I Love My Mommy Mother's Day Event 2011 Sponsor Spotlight & Review: ITZBEEN

I Love My Mommy
Mother's Day Event 2011
Sponsor Spotlight:
ITZBEEN



The ITZBEEN Baby Care Timer was developed by a set of new parents who found themselves exhausted and needing help to remember baby care details, such as when their baby last ate or napped. They tried charts and journals, but thought there had to be a better way. I can completely relate to this as I was extremely obsessive about journaling everything about W's early days. It started with the paper the midwife sent home with me to track the diapers and feeding times. Once that paper was full, I started journaling it on a steno pad. It got very complicated once I was breastfeeding, then supplementing, then pumping. Add in recording all of that information and it was a continuous cycle of exhausting proportions!

I Love My Mommy Mother's Day Event 2011 Sponsor Spotlight & Review: babybindle

I Love My Mommy
Mother's Day Event 2011
Sponsor Spotlight:
babybindle


There is a lot of baby gear out there and I own a good share of it! Okay, there's a lot I don't own but our house has definitely been taken over by baby gear since W arrived on the scene about 5 months ago. I see a lot of products that look great, but I've tried to limit myself in what I buy to things that I think I will really use. Lately, my diaper bag is either too small for all that we need or too big when I just need a few things while we're making a short trip out. The solution to the first problem is probably finding a bigger diaper bag but I cannot bring myself to spend the money on that! The solution for my second diaper bag issue has been solved by babybindle and their amazing SeatPak!

I Love My Mommy Mother's Day Event 2011 Sponsor Spotlight & Review: Meeno Babies

I Love My Mommy
Mother's Day Event 2011
Sponsor Spotlight:
Meeno Babies


Meeno Babies is the next sponsor for the FormulaMom Mother's Day Event and I'm excited to share a great company with my readers! Meeno Babies is the home of the "Cool Mee" Seat Liner Collection. The "Cool Mee" liners are universal and easy to use! I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to try out the Stroller "Cool Mee" with W and I must say that it is one of my new favorite baby items!

Review & Giveaway: Hayley's Stitchery (Etsy)

Giveaway is Closed.
I should probably have an Etsy blog event considering how much I love the shops there! I can browse for hours and could probably spend my life savings on Etsy! It's dangerous, I tell you!

Hayley's Stitchery is an Etsy shop featuring some of the cutest burp cloths around! Hayley has some amazing fabrics, many of which I haven't seen in other shops. One thing I've noticed around Etsy is that many shops have the same fabrics, but Hayley's Stitchery breaks out of those fabrics! Hayley is a mom to a 4 year old little boy and enjoy sewings, so she started making burp cloths for her friends and family as gifts. She got many compliments on them, so the idea for her Etsy shop was born!

Check out these fabrics!


And a great variety of boy fabrics!


Hayley sent me a set of 3 burp cloths in Stripes and Polka Dots. Both fabrics can be seen in the photo of the boy fabrics above and they were perfect for me because I love polka dots! When the stripes arrived, I fell in love with too! So cute and completely gender neutral!

The sewing quality was superb and I believe they are made on some of our favorite types of burp cloths so I was even more pleased! The burp cloths are padded and have coordinating fabrics sewn down the center of the cloth. W has taken to holding a burp cloth as a lovey throughout the day and he was more than happy to hold (and chew on) these burp cloths. Plus, I feel all cute and special when I pull one out of our diaper bag when we are out somewhere. Yes, these are great for diaper bags when you want someone to notice your burp cloth and tell you how cute it is!

As you know, customer service is a big deal to me and Hayley of Hayley's Stitchery is amazing in that area. Communication with her was a breeze and her shipping was very quick. I also loved the simple but attractive packaging of the burp cloths. Hayley's Stitchery is another Etsy shop I give two thumbs up and would gladly do business with!

Buy It!
You can visit Hayley's Stitchery on Etsy to see the great variety of fabrics offered and to browse Hayley's in-stock burp cloth sets. Sets of 3 burp cloths are available for $12. You can also place a custom order with up to two fabrics of your choice. Sets of 3 padded burp cloths are $12, sets of 2 are $8, and 1 burp cloth is $4. Hayley's Stitchery is also offering free shipping throughout the month of April! In addition, she is offering FormulaMom readers a 10% discount with the code FMB10OFF!

Win It!
Hayley has graciously offered a set of Hayley's Stitchery burp cloths to one lucky reader! They will be made with two of my favorite fabrics (and yes it was difficult to choose) -- green flannel animals and green houndstooth!

Mandatory Entry (must be completed for additional entries to count)
You must be a GFC follower of Formula Mom to win. Then visit Hayley's Stitchery and tell me about your favorite fabric! Leave a comment and let me know!

Extra Entries (leave a separate comment for each additional entry)

• Like Formula Mom on Facebook (+2 entries)
• Like Hayley's Stitchery on Facebook
• Heart Hayley's Stitchery on Etsy
• Follow @FormulaMom and @hayleystitch on Twitter
• Tweet this giveaway and leave permalink - #Win 3-pack burp cloths from @hayleystitch & @formulamom!! http://bit.ly/hrOeur Ends 5/2 #baby #giveaway #etsy (+1 for each tweet, maximum 2 tweets per day)
• Vote for FormulaMom on Picket Fences (left sidebar, can be done daily, +1 daily)
• Vote for FormulaMom on Top Mommy Bloggers (left sidebar, can be done daily, +1 daily)

This giveaway ends on May 2nd, 2011 at 11:59 pm CST. Random.org will be used to determine a winner who will have 48 hours to confirm their win or another winner will be chosen. Open to US and Canada. Good luck!

Disclosure: I was sent a set of burp cloths to review and Hayley's Stitchery is providing the giveaway prize. I was not compensated in any other way for this review and all opinions are my own. FormulaMom’s full disclosure can be found here.

Review: LilBundleOfJoy (Etsy)

In all of the baby gear I received from three separate baby showers while I was pregnant, one item I did not get was a good taggie blanket. I will admit that someone gave me one they picked up at a garage sale for a nickel but it is pink and purple with a flower print on the other side. It's not exactly the style I was going for with W!


Malissa of Lil' Bundle of Joy came to my rescue! W enjoys holding a lovey sometimes and I wanted something that was more than just his usual burp cloths. I think it's becoming obvious that I have a soft spot for things that are cute and Malissa was able to fulfill both of these needs for me!

Malissa is currently a mommy of twin 3 year old girls and a newborn baby boy. She's been wanting to sell my creations for quite some time and decided since she was home for a few months with her new baby that now would be a great time! She hopes to one day be able to stay home full time and enjoy her kids! With her absolutely adorable creations, I think she is on the right track!

Look at some of the amazing items available at Lil' Bundle of Joy!

Crinkle Tag Toys!


Adorable Bibs!


And Friendly Owl Crinkle Tag Toys! Yes, I just might adore these!


Those are just a few items that Malissa offers at Lil' Bundle of Joy. If you're looking for something cute, this is your shop!

Malissa designed a Tag Blankey for W and also surprised us with a bib as well! Once they were shipped, they arrived quickly and were nicely wrapped in bright tissue.

Malissa has asked me what fabric I would like for the blankey and I told her that something boyish or gender neutral would be great and that I like pretty much anything with animals! Look at what she put together for W! The colors are great and the print is perfect because one of his nicknames is "Puppy" and Malissa didn't even know that!

The blankey is very sturdy and has washed up well. The sewing is very straight and consistent. It is extremely well-made. W is also a big fan of it. From the first time he got his hands on it he was a happy little guy! It's definitely the perfect size for him.

Then he fell asleep with the blankey still in hand!

I would say that our Tag Blankey from Lil' Bundle of Joy definitely earned the W stamp of approval.

Malissa was also kind enough to send us a bib. Once again, I must rave about the colors and the print. Orange just happens to be one of my favorite colors and I think W looks good in it. The woodland friends print is very cute as well. The two fabrics coordinate well. The top is 100% cotton and the back is a super absorbent orange terry cloth.

This bib gets the Mom stamp of approval because it has proven to be very absorbent. W has yet to drool through it even when he can soak other bibs in mere minutes! Once again, the sewing quality was wonderful and the bib has held up well through multiple washings!

I would definitely recommend Lil' Bundle of Joy if you're looking for any of the items available in her shop. She is a joy to work with and the quality is top-notch!

Buy It!
Unfortunately, the Lil' Bundle of Joy Tag Blankeys have been pulled to be revised to comply with Taggies patent. They are being redesigned and will return to the shop at the beginning of May. In the meantime, you can purchase one of Malissa's great bibs for $7 or explore all of the other adorable gifts and maybe pick up an Owl Crinkle Tag Toy for $8 or a Tiny Crinkle Tag Toy for $7! You won't be disappointed!

Disclosure: I was sent a Tag Blankey and Bib to review by Lil' Bundle of Joy. I was not compensated in any other way for this review and all opinions are my own. FormulaMom’s full disclosure can be found here.

Review: Stitch 'n Stones (Etsy)

As I've mentioned before, I have a love for all things Etsy. I admire the talent of all of the women (and men) on Etsy and wish I could even begin to make some of the things they make. Unfortunately, my mom had to sew almost all of my 8th grade home ec sewing project because I was a train wreck!

Anyway, I recently discovered a wonderful little shop called Stitch 'n Stones on Etsy and fell in love with her burp cloths! I love the colors and prints that she has! All of her items are prewashed and come from a smoke free, pet free home. Stephanie loves to craft and create new items and her passion shows in all of the cute items available in her shop!

Her burp cloths are available in wonderful bright colors! For $5 each they are a steal!

She also has some of the cutest hats for toddlers (both boys and girls) and hopefully W will let me put hats on him when he gets a bit older.

Stephanie was generous enough to send one of her fabulous burp cloths for me to try out with W. It arrived within 2 days of her shipping it and was well packaged so it arrived in pristine condition. The orange dots fabric is just perfect as one of my favorite colors is bright orange and I love anything with polka dots.

You can use either side of the Stitch 'n Stones burp cloths. There is the designer print fabric on one side and a super soft chenille fabric on the other side. The burp cloth washed up nicely and proved to be the perfect size for draping over my shoulder while I was burping W.

He also found another use for it as he has recently been using burp cloths as more of a lovey. This one is much cuter than our plain white burp cloths! He has enjoyed holding it and always finds a way to put the chenille side in his mouth. Overall, I would have to say that this is a burp cloth that will be used regularly in our rotation and I would recommend them to anyone. since they are affordable and adorable they would make fabulous baby shower gifts as well!

If you are looking for an Etsy seller who is wonderful to work with, I would recommend Stephanie of Stitch 'n Stones. She is extremely friendly and returns emails promptly. She also loves special orders so if you have a certain print in mind, just let her know! If you get a chance, check out the Stitch 'n Stones Etsy Shop or stop by the Stitch 'n Stones Facebook page and say hello! If you're looking for a burp cloth to fit a theme, she is your woman and I think you'll love working with her!

Disclosure: I was sent a burp cloth to review by Stitch n' Stones. I was not compensated in any other way for this review and all opinions are my own. FormulaMom’s full disclosure can be found here.