Mommies With Style

I really should have taken a picture of our tupperware  cabinet for the sake of this review.  But I decided not to because I try to only open that cabinet once a day since you never know what random piece of tupperware is going to come flying out and whack me in the face. We have different containers, different tops, and it’s chore every night to mix and match the right pieces together.

I have two kids I have to pack for.  One is in Kindergarten and he isn’t allowed to buy lunch.  Not only do I have to pack him 5 lunches each week, but I actually have to also pack him a snack in a separate container every day.  That’s 10 packings.

Then my 3-year-old goes to preschool 2x a week.  That’s two lunches, plus a third lunch on Fridays when I have lunch duty at my older son’s school and I bring him a long.

Got that all?  (There will be a quiz later so you guys better be paying attention.)

The total is 13 times I’m packing some sort of lunch or snack each week.  And that’s with just two kids, one of whom is part-time.  I can only imagine what those of you with more kids and older kids are dealing with each day.

Enter EasyLunchboxes.com.  You guys know the story – one Mom was sick of dealing with the same frustrations I outlined above, so she invented her own system.  Everything fits in this neat little system she’s come up with.

I highly recommend watching the video so you can get the visual.  It’s just an awesome little system so you aren’t scrounging to mix and match containers each day, plus it’s only one item to wash and it’s eco-friendly since it eliminates the need for plastic baggies.

Use coupon code Mama10 to receive 10% off your order on the EasyLunchboxes.com website.

Lastly, even if you aren’t going to buy, check out the EasyLunchboxes.com SmugMug photo folder with lunchbox ideas.  There are some creative and neat lunch ideas – so worth looking at if you’re in a rut for coming up with ideas to put in your kids lunchbox!

9 friends and bloggers came to my house Thursday night, where we had a fun evening of drinks, hair and make-up.

In my living room, we had Lauren, a local stylist, testing out Suave products in one room while we played with make up from E.L.F. in my dining room.  Officially, I was having a Suave Style Party as well as an E.L.F Make Up At Home party – these parties were basically an opportunity for my friends and fellow bloggers to try products from each line.

A fun time was had by all.  Local bloggers Colleen from Classy Mommy, Shannon & Sarah from ChescoMoms and Kelly from the Centsible Life came along with several non-blogger friends.

Lauren works on me with products from the Suave Professional line

with Kelly from A Centsible Life

my friend Jodi gets her hair styled

Chatting in front of the ELF makeup

Your reusable bag can help the planet and also be seriously cute– we like June 15, Inc’s line of attractive reusable bags, made from cotton or jute, which is a natural sustainable fiber spun into coarse, strong threads.

We were sent a sample of their Cotton Black Bag ($14.49). It was sturdier than most of the other reusable bags I’ve seen. I liked the design and the long canvas straps. It held a lot of heavy groceries, plus I also was able to use it as a toy/snack tote/diaper bag for my children. It folds flat when not in use and the dimensions are 11H x 14W x 9D”.

Your children help you shop by sporting the adorable Eggplant Bag ($7.99), which converts into a backpack. All bags are washable and recyclable.

June 15, Inc. donates 1% of their profits to one percent for the planet.org.

Let me tell you guys a little bit about my kitchen.  My husband and I bought our current house in the summer of 2001.  We were engaged and living in a tiny apartment at the time.  We bought new construction and I had no idea what to do about options.

The one and only thing I knew I wanted:  a white kitchen.   While we knew we wanted kids someday, who thinks about kids in relation to white cabinets and white appliances when they are barely engaged?  Certainly not us.

Here we are 8 1/2 years later and I’ve long been yearning for something other than white in my kitchen.  I’m sure you guys can imagine how not-white-looking my kitchen now is with two active boys.  (Not to mention that our dishwasher and stove have been falling apart for some time now.)

So I was thrilled when I was chosen by Frigidaire to be a part of their Super Influencer Team as a Test Drive Mom in 2010.

What does that even mean?  It means I’m getting a new Frigidaire fridge, dishwasher, stove/microwave and washer/dryer.

And they will all be stainless steel!  Here’s a preview of the new appliances for my kitchen.  I’m positively giddy about this:

For the next few weeks, I’ll be blogging and vlogging on Fridays to tell you about my new appliances and share photos along the way.  I intend to share them on Friday, which I’ve dubbed Frigidaire Fridays.  Check back next week for more news!

In the meantime, some info on Frigidaire: Frigidaire introduced more than 250 new appliances in 2009, all designed with the idea of creating more time for Moms. Standing behind its claim, Frigidaire offers a “More Me-Time Guarantee.” Moms will save a minimum of eight hours a month or their money back.

In addition, Frigidaire announced a new partnership in September with admired actress and philanthropist, Jennifer Garner.  The pair teamed up to launch the new Frigidaire line and to kick off the “Make Time for Change” campaign to support Save the Children.

Starting, January 18th, you can log  onto the Make Time for Change to play Spin & Win for a chance to win prizes including a new time-saving Frigidaire Affinity washer/dryer. Plus every day you take a spin, Frigidaire donates $1 to Save the Children as part of their $250,000 commitment to this worthy cause.

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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.

It’s funny. Flameless candles were the last thing I expected to be blown away by at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) last week in Las Vegas. It just goes to show you, that sometimes technology surprises you. Candella did it to me.

These candles are something you might have already seen if you have been to the Haunted Mansion at Disney and have observed the floating candles. They look totally real, right? No tacky flickering LED in a wax case for Disney Imagineers! The technology behind this illusion involves a chaos engine, which is pretty sophisticated stuff for a fake candle! The effect is simply amazing though and I am so glad it has been licensed by Candella for use in my home.

Candella candles look so real you might be tempted to blow on them. Even knowing they are fake, I was careful not to lift it up from the top as my instincts told me I might get burned. My instincts got punked! These candles are eco friendly, rechargable, and last up to five years of continuous use. They come in a screw in lightbulb version too, if you have ever wondered what your dining room chandelier would look like lit by candles.

I had to go back and videotape Candella Candles in their booth at the CES show, just to capture how cool it was. I was a little tired at the end of this day, but wanted to make sure I got them. Candella candles are safe around kids and pets and will bring a little romance back to my home!

Do you have a toddler who is always running with utensils? Stabbing themselves and their siblings with their fork? Do sporks seem strangely cruel and wrong to you. Side note: you can inflict a startling amount of damage with a spork. Don’t ask how I know.

If you answered yes to any of the above questions you might want to check out Tiny Tongs. We gave this revolutionary utensil to our active 21 month old son and heaved a sign of relief. It took him a few minutes to get the hang of using these but once he did he had a blast and we were able to eat without fearing injury.

Tiny Tongs remind us a little of chopsticks for beginners. They are perfect for those toddlers who are somewhere between finger foods and forks and a kinder gentler utensil to bite down on or have flung at you. Definitely worth adding to the arsenal and useful to have in the diaper bag when traveling. Tiny Tongs are BPA, lead and pthalate free and are dishwasher safe.

You know, not all baby gifts are sunshine, roses, butterflies and balloons. Or even teddy bears. In fact, cableorganizer.com sent me a sample of their Child Safety kit and, upon really looking at it, I’m thinking it may be one of the greatest holiday or baby gifts one can receive. Because, really, with the holidays rolling around I can tell you we don’t need another teddy bear, baby blanket or burp cloth or bottle. But what we do need is to make our home safe for our oh-so-curious (and very rapidly growing) 4 month old.

The kit, which retails for less than $60, includes over 100 safety items. Items that keep your child safe from electrical and common household danger. In just the one kit you’ll receive outlet covers, cable tubes (which keep the wires inside and hidden away), drawer locks, corner cushions (for tables and, in the the case of my home, hearths), and much more. There are so many safety things to think about, this set makes the thinking a little easier, because so much is provided for you.

So, while the parents still have to do the work of making the house safe, what a big help a safety gift really is. (Come to think of it, it’s probably a pretty good idea to send this set to the grandparent’s houses, too. Just a sly little reminder that everyone needs to safety proof!)

Haven’t ordered your holiday cards yet?  Don’t worry – there’s still plenty of time, with deals still to be found. 

Tiny Prints has a sale going on right now – it ends today so check it out if you’d like to take advantage.  Use coupon code TPHOL20 to receive $20 off your order of $75 or more.   Ends 11:59 pm PT, December 3rd.

So right now you can get free shipping with orders over $49, plus 20% off the entire CVS.com website when you use coupon code 2DAY20.   The coupon expires November 10th so shop today fast – otherwise if you are reading this after the 10th, check out their Sales & Specials website for their current sale or special.  They seem to always have some sort of good deal or special going on so it’s worth always checking out.

I actually started visiting the CVS website recently when I received some Caliber office samples.  I wouldn’t normally think to shop at CVS for office supplies but I actually loved all of the items they sent – even more so loving the price point of many of the items.

I quickly lost the Recycled School Box to crayons and markers for my kids but I’m happy to report that I kept the Expanding File Case for myself for grocery coupons.

CVS provided product samples of several Caliber office supplies.

I have a little stainless steel cup from my childhood that I consider a classic work of art. Simple and uncomplicated in design, it looks as good now as it did when I pounded it on the table at two, demanding more juice.  ”Why don’t they make stuff like this anymore?” I asked my husband, when my daughters were little. He shrugged and pointed at a plastic sippy, “cause now we have these”.

The last couple of years have brought many changes and increased awareness of the dangers of plastics. There’s a return to classic materials – glass bottles, ceramic bowls, and with Untangled Living’s new Anyware collection, a whole little “mess kit” for kids in stainless steel.

I’m so thrilled with this find. I can imagine my kids using this classic, durable, heirloom quality dishware with their own children, much like I have shared my own little mug with them. It’s beautiful in form and in function. The square plate keeps messy food contained, the small bowl is the perfect size for snacks and the fork and spoon are so well sized for little hands. It’s shatterproof, unlike porcelain, glass and ceramics. The one caveat is that it’s definitely not to be used in the microwave. So far for us, this has not been a problem.

I can’t imagine any of my children handing their kids a drink in a battered plastic cup and saying “this was mine when I was little”. I can, however imagine that a couple of decades from now, this dishware from Untangled Living will look as good as it does now, and continue to be treasured.

I’ve got Untangled Living Anyware dishware on my list of thoughtful new baby/first birthday presents. Safe, eco friendly and destined for family heirloom status… what more could you ask for in a gift?