Category Archives: Giveaways

Giveaway: CurlyMonkey Organic Cloth Baby Wipes $18 {5.26; US/Can}

This is a joint giveaway with A Little Bit of All of It and Natural Parents Network. You may enter at one site only. Please find the section marked “Win it!” for the mandatory main entry and optional bonus entries.

Curly Monkey Organic cloth wipes assortmentCurly Monkey is offering our readers a giveaway of FOUR organic cloth baby wipes, a value of $18.45.

The Review:

I was excited for the opportunity to review four organic cloth wipes from CurlyMonkey. All of the products CurlyMonkey sells are free from pesticides, insecticides and harmful fertilizers, which makes me feel good about using these wipes on my little girl.

Besides cloth wipes, the company sells baby and toddler clothing, baby hats, baby bath mitts, and soft toys.

When I received my cloth wipes, they came in a nice blue organic cloth gift bag, which would be great if you were planning on buying a shower gift! I like that I can reuse this, too, and it is not just packaging I’d be throwing away.

Curly Monkey cloth baby wipes in bag

Specifically I was sent one each of the Organic Eco-friendly Cloth Baby Wipes in Paris Tea, Collection Trèfle and Think Peace prints, along with one Maxi Hemp Organic Cotton French Terry Cloth Baby Wipe (2 ply).

These wipes can be used in several ways — as burp cloths, washcloths, or in place of paper towels, for instance — but I used them specifically for their primary use as cloth wipes for my daughter’s diaper changes.

Using the Wipes

First of all, these wipes are BEAUTIFUL! The designs are lovely. I really enjoyed just looking at them and was almost afraid to use them! The prints are a high-quality designer cotton fabric on one side with the other side being an organic hemp / organic cotton french terry.

Curly Monkey Organic cloth wipe textureThe Maxi Hemp wipe is handsewn unbleached, dye-free, organic fabric with one side being smooth while the other side is textured for messier jobs, like wiping dirty bottoms.

I consulted the website for the washing instructions (machine washable — gentle cycle — medium heat to dry) and washed them prior to using them. I measured them because I wanted to see how much they would shrink after washing, if at all. The wipes with prints measured 8 1/2″ x 11″ while the Maxi Hemp wipe measured 9″ x 9″. Once washed, they shrank down a little bit. The printed ones shrank to 8 1/2″ x 10.5″ and the Maxi Hemp wipe shrank to 9″ x 8 1/4″. I did notice that the edges on a couple of them curled up after washing but once I washed them again, they were already starting to lie flatter.

I use an old disposables wipes container for my wipes, and these wipes are slighter larger than the wipes I currently use and don’t fit as well into the container. They are also a lot thicker so they take up more space. Still, I didn’t find this that big a deal. I poured my wipe solution over the wipes like I normally do and there were no surprises there. I folded them with the design side facing inward so I was wiping with the plain side. For the Maxi Hemp wipe I placed the textured side facing outward.

I have been using cloth diapers since my daughter was a newborn (now 2 years old) along with cloth wipes so cloth wipes aren’t new to me. But these are MUCH nicer than the ones I’ve been using. It definitely makes a mundane task fun!

The generous size is a big plus. I found in cases where I normally would need to grab a second wipe, I don’t need to with these. They also feel more substantial than the thinner wipes that I have. The thickness of these means there is a nice barrier between my hand and what I’m wiping up. The textured side looks and feels like it would be great for an infant’s messy diapers, but since I have a 2-year-old, I didn’t get to “test” this out.

If you are already cloth diapering your baby, it makes sense to use cloth wipes as well. These would be a great addition to your cloth diapering routine as something nicer and more special. I actually get excited when I go to change my daughter and see the next wipe is one of these!

When my daughter caught her first stomach bug this past Christmas, I know I would have been happy to have these wipes to use for all the messes I had to clean up. It would have certainly made the job easier and given me something pretty to look at during an unpleasant experience. Even my daughter prefers them, as you can see in this video!

BUY IT!

You can purchase CurlyMonkey Organics cloth baby wipes online through CurlyMonkey.com or at CurlyMonkey’s Etsy shop.

Three-packs of the printed wipes are $15, and six-packs of the Maxi-Hemp wipes are $20.70.

Shipping is available internationally.

WIN IT!

For your own chance to win the same set of FOUR CurlyMonkey Organics cloth baby wipes, enter in the comments below! Contest is open to U.S. and Canada.

MAIN ENTRY:

Leave a valid email address in your comments (the line where it says “email address”) so we can contact you if you win. Email addresses are not made publicly visible.

This is a joint giveaway with A Little Bit of All of It, a natural parenting blog, and Natural Parents Network. You may enter at one site only, and we’ll be recording IP addresses to ensure that there are no duplicate entries. That said, please do visit and enjoy both sites!

BONUS ENTRIES, to increase your chance of winning after completing the mandatory entry above (leave a separate comment for each so we can count them all):

RULES:

  • Contest open to Canadian and United States mailing addresses only.
  • Contestants may enter at either A Little Bit of All of It or Natural Parents Network but not both. Entries will be combined for the drawing of a single winner.
  • Leave each entry as a separate comment so we can count them all.
  • For actions like following and subscribing, if you already follow or subscribe, just let us know in your comment.
  • For tasks that garner you multiple entries, you can copy and paste the comment with a #1, #2, etc.
  • You don’t have to do any of the bonus entries, but you do have to complete the first mandatory one.
  • We will pick the winner through Random.org after the contest closes and send an email notification. Leave a valid email address as you comment so we can contact you if you win. If we can’t reach a winner or don’t hear back within a couple days, we’ll draw a new name.
  • Any questions, let Lauren know: Lauren {at} NaturalParentsNetwork.com
Contest closes May 26 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
Disclosure: I received four free wipes for review.
We try to seek out only products we think you would find
relevant and useful to your life as a natural parent.
If we don’t like a product, we won’t be recommending it to you.
See our full disclosure policy here.
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Yellow Elm Headband Winner


Danielle, #29, is the lucky winner of the Yellow Elm Baby Headband!

Thanks to all of you who entered! We had 51 entries in all.

Danielle blogs at The Knapp Family and her favorite headband was the Claire Felt Headband.

Claire Felt Headband, Danielle's Favorite!


Super Sunday Surf for week of March 6

Last week I had no Sunday Surf but this week I have SO much stuff to share, I’m going to have to categorize it! So let’s get to the links, shall we?

Recipes and Food 

via seriouseats.com

Sunday Brunch: Scallion and Cheese Corn Muffins – These look utterly delicious…and cheap to make….and easy to make. That, pretty much, sums up my criteria for a good recipe! Perhaps these will make it onto a Menu Plan Monday sometime soon!

Spiced Raspberry Leaf Tea – You guys know I love tea, right? Here’s a recipe for a good tea that sounds tasty AND is good for the female reproductive system. She also gives a way to make it for those who maybe aren’t so into the taste to make it taste better so you can still get the health benefits.

Cheese Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce – My family is big into Mexican food. (My mom is already planning a Cinco de Mayo party because it is an excuse for us to eat lots of yummy Mexican food.) This recipe is healthy, too! Yay!

Serious Sweets: S’mores Brownie Bars – Need I say more??

Get Healthy: Prepare 3 More Meals This Week – Lots of meal prep tips

Sweet Potato Burrito Bowls – More Mexican healthy yumminess

Peanut Butter Popcorn – My husband said this sounded gross (boo) so I’ll have to make this one night for me and my daughter. I bet SHE would approve. ;)

1st Visit to McDonalds – Totally interesting to me

Christianity

Blaming and Angry with God – Quote from the post: “Sometimes I am tempted to be angry with God because of something I think I really need or really want that God does not give me, some source of pain. And I realized a few days ago why this is.”

Crunchy Stuff

Your Own Crunchy Shopping List – Free PDF – Check it out…she even gives you a nice pdf file to print out and take to the store with you and tips. And there’s also an online community on the site to discuss this stuff. Nice.

Citrus Lavender Laundry Detergent – One of these days I’m going to stop being lazy and make my own laundry detergent. Let me know if you have or do on a regular basis. I also linked to another DIY laundry detergent recipe in another Sunday Surf you can check out as well.

The Mother of All Soap Nut Recipe Resources – I had never heard of these until now and they sound AWESOME!! There is a giveaway on the same blog and I totally hope I win! If you enter, please say Julia sent you!

Babies and Parenting 

via codenamemama.com

Natural Parents Network’s Carnival of Natural Parenting’s theme this month is Top 10 Lists. I already did a post on one but here are the rest of my favorites:

10 Reasons to Choose Baby Led Weaning

Top 10 Ways to Know You’re a Natural Parent

Top 10 Ways to Be Present with Family

10 Natural Baby Items I Love

Choosing to Breastfeed

Ten Things I Wish I Knew Before Little Man

Top Ten Things No One Told Me About Natural Parenting

Top Ten Breastfeeding Misconceptions

Step Away from the Amazon List

My Top Ten New Mommy Moments

And this was not part of the carnival but is in the same vein:

Top 17 Things I Learned in My First Year as a Parent

The Invisible Umbilical Cord – I totally identified with this one!

Cooking with Your Toddler – Some great ideas here for fun meals your toddler would enjoy

Myth Busting 4: My Story – A post on gentle discipline

Random

Thoughts on Sleep – Robyn from Green Smoothie Girl gives some sleep information

Ice Candle Holder Table Decorations – I thought this was pretty cool, um literally.

Check out Authentic Parenting, Baby Dust Diaries, ChildOrganics, Hobo Mama, I Thought I Knew Mama, Mama and Baby Love, Mama Eve, Maman A Droit, Momma Jorje, Monkey Butt Junction, Motherhood Moments, My Inspired Baby, Navelgazing, and The Parent Vortex for more Sunday Surfing!


Sunday Surf

Here are my Sunday Surf links for this past week.

via naturalparentsnetwork.com


How I Prep Clean Eats for the Week: Inside Sara’s Kitchen

5 Toddler Breastfeeding Myths That Drive Me Insane!

6 Steps to Mindful Mothering

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Fine Art of Dying Your Hair with Henna

Chicken Pot Pie with a Savory Herb & Cheddar Crust

The Consequence of Using Consequences

My Scar Does Not Define Me, Part 1 & 2

Dealing with Birth Trauma

Tea Technique: How to Steep White Tea

Giveaway: Sacred Rose Herbal Tea


Yellow Elm: Giveaway!

Lisa Felt Headband

My first Yellow Elm product came from my mom. She bought my daughter a headband for her Candyland birthday party. I’ve been in love ever since! I have baby headbands, baby clips and clips and headbands for me, too! That’s why I’m so excited to offer a giveaway to celebrate 5,000 hits from Yellow Elm to share their wonderful products with you all, too! Scroll down to the bottom to check out the beautiful baby headband I’m giving away and to see how to win! (PS: Yellow Elm is local, too if you live in the Upstate of SC!)

I interviewed Yellow Elm owner Elizabeth Blanton to give you some more information about Yellow Elm straight from the source!

What gave you the idea for Yellow Elm and how did you get started?

I learned how to felt in a fiber arts class I took as an elective in college and immediately fell in love with the process. After making some large felt wall-hangings for the class, I used some leftover felt to make brooches as gifts for my friends and got a great response, so after college I decided to make more wearable art and see what happened with it. There has been a huge trend recently in crafts and handmade items and I’m so excited to be a part of that.

What do you love most about the pieces you make?

I love the uniqueness of each piece. I can never make two pieces exactly alike, so everyone who wears Yellow Elm can truly know they have an accessory that no one else has.

Baby Brooke Barrette

What’s your favorite collection?

My favorite is usually what I’m working on at the moment. I’ve just started making small brooches with beads on top in soft spring colors, and those are my favorites right now.

Do you have plans for any other products besides headbands and brooches?

Yes definitely! Jewelry, purses, hats, and scarves are all possibilities for future products. I’m working on a vintage line of headbands and brooches as well that I’m pretty excited about.

Do you prefer selling on etsy or selling to stores?

I love both for different reasons. It’s always fantastic to find a shop that is the perfect fit for Yellow Elm and I really enjoy working with shop owners to get just the right Yellow Elm pieces in their stores. I am so glad to have an etsy shop as well because I can reach so many people with the internet–people all over the world.

Do you have a favorite fellow etsy artist?

So many great choices I could never pick just one! I keep my “favorites” page on my etsy shop pretty current and always mark a favorite shop or item.

A Little Bit of All of It is giving away this precious baby headband!

headband1

Yellow Elm Baby Headband

It is a baby headband with a soft blue piece of felt on a bright blue fabric band, with a black & polka dot fabric button and some simple baby blue embroidery.

How to Enter

There are 5 ways to enter. You can do 1, a couple or all of them. Obviously the more you do, the better your chances of winning are. I’ll draw a winner randomly using random.org on March 17th! The winner will be contacted via email.

  1. “Like” A Little Bit of All of It on Facebook and come back and leave a comment here that you did with your FB name.
  2. Go to Yellow Elm’s etsy store and come back and leave a comment with the name of your favorite piece.
  3. “Like” Yellow Elm on Facebook and come back and leave a comment here that you did with your FB name.
  4. Subscribe to the Yellow Elm blog and leave a comment here that you did.
  5. Subscribe to this blog and leave a comment here that you did. (To subscribe, see the top righthand corner of the blog.)

Anniversary Giveaway- CaughtREDhanded Jewelry!

I’m SUPER excited about our second ever giveaway on A Little Bit of All of It in honor of my first full year of blogging! CaughtREDhanded is giving away one of their pieces to one of my readers! CaughtREDhanded is handmade original art trapped under glass. The brand carries pendants, earrings, bracelets, belt buckles, rings and does custom work as well. I asked owner, Amy Galon, some questions and I’ve shared them below. To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions at the end of the post.

What do you love most about the jewelry you make?

I love that it is original, handmade in the USA by a stay-at-home mom! You can not find another piece of jewelry out there just like ours–it is like a little stamp of myself that I get to put on the world.

Luna Garden from the Pebble Collection

What’s your favorite piece?

That is hard. I guess, right now, I am favoring our new Pebble line (I love NEW!). If I had to pick a favorite piece I would have to say Luna Garden.

What’s a typical day like for you at CaughtREDhanded?

Ha! There is no typical day when you run your own business, chase after a bebe, and take care of a home! But, this is the way a typical day “should” go:

Pack up any orders ready to ship in the morning and start any new orders.
Go to the Post Office.
Finish making orders, call customers, follow up on leads etc. in the afternoon.
I keep on working (making, taking pictures, emailing, packaging, ordering, customer follow-ups, etc.) through late afternoon.
After dinner I set all the jewelry made in glass.
Depending on how busy I am that week, at night my husband comes to help me pack up jewelry or we get to watch a little TV together before we pass out. :)

Eden Pendant and Earring Set

You recently created an earring line and a bracelet line. Tell us about those.

They are my favorite new collections (I told you I like new;)). I wanted to expand our line past just our staple pendant line.

What do you love about selling on Etsy?

The exposure. Etsy is where it all started and without it, I would not have been able to stay at home with my son, Sebastian, and pursue a passion that I love. I am truly blessed and Etsy was a major catalyst in this dream of mine.

Do you have a fellow Etsy artist that you buy from over and over again?

Oh yes! I have some favorites for sure!
Cori Dantini–she did some design work for us and I order Christmas ornaments and customer work from her ALL the time. She is fantastic!

I often buy cards from another favorite artist Irene Suchocki. Her photography is amazing.

My husband, Jim, orders from Man Cave consistently as well. I bought him a shave set from their shop last year and he loved it so much he consistently buys refills.

These are just a few of my favorites that I order from but there are sooooo many more I could mention!

How to Enter

There are 5 ways to enter. You can do 1, a couple or all of them. Obviously the more you do, the better your chances of winning are. I’ll draw a winner randomly using random.org on December 1st!

Gypsy Love Waist Candy

  1. Post a comment and let me know your favorite post here on the blog and why.
  2. Go to CaughtREDhanded’s Etsy store and come back and leave a comment with the name of your favorite piece.
  3. Post a picture on CaughtREDhanded’s Facebook page wearing a CRH piece and come back and leave a comment here that you did with your FB name.
  4. Become a fan of CaughtREDhanded on Facebook and leave a comment here that you did with your FB name.
  5. Subscribe to this blog and leave a comment here that you did. (To subscribe, see the top righthand corner of the blog.)

Sunday Surf for week of October 31

I wanted a way to share some of the great stuff I’ve read through the week and support my fellow bloggers. Then I saw that Mamapoekie at Authentic Parenting was already doing that so I’m joining her to bring you Sunday Surf! Enjoy!

8 Nifty Natural Uses for Salt and Chewing Gum–Harmless or Toxic? over at Nature Moms

Does the Santa Legend Endanger Trust? over at The Natural Child Project

Quote of the Day over at Authentic Parenting

My Breastfeeding Relationships: Hospital vs. Homebirth over at Babyfingers

Veggie Might: Easy Veganization over at Cheap Healthy Good

All of The Husband Project  posts over at The Cloth Chronicles

Giveaway: Giggle Junction I Spy Bag $15 {11.30; Worldwide} over at Natural Parents Network

You’re Not the Boss of Me over at Inexplicable Ways


Parenting Podcasts and a Giveaway!

I love listening to podcasts about parenting and other baby stuff! You can even see on the righthand side, I list some of my favorites. I was recently asked to review a new podcast here on my blog so I thought it would be a great opportunity to review a couple others as well.

I also am excited to announce my first giveaway! Peds in a Podcast has given me a  free podcast (a $10-$18 value) for five of my readers! How cool is that? All you have to do to win one is comment on this post. (ETA: I have 3 more to give away! Just comment and I’ll send you a code!)

I’ll start with a free podcast I discovered when I was pregnant called Pregtastic. It is such a fun and informative podcast to listen to while pregnant and commiserate with other soon-to-be mom’s. The show always starts with the podcasters (other pregnant mom’s) giving to 2 ups and 2 downs of their pregnancy. Then they discuss various pregnancy/baby/parenting topics either with an expert guest or amongst themselves. I really enjoyed listening while pregnant and learning about all sorts of topics along with the other podcasters. They also usually have the podcasters come back and give their birth story which I loved, too.

Some of the topics they have covered include breastfeeding (as well as having a sister show hosted by a lactation consultant, Mommy’s Milk and More), Epidurals, Hypnobirthing, Maternity Clothes, and Baby Bargains, just to name a few. As far as their website, I like that if you hear about something on the show (like a book, CD or website) that you want to check out later, they include show notes as well as have a store that sells anything mentioned on the show. I don’t have to try to scribble down a website while driving down the road. :) Also, they have forums so you can talk with the other podcasters and other listeners. The podcast is free but if you want to contribute, you can donate on the site.

My next review is Peds in a Podcast, a fee-based podcast where the prices range from $10-$18 a podcast, depending on the topic. The basic gist is a pediatrician (Dr. Bill Satterwhite, to be exact, out of Winston-Salem, NC) discusses his thoughts on various childcare topics that can be confusing to new parents and his suggestions for how to deal with them. My first thoughts on coming to the site were how cute the logo was and that the site was easy to navigate and overall aesthetically pleasing. I could easily find out about the Dr. behind the podcasts and enjoyed the video intro as well. It’s always nice to see the person you are listening to after all. :)

There is one free podcast, Sleep: Birth to 2 months, and this was the first one I listened to. I found Dr. Satterwhite easy to listen to and friendly. I felt like I was sitting in his office with him. He presents the different sides of the sleep debate and then gives his own advice from his experiences as a pediatrician. I felt it was fair and didn’t feel offended even though his conclusions are different from the ones I personally hold. I will say I didn’t like that he had some faulty information about co-sleeping. (Co-sleeping done safely actually has a lower SIDS risk than crib sleeping because the baby spends less time in deep sleep and thus arouses more easily and also is next to mom who can hear if her baby’s breathing patterns change or cease altogether and can take action.)  He also presents the history behind the back-to-sleep campaign and I enjoyed that as I had not heard that before.

The second podcast I listened to was provided to me by Peds in a Podcast, Sleep: 6-12 months. Unfortunately, I didn’t find a lot I personally agreed with for me in this one but I’m sure it would be beneficial to moms who take a different approach to sleep than I do. It’s definitely worth checking out and I even have a 25% off coupon code for my readers to do just that! Just type in “wifemom&more” when you go to order a podcast.

The last podcast I am going to review is a free podcast called Babies and Moms: Birth and Beyond. Listening to this podcast is like hanging out with your girlfriends that are moms. It is a group of other mom’s in various stages of parenthood and they have a range of topics they cover. Sometimes they will have an expert guest and sometimes they will just discuss amongst themselves. They discuss babies as well as older kids and other family matters. I have learned a lot from these other moms and their guests and always enjoy hearing their different perspectives. They all seem to respect each other even though they might parent differently which I really like.

The website has a tips and tricks section with product recommendations and links to their latest shows. They have a broad range of topics including Children’s Toys, Bonding with Dad, Babywearing, and  Organizing Your Pantry.

What are some of your favorite podcasts? Leave me a comment and let me know so I can check them out! Also, don’t forget to leave a comment if you would like a FREE podcast from Peds in a Podcast! I have 5 to giveaway.(ETA: I have 3 more to give away! Just comment and I’ll send you a code!) You can also get 25% off as a reader of my blog if you enter “wifemom&more” at checkout.


Blog Giveaways

Just wanted to highlight some awesome blog giveaways going on right now!

Yellow Elm is giving away 2 felt hair clips.

The Grace Post is giving away a copy of the book “Choosing Gratitude” but only until 9pm EST on this one!

Nature Mommy is giving away a resuable cotton produce bag.

Obsessed Analytic is giving away a copy of the book “Three Cups of Tea“.

Scary Mommy is giving away a $180 Wilton Cake Decorating Kit.


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