Thursday, February 16, 2012

BasicGrey: Adorable Muslin Swaddling Cloths- Review

When it comes to comfort and ease for a newborn, for me, there is no holding back on anything. Especially things that come in direct contact with that new, soft, flawless, smells- so good baby skin. When {B} was a newborn, I wanted to do anything and everything I could to make his life comfortable and stress-free, which in turn would make me a better and happier mommy. I wish I would have had these amazingly big, soft, and adorable swaddling cloths when he was little ( in a boy/neutral design, of course!) I can't wait to use BasicGrey with #2.

BasicGrey is a company that started out as scrapbooking designs, and has just recently introduced their baby and children line to correspond with some of their beautiful designs. I was able to review their Hello Luscious Swaddling blankets, and let me tell you...they are to DIE for. Not only are the 100% cotton muslin swaddling cloths probably THE cutest designed swaddling blankets I have ever seen, they are so soft, and can be used for more than just swaddling. Nursing? Great. Use it as a breastfeeding cover. The cloths are 47x47 inches and will give you plenty of cover, all while allowing baby to nurse comfortably, in a breathable environment. The cloths are durable, yet lightweight, making them ideal for this. You can also line your crib with these cloths and use them as a crib sheet! They are adorable and would make a great addition to that crib set you have. Lay them on the ground for a clean play environment, then, throw it in the wash and use it over and over again. It gets softer as you continue to wash it, so it works in your favor! Forget your burp cloth while you are out? No problem! Fold up your BasiGrey swaddling cloth and you have yourself the softest, cutest burp cloth around. Want to take baby out for a walk? Great! Use your blankets to shield from harmful UV rays and insects. The blankets are thin enough that baby can still feel like he or she is included in the walk, but is protected from any uninvited visitors.

The Swaddling Cloths come in 4 unique designs: Hello Luscious, Black-Tie, Vagabond, and Recess!

While you are picking up a new set of blankets, check out their other adorable children's items! Add to your nursery with these adorable storage barrels (which also correspond with the same designs as the blankets!) or check out their amazing Canvas Wall Art.




I promise you will not be dissapointed with the quality or design of anything you purchase from BasicGrey. They truly know what they are doing and put all of their efforts into designing beautiful, durable items for you and that little on in your life!

 You can follow BasicGrey on Facebook here, and Twitter here.You can also follow the BasicGrey Blog here for updated information on their products and designs!

BasicGrey provided a sample for my review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100 percent my own.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Lucky Puppy Review- Nothing But Cute!

I love shopping for my little man. One might say I have an addiction. But I have always struggled with the balance between putting him in things that are "cute" vs. things that are maybe a little too "grown up" for him to be wearing at this point in his life. (example- he has an Ed Hardy shirt that is a little borderline for my liking!)

Well, Lucky Puppy has bridged that gap and found clothing items for children that are trendy looking, and at the same time are age appropriate and comfortable.  Lucky Puppy offers onesies, Hoodies, T-shirts, hats, jewelry and more for children, as well as adults! Cute items for both girls and boys.

Lucky Puppy was started in hopes of helping homeless animals find homes. Now, 15% of profit that comes from purchasing from Lucky Puppy is given to The Grey Muzzle Organization. Grey Muzzle is dedicated to helping homeless senior dogs. Their goal is to enable animal welfare organizations to improve their ability to provide care, comfort, and loving homes for older dogs. I'm a big dog  lover, so I love the fact that you can feel good about shopping, because you are giving hope to dogs who may not have had a chance before.

I chose to review the Charcoal Pirate Burnout tee for {B}. It was an easy choice to make because he LOVES dogs, and this shirt really just looked to me like his style! I love the soft feel or burnout tees, and feel comfortable putting my own child in it. Although it's not ideal for the cold winter weather most of us are experiencing right now, it does look cute over a long sleeved shirt, and will be a definite go-to item this summer here in NC.  It is light-weight, yet durable, and held up perfectly in the washer and dryer. I would say that these sizes fit very true to size, but of course order a size up if you would like to prolong use of your item.



 Buy It: You can buy Lucky Puppy clothing on their website here. The prices are around $30 average, but remember, a portion of it does go to charity, so feel good about the donation you are making, all while dressing your children in adorable, quality clothing.



Lucky Puppy provided a sample for my review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100 percent my own





Friday, February 3, 2012

Shirts that Go! Review

Now that {B} is in the full blown little boy toddler stage, he is ALL about anything with wheels that makes noise. Trains, trucks, cars, motorcycles, airplanes...you name it, he loves it.

Inspired by the way that children are amazed and captivated with the big sounds when a train passes by, or the flashing lights and sirens from a fire truck speeding past, Shirts that Go! provides more than just a simple shirt with a small, plain design. Rather, these shirts are designed in a way to show true motion from each vehicle, speeding, flying, rushing, or blasting on by. The owner, Nick Morgan, had found it a challenge to find realistic, cool looking shirts for his little boy, so he took his idea and brought it to life, thus, Shirts That GO!


Shirts That Go! Currently has 17 awesome designs, with more in the making. Their newest designs are the army tank shirt, the Pirate ship shirt, and the police car shirt...all awesome!

For {B}, I HAD to choose the diesel choo-choo train shirt. Trains are consuming all of our lives right now, so it was a no brainer. When I opened the box, he immediately lit up and was so excited to have a new choo-choo shirt! All day he would point to his shirt and be so excited.

My personal favorite is the baby blue firetruck shirt, and that is because I had never seen a baby blue firetruck until we moved out here to North Carolina. Everything in Chapel Hill is baby blue, because of our infamous Tar Heel basketball. If you have a firetruck fan, and live in Chapel Hill, this would definitely have to be your shirt of choice.

Buy It: All of Shirts that Go! t-shirts are available on their website here. 

Shirts that Go! provided a sample for my review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100 percent my own.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Review & Giveaway: Cooper & Me and the Military-Book Review


When I was asked to review the book "Cooper and Me and the Military", I jumped on the opportunity! Have you heard of the Cooper and Me series? This series is written and illustrated by Alexa Peeters (age 13) with the help of her mom Monique. Cooper is a fun-loving black Labrador Retriever, whose entertaining adventures help kids navigate the emotions and challenges of everyday living. The Cooper and Me books teach important life lessons while featuring interactive materials at the back of each book to help implement each lesson into your child's life. Many of the activities help children process their own feelings about what they have learned from the book(s).

Cooper and Me and the Military is a great book that teaches kids about deployment, something many families across the country are dealing with and have been dealing with for years. Alexa was inspired to write this, having friends whose parents serve in the military. Cooper and Bella meet up with their friends Gracie and Joe, whose parents are deployed. Together they find ways to make the distance bearable, by sending care packages and letters to the children's parents. This book helps kids learn that even when loved ones aren't with us, they still think about us and love us all the same.

I loved this book because it is simple enough for a young child even to understand. The drawings are sweet (and honestly I am super impressed at this 13 year old girl that is writing and illustrating her own books already!) and the book even includes discussion topics at the end of the book, so that parents and children can continue the topic of deployment ( or long distance relationships of any kind) at the conclusion of the book. Even if you don't have someone in your immediate family that is currently serving in the military, it is a great learning opportunity to teach our children about people that serve our country, and the sacrifices they make for us on a daily basis. It also can help children relate to friends that may have parents or siblings in the military.


Buy It: You can purchase Cooper and Me and the Military or any of the other Cooper and Me books on their website here.

Win it: Want your very own FREE copy of Cooper and Me and the Military? One of my readers will win a hard cover copy of Cooper and Me by entering below!

ENTER TO WIN! There are TWO Mandatory Entries! All other entries are optional, but the more you complete, the better chance you have at winning! Leave one comment per entry.

1) Mandatory: Let me know who you know that could benefit from this book. Your child? A friend's child? A student?

2) Mandatory: Follow n.c. baby blog via GFC (or tell me if you already do)

3) Follow n.c. baby blog on facebook

4) Like Cooper and Me on Facebook! Leave them a comment if you feel like it :)

5) Follow Cooper and Me on Twitter! Please leave your twitter ID.

6) Tweet about this giveaway! You can do this once daily! Please leave link to tweet.

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

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

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

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

GOOD LUCK!!! Giveaway will close 2/15 at 11:59 pm EST. Giveaway is open to US and Canada readers! 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 the folks at Cooper and Me for the review product and the giveaway prize!

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Friday, December 30, 2011

GiftHulk: Earn cash and prizes like Amazon Gift cards for FREE!

So I just learned about an awesome website called Gift Hulk! You can earn Paypal Cash, Amazon Gift cards, ebay gift cards, and more just by taking surveys, daily polls, and signing up for no obligation offers! $15 Amazon gift cards are 339 Hulk Coins, and I already have 67 just by being a member for one day. That means that I should get a gift card in a little less than a week, just by hanging out on this website for a few minutes a day!


Why Gift Hulk over other online earning sites? Well, Gift Hulk is easy to use, has tons of options available for earning, and gives you lots of opportunities to share with your friends, so that you earn more FREE money too!

I have my eye on the Leapfrog Leap pad for my son. I really can't afford $150 for such a toy right now, but with Gift Hulk, I can earn Amazon gift cards frequently, and save them up to get one for him! I can't wait until I can cash in my Hulk Coins to get this for my little man.

A few more of the perks:

All prizes are always in stock, the delivery is completely free, and they accept members worldwide.

• You can earn by watching videos or completing surveys, playing games, performing online tasks (some easy, some harder) answer polls and much more!

• Special "Fountain of Youth" codes that give you Hulk Coins are released daily!

• 10 Offer Walls from different providers that will earn you great amounts of Hulk Coins in one shot!

Their prizes are unlimited- can't find what you want? Just send them a suggestion and they will do their best to get it to you!

So head on over to Gift Hulk, and start earning! And don't forget to browse all of the other prizes, there are tons to choose from! I'm sure you can find something for you, or your little ones at Gift Hulk!

GiftHulk Earning Rewards The EZ Way
Head on over HERE to get started!!!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Hexbug- Porduct Review


I don't know a lot about boy toys. In fact, I don't even try to go out of my way to learn about them, because a lot of them are complicated, have small parts or require you to assemble things, or have names longer than I can spell or pronounce. I grew up with 3 sisters, so all my life, I only really knew about Barbies, strollers, dolls, and stuffed animals. When I heard about Hexbug, this was an exception I had to make. I immediately went to the Hexbug website and got in touch with them about reviewing their product, and boy am I glad I did.
LinkA Hexbug nano is a tiny little robotic creature that acts and looks like a real bug. It runs around super fast, rolls over on its back, and honestly if you didn't know anything about them, you might think they were real at a short glance. Each Hexbug comes with a unique code that you can register on the Hexbug website, and by doing so, learn scientific facts and unlock fun games to play online.

We were sent the Hexbug Nano Glow in the Dark Habitat set. When I first opened it in the mail, I didn't think {B} would be interested in it because the age recommendations are starting at 3 years old through around age 11. I had plans to review this product with some older kids but after opening and assembling the set, {B} was in heaven. He was obsessed with watching the little nano bugs crawl around super fast, and it honestly entertained him for a good hour before his attention was lost. When we turned out the lights and watched the robots run around he was flipping out. He will ask me for his "bugs" all day long...and I am not going to lie, I am kind of obsessed with them myself. At Target the other day I contemplated buying myself a pink nano bug...and still plan on getting one in the future. I can't wait until he is a little older so that he can register his bugs online and learn more about science as well as play some fun games. I love a toy that is cool, attention keeping, and also has a way to teach a child at the same time.



Aside from the nano Hexbugs, they also have larger robotic bugs such as spiders, crabs, etc. that do different things, such as the crab that reacts to lights and sounds. Each bug activates with certain triggers and is sure to keep your child entertained for hours.

I would definitely recommend any of these toys for you children! These sets are awesome and would make THE perfect Christmas gift. You can buy Hexbugs on their website, or online through Amazon. You can also buy them at Target and other stores that sell similar items.

*This toy does have small pieces. If you have small children around this can pose a choking hazard. Please supervise young children at all times.

Hexbug provided a sample for my review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100 percent my own.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Kidorable giveaway winner announced!

The winner of the Dragon Knight Umbrella from Kidorable is...



#3...Danielle Knapp

Danielle has been emailed and has 48 hours to respond. Thank you to all who entered, now go check out the other giveaways for your chance to win! :) Happy LAST WEEKEND before Christmas! :)