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

Ever look in your closet, which is possibly overflowing with clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories, toys, scarves, husband's items, etc. and think anxiously- "I have nothing to wear!" Oh yah, I've been there and thought that.

You see, it all started with CAbi. I was going to have a fashion show with Teya, my Cabi Consultant, and my husband told me I could spend some dough on clothes for myself. He knows I often complain I have nothing to wear. As I was looking through the Fall Look Book I decided I needed to dig through my closet to see what I had that could work with the Fall Fashions.

I opened my closet with trepidation knowing it was a mess. You see, we've thrown (literally) a lot in there, since we have people working on our bathroom right now. (Taking out Fiberglass and putting in tile.) Plus, I use our closet for storage - gifts that I save throughout the year. And I also know there were lots of clothes and shoes that my husband and I just don't wear anymore, but we save because we USED to like it, WANTED to like it, FEEL BAD because someone gave it to us and I am sure other reasons, too.

So we did a "Wardrobe Wipe-Out". I threw EVERYTHING out of the closet. I told my husband to decide what he wants to keep and what he doesn't, and I didn't hold back on throwing his old, faded shirts into bags for donation. And then it came to my side. He helped me telling me which blouses he liked and which ones he swore didn't "look" like me. The blouse my grandma gave me and I kept out of guilt - gone. The skirt I loved ... 15 years ago - gone. The faded, button down shirts I used to wear to the office - out they go. I only kept the outfit pieces that made me feel good and looked good - although my husband might have convinced me to hold on to a midriff blouse or two.

And with my closet cleaned out and organized, it was easy to see what separates I needed from CAbi. Jeans - I have a lot of them, so I can skip on that. But that means I can seriously consider the leggings. I have way too many long-sleeved blouses, but a licorice tube top might be extremely cute on a date with hubby.

Plus, I took this opportunity to pack 7 bags of items, toys, clothes and accessories to give to friends and/or donate. My husband was about to toss some of his work shirts and shoes in the garbage. I looked at them and realized that although he couldn't wear them with his position at the bank, they still had "life" to them and could be useful to someone who can't afford to buy new clothes. In fact, whenever we hold garage sales, I always have a box of "free" items too and some of the nearby communities and neighbors will quickly take what they need - so I definitely would feel bad throwing out what someone could use.


At the end of the day I learned four lessons during my Wardrobe Wipe-Out.

1. Get your significant other's opinion on your clothes as you go through them. Let them help you stay honest on what you should keep and what you shouldn't.

2. Don't keep clothes out of guilt or because you used to like them. Styles change and you have to be comfortable with what you are wearing now. If you haven't worn something in a year or more, give it away!

3. If you are about to go shopping for whatever reason - CAbi party, mom's night out, new job - clean out your closet and organize so you know what you have and what basic items or chic accessories you'll need.

4. DONATE and GIVE AWAY. Check out your local Salvation Army and give away things on FreeCycle - your toss-aways can be valuable to someone in need or want!

You can check out theMomBuzz.com to see the results of shopping with my personal fashion consultant at the CAbi Party. And I want to know - What tips do you have for keeping your closet organized or keeping your wardrobe full of fresh style?

Erin Taylor is owner of the Mom Buzz, a national website that buzzes parenting tips and product trends to parents. Erin has had experience discussing hot items for children and moms on Daytime and Fox 13, plus has done an exclusive interview with Elmo in 2010. The Mom Buzz has been online since 2008 and publishes daily. You can learn more at www.themombuzz.com.

Feel free to link to your family friendly giveaways.  Make sure to link directly to the post (not just your blog) and tell us what you are giving away.  Head over to Jolly Mom for even more!




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Now that I have a three week old, I am reminded of all things organization!  Why?  Between nursing every one to two hours, diaper changes, pumping, and taking care of a three year old I stay pretty busy.  There are so many ways I have had to simplify as well as organize around here!  One simple product I use that is not fancy or expensive is Ziploc freezer and storage bags as well as the storage containers.



Before Davis was born I stocked up on the quart sized Ziploc freezer bags in order to store my breast milk in the most cost effective manner.  I use ice cube trays to freeze the milk (each cube holds approximately .5 to 1 ounce of milk).  Once it is frozen I label the freezer bags and store it in the back of our freezer.  I have also had to rely on the freezer bags to put away the waffles I make ahead of time.  I make them on the nights when I have had enough rest and freeze them.  That way when Graham is up at 6:30 am and starving, I can just pop them in the toaster.



We have also been blessed to have so many families bring us meals.  We have had so much that we have used MANY Ziploc storage containers to keep the leftovers.  This has helped us save money and time (both are desperately needed)!

Ideas
A creative idea for your Ziploc bags is to use them to organize your child's puzzles!  Check out the post from Jolly Mom.  If you are looking for some back to school meal plans you can find them at Taste of Home when you enter 2 UPC codes from your Ziploc products.

What creative ideas and uses do you have for your Ziploc products?  You can submit your story to appear on Ziploc.com!



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Have you heard of We Give Books?  It is an online site that has over 150 free digital kids’ books from the Pearson Foundation and Penguin Books that you can read with your family.  The best part, for every book that kids read online, the Pearson Foundation gives a brand new book to children in need!



Next Thursday, October 7th, you can help break a world record.  Jumpstart's Read for the Record Campaign was designed to get as many people as possible reading the same book on the same day.  They are expecting more than 2 million people to participate this year in order to break the world record.

The book being read this year is The Snowy Day.  Tune into the TODAY Show on NBC for the kick off of the event.  You can go ahead and read The Snowy Day online!

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This product was provided free of charge to Allie by me & goji. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.

After stints of living in the Midwest, Northeast, and England, the Monkey's Mama (AKA Allie) currently resides in Atlanta with her wonderful husband of 7 years, "J". Together they have two daughters.

The Monkey's Mama takes great joy in being a Christian Stay-at-Home-Mama. In her spare time, she loves to run and race competitively for her local track club, read mystery novels, and walk her cats Churchill and Thatcher outside on leashes!

You can find her on twitter @monkeysonthebed.

If you have a Thomas the Train fan in your household, chances are that you have already seen Misty Island Rescue once if not five million times by now!  I know we have personally watched the movie at least 15 times and just bought it last week.  Graham loves Thomas the Train and is infatuated with the new movie.  He has even been acting out the movie with all of his toys.










To celebrate the release of the new movie and the new toys that go along with it from Fisher-Price, Thomas made a voyage into the Brooklyn Bridge Park at the end of August.  Not only did the life sized Thomas sail into Brooklyn Bridge Park, but he brought with him all of the new toys offered in stores right now!  We already bought the Shake, Shake Bridge Playset for Graham as his present from his new brother (when we came home from the hospital).  We now have had the opportunity to review the Zip, Zoom, & Logging Adventure Playset and I must say it truly needs to be on every Thomas fans Christmas list!  I couldn't believe how excited I was just to play with this thing!



The Zip, Zoom, & Logging Playset is so much like the Misty Island Rescue movie that your child is going to be amazed.  You are also going to love that it only requires one AA battery (we spend most of our money in batteries every Christmas it seems).  The battery operated Thomas speeds around the track with his log and goes through tree trunks.  Stop Thomas at the logging mill where he powers the conveyor belt.  You can watch the log go up and drop to be cut.  Pull the top cart over in order to "saw" the magnetic log in half.  It then drops down into Thomas's car.  I think our favorite part is that Thomas actually crosses the zip-line bridge!






The Zip, Zoom, & Logging Adventure playset retails for about $60.  You can find it on sale at Amazon right now for $49.  This could potentially be a pretty pricey gift, but if you have a Thomas or Misty Island Rescue Fan, it is worth it.  I would definitely recommend this to friends and family.

This product was provided free of charge by Fisher-Price. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.


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You've seen my posts about ShooShoos before, and I am very proud to have been representing them as a ShooShoos Mom over the past few months.  These are shoes that I bought for Graham when he was little as well as purchased for friends and family members for baby shower gifts.  Soft soles are best for growing feet, and ShooShoos offers some adorable designs that you can generally find a great deal on.  Right now ShooShoos is holding a special where you can buy any regular priced item and get any clearance Smiley for $15 and any clearance soft sole for only $10.




We were sent the Blue Hippo Classic Boys Soft Sole Leather Shoe for review.  Of course, little Davis's feet are still too small for this shoe (we did receive a size small, but he is a tiny thing)!  Again, I am completely impressed with the quality of the leather and stitching on the shoe.  The soft leather is perfect for growing toes.  The back is perfect for slipping on wiggly feet while also making sure the shoes stay put (you wouldn't want to lose these adorable things).  I also love the little details that ShooShoos adds to their shoes.  These Blue Hippo shoes actually have googly eyes!  They are going to be so cute on his feet once he can wear them!



The Blue Hippo classic soft soled shoes retail for $19.95 and will outlast your baby's growing feet for sure!  That means that if you bought these shoes for your baby and they wore them until about 6 months, you have only paid a little over $3 a month for quality baby shoes.

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 Because I love pasta, but hate heartburn, I have been trying to find lighter options that do not involve tomato based pastes.  Pesto has always been one of my favorites and it is so easy to create a wonderful homemade pesto you can be proud of!  I just add some chicken and pasta to make it a meal.  You could easily just have pasta or even use the pesto on sandwiches.




Ingredients:
Package of chicken
Package of pasta (your favorite kind)
1/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh Basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 teaspoon of Nutmeg
Salt, Pepper, and  grated Parmesan Cheese to taste

Preparation:
Boil the chicken for about 15-20 minutes and shred.  Place almonds on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet and toast in the oven on 450 for about 5 minutes (keep an eye on them, they toast quick).  Cook the pasta according to the package.  Add the olive oil, toasted almonds, garlic cloves, basil leaves, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and Parmesan to a food processor or blender and grind until a paste forms.  Toss the chicken, pasta, and pesto together in a large bowl and serve immediately!


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In only a few weeks it will be time for Halloween!  Graham is super excited about it already.  He has been talking about going trick or treating with his friend Claire since last week.  Last year he was an adorable green dinosaur (sale on costumes from Gymboree).  This year he is going as Woody from Toy Story.  This is perfect since he is such a huge Toy Story fan.



We were sent the Woody Deluxe Child's costume for review from Disguise.  First of all, I was impressed with the fit of this costume.  It seems like Halloween costumes have a tendency to run pretty large (especially for skinny little Graham).  I am happy to say that we received size XS (3T-4T) and it fits him beautifully.  The sleeves are a little long, but the rest of the costume is perfect.  I also like the fact that this costume is thin.  Even though it can be chilly on Halloween nights around here, we usually have layers of clothing on under his costume.  This would be perfect for putting long johns under.  The Woody Deluxe costume is also easy to put on.  It is basically a jump suit that has the shirt, vest, belt, pants, and gun holster attached.  The hat, shoe covers, and bandanna are the only separate pieces.  This is great for a preschooler because there aren't a million different accessories to keep up with.  I don't really invision the hat staying put the entire time we trick or treat, but at least I'll only be carrying a hat!  I also appreciate that this costume is not vinyl!  I remember wearing those vinyl costumes and how sweaty you would become by the end of the night.



If your child is not a Toy Story fan there are tons of different costumes to choose from that are absolutely adorable!  From Super Why! to Thomas the Train to the Disney Princesses and Fairies, you will find something that they love.  You can choose from classic costumes as well in order to save some money (they look just as cute)!  The Woody Deluxe Costume retails for about $39.

This costume was provided free of charge by Disguise. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.

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Tires are important.  Believe me I know.  My husband actually worked for a tire company when we were first married.  I think I know more about tires than any one person would want to know.  I am thankful I have such a knowledgeable husband, because we are sure to have safe tires no matter what the road or weather conditions may be.



Midas has partnered with Bridgestone Tires to offer customers up to $100 value back with the purchase of four eligible Bridgestone Tires (with an installation package). The promotion runs through October 2nd at participating Midas shops.  This could be a great deal if you are currently in the market for new tires.  Always keep in mind that if you live where there will be snow that winter is not that far away.

Midas sent me a gift card and tire inspection kit to thank me for posting about this deal.  Please see my Terms of Use for more info.

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Like a lot of pregnant women, I had a HUGE list of things to do before my baby made it into this world. On that list, I intended to research and purchase cloth diapers. I started to look around at some of the major brands, but I quickly became overwhelmed with all of the choices. What is the difference between an all-in-one and an all-in-two? What material is the best against baby's skin? The most absorbent? How many do I need? How do I clean them? The list of questions I had goes on and on... Sadly, I let cloth diapers fall to the bottom of my To-Do list, and it never got done.


Once my bouncing baby girl arrived, I began using (gulp) disposable diapers. This is nothing against all of the moms out there who use disposable diapers, but I felt guilty every time I used one. I would not consider myself ultra-green, but our family is taking lots of small steps to get there. This was an easy change I could make that would be a win-win-win for the environment, our pocket book and my daughter's cute little baby booty. The guilt eventually caught up with me when she was about 3 months old. It also helped that I was starting to come out of the new mom fog! I decided to renew my search for cloth diapers. And so the journey began...

I follow a lot of Mommy blogs, including several that review and giveaway cloth diapers. I happened upon a review of a pocket diaper that was made by a stay at home mom. It had a good review, a great price point and I loved the thought of supporting a stay at home mom! I went to her website to look around. There were so many options! Instead of letting myself get overwhelmed, I decided to email her with my questions. I hit the jackpot. Not only was this woman talented with a sewing machine, she was also NICE. She took the time to answer all of my questions. She helped me pick out the diapers that would work best for our family, how many I would need and all of the accessories that would make cloth diapering easy. She even told me how to wash and dry the diapers for the best performance and use. I happily placed an order with her. I would now like to pass that information on to you in hopes that I can make someone else's switch to cloth easy and stress free!



Why should you choose to cloth diaper? There are lots of reasons, but here are the reasons that I made the switch.

- It is better for the environment
- It saves money
- Disposable diapers are loaded full of chemicals

 What do you need to buy?
So let's start at the beginning. What exactly do you need to buy? I opted to use pre-folds during the day with waterproof covers, and pocket diapers at night. Think about how often you want to wash your diapers. I would suggest every 2-3 days. You will need to buy a stash large enough to cover your baby's bum in between washings. I wash my diapers every 3 days. Here is what I purchased:

- 24 Pre-folds (bamboo w/ a velour soaker)
- 4 Diaper Covers
- 3 Pocket Diapers w/ Night time Inserts

I chose pre-folds for the bulk of my usage because they are less expensive than buying diapers where the covers cannot be used more than once (like an all in one). They also dry faster than some of the large, bulky diapers. There are a lot of choices out there for styles of diapers. Just look around until you find one that is right for you. See the links at the end of this post for some good websites that sell all types of cloth diapers.



I also needed some diapering accessories to get started. You might not need exactly what I ordered depending on your situation. Here is what I decided on:

- 1 Small Wet Bag (for the diaper bag)
- 2 Large Wet Bags (I send one of these to day care with my daughter. I use the other as a spare in case it gets dirty)
- Diaper Pail - trash can w/ lid for storing dirty diapers
- 2 Pail Liners (this goes in the trash can so you can simply take it out with the dirty diapers inside when it is time to wash)
- Diaper Sprayer (you will need this once your baby starts eating solid foods)
- Detergent (I recommend Rockin Green but Seventh Generation Free and Clear works well too)

If you are a stay at home parent, you can easily omit the 2 large wet bags and just get 1 small wet bag to store dirty diapers on short outings. You can also purchase just 1 pail liner if you want to. I like having the extra, but one would do just fine.

This setup worked really well for us until my daughter started eating solid foods. At that point, she went from pooping once a day to 2-3 times a day. I found that I needed to get a few more diaper covers. I ordered 4 of the Bummis Super Whisper Wraps. They have been great. One good thing about cloth diapers is that we have had zero blowouts! Even the most explosive poops have been contained. I might have to change the diaper cover if it gets soiled, but at least I don't have to change her clothes or give her a bath!

How do I use it?
So now that I told you what you need, here is how you will use everything. During the day when I change my daughter, I simply grab a diaper cover and place the pre-fold inside. When I change her, if the diaper is just wet, I remove the pre-fold and replace with a clean one. I use the same cover over again. The dirty pre-fold goes in the trash can with the pail liner. If she has pooped and the diaper cover is soiled, I just put a new cover on her and place the soiled one in the diaper pail with the soiled pre-fold. If your baby is breast fed, you do not have to do anything with the poop. It is completely water soluble and can go in the washing machine. If your baby is on solids, here is where the diaper sprayer comes into play. It attaches to your toilet and looks like a sink sprayer. The easiest way to take care of the poop is to hold the diaper by a clean corner and lay it in the toilet bowl. Use the sprayer to remove the poop, and then throw the soiled diaper into the diaper pail. There is no need to touch the poop or wring out the diaper! We keep our diaper pail in the bathroom. This makes it easy to get the sprayed diaper into the pail without worrying about dripping water on the floor. As a side note, my husband installed the diaper sprayer himself. He is not exactly what you would call handy so I am pretty sure anyone can do it!



At night we use a pocket diaper with a special night time insert that is meant to absorb more liquid. I always pre-stuff these diapers when I fold laundry so that they are ready to be used without anything additional. In the morning, you simply pull out the insert and place the diaper and insert into the diaper pail. I highly recommend un-stuffing the diaper when you place it in the bin so it will get cleaned properly when you wash your diapers.

On days when I work, my daughter attends an in home daycare. I send over 5 pre-folds and an extra cover for changes. I also send a large wet bag. When she changes my daughter, she puts the soiled diapers in the wet bag and sends it home with us. If there was a poopy diaper during the day, we spray it off at home and place everything in the diaper pail. It is my understanding that a lot of day cares will not allow cloth diapers. If you are in this situation, you can always cloth diaper in the evenings and on the weekends. You can also inquire if they would allow you to cloth diaper at day care if you did use an all-in-one with hook and loop closures. This would basically be just like a disposable diaper, except they wouldn't throw it away. I have heard of day cares making allowances if the diaper is easy to use, with no snaps. It doesn't hurt to ask. Right?

Laundry
When it is time to launder your cloth diapers, grab the pail liner full of dirty diapers out of the diaper pail. Dump the contents of the bag into your washer, and throw the pail liner in too (trust me it's dirty). I started out using Seventh Generation Free and Clear to clean my diapers and it worked really well. I switched to Rockin Green after I won a bag in a giveaway. I have noticed a difference in the look and feel of my diapers, so I am sticking with the Rockin Green. So many people advise so many different ways to wash your diapers. Feel free to deviate, but here is what I do:

(When you wash your diapers for the first time, follow the instructions from the diaper company. Many diapers require pre-washing/drying up to 5 times before you use the diaper to achieve maximum absorbency.)

Wash once with cold water to remove most of the waste from the diapers. Use your normal amount of detergent on this cycle. I also put white vinegar in the fabric softener compartment. If you don't have this, you can put the vinegar in a downy ball and drop it in the washing machine. The vinegar helps with the smell of the diapers, especially ammonia. I have never had an issue with smelly diapers by using this method. If you have an HE washing machine, you should have an option for using extra water. Use it! This helps to make sure that the diapers get rinsed well. You don't want any residue building up and sitting against baby's skin.

Wash a second time in hot water with an extra rinse, with half of the detergent used the 1st time. For those with HE machines, use your option for extra water again. This wash cycle with the hot water helps to really CLEAN the diapers. They should not come out smelly at all. It should be like you washed any other load of laundry.

Place everything in the dryer on high heat. After the first dry cycle, I remove items like the covers, pocket diapers, pail liner and wet bag. If the pre-folds and inserts are not dry I put them through one more short cycle. After that, they are always dry. If you choose to use a bulkier insert/diaper, you might need a longer drying time. At this point I fold and put everything away. I stuff the pocket diapers so I don't need to do anything to use them later.

Some people choose to line dry their diapers. I do not have a laundry line, so I have never tried this method. I do know that the sun is a great way to naturally bleach out stains. You should never use bleach, fabric softener or dryer sheets while laundering your cloth diapers.

Here are some resources you can use to order diapers and accessories:

Sew Natural Diaper Company
Diaper Junction
Green Mountain Diapers

Christine from Sew Natural Diaper Company can make any of the items I described here (pocket diapers, pre-folds, diaper covers, re-usable wipes, wet bags). She also has some new stuff available in her shop. If you don't see what you are looking for, or are interested in a different color, just send her a message. She was great to work with, and very helpful!

Be on the lookout for a giveaway on O'Baby Orlaith soon. I will be hosting a giveaway where the winner will receive a diaper from Sew Natural Diaper Company! Follow today so you don't miss it!

That's it! From beginning to end, what you need, and how to use everything. I know it is a lot of information, but here it is all in one place for you. I hope that I can take away that overwhelmed feeling for anyone who is looking to make the choice to cloth diaper.

Please feel free to follow me over at O'Baby Orlaith where I am always available to answer any cloth diapering questions. Be on the lookout for some great giveaways coming up too! Happy Diapering!

Born and raised in Texas, Brandy has lived in Houston, Chicago and currently resides in Dallas. She and her husband Brian have travelled all over the world, but recently took a short break from travel to welcome their first child into the world this past December.

Brandy enjoys the adventures of being a parent, and appreciates all of the amazing lessons learned along the way. In addition to being a mom, Brandy values the time when she has an opportunity to try out new recipes (and eat them!), drink a nice glass of red wine and read a book. She also enjoys writing about her experiences as a parent on her blog O'Baby Orlaith. Follow her there and keep up with everything from stories about Orlaith, photo updates, product reviews and coming soon – giveaways! Don’t miss it!

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My purse is like the black hole.  Well, it was.  I literally had old fruit bars in the bottom of the thing as well as receipts galore!  This was the purse I was using for work and for Graham's snacks, toys, and juice before Davis came along. 







You can even see my heartburn medication from when I was pregnant!  My typical morning (before maternity leave) looked much like a tornado.  I would sling stuff here and there and into my purse.  Nine times out of ten I would often forget to put any sort of snack or even breakfast in my bag and would arrive at work hungry and cranky!  I have found that I tend to focus more on if I've packed everything I need for Graham rather than focusing on myself. 



Now that there are two precious boys in my life, things have gotten a little more complicated!  It was definitely time to Plus Up my Purse as well as make sure I was taking care of myself.  Kellogg's gave me the opportunity to organize my purse as well as gave me a free coupon for their new, yummy FiberPlus bars.  Because I am breastfeeding again, fiber is extremely important!  Did you know that adding extra fiber to your diet when you are nursing can actually help increase your milk supply?  The Kellogg's FiberPlus bars contain about 35% of your daily fiber and also contain antioxidants, vitamin E and zinc.  I have started putting them in my newly organized purse for when the afternoon grumbling tummy starts!  They also come in some tasty flavors that involve CHOCOLATE!  My favorite is the Chocolaty Peanut Butter flavor.







How about you?  Do you struggle with juggling kids, nutrition, and time?  I know that organization can help in every area of your life.  Why not start with the thing you use the most?  I have found that being more organized has helped me keep track of eating healthier without depending upon the leftover snacks at the bottom of my bag!


Check out the Lady Fibarista’s Fiber Friday Coupon Giveaway
Be one of the first 25 people to send a message to @LadyFibarista with the hashtag “#fiberfriday” starting any Friday at 12 p.m. EST.  Once the first 25 entrants are determined, @LadyFibarista will send a direct message to the winner at their Twitter account and collect their name and mailing address so they can receive their prize. Winners be receiving one full-value coupon for a free box of Kellogg’s FiberPlus™ bars.

I was sent gift cards in order to "Plus Up my Purse" as well as a free coupon for the FiberPlus bars. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.

READ CAREFULLY!
ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON: Entries may be submitted in one of two ways. 1. Leave a comment to this post stating why you need to “Plus Up” your purse. OR 2. Send a Tweet describing why you need to Plus Up your Purse and include @gograhamgo and #plusup (Make sure you leave a comment stating that you sent a tweet). Limit one (1) Giveaway entry per person regardless of method of entry.

This giveaway ends 10/11 at 11:59pm (EST). The winner will be chosen using random.org and announced on this post. US entries only please.  Contest Rules and Regulations.


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Some of our favorite book author's have done it again!  Shankman and O'Neill won their third Mom's Choice Award with their new book Champ and Me by the Maple Tree.  You may remember my review of three of their books several months ago.  Champ and Me by the Maple Tree is now a new favorite of Graham's!  If you loved I Met a Moose in Maine One Day, you are going to be infatuated with the new title!



Shankman and O'Neill, yet again, are making me even more a believer that these books are destined to be classics.  Champ and Me by the Maple Tree combines a child's playful heart and an old Vermont legend to create a super sweet tale of friendship among an unlikely pair.  The illustrations by O'Neill are beyond compare with bright, bold, and fun full color pages that captivate.






Retailing for only $14.95, the hardcover Champ and Me by the Maple Tree would make an excellent Christmas gift idea under $15!  A great idea would be to purchase all 4 titles to make an extra special start to one extra special child's library.

This book was provided free of charge by Shankman and O'Neill. These are my honest opinions on the book. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.

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What a great gift idea being offered on Plum District right now.  You can purchase a $15 gift card from Plum District for Pouch Pals and then redeem it on the Pouch Pals website once the deal has closed (approximately 8 hours from now) for $30 worth of product!  That means you could buy a sandwich bag and 3 snack bags or maybe 2 sandwich bags and a snack bag.  These would make an excellent gift idea for under $20!  Maybe pair your purchase with a cute lunch box to complete a gift set for Christmas.

• Visit the Plum District Website and purchase the $30 Gift Card for only $15
• After the deal has closed at Plum District, head to Pouch Pals to redeem your $30 gift card

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Beginning today, and extending through October 14th, when you buy any two Pampers value boxes of diapers at participating Babies R Us/Toys R Us stores, you will receive a FREE $15 gift card! Also, if you also purchase any of the below items, you’ll receive an extra $5 gift card for each:

· Pampers Wipes (504-616 ct)

· Pampers Extra Protection Diapers (54-64 ct)

· Pampers Easy Ups (60-68 ct)

· Tide (150 oz or larger)

· Dreft (100 oz or larger)

· Bounty (12 ct. giant rolls)

· Charmin (30 ct double rolls)

Gift cards will be valid just 6 hours after activation.  Please note this offer will only be valid in-stores, and quantities may be limited. Gift cards will expire on January 31, 2011.



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Head over to the Nature's Path Facebook page and click the last tab in 3PMmmm called “Hungry?” You can get a free sample of Nature’s Path new Granola bars.  While you are there check out the contest going on to win one of three eco-vacations!

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