A Big Step For Small Feet... A Contest!

Ok, it's almost been a couple weeks since I've talked about shoes. How did that happen? To make it up to you, I've got a fabulous giveaway to tell you about thanks to Vincent!

Have you seen their shoes?! Did you know they are having a big Summer Savings Sale?! Yes, I said shoes and sale!

Swedish designers Patrick Österman and Thomas Elbaum are the creative forces behind the Vincent shoe brand. The birth of Thomas' nephew, Vincent, in 1998 and their subsequent disappointment with a lack of high quality, stylish children's shoes, sparked their desire and initiative to design a fun, fashionable and functional kids' shoe brand. While fashion-inspired, the Vincent shoes are not "over-designed" and there is always a focus on fit, functionality and practical use for children age 6 months to 8 years.

We got to pick two pair of Vincent shoes to try out. I let Carter pick a pair- he went crazy for the Stans in navy/yellow. And they are so Carter! I picked out the white/orange in the Smith style for Gray. When the shoes came in the mail, my boys wanted them on right away and Gray even slept in his that night. Seriously. My boys love shoes. I'm so proud.

These shoes have been kid-tested: worn while in the dirt, throwing rocks, wrestling in the grass, & even through a couple ice cream cone sessions. They still look like they've hardly been worn!

Vincent offers a very useful Shoe Fitter Guide to be sure you get the perfect fit. Returns & Exchanges are free- so no worries there! And right now you can get free shipping on orders of $75 or more- even on sale items!

Search for a Vincent retailer near you with their retail locator. And don't forget about that Summer Savings of 25% off selected styles going on now!

If you'd like to win a $50 gift certificate to Vincent follow these 3 steps:

1. sign the Mr. Linky below
2. post about this contest on your blog linking to Vincent- www.vincentshoestore.us by Thursday June 7 before 9 AM (CST.)
3. mention your favorite style from the collection in your blog post

Next Thursday at 9 AM (CST) I'll randomly pick a winner from the Linky list to win the $50 gift certificate to Vincent! Only blogs that have linked to this contest will be eligible to win. I will check to see if you've posted about the contest!

If you don't have a blog, still sign the Mr. Linky & leave a comment here letting me know your favorite style from the collection, refer a friend or two by going here, & also make sure I have an email address to contact you.

Enter now & start shopping!

And the $50 gift certificate in the big Vincent Shoes giveaway goes to...

Keri at "the dream you are living is your creation" !

Soundzania Winner!

The winner of the Soundzania CD contest is Andrea from The Laughs Will Go On! Enjoy!!

Remember you can listen to the CD here and order it here or on iTunes!

Thanks for another great contest! I hope to have at least one giveaway each week for the whole summer! Yay!

Be sure to check out my next big giveaway for a gift certificate to Vincent Shoes!

The Only Time You'll See Me In A Bikini

Ok, I'm not bringing everything back!

But I had to get in on the Throwback Thursdays that are going on over at the Pinks & Blues blog!

Here's the first and last time you'll ever see ME in a bikini! This was circa 1980, I'd say?


And to the left is why we are now talking about having a little girl someday.

I was just too adorable, no?

Join the fun! I didn't even use a scanner- I just took a picture of my old pictures with my digital camera...




Don't forget to check out the Soundzania CD contest and leave your comments- I'll pick a winner tonight!

Soundzania! A contest!

Soundzania is a place that you can go...

Scott Flory, a friend of Allie's, sent me this album to share with all of you!

Soundzania was created by three very musical and imaginative Dads. Two years after band-mates Scott Flory, Ken Hougasian, and Lee Parker gave up the late nights and smoky-club lifestyle of a rock band, all three began enjoying the late nights and smelly-diaper lifestyle of fatherhood.

Soundzania is a children's album designed to inspire young minds to learn more and do more with instruments. You gotta love that!

With help from musician friends and engineers, each song on the album was transformed from a private lazy-morning guitar sing-along or quiet bedside lullaby into a musical world filled with banjos, kazoos, mandolins, and even a sousaphone.

Their site is too fun. Listen to a few song samples here. Print out coloring pages for the kiddies here!

I've got a Soundzania CD to giveaway!

How to win:
1. Just leave a comment here by 9 PM (CST) Thursday May 31 and
2. let me know which song you like the best from the samples.

If you can't listen to them, check out their lyrics and let me know which song you like the best! My personal favorite: dream. You'll just have to get the CD to hear that one!

Just can't wait? You can order the CD here and even on iTunes!

Wanna tell your friends? Please do! If you link to Soundzania and/or this contest on your blog, be sure to let me know here in the comments and you'll get two entries in the contest! I'll announce the winner tomorrow evening!

*The winner of the CD is Andrea from The Laughs Will Go On! Enjoy!!

Cheeky Jewelry Contest Winners! *updated

*updated with a Cheeky Jewelry special discount below!

The winners of the Cheeky Jewelry contest are...

Number 7- Musings of a Housewife wins the $25 gift certificate to Cheeky Jewelry and Number 24- Crooked Eyebrow wins the Ambiance earrings!

Thank you so much to Rebecca at Cheeky Jewelry for a great contest & fabulous prizes! I am still wearing my Daisy May earrings!

*Rebecca from Cheeky Jewelry wanted to add that if any one purchases today by midnight, she is offering free shipping & gift wrap to anywhere in the US!

Use the code "baby" in comments when checking out.

I must say that I picked several numbers and found out they had not linked the contest on their blog! If you want to win and you have a blog, you gotta link on your blog to be eligible!

So- check back here later today for another great giveaway!

A Little Bit Famous

Apparently the stars love the Rocket Tee by Made U Look, available at Ruby's Kids, too! You know this one is going to sell out fast!

Check out their press page! Gray's a little bit famous!


And until 6/10 you can get 10% off your order at Ruby's Kids. They're celebrating the Dog Days of Summer. Be sure to use the coupon code DOG - how fitting- Gray's favorite word!

Wordless Wednesday: Play

Check back later for my next giveaway!

Proof

I'm bringing cankles back

What? Like I'd really show a close up!

updated- Giving In (Or Alternately Titled: I'm Bringing Cankles Back)

(updated with a definition below)

I was tagged for this meme several times and it's been a while... so I kinda lost track of who tagged me. CasualFridayEveryDay.com is the latest to tag me and finally I'm giving in, so here I go...

8 Things About Me:

1. I have never seen Grey's Anatomy. Or ER. I don't do hospital shows ever.

2. Apparently Noah Wyle's character on ER is Dr. Carter. I have sons named Noah, Carter, & Gray. It's been assumed that I just must love hospital shows. Ironic.

3. Someday I think I might want to finish college and become a ketogenic dietician. Or definitely be an advocate for the keto diet to make it more available all over the world.

4. Someday I also would like to be a doula.

5. If we ever have another baby, we will have a homebirth*.

6. Gap's Long & Lean jeans are my favorite.

7. I never wear shorts. Ever. Not even to bed. I have cankles. No matter if I am a size 6 or a size 2 with super skinny legs. It's hereditary and I've just recently decided to accept this fact.

8. I bought two pair of long shorts today. You know the ones that are 'in' right now and go to the knee? They are really cute and quite fashionable. I'm bringing cankles back.

Definition from the Urban Dictionary:

Cankles- The area in affected female legs where the calf meets the foot in an abrupt, nontapering terminus; medical cause: adipose tissue surrounding the soleus tendon, probably congenital, worsened by weight gain and improved in appearance only by boots.

I couldn't have said it better.

*unless we decide not to. : )

The Many Faces Of Gray In A Cute T Shirt

And this was just in the span of about 2 minutes.

Gray is wearing an awesome t-shirt by Made U Look- available at Ruby's Kids. It has to be the most butteriest, softest shirt- ever. Hubby immediately wanted to know if there was one in his size. I'm already thinking of ways to justify why Gray really needs this Rocket T (it glows in the dark!) and definitely this Dirty Laundry Boogie Woogie Tee. Be warned that their stuff is just way too cute. They've got everything from Everyone Poops to a cowboy wigwam. (For real- go look it up!) If you join the Ruby's Kids email list they'll send you coupons and sales updates- so get on over there!


*Win something purty in the Cheeky Jewelry contest here!

Thank You For Waking Me Up At 5 a.m. Again

I've been up since 5 a.m.

All week Gray has been waking me up early. Same old sleepy story today. After a couple books were read and I wished I could get back to sleep, I decided we should just take a walk. So we did. It had been raining but the rain had just stopped and I bundled us up for the chilly dawn. I soon realized that this was like, the best idea ever. Gray absolutely loves birds- and right about then there were birds everywhere with their heads cocked toward the ground, finding worms, singing songs.

When we got home I was energized and decided to vacuum all the baseboards. Yeah- at 6 in the morning. Hubby & my older boys slept right through it all. It was while I was vacuuming that Gray decided to shampoo the hallway carpet with an almost-full bottle of California Baby bubble bath. If you've ever used it, you know how expensive that is. But, what can you do.

As I was cleaning it up, I realized that 1) now our hallway has the aroma of chamomile, mandarin, and rosewater 2) cleaning up bubble bath from the carpet just makes more bubbles and 3) I should just use this to mop the kitchen floor- which I did.

I started another contest today and for a fleeting moment I thought: I hope people don't get annoyed with all my contests coming up ('cause I have quite a few more good ones for you...) and then I thought: contests are fun! You don't mind, do you? It seems like everyone's got a giveaway and this is good!

The latest one I must get in on is at Pinks & Blues- you could win a Dooney & Bourke summer handbag and Victoria's Secret perfume! Check it out!

So- everyone's having contests and that's a good thing, & all my floors are clean today. Well, were clean. Twice Noah yelled "Mom, Gray's got the ketchup again." It's nearing the end of the day now and, well, I'll just do it all again tomorrow.

So Cheeky... A Contest!

*updated with contest winners below!

I envision myself someday as one of those wrinkly old ladies sitting in a rocking chair (hopefully on a nice big front porch and not in a 'home'), wearing my housecoat, slippers, and fancy earrings. Maybe a sparkly bracelet on my wrist even.

I love being casual- tee shirts, skirts, and flip flops in the summer are the best. But I love to wear nice earrings. I could be cleaning house in my sweats and bandana on my head, but you can bet I've got on a lovely pair of earrings. They cheer me up- the little things.

Rebecca A. Schnitt, the owner of Cheeky Jewelry, is most known for her use of "signature jewelry." She describes Signature Jewelry as: "the piece a person owns and wears that becomes their trade mark. You see your friend's face, their smile and their jewelry in your memory when you think of her. I want to make those pieces of jewelry."

I love that! I also love these Daisy May Earrings (above) made of yellow and pink jade that she sent me. I haven't taken them off yet so they just might become my own signature jewelry!

She also sent a pair of Ambiance earrings made of sage green coin pearls and smokey topaz that I'd love to send to you! And I'll pick someone else to receive a $25 gift certificate to Cheeky Jewelry!

If you want to enter (and I know you do!), just sign the Mr. Linky below and leave a comment that you're entering the contest. You must link back to me and also to Cheeky Jewelry before 9 AM CST next Wednesday to be eligible to win.

I'll pick TWO winners randomly from the Linky list... If you want to make it fun, in your post take a picture or write about your favorite piece of jewelry that you own, or tell me what you might pick if you win the gift certificate! (You are not required to do this to enter- this would be just for fun!)

If you don't have a blog, please email me or leave a comment here saying that you'll email everyone you know about this great contest. Then make sure you give me your email address so I know how to contact you!

So enter now & then mosey on over to Cheeky Jewelry and think about what you might pick if you win the gift certificate!

*The winners of the Cheeky Jewelry contest are...

Number 7- Musings of a Housewife wins the $25 gift certificate to Cheeky Jewelry and Number 24- Crooked Eyebrow wins the Ambiance earrings!

The Mason & Matisse Contest Winner Is...

Contest results are in!

The Skip Hop prize package from Mason & Matisse goes to NUMBER 17...

Heidi at Butterfly Mama!

Congrats! Enjoy! A huge thanks to Mason & Matisse! What an awesome prize!

Don't forget that you can get 20% off your order by using code 'insider' !

Now be sure to check back later today for the next fun contest...

Mama's Got A Brand New Bag

I love bags. And shoes. You already know this. I go in spurts and will just carry one bag and shove my whole life -and then some- into it, but then I get tired of digging around among the sippy cups, toys, and crackers to find my debit card & lipgloss. I need my own space! So it's time for separate bags again, and I think this will be all for the best.

Perfect timing that I would receive the awesome Skip Hop Duo bag from Mason & Matisse this week! (By the way, I'll pick a winner for the big contest tomorrow!) I love this bag! It's like a tangerine juice blend from Starbucks and makes me just as happy. Sippy cups, crackers, & wipes are right at home here. And this is not just a diaper bag. I see a nice long future ahead for us.

Then my BFF Ashlee takes care of my own personal space issues with this gorgeous Cherry Bomb Nest Tote. I love having pretty things! I have already turned my Lotus Tote into my new knitting bag. You can never have too many bags, people!

And you can never have too many contests- can you? You've still got time to enter the Mason & Matisse contest and then I'll be posting about another contest starting tomorrow, too! This time it's something for you- not baby!

Wordless Wednesday: I Just Love This Photo

Don't miss the Mason & Matisse contest.
The big winner will be announced Friday!

When You Shouldn't Buy Organic

It's just so pretty! I had to take a picture. I'm about to make a fresh black bean salsa for a girl's night out tonight (yeah- you heard that right. Jealous?)

There was an excellent article in Time a couple moths ago- you can read it online here- Eating Better Than Organic. Although it is quite lengthy, I encourage you to read it- it's full of valuable insight and information!

It's time to use common sense and decide when it's best to buy organic and when it might be better to buy a non-organic local fruit or vegetable. For example, you want to look at just exactly where the food is coming from. Is that non-organic vegetable coming from your state or the next state over? And is the organic item coming from clear across the country? Which one would be fresher? And which one uses less carbon miles to get to your grocery store?

And before you hem & haw about all of this being too confusing, too much to think about, or absolutely overwhelming, take the time to be informed about your grocery purchases. Don't let someone else decide for you just because you don't have time or want to think about these things. We must be smart consumers and make smart choices!

Sara at Walk Slowly, Live Wildly wrote about this very thing not too long ago. I am blessed that we have an organic CSA in our town. I am so excited to get our first share in just a couple weeks! If that sounds like something you are interested in, find out if there is one near you!

I did want to share a list of fruits and vegetables that you really should buy organic whenever possible. The following have the highest amount of pesticides and some (like the berries) are virtually impossible to remove even when washing:

apples, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, red raspberries, strawberries, bell peppers, carrots, celery, green beans, potatoes, and spinach.

You can see a very extensive list from the Environmental Working Group with rank and rating score if you click here and scroll down a little.

Now, I must get back to my salsa...


P.S. You have just a couple more days to enter the