I promised to save the BEST Mobi Technologies product for last, and I wasn't kidding. After reading about the GloMate Plus and the tempTalk Multi-Lingual Digital Talking Thermometer, I bet you were all quite excited to see what else Mobi had in store, right? Well the wait is over! I am thrilled to share with you all the best video monitor I have had the pleasure of using, the MobiCam Digital DL!

When I had my oldest child almost 12 years ago, video monitors just weren't available to the average consumer. What did this mean for me? Loads of sleepless nights. I would constantly worry about whether or not Kyle was safe, cold, or even breathing! I would get up several times a night to make sure that he was in his crib on his back where he belonged...I would feel his little hands and feet to see if he had transformed into a human popsicle, and I am even guilty of going in and gently poking him just to make sure that he was, in fact, alive. (Come on, I know plenty of you have done it, too!) We had a regular "old school" baby monitor, but the reception was horrible. There was so much static that I probably wouldn't have been able to hear small baby noises over all of the static. Not to mention the range was very, very limited. I couldn't be at the other end of the house and get a reliable idea of what was going on in my baby's room while he was napping. In a nutshell, my old baby monitor gave me more stress than peace of mind.

I'm sure everyone knows that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. With all of the wonderful pink products, how could you miss it?! Breast Cancer is a disease that affects millions of women (and men) every year. Too many lives are lost to this horrible disease, and researchers are diligently looking for a cure so no more mothers, grandmothers, daughters, aunts, sisters or friends will have to face breast cancer. With early detection, this disease is highly curable. So make sure to perform regular self exams and get those mammograms! Also, be sure to do your part in supporting Breast Cancer Awareness by purchasing all of those pink products! Proceeds from such products go to fund several different foundations that are fighting to find a cure for this awful disease. Hopefully, a cure will be found and my daughter and future generations will never be touched by this awful disease. By showing your support, you're helping to make Breast Cancer a thing of the past. No more women should have to suffer.

I am super excited about my next sponsor for the upcoming Win Your Gifts Pre-Holiday Hop! Diggin Active is an amazing company that offers a ton of great, unique toys that have one major focus: Keeping kids active! In today's world, it is so easy for kids to get out of shape. Look at all of the video games, TV programs, and other toys that don't require any sort of real activity. In an increasingly digital world, kids just aren't getting out to play nearly as much as they should be. More physical games have taken a backseat to a game controller. Diggin Active wants to help reverse this trend, and they have a wide variety of fantastic toys and games for kids of all ages that promote physical activity.

One of my favorite Diggin Active products include their Jumpsmart Trampoline, which is a personal sized trampoline with a safety bar that the child can hold onto as they bounce, making for a hopping fun time either indoors or out! As the mom of a preteen as well as babies, I also love their Black Max Football and their Pop Out Bowling, Horseshoes and Ring Toss games. These fun, classic games are designed specifically with kids in mind and are brightly colored and highly portable for on the go fun! I can see myself taking any of these great products to the park for a fun-filled family picnic!

I know it's been rather uneventful here over the past couple of days, but I am working hard to play catch-up and hope to have more posts up today. They're some GOOD ones, too!

I have had a stressful weekend, and am dealing with 2 sick kids. It seems that every single year just as the weather changes from pleasantly warm to cold, someone always gets a cold, despite all of the hand washing, Lysol spraying, etc. Well, my 11 year old is feeling pretty miserable and has a horrible stuffy nose, cough, and a mild fever. Luckily, the pediatrician just informed me that it's more than likely just a bad cold that's going around like wildfire here in Virginia. I have kept him home from school today so he can rest, and I have to attend to him today since he's not feeling 100% at all.

On top of that, Xander, my 9 month old has a slight cold, too. He is sneezy and isn't sleeping as well as he normally does. To make matters worse, he is in the process of cutting 5 teeth! Normally, teething doesn't really bother him (lucky me!) but paired with the cold, he's a bit fussy, so he's been needing a lot of Mommy Snuggles lately.

We're probably not going Trick-Or-Treating tonight, which is a disappointment. I just cannot take the kids out when they're not feeling well. So we will all be dressing up, staying home, and passing out candy to all of the neighborhood ghouls and goblins. In the meantime, I am working on posts every spare moment I get. So keep an eye out for more Win Your Gifts sponsor spotlight posts. I have saved the best for last!

Hoping everyone has a Happy Halloween!

WOW! This giveaway was a HUGE success, with well over 6,000 total entries! I am thrilled to announce my winner for the Tidy Books bookcase, but first, as a thank you from Tidy Books, I have a special offer!

From now until November 7, 2011, Tidy Books would like to offer my readers a special code which  for 20% off any Tidy Books product via the Tidy Books US website : http://www.tidybookskidsbookcases.com/and get the discount by using this code upon checkout: NCM20.

This is a fantastic savings on one of my favorite children's products on the market today. These bookshelves are not only a wonderful way to encourage an early love of reading, they are also incredibly durable, well-built, and are designed to last a lifetime! So definitely take advantage of this special savings, just in time for the Holiday season!

Now for the fun part....Without further ado, here is my lucky winner:

Mrs. Smitty!

Congratulations! I know you will adore your new bookcase from Tidy Books just as much as we do! I have sent you an e-mail, and you have 48 hours to respond and claim your prize!

Thanks so much to all who entered, and remember, until November 7th you can save a whopping 20% on your Tidy Books purchase by using the code I've listed above!

With October coming to a close, families are starting to plan their Holiday travels. I know my family will be heading to Cleveland, Ohio in the coming months to see my Grandma and we will also be spending time in Maryland with my husband's dad and his family. When families plan their hectic Holiday schedules, one thing that should not be neglected is ensuring their homes and belongings will remain secure while they are away. The Holiday season is the peak time for criminals to break into homes and commit robberies and often worse, as they know that many peoples' homes will be unattended due to Holiday gatherings and celebrations that require traveling. I am lucky enough to have a team of crime-fighting, numchuck wielding elves that will be guarding my home for me while I am away, but many families are not that lucky. So adding some extra protection is always a smart idea, and may just keep your home from being burglarized.

Did you know that October is National Crime Prevention Month? Sure, the month may be almost over, but it's always a good idea to put common sense precautions in place to protect your family and your priceless belongings. To help recognize National Crime Prevention Month, Master Lock is working to educate people on very basic things they can do on a daily basis to prevent not only becoming victims of crime themselves, but protect other family members or people in their local neighborhoods.

I'm sure you remember my review of the MOBI Technologies GloMate Plus, THE coolest huggable night light on the planet, right? Well, as promised, here is yet another fantastic product from MOBI, the tempTalk Multi-Lingual Talking Thermometer!

As the colder weather sets in, so does cold and flu season. Sure, we can all run out and get our flu shots, but that won't necessarily protect against all the bugs and viruses that this time of year seems to bring. Even if you wash your hands several times a day, use anti-bacterial wipes and sprays, and are vigilant in keeping germs at bay, chances are someone will still get sick, even if it's just with the common cold. During the fall and winter months, this seems as certain as death and taxes. In my home, I do all of the preventative measures and someone (usually my husband) will bring home something nasty. I have to admit, I don't think he washes his hands as consistently as he should while he's at work. Plus, he tends to pick his nose more than he'd care to admit, and this pretty much ensures he will end up with a cold or worse. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband dearly and am not trying to pick on him. It just seems that he is always the first one to get sick, and he often infects others in the house. Not fun at all!

You may recall from my most recent EdenFantasys post that this year, I am trying to keep the passion in my marriage alive despite the inevitable Holiday stress,  and maybe even earn a spot on Santa's "Naughty List." With the thousands of great adult products at EdenFantasys, this should not only be an easy task, but a whole lot of fun, too!

One thing that my husband loves more than anything in the world (except for me and the kids, of course) is chocolate. He lives, sleeps, and breathes the stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if a medical examination proved him to have chocolate running through his veins rather than blood! He is the only person I know who can inhale a whole entire box of chocolatey treats and not gain a single ounce. Men seem to be very fortunate that way while we women have to watch every little morsel we eat to make sure it doesn't end up on our thighs!

With the Holiday season rapidly approaching, one thing I am stressing about is my weight and keeping it down, despite the fact that I will be surrounded by temptation constantly over the next couple of months. First, we will be visiting my Grandma in Ohio, and that can be a quite dangerous thing to the waistline all by itself. My Grandma is an awesome cook, and there are sure to be her famous chicken burgers, peanut butter balls, Chicken Paprikash, bacon for breakfast, and other random goodies. Yep, she likes to feed people, and I like eating her food. After that, we will be spending Thanksgiving with my husband's father's family. This, too, is a diet disaster waiting to happen. They always have amazing food like smoked ham, deep fried turkey, various cookies, pies, and cheesecakes, and even some of the best spicy pierogis I have ever had the pleasure of sinking my teeth into. Dan even has a cousin who makes these really cool cupcake cones! I am honestly shocked that I don't gain 20lbs every time I see that part of the family. Perhaps it's the laughter that always accompanies them that helps me burn the 5 billion calories I consume during family gatherings! After that, there's Christmas and creamed chipped beef and biscuits, sinfully delicious Rumaki, and much, much more. Anyway, you get the point. The Holidays can definitely equate to a dieter's Hell.

One thing that inevitably comes with being a parent is dealing with a child's fear of the dark. You know, the dark can be quite scary with all of the monsters under the beds and Boogey-Men hiding out in the closets. Add to that bats, spiders,witches and Stranger-Danger, and it's no wonder that small kids often have a hard time dealing with this anxiety. Often, a simple night light will do the trick. Unless we're dealing with MY kids. A small light plugged into the wall just doesn't seem to be enough sometimes. They cannot physically hold the light due to burn hazards, and many night lights just don't produce a very substantial glow. They might light up a tiny little corner, and that ends up backfiring, at least in my house. In poorly lit corners lay shadows, and where shadows are present, there MUST be those creepy-crawly things that like to go bump in the night. This classic dilemma has plagued children (and their exhausted, weary parents) for generations.


I have been searching high and low for a better solution for these night time fears that would be safe, comforting, and allow my kids to fall asleep faster and more soundly at night. That's why I was so excited when I learned about the GloMate Plus by MOBI Technologies. What is a GloMate Plus? It's probably the coolest night-light I have ever seen. The GloMate Plus is a huggable multi-colored portable light suitable for play, nighttime or travel. It’s BPA-free, safety tested, certified and made of impact-resistant plastic with an easy-to-clean surface so it can withstand heavy toddler use. Powered by heat-free LED bulbs it can lie in bed, slowly dimming over 15 minutes, to help your kidlets transition to a “lights-out” room. The light cycles slowly through red, green, blue and rainbow or can be set to remain on a solid color. The GloMate Plus automatically turns on when removed from the charging station or in the event of a power outage.  The built-in battery is good for up to a 10 hour charge.