I am so honored to have had the the opportunity to host a Johnson’s Cause Party for my friends and to benefit Fisher House of the Emerald Coast.

What is a Johnson’s Cause Party?
Johnson’s Body Care has launched a program that enables women across the country to support a charity of their choice by way of hosting mini “get-togethers” with friends to raise money while sampling products from the new Johnson’s Body Care line.

I was, of course, nervous and anxious the day of the party. My husband left that morning (of course) so he wasn’t around to witness my mania, and thankfully an awesome friend took the kids during the party. Here are the details:

Food
I was totally lazy about the menu and had a hard time settling on what to serve. I ended up with a very large cheese plate (in fact, it was on 3 serving plates!), baked brie, spinach puffs (that were frozen and required no work – oops, I just gave away my secret), and my favorite of the day rolo and pretzel turtles.

Drinks This was the fun part! I had a bellini and lemonade bar to mix and match yummy drinks. We had champagne, lemonade, raspberry puree and peach puree. And pretty raspberries, strawberries and lemon for garnish. It looked much fancier than it was, but my drinks tasted pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

Charity
We watched a short video about Fisher House of Emerald Coast and everyone received a folder of information about the charity. I am also happy to report that we donated $375 to the charity (with a few more checks to come shortly and increase the number)! I’m also excited because several of us have decided to attend the Fisher House Gala next month to raise even more money for the charity. (And, I cannot say the word “gala” without thinking of Rachel from Friends and the regatta gala.)

Favors
Johnson’s was extremely generous and provided awesome goody bags for everyone who attended. Each bag contained a canvas tote bag, Johnson’s Body Care Body Wash, Lotion and several travel size lotions.

Friends
By far, the best part of being associated with the military is the people you meet. Every squadron becomes a new family for our time together and the women I meet become friends for life. Thirteen women whose husband’s are also in the military came over for the fun.

I think it was a success! Thanks to Johnson’s for the amazing opportunity and for the donation to Fisher House!

The day would not have gone so well without a little help. Thanks to Kelsey of Flossy: Excessively Stylish Design for designing the beautiful name tags, bag tags and menu tents, Julie of the Fisher House for providing me with lots of great info, Linda for letting me host a little out of the ordinary coffee, Cortney for helping prepare everything and Janelle for watching the munchkins!

Potty training is going to be the death of me. The slow, slow death. Of. Me.

We’ve had a potty chair in the bathroom for almost a year. Toddler Boy showed a little interest early so we bought one and let it sit there. Never pushed it or “trained” until a couple months ago. Things went pretty well in the beginning and he seemed to take to it. Of course, he’s had his fair share of accidents. Thankfully, never a number 2/poop/crap/sh*t/whatever accident but for a random unfortunate upset stomach incident a couple weeks ago. (I wondered how to word that delicately, but I don’t think it’s possible – the whole post is potty talk, after all.)

I was nervous sending him to preschool in underwear because even though he’s done fairly well I’m not confident in his ability to stop what he’s doing and go to the bathroom. The teachers assured me it was okay and they expect accidents. It is a classroom of 2.5 – 3 year olds. Well, of course, two days of school so far and an accident both days. ::sigh::

But, today I’ve reached the end of my patience with this “potty training” crap. This kid should be potty trained. He had two accidents today. One time he was running around the house pantless (as he often does in the morning – a genius but clearly ineffective PT’ing technique) and let loose on the new wood floor. The second time, he left the room to pee in private. Sadly, it was in his room and not the bathroom. WTF, kid?

Even bigger ::sigh::

I’m just exhausted, frustrated, tired of this in between phase. On the one hand I want to throw in the towel and put him in diapers for a while. On the other hand, he knows when he has to go and the majority of the time he goes on the toilet and not in his pants.

Tell me what to do. I’m done thinking about it. And, please, for the love of God, tell me he won’t be peeing his pants in 4th grade.

A couple weeks ago, I participated in a “Get Organized for Back-to-School” blogcast with Peter Walsh. If you don’t know Peter Walsh, you must not watch Oprah as much as I do. He is the go-to “clutter expert and organizational consultant”. He helps people organize and de-clutter their homes and, in turn, their lives. Peter Walsh has teamed up with OfficeMax to help bring organization into every home – even if you don’t get a makeover on Oprah or TLC’s Clean Sweep.

The Back-to-School blogcast was geared towards helping organize families with children a little older than mine. (Sadly, it will be years before Baby Girl appreciates that books belong on the shelf and not strewn about the floor.) Nonetheless, there were may awesome tips that apply whether you have children or not and that can help establish a pattern for adults and wee ones.

I really loved the ideas and TIPS FOR ORGANIZING YOUR HOME. They are totally manageable and, frankly, aren’t intimidating.
1) Find the Vision you have for a Space
2) Make Organization a Family Value
3) Use the Right Tools for Great Organization

The TIPS FOR ORGANIZING YOUR CHILD apply to all children, I think, even if they’re not old enough to do homework and such. Rather than a routine dealing with homework, you can establish a routine of when you read books, right?
1) Show that you Value Organization
2) Establish Clear Limits and Routines
3) Always Complete a Task

In conjunction with the Get Organized for Back-to-School program, I received several products from OfficeMax’s new kid-centric line called Schoolio-Von-Hoolio. The cupcake and owl designs are quite cute, but they are certainly on the girly side so boys might not be keen on them. In addition to being cute, the school supplies are practical so I’m using them to help organize my blog materials and the composition books are perfect for Toddler Boy to color on.

Shop! The new OfficeMax line geared towards kids (but functional for adults, too) Schoolio-Von-Hoolio is available in stores nationwide. Prices range from $.99 to $5.99. The [In]Place System by Peter Walsh to help organize your home and workspace is also available in OfficeMax stores nationwide.

Coming Soon! The book It’s All Too Much, So Get It Together by Peter Walsh will be released on September 15!

Surprise Sale on Etsy
One of my favorite Etsy sellers is participating in an Etsy-wide Surprise Labor Day sale event. Fun! Check out tiny giraffe shop and enjoy 10% off everything! Simply enter code “WEEKEND DEALS” in the message to seller section at checkout for 10% off your entire order from 9/3-9/7! Your discount will be refunded promptly via Paypal. I just LOVE all the wooden blocks at this shop and you can now get some personalized. Too cute!

To find other participating shops, search “weekend deals” in the Search Handmade box on the Etsy homepage.

BabyBjorn Contests
BabyBjörn has teamed up with the upcoming Motherhood movie (in select theatres October 16) recently launched www.babybjornmotherhood.com. You can enter the Motherhood essay contest for a chance to win a trip for two to the Motherhood premiere in NYC. Plus, five runners-up will win a BABYBJÖRN® Baby Carrier Synergy. There’s also a Motherhood Twitter contest for another chance to win a trip to the Motherhood premiere in NYC.

Plus, stay tuned for the Motherhood personality quiz and special offers from two of my favorite places to window shop online: Giggle and Magic Beans.

Lots of Labor Day Sales
* Gymboree: Baby Sale – this is my fave! Clothing and items in the new lines are only $10 and $20 . There are 20% coupons floating around (check your Parents magazine), so you can get clothes for $8 and $16. It’s a total steal. Plus, you can earn Gymbucks and the new Gymboree Rewards.
* The Land of Nod: Free shipping on baby gear, including the awesome double strollers!
* The Children’s Place: Lots of back to school basics start at only $5. Use code X49A79F489 for 15% off purchased through September 7. I can also email a coupon to print and use in the store – email me if you’re interested.
* Pottery Barn Kids: Up to 75% off furniture, bedding and accessories. Also, floor model sale this weekend only in stores.
* One Step Ahead: Free Shipping on orders over $85 with code FREE85.
* Baby Gap: Buy one pair of jeans, get a second for only $10. In store offer ends 9/7.

Exclusive Discount
* The Studio: $10 off your purchase with code KATE at checkout.

The opportunity to review a custom frame or sign from The Studio couldn’t have come at a better time. I was desperately trying to think of something for my mom for her birthday. I knew that, more than anything, she’d like a photo of the kiddos. (Who wouldn’t?) But I didn’t want to grab a generic frame so I was kind of stumped. As soon as I clicked over to thestudio.danielsondesigns.com I knew I found my mom’s birthday present.

How It Works
It really couldn’t be more simple. You pick a product from the gallery and then personalize the piece with your choice of words. The hardest part is waiting for your order to arrive. (But they usually ship within 2 business days.)

My Experience
The Studio website is really easy to use and navigate. The best part about it, for me, is that when you pick a product to customize, you can see what it will look like immediately. The process is really foolproof and it even gives you “advice” if your design is less than designer worthy. For example, I attempted to personalize a frame with some text and got a message that said, Please be advised that our artisans have determined that this design just won’t look right if the text length on the second line is less than 5 characters. You need just 1 more character for the best look.” I was totally impressed. I mean, wouldn’t it stink to personalize a frame and have it arrive looking all off-kilter and out of whack?

When the frame arrived at my door (in a really nicely packaged box that you could just wrap and gift, by the way) it looked exactly like the proof that I customized on the computer. And I know my mom is going to LOVE it.(My lack of photography skills kind of distorted the color because in person the green is lighter and more sage like the proof.)

Variety of Designs
In addition to frames, The Studio also has signs and monograms. I really love some of the signs for a child’s room. With a lot of designs in brown and pink or brown and blue, they would coordinate really well with popular nursery decor.

To Buy… The Studio has original designs that can be easily personalized for a great gift or addition to your home. The website is easy to navigate and actually fun to customize and find the perfect design. And, in my experience, what you order is what you’re going to get.

Or Not to Buy… I’d love to see some more bright colors – many of the designs seemed to have rather muted colors.

Shop! The Gift from the Kids frame I designed is $39.95. Customize your home decor at The Studio and use the code SHOPMAMA for $10 off your order.

Thank you to The Studio for providing a sample product for the purposes of this review. The opinions expressed in this review are mine and others may have a different experience.

From using compact fluorescent light bulbs to recycling (of course) to exclusive e-bills and e-banking – we’ve really been making an effort to do our little part to protect the environment. I know, we’re not doing anything monumental or life-changing in our house, but you have to start somewhere, right? Well, I’ve found one of the easiest and stylish things you can do to help the environment is use reusable shopping bags. I was recently introduced to Baggu Bags and using them is a super simple step in the right direction.

Using one BAGGU for one year replaces 300 to 700 disposable bags.

About the Baggu Company
BAGGU is a small team of designers, and entrepreneurs, founded on the principle that good design should be functional, beautiful and affordable. Our goal is to make basic products that fill lots of uses, not just one, so you can own less stuff.

Baggu bags are designed to replicate the shape and function of the stereotypical plastic grocery bag. They are lightweight, like plastic grocery bags, but have longer and stronger handles for added function. And, of course, they look a heck of a lot better than a plastic bag. Indeed, Baggu bags are available in over 50 bright colors and patterns.

I received a very generous selection of the Baggu bag and Baby Baggu. The Baggu can the load of 2 to 3 plastic grocery bags, carry up to 50 pounds and still folds into a small pouch. The Baby Baggu is smaller (duh) but can still handle up to 30 pounds.The bags are so versatile. I’ve used them to go to the Y, to pack a little bag when my kids spent time at the neighbors, to pack dinner to go to a friend’s house. They’ve really come in handy. I now leave a Baggu in the zippered compartment of our stroller and the center console of my car so I always have one with me.

To Buy… At $8 a pop, a Baggu bag is a great investment – for you and the environment. With the huge range of colors, and the variety of sizes (traditional, Baby and Big) you can find something you like and use it for way more than simply grocery shopping.

Or Not to Buy… While I love the fact that the Baggu folds into a compact pouch, I wish the pouch was attached to the bag itself. It’s a separate piece and it’d be great if it were stitched along the seam on the bottom of the bag to stay attached.

Shop! The Baggu Bag is $8, but you save by buying more. You can get 3, 4 or 5 for $7.50 a piece and 6 or more for $6.50. The Baby Baggu is $6. Check them out at www.baggubags.com.

Thank you to Baggu for providing a sample product for the purposes of this review. The opinions expressed in this review are mine and others may have a different experience.

Well, I am up way too late. Again. So I have nothing fun to say. But I will have some super cool news to share very soon, I hope!

Before you link and run, check out the current giveaways on The Shopping Mama. Two giveaways end tomorrow: Skin MD Shielding Lotion + SPF 15 and $50 Visa Gift Card from Kleenex Anti-Viral Tissues.

Thanks for helping to spread the word about this giveaway linky! Don’t forget to head over to Baby Loving Mama to list your giveaways there, too.