Question for you: who do you think makes the bigger mess at my dinner table each night – my seven month old daughter who is just learning to eat solids or my 2.5 year old son who has been eating food for 2 years and feeding himself for a year and a half. (To be fair, my husband might give them both a run for their money, but he’s not as much fun to shop for so let’s focus on the little ones.) If you guessed my toddler, you’re right. It’s inevitable and a total given that kids are going to make a mess when they eat, but this little prize bundle has two great products to make meal times a little cleaner and easier for everyone.

The My Plate-Mate is a genius product to help your little one learn to self-feed. Made of FDA approved food grade plastic, the My Plate-Mate fits onto 8.5-9″ round plates and provides a surface against which little hands can push and scoop food onto a spoon or fork.

My Plate-Mate is great for kids to help them gain independence and learn to eat alone. It’s great for parents because it helps keep the table a little cleaner and is dishwasher safe. The small size makes it easy to throw in your diaper bag – certainly easier to carry around than a toddler-specific plate.

Connect! Follow My Plate-Mate on Twitter.

Shop! The My Plate-Mate is available in pink, blue and white and is only $7.95. Purchase at MyPlate-Mate.com.

Kushies is a great line of innovative baby products that parents need and kids enjoy. We have the Taffeta Waterpoof Bib with Sleeves and it has saved more than one shirt from mealtime mess disaster. Read the full Shopping Mama review.

Shop! Check out the Kushies website for a variety of awesome baby products. The Taffeta Waterproof Bib with Sleeves are $9.49.

Win! One lucky reader of The Shopping Mama will receive
a My Plate-Mate AND a Kushies bib!

How to Enter:

1. Visit My Plate-Mate and leave a comment here with your favorite feature.

2. Visit Kushies and leave a comment with a product that catches your eye.

You only need to leave one comment to enter this giveaway. But, you must leave both a My Plate-Mate and a Kushies entry before any bonus is valid.

Bonus Entries – leave one comment for each you complete:
* Leave a comment on a non-giveaway All About Eating series post and let me know in a comment on this giveaway. You may leave a bonus entry comment here for every comment you leave on other posts!

* Follow The Shopping Mama on Twitter and Tweet this: Enter to win a My Plate-Mate AND a Kushies bib @TheShoppingMama http://tinyurl.com/l4ally #giveaway
* Follow The Shopping Mama
* Subscribe to The Shopping Mama in a reader or email
* Post the All About Eating button on your blog
* Blog about the All About Eating series, including a link to http://www.theshoppingmama.com/ for FIVE bonus entries into every All About Eating giveaway.

Fine Print: Please leave a valid email address in your comment so I can contact you. If you prefer, leave a comment and then send me an email. Open to US mailing addresses! Contest ends 11:59 pm July 15. Winner will be chosen via random.org and has 48 hours to respond or the prize will be awarded during a live giveaway.

Blogger is all kinds of messed up I’m not sure why this posted when it did, but let’s go with it! I’ve got a great guest post from Amber about things to do with your kids inside. When she wrote it for me, she was living with lots of rain, but I find it relevant now that every day in Florida is above 90 and too hot to play outside for long.

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.
Amber of Miracles on Mama Street

We recently had a five day..yes..FIVE days…of rain and icky, gloomy weather. Welcome to Minnesota, where it’s 49 degrees in JUNE. What’s a mom to do with her kiddos when it’s raining out for FIVE days? It’d be a better, easier solution if we could pick up and go somewhere, but we can’t. We don’t have a vehicle large enough for our family and the kids we provide care for each day, so here is a list I came up with TEN IDEAS of things you can do INSIDE with your kids on a rainy, icky day.

1) Make a tent and camp out in the living room. We’re lucky to have a kiddie tent that is made just for this purpose. We throw pillows, blankets, and snacks in, along with books, games, and toys. The kids LOVE this!

2) Make jewelry or pictures with those spare pieces of macaroni and string. I always seem to have a bit of macaroni or other noodles at the end of the box that just aren’t enough to make a meal with. The older kids can make jewelry with them, paint them, or make other creative crafts with them. The little ones may need the noodles boiled soft, so they aren’t a choking hazard. It’s still fun.

3) Make and Bake. Find a good recipe to a “play” dough that is bake-able. Have the older kids form letters, numbers, or other cool items. Cook the pieces as directed and then paint and decorate.

4) Have a picnic somewhere in the house that would be out-of-the-ordinary. Kids are thrilled when a “rule” is broken, or a change is made. Eating a picnic together in the living room (it’s forbidden in our house) would send “ooh’s” and “aah’s” through the house.

5) Make your own games. The older kids love to do this. Make new rules to old games, or have the older kids make a totally new game based on a children’s book.

6) Plant an indoor garden. We did this during the winter. We took fast growing seeds like carrot and onion and planted them in a clear glass dish with a few inches of soil. It took time, the kids got dirty, and they loved to check the progress. We also planted grass seed in a clear dish.

7) Paint or Color a large mural. Cover the floor in an open area with as much paper or the white back of wrapping paper. Tape them together to make a HUGE area to be colored. Lay out the washable coloring utensils and let the fun begin.

Blow bubbles in the bath tub. Bring all of your bubble-blowing tools into the bathroom! Use a mixture of baby shampoo/body wash and water to make a great (and safe) bubble mixture. Blow bubbles in the bathroom and get clean at the same time!

9) Beans and Rice. Fill a large tub with dried beans and dry rice to let the kids play in. Add measuring cups, bowls, spoons, and other fun elements. It’ll be just like playing in the sandbox! (Watch the kids/size of beans, as some beans could be a choking hazard). We also have used a bucket of dry noodles.

10) Tummy Ticklers. When in doubt, pop in a funny movie, turn down the lights, have a special treat like popcorn ( a rare treat around here), and make the best of time together.

Big thanks to Amber of Miracles on Mama Street for sharing her awesome indoor play ideas. Make sure you thank her with a comment here and check out her great blog at www.mamasmiracles.com!

Guest Post from Tiffany of Babes and Kids

Big thanks to Tiffany for the great tips about saving money. Check out her awesome site Babes and Kids for great reviews and giveaways!

You can win money! Two awesome companies are hosting cool contests to reward customers.

* Win $500 from SnapTotes*

*Win $100 from Bugaloo*
Do you have some fun parenting tips you’d like to share? Is there a hilarious statistic you know about children or parenting? Is there a quote that says it just right? If so, send them to Bugaloo and enter to win $100 cash.

Send a copy of your tip or fact to info@bugalookids.com. (And, make sure you include the author of the quote or link to where you found the statistic.) Contest ends July 31st.

Read more information about the Bugaloo Kids Tips promotion here.

Want to win a $1000 Stokke stroller? Yea, me, too! All you have to do is Twitter. Check out the details: Tweet for a chance to win a STOKKE® Xplory® Basic stroller.

Exclusive Discount Codes
* Kushies: 10% off your order with the code TSMFS
* Mally Bibs: Free Shipping with the code SHOPPINGMAMA. Expires Monday, June 29.

Sales
* Check out this awesome list of sales at Babies R Us.
* Bebe au Lait: Order any Bebe au Lait or Hooter Hider nursing cover, organic nursing cover or gift set and receive a mystery nursing cover FREE. Use the code MYSTERY09 at check out. Expires June 30.

Check out my guest post on Go, Graham, Go!

I wrote about surviving the hot Florida summer with two kids. No, that’s not exactly accurate. I wrote about shopping to survive the hot Florida summer with two kids.

I’d love to know what you think, so go have a read. And, if you’re paying attention you’ll learn about an awesome giveaway coming soon to The Shopping Mama.

Eating with a little one = mess. That might be the understatement of the day! Seriously, it’s a mess when the babies are learning to eat solids, a mess when young toddlers are learning to self-feed and a mess when hungry kiddos inhale food quickly so they can get back to playing. Kushies Bibs have you covered at all stages of the process.

We had the pleasure of trying the Kushies long-sleeved Taffeta Waterproof Bib with Sleeves. The bright graphic pattern is fun and the coverage is great. The bib ties around the neck and has a bib to catch crumbs and other falling food. Toddler Boy put this Bib to the test eating pasta with red sauce. (To be honest, when we have that meal I usually just get him naked. It makes such a mess!) Well, the Kushies bib was up to the task. I love the sleeves and the long length of the bib. The length is really key, because a lot of food doesn’t make it all the way from the plate to Toddler Boy’s mouth actually on the fork. I love that the lap of his shorts as well as his shirt is protected by the Kushies bib. And, more than one penne was caught by the generously sized pocket at the bottom of the bib.

The Taffeta Waterproof Bib with Sleeves is available in a variety of bright whimsical and graphic patterns. I like that they are fun and funky and don’t look like an ordinary “baby” bib. Super cute.

Win! A Kushies bib will be included in the Toddler Must Have Prize Pack! Stay tuned!