This Giveaway has ended!  The winner is #7 Autumn H.!  Congratulations Autumn and thanks to all of you for participating!

Finding the right Breast Pump to suit your needs as a breastfeeding mom can be a big challenge!  I didn’t use one at all with some of my boys, but when I had mastitis with our second son, when my third son had difficulty nursing and with my preemie twins it was an absolutely necessary piece of equipment.

There are many reasons why moms use breast pumps…for some it is a huge part of parenting their infant as they go back to work…for others it may be for as simple a reason as needing to ward off or get rid of mastitis or making sure you have enough milk left behind for a night out with your husband.

Thanks to Mom Central, my sister is currently using the Evenflo Comfort Select Performance™ Dual Auto-Cycling Breast Pump…I know that’s quite a long product title, but it’s an amazing little gadget for breastfeeding moms.

Before I passed it on to her though, I had to take a peek at it for myself and I was truly impressed that it looks almost exactly like the super expensive hospital quality breast pumps I used with the twins, but is available for about one quarter the price of the other brands.

Here’s my sister’s list of reasons she recommends this breast pump:

• Very comfortable and easy to hold
• Better than any other battery powered pump she’s seen
• Loves that it has the option of using the battery or plug, convenient for home or travel
• Easy to put together and use
• Cool bag to store it all in…really!
• Choice of using it as a single or double breast pump (each unit has it’s own individual motor for maximum efficiency and control)
• Suction control is VERY effective – offering a wide variety of levels to choose from for maximum comfort
• Pumps just as well as the priciest brands
• Puts her mind at ease because the bottles are BPA free and almost phthalate free… since it is best to feed baby out of the same container that you pumped into, this is truly a feature to look for.
• The Breast Pads did NOT leak through when other brands have!  My sister feels completely at ease about any leakage problems when wearing these in public after having a bad experience with one of the other brands.

I have the honor of being able to offer one lucky commenter the opportunity to win the Evenflo Comfort Select Performance Dual Auto-Cycling Breast Pump for themselves or someone they know who is (or is soon to be) breastfeeding! To enter, simply visit Evenflo’s breastfeeding page and take a look at the variety of products or check out one of the linked resources.  When you’re done be sure to come back here and tell me one (or more) of the following:

• Your favorite breastfeeding moment
• Why you’d love to win this breast pump or who you’d like to win it for.

Remember there are always many more ways to get extra entries…and I highly recommend taking advantage of these options based on the number of winners who’s extra entry was their winning entry (hint: the easiest extras are tweeing via twitter, blogging about it or submitting it to stumble or mommy blips!).

This giveaway will be available through May 13th, is open to US addresses only (sorry) and is void where prohibited! (more…)

We eat a lot of spaghetti around here.  Pasta in general is pretty standard fare, but all the boys love spaghetti!   So, we’ve tried a lot of sauces and Ragu is definitely one of my favorites!

You see, for many years I made my own sauce, but sometimes it’s just one too many things to do, so I always keep jars of spaghetti sauce on hand.  We’ve tried many different brands and I really do prefer Ragu, so when Mom Central asked if we’d be willing to try out their two latest flavors – Sweet Tomato Basil and Margherita – we were thrilled.  My kids LOVE reviewing food LOL!

These two flavors do not disappoint.  Rich in flavor and very tasty.  Make sure you check out Ragu’s website for some really great recipes and ideas using these sauces!  Your family will love it!

I’m going to pose a horrible question today…what would you do if your child died tomorrow?  Not one of us want’s to truly consider what our answer would be.  But I’ll bet that when all was said and done, the feelings could be summed up in one sentence….

Enjoy every moment with your children today!

Seems simplistic, I know, but I guarantee you that although none of us even wants to consider that possiblity, we all know that we can’t undo what will happen tomorrow, but we can live better today.

I’ve been given my 6 sons for a season here on earth…and as much as I want it to last forever, somewhere in the back of my mind, I always remember that I have no idea how long God plans to keep them here.

I have to be totally honest with all of you right now…I spend way too much time whining, nagging and not being thankful!  I do!  I shudder to think of all the times have I gotten angry and spouted off about stuff that, when all is said and done, is trivial!

Today in the light of just such a tragedy for another family in the momblogosphere, I have found myself stopping often to just watch my children play.  Ignoring the task at hand to reach out and give them a squeeze.  Giving each of them an extra peck on the forehead as they pass to enjoy their lunch.  Being more creative in my discipline by directing them instead of reacting.

And although I realize that I should be doing this each and every day, it’s times like this that we realize why and it sinks in just a little deeper!

This post was inspired by the tragic sudden death of 17 month old Maddie Spohr yesterday.  { The link takes you to her March of Dimes page since their blog is down right now due to their hosting company shutting them down because of the amount of traffic they were getting.  Some lovely bloggers are in the process of moving her site right now, so soon you’ll be able to see it again here.}

I pray that today you are inspired and encouraged to take a second look at your children and spend a few extra moments just enjoying being their mommy!

Finding babysitters is always a challenge for us, but even for families with far less children than we have it can be tough.  Many parents live far from family and friends and who wants to invite a stranger into their house when you really don’t have much information about them?

Enter Sittercity, a website that offers parents an opportunity to basically interview many potential babysitting candidates.  Whether you need a sitter for a night out or regular daytime care, there are many people out there looking for a variety of positions.

The thing that Sittercity offers though is peace of mind.  A full interview of the potential sitters as well as background check on many of them and more.  An annual membership is $95.88, which is well worth it for many parents.

At Sittercity, even I can find what I need.  Someone close to home, available during the day, once a week or every other week who has their own transportation and at the right price.  Sounds like a tall order I suppose, but it’s what I need and there’s someone out there to meet that need!

Right now, use the code: Sitter10 to get 10% off their annual membership fee.

Also, Sittercity is offering one very lucky commenter the opportunity to win a full year membership!  To enter, just go to their site and have a look around, check out the number of sitters in your city and once you are done come back here and leave a comment with that number in it (in your comment, you are also welcome to tell me why you need this membership)!

This giveaway will end Feb. 20th and is brought to you, in part, courtesy of Mom Blog Marketing.

Hi everyone, don’t forget to enter the contest for Disney’s Three Caballeros Collection DVDs being offered at Froggy Reviews!  The contest ends Wednesday afternoon!

This contest has ended and the winner has been notified.  Be sure to enter all of our current contests:)

Calling all princesses, ballerinas, fairies and divas!  This is the shop and contest for you (and those you shop for)!

Since I don’t have a girl of my own I’m not often out looking for all of the adorable clothes and accessories that are available.  So when Natasha – owner of TuTu Cute contacted me about her adorable shop I was excited to go have a look.   Oh was I ever tickled to see all she offered once I got there (maybe it’s good I don’t have a girl to spend all my hubby’s hard earned money on, because I totally would at this shop)!

Natasha began creating these adorable tutus and other products when she was pregnant with her daughter in 2006.  She was so excited that her third child was finally a little girl and she had made tutus as gifts for friends and family, so she felt that TuTu Cute was the perfect fit for her new girlie life :) .

She offers several collections of tutus (and even boutique hairbows) for every style.  There’s the Garden Fairy Collection with layers of colorful tulle and pretty petals, and the Knotted Collection with it’s Pixie, Portrait and Little Lady styles.  She also carries a very fun TuTu dress and a sweet little “My First Tutu” just for infants – how cute is that?! 

Her most popular collection though is the Cadence Collection which offers three piece complete outfits featuring her adorable TuTus!  My favorite is the Pink Princess TuTu (which is also offered as an outfit) – the tutu that is featured at the top on the left.  It has more tulle than most tutus and is filled with 300 flower petals, sequins and pearls (WOW) and the waist is embellished with elegant satin embossed ribbon.  But there is something in this collection for girls of all styles!

One of my favorite things about TuTu Cute is that they offer a product that is handmade by a work at home mom, but it doesn’t stop there.  The TuTus are made of nylon tulle which is flame retardant, and all materials used in TuTu cute TuTus and outfits are bought and made in the USA!  So Natasha can honestly say that her products are proud to be MADE IN THE USA.

Brace yourselves ladies … not only has Natasha offered a WONDERFUL TuTu for a giveaway (we’ll get to that in a moment), but she has extended a very fun special offer for those of you who would like to go shopping at TuTu Cute!  Any of you who purchase a product from the Cadence Collection between now and May 15th will get a FREE Portrait TuTu in your choice of color (a $23 value!!!).  All you have to do is go to the Contact Us section after placing your order and send her an email stating which color Portrait TuTu you would like (just choose from the colors offered for that product).  Make sure you MENTION THIS CONTEST to get the free TuTu!!! 

As if that wasn’t enough, the pretty Princess TuTu that I mentioned earlier – the one pictured at the top on the right – yep, that one (a $45 value!) … Natasha is giving one of you the opportunity to win one of those TuTus!!!  I know you’re terribly excited about that, so here’s what I need you to do to enter (don’t worry it’s really quite simple):

• ~ Visit TuTu Cute and take a look around.
• ~ Come back here and leave a comment telling us your favorite product &/or a suggesion for a product you’d like to see offered.

It’s that simple!  Oh, and guess what … TuTu Cute can ship anywhere, so this contest is open to participants in all countries .  Please be sure to tell everyone about it, if you’re a blogger it would mean a lot to Natasha if you would spread the word about this shop and this contest in a post on your blog.

Be sure to enter by Tuesday May 13th.

A very fun Walt Disney movie collection has been released just in time for Cinco de Mayo!  The Classic Caballeros Collection includes Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros plus plenty of bonus features that all introduce children to South America, Mexico and the “music, beauty and excitement Lating America has to offer”.  

I was thrilled when I was contacted with the opportunity to preview it - I received it just as we were packing up to leave for our fishing weekend away.  As you know this wasn’t just any trip either, it meant 4 hours on the road just to get there, with 6 boys in a Yukon. Yup – we needed to have plenty of things to entertain them and a new movie was just the ticket!

About an hour into the trip I put in the movie and I have to tell you I was impressed – it was silent in the back. Well, other than the frequent outbursts of laughter as Donald (it’s always Donald isn’t it?) I’m sure was doing something incredibly silly – even in the opinion of an 8 year old   It really was fun for me to hear them talking about the movie and enjoying it so much.  They watched it many times during the trip and were amused by it each time – as a mom I have to love that!

I have a fun little clip from the movie below, but better yet, you can visit www.FroggyReviews.com and LEAVE A COMMENT TO WIN ONE OF THREE COPIES OF THIS DVD  

The time has come for a little bloggy organization.  As more and more great products, sites, movies, books and more are brought to my attention I needed a place for it all to go so that A Frog In My Soup could continue following it’s original path – chronicaling my journey as the mom of 6 boys, supporting and encouraging moms, sharing my journals as well as some great information and resources I have found. 

So, I’m very excited to introduce all of you to Froggy Reviews!  Simply hop on over to www.FroggyReviews.com to see what’s going on.  I’ll be offering many contests there as well as lots more great reviews and discounts!  It’s truly all the same information in a new location.  You can subscribe to it easily via email or any reader by following the various links offered on the site

I have already posted some great information and resources and today I am featuring a fun first contest that I’ll tell you more about later.  I think this will be a great resource and it is very exciting to have a better way to introduce all of these great shops and products to you!

This contest has ended, thank you for your participation and be sure to enter all the latest contests!

There’s so many great mom-shops out there that I knew nothing about!  I am so glad when women like Rebecca, owner of Quote the Walls approach me and let me know about their great products!

Have you ever been to someone’s house and noticed that their walls were perfectly decorated and they even had custom hand lettered quotes on the walls?  I have and I think it is a fun idea . . . but waaaaay to time consuming.  Until I found out about Quote the Walls where I can get personalized wall lettering for my home that looks hand painted, but without the custom cost! 

The greatest part about Quote the Walls is that when they say personalized, they MEAN it!  Seriously!  They can make almost any quote you want for your wall (from scratch the way you want it) and even graphics for your walls.  You choose the quote, the font, the color – even art or graphics if you want and they take care of the details for you.  All you have to do is follow their 4 simple steps to apply the quotes to your walls!

I love the example featured above on the right!  Demonstrating a wonderful way to create a beautiful and personal wall with their products.  In case you’re wondering, their most popular products are nursery and children’s sayings with scripture verse following closely!

Rebecca has kindly extended free shipping to all of my readers.  All you have to do is enter the code: SHIP before you check out!  So be sure to head over and start looking around. 

She’s also offering a very generous $50 gift certificate for one very lucky commenter to use in her shop!  WOW!   To enter you need to do the following:

1. Visit Quote the Walls and take a look around.
2. Come back here and tell us your favorite item(s).

Be sure to enter by May 6th! 

Another fabulous invention of a work at home mom, the Baby Sharmooz was created to help keep infants from going bald.   I remember this being a problem even before back-sleeping was mandated.  The amount of time an infant spends laying, sleeping, swinging and bouncing definitely gives those little heads a good rub.

This patented design resembles a pillow but is really a headrest thus posing no suffocation hazard.  It is created to fit perfectly into an infant’s environment and activities.  The Baby Sharmooz is great to use in cribs, car seats, bouncy seats, swings and more.  This inventive mom realized that if using satin pillowcases for herself worked to keep her hair styles in tact then why not use it for her baby!  And it worked! 

Their products are created with crepe back Charmeuse satin – a high quality grade of 100% woven satin that feels silky smooth!   Then add in the luxurious minky fabric and it’s just as cuddly as it is functional and cute!  Their most popular product is the Hot pink with Cheetah trim Pillowcases and Headrest! 

Sharmooz offers Pillowcases, Infant Headrests and even Blankets!  So I encourage you to hop over and take a look around!  While you’re there you are welcome to take advantage of the generous 15% discount Ann has offered my readers if you use the code: baby15 during checkout!

If you’d like to win a Baby Sharmooz for the little prince or princess in your life, be sure to leave a comment mentioning your favorite product &/or color by May 1st.