Decorating CSN Style!

CSN stores can easily drag me in for hours.  There are SO many different things to browse through.  With our upcoming move, I've been looking around on there for some new furniture, decor,appliances, etc for our new place.  We're selling our current one, so I checked out the dining chairs and tables.  The formal dining sets were so beautiful and it made me wish we were going to have a formal dining room.  Not that we'd ever use it much.. but then I could have a big pretty table.  So wish me luck in my searching on CSN stores for the perfect "accessories" for our new abode!  And while you're at it.. you should browse the 200+ stores yourself.  I'm sure you'll find something you absolutely love!  And stayed tuned for more CSN goodness!

Once Upon a Time..

There was a little girl named Kylee.  She had a mommy who wanted her to look oh-so-cute on Halloween.  Her mommy thought many months about the perfect costume for her little blonde beauty.

At first she was planning on dressing Kylee up as Dorothy and having her join in with her toddler friends on being the cast of  the Wizard of Oz. (In tiny people form, of course!)  But plans fell through.

So her mommy began thinking again.. and again.. and hours and hours of thought went into this decision.  FINALLY! The perfect costume for a cute and animated little girl.  (Yeah.. her mommy is kind of a genius and stuff..)

Precious Kylee would be... GOLDILOCKS!! Cute costume, no?

(That's not Kylee.  And I'm waiting on posting pictures of her in the actual costume until my Halloween post. But.. nonetheless.. it's quite possibly the cutest costume I've ever seen! )  And check out that awesome price!  I don't know about you.. but nothing irks me more than companies whose costumes  all cost $50 or more.  Yeah.. not happening!

I will say that Kylee has tried on this costume a couple of times and she LOVES it!  (I actually had to hide it away in her closet).  She loves taking all of the little bears out and loving on them.  She calls her dress "Gowocks" (yeah, cute, I know!) and loves that she gets to wear her "fancy" shoes with her costume.  And lucky girl that she is.. her costume will be added to her dress up collection once Halloween passes.

This costume may be cheaper in price than most costumes out there.  But don't let it fool you into believing  the quality is cheap.  It's thin enough that it's a breathable fabric but not thin enough that I feel like it's going to rip while she's wearing it.

So what are your little ones being for Halloween?  You should head on over to Costume Discounters and check out their selections.  It's not too late!  There are SO many cute toddler costumes.  And I spent quite a while in the girl costumes  section as well before making my final decision!  We will definitely be using Costume Discounters in the future!


*I was not compensated in any way other than receiving a Goldilocks costume to review.  These are my words. My opinions.  My thoughts. Thank you to to Charles at Costume Discounters for being such a pleasure to work with.*

Serving Up with CSN Stores

If you're anything like me you love to host a good party now and then.  I don't do it very often, so when I do I have to make sure it's very nice!  Along with making sure all the food is perfect, a great host must bring out the best dinnerware sets possible! CSN stores is the place to go for your casual and everyday, formal and fine, and holiday dinnerware.  Their selection and prices can't be beat!  And I'm sure your guests will appreciate all the work you'll go through finding the perfect dinnerware for them to eat off of!  (Little do they know how easy and quick it is to shop any of the 200+ stores on CSNstores.com)

Please stay tuned for some more of CSN stores goodness!

CSN Review: One Rockin' Tent!

As promised.. here in my CSN review!

CSN stores carry so many items.. millions of items.  It's insanely awesome!  I had a hard time choosing what I was going to get.  Finally I decided on the super awesome Pacific Play Tent.  I knew it would go perfectly in Kylee's new play room.  I was absolutely right too.

So.. here are some specifics on the Pacific Play Tents Super Duper 4 Kids play tent! (Taken from the CSN website)

"Open the doors and bring in the whole gang! This play tent is so large that 2 moms and 3 kids have room enough to play inside. Designed especially large for added play value, the fun can happen all year round as it can be used inside or out. This giant tent is made to be "kid tough" with a waterproof floor and a patented "G-3" shock corded fiberglass PU coated pole system. The Velcro front door closure and 2 tunnel ports (tunnels NOT included) make access into and out of the tent a breeze. A full mesh top has been added to allow extra ventilation, as well as to increase visibility for parents. The Super Duper 4 Kid Play Tent is a fabulous addition to any toy collection! "

What I really love about this tent:

* It's VERY easy to set up

* Soap and water are all you need to clean it off

* The mesh top make it easy for light to get in the tent  (for when it's being used as a reading area), air to get in the tent (when it's being used for indoor camping), and children to get in and out of the tent (my 19 month old can easily zip up and down the zippered side)

* It has ports for tunnels to be added on (hello, additional fun!)
* It's colorful and catches the eye of the young and old

* For the price.. you get a LOT of space! 

* The floor of the tent is durable, washable, and waterproof!!

So far we have used this tent as a reading "corner", a picnic site, a nap oasis, a hiding spot, a dance floor, and a place to cuddle and sing songs.  It's been the perfect addition to the play room!  The description on CSN says this tent can be used outdoors.  Just because you can't completely  seal the openings into the tent (the zipper side and the tunnel ports) I don't think we'd ever take it outside.  I have no desire to rescue my child when the ants and other insects try to take over her tent. (Clearly because they would be totally jealous of the awesomeness of it...right?!)

All in all.. I HIGHLY recommend this tent!!  So buy one.  For your kid(s).. or yourself..

Prepare for CSN!

I love to shop.  No. Really. I LOVE to shop.  I avoid large grocery shopping trips just so I can go to the store another day during the week. I am addicted. I really love buying things for Kylee. Clothes..toys..books..puzzles.. pretty much anything that I feel she needs.. So when I was contacted by CSN stores and asked if I wanted to do a review of something from one of their stores.. OH MY! I jumped on the opportunity.  After browsing through a few of their stores (which was barely scraping the surface since CSN has over 200 stores!) I chose a really cute tent for baby girl.  I'm thinking it can be her reading tent in her brand spanking new playroom.  Or else she could include the tent in a camp out in the playroom and sleep in there like a bed and have daddy create a "fire" and we'll all make s'mores.  And..and..and who knows?! The possibilities are endless.  I just know she's going to LOVE this tent.  So.. stay tuned folks for my amazing review and super cute pics of my darling daughter!

(This is the tent being sent for review purposes.  The children inside the tent are not included.)

An AppleCheeks A Day Keeps the Rash at Bay!

Many many months ago, Ilana, of AppleCheeks diapers was looking for blogger mommies to review her diapers.  I had been drooling after her super cute St. Lucia diaper for as long as I could remember. So..naturally.. I jumped on the opportunity.  I stalked the mailman pretty much every single day   waited sooo patiently for my diaper to come in the mail.  It wasn't the St. Lucia.  I was bummed.  It was Coriander.  BUT.. after trying on said diaper, I was in love! It looked great with Kylee's skin tone and it was really cute!  My diaper came with a one size rayon from bamboo insert which can be folded into thirds (hello six layers of protection!) and a booster as well! 

"Rayon from Bamboo is perfect for the heaviest wetter as it retains twice as much moisture as cotton alone for its weight! And plus rayon from bamboo's antimicrobial properties make it the healthy choice for your baby's bottom. Rayon from Bamboo is the cloth diapering choice!" 

I am that cloth diapering mama who is scared of anything that is not bulky.  I feel like bulk = a lot of absorbing action going on.  So I was kind of nervous about using only the inserts I received.  But.. I had a job to do.. must review this product.  So after doing my prepping of the diaper.. I put it on her for nap.  3 hours later.....

NO LEAKING! I was amazed!

(She gets her dancing moves from her daddy..)

Another issue I have with diapering in general is the fact that my girl has some chunky thighs and that usually results in her getting red marks on them from the diapers.  AppleCheeks? They passed the test! No marking on her legs! 

One of the REALLY awesome things about AppleCheeks is that you can use the envelope cover as just a cover or as an entire diaper.  So stuff it.. or don't stuff it.. and you still get great use out of it!  But whatever you do.. don't unstuff it! (Because the inserts come out in the wash all on their own!)

Got a super chunky cute baby?  Well.. fear not.. AppleCheeks to the rescue!  Enter.. waist extenders!

"AppleCheeks™ Waist Extenders allow you to get even more life from your gorgeous AppleCheeks™ envelope covers. Sold in pairs, simply snap one on each side of your trim fitting diaper cover and, voila, you get up to approximately 2 inches of extra space for baby's cute rolls! Available in all 10 permanent collection colours, can be mixed and matched with other colour envelope covers for ultimate cuteness."

Are you getting the picture yet? This is an AMAZING diaper system! You really can't go wrong.

I was also sent a Size 1 storage sac to review.  I love it!  It can easily hold 8 diapers or more (depending on how full you pack your storage sacs).  It's easy to wash and I just hang it to dry. Simple. Easy. And it has some great stretch to it!

My final test to my oh-so-cute AppleCheeks diaper was overnight use.  And some of you may be saying oh what's the big deal? Well my friends.. my daughter pees. A LOT! At night! And we use uber thick inserts for nighttime because she pees so much.  So.. I put her in her AppleCheeks and I added one additional bamboo insert.. put on some fleece longies... and prayed as I put her down to sleep.  I expected to hear screaming at 4am for a diaper change.  I expected to get her up in the morning and find a bed soaked in urine.  I expected to regret my AppleCheeks overnight decision.  Boy was I wrong. She was wet in the morning but not soaked and we had no leaking!  I was one happy mama and so was my baby girl! 

So there has to be SOMETHING wrong with this diapering system, right? Well.. I was going to say the price.  AppleCheeks cost a tad bit more than diapers I usually buy.  BUT, I really feel they are worth the money!  So.. my only wish for AppleCheeks is more color options and maybe some prints??  Because this mama here loves her some cute prints!

(If anyone wants to donate a St. Lucia to us.. that would be totally rad... just sayin!)

Inspired by Mooky Diaper Review

My kid pees.

Often.

And in large quantity.

So I've been struggling to keep her in cloth during the nights.  She's been peeing through everything I toss on her.  I had actually switched her back to disposables at night.  They were gross by the morning but they worked.  Yes they weighed like 5 pounds and were just a mess of cold urine but I wasn't having to change sheets every morning.  I started asking around about what people were putting on their heavy wetting toddlers at night and someone recommended Inspired by Mooky.  Something new to me.. but I decided to check it out anyway.

I am SO happy I did.  Pam makes some of the cutest and softest diapers ever!  She made me a super cute monkey print with polka dots diaper. I was in love.  The crotch area was too narrow though and I was super bummed. Fear not.. Pam had me send that diaper back to her and she made me a new one and shipped it back in just a couple of days! Now that is some great customer service!  Let me tell you about this diaper..

It's a One Size AI2 Fleece Night Time Diaper and the outer part is made up of 2 layers of anti-pill fleece.  The inner part of the diaper is organic bamboo raylon velour and it is SO soft!  The soaker (WHICH I LOVE!) is 2 petal style (for quick drying) and each petal has 3 layers of organic bamboo raylon fleece topped with velour.  It's trifold style and when folded over you get 16 absorbent layers!!  This diaper does NOT require a cover.

What I really love about this diaper is that it stands up to my super-wetter overnight, doesn't leave ANY red marks on her at all, and it's super cute and VERY soft!  It's made of quality materials and the work that goes into this diaper is so apparent!  We have it on one of the lowest settings so I know this diaper is going to be sticking around until Kylee doesn't need diapers anymore!  And then it will be passed on to the next sibling when the time comes. (Even if it's a boy.. because boys can wear cute polka dots!..And I'll be the only one seeing their bottoms at night anyways!) 

Pam also carries longies, shorties, skirties, wet bags, changing pads, etc in her Cutzie Designs shop.  So make sure you check out both of her shops on Hyena!  Tell her I sent you!

Baby Dipper Review & Giveaway

I love top quality items that work.  I don't like the idea of people paying more for something that just doesn't even work like it says it will.  So I've never splurged on any "fancy" eating utensils or bowls for my daughter.  I figured.. I didn't have one growing up and I learned to self-feed just fine.  But, I have to admit.. when I first saw the baby dipper I really wanted to get one for her.  But again.. didn't think I NEEDED it.

So I decided to contact Baby Dipper and see if they would be interested in doing a review and giveaway.  I didn't hear anything back.  So I actually forgot all about it.  But then I received an email from Barbara (of Baby Dipper) asking if I'd be interested in doing a review and offer up a giveaway.  At this time my daughter was about 16 months old.  I didn't know how much use we'd get out of it, but I said sure.

Barbara shipped my Baby Dipper so quick I don't even think it took 2 days to receive it.  Now, THAT is some quality service!  It just happened to come right before lunch too! So I washed it up while K was eating her main part of her lunch and then I put some applesauce in it. 

Kylee does great with a fork.  She can stab food and shove it in her mouth with the best of them.  However, she tends to get frustrated with spoons.  She didn't really have the scooping method down and she used a spoon much like she used a fork. (Stabbing everything.. or at least attempting to...)  So I didn't know how well this was going to work either.  Was I surprised though! She did GREAT with the baby dipper!  After a few tries and some trial and error.. she was scooping up her applesauce!!

So what exactly is SO special about this bowl? What about do I LOVE so much?  Well let me tell you...

It's BPA-Free

Lead-Free

Phthalate-Free!!

It's very easy to clean

The non-slip bottom keeps it from sliding all around (on tables and highchair trays!) and you don't have to worry about suction cups or anything annoying like that to keep it in place!

Feeding baby one handed and not having to chase a bowl across the table!

The sloped interior surface is great for getting every last bite out and the spoon-shaped collection point is wonderful for keeping those precious bites on the spoon!  Thank you for that, Barbara Schantz!

Sounds perfect, right?  Well.. I do love our Baby Dipper dearly! 

If I could make any changes though..  I would like to see Baby Dipper offered in more color options and I wish there were "toddler sized" utensils as an option.  We don't use the fork because it's just too small for my daughter.  Other than that.. the Baby Dipper is perfect!

SO.. how would you like to win your very own Baby Dipper bowl?  Barbara has been so nice to offer one of you a bowl of your own!

[Please Note: Previous winners of Baby Dipper Bowls sponsored by Baby Dipper, LLC are not eligible to win again.]

Mandatory Entry: 

Tell me what state you're from and where you'd like to see Baby Dipper sold at near you!

Additional Entries:

1.  Follow Baby Dipper on Twitter (1 entry)

2.  Sign up for the Baby Dipper Newsletter (1 entry)

3.  Subscribe to the Baby Dipper blog (1 entry)

4.  Follow me on Twitter..leave your Twitter name in comment (1 entry)

5.  Follow my blog publicly (2 entries .. please leave 2 seperate comments)

6.  Add my button to your blog and leave a link to where I can find it (1 entry)

7.  Tweet about this giveaway and leave your link to your tweet. (2x per day/ must be at least 2 hrs apart) (Please leave a seperate comment for each tweet)

Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you win. Email address in comment or email address visible in your blog profile.

Giveaway ends Sunday, April 11th at 10:00PM .(CST). I will use random.org to determine the winner and notify the winner via email. The winner will also also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

Good Luck!!

Kissaluvs Antibacterial Pail Liner!

So.. about a month ago I was having some SERIOUS issues with my cloth diapers.  They were getting really funky smelling.  Not just stinky...not just smelly... they were down right FUNKY!  The ammonia smell was ridiculous!  So I finally had to break down and strip my diapers.. again.  It doesn't help that Nebraska is cursed with hard water. 

In my head I begin to wonder WHAT IN THE WORLD is causing these issues.  I mean yes.. we have hard water.. but I know for a fact we're not the only inhabitants of the entire freakin' world cursed with hard water!!  I was my diapers every other day.  I use the appropriate amount of soap.  I do an entire cold wash cycle, HOT wash, cold rinse..yadda yadda.  So what's the deal?!?!  So I begin reading and researching.

I read that pail liners can be a cause of the stinks.  They hold odors and bacteria just like diapers do.  My current pail liner (at the time) was about a year old and had housed MANY a disgusting diaper..especially back when I didn't have a very good wash routine.. oops.  SO.. I started looking around for a pail liner that could help me out with keeping the stink under control.  That's when I came across Kissaluvs Antibacterial Pail liner!   I contacted Kissaluvs and had the pleasure of working with Heather who offered to send me a liner to review!

The Kissaluvs Antibatercial Pail Liner is " Made from a high quality PUL (poly urethane laminate) fabric with a special anti-microbial effect*, the Kissaluvs Antibacterial Pail Liner lets your diapers sit another day or so, worry free, without collecting gunk! The special finish also helps reduce unpleasant odors and protects against the spreading of health hazardous bacteria which can sometimes collect on soiled diapers."  So I tested it out by using it straight out of the packaging.  After tossing in 2 days worth of diapers, it was wash day.  BUT.. I didn't wash the liner!  I wanted to put it to another test.  Could it.. WOULD it really not smell after having 2 loads of diapers in it without being washed?  Well... 2 days later I did another load of diapers and after tossing the diapers in... I stuck my nose down into the liner and believe it or not.. I still have my sense of smell!!  (Now with my other pail liner I wouldn't dare do that!)

So what makes this liner so different??  It has been specially treated with SILVERPLUS® antimicrobial effect!

Moisture in diapers is ideal biosphere for bacteria, which exploit the organic content of the moisture. The degradation of this exploitation is associated with unpleasant odors. SILVERPLUS® silver ions which are embedded in the fabric in a resistant-to-washing and dry-cleaning manner, without using a binder or adhesive system, protect against the spreading of health hazardous bacteria and form a reservoir to counteract odor. Many products with antimicrobial effects migrate from the textile onto the skin to then attack it. SILVERPLUS® has developed its antimicrobial effects exclusively on the textile surface. The hygienic effect develops on the textile, leaving the skin fully functional. This has been confirmed by the independent test institute ITV Denkendorf.

Likes:
Leak-proof
Durable
Lots of room for those stinky, wet diapers (can hold several dozen diapers)
Affordable (costs less than $15)
Keeps a lot of the smell associated with dirty diapers away! (I dig that!)

Dislikes:
The liner is only available in white  (I'm a woman who loves bright and bold colors and prints)

As you can see.. there's not a very "valid" dislike that I have with this liner.  I recommend it to anyone who asks about liner recommendations and I will always sing praise of this liner to any listening ear.  So get one. You won't regret it!

Thank you Kissaluvs and Heather B (of Kissaluvs) for allowing me to review such an awesome product!  All words in italics are from the Kissaluvs website (http://www.kissaluvs.com/antibacterial_pail_liner.php) and all other words are my own and of my own opinion. 

SmartKnitKIDS Review

It may be a "secret" to some.. but for those people who have lived with me..trust me.. it's no secret. I HATE sock seams.  I don't like the way they feel against my toes.  I don't like when my sock gets twisted (even a tiny bit) and the seam then runs crooked across my toes.  I just don't like it.  Now.. does Kylee complain about her socks with seams? No. She's too young.  But.. when I was asked by Rose from SmartKnitKIDS if I wanted to do a review of their socks, I jumped right on it. Why?  Because SmartKnitKIDS makes seamless socks!  It's true. Socks with no seams.  (My dream come true!)

From the SmartKnitKids website:


"SmartKnitKIDS® patented seamless socks are perfect for children experiencing sensory processing differences, hypersensitivity or who simply can’t stand annoying seams! These super soft socks for sensitive little feet will not wrinkle or bunch and are proven to reduce irritation."

I asked for the size small ankle sock for toddlers.  I asked to be sent a pair in either white or pink.  Well surprise! .. Rose sent me 2 pairs of white and a pair of pink.  I told you.  She's a total sweetheart.  It was also perfect timing because they day they were delivered to us I just happened to be doing Kylee's laundry.  So she actually got to wear them to bed that night!  (Did I mention how fast the shipping was?!  Like 2 days later kind of shipping.. and I dig that!)


So.. what are the likes and dislikes I have for these socks?

Well... let's start with the good.

PROS:
* No seams!!
* They really “hug” the foot which reduces wrinkling
*No sweaty feet at the end of the day  (the material these socks are made with actually wick moisture AWAY from the foot!)
*They are also anti-microbial, inhibiting fungal odor-causing bacteria.  (Who wants to deal with yucky fungal bacteria junk?)
*The Halo Top™ keeps her socks from slipping down her leg
*The "No Heel" design means that I can put the sock on pretty much any way I want.  (Which is very helpful when you're getting a toddler dressed who doesn't want to cooperate!)

CONS:
*I am a huge fan of color!  And I wish there were more color options

*They do leave slight marking on my chunky legged girl. But, not NEARLY as much as the regular socks do.  With other socks she'll get a deep red imprint on her leg.  With these socks it's barely there and it's usually only after she's worn them 13-14 hours to sleep in.

So my overall opinion is that these socks are GREAT!  We'll be buying more in the future and hopefully there will be a few more colors to choose from!  Thanks SmartKnitKIDS, you've made fans out of us!