I have been looking forward to seeing this movie since July when The Family Review Network offered the chance to free tickets, courtesy of Dove. I was supposed to see it right after it opened in theaters as part of my birthday celebration, but that plan didn’t turn out.  So, yesterday I finally had the chance to catch up with a friend and enjoy this movie together while eating gummy bears.

In short? I liked it.  It is definitely a chick flick, as there are no male actors seen in the film, except the baby born at the end.  Not one, not even the people walking around New York City! Every person, every where was a woman.  Which, I think it s neat concept but it made me realize the impact and ways that men and woman complete each other and how their presence can be needed in some places.

I loved all the little puns and jokes throughout this movie.  We were chuckling the whole time (well, except when there were teary-eyed emotional moments!) and it was generally light-hearted despite the heavy topic.  But, what I really loved the most about this film was the message that I walked out with:

Be who you are and find what you want in life.

As a Mom, I know it it difficult to balance pleasing your family, friends, work, others and still taking time for yourself.  Life’s demands pull women in so many directions that it often leave them stretched thin, with nothing left to give.  Luckily, I’ve always had a Mom encouraging me to practice this idea; to find what I love in life, take a few hours to be creative, to buy something every so often just to pamper myself, or to take a well deserved vacation.  She’s taught me that refueling myself helps me be the best Mom, wife, student and all the other roles I am.  So, it was really neat to watch that concept throughout this movie and see what a difference it makes when we are true to our selves.

I loved watching the characters figure out who they really were. One evolving from a uptight personality who thought she was better than everyone else into a more laid back person who learns how to give to others instead of being selfish. And the other learns to do things for herself rather than trying to please everyone else and take pride in herself. It was beautiful to see the end result and end relationships. To see confident women just being who they are and shedding their fake layers. I totally see why Dove picked up this movie to sponsor! Real woman, Real beauty. Obviously, friendship is also an important factor in this movie and about how it helps you through tough times.

The thing I did not like about the movie was the cursing, sexual language, and drug use.  Personally, I just do not understand why people feel the need to put these in a movie. Over all this film has a great message, but the negative aspects of this movie make me feel like I cannot let my daughter watch this movie until she is well into adulthood.  I think all girls aged teens and up could benefit from the positive “be who you are” message of this movie but the surrounding content it’s shown in disappoints me.  This film is rated PG-13, but I certainly would not let my 13 year old (ya know, if Savannah was that age) watch this as it had many things a girl does not need to know just yet.

Overall, I did like this movie, I just recommend not taking your daughter with you to see it. The cast was fantastic, the humor was great (but for adults), and I left the theater reflecting on my own life.

I really suggest grabbing a girl friend and taking a ladies night out to see this movie.  The break and laughter together will be worth it

And the winners are…

#9) Coley!

#7) Crystal!

#2) Elizabeth M.!

Congrats ladies! I will be emailing you your gift certificates via email shortly. Enjoy

And thanks to everyone who entered, there are sure to be more giveaways coming.

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

Guess what?  I have three $15 gift cards for lucky winners to do some online shopping to personalize their electronic look.  I chose my cell phone to redesign, but there are many other options from lap tops to game consoles.

Interested? All you have to do is browse around Unique Skins and tell me what device you would most like to redesign. You get extra points if you share a link back to this giveaway. Comments will close on Tuesday September 16th at midnight and three winners will be picked randomly on Wednesday September 17th.

I do want to make some suggestions though to optimize the quality of the skin you design.  A few things I learned:

1) Don’t use thin text or designs (like part of the swirl on my cell phone above), it gets printed pixely.  Make sure fonts or graphics are big and thick for it to look the best.

2) Use high quality photos. The best looking part of my design were those flowers above. Pictures really do make the best design and how much more personal can you get than with your own photos? Show them off!

3) Keep it simple. Too much “stuff” on it looks cluttered.

Good luck! Enjoy browsing the website and dreaming of your options

When The Family Review Network offered me the opportunity to review a product from Unique Skins, I was pretty excited. See, I’ve never been one to ‘deck out’ my cell phone but this gave me an easy and cool way to finally do it! My phone was getting kind of old and ratty looking anyway, so it came at the perfect time.

What is Unique Skins, you ask? Well, it’s skins that are unique. Just kidding (but not really). It’s a website that you get to design a vinyl sticker to place on top of an electronic device you already own. From cell phones, to lap tops, to Xbox 360’s they have many options you might be looking for. It’s a cheap and easy way to personalize your products with even your own photos. Have a cute kid? Stick him or her on your phone for the ultimate mommy bragging! Sounds like a great idea, right? It is. I decided to use my favorite tulip photo I took last Mother’s Day, along with some other graphics that expresses who I am.

The first step was to find my phone in their lists of products, which was super easy to do since they have it divided up into many categories and brands. Then, the fun of designing began! Over all, the design program on their website was easy to use. There were a ton of “help bubbles” that directed you to the various features you can use, or hide them if you don’t need them. They also have a great FAQ and tutorial section for the non-technology inclined. It was very quick and easy to upload pictures, however I do suggest that if you have a HUGE picture or graphic you want to use, resize it first in an outside program for it to upload correctly.

Though it was easy to use, I did have a lot of technical issues using the program. The first time I tried to go into the designing part it did not fully open and froze. Freezing was a reoccurring issue for me, which was quite frustrating. There is a “save for later” button, but I found that it did not always save it correctly or completely. At least once I had to start all over, despite saving it. I also some times had a problem with resizing, as it would only grow and grow rather than shrinking when I told it. Another small frustration I had was that there are very limited font options.

Finally, after a few hours working on the design, I ordered it. The website says they print and ship within 24-48 hours, but apparently they had issues with mine because I used some digi-scrapbooking supplies that had a transparent background. A week and a half later and the skins finally arrived!

However, after opening my little package, I was a little disappointed. I was expecting a higher quality photo than what was printed and it came out somewhat “pixely.” There are also random white spots in my design that I know I did not put in there, probably from the printing process. One piece I did not even put on my phone because you couldn’t read the writing I had put.

But, I can say the application is easy. The skins come on several sticker sheets that you peel off and place on your phone. It does fit exactly as it should for my model of phone, and if I messed up or got a bubble under the skin, it was very easy to correct. And, it still does spruce up my phone, even if it is a tiny bit pixely in places. Also, I can say that it is true that when you take it off, it does not leave any stick residue or harm the device in any way (I took off the inside cover).

Honestly, I’d say that I love the idea of this website and the unique products they offer, but I think both the website and physical results need a bit more work to make it even better. The process turned out more frustrating than a fun purchase for me, but I really do hope this company keeps at it to maximize their potential. It really is a great concept!

See what other Moms are saying about Unique Skins over at The Family Review Network and see their beautiful creatations!

And the winner is…

Anne blogs at The Watson Highlands and is the wonderful Mommy to super cute girls, Claire and Madeline.

She commented with this story:

Every since we started reading the Angelina Ballerina books, Claire has decided that she too will become a famous ballerina. She stands in the middle of the living room, in the aisle at Walmart, at church, well really everywhere and practices her “ballet” which basically means sticking one leg in the air, putting her arms above her head and “twirling” until she falls over.

Congrats! I know your girls will love this DVD Please send me an email with your mailing address so I can get it to you.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

As a young wife, mom, and student, you can image that funds get tight for the O house. Therefore, things such as diapers, textbooks, and food become more important purchases than say, house ware. We survive on the basics and we’re okay with that. So needless to say, I was absolutely floored when BlogHer invited me to spend $500 in gifted money (yes, you read that right) and write a review on JCPenney’s new house ware line, called Linden Street.

From the moment I saw what Linden Street offered, I was even more excited. Everything was exactly our style and what I’ve envisioned for our one day dream home: simple sleek lines, beautiful rich colors, and soft fabrics. After surveying what the line carried, I decided we would redo our bathroom since 1) It needed our own touch to it. 2) It’s something we could take down easily when we move. 3) You can never have enough towels!

We did most of our shopping in store at JCPenney. I quickly fell in love with the unbelievably soft fabrics and how easy they make it to find coordinating colors and accessories. We decide to use Mark’s favorite color: Orange! I chose the Waffle Strip Fabric Shower Curtain in “Foxtial Orange” and Toffee Shower Curtain Rings to compliment it. We bought bath towels both in “Foxtail Orange” and “Soft Cream,” along with matching cream Reversible rugs. To bring the orange over to the other side of the room, we purchased the Toffee hand towel that has a beautiful cream embroidery on it.

We also bought five lamps. Yes, five. You can’t have enough lights, right? We bought two Wood Column Adjustable Table Lamps in stores that we placed in our bedroom, along with the matching floor lamp that we put in our living room. The Birdcage Table Lamps are still being shipped, but eventually they will go in our living room as well.

I only have a few draw backs that I’ve found. Firstly, my shopping experience was a bit frustrating as some things were not in my local store (the furniture for example, or different shower curtain options), or what was in store wasn’t always online to purchase (which is why I cannot link you to every purchase I made).

Secondly, the bath towels, though I love how large and soft they are, do not absorb well. We’ve noticed that we have to keep going over our skin after a shower to feel dry, and yet it never really gets the job done. I’m hoping that once they get washed a few times and the ultra softness goes down, it will be better in the absorbency factor.

Lastly, the bath room rugs that I love tend to slide around. I’m constantly having to readjust them to their places throughout the day. While I understand the cool thing of being reversible, I think having one side a sticky backing would be much more practical (and safer).

But despite those small issues, I cannot tell you what a joy it is to walk into our bathroom now and it look “put together.” My husband even made the comment that it “feels like a hotel,” and that’s really what I love about this line is the sophisticated luxury feel you would find in a nice hotel. But what’s even better? The price. We got everything 40-50% in stores, and I believe many of the items are still discounted online and perhaps in the stores as well. Over all, I’m very satisfied with Linden Street and I’ve learned that even little things like a splash of color from a towel or an extra lamp can make a big difference (and can be so quick and easy!)

To view all the pictures, including the items that could not be linked to JC Penny’s website, head on over to the my Linden Street album.

Once upon a time, I was a dancer. Starting way back at age 7, I did tap and jazz with my best friend until I moved away at the age of 11. By the time I was 13, I was itching to start dancing again and was excited when I got to know another friend who also danced and I joined her dance studio doing ballet. Soon after getting “warmed up” to dancing again, I tried out to be in their competing dance group and made it! Quickly my life became a whirl wind of practices, costumes, make up, memorizing dances, trying to become limber and remembering to point my toes for the next 3 years. I made lots of new friends, got to travel to cool new places, be in parades, and we did generally well in our small competitions. What dance was for me, is like what playing football or playing an instrument is to others. I lived it and breathed it. But sadly, one day that desire stopped. And so did I.

And that brings me to today, where I’m a Mom of a spunky 1 year old. I still dance, but with a little one by my side and giggling the whole time. Which, is why I was thrilled to receive the opportunity to review the DVD, “Prima Princessa presents Swan Lake.” It’s a 40 minute movie created by two New Jersey Moms who wanted to provide girls with a fun movie that features their favorite things: princesses, tiaras, and ballerinas. Need I say more?

Savannah was attracted to it the moment I opened the package from Prima Princessa Productions and quickly asked to watch it. She instantly became fascinated with the little girls dancing around the screen in pink tutus and when they introduced a new dance move between Acts of Swan Lake, she would try, too! Soon she was twirling, kicking, and jumping just like them.

There are four Acts of Swan Lake performed by the famous Paris Opera Ballet in which Prima Princessa narrates throughout, which I love. For the dance lover I used to be, I still was not very familiar with the story of Swan Lake so it helped for me to know what was going on, and I know that is helpful for younger girls as well. Savannah was not as interested in the professional story scenes, but that could be accounted for by her (and any 1 year old’s) short attention span. I’ve read other reviews with older children (pre-school age) watching and they seem to love the entire thing.

So, even though Savannah is still a bit young to fully enjoy the fun and beauty of ballet, this DVD is certainly one she will grow into and we will continue watching together. And really? It’s nice to sit back and think about my dancing days again, and I look forward to sharing the world I used to love with Savannah as she grows.

And…you can enjoy this DVD with your little girl as well! For free! I have a brand new, still wrapped copy of Prima Princessa ready and waiting for your own little dancing princess. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me a cute story about your daughter (or who ever you think might enjoy this) by midnight, July 24th. Winners will be picked randomly and announced on July 25th, right here at O Momma Reviews. You don’t have to have a blog to enter, just a valid email address. Good luck!

Visit their website for a video clip of the DVD, download coloring pages of Prima Princessa, and read what others have to say about the movie.

BlogHer Ads is introducing a new feature to their awesome blogger ad program: Paid Reviews!  On my other blog, O Momma Writes, you’ll see their ads on the left that display family friendly ads with featured posts from bloggers underneath each day.  And, some times you’ll see some great coupons, contests, and give aways!  I can’t say enough good things about BlogHer, they offer some great opportunities for us Mom bloggers.

So now, in order to take advantage of this new review program I needed a separate blog. And here it is! I’m proud to introduce O Momma Reviews. Below you’ll see a few of the reviews, all unpaid, I’ve done on O Momma Writes that I’ve moved over here.  Hopefully some good opportunities come along.

I’m still getting the blog fixed up how I’d like it, so bare with me as I adjust things around.

Need a pick-me-up? Head over to In The Motherhood, where 3 moms take true life stories/scenarios and turn them into “webisodes”. They star Leah Remini, Chelsea Handler and now Jenny McCarthy, which equates to a very funny portrayal of a mom’s life.

I’ve only watched a few but I love these little shows, they’re guaranteed to make you laugh. I think there is something for every mom in these clips. My favorite one so far is probably “Mother’s Day Gone Wrong.” Let’s just say I will be careful with chapstick from now on and I won’t let my daughter around display toilets. What’s great is that a lot of these stories are taken from real life mom experiences, they hold contests to see who has the greatest and then it gets turned into a show! Plus, they have online games, recipes and you can read funny mom stories or share your own.

And as a bonus for me, I love that Leah Remini is taking part in this because King of Queens was my favorite show and it’s nice to have her humor back to lift my spirits.

It’s nice to know my life isn’t so bad, people obviously go through worse!