Monday, December 19, 2011

Mommy Parties- Sponsored by Pregnancy 2.0


 A few months ago, I received the most wonderful opportunity from Mommy Parties to host a Pregnancy 2.0 Party and review the Britax B-Agile Stroller, the Britax B-Safe Infant Seat, the Baby Carrier, 2 Snuggle Buddies, a box full of goodies from Xlear and Baby Plus Education System.  {Note:  We were suppose to receive a diaper bag with this review opportunity as well, but it hasn't arrived as of today}

This opportunity was something that I have felt so blessed to be apart of and it was such an exciting day to see FedEx drop off TWO huge boxes with BRITAX printed on the side!  I couldn't believe it!  It was like Christmas morning every week or so, we'd get another box of something to set aside for this party!


Our first packages arrived from Britax and included an B-Agile stroller and infant seat. 


 The stroller was easy to put together and I had it rolling around the house in now time!  I even kept the stroller in the house for the rest of the day to have Millie nap in!  She napped wonderfully!  She was going through fussy night time when we got the stroller and I wasn't able to get a break from holding and nursing her, so I set her in the stroller and pushed it around the kitchen for a little while and she was OUT!  I loved the fabric and the features were neat too!  I really like the zippered pocket on the back.  It has come in really handy when out doing errands, for my purse, keys, burp cloths.  I love the wide handle on the back.  The stroller folds up so small.  Its wonderful!  And with ONE hand!   It hardly takes up any room in the trunk of our van, that we've been keeping all three of our strollers back there {this one, our older single stroller- that didn't work with our carseat, so it wasn't really usable and our double}.  The stroller has three double wheels, similar to a jogger, two in back and one in front.  When Millie has started to fuss, and we've been out and about, and I've picked her up, having to still push the stroller, I've been able to push the stroller with one hand.  It steers very well.  The front wheel locks so that it can go over gravel or through fields, etc.  We took it with us to the Christmas Tree Farm field trip last week and it handled well along the rough ground, door jamb, gravel driveway, etc.  As much as I love the stroller and have had people stop me in stores and in the parking lot, even our pediatrician and office staff were "oohing and aahing" over our carseat/stroller combo, I am disappointed that there is no cup holder!  Usually, when we are out for walks, Hubbie and myself, usually have water bottles and there isn't a place to store those upright.  I think we might need to purchase an accessory cup holder for the stroller, because of us, its almost a must!  But besides that, we are so loving this stroller!

 She loves her neat carseat!

The carseat made us just as excited to see!  The carseat with had for the big boys had expired before Buggy was born, so my SIL's best friend offered us her old one.  It was in good shape and she didn't need it any more.  {I think she ended up getting pregnant shortly after giving it to us!  Oops!}  Well, we used it with Bugs and hung on to it as a just in case.  When we found out we were pregnant with Millie, we checked the carseat for the expiration date.  Come to find out, it expired in December 2011, so we knew we had a few months to use it.  We weren't sure what we were going to do, whether we'd just put Millie in a regular rear facing carseat or if we needed to purchase/borrow another infant seat.  So, the carseat was a definite blessing!  I love the deepness of the infant carseat.  The adjustment for the carseat is easy.  The carseat comes with strap protectors, around the waist and the neck, which I love!  Just an ingenious idea to keep those on there!  We've never had a brand new infant carseat...always have been giving hand-me-downs, which was wonderful, but its been so nice to test this carseat out and have a brand new one for our littlest girl!  One down-er for the seat though, I thought the seat was a bit heavy.  I guess I was always under the illusion that our old seats were heavy, because they were the older models, etc.  This one isn't bulky, but it definitely weighed just as much, if not more, than our older Evenflo infant carseat.  Also, our older Evenflo, had the sideways handle that my husband LOVED, because his arms are longer, so when he walks with the seat, he holds it down to the side of him.  I'm short and have shorter arms, so I have to hold her seat in the crook of my arm, next to my body, so the no sideways handle isn't a big deal to me.  Also, the carseat's angle is nice.  Not sure how to explain.
Attached to our double stroller

 The baby is upright but its deep, so Millie enjoys her naps in the carseat when we're out doing our activities!  Because we don't need the infant seat too much longer, we have offered it to a friend that is planning to adopt!  We definitely want the seat to go to someone who will be able to use it and be blessed by it as much as we have been.

We have been very impressed with the quality of the Britax stroller and carseat.  Millie has had several accidents in the seat and I was able to wipe it clean with a wet wipe.  No stains.  No taking the seat apart to have to wash in the machine!  The stroller has been the same way.  She spit up in the stroller {and Buggy had ridden in the stroller and eaten a snack} and it got on the buckles.  The mess wiped clean quickly with a wet wipe.  I think we are Britax lovers now!





Britax was also so very generous to send a baby carrier.  I have never had much luck with the tradition baby carriers but have fallen in love with cloth baby carriers, so I offered the carrier to a gal I know through MOPS.  She recently had an itty bitty baby boy and she was mentioning that her little one was having a hard time with his tummy, nursing and getting settled.  She had tried all types of slings and carriers and he didn't like anything.  I could empathize with her after our difficult time with Peanut.


So, I offered her the baby carrier so that she could give me a review on it for the party.  Within a day, she was mentioning how the little one was loving it, had fallen asleep comfortably and that they were quite pleased with it.  She has also worn her littlest one to many fun outings and vacations with the family- even into the submarines and ships in Charleston.


 The carrier allowed her to have hands free to be able to maneuver into those small door ways {or holes in the wall} and up and down ladders!  Sounds like its a great design!



Another interesting product that was sent for review was the Baby Plus Education System.  When I received this product in the mail, I had no clue what it was!  I had just delivered Millie and had never seen this advertised or heard of anyone using a product like this.  Since I wasn't pregnant and everyone I knew that was pregnant, was either out of town, or had already had their babies, I gave it away for a MOPS door prize for a lucky pregnant lady to test out!  From what I can find out about it on the Baby Plus website is that the Baby Plus plays 16 natural sounds that resemble the mother's heartbeat.  The sonic pattern introduces the baby to a sequential learning process..... the baby is able to learn between these sonic patterns and the mother's heartbeat....and the learning process has begun.  It sounds neat and since I won't ever be able to test it out on my own, I will have to rely on those who have used these to let me know if it actually works!  Are the kids smarter?  Potty train quicker?  Have a larger vocabulary early on?  Neat idea!



Another fun product that we were given were the Rashti & Rashti's Baby Starter Snuggle Buddy.  These are so cute!  I was really anxious to see which ones we were going to be getting, because I really wanted one of the girlie ones for Millie, like the owl or the little dollie one.  We didn't get those, but we did get two cute monsters and Buggy has quickly claimed them for his own.  He sighs when he snuggles with the buddies.  They are so soft and colorful.  I had planned on letting him keep one and giving one away to a friend, but one afternoon he grabbed both and had them in his bed awaiting his nap time.  It was too late to snatch them away- they were already best buds!  I love the size of these little sleep friends, the fact that its a blanket {with a tag for my tag addicted child} and that its a stuffed animal as well!  Its a win-win!  And there are so many fun options to choose-


I think I need to grab Millie one of her very own!  Just too cute!  



One of my favorite parts {who am I kidding, it was ALL a favorite!} about this party were the goody bags from Xlear.  I became aware of Xlear products when my friend, Dana, raved about the Xlear nasal spray.  Its such a wonderful product that we haven't gone through a winter without it since finding out about it.  I didn't realize Xlear had other products, but they were so generous to give us coupons, nasal spray, gum and tooth gel.  What a wonderful gift bag to go home with!  All products use xylitol which is so good, for so many reasons- for the gum, is a tooth friendly sugar, the nasal spray and tooth gel is suppose to increase the products of white blood cells to kill infections quicker, among other things!









Again, our family and friends have been so very blessed by the opportunity to review these products!  Lots of fun to be able to review these products that were very much needed by everyone that has been able to be apart of this!  A huge thank you to all the companies that made this possible and to MommyParties for selecting me to be apart of this!




*I was given the products described in the blog post for my review.  I was not compensated monetarily for this review.  All opinions are my own. *

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Winner of the KIX giveaway

Congratulations to the last person and lucky no. 7 to enter the contest, Lethea!  You've won {using Random.org} the 6 boxes of Kix cereal for your family to enjoy!  I wish I could give all my entries a box or two.  And thanks to everyone who entered!



Luvdaylilies said...
Kix is approved in our house because it's not uber sugary and it just tastes good!Thanks so much,
Lethea

Friday, September 16, 2011

Kix Cereal Review and Giveaway

Kix cereal is loved in households everywhere.  Not just by Moms but by kids as well.  My children love the taste.  As a picky Mom, I don't buy sweet cereals and really try not to buy cereals with artificial colors and preservatives added. If you're like me, its usually a struggle to find a cereal that is affordable, tasty and "good" for you.  Moms, you can rest some of that Mommy-guilt when buying Kix.  Its a sweet cereal and its OK to let your kids eat it!  Win-Win!  It doesn't have any artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.  Its not loaded down in sugar, just lightly sweetened.  Plus, its stood the test of time and has been around for more 70 years!  All good things in my book!  Don't believe me?  Check it out below.  



Take a moment, comment and let me know why Kix is approved in your household.  


The fine people of General Mills and MyBlogSpark are sweetening this post blog by allowing me to host a giveaway!  In one week {September 23rd at 5pm} I will choose a winner {using Random.org} and that person will be rewarded with 6 boxes of Kix cereal to enjoy!  Totally awesome, huh?!  And believe me, its 6 large boxes (12 oz)! 

Good luck!  


Disclosure: Kix cereal, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark




Saturday, May 21, 2011

*Winner* of the RECARO carseat

Thanks to all who entered our giveaway!  What an exciting contest!  I truly wish I could give each one of the entries a free carseat!  This has been such a fabulous giveaway, I wish everyone could benefit from it.  But alas, I only have one to giveaway.  I used RANDOM.ORG to pick a winner and luck no. 32 entry was the winner!


Congrats to Amy for winning!  This is what she commented and this was her winning comment- 



The Parks said...


I like the blue oval. Awesome giveaway, Lauren!!

Thanks again to all who entered!  :o) And another big THANK YOU goes out to MomSelect and RECARO for the opportunity to review and giveaway such a wonderful product!

  Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!  

Friday, May 13, 2011

RECARO ProSPORT Child Seat Review and GIVEAWAY!

**Contest has closed**


I was recently given the opportunity to review a RECARO ProSport Child Seat.  When I first received an email asking if I were interested, I about fell off my chair! Of course I wanted to review one! Not only did we need a new seat for Baby Girl and had been praying for provisions but Hubbie and I had drooled over these when looking for seats for Bubbie and Peanut. Hubbie loved the look, safety features and harnessing similarities to the seats in race cars and of course, the sleek and stylish looks. Sadly, the price tag always brought us back down to reality.... over $250 was never a reality for us to spend on a car seat. We could always drool and dream though, right?!


One of the first things I noticed, after receiving the car seat, was the colors! I love the color options! Bright, contemporary and fun!! As I continued to look over the seat, I noticed all the “nice” features, like snack pockets on the side, the compact and easy to handle carseat (no bulkiness here), the soft fabrics that are hand washable and a pocket for the latch system and other belts so that things are always nicely in place.  Seems like RECARO thought of every detail!  

After doing more research I found out a few more tidbits that definitely make this seat worth checking into! 

"The RECARO ProSPORT currently features the highest weight capacity available for a 5-point harness seat, and is in line with the highest weight capacity available for a booster car seat. The ProSPORT is made in the USA, and is part of the ProSERIES collection of child safety seats, designed with premium Side Impact Protection to protect the five main vulnerable areas of a child's body - the head, neck, face, torso and pelvis."

One of the big selling points to me is that we can put Baby Girl in this seat and she can use it, in different variations, until she is 120 lbs! How neat is that?!  One seat, for her whole “car seat” life!  Definitely saves a bundle!

And check out these features:  


This seat is a definite winner and one that we should have taken a closer look at sooner!  I think RECARO has done a fabulous job with this children's seat.  


Nows the exciting part, not only did Mom Select and RECARO give me the opportunity to review this car seat, BUT I'm also being given the amazing privilege of giving one away to one of my readers!  What an exciting opportunity!

So, heres the deal, since this is such a COOL giveaway, I've gotta make you work for it!


To enter, you must do the following things:  

1) Go to RECARO's website, check out the carseat, all that it has to offer and fabric options and then come back and comment here, telling me which color you like best. 

2) Follow me on Facebook and Twitter 

3)  Tweet/Email your friends or post on FB about this giveaway.  Make sure you link back to the giveaway.  If you're posting on FB or twitter, make sure to tag me as well!  

Now- you MUST comment 3 times on this blog post AND do all 3 entries in order to qualify for this giveaway!  



For 1 extra entry, you can do one of the following.  Feel free to do as many of these as you want! 

1) Follow my blogs- hyperactive lu, meet us in the kitchen and hyperactive lu reviews


2) Blog about this giveaway.  Again, make sure you link back to the giveaway.  


Remember, after you do each entry, come back and let me know that you did it!  


This giveaway will end May 20th at midnight!  I will announce the winner and contact them on May 21st!  Good luck!




*i received no monetary compensation for reviewing this item.  i did receive 1 RECARO car seat in exchange for my review from RECARO and MomSelect*

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Brusters Ice Cream/ Nathans Hot Dogs! A Local Review!



We've had a Brusters in town for about ten years now!  The first time I ever went was when Hubbie and I were dating!  I had the mint chocolate chip ice cream cone and I still remember that date!

Over the years, we have stopped at Brusters for milkshakes on hot days or for ice cream cones and sundaes on special occasions.  But my favorite trip to Brusters/Nathans was about a year ago.  Hubbie took the day off from work so that we could go to a doctor's appointment and strawberry picking with the family.  After we were finished, we drove home through town, hungry and tired and decided to stop at Nathans to eat lunch!  It was a beautiful Spring day- sunny and pleasant- a perfect day for eating outside!  It was the first time Hubbie had eaten "lunch food" at Nathans and he was hooked! We all were actually!  The fries are so yummy and salty!  And the kids LOVE their mini hotdogs dipped in honey mustard sauce!  I've never seen my kids be so quiet while eating!  To see a full menu, go here.

Afterwards, we got some ice cream!  Brusters offers free ice cream if your kiddos are under a certain height, so the Peanut enjoyed a free cone of ice cream.  Bubbie picked the dinosaur ice cream sundae and it was a MESS! but he gobbled it all up!  Hubbie and I picked our favs!  He loves anything with peanut butter so he chose the peanut butter sundae and I love anything with chocolate chunks and I picked the cheesecake and chocolate flavor in a cone!  They give you SO much ice cream!  We were definitely stuffed!


It was a wonderful day- just spending it together!


If you're local, check out the links above or go to the blog, here, which keeps you updated on special promotions and all their yummy treats!!   And don't forget to follow Brusters on Facebook and Twitter.  And go try some ice cream and tasty treats soon!!



**Disclosure- I received no monetary compensation for this blog post.  I did receive a $10 gift card to be used towards tasty treats at Brusters/Nathan's HotDogs.  All words and opinions in this post are my own.**