Friday, January 29, 2010
It’s Day 2 of Misadventures in Baby Raising’s Tickle Her Pink Valentines Day blog party! I hope all of you had the chance to check out yesterday’s gift ideas and enter the eShakti giveaway! Don’t forget to check back on Monday February 1 for more great gift ideas and lots of super sexy giveaways!
When it comes to receiving gifts I love unexpected, thoughtful, meaningful gifts—I mean anyone can send you flowers and buy you chocolates—it takes a real man to give a woman something thoughtful, inspiring, and practical. Since I love receiving unusual gifts I thought I’d add something unusual and unexpected to my Valentines Gift Guide and that something comes from the company Quote the Walls.
Quote the Walls is a family owned and operated business that specializes in giving its customer’s the ability to add personal, beautiful touches to their homes quickly and easily! The company was founded by a husband and wife from Arizona, and was conceived because of the wife’s inability to find affordable, customizable, cute wall quotes for her daughter’s bedroom. Quote the Walls has quotes for every room of the house and for every taste from fun and funky to classic and elegant. Here’s a little more about Quote the Walls from their website.
Use vinyl words to add a finishing touch to any wall in the house. Our wall letters, words, phrases and quotes are made of semi-permanent vinyl material and can be used in place of artwork on the walls. The wall letters and words can be made to fit any size space on your wall. Use the letters horizontal, vertical or space them however you would like on the walls.
Our vinyl words, phrases, quotes and letters can be applied virtually anywhere to provide the look of hand painted, professional lettering without the expense and time. No more paint and stencils. No more smudge marks. Clear, straight wall letters, sayings and quotes that look like it took you days to paint.
Quote the Walls has a wide variety of quotes for every room in the house and every member of the family; motivational quotes, tween and teen decals, and fully customizable quotes are just a few of the many categories that Quote the Walls has to choose from.
Buy it: If you’re looking for something unique and special for the one you love this Valentine’s Day why not surprise them with a beautiful new wall decal from Quote the Walls.
Win it: The amazing people at Quote the Walls are giving one Misadventures in Baby Raising reader a $50 Gift Certificate to Quote the Walls!
To be entered into this giveaway please go visit Quote the Walls’ website and have a look around, come back here and leave a comment telling me which wall decal you would choose if you won! 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 Google Friend Connect, email, or RSS feed…2 extra entries each!
Grab my Tickle Her Pink event button and display it on your blog…(5 extra entries if you grabbed it early)…2 extra entries!
Grab my new MIBR button (if you have the old button please replace with the new code)…2 extra entries!
Follow Misadventures in Baby Raising on Twitter…2 extra entries!
Tweet the following message on Twitter…1 tweet per day=1 extra entry per day!
Become a Fan of Misadventures in Baby Raising on Facebook…2 extra entries!
Enter any of my other giveaways…1 extra entry per additional entry!
Comment on any non-giveaway post…1 extra entry per comment!
Fine Print: This giveaway ends on Friday February 5, 2010 at 11:59 PM EDT. One (1) winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced on this post. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me and claim their prize, failure to do so will result in winner forfeiting his prize and me choosing another winner.
US Entries only!
Good Luck!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
It’s Day 1 of my Tickle Her Pink Valentines blog party…be sure to check back the rest of this week and the beginning of next week for more great Valentine’s inspired reviews and giveaways!
A few weeks ago I was introduced to a company called eShakti and was instantly infatuated with their designs. eshakti is a company who focuses on making their customer’s happy; from the wide range of sizes and designs to the fully customizable options available on each piece, it is clear that eShakti is a customer-friendly company. eShakti offers its customers a wide range of items from amazing dresses to jackets and accessories. Their mission says eShakti is “to make every customer look her best” and judging by their attention to detail, it is clear that eshakti takes that mission very seriously.
I would describe my personal style as classic-casual, for me to love an outfit it has to fit well and look amazing and eShakti’s designs were right in tune with both of those criteria. As a matter of fact, the most difficult thing about choosing an item to review from their online store was choosing..it was extremely difficult because there were so many amazing things to choose from! I finally settled on a very fun and classy wide sash wrap top, aside from loving the top on the site I thoroughly appreciated that I had the option to customize the top to my specifications including custom sizing (which I did not take advantage of).
When my top arrived I was very anxious to try it on, so I ran to the bathroom and once I figured out the wrapping I stood admiring myself in the mirror. Now I have to admit that I didn’t love the top on me (one of the hazards of online shopping) but it was because of the garment not fitting well, the actual design and look of the top I loved. While the opening in the front left me overexposed (again a sizing issue) it was easily fixed by adding a colorful cami underneath. In the future when ordering from eShakti I would definitely spend a little more time and effort and go with the custom sizing option. Aside from the fit I love the top and would definitely recommend eShakti to anyone looking for affordable, unique, custom designs.
Hey all you men out there…something from the Spring 2010 co llection would be perfect for your significant other this Valentines Day..hint…hint!
Buy it! You can find the top I received and a multitude of other amazing items online at eShakti.com!
Win it! eShakti has graciously offered 2 of my amazing readers a $20 Gift Certificate to eShakti.com.
The Rules: To be entered into this giveaway please visit eShakti.com and have a look around (don’t get lost), then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite item at eShakti is. This is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries are counted! Non-bloggers please leave your email address in your comment so that i can contact you in the event that you are a winner!
Extra Entries: Extra entries aren’t a have to thing, but I do like to give my readers as many chances to win as I possibly can…do one, do them all, but please leave separate comments for each extra entry!
Follow Misadventures in Baby Raising via Google Friend Connect, via Email, or RSS feed…2 extra entries each!
Grab my Tickle Her Pink event button and place in on your blog (if you grabbed the button before today Thursday January 21 you receive 5 extra entries)…2 extra entries!
Grab my NEW MIBR button and place it on your blog…2 extra entries!
Become a Fan of Misadventures in Baby Raising on Facebook…2 extra entries!
Follow me on Twitter (please leave your Twitter ID in your comment so I can follow you back)…2 extra entries!
Tweet this giveaway on Twitter…1 Tweet Per Day for the length of giveaway!
Win one of 2 eShakti GC @Allie_23 http://tinyurl.com/yjq7cezEnter any of my other giveaways…1 extra entry each!
Blog about this giveaway with links to this post and eshakti…10 extra entries!
Fine Print: This giveaway ends on Thursday February 4, 2010 at 11:59 PM EDT. Two (2) winners will be chosen via Random.org and announced on this post. Winner(s) will have 48 hours to contact me and claim their prize, failure to do so will result in me choosing another winner (via a LIVE giveaway on Sunday January 31, 2010 at Noon EST).
Good Luck!
I’m so excited because today is Day 1 of Misadventures in Baby Raising’s Tickle Her Pink Valentines blog party! Make sure you check back daily to see the latest gift ideas for her and to enter some of the best Valentines giveaways in the blogosphere!
I love jewelry—I know what woman doesn’t—the problem is that I don’t get to wear it too often. Aside from my engagement ring (that never leaves my finger) and earrings every now and then I just don’t have the time or a good enough excuse to wear much else. Oh but that doesn’t stop me from admiring and occasionally buying it.
Recently I was introduced to LuShae Jewelry and I just could not resist the opportunity to share my find with all of you! LuShae Jewelry has a wide variety of unique jewelry to fit every taste. From promise rings to incredible necklaces and earrings. there is definitely something for everyone at LuShae Jewelry! Here is a little more about LuShae Jewelry from their website.
Jewelry art designs offers a unique range of authentic sterling silver jewelry with a wide range of precious and semi precious gemstones. We follow celebrity and fashion jewelry trends sourcing the most contemporary high grade pieces available ensuring unmatched quality and value. We also operate a number of other retail websites in the fashion industry and have been operating online since 1999.
We are a privately owned company and genuinely committed to providing an excellent buying experience. Our entire product offering is backed by our returns and exchange policy. As always we welcome all feedback and suggestions as we constantly review our sales and supply processes.
I received the Brilliant CZ Cross Pendent to review. I have to be honest and tell you that I was skeptical about wearing CZ, but when I saw the necklace for the first time all of that doubt was put to rest because it was stunning. The cross pendent is bold and flashy without being too much, which is great for women like me who love to make a statement with their style. The cross pendent boasts 3 sparkling round clear CZ stones; one at each of its baguette arms and one in the middle. There are of course, lots of other great finds at LuShae so make sure you mention the need for some bling this Valentine’s Day and point your significant other to LuShae Jewelry!
Monday, January 25, 2010
I know I have some Cincinnati area readers out there and this is just for you!
Remember I told you that Yo Gabba Gabba was bringing it’s Live show There’s a Party in My City to 6 more cities? Well Cincinnati is one of them and I couldn’t be more excited as Gabba (as my kids call it) is one of their very favorite shows! If my son got the chance to meet Muno, Brobee, Plex, Foofa, and Toodee he would probably flip out and seeing Biz Markie beat box would undoubtedly be the highlight of his young life! Since tickets to the Cincinnati show go on sale this Friday January 29th I wanted to share some more information about the Live show with you!
YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! ANNOUNCES CINCINNATI SHOWS TO TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY, MARCH 20th
PUBLIC ON-SALE BEGINS FRIDAY, JANUARY 29TH
Cincinnati, OH (January 19, 2010) - On the heels of the sold out YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! tour in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Dallas in late 2009,W!ldbrain, The Magic Store and tour producer S2BN Entertainment are bringing YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! to Cincinnati, OH on March 20th at 2PM & 5PM to the Aronoff Center for the Arts.
In addition to the Cincinnati performances, YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! will be appearing in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Fort Wayne, Toronto and St. Louis as a part of the 2010 tour.
This state-of-the-art production featuring music, singing, dancing and animation is an interactive experience offering audience members of all ages the opportunity to witness their favorite characters come to life with the magic words, “Yo Gabba Gabba!.” Also joining DJ Lance and the characters on stage will be hip-hop legend Biz Markie to teach the kids how to beat box with Biz’s Beat of the Day as well as special guests The Aquabats, whose front man Christian Jacobs (aka the Bat Commander) is the co-creator of Yo Gabba Gabba!, for the Super Music Friends Show.
YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY!
Cincinnati:
Saturday, March 20, 2010 – 2PM & 5PM
Aronoff Center for the Arts
American Express Pre-Sale – Friday January 20-28 – 10AM
Public On-Sale –January 29 – 10AM
Tickets are $25.00 and $35.00
Gold Gabba Party Packages are available for $99.00, which includes premium seats, a meet and greet with the Yo Gabba Gabba! characters, a special entrance to theater, and much more. They will be available for purchase through Yogabbagabbalive.com or CincinnatiArts.org and can also be purchased at the Aronoff Center ticket office. There will be a $5.00 off discount for groups of 10 or more. Children under one year of age will be admitted free to sit on a parent’s lap.
YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! is the live touring show for the hit children’s program, which was created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz and is produced by The Magic Store and W!LDBRAIN. The live-action U.S. stage production, directed by Glenn Orsher, is inspired by the award-winning television series, and has a broad appeal among preschoolers, parents, teens and adults. Mike Luba is the Executive Producer. 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) rock out to their favorite songs from the groundbreaking series while special guests show off their “dancey dance” moves.
I plan on going and taking Little Man and Ki Ki so I hope to see some of you there!
I just wanted to let everyone know I had to push the Tickle Her Pink event back until this Thursday January 28-February 5! If you haven’t had a chance to grab the button for the event—which gets you 5 extra entries into all of the giveaways—then you still have time to grab it! If you do grab it please make sure to leave a comment in the original post (you can access that here) so that I know who received the extra entries!
I also want to share with you all an updated list of the Tickle Her Pink sponsors!
eShakti
LuShae Jewelry
Mo Ganey Love Cards
Scandle Body Candle
Quote the Walls
Eden Fantasys
Magpie Designz
Durex
Friday, January 22, 2010
The televisions in our house always seem to be tuned to one channel and one challenge only—Nickelodeon. My children love all of the shows and I love that all of their favorite shows combine education with fun..it’s a win, win!
On Monday January 25 Nickelodeon is debuting a new show, you may have seen the commercials for it recently, called Team Umizoomi! It combines fun, adventure, and math which is truly a great thing! Here’s some more about Team Umizoomi below…I hope you’ll tune it to Nickelodeon let your kids check it out on Monday!
THEY’RE MINI, MIGHTY AND BUILT FOR MATH!
NICKELODEON’S NEW EDUCATIONAL PRESCHOOL SERIES
TEAM UMIZOOMI PREMIERES MONDAY, JAN. 25
New Series from Blue’s Clues Alumni Offers Interactive Math-Based Curriculum,
Debuts with Two Weeks of Brand-New Episodes
Nickelodeon will encourage preschoolers to become strong and mighty in math with the launch of Team Umizoomi, the first preschool series to focus entirely on math, on Monday, Jan. 25, with two back-to-back episodes beginning at 11:30 a.m. (ET/PT). The 20-episode, half-hour series combines action-adventure missions with an interactive math curriculum designed to help kids develop self-confidence in their math abilities and appreciate the many ways in which mathematics shapes their world.
Created by Blue’s Clues alumni Soo Kim (Creator/Producer/Design Director/Writer), Michael T. Smith (Creator/Producer/Writer) and Jennifer Twomey (Co-Creator/Executive Producer/Writer), Team Umizoomi features a tiny team of superheroes who use their mighty math powers to help little kids solve big problems. Set to a soundtrack of preschool-friendly pop songs, the series is designed to build upon preschoolers’ conceptual understanding of math as they are exposed to core mathematical concepts like numbers, counting, computations, measurement, patterns and shapes.
“Math surrounds us everywhere we go, which is why we wanted to create a fun, adventure-filled, interactive series that engages preschoolers and encourages them to practice and refine their mathematical thinking skills,” said Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. “Team Umizoomi is an action-packed series with interactive math games and catchy pop songs that provide kids with takeaway tools to help them learn and use math in their daily lives.”
Following the Jan. 25 premiere, Nickelodeon will air two weeks of brand-new episodes from Tuesday, Jan. 26 – Thursday, Jan. 28; and Monday Feb. 1 – Thursday Feb. 4 at 11:30 a.m. (ET/PT). Two back-to-back episodes will also encore on Nick Jr., Nickelodeon’s 24-hour commercial-free, educational preschool network, on Sunday, Jan. 31, and Sunday, Feb. 7, at 7:00 p.m. (ET).
Team Umizoomi features the voice of Donovan Patton (Joe from Blue’s Clues), and mixes 2D and 3D animation with live action to create Umi City, a uniquely patterned urban environment. The team of miniature, animated, math-powered superheroes – siblings Milli (Sophia Fox) and Geo (Ethan Kempner) and their robot best friend Bot (Patton) – help live-action preschoolers solve everyday problems. Their team is not complete without their Umifriend (home viewer), who helps the team along the way while practicing various math skills.
To complement Team Umizoomi’s math-based curriculum, Nickelodeon’s award-winning preschool website, www.nickjr.com, will include an expansive learning section for parents featuring an overview of the series’ math curriculum, suggested activities parents can use at home to help preschoolers master math concepts and recommendations for the best math books for preschoolers. The site will also feature games, videos, printables, crafts and more. Later this month, additional free, enhanced content will also be available including personalized, customizable printables and a monthly newsletter containing parent tips from preschool education curriculum experts.
In support of the launch, Nickelodeon will offer a two-minute sneak peek of Team Umizoomi on Nick Jr. Video, the broadband video service available on Nickjr.com, and on wireless carriers via video on demand. The premiere episode will also be simulcast on Nick mobile.
In the premiere episode “Kite Festival,” Jeannie is planning to fly her beautiful dragon kite in the Umi City Kite Festival, but a strong gust of wind blows the kite out of her hands and scatters its colorful shaped pieces far and wide throughout Umi City. It’s up to Team Umizoomi to rappel down city billboards, build a hot air balloon and search the tops of skyscrapers to find all the missing pieces and put the kite back together for Jeannie.
Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 99 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than 15 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Having four children can be very expensive; when I’m not stocking up on diapers and wipes it seems I’m shelling out at the doctor or dentist and the cost can become overwhelming very quickly. This winter has been extremely difficult considering all four of my children have spent the majority of it sick or on some kind of medication.
After my divorce it became quite clear to me that my children had to have medical insurance and without the family medical plan and the dental plan that my ex-husband carried it wasn’t going to be cheap. I was lucky that my family doctor offered payment plans based on income, but finding an affordable dental plan was another story entirely, it was nearly impossible. Not to mention the hundreds of dollars that prescriptions could cost without a prescription plan. Many times it seemed like I would be forced to choose between diapers and medicine, but thankfully there are places out there whose mission is to provide affordable insurance to families who couldn’t receive it otherwise, places like DentalCall.com. If you’re ever in need of affordable coverage for you or your family i encourage you to check them out!
Sponsored Post: You can read my full disclosure here.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
I am so excited! Alright let me restate that…my kiddos are very excited! Why you ask? Well the Yo Gabba Gabba Live Show There’s a Party in My City! is finally coming to Cincinnati! I couldn’t be more excited with the possibility of taking my little ones to see one of their favorite shows..LIVE! They have also added shows in 5 other cities so if you missed the first round of sold-out shows maybe this time there will be a Party in Your City!
AND ST. LOUIS
2010 TOUR FOLLOWS ON THE HEELS OF THE OVERWHELMING SUCCESS OF THE
SOLD OUT 2009 SHOWS IN LA, NY, DALLAS AND CHICAGO
ADVANCE TICKETS FOR AMERICAN EXPRESS® CARDMEMBERS
BEGINNING WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20th
PUBLIC ON-SALE BEGINS FRIDAY, JANUARY 29TH
New York, NY (January 19, 2010) – The debut of YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! was a smash hit its first time out, attracting top celebrities, special musical talent and surprise guests to today’s hottest live show for families. Due to the great success, YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! has added additional performances in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Toronto, Fort Wayne, Cincinnati and St. Louis for March 2010.
This state-of-the-art production featuring music, singing, dancing and animation is an interactive experience that offers audience members of all ages the opportunity to witness their favorite characters come to life with the magic words, “Yo Gabba Gabba!.” Also joining DJ Lance and the characters on stage will be hip-hop legend Biz Markie to teach the kids how to beat box with Biz’s Beat of the Day as well as special guests The Aquabats, whose front man Christian Jacobs ( aka the Bat Commander) is the co-creator of Yo Gabba Gabba!, for the Super Music Friends Show.
Tickets and VIP packages for YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! are available at www.Yogabbagabbalive.com. Children under one year of age will be admitted free to sit on a parent’s lap. 
YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! U.S. TOUR DATES
Minneapolis:
Saturday, March 13, 2010 – 3PM
U.S. Bank Theater at Target Center
American Express Pre-Sale – January 20-29 – 10AM
Public On-Sale –January 30 – 10AM
Milwaukee:
Sunday, March 14, 2010 – 2PM & 5PM
Riverside Theater
American Express Pre-Sale – January 20-28 – 10AM
Public On-Sale –January 29 – 12PM
Fort Wayne:
Friday, March 19, 2010 – 11AM & 4PM
Embassy Theatre
American Express Pre-Sale – January 20-28 – 10AM
Public On-Sale –January 29 – 10AM
Cincinnati:
Saturday, March 20, 2010 – 2PM & 5PM
Aronoff Center for the Arts
American Express Pre-Sale –January 20-28 – 10AM
Public On-Sale –January 29 – 10AM
St. Louis:
Sunday, March 21, 2010 – 2PM & 5PM
Fox Theatre
American Express Pre-Sale – January 20-29 – 10AM
Public On-Sale –January 29 – 10AM
YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! CANADIAN TOUR DATES
Toronto:
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 – 11AM & 3PM
Wednesday, March 17 – 11AM & 3PM
Elgin Theatre
Public On-Sale –January 30 – 10AM
American Express pre-sale not available at this time in Toronto.
W!LDBRAIN, The Magic Store and S2BN Entertainment produce YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! and brought the groundbreaking series to the stage for the first time in November 2009 with four sold out shows in LA, NY, Dallas and Chicago. Celebrities including Christina Aguilera, Heidi Klum, Dennis Quaid, Jason Bateman, Travis Barker, Brooke Shields, Chris Noth, Keri Russell and Brendan Fraser among others, attended shows with their children to celebrate this blockbuster tour.
During the 2009 tour a stellar cast of surprise guests made appearances including Snoop Dogg, Sarah Silverman, Talib Kweli, Keri Russell, DMC from Run DMC , Jon Heder from Napoleon Dynamite and The Geeks from Freaks and Geeks adding to the excitement with their performances of the famed “dancey dance” on stage. Mix Master Mike, The Roots, Dinosaur Jr., Devendra Banhart, Cold War Kids, Solange, Erykah Badu, Kid Sister and Matt Costa rocked the house with their performances during the Super Music Friends Show. Also joining DJ Lance Rock and the friendly cast of characters on stage was Biz Markie with Biz’s Beat of the Day.
YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! is the live touring show for the hit children’s program, Yo Gabba Gabba!, which was created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz and is produced by The Magic Store and W!LDBRAIN. The live-action U.S. stage production is inspired by the award-winning television series, and has a broad appeal among preschoolers, parents, teens and adults. 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) rock out to their favorite songs from the groundbreaking series, while special guests show off their “dancey dance” moves. Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz are the Creative Directors for the tour. Glenn Orsher is the live tour Director and Mike Luba is the Executive Producer.
About Yo Gabba Gabba!
Yo Gabba Gabba! premiered in the U.S. on Nickelodeon in August, 2007 and currently ranks as one of the most popular children series on television. Yo Gabba Gabba! was voted as one of the best new shows on television by TIME magazine, won a BAFTA Award in 2008, was awarded the “Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Television” Award by the Television Critics Association, and is a two-time Emmy nominee. The series airs three times a day, seven days a week on Nick Jr. and in several major international territories, including Australia, Canada, Israel, Latin America, New Zealand, South Africa and the U.K.
Yo Gabba Gabba! infuses retro-style and beat-driven music to teach simple life lessons through music. Today’s most popular names in movies, television, music and sports flock to guest star in the groundbreaking show, including Jack Black, Rachel Dratch, Melora Hardin, Tony Hawk, Biz Markie, Jack McBrayer, MGMT, Mark Mothersbaugh, The Roots, Andy Samberg, Amy Sedaris, The Shins, Amare Stoudemire, The Ting Tings, Jimmy Eat World and Elijah Wood, among others. Yo Gabba Gabba! toys, apparel and other merchandise are sold in stores nationwide in the U.S. and Canada and have skyrocketed in popularity.
Yo Gabba Gabba! is recommended as a trusted program for preschoolers by The Smart Television Alliance, a non-profit organization comprised of leading non-profit children’s media organizations including Common Sense Media, Parents’ Choice Foundation, Parents Television Council and Coalition for Quality children’s Media: KIDS FIRST!. Visit www.yogabbagabba.com for more information.
One of my kids favorite activities during the holidays are making (and then quickly eating) our annual gingerbread house. I always scold myself for not buying more than one since they have so much fun (and are semi-quiet) building them. As you can see from the pictures below they had a blast building theirs before the holidays. 
Some of you may remember the post I did before the holidays Eat Your Sweets and Keep Your Teeth Too where I gave away an awesome gift basket of goodies to one of my readers, well the amazing lady i worked with on that campaign contacted me the other day and said she had a few gingerbread house kits left (did I mention that they’re William’s Sonoma gingerbread house kits?) and that she would like for me to offer some of them to my readers in a giveaway…well you don’t have to ask me twice! And I know that some of you are thinking…”Um Christmas is over.” and you would be correct, but what better way to spend a snow day with the kiddos than to build a gingerbread house? Sounds like the perfect distraction I mean activity for a cold, snowy winter day!
Win it: Ten (yes that is 10) lucky readers are going to win a Williams Sonoma Gingerbread kit!
The Rules: The rules to this giveaway are pretty simple…leave a comment telling me how you and your little ones like to spend snow days…that’s it! If you’re not a blogger please leave your email address in your comment so that I can get in touch with you in case you win!
Extra Entries: You don’t have to do the extra entries, but they make your chances of winning that much better! Remember to leave separate comments for each extra entry!
Follow Misadventures in Baby Raising via Google Friend Connect, Email, or my RSS feed…2 extra entries each!
Grab my NEW MIBR button (located on my sidebar below followers)…2 extra entries!
Grab my Tickle Her Pink Valentines button…2 extra entries!
Follow me on Twitter (please leave your Twitter ID in your comments so I can follow you back)…2 extra entries!
Tweet this on Twitter: Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post…5 extra entries!
Comment on any non-giveaway post…1 extra entry per comment!
This giveaway ends on Tuesday February 2, 2010 at 11':59 PM EDT. Ten (10) winner’s will be chosen via Random.org and announced on this post. Winner(s) will have 48 hours to contact me and claim their prize(s), failure to do so will result in winner(s) forfeiting their prize.
GOOD LUCK!
Monday, January 18, 2010
In honor of Valentines Day Misadventures in Baby Raising will be hosting a week-long review and giveaway extravaganza titled: Tickle Her Pink.
- Who: Misadventurous Mommy
- What: I’m throwing a Valentines extravaganza for all of my amazing readers! A week-long celebration of everything girly, pink, and perfect for Valentines Day…you WILL want your SO to see this!
- When: The party starts on Thursday January 22, 2010.
- Where: Right here on Misadventures in Baby Raising
- Why: Because I want to share all of my great Valentine’s finds with all of you!
Just like with every blog party I throw I’m giving all of you the opportunity to grab as many extra entries into the giveaways as I can…so I made a button (was there ever any doubt) for all of y’all to grab and place on your blog. If you grab the button (code below) before Thursday January 22, 2010 then you will get 5 extra entries into each of the giveaways in the blog party!
I hope to see all of you there and make sure to grab my button and if you do grab the button make sure to leave a comment below so I know!
Tickle Her Pink Sponsors
- eShakti
- LuShae Jewelry
- Mo Ganey Love Cards
- New SKINN make-up
- Scandle Body Candle
- Eden Fantasys
Sunday, January 17, 2010
As you can see things are looking different around here! I am pleased to say that I redesigned my entire blog by myself from the header to tweaking the template to make it what i wanted! I hope you all like the changes and i hope you will all bear with me as I get things ironed out. Be sure to check back soon to see the completed transformation!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? If you don’t know the answer you must have been hiding under a rock for the past few years.
All of my kids are big SpongeBob fans, the oldest love the sense of humor the show exudes and Little Man loves SpongeBob and all his square pants antics. We were sent the SpongeBob Squarepants Season 6 Volume 1 on DVD to review and all of the kids were very excited to be helping mommy on this one. This SpongeBob DVD collection includes 2 discs and 25 episodes of SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, and the rest of the gang reeking havoc on Bikini Bottom.
I have to admit that while the kids love SpongeBob and the gang, mom thinks the show may be a little too inappropriate for the little ones at times. This doesn’t stop me from letting them watch their beloved SpongeBob, but I am very quick to point out how silly SpongeBob and all of his friends are. The DVD’s were perfect for the older kids though who laughed out loud nearly the whole time at the silliness.
The kids give SpongeBob Squarepants a BIG:
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Many people don’t know this about me, but one year when I was 14 I spent the entire summer helping one of my aunts clean hotels. It wasn’t a job that I liked or one that I would ever consider doing again, but it was definitely a character building experience. I learned a lot that summer, mostly how to avoid my aunt when I was supposed to be dusting, but I definitely found out that the cleaning business was not my calling.
I still remember the harsh smell of the janitorial cleaning supplies that we used to clean the rooms and the enormous amounts of product we would purchase at the industrial cleaning supply company we visited weekly. With all of the strong chemical smells it would have been nice if eco-friendly green cleaning supplies had been in use way back then, but sadly they were not so the smell of industrial cleaner will always bring back memories for me as crazy as that may sound.
As the years have passed I’ve never ventured into the cleaning business again, but after being a mom for ten years I definitely have a new found respect for the men and women who help make the places we all visit daily more presentable.
Sponsored Post: Read my full disclosure here.
If you have a preschooler chances are pretty good that you know who The Fresh Beat Band is. My son just so happens to be infatuated with that show and would watch it all day every day if I let him. I have to be honest and tell you that this is one show I don’t mind watching with my kids, and since I’m being pretty honest I guess admitting that I find myself singing along to some of their songs sometimes is alright too. If you have a Fresh Beat Band fanatic in your house like I do then I have some great news for you!NICKELODEON ORDERS SECOND SEASON OF
HIT PRESCHOOL MUSIC SERIES THE FRESH BEAT BAND
Special Premiere Week with Four New Season One Episodes Debuts Jan. 11 – 14;
First Two Singles “Great Day” and “The Fresh Beat Band Theme Song” Available on iTunes
NEW YORK, Jan. 7, 2010 – Preschoolers will share more “great days” with The Fresh Beat Band as Nickelodeon greenlights a second season of the hit live-action, preschool music series. The network has ordered 20 new half-hour episodes of the series that teaches preschoolers about music appreciation and how to express their feelings through movement, song and instrumental music. In addition, the network will unveil four new episodes from season one in a special premiere week from Monday, Jan. 11 – Thursday, Jan 14. The Fresh Beat Band’s first two singles, “Great Day” and “The Fresh Beat Band Theme Song,” will be available on iTunes later this month.
The “Great Day” music video is the number one video on NickJr.com and has been streamed over 17.4 million times since the series launch in July. Overall, videos of The Fresh Beat Band have streamed on NickJr.com nearly 59.7 million times, making the series the number two video franchise, second to Dora the Explorer, on NickJr.com.
The Fresh Beat Band premiere week is as follows (all times are 12:00 p.m. ET/PT):
- Monday, Jan. 11 – “March Our Way”
- Tuesday, Jan. 12 – “Glow for It”
- Wednesday, Jan. 13 – “Rock to Sleep”
- Thursday, Jan. 14 – “Rhyme Time”
The Fresh Beat Band centers on four best friends – Kiki (Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer), Marina (Shayna Rose), Twist (Jon Beavers) and Shout (Thomas Hobson) – in a band who attend music school together and love to sing and dance. Set to original pop songs, the half-hour series teaches preschoolers about music appreciation and how to express their feelings through movement, song and instrumental music. The Fresh Beat Band introduces kids to the fundamentals of music such as melody, rhythm, tempo and performance styles. In each episode, preschoolers sing and dance along as they help The Fresh Beat Band solve everyday challenges and also learn the importance of friendship, working together in a positive way and respecting each other’s differences.
The Fresh Beat Band features original songs with preschool-friendly lyrics written by series creators/executive producers Nadine van der Velde and Scott Kraft, who have won three Emmys for their work on children’s television programs. The music on the show is composed by Matter Music, an award-winning company that creates original compositions for film, television and commercials.
Be sure to tune in to see the premieres all this week…I know I will!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
My oldest daughter has always had problems sleeping. When she was younger she had night terrors followed by horrible snoring bouts and even periods where she stopped breathing. Her doctor informed me that all signs pointed to sleep apnea and that a sleep study would have to be done and I could just picture a life filled with CPAP machines and portable oxygen concentrators for her.
I remember her being a ball of nerves when we arrived at the hospital for her sleep study and then a little slap happy when she was basically bedridden from all the wires and sensors that we hooked to her that night. Several hours and one very sleepless night later the sleep study was over and I sat in the room waiting to here the results. The results were not what I had hoped for, Taylor did indeed stop breathing a few times in the middle of the night and it was suggested that CPAP masks would need to be considered if her problem became worse.
Three years and many more sleepless night later Taylor is free and clear of any sleep related breathing problems , and thankfully we never had to go the CPAP route. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that her problems don’t flare back up later in life, hopefully she’ll sleep like a baby from here on out!
Sponsored Post…you can read my full disclosure here.
Monday, January 11, 2010
I have a lot of exciting changes in store for Misadventures in Baby Raising this year (including a redesign coming very soon) and I hope that all of my amazing readers will stick around and see what they are. The first thing I decided to add to MIBR is a monthly feature showcasing other bloggers appropriately titled: Blogger of the Month!
Since this is a new year I decided to start my Blogger of the Month feature out with a brand new blogger…my sister Brianna. Brianna is an amazing writer who is working on her latest novel, I’m sure all of you who love reading, writing, and learning will love her blog and I hope that you will all check it out. She’s new to blogging and would love some comments and followers. Below is my “interview” with Brianna of Poetic Serendipity.
1. Tell me a little bit about you: I'm 27, wife, part-time college English instructor, part time museum Program Coordinator, part time SAHM to 20 month old Bella. Working on my dream of being a published author.
2. Blog Name, Blog URL, and Facebook Link: Poetic Serendipity, http://poeticserendipity.blogspot.com, Facebook is http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1494833529
3. Why did you start blogging?
My blog is a way for me to stay on track and motivated to finish my novel so that I can work on getting it published. I also am using it to discuss literature, writing, art, and anything else that interests me and to keep myself motivated to finish my book and to work on getting it published. I figure putting it out there holds me accountable to myself to really do this. It's a lot of work, so the blog helps keep me on track.
4. If you could interview one person (alive or dead) and post the interview on your blog who would it be and why?
That's hard! On one hand, It would be fascinating to talk to a famous writer like Jane Austen or Shakespeare, but it would also be fascinating to talk to someone holy, like the Dalai Lama or the Pope. Then it would also be awesome to talk to the President or First Lady.
5. What do you hope to accomplish this year with your blog?
I hope to be able to write a post one day this year saying that I have a literary agent who is going to get my book published!!!
6. What blogger(s) do you look up to (if any) and why?
Any blogger that writes from their heart and doesn't compromise their beliefs because of what others think. Someone who is savvy business-wise and has really built up their blog well. (like MIBR!)
7. If you won the lottery tomorrow what would you change about your life? What would you keep the same?
I would be a philanthropist, travel the world, help out my family. I would still write, stay married to my husband!
8. What is your favorite book? Movie?
Fave book - Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood and The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, movie is prob Gone With the Wind.
9. Who is your celebrity crush?
Celeb crush - there are lots of celebs I think are really cute but my faves rotate a lot.
10. If you had one day to live what would you do? Where would you go?
If it was for sure I would hop on a plane with my husband and daughter and go to Europe and eat the best meal of my life and walk the streets with them and watch the sun set in the countryside.
And that was Brianna at Poetic Serendipity…I hope you will all go over and visit her blog! Make sure you check back next month to see who the Featured Blogger for February is!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Some days I look back and wonder how I managed to make it through the early days of motherhood unmediated, oh not that I’m medicated now--a mother can wish can’t she? No you see my doctor tends to mistake being on the verge of a nervous breakdown with depression so I’m stuck either taking Zoloft or going insane…I choose going insane, it makes for a better blog post!
Getting back to my original thought (my ADD is showing again) I do often wonder how I managed to be a mom at 19. Next month I’ll be, well let’s just say I’ll be celebrating my 30th birthday again this year and every year after that until my wrinkles and sagging skin clearly require me to pretend to be 40, and I am no better at being a mother now than I was at 19. Admitting that is kind of like admitting that you stop and stare at car accidents, you know you should never tell anyone, but it’s still the sad, ugly truth. You see it’s not that I’m a bad mom I just don’t seem to be progressing like I should, or at least that’s what I envision my therapist telling me…if I had one. Take today for instance, I decided over Christmas break that I was going to start potty training my two year old after the holidays…yes well Little Man had other plans. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation this morning:
Me: Alright Bub you know what today is?
Little Man: (Excited) What mom mom?
Me: (Equally excited) It’s time to be a big boy!
Little Man: (Still excited) Yeah!
Me: Let’s go get your big boy undies!
Little Man: (Confused and clearly not excited anymore) I not!
At this point Little Man has folded his arms on his chest in an act of clear defiance and turned away from me…this is not going to be easy.
Me: But don’t you wanna be a big boy like Bub Bub?
Little Man: I not wear unawears!
Me: Well tough cookies little boy I’m tired of buying diapers and changing your stinky butt.
10 minutes later!
Little Man: Mom Mom I farted in my butt…change me (this is the most annoying thing he says and he says it at least 50 times a day).
Me: Alright time for big boy underware.
Little Man: (Running) Oh it ok I not fart in my butt.
And that ladies and gentlemen is what my day looks like…I wonder if my doctor makes house calls?
Thursday, January 7, 2010
As I’ve admitted before, organization is something that eludes me, it’s not that I don’t try to get organized, it’s that I can never seem to stay that way. One of my blog resolutions for this year is to be more organized and I’m sure that task will be one filled with many bumps along the way. As my blog continues to grow so to do the information, resources, and contacts that I deal with on a daily basis making it more and more difficult with each passing day to be unorganized.
If organization is on your To Do list this year then I have the perfect thing for you …daptiv.com. If you’re looking for free project management software then daptiv has what you need. Portfolio management, ppm software, and project and portfolio management are just a few of the many ways their software can help you get organized and stay organized.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever be completely organized in all aspects of my life (or my blog) but at least now I know there are resources available to help me make my organizational goals a reality. And if on the off chance I manage to keep up with this organizational project you all will be the first to know.
Sponsored Post: You can read my full disclosure here.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
With the economy in the state it’s in it seems like everyone is struggling financially and having a difficult time finding a job, I personally know quite a few people who are out of work and in need of employment. Thankfully the job cuts and layoffs haven’t hit my fiancé's place of employment, his job as a shipping and receiving clerk for a very successful flavoring manufacturer seems to be going strong…guess even in hard times people need to spice things up, but I am under no illusions that we could very easily be a couple of paychecks away from trouble.
With jobs harder to come by every day people are being forced out of their comfort zone and into jobs that under normal circumstances they would never consider. Several people I know have found themselves in this very real, very scary situation looking, without much success, for jobs in their own fields and then settling for jobs that are less than ideal for their situations. It becomes more about survival and less about comfort and that is not a situation any of us would like to find ourselves in.
There is hope though and believe it or not there are jobs available in industries that are exciting and rewarding like the beverage industry. Yes there are plenty of beverage jobs, coffee jobs, and even wine jobs to be had you just have to know where to look. Of course these are more than just jobs they are career opportunities that for the right person could turn into something amazing…it’s worth a shot!
Hopefully the economy will be strong and thriving again very soon, but at least we can take comfort in the fact that there are jobs out there, it’s just a matter of knowing where to look.
Sponsored Post: You can read my full disclosure here.
Monday, January 4, 2010
I have to admit that I am a very semi-homemade cook; it is very rare (alright almost unheard of) for me to cook something from scratch. I think with all of the premade and meal helpers that we have available to us today it’s kind of silly (for a busy mom) to try and cook everything homemade.
Last month I had the chance to do a review for Farm Rich appetizers and I couldn’t have been more happy about it. With all of the holiday parties I was attending I knew I would need all of the help I could get with the food that I would be preparing and Farm Rich was a huge time saver. For those of you who have never heard of Farm Rich here is a little more information about them from their website:
Farm Rich® products have been setting the standard for delicious, easy-to-prepare food the whole family loves.
Farm Rich® foods taste like nothing else because they're made like nothing else – with 100% real ingredients like real cheese, high-quality meats and fresh vegetables. Our snacks, appetizers, and breakfast foods are quick-frozen and carefully packaged so busy families can prepare great tasting food within minutes.
Farm Rich® is a Rich's Consumer Brand, which brings to market some of the food industry's leading retail brands including SeaPak® Shrimp Co., Casa Di Bertacchi® and more.
We got to try several of the many varieties of appetizers from Farm Rich for our review and I have to admit that I really liked them all (a little too much…my waist line wasn’t amused). My son loved the pizza slices and I loved that they were not messy like a regular slice of pizza and my favorite was definitely the mozzarella bites…heavenly!
This New Year’s eve I hosted a small party for family and friends at my house and I knew that it was the perfect opportunity to incorporate Farm Rich appetizers into my entertaining. I had a recipe for Barbeque Meatballs that my mother had given me a while ago that I had been wanting to try out and this was the perfect opportunity. The meatballs (recipe below) were a huge hit and using the Farm Rich meatballs was such a time saver; I will definitely use this recipe (and Farm Rich meatballs) to entertain with again soon.
Mom’s BBQ Meatballs
1 38 oz. package Farm Rich meatballs
2 bottles of BBQ sauce (any brand will do)
1 small jar of Grape jelly
Cook meatballs according to package directions. In a medium saucepan combine both bottles of BBQ sauce and half of the jar of grape jelly, heat over medium low heat until mixture is thoroughly combines. Transfer meatballs to slow cooker and ad BBQ sauce mixture. Keep warm in the slow cooker for up to 4 hours. Enjoy!
Also make sure you check out the Farm Rich website for a ton of recipes and entertaining ideas!
Buy it! Farm Rich appetizers are available nationwide.
One of my misadventurous readers is going to get a chance to try Farm Rich appetizers, because the nice people at Farm Rich are giving one (1) winner 5 free packages (five (5) coupons, each redeemable for 1 free package of Farm Rich appetizers)…how yummy does that sound?
Win it! To be entered into this giveaway head over to the Farm Rich website and have a look around, come back here and leave a comment telling me which variety of Farm Rich appetizer you would like to try most. This is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries are counted!
Extra entries! Please leave separate comments for each! Unless otherwise specified each extra entry opportunity is worth two (2).
- Follow Misadventures in Baby Raising via Google Friend Connect.
- Subscribe to Misadventures in Baby Raising via email.
- Follow me on Twitter (please leave your Twitter ID in your comment so I can follow you back).
- Become a Fan of Misadventures in Baby Raising on Facebook.
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- Tweet the following message on Twitter once a day
Enter to win some yummy Farm Rich appetizers @Allie_23 http://tinyurl.com/yhavg87
-
- Blog about this giveaway with links to this post as well as the Farm Rich website…5 extra entries.
This giveaway ends on Monday January 18, 2010 at 11:59 PM EDT. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced in this post. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me and claim their prize, failure to do so will result in winner forfeiting his prize and me choosing another winner.
US Entrants only please!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
I know I’m a day late with this, but better late than never right?
I have this unwritten rule about making New Year’s Resolutions…Don’t Write Them! I’m usually horrible at keeping my New Year’s resolutions, but I decided to give it one more try…we’ll see what happens!
My Personal Resolutions
- SLOW DOWN! This applies to every single aspect of my life and I do intend to keep this one.
- Take some time for myself. Though I make this with the greatest of intentions I know how I am and I know that I am very good at making myself feel guilty for taking even an hour to myself-this year I resolve to make sure I take that much needed time for me!
- Be more patient and curse less!
What I’d like to see for Misadventures in Baby Raising in 2010!
- Me getting more personal with my readers! Less reviews and giveaways and more ME…how's that for narcissistic?
- I would love to attend a blogging event; maybe Blogher, Blissdom, or Type A but it would be equally amazing to be invited to attend a bloggers roundtable!
- Finally buy my domain and get a design that I LOVE!
Did you make any resolutions this new year? If so I wanna hear them and if not I wanna know why…yes I’m nosy like that! Happy 2010 everyone!
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