Giveaway | Mommies With Style

Sure Fit Slip Covers: Making Your Old Couch New Again!(Giveaway!)

October 13, 2011 By afterthealter 16 Comments

When I moved into our current home I brought with me couches that were purchased after I graduated college. I didn’t want to buy new couches for this home because I believed we would soon move, and therefore decided the couches would work for a bit. Fast forward 4 years and the couches were looking extremely worn, and tired. We still didn’t want to buy a new couch, but weren’t sure what to do with our stained old couches. That’s when I found Sure Fit Slip Covers , and made my old couches new again!

In today’s economy it’s not always realistic to be able to get new couches whenever yours get a little worn. Sure Fit offers slip covers for all your furniture pieces. From sofas, to love seats to recliners, Sure Fit can make any furniture construction type look brand new again. On top of the different fits, they also have a ton of different fabrics and colors to choose from. This means that you will definitely be able to find something to fit your room.

The idea of a slip cover scared me. The biggest question I had was whether or not they would fit my couches. Would they look funny? But when I started to put them on my fears were put to rest. The cover easily stretched over my couch and love seat, and was easily tucked in all the right places to make it look like a new couch. I was amazed at how easy it really was! To see for yourself check out one of Sure Fit’s Demos!

See the difference? It looks like I have a new couch! Gone are the spit up stains, and now we have a cover that can easily be cleaned if we should in fact get more spit up stains (which is inevitable!). Sure fit Slip Covers is a great option when a new couch isn’t an option. But why should you suffer with your old couch? Now, you don’t have to!

Now for the good news. Sure Fit is offering a Mommies With Style reader their own set of Sure Fit Slip covers! That’s right! You get a cover for your couch AND your love seat! Now you too can revamp your room! The contest will run until Monday, October 24th.

To Enter:

Go to the Sure Fit Website and tell me which cover you need the most!

The winner will receive a Stretch Pique cover in the color and construction of your choice.

Good luck! You will be amazed at how much of a difference such a small and inexpensive chance can make to your room.

I was provided with a set of Sure Fit Slip covers for the purposes of this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

KidCo Anti Tip Straps: Anchor For Safety (Giveaway!)

October 6, 2011 By afterthealter 5 Comments

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has been putting more warnings out there about the dangers of furniture and TV’s tipping, and harming your child. With TV’s now being so slim and light, and furniture being a little less sturdy, you’d be amazed at how easy it is for your child to pull them down on top of themselves. If your child is now walking and/or pulling themselves up than you need to do anything in your power to protect them from the dangers in your home. And what better company to trust with making your furniture and TV’s secure than KidCo?

As posted by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission

A new data report (pdf) shows that between 2000 and 2010, CPSC staff received reports of 245 tip-over-related deaths involving children 8 years old and younger. More than 90 percent of the incidents involved children 5 years old and younger. In more than half of the 245 fatalities (56%), the child was crushed by the weight of the television, furniture, or appliance. The majority of these children suffered fatal injuries to the head (67%).

In addition, more than 22,000 children 8 years old and younger are treated in hospital emergency rooms every year (2008-2010) for injuries related to instability or tipover of televisions, furniture, and appliances. And like the fatalities, a majority of these injuries (56%) are to the head.

Those numbers are just scary! To help protect our children, KidCo offers all your baby proofing needs. Two great product that they offer is the anti tip furniture strap, and anti tip TV strap. These straps connect to the wall and prevent your unsturdy furniture from tipping onto your child. As the statistics suggest, this is a HUGE problem in households today, and doing whatever we can to protect our curious children is definitely worth it.

To promote child safety, KidCo is offering TWO that’s right TWO Mommies With Style readers a TV strap, AND a Furniture strap! The giveaway will run until Friday October 14th, and two winners will be chosen.

To enter, go to the KidCo website and leave a comment telling what baby proofing product you use the most.

I was provided with the KidCo TV strap and furniture strap for the purposes of this post. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Child Safety, Giveaways, Kids Tagged With: baby proofing, giveaway, Giveaways

Huggies Slip On Diapers Review & Giveaway

September 10, 2011 By nancy 39 Comments

Huggies just introduced a slip on diaper called Huggies Slip-ons– and I want to know why didn’t anyone think of this years before? My youngest child is almost 13 months and has turned from a baby into a toddler who hates to sit down for diaper changes. I’ve always been horrible at “put the diaper on the standing child”, so when I got samples from Huggies to try out, I was psyched.

Basically, it works just like a pull up, but is much more absorbent (as in — your kid can sleep in it and it won’t leak all over the place). You can also just slide it onto a child that’s lying down (there are tabs you can easily take apart to remove (or apply the diaper). We tested the Huggies Slip-ons at home (during playtime, mealtime, naptime and at night), at the park and on the road (we went up to my inlaws’ house in upstate NY) – so I feel we tried out every possible scenario a parent may have and I was really pleased how the Slip-ons performed. No leaks, no blowouts that leaked.

While I’ve used pull-up training diapers with my older children (my 3 1/2 year old still naps and sleeps in them), I know that they are work well.. to a point. They can’t handle what a regular diaper can — but the Huggies Slip-ons did. The cost is more expensive than the regular Huggies diapers I usually use, I found it was worth it to have for those times when my little guy will not lie flat for a diaper change or when we are on the go! And they were absolutely perfect for the park — it was such a relief to just be able to stand my son up and change his diaper at the park with the Slip-ons. If you’ve ever diapered a baby on your lap on in your stroller (we’ve ALL done it), the Huggies Slip-ons will make your life so much easier!

They’re designed for babies from 12 to around 36 months.

Giveaway

Now, if you don’t just want to take my word about how much I love Huggies Slip-ons, then enter our giveaway of 2 packs of Huggies Slip-on Diapers –winner gets two packs in her preferred size.

To enter, leave a comment under THIS Post telling us about the craziest place you’ve ever diapered your baby. Winner will be picked by random.org.

For Extra Entries
Follow @mommieswstyle and @nancy_horn on twitter (+1 entry)

You must be a US resident.

Giveaway closes September 21, 2011.

This post is sponsored by BabyCenter in conjunction with the BabyCenter Blog Network. All prizes and compensation are provided by BabyCenter and Huggies.

Filed Under: Babies, Diapering, Giveaways, On The Go Tagged With: diapers, giveaway, huggies

Udi’s Makes Eating Gluten-Free Easier & A Less Daunting Option for Us {Plus, A Giveaway}

August 25, 2011 By Whitney 36 Comments

Udi's Chocolate Muffins at BlogHer '11. Photo credit to Jo-Lynne from Musings of a Housewife

For years, I’ve been hearing my friends Kelly and Jo-Lynne talk about eating gluten-free. I’ve listened curiously but without much personal attachment to the subject.

Then a couple of weeks ago, my vegan sister told me that she had gone gluten-free. And that she’s lost 30 lbs doing it and all of her skin problems (bad eczema she’s had since childhood) are gone.

Meanwhile, Nate (7 years) has been complaining a lot this summer of having a stomach ache. We can’t seem to find any rhyme or reason to the times he complains. It’s been sort of on and off all summer and definitely seems related to food. Someone suggested that maybe he has a wheat intolerance and that we try first eliminating that as an experiment to see what happens.

The idea of going gluten-free in our house is totally daunting to me. But I decided I owed it to Nate to give it a try – a little at a time. I’ve been slowly weaning us all from gluten, which hasn’t been as hard as I thought. (Rice for pasta. Corn tortillas instead of my usual wheat ones.)

In the meantime, I was already familiar with Udi’s Gluten-Free as I had visited their tent at a party at BlogHer just this past summer. I was scarfing down these brownies like they were going out of style and I could not tell the difference between one of these chocolate muffins and a regular chocolate muffin that has gluten. Truly.

Which is really awesome because I’m thinking that I can try some of the bread and other products for Nate’s lunchbox for back to school this fall. He certainly won’t know the difference and it’s great to know that there is an option for gluten-free that is so readily available and that they have tons of products available that I would normally put in his lunchbox (packs of cookies, bagels, etc.).

Udi’s makes hamburger buns too, which I’m pretty psyched about too as I typically make Nate’s turkey sandwiches for his lunchbox on hamburger buns so I figure I can just switch to the Udi’s ones without much of an issue. (I love easy!)

Time will tell how this goes for us and I’m still pretty intimidated by the whole thing but it’s nice to know there is a brand out there that’s readily available in my grocery store that will help us ease into this experiment without too much of a change.

Check out all of Udi’s Gluten Free Food offerings on their website and while you’re at it, Like Udi’s on Facebook!

Giveaway: $50 worth of Udi’s products (hamburger and hot dog buns, granola samples, and muffins). Comment to enter. Maybe give me a tip or two on gluten-free options as I endevour to cut down our gluten intake even more? Tips are appreciated but not required of course.

One winner will be selected at random after Thursday, September 1st.

You can get an extra entry for tweeting me @WhitneyMWS with the link to this post.

Disclaimer: I was compensated for writing this post but as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Cooking, Feeding & Mealtime, For the Home, Giveaways Tagged With: giveaway, gluten free, Udi's

Giveaway: Pretty Pushers Maternity Hospital Gowns

August 24, 2011 By zareen 24 Comments

I am astonished that I am already 27 weeks pregnant. I really haven’t been paying attention. I am finally just starting to think about things like the nursery and the delivery. While the excitement and joy of delivery day far out ways the negatives, the day does come along with its own unpleasantness. Pretty Pushers aims to make some of that unpleasantness just a little nicer.

They provide attractive, comfortable hospital gowns designed to work when you are laboring and make you feel prettier. They have openings in all the right places to accommodate fetal monitors, epidurals etc.

The gowns are one size fits all and are made of a 100% cotton, they even have organic cotton gowns. Pretty Pushers are even made to be thrown away after use (though you would never know it from the high quality), because really who wants to come home with a soiled gown. Pretty Pushers are both functional and fashionable.

Comment on this post with your due date or if you are entering for a friend when they are due for a chance to win your own Pretty Pushers gown. One lucky reader will be randomly selected on August 31th.

Baby Carriers -n- More is currently offering 15% off Pretty Pushers products if you use the discount code “LABOR15.“

Filed Under: Coupon Codes & Sales, Misc, Mommy Time, Pregnancy & Maternity Tagged With: coupon code, giveaway, Pregnancy & Maternity

The Good, The Bad and The Blocks: A Review of Legoland

August 7, 2011 By kate Leave a Comment

Ah LEGO…. Is there any house you don’t reside in? From DUPLO farm animals to the basic LEGO blocks to the $100+ Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle, it seems like LEGO makes a product for every kid. And for true fans, the magic of LEGOs can come to life with a visit to LEGOLAND. I recently had the chance to visit LEGOLAND in San Diego with my family and found lots to like, a few things that were a little lame and loads and loads of LEGOs!

Here’s the nitty gritty.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Three adults. Five boys ages 5 years, 4 years, 3.5 years, 18 months and 11 months.

SETTING

LEGOLAND San Diego. Midweek. Summertime. 10am-6pm.

THE GOOD

As you can imagine, LEGOLAND fills kids with the wonder and awe that a visit to any amusement park can do. Here are some of the highlights of our visit.

Volvo Driving School. Corporate sponsorship aside, my kids had a blast on this one. Unlike other driving courses where the car is set on a track, at the Volvo Driving School, your child – yes, your 4-year-old – is steering a car around a track. They have one track for kids 6-13 years and another for kids 3-5 years. I have to admit it was hilarious to watch the younger group get their first taste of freedom/fear behind the wheel. Mark this one down as fun for kids and adults.

Splash Battle. Over at Pirate Shores, Splash Battle scored big points. The only thing I can’t figure out is who had more fun – the kids or the adults. Teams of 4-6 people load into pirate boats equipped with squirting hoses. As the ship “sails” through the seas, the ship patrons squirt the heck out of the other boats and innocent bystanders. Men, women, child, adult – everyone had fun on this one.

Garden Restaurant. I cannot speak to the quality of the other restaurants in the park, but our lunch at the Garden Restaurant was a) delicious, b) fresh, c) healthy and d) cheaper than I expected (keeping in mind how amusement parks tend to mark up their food). Their selection of sandwiches, soups and salads was appealing to kids and adults, and the place had a great location overlooking parts of Miniland USA. Highly recommend.

Build & Test. Over in Imagination Zone, the Build & Test lab hooks your kid up with a pair of LEGO wheels and then lets them into a room filled with boxes of LEGOs. Kids construct their perfect racing mobile and then put it on the track to race against other inventors. This may have been my kids favorite part of the day. The three oldest boys spent at least an hour building and racing, rebuilding and re-racing until we finally pulled them out of there to move on. The room also has a DUPLO building portion for younger kids, tables for adult to grab a quick rest and best of all, air-conditioning!

Soak-N-Sail. There is a separate LEGOLAND Water Park which I hear is wonderful, but inside the LEGOLAND in Pirate Shores, there is a large water play area with water attractions for tots to teens. A friend had wisely told us to pack an extra pair of clothes and a towel – both of which I’d highly recommend. The play area is meant to get you WET, not lightly sprinkled with water. A great midday break to cool off and have a chance of pace.

There is lots to do, but it’s still doable in one day. LEGOLAND offers lots of rides, activities and shows, but unlike some other amusement parks (I’m looking at you Disney), it’s totally doable in one day.

Variety. From rides and games to shows and hands-on activities, there are activities to suit every interest.

THE NOT SO GOOD

Of course no trip is perfect. Here are the parts that we weren’t thrilled with.

Height restrictions. I know that most amusement parks have height restrictions for some rides, but overall in our experience, we found the height restrictions at LEGOLAND to be confusing and not consistent. Some restrictions were not clearly posted outside of rides, and so only after waiting in a line for 30 minutes were we turned away when we reached the front of the line. Or other places said one height limit at the entrance to the ride but then had a different (sometimes higher, sometime lower) when you actually made it to the front of the line. It was frustrating not always knowing what rides our kids could get on.

Dirty bathrooms. I know LEGOLAND has hundreds of babies, kids and adults making their way through their facilities every day, but the rides seemed so well staffed and yet the bathrooms so untended. I wasn’t expecting perfumed TP and cloth towels to dry my hands. But not having urine-covered floors would have been nice.

One parent, one child. Many rides require a child to ride with a parent if they don’t meet a height requirement. But a parent can only ride with one child at a time. We are a family of 5 which meant that when I sat out with my infant son, my husband was not able to take my other two on a ride together. He’d have to take one and then come back and take the other son. A HUGE pain.

The price-height-age-interest equation. I had been told by a few people who had already visited LEGOLAND that we needed to go before our kids were 7 or 8 because by then, many kids were over a lot of the rides and activities. So I figured that 5-6 years old would be the perfect age to go. But it wasn’t. My 5YO wasn’t tall enough to ride most of the rides by himself and with the one parent/one child rule it made it a tricky day of taking turns, swapping places and really not spending the day together as a family.

THE BLOCKS

As you can imagine, there are LEGOS everywhere which amused the kids. They loved wandering around Miniland USA with its replicates of Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco, New Orleans and more. And though my kids weren’t quite old enough to appreciate it, LEGOLAND has done an impressive job of recreating 7 scenes from the Star Wars saga.

Overall, I wish we had waited until the kids were a little bit older to visit LEGOLAND, but I can’t deny that the three oldest boys still had a blast. After spending most of the day at LEGOLAND, we also headed over to the next-door SeaLife Aquarium which was a nice change of pace though we missed out on the LEGOLAND Water Park which I’ve heard is fabulous. All in all, it was a fun adventure and one that inspired the boys to get creative with their LEGOS in the weeks since.

Disclaimer: LEGOLAND provided a 4-pack of tickets for my family to attend.

Filed Under: On The Go Tagged With: amusement park, Family Travel, giveaway, Legoland, Legos

Get In Gear For Summer: Win a Schwinn!

July 3, 2011 By kate 525 Comments

Summer is here and there’s no better way to explore your neighborhood, cruise to your local ice cream shop or head to the beach than with a family bike ride. Schwinn wants to help get your summer in gear by giving away one of their Merge bikes. From their hybrid series, the lavender-colored Merge is perfect for casual riding, fitness or cruising on or off road.

Some of the Merge highlights:

- 7-speed

- steel hybrid frame with alloy rims

- Suntour suspension fork for durability and comfort

- Schwinn supersoft hybrid saddle with springs

- Schwinn 700c x 38 smooth rolling hybrid tires

- included kickstand, rack and fender mounts

Want to win? To enter, leave a comment below telling us where you’ll be riding your new Merge this summer. Earn one additional entry for each of the following. Be sure to come back here and leave a comment for each one you do.

- Like Schwinn on Facebook

- Follow Schwinn on Twitter

- Like MWS on Facebook

- Follow MWS on Twitter

- Follow me on Twitter

Contest open to U.S. residents only. Sorry, no P.O. boxes. Entries must be received by Friday, July 8th, 2011, 11:59pm. One winner will be chosen by random.org and contacted via email. Good luck!

Filed Under: Giveaways, On The Go Tagged With: bike, giveaway, Schwinn

Giveaway: Peace and Quiet with Philips DVD Player

June 26, 2011 By kate 788 Comments

CONTEST NOW CLOSED

My kids ask great questions. They tell lots of stories. Have something to say about everything. This is all adorable and wonderful, but on a 7-hour car ride, it can definitively leave you pining for a little bit of silence. Since my husband and I are still driving our pre-kid car (read: no built-in DVD player or nearly enough cupholders), this leaves us with bringing along a portable DVD for long car trips.

Recently we had the chance to try out a new portable Blu-ray/DVD player from Best Buy: the Philips 9″ Widescreen Portable Blu-ray Disc Player with Dual Screen.

The name is long but so are the list of cool features.

• Dual 9″ screens. In this case, size does matter. You’ll notice the difference between this 9″ screen and other 7″ ones.

• LCD widescreen display. Crystal clear images. No cropping.

• Multiple playback formats. Blu-ray Disc, DVD, DivX, MP4, H.264, FLV, MOV, WMV – whatever your media format, this DVD can probably play it.

• Fewer cords. The car adapter cord splits to power both screens, and there is only one additional AV cord between the two screen. I’ve used a number of portable DVD players over the past few years and I can tell you that the fewer cords, the better.

• Multiple ways to power. Car adapter, rechargeable battery pack and AC adapter. Choose the power method that works best for your situation. [One note: the car adapter powers both screens while the AC adapter only powers a single screen. This likely won't be an issue for you, but with more and more cars coming with outlets and more and more devices jockeying for power just something to keep in mind.]

• Remote. I’m a huge fan of anything that keeps me from contorting my body into the backseat while we’re driving.

• Saves your place. Dinner stop? No problem! The Philips DVD player picks right back up where the movie left off.

We’re about to leave town again for our fourth trip with the Philips 9″ Widescreen Portable Blu-ray Disc Player with Dual Screen and so far, it’s performed flawlessly. There is plenty of time for talking, singing, joke-telling and questions, but thanks to Philips, we’re also guaranteed some silence too.

This Philips 9″ Portable Blu-ray Disc Player is definitely a top-of-the-line system (FYI – Check Best Buy for current sales as well as the details on their 6-month financing option), but Best Buy also offers a number of other portable DVD players choices. Whether your summer travels take you by car, plane or train, keep the kids happy and acquire some much needed silence with Philips and Best Buy.

CONTEST NOW CLOSED

WIN! Want to score a Philips 9″ Widescreen Portable Blu-ray Disc Player with Dual Screen of your own? Best Buy is giving away one complete system to one lucky MWS reader. To enter, visit Best Buy and leave a comment below with your favorite feature about the Philips system. Then, earn one additional entry for each of the following (be sure to come back here and leave us a comment that you did):

1) “Liking” Best Buy on Facebook

2) Following Best Buy on Twitter @BestBuy

3) “Liking” MWS on Facebook

4) Following MWS on Twitter @WhitneyMWS

5) Follow me on Twitter! @katebayless

Entries must be received by Tuesday, July 5th at 11:59pm PST. One winner will be chosen by random.org and notified by email. Winner must reside in the US only! PO boxes ok. Good luck!

Filed Under: Electronics, Family Travel, Giveaways, On The Go Tagged With: DVD player, Family Travel, giveaway, Philips

Gilt.com: Giveaway, Coupon Code for $10 off & Summer Spectacular Sale #GiltyMom

June 25, 2011 By Whitney 124 Comments

Have you checked out Gilt.com yet? A free subscription-based site, Gilt.com has some awesome deals available on children’s items. Right now, they have a Summer Spectacular sale going on – it’s a great time to sign up and shop!

Be sure to like they on Facebook too. They have some fun summer-themed ideas going on right now on the Gilt Children Facebook page with various bloggers (like me!) posting ideas and chatting.

Giveaway: One lucky Mommies with Style reader can win a $100 gift card to Gilt.com. To enter, comment bel0w. One lucky winner will be selected after July 5th.

For an extra entry, tweet about this giveaway! Be sure to include this link, use #GiltyMom and to @WhitneyMWS so I know you’ve all done it.

Lastly, making us all winners: Gilt Children is providing members of Gilty Mom’s Summer Spectacular with a special limited-time offer: Get $10 off when you spend $50 or more on Gilt Children! Offer expires July 18.Follow the special Mommies with Style Gilt Children link to get the discount.

Disclaimer: I am being compensated for my participation in this event on Facebook but my posting on the blog was optional and I wanted to share it because I think it’s a great sale & discount.

Filed Under: Coupon Codes & Sales, Coupons & Freebies, Giveaways, Kids, Misc Tagged With: coupon code, Gilt Children, giveaway

Attn New Moms: $1000 Product Giveaway on Mommies with Style #bumpmonth

May 11, 2011 By Whitney 453 Comments

Edited to add that this contest has now closed. Thanks to all who entered and congrats to Amy D. in Allentown, PA for winning our bump basket!

Hey New Moms – Grandmas & those of you with friends having babies: I’ve got an amazing giveaway going starting today. I’ve had a couple of months going for #BumpMonth that you may have noticed and now here’s the grand prize – one lucky Mommies with Style winner will win this entire lot of prizes below:

Books from Workman Publishing including Bring Back Beatrice ($10.95) and What to Expect the Second Year ($15.95)

Baby Hug Blanket ($64) from Silly Monkey Baby

3 sets of socks ($30) from See Kai Run

lillebaby Yucky Stuff Bag ($10) from Scandinavian Child

Ritmo Prenatal Sound System ($129.99)

A set of Rhoost products including edge ($14.99) table corner protectors and sling ($9.99) cabinet closures

Putumayo Kids CD ($14.98) of music from around the world

Pure Belly gift card with a value of $59

Single set of Pump-a-Pair hands free breast pumping support ($12.95)

Silky Liquid Powder ($22) from MD Moms

LeapFrog My Pal Scout ($21.99)

Joovy Hook ($69.99)

Hot Mama Gown ($89)

Apothederm Stretch Mark Cream ($89.95)

A T-shirt or tank from For Two Fitness ($39.99)

$25 Gift Card to use at Zulily.com ($25)

Episencial Sunblock Kit ($14.99)

Your choice between 1 of 4 Britax products to be determined

DiaperBuds Multipack ($5.99)

Crane humidifier ($45.99)

Booginhead SplatMat ($19.99) and one of the following: SippiGrip ($7.50), PaciGrip ($5), or PaciPouch($8)

A collection of products from BabyCenter including a diaper bag, BabyCenter Pregnancy: From Preconception to Birth ($19.95) and BabyCenter Baby: The All-Important First Year ($19.95)

Adora Calcium chocolate calcium supplements ($7.50/bag)

To enter: Comment below to enter. Tell us who this basket would be for. Are you pregnant? Have a newborn? Planning another? One winner will be selected randomly via Random.org on Monday, May 30th.

For extra entries you must complete the above comment and do any of the following:
1) Tweet Daily About this Contest, be sure to follow and @WhitneyMWS in your tweet and to comment below to let me know each time you’ve tweeted.

You can tweet something like: “I entered to win $1000 worth in #bumpmonth products on Mommies with Style @WhitneyMWS You can enter here: http://bit.ly/meAJUG”

2) Subscribe to Mommies with Style via email right here and be sure to comment below to let me know you did. (If you’re already subscribed you can comment and let me know that too!)

This post is apart of a series of posts inspired and sponsored by “All about the Bump Month.” To visit our sponsor page please click here.

Meet the 9 Bumpin’ Bloggers

Kelly Whalen             The Centsible Life @centsiblelife
Julie Meyers Pron    Just Precious @justprecious
Andrea Fellman        Savvy Sassy Moms @savvysassymoms
Jessica Rosenberg   It’s My Life @kikarose
Laurie Cooper        Guessing all the Way @clueless_mama
Leticia Barr               Tech Savvy Mama @techsavvymama
Alison Ray               Sassy Moms in the City @sassymomchicago
Grace Duffy               Formely Gracie @graceduffy
Whitney Wingerd    Mommies with Style @WhitneyMWS

Edited to add that this contest has now closed. Thanks to all who entered and congrats to Amy D. in Allentown, PA for winning our bump basket!

Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: #bumpmonth, giveaway

#Giveaway: Amy Michelle Madison Avenue Tote

May 6, 2011 By kate 72 Comments

Yesterday, I reviewed the new do-all Cosmo bag from Amy Michelle. Today, you have the chance to win another one of their do-all bags – the Madison Avenue Tote in Candy Apple Red. Wear it as a sling, messenger, backpack or hook it onto your stroller or luggage. For work, travel, baby, school or play, the casual Madison Avenue tote is a perfect solution for all the places the day takes you.

Check out all the features here.

To enter, leave a comment below with all the places your do-all bag needs to go. Get an additional entry for each of the following (leave a separate comment saying you did):

1) Follow Mommies With Style on Facebook

2) Follow Amy Michelle on Facebook

3) Follow Amy Michelle on Twitter

Contest ends Friday, May 13th at 11:59 pm. Open to US and Canada residents only. No PO boxes.

Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: Amy Michelle, giveaway

Patemm Changing Pad: Makes Changing Baby Easy! #GIVEAWAY!

April 30, 2011 By afterthealter 65 Comments

When my son was born I found myself changing him mostly in his pack and play. It worked great and I found it very useful. Then, way too soon, he got too big and weighed too much for me to change him there. I tried many things, but all just got dirty and messy with dirty diaper “residue”. I was always making a mess. I had a changing table upstairs, but I really needed something easy downstairs. I was stuck! That’s why I was so happy that I found Patemm changing mat. It solved my problem perfectly!

Even though I found the pad most useful at home, the Patemm Pad is a smart, stylish and practical solution to the diaper bag. It is a patented, award-winning design that makes changing your little one quick and simple when you are on the go. The round design is great for moving babies, and it serves as an all-in-one carrier for diapers, wipes, and even a change of clothes. The little pockets can accommodate all of your changing must haves.Â Best of all it folds down nice and small!

There are three different collections, all with a great array of patterns and colors.

Laminated Cotton ($63)
GOTS 100% Organic Cotton ($55-$88)
100% Regular Cotton ($68-$70)

One great thing about this product is that it is mom invented. I am learning fast that some of the best products out there were invented by women who saw a need for a certain item, so they just decided to make it themselves! That was the case with the Patemm changing pad.

One lucky reader will win a Patemm Changing pad in a Gender Neutral Orange Signature Circles pattern! (Winner must be a US resident) To enter, go to the Patemm Website and leave a comment telling me which collection and pattern is your favorite! A winner will be chosen on Sunday May 8th!

Extra Entries! Please leave a comment for each.

“Like” Patemm on facebook
Email customerservice@patemm.com and give them feedback about their site and product

In the meantime…Patemm is offering Mommies With Style readers a 20% off coupon code! Enter MWS at check out when ordering!!

The Patemm changing pad is so versatile and useful. It would make a great shower gift for any mom to be! Good luck to all who enter!

I was provided with a Patemm changing pad for the purposes of this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Babies, Diapering, Giveaways Tagged With: giveaway, patemm pad, patemm pad giveaway

Bare Escentuals Comes Out with Skincare Line & #Giveaway

April 20, 2011 By Whitney 82 Comments

More than likely, you’re familiar with Bare Escentuals make-up. They’ve recently launched a line of skincare called bareMinerals Skincare. Made out of 100% pure RareMinerals ActiveSoil Complex, these products promise to help you have younger-looking skin and a natural glow. They had me at younger!

Here’s a bit about the Complex: Extracted from nutritionally dense virgin soil, our proprietary RareMinerals ActiveSoil Complex contains a blend of 72 essential macro and micro minerals that dramatically improve the appearance of skin by increasing cell turnover and providing antioxidants at levels significantly greater than blueberries or pomegranates.

I have two sets to giveaway to two lucky Mommies with Style readers. Two winners will each receive One Deep Cleansing Foam and One Purely Nourishing Moisturizer. ($48 value)

To enter to win, comment below. For additional entries, tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to @WhitneyMWS so I know you have done so. This contest will end on April 24th and one winner will be contacted after that time.

Filed Under: Bath & Body, Giveaways, Mommy Time Tagged With: bareMinerals, giveaway, skincare

Fab #Giveaway from BrightStarts on @GiftGuideGirls – Over $450 Retail Value, Comment to Enter

April 19, 2011 By Whitney 3 Comments

Bright Starts has a new InGenuity Collection available right now that is beautiful. The InGenuity™ Collection combines the latest innovations in technology with on-trend styling and plush fabrics to create the most soothing and attractive products for baby.

Through our Gift Guide Girls Baby Guide this season, we’re doing an INCREDIBLE GIVEAWAY!

Enter for a chance to win the entire Bright Starts InGenuity™ Collection in the new Briarcliff Fashion.

Gorgeous, right?

The collection, worth more than $450, consists of the five must-have items for any new parent:

InGenuity Perfect Place High Chair

Mealtime is easier than ever before! With an exclusive Swivel Away Tray™ this high chair is the first of its kind, making set up and clean-up a breeze. Wheels lock in place to keep baby safe and secure and the seat features 3 position reclining and adjustable leg rest to make a comfy place for meal time.
Additional features include: EasyClean Insert™ that is dishwasher safe, a seat pad that wipes clean, 7 position height adjustments, removable head support, 3 position recline with adjustable leg rest and a seat pad that wipes clean and is machine washable.

InGenuity Automatic Bouncer

This fun bouncer is the only bouncer that truly bounces, powered by Hybridrive™ technology. This seat features a unique technology that provides a smooth, consistent bounce that mimic’s mom’s natural bouncing motion. To make baby even more comfortable, this bouncer offer 10 melodies and Nature sounds and an integrated cushioned foot rest to soothe baby like no other. With more than 2X the battery life of traditional bouncers, this seat is more efficient than any comparable choice.
Additional features include: automatic bounce with 2 bounce speeds, removable toy bar and head rest, cushioned bolster system for ultimate comfort and a 3 point safety Harness that keeps baby secure.

InGenuity Cradle & Sway Swing

This swing allows you to provide the motion that best suits baby’s needs with a seat that rotates 180° for either a cradling motion or a traditional front-to-back movement. The innovative control unit on this swing, powered by Hybridrive™ Technology, is more efficient than any comparable swing and provides more than 2X the battery life.
Additional features include: TrueSpeed™ technology that maintains 6 swing speeds even as baby grows, Whisper Quiet™ operation for peaceful swinging, head rest and cushioned bolster for ultimate comfort, Comfort Recline™ seat with 2 positions to suit baby’s needs and an easy-to-remove tray that can lift up left or right, or can be removed completely.

InGenuity SleepEasy Playard

Convenient for travel and versatile styling for the home! The InGenuity SleepEasy Playard is designed using the One Less Step™ folding system for the easiest portability. The playard features beautiful fabric styling to complement any home décor and auto-lock wheel to make it more stable when in use. The patented SleepEasy™ feature in the bassinet makes this playard a stand-out in offering the most comfortable and healthy sleep for your baby. The bassinet mattress can be adjusted to a slightly inclined sleeping position or can remain flat.
Additional features include: SleepEasy™ Incline™ bassinet with 2 sleep positions, Just Right Height™ changing table that pivots to the side when not in use and makes it easier for parents to access baby while changing diapers and an extra-large storage tray for all of those baby essentials.

InGenuity Smart & Quiet Portable Swing

The InGenuity™ Smart & Quiet Portable Swing™ is a compact wonder that features innovative TrueSpeed™ Technology, which provides sustained swinging speeds even as baby grows. This swing automatically recognizes baby’s weight and adjusts the speed to maintain a consistent swinging motion while 11 melodies and nature sounds soothe your little one. Our Slimfold™ design makes this swing fully portable and Whisper Quiet™ provides virtually noiseless operation while Hybridrive™ Technology, batteries will last more than 2 times longer than comparable swings.
Additional features include: a pivoting toy bar that swings away for easy access to baby, a swing timer with 3 settings and a machine washable seat pad and head rest.

How can you enter?

Just leave a comment over at the GiftGuideGirls.com on the post. (Do not comment here – only comments on the GiftGuideGirls.com will be eligible to enter!)

Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: bright starts, gift guide girls, giveaway, newborn products

Petunia Picklebottom Sightseer: Showing Baby The World! (Giveaway!)

April 14, 2011 By afterthealter 52 Comments

I have been a fan of baby wearing from the start, and have pretty much used every form of baby wearing apparatus out there. Slings, wraps, carriers…I just wanted to see what worked best for my little man. What did I find out? All of them served their purpose! One type I didn’t have was a carrier which allowed my little guy to face outward, and sometimes he just wanted to see what was out there. The Petunia Pickle bottom Sightseer fulfilled my need of this and more. It allows me to show my little man the world!

The Petunia Pickle Bottom Sightseer ($110) is made from Certified Organic Cotton that is machine washable. This baby carrier is for babies 8 lbs to 22 lbs. That give me a lot of time to use it. The Sightseer is soft and comfortable to wear. It also is extremely easy to figure out. I have to admit I find some carriers confusing to put on. This is not one of them. This particular carrier can be used with your baby facing you, or out. The versatility is great. My guy likes looking out the best.

I think one thing I have to mention is the style of this carrier. The Sightseer has 5 different Petunia Pickle Bottom stylish patterns to choose from. That means that whichever one you choose, you will be proud to show it off!

A great feature of the carrier is the secure infant leg button for babies 8-11 pounds. This allows even the little newborns to enjoy being close to mommy or daddy in this carrier. My little chunkamunk is bigger than that now, but I would’ve loved knowing that he was safe and secure.

Petunia Pickle Bottom is best known for their great diaper bags , but their whole line of products are great for any and all moms.

Now, one of our lucky readers get the opportunity to try this great carrier first hand! You read that right…we are giving away a Petunia Pickle Bottom Sightseer Infant Carrier!

To enter, go to the Petunia Pickle Bottom website and tell me what other product you think is great on their site (that won’t be hard!). A winner will be chosen on Monday, April 25th!

Good luck to all!

I was provided with a Petunia Pickle Bottom Sightseer for the purposes of this review. As always all opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Babies, Giveaways Tagged With: giveaway, Giveaways, infant carrier

Cover Me Strap: Keeps You Covered (Giveaway!)

April 8, 2011 By afterthealter 6 Comments

As a breastfeeding mom I am sometimes forced to feed my son in places other than my couch. Luckily I am not extremely shy about it, but there still is a need to cover up. I have a nursing cover, but sometimes it’s just to big and bulky to carry around in my already full diaper bag. For times like that it’s nice to have something small and versatile like The Cover Me Strap.

The Cover Me Strap ($12) is an adjustable strap that clasps onto any blanket or towel so that it instantly becomes a nursing cover! It is certainly a less expensive option to a large bulky nursing cover. The strap comes in twelve different colors and patterns that is sure to suit everyone’s needs. I loved that I was able to easily throw the strap in my purse and diaper bag. It definitely gave some truth to the saying “less is sometimes more!”

The Cover Me Strap can be used for many other things too!

Nursing Cover (bib style)
Nursing Cover (diagonal style)
Bib Clip
Sun Blocker
Blanket Keeper
Lovey Leash

I like the lovey leash idea! I am sure soon enough my little guy will be throwing stuff out of his stroller. Having it safe and sound attached to The Cover Me Strap sounds good to me!

Now you may get the chance to try one for FREE! One Mommies With Style reader will win a Cover Me Strap of their very own! The winner will be drawn on Sunday April 17th. Here’s how to enter…

Go to the Cover Me Strap Website and tell us which pattern you like the best!

In the meantime, or if you don’t win, you can still get a Cover Me Strap at a 10% discount by using the code STYLE.

Any product that has multiple purposes and can make my already full bag less full is a winner in my book. I think you’ll like it too!

I was provided with a cover me strap for the purposes of this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Breastfeeding, Giveaways Tagged With: Breastfeeding, giveaway