“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.”
― Jane Austen
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August 18, 2011 by 2 Comments
Infantino’s New Comforting Play Collection
August 17, 2011 by 3 Comments
Have you seen the new Infantino Comforting Play collection that has hit the stores? You know, the toys you can spot a mile away because of their cuteness! I am completely obsessed with adore the Infantino brand. Their products are innovative, fun, and downright adorable! Infantino’s latest play collection is no exception. With their attractive colors, soft textures, and cute characters they are sure to please.
I was thrilled when I was chosen to be a part of Mom Central’s Infantino Test Drive Mom program. Infantino is one of my top favorite baby toy brands. My first product to review was actually a box full of toys! When it arrived a few weeks ago I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. I loved opening each toy and trying it out with my little one. Now I’m ready to share these new products and my opinion with you!
I’ll start off with my husband’s favorite toy. He couldn’t get over the Snuggle Pup! It plays soft music and gentle sounds to soothe your little one. He loved that we can hook it on the crib now and later when our daughter is older we can give it to her to snuggle with.
The Sweet Bee Scented Pal is one adorable toy! It can hang from just about anything (car seat, bouncy seat, etc.), it has a calming lavender scent, and it’s wings are crinkly to help promote development. It’s a winner in my book!
My little girl’s favorite would have to be the Sweet Serenade crib toy. She loves to listen to sounds and almost instantly stops crying when music is played. To activate it you gently pull the string and soothing music will start playing and the characters will dance around.
My daughter also loved the Soothing Hand Squeezies. These look like little boxing gloves with the fingers cut out. : ) It gives little fingers the freedom to explore and when they’re ready there is a soft little pouch on each glove for them to squeeze. It was designed to stimulate squeezing a mom’s finger. Love it!
My little one is a bit too tiny to fully appreciate the Hug & Tug Wooly Pal but I think she enjoyed looking at it. One day soon she’ll be able to tote it around with her and give it the affection it deserves!
The Wrist Rattles were a big hit but as you can see in the picture they are quite a bit too big for her tiny arms. She loved the Foot Rattles! I’m not sure if she made the connection between the noise and her kicking her legs but she was so cute to watch!
The Ouchie Pal is a buckwheat buddy one minute and an ouchie soother the next! It’s designed to be calming to play with and can be cooled in the fridge to help sooth bumps and bruises. How clever!
The Tag-Along Chimes were my favorite new toy! They are sweet looking but mainly like them because they aren’t annoying! I can’t be the only one who thinks most rattles and chimes are painfully annoying, am I? These chimes aren’t loud and obnoxious but have a sweet, soft, little jingle to them. These definitely belong in the Comforting Play collection; they are very soothing. I actually enjoy listening to them!
We didn’t get the chance to review the Binkie Buddy and 1-2-3 Teether. Our sweetpea isn’t chewing on anything just yet but I’m sure she’ll love the variety of textures on the 1-2-3 Teether when she is. As for the Binkie Buddy, well, I don’t think we’ll ever get the chance to review it with this baby. She couldn’t care less about a pacifier so I think we’ll give this cute toy a good home with another new mom. Maybe I’ll buy a Snuggle Pup and Tag Along Chimes to go with it!
My thoughts overall:
In one word, awesome! Each toy is soft and soothing. The neutral color palette makes this the perfect for any baby shower! Depending on the size gift you wanted to give you could group three or four of them together or if you are really close to the person you might want to give them all 11. I’m sure they will love them! I think the Sweet Bee Scented Pal, the Hug & Tug Wooly Pal, or the Tag Along Chimes would make great decorations to the top of any gift box or tied gift bag you give. Ooor if you’re someone who likes to give diaper cakes you could easily incorporate a few of these cute toys to really take the cake! Take the cake. Get it? haha Oh, never mind. Whichever way you group these toys I’m almost positive the recipient will adore them!
Infantino is very active in the social media world. You can “Like” Infantino on Facebook, follow Infantino on Twitter and subscribe to Infantino on YouTube.
Disclosure: I am a participant in a Mom Central Consulting campaign for Infantino and have received various Infantino products as part of my participation.
Macy’s Backstage Pass Sweepstakes
August 17, 2011 by 2 Comments
You can enter daily to win the Macy’s Backstage Pass Sweepstakes. You can even enter up to 23 times a day if you want (once per participating tip video). There will be 35,460 winners to get a code worth $10-$500. I’m sure the majority of codes will be $10 but $10 is $10, right? This sweepstakes started August 8, 2001 and will end October 31, 2011. Heather at Freebies 4 Mom shared this with me and you if like to enter sweeps you should visit her Sweeps 4 Mom section where you’ll find the best sweepstakes to enter daily.
Free Full-Size Moisturizing Body Wash From CVS
August 16, 2011 by 1 Comment
Head on over and Like CVS’ Minute Clinic on Facebook. Then visit the the Special offers tab to get your freebie! Simply fill in your info and a coupon for a Free full-size moisturizing body wash from CVS will be sent to your email! This offer will be open until 11:59 pm ET on 8/17/11. One offer per household. Valid in-store only. Offer not available in NY.
While you’re there be sure to Like Beauty4Moms so you’ll never miss a great freebie!
Betty Crocker Brownie Mix & Hershey’s Syrup Printable Coupon
August 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment
You can get a $1 off Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix & Hershey’s Syrup Printable Coupon when you like Betty Crocker on Facebook. My husband loooves chocolate milk so I’m happy anytime I can find a Hershey’s Syrup coupon! : )
Thanks, The Coupon Centsation!
Free Oprah’s Lifeclass Journal
August 16, 2011 by 50 Comments
When you sign-up for Oprah’s Lifeclass you’ll get a free Oprah’s Lifeclass Journal by mail. This is available to the first million who sign up. Just enter your email address and click on the red “Sign Up” circle. They will ask you to share this offer on Facebook, Twitter, or email but that is just optional. You will then need to login or register at Oprah.com. Then you’ll fill out the form and be careful not to accidentally check the “Try an issue of O”… I repeat do NOT check the “Try an issue of O” because that’s a free magazine trial and not a free sample. Enjoy your free journal and lessons from Oprah. Watch your mailbox around six to eight weeks for delivery of your journal.
Update: I don’t know why many of you {and myself} have not received your journals but I have good news! On Oprah’s website there is a space for you to jot your thoughts, feelings, and notes and keep them all to yourself. Visit Oprah.com to start taking advantage of this feature!
Subscribe to EmbracingBeauty to get your fill of Freebies!
Old Navy $10 off $50 Printable Coupon
August 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Print a coupon to Save $10 off $50 purchase at Old Navy off of the “Hottest Ticket” tab on Facebook. All you have to do is enter your name and then you can print off your coupon. This coupon is valid through Thursday, August 18. I’ve heard rumor that a new printable coupon will be announced on Friday!
Chef Boyardee “Almost Homemade” Recipes
August 16, 2011 by 2 Comments
Chef Boyardee is a name my family is familiar with. Before we were married my husband use to eat cans of Chef Boyardee pretty regularly. I can even remember eating them as a kid. Since we’ve been married we’ve been a huge fan of their pizzas! I’ve talked to so many people who have never heard of Chef Boyardee pizzas and I can’t hardly believe it. If you’re one of those people who’ve never tried one, go to Walmart this week and buy one. Make sure to buy an extra bag of cheese, pepperonis, and other toppings too! Where was I? Oh yes, we love Chef Boyardee.
Even the best cooks get burnt out at times, right? From first hand experience I can tell you that moms with newborns love a quick meal! I’m sure we could all name a list of things that make dinner preparation difficult at times. Chef Boyardee knows this and has created quick and easy recipes that are “almost homemade” to help us out.
Tonight my family tried out the Ravioli Lasagna recipe and we liked it! My husband was a bigger fan than I was. He loved it because it tastes so similar to the plain cans of Ravioli that he loves. It was a little too runny for my taste. I guess I’m use to homemade lasagna that stands up when you cut it. This is a great quick and healthy meal to serve to kids for lunch or dinner. I’m not opposed to eating it again but on a scale of 1-5 I would give it a 3. I loved the simplicity of the preparation and how quick it was to bake. It only took 6 ingredients and 30 minutes. I’m anxious to try out another Chef Boyardee recipe soon!
Nutrition Information:
Serving size – 6 servings (1 cup each)
Calories – 240
Ingredients:
- PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
- 1 cup frozen loose cut leaf spinach
- 2 can (15 oz each) Chef Boyardee® Beef Ravioli
- 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt’s® Diced Tomatoes, drained well
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 8×8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place spinach in microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH 2 minutes; squeeze spinach dry.
- Combine ravioli, drained tomatoes and Italian seasoning in medium microwave-safe bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture is hot. Combine cottage cheese, spinach and black pepper in small bowl.
- Place half of ravioli mixture in bottom of baking dish. Top with half of cottage cheese mixture and 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Repeat layers. Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly.
Looks yummy, huh?
The recipe was simple, quick, and required just a few ingredients. Who doesn’t love that? Check out the list of “Almost Homemade” Chef Boyardee recipes and give one a try for yourself.
I just had to share this! Here’s my cute pup. She was eagerly standing by hoping we would drop a bite for her. 🙂 Do you remember Lucy? She was a Pedigree Ambassador!
Disclosure: “I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Chef Boyardee and received a gift card to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”
P&G Free Samples
August 15, 2011 by 1 Comment
Starting today you can request your free samples from P&G! Your freebies will come directly to your mailbox. Your sample pack may include Head and Shoulders, Prilosec OTC®, or Always Infinity Pads.
Stacking Coupons at Walgreens? Yes!
August 14, 2011 by 1 Comment
Several of you have asked whether or not you can stack a manufacturer coupon with a Walgreens’ monthly booklet coupon. According to Walgreens’ coupon policy the answer is yes but some of you have said your stores won’t allow it. Well, for those of you who have had trouble in the past I have good news for you! In this coming week’s ad,8/14/11, it shows you how to stack a Cottonelle manufacturer coupon with a Walgreens’ August Booklet coupon for additional savings. This proves for a fact that it IS possible to stack a manufacturer coupon with a Walgreens’ monthly coupon. I suggest keeping the 8/14 ad in your coupon binder so if you ever have this problem come up at your store, you can show them, from their own publication, how they encourage us to stack these coupons. Hopefully, this will make for easier shopping trips!
Thanks, Jamie!
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