Jaxon has been able to drink from a regular cup for awhile now, but lately he has taken the cups into the living room and put them on the floor for them to either be kicked over and make a mess or the dog to drink out of it which isn’t always good for the dog depending on what is in the cup (sometimes chocolate milk). When The First Years offered to send me some of their Magical Color Changing Sippy Cups I hesitated, after all, I had already broken Jaxon of sippy cups…but then I thought of the messes and stains on our carpet and didn’t want to add to them.

Jaxon with one of his Cars 2 The First Years Magical Color Changing Sippy Cup

When we first got the cups I showed Jaxon and he was thrilled because they had Disney Cars on them (when your older brother is obsessed with Lightning McQueen and Disney Cars, you can’t help but like them too lol). Initially he forgot how to use a sippy cup, he didn’t realize he had to suck on it…but once Mommy showed him how it worked he took his cup over to the couch and was able to relax with his cup. We still use regular cups for things like water, but the sippy

I put this in because I love his smile! He does enjoy his cup!

cups keep from having messes or the dog getting sick. Jaxon has thrown his cup when mad, it has been tipped over on the floor, it has fallen on the floor…taken a lot of abuse, and it still hasn’t leaked once! Jaxon likes when I let him watch as I pour something cold into his cup and the color changes before his eyes. It also has double wall insulation to keep drinks colder longer! Check out the video below to see the color changing action!

My favorite feature of My First Years Magical Color Changing Sippy Cups? No hard to clean valve. The valve is built into the sippy cup lid and you don’t have to worry about taking it out and cleaning it like you do other sippy cups (I remember those all too well!) The cup and lid are also BPA free and dishwasher safe!

You can buy The First Years Magical Color Changing Sippy Cups from Walmart, Target, Toys R Us and many other stores as well as online! The retail price is $8.99 for a pack of 2 cups. They also have many other popular characters like Disney Princess, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Minnie Mouse, Disney Fairies and Toy Story 3!

The Giveaway: I’m giving away one pack of Disney Cars 2 The First Years Magical Color Changing Sippy Cups to one of my readers!

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Kids love to build things. Kids love to build forts! Little Tikes has come out with a product that is now one of my kids’ favorites! TikeStix.

My kids checking out the TikeStix box before I opened it.

TikeStix can be used indoors or out and my kids have had a blast using their imaginations with them! Once they saw the box, they couldn’t wait for me to let them open it! They had to do their homework first of course and then we went outside together and I opened it for them! Once I opened the box their imaginations went right to work! I tried to build the big fort that is on the front of the box (There are directions included on how to build 3 or 4 things with the TikeStix)…I got it done, but once I turned around to get my camera, when I turned back around Jaylin was sitting in the middle of a jumbled mess haha. I guess I should leave the building up to the kids? The kids have come in

My kids enjoying TikeStix (notice Jaxon just enjoys sitting on the piece of fabric? haha!)

and told me they used the TikeStix as a lot of different things and played many different games with them…so as long as they enjoy them that’s what matters. Jeff was able to go out a few days later and build a short fort and it stayed up (although I wasn’t able to get a picture).

My failed fort....lol Jaylin was quite mad as you can see in her face lol! She got right up and built her own thing though.

TikeStix come in 4 different options, Clubhouse (which is what we received) comes with 49 pieces and a piece of fabric is in gender neutral colors is $57.99, Playhouse is the same as Clubhouse but in girl colors is $57.99, Rocket comes with 30 pieces is $34.99, and then there is Dog House includes 30 pieces is $34.99. All the sets can be combined and played with together!

The Giveaway: I’m giving away one set of Little Tikes TikeStix of winner’s choice Clubhouse or Playhouse!
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If you have a pet, you know they aren’t nice and clean all the time, right? Accidents happen. But it can be a pain to try to find something to clean up where the accident happened! It’s even harder to find something that won’t hurt my kids who are constantly playing on the floor. Clean+Green sent me 3 of their all natural pet stain cleaning products to help with our dog stains.

Clean+Green natural pet stain and odor removers are safe for people, pets and the planet! Using a patented formula, Clean+Green encapsulates and eliminates stain and odor on contact – even skunk odor! – by naturally biodegrading the stain or odor source. The all-natural formula delivers instant results in a safe, non-toxic, eco-friendly solution. Ingredients include cane sugar derivatives, a proprietary blend of botanical extracts, hydrated cellulose, purified water, and a natural aerosol propellant (nitrogen).

I’m not one who usually buys all natural products, but after trying Clean+Green I may start buying more! I was skeptical but once I sprayed some of the Clean+Green Carpet on the stains the puppy had made on the carpet, a few minutes later I could barely see where it was (could only see because it was still a little wet from the cleaner) It also works on kid bodily fluid stains lol, Jeffery was sick and couldn’t make it to the bathroom one night and I just decided to try it and it sort of worked, it was dark so it may take another try but it’s better than nothing! I went around and sprayed a couple of spots and I walked around later and couldn’t even tell where I used it because there were no spots to see!

Scrappy has a tendency to “mark” his territory (we really need to get him fixed to correct this problem) in the dining room which has linoleum floors so I used Clean+Green Wood & Tile and it doesn’t smell anymore and he doesn’t mark there anymore!

What I really like about Clean+Green is that there is no smell at all! It is also great since there are no chemicals for my kids to get on them or ingest, since you know kids tend to eat food that has fallen on the floor lol. I also got the Green+Clean Furniture but haven’t needed to use it yet, but if it works anywhere near as well as the other 2 do, then it’s a keeper! Clean+Green is so confident in their product (as they should be) they offer a 100% Risk Free Guarantee on their products! If you buy something and it don’t meet your expectations, you can get a full refund within 30 days!

Clean+Green has more than just dog stain cleaners, they have products for cats, birds, small animals, and cleaner that works on both dog/cat stains. They also have multiple surfaces such as carpet, concrete, auto, litter box, cage and even a  De-Skunk Coat Cleaner for dogs! Prices range from $9.99-$12.99 and they offer free shipping on all orders!

The Giveaway: I am giving away 1 Clean+Green product of winner’s choice to one of my lucky readers!!!
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Ever see a product while you are pregnant and say “I can’t wait til this baby comes and is old enough for one of those”? That was me when Kolcraft come out with Wally Wonderbug!!! Being a Kolcraft Mom I got to see pictures of it before it was even released and I was so excited that the baby inside me would eventually be able to play in one!

Jaxon (who was also a Kolcraft baby!) "helping" me put together Wally Wonderbug

When Wally Wonderbug arrived, I put all the parts out of the floor and Jaxon couldn’t wait to help me! Everything snapped together easy and the directions were simple to follow. It only took me about 20min if that to put it together (took that long because Jaxon kept wanting to “help”) I immediately put Justin in it and he didn’t know what to think of it! Jaxon helped him out and started playing with the toys around it (there is a

"What is this thing and why am I in it?" haha First time in his Wonderbug!

total of 8 toys, all of which do something different, have different sounds and colors) and that kept Justin occupied. After putting him in it a few times, he would accidentally hit a toy and realize it was him who did it…so he would try to do it again, eventually he figured out how to move his hands…even if it was a bit jerky and he still was unsure lol. Now he can grab toys and move them to make noise. I couldn’t be prouder of him! He seems to be learning so quick!

The seat all the way down, his feet could touch but he couldn't play with the toys.

Once I moved the seat up, he could see better and looked more comfortable....he's still unsure what to think about it in this picture.

When I first put Justin in Wally Wonderbug I had the seat as long as it could go so his feet could touch, but that meant he could barely see over the edge of the seat which made it impossible for him to play with toys. After posting a picture on Facebook of him in it, it was suggested to me to make the seat higher, even if his feet didn’t touch he could play with the toys and that worked much better!!!!

He loves playing in his Wonderbug now!!!

Justin finally figuring out how to grab the toys and play with them

Concentrating!

We all (myself and the kids) love Kolcraft’s Wally Wonderbug, the kids love to be able to play with their baby brother, and I love that he gets to interact with them more as well as work on his fine motor skills and figure those hands out There is also a girl version of the Wonderbug. Wonderbugs retail for $69.99 and you can buy them at some Walmarts and Targets as well as online.

The Giveaway: One of my readers will win their very own Wally Wonderbug and I also have 5 stuffed Wallys to giveaway!!! So 6 winners total!

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My Sage Spoonfuls On-The-Go Package!

Making our own baby food never crossed my mind with the other 3 kids. Of course first time parent I was oblivious that people did it, with my 2nd the kids were so close in age I barely had time to breathe…let alone make baby food and when I had my 3rd I had heard about it but wasn’t sure it was something I would have time to do. Now that I’ve been blogging for awhile and made some AWESOME friends, some of which has made their own baby food I decided I wanted to try it out. After all, with 4 kids we need to save money wherever possible. I was so excited when Sage Spoonfuls emailed and asked me to review one of their packages!

Sage Spoonfuls sent me the “On-The-Go Package” which includes:

• 1 Sage Spoonfuls Book—Simple Recipes*Healthy Meals*Happy Babies
• 1 Pocket Guide
• 1 Immersion Blender and 1 Food Processor
• 12 BPA-free 4 oz Storage Jars
• 1 Pack of 60 Labels
• 2 Stackable Storage Trays
• 1 On-The-Go Cooler
• 1 Freezer Pack

Yes I cheated a little with the pears (only because it's hard to find good pears around here this time of year)...but I checked the ingredients to make sure it was packaged in their own juice and nothing else.

I was excited to see the Sage Spoonfuls book because honestly, I had no idea where to begin to start making baby food! There is so much information in this book it’s amazing! She talks about the differences in homemade baby food vs jar store bought, price and nutrition. She also gives information about organic food and allergies to certain foods. A section I found interesting was about Herbs and Spices, she goes into detail about how you should buy (fresh vs dried) and the nutritional value of a lot of different herbs and spices! There is also 2 pages of foods to avoid and what age you can introduce them (such as no honey until 12months, no cows milk until 12months, etc). There is also a page for each

Pears before.

Chocking 911 and Infant CPR. Like I said, this book is packed full of useful information!!!! Then you get down to the main part…making of baby food. She tells you the tools you will need (some of the tools are included in a Sage Spoonfuls package!) She also tells you what to look for when shopping for the food you are going to use. Other sections are Preparation, Cooking, Pureeing, Serving, Storing, Making Yummy Combinations. I’m sitting here trying to get as much information into this review as possible, but if I keep going with all the information in this book….this post will take forever to get

Pears after (looks like applesauce, but Justin loves pears more than applesauce!)

through!!! You will have to buy it to see everything it has to offer! She has a ton of great suggestions and information!

Recipes! A majority of this book is packed full of recipes!!! The first food I made for Justin was pears and even the recipes are packed full of information!!! She not only tells you how to prepare and puree the pear, she tells you the nutritional information such as what vitamins and minerals it has, how many oz 1 pear will make, as well as how long they will stay fresh for, how to store them (fridge for 3 days or freezer for up to 3 months!) and even how long they will stay good if you are on the go and have to take them out with you. Also, did you know pears are high in fiber? It helps if a baby is constipated (this is actually why we started with pears) and it also help if baby suffers from acid refulx! There are also ideas of what you can combine it with!

I never knew it was so easy to make baby oatmeal!!!! That container of rolled oats cost about $1 something

I have been mixing all of Justin’s fruit with oatmeal that’s made with his formula, just to get those extra calories in him. I had no idea it was possible to make your own baby oatmeal from rolled oats until I was skimming through all the recipes in this book! I had been buying boxed baby oatmeal and it’s not cheap!!! I went and got a big container of rolled oats and it was only $1 something and made what looks like would be 2 boxes of baby oatmeal! I was able to use the Sage Spoonfuls food processor to make it myself!

Rolled Oats before.

Rolled Oats after...it's now baby oatmeal!!!!

The Recipe section is broken up into groups “I’m Ready!” is for 4-6months, “This Is Yummy!” for 7-9months, “More Please!” is for 10-12months and then “Family Favorites” which is a chapter that includes some of her family’s favorite recipes. “The beauty of these recipes is that the entire family, babies and toddlers included can enjoy together.” -Excerpt from Sage Spoonfuls by Liza Huber.

This is all of Justin's food I made in about a half hour! The containers ontop of the big bowl are bananas, in the big bowl is baby oatmeal and the other containers in white are pears

Freezer with baby food!!!

I couldn’t be happier with our Sage Spoonfuls package! My freezer now has a ton of baby food that will last us a bit and I actually have fun making baby food! It doesn’t take long either! I made baby oatmeal, baby pears, and baby bananas in about 30min and it’ll last us probably about a month if not more (pears and bananas can be stored in the freezer for up to 3months!!!) I had to head to the dollar store to find some more containers because what we had from Sage Spoonfuls wasn’t enough…and I was impatient and couldn’t wait for more containers to come (I do plan on ordering more of their storage jars and trays when we have the money! I love that they stack!) These from the dollar store will work even though they are about half the size of the Sage Spoonfuls containers it’s enough for Justin right now per feeding.

Everything ready to prepare Justin's first fully homemade meal!!!!

Justin LOVES his baby food! It took me a bit to figure out the mixing the homemade baby oatmeal up to get it the right consistency but I think I got it now and he tears it up!!!! It’s amazing how different packaged baby oatmeal is from homemade!

Homemade baby oatmeal and pears....ready to eat!!!! He ate the whole bowl full!!!!

The Giveaway: One of my readers will win a Sage Spoonfuls Let’s Get Started Package which includes:

• The Sage Spoonfuls Book—Simple Recipes*Healthy Meals*Happy Babies
• 1 Immersion Blender with 1 Food Processor
• 12 BPA-free 4 oz Storage Jars
• 1 Pack of 60 Labels
• 2 stackable Storage Trays
• 1 Pocket Guide

Continue reading “Sage Spoonfuls (review/giveaway)” »

Hallmark Blooming Expressions

I love flowers, I especially love to get flowers as a gift, but flowers die and then the gift is gone. Hallmark has created a solution to that called Blooming Expressions! Not only will the recipient get a beautiful flower, but they will also get to watch it “bloom” and get a very special message…it all lasts forever (although eventually the batteries may die and you’d have to change them…but it’s better than throwing it all away!) There are 4 different colors to choose from (purple, yellow, pink and red) and 8 different sayings to choose from! I give my review Blooming Expressions flower to my aunt who has been like a mother to me, for Valentines day and she was so happy. She said she had never seen anything like it and it was so unique. The message inside said “There’s Only One You” and that’s so true for her…my kids call her grandma and she acts just like one! You can buy a Blooming Expressions flower for only $14.95 (that’s cheaper than a dozen roses that die!)

Hallmark Recordable Storybook

Need another idea of what to give someone special? Give them a Recordable Storybook that has either you or your child reading it! Hallmark has many different titles, including some Disney! I got the book “Love You Forever” and it’s such a great story to remind kids that you will always love them. I just noticed on their site they have some great Easter/Spring books out! Would be great for someone’s Easter Basket! Also don’t forget Mother’s Day is coming up!!! How much would a mom or grandma love to get a book that she can play over and over of her child/grandchild reading a story to her…I know that’s something I would love to get! They are only young once…keep the memory of them reading at this age forever! The Recordable Storybooks are $29.95 and worth every penny to have the memory forever!

Both of these Hallmark products would be a great gift for Mother’s Day (isn’t too far off!) or someone special’s birthday!

The Giveaway: One of my readers will win a Blooming Expressions and the Recordable Storybook “Love You Forever”!
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My kids LOVE Cheerios! So when given the opportunity to review their newest flavor I knew it would be a hit! I was right, the kids tore up the Dulce de Leche Cheerios!

Now, moms everywhere can bring a beloved traditional Latin flavor to their family’s breakfast table with new Dulce de Leche Cheerios. With a hint of caramel flavor, Dulce de Leche Cheerios, provides a delicious and tasty start to your family’s day while delivering key health benefits expected from a cereal made with whole grain and 6 grams of sugar per serving.

I was able to get a few bites of the Dulce De Leche Cheerios before my kids devoured them! They tasted pretty good. I didn’t like them first bite, but they are something that grows on you! They aren’t just for breakfast either! There are plenty of recipes out there for others like Dulce de Leche Cheerios® Snack Mix, Dulce de Leche Popcorn Balls, Dulce de Leche No Bake Snack Bars, Dulce de Leche Apple Bread, Dulce de Leche Cheerios Parfait, and Dulce de Leche No Bake Cheesecake.

Dulce de Leche Cheerios Prize Pack

The Giveaway: One of my readers will win a Dulce de Leche Cheerios prize pack (pictured above) that includes:

• Box of Dulce de Leche Cheerios
• Orange polka dot cereal bowl
• Cereal spoon
• Dulce de leche scented candle

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