Boddler Bites Flash Cards- Review & Giveaway!

I am currently in that stage of transitioning {B} from baby food to all foods. He is eating mostly all normal foods now, but it has been crazy. He is a picky eater, and I don't love cooking, so I feel like I just don't know what to do at times. I feel bad for the kid because there are times when he has the same things for each meal, for a week at a time!

I went in desperate search for help. I got lucky and found this awesome product called Food in a Flash Boddler Bites (Boddler = Older Baby + Younger toddler), the ABC's of feeding your Boddler! You may have seen these featured in the April issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray or this months BabyTalk Magazine! Boddler Bites flash cards are so awesome! Boddler Bites comes with 29 colored flash cards bound with a ring so you can keep them all together and flip through them anytime. These cards are thick, durable, and have tons of colorful, bright high quality pictures! The picture side is great for the kids learning their fruits and vegetables. Each card has the letter of the alphabet, along with various foods that correspond with that letter. The back side consists of ways to use those foods in snacks, recipes, and tips for parents, like how to cut a mango, and recipes for homemade granola bars!

Boddler Bites " solve the common problem of what to feed children ages 1-3 yrs old that is both quick and nutritious."-Boddler Bites
{B} loves blueberries so I immediately went to the B card and read what it had to say. The B card mentions that you can serve frozen blueberries slightly thawed, which make for a great teether! He also loved the baby food sweet potatoes, so I went to the S card and read up on ways that you can use actual sweet potatoes for "boddlers." I was excited to find 4 different options for using sweet potatoes various ways.. Steamed (with maple syrup, yum!), steamed with beets, Steamed with Avacado, or make sweet potato fries! These cards are just packed with tons of useful info and ideas, and I am so excited to continue using them for not only me to help with my cooking dilemmas, but to help {B} learn and develop his vocabulary!

Buy It: You can buy Food in Flash Boddler Bites cards from the Boddler Bites website here. A set of 29 cards retails $19.95, and would make a GREAT baby shower gift, or simply just to have in your home for your family.

WIN IT: Shannon at Boddler Bites has provided me with a set of Boddler Bites flash cards for one lucky n.c. baby blog reader!


ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY: You MUST complete the mandatory entry before completing any other entries! All other entries are optional, but the more you complete, the better chance you have at winning! Leave one comment per entry and a way for me to contact you if you win.

1) Mandatory: Follow Boddler Bites on Facebook, and if you want, comment on their wall! Its always nice to get new comments. :)

2) Tell me your favorite easy to make healthy snack for your kiddos!

3) Follow n.c. baby blog via google friends connect (or tell me if you aleady do)

4) Follow n.c. baby blog on facebook

5) Share this giveaway on Facebook ( you can do this once daily!)

6) Blog about this giveaway and leave your link so I can find it! (+3 entries, leave 3 comments)

7) Enter any of my other CURRENT giveaways ( 1 entry for each giveaway entered)

8) Subscribe to n.c. baby blog via email or tell me if you do (on right side of blog)

9) Add my n.c. baby blog button to your blog! (+3 entries, leave 3 comments!)

GOOD LUCK!!! Giveaway will close 6/6 at 11:59 pm EST. Giveaway is open to U.S. and CANADA residents only. Winner will be picked the following day by Random.org and will be emailed and announced on the blog. Winner has 48 hours to confirm their prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Thank you to Shannon at Boddler Bites for providing the review sample and the giveaway prize!

Boddler Bites provided samples for my review and the prize for my readers. No other compensation was recieved. All opinions are 100 percent my own.

Ode to Baby Einstein.

Dearest Baby Einstein:

Thank you for giving me 37 minutes of pure bliss each day that I put you in.

Even though I want to pull my hair out when I have to listen to the annoying lady that tells the 3 minute story that is told in French, it is worth it because I can put my makeup on and I can even sometimes sit down to eat my lunch.

{B} loves your silly puppets, I wish they weren't 15 dollars each or I would have every last one of those stinkin' puppets cluttering my over-filled toy basket. However, I can promise you that they would be loved.

Thank you for finally allowing me to upload you onto my Ipad. This is going to save me my sanity on the long ever-so-dreaded flights to Utah and Hawaii.

I sing your songs, and they get stuck in my head, but it's all worth it because it reminds me that I have a sweet little man in my house who loves dancing to your silly songs. Oh, and a grown up man that I may or may not have caught dancing to these songs too with {B}. Don't tell him I told you.

Love always,

Ali (and of course, {B})

Dropper Stopper- Review & Giveaway!

I thought that the whole throwing/dropping/smashing phase of my child's life would end soon after I wrote about it in a similiar post a few months ago. Oh how little did I know at that time. It is definitely at its peak right now and I went in search of more HELP!

{B} is throwing everything, and I mean everything ( including tantrums, but lets save that for another post.) He throws his sippy cup. He throws his toys. He throws my cell phone, ipod, and the remotes to our TV. He throws his food. At me. I need an intervention for my 1 year old, but for now, I will just continue using things to cope with the problem.




The Dropper Stopper, by Sister Chic LLC, is used for situations like mine. The Dropper Stopper "keeps cups & toys clean and close." {B} has a favorite blankie lovie, and we only have ONE. If we lose this thing, it's over. I decided to test out the dropper stopper on blankie when we went shopping the other day, and it was great! Although {B} is obsessed with said blankie, for some reason, he still throws it out of his stroller. And it is so small, I don't even hear or realize he has thrown it out! I get people chasing after me at the mall with blankie in hand telling me I dropped it...or, just the other day I had to run in front of a car to stop it from running over blankie, and let's be honest I just can't be risking my life for this blanket every day! :) So I just attached the Dropper Stopper around blankie, and set it in his stroller. When {B} threw it out, it simply hung from the stroller, and everyone lived to tell the story!

Another feature I LOVE about the Dropper Stopper is the fact that you can attach it to a sippy cup upside down, so that when the cup is dropped, it drops face up so that juice or milk doesn't spill or drip on your floor! My hubs is a clean freak, so for this feature, I am grateful, but he is even more grateful!

The Dropper Stoppers are made in a variety of darling designer fabrics, and have a special gripping material that gives a nice strong hold on whatever object you snap into it. There are also a variety of snaps that allow it to be shortened or lengthened to fit wherever you place it. We were able to try out the Aqua Dot Dropper Stopper and absolutely loved the quality, color, fabric flexibility/elasticity and durability.

Buy It: If you are battling the pickup game like me, don't hesitate to hurry on over to the Dropper Stopper website and order yourself one of these blessings! The Dropper Stopper retails for $13.00 and would make a great birthday or baby shower gift!

Win It: The ladies at Sister Chic, LLC have generously offered one of my readers the Pink Flower Crystals Dropper Stopper! ($13 value) **You must be a Facebook Follower of Dropper Stopper chic and you MUST write a comment on their wall in order to be qualified to win! **



ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY: You MUST complete the mandatory entry before completing any other entries! All other entries are optional, but the more you complete, the better chance you have at winning! Leave one comment per entry and a way for me to contact you if you win.

1) Mandatory: Follow Dropper Stopper Chic on Facebook AND post a comment on their wall. You MUST do this in order to be eligible!

2) Head on over to the Dropper Stopper website and tell me what your favorite design is!

3) Follow n.c. baby blog via google friends connect (or tell me if you aleady do)

4) Follow n.c. baby blog on facebook

5) Share this giveaway on Facebook ( you can do this once daily!)

6) Blog about this giveaway and leave your link so I can find it! (+3 entries, leave 3 comments)

7) Enter any of my other CURRENT giveaways ( 1 entry for each giveaway entered)

8) Subscribe to n.c. baby blog via email or tell me if you do (on right side of blog)

9) Add my n.c. baby blog button to your blog! (+3 entries, leave 3 comments!)

GOOD LUCK!!! Giveaway will close 6/1 at 11:59 pm EST. Giveaway is open to U.S. and CANADA residents only. Winner will be picked the following day by Random.org and will be emailed and announced on the blog. Winner has 48 hours to confirm their prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Thank you to Sister Chic, LLC for providing the sample and the giveaway prize!

Sister Chic, LLC provided samples for my review and the prize for my readers. No other compensation was recieved. All opinions are 100 percent my own.

Oh Plah! Teething Bracelet Review+Giveaway

If you have a teething baby, you know exactly how it is when your favorite bracelet becomes a chew toy. I have a favorite (fake) pearl bracelet and it is now stretched, bitten ( is that a word?), and worn out and I am so sad. I had heard of the teething necklaces, but when I came across the Oh Plah! teething bracelet I was so excited and immediately got in touch with Roundhouse Designs.

The Oh Plah! is a non-toxic, latex-free, medical grade thermoplastic cuff bracelet designed for baby to chew, twist, bite, and play with without compromising its shape or function. There are no small parts, and its design is perfect for even the smallest hands, making it ideal for even the tiniest babies. (Oh Plah! means 'here you go' in French!)

The Oh Plah! can be rinsed and cleaned as many times as you want and dries quickly so you can put it back on. It is also great if you are nursing and like to have a reminder for which side you are on!

I love how the Oh Plah! fits. I have really small wrists and it doesn't slide around and annoy me like other bracelets do. It's very lightweight, yet durable. It is really CUTE too! I actually feel like I have a really stylish piece of jewelry on ( and not a baby teether). When I surrendered it over to {B} he stuck it straight in his mouth. He loves holding and manipulating things in his hands, so he has loved playing with this recently. When we are driving, I always just take it off my wrist and hand it back to him so he can play with it. It entertains him while I drive, and I don't have to worry about what he is chewing on or playing with.

The Oh Plah! comes in six beautiful different colors, each with a design embossed on the top of it. I chose the Serenity(white) Oh Plah! with the flower etched on top of it. You can also choose from a dark green, blue, purple, pink, or gray color.

WIN IT! The ladies at Roundhouse Designs Collaborative have generously offered an Oh Plah! Teething Bracelet in Simplicity (pink) for one n.c. baby blog reader!
Enter this Giveaway! You must complete the mandatory entry before completing any other entries! All other entries are optional, but the more you complete, the better chance you have at winning! Leave one comment per entry and a way for me to contact you if you win.

1) Mandatory: Go to the Roundhouse Design Collaborative website and tell me which Oh Plah! color is your favorite! You MUST do this in order to be eligible!

2) Follow n.c. baby blog (or tell me if you aleady do)

3) Follow n.c. baby blog on facebook

4) Follow Roundhouse Design Collaborative on facebook

5) Share this giveaway (link) on Facebook ( you can do this once daily!)

6) Blog about this giveaway and leave your link so I can find it! (+3 entries, leave 3 comments)

7) Enter any of my other CURRENT giveaways ( 1 entry for each giveaway entered)

8) Subscribe to n.c. baby blog via email (on right side of blog)

9) Add my n.c. baby blog button to your blog! (+3 entries, leave 3 comments!)

GOOD LUCK!!! Giveaway will close 5/22 at 11:59 pm EST. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Winner will be picked the following day by Random.org and will be emailed and announced on the blog. Winner has 48 hours to confirm their prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Thank you to Roundhouse Design Collaborative for providing the sample and the giveaway prize!

Roundhouse Design Collaborative provided samples for my review and the prizes for my readers. No other compensation was recieved. All opinions are 100 percent my own.

giveaway winners announced!

Here are the winners of the last 3 giveaways!

SoftPlay Baby books: #65 Lesli

Inchbug Orbit Labels Gift Card: #21 Amanda Cluff

Little Green Books:#55 Amanda Alvarado

Thank you so much to all who entered the giveaways! You guys are awesome and I really appreciate you taking time to enter the fun giveaways. I am also lucky to have such great sponsors willing to let me review and provide these giveaways for y'all!

There are still some AWESOME giveaways still going on! The Cushy Closer giveaway(2 of your choice, ends in 3 days!), and the Funky Monkey snacks giveaway. There will also be a new giveaway posted later today... Have a great Wednesdsay everybody!

Funky Monkey Snacks- Review & Giveaway!

Now that {B} is eating less baby food, and more normal every day foods, I am always looking for healthy, low-calorie snacks with great nutritional value. While searching some fellow bloggers giveaways I came across a few posts for Funky Monkey Snacks and was really interested in learning more about this company and their snacks.

Funky Monkey snacks are loaded with fresh fruit slices that are freeze dried so that the snacks maintain all the benefits of fresh fruit with the great taste of traditional fruit snacks! They are perfect for all ages, even adults! They have no added preservatives or sweeteners and are 100% natural. With each ounce, there are 3 servings of fruit! There are 7 tasty flavors to choose from: Applemon, Bananamon, Carnival Mix, JiveALime, MangOJ, Pink Pineapple, and Purple Funk.

Funky Monkey's unique freeze-drying process maintains almost all of the flavor and nutrients found in fresh fruit, and gives the snack a unique crunch that you won't find in any other dried fruits.

We were sent a sample of each flavor of Funky Monkey Snacks, and WE LOVED them! My favorite was the Pink Pineapple, and the hubby's was the MangOJ! {B} hasn't voiced his opinion, I guess that means he has liked them all :)

Go check out Funky Monkey's website! You can read more specific nutritional information about each flavor, and there is also a place for the kids to play games and do different fun activities!

Buy them: You can order Funky Monkey snacks on Amazon.com , or you can buy them at Target or Whole Foods.

WIN THEM! Funky Monkey has graciously offered one reader a package of all 7 flavors!

ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY: You must complete the mandatory entry before completing any other entries! All other entries are optional, but the more you complete, the better chance you have at winning! Leave one comment per entry and a way for me to contact you if you win.

1) Mandatory: Follow Funky Monkey Snacks on Facebook. You MUST do this in order to be eligible!

2) Follow n.c. baby blog via google friends connect (or tell me if you aleady do)

3) Follow n.c. baby blog on facebook

4) Share this giveaway on Facebook ( you can do this once daily!)

5) Blog about this giveaway and leave your link so I can find it! (+3 entries, leave 3 comments)

6) Follow Funky Monkey Snacks on Twitter and tweet this giveaway! (you can do this once daily!)

7) Enter any of my other CURRENT giveaways ( 1 entry for each giveaway entered)

8) Subscribe to n.c. baby blog via email (on right side of blog)

9) Add my n.c. baby blog button to your blog! (+3 entries, leave 3 comments!)

GOOD LUCK!!! Giveaway will close 5/18 at 11:59 pm EST. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Winner will be picked the following day by Random.org and will be emailed and announced on the blog. Winner has 48 hours to confirm their prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Thank you to Inchbug for providing the sample and the giveaway prize!

Funky Monkey Snacks provided samples for my review and the prize for my readers. No other compensation was recieved. All opinions are 100 percent my own.

The Mommy Hook- Review

In my daily browsings online, I came across an awesome product that I had to try. Have you ever been to the mall, bought WAY more than you anticipated, and then had no room in your stroller ( since your diaper bag takes up the WHOLE basket) for your many bags of goodies? Or what about the grocery shopping trip where all of your groceries fall neatly into place before you get them in bags, and then once they are bagged, they don't fit back in the cart without piling them on top of each other or your kids? Well, I have the coolest, handiest and yet simplest solution that you are going to love hearing about...the Mommy Hook.

The Mommy Hook is virtually a large carabiner that hooks on to your stroller or shopping cart and essentially gives you that extra arm you always wish you had. It is made of a very strong metal, and has a soft cushion that gives it a "no-slide" benefit as well. It won't move around on your cart or handle of your stroller, and it can hold multiple bags, umbrellas, or whatever you feel like you need to attach to it! Here is what Keen Distribution has to say about their product, the Mommy Hook...
“The Mommy Hook is the perfect stroller hanger. Built to last, lightweight and versatile, The Mommy Hook® fits virtually all stroller handles. The Mommy Hook® is made from durable, heavy-duty aluminum—it won’t break like cheap plastic hangers. Its rubber guide keeps it from slipping or sliding. Use The Mommy Hook® on your stroller. Use it on your shopping cart. Just snap it on and you’re ready to roll! The Mommy Hook® easily holds diaper bags, shopping bags, camera bags, groceries, purses, clothes, toys, sports gear, and much more! It’s even handy for taking bags from your car to your home.”

I was able to review the Mommy Hook and I fell in love the first time I used it. I purposely took it with me to the mall a few days ago on a trip where I knew I would be buying a "few" things. I think I had 5 bags by the end, and because my dioller did all the work for me! It was so awesome to not have to worry about carrying all my loot ( on the other hand, it did make it a lot easier for me to buy more stuff I probably don't need! ) I will not be leaving my house without it, especially for those shopping sprees or grocery trips where I know there will be more than one bag.

The Mommy Hook retails $9.99 and I promise it will be the best ten bucks you will ever spend! You can currently buy the Mommy Hook at Bed Bath & Beyond, Toys or Babies R Us, Buy Buy Baby, and it will be coming soon to Walmart! You can also order it online on their website at http://www.themommyhook.com/.

The Mommy Hook would also be a great present for a baby shower or birthday gift, so go pick up one for you and a friend/family member today!!

Do any of you have a Mommy Hook? What are your opinions/experiences with them?

(On a side note, I also found out that Keen Distribution is right here in Carrboro, n.c.! Just 5 minutes from my house...what a small world! :)

Thank you Keen Distribution for allowing me to conduct the review of the Mommy Hook!

**I received a sample product in order to provide a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are strictly my own and were not influenced in any way**