When I was contacted about Angela Moore’s line of brilliant jewelry, I was giddy with excitement.  As the mom of boys, anything pretty and fun is great by me!  One of the things I love about this jewery is that it isn’t “stuck up” for lack of a better term.  It’s unique, bright, bold, creative and beautiful…all at the same time.

But even better, the line offers a couple of pieces that support causes that I am 100% behind!  You all know how I feel about Ovarian Cancer research and supporting it (my Aunt died of Ovarian cancer 4 years ago) but I’m also a supporter of Breast cancer awareness!  When I received both a Breast Cancer bracelet and an Ovarian Cancer bracelet, I was stunned, they are so beautiful and I just couldn’t decide which one to wear first.

Angela Moore products are hand painted and one of a kind and the quality is second to none! Here’s a little more information for you:

Angela Moore has partnered with the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) to create a collection specifically dedicated to welcome new beginnings.

As featured on the OCRF.org website, the Angela Moore Ovarian Cancer Awareness Collection features the signature teal ribbon set on a crisp white background. To recognize the importance of the work that the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund does, Angela Moore donates 15% of the proceeds from this entire collection back to them all year long. The collection includes a bracelet, necklace, pendant, petite bracelet, earrings and hair tie and range in price from $12-$95.

The Pink Ribbon Collection…pretty, pink and positive…October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Show your support by purchasing this meaningful and stylish collection. By popular request, Angela Moore has expanded her Breast Cancer Awareness collection to include the new Pink Ribbon Collection. This collection features the signature pink ribbon symbol that signifies the ongoing research to find a cure for breast cancer and the celebration of remembrance, recovery and results.

Set on a crisp white background, the pink ribbon theme is accented with pale pink crystals.
15% of the net proceeds from this collection are donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and their designated affiliates.
The collection includes a bracelet, necklace, triple beaded pendant, pendant, watch, petite bracelet, earrings and a hair tie and range in price from $12-$105.

I love that!  A full 15% of all proceeds from each of these lines goes right to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and Susan G. Komen for a Cure!   So, this month if you are looking for a great gift for a friend, mother, sister, etc.  This is definitely a great place to start!  These bracelets would make an amazing birthday or Christmas gift for any woman!  Hop on over to AngelaMoore.com for all the goodies!

If you’re looking for the perfect baby gift, I have a great idea for you! Recently, I was contacted by Lindsey, owner of Pocket Baby, asking if I’d be willing to review one of her products.  She sent me an absolutely adorable and unbelievably soft little onesie for my 2 month old niece.

Of course, I can’t help but love the fact that when you shop at Pocket Baby, you’re supporting a work-at-home-mom’s business! When I asked Lindsey to tell me a little bit about Pocket Baby and why she opened her Home-Based business, this is what she said:

I started Pocket Baby because I was looking for a solution to a problem that I had when my daughter was an infant. I loved using pacifier clips, but I couldn’t ever find a good place to clip them. I always found myself saying, “If only there was a pocket right here!” So I made one, and Pocket Baby was born! The best part is that even if you little one doesn’t use a pacifier, the pockets on the onesies and t-shirts are still stylish and fun on their own!

Her products are very comfy and functional, but totally unique and the quality truly is amazing.  The onesie that Little Miss has is Pocket Baby’s oh-so-adorable Pink Flowers Onesie…and let me tell you, it is waaaay cuter than the photo can begin to depict!   Her best seller is the Sugar Snaps Onesie in Bright Pink (another adorable choice that I may just have to order for Little Miss to wear later in the summer).

Of course, since I have all boys, I had to see what they had available for the little guys too, and I found some very fun options.  My favorite one is the Argyle T-Shirt in Chocolate Brown and Pocket Baby carries their T Shirts up to size 4T (which is what the twins wear incidentally), so they are great for toddlers as well!!!

Pocket Baby is offering one very lucky commenter a Pocket Baby onesie or T-Shirt of your choice. To enter, simply visit Pocket Baby, then come back here and leave a comment telling me what your favorite product/style is!

There are tons of ways to get extra entries, you can see all of them here and read my policies as well, here’s a quick breakdown for you though:

• Blog about it! Write a post on your blog linking to this post and leave a comment with the link to your post.
• Tweet It: Just twitter about this post (with a link to it of course), then come back here and leave another comment with your twitter name (do NOT forget to leave your twitter name so you get credit for the tweet).
• Stumble It: Submit this post to stumble then come back and leave another comment with your stumble ID.
• Technorati It: Add this post to your technorati favorites…earns you another comment with your technorati name.
• Vote for it at Mommy Blips: Just vote it up at mommy blips then leave another comment here with your username.
• Kirtsy It: Submit it or vote for it on Kirtsy, then leave another comment with your username.

Whew!  That’s a lot of extra entries!  So, just make sure all your comments are in by Wednesday, June 17th to be eligible, prize can be shipped anywhere in the Continental USA, and this giveaway is void where prohibited of course.

Have you ever opened your washing machine to find an unpleasant odor? Or maybe your linens smell like mildew. It is hard to get your clothes clean and smelling fresh if your washing machine doesn’t smell good. Well, here is a great product that will remove washing machine odor called Smelly Washer!

Smelly Washer eliminates the embarrassment of moldy smelling clothes, towels, and linens. It is a green product that is safe for our environment. It is the only available washing machine cleaner that will remove mold odor or smells of mildew from clothing or towels. So, not only will this product eliminate washing machine smell, it will freshen up your towels and clothing.

Smelly Washer is guaranteed to eliminate washing machine odor by adding just 1 tablespoon to your load. If you would like to try out this wonderful product, Smelly Washer is offering a 10% discount on your order by using this coupon code: afroginmysoup on the order form.

This is truly a great product, and I was excited when they sent me some to try first hand!  Almost all of the new front loading washing machines need to be cleaned regularly (check your instructions to see what the frequency for your machine is) and I really love being able to use an environmentally friendly product to do so!  Just sprinkle a capful in your washer, have the machine agitate it around a bit and turn the machine off overnight so that it can do it’s job.  Then, first thing in the morning, run the rinse cycle and voila, you’re good to go!

One of the simplest ways to start going green is to start using your own reusable grocery totes instead of the plastic grocery bags they offer in the store.  I’ll admit that this is one of the areas that I have not been as good about (sigh!).

Let’s face it, the store bags aren’t very fun typically and many of the reuseable bags offered out there are a nylon like material that  just seems awfully flimsy for my hefty groceries!  So when Goody Green Bags contacted me about their bags I was very excited to see that they offered something a little different.

When I received the bag they sent me to review I was thrilled to see that it was actually a LOT different than the other bags I’ve seen!  It completely folds into itself to make it as compact as a large wallet, so it fits in my purse perfectly.

No concerns about it’s durability either, it is made of non-woven polypropylene – a coated, water resistant material that is light-weight, durable, fire resistant and washable!

But for me, most importantly, this bag holds a lot of groceries!  Seriously a huge deal for me!  Their fun Sample Pack offers the perfect number of bags for most families!

Oh, but I forgot to mention the one thing that is possibly most important to a lot of other moms…style!  These bags are so very cute!  I received the Dottie bag and I don’t ever hesitate to use it for shopping, or for day to day tasks.  The rest of their bag styles don’t dissappont either!

Right now, in honor of Earth Day, you can get their bags for 15% off ( just click on this link and you’ll automatically get that discount).  Hurry though, this offer expires the end of April!

I’m always looking for greener, healthier products for my family.  Especially in the kitchen!  So, when I was asked to check out Healthy Kitchenware I was excited to see what they have to offer…and I wasn’t disappointed.

When Cynthia was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2005, she had never heard of the word. Her research pointed to the importance of nutrition and environment as the very important areas to monitor to fight this disease. When reading about endometriosis, Cynthia realized she had to change her lifestyle. She decided to get rid of all the plastic in her kitchen that came in contact with her food. This proved to be a big project, much easier said than done.

So, she decided to take matters into her own hands and now offers a variety of safe kitchen products through Healthy Kitchenware.

I’m very excited that she has many great products just for kids!  In fact, her number one seller is the stainless steel lunch carrier with sauce container…perfect for those healthy lunches you’re trying to pack for your little ones.  I love the Children’s Dish Set (includes a plate, bowl and mug)…it’s green with a frog on each peice so of course I love it!

They are generously offering a Stainless steel lunch carrier for one very lucky commenter!  To enter, just visit Healthy Kitchenware and take a look around.  When you’re done, come back here and leave a comment mentioning your favorite product.  If you want extra entries, just take a peek at this page for all the details.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian addresses, will close on April 16th and is void where prohibited.

I don’t often have an opportunity to review food, but this was definitely fun!  Keeping my 13 year old from eating all of them was definitely a challenge, but in a good way.

Patricia “Sister” Shubert has always loved to cook and the idea of starting her company began at her church’s 3rd Frozen Food Fair where her rolls were so popular she couldn’t take all the orders people wanted to place.  Her business began in her home…or more precisely on her sun porch!  After a year, she setup a commercial bakery and the rest is history.

You can buy her great products on her website and at various stores through the US.

Although you can purchase Sister Shubert’s delicious products through the site, you can also get some really great recipes.  Be sure to check out the Ham and Artichoke Bruchetta for a very yummy Easter dish!

I adore the fact that all her products are fresh and there are NEVER any additives or preservatives.  In a world filled with them, I like this much healthier option!  Never fear though, when you order her products are shipped quickly and in special packaging to ensure that they arrive totally fresh!

They are holding a couple of amazing contests at their site and I really encourage you to check them out…

• The first is called “On a Roll”, where you can win four top-of-the-line Frigidaire appliances for submitting the best recipe incorporating SS rolls.
• The other is for submitting your best “Quality Time” story you share with your family. That prize is a gift basket with goodies, valued at $45.

Sister Shubert’s is also very generously offering a gift basket (valued at $45) for my readers!!! Their custom hand-painted basket comes complete with two pans of rolls and your choice of one of the following: Sister Schubert’s own Cranberry Nut Bread; Fly-Off-the-Plate Pancake Mix with Blackberry Patch Syrup; or Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake Mix with Blackberry Patch Fruit Butter. This basket also includes Mook’s Cheese Straws, 2 packs of Red Diamond Estate coffee and a hand-decorated, seasonal cookie.

To enter, please visit their website and take a look around!  Once you are done, come back here and share a favorite (or traditional) Easter dish with us (just the name is fine, you don’t have to leave the whole recipe).  Remember, there are always many ways to get extra entries, just go to THIS PAGE to read my giveaways policies and how to get those extra entries!

This giveaway will end April 9th, is open to US addresses and is void where prohibited!

I’m very excited to introduce you to Friends Forever Girls – a great line of girls products that encourage friendship and build character and community! They offer a complete line of beautiful dolls, great books, accessories and more.

The Dolls: These dolls truly are beautiful.  High quality and perfect for school age girls who love to collect and play with dolls.

The Books: These books offer great stories for the girls to really give them the background story on all the dolls and the friendships that make them so special.

The Clothes: The clothing offered for this doll line are affordable, fresh and fun!

The Accessories: Little girls love fun accessories, and when they can be purchased to match their favorite doll, that’s even better.   They carry T-shirts for little girls, jewery boxes, even a tea set to encourage great friend play days!

I’m thrilled to be able to offer you all a coupon that entitles you to a free girl’s Friends Forever t-shirt with any doll order.  Just be sure to enter the code: Spring to take advantage of this offer.

I’m also so excited that one of you will receive a Friends Forever doll (of your choice) for your little girl (a $59 value).  To enter, be sure to visit the site and learn about all the Friends Forever Girls.  When you’re done come back here and leave a comment telling me which one you want and who you want it for.

Remember there are always many ways to get extra entries (go HERE to see how).  This giveaway will end on April 3rd and is void where prohibited.   This giveaway is brought to you courtesy of Mom Blog Marketing!!!

Chore charts and accomplishment charts are always a great idea, but finding one for littler people can definitely be a huge challenge.  So, when I was contacted to review Behavior Buddies’ Goalkeeper, I realized that this might be the perfect solution for my younger crowd.

Behavior Buddies is the result of two moms’ desire to create visual behavior products for parents to use with their children. These tools are designed to support positive parenting by reinforcing what parents say with kid-friendly illustrations. This can help to increase kids memory, motivation, and compliance.

Both Kim and I are busy working mothers who understand the importance of being consistent and positive when parenting children. But we also understand that, as busy parents, not everyone has the time to plan out and organize a behavior system that young, non-reader, and/or special needs children can easily understand.

The Goalkeeper helps parents and children keep track of the behavior goals they are working on. It uses simple, colorful illustrations that are easy for non-readers to understand, but also includes simple text for young readers.

The Goalkeeper includes 24 illustrated magnets that target some of the most common childhood behavior problems, but we also supply blank magnets so the chart can be customized for any behavior. There are 30 fun “star” magnets to put on the chart when kids are successful. Most importantly, each Goalkeeper comes with a parent handbook that explains it all and makes it easy to get started and get results. Kids love to track their progress on the Goalkeeper!

This product really is perfect for our 5 year old who is struggling at times to grasp some very key concepts preparing him for Kindergarten. This week we have been focusing on Using Manners, Respecting Others’ Space and Picking up After ourselves. He loves looking at the chart and seeing his progress and I like the flexibility of behavior to work on! You will definitely want a different chart for each child!

I’m so excited to see all the new products they have “in the works”! The end of this month, they will start shipping out a very cute Bath Buddy chart that helps children in their quest to be more independent in their personal care. I’m also VERY interested in their upcoming Potty Training chart and their Table Manners chart!!!  I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this company!

Be sure to get on their mailing list so that you can be the first to know when their new products are released and get great discount information!!!  In the meantime, they have offered my readers a 20% discount through April 30th when you go to THIS LINK!

They are also offering one very lucky commenter the opportunity to win a Behavior Buddies Goalkeeper for your child! To enter, just visit their site and take a look around.  Then, come back here and leave a comment telling me what product you love and why.

There are always lots of ways to get extra entries for A Frog In My Soup giveaways!  Visit THIS PAGE to see how.  This giveaway ends on March 25th and is void where prohibited.

I LOVE giving my nieces (yup, even the one on the way) pretty girly things.  Many of you may not know that I am a total girly girl despite my position as the mom of 6 boys (or maybe because of it LOL).  So, when I have an opportunity to review products that they will love, I jump on it!

Recently Jenniffer Powell, owner of Born 2 Impress, introduced her shop to me and sent me some lovely products for my nieces to review!  Jenniffer started making bows shortly after she found out she was pregnant.  Everyone loved them and encouraged her to sell them…it didn’t take long for her to open her shop online.

Born 2 Impress is committed to hand-crafting unique designs with the highest quality materials and the utmost care, for any occasion, in a timely manner so that anyone can make their little one feel and look like a princess.

I love her vision statement:

To show our appreciation for kids and childhood.
To let kids be kids and look like kids.
To let parents have a sense of pride and security.
To create awareness that every kid was Born 2 Impress.

There are so many beautiful products to choose from, you simply HAVE to check it out for yourself!

Their Bubblegum Woven Headband was the hands down choice for my 9 year old niece.  It impressed my sister particularly because girls my niece’s age still want unique, fun and pretty things for their hair, but don’t always want them to be big and bold.  This headband was perfect for her!

The Lavendar Crochet Headband is so sweet and pretty.  It is perfect for those fun dressy days for even the littlest of babies.  I love these headbands, they are so cute and fun!

The Pink and Brown Dots Braided Headband is one that we were amazed by.  The craftmanship used to create this great headband is not easily duplicated.  My sister is the queen of frugal and crafty.  Often she’ll receive something and think “oh, what a great idea, I know how to make that”, but I can absolutely assure you that with this headband that is NOT the case!  She looked at me and said that it was amazing and something she would definitely buy from Born 2 Impress.

My readers can even get 10% off their purchases (expires June 4 2009), just go shopping at www.Born2Impress.com.

I’m also thrilled to let you know that Jenniffer has offered a $20 gift certificate for one very lucky commenter to go shopping at Born 2 Impress.  To enter, be sure to visit Born 2 Impress and take a look around.  When you’re done, come back here and leave a comment telling me what your favorite product is.

This is open for shipping to US addresses only and will end on March 18th.  Want extra entries?

• Twitter this contest – come back here and leave a comment with a link
• Blog this contest – come back here and leave a comment with a link
• Submit to a social networking site listed below (kirtsy, mommyblips, etc) – leave a comment letting me know what you did.

When author Eric Ruhalter contacted me recently about The KidDictionary,  he was very creative and shared a few of the words and definitions in his introduction.  Based on that first email alone,  I immediately knew that I needed to check it out and let all of you know about it.

Are you interested in knowing which word it was that he introduced me to in that first email that made it so appealing?

THREEMAGEDDON (three-muh-GED-in)–n.: The supposed hellfire and brimstone that would erupt should an annoyed mother reach the third digit while counting aloud to 3 to get a non-compliant child to get his act together..

“ONE !….TWOOOOOOO !!!!….. ”

Every single one of my boys has been subjected to “threemageddon” and I laughed until I cried when I read that one!  Now that I have the book, I’m daily able to pull it out for a great laugh.  It is truly amazing that Eric had the wherewithall to make up these great words that almost all parents can relate to in one way or another.

Eric very graciously agreed to my request for an interview! …..

Q. Tell us a little bit about your family.

My family consists of myself, my wife/best friend Kara, and our 3 fascinating and inspiring children. Two boys and a girl – Jaxen is 10, twins Maya and Crosby are going to be 7 on Feb. 19. We live in Morristown, NJ. .

Family life can hectic and difficult and trying a lot of the time, but there are precious and unforgettable moments woven in there. You have to make sure you’re always looking for them and able to appreciate and enjoy them. Because those are what life is really about (within your family and everywhere else you go.) That is one of the many important things being the father of this family has taught me. Find the good in things. The good is worth looking for.

Q. Was there a particular event that triggered a “lightbulb” moment of inspiration for this book?

One day my son Jaxen was looking in the mirror at the gap in his mouth where his upper-right bicuspid used to be. He clutched a dollar bill, courtesy of the Tooth Fairy.
“What do you think?” I asked.
And he replied “I think that if I knock all my teeth out I’ll be rich!”

And I thought … there should be a word for that – A cross between the words “Orthodontics” and “Entrepreneur”. And thus was born – “ORTHODONTREPRENEUR” (ORR-tho-dahn-truh-prehn-ORR) noun : a child interested in knocking his own teeth out in the interest of a hefty payday from the Tooth Fairy.

Q. What is your favorite word (or the one you relate to the most) from the book?

I love all the words in the KidDictionary. They’re all special because they stand for moments I’ve experienced in the upbringing of my children. Some are things that have come and gone. But because of this book I won’t ever have to forget them. The most pleasant surprise in publishing this book has been that others have mirrored this sentiment. Strangers are telling me that the words in The KidDictionary have captured precious moments that they’ve shared with their kids and will provide them with a way to keep them close to their memory after their kids grow up and move on. That really makes me feel good.

On a purely comic level though, I think my favorite word is WISHJACK: To maliciously blow out the candles on another child’s birthday cake. It’s one that resonates with a lot of people. Everyone’s seen it happen. Now there’s a word for it, and I just think that one works especially well. I also like INVISIBOOBOO quite a lot – The spot on your child’s body where you placed a band aid to appease them when they got hurt though did not bleed.

I can totally relate to being the parent of an “orthodontrepreneur” (or any word with a form of entrepreneur in it LOL).  I actually think of my sister everytime I hear the word “invisibooboo”, it’s just too funny.  Of course, any parent with a toddler or preschooler understands the terror experienced when a known “wishjack” appears on the scene at a birthday party.

I highly recommend this book for parents.  You can find purchase links at www.TheKidDictionary.com and at Amazon.com!  It would also make a fantastic gift for any expecting/new parents you know or just as a lovely pick-me-up for a friend who’s a little overwhelmed by parenting at the moment.

The KidDictionary has the uncanny ability to turn an “ordinary” event into something that’s funny.  It kind of makes me look at challenging situations with a little different perspective and a bit more humor.

Eric has very kindly offered one very lucky commenter their very own copy of The KidDictionary!  To enter, please visit the book’s website.  When you’re done, just come back here and leave a comment telling us a funny situation with your child, or a situation that you think deserves a word of it’s own!

To earn extra entries ….

… Twitter a link to this contest then come back and leave a comment with your @ twitter name.

… Blog about it with a link to this post and come leave a comment with a link to your post.

This giveaway will end on March 10th and is void where prohibited.