The Soul Mom

5 Great Getaways for Moms! - ad

2011-06-25T04:43:00.001-07:00

Being a mom means being busy and we all need deserve a breather! Click the photo above for great getaways for moms!

I don't know about you, but a get-away is a relished treat that I barely have the opportunity to take advantage of. But the truth is, we mom's sometimes need to steal a moment here and there to re-charge if nothing else. It's best for us and it's best for our families. It's okay to give yourself a treat now and then!

When is the last time you had a get-away?!

TV Programming for Kids...Qubo Gift Pack Giveaway-CLOSED

2011-04-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

I have read many the article about how TV is not the best for kids…. but my kids still watch TV anyway. I, personally, do not believe that TV will turn a child’s mind to mush. When it comes to TV programming, I try to make sure that whatever is on the TV is educational and my little cuties walk away being enlightened and smarter, not brain dead and numb.

I don’t know about you, but I watched plenty of TV when I was a child… and I think that I turned out alright. Some of my favorite shows were “The Smurfs,” “The Littles,” and what little girl didn’t look up to “Shera.” I have very fond memories of remember racing to the TV to watch these shows on Saturday mornings.

Qubo is one of those channels that offer the type of quality children’s programming that I love and remind me of my own childhood. Programming with characters that can serve as positive role models and episodes full of teachable moments. Favorite, classic programming like “The Magic School Bus,” “Babar,” and “Sheldon” are among the many shows that you can catch on Qubo.

Do you remember your childhood TV favorites? Share and enter for your chance to win the Qubo prize pack.

Qubo is giving away a Qubo prize pack to one lucky Soul Mom. The prize pack includes a Qubo-branded t-shirt, cinch pack, beach towel, silly bands of characters, notebook, jump rope, and character game/puzzle.

My little preschooler was very excited to get her gift pack. The first thing she tried was the jump rope, and she’s still working at it.

TO ENTER, answer the questions below in a comment:

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CHILDHOOD TV SHOW?

WHAT CURRENT TV SHOW DO YOU THINK OFFERS THE BEST CONTENT FOR CHILDREN?

Open to US residents only. Giveaway ends 4/22/11 at 11:59 EST.

Good luck!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Brush-a-brush, brush those teeth!

Chuck E Cheese 5th Birthday Success!

2011-03-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today, my first born daughter turns five. She's been acting like a "big girl" for years now (yes years), but it's finally starting to feel official. Nail polish, lip gloss, tights, skirts and fancy dancing fills the air. I smile at her blossoming girlieness... I miss my cuddly baby. They all grow up one day and it's her day. Five here we come and we're celebrating with a party!

While I had initially planned to do it up big style for her 5th birthday, I gradually came off that idea and wanted to do something manageable. I didn't want a party at the house and after searching children's museums and other possible locations in the city, my husband simply recommended....Chuck E. Cheese. "Chuck E. Cheese?!," I squealed, "I CAN'T STAND Chuck E. Cheese." Of all my adult memories of Chuck E. Cheese NONE of them were particularly good (my childhood memories were of love for Chuck E. Cheese). Screaming poor-behaving kids, crowded game floor, hectic, just hectic. I didn't want my daughter's 5-year-old birthday party to be hectic.

But my husband reminded me that she loved Chuck E. Cheese. It is her party after all. I thought about it and I knew he was right. She would love it and at the end of the day, that's what really matters.

From the moment I told her she was having her birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese I knew it was the right decision. She lit up with joy. She reminded me how much she loves Chuck E (the mouse). She couldn't wait to see him. She was so very excited. We bought her a very special big girl outfit, had her big sister do her nails and toes in pink polish topped in glitter, whipped up a fancy big girl hairstyle and off we went to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate her 5th birthday with family.

The place was hectic, but my birthday girl (my birthday star) had so much fun, that it was all worth it. Some of the many highlights:

The games: I rarely saw the birthday girl during the party she was so busy running around with her cousins playing games. While the games and "rides" seem so simple to me, they seem to suit her fancy just fine.

Chuck E.: She just loves Chuck E and the moment he hit the floor she ran to him like a lost relative.

The Ticket Blaster: The machine had everyone's interest on high and she could not wait to get in. I told her to try to get the big tickets and off she went. And she did a great job, although most of the tickets ended up in her inflatable birthday crown.

Our hostess: I don't even remember her name, but she was awesome. She worked great with the kids, she kept the birthday girl happy and was always smiling. She was perfect. I could not have asked for a better hostess.

It was a great day and I knew that my birthday girl had a wonderful 5th birthday. Happy 5th birthday Miss Saada!

Thinking of a party at Chuck E. Cheese? Here are a few tips that can help it be as successful as possible. If not, give it a thought and consider the below.

1. Go early. We had a 2:30 party and that was too late. 11:00 is probably ideal. The place will be less crowded and you'll be happier.

2. When reserving space, err on the high side. Depending on how much space you reserve, you may have to pay a minimum regardless of how many people show up, but it's best to have more space than less. We reserved space for 50, while maybe half showed up. In the end we may have paid for 1 or 2 kids that didn't show and it was worth it to have the space to spread out.

3. If you can get it, reserve space by the wall with booths for the parents. Being in the middle of the floor can be pretty tight.

4. Bring coupons. Chuck E. Cheese has coupons online that can help with purchasing additional food (for the adults) and tokens. We were able to use two of our coupons while at the party.

5. Play the Ticket Blaster online game. You can win 30 tickets for each game you play. I played about 10 times before the party and brought the printouts to give to guests as they left to redeem their tickets on the way out.

Helping My Children Achieve

2011-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the makers of Pine-Sol® for sponsoring my writing. A study shows a clean smelling home can help children succeed, so Pine-Sol® is supporting Reading is Fundamental (RIF) this year. Click "Like" on Pine-Sol®’s Facebook page here and they will donate books to RIF!

Being a parent can be tons of fun, but it is also a lot of work. Having a little person’s life in your hands is a huge responsibility and you have to take it seriously. My husband and I always have our children’s future in mind and we do everything that we can do to help them achieve and set a foundation for a successful future.

We start with love. I believe that making sure that your child knows s/he is loved sets the foundation for positive self-esteem and positive self esteem sets the foundation for achievement and success. We shower them with kisses and hugs, we tell them we love them and we know that they believe it. Our girls are proud, confident and loved.

We stress learning. Children look to their parents to outline the road on which they travel. In our home, we work to set a road that is built on learning. We read every day. We find educational programs for our children to watch on TV. We purchase educational games and toys. We find educational websites for our children to surf on the web. We know that our children will look to TV, games and toys for entertainment and we make sure that some of the entertainment will also help them learn.

We explore their talents. Every child has a talent and some kids are lucky enough to have a few. As parents, it is our job to uncover our child’s talents and invest in their development. All of our girls have shown strength and interest in swimming from an early age and we have invested in classes to help develop their swimming abilities.

We celebrate success. There is nothing better than your child knowing that you are proud of them and what they have achieved. We reward everything that our children achieve from straight A’s and cheerleading championships to successfully reading through a book and coloring in the lines. Our children know that we see their effort and nothing makes us happier than seeing them at their best.

While there is no roadmap to guarantee that my children will achieve all that I envision for them, there are things that my husband and I do every day to help them along the way. Our goal is to give them the best start and while we feel we are doing a great job at it, we still look for new opportunities to help them every day.

Don't forget to click over to Pine-Sol®'s Facebook page to support our children's success. I was selected for this Pine-Sol® sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Dry Winter Skin Needs Dove Cream Oil Shea Butter Body Wash

2011-02-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

Winter time is finally approaching its end, just a few more weeks until it’s finally Spring. I can’t wait for warm weather and trips to the park. And my skin can use some rejuvenation as well. Wintertime brings more than just frosty cheeks and snow-bitten noses. The brisk air zaps skin of needed moisture and can leave your skin quite dry and flaky. Yuck.

In desperate need of some relief from my dry wintertime skin, I was happy when the folks at Dove approached me to try their new Dove Cream Oil Shea Butter Body Wash. I was super excited to see a shea butter body wash (the first one I’ve run across, although I am pretty sure others exist). Plus, Dove’s technology is perfect for winter skin, combining nourishing and moisturizing elements to help skin keeps its natural moisture during baths or showers. I was already a Dove body wash fan with my most recent favorite being the Go Fresh cool moisture body wash in cucumber and green tea scent. So needless to say, I couldn’t wait to try a new body wash described as a whipped blend of cream infused with shea butter. Yay.

I already had high expectations for Dove body wash and after three weeks of using this product, I can definitely say that this product has met my expectations. My skin, usually dull and dry from the winter, felt soft, smooth and moisturized. But my favorite thing about Dove Cream Oil Shea Butter Body Wash was the scent...warm vanilla and brown sugar. Yum. It’s relaxing, calming and combined with a rich lather….your skin comes out of the shower feeling and looking much better than it went in. Plus you feel sweet and yummy. I even tried it on my preschooler and she loved it too. Skin on the little ones also need some TLC now and then.

I have to say that I am now hooked now on this product and have not stopped using it since it arrived. (Sorry Go Fresh body wash). I even think that I may give the shea butter beauty bar a try (doesn’t that sound great!) If you feel your winter skin is parched and could use some relief, I definitely recommend giving Dove’s Cream Oil Shea Butter Body Wash a try. You won’t be disappointed and your skin will thank you.

For more information on Dove’s products visit http://www.dove.com/.

Dove provided one 24 fl oz bottle of Dove Cream Oil Shea Butter Body Wash for this review, but it does not influence my post or my opinion of this product. My writing and my perspective is mine alone.

Baby Girl Afro Tee- Review & Giveaway- CLOSED

2011-02-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

I haven’t written anything about Black History Month this year… shame on me. But is has been on my mind. This past weekend, I attended a Black History Fair hosted by my mother-in-law, so do know that Black History Month has not been forgotten in my household!

I recently received two super cute, and oh so groovy, shirts for my girls courtesy of Region USA and I knew that the Black History fair was the perfect place for them to wear them. I love, love, love the Fro Zoe character that is used for the girls’ apparel and no better place to show that kind of girlie soul than at a celebration for Black History (with their own afro puff of course). In addition to girls’ apparel, Region USA also sells apparel for little boys and the funkiest soulful t-shirts for women.

Keyah rocks the purple Fro Zoe shirt... go'on girl

Saada the little diva strikes a pose... she works it

My toddler received the purple shirt and my 4 (nearly 5) year old preschooler got the yellow shirt to sport. Both shirts were super soft (something that is important for the clothes my children wear) and I must say… boy did they look cute!

Sister love and afro puffs... gotta love it!

They got tons of compliments on the shirts at the Black History fair… they were a bonafide hit!

If you’ve got a toddler or preschool girl and you know that they would just look oh so cute rocking a Fro Zoe shirt from Region USA, today’s your lucky day!

Region USA and The Soul Mom are giving away one size 2T purple Fro Zoe shirt AND one size 5 yellow For Zoe shirt (just like you see above) to two lucky Soul Moms!

Yellow T size 5

Check Fro Zoe's "Power to the People" fist

Purple T size 2T

Huggable!

To enter, visit Region USA website and pick your favorite tee (could be women’s or kids). Leave a comment below indicating your favorite AND the item that you’d love to win (purple 2T or yellow 5T tee). Comments close on Sunday, February 27th 11:59 EST. Open to US residents only. Winners must respond within 48 hours of being contacted or winner announcement or another winner will be selected.

Want extra entries? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one. Be sure to leave additional separate comments for each additional entry. Thanks and good luck!

FOLLOW TheSoulMom publicly via Google Friend Connect (1 entry)

LIKE TheSoulMom on Facebook (1 entry)

LIKE Region USA on Facebook (1 entry)

FOLLOW TheSoulMom on Twitter (1 entry)
TWEET about this giveaway. Tweet “Win a FREE cute afro t-shirt for your toddler or preschool girl from Region USA and @thesoulmom http://bit.ly/gpjcru #soulfulgiveaway” (1 entry)
You can tweet once a day, but remember to leave the URL to each tweet as a separate comment. You must have at least 50 followers for this entry.

ADD TheSoulMom button to your sidebar. Make sure to include your blog link and let me know where to find the button. (3 entries). Please post your comment 3 times

Region USA provided two Fro Zoe T-shirts for this giveaway and will be providing the prizes for this giveaway at no cost to me, but it does not influence my post or my opinion of this product. My writing and my perspective is mine alone.

Fun Indoor Project- Castle Cake!

2011-01-31T10:46:00.000-08:00

While I warmly welcome February (who isn’t excited about Valentine’s Day chocolate), I must say that I cannot wait until February is over and I can feel the kiss of Spring. Wintertime means inside-time, which is usually pretty boring and drab, but luckily the great folks at CSN are allowing me to review a product that will allow me to have some quality and fun inside-time with my girlies.

With over 200 stores and thousands of great products to choose from, it was tough to choose the perfect indoor project. My preschooler would probably have preferred that we reviewed one of the swing sets for kids (what kid wouldn’t), but being more practical, I selected a too-cute castle cake pan.

Everyone loves cake and baking has always been an activity where my daughters and I have lots of fun. And a castle cake… the decorating opportunities are endless.

Remember to check back and see our final masterpiece. Trust me, it’ll be…. sweet!

Happy New Year- Resolution Solutions

2011-01-04T08:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had happy and healthy holidays and is charged to have a better 2011, I know I am. Like many, I have set my new year’s resolutions and have made some positive change at least in these first 4 days of 2011. I feel like I am already fitting better in my jeans (baby weight be gone) and I am making as many moves as possible to find a cozy house for my family.

But the reality of new year’s resolutions is that most people spend one month making positive change and 11 months business as usual (and I so admit that I fall into that category). To actually be successful at achieving your new year’s resolutions, one must have a plan of action, a roadmap to success.

When I think “plan of action” I think “work “and I am going to borrow a few elements from the work-world to help in setting a roadmap and achieving new year’s resolutions:

Set measurable goals now- Put a number, a date, a quantity (something that you can measure) on your resolutions now and steadily work toward that goal. Running a marathon is awesome, but which one, when, where and how quickly do you hope to finish?

Be realistic- Great lofty resolutions are fabulous and fuels the fire in your soul. I agree that you should aim for the stars, but do try to set yourself up for success and be realistic with what you hope to accomplish. We probably could use more of this in the business world. I have seen many a business plan not met due to expectations that could not be achieved even under the best conditions.

Set milestones- These should be stair steps that help you get to your ultimate goal. Setting (and meeting) smaller goals is a lot easier than looking at the large looming goal over the hill. If you need to lose 20 pounds by June 1st that means you need to have lost 10 pounds by March 1st.

Give yourself a mid-year review- On or about June 1st, look at your resolutions and evaluate what you have accomplished. Have you met your milestones? Have you already achieved your goals? Are you on track to achieve your goals? Are you at risk of not achieving these goals? Take this opportunity to self-correct your path so that you can meet your new year’s resolutions, you still have six months and you can still do it!

Give yourself a final evaluation- Don’t forget to evaluate your success at the end of the year. Many people are so past their resolutions by the time December rolls around it’s like it never happened and they are on to the next. Do yourself (and your plan) justice and evaluate what you accomplished. Marvel at your successes and use your learnings to establish new resolutions and goals for the coming year.

Good luck!

A Little Soul for Your Christmas Music

2010-12-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I went on a mission to compile the most soulful collection of Christmas music that I could. I searched high and low, picked my favorites and loaded them onto the ipod. I set out to create a collection of covers of all the traditional holiday music, but ended up with a combination of traditional covers and new music... all wonderful!

Want to add a little soul to your Christmas playlist this year? Here are 30 songs from my soulful Christmas collection. You are sure to find something you love in this list!

1. Donny Hathaway This Christmas
2. Alicia Keys Little Drummer Girl
3. Destiny’s Child 8 Days Of Christmas
4. Mariah Carey All I Want For Christmas Is You
5. Luther Vandross Every Year, Every Christmas
6. Lou Rawls: The Little Drummer Boy
7. Stevie Wonder One Little Christmas Tree
8. Boyz II Men Let It Snow
9. Faith Evans A Christmas Lullabye
10. India Arie and Stevie Wonder Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
11. Christina Aguilera Angels We Have Heard On High
12. Babyface Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
13. Jackson 5 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
14. Toni Braxton The Christmas Song
15. Boyz II Men Do They Know
16. Patti LaBelle O Holy Night
17. Tamia The Christmas Song
18. Destiny’s Child White Christmas
19. Brian McKnight Christmas Time Is Here
20. Mariah Carey Joy To The World
21. Luther Vandross Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
22. Supremes My Favorite Things
23. Stevie Wonder What Christmas Means To Me
24. Jackson 5 Give Love On Christmas Day
25. Babyface Sleigh Ride
26. R. Kelly World Christmas
27. Ashanti Hey Santa
28. Eartha Kitt Santa Baby
29. Babyface Winter Wonderland
30. James Brown Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto

Enjoy!!

Black Friday Success… Closer to Christmas Completion

2010-11-27T12:06:00.000-08:00

Black Friday was a successful shopping day in my household getting us pretty close to being complete with our holiday shopping. (Yay) I bought lots of gifts for the family and even a few things for the house. I got great deals and steals and felt that I really stretched my holiday shopping dollars.

I was up in the wee hours of the morning, but I didn’t brave the cold… I didn’t stand in any lines… I didn’t get a bracelet… I shopped online.

I know some love the thrill of the shop and being able to touch and feel what they buy. Some people may even love the thrill of rushing in with the crowd when the stores open and grabbing up that awesome doorbuster. And maybe I might enjoy it too, but with a 1.5 year-old in tow, there was no way I could take part in those fun holiday shopping activities. Online it is. Luckily, most retailers make online Black Friday shopping just as productive as in-store shopping.

While I did get a TON of things that I wanted, I missed out on a few and learned a few lessons that I can definitely take into next year’s Black Friday bonanza. The key to success in online Black Friday shopping is speed and here are 10 tips to helped with fast (and effective) shopping.

(1) Plan, plan, plan. All retailers will have their Black Friday circular online. Look through them days in advance and decide what you want to buy. You can also reference the many Black Friday websites like http://bfads.net, http://www.blackfriday.info, http://www.black-friday.net, http://www.theblackfriday.com, etc. Make a list (check it twice) and keep it handy.

(2) Do all your research on shipping and savings coupons at least two days in advance. Make a list of online codes and keep then at the computer. You’d hate to forget a free shipping, or extra saving code that could help add to your savings.

(3) Make sure you have a list of everyone you want to buy gifts for with sizes (if you are planning to buy clothes) at the computer. You don’t want to have to spend time contemplating sizing or realized that you missed someone.

(4) Set-up an account at all of your destination sites. Add your shipping information and billing information. This will make for speedy checkout, which will guarantee that you get your items before someone else sneaks in and checks out quicker.

(5) Don’t let technology fail you. Make sure that your computer is plugged in, fully charged, ready to go. My cord accidently fell out and the computer just died while I was shopping. I panicked, but luckily it didn’t have a huge impact on my shopping.

(6) Use online list services. Many retailers allow you to create a shopping or wish lists. I created these on my destination websites, so when it was time to shop all I had to do was go into the list and start putting things in my basket. Easy breezy.

(7) Drop it in the basket now. If the item is currently online and available for purchase (some aren’t), make a shopping basket and drop in the item. Once the sale starts, the price should adjust to the lower price in your shopping basket (make sure to check). Note, some items will not be able to be purchased (or even viewed) online until Friday at some point. Look at the small type in the circular… if it says it will be available online, it will!

(8) Have everything ready to go an hour or two in advance. Have all of your destination sites open, logged-in, with lists set and shopping carts/bags full at about 10:00/11:00 pm. When it’s time to shop you’ll be ready.

(9) Keep checking. Some sites do not start their sales exactly at midnight (and you wonder, as I did... what time zone anyway!), so you may have to keep checking. I actually didn’t start my shopping until 3:30 am or so (awaken by my toddler, who happily sat in my lap as I shopped before falling back asleep). Remember, many items are in limited quantity, so you’ll want to try and start your shopping as early as possible to catch the best deals and hottest items.

(10) Split up your orders (if needed). If you KNOW an item is hot, probably in limited quantity (too good to be true pricing) and you happen to be able to successfully put it in your cart CHECK OUT IMMEDIATELY. You can always go back and shop for other items after you secure this hot purchase. I lost a cool camera for my preschooler this way. I waited too long and by the time I was ready to checkout, all the quantity was gone. : ( You will have to balance shipping costs by taking this approach, so use it sparingly.

Here's to finishing-up Christmas shopping... did anyone say Cyber Monday???

5 Fabulous Foods I Want To Eat for Thanksgiving

2010-11-23T09:35:00.000-08:00

I know that it had been a while since I have posted. I have officially neglected my blog, but I am in the mood for turkey day and wanted to share the top 5 foods that I’d like to have for Thanksgiving. Yum!

1. Grilled jerk turkey breasts. My husband JAMS with these. He made them last year for Christmas and trust me, you have never had turkey like this. The breasts didn’t even have the texture of turkey. It was fabulous! I am so working on him to see if he’ll throw a few on the grill. Grilled Boneless Turkey Breast Recipe (just marinate in your favorite jerk marinate overnight)

2. Stuffed sweet potatoes. I love sweet potatoes and usually make mashed sweet potatoes which are fantastic. Sometimes they taste like a sweet potato pie without the crust. But I ran into a recipe for stuffed sweet potatoes the other day and although I have never had this, it just seems like it would be the BEST! I won’t be having these stuffed potatoes this Thanksgiving, but a girl can dream. Stuffed Sweet Potato Recipe

3. Cornbread dressing made with turkey sausage and cream of chicken and cream of celery soup. I love, love, love dressing and someone just told me about a recipe that included cream of mushroom and cream of celery soup. Although I’ve never eaten it, it sounded fantastic and I felt that I just had to try it. This year, I am making a small pan of this experimental dressing. I have high hopes! Cornbread Dressing Recipe (just replace chicken with turkey sausage and replace one can or cream of chicken soup with cream of celery)

4. Red Velvet Cake. For some strange reason, I have totally been on a red velvet kick fueled by the AWESOME red velvet cake served at Grand Lux and the red velvet cheesecake cake served at The Cheesecake Factory. While I initially wanted to try and make this cake, I am short on time, but luckily Sam’s Club is selling a Cheesecake Factory red velvet cake that has a layer of cheesecake. Bingo! Cheesecake Factory Red Velvet Cake

5. Not Yo Mama’s Banana Pudding. I love banana pudding in all forms. Cooked, uncooked, you name it. But this recipe is to die for. Every time I make it, it gets raving reviews and the best part is it is super easy to make. I switch up the recipe a little and use vanilla wafers on the bottom with a middle layer of vanilla wafers and bananas. So delish and I am definitely making this for Thanksgiving… actually two pans. Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding Recipe

So it looks like I’ll be getting most of my top 5 foods. I’ll save the stuffed sweet potatoes for a rainy day and let’s just hope that my husband feels like spending some time in the chilly Chicago wind grilling turkey breasts.

Hope you get your favorite foods this Thanksgiving!

Boogie Wipes Winner!

2010-10-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to addictedtocloth! You are our lucky winner of 2 30-count packs of Boogie Wipes, just in time for winter!

Thank you for everyone who participated and stay boogie free!

Boogie Wipes Review and Giveaway- CLOSED

2010-10-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately the Midwest is saying goodbye to warm weather days and the cool weather has rushed in. With the change of weather also comes cold season. Coughs, fevers and runny noses here we come. My little girlies have already been victim to cold germs, filling our home with tiny coughs and runny noses. I swear that my toddler spends more days with a runny nose than without.

Luckily, two creative moms tired of sore runny noses and snotty sleeves invented Boogie Wipes.

Boogie Wipes are “snot your average wipe.” These wipes come is a 30-count pack are made with saline to dissolve stubborn boogies and make nose wiping a breeze. In addition to dissolving boogies (which these wipes do amazingly well), the wipes are super soft and come in fun scents like grape, fresh scent, menthol as well as unscented.

My girls and I love Boogie Wipes. I will usually pull out a baby wipe for messy noses, but Boogie Wipes feel better, work better and even smell better. For once, I don’t have to fight the kids (although I have gotten really good at wiping a nose at amazing speed) and it actually makes nose-wiping something that the girls are excited about. Our favorite scent was grape. I actually think they spent more time smelling the wipe than using the wipe!

Little Keyah loves wiping her nose with Boogie Wipes!

If you haven’t tried Boogie Wipes already, you should and here’s your chance. The Soul Mom is giving away 2 30 count packs of Boogie Wipes to one lucky reader.

To enter, visit Boogie Wipes website and pick your favorite scent. Leave a comment below indicating your favorite. Comments close on Saturday, October 23 11:59 EST. Open to US residents only. Winners must respond within 48 hours of being contacted or winner announcement or another winner will be selected.

Want extra entries? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one. Be sure to leave additional separate comments for each additional entry. Thanks and good luck!

SUBSCRIBE to TheSoulMom via Email and confirm that subscription (1 entry)

FOLLOW TheSoulMom publicly via Google Friend Connect (1 entry)

LIKE TheSoulMom on Facebook (1 entry)

LIKE BoogieFans on Facebook (1 entry)

FOLLOW TheSoulMom on Twitter (1 entry)

FOLLOW BoogieMoms on Twitter (1 entry)

TWEET about this giveaway. Tweet “Stay boogie-free this cold season! Win FREE Boogie Wipes from @boogiemom & @thesoulmom http://bit.ly/90JOSM #soulfulgiveaway” (1 entry)
You can tweet once a day, but remember to leave the URL to each tweet as a separate comment. You must have at least 50 followers for this entry.

ADD TheSoulMom button to your sidebar. Make sure to include your blog link and let me know where to find the button. (3 entries). Please post your comment 3 times

While you're on the Boogie Wipes site, make sure you join the Boogie Bunch and find out how your little one can get his/her own friend Boogs!

Good luck!

Please note, I was provided a free pack of Boogie Wipes for this giveaway, but it does not influence my post or my opinion of this product. My writing and my perspective is mine alone.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month... Keep Your Breasts Best

2010-10-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

As many of us know, October is all about the boobs and this year we celebrate National Breast Cancer Awareness Month’s 25 year anniversary. More than just a time to don your pretty pink ribbons, it’s a time to become better educated about risks, treatments, and preventative measures against breast cancer as well as a time to celebrate the strength, resilience and for some, the memory, of those who fight and have fought this disease.

With almost any disease early detection and treatment leads to more lives saved and less deadly consequences. African American woman are more likely to die from breast cancer than our Caucasian counterparts and detection is at the core. African American women have a five year survival rate of 77% after diagnosis as compared to 90% for white women. Why? With African Americans breast cancer is detected at later stages, when the success rate of treatment drops. In addition African American women under the age of 40 have more aggressive and deadly tumors, need earlier and more frequent breast cancer screenings, and aggressive medical treatment to increase their survival advantages.

This means that regular high-quality mammograms and clinical breast exams (done by a medical professional) are critical for early diagnosis and treatment. Self breast-exams are also important, but cannot replace a clinical breast exam. Mammograms are recommended every 1-2 years for women over 40, but for African American women these should start at age 35. There are plenty of sources for mammograms including breast clinics, hospital radiology departments, mobile vans, private radiology offices, and doctors’ offices.

If you are looking for more information or resources for African Americans and breast cancer, I invite you to explore these organizations.

Sisters Network

Their mission is commitment to increasing local and national attention to the devastating impact that breast cancer has in the African American community.
www.sistersnetworkinc.org

African American Breast Cancer Alliance

Celebrating 20 years of providing hope, awareness, education, emotional and social support to breast cancer survivors, their family members and the community
aabcainc.org

This October… learn more about breast cancer, get a mammogram or a clinical breast exam, cherish the memory of those who have lost their fight with breast cancer and celebrate the spirit of those who survive.

CARA B Special Discount for Soul Moms!

2010-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, this offer has now expired! I'll keep you abreast of any upcoming offers from CARA B!

The great folks at CARA B are sharing the love and have provided a special discount available only to Soul Mom readers! Now you can try the all-natural, chemical-free hair and body products for your kids at a steal!

Visit CARA B's website, pick your favorite all-natural, chemical-free products and enter SOULMOM20 at checkout for a 20% discount on all products!

If you missed it, I had the opportunity to try CARA B products on my girls' hair and loved it! You can find my review here. I also spoke with the ladies of CARA B and shared the story behind their product. Check out the post if you missed it.

Offer good until October 4, 2010

The Soul Mom is Blog Hopping!

2010-09-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

Today I am participating in several blog hops! A blog hop is a way for fellow bloggers to get to know each other and follow each other. Feel free to visit the blogs below to get to know (and follow) some awesome bloggers.

Here's to Happy Hump Day hopping!

National Childhood Obesity- Don't Let it Hit Your Family

2010-09-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

As you’re starting this new school year with your child, take the opportunity to focus on learning, growth and don’t forget healthy eating. September is national childhood obesity awareness month and all parents need to take heed as one in three American children is overweight or obese, making childhood obesity a national crisis. So if your cutie isn’t a little overweight, you’re lucky because his best friend or classmate surely is.

The task of tackling childhood obesity may seem great, but lucky for us First Lady Michelle Obama has taken childhood obesity as her personal cause and has pulled the best, and most presidential, of resources to fight this battle. In February 2010 Michelle Obama launched “Let’s Move,” a campaign to end childhood obesity. On the same day the program launched our fair President, Barack Obama, signed a presidential memo to create the Task Force on Childhood Obesity to review current programs, develop a national action plan and at the end of it all, leave our kids with healthier eating habits and smaller waistlines.

Let’s Move will help make sure that your kids are eating healthier in school... now isn’t that a relief. The program is focusing on vending machines (making unhealthy snacks and soda less available) and school lunches (providing healthier options for kids) as well as increasing physical activity and exercise.

And if that’s not enough, several civil rights organizations have teamed up to fight childhood obesity in the African American and Hispanic communities, where the crisis had hit hardest. These organizations include the League of United Latin American Citizens, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Council of La Raza, and National Urban League. These organizations are working through their own resources to help make positive change.

These resources are and will be fabulous, but remember that habits start at home and biggest difference can be made with you. Need some tips to get healthy behavior jump-started in your family?

Here are 10 tips that have worked to encourage healthy habits in my household.

1. Have plenty of healthy snacks around. We always try to have fresh fruit on hand for snacking. Grapes, strawberries, apple slices and cherries (for older children) make great finger food that is easy to pop in the mouth while watching TV. Yogurt can make for a sweet after dinner treat, all of my kids love it!

2. Reduce the amount of unhealthy snacks in your home. If it isn’t there, they can’t eat it. We try to keep chips and other sweets to a minimum and only buy for special occasions. For big candy holidays like Easter and Halloween we allow the kids to collect all the candy they can, but they are only allowed to eat small quantities and the rest is trashed (most times they never notice that the candy mysteriously disappears).

3. Bake, don’t fry. Instead of frying fish, chicken or even fries for your family, bake it. It’s less labor intensive (just pop it in the oven) and there are endless options for marinades and seasoning. I think that I have tried nearly every salad dressing on a piece of chicken!

4. Serve veggies. Each meal should have veggies or a salad. Our kids don’t love all veggies, but I try to make the veggies that they do like and they all love a fresh garden salad... with ranch dressing. Don’t be afraid to introduce your child to new vegetables along the way. You cannot eat broccoli at every meal.

5. Drink healthy too. Sugary drinks can be just as bad for kids as sweets and junk food. We keep only 100% juice and juice boxes in our house and encourage (and often demand) water drinking at meals.

6. Lay off the fast food. Despite the efforts, most fast food restaurants still have TONs of unhealthy choices, limited healthy options and let’s face it… it’s pretty hard to resist those delicious fries. Planning and preparing meals at home can eliminate the desire and need to stop for a quick burger on the way home. No need to watch your will-power break down right before your, and your children’s, eyes.

7. Get to moving. Whenever the weather permits we let the kids go crazy outside. Whether the park, riding bikes, or just playing in a backyard, we encourage them to run and play til their hearts are content... even at that the expense of dirty clothes and rundown shoes.

8. Get them in a class. We have had our kids in swimming, gymnastics, cheerleading and more to come. Scheduled classes guarantees regular activity, teaches discipline and can also help to teach better physical form and sometime better posture.

9. Talk about it. Kids won’t know they are making poor choices unless someone tells them. My kids clearly know the difference between a bad and a healthy snack and that bad snacks are few and far between (sorry). They know that veggies are good and that they have to eat them to not catch flack at the dinner table.

10. Set a good example. Children watch us for models of how to behave. If we shovel bad food in our mouths and sit back lazily with little activity, we can’t be mad if they follow in our footsteps.

Here’s to healthy, and soulful, habits!

Resources & Sources
Let’s Move
Presidential release on Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
Civil rights organizations fight childhood obesity

CARA B Hair Products Review and Giveaway- Winner Announced!

2010-09-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Mrs. Carter!

She won a gift basket of the complete line of CARA B Naturally hair and body products! All-natural and chemical-free.

Thank you to everyone who participated and be on the lookout for more soulful giveaways!

Soulful Blog Post Titles I Love

2010-09-15T06:21:00.000-07:00

Today is Day 3 in the SITSGirls Back to Blogging event. Today I am sharing a post title that I am particularly proud of.

I'll actually share two titles...

Loving on Breastfeeding.... From the Mouths of Moms

This was actually one of three articles "From the Mouths of Moms," but I thought the first part was warm and fuzzy... exactly the feelings you get when you breastfeed your child (well... after the first week or two).

Birthday Love for Our Soulful Disney Princess

This title was one of my favorites, but I eventually changed it to be more search engine friendly (Princess Tiana Birthday Love and Party Ideas). The original was cute (I thought) but I did realize that missing "Tiana" may be an issue, so alas, I changed it.

The Back to Blogging event is sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliances

Don't Forget Soulful Stories

2010-09-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

Today is Day 2 in the SITSGirls Back to Blogging event. Today I am sharing posts that I wish more readers had read, which would be the Soulful Stories... Profiles of Motherhood.

I launched the Soulful Stories series for Mother's Day as a way to highlight the wonderful women in my life, each with an inspiring and delightful story to share.

Soulful Stories to date are:
A Mommy Over 40- Margaret Murray
Mom to an Autistic Child- Elaine Thompson
Mom to a Biracial Baby- Lia Rogers

For new Soul Mom readers, please take a few moments and read their stories. Each is uniquely beautiful.

Look for more Soulful Stories on the horizon. And if you know a mom who's soulful story of motherhood needs to be shared, contact me at thesoulmom [at] gmail [dot] com and let me know about her.

The Back to Blogging event is sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliances

Revisiting the Past- The Beginning of the Soul Mom

2010-09-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

I decided to take part in a Back to Blogging event sponsored by the wonderful SITSGirls, where bloggers take the opportunity to re-charge their blogging skills.

The first challenge is to revisit, and re-post our first blog post. For me, that's not even a year ago, as I started my blog in November 2010 (yes I am still a newbie).

The post was introduction to the blog and what I hope to accomplish....

For a while now, I have had a thought about creating a website for African American moms... for Soul Moms. Not that there aren't some sites already out there, because there are. But I wanted to create something of my own that addressed all the issues that I face daily as a mom of color in the ways that I wanted them addressed. From my perspective. Issues like raising our children of color to have a strong sense of culture, combing African American kids hair, ethnic authors and book reviews, women of color and breastfeeding and so on and so forth. The list is endless....!

So this blog will be a place where these topics and issues are covered. Hopefully it will be a place where people can learn and share and right off the back I am asking for participation. Send me the topics that you want covered or explored, books that your are enjoying or recommend, activities or resources that you'd like to share. And become a follower, become a Soul Mom.

Thanks and here's to soulful motherhood!

Fast-forward to today and I still have the same focus... on African American parenting and mommyhood, but I do have to say that I enjoy having readers and interacting with moms from all cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Any mom can be a Soul Mom and I hope that all moms find something wonderful on this blog. I have enjoyed growing my readership and look forward to many more soul moms... of all cultural backgrounds.

The Back to Blogging event is sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliances.

Grandparent's Day- Celebrate the Grandparents in Your Child's Life

2010-09-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

I am a little (one day) late, but still wanted to take the time to write about National Grandparents Day. In 1978 President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation designating the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparent’s Day and kids have been making hand-painted coffee mugs for grandma and grandpa every since.

Now, other than the fantastic art projects made in my grade school youth, I don’t celebrate National Grandparents Day. But I have, and do, celebrate the grandparents in my life every day and want to take this opportunity to share a little of the joy that they bring to me and to my children.

As African Americans, extended family plays a large role in family life and the Grandmas, Grannys, Big Mommas, M’dears, Grandpas, Papas and Paw Paws are sometimes critical resources in raising and rearing our children. My husband and I depend on our parents, grandparents, great grandparents and even god parents to not only shower our children with love, hugs and kisses but with knowledge and direction as well. They tell stories and teach lessons. They love and cherish our children. And for us parents, even provide a little break so we can reconnect as adults without tiny feet, laughs and sippy cups filling the air.

I didn’t have the chance to ask, but if I asked my three girlies the top 10 reasons why they love their grandparents (and great grand, and great great grand, and great god parents) so much… this is what I think they’d say:

1. They love us soooo much (I mean to the moon and stars and back and then again)
2. They give the best hugs and kisses (the best “sugar”!)
3. They tell the best stories (especially about my parents)
4. They are the best babysitters (so much fun!)
5. They throw the best tea parties (more tea please)
6. They have the most water guns (supersoakers and all)
7. They always have treats (chocolate and cake and…)
8. They help us blow out birthday candles (you need a little help sometime)
9. They are the best cheerleaders (support me no matter what I do… or how I do it)
10. Did I say that they love us soooo much?!

Enjoy the grandparents in your family. Help your children cherish their hugs, kisses, wisdom and love today and every day.

CARA B Hair Products Review and Giveaway- CLOSED

2010-09-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Having 3 little girls means that in addition to playing the role of cook, house cleaner, driver and launderer, I will also play the role of hair dresser and personal stylist for many years to come. I spend my evenings and mornings trying to determine not just the cutest hair style, but the healthiest hair style for my girls.

I am also always on the search for the best products for their hair. I feel like everything is full of chemicals, good for hardened adult scalps, but possibly harmful to their little scalps. So I was very excited when I got the opportunity to try out CARA B Naturally's natural and chemical-free hair products for African American children. Yay.

You never get a decond chance to make a first impression and my first impression of CARA B was... classy. The packaging was so beautiful and you could tell that love and care went into packaging these products. I loved the natural paper shreds and simple green ribbon. I didn't want to unwrap it! But I did.

I could not wait to use the products. I shampooed the girls' hair with the shampoo/body wash and used the baby bar soap for washing. Note, I never use bar soap on the kids, but I wanted to try it and I am glad it did. While in the tub I decided to add the leave-in conditioner to their hair. After bath, I followed up with the body lotion and added the moisturizing mist for during my daily nighttime hair-styling.

I have to say that I just love the products. The shampoo lathered up well without the need for a lot of product. The baby bar did not leave any film like I expected. The lotion keep their knees and elbows ash-free all day. The leave-in conditioner de-tangled their hair... even my baby's tiny tangles, which usually make for lots of tears during styling. Lastly, the mositurzing mist has become my styling best friend. All of the products smell so good! I took my girls to visit their great-grandma after using the products and she kept saying how great the kids smelled.

I was concerned about the products working as well as the usual ones I used, especially for my preschooler since I use products with "hold" for her curls and ringlettes, but it worked wonderfully. Her curls and ringletts were perfect and held their shape just as good as any gel that I might use... and with lots of shine. In fact, my husband commented that he thought her hair looked better.

For my baby, I really don't put anything on her hair so I was so glad to find something chemical-free- no more wild and free hair. It kept her curls shiny and well-formed... perfect!

As you can see, I really loved the products. They worked beautifully, smelled amazing and were chemical-free. You really can't ask for much more.

Do you want to try out CARA B Naturally's products for little cutie? Here's your chance.

The Soul Mom is giving away a CARA B Naturally gift set of the complete product line (value $65) to one lucky Soul Mom. Go natural with your child’s hair!

To enter, visit http://www.mycarab.com/, pick your favorite product and leave your comment below. Comments close on Sunday, September 12th at 11:59 EST. US only. Winners must respond within 48 hours of being contacted or winner announcement or another winner will be selected.

Want extra entries? Do any or all of the following and receive extra entries for each one. Be sure to leave additional separate comments for each additional entry. Thanks and good luck!

SUBSCRIBE to TheSoulMom blog and confirm the subscription (1 entry)

FOLLOW TheSoulMom blog via Networked Blogs (2 entries) Please post the comment 2 times.

FOLLOW TheSoulMom blog (via Google Friend Connect) (1 entry)

LIKE TheSoulMom on Facebook (1 entry)

LIKE CARA B Naturally on Facebook (1 entry)

FOLLOW TheSoulMom on Twitter (1 entry)

FOLLOW carabnaturally on Twitter (1 entry)

TWEET about this giveaway. Tweet: “Win natural and chemical-free hair and body products for your child from @thesoulmom & @carabnaturally #soulfulgiveaway http://bit.ly/9tqb6S” You can also RT TheSoulMom’s giveaway tweet. (1 entry) You can tweet OR RT once a day, but remember to leave the URL to each tweet as a separate comment. You must have at least 50 followers for this entry.

ADD TheSoulMom button to your sidebar. Make sure to include your blog link and let me know where to find the button. (3 entries). Please post the comment 3 times.

FOR 5 EXTRA ENTRIES - BLOG about this giveaway (it can simply be a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways), with a link to my blog and come back and leave the link to your blog post. Please post the comment 5 times.

CARA B Naturally provided a free gift set for review and is providing the prize for this promotion at no cost to me, but this does not influence my opinion of this product on impact my review.

Natural Hair Products for Soul Babies...a Q&A with CARA B Founders

2010-09-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Styling African American hair has, and will continue to be, a rich and seemingly never-ending source of conversation, tips and advice. When it comes to our children, there is no difference. We are always on the hunt for something new and better for our hair and our children's hair to make it beautiful, to keep it healthy. I have recently been on a mission to increase the hair health of my daughters, so when I ran across CARA B Naturally products, I was not only excited, I knew that I had to share this wonderful find. CARA B Naturally is a new chemical-free and all-natural skin and hair care line developed specifically for African American children.

I reached out to the founders of CARA B Naturally, Landra Booker Johnson and Kristi Booker, to learn all I could about CARA B products.

Who are the founders of CARA B Naturally?
CARA B Naturally was founded by sisters Landra Booker Johnson and Kristi Booker.

In addition to serving as the Company’s CEO, Landra plays an active role in several youth-focused organizations. She also has 10 years of broadcast television news experience and is a former Capitol Hill Correspondent. Her two children are the inspiration behind CARA B Naturally.

Kristi serves as the Company’s Chief Marketing Officer. A marketer by trade, Kristi has excelled in multicultural marketing for some of the country’s biggest brands including Colgate Palmolive, The American Cancer Society, Volkswagen and Lowe’s Home Improvement.

When was CARA B Naturally founded?
The inspiration for CARA B Naturally came in 2006 when Landra’s son was about a year old. The Company was officially formed in 2009 and launched in July of 2010.

What are CARA B Naturally products?
The CARA B Naturally product line addresses the skin and hair care needs of ethnically diverse babies and children. The line includes a Shampoo/Body Wash that is clinically tested and tear-free, a Leave-In Conditioner that also serves as a Daily Moisturizer, a Moisturizing Hair Mist that’s perfect for improving manageability and quick styling on the go, an allergen-free Body Lotion, and a Baby Bar Soap.

What makes CARA B Naturally special?
CARA B Naturally is the first and only Certified Natural skin and hair care line formulated especially with ethnically diverse children in mind. Unlike other companies that have primarily sold adult product lines and then have branched out into products for kids, our company has a singular focus on ethnic children. We devote 100% of our resources to making sure that our products will meet the needs of this special segment.

Another very important characteristic unique to CARA B Naturally is our certification from the Natural Products Association (NPA), the standard bearer for all-natural products. Our products earned the NPA Seal of Approval following a rigorous evaluation process that verified our ingredients and our promise that CARA B Naturally is, indeed, truly chemical free. When our customers see the NPA Certification, they know that they can trust our products. We are so proud to be the only personal care product line specifically formulated for ethnic children to earn such a distinction.

Why/how was CARA B founded?
Landra- I was inspired after having my first child. Aware of the potentially harmful chemicals that are found in a lot of personal care products, I wanted to make sure that I was using only all-natural products on my infant. I turned to what was available at the time and quickly discovered that those products simply did not meet the specific needs of my son’s skin and hair. My sister and I then began researching available products and discovered that what we were looking for, a truly all-natural line of skin and hair products designed specifically for ethnic children, simply did not exist. It was then that we decided to create one; on our journey we discovered that there were a lot of other moms out there who were looking for the same thing. That’s how CARA B Naturally was born.

Does "CARA B" have a special meaning?
“CARA B” is a loose acronym for our tagline: “Children Are Always Beautiful, Naturally.” This statement speaks to our Company’s overall philosophy. It is very important to us to make sure that our products honor and celebrate the natural beauty of children; we wanted that sentiment to be reflected in our brand as a whole. At the heart of our company is a desire and goal to promote positive images and messages for and about ethnically diverse children that will, in turn, foster healthier attitudes about how they view themselves and others.

Why are natural products important to use?
At CARA B Naturally, we truly believe our children’s skin and hair is naturally beautiful and should be treated as such; it does not need to be chemically altered or weighed down with synthetic products and ingredients. Of greatest concern, however, is the potential negative impact of harsh chemicals on children’s overall health. Emerging scientific studies point to possible links between synthetic and chemical ingredients commonly found in personal care products and serious illnesses and/or chronic diseases and conditions such as early on-set puberty. The interest in chemical free all-natural products is quickly becoming more of a movement within the African-American community, which is very exciting to see! At the same time, the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Congress is now taking steps to research the effects of toxins in personal care products, regulate the ingredients, and advise the public of the potential harm.

While some studies remain inconclusive, and more analysis of the potential harm caused by these chemicals is needed, CARA B Naturally is determined to simply avoid chemicals altogether, and offer only the best all-natural products for your children.

Our Certified Natural products DO NOT CONTAIN: parabens, petrolatum, phthalates, sulfates, phenoxyethanol, mineral oil, sulfates, artificial colors, artificial fragrances, or artificial preservatives.

What is your point of view on commonly used products for African American children?
In our view, unfortunately, most commonly used children’s products that are currently available for, and marketed to, African American families contain potentially harmful synthetic ingredients like parabens, petrolatum, and artificial fragrances. Many products require African American families to choose between products that are safe and natural, but ineffective; or products that may be effective, but are full of chemicals and synthetic ingredients. We don’t think that our families should have to make that choice.

We believe our children deserve something better in regards to premium all-natural ingredients, quality packaging, and positive messaging. This is what we strive for everyday, in everything we do at CARA B Naturally.

What advice do you have for back to school hair styling for African American children?
Do anything you can to save time and be efficient! Some strategies that work well for me begin in the evenings before bedtime: I always make sure I thoroughly brush and comb through my daughter’s hair at night, completely detangling, while applying a light conditioning moisturizer like CARA B Naturally Leave-In Conditioner and Daily Moisturizer. I then part and braid her hair into sections – the same sections that will dictate her hair style for the next day. (Before bedtime, I generally recommend removing all pony-tail holders, bands, or any other hair accessories that can pull your child’s hair as she’s sleeping at night. Leaving accessories in the hair all night can cause unnecessary stress on delicate strands and also make sleeping uncomfortable.) Following that night-time routine, brushing and combing out the hair in the morning is a breeze! I find that using a light misting spray, like CARA B Naturally Hair Mist, is perfect for freshening up a style. Sometimes, when I’m really in a hurry, I don’t even unbraid from the previous night’s style - I simply mist my daughter’s hair, brush over it, add barrettes, and she’s ready to go. And, in the name of saving time, I find the fewer the braids, the better – I generally limit hairstyles to no more than three braids, plaits, puffs, or twists.

We should also be sure not to overlook our boys! We are so happy to have developed a Hair Mist that also works really well for our boys’ close cuts – the aloe in CARA B Naturally Hair Mist is soothing to the scalp and the almond oil provides the perfect amount of shine without any greasy residue.

In general, I also find that streamlining the number of products I use is helpful, and that’s exactly what we had in mind when we created CARA B Naturally. With our combo Shampoo/Body Wash, one product can cleanse your child from head to toe. Our Leave-In Conditioner eliminates the need to rinse out, just when the kids are growing restless in the tub and, because the Conditioner is lightweight and non-greasy, it can also be used as an everyday Hair Moisturizer. The CARA B Naturally Hair Mist can be used as a detangler right after shampooing, and it can also be used everyday to moisturize and provide a light shine. Finally, our Body Lotion is mild enough to use on all your kids – from infants to teenagers (we hear that moms AND dads also love it for themselves too!).

Where can people find CARA B Naturally products? How can we purchase?
CARA B Naturally is now available for purchase exclusively via our website: http://www.mycarab.com/. Customers who place orders of $25 or more qualify for complimentary shipping. We are currently in talks with national retailers and plan to be on store shelves in various cities in the near future.

What are the future plans for CARA B, what can we expect?
In addition to our plans to have CARA B Naturally available in stores across the country, we also have new product development underway. Customers can look forward to seeing an exciting expansion of our premium quality all-natural product offerings as we ultimately strive to provide ethnically diverse families all the products they could possibly need to care for their children’s skin and hair.

As we grow, we will always keep in mind that our “Children Are Always Beautiful, Naturally”.

Soul moms...find, like and follow CARA B Naturally!
CARAB Naturally: http://www.mycarab.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/carabnaturally
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CARA.B.Naturally