Yesterday while waiting for my husband to get home, I was watching the Music Choice on demand music videos that Verizon FiOS offers. I was grooving to some Beyonce, some Bruno Mars, and random other artists. Well, to annoy my 11 year old son, I decided to joke around and play the "Baby" video from Justin Bieber. Well, this backfired on me to say the least. As soon as it came on, my toddler, Sophie decided she LOVED it and was clapping, dancing, squealing, etc. When it was over, she went up to the TV and started saying "baby,baby,baby", fussing, and stomping her little feet until I played it again....This repeated itself for about an hour, when I could no longer take the saccharine sickly sweet of this teeny bopper sensation. For the rest of the evening and all day today, Sophie is singing "Baby." What have I created?! Nooooo!

My kids, like most others, have an odd fascination with trains. They love watching them go by when we pass the railroad crossing down the street, and they love watching animated trains on television. My daughter Sophie especially loves them, and pretends to BE a train and says "Toot,toot" whenever she so much as sees a train, whether it be animated or in person. (Guess I need to start looking for a wooden train set for my daughter!)

That's why I was thrilled to get the opportunity to review the newest DVD in the Chuggington series, "The Chugger Championship." If you haven't seen this delightful series before, I highly suggest you check it out with your family. A colorful and contemporary CGI-animated TV series from Ludorum that encourages early social readiness skills, “Chuggington” follows the amusing escapades of three young trainees, Wilson, Brewster and Koko, as they learn to “ride the rails” of life and become productive chuggers.  The exciting train property for preschoolers airs daily on Disney Junior, Disney Channel’s programming block designed for kids ages 2-7 and their families. 

So I have a couple of lucky winners to announce! I apologize for the slight delay in announcing my Tatas Prize Package Winner, but I had to merge all of the early entries, pull a winner, and then go back through and verify everything. With close to 20,000 TOTAL entries between event and early entries, this was pretty time consuming to say the least!  So without further ado, here are my winners!

STAR WARS:
Amy H.

Tatas Giveaway Prize Package:
Amanda A.

Congrats, ladies! I have already e-mailed you both, and you will have 48 hours to respond and claim your prizes! Thanks to every

Well its fall in Virginia and that means the start of cold and allergy season again. My one year old seems to be taking it the hardest, nose constantly running, and all that congestion settling into her chest to make for one nasty cough. Poor thing sounds like she’s purring sometimes when she breathes. Unfortunately there’s nothing that you can give her to make her feel better. She’s too young for allergy and cold meds, and I’m not big on giving my kids unnecessary meds anyways. So I called our pediatrician to see if there was anything I could do to ease her suffering, and you know what she said?  She told me that a humidifier could work wonders. That’s right, a Humidifier.

Did you know that The National Institutes of Health recommends the use of humidifiers to help relieve congestion from the common cold, flu and sinus infections? It’s a perfect way to help any member of the family suffering through the latest cold and flu season, without having to resort to medicines. Using a humidifier has MANY great benefits:

You may remember that when I first started this blog, I reviewed an adorable organic cotton onesie and some great pink leopard print BabyLegs from Sandbox Lane. Sandbox Lane is a one stop shop for all of your eco-friendly baby needs. From fabulous baby clothing, feeding supplies, eco-friendly toys and more, they really do have it all. Well, Sandbox Lane also carries a HUGE selection of cloth diapers from some of the absolute best brands on the market, including BumGenius, FuzziBunz, GroVia, DryBees, and even the newly launched Incredibum Bamboo Diapers! (I am an IncrediMom, so stay tuned for some upcoming reviews of this amazing line!)

But you know what else Sandbox Lane carries that I am super excited about? Charlie Banana's NEW line of Fashion Prints! With so many new styles to choose from, it would be impossible to choose just one. There are new bright prints for both boys and girls including their fun new Cutie and Robot Girl designs for that little princess in your life as well as more masculine choices like Handsome and Robot Boy for your little men-in-training. They even have an adorable, gender neutral black and white bear design called BlackBeary!

By now you already know I am a HUGE fan of Charlie Banana's One Size 2-in-1 diapers. Aside from the downright adorable appearance of these diapers, they are also THE softest diapers I have ever seen. The interior of the Charlie Banana OS Diaper is velvety soft, as are the included inserts. So soft, in fact, that my daughter likes to grab these diapers (when they're clean) and rub them all over her face. She even fell asleep snuggling these dipes! Yes, Charlie Banana diapers are really that soft!

Another great feature of this diaper is that it offers a 2-in-1 diapering system. You can stuff it with reusable inserts, which I prefer to do, OR you can tuck in a disposable pad when you're on the go! Charlie Banana OS Diapers have a front flap that you can tuck the disposable insert into, and then lay it directly on top of the fleece, making this a perfect Hybrid diaper! I have not personally tried using disposable inserts with this diaper, but it's nice to know that this is an option. Especially when leaving the kids with sitters who aren't exactly cloth-diaper enthusiasts!

Well, it's official. My Xander is growing up! He will be a year old in January, and has just started pulling himself up to stand. He has his older sister to watch as an example, and he stares at her so intently as she runs around and climbs. So really, it's no wonder that he cannot wait to follow in her footsteps and enter the world of being a toddler. As a parent, I want to make sure my son's transition from baby to toddler goes as smoothly and safely as possible. We've been helping Xander walk by holding his hands and stooping down to assist him as he takes a few steps. The problem with that? Well, ask my aching back! I have to say, it has not fully recovered from almost 2 straight years of pregnancy and recovering from 2 cesareans in that time as well. I get horrible aches and pains in my lower back especially, and it can make stooping down to help my baby try to walk a painful experience. Not to mention, he gets frustrated because sometimes Mommy just can't seem to keep up!

That's why I was thrilled to get the opportunity to review the Juppy Baby Walker. The Juppy is revolutionary in helping babies learn the skills they need to walk, all while remaining gentle on the parents' aching backs! The Juppy is totally ingenius, and very simple in design. This baby walker is simply a "sack" type enclosure with straps that Mom or Dad can hold onto from a comfortable, upright position while helping baby take those assisted steps. How does this benefit baby? For one, the Juppy helps develop the important skill of balance. It also helps prevent injuries from falls, since Mom or Dad is helping to support baby at all times.

Another thing I absolutely love about the Juppy is the fact that it is extremely portable, and will easily fit into a purse or handbag! It even comes with a beautiful, satiny carrying case to protect it from inevitable make-up spills. Okay, so maybe that's just in MY purse, which happens to double as a makeshift cosmetics counter. Regardless, the Juppy Baby Walker can go anywhere, making it very convenient while on the go. I know Xander gets tired of being in a stroller for very long, and the Juppy makes it easy to give him some time on his feet. It also helps baby develop a sense of pride and independence as they learn to take those first steps, all with Mom or Dad "controlling the reigns" to keep them from falling.

It's here, it's here! The In Honor Of The TaTas Giveaway Hop is finally here! Enter to win my GINORMOUS prize package, and then hop around to the other participating blogs for more chances to win! Here's what is included in my prize package:

The Holiday season can be an insanely stressful time. They are for me, that's for sure! With 3 kids who need gifts, a husband who has everything and wants nothing that is reasonably attainable, (unless someone can deliver a S-Class Mercedes to my door, free of charge) and plans to make for gatherings, I am shocked that I haven't sprouted at least a few gray hairs in the past few weeks. We have travel plans to visit my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio to see the most awesome, chicken-burger-making Grandma on the planet before Thanksgiving, we will be spending Turkey Day itself with my husband's father's family, and then we will be cramming to make sure all of our Christmas plans are on track. Not to mention blogging events, school projects, and Halloween that all need our attention as well. (Not necessarily in that order, obviously!)

With so much going on in the fall and winter months, it becomes easy to put the one relationship that holds everything together on the backburner. That's right! Marriage. Remember, despite the construction paper bits stuck to you with bits of glue from sticky little hands and the glitter that seems permanently affixed to him from his adventures in making homemade snowflakes, you're still a man and a woman. A couple. Yep, a couple. You know, that thing that came before the babies? Before you were Mommy and Daddy? It may seen like a fairytale land that was long ago and far, far away, but trust me: You've been there. (Even if it IS increasingly hard to remember amidst all of the diapers and bottles and tantrums.) Heck, being a couple is what brought you into the wonderful world of parenthood in the first place, assuming you weren't abducted by aliens and impregnated or that you miraculously housed the second coming of Christ in your womb. Oh, Mom, just for the record, I am still a Lily-White virgin at the age of 30, despite the fact that I have 3 kids. Really! (I wonder if she can see my fingers crossed behind my back right now?)

With the Holiday Season rapidly approaching, there are so many gift possibilities that it can get overwhelming. Especially when you're dealing with finding that perfect gift for that hard to shop for person on your list. Who is that on MY list, you might ask? It would be Kyle, my 11 year old son. While he may be only 11 years old, he actually informed me in a matter of fact nature that he is "too old for toys" a few years ago. To make matters worse, he is not your typical boy. He is not interested in sports or action movies. He much prefers things of an artistic or musical nature. This makes shopping for him quite a challenge at times.

That's why when I discovered Kaleidoscopes To You, a premier online gift shop specializing in gorgeously crafted kaleidoscopes and teleidescopes, I knew I had found something special. Sure, lots of kids have a kaleidoscope. They have been around for ages, making them a classic favorite among kids and adults alike. I remember the first time I looked into a kaleidoscope, made the wheels spin, and was greeted with a beautiful, ever-changing explosion of colors and shapes. But MY first kaleidoscope wasn't anything overly special. I think I won it at an amusement park, and it was made of cardboard or cheap plastic. Nothing spectacular, to say the least.

But the kaleidoscopes offered by the folks at Kaleidoscopes To You ARE something special. You see, these aren't toys. These are works of art! They have a staggering selection of kaleidoscopes made from different woods, in many different finishes. They also offer brass kaleidoscopes, breathtaking jewelry, and even special kaleidoscopes made by renowned artists. These are a far cry from the cheap, plastic kaleidoscopes I remember having as a kid. (Although they DO carry a great selection of toy kaleidoscopes for younger kids, too!) Kaleidoscopes To You offers something beautiful to suit every taste, making them the perfect one stop gift shop for that special someone on your shopping list. They even make custom kaleidoscopes that can be fully personalized.

Here are some of my personal favorites from Kaleidoscopes To You:

I'm so excited to bring yet another awesome Tropical Traditions review and giveaway to you all. Why wouldn't I be, considering this amazing company has such a huge variety of natural products to offer. They have everything from their world famous coconut products to household helpers, and they even have great supplements to support a healthy lifestyle. But with all the great products Tropical Traditions has to offer, I have to admit, I am really excited about the product I'll be sharing with you today, their Canadian Raw Honey!

What makes Tropical Traditions Canadian Raw Honey special? A lot, actually. First, this wonderful raw honey is completely organic in nature, and is collected from bees that are allowed to roam freely in their natural habitat in the wilderness of Canada, so they collect the pollens from flowers that are totally free of pesticides and other chemical contaminants. This is a process that is very difficult to regulate, therefore there are very, very few truly organic honeys available on the market today.

Another unique thing about the raw honey from Tropical Traditions? Well, most honeys are heated, filtered, and pasteurized, which removes essential enzymes and nutrients. Tropical Traditions Organic Raw Honey has not been subjected to the heat of processing, only warmed enough to flow (same temperatures the honey would see inside the hive). Tropical Traditions selects only premium honey that is pure, smooth and creamy, with the consistency of soft margarine at harvest. It contains live yeast and enzymes, because it has not been processed. It also contains pollen because it has not been filtered—merely screened.

Fine textured crystals are characteristic of totally pure, unheated, unprocessed, raw honey. Properly crystallized honey has a fine, smooth texture. Crystallized honey preserves natural goodness and doesn’t drip. The more rapidly honey crystallizes the finer the texture will be. It will also turn harder over time as it crystallizes. Truly raw honeys do not deteriorate with age, but like fine wines, continue to age and develop into more complex tastes.

When I received my Tropical Traditions Canadian Raw Honey, the difference between this and conventional honey was immediately visible. This honey is whitish, and has a creamy, almost buttery consistency. This is a far cry from the orangey, sticky honey we're all used to consuming. Take a look!