2009 January | Product Reviews by The Experimental Mommy

Shabby Apple: Picture Princess Search

January 31, 2009 By admin 5 Comments

I have noticed lately that most outfits and dresses in the stores require some level of layering. Too low cut? Add a cardigan! Too sheer? Add a cami! Shirt too short? Add a layering tee! Honestly, can’t we have an outfit that can just be worn ALONE? It really increases the cost of an outfit if I have to purchase additional items to make the style “work” for me.

I was more than happy to be introduced to the clothing boutique, Shabby Apple! Their motto immediately caught my eye:

A return to what dresses were always meant to be — a one-piece outfit.

Perfect! Looking around the website, I found a ton of great women’s clothing like this dress! And I just love this little girls outfit!

Right now, Shappy Apple is looking for a new Picture Princess to grace the pages of their catalog! You just need to post 3 pictures of your little girl, ages 0-8 years. So, here are my little ones:

Lily, age 4

Aubrie, age 11 months

Sisters:

I think little girls would look great in just about any girls dress from Shabby Baby, but I would most like to see Lily in this dress and Aubrie in this one.

Both girls would make excellent Picture Princesses because, as you can tell from the above pictures, neither are shy in front of the camera. And as their Mother, I can totally vouch for the fact that both Lily and Aubrie are Princesses! LOL! Lily takes direction well and absolutely LOVES to have her picture taken. She has also become quite the photographer in her 4 years of life! Aubrie automatically smiles when she sees a camera (I think we may have take one too many pictures of her! LOL!).

They would both love the experience of being Shappy Apple’s next Picture “Sister” Princesses!

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Filed Under: Promotions

Happy 4th Birthday, Lily!

January 30, 2009 By admin 20 Comments

At midnight tonight, I went into labor and just 17 short (yeah, right) hours later, Lily came into the world and changed our lives forever. I just can’t believe it’s already been 4 years! It makes me worry how fast the next 4 years will go!

I wanted to share with y’all some of my favorite pictures from the last 4 years! Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Lily-Pie!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

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Filed Under: My So-Called Life

Decorating Trends for Your Nursery

January 29, 2009 By admin 1 Comment

I would like to welcome Suzanne, an expert from CSN Baby to The Not-So-Blog! This is my very first Feature Writer! Hope you enjoy her article!

Preparing a nursery for your new baby’s arrival is one of the most exciting things to take part in but the task can prove to be a little overwhelming with the abundance of paint colors, wall decals, and bedding options. With all of the choices in the growing nursery market today, how do you find style that fits you, your baby, and the current baby décor trends in one swoop? After all of the difficult choices about cribs, changing tables, rockers, and other baby furniture have been made, now’s the time for the fun part! Let’s take a look at the current baby décor options hitting the market today and see how we can incorporate our own personal touch in our newborn’s room.

One of the most important factors to consider when decorating your baby’s nursery is color as this provides visual stimulation during your child’s development. While pastels and soft, cool colors have always been in style for crib bedding and nursery accessories, a growing trend for 2009 is a more modern approach that creates a fresh, updated look. Modern nurseries incorporate furniture with clean, simple lines and décor that includes a contrast of bold colors and unique patterns that can be mixed in a variety of different ways. Instead of committing to one bright wall color, give yourself a little more creative freedom by hanging vibrant wall décor over neutral colored walls. Name Your Design has a wonderful collection of canvas nursery wall art where you can choose an adorable modern decal and customize the surface with your child’s name.

Another nursery décor trend that has become more and more popular this year is the use of wall decals. These beautiful nursery additions can be as small or as large as you wish depending on the space you’re working with. Wall Candy Arts features fun animal shapes and modern decal patterns that are as easy to remove as they are to stick onto the wall. If you’re interested in something more permanent, Tatouage Designs gives you the opportunity to become your own artist with their intricate rub-on artwork. After rubbing on and peeling the sheet away, your finished product will look as if you painted the nursery mural yourself! Adding your own personal touch to your child’s room is always a great option and can prove to be a lot easier than many of us think. Visit your local craft store to check out their selection of wood letters to add a monogram to your children’s wall or spell out their name in full. This adorable DIY décor idea would look perfect on the wall or resting on top of a small mantle. Simply sand down the wood, paint each letter the color of your choice, and decorate with a modern pattern.

Thanks so much, Suzanne, for those wonderful tips!

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Filed Under: Promotions

Inkubook: Review

January 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Do you have a ton of digital pictures that have been hidden away in the depths of your hard drive? Why not bring them out and create a keepsake everyone can enjoy with Inkubook?! Whether you are creating a book for Valentine’s Day, for your kids, from a vacation or just for the fun of it, you are sure to love the end product!
With Inkubook, you can make a professional quality book in minutes. Simply create a free account, choose your book style and cover, upload pictures (it’s alot like attaching files to email), drag and drop pictures into a variety of layouts and themed choices, and order!

Can it really be THAT easy? Inkubook allowed me to try out their service in order to put their claim to the test. I chose to create one of their Super Big Calendars, a new product for Inkubook! I found it very easy to follow the on-screen directions and upload files. It was fun to personalize it by choosing the layout I wanted (there were several layouts to accomodate a variety of pictures) and using the drag-and-drop feature to place my pictures.

Look what I did!

My calendar arrived in a little over a week and I was totally impressed! The spiral binding on the calendar makes it very sturdy and durable. Another feature I loved about Inkubook is that you can invite friends and family to upload pictures for your book. This is such a great idea if you are putting together a book for a family reunion or maybe a family vacation!

I really think this would make a great gift for Valentine’s Day, or even Mother’s/Father’s Day! Hop on over to Inkubook and see what you can create!

Filed Under: Reviews

Zutano: Review and Giveaway CONTEST CLOSED

January 28, 2009 By admin 204 Comments

Because Aubrie attends daycare, I am always on the search for easy, comfortable, breathable and cute clothes for her. She needs a ton! I am not sure what my child gets into at daycare, but she never comes home in the same clothes I sent her in!
I first discovered Zutano at a local children’s boutique when Lily was an infant and I immediately fell in love with the fun prints and the endless possibilities with the mix and match pieces. I didn’t know at the time that Zutano’s mission is to create “Clothes as Unique as your Baby!”

A little more about Zutano:
“The colorful aesthetic and heartwarming ethic of Zutano was born out of the talent and dedication of one creative new mom and dad. Over the years, Zutano has matured, refining the essentials of its charter mission and blossoming into an extraordinary force in the children’s clothing industry.“

Always intrigued by the new patterns, I was thrilled to receive three pieces from Baby Basics line: short sleeve T-shirt, green stripe pants, and jacket in the Flower Time pattern! Seriously cute stuff (you can tell Aubrie thought so, too!)
One of things I love about Zutano is how incredibly soft the clothing feels! I like that they have several pieces in a particular pattern which easily coordinate with one another. The jacket is extremely useful in a daycare setting because (at least here in South Louisiana), you never know what the weather will bring! The short sleeve tee also has buttons on the shoulder which makes changing a squirmy baby a much easier task. Aubrie was very comfy in her new outfit and had no problems crawling around the floor as usual.
Want to experience the luxury of Zutano for yourself? Zutano has generously offered one lucky reader a COMPLETE Zutano set including long sleeve tee, pants (orange), jacket, and booties in the Zoo Crew print (size 0-6 months).

How to enter:
1. Visit the Zutano website and check out all the great patterns! Let me know which is your favorite!

Additional entries (leave each entry in a separate comment):
1. Blog about this giveaway and provide a link to The Not-So-Blog.
2. Favorite me in Technorati.
3. Subscribe to my feed or via email.
4. Follow my blog.
5. Follow me on Twitter (BridgetteLA) or tweet about this giveaway.
6. Sign up for Zutano’s newsletter.

This giveaway is part of the Bloggy Carnival at Bloggy Giveaways!

Contest ends at 11:59pm on February 3rd. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.
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Filed Under: Giveaways

I was nominated!

January 28, 2009 By admin 2 Comments

Thank you to everyone who nominated me for Best Director over at The Dottie Awards!

So, now that I am deemed a Good Director by my bloggy peers, I will now DIRECT you to go vote for me in this post at MomDot:

Go! Vote for me! What are you waiting for? Move it people! RUN!
DO IT!

(please)

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Filed Under: My So-Called Life

Think Thin Thursdays

January 28, 2009 By admin 9 Comments

Yep, it’s Thursday! Time to Think Thin!

Why is it that when I get so close to a goal, I sabotage my efforts? I cut myself a little slack, which turns into a LOT of slack, which turns into swimming in a giant pit of McDonald’s french fries. Ugh.

Here’s the ugly truth….don’t look directly at the scale, or maybe if your squint it will change the numbers somehow….

I gained 1.8 pounds. What is wrong with me?!? I knew it would be bad because this week was insanely busy and I didn’t follow the diet AT ALL. So, I need some motivation. HELP! Somebody give me a “virtual” kick in the pants!

Don’t forget: Place the Think Thin Thursdays button in your sidebar! We are always open to new members, so encourage your friends to join us! Make sure you blog about your weekly goals!

This weeks task: What is YOUR motivation? Is it a pair of skinny jeans, a sexy black dress, a bathing suit, or simply being there for your kids? Blog about what keeps you motivated or better yet, show us a picture!

Did you meet your goals this week? Sign the Shrinky Linky! I am working hard to secure some prizes for the upcoming weeks, so you don’t want to miss out!

Good Luck this week!!
Till Thursday……..

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Filed Under: Think Thin Thursdays

Wordless Wednesday

January 28, 2009 By admin 24 Comments

This was in our paper last week in the Birth Announcement section. Um. Yeah. Hail to the new royal babies!

Filed Under: Wordless Wednesday

Skin MD Natural: Review and Giveaway CONTEST CLOSED

January 27, 2009 By admin 103 Comments

The weather here in Southeast Louisiana has been absolutely crazy the past few weeks: below freezing temps, above average temps, rain, humidity, and even SNOW! The extreme changes in temperature have wreaked havoc on my skin (is that my hand or a glove made out of alligator skin? LOL!).

Being a lab technician, I wash my hands multiple times a day. I like to keep a bottle of hand cream at my desk at all times and since I have been at my job for 14 years now, I have tried just about EVERY hand cream on the market! So, I was delighted to give Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion a try!

My first question: What exactly is a Shielding Lotion?

I found the answer on the Skin MD Natural website:

“Shielding lotion is a lotion that forms a protective barrier on the skin and keeps out irritants and chemicals. It also allows the natural oils and moisture to remain in the skin so it can heal better. It is a big advantage that shielding lotions are light and go on without a greasy mess,” says Dr. Brian Zogg, a dermatologist in Albert Lea, MN.

Next: Why is a Shielding lotion better than Conventional lotions?

“By using a shielding lotion that bonds with the outer layer of your skin you can keep irritants out and moisture in. Because most moisturizers do not seal in the body’s own moisture, they artificially lubricate the outer layers of skin. When they wear off, the lubrication is gone and the original dryness remains. Sometimes this process will draw out the body’s natural moisture and contribute to the dehydration process,” writes Dr. Peter Helton, a board-certified dermatologist specializing in cosmetic dermatology.

This all sounds wonderful, but how does it work for ME? Skin MD was nice enough to send me a bottle to test and see how it suits my needs and lifestyle. The first thing I noticed was that the Shielding lotion contains sunscreen SPF 15 and can be used on the face, body and hands making it a very versatile product!

Scent is a big point for me when choosing a lotion. I do not like heavy or floral scents, and I was quite pleased with the fragrance of the Shielding Lotion. It has a light scent that disappears quickly. The consistency of the lotion was similar to that of sunscreen and less like your average hand moisturizer. I was concerned that it would leave my hands feeling greasy, but I was very happy to find that the Shielding Lotion was quickly absorbed by the skin and did not feel greasy at all! I am happy to have a product that will protect my skin from the harshness of the crazy weather and the physical demands of my job.

Want to try it out for yourself? Skin MD Natural is offering one lucky Not-So-Blog reader a bottle of their Shielding Lotion!

How to enter:
1. Visit Skin MD Natural and tell me one reason you would like to give it a try!

Additional entries (please leave each entry in a separate comment):
1. Follow my blog.
2. Subscribe to my feed or via email.
3. Favorite me in Technorati.
4. Place my “Mardi Gras Mambo” Giveaway button on your sidebar.
5. Follow me on Twitter (BridgetteLA) or tweet about this giveaway.