If you didn’t realize yet, I’ve got another bun in the oven. Even though I’ve been through 3 other pregnancies and generally know what to expect, I find myself devouring all the information I can about pregnancy and baby development.  You would think I would have them memorized by now, right? Well, practically. And in truth, a lot of the typical well known books do get old after a while, with dry medical terms that scare you while they supply their information. They also some times lack real life experience and personality, resembling a boring text book.

Enter the new pregnancy book: The Hot Mom to Be Handbook by Jessica Denay. While this book does not have fetal development each month, instead it focuses on what other pregnancy books lack: real daily life, encouragement, and humor. The book isn’t all about physically looking great while pregnant as the definition of “Hot Mom” but turns inward as well. I absolutely love the opening introduction:  “A Hot Mom is a woman who is confident and empowered. It doesn’t matter what age you are what shape or size; EVERY mom can be a Hot Mom! It’s a choice. An attitude and a way of being. It’s knowing that you are not the best mom unless you are the best YOU.” I love that it focuses on real life daily issues, from choosing a doctor that isn’t a “McDreamy” to protect your marriage, starting a baby blog, finding a maternity bathing suit, the importance of good nutrition, dealing with unwanted advice, having “gadgetitis” for baby things, etc.

Besides the practical and relatable advice provided in a fun way, I love that this book has great quotes, stories from other “Hot Moms”, facts, and check lists interjected through out. She also includes lists with fantastic resources for every type of momma, like ones on a budget or eco-minded, as well as a place to journal and answer questions at the end of each chapter to capture thoughts.  This book truly has it all for any type of mom preparing for a baby, taking into account all types of lifestyles during pregnancy and each woman’s vision of birth and parenting. She even talks about cloth diapering and hypnobirthing!

And best of all, the down to earth humor Jessica interjects in every single sentence and title keeps this book so much fun even in serious topics like “post-party depression.” I could not put this book down and could not stop laugh-out-louding  while reading this book. I would stop often to share a fun fact or funny too-common-in-our-house situation with my husband.  In short: this book is much more fun and practical to read than the typical pregnancy book. It has something for everyone, whether you were waiting for the perfect day to pee on the stick or the positive line shocked you and you aren’t so excited about this new change in life. I love that she deals with so many aspects of life that get washed over in other pregnancy resources, dealing with real feelings or situations and telling it like it is.

This book is definitely a must have for any mom-to-be, whether it’s their first time “baking” in the womb or a seasoned baby baker!

You can find this book on Amazon and more from “Hot Moms” at The Hot Moms Club online.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of HarperCollins and received a copy of The Hot Mom to Be Handbook to facilitate my review. Mom Central also sent me a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

I love trying new bath products, especially organic ones since it gives the promise of cleaning without the nasty chemicals found in typical products.  We received the Conditioning Shampoo and Wash as well as the Calming Bubble Bath from Fresh Organic Baby to try and we are loving them! Thanks to organic oils like lavender or grapefuit seed extract, Savannah has been smelling fresh and clean without the chemicals. I love that the Shampoo and Wash is one product, making my life easier (especially to travel with) and creates less clutter in our bathroom. Both products are also truly tear-free, the last Organic product we used did burn her eyes and made her fearful of getting her hair washed and rinsed. Switching to Fresh Organics has solved that problem and we haven’t had a crying fit in the bath tub since.

Switching to organic in general in the past year has also helped a lot with Savannah’s sensitivity to bath products but in our months of using other organic products I’ve never seen bubbles like this!  The Calming Bubble Bath is not only, well, calming with lavender but also a tub full of fun.  It creates a huge amount of bubbles with just a tiny bit of product, Savannah has a blast making little bubble beards with it

And like I mentioned before, no chemicals! No Sodium Lauryl or Laureth Sulfates, Parabens, DEA, TEA & MEA, Petroleum or Mineral Oils, Phthalates, Artificial Colors, Artificial Fragrances, Nut Oils, Gluten, Soy or Dairy. That’s comforting as a Mom, knowing that I’m not adding crap to her little body that could add up to being harmful in the future.  Want to know why these chemicals should be avoided? They’ve got answers for that on their website. I love that their website even has a glossary for what is in their products, clearly displaying what is really in them without hiding  the bad stuff under “fragrance” like other products I know.

Also, compared to other organic kids products the packaging is much better, meaning, the lids actually shut closed so things don’t leak, or doesn’t take forever trying to open the lid, and the product comes out easily. The down side is the Calming Bubble Bath comes out a little too quickly since it’s a runnier consistency, so I have to make sure to go slow and only use a tiny bit.  And, the bottles are 100% recyclable (I love that they actually print that on their bottles so people know, some times it’s hard to tell with a squeeze tub type of package if it can be recycled).

Unfortunately, Fresh Organics is mainly only available online but it’s worth the extra shipping in my opinion to get  quality (chemical free!) products. They have other items as well like Lotion, Bottom Balm, a travel pack that includes one of everything to try, and even bath products for Mom and Dad too.

However, you can also win the Conditioning Shampoo and Wash as well as the Calming Bubble Bath right here!  I’m giving away both to one reader to try themselves these great kids products.  What do you need to do? Simply comment on this post. That’s it, I’m not even requiring to answer a question!  Comment by Sunday November 28th, and the winner will be announced Monday November 30th.

This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and Fresh Organic Baby, who provided the products for review & giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product.

One of the scary-nerve-wracking parts of being a parent is knowing that accidents happen. Despite what precautions we might take keeping medicine out of reach, despite making sure she wears a helmet while on her bike, or making sure he doesn’t eat the peanuts he’s allergic to, things happen. The even scary part is that we as parents are supposed to know what to do when things happen. I mean, I don’t know about you but if I know something major has happened, I tend to freak out a little bit!  Thankfully, we have not had anything serious happen that needed the attention of 911 or a trip to the ER, but I did have to call Poison Control twice.  Like I said, things happen, but the important thing is to know what to do.

Enter this amazing know-it-all book: “If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay” by Lara Zibners, MD. Dr. Zibners is an emergency room pediatrician that has taken her experience in the field and put it in a usable book format.  She realized that 50% of ER trips were not needed, so she wrote this book to help parents know when medical service is needed and when we can do something about it at home. I love this book.  It covers everything you can think of from baby vomit and poops to broken bones and even when they shove things up their nose, and it’s all written in a humorous way. Each chapter is divided by body parts and situations like “The Plumbing,” “The Noggin and Nervous System,” or “Allergies, Bites, and Stings” and there is a content page that makes specific issues easy to find in a hurry.   Dr. Zibner addresses each issue  with descriptive details, measures that can be done at home, when to call the doctor, and reminders, of course, to remain calm.

I love that she also includes little knowledgeable tidbits throughout the book like “Is it sprained or broken?” and even has a chapter on prevention.  She obviously has the knowledge and experience, but breaks the material down in such a way that even a mom under stress can understand what action to take and even can cause a chuckle or two with her choice of words. It’s fun book to read even if you aren’t experiencing a possible emergency.

Absolutely, this is definitely a must have book for any parent, parent-to-be, or even a babysitter!

P.S. If you head over to Amazon you can get an inside look at the contents and check out Dr. Zibners’ website for more information.

So, if yall didn’t hear yet…I found out I am pregnant again a few weeks ago!  Which, is why this most recent review (and giveaway for you!) had perfect timing. While I am not due until December, I absolutely will be breastfeeding this baby as well.  My breastfeeding relationship with Savannah was a much treasured time, so much so that I was sad to see it end at 10 months and I just could not make anymore.  See, I started going back to college when Savannah was 6 months old, but in doing so it was hard to maintain my supply. Let me just say, pumping in bath rooms between classes was not fun (but I will be doing it again, I’m sure!) and it often left me forgetting I had my pump in my backpack and it quickly got moldy (I NEVER fed her the milk, don’t worry. It was “pump and dump” to keep my supply going and keep me from busting). Obviously, once our breastfeeding relationship was over I could not keep that pump. I knew it would not be safe for future baby feeding use, so I tossed it.

I knew I would have to buy another one for this baby, and I’m so glad Mom Central provided this opportunity to review the new Evenflo Comfort Select Performance Dual Auto-Cycling Breast Pump. While I obviously can’t try it out just yet, I can tell you how excited I am about this product and my initial impression. Firstly, I was impressed with how compact and light the bag is. I don’t know about you, but when I think about dual electric pumps I think big bulky bags that I’ve seen busy Mom’s carrying around. This? Is about the same size as my purse, and definitely lighter than my purse The dual bag has two openings, one side is insulated to store your breast milk (it even comes with ice packs!) and the other holds all the pumping supplies you need.

Even though I can’t use it yet, I did open my box up to test how easy it is to put together. I’ve never used an electric pump before so I was not quite sure how that would differ from my manual one, but it wasn’t much different. And, even if you don’t have experience with pumps it is still easy!  The directions are very clearly explained and it is not too many parts to put together. The only issue I had was my own fault; I looked over a step about putting the horn piece to the pump unit, and I got it stuck! So, just make sure you read everything carefully (and boil before your first official use, of course) and it’ll be simple.

The pump itself has many features that I love as well. Such as, it comes with a nipple adapter to make it smaller and fit properly if needed, it has several speeds to assure comfort, and you can either plug it in or use batteries. I also love that this is a dual pump. From my experience, it is MUCH easier to have a successful pump from both sides if you pump at the same time because the “let down” happens at the same time.  I’m so excited to have two now!  And an added health bonus?  All the plastic pieces, including the bottles, are BPA free. Which means, a healthier baby and ease of mind for mommy.

You can win it!

I will be giving away a Comfort Select Performance Dual Auto-Cycling Breast Pump (sealed and unopened) as well as two boxs of Disposable Nursing Pads (one with Lanolin).

The Rules

1. You must be pregnant or breastfeeding currently.

2. Sorry, but this is only open to entries in the USA.

3. Simply leave a comment on this post telling me why you need this product ie. you are pregnant, or nursing, and will be going back to work, just need a pump to store milk for babysitters or Daddies to use, whatever! And/or tell me why you love breastfeeding  or why you plan to breastfeed.

4. Comments will close Thursday, April 30th and the winner will be announced Friday, May 1st!

5. For extra bonus tickets: twitter, blog, facebook, myspace, whatever, about this giveaway and comment with the link(s).

Also! There is more than one place to win this item! One place I know of is over at Mom Central where they have three to giveaway, and go double (triple, quadruple) your chances and look out for other blogs participating in this blog tour.

After a date night out with a rare good night sleep, I’m ready to take on our sleep issue with a fight. A no-cry fight, even. Not saying tears are bad, because even crying can be refreshing, but crying isn’t so lovely when you hear it all. night. long. I came home and did some research online trying to find a book focusing on sleep issues. Hopefully, I’ve found the one the will work for us, The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. Thank you Amazon.com for the used book section, allowing me to pay $6 total including shipping, half the price of if I had drove to the book store. Granted, I have to wait a few more days to find some answers to our problems (hopefully), but still, can’t pass up a good deal.

In the mean time, we’re back to establishing a bed time routine (bath time, lots of books, snuggles and a feeding–which I want to learn how to cut out of her sleep necessity). Duh, Leah. Why did you get flax about it in the first place? Remember that back tracking I was talking about? I bet that is why. We’ll see what else Ms. Pantely has to offer soon. I chose this book because it seems to be more than just reading and then trying to apply. She has ’sleep logs’ and questions to ask yourself and keep record of about daily/nightly routines to help show where the problem is and then gives you a majority of solutions, not just one (so I’ve heard) to apply. She’s got a chapter for tiny infant sleeping AND older infant sleeping (Hello! That’s us!). She has one for co-sleepers and the one I’m most looking forward to–a chapter about babies who are depending on breast/bottle/pacifier to sleep.

And, quite frankly, I’m a person that some times needs some one to just tell me what to do next. Especially, when I am head deep in frustration, anger and tears. When a person is at the end of her rope, she needs some one to tell her what to do next to save herself. I’ve heard this book offers gentle step-by-step solutions. Just what I need.

We’ll see if it lives up to the reviews and to my expectations soon enough. In the mean time, off to dream land where there are no dreams because I’m always awake. Meaning, bed time for the O’s.

P.S. (It did help us!  Routine in crucial as she stresses in this book.)