I've Moved!!

Please join me here! Mom blogger Cat from 3 kids and us moved me over this past weekend. She did a fabulous job, and I urge you to come check it out and stay for a while!! :D Hope to see you there!

Winners!

Eebee's Adventures DVD:

Sara said... 35

The baby cloth books look great, my 6 month old needs some books of his own since his 2 year old brother doesn't want his paper books destroyed. THank you for entering me for the DVD giveaway. Have a great night!
Sara
seewhatisgoodatgmaildotcom

March 30, 2009 8:31 PM

and the winner of the Name This Recipe....goes to Amanda. I used judges, (my husband and my mom) because they were unbiased. I did like how my name was included in this though.

Creamy Taratini

Congratulations ladies! I will email you shortly for your info!

Aloha Friday

Aloha Friday is brought to you by An Island Life, head on over, sign mister linky and join in the fun!

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

My Question This Week:

How early do you wake up every morning? Do you wake up earlier during the week and sleep in the weekends?

From the advice of a good friend, I've started waking up a little earlier during the week. I used to wake up when the first child woke up. She was right though, it's nice to get up have my coffee and have a little "me time" before the little ones get up! Which is exactly what I'm doing right now! Our whole family tends to sleep in an extra hour on Sundays, not sure how we got in the habit of it. Sunday is definitely our laziest day though.

The next HOH for ANTB is up!!! GO VOTE!

For me that is! http://www.momdot.com/hoh-begins-now/

This link will bring you to the next challenge, and I need you to vote for Tara Through Hazel Eyes. Please! Thank you so much!

If you do I will give you 10 EXTRA ENTRIES into every giveaway I have up for the month!

Voting ends 7 pm central.

A Thousand Words Thursday

Pictured here are my two in the middle and good friends of ours boys' on either side.

A happy Easter was had by all this year! We had a fantastically beautiful day outside and really just enjoyed each others company, ate good food, and drank good wine(the adults that is)!

For more A Thousand Words Thursday head to Cheaper than Therapy, hosted by The Mom Jen!

America's Next Top Blogger

If you haven't tuned in yet, than you need to! Momdot is hosting America's Next Top Blogger and I am very proud to say I am a part of it! It has been fun and hilarious to say the least. The most recent veto challenge was to put on 6 shirts, 6 pair of socks, 1 pair of shoes, 1 skirt, 2 coats, and at least 3 accessories. Now I did not win this round, because I was laughing to darn hard to go any faster! I am still in the game though, so go watch and see who becomes America's Next Top Blogger!

Happy Green Bee-Review and Giveaway

About Happy Green Bee:

Roxanne Quimby, who has an amazing history herself, started Happy Green Bee when she saw a void in children's clothing. All I have to say is wow! Roxanne is truly amazing and I encourage you to view her video on Happy Green Bees press page from the Today Show.

Happy Green Bee has a simple philosophy, "We created Happy Green Bee so that a child can be a child, first and foremost," Quimby explains. "By using organic cotton, a comfortable and practical fabric, and simple bee-striped patterns, children feel as comfortable as they look while their parents take a small step in making a big difference in the environment their children live in."

What I love:

I love that every item made at Happy Green Bee is made 100% organic. There are so many reasons to buy organic. For me it is important to buy organic, because I feel like I am taking even better care of my family. Knowing that the materials that touch their skin are 100% organic give me assurance. Not only is the organic fiber better for their skin, but it is oh so soft! The colors are bright and vibrant. They remain bright and vibrant after washing, and also the fabric does not shrink or stretch.

Included in my Happy Green Bee package was some information on how they are a Fair Trade organization. Now I am still learning about Fair Trade myself, but here is a quote from Wikipediea "Fair trade's strategic intent is to work with marginalized producers and workers in order to help them move towards economic self-sufficiency and stability."


Happy Green Bee was so nice to provide The Petal Dress in the Watermelon/Sky color for Olivia.
Immediately upon opening I noticed how soft the dress felt. Olivia also was very comfortable crawling and cruising in her dress. Now Olivia is 20 lbs, and I requested the size "medium" (20-25 lbs.), just in case. I always round up when ordering for her. The dress was just a little big, but honestly still looks very cute on! I would almost recommend going big, because now she can wear it as a longer dress, and I'm sure it will last her at least a couple more inches of growth before it becomes too short. It was a little cooler the day she wore it, so when we headed out for errands I just threw on some leggings in a fun color! She received compliments everywhere we went!

To Buy:

You can purchase your own Petal Dress, among many other items from Happy Green Bee for just $36.00.

To Win:

Happy Green Bee has generously offered one of my readers their choice of up to $50 in merchandise! You get to choose what you would like as long as it does not exceed $50.

Visit Happy Green Bee, and then come back here and in the comments tell me what you would choose!

Additional Entries:

~add me to your blogroll
~follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway(unlimited, 1 entry every time you tweet)
~blog about this giveaway and link back here (5 entries)
~subscribe to my blog via email
~grab my button
~fave me in technorati

Contest ends April 30th, when I will choose a winner via random.org. Winner will have 72 hours to respond.

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesday go here!

Sneak Peak

Into the Birthday Bash! I'm going to show you a couple photos that include something Kerri from Monkey Bum Baby Designs made for Ryan and Olivia. Kerri has provided amazing customer service. She responds to emails quickly and ships items out quickly. Monkey Bum Baby Designs is a top notch business! Not to mention, Kerri is a participating sponsor in The Birthday Bash!

Ryan is pictured here wearing a belt that Kerri made. Don't worry, everything is custom made to ensure that it will fit your little one! I know I'm making you squint to see it as Ryan did not want a picture showing off his belt because that meant showing his belly, he told me. I can assure you that he, his father and I all love the belt though! There are many other colors to choose from as well!

Here is Olivia pictured in her tutu. Seriously, the most precious tutu ever. We had fun taking photos in this. Every aspiring ballerina need one! Kerri also has a variety of colors to choose from for the tutu.

We've also received 2 head bands a pacifier/toy clip and 2 clippies that are not pictured, but I promise are just as sweet. Thank you Kerri (Monkey Bum Baby Designs)!!

Promote Your Blog, Promote Your Product-Pitch Bloggers

Are you a PR rep looking for new blogs to share your product? Or maybe you are a blog looking for PR reps? If you answered yes to either question, Pitch Bloggers is probably the place for you.

At Pitch Bloggers they understand both sides of the Blogosphere and have made it possible to bring many blogs and PR reps to one place. What you need to do is go to the Pitch Bloggers website and start by registering. You will fill out a form and agree to be an ethical blogger. After, you can register to become a part of the forum.

You will find a plethora of information there from both sides of the fence and likely meet people just like you, whether you are looking for a specific item to review or if you are looking to get the name of your item out there!

I am an ethical blogger, are you?

Pure and Little Winner!

Momma said... 97

I love the footed coveralls and the line of baby detergent. such a great idea!

April 6, 2009 12:28 PM

Congratulations Momma!! I will be emailing you shortly and you will have 72 hours to respond with your info.

Thank you to all of you who entered!

Silly Putty

Dear Sir or Mam,

While I do wish to tell you that my son absolutely adores your invention of Silly Putty, I have to say that at the moment I am not a fan. I've scoured the Silly Putty website and online in general to no avail for a solution to our problem. Against the wishes of both of his parents my 4 year old son decided to sneak his brand new ball of silly putty into his bed with him last night. Now, I would like to mention that it was an "Easter Bunny" at a different location from our house that provided the silly putty, as we were not quite sure if this was something we were ready for him to own yet. He loved this new found silly putty so we let him keep it. Back to what happened. At 4 a.m., in the precious hours of the morning, today, my husband and I were awoken to the wails of a desperate child. One who decided to sneak silly putty into his room. One who had silly putty ground into his skin, sheets, blankets, pajamas and stuffed animals. Now while we were able to remove the silly putty from his skin with a baby wipe, the rest remains ground in. I do not hold this against the Silly Putty company, but would love for some guidance. Thank you.

Signed,

Drowning in Silly Putty

Frecklebox

Today I'm sharing with you a company that I know I will be using over and over again for my personalized gift needs. Frecklebox is an amazing company that offers personalized gifts for kids, books, stickers and more!

About Frecklebox:

Mark and Scott founded Frecklebox through inspiration of their children and a company they had created years ago.

(from the website) Frecklebox is on a mission to educate and entertain. So we conceived this here web-based business to offer truly unique, personalized gifts for children at affordable prices. The site makes it quick and easy to customize each item so it prominently features the name of the child who will receive the gift. Our entertaining selection of books, posters and personalized items are designed to delight your children and friends.

Why I love Frecklebox:

Frecklebox was kind enough to let me chose something to review for each of my children. I chose a personalized book for each Ryan and Olivia as we read very often in our house. From the time I told Mark what I would like and the time the package arrived it took less than 5 business days. Not only was it delivered in a very timely fashion but manuevering around their website is easy! You're able to review exactly what you are getting, and the prices are very affordable.


Ryan is always curious when a package arrives at our door and a little bummed when it isn't something he can use. I was very excited when I saw the return address on this particular box that arrived and let him dig in. He pulled out the book "Ryan Goes to the Zoo" and the excitement that radiated was priceless. He pointed out that there was also a book for Olivia and then, wait, something for me as well! Mark was so kind to also include a mermaid themed puzzle with my name that Ryan and I enjoyed putting together with each other.

We received 2 soft bound books and a puzzle that both were made of very durable material. The books are not flimsy at all for being soft bound. The pages are coated, they are made of a material that my 10 month old can not chew through which is important! We've thoroughly enjoyed working with Frecklebox, and I know I will be back!

To Buy:

You can purchase your very own Frecklebox personalized gift for a special child in your life on their website. They have gifts to offer ranging in price from 3.95 to 34.95. I know you will be just as pleased as I!

Small Talk Six-Breakfast Food

Today’s topic is “6 breakfast foods that you love or hate.” You can answer this with a list of 6 words, 6 phrases, 6 sentences, 6 paragraphs, 6 photos, 6 videos, etc . .

I LOVE breakfast food whether it be actually for breakfast, or we'll eat it at lunch and dinner as well! I cannot think of a breakfast food I hate, so I'm going with six I love.

1. my buttermilk pancakes, I make them with applesauce instead of cooking oil and I may be biased they are to die for. I could post the recipe if anyone is interested?

2. maple sausage, preferably patties

3. bagels with cream cheese, I eat these almost every single morning. I still love them.

4. doughnuts

5. omelets

6. hashbrowns, any form of hashbrown or potato for that matter

For more small talk six head to momdot!

Protect A Bub- A Spectacular Deal!

A little about Protect a Bub:

(from the website) Protect-a-Bub’s roots flow “down under” to Australia where the incidence of skin cancer is the highest in the world. Nine years ago, after Karen Clark-Dickson’s unsuccessful search for a sunshade to adequately protect her baby from the harsh Australian sun, she designed her own. Following countless requests from other parents “to make just one more,” Karen established Protect-a-Bub.

What I Love:

I had the opportunity to review a Protect-a-Bub Sunshade for our stroller. Just in time for our little vacation that we took last week. Now, while my baby had fallen asleep and was reclined all the way back, my nephew did not want to go to sleep and he wanted to sit up. There was one problem though, the sun was in his eyes and it didn't matter which way we were going, he was miserable. So, I pulled out the Protect-a-Bub and in less than 2 minutes we had it attached to Wyatts' stroller. He was a happy camper again who could see, yet was now in the shade.

Sunshades are not the only thing that Protect-a-Bub carries though!

They "Weather it all, winter, spring, summer and fall". If you are looking for protection under any outdoor element, Protect-a-Bub is the place to look. Which brings me to the Spectacular savings they have to offer on swimsuits and swim hats right now!



JUST IN TIME FOR SUMMER:

You can purchase a swimsuit, swim hat or paint your own swim hat at cost. The swimsuits are selling for just $9.00, while the swim hats are just $6.00! To receive this amazing deal you need to email them at info@protectabub.com and put in the subject line "swimsuit". In the email include the colors and sizes you would like. There are several colors to choose from for both the hats and swim suits. I don't know about you, but I'm off to order 2 myself!

Somebody's turning 1! Birthday Bash-RSVP here

Starting May 1st thru May 8th I will be hosting a Birthday Bash in honor of miss Olivia's 1st Birthday coming at the end of May.

I do hope you will be able to attend! I have some very incredible sponsors for this including but not limited to Graco, Little Miss Matched, Monkey Bum baby Designs and Golden Sew Cute.I will be hosting one giveaway per day for the length of the bash.

Please feel free to grab the Birthday Bash button from my right side bar and post about it on your blog with a link back if you're planning to attend any of it! Well, you can post the button if you're not planning on attending as well, let everyone know!!

I would like to give Karen from ABOG Designs and 3 Garnets and 2 Sapphires a big THANK YOU for making the fabulous Birthday Bash Button for me. It was done within 15 minutes of me emailing her, awesome customer service!

So, a recap, grab the button and let me know in this post if you think you might be attending! Hope to see you here!

Aloha Friday

Aloha Friday is brought to you by An Island Life, head on over, sign mister linky and join in the fun!

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

my question this week:

Is there anything quirky about you?

Something, of the many things that are quirky about me is the way I eat a salami sandwich. First it has to be hard salami, I don't like that other kind (cotto?), and there has to be Dorritos on the sandwich. Not next to, but on.

Name This Recipe, Win a CookBook!

I love to eat, I love to cook. What I don't love is spending enormous amounts of time doing either, especially with two kiddos running and crawling around at my feet! Don't get me wrong, there are certain occasions when that meal that takes hours to make is worth it, like when my husband is home.

I'm going to share with you a recipe that took me literally 15 minutes to make from the prep to getting it on the table. This recipe rooted from the fact that I don't like most alfredo sauces, and both my son and husband love them. I had to come up with a white sauce that we would all love, to save mine and my husbands marriage (just kidding).

What you need:

• 1lb boneless skinless chicken, sliced or cubed
  
• 8 0z garden vegetable Philadelphia Cream Cheese (or any variety you prefer)
• about 1/2 cup milk
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 to 1 lb pasta, any variety, I chose rotini tonight
• 1/2 pack of ranch dip mix, the powder
• red and or yellow peppers, sliced
  

For my side dish tonight I chose one of my favorite spring veggies, asparagus. I also chose that because that is what had on hand and what is on sale at the grocery store this week.

I start by putting the water on the stove to boil for my pasta.

I also start the steaming process for the asparagus, which consists of a pot with a colander the vegetable sits in and a lid. 10-15 min. and my vegetable will be done.

While I'm waiting for that, I cook the tbsp of olive oil mixed with the ranch dip mix over medium heat.

I start cutting up chicken and immediately toss into the olive oil mix. I let that cook almost all the way through and then toss in the red and yellow peppers that I sliced while the chicken was cooking.

By this time my water is boiling and I pour in my pasta.

Now my chicken is cooked. I add the entire contents of the cream cheese tub into my chicken mixture. I let that melt into it a little and then add the milk. I stir and let cook just for another couple minutes.

Now everything is done! My asparagus is cooked so there is just that little bit of a crisp, I sprinkle a little garlic salt on the asparagus. The pasta and chicken are also ready. You can either mix the pasta with the chicken before serving or after, I prefer to do it after. I serve with white wine, Pinot Grigio tonight. Voila! Quick, easy meal that my entire family loves.

If the details are sketchy and you have any questions, just shoot me an email. I am not an experienced recipe typist!



Oh yeah, I almost forgot! This recipe does not have a name, so the person who comes up with best suited name for this recipe will win one of my favorite cookbooks!

Love Your Hair and the Tools You Use

How to Maximize the Life of Your Styling Tools

If you're the type of lady that is always looking up the latest beauty tips and experimenting with your hairstyle, you know just how important it is to have high quality products. Ceramic and/or tourmaline hair straighteners like the T3 tourmaline, a great (preferably ionic) hair dryer, and CHI curling irons are three products that will allow you to achieve numerous looks. Remember that in most cases buying top of the line supplies is well worth the initial investment. Once you have your bathroom drawers fully stocked, it's important to maintain and care for your tools so they will last for many years to come.

Keep Them Looking (and Working) Like New

• One of the biggest reasons why hair straighteners and curling irons stop delivering the flawless results they should is product build-up. An important part of maintaining a flat iron is keeping the plates clean. There are cleaners available that are specifically designed to remove gel, hairspray, and other product build-up. Spritz a small amount onto a soft cloth and gently but thoroughly wipe the plates. Don't do this when straighteners and irons are hot, they should only be slightly warm. Keeping plates clean will preserve the product and reduce damage to your hair.


• Another point to keep in mind is that you should never click the plates of your straightener together, whether you own a T3 tourmaline or a less expensive product. Doing so can cause the plates to chip, which will reduce the life of the product.


• Always turn off and unplug products and store them in a protective carrying case when they are not in use. You will reduce the chances they will be damaged, keep them looking like new, and prolong their life by doing so.


• Use a heat-resistant pad. This is more to protect your counters than your beauty products, but it's still a wise idea.

Looking After Your Hair Dryer

Many beauty tips tell women how to properly use a hair dryer, but it's important to know how to look after the actual product too. Remember, those beauty tips will only be useful if you're using a well-looked-after product.

• Don't wrap the cord around your hair dryer. This is probably the most common mistake people make. It shouldn't be done because it can cause the cord to fray or wear away, and once this happens you'll have to spend the money for a whole new dryer.


• Keep dryers unplugged whenever they aren't being used to extend their life.


• This probably goes without saying, but keep the product away from water at all times, and don't use it if it's been dropped in a filled tub or if water has been spilled on it.


• Keep the air openings clear. When the openings get clogged up with lint or dirt, it can cause the dryer to stop working. Do your best to keep them clear so your dryer can work the way it should.

No matter how much you plan to spend, you want your supplies to last as long as possible, and following the tips above will help ensure that they do.

The Monster Who Ate My Peas

I just wanted to take a moment and tell everyone about one of our favorite stories, The Monster Who Ate My Peas. We first borrowed this book from the library, and then had to purchase it because Ryan loved it so much. Would you like to know that Ryan actually, finally, tried peas after we read this, among other things he wouldn't try before!




Here is a snippet of Rob reading the story to Ry last night...



Keep your eyes peeled because I have another very awesome book or two that I'm going to share with you, that came from a very awesome company. I'm very excited to share them with you!