Personalized Mother's Day Cards from Tiny Prints – Plus Get FREE Cards

by Kate on April 6th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping

Mother’s Day cards for only $1.99 – use code mdsale. Ends today 5/3.

Tiny Prints has you covered this year for Mothers’ Day with their Tiny Prints Greeting Card Collection, which lets you create individual personalized cards with photos starting at $1.99. They have cards for everyone in your life from your mom, to your grandmother, sister, daughter or anyone else important to you.  In a matter of seconds, you can create personalized Mother’s Day Cards and have Tiny Prints mail them directly to you or the recipient.



Browsing and personalizing a card is easy – really the hardest part will be picking your favorite card. And, in a genius move for us busy moms (or last minute shopping significant others), you can even add a gift card from Amazon or Target (for example) to your personalized card.

Free Cards!

As an extra bonus, from April 6th to April 12th, all Mother’s Day Greeting Cards will be $.99 cents and you can also sign up for a Free Greeting Card Membership, giving you three FREE cards to use right away, as well as discounts on future cards. There are a couple of membership options depending on how many cards you plan to send, and the annual membership fee is waived for the first year. (You can cancel at any time, so join for a year, get your free and discounted cards now.)

Shop! Head over to Tiny Prints, join the Free Greeting Card Membership and get Mother’s Day cards for only $1.99 using code mdsale.

This post contains affiliate links. Shopping through our links is a great way to say Happy Mother’s Day to The Shopping Mama team!

Valco Baby Introduces Special Edition Cirque Tri Mode SE (Mommy & Me Stroller Giveaway)

by Kate on April 6th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Giveaways, Spring Into Spring

Valco Baby has been making parents lives easier for more than 40 years. The Australian company entered the US market seven years ago and immediately made waves with its flagship product, the Tri Mode Stroller. Always functional and innovative, the special edition 2011 Cirque line of products from Valco Baby is plain fun. A bold black and white swirl pattern adds a touch of whimsy to a very practical stroller. Meet the Cirque Tri Mode SE stroller.

Valco Baby Cirque Tri Mode SE Stroller

The Tri Mode Cirque SE offers parents all of the features that have earned the Tri Mode loyal fans: incredible maneuverability, air filled tires for a smooth ride, full coverage canopy, one touch recline system, ample storage and a range of accessories that make the Tri Mode grow to fit families’ lives. One of the lightest all terrain strollers available, the stroller weighs 23 pounds. It is also available in a Twin which weighs in at 33 pounds.

Tri Mode SE Stroller Features

  • Tri Mode Wheel System: Three wheel positions fixed for light jogging, 45 degree angle for toddler seat, to full swivel mode for ultra mobility.
  • Lightweight Wheels: 12 inch air filled tires providing natural suspension making it a smooth ride. All wheels are quick release.
  • Full Coverage Canopy: Two position shade allows you to zip down the canopy when you need extra coverage and zip it back to let your child enjoy the view.
  • Great Storage: Storage pocket on the back of the canopy zips off to take with you when away from your stroller. Plus a large basket and side storage compartments.
  • One Touch Recline: An easy any position seat recline system that ranges from newborn to fully upright for toddlers.
  • Included Accessories: rain cover, head hugger, a front bumper bar, tire pump and adjustable handle.
  • Compact Fold
  • Open Dimensions: 26″ W x 36″ L

Stroller to Grow with Your Family

I told you Valco Baby designs with your family in mind and the optional accessories to adapt the stroller to your changing life make that point very clear. Valco Baby offers a Car Seat Adapter to turn the Tri Mode into a travel system. The Hitch Hiker allows your older child to hitch a ride on the back of the stroller and the Joey Toddler Seat attaches to the front to turn a single stroller into a double and the Twin can push three kids! And the Cup Holder and Bevi Buddy help keep you hydrated on family excursions.

Just Like Mum Strollers

Valco Baby knows your mini moms and dads want to get in on the fun of pushing the stylish Cirque strollers, so they also offer Doll Strollers. The adorable Amy doll stroller is a child’s dream! Featuring the same sleek stylish look of the Cirque Tri Mode, the Amy stroller is the perfect way for your tot to act just like mum and dad.

Shop! The Tri Mode Cirque SE is available for a limited time at $529.00 for the Single and $749.99 for the Twin. It’s available for purchase exclusively from Valco Baby, Baby Central, Stroller Mama, Albee Baby and Country Moose Kids. Each Cirque SE stroller includes a Cirque All Sorts Seat Pad and Head Hugger (Twin includes two). The Amy Doll Stroller is $75.

Win! A Mommy & Me Stroller Set – the Cirque Tri Mode SE & Amy Doll Stroller!

How to Enter: Visit Valco Baby. Leave a comment with your favorite Tri Mode feature AND another Valco Baby product that you’d like to own.

Bonus Entries – valid only after completing the first required entry. Please leave a separate comment for each you do.

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Giveaway ends April 27. Open to US residents only.

Thanks to Valco Baby for providing the giveaway prizes.

Bee All Natural: Organic Skin Care (Discount Code & Giveaway)

by Kate on April 5th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Baby, For Mama, Reviews

A couple weeks ago I hit the local Baby Bonanza and Kid’s Expo to scope out new products. I struck organic gold when I found Bee All Natural, a mom-owned organic skin care company making products for babies, moms and dads alike.

Bee All Natural was founded in 2009 – by the daughter of an organic dairy farmer, no less – when Rachel couldn’t find the quality skin products she was searching for. She says, “Tired of buying ‘natural’ products that were petroleum based and filled with perfumes, I set-out to develop my own skincare that would be safe for every member of my family.” From there, Rachel researched and developed a line of products that are certified organic and food grade. (And, while you won’t eat your lip balm, the grapefruit flavor smells so good you might want to.)

Skincare for the Whole Family

Bee All Natural was kind enough to send me home from the Bonanza with a few samples. I’ve been using the Organic Lip Balm daily and really like it. I can be picky about my lip balms and this one is quite nice – not too “slippery” (for lack of a better descriptor), and provides comfort on my dry lips. While the product name Baby Body Butter has the word baby in it, don’t be fooled. This is just as suited for adults as it is for kids. I’ve been using the Natural on my hands. I have decided to take it to my dad in the hospital because his skin is SO. DRY and irritated and I know it will improve his skin. And, I feel confident knowing its made of organic materials. He’ll be satisfied with the neutral Natural Scent, but I’d opt for the Lavender Scent if I buy it for kids.

The Organic Baby Products section contains many must have items such as Baby Powder and Diaper Rash Salve. I really like the Organic Baby Body Butter Stick. This is such a smart way to apply soothing body butter to squirmy babies.  The body butter itself is like lotion on a stick, with a consistency similar to (as you might have guessed from the container) lip balm. I so wish I’d had this all winter to apply under my kid’s noses when they were chapped and sore from persistent winter colds. Made of Organic Beeswax, Organic Oils, Organic Cocoa Butter, and Vitamin E, the Baby Body Butter is delicate enough for delicate skin, but packed with enough goodness to soothe and heal.

Shop! Bee All Natural products are surprisingly affordable. The Lip Balms are $3.50 each, Baby Body Butter is $7 for 2.5 ounces (will last a while – a little goes a long way), and the Baby Body Butter Stick is only $5. PLUS, use the coupon code “FACEBOOK” for $10 off a purchase of $30 or more.


Win! A Bee All Natural Prize Package including 5 Lip Balms (one of each flavor), Baby Body Butter and Intense Hand & Foot Salve!

How to Enter: Visit Bee All Natural and check out the organic products. Leave a comment with something you’d like to try.

Bonus Entries – valid only after completing the first required entry. Please leave a separate comment for each you do.

Giveaway ends April 15. Open to US residents only.

Thanks to Bee All Natural for providing a sample product and the giveaway prizes. As always, opinions are my own.

{handmade} Easter Cascarones

by Kate on April 5th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping, Ten Dollar Tuesday, Weekly Features

What are Cascarones? They’re brightly colored eggshells filled with colorful, fun confetti! If you host an egg hunt or Easter party, you’ll want to mix in some of these little surprises with your usual treat-filled eggs. Warning: you can’t crack just one. You’ll be grabbing for more, so be sure to stock up!

Shop! For just $8, you will receive two dozen cascarones. Visit Gracie’s Eggies on Etsy for colors and quantities.

Partum Me?! Wait… I have to get him OUT??

by Laura on April 5th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Partum Me

As of today, I am TERM!  37 Weeks.  Any day now.  The little dude inside me could come out right now and he’d be able to breathe, eat, and of course, poop all on his own.  I have a viable little human being in there.  I still can’t believe it.

When I was about 18 weeks pregnant, my husband and I went to dinner with some friends who were also expecting their first child.  My friend Lisa was due just a month before me, and recently gave birth to a beautiful little boy.  As we were sitting at that dinner, she asked me what I was most worried about.  I replied that I wasn’t so much worried about anything as I was curious about what kind of little person I was growing in there.  What would he look like?  Whose personality would he mirror the most?  Who would he grow up to be?  After waxing poetic for a minute or so, I asked her the same question she’d just asked me.  Her reply came without hesitation.

“Well, I’m just worried about how I’m going to get him out.”

Up until that point in my pregnancy, I had never even thought about labor.  And to be quite honest, I didn’t think too much about it after my conversation with Lisa until I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  At that point, even though she still fully supported our plan for a vaginal birth, my OB reminded me that I would need to be flexible when the time came, in case our “big boy” needed to be delivered via c-section.  Since then, I’ve had to consider what is most important to me in terms of how the little person growing inside of me enters this world.

I’ve gotten a lot of opinions, both solicited and not, about how I should look at the birth experience.  I respect them all, especially those that come from the intelligent and thoughtful people that I call my friends.  For some couples, the birth is a personal journey for the parents, and so they work very hard to come up with detailed birthing plans that will allow them to have the greatest experience possible.  For others, labor and delivery is simply the medical procedure that a mother and father must endure in order to get to the end result: a healthy baby.  I like to think that my goals for the birth of my son fall somewhere squarely in-between those two extremes.  I would like for the story of our son’s birth to be one that my husband and I look back on with pride – a collection of moments that make us proud of our strength as both individuals and as a couple.  But at the same time, I want to come out of this knowing that I never once put my own personal experience over the health and safety of my son.

We’ve opted to go into L&D with a list of preferences, but we won’t term it as a birth plan because we want the staff to know that we are willing to work with them if our son has needs that we haven’t anticipated.  We’ve also decided against having a doula because we believe that a healthy dose of skepticism is okay, but in the end, our doctor and maternity nurse will help us make the right decisions about what to do.  I know that both a plan and a doula can enhance the birth experience  and I’m open to the idea of using them if we have a second child and I feel like I want a different experience the next time around.

But right now, as I finally get around to really thinking about “how I’m going to get him out?” I’m thinking that the best thing I can do as his mom is to just take it one moment at a time and promise him that I’ll do whatever is necessary to make sure he’s healthy.  Knowing that I put him first from the very first contraction is the only birth story I’ll ever need.

Silhouette Stenciled Easter Eggs {Craft Tutorial}

by Kate on April 4th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Crafts with Kids

We are so exited to share this amazing Silhouette Easter Eggs Craft Tutorial from Vana of Le Papier Studio. Enjoy!

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What you will need:

  • wooden eggs (various sizes)
  • all-purpose sealer
  • acrylic paints (your favorite colors – I am using white, pink and blue)
  • silhouettes
  • scissors
  • cutting board
  • marker
  • contact paper
  • brushes (sponge brushes for painting the larger areas, and fine tip brushes for touching up the silhouettes)

Directions:

1. Start by sealing the wooden eggs with an all-purpose sealer. This will ensure the paint goes on evenly. Let the eggs dry for a couple of minutes. Continue by tracing the silhouettes on the contact paper. Once you have all the silhouettes traced, start cutting their outlines with x-acto knife or scissors.

2. Start painting the eggs your favorite color (remember this first coat is the color your silhouettes will be – so if you want white silhouettes, your first coat should be white). Let the eggs dry.

3. Next, peel off the back and stick the silhouette on the egg. Burnish the outside edges with your thumb. This will keep the dye from penetrating – resulting in a sharp silhouette.

5. Apply a second color over the entire egg, covering the silhouettes. This second color could vary from egg to egg. Allow them to dry for about 2-5 minutes. Start to pill the sticker and violá! You just made silhouette Easter eggs!

Tip 1: with a fine tip brush touch up the silhouettes to ensure crisp edges.

Tip 2: you can reuse the cut out silhouettes more than once.

For more fun projects check out my blog or to view our entire Easter Collection visit my website Le Papier Studio.

Happy crafting!

Vana

The “What to Expect” Series Delivers Again: Book Review + $75 Package Giveaway

by Kate on April 4th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  For Mama, Giveaways, Reviews

Let’s face it: kids are weird. And weird in the loveliest of ways, of course. But their behavior can be adorable, frustrating, hysterical and infuriating all in the span of 5 minutes. I certainly don’t understand why my kids behave the way they do, but I love easily accessible and information-packed resources from folks who do understand why my kids behave the way they do.

Heidi Murkoff, the author of the pregnancy required reading What to Expect When You’re Expecting, offers books to help you understand your children as they grow. The newest delivery in the What to Expect series is What to Expect the Second Year.

What to Expect the Second Year

The essential sequel to What to Expect the First Year, with 9.8 million copies in print, What to Expect the Second Year picks up the action at baby’s first birthday, and takes parents through what can only be called “the wonder year”—12 jam-packed and jam-smeared months of memorable milestones from first steps to first tantrums.

Walking, talking, picky eating, endless curiosity, bedtime battles, biting, making friends—it’s all covered in a brand-new, easy-to-access, thorough, topic-by-topic format with chapters on growth, feeding, sleeping, learning behaviors of every conceivable kind, discipline, keeping a toddler healthy and safe as he or she takes on the world, and more.

I read What to Expect When You’re Expecting religiously when I was pregnant. What to Expect The Second Year reads much the same way with easy to read information, highlighted summaries and with on topic advice. The book starts with an introduction and useful Toddler Timeline with developmental milestones. From there, the book is divided into Chapters that cover a wide array of topics. There’s Your Toddler on the Grow, Your Toddler Head to Toe (which includes potty training info), Behavior (which includes biting advice), Disciplining Your Toddler and more. I’m (still) on the verge of potty training my daughter and I found the couple pages on the topic to be helpful overview, and the same is true on the biting section I checked out since we had that issue. Like most subjects in the book, for a serious or ongoing issue additional resources or books would likely be needed.

As a busy mom, I don’t really have the time (or desire, frankly) to sit down and read a 450 page book, but the Chapter and index are very helpful to locate and gather the information you’re looking for.

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… Like other What to Expect books, What to Expect the Second Year is completely packed with information. Whether you want to read the book cover to cover to better understand your toddler or keep this book on hand as a resource, it’s a valuable addition to your bookshelf.

Or Not to Buy…. Time… I just need more time to read this book!

Shop! What to Expect the Second Year: From 12 to 24 Months is on sale April 5 – you can preorder today. It’s available in hardcover with a suggested retail price of $24.95 and paperback for $16.95.

Win! A What to Expect the Second Year worth $75.

How to Enter: Visit What to Expect and leave a comment letting us know one part of the site you find helpful.

Bonus Entries – valid only after completing the first required entry. Please leave a separate comment for each you do.

Giveaway ends April 15. Open to US residents only.

We received a review copy of the book.

Mama, Read THIS One: The North Star

by Kate on April 3rd, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Favorite Books for Little People

Every Sunday, we’ll focus on one of our favorite books for kids.  Think of it as a peak into our story time and find out about what book our kids are saying, “Mama, read THIS one!”

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I LOVE going to Barnes & Noble with my children. I LOVE going to Barnes & Noble by myself. While the kids were in school one day, I ventured in for an iced tea and cheesecake (did you know they serve Godiva chocolate cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory at the cafe?!) and struck up a conversation with the barista. She was lamenting the struggles her middle-school-aged son was having fitting in. She was concerned and frustrated by how particular he’d become about his clothes and behavior. I know all kids go through this. I remember going through this myself. But as I left the counter, I said a quick prayer that my own kids would have a gentle transition to adulthood and their unique selves.

Even when the kids are not with me, I always venture into the kids’ section. I find I can browse the books more easily and find gems for sharing when I’m not chasing cherubs around a train table. And did I find a gem on this day. I was almost attacked by Peter H. Reynolds’ The North Star. The cover features a little blond boy and the phrase “Ask yourself where it is you want to go…” Given the conversation I’d just had, my mouth fell open and I had to pick it up.

This amazing picture book features a boy growing from baby to little boy. The tone of the book is amazing as Reynolds shares the very insightful notion that each person (including young adults) must find their own path. For example, the book begins, “A sweet breeze met the boy as he awoke to his journey.” As the boy begins to follow the masses, the tone changes:

Although he was following the well-worn path, he had the growing feeling
that he was lost. The forest seemed to be growing thicker. The soil was wet and muddy,
making every step a struggle. Clouds rolled in overhead and the darkness closed in
around him.

This book addressed the very thing the barista and I had been discussing – how fortuitous! I snapped up the book and took it home, but I didn’t stop there. I opened to the inside cover and began my message to my son. I told him that this book perfectly described my wishes for him; that he find his joy and follow his own path. It’s so easy to recognize that society may prescribe a path for your children and encourage them to follow their bliss. And I did. But here’s the hard part, I had to wish him luck and success on his own path, even when I might not agree with the direction he’s going. Gulp.

Shop! The North Star is available at Barnes & Noble, The Shopping Mama’s Amazon.com store and other bookstore outlets. Retail price is $16.99 for hardcover.

Tip: You may also read the book for free and find related activities at The North Star, a site dedicated to teachers, families, students, lifelong learners and those brave enough to follow their dreams.

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Link up! We’d love to know what book you’re reading this week. Write a quick blog post and link up.

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If you would like to use the graphic, please link back so your readers can join us.
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