Tiny Prints :: Time to Order Your Holiday Photo Cards! {PLUS $50 Giveaway! Ends 10/29}

Fall Holidays are upon us, but before you know it, Winter holidays will be here. I've already started shopping for gifts! For my family that means Christmas, and lots of family fun. We also have lots of family that live out the states that we rarely see. That's why it's especially nice to have a tradition of exchanging Christmas photo cards each year. Giving and receiving updates about young, growing families is always so exciting! 

With Tiny Prints' 2012 Holiday Collection, you can choose from a huge selection of over 800 holiday photo card designs that have fun features, shapes and personalization options. From modern, traditional or religious cards or cards for your pets, there is definitely something for every family and every style. There are so many to choose from and they are all so darling! This year Tiny Prints also came out with a Premium DoubleThick™ Matte Paper, their most luxurious cardstock yet. I'm thinking that will be the paper I select, but I'm having the worst time deciding which design to choose. They are all so beautiful! Here are just some of my favorites!

Tiny Prints also has a Special Offers page that you should check out. They often run great deals and specials that you don't want to miss out on!

Win It!

One winner will receive $50 off their Tiny Prints order!
(does not include shipping & cannot be combined with any other promos)

Green Christmas Gift Giveaway Hop :: Blogger Signs Ups OPEN!

 

With Christmas fast-approaching, people everywhere are starting to think about shopping for Christmas Gifts. It's up to us to give them some great ideas on how they can make their Christmas greener this year! That's why I'm thrilled  to be teaming up with Going Green with the Grizls and Happy Mothering through the Green Moms Network to bring you another fantastic giveaway hop: the Green Christmas Gift Hop!

Event Details

Dates: November 28 to December 7, 2012  

Price: FREE!  

Prize Requirements: Min $25.00 prize value; green, natural, eco-friendly, organic or educational gifts of all kinds, for all ages!  

Hashtag: #GreenChristmas

TETON Sports :: Executive Tech Bookbag Review & Giveaway {Ends 10/26}

Everyone needs a good backpack. Whether you're a college student, an business exec, or a frequent traveler, a high quality backpack is a must-have to carry your necessities on your journey. TETON Sports, makers of outdoor gear and sporting goods, carries a few backpack designs for your specific need. I travel every couple months to visit my mom for a few days at a time or more. Often times we stay in a local hotel and spend the day at my mom's house the entire day. Well, I finally figured out that I needed something to carry an extra change of clothes for Buddy, snacks, a water bottle, my laptop and other fun things for the day. I've finally found the carry-it-all backpack that I've been looking for!

This, my friends, is the Executive Tech Bookbag. The ultimate in bookbag-style backpacks with all the bells and whistles you should expect from TETON Sports. Made from 1200D polyester material, with reinforced stitching and heavy duty zippers, this backpack will travel with you for years. Above you can see the sleek style and the ultra molded back padding that is uber comfortable. The mesh at the bottom and slightly up the sides, along with the molded padding against your back allow for optimum airflow and comfort.

 Peeling through each compartment of this backpack from the front pocket to the back, first we see a square carabiner clip, perfect for attaching keys, sunscreen, chapstick or keychains. I like to attach my keys to it when I'm out of town at my mom's house. Open that first compartment in the top right photo and you have a generous amount of pockets, including space for two writing instruments and your cell phone too. My iPhone fits perfectly and stays securely inside with the velcro strap that folds over it. On the bottom left you see another zippered compartment that is unexpectedly deep and reaches to the very bottom of the backpack. This would be great for small accessories. And then on the bottom right we have the big kahuna (You can see my hand placed at the bottom of it). This humongous zippered compartment would fit a lot of books, binders, notebooks and all sorts of paper-size documents from school or work. It's a very generous size!

On the left is another shot of this large, main compartment. I love how far down it zips on each side. If you're anything like me, I tend to loose stuff in backpacks and a good cleaning is in order quite often. Because this compartment zips down so far, it's so easy to pack and unpack it's contents as needed. Also in this huge compartment is a pocket large enough for a thin folder, and an iPod/MP3 media port and pocket making it easy to stay connected to your electronics while keeping them in your backpack. You can also see the large, heavy duty carry handle for easy carrying and pulling out from an overhead bin if used as a carry on too. 

 The last zippered compartment is for your laptop up to 17" and will fit a few slim accessories in front of the padded laptop pocket too. I'm paranoid about keeping my laptop safe and this compartment eases my mind. Because the molded back padding is at least an inch thick, your laptop is pretty safe. Not only that, but there are no unpadded crevasses at the bottom of the backpack that your laptop can shimmy into, leaving it unprotected. I had that problem with my last backpack, so I had to stash an old t-shirt at the bottom to protect my laptop! This backpack, however, has an amazing amount of more than ample padding to store your laptop safely.

 There are two side pockets on each side, and also built-in side compression straps to make a smaller load feel more secure. I like this feature for the added security in knowing a really full load isn't going to rip the seams and cause everything to come spilling out! Of course this is a very high quality backpack we're talking about here, but peace of mind is worth something. There is also a pocket on each side that will fit my 17oz stainless steel water bottle and keep it nice and snug.

There is just one thing that I have as feedback about this backpack. The area on the right strap to place your phone is FAR too small for most phones. My iPhone would surely slip out and face a dreaded fall to certain death. I don't even want to think about that! The strap is just not wide enough to accommodate a regular smart phone (or most phones for that matter). So, I just don't use it and it really isn't a problem. Besides, there is another spot that fits my phone perfectly in the front zippered compartment as I mentioned. Overall, this backpack is amazing. Absolutely worth investing in if you need a backpack everyday. It's comfortable, extremely well made, and will last you a very long time.

Price: $119.99
 

Buy It: Check out Amazon.com to purchase TETON Sports products today!
 

Win It!

One winner will receive an Executive Tech Bookbag!

Starting out on the right foot with Pediped {Review}

I'm really careful when it comes to buying shoes for Buddy. At just 3 1/2, his feet are a ginormous size 13! I feel that much more compelled to be cautious about buying shoes that will encourage healthy growth and development because his feet are growing as such a fast rate. Thankfully there are plenty of stylish options from pediped, a premium shoe company for babies and kids that offers the "next best thing to bare feet."

We received the Flex Jett style which were hand-selected by Buddy. Who knew a 3 1/2 year old would start getting picky about his shoes?? These were "big boy" shoes in his mind and he was adamant that these were the ones. In an effort to stay ahead of his seemingly rapid foot growth, I went with a size EU 31, which is equivalent to a 13-13.5. They are actually slightly large on Buddy, but I knew that wouldn't be an issue! Pediped has an amazing Flex Fit System™, which allows you to adjust the fit of their shoes and prolong the length of wear. Just add the extra insoles that are included and you can effectively reduce the size of the shoes by almost half a size!

The Flex Jett is made with an all natural rubber sole, a suede upper, faux blue laces, and velcro strap for closure. This sneaker style is the perfect all day shoe for a busy boy. They are incredibly well-made and the attention to detail is fabulous! The tred on the bottom of these shoes grip the ground very well, but are also non-marking on my floors which is an added bonus. There upper back of the heel is cushioned well to avoid blisters and hold the foot in securely. I've noticed that pedipeds seem to fit Buddy's wide feet too. No squishing toes! In fact, he seems to have extra room so as he steps his toes separate properly. This is, or course, very important for proper foot development.

One thing about pediped that I love is that the soft rubber sole is thin, yet supportive and very flexible when you try to "fold" the shoe in half. I have full confidence that these will move with his feet, and not the other way around. With pediped, Buddy has NEVER tripped over his shoes, something I simply cannot say for any other brand we've had to "break in" (and we've gone through a lot of shoes!). With pediped, you should never have to "break in" their shoes because they are designed with your child's foot health in mind. Check out more about proper foot health from pediped.

Prior to this pair, we had the pediped Adrian style. Similar, but a younger looking style. In fact, we bought that style TWICE because we loved them so much. They were Buddy's "space shoes" (this kid is very imaginative!). That's how much we LOVE pediped and will be shopping with them for a couple more sizes until Buddy's feet won't fit in pedipeds anymore (that will be a sad day!).

Aren't they just so darn cute?? Buddy loves these shoes and so do I. They seem to be wonderfully comfortable and we haven't had any issues whatsoever! I know I'm giving his feet the best start I can possibly give with pediped. Style, comfort, and proper foot health. That's pediped!

Connect with Pediped on Facebook and Twitter

Price: Flex Jett - $49

Buy It: Check out pediped.com for this style and lots more!

 

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product(s) to facilitate this review for free. No other compensation was received. This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours.

Giveaway :: $250 CASH from Tip Hero! {Ends 10/23} US/CAN

How would you like to get a head start on Christmas shopping this year with $250 CASH??? Yep! That's right! I've partnered together with Tip Hero and a bunch of awesome bloggers to bring you this awesome giveaway. Good Luck!

The giveaway ends October 23 at 11:59 US EST. Open to United States and Canada, 18+.

Win It!

One winner will receive $250 cash!

Winners Announcement!

The winner of the Educational Insights, Sprout & Grow Window giveaway is...
 

Rafflecopter Entry #124 Linda R.! 

The winner of the Denio's $50 PayPal giveaway is...
 

Rafflecopter Entry #1468 Jerrie! 

 

The winners have been contacted by email! Congratulations to you both!

 

October 15th :: International Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day

October 15th is International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, a day of remembrance for pregnancy loss and infant death which includes miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or the death of a newborn. This day is one that I wish didn't have so much significance for me. But, it does and will most definitely continue to have significance for the rest of my life. You can read more about my infertility and pregnancy loss journey if you missed it. Actually, the whole month of October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, as proclaimed by President Ronald Regan in October 1988.

 

The statistics for these losses are staggering. The National Institute of Health estimates that of the 4 million births a year in the United States, there are 26,000 stillbirths; meaning one in every 160 births results in a stillborn. These stats don't even include miscarriages of any kind! With your help though, these statistics can change significantly for late-term pregnant women.

We can't prevent every loss, but there are organizations like Count the Kicks that are on a mission to increase awareness and help save babies if at possible. After learning that Norway had dramatically reduced its still birth rates by conducting a public health campaign on kick counting, five Des Moines-area moms, who each lost babies to late-term stillbirth or infant death, launched a statewide public health campaign in Iowa called Count The Kicks in 2009. The campaign was developed to prevent late-term birth complications and stillbirths and urges parents to contact their health care providers immediately if they notice significant changes in their babies’ movements. Scientific studies indicate kick counting, a daily record of a baby’s movements (kicks, rolls, punches, jabs) during the third trimester, is an easy, free and reliable way to monitor a baby’s well-being in addition to regular prenatal visits.

To learn more about how you can prevent the loss of more lives, join the Count the Kicks movement and spread kick awareness! CLICK HERE for more information, videos, and a Count the Kicks downloadable poster.

My losses were not late term, but learning about Count the Kicks put in perspective for me how you truly aren't "out of the woods" until your baby is delivered and declared healthy. Life is fragile. Nothing is more heartbreaking that losing a child at any stage. On this day I hope you would consider spreading the word, and by talking to your pregnant friends. Gently remind them to count those precious baby kicks. You never know. You may save that babies' life.

 

I'm very thankful that there is more being done to bring awareness to the issue of pregnancy and infant loss. Far too many families have been tragically touched in this way and grieve alone because no one seems to know what to say. You know what? A simple "I'm so sorry, what can I do for you right now?" is a great start. We don't want to simply forget our babies we've lost. They are real. They were just lost. And we never, ever forget them. Today and every day, I remember my four angels.

How have you been touched by pregnancy or infant loss? 

 

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. It is something that was simply on my heart that I wanted to share. Thank you to MagicBullet Media for providing the statistics and information about Count the Kicks.