Mommies With Style

Hey all, good until end of day today, here’s a coupon code for 10% off at OllyShoes.com:  Olly_10_disc

Use it at check-out to receive 10% off your order, plus get free shipping when you order $75 or more worth of shoes.  Olly has a great selection of some favorite brands like Uggs, Pedipeds, See Kai Run, Robeez, Geox and more.  You can also get school uniform shoes from Jumping Jacks here.

If you have a local Olly Shoes, be sure to check it out.  I’ve been going to my local Olly for years; they have quality shoes and I love the customer service. 

Disclosure: I recently attended a Mom Blogger event with my kids at a local Olly.  I received a swag bag while attending.  

September is upon us and any Mom who has shopped for Halloween knows that now is the time to do it. (There’s nothing more frustrating than going to search for costumes the week before Halloween and finding everything picked over!)

Here are some top Halloween costume stores you can shop for this holiday.  Thanks to CurrentCodes.com for sharing these great coupon codes for Halloween:

Annie’s Costumes- Save 10% off $85 or more with code SCARY10 (expires 10/20/10)

BuyCostumes.com- Save %10 off $40 or more with code vamp10 (expires 10/31/10)

CelebrateExpress.com- Save 10% off $50 or more with code web10 (expires 10/31/10)

Costume Kingdom- Save 10% off with code HALLOWEEN2010 (expires 11/1/10)

CostumeExpress.com- Save 10% off $50 or more with code web10 (expires 10/31/10)

Technically these aren’t “children’s” headphones.  But I don’t know about the rest of you, but the ear buds that come with Apple products (iPhone, iPod) don’t seem to stay in my kids’ ears all that well.  In fact, they pretty much pop out as soon as we put them in.

We’ve definitely had some frustration with it over the years when we’re traveling.

So last winter, we got a pair of JVC Flats to sample.  My oldest son loved them!  Finally, a pair of headphones that will stay on his head and block out outside noise.

They retail for $19.95 and you can purchase various colors on Amazon with free shipping.  The red ones only are on sale for $15.26!

Nate uses his pair on the train up to NYC last spring to meet Jennifer Garner

A life-sized Thomas the Tank Engine arrived at NYC’s Brooklyn Bridge Park, on a barge last week, to celebrate the HIT Entertainment’s DVD release of the Thomas & Friends Misty Island Rescue and to introduce the newest Thomas toys from Fisher-Price.

Thomas was tugged by The Pegasus, a historic tugboat that participated in both World Wars, and play station activities were hosted aboard the Lehigh Valley #79, a restored 94 year old wooden covered barge.   Showcased were the latest Thomas & Friends toys from Fisher-Price including the Zip, Zoom & Logging Adventures Playset, Thomas & Friends Shake Shake Bridge, Return from Misty Island Playset and Follow Me Thomas. Children got to experience the new toys and to watch a sneak preview screening of the movie before the DVD officially debuts next month. My kids, pictured below, attended the event and had a wonderful time.

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Such a great coupon code.  I used one last week to order some items and am tempted again!  Use coupon code RETAIL30 TODAY ONLY (August 31st) to receive 30% off your order at Gap, Old Navy & Banana Republic.

If I didn’t already own 4 other laptop bags, I would totally scoop up this deal.  Normally $99.99, this Mobile Edge Milano Laptop Handbag is marked down to $49.99 on Amazon.  It comes with free shipping too!

It’s made out of faux croc and it’s sleek looking.  This would definitely go with anything and I love that it looks like a stylish handbag rather than a laptop bag.  It comes with a compartment for your laptop inside, too.

Now I just need an excuse to buy it.  Maybe if I put my other four laptop bags on the floor near a box of crayons and a kid, there will be a little accident?

It’s a whole new year and there’s undoubtedly a whole new set of germs about to float around and get all of our kids sick this school year.  It’s close living in one classroom all year long and germs spread like crazy.

Wet Ones® Antibacterial Hand Wipes is sponsoring a fun giveaway this month – they are setting out to provide 99 classrooms around the countrywith antibacterial wipes for the new school year.

Five of those classrooms will be classrooms of Mommies with Style readers’ children!  Each classroom selected will receive 100 Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes travel packs for the new school year.

Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes are an effective way to keep hands clean and germ-free when soap and water are not available.  They kill 99.99% of germs, and are just as effective in killing germs as an alcohol-based gel hand sanitizer, but also clean away dirt and messes and won’t dry out skin like alcohol-based sanitizers.

To enter, submit their tips for keeping kids happy and healthy in the new school year by commenting below.  This contest will run through end of day Sunday, September 5th.  Five winners will be selected at random from those who have commented below.  Winners will have 48 hours to respond to the email to claim their prize.  (No response forfeits the win and another person will be selected.)

Disclosure:  I have no received payment of any kind for this post.  However, each of my sons’ classrooms will receive their own set of 100 Travel Packs for my having posted this giveaway.

Most of my family and friends know that I am somewhat of a paparazzi when it comes to taking pictures. Since I have gotten my digital SLR a couple of years ago, I have been carrying it around to every family function, kids school show and sporting event, vacation, and more.

My biggest issue, though, since getting my camera is lugging it around. As a mom, I of course need my bag of “stuff� including my wallet, phone, some wipes, snacks, etc. Add my traditional bulky camera bag (which needs to be big enough for a second lens, just in case!) and I am lugging around WAY too  much. I thought to myself, “there has to be a better way.�

Then I discovered Kelly Moore Bags! These gorgeous, amazing high-end bags combine the functionality of a padded, secure camera bag with the look and feel (and extra space!) of a designer handbag. My bag has room for my Nikon D60, an extra zoom lens, and all of the handbag necessities like my wallet, phone, etc. Which  means that when I carry my Kelly Moore camera bag, it’s the ONLY bag I need!

Kelly Moore has a number of gorgeous bags, both for men and women. There are styles and colors to suit anyone’s taste, and the features of each bag are awesome:

• lots of pockets
• a durable, waterproof exterior material
• fully adjustable straps
• inside the bag: removable velcro dividers
• Lots of padding to protect your equipment
• fast and easy magnetic snaps to reach your items quickly and easily

Numerous people have stopped to comment on my bag when I am out, and when I tell them it is actually my camera bag, they are shocked and have to see the inside. I love that I finally have a functional and fashionable bag for all of the times when I need my camera!

Kelly Moore Bag Promo Film 2010 from Joshua Smith on Vimeo.

Little did I know, but Skullcandy headphones are hot for tweens and teens right now.  My sister in law filled me in when she saw I had received a pair at BlogHer this summer.

“You know how awesome these headphones are, right?” I promptly handed them over to my nephew as I couldn’t possibly appreciate them the way he could.

My 15-year-old nephew Sully reviews the pair I received here – gotta love that he’s also in a headphone tee!  Sully says in the video that they retail for around $50 but that you can find them on sale if you look.  I found a couple of different pairs on sale on Amazon for around $39.99 like this pair of Kobe Bryant Laker Skullycandy headphones.

Whether it’s the aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the morning or a warm loaf of sourdough wafting towards me in line at the grocery store, the smell of fresh baked bread is intoxicating. And though making bread more scratch may seem daunting, a bread maker makes it easy, fast and deliciously pain-free.

I recently had the chance to try out the Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Breadmaker. What makes it unique is that unlike most breadmakers which make an odd-shaped, tall, narrow loaf, the Home Bakery Supreme creates traditional-looking loaves of bread – helpful when you are trying to convince picky young eaters (or husbands) and yes, this is just like the bread from the store.

With the Home Bakery Supreme, homemade bread is as easy as adding the ingredients into the pan, selecting the type of bread you are making and pressing start. The bread machine mixes, kneads, rises and bakes the bread. You can even set a timer to ensure that you have freshly baked bread when you wake up in the morning or a hot loaf of bread when you get home from work.

The dual kneading paddles do a thorough job mixing and kneading and an easy-to-use LCD panel makes choosing the type, size and crust color of your homemade bread a cinch. The included recipe book is also easy to read and contains dozens of delicious breads from traditional whole wheat and white breads to more creative concotions like cinnamon-raisin swirl loaf, pumpernickel and Russian Kulich. There are even recipes for gluten-free breads and sourdough starters.

So far I’ve tried the Crusty French Bread (okay, but I prefer my french bread free-form), Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Loaf (only lasted 2 days in our house) and 100% Whole Wheat Bread (eating a piece of this as a type…). I really meant to take pictures of the loaves but none of them lasted long enough for me to remember to grab my camera! Next up on my list is Apple Oat Bread, Honey Wheat Bread and Pizza Dough with Beer.

But! Did you know that this bread maker makes MORE than just bread?

Last weekend I also used the Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Breadmaker to make homemade strawberry jam. So delicious. I’ve been perusing homemade jam blog posts and recipes over the past few months, but it always seemed like a lot of work. With the Home Bakery Supreme, I threw in some mashed strawberries, some sugar and a bit of lemon juice and closed the lid. Less than 2 hours later – voila! – strawberry jam. I’m planning on my second batch this coming weekend.

And although I haven’t tried them yet, the bread machine also includes recipes for making a variety of cakes like pound cake, dutch apple and zucchini bread. Plus there’s even a recipe for meatloaf. Yes, in the bread machine.

At $239, the Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme isn’t cheap, but if you make just one loaf a week (and once you taste many of the recipes, you’ll realize that’s a conservative number), the machine will pay for itself in less than a year. Plus, you get to control exactly what goes in (and what stays out) of your bread. Or your jam. Or your meatloaf.

Available at Amazon.com and Cooking.com.

WIN! One lucky Mommies With Style reader will win a Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Breadmaker of their very own! To enter just leave a comment below with what you’re looking forward to making with your new bread maker. Cinnamon bread? Gluten-free wheat bread? Peach jam? Meatloaf?? One entry per person. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm on Friday, September 3rd. Open to U.S. residents only.