The Cheekeyes

I love toys that make my kids use their imagination. Ones that get them to create their own source of fun. Ones that don’t use batteries that will die just when your child is having a melt down and wanting to play with said toy. And I especially love toys that don’t make odd sounds in the middle of the night from the toy chest. So I obviously love The Cheekeyes animals set.

These toys are simple, clean, artistic wooden toys. We received the Forest Animal 5 piece set and a set of trees to try out. Right away my son, who is almost 4, and my daughter who is just 14 months, grabbed a hold of them and started to play. My son, Cameron, started making the sounds for the animals and my daughter soon followed suite. We had a wild zoo in our living room, it was quite funny!

Cheekeyes come in a number of assortments including Dinosaurs, Africa animals, Arctic animals, Farm animals and scenery items to go with them, such as trees, volcanoes, fences for the farm, one even has a park entrance so your keiki can really create a zoo!

These toys are all soft edged, light weight, hand-made of beautiful natural wood with just the edges and faces painted. They not only are fun for my kids but Cheekeyes look cool and chic sitting on their shelf in their room when not in use! Love that!

The Cheekeyes can be bought at Oompa Toys.

Sarah lives in Hawaii with her husband and two children. When not busy with her blog, Ohana Mama, Sarah loves splashing in the warm island waters and building sand castles with her keiki (kids).

isABelt

With manufacturers still making pants with a low enough rise to show a little skin, the trend is probably going to continue and us mommies who do a lot of bending and picking up are going to have to deal with the situation.  But, you will be happy to hear that a company came up with a solution called isABelt that is simple to use and clever as ever to stop those embarrassing moments of “show and tell” we’d rather not partake in.

There are so many times that I have bent over in public with one hand holding onto the back of my jeans and the other reaching for the toy that just fell out of the stroller.  Well, sometimes I don’t have the extra hand to hold onto the back of my jeans and “HELLO”, now everyone standing or walking behind me has had a shot of my pink lacey thong (on a good panty choice day).  I don’t know about you, but when I see undies popping out of pants, the first word that comes to mind is “tacky” and now I don’t have to worry again.

I’m pregnant right now and isABelt has saved me money because I’ve been able to expand the life of my jeans by popping the top button open and using the isABelt.  This will also be a lifesaver after I give birth to help me transition back into my pre-pregnancy weight.

isABelt comes in five sizes, including a Plus size that fits waists up to 50″ and a Junior size for girls 6/6x-12, which come in cute patterns for the trend setting teen.  Now women and girls everywhere can feel confident while wearing their favorite jeans and not having anymore of those embarrassing “bend over, show too much” moments.

Courtney is a mompreneur who invented The Original Changing Clutch found at www.theappleofmyeye.com.  She resides in Rochester,  MI with her husband, two daughters and ANOTHER girl on the way.

Rhetoric Shirts

Say it all without saying a word wearing Rhetoric shirts. I am a tee shirt and jeans kind of a gal. So I was excited to try out a new graphic tee from Rhetoric Shirts. These shirts are not only soft, but they are made from high quality Peruvian cotton that is shaped well for a woman’s body - no boxy look here! And their fresh, unique and hip graphics on them, definitely make a statement. My husband, and everyone else, got a kick out of this shirt. (pictured above). Rhetoric Shirts offers you to make a statement, be comfortable and be fashionable. Imagine that! Easily and comfortably, fashionable! Three cheers for Rhetoric shirts! http://www.rhetorictshirts.com

Sarah lives in Hawaii with her husband and two children. When not busy with her blog, Ohana Mama, Sarah loves splashing in the warm island waters and building sand castles with her keiki (kids).

Earth Balance

Have you been operating on sugar overload this month?  Are you starting to gear up for those healthy New Year’s resolutions that we all are determined to stick with “right after the holidays”?  Well, I’ve found a product that should definitely be on your list of healthy foods for 2009.

Isn’t it great when you sample a product that you absolutely love and then you find out that it’s actually good for you.  This happened to me when taste testing the latest new products from Earth Balance!  Who would have guessed that I’m talking about peanut butter! Their crunchy, natural peanut butter is exceptionally good and will be a hit with children of all ages.

Earth Balance produces a line of deliciously healthy buttery spreads, shortenings, nut butters, and cream cheeses.  Made with a proprietary blend of expeller-pressed oils shown to raise good (HDL) cholesterol and lower bad (LDL), they’re also a good source of important Omega 3’s.  Available in organic, vegan, and dairy blend varieties, in both tub and stick forms, Earth Balance Natural Spreads are free of GMO’s, gluten, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, and artificial ingredients of any kind.

Now when you are finishing up those last minute Christmas errands, be sure and stop by Whole Foods Market,  Trader Joe’s and other local natural and specialty stores and pick up some Earth Balance products to help you stick to those inevitable New Year’s resolutions!  For more helpful information check out their website: www.earthbalancenatural.com

Karen Cole Paper

Solana Swaddle Wraps

As soon as I had this blanket in my hands, I got very excited to use it.  It is different than the swaddling blankets I’m use to.  The ones I’m use to using are made out of flannel cotton and only fit a newborn.  It’s tough to swaddle your baby past the first few months with the typical swaddling blankets you find on the shelves of Target or Walmart.

The blanket that was sent to me from Solana Babywear is called the Ashley Solana Swaddle Wrap and is made out of a beautiful eyelet gauze and trimmed in pink satin.  The blankets are a generous 45″x45″, so they will swaddle any sized baby up to 20 lbs and the fabric is lightweight and breathable, so baby won’t overheat, yet will sleep longer and better.

My baby is on her way (due next week) and I can’t wait to try out her new Solana Swaddle Wrap.  Luckily, every blanket comes with instructions because even though this is baby #3, a refresher course is always nice!

I wish I had had one of the Solana Baby Wraps when I lived in Southern California because we lived in an area where the summers were in the hundreds and I’ve always been a fan of swaddling.  Most of the time, I would swaddle my daughter and she would be wearing just a diaper or a short sleeve onesie so she wouldn’t overheat.  The Solana Swaddle Wrap would have been GREAT!

Courtney is a mompreneur who invented The Original Changing Clutch found at www.theappleofmyeye.com.  She resides in Rochester,  MI with her husband, two daughters and ANOTHER girl on the way.

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