I'm featured on Happily Domestic!!!!

I'm so honored to be featured on one of my favorite blogs, Happily Domestic! Check it out:
http://happilydomestic.blogspot.com/2010/11/fluff-talk-thursdays-meet-our-cloth.html

Episencial review and giveaway!

I was so thrilled when I contacted Episencial and they agreed to let me do a review. I'd been coveting their body wash and lotion every time I saw them at Target. The packing is what caught my eye first, so cute. Each of the products features a fruit from the Eric Carle book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The whole line of Episencial products are all natural (no synthetics, parabens, SLS or anything nasty that you wouldn't want touching your baby's precious skin) and formulated for the delicate skin of babies and kids. The packing is also completely recyclable and manufactured using solar power. I just love this company!
A little about the founder, Kim Walls, from the Episencial website:

Kim Walls, M.S., is the CEO of Episencial® and creator of the Epicuren® Baby and Episencial skin care products and philosophy. A second-generation skin care expert from the family that developed the world renowned Epicuren® anti-aging skin care products, she now combines her environmental activism with expertise in clinical skin care and nutritional science to develop green, effective skin care for pregnant women and children. For more than a decade, Walls has honed her perspective focusing on botanically-based skin care and transdermal nutrient absorption as a pathway to improved health and beauty for women and children. She shares her experience internationally with dermatologists and estheticians, as well as childbirth and postpartum professionals, underscoring the relationship between optimum health and skin care. Now through Episencial, she is dedicated to sharing that knowledge with new and growing families to support the enhanced health and immunity that effective, all natural products can provide.

We were sent the Sweet Dreams Bubble Bath, Soothing Cream, and Protective Face Balm to review.

I can't say enough good things about these products. I had stopped using bubble bath for Emma because she was getting yeast rashes and I feared it was because of the nasty, synthetic products I was using, I won't mention any names, but it starts with a J. On the contrary, the Sweet Dreams Bubble Bath has nothing but natural, safe and pure ingredients and I didn't hesitate at all to add it to Emma's bath water. It smells fantastic and she loves it! The gel concentrate is super thick so you don't need a lot to make a luxuriously bubbly bath time experience.

As you can see, Emma was enthralled with the bubbles and had a blast!

The Soothing Cream comes at the perfect time, as my seasonal eczema has flared up again, uggg. It's so darn irritating, I get it pretty badly on my forearms and this cream has been a Godsend! I just put a small amount on and it immediately soothes and keeps my itchy skin under control. I so wish I had taken "before and after" pictures to prove the wonders of this cream, but you'll just have to take my word for it. And I love that it's all natural so I don't have to resort to my prescription steroid cream, which of course works, but is not a good choice for a pregnant woman, like me.

I'm sure the Protective Face Balm will come in handy later this winter after playing outside in the snow (hopefully we'll get lots!) and coming in with rosy cheeks and lips.

So, how can you try these products, too?!

Buy it

Of course you can buy Episencial products from their website, and other fine online retailers like Ecomom. You can use the search function on the website to look for local retailers. I'm so excited that Target stores are a carrier of Episencial, I'm always at Target.


-or-


Win it!

One lucky reader is going to win the same Episencial products that I received, plus a $5 Target gift card!!



How to enter:

Each action counts as one entry unless otherwise stated. Leave a separate comment for each entry and please include your email address. You must complete the mandatory entry before you are eligible for any other entries.



**Mandatory Entry**

Visit Episencial and let me know another of their products that you'd like to try.


Extra Entries

*Go to the Episencial website and tell me something else you learned about this awesome company that I didn't mention here.

*Make a purchase from Episencial or pick up some of their products at a local retailer, come back here and tell me what you bought-5 extra entries!

*Follow me publicly through google friend connect-counts as 3 entries! Leave 3 separate comments.

*Subscribe to my blog by email, through feedburner

*Grab my button and tell me where it is posted

*Blog about this giveaway, link back to my site and leave me the URL of your blog







The fine print

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will end November 24, 2010.

Winner will be chosen by random.org and contacted by e-mail, then must respond within 48 hours or else a new winner will be chosen.

I was not paid for this review, and received no compensation. I was provided the products mentioned for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own and completely truthful.

Have you been Boo'd?

I had never heard of this fun Halloween game before this year, but it's really fun! I guess it's pretty popular in suburban neighborhoods all over. This is the first time we've lived in a real "neighborhood", like with a home owners association and all. Anyway, we came home from the pumpkin patch on Saturday afternoon to find a bucket with some goodies and a note on our front porch. The person who left it for us was obviously thinking of us specifically because the items were geared toward and appropriate for our 20 month old daughter. I thought that was very thoughtful!

So, the way it works is this: when you get Boo'd, you put up a sign on your door to let everyone know you've already been hit. Then, you "boo" 2 more neighbors and the chain continues. I like "pay it forward" things like this. It's always nice to get a little surprise and know that someone has thought of you.

If you live in an appropriate neighborhood, why don't you start this fun game. Here is a website with more information: http://youhavebeenbooed.blogspot.com/

Happy Halloween!

Winners!

I apologize for announcing these winners a little late, but here they are:

The winner of the Stride everyday undies is

Congratulations, Hannah, you've been notified and have 48 hours to respond before I have to draw a new winner!

The winner of the Nutria Frog Kingdom book is

Congratulations, Shanee, you've been notified and have 48 hours to respond!

This is what I found after "naptime" the other day

I'm really starting to get annoyed with this no nap phase that Emma is going through. It's gotten to be about twice a week now, uggg! At least she stays relatively quiet. She always has a few books and dolls in her crib, so she'll just sit and play, talking to herself and her babies.
Yesterday, I went into her room after about an hour and a half without her sleeping. I was greeted with a cheery "Hi!" and this scene:

She did have a shirt on when I put her down. So, I guess she knows how to take her shirt off now.... sigh. Usually, on days when she doesn't nap, she throws every single thing from her crib onto the floor and repeats "uh oh" over and over. So silly!!!!

I'm the Featured Fluff Addict at Knickernappies!

Did you catch it? If not, here it is: http://knickernappies.blogspot.com/2010/10/fridays-featured-fluff-addict-istamara.html  I haven't actually had the pleasure of using a knickernappies diaper, but absolutely love my Loopy-Do's, they are the only thing that gets my little heavy wetter through the night dry!

Thanks, Knickernappies, for this opportunity!

Toddler Tuesday: our new puppy!

Our new puppy :)

Sorry about the grainy pic, I took it with my cell phone because that's what was around when this happened. Emma now does this all the time, kinda grosses me out. I keep trying to explain to her that those are the doggy beds and they aren't that clean but she just doesn't seem to care :) What a stinker!!