Mommies With Style

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.

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.

I picked up the Palm® Pre Plus last week at the Verizon Store and was really wowed. I am taking part in the  Verizon Palm® Pre™ Plus Mommy Blogger Program and will be testing out the phone for the next month for Mommies With Style. While the phone is terrific, I admit I’m little overwhelmed.

They’re called smartphones for a reason — and I was so excited I was able to turn my phone on and automatically see my missed calls, email, twitter and Facebook notifications at the bottom of my screen. It makes this SAHM feel in touch with the world!  I love the touchscreen and also like that it also has a slide out keyboard. It also features multiple calendar syncing and a 3 mega-pixel camera with a flash.

Phone: I was impressed with the quality of the sound. It was much better than my basic Motorola Flip Phone model. The speakerphone can be accessed right from the touchscreen. In future posts, I will test it out with a bluetooth headset.

Use the touchscreen to select your contacts and to dial numbers. The cool thing is when you take the phone from your ear to hang up, the screen lights up and you can touch the screen to end your call. The phone locks when it’s not in use, so when you get a call, slide your finger up the touchscreen to unlock and answer.
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I recently went on vacation with my husband and two kids and we decided to test out a bunch of fabulous products that I will be reviewing over the next several weeks! I will be sharing my children’s and husband’s opinions as well.

The first product is one that we used over and over again and were thrilled that we had it with us. My husband was a bit skeptical about why we really needed it, but boy was he ever so thankful that we had it with us on the very first day of our 9-day vacation!

Minimus.biz is the leader in all things travel-sized and individual-sized. They stock more than 2,000 products including over 100 pre-packaged kits and gift sets. Products you couldn’t possibly imagine come traveled sized and Minimus.biz carries them all. All of their liquids and gels are TSA compliant (3.4 oz or less), which makes packing that carry-on all the easier.

The Traveling with Toddlers kit holds all of the essentials you could possibly want as a parent. It contains 21 travel-size products in a zippered 10″x8″x2.5″ clear vinyl bag which makes it a breeze to find what you need at any time! The kit came in handy when the following happened on our trip:

- My son fell on pavement and scraped his elbow pretty badly. Never fear – the handy first aid kit came to our rescue. The kit contained not only bandages, but towelettes to wash the area, alcohol prep pads to cleanse the wounds, anti-biotic ointment (bacitracin) to promote healing plus more!

- My son had developed a diaper rash and needed cream. I never carry cream anymore and was thrilled to have Boudreaux’s Butt Paste in the kit which instantly gave him relief and eliminated me from having to take a trip to the store.

- My kids’ hands needed disinfecting and washing a lot as we were very active with activities everyday. Hand sanitizer and the Candy wipes came in handy often.

- My kids’ noses were always running so the pocket tissues were a huge help!

- We forgot shampoo for my kids’ baths and were thrilled to find California Baby Shampoo/Bodywash and Bubble Bath!

- The stall in the airport was out of toilet paper so the Charmin To Go was perfect!

- We had a few spills in the car and the Bounty to go Mini Roll of Paper Towels was the best!

There is so much more inside the kit as well. It even came with a small flashlight with batteries included. We were so impressed with this kit and couldn’t get over how many times it came in handy and made travel easier! We were so thankful to have it with us on our trip. It has found its new home in my car and has been great to have on the go!

We also received some travel games such as Candy Land Travel Fun On the Run and Tangoes which my kids loved playing on the plane and when we had down time. They were both the perfect size to travel with. Also, with airplane food a thing of the past, we were well-prepared on the plane with great travel friendly treats. My kids enjoyed the Squeezers Peanut Butter & Jelly combo and individually wrapped Ritz Cracker packages while my husband and I had the Wild Garden Hummus To Go and Cracked Wheat Wafers which were delicious. We all liked the Kool-Aid 2 Go packets which we just dropped in our water bottles!

With over 2,000 items and 15 categories to choose travel products from, you’ll be sure to find what you are looking for. The next time you travel or just want some simplicity for the travel sized products you tote around town the most, check out Minimus.biz – you’ll be thrilled you did!!!

Save 5% off the Traveling with Toddlers Kit or the Toddler Travel Kit (smaller version of the Traveling with Toddlers Kit) by entering code mommieswithstyle at checkout until March 31, 2010. Free shipping is offered on orders over $20.

My Facebook status this weekend read: About to watch Motherhood. Will be interesting to see how Hollywood depicts my life in a movie.

Little did I know just how much of my life I was about to see. Uma Thurman is Eliza, a mom to 2 kids, a dog, and, at times, her sometimes scatterbrained husband, played by Anthony Edwards, in Greenwhich Village. What you realize within the first few minutes is that Eliza isn’t just a mom, she’s a Mom Blogger. (Have to mention that the movie was completely stolen by Minnie Driver who portrayed an amazing divorced, very pregnant Mama.)

Motherhood traces Eliza’s ups and downs through her typical-mothering day. Always a small problem abounds: like losing her parking spot or finding her child’s name misspelled on her birthday cake. While I wouldn’t call the movie hysterical, there were certainly enough parts that I could identify with that I found myself laughing, and other times tearing (how sweet when she watches her daughter on her last day being 5). Of course, like so many movies about parenthood, there are parts that seem so far-fetched and unbelieveable that I also laughed, and cried.

Motherhood was released to video yesterday and it’s 48% off at Amazon. Definitley a movie for a mom who needs a lift or a laugh, at her own (and other mom’s) expenses.

A Motherhood DVD was provided for this review.

I’m very excited to announce that I have been chosen as a Verizon Palm® Pre™ Plus Mommy Blogger. I’ll be testing out the new Verizon Palm Pre Plus and blogging/vlogging about my experiences with it from now until the end of March.

The Palm Pre Plus is wonderful for moms (and dads) on the go! It features multiple calendar syncing, a notification panel right on the main screen that will let me know if I missed a call, or have a voicemail or text message. I’ll also be able to add my two email accounts, surf the web AND check my Facebook and Twitter (I’m Nancy_Horn on Twitter).  I spent a lot of time ferrying my four year old to school and to OT and PT — so having a second to check my email/FB/Twitter while I’m waiting for him will be terrific! The Palm Pre Plus also has a great 3 megapixel camera with a flash built in –think of all the great pics I can upload to Mommies With Style!

Click here to see a demo of the Palm Pre Plus. There are a lot more terrific features on this phone — stay tuned for more info!

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.

My time at the Toy Fair in NYC was kicked off by Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 3 Event, showcasing the more than 250 new Toy Story 3 Toys. The newest Toy Story movie will be released on June 18.

In the film, Andy is now 18 and going off to college. His parents donate his toys to the Sunnyside Day Care Center — which looks terrific…. at first. Things quickly deteriorate and the toys need to be rescued. Will Andy get there in time? Click here to watch the trailer.

To unveil the Toy Story 3 toys, the Green Army Men repelled from the ceiling in “take-over” mode to look at some of the new toys releasing this Summer and into the 2010 Holiday season.  John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, Lee Unkrich, director, Toy Story 3, Darla K. Anderson, producer, Toy Story 3 and John Ratzenberger, voice of Hamm, were on hand to introduce the new toys.
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I’m a big water mom. The kids bring water to school every day for lunch (juice boxes rarely enter or leave our house.) And at meals and snack time, the kids know they have 2 choices for drinks: water or milk.

Of course, I naturally wanted to try out a new water.  I wasn’t sure what to expect. I mean, water is water, right? Well, kind of. WAT-AAH is water with a bonus. Its water with minerals infused into it to enhance your well-being. WAT-AAH offers 4 choices: Energy, Body, Bones and Brain. While “Body” is straight, pure water, the other three have minerals (like Magnesium in “Bones” to strengthen the bones.)

There is really no difference in taste. The kids never would have known they weren’t drinking our regular water from SAMS Club, had they not been drinking from really cool bottles. The packaging includes easy to handle, crisp bottles with a bright label and a cool kid on it. Getting kids’ attention, of course. Making it cool to drink healthy water.

WAT-AAH was created to give kids a cool, healthy alternative to sodas and juices. And with no artificial coloring or sugars, but still with a cool look, WAT-AAH is a great option for water-friendly households, and even more for households that want to become water-friendly.

Thanks to WAT-AAH for the sample bottles as well as the fun extras like t-shirts and tattoos that were sent for this review.

The following is a sponsored post from Wallquotes.com:

Vinyl letters and designs give you a personalized, elegant, painted-on look without the stress and mess and cost of painting.  So if you’re looking for something special to customize your space or add a little inspiration to your life, wallquotes.com is the perfect place to find it. 

Our unique designer quotes will add style and personality to help make your house a home; or try our custom vinyl lettering and wall quote generator to create a special quote of your own in one of dozens of fonts; select from 43 designer colors to make a perfect match to your existing décor – and voila! instant style. 

In our expanding collection of wall art, you’ll find just the thing to complement your quotes, your home, your life.  And check out our blog for giveaways, design ideas, and more.  Until the end of March, use MWSTYLE at checkout for 10% off.

Hey Mommies, I heard about this worthy campaign from Audrey from Mom Generations & Totsy and wanted to spread the word.  

Excerpt taken and slightly edited from Audrey’s post on Totsy:
 Electrolux Appliances is teaming up to support the Ovarian Research Cancer Fund. Kelly’s Cake Off for a Cause in support of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. On February 9th, 5 teams of baking lovers took part in Kelly’s Cake Off by decorating their own cakes.Kelly-Confidential, where you can cast your vote for your favorite cake from Kelly’s Cake Off. This is the ultra-amazing part:for every vote cast, Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund as part of its $500,000 commitment to help fight ovarian cancer . How incredible is this? You can also check it out at the Facebook page or follow them on Twitter (hashtag #CakeOff).

Kelly Ripa (who is the Electrolux brand ambassador) and Buddy Valastro from TLC’s “Cake Boss,” have teamed up with Electrolux to host

Head over to

Help us spread the word! Every $1 helps in the fight against Ovarian Cancer. If you mention this information on your blog, please email Audrey (Audrey@MomGenerations.com) with the link. Everyone who blogs about this amazing cause will be entered to win a new a brand NEW Induction Range from Electrolux!

About OCRF:
The mission of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund is to fund research to find a method of early detection and ultimately a cure for ovarian cancer. In support of our mission, we help patients and their loved ones understand the disease and its treatment, and provide outreach programs to raise public awareness. The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization. For more information, visit www.ocrf.org.