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Jun
20
Fab Finds Friday
Filed Under Fab Finds Friday, books, toys | 1 Comment
What are my Fab Finds this week?
Dreaming About Giraffes features some of the cutest animal pillows. The mural animal pillows are shaped simply to make it easy for little hands to cuddle and hold. The plushy cotton velour makes these stuffed animal pillows easy to wash. Cute details on front and back, beautifully gift packaged in mesh gift pouch. Dreaming About Giraffes has many other adorable stuffed people, or are they creatures? You will fall in love!
Etch-It Cups- we all need to have these in the house! With summer here and everyone will be having parties and BBQ, make sure to have a way for all your guests to remember which cup is theirs with the Etch-It Cup! Simply remove the protective cover, then etch your name or a cool design. Never Lose Your Drink! When and wherever disposable cups are used people benefit with Etch-it Cups! You can purchase them in stores like Bev-Mo, Albert sons, Lucky and many other stores.
Scribble Press is the only place where you’ll find:An Artist’s Studio……stocked with everything you need to tell your story in words and pictures. Paper, colorful markers and an inspiring, playful environment await you. Bring your creativity, and stay as long as you’d like. Your Own Personal Publisher……to transform those pages into a book. You choose the binding method and color. We scan and print your pages, and hand you back a beautifully bound book. We can make a single book or many, and even bind your originals for you. We can also make your work into notepads, note cards and other printed items. We received the Happy Father’s Day Cuteprints and Samantha had a blast drawing pictures. We did the book together, I read each page and had her answer the questions and she drew a picture to match the words. They have books for the different holidays and books for every day occasions.~Amanda
Lipstick to Crayons contributing writerMay
23
The Mommy Makeover and the book to explain it to your little ones
Filed Under beauty, books, health | Leave a Comment
*Sigh* Such a sign of the times was my first thought when I saw this book detailed in Newsweek magazine. Browse your local bookstore’s parenting section and you will find books on potty training, how to tame the terrible twos, how to survive the first year and how to get your groove back when you have made it through and now next to Dr. Spock we have My Beautiful Mommy.Aimed at kids ages four to seven this picture book features a plastic surgeon named Dr. Michael and a girl whose mother gets a tummy tuck, a nose job and breast implants. Not surprising is that this book has recently been released. According to the latest numbers from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation was the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure last year, with 348,000 performed (up 6 percent over 2006). Of those, about one-third were for women over 40 who often opt for implants to restore lost volume in their breasts due to aging or pregnancy weight gain. Yep, I can relate. And the ads are everywhere- “mommy makeovers” (tummy tuck and breast implants performed together, usually after a woman has finished childbearing) described as almost a day at the spa. But how do you explain this to a child, after all it is major surgery and curious children will have questions. The author, Salzhauer got the idea for a book after noticing that women were coming into his office with their kids in tow. He says that mysterious doctor’s visits can be frightening for children. “Parents generally tend to go into this denial thing. They just try to ignore the kids’ questions completely.” But, he adds, children “fill in the blanks in their imagination” and then feel worse when they see “mommy with bandages,” he says. “With the tummy tucks, [the mothers] can’t lift anything. They’re in bed. The kids have questions.”
I am torn- I have not (yet) had any plastic surgery and cannot say for certain if I will ever go that route, but I feel if a woman needs that to feel better about herself, then go for it! But, I wish there was a way to tell our kids, especially our daughters, that how we look on the outside is not so important. But then I am lying to myself…. I long for the day when my too tight jeans do not bother me anymore.
What do you think? Should we explain to our kids about our surgery or just tell them some little white lie? Perhaps in this case, ignorance really is bliss.~Jennifer
May
13
Not your ordinary personalized storybook!
Filed Under books, family life, for baby, gifts, personalized | Leave a Comment
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I am thrilled to share our latest product review for a personalized storybook from custommadeforkids.com.I was sent The First Adventures of Incredible You which was customized by me filling out an order form that contained 17 questions. The questions are generic enough that they can pertain to just about any family but felt specific to my family when I read the finished product. It feels like the book was written just for my family with specifics such as my youngest splashing in the tub with her sister or how everyone comes running when daddy makes brownies.
I created the book for my youngest who is two. She absolutely loves the book and how could she not with such colorful illustrations and her name along with personal details written into the story?
I have given and received many personalized books over the years and must say that this is by far the best I’ve ever read. The quality of the book is superb right down to how my child’s name and other personal information is integrated into the story. It truly feels like it was written just for us.
I’m not the only parent who feels this book is the bomb. The First Adventures of Incredible You is the winner of the iParenting Media Award for Outstanding Product in the Gift category. This award winning book is the perfect gift for keepsake baby gifts, baptism gifts, birthday gifts, or holiday gifts for newborns and young children. Not only is it a great gift for children but also for grandparents and expecting parents.
Take the virtual tour yourself to see how beautifully crafted this book is.
A big thanks to custommadeforkids.com for providing us with such a treasure to review. Not your ordinary personalized storybook indeed! ~Kristie
Feb
18
The Sky Isn’t Visible from Here
Filed Under books | 5 Comments
I agreed to review The Sky Isn’t Visible from Hereby Felicia C. Sullivan for PBN mostly because I expected to relate my own story of childhood abuse and neglect with that of Felicia’s. And relate I did.
Felicia shares her childhood memories of her mother’s drug addiction and narcissistic rages while telling her story of how she succumbed and overcame her own drug addiction.
I imagine most read her memoir with shock and disbelief that a mother could be so cruel and neglectful but I nodded my head in understanding. My mother was a cruel and neglectful parent due to her mental illness. She also suffered addictions to food, shopping and pills. Like Felicia I was my mother’s caretaker. How Felicia’s mother envied her successes and how she rewrote history resonated the hardest for me such as Felicia’s dream where her mother is wondering in her room and looking at Felicia’s beautiful and expensive possessions with envy and in another passage that could have been a conversation with my own mother:
“For once, can this not be about you?” my mother said.
“Because it’s never about you,” I said.
“He’s taking me to Disney World.” She was gushing now. “Soon I’ll be on a plane. Like you”.
My mother was leaving my father for mouse ears, cotton candy, and amusement park rides.
“Good for you.” I gathered my things. When I stood to leave, my mother grabbed my wrist tight. She was always stronger. “Let go,” I said.
“Don’t take this from me,” she said, pointing her cigarette at me. “It’s not fair, all that you have. Don’t be so fucking selfish.”
“Selfish? I guess that’s what you would think.”
I know first hand how damaging it can be to have a mother who can’t handle her child having the very things she wants and Felicia writes about its effect on her with such clarity.
In so many ways our stories are similar so I found myself embracing the child Felicia was and feeling angry at the drug addicted woman she became. I know what it’s like to vow to not be like your mother and I was so disappointed that she was repeating the cycle of addiction. I had a hard time sympathizing with Felicia when I read her explanation of how she succumbed to the drugs:
“In the bathroom, curled up in the tightest ball you can imagine, you wonder how it is you got to this point. Because you told yourself in your bathroom that first time in December when you threw the housewarming party, and people came who weren’t invited, people trickling in off the street, and you were alone with Merritt in the bathroom with the cracks in the ceiling, the chips hailing down, with two rolled bills and neatly cut lines that you’d never be an addict like your mother because you survived the war that was her, because you convinced yourself you were stronger than she was. And then, there go the lines.”
I was shocked that Felicia was very much becoming her mother especially since anything that I do that reminds me of my mother in the slightest makes me physically ill. But yet I understand the need to make the pain go away, dull the memories, and anything that gives you a sense of self worth is very addicting.
I had no right to feel smug or superior to Felicia considering I battled my own demons while trying to figure out where I fit in the world except my addiction was sex rather than drugs. It was my power and a way to feel loved and worthy. Besides this is Felicia’s story and not mine.
I triumphed with Felicia as she bravely conquered her addiction and told her story so bravely, beautifully, and honestly. Felicia writes in such a gifted and descriptive way that I found myself feeling like I was there.
Here is the paragraph that resonated with me the most because it could have been out of a chapter in my own life:
“A part of me longed to obey, to be the good daughter who cleans up a house, bears her family’s collective shame, but I was so tired.”
Felicia’s memoir deserves to be read and reread. She has endured and overcome so much and it deserves to be celebrated.
Nov
11
I had the opportunity to review Beauty Confidential by Nadine Haobsh for the Parent Bloggers Network. I was very excited to review this book since I’m a product junkie and always looking for what products will make me look my personal best.Beauty Confidential is a quick read. The illustrations are fun and Nadine’s beauty mishaps and humor about feeling embarrassed during a Brazilian wax made me chuckle. She gives great advice but some of it was a bit basic for me such as salon etiquette or how to dye hair at home. I’ve been dying my hair since I was teen and most of the information she gave can be found in the instructions that come inside the box so this book is a must read for all the Ugly Betties that are new to fashion and beauty.
Despite some of the basic information Beauty Confidential will be my Beauty Bible for now. Nadine debunks many beauty myths and has a lot of great beauty tips. What I liked most was her lists of products that do their job well and their price range. She shares which products are worth splurging on and which are best bought in a drugstore. I also learned a few things such as the difference between lengthening and volumizing mascaras. Turns out I’m using the wrong kind for my lashes. According to The Beauty Editor Commandments I’m breaking a few commandments. French manicures are not an option and I should never wash my hair two days in a row. They can just send me to Beauty Hell because I hate how my hair feels when I don’t wash it everyday. Once or twice a week I skip a shampoo because of time restraints but I just don’t feel my personal best. Nadine does give suggestions for hair powder products that I may be willing to try but I’m going to keep my French manicure. I can’t always get into the nail salon every two weeks and chipped nail polish is so tacky but with a French those chips aren’t so noticeable.
What I would have liked to have read in Beauty Confidential is some celebrity gossip and their tips and tricks. Maybe that could be Nadine’s next book.
Nov
10
Zaida Baby- My First Keepsake
Filed Under books, paper products | 1 Comment
I was recently sent this beautiful book that is really much more than just a pregnancy journal. Inside you will find captivating black and white portraits accompanied by inspiring words, as well as a pregnancy/baby’s first year journal with plenty of space to write in all the important details-all elegantly wrapped in a black linen cover. Browsing through the book, I couldn’t help but remember how special that time is when you are expecting a baby and Sandy Jamieson beautifully captures this in her photos and words. Sandy Jamieson, the talented owner of Zaida baby has created this unique book celebrating pregnancy.A little about Sandy- “From a young age I always enjoyed the chance to create something…from a pencil sketch to oil painting…and by the age of 14 I developed a love for photography that at the time was just another creative outlet. Traveling brought my attention back to photography and before I knew it, all of the pieces had fallen together and Zaida Maternity Photography was born! In Spring 2007 Zaida Maternity Photography evolved into ‘Zaida Baby’. Meaning ‘fortunate baby’ this new name represents not only the beauty of pregnancy, but the fortunate baby inside!The end result? Not only do I have a job that I love, but this is my dream come true. Capturing the miracle of pregnancy is so beautiful…and with a growing life inside of you, what’s not to celebrate?”
This multi-purpose book includes: a beautiful story for your blossoming belly, a pregnancy journal, baby’s first year, a time capsule…and it’s a classy coffee-table book too! Details: 144 pages, 8×10 black linen hardcover with silver foil stamping. This will a book you will be proud to showcase on your coffee table.
Nov
5
The Daring Book for Girls dared me
Filed Under books | 2 Comments
I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into when I agreed to review The Daring Book for GirlsThe book sat on my counter untouched for several weeks but the glittery text on the cover kept catching my eye. There was more to this book than a few history lessons and it was daring me to give it a chance.
I’m glad I did because I love this book. The old fashion look with a touch of glitter pretty much sums up it up. There’s plenty of old fashion values and relevant information that is as interesting to girls of today as it was to the girls of yesterday. It has a girl scout feel to it without the girl scout politics which is a very good thing for me since I’m a girl scout leader dropout.
The Daring Book for Girls covers just about everything a growing girl wants and should know. I wish I had this book when I was growing up. It covers so many things that I can remember wanting to know more about like building a fort, learning the rules of softball so I didn’t look like a stupid girl in gym class, and how to make a stink bomb or short sheet a bed. So much of this book sparked enough nostalgia in me to have great conversations with my daughters about the slumber party games I played when I was their age. The Daring Book for Girls gives the history and instructions for classic slumber party games like Bloody Mary, Truth or Dare, and Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board.
My daughters especially liked the chapter on how to be a spy and the daring girls guide to danger that encourages girls to face their fears.
This is a book that my daughters will reference back to for many years. There are chapters on how to play games and sports, build a campfire and sing campfire songs, how to change a tire and tie a knot, how to negotiate a salary and public speaking and so much more.
It doesn’t matter if your daughter is a girly girl or a tom boy, this book has something for every kind of girl. Moms will love it also because there is bound be something she’ll learn that she has always wanted to know more about. The Finance: Interest, Stocks, and Bonds chapter was that chapter for me.
The Daring Book for Girls is the kind of book you want to hand down or give as a gift. It’s wholesome, a little old fashion, and a bit silly.
You can also visit The Daring Book for Girls website to learn more and download merit badges.
Oct
29
Deceptively Delicious
Filed Under books, snacks/meal planning | 2 Comments
My kids are the pickiest eaters so I have been hiding veggies in their food whenever I can. They seem to have inherited a gene that causes them to have a severe aversion to any green colored foods. And that gene was handed down from me. I’m not the biggest fan of vegetables but I do have my favorites that I try to eat several times a week.Since I’m a fan of deceiving my kids into eating their veggies I jumped at the chance to review Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious cookbook. She collaborated with nutritionist Joy Bauer who provides her expertise throughout the book.
The book is quite pleasing to the eye. I love the retro fifties illustrations and my kids loved the colorful photos and illustrations. I let them in on my veggie hiding secret after they ate and fell in love with the sweet potato pancakes. They were pleasantly surprised that veggies could taste so good. After that they enjoyed picking out recipes for us to try.
Another one of their favorites is the Tortilla “Cigars” that are made with yellow squash and carrots. I pack these in their lunches which gives me one less thing to feel guilty about.
Jessica also offers great tips on how to make veggie purees and stocking the kitchen to make her recipes easy peasy. There is a whole section from Joy Bauer devoted to what every parent should know about nutrition. These two didn’t miss a detail in crafting a beautiful and informative cookbook.
This review was brought to you in conjunction with The Parent Bloggers Network**************************************************
Christine from Watch me! No watch me! won our Back To Beauty Suave product pack contest/giveaway.
There is still time to enter our Kodak Cameras Giveaway.
