Parents | Mommies With Style

Fashion Friday: I Have Premature Spring Fever!

February 3, 2012 By Whitney 4 Comments

I know this brief little dance with spring that we’ve had this week in Philadelphia isn’t going to last. And that sometime later this month I’ll certainly be bitching about snow and ice, but seeing as I’m basking in the sunlight this week I’m just gonna go with it and feature some things to make us think spring. What do you think?

In no particular order:

These CAbi Johnny Crop jeans ($98) are new to the Spring 2012 line at CAbi and I’ve been back on their page looking at these several times these week. I want.

This adorable blue dress from the Jason Wu for Target line which will be debuting in-store and online on February 5th. The new Jason Wu line promises to be as popular as the Missoni for Target line was when that first launched (products sold out in hours!) so get there early!

Doesn’t this Favourite Jersey Dress from Boden ($139) just scream out sunny weather & a happy spring day? Love it.

And this Edie attache bag from J Crew ($288) in flame color is just dreamy

Coming back to reality (and the fact that we still have a few good weeks of winter – 6 if Puxatony Phil has anything to do with it!), Ill at least feature one practical dress that can be worn winter or summer – this dress from Banana Republic. Some things just look better in person. Had I seen this Annie faux-wrap dress from Banana Republic ($98) online first, I probably would have thought it was okay but passed it by. But recently I was in-store at Banana Republic and this dress was hanging up over in the side of the store and it was calling to me.

Filed Under: Misc Tagged With: Fashion Friday

Big Miracle: Surprisingly Awesome

January 30, 2012 By Whitney Leave a Comment

Normally I wouldn’t do a movie theater review, but my family and I went to see an early screening of Big Miracle over the weekend and I just had to throw a post up here on how amazing it was. Nate (8) is now calling it one of his favorite movies of all time and my husband and I were both riveted during the film.

The movie is based on a true story from the late 80s – a family of three whales trapped by ice in Alaska and the media blitz and huge rescue that ensues to save the family from death. Sounds interesting but not like it would be floor-stopping, right? It was incredible. Drew Barrymore and Jon Krasinski star.

You can check out more about Big Miracle on the official website but seriously, if you have kids of an appropriate age, it’s a must see. It comes out February 3rd.

(Regarding age – personally I’d say at least 5+ should be the age for this movie and that’s even if you have a 5 year old who finds nature interesting. It’s rated PG and there is some mild swearing.)

Filed Under: Entertainment, Misc, Movies & Music, On The Go, Parents

Fabulous Educational iPad & iPhone App: Stack the States

January 30, 2012 By Whitney Leave a Comment

Okay guys, this app is AWESOME. I saw Lindsay posting about this on Facebook and knew I had to download it. Called Stack the States, you have to answer various trivia questions with a multiple choice answer of 4 possibilities.

Kids learn about state capitols, state geography and so much more. (Which state houses which National Park and so forth.)

Nate (8) played this pretty much all day yesterday as he was in bed with a bad cold. You play to “earn” states and he’s earned 45 of his 50 states and I can’t tell you guys how much he’s learned in just one day. He can identify almost all of the states by shape alone, knows many of the capitals now and knows which states border one another.

Oh and you have to “stack” your states which can get pretty precarious! If your stack topples over you are starting over, so it’s not only educational but fun. (Because that’s the best type, right? The ones where my kids learn and they don’t even realize they are doing it…)

You can get a Lite (Free) version too but we only tried the paid version – get Stack the States for $.99 for the iPhone and $1.99 for the iPad on the iTunes store.

Filed Under: Computers & Tech, Electronics, Entertainment, Family Travel, Misc, On The Go Tagged With: educational ipad apps, iPad apps, iphone apps, stack the states

Awesome Deal: 3-Pack iPad Stylus for $1.40 & Free Shipping (95% off!)

January 29, 2012 By Whitney Leave a Comment

If I hadn’t just bought a $20 Stylus for my iPad, I’d be all over this one! Check out this deal for a 3-pack of Universal Touch Screen Stylus Pen (Red, Silver & Black) for $1.99 with free shipping. Not sure why it’s so cheap, they must be trying to clear out supplies but it’s too good to pass up if you don’t have a Stylus and are looking for one.

I noticed the reviews ae kind of mixed on these because of the rubber tip but I have the rubber tipped pen and it works great for me.

Get the 3-pack of Universal Touch Screen Stylus Pen (Red, Silver & Black) for $1.99 with free shipping on Amazon.

Filed Under: Computers & Tech, Coupon Codes & Sales, Electronics, Misc

Twitter Party Alert: #DisneyBaby 8pmET TONIGHT

January 26, 2012 By Whitney 2 Comments

It’s time to celebrate the new “arrival” of Disney Baby’s brand new website -DisneyBaby.com. Join us tonight to talk about those magical moments with a new baby . Be sure to check out this brilliant new website which is very interactive and lets parents uploading and share magical moments from their own babies lives – 1st smiles, messy faces, or whatever moments you love best with your little bundle of joy.

Date: January 26th, 2012 – Thursday night

Where: On Twitter

When: 8:00 PM (EST)

Who: Join hosts @ClassyMommy , @AudreyMcClellan, @VeraSweeney, @WhitneyMWS and @DisneyBaby

No RSVP required. Just join in the fun and use the hashtag #DisneyBaby. Prizing eligibility for both US & Canadian residents.

Filed Under: Babies, Misc Tagged With: disney, Disney Baby, Twitter Party

#Giveaway: Cute & Unique Valentine’s Day Cards from Peaceable Kingdom

January 24, 2012 By Whitney 22 Comments

Looking for some super cute and unique Valentine’s Day cards for your preschooler or young child to give out on Valentine’s Day? Look no further than these adorable Valentine’s Day cards from Peaceable Kingdom.

I know I’m especially enamored with the Super Fun Packs. These are not just Valentine’s Day cards – depending on which you pick, they are scratch and sniff, or pop-out race cars, Fairy Bracelets or more. Get a Super Fun Pack for $13 – each box comes with 28 Valentine’s. Adorable, right?

Check out this pack that my son’s going to use. These Valentine Airplanes can be punched out and shaped into a paper airplane to fly!

Giveaway: One lucky Mommies with Style winner can receive 2 Valentines Packs from Peaceable Kingdom!
Note – You can enter up to 4 times (the only required entry is the first one to leave a comment! All the others are additional entries):

1) Leave a comment on this post. (Note: Scroll to the bottom of this post and click Post Comment. You must be on my site you can’t do this through a reader.)

2)Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter & follow me on Twitter @WhitneyMWS:

Enter to win adorable Valentine’s Day cards on Mommies with Style via @WhitneyMWS http://bit.ly/aatNRf

3)Like Mommies with Style on Facebook (if you already do, promote this contest on your page) as well as Peaceable Kingdom

4) Subscribe to my feed or email newsletter and stay on top of all of my daily posts! If you already subscribe, please leave a separate comment letting me know that you are currently a subscriber (thank you!).

This giveaway will run until end of day January 31st. One winner will be selected and notified after that time.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Misc Tagged With: Giveaways, valentine's day, valentine's day cards

For Your Baby: Baby Einstein Activity Table

January 22, 2012 By zareen Leave a Comment

I have had an activity table for all my kids. I love them. They are so entertaining for babies/toddlers and they can be educational too. The activity table has been especially great for my kids when they are learning to pull themselves and stand.

They are encouraged to pull themselves up and stay standing at the table while they play. I already have the Baby Einstein Discovering Music Activity Table by Disney for my infant and can’t wait to watch her interactions with it as she grows. The Baby Einstein Activity Table even has pull off legs so that babies can play on the floor. The table helps babies learn colors, shapes, and counting to five in three languages and plays five classical melodies. The light up colors and sounds attract babies’ attention and are just fun.

You can buy the Baby Einstein Discovering Music Activity Table at Target for $39.99.

Filed Under: Babies, Misc, Play Time, Toys Tagged With: activity table, baby einstein

SOPA & PIPA Scare the Pants Off of Me #SopaStrike

January 18, 2012 By Whitney Leave a Comment

Image via Google. Click for a bigger image & explanation

I think I may have been in denial for awhile about SOPA. I heard about SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) peripherally and didn’t pay too much attention at first – I mean, fighting online piracy sounds good to me.

I’ve been blogging here on Mommies with Style for almost eight years now and I’ve been in online media for over fifteen years. I’ve seen a lot of pirates steal a lot of content in my day. Online Piracy is a huge issue and as a content publisher there’s always the risk that someone, somewhere is stealing your content and images which frankly, just isn’t nice and should be stopped.

But as I’ve recently learned, SOPA & it’s counterpart PIPA (Protect IP Act), go beyond just stopping online piracy. They would allow the government to censor everything that’s published online. We’re talking major Big Brother here. Now I happen to love fiction dystopian society novels but there’s no way in hell I want to live in one.

CNN has a video up about SOPA that explains a little more for those interested.

Today, many websites have gone “black” to show their feelings against SOPA. Some of these sites include Google, Wikipedia, Wired and many more names you know and don’t know.

While I haven’t gone quiet or black today, I am anti SOPA and I have signed the petition. I don’t want to go black or be quiet. I want to be able to continue to have my freedom of speech here on Mommies with Style, and continue to encourage people to comment and share their own opinions and thoughts. I don’t want to be told what I can and can’t say – or worse, have to shut down my website and say nothing at all. Frankly, even the possibility of that scares the crap out of me.

Read up and make yourself aware of what these bills could mean to you. While SOPA has been “shelved” that doesn’t mean it’s gone. If it passes, it could mean serious implications to hundreds of thousands of jobs and companies like AOL, Facebook, eBay, Yahoo, Twitter and many, many more.

Filed Under: Misc, Whitney's Personal Blog Tagged With: SOPA

Giveaway & Coupon Code: Cheaper Meals & Better Food with E-Mealz.com

January 18, 2012 By Whitney 26 Comments

I had a long list of resolutions this year, one of which included meal planning and being better organized with my grocery shopping. I’ve known for a long time that I probably spend more money than I need to at the grocery store, especially when I ended up throwing much of it out because I buy something without a plan.

And for years I’ve watched as my friends Zareen and Julie do weekly meal plans. I always thought it was uber organized of them and something I’d probably never find the time to do.

But this year I was determined to try it out. With the help of E-Mealz.com, I am now three weeks into successfully meal planning! I’ve been making amazing meals, saving money on my grocery bill and impressing my family with a variety of dinners. Typing this, I feel like I sound like an infomercial but it’s genuine, people. Meals at the Wingerd house have been taken to a whole new level and I’m loving it.

See, E-Mealz.com makes it easy. As much as I like to say I’m creative, I’m not. Each week E-Mealz.com tells me what to make. I love it. They include the recipe and a grocery list, sectioned off by aisle in your grocery store. It could not be easier.

What’s nice too is that we never really need 7 full nights of meals in a week. We do leftovers some nights, others (like on weekends), we’re out. So you also can pick the best meals out of the weekly bunch. I’ve been averaging doing 4-5 of the E-Mealz.com on any given week.

Also awesome, you can pick the meal plan that works for you. Sample meal plans are available to help you make your decision. (At first I started with the “Portion Control Meal Plan” but recently switched to the “Low Fat” option. You are allowed to change your meal plan only once so be sure when you pick!)

E-Mealz.com has offered Mommies with Style readers a coupon code! Use coupon code MOMMIESSTYLE for 10% off your meal plan order through 2/29/12.

Giveaway: Lastly, E-Mealz.com is giving away a 3-month subscription to one lucky Mommies with Style reader! Interested? Comment below! One lucky winner will be chosen at random after January 25th.

Note – You can enter up to 4 times (the only required entry is the first one to leave a comment! All the others are additional entries):

1) Leave a comment on this post. (Note: Scroll to the bottom of this post and click “Post Comment”. You must be on my site – you can’t do this through a reader.)

2) Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter & follow me on Twitter @WhitneyMWS:

Enter to win a 3-month meal plan with @emealz on Mommies with Style via @WhitneyMWS http://bit.ly/aatNRf

3) “Like” Mommies with Style and Peaceable Kingdom on Facebook (if you already do, promote this contest on your page)

Filed Under: Coupon Codes & Sales, Coupons & Freebies, Giveaways, Misc, Recipes Tagged With: e-mealz, meal plan

My Kids New Restaurant Obsession: Subway

January 17, 2012 By Whitney 2 Comments

It had to have been a good four months or more ago that I received a Klout Perk from Subway. (For those of you don’t know that that is – which is probably most of you – it’s a small perk of some kind from a website called Klout which gives out product or gift certificates to influential people in social media.) There’s a Subway about 10 minutes from my house that I have to say, I probably haven’t set foot in for at least 6 or more years.

So I’ve been carrying this $10 gift card to Subway forever. Over Christmas vacation, we were with friends and discovered a Subway in our vacation town. Kids Meals: a small healthy sandwich, a pack of apples and a juice box. All inside of a recycleable lunch tote with an educational token from the Smithsonian.

HELLO? Subway, where have you been all my kid’s childhoods? Or rather, where have I been? You had me at healthy lunch for my kids, especially after they loved them so much.

We are now new fans of Subway. They have awesome deals including $5 foot-long sub deals and coupons in the paper all of the time – who knew?

Anyway, check out your local Subway for your kids. It’s such a healthier option than so many fast food counterparts. And be sure to check your local newspaper for coupons, we just got some out of ours and got a couple of free sandwiches!

Filed Under: Misc

Ivory Soap Launches “The Soap Dish” on Facebook

January 15, 2012 By Whitney Leave a Comment

Looking to dish about Mom stuff? Check out this new page and community on Facebook that’s been launched by Ivory Soap: the Soap Dish for Moms. Hosted by Melissa McCarthy (actress on Mike & Molly), daily posts will engage women in a two-sided exchange where Moms can discuss motherhood in 2012.

Ivory surveyed over 1,000 modern Moms to get feedback on their daily lives and to learn ways to help simplify their lives with natural and easy products. You can also chat on Twitter with the hashtag #IvorySoapDish.

Filed Under: Misc

Ever Heard of CoolSculpting? Here’s the Deal (And a Chance to Win)

January 12, 2012 By Whitney Leave a Comment

Have you guys heard of Cool Sculpting? I have to admit, I hadn’t until I received a note about this in my inbox. Here’s some info about Cool Sculpting:

CoolSculpting is a breakthrough, FDA-cleared and non-invasive procedure that gently and effectively reduces fat in problem areas of the body. This results in noticeable, natural-looking fat reduction in the treated areas for men and women. What makes CoolSculpting different than other fat reduction procedures is its patented cooling technology that targets and eliminates fat cells.

During the procedure, a non-invasive applicator delivers precisely controlled cooling to target and eliminate fat cells in specific areas of your body. When fat cells are exposed to cooling, it triggers a process of natural removal, which gradually reduces the thickness of the fat layer. The result is a reduction in fat bulges that is visible in most patients in two months.

Heres a video that will explainCoolSculpting with a little more detail.

Win it!

This contest is being held on 14 other blogs. One winner from the group will receive a CoolSculpting treatment (valued at $1500). Use the form below to enter!!!

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Be sure to followCoolSculpting on Twitter and onFacebook.

In case you wanted some more information, Ive copied some of CoolSculptings FAQ below:

IS COOLSCULPTING FDA-CLEARED?

A: Yes, CoolSculpting is FDA-cleared in the U.S. for non-invasive fat reduction in the flank. The procedure has been available since 2009 in Europe, Asia and Canada, which in the past was sometimes referred to as the ZELTIQ Procedure.

Q: HOW LONG HAS COOLSCULPTING BEEN AVAILABLE? HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TREATED TO DATE?

A: CoolSculpting has been available since October 2009 in Canada, Europe and regions in Asia, with clinical studies beginning in May 2006. There have already been more than 140,000 treatments with the device worldwide.

Q HOW DO PATIENTS FIND DOCTORS THAT OFFER COOLSCULTPING?

A: CoolSculpting is made available only to premiere accredited doctors and treatment centers. Current distribution consists of dermatologists, plastic surgeons and other aesthetic specialists. Consumers can visit www.coolsculpting.com and enter their zip code into the center locator which will list several providers in their area. However, ZELTIQ encourages consumers to do their homework and ensure they accept no substitutes for CoolSculpting.

Q: IS COOLSCULTPING SAFE? PAINFUL? SIDE AFFECTS?

A: CoolSculpting is safe and generally comfortable for most patients. Typically, patients are comfortable enough to read, work on their laptop computers, listen to music, or just relax during the procedure. After the procedure some patients experience redness, tingling, bruising or numbness in the treated areas, but these are temporary and not experienced by all patients.

In approximately 50 reported cases out of 115,000 treatments, patients experienced more severe pain during and/or after treatment. In this case, patients are to contact their provider immediately. In 100% of cases, pain has naturally subsided over time and there have been no long-term effects of treatment. If discomfort is severe, your provider may prescribe an oral medication or topical anesthetic to help ease the effects until they go away naturally.

Q: WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT IN TERMS OF FAT REDUCTION WHAT IS THE AVERAGE OUTCOME?

A: In all CoolSculpting cases, patients will experience an undeniable reduction in fat in the area treated. However, visible results can vary based on the patients initial fat deposits in the area treated.

Disclaimer: This has been a sponsored post

Filed Under: Misc Tagged With: cool sculpting, sponsored post

Fulfilling Healthy New Years Resolutions with Tropicana’s #Trop50

January 11, 2012 By Whitney 1 Comment

One summer when I was in my mid-20s, I started having some health issues. I was having chest tightness, chest pain and tachycardia (heart racing) pretty regularly. Pretty scary, right? I was young but I had a series of tests done and everything looked okay but no doctors could figure out what was going on.

Finally one day one doctor asked me to tell him about my daily diet. One of my daily habits was Diet Coke. Lots of it. This was over 13 years ago and people didn’t really talk badly about aspartame back then but he told me to cut it out completely and see how I felt. I’m sure you know how this story ends – my chest pains and problems stopped.

To this day, I can’t have anything with aspartame in it without having a bout with tachycardia. Because of that, I’ve generally stayed way from anything with artificial sweeteners in it – meaning I either don’t drink something at all or have the one that’s full of regular sugars. Which has made it hard at diet time as lowering calories generally means using an artificial sweetener.

Not so with Tropicana’s Trop50. This is the key piece I loved:

No artificial sweeteners. Trop50′s made with Stevia, which is an extract from a natural plant. I love it because it’s something I can have and it helps me to fulfill one of my New Years Resolutions which is to get in shape and lose a couple of pounds! 50% less sugar and good taste works for me. I recently tried the Raspberry Lemonade flavor – delicious and no nasty aspartame taste of aftereffects.

Trop50 True Resolutions celebrates the real reasons behind New Year’s resolutions. Share your secret motivation and you’ll earn a coupon for $1 off Trop50 for yourself on the Trop50 Facebook page! You can also follow @TropicanaOJ on Twitter.

Disclaimer: I received a gift card and a coupon for my participation in this campaign.

Filed Under: Misc Tagged With: sponsored post, trop50, tropicana

Giveaway & Review: Get Organized & Digital with all your Papers with the NeatDesk

January 9, 2012 By Whitney 202 Comments

We have two filing cabinets full of receipts, tax papers and other random papers we’ve felt the need to save over the years. It takes up so much space.

I really can’t stand it. But enter a solution: NeatDesk. It’s a scanner and software program. You scan and store any reciept, business card or document. How great is that? A couple seconds of your day and you’re done with all the headaches involved with random papers flying around.

It’s pricey – I won’t lie. NeatDesk costs $399.95 on Amazon but it’s well worth it to reduce the paper trail in your house. We’re talking about saving closets full of papers. Seems like a no brainer to me!

Extra notes: the removable input tray can scan both sides of up to 10 receipts, 10 business cards, and 10 documents at a time–or even a single, 50-page document.

Giveaway: We have one NeatDesk to giveaway to one lucky Mommies with Style winner!

Enter to win by commenting below. What’s the first thing you would scan if you won the NeatDesk?

Note – You can enter up to 4 times (the only required entry is the first one to leave a comment! All the others are additional entries):

1) Leave a comment on this post. (Note: Scroll to the bottom of this post and click “Post Comment”. You must be on my site – you can’t do this through a reader.)

2) Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter & follow me on Twitter @WhitneyMWS:

Enter to win a NeatDesk from @NeatCompany on Mommies with Style via @WhitneyMWS http://bit.ly/aatNRf

3) “Like” Mommies with Style and the Neat Company on Facebook (if you already do, promote this contest on your page)

**This giveaway will end January 16th, 2012. One winner will be selected at random and notified after that time.**

Filed Under: Computers & Tech, For the Home, Giveaways, Misc

12 Days of iPad Apps: Day Three: Qwiki

December 28, 2011 By Whitney Leave a Comment

I continue to use Qwiki, which I reviewed within the first few days of getting an iPad earlier in the year. This app and website is like a Wikipedia for your iPad. You can query just about anything and it’ll bring back beautiful pictures and an audio tour of whatever you are looking for information about.

Use it online if you don’t have an iPad or download the Qwiki app from the iTunes store for free.

Filed Under: Entertainment, Family Travel, On The Go, Parents Tagged With: iPad, iPad apps, Qwiki

12 Days of iPad Apps: Day Two, Temple Run

December 27, 2011 By Whitney 3 Comments

My nephew told us about this one. There’s not much to it but it’s addicting, quick fun and free! You’re a treasure hunter being chased by crazy monkeys and you have to jump, slide and turn.