SuperMommy Reviews

Cake Decorating: Part 4

2012-05-25T05:40:00.003-07:00

This was my newest cake creation: a treasure chest cake, full of all kids favorite treasure--candy, of course! I made this one for my daughter's mermaids and pirates birthday party. I think the sand the chest is resting on may be my favorite part because it just looks so real!

Cake Decorating: Part 3

2012-05-16T08:48:00.001-07:00

This is my latest cake creation: a Star Wars cake for my son's 8th Jedi Training birthday party last weekend! It was my first time using fondant and I think it went pretty well. The kids were all so excited when they saw the cake!

Cake Decorating: Part 2

2012-05-10T05:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a shark cake that I made for a 6 year old boy's birthday last weekend. I love the way it came out, especially the teeth!

Cake Decorating: Part 1

2012-04-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

As I gear up for this year's round of birthday's cakes, I thought I'd post some fun photos of last year's series of cakes. Here's the first one--an undersea coral reef scene from my daughter's beach party.

Our Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters Party

2012-04-03T18:04:00.000-07:00

My kids had so much fun hosting their Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters Party! Before being asked to host the party, I had never heard of the Moshi Monsters. Now I've had plenty of chances to check them out--both online at moshimonsters.com and in person with the Bobble Bott Moshi Monster toys. Moshi Monsters started as a free online game system for kids. Kids adopt a monster and care for it by playing educational puzzle games; in the process, kids earn points which they can redeem for virtual rewards they can use for their monsters. Moshimonsters.com also features limited social networking, so your kids can communicate with their friends online. Basic Moshi Monsters are free, though the site also offers memberships that include all sorts of extras.

Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters are a brand new line of robotic creatures that looks just like the adorable Moshlings you find online. I was excited to see that the Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters are created by the makers of HEXBUG creatures, which my kids love and I have found to be quality products. The Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters line features super-cute robotic monsters that buzz about using vibration, similar to HEXBUGs. In addition to the Moshlings themselves, the line also features customizable play sets which are home to the Moshlings. These buildings, houses, streets and yards for the Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters can be put together in an unlimited number of configurations, which encourage open-ended creative building play--which, as a former teacher and mom, I'm a huge fan of! And, as an added bonus, the products include secret codes that unlock new content in the online world of moshimonsters.com, allowing your child to take their play from their living room to online.

At our party, the kids were fascinated with how cute the Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters were. They loved watching the monsters buzz about the play sets and constantly rearranging the play set pieces. The kids favorites were the little stores that the Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters would buzz in and out of. Since our party, my daughter saw the Bobble Bots Moshi Monster section in the toy aisle at Target and of course had to stop and check out all the different monster. And she's not the only one who's fascinated with how cute they are--I think they are pretty darn cute myself!

Niki's Baby Shower with Baby Brezza

2012-03-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun hosting a baby shower for my sister to celebrate her first baby! And it was even more fun because Baby Brezza provided a fabulous baby present for her. Here's a little peek at some of the cute decor and favors from the shower:

And some of the fabulous food:

And, of course, the wonderful present from Baby Brezza:

Baby Brezza gave her a Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker, a great product that is going to allow her to make her own home-made baby food all with one machine. As an extremely health conscious person and wife of a nutritional coach, providing nutritious meals for her new little one is extremely important for my sister. However, she's also a busy, working mom who will want to be spending her free time playing with her little one, not busying in the kitchen to make baby food. That's where the Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker comes in!

The Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker has 5 functions: Steam and Blend, Steam Only, Blend Only, Reheat, and Defrost. My favorite function is the Steam and Blend, which allows you to put ingredients into the machine, turn it on, go play with your baby and come back to fresh, healthy, finished baby food. Not only is it the definition of EASY, but it also removes the hassle and potential danger of of transferring hot food from the steamer to the blender.

Or, if you prefer, The Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker allows you complete control in your baby's food preparation. Multiple cook time options allows you to steam you ingredients for exactly how long you desire, making your baby's food as soft as your baby desires. The manual blend option allows you to choose the consistency of your baby's food, which lets you control whether you want smooth food for a new eater or chunky food for a toddler. There are even settings to reheat food the next day and defrost frozen baby food that you previously prepared!

I was really impressed with the Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker. It's a sleek little machine that I wouldn't mind sitting on my counter day after day. I love all the options of the Baby Brezza! Allowing me to control every feature of the baby's food is really appealing to me. But I have to say that my favorite thing about the One Step Baby Food Maker is the Steam and Blend option. When my new baby comes in September, I will have 4 little ones running around to take care of and not spending extra time in the kitchen will be a HUGE help. After seeing my sister's new Baby Brezza in action, I know a Baby Brezza of my own going to be on my wish-list for my new baby!

Baby Brezza also sells the Quick Blend, the Perfect Measure Formula Powder Dispenser, and the Temperature Control Water Kettle.

{I received free products to give at the shower to facilitate this review. However, the opinions expressed here are my own.}

Business Cards from Tiny Prints

2012-02-08T19:40:00.000-08:00

Tiny Prints is quickly becoming my go-to choice for personalized printing needs. Their cards and invitations are all so cute and their quality can't be beat. So when I needed new blogging business cards, of course, I thought of Tiny Prints. And I was not disappointed! The styles of their business cards range from classic to super-trendy. You can even choose from classic business card size or adorable square cards. And, as is always the case with Tiny Prints, personalizing the cards was super-easy. The only thing that was tough was picking a style for my cards because there were so many great styles to choose from!

Of course, ordering business cards is one thing, but keep all those incoming and outgoing cards organized at a conference is another. To organize my cards while I'm at a conference, I got a business card holder that has a pocket on each side. Having two pockets is the perfect system for me. I put my cards that I'm handing out in one pocket and file the cards that I receive in the other pocket. This keeps the cards contained and orderly till I can get home and store them more permanently. How do you keep your business cards organized?

{This is a sponsored post brought to you by Tiny Prints.}

We are Habitual Movers

2012-02-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

Here's the thing about my family: we are habitual movers. For the last 15 years, we haven't lived anywhere for more than 4 years--and most of our moves are just under 2 years apart. Our moves have all had reasons ranging from school to job transfers, but honestly we like moving. We like the sense of adventure, the chance to try new things and meet new people. We've gotten so used to moving that I can't imagine what it would be to live in the same place for more than a handful of years. All our moving experiences got me thinking about some of the characteristics of habitual movers. So, here's my list:

You might be a habitual mover if...

1) You consider living somewhere longer than a year "a long time".

2) You can run a comparative analysis of moving companies using only your own data.

3) The number of states your child has lived in and their age are surprisingly close.

4) You have a list titled "things to do different during the next move".

5) Your kids talk about "when we move to our next house" even though you don't have an impending move planned.

6) Living anywhere longer than 3 years makes you stir-crazy for your next move.

7) When your kids play house, it often involves moving.

8) You can unpack and set up a new house in under 2 weeks.

If this list describes you, happy moving and enjoy your next adventure!

Check Out the Adorable Valentines Cards from Tiny Prints

2012-01-30T20:06:00.000-08:00

{This is a sponsored post brought to you by Tiny Prints}

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. I love the decorations, the hearts, the love, and the chocolate--of course! Everything about Valentine's Day is just so sweet. And what could be better than an adorable card to help spread the love??

After seeing the great Christmas cards at Tiny Prints, I was excited to check out their personalized Valentine Day greeting cards. And I was not disappointed because the cards were so stinkin' cute! Tiny Prints offers a huge selection of Valentine cards for your loved one--romantic cards, funny cards, photo cards. They also carry a full selection of Valentine's Day party invites so you can invited people to your Valentine bash in style.

But my favorites were definitely the classroom Valentine cards. What could be cuter for my kids to pass out to their classmates than a card featuring their own adorable picture? And pre-printed cards means no tiny cards to tear apart, write on and fold up. After years of teaching preschool and dealing with thousands of those tiny Valentines cards, I'm excited about a cute, higher quality card for my kids.

I know my daughter would love all the sweet hear flowers on this one. Plus, what says Valentine's Day more than pink hearts?

This one would go over perfect with my son, who will love the pirate pun:

But I think this one is my favorite. I love the colors and the printing overlay on the photo:

Check out the Tiny Prints site and let me know which Valentine card is your favorite. For more details on Tiny Prints, you can follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook, and even check out their boards on Pinterest. Have fun spreading the love on Valentine's Day!

Our Christmas: A Recap in Pictures

2012-01-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! We had such a fabulous Christmas around our house with my family in from out of town. We stayed so busy with Christmas fun that I didn't have time to hit the blog, but I'm back now. And what better way to get back to blogging than sharing some cute holiday pics!

Oral-B Stages & Crest and Oral B Pro-Health FOR ME Mommy Party

2011-12-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

My kids' oral health is a big deal for me. I work hard to teach my kids how to take care of their teeth and I take pride in the fact that none of my kids have ever had a cavity. So I jumped at the chance to host an Oral-B Mommy Party.

Oral-B sent us all sorts of goodies to pass out to the kids at the party. No matter what age your kids are, Oral-B has great products for your kids. For younger kids, Oral-B sent us some of their Stages line. We got to check out some of the toothbrushes and floss picks in the Stages line, which also includes toothpaste. Stages products come in 3 levels: 4-24 months, 2-4 years and 5-7 years, so they are perfectly tailored to your child as they grow. The kids at the party loved the Disney characters on the toothbrushes and floss picks. The Stages Oral-B products can be found in Disney princess, Toy Story and Car styles, so your child will be sure to find a kind they like.

My son will be turning 8 this summer, so I was excited to get to check out Oral-B's Pro-Health For Me line. This line is tailored just for kids 8-12, with funky styling to appeal to older kids. The Pro-Health For Me line includes toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss picks and fluoride rinse. My son and his friends loved the cool graphics on the products. Because my son's oral health is so important to me, I'm happy to know that there are products out there that he's interested in using, especially as he gets old enough to take over his own oral care.

In addition to send us the awesome products to check out, Oral-B made sure we had great activities at the party as well. The kids had fun playing the Healthy Mouth game, where they sorted items that are good for your mouth verses those that aren't. And the highlight of the party was the screening of Cars 2! In our party pack, we got a DVD of Cars 2 and some Cars 2 gummy vitamins, which help keep kids healthy all around. The kids LOVED the movie and the moms loved seeing how excited they were about the Oral-B products, so the party was a huge hit all around!

Building Some Fun at Our MegaBloks Mommy Party

2011-12-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

The kids and I had so much fun with our first MegaBloks Mommy Party that we jumped at the chance to host a second one! And our second party definitely didn't disappoint. I'm not sure who had more fun--the kids or the moms. The kids had a tower building contest to see who could build the tallest tower. They also had races to see who could push their MegaBloks vehicle to the finish line the fastest--using only their nose! Of course, us moms had fun chatting, snacking and checking out all the fun MegaBloks goodies.

And MegaBloks definitely sent us some great toys to check out! The kids loved the giant Farm set. The farm animals were particularly cute and the kids couldn't get enough of the little tractor. They all took turns building an arch with MegaBloks and pushing the tractor through the tunnel. Despite all those fun features, my favorite part of the set may be the giant tub that the farm set comes in because the lid has MegaBloks bumps on it. This means that you can build right on the lid and it's a nice big building surface--large enough to build a cute, happy farm big enough for all the animals :)

My favorite MegaBloks toy that we were sent for our party was the adorable Jungle Friends set. Seriously, I always knew MegaBloks were fun and educational, but never have I seen them be so stinking cute! In the Jungle Friends set, all of the blocks feature cute stickers which help your kid's creations come to life. Four of the blocks have faces of animals on them, allowing kids to build their own animals. The animal print blocks and plant life blocks just add extra life to the adorable creations.

If you're looking for a more pink girly option that is just as cute, check out the Garden Friends set. It uses the same concept as the Jungle Friends set but instead of jungle animals and plants, the Garden Friends set features bugs and flowers. Included in the cute carrying case are blocks with 4 bug faces, bug bodies and flowers. The girls at our party were crazy about the Garden Friends. The pink blocks were such a hit that they didn't want to share!

Look at how excited my little one is about her fun new MegaBloks! I know these cute new MegaBloks are going to be a great addition to our growing collection. I can't wait for our next MegaBloks party!

Fun Holidays: Today I Couldn't Pick Just One!

2011-12-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

There were 2 holidays that I couldn't pass up mentioning today because they were just so fabulously funny! Today is both Bathtub Party Day and International Ninja Day. Seriously, ninjas and a bathtub party on the same day?? Best. Day. Ever.

Fun Holidays: National Cookie Day

2011-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today is National Cookie Day, the perfect chance to start your holiday baking!

Fun Holidays: International Day of Disabled Persons

2011-12-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today is the International Day of Disabled Persons, a great chance to help your child learn some empathy by helping a disabled person in their lives. Here's to helping our kids be better people, one act of kindness at a time.

Review: HipSeat Baby Carrier

2011-12-02T20:37:00.001-08:00

The hip carry. Sticking your hip out to the side to make a perch for your baby. Every parent does it. And every parent know how uncomfortable it can be. If you are looking for a more comfortable, supportive way to carry your baby on your hip, the HipSeat is the perfect carrier for you!

The HipSeat is a waist belt-style carrier with an integrated seat for your baby. The seat is made of firm foam, making it a perfect perch for your little one. The waist belt can be fastened on either side so that your baby can be worn on which ever hip is more comfortable for you. The wide belt spreads the baby's weight over your waist and the seat allows you to keep your back in alignment while carrying your child, meaning less back problems and other health issues. The HipSeat also features a clip for your keys and an integrated pocket to stash your wallet or other necessities.

The HipSeat is a hands-on carrier, meaning that you have to keep one hand on your child while using the HipSeat. This is the first hands-on carrier I've tried and, while it may not be my carrier of choice to use for an all-day outing, I found it to be great for perfect situations. My daughter is almost 2 and toddlers often want to be picked up one minute and put down the next. Strapping or wrapping my daughter into a complicated carrier only to have her want to get out 3 minutes later can be infuriating. That's where the HipSeat is perfect. I can wear the HipSeat around and easily pick my daughter up and carry her when she wants to be carried, but then put her down just as easily when she wants to get down.

I like that the waist belt attaches around your waist with both a large Velcro panel and a plastic clip because it makes the belt feel very secure. And I love that the waist belt can be folded up and snapped away when not in use, making the HipSeat more compact for traveling or storing. Because of the adjustable size, my husband and I can both use the HipSeat. The pocket is convenient because it holds enough that I can even leave my purse at home for just a short trip.

I found the HipSeat to be both comfortable and convenient--my two main criteria for a carrier. Give it a try and discover a more comfortable way to carry your toddler!

{I received free products to facilitate this review. However, the opinions expressed here are my own.}

Fun Holidays: National Mutt Day

2011-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today is National Mutt Day, a day for embracing, saving and celebrating mixed breed dogs. There are millions of mixed breed dogs in shelters around the country; might one be a perfect pet for your family? And if your family isn't looking for a new pet, today's a good day to just celebrate all those mutts out there!

Top Baby Names for 2011

2011-12-01T20:10:00.001-08:00

Baby names are one of my favorite topics, so I always love checking out the new trends. Though the official Social Security Administration list won't come out for a while, Baby Center has declared their top 100 baby names of 2011. You can see the complete list here. So where do your favorite names rank? How does the popularity of a name affect your choosing it for your baby? My husband and I prefer more unusual names, our rule is that we can't use any names in the top 100. And we also shy away from those names that are just out the top 100 for fear that they will jump into the top 100 during our baby's birth year. What baby naming guidelines do you follow when choosing a name?

Fun Holidays: Cookie Cutter Week

2011-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

This week is Cookie Cutter Week. Time to celebrate by cooking up a batch of cut-out cookies!

"Like" Primrose on Facebook to Donate Food to Needy Families

2011-11-30T19:08:00.001-08:00

Primrose Schools is hosting their 2nd annual Cans for Fans virtual food drive in association with Feeding America. Now through December 31, Primrose Schools will donate one can of food for every new "like" they receive on their Facebook page. Not only that, they will donate two cans of food every time a fan "shares" the Cans for Fans status post. So get liking and sharing and give some help to a family in need this season.

Winning Wednesday: Giveaway Link-up

2011-11-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday! Get busy entering to win and posting your giveaways. Please remember to post an ending date. Thanks!

Like Juno on Facebook and Help Kids in Need

2011-11-20T19:59:00.001-08:00

Here's an easy way to help kids in need with the click of a button. Just like Juno Baby on Facebook and Juno will donate a music DVD to a child in need. What a simple way to make someone's holidays a little more special.

Sales and Deals: 40% off Photo Books at Shutterfly

2011-11-20T19:56:00.001-08:00

Use the code "BOOK40" to save 40% on photo books at Shutterfly. Ends Nov 21.

Sales and Deals: 40% off at LOFT

2011-11-20T19:55:00.001-08:00

Now through Monday, use the code "TAKE40" to get 40% off all online purchase at LOFT.

Sales and Deals: Buy 1 Get 2 Free Calendars at Snapfish

2011-11-20T19:53:00.001-08:00

Use the code "3CALENDARS" through Nov 22 to buy one calendar get 2 free at Snapfish. Photo calendars make a great holiday gift, so it's a great way to check some gifts off your list!