Baby Safety Month with Safety 1st + Giveaway

You may assume your child is always safe at home, but there are dangers in every room that you should look out for. Did you know September was Baby Safety Month? While you’re busy keeping your little one safe year-round, September is a great time to take a closer look at safety features in your home. No matter how your child has grown in the past year these tips are a fit for children at any stage - the crawler, the climber and even the on-foot explorer.

Child Safety Baby Proofing Advice Tips

Healthy Family Giveaway, Ends 10/8

We are excited to partner with Mommy Scene and celebrate Fall and the launch of a new product — Sudsy Dough moldable soap on Kickstarter! What better way to celebrate than with a Healthy Family Giveaway featuring some great family-focused products! Be sure to check out the Sudsy Dough Kickstarter Campaign and all the other prizes below and enter to win!
 
Heathy Family Giveaway Prizes - Mommy Scene

Make Traveling Educational with the LeapFrog Word Whammer

I received complimentary products as a #LeapFrogMom. All opinions are my own.

I know that I have mentioned how I am now a LeapFrog Mom Ambassador. I am so excited to be an ambassador for this brand because I have been a HUGE fan for YEARS. As part of the LeapFrog Mom Squad, we received a ton of awesome goodies, including the LeapPad Platinum and Imagicards. But the first thing my daughter went for was the Word Whammer. You can check out my unboxing video on YouTube.


The LeapFrog Word Whammer is a great way to bump an up and coming kindergartener's letter skills up. With 3 action-packed games and 5 learning levels that adapt as children play, the Word Whammer toy gets kids jamming on phonics skills as they spin, push and twist the handles to identify and build words.

Organic India Tulsi Tea Review

I received complimentary products to provide this review. All opinions are my own.
 
I have never been a huge tea drinker, but since I have started my weightloss journey, I have been trying to kick the caffeine habit (or at least not drink so much). So when I was offered the opportunity to review Organic India Tulsi Tea from Moms Meet, I jumped all over it.
 

Organic India's mission is to provide true wellness for all by offering 100% organic, pure, and natural products. Organic India also strives to create a sustainable global environment by working with thousands of family farmers in India on tens of thousands of acres of certified organic farmland.

How to Throw a Potty Training Party + Giveaway

I'm teaming up with Kandoo to share a fun way to celebrate the potty training process, plus a chance to win one of 50 Potty Training Prize Packs. Scroll to the bottom of this post to enter to win one of 50 Potty Prize Kits from Kandoo!
As every parent can attest, potty training can be a process. We're here to make your job easier. Follow these four tips for potty training success, and you'll be doing the potty dance in no time.
Hosting your own potty training party is easy! Whether you're getting your little one excited to start using the potty or you're celebrating a big success, a potty training party can add some fun and excitement to the potty training experience.

Enter to WIN Disney's Cinderella on DVD/Blu-Ray! Ends 10/11

I received complimentary products to share this post. All opinions are my own.

Disney’s beloved and empowering fairytale told in a new beautiful way, Cinderella, arrives on Blu-ray Combo Pack, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere September 15th! The bonus features includes over 12 minutes of additional scenes, the "Frozen Fever" theatrical short and more!


"Cinderella" is a modern classic that shines with beauty, imagination...and magic! Despite being mistreated by her stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and stepsisters, a spirited Ella (Lily James) resolves to take charge of her fate. Add a royal ball, a Fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham-Carter) and a glass slipper, and suddenly – magic becomes reality!

It Was The Worst of Times #BehindTheBlogger

We are on vacation this week! Woo Hoo! But I want to share something with all of you for this week's #BehindTheBlogger prompt that was a hard time in my life.

I have told you all about how 2010 was the worst year of my life and how the events of that year lead to me suffering from post-partum depression. My daughter was born in December of 2010. I had been on bed rest for a month before she was born. Going from two incomes to one was very hard on our family, especially my husband. When my daughter was born, he would still party every weekend like we did before and every day when he would get home from work he would take a nap until my daughter went to bed, then play video games until midnight.

 
During that time, it was hard for me to understand why he wasn't willing to be more involved, but doing research I realized it was because he was depressed too. And why?

4 Laundry Hacks & a Giveaway

I'm teaming up with some great brands and bloggers to share some of my favorite laundry hacks, plus a chance to win a Little Laundry Lifehacks Giveaway (including a $150 Walmart gift card.)
 

Four Fabulous Laundry Hacks

Enter to WIN a Metromile Swag Bag with $50 SHELL Gas Gift Card! Ends 10/6


Do you live in a city and/or find that you do not drive that many miles each day? If you own a car, then you also own an insurance policy (well let's hope so!). So is it necessarily fair for those who drive less than 20 miles a day to pay for high insurance? Wouldn't it be nice if you could have a pay-per-mile car insurance and save hundreds of dollars each year? Well, that car insurance does exist-- let me introduce you to Metromile.


Dust Off Your Shelfies #StreamTeam

I received complimentary products as a Netflix #StreamTeam member. All opinions are my own.

While you spent last year shuffling the kids to hockey games, helping solve their quadratic equations and giving the little ones their baths, you probably missed episodes – if not full seasons – of some great shows. Did Olivia kick Fitz to the curb on Scandal? Who’s rocking the break room on Grey’s Anatomy? Just how long is Rick’s beard now on The Walking Dead? With full-blown fall premiere season upon us, now’s the time to grab your boo and glass of wine (or just grab the wine!) and dust off your shelfies.

 
What’s a shelfie you ask?

Getting Kids Involved in the Cleaning Process: Tips for Making it Fun


Whether you’re the lucky parent of boys or girls (or both!), getting kids to do chores is even more challenging than putting the youngsters in bed on time. Let us face it – the number of kids that like to vacuum clean and organize their rooms can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Image Found HERE
Turning chores into something fun or adding a competitive element to the process can inspire kids to help a bit with cleaning. Here are some of the best strategies to try in order to form healthy habits and get a bit of assistance.

Leap Back to School with LeapFrog

I received complimentary products as a #LeapFrogMom. All opinions are my own.

We are HUGE fans of the LeapFrog learning toys. From our LeapTV to our LeapReader, LeapFrog has helped my daughter learn letters and numbers in fun and exciting ways. If you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, then you already know that I am super excited about becoming a LeapFrog Mom Ambassador! As part of the LeapFrog Mom Squad, I get to test out products, share my thoughts, and gain valuable information about the brand that I get to share with all of you!
 

As part of our September kit, we received the LeapPad Platinum, Imagicards games, and Word Whammer. The Imagicard games we received were: LeapFrog Letter Factory Adventures (ages 4-7), PAW Patrol (ages 3-5), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ages 5-8). My daughter loved the Word Whammer, which I will share about in another post. But today I wanted to share about the LeapPad Platinum and Imagicards.

Get Help Trying to Conceive with The Stork OTC

This post is sponsored by The Stork OTC through the Motherhood. All opinions are my own.

Trying to conceive can be a long, heart-breaking experience for some. But if you are on the outside looking in, you may not realize how to respond. Someone you know may be dealing with issues of trying to conceive and you may not even know it. Here are some tips to help.

Image found at HerHealthMatters.org

French Vanilla Pancakes Recipe {Breakfast Night with Krusteaz + Giveaway}

I received complimentary products to provide this post. All opinions are my own.

Did you know that September is National Breakfast Month? We are HUGE fans of Breakfast night in our house. It's quick, easy, and oh so yummy thanks to Krusteaz mixes! In a national survey, Krusteaz found that nine out of ten (91 percent) Americans say they eat breakfast for dinner, with 56 percent doing so once a month or more often. For families, the trend is even more prevalent as 67 percent of respondents with children in the household say they have breakfast for dinner once a month or more.


A variety of factors contribute to the rising popularity of breakfast for dinner, with the main appeal being ease of preparation versus a traditional dinner meal (43 percent). For families especially, it’s also “a fun way to break up the monotony of weekly dinner night” cited by 44 percent.

French Vanilla Pancakes Recipe

Enter to WIN from Mrs. Patel's! {FALLing for Prizes Giveaway Hop, Ends 9/30}

Hey breastfeeding mamas! Fall is right around the corner which means all the fun activities! With both of my kids, my supply seemed to drop around the holidays. I'm not sure why, maybe because I didn't nurse as often because we were always on the go. But whatever the reason, I would have loved to try Mrs. Patel's breastfeeding products to give my supply a little boost.

Green Ginger Peach Smoothie Recipe in Glasstic Bottles {Welcome Autumn Giveaway Hop, Ends 9/28}

I received complimentary products to provide this review. All opinions are my own.

I had the opportunity to work with Glasstic Bottle earlier this year. They make high quality, durable, shatterproof bottles that you can use to make smoothies, water bottles for the gym, add essential oils, etc. And I love that now they include a bottle brush to clean them with every purchase.
 
 
 They have a nice large rim so you can add essentials oils or fruits and veggies. Why Glasstic? Because the possibilities are endless.
 
Green Ginger Peach Smoothie Recipe

Babywearing with Mamaway Ring Sling

I received a discount to provide this review. All opinions are my own.

I am a HUGE fan of babywearing, which if you follow my blog, then you know that by now. I seriously don't know how I did it with my first and not babywearing. Oh I know, my arms hurt all the time and if there wasn't place to sit down then I wanted to leave. She was a very clingy baby and having a ring sling, like the one I was sent from Mamaway would have been amazing.

This Mamaway ring sling all-round baby carrier allows you to comfortably and safely carry your baby, from newborn till they no longer wish to be carried. The perfect sling for hands free snuggles, getting things done while out and about, settling your baby and breastfeeding easily and discreetly.

18 Month Update + Easy DIY Chalkboard Signs

I received complimentary products to provide this review. All opinions are my own.

Have you seen those super cute chalkboard signs? People use them for birthday, back to school, pregnancy announcements, you name it. I love them. I think they are a great way to mark a special occasion. Like my little man turning 18 months old! :D
 
DIY Chalkboard Signs
Taken 9/8/2015, although 9/6 was his half birthday.
 
I will give you a full update when he goes to the doctor (which will most likely be after vacation). But isn't the picture just too cute? And it was so easy to make thanks to a random chalk board we had lying around and the Liquid Chalk Ink Markers by CHALKOLA I was sent to review.
I thought I would share all the ways that you could easily use these markers to celebrate a multitude of special events because these markers give you bold, smooth letters that won't get smudged once dried.

Safely Storing Baby Food with Littleware Storage Containers

This review is sponsored by Littleware. All opinions are my own.
 
My son is going through a weird phase with food right now. He wants to feed himself, but he is picky about finger foods. I'm not sure what to do. I decided I should probably bring the baby food maker back out and start getting nutrients into him anyway I can.

 
I have always liked to make my baby food in bulk. So when I was sent the Littleware Baby Food Storage Containers to review, I was kind of excited because they look like little baby food jars. Littleware Baby Food Storage Containers are BPA free, microwave, dishwasher, and freezer safe.

Adventures at Dragon*Con 2015 #BehindTheBlogger

My family and I went to Dragon*Con over Labor Day weekend. If you don't know what Dragon*Con is, it's the Southeast's largest sci-fi, fantasy, and gaming convention. This made my 10th year going. This was the first year that we got our own hotel room (didn't share with friends), brought the kids, and were able to go the whole weekend. It starts on Friday and ends on Monday, but most people get there on Thursday (like we did).

Thursday with Storm Troopers. Friday with The Pirate Fairy and Rapunzel.
 
I babywore a LOT. Thank goodness for my LILLEbaby. I got a lot of comments about it. Some just admired how cute he was, some said how hard it must be to bring kids to con, and then there were just random comments. I enjoyed it though. It was a great way to carry him around and he would get so excited when he saw me start putting the carrier on. It was really cute.

Yes, those are Star Wars suck pads. :D
 
Dragon*Con has changed a lot since we have had children.

Pampers NEW Cruisers Review + $75 BRU Gift Card Giveaway #Ready2POP

This post is sponsored by P&G. All opinions are my own.
 
Did you know that Pampers has updated their Cruisers? Pampers' Cruisers also feature Sesame Street® character designs and include wide, stretchy sides to provide their best fit yet! The 3-channel absorbent core was developed with parents’ feedback in mind & represents 4 years of research.


They are a little big because I was sent a size 5 which isn't what my little man normally wears. He usually wears a size four and only because he is a heavy wetter. He still had no accidents even though they were a little on the large size for him.

Brian the Pekingese Pajamas Review {#ApparelForFall Giveaway ends 9/21}

I received complimentary products to provide this review. All opinions are my own.

Before I had my son, I was able to work with Brian the Pekingese on a pajama review and I am so excited that they have let me review them again because how cute are these to in coordinating pajamas?!
 
 
I loved the concept of how Brian the Pekinese plush was created, here's the story:
"One day, my mom and dad came home from the hospital with a little baby boy. I had never seen a person that small before. And it sure cried a lot. At bedtime, he seemed to like having me in the room next to his crib. He was relaxed, and so was I. That is when my parents got the idea for Brian the Pekingese® pajamas and plush toys.

Excited for Vacation with the SUKKIRi Baby Ring Sling

I received complimentary products to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.
 
I love baby wearing. I love having my hands free, but still snuggle my baby close when they need it. But none of my carriers are really able to go in water. And at the beach or by the pool, being having hands free would be awesome. That's why I was so excited when I received the SUKKIRi Baby Ring Sling to review. We enjoyed using it for most of the summer, but I'm really excited to use it when we go to the beach over fall break in less than two weeks!
 
My sister-in-law modeling the SUKKIRi Baby Ring Sling.

Baby Days at Sam's Club

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
 
When I go shopping, I am all about saving money. Recently I had the opportunity to check out Sam's Club for all their baby savings. During the month of September, Sam's Clubs across the country will be celebrating Baby Month. Caring for your baby and your budget is easy at Sam's Club by saving on big packs for your little one everyday. I love the idea of bulk shopping, especially on diapers, wipes, and other essentials for baby because that's means you won't have to worry about another shopping trip for at least a little while.
 
 
My whole family shops at Sam's Club for baby products on a regular basis. It's where my mother-in-law bought my niece her Sophie the Giraffe and all of the grand children most of their clothes. Sam's Club was my sister-in-law's first stop after they were on the way home from the hospital with their second children to stock up on diapers and wipes.
 

Enter to WIN a Bone China Tea Set from EnjoyingTea.com! Ends 9/15

I received complimentary products to share this post. All opinions are my own.
 

I am not a big tea drinker, although I did drink some pregnancy tea when I was pregnant with little man (maybe that's why he came three weeks early). But I am a big fan of beautiful pieces to put in my china cabinet. I actually worked with EnjoyingTea.com earlier this year to review a bone china tea set which I thought made a great mother's day gift, but this time I was sent Fusion New Bone China Tea Set with Mug and Tray.

Fall Fluff Giveaway, Ends 9/30

Fall Fluff Giveaway

The Parenting Patch is excited to announce the fourth annual Fall Fluff Giveaway! James and Heather, a husband and wife team, launched The Parenting Patch: Where Parents Grow on September 15, 2011. In honor and celebration of the fourth anniversary of the blog and website, The Parenting Patch is hosting a fabulous giveaway event in which one lucky winner will receive one fabulous fluffy prize pack.