I have known my husband since the sixth grade.  Because we have such a history, I have been lucky enough to meet many of his friends and extended family.  I never got the chance to meet one person he still holds close to his heart, his grandmother.  Consequently, she was not fortunate enough to hold her own great-grandchildren.  In 1986, Grandma Joyce passed away from a heart attack at the young age of 59.

Now, heart disease is the leading killer of women claiming the precious lives of 1 in 3 females, more than all forms of cancer combined.  On February 3rd, you can help the American Heart Association raise awareness about the truth of heart disease by participating in the 9th Annual National Wear Red Day.  Need some inspiration?  Check out some of my ideas to help you “Go Red!”

Additionally, if you are in the New Orleans area, consider attending the Go Red for Women Luncheon to be held February 3rd at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside.  The luncheon will encourage women to take charge of their heart health by providing access to health screenings, seminars, and a heart healthy lunch.  Tickets can be purchased for $100.

What do you do to live a heart healthy lifestyle?

This post is the opinion of Experimental Mommy.  No compensation or product was provided for this post.

With the unseasonably warm temperatures here in South Louisiana, you would never guess that it is still technically Winter.  In fact, I took the kids to the park yesterday in shorts and a T-shirt….crazy for January, right?  Despite the fact that we seem to be skipping Winter entirely,it is time to start looking forward to Spring.  I am starting to go through my wardrobe and take inventory on what we may need in the near future.  Tops on my list?  Flip Flops.

Last year, I purchased my first pair of Havaianas flip flop sandals for women and absolutely loved them.  The thin straps, one of their signature features, are very comfortable and stylish, too!  Have you heard of Havaianas?  The company began in 1962 inspired by the Zori, typical Japanese sandals made of fabric straps and rice straw soles. Now, the foot-bed of all Havaianas flip flops have a textured rice pattern, one of its many unmistakable features.

Recently, Havaianas rolled out it’s Spring 2012 line.  The new products feature fun patterns, new strap styles and even Disney Cars and Princesses for the kids (my girls will definitely want those)!  My favorite pairs are the new Slim Thematic in the Chili Red color and the Slim Crystal Flower.  I definitely see these in my future!

Don’t miss out on any Havaianas news by following them on Facebook today!

Almost 12 years ago (has it been that long?), my husband and I honeymooned in Disney World.  So it was only natural that upon the birth of our first daughter, we could not wait to sprinkle her life with Pixie Dust!  Watching my daughter’s eyes light up with excitement when she saw Cinderella’s Castle is a magical moment I will never forget. 

With the “delivery” of DisneyBaby.com, you can share your magical moments and find fun products and meaningful solutions to everyday problems faced by new or expecting parents.  The new site is organized into the following sections:  Getting Ready, In the Nursery, Dressing Baby, On-the-Go, Mealtime, Playtime, Bathtime and Baby’s Firsts.  By navigating the site, you will quickly find adorable items from Disney Baby Collections which can be sorted by gender, product type, Disney character and retailer.  Of course, I am partial to the Disney Princess items!

While you are on the site, get inspired by ways to add a touch of Disney magic in your baby’s life!  Tips from real Moms will help you add that special Pixie Dust to the nursery, playtime, and even party ideas.  Do you have an idea or want to share a special memory with the Disney Baby community?  Upload your magical moment and surf through experiences of other readers.

Don’t miss any news by following Disney Baby on Twitter! 

As soon as the holidays are over and we look towards the New Year, I am in full on party planning mode.  My oldest daughter’s birthday is at the end of January with my youngest’s close behind in early March (not to mention my husband’s is the day after).  The next few days are filled with researching and booking  party venues, ordering party supplies, assembling favors and mailing invitations.  In the whirlwind, it is easy to forget the little things!  Inevitably, I will forget something and often that includes charging the batteries in my own camera.

I definitely do not want to miss any of these precious memories, so I was thrilled to learn about the rechargeable battery options from Rayovac.  As a Rayovac Power Blogger, I received a nice package of the products currently available.  My favorite?  The USB 2 Position AA and AAA Charger (available at Walmart).

As a blogger, I am basically attached to my laptop so having an alternate way of charging the batteries for my digital camera is a blessing.  This charger allows you to recharge 2 AA or 2 AAA NiMH or NiCD batteries from a computer or any standard USB hub (aka my laptop).  I love that the charger is very compact and perfect for packing in my suitcase for out of town brand events or blog conferences.  I am able to fully charge Rayovac Everyday Use AA batteries in just 9 hours and the green LED lights let me know when the charge is complete.

As it turns out, I am not the only one in party mode these days!  Today, January 17th, Rayovac turns 106 years old! To celebrate, I have a special Rayovac discount just for you!  Simply use promo code PowerBlogger20 to receive 20% off your Rayovac order and free shipping on orders over $25 now through January 22nd.

Happy Birthday, Rayovac!

This post is the opinion of Experimental Mommy.  Others may have a differing opinion of the product.  As a Rayovac Power Blogger, I am compensated for my time, but all opinions remain 100% mine.

With two small children in the house, my husband and I often sacrifice our own television preferences for that of family friendly programming.  I could probably recite just about every episode of Disney’s “Good Luck, Charlie” and Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer”, but I can’t even tell you the last time I watched the 5:00 news or my favorite FRIENDS reruns.  That being said, the one thing my husband and I will not give up is our New Orleans Saints Football!

Despite the devastating loss yesterday in the playoffs, the new Cox TV Connect iPad app saved our sanity.  My girls are troopers and watched most of the game through halftime with little to no complaints, but their patience grew thin and they were requesting their favorite shows.  My husband and I were not about to change the channel, but we do have an iPad!  Recently, I was introduced to the Cox TV Connect iPad app and couldn’t wait to give it a try…was there ever a better time to test the benefits?!?  The app allows you to choose from more than 35 national cable channels (which does include Disney) and watch television shows LIVE right on your iPad!  Let me walk you through the process:

1.  Download the Cox TV Connect App from the iTunes store.

2.  Open the App and enter your username and password.  (This app is FREE for current Cox customers with Cox TV Essential and Cox Preferred, Premier or Ultimate Internet service.  You must be connected to your Cox Wifi account to launch the service.)

3.  Once the app launches, you will see a programming guide with more than 35 channels to surf.  The guide displays the show currently on air as well as the rating and brief description.  You are also able to view future programming to see what’s up next.  Found something you want to watch?  Simply click on the show to view!

4.  The app allows you to watch the show in full screen mode (portrait or landscape), too.  Looks just like you are watching television!

Fortunately for us, we found one of my daughter’s favorite shows on Disney and she was more than content to watch from my iPad giving her a break from the black and gold football madness.  We found the Cox TV Connect app extremely user friendly and quite frankly, a life saver!  Hopefully, local channels will be added in the future, too.  If you are a current Cox Customer, it is a definite “must have” on my app list.

Don’t miss any news or technology announcements by following Cox on Facebook, @Cox_com on Twitter and their YouTube page.

This post is the opinion of Experimental Mommy.  Others may have a differing opinion of the product.  While I was compensated for my time, all opinions remain 100% mine.

On Monday, the Country will celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King.  Many will honor him by participating in a day of service as Build-A-Bear launches it’s search for the 2012 Huggable Heroes.  This program, which is in it’s ninth year, searches for young people (ages 8-18) who make a difference in their community through leadership and acts of selfless service to others.

From now through February 27th, you can easily nominate a young person online or in stores to be one of ten named to the 2012 Build-A-Bear Huggable Heroes.  Each winner will receive $10,000 ($7,500 in the form of an educational scholarship from Build-A-Bear Workshop and $2,500 from the Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation to be donated to the 501(c)(3) charity or Canadian cause of their choice). In addition, the Huggable Heroes will receive a trip for themselves and one parent, or legal guardian, to St. Louis, home of Build-A-Bear Workshop World Bearquarters, where they will be celebrated for their work, participate in a professional photo shoot, and take part in a community service project.

After reading the stories of the 2011 winners, I was in awe of what Kyle W. was able to accomplish at only 18 years of age.  Kyle co-founded FUNDaFIELD.org when he was just 13 years old to raise money to help build soccer fields for kids in Africa. FUNDaFIELD.org has raised more than $138,000, constructed eight soccer fields in Africa, held four soccer tournaments, and delivered uniforms, soccer balls and other necessary supplies!  Just amazing!

How do you encourage a spirit of volunteerism in your children?

A long time ago (longer than I care to admit), I took a field trip with my 6th grade class to the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.  I remember being given a sample of “space food” as a souvenir.  My friends and I opened to package on the way home and tried the ice cream.  It was strange, but not at all bad.  At the time, I figured I would never have to eat something like that again because I did not plan on becoming an astronaut.

Little did I know, more than 20 years later, I would be standing in line at the emergency food supply for “meals ready to eat” after my home was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.  The camp set up by the Red Cross and local charities was a HUGE food storage tent!  They gave out MRE’s as well as baby care supplies and toiletries.  It was a life saver. 

Until that moment, I had never considered stocking my shelves with long term food storage from a service such as Prepare Wise.  The dehydrated and freeze-dried foods from Prepare Wise are contained in airtight nitrogen packed Mylar pouches, and can be prepared in just minutes. All of these long term food storage items maintain a shelf life of up to 25 years, and for added protection are encased in durable plastic containers that are stackable and easy to open and close.

While I will still prepare for a hurricane threat with traditional canned goods and bottled water, I will definitely consider stocking the shelves with a few long term items as well.  Are you prepared for the unthinkable?

Six years ago, our home was damaged in Hurricane Katrina.  While there were many days filled with stress and anxiety while trying to rebuild, there is always a silver lining, right?  Some of the most fun days were filled with shopping for new appliances, bedding, clothes and furniture allowing us to forget about our once mold-filled home.

My favorite projects were designing our new kitchen (picking out cabinets was awesome) and shopping for a new bed.  My husband and I visited just about every mattress store that was open in our devastated City.  We researched before we shopped, but felt compelled to “test drive” numerous mattresses which was so much fun.  Even though we looked at several stores, I never came across a divan bed.  Have you heard of that type of bed?  According to Bensons for Beds a divan bed is defined as:

“...a bed with a deep hollow base, a matching mattress and no boards at either end offering a practical solution for homes in need of additional storage space. Discreet drawers built into the bed base provide large storage areas for bedding, towels, clothing etc.”

How cool is that? Both of my daughters have storage beneath their beds in the form of pull our drawers, but I had no idea that other storage options existed.  While searching around the site, I found several cheap divan beds including a totally cool ottoman bed where the mattress flips open to reveal a HUGE storage space.

While I will not be in the market for a new bed for quite some time (provided no more Hurricanes wreak havoc on my home…knock on wood), I will definitely put the divan bed on my short list of options to explore.

Happy Holidays, Experimental Mommy readers!  We had a wonderful Christmas with family, friends, and lots of generous gifts.  But, the favorite gift by far for both of my daughters were their new American Girl dolls.  My oldest received Marie-Grace, the doll from our New Orleans hometown while my youngest received her first American Girl doll that was designed to look just like her.  Both have carried their dolls around endlessly since Christmas morning.

As a Mom, I love the American Girl brand because it represents all that is good for girls: confidence, generosity and kindness.  I love that some of the dolls come with books that teach life lessons and culture.  On January 1, 2012, American Girl will release their much anticipated 2012 Girl of the Year, McKenna Brooks!  This doll, who is a gymnast, strives to overcome challenges to reach her full potential.  As she enters the fourth grade, she finds her grades slipping as she has trouble with reading comprehension skills (a common problem at this age).  She struggles to regain her confidence and pull her grades up but achieves her goals by focusing on her strengths rather than her weaknesses.

In addition to the doll, fans will have the opportunity to buy accessories such as gymnast equipment including a balance beam and leotard or McKenna’s loft bed with desk.  McKenna Brooks comes to life in two books as well as an activity book where girls can take challenges and earn points.

We absolutely cannot wait to meet McKenna Brooks!  Her caramel colored hair and bright blue eyes are truly adorable!  Be on the lookout starting January 1st!

This post is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy.  While a sample of the books was received to facilitate this post, all opinions remain 100% mine.