Holiday Time Savers

So with all the holiday madness why not save a little time when we can. I put a few times saving tips below that might come in handy.

Not enough time to clean:
Drizzle a few drops of orange-scented Pine-Sol on a clean cloth and hide it in a bookcase. It’ll give the room that just-been scrubbed smell minus the work.

Way to share your holiday photos:
Do you take a lot of pictures and want to share with family and friends? A great way for them to feel like they live close by is to upload your digital pictures to a place like www.winkflash.come so they can view your pictures and order copies for themselves.

Craft to do while the kids are on vacation:
Tired of all those broken crayons? Instead of throwing them in the trash re-use them. First heat oven to 250 degrees (oven temperature may vary). Fill a mini muffin pan ½ way with broken crayons and bake until crayons appear to be completely melted. Allow to cool completely BEFORE removing from pan. Crayons should easily pop out when the bottom of pan is tapped. Experiment with color combinations! Also look for fun shape molds like hearts, they make great Valentine’s gifts for friends at school.

Need to make room for new toys:
Trying to eliminate toy clutter? Take all the toys you know your child hasn’t played with for a long time and put them in a pile. Allow your child to select 6 of those toys to keep. Also take your child with you when you donate the other toys and explain how less fortunate children will love their new toys. I did this with both my kids and even have cousins and friends come over and take toys home. Since I started this at a young age, they never cried about giving their toys away. Now when I want to get rid of old toys my girls actually jelp me. They also know that they need to make room foo new toys for Christmas so they are more than happy to help:)

Don't want to fight with the plastic wrap to cover left overs anymore:
Store plastic wrap in freezer to make pulling it out a cinch. This is one of my favorite time savers as I make my husband’s lunch 5 days a week for work so this saves me lots of agrivation…lol!

Extra potatoes from your holiday dinner:
Cut them in half and cut shapes out with cookie cutters. Your child can use fabric pant and decorate a custom shirt for themself. Great activity to do when your child is home from scool on vacation the next few days.

Help Save Handmade Products

The following is from an e-mail I received by my friend Angie from Made by Angie. She's a fellow WAHM who will be affected if the law below is passed. Many of us will go out of business if this law is passed. Please take a moment to read her e-mail and help us stop this law before it's passed. And if you need a stylish diaper case make sure you check out her website. She has many adorable fabrics to choose from:)

Thank you in advance for helping out!
Jennifer

*CORRECTION* Law is already passed. I put that it wasn't, sorry about that.

In 2007, we were shocked to learn that so many of the toys our children were (are) exposed to were tainted with lead and phthalates. Large toy manufacturers outsourcing to China and other developing countries sold numerous products within the US that simply put, made kids sick.

Rightfully reacting to this mess, the US Congress cracked down on the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) and passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August 2008. Essentially, this law requires mandatory safety testing for all toys and products g eared towards children ages 12 and under.

In theory, we as parents and consumers should be thrilled with this action. However, the law lacks specifics and without modification, the reality is that thousands of small businesses who produce handmade toys and children's products will be forced to close our doors because the testing procedures are prohibitively expensive. Does this really make sense for the cloth diaper business using 100% organic cotton materials? Or the craft fair artisan that sold you a hand chisled wooden train set? Or the adorable personalized hand appliqued birthday t-shirt you just ordered from etsy.com?

On February 10, 2009 (coined "National Bankruptcy Day")-- this law will go into effect, forcing us to provide certification of thousands of dollars spent on third-party testing. Testing for chemicals that don't exist to begin with in the materials we use. Now more than ever, with our economy hanging on by a thread we need these small businesses who provide innovative, unique and SAFE products and help to keep our handmade in the USA industry thriving.

Here's what you can do to help.

1. Start by forwarding this information to everyone you know. Parents of young children are not the only ones touched by this legislation. There is a "forward" button at the bottom of this email.

2. Vote for amending the law on Change.org. With enough votes it will be presented to President Obama in January!

3. Find your congress person and senators and write a letter like the sample here. Particularly if they serve on the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection or the House Committee on Small Business.
4. Send an email directly to the CPSC or contact chairperson Nancy Nord at 301-504-7923.

5. Sign this petition, to be submitted to the CPSC.

6. Check out these additional resources: Facebook -Help Save Handmade Toys from the CPSIA and Handmade Toy Alliance

Thank you for reading!

Cyber Monday Sale!

This weeks sale consists of Custom Photo Scrabble Tile Pendants and Vinyl Cell Phone Inital Decals made by yours truley. They are BUY 1 GET 1 FREE until this Wednesday December 17, 2008. Hurry and pop over to my STORE.

Happy Holidays!
Jennifer

Cyber Monday Sale - Select Jewelry

This week we have select jewelry on sale. Click HERE to view our store.

They make great gifts for:
Moms
Grandmothers
Aunts
Sisters
Neices
Cousins
Best Friends
Teachers
Bus Drivers
Babysitters

Start making your holiday list and check it twice. Grab these great deals before the sale ends on December 10, 2008

Stampin' Up! Special

So many of you already know I love crafts. I love scrapbooking, rubber stamping, and just about anything involved with a glue gun. So what do you think about my new craft obsession? Stampin' Up! came out with vinyl and I'm loving it! I decorated my plain looking candle with my last name and then added my inital to my cell phone to jazz it up. I even put my daughters names on their walls. Just think of all the possiblities you can do with vinyl. They are easy to apply and remove. The amount of gifts that you can take from plain jane to jazzed up are endless.

Many of us are busy buying for others and need to reward ourselves with a little treat. As a way to help you save a little from now until December 8, 2008 I am offering 10% OFF on all Stampin' Up! orders (tax and shipping still apply) placed through me via e-mail at Jennifer@LittlePiddles.com Don't have a catalog? No problem, just click HERE. Once you send me your order I will send you a PayPal request for the the amount owed. Please do not order through my demonstrator website. You need to place orders via e-mail to receive the 10% OFF!


Happy Holidays!
Jennifer

This offer is valid only through Jennifer Servis

My Demostrator Website

Cyber Monday Sale

Ever tried writing your child's name on their bottle or sippy cup in permanent marker only to have it come of in the next time you run it through the dishwasher. These BumpyName Orbit Labels will solve that problem.

Pre-Printed on sale for $6.95

Custom 1-Line on sale for $9.95

Custom 2-Lines on sale for $10.95

Sale Ends December 3, 3008

The Grove Furniture

Last winter my brother had me and Miss K in his furniture store commercial. Miss A was supposed to be in it too, but got stage fright. You can check out the commercial below. We're the ladies in it:)

Visit his store HERE

Uber Amazing Blog Award

I am so happy to be receiving the Uber Amazing Blog Award! Thank you Lisa from My Colorful Treasures for nominatign me.

The Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who:~ inspires you~ makes you smile and laugh~ or maybe gives amazing information~ a great read~ has an amazing design~ and any other reasons you can think of that makes them uber amazing! : )

The rules of this award are:* Put the logo on your blog or post.* Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!* Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.

* Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

My nominations for the Uber Amazing Blog are:

My Colorful Treasures

Blonde Mom Blog

Savvy Housewife

Momma In Flip Flops 2

An Island Review

A Frog In My Soup

Bookieboo

The Mabelhood

Vote for Bookieboo

If you get a moment can you pop over to Divine Caroline and vote for one of my favorite blogs Bookieboo. The women over there are so nice especially Leah. So far they are at 66 votes and I know with your help we can blow that out of the water. And after you do that make sure to stop over at Bookieboo. They have great tips on fitness and always host many great giveaways. I won something from Milkshaxs recently and should be receiving it any day. I can't wait to give the adorable tee to my nephew when he's born. Bookieboo is free to join and lots of cool stores offer discounts to memebers, so what are you waiting for. Join today and you can check out there coupons page.

P.S. Today's my birthday! Don't worry about a present. Vote for my friends as your gift:)

Feel Your Boobies Week

I'm sure there are many of us where breast cancer has changed their lives in one way or another. Maybe it happened to you or a loved one. This month is Breast Cancer Awareness month. A self exam only takes a few seconds and can save your life. Please help others by passing this along.

Feel Your Boobies Website

NOTE: If you live in the San Diego, CA area there will be a
Race for the Cure on November 2, 2008 at Balboa Park. There will be approximately 15,000 attendees. The walk/ race is a 5K (3.1 miles).

Little Piddles Review

Ok so I'm posting a lot today I know, but I have lots to say! Last week Andrea from Momma In Flip Flops 2 did a review for my store. I sent her a few hair accessories and a crochet headband for her baby girl. Andrea does lots of reviews and giveaways. I love seeing what cool new items she's talking about each week. This weeks giveaway is for a swimsuit. If you check out her blog you'll see the coupon code for 15% off (excluding furniture) till the end of this month. The holidays will be here before you know it!

Stampin' Up Deomonstrator Website

So I finally took the plunge and now have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator website. They receontly now have it set up where you can place your order right online. I for one have been using their line for at least 10 years. Yes, I can get stamps at my local crafts stores, but the quality just isn't the same. SU stamps are more detailed. They also have a lot of coordinating stamp pads, cardstock, and lets not forget markers. Soon I'll be posting some projects I'll be working on. My brown vinyl just arrived and I can't wait to start creating. So if you are into stamping or scrapbooking please check it out.

My Demonstrator Website

Dr. MOZ Review

In case you haven't seen it yet on my online store I carry The Goodfather cd-roms by Dr. MOZ. It's a cd-rom that teaches baby lessons, lists lots of names to choose from, along with other great tips. I just discovered that the team at Dr. MOZ has a baby blog where they spotlight cool baby items they've found online. One of which is the My Plate-Mate. I got some great ideas already off of their blog and I'm sure you will too. Check it out when you get a chance.

http://www.deardrmoz.com/

Walking to School by Eve Bunting

I just got a copy of this book a few weeks ago called Walking to School that was written by Eve Bunting who has hundreds and hundreds of books published. On the cover is my sister-in-law Mrs. S and my niece Miss M. They are featured throughout the book especially Miss M. The illustrator was looking for a very Irish looking girl and who better then Miss M with her beautiful red hair and freckles. Miss M had to go to the illustrator's house (he lived near them) over the course of 4 months so he could take pictures of her to do the oil paintings. For those who know Miss M you'll notice she's younger in this book. These pictures were taken 4 years ago and the book was just released last month.

Needless to say Miss K and Miss A think it's so cool that their aunt and cousin are in a book!

JP Lizzy Sale!

Starting today select JP Lizzy items are on sale while supplies last. If you have any baby showers or are starting your holiday shopping you may want to check them out. I personally love the Tiffany in Blue and Tiffany in Pink purses. They are so cute! Start making you list!

Coupon code LABORDAY08 for FREE SHIPPING on orders over $25 ends tomorrow 9/4.

Labor Day

Happy Labor Day! I can't believe it's been a whole month since I last blogged. We've been having so much fun, and all that ends this week. The girls return to school soon. I'm bummed because even though they can drive me batty at times I really enjoy spending time with them. Miss K goes to school all day this year and every time I ask her if she's excited about starting school soon her response is "But I'm going to miss you.". Aw it breaks my heart. Although I know once she gets to school I know I'll be chop liver again, but it's nice while it lasted.

So back to Labor Day...to help celebrate I am offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $25 by entering coupon code LABORDAY08. Hurry coupon expires 9/4. I don't always post my coupons here, so if you'd like to receive an e-mail every time I am offering a coupon or giveaway make sure you sign up for my newsletter. You can do so by entering your e-mail address in the box on the right above my Favorite Sites.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Photo Essay Contest

So it's not that often that I send you to another person's site unless there is something really good being offered. Two very nice women Catherine and Emily contacted me about a Photo Essay Contest they are offering on their site. Grand prize is a wii Fit. Talk about a grand prize. We have regular wii and love it so I can only imagine how much fun wii Fit is. The thing I love most about this site is it carries clothes for kids who wear plus size clothes. My youngest is more "solid" body shape. She's not thin and she's not plus size so I know how frustrating buying clothes can be when most clothes are catered to thin kids. So what did Catherine and Emily do about this issue, they created a store called It Chicks where you can do all your daughter's shopping right from home. So pop on over there and check it out. They have great back to school clothes:)

New Giveaway!

Right now if you stop on over to superdumb supervillain you can enter for a chance to win 4 Hair Clips by Little Piddles. You have until August 13th to enter on her site. And to top it off there will be TWO winners. Good luck!

1st Anniversary Winners

The hair clips winner was EB...congrats!

The Super Healthy Kids Plate, My Plate-Mate AND stars onesie winner was Bunny. Congrats Bunny! Bunny posted on her blog and is a newsletter subscriber which earned her extra entries. See extra entries really do help:)

I just added some new products this week. I added some SwellyBelly Maternity Belly Bands which come in some really cute patterns. Their great for your post baby body before you fit into your pre-pregnancy jeans. I also added some new Nursing Covers. Besides the adorable fabrics they come in they're so versatile.

Summer Favorites

I know you may be wondering what you could use your ANNIVERSARY08 coupon code (expires 7/18/08) to save 15% off for. So I thought why not share some of my favorite things. Some are old favorites and some are new.

1. Hair Clips by Little Piddles - Ok so I created them so I'm a little biased:)
2. Medical Alert Bracelets - As a person with food allergies I love these especially for kids and elderly.
3. Name Labels - Wouldn't you love anything that prevented your kids from fighting over who got to use a pink cup that day.
4. Dripstiks - No mess, need I say more.
5. Ciao Bella Body Care - My skin feel so good. This time of year my skin normally is so dried out from the pool, but no more thanks to Ciao Bella.
6. Corn Bag Critter - I use it for my sore back and leg. My personal fav is Bella the Dog
7. FlowerPal Magnet - Teaches kid to put their hand on the magnet after getting out of the car. If you know me you know I'm all about safety.
8. All the books I carry - Finally something different then the same old same old you find everywhere else
9. Jewelry - Ok so I singled out Medical Alert Bracelets before, but I love all my jewelry. Have you seen the cute earrings? I of course have several pairs:)
10. Lakeview Storage Chest - I love that after the kids get too big for a toy chest they can use it as a chest at the end of their beds.

1st Anniversary News!

My youngest baby, LittlePiddles.com, just turned one this week. I can't believe it has been a whole year since the first day the store was live. I look back and think about how few products I had and how when I would get just a few visitors to my site I was so excited. Now a year has passed and I have an online store with tons of products which I am constantly adding to. Thank you to everyone who has helped make my first year a wonderful one!

Of course I'd like everyone to celebrate with me. So I thought I would have a giveaway, then I thought one wasn't a big deal how about two, but then I thought what's one more so three it is. Feel free to enter one, two, or all three. You just need to enter each one separately. All 3 giveaways will end this Friday 7/18 at 11:59pm EST.

So what are you waiting for? Check out the great giveaways below and start entering. Winners will be contacted via e-mail so make sure to include your e-mail address to qualify and I'll also announce on my next post.

Anniversary Giveaway #1

What little girl doesn’t need a cute new hair accessory? I just started to create my own hair accessories. The winner will receive 3 of their choice of any hair accessories by Little Piddles.

All you have to do to enter is visit my STORE and tell me which 3 you’d choose if you one. The ones available for the giveaway will say by Little Piddles on the line below the name. No blog required, just a valid e-mail address. Any duplicate entries will be deleted. If you mention this on your blog let me know or sign up for my Newsletter to receive an e-mail for future giveaways you will also receive an extra entry. If there is something you'd like to see offered as a future giveaway let me know. Giveaway ends this Friday 7/18 at 11:59pm EST. I will post winner's name as well as contact them through e-mail. Winner must respond within 4 days of e-mail.

From now till July 18th enter code ANNIVERSARY08 during checkout to receive 15% OFF all orders.

Anniversary Giveaway #2

This giveaway is for two items. Both of my designers wanted to help me celebrate by donating one of their products. Up for grabs is a Super Healthy Kids Plate.
Benefits Include:
Encourages balanced, porportionate meals
Appealing graphics for kids ages 2-8
Easier meal planning
100% melamine, Dishwasher safe
8 1/2 " Sectioned


The other part of this giveaway is for a White My Plate-Mate

Benefits Include:
Using My Plate-Mate at meal time will:
• Prevent messy spills on the table
• Help your child successfully learn to use a utensil
• Increase your child's confidence and independence at meals
• Promote developmental growth as your child advances to the next stage of self feeding
Simple and Easy:
• Fits onto a child's 8"-9 1/2" round plate
• Easy to clean, dishwasher safe
• Light and easy to transport to restaurants or outings
• Made in the USA of certified, FDA approved plastic
• For kids 2+ years
• Lead Free, No BPA or Phthalates
By the way the My Plate-Mate fits the Super Healthy Kids Plate. What could be a more perfect combo. Oh if I only had these when my girls first learned how to feed themselves. To think of how many clothes would have been stain free.

All you have to do to enter is visit my STORE and tell me one of your favorite items. Who knows it may end up being a future giveaway. No blog required, just a valid e-mail address. Any duplicate entries will be deleted. If you mention this on your blog let me know or sign up for my Newsletter to receive an e-mail for future giveaways you will also receive an extra entry. If there is something you'd like to see offered as a future giveaway let me know. Giveaway ends this Friday 7/18 at 11:59pm EST. I will post winner's name as well as contact them through e-mail. Winner must respond within 4 days of e-mail.

From now till July 18th enter code ANNIVERSARY08 during checkout to receive 15% OFF all orders.

Anniversary Giveaway #3

Worry when you snap your little ones onesie that you’ll accidentally pinch his skin? Worry no more. One of my designers has solved that problem by using Velcro instead of snaps. These onesies are ultra soft with a soft Velcro, not that harsh kind. My designer wanted to help me celebrate by offering an Stars onsie size 6-9 months to one lucky winner.

All you have to do to enter is visit my STORE and tell me one of your favorite items. Who knows it may end up being a future giveaway. No blog required, just a valid e-mail address. Any duplicate entries will be deleted. If you mention this on your blog let me know or sign up for my Newsletter to receive an e-mail for future giveaways you will also receive an extra entry. If there is something you'd like to see offered as a future giveaway let me know. Giveaway ends thsi Friday 7/18 at 11:59pm EST. I will post winner's name as well as contact them through e-mail. Winner must respond within 4 days of e-mail.

From now till July 18th enter code ANNIVERSARY08 during checkout to receive 15% OFF all orders.

Favorite Thing...

I was just checking out one of my favorite sites Katymom.com where Lori is hosting a favorite things carnival. If you like to join in the fun just visit her site HERE and post your name and url back to your post about your favorite baby/child related product. So what's my favorite item you? Well this was a tough one. In my store I carry a lot of things that my girls use daily. One of my favorite things is the Bumpy Name Labels. Some great features are:
1. Teaches name recognition
2. Helps you and your child keep track of whose cup is whose
3. Dishwasher safe
4. Fits most bottles, sippy cups, and water bottles
5. Saves me from listening to my 2 girls fight over a pink cup...need I say more.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the list of everyone else's favorites. From now till July 11th enter code BUMPY to recieve 15% off all
Pre-Printed Name Labels, 1-Line Custom Name Labels, and
2-Line Custom Name Labels

Is My Child Speech Delayed?

Want read the rest of what I went through with my 6 year old? Check out my article I posted on Chrysanthemoms. If you think your child may be speech delayed please read this article. It's about the steps I took to get my daughter the help she needed.

*NOTE* Something I forgot to mention in my article is that not all kids will outgrow their speech delay. Depending on what their delay is (ex. stuttering) it can get worse as they get older.

Also here are a few tips that we found very helpful.

Have him blow bubbles or through a little plastic kazoo. This helps strengthening his mouth muscles.

Use flash cards and make games out of them. Say if you have a pic of a balloon, cat, and person you can ask him which one flies in the sky?

Both are more play to him, but actually he's learning and practicing his sounds.

Don't make him repeat things over and over. If my daughter says something not clear I will repeat it slowly (I found that some sounds when I talk fast sound similar to her) and then ask her to say it again. If it's still not clear I will say it again, but then drop it. Asking them to do it over an over frustrates them.

Happy Birthday 6th Miss K!

Memorial Day Sale!

If you're like me you dread going to the stores with all the holiday traffic. Not to mention how crowded the stores are and the long lines. By the time I pay for gas I spend any savings I would have received at the stores. No thank you! I prefer to shop online and be done in a matter of minutes and then enjoy this beautiful weather we have today outside with my hubby and 2 girls.

So in the spirit of Memorial Day over at my STORE everything is 10% off. Sale ends tomorrow at 11:59pm EST. For orders $25 and over enter code MEMORIALDAY08 at checkout to also receive FREE SHIPPING!

Have a Safe and Happy Memorial Day!

Bracelet Contest

My fried Lisa from My Colorful Traesures is having a giveaway for a free 4th of July kids bracelet. It is so cute! All you have to do is visit her store HERE and enter your name and e-mail address in the form. Contest ends June 22nd so what are you waiting for hurry up and go enter. As an owner of several of her braclelets and earrings I can tell you will LOVE her designs!

Winner of by Kim Lane Designs purse was Tami. She choose the Black Paisley Bamboo Mini. Congratulations Tami!

by Kim Lane Designs Purse Giveaway

In honor of Mother's Day I am having a giveaway for a free by Kim Lane Designs Purse. All you have to do is pop over to my store by clicking HERE and HERE and let me know which by Kim Lane Designs purse is your favorite. Due to receiving many entries in the past without e-mail addresses you must enter your e-mail address in the post or it will not count. Please enter like this:
info at littlepiddles dot com

NOTE: Black paisley pattern bamboo mini as pictured is not on site, but is available. All by Kim Lane Design purses will say that in title description. Please comment on your favorite by Kim Lane Designs purse only:)

No blog required, just a valid e-mail address. Any duplicate entries will be deleted. If you mention this on your blog let me know or sign up for my Newsletter to receive an e-mail for future giveaways you will also recieve an extra entry. If there is something you'd like to see offered as a future giveaway let me know. Giveaway ends May 16th at 11:59pm. I will post winner's name as well as contact them through e-mail. Winner must respond within 4 days of e-mail.

From now till May 31st enter code MOM08 during checkout to receive 15% OFF all orders.


Organic Onesie winner was...Heidi...Congratulations!

New Design!

So what do you think of my new revamped site? I LOVE IT! I have been so bored with my blog design since day one. I switched it to a different template to attempt to spice things up, but no such luck. I found this great site called Retro Designz which is owned by a fellow Mom Packer. She asked if I had any ideas on what I wanted and I mentioned a few colors and she created everything I wanted and then some. I am so thrilled to finally have a fun looking blog! I much rather be Exotic Evie then Plain Jane...hehehe! So if you need a new website or blog design check out Retro Designz and you can get a fun design like me.

Earth Day Giveaway

In honor of Earth Day I am having a giveaway for a free Organic Onesie. There are 10 styles to choose from. All you have to do is pop over to my store by clicking HERE and let me know which organic onesie is your favorite. Due to receiving many entries in the past without e-mail addresses you must enter your e-mail address in the post or it will not count. Please enter like this:
info at littlepiddles dot com

No blog required, just a valid e-mail address. Any duplicate entries will be deleted. If you mention this on your blog let me know or sign up for my Newsletter to receive an e-mail for future giveaways you will also recieve an extra entry. If there is something you'd like to see offered as a future giveaway let me know. Giveaway ends April 25th at 11:59pm. I will post winner's name as well as contact them through e-mail. Winner must respond within 4 days of e-mail.

From now till April 28th enter code EARTHDAY during checkout to receive 15% OFF all orders. Remember Mother's Day is only a few weeks away!

13 Ways I'm "Green"

The closer we are getting to Earth Day the more it's on my mind. I'm the first to admit I'm not the most Earth Friendly person, but then when I started my little list of things I do to help the environment I realized I am making a contribution. Sure there are always ways to improve and I hope to grow my list. Here are a few ways I am "Green"

1. Wash in cold water (except towels and sheets)
2. Use hand towel in dryer (helps absorb water which dries clothes faster)
3. Cut dryer sheets in half (I just started doing this)
4. Use natural laundry detergent (I just started doing this)
5. Use Borax for laundry softener and cleaning (love this stuff)
6. Use natural cleaning products (if you know me you know I hate harsh chemicals. Once in a while I use them because it's what works, but not often. I use BabyGanics, Borax, Holy Cow, and Vinegar and water)
7. Online billing to save on paper waste
8. E-mail my newsletters to customer to save on paper
9. Use ceiling fans
10. Use natural soaps and lotions (Love, love, love my Ciao Bella line)
11. Buy fruit from local market (will do this in the summer)
12. Pass Miss K's clothes to Miss A or friends
13. Recycle, re-use and re-purpose (still trying to improve in this area)

Happy 4th Birthday Miss A!

Happy Wednesday!

Notice the little girl in her blue tutu, it's Miss A. As I've mentioned before she loves her Be Jeweled tutu. She also loves her new Lil Sister bracelet. I've added a lot of new braceletes and still have some more jewelry to come. Does your child have an allergy, then you have to check out the medical line I just added to my STORE. You can have it say whatever your childs allergy is. As a person with food allergies I can not tell you how thrilled I am to carry this line:) I almost forgot to mention Miss A is also wearing a new hair clip I created and will add to my site very soon a long with a bunch of other designs.


Over at Reviews by Heidi she has a giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to my STORE. From now till May 2nd you can still join in the fun in Great Blog Hunt. They have several great prizes including a $50 gift certificate to my STORE. If there's anything you want to see as a future giveaway, let me know:)

Next giveaway starts Sunday April 20th. If you want me to send you an e-mail prior to sign up for my Newsletter on the left side.

Advertise with Me...

over at my Little Piddles Top 100 List List. All you have to do is have a family friendly site and add my link to your site as well.

On a different note...
As anyone who has more than one child or has siblings you can relate to what I'm about to say. My girls can be the best of friends one minute and battle it out the next. We have purchased Socker Boopers because we believe in safe battles...lol! In most cases it's the older sibling who terrizes the younger one (yes I speak from experience oh yes so much experience.) In our family it's my younger one. She is sweet as pie, but man if you get on her bad side the claws come out. I beleive you will see her on the Women's Division of the UFC in about 20 years. You laugh, but I think this may be her future career. So when I see them be so sweet to one another I treasure it. Granted it does happen often, but not always long enough for me to grab the camera. The other day I woke up to find both girls under the blanket on the couch in the living room watching cartoons. I'm not sure what was sweeter, letting me sleep a little longer or them just snuggling. Either way I had to take a picture to remember next time one is screaming "Mom!"

And the winner is...

Katie who said The Strawberry Chocolate Chip tutu is really cute! Congratulations Katie!

Thank you to all of you who participated in my Little Piddles Giveaway. Don't forget from now till April 13th enter code TUTU to receive 15% off all puchases at my STORE.

My next giveaway will be announced soon. In the mean time to enter another giveaway visit Great Blog Hunt. They have several great prizes including a $50 gift certificate to my STORE. Also over at Chicks and Cubs they have 32 different sponsers including a $25 gift certificate to my STORE.

If there's anything you want to see as a future giveaway, let me know:) Have a great weekend!

Great Blog Hunt

What is it you ask, well let me tell you. It's the 1st Annual Great Blog Hunt! If you want to join in on the fun all you have to do is stop by Great Blog Hunt. You will see a list of all the blogs participating. Each blog has a clue hidden. All you do is find the clue and click on the photo (make sure to save it) and it will tell you the next blog to visit and next clue to find. Now of course besides you having fun finding the clues there are prizes involved. My store, Little Piddles, Mom4Life, and Island Baby Boutique are all sponsoring some great prizes. So what are you waiting for. Get over and join in the fun, but before you go make sure to stop by my Tutu giveaway by Be Jeweled!

Some Designers in the Spotlight

I just got an e-mail informing me that a few of the companies I carry, Dose Keeper, Smart Mom Jewelry (also known as Teething Bling), and the Shower Hug, were advertised on the site below. They also had a few other cool products so I wanted to share this with everyone. I don't have the nap sack that's mentioned, but I will be carrying one just like it made by another deisgner very soon, so stay tuned. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below for the tutu by Be Jeweled:)

Speaking of cool products...are there any that I don't carry and you would like to see added to my site? I have lots more products I'm adding, but always like to know about new ones. If you know of anything you think would be a good fit for my store, let me know:)

Tutu Giveaway

What little girl doesn't love to play dress-up? Enter to win a chance for a beautiful TuTu by Be Jeweled (value $52). My designer was so lovely as to offer one for this giveaway:) The winner gets to choose which Be Jeweled Tutu (excluding satin and Lavender Blossom). Winner also gets to pick a waist measurement up to 24" and length up to 10". Both my girls each have one and they wear theirs all the time! Miss K picked pink of course (big surprise there...lol!) and Miss A picked the Aqua/Mint (and that was a surprise because I though for sure she'd pick the lavender or blue)

A few of my favorite features are:
1. You pick your own color
2. More size choices then just small, medium, and large (love this since Miss A is a "solid" type body build and most dress-up clothes don't fit her:(
3. You pick the length (came in handy for my girls since they are both very long legged)

All you have to do is pop over to my store by clicking HERE and HERE and let me know which tutu by Be Jeweled (they say by Be Jeweled in title) is your favorite. Due to receiving many entries in the past without e-mail addresses you must enter your e-mail address in the post or it will not count. Please enter like this:
info at littlepiddles dot com

No blog required, just a valid e-mail address. Any duplicate entries will be deleted. If you mention this on your blog let me know or sign up for my Newsletter to receive an e-mail for future giveaways you will also recieve an extra entry. If there is something you'd like to see offered as a future giveaway let me know. Giveaway ends April 4th at 11:59pm. I will post winner's name as well as contact them through e-mail. Winner must respond within 4 days of e-mail.

From now till April 13th enter code TUTU during checkout to receive 15% OFF all orders. Remember Mother's Day is only a month and half away!

Another Giveaway

If you stop over at An Island Life you can enter to win a chance for a $25 gift certificate to my STORE. Also be sure to stop at An Island Review for a list of the latest contests.

I just uploaded a lot more items tonight. More tutus, dresses, bloomers, plates, and cleaning supplies. I still have lots more products I'll be adding soon, so keep checking back.

My Favorite Things

My newest tutu's are made by Be Jeweled . If you have seen my girls in person you know that they are tall girls and standard tutus don't fit them well. The owner of Be Jeweled has solved that problem. For most of them you get to choose not only your waist measurements, but your length as well. My lovely designer has is donating on for a giveaway that will be held around 3/28.

I love my new Ciao Bella products. I used my Vegetable Soap all the time. Since the bar of soap is so generous in size I cut in in half and keep 1/2 in the shower and the other 1/2 my my bathroom sink. Normally I never use bar soap to wash my hands, but this stuff makes my hands feel so good. After I'm done washing I apply my Hand and Body Cream. A few days ago my hands were extremely dry and cut up due to the dryness, well no more. My hands are silky smooth and all healed. I am also a person who washes their hands a lot (I have some OCD issues) so for my hands to be healed this fast is amazing.

Another one of my favorite products is a very genius one invented by a mom. It's the Dose Keeper. It is so cute and tiny, I love it:) I think at some point or another every parent has questioned what time they last gave their child medicine. All you do is put the elastic band around your medicine and it comes with paper and a pencil for yuo to keep track of type of medicine, date, and time. Another invention I'm sure we're all kicking ourselves in the butt saying "I wish I invented that."

Ok let me start off by saying no I am not pregnant, but this is a product that I still use. It's the Bebe Belly Band. It was created for pregnant womens who want to still wear some of their pre-pregnancy close. You wear this band over your unbuttoned jeans and it also allows you to wear your regular tops as well. Are you sitting there wondering why I am using it? I have many tops sitting in my closet that I will not wear because I hate for my mommy rolls to show, take my word it's not a pretty site. When I wear these it just looks like I am wearing a top underneath. It's also a great idea for moms who are nursing. Saves them lots of money not having to buy nursing tops:)

Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it have you checked out the Smart Mom Jewelry. You baby can actually chew on it. My girls are way past that stage, but I wear my Smart Mom Necklace and matching Smart Mom Bangle all the time. The owner of Smart Mom, Amy, will be on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch sometime soon.

If you want me to let you know when I add new products or when I have giveaways going on (see previous post for info on the 2 that are going on now) sign up for my Newsletter.

More Giveaways!

Starting today I have two giveaways on two different blogs going on. One giveaway is on A Frog In My Soup for a $25 gift certificate to my STORE. The second is on Ribbon Rock Star where TWO winners will each get a Dripstik and a pack of Bumpy Name Labels. Both contests are easy to enter, so what are you waiting for get over there. And before you go soon after spring break I'll be hosting a giveaway right here for a chance to win one of my BeJeweled TuTus. Sign up for my Newsletter so you don't miss out. They are so cute! Perfect for dance class, portraits, birthdays, or just having fun playing dress-up. You won't want to miss out on this one! Lots more giveaways coming up!

It's Party Time!

Welcome to the party, please come in. Can I take your coat for you? When I heard about this Ultimate Blog Party from one of my favorite blogs Blonde Mom Blog you know I had to join in. Of course I am fashionably late as usual. For those of you who know me outside of blogosphere you know I am always late, so you're not surprised at all.

If your new to my blog, then please grab a snack and pull up a seat while I tell you a little about myself. This June my hubby and I will be celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary. This spring Miss A will be 4 and Miss K will be 6. Miss A is my bad beep. I am convinced that she will grow up to be the champion of the womens UFC division. You laugh, but if you actually know her then you have gotton your butt kicked by her at some point or another. Miss K is my performer. That girl is always, singing, humming, or dancing. Maybe she'll be on American Idol, nah because if she did and Simon was still a judge you know this Mama would be arrested for kicking his butt if he dared to say anything negative about my baby.

Some of my hobbies are spending hours online, scrapbooking (I'm so behind), rubber stamping, and making crafts. Speaking of crafts one of my newest is these cute little butterfly hair clips for my girls (see pic above). Now you know me I'm obsessed with party favors, so for the first 20 people who comment and leave a valid e-mail address in their post I will e-mail you for your mailing address and mail you one in the color of your choice. In your post mention if you like light pink, hot pink, purple, or white. I was thinking of selling them in my STORE, what do you think? I also have a prize on the Ultimate Blog Party for a $25 gift certificate to my STORE. You just need to visit Ultimate Blog Party for rules to enter. Gift certificate entries are not done here, only hair clip party favors. Enjoy the party:)

P.S. My favorite giveaways on 5 Minutes for Mom are #7 Bead Dangle Photo Tile Necklace, #24 Blog Design by Sweet 'n Simple Design, #142 Ballerina Barrette Holder, #45 Blog Design by Summer, and #67 Blog Design by See My Designs. Are you noticing any kind of theme here yet:)

Baby Shoes Winner...

is blueviolet! Congratulations! For those of you who didn't win or just stopping by today from now till March 31st when you enter code BABYSHOES at checkout you will receive 15% of all orders. If you'd like me to e-mail you of upcoming giveaways please sign up for my Newsletter HERE or post a comment with your e-mail address. I have lots more great giveaways coming up soon so make sure to stop back soon. Some future giveaways will be a gorgeous TuTu, jewelry, Bumpy Name labels, purse, Milk Bands, clothing, pacifiers, etc...

Baby Shoes Giveaway

Check out these adorable shoes I am offering to one lucky winner for this weeks giveaway. These are made from funky and colorful cotton, soft furry fleece fabric, and incredibly soft new leather soles.They are so soft and funky that you'll wish you had a pair as well!


Enter to win a chance for a pair of Blue Country Garden shoes (value $25). The ones I am offering are size 2. My designer was so lovely as to send me a pair to check them out and since my girls are past the baby stage one lucky winner will receive them. They are so cute, trust me I am so jealous!

No blog required, just a valid e-mail address. Any duplicate entries will be deleted. If you mention this on your blog let me know and I'll give you an extra entry. Giveaway ends March 7th 11:59pm. I will post winner's name as well as contact them through e-mail. Winner must respond within 4 days of e-mail. Sign up for my Newsletter to receive an e-mail for future giveaways. If there is something you'd like to see offered as a future giveaway let me know.

From now till March 31st enter code BABYSHOES during checkout to receive 15% of all orders.

Calgon Take Me Away!

So for over 2 weeks now my back has been killing me and for over a week now I've had a nasty cold that I caught from Blonde Mom Blog...hey I have to blame someone don't I. Just when I think I'm getting better I start hacking and tearing up my throat, not to mention this headache is driving me nuts. And my girls (although their almost better) and hubby have it to, so we're just a house full of germs. All I want to do is take a nice hot bath, but now it's time to take Miss K to dance class so that's not happening. Got any home remedies that help you when you feel yucky?

Tip of the Week

In honor of what Miss A did earlier today I thought I'd post this weeks tip. Earlier today Miss A got a nice clump of gum stuck in her hair. I'm actually surprised this is the 1st time she's done this...so far...lol! Like my mother did with me on many occasions (ah sitting in the kitchen with a spoon eating peanut butter out of the jar, those were the days) I took a big clump of peanut butter and mushed it in her hair then used a fine tooth comb. I washed her hair twice just to be sure her hair didn't smell like peanut butter and she was good as new. It's not like I can even get upset when my kids do things like this. Can't get upset for things I have done way more times then my mom wish I ever did. So remember peanut butter isn't just for sandwiches. Plus the oils add a little shine:)

Mommy Necklace Winner...

is Mom 2 To Boys! Congratulations! For those of you who didn't win you can use coupon code MOMMYNECKLACE during check out to receive 15% off all orders from now till March 31st.

If you stop over at Pennies In My Pocket before 2/28 you can enter for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Little Piddles. All you have to do is visit Little Piddles and then post what you'd spend the $25 on if you were to win.

Don't forget to pop back over here next Sunday, March 2nd for my next giveaway. It's for an adorable pair of infant booties. If you'd like to be notified of upcoming giveaways please sign up for my Newsletter.

Tip of the Week

Looking for a new way to display those over sized artworks your child does at school? Trim them all to the same size, then take them to your local craft store and have them laminated. Now you have decorative placemats and the best part is clean up is a cinch! You can have your child make you ones for all seasons. Your child will love having their masterpiece on display and you’ll have a place to put them. Even better when they are laminated they are helped to be preserved from the acid from our hands.

You can also display their artwork in picture frames. Just buy ones where the backs don't have those push down prongs that way you can switch them out easily.

Another idea is hang plastic string or fishing string across the wall in their playroom or bedroom. Use cloth pins to clip their artwork to it. This way makes it easy to switch out old works of art for new. Great way to disply their favorite photos too. My girls love being able to look at their artwork spread across the room. When Miss A gets home from pre-k with her newest creation she always asks me to hang it up. Of course proud Mommy always does:)

*Make sure child is old enough and this is hung high enough to ensure your child will not harm themselves by swallowing small pieces.

Mommy Necklace Giveaway

Enter to win a chance for a Mommy Necklace (value $35). You get to choose from a Classic Mommy Necklace, Inital Mommy Necklace, Petite Mommy Necklace, OR Grand Mommy Necklace. All you have to do is visit my store Little Piddles and tell me which style you'd choose and if you'd prefer sterling silver or copper.

No blog required, just a valid e-mail address. Any duplicate entries will be deleted. If you mention this on your blog let me know and I'll give you an extra entry. Giveaway ends February 22nd. I will post winner's name as well as contact them through e-mail. Winner must respond within 4 days of e-mail. Sign up for my Newsletter to receive an e-mail for future giveaways. Next giveaway starts March 2nd.

Blonde Mom Giveaway

And yet another great giveaway over at Blonde Mom Blog. This week enter to win a Little Einsteins: Race For Space dvd or Handy Manny: Fixing It Right dvd. I know both my girls would love either one of them.

Make sure to pop back over here on Sunday, February 17th when I will be holding another giveaway. This time it is for a Classic Mommy Necklace, a Inital Mommy Necklace, Petite Mommy Necklace, OR Grand Mommy Necklace.

Great Giveaways

Over at Blonde Mom Blog she has a giveway for Aardvark Adventure Stories. I entered for the Princess Adventure (for Miss K, it says princess need I say more) and the Treasure Hunt Adventure (for Miss A since every Thursday at school they dig in the sandbox outside for treasures).

Also at 5 Minutes for Mom they have a giveaway for a Oreck XL Ultra. Thanks to my lovely daughters who had horrible acid reflux I desperatly need one of them to help keep my remaining spot free areas clean.

Bloggy Winner

First I want to thank everyone for an amazing giveaway. I can't believe I received423 entries. I had Radom.org drawn the winning number...#96

Congratulations Shelly who said...I love the JP Lizzy Tiffany in Blue purse.

As a token of appreciation I would like to offer a coupon to all my readers and those who entered for 15% off your order from now till February 18th. Just enter code BLOGGY08 at checkout.

Make sure to pop on over to Blonde Mom Blog where this week she is having a giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to my store Little Piddles. All you have to do is look around my store and pick what you would like to spend $25 on if you were to win and then post a comment on her blog. No blog required, just a valid e-mail address.

Also check back here on February 17th when I will be doing another giveaway for your choice of either a Classic Mommy Necklace, Inital Mommy Necklace, OR Grand Mommy Necklace. Great gift for a baby shower, Mother's Day, or for yourself:)

Another Giveaway...

starting tomorrow at Blonde Mom Blog you can enter for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to my store Little Piddles. Take a look around to see what you would spend your gift certificate on if you win. So make sure you pop on over there for a chance to win. Also enter my Giveaway that is ending on February 3, 11:59pm EST on the post below.

Bloggy Giveaways Carnival

I just came across this blog Bloggy Giveaways and of course I was intrigued when I saw the carnival they have going on. Lots of blogs are going to be offering some really cool giveaways. To view the complete list click on the link above. So what am I giving away you ask...$50 gift certificate to use on whatever you like in my store. Just go to my store Little Piddles and then pop back over here and let me know what you would spend your gift certificate on if you were to win. This giveway will be open from now until February 3, 2008 11:59pm EST. I will e-mail the winner as well as post winner's name here.

This contest is open to anyone is the United States. No blog required, just valid e-mail address. Duplicate entries will be deleted.

Make sure to stop back on February 17th when I'll have my next giveaway for a Classic Mommy Necklace

New Look

I've been wanting to change my blog template, but of course have no idea how you do that. I'm just so tired so this plain jane template and need something colorful and fun. Then today I was reading the blog A Frog In My Soup and she has a contest going on to receive a new design from her website Sweet 'n Simple Design so of course you know I'm entering. It's just so hard to choose a design because she has so many great ones to choose from. I think I'm going with Spring Flowers or The Dotty Blog. The Spring Flowers is so soft and The Dotty Blog is so fun. Now I can't decide, if I win maybe she'll decide for me:) If you need any design work make sure to check out her site.

New Arrivals

I just added a bunch of new clothes to my website and will be adding more items very soon. Finally clothing that says everything you want to say like "Wash Your Hands First" and "Look But Don't Touch." I wish I had the Mommy version after I had my girls that say things like "MYOB (Mind Your Own Baby)", you know especially when you are out at the mall and your little one is crying and you get those looks from by standers that feel the need to offer their 2 cents. If you have twins have I got the tees for your kids. I have 11 designs to choose from and one design for a set of triplets and they are all gender neutral. Keep checking back to see new items like clothes, hair ties (what can I say I'm hair accessory obsessed), jewelry, baby accessories, and more.