Mommies With Style

We love Revolution Foods (click here to read my review from last year). Our favorite item was the Organic Jammy Sammys - snack-sized sandwich bars . We were psyched to learn they’ve added Blueberries & Oatmeal to their line up. Plus, they’ve also added 3 types of Organic Grammy Sammys — yogurt-filled soft graham sandwich bars.  Choose from Honey Graham & Strawberry Yogurt, Cocoa Graham & Banana Yogurt, and Cinnamon Graham & Vanilla Yogurt. Both of my children loved these snack sized treats.  We will be stocking up on these for lunchboxes. You can’t go wrong with 100% whole grains and organic yogurt!

Even though I’m only 16 weeks pregnant right now with my third child, I’m drooling over Oilo Studio’s fantastic crib bedding. We’re going to have to redo our nursery bedding again, when our third child arrives this summer.  We had boring white bedding for our first child (used on my son’s toddler bed now) and our second child, a daughter, is still in a crib, using beautiful pink organic bedding, from Until Kara. #3 will be a boy and we’re going to have to start from scratch.

Oilo’s Modern Berries Crib Set ($399) would be perfect for my upcoming arrival’s crib bedding. White with sage green, it’s patterned after the red currant berries that grow in Norway and can work for a boy or a girl. Included in the set is a 100% woven cotton bumper and bed skirt, a zippered slip cover bumper, fitted cotton percale crib sheet. It’s machine washable and made in the USA.  While we didn’t use bumpers until both our children approached a year old, I like to have them included in a set.

Exclusive for MWS Readers: Purchase at  www.oilostudio.com — use code: mws2010 to receive a 15% discount on any order.

Are you dreaming of sleek summer gams? Peach-fuzz-free pits? A shave-less bikini line? I know many of you are just starting to see the winter snow melt, but let me tell you why now is the perfect time to start dreaming of these things: the TRIA Hair Removal Laser System. You know about razors and waxing and depilatories and I’m guessing you’ve heard of laser hair removal at salons and spas.  But the beauty of TRIA Laser is that now you can bring laser hair removal to your living room.

I’ve been fascinated with these at-home laser hair removal systems since I got my legs professionally lasered about two years ago. It was expensive, it was definitely uncomfortable/borderline painful, but holy moley, it worked! Pre-lasering, I had to shave. Every. Single. Day. I just got back from a camp trip with my family a few weeks ago and went over a week sans-razor and sported shorts on the trip. I am a believer.  So when I heard that I might be able to get smooth results for less than salon prices, at my own convenience and in the comfort of my own home – I had to check it out.

Below I’ve answered some of the questions I had and hopefully some you’re thinking of too!

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One of the things I’m learning with this new stove is that I really just can’t cook.  My last stove was over 8 years old and was not only looking old & tired, but it underperformed by 2010 appliance standards.

My new Frigidare Freestanding Electric Range definitely means business.  I opted for an electric range as I have a weird aversion to gas.  My old electric took awhile to heat up on the range portion - as I assumed all electric ranges did.

It’s definitely not the case with this new stove.  I turn it on high and it’s on full heat within a matter of seconds.  It’s fabulous.  And it cooks like a dream. 

Not to mention that the stove part is also more efficient.  I don’t know how 350 degrees isn’t just 350 degrees for every stove, but it just isn’t.

Lastly, I have yet to use but am excited to start using the keep warm drawer.  See the drawer at the bottom in the picture?  I’m currently using it for storage of pots and pans but I plan to clear it out soon to actually use it for it’s intent – which is to turn on the warming feature to keep side dishes and other dinner items warm when I need to.

I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and will be receiving a Frigidaire Refrigerator, Range/Microwave, Washer/Dryer set, and a Dishwasher to facilitate my review.  To read more of my reviews, check out my Frigidaire Moms section on Mommies with Style.

Remember Linus and his blankie? We love him. We love that he needed a security blanket the way Middle needs his thumb. While none of the kids has attached to a blankie, they do love to pull them up and cuddle.

One such great cuddling blanket is the Classic Dream Blanket by Aden & Anais. Its so-soft fabric is made of a natural, gentle muslin, making it breathable, flexible and very comfortable.

A great baby gift, the dream blanket is available in colorful bright prints. It uses 4 layers of the light muslin fabric, making it plush enough for a true cuddle.

Thanks to Aden & Anais for providing a sample for this review.

My son is accustomed to falling asleep while listening to ocean waves. He had a hard time going to sleep as an infant and the waves just seem to sooth him and put him to sleep.  When we travel, we always have to lug his wave machine along, which is a hassle. So when we received the Dozy Dolphin On The Go by Cloud b for our recent trip, we were thrilled!

The Dozy Dolphin On The Go helped recreate his sleep time routine by bringing his familiar sounds of ocean waves with us on our trip. It plays four water-based sounds with individual push buttons: Dolphins Playing, Whale Songs, Tranquil Melody, and Ocean Waves.  There is a volume control button and two sleep timer options: 23 and 45 minutes.  My son absolutely adores his Dozy Dolphin! He plays and cuddles with it when he falls asleep.  It is super soft thanks to the soft hypoallergenic bamboo fabric so it won’t irritate sensitive skin.  Bamboo fabric grows without the need for fertilizers or pesticides, is the most renewable resource on the planet and is 100% biodegradable.  It’s also antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-static and softer than cotton.  Attached to the Dozy Dolphin is a Velcro strap that allows for easy attachment to cribs, strollers and car seats!  Included with the Dozy Dolphin is a booklet that teaches children about endangered dolphins, a Dozy Dolphin Storybook and adoption certificate. Besides the Dozy Dolphin On The Go, Cloud B also has 2 other travel animals – Sleep Sheep On The Go and Gentle Giraffe On The Go!  

Cloud b’s mission is to thoughtfully design and develop useful products that help children sleep better, and simplify parents’ lives. I agree that their products have helped my children sleep better as we also have the Twilight Turtle and Ladybug to add to our collection.  My kids use them every night when their room is dark and it lights their rooms right up! They can’t be without them at night!

Check out their products and save 15% off most regular priced items on Cloud b’s site by entering code MWS-310 until March 23rd.

The newest Palm Web OS update, 1.4,  is here — and now the Palm Pre Plus has video, among some other great functions. Disclosure: I am taking part in the  Verizon Palm® Pre™ Plus Mommy Blogger Program and will be testing out the phone for the next month on Mommies With Style.

Now, I can easily shoot video from my new Palm Pre Plus. but I can also make edits and upload my footage to YouTube or Facebook (or send them via email or MMS). It was really easy to shoot the video — here’s one of my first attempts.

Another feature of the update I liked were enhanced notifications: LED in the Gesture Area now lights up (and pulses) if I have a notification (even when the screen is off). I can also customize my notification sounds in messaging, email, and calendar. And there are new notification sounds in the ringtones library.

See more details of the Palm webOS 1.4 update in action here.  The Update will automatically happen once Palm webOS 1.4 is available on your carrier, but you can also trigger the update using the Updates app (which is what I did).  It will take a little while to upload and install.

Verizon supplied me with the new Palm Pre Plus and are paying for 1 month of service, including internet access. No other compensation was received. All opinions expressed are my own.

It’s not too early to start thinking about summer sandals! This season, Livie & Luca, who I’ve been a fan of for a long time, has come out with some gorgeous ones.

We’re wild about Bloom ($45), pictured above – a bright lime green leather sandal with a hand-cut magenta flower. It also features a Velcro closure for easy on and off. Get it in toddler/little girl sizes 4 – 13. Running true to size, my little girl will look so stylish wearing these sweet sandals in the warmer weather! I wish they made them in my size too.W

We also loved the Haru. Using commissioned artwork of Livie & Luca’s new friend Haru playing on the beach beneath the sun’s rays. It’s silk-screened onto textile and then overlaid on Livie & Luca’s soft leather. The insole  is removable, which allows for sizing and hand-washing. Comes in size 4 -8.

Disney Family.com (formerly family.com) has added recently added a Self Section.  I recently attended the launch of this new section, which features beauty, diet & fitness, and relationships. It struck a chord with me, because with 2 children and a third one on the way, I don’t do much for myself anymore, beyond semi-regular haircuts. I haven’t gone clothes shopping in a while and I haven’t bought any new makeup (except my favorite lipstick, Paula Dorf’s Spunky, and my beloved Mac Studio Fix Powder) in years.  I’ll be going back to work in the fall and I’m going to need some help getting stylish!

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Last week, our preschool had a raffle and table sale going on. 

One of the tables was a local rep from a company called Juice Plus.  They promote healthy eating with their product.  But what lured me over to to the table was the display you see in the image here. 

It’s a Kid’s Happy Meal from McDonald’s.  Looks pretty normal, right? 

The crazy thing about this Happy Meal is that it’s 4 years old.  That’s right.  It hasn’t rotted, decomposed with time or really changed it’s appearance at all that time.

Needless to say, it was shocking.  I’m making a vow to try and eat healthier with the kids.  But I need help, people.  When we’re out on the road – what are our healthy options?  Wawa?  Chick-Fil-A?  What do you guys feed your kids when you’re in a hurry and need to pull in somewhere quickly?

Because cool toys and convenience or not, I don’t know that I can continue to feed my kids something that’s going to be dug out out of the ruin by future archaeologists in its original state.