Bumkins Lunch Box review and {Giveaway!}

Bumkins carries some really great stuff for babies and little kids.

I received this sweet lunch box. These lunch boxes come in a variety of really adorable patterns. Mine is the Flutter Floral pattern. It is the perfect size for storing baby food, a bottle, snacks, and little lunches. It appears to be made of quality construction. It is soft, yet waterproof and insulated; so cold and wet foods stay cold and inside the bag. You can also move the compartments inside, as they are attached with velcro (which is very strong and stays in place). This is more of a small child size lunch box, unless all the compartments are removed. I think this lunch box will be great for outings and when my daughter starts pre-school. Bumkins also carries smaller-sized snack boxes. Those look great for snack food in a diaper bag.

There are several styles of diaper bags available. They come in many patterns, even some to match the lunch and snack boxes! They are water-proof and reversible. My husband would love the reversible part so I could get the cutesy pattern and her could turn it into a black bag when he uses it!

These wet bags are an awesome idea. Perfect for blowouts (which we all know happen far too often in the first year of life!), taking to the pool, or using as a laundry bag.

My baby needs this sleeved bib. No more clothes changes in the middle of the day when peas get on sleeves! Bumkins also carries many more great waterproof bib styles with little catch pockets for stray food.

Are you interested in saving money and the planet? Bumkins has a good selection for your cloth diapering needs. Their adorable diaper covers and absorptive cloth diapers make cloth diapering easy. Choose from bamboo diapers and contour cloth diapers.

Bumkins also has some great Natural Gift Baskets. These include organic wash cloths, blankets, bibs, towels, burp cloths, etc! A great gift for a new mom.

You can even find fun Dr. Seuss shirts for your little one. These come in sizes 6 to 24 months.

Buy It!
Bumkins is now offering a coupon code for 10% off all lunch and snack boxes. The code is lunch10 and expires April 1st, 2010.

Win It!
Bumkins has generously offered one of our lucky readers a Lunch Box in Flutter Floral pattern of their own!

Mandatory entry:

Visit Bumkins and then come back here and let us know what product you would want most.

You must complete the mandatory entry before doing any extra entries.

Extra Entries (Leave a comment for each entry):
1 Enrty: Become a Bumkins fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/bumkins
1 Enrty: Follow Bumkins on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bumkins

1 Entry: Follow our blog publicly (found on right sidebar).

1 Entry: Subscribe to our blog via reader.

1 Entry: Become our friend on Facebook AND update your status with link to this giveaway.

3 Entries: Post about this contest with a link back to our blog AND a link to Bumkins (Leave a link back to your post in your comment).

1 Entry: Follow us on twitter and tweet this contest. You may do this once daily (always leave the link in your comment).

2 Entries: Add our button to your blog.

Good luck! Contest ends on February 8th at midnight. Winner will be announced February 9th.

Winner will be chosen through random.org.

Please be sure to include your e-mail or have it in your profile so I can contact you if you win. Thanks!

Winner!

We have a winner for the HappyBaby prize pack:

#24

nightowl

Congrats! You will be contacted shortly.

Lou Lou's Corner review and {Giveaway!}

Lou Lou's Corner is a great place to find adorable toys for children.

They supply tons of Jellycat stuffed toys. In case you haven't ever experienced Jellycat toys, they are adorable and great-quality toys. They have really cute designs and cuddly fabrics. I received the new Cordy Roy Bunny, which my baby just loves! The ears are her favorite part, perfect for dragging the Cordy Roy Bunny around the house with her and for chewing on. She also loves to pet the soft corduroy. I can tell that it is well put together and will last a long time. I really haven't found any problems with this stuffed toy!Lou Lou's Corner carries a Huge selection of other Jellycat toys. There are too many to even touch the tip of the iceberg, but here is another of my favorites. The truffle terrier is super cute!Jellycat toys are more than stuffed animals, like this Tuggytoo Pup...or this fun Woolly Sheep Zip book.Lou Lou's Corner also offers a large variety of other play and practical items.
I am dying for this Cross Town Clutch Sightseeing in Sumantra by Petunia Pickle Bottom. It has a fold-out changing pad and plastic wipes case. You can be a mom without hauling around a big ugly diaper bag!Lou Lou's Corner also has a lot of great children's clothing. I love the Tea Collection. These clothes are just adorable.See Kai Run shoes are so sweet! Can you imagine your little one running around in these little shoes?You have to search through Lou Lou's Corner's large selection of fantastic and unique toys! There are far too many to list, once again, but here are a couple on the top of my list:
Pirates of the Tub by Alex Toys. This is a 38 piece set, which includes foam pieces that stick to the wall for your little captain to build his or her own pirate island and a mesh bag with suction cups for drying and storage. It has received the Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award, as well as the iParenting Media Award, so it must be great!I bet those boys would love one of these Automoblox wooden vehicles. They can play mechanic as they build and dismantle these cars.
Buy It!
Lou Lou's Corner carries so much more! You have to go check them out for yourself. Right now they are offering our readers 10% off until 02/05/10 with the coupon code JUSTFORME10.

Win It!
Lou Lou's Corner is offering the adorable Jellycat Cordy Roy Bunny to one of our lucky readers!

Mandatory entry:

Visit Lou Lou's Corner and then come back here and let us know what product you would want most.

You must complete the mandatory entry before doing any extra entries.

Extra Entries (Leave a comment for each entry):
1 Entry: Visit Lou Lou's Corner and join the mailing list (found at the bottom of the page)

1 Entry: Follow our blog publicly (found on right sidebar).

1 Entry: Subscribe to our blog via reader.

1 Entry: Become our friend on Facebook AND update your status with link to this giveaway.

3 Entries: Post about this contest with a link back to our blog AND a link to Lou Lou's Corner (Leave a link back to your post in your comment).

1 Entry: Follow us on twitter and tweet this contest. You may do this once daily (always leave the link in your comment).

2 Entries: Add our button to your blog.

Good luck! Contest ends on February 7th at midnight. Winner will be announced February 8th.

Winner will be chosen through random.org.

Please be sure to include your e-mail or have it in your profile so I can contact you if you win. Thanks!

Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker Review

Making your own baby food can be quite a process, but it doesn't have to be. Beaba has created an easy way to steam/cook and puree food with the Babycook for your baby so you know exactly what they are eating and you know it is fresh and still full of nutrients.

When you purchase a Babycook, included is:
spatula
heating compartment lid
steam heating compartment
food processor controls: cooking, reheating, defrosting, and blending
cooking light
bowl lid: security locking system
cooking, reheating, defrosting basket
removable food processor blades
cooking bowl
gasket
bolt for detaching blades
base
mixing lid

Using the Babycook is quite simple. You just pour water into the cooking bowl and into the heating compartment. You then place your diced food in the basket and put it in the cooking bowl. You then turn on the appliance to the steam symbol. Once the food is cooked, the cooking light goes out. Depending on the recipe, you will then pour out or keep part of the cooking liquid.
You can then blend the food you just steamed to the appropriate consistency for your child.
I really love the reheating feature to this appliance. You can just put your jar of food uncovered in the cooking basket with water and once the indicator light goes out, your baby food will be warm. You can also defrost food in the same manner as reheating, but with just adding a bit more water.
The Babycook also comes with some yummy recipes that I found very easy, even for someone new to making baby food. One simple recipe that we tried and enjoyed was an apple and pineapple compote, intended for babies 8-12 months. You just need 1/2 an apple and one slice of pineapple. You add water to the basket and keep half the water after it is cooked to puree in with the fruit. Delicious!

BUY IT!

I highly recommend purchasing a Beaba Babycook for anyone who is planning on making their own baby food or even if you think it would be nice to do occasionally. Your baby will love the fresh food and you will love knowing your baby is getting all the nutrients fresh food has to offer!

Buy it at Beaba babycookstore.com for $149.95!

While you are there, check out their children's dinnerware and baby food freezer trays.

Yoga For Athletes review and {GIVEAWAY!!}

A little while ago I did a review of the Pulse Yoga DVD's. I was fortunate enough to have another opportunity to do another review for Pulse Yoga, but this time it was for the Yoga For Athlete's fitness system book. At first, I wasn't sure this book was for me considering no one who knows me would ever in their right mind refer to me as an "athlete," but after receiving the book, I realized it is really something anybody can use no matter what their normal physical activity level. Here is an explanation of exactly what the book covers:

(From the Pulse Yoga website)"This glossy high quality book contains 162 pages of photos that demonstrate 108 postures and 50 modifications with instructions and benefits for each one. It contains 7 Cross training with Yoga routines, which present myriad combination of postures that offer diversity and the freedom to meet specific individual needs."

I have to say, this book is really fabulous. I have never been that into yoga because it usually comes across as kind of intimidating and too difficult to master. Yoga For Athletes not only explains all of the poses with step by step instructions and pictures, but most of the poses also have a picture showing you how to modify the pose if it is too difficult for you to start off with.

Another thing I loved about this book is that it is broken down into sections, each section showing you poses that will strengthen a particular part of the body. Along with the picture for each pose, it tells you what exact part of the body your are working out by doing that pose. I was especially interested in the upper body strengtheners section as I would like to have another baby relatively soon and this time around, I want to have my back be a little stronger to help support all that extra weight! I also loved the stress relief for neck and shoulders section. My son still isn't walking (at 16 months! Come on now!) and lugging his 28 lb. body around everywhere takes it's toll on my shoulder muscles. The exercises were really helpful in relaxing my muscles at the end of the day.

You can also use this book right along with the Pulse Yoga DVD's to cross train with. There is an entire section in the back showing you all of the poses from each Pulse Yoga DVD (i.e - Pulse Yoga I, II, III....etc).

Win It!

Pulse Yoga has generously offered on of our lucky readers their very own copy of Yoga For Athletes!

Mandatory entry:

Visit Pulse Yoga and then come back here and let us know what product you would want most.

You must complete the mandatory entry before doing any extra entries.

Extra Entries (Leave a comment for each entry):

1 Entry: Follow our blog publicly (found on right sidebar).

1 Entry: Subscribe to our blog via reader.

1 Entry: Become our friend on Facebook AND update your status with link to this giveaway.

3 Entries: Post about this contest with a link back to our blog AND a link to Pulse Yoga (Leave a link back to your post in your comment).

1 Entry: Follow us on twitter and tweet this contest. You may do this once daily (always leave the link in your comment).

2 Entries: Add our button to your blog.

Good luck! Contest ends on February 4th at midnight. Winner will be announced February 5th.

Winner will be chosen through random.org.

Please be sure to include your e-mail or have it in your profile so I can contact you if you win. Thanks

-Tracy

Winner!

We have a winner for the YoBaby gift pack:

#14

Megan

Congrats! You will be contacted shortly.

Winner!

We have a winner for the Lulu & Charlie giveaway!

Kristen said...

I like the Lots of Dots burp cloths.

Congratulations!

JoCo Couture review and {Giveaway!}

JoCo Couture on Etsy has some adorable crochet items! Everything is custom made. They are advertised as photography props, but the hats could really be used for everyday. Many items can be made in larger sizes as well, by sending her a message. She can also make detachable flowers to add detail for those baby girls.

I received this adorable Newsboy Hat and Hiney Set. The crochet work is flawless. I like the special style to the beanie. The buttons and little band across the front are so cute. The hat did seem a little tall for a newborn, but it was still so tiny. I just love the diaper cover's great way for covering the diaper. The cover unbuttons for easy application and removal. This set makes me think of something from nature, perfect for newborn babies.JoCo Couture carries several more styles of beanies with hiney cover sets.
This basic set is also so sweet.This Fuzzy Bear Set is just precious. Why is it that babies look so cute dressed as teddy bears?What about this little Pom Pom Set? I love those floppy little pom pom ears!The Newsboy hat is also available individually up to size 12 months. All little babes would look just adorable in this hat...and keep warm, too!One of my favorites in this store is this Ear Flap Beanie. Can the baby look any more precious? The sweet flower is detachable, so perfect for boys and girls.JoCo Couture also offers many other cute hats and hiney covers sold separately. Go check them out for yourself!

Buy It!
Visit JoCo Couture and get yourself some fabulous hats and hiney covers!
Win It!
JoCo Couture has generously offered on of our lucky readers a Newsboy Hat and Hiney Cover Set of their own!

Mandatory entry:

Visit JoCo Couture and then come back here and let us know what your favorite item is.

You must complete the mandatory entry before doing any extra entries.

Extra Entries (Leave a comment for each entry):
1 Entry: Add JoCo Couture on Facebook - Here

1 Entry: Follow our blog publicly (found on right sidebar).

1 Entry: Subscribe to our blog via reader.

1 Entry: Become our friend on Facebook AND update your status with link to this giveaway.

3 Entries: Post about this contest with a link back to our blog AND a link to JoCo Couture (Leave a link back to your post in your comment).

1 Entry: Follow us on twitter and tweet this contest. You may do this once daily (always leave the link in your comment).

2 Entries: Add our button to your blog.

Good luck! Contest ends on February 1st at midnight. Winner will be announced February 2nd.

Winner will be chosen through random.org.

Please be sure to include your e-mail or have it in your profile so I can contact you if you win. Thanks

Best for Babes!

The Best for Babes Foundation has been nominated for the Shorty Awards in the non-profit category by phdinparenting.com. It is a chance to put breastfeeding as a cause on the map of a mainstream, hip & trendy awards & publicity venue. A win for us is a win for all moms and babies, the breastfeeding movement and all breastfeeding companies! BEST for BABES is the only non-profit that is giving breastfeeding a makeover and revealing and removing the “booby traps”—i.e. the barriers to breastfeeding—that keep tripping women up.

If you are on Twitter, please take 10 seconds to vote by going to: http://shortyawards.com/category/nonprofit. Enter BestforBabes for the Twitter User, and don’t forget to enter a reason.

Buy a Hana Flat Iron, Get a $25 check for charity of choice.

Haiti is in great need right now. Misikko is trying to give back! The CEO of Hana Salon, Steve Voudouris, is offering an opportunity for everyone to help. For every Hana that is purchased between 1/20-2/3, he will personally send a $25 blank check to the customer along with a stamped envelope for the customer to send a donation to the charity of their choice. You can see the letter he wrote below. Buy your Hana flat iron and be a part of a great cause!!!

eShakti Custom Clothing Review & {GIVEAWAY!! 3 WINNERS!}

Finding clothing that looks and feels like it was made just for you shouldn't be very difficult to find, but it is! eShakti offers women's clothing that they designed and that you can customize to fit you perfectly.

eShakti offers some super stylish options. I love the idea of not having to worry about having the same dress on as someone else at a party because we might have shopped at the same place. I can have a one of a kind. Check out a few of my favorite options available:
Customized blouses.

Customized jackets.
Customized skirts.
Customized dresses.

I chose the Tritone Cotton Dress to review and see the quality and customization first hand. You are able to input your measurements such as shoulder, chest, bust, under bust, waist, hip, upper arm, length or arm, and bra cup size. Then, you are able to customize your sleeve type, neckline, tunic length, etc. I pretty much chose my dress size and entered a custom cup size and left the rest as is because I loved the dress. I wish I would have chose a deep v-neck as the neckline is a little high. Even though I made little customizations, this dress really does fit perfectly. eShakti definitely knows what they are doing when making clothing for women. This dress was very well made and is high quality. You can purchase this dress in standard sizes for $49.95 or have it customized to your body for an extra $15.00. I would say the extra $15.00 is totally worth it to own customized clothing!

WIN IT!

eShakti has generously offered THREE of our very lucky readers a $20 gift certificate.

Mandatory entry:

Visit eShakti and then come back here and let us know an item you love.

You must complete the mandatory entry before doing any extra entries.

Extra Entries (Leave a comment for each entry):

1 Entry: Follow eShakti on Twitter.

1 Entry: Become a fan of eShakti on Facebook.
1 Entry: Follow our blog publicly (found on right sidebar).

1 Entry: Subscribe to our blog via reader.

1 Entry: Become our friend on Facebook AND update your status with link to this giveaway.

3 Entries: Post about this contest with a link back to our blog AND a link to eShakti (Leave a link back to your post in your comment).

1 Entry: Follow us on twitter and tweet this contest. You may do this once daily (always leave the link in your comment).

2 Entries: Add our button to your blog.

Good luck! Contest ends on January 30th at midnight. Winner will be announced January 31st.

Winner will be chosen through random.org.

Please be sure to include your e-mail or have it in your profile so I can contact you if you win. Thanks!

-Megan