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.

Okay, by now yall should know we love us some Veggie Tales. This is the third movie we’ve received and once again, it’s a hit.  Not just because it’s the same characters, silly songs, and wholesome godly message that we like, but also because my daughter thinks Santa Clause is one of the coolest people in the world.

Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving is a Christmas movie that helps kids know who St. Nicholas (aka Santa Clause) really was about: “‘Tis better to give than receive!”  The story tells how gift giving came about for Christmas time and encourages kids (and parents!) to reconsider their priorities during the holidays. Is it to consume more and more stuff, or to give and help others?

Also, I was thrilled to learn that Matthew West recorded a song with Amy Grant for this DVD!  I grew up with Amy Grant always on when we decorated our Christmas tree or driving through the neighborhoods looking at lights, and Matthew West is a fantastic music artist as well. Their song is a great one that also reflects the gift giving message, even in it’s title: “Give This Christmas Away.” Love it!

And as if Veggie Tales doesn’t do enough good in people’s lives, they’ve partnered with Operational Christmas Child to spread the gift giving and meaning of Christmas to other not-as-fortunate countries.  We’ve participated several times growing up and it definitely a great cause to be apart of.

Like I said, another great movie from Veggie Tales with another great message. At two years old Savannah is filled with the “I want, I want, I wants” and this movie will help us introduce a different and truer meaning of Christmas. The Veggie Tales website also has this cool gift giving guide for parents that shows little ways (and inexpensive!) that can make a big difference in not just our kid’s lives but others around us.

A sneak peak can be see here, and right now the movie is on sale on Amazon.com right now for $9.99 if you want to give it as a gift to some one this Christmas!

“This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and Big Idea, Inc., who provided the product for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product.”

Remember Prima Princessa?  She’s back again!  I was thrilled to find the new Nutcracker DVD unexpectedly in my mail box one day, as was Savannah.  I grew up with the Nutcracker, watched several performances, and it by far is one of my favorite ballets.  So, it was neat to be able to now share that story with her without having to brave taking a 2.5 year old to an uptown theater.  She loved the first Prima Princessa DVD that told the story of Swan Lake and introduced basic ballet steps (see that review here).  It introduced a love of dancing for her, and we since have started dance classes to help learn and have even more fun.

Just as with Swan Lake, this DVD is broken down into different segments alternating between the Nutcracker performance and learning ballet steps.  Once again, this movie gets Savannah up and moving and interacting, which I love. The extras include the different beginning arm positions that they cleverly describe looks like a flower blooming.  Savannah absolutely loves these movies, and we enjoy them as adults as well. These movies are top favorites at our house

A clip of the new video can be found on their website and can be purchased through Amazon. It would make a perfect Christmas gift!

Thank you to Prima Princessa team for sending me a complimentary DVD to review!

The lovable and silly Veggie Tales are at it again in another fantastic DVD for kids: Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah’s Umbrella. Having an “Indiana Jones” feel to this movie, Minnesota Cuke (aka Larry the Cucumber) goes on a mission to find Noah’s lost arc, face enemies, and learns an important lesson along the way about confidence.  Prior to viewing this DVD I didn’t know what the message was about other than a search for the arc, but this lesson is definitely a good one to learn (but what Veggie Tales movie doesn’t have a great message?)! Minnesota Cuke’s worse fear is being laughed at by others, but he learns by the end that if you are doing the right thing and what God tells you to do, it doesn’t matter what others think . As usual, I love how Veggie Tales takes an interesting story, includes a Bible story within it, along with important life and God lessons, but still make it entertaining for both parents and kids. And as a bonus?  The Sippy Cup song is hilarious!  Though Savannah is only 2.5 and this movie has a deeper meaning than she can grasp just yet, it still is a movie that is not just entertaining but has no-worries-family-quality to it. And if she starts learning about confidence now? Even better!

Great movie, great message!  We’ll continue to be Veggie Tales fan at the O house

This post was written for Family Review Network as part of a program for Big Idea, who supplied the DVD for review. Thank you guys!

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.

I’ve never been a big hair accessory wearer. While I’ve always admired the look, I find it simply to be a pain. Literally.  Headbands are adorable but the hard style hurts behind my ears and the soft slip on kind is better but doesn’t stay put well.  And? I’m also smaller than most people so it’s hard to find a head band that is not too big or too little.  And clips?  Both Savannah and I have very fine, you can just forget clips all together.

That is…until I tried LemonHead. I am totally impressed, not just with the cute factor, but how this company has taken issues like I have with hair accessories and made it work!  I received one Bandeez Headband in this lovely purple paisly pattern, and one pink clipeez similar to this. I immediately tried it on (sorry no pictures since haven’t put real make up or done my hair in days!) and love the fact that it has an adjustable plastic piece that will allow it to fit anyone, so Savannah was able to wear it comfortably as well.  I also love that on the top underside of the ribbon is a strip of velcro (the hard side) to maintain where it stays once you put it there. It’s genius! I have never been able to keep a clip in Savannah’s hair, either for the fact of how thin her hair is or how she just doesn’t like it. But this clipeez? She wore around for a quite a while, forgetting it was there and it never moved. And it was adorbable to see.

Each can be used separately or your can clip the clipeez onto the headband for another look. I also like how the products came with different hair style suggestions. It would be awesome to have a whole collection of these to mix and match the bandeez patterns and clipeez colors!

Add some pizazz to your hair…and comfortably at that. I love, love, love these products and highly recommend them for all ages.

Big thanks to LemonHead and Family Review Network for this review opportunity.

We’ve been a big fan of Baby Einstein DVDs since Savannah was a baby. 2 years later, I cannot even begin to tell you all the words and sign language she has learned through watching.  Let’s just say it’s proven to be a valuable part of our DVD collection.  So, when Mom Central gave me the opportunity to preview Baby Einstein’s newest DVD called World Music (it comes out next Tuesday, March 31st!), of course I jumped at it. We also received the World Music CD to try out.

This DVD is full of different cultures, musical instruments, dancing styles, animals, nature scenes…and of course those funny puppets.  While Savannah was confused there were not any babies in this one (she kept asking for babies), only older children and adults unlike her other Einstein DVDs, it certainly kept her attention. Every time a new picture popped up on the screen of a zebra, giraffe, pyramid, water fall, etc. she kept asking, “What’s that Mommy?” and I would tell her. Again, this DVD proved to be a great education resource and expanding her knowledge of the world and new vocabulary.

What’s really cool about this DVD that I haven’t noticed on others is that it has a “Grow With Me” feature.  Basically, there are 2 different viewing options. One that is the typical pictures with music, and another one that adds words to the pictures encouraging recognition of words.  So as your baby turns into toddler or preschooler, it adds another layer of learning. Love, love, love this idea and feature!  The second option also includes more Puppet shows to show interaction and grow their sense of humor.

The CD contains the same instrumental music that showcase different parts of the world, from America to Spain to China. However the CD expands on the music more and even includes some songs sung in different languages!  Which, honesty might even help me some as I’m continuing my own Spanish lessons (for my English degree…? I don’t know why either).

While this is not my top favorite Baby Einstein DVD (I’m partial to First Signs because it helped us communicate when she was just a baby!), this video is definitely educational for babies, toddlers, and parents alike.  It takes us beyond our limited view and helps us explore different cultures. What I noticed is the the drum is in every puppet scene, no matter what country they were showing, as if to show that music connects us all no matter where we live.

We all have music.

I got lucky–my daughter actually likes brushing her teeth. If I want her to get up stairs to start getting ready for bed, or to get out of the bath tub, all I have to ask is, “Do you want to brush your teeth?” She will respond with, “BRUSH!”  and promptly move it.  However, even though she likes brushing doesn’t mean her little 2 year old hands know how to do it correctly, or for how long, or when and how spit.

So, as kids are learning the process the Crayola Light Timer Toothbrush helps at least make one of those tasks easier with…(you guessed it) a light up toothbrush!  The light flashes in the handle for 60 seconds to encourage kids to keep brushing so their teeth should be good and clean.  The bottom also has a suction cup so that it stands up right to keep the toothbrush cleaner.  Also, the fact that the handle is shaped like a colorful Crayola Crayon Savannah fell in love instantly. And of course, kids love anything that flashes.    However, since she is just 2, the overall toothbrush it’s self is a bit big for her size so I would recommend this to an older child (the website says ages 4-11).

This toothbrush is made by the Gum brand of dental hygeine products so you know it’s well made. The company sent me a gift bag full of other Gum products like their adult toothbrushes, Ez-Thru flossers, and their Crayola flossers for the kids.  They have something for the entire family!  And? You can win a Crayola Light Timer Toothbrush and a Gum goody bag for your family. Just comment on this post by Februrary 27th and winners will be announced on Februrary 28th.

And even if you don’t win the giveaway, there is something for you too. A coupon!  Good for $1-off coupon for the Crayola Timer Light Toothbrush using the promo code CRAYTL on the Gum website.

I can’t count how many times I have to say in one day, “Savannah, please be patient!”  Whether it’s waiting for her lunch to be ready or waiting for us to be ready to go to the car, it’s a lesson that is repeated nearly every single day.  Which, is why I was glad that the new Veggie Tales movie, “Abe and The Amazing Promise,” was sent to us for review because, appropriately, it is all about patience!  Now, Savannah is only (nearly) two years old, so I’m not saying watching this video magically taught her how to be patient. But, it does help reinforce the message we tell her daily in a positive way and best of all (in our book) teaches her about God’s love and promises.

We both sat down together to watch it, however since we haven’t watched many Veggie Tale movies before so I didn’t know what quite to expect.  The movie has 2 short stories about patience: one a Bible story about Abe and Sarah, the other about an inventor who rushes to get things done instead of taking his time.  In between the 2 short stories is Larry’s famous Silly Songs, which, appropriately again, was about sneezing since Savannah was (and still is!) sick.  Therefore, this entire movie held Savannah’s attention span well since  it wasn’t too long. Even I enjoyed watching these stories and being reminded of God’s promises to us and how I too need patience!

Savannah has asked to watch it again several times, so I’m thinking we’ll be adding some more Veggie Tales to our collection in the future.  I’d say this is a great addition to a children’s DVD library with positive messages and silly songs!

This review opportunity provided by The Family Review Network.