October 31, 2008

Have a safe and happy Halloween!  Have fun with the kiddos

Technorati Tags: Happy Halloween, Halloween

Holidays 3 Comments

October 30, 2008

For an awesomely wide variety of unique, fresh and contemporary swag for tots, Spunky Sprout is just the place to virtually peruse.  From modern, artistically influenced dollhouses to uniquely designed but still functional baby bassinets, to chic maternity and children’s clothes, to all natural baby care products, Spunky Sprout is pretty much an online extravaganza of super fresh designs for kids and parents who demand unparalleled quality and innovative products for everyday living and playing.  Celebrities love ‘em, but I promise you there’s something for even those of us who don’t have Angelina’s deep pockets.  (Yes, they have do have sales.)

The wide variety of beautifully designed children’s furniture and decor makes me positively drool as we prepare for baby #2, but it’s the selection of such distinctive, awesomely enjoyable toys and children’s bath and mealtime products that keep me enraptured.  Some of the brands and designers featured at Spunky Sprout include Koeka, Little Twig, Oeuf NYC, Kate Quinn Organics, OiOi, Sweet Shoes, Kay Bojesen and much more.  Rest assured, Spunky Sprout doesn’t ignore the child’s mind: there is also a wide variety of children’s books available.

[psst.. keep reading for coupon code AND giveaway information!]

(Read the rest of the entry…)

Giveaways, Reviews 10 Comments

October 29, 2008

If you haven’t checked out my book review of Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven, please do so!  P.S.- The title’s kind of a joke.  Seriously, what publisher would print this book if it wasn’t just a ridiculously oxymoronic title meant to grab you by the ‘nads?  If you don’t believe me here’s an excerpt from the book.. it focuses on HEALTHY and NOT SKINNY:

(Read the rest of the entry…)

Book Reviews, Previews No comments

October 28, 2008

Have you ever just looked at your kid’s latest spelling test and shook your head wishing you there was a way you could help your child master these spelling words that have so stumped her without the frustration of a mommy and me study session?  Let’s face it, of course a child might want help, but not all kids want you to sit in front of them  spewing spelling words at ‘em.

That’s where SpellQuizzer Spelling Software comes in.  Originally created by software engineer Dan Hite as a means to help his own children with their spelling homework, SpellQuizzer is now available to any and all parents who want a simple, easy and straightforward way to help make studying for that spelling quiz easy peasy.  With an easy to learn interface reminiscent of Windows 95, parents have the option to download pre-populated 4th grade spelling lists provided on the SpellQuizzer site or create custom lists filled with spelling words for their children.

(Read the rest of the entry…)

Education, Reviews, Software No comments

October 27, 2008

How would you like to win a Turtle Chex Mix Bars Basket of Indulgence Spa Prize Pack?  Oh you know you do!

So how about these Turtle Chex Mix Bars, huh?  They’re full of the whole wheat goodness of the Chex we all know and love, kicked up with peanuts, caramel, pretzels and oh so sweet chocolate.  They’re portable, and each bar is just 130 calories and have 4g of fiber with 8g of whole grains per bar.

Altogether, I’ll be giving away THREE Baskets of Indulgence, each containing a box of Turtle Chex Mix Bars, chocolate candles, ultra yummy Truly Luscious Caramel Buttercream whipped body lotion by Freeman, a loofah, hand massager, a spa towel and a nail brush.  One of the baskets of indulgence is reserved for one of my newsletter subscribers, who received an early heads up about this giveaway, but the other two are up for grabs from any and all my readers out there in the blogosphere.

To enter, fill out this short entry form.  Keep in mind it is not necessary to input your mailing information with the entry, however if you do not respond to the winners’ email within 48 hours with your shipping address, I will have to choose another winner.  The deadline to enter is November 7, 2008 @ 11:59pm.  You must have a US mailing address to be eligible.

*Attention newsletter subscribers: you can enter both the exclusive giveaway as well the open giveaway, but you can only win one of the baskets*

Good luck

Technorati Tags: chex mix, turtle chex mix bars, chex mix bars, Basket of Indulgence, giveaway, contest

Giveaways, Yummy Food 2 Comments

October 26, 2008

I’ve been tagged again… and TWICE! This first one’s from the Jolly Mom.  Okay, so yeah, both tags are pretty similar to the last one I did.  This one is for 8 random things about moi and 8 tag-ees.

1. When I get my bouts of insomnia that have been happening even before I became preggo again, I swear there are these noises in the house..
2. When I was like 9 years old, I would watch Grease over and over again.  Come on, Olivia Newton John belting out Hopelessly Devoted to You?  It’s a classic!
3. If I could eat, sleep and pretty much live at Borders Books amongst all those glorious books, I so would.
4. The last movie we saw at the theater is Quarantine, which, to be perfectly honest, irritated me more than anything else.  To think, it was the first time the hubby and I  had been able to go to the movies in months!  I thought it was going to dazzle me the way 28 Days Later did, but no….
5. I’m not a big fan of winters.  Good thing I don’t live farther up north than I do.
6. When I gave birth to my son, I learned how absolutely excruciatingly painful it could be when the Doc has to break your water for you ‘cuz you’re already 8 cm dilated.
7. Stretch marks plague me.  Stupid genes.
8. I really like Naked Juice’s Green Machine Superfood drink.

And the tagees: Living Life to the Fullest, Not Just a Mama, Small Town Mommy, On the Verge, Mother’s Got a Dot Com, The Wise (Young) Mommy, Cutie Booty Cakes, and It’s Nap Time

Tag #2 is from Proud Mommy, and this one is for 6 random things about me with 6 to pass the torch to.

1. I absolutely positively loved the Sailor Moon anime series when I was 12.  It’s all full of magic moon powers, princesses, action and romance.  What’s not to love?
2. Cabbage patch dolls creep me out.
3. For years I couldn’t live without my MAC studio tech.  Then I realized that it wasn’t always necessary to use such a heavy (albeit still AWESOME) foundation all the time.
4. I feel like my ipod was such a waste of money.  I got the classic one right before the ipod touch came out (which I ended up buying my husband for his birthday), and it’s pretty un-awesome compared to the ipod touch.
5. We watch the Cars movie every. single. day. in this house.  Did I mention that littleQ loves cars?
6. I took surfing lessons once when I was 16 and it was.. not as easy as it looks.

And the tagees: Blessed Sanctuary, Mommy’s Little Corner, Stay at Home Mom, Regionz Kidz, One at a Time, Soccer Mom Says

Tag, you’re it!

Technorati Tags: tagged, blogging

WWW 9 Comments

October 26, 2008

The New Mom’s Survival Guide by Jennifer Wider, M.D., is a book for moms about How to reclaim your body, your health, your sanity, and your sex life after having a baby.  What’s unique, fresh and different about this book, you ask?  Well, it’s geared towards moms who know that they do still need to take care of themselves to be a good mother.  Post partum, we know there it no end to the number of books we can choose from for baby care advice.  This book is full of mommy-care advice, divided into sections with titles like Your Healthy Self, Your Sexy Self and Losing Your Extra Self.

Dr. Wider covers a wide range of post-partum health concerns, providing you with answers to many common, and maybe not so common, after-preggo health questions and concerns you may have.  For those of you worried about your relationship with the hubby, there’s plenty of information regarding what’s going down with your hoo-ha down there now that you’ve popped out the little one.  Your questions to basic skin questions like melasma, skin tags, varicose veins and dreaded stretch marks are answered.  There’s a section about why you might be, um, just a bit incontinent (#1 and #2), and also what to do if your child gets the croup or pinkeye.  If your boobies are sore from breastfeeding, or if you might have a plugged duct, find out what to do.

You’ll find advice on how to still keep a healthy relationship with your spouse and your friends.  You’ll find advice on what to do if you’re not feeling so hot emotionally and mentally.  You’ll find advice on how to be and stay healthy.

The parenting book market is saturated with books about what to do with baby, but what do you do with yourself to make sure that you can?  Dr. Wider’s The New Mom’s Survival Guide will help you answer those questions, and you’ll learn about a bunch of health issues that affect new moms that you may not have known about yet.  I like it not because it’s a book for moms, but because it’s all about our health and our sanity as moms.

I’m giving away a copy of The New Mom’s Survival Guide (US $15.00 value) to one lucky reader! 

To enter, fill out this short form with your information.  The deadline to enter is 11:59pm EST on November 4, 2008.  To be eligible, you must have a US or Canadian mailing address.  For a second chance at winning, mention this contest on your blog and comment on this post with a link back to that post

I’m changing the rules of my giveaways from here on in, by the way.  You don’t have to enter your shipping information to enter, but if I don’t get an email response from the winner within 48 hours after I let her know she’s won, then another winner will be chosen.

Learn more about Dr. Jennifer Wider at her website: http://www.drwider.com/.

Read an excerpt from the book:

(Read the rest of the entry…)

Book Reviews No comments

October 25, 2008

We took littleQ pumpkin picking yesterday at Colonial Spring Farms. Of course, he just had to bring his toy cars with him. (He’s pretty much obsessed with his huge and ever growing car collection, he’s got matchbox, hot wheels, McQueen, a mini stock car track… yikies, well I’ll go into more detail with that another day.)

Pumpkins!

Colonial Spring Farms is great! They have a bunch of different types of fresh apples for sale, and and there’s even a mini petting zoo with some pigs and goats. (..And maybe a few other animals to tell you honestly littleQ wasn’t too keen on taking a walk over to that area because of the smell, so I’m not sure.) There’s a big corn maze for adults, plus a kid’s play area, with this big ‘ol mini silo looking thing with a tube slide. littleQ definitely enjoyed that, but the steps up were pretty high so I went down with him a couple of times. I’m pretty sure I looked ridiculous, but hey.

I guess on the weekends there are hayrides as well, but there weren’t any yesterday. I’m sure Colonial Springs farm is far busier on the weekends, but I still definitely like this place above other pumpkin picking “farms” around here, because it’s got this homey atmosphere, and you don’t have corny freaking people with fake “farm” accents in your face trying to sell you stuff and charging you $10 bucks to walk through tall corn stalks. Oh, and even though it’s just a week till Halloween, they still have some pretty pumpkins left, unlike other farms that would only have rotted, bruised and smashed ones left in the “pumpkin field.” You can tell I’ve had some bad pumpkin picking experiences, huh?

Oh well, I’m happy. We got ourselves a pretty pumpkin that didn’t cost $100, a bottle of sweet long island honey from master beekeeper Fred Munzer, and a tasty candy apple that was chilled and oh-so-delicious.

Technorati Tags: pumpkin picking, halloween, Long Island, Colonial Springs Farm

A Mama's Life 6 Comments

October 23, 2008

Halloween is just about a week away, then after that the frenzied marathon that is the holiday season begins.  Yikes!  Not unlike other families, we’re definitely trying to budget our finances more effectively this year, not only to make sure we’ve got a little something for a rainy day but also to make sure we can keep Christmas as super fun as usual  I almost wish that I started my Christmas fund back June like I probably should have!  Oh, and can you believe I haven’t even gotten around to getting littleQ’s Halloween costume yet?  Ehhh… From September 1st to New Year’s Eve everything goes at such an insane pace and every single holiday whips past you before you even have a chance to be completely ready.  How do you moms do it without having a splitting migraine every night before you go to bed?

Technorati Tags: Halloween

Holidays 1 Comment

October 22, 2008

In addition to the Tinker Bell DVD and Fairy Wings giveaway, I’ll also be giving one lucky reader their very own copy of Tinker Bell on BluRay. (brand new factory sealed- not my review copy!) By the way, don’t forget to read the MamaDivas.com review of Tinker Bell

To enter, fill out this short entry form: Tinker Bell BluRay Giveaway

The deadline is Oct 31, 2008 @ 11:59pm, and to be eligible you must have a US mailing address.  Sorry, but you can only either win one of the Tinker Bell DVD fairy wing prize packs or the Tinker Bell BluRay, not both.

Good luck!

Technorati Tags: Tinker Bell, BluRay, DVD, giveaway, contest, Peter Pan

Giveaways 2 Comments