Free week at Curves (they have Zumba too)

Hey ladies, Curves is offering a week for free, and they have Zumba too!

Bright Baby Tees Review and Giveaway

As many of you already know, visual stimulation is very important for babies.  Bright Baby Tees offers super comfy, organic cotton tees with black and white pictures that stimulate your baby's brain.  The shirts are printed with phthalate & formaldehyde free inks.  They have many designs to choose from

This is only a couple of the designs that they offer.  I received the one with the alphabet on it and noticed right away how soft the shirt was.  The tee is great quality, not thin and flimsy. 

What is Infant Visual Stimulation?


"Just as good food and exercise can help our bodies grow, good early experiences can help our brains grow. Now there is even stronger evidence that there is a link between brain activity and brain growth..."

~ The Daily Parent - New Research on Brain Development Is Important for Parents

What are the benefits of Infant Visual Stimulation?


•Infant visual stimulation can improve your baby's curiosity, attention span, memory, and nervous system development.

•Babies who are stimulated as much as possible, reach developmental milestones faster, have better muscle coordination, and have a more secure self image.

•Infant Visual Stimulation is an important activity for parents to do for the baby since of the five senses; vision is the least developed sense a baby has at birth.

•Research has found that infants with many things to look at, neuronal connections in the brain will occur quicker which is important for brain development.

I also like the alphabet design because my 3 year old can learn his letters while sitting on my lap.  You can win a Bright Baby Tee of your own, here is how to enter:

MANDATORY ENTRY:
Visit the Bright Baby Tees website then come back and tell me which design is your favorite.  Make sure you leave me your email address in the comment so I have a way to get a hold of you.

Additional Entries:
Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect +2
Follow me on Twitter +2
Like Diary of a SAHM on facebook +2
Subscribe via email +2

This giveaway will end at midnight on March 14th.  Winner will be chosen via random.org and emailed.  Winner will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.  Open to US residents only, good luck!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Resurrecting Anthony Review and Giveaway

Resurrecting Anthony is a book written by Linda and Tony Cole about their son who had a heart attack at age 12.  During the four to five minutes, and 13 shocks it took paramedics to resuscitate him, Anthony’s brain was deprived of oxygen causing him severe brain injury.

The Cole family then has to draw all their courage and face the unusual situation their son is in.  They search for answers which they hope will give them back their son. Linda spends her time planning all of Anthony’s day-to-day care while Tony tries as hard as he can to bring his son back to the person he was before his heart attack caused by a rare abnormal electrical pathway in his heart .  Knowing that they had very limited time before the window for optimal recovery closes, they start an experimental treatment hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), to restore whatever function Anthony has left.


Anthony is now 25 years old and living under the constant care of his family, as well as a dedicated team of health care professionals in and out of the home. In RESURRECTING ANTHONY: A True Story of Courage & Destination, Anthony’s parents share the incredible journey they have taken to accept a new life and family, all while keeping a successful business afloat and raising their daughter Alex.

You can win your own copy of this extraordinary book.  Here is how to enter:

MANDATORY ENTRY:
Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect and leave me a comment along with your email address so I can get a hold of you if you win.


Additional entries:

Follow me on Twitter +2
Like Diary of a SAHM on Facebook +2
Subscribe via email +2

This giveaway will end at midnight on March 12th.  Winner will be chosen via random.org and notified through email.  Winner will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.  Open to US residents only.

*I received a copy of the book for review purposes, all opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review*

I Met Hall of Famer Jim Kelly....and another crappy parenting moment...

Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills and his wife Jill were at Christ Community Church last night, guest speaking and it was a packed house.  They talked about their struggles in their marriage but more importantly about their son Hunter who was born with a terminal illness called Krabbe Leukodystrophy.  They talked about their ups and downs and how spirituality played a role in their life.  I'm not going to go into great detail about everything they said, but it was a pretty powerful interview.  Their son passed away at age 8, and Jill has written a book about his story.  I got a chance to purchase the book last night and have it signed by Jill as well as Jim and am really looking forward to reading it.  Fifty percent of the proceeds of the book sales went to their foundation called Hunter's Hope which was established to address the need for information and research with respect to Krabbe disease and other Leukodystrophies.  The foundation also supports efforts to raise awareness of the importance of Universal Newborn Screening.

This is my inlaws with Jim and Jill, unfortunately I did not get a picture but I did get my book signed.  Their book is called Without a Word: How a Boy's Unspoken Love Changed Everything and is available on Amazon.com.  (This is not a sponsored post).

The night ended in another crappy parenting moment on my part though.  The church is huge and has this section called Kids World for, you guessed it, kids.  So the kids have these rooms and are grouped by age for younger kids, then by grade for older kids.  They have their own auditorium and so on.  So the kids attend Kids World during service and are picked up afterward.  We are kind of new to this church, but after last weeks service they made an announcement for people who wanted to participate in something after the service, their kids would be able to hang out in Kids World so not to worry.  So I assumed that since there was a line to purchase the book and a line to have it signed, the kids would be able to hang out at Kids World.....well I was wrong.  After we got done (me and my in laws, my husband and son were sick) we went to pick up my daughter and saw the lights were off in her room as well as the auditorium, I panicked.  I realize its a church and I'm sure she is safe especially since the kids are given a number when we check in, that matches a number that we get and no one is allowed to pick up a child without the matching number.  But of course there is always a chance that she wandered off, or someone forgot to check a number....anyway I found a volunteer   who said that some other volunteers had walked a couple of kids over to where the book signing was.  They radioed over and yes, she was one of the couple of kids.  Then she appeared walking down the hall with three volunteers around her (kind of looked like she had body guards)...I felt like crap, she was fine just a little worried that I had forgot her.  So for future reference...pick up the kids FIRST.

AM2K Kids Pop 2.0 Review and Giveaway

As a parent of two young kids, I sometimes find the music on the radio a bit inappropriate for them.  It seems like the radio stations let more and more swear words slip by, and the themes of current songs are not that great either.  It seems like every song on the radio has something about sex, drinking, and partying in it.  As a matter of fact, I think there is a huge lack of music for younger children.  AM2K creates age appropriate music for kids, sung by kids, their motto is "taking kids songs to the next level".  Their songs focus on issues that actually affect kids such as bullying and school lunches, and they are also in tune with current trends....just listen to the song "I wanna be Spongebob"! 

These songs are not your traditional kids songs, no Itsy Bitsy Spider on this CD.  The songs are catchy and I don't have to worry about censoring anything.  I actually found myself singing along to the songs. 

"AM2 Kids Music is dedicated to creating age appropriate pop music for children.....Our music is stylistically competitive with today's top pop artists...."

About AM2 Kids

The founder of AM2 Kids Music is Abdus Muhammad II, a.k.a “AM2”. In 2010 he created the company after realizing the importance of music in his own kids lives. AM2 Kids looks to redefine kids music by creating songs that compete with mainstream artists. This challenge is the motivation behind his company, and by the sound of it he is well on his way to making history.

You can purchase a copy of the Kids Pop 2.0 CD for only $5 by visiting the music section of their website.

You can also win a copy of the CD, here is how:

MANDATORY ENTRY:
Leave me a comment with your email address so I can let you know if you win!

Additional Entries:
Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect +1
Follow me on Twitter +1
Like Diary of a SAHM on Facebook +1
Subscribe via email +1

Giveaway will end at midnight on March 10th and winner will be chosen via random.org.  Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.

**I received the music CD for review purposes, all opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review**

May I be Excused?

Every time life catches up to me, and I don't get a chance to post as much as I would like, I feel like I owe you all an explanation :)  Well.... I really do have a great excuse....  First of all, Girl Scout cookies came in and our troop sold over 2676 boxes so they had to be picked up and distributed, money collected and so on.  Moving on, I have two very sick children here, both have double ear infections, both have terrible coughs, and my daughter's first antibiotic didn't work so we are on her second dose.  I feel like I am on a snot and throw up cleaning crew, throw up due to coughing too hard.  To top it all off, my mom got into a really bad car accident (car vs. black ice) and rolled her SUV.  She is fine, but it was scary and the car is totalled.  I feel a little run down but happy I'm not sick and happy my mother is fine.  As I sit here and write this, my husband is heading to Immediate Care because now he feels sick.  So there you go, that is where I've been, but now I'm back and have more great stuff to share with you all.

Save tons of money on kids and maternity clothes!

Why buy new clothes for kids, when you can swap 'em for a fraction of the price? Sign up for Free today! They'll even send you free boxes for sending in your gently used kids and maternity clothing!

Calming Collars Review and Giveaway

As some of you know, Lucy, my Australian Shepherd, has some serious dog anxiety issues....I'm not exaggerating either, I have written about it briefly in the past and you can read about that here.  So recently Lucy (Goose) and I got a chance to review a product called the Calming Collar.  What is it you ask, well....its a miracle. 

I'm a skeptic at times and to tell you the truth, I really thought that there was no natural way to control my dog's insane anxiety.  I am not willing to pay for anxiety medication for a dog, that is not me being insensitive....that is me saying I would rather spend that money on my kids.  Calming Collars are fabric collars filled with a blend of natural herbs.  These herb blends are designed to help with conditions such as , hyper-activity, excessive barking, stress, anxiety and fear due to loud noises, storms and thunder, and separation anxiety, ALL of which my dog has...and more :)

The collars are handcrafted and are filled by hand and all orders are custom made, so you get to choose the size and fabric of the collar as well. The collars have a plastic buckle which makes putting them on and taking them off super easy.  So here are some shots of Lucy in her pretty pink collar

So you can see in the first picture, Lucy was doing a lot of "licking her lips" which is a dog anxiety sign...she does not like to sit still and did not want her picture taken.  Shortly after I took these, she went and laid down and relaxed.  Still doubting that it worked that easily, we put the collar on her again when she was doing one of her "pace around the house and make small, annoying, closed mouth barking noises" episodes....I SWEAR, about two minutes later she was laying down, eyes closing...in perfect relaxation....AMAZING!  I love this product and it is really helping my dog.

The wonderful people of Calming Collars have offered to give one of my readers a collar of their own!  Here is how to enter to win:

MANDATORY ENTRY:
Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect, please leave me a comment with your email address so I can get a hold of you if you win.

Additional Entries:

Like Calming Collars on Facebook +3
Like Diary of a SAHM on Facebook +1
Follow me on Twitter +1
Subscribe via email +1
Put my button on your blog (leave me the url in your comment) +3

This giveaway is open to US residents and will end at midnight on March 8th.  Winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted through email.  Winner will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

250 Free Business Cards

250 Free Business Cards = 250 Free Place Cards = 250 Free Emergency Contact Cards = 250 Free Networking Cards! The cards are free, just pay shipping and processing!

Free 7 day membership to Bally Total Fitness

Get started right! Start achieving your fitness goals and get a free 7 day guest membership.

Winners!!!

I think its time to announce some winners, don't you all think?  Ok, Ok...here they are...

The winner of the Storyland Yoga DVD is number 6 MamaChristina!

The winner of the Boiron Homeopathic Value Pack is number 13 Clenna!

The winner of the Valentine's Day giveaway was number 25 OhMyDarling....Prize has been claimed already.

So the emails are going out now and winners have 48 hours to reply or I will have to do a redraw.
Sponsored by Tomoson.com

Instantpeel Review

I just got to try a really cool new product called Instantpeel.  It is a natural exfoliant that is powerful but still gentle on your skin. For just a fraction of what you would spend at a beauty salon or spa, you can have radiant skin right out of the shower.  It is super easy to use too, all you do is let the shower run for a while and let your pores open up in the steam, then take a little bit of the Instantpeel and rub it on a section of your face with firm circular motion.  You will feel the dead skin peel right off.  Its pretty crazy, and feels like rubbing off some dried on Elmer's glue off of your hands.  It does not irritate your skin or peel off any healthy skin and you will see the results right out of the shower.  I love this stuff, it really does what it says it will do.  I have always wanted a great way to get rid of dead skin without having to pay for microdermabrasion or chemical peels, that just sounds so rough on your skin.  I have also tried an at home microderm from another company, and really did not like how it worked (or actually didn't work)

Use Earthen's InstantPeel:


•For naturally glowing skin — Clinical results show highly significant improvement in skin's radiance and facial rejuvenation following a single application. The elimination of dead skin cells speeds up new skin cell production for noticeably younger-looking skin.


•To dramatically improve skin texture — Studies show InstantPeel's natural exfoliators significantly decrease flakiness. As we get older, the shedding of older skin cells slows down. InstantPeel removes the uneven outer layer of skin cells.


•To avoid the irritation of microdermabrasion and chemical peels — InstantPeel is sensitization-tested for all skin types. Natural proteins bond with dead skin cells to gently lift and peel away instantly.

You can purchase a package of Instatnpeel for $50 by visiting their website.


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Boo to Idol....

So my favorite contestant was eliminated last night on Americal Idol, Emily Ann Reed.  Don't know who she is?  Well here is a little preview...



Her voice is just amazing but they cut her during groups, so now I have to cheer for my second favorite....I'm sure you all remember Casey Abrams...


He just JAMS!!  Who is your favorite??

Dan-e Review and Giveaway

I think that just about every woman I talk to has the same complaints, feeling run down and having a lack of energy.  Dan-e is an all natural daily supplement designed by a gynecologist to help boost energy and mood without stimulants, ignite desire and passion, support health and relieve normal PMS or menopausal symptoms.

As women our hormones and vital nutrients decline with age and stress, making it harder for us to maintain a positive mood, upbeat energy and passion for life. Dan-e replenishes these lost nutrients naturally and restores your body's balance, giving you the Day and Night Energy you need to live the life you desire.

I have been taking Dan-e and have noticed a boost in my energy, which is great, I need all the help I can get sometimes.  Dan-e is made from a blend of pro-hormones and herbs, vitamins and minerals that that our bodies need to produce more energy, passion and a healthy hormonal balance. Taking Dan-e every day restores any deficiencies that you may have and bring your body back to balance.



Ready to try it for yourself?  One of my readers will win their own 30 day supply Dan-e, here is how to enter:

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Leave me a comment with your email address and you are entered!  Easy as pie!

Additional Entries:
Follow me on Twitter +1
Like Diary of a Stay at Home Mom on Facebook +1
Subscribe via email +1
Put my button on your blog +3

This giveaway will end in one week, February 23rd at midnight.  Winner will be chosen via random.org and emailed.  Winner will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.  Open to US residents only.

**I received a sample of this product for review purposes, all opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review**

Get a Free Alaska State Guide

Request Your Free Official State of Alaska Vacation Planner!

Happy Valentine's Day

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!! Hope you all have a great day, filled with love and happiness.  Don't forget there is only  two days left in the 3 day Pure Romance giveaway!

Winners!

I have some winners to announce this morning! 

Firs the winner of the Kidorable umbrella.......and the winner is number 6 Lara!

And the three winners of the RelaxZen giveaway are....number 7 Susie B. Homemaker, number 5 Danelle and number 1 Laurabudcody.

Emails are going out now, and if you did not win this time, try one of my other giveaways.

Spicy Valentine 3 Day Giveaway from Pure Romance (for adults)

Valentine's Day is TOMORROW!  Are you tired of the same old flower and candy routine?  Try something new this Love day with Pure Romance.  Pure Romance was started in 1993 by Patty Brisben to empower, educate, and entertain women. Since then, the company has grown to over 70,000 product consultants who live the company’s mission each and every day.  Pure romance offers a wide variety of Love products, sold in homes rather than in stores,  to offer women a more fun, private, peer-to-peer learning opportunity about romance and intimacy. 

Pure Romance has everything from massage oils to lubricants, arousal cremes to toys and everything in between.  They even offer gift packages, so there is something for everyone no matter how adventurous you are. 

For example, Dust Me Pink is an edible body dusting powder....I really don't think I need to give directions for how to use this product :)

Just Like Me is the natural lubricant that feels just like you.  It is a pH balanced, water based lubricant. The consistency is smooth and easy to control, and the formula is gentle enough for your most sensitive spots. Just Like Me is available in mild Original and Strawberry

Are you ready to give Pure Romance a try?  Well here is your chance, I am giving away a prize pack, the Mini Nights of Passion, which includes the following items (each item is linked to the Pure Romance website where it is described):

AURA

Ex-T-Cee

Escape

SENSATIONS

Sweet Seduction

Wanna win?

MANDATORY ENTRY:

For US residents only, follow this blog publicly via Google Friend Connect, leave me a comment with your email address so I can contact you if you win.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES

Subscribe to this blog via email +1

Follow me on Twitter +1

Like Diary of a SAHM on Facebook +1

Put my button on your blog (leave me the url) +5

This giveaway will end at midnight on February 16th (yes its only 3 days), winner will be notified via email and have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.

Good Luck!

*I received a variety of products for review purposes, all opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review**

Whatcha Cookin'? Treats for Valentine's Day! Link up your creations!

It has been so cold here in Northern IL that all I have been doing is cooking and baking, and of course eating (goodbye diet).  Since  Valentine's Day is almost here....I decided to share with you some great Valentine's Day treats I have come across recently....enjoy!

I'm a choco-holic, so these Crispy Chocolate Hearts are at the top of my list, get the recipe here

I don't know about you, but my mouth is watering right now at the sight of these Red Velvet Cupcakes!

This looks ALMOST too pretty to eat, just sayin....and its flourless

Do you have a special Heart Day recipe?  Link up below and share with us.  Not great in the kitchen?  Link up a Valentine project or craft.  Please no giveaways or anything adult in nature.

THIS LINKY IS NO LONGER WORKING...Not sure why....Sorry