Go Graham Go: Parenting | Recipes | DIY | Brand Ambassador | Product Reviews | NC Mom Blog

Have you all seen the latest cards by Hallmark? Recordable Cards with Music are absolutely wonderful because they allow you to record a personalized message that is followed by a song clip! What an adorable way to celebrate Mother's or Father's Day!

There are cards like the Super Man one that says, "On Father's Day, DAD, I just want you to know you've always been my hero" Have your child record a sweet message to dad that is followed up by the Super Man theme music! You are giving more than just a card, you are giving a memory that will not be tossed in the trash in a week! These are the kinds of cards you keep forever! There are even some Recordable Cards with Music that have a space on the front to insert your picture! This is a gift and card in one!

I couldn't write this post without mentioning the fact that Hallmark also has a new collection of "everyday" cards that are only 99 cents! They have really out done themselves by offering special design elements that were not offered on previous 99 cent cards! They are vibrant, colorful and come in a variety of different occasions: birthday, thinking of you, friendship, encouragement and more! These are perfect for the tons of birthday parties we are invited to this summer and for when you just want to send a quick note to a friend.

Graham already enjoys recording his "love yous" on these cards! I know your kids will have fun coming up with their own unique phrases just for mom or dad!

Learning our feelings is something we are already working on with Graham. It is important that kids are able to identify what they are feelings and I think it is important to start working on it as early as you can!

Karen D. Cuthrell (K.K.) co-created the Feeling Friends nearly 15 years ago out of response to help educate her own young daughter. She covers the 12 primary feelings universal to all: love, joy, worry, anger, sadness, happiness, loneliness, grumpiness, shyness, panic, caution, and confidence. Each feeling is identified with its own unique character. I love that it is done this way since all kids are so different and are going to identify with some feelings more strongly than others.



The book, Meet the Feeling Friends, takes you on a journey to Feeling Free Island where you are encouraged to meet the 12 feelings! Each Feeling Friend talks about who they are and ways they deal with their feeling. For example: "I'm Angie the Angry Tiger. I use words when I get mad. No hitting, no pushing, no kicking, no biting. Even when I am angry, there is never any fighting!" I love that Meet the Feeling Friends not only identifies the feeling, but that it offers the acceptable ways to deal with the emotions.

Meet the Feeling Friends retails for about $15.99 hardcover and $12.99 softcover. There is also a CD filled with fun songs about feelings that retails for $12.99.

One of the reasons I started this blog is because of my need to truly price shop and find the best deals! I feel like it is a game sometimes to try and really stretch my dollar and get the most for my money. I found a website that helps me do that!

ShopWiki.com is basically a search engine that allows you to type in what you are looking for and it then pulls from every store on the Internet that has what you are looking for! This is great because it is not just searching through companies who paid, it is searching the entire Internet! For instance, if you were to type in Kitchen and Dining you would find everything from coffee makers to toaster ovens to crystal glasses to pots and pans!

ShopWiki.com also gives you helpful information about the item that you are searching for! For example, when I searched for steamers it listed a buying guide with helpful tips on which kind of steamer would be best for our family based on our needs! Finally! A one stop shop to find what you need!

ShopWiki also helps you save time! Our family is in need of a new blender so this is one of the first things I searched for and it gave me results that listed Best All Around, Great Value Blenders, Top Performance, and Easiest to Clean! Before I would have spent hours at Amazon and Best Buy reading review after review and doing price comparisons.

I'd love to hear what you all do to compare prices and make sure you find the best deals! The more we can share, hopefully, the more we can save!

I have been to Zappos several times looking for deals on everything from shoes to hand bags. If you are looking for a brand name item you can usually find some pretty great discounts as well as FREE SHIPPING both ways. They now carry the Lucky Brand and have some pretty great deals to check out! This comes just in time for Mother's and Father's Day!

Right now Zappos has several styles of the Lucky Brand hand bags marked down drastically. You can save about 30% on some. There are also some adorable women's tops marked down. I love the individual styles they offer as well as the quality of the product. Sun glasses and accessories such as necklaces and bracelets are also offered in the sale! I know that my brother actually prefers the Lucky Brand jeans because they hold up a lot longer than other pairs he has previously owned.

Check out the sales and grab some great deals on name brand clothing!

Weleda is a company that I am just now becoming familiar with. When Graham was first born I went through all the regular shampoos and body washes that you receive as gifts. The problem was, his skin was so dry and he has even had allergic reactions to some of the soaps. When he was very little I set out to find quality bath and body products that would address his sensitive skin needs! I must say, it has been a hard task!

Weleda has products not only for baby, but for the entire family and they are all organic! When I saw that the baby line included Calendula, it definitely perked my interest! I had the opportunity to try out the Calendula Oil, Calendula Diaper Care, and the Calendula Shampoo & Body Wash. I was not only impressed by the wonderful aroma that filled our bathroom, but also with the fact that Graham's skin was so smooth and moisturized that I didn't feel as if he even needed any lotion! That was truly a first!

The Calendula Oil retails for about $12 and is created with organic chamomile. The oil is wonderful after bath time for a massage to provide intense hydration and a layer of warmth. It can also be used to cleanse the diaper area.

The Calendula Diaper Care retails for about $11 and is formulated with zinc oxide and natural ingredients. Not only does it provide relief from skin irritations, but it also has a pleasant scent.

My favorite is the Calendula Shampoo & Body Wash that retails for $10. This total body cleanser is gentle on little eyes and skin. The calendula extract and sweet almond oil truly help to calm and moisturize. Graham leaves the bath moisturized and ready for pajamas!

You can purchase Weleda at Target, Whole Foods and select health food stores.

I think that most of us, kids included, learn best through song or using rhymes. Jon Sprout takes his music and makes it educational with a rock and roll beat! How many times when kids are young are they asked to name their Heroes or people that they admire? It seems like this is the topic of many projects and school presentations. American Heroes 3 is a compilation of songs about 12 different heroes from our American history: Milton Hershey, John Muir, Elizabeth Blackwell, Jonas Salk, Jane Addams, George Washington Carver, Wilma Rudolph, Thomas Jefferson, Pocahontas, and Cesar Chavez.

This Jon Sprout CD is more than just kids music, it is educational music that tells the story of some very important people from our history. Jon finds a way to make the words and music flow while truly telling the story so that children can recall the important facts! This CD would be wonderful paired with books about the actual people! What a great way to learn about the past!

Parents will enjoy the fact that this music is easy to listen to! Jon Sprout has a nice, smooth voice and uses several different instruments and styles to help capture the emotion and importance of what our American Heroes accomplished! These songs are all true ballads! These would be great for parents to help get their kids a jump start for loving history!

Don't you just love it when a company "gets it"? When they figure out that parents really do want the best for their babies and that they want it at an affordable price! Plush toys are a dime a dozen! You can find them just about anywhere. And what do babies love to cuddle up to the most? Usually the plush toys. Hosung My Natural has come up with a brilliant idea that is sure to excite mothers and fathers to babies all across the US!

My Natural Bamboo is a collection of adorable plush animals that are created with natural products! Bamboo is one of the fastest growing and most renewable plant resources on the planet. It survives naturally without the use of pesticides or fertilizer. Bamboo is also antibacterial, anti fungal, and mildew resistant! It is also biodegradable and safe for the planet!

Each adorable plush animal is created with 100% unprocessed Bamboo and has been hand dyed using plants and minerals in Hosungs very own all natural PureWaterWash. Because of the wonderful materials used, these toys are both safe and long lasting for children! There are 4 animals to choose from including: frog, elephant, monkey, and panda. Each animal is about 9" high and retails for about $14.99 exclusively at Barnes and Noble.

We received the panda which is ultra soft! I was impressed with the size of the animal as well. For the money, you really are getting a quality product! The panda has a beautiful blue color and would be perfect for either a boy or a girl. Each animal is so versatile, it could work for any gender. What a wonderful baby shower gift idea this is! While your stopping to pick up some of your favorite books for the baby, grab one of these one of a kind safe toys! It would be a great gift to pair them up for a theme. Here are some examples:

• My Natural Bamboo Monkey + Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
• My Natural Bamboo Frog + The Wide-Mouthed Frog: A Pop-up Book
• My Natural Bamboo Elephant + Elmer
• My Natural Bamboo Panda + Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
  

Print, Pattern, and Paper was created by Rebecca Peragine who is a mom to 2 boys. She started out loving and creating art at a young age! Her passion has now carried over into her work. Print, Pattern, and Paper has some of the most unique designs and so many different options!

You can find everything from art, bags, stationary, pillows, napkins and so much more! Her beautiful designs would be a perfect way to decorate your child's room or spruce up a blank wall or table! Grab one of her cute tote bags for a trip to the library or grocery store!

You are going to fall in love with all of Rebecca's adorable designs and great prices! It is wonderful to find a handmade store that offers so many quality choices!

Did you know that most of the UV damage we receive to our skin comes from those childhood sunburns? We recently have had a string of really warm days and it amazes me all the kids coming to school with sun burns! OUCH! Unfortunately for my family, we all have extremely fair skin and need to keep sunscreen on anytime we step out doors it seems! Graham also has extremely sensitive skin so we have to be careful about the things we use.

KINeSYS has an entire line of sunscreen products for kids! KINeSYS is paraben and preservative free. There are also no colorants, dairy, nuts, or gluten. They have tried to steer clear of common allergens for kids which is great! This 30 SPF comes in a spray bottle to make it easier to go on squirmy youngsters.

KINeSYS also has a special sunscreen just for girls with an added vanilla fragrance and Vitamin E to keep skin healthy! KINeSYS also has adults covered with fragrance free and sport sunscreen available.

Thanks to the Family Review Network for this opportunity.

We celebrated Graham's birthday this weekend! His actual birthday was about 2 weeks ago, but we were out of town. We borrowed the airplane cake form from a friend of mine and used a regular casserole dish to bake the sheet part of the cake. My husband was responsible for making the cake and putting it together. I did the decorating!

Isn't it nice when you can find adorable, comfortable, and organic all in one place? I know that I was excited when I stumbled across Puddlefoot! Puddlefoot is an adorable little shop that creates the softest organic tees for your little one!

This company goes the extra step by using only 100% organic Supima cotton (American grown) as well as all earth-friendly dyes and inks! Suzi MacDougall is the master mind behind this spirited designs. Her love for sketching was re-born when her sons came along. She then decided it was time to do something with all of these lovely characters and Puddlefoot was born!

Graham had the opportunity to try out the Y'onion Tee. First of all, the little onion character on the front is so cute that anyone who sees it gets a smile! Secondly, the feel of the shirt is like no other that Graham has owned. The shirt is ultra-soft and baby ribbed. It washes wonderfully and stretches right along with all of Graham's wild antics!

Puddlefoot would make an excellent gift idea for baby showers and first birthdays! You would be sure to have a gift like no one else and one that the mother will surely appreciate!

Bayer Breeze2 or Contour Meter $5 Money maker
Earn $5 RR Bayer Breeze2 or Contour Meter - $14.99
Bayer Breeze2 or Contour Meter, up to $30.00 off coupon from 3/22/09

$1 Money maker Nivea body wash 16.9 oz
Earn $4.99 RR Nivea body wash 16.9 oz - $4.99
$1 off one or $3 off 2 Nivea body wash for women 16.9 oz (check the product aisle at Walgreens for this one) $1 off any Nivea Body Wash for Women, 16.9fl oz/500mL Expiration from 4/19/09

$1 Money maker Ecotrin 45 ct
Earn $2 RR Ecotrin 45 ct tablets -$2
Ecotrin $1.00 off from 4/30/2009

Rembrandt toothpaste or mouthwash - $5.99
Earn $5.99 RR

Bayer quick release crystals 4pk - $2.49)
Earn $2.49 RR


Gatorade 6 pk, 2/$8
Earn RR for 75 free digital prints

Gatorade 32 oz 3/$3
Earn RR for 20 free digital prints

For more Walgreens deals check out: Money Saving Mom, Deal Seeking Mom, The Centsible Sawyer, and Jolly Mom.

Transaction #1

Garnier Fructis Shampoo - $2.99
ECBs Earned - $2
$1 off coupon from 1/4/09
Lady Speedstick - $3
ECBs Earned - $3
Total OOP: $4.99
Total ECBs Earned - $5

Transaction #2

Schick Intuition Plus Razor - $8.99
ECBs Earned - $4
$4 off coupon from 3/22/09
Total OOP: $4.99
Total ECBs Earned: $4

BOGO Free

All Laundry Detergent
CVS/pharmacy Batteries
Maybelline Eye
Campbell's or Swanson
Simple or True Indulgence
Revlon Foundation, Powder, Blush or Concealer
Rimmel Mascara
Pond's Towelettes 30 ct. cleanser, dry skin or cold cream 9.5-10.1 oz
Serenity Pads

Check out more CVS deals here: Money Saving Mom, Deal Seeking Mom, The Centsible Sawyer, Jolly Mom and Keeping the Kingdom First

When is the last time you had soap that smelled so nice you just wanted to take a bite out of it? Ok, I know I sound a little crazy, but the Biggs & Featherbelle line of products are like no other I have found! I had the opportunity to try out the Mini Bar Sampler of 8 Soaps! Our bathroom where they stay smells wonderful all the time now! The Mini Bar includes some of Biggs & Featherbelles most popular soaps. You will find everything from mouisturization to exfoliation! The Mini Bar would also make a gift anyone would love to receive! The soaps are beautifully packaged and come in a hand painted box that needs no wrapping! The Mini Bar retails for $23.99!

What I love the most about Biggs & Featherbelle is their commitment to quality ingredients. Sisters Kelly and Kasey Evick created Biggs & Featherbelle in January 2003. Their family has always been adovcates of natural beauty products and the healing elements of mother nature so the company was a no brainer!

You will find products that help a wide aray of issues and areas (acne, dry skin, pregnancy, etc). There are lip balms, bath scrubs, bath soaks and a ton of gift ideas for you to choose from! My favorite item is the Momma Bar which features Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, and Lavender. All of these elements together makes this bar of soap the most moisturizing soap I have tried in a very long time! I can actually leave the shower not feeling itchy! Besides, the bar is so beautiful and smells delicious!

*Update: We are not sure exactly which soap it was, but they have actually cleared my husband's eczema! We will definitely be putting our money here from now on for soap!*

I can remember when Graham was very small and needed to nurse virtually every hour. I can remember being in the grocery store trying to check out and watching the clock tick down to the hour! There were times when I tried everything to keep him entertained! You try to plan the best you can, but there are always times when your best plans fail! That's why I was excited to stumble across an eco-friendly new alternative to keeping your child entertained! Oh Plah! is a funky bracelet for mom that is also a teether for baby!

"Oh Plah!" is French for "Here You Go!" which is an appropriate name for this stylish teething bracelet that also serves as a toy! Oh Plah! is constructed from medical grade thermoplastic, is non-toxic, bacteria resistant, PVC, BPA, and lead free! Simply clean your Oh Plah! with soap and water and use it again and again! Your baby can bend it, twist it, roll it, bite it, or play with it! Another great use for the bracelet is to use it as a nursing reminder. I often used a hair tie on my wrist, this is a much more stylish alternative!

Oh Plah! by Roundhouse Design Collaborative comes in 5 different colors that represent 5 different ways of being: Energy, Simplicity, Harmony, Serenity, and Synchronicity. Each bracelet retails for $19.99.

Since we are celebrating Earth Day all week long this week I thought I would share with you all some fun activities and crafts that you can do with your toddlers and children! Thank to a wonderful website, Earth Hour Kids, which has tons of free activities and lesson plans for your kids! This is a great resource for parents and teachers both!

1. Create the Earth. Eco-friendly coffee filters make great miniature earths. In two separate cups, use food coloring to make blue and green colored water. Then allow the children to use eyedroppers to drop the colors on their Earth (coffee filter). When the colored water is dropped on the filter it spreads a bit and the children can create land and water shapes on their “little earths.”
2. Lights Out, Flashlights On. Play “I Spy” in the dark. Have the children use flashlights to locate objects they can use to become more “green,” such as a light switch or recycle bins.
3. Go for a Nature Walk. Place tape, sticky side out, on the children’s wrists and take them outside to collect things in nature. You could also decorate a sack and go around the neighborhood picking up litter.
4. Dress It Up! Hold a fashion show using old newspapers as the runway. Create vests by using grocery sacks decorated with recycled supplies such as used yogurt cups, etc. Glue recycled materials to the vests and decorate with paint. Then let your kids show off the “beauty of recyclables” while learning what items can be recycled.
5. Make Rainsticks. Recycle old paper towel rolls by making rainsticks. Have the children close the bottom of the stick with paper and tape. Then fill with beans or rice. You can also crumple up some aluminum foil to make a louder sound. Let the children decorate the rainsticks with construction paper. Use this activity to talk about the importance of clean water and water conservation.