$75 Pottery Barn Gift Card Giveaway!

Hosted and Sponsored by: Everything Mommyhood 

A special thanks to my co-hosts for making this giveaway possible

 My Four Littles, My Devotional Thoughts, NY Saving Specials, The Lucky Ladybug, All About the Mommies - Coupons & Giveaways, Simply Sherryl, Java John Z's, Kaisy Daisy's Corner, CouponWAHM, and Conservamom, 

One lucky winner will receive a $75 gift card to Pottery Barn. 

Can be redeemed at any of Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, Williams-Sonoma, Williams-Sonoma Home or West Elm stores, online or by phone.

This giveaway is open to US residents only.

Giveaway is 2/1 12:01am EST - 2/28 11:59pm EST

Enter below via the Rafflecopter to win. Good Luck!!!

Disclosure: Everything Mommyhood is responsible for sponsored prize, all other blogs involved are not responsible, nor did they receive any compensation for promotion of this giveaway.
Must be 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or any other social media outlets. For detailed disclosure please see rafflecopter.
If you have any questions please contact Everything Mommyhood at everythingmommyhood@gmail.com

Nuby SoftFlex Natural Sipper Review

I made an announcement a couple of weeks ago that I am now a Nuby Mommy Blogger! I am so excited to be apart of the Nuby family and to show you all of the hottest Nuby baby products! Today I am going to start with their Nuby Natural's SoftFlex Sipper Cup. When it arrived I was so excited to have Baby A try it out that I put it into the dishwasher (top rack) and attempted to wait patiently for the dishwasher to be finished.

The Nuby SoftFlex Natural Sipper is a "No Spill" soft silicone spout that is not only easy to clean, but it is easy for baby to drink out of as well! This sippy cup has been specially designed so that the valve opens with a minimal amount of pressure applied to it so that your child does not have to suck as hard as they can to get the water (or juice, or milk) out of their cup. Did you know that when your child constantly sucks as hard as they can on their sippy cup it is bad for their teeth and pallet? With the Nuby Soft Flex Natural Sipper, they can easily get their drink yet the sippy cup doesn't leak! This sippy cup also has handles which makes it easy for little hands to grip and hold while they are drinking, or toddling around! 

I highly recommend the Nuby SoftFlex Natural Sipper Cup, it is by far one of  *our* favorites now and is perfect for little ones 6 months and up! You can purchase one for yourself for $5.95 at Baby Bungalow, Diapers.com, or Amazon!

*This review is 100% original and in my own words. Everything written is from my own personal view point and opinions, what works for me, may not work for you. All photos have been taken by me unless stated otherwise. I have been provided with product to review by Nuby USA as a part of their Nuby Mommy Blogger program however I have not been compensated monetarily for this review.

Kickin' It Off With Cloth Grand Finale!

It is the final day of the Kickin' It Off With Cloth Event here with the Thrifty Nifty Mommy Blogger Network, and we've saved the best for last!

DivaDiapers is a website that caters to all things cloth and offers tons of amazing programs and promotions! 

• Free Shipping with orders of $50 or more
• Layaway Programs
• Reward Programs
• Facebook Promotions such as Two for Tuesdays, Wacky Wednesday, and Freebie Friday!

DivaDiapers wants to give one lucky Thrifty Nifty Mommy Blogger Network Fan a $100 to their website!

What would you do with $100 from DivaDiapers?

The Giveaway will close late on the evening of February 14th. The winner will be chosen at random through Rafflecopter which uses Random.org. The winner will be announced both on Rafflecopter as well as MCO’s Facebook. The winner will have their prize sent to them by DivaDiapers. Must be 18 years and older. Mommys Craft Obsession and other participating Thrifty Nifty Mommy Blogger Network bloggers are not responsible for the prize shipment. US & Canada Only.

Giveaways! Wild Mountain Mommies, SMQ Organics, & Crazy Leggies!

It's day 30 of Kickin' It Off With Cloth!

brought to you by The Thrifty Nifty Mommy Blogger Network.

Today, we have 3 reviews & giveaways!

The first one, Ruth of Viva Veltoro, has a review and 

giveaway of an All in Two cloth diaper 

from Wild Mountain Mommies!

You can read the review and enter to win a custom
Wild Mountain Mommies AI2 diaper HERE.


Second, Kelley of Savy Mommy Moments has a review 
and giveaway of a fully set of organic cloths wipes from SMQ Organics!
 

You can read the review and enter to win a fully 
set of organic cloth wipes from SMQ Organics HERE.


The Third, Janessa of Thrifty Nifty Mommy has a review and giveaway of 

 Crazy Leggies!

You can read the review and enter to win a $15 shop credit HERE.

Pine Bro's Softish Throat Drops Review & Giveaway!

It's cold and flu season (if you weren't already aware of it). Have you gotten sick yet? I sure have! Stomach flu, two colds...and don't even get my started on Baby A and that little nose of his! I absolutely loathe having a sore throat. I'd rather be any other type of sick than sick with a sore throat. I hate not being able to swallow and I refuse to use any of that throat numbing stuff. Unfortunately, sore throats are often unavoidable and I was so thankful to have had Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops when I felt the telltale sign of a scratchy throat.

Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops has been around for over 140 years and they have yet to change their recipe. That's how well they work! Pine Bros was recently taken over by the creator and former owner of Airborne and is being made in America! Prior to being contacted by Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops, I had honestly never heard of the company. When I went to their website to check them out I found a video that the CEO created and her enthusiasm was what made me want to do this review. If more companies had owners/presidents/CEO's that were as passionate about their product as Victoria at Pine Bros is, I think more people would love their jobs! You can use this link to check out the video for yourself!

Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops generously sent me a lifetime supply (okay just kidding, but close to it!) of their throat drops. I was sent Cherry and Honey throat drops which are just two out of the four flavors that they offer. Seeing the a cherry flavored ones made me a little nervous. Usually I hate cherry flavored anything since to me it all brings back memories of childhood cough syrup. Gross. But since I had agreed to write a review on these throat drops, I knew it was all or nothing! I couldn't help but try the honey ones first though... I had to work up to the cherry! Pine Bros Throat Drops come in two different types of packaging; the traditional bag style, and "pucks" that you can take with you in the car, in your purse, briefcase, or even back pocket of your jeans!

Let's talk about the flavoring of these throat drops. I have had past experiences with throat drops tasting absolutely disgusting. When I tried the honey flavored throat drop I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor- it actually tasted like real honey!!!

It took me a few minutes to work up to trying the cherry flavored throat drop but when I did, I couldn't help but smile. Ladies and gentlemen this is the first cherry flavored anything that I have tasted that didn't immediately taste like medicine. It was sweet rather than "cooling" or overpowering as so many other drops on the market can be. It tasted like I was having a piece of candy rather than a throat drop. To say that the cherry flavored throat drop exceeded my expectations is an understatement.

What I enjoyed most about Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops is right in the title. I loved that they were soft rather than hard. I wouldn't go as far as to say these throat drops are chewable, but they had a soft outer layer that I really enjoyed. My second favorite thing about these throat drops is that they seem to coat your throat. I noticed when I was having my honey flavored drop, it seemed as though my throat was being coated to soothe my scratchy throat, similar to what a spoonful of honey would do if taken for a sore throat!

To Purchase: Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops can be purchased at retailers such as Safeway, CVS, Walgreens, and other drug stores! Check out this list to see if there is a retailer in your neighborhood!

Want to try them out before you purchase?

Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops wants to give one lucky MCO reader the chance to win 8 pucks in the flavor of your choice!

Flavor choices are honey & cherry.

The Giveaway will close late on the evening of February 13th. The winner will be chosen at random through Rafflecopter which uses Random.org. The winner will be announced both on Rafflecopter as well as MCO’s Facebook. The winner will have their prize sent to them by Pine Bros Softish Throat Drosp. Must be 18 years and older. Mommys Craft Obsession is not responsible for the prize shipment. US Only.

*This review is 100% original and in my own words. Everything written is from my own personal view point and opinions, what works for me, may not work for you. All photos have been taken by me unless stated otherwise. I have been provided with product to review by Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops however I have not been compensated monetarily for this review.

A winner has been chosen for the Pine Bros Giveaway! Congrats to Stephanie King!

Ecobloomers Review & Giveaway!

Its Day 29 of Kickin' it Off With Cloth!

Today we're featuring another great WAHM Hayley, and her adorable diapers over at Ecobloomers!  She is known for her custom military diapers, but she also makes one-size and newborn pocket diapers, inserts, and wipes.

Today's review and giveaway will be over at Buddy Doo's Adventure-Roos! Head on over there to check out the review and enter for your chance to win the fantastic giveaway!

Alphadazzle Review & Giveaway

Lets be honest for a minute. Finding clothes after having a child is hard. Agree or disagree? I have a hard time finding clothes because I struggle with wanting it it be cute, but mom appropriate. I apologize in advance if I offend anyone by saying this, but it drives me nuts when I see moms out with their children and they have their big ol boobies hanging out of their shirts. In my opinion, it's just not appropriate! I am twenty two years old. Being twenty two I have the hard choice of shopping in the teen section where I really don't belong anymore but I still can sort of pull off...or I have to shop in the misses which I hate. I'm a mother, not a grandmother! So like I said, finding clothes after having a baby is hard. When I learned about the clothing company Alphadazzle I was immediately entranced. Not only did they have absolutely adorable shirts, but their shirts were educational as well! 

Alphadazzle features the alphabet (and some with shapes!) on comfortable tee's and long sleeves! The alphabet is in rhinestones giving your tee a fashionable and fun look while still being educational for your child. What I absolutely love about Alphadazzle is that with every shirt purchased they donate 10% to literacy programs including Reading is Fundamental! 

Lets talk about the tee shirt. Alphadazzle generously sent me the "Casey Long Sleeve" to review and when it arrived I feel in love. Seriously, I didn't think I could fall in love with a tee shirt but I did. I immediately took of the shirt I was wearing and tried it on. The fabric is super soft and I loved that it was a flowy long sleeve and not one that clings. It also hangs off of the shoulders and I adore shirts that do that! I chose a size medium which is typical for shirts that I wear, although if I could go back I would choose a large. These shirts run true to size which is fantastic, I just like my flowy shirts to be a little more flowy. I will say however, I have worn and washed this shirt about 5 times since I have owned it and it has not shrunk at all, and it does not get baggy after wearing it all day! 

I am usually not the biggest fan of red, but the rhinestones on this shirt are gorgeous! They are just the right shade and are not that "in your face" red that rhinestones so often have. Now, I know you're probably thinking, "those will just fall off in after a few washes"...well you're wrong my friend! I have washed this shirt about 5 times as I said above and I have not had a single issue! It is recommended with many shirts that you turn them inside out prior to wash to avoid beads/rhinestones, but to review this shirt properly I have not been turning it inside out. So far not a single rhinestone is out of place! I'm not sure what they use to adhere them on, but whatever it is it is fantastic.

My absolute favorite thing about this shirt is that I can teach Baby A the alphabet with it. Right now he is at the stage where he is pointing at everything and is very curious about what is what. For example, his favorite thing to do right now is poke me in the eyes, nose, and mouth while I tell him what he is touching. I knew this shirt would be fantastic for him. Being a typical sixteen month old I will admit that Baby A has his days where he could care less about this shirt, but on the days that he is paying attention to it he will literally sit in my lap for over five minutes and point to letters, scratch the rhinestones, and listen to me as I tell him which letter of the alphabet he is touching.

I highly recommend that you pick up an Alphadazzle shirt for yourself (and your little one), I think it is something that every mother should own especially when their little one is learning their letters! Why not look cute while teaching your little one? It's a win, win!

To Purchase: Check out Alphadazzle's Website!

Want to win one? 

Alphadazzle wants to give MCO readers the chance to win TWO (2) Alphadazzle Shirts of their choice!!

Enter Below

The Giveaway will close late on the evening of February 12th. The winner will be chosen at random through Rafflecopter which uses Random.org. The winner will be announced both on Rafflecopter as well as MCO’s Facebook. The winner will have their prize sent to them by Alphadazzle. Must be 18 years and older. Mommys Craft Obsession is not responsible for the prize shipment. US & Canada Only.

*This review is 100% original and in my own words. Everything written is from my own personal view point and opinions, what works for me, may not work for you. All photos have been taken by me unless stated otherwise. I have been provided with product to review by Alphadazzle however I have not been compensated monetarily for this review.

A winner has been chosen! Congrats to Darci Bean!

Blogger Opp

Hosted By: My Four Littles

Sponsored By: Natural Littles LLC

Coming soon to MCO!!

A Cloth Diaper Starter Set Giveaway

Diapers, Wet Bag, and Cloth Friendly Detergent from Natural Littles LLC!

Two Free Links with announcement post.

You can write your own announcement post or use the text HERE.

$2 for Additional Links (up to 2)

$4 for Daily Vote/Comment Links

$10 for Cohost 

(Up to 5 Links on Your Own Host Page)

(You Will Make the RC Form and Pick the Links)

(Back Link in the HTML)

Click here to sign up!

Inspiring Imagination

In this time of technology it is easy to forget the importance of letting our children play with toys that let them explore their imaginations rather than those that create them for them. It's too easy to let our televisions, computers, tablets and cell phones entertain our kids but in doing that we are depriving them of experiences that are critical to their development. So what to do?

Turn them off, put them away and let your children get bored. Yep, I said it! Let your kids get bored. In their boredom they will have to try to find another form of entertainment. Instead of leaving electronic toys out for them to play with leave out more traditional toys like cars, blocks, kitchen toys, stuffed animals, dolls, etc... Let your children play with toys that don’t make noise so they have to make it themselves, toys that do not move by themselves so they have to move them, toys that require imagination.

My daughter has a lot of energy and has been that way since the beginning. She has also always had a fascination with electronics. At first we thought it was cute how she played with the phone and watched TV and played with the computer and controllers. It was as if she had been programmed to know how to use them. When we let her play with toys that are designed for children her age had no interest except those who had made noise or had lights.

It was time for a change. My daughter was not using toys that would inspire her to use her imagination! It was not funny, it was something that really bothered me a lot. As a child I always lived in the world I created with my imagination. I played with dolls and dress-up cloths, I played in the woods and hunted lizards and visited my imaginary friend owl. I had toy animals because I loved playing that I was veterinary and I skated to music. I played without electronic toys and used my imagination to have fun. I want that for my daughter.

I decided to change her environment. I put away the controllers and computer we were letting her play with. I only left out the age appropriate toys that made noise and had lights. Sometimes I let her play with our electronics but the important thing is that she isn’t always playing in a noisy environment. I leave out toys that require her to make her own sound effects or she has musical toys. I leave out toys that she can use to pretend that she is cooking, caring for a baby, out shopping or whatever but that stimulates her imagination.

As it turned out, my daughter has shown she can do more than you thought. She does things with her toys that I had no idea she knew how to do but that she must have observed. When we gave her kitchen toys she immediately started playing as if she was cooking without us showing her how to do it and she has not even spent much time in the kitchen with me in. With little demonstration she learned how to use their zoo and farm toys on their play set. When we were building with her blocks she destroys them one piece at a time or separates them after demolishing what we built. She carries and gives kisses to her doll and stuffed animals, and when near our cat she gives her warm snuggly hugs.

What surprised me the most was that when she received her first piano she immediately ignored everything else and started playing music and trying to sing without us even showing her what to do. She is also very attracted to books and loves to turn the pages by herself. It is amazing to see how she is learning all these little things that she must have observed without us noticing. Although she was very angry at first because she wanted to use our electronic things and still always wants to try to reach my computer she is spending more and more time playing with her toys or dancing to music without the distraction of electronics.

Although we try to provide an environment that inspires creative play we do not always do it without electronics. Sometimes we let her watch movies or cartoons but try to choose those with lots of music and ones that are suitable for children. She also has electronic toys like her keyboard that has a microphone and a toy computer and play phone and a few more things that have lights and make noise. The important thing is that we do not always where she can use. The important thing is to monitor how long she is using them for.

The most important thing in all this is to be a parent and let them explore safely. Give them an environment that lets them imitate what they see and play pretend. We have to watch what we teach our children and it is our duty to ensure that they do not observe us doing things we do not want them to do. We control the view of the world that our kids have. We are their first teachers and what they use as an example in life. Even though they may be small we can see them imitate what they have observed from us.

Children learn by observation and when they get bored we can see how they find other forms of play. Let them explore their imagination and play using the information they have absorbed. Give them space and encourage them to play make believe with their toys.

Si te gustaría esta entrada en español por favor visita Pompa En Tela.

*Raquel is a contributing writer as part of the Thrifty Nifty Mommy Blogger Network. You can read more from Raquel (In Spanish!) on her personal blog, Pompa En Tela.*