Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Matooka kids couture Review

I was recently contacted by Matooka kids Couture to host a review from their Spring 1010 line. Not having a little girl, I thought a Goddaughter would be the next best fit. Not only does little Ana LOVE to dress us, she lives in a town in which these clothes would be perfect - slightly ritzy yet with your everyday citizens.
It wasn't long before I received a package in the mail with a beautiful red top with a white skirt, it was the 'flapper girl' outfit and just perfect for Ana. The clothes are very soft making them so comfortable for your little darlings! Ana absolutely loved the outfit and couldn't wait to try it on; in fact, she made her mom do her hair for these pictures!
Would I buy Matooka in the future? You bet! When clothes are fun for both mom and daughter you have a real winner!! The outfit that I received is to hand washed and lay flat to dry. Not a big deal at all, but keep that in mind if you don't have time for it.
You can bu these clothes at select stores that you can find online, and you should be able to purchase them from online stores this fall.



Ana had so much fun modeling 'Flapper Girl'.
The clothes retail for:
Dresses from 95 to 130
Tunic/legging sets are approx 110
Skirt sets 140
This all depends on the vendor selling the clothes.
If you like these clothes, head on over to their Facebook page and become a fan.
Matooka kids couture was started by two mothers that wanted to create a line of clothing that was 'contemporary and edgy but still young and sweet.' My favorite thing about them? They donate 10% of their proceeds to infertility treatments.

This outfit was sent to me by Matooka kids couture and all opinions are completely mine.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

The Woombie Review and Discount Code




I want to share a story with you...
Our Little Guy was born on Tuesday, April 6th and as expected he didn't sleep throughout the night and even if he had we would have woken him every three hours to nurse. We came home on Friday, April 9th and my Woombie was in the mail. Being particular about items I had to wash it before using and didn't need to do his laundry for 2 days so he didn't wear it immediately.
The first two nights he cried a lot and we pretty much camped out in the baby's room as we were needed often. We were stressed and my husband asked if we should call somebody to see what to do. Well, the 3rd night home rolled around and The Woombie was clean and ready to wear. Our Little Guy didn't wake up on his own but we did wake him every 3 hours for a feeding and he went back to sleep immediately!!
Over the next week we were exhausted and 'overslept' the 3 hour feedings, at one point he slept for 5 hours straight!! We went for his 2 week appointment and the doctor said he could sleep through the night since he was back to his birth weight, we thought this was a joke... Low and behold, he slept from 10pm until 8am. This happened the next night, and the next, and now that Little Guy is over 7 weeks old my husband and I do not know what sleep deprivation is!!!
I will admit that he has been up a few times around 3:30 but we are on vacation and I really feel that his schedule is a little off whack.....

This comes from The Woombie site


Swaddle your baby Safely and Effectively with The Woombie ... designed to ease your mind and comfort your baby so you may both achieve a better nights sleep. The Woombie is the safest & most NATURAL way to Swaddle your baby, encouraging baby to softly stretch extremities as needed, just like in the womb. The Woombie comforts, softly confines arms & gently compresses baby's unique curves to hug baby... preventing Startling issues, face scratching, overheating and also preventing dangerous loose unraveled blankets from covering baby's face.




  • No more worry of blankets unraveling which can lead to potential blanket suffocation.

  • No face scratching or Startle Reflex to awaken baby.


  • See a marked improvement in Colic symptoms.

  • Effective swaddling without the need to tightly restrain baby.


  • Prevents overheating due to over-wrapping. (Overheating is linked to SIDS)

  • Great peanut shaped ergonomic design. Hugs the shoulders/arms, waist/abdomen, hips and feet.

Babies sleep an average12-18 hours a day or more! Allowing movement is healthy and allows for proper motor development.


Comfortable:


-Soft, ECO cotton fabric gently hugs baby
-Baby feels secure, not confined, easing transition from WOMB to World!


Safe:


-Follows Pediatrician & S.I.D.S. guidelines
-Maintains airflow and will not overheat baby
-No loose blankets covering airways
-Prevents face scratching


Effective:


-Prevents unnecessary waking due to the Startle Reflex
-Soothes babies with colic
-Will not come undone
-Promotes natural motor development
-Easy to use, just zip it up

I have highlighted the ones that I feel are most important and that drew my attention to The Woombie. I have always been worried about SIDS and have taken every precaution possible so was thrilled when the people at The Woombie offered to send me one.
I have offered to buy Woombies as shower gifts as I think this is the GREATEST item I have ever used for our Little Guy. I thought about really testing the product and not putting it on my son one night but instead trying a different 'velcro wrap' that we have. However, I am afraid that I would not get a full night of sleep and don't want to take any chances... My husband recently asked when we were going to order the next size!!!
There are a couple of things I wanted to make point of:
~Little Guy has NEVER gotten his hands out of this (he does with the 'velcro wraps').
~It is absolutely adorable and I love to watch his stretch his body it there.
~The minute I put him in there, he knows it is bed time and as soon as he finds his cuddle spot he is ready for bed.

You can find other great stories on their Facebook page.




***Buy It***
Go over to The Woombie, place your order and use promo code '10%sale' for 10%off.

I was provided an organic woombie by 'The Woombie' company and all thoughts are completely mine. I was not compensated in any other way for this review.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Tilly Tally Diaper Review and Giveaway


Tilly Tally Diapers is an ETSY shop run by a stay at home mom who decided to try cloth diapering after having her second child and deciding that disposables were too expensive. She tried many different designs until she came up with the one that worked just right for her little ones (and mine too!). She now uses this same design on all sizes of diapers that she makes.

I had the opportunity to review the newborn size cloth diaper, here is what Naomi says about her diapers "This Newborn(approximately 6-14lbs) Pocket Diaper is made with 1 MIL PUL on the outside, and lined with white microfleece on the inside. It is bound with plush Fold over Elastic. It has a back pocket opening for the insert placement. It has excellent snap placement to ensure a good fit without being too tight against baby's legs or tummy. This diaper pattern has been baby tested to absorb and contain extremely well. Comes with tri-fold super thirsty insert."
Naomi was super generous and sent me the newborn diaper in the 'Go Green' color along with 4 organic bamboo jersey wipes. When Little Guy was one week old we put his first cloth diaper on and this was it! Honestly, he did wet through that time but has not since then so I think it was because we were inexperienced and they probably hadn't been prewashed enough. The tri-fold soaker definitely held a lot after that! I really like that this diaper is sized for a newborn; we bought a lot of one-size fits most and they just look SO BIG!! The only downfall I found with this diaper is that it is hard to stuff as the pocket is so small, but that can't be changed as this is a newborn diaper.


The bamboo wipes are so soft!! I have actually reserved these diapers for his face only. I like to wash Little Guy's mouth and face each day and these are the only ones I will use.




You can buy the newborn cloth diapers for only $10.99, that is an amazing price and for how well they work I think we will be picking up some of these when the next child comes along.


**Win It**
Super-generous Naomi is giving one of these newborn diapers away!!


**Mandatory Entry**
Follow my blog.
Be sure to include your email address in all of your entries. If your name is drawn but your email is not present, I will choose a new winner.


This contest will end Friday, June 18, 2010 at 11:59pm. A winner will be randomly chosen and contacted via email.


**Extra Entries**
~Visit Tilly Tally Diapers and tell me which diaper is your favorite (1 entry)
~Grab my button. (2 entries)
~Blog about the contest. (2 entries)
~Subscribe via email. (1 entry)


Tilly Tally Diapers provided me with the the diaper and cloths for this review. No other compensation was received and the opinions are all mine.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Vote for a chance to win $250

The American Baby magazine is hosting a contest and you have a chance to win $250. They want you to vote for your favorite baby item - you have until May 31st to get your idea in.
I was a little dissapointed because I was going to vote for The Woombie (review to come soon) but there was no category for it. The categories you can enter items in are Meal time and feeding, playtime, baby medical musts, car seats, high chairs, and nursery. Click here to vote for your favorite baby item.

I'd be interested to know if you voted and what your favorite item is, you can leave a comment and let us all know.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Oatmeal Lactation Cookies

When I was talking to a friend about my milk production she told me that eating oatmeal helps and also told me about a recipe for oatmeal cookies that were beneficial but she had not personally tried them. So, being curious and really wanting more milk for Little Guy, I got the ingredients and had my mom and sister make them. They were definitely delicious!!
I want to share the recipe with all of you...

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal (available at WalMart)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips
2-4 tablespoons brewer's yeast (Buy 1, Get 1 at Puritan's Pride)

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350°.
2 Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 3-5 minutes.
3 Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar well.
4 Add eggs and mix well.
5 Add flaxseed mix and vanilla, beat well.
6 Sift together flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt.
7 Add dry ingredients to butter mix.
8 Stir in oats and chips.
9 Scoop onto baking sheet.
10 Bake for 12 minutes.
11 Let set for a couple minutes then remove from tray.