Review: martinashley designs (Etsy)

I haven’t shared my Etsy love in awhile, so Monday seems like the perfect day to revisit that particular obsession of mine. I want to be such a crafty person and usually I can get one project done but never do it again. If it involves scrapbooking, I always have these great plans and they never get done! I am much better with the DIY around the house type. I love to paint and decorate and I eventually get those projects completed. Still, I dream of being able to sew cute onesies, diapers, burp cloths, and bibs for W. It will never happen but I can dream! As a result, I often spending time in the evenings after W has gone to bed, browsing all of the creations available on Etsy. It’s easy to lose hours doing it, so you have to be careful!

Recently, I discovered a cute little Etsy shop called martinashley designs. Ashley offers a wide variety of items from quilts, embroidered flour sack towels, to baby items! You can expect to find the usual baby items such as burp cloths and bibs, but Ashley also makes quilts out of your favorite baby clothes! This is something that I may have to take advantage of in the future as I have developed some sentimental attachments to some of W’s newborn clothing. I used to think that was ridiculous, then he was born. It’s funny how things change. I might also use her to make a quilt out of J's old Metallica t-shirts since he has about 100 at least!


I had the opportunity to work with Ashley and try one of her embroidered burp cloths and a dribble bib with W. I was delighted by the opportunity because Ashley has been wonderful to work with and I adore personalized items. When we decided on W’s name, we accepted the fact that it was a name that we wouldn’t be seeing on mugs at Sea World or on little license plates at Disney World. That is why I chose it. I grew up with a unique name and wanted my children to have that as well. As a result, I love every personalized item we have for W. His Grammy has given us a few items, including a blanket, a Sesame Street t-shirt, and a bunny stuffed animal. We also got an amazing blanket with his name o it from one of my mother’s friends and a personalized burp cloth from a teacher who works at my school. I love them all! So when Ashley offered to personalize a burp cloth for W, I was thrilled! I was also very interested in the dribble bib as we use at least 4 bibs a day with the way W is drooling!

Both items arrived in good shape and were both very cute. Please note that I have obviously blurred W’s name out of the photo of the burp cloth and it does not appear that way in person! In fact, the embroidery is wonderful! The colors coordinate well and that is a quality I can appreciate. I love the brown tones of the thread as most of the personalized items we have for W are different shades of blue. Does a boy always have to equal blue?

While I’m not sure which kind of burp cloths Ashley uses, I do know that this one fluffs up extremely well in the wash and feels like some of the Gerber Organic burp cloths I got at one of my baby showers. They are some of our favorite burp cloths so that is definitely an added feature for Ashley’s burp cloths! It is extremely absorbent and very soft. W likes to hold it as a lovey a lot of the time. It’s also a great diaper bag burp cloth because people are impressed when we pull it out. Yes, I’ve become that mom!

The dribble bib is very cute as well. I liked the fabric print and it is extremely soft. It is one of the softest bibs we have. Unfortunately for my little chunky monkey, it’s tight on his neck. He is definitely chubby and while the bib fit, it was snug and I wouldn’t have left it on him long. For a more middle-of-the-road baby, I think they fit would be great. But I’m getting used to things not quite fitting W due to being a big boy! Still, I was very impressed with the quality of the bib, especially the softness! If you’re looking for a bib along these lines, I definitely recommend martinashley designs for affordability and quality!

Review: Kidsbooks

As I have mentioned a few times, I started my teaching career teaching first grade and taught it for four years before moving into technology. As a result, I have a love for children's books. As a kid, I loved book fair week and I loved when my teacher's sent home the monthly book order! I also spent hours in book stores and the library! My mother taught me the habit of reading before bed when I was very little and I have done it ever since. It's a habit I plan to pass on to W as well. As a result of my love for reading and books, I was so excited when Kidsbooks contacted me to be a sponsor of the I Love My Mommy Mother's Day event. I love sharing books with people and I was even more blessed to be asked to review four books from Kidsbooks!

Kidsbooks publishes fiction and non-fiction children's books and all titles are educationally sound and incorporate "fun" as a learning tool. I really appreciate this philosophy as it is similar to the one I had when I was teaching first grade. Now that I teach technology, the fun seems to be built in for most students, but in the general education classroom it can be a challenge to make certain necessary activities fun for some students. This is why I love the mission of Kidsbooks, where they believe that learning can be fun!


Kidsbooks is provided a wonderful book pack that included 4 titles for my I Love My Mommy Mother's Day Event. The books included in the package were Puppies Count, Rise & Shine, Search & Find: Winter, Spring, Summer, & Fall, and Search & Find: People, Places, & Things! We were lucky enough to have have the opportunity to review all 4 titles as well.

Puppies Count teaches kids to count as they read about puppies playing and getting into trouble! The rhyming text and wonderful illustrations will keep your child engaged in the story!

Rise & Shine follows the animals of the farm as they wake up for the day. This book also has wonderful rhyming text and beautiful illustrations. It features a variety of baby animals and if your child is anything like W, he already loves animals!

Search & Find: Winter, Spring, Summer, & Fall is one of the wonderful Search & Find titles offered by Kidsbooks. I love the vocabulary building possibilities of these titles. Search & Find: Winter, Spring, Summer, & Fall explores the four seasons and introduces children to the vocabulary associated with each season and other objects in the scene. The brightly colored illustrations are spectacular. These books will be good for younger children who are just learning new words up through the older preschoolers who can then search for the objects in each illustration!

Search & Find: People, Places, & Things is another wonderful Search & Find title. It explores familiar settings such as rooms within a house and introduces vocabulary for each setting. It also features animal characters which are a hit with most children!

My first impressions of our Kidsbooks books were that they are generously sized! I prefer children's books to be larger in size because then the illustrations are generally larger as well. I have run into some books that are large and end up having a lot of text and smaller illustrations, but this was not the case with our books from Kidsbooks! The books are large in size and the illustrations are large, filling the entire page on each page. In the Search & Find books there illustrations are brightly colored and labeled with bold print. In Puppies Count and Rise & Shine, the illustrations fill the pages and are very realistic which I appreciate since the stories are about animals. These books made a wonderful first impression on me.

The Search & Find books will be amazing when W is older as they will definitely help develop vocabulary and will also grow with him. For now he has enjoyed chewing on the cover and pages as it is like a giant board book. I’ve enjoyed going through the book and pointing out a few parts of each illustration and naming them for him. In the future, he will be able to do the searching himself and I think it is something he will enjoy. Students in my first grade classes always enjoyed my I Spy books and these have a similar feel although the reader is searching for more than just the matching picture. The read is also looking for the label. I like the idea that it will help W identify matching text. These books will definitely be on his shelf for a few years! They feel durable enough to last that long and perhaps they will even last through multiple children! That will be the true test of a good book!

W enjoyed looking through both of the Search & Find books and was actually interested for a very good stretch of time. He is in the stage where anything around him easily steals his attention but the books were large enough and colorful enough to allow us to sit together for almost ten minutes looking at them both. I hope these become some of his favorite books but only time will tell.

We’ve also read Puppies Count and Rise & Shine a few times now. These books do not feature the board book type pages but they do feature very simple text with illustrations that are more realistic than cartoonish. Although I don’t mind books where the characters are drawn in more of an animated style, it is nice to have some where the animals resemble what they really look like. This will help W identify them in real life in the future.

W enjoyed Puppies Count because he seems to be interested in any of our books that feature dogs. He will also stare at our dogs when they walk by or come near him. When we’re holding him, he will do anything to turn to see the dogs if one of them is anywhere nearby. Who cares about Mommy when Toby and Murray are around! I try not to take it personally because our dogs are pretty cute. But back to the point... W has sat through Puppies Count more than a few times now and we have made it through the entire story each time. He does try to eat the book so I have to be careful to protect the pages but that’s not a surprise!

Both Puppies Count and Rise & Shine have simple text that will be wonderful when W is older and reaches the beginning reader stage. The text is mostly made up of sight words (words used most often in the English language) that are on my school district’s Kindergarten and 1st Grade sight word lists. This means these books will be books that W will be able to read early on and find success. If there is one thing I’ve learned in teaching children to read it’s that a feeling of success can make a child’s confidence soar. Once they have the confidence and believe in themselves as readers, they are ready to go! I feel that these two titles from Kidsbooks will definitely benefit W in this way and I’m excited to have them as part of his library!

I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to review these titles from Kidsbooks and I would recommend them to anyone who is looking for some quality, affordable children’s books. They are durable and engaging, which are two extremely important factors when buying books for children. Trust me, you don’t want to be breaking out the packing tape for book repair too often. I can tell you that from experience! I don’t think we’ll be needing much repair work on these books even if W is still reading them when he is 5 or 6!

Mother's Day Review & Giveaway: Zookies #clothdiapers

If you hadn't realized that I have an addiction to cloth diapering by now, it should be starting to become very clear! Sure, Mother's Day is about mom but trust me when I say that any new cloth diapering item is like gold to a cloth diapering mother which is why I am so thrilled to have Zookies Diaper Covers & More sponsoring a giveaway as part of my Mother's Day celebration!

When I first discovered Zookies, her amazing prints for her diaper covers caught my eye. It seems like most of the amazing prints come from WAHM and Zookies is no exception! Another great feature of the Zookies covers are that they are available sized (XS - L) or in a One Size version as well. I love the variety available from Zookies!

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to try a medium Zookies cover in the Fish in the Sea print shown below.

Mother's Day Review & Giveaway: Pooters Diapers #clothdiapers

In honor of all the cloth diapering mamas on this Mother's Day, Pooters has generously provided me with a Pooters One Size Hemp Fitted Diaper to try with W and a Pooters One Size Bamboo Fitted Diaper with a Gen-Y Minkee Diaper Cover!

Now let me tell you that Pooters is not just another cloth diaper retailer. The Pooters website is also a great information resource! On the site there is a wonderful How-To section that has information on getting started with cloth and figuring out what to buy. You can also read cleaning tips and find troubleshooting suggestions! I was first interested in Pooters after reading about the diapers on a blog I follow but was very excited to find such a wonderful information resource as well!

Pooters is run by a stay-at-home mom who is extremely friendly! That is something I appreciate in my customer service experience, so I had to mention it. She first began her journey into cloth diapering for green reasons and then discovered the wide variety of benefits! Pooters was launched as a way to help other parents and provide a great information resource.

Now, back to the diaper! When the diaper I arrived, I was impressed by how soft it felt. The Pooters One Size Hemp Fitted Diaper is my first hemp fitted. I have used some hemp inserts in our pockets before and was pleased with how they have helped with absorbency but I had never used a hemp fitted. The Pooters One Size Fitted Diapers are made of 6 layers of soft, organic bamboo or hemp - providing extra absorbency beyond your average cotton fitted diaper. After reading that information I was worried some diaper would arrive that felt like a bunch of sticks or something. Yes, I admit that the words hemp and organic in the same sentence gave me that visual. Sometimes my mind is a strange place!

After prepping it, by washing it 5 times (not the full 8 to increase to full absorbency) I was ready to see how it fit on W. Now, as you know, I'm not the biggest snaps fan but that is only because it has been challenging to get a good fit on W with snaps. Many of them never seem to be quite where I need them to be to get a good fit. This was not the case with our Pooters One Size Hemp Fitted Diaper!

Review: Nutrish Just 6 Dry Dog Food

This post brought to you by Nutrish. All opinions are 100% mine.

Before I was the mother to my beautiful son, I was (and still am) the mother to my two furry babies and they will always be my boys. Toby is a 2-year-old tri-color Rat Terrier and Murray is a seven-year-old Boston Terrier. They have proven to be wonderful with W as well which is something I had hoped for but couldn't be sure of until the baby was born!

I will admit that we often buy the dog food that is on sale as neither dog is very picky. Like W, they are pretty willing to eat most anything that is offered to them! They do have brands of food that they prefer so I do spoil them from time to time and go for the good stuff! When I got the opportunity to try Rachael Ray Nutrish just 6 dry dog food with my guys, I jumped at the chance!

Even though I do often buy food that is on sale, I can appreciate that there are dog foods available that offer better nutrition for Toby and Murray. Nutrish is definitely one of those foods as it offers a combination of all natural ingredients including real meat as the first ingredient. This has been a big deal in recent dog food advertising and I will admit that I kind of ignored it. Well, after reading the Nutrish ingredients and learning that it provides 100% of the balanced nutrition my dogs need, I did feel pretty good about letting them try it out! It also contains great ingredients like calcium, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. How could I not feel good about offering such high quality nutrition to my little furry babies?

Both dogs tried the food on the same day and they did have some green beans with it. I often give them some green beans as it was recommended by our vet. The vet said that it is healthy to provide dogs with real food such as meat, rice, and vegetables if that is the feeding route you want to go. Well, like most everything related to feeding in my house, the dogs get a combination of things too. It's not just a baby thing!

I was a bit nervous because my dogs don't often like food that looks more like small bits. They prefer bigger bits most of the time and the Nutrish was definitely smaller in the size. This is the only aspect they are sometimes picky about when it comes to their food and I have no idea why!

Once the bowls were down, the true test began and let me tell you it was clear that the dogs were fans! Sometimes Murray will wander over to where Toby is eating if he isn't sure he likes the food. I guess he's trying to see if Toby has something better. With Nutrish, both dogs were too busy eating their own food to worry about the other dog! That is a sure sign that it has the terrier stamp of approval!

Nutrish is offering my readers a chance to try Rachael Ray Nutrish just 6 dry dog food with their own dogs! I highly recommend trying it out and seeing what your dogs think of it! It certainly can't hurt since it is so full of great nutrition! To take advantage of this offer, just visit the Nutrish website and register to receive your own free sample There's nothing to lose when it's free and your dog may even give it the puppy stamp of approval like Toby and Murray!

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

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



I haven't spent too much time gushing about children's books (yet) but as a former first grade teacher, I will gladly admit that I love books for children! I currently teach computer so I don't have a classroom of books but they are all stored for when I need them for my classroom again or W is ready for them! I currently read board books to him because he tries to put them right into his mouth but I have gotten him quite a collection of board books so we should be good for awhile. We also have a few cloth books and a few plastic books for the bathtub. Once he's ready for regular books, I have over 3,000 for him to choose from and that doesn't include the ones I bought brand new for him!

Now that I've rambled about my obsession with children's books, let me tell you about my next amazing sponsor, SoftPlay! SoftPlay makes interactive cloth products for kids, including cloth books! We only have two or three cloth books and I really like them so I was very excited to discover SoftPlay. They offer a wonderful variety of products from 3D Felt Playsets and Play-A-Story books to Finger Puppet Playsets and a wonderful variety of Cloth Books!

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: Tommee Tippee

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



When researching the different types of bottles available, I was looking for products that would not hinder the breastfeeding relationship I had planned on having with W. While many brands of bottles claimed to help reduce nipple confusion and to promote breastfeeding, I was drawn to some good reviews I had read about Tommee Tippee and also the shape of the nipple. As I began to learn more about Tommee Tippee I discovered all of the amazing products they offer for feeding, weaning, and comforting! They offer everything you could need from bottles to sippy cups and tableware to bibs and pacifiers! I'm excited to bring them to my readers as one of the wonderful sponsors for the I Love Mommy Mother's Day event!

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: Lychee Baby

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


The next sponsor I would like to feature is a great little Etsy shop called Lychee Baby. Lychee Baby offers a variety of whimsical toys and accessories, including plush toys and baby leg warmers! I have always admired baby legs warmers, but could never bring myself to try any because they are a bit on the expensive side at most shops. Lychee Baby offers baby legs warmers for $7 a pair! She also has leg warmers with feet for $10! They are so adorable!

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: Moonbeam Designs (Etsy)

Oh, the wonderful world of Etsy! Today I return to one of my favorite topics and that is the wonderfully talented artists that can be found on Etsy. There are a lot of baby items that I would label as essentials and things that I must have with W. Then there are the things that are nice to have around. Finally, there are the baby items that are just plain cute. Everyone deserves to have a few of these! One of my newest items in this category comes from a wonderful little Etsy shop called Moonbeam Designs!


Pam of Moonbeam Designs makes holders/covers for a variety of drink containers, including baby bottles! I will admit that I probably don't need a coozie for W's bottles but I like cute things and it's okay to have a few impractical items!

Pam sent us a Minky Baby Bottle Cover Embroidered with Cute Skull and Tophat and I will tell you that a huge smile spread across my face when I opened it! If you've been reading for awhile, you know I love all things minky. I also love skulls. I know some people are torn about whether or not skulls should be on baby clothes and baby items but J is a big heavy metal fan so when buying for W, I am big into the guitars, skulls, and rock & roll type stuff. So when this arrived in the mail, it was a very good day!

Now, you may be thinking that this is a whole lot of cute but how useful is it really going to be? Well, it actually proved to be quite useful for us! W will take a bottle straight from the refrigerator. He doesn't care if it's warmed or not so it's pretty easy to pour a bottle from our pitcher and give it to him. It can be chilly on my hand! With the Moonbeam Designs bottle cover this is no longer a problem! It stays on the bottle well and keeps my fingers from getting chilled. No more cold hands when touching W after giving him a bottle from the refrigerator!

Pam currently offers covers for baby bottles and coffee cups at Moonbeam Designs although she is working on adding additional designs as she expands her line. Take a look at some of these wonderful designs she currently offers!


Minky Baby Bottle Cover Embroidered with Cute Skull and Bow for the girls!


She can personalize them too!


For the adults too!

If you're looking for a great little accessory that no one will expect, I highly recommend a bottle cover from Moonbeam Designs! Pam is wonderful to work with, the covers are so cute, and they proved to be more than just a cute accessory! They sale for $10 at Moonbeam Designs and I cannot wait to see the line as she continues to expand!

Disclosure: I was sent a bottle cover to review by Moonbeam Designs. 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: Monkey Doodlez Bamboo Doodlez AIO

Recently I've been trying to find a good overnight diapering solution for us as W consistently sleeps from about 8:00 at night to 7:00 in the morning. That is a long haul (not that I'm complaining) and when we were using our cloth at night, we were struggling with his clothes and swaddle being wet in the morning. After reading a number of Monkey Doodlez reviews, I started to think that it might be a solution for us!

There are a number of wonderful products offered in the Monkey Doodlez store including their Tuck and Go system, AIO diapers, Swim Diapers, Wet Bags, and other accessories. They are also a Canadian retailer of Rockin Green detergent. Talk about a wonderful variety of products!

Monkey Doodlez was kind enough to provide us with the opportunity to try a Bamboo Doodlez AIO with W. We received a Bamboo Doodlez in the Ocean Breeze color. We got a size medium based on W's weight. He is almost 20 pounds now and the medium's weight range is 14-28 pounds.

The first thing that I really like about this diaper is the color. I love that the inner is a contrasting color with the outer shell. It sets it apart from most of our diapers that have white inners. I also love how bright both colors are in comparison to many of my more pastel colored diapers. I will admit that it made me nervous to throw it into the wash with my other diapers so I washed it once on its own. There were no problems with the colors bleeding at all and I have washed it with my other diapers since then.

The second thing I noticed about the Bamboo Doodlez is the softness of the inner. According to the Monkey Doodlez website, the bamboo fibers are the reason for this as they are extremely soft and feel almost like silk. I can attest to the fact that this diaper has one of the softest inners in our stash. This is a diaper that I didn't mind having up against W's skin!

The microfleece in this diaper is made from blend of rayon made from bamboo and polyester which accounts for the softness and is supposed to be very durable. According to Monkey Doodlez the microfleece should not pill in the wash. We have not experienced any pilling and I will be interested in seeing how it holds up with more use in the future.

Since the Bamboo Doodlez is an AIO (all-in-one) the insert is sewn in. Inside this diaper is a layer of heavy weight cotton flannel and a multi layer cotton terry soaker pad. As with most AIOs, the dry time for this diaper was longer than a pocket but that is to be expected.

The size medium was the perfect size for W. With the hook and loop we were able to get a very good fit on his chubby little tummy and chunky thighs but there is still some room for him to grow into the diaper. I'm very fond of the hook and loop which is the Monkey Doodlez Doodlez tape. The goal of Doodlez tape is to hold securely while still being soft to the touch and it definitely accomplishes that goal.

As you can see, there is extra hook and loop in case you need to overlap the tabs. We do not have that problem but it's nice to have just in case you need it to get a better fit! I also like the laundry tabs as they have stuck very well every time the diaper has been washed.

Overall, we got a wonderful fit with this diaper. I like the way it fit around W's legs and at his waist. There was no gaping at his waist in the back and the legs did not leave any marks on his thighs. These are issues we have suffered from with other diapers but the Monkey Doodlez passed in both of these areas!

This diaper has been a very good daytime diaper for us and is very easy to use since it is a hook and loop AIO. It will definitely be good if it still fits in the fall when W goes to his childcare provider. It is easy on and easy off. That is one of the major perks of a hook and loop AIO -- just as easy as a disposable!

We have not tried out this diaper overnight as I originally intended because we used it during a nap one day and had a leak. I blame some of that on user error though because normally W only takes a 30 minute nap so I don't worry too much about changing him before he goes to sleep. On the day he was wearing this diaper for his nap, he ended up sleeping for an hour and a half! I think we would have been fine if he'd been put in the Bamboo Doodlez right before his nap. I do plan on trying it again though and I still really like this diaper!

Overall, the Bamboo Doodlez Medium AIO is a diaper that works for us! It fits well and stays on securely. It is also very trim which is something I can really appreciate. Finding pants that fit when W is in cloth can be a challenge especially with his chunky belly.

I recommend you stop by the Monkey Doodlez website and take a look around! You can also find them on Facebook!

For My Readers!
Monkey Doodlez is offering my readers a 15% discount on their Bamboo Doodlez and MicroDoodlez (All-in-One Diapers). Just use the discount code formula15 to save! The discount will be available for the next 10 days so take advantage!

Disclosure: I was sent a Bamboo Doodlez AIO to review by Monkey Doodlez. 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.

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

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


Maternitique is a great online store that offers natural products for pregnancy, maternity, and baby! All of the products offered at Maternitique are carefully selected to protect the pregnant woman's body and protect the health of her baby. Just because a woman is pregnant doesn't mean she has to give up great health and beauty products! Maternitique has a wonderful mission to "help women look their best, feel their best and do their best throughout pregnancy, birth and motherhood. Our goal is to help inspire happier mothers, easier births, healthier babies and a safer world—and to do it with uncompromising style."

Maternitique has offered a 4 oz. Sugar Scrub by The Spoiled Mama to the lucky winner of the Welcome to Motherhood prize pack! I also had the opportunity to review a 4 oz. Sugar Scrub in the Oatmeal Honey Almond scent.

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.

Mother's Day Event 2011: Sponsor Spotlight & Review - TheGoodOnYaBar

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


According to the makers of the GoodOnYa bar, The GoodOnYa Bar is a bar gone rogue. Not afraid to use real food with healthy fats. This is not just an energy bar, but an organic nutrition bar that offers you real value for your money. Organic, dehydrated and full of flavor. This is what you should you be eating.

The GoodOnYa Bar is one of the marvelous sponsors for my Welcome to Motherhood prize pack and they are offering one lucky reader a sample pack of their organic nutrition bars!

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.