Giveaways ending in less than a week!

Don't forget to do your daily Tweet entries on the awesome giveaways going on right now!  They end in less than a week so be sure to get in as many entries as possible, you never know which one will be the lucky pick!  (And I haven't seen anyone use the special little extra entry hanging out in one of my other posts...)

Talulah Bean Giveaway (ends May 3, 2010)
Seventh Generation Natural Baby kit (ends May 4, 2010)
Organic ERGObaby Carrier (ends May 6, 2010)

Friday Follow 4/29

Welcome Friday Followers!! Don't forget to enter my giveaways, they end before next Friday!

Talulah Bean Giveaway (ends May 3, 2010)
Seventh Generation Natural Baby kit (ends May 4, 2010)
Organic ERGObaby Carrier (ends May 6, 2010)

Also, be sure to leave a comment and link so I can return the follow!

Internet issues!

My sincere apologies for not having blogged the last few days!  Our internet has been LESS than reliable (and I'm getting a little fed up with it, especially as I've now missed valuable work days *sigh*).  I'm hoping it's on for good now, we shall see!  Just wanted to let you all know that it hasn't been a voluntary break by any means!

Back To Sleep

Safe sleep is super important to us.  I don't know about you, but I've been paranoid of SIDS since my first little guy was born.  It's terrifying!  For that reason, we've used Halo sleepsacks for both of our boys.  They're both winter babies and the idea of a safe "blanket" was very appealing to me.

Our local hospitals recently switched from using receiving blankets on newborns to using Halo Sleepsack Swaddles.  I think this is amazing.  It teaches parents, from the birth of their child, how to properly keep your baby snug and warm.  In addition to using them in the hospital/nursery they send all new parents home with one! 

(My Tiny Man just a few hours old, stylin' in his Sleepsack)

I wanted to share with you a few simple steps, provided by Halo, to keep your babies safe while sleeping.

- Place your baby to sleep on his or her back at naptime and night time.
- Use a safety approved crib with a firm, tight-fitting mattress.
- Remove all soft bedding and toys from your baby's sleep area (this includes loose blankets, bumpers and positioners).
- Use a wearable blanket to replace loose blankets in your baby's crib.
- DO NOT put your baby to sleep on any soft surface (sofas, chairs, water beds, quilts, sheep skins, etc.).
- Room sharing is safer than bed sharing.
- DO NOT dress your baby too warmly for sleep; keep room temperature between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit.
- DO NOT let anyone smoke around your baby or be in a room where someone has recently smoked.
- Educate relatives, baby sitters and other caregivers about these important safety tips.
- Tummy time is important for babies while they are awake and being supervised. Place your baby on his or her tummy for playtime to help strengthen their upper body muscles.

To help raise awareness of SIDS prevention, Halo is running a campaign on Facebook.  From now until Mother’s Day, they are donating a $1 to SIDS Awareness for every new fan to join their Facebook page.  Go to www.facebook.com/halosleepsack to fan (like? whatever they're calling it these days!) Halo and be sure to pass the link on to families and friends!

They have also asked me to encourage you, my awesome readers, to take their Safe Sleep IQ Quiz.  I answered all the questions correctly, if you take the quiz let me know how you did too!

Since I feel this is an important cause, I'm offering everyone who joins the Halo Facebook page an extra entry on ANY/ALL the giveaways I have going on right now.  Just leave an extra comment entry on the giveaway posts telling me you joined!  Honesty is important so don't just say you joined to get an extra entry.  I'll check :)

Fresh Organics Review and Giveaway

Do you worry about what you put on your body?  Skin specifically?  It is, after all, your largest body organ!  In my venture for "good for you" bath products, I found Fresh Organics.  I love that their solid business principle is that any product they make is 100% safe for anyone, newborn on up!  I think that is amazing because if I can't put it on my newborn's tender skin, why would I want to put it on my own?  That has always been something baffling to me, and I found a company that feels the same way!

Fresh Organics was kind enough to send me a couple of their products.  I received the Lavender Vanilla Exfoliating Scrub and Lavender Vanilla Bath Petals.  (Can you tell I'm a fan of lavender??)

I loooove my shower time.  When I get lucky, it's the only quiet time I have (though typically my 3 year old interrupts in any way he can think of, haha).  I was pleasantly surprised to see how large this bottle of scrub really is!  It smells WONDERFUL, light and refreshing with a smidgen of relaxation, which is just what I like.  Here's the inside scoop about it from Fresh Organics:

"Almost all commercial scrubs use some variation of Sodium Lauryl or Laureth Sulfate, which can cause permanent eye damage (even without getting in eyes) and can penetrate the skin to affect systemic tissues and cause damage to the immune system. Organic Bath Exfoliating Scrub contains no variation of SLS but utilizes more expensive and gentler cleansing agents and well as active enzymes and finely crushed seeds. Our Exfoliating Scrub is also free of artificial fragrances, color and petroleum bi-products and uses a very safe preservative system that contains no Parabens, formaldehyde or other suspected carcinogens."

Wouldn't you rather put something like that on your skin than a bottle of carcinogens?  Yeah, me too.

Though I haven't gotten the chance to take a bath with my Lavender Vanilla Bath Petals (not by my own choice!  I can't wait to get a quiet minute without kiddos crying or banging on the door, haha) I put them in Talker Man's bath.  He thought it was pretty awesome that he had leaves in the bath tub.  I thought it was pretty awesome that he went right to sleep afterwards as bedtime has been a bit of a challenge lately.  Here's the "good for you" tidbit from Fresh Organics!

"Almost all commercial bubble bath uses Cocamide DEA - a foaming agent that is a known hormone disrupter and carcinogen. Also most bubble bath contains some variation of Sodium Lauryl or Laureth Sulfate, which can cause permanent eye damage (even without getting in eyes) and can penetrate the skin to affect systemic tissues and cause damage to the immune system. Organic Bath Bubble Bath Petals contain no variation of SLS or DEA but utilize more expensive and gentler foaming agents. We use natural colors and fragrance - not petroleum bi-products. We also use a very safe preservative system that contains no Parabens, formaldehyde or other suspected carcinogens."

Again, I feel much better about this bubble bath than any other!  To make the pot even sweeter, there is currently an Earth Day sale going on!  The sale makes these normally pricier organic products within reach of even a stingy budget!

Win it!

Want a chance to win these goodies that I tried??  Fresh Organics has graciously agreed to send one lucky winner some Lavender Vanilla Exfoliating Scrub and Lavender Vanilla Bath Petals!

Entries: I must be able to easily find an email address for the winner. If it isn't in your visible profile, please include it in your comment. If you're chosen and I can't find an email address, I'll be forced to choose another winner. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email before another winner is chosen.

This giveaway will run from today, April 24, 2010 until Saturday, May 8, 2010.

Mandatory:

Go to the Fresh Organics website and subscribe to their RSS feed AND sign up for their special offers (located on their blog, on the right side near the top).  Winner's email address will be verified for both mandatory entries before they can actually win..if you're picked and you haven't signed up for BOTH you will be disqualified.

Extras:
Follow my blog.

Become a Facebook fan of my blog.

Follow me on Twitter.

Tweet this giveaway (1 extra entry per day, please leave the tweet link)

Subscribe to my blog feed.

Grab my button and display it on your blog.

Enter any of my other giveaways (1 extra entry for each giveaway entered, post seperate comments)

Blog about this giveaway (5 entries, please post 5 comments)

Amazon Giftcard Winner!

Lucky #101!

barbara.montyj said... 101
I follow you on Twitter @JalapenoMama

barbara.montyj at gmail dot com

Winner has been emailed, congratulations!!

Friday Follow 4/23

Welcome Friday Followers!! Feel free to enter some of my giveaways, I've got some awesome ones going on! 

Talulah Bean Giveaway(ends May 3, 2010)
Seventh Generation Natural Baby kit (ends May 4, 2010)
Organic ERGObaby Carrier (ends May 6, 2010)
Also, be sure to leave a comment and link so I can return the follow!

ERGObaby Review and Giveaway

I love babywearing.  I simply adore it.  I've been wearing Tiny Man since he was only a couple weeks old.  He loves it too, he likes to be close to mommy and he loves being held, so wearing is perfect for him!  I've only really used a pocket type sling up to this point.  I used a hip carrier with Talker Man and could never get the fit quite right and wasn't looking forward to using it again.  Needless to say, I was more than excited to be given the chance to review the ERGObaby carrier for you all!

We were sent the organic twill navy carrier with midnight lining and a silver organic heart2heart insert.  I wasn't sure if we would need the insert or not, he just turned 5 months old.  As much bigger as he is than his brother at the same age, he's still a bit scrawny.  When I tried it, it worked well both with and without, but I found that using the insert helped "fill up" the Ergo a bit more, making it look like he was just a bit more comfortable.

Either way, my little man loved it!  He snuggled right in and made himself comfortable.  He was almost asleep and when I went to take him out to let him sleep he woke right up!  He would much rather be close and cuddly.  I haven't tried the back carry yet, but I'm looking forward to using that this summer and in the upcoming weeks as we go hiking and to the various summer festivals.  I feel much more comfortable with my little guy physically on me than I do having him in a stroller at this young age. 

I found the carrier very comfortable.  I'm about 5'2" and had no problem with it being to big or bulky or otherwise uncomfortable on me, I thought it fit nicely.  Hubby was going to try it out to give a guy's opinion, but the waist strap was just a bit short..we would need to get the waist extension for him to be able to wear it.  That's okay, though, I do most of the carrying anyway!  I love that it's virtually an all-in-one carrier.  You can wear it in the front, on your back and even on your hip!  I wish I'd had one of these when Talker Man was small, he loved being carried too!  I'm sure he would still fit, he's a tiny little kid, but I don't think he would put up with it very long, he's very independent these days!

Here's a bit of information from ERGObaby on their product!

"The ERGObaby Carrier is a great way to carry your baby. Your baby loves to be close to you and to feel your heartbeat and movements. The ERGObaby Carrier’s ergonomic design supports your baby’s natural seated position, eliminating compression of his/her hips and spine. The carefully researched design also supports your posture by distributing your baby’s weight between your shoulders and hips, thus allowing you to comfortably carry your baby for hours at a time.

ERGObaby is the ultimate HandsFree baby carrier for all babies, from newborn to toddler, and can be worn in the front, back, or hip positions. ERGObaby is the best way to support your baby and your lifestyle."

Win it!

This giveaway is now closed, thanks to all who entered and congratulations to the winner!

ERGObaby has graciously agreed to sponsor a giveaway allowing one of you, my awesome readers, to have a chance to try an Ergo for yourself!  The chosen winner will receive an Organic ERGObaby Carrier of their very own!

Entries: I must be able to easily find an email address for the winner. If it isn't in your visible profile, please include it in your comment. If you're chosen and I can't find an email address, I'll be forced to choose another winner. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email before another winner is chosen.

This giveaway will run from today, April 22, 2010 until Thursday, May 6, 2010.

Mandatory:
Go to ERGObaby's website and tell me which carrier or accessory is your favorite.  Please don't copy and paste someone else's answer, go check out the site on your own, it's worth it!

Extras:

Follow my blog.

Become a Facebook fan of ERGObaby.

Become a Facebook fan of my blog.

Follow ERGObaby on Twitter.

Follow me on Twitter.

Tweet this giveaway (1 extra entry per day, please leave the tweet link) Can use:

I entered to win an organic @ERGObaby carrier at http://bit.ly/bBwMBk!

Subscribe to my blog feed.

Grab my button and display it on your blog.

Enter any of my other giveaways (1 extra entry for each giveaway entered, post seperate comments)

Blog about this giveaway (5 entries, please post 5 comments)

snackTaxi Review

Too many plastic sandwich baggies floating around your house? There are at ours! Talker man loves to have his Cheerios/snacks in plastic bags over cereal bowls because it's easier for him to keep them contained and not all over the floor! Through my internet perusing, I found snackTaxi.com, a great site for reusable baggies!  These are washable, dryable, and most importantly, reusable!  I was ecstatic when I was permitted to review these for you!  When we got the package in the mail Talker Man could hardly contain himself.  We got a small one with "cir-tels" (ovals) and a larger one in a beautiful flower print.  He quickly assessed the situation and decided the little one with circles (ovals) was his and that the flowery one was mine.  After making his decision he asked me to put some cereal in there for him so he could try it out.  It's his new favorite thing!  He loves having his own special bag for snacks and keeps track of where it is amazingly well (whereas with the plastic bags, he would just say, "I don't know where it went, me just get a new one.").

The snackTaxi's are fabric outters with PUL inners, which keeps them waterproof and messy sandwiches don't stand a chance of getting all over your lunch pail!  We've only used ours for dry goods so far, cereal and marshmallows, and have just rinsed them out.  We haven't had to do an all out washing machine wash, but I love that that's a possibility!  We're going to be looking into getting more of these as budget allows!

snackTaxi's were invented by a mom, Erin, who explains more on the snackTaxi website:

"I invented snackTAXIs way back in 2003 as a way to stem the tide of plastic ziplock bags that flowed from our house to the landfill when our 3 kids started school! We pack over 500 lunches every year, and had definitely fallen prey to the easy appeal of the ziplock bag.

snackTAXIs are easy too- really! They are made in our home-based workshop by talented (and fun!) local sewers- we are committed to keeping our business local, and will never outsource our labor."

I LOVE supporting WAHM's, much more so than big businesses.  I feel that they truly care about the quality that they put out, they have their name behind their products and that is important to me.  I urge you to go check out snackTaxi's for yourself, there are so many options!!

Talulah Bean Discount

Remember I said I had a little secret about Talulah Bean in the giveaway post?  You can save 20% on your order starting today (EARTH DAY!!) by using discount code "loveourplanet"!  (Without the quotation marks, of course.)  As always, shipping to the US and Canada is free, so that's a pretty awesome sale!

PLUS, register on Talulahbean.com between now and April 25 to receive 20 rewards points for registering (normally you only get 10!).  These reward points will count toward your 100 points = $10 gift certificate promo, so grab them while you can!

Don't forget that if you place an order you get even more entries in the giveaway, just remember to include your order number!

**Please don't post giveaway entries on this post, they won't count.  All entries MUST be on the giveaway post**

Seventh Generation Natural Baby Review and Giveaway

That's it, I'm a convert!  We've tried a couple of Seventh Generation products in the past, but they were passing samples that we've received.  Seventh Generation graciously allowed me to try a wide variety of products as part of our Earth Week celebration and let me tell you, they're amazing!  We were sent the Natural Baby Starter Kit which included some natural paper towels, all purpose cleaner, a tub of baby wipes, a baby wipes refill, multi-surface cleaner/disinfectant, bathroom cleaner/disinfectant, some disinfecting surface wipes, baby laundry detergent and some diapers along with a reusable bag.  Wow! 

(Pardon my photographing skills, they're not the best!)

Hubby was very excited to try the cleaners, we've been trying to find something free of chemicals that actually works.  Well, he was very pleasantly surprised!  I can't believe I'm about to post these, but here we go.  Hubby made dinner and voluteered to clean up since I hate cleaning up after him (he's the sloppiest chef I've ever seen, honestly)

(Eww!!)

(Seventh Generation Multi-Surface Cleaner)

(Seventh Generation Natural Paper Towels)

(Ta-da!!)

As you can see, it did an amazing job!  We like the smell too, it's made with Thymol (a component of thyme oil) so it smells nice and clean, no strong nasty chemical smells that make you choke.  It's made to kill over 99.99% of household germs, which I think is amazing since we've had a bout of colds passing through lately.  It kills Influenza A, H1N1, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli when sprayed onto hard, non-porous surfaces.  Pretty awesome, especially because it's done naturally!  No bleach, no burning nose.  We could clean with the kids sitting up at the breakfast bar and not worry about them inhaling the who-knows-what that's in chemically based cleaners.  The paper towels are pretty amazing too, for us they do a better job than the ones we normally get.  They're lasting a LOT longer than the other brands do because they don't fall apart.

We loved all the products we were sent, they all work amazingly well.  I doubt you all have the patience to read through lengthy reviews on all of them, but they're all great.  I do want to talk about the diapers and wipes, however.  Now, I hadn't tried the Seventh Generation diapers simply because they're not easily accessible out here in BFE ;)  They're available at Babies R Us, but that's at least a 45 minute trip and we don't make it very often.  Since we normally use cloth anyway, I never really gave it much thought and would just grab a package of diapers as needed.  (We typically use disposables at night, and I have a hard enough time getting those on him sometimes, haha.)

(Don't mind the deer in the headlights look..he does that because of the red-eye light)

The first thing I noticed about the Seventh Generation diapers was the lack of smell.  You know, that diaper smell that hits you when you first open the package or walk down the diaper aisle at the store?  Yeah, no smell!  Which I think is pretty awesome, because what do you think MAKES that smell?  Yeah, chemicals, ick.  The second thing is the awesome unbleached brown of the diaper.  Sometimes Tiny Man has redness after wearing disposables so I'm not a huge fan of them.  He doesn't get a rash, but his little bum looks a bit red for my liking.  There was no redness with these!  I was surprised, to be honest!  And I wasn't sure how well they would hold up to his, you know, explosiveness that comes from time to time.  It didn't take long at all to find out!  Just a few minutes after putting the first diaper on.  And it HELD UP!  There were NO leaks.  I thought for sure there would be when I got ready to change him, boy was I pleasantly surprised!  And the wipes?  Yeah, I'm a wipe snob.  I only really like the Huggies ones.  I figured these wouldn't be comparable (since I've yet to find anything comparable).  I was wrong!  They aren't super thick, but they do the job just as well.  Add to that, they're also chlorine free (like the diapers) so they're much better for his little behind! 

Win it!

Giveaway has ended, congrats to the winner!

Would you like a chance to try the same Natural Baby kit??  Seventh Generation has graciously offered one up for me to give away to you!  Your kit will include everything mine did.  The winner will receive:

Seventh Generation natural paper towels.

Seventh Generation all purpose cleaner.

Seventh Generation baby wipes (tub).

Seventh Generation baby wipes (refill pack).

Seventh Generation multi-surface cleaner/disinfectant.

Seventh Generation bathroom cleaner/disinfectant.

Seventh Generation disinfecting surface wipes.

Seventh Generation baby laundry detergent.

Seventh Generation diapers (in your choice of size).

Seventh Generation reusable shopping bag.

Entries: I must be able to easily find an email address for the winner. If it isn't in your visible profile, please include it in your comment. If you're chosen and I can't find an email address, I'll be forced to choose another winner. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email before another winner is chosen.

This giveaway will run from today, April 20, 2010 until Tuesday, May 4, 2010. This giveaway is open to the US and Canada only.

Mandatory:
Go to Seventh Generation's website and tell me something new you learned.  It can be anything from ingredients of a product to the history of the company.  Please don't copy and paste someone else's answer, go do a little learning of your own :)

Extras:

Follow my blog.

Become a Facebook fan of Seventh Generation.

Become a Facebook fan of my blog.

Follow Seventh Generation on Twitter.

Sign up for Seventh Generation Nation (2 entries, please leave 2 comments)

Join the Million Baby Crawl (2 entries, please leave 2 comments)

Follow me on Twitter.

Tweet this giveaway (1 extra entry per day, please leave the tweet link) Can use:

I entered to win a Seventh Generation Natural Baby kit at  http://bit.ly/9Ta43U!

Subscribe to my blog feed.

Enter any of my other giveaways (1 extra entry for each giveaway entered, post seperate comments)

Blog about this giveaway (5 entries, please post 5 comments)

Talulah Bean Review and Giveaway

Mama cloth! Mama what? Mama cloth. You know, cloth pads for "that time of the month"? Yep, cloth ones. Not the sticky, icky plastic ones you buy at the drugstore, but soft, absorbent, luxurious minky fabrics of all kinds!

You may be saying, "Isn't that kind of disgusting?"  I thought so..until I started really thinking about it not too long ago.  I mean, it's no different than washing a dirty cloth diaper or clothes that your sticky, icky pad couldn't protect, right?  And what exactly did women use 100 years ago?  Yep, they used folded up pieces of cloth (or "rags," which is where that term came from, thank you Wikipedia!)  Did you know the average woman uses 16,800 disposible pads/tampons in her lifetime?  Can you imagine?  They take a LONG time to break down in the landfills and they release all kinds of chemicals into the earth.  Not to mention, can you even begin to add up the cost in your head of how much money is spent on something that just gets thrown away after that one use?  Wow, it's astounding!

I would MUCH rather have something super soft and washable "down there," wouldn't you?  Let's see, minky fabric versus chemical laden plastic.  Not a difficult choice for me!

With my mind made up, I went on the hunt for some good cloth pads!  I found some online that I liked okay, but in my head I figured "there's got to be better ones out there."  I stumbled upon Talulah Bean, and to be honest I'm not even sure how I got there.  I thought, "This is it!  These are gorgeous, they're minky all the way around, they don't look sloppy and I love the fabrics!"  This was back in February, right after we got out tax refund, and hubby said I could go ahead and get some, especially since it would eliminate a monthly cost in the long run.

You may be saying, "I don't even wear pads, they're gross."  My feelings exactly my friend.  I'm not generally a pad lover myself but I've found myself without that option since the boys were born.  After Talker Man my body just couldn't seem to deal with them anymore, I get woozy and shaky after even just a few minutes of having one in.  I seem to be able to "get away with it" ONE day a month, but after that my body just says no.

Talulah Bean has some awesome choices, both in fabric and pad types.  She even has wet bags and carry clutches!  I personally have 4 of the Baby Moon's that I love, they're nice and long (11 inches), great for overnight or for when you have to sit in a chair working most of the day/night and don't want to worry about leaking.  I also love the Minky Bean's and Minky Bean Trim's which are just right for regular days for me.  Also available are Minky Bean Slim's (which I haven't tried) and liners!  All of them, except the liners, are backed with anti-pill fleece to prevent leaks, which is great!  I've yet to have a leak with any of them so it really does work.

For shopping, there's both a Hyenacart store and a regular website that you can place orders on.  Both have perks!  On the Hyenacart store you get a free liner with $25 purchase.  On the regular website you earn points for every dollar you spend and when you hit 100 points you can redeem them for a $10 gift certificate.  Pretty awesome.  When you place an order at either place you can request a sample of Crunchy Clean detergent, which I like because then I can try out different kinds and see what scents I like or dislike.  Both sites also have monthly giveaways, which I think is super generous, who doesn't like to win things?

If you'll notice in the picture above, they don't even seem to stain.  Granted, I wash them daily just because my wet bag is super small, but I just throw them in a hot wash with a bit of detergent, dry them and they're done!  I store mine in a nice basket that I had sitting around, it sits on the back of the toilet in my bathroom. 

I hope by now you're wanting to try one of these awesome pads!   If you're looking to place an order, go check out the Talulah Bean fan page on Facebook.  Fans are sent a 15% discount code that can be used again and again!  Shipping is always free to the US and Canada.  I'll be letting you guys in on a little Talulah Bean secret later on in the week, so keep your eyes peeled!

Giveaway has ended!  Congratulations to our winner!

Would you like a chance to win one of these soft fluffy pads?  Here's your opportunity!  The winner will be able to choose one from your choice of Minky Bean, Minky Bean Slim or Minky Bean Trim!

Entries: I must be able to easily find an email address for the winner.  If it isn't in your visible profile, please include it in your comment.  If you're chosen and I can't find an email address, I'll be forced to choose another winner.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email before another winner is chosen.

This giveaway will run fron today, April 19, 2010 until Monday, May 3, 2010.  This giveaway is for 1 (one) Minky Bean, Minky Bean Slim OR Minky Bean Trim pad provided and shipped by Talulah Bean.  This giveaway is open to the US and Canada only.

Mandatory:

Head over to Talulah Bean.com and tell me what your favorite fabric is!

Extras:

Follow my blog.

Become a Facebook fan of Talulah Bean.

Become a Facebook fan of my blog.

Follow me on Twitter.

Tweet this giveaway (1 extra entry per day, please leave the tweet link)

Subscribe to my blog feed.

Enter any of my other giveaways (1 extra entry for each giveaway entered, post seperate comments)

Blog about this giveaway (5 entries, please post 5 comments)

Place an order of Talulah Bean products (5 entries, please post 5 comments and include your order number)

Earth Week Kickoff!

Welcome to Earth Week here at Cars, Trucks and Teething Rings!  It's going to be a week filled with giveaways and information, ways to help keep the planet and world safe for future generations and for ourselves! 

Dr. Bloom's Chewable Jewelry

Ahh, teething.  The drool, the chomping, the fussiness.  We're finally into the teething stage, my poor little Tiny Man!  He's always looking for something to chew on, our fingers, his own fingers, his toys, pretty much anything he can get in his mouth, he's all about it!  I was ecstatic to be permitted the opportunity to let him try out one of Dr. Bloom's Chewable Jewelry pieces! 

Dr. Bloom's Chewable Jewelry is created (and endorsed!) by dentists, made with FDA approved materials free of phthalates, lead, BPA, PVC and latex.  It's waterproof and dishwasher safe too!  (From time to time, I like to run plastic toys and such through the dishwasher, obviously it's not just me!)

There are quite a few color choices of necklaces and bracelets as well as keychains.  There are also combinations available of bracelets/necklaces and keychains/bracelets.

I was sent the rectangle slide translucent pink marble combo.  It's not often, with boys, that I get to pick out something pink!  Since I'm the one wearing it, I figured he'd be just fine drooling on a bit of pink.  He LOVES it!  When we went on our state park outing I wore the necklace and when we were sitting by the water he played and played with it!

 

I took it off so it would be easier for him to handle.  He likes to play with it when he's nursing too, so it has a double duty!  I like wearing it, it fits well with my funky jewelry love!  We got the bracelet too, since it was a combo, and he likes the just as much.  I don't have any pictures of him with it and he's sleeping at the moment, but I hooked it onto his "keys" (linky doo things).  They're his favorite toy and this is just a little softer to be chewing on than the hard plastic rings!

Want to try one out for yourself?  Dr. Bloom is offering you a coupon code for 15% off your jewelry of choice.  Just enter 2010K when you place your order!

Friday Follow April 16

Welcome Friday Followers!! Feel free to enter my Amazon Giftcard Giveaway! Be sure to leave a comment and link so I can return the follow!

PR Friendly Blogs Linky!

Where the buffalo roam?

In a huge "cage" maybe..

It turns out, since we moved, we live less than 15 minutes from a state park!  Yay!  There was free admission, since the parks haven't officially opened yet, so we packed up fishing stuff, juice and water and headed off!  We stopped to see the buffalo and then headed on to the lake so hubby and Talker Man could fish.  It was fun, the lake was stinky, the buffalo were stinky, but it was pretty awesome nonetheless!  We're planning on going back to hike in the next few days.  What a place to go!  Fishing, swimming, trails, boats, all that good stuff and more is less than 15 minutes from our house!

Wordless Wednesday 4/14

Oh my goodness!

Oh my gosh, you guys!  I'm so tired!  Tiny Man didn't want to nap yesterday.  He took 10-15 minute cat naps.  I figured, "Okay, he'll just sleep good tonight."  Nope.  He was up every 45 minutes to an hour.  He just wanted to nurse and nurse and nurse, which is normally fine, but I'm so sore now!  All day/all night nursing doesn't jive well with the girls, lol.  Finally around 7:00 this morning he fell asleep and slept for about 4 hours, so I slept until like 11 or so..I feel like a bum, but I'm still so, so tired.

Anyone care to share in my exhaustiveness and share a story or two?

Party, Party, Party Time!!

Hi to all the partygoers blog hopping their way around!  Welcome to Cars, Trucks and Teething Rings.  I'm Sarah, mommy of 2 little boys, ages 5 months and 3 years.  I have a hubby, but he hates being mentioned most of the time ;)  He doesn't appear very often on my blog unless I sneak a picture or two!  We're going to be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary in May, the time has gone by so fast!  I'm a relatively new blogger, this blog has only been around since the beginning of February.

A few random tidbits about me!
I'm a little crunchy around the edges, I hate chemicals and love cloth diapers, mama cloth & other similar goodies.  I'm in love with my steam mop, hubby recently surprised me with it and totally made my year.

I can't seem to lose the baby belly this time around..my weight is down to normal, but I still look preggo in some clothes, blech! 

I was scared to death to have 2 kids, thought I'd be cheating the first one (out of what, I don't know), but I've been pleasantly surprised at how life works out and I adore them both more than life itself.

I love to cook, but it seems like hubby does most of the cooking these days.

Hubby is STILL JOBLESS and it's driving me insane. 

I'm a transcriptionist, medical and general, sometimes a bit of legal when I get the opportunity.

I"m a shopaholic and it just doesn't work well with only one income..I've curbed it down to almost nil, but there are days I spend more than I should.

I love grocery shopping..probably because I love food.

And you?
Please introduce yourself in a comment or direct my to your party page, I'd love to "meet" you!

C'mon!
All my friends and followers, feel free to join in!  Head over to 5minutesformom.com and link up!

I'd love to win!
US39 -Be My Guest certificate
US101 – One lucky winner will get this $450 Human Touch Foot and Calf Massager
US2 - $50 gift certificate to Happy Panda
US7 – Tupperware Prize Pack
USC 3 – A $50.00 Target Gift Card.
USC 15 – $50 Target gift card
USC 8 – $55 E-Gift Card for Amazon.com
US112 – $50 Amazon Gift card

US37 – $20 Visa Gift Card
US46 – Scentsy plug in warmer and 3 scents
US68 – Scents of your choice! Choose your very own Full-Size Authentic Scentsy Warmer and 3 wax scents!
US71 – A $50 Bear Bucks Card to Build A Bear Workshop.

US35 – Hobo International Clutch Bag worth $100
US32 – $25 Target Gift Card!
US113 – $25 Walmart Gift Certificate
US114 – $25 Walmart Gift Certificate
US61 – Win a $25 e-gift certificate to Toys-R-Us
US74 – $30 Amazon gift cards
US74 – $30 Amazon gift cards
US87 – $30 Amazon gift card
US88 – $25 E-Gift card to Amazon.com
US52 – A $25 GC to Amazon.com
US55 – A $20 GC to Amazon.com.

US31 – A $20 Amazon gift certificate
US10 – Young Living Essential Oils Stress Away Roll-On
US21 – A copy of Danielle Steele’s novel Big Girl
US48 – New Momma Prize Package from the Pampered Chef
US72 – Your Shape for Nintendo Wii

Or just about anything on the list!  I've run out of time to check through at the moment ;)

Friday Follow April 9

Welcome Friday Followers!! Feel free to enter my Amazon Giftcard Giveaway! Be sure to leave a comment and link so I can return the follow!

Sponsored by:

Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

This giveaway is now closed, congrats to the winner, #101!

You guys voted and the votes are in!  The $10 Amazon Gift Card was the top pick, so here we go!  This giveaway is sponsored by yours truly as a "THANK YOU!" for being such amazing readers! 

This giveaway goes from the time of this posting until 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, April 22, 2010.  (To make someone's Earth Day a little sweeter!)


Mandatory:

You must be a follower of this blog, this is a thank you to my followers, after all!

Additional entries:

Add my button to your blog. (2 entries, please post 2 comments)
Follow me on Twitter here! (1 entry)
Tweet this giveaway! (1 entry per tweet per day, leave the tweet link) Feel free to copy/paste:
"I'm entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card at Cars, Trucks and Teething Rings!  http://tinyurl.com/yehaamd"
Become a Facebook fan here! (2 entries, please post 2 comments)
Blog about this giveaway and provide a link in your comment. (5 entries, must post 5 comments)

If you're already a Facebook fan or a Twitter follower, that still counts so go ahead and add your entries!

Potty Time!!

So apparently Talker Man just had to decide for himself when he was going to potty train.  (Which is kind of what I figured anyway since he "got it" the first time we tried to teach him..he stayed dry for a day and then peed his pants the entire next day.)  He started with #2, for which I'm grateful beyond words, he's been doing that on the potty for about a week.  Then yesterday, at hubby's mom's for Easter, he told me every time he needed to go potty, completely out of the blue.  Today he was saying his "peepee hurt" and I told him it's because he's still wearing diapers ;)  I totally have no idea why else it would hurt, he doesn't have anything going on down there.  I asked him if he wanted a Pull-Up instead and he said no, he wanted his underwear.  Shocker!  So he put on his underwear and shorts and went about his day, stopping (on his own, I only had to ask him once when he was dancing around) to go in the bathroom and do his business.  He stayed dry all afternoon!  I got him ready for bed and told him he should probably wear a Pull-Up just in case, since he was going to be asleep, but that he needed to keep it dry.  He wanted his Batman toy (his "prize" for potty training..I'm not above bribary at this point) and he got it when he went to bed, deal is/was that he stay dry tonight and so far he's doing it!  He's asked to go potty and I finally just put his chair in his room so he can do his business and then let us help him if he needs it.  (He's gated in his bedroom to keep him from running all over and waking up the people below us.)

YAAAAAAAAAAY!

I'm so glad he's making it so darn easy! 

Woot!

Happy Easter to all!!  He is Risen!

And a very, very special thank you to Samantha over at Mama Notes, she was my first Facebook fan yesterday!! 

FB!

That's right, I finally created a Facebook page for my blog!  About time, right?  So feel free to fan me, I don't have any yet.  Anyone who fans me TODAY will get a link back to their blog in a blog post tomorrow.  Woohoo for free linkies!

Giveaway Poll

Just in case you missed it, be sure to vote in my poll over there on the right!  You, my lovely, awesome readers get to choose you own giveaway because I simply can't make up my mind ;)

(There are a couple more sponsored giveaways in the near future, I just got the goodies in the mail, so look for those to come soon!)

Free bumGenius diaper!

Have you seen it?  Have you looked high and low and couldn't find the magazines? (I did!)  Have you heard about it?  You know, the coupons for the free bumGenius diaper and 10% off of a 24 count package.  Well,  Diaper Junction has made it easy!!  All you have to do is purchase $10 (or more) in bumGenius, Flip, and/or Econobum products and get a free AIO (all in one) bumGenius diaper by entering discount code "FBGAIOMO".  If you want to save 10% off on the 24 pack of BGs, just enter code "BGOSTPO"  How easy is that?  No searching high and low for coupons, no clipping them, sending them in, and hoping they make it to the right place, just a little discount code!  Easy-peasy.  I sent my order in today, I can't wait!

It's a great way to give cloth diapers a chance.  If you buy another bumGenius! diaper, you can get the free one and have 2 to try out without being out much money if you decide you don't like them.  I tell you though, they're daddy/sibling/babysitter friendly!  Nothing like having some simple diapers on hand.

Additionally, if you use my link along with AFL550, you can save $5 on a $50+ order!  You get free shipping on all orders over $75, but their shipping is really reasonable even if you don't quite hit that.

Friday Follow 4/2

 

Happy Friday Follow everyone!!  Please feel free to look around and check everything out!  Be sure to leave me a comment and link back to your blog in this post so I can come check your blog out as well!

Please notice there is a poll on the sidebar, readers can pick the prize of the next giveaway!  Please place your vote, let me know what you would like to see come up next as a special giveaway from yours truly!

Babies: Bayar

Meet baby Bayar (short for Bayarjargal)  He was born in Mongolia and lives on a farm with his mother, father, and older brother Degi.  Degi is 2 years older than Bayar, which is very similar to my little boys who are about 2-1/2 years apart.  Big brother Degi is very curious and a bit jealous of his newborn brother, much like in our house!  Baby Bayar is good natured and easy going, which make for some hilarious sibling moments!  From a young age, Bayar wanders around playing with animals and exploring his surroundings under his parent's watchful eye.

Would you like to learn more about baby Bayar?  He is one of 4 infants featured in the film "Babies" coming out Mother's Day weeked 2010!  This film will follow babies from Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco and Tokyo from first breaths to first steps.

To find out more, simply click on the photo above or keep checking back, I will have entries for each baby over the next few weeks!  There is also a sidebar banner to remind you of the upcoming release date!