Wednesday, September 30, 2009
When I started my blog I was lost, quite literally, I had no idea what I was doing or how to do it. There were a few people who helped me along the way, one in particular that I will be forever grateful to, but for the most part I was on my own with a blog and a dream!
One day, and now that I think about it I’m not sure how I found it, I stumbled upon MomDot.com and it was like the Heavens opened up and a light shown down on my keyboard…I had found my bloggy home! Seriously though MomDot was (and still is) my savior, there are so many friendly (and yes my dear friends there are friendly Bloggers), helpful, amazing women (and a few guys) who are always willing to help when help is needed, or listen with a compassionate ear when the situation called for it, or be understanding when you just need to vent all of your frustrations! MomDot.com is a community full of Bloggers who are there to help, listen, and make your blogging journey a little easier!
So if you’re looking for a place to call Home go check out MomDot.com…you’ll be glad that you did! If you wanna check out the forum and maybe become a member you can fill out the application found here!
If you have a small child chances are pretty good that you know all about Yo Gabba Gabba! My son has loved the Yo Gabba Gabba television show since last year, he watches the show every day on television and has learned so many lessons by watching it. If you have a Yo Gabba Gabba Fan in your house then I have some news for you!
GROUNDBREAKING CHILDREN’S SERIES YO GABBA GABBA!
KICKS OFF FIRST EVER U.S. TOUR
YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY
ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14 IN LOS ANGELES
SPECIAL GUESTS WILL JOIN THE PARTY ON STAGE, ROCKING THEIR FAVORITE ‘DANCEY DANCE’ MOVES
ADVANCE TICKETS FOR AMERICAN EXPRESS® CARDMEMBERS
BEGINNING WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
PUBLIC ON-SALE BEGINS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9
BEVERLY HILLS, CA & MIAMI, FL -- (September 24, 2009) –W!LDBRAIN, the award-winning animation and entertainment company and S2BN Entertainment are proud to announce the launch of YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY, the first live U.S. touring show for the hit children’s program Yo Gabba Gabba!. The show will feature DJ Lance Rock, and everyone’s favorite cast of characters– Brobee (the little green one), Foofa (the pink flower bubble), Muno (the red Cyclops), Plex (the magic robot), and Toodee (the blue cat-dragon) as well as lots of surprise guests. The tour comes on the heels of the first YO GABBA GABBA! CD release YO GABBA GABBA! MUSIC IS AWESOME, hitting the shelves nationwide on October 20.
The tour will kick off in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 14, at the Shrine Expo Hall. YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY will also appear at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on Saturday, November 21, and the Rosemont Theatre outside of Chicago on Saturday, December 5. There will be two shows in each city -- in LA and Chicago they will be held at 11 AM and 3 PM and in NY 11 AM and 2PM.
Tickets will be available to American Express Card members from Wednesday, September 30, at 9 AM through Thursday October 8 at 9PM. There will also be a special pre-sale for Gabba Mail members on Tuesday, October 6th at 10AM EDT. The public on-sale will begin October 9 at 10AM. Tickets will be available via Ticketmaster.com and YoGabbaGabba.com.
A one-of-a-kind live event, YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY will feature music, animation, games, singing, dancing, and special musical guests. Favorites such as “Party in My Tummy” “Hold Still” and “Get the Sillies Out” will be featured in the show. Special guests will also join the party on stage rocking their favorite ‘Dancey Dance’ moves. Presented using state of the art production elements, YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY will offer audience members of all ages an unparalleled experience.
YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY
Los Angeles, CA
Shrine Expo Hall Saturday, November 14, 2009 11AM and 3PM
New York, NY
Beacon Theatre Saturday, November 21, 2009 11AM and 2PM
Chicago, IL
Rosemont Theatre Saturday, December 5, 2009 11AM and 3PM
YO GABBA GABBA! premiered on Nick Jr. in August, 2007. Since its debut it has garnered extensive critical acclaim including being hailed as one of the best new television series of 2007 by TIME magazine, winning the BAFTA for International Children’s Programming in 2008 and in 2009 it won the award for best children’s programming from the Television Critics Association. Currently the number one show in its time period among kids 2-5, YO GABBA GABBA! has also captured a broad appeal among parents, teens and adults who love the program with its contemporary musical appeal and retro feel. The hit show has featured a variety guest stars like Jack Black, Rachel Dratch, Jimmy Eat World, Melora Hardin, Jack McBrayer, Andy Samberg, Amy Sedaris, Amare Stoudemire, Tony Hawk, Elijah Wood and popular bands Sugarland, The Ting Tings, The Shins, MGMT and The Roots.
YO GABBA GABBA! toys, apparel and other merchandise are sold in stores nationwide in the U.S. and have skyrocketed in popularity. The series is currently shooting its third season in the U.S. and airs in several major international territories, including Australia, Canada, Israel, Latin America, New Zealand, South Africa and the U.K.
Visit www.yogabbagabba.com
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Last week I asked my girls to clean their room. About an hour into this cleaning fiasco I noticed that my youngest daughter had been up and down the stairs several times with loads of laundry in her arms. When I went into the laundry room I almost died…it seems that instead of putting their clean clothes away my girls decided to throw them all over their bedroom floor. The picture below is the result…8 loads of laundry, most of them clean clothes that I had to wash all over again just because they were too lazy to put them on hanger. I was one very upset mommy that day!
**Updated with winner at bottom of post!**
When you have children you know the importance of a well made, fun, and educational toy, knowing that those toys are eco-friendly is an added bonus that makes this mom (and others like me) very happy!
I was introduced to Plan Toys a while ago and instantly became a fan of their wooden toys. Not only is Plan Toys an environmentally and socially responsible company, they strive to produce toys that inspire creativity and imagination in our children, something that I think toy companies need to do more of! The thing I like about Plan Toys is that the toys are built for years of use, making them well worth the money spent on them! Plan Toys has many different educational and developmental toys to accommodate children, from infants to older children.
Recently we had the chance to review the Airport from Plan Toys Plan City. The first thing I noticed (once we put the airport together) was how well made it was. In my opinion most children’s toys are lacking in construction making the longevity of the toy extremely limited. The Plan City Airport was in my opinion far superior than most of the toys my children own, and in this economy when money is tight getting the best value for our money is even more important! Once we put the airport together my son immediately began playing, something I noticed that made me extremely happy was that Gaige was pretending; making sounds with the airplane and cars, this is something that he doesn’t usually get to do. With most of my children’s toys I noticed that the ability to be imaginative and creative is limited because of the technology (i.e. lights, sounds, and music) that most toys today posses. I was more than pleased with my son being able to imagine and create on his own!
Since seeing is truly believing I decided to do a video of my children playing with the Plan City Airport!
Buy it! You can purchase the Plan Toys Airport online at PlanToys.com!
Now here comes the exciting part! Plan Toys is giving one Misdventures in Baby Raising reader a chance to win the Plan Toys, Plan City Airport! How amazing is that?
Win it! To be entered into this giveaway please visit Plan Toys online and look around, come back and leave a comment on this post telling me what toy (other than the Airport) would you love to have for your child. Easy peasy…right? This is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries are counted! {You don’t need to be a blogger to enter this giveaway…you can post a bulletin or blog post on MySpace or on Facebook as extra entry options).
Extra Entries!
Become a follower of Misadventures in Baby Raising via my RSS feed, email, or on Blogger…2 extra entries for each!
Become a fan (or friend) of Misadventures in Baby Raising on Facebook and post about this giveaway on Facebook…4 extra entries!
Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway…1 Tweet Per Day=1 Extra Entry per day!
Blog about this giveaway with links to Plan Toys and this post…5 extra entries!
Become a Fan of Plan Toys on Facebook…2 extra entrees!
Unlimited Extra Entries!
Comment on any non-giveaway post (review posts DO count)…1 extra entry for each comment!
This giveaway ends on Tuesday October 13, 2009 at 11:59 PM. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and posted in this post! Winner will have 48 hours to contact me after the drawing, failure to do so will result in the winner forfeiting their prize!
Good Luck!
Thanks to everyone who entered!
Winning number is:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
323
Timestamp: 2009-10-14 04:13:03 UTC
Winning comment is:
I'm really behind on choosing winners this week! Since I haven't done this in a while I decided to do a winners post and add a little something extra!
The winner of the Snorg T-Shirt giveaway has been posted so make sure to go check and see if you won!
Snorg Tee Giveaway Winner
The Ear Band-it giveaway ended a few days ago and there were supposed to be 5 winners, well one of the winners numbers were chosen 3 of the 5 times. Since I couldn't figure out a fair way to choose 2 more winners I decided to give everyone a chance. Anyone interested in winning a pair of Putty Buddies leave a comment on this post...the first two comments win!
The winner of the Snorg T-Shirt giveaway has been posted so make sure to go check and see if you won!
Snorg Tee Giveaway Winner
The Ear Band-it giveaway ended a few days ago and there were supposed to be 5 winners, well one of the winners numbers were chosen 3 of the 5 times. Since I couldn't figure out a fair way to choose 2 more winners I decided to give everyone a chance. Anyone interested in winning a pair of Putty Buddies leave a comment on this post...the first two comments win!
A couple of days ago I was bored and decided to sit down and took a good hard look at my blog (I know you wonder what I did with my kids for the hour it took me to do this). I found (though it was really no surprise) that my blog looked like a big, huge, giant advertisement…and I hated it!
I started my blog because I LOVE to write, I enjoy being sarcastic, I like stirring up shit (about things I feel passionately about of course), and I love writing about my kids, but when I looked around MIBR there was very little of that and that is going to change!
Its not that I don’t love reviewing products and doing giveaways, its that I feel like I’ve lost touch with my readers because my blog is bombarded with reviews and giveaways. Will I stop reviewing products? Nope. Will I stop doing giveaways? Absolutely not! I don’t intend to stop reviewing products or doing giveaways, there will just be a couple of days a week when I post them. I think having a schedule will not only help me, but you so you know what to expect when you come over and visit!
So from now on this is what’s going down here on Misadventures in Baby Raising through the week! I do hope that those of you who come by and enter giveaways and read reviews will come by on off days and witness first hand my craziness!
- Tuesday and Friday will be the days that I post reviews and giveaways!
- Wednesdays will be for Wordless Wednesday!
- Every other Thursday I will (try) to get a new episode of Cooking With My Misadventurous Kids posted!
- And the rest of the week is all ME!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
I will be the first to admit that I am not all that adventurous when it comes to cooking and eating. I pretty much cook the same classic American meals that I grew up eating. Every now and then I’ll get adventurous and try something new but that is a rare occasion.
Recently I was introduced to Destination Dinners when I was approached to do a review for them. Destination Dinners was established in 2006 by Lisa Diamond, who is a self-proclaimed “culinary adventurer”. Destination Dinners offer it’s customers several different recipe kits featuring food from all over the world. Each recipe kit is designed to give the recipient a delicious, authentic, dinner for four, and in addition to the food each kit includes fun and educational facts and tidbits about the destination you choose. From exotic locals like Thailand, Lebanon, Jamaica, and Israel to the best of New Orleans there is sure to be something to please even the pickiest eaters!
I received the Falafel Destination Dinner Kit to review, and as soon as I opened the box I was instantly transformed to Israel. The smell of ground cumin and chili peppers filled the air as soon as I opened the red Destination Dinners box. My Destination Dinner kit contained the non-perishable ingredients needed to prepare Falafel with “Hellfire” Harissa Sauce, a booklet telling all about Israel, and a grocery list to shop for the fresh ingredients needed to make the dish. As I prepared the falafel I couldn’t help but feel a sense of adventure. As we sat down to eat I could see the apprehension on my children’s faces (they are not very adventurous in the food department either) but that quickly faded as they cautiously sampled the first few bites. It didn’t take long for their plates to be empty and for them to demand that we have fawafel (what 2 of the kids called it) again soon.
In addition to their dinner kits, Destination Dinners offers its customers party kits, gift sets, and gift certificates. If you’re feeling adventurous and in the mood for something unusually wonderfull, I would recommend Destination Dinners! Destination Dinner Kits would make a unique birthday, hostess, or holiday gift as well!
Buy it! You can purchase Destination Dinner Kits online at destinationdinners.com
Be sure to check out this and other great holiday gift ideas in my Holiday Gift Guide 2009!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
I know it’s been awhile since we’ve done an episode but I have been super busy with school and about a million other things. This episode stars 2 of my girls and features some great new products that I had the pleasure of trying out recently.
I would just like to point out that the popsicle’s not releasing from the molds was in no way the fault of the molds, it was a mistake I made when I made them. And I also want to point out that when making Jello Pops there is a special recipe you need to follow, making Jello and then pouring it into the molds will not work, as you can see by my mess up!
You can also find lots of great recipes for popsicles on Tovolo’s website!
And as promised here are pictures of the kids eating the Pudding Pops!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Since I’ve been a bad blogger recently and haven’t been able to do any episodes of Cooking With My Misadventurous Kids I decided to give y’all a recipe that will knock your socks off!
I’ve always loved Stuffed Peppers, and while I love my mother’s recipe I always longed for more pizzazz so I decided to kick things up a few notches and come up with my own recipe. Enjoy!
Stuffed Peppers
4 Medium to Large Green Peppers
1 lb. ground beef
1 Box of Dirty Rice Mix (Zatarran’s has an awesome Dirty Rice Mix)
1 Can of Sloppy Joe Mix
2 small cans (about 2 cups) Tomato Juice
S&P to taste
Boil 5 quarts of water in a large soup pot. Wash and cut the tops off of green peppers, and then clean the insides. When water comes to a boil add salt and place peppers into boiling water, blanch peppers for 6-8 minutes (do not overcook). While the peppers are blanching brown 1 lb. of ground beef in a medium pan. When ground beef is brown add Dirty Rice Mix and water and prepare as directed. After 6-8 minutes remove peppers from the boiling water and run under cold water, drain well, and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl add 1 can of Sloppy Joe mix, 2 cups of Tomato Juice, and Salt and Pepper to taste. When Dirty Rice is finished cooking place mixture into large mixing bowl and add half of the Sloppy Joe mix, incorporate well. Stuff peppers with meat mixture and spoon remaining sauce over the tops of peppers, top with green pepper tops, cover with aluminum foil, and bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes!
Being a review blogger I come across lots of products on a daily basis; most I like, some I do not, and then there are the ones that I love.
I’ve always been a self-confessed make-up addict. I honestly can not remember a day since my early teens that I didn’t wear make-up. My foundation of choice was always some version of a whipped mousse and I was a huge fan, there was no getting me to switch…at least that’s what I used to think.
A few weeks ago I was given the chance to try Sheer Cover mineral foundation. Now I have to admit that this was my first experience with mineral foundation and I didn't have high expectations, not because of the product but because I was a true fan of the “other stuff”.
Sheer Cover mineral’s are 100% natural and the exclusive formula of light reflecting minerals makes Sheer Cover one of a kind. Skin soothing botanicals, natural sun protection, and anti-oxidant infused green tea work together to help Sheer Cover make your skin look and feel better! Here is some more from the Sheer Cover website about the product:
I received the Starter Kit to review (the kit included the Mineral Foundation, Duo Concealer, Lip to Lid Highlight Bronzer, and a Brush). The first time I used Sheer Cover I was apprehensive but that soon gave way to sheer joy as I realized what I had been missing using the “other stuff”. I can not tell you how much I love this product, it truly is a great product that I would stand behind any day of the week, but since words do little to convey how great this product is I decided to do a vlog. Yes I did a video of me WITHOUT make-up applying Sheer Cover…enjoy!
As I mentioned earlier I received the Starter Kit to review, one of the shades was a little too light for me so I decided to pass it on to my sister for her to try. Below is my sister’s thoughts on Sheer Cover:
I have tried several brands of mineral foundation, so I had high expectations from Sheer Cover. I have been using it for a few weeks now, and I really like it. It goes on smoothly, covers dark under-eye circles, and I can't even feel it on my skin. There is no smell like there is with traditional liquid foundation, which is nice. It is quick to apply with no mess. Great for those who want light to moderate coverage.
I also wanted to let you guys know that in a few weeks I will have some great make-up tips for you from Celebrity Make-up artist Alison Burmeister so make sure you check back for that!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
I know I’ve said this before but my children LOVE to cook, that was the main reason that I started doing Cooking With My Misadventurous Kids. I really thought that it could give my kids a chance to feel like they were a part of my blog and we could make memories that we could look back on fondly! One of the first things that I realized when I started doing the episodes though was that my kitchen was less than equipped for little hands and so my search began for products that could benefit them in the kitchen, and that’s when I came across Fiesta Products and Head Chefs. If you’ve never heard of Head Chefs let me tell you, you are in for a treat, and just a warning…if you’re little ones like to cook and they see this review they will definitely want a set of their own!
Fiesta Products has an impressive line of kitchen tools to accommodate all cooking levels, but the real gem is their line of kid friendly cooking utensils called Head Chefs. Here’s a little more information on Head Chefs from the Fiesta Products website:
We received a spoon, pastry brush, whisk, measuring cup, and spatula to review and I must say I was very impressed as soon as I opened the box. Not only are the utensils the most unique and adorable kitchen utensils I've probably ever seen they are also very well made. Of course my children had to open each utensil and use them as soon as the package arrived and they were more than pleased with how easy they were to grip, one of the biggest problems I face when I cook with my kids is them not being able to handle my kitchen utensils…Head Chef’s has solved that problem in our house! Each of the utensils have silicon bodies and bendable arms and legs. My children enjoyed posing the utensils as much as they enjoyed cooking with them. My girls loved Head Chefs because they are made for smaller hands and very easy to use, I enjoyed Head Chef’s because they give my kids more freedom when helping me in the kitchen, and the fact that there are suction cups on the bottom of the utensils is a big selling point for me, though it did take some dedication on my part to get them to stick to my marble island. As you can see by the pictures below my girls love their Head Chefs.
Buy it! You can purchase Head Chef’s online or at any number of retailers!
Be sure to watch future episodes of Cooking With My Misadventurous Kids to see Head Chefs in action! And don’t forget to check out our Holiday Gift Guide 2009 to see this and other amazing gift ideas!
Friday, September 18, 2009
I have been super busy the past few weeks with school and having lots of sick babies so I haven’t been getting as much accomplished on my blog as I would like! I wanted to do a quick post to get you guys excited for some of the things I have coming up!
- Fiesta Products review and episode of Cooking With My Misadventurous Kids!
- Sock Grams Review
- Kidorable review…they have the absolute CUTEST raingear for kids so be sure to check back for my review!
- Destination Dinners Review…you WON’T want to miss this one!
- Sheer Cover Review and tips from Celebrity Make-up Artist Alison Burmeister!
- Jillie Willie Review!
- And an amazing review and giveaway from Plan Toys!
And I am SUPER excited to announce that I will be starting a new series on my blog called “Best of Ohio” where I let you in on some of the best places Ohio has to offer! My first review will be for The Inn and Spa at Cedar Falls (at the beginning of October) so make sure you check back for that!
Also make sure you check out Misadventures in Baby Raising’s Holiday Gift Guide 2009 for some of the best products for this holiday season!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Updated at bottom with winner! 
Winning number is.
There’s something about perfume that I adore! Whether I’m going to the grocery store or out on a rare date with my fiancé I must.wear.perfume! I supposed my obsession started pretty early, as some of my fondest memories from childhood revolve around me sneaking into my mother’s room and sampling her make-up and perfumes! As an adult perfume is my one true weakness, shoes I can do without (I know I must be a man trapped in a women’s body) , handbags are nice but when you have more than one baby you rarely get to sport anything but a diaper bag, but smelling GREAT is a necessity!
Recently I was intro duced to Heaven’s Alchemy, now for those of you who do not know what Heaven’s Alchemy is let me give you the low down! Heaven’s Alchemy is the brainchild of husband and wife team Scott and Michelle. Their real life East meets West romance was the inspiration for Heaven’s Alchemy. Their impressive line of perfumes are named for some of the world’s most beautiful and magical cities; Athens, Paris, Dubai, New York, and Milan are just a few of the many exciting and amazing perfumes in their collection. I’m pretty sure the Heaven’s Alchemy website said it best , “the joy and and excitement of Heaven’s Alchemy is in “traveling the world” through perfume!” As if the fact that their perfumes are heaven wasn’t enough, all of Heaven’s Alchemy’s perfumes are; alcohol free, color additive free, phthlate and paraben free, contain no animal by-products, are never tested on animals, and are created exclusively in the USA!
When my package from Heaven’s Alchemy arrived I was like a kid in a candy store, and much to my delight (actually I was flipping out y’all) I received the Heaven’s Alchemy Sample Pack to review (Sample Pack = a sample of ALL of the perfumes). I have to admit that every single scent was amazing but I did fall in love with two of the scents, Paris (AMAZING) and Kyoto (and don’t tell my fiancé but they’ll be in my stocking this Christmas as my little present to myself). If you are looking for a perfume that is heaven on earth I promise Heaven’s Alchemy has one (or 10) that you’ll love!
Make sure you check out this and lots of other amazing gift ideas in Misadventures in Baby Raising’s Holiday Gift Guide 2009!
Buy it! You can purchase Heaven’s Alchemy perfumes at their website…heavensalchemyperfumes.com!
The people at Heaven’s Alchemy have something heavenly for one of my readers! One of my Misadventurous readers is going to win a Heaven’s Alchemy Perfume Sample pack (like the one pictured above)!
Win it! To be entered into this giveaway visit Heaven’s Alchemy and look around, come back and leave a comment on this post telling me which scent you are dying to try! Pretty easy stuff! This is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries count!
Extra Entries! Please leave separate comments for each extra entry!
- Follow Misadventures in Baby Raising via my feed, email, or on Blogger…2 extra entries each!
- Grab one (or all 3) of my buttons and display them on your blog or webpage…2 extra entries each!
- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway…1 Tweet Per Day = 1 Extra Entry Per Day!
- Become a Fan of Misadventures in Baby Raising on Facebook (and or follow MIBR on Networked Blogs)…2 extra entries each!
- Enter any of my other giveaways…2 extra entries each!
- Blog about this giveaway with links to this post as well as Heaven’s Alchemy…5 Extra Entries!
This giveaway ends on Tuesday September 29, 2009 at 11:59 PM EDT. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and posted on this post! Winner will have 48 hours to contact me to claim their prize or prize will be forfeited and a new winner will be chosen!
US ENTRANTS ONLY PLEASE!
Winning number is.
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
47
Timestamp: 2009-09-30 15:56:35 UTC
Winner is:
-
Retweet-
http://twitter.com/jellibeenz1978/status/4487543825
jellibeenz1978@hotmail.com
Friday, September 11, 2009
Updated at bottom with winner!
In life there are far too many things to be down about so why not take a little time each day to make someone smile? Alright how’s that for vague? One thing that always makes me smile is reading something funny on someone’s tee shirt, I mean it can be funny, silly, or plain stupid and I’m cracking a smile.
I was recently introduced to Snorg Tees, haven’t heard of them? Well no worries I’m gonna tell you all about them…and hopefully show you a few things that will make you smile! Here’s a little bit about Snorg Tees from their website (and just let me say that the guys behind Snorg are just as funny as the tee shirts as you’re about to see for yourself)…
Welcome. SnorgTees got its start back in May 2004 when our group of friends decided that we weren't meant for a real job. We got our options narrowed down to international jewel thieves or internet t-shirt tycoons. Since it was the middle of the summer, we weren't able to find enough ski masks, which left t-shirts as our only option. Fast forward a few years and we've grown to the point where people mistake us for an actual business. We've even shipped a shirt to NASA. That means space. So technically we're a universal company. But we are still just a group of friends who run Snorg because we enjoy it.
Here at Snorg, we specialize in pop-culture inspired, random, and all around funny t-shirt designs. Most of the designs on our site are SnorgTees employee creations. But while we think of about 72% of what goes up on the site, 28% of the awesome design ideas come from you, our customers. So if you think you've got a great idea, send it our way.
We strive for constant improvements, and it's thanks to you that we're where we are today. So go out there and spread the good word about SnorgTees to everyone you know. Stop strangers in the street and tell them where they can replace that ugly piece of cloth they call a shirt with a genuine Snorg Tee. And don't forget to send in pictures of you showing off your SnorgTees around town. Remember, when you're wearing Snorg, all your pictures look good.
I told you they were funny! We received the “Don ’t Act Like You're Not Impressed” t-shirt to review and the second my fiancé saw it he smiled (YES)! The first time Jamie wore his t-shirt out so many people stopped and commented on it that I lost track! Not only was he extremely happy with the quality and design of his t-shirt he was very pleased that everyone else noticed it (the whole “Don’t Act Like You’re Not Impressed” design was right on the money with him)! Snorg Tees offer men and women’s t-shirts and hoodies! Make sure you check out Misadventures in Baby Raising's Holiday Gift Guide 2009 (accessible by clickling the link in the menu bar) to find out all about SnorgTees and so much more!
Buy it! Check out everything SnorgTees.com has to offer…I promise you’ll smile!
Now here comes the cool part…wait for it…you ready? The wicked awesome people at Snorg Tees are giving one of my readers a chance to win a Snorg Tee of their choice! YAY!
Win it! To be entered into this giveaway just visit SnorgTees.com and look around, come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me what T-Shirt you would choose if you won…easy as 1,2,3! This is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries are counted!
Extra Entries! Please leave separate comments for each extra entry!
- Follow my Misadventures via email, my feed, or on Blogger…2 extra entries each!
- Grab one (or all 3) of my buttons and rock them out on your blog…2 extra entries each!
- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet your heart out (aka Tweet this giveaway w/ link please)…1 Tweet Per Day = 1 Extra Entry Per Day!
- Become a Fan of Misadventures in Baby Raising on Facebook…2 extra entries!
- Follow MIBR via Networked Blogs…3 extra entries!
- Comment on any non-giveaway post…1 extra entry!
- Enter any of my other giveaways…1 extra entry!
- Blog about this giveaway with links to this post as well as Snorg Tees…5 extra entries!
Shew that was a fingertip workout! Giveaway ends on Friday September 25, 2009 at 11:59 PM EDT. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and posted on THIS post! Winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize or forfeit!
GOOD LUCK!
Winning number is:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
39
Timestamp: 2009-09-29 05:23:31 UTC
Winner is:
-
I subscribe via email #2
mercsmercado at yahoo dot com
If you’ve seen any of the episodes of Cooking With My Misadventurous Kids then you know how much fun my kids have in the kitchen! It doesn’t matter what I’m cooking they want to help and I love their enthusiasm for the culinary arts!
Recently I was introduced to a company called Tovolo. Now if you’ve never heard of this company I’m honored to be the first to tell you about them! Tovolo is a company who takes pride in their cooking tools, their cooking tools and accessories “combine innovative design with intelligent application for tools that are easy to use and a pleasure to own.” From mixing bowls and silicon utensils to the most adorable popsicle molds you’ve ever seen Tovolo has something to please everyone!
We had the pleasure of reviewing the Tovolo Freezer Gems Popsicle Molds (think Ring Pops but much cooler). My children love making freezer pops in the summer (and well anytime actually) and as soon as they saw the Freezer Gem Molds they couldn’t wait to use them! We immediately started thinking of recipes for amazing freezer pops (and Tovolo actually has a link on their website to a selection of amazing sweet treats recipes). The kids loved the design of the pops and I loved that they were easy and highly portable, even little man could walk around with a Freezer Gem Pop on his finger and not make too much of a mess! I also got the chance to try out some of Tovolo’s amazing silicon mixing spoons and spatulas, and when I say they are the most amazing I’ve ever used…it is not an understatement…I LOVE them! The spoons and spatulas are made with a stainless steel handle, they come in an amazing array of colors that will not fade or hold cooking odors, and the best part is that the silicon spoons and spatulas are heat resistant to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, which is awesome if you’re as forgetful as I am. If you’re looking for quality, durable, and adorable products for your kitchen check out Tovolo!
And be sure to watch for future episodes of Cooking With My Misadventurous Kids featuring Tovolo!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
With middle school comes so many changes; figuring out the best route to take to get to your classes faster, learning your locker combination, and more complex math! I have never been a math wiz…ever…give me an English class and I’m a straight A student, give me a math class and I’m transformed back into 8th grade and panicking before a test. I have actually put off taking college algebra (the only credit I need to finish my degree by the way) until the last semester because I am so horrible at it, maybe I can find some sort of online math tutoring to get me past this class. Unfortunately my oldest daughter has inherited my bad math skills, and her grades in math this year are already starting to plummet!
I started thinking seriously about getting Taylor math help last year when her grades were not so hot, but trying to find a tutor around here is just useless! I started looking for an online math tutor a few weeks ago, I know that she would probably feel much more comfortable getting help from virtually than she would in person. I found several that seemed promising but one in particular stood out, TutorVista.com. Aside from the fact that they are the leading online tutoring company in the world their prices didn’t seem outrageous for what they offer and the fact that they offer a free demo for first time users made them even more appealing, I mean come on free online math tutoring is hard to come by.
Whatever we decide to do I have realized that is is necessary for Taylor to get help in math, she feels left behind by her classmates and seems to already be struggling tremendously! Hopefully we can find her the help she needs before math gets the best of her like it seems to have done to me!
Homelessness is a huge problem in this country and Lands’ End has stepped up to help do something about it!
Lands’ End in kicking off a campaign called the Lands’ End FeelGood Campaign! The campaign is an excellent way to shop (something we all love to do) and feel good about giving to the homeless! For every Lands’ End sweater purchased, the company will donate signature FeelGood yarn to One Heart Foundation’s Warming Families, a nationwide knitting charity. Lands’ End expects to donate thousands of pounds of yarn to the charity where the volunteers plan to knit up to 25,000 hats and other items to warm the homeless and displaced.
How you can help
Help us spread the word about the campaign and the FeelGood collection. For every blog post about the campaign from now until September 16th, we will donate a cone of FeelGood yarn to volunteer knitters at Warming Families. One cone of FeelGood yarn is enough to make 28 hats to be donated to homeless individuals in communities across the country.
Campaign Post - In you post, please include information about the FeelGood campaign www.landsend.com/feelgood as well as about the upcoming Twitter Party (see below).
Embed Video - We’ve also created a knitting “how to” video you can embed featuring Vickie Howell, best-selling craft author and host of TV’s Knitty Gritty. It can be found on the Lands’ End YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/LandsEndvideo.
Send a Link - Once your post is complete, please send a copy to TwitterParty@landsend.com. We will update everyone on how many cones of yarn were contributed as a result of your efforts at the FeelGood Twitter Party on September 16th.
Your Chance to Win
When you send your post to TwitterParty@landsend.com you will automatically be entered for a chance to win the FeelGood collection including two sweaters and coordinating accessories (valued at $200). Three winners will be chosen at random and contacted on September 17th.
Upcoming FeelGood Twitter Party
Join Lands’ End and Vickie Howell, host of TV’s Knitty Gritty, for a Twitter Party to celebrate the kick-off the FeelGood Campaign! The party will feature more than 20 fun giveaways ranging from the FeelGood sweater and Vickie Howell’s books to Lands’ End gift cards and FeelGood yarn.
Lands’ End FeelGood Twitter Party
Date: Wednesday, September 16th
Time: 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. CST
Location: #landsend
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Updated with winners at the bottom!
Every summer my children beg almost daily to get into the pool, of course I always go against my better judgment and tell them “yes”. It’s not that I don’t want them to be able to swim and enjoy themselves, it’s that I dread the earaches and swimmers ear that come afterward!
A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to review Ear Band-it ! Ear Band-it is a product designed to be comfortable and safe while also being super effective in preventing water from getting into the ears while swimming or bathing! According to the Ear Band-it website the patented Ear Band-it was developed by a board certified Ear,Nose, and Throat Physician and is recommended by specialists the world over for children with recurring ear problems and ear tubes. The Ear Band-it headband is used in conjunction with Putty Buddies ear plugs to offer maximum protection! The swimmer’s headband is designed to ensure that ear plugs remain in place while swimming or bathing. Ear Band-it’s come in 5 fun colors including; Royal Blue, Red, Purple, Teal, and Magenta.
When I received my Ear Band-it to review I was very excited as I had dealt with two cases of swimmers ear already this summer. The first thing I noticed about the Ear Band-it was the design, the neoprene material used to make the Ear Band-it headband is flexible and can be very easily stretched to fit comfortably (yes I tried it out before my kiddos). My daughter Nay Nay was the first to try out the Ear Band-it headband, she wore the headband at the local pool for the first time. I was certain Nay Nay would be self conscious about the headband (she is very a very fashion conscious 7 year old) but she strutted straight to the pool proudly sporting her Ear Band-it’s headband and even received some compliments on the stylish ear protection! Several parents stopped to ask me what my little Nay Nay was wearing and after taking a moment to tell them all about Ear Band-it I think they were more than impressed! Of course the most important part of every review I do is how the products actually worked for US and I’m happy to say that the Ear Band-it did what it promised…no water in the ears and no swimmers ear or earaches! I was very impressed with both the Ear Band-it and the Putty Buddies neither of my children had any problems swimming while using the products and that was the most important part! I also tested the Ear Band-it in the bath tub and had the same success! I use the Floating Putty Buddies nightly for baths and my children don’t ever complain and never get water in their ears!
You can find all of the ordering information for Ear Band-it’s on EarBandit.com! You can also follow Ear Band-it on Twitter!
The awesome people at Ear Band-It are giving not 1 but 5 of my Misadventurous readers a chance to win a set of Floating Putty Buddies Ear Plugs!
Win it! To be entered into this giveaway please visit the Ear Band-it website and tell me which color Putty Buddies you like best! That’s it…pretty simple! This is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries count!
Extra Entries! Please leave separate comments for each extra entry!
- Follow Misadventures in Baby Raising via my feed, email, or on Blogger…2 extra entries each!
- Follow Ear Band-it on Twitter…2 extra entries!
- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway…1 Tweet Per Day = 1 Extra Entry Per Day!
- Become a Fan of Misadventures in Baby Raising on Facebook or follow my blog via Networked Blogs…2 extra entries!
- Blog about this giveaway with links to this post as well as Ear Band-it…5 extra entries!
This giveaway ends on Wednesday September 23, 2009 at 11:59 pm EDT. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and posted on this post! winner will have 48 hours to contact me with their information or forfeit the prize!
Good Luck!
Winning numbers:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
25 28 24 40 1
Timestamp: 2009-09-25 14:59:44 UTC
Winners: (Numbers 25, 28, and 40 were the same person so I only listed her once)
-
I like the color Magenta
cherdon@sympatico.ca -
Magenta is my favorite.
mightynaynay at cs dot com
-
I like the magentas. amsbolda@hotmail.com
Updated with winner at the bottom!!!
Not all of my children are great eaters, sure they all eat well, they just don’t always eat what’s best. Given that knowledge I am constantly looking for ways to improve upon the foods that they will eat. One thing that they love to eat is yogurt, they have always preferred eating yogurt to ice cream so I’m that’s such a big help when I’m trying to get my two year old to eat healthier!
I was introduced to YoBaby yogurt a couple of y ears ago and have used it exclusively for my little ones, recently I was introduced to a new line of yogurt from YoBaby…YoBaby 3 in 1 Meals. Now I know what you’re thinking…what are 3 in 1 meals? Well here is a little more information from the Stonyfield website…
You say: mixing veggies and fruit with yogurt -- are you kidding?
We say: nope! But you’ll laugh at how delicious it tastes.
New Organic and 100% natural YoBaby Meals. Little ones love the taste. And it’s packed with fruit, veggies and essential nutrients.
It’s another first from the mommy and daddy creators of YoBaby—Gary, our CE-Yo and his wife Meg. With YoBaby yogurt on top, and an ounce of fruit and veggie puree on the bottom, YoBaby Meals is an easy and delicious way to help ensure that your budding gourmet enjoys a combination of three important food groups at every meal.
You and your tiny epicure can choose from three delicious (and fuss free!) varieties:
- Pear & Green Bean
- Peach & Squash
- Apple & Sweet Potato
They’re all so good, kids won’t care that there’s vegetables in there! And you’ll love that each grab & go cup provides more than a 1/3rd of your toddler’s daily protein & calcium needs, plus other essential nutrients like Zinc, Vitamin A and Vitamin D.
Now that definitely sounds like something my little ones will love! And thanks to the great people at Stonyfield one of my readers is going to get a chance to try YoBaby 3 in 1 meals !
Win it! To be entered into this giveaway leave a comment here telling me who you want to win this prize pack for! This is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries are counted!
Extra Entries! Please leave separate comments for each extra entry!
- Follow Misadventures in Baby Raising via my feed, email, or on Blogger…2 extra entries each!
- Grab any (or all 3) of my buttons and put them on your blog…2 extra entries each!
- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway…1 Tweet Per Day = 1 Extra Entry Per Day!
- Become a Fan of Misadventures in Baby Raising on Facebook and or follow this blog via Networked Blogs…2 extra entries!
- Blog about this giveaway with links to this post…5 extra entries!
- Enter any other giveaway…1 extra entry!
- Comment on any non-giveaway post…1 extra entry per comment!
This giveaway ends on Wednesday September 23, 2009 at 11:59 pm EDT. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and posted on this giveaway post. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me with their information or forfeit their prize!
GOOD LUCK!
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
20
Timestamp: 2009-09-25 14:56:41 UTC
Winner is:
-
I follow on Blogger entry 2.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
This week I decided to do something a little different for Wordless Wednesday. I love optical illusions (I suck at them but I love them) so I thought I’d find some cool illusions and share them! Enjoy!
Can you see 3 faces?
Do you see and old man’s face or two lovers kissing? (I can’t see the lovers…lol)
Look at the chart above and say the COLOR of the word,
not the word itself.
Why is it so difficult? Because the right half of your brain
is trying to say the color, while the left side of your brain
is trying to say the word. (This one always gets me).
Monday, September 7, 2009
With my oldest daughter entering Junior High (or Middle School as it is called here) this year I’ve been thinking more and more about all of the impending conversations that we will inevitably have to have and I.do.not.like.it!
Take for instance the topic of drugs, now before I became a mom my view on drugs was much different than it is now. I mean I never approved of hard core drug use but I thought that it was fine to smoke a little weed every now and then (don’t leave me hate mail I was a teenager). My point is that the way I felt about me smoking pot is not how I feel about my kids doing it… for me at that time ,in my mind it was alright, for my kids in my eyes it will NEVER be alright! But I know the day will come when my children ask me, “Mom did you ever do drugs?”, what will I say? Will I lie to my children for the sake of keeping them safe? Will I tell them the truth but demand that they adopt the, “Do as I say not as I do” policy? Will I be a hypocrite and tell them that drugs are bad and that no one should do them? The answers to those questions are answers that I just don’t have right now, on one hand I want my children to know that I will always tell them the truth, but on the other I want them to be safe and never find themselves in any of the crazy situations I found myself in due to my less than responsible choices.
Or the dreaded SEX talk, how on earth will I handle that? I’ve always tried to be as open and honest with my children as possible, but how am I supposed to talk to them about sex when I’m not even comfortable with them knowing I have sex. How will I be able to explain to them that you should save yourself for marriage (which is a crock by the way…I mean how can someone justify not taking the fiancé for a test drive…who would want to go into a marriage not knowing if their perspective spouse was good in the sack) when I didn’t save myself for marriage? Its not that I’m uncomfortable with the subject of sex I mean you can easily read here or here and see that is not the case, its that I’m just not sure what to say or how to say it which is surprising for me because I’m usually so good with words…go figure!
What about the topic of boys, now boys should go hand in hand with sex but they are really two separate subjects that will require separate conversations. Thankfully my oldest hasn’t taken much of an interest in boys…yet…but I know that the day is quickly coming. I remember being in middle school and high school thinking the world was going to end if the boy I liked didn’t like me back and that is not a feeling that I want any of my babies to ever have to feel. The “mom” side of me wants to tell my daughters that boys are icky and not worth the time that they will inevitably spend on them but I know that just as I didn’t, they will never listen to that and I will be forced to let them learn for themselves.
I guess with age comes wisdom and even though letting my children make their own mistakes is not at all what I would like to do I know that I will have to let them live and learn. All I can hope for is that I have given them the tools required to help them make the best decisions they can…I think they’ll do just fine.
But I am curious, have you had any of these conversations with your children? What did you say? How did they respond?
Saturday, September 5, 2009
One thing I remember fondly from my childhood is my grandma and her cooking. I remember the way her house smelled when she was cooking Sunday dinner, I remember her roast beef and potatoes (to this day no one has ever been able to hold a candle to her roast beef), and I remember the aprons she wore as she slaved over the hot stove. All of those memories are some of the fondest of my childhood!
I recently had a chance to review a retro kitchen apron from Jessie Steele , and the moment I took it out of the package I was transformed into my grandmother’s kitchen. I received the Bib Ava 50’s Style Kitchen apron (also available in the half style) not only is the apron gorgeous, it’s also well made and looks and feels great on! Jessie Steele hostess and kitchen aprons combine timeless beauty and classic style into something new and exciting. Jessie Steele has an amazing selection of aprons so that everyone is sure to find something that fits their own unique style. Aprons are available in Bib and Half styles and in an array of patterns and colors.
I have always adored vintage looking aprons, I’m not sure what it is about them that appeals to me but I have always been amazed by them. I’m pretty sure that I was born in the wrong era, I would have been an excellent housewife in the 50’s. Be sure to look out for future episodes of Cooking With My Misadventurous Kids when I’ll debut my Jessie Steele apron…just in case you can’t wait till then I’ve given you a little peak!
If you’re in the market for a fun, classic, and stylish apron be sure to check out Jessie Steele!
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