The solution we came up with is probably what a lot of you have done – Anna either drags over a small stool and uses that to boost herself up or she scales the toilet like Everest.  While I admire her tenacity, having her already grubby toddler hands all over the toilet seat is not exactly ideal.  But Anna is very independent and any attempt I made to help hoist her up there or be in any way involved in this process was met with an indignant, “I have PRIVACY, Mama!” and a tiny finger directing me out the door.

Then I discovered the perfect solution – the Little Looster!  Created by a mom of three, the Little Looster is a booster stool that is made so that it actually fits around the base of the potty.  No uncomfortable dangling legs, no unsanitary or dangerous hands pulling kids on to the toilet.  One of Anna’s initial fears about using the grown-up potty was that she was going to “fall in”, which is pretty common I think.  I thought that positioning her little stool at the bottom of the toilet and telling her that it’s there might help, but when she first used the Little Looster it was clear how much more comfortable the little platform made her feel.  And, let’s face it – toddlers can give you enough reasons, excuses and assorted craziness about why they can’t use the potty.  Anything that you can do (or buy!) to help facilitate the process and make them feel safer is a huge plus in my book!

I loved that while the Little Looster is clearly a fixture for kids to use, I didn’t feel like I had to hide it when company came over.  Not only for the attractiveness of the product, but also because it doesn’t get in the way of grown-ups who needs to use the potty too!  The material is very easy to clean, which is super important for anything you’re using with a toddler in the potty.  Kids use booster seats when eating or in the car – why not while in the bathroom?

The Little Looster is a product that I didn’t know how much we needed it until we had it in our home.  Anna is now completely happy using the potty on her own and I definitely think the Looster had a hand in that.  If your child has been struggling with the transition from a little potty to the grown up one, you should absolutely bring the Little Looster into your home and give them the added safety, security and sanitation that comes with it!

The Little Looster is available at www.littlelooster.com!

WIN IT! One lucky winner will win their very own Little Looster (ARV $40)!!!  To enter, please visit Little Looster and tell me why you’d like to win this product AND become a subscriber of this site (if you aren’t already)  You MUST confirm your subscription for it to count!  I check all entries and if you are not a subscriber, your comment will be deleted.  That’s it!

Comments will close on September 10, 2010 at 10 PM EST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). Open to continental US (no Hawaii or Alaska) entries only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement of the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

I have received compensation in the form of products from Little Looster in exchange for this post, but the views and opinions expressed are solely my own and no other compensation – monetary or otherwise – was received.

Extra Credit:

Enter any other giveaway on my site.  THREE extra entries per giveaway.

Follow Little Looster on Twitter.  Leave your username for verification.  Two extra entries.

Follow me on twitter AND tweet about the contest. – You may do this daily for an extra entry.

“Like” Little Looster on Facebook.  Leave your name (first, last initial) for verification.  One extra entry.

Comment on any non-giveaway post.  Leave link or name of post that you commented on.  One extra entry.

Grab my button!  Post it on your own blog and leave me the link to find it.  Two extra entries.

Follow me on google friend connect. One extra entry.

Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.  You may have 3 entries for this.

Click on one of the very cute buttons below and digg, stumble, fav, etc. Just let me know what you did in the comments!  One extra entry each.

I’m a big fan of these sample sale sites and have bought some amazing designer gifts for friends and family that I wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise!  This is definitely the perfect place to get a head start on your holiday shopping.  Check back every day or two for new sales and designers!

Now through 9/30/10 you can get a free $20 credit good towards your first purchase at Swirl!  Just enter 20OFF829 at checkout and pick up some super cheap (or even FREE!) clothing or accessories.  The code is not valid to be used towards shipping costs.

Happy shopping!

I don’t know about you but we couldn’t be more excited about this upcoming Labor Day weekend!  The chance to spend a long weekend at home with family is a big deal for us, so we’ve been planning our activities for awhile now.  Like a lot of you we’ll definitely be cooking out, which means we’ll be hitting Sam’s Club for some great deals on everything we need to make our family time special!

I’m a Sam’s Club Plus member, which means that I have access to some special privileges and values such as early shopping hours (Plus members can start shopping as early at 7 AM at my local club!) and eValues.  I’ve been posting all week about the eValues program, which is how Sam’s Club passes on additional savings that are loaded directly onto your membership card and automatically deducted at check-out.  These savings come in particularly handy this weekend with our big shopping list!  Here are some of the eValues that I’ll be taking advantage of:

The best part is that you can take advantage of these prices too!  September 1-6, 2010 Sam’s Club is offering all members (even those without the Plus membership!) access to eValues!  That means that if you visit your club this week you’ll be able to save a bundle on lots of items that you purchase regularly, along with special savings on electronics, jewelry and household items as well.

This fantastic promotions begins tomorrow, so make sure you head over to your local Sam’s Club and check out what eValues has to offer for you!

Sam’s Club provided me with monetary compensation for my participation in the Labor Day Evalues Campaign.

Who does your baby look more like – mom or dad?

MyHeritage.com has a cool new gadget called the Baby Lookalike Meter that will help you figure it out once and for all!

It’s super easy and fun!  Just upload a picture of the mother, father and baby (or child) and hit go!  The Look-alike Meter will scan each image for the faces (pictures where the subjects are facing front to the camera work best) and then show you a meter where the arrow will either point more to the father, more to the mother or right in between.  Here are our results:

So, the thing is that this result is exactly what I expected.  Anna is truly a perfect combination of the two of us and even our closest family and friends would be hard pressed to decide which of us she takes after more.  It’s still a fun tool and I can totally see parents sitting down to settle some arguments with it!

Thinking about where our children’s features come from brings up another fascinating part of families – ancestry.  MyHeritage.com has a great selection of tools you can use to discover your own family history.  Whether you’re looking to create a free family tree, build a private site for your family to research and discover your own family or use their Smart Matching system to find extended family that you’ve never met, MyHeritage.com is a great place to start to build and expand your family tree!

I’ve been posting all week about the great Labor Day promotion Sam’s Club is running for their eValues program and I wanted to post one last time to remind you of the dates and information.  I wouldn’t want you to miss this one!

eValues is a savings program for Sam’s Club Plus Members that loads savings on every day products, electronics, jewelry and more right onto your membership card.  It is the most simple to use and user-friendly savings program out there!  There’s no cutting coupons, trying to remember your coupon book, or missing out on savings because you forgot something at home.  Viewing your personal available eValues is quick and easy, too – you can either log-on to samsclub.com or visit the eValues kiosk inside the store to view (and print, if you want) the list.  When you’re ready to check-out the eValues savings are loaded directly on to your membership card and will automatically be deducted from your order.  It couldn’t be any easier!

While eValues is ordinarily just for Sam’s Club members with Plus memberships, but September 1-6, 2010 Sam’s Club will give every member (even those without Plus memberships!) $300 in eValues!  Check out this post with a sneak peek at some of the great savings that you can expect.  So, mark your calendars and get there early to scoop up some great deals!  Sign up for a Plus membership and keep the eValues coming all year round!  Click here for more information.

Sam’s Club provided me with monetary compensation for my participation in the Labor Day eValues Campaign.

Of the parents who were surveyed, 45% said they oppose the separate section because they don’t want to deal with other people’s children any more than the childless passengers do, while only 24% argued that people should be able to sit where they like regardless of their family situation.

It’s an interesting issue, I think.  Part of me thinks that maybe a more family friendly section might be nice under the right circumstances.  If airlines put an effort into amenities such as a changing station, nursing area and more kid-friendly programming and movies on flights, that may be something I could be convinced to see in a positive light instead of feeling like we are outcast simply because of our children.  On the other hand, if families are relegated to the back of the airplane without any constructive improvements made to our travel experience, that would be very upsetting.

What’s next?  Do larger people have to have a special section?  Those who snore?  Those who listen to their iPods too loudly?  Those with body odor?  Where does it stop?  Look, I’m as annoyed as the next person when there is a screeching kid trapped in a metal tube with me for hours at a time, but how would that scenario be any different if you move us to a different area of the plane?  Won’t you still hear the screaming and bad behavior?  I think that if you are a passenger being bothered by the antics of an unruly kid you should first try asking the flight attendants for help and then the parents of the little pain in the butt.

That's it, kid. Get to the back of the plane.

If that doesn’t work…suck it up.  We paid for the seats just like you did.    Does that mean that I think children should be allowed to run amok and pummel the back of your seat for six hours?  No, of course not.  But most of the people I know with children would never let their children behave that way, in a plane or otherwise.  I think that it is a small percentage of parents who would let their older children carry on like savages and if the child bothering you is a screaming baby, I think you can safely assume that the parent is far more distressed than you are and is doing everything in their power to fix the situation.

With all of the restrictions placed on carry-on bags these days you have to remember how that affects us parents traveling with our children.  We are only allowed to bring small amounts of liquids on planes, forced to consolidate bags and take only a fraction of the toys and diversions that may otherwise entertain cranky kids.  While some parents can figure out ways around these restrictions, should the ones who struggle with having to pay exorbitant amounts of money for extra snacks and drinks at the gate or those who can’t afford to buy portable dvd players be banished to the back of the plane?

I’m curious to hear what you think!  Would being in a special family section of a plane be a relief?  Or would you feel exiled even if you have well-behaved children?

I’ve been posting all week about this amazing Labor Day promotion from Sam’s Club this September 1-6th where all Sam’s Club members get a glimpse into their fantastic eValues program.  They’ve definitely gone above and beyond with this promotion to offer $300 in savings for everyone!

Today I’ll give you a little preview of some of the eValues that will be offered.  Get to your Sam’s Club early and make sure you snap up these great products with impressive savings!

With kids heading off to college and starting school again, this is the perfect time to scoop up this HP notebook for $100 off of Sam’s Club already low prices on electronics.  We use both Dove soap and Tide detergent around here and I’ll absolutely be grabbing these eValues while I can!  And, looking forward to the holidays when we always have plenty of leftovers, the Rubbermaid 50-piece food storage set is a great find.

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 1 through Monday, September 6th and head over to Sam’s Club to enjoy these eValues.  While you’re there, sign up for a Plus Membership and keep the savings coming!

Sam’s Club provided me with monetary compensation for my participation in the Labor Day Evalues Campaign.

Let me ask you a question:  if you had the option to have someone else do your shopping for you, would you?

How about if it was completely free?

Now, what if I tell you that you already have this option if you’re a Sam’s Club member?

Click ‘n’ Pull is a free service at Sam’s Club that allows you to order your products online at www.samsclub.com.  Everything from grocery items, paper products, beverages, electronics, baby items and so much more is available through Click ‘n’ Pull!

It’s easy – visit samsclub.com and choose your local club.  Then get to shopping! While not every product is available to be picked up at your store this way, there are plenty that are.  Simply add products to your shopping list and you’re done.  They even have a handy feature that will help keep track of the items you purchase regularly to make reordering super quick and easy.  After you’ve placed your order you will receive an email confirmation that your order was received and confirming that your items will be pulled.  Place your order by 5 PM and your items will be available for pick-up the very next day!  Just head over to the membership services desk to pay, load up your car and you’re done!

No wandering through the store searching for items, no dealing with runaway kids, no long lines – Click ‘n’ Pull is just one more service Sam’s Club offers to help make your life easier!  I’ve been posting all week about Sam’s Club’s eValues program which helps to save money but Click ‘n’ Pull will help you save precious time, too!

This is the perfect time to become a new Sam’s Club member!  September 1-6, 2010 Sam’s Club is extending their eValues program to all Sam’s Club members and celebrating with an impressive $300 in eValues savings loaded right onto your membership card.   Once you see how convenient and money-saving the program is you can sign-up to become a Plus Member to keep the savings coming!

Check out my past posts that show you how some of the eValues in my personal account, check out the eValues kiosk and explain more about how the program works.  Stay tuned this week for more cool stuff leading up to the big eValues promotion for all members!

Sam’s Club provided me with compensation for my participation in the Labor Day eValues Campaign.

The Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop is definitely the answer to my floor cleaning prayers!  These days a lot of people are passionate about the environment and what products they bring in to their home, so the Reveal Mops ability to use virtually any kind of cleaning product you choose is a huge plus.  In my own home we have several different kinds of flooring – laminate floors, hardwood floors, slate tile and linoleum.  It never made sense to me why a cleaning product would be “one size fits all” for such dissimilar flooring types.  I love that with the Reveal I can fill up the bottle with cleaning solutions that are unique to the floor I’m cleaning! 

The Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop is exceedingly simple to use.  The washable microfiber pad attaches to the bottom of the mop head with velcro straps that hold the pad in place while mopping.  Each pad can be used for a couple of rooms and then tossed in the wash to use again – these pads can be washed up to 100 times!  Next, unscrew the cap on the refillable bottle and fill the bottle with hot water or a mixture of your favorite cleaning solution and water.  Screw the cap back on and turn the bottle upside down before snapping it into place on the lower part of the mop handle.   That’s it!  Not sure what kind of solution to use or would you like to make your own?  Here are some recipes:

Hardwood Floor Solution:

-1 tablespoon white vinegar

-1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Fill the rest of the bottle with hot water.

Unglazed Tiles, Marble, Stone & Slate Solution:

-2 tablespoons baking soda

-2-3 drops liquid soap

Fill the rest of the bottle with hot water.

See how easy it is?!

The Rubbermaid Reveal Mop is a direct reflection of the concerns of consumers about the cost and waste involved in expensive replacement pads and bottles of solution.  With how frequently my toddler spills drinks and how often I make a mess while cooking dinner, I resent having purchased a product that is eternally running out of its most important components.  Forget about expensive replacement parts – the Reveal Mop can actually save the average user more than $50 annually over the leading spray mop.

The Rubbermaid Reveal Mop is available for purchase from Home Depot, Target, Wal Mart and other stores near you!

WIN IT! One lucky winner will win their very own Rubbermaid Reveal Mop (ARV $30)!!!  To enter, please visit Rubbermaid and tell me another of their products you’d love to have AND become a subscriber of this site (if you aren’t already)  You MUST confirm your subscription for it to count!  I check all entries and if you are not a subscriber, your comment will be deleted.  That’s it!

Comments will close on September 6, 2010 at 10 PM EST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). Open to continental US (no Hawaii or Alaska) and Canadian entries only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement of the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

I have received compensation in the form of products from Rubbermaid in exchange for this post, but the views and opinions expressed are solely my own and no other compensation – monetary or otherwise – was received.

Extra Credit:

Enter any other giveaway on my site.  THREE extra entries per giveaway.

Follow Rubbermaid on Twitter.  Leave your username for verification.  Two extra entries.

Follow me on twitter AND tweet about the contest. – You may do this daily for an extra entry.

“Like” Rubbermaid on Facebook. Leave your name (first, last initial) for verification.  One extra entry.

Comment on any non-giveaway post.  Leave link or name of post that you commented on.  One extra entry.

Grab my button!  Post it on your own blog and leave me the link to find it.  Two extra entries.

Follow me on google friend connect. One extra entry.

Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.  You may have 3 entries for this.

Click on one of the very cute buttons below and digg, stumble, fav, etc. Just let me know what you did in the comments!  One extra entry each.

So, with all this talk about Sam’s Club’s eValues program you might be wondering about what kind of savings you can expect.  In order to give you an idea I thought I’d give you a glimpse into what eValues are currently available to me so that you can see for yourself.

As of right now there are 21 eValues available in my account.  For the most part (and unless noted otherwise) each eValue can only be used and redeemed once per account.  But one of the best parts of shopping at Sam’s Club is being able to buy products in bulk, which means less shopping overall and less need for multiple coupons.

One of my favorite eValues that has popped up quite a few times is on the Member’s Mark boneless, skinless chicken breast.  Since this is such a staple item in our home, getting a great price on chicken is important to me!  Sam’s Club has great prices and quality in meats and this product is no exception.

I don’t know many moms who don’t go through mass quantities of paper products like paper towels and toilet paper!  Paper products are one of the best things to buy at Sam’s Club because of the great prices, so when my eValues pops up with extra savings on Charmin Bath Tissue and Bounty Paper Towels it’s a wonderful bonus!

If you’d like to save even more at Sam’s Club, become a Plus Member today and you’ll automatically have eValues loaded onto your membership card.  Plus, you’re in luck because September 1-6th, 2010 Sam’s Club is offering an additional $300 in eValues for ALL SAM’S CLUB MEMBERS, not just Plus Members!  It’s a great opportunity to try out the program to see how it works and get a feel for how much money you can save.  Click here to learn more and sign-up today!

Sam’s Club provided me with monetary compensation for my participation in the Labor Day Evalues Campaign.

Of course, we tried to anticipate issues for travel days and attempted to control the few things we could, such as  scheduling the flight so that she may sleep through it, getting Anna her own seat and making sure we had plenty of toys and snacks to keep her entertained.  But when I thought about lugging her car seat onto the plane and halfway around Paris in addition to all of the other bags and assorted travel paraphaenelia it filled me with dread.

So I started to do some research and discovered one of my absolute favorite products for traveling with kids – the CARES harness.

CARES is the Child Aviation Restraint System and it consists of a simple belt and buckle device for kids 22-44 lbs.  The only type of child harness ever to be approved and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, CARES creates a safe airplane seat for your child without the hassle of carrying around a 20 lb car seat.  The harness is manufactured by the same company that makes most airplane seatbelts and uses the same industrial-strength webbing.  Aside from the obvious safety benefits, I love that the CARES harness is so easy to carry – weighing just 1 lb and fitting into a small 6″ bag (included), the harness can be stashed into your existing carry-on bags for effortless storage and access.

Brimming with doubt, my husband, mother and I boarded our non-stop flight to Paris with little Anna.  We had really talked up the plane trip to her so she was pretty excited by the prospect of having her own seat like a big girl, but the idea of it and the reality are often very different things.  We were also worried about how easy the CARES harness really would be to install on the seat and so we boarded early to get settled.  Often when children’s products claim to be “easy to use” I find that while it might be easy for someone with an engineering or rocket science degree it is a challenge for a mom with a squirmy kid.  But the CARES harness truly lived up to its claims and took less than a minute to install – in fact, we were somewhat in disbelief that it really could be that simple, but after checking and rechecking a few times we were reassured and buckled Anna in to her big girl seat.

The CARES harness mimics the same sort of belt and buckle that a car seat uses and so there really wasn’t anything different as far as Anna’s experience.  Even though she knows that when she’s in her car seat she isn’t allowed to try to unbuckle herself and needs to sit in her seat, I was amazed at how seamlessly she transitioned to using this harness on the plane.

And, miracle of miracles, she sat through the entire flight without making a peep.

We had arranged to have a car service pick us up and drop us off at the airport for arrival and departure and I discovered that you can frequently ask these companies to have a car seat pre-installed for you.  When we arrived, Adam double-checked the car seat and its installation to make sure it was safe and off we went to the City of Lights!

The CARES harness was not only wonderful to use on the plane itself but it also meant that we didn’t have to worry about dragging a car seat all over the place.  Often when traveling you can’t check-in to your hotel early or there is some kind of delay and hauling that heavy, cumbersome seat with us everywhere would be a real inconvenience.  Since the CARES harness is approved by the FAA and is constructed of the same material the adult airplane seatbelts are made of, I felt very comfortable entrusting Anna’s safety to this product.  But I was thrilled beyond words to discover how simple it really made our flight experience with a toddler!

CARES is available at www.kidsflysafe.com, Amazon.com and other retailers near you!

I have received compensation in the form of products from CARES in exchange for this post, but the views and opinions expressed are solely my own and no other compensation – monetary or otherwise – was received.

When you’ve visited your local Sam’s Club recently you may have noticed a green kiosk near the entrance to your club (at least, that’s where it is in mine!).  In fact, you may have walked right by it without realizing that you were walking past hundreds of dollars in savings with the Sam’s Club eValues program!

Ignore the bad haircut and focus on the savings...

That’s right, I said hundreds of dollars in savings.  The eValues program allows you to save money on every day products that you probably already purchase at Sam’s Club.

There has never been a better time to become a Plus Member and enjoy the eValues!  This Labor Day Sam’s Club has over $300 in extra savings loaded onto your card from September 1st-6th, 2010!

I’ll be posting all this week with more details about the eValues program and my experiences as a member.  So check back tomorrow for more information or head over here to read more now and sign up today!

Sam’s Club provided me with compensation for my participation in the Labor Day eValues Campaign.

If you read my last post about Sam’s Clubs eValues campaign, you know that I love to use this great program to save money on every day products at Sam’s.  But now you may be asking just how the program works!

As a Plus member you will automatically have eValues loaded on to your membership card.  You have the option of either logging in to your account online or visiting the kiosk inside your Sam’s Club to check out your eValues offers, whichever is easier for you.  If writing down lists isn’t your thing then print out your available offers at the kiosk and head off shopping!

After you finish your shopping and head to the check-out aisle you’ll find how much easier it is to shop with eValues instead of traditional coupons.  Instead of fumbling about with paper coupons and realizing after you’ve left the store that you missed half of them on the bottom of your purse, eValues are pre-loaded onto your membership card so that they are automatically deducted at check-out.  No checking expiration dates, no tedious clipping, no frantic searching last minute for a coupon you’ve misplaced.  eValues takes care of all the unpleasant aspects of shopping with coupons while still saving your family money on the things you buy every day!

This is the perfect time to upgrade to a Plus Membership and start receiving eValues!  This September 1-6, 2010 Sam’s Club will be adding an extra $300 in savings to your eValues account.  I can’t wait to check out my eValues and see what I can save on my favorite products!  Check out more information here and sign up today so you don’t miss this great promotion!

Sam’s Club provided me with compensation for my participation in the Labor Day eValues Campaign.

Element Bars was created by two people who loved energy bars but were shocked by the false nutritional claims made by the manufacturers.  They found that a lot of bars that claimed to be “all natural” and nutritious were in fact packed with unpronounceable ingredients, high-fructose corn syrup and all sorts of unhealthy additives.  Maria and Jonathan hit their kitchens running and emerged with bars that were not only great-tasting but also packed with things like nourishing fiber and protein while significantly lowering saturated fat.

The most innovative feature of Element Bars is the ability to create your own bar out of tons of different fruits, nuts, candy and just about anything you can think of to put in a bar form.  You begin by choosing your Core, which is the kind of base that you prefer – chewy, oaty, crispy or datey.   If you like chewy or crispy bars, you can then pick whether you’d like peanut butter or almond butter.   Is organic your thing?  All but the date bar offer an organic option.  From there you begin to choose your ingredients from the categories of Fruits, Nuts, Sweets and Boosts.  Each category offers several choices that are guaranteed to make your mouth water!  Whether you like raisins, apricots, soynuts or chocolate chips, Element Bars has something for everyone!  I particularly like the Boosts section, where you can choose from whey protein, soy protein, immunity, omega-3 or fiber to customize your Element Bar to your personal nutritional and physical needs.

I love that while you’re creating your custom Element Bar you can check out the Nutrition Facts as you go and adjust it as you see fit according to your particular specifications.  Whether you need your bar to have a certain calorie count or are looking to hit a distinct number of grams of fiber, Element Bars allows you as the consumer to really build a product that works for you.   I also love the Bar Power Key where you can see the benefits of your custom bar such as antioxidants, heart health and improving memory, strength and muscle.  For someone with specific needs these tools are invaluable and provide a great insight to help you create the best Element Bar for you!

If you aren’t inclined to build a custom bar Element Bars has a great selection of pre-built bars too.  Check out the Nuts about Health bar to load up on protein-packed nuts and a great crispy taste , the Race to Recovery to help your body process those tough workouts or the Livin’ Lean to have a low-calorie, low-fat treat without blowing your diet.  Or if you’re drawing a total blank and aren’t sure which Element Bar would fit you and your needs the best, take this handy quiz and let Element Bars show you which options would work well for your lifestyle and diet.

Element Bars sent us a few different bars to try.  The Choco-lata-fun has a yummy combination of a chewy base with walnuts, chocolate chips and pumpkin spice.  The Choco-lata-fun was definitely Anna’s favorite, but I didn’t mind as much that she was eating chocolate because of the nutritional values it had.  Detox Therapy – with an oaty base and brown rice syrup, blueberries, pumpkin spice and both immunity and fiber boosts – is earthy but sweet and was a great choice for an afternoon snack.  But my favorite was definitely the Energizer Bar:  oaty base, walnuts, blueberries, brown rice syrup and a soy protein boost.  The Energizer Bar is the perfect bar to grab on-the-go to keep your energy level up or to toss in your backpack and head out on a walk or hike.

Head over to www.elementbars.com and create a great personalized gift for someone you love or just treat yourself to some well-deserved custom energy bars.  You won’t be disappointed!

WIN IT! One lucky winner will win 1 box of Element Bars (12 count) to customize to your tastes  (ARV $36)!!!  To enter, please visit Element Bars and tell me what you’d put in your bars AND become a subscriber of this site (if you aren’t already)  You MUST confirm your subscription for it to count!  I check all entries and if you are not a subscriber, your comment will be deleted.  That’s it!

Comments will close on September 3, 2010 at 10 PM EST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). Open to continental US entries only (no Hawaii or Alaska). Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement of the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

I have received compensation in the form of products from Element Bars in exchange for this post, but the views and opinions expressed are solely my own and no other compensation – monetary or otherwise – was received.

Extra Credit:

Enter any other giveaway on my site.  THREE extra entries per giveaway.

Follow Element Bars on Twitter.  Leave your username for verification.  Two extra entries.

Follow me on twitter AND tweet about the contest. – You may do this daily for an extra entry.

“Like” Element Bars on Facebook.  Leave your name (first, last initial) for verification.  One extra entry.

Comment on any non-giveaway post.  Leave link or name of post that you commented on.  One extra entry.

Grab my button!  Post it on your own blog and leave me the link to find it.  Two extra entries.

Follow me on google friend connect. One extra entry.

Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.  You may have 3 entries for this.

Click on one of the very cute buttons below and digg, stumble, fav, etc. Just let me know what you did in the comments!  One extra entry each.

In fact, as soon as you visit their website you can tell that you’re in for an extraordinary hotel experience.  With an impressive collection of over 50 hotels and restaurants across the country, Kimpton has properties in just about every major city and destination.  Some cities, such as New York and Washington DC, are home to several Kimpton hotels!  But the most fun part of Kimpton Hotels is that each hotel is completely unique – every property has a distinctive theme that is present throughout every element of your stay.

The best lobby EVER.

When we were planning our trip to Washington DC for my brother-in-law’s wedding, we started out searching for a hotel in our usual fashion.  We have found that what works best for our family is to find a hotel with suites – not the crazy expensive penthouse suites, but hotels where most of the rooms are larger and often have more than one room.  That way we are able to put Anna’s bed in one section of the room and close it off a bit so that Adam and I can still watch a movie or have the lights on without disturbing her too much at night.  I was intent on finding a hotel close to the location of the wedding reception in Dupont Circle and when researching our options I stumbled onto my favorite travel discovery in years: Kimpton Hotels – in this case, the Hotel Rouge.

Kimpton’s Hotel Rouge is one of the most unique and exciting properties where I have had the pleasure of being a guest!  The theme of the Hotel Rouge is a color – red – and from the second you arrive at chic, modern lobby with its red walls and ceiling-high white chair (much to Anna’s delight) you know that you’re in for a different kind of hotel experience.  With 127 deluxe and stylish guestrooms and 10 specialty rooms, the Hotel Rouge is large enough to have the amenities you look for in a typical hotel but small enough to frequently be greeted by name by the staff.

Hotel Rouge even takes something as mundane as room types to a new level.  While most hotels have a few different room types to choose from, the Hotel Rouge has five rooms that would bring a smile to even the surliest teenager’s face!  Each room comes standard with such amenities as a 37” LCD High Definition TV With Premium Cable Channels, fully stocked honor bar and complimentary high-speed internet access (if you become a Kimpton In-Touch Member, which I completely recommend!).

A few other highlights include:

- You can actually rent a Playstation 3 or a Wii for a small nominal fee and the games are free to borrow from the front desk

-Complimentary hosted Red Wine and Red Beer happy hour from 5-6 PM, Monday through Friday

-Complimentary hosted Bloody Mary and cold pizza on weekends (yes, you read that right!)

-Complimentary “Strike A Pose” Yoga Program – With Yoga Mats, Yoga Channel & New Age music

-24-hour fitness center

Truly unique and innovative rooms!

Upon entering our room for the first time, we were literally speechless.  The room was HUGE!!  All of the Rouge’s guest rooms are 450 square feet, which is about double the square footage of most hotel guest rooms.  And, most importantly, our Chill Entertainment Room had a completely separate room (with no door, but three full walls) set up as the ultimate game room with a second 37″ flat panel tv, modern furniture and access to a Wii or Playstation 3.   For our purposes this was the perfect place to set up Anna’s bed and still be able to have privacy and some sound barrier while she was sleeping.  The beds were incredibly comfortable and challenging to get out of in the morning, too!

The Hotel Rouge is also home to one of Washington DC’s most chic and stylish bars in the Bar Rouge.  Bar Rouge is a continuation of the Hotel Rouge’s decor, with the striking red walls and accents and unique furniture guaranteed to make you want to sit and stay awhile.  For families, Bar Rouge also functions as the restaurant where you can sit and eat breakfast and dinner (no lunch served) in style.

Traveling with pets?  The Hotel Rouge doesn’t just accept pets, they welcome them!  When you enter the lobby there is the sweetest chalkboard sign that welcomes your pets to the property, complete with the name of your furry friend written on it!  There is a dish of fresh water and some yummy pet treats and you can request a comfy doggie bed or local tags if you need them.  If your pet needs to come with you to Washington DC make sure they have a great vacation too and treat them to a stay at the Rouge!

The super cool Bar Rouge

Kimpton Kids is their children’s program and it’s one of the best ones I’ve seen.  Each child is greeted with a Kimpton Kids welcome gift and they are made to feel special with touches such as kid comment cards to tell Kimpton about their experience at the hotel, child-size animal print robes available for loan and a list of kid-friendly activities in the area.  Parents will love that they can have a high chair or booster seat in every restaurant and you can have one delivered to your room for easy mealtimes!  Kimpton even offers in-room child safety kits, complete with outlet covers, toilet locks and nightlights.  We had a crib delivered to our room for Anna to sleep in and it was sturdy, up-to-date and I’m told it was even comfortable!

One of the most important aspects of a hotel stay for us is Room Service.  It’s a luxury that I look forward to every time we travel and it is something of a necessity with a child napping around lunchtime and getting ready for bed around dinnertime.  That said, Room Service is one of the biggest causes of sticker shock on a vacation – small pots of coffee (which give you, like, half a cup of coffee) are often $12 or more.  But when I checked out the Room Service menu at the Hotel Rouge I was pleasantly surprised.  While certainly more expensive than eating out, the Rouge’s Room Service prices were actually reasonable.  We ended up ordering breakfast twice and I was so taken with what I had that I ordered it both times – an egg BLT and potatoes that were so good that I practically had to hide in the bathroom to eat before my family tried to steal it all!  They had wonderful fresh fruit and yogurt that Anna loved, too.  Perhaps our favorite Room Service item from the Hotel Rouge ended up being something we ordered as an afterthought late one evening – the most delectable Red Velvet cupcakes ever!!  Everything arrived promptly, hot and not crazy expensive – what more can you ask for?

It doesn’t happen to me very often that I discover a new hotel or chain that I fall in love with the way I’ve fallen head-over-heels for Kimpton Hotels.  I had my concerns about a boutique hotel being able to fulfill my needs as a parent with a toddler but I can honestly say that the Hotel Rouge went above and beyond at every opportunity and exceeded every single one of my expectations and wishes.  Whether it was the milk and cookies sent up for Anna before bedtime, the personal greetings from the staff each morning (although every time they said “Good Morning, Mrs. Cashman” I looked around for my mother-in-law) or the enormous room with its thoughtful set-up, the Hotel Rouge was one of the most impressive lodging experiences I’ve ever had.  Before we travel anywhere in the future we will absolutely be looking to see if Kimpton has a hotel in the area!  I look forward to discovering more of their properties and their individual themes and quirks and I know without a doubt that my family and I will be treated to a one-of-a-kind hotel stay with touches that make you feel at home and extras that make you wish you never had to leave!

Visit www.kimptonhotels.com to discover Kimpton properties near you or your vacation destination.  Happy travels!

Thank you to all who entered!  I love Igigi clothes and I know you will too – visit www.igigi.com and buy yourself something nice!

The winner of the Luna Lullaby Bounce A Bye Baby giveaway is Melissa!

Again, thanks to all who entered and if you didn’t win visit www.lunalullaby.com for your very own Bounce a Bye Baby!

Congratulations!  I have sent the winners an email and if I don’t hear back within 48 hours I will choose a new winner.

We were seated in a super cool booth with ceiling-high red panels surrounding the table, giving it a very private and cozy feeling.  The back wall of the booth had a little “spy” window through which we had a great view of the kitchen, which is something I always enjoy.  Zola describes their cuisine as “straightforward American”  – you will recognize every dish on the menu but still be pleasantly surprised with the sophisticated flavors and accompaniments they have chosen to bring your old favorites to life.

On this uncomfortably hot day in DC, our server recommended that we start with their fresh squeezed ginger-infused lemonade.  We weren’t disappointed!  The lemonade arrived in a 14 oz pilsner glass and was topped with a bit of hibiscus syrup, which made for a striking presentation that we couldn’t wait to try.  Adam and I both ordered it and were beyond words with how good it was!  The lemonade was both sweet and tart, not to mention perfectly chilled, and we each had a couple throughout our meal.

The appetizer we chose was the Watermelon and Aged Goat Cheese Salad, which consists of grilled ramps, crispy shallots and pink peppercorn vinaigrette.  I have to say that this particular dish was unbelievably good!  We were so taken with it that we’ve been trying to replicate it ever since we got home – I don’t think there’s a higher compliment than that!  The crisp sweetness of the watermelon played perfectly with the mellow tang of the goat cheese, while the light vinaigrette provided the perfect backdrop to round out this favorite dish.  We would go back to Zola just for more of this one appetizer!

I chose the Salmon BLT sandwich with grilled salmon, applewood smoked bacon, butter lettuce, heirloom tomato, avocado mayonnaise and chips on the side.   Now, I’m a fan of salmon and a fan of BLTs, but I wasn’t quite sure how I would feel about them together.   This sandwich was fantastic!  The salmon was cooked perfectly, the bacon was crisp and the avocado mayonnaise was incredibly good.

Adam had the Chicken Burger, with caramelized onions and apples, triple cream cheese, potato-egg salad.  He especially liked the potato-egg salad and had a hard time finishing because the portion was generous.   Chicken burgers aren’t typically something he would order in a restaurant because unless it’s done well it can be disastrous.  But Zola’s Chicken Burger was flavorful and filling and the toppings and accompaniments were well-balanced.

Our server suggested their chicken tenders for Anna, which she of course enjoyed thoroughly.  Truthfully, Adam and I enjoyed them just as much!  I love the fries at Zola – they’re perfectly crispy and wonderfully seasoned.  I found Zola to be very family friendly and would be thrilled to take my family back there again!

Zola was a fantastic treat after such a great day at the International Spy Museum.  We had an excellent meal that was so memorable we’ve tried to recreate some of it at home!  For those of you who are fortunate enough to live near Zola, I can’t recommend this restaurant enough.  It’s the perfect place to take a date, have an impressive event or just bring the family for a nice dining experience.  We’ll be sure to visit Zola again when we return to Washington DC!

Zola is located at 800 F Street NW, Washington DC 20004 and can be reached at 202-654-0999 or www.zoladc.com.

If I’m going to give someone a gift I want it to be something memorable and shows them that I am attentive and aware of the things that they love.  Especially when the gift is to commemorate something important, like an anniversary or a wedding.

Recently my husband’s best-friend got married to a wonderful woman after being a single dad for several years.  We were thrilled beyond words to welcome his new wife to our circle of friends!  The wedding itself centered around their shared love of the beach – the ceremony and reception were at a beautiful location on coastal Maine and the decorations, favors and cake were all ocean-themed.  Adam and I were fortunate enough to be part of the wedding: he was the Best Man, I was the Maid (I hate the term “matron”!) of Honor and Anna even got to be the Flower Girl!  After the happy couple left on their honeymoon and the wedding excitement faded, I felt like I wanted to do something to honor their union and celebrate the creation of their new family.  So when Courtney from Nature’s Notebook contacted me it was perfect timing!

“Nature’s Notebook was born of a spiritual connection to the ocean and its beaches. Drawn to the soft sandy edges of the sea, artist Courtney Noelle has always felt inclined to inscribe words or names, thoughts or dreams into the ever-changing landscape of the beach. Something about its tumultuous fate, an uncertainty that parallels our own lives, makes sea sand the perfect tablet for expression.  And what better way to capture that expression, the memory and the magic of the beach forever, than in a photograph.” – NaturesNotebook.com

I grew up near the ocean and live about 45 minutes away from the closest one now, but the beach and ocean are an integral part of the culture here in New England.  From lobster rolls to Cape Cod to Gloucester to whale watching, when you grow up around here you almost take the beach for granted.  It is easy to forget what a spectacular and awe-inspiring place it really is and when I took at look at Nature’s Notebook I realized that I had done just that.  Whether taking a walk in the sand or building sand castles with kids, the beach is a place of healing and renewal and I am fortunate to live a short ride away from some beautiful ones.

Nature’s Notebook specializes in capturing thoughts, feelings, dreams, special dates and names and pretty much anything that’s important to you in a beautiful beach photograph.  Courtney will custom create your personalized beach writing and send it to you – you also have the option to have a gorgeous frame or canvas.   Whether you memorialize a loved one that has passed, send good thoughts and wishes to a friend who needs them or give that special someone a gift they’ll have forever, Nature’s Notebook will etch in the sand whatever you’d like and give you a keepsake that is sure to bring joy to the recipient.

I asked Courtney to put the names of our newlywed friends in the sand.  While I was expecting a beautiful photo, I was even more impressed with the final product.  The picture arrived elegantly framed and sturdy.  The color photo is simply stunning and I knew that this gift would be something our friends would cherish for years to come!

WIN IT! One lucky winner will win a personalized beach photograph (unframed) just like the one I received (ARV $40)!!!  To enter, please visit Nature’s Notebook and tell me what you’d like inscribed in the sand AND become a subscriber of this site (if you aren’t already)  You MUST confirm your subscription for it to count!  I check all entries and if you are not a subscriber, your comment will be deleted.  That’s it!

Comments will close on August 27, 2010 at 10 PM EST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). Open to continental US entries only (no Hawaii or Alaska). Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement of the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

I have received compensation in the form of products from Nature’s Notebook in exchange for this post, but the views and opinions expressed are solely my own and no other compensation – monetary or otherwise – was received.

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Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.  You may have 3 entries for this.

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Does anyone else think this is the most inappropriate sand sculpture EVER?!

The Grand Prize winner of some fabulous Bath Cookies is Janet!

Here are the lucky ten runner-up prize winners!  Each will win a 100% Vegan Lip Balm in Latte Liscious from Eco-Chic Body Care!

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all who entered!  Visit Eco-Chic Body Care for their amazing bath and body products!