Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Blog * Bid * Hope


A Baby Dipper bowl is being auctioned off this week for Blog*Bid*Hope along with two CDs from My Baby Loves on Adventures in Babywearing .


The auction will benefit The Liz Logelin Foundation, founded by Matt Logelin, a new dad who lost his wife the day after their daughter was born, and started a foundation to help others in similar situations, and Anissa Mayhew, a 35-year-old mom of three who had a stroke two days before Thanksgiving. There are incredible stories behind both beneficiaries.

Also, there tons of other auctions being hosted by 7 bloggers for Blog*Bid*Hope: Buried with Children, Mayhem & Moxie, 7 Clown Circus, Scary Mommy, Adventures in Babywearing, The Extraordinary Ordinary, & Mama’s Losin’ It.

Look here for a complete list of the auctions and please pass the word along. Thanks!!!

Review: Hold It Baby Really Does Hold Everything!



The Hold It Baby on-the-go toy organizer proves to be much more than just that. It helps keep toys, pacifiers, sippy cups, books, blankies, and just about anything else a baby or toddler might need from ending up on the floor, whether at home or out and about.



A collection of "holders" of various types and sizes, the Hold It Baby has worked very well for me with Franklin and Carlton, who are now 17 months old. Carlton, in particular, is very much into the "everything must go" phase and takes great delight in tossing items off of his high chair, out of his crib, away from the stroller, or over the baby gates in our house.

I have primarily used the Hold It Baby with the stroller, but as I write this, I'm realizing I really should use one on each of their high chairs as well. I especially appreciate the silicone bands that work well with sippy cups. This can keep the straw of his sippy cup from touching the floor at home or at a restaurant. The Hold It Baby even has a clip that can be used for things that don't already have a built-in loop.


OK, so I brought in from the van a Hold It Baby for each boy and tried them on their high chairs. Here are two photos of what happened. You can see that they don't even hardly notice the straps attached to their bottles, yet when Franklin drops his bottle, it stops halfway to the floor! Hooray!!!

There is good news for you! Each Hold It Baby purchase will receive FREE SHIPPING between November 25 and December 25. In addition, for each Hold It Baby purchased, they will donate $5 to their account with Charity:Water.

Important links:
Hold It Baby web site
Hold It Baby on Twitter
Hold It Baby on Facebook
Hold It Baby blog

Friday, November 20, 2009

A new bra with potential!

I just found this giveaway on Blogger Mommies and have high hopes for the Coobie Bra. As Anna described in her review, I, too, hate shopping for bras. I'm not even much of a clothing shopper, but bras are the worst. The most frustrating part is that my breasts have not gone "back down" all the way since having kids and I'm not sure if they ever will. I now have a relatively small chest measurement, but a large cup size. Sounds great, right? Uh, no. I wish I could go back to my old size, but it seems that I'm stuck with what I have now, so have to find bras that help as much as possible. I think if I don't win the giveaway here, I just might have to purchase one of these Coobie Bras to try out. Thanks to Coobies for offering 6 bras as giveaways on Blogger Mommies!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Buy Mom Made!


Baby Dipper is now part of the Buy Mom Made movement that is a new Mom-preneur alliance between Laurie of Tip Junkie, Quinn of Created by Mom, and Amy of Mom Made That. As Laurie says on her blog post about Buy Mom Made, "this is the perfect example of 3 direct competitors (as we each have Mom-preneur listings) uniting together for a greater purpose – to promote mom shops." What a fabulous idea! So, post, tweet, and otherwise pass along the word about Buy Mom Made this season. You can very easily register as a Mom-preneur or a Shopper and get busy with your holiday shopping and supporting mom-preneurs.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Article on Mom Technology



Thanks to Laura Heuer of Mom Technology for featuring my co-winner in the HP Dara Torres Moms for Simplicity contest Kim Friedman a couple of weeks ago and also for featuring me on August 6. Laura's blog is all about how moms use technology to simplify our lives, so the HP contest was a perfect fit for her blog. Our third co-winner, Stacey Fulk, has now been safely deployed to Afghanistan, though we did enjoy her company on our trip to Rome to see Dara Torres swim. In the photo above, Kim is next to Dara, Stacey is in the foreground, and I am on the right. For more about our trip to Rome, check out the Moms for Simplicity web site that has been updated to include some of the videos we three moms made in Rome. Hans and I had a fabulous time despite the heat and humidity. We do live in Alabama, so we were somewhat accustomed to it, though we are not usually on foot sightseeing all day in the Alabama heat. Here is a picture of Hans and me in front of St. Peter's Basilica. Many thanks to Hewlett Packard for sponsoring the Moms for Simplicity contest!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Featured in The Huntsville Times!

Today there is an article in The Huntsville Times, the local paper here in Huntsville, Alabama, about my being one of the three winners of the HP Dara Torres Moms for Simplicity essay contest! I'm happy to be able to share my experience with the fabulous Moms for Simplicity program. My husband and I now have our passports ready to go and a travel book about Rome on order! Now to make the arrangements for child care and pack our bags in our spare time. :)

Saturday, July 11, 2009

I'm a winner of the HP Dara Torres Moms for Simplicity essay contest!!!


Yes, it's true. Two other moms and I were selected by HP and Olympic swimmer Dara Torres as the winners of the Moms for Simplicity essay contest. We each submitted a 250-word essay about how we use technology to simplify our lives. Our essays can be viewed at the link in the previous sentence. There is now a web site that is documenting our trip to Indianapolis and will also document our trip to Rome at the end of July. My understanding is that Dara Torres swims the 50M Freestyle on Saturday, August 1 in Rome. You can also follow us on Twitter: @hpmoms. Here is the press release from HP.

You can see the official video of Dara Torres in the finals in Indianapolis here on Swim Network. She is one amazing lady! We HP Moms got to have lunch with her on Wednesday, watched her swim the 50M Freestyle in the preliminary Thursday morning, and then the final on Thursday evening. Incredible! We also got to see Michael Phelps set a new world record in the 100M Butterfly, which was a wonderful added bonus for us!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Fun rugs!!!


OK, I love fun rugs! I just wish we had lots of places in our house to put them and lots of money to get lots of the fun rugs available at CSN Rugs. Oh My Baby is offering a giveaway of a Fun Time Driving Time rug, so be sure to hop over to their blog to sign up for the giveaway. There are so many fun ones that I know my 4-year-old girls would love!

Baby Dipper in The Mom Entrepreneur Co-op Shop

The Mom Entrepreneur Co-op Shop is celebrating summer with a new line up of products and services for the season. If you are looking for variety and great bargains then you need to visit their newly redesigned shop. There will be a Twitter party July 7th from 9:30 - 10:30 p.m. EST. Follow @TMECoopShop or visit TweetChat and enter #TMEcoop for a chance to win many prizes, including a Baby Dipper set. "See" you there!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Baby Dipper review on Mommy Works blog

My thanks to Jess, the mom behind the Mommy Works blog. In the review, she really details the use of the Baby Dipper bowl and spoon set by her daughter. There's even a cute picture of her daughter with the Baby Dipper set in the foreground. The thing that amazes me is that Jess is a full-time special education teacher and manages to keep up such a wonderful blog. Mommy Works is also hosting a giveaway of a Baby Dipper set, so be sure to comment, tweet, blog, etc. if you'd like to enter the giveaway.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The Shopping Mama's "All About Eating" week

Baby Dipper is participating in The Shopping Mama's "All About Eating" week. I'm excited to post the link to Kate's fabulous review of the Baby Dipper bowl and spoon set here for you to check out. Kate gives us a peek into her life as she truly describes her experience using the Baby Dipper set with her son. Baby Dipper is also part of the "All About Eating" week giveaway, so be sure to stop by The Shopping Mama and sign up for all of the fantastic giveaways that are going on there this week. Please pass the word along to anyone you know who is feeding a baby or has a toddler trying to self-feed. Thanks!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

My review of Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten



Yes, it's my turn to actually write a review this time. Stacey Kannenberg of Cedar Valley Publishing and I decided to swap products to enjoy and review, so I sent her a Baby Dipper bowl and spoon set and she sent me copies of Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten and Let's Get Ready for First Grade. Since my twin girls, Greta and Cora, are 4 1/2 years old and will be going to Kindergarten in the fall, this is the perfect time for us to check out the Kindergarten book and use the First Grade book as something to aspire to. I have also looked through the First Grade book and found that it is indeed almost all new topics from Kindergarten, so that will give us something to work from over the next year or two.

So, Let's Get Ready for Kingergarten! Since Stacey sent a copy of each book for each of my girls (thanks, Stacey!), we sat down on the floor with a copy of the Kindergarten book in front of each girl and went through it page-by-page as long as their interest lasted (not quite through the entire book). The inside cover of the book lists skills to practice, so it makes for a handy checklist as Cora and Greta learn to do each of the tasks. I like the "mix up the alphabet page," especially that it shows both uppercase and lowercase letters. We've been working on uppercase letters for a long time, but lowercase is something pretty new that they definitely need to learn. Another favorite page of ours is the skip count page, showing the kids how to count by 10s, 5s, and 2s. Greta and Cora have been more interested in skip counting since seeing that page in the book. The two things that I think will be the most difficult to learn will be money and telling time on a clock with hands. We've already started on these, but this book reminds me that it is a skill that Kindergarteners need to know.

I wish we'd had this book a couple of years ago since we have already covered many of the skills here, but not all of them. I think about age 3 would be a wonderful time to get Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten or to give it as a gift. That way the child might already be on his or her way to learning some of the skills, but the book would help guide parents towards other important things that can be learned slowly over time as the child approaches Kindergarten age. I should mention also that I love that the pages of the book have a fabulous laminated finish so that you can write on them with a write-on/wipe-off marker. Kids love actually being allowed to write in a book!!!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Review by the cobalt blue expert


I'd like to thank Laurie Stroupe for the wonderful review of the Baby Dipper bowl and spoon set on her blog, Laurie's Cobalt World Blog. She runs an online store for items made of cobalt blue glass. I love cobalt blue myself, so that drew me to her site and now I want to share it with you. Laurie's Cobalt World is definitely the go-to place for anything and everything that is cobalt blue. The Baby Dipper bowl fits in color-wise, though it is not, of course, made of glass, as that would not be terribly wise for a dish toddlers learn to feed themselves with. So, check out Laurie's site if you're looking for a brilliant blue gift idea!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Storytime Felt Giveaway on Lisa Reviews

Yes, we did go to Disney World not long ago and, yes, I will get around to posting pictures, but we took (gasp) 892 digital photos, so it will take me a while to get through them....

In the meantime, there are tons of fun giveaways going on out there. The one I'm writing about here is for a $25 gift certificate for Story Time Felts that is being given away on Lisa Reviews. I remember my grandparents having a set of felt scenes we could put together called Fuzzy Felt, I think. I miss Fuzzy Felt, so I hope that if I win the giveaway here it will bring back some fond memories.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Oooh! A new laptop!

No, I did not get a new laptop. Yet. I would dearly love to have one, but I do have access to one that works. Sort of works, that is. Anyway, the reason I'm posting is that I'm excited about the giveaway that 5 Minutes for Mom is hosting for a Toshiba Portege laptop. It looks like this is the latest and greatest with all the bells and whistles. The kind of laptop that would take me forever to learn all the features of, but one that would make my life a lot easier. I do have a great desktop, but that's the problem. It's only a desktop, alas. So, I've entered to win this wonderfully dreamy new laptop and am hoping for the best! Check it out!

Monday, April 27, 2009

I love poached eggs!

Yes, I do love poached eggs. My parents had (and still have) a pan that has a metal insert with six holes to hold metal egg poaching "bowls." Since I moved out of their house I have tried a couple of other egg poaching pans and have been disappointed. When I saw the review and giveaway of the poachpods from Fusion Brands on The Mommy-Files, I had to at least enter the contest and spread the word about this new way to poach eggs that looks to be a solution to my problem. It sounds like they work very well and they also look very cool, plus they're my favorite color of green!!! If I don't win the giveaway, I will probably have to buy a set to try out. :)

Saturday, April 18, 2009

My Review of Stainless Steel Panda Babies 3 Piece Childs Set

CSN Baby

Designed to meet the needs of a child, the Stainless Steel Panda Babies 3 Piece Childs Set makes feeding comfortable and easy . The beautiful silverware pieces have a hammered handle pattern and are sized just right for little hands. This set would make the perfect gift for a...


Just what we needed!

2times2 Huntsville, AL 4/18/2009

 

5 5

Pros: Easy To Use, Portable, Durable, Easy To Clean

Best Uses: Meals, Snacks

Describe Yourself: Parent of Multiples (Twins etc)

I was looking for a set of real flatware that included a knife for my 4-year-old twins to use. I was happy to find this set and my twins absolutely love having their own flatware. The pieces are just the right size for their hands and the knife works very well for beginning learners.

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My Review of Kirby Inflatable Baby Bath Tub

CSN Baby

This soft inflatable tub is perfect for the transition from infant tub to adult tub! The Kirby Inflatable Tub is made of soft material to comfort your baby during bathtime. After bathtime, just undo the recessed drain plug and hang up for a...


Excellent tub for in-between age

2times2 Huntsville, AL 4/18/2009

 

5 5

Pros: Strong Construction, Useful, Lightweight

Best Uses: Toddlers, Infants

Describe Yourself: Parent of Multiples (Twins etc)

This is the perfect tub for the time between the infant tub and the big bathtub. It is inflatable, so is soft for baby to sit on and in, plus makes it easy to take with you when it's deflated. I have noticed that it doesn't stay 100% inflated, but it still works wonderfully.

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Saturday, March 28, 2009

I need this purse organizer SOOOOO badly!


I can NEVER (EVER, EVER) find my keys the first (or second or third....) time I reach into my purse to grab them. This organizer from Sweetbriar Studio sounds like exactly what I need to keep everything in its place inside that giant center pocket of my jumbo purse. There is currently a giveaway on Mommy Works Blog. Check it out and try to win one!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Things I'd like from UBP 2009

OK, well, I'd better get my act together and post some things that I'd like to win from the Ultimate Blog Party! So, here are my top three:

INTL56 - Free sponsorship of Mom Audience
INTL20 - $100 Premier Advertising Spot on Tip Junkie Mom-preneur
INTL 49 — Books $40 value: Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten & First Grade! from Cedar Valley Publishing

And if those are all taken, here's my list of further items I'd love to win:
89, 58, 1, USC12, 21, 19, 91, USC47, 84, 44, USC10, 22, 5, 106, INTL1, INTL56, 16

Thanks so much for this great opportunity, 5 Minutes for Mom!

Monday, March 23, 2009

The Ultimate Blog Party!!!

It's time for the 2009 Ultimate Blog Party hosted by the fun ladies at 5 Minutes for Mom! I'm trying to find my way through all of the many fun things that are going on as part of the Ultimate Blog Party. It started a couple of days ago and runs through the end of the day on March 27. Baby Dipper is listed as #23 in the list of businesses and blogs offering prizes.

Well, I'll publish this for now, but I'll need to come back to add my list of things I'd like to win. There are so many great things!!!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Test Results Are In: Baby Dipper is free of lead and free of phthalates!

Yes, I just got the test results back and found out that the Baby Dipper bowl and spoon are both free of lead and free of phthalates! This good news means that we are in compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which has been such a bear to small businesses, Baby Dipper included. Please pass the word along to your friends and family when you get a chance. Thanks in advance!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Britax Sale at Amazon

Yep, you read it right: Britax car seats are on sale right now on Amazon.com through February 15. And up to 20% off!!! Click here to link directly to the sale. Of the 10 car seats we own, 4 of them are Britax and we love them. Oh, and they all came from Amazon during previous sales. :)

Sunday, February 1, 2009

And the winner is.......



Stacy! She wins the Baby Dipper bowl and spoon set I gave away as part of the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival. Stacy commented, "Love the non-slip base" at 2:54 p.m. on January 26. I have emailed her to let her know she won. My daughters, Cora and Greta, helped me with the drawing. I printed out all 95 entries, cut them apart, and put them in a plastic tub. Cora mixed them up (over and over and over and over again!) and then Greta selected the winner. Thanks to everyone who participated in the giveaway!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Baby Dipper Bowl Giveaway!

OK, it's time for a giveaway of a Baby Dipper bowl and spoon set! This bowl is patent-pending, so it is indeed a unique bowl. It definitely solved the problem I was having with chasing the bowl around the table and the food around the bowl while trying to feed a baby.

And, I'll be participating in my first carnival through the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival. Check it out for TONS of other giveaways!

So, first, check out the Baby Dipper web site and post here what your favorite feature of the Baby Dipper bowl is. That's your required first entry. Once that is done, subsequent entries can be had if you post here again after you:

* Tweet about this giveaway and link back to it on Twitter
* Blog about this giveaway and link back to Baby Dipper and this giveaway
* Email 5 friends about this & copy me: info{at}babydipper{dot}com

AND, I've seen this done elsewhere and thought it was a great idea:

* Purchase a Baby Dipper bowl and spoon set on Amazon.com [or two, and get free shipping!] and send me a copy of your receipt (info{at}babydipper{dot}com). This will get you FIVE bonus entries!!!!! You will get to post 5 more times for that! :)

Thanks for helping me get the word out! I do very much appreciate it! It will be fun to watch this giveaway in progress.

Entries for this giveaway will be accepted until midnight CST, Saturday, January 31. The drawing will be held and the winner will be posted and notified on Sunday, February 1. Please be sure to leave your contact information somehow in your post! Please note that this contest is for U.S. residents only.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Milestones everywhere!

With 4 kids, there are certainly lots of opportunities for milestone moments, though some are more monumental than others. Carlton and Franklin are now almost 7 months old and are getting more and more interested in rolling over and sitting up, so we're not far off from those true milestones and then it won't be long before they'll be MOBILE!!!!! Just a few days ago I put Franklin and Carlton in the outdoor baby swings for the first time. It was one of those cool, but sunny days we have here in the south that makes for a wonderful respite from the usual dreariness of the cold and/or rainy winter days. They truly enjoyed swinging the sun and watching their big sisters run around and swing on the big kid swings. That's Franklin on the left and Carlton on the right.



Greta and Cora are 4 years, 3 months old and are so verbose and creative these days. They are constantly wanting to work on art projects and their preschool workbooks, particularly enjoying the mazes and the "what doesn't belong" games. Just this week at my parents' house, as they pulled into the garage, Cora said to my mom, "Oma, does that say 'off?'" Indeed it did! It was the control box for the sprinkler system. Later that same evening, she read/remembered aloud a book about a horse named Blaze that she loves to have read to her. After Mom got the girls to bed that night, she was at her computer and Greta came up behind her and told her that she wants to read 'off' and Blaze like Cora can. Oh, and then there are the things the girls have said recently. Greta told me, after spending all day with me at the children's museum, playing and eating at the mall, and shopping for a new washing machine, that I'm cool! I paused and asked if she meant cool as in cold (it was cold that day) or cool as in fun. She responded, "amazing." I'll have to remind her of this when she is 16. Mommy is cool. :) And, the latest from Cora was as they were driving through a town called Rainbow City on the way to my parents' house. There is a giant rainbow ribbon sculpture on the side of the road and they discussed the colors of it as they drove past: red, blue, lellow, green, etc. My mom took that opportunity to work on saying Yellow rather than Lellow and asked them to "yeah - low." Cora was getting frustrated and told Mom, "it's a work in progress!" In these photos, that Cora, Franklin, Carlton, & Greta on the swing set and then Greta & Cora watching the new washing machine.

So, as I've said before, I'll try to post some more here, but things are always super busy as I try to take care of Baby Dipper and the 4 kids, so my "spare time" is virtually nonexistent. I should mention also that I will be giving away a Baby Dipper bowl and spoon set here on my blog next week in the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival hosted by Don't Try This At Home. So, keep an eye on the blog and tell your friends to come post a response for a chance to win a Baby Dipper bowl and spoon set!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Baby Dipper Bowls on Amazon!!!

I made the official announcement today that Baby Dipper bowl and spoon sets are now available on Amazon.com. This has been a long time coming, so it is quite satisfying just to be able to search on Amazon and find my product. Here is the link, so you don't even have to bother with the search: http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Dipper-Bowl-Spoon-Set/dp/B001NGFSMK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1231102202&sr=1-6

And, if you would please pass along the word to anyone you know who is the parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or friend a young child, that would be fabulous! I also need some positive reviews to be written, so if you already own one, please take a couple of minutes to tell potential buyers what you think about it and how it has helped you and/or your child or what a great baby shower gift a Baby Dipper bowl makes. Thanks in advance!!!