Life of a Slightly Crunchy SAHM of Drama Queens

I am back!

2011-07-13T23:55:00.001-04:00

I know I have been horrible about blogging. It has been a bit tough these last few months. With my grandfather passing away the end of April and my friend in May I've been feeling really down. Then on top of all this my hubby messed up his arm at work and was out for a while and finally we started getting some nice weather so I have been spending time outside with the Drama Queens.

I have to ship some prizes out including the stuff off of my Facebook giveaway and the Freschetta prize. I promise to do it soon, but we are a little behind in bills due to hubby being out on part pay. I will get them packaged up this weekend and ship them next weekend when he gets paid.

I am about to begin working on some reviews I am really behind on as well as putting the finishing touches on my Wordpress design so I can move over before Boost Your Buzz happens next month. I would prefer to get the stats for that over there instead of here because the domain is different.

May her memory live on forever

2011-05-29T04:10:00.000-04:00

Some years ago (roughly 17-19 years to be exact) a little girl fell outside my house and skid her knee. At that period in time people were helpful and giving and without question my mother took her in, cleaned up her knee and phoned her mother to come pick her up. This girl was Christina Sullivan and she was one of the greatest people I ever knew and we became fast friends.

Christina had this amazing way of making anyone in our group of friends laugh even in our worst hours. She never failed at finding humor in almost any situation. Silly little things like calling up random friends and asking in a silly voice "would ya like to buy some lobstahs?" So many memories have escaped my mind in the unexpected news of her passing yesterday that I wish I could share with you all. I'm sure as the shock of her death settles into my mind and the reality of it all hits I will be able to share more.

Such in life as we got older we grew apart. Christina had a beautiful son and I worked a lot so time we spent together got less and less. Our paths would occasionally cross and it would be like we never stopped hanging out. We'd say our goodbyes and plan to get together again, but always ended up busy and that day never came again. You always expect to have tomorrow, but sometimes tomorrow never comes. I wanted Christina (and our other friends) to meet my girls, but it always seemed like I couldn't find the time and now I regret that I never did.

I look at all the great pictures of her that my friends have and realize I missed so much. She was only 28, I always figured we had time, but anyone can tell you that isn't always the truth.

RIP Christina (aka Dezel) though it has been some years since I was able to see you, you still hold a piece of my heart.

11/24/82 - 5/28/11

EdenFantasys Review

2011-05-27T14:05:00.001-04:00

I won't deny that my husband and I have a couple of sex toys. We don't have a stock pile of them and I am kind of a prude when it comes to sex. I do become a little adventurous for my husband and have fallen in love with the selection EdenFantasys has to offer.

Some time ago we had the pleasure to win a Clone-a-willy kit on a blog and as couple it is the most fun we have ever had. I am not just talking about the fact that it is a sex toy either. Even if you don't intend to use it as a vibrator the kit is great because it gives you an activity to do privately as a couple. We had a blast and a laugh in our attempt to clone hubby's junk. Laughing so hard tears rolled down our cheeks, it really helped us to bond and have some fun together. Of course if you don't want to use it you could always proudly display it on your mantle as a center piece of discussion during your next dinner party.

Vibrators not your cup of tea? Don't fret, EdenFantasys has something for you. They have awesome party favors and gags to make that bachelorette party a hit with all your gal pals. They also have some amazing and sexy lingerie to help make you feel beautiful in the bedroom. Whether you are looking to try new things, looking for a fun gift to give the newlyweds or looking for some nice, sensual love assistance they will have you covered. What can I say, I love EdenFantasys!

By writing this post I will receive a gift certificate to EdenFantasys, this in no way influenced my post. All content about is my honest opinion.

Patti Pelican and The Gulf Oil Spill book review

2011-05-27T01:27:00.001-04:00

Patti Pelican and the Gulf Oil Spill

By Linda Wuster Deniger

Publisher: HIS Publishing Company
36Pages (Hardcover)
Date Published: March 2011

Patti Pelican and the Gulf Oil Spill introduces families to the Gulf oil spill on April 20, 2010. More often than not there is news coverage of the actual spill, but you don’t always see the animals whose homes have been destroyed. In this book you are introduced to Patti the pelican and Sammy the seagull and their journey to recover from the affects of oil on them. You get a glimpse into just how much work recuse workers and volunteers have to help the wildlife within the spill zone. With such amazing characters the book helps you teach your little ones how bad oil spills are in terms they will understand.

My girls really enjoyed learning about how the birds are taken care of after being saved from the spill zone. They really seemed interested in seeing if Patti and Sammy were saved and able to return home. They were very excited to learn that Patti and Sammy recovered from the spill and were able to be released and reunited with their friends Captain Charley and Salty.

Part of the sales from the book will be donated to IBRRC for quick response to disasters no matter where they happen. You can also make a personal donation online or by mail to:

The International Bird Rescue Research Center
4369 Cordelia Rd.
Fairfield, CA 94534

PetCakes Review

2011-05-18T17:16:00.003-04:00

The Drama Queens are tomboys. Hubby loves this trait about our girls, because it means despite them being girls he can still enjoy boyish stuff with them. Of course this isn't ideal for me because I want girlie girls to dress up, but luckily they do let their girlie sides out every so often to please me. However, there is one thing they can't hide their love of and that is stuffed animals.

It seemed only fitting that my girls would love PetCakes. We received the all new Series 2 PetCakes collection, which includes Bamboo Berry, Honey Cakes, Nutty Nicky and Roco Coco who are all simply adorable. As soon as I opened the box containing these cute little critters I was pounced on. I had just enough time to snap a few pictures before they were off and deciding who got who.

I was surprised at how soft these little animals are which left me not too worried if Kay got her hands on one of them. They are beautifully and brightly colored and the perfect size for cuddling by little hands. The girls loved them so much that to even sneak a better look at them I had to pry them from their sleeping arms after bedtime and put them back before they woke up.

I really enjoyed the detailing on them, but still making them adorable. The cute little cupcake hats with a cherry on top and fitting perfectly within their cupcake sleeve puts the finishing touches onto these cutie pies. I also like that the sleeves are flat bottomed so should I actually be able to get them away from the girls they can easily sit nicely on their shelf or dresser top.

We all enjoyed the PetCakes so much we are looking into getting Series 1 and Series 1 Minis for the girls in the coming months.

Make sure to follow PetCakes on Twitter and like them on Facebook!

{Buy It}

PetCakes can be purchased online in their store.

Cool Gel ‘n Caps, Relieve you little one's head pain

2011-05-18T16:45:00.000-04:00

Keep Head Pain Under Wraps with Cool Gel ‘n Cap®

Relieve Kids’ Head Pain in an All-Natural, Hands Free Way

Elma, NY (December 2010) - As a parent, you want to place your child in a thick protective bubble so they never succumb to the inevitable head bump. But we all know this is impossible; and when it does happen, it’s hard to be comforting while holding an ice pack on a squirming child. Fortunately, Cool Gel ‘n Gear LLC is excited to introduce its Cool Gel ‘n Cap® for just this situation! The Cool Gel ‘n Cap is a unique and super cute first aid hat for toddlers and young children. An adorable plush hat holds an ice pack in place for bumps, bruises, earaches, headaches, etc., leaving Mom and Dad’s hands free to comfort and calm their child with a soothing touch.

“Have you ever tried to hold an ice pack on a child’s head?” asked Timothy Panicali, president and co-inventor of Cool Gel ‘n Cap. “The concept grew from an experience my wife and I went through when we attempted to soothe our son after he bumped his head as a toddler. After careful research and consultation with professionals, including our pediatrician, we developed the Cool Gel ‘n Cap as a convenient solution for families.”

Each cap is in the shape of a playful animal character – currently Toby the puppy and Tulip the bunny are in production, with a friendly bear and hippo to come – and each package includes two, non-toxic gel packs that can be heated or cooled, as well as one non-toxic instant ice pack for emergency or on-the-go situations. There are no limits to placement of gel packs in the hat. Also, a coloring book is included in the package with all the fun Cool Gel ‘n Cap characters.

“The combination of the hat and gel packs help to soothe a child’s pain and ease anxiety while making it easier for adults to apply the proper cold or heat therapy,” adds Co-inventor Ewelina Panicali. “Any parent will appreciate how easy and quick Cool Gel ‘n Cap makes it to provide comfort to their child in what is most often a stressful situation for both.” With the hat holding the gel pack in place on the injury, the parent or guardian can hold the child and concentrate on calming them or placing a phone call to a doctor if the situation requires it.

Safety was a priority in designing the Cool Gel ‘n Cap. All gel packs are non-toxic and safe for use with children. The packs are also fabric that will not burn when heated, and the hat itself is made of a durable polyester, cotton and spandex mix to ensure a snug fit for children ages 12 months and up.

The Cool Gel ‘n Cap kit includes the Cool Gel ‘n Cap hat, two 4” round non toxic cold / hot gel packs, one non-toxic instant cold pack, and a coloring book for $19.99 MSRP

Visit www.coolgelncap.net for more information and to find a retailer near you.

Might be slow...

2011-05-16T04:26:00.000-04:00

So I have decided to make the switch over to Wordpress. I figure why not, it comes free with my hosting and most I talk to prefer it. I also like the idea that it is 100% my own, no worries about blogger crashing for days on end and if posts go missing it is my own fault and not someone else. I am going to be working on getting it all up, designing a new look and then transferring everything over. I won't neglect here while I am working because I have a few reviews still I need to get done, but I might be a lot quieter than usual.

I hate animals!

2011-05-15T03:38:00.001-04:00

Ok so that statement isn't entirely true, but in the sense I despise animals. Don't get me wrong, I still love animals, just not my own. Growing up the hubby and I have had cats and dogs, sometimes both at the same time, but since having the girls we hate them. Of course I still love our cats, but they are just too much since having the girls. Let me point out a few reasons why.....

Laundry is folded on the couch waiting to get put away, I have to walk away to say feed the girls and come back to find a dirty (yes dirty because they are not groomed and people allow them in and out of the house) laying on my clean laundry, which is now covered in fur and prickles.

I clean Kay's highchair before bed so come the morning I can sit her in it with some crunchies or a snack while I prepare everyone's breakfast, but wait what is that you say? Yes you guessed it dirty cat fur all over the surface, so now I have to juggle a toddler and two other screaming children that are starving while I re-clean the highchair.

Walk in the door, stroller basket loaded, remove sleeping Kay from the stroller, place her on the couch, get Khloe and Keira settled, forget to unpack and close stroller, go to use stroller next day to discover enough fur to create a cat.

Having to keep a close eye on all three while in the kitchen should they decide that litter box is a sandbox and begin digging in it with toys and their hands. This now results in extra work for me because I have to clean and sanitize children and toys.

Following Kay around making sure she doesn't mistake cat food for a snack she might have dropped on the floor earlier.... or even worse removing mushy, wet, cat food from clothing because it has fallen into the washer.

Get where I am going with this?

So I ask, since having your children how do you feel about your animals? Do you love them the same? Have you decided they are more work than your love for them?

Every Mother Counts

2011-05-11T18:40:00.000-04:00

Lifeway Foods Partners with Christy Turlington Burns to Make Every Mother Count

Purchase of specially marked product will benefit campaign

Morton Grove, IL— May 6, 2011 – Lifeway Foods, Inc., (NASDAQ: LWAY) a leading supplier of cultured dairy products known as kefir and organic kefir, announces today that in celebration of mothers around the world, Lifeway Foods has joined Christy Turlington Burns and the Every Mother Counts campaign to raise awareness and improve the health and lives of mothers and children everywhere.

Turlington Burns launched Every Mother Counts at the debut of her documentary film No Woman, No Cry, which tells the moving stories of at-risk pregnant women and their caregivers in four countries. For hundreds of thousands of women each year, pregnancy is a death sentence. Nearly all of these deaths can be prevented.

With the purchase of delicious Kefir beverages, consumers can be part of the solution. Lifeway will donate a portion of each purchase of specially marked bottles of Low Fat Blueberry Kefir to Every Mother Counts beginning this summer until the end of the year.

“I’m so excited to be partnering with Lifeway Foods” said Turlington Burns. “As an advocate for healthy products and living, their help in bringing global awareness to maternal health efforts enables involvement not only for me but for all of their customers, too. Together we can really make a difference.”

For 25 years, Lifeway Foods has provided the best in probiotic and nutritious foods to help improve the health of customers.

“When I was pregnant with my girls, I had access to the best nutritional and prenatal care available, but that isn’t the case for millions of moms around the world. We are proud to support Christy Turlington Burns and Every Mother Counts in an effort to raise awareness about the need for improved care,” said Julie Smolyansky, chief executive officer of Lifeway Foods.

Lifeway is one of the first food companies to join the Every Mother Counts effort.

Lifeway Foods

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (LWAY), recently named one of Fortune Small Business' Fastest Growing Companies for the fifth consecutive year, is America’s leading supplier of the cultured dairy products known as kefir and organic kefir. Lifeway Kefir is a dairy beverage that contains 10 exclusive live and active probiotic cultures plus ProBoost™. In addition to its line of Kefir products, the company produces a variety of probiotic cheese products. Lifeway also sells frozen kefir, kefir smoothies and kefir parfaits through its Starfruit™ retail stores.

Find Lifeway Foods, Inc. on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lifewaykefir

Follow Lifeway Foods on Twitter: http://twitter.com/lifeway_kefir

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/Lifeway_Kefir

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/lifewaykefir

Book Review: Rocket Town

2011-05-11T16:44:00.000-04:00

Rocket Town

By Bob Logan

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
24Pages (Boardbook)
Date Published: April 1, 2011

Rocket Town by Bob Logan features amazing retro illustrations of an astronaut and his dog as they journey through Rocket Town. Rockets are introduced in pairs of opposites such as "Where rockets are BIG! And rockets are small." Not only will your child enjoy reading this book with you, but they will be learning at the same time. Author and illustrator Bob Logan has worked as a story artist on feature animations such as Madagascar and Open Season, as well as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (my girls favorite movie), so it be only fitting that he would create such an amazing book.

As many of your know the Drama Queens are not often very girlie girl, so when I had the chance to review the book I didn't think twice. From the start I knew they would love it and I was right. I hid the book when it arrived so I could get my thoughts prepared and look through it before they ran off with it, but as luck would have it they found it. I asked Khloe to take care with it and shockingly enough she did. I heard her on several occasions telling Keira "be careful" or "don't pull it," which is a change from their destructive nature.

When I finally had a chance to sit down and read the book with them I didn't have to ask twice, even Kaylee came running to read with us. The beautiful illustrations of all the different rockets are fun and even silly on some pages. Since receiving the book not that long ago there is already some wear on it because of how many times they have sit down to just look at the different rockets and each time they have seen something new. I never would have guessed they would be this interested in a book and read it so many times.

{Buy It}

Rocket Town can be found in most online and many local bookstores.

Follow Me Back Tuesday!

2011-05-10T01:54:00.001-04:00

How it Works

Follow all 3 Hosts & Guest Host’s - Spots 1-5 leave a comment w/ a link to your blog so we can follow you back
( only leave a comment that you follow if you actually follow )

Snag our button & make a F.M.B.T. post.
After you post use that link to add your blog to the hop along with your blog name

( NO BLOG HOPs & GIVEAWAYS PLEASE ) These entries will be deleted.

Follow the blogs you like & Follow Back who follows you ( Remember to leave a comment so you can be followed back )
And most importantly – Have Fun and Come back and see us every Tuesday !!

Link up every Tuesday at 12:00 am est

One year of blogging….

2011-05-08T00:40:00.002-04:00

First let me wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. Funny enough this Mother’s Day marks one year since my return to blogging. It is hard to believe it has been a year already, but it has. I have seen my blog grow a lot in this last year. While I am not happy with or at where I expected to be in one year, I have accomplished a lot in this last year. One year ago today I sat here and wrote this post, saying hello and introducing myself. It seemed only fitting as a one year gift to my blog that I purchase a .com for it. You might have noticed the nifty new http://blog.sahmofdramaqueens.com that you were instantly redirected to if you entered through blogger. I had original planned to just purchase a .com through blogger, but decided I have started to do some media kit work and would eventually like to setup a store on the .com and share the space, so I went with a full hosting package.

If you follow my fanpage on Facebook, you might have noticed I have giveaways going on that just opened up. Right now there are some samples to win, a blogger .com for one lucky blogger, a quick media kit for your blog, mama cloth and I am still accepting sponsors for the giveaways until June 1st (you can email me at karine@sahmofdramaqueens.com) so if you or someone you know might be interested feel free to email me. Head on over and enter some or all of them.

Thank you to all my amazing readers, new and old for sticking by me and being such great readers and fans. Here’s to many more years, reviews, giveaways, zany stories and hopefully more children to introduce to you all.

FRESCHETTA® By the Slice Review & Giveaway

2011-05-06T13:57:00.000-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FRESCHETTA® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I won't lie I love pizza! Living in Boston you have numerous pizza places within walking distance and being the typical Italian that I am, I have tried many of them. The downside of loving pizza so much is that not often at 3am can you find a place open to grab a slice, which can be hard when you are craving a pizza. It is for my love a pizza and lack of places open at weird hour of the night that I turn to frozen pizza I can cook up when I want it, FRESCHETTA® being one of my favorites. The only bad part is in the wee hours of the morning there isn't many people, if any awake in my house to share a whole pizza with me. When I heard there was now FRESCHETTA® By the Slice, you can only imagine how fast I wanted to try it.

I tried the Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom and my husband tried the BBQ Recipe Chicken and we both really enjoyed our slices. I was very surprised being that it was microwavable at how crispy the crust came out and how great the toppings were. Often you find that mushrooms and other topics become very soft and mushy from being frozen, but the mushroom on the Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom slice were just like a slice made that night. The Drama Queens wanted some, but I was a little worried they wouldn't like the spinach, but to my surprise I had to fight them off to eat the slice on my own. I would tell you about the BBQ Recipe Chicken slice, but my husband isn't always very descriptive and all I got from him was "it was good and the girls liked it." If chicken isn't your thing they also offer Vegetable Medley and Six Cheese Medley, both were not at my store, but had they been available I would have tried them as well.

FRESCHETTA® By the Slice is a new win in our house! If it means having to buy it on a weekly basis to get some of those good vegetables like spinach into the Drama Queens, so be it. I really enjoyed the slices and the FRESCHETTA® quality still comes through even in the individual slice. If I am in need of a quick lunch when only one of the girls wants pizza I can easily turn to FRESCHETTA® to make them happy and save time for myself to prepare something for the other girls. I can't wait to find the other flavors in my local stores so that we can try them as well.

{Buy It}

FRESCHETTA® By the Slice can be found in your local grocery freezer section.

{Win It}

One lucky reader will win a coupon for a free FRESCHETTA® By the Slice and a six piece FRESCHETTA® storage set.

{Mandatory Entry}
Tell me which of the 4 flavors you would try if you won?
* BBQ Recipe Chicken

* Vegetable Medley

* Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom

* Six Cheese Medley

You must also GFC follow my blog and leave your email address in at least one comment or have it public in your profile so I can reach you.

{Additional Entries}

Like FRESCHETTA®s on Facebook

Follow FRESCHETTA® on Twitter

Need more entries? Visit here

Giveaway ends on May 27th @ 11:59pm (EST). Winners will be notified by e-mail and will be listed on this blog. Winner has 48 hours to reply to my email with the requested details before another winner is picked. Open to US residents 18+.

How are you spending Mother’s Day?

2011-05-01T22:34:00.005-04:00

Photo Credit Michael Dwyer

I have lived in Boston or the Boston area my whole life, but often never realize all the amazing events going on in the city. This year I was made aware of one such event happening on Mother’s Day, Duckling Day. My family and I have been invited to attend this year to help spread the word and I thought some other local families would love to attend.

Photo Credit Michael Dwyer

The Friends of the Public Garden, in association with the Boston Parks & Recreation Department and Mayor Menino, will once again celebrate Duckling Day this Mother’s Day, May 8, 2011. Families are invited to get together and enjoy Robert McCloskey classic book Make Way for Ducklings. The day starts at 10:30am for registration and a donation of $25 per family is requested. All registered families will receive a goodie bag filled with Duckling Day goodies and treats. Before the parade their will be family entertainment including face painting, balloon artists and a magician. At noon a parade led by the Harvard University Band will begin at Boston Common on the corner of Beacon and Park street and follow the path of Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings through Beacon Hill and end at the Public

Photo Credit Michael Dwyer

Garden near the duckling sculptures. Children (and adults) are encouraged to dress up as ducklings for the day. At the conclusion of the parade the Wheelock Family Theatre will be performing a dramatic reading of the book. For more information visit Friends of the Public Garden website or on Facebook.

If you can’t attend please feel free to come back to my blog some time after next Sunday when I will be posting and sharing pictures from the day. Hope to see you there if you can attend!

150 Secrets to a Happy Wife Book Review

2011-04-20T16:58:00.004-04:00

Normally I don’t get my husband involved in reviews, especially a book review. He is not a very big book reader, but this book fit for both of us. Author Joe Gumm and his family had many similarities to us. Joe is the only man in a household consisting of a wife and four daughters, like my husband.

What really attracted both of us to the book was not only was it a self help relationship book, but he came at writing it in a humorous way when most books are often filled with psychobabble that often loses the readers interest. Working on your relationship shouldn’t have to be dull and involve words you would need a dictionary to understand. Joe’s opening line “A burrito coming at my mouth at around fifty-five miles per hour doesn’t taste nearly as good as just putting it into my mouth with my hands does.” This line immediately drew us into the book. We knew that not only would Joe give us tips on keeping our marriage happy, but have us laughing the whole way.

The book features an amazing dedication to Joe’s wife “To the smartest, most creative, most loving and caring person in our household: my wife. I won’

t ever understand how you can have four unmedicated childbirths, with a baby as big as a basketball coming our of an area as big as a golf ball, and still be afraid of a roach crawling around on the kitchen floor, but that’s okay. That’s what makes you a great wife, mother and friend. You’re unique and special, and I love dearly.” Joe opens with an introduction that draws you in right away with his sense of humor and his belief that when your wife is happy, everyone else is happy. Following the introduction is thirteen chapters of witty, funny and often charming ways to keep one’s wife happy. Stuff the every day man knows, but doesn’t always do and what us wives want to see.

Chapter List
1. Required Reading for Future Son-in-Laws
2. Small Brains, Big Mouths
3. “I’m Not Fat; I’m Just Big Boned.” Nope, You’re Fat.
4. HELP! My Husband Looks Like Shrek
5. How to Marry out of Your League
6. How to Talk with One Foot in Your Mouth
7. Lazy Is as Lazy Does
8. Pretty Major Stuff
9. Quit Acting like You’re “The Man” and Actually Be “The Man”
10. After You’re Done, Do More
11. Father or Friend?
12. Do You Still Like Me? Yes ( ) No ( ) Check One
13. Things to Say to Your Wife If You Want to Die Immediately

In this book you will not find some doctor trying to explain what is wrong with your marriage, what should be done to fix it or trying to live the marriage for you when he himself has never been married. Joe relates to “The Average Joe” and puts it all into terms for even the most uneducated husband to understand. Even if you or your husband don’t fully agree with some of Joe’s secrets you will still enjoy reading each and every one of them.

I would highly suggest 150 Secrets to a Happy Wife to all my married friends, or those preparing to get married. Heck being the joker I am it might be the perfect gift for the newlyweds. I think if you come into reading the book and take in everything you will see not only the humor, but Joe’s genuine understanding of who his wife is, his love for her and how to keep her happy.

Preparing your taxes or filing for an extension is easy on your own!

2011-04-20T16:18:00.002-04:00

Since I entered the workforce roughly 15 years ago my mom has always prepared my taxes for me. I worried I would do something wrong and have the IRS calling me. This year I decided to take the leap and prepare our taxes. I was really nervous in the beginning, but I knew I had to do it because my mom wasn’t always going to be there to do them for us and financially we can not afford to have someone do them for us.

I decided to use TurboTax to file our taxes. Everyone has told me how easy it was and it is how my mom has filed our taxes in the past. On top of our current taxes my husband had two years he needed to file as well due a mix up with his social security number. We were not aware we could have filed for an extension and I really wished I had found Moolanomy with a step by step guide to filing for an extension. We could also have used TurboTax to use the 2009 tax extension form to file his extension after reading how easy it really was. It would really have been good to know that we were going about filing correctly and being notified that our extension was received. Luckily in none of the three returns I filed we owed the IRS, but were actually due a refund. For future reference I am grateful to have come across these websites should we find ourselves in a position of needing an extension. Don’t be worried to file your own taxes or your own extension because there are websites there to help.

Could my daughter be autistic?

2011-04-12T23:43:00.003-04:00

My greatest fear was hearing four words “you daughter is autisic.” I am not afraid that I would love any of my girls any less, but I fear how we would cope as a family. How would we juggle life of as parents to an autistic child, while still meeting all the needs of our other children. For about a year now I have been asking myself the question all the time.

Khloe is an amazing child. She has been advanced since birth, even doctors have said it. She is like a sponge soaking everything up that she hears or sees and can recite full commercials or scenes from a movie. She was a loving, cuddling child, who listened when asked to do something and didn’t need to be told something several times. We didn’t always plan not to vaccinate, but began researching the options and came to the decision shortly after Khloe received her 2 year vaccines not to continue with them.

Over the last couple years I have noticed many odd quirks and behavioral issues with Khloe. She began throwing tantrums and sometimes hit herself. Never hard enough to hurt herself, but would punch the air or her legs. I originally thought it was typical terrible twos and that she would eventually out grow it. While the hitting has stopped I noticed now she can go from having a screaming fit and kicking walls so hard stuff falls off shelves to playing like nothing happened in a matter of seconds. She doesn’t take well to being told no or asked to do something and if she is a massive tantrum follows.

When it comes to learning Khloe used to love to sit with me and have me show her how to do a puzzle, write her alphabet or numbers. She was eager for knowledge and loved for me to show her how to do stuff. She followed directions with ease and 2 years ago if you asked me I would have told you she would be reading now. While her love of learning is still there, I have noticed she no longer wants to follow directions and becomes impatient and mad when I take time to explain something. For instance the other day I printed out a worksheet and tried to explain to her that she needed to circle all the letter As and items beginning with A. She ripped the sheet from my hand and just began circling everything. I also notice when asking her to bring me something she looks all over and can not find it. I will clearly point to the item and explain where it is and she still wont find it and it could be right next to her or even standing on it.

Hearing and ear problems has always been a worry of ours due to my husband having bad ear problems and some hearing loss. Some days Khloe acts like she is deaf. I will call her several time with no reply and eventually have to get right in front of her so she can visually see me. I have also noticed she often goes off into her own little world and doesn’t hear anything I am saying to her.

Sure any of the above can easily have other causes or reasons for happening. She could easily be feeling my stress level and acting out on it or just choses to ignore me. She could just be going through a phase and all of this might blow over in a few years, but it still concerns us. We have decided to monitor her behavior and symptoms for a little longer before seeking further advice. I want to be sure there is something that warrants more investigating and studies. Right now she still seems to be a mostly happy child, loving and learning, even if it is at a slower pace than before. Either way I have come to the conclusion that whatever the outcome or possible diagnosis we will get through it and take it day by day.

Artism: The Art of Autism

2011-04-12T23:06:00.001-04:00

I heard autistic children and adults called many horrible names, some of which I refuse to repeat. More often I hear they are unloving, uncaring and violent from people that have not lived or experienced autism first hand, but these are all not true. Many suffering with autism are in fact loving, caring and peaceful, but often can not express these emotions, but Artism: The Art of Autism allows you to glimpse into the inner beauty of some of these individuals.

The book features not only beautiful artwork by 54 artists from around the world, but their stories as well. Each individual work of art also includes a little biography of the artist. I really loved to learn a little bit about the artist, to better understand their life and see their inner beauty expressed within their artwork.

I love that this book showcases how beautiful these individuals are. How amazing they are to share their artwork and stories with the world. Had someone shared this book with me without allowing me to see the title or read any of the artist’s information I would never have guessed the artists are on the the autism spectrum. I myself could never create something as beautiful as wonderful artists. They truly are artists, to every meaning of the word and their stunning works of art need to be shared with the world.

You can learn more about the book visit http://artismtoday.com. On the website you can learn details of the book, view some of the artwork and even read a chapter. The book costs $34.95 and is 144 pages, 12 x 9 inches with 218 full-color illustrations and 4 essays by experts in the field. You can also keep up to date by follow The Art of Autism on Facebook. Whether you are interested in the book for yourself or to purchase it as a gift it will be loved.

Upset by The Baby Gizmo Company

2011-04-10T16:33:00.005-04:00

As many of you are aware Kaylee’s photo was picked to be a finalist in the Baby Gizmo Company’s Win BOB’s Heart Photo Contest on their facebook. The prize is a 2011 BOB Revolution SE stroller. I was beyond excited and now I needed to find voters. Below is the email I received when I was picked.

Hi Karine,
Congratulations! Your BOB Photo that you submitted to Babygizmo.com is one of the 20 finalists in the Baby Gizmo Win BOB’s Heart Photo Contest. Now, it’s up to the visitors of BabyGizmo.com (well, actually the visitors to the Baby Gizmo Facebook page where we are displaying the finalists) to decide the winner. Visitors can view all the finalists and vote at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=284994&id=57344471134&saved

Here is how people can vote: (you can find this description here) http://www.facebook.com/babygizmo?sk=app_7146470109

1) Click Here to see the Top 20 Finalist Photos
2) Just click the photo that you want to vote for.
3) Hit the "like" button underneath the photo to enter your vote! ("Like" is just under the photo next to the "comment" link)
4) And if you really want that photo to win, click the "Share" button to tell your friends!
So, ask, beg, and plead (nicely!) that all your friends and family vote (“like”) your picture! Put it up on your Facebook page…Tweet it…Digg it…Blog about it in order to get votes (“likes”)!
We hate to have to say this– but you cannot purchase or buy Facebook “likes” for your photo. *Baby Gizmo reserves the right to disqualify any finalists for behavior or actions that can be considered cheating or unethical. For the complete set of rules visit: http://www.babygizmo.com/news/bobphotocontest2011.php

The most “likes” at the end wins! Remember the grand prize is 2011 BOB Revolution SE. Voting ends at 10:00pm (CST) Sunday, April 10, 2011.
Thanks so much for participating!
Best,
Hollie Schultz
Baby Gizmo Company
http://www.babygizmo.com

hollie@babygizmo.com

I shared all my details right away on Facebook and Twitter and let wrote a post here to get my friends and followers to vote. Within the first hours I got a few votes, but some of the contestants had like 30 votes shortly after voting went live. Which I thought a little odd because of the timing of when the photos went up, but kept it out of my mind and I just kept reminding people to vote if they hadn’t already.

A full day or two into the contest I mentioned to a friend how it was nuts how many votes some of these people already had and she shared some Facebook groups that exchange votes. I questioned joining them and decided to look into the full rules again to see if there was anything against exchanging votes. You can find the rules below and here.

Rules:

All photos must be received by 11:59pm CST on Friday, April 1, 2011. Entries received after the deadline will not be considered.
You must be a US resident to win.
The photo must be your own photo and not the work of a professional.
Photos must not contain material that violates or infringes the rights of another, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement.
All entrants agree that their submitted photo can be displayed on Babygizmo.com.
The winner agrees to have their name, likeness, and photo published as the winner of the Baby Gizmo Win Bob's Heart Photo Contest. The winner agrees that their photo can be published on the Baby Gizmo website.
Decision of the judges is final.
The prize is not exchangeable or refundable for cash.
Purchasing votes ("likes") during the voting period is strictly prohibited.
Using excessive force to get someone to vote for you is strictly prohibited.
Baby Gizmo reserves the right to disqualify any finalists for behavior or actions that can be considered cheating or unethical.
Baby Gizmo is not responsible for lost, late, inaccurate, incomplete, damaged, or misdirected entries. All entries may be published on the Babygizmo.com website, whether selected for a prize or not. Nothing in these Contest rules obligate Baby Gizmo to publish or otherwise use any photos submitted in connection with the Contest.
The awarding of any prize is contingent upon full compliance with these Official Rules. Entrants agree to be bound by Official Rules and agree that if any winner fails to provide proof of identity, refuses to provide required affidavit, is found to have violated the Official Rules or otherwise does not meet eligibility criteria, prize will be forfeited and awarded to the photo with the next highest number of votes.
Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the contest or in the announcement of the prize.
Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject, disqualify, modify, edit, and revise any entries, subjects, photos, or related materials that are nude, obscene, defamatory, profane, offensive, lewd, pornographic, false, misleading, deceptive, or otherwise inconsistent with its editorial standards, audience expectations, or reputational interests or that Sponsor believes may violate any applicable law or regulation or the rights of any third party. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to verify any element of any entry or related materials and to disqualify any entrant whose participation may subject the contest, Sponsor, or Sponsor's advertisers, clients, or customers to controversy, negative publicity, scorn, or ridicule.

I didn't see anything in the rules about vote exchanging. I did determine that giving extra entries into a giveaway for voting for me was, in my opinion just like buying votes, so I removed that as an extra entry into the Squinkie Doos giveaway.

If you know me you know that I am not a cheater and follow rules to the best of my understanding. I’ve been online for probably 16 years, if not longer and have been in many competitions. One such competition is The Site Fights, and in it’s day before social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace were around it was huge. Basically you entered your site (personal, business, organization, any site as long as it wasn’t illegal or adult related) and placed the competitions banners on your site. Yahoo and MSN groups dominated the net at this time, social media was chatting in an AOL chat room, having AIM, MSN or Yahoo messengers and joining online groups and forums. In this competition you exchanged votes with each other and it was encouraged by the creators of it, so much so they had a vote exchange page within the site where you could post your info. You were encouraged to setup Yahoo groups to easily send out email reminders daily and weekly with your voting details to your voters. Many other competitions like this have been all over the net for years. It was because of this that I decided to join some of the groups to vote exchange. I was in probably 6th place when I did this and I moved up to 4th and then 3rd. Over the next few days it seemed like just as I got close to one of the top two, they got more votes. The 1st place contestant often jumped like 20-40 votes in less than an hour and out of curiosity I looked at her profile to find she had 1000+ friends. Now I have been online for years, I have my blog, twitter and AIM/MSN/Yahoo screen names and combined I don’t have 1000 friends. Some of the top blogs I follow don’t even have 1000 friends. I thought it odd and that perhaps she had friended people off the vote exchange pages, which wasn’t against the rules.

On Wed. night I get the following email

Dear Karine,
We regret to inform you that your photo has been disqualified from the Baby Gizmo Win BOB's Heart Photo Contest. It has come to our attention that you have participated in vote exchange and we consider that an unethical way of getting votes which violates our Official Rules. Your photo will be removed from the BOB Photo Finalists. You are more than welcome to enter our Baby Gizmo contests in the future.

Best,
Hollie Schultz
Baby Gizmo
http://www.babygizmo.com
hollie@babygizmo.com

Are you serious? I did ask people and some did consider it unethical to vote exchange, they also agreed that they should have listed what they deemed unethical in their rules. So if Hollie decided that the name John and color red are unethical, per her rules she could disqualify anyone that had votes from someone named John and photos that contained the color red. Her rules also state the photo has to be your own and no professional photos and as soon as the contest went live I noticed a few photos looked like they were copyright infringed and ripped off travel websites. I am not one to stir up trouble in competitions, so I quietly kept this to myself and just went about getting votes for my photo. At first I nicely replied to her and alerted my friends they no longer needed to vote. Some of them were mad and went over to their page and said they should really should follow their own rules and look into the other contestants with rapid votes being cast and those with photos that may or may not be their own. Instead of answering them they deleted the comments. Not once did any of them say anything remotely bad, but that they should just look into everyone like they did me. My friend did post again and they kept that post up, it said “

Wow I guess anything less than positive gets deleted! If you stand by your decisions you should be able to handle criticism no?” which you can verify here. After I was able to mull over this decision, I sent another email to Hollie and both emails went without even a reply, which in my thinking shows that she just doesn’t want to deal with it. Whether she decided she was wrong or right in her decision a reply would have been nice. This is the email I sent, at no point was I rude or disrespectful. I just stated what I noticed and that it seemed unfair. In the end this just reminds me why I do not enter any of these Facebook like for vote photo contests. Rules are there, but it seems like more than half the time contestants find a way around them. If the rules state no buying votes, then someone can still get around that by doing it secretly, if the rules state no vote exchanging they privately PM and become friends with those on the vote exchange groups, they make multiple accounts every time they believe they are going to lose… the ways to cheat in a Facebook photo contest are endless and unless it is a small contest for no huge, expensive prize (though I have seen many cheaters within the cloth diaper and bow pages) odds are someone is always going to cheat in them. In the end I am not mad, but I am upset. If I had thought it was against the rules would I have done it so openly on public group pages? If I intended to blatantly (which I wouldn’t) break the rules would I have used my personal account to get the votes? Before I go I am going to share my second email back to Hollie.

Dear Hollie,
I wasn't going to push the matter anymore, but it is really upsetting
me. I am not a cheater, I follow the rules, I don't even like being near
people that break rules. I have never so much as cut school when I was
younger and I am seriously upset right now to tears. The current 1st place
photo has 1000 friends, some of the top blogs and companies I follow don't
even have that. So because I joined some Facebook pages to exchange votes I
am classified as unethical, when your congrats email itself said "So, ask,
beg, and plead (nicely!) that all your friends and family vote (“like”) your
picture! Put it up on your Facebook page…Tweet it…Digg it…Blog about it in
order to get votes (“likes”)!" Between my blog, blog Facebook page,
personal page, twitter, networked blogs I have well over 3000 followers
combined and this person has 1000 being an every day person. How are you
not certain that she too is not vote exchanging, but because she was smart
and had everyone friend her to vote it is ok? What is unethical for one
might not be for another. There is no way to be certain that any Like to
Vote contests can be fair as you can't be certain if someone doesn't
privately message people, become friends and then vote. Your rules state no
professional photos or items that could be copyright infringed, but some
look clearly professional. I suppose what is done is done, but I think it
unfair in how you have handled this. When I saw people having numbers jump
very rapidly (the other 3 at the top with myself) I took my friends
suggestion of the exchange because she said it looked like they were doing
it too. Either way between myself, my blog followers, twitter followers and
personal and online friends in the car seat community and mommy community
will no longer be supporters of The Baby Gizmo Company and you can be
certain that this is posted on my blog and any other social media I have
access to.

Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism 2011-2012

2011-04-07T02:54:00.005-04:00

What do you think of when you hear the word autism? I think of a child, unable to be who they really are. Confined to a body that no longer lets them express their true selves. Fighting to be who they want and need to be, but cannot for some reason unknown. In the past autism was hidden, misunderstood and often children were given up or placed into asylums. Just because many of these children cannot express emotion, to simply walk over and give a loved one a hug and kiss doesn’t mean they do not need love. Today there is more awareness of autism, but not enough. There are still dark areas, no clear diagnosis why seemingly average children suddenly regress or why some are born autistic. Many people still do not realize just how unaware the world is of autism. Research still needs to be done, studies organized, genetics looked into and clinical tests done. Years ago HIV/AIDS was basically a death sentence and today people are living longer and even having children after being diagnosed without them contracting the disease. With hope autism too can be better understood so that children can begin living as close as possible to the average child, grow into adulthood and show no signs or symptoms of autism to the naked eye.

Ken Siri and Tony Lyons have compiled an amazing book, Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism 2011-2012. Talking to friends, relatives and care givers over the years I have come to see that many are unaware that with help autism can be managed and a routine can be found to work for your child, yourself and the rest of your family. Most I have talked to say “I fear it. I will not be able to handle a child with autism.” as well as “my life is over because I will not be able to take my child outside in public anymore.” Like most not affected by autism they think their life is over. No one is aware that there are therapies that can help their child stop regression help manage and maintain behavior and daily activities or perhaps even reverse the effects of autism. Ken and Tony have compiled more than 70 therapies into this edition, including therapies of the future and they truly are on the cutting edge.

The book is written in chapters with an easy to follow contents allowing you to quickly find each particular therapy without having to thumb through the entire book. On top of the amazing therapies the book includes a foreword by Rita Shreffer, the Executive Director of the National Autism Association. Following the foreword is a preface written by Ken and Tony, which moved, sparked fear and stunned me all at once. Some of the statistics given have me severely worried about the future of our children and grandchildren. Just before reaching the therapies there is an introduction by Mark Freilich, M.D. who explains the best way to navigate the Autism Superhighway. It is amazing how much knowledge these first sections of the book gave me and even got me to wondering about my own children.

I found that it is best to have a plan of attack with this book rather than reading chapter to chapter or randomly flipping the pages. For someone reading to learn about various therapies to help their child it is best to glimpse over the contents, rule out therapies you might have tried and look into those that you feel may fit your child. After reading meet with your team (doctors, therapists, caregivers) and discuss together how to incorporate these therapies, and if they are right for your child. While some therapies may work well with one child, it might not work or be appropriate for another. Just like children not suffering with autism you might find that coloring a picture might calm one, while singing calms another.

After reaching the end of the therapies chapters you come to the afterword by Teri Arranga, director of AutismOne, vice president of the Global Autism Collaboration, and the secretary of Strategic Autism Initiative. Teri’s afterword is beautifully written and you can feel her love and passion for those with suffering with autism. After Teri’s afterword there is a very nicely listed reference section, followed by the amazing sections Autism Organizations and Schools for Person with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Both these sections have lists by location for organizations and schools specializing in autism all organized for you to easily find one within your region. Closing out the book is an amazing index so you can easily and quickly find anything within the book. Whether you are a book lover and intend to the read it in its entirety or want to open it and just read several areas of interest to you, you can do so with this book.

Editors Note: Ken and I both have children on the autism spectrum. We do not have any financial connection to any organization, doctor, or therapist included in this book. We conceived of the book as a way to learn more ourselves in order to help our children. We are happy to be able to present what we have learned regarding the resources and treatments currently available and those which are emerging. Our team of contributors is impressive. It includes leading doctors, therapists, teachers, scientists, educators, social workers, and parents.
Tony Lyons

Autism Awareness Month

2011-04-06T22:34:00.006-04:00

As some of you may know this month is Autism Awareness Month. Personally I have had little experience with Autism, but we have wondered if some relatives are autistic. I have a cousin who displayed many of the symptoms you commonly see, but his father did not want to look further into so we never learned what was wrong with him. I also have several friends with autistic children, though I have not yet met their children.

Several years ago if you asked me what I thought autism is I would have mentioned classic symptoms that are portrayed in movies and on tv, but wouldn’t be able to go into further detail. Today I do understand it a little better due in part to research, but like autism itself there is still so much to learn and discover. Awareness needs to be raised to help fund research so that earlier diagnosis and possible preventative measures can be found.

Many children and adults with autism are misunderstood. Often called names or thought to not posses any skill or understand what they are taught, but many are just the opposite. No one autistic child is the same as another. Some are higher functioning and at first glance and even speaking to them you would never know, while others are non-verbal and become scared or violent when forced to deviate from their normal routine.

During my book review of Ken Siri and Tony Lyons Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism 2011-2012 there was a section of the preface that hit me like a ton of bricks. Below is an excerpt from the book;

Dr. Insel admits that when he was in training as a psychiatrist he “never saw a child with autism.” He says that he wanted to see kids with autism, but he simply couldn’t find any. Now, Insel says, “I wouldn’t have to go any further than the block where I live to see kids with autism.” This is an epidemic. We’ve come from a time when 1 in 10,000 babies born in the United States exhibited symptoms of autism to a time when the statistics are roughly 1 in 100. Think about that for a moment, 1% of kids born in this country become autistic. And those statistics, which come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), are based on data collected four years ago, so that the current rate is estimated to be 1 in 91.

If you were to take the 57% increase in the incidence of autism between 2002 and 2006, as calculated by the CDC (which the CDC itself says it cannot be explained away by a shift in diagnostic criteria) and extrapolate forward, then at least half of all children born in the United States will be autistic by 2046. And these statistics fail to differentiate between classic autism, which is characterized by a child sitting in a corner rocking back and forth with little interest in social interaction, and regressive autism, where a normally developing child suddenly loses speech, interest in social interaction with peers and develops various biomedical symptoms. Tens years ago no one talked or wrote about regressive autism and now this is the fastest growing segment of the autistic population. What if this is just a different disorder. What if it’s a disorder that has gone from 1 in 200 million to 1 in 200 in a 10 year period? Then, certainly, we’re looking at a medical disaster of unprecedented proportions that is here, now and warrants a response at least as dramatic as the CDCs response to swine flu or the AIDS epidemic. We could well be at the tipping point of a crisis that will soon consume our future.

I don’t know about you, but those numbers are alarming. Could it be possible that in just 35 years over half our child population could be autistic? How can there not be more resources and funding to research autism? Genetic mapping and other studies can be done to possibly in the future determine if your child is predisposed, genetically to develop autism, the funds for the these studies and research are not there. Something needs to be done, and fast or else we might very well be looking at the end of our world as we know it. We see movies about zombie apocalypse, alien invasion and deadly viruses wiping out the human race, but could it very well be something staring us right in the face? Something we can possibly stop before it happens?

Even if you have not been touched by autism, doesn’t mean you wont. Autism has no prejudice. It does not care about social class, financial status or if your dear aunt Sally just passed away. Autism can strike any child, at any time and we don’t know why. Become aware, spread the word and help stomp out autism, find treatments and therapies for autism.

Pink Princess Review

2011-04-05T23:28:00.003-04:00

When planning the Drama Queens birthday we wanted to have some adorable dresses for them to wear, that matched, but didn’t need to be the same colors. In my search for something adorable I stumbled upon Pink Princess and fell in love. I instantly fell in love with not only their amazing selection of Pettiskirts & Tutus and Flower Girl Dresses as well as how beautiful all of their products are. When it came time to making a decision on what to review it took me days to make my selection. I went over all of the products several times with many tabs opened to my favorites and began to slowly eliminate (which was very hard to do) and finally settled on the Polka Dot Embroidered Taffeta w/ Sleeves for Keira.

When the dress arrived I was in love with it even more than when I saw it on their website. Keira wanted to put it right on, but I told her she needed to wait because I was so afraid that she would spill something on it before she had the chance to wear it to her party. I wasn’t sure what to expect because I have had some taffeta clothing in the past and I found it a little stiff and itchy, but I was shocked at how soft this dress really was. When Keira got the chance to try it on for the first time she didn’t complain at all about the material and actually refused to take it off.

Pink Princess offers a great selection of formal and special occasion dresses. Whether you are looking for the perfect birthday dress or a beautiful holiday dress they have it all. They even have Flower Girl Accessories, that will finish off your little princesses perfect look for whatever occasion. Not only do they have a great special occasion selection, but they also have Christening Gowns and First Communion Dresses to make your little one look beautiful on their special day. With their amazing selection I can easily suggest them to my friends for whatever event they are looking for a dress.

{Buy It}

You can buy the beautiful dress like I received as well as many other dresses and formal wear on their website.

I received the product/s mentioned above for this review. No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my honest opinion.

Pretty Please Vote for Kaylee!

2011-04-03T23:48:00.002-04:00

If you have a Facebook account and a spare minute can you please vote for Kaylee? We are trying to win a 2011 BOB Revolution SE in The Baby Gizmo Company’s Win BOB's Heart Photo Contest. During our recent trip to the Museum of Science Keira broke the sun shield on our current stroller. It has been on it’s last leg for some time now as I received it handed down 4 years ago before I had Khloe and has been used almost daily since receiving it. We don’t have the money for a new stroller and with three little ones it is a must to even travel up the street to the park or store. Winning this stroller would be the greatest blessing and I need everyone’s help. From now until 10pm (CST) on April 10th you can vote and at that time the person with the most votes win. Feel free to share on your Facebook wall and on Twitter. Every vote helps and I would be forever grateful to everyone that votes for us.

First like The Baby Gizmo Company on Facebook.
Then vote for Kaylee by liking her photo.

Birthday Parade: Kaylee Like– Inspired By Finn Review

2011-04-01T00:13:00.005-04:00

I have heard so much about Amber jewelry helping with pain management, but I was skeptical. I couldn’t figure out how simply wearing a piece of jewelry would help alleviate pain, but I needed to try it. Kaylee was already showing signs of pain from teething and I was lucky enough to be able to review a beautiful Inspired By Finn Honey Round Amber Necklace.

Among other things, amber is a natural analgesic (pain reliever) and anti-inflammatory. When amber is worn on the skin, the warmth of the skin releases trace amounts of healing oils on the skin. Commonly known as "teething jewelry," baltic amber has been a natural and traditional European remedy for teething discomfort for hundreds of years. To read more about the many benefits of baltic amber, click here http://hyenacart.com/inspiredbyfinn/index.php?c=64&p=14913

At first I thought no way will this help with her teething pain, but it was beautiful still and would look adorable on Kay. As the days rolled on I noticed that while she was still in pain, she didn’t cry as much or chew on stuff as much as she was in previous days. I was shocked and in love all at once and since receiving the necklace it has barely been taken off. I worried that she would pull on it, chew it or try to take it off, but since having it on she has paid almost no interest to it.
I love that the clasp is a screw close rather than a normal clasp. With the screw clasp you don’t have to worry about breaking of the clasp and having little pieces of normal clasps being put into your little ones mouth. Another design feature I love is that there is a knot between each bead so should the necklace break that only one bead falls off and you don’t have little beads all over that your little one can put into their mouth and choke on. Inspired By Finn really put little children into thought when designing their necklaces and because of this they are the only company I suggest when my mommy friends are looking into amber jewelry not only for their little ones, but themselves as well.
You can also find Inspired By Fin one Facebook.

{Buy It}

You can buy the beautiful necklace like I received as well as other amber jewelry on their website.
To learn how to save up to 25% off ANY purchase with Inspired by Finn, go here.

I received the product/s mentioned above for this review. No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my honest opinion.

Birthday Parade: Khloe Like– Squinkie Doos Review & Giveaway

2011-03-31T23:38:00.006-04:00

Khloe is obsessed with Squinkies, so it would come as no surprise that they would be featured in the Birthday Parade. We were lucky enough to receive the Squinkie Doos Salon Playset and two Squinkie Doos Bubble Packs. Khloe was in love right away because now one of her favorite toys had hair she could brush and style.

Like the original Squinkies, the Squinkie Doos are just as adorable. Now featuring hair you can brush and style as to the fun. Whether you want to put your Squinkie Doo’s hair into a pony tail or a braid the styles are endless even on these little guys. The Salon Playset was simply adorable with a cute little seat to sit your Squinkie Doos on and a pretend over head dryer your little ones can pretend they own a salon with them. Included in the playset and bubble packs were adorable little brushes and a hair dryer.

Squinkies are recommended for ages 4 and up and it really should be followed. Keira is 3 and while she is mature for her age, several times when Khloe had out her Squinkie Doos I noticed that Keira would play with them, but every so often would still put one into her mouth. Of course I knew for sure not to let Kaylee near them and several times when Khloe had dropped a few and I hadn’t noticed Kaylee put them into her mouth right away. Of course Khloe generally keeps an eye on them all, but will become distracted by something every so often and leave them out in the open. If you have younger children you don’t want to play with them you are fine as long as you can keep an eye on play time with Squinkie Doos. I will admit I myself love putting them into their little balls and watching as they come out of their playsets. Khloe loves having mommy play with her and it does help to be sure that the littles don’t put them into their mouths.

Squinkies can be found on their website, blog, Facebook and Twitter. If you follow them they often offer giveaways and fun trivia and contests to win them.

{Buy It}

Squinkie Doos can be purchased at Toys R US.

{Win It}

One lucky reader will win 2 Squinkie Doos bubble ball packs.

{Mandatory Entry}
Visit the Squinkies website and tell me which is your favorite.

You must also GFC follow my blog and leave your email address in at least one comment or have it public in your profile so I can reach you.

{Additional Entries}

Like Squinkies on Facebook
Follow Squinkies on Twitter
Subscribe to the Squinkies Newsletter on their blog

Need more entries? Visit here

Giveaway ends on April 22nd @ 11:59pm (EST). Winners will be notified by e-mail and will be listed on this blog. Winner has 48 hours to reply to my email with the requested details before another winner is picked. Open to US residents 18+. Winner can not have previously won in any other Squinkies contest or giveaway.

I received the product/s mentioned above for this review. No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my honest opinion.