*CLOSED* Magic Bumpers: Review & Giveaway - Congrats to Juliana!

There comes a time where us parents have to decide whether or not our "baby" is ready for a big girl or boy bed. Well, that time has come for us here in the Dempster household.

Lyla is 22 months today! It's been a few weeks now that she has lost complete interest in her crib and tries to get out of it. Since her crib turns into a toddler bed and a full bed for later on, I have been on the prowl for bed rails. I came across a great company called Magic Bumpers.

Magic Bumpers are firm foam wedges designed to go under the bedding (mattress pad, fitted sheet) as a safer and easier alternative to traditional children's bed guards. Just place bumpers together in a straight line to make a bed guard rail any length you need.

Magic Bumpers are child friendly, there is no entrapment space between bed and bed bumper. It's light weight, which is great for traveling. You don't have to worry about sleeping arrangements for your toddler because this is your solution. It fits ANY size bed. It's versatile, very secure and stable. And you can't forget how affordable these bumpers are!

I'm so glad I found this product because it has been great for Lyla. We can now sit there and read stories to her without having this rail in between us. I LOVE the fact that we can take it anywhere with us. We actually slept at my parents's house last weekend and took our bumpers with us. We had no problems! I'm also very relieved to have found this because we are traveling to Brazil at the end of the year and I was concerned how we were going to accommodate her. Kalina will still be in a crib so I wasn't worried about her. Now I can take the magic bumpers right in my suitcase and lay her in any bed! No more worries for us!

Magic Bumpers are high enough to keep most children from rolling or scooting out of bed, but small enough to fit under a standard sheet. The foam is comfortable and easy for little ones to climb over. It has a non-slip surface that stays in place when under a fitted sheet. They can also be used for Infant Co-Sleeping (L-Shape or U-Shape) or as a Bed Divider.

If Magic Bumpers wasn't amazing enough, we decided to team up and grant one lucky winner a 2 pack of the bumpers!! Isn't that awesome?

Winner will receive two 24-inch bumpers at a value of $16.99!

Contest will end Thursday, July 8th at 11:59pm (est.) One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Friday, July 9th!

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory Entries:

1. Go to the Magic Bumpers website and leave a comment here on how you would use the magic bumpers and who would use it.
2. Like my *MOM*ents on Facebook
3. Follow my blog through Google Friends Connect

Extra Entries:

1. Follow my *MOM*ents on Twitter
2. Refer to friends
3. Post giveaway on Facebook, Twitter or Your Blog

**Don't forget to include your Name and Email address in your comment. You may leave individual comments for extra contest entries.**

Big thank you to Magic Bumpers for providing me with this awesome review & giveaway!

Check out my other giveaway here!

Good Luck,

Natalie

*CLOSED* ZOOCCHINI: Review & Giveaway - Congrats to Leigh!

I recently came upon an awesome company called ZOOCCHINI. They have so many cute plush friends, very soft hooded towels, adorable area rugs, and great dinner sets! Everything is very unique, well made and totally affordable!

Meet Casey the Cow! Lyla is in love with her new, hooded towel, as am I. It is very big and comfortable. It's really soft and cuddly, perfect for after a nice bath or in the summertime, after a nice swim. I'm so glad we got this because this is the first towel I came across that has everything we need.

Check List:

• Big enough to cover her completely, so she's not cold. CHECK!
• Soft & cuddly enough, so she is comfortable. CHECK!
• Adorably cute, so she thinks she is a moo-moo cow. CHECK!

She loves her moo-moo cow so much that she now insists on using it as a blanket at night. She can't go to sleep without it, NO JOKE! It's really cute.

I also got a chance to review Jilly the Giraffe! Jilly comes packaged in her own designer Safari bucket. She is so soft and cuddly. The material is amazing. I got this one for Kalina to play with. She loves holding on to her. Lyla has been having fun with the little bucket that she comes in. When Jilly has to go "night-night" that's where we put her. It's a great idea because it keeps her protected from getting smashed in with all the other toys. This product is great! Kalina loves her new friend!

Both of these items make fabulous gifts for birthdays, baby showers, or holiday gifts! This is very unique and useful which makes any parent appreciate it more!

ZOOCCHINI is giving one lucky my *MOM*ents reader a summer prize pack of a hooded towel (Elsie the Elephant) AND a plush friend (Jilly the Giraffe).

Contest will end Thursday, July 1st at 11:59pm. (est). One winner will be chosen at random and announced on Friday, July 2nd.

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory Entries:

1. Join the ZOOCCHINI Mailing List on their website
2. Like ZOOCCHINI and my *MOM*ents on Facebook
3. Follow my blog on Google Friends Connect

Extra Entries:

1. Follow my *MOM*ents on Twitter
2. Refer to friends
3. Subscribe to my *MOM*ents mailing list
4. Post giveaway on Facebook or Twitter or Your Blog

**Don't forget to leave a separate comment for each entry so that you have more chances to win. Make sure you include your Name and Email Address.**

ALSO, ZOOCCHINI is offering all my *MOM*ents readers 20% off your entire order for the next 30 days!! Use coupon code: ZOOC203

Thanks to ZOOCCHINI for provinding this awesome giveaway!

Good luck-

Natalie

*CLOSED* Bubble Planner: Review & Giveaway - Congrats to Cate!

With a busy schedule like mine between juggling kids, work, school, errands, home, etc. I bet you wonder how I can manage it all? I get asked at least once a day, how do you do it? How do you keep yourself organized?

My answer: BUBBLE PLANNER!

I'm a list maker! I love to make lists of things I need to do and need to get. If you're like me than you need to get yourself a Bubble Planner.

I have these 3 things to help me remember half of what needs to be done throughout my day! I have the:

• Bubbles for Busy Women- This has different sections for calendars, birthday keepers, address book, family goals, intellectual goals, social goals, health goals, economic goals, spiritual goals, projects, task management and lists! YES, it has a little bit of everything that you need to write down in one little book!
• Homework Helper: This has 3 sections. One is a calendar. Two is the Homework Keeper, which helps you to keep track of assignments and projects that are due and what is required for them. And finally, it has an Idea Explorer sections, which helps you to gather your ideas for a certain project or essay paper.
• Grocery List: This is pretty self-explanatory. Who doesn't make a grocery list when they go to the supermarket? But this one is so much more organized and you won't be all over the place once you're at the store.

I have found all 3 of these items to be so helpful to keep me organized. I feel lost without my Bubble Planner because I have numerous lists and important appointments in there. Because my kids are not school aged yet but I am (LOL) I use the Homework Helper for me. I used to have my assignments all over the place and not remember what was due and when it was due. This helped me to keep track of all my homework and tests and not miss a thing! And of course, the grocery list has helped us to just jot down what we need and check off on our list as we go.

This is great for any busy person out there, especially us parents! That is why Bubble Planner and I decided to team up and give one of you a chance to win ALL 3 items, a total value of almost $40!

GIVEAWAY:

One winner will be selected at random for a chance to win (1) Bubble Planner Busy for Women, (1) Homework Helper and (1) Grocery List.

Here is how to enter:

Mandatory entries (make sure to include your name & email address in the comment):

1. Follow my blog on Google Friends Connect
2. Like "my *MOM*ents" on Facebook
3. Follow "my *MOM*ents" AND "Bubble Planner" on Twitter
4. Refer at least 10 friends

Additional entries:

1. Share this post on Facebook (make sure to tag with @my *MOM*ents)
2. Tweet about this post (make sure to tag with @myMOMentss)
3. Share this giveaway on your blog (make sure to include your site on your comment)

I will be using a random generator to pick the winner. So leave a comment for each entry that you do for more chances to win!

Contest will end on Wednesday, June 23rd at 11:59 pm.(est) One random winner will be chosen and announced on Thursday, June 24th!

Thank you to Bubble Planner for providing me with the opportunity to review these products and for the prizes for this giveaway! Make sure you check out their website for other great products!

Good Luck!

-Natalie

Canvas4Life: Review

PERFECT FATHER'S DAY GIFT ALERT!!

Are you looking for that one special Father's Day gift?? Well, look no more! I have the perfect gift for that special "Dada"!

Canvas4Life is an exciting and innovative company that uses the very latest in technology. They are committed to being the industry leader and are always looking for new developments such as their unique simulation software.

Take a look at the canvas I ordered of my girls for the hubby!! I'm so in love with it that I can't stop looking at it. I ordered a 30 x 20 in black & white. There hasn't been one person that took a look at it and did not love it as well!

Ordering from Canvas4Life was so easy! All you do is upload your photo and start building your canvas. There are so many different sizes and styles to choose from. Once it's complete, they have an awesome "Room Viewer". I thought this was the coolest thing and it definitely helped me decide what size and shape to pick it from. You can select a type of setting that you are planning to hang your picture such as over the couch, or by a shelf, etc. You can also select different color walls to get the right perspective of your canvas.

Did I mention that it's FREE SHIPPING!!! You can't beat that. I received my canvas in no time! It was very well packaged. I was very impressed by everything. You know how sometimes those "delivery" people ignore the FRAGILE sticker on your package... well, no worries with this one because nothing was getting through it!

I'm mostly amazed by the quality of their work. It is superior quality! At first I was a little worried that due to the size I had selected, the quality wouldn't be so great. But Canvas4Life definitely surpassed my worries. I even had one professional photographer look at it and he too was amazed by the quality and said he wouldn't change a thing. It was perfect.

I obviously had to give John one of his Father's Day presents early because he would see this and plus, I couldn't wait until this weekend to give it to him. I was too excited about it and couldn't wait to hang it up! First impression = WOW! He LOOOOOVES it!

So stop wondering what you're getting that special DAD and go to Canvas4Life! Turn that special moment of your life into a canvas!

Special thanks to everyone at Canvas4Life for the wonderful customer service and for sending me an awesome canvas!

-Natalie

Hubby has some 'splaining to do!

Are you wondering why daughter #1 is in a dog crate?? Yup, so am I! I've been working a couple of hours at night time, so the hubby has been on full mommy & daddy mode while I'm gone. So today, I'm calling out for Lyla and she's no where to be found. I started to hear little giggles and I followed them until......TA-DA! This is where I found her!

The hubby tells me that while I was gone last night, she was playing in there with her cousin. So now she's having play dates in there?? I'm only gone for 2 hours people!! So now, thanks to daddy, our toddler has a new obsession, the dog crate! Although, I must admit it does provide some entertainment to her leading me to have a few more minutes to do whatever, I feel there's something wrong with this picture? As you can see from the pictures, she's smiling and having a great time! And let me just say that she climbed in there all on her own, I do not lock my kids in dog crates LOL!

So as of this morning, I didn't realize we had a new puppy named Lyla! I guess it's time to move the dog crate out of the living room before I find Kalina crawling in there too...

Where is the funniest place you ever found your child/ren? Would love to read about it!

-Natalie

Weekly Wrap Up

Sorry I have been M.I.A. but I've been overwhelmed by a very busy schedule! I didn't even have time to think this past week therefore not having time to keep up with anything on here! But here goes:

1. My parents celebrated their 27th Wedding Anniversary last week! Wow, I hope I can mirror them in such a great marriage...
2. Kalina is now saying Dada, Lala (for Lyla) & imitates a monster. Um, can I get a Mama??
3. Lyla now MUST fall asleep on the couch while watching tv. She is so her father!
4. I am so excited that our trip to Brazil is finally booked! Is it December yet??
5. If my GPS could curse me out, it would, because I never listen to "her".
6. Really contemplating whether or not I should join in on this Twilight phenomenon.
7. My diet consists of sugar candy (preferably sour ones) and soda. There! My secret is out for losing my baby weight.
8. I think stuffed animals are slowly taking over our house.
9. I really want to own a chicken and a duck, just waiting to have a bigger back yard.
10. I'm skipping number 10 cause I feel like it....NEXT!
11. I can't for our little getaway this weekend! It's a must NEED!
12. The one thing I hate about dying my hair a different color is ROOTS!
13. Has anyone seen my house? It's hiding somewhere beyond the clutter!

-Natalie

FREE Donut Day!

To RSVP on Facebook, click HERE!

Enjoy!

-Natalie

Weekly Wrap Up

Once again, late with this. Story of my life...

1. Really need to stop snacking... I think it's catching up with me!
2. I went through soda withdraw so bad that I drank root beer.
3. At times, I wish I was a little kid again...
4. I hate the sound of construction, mowing the lawn, heck any loud noise now-a-days bother me! I must be getting old.
5. LOVE doing Yo Gabba Gabba Dancey Dances in the shower with Lyla!
6. I really do not deserve a phone for what I put it through.
7. I must step on a SHARP & POINTY toy at least TWICE a day!
8. My husband told me not to throw any trash in the bathroom trash, it's just for show. (Insert confusion here)
9. Sad that very soon I will no longer have babies in the house, my girls are getting too big! (But not sad enough to have another one hehe)
10. I want my dogs to eat my math homework!!
11. I'm not a wall on Facebook, I did not ask for your comment...
12. REALLY dislike people who complain about everything!
13. Who invented glitter? Seriously?
14. I could've spent every penny I have at the Crayola Store!
15. I love how Kalina is crawling! Lyla never did so this is new to me!
16. It's really annoying when the ice cream or butter is hard.
17. Some people update their Facebook/Twitter status waaaay too much. Just saying.
18. The hubby and I actually enjoy doing family things together with our kids, unlike some parents we know..
19. Is it me? Or was this weekly wrap up a little bitter? ;o)

Sprinkles vs. Jimmies

What do you call the little, sugar-coated candies that is considered an ice cream topping? It comes in rainbow or chocolate??

I would love to see how many people would write SPRINKLES or JIMMIES. I'm always having this conversation with the hubby. He likes to say Jimmies and I like to say Sprinkles. I know most people from here, Philly, say Jimmies. I think Sprinkles is more appropriate, hence the action of "sprinkling" it on top of your ice cream and it's cuter. That is why Lyla now says Sprinkles as well. LOL

We just had this discussion yesterday when I order Lyla an ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. Some people around me started the conversation and it led me to write a post about it. I told the hubby I would and let's see if the majority of people agree with me or him...

SPRINKLES or JIMMIES?

What do you call them?

-Natalie

Padded Bikini Tops For Young Girls

Ok, I don't even know where to begin with this one... BUT I've come across some bikini tops for 7 YEAR OLDS that are PADDED!!

Yup, you read that correctly. PADDED bikini tops for little girls!! Why on Earth would a little girl ranging from let's say 7 years to 12 years of age need a padded bikini top?? What kind of message is that sending out? Why would a parent want to buy something like this for their little girl and have that kind of attention on her?

I don't get it. As a mother of 2 little girls, I would never consider this bikini for them. I personally don't mind them wearing bikinis. I think it's cute and I don't find anything wrong with it. But once there's padding in the bikini top, that's where I draw the line.

Anyone out there agree or disagree? Mothers of little girls, what do you think about this? Would you let your 7 year old wear a bikini like this one? I would love to hear your feedback!

Thanks,

Natalie