Please enter your giveaways in the following format to make it easier for people to read
BLOG NAME – SPONSOR/PRIZE (ENDING DATE)
Example : Jabbering Jessi – Strider Bike (01/24)

MY CURRENT GIVEAWAYS

• Herman T’s BBQ Sauce – Ends 9/7
• Zuvo Water Purator – Ends 9/8
• Protect a Bed Mattress Protector – Ends 9/17

I had my oldest two kids when I was fairly young.  I was 17 when I had Chase and 19 when I had Blake.  I graduated high school 6 months after Blake was born, I had fallen slightly behind being a mom but I did finish with 40 credits which i thought was a great accomplishment since I only needed 30 to graduate.  I was very busy being a mom so did not move forward onto college or university at that time I thought I would wait until both kids were in school.  Little did I know that when Blake was 6 and I was just starting to think about going to school since both boys were in full-time we would be blessed with our little princess and then just a short while later or newest prince.  So now here I am again with two young kids and putting off school.  By the time they are both in school full-time I am going to be too old for school and a career.

American Public University is the solution to my time constraint issues.  I can go back to school, do my courses online while the kids nap, or Lee has them and I can feel like I am going somewhere in my life again.  As a mom being able to do all this stuff from home without the worry of babysitters, schedules and the such is truly a lifesaver.  Want to hear some great things about American Public University (APU), great because I want to share it with you.

Flexibility APU is very flexible in its school schedule.  Unlike a traditional university it offers classes on a monthly basis instead of doing it by semesters.  There is the option for accelerated programs and of course flexible courses that allow you to be a parent and student at the same time while meeting the delicate balance that lies there.   APU courses are 100% online, allowing students to obtain degrees from anywhere in the world – on their time, their schedules.  APU offers more than 100 online degrees and certificates in subjects ranging from homeland security to management and liberal arts to help students gain the knowledge and skills they need to advance their careers

Affordable We all know that planning for our kids future is to be our top priority when our kids are born but what about our futures?  APU understands this and has taken all this into account.  APU’s tuition is amongst the lowest in the country for accredited online universities.

I have had business cards printed four times since I started blogging seriously 10 months ago.  The first time I was unimpressed with the quality from the company and so I knew I had to find somewhere different.  Then I found Uprinting and have had my business cards printed there three times already and am actually getting a fourth set printed very soon.  I know it is a lot of cards but the second set has the wrong URL now since my blog changed, the third I hated my design once I had them printed so I am going in for a fourth attempt haha.  The big thing though is that in all the times I have had them printed with Uprinting I am impressed with the quality and ship time, just not with the other things that I did wrong.

I highly recommend Uprinting for all of your printing needs.  Check out all the cool Business Cards Uprinting has to offer.

~WIN IT~
Uprinting is going to give 250 Die Cut Business Cards for One (1) Winner
Die cutting options available: Rounded Corners, Leaf, Rounded One-Corner, Half-Circle Side, Circle
Paper Type: 14pt Cardstock Gloss, Matte, or High Gloss; 13pt Cardstock Uncoated
Color: 4Color Front, Blank Back; 4Color Front, Black Back; 4Color Both Sides

~TO ENTER~
Tell me what you would use the business cards for if you won.

~BONUS ENTRIES~
Please make sure to leave seperate entries for each thing, if it says you get 5 entries please leave 5 comments.

We have a winner for the mamaRoo.

I have emailed the winner she has 24 hours to respond before we choose a new winner.

Maddisyn is a tiny little girl which I absolutely love.  The one downfall though to her being so tiny is that she has a tiny little mouth.  Having a small mouth I find it very hard to fit a normal kids toothbrush into her mouth between her cheek and her teeth and so I don’t feel her teeth are getting brushed properly in the side which leads to me be very concerned about her oral health.  On top of the toothbrush not fitting properly if I try to make it fit she has a fit because it hurts her mouth (totally understandable) and then when I say it is time to brush her teeth I get an absolutely horrid crying fit from it because she simply does not want to go through the discomfort.

Recently I was approached about trying out Spiffies teeth-wipes.  I have to admit that at first I was not sure of the idea but then I realized hey if it gets her teeth clean and causes her no discomfort then it certainly will not hurt anything to give them a shot.  When they arrived I was pleasantly surprised to see them in an adorable gift bag and the wipes individually wrapped so they are easy to take along if need be.  Maddisyn wanted to try them out right away as soon as I told her that they were for her and Holden so I figured no time like the present.  I can tell you without a doubt that Spiffies is one of the best products I have reviewed on this blog for my kids in a long time.

Spiffies come in three great flavors mango, apple and grape.  Maddisyn loves the grape ones the best and always goes for the telltale purple package when I tell her it is time to do her teeth.  Yes you read that right SHE goes and gets the package and is actually excited for me to clean her teeth, no more huge toothbrush that does not fit in her tiny little sweet mouth, no more yucky tasting toothpaste that makes her gag, and best of all no more horrid crying fits when it is time to do her teeth.  She just grabs her wipe, brings it over to me and sits on my lap while I make sure to clean each one of her tiny pearly whites.  Then when I am done going over her mouth she takes the wipe and goes through her mouth on her own cleaning her teeth.

I feel that because of Spiffies Maddisyn won’t be so freaked out when she does get older and her mouth grows to normal toothbrush sized.  I will have more success with her co-operating and her dental health being great rather then failing.  I also have to say that I love our bonding time we spend together when both she and I are cleaning her teeth up and getting ready to start or finish the day.

I have recently started using Spiffies on Holden as well, he tends to bite me more then anything but I know that I am at least getting him used to the idea of this and getting his little teeth cleaned.  He does not like the grape flavor at all (Maddisyn is fine with that) but he does prefer the mango ones himself for the amount he lets me use them.

My one and only complaint with the Spiffies is the wipe leaves my hands and the kids faces a little sticky, but lets be real here that is not much of a complaint when I think of all the good they have done, a simple wipe with a face cloth and a simple hand washing for me (which I do before and after I do each kids teeth anyways) and we are all clean, happy and ready to face/end our days.

Spiffies is made by a company called DR Products LLC.  DR Products LLC was founded in 2003 by a a practicing pediatrician, and his wife Marti, an experienced businesswoman.  Their goal with the company was to prevent tooth decay in the early lives of all children around the world.  The two flagship products for DR PRoducts LLC are Spiffies tooth-wipes and I Can Brush, a syrup created for toddlers.

Both are centered on the prevention of tooth decay with Xylitol, the ingredient in their products. Over the past 50 years, medical research has shown that Xylitol, first discovered in the naturally sweet part of birch trees, can prevent tooth decay in children and adults when used regularly.
• Spiffies Tooth Wipes are designed for a parent to cleanse the infant’s mouth after feedings. The delicate taste combined with a caring gentle massaging action provides a pleasant experience for both, while conferring a unique health benefit to the baby—in the months and years to come, for that baby, tooth decay may not develop at all. Tooth wipes are ideal for the teething infant.
• I Can Brush is a healthy, all-natural syrup that provides Xylitol protection against cavities and, unlike toothpaste, is safe for toddlers to swallow.
Both Spiffies Tooth Wipes and I Can Brush, and even the Xylitol used to create them, are made in the USA. DR Products has sold more than 4 million Spiffies Tooth Wipes to date.

I want to share with you this short video Maddisyn and I made of us cleaning her teeth.  We just did a quick job so that you could see how easy it is to do without having to sit through our entire routine.  Don’t Maddisyns poor boo-boo nose she was walking around with a cardboard house on her head and walked into the wall and banged up her nose a bit.  But that is a totally different blog post I will get to soon and will be our own PSA in it haha.

~WIN IT~
Spiffies is going to give one of my lucky readers a 45-day supply of Spiffies tooth wipes in an adorable gift bag like the one pictured above.

~TO ENTER~
Go to the Spiffies website and look around then come back here and tell me one of the benefits of using Spiffies wipes (you will find the answers on the Spiffies website).

~BONUS ENTRIES~
Please make sure to leave seperate entries for each thing, if it says you get 5 entries please leave 5 comments.

Ready to cut the wires?

We definitely were if your family is like ours you probably have chargers everywhere for all kinds of devices. Just at the end of the counter in our kitchen there’s a charger for my cell phone, both of Lee’s cell phones, mine and Lee’s Blue tooth Headsets and the kids Ipod thats 6 chargers. What do you do with all those wires? I’ll tell you what we did, we wrapped them all up and put them in the drawer as soon as our powermat arrived.

Powermat is a wireless charging station with solutions for many devices. First, you have the mat itself. A simple looking flat black plastic mat that plugs into the wall. Then there’s the Powermat receiver, whether it be a case, battery door replacement or the universal power cube with multiple different tips available for all kinds of devices or the iPod/iPhone dock. Simply attach the receiver to your device and then put the receiver on the charging mat. A magnetic attraction between the Receiver and Mat ensures alignment so the most efficient charging can occur. Once the  alignment has taken place you will hear a sound and a similar sound when you take your device off charge, so there’s never any doubt as to if it is connected properly. When a device reaches full charge, power is shut off to that device. This not only saves energy, but it also prevents overcharging of the device’s battery, which can shorten battery life.

The powermat comes in different sizes as well, ranging from single device to the Powermat 3x which gives space for three devices at ones, and there’s also the Portable Mat, which is the one I received, that gives space for up to 3 devices as well as a USB port for an extra. The portable is nice and convenient, it folds up easily and  includes mat, travel case, power cube and 8 power cube tips which will charge nearly all mobile devices.

We love our Powermat so much I’m sure it’s going to be purchased for a few people on our Christmas list as well as a second one for Lee to keep on his desk at work.  The Powermat is a must have for anyone that charges a portable device on a regular basis and is tired of looking at those awful charging cables all over the place.

I also believe that because I travel so much now with both blog and family related things going on Powermat will make it easier on me since I won’t have a baggie, quite literally like a gallon size baggie, of cords to take along.  I can pack my powermat and the charging tips/power brick into my suitcase and be off with one neat little package.  I think that is the ultimate awesomeness myself.

~WIN IT~
Powermat is going to give one of my readers a powermat charging station and case for your phone/device of your choice. ARV 139.98 based on a charging mat valued at $99.99 and an iPhone case at $39.99

~TO ENTER~
Go to Powermat and tell me which charging mat AND which device case you would choose if you won.

~BONUS ENTRIES~
Please make sure to leave seperate entries for each thing, if it says you get 5 entries please leave 5 comments.

My mom used Johnson’s on me, I use Johnson’s on my kids.  I love the no more tears formula that Johnson’s is so famous for especially since my kids never stay still and get water in their eyes and it generally has soap in it.  The one big thing for me is that while I love Johnson’s it like many other products was not “green”, and no I don’t mean the color lol.  I have been doing all I can to make my family greener we do trashless lunches, turn off lights, reusable shopping bags and recently I discovered natural body wash/shampoo products.  I was very torn though as to whether I wanted to switch to a product because it would make me “green” or if I wanted to stay with Johnson’s because it is what I know and love.

Thankfully Johnson’s has now taken my dilemma away and made my choice as a mother so much easier.  Johnson’s has a new line called Johnson’s Natural.  Yay again Johnson’s rocks in my books and hit the nail on the head.  Johnson’s new Natural lineup provides us with a combination of 98% naturally derived ingredients.  It is designed to cleanse, hydrate and nourish baby’s skin.  It is also the very first naturally derived No More Tears Formula and with no parabens, dyes, or essential oils – Johnson’s Natural foaming baby wash, shampoo and lotion proves yet again to be gentle enough for newborns and “big kids”. Not to mention the 60% post-consumer recycled packaging, the products not only naturally work to nurture your child’s skin, but also help protect the environment.

The Johnson’s Natural line consists of head-to-toe foaming baby wash, baby lotion, baby shampoo, 3-in-1 shampoo conditioner & body wash and the 2-in-1 hand and face foaming wash.

I received all 5 of these products to review.  I took the time and tested each of them at least once.  I generally test more then that but unfortunately Maddisyn got ahold of the baby shampoo and well lets just say her dolls hair is super clean and environmentally friendly.  I did get a chance to use it once on each of the babies though .  I found that it was a little thin and so with Maddisyns’ hair it was harder to get it through her hair, but Holden has barely any hair and I found this perfect for his little head and had intended on using it further on him until my sweet angel got ahold of it.

I used the head to toe foaming baby wash and absolutely love it.  I find that it is easier to use and wash the babies with then traditional washes because it does not just run right off of their bodies before I get a chance to use it, it comes out foamy and stays foamy.  I always use baby lotion Holden after his bathes and have since he was a newborn.  I just like how soft it makes their skin and how yummy they smell after wards.  I was concerned that Holden would not smell as good with the Johnson’s Natural stuff but while he does not have that strong smell he still smells yummy.

Maddisyn really likes when I use the Johnson’s 3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner & body wash.  It seems to speed our routine up by just having to wash her hair once and then wash down her body rather then washing her hair twice which means rinsing twice which means two meltdowns over water in her face and then washing her body.  I like it because it leaves her hair smooth and silky and super easy to brush out after bathtime.  Last product I want to tell you about but certainly not the least by any means is the 2-in-1 hand and face foaming wash.  Maddisyn uses this mostly because she stands at the sink and washes her hands and face during our bedtime routine.  she likes to wet her face and then I pump some into her hand and she washes her hands and face and then we rinse.  Her face gets sparkly clean and I feel safe knowing she did not just put a bunch of chemicals on her face to clog her pores.

All in all although I try to avoid change I am very happy I got to do this review and plan on continuing to buy the Johnson’s Natural line as opposed to the traditional line, I think it works well in my house and I love the products.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by  Mom Central on behalf of Johnson’s and received the products necessary to  facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me  for taking the time to participate.

Please enter your giveaways in the following format to make it easier for people to read
BLOG NAME – SPONSOR/PRIZE (ENDING DATE)
Example : Jabbering Jessi – Strider Bike (01/24)

MY CURRENT GIVEAWAYS

• mamaRoo Bouncy Seat – Ends 9/2
• Bumbo Seat and Playtray – Ends 9/3
• Herman T’s BBQ Sauce – Ends 9/7
• Zuvo Water Purator – Ends 9/8
• Protect a Bed Mattress Protector – Ends 9/17

I am slow on announcing these and I apologize but here are the winners of the Monopoly Contest and the Threadless Kids Contest.

MONOPOLY

Threadless Kids

I have emailed all three winners and they have 24 hours to respond before I choose new winners

Protect-A-Bed is hosting the Long Live Your Mattress Sweepstakes at www.protectabed.com. One lucky sweepstakes winner will receive $30,000 in honor of the company’s 30^th anniversary. Ten 1^st prize winners will receive complete bedding protection sets valued at nearly $500. The grand prize winner will also receive a bedding protection kit. The sweepstakes begins Tuesday, Aug. 10 and runs through Oct. 31 and is open to all United States residents. No purchase is necessary and winners will be chosen after Nov. 1.  Protect-A-Bed is based in Northbrook, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. To enter the Long Live Your Mattress Sweepstakes or to learn more about Protect-A-Bed and its products, visit www.protectabed.com.

We have a protect a bed mattress cover on our bed and we have one on Maddisyns bed.  I love them because I feel like my bed is better protected against wear of time, and I am better protected against bed bugs.  I really think that you should all consider a Protect a Bed mattress protector.  One big thing I noticed when I was putting Maddisyn’s on her bed is that it is also waterproof, and for any parent potty training we all know how important waterproof bed protectors are.  I also really like how fluffy it feels when you put a top sheet onto your bed over the protect a bed mattress protector instead of just the feel of the mattress underneath.

Go check out the sweepstakes and enter to be one of the lucky winners.

~WIN IT~
Protect a Bed is going to give one of my readers their choice of one of these three items Premium Mattress Protector (any size), set of Pillow Protectors (any size) or Premium Crib Protector.

~TO ENTER~
Tell me which one you would choose.

~BONUS ENTRIES~
Please make sure to leave seperate entries for each thing, if it says you get 5 entries please leave 5 comments.