GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

I downloaded this digital audio compilation of “Beautiful Creatures” by Ed Jordan and Alan Glass, and was tickled with the ‘tales’ within the songs! A number of songs are about a particular animal from South Africa, be it a lazy lion, wonderous warthog or the luckiest lizard! My sons and I enjoyed them all, simply because it was basically a story told in a musical way. Our favourite picks were African Lullaby (because it’s very soothing), Lucas the lazy lion (because we love imitating ‘Lucas” ~ RawrrrrrRRrr! ) and Mafutha (because my eldest son loves elephants!).

It may have been released 6 years ago, but I feel that it’s timeless and still relevant today. The music is catchy and very easy to listen to (as opposed to the usual high-pitched kids’ music we hear nowadays). I think there’s always something magical when you can ‘hear’ for yourself the effort they’ve gone through in making children’s music, special. So, I think these guys did a fantastic job! My kids not only liked dancing to the songs, but they also learnt about the animals itself (eg : warthogs hate being clean and are omnivores, and don’t get too close to Hippos even if they seem to be very friendly looking).

About the people behind Beautiful Creatures :

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

While we all love Dad, we don’t always love hearing him complain of that nagging, constant pain in the back. This Father’s Day, give Dad a gift he can really put to use, instead of another tie that will end up in the back of the closet – give the gift of the Gokhale Method to eliminate back pain for good – without pills, surgery or doctors visits.

Dad isn’t alone if he suffers from a painful back: nearly 90% of American adults suffer from back pain, and the number continues to climb. Fortunately, Esther Gokhale traveled to parts of the world where back pain is rare in order to find the root cause of back pain. Through studying cultures in Brazil, Portugal and Burkina Faso, Esther discovered that the reason Americans have a lot of back pain is because we have lost sight of our kinesthetic traditions.

WIN IT : 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back outlines simple ways to change how we stand, sit, walk, lift and sleep to eliminate pain for good. The method is simple and can be followed by anyone to make a substantive change to their life. The book is also very visual and easy to follow. You can win a copy for dad this Father’s Day as we are giving away a copy each to TWO lucky readers.  To enter for a chance to win, here’s what you need to do:

• One mandatory entry – Visit our sponsor, www.egwellness.com and tell us one fact about the Gokhale method
• Two additional entries – follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please leave us a comment including your twitter id and your tweet url. (You can do this daily until the contest ends)
• Two Additional Entries- Name one product we have reviewed on our site here, which you like best and tell us why.
• Giveaway is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends 4th June 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure : Giveaway copies courtesy of www.egwellness.com

Who doesn’t love personalized items??  My daughter has always enjoyed finding things with her name on them- although a difficult feat when adorned with an unusual name like Abryanna.  We have never found anything in the retail marked that bears her name- or even her nickname, “Bree”.  We were thrilled when we were given the opportunity to sample a name necklace from Wow! Imports.  Although I was overwhelmed by the choices, my little diva was very quick to choose one of the adorable children’s name necklaces and wanted it personalized with “Bree”, the name she is most often called.  We were both thrilled when the little box arrived and I have been unable to take it off her since it arrived.

About Wow! Imports:

Wow! Imports was founded by the Askotzky brothers. Ron, the artist in the family and admirer of fine handicrafts, found that many talented Israeli and African craftspeople were limiting their sales to the local market and had no mechanism for marketing their creations in the more affluent U.S. crafts market. Together with his wife, Lisa, he dreamed of creating such a mechanism but it seemed like a daunting task. Then his brother, Steve, had the opportunity to see a sampling of these fine handicrafts and was most impressed. One thing led to another and Wow! Imports was formed.

Wow! Imports offers amazing African bead and wire art animal figurines, piggy banks, beaded key chains, beaded flatware and serving pieces, miniature motorcycle figurines and beaded Christmas ornaments, recycled plastic bag animals, particularly plastic bag roosters and chickens and personalized name jewelry in a huge array of styles.

Most of the African crafts offered on Wow! Imports are made by groups that are members of or certified by Proudly South African, International Fair Trade (IFAT) or Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). This ensures the products you receive meet high quality standards and the companies producing them are committed to fair labor and employment practices as well as sound environmental standards.

The name necklace we received was beautifully made with great attention to detail. It has also been proven to be high quality as it has held up well to the wear and tear of my daughter’s constant pulling and tugging of it. I know this will be a treasure that she will enjoy for years to come. With the enormous array of styles and features, Wow! Imports has the perfect gift for the special ones in your life. You can purchase your own adorable name necklace or any of the other great items offered by Wow! Imports on their website.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/2

If you’re wondering what others thought of Wow! Imports’ name necklaces, check out what our reviewers had to say:

The Mom Buzz - The Kaitlyn name pendant is .7mm thick and approximately 1/2? tall from the top of the first letter. It comes standard with a .7mm thickness. It includes a 1mm wide sterling silver box chain. It seems sturdy and it’s a very cool font, perfect for my niece. It is $28.95. Overall, I am extremely pleased with both the quality and the level of service I received! They really made sure I was happy with my name necklace, and that means so much to me!

The Mom Maven – The “Briana” font is what most people would call the “Walt Disney” font. Being the HUGE Disney fan that I am I have worn this necklace almost everyday since I received it. Many of my friends has asked where in Walt Disney World I bought the necklace and they are impressed that I got it online and that they can get one too for less than $30!

Julian and Morin’s Photoblog – As you can see from the above photo, the quality looks quite good and it is quite well done. Even my daughter who saw the name necklace said she want to have one for herself with her own name. So, perhaps we will soon get her one as well. The necklace chain comes in various lengths as well to suit the wearer’s requirement. Some may like it long and some may like it shorter.

5 Vinez Monkeys – The necklace itself is gorgeous. It came on an 18 inch box chain that is just the right length and sparkles when the light hits it. This is my new favorite necklace to wear, simply because it goes with everything. It looks fabulous paired with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and it looks beautiful when I’m all dressed up.

Health Freak Mommy – I cannot tell you how ecstatic my little vain pot has been ever since she received the name necklace. She feels special that of the 3 girls, mummy chose her to be the recipient of the name necklace. She has been wearing it to school and even to her ballet class! She does not even want me to wear the necklace for her and wants to put the necklace on herself!

Maria’s Space – I also love that their were child sized necklaces. I have 8 nieces to buy for during the holidays and they all love jewelry.

What impressed me the most about Wow Imports was their fast delivery, the quality of the necklace but more than that was the selection of interesting different products I found on their website.

Rambling Moo – Finally, I received this beautiful sterling silver name necklace personalized with her ‘pet’ name on it together with a 14″ chain. It came all the way from the US but it was actually made in Jerusalem, Israel! How special and unique is that??? This is indeed the most meaningful and unique gift for the Lil’ Princess thus far! What is more, it was so nicely done that I thought to get one for myself too! Do you know that it is hand-made too?

Reviews & Reflections – We are just thrilled with this necklace! Not only does it have Gracie’s name on it and look precious on her, but it’s also very well made. I’ve had cheap necklaces that the clasps break on them right away – this necklace it not like that. The chain is very nice – hasn’t gotten any kinks in it, despite many days of wear (and one night that we forgot to take it off!) – and the clasp seems like one that will hold off to many uses.

Sewing Mom – I’m fairly particular when it comes to jewelry, but this piece definitely exceeded my expectations. The name itself is very easy to read and is made of a thicker metal, so not easily bent or broken. The name is connected to a very pretty silver box chain 16 inches in length which goes nicely with just about any style of shirt or dress. The connections are all nice and smooth so they don’t scratch the skin at all and I like the box style chain because I find them to be stronger, not to mention, I think they catch the light and give off more sparkle than other styles of chains!

Makimeji – I love this one and only necklace I possess which has my initials on it. I really do, although at first sight I was a bit disappointed to see the size of the name — I’d have liked it a tad bigger (but then that wouldn’t be proportional to the size of the chain, too). So if the chain is increased a bit in size along with the name, then it would have been perfect for me. But apart from that, I think it’s lovely. It’s lovely to have a name necklace afterall and I deeply hope I look lovely wearing it as well. *grins* Gotta bring justice to the craftmanship, which I believe is unquestionable! With its chain simply fine and smooth, I certainly have no doubt with the quality of the product.

Happy Healthy Families – The selection of name necklaces available made it a fun but somewhat tough decision when it came to picking one. Surprisingly enough, my daughter and I both chose the same style, the Morgan necklace. I thought the whimsical lettering style just fit perfectly with my daughter’s personality.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Hey Dude Skincare ™ is a line of men’s skin care products designed to give today’s man the essential tools he needs to combat the natural effects of aging and external conditions upon his face and body. Made from high quality organic ingredients like hyaluronic acid and essential nutrients, Hey Dude Skin Care products perform the most vital of functions to help a man protect, repair, and maintain his skin – Functions that include moisturizing and cleansing deeply into the cellular level of a man’s facial skin.

WIN IT : Thanks to Hey Dude Skincare, one lucky dude will get to win a 1/2 oz (15gm) 4 Your Eyes Only, a unique eye cream that boasts a powerful combination of active ingredients designed to both moisturize and repair/protect the sensitive skin around the eyes. The eye area lacks the natural oils that appear elsewhere on the face. With continued use, 4 Your Eyes Only will reduce any dark circles and puffiness under the eyes, all while strengthening capillary walls. Retail price $29.

To enter for a chance to win this Father’s Day giveaway, here are the requirements:

• One mandatory entry – Tell us who do you want to win this gift for and why
• Two additional entries- Follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway.  Please leave an additional comment including your twitter id and your tweet url (You can do this daily until the contest closes)
• Two  additional entries – Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post. Please leave your post url.
• Giveaway is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends 3rd June 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure : Giveaway product courtesy of www.heydudeskincare.com

If you have a baby shower coming up then you really owe it to yourself to check out some of the adorable items available on the Beau-coup online baby shower decorations and favors catalogue. A baby shower is a uniquely special time so you want your gift to be something unique as well.

The selection with baby shower decorations and favors is well laid out and easy to navigate. I took the lazy person’s way out and moved directly to the most popular baby shower gifts and supplies. I wasn’t disappointed. There were enough choices to suit most people and the most impressive thing was the price; some of the items were as cheap as 25 cents! The variety available also did not disappoint me. Everything from personalized baby honey jars to personalized party goodie bags looked so adorable that it was pretty difficult to choose a favourite item.

Besides the cute baby shower decorations and favors, I was also impressed by the birthday party favors available from Beau-Coup. Is it me or does there seem to be a lot more birthdays these days? It just seems that every couple of weeks I’m preparing for the celebration of yet another friend or relatives birthday. So, budget was always something I have to keep in mind. The first thing to strike me was the affordable prices and the huge variety of choices ranging from simple to super chic.  I have spent an absolute fortune on gifts in the past, yet Beau-coup offers items which are really so reasonably priced. So, whether you’re celebrating a 1st birthday, sweet sixteen, or the birthday of an adult, be sure to check out the wide collection of birthday party favors available at Beau-Coup to make your event stand-out.

Disclosure : http://cmp.ly/3

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

The key to anyone’s heart (not just a man) is food. We seek comfort and nourishment in food and it’s so much fun to “break bread” with our friends and family. I had a chance to share with my family a huge jar of delicious chicken soup courtesy of a little company in Florida called A Spoonful of Comfort. It came in a box right to my door complete with dinner rolls and it came at a great time since I am in the early stages of pregnancy and I just don’t have the energy to cook!

A Spoonful of Comfort was begun back in 2007 by Marti Bowes Wymer when she was losing her dear mother to cancer. She wanted to send something – but just couldn’t find the right “something” to send. The idea of sending chicken soup – something that everyone from an ailing friend or family member to a homesick college student could find comfort in – was born.

A jar of homemade chicken soup from A Spoonful of Comfort is the perfect gift when you just don’t know what to send. It is also such a thoughtful and unique gift, it’s bound to send a little sunshine to those receiving it.

BUY IT : You can purchase your own homemade jar of chicken soup from the A Spoonful of Comfort website! You can even choose to include homemade dinner rolls or homemade oatmeal raisin cookies with your order.

WIN IT :  We’re giving away a 64oz  jar of chicken soup to TWO lucky readers, thanks to the generosity of our sponsor, A Spoonful of Comfort. Check out below how you can enter for a chance to win:

• One mandatory entry – Visit www.spoonfulofcomfort.com and tell us one fact about the founder of A Spoonful of Comfort.
• Two Additional Entries- Follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway.  Please leave an additional comment including your twitter id and your tweet url.
• Five Additional Entries- Read one of our Parenting Articles.  Leave a comment about it on the post and return here to leave a comment including the article’s URL.
• Giveaway open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends 1st June 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/2

by 

Michael L. Bishop, M.B.A., Ph.D.

Executive Director, Wellspring

Studies show nearly 90% of overweight teens become obese adults, bringing a heightened risk of medical, social, emotional, and financial complications. If your child has a weight issue, you may have already noticed the emotional impact: lower self-esteem, little motivation, social isolation, perhaps behavioral issues in school or at home. Studies have shown that overweight children are less likely to attend or graduate from college, and more likely to occupy a lower socioeconomic status as adults.

As Executive Director at Wellspring, the leading provider of effective, scientifically based treatment for obese and overweight adolescents and young adults, I can personally attest to the level of resistance some parents feel when it comes to discussing a weight issues with their child. Parents feel that their child will become defensive and that broaching the subject will only cause a divide in an already stressed relationship.

In these situations, it’s the role of the parent to make the right decision for the child’s health. We advise parents to sit down with their child and explain the decision:

“Honey, I care about you so much. Nothing is more important to me than your health, and that’s why we’ve made the decision to seek treatment for your weight.”

In nearly 100% of these cases, once child begins treatment in an emotionally-safe environment where they are not being judged based on their weight, the resistance or reluctance lessens and eventually disappears.

A parallel can be made with another serious health problem such as cancer. If your child had cancer, would getting treatment be up for discussion or would you insist they are treated with the most advanced methods available?

A recent study by The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) confirms that obesity can shorten life spans on average by up to 20 years, depending on factors such as gender, age and race. In fact the Centers for Disease Control now lists obesity as paralleling smoking as the number 1 cause of preventable death in the United States. Certainly if you child decided to light up a cigarette in your living room this would not be up for discussion. Being obese while living in your home under your care should not be up for discussion either.

Parents today need to be proactive about their child’s health both at school and at home. You can teach your children healthy lifestyle skills utilizing these two basic concepts: 1) reduce your caloric intake and 2) increase your daily physical activity.

Wellspring recommends 10,000 steps each day using a pedometer to track your activity. Pedometers are inexpensive, and this is an easily calculated and measurable goal. Using a pedometer the entire family can participate in many different sports and activities in order to reach your daily goal of 10,000 steps.

Activities can include a daily walk around the neighborhood after school or work, walking the dog in the morning, a family game of basketball or baseball, or even just throwing a ball back and forth in the front yard. Anything a family can do together that requires taking steps can be beneficial. The important thing is that activity is tracked and that 10,000 steps are completed each day, even when you don’t feel like it.

Parents can role model healthy lifestyles for their children by involving them with each step of the food preparation process. For example, parents can involve their children in planning healthy, well balanced meals. Going to the grocery store with your child can be an educational opportunity if you ask your child to read the food labels and choose foods with the lowest level of calories and fat. Avoiding impulse buys and sticking to planned meals can role model self control and the importance of a low calorie, low fat lifestyle for your kids.

If simple changes like taking 10,000 steps per day or making healthier food choices are not resulting in noticeable improvement, you should consider more intensive, effective, scientifically based programs depending on degree of need: a weight loss camp for moderate need or weight loss academies for greater needs for changes. At these specialized programs adolescents and teens learn how to control their weight in a supportive, nurturing atmosphere.

About The Author

Dr. Bishop is Executive Director of Wellspring, the leading provider of effective, scientifically based treatment for obese and overweight adolescents and young adults. Mike is a licensed psychologist specializing in behavioral change who has lost approximately 100 lbs on the Wellspring Plan.

I just got back from an 8 hour plane flight, with three kids (2, 4 and 7) and 60kg of luggage, by myself. Not only that, I managed to watch 3 movies, eat the meals and enjoy myself. The best thing was, the 2 year old did not scream or yell (unlike the first time we went, where he screamed non-stop for 2 hours) and instead, entertained himself and the other passengers. To be honest, as I was planning for our 19 days trip, everyone asked if it would be alright, traveling with kids. Well, to be honest, the best answer to that is to not to have any expectations on how your kids will behave. They will not sleep if you want them to. And they will sleep when you least expect them to. I gave myself a big pat on my shoulder, and for remembering to take double of my anxiety relaxant pills.

However, if I had read “Wanderlust and Lipstick – Traveling with Kids” by Leslie Forsberg and Michelle Duffy, it may have given me more ideas on how to relax even further!

“Wanderlust and Lipstick – Traveling with Kids” is a collection of real-life experiences by moms who travel with kids. By travel, it could mean interstate or international. It doesn’t matter. What really matters, is your sanity and maintaining it. Reading this book WILL. HELP. YOU.

It covers from pre-travel (yes, even if you’re just thinking about it) right up to post-travel, where it mentions recovery from jet-lag. It includes an extensive list of websites, which is pretty handy since it’s all laid out in one book! While alot of us moms just worry about the logistics, the food and water supplies, we often forget about the enriching experiences our kids go through. Like just letting them play and make friends with the local kids, is enough to fill their memory banks for a lifetime. The book is peppered with “hot tips” for short trips that are 1 hour drive away or super long ‘around the world’ trips!

About Wanderlust and lipstick :

Our mission is to increase your passion for travel by providing inspiration, tips and words of wisdom from experienced Wanderlusters who’ve seen it all! Here you can find travel stories to whet your appetite for adventures around the globe; join a WanderTour to Bhutan or India; peruse posts from the ever expanding group of WanderBloggers; read travel tips from experienced globetrotters; learn about Wanderlust and Lipstick-recommended travel gear; and salivate over the glorious photos in the WanderGallery submitted by travelers the world over.

More about the co-authors : Leslie Forsberg and Michelle Duffy, please go here!

Buy It! The Wanderlust and Lipstick series is specifically targeted to women, and I only wish I had known about it earlier. I have so many girlfriends who have the ‘wanderlust’ in them, and have traveled far and wide, and this would have made perfect gifts for them. Series include :

• The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo – 2nd Edition
• For Women Traveling to India

These books are available at the Wanderlustandlipstick website and also at Amazon.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

It’s getting warmer here in Virginia and that means it’s about time to begin hitting the beach! The problem is that lately it’s been incredibly windy here and I’ve been having a hard time keeping my hair out of my eyes, even if I have it in a pony tail. Then I remembered that I received a neat product called a “Tichel” (or “Mitpachat”) which is an Israeli head scarf.

Looking at the photos in the website as my guide I wound up the scarf into my hair and there it stayed while I cleaned my car and ran some errands. It was so nice not to have my hair blowing around and all in my face (and eyes)!

The Tichel is long enough to be used like a regular scarf also and even a belt – so you get many uses for your money (which incidentally isn’t much at all!) I chose a pretty dark blue color because it’s a color that would match a lot of my clothes (especially one outfit in particular that I love to wear in the warm months!) There are many other colors and styles to choose from including solid colors such as light blue, yellow, pink, green and orange. You can also find houndstooth print, polka dots and floral prints.

BUY IT : You can find Tichels as well as just about any other type of hair accessory at CoverYourHair.com!

WIN IT : Cover Your Hair is giving away $25 worth of hair accessories of your choice to one winner here. To enter for a chance to win, here’s what you need to do:

• One mandatory entry – Visit www.coveryourhair.com and tell us what items you will pick if you were to win this giveaway
• Two Additional Entries- Follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway.  Please leave an additional comment including your twitter id and your tweet url.
• Five Additional Entries- Read one of our Parenting Articles.  Leave a comment about it on the post and return here to leave a comment including the article’s URL.
• Giveaway open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends 30th May 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0

The following are the lucky winners of our April email subscriber draw:

1. Donna Culbreth
2. Anna Kee
3. Danielle Garcia
4. Justin Beam
5. Abi Buening
6. Pending for reply from subscriber

How appropriate to giveaway this title for the month when we all celebrate Mother’s Day. When I first became a mom, I was overwhelmed with the experience and the challenges I had to go through. It was truly a turning point in my life and that experience taught me to appreciate my mom even more.  Thus, I am proud to have this opportunity to share with you the latest title from Chicken Soup For The Soul : Thanks Mom. This book is a collection of 101 short stories contributed by daughters and sons like you and me, to honor and celebrate the most important woman in their lives.

Chicken Soup For The Soul : Thanks Mom comprises of the following sections : Following In Her Footsteps, Mom Knows Best, Making Sacrifices, Favourite Moments, Mom To The Rescue, What Goes Around, One Of A Kind, Gifts Of The Heart and My Mother’s Legacy. To put it simply, I was enthralled by the heartwarming stories in this title from start to finish. Chicken Soup For The Soul : Thanks Mom has also been a great motivator for me during the times when I am having a bad day with my kids. I just needed to pick it up, read a story or two to remind me that  all that sacrifices and willingness to always put my family first will eventually be worth it….and thus, making me feel more appreciative of my role as a mom.

A word of caution though, there are definitely some tear jerkers in those stories of real life experiences such as chapters like ”My Mother, My Friend”,  “Finding Joy, In A Time of Loss”, “Nobody’s Chid But Mom’s”, to name a few. So, be sure to have your Kleenex handy.

A treasure chest of inspiring stories, Chicken Soup For The Soul : Thanks Mom is a definite WINNER! And here’s your chance to win a copy*. Simply subscribe to our feed via email (button on the top right side bar) and you will automatically qualify for our draw.

*Prizes will be shipped within US only.

Disclosure : Review and giveaway copies of the above book is proudly sponsored by www.chickensoup.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are solely my own.