A Flash Back To My Childhood

This morning I was checking out my Facebook timeline when a friend posted something that brought back a rush of childhood memories..."It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor".  I'll pause while you reflect on your memories...I know the same is happening for you.

Insert Memories Here.

Ok, that was long enough...As soon as I saw that, the whole song popped into my head and I started singing it to William.  Oh my the giggles I got...he LOVED it!  Ben was more like "mom stop singing mom please don't sing" but after a few minutes he was having fun too.  After about ten minutes of off key singing I decided to hit YouTube and search out some of my favorites from childhood.  First we found the theme song for Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.  And we played it a few times.  Both kids just sat and watched, loving it.  Next up was Fred Penner, then I did a search for Raffi and found a whole concert.  We watched the whole thing, and enjoyed every second of it.  Both kids full of smiles and laughter...enjoying the songs and Ben singing along.  Williams' sleepiness took over about half way through and he's now dreaming Sandwiches and Baby Baluga. 

Ben was amazed at how many of the songs he knew...from me singing them to him back when he liked it when I sang, and from songs they sing at school.  Amazing just how timeless the Brush Your Teeth song can be.  We even got up and danced to a bunch of them...No better way to spend a morning...singing and dancing with your kids.

But it got me thinking...when I grew up, and most of you too...we had 12 channels, and one TV in the house.  We were lucky to watch 2 TV shows before a grown up came in to watch the news, or wrestling, or in my case, my Nan had to watch her soaps.  It didn't really matter anyway because after 11am there weren't any shows on for kids.  Our TV was limited, because there just wasn't anything on. 

Now I grew up in Canada, and we had two channels that showed kids shows in the morning.  CBC and PBS.  My mornings were spent with Sesame Street, Mr. Dressup, Mr Rogers, The Smurfs, Fred Penner, Under The Umbrella Tree, The Elephant Show (Sharon, Lois, and Bram) , and on Sundays, The Fraggles.  I also have fond memories of Muppet Babies, I still have a story book and Ben has watched many episodes of it on YouTube as well.  

I'll never forget the morning that The Smurfs blew up my Grandmothers TV.  She was sporting an old floor model TV, (this was in the pre remote era) My sister was up early watching the Three Apple High creatures when she came running in the bedroom and said the TV was smoking!  We ran out to see and sure enough...The Smurfs destroyed the relic.  And we were cartoon free for a few mornings. 

Now kids have an unlimited amount of shows designed to brainwash entertain them.  And when they get tired of one, they can just move onto the next.  I have at least 5 channels that are purely dedicated to cartoons and kids shows.  At 2 months old, you could put him in front of Dora and he would watch her contently...and at almost 5, he still does.  It's like she's his second mother, only he listens to her.

But it's not just the Shows available, it's all the gadgets we have to watch them!  DVR, TiVo, YouTube, I Phone... even kids don't have to miss a show.  Just set it to record and it'll always be there for them.  Like a pacifier or sookie blanket.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm really not knocking it.  I let my kids watch too much TV, play too many Video Games, and I do use it so I can get some work done.  Ben is playing Mario as I write this, so I can write this.  Just sometimes I miss the simpler life.  When keeping your kids entertained was forced upon you...not done for you.

Anyway, I spent my morning singing, dancing, and playing with my kids, with old school TV shows playing in the background, not doing the work for me.  And I loved every second of it. My only complaint...It ended too soon. 

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My Baby Slept - Fisher Price Rock N' Play Sleeper Review

For 7 whole hours, William slept.

I haven't had 7 hours straight sleep since I was about 7 months pregnant.  When I awoke this morning and saw the sun I was absolutely shocked!  I've never felt so rested, so happy, so amazed at what a good nights' sleep really feels like.  I can't believe he slept that long.

So what did I do to make him sleep so long?  Not many 2 month old babies sleep for more than  3 or 4 hours at a time.  And that had been his routine since birth.  Sleep, wake, eat, sleep.  Well, last night I changes where he slept.

From Day 1 I have been putting William to sleep in his crib.  I'm all for co-sleeping but I didn't feel confident that I could safely do that this time around, so we cribbed it.  He took to his crib very well, slept for a couple hours at a time and woke happy.  I could even lay him down awake and he will put himself to sleep.  I'm happy with that, my first baby (Ben) had to sleep ON ME...  Since I'm not ready to sleep in a separate room, away from Wil, I usually sleep on a love seat that I have in his room, not very comfy at all.

Last night I decided I wanted to sleep in my own bed.  It's been a while since I've been able to stretch out, and I really just wanted to be comfy for a night.  So I brought in the Fisher Price Rock n' Play Sleeper that I was sent for review last week, nursed William and rocked him to sleep.  And he slept for 7 hours.

 

When I first received the Rock n' Play, I thought I would just use it around the house, I didn't want to change his already decent sleeping habits, and I didn't want to discourage him from feeling safe in his crib.  So we put it together and used it around the house.  It was great to have a place that I could set him down when I need to answer the door, or cook supper.  A place that was elevated off the ground, so he could see me, and know he was safe.  I quickly learned that it works really well when he's crying, but not hungry or in need of a diaper change.  I could lay him in it and just rock it with my foot.  Within a few minutes he would settle and usually fall asleep.

The Rock n' Play is the only infant seat that meets the industry standard for bassinets, a truly universal piece of baby gear.  It is light weight, can easily be moved around the house, and used day or night.  It features a washable liner, a toy bunny for play, and a 3 point harness to keep baby secure.  It also has a little pocket on one side, which is one of MY favorite features.  I keep an extra pacifier in there for when I need one in a hurry.

Check out our video of William enjoying his new Rock N' Play!

Disclaimer:  Thank you to Fisher Price and Mom Select for providing me with the Rock N' Play for the purpose of this review.  Opinions are 100% mine and honest.  Though my baby slept for 7 hours, I can't say that yours will. Each baby is different.  Individual Results my vary.

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Our House Guest

For the last 3.5 weeks, we've had a house guest.  He's a cute, adorable little friend who just loves to be snuggled and babied.  He's excitable and very loud at times.  His favorite food, panties Milkbones.

Meet Jimmy. 

Jimmy is my Mother's baby.  And while she's vacationing in Arizona, Jimmy is hanging with us here in Cold ol' Nova Scotia.  Jimmy will be here with us until probably Mid April, so I'm sure you'll be seeing even more of him soon.

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Photo Works

 

Do you know what haunts me every year?  Mother's Day.  How do I pick the perfect gift, year after year, for the woman who made me who I am.  The woman who continues to help me every day, lending an ear, an hour and yes, even money, without so much as a single complaint.  

With all the options out there, it is easy to get overwhelmed, confused about what is perfect, just for her.  I tend to look for the meaningful gifts.  The ones that she can keep with her forever, that steal a little place in her heart.    That is why I started looking for photo books. 

In todays' digital age, many of our pictures go unprinted, all kept in digital files, never to be printed out, hung on a wall, or placed in the old fashioned photo albums.  Photo books, being the new age version of these are a wonderful gift idea.  They can be easily built with a theme, and put together in a small amount of time.  A great place to get started is PhotoWorks & American Greetings. 

With their recent face lift, putting together a photo book for yourself, or your Mom has never been easier.  You can easily navigate your way around the site and find the perfect book just for you. Easily upload your existing photos and put your book together.  I love just how special you can make it.  With prices starting at just $12.95, it has never been more affordable either!

Buy It!

 Find the perfect Mother's Day Gift at Photo Works.

Win It! (this giveaway is now closed)

 I have one $50 Gift Card to give away to one lucky A Busy Mommy Reader!

Main Entry:

Go to PhotoWorks and browse around.  Come back here and let me know in a comment what product(s) you would use the gift card for if you won.  

Extra Entries:

• Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in a comment
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The Fine Print

Contest ends on March 12th at 11:59 EST.  Contest is open to Canadian and US residents.  Any expenses over the $50 gift card are the responsibility of the purchaser.  Please leave a valid email address in your comments, If I can't contact you, you can't win.  Winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be contact by email and posted to our winners page.  Winner will have 48 hours to reply to the email or a new winner will be chosen.  Good Luck!

Disclaimer:

I was contacted by M80 on behalf of PhotoWorks and given the opportunity to host this giveaway.  I was not compensated in anyway for this post.

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Bumbo Chair Review

Finding a place to set William down has been a struggle.  With a very active Ben who isn't always aware of his surroundings, and our temporary dog Jimmy (dog sitting for my mom) I can't just put him down anywhere.  He needs to be somewhere that I can be sure he's stable, and not going to get stepped on.  In the last few weeks I received a few Items to review, the first of which was the Bumbo Chair, the second you'll find out about tomorrow.

I first heard about the Bumbo Chair from my Sister In Law.  She had bought one for her daughter a few years ago, and she raved about how convenient it was to have around.  Ever since I swore that I would have one for my next child.  That's why I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to review it from CSN Stores I ordered the Green one.

When it arrived I opened it right away, and plopped William down into it.  Now, he's still a little young to actually be using this, he was 6 weeks old in these pictures, but he did quite well for not having much neck strength. 

I will admit, I'm not using this daily just yet...I just don't think he's quite ready for it.  But I"m sure when his neck gets strong enough to hold that heavy head we'll by using this all the time.  In the mean time Ben has claimed ownership of it.  He tends to grab it and sit in it while playing video games.  Though I have to get after him from rolling around in it, it seems to be doing wonders for his posture.

See how straight his back is!  Though not intended for kids his age at all, I have no problem allowing him to use it.  Anything to encourage good posture is A-OK in my books.  Especially for an extreme gamer like him.  We tend to slouch a lot. 

Buy It!

You can buy the Bumbo Seat from CSN Stores for only $34.99

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Flirty Aprons Coupon Code

One of the newest products to be featured on A Busy Mommy, Flirty Aprons are sure to be seen around here for a while.  Coming in March during our Everything Kitchen Event, I will be posting a review and yes a GIVEAWAY!  Be sure to come back soon to get your chance to win! 

Can't wait until March, well with these flirtatious designs I don't blame you at all!  That's why I wanted to share this too good to be true deal!  Save a whopping 30% off your order between now and February 28th with coupon code 30Coupon!!  Just put this code in the coupon section of the check out.

Happy Shopping!! 

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He's sleeping through the night!

They say your kids will be opposite of each other, and for the longest time I questioned just how that could be.  They're made of the same recipe, the same ingredients.  As William grows I am quickly learning that my kids are no exception to the rule.

We struggled a lot with Benjamin and his sleeping patterns. To be honest he was a horrible sleeper, and we really didn't help the situation.  You really do make all your mistakes with your first child.  We co-slept with him from Day 1 (not that there is anything wrong with that) and to this day, he still looks for one of us to "Snuggle" with him at bed time, usually me.  Boys do love their Mommies.  At almost 5 years old, he can now go to sleep, and usually stay asleep, but this is only just.  It wasn't long ago that I was still getting up with him at night.

William is the complete opposite.  At only 2 months old he has now started sleeping through the night.  Last night for 10 hours straight!  I can lay him down, awake in his crib and usually he will fall asleep without fuss.  He sleeps through the noise of the house, (and between Ben, the dog Jimmy, and the 5 gerbils our house is pretty noisy!)  Though as his routines change, and I'm sure they will...I will be taking in all the advice that I can about how to give him healthy sleep habits.  After all, the more sleep he gets, the happier his Mommy is!

Pampers asked parents to share their Sleeping Through The Night Tips, and the readers came through with some really helpful suggestions.  I will be keeping these in my back pocket, and I wanted to share a couple of my favorite tips with all of you as well.

• My tip for helping baby sleep through the night is to teach them to fall asleep on their own...Put them down when they're super relaxed and drowsy - but not asleep yet.  That way if they wake up in the middle of the night they'll be more inclined to put themselves back to sleep.  This may not be the easiest task to accomplish at first as your baby may protest and cry being left alone while still awake...but be strong and trust it's best for your baby (and Mom!). Amy T. - Burnaby BC

• Having some kind of white noise, like a fan, helps my daughter and I sleep.  I do not hear every little whimper and she likes the hum since she was used to a lot of noise in utero.Other noises, like the phone ringing, are less likely to disturb her rest. Christine da C. - Sarnia ON

Get more Sleeping Through The Night Tips from parents just like you when you join Pampers.ca. 

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My Future Olympians

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Uprinting Winner Announced

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A Very Hectic Saturday

You know, I don't really notice most days go by. Staying at home everyday makes them all kinda blend together.  But today was one of those 'out of the norm' days where routines were thrown out the window.  I had to take my brother to the airport today so he could meet up with my Mom in Arizona for Spring Break.  You would think that wouldn't be such a big deal, but when you through a cranky hubby and two kids in the mix, it makes it a little stressful.

My morning started at 4am...Wil thought that was the perfect time to wake up for his breaky.  He stayed up until 5:30.  By that time I only had about an hour left to sleep before I HAD to get up and get the family ready for the hour long drive to Dalhousie.  We were out the door at 8am and had made it to his dorm room by 9:30.  I got him ready to go, than back onto the highway to the airport.  Now, I haven't flown since long before 911 and everything has changed.  We checked in at the automatic teller, and went to the luggage tagging place.  All was fine and he was ready to go.  He walked into customs and they shoo'd me away.  Apparently I'm not allowed in there if I'm not flying too.

Then the family and I decided to go to Toys 'R' Us.  Since it is so far away from where we live, Ben loves to get the opportunity to check out the toys and video games we don't see around here.  He's still drooling over a Wii but apparently there is a shortage right now...He'll have to wait just a little while longer.  He ended up buying a Nintendo DS game, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs.  I really tried to get him to go for Mario Party DS, but he wouldn't give in.  I try to get him to buy games with higher trade in values...he wasn't biting.

This is when the frustration began.  I had received a Toy's R Us giftcard for joining their fanpage on facebook.  It was only $5, but hey, every little bit helps in these trying times. Well the GiftCard said there was no balance on it.  I did save $5 from the coupon I was able to print from the Toys 'R' Us website,  but still.  I had planned on saving $10.  (I'm a couponaholic by the way)  So I reluctantly bought him the game that I figured he wouldn't like very much, and only saved half of what I planned. 

My frustration only grew from there.  We were hungry.  So we headed up to the food court to get lunch, stepped off the elevator and I told Ben he could chose from any of the surrounding restaurants.  As soon as I said it, Daddy says...Too Many People...I'm not eating here.  UM HELLO, SATURDAY!  Of course it's busy.  By the time we (they) finished at the mall, (I didn't go to the stores I wanted too because William needed to be fed, and I was starving) It was 2pm, we got in the car and I asked if we could at least eat where there was table service...at that point I just wanted to sit.  Guess where we ate....Wendys.  Not Impressed. 

I will say I'm glad I'm now home, but still kinda ticked I didn't get to do anything I wanted to do.  It'll be another 6 months or more before I get to go there again.  Sorry for the Saturday Rant...I just had to get it out.




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Tommee Tippee Review

Do you breast feed your kids? Yes, No...a few maybes in there too. Well, I did. Not because it's better for their health, not because it's more natural...to be completely honest, I do it because it's free. I drink water, and make milk...just like magic!

Because of this my kids were never big Baby Bottle users, we just didn't need them all that much. Though I did always have a can of formula and a few bottles on hand for "Just In Case". And occasionally I wanted to go out and have some Mommy Time, so I would plan ahead and pump enough milk off so I could enjoy a few hours of Kid Free Time...just for me. With my first I was worried about Nipple Confusion. It took me 5 weeks of cracked sore nipples, thrush, and just plain discomfort to turn him into a master Breast feeder, I wasn't going to let the nipple of a baby bottle ruin all that work! I swear I looked at just about every bottle available to me, and though there were many that claimed to be the next best thing to mothers breast, they were still just a glorified silicone nipple with very little movement to it.

When I was contacted by the Mom Bloggers Club to review the Tommee Tippee Baby Bottle and sippy cup, I had to think about it hard. I do have an 8 week old baby now, and Momma is in need of a few hours to myself. But I don't want just any old bottle, I want THE Bottle. I checked out the Tommee Tippee website, read up a little on the Bottle in Question, and decided to go for it.



Well am I ever glad that I did. The Tommee Tippee Baby Bottle has got to me the most innovative Baby Bottle that I've seen to date. It stretches!! Just like a mothers' breast while feeding, the nipple on the Tommee Tippee bottle has an amazing amount of flex!

See how wide his mouth is. Just like if her were nursing.

I also received these sippy cups to review. Ben only has one or two that I keep around for when we he takes a drink in the car ( Milk doesn't come out of upholstery very well). I really like the design of the cup, and the size. It's perfect for kids 3-5 years old. These cups feature the soft drinking spout, which is great for transitioning from bottle to cup. Though Ben knows better, he does try to chew it. I passed one of the cups onto a friend of mine who is transitioning her little boy off the bottle, and she said he loves his cup. Uses it all the time now except for night time, that's next week.

Disclaimer: The products mentioned in this post were sent to me from Tommee Tippee free of charge for the purpose of this review. The opinions posted are my own. This review is part of a Blog Tour hosted my The Mom Bloggers Club.

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How We Spent Valentines' Day

Hubby and I aren't very big on Valentines' Day...well, he likes it more than I do. To me it's more of a Hallmark Holiday than a day with real meaning. But, none the less, he did wake me with a kiss and a Happy V-Day wish.

Though I'm not big on it, I do still try to make it fun for Ben. He knew all about it from school and from years past. And since I failed to know about his V-Day party at school (mommy fail) and felt horrible about it, I decided to make a fun V-Day for me and him. What's really funny is that Ben couldn't have cared less about not having Valentines to give out!!

Either way, I still had to make it up to him, so I decided that Ben and I were going to bake a Valentines' Day Cake. Fun for him and it gave me a reason to try out the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer that Hubby and I got for Christmas...yes, I just used it for the first time last week...I know, how very very wrong of me.

Ben and I had a blast! We made an easy white cake recipe (I'll be sharing that next month during the Everything Kitchen event) and added some marichino cherries to the mix. While it was baking in a very cute heart shaped pan, Ben went outside to play in the snow.

I have to say I was very lucky that William though this would be a great time to nap. It gave me some wonderful one on one time with Ben. We really don't get that anymore. During this time I learned that Ben watches too many cooking shows. The whole time we were baking & decorating He was talking as though he was the Star of the show (and he was) telling the pretend audience what we were doing as we did it. Of course I had video camera in hand, well Ben did, so when you scroll down you'll be able to see is color commentary.

Back to the cake.

After it was done baking and cooling, and I was able to drag him in from is fun in the snow, we started decorating. First I cut the cake in half and filled it with Cherry Pie Filling, then covered it in Pink Buttercream Frosting. Then Ben outlined the top of the heart with yellow frosting in a piping bag. He did a pretty good job of it too I might add. Earlier in the day we had gone to Bulk Barn to get some V-Day decorations for the cake and they were put to good use! Candy Corn, tiny Heart Sprinkles, Sugar Hearts and even a Hershey's Candy Kiss filled the top of our Special cake.

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Shabby Apple - Giveaway

Spring is just around the corner, right? That's what I keep telling myself anyway. And since that is the case, it's just about time to start cleaning out that Winter Closet and picking up a few essentials for the upcoming Spring/Summer season. Guess what? I'm here to help you! (Like Always)

A return to what dresses were always meant to be — a one-piece outfit. No need to add anything...no tank tops, no cardigans, nothing (except accessories, of course!).

Being the stylish woman we are, we always want to impress. With a great dress, the best shoes and all the accessories to match. The Shabby Apple website is a great place to start. With beautiful designs that flatter just about any body shape you'll be sure to fall in love with so many of their designs that you'll have trouble picking out just one.

I went through their website the other night and found one that I would love to add to my closet. But instead we're going to add it to one of yours!

90 WPM

Match this Secretary Dress with the perfect shoes and handbag and you will be the talk of the office! Dress it down with a pair of flats and ware it anywhere. The color is one of the Top Colors of the 2010 Spring season, so your sure to be in style.

Buy It!

Receive 10% off your order at Shabby Apple when you enter the coupon code jenbusy10off

Win It!

Giveaway Now Closed

You can win the 90 WPM dress for your spring wardrobe!

Main Entry:

Go to the Shabby Apple website and browse around. Come back here and let me know what your favorite dress is in a comment below.

Extra Entries:

• Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in a comment below
• Follow @abusymommy and @ShabbyApple and tweet about this giveaway (can be done once per day)
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Giveaway will end on March 4th at 11:59 Atlantic time. Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be contacted via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or they forfeit their prize and a new winner will be chosen. Open US & Canadian residents.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in anyway for this post. Just given the opportunity to give it away!

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Baby Ddrops Canadian Giveaway

Canadian Giveaway Now Closed

Well, most of you are here because you just read my review for Baby Ddrops! Awesome, I'm glad you clicked through to enter the giveaway. Don't forget to check out Baby Ddrops on
Facebook.

To Enter: Leave a comment on the Baby Ddrops Review post here. Then come back here and let me know that you did.

Extra Entries:

• Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in a comment below
• Follow @abusymommy and @BabyDdrops tweet about this giveaway (can be done once per day)
• Follow this blog through Google Friend Connect (located on sidebar)
  
• Become a Email Subscriber (located on sidebar)
  
• Post my button on your sidebar (located on sidebar)
• Digg, Technorati, Stumble ect... this post
• Add our Everything Kitchen Event Button to your sidebar.

<br /> <a href="http://www.abusymommy.com/2010/01/everything-kitchen-event-on-busy-mommy.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Photobucket" width="250" src="http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv218/abusymommypro/evekitbut1.jpg" /></a>

Giveaway will end on March 2nd at 11:59 Atlantic time. Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be contacted via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or they forfeit their prize and a new winner will be chosen. Open Canadian residents. Click Here for our US Giveaway.

Giveaway ends at 11:59pm Atlantic time on March 3rd. Winner will be chosen VIA random.org and will be contacted VIA email. Winner will have 48 hours to reply to the email or a new winner will be chosen.





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Baby Ddrops - US Giveaway

US Giveaway Now Closed

Well, most of you are here because you just read my review for Baby Ddrops! Awesome, I'm glad you clicked through to enter the giveaway. Don't forget to check out Baby Ddrops on
Facebook.

To Enter: Leave a comment on the Baby Ddrops Review post here. Then come back here and let me know that you did.

Extra Entries:

• Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in a comment below
• Follow @abusymommy and @BabyDdrops tweet about this giveaway (can be done once per day)
• Follow this blog through Google Friend Connect (located on sidebar)
  
• Become a Email Subscriber (located on sidebar)
  
• Post my button on your sidebar (located on sidebar)
• Digg, Technorati, Stumble ect... this post
• Add our Everything Kitchen Event Button to your sidebar.

<br /> <a href="http://www.abusymommy.com/2010/01/everything-kitchen-event-on-busy-mommy.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Photobucket" width="250" src="http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv218/abusymommypro/evekitbut1.jpg" /></a>

Giveaway will end on March 2nd at 11:59 Atlantic time. Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be contacted via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or they forfeit their prize and a new winner will be chosen. Open US residents. Click Here for our Canadian Giveaway.

Giveaway ends at 11:59pm Atlantic time on March 3rd. Winner will be chosen VIA random.org and will be contacted VIA email. Winner will have 48 hours to reply to the email or a new winner will be chosen.




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Baby D Drops - Review & Giveaway

Nobody told me...

When I had my first child, I knew right away that I was going to nurse him. I knew it would suck at first, and I knew it would get better. And it did. After a few weeks, we were both old pros at it, and he was nicely satisfied with my production.

When he was about a month old, I learned something. Someone, somewhere in passing asked me if I was giving him Vitamin D. I was like HUH??? I thought he was getting everything he needed from me. That's why I did this right, that's why I breastfed. And though breastfeeding is best where possible, there is one thing that doesn't pass through breast milk very well. That is vitamin D.

Now way back when, we got our Vitamin D from taking yucky Cod Liver Oil Pills, and just plain playing outside. But with the think layer of sunscreen that we slather on us now, the Vitamin D just doesn't get into us the way it should...so we supplement.

While pregnant with William I was given the opportunity to review the adult version of Ddrops (you can read that review here), and was also sent the Baby Ddrops for William when he arrived. After taking them myself, I knew giving them to Wil wouldn't be a problem...they're tasteless. You'd never even know the single drop ever touched your tongue. For Wil, I just put a drop on my finger and rub it on his tongue...easy and painless. I've recently starting giving them to Ben as well. I figure it can't hurt and since they now have a Kids Ddrops featuring Dora The Explorer, it made them even easier to give. Vitamin D is known to help build strong bones, and with his Twisted Tibia I thought it would be a good idea.

A great way to learn more about Ddrops and Baby Ddrops is to check out their Fan Pages on Facebook. They share lots of interesting facts about the effects of a lack of Vitamin D.

Buy It!

In Canada you can find Baby Ddrops at most major retailers including Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall Pharma Plus, Zellers, Metro Grocery Stores (in Ontario), Loblaws, Great Canadian Superstore.

In the US you can find Baby Ddrops at Wegmans.

Win It!

We are doing two separate giveaways for Baby Ddrops. One for the US and one for Canada.

Click Here to enter the Canadian Baby Ddrops Giveaway.

or

Click Here to enter the American Baby Ddrops Giveaway.

Disclaimer: I was provided with Baby Ddrops free of charge for the purpose of this review. You should always consult with your Doctor before adding a new vitamin into your childs regiment.




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Glamour Mom - Review & Giveaway.

This is another one of those products that I love so much it gets MULTIPLE posts on A Busy Mommy. And I'm so excited to be able to share it with you once again.

Are you a Glamourmom? Of Course you are! And why not show it off with a Glamourmom Nursing Tank! Do you know why I love Glamourmom so much? Of course you don't...I haven't told you yet. It's 'cause I don't have to show off my nasty post baby belly when I'm nursing William.

With most tops, you either have to stretch the neck down (which is horrible for your clothes) or lift the bottom of the top up, above your breast, exposing that post baby belly most of us want to forget about. Well, that may be sufficient when your home, and there isn't anyone watching, but with Glamourmom you'll never have to do that again!

You know how a nursing bra is built, Glamourmom tops are built in a similar way. They go on like a normal top with a built in shelf bra (and the only shelf bra I would ever allow in my wardrobe by the way...this thing has support baby). When you want to nurse baby, all you have to do is let down one side of the top using the build in clasps. You can easily do this one handed.

Glamourmom sent me the Nursing Bra Long Tank in Berry Flora to review, and I think I've worn it at least 4 times already and I only received it last week. It washes well and goes perfect with jeans and yoga pants. It really makes nursing so much easier. I can be walking through the grocery store, feeding William, and nobody has to see.



Buy It!

You can buy Glamourmom Nursing Tanks, Tops, Sleepware and more on their website.

Win It!

This Giveaway Is Now Closed

I've been given the opportunity to giveaway a Glamourmom regular length Tank or Top to one of you lucky A Busy Mommy readers.

Main Entry:
Go to the Glamourmom website and look around. Come back here and tell me one of the products you would like to have in a comment.

Extra Entries:

• Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in a comment below
• Follow @abusymommy and tweet about this giveaway (can be done once per day)
• Follow this blog through Google Friend Connect (located on sidebar)
  
• Become a Email Subscriber (located on sidebar)
  
• Post my button on your sidebar (located on sidebar)
• Digg, Technorati, Stumble ect... this post
• Add our Everything Kitchen Event Button to your sidebar.

<br /> <a href="http://www.abusymommy.com/2010/01/everything-kitchen-event-on-busy-mommy.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Photobucket" width="250" src="http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv218/abusymommypro/evekitbut1.jpg" /></a>

Giveaway will end on March 2nd at 11:59 Atlantic time. Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be contacted via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or they forfeit their prize and a new winner will be chosen. Open to Canada and US residents.

Disclaimer: Glamourmom has provided a free Nursing Bra Long Tank for purposes of this review. All opinions are my own.



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I signed the papers

Yesterday I signed the papers. Remember those papers I told you about last week. The ones that say Ben can spend most of his waking hours in the care of someone else...the ones that mean he will attend Primary in the fall. Yep, I signed them. As hard as it was, I did it. I did it for him. And he was thrilled.

After a sleepless night (non related) we all got up, dressed and headed down to B,ens soon to be, home away from home. We arrived and started the workshops right away. They took his picture first, and he was so shy. They had given him a cutout flower with his name in the middle, and the whole time they were trying to take his picture, he held that in front of his face. It takes him a while to warm up... After the picture was the Eye Exam. Again the shyness took over and he wouldn't talk outloud... though I did overhear him say "She's Weird" to his father, referring to the lady in charge of the exam. His left eye failed, so we've been referred to an optomitrist. And as my mother says, "So begins thirteen years of schools telling me what to do with my kids." I always kinda thought he would need glasses, I'm just hoping he doesn't need them yet.

After that Ben went into a classroom where he was given time to play. Mommy and Daddy had to go fill out all the paperwork, and there really was quite a bit! Forms to fill out and sign, fees to pay, and guidelines to go over. And of course, Wil decided that he was hungry, so Daddy did most of the work while I fed the baby and listened. We went back to get Ben from the classroom and all his shyness had worn off and he was very happily listening to a story. They even gave him a book to bring home. Canada123, he was thrilled to get a book but I was disappointed because it was way beneath his reading level. Ben can read at a 2nd or 3rd grade level. Baby books aren't for him.

The last station was the speech and hearing. He passed those with flying colors. Thanks to the tubes we had put in his ears shortly before his second birthday. Those did wonders for him. I'm glad now that I pushed for them.

Then we were finished. Ben was not happy to leave at all. He wanted to go out for Recess with the other kids! Not this time darlin, I've only got a few short months left with you home with me, don't take them away. I'm Still Not Ready!

Princess and Pirate Potty! Review

One of the first huge challenges that we face as parents (besides sleepless nights) is potty training. When we get to the point in our kids lives that they are ready for this next big step they're also usually in a defiant stage. This can make potty training very frustrating. As parents, we turn to distractions to help our kids along the way. Many parents will use things such as candy and stickers to reward their kids for using the potty! And their isn't a thing wrong with that, as far as I am concerned.

Earlier this week I received two children's books in the mail. Pirate Potty and Princess Potty. Written by Samantha Burger and illustrated by Amy Cartwrite. Their topic, kids using the potty. Now, I know there are quite a few books out there that touch on this topic, but these books really stand out in the crowd.

These two books play on things that kids love. First of all, secrets...both stories start out by telling a secret. Second, Pirates and Princess'! My oldest son is almost 5 and LOVES this book. Long past potty training but he loves anything that is Pirate like. I'm sure if I had this while he was training, we would have had a few less messes.

Not only do these books offer a humorous story for your potty bound child, but the rewards as well. Inside each book there is a paper hat that you can put together - a Pirate hat and a Princess crown. For every time you child uses the potty, they get a sticker for their hat! (Just like the kids in the story.)

Buy It!

You can buy Princess Potty or Pirate Potty from the Scholastic Website for $4.99 each.

Win It!

This Giveaway Is Now Closed

Have I got a contest for you. There will be THREE winners of these wonderful books! The Grand Prize winner will receive a copy of both Pirate Potty and Princess Potty as well as a $30 Target Gift Card! There will be Two 1st Prize winners as well, they will each receive a copy of both Pirate Potty and Princess Potty!

Main Entry:

Tell me your potty training story! Leave me a comment with your story, be it funny, embarrassing, or just plain silly!

Extra Entries:

• Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in a comment below
• Follow @abusymommy and tweet about this giveaway (can be done once per day)
• Follow this blog through Google Friend Connect (located on sidebar)
  
• Become a Email Subscriber (located on sidebar)
  
• Post my button on your sidebar (located on sidebar)
• Digg, Technorati, Stumble ect... this post
• Add our Everything Kitchen Event Button to your sidebar.
  

<br /> <a href="http://www.abusymommy.com/2010/01/everything-kitchen-event-on-busy-mommy.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Photobucket" width="250" src="http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv218/abusymommypro/evekitbut1.jpg" /></a> Giveaway will end on February 26th at 11:59 Atlantic time. Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be contacted via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or they forfeit their prize and a new winner will be chosen. Open to Canada and US residents. Target GiftCard only valid in the US.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of both Pirate Potty and Princess Potty at no charge for the purpose of this review.

Wordless Wednesday - Hello

Club Nintendo!

Ok, So I have been a gamer since the beginning...well, not quite pong - but close. Our first system was Nintendo. The very first one. Kinda makes me feel old. The first games we had...Mario and Duck Hunt, I actually think it came with the system...remember the gun that you could just about shoot in any direction and still hit the targets?

Well my gaming addiction filtered on to my younger brother, who is nine years younger than me, and took it to a whole new level. He had everything. Literally. Every time a new system came out, he had it. Every new game, he got. And now that he's 20 - it's grown even further - to online gaming. But he's still into the old school games too.

Now, that I have kids of my own, the gaming addiction has filtered down through, and Ben is now a huge gamer. Though he's learning old school! You need to know the older stuff to appreciate all the new advances right. His system of choice right now...Super Nintendo - Yup, we still have a working one (It's my brothers...shhhh he doesn't know I borrowed it) . And his favorite game? Super Mario All Stars. He could spend every waking hour playing Mario, so much that for his 5th birthday this coming May - We're throwing him a Mario Party, and we're actually going to try to replicate this cake.

Image from Daily Fork

Well, some how, some way, a rewards club escaped my radar! Club Nintendo. While I was checking out the Nintendo Website a bright red Mario Hat caught my attention. Well, being the Gamer/Rewards Club freak that I am, I had to check it out.

Did you know that you can earn 'coins' for Nintendo products that you register? You can then trade them in for cool rewards! I joined today, registered Ben's DS, and 2 of his games and did one little survey and I already have 90 coins! Super Excited! (If he had a DSi it would have been a lot more points) So I may have boost his Wii Savings (NO we don't have a Wii yet, See this post to find out why) So we can get one sooner, register it and earn some awesome rewards! As an added bonus, when you register your products, you extend the warranty for an extra 90 days!




Now, I have my eyes set on earning this Game Rack. It's only 600pts so a very reachable goal! Especially if you open a family account. (You can earn even greater rewards when you collect enough points...having a family account will definitely help this happen)

I'm was so excited to find this, that I just had to share it with all of you! Happy Gaming!







Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for this post. I found the club on my own and just wanted to share it with all of you.

5 Minutes

That is what I gave up when I decided it to become a Mom.5 Minutes

5 Minutes to chat on the phone...
5 Minutes to do my hair...
5 Minutes alone...
5 Minutes to clean up...
5 Minutes to shower...
5 Minutes to use the bathroom alone...
5 Minutes to play...
5 Minutes for a coffee...
5 Minutes for me...

Sometimes, not having 5 Minutes to myself is frustrating. So frustrating I just want to scream! As I sit here still in my bathrobe, at 1:45 pm - haven't made lunch yet, showered yet, cleaned up yet...taking the 5 Minutes that I've just found to write this instead of doing those things. I didn't want to loose the thought.

Sometimes, when frustration is at it's peak, and I'm ready to just run away, a little boy comes up to me, and out of the blue says; "Mom....MO-OM..." I yell "WHAT!" then he says "I Love You" and for 5 Minutes the frustration goes away... the stress is gone, and I get an ever so needed hug.

So, When I decided to become a Mom, I gained...
An eternity of Hugs
An eternity of Kisses
An eternity of I Love You's
An eternity of Snuggles

And all I had to do was trade in 5 Minutes...

I'm Not Ready

In one week I'll be driving my little boy to his "Big School" that he will be attending in the Fall. In one week I have to register him, show him around, and watch the excitement on his face. In one week I have to sign the papers that say "yes, he can spend the majority of his waking hours here, with you...not home with me."

I'm not ready to let him go.

UPrinting Giveaway.

Recently I joined a program that allows us bloggers to have more prizes for you, the readers that we all love. Since I am always searching for companies who want to share their products with you and I, I was thrilled to come across this program.

The program I am speaking of is Uprinting. Uprinting is an online printing site where you can create posters, business cards, post cards, and more.

I have to say I'm just a little bit jealous, because what I get to giveaway here, is something that I would just love to have. One of you lucky readers are going to be winning 500 Business Cards!

Now, let me tell you why I want these so bad. The Business Cards that I use right now are ones that I made myself. I bought the punch out cards from the dollar store, threw together a little design and printed them off. Now, those can work for a little while, but now that I have established myself in the blogoverse I would love to have a more professional looking card to call my own. I've looked at buying my Business Cards Online, just haven't taken the dive yet.

Another great use for Business Cards are Mommy Cards. Just design them with your contact info and you can give them to the parents of your childrens friends, teachers and anyone else you need to share your info with.

Win Them!

So, as you already know, UPrinting has offered one of my lucky US readers the chance at 500 business cards. Here are the details:

500 Business Cards for One (1) Winner

Sizes: 2 x 3.5”, 2 x 3”, 2 x 2” (square card) or 1.5 x 3.5” (skinny card)

Paper: 14 pt gloss cardstock, 14 pt matte cardstock or 13 pt recycled uncoated cardstock

Specifications: Full Color Both Sides; Offset Press; 3 Business Day Printing

Shipping: FREE UPS Ground Shipping

Eligibility: Limited to US Residents only

Main Entry: Head over to UPrinting and check it out! Come back here and let me know in a comment what products, besides business cards you would like to try out!

Extra Entries:

~Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in a comment
~Follow @abusymommy and @uprinting and tweet about this giveaway - it can be done daily
~Follow this blog through Google Friend Connect (sidebar)
~Subscribe via email (sidebar)
~Add my button to your blog (sidebar)
~Stumble, Digg, Technorati ect the A Busy Mommy Blog

Giveaway will end on February 18th at 11:59 atlantic time. Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be contacted via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or they forfeit their prize and a new winner will be chosen. This Giveaway is US only.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post, just given the opportunity to give the product away.