Zoobie Pets at Weary Parent

Weary Parent has a great giveaway for the cutest pillow/blanket. It is a Zoobie pet. They are stuffed animals that turn into a pillow and then a blanket. This would be perfect for car trips or going to overnights. This contest ends on March 12.

There are too many cute ones to pick just one so take a look and see if you can pick just one.

5 Minutes for Mom Has The Sak

5 Minutes for Mom has a gorgeous bag up for grabs right now. It's The Sak Dakota Hobo handbag. I would love to win this! You can try to win (but you won't because I am) by heading over to 5 Minutes for Mom before March 15.

Nature's Child is Sharing the Love

Nature's Child is having a Share the Love giveaway for $100 gift certificate to their store. There are so many great things you can get there. Head on over and take a look. You have until March 14, 2008 to enter.

The Business of Being Born

Me and The Mommy Rambles went and watched The Business of Being Born. What a great film. I had a great time. Lots of information. If you haven't seen it yet, check out The Business of Being Born's website to find a screening near you. In a few days, the movie should be available on Netflix. Get it!

We Have a Winner

Congratulations to the winner of a 2 oz. bottle of Gloves in a Bottle. Random.org choose commenter #9 which was. . .

lyn21

I will be contacting you by email to get your shipping information. I hope you enjoy this lotion. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and entered. I wish I had a prize for everyone.

Gloves in a Bottle Giveaway - Last Day!

Today is the last day you can enter to win 2oz Gloves in a Bottle and 3 sample packs. You have until 5pm est to enter.

To enter click here and leave a comment.

Mommyknows All About Cloth

MommyKnows and www.thebabymarketplace.com (a great place to shop and learn about cloth diapers) are hosting the bumGenius 3.0 One-Size Cloth Diaper Give Away.Go on over and comment and be entered to Win one of two bumGenius 3.0 One-Size Cloth Diapers.

The Opinionated Parent and Aden + Anais Giveaway

The Opinionated Parent is giving away an Aden + Anais muslin wrap in the winter warmth weight. These blankets look great for swaddling new babies in the winter months. They would also be great for little ones who love to cuddle with a blanket. I love the colors and designs that this company has. Looking forward to trying them out.

Worms, Gardens, Veins, and Science

Parent Bloggers Network wants to know how you are bringing Science back to your kids.

Science - I don't often thing about it. I know it is there and all around us but I don't actively seek out science activities to do with my 3 year old niece. When something comes up I will hop on board and do activities or help explain something to her.

She loves worms and gardening. I love to watch her in the garden watching and waiting for her favorite plants to grow strawberries. She also loves to pick and carry all the vegetables she helped grow. This is one area of science that I know she will continue to have an interest in. Gardening with her grandpa is a wonderful spring/summer activity she enjoys.

I hope she continues to love all things science related. Just yesterday, She was using the bathroom and wondered about our digestive system. I told her how our digestive system works and then got out a medical book with pictures of the human body in it. She was fascinated with veins and that you could see them in your arm.

I think we might have to find a more kid friendly book about the human body at the library. Which is one of her favorite places to go. Maybe I better start helping her pick out more science related books.

You can check out some more ways to encourage science activities by visiting the Zulu Intergalactic Inquirer

Gloves in a Bottle Review and Giveaway

Comments are now CLOSED. Be back with the winner in a few moments.

I get dry skin in the winter. My skin becomes dry, flaky and itchy. Sometimes so itchy that if I don't get some kind of lotion on soon I might itch my hands off. I was sent some Gloves in a Bottle to try. I was excited to try this lotion. I had already tried SkinMd (you can read my review here) and liked it. So I was hoping I would like this lotion as well. I mainly used the lotion for my hands but I have used it for an all-over lotion as well.

Gloves in a Bottle is a skin shielding lotion. Which means that the lotion bonds to the outer layers of your skin to protect it from harmful irritants and to keep your own moisture in. For best results, you are supposed to apply the lotion every 4 hours.

When you apply the lotion, you only have to use a little bit. Which I like because I hate when you have to apply a ton of lotion and use up the whole bottle really fast.

Gloves in a Bottle goes on really smooth. It doesn't feel greasy, nor does it feel waxy or like it soaks in too fast. It applies really well and dries in a completely acceptable time frame.

There are no fragrances or colorants in this lotion. However, I did notice a slight smell to the product. It's not necessarily an unpleasant smell just sort of a chemical smell. The smell is light and it does dissipate. I hardly noticed it at first but I had a friend tell me she thought it smelled so I put a little more on and then smelled my hands. Yup a faint smell. I do really like that the company displays what exactly is in their lotion and what those products are used for (Listing of ingredients).


Take a look at some of the before and after pictures that Gloves in a Bottle have posted on their site. There are also several testimonials available for reading so you can get some other opinions on the lotion.

There is even a store finder so you can purchase the lotion locally and not through the internet if you prefer. There are 2 stores in my area that carry the lotion.

Giveaway

Would you like to try Gloves in a Bottle for yourself? I have a 2 oz. bottle and 3 trial packets (.15 oz) to giveaway to one of you lucky people to try.

• Open to US and Canada residents only
• Just leave a comment letting me know why you want to try Gloves in a Bottle
• One comment per person please
• Make sure to leave a way for me to contact you. If you use your blogger profile, make sure your email is available and set to public so I can find your email.
• Giveaway ends 5 p.m. EST Monday, Feb 25. I will announce the winner later on that day.
• Winner will need to supply a mailing address where packages can be received
  

I Won Some Great Shoes From Two Great People

I won an awesome prize the other day!! $50 gift certificate to Vincent shoes. I have been wanting some of these shoes for the girls and now I get to buy some.

How did I win this amazing prize? Well I entered Thingamababy's Name My Baby Boy contest and was one of the top 20 submissions!! I had entered a few name suggestions but the one that won it for me was the name Ponyboy from the book/movie The Outsiders.

This was such a fun contest! I agree with the commenter that suggested a contest for girl names.

Here are my picks for shoes:

Stan - red/white

Love - navy or red, maybe black

Max - brown

I also won some bical grippers from mommyknows the other day. I can't wait to see which pair come. I have been wanting to try these as well. When the shoes come, I will do a post so you can all see the cuteness. Here's a cute pair just so you can see what the shoes are. I didn't know anything about these shoes until mommyknows showed them to us on her blog. This pair is from thebabymarketplace (mommyknows business)

Bical Gripper / Water Shoe - Parfait

Sassyfrazz and Signing Time

Sassyfrazz is giving away a Signing Time or Baby Signing set. You have until March 2 to enter. Make sure to read the rules for entering!

Kaiya Eve Pettiskirts at The Silly Wagon

The Silly Wagon is having a giveaway for a Kaiya Eve pettiskirt and matching pair of Swarovski Crystal *bling* barrettes. In order to be entered for the giveaway, you need to become a subscriber to The Silly Wagon newsletter before March 15.

I have been wanting one of these pettiskirts for the girls. Very Beautiful skirts.

Super Cute Boots

I've been thinking about getting some super cute boots for quick errands like getting the mail, getting a forgotten item in the car, getting a different forgotten item in the car, chasing the neighbors cat out of the yard, picking veggies from the garden . . . . The list could go on.

Target has some boots that meet my requirements:

Cute - check
Ease of putting on (no laces to tie) - check
Cute - check (oh I said that one)
Inexpensive - check (only $19.99)

Can't decide between a few different ones. What do you think? Help me decide because there all super cute!

Mod Dot

Bright Stripes

Dots Spots

Magic Carpet

Star Spots

Another Sling Giveaway at MommyKnows

MommyKnows is hosting the Think Love, Think Peanut Shell® Valentine’s Day Giveaway! Go on over and comment and be entered to Win one of two prizes packages each containing a Peanut Shell® Baby Sling and a Peanut Shell® Nursing Cover.

Flip & Tumble at The Laughs Will Go on

The Laughs Will Go On is has a great review of the Flip & Tumble bag right now. I have seen these bags and think they would be perfect for stashing in the car for trips to the grocery store. I would love to have a bunch of these. You have until Feb. 18 to enter this contest.

Mod Mum Baby Slings at Mom Views

Mod Mum and Mom Views are giving away a pouch carrier. I have talked previously of my love for babywearing so I won't talk about it again but I LOVE IT! The winner gets to pick a print of their choice. Enter by Feb. 19.

Here are my favorites:

Riley

Emma

Eating My Way Through New Orleans

Ok, I have meant to write this post for a little over a week now (that's how long I have been home) but I just can't seem to find the time to do it. Today is the day!

I went to New Orleans with family to see family. We drove! 18ish hours in a car is no fun but we survived both going and coming. The majority of our trip was spent eating, watching parades and catching throws (beads). We planned our trip to be down during Carnival season but not the last 5 days of Carnival which is when the majority of parades and celebrations for Mardi Gras happen.


Restaurants and foods eaten:

• Cracker Barrel - Breakfast at Cracker Barrel is where we alway start out our vacations.
• Sonic - Yeah! I was craving Cherry Limeades and no Sonics in our area. Have to drive several hours south to see one.
• The Grocery - Cuban sandwich and gumbo. Very good.
• Joey K's - Beef brisket - good.
• Central Grocery - Muffuletta - very good. I could eat these once a week.
• Jacques-Imo's - Potato encrusted drum (fish) and alligator sausage cheesecake. Excellent.
• Acme Oyster Bar - Crawfish ettoufee' and oysters on the half shell. First time eating raw oysters!!! It wasn't too bad a little slimy but tasted good. I ate 3. Crawfish ettoufee' was very good.
• Big Fisherman - Crawfish boil with crawfish, corn-on-the-cob, potato, and sausage. Tasted really good. A little grossed out that you had to pull off the tails and then suck out the meat. But I did it and it tasted great.
• Port of Call - Cheeseburger and baked potato. Very good and very large hamburger.
• Rocky's Old New Orleans Gourmet Pizzeria - Magazine street pizza (pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms) Great pizza, crust was a little bit too thin for my liking but it tasted great.
• Voodoo BBQ & Grill - Pulled pork platter. Great.
• Superior Grill - Crawfish, shrimp, spinach enchiladas. The crawfish enchilada was the best of the three.
• The Market Cafe - Oyster po-boy. good.
• Byblos Mediterranean- Beef shawarma, hummus, lebnah, baklava. Very good.
• Chik-fil-a - I was so excited to eat here. There are none in our area and like Sonic it's a good several hours to the nearest one.
• Cafe' Du Monde - Cafe au lait and beignets. Wonderful. Stopped here several times
  

We also brought home several bags of Zapp's Cajun Dill Potato Chips. These are delicious! Some of the best chips I have ever eaten.



The parades were a fun family type event. Not what you see on the news at all on Bourbon street. I think we saw a total of about 9 parades on St. Charles. Their were several parade postponements because of weather. The amount of beads, doubloons and trinkets brought home were a lot. I think I caught over 200 strands of beads and we were only there for the smaller parades not the larger ones towards the end of Carnival season.




We also went to the D-day Museum which was great. WWII is one of my favorite time periods to learn about and read about. Great museum to attend.



Visited the Lafayette Cemetery #1. Which is a few blocks from my brothers house. A little creepy walking in the gates but then it's kind of interesting (fun? not sure about that, it is a cemetery) looking at the tombs. This was one of the sites in the movie Interview with a Vampire.


It was a very fun trip. I'm glad I went. I'm not glad for the 18 hour car trip. Next visit we might have to fly.

(St. Louis Cathedral)

Healthy Child at 5 Minutes for Mom

5 minutes for mom and Healthy Child are giving away $100 gift certificate to Healthy Child. They have a great interview about mattress wrapping which is something I had never heard of.

at Healthy Child you can buy natural mattress and bedding or a ring sling to carry your baby. They even have the Laptop Lunch box.

Take a look and see what you would buy and enter the contest before Feb. 26.

Diaperbag Goodies at Oh! Baby Buy Products.

Oh! Baby Buy Products is having a giveaway for some great baby products in their Diaperbag Goodies Giveaway. Take a look at all the great things you can win. This contest ends Feb. 18.

5 Minutes for Mom and Oreck

5 minutes for mom is giving away a great vacuum. I personally have never used an Oreck but they are supposed to be great. The vacuum up for grabs is the Oreck XL Ultra. Giveaway ends on Feb. 28.

Check Out Petit Elefant

petit elefant is having a giveaway for a great diaper bag from pure & honest kids. Check out the bag it is cute, looks very functional and free to one winner. This contest ends Feb. 13.




Make sure to bookmark petit elefant. She told me she does almost weekly giveaways.

6 Useless Things About Me

I have been tagged! you all know how to play right? Someone tags you, and you tag six more bloggers. That means that in your blog, you link to the blogger who tagged you, state six useless facts about yourself, and then tag six new bloggers by listing their blogs and leaving a comment on each. Christine from Mama's Musings tagged me.

Six Useless Things About Me:

1. I find it really hard to just drink chocolate milk. It must be chugged.

2. I like prunes.

3. My fish died last week. I had him for about 7 years.

4. I used to collect cute pencils and then not use them. I think I still have them in a box somewhere.

5. I didn't take any pictures this year at Christmas.

6. I make really good Oatmeal Raisin cookies.

Are any of these things useless? I don't think so. Someone might find it useful to know that I like prunes. Maybe they are being attacked by angry prunes and need some help to fend them off. I could come and eat them. Hopefully there won't be too many because who knows what that would do to the plumbing.

I tag:

Alexia, The Mommy Rambles

Jessica, Dietzel Family (stop by and say welcome to my friend. She is new to blogging.)

and anyone else who wants to participate. Just let me know if you are playing along so I can come visit.

Mommyknows and the babymarketplace Giveaway

www.thebabymarketplace.com – a great online shop for babies and toddlers is hosting the Sleep Huggers® Baby Sleeping Bag Give-Away @ mommyknows.com go on over and comment and be entered to Win one of two Sleep Huggers® Baby Sleep Sacks!


MommyKnows is such a great blog. She is one of my favorite stops along the Internet Express. Take some time today to browse her site. You will have fun. You might also win something someday.

Spring Gardens at MomViews

Here's another great giveaway from Bright October and MomViews. It's a lovely little wooden garden from Haba. My nieces would both love to play with this. What a fun looking spring toy. This contest ends on Feb. 13.

MomViews and Pedipeds

Take a walk on over to MomViews and see the Pedipeds that you could win. These shoes are so cute. I want to win these. The contest ends Feb. 11

These I think are my favs.

Car Seat Triumph Again!

They are doing it again! Giving away another carseat. I hope to win this one!!

Momsational is giving away an Evenflo Triumph Advance Deluxe Convertible Car Seat. I would love to win this. The car seat we are using now is awful! It is the kind with the pull down thingy in the front. I don't know what you call that thing. But I always seem to smoosh hands or heads in that thing. The little one hates it!

Enter to win before Feb. 18 Visit Momsational or Evenflo for more info.

SuperMomz and Babylegs are Super

SuperMomz is giving away 3 pairs of babylegs. Take a look and see what styles they are and how to enter to win. Winner will be chosen on Feb. 15.

ThinkBlocks

There is an amazing new learning tool that I have just discovered at MomViews. It is called ThinkBlocks. Check them out they are amazing. You will have to visit the sites to find out more. They are a little hard to explain. You can also win a set if you follow the entering procedures by Feb. 9