Feed Your Body & Your Skin {Eucerin Prize Pack Giveaway}

by Kate on July 26th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Giveaways

With the heat wave across the nation, I think it’s safe to say summer is in full swing. Hopefully you and your family are still able to enjoy some time outdoors even as the temperatures soar. With the heat and effects of the sun, it’s especially important to take care of our skin and our bodies. July is National Blueberry Month – a fruit that is a great source of antioxidants which are important for your skin and other vital organs.

In addition to helping protect your skin from the sun by using an SPF, avoiding the mid day sun, and wearing protective clothing, there are many other ways to proactively keep your skin healthy. Eating right, exercising and getting enough sleep also help promote healthy skin. Since your skin is the barrier for all of your other organs and the body’s first line of defense, it makes sense that you should feed it the proper nutrients.

As your hitting the park or celebrating the summer with friends, consider fresh blueberries or other fruits as a snack. It’s one the moms can enjoy as well as the kids. And, not only are they delicious, but they’re rich in antioxidants, substances known to fight free radicals that can wreak havoc on the skin. Of course, don’t forget to pack Eucerin’s Everyday Protection Face SPF 30 and Body SPF 15 Lotions. They are great options for everyday use and lightweight.

Blueberry Pie Recipe

If you want to indulge, here is a delicious blueberry pie recipe from Better Homes and Gardens that you can prepare in just one hour this summer:

  • In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
  • Stir in water and 1 cup of the blueberries.
  • Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Stir in remaining 2 cups blueberries and butter until butter is melted.
  • Cool completely. Pour into prepared pie shell.
  • If desired, cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with whipped cream. Makes 8 servings.

Shop! You can stock up on blueberries and Eucerin lotion at your local supermarket.

Win! A Eucerin Summer Prize Package!

Eucerin Everyday Protection Face SPF 30 and Body SPF 15 Lotions, $25 Walmart Gift Card, Better Homes and Gardens Pie Pan, Apron and Oven Mitts. ($75 Value)

How to Enter: What’s your favorite fruit to eat in the summer?

Earn Extra Entries – valid only after the first mandatory entry. Leave a separate comment for each you do.

Giveaway ends August 10. Open to US residents only.

Thanks to Eucerin for providing a sample and the giveaway prize.

Everyday Food: A Martha Stewart Magazine

by Shannon on July 26th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  In the Kitchen

Sweat beads are a fashion accessory this time of year in the South. As such, when I see something as vibrant and cool as the popsicle on the cover of the special full-size summer issue of Everyday Food®, I stop dead in my tracks. The image is a feast for the eyes as well as the promise of a cool treat to beat the heat. See for yourself…

As the cover art reveals, Everyday Food® is another Martha Stewart publication featuring amazing photographs. It also contains the excellent writing and rich content that we’ve come to expect from the domestic maven and her wonderfully talented team. Because this is a review of an entire magazine, I’ve organized my comments into several categories and hope you’ll find them useful.

WHAT I EXPECTED TO SEE: Let’s face it, there are several things you expect to see in a summer cooking magazine: 1) Grilling tips and recipes. 2) Seasonal fruit and veggie recipes. 3) Picnic food and gear recommendations. 4) Peaches and cherries. Regarding these, the special issue does not disappoint.

WHAT I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE: A winter favorite for many is coffee and donuts. I was very interested to see recommendations for lighter fruity donuts with iced java, including the distinction between cold vs. hot brewed coffee for iced drinks. Also included, a primer on food trucks and a discussion with The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, regarding a week’s worth of her summer recipes. And while you often expect cookbook recommendations in a cooking publication, I was very pleasantly surprised to see recommendations for food-related memoirs. I plan to check out Cooking for Gracie right away. Go ahead, Google it.

THE “INSIGHT” QUOTE: This special issues features a complete guide to Farmer’s Markets, including information about how to access them. Did you know many farmer’s markets now accept SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (the special financial supplement for women, infants and children)? But the quote I found most interesting from this feature, “It’s also easy to connect with other cooks and food lovers in your community, and perhaps swap a recipe or two. It’s the new town square.”

WHAT’S IN IT FOR MOMS AND KIDS: Hello? Did you see that popsicle on the cover? There is an entire spread for “Pop Stars” made at home with pure, fresh ingredients. Pops range from complex concoctions featuring heavy cream to simple, two-ingredient versions with just sugar and juice. The fun is deciding your version and your mold.

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… The first full-size edition of Everyday Food® is full of intriguing recipes, insightful information and wonderful photographs. It is a publication that can remain on your shelf as reference material for a long time to come. With a price tag of $4.99, Everyday Food® is very affordable and, because it is from Martha Stewart Omnimedia, it is available in a variety of formats to meet almost any reader’s needs.

Or Not to Buy… Browsing the magazine (as I would in while standing in the check-out line), I can see a few recipes that do not immediately appeal to me. You know your taste best. Because there are so many photographs in this publication, take a moment to flip through and see if the recipes appeal to you.

Shop! Everyday Food®, like most Martha Stewart Omnimedia publications, is available almost everywhere. It might be easier to list where the magazine CAN NOT be found, but here goes: Available for $4.99 at all magazine outlets and news stands. The digital version of Everyday Food® is available exclusively for NOOK Color by Barnes & Noble for $3.99.

Sticky Bellies Monthly Milestone Stickers

by Kate on July 25th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Blog, Shopping

My kids and I were looking through my son’s infant photo album and they loved seeing him as a squirmy little man growing right before our eyes in every photo. Meanwhile, all I could think was, “Those printed ‘I’m X months old today’ signs are really ugly and distracting. I wish I’d had Sticky Bellies.” Sticky Bellies are brilliant little heavy-duty stickers that can be attached to baby’s clothing and make those monthly photos extra special.

About Sticky Bellies

Sticky Bellies are removable stickers that help us photograph life’s most important milestones with style and ease.

How do they work?

  1. Remove sticker from backing.
  2. Apply sticker to shirt
  3. Take pictures…lots of them!
  4. Remove sticker
  5. Throw sticker away or save for your baby book
  6. Repeat each month

Great Baby Shower Gift

If you’re looking for a unique (and affordable) baby shower gift, you can’t beat Sticky Bellies. In fact, we love Sticky Bellies so much they’re included in our Best Baby Gear & Gifts Shopping Guide.

The Oh Sew Cute collection is a great gender-neutral collection available for 1 to 12 months. And, you can pre-order now to receive Oh Sew Adorable – perfect for girly girls – or Oh Sew Handsome – for the little men. Both the gender-specific packs are available all the way to 24 months.

Shop! Sticky Bellies 12 month sticker collections are $14.99.

We are very grateful to Sticky Bellies for donating packages to our Miracle Mission NICU Care Packages. Thank you, Sticky Bellies!

BabyBjorn High Chair Review {BabyBjorn Goodie Bag Giveaway}

by Kate on July 25th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Baby, Baby Shopping Guide, Gear, Giveaways, Reviews

BabyBjorn is one of the leading baby brands on the market today. Seriously, I can’t think of a young family I know without a BabyBjorn product in their home. We’ve been fans of the brand since my son was born and have loved learning about the brand – beyond the baby carrier. The newest product from the Swedish company celebrating its 50th birthday is the BabyBjorn High Chair.

To catch up on some of the BabyBjorn things we love, read the Bathroom Products to Make Potty Training Easier, Eating Gear for Little Hands and check out the Baby Shopping Guide. Now, let’s get on with the brand new High Chair.

Why A High Chair?

Falls cause the most common injuries to small children — and high chairs and changing tables are involved frequently. That’s why at the beginning of the 21st century, the Swedish Consumer Agency encouraged BabyBjörn to develop a safe high chair that would prevent children from standing up (and falling out). Creating just the right product was no easy task.

The company spent eight years developing the high chair with a primary goal being to prevent children from falling out of the High Chair. The safety harness and foldable and lockable safety table keep the child securely in place from 5 months old.

BabyBjorn High Chair Video Review

A Modern High Chair

The first thing you will notice about the BabyBjorn High Chair is its diminutive little size. It is VERY small, which makes sense when you consider it was designed first to ensure the safety of babies. The benefit of the size is that it fits in small spaces and is lightweight – only 11 pounds! We don’t have a smaller product tester in our house so my 2.5 year old has been sitting her 30 pound bottom in the High Chair and she actually really likes it.

The Ergonomic Design includes a rounded back that is comfortable for little eaters from five months all the way to my 30 pounder. The rounded safety tray has three positions to further encircle and secure your child. The design is really unique compared to other high chairs we’ve used, and the adjustable tray will fit right up to the belly of smaller babies as well as my big girl.

Much to my delight, the High Chair is very Easy to Clean. With no fabric, crevices, nooks or crannies, the Chair is a solid and smooth surface that wipes down easily. The detachable tray is dishwasher safe, too.

If you’re tight on space, it’s definitely worth noting that the High Chair folds very compactly for storage. The small size and compact fold make it a great fit for small kitchens or keeping at grandma’s house.

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… The BabyBjorn High Chair is very modern design that is ideal for keeping small babies secure and happy during meal times. The High Chair is very easy to clean and use and will fit well in small spaces.

Or Not to Buy… If you have big babies or an older toddler, this isn’t a great option.

Shop! The BabyBjorn High chair is available from Giggle.com for $300.

Win! To celebrate the launch of the HighChair, BabyBjorn is offering one reader a Swag Bag of BabyBjorn Feeding Products.

How to Enter: Leave a comment with your favorite feature of the BabyBjorn High Chair.

Earn Extra Chances to Win – valid only after completing the first required entry. Please leave a separate comment for each you do.

Giveaway ends August 5. Open to US residents only.

Thanks to BabyBjorn for providing a sample and the giveaway prize.

New Eric Carle Bedding at Pottery Barn Kids

by Kate on July 24th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping

You can now bring the Eric Carle classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar to your child’s nursery, bedroom or bathroom. Pottery Barn Kids has licensed the images from the iconic children’s book and the results are darling.

The crib bedding is a wonderful gender-neutral option that can be personalized with your babe’s name.

The collection includes bedding for older kids, as well as caterpillar-y goodness perfect for a child’s bathroom. Love the coordinating Pink and Blue Quilts.

Shop! Outfit your baby’s crib in The Very Hungry Caterpillar with the 3-piece Nursery Set for $164. Bedding set prices start at $22.50 and go up to $194.

What do you think of the Eric Carle bedding at Pottery Barn Kids?

RedRover App: Plan, Find & Do Kid-Friendly Things on the Fly

by Kate on July 24th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  For Mama, Reviews

Like many moms on the go, I am addicted to my iPhone. I simply don’t leave home without it. And, just when I didn’t need a new reason to depend on it, the RedRover app came into my life. Simply put, RedRover allows moms to plan playdates and get together while you’re out and about. This free app is truly mom’s best friend with loads of smart features designed to make your day easier.

Meet RedRover

RedRover from RedRover on Vimeo.

Playdates in Advance or on the Fly

I can’t tell you how many times this summer, with school on break and in between various lessons, I’ve thought “What in the world am I going to do with the kids all day?” RedRover seeks to make answering that question a little bit easier by giving access to your friends’ plans and finding local kid-friendly establishments.

Much like the Facebook wall, the RedRover Timeline shows where I am when I share my location or make a plan. If I share my plan my friends can see it in their Timeline making an insta-playdate easy. If you’re more of a plan-in-advance type of gal, planning ahead is easy. Through a series of prompts you can plan a playdate in the future, invite specific friends (via RedRover or email), and even announce the get together on Facebook and Twitter.

Now, I admit that being new in town my friends count is lacking a little bit, so we haven’t been able to plan those on the go get-togethers very easily. But, I can find things for my kids and I do do by Exploring Places nearby. Based on my current location, RedRover will suggest kid-friendly places to hang out and establishments with a Clean Bathroom for the all-too-frequent emergency bathroom break.

Not All Fun and Games

RedRover is more than just a social app. It also has some very important information available at the flick of your finger. While I hope I never have to use it, I think the Emergency page is genius. With one touch you can dial 9-1-1, call Poison Control or Text Emergency Contacts a brief message. The page also lists the closest urgent care facilities to your location.

Download RedRover Today

RedRover is available for download for FREE on iPhone and Droid phones. If you download now, RedRover will donate $1 to Every Mother Counts, Christy Turlington’s amazing charity. Download by July 28 to help RedRover reach their goal of donating $20,000!

This is a sponsored post. As always, opinions are my own.

Tommee Tippee Chewthers

by Kate on July 22nd, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  In the Kitchen

Every time we learn of a new Tommee Tippee product launched in the States we understand why its Britain’s leading feeding brand for kids. Laura is all Tommee Tippee with bottles and breast pump and as her son Charlie grows a bit, the Chewthers will likely be another must have for mama and baby. Chewthers were designed with a leader in pediatric dentistry to soothe a child at every stage of the teething process.

Chewthers Benefits

  • Self Soothe: sized and shaped for your baby to stimulate and develop gums
  • Speech Development: helps develop lip seal and muscle coordination for speech development
  • Progressive Feeding: encourages jaw and muscle coordination appropriate for each feeding stage
  • Tooth Care: surface features help care for fragile new teeth

Chewthers Stages

For the youngest teething babies, the Stage 1 Gummy Chewther is ideal for babies who only eat liquids. The design is meant to help babies self soothe and the shape is ideal to stimulate gums.


Stage 2 Dual-Ended Chewther is best for babies who are eating pureed foods. This helps develop the lip seal needed for speech development.


Stage 3 Chewther Keys are designed for babies who eat mushy food and it encourages jaw and muscle coordination.


Finally, Stage 4 Cosmic Chewther helps care for the new, fragile teeth of children who eat chunky foods.


Shop! Tommee Tippee is available exclusively at Babies R Us in the United States. Chewthers are $6.99 each.

Pampers Miracle Mission {NICU Care Package Assembly}

by Kate on July 22nd, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Blogging

Last month when I went to Cincinnati to meet with Pampers and other bloggers on the Baby Board, we all shared our Miracle Mission projects. Each idea was better and more inspiring than the next, and the coolest part is that Pampers gave each of us the money and freedom to do something unique and special. My project was to put together care packages for families with a child or children in The Ohio State University NICU. My mom worked as a nurse on the high risk mother / baby floor at OSU for over 30 years and I think every single time I visited her at the work we would walk down the hall and look at the babies in the NICU. So it was a natural choice to gift that NICU with the care packages.

Right before we packed up our house and moved to Alabama, we gathered at Firefly Play Cafe in Columbus, Ohio to assemble all the wonderful donations for our NICU care packages. Firefly was a wonderful place for us to meet because the children have plenty of room to run and play and there was space for us to spread all the awesome products for the care packages. Big thanks to Firefly for hosting, promoting and waiving the entrance fee for folks who donated a gift card to the cause. Many bags got a bonus grocery store or restaurant gift card!

I’ve been blessed with two healthy, full-term babies so I can’t personally imagine the stress associated with having a baby in the NICU. But, I put on my thinking cap and contacted some generous sponsors who were VERY supportive by donating great products to the project. After lots of planning and a fun morning of work, it was so fulfilling to see the 25 beautiful care packages!

Assembly line: Baggu bags, SwaddleDesigns Original Receiving Blanket, CuskiBoo, Sophie the Giraffe and Pampers Wipes and Diapers

More assembly line: grocery store gift cards, Sticky Bellies, BabyLegs Newborn, Bath & Body Works HandiBac

The kids were entertained with painting and bouncing and running around!

Monica and I with all the care packages

A HUGE “Thank You” to all the brands who made the care packages possible: Pampers, SwaddleDesigns, Sophie the Giraffe, CuskiBoo, Baggu, Sticky Bellies and Bath & Body Works!

Make sure you check out the Pampers Facebook page for Miracle Mission projects and to find out how you can make a difference.

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