Summer's Almost Over

Oh my goodness. Can you believe it's back to school time already? Where, oh where, did the summer go? I say this every summer, and I swore this year would be different. Um, no, it wasn't. It flew by. To my defense, the big kids did spend a lot of time at their grandparents' and with their dad, so our time was a bit shorter than usual. It was a nice summer, though. And I think we're all feeling quite ready to get back into the school routine.

Feeling ready and actually being ready are two different things though. I anticipate this being a bit of a difficult transition for us this year. Noah starts junior high this year, which begins earlier than the elementary school where Norah goes. I just got a part time job outside the home. (More to come on that, but I'll tell you it's at one of my favorite women's clothing stores!) And I'll have to get Brady to daycare a few days a week. Oh my, I'm getting stressed just thinking about it!

Getting Organized

I really need to learn how to get organized. In fact, I'm working on a post for the blog I write for moms returning to college about the importance of organization when making life transitions. Guess I need to take my own advice. Fortunately, I've been asked to take part in this campaign and contest for AboutOne, a "digital life assistant" that offers a variety of tools to help you organize yourself, your family and every part of your lives, including a digital filing system and more. What's the best is that AboutOne was designed by moms for moms!

What is very cool about this service is that it covers everything. It's so incredibly comprehensive. You can preserve family memories here with a digital scrapbook, import your contacts into an address book, add your health records and information and store your important product and home information. The part I'm most excited about is the education feature. You can add your kids' schedules, records, grades and more. I can't wait to scan their papers and artwork to save for when we're all older. With three kids, I truly need to learn how to declutter.  What a fabulous way to cut down on papers, while still preserving memories! Everything can be organized by grade. It's perfect for students getting ready for college as well. You can begin adding high school transcripts and reference letters to keep in one convenient place. As a former college academic adviser, I love that!

The Contest

Okay, here's the part I know you've been waiting for. I, along with all the bloggers participating in this campaign, are offering our readers a chance to win one grand prize of a $500 AMEX gift card and one year subscription to AboutOne, as well as a donation of $250 to the school of their choice! All other entries will receive an email with a coupon code good for 25% off a one-year subscription to AboutOne. That's a good deal! A one-year membership costs $30, but you can try AboutOne free for 17 days, no credit card required.

In order to qualify to win the grand prize of the $500 AMEX card and more, you must sign up for the free trial. So sign up now, then fill out this simple form to be entered!

This giveaway will end September 9, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST, and it's only open to US residents 18 years of age and older. Good luck!

* This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

I'm so super excited to be participating in Gilt's Summer Spectacular as a #GiltyMom. Are you familiar with Gilt? If you're not, you are so missing out! Gilt is a fantastic deal site that has everything you could want at incredible prices. I've been a Gilt member for some time now, and I've drooled over the high fashion items they offer from major brands. But Gilt Children is where I've made my purchases.

My Gilt Children Experience

The first thing I ever bought there was a set of Plan Toys wooden blocks for my little guy. Brady absolutely adores his "castle" blocks. That's what he calls them. They were only $28 plus a very reasonable shipping cost. These blocks will last forever and really encourage my son's creativity. He loves to build castles and roads, bringing his other toys and action figures into the "town" to play. It's so much fun. I love finding things on Gilt Children that I wouldn't find in the stores around here.

My most recent purchase from Gilt Children were two sets of Green Lullaby cardboard storage boxes. These suckers are great! I really needed something to corral all of Brady's toys that have accumulated in the living room. I'd like the space to at least appear somewhat organized and grown up - not the children's playroom it actually has become! So I chose these:

They go great with our eggplant colored furniture. The storage cubes came in sets of three. These three work really well as stools around the coffee table. Brady can sit to draw or eat a snack, and he just opens the lid to find his toys now. So convenient!

Here are the other three. They're lined up against the couch. They look nice and neat. It's great that Brady can now easily find his toys. He actually plays with them more, and he seems much more content to entertain himself. He even plays with the boxes themselves, lining them up like a train. Each set was $35. The cubes are strong and were a cinch to put together. I did it all by myself! They're so strong that even his big sister can sit on them to play train with him. They hold up to 110 lbs. And look, aren't they cute?

Get $10 off a $50 Gilt Children Purchase and a Chance to Win $100 Credit

Gilt has very generously offered members of the #GiltyMom Summer Spectacular a unique gift code to share that entitles the users to $10 off any purchase of $50 or more. So just follow this link, and you're on your way to saving money and getting something very cool. This offer is good until July 18th. I have been very happy with my Gilt shopping experiences and am happy to recommend the site for awesome prices and a unique shopping experience.

Gilt is also offering all of the #GiltyMom participants a $100 credit to give away on our blogs! Wanna win? Just head over to Gilt Children and take a look around. Then come back here and leave a comment telling me what item you'd love to have. It's that easy! For extra entries:

Follow Everyday Baby Steps in the sidebar and leave a comment letting me you know did so or that you're already a follower.

Like Gilt Children on Facebook and leave a comment here saying you did.

Join in the conversation at the Gilt Children Facebook page. We're talking about all things parenting and summer. Then come back here and let me know about it in the comments.

Good luck!  A winner will be chosen at random at noon EST on Friday, July 22nd and notified through email. In the event that the winner doesn't respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

I am part of the Gilt Summer Spectacular and have been compensated for my participation in this campaign.

Do you have a PlayStation Move or do you plan to get one for Christmas? If so, you'll want to jump on this giveaway. If I had a PlayStation, this would be the game I would want. I even wrote about it not too long ago. Get Fit With Mel B is different than many fitness games. It offers:

• Real time feedback
• 200+ exercises including yoga, dance, kickboxing and step aerobics
• Tracking program
• Precision movement detection
• And more!

It looks like such a cool game. I really wish I had a PlayStation Move system. Unfortunatley, I don't. If you do, here's your chance to win this cool game and have fun while getting fit. All you have to do to be entered is leave me a comment telling my why you want to win. Simple as that. Entries will be taken until Thursday, December 23rd at noon EST.

Earn one extra entry by:

Following Everyday Baby Steps on Google Friend Connect in the sidebar

or

Tweeting about Get Fit With Mel B, linking to this post.

Just leave a separate comment for each entry. Two winners will be chosen December 23rd at noon. Good luck!

I've loved Norah Jones for awhile. i was drawn to her at first because my daughter's name is Norah, but when I heard her voice and her style, I was hooked. Her smooth alto voice immediately puts me at ease when I'm feeling stressed. I just love her! So I was thrilled to be able to review her newest CD, ...Featuring, a compilation of songs featuring collaborations with other artists spanning her career.

This CD did not disappoint. I have very eclectic music tastes and really enjoyed exploring the varied tracks. There is music for every taste on this album. One of my favorites, I must say, is "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Willie Nelson. It's just a fun song, and hearing Willie always makes me think of my dad and how he would force me to endure Willie as a kid. I never dreamed Willie Nelson would actually grow on me!

And "Creepin' In" with Dolly Parton takes me back to my childhood as well. Dolly is a strong woman with a voice that's so identifiable. There are artists of all variety featured on this CD though, not just country. Some examples include Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles, Outkast, Foo Fighters and more. The only people who wouldn't enjoy this CD are those who prefer only one specific music genre.

I really love ...Featuring, and I'm excited to offer a giveaway of this delightful CD. Do you want to win? Just check out the list of songs on the CD and come back here to tell me in the comments which one you're most interested in hearing.

For extra entries:

Like Norah Jones on Facebook.

Join Everyday Baby Steps on Google Friend Connect in the sidebar.

Tweet about the giveaway, linking to this post and including @marybabysteps in your tweet.

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each method of entry. A winner will be randomly chosen on Tuesday, December 21st at noon EST. Good luck!

Thank you, One2One Network for providing me the ...Featuring CD. I appreciate it!

CONTEST CLOSED - AWAITING WINNER REPLY

I can't believe I"m just posting about this now. Holidays throw off my routine so much. Recently, I attended a blogger's event to celebrate the opening of our local Pittsburgh location of 77kids by American Eagle, and it was amazing. Have you heard of 77kids? Until I was invited to the visit the store, I wasn't aware of it, but I'm so glad I am now. What a cool store!

Their clothes are so cute, with sizes from infants up to 14. I was impressed with the selection and with how fashion forward everything was - totally unique looks ad fun stuff kids actually WANT to wear. What was also really cool was the store's layout and the neat things they for the kids to do. Take a look.

This is my son, Noah, outside the store. His sister was sick that day and couldn't come. She was so bummed.

Here's a shot of the kids having races to see whose bird reaches the end of the slope first. So fun!

This is where Noah spent most his time. It's a photo booth where kids can take their picture and decorate it. Loved it!

Boys' dressing rooms.

Girls' dressing rooms.

Snowflake wall in the Wish4Snow program. Customers can donate money to go to local children's hospitals.

In fact, you can help with the Wish4Snow charity initiative as well. Head on over to the Wish4Snow microsite and design your very own snowflake. If 100,000 snowflakes are made, 77 kids will donate an additional $25,000 to children's hospitals around the country! You can make as many snowflakes as you wish, and for each you make, you'll be entered for a daily chance to win a $77 gift card to 77kids! It's easy to do and only takes a couple minutes. You only have to register the first time you make a flake. After that, you simply sign in and let your creativity flow.

It's all for such a good cause. Want another way to win? Well, I've got one. Head on over to the Wish4Snow site and make a snowflake. Then come back here and let me know that you did in the comments, and you'll be entered to win a $50 77kids gift card! Entries must received by Monday, December 6th at noon EST.

Get extra entries by:

Liking 77kids on Facebook

Following 77kids on Twitter

Following me on Google Friend Connect in my sidebar

Tweeting about this contest. Be sure to include @marybabysteps in your tweet!

Just leave a comment for each method of entry, and you're entered to win.

*I was compensated for this post. All opinions are mine. This store rocks! I got some great deals on really cute stuff for the kids.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED - AWAITING WINNER REPLY

Okay, ladies, today's review is an amazing one. I'm so fortunate to have been offered the chance to try the best wrinkle cream ever, and I'm a happy girl. What's also making me happy this holiday season is that I get to offer my readers a chance to win a product valued at $150 or less from PerriconeMD! The product I chose to review is the Cold Plasma anti-aging treatment.

About the Product

Cold Plasma by Perricone MD is an anti-wrinkle treatment with five years of research behind it. It's an amazing cream that treats the 10 most visible signs of aging:

• wrinkles
• enlarged pores
• dryness
• redness
• discoloration
• uneven skin tone
• impurities
• loss of smoothness
• loss of firmness
• loss of radiance

My Thoughts

Whew! That's a pretty big claim on the part of Perricone. I've been using the cream for over a week now, and I can tell you I have seen a difference in my skin's texture and brightness. In fact, the deep creases in my forehead are definitely less noticeable. I'm not saying they're gone by any means, but they are a bit less noticeable.

I'm a skin care fanatic and have tried many brands. The feel of this cream is sublime. It goes on so smoothly and makes my skin feel so refreshed. Cold Plasma is meant to be effective for all skin types, and it was absorbed into my combination/oily skin very quickly. That's a plus in my book. So many creams just sit on my skin or require a great deal of blending. Not this one. It goes on smoothly with no shine or greasiness.

My overall review of Perricone MD Cold Plasma is a positive one. I love the cream and can definitely see a difference in my skin. However, I must note that this miracle cream comes with a $150 price tag, making it cost-prohibitive for many - including myself. If you are dedicated to a skin care ritual that works and have the room in your budget to accommodate quality products, this is definitely worth a try.

With that being said, I'm very happy to have had the chance to try the Cold Plasma. I'm dedicated to my skin care and quality cosmetics. I know that beautiful skin and a good foundation are the most important aspects of a makeup routine. For this reason, I'm planning to try Perricone's No Foundation Foundation. It's $50, which is an affordable splurge for me for a quality daily foundation.

The Giveaway

So if you had the chance, which Perricone MD product would you choose? Go to their website and have a look around. Come back here and leave a comment telling me which product under $150 you would love to try, and you just may win it! All comments received by Monday, December 6th at noon EST will be entered to win the product of their choice, valued at $150 or less.

Want extra entries?

• Follow me on Google Friend Connect in the side bar.
• Tweet about the contest - be sure to link here and add @marybabysteps to your tweet.
• Blog about the contest with a link here.

Each of these is worth one extra entry, but you MUST visit the PerriconeMD website and tell me about your product of choice for any extra entries to count. Be sure to leave one comment for every method of entry. Good luck!

Last week, I wrote about an event I was attending sponsored by Libby's in conjunction with their virtual canned food drive. I'm here to report that our Libby's Lunch was a wonderful success. Other Pittsburgh mom bloggers and I got together to talk about ways we bring our families back to the table and to share ideas. I got a lot of suggestions and support from my friends. Seems I'm not the only one who relies on pre-packaged foods to help get dinner on the table! Canned spaghetti sauce and frozen meatballs are one of my standbys.

We also got to meet television personality and author, Hannah Keeley. She was so much fun, with a great sense of humor. Hannah gave us lots of great tips for getting dinner on the table, all the while saving our sanity. My favorite tip of Hannah's was to set up an assembly line of recipes and ingredients, place the ingredients one by one in freezer bags, then freeze them. When you're done, you'll have several dinners you can thaw, throw in the crock pot and have ready when you get home from work. Genius.

Here I am with Hannah. Isn't she gorgeous? She's also one smart lady. After we chatted for awhile, we got to work assembling gift bags for our local Habitat for Humanity. Let me tell you, a bunch of mom bloggers is one of the most efficient work groups you'll find! Seriously. We all got to work preparing bags, getting together canned goods and sending the bags down the line. After only a short time, we had assembled 30 bags full of canned goods, recipes, tips and kitchen goodies to send off to families in need. Check it out.

I had a fantastic time and was sent home with my own gift bag from Libby's, containing some yummy fruits and veggies, as well as Hannah's Total Mom Makeover book. I love this book because it takes a "baby steps" approach to making changes in your life. Hannah gives some great guidance and tips for making realistic changes toward living your best life.

So would you like to win a copy of Hannah's book and a Libby's goody bag? Good. All you have to do is leave me a comment with your best tip for getting your family back to the table. You'll get one bonus entry for setting up your own profile at Libby's virtual canned food drive, following Libby's on Twitter or liking them on Facebook. Leave a separate comment for each method of entry, but you must leave your best back to the table tip in order for the others to count. Also, please include your email address to be sure I can contact you if you win.

Entries will be accepted until Friday, October 1st at noon EST. A winner will then be picked at random. Good luck! Can't wait to read your tips. And don't forget you can donate to the food drive by clicking on the button in my sidebar.

I love Tiny Prints. I've been a fan ever since winning personalized Christmas cards a couple years ago. I got great service, and the cards were so nice. Tiny Prints has just launched a new line of greeting cards that you can personalize, schedule and send online. So cool! No more running out to the store for last-minute cards. Just hop online and place your order. Tiny Prints will handle the rest. Your card will be placed in an envelope, addressed, stamped and sent.

There are a wide variety of services available. Each card can be personalized however you choose. If you have the time and want to make it more personal, Tiny Prints will send the card to you to sign and send. You can pay per each card individually or sign up for a membership plan. Everyone who signs up for a membership plan will receive 3 free cards, and the first year's membership fee is waived! What an amazing offer. I can personally attest to the quality of Tiny Prints cards. You'll love them!

To celebrate the launch of Tiny Print's new greeting cards, they're having a special Twitter party tonight, April 23rd, at 9:00 pm EST. The hashtag will be #makeitpersonal. RSVP to Amy at Resourceful Mommy for a chance to win prizes. Speaking of prizes, You also have a chance to win 25 free Tiny Prints greeting cards! Just leave me a comment telling me what you like best about greeting cards. For example, do you like choosing the perfect words or sentiment? Do you prefer personalized cards to generic store-bought ones? Let's hear it. Your comment will earn you one entry into the contest. For extra entries, become a fan of Tiny Prints on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. The come back here and let me know in separate comments which one you did. That's three chances to be entered to win 15 free greeting cards. Entries will be accepted until Friday, April 30th at 12:00 pm EST. Good luck.

Finally, a chance to breathe and to really talk about my awesome Blissdom sponsor - UVSunSense. What an amazing, innovative product! I had a chance to talk to several bloggers at the conference about UVSunsSense and what it does, and they were all very impressed. I'll bet you're wondering just what this wonder product is and how it can benefit you. Let me tell you!

UVSunSense is a bracelet you wear that changes color when it's time to reapply sunscreen. It contains a photosynethic dye that allows it to monitor your exposure to the UV radiation from the sun's rays. Isn't that genius? Here's a picture.

This is a bracelet all members of the family can wear. The color will change when it's time to reapply sunscreen. Imagine, no more hassle of dragging the kids out of the water at the pool or beach to come get slathered with more sunscreen. They'll actually be excited to come tell you when their bracelet has changed color. And it will give you peace of mind, knowing that you haven't forgotten to reapply. Sometimes we moms even forget things when we're having so much fun!

The UVSunSense bracelet can be worn in all kinds of activities - swimming, playing sports and just laying on the beach. The bracelet monitors the UV absorption of the skin, regardless of the type of sunscreen you use or the activity you're engaging in. And it doesn't even matter if the bracelet gets wet, it still works.

Here's the rundown from UVSunSense on how it works:

How it works:

• The user must apply sunscreen to their body and to the wristband and then watch the color transformations throughout the day
  
  • The bracelet goes through 4 color changes to show the progression of the skin’s susceptibility to sun damage
    
    • Orange = no UV radiation
    • Purple = UV rays activating the bracelet
    • Dark Brown = Sunscreen reapplication is needed
    • Salmon = Get out of sun to prevent UV radiation overdose
• Works with any sunscreen that has an SPF value of 15 or higher
• Is one use only and can be thrown out at the end of the day, after the bracelet has turned salmon

You get 7 bands in each package, so they're actually a very good valuable even though they are disposable. You can buy them at Amazon for just $6.99 a pack. They'll also be available in stores this summer.

Or you can just win yourself some right here! Leave a comment telling me what you think of UVSunSense or how you'd use the product, and you'll be entered to win three packs of UVSunSense bands. In fact, I'm giving away THREE prize packs!

Just leave your comment below by Friday March 12th at noon EST to be entered to win!

For extra entries:

Tweet about this contest with a link to the post. Be sure to add @marybabysteps to your tweet and come back here to leave a comment.

Follow Everyday Baby Steps or become a subscriber. Just leave a comment to let me know. If you're already a subscriber, let me know that!

Good luck! Remember, I'll be picking 3 winners, so be sure to enter by March 12th at noon EST.

All three of my kids started walking around 15 months of age, later than many, but they sure made up for it once they got going! Brady's now 18 months old, and he's getting around just fine on his own two feet now. His first steps were a little shaky, as most first steps are, but he sure had fun taking them. Take a look at this video of Brady soon after he started walking.

Isn't he cute? He's certainly got enough cheerleaders, don't you think? Stride Rite would like to help your little one with their first steps by offering 5 lucky winners a chance to win a pair of their SRT shoes, infant/toddler size 3 - 8, including medium and wide widths. SRT stands for Sensory Response Technology that can "improve the way your child learns to walk" due to the the way the shoe alows your child to be aware of the surface beneath his or her feet. The shoe molds to the foot for comfort.

Stride Rite's been around for years. I love to visit their store at our local outlet, and I've bought shoes there many times as my kids have grown over the years.  I just joined their Facebook fan page. Go sign up yourself if you're a fan of Stride Rite like I am! And if you'd like to win a pair of SRT shoes for your little one, just fill out this form to receive your entry for one of five pair of SRT shoes that Stride Rite is giving away. This giveaway ends September 28th at 11:59 pm EST.

What's your favorite baby steps memory? Did your child have a special first pair of walking shoes?

* Thank you, Stride Rite, for providing me with a pair of these shoes for my little guy! I know we'll love them.