, and way, way quieter.

Good thing the weather is finally warming up. There are quite a few Frappuccinos for you to go try out.

Note: I was not paid to tell you any of this. I did receive a free Frappuccino and a coolio cup to take it home in. I'm just a big fan of the old Starbucks. Especially since they let me sit around all morning and work on my book there. Thus the excitement about the new quiet blenders. See? It all ties in somehow.

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Pierre the Penguin and his Neoprene Suit - Book review

2010-04-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

One day, a penguin who had been happy and healthy for years, suddenly started losing his feathers. Instead of regrowing the way African Penguin's feathers usually regrow when they molt, his didn't, leaving him looking like the ugly duckling of the flock.

Other penguins picked on him as he shivered and found himself unable to swim.

But don't worry, this story has a very happy ending!

See, Pamela Schaller, biologist at the California Academy of Sciences, Pierre's home, found a way to help poor little Pierre.

She designed a teeny tiny wet suit for the little penguin.

The wet suit allowed Pierre to start swimming again and kept him nice and warm both on land and in the water. The other penguins stopped picking on him and life went back to normal, so much so that his real feathers started to grow again.

Today Pierre is living happily with his mate Honey at the brand new California Academy of Sciences, surrounded by the rest of his friends and family. And thanks to Jean Marzollo and Laura Regan, who were inspired by his plight and wrote a delightful children's book, aptly named Pierre the Penguin, kids around the world will be able to learn all about him and his teeny tiny wetsuit.

We got the book yesterday and C and Little L have already read it multiple times. Today C is even bringing it to school to show her friends and teachers. Pierre's story is a really inspiring tale about being different, about helping those in need, and really about enduring love. I think it will be in a favorite in our library for a long, long time!

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Free Planet Earth Episode on iTunes for Earth Day

2010-04-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

We have owned the Planet Earth DVDs for years now, we love watching the incredible footage taken of the most remote places on the planet. It's somehow both incredibly soothing and inspiring to watch the most hidden parts of the world unfold in front of your very eyes.

My favorite parts of the DVDs happen to be the "making off" sections which never fail to blow me away. You know that penguin movie? People filmed that stuff. For months. In the cold. Think of that next time you're unhappy because it's 40F or something near home. Brrr.

But don't worry, you don't have to take my word for it. In honor of Earth Day you can download your very own episode on iTunes and take the show for a spin.The show will be available for free download from now until April 26th, so hurry!

Funny bird! Love him! (And I hate all birds.)

I hope you fall in love with this series too. Our planet is precious and if it takes shows like Planet Earth, or Blue Planet to make us remember that then so be it!

Here's a sneak preview! How cute are these two?

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American Baby Photo Contest! Not too late to enter!

2010-03-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

Nothing makes me want to grab my camera more than sunshine filtering through leaves while my kids are rolling around playing on the grass. Luckily for me, Spring is just a day away and the sun has shown up right on time!

Unfortunately for me my kids are too old to be entered in The American Baby photo contest. (The photo to the left was taken two summers ago. Oh... my baaabeeee... she has gotten so big since then!)

Yours might not be though!

The deadline for contest entry is March 31. Ages of the kids have to be between three months and 24 months as of the date of entry. The grand prize winner will be featured on the cover of the August issue of American Baby.

Come on. Admit that you've always believed that your baby could be a cover model! This is your big chance to see that dream come true!

Parents can visit the American Baby website to see a list of the most frequently asked questions. One question that always comes up is how are the winners picked, and it’s no secret! It’s one-third the child’s appearance, one-third the child’s personality as reflected in the photo, and one-third the quality of the photo. The best thing parents can do is just upload what they think are the most compelling photos of their little one. Feel free to check out the official American Baby contest video to learn more.

The great folks at American Baby have a few suggestions for how to capture the perfect shot:

Remember how professionals get all those gorgeous shots? They take lots and lots of shots to get that one good one, so take a ton of photos.
Photo judges don’t really take to cranky babies, so capture your child in a happy moment – not too posed – so it reflects your baby’s personality.
Don’t cover up the beautiful little one – no big hats or towels, just the cute baby will do fine!
Simple backgrounds are best. Try to remove clutter so that the focus of the picture is your adorable baby.
Often times the best shots are taken spontaneously, so keep your camera handy during this period.

Want some more advice on how to take great pictures of your kids - for the contest and for yourself? Check out this blog post I wrote on the Tiny Prints blog back in November: Tips for taking great pictures of your kids.

What are you waiting for? Go forth and take gorgeous pictures of your babies!

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Mirra - Beauty Product Review

2010-03-11T23:40:00.000-08:00

I love shampoo and conditioner. OK, to be honest I love taking showers because it's the only place in my house where I can be alone for a few minutes. But I also truly love shampoo and conditioner.

I try to exercise restraint, but I'm not very strong willed when it comes to new bath products. Which is why there are probably no fewer than ten bottles of shampoo or conditioner in my shower at this time.

Knowing that, imagine my excitement when the lovely ladies at the Global Influence Network asked me if I wanted to test a few new beauty products.

Mirra products are made with natural ingredients like olive oil, aloe leaf juice, cranberry, bamboo, honey, and chicoree root extracts. They've been created with fancy scientific proven technologies that help make these natural products extremely effective.*

Then imagine my sorrow when I discovered that these incredible, sweet smelling, luscious products turned out to be only available at Kroger stores. Last I checked, we don't have any of those in California. So, so sad.

But you my friends, you who are lucky enough to have one of the Kroger family stores near you, please hurry and go try one of the new Mirra products for yourself. (If you click here you can even download a $5 off Mirra coupon!)

Enough about the pitch. I bet you want to know why you should hurry and get these.

Well, in short because they smell amazing and they are awesome. I was fortunate enough to be asked to try the shampoo and conditioner (yay!), the body wash, the day face cream, the eye cream, the face soap, and the hair gel. (I know! I'm spoiled!)

Now, I don't actually use hair gel on my frizzy mop, but my darling husband does and was happy to try it out. He found the hold to be much better than his usual Suave stuff without making his hair feel like cardboard. I found the smell to be irresistible and couldn't keep myself away from him. Ahem.

I put the shampoo and conditioner in the shower and used them as soon as possible. My hair is in a terrible place right now and could really use a close encounter with some sharp scissors, but the Mirra shampoo and conditioner did a lovely job anyway. My hair wasn't miraculously sleek and voluminous, but it was clean, healthy looking, and smelled heavenly. Until I get a trim I can't ask much more of any shampoo.

The body wash is just heavenly. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's silky. It comes out of the bottle in shimmery swirls of gold silk. And it actually feels like silk as you lather up. It almost feels too decadent for a daily shower. I've been saving it for special occasions. Though in truth that's actually every day because I can't resist it and because being alone for five minutes is a special occasion, so it totally qualifies. Plus it smells amazing and I can't resist.

Have I mentioned the smells yet? Woodsy, natural, vanilla-y. I can't put my finger on it. I just love how I'm instantly transported back to an undefined place in my childhood. It makes me feel all fuzzy and happy inside. Love it. Awesome way to start the day. Or end it, depending on when I manage to take a shower.

The face cream isn't too thick or greasy and it didn't leave my face looking shiny. In fact, it left it feeling smooth and soft and perfectly hydrated. My only beef with this cream was that it didn't have any SPF in it, which for me is a deal breaker because I am somewhat lazy in the skincare department and yet have to protect my skin form the California sun. I'm toying with using it as a night cream. I think it would do wonders for my thirsty skin.

The scrubby face cleanser was nothing short of awesome. I love a good deep clean and scrubbies always make me feel like that's exactly what I'm getting. It left my face feeling soft and clean, not stripped and dry. In fact, despite my incredibly dry skin, after using the face soap I never feel the urge to slather on face cream to make everything stop feeling tight. A definite bonus in my book!

I wish I could be honest and say I loved the eye cream, but in truth I haven't tried it yet. It smells lovely, but I honestly have no clue what eye cream does or how to use it, and it kind of scares me a bit. I know. I'm a wuss. I'm sorry.

All in all I'd have to give the Mirra line a big thumbs up and next time I'm in Ohio visiting my sister I'll have to make a point of stopping at Kroger to stock up. In the meantime I'm going to ration out what I have left so I can keep basking in that delectable smell that makes me so darn happy. I'd say it would be awesome if someone could bottle it, but, uh, they have, so I won't.

*Please don't ask me what, I failed science repeatedly in class. But pretty! And smells good! And makes my skin and hair feel soft and healthy! Do you really need to know more?

Please note: I received the above mentioned products for free so that I could review them. I was in no other way compensated for this review by Global Influence or The Kroger Company. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone.

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The 2010 Census - Children Count Too

2010-03-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

This isn't a review. This isn't a giveaway. It's just a public service announcement that you really need to hear. Well, if you're in the US that is...

You know how your school is underfunded? You know how there are never enough playgrounds? Well, you can do your part to help change that. And it won't cost you a dime.

Every child loves a good game of hide and seek. There are the fun butterflies they get in their tummies when they're waiting to be discovered and the pride they feel when they're able to count to ten and then yelling, "Ready or not, here I come!"

But children who are hidden from the U.S. Census counts (taken only once every 10 years) are not a laughing matter. So, ready or not, here comes 2010 Census ... and you have an important role to play!

Many parents may not realize the importance of accurately reporting the number of children in their family, including newborns. The truth is that the undercount of children means that we do not get a true picture of our nation and our communities do not get their rightful share of public funds.

Why Children Count Too
Children have been undercounted in every census since the first one in 1790. Local communities rely on census information in planning for schools, child care, health and other critical services. Babies need to be counted today, so they can benefit tomorrow from community services.

Census counts are used, in whole or in part, for more than 140 programs that distribute more than $400 billion of federal funds to states and localities, including such child-focused programs as:

Special Education Grants to states ($10.8 billion)
Head Start ($6.9 billion)
State Children's Health Insurance Program ($5.9 billion)
Foster Care Title IV-E ($4.7 billion)
Improving Teacher Quality State Grants ($2.9 billion)

Unlike adults, who may bear some responsibility for making sure they are counted in the Census, children are dependent on others to make sure they are included. Yet in 1980, 1990, and 2000, Census Bureau data show children, particularly young children, are one of the groups most likely to be missed in the Census. In fact, in the 2000 Census, there was a net undercount of more than 1 million children under age 10.

Global Influence is working with 2010 Census to help spread this important message for the next week to all of the parents who read our blogs. We need your help to make sure that every child is reported so they can receive the services they will need in the future.

When playing hide and seek your children have the opportunity to be found after ten seconds.

The Census only comes around every ten years. So when you receive your Census form in mid-March, make sure your child (no matter how old) is counted!

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Disney's California Food & Wine Festival Fun

2010-03-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

In case you were still in doubt about whether or not Disney could really deliver on grown-up fun, then I have something to share that might just convince you.

From April 16-May 31 Disney is holding a California Food & Wine Festival with complimentary and Signature events at Disney's California adventure. Tickets for the Signature events are on sale now at www.disneyland.com/foodandwine.

If you're a foodie or a wine lover this could just be the ideal way to explore Disneyland. I haven't been to many Disney events, but I can say one thing: Disney knows how to do things right. Their attention to detail virtually guarantees that every event they put on will be spectacular. I have no doubt that this will be no exception.

Plus, you get to meet some of my favorite Food Network stars. Seriously, if I ever met Robert Irvine or Guy Fieri I would possibly faint. Or drool all over their shoes.

So scroll on down for the full event program and start looking for a foodie friend or two. This is going to be one event you're going to want to share. I for one can't think of a more delicious way to explore Disneyland.

Anyone want to take me? I promise I won't throw myself at Guy or Robert's feet. Honest!

The fifth annual Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival celebrates “The Art of Flavor” April 16-May 31, 2010, at the Disneyland Resort.

Daily

Complimentary demonstrations featuring culinary experts and celebrity chefs, including Guy Fieri, Cat Cora and Robert Irvine
Seminars that feature wine, beer and spirits

(Festival Showplace, Hollywood Pictures Backlot; Sunshine Plaza; Golden Vine Winery and Pacific Wharf areas)

Signature Events* (additional fee required)

Taste Food-Wine-Life May 29, 7:00–10:00 p.m.

Eat, drink and celebrate in an immersive party for all the senses! Presented in “grand-tasting” style, this event offers delectable creations from Disney chefs, outstanding wines and live entertainment. Theme park admission not required.

Festival Wine Walks and Beer Walks Daily

Enjoy tastings of your favorites, and discover the flavor of new wines and beers as you stroll through Stage 12, at the Festival Showplace.

Winemaker Dinners Fridays: April 23, 30, May 14 and 21

6:30 – 9:00 p.m.

Award-winning wines paired with delectable culinary creations at Steakhouse 55, with Chef Jason Martin

New! Brewmaster Dinner Friday May 7

6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Join experts from Karl Strauss Brewing Company for delicious food paired with beers, at Steakhouse 55.

New! Riedel Glass Tasting Saturdays, April 24, May 28

6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

In this fascinating class led by an expert from Riedel, learn why the glass matters when it comes to wine tasting. Guests at this event will go home with a tasting set of four Riedel Vinum series lead crystal wine glasses.

Sweet Sundays April 18, May 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Enjoy Sunday morning buffets featuring elegant dessert items from acclaimed pastry chefs, at the Festival Showplace inside Disney’s California Adventure.

Taste Wine Like an Expert Saturdays: May 1, 8, 15 and 22

2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Entertaining education with Sommelier Joy Cushing of Napa Rose restaurant

Napa Rose Cooking School Saturdays: April 17, May 1, 8, 15, and 22

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Executive Chef Andrew Sutton of Napa Rose leads guests in preparing a four-course gourmet meal. Guests receive a commemorative chef’s coat, embroidered with the Festival logo.

*Additional fee required for signature events. Most events held in Disney’s California Adventure® Park require Theme Park admission which is not included in the price of the event. For details and ticket information, go to www.disneyland.com/foodandwine

Please note: I was not compensated for this post. I just really, really want to go and I thought you might too.

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Songs from the Heart - Celtic Woman CD

2010-02-24T00:02:00.000-08:00

Back in college I dated a boy with Celtic roots. He introduced me to Celtic music, and, being that I was in love with him at the time, I did what any lovesick girl would do, I immersed myself in the music he loved.

Celtic music back then was not cool. (He wasn't all that cool himself. M would tell you he wasn't cool at all. But eh.) It was haunting and lyrical, but not cool. I pretended it was hip, but, if we're being fair, I had to hunt pretty hard for the CDs that I bought. Then we broke up, I moved to the US, and the CDs were lost somewhere along the way.

I didn't think of them again until I popped in the Celtic Woman, Songs from the Heart CD. Familiar haunting strains poured out of my CD playing, instantly transporting me back. It's not the same music, not by any stretch of the imagination. This CD mixes music you already know and love - Fields of Gold, Amazing Grace - with classic Celtic strains and harmonies. Just beautiful.

This CD has been a hit with everyone at home, something that is definitely rare considering our very different tastes in music. But tonight even my extremely musically picky husband admitted that it was a very pleasant and soothing CD to listen to. The girls were much more easily won over - they're convinced that this is the music to Belle or another Disney Princess movie. I'm just glad that we get to listen to something other than Elmo or Kermit the Frog for once!

There are definite times this CD sounds like it could be a film score, but that doesn't take away from its aesthetically pleasing music. It's not something you're going to get up and dance to, but if you're looking for something soothing and relaxing to listen to, then this CD is definitely for you!

The Celtic Woman group is on tour right now. Visit http://www.celticwoman.com to find show dates and locations.
You can find the album for purchase at Amazon and other music retailers.

Please note: This CD was sent to me by EMI Music to review because I am a member of Music Moms, a group of bloggers who review music. Nevertheless, the thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone.

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Clorox Helps You Fight the Flu

2009-12-17T00:42:00.000-08:00

Anyone who reads my regular blog knows that I have been particularly scared of the flu this winter. I struggled to get my daughters vaccinated against the H1N1 flu and I've been beyond anal about avoiding germ infested places. (Public library anyone?)

Beyond not taking my kids to places that might be harboring more than their fair share of germs, I've also been making a conscious effort to keep our home as sanitized as possible. I routinely disinfect door knobs, phone handsets, remote controls, and anything else that strikes me as potentially germy.

Lucky for me and anyone else who's on the "no germ, no virus" bandwagon this winter, Clorox has decided to make our lives a little easier. They've packaged the best of their disinfecting products with a handy guide that tells you, step by step, how to keep your house flu free this winter.

Best of all? If you buy the Clorox Home Flu Kit you'll actually be saving money - buying all the components separately costs more and you don't get the handy dandy cheat sheet!

Now personally I was already a big fan of Clorox even if I am a hair scared of bleach and what it can do to jeans and cute clothes. And I may be a hair obsessed with Clorox wipes. So it wasn't a stretch for me to fall in love with the Flu Kit. (It's for killing the FLU! I love killing the flu!) Add the fact that the kit includes Clorox's hospital strength hand sanitizer (my other obsession this winter), and I'm sold. You can't buy that stuff in stores and if rumors are true, sooner rather than later this winter it's going to start getting hard to find Purell on store shelves...

The Clorox Home Flu Kit isn't yet available in stores. Right now you can only buy it online. For $24.99 +shipping you get:

2 canisters of Clorox^® Disinfecting Wipes, one Fresh Scent and one Lemon Scent (35 wipes in each)
1 bottle of Clorox^® Bleach (24 oz)
2 on-the-go packets of Clorox^® Disinfecting Wipes (9 wipes in each)
1 bottle of Clorox^® Clean-Up^® Cleaner with Bleach (32 oz)
1 bottle of Clorox Commercial Solutions^® Clorox^® Hand Sanitizing Spray. (16.9 oz)
2 on-the-go bottles of Commercial Solutions^® Clorox^® Hand Sanitizing Spray (2 oz each)
A 4-color guide and laminated wallet-size card describing the most effective ways to use these products at home and on-the-go.

So? What are you waiting for? Let's teach those germs who's boss!

Please Note: I am in no way affiliated with Clorox. I was sent a Clorox Home Flu Kit to test out at home for review purposes and was in no other way compensated for this review. The opinions and thoughts expressed in this post are mine and mine alone.

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Gift Guide for Tireless Moms

2009-12-06T23:35:00.000-08:00

Moms just do. We get up in the morning no matter how little we've slept. We get through the day no matter how much is thrown our way. We don't question, we don't complain (much), we just do.

So take a second this year and think beyond the bath salts and get your mom something awesome for this holiday season. Need some ideas to get you started? Read on.

1) The iPhone.

OK, fine, you might not be an AT&T customer, but I guarantee you that the iPhone is at the top of every mom's wishlist this holiday season. That or another awesome smart phone. So she can Tweet, Facebook, text, and connect with her friends no matter where she happens to be - soccer field, grocery store, or even the library. Oh yeah, and so she can manage the family's calendar and stuff...

2) An eBook Reader - the Barnes & Nobles Nook, an Amazon Kindle, or a Sony Reader.

Granted there's nothing like finishing an awesome book and handing it over to your best friend over a cup of coffee, but there's also something to be said to never being without something to read. You know, for those hours moms spend waiting in the car and everywhere else.

3) A Camera!

Go with a fancy DSLR or a more modest point and shoot, but a mom with a camera in hand is a happy mama who can capture every moment that she's scared she'll forget.

4) A Spa Certificate.

Sure it's a bit cheesy and definitely overdone. So it's a good thing that massages, mani-pedis, and facials can be enjoyed over and over again. Want to make it extra special? Get her two, one for her and one for her best friend, it's like two gifts in one - the massage and a girl's afternoon out.

5) A Year of Coffee.

A latte here, a venti here, it adds up, but it's a small price to pay for a moment of zen in the middle of the chaos that fills a mother's day. Make that moment even sweeter by sparing her the mad 'hunt-for-change-under-the-cars-seats' dance.

6) A maid service

Fine, not everyone can afford a regular cleaning service, but a one time clean-up won't break the bank and will be an incredibly welcome treat for even the most zen mom out there. You see, a cleaning service is going to clean behind the chair that mom always ignores, and she's going to dust the top of those light fixtures that are always forgotten. For about five minutes the house is going to sparkle. Then someone is going to track in mud or spill something, but those five minutes will be well worth it.

7) A new car.

Oh, who am I joking. Nothing could replace the beat up mom car packed to the gills with toys, sippy cups, and cheerio crumbs.

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Strawberry Shortcake Berry Café - Review

2009-11-15T15:06:00.000-08:00

I was such a Strawberry Shortcake kind of kid that I even dressed up as Strawberry herself one Halloween. It was the cheapest, most plastic-y costume you could possibly imagine, but I cherished that thing. But aside from what I remember about that ~~sheet of plastic~~ costume, what I loved best about Strawberry Shortcake was her intoxicating smell. They say it was Strawberry, but I'm not sure it wasn't crack.

Since I was such a Strawberry Shortcake fan as a kid, I was thrilled to see her make a massive come back this year. I'm getting a kick out of watching Little L and C play with my little fruity friends.

I have two girls so it almost goes without saying that they go ballistic whenever I present them with a toy that has lots of tiny components. Anything cute, pink, and tiny is an instant hit in our home. My husband goes ballistic also, but for completely different reasons. The tiny bits drive him up the wall.

The Strawberry Shortcake Berry Café is exactly the kind of toy my girls love. It's adorable, comes with a doll, and lots of teeny tiny pieces for lots of fun pretend play. Little L likes that Strawberry can sit on a bird and go for a spin. C likes to set up the café and have Strawberry be the perfect little hostess. I like watching them take a trip to my childhood. And M? Well, he's not a fan of the little pieces, but he does like it when the girls play on their own.

Strawberry Shortcake Berry Café Pros:

- Fun retro toy with an up to date twist. Lots of fun details, like a blender for iced coffee drinks and a cute little oven to bake the tiny baked goods. Strawberry Shortcake even has a bed in case she needs to take a nap after a particularly crazy morning!

- Not a bad price point for such a large toy - $28.42 today on Amazon.

- Great potential for imaginative play. Since Strawberry Shortcake is the only doll supplied with this set she might have to get to know some of your kid's other dolls!

Strawberry Shortcake Berry Café Cons:

- I don't know if my kids are singular in this or not, but they don't tend towards mixing and matching their toys. So there's a big chance that in our home Strawberry won't be making any friends until her creators start selling more of her fruity palls.

- The windows and doors on the café don't seal shut so the tiny little pieces can't be stored in it for safekeeping. A ziplock bag takes care of that issue, but it would have been nice to have the set be self-sufficient.

- My treasured childhood smell isn't here for the ride. (It is on some of the Strawbery Shortcake coloring books that we have found.) But the girls don't mind. I'm the only one who noticed!

All in all this is a lovely toy and will make many little girls grin with glee this holiday season!

Please Note: I am in no way affiliated with Hasbro. I was given a Strawberry Shortcake Berry Cafe for review purposes and was in no other way compensated for this review. The opinions and thoughts expressed in this post are mine and mine alone.

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Sprig Toy Review - Dolphin Explorer Boat

2009-11-05T23:29:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to come out and admit it. I am that mom. The one who lies to her kids. I may have, on many occasions, lied about the fact that a toy didn't make noise. I have yanked batteries before they noticed how it was supposed to work, or let batteries die without replacing them.

What? I believe in the power of imagination!

And then, sometimes I'm delighted to discover toys that don't require batteries and that, by their simple, ingenious designs, are all about promoting the power of imagination. When they happen to be green toys, well, that's just icing on the cake.

All Sprig Toys are eco-friendly and unbelievable adorable. I guarantee that you won't be able to resist picking up the cute little people and I doubt that you'll leave their site without thinking of a few little people in your life who would love to create their own adventures with these toys.

I was fortunate to receive our buddy Captain Owen and his rugged little boat. Is he a fisherman? Is he a dolphin watcher? Depends on the day and who's telling the story.

Sprig Toy Dolphin Explorer Pros:

- Parents will love the eco friendly, made from recycled materials toy. Kids will adore the tough little boat and the adorable dolphins.

- The toys are made from Sprigwood, a mix of recycled plastic and reclaimed sawdust. It's smooth to the touch and very pleasant to handle.

- Two boats! For even more imaginative play.

- Waterproof, so great for pool, beach, or even tub time. Dolphins are the only hollow creatures, but they are well designed with no place water can stay trapped and make the toy moldy. Everything else dries nicely.

- The box is more than just a box! It has cut-outs that add a whole other dimension to the toys inside.

Sprig Toy Dolphin Explorer Cons:

- Our kids aren't used to having toys that have to be fuelled so far by their imaginations. Captain Owen doesn't even have a face. It takes a while for them to get engaged and start having fun with this, but once they do it's hard to tear them away!

- Price point - $29.99 - is a hair higher than I'd go for a basic birthday party toy, but for a toy with this quality and ingenuity I'd invest for my own children, a close friend, or a family member. (Many toys on the site are more in my birthday party price range!)

I am a huge fan of Sprig Toys and I was delighted to see that they're easy to find. I even spotted one of the trucks at Baby Gap the other day! They have trucks and princesses and even fun book/toys for interactive reading play. I know quite a few kids who will be getting some rugged chunky little imagination boosters in their stockings this year...

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Sprig Toys. I was given a Dolphin Explorer Boat for review purposes and was in no other way compensated for this review. The opinions and thoughts expressed in this post are mine and mine alone.

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Halloween Fairy Gift Ideas

2009-10-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

Despite all your wonderful memories of sorting through your Halloween haul and the joy you got out of having all that candy to savor during the ~~days~~ weeks after the spooky holiday, now that it's your kids sifting through countless candy bars, you're feeling a bit squeamish.

Enter the Halloween Fairy.

She's the awesome little creature who sneaks in during the night and trades your kid's Halloween candy stash for a cool toy or book. (What ~~you~~ the Halloween Fairy does with all that candy is up to ~~you~~ her.)

Love the idea, but don't really know what the Fairy could leave? How about a couple ideas?

1) Candy Land might rubbing it in a bit much, but there are other great board games that would be as fulfilling as a bag full of candy. Halloween Jenga, Boo-opoly, or the Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin Yahtzee keep the spookiness going, but there are also options if you want to turn your minds to the next holidays, like, say, Holiday Jenga! (Who knew Jenga could lend itself to awesome holiday applications?!)

2) Webkinz come in adorable Halloween-y cuteness, like a little black cat, a sweet little bat, or the cutest little dragon ever. Putting Halloween behind you? How about a delicious little Turkey Webkinz?

3) Once Halloween is over it's time to start decorating the house for some Thanksgiving fun! You'll need your fair share of crayons, construction paper, and glitter to get it all done!

4) Speaking of Thanksgiving, what if the Halloween Fairy traded food for food? No, I'm not talking about more candy, I'm talking about a fun cookbook that might get your kids excited to help with all that holiday cooking! The Pillsbury Kids cookbook, Kid's Fun and Healthy cookbook, and Williams-Sonoma Kids in the Kitchen: Fun Foods book are great places to start.

5) Just because Halloween is over doesn't mean that the dressing up fun has to end. Mr Potato Head looks just as good as a Halloween ghost, as he does as Spiderman, Indiana Jones, or even, say, a certain jolly fat man dressed in red. Hey! This one could even pass as the Hannukah Bunny. You know, if he existed anywhere outside my head.

6) Or, for the slightly sadistic parent (ahem, not pointing any fingers...), how about a sweet reminder of what the Halloween Fairy spirited away? M&M, Starburst, or Twix pillow anyone? Aw! Come on, at least it would be funny! For you!

Obviously these are just a few of the millions of options that the Halloween Fairy could come up with. Hunt around and let your imagination run wild. Then be good to yourself and get rid of the candy instead of eating it all in one sitting. Your teeth will thank you, even if your personal trainer and your dentist don't.

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Scooby-Doo First Frights - The perfect game for this spooky season

2009-10-12T22:21:00.000-07:00

Remember Scooby and the gang? If you're anything like me you watched them solve mysteries for hours on end as a kid. Well, today you can put all those hours of cartoon watching to work as you help them gather clues and catch the villains!

Scooby-Doo First Frights is a great game available on the Wii, DS, and Playstation 2. While I was at first a bit skeptical, the game looked a bit simple and young, both M and I were quickly drawn into the neat graphics and the fun the game had to offer.

Four different story lines are divided into multiple levels. Each character from the original cartoon is present and over the course of the game the player gets to be everyone - each character has his own skill set and all are essential to crack the cases. They tackle the levels two by two, working in tandem whether in one player or two player mode. In fact, one of my favorite parts of this game was that it was easy to pop in and out of two player mode without interrupting the game. Have a moment or want to help fight off some bad guys? Click into play. Need to run off to tend to something? Click back out and the first player resumes being in control of both characters.

It was an imaginative game, made up of most of the usual gaming elements - combat, points gathering, puzzle solving - but with a couple fun new twists. I loved being able to think through the collected clues to unmask the villain at the end of each story line.

Scooby-Doo First Frights Pros:
- Fun graphics and engaging story and game.
- Nice variety of play - a bit of problem solving, puzzling, fighting, and quest solving.
- Loved the ability to switch from character to character and being able to drop in and out of play.
- Incredible voices, just like the cartoon - it felt like the cartoon had become interactive.
- It might be a kid's game, but it kept these two adults entertained for a few hours on end!

Scooby-Doo First Frights Cons:
- We assumed that all the episodes would be the same length and we learned the hard way that they get longer and longer. This is great for the game, not so great when you're trying to finish up an episode before bed!
- We stumbled on one bug along the way, but luckily the auto save function worked so we didn't have to start from scratch when we reset the game.
- This isn't a novice game. There are some tricky parts along the way.

In conclusion, this is a fun game that is coming out just in time for Halloween. The spooky tone will entertain all your trick-or-treaters nicely after they gather all their treats! Even better, this might be the perfect gift to trade for all that loot! The fun will last way longer than the sugar high would have.

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the companies that make, distribute, or sell this game. I was given a copy of the Wii game for testing and reviewing purposes.

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Alternative Halloween Treats

2009-10-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

Before I had kids all Halloween ever meant for me was candy, candy, candy. Then I had a baby and I realized that most of the stuff that is handed out to trick-or-treaters isn't exactly toddler friendly.

Gummy candy? Chocolate with nuts? Sticky toffee? Yeah, none of that is exactly what you want your baby cutting her teeth on. So, the first year that C was old enough to trick-or-treat I stocked up on candy (old habits die hard) and I also got a box of teeny tiny play-doh tubs to hand out to the half pint crowd. It was a huge hit.

The next two years we handed out candy and Halloween rubber duckies. Interestingly enough the toddlers and their parents weren't the only ones to snap up the non sweet treats. The high schoolers loved them too.

Want to get into the habit of handing out more than candy bars? Check out these fun and affordable Halloween treats.

1) Halloween crayons - Crayons are always welcome and always useful. About $3 for a pack of 12.

2) Halloween bubbles! - Find me a kid who doesn't like bubbles? About $8 for a pack of 24.

3) Halloween stickers - There's something about stickers that really turns toddlers on. Or maybe just mine. I just know she'd flip for these. About $4 for 36 sheets.

4) Halloween pencils - These might not be as exciting as bubbles or stickers, but some kids still flip for these! - $1.40 for 12

5) Halloween tattoos - Fake tattoos obviously. A step higher than stickers, even for the toddler set. Plus, how cute is a little skull on a baby arm? $6 for 120.

6) Halloween rubber duckies and Glow in the dark Halloween rubber duckies - These have been a huge hit in our house for the last two years, both with my kids and the trick-or-treaters. About $4 for 12 regular duckies. About $8 for 24 glow in the dark duckies.

Want to stick to handing out edibles, but don't want to give out candy?
How about some of these alternative options?

1) Individual packs of pretzels - Most toddlers can eat these and they make a nice change. About $19 for 50 bags.

2) Individual packs of goldfish crackers - They should just call these crack instead of crackers. About $23 for 24 individual packs.

3) Individual mini-boxes of raisins or craisins - These will be a hit with the little ones, maybe not so much with the bigger kids. Price varies from store to store.

4) Juice boxes - All that trick-or-treating can make a toddler thirsty. Apple & Eve 100% fruit juices come in handy little 44oz boxes that sport everyone's favorite Sesame Street characters. Prices vary from store to store.

5) Milk boxes - Organic chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, or plain milk. In boxes. That don't spoil. Wait. Maybe this is a treat for mommies, not toddlers. About $16 for pack of 12.

Basically, if you think outside the box, you don't have to rush to Target or Costco to stock up on the same candy that every other house on the block is going to be handing out. Just don't be that family and hand out toothbrushes, healthy vitamin bars, or anything else that might get you egged by some unhappy trick-or-treaters!

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Top Thirteen Uses for a Microfiber Cloth

2009-09-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

I first encountered microfiber cloths in the Solutions Catalog. I'd get the promo emails and I'd drool, then I'd delete the email and go about my day. They were cloths. We had cloths. I didn't need any more.

Oh, if only I'd known.

I can't remember what pushed me to finally order a set from Amazon. (I'm pretty sure it was the Active Ion demonstration.) My 36 Zipes Microfiber Cloths arrived and our lives changed.

OK. Maybe that's a bit extreme. But still! Do you know how awesome these things are? Even M is a convert and he didn't even complain too much when I bought another set of 36 from Costco. (What? They were bigger. And on sale. And. And. I needed more. Plus, I've been giving them as gifts. So there.)

Don't believe me? Well, maybe this list of top thirteen things you can do with microfiber cloths will convince you! (It started as a top ten list, but I couldn't stop...)

1. Best dust cloths ever. They trap dust like nobody's business.
2. Best window washing cloths ever. They don't leave any little lint streaks behind. Seriously.
3. Replacement for Swiffer wet AND dry cloths. Save the environment and never run out! Squeee!
4. Best dishcloths ever. One swipe of a microfiber cloth over a plate and it's instantly dry. Even better, one microfiber cloth will dry a mountain of dishes!
5. Best hand towel ever. Dry your hands and they're instantly dry. Say goodbye to that clammy not quite dry feeling you get from dishcloths.
6. Burp cloths! Do you have a baby who seems to spit up more than he drinks? Large microfiber cloths will be your saving grace. Super soft and super absorbent. Need I say more?
7. Cloth diaper liner. I'm not a cloth diaperer, but I know a mom who swears by these. It makes sense, they absorb a ton of liquid and they're super soft.
8. Sop up spills. Kids spill something on a rug, bed, or carpet? Use a microfiber cloth to mop up the spill. You'll get more out of that carpet than you would with a regular towel or dishcloth. (Even works on toddler pee! Don't ask me how I know.)
9. Car multipurpose cloth. Use it to dust the dash, mop up spills, clean messy kids, whatever comes up. And you know it does.
10. Screen cleaner. A tiny bit of moisture and some gentle elbowgrease and all those fingerprints, smudges, and whatever else is clouding up your computer screen, TV screen, or phone screen will be history.
11. Jewelry and silver polish. Gentle enough for all your most valuable valuables, tough enough for the grime covering them.
12. Baby and kid wipes. A damp microfiber cloth will wipe a chocolatey face clean faster than any paper towel. And if you're trying to be a greener parent you could do worse than use a stack of these instead of disposable wipes. A little spray bottle of water and you're set to handle the most foul of diapers!
13. CD/DVD cleaner. In a house filled with children there are few CDs that aren't covered in fingerprints and unidentifiable sticky substances. These cloths can make them shine like new again.

Have I convinced you yet? Buy a set, if you're not an instant convert you can send them to me. I bet I can find a thing or ten to do with them.

Ready, Go Play-doh Contest!

2009-09-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

Do you love Play-doh? Is your child creative? Could you use some cash to kit out your play room? How about your school, do you think they could use some money?

This is the contest for you!

Embracing the idea of creating food, Play-doh has created a "Ready, Go Play-doh" contest where kids can come up with their own Play-Doh "food" creations for a chance to win a makeover of both their playroom and their school's playroom.

Visit www.ReadyGoPlayDoh.com to enter by uploading a photo of your child's food-inspired Play-Doh creation along with the "recipe" to make it.

The grand prize winner of the "Ready, Go Play-doh" contest will win $10,000: $5,000 for a playroom makeover as well as a $5,000 "Doh-nation" to their child's school. Contest entries will be accepted through September 30, 2009.

On October 15, 2009, the ten finalists will be posted on ReadyGoPlayDoh.com and the public will vote on who receives the $10,000 prize! The website will also feature a gallery of entries, so even if you don't win, everyone will see your child's creation.

What are you waiting for? Go forth and create!

Play-Doh Burger Builder

2009-09-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

If I ask you to name one Play-doh set you used to play with as a child I bet you're only going to hesitate for a moment before you answer. (Mine was that nifty set where the people grew hair.) For my kids that memorable set is going to be the Play-doh Burger Builder. Without a doubt.

As soon as I pulled out the box their eyes lit up and their smiles broadened. I mean, they love Play-doh, but this promised extra fun.

Little L contemplating the possibilities.

We broke out the kit and got to work making burgers. Within moments even I was transported to childhood as we made patties and buns, lettuce, and tomatoes, and even perfect little pickles. But the most fun was had when we tried the potato chip maker. Seriously, get this kit just for the fun you'll get from this little hand cranked tool. It spits out potato chips and sends them flying everywhere. Way too much fun.

C's masterpiece.
If you squint you can see the cheese she included.

We built a ton of burgers and made miles of fries before the girls got sidetracked and the Play-Doh session ended the way they all do, with them making mountains of spaghetti and mommy picking up tiny pieces off the floor. It was a real hit.

Play-doh Burger Builder Pros:
- Great variety of options. Aside from all the usual spaghetti shapes that you can press out, you can also press out burger, bun, and condiment shapes, and of course there's the fabulous potato chip maker.
- Affordable. For around $20 you can have one great kit that will net hours of play and five small tubs of Play-doh.
- Easy to manipulate even for little hands. Little L (2yo) was able to press out some burgers with a bit of help.

Play-doh Burger Builder Cons:
- If you happen to be a bit anal about your Play-doh colors not mixing or your burgers being the right color, this might not be the set for you. At first our burgers were picture perfect (see first picture), by the end they looked more like questionable veggie burgers than prime Angus beef burgers. The girls didn't mind. A more anal person might have ~~noticed~~ cared.
- The colors needed for making traditional looking burgers and condiments aren't part of the small packs of refills. You'd have to get the big pack or find the colors individually.

Major thumbs up for this little gem of a Play-doh kit!

***
Has your child created a Play-doh food masterpiece? Enter it in the big "Ready Go Play-doh" contest and you could win $10000! Contest ends Sept 30, 09, so hurry!

Tips for National Family Game Night

2009-09-15T22:52:00.000-07:00

September 23rd is National Family Game Night. Or so sayeth Hasbro. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to be the only one left out.

Of course, setting up a family game night is easy for once, but to set something up on a regular basis takes a bit more skill.

Below are some helpful hints to prepare for the nationwide event and to start creating a family game night tradition that the whole family will look forward to week after week. Call the family together and gather around a game for a great night in any day of the week!

To start with. Schedule it!: National Family Game Night is Wednesday, September 23, mark the calendar!
After participating in the gaming event, decide in advance which day will be your weekly family game night. It doesn’t matter which night of the week you choose – any night will do! As long as the date is marked on a calendar that everyone can see and parents make it a priority to keep the appointment, the night will be one to remember! Use stickers or a colored marker to help make the family game night dates stand out on the calendar.

Involve everyone in the planning: Involve the whole family in the planning process by allowing the kids to pick the games or choose the snacks. For variety, rotate responsibilities during each family game night.

Game suggestions: Be sure to pick games that are age-appropriate for all family members so that everyone can participate. For an active family, BOP-IT! or the classic game of Twister are great options. For a laugh-out-loud time, families might want to try Guesstures or Taboo. For families that thrive on competition, try Connect 4x4 or Monopoly City.

Fun food “pairings”: A special family game night menu will make everyone look forward to the festivities. Serve fun finger foods that are easy to eat during game play, such as hamburger sliders or chicken fingers. A make-your-own sundae bar is a sweet treat for dessert before or during game night. Or, use a family recipe to make your family game night unique.

Create a tradition: Whether it’s the way that teams are selected, a 30-minute bedtime extension, or having everyone play in their p.j.’s, establishing an activity on family game night that becomes a family tradition will create even more excitement around game play for everyone in the family.

Keep a family scoreboard: From week to week, recognize the family member who won the last family game night by posting their name on a special scoreboard that receives a place of honor on the refrigerator. Or, create a family crown or shirt that can be worn by the winner at dinner or during the next family game night.

Remind everyone: To keep the date with the family, set up reminders on a handheld device or on the family computer to make sure that game night happens. For the tech-savvy, reminders can also be sent through Evite.com or on social networking sites such as Facebook. For the kids, put a note in their lunchbox reminding them about family game night.

Mix it up with “special guests”: To expand the fun, invite other families in your neighborhood to participate in a family game night tournament. If you have extended family members living in the area or if you are traveling during a scheduled family game night, invite everyone to participate!

Capture the memories: By having regularly scheduled family game nights, families are guaranteed to create new and lasting memories. Snap a photo of special moments at each family game night and place the printed photos around the house or email to relatives to share that come-from-behind win or incredibly tall Jenga tower!

Brainstorm for next week’s family game night: As each family game night winds down and clean up begins, start brainstorming for next week’s event.What games might be selected? What will be the special food served? By planning in advance for the next event, you can get a jumpstart on the preparations and raise the anticipation level for the next family game night.

Share Games: Find a few other families in your neighborhood of playgroup who are also big family game night fans. Agree to rotate games monthly to keep things exciting and new!

How Would You Like to WIN $500 for Your School?

2009-09-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

In honor of our kids heading back to school, Cozi is sponsoring the PTA/PTO’s of three North American grade schools for $500! Yours could be one of them! Anyone can enter. Here’s how:

1. Ask all your friends and school contacts to join the Cozi fan page (http://www.facebook.com/cozifamily)

2. Have them leave a comment below stating the name, city and state of the school

That’s it!

The more entries your school gets, the greater its chances of winning! Just imagine what your school PTA/PTO could do with an extra five hundred bucks!

Each entry counts once, and Cozi will choose three winners at random.

The opportunity to enter and win lasts just two weeks, so SHARE this post on your own Facebook page and ask your friends to pile on the entries for YOUR school right now. Good luck to all the schools!

Hyde Organics Yoga Clothing

2009-09-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

I am that person who has always scorned fancy workout clothing. I mean, you sweat in the stuff. You feel gross in the stuff. You're not going to like what you see in the mirror anyway, so why spend buckets on things that you're going to wear for all of an hour?

You're hearing it here first. I was wrong. I was so, so, so very wrong.

If the clothes make the man well, the workout clothes make the workout.

I was approached by Hyde Organic to see if I'd be willing to review their line of yoga wear and I said, sure, why not. I love yoga. Granted, I usually wear my grubbiest of 'yoga' pants bought from Costco three years ago when I do yoga, but I'm willing to look the part once in a while.

When I got the clothes I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical. I'm rather well endowed and it's not exactly easy for me to find form fitting workout type tops that fit my ample bosom, let alone form fitting workout type tops with built-in shelf bras. But Hyde Organic came through for me. Tops that not only fit, but are comfortable and look great.

And the pants? Well, I don't even know if I can do the pants justice. Let's just say that when people say that they work from home so they can work in yoga pants? These are the pants they are talking about. And yes, I have done more than just sit around on my couch wearing these, I have also exercised in them and they do not ride up, slip down, bunch up, shift around, or do any of the other million things that some less well designed clothes tend to do when put under stress. Instead they feel just as great as they make me look - not an easy task when I'm running up a hill looking like a sweaty beat red tomato.

Hyde Organic Yoga Clothes Pros:

- All the clothes are made from predominantly organic fibers and are made in a sweat-shop free environment.
- Exceptional comfort and fit. (I'm no super model and I've worn this outfit to a coffee shop and to take my kids to school. And people complimented me!)
- Nice range of options from capris to ankle length pants and various top options. Click here to see the full line.
- Resistant. Despite the warnings to wash in cold water and line dry, I might have maybe washed in warm water and dryer dried, but the pants are still as stretchy, soft, and comfortable as ever.

Hyde Organic Yoga Clothes Cons:

- No matter what side of the fence you come down on $68 for a pair of yoga pants is a lot of money. Now when you consider the fact that I spent almost as much on a pair of jeans that I now wear less often than these pants... well that puts it into perspective.
- They might not be in your local neighborhood yogawear store quite yet (click here for a list of distributors), but the website is comprehensive and they do have a good return policy. Of course you could always just tell your yogawear store about Hyde Organic and have them start to carry them...

Disclaimer: I received two tops and a pair of yoga pants from Hyde Organic for review, but I was in other no way compensated for this giveaway. All opinions included in this post are mine and mine alone.

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Back to (pre) school must haves

2009-09-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

1 - A back to school tutorial.
Starting school can be a little nerve wracking for kids. What are they going to do all day? What are they supposed to know? And what do they do if they need to pee? LeapFrog to the rescue on this one. They've created a delightful little DVD all about starting school. In Let's Go To School Tad and Lilly get to know all the characters that populate a child's first day of school; taking all the scary out of the big event. On the way they practice counting and the alphabet as well as a few other key pre-school notions.
Even younger siblings will get a kick out of this video, and maybe a few early pointers!

2 - Good hand sanitizer.
This is the season of the swine flu. And even if it weren't? It would be the season of some other dread contagious something or other. Hand sanitizer is key for a kid's health and a mom's sanity. Only, I don't know about you, but I'm not a huge fan of the alcohol based stuff.
This year I'm packing some Aloe Up. Alcohol free. Foam. Clean smelling. Not sticky. And pretty darn effective. Not the easiest stuff to find, but you can buy it online here. And if you have any questions about it, follow them on Twitter!

3 - Magnetic letters for your fridge!
If your preschooler is anything like mine, everything is about words these days. Words and letters! We have these fabulous letters on our fridge and both girls love to play with them to create words. (They don't all make sense, but at least they know their alphabet!)
You're in luck, because these letters are on their once annual buy-one-get-one-free sale. Click here for the lower case letters and here for the upper case letters. Don't wait, the sale ends at the end of the week!

4 - Healthy eats!
Growing kids need good wholesome food. Even more so when they've been working hard at school. Warner Bros. and Safeway have teamed up to create a great line of food to help you feed your children well. The more than 60 items (that cross 18 categories!) were formulated to standards based on the most recent dietary recommendations and regulations from several federal and state agencies.
The Eating Right Kids line covers pretty much everything from fun shaped pasta (bugs!) to chicken nuggets, juice, snack bars, carrots and ranch, fruit in a cup, and even chocolate pudding. They'll help you make wholesome meals at home and pack great snacks and lunches for school.
Look for the cheery green logo and fun Warner Bros. characters on the packages while you shop at your local Safeway.

5 - Great organization for the whole family.
Are you always scrambling to remember what you have planned on any given day? Does your spouse's eyes roll in response to the 15th reminder about back-to-school night? Do you wish you had one central place to keep your shopping lists, menu plans, family photos, calendar, reminders, and every other little thing that you need to keep your family on track?
Meet Cozi. It's free. It's awesome. It's easy to set up. It even comes with a killer screen-saver for your computer. But most importantly, it'll change your life this year. Trust me. Check it out. Sign up. And enjoy the freedom that organization brings.

It might take more than videos, clean hands, letters, great food, and good organization to survive the school year, but it's as good a start as any. What are your back to (pre)school must haves?

A fun kid's writing contest from an unexpected source

2009-09-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Twitter is a fantastic world where celebs and non-celebs mingle and chat, sometimes without even realizing who each might be.

Imagine my surprise when I clicked on a couple links and found myself face to face with none other than the infamous Mimi from The Drew Carey Show stripped of her garish makeup and sitting in a surprising setting - a cozy library corner.

On her new site, www.MrsP.com, she'll enchant you and your children with charming classic stories. Pull up a chair, browse through the stacks, and enjoy a lively tale or ten.

She's even got a great event for kids ages 4-13 that started yesterday - the “Be a Famous Writer Contest,” which runs until October 15. Kids can write on any topic, fiction or non-fiction, from 250 – 1000 words.

Two grand prize winners will see their stories brought to life through original illustrations and a lively reading done by Mrs. P (Kathy Kinney). Both stories will be put up on the Mrs. P site so that everyone can watch and enjoy!

One of Mrs. P's goals is to have kids become the creative force. There’s no charge for a child to use their imagination and no charge for the Mrs. P website, it’s FREE.

Disney Netpals Presentation

2009-08-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

Months ago I was invited to an intimate presentation by Disney. OK. If we're honest I had a) no idea that it was going to be so intimate and b) no clue that what we were going to see was going to be so awesome.

It was early in the game because the Netpal was still a prototype. A very advanced prototype, but a prototype nonetheless. It didn't matter. It still wowed me.

Think of a netbook computer that has been reinforced and toughened up to withstand child use. Then imagine software that has been designed with Disney's usual attention to detail. Got it? OK. No imagine something about 50x cooler. Now you have the Netpal.

The true beauty of the Netpal is the proprietary software created by Disney. Bear in mind that I didn't get to spend time testing it out. I just saw what the person showing off the computer showed us, but it was still pretty darn cool.

Basically there are two sections to the software - the parent section and the kid section. The parent section controls everything. The kid section controls only what the parent says it can. Have different kids of different ages? You can have multiple settings. Want your child to have access to certain programs at some times, but not others? No problem, you can set limits according to a calendar.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The entire kid's section is depicted with picture icons. You don't have to be able to read to use the computer. That's right. They can launch their games without. your. help.

OK. I'm going to stop gushing now. Though I can't promise I won't gush again and do a full review if I can ever get my hands on one.

As for you? Well, if you were at all toying with the idea of getting your kids a computer or a netbook sometime this fall, you could do a lot worse than going with this little gem. You can get one for about $350. Oddly it's already available at ToysRUs, but still 'not released' at Amazon. Go figure.

Jolly Llama Sorbet Review

2009-08-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

It's summer time. It's hot. And what's the thing you crave most when it's hot? Well, duh. Ice cream!

Or if you're me, sorbet. Yummy, fruity, light sorbet. Only sorbet hasn't always been the easiest thing to serve up to a crowd, to kids, or even on the go.

You know, until now!

Jolly Llama made my summer when they contacted me and asked me if I wanted to test their brand new sorbets. In instantly said "Yes, please!" and sent them my address. Little did I know they were going to send the package right away and that I was going to get a frantic call from M while I was in Chicago.

"There's a big box here and it's marked perishable. Should I open it?"

He opened it and found lots of sorbet. I instructed that he was to find a way, any way, to fit each and every ounce of it in our freezer. He did. I don't want to know what had to be sacrificed. It doesn't matter, it was all worth it.

I tore into my first Jolly Llama sorbet when I got home and I was delighted to discover that they more than lived up to my expectations. Tasty, healthy, fun to eat, and best of all, utterly practical.

The four flavors (Strawberry, blueberry, acai berry, and mango) are all-natural, made without corn syrup, no juices or concentrates, and as a bonus happen to be a good source of fiber!

Even better, the girls, my delightfully picky eaters, love them! As for me, I keep being torn between wanting to hand them out to each and every one of my friends so they can taste the goodness for themselves and wanting to hoard my stash for myself.

Jolly Llama Sorbet Pros:

- Each sorbet is a great source of fiber - 10% RDI or better depending on the flavor.
- Each sorbet is a fantastic source of Vitamins A&C. 50%!
- All the sorbets are low-fat or no-fat, gluten free, contain no allergens, and average about 85 calories per tube. (Each sorbet ranges from 22-25g of carbs.)
- The blueberry and acai berry are also loaded with antioxidants!
- Jolly Llama fruit is allowed to ripen on the vine and is pureed and frozen immediately. No fruit cooking here and you can really taste the difference!
- The tubes are easy to handle, even for little 2 year old hands. I can hand her one and send her outside and she doesn't need me to help her with her treat.
- Suggested retail price of each tube is $1.49

Jolly Llama Sorbet Cons:

- There's only one con, and you're going to be sad to hear it. Since Jolly Llama sorbets are brand new they're only available in select stores... on the West Coast. OK. In Northern California. I'm sorry. You'll just have to come visit me and I'll share mine with you. If you're nice.
East Coast expansion is planned and coming soon.

Jolly Llama treats are currently available in:
Whole Foods Northern California
Nugget Markets(Sacramento area)
New Leaf (Santa Cruz County)
Berkeley Bowls (Berkeley)
Oliver’s (Sonoma County)

In conclusion, run, don't walk to your local store and grab a Jolly Llama sorbet or ten. You'll be glad for the new healthy treat or desert option!

Disclaimer: I received a few boxes of Jolly Llama sorbets for review, but I was in other no way compensated for this giveaway. All opinions included in this post are mine and mine alone.

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Top Ten Things I Brought Back from BlogHer

2009-08-04T13:05:00.001-07:00

So this is about a week delayed, but only because I've had my face deep inside a tissue box since I got off the plane and also I haven't so much unpacked as left my suitcase sitting in the middle of the floor in our room. Which I'm sure my husband totally loves.

Even after taking the high-road and refusing to fight anyone for a swag bag of anything I still managed to leave BlogHer with way more stuff than I brought and a clean conscience to boot, so yay. And so, without further ado...

The Top Ten Things I Brought Back from BlogHer.

10. Two bottles of Sobe Life Water. Yes two. Which I stashed in my backpack and had to guzzle as I walked up to the x-ray machine at the airport. Because there was no way no how I was giving them up to security. Three minutes later I had to make an urgent dash to the ladies room. Friends might have laughed at me. Mmm. SoBe.

9. The new Bounce Dryer Bar which makes me happy every time I open my dryer and smell my clean laundry. Nothing like the scent of Bounce to take me to my happy place.

8. A Spiderman book for our LeapFrog Tag System. My 4yo might have preferred a more princessy or pink book, but I love my super heroes and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Plus after months of intense use we're still huge fans of the Tag System and we're delighted to have a new book to explore.

7. A tube of Suave Sleek Anti-Frizz Cream. I have no idea how I have ever lived without this product in the past. Mid-afternoon frizz attack? One dolop and my hair looks better than it did in the morning. Might have to buy a case of it.

6. Diana Orgain's new book Bundle of Trouble. Totally fun mommy mystery. Great fun read. I love discovering new authors. Especially ones that I apparently met.

5. A Pearl of Wisdom brooch from the Pearl of Wisdom campaign to prevent cervical cancer. It's pretty, it's classy, and even better it's raising awareness for a disease no one should succumb to. Pretty good combo.

4. Three treasures from Playskool: A bee, a butterfly, and an old family favorite, Mr. Potato Head. The spud went to join his already extensive family in the girls' room. He was welcomed with open arms by all. The bugs have also been shown lots of love since they were first introduced to the children. I love Playskool. No, let me rephrase that. I pink puffy heart Playskool. They make great toys that really stand up both to the test of time and little kids.

3. A cuddly fuzzy sweet Build A Bear teddy who the girls have declared is mommy's teddy. When I was recovering from BlogHer last week I kept waking up to find him tucked into my arms. He was quite snuggly. I didn't mind in the least. Plus his t-shirt reads "Bloggers are Bearrific!" What's not to love about a bear with such great taste?

2. A couple All detergent chocolate lollipops and some All detergent samples. I haven't tried the detergent yet, but the girls inhaled the chocolate leaving me all of three seconds to tell my long-suffering husband some juicy details about the weekend. Sadly I had to leave the All Laundry Fairy behind though.

1. An awesome Lands End Backpack. It's light and compact. It has pockets for everything. It has a laptop compartment. It comes in a ton of colors and looks rugged but sleek. I'm not going back to school any time soon, but you can bet you'll see this baby on my shoulders at Starbucks soon.

There was so much more, but this was definitely the cream of the crop. And yes I will now go finish unpacking. But first...

Bottom One Thing I Brought Back from BlogHer

1. A cold. A nasty, ugly, icky cold that has kept me down for at least a week now and is morphing into a nasty, ugly, icky sinus infection. If you see the person that was handing these out don't thank her for me.

Nectar Essences Winner

2009-08-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for the long delay on selecting a winner for the Nectar Essences giveaway. Reentry was a bit rough after BlogHer.

Without any further delay... the winner is...

Ellie from The Art of Losing Myself! Yay!
Her set of Nectar Essences sprays will be on their way soon. You can get your own right here.

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Win a Wii Fit with KidsWeigh!

2009-07-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

With childhood obesity reaching an all time high across the country, many parents struggle with how to help their children maintain a healthy weight with proper nutrition.

Dr. Joanna Dolgoff, the official doctor of Camp Shane and a board certified pediatrician, has created Dr. Dolgoff's Weigh, a traffic-light system that allows kids to learn which foods are healthiest without counting calories. To spread the word about her site and program, Dr. Weigh, is sponsoring a Wii Fit contest to help you get your family up and moving this summer!

To Enter:

To enter to win the #KidsWeigh Wii Fit contest, check out client testimonials and fabulous Dr. Weigh success stories then fill out this secure contest form telling us which story was your favorite!

Form: http://tinyurl.com/kidsweighcontest

But wait! There's more!

Want a chance to speak with Dr. Dolgoff about your nutritional questions and win more prizes?

Join her Friday, July 10th at 9 p.m. ET on Twitter for her #KidsWeigh discussion. Door prizes will be awarded. To RSVP and for more information go to: Resourceful Mommy.

One grand prize winner will receive a Wii Fit. Two runners-up will receive a free one month membership to Dr. Weigh.

This contest ends Friday, July 24th at 11:59 a.m. ET. and is brought to you by Momfluence.

Win a laptop for yourself... or your kids!

2009-07-07T22:26:00.001-07:00

CookiesKids.com Laptop Giveaway Sweepstakes

Is your current computer stalling and giving you blue screen nightmares? Would you love to be able to have one that the kids could use (alas, staying off of yours)?

CookiesKids.com feels your pain and has come to your rescue!

Sign up to receive the Cookies Kids Newsletter via e-mail and you're automatically entered to win one of 4 brand new laptops!!

Simply fill out the form below to be entered into our Laptop Giveaway Sweepstakes. Please be sure to read the Giveaway Sweepstakes "Terms and Conditions" before entering your information.

This is the form you MUST fill out to be entered to win one of the laptops: http://cli.gs/6dGhsh

Contest ends 9/30/09 at 11:59 AM ET.
This contest brought to you courtesy of the Momfluence network.

Win an iPhone 3G from Packtel!

2009-07-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

Give Us Your Conference Call Blooper and Win an iPhone 3G from Packetel!

Have you ever said the wrong thing to a client? Have you ever been caught not paying attention on the line? Have your kids screamed something crazy during a call...

If so - Packetel wants to hear about it!

If not - that's OK! You can still enter. Just try out Packetel's Web Conferencing services FREE for 30-days and tell us about your experience!

Packetel Turbo Meeting makes web conferencing simple and easy to do. Here are just a few of their web conferencing features:

Share screens/desktops with multiple participants

Assign and acknowledge meeting roles of presenter and controller of keyboard/mouse

Allow an unlimited number of users to host a web conference

Schedule meetings and webinars

Hold ad hoc meetings and webinars and use verbal meeting invitations without resorting to e-mail

Integrate with Outlook for sending e-mail invitations

Optimized for different Internet connection speeds ranging from broadband to 28KB dial-up

Annotation over the entire screen/desktop

Whiteboard and chat functionalities

Win an iPhone for your misdeed on a conference call? Yes! Here's how you can win:

1. Fill out the form below, including your blooper story

2. Try out Packetel's Web Conferencing Service for FREE for 30 days, fill out the form including your experience with the server

This is the form you MUST fill out to be entered to win: http://cli.gs/PsvX9W

Bonus Entries! After you've completed 1 or 2 above and filled out the form you can also...

- Blog about Packetel's Online Fax Service and link the text "packetel's web conference service" to: http://www.packetel.com/web-conferencing-turbo-meeting-main.asp

- Become a Fan of Packetel at their Brand New Facebook Fan Page here: http://facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=121265230239#

Contest ends 7/31/09 at 11:59 AM ET.
This contest brought to you courtesy of the Momfluence network.

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Eager Mind Letter Magnets - Winner!

2009-07-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

And the winner is....

Anonymous Denise! Who is going to enjoy using these with her boys.
Congratulations Denise!

Didn't win? Get your own set of magnetic letters on the Eager Minds website.

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Nectar Essences Review and Giveaway

2009-07-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Lavender helps you sleep better, Jasmine reduces stress, lemon and grapefruit revitalize you, sequoia makes you feel grounded, and rose inspires love and connection.

Which is all fine and dandy in theory, but not always easy to procure on a day to day basis, or when you need it most.

At least it wasn't until now.

The brilliant creator of Nectar Essences has found a way for you to benefit from all the healing and life enhancing properties of flowers on a daily, if not hourly basis.

What are you looking for? Something to help you get a good night's rest? Something to help ease your child into a good night? Work a spritz of Sleep into your evening routine and enjoy the rest that the lavender and jasmine mix will bring.

Are you looking for a scent that will bring you and your partner closer at the end of the day? Balance will do just that. Particularly effective if used after Sleep has sent the children to dreamland...

A quick spritz of Awake when you sit at your computer to start your day will help you focus your energies and awaken your senses helping you be instantly more productive.

And if you're traveling, grab your bottle of At Home and enjoy feeling grounded and connected to the earth so you can banish that unnerving feeling of being away from home.

Smells control our moods more than we can ever imagine. With Nectar Essences you don't have to wait to be in that particularly fragrant backyard to be transported to a place of serenity or joy.

Little L and C love when I spritz them with a little Sleep just before bedtime and I'm very prone to alternating the use of De Stress and Awake when I'm having trouble getting to work. I find the simple act of spraying and then basking in the smells to be therapeutic, like I'm doing something good for us.

Nectar Essences Pros:

- Light, not overpowering fragrances that never seem to become cloying.
- Bring a whole new level to your daily routines by calling another sense into action - smell!
- Scent for pretty much any need - rest, action, love, sleep, de-stress.
- Affordable - each spray is $28 - great for personal needs and for gifts.
- Scents work in tandem to suit your needs (Sleep+De Stress...) and the smells meld beautifully.
- Contains only organic materials.

Nectar Essences Cons:

- I wish that I could leave Awake in my car so we can use it every morning, but I'm worried that the heat would alter the fragrance and diminish the effect.
- I wish the smells would linger a little longer, but it's not designed to be an air freshener. Bummer.

Nectar Essences Sleep + Balance Giveaway!

With a little Sleep to get your children off to dreamland and a little Balance to rev you and your significant other up, you're bound to have a great night.
I have one set to give away to a lucky Lemonade Stand reader. Can't wait to get your hands on some Nectar Essences? Scroll down for a time sensitive 20% off coupon code!

To enter:
1) Leave a comment telling me which Nectar Essences Spray you would be most likely to try and why.
2) Visit the Nectar Essences Blog and let us know something useful or interesting you learned or subscribe to that blog's feed.
3) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
4) Subscribe to my other blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
5) Tweet, email, blog about this giveaway.

That's a grand total of 7 ways you can enter! Please remember to leave me a way to contact you. And please, please, please, leave a separate comment for each of your entries. I can't credit you for each of them if you don't.

Giveaway ends Friday, July 17, 2009 at 10pm PST.

Nectar Essences Discount Code:

For a limited time only use Discount Code BALANCE to receive 20% off your Nectar Essences order. What are you waiting for? Hurry up and relax!

I received a set of Nectar Essences sprays for review, but I was in other no way compensated for this giveaway. Even though I do know the creator personally and think she's awesome, all opinions included in this post are mine and mine alone.

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Eager Mind Letter Magnets - Review & Giveaway

2009-06-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

"Mommy? What does M T L say?"

The question is the same she has uttered a million times already, the combination of letters always different. Once in a while she inadvertently spells a real word (or its homonym) and her delight is palpable.

C knows her letters, all the capitals and most of the lower case ones. She knows that they come together to create words. She just doesn't quite yet know how to string them together to get to those words, but she can't wait to learn.

Here to help her in her endeavors are the adorable letter magnets created by Eager Mind. These cool little rectangular magnets feature a letter and a picture with a word that starts with the letter. What sets them out from the magnetic letter pack is that each contains images that represent both the short and the long vowel sounds - A is for anchor and A is for alien. To make the sets even more entertaining, no images are repeated, so kids learn that there are lots of different ways each letter can be used.

The instant we tore into the lowercase and the uppercase packages both girls had a blast sticking the letters on our refrigerator and stainless steel oven. They assembled plenty of nonsense words and tolerated my attempts at getting them to read simple two or three letter words. Weeks later we're still playing with the letters regularly.

Eager Mind Magnetic Letter Pros:

- The quality of these letters is quite impressive. The ones that have found their way into Little L's mouth have survived nicely. They're thick enough for little fingers to grasp.
- Each set comes with the regular 26 letters plus an extra four consonants and the 5 long vowel sounds. Combine the lower case set with the upper case set and you have plenty of letters to create many fun words.
- The pictures are cute and funny, but easily identifiable.
- Very affordable! Each set retails for $8.95. At that price if your child feels limited by the number of letters you could easily expand each set.

Eager Mind Magnetic Letter Cons:

- For most kids there's a gap between knowing letters and being able to combine them into words. This set doesn't really address that gap meaning that once the child has mastered letter recognition he might lose interest in the letters until he becomes interested in stringing words together.

Eager Mind Magnetic Letter Giveaway:

I have not one, not two, but THREE sets of letters to giveaway to you my faithful readers!

To enter:
1) Leave a comment telling me which child in your life would most enjoy these letters.
2) Visit the Eager Mind website's cool letter writing practice worksheet page and let me know if you download any.
3) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
4) Subscribe to my other blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
5) Tweet, email, blog about this giveaway.

That's a grand total of 7 ways you can enter! Please remember to leave me a way to contact you. And please, please, please, leave a separate comment for each of your entries. I can't credit you for each of them if you don't.

Giveaway ends Friday, July 3, 2009 at 10pm PST.

I received an set of Eager Mind magnetic letters for review, but I was in other no way compensated for this giveaway. All opinions included in this post are mine and mine alone.

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ActiveIon Pro Winner

2009-06-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

A couple days late... Sorry!

The winner for the ActiveIon Pro is...

Snarfdog! Also known on Twitter as @Torturedmommy!
Congratulations! Can't wait to hear how much you love your ActiveIon Pro!

Thank you to everyone who entered! Stay tuned for more fun giveaways coming soon.

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Introducing House of Gems!

2009-06-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to start your own handmade jewelry store on Etsy or Silkfair, but didn't know where to start? Maybe you already enjoy scrapbooking and knitting and thought beading might be worth a try, but weren't sure about the investment.

Now you can win a bracelet making kit plus $75 in product - a $100 value - by entering the "Bejeweled Giveaway" contest. Ten readers across the Momfluence network blogs will be chosen to win!

But there's more! Those ten winners will be able to submit a picture of their completed bracelet to the House of Gems, and one will be chosen to receive a $250 gift certificate, enough product to really jump start your business.

To enter: choose one or more ways to enter.

Option 1 - Subscribe to one or more of the House of Gems feeds found at http://www.houseofgems.com/feeds.aspx - each feed subscription counts as a new entry! Once you've subscribed fill out this entry form: http://cli.gs/ND4NMe

Option 2 - Blog about the "Bejeweled Giveaway" contest on your own site then fill out this entry from: http://cli.gs/ND4NMe

Join us on Twitter Saturday, June 27th at 9:00 p.m. eastern for a #houseofgems SiteWarming party where the 10 winners will be announced!

About the House of Gems:

House of Gems, Inc. (www.houseofgems.com) was established to provide quality beads, pearls, findings, pendants, chains and other jewelry making accessories at wholesale prices, directly to the consumer.The people behind Houseofgems.com have been in this business since 1992 and have an extensive network of designers, manufacturers and other direct suppliers to draw upon.

Since they have their own factories,craft shops and import directly, they have the best prices on quality products. Now, with the power of e-commerce they have eliminated the 'middle men', bringing their quality products at low wholesale jewelry prices, directly to your doorstep.

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Lily on the Fly Review

2009-06-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

It's 6pm, the kids are hungry. Your significant other has just called to say s/he was running late. You're fried and out of inspiration. So what are you going to cook? Chicken nuggets? Fish sticks? Hot dogs? It's not like you have the ingredients on hand for anything else, right?

Well, you would if you had Lily on the Fly to help you.

Lily on the Fly is a neat little kit that takes all the hassle and guesswork out of menu planning, grocery list making, and creating healthy fun meals that actually change from week to week.

Created by a mom who understood the challenge all too well, and awarded the 2008 iParenting Best Product award, Lily on the Fly is a simple system that will easily get you in the habit of planning healthful weekly menus.

The kit consists of a plastic recipe card holder that sticks to your fridge and a large number of handy recipe cards that feature tasty but simple recipes on one side and a list of ingredients (sorted by grocery store section!) on the other.

At the start of the week flip through the cards and select the ones that you want to make during the week. Slip them into the holder in the order you plan to use them, then grab your holder and head to the store. At the end of the day, take out the cards you've used and put them back in the deck. When the holder is empty start the whole thing again.

Want more recipes to play with? Lily on the Fly offers add on packs to spice up your rotation! Have family favorites you want to include? Lily on the Fly offers blank cards so you can adapt your own recipes to the system.

Lily on the Fly Pros:

- The recipes are tasty and simple to assemble, making this a low stress way to organize your families meals.
- The recipes are diverse and cover everything from breakfast to desert and include snacks. Even better they cover a large range of cooking methods from slow cooking to grilling.
- Three recipe packs and the make your own card pack mean that you can try new recipes every week while holding on to tried and true family favorites.

Lily on the Fly Cons:

- The original plastic holder was a bit bulky to fit into a purse, but Lily on the Fly has just come out with a little pocket version that would be ideal for people who are always on the go and want to keep their recipes on hand for those last minute trips to the store.
- The only thing the cards themselves are missing is a spot to write quick, post meal notes about what you might change or how much your family liked the meal.

If you're looking to start menu planning and getting your family's meals organized this is the tool for you! And if you ever make the Sour Cream Blue Berry Muffins don't forget to invite me over. OK?

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ActiveIon Pro Review and Giveaway

2009-06-08T19:54:00.001-07:00

What do Bill Nye the Science Guy and cleaning have in common? Well nothing really, except for the fact that he's the spokesperson for simply the coolest cleaning tool you will EVER own. Even maybe the last cleaning tool you will ever own, the ActiveIon Pro.

Imagine a cleaning product as pure and chemical free as water. Doesn't exist you say? You're right. ActiveIon isn't as pure and chemical free as water, it is water. Yup, water. Nice healthy plain ol' tap water. I'm not kidding. (See? It's so pure that that's a picture of Bill Nye squirting it into his mouth!)

You fill up your slightly E.T. looking ActiveIon Pro with tap water, squeeze the trigger, and through some electrical magic that water becomes ionized. Or rather the electricity infuses the water with positive and negative ions, that attract dirt like teeny tiny little magnets.

That could very well be a completely wrong analysis of what the little magical tool does. I don't know, I was terrible at physics in school. Bill Nye and the ActiveIon people are probably shaking their heads a lamenting the fact that they asked me to blog about this. But whatever, I don't care, and I'm not giving back my ActiveIon Pro, even if I failed the science explanation, so there.

Here is what I do know. I have used my ActiveIon Pro every day for the last week or so and I still love it as much as the day I took it out of the box. I love not using cleaning products and getting a better result than I did when I used them. I love that I'm not exposing my asthmatic girls to more chemicals. I love how clean everything is looking. And I love that I still think this is fun. Oh, and every time I use my tap to fill up the ActiveIon Pro I love the fact that I'm not spending mega bucks on cleaning solutions!

In the last week I have cleaned windows - ActiveIon ROCKS the window cleaning, I have cleaned the stove top - swoon on the easy wiping up of food spatters, I have cleaned the bathtub, I have cleaned the kitchen counters, the kitchen cabinets, the nasty corners on the kitchen linoleum, the TV screen, the computer screen, the bathroom mirror, and yes, the window frames outside the house. The only thing that the ActiveIon didn't rock was the grease build-up over my stove. It's not a huge fan of grease. Then again, neither was the Clorox Greenworks Cleaner.

Armed with my ActiveIon Pro and my brand new 36 pack of microfiber cloths (microfiber cloths! ActiveIon Pro's BFF!) I am making dirt and dust my... uh, I am mastering the cleaning of my home. Ahem. Even better, even M thinks that the thing is fun so the house is getting really clean. (Also, yes, our house is really dirty. There is much dirt to be mastered.)

It's a pricey investment, I won't lie to you, but it seriously will replace most of the cleaning products in your home. Plus, rumor has it that you can also use it to remove your make-up at night. Which I would have tested, except that I tend to forget that step and end up removing it in the shower the next morning. But that's entirely besides the point.

So, if you're very green conscious, or just looking to reduce your family's exposure to cleaning chemicals, if you really like to clean or need a fun gimmick to get yourself cleaning, and yes, if you have a couple hundred dollars lying around, hurry over to the ActiveIon website and purchase one of these babies for yourself! Or, you know, scroll down to see if you can win one.

ActiveIon Pro Giveaway!

To enter:
1) Leave a comment telling me how much you love or hate cleaning.
2) Leave a comment telling me how many times I wrote ActiveIon up there, cuz dude, it was a lot!
3) Visit the ActiveIon website and come rave about how cool and revolutionary this is and how you would use it.
4) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
5) Subscribe to my other blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
6) Tweet, email, blog about this giveaway.

That's a grand total of 8 ways you can enter! Please remember to leave me a way to contact you. And please, please, please, leave a separate comment for each of your entries. I can't credit you for each of them if you don't.

Giveaway ends Friday, June 19, 2009 at 10pm PST.

I received an ActiveIon Pro for review, but I was in other no way compensated for this giveaway. All opinions included in this post are mine and mine alone.

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Sandisk MicroSD Memory Card Winner

2009-06-08T17:06:00.001-07:00

And the SanDisk MicroSD Memory Card winner is...

Jay! Who is super generous and would give all that storage to his sister! Congratulations Jay, hope you and your sister enjoy having all that space!

Didn't win? Grab your own SanDisk MicroSD memory card here just in time for those Dads and Grads gifts or for to capture your summer fun!

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Kohl's Cares for Kids Ducky Winner!

2009-06-08T16:59:00.001-07:00

And the winner for the Kohl's Cares for Kids Ducky Giveaway is...

MJ! Whose family gives to Donors Chose and who join their local library's reading club for the weekly meeting and great prizes!
Congratulations MJ! Hope you guys enjoy the book and the plush toy!

If you didn't win, don't worry. Hurry over to Kohl's! The Duck books and coordinating plushies are being sold for $5 a piece until the end of June!

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Dogs Move Too! Book Review

2009-06-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

Moves don't just affect the grown-ups who make the big life changing decisions, they affect their children and the family dog, and it's not always easy for them to understand what's happening and how it will affect them.

Anthony and Julie Majewski have written a delightful little paperback book called Dogs Move Too! that explains in simple terms that moves don't have to be scary things. Only thing, it's not from the point of view of a child, it's from the point of view of a lovable adorable dog.

Max is a sweet childlike protagonist who will take you from the scary moment when his "daddy" loses his job to the happy ending when they arrive in the new town that holds "daddy's" new job. Max keeps track of the important things like where his toys are stashed to who he'll get to play with in the neighborhood while reminding his "parents" that he's sad to say goodbye to his neighborhood and his friends.

Dogs Move Too! Pros:
- Great book for going over the scary details of an impending move and for showing a child that there's really nothing to fear.
- Great way for prompting discussions about your family's move.
- Dogs Move Too! is raking in the book awards this year! (Runner-up award at the 2009 New York Book Festival and the San Francisco Book Festival in the children's category. Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Books Award in three categories - Animal/Pets, Best Cover Design Fiction, Best Overall Book Design Fiction)
- Accessible text and story for early readers.
- For every book purchased Anthony and Julie donate a portion of the proceeds to Leader Dogs for the Blind.

Dogs Move Too! Cons:
- Even though this looks like it would be a book for the younger set, it actually contains quite a bit of text making it a bit long for the 4 and under set. That said, if you read it ahead of time it would be quite easy to adapt the book for a younger audience.

If your family is considering a move in the near future invest in Dogs Move Too! a cute little book that might just be the thing to help make the transition smoother!

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Graco Blossom Highchair Review

2009-05-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

Your baby's highchair needs are going to change radically over the years. Your infant needs to recline and your bigger baby needs to be strapped in tight and well supported. Your toddler is going to want to sit in a booster, not a highchair, and your preschooler, well, let's not even go there.

What if I told you that Graco had designed a single highchair system that fulfills every single one of those roles? Nope, no kidding, they have. The Blossom 4-in-1 Seating System is hands down the most versatile highchair I have ever seen or had the luxury of trying out.

The infant insert turns the impressively reclinable chair into a cushy haven for even the tiniest baby. Set up the chair long before your baby will even try his first solids so that he can enjoy sitting at the table with the family.

When your little one is ready to try finger feeding herself, put the seat in it's upright position and put the really large and easy to clean tray to work. The five point harness and padded sides will help even wobbly sitters sit up properly.

Toddler tired of the tray and wants to join the family at the table? No problem, remove the tray and pull up the chair. The six height adjustment options mean that you'll be sure to find the perfect position for your baby to eat comfortably with everyone else.

Ready to graduate to a simple booster? Need an extra chair for a visiting toddler? No problem. The Blossom 4-in-1 Seating System comes with a booster. Yes, a second seat. Meaning that it's the only chair on the market that can be used by two children at once. Trust me, until you have a second child and are faced with needing to buy a second highchair you won't quite grasp the awesomeness of this feature.

Preschooler shunning all things highchair or booster related, but can't quite reach the table? The Blossom turns into a youth chair that your child can use comfortably until he's really ready to graduate to a grown-up chair.

The Blossom 4-in-1 Seating System is an amazing product that was easy to assemble and easy to clean. We're obsessed with it and we're telling all our friends to put it on their baby registries.

Graco Blossom 4-in-1 Seating System Seating System Pros:

- Easy to assemble.
- Insanely versatile - useful from infancy through childhood.
- Comes in 3 classy patterns.
- Safe, sturdy, and great looking.

Graco Blossom 4-in-1 Seating System Cons:

- The footrest was a bit tricky to install, something that I'm confident was just a fluke with out model because I haven't heard of any other users complaining from that issue.
- The section of the tray that goes between the child's legs is a bit big and if the child is slouching when you put them in it can compress their crotch area a bit uncomfortably. Making sure the child sits up properly resolves this issue. Great for posture! Not so great for sensitive children.

If you're looking for a highchair/feeding system you really can't go wrong with this product. It's made by Graco so you know it will stand up to the test of time and you will be able to really appreciate all its versatile options.

I was in no way compensated for this review and I am only affiliated with Graco as a Brand Ambassador which is a non paying position.

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Sandisk Micro SD Memory Card Review/Giveaway

2009-05-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

Odds are if you have kids you don't have a shortage of photos or video of your precious little ones. However, I bet you frequently run out of storage space for all that footage.

The little camera I carry around everywhere can barely hold a couple hundred pictures before I have to empty it out. That's fine for a day out here and there, but when we're on vacation it's nowhere near enough.

Of course I could try to take a couple fewer pictures, but where's the fun in that? Instead I'm going to turn to SanDisk for help. See, SanDisk knows that we mamas and papas have a little trigger finger issue and they know we're craving for space. Not just personal space (though if they could fix that too we'd be forever indebted!), but storage space.

See that picture up there? Yeah, so, the actual SanDisk MicroSD card is actually 1/8th of the size of that thing. It's pretty much the size of the fingernail on your pinky finger. But don't be fooled by it's size! It can hold 16 gigabytes of information. That's room for 4,000 songs, 14,000 photos or 16 hours of video.

Now, if you're not techy at all like me, that doesn't mean a thing to you. You might even be wondering where you would even stick that tiny card. Well if you have a smart phone odds are it already has a MicroSD card, albeit one with a much smaller capacity. And if you don't have a device that can support a MicroSD card you can get a handy little converter that will allow you to use your SanDisk 16GB MicroSD card instead of your usual smaller memory card.

Before you head off on your summer vacation consider upgrading your memory card. You'll be able to pre-load tons of entertaining tv shows to keep your kids happy on the way and still have room to spare for the photos and video you want to capture once you arrive.

Win a SanDisk 16GB MicroSD card!

To enter:
1) Leave a comment telling me about a time you ran out of storage space on your camera/music player/anything.
2) Leave a comment telling me what you would do with 16GB of storage.
3) Visit the SanDisk website and tell us about a product that might make your life easier.
4) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
5) Subscribe to my other blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
6) Tweet, email, blog about this giveaway.

That's a grand total of 8 ways you can enter! Please remember to leave me a way to contact you. And please, please, please, leave a separate comment for each of your entries. I can't credit you for each of them if you don't.

~~Giveaway ends Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 10pm PST.~~ This giveaway is now closed. Please visit my other giveaways for more great prizes!

I received a SanDisk 16GB MicroSD card for review, but I was in other no way compensated for this giveaway. All opinions included in this post are mine and mine alone.

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Kohl's Cares for Kids Ducky Review and Giveaway

2009-05-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

We are a Kohl's family. We go there all the time for M's clothes, kid clothes, toys, house stuff. You name it, we can probably find it there and have a blast in the meantime.

I didn't need any help to love Kohl's more, but they've gone and done something extra special anyway. They've come up with a neat way to get kids reading this summer. As part of the Kohl's Cares for Kids program, until the end of June you'll find two awesome books by Jackie Urbanovic (New York Times best-selling author and illustrator!) for sale along with their coordinating plus toys for just $5 each.

Duck Soup and Duck at the Door are hilarious books that you and your kids will get a kick out of reading. The coordinating plush toys are really high quality and surprisingly funny and cute.

For just $5 you can get a fun treat, or a nice birthday present for a friend. You and your child could pick out a couple gifts for less fortunate or hospitalized kids, you could even start a pint sized book club for your child's friends! When the price is right and the money goes towards charity it's hard to resist!

Duck books and coordinating plush toys pros:

- Jackie Urbanivic's Duck books have adorable whimsical pictures that will delight even the youngest children and great lessons about caring for others that will interest older ones.
- The stuffed animals are wonderful quality toys - incredibly soft with the greatest facial expressions.
- $5 for a book or a stuffy! Can't beat that!
- Helping others by getting yourself a treat! Even better.

Duck books and coordinating plus toys cons:

- You people are going to stop believing me, but what can I say, I can't think of any negatives here.

Win your very own Duck book and coordinating plush toy!

To enter:
1) Leave a comment telling me about something charitable you and your child have done.
2) Leave a comment telling me how you are going to get your child to read this summer.
3) Visit the Kohl's website and tell me about something you just have to get.
4) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
5) Subscribe to my other blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
6) Tweet, email, blog about this giveaway.

That's a grand total of 8 ways you can enter! Please remember to leave me a way to contact you. And please, please, please, leave a separate comment for each of your entries. I can't credit you for each of them if you don't.

~~Giveaway ends Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 10pm PST.~~ This giveaway is now closed. Please visit my other giveaway for more great prizes!

I received two Duck books by Jackie Urbanovic and two plush coordinating toys for review, but I was in other no way compensated for this giveaway. All opinions included in this post are mine and mine alone.

*Through the Kohl’s Cares for Kids program, 100 percent of the net profits from sales of the Duck books and plush toys will benefit children’s health and education initiatives nationwide. Since the Kohl’s Cares for Kids program’s inception in 2000, Kohl’s has turned $5 merchandise into more than $126 million that has made a positive impact on the lives of children across the country.

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EarCheck Giveaway Winner

2009-05-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

The winner for the super cool EarCheck monitor is...

Michelle of Honest and Truly! Congratulations! I hope that this nifty little device comes in handy. Thank you to everyone who entered and don't forget, if you didn't win you can still use the discount code TWEET20 for a 20% discount if you buy your EarCheck on the EarCheck site.

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Web Solution Stylist - Big Bloggy Makeover Winner!

2009-05-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

And the winner of the Web Solution Stylist Big Bloggy Makeover is...

Which translates to... The Nyes! Congratulations Deric and Jamielyn! I'll be giving Elizabeth your email address so she can be in touch with you about your big redesign.

Ah... uh... if you wanted to... uhm.... thank me.... I'd take some of those ridiculously yummy looking Andes Brownies. Mmmm. Nom. ;-)

Thank you to everyone who entered! Be sure to check out the other exciting giveaways!

Didn't win? You can still get a blog makeover! Check out the Web Solution Stylist designs and prices.

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EarCheck - Review & Giveaway

2009-05-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of the night and your baby is clutching her ear and screaming. It could be her teeth, or it could be yet another ear infection. There's no way to know.

Or is there?

In the past you would have had to wait until morning to call the doctor and bring your child in so they could get a quick look at your child's ears. Now all you have to do is grab your very own EarCheck and you'll instantly know if you really do need to go in and risk exposing your child to all the other germs lurking in the waiting room.

Modeled on a tool used by pediatricians all over the country, EarCheck simply, quickly, painlessly, and effectively monitors the amount of fluid located behind your child's ear drum. If it detects fluid - indication that there might be an infection - EarCheck will tell you to contact your doctor.

Now, I know that winter is clearing out and hopefully taking with it it's pesky germs and viruses. But it will be back and if your kids are anything like mine, the arrival of summer means the arrival of summer germs and viruses. So don't wait until the fall to get your hands on one of these. You won't regret having it in your medicine cabinet!

EarCheck Pros:

- I've tested this out on my own ears. It's quick and painless, really.
- Small and portable. This is no bigger than an ear thermometer, and a ton more accurate!
- Last time I took my child in to have her ears checked for signs of an infection they used the same monitor. 'Nuf said.
- Affordable! The EarCheck retails for $49.95 (see below for a discount code!) and will save you hundreds in co-pays or doctor's bills.
- Has magical properties. Ever since we got this in the mail both children have been ear infection free. OK. Might not really be magical, but I'll take what I can get.

EarCheck Cons:

- I'm sorry, but I can't find any. And you all know how hard I usually try. This little tool will save you money, give you peace of mind, and help you care for your children more effectively. I can't think of anything bad about it!

EarCheck Discount Code:

Can't wait? Use the discount code TWEET20 for a 20% discount if you buy your EarCheck on the EarCheck site.

Win your very own EarCheck!

To enter:
1) Leave a comment telling me about a time you weren't sure if your child had an ear infection.
2)Tell me about a time you took what turned out to be a healthy child to the pediatrician's and came home with a sick kid.
3) Visit the EarCheck website and tell us about something you learned about ear infections.
4) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
5) Subscribe to my other blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
6) Tweet, email, blog about this giveaway.

That's a grand total of 8 ways you can enter! Please remember to leave me a way to contact you. And please, please, please, leave a separate comment for each of your entries. I can't credit you for each of them if you don't.

~~Giveaway ends Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 10pm PST. Contest only open to US residents. Sorry!~~
This giveaway is now closed, but please check out other giveaways currently running.

I received an EarCheck monitor for review, but I was in other no way compensated for this giveaway. All opinions included in this post are mine and mine alone.

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Chic Tots Travel Blanket/Bag Review

2009-05-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

If you hadn't noticed yet, babies come with stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. You can never just pick up your child and jet. No, instead you have to gather boatloads of supplies before you leave. Just to go to the park you have to remember the blanket, diapers, wipes, toys, snacks, drinks, hats, sunscreen, and even maybe a lovey. It's a pain. Literally.

No, what if instead of having to carry a bag and a blanket you could carry a bag that was a blanket? Brilliant, right? The people at Chic Tots thought so! They designed a nifty little bag that doubles as a small blanket.

While the bag wouldn't probably ever double as your regular diaper bag - it doesn't have the kinds of pockets you would probably want to stash all your usual baby paraphernalia and it doesn't close all the way - it's the perfect sidekick for a trip to the park or the beach.

Throw your diapers, toys, and snacks onto the blanket, grab the straps and pull the bag closed. When you arrive at your destination, place the bag on the ground and open it up to reveal a soft fuzzy blanket for your baby. Brilliant.

Go the extra mile and invest in the matching diaper Wristlet, which can hold a couple diapers and some wipes, and you're set for a ton of fun outings!

Chic Tots Travel Blanket/Bag Pros:

- Snazy patterns that you won't mind carrying around.
- Practical combination of blanket and bag, leaving you free to carry one less item on your outings.
- Super soft fake fur lining that will keep your baby cozy and warm.
- Can be used as a back pack, shoulder bag, tote, or stroller bag.
- Fully machine washable.

Chic Tots Travel Blanket/Bag Cons:

- The blanket is not very big, just 29x38 inches. So it's big enough for a baby to sit and play on, but not big enough for any other member of the family to share.
-The straps a bit tight, so it's not all that easy to transform the blanket into a bag. I would think that it would get easier as the bag loosens up with use.
- This isn't a one handed transformation product. You need both hands to convert the blanket into a bag or vice versa. By the same token transforming the bag into a shoulder bag or a back pack requires the use of both hands.
- The bag doesn't close completely, making it impractical as a day to day diaper bag.

As the weather warms up and the trips to the park multiply you'd do well to invest in this handy little bag. I guarantee you'll get a lot of use out of it! Chic Tots products are just about to hit the shelves at some major retailers, but in the meantime check out all their other fabulous products here.

Disclaimer: I received both the Chic Tots blanket bag and wristlet for review, but I was in no other way compensated for this post. The opinions listed here are all my own.

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Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat Winner!

2009-05-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

The winner for the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 car seat giveaway is....

Which translates to Melanie, who likes the Reese pattern and is a big fan of the Graco DuoGlider stroller and the Baby Einstein Activity Center.

Thank you to everyone who entered! Stay tuned for lots of exciting upcoming giveaways!

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Momfluence Mother's Day Gift Guide

2009-05-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

In case you hadn't noticed Mother's Day is just a couple days away. Now, I'm not saying that you have to rush out and get that special Mom in your life a mind-blowing present or five! But in case you were looking for a little something, the wonderful bloggers at Momfluence have compiled a nifty little Gift Guide, which I am excited to share with you here.

Featured Products

Chic and Carry Wristlet - Make mom’s quick trips out with baby much easier with this great product.

Miessence Organics Mothers Day Set - Every mom deserves to be pampered once in awhile, and these organic body products allow her to do just that.

Sara Lee Simply Sweets Pies - Sara Lee’s Simply Sweets line gives you a delicious way to treat Mom this Mother’s Day with a fast, easy and delicious dessert.

Children Should Come With Warning Labels - Patti McKenna offers a humorous take on motherhood, giving mom a chance to laugh, cry, and identify with her tales.

Roundhouse Designs Desktop Mobile - Roundhouse Designs origami mobiles and wall art are handcrafted creations that make a unique Mothers Day gift.

Roundhouse Designs Jewelry - Roundhouse offers a wonderful selection of handmade jewelry, with styles that are perfect for every mother on your list this Mother’s Day.

Heart of A Mother - Heart of a Mother is a gift book filled with touching tributes to Mothers and Grandmothers, inspirational short stories, poems, proverbs and quotations.

Protect-A-Bed - Protect-a-Bed waterproof mattress covers provide protection from allergens, dust mites, and bedbugs, helping to extend the life of your mattress and mom to sleep a little sweeter.

Ultimate Woman Vitamins- Make sure that mom is getting everything she needs to stay healthy and active with the Vitamin Shoppe's Ultimate Woman vitamins.

More Great Gift Ideas

April Cornell Shoulder Bag

BabyPlus System

Not Just Any Old Day Keyrings

Menu For The Week Subscription

For My Mother Reflection Journal

Vintage Body Spa

No Throw

Me Time Sportswear

Peek-A-Boobs

Kind Notes

Aventine Hill Bath Products

Treadlight Eco Snack Kit

Name Your Tune CDs

Things Remembered Charm Stories

Diaper Clutch

HJ-112 Pocket Pedometer

Lia Sophia Riverside Necklace

Lia Sophia Beaujolais Necklace

Lia Sophia Mandalay Bay Necklace

Lia Sophia Athena Necklace

Lia Sophia Love Dust Set

More Great Gift Guides
The Mom Maven

MomECentric

All reviews listed in the Momfluence gift guide were product provided to Momfluence members. Featured positions were purchased by sponsors. Member gift guides are not affiliated with Momfluence.

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Web Solution Stylist - Big Bloggy Makeover Giveaway

2009-05-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

My good friend over at Web Solution Stylist just wants one thing - to help you make your blog look the best it can.

Have you been lusting after other people's fancy unique blog designs? Have you always wanted to spruce your place up, but never thought you could afford it?

Well, think again. Getting a blog makeover doesn't have to break the bank. And for one of you lucky readers, it's even going to be free. Yes. Free. Because Elizabeth rocks.

Web Solution Stylist is giving away a "Middle of the Road Design," (valued at $85) which includes:

Custom Header
Background

2-3 Customized Columns

Custom Signature

Installation

To enter:
1) Leave a comment letting me know how long you've wanted a redesign.
2) Leave a comment letting me know which of the three sites listed in the Web Solution Stylist portfolio page is your favorite.
3 )Leave a comment letting us know about your absolute favorite blog designs ever.
4) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
5) Subscribe to my other blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
6) Tweet, email, blog about this giveaway.

That's a grand total of 8 ways you can enter! Please remember to leave me a way to contact you. And please, please, please, leave a separate comment for each of your entries. I can't credit you for each of them if you don't.

~~Giveaway ends Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 10pm PST.~~

This contest is no closed. Thank you for stopping by, please be sure to check out all the other giveaways that are open.

I was in no way compensated for this giveaway.

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Mamapedia - Where Parenting Questions Get Answered

2009-05-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

It's 2:00 a.m. and your three month old is crying...again. You're a first time mother, and while you've got a ton of questions, you called your mom at 2:00 in the morning last night about that crazy looking diaper, your best friend the night before about the weird rash on your baby's back, and all your Twitter friends seem to be off line, so you really need to get through this one on your own.

But where can you turn?

The brilliant people at Mamapedia took the wisdom of thousands and thousands of moms and made is searchable! You can head to the computer with that screaming infant in your arms and type,

"Why does my baby cry so much at night?"

And this is what you'll find - an article about a mom who asked a question titled "Sleepless Nights with a 13 week old" and the responses of forty-four moms. You can read those forty-four answers while bouncing your baby, and with a little luck by the time you are through your infant will be fast asleep and you will feel better.

To launch this new mom resource, the Momfluence network and Resourceful Mommy are throwing a party. Join them on Twitter this Friday, May 8th, from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. eastern time. They, along with mom experts in a variety of parenting areas, will be discussing multiples, kid crafting, health and safety, potty training, home schooling, and a ton more parenting topics.

During the party, details about a "What Can I Learn Today?" contest will be revealed...along with an incredible grand prize.

Join in on the fun by RSVP'ing here!

This event and this post brought to you by Momfluence: rocking the cradle and shaping the world.

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For My Mother - Reflection Journal - Review

2009-05-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

The best gift you can ever give your mom is memories. Pictures of favorite moments, beautiful Mother's Days, or, even better, a journal compiling stories, thoughts, and reflections on your relationship.

Now, not all moms are into sentimental stuff. My mother for one might possibly roll her eyes if I ever sent her something as touchy-feely as a journal filled with reflections on our relationship. But I know quite a few moms who would cry over this adorable book created by Lil' Angels Gifts.

Each page of the For My Mother journal features a writing prompt like "I'm proud to have you as my mother because..." or "A hard lesson you've taught me, but I'm thankful for..." and plenty of space, three whole pages of space in fact, for you to write in the answer. It won't take you just five minutes to fill out this journal, but when you're done you'll have a lovely book compiling all the positive aspects of what might be one of the most complex relationships in your life.

For My Mother journal pros:

- The book is made with lovely quality paper - smooth and thick.
- The writing prompts are basic, but cover everything you'd ever want your mom to know, but probably never get a chance to say.
- The table of contents located at the front and the numbered pages make it easy to quickly skip to the section of your choice.

For My Mother journal cons:

- I wish that the book weren't just spiral bound. Even though it's a thick substantial spiral, I feel that a journal like this would benefit from having a real book binding.
- This really is a very sentimental look at the mother-child relationship, some funny prompts might have made it a bit more palatable for moms like mine who get a bit uncomfortable when stuff gets too touchy-feely.

Where you can find the For My Mother journal:
This journal is sold on the Lil' Angels Gifts site for $23.99.

Disclosure: I am not affiliated with Lil' Angels Gifts and I was not paid for this review though I did receive the product for free. I won't be sending it to my mother. She'd roll her eyes. But I might be sending it to my mother-in-law. She won't roll her eyes, instead she might cry. They're different like that.

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Barbie Thumbelina DVD Winner

2009-04-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

The Barbie Thumbelina DVD winner is number...

Which translates to Tami. Congratulations! I'll be sending you an email shortly.

Thank you all for entering the giveaway! Be sure to stop by often to see all the other great giveaways I post weekly!

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Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat Review & Giveaway

2009-04-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

First there's the infant car seat, then the convertible car seat, then a first booster, sometimes followed by a second booster. Car seats are like maternity clothes, you think you're going to need just one kind, then you realize that little bodies grow the exact same way your pregnant body grew. Obvious, right? But who would have also guessed that their car seat needs would grow right along with them?

The beauty of the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat is that it allows your child to grow at his own rate. Start out using it as a 5 point harness slightly reclined car seat and as your child grows graduate to using it as a booster with a supportive back, and finally as a backless booster. The fact that you only have to buy one car seat that does all three is really quite ingenious!

Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat Pros:
- Memory foam padding for extra comfort.
- Adjustable headrest.
- Large range of patterns and colors to chose from.
- Cup holder and secret armrest compartment for stashing toys.
- Three reclining positions.
- Extended five point harness designed to hold a 65lb child.
- Graco build and attention to detail.
- It retails between $150 and $180, a really great price for such a highly safety rated car seat.

Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat Cons:
- The Nautilus isn't designed to be used rear facing. So if your child outgrows his infant car seat before turning one you'll need to also purchase a convertible car seat until he can sit forward facing.
- It's not the easiest car seat to take apart and clean in case of a spill or a car sick incident. That said, once you have managed to remove the car seat cover all of it is fully machine washable!

Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat Giveaway!

I am beyond thrilled to be giving away a Nautilus car seat to one lucky Lemonade Stand winner!

To enter:
1) Visit the Nautilus section of the Graco Baby website and leave a comment letting me know which Nautilus car seat pattern you covet.
2) Explore the rest of the Graco Baby website and let me know what other products you love.
3) Tell me about your favorite Graco product.
4) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
5) Subscribe to my other blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
6) Tweet, email, blog about this giveaway.

That's a grand total of 8 ways you can enter! Please remember to leave me a way to contact you. And please, please, please, leave a separate comment for each of your entries. I can't credit you for each of them if you don't.

~~Giveaway ends Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 10pm PST.~~

****This giveaway is officially closed!****
Thank you for stopping by. Make sure to check out all my other great giveaways!

I was in no way compensated for this review or this giveaway and I am only affiliated with Graco as a Brand Ambassador which is a non paying position.

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Spud Bunny Giveaway Winner

2009-04-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

The winner for the Spud Bunny Mr Potato Head is...

... which translates to... Sarah Walton!
Congratulations Sarah! I'm emailing you right now.

Quick note. Sarah was not the first winner that Random.org picked. The first winner entered multiple times and didn't leave a way for me to contact her. Please. If you enter giveaways, here, anywhere, make sure the blogger can contact you!

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Celebrating Earth Day with Barbie and Thumbelina (Giveaway!)

2009-04-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to say that here at The Lemonade Stand we're celebrating Earth Day with Barbie's very own Thumbelina. No really, it's true!

First we watched the Barbie Thumbelina movie. Over and over and over again. I didn't have my hopes up when I first popped it into the DVD player, because, well, I might have a bit of a preconceived notion of "straight to DVD" movies, but the movie delivered in a big way. It's a lovely story about a spoiled little girl who gets over herself by learning a bit about nature and what she can do to save the field inhabited by Thumbelina's people, the Twillerbees.

The lessons in the movie aren't overbearing and the story stands up to being told over and over again, which is a great thing, because I have a feeling we're not done watching it yet!

Once C was good and ~~obsessed~~ familiar with the movie I broke out the Thumbelina Doll. First of all, I have to praise Mattel for the awesome ecofriendly 100% recyclable packaging. Nothing like a product that does what it preaches. The doll was relatively easy to take out, and, once I'd put all the ties and cardboard in the recycling bin I turned my attention to figuring out the product itself.

Our Thumbelina Doll came with a nifty little gadget that allows her to hide in her flower and pop out at the touch of a button. After a few tries C figured out how much strength to apply to get the mechanism to work and was delighted with the effect. It's a cute toy, which will undoubtedly get lots of play in our house!

Barbie Thumbelina Pros:
- The movie is sweet and teaches a great ecofriendly lesson just in time for Earth Day. Your child will walk away with a greater respect for flowers and the secrets they might contain.
- The doll is nicely constructed and opens the door to a whole new world of play.

Barbie Thumbelina Cons:
- The mechanism on the toy is a bit hard to work for little hands and I think that it will soon be forgotten in favor of more imaginative play in our house. C would rather let Thumbelina fly through the sky than pop out of her flower, but maybe that's just us!

All in all, I'm giving the Barbie Thumbelina line a big thumbs up. It's a lovely alternative to the more traditional Barbies and to those other flying characters, if you know what I mean. wink wink.

Barbie Thumbelina Giveaway:
We're giving away one Barbie Thumbelina Movie to a lucky Lemonade Stand winner!

To enter:
1) Leave a comment letting me know about your own or your child's Barbie memories.
2) Tell me what you have planned for Earth Day 2009 or how you teach your child about the importance of nature.
3) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
4) Subscribe to my other blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
5) Tweet, email, blog about this giveaway.

That's a grand total of 7 ways you can enter! Please remember to leave me a way to contact you. And please, please, please, leave a separate comment for each of your entries. I can't credit you for each of them if you don't.

~~Giveaway ends Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 10pm PST, just in time for Earth Day!~~ This giveaway is officially closed! Thank you for stopping by. Make sure to check out all my other great giveaways!

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Great Crayola Spring Giveaway Winner!

2009-04-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

Drum roll please....

The winner of the Great Crayola Spring Giveaway Winner is...... which translates to Summer!

Congratulations Summer! I hope you have a blast with all the Crayola goodness!

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Corneille - The Birth of Cornelius CD Winner

2009-04-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

The winner of The Birth of CorneliusCD is...

... which translates to "Janet and Maya" of Maya's Heartsong.

Congratulations Janet! I hope you enjoy the new music in your life!

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