Winner: Shining Stars Boutique!

I chose a winner tonight for the Shining Stars Boutique giveaway.

Congrats to my winner: rubymoon

I've emailed you and you have 48 hours to respond!

Do you have a cute baby?

If you have a cute baby, go check out this sweepstakes! Your child could be included in the Babies DVD, and you could win a Kodak Easyshare M350 Digital Camera plus an exclusive, limited-edition JOHNSONS® diaper bag, created by high-end designer Timi & Leslie, and filled with a year’s supply of JOHNSON’S® Baby products!

I received the information in this post as part of my work as a BzzAgent. I was not compensated for this post, but I was entered into a prize drawing as thanks for my time.

$100 Visa gift card giveaway ends tonight!

If you haven't entered yet, get on over to my other review blog and enter now! Here's the link!

How to number your comments in Blogger

For the first month or so that I was running this blog, I was manually counting comments to determine winners. Which was pretty time-consuming, even back when I only had a handful of entries per contest. Thankfully I discovered how to have my comments manually numbered before things started getting really busy around here!

If you are using Blogger and want your comments numbered, visit this wonderful tutorial over at 1st Floor Flat The Computery to learn how. I'm a scientist, not a programmer, but the instructions are simple and easy to follow and even someone like me had no problem getting them to work. 

Winner: Dr. Bloom's Chewable Jewels!

I chose a winner tonight for the Dr. Bloom's Chewable Jewels giveaway.

Congrats to: ReggieMann

I've emailed you and you have 48 hours to respond.

Giveaway (closed): Pampers Cruisers with Drymax

Congrats to my winners:  Buki Family and skgaff

I've got great news for all you readers with little ones in diapers- I'm hosting another giveaway for Pampers Cruisers with DryMax!  As you all remember, I wrote a review of these new diapers back at the beginning of March. They're available in stores now- in fact I just picked up a pack on sale at the grocery store and they're sitting a few feet away from me, waiting to be put away, as I type this.

I have two great prize packs to give away- here's what they contain:

1)      Noelle Pikus-Pace prize pack which includes:

·         An autographed photo of skeleton World Champion Noelle Pikus-Pace

·         An autographed diaper signed by both Noelle Pikus-Pace and U.S. Olympic goldmedal speed skater Chad Hedrick

·         One pack of Olympic-branded Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max (size 3 or 4)

2)      Chad Hedrick prize pack which includes

·         An autographed photo of U.S. Olympic goldmedal speed skater Chad Hedrick

·         An autographed diaper signed by both Chad Hedrick and  skeleton World Champion Noelle Pikus-Pace

·         One pack of Olympic-branded Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max (size 3 or 4)

Cool, huh!

So, here's how to enter! US mailing addresses only, please.

Mandatory entry (must be done first for extra entries to count):
Let's keep this simple- tell me something fun or unusual about you or your kids.


Extra entries (please leave a separate comment for each):

1. Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect

2. Put my button up on your blog- let me know where to find it!

3. Subscribe to my blog via email (sign up on the right side of this page)

4. Follow me on Twitter and tweet "@gabreviews is giving away a pack of Pampers diapers- and more!  http://bit.ly/cwMt9K #giveaway"  
You can tweet this once per day. Leave a separate comment every time you enter and please let me know what your twitter name is. 
5. For 5 extra entries (leave 5 separate comments)- Blog about this giveaway with links to this post! Please let me know where to find the post.
6. Enter any of my other giveaways (one extra entry per giveaway entered, leave a separate comment for each)

7. Enter any of the giveaways currently going on at LuvnLife (one extra entry per giveaway entered, leave a separate comment for each).

Giveaway will close at 9 PM Pacific time on April 14, 2010. I'll choose winners with random.org and will email those people who will have 48 hours to respond. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post and no product to review this time. Just the opportunity to give these great prize packs to my readers!

Giveaway (closed): Burn Cream MD

Congrats to my winner! moushka

As my kids get older, they're reaching the terrifying stage of life where they 1) don't always (ever?) listen to mom and dad and follow the rules; 2) are curious about everything around them; and 3) can reach things that were previously out of reach. Daniel and I try to be vigilant about protecting the kids, but we know that accidents probably will happen in the future.

One of the more common types of accidents for kids is burn/scald injury, so I was really glad to recently learn about a product called Burn Cream MD. It was created by a dermatologist who worked in her family's kitchen and saw lots of burns first hand. Dr. Madfes went on after that experience to specialize in wound healing and scar minimization, and she developed Burn Cream MD. The product was even extensively tested in kitchens of some famous chefs- both Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali have endorsed this cream.

Burn Cream MD can be used on those 2 years of age and up. According to the Burn Cream MD website, it contains a blend of patented analgesics and moisturizers to provide immediate pain relief, speed healing and promote less scarring. It also contains Vitamin E, Arnica Montana flower extract, Chamomille flower extract, and aloe.

I did receive two sample packets of Burn Cream MD for myself, but have (fortunately/unfortunately?) not burned myself and my kids have stayed away from hot items too! As soon as we have cause to use try it out, I will post a review.

You can buy this product in a box of 10 travel sachets for 17.99 or in a pump bottle for 29.99. 

But for now I have a giveaway for you guys! (US mailing addresses only, please!) One of you will get to win a box of Burn Cream MD to-go. This box contains 10 sachets that you can tuck into your purse or diaper bag, or spread throughout different rooms in your house, so you're ready when you need to act fast!


Mandatory entry (must be done first for extra entries to count):
What's one thing you do to keep your family safe at home?


Extra entries (please leave a separate comment for each):

1. Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect

2. Put my button up on your blog- let me know where to find it!

3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet "@gabreviews is hosting a giveaway for Burn Cream MD! http://bit.ly/bLi2L2 #giveaway"  
You can tweet this once per day. Leave a separate comment every time you enter and please let me know what your twitter name is.
4. 5 extra entries (please leave 5 separate comments!) Blog about this giveaway with links to this post.
5. Become a fan of Growing a Baby Reviews on Facebook
6. Become a fan of Burn Cream MD on Facebook
7. Enter any of my other giveaways listed over on the right side of this page (one extra entry per giveaway entered, leave a separate comment for each).
8. Enter any of the giveaways currently going on at LuvnLife (one extra entry per giveaway entered, leave a separate comment for each).

Giveaway will close at 9 PM Pacific time on April 13, 2010. I'll choose a winner with random.org and will email that person who will have 48 hours to respond. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received a sample of this product, but was not compensated in any other way, other than the chance to host this giveaway. Opinions posted here are mine and mine alone, information received from the sponsor is labeled as such.

My morning outing at Seattle's Northgate Mall- and why you should consider visiting as well!

It is a dark and rainy day here in Seattle, so normally the kids and I would be hibernating indoors. But this morning I actually had an appointment at Seattle's Northgate Mall, to meet up with the area director of strategic marketing.  Daniel was working from home this morning, so I left Vivian napping and Ethan and I loaded up in in the car and headed the short drive north.

Since we were early, I took advantage of our extra time and bought Vivian some super cute boots. Have I mentioned how much I love dressing a baby girl!  Seriously! 

For those of you who aren't locals, Northgate Mall is one of the oldest malls in our area, but it's recently undergone a lot of renovations and expansion, both at the mall itself and in the neighborhood. Once surrounded by just other stores and a park and ride, there are now apartments and a library and a movie theater and pretty much everything you would want in a neighborhood.

I've been shopping at Northgate since I moved to Seattle in 2001. We still love to drop by and eat at Red Robin or California Pizza Kitchen, and I try to convince Daniel to let me go into Ulta to just buy "one little thing" as often as possible. And there's a new Panera at the mall too... oh, how I love Panera! The mall has several other great family-friendly places to eat and lots of great stores for all ages. But it's not been my go-to mall lately because it lacks a playarea and a nursing mom room. Those two things have pretty much been the determining factors for where I shop lately.

So I was thrilled to get to chat with the marketing director for the mall today and hear what changes they would like to make at the mall. Sarah told me that they're hoping to get a playarea in the mall later this year, and they also plan to implement a program at Northgate that's already in place in many other Simon properties.  It's called the Kidgit's Club, and for one, very small annual fee you get all sorts of great things like a t-shirt for your kid, invitations to great events at the mall, gifts at the events, a birthday gift, tons of coupons for discounts at the mall, the chance to spin the prize wheel at EVERY visit to the mall... I want to sign up immediately! Right now the program is already in place at the Tacoma Mall in Tacoma, WA and the Columbia Center mall over in Kennewick, WA (as well as lots of other Simon malls all over the US). So if you live near those malls, visit this site to sign your kids up!

I'm going to be staying in touch with the nice people from the mall and will bring you more information about events and plans as I find them out! Stay tuned!


Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post and no product to review, although Sarah did buy me coffee this morning during our meeting :) 

Giveaway Tuesday link-up!

It's that day again- please link up your giveaways and have fun entering the other giveaways listed here!

Winner: Wee Gallery art cards

I chose a winner tonight for the Wee Gallery art card giveaway.

Congrats to: trixx

I've emailed you and you have 48 hours to respond!

Hershey's Better Basket Blog Hop!

Last week I got tagged in a fun blog hop- the Hershey's Better Basket Blog Hop. My tagger was Natalie- thanks! Virtual Easter baskets are the best for me right now, no temptation! :)

I'd love for you all to get involved with this, here's some information on the Blog Hop:

"This Easter season Hershey is all about helping you to create Better Easter Baskets with their special limited edition Easter candies found at Walmart.

More importantly, Hershey wants to promote the idea of going good in our own communities. The Hershey Company is committed to making a difference in the communities where we live in, and has a heritage of giving back to the community."

Thanks to Hershey's and 20 different bloggers looking to blog for a good cause, baskets like the one above were created and given to charities of each blogger's choice to spread Hershey's ongoing message around: We are ALL working together to do good in and out of our own communities!

In addition to those 20 baskets donated to charity, Hershey's is also sponsoring a Better Basket Blog Hop where Hershey will donate $10 per blog post entry for the Children's Miracle Network, up to $5,000."

I'm posting this on to a few bloggers, but please feel free to participate even if I didn't name you here. It's for a good cause! Here are the people I'm tagging:

LuvnLife

Veater Family

Family Life in the Desert

Just a Day in the Life...

If you want to be apart of the blog hop, here are the rules:

1. Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.

2. Create a blog post giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.

3. Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.

4. Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.   

5. Leave your link at BetterBasket.info/BlogHop comment section. You can also find the official rules of this #betterbasket blog hop, and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s there.

Hershey’s is donating $10 per each blog participating to the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).

Please note that only one blog post by each blog url will count towards the donation. 

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post- just wanting to help out a good cause!

A post about babies- mine and other peoples'!

Have you all checked out the trailer for Babies yet? If not, take a moment and check it out- I think it's going to be a cute and educational movie!



And they're having a contest too, you can enter to have the chance to have your baby featured on the Babies DVD!


Speaking of cute babies- here are some pictures I took of my little girl today. I've pretty much been waiting for the chance to dress her up like this since I found out I was having a baby girl back in January 2009!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I was given access to promotional materials for Babies, the movie through my involvement as a BzzAgent and was entered into a prize drawing as thanks for my time.

Review: Experience Music Project's new Sound Lab!

On Saturday my family had an opportunity to visit the opening of the newly updated Sound Lab at Seattle's Experience Music Project. So we walked over in the gorgeous spring weather and found our way up to the Sound Lab. Our first impression was that everything looked really nice and bright- and there were so many options- what to play with first!

Ethan decided to be uncooperative and not get out of his stroller, so Daniel and I had fun testing everything out for ourselves.  The Sound Lab is set up with a bunch of different pods in the middle of the room, and in each pod there's a station for a different musical instrument, like drums, keyboard, bass, guitar or mixing. These stations are super-user friendly- you can start with the basics and get a tutorial on exactly how to play the instrument, or you can just have fun rocking out to music. You can even plug in your ipod and play along with your own music.

Around the room there are a number of small, soundproof booths where you could go to learn more about the instruments and practice in privacy.  And there's even a Jam Studio where you can record your own CD! Very cool.

After Daniel and I had fun playing with all the various instruments and testing our our musical skills, we spent a lot of time with the kids playing with the huge drum in the middle of the room. This is not just your regular drum, it's an enormous drum with different percussion instruments projected onto it- and when you touch the part of the drum with your hand, the sound corresponding to the picture will play. Every so often the types of instruments on the drum change, so you can have an entirely different experience and hear the sounds of different percussive instruments.  Both Ethan and Vivian had a blast with this feature of the Sound Lab, and there were lots of other little kids around having fun with it as well!

If you have kids who love music, I think this would be a great family outing. The Sound Lab is just one of the things to see and do at the Experience Music Project, and your admission price to Experience Music Project gets you in to the Science Fiction Museum as well, so be sure to plan on lots of time spent at EMP/SFM when you visit!

Our local TV station was actually there broadcasting a story on Saturday morning when we were there- we ducked out before they started filming, but here's a link that shows the Sound Lab in all its glory!
http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/EMP-upgrades-Sound-Lab-exhibit-with-new-technology-instruments-89330312.html

Disclosure: My family received complimentary admission to the EMP on Saturday so that we could test out the Sound Lab for ourselves. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions posted here are mine and mine alone.

Book review: Grandloving

Are you a grandparent? Are your parents grandparents? Do you know someone who is a grandparent? If so, you must continue reading this review, and after you are done, you must go get this book!

The subtitle for Grandloving is "Making memories with your grandchildren, babies to teens, near or far." The book really does cover all of those categories. It starts with the beginning- pregnancy! It's full of great ideas for how grandparents-to-be can stay involved without being bothersome and ways to help the prospective parents out. Next the book moves on to welcoming the baby. I think this is a particularly important chapter for grandparents to read- I was lucky to have parents that arrived ready to help and knew when to give us space to figure things out, but I've heard many horror stories from others about "bad" new grandparents!

After helping grandparents welcome a new grandchild, the book has great chapters on being a long-distance grandparent, preparing for grandchild visits (whether these are frequent or infrequent), traveling to visit your grandchild, family holidays and traditions, how to deal with older grandchildren, using technology to stay in touch, and helpful resources.

Every chapter of the book is full of great craft and project ideas for grandparents and grandchildren to do- complete with an age-range, a list of what exactly is needed and step-by-step instructions. Even though these are supposed to be for grandparents and grandchildren to do together, I marked a ton of them to do with my kids myself!  Each chapter also has a quick tips list which summarizes the main points of the chapter- a handy reference for quick refreshing of what you need to know! I also especially liked the resources section at the end of the book with hints on good books, websites, catalogs, and travel. 

You would think that a book with this much information would get overwhelming, but it's organized so well that it really doesn't.  The chapters are clearly laid out, so you can read the chapter that fits your current grandparenting issue or time in life without having to spend time on things that don't apply right now.  If you're getting ready for a visit- read that chapter. Christmas just around the corner, then flip to the holiday chapter! There's also an index in the back for quick references.

I think this book is just a wonderful resource for every grandparent to have. It's honest about the joys and challenges of grandparenthood while also dealing with less-commonly discussed topics like the relationship between grandparents and the new parents or how to share your grandchild with his/her other set of grandparents in a way that's good for everyone involved! And so much more. You can also visit the Grandloving website for much more information and helpful tips. Grandloving, the book, is available on their website or at Amazon.com. 

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review for myself, but was not compensated in any other way for this post. All opinions posted here are mine and mine alone.

Book review and giveaway (closed): The 3-Day Cleanse

Congrats to my winners!  Candace; rainmommy; Kathleen ;  The Bookworm ; Amy B.

I admit it, I don't always eat as healthily as I should. My diet is often filled with over-processed, under-nutritious food. So I was glad that, thanks to my involvement at the Product Review Place, I had the opportunity to review a new book, "The 3-Day Cleanse". 

I expected the book to just be full of instructions on how to do a cleanse and recipes for what I should be drinking, but it is actually full of so much interesting and useful information. The first chapter talks (in scary detail, at times) about all the stresses that our bodies endure thanks to our environment and the foods we consume.  It also contains helpful hints on what sort of foods we should be eating when we're not doing a cleanse and other ways to help our bodies remove toxins. 

After the background chapter, the book moves on to discuss the science behind fasting and weight loss. Next is an important chapter- choosing the cleanse that's right for you.  The book has information on several different types of cleanse, a 1-day, 3-day, 5-day or 10-day cleanse. There's a quiz to help you determine exactly what cleanse is best for you. This chapter also has helpful information on the fruits and veggies that go into the juices in the cleanse, with details on why each one is useful to your body. 

The book also has information on preparing for the cleanse in order to make it the best possible experience for your body.  And finally there's the main part of the book- the actual cleanse. I liked this chapter a lot because it's very detailed with hints on how to get through the times when the cleanse is difficult and chart of symptoms showing what is normal to be experiencing and what is not. There are also lots of recipes in the book and tips for eating healthy in the long-term.

As soon as I got through reading the book, I started pricing juicers on the internet! I love the idea of giving my body a jump-start and a break from all the stress I put it under. Goodness knows that a mom of two small kids can always use extra energy and anything that helps her feel great! 

The great news? 5 of you will win a copy of this book!  (US/Canadian mailing addresses only, please)

Mandatory entry (must be done for extra entries to count):

Let me know why you'd like to have this book! 

Extra entries (please leave a separate comment for each):

1. Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect

2. Put my button up on your blog- let me know where to find it!

3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet "@gabreviews is giving 5 copies of The 3-Day Cleanse! http://bit.ly/bCy52D #giveaway"  
You can tweet this once per day. Leave a separate comment every time you enter and please let me know what your twitter name is.
4. 5 extra entries (please leave 5 separate comments!) Blog about this giveaway with links to this post.
5. Become a fan of Growing a Baby Reviews on Facebook
6. Enter any of my other giveaways listed over on the right side of this page (one extra entry per giveaway entered, leave a separate comment for each).
7. Enter any of the giveaways currently going on at LuvnLife (one extra entry per giveaway entered, leave a separate comment for each).

Giveaway will close at 9 PM Pacific time on April 10, 2010. I'll choose a winner with random.org and will email that person who will have 48 hours to respond. Good luck!

Disclosure:I received a copy of this book to review for myself. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions posted here are mine and mine alone.

I have pretty new business cards!

I recently took advantage of a great sale going on at VistaPrint and purchased 100 business cards. They're still having a the sale, but it ends soon. Right now you can get 100 "Mommy" cards for just $1.99 plus shipping. These are great- pretty cards that you can personalize with all the information that you want. There are lots of options- I got cards for my blog, but you can also get cards personalized with your kids' information, perfect for handing out at school or at the playground.  There are a number of options for how exactly you want to personalize your cards.

I'm really happy with how my cards turned out- now I just need an event where I can start handing them out!

Here's a picture of my card (minus my phone number, that is on the actual cards, but I didn't want to publish it here):

Disclosure: I received no product and no compensation for this post- just passing on some information!

Huggies Enjoy the Ride Rewards members- consider donating your points to Haiti!

I know a lot of you out there are probably members of the Huggies Enjoy the Ride rewards program. Right now we can donate our points to help support the work of the American Red Cross in Haiti. And, until March 31, 2010, Huggies and Kimberly-Clark Corporation are matching member donations up to $25,000, for a total donation goal of $50,000.

So, if you're a member of this program, think about donating your points to this worthy cause. The moms and babies in Haiti could use our help. 

Disclosure: I received no product and no compensation for this post- just passing on some information!

Bella Photo Jewelry- a wonderful gift idea!

I recently ran across a site with some truly gorgeous personalized jewelry- Bella Photo Jewelry.  The jewelry from Bella Photo is all handmade using high-quality silver, gold, Swarovski crystals, pearls and Italian glass beads. It's not only handmade, it's personalized with your favorite photograph!

Bella Photo Jewelry comes in a number of designs- there are 27 different necklace and photo charm options, as well as cell phone charms and bookmarks.  Here are some of my favorites:

The Elegant Scroll.

 The Monaco

The Pearl Dangle bookmark

The store also carries another type of jewelry that I've never seen before, Belly Jingles! The Belly Jingles are beautiful sterling silver charms that an expectant mother wears around her neck so that it "jingles" when she walks. After a baby is born, when they hear the jingling sound, they will associate the sound with the security of the womb. What a great tradition!

Close-up of the Butterfly Belly Jingle. So pretty!

Any of the pieces of jewelry from Bella Photo would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift for the mom or grandmother in your life! Right now Bella Photo is offering my readers a 25% discount on their purchase for items ordered before Mother's Day, 2010.  Just use the code just4mom at checkout. Happy shopping! 

Disclosure: I received no product and no compensation for this review. Just passing on information about a site I found and love!

Friday giveaway bloghop!

It's that time of week again- have fun!

Winner: ThermaPAK Laptop Cooler!

Tonight I chose a winner for my ThermaPAK Laptop Cooler giveaway.
Congrats to my winner: The Jacobsen Family!

I've emailed you and you have 48 hours to respond. 

Giveaway (closed): Pippalily Toy Strap

Congrats to my winner: The Plumber's Wife

Last week I posted a review of a super-fabulous baby/toddler product, the toy strap from Pippalily!  The great news? Pippalily is letting me give away one of these toy straps to one of you! Giveaway open to US/Canadian mailing addresses.

Mandatory entry (must be done for extra entries to count):
Visit Pippalily and let me know what product (be specific with fabric choices!) is your favorite!


Extra entries (please leave a separate comment for each):

1. Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect

2. Put my button up on your blog- let me know where to find it!

3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet "@gabreviews is giving away a toy strap from Pippalily! http://bit.ly/cmxoM9 #giveaway"  
You can tweet this once per day. Leave a separate comment every time you enter and please let me know what your twitter name is.
4. 5 extra entries (please leave 5 separate comments!) Blog about this giveaway with links to this post.
5. Become a fan of Growing a Baby Reviews on Facebook
6. Enter any of my other giveaways listed over on the right side of this page (one extra entry per giveaway entered, leave a separate comment for each).
7. Enter any of the giveaways currently going on at LuvnLife (one extra entry per giveaway entered, leave a separate comment for each).

Giveaway will close at 9 PM Pacific time on April 8, 2010. I'll choose a winner with random.org and will email that person who will have 48 hours to respond. Good luck!

Disclosure: As I disclosed on my review, I received a toy strap from Pippalily to review. I also have been given this opportunity to give a toy strap to one of my readers. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions posted here are mine and mine alone.

Get ready for what looks like one of the cutest movies ever- BABIES!

There's a new movie coming out on Mother's Day weekend- called Babies. And oh my goodness, does it ever look cute! Here's the general idea of the movie:

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Thomas Balmès, from an original idea by producer Alain Chabat, Babies simultaneously follows four babies around the world – from birth to first steps. The children are, respectively, in order of on-screen introduction: Ponijao, who lives with her family near Opuwo, Namibia; Bayarjargal, who resides with his family in Mongolia, near Bayanchandmani; Mari, who lives with her family in Tokyo, Japan; and Hattie, who resides with her family in the United States, in San Francisco.

I think this is going to be so fascinating- particularly the chance to see what life is like for babies and moms in vastly different parts of the world. And the babies are just so darned cute!

Here's the trailer for the movie. Check it out!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post and received no product, just access to information about the movie as part of my work as a BzzAgent. 

Winner: Kroger gift card!

I chose a winner tonight for the $25 Kroger gift card giveaway.

Congrats to polly!

I've emailed you and you have 48 hours to respond.

Are you a Sephora Beauty Insider?

Vivian had another landmark event today- her first trip to Sephora!  Ethan looked bored, but Vivian just stared at all the pretty colors and shiny bottles of lotions and makeup and nail polish.  I promised her that she would soon be old enough to shop there herself.

The reason I dropped by Sephora today was to pick up my wonderful free birthday gift! Do you know about this? It's part of the Sephora Beauty Insider program. Sign-up for the program is free, and when you shop in store or online throughout the year, you earn points for your purchases that can be used for free deluxe samples.  And, for being a Beauty Insider, you get a special birthday gift! One year it was a bottle of Philosophy shampoo/bubble bath, last year it was lip gloss and this year it was an adorable little eye set with eye liner, mascara and eye shadow.

If you love makeup and beauty products, this is a program that you need to sign up for.

Disclosure: No product or compensation received for this post, just passing on some information that I thought you needed to know about!

Review: The Princess and the Frog

Last week I had a houseful of sick kids, so I decided to throw the TV limits to the wind and I rented the newly released The Princess and the Frog. I'd heard a lot about the movie and was anxious to see it!

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. I thought Tiana was a great lead character and I really liked the movie's emphasis on working hard to achieve your dreams. The movie is set in New Orleans in the 1920s, and I thought everything was beautifully drawn. You really feel like you're there with the characters. We especially loved the great music in this movie. Ethan, even though he was sick, was sitting on the couch and bouncing along to the songs. 

The plot of the movie is cute and moves quickly.  The only thing that we didn't like were the two main scenes with the voodoo doctor. Those scenes were very dark and a little scary. Ethan is 2 1/2 and he scares easily, but he did okay. I think that kids slightly older than Ethan might be more scared, since they might understand a bit more what's going on.  I'd recommend having the remote control close at hand if you're watching this with kid that scares easily.

I'd recommend getting this movie for a fun family movie night!

Disclosure: I received no product and no compensation for this post- just passing on my opinion of a movie that I personally rented and watched!

Spring has sprung in Branson!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

Once again I find myself completely jealous of everyone who lives close to Branson, Missouri- it looks like such an amazing vacation destination!  We love to take vacations to places where you can do a little bit of everything including being outdoors, shopping, eating great food and being entertained. And Branson has it all! I've never been to Missouri before, but I'm starting to think that it would be the perfect place for my East Coast family and us on the West Coast to meet up, since Branson has activities that would appeal to everyone in the family.

As far as where to stay while you're in Branson, check out the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and the Hilton Branson Convention Center. Both these hotels are close to everything Branson has to offer, and both hotels offer a number of special stay packages including a golf package, a bed and breakfast package, and a romance package, to name a few! And, judging from the pictures of these two hotels, either one would be a great place to stay.

From these Hilton hotels you can walk to shops, restaurants, or the river walk. Or you can take a short drive and be at one of Branson's championship golf courses, lakes, museums, theme parks or 49 live entertainment theaters. There are also special events going on at different times in Branson, so check out what's going on and plan a trip to attend a fun event like the Branson Tri-Lakes Building and Home Show, the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament, the Silver Dollar City Family Spring Break Day, or another fun event!

I've been dreaming about what we would do if we were vacationing in Branson without the kids. First I'd sleep late, then enjoy a nice long shower in my fancy hotel bathroom, followed by a nice brunch in the hotel restaurant. Then Daniel and I would enjoy some shopping and a walk along the river.  After that we'd drive to see the Titanic museum! I love history! Then back to our hotel for a nap, followed by a romantic dinner out. The next day we'd definitely spend the whole day at Silver Dollar City, enjoying all the theme park has to offer. Followed by another nap and another dinner out. What a perfect weekend away!

You probably need a vacation about now- it's been a long winter! What are you waiting for? Pack up and head for Branson!