Archives for November 2011

Mommy Kudos Gift Guide Day 18

 
 
 

If you are new to the Mommy Kudos Gift Guide you can find more of them here. Be sure to enter the Keeki Pure & Natural Nail Polish Gift Set Giveaway.

Day 18

Moms
 
Not every mom would like cleaners as a gift but if you know a mom who is passionate about healthy living then this would be a great gift.  I love these cleaners!! 
 

It’s hard to avoid all of the advertising claims lately about green cleaning products.  The problem is that many green cleaning products are not actually safer for you and your kids.  They may be trying to be a bit more “earth friendly” but they often still have all kinds of chemicals, carcinogens (can cause cancer), and ingredients that are harmful, especially to children. 

I have been passionate about cleaning safely for a few years now, ever since I realized that it was just about as important as eating clean foods.  The cleaners we all use come into contact with our hands, little bottoms (in the bath tub), the air we breath and even our food when we wash dishes in the sink and food touches our counter tops.

I have finally found cleaners that I absolutely love and feel very safe about using around, and even with, my children.  They are from NewLeaf Clean.  All of the ingredients are all natural and you can actually pronounce them! Each ingredient is something you will recognize like vinegar, organic coconut oil, organic aloe vera, peppermint essential oil blend and others.

These cleaners work amazingly well and smell really good.  No chemical smells here.  They sell an All-Purpose Cleaner, Glass Cleaner, Granite Cleaner, Bathroom Cleaner, and Dish & Hand Soap.  My favorites are the All-Purpose that I use all over and the Granite Cleaner that cleans and shines granite amazingly well. 

Because I really believe in training my children to be able to clean on their own one day, I allow them to use these cleaners while doing their chores.  I feel perfectly safe with them using them.  I do supervise the younger ones with cleaning but will let them spray these cleaners.  Aside from some homemade cleaners, NewLeaf Cleaners are the only ones I feel good about them using. 


Babies
Babies love mobiles and mobiles add so much to nursery decor. Get an adorable mobile from Love Felt Creations Etsy shop. There are several different themes to choose from. My favorites are the pink bird mobile & the owl mobile.  There are lots more styles and colors so check them out.



Kids
 

My kids love having their own chairs, especially when that chair is a comfy, easily movable seat to read in, play in, or watch a movie.  This year I am going to invest in a couple Pottery Barn Kids Anywhere chairs for Christmas.  I love that there are so many different prints available, from pretty flowers to boyish plaid, so I can get one for each kid to fit their personalities. 

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Mommy Kudos Gift Guide Day 17

 

If you are new to the Mommy Kudos Gift Guide you can find more of them here. Be sure to enter the Keeki Pure & Natural Nail Polish Gift Set Giveaway.

Day 16

Moms
Have you heard about Bluum?  It’s the latest and greatest for mom + baby! Bluum sends out a box of deluxe size samples for mom and baby each month. This would be a perfect gift for a new mom!
Bluum boxes contain samples and products that are high end, organic, and some of the Bluum moms favorite finds.   Sometimes you don’t want to invest in a whole big bottle of something but just want to try it out.  Or perhaps you are missing out on the greatest new product because you haven’t discovered it yet. These are all reasons that a Bluum membership sounds amazing to me!  Besides, who doesn’t love a box full of goodies in the mail every month?!
Bluum boxes start at $9 a month. You’ll be able to find full size versions of the samples you receive in the Bluum Shop if you want to purchase them.  To sweeten the deal they offer reward points when you shop, refer friends or do product reviews.
To start getting Bluum boxes in your mailbox every month sign up here.


Babies

We love these tails books by Jellycat.  They are fabric books that have different tails sticking out.  The Kitty tails book talks about fluffy tails and curly tails and shiny tails and more. These books are great for baby to see, touch, hear, and chew on.


Kids

Tickle Monster
Tickle Monster is a BIG hit in our home.  This book is super cute!  It is basically a guided tickle fest with your kids. My younger kids absolutely love it!  This is their most requested book right now and reading it through once in a sitting is not usually enough.  This book is so creatively written. It is sure to be a big hit for you too.
P.S. I reccommend get the mitts that go with it.  They are cute and add to the experience.

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Keeki Pure & Simple Nail Polish Review (& A Giveaway)

My girls love girly stuff like nail polish and so do I.  The problem is that I also really care about what they put in and on their bodies and try to use natural and organic products whenever possible.  Most of what you can find on the shelves at the stores have so many yucky chemicals in them.

My 5 girls and I got to try out Keeki Pure & Simple nail polish which is water-based and completely non-toxic.  We all had fun painting our toes and fingers using the base coat and then the pretty cherry pie nail polish color.  My girls were delighted with it and I felt really good about using Keeki brand nail polish.

Keeki Pure & Simple is:

  • Non-toxic
  • Gluten-free
  • Cruelty-free
  • Safe during pregnancy
  • Made in the USA
  • No nano-particles
  • NO Parabens, Pthalates, Toulene, Acetone or Formaldehyde

I love that they have so many colors that work well for little girls and even moms too.  With Keeki nail polish you paint your nails and use a blow dryer for 30 seconds to make sure it dries well.  The base coat and top coat work together to make the polish last longer.

My girls don’t know it yet but they will find Keeki Pure & Simple nail polishes and also their lip balms in their stockings this year. It will be a great treat for them!

PURCHASE:  If you want to surprise your girl(s) with Keeki this year visit their site to shop their products.  They have some great gift sets!  Nail polishes start at $9.99.

WIN: A Keeki Pure & Simple gift pack that includes a Sugar Plum Nail Polish, a Remover & a Sassy Shimmer Stick.  Enter with the Rafflecopter form below.  If you are reading this in email you will need to click over to the site to be able to enter.

Mommy Kudos Gift Guide Day 16

 

If you are new to the Mommy Kudos Gift Guide you can find the rest of them here.  Don’t miss the giveaways for Your Mom Designs Etsy Store $20 Credit, Mama Mio Omega Body Buff or Skin Tight & a Yo Gabba Gabba! CD & DVD Prize Pack.

Day 16

Moms

 

I did not have the opportunity to see The Dunstan Baby Language DVD until shortly before my youngest was born.  I really wish it had been available for the previous 5 kids!  It especially would have helped for the fussier ones.  It really is genius!  The DVD describes to you how to tell what the sounds of your baby’s cry mean.  Are they hungry, sleepy, need to be burped, have gas, or uncomfortable?  The examples and real cries on the DVD are helpful in learning what to listen for.  I really do believe that this eliminated a lot of frustration and crying with my youngest as an infant.  I would highly recommend this to new moms (and dads) as well as seasoned ones.  The faster you figure out what your baby is “saying” the happier you and he/she will be. 
This DVD makes a great gift for expecting moms or moms with newborns.  You have to start early with this or it doesn’t work as well.


Babies

This Sassy Car Wash Bath Toy was a hit in our house with both girls and boys. The cars can squirt and pour and the track floats in the water.  You can squirt the cars as they go by with the spout.  The whole toy hangs up to dry and the cars fit inside the net to keep the bathtub tidy.  This is for 9 months and up. 

Kids

Want a unique gift for kids?  How about KIDZ Placemats by Modern-Twist.  Modern-Twist is all about bringing art to the table and they have some fabulously modern things for adults but I stumbled upon their kids placemats and think they are great.  They have some amazing designs.  I purchased 2 of the Alphabet Animals mats for my 2 and 5 year old.  They have been enjoying identifying the animals and letters at every meal. My 7 year old loves the Kat in the City placemat.
 The cool thing about these mats is that they are made from silky food-grade, hand silk-screened silicone.  Each one has a clear base so the artwork really stands out. You can roll these mats up and they won’t crack or break.  Plus they are a non-porous,  germ-free surface for kids to play and eat at.  I am thinking they will be great to throw in a diaper bag or purse to take when we eat out to cover icky tables. 
My kids favorite part may be that you can color on these with washable or dry erase markers! Just clean them off with a damp cloth or rinse. 

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Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! 2011 Tour Coming to Dallas/Fort Worth (plus a Prize Pack Giveaway)

In my house we have some Yo Gabba Gabba! fans.  I wasn’t sure what to make of the show when it first came out but my kids loved it.  My 3 year old asks to watch it often. It is her favorite show now and has been for a while.  She knows all of the characters and likes to dance to the music. The songs are very catchy and sometimes our family will just burst out in Yo Gabba Gabba songs together to entertain our youngest.  When I heard that there was a Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! 2011 Tour coming to our city I was excited to make plans to go.

If you live in the Dallas/Fort worth area Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! 2011 Tour presented by Kia Motors will be at the Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie on Saturday December 3rd.  There are 2 showings at 2 PM and 6PM.  To get more info and to purchase tickets visit the Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! website.

ENTER TO WIN a great Yo Gabba Gabba Prize Pack including the new Music is Awesome Vol. 3 CD and the That Makes It Special DVD that is only available on the tour and not sold in stores.  If you are reading this in email you will need to click over to Mommykudos.com to enter the giveaway with Rafflecopter.  follow the instructions below to enter.

Disclosure: I was given free tickets for the Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! 2011 Tour in exchange for this post.

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