I’ve written before of my insecurities surrounding unplanned and unmarried pregnancies. I’ve been though two as a teenager and while people were not rude to my face or may not have thought anything but “Oh her belly is so cute!” I felt like I was always being watched and judged by my appearance.  I still do, but being nearly 23, married, graduated from collage, and much more stable in life I feel more confident in who I am and proud of my growing belly.  Still, I know I look like a teenager to most people in real life due to my small height and a hint of my insecurities still lingers. I feel like I need to wear a wedding ring to “justify” my growing belly and my 3 year old toddler to strangers who are always looking as we pass by.

However, as pregnancy progresses, so does weight gain. Especially in this hot 90-100 degree heat. I held onto my real wedding ring set as long as I could, but during my 6th month of pregnancy I couldn’t tolerate the itchy-too-tight feeling any longer.  So, I went on a search for a fake and reasonably priced ring in a larger size to hold me over the rest of the pregnancy and until my fingers can resume their normal size.  On my search I stumbled on Fantasy Jewelry Box and found just what I was looking for.

They had so many options to choose from for what I needed among their gorgeous wedding sets and engagement rings.  I seriously spent days looking at the pages over and asking options of my friends!  I originally was going to get a wedding set that looks very similar to my real rings, but my thought was, “If I’m getting a new ring for a few months, why not have fun with it?”  I decided to get something that looked different than what I always wear and enjoy something new. I figure this new ring is kinda like my maternity clothes, it’s fun to try something else on but I’m sure it will be nice to be reunited with my real clothes in a few months along with my real rings.  Unlike maternity clothes however, I also thought that if I chose a ring for during pregnancy, I could pick one that I could wear on my left hand later (maybe with a size adjuster though). I am normally a 4.5 size finger (I know, I’m small!) and I ordered a 5 so it’s not a drastically huge difference in size but enough room to accommodate weight gain and heat swelling, and won’t be too big for later on.

My biggest factor in deciding which to pick? The size of the stone. Since I am such a small framed person, my fingers included, I didn’t want the ring to take over my hand.  I aimed for a ring 1 carat or less and thankfully, there is a “Small Carat Ring” selection to help minimize the searching. I found their different categories really helpful in finding what I was looking for. I also loved that they included several pictures of the ring, including one on a model’s hand so that I could visualize the purchase more. We all know that things look different on! Out of all the websites I looked at for lower cost sterling silver rings, theirs was the only one that had that extra picture and it was a huge help in my decision. I liked that the website is very detailed in exactly what you are looking it, from the carat size (both center stone and total), band material, stone cut, etc. And if you aren’t sure what all that means they have a Jewelry Learning Center to help. Therefore, you know exactly what you are getting when you order!

So what did I end up with? I chose the Asa’s Antique Style CZ Engagement Ring. This ring actually has a 1.5 center stone, but I have had a green amethyst ring in the past that was very similar and I knew the style/size would be fitting for me. However, Fantasy Jewelry Box is more than just beautiful wedding style rings, they also carry birthstones, earrings, necklaces, broaches, bracelets, and even some men’s items. So, I also got a long beaded necklace since they are my newest jewelry love. They can spice up any boring outfit (maternity or not)! I decided on the Angelina’s 56 Inch Faux Pearl and Silver Bead Necklace Set. Yes, 56 inches in really long but I love that you can double it over and create several different necklace styles with it. Plus, the pearl and silver goes with just about anything. I love both so much, I wore my new ring and necklace to my maternity photo session last week (look for more photos on the main blog soon!).

As for quality? If you take good care of them as they suggest they should last, just like real white gold and diamonds. I have personally worn my ring, all day every day (taking them off for the pool/beach/heavy cleaning) for almost a month and it still looks brand new. My ring looks real without paying the real price and I have gotten many compliments.

So, if you are like me looking for a “ring filler” while your fingers swell during pregnancy or just looking for quality beautiful jewelry for any reason, I definitely recommend Fantasy Jewelry Box. Not just for the beautiful items, but the super fast shipping, great customer service, cute pink box packaging, and they are always having sales and promotions to bring the cost down even more. Signing up for their newsletter following them on Twitter or Facebook is a great way to get started saving and seeing what is new!

Like what you see? Win a $35 gift from Fantasy Jewelry Box right here!

The Rules: One person will win $35 towards one item from their website.  Simply comment on this post telling me what you would pick out from Fantasy Jewelry Box. For a bonus entry, sign up for their newsletter and make an additional comment telling me you signed up. Comments will close at midnight, Thursday August 26th (that’s one week!) and the winner will be announced on this review blog Friday August 27the as well as emailed.

Note: I contacted Fantasy Jewelry Box for a review/giveaway. In turn for a review and to promote their business, I received the ring and necklace set complimentary and they will be supplying the giveaway as well. However, I only post reviews on items I love and strive to write an honest balanced review if there are any flaws.

I’ve written before how I love sending out Christmas cards each year and how websites like Tiny Prints makes it easy for me.  But, I also love some coordination while I’m at it.  Tiny Prints offered address labels to match the Christmas cards I picked out a few weeks ago, but Picture It Postage helped my cards go above and beyond.

It literally took me less than a minute to create the postage.  I just found a red tree I liked using google images, saved it, and uploaded it onto to Picture It Postage’s front page, chose a coordinating green, and ordered.  You can use regular photos of your family, your dog or whatever as well, but since our cards had our photos already I just wanted something Christmasy.  I tend to use Picture It Postage for Christmas cards (we used them last year as well) but they’d be excellent for any occasion from everyday use to birthdays or weddings.

It adds a great touch, doesn’t?  I just need to make an family update letter to accompany the cards and address the envelopes!

Picture It Postage is offering you readers a discount as well:

Coupon Code: Sale
Discount: $4 off 1 pack (20 stamps), $8 off 2 packs (40 stamps),  $10 off 3 packs (60 stamps)
Expires: Dec 31, 2009

Can you believe it’s already November already? The holidays are quickly approaching and like I said last year, sending out Holiday cards is one of my favorite ways to kick of the holiday season.  This year, we’re again using Tiny Prints for our cards (this was our card last year). I simply love this company, and not just because we have a business/blog relationship, but also because of the awesome customer support and the quality stylish cards for any reason throughout the year. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with them!

They have a lot going on right now to benefit you guys and lots of new products! One being a Talent contest where the winners will be one of the faces on their sample cards, Tiny Prints products, and a $1,000! (You bet we entered that one).  They’ve added new products from photobooks (a a code for 25% off is available for that) to beautiful wall art, pop-up cards, and even cards that benefit charities. The options are endless and all gorgeous!

Don’t have time to sort through all the card options and family pictures to make your own card? Try their Personal Shopper Service (free until November 15th).  I also noticed while designing our card that now Tiny Prints has a feature that lets you upload pictures straight from Flickr, Piscasa, and Smug Mug if you have an account with them. I use Flickr and that feature made life much easier since that is where I edit most of my pictures anyway.  It took just a few minutes to create this card because I already had pictures in mind (ones that involved us not having to attempt a family picture!) and I knew I wanted two photos so that narrowed down my selection a lot:

Looking forward for them to arrive in a few weeks and sending out our greetings

What’s your favorite way to kick of the holiday season?

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.

I have a confession: When I was in kindergarten, I so desperately wanted glasses I pretended I couldn’t read those eye chart things so my Mom would take me to get some.  In short: my plan didn’t work and my Mom was sure stumped at how I couldn’t see one day but was fine the next.

I’ve always wanted glasses. I’m sure people who have to wear glasses find this funny that I would want to, but I see glasses as a way to add more personality to a face, to be more distinguished looking, or to just look “cool.”   But, I could never justify buying myself a pair of glasses for those purposes until a review opportunity came along for a free pair of glasses from EyeBuyDirect.com! And, I could get them without a prescription in the lenses!  EyeBuyDirect aims to be a convenient way to buy new glasses that are the same quality as what’s in stores, but saving at least 70% of the cost!

I began searching for my new glasses right away and the website was very easy to navigate. There were tons of choices, both men and women, from simple rimless to crazy bright colored frames, they had it all.  However, like buying most things online, I was a bit hesitant…because wait…I can’t try them on first can I?  Nope. But they do have some extremely helpful tools to help you “try on” glasses virtually. All you need is a picture! They have several angles of each pair of glasses and you can even select ones to compare against each other. They also have a great 100% satisfaction guarantee return/exchange policy if for whatever reason you aren’t satisfied with your choice once it arrives.

The real beauty of this website though are the prices!  The pair I bought (the Donna in brown/copper) was only $49.95. Others are as low as $7.95.   Now, like I said, I’ve never bought glasses before but from what I’ve heard from from my relatives that wear glasses, theirs cost much more than this.  Each pair of glasses also comes with a sturdy clear plastic case and a lens cloth.

So what if you do need prescription lenses?  All you need is your current prescription numbers from your eye doctor to enter at checkout once you pick out the frames you want.   If you don’t? Just click “I use my glasses for fashion only.” The website makes it very easy to check out and has several other enhancing options from thinner lenses to light adjusting to get exactly what you need.

Overall I am very satisfied with my experience with EyeBuyDirect and I love my glasses (I would upload a picture of me with the new glasses but my camera’s batteries are dead).  My only somewhat negative experience was finding a picture of me for the virtual “EyeTry” that wasn’t too big or too small.  I had to hunt through my hundreds of photos and play with the cropping/size to find one suitable.  My suggestion: make it easy on yourself. Just take a picture with you facing straight forward and upload it. It will save time, trust me.  Also, it took nearly 2 weeks for my glasses to arrive which is longer than I expected it to be. But, I understand that each pair of glasses are made especially for one person and that takes time!

And guess what? You can win a giftcode to receive a free pair of glasses up to $100 (excluding designer glasses and sunglasses)! Just comment on this post with the link to your favorite frames by March 13th.  For extra entries (comment separately for each one)  you can also upload a photo with “EyeTry” and leave a comment with the link.  Also, you can twitter about the giveaway, blog about it, and subscribe to my feed. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on March 14th.

I also have two 5% off codes that two runners up will win.

This review opportunity was provided by The Family Review Network.

Guess what? We’ve got another Tiny Prints giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a $50 gift card to Tiny Print’s beautiful products.

What do you have to do to enter?  Well, as this love holiday approaches we all could use a good idea in how to celebrate. I want to see what creativity you have in dreaming up the most amazing Valentine’s Day Party. Would you bring in ponies to ride?  Put the kids to bed and invite only your spouse?  Would you bake a million cookies and cupcakes in heart shapes? Rent a train to ride around your yard (like Tori Spelling did for her son’s birthday)? Or fly to the moon? Dream big, or dream simple! Best of all, how would you invite your guests? (The most important step of this contest.) Visit Tiny Print’s Valentine’s Day section, pick out your favorite invitation or card, and comment on this post with the link and why you love it so.

So let’s recap:

1) Comment telling me your party idea (not too crazy, this is a family blog, after all).

2) Visit Tiny Print’s Valentine’s website and post the link to your favorite card and why you like it.

That’s it. Sounds easy, right? Is it. The contest will end January 29th at midnight, with the winner being chosen at random and announced on Friday January 30th.

Best of luck and I cannot wait to read your comments!

Since hearing about Tiny Prints last September through The Family Review Network, I have been a huge fan.  I’m beginning to see their ads and logo everywhere and proud to be apart of spreading the word.  You may remember, we ordered our Christmas card from them and loved the results.  Now? They have super cute Valentines Day products available!

Tiny Prints sent me a sample of the 3 of the kid/adult Valentines Day cards. But, they also have Valentines Day Party invitations, gorgeous photo cards, as well as stickers (including address labels, stickers, and on party favor tins).  Just as with their Christmas collection, each item has beautiful colors and designs. I’ve fallen in love with each of them!  The cards are made of super thick, nice paper and the envelopes are just as thick and stylish as the cards themselves.  Some cards even come with a cool metallic silver! You can’t find this quality and unique designs in a box at the store, that’s for sure.

Stay tuned…there just might be an giveaway coming!

I’m a girl who loves make up.  If you know me in person, you know that I rarely leave the house without make on, and I take forever getting ready.  It’s true, I like to feel beautiful. And, ya know, cover up my eye bags and acne scars.  So, when BlogHer offered the chance to review Estee Lauder’s new and updated website, I jumped at the chance.  $100 for makeup and skin products? Count me in!

When I think of Estee Lauder I think of a classy, and that’s just what their new website is.  It’s very clean and beautiful and easy to navigate. I love the roll over feature that expands each title category to easily see what is listed without having to click on each one.  It makes it quick to find what you need and browse through all the types of products and tips. I also love that it keeps the items that you recently viewed at the bottom, so it’s easy to go back to find a product you might want more information about or to purchase.  When you click on a product, each page (for the most part, some I felt needed more explanation) is filled with helpful information about the product, what it can do for you, how to use it, including tips, and displaying all the color options. I also like how it suggests other products that compliment the one you are viewing, so it’s easy to complete a certain look or skincare routine.

The “What’s New” page helps customers to see, well, what’s new!  It’s a quick way to see the latest products from limited editions to gift sets, and even shows models examples to suggest products and tips on how to achieve the look. There are also great tips under the “Looks & Tips” tab that has more step by step examples of different makeup looks and even videos!  I love that it tells you exactly what tools and products you need and makes it feel like anyone can achieve that classy, beautiful look.

I was concerned though about buying a foundation or concealer without trying it on in store first, but Estee Lauder at least helps narrow down the choices with their Foundation Finder.  It gave me several options to choose from, from my skin tone to skin type, and picked out a certain shade and foundation for me. However, I did not buy it because I’m still hesitant to buy it without trying. But, the good news is that if you don’t have an Estee Lauder near you to test it out first, their online store does have a great return/exchange policy.  They also have a very helpful online chat with a live beauty specialist for a quick way to answer questions about products and things.  The lady I spoke with was very knowledgeable and it was like talking to a person directly in the store!

The only issue I have with this site is the Skincare Finder.  It’s completely geared toward older woman wanting to fight aging.  When browsing through the cleansers, toners, and moisturizers on my own, I found what I needed to combat my oily and acne prone skin type, however with the Skincare Finder it wasn’t listed at all.  Everything was to help with wrinkles or even out skin tone, which doesn’t apply to every woman’s needs.

Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed shopping with this website and had such a hard time choosing!  I ended up ordering the Eyzone Repair Gel (for those tired eyes!), the Brush on Illuminator (to add a little sparkle to my day and appear more awake), and the Advanced Oil Controlling Hydrator (for my super oily skin). And, I also will receive the free Holiday Hit List gift AND free shipping since my purchase was over $50! They also have other special offers like free gift wrap available and even a sweepstakes to win a $350 shopping spree. So as Estee Lauder is launching it’s new look, why don’t you?

To see what other bloggers are saying about Estee Lauder visit BlogHer’s round up page.

Remember those awesome Christmas cards I was (and still am) excited about sending out this year?  Well, I found the perfect compliment to bring the joy right on to the envelope as well: Picture It Postage!

I’m all about some matching. I’m the kind of girl that needs things to “go” together, other wise it drives me insane.  Now typically, I would not consider my postage as a huge nuisance in my matching world, but being able to make super cute postage to match anything I can dream of? I love it.  I decided to create a stamp using the same design that is on the Christmas card I chose.

The process is extremely easy: Upload the photo you want. Get the photo placed how you want it by centering, zooming in, change the orientation, etc. using their tools. Pick the color of the background and text color (you can even click on the photo itself and it will match the color for you!). And, ta-da! You’re done and all you have to do is order.

I received mine today and I can tell you the quality is excellent, you get exactly what it looks like on your screen when you order.  I love that they are bigger than regular postage so you can really see the design.

A huge thumbs up from me. I’m so excited and ready to send out my Christmas cards…and it’s not even Halloween yet!

Also, Picture It Postage is holding a photo contest starting October 31st looking for the best of the worst family photos. Meaning, all those not-so-great pictures that get taken when trying to get that perfect family picture and something terribly funny and inconvenient happens? A baby spits up, or grandpa starts yelling to at the camera to get it over with. Yea, those. We’ve all got them!
How To Enter:
Beginning October 31, simply visit PictureItPostage.com, click on the “Get Real” contest button and upload the best of your worst photos

How To Vote:
Beginning November 21, all visitors to the “Get Real” contest website will have a chance to vote for their favorite photos.

What’s The Prize:
Winners will be announced December 8.
1)Two Grand Prizewinners will each receive a new Canon Digital SLR Camera and five PictureItPostage coupon codes good for 100 customized photo stamps.
2) Ten First Prizewinners will each receive one PictureItPostage coupon code good for one pack of customized postage stamps.

This review opportunity provided by The Family Review Network.

Growing up my family has always been a big “Holiday” family. From decking out in matching attire, to eating large meals with family and then traveling to eat another large meal with more family. I loved every minute of it! Part of preparing for this holiday fun was getting pictures taken each year and sending out Christmas cards. Maybe I’m just conceded, but I really love getting my picture taken, especially with people I love.  Back then it was with close cousins or my siblings, but now I have my sweet husband and daughter to smile with. Something about sending out cards with our smiling faces, proclaiming “Happy Holidays!” and showing off how much we’ve all grown and receiving the same from others really thrills me.

The past few years though, it hasn’t been in the budget to justify for our own little family to spend money on holiday cards. Which, was pretty disappointing last year as it was our first “official” Christmas as a family and I just know everyone wanted to see how much little miss Savannah had grown (right?). So, when Family Review Network offered the chance receive a $50 gift card to Tiny Prints, let me just say I was extremely excited. The Christmas cheer is already spreading to me, and it’s only September!

I’m in love with the simple yet stylish designs and beautiful colors.  They have a wide selection of 2008 Holiday cards, birthday and shower invites, gorgeous birth announcements, and even personalized party favors.  Have a business? They have a whole website for business holiday cards!  The website is also super easy to navigate and it’s easy to customize and place an order.

And, what’s even better? When you show your Holiday spirit and share your favorite 2008 card design, you can win a $50 gift card to Tiny Prints for your self!  To kick off the new 2008 Holiday line, they are holding a contest right here on this blog for you guys to get a sneak peak and for them to see what the most popular designs will be. During this early preview period the new holiday cards, Christmas cards and holiday invitations are not yet available for purchase, however, for a very limited time you can receive amazing early-bird savings on their soon-to-be retired designs.

What you have to do:

1) Visit Tiny Prints (www.tinyprints.com), browse your favorite 2008 holiday card designs currently being previewed and save your favorite 2008 design in your account by clicking the “save in favorites” button. Don’t have an account? Make one!
2) Come back to my blog and provide a link to the specific holiday card (see link for example) in the comments below indicating what you liked best about it. Please note that some designs are so new that they cannot yet be customized, but will be soon (in early October and including hundreds more designs)!

The contest will run through Tuesday, September 30th 2008. Winners will then be drawn at random from people who have properly followed the above directions and placed comments in my blog post (you must do both step 1 and step 2 to be eligible). Please create your comment using the same e-mail address you used when creating an account on Tiny Prints so participation can be verified.

Good luck! I look forward to seeing your favorites