$20 CSN Stores Giveaway

I sometimes get lost in the CSN Stores. I can spend hours looking at all the great stuff they have. Its like window shopping in my living room! For the Valentine's Day Event I am giving away $20 gift certificate for one lucky reader to use at any of the over 200 online stores. I would love to buy some new Modern Furniture for our poorly decorated house! There are so many great items on sale right now too. In the Clearance section I found some great modern clocks that have free shipping and are under $20!!

The winner can spend their gift certificate on anything in the store. You can use it towards a bigger purchase and even find a great free shipping deal!

GIVEAWAY:
Here is how to enter the giveaway.
MANDATORY Entry:
Follow me on GFC (Google Friends Connect) (right top corner)
 
Leave your email address in your comment so I can contact the winner.

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry.
If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on.

Follow Me on Twitter +2
Add me as a friend on Facebook +2
Follow CSN Stores on Twitter +2
Like CSN Stores on Facebook +2
Visit CSN Stores website and tell me what you would buy if you won +2
Enter any of the other giveaways during the Valentine's Day Event and leave a comment on which giveaway you entered. +2 for every giveaway you enter.
Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link +5

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts January 30, 2011 and ends on February 8, 2011 at midnight PST.  Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post.Thank you CSN Stores for allowing me to host this giveaway.

Stonyfield YoBaby Yogurt Review and Giveaway

Oddly enough my son is not a sweet food lover. He likes savory and rich foods. But thankfully he LOVES yogurt!! He is a bit picky about his flavors but if I find one he likes he will willingly eat every bite. When I was pregnant I was obsessed with Stonyfield yogurt. I would put the vanilla flavored yogurt in a fruit smoothie every night as a yummy dessert. When I saw the YoBaby line of Stonyfield yogurt I was so excited for when my baby would be old enough to try it. When he was 6 months old I first gave it to him and he loved the banana flavored one. Banana and blueberry are his favorites. For this review he tried the peach yogurt for the first time and he enjoyed every bite. He thinks he is a big boy and insisted that I let him feed himself. He made a mess but ate the whole thing! A few things I love about YoBaby is that the product is made with whole milk by cows that have not been treated with synthetic growth hormones or antibiotics, the yogurt is certified organic and the yogurt contains a unique blend of 6 probiotics. I give him the yogurt when he has some tummy issues and it really seems to help him.

Now that my son is 14 months old he seems to be more picky about drinking milk instead of formula so I am thankful he will eat his yogurt. I know he needs the zinc and calcium that are in the whole milk yogurt. We have tried the Gerber Yogurt but he seems to not enjoy the flavor as much. So if you have not had any luck with other brands of yogurt please do try the YoBaby. I think the flavor difference of it being organic makes a difference to his little pallet.

Here is some information about YoBaby yogurt from their website:

Certified organic. Because YoBaby is organic, you know it’s made without the use of persistent pesticides. That’s especially important for babies, because their little bodies are more vulnerable to pesticide exposure. YoBaby is also made without the use of synthetic growth hormones or antibiotics.
 
Helps support brain development. We make YoBaby from whole milk, which helps support healthy brain development. Pediatricians recommend whole milk for babies and toddlers up to two years.
 
Helps support baby’s immune system. One serving of YoBaby provides 25% of your baby’s daily need for zinc, the mineral that helps support a healthy immune system.
 
Helps support growth. Each serving of YoBaby provides at least 25% of your baby’s daily needs for calcium, protein, and vitamin D, plus other nutrients essential for babies' growth.
 
Six live active cultures. Like all of our yogurts, YoBaby contains our exclusive blend of six cultures, including the probiotic L. rhamnosus.
 
Makes feeding time easy. YoBaby is delicious, so babies love it. Parents tell us all the time that YoBaby is one of the first foods their babies ask for by name.
 
“YoBaby yogurt is rich with nutrients, purely organic, and made with whole milk recommended for proper nutrition. Little ones love the taste, so I know it is an easy and fun food for parents to serve.”

— “America’s Pediatrician” Dr. Bill Sears

GIVEAWAY:

For our Valentine's Day event Stonyfield Yogurt has offered for a giveaway a prize pack that includes:

3 Free Product Coupons for YoBaby Yogurt

YoBaby Bib

Eric Carle Growth Chart

YoBaby Travel Bowl with Lid

Here is how to enter the giveaway.
MANDATORY Entry:
"Like" YoBaby on Facebook

Leave your email address in your comment so I can contact the winner.

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry.
If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on.


Follow Me on GFC (right top corner) +3
Follow Me on Twitter +2
Add me as a friend on Facebook +2
Follow Stonyfield Yogurt on twitter +2
Visit YoBaby Stonyfield Yogurt website and tell me your favorite flavor +2
Enter any of the other giveaways during the Valentine's Day Event and leave a comment on which giveaway you entered. +2 for every giveaway you enter.
Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link +5

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts January 29, 2011 and ends on February 8, 2011 at midnight PST.  Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. I was sent 4 free product coupons for the review in this post.

We Love Our Wii

When I first found out I was pregnant I tried to hurry up and "grow up". I threw out music and dvds I thought were not child friendly. I surrounded myself in all things baby. I even had my husband sell our XBOX. I thought getting rid of these things was going to make me be more grown up. Well I have to admit I was a bit nuts when I was pregnant and have learned its a maturity level not the stuff I have that makes me a parent. 
Video games has always been a source of fun for my hubby and I. I have fond memories of us when we first moved in together eating cheesecake and playing our video games until the early hours of the morning. Good times, good times!! Since we are now parents we do have to stay home more and watching tv can sometimes be the same old same old. We really wanted a video game system for Christmas and then for my husbands birthday in early January but we could not afford one. Then out of the blue my brother and sister in law decided to send us their Nintendo Wii !! We were so thrilled!! I have to admit I have been bowling, golfing, and figure skating on my Wii like crazy. I even have a sore arm lol.

Only the Wii could make him forget about his binkie lol

The best part about it is seeing my husband and son sitting there together smiling while they play. My husband is a only child and he grew up on video games and I think he was a bit sad when I made him sell our last system. Now they get to have a blast on it together. I know my little guy is only 14 months old but oh my you should see him squeal and jump when he plays the Wii. His favorite two games are the bowling and badminton. He swings the controller and can actually play the game, its so stinkin cute!!
So with all that said I sooooo recommend the Wii for families. I know right now my son can't play all the games but he loves to hold his controller while his daddy plays. With all this cold weather here in Northern Cali we are wimps about going outside to play so the Wii has definitely helped us to have indoor fun and save on gas money!
Do you recommend any fun family games or great kids games??
Better yet do you have a giveaway for a game?? I would definitely enter!

A BIG Thank you to my brother and sister in law for the super awesome Wii!!!

Women's Bean Project Gift Basket Review and Giveaway

I am a huge chocolate fan, who isn't right! When chocolate is for a good cause I love it even more. I learned about the Women's Bean Project from another mom blogger. They are a non profit organization that is helping woman emerge from poverty and unemployment by teaching job readiness and life skills for entry-level jobs through employment in their gourmet food production and handmade jewelry manufacturing businesses. They have wonderful goodies to eat and beautiful handmade jewelry.

For our Valentine's Day event we had the opportunity to review one of their gift baskets. We selected the Chocolate Lover's Basket. I loved the basket that came along with our goodies. It now sits on my table holding bills and important papers. Much better than the ugly box I had it in.
The treats inside the basket were delicious. I really loved the Chocolate Espresso Beans! My son seemed to enjoy the Chocolate Mint Candies, which surprised me since hes not much of a sweets eater. My husband liked being able to bake the brownies. The brownies were very chewy and delicious. I decided to make the cookies myself and I kind of burned them! They are chocolate oatmeal and the batter started out dark so I was not sure if they were done so I over cooked them. A little milk and a scraping later I still ate them!

I liked that the name of the person who assembled the treats were on the bags. It gave it a personal touch that we smiled about knowing someone made it for us who was improving their life.

Here is a little information about The Women's Bean Project from their website:

Our Mission and Vision

Since 1989, Women's Bean Project has been dedicated to helping women break the cycle of poverty and unemployment.

Our Mission: To change women's lives by providing stepping stones to self-sufficiency through social enterprise.

Our Vision: Women’s Bean Project strives to break the cycle of chronic unemployment and poverty by helping women discover their talents and develop skills by offering job readiness training opportunities.

With this stepping stone toward success, the women will be able to support themselves and their families, and create stronger role models for future generations.


You can learn more about donating  to the Women's Bean Project by clicking here.
If you would like to learn more about volunteering to help the Women's Bean Project you can click here.

He really liked the packaging! I had the bow on his head but he wouldn't let me take his picture.

GIVEAWAY:
The Women's Bean Project has generously offered a Chocolate Lover's Basket to giveaway to one of my lucky readers.

Here is how to enter the giveaway.
MANDATORY Entry:
Follow Women's Bean Project on twitter

Leave your email address in your comment so I can contact the winner.

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry.
If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on.


"Like" Women's Bean Project on Facebook +2
Follow Me on GFC (right top corner) +3
Follow Me on Twitter +2
Add me as a friend on Facebook +2
Visit Women's Bean Project website and tell me your favorite basket +2
Enter any of the other giveaways during the Valentine's Day Event and leave a comment on which giveaway you entered. +2 for every giveaway you enter.
Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link +5

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts January 28, 2011 and ends on February 7, 2011 at midnight PST.  Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. I was sent for free the Chocolate Lover's Basket to review for this post.

A Sweet Voice

This afternoon my little guy has said the most things in one day. He has learned a few words this last month and is now understanding when to apply them. He is 14 months now and his voice is so sweet. He is very rambunctious and has the cutest laugh but now I get to hear his sweet little voice. He has said mama and dada for quite a while now but now he says it in a cute voice and with intention rather than just saying when he is upset.

I could hear him in his room saying mama mama like he was calling me to come get him but not yelling it. I went in there and he smiled so big and was snuggling his giraffe. He wanted down right away when I got him out of his crib which for him is very big boy. He normally wants to be held for like 30 minutes after he first wakes up.
He told me exactly what he wanted too. He said mama juice. After I gave him his juice he said cats, cats!! So I put on his Kitten Party DVD and he sat down juice in hand and happily watched his cats.
I was in awe of this whole scenario. He is my first child and up until this point he has been just motioning to stuff and getting frustrated. But today he is his own person. This is so weird to me, that I have a tiny person who has his own likes and dislikes and is now telling me what he wants. I will savor the memory of today and remember his sweet little voice as I am sure he will soon learn words that are more demanding and sometimes upset!