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Thanks to Mom Central, I don’t think Daddy will be able to contain me in the stationary section of any store! The opportunity to review some fab stationary has got me revved up! Designer Jacqueline Savage McFee (aka JACK!E) and Carolina Pad and Paper have partnered up to release some really cute stationary designs, Eye Candy and Simply Chic!

The Eye Candy design features bright, colorful candy shades, retro circles, flowers and stripe patterns, perfect for anyone who craves color! Houndstooth, polka dots, french floral patterns, and crocodile textures bring sophisticated fashionista to stationary with Simply Chic!

Send the girls back to school with Both Eye Candy and Simply Chic designs. Who would believe that both designs are available at Walmart stores?

Carolina Pad and Paper’s sponsoring a Glam Your Office giveaway! By submitting your organizational tip, you qualify to win a feature on the Carolina Pad and Paper web site’s “Get Organized” page, a Complete Eye Candy or Simply Chic office system by JACK!E, a $100 gift card, aaaand 1000 Best Quick and Easy Organizing Secrets by Jamie Novak. The 10 most creative entries will win!

Let me tell you guys about the HP Photosmart A826 Home Photo Center. This beauty has been a hit in our household. This thing is amazing. First off, the printer plays music when you turn it on. How many printers do that? It’s definitely a pick me up. It has a 7 inch touch screen which you can navigate using the stylus pen or your finger. With a few taps of the touch screen you can make photos scrapbook ready without even touching a computer or leaving your house!

Packed with over 200 borders, graphics, frames, and effects, the HP Photosmart A826 allows for endless photo editing. You can crop, adjust color settings, and remove small imperfections such as red-eye. There’s no need for constantly loading the paper tray or worrying about dust particles building up on your photos. The built-in paper tray stores and protects 100 4×6 or 5×7 sheets of photo paper. Any plans to throw a party? You and guests can connect to the HP Photosmart A826 and immediately hand out photos without worrying about smudging or smearing.

There are many ways to connect to the HP Photosmart A826. Connect directly from USB flash drives, your camera’s USB cord, and the following memory cards: Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard, CompactFlash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, xD-Picture Card. You can even print from your PC or Mac. A USB-to-computer cable must be purchased separate for this. The HP Photosmart A826 even supports wireless printing through Bluetooth technology!

What about paper and ink? HP’s “My Print Rewards” program offers exclusive discounts on HP ink, toner, and paper with free next-day shipping. To optimize your ink cartridge, I recommend adjusting the brightness of each photo to the second to the last setting, otherwise photos may come out darker than usual, plus it takes more ink to print a darker photo. The cheapest I’ve found the ink cartridge sold for are $15.49 at ANT Online, $16.88 at Sam’s Club, and $17.99 at Amazon. Photo paper price comparisons can be found on Froogle. Oh while I’m talking about deals, there are some HP Photosmart A826’s going for below retail on Ebay.

I designed Jayden’s photo birth announcements in Photoshop to match our Baby Shower set and then printed them out using the HP Photosmart A826. Family and friends loved them! The HP Photosmart A826 is a gadget that is definitely cherished in our home. I can’t wait until the Holidays roll around!

HP teamed up with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to launch a first-of-its-kind national digital video service program that allows families to access and purchase age-appropriate digital content in a safe and secure online environment. The digital video service program also supports PTA’s mission, which is to help children reach their full potential by providing tools for parents to get involved and manage their children’s health, education and safety. A wide array of kid-friendly DVD and TV titles, such as Alvin & The Chipmunks, Bee Movie, Enchanted, Nancy Drew and National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets are available at ptavideostore.com and bgcavideostore.com. The PTA and Boys & Girls Clubs of America worked hard to make both sites a great venue for busy moms to conveniently and securely buy entertainment without having to worry whether it will be safe for their kids to watch.

I’m pretty sure by now many of you have seen this Burger King commercial advertising their new Kid’s Meal. Burger King has launched a nutrition program, BK Positive Steps, which works toward creating healthier food choices. Now offering a new kid’s meal made of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, apples cut in the shape of fries with low-fat caramel dipping sauce and Hershey’s 1 percent low-fat milk, parents don’t have to feel apprehensive about giving their children fast food.The meal is 350 calories, and less than 25 percent of those calories are from fat, with 9 percent from saturated fat.

Yes, this is a simple meal that can be prepared at home. Let’s put yourself in the shoes of a parent out and about with munchkins screaming that they are hungry. Burger King is nearby. Rather than order them a burger and fries and feel bad afterwards, order something that they’ll love which happens to be more nutritious than the typical kid’s meals.

Some parents don’t like the fact that the apples are shaped like fries. They feel it’s a way of trying to trick children into eating fruit. So lets say they were in the shape of a crown or even cut into cubes. Would it make a difference? Children like their food prepared in mini fun shapes. I don’t see any harm in the apple fries. It isn’t tricking at all, just making the apples fun and appealing. Ever had Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes or star shaped ice cubes?

Etsy.com is full of gorgeous handmade items that will have you spending your bank account dry. A few days ago I decided to look around for some small accessories for myself. Mama deserves a treat every once and a while, right? I am addicted to anything with a cowry shell on it. I love wearing jewelry made with cowry shells. I love stringing cowry shells in my hair. So what did I search for on Etsy? Cowry shells! In the first page of results I found a delicious pair of Fatigue Cowry Hoop Earrings that I HAD to have. They were from seller KeeyshasKreations. I quickly snatched them up and she quickly sent them over and included a hair adornment as a bonus! I am too cute now! Thanks Keeysha’s Kreations!

This post was written yesterday, but I fell asleep before I was done. So let’s pretend like today is yesterday, ok?

It’s hard to believe our little booger is 3 months old today. He’s getting so BIG! He’s 13.8lbs! Before I know it, he’ll be towering over me! Now let’s see…he’s got a pretty large appetite. He Nurses less than every 2 hours. He puts my boobs in a chokehold! He sleeps wild! He kicks and flings his arms everywhere! He so strong! He’s mastered grabbing. He’ll snatch anything that you put in his face. He enjoys tugging on my clothes. He finds amusement in staring at his hands. He is very vocal. He will babble infantspeak nonstop. When I’m on the phone, he HAS to be in on the entire conversation! He enjoys watching us tinker on our computers. Uh oh could he be a future blogger?! He demands attention. If he could do this, he would! He appreciates getting his diaper changed. There’s no stopping those little beefy legs once he hits the changing table! He’s got the teething munchies. He must chew on EVERYTHING, including my arms! His eczema has improved and his complexion is getting lighter. Overall he is doing great. I can’t get enough of squeezing his chunky thighs and kissing his button nose 9256785234 times a day!

Today was a fun day. I popped in the Disney CDs and recorded some videos of Jayden. Below are some clips with a few hilarious surprises! [edit]HE FARTS![/edit] The visual isn’t all that crisp, but I’m thankful that it only took 10 minutes to upload vs overnight! I’ve been trying some new things with our camera software, still looking for more software for $FREE.99.

The CD featured in this video is Disney Music Block Party. The songs played are Mickey Mouse Club March by Ralph’s World and The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room by Wayne Brady. As you can see, we couldn’t get enough of Tiki Room! Block Party is 1 of the five CD’s sent from Mom Central for us to review. The other titles are Imagination Movers: Juice Box Heroes, They Might Be Giants: Here Comes the 123s, Choo-Choo Soul, and Ralph’s World: The Rhyming Circus. My favorites were (I can’t speak for Jayden) Disney Music Block Party and They Might Be Giants: Here Comes the 123s. Disney Music Block Party features classic Disney songs sung by Playhouse Disney artists. I can definitely relate to this album as I grew up singing these songs.They Might Be Giants: Here Comes the 123s features songs that are ALL number themed with the exception of the bonus Playhouse Disney favorite tracks. I love the concept, who doesn’t love products that encourage learning? The other albums are great too. I’m just not familiar with the songs, as I don’t watch the shows. I’m PRETTY sure Jayden will help me out later on down the road! Each title except Imagination Movers: Juice Box Heroes either includes bonus music videos or lyrics. We really enjoyed reviewing the CD’s. They are a great addition to our family media collection. I encourage picking up a few of them here! I almost forgot about The Disney Music Block Party Live Tour! For tickets and showtimes, visit the Disney Music Block Party Tour!

Last Wednesday I had a chance to read the very first issue of Seeing The Everyday, a quarterly and advertisement free magazine that captures ordinary moments at home that are often overlooked. Such moments include grooming one another, helping with homework, or doing work out in the yard. Participating in these activities help develop strong relationships in families. Individuals who come from strong families take their experience into their community and future families. Highlighted through stories, artistic photography, and children’s artwork projects, Seeing The Everyday helps find poetry in the prosaic.

We find poetry in the prosaic by:
1. Playing with our little man together.
2. Doing chores around the house together.
3. Keeping each other company in the kitchen while preparing meals and snacks.
4. Eating at the dinner table.
5. Watching movies.
6. Taking random road trips.
7. Visiting the park and beach.
8. Playing video games. We’re still playing SNES and Playstation 1. Yes, we’re missing out on all the new stuff, but we’re too old to ask our parents for toys

Lately we haven’t been doing a few of them (5, 6, and 8 ) because we have been swamped taking care of Jayden (1st priority) and business. We’re trying to develop additional income streams. We’re also preparing to move. We just want so much for the family, but at the same time we need to remember to set aside time to be a family. Daddy doesn’t have to work tomorrow, so we will continue to pack boxes and try to at least do one of the things listed above that we haven’t done lately.

The first issue of Seeing The Everyday has got me hooked. I especially enjoyed the laughing section on page 78 and a story on page 8. In this particular story, Marlene Hinton reminisces on learning how to separate eggs while preparing angel food cake. She went through dozens of eggs trying to remove the yolks from the egg whites, never once did her mother take over or complain. She let her practice until she got it right. I’m sure many families will agree that some of the best moments are shared in the kitchen whether preparing a masterpiece or mastermess!

“It’s not about making a cake, dinner or any other number of important things we can spend our time doing. It is, however, about making a child. A unique, one-of-a-kind, significant, individual.” - Seeing The Everyday, Issue 1, Page 17

One thing that I dislike about the summer are the BUGS, especially the ones that BITE. When I get bitten by mosquitoes, the bites swell up pretty big. And although I have this reaction, I avoid using insect repellent because I don’t like how strong commercial repellents smell. Since having Jayden, I worry about little critters nibbling on his little body. He’s not old enough to use insect repellents sold in most stores, so I decided to find some tips to help keep buggies off him.

Instead of, or in addition to, using insect repellents, there are also many steps that you can take to avoid insect bites. These protective measures include:

* dressing your kids in thin, loose-fitting, long-sleeve clothing that doesn’t include bright colors
* encouraging your kids to wear socks and shoes instead of sandals
* avoiding spending time outdoors during evening to early morning hours (dusk to dawn)– when mosquitoes bite the most
* avoiding scented soaps and other things that might attract mosquitoes and other bugs
* using a bug screen over your child’s stroller
* controlling mosquitoes and other insects where your kids play
Credit goes to Vincent Iannelli, M.D.

After looking for these tips, I decided to see if there were any chemical free insect repellents that are safe for infants. I’ve come across quite a few online shops that sell completely natural repellents. I’m still debating which ones I’d like to try, so I will report back with my selection. One insect repellent for toddlers that really caught my eye is called Hugs, Not Bugs! by j.blossom. It is recommended for ages 3 and up so of course Jayden isn’t old enough to use it, but I am! The whole family can actually use it, including the dog! Isn’t that something?

I wanted to try Hugs, Not Bugs! for myself since I’ve become lunch to the critters down here in the south. I also wanted to see how the product worked on myself to see if this would be something I’d like to use on Jayden in the future. Hugs, Not Bugs! all-natural insect repellent body spray is packed with 10 of nature’s most powerful bug-blasting herbs. Hugs, Not Bugs! has a fresh lemony-citrus scent that I love. I can SMELL GOOD and at the same time not get attacked by swarms of bugs! The formula does not contain DEET, parabens, or any other toxic chemicals. To add to its eco friendliness, Hugs, Not Bugs! is packaged in a recyclable green PET plastic bottle.

Check out this testimonial that made my mouth drop down to the floor!:

“I special ordered a gallon of this stuff to take back to Tanzania because it’s the only thing that keeps the big African mosquitoes off us!” — Wariko Waita mother of 4-year-old twins from Tanzania, East Africa.

Who would have known that you could fight off African mosquitoes using all natural ingredients?

Be sure to check out j.blossom for all natural bath and body products for girls! A haircare line is in the works! j.blossom believes every girl is beautiful, and their products are about helping girls feel good on the inside as well as on the outside! Every product is made with laughter and love and has a positive affirmation right on the bottle, such as “Short or tall, thick or thin, I love the skin that I am in!” The affirmation for Hugs, Not Bugs! is “I love the Earth and the Earth loves me!”