A must read for parents + a GIVEAWAY!

I recently received a copy of Recovering The Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing (Vol. III, No. 4) -- Focus on Parenting written by Holli Kenley. This journal is published monthly, and I was fortunate enough to be gifted the October issue which focuses on topics relevant to parenting. The issue is filled with a variety of articles, many which are inspiring.

As a parent myself, I found the personal stories in this issue particularly heartwarming. I could definitely relate to the memoir written by C. Saldana, In Love there is no Distance, Only Unity as another non-custodial mom. The messages in these articles can pertain to anyone that is a parent, whether their children are young or adults. Another article that I found to be especially pertinent in this day and age was Parenting a High-Tech Generation by Holli Kenley. Some of the ideas she wrote about to "unplug" ourselves in order to reconnect with our children and families make a lot of sense. In addition to the personal stories and the educational articles, there were some entertaining pieces as well. The piece by Mark Elswick titled Newborn to Dad: NO MultiTasking! was pretty funny and made me chuckle. It reminded me a little of my own husband.

There were several helpful articles that I thoroughly enjoyed reading throughout this issue. I will definitely be keeping up with this monthly journal at Recovering the Self and would recommend everyone to check it out and see for themselves! The publisher, Loving Healing Press has been kind enough to offer two free copies of the journal to my readers, in the winners choice of print or Kindle editions. Be sure to enter this giveaway below. There are NO mandatory entries!



I received a Kindle edition of this journal for the purpose of conducting this review. All the opinions expressed are my own and no monetary compensation has been received by me.

Tiny Prints Talent Search!

Tiny Prints wants YOU to enter for a chance to win the grand prize of $1,000 cash, plus a $500 Tiny Prints gift certificate. What a perfect prize just in time for the Holiday season!

In the Tiny Prints Talent Search Contest they are looking for the cutest photos in the following categories:

· Cutest Baby (From ages of 0-24 months)

· Cutest Kid (From ages of 25 months - 10 years old)

· Cutest Family

· Cutest Couple

· Cutest Pet & Owner

After the entry period is over, Tiny Prints will open up the contest to the entire Community to vote for their favorites and determine the winners! Hurry! The entry deadline has been extended to November 21st!

You can enter the Tiny Print Talent Search Contest via Facebook or on our website. For Official Rules, click here.

Heelys for the Holidays

I received a pair of Heelys to review a couple of weeks ago (yes, they make them in adult sizes and boy, is my 7 year old jealous!). I have to admit, I was kind of intimidated when they arrived. Shoes with wheels? Me? Surely you jest. I will admit that I procrastinated on trying them out, but when nobody was looking (except my 13 month old), I went for it. The shoes are pretty comfortable, I must say. With the wheels out, they are fine to wear out and about. They're a skate shoe, and look as such.

I put the shoes on (wheels in!), and decided to use my son's stroller to hold on to (to learn about "heeling", click HERE). It didn't feel like there was enough weight in it, so I put my son in it. That helped (especially with the part where I didn't want him to see me!). There was definitely a learning curve, but I figured it out. My son had a blast as we wheeled around the house (lucky me, we have tile throughout our home). Afterwards, I read through some information on the Heelys website, like the Heely's Safety PlayBook and the Responsible Skating Agreement.

My 7 year old has been begging me for a pair of Heelys for a long time now. I have been afraid to get them for him, because I didn't think they would be safe. However, after reviewing all the safety information on the website, I'm convinced that with the proper safety equipment (helmet, CHECK!, knee pads, CHECK!, Bubble Boy, errr..check?), Heelys will be another way to help him get up off the couch and outside and on his way to being fit and healthy for years to come.

Now I really don't have any excuse to NOT purchase a pair for all my big kids this holiday season! The best part is, Heelys is throwing a Black Friday special!! Between Nov 25-Nov 28, Buy any pair of Heelys, get the second pair for $25. Or buy a Nano, and get a pair of shoes for $25, and get free ground shipping on all orders! You can see the entire fall and winter 2011 collection HERE. Which pairs of Heelys will YOU bring home for the holidays?



I received the product discussed for review purposes only as a Business2Blogger member. My writings and opinions are my own. Please see my disclosure page for more information.

The First Year in Photos

When I look back at all the photos I've taken of Tristan over the past 11 months, I wonder how I'm ever going to get his baby book done.  I've started, but I've been really slow about it.  I think I might be up to his 2 week birthday so far, but not much further along than that.

I recently found these great Photo Books from Shutterfly while I was there ordering Prints from my graduation in May.  With their new Custom Path, you can personalize your photo book, incorporating up to 1000 pictures!!  For those of you that don't want to get so detailed with your photos, they still have the Simple Path books that come with pre-set backgrounds and layouts, and allow up to 400 of your photos to be incorporated.  Since I have so many photos of Tristan, the Custom Path is perfect for me.  I can't think of a better way to commemorate his first year of life than to put it into one of these Photo Books.  They're available in five sizes (5x7, 7x9, 8x8, 8x11, 12x12), and prices start at just $12.99.  The best part is that even the covers are customizable, including the spines.  I'm sure my parents and in-laws would love to have one of these for each of their grandchildren.  (Sssshhh...it's supposed to be a Christmas surprise!)

Speaking of Christmas, don't forget to check out Shutterfly's great selection of Christmas Cards while you're there.  They have over 800 templates, just waiting for your personal photos and message.  We did a family photo card last year, and will be doing them again this year.  They're a great way to ensure all your friends and family get a recent family photo or photos of your children, without the added expense of having to buy frames and wrapping paper to gift them all in.  Ok, so I'm a little "thrifty", but with all the money I've saved, I can afford to get some personalized invitations for the little guy's birthday, and thank you cards for afterwards!

I better get going!  I've got lots of pictures to upload so I can get this photo book done before Tristan's birthday!  It's less than 4 weeks away now!

Bagnetic Review & Giveaway

Reusable grocery bags. Many of us have them, but I guarantee you the ones that you are always forgetting to take along to the store are NOTHING like these bags! Bagnetic® bags are shaped like a traditional plastic disposable grocery bag, and they have magnetic rings on their handles, which allow them to slip easily onto the bag stands at most grocery stores. These bags leave cashiers and Mother Nature smiling! They come in an assortment of colors, and can hold up to 30 pounds per bag! Watch the video below to see how Bagnetic® bags work.

Bagnetic® was founded in 2009 by a young entrepreneur, Ryan Bautista. Having travelled extensively, he noticed that litter from plastic bags was commonplace in most countries. Research into the plastic bag dilemma revealed that less than 1% of them are recycled worldwide. The vast majority end up in landfills, oceans or as litter, costing tax payers millions of dollars and harming valuable ecosystems. Inspired by Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth", Ryan felt it was time to contribute in reducing our carbon footprint. Ryan devised a way people can reduce their plastic bag consumption—all while adding affordable convenience to their shopping routine.

My review: I purchased my Bagnetic® bags online after seeing them featured on Zulily. When they arrived, I placed them on the included hook and into my car. On my next trip to the grocery store, I handed them over to the cashier. She started bagging as if they were the standard issue reusable grocery bags. I showed her the rings on the bags and told her they should slip right onto the bag stand (and they did). She was really impressed with how easy and fast she was able to bag my groceries after that, and commented how she wished all reusable bags were made like that. Upon leaving, I clipped my full Bagnetic® bags to the hook accessory which made for a quick exit out of the store. I’ve used them at Walmart as well. The clerk there didn’t need any instruction on how to use them and told me how much she liked them. In the past two weeks that I’ve been using these bags, the response has been very positive. On my end, they’re easy to transport and keep together, thanks to the magnetic rings. They’re also easy to wash, which I found out after a tub of salsa spilled into the bottom of one of the bags. The produce bags are really cool too ! They’re see through mesh, which allows the cashier to easily ring your produce at check-out. Best of all, they hold up to 15 pounds, and are washable as well.

Bagnetic® is offering one lucky reader a Family Pack of Bagnetic® bags which includes the following: Mixture of 4 Bagnetic Bags + 4 Reusable Produce Bags + 1 Jumbo Hook, a $24.99 value!