Because I Said So!!! Mom Knows Best!

Rowan is just learning to have some favorite
toys. I am not talking about the ones she just liked to
play with or the ones that just keep her entertained. She
is an adventurous little girl and lots of things keep her
entertained. Heck, a Cracker Wrapper keeps her entertained
for everything is new and exciting. I am talking about
toys she smiles when she sees. Holds close and offers
hugs and it is plain to see to anyone, truly loves. She
has favorite toys, yes, but in the last 6 weeks or so
she has adopted a couple of Babies of her own and
I get just as mushy as she does when I see her offer
her baby kisses and hugs. Right now there are two
that are her special little babies though I have offered
her many dolls. I always wanted to shop for them and
I admit I have gotten a little carried away. Though my
efforts were futile for not one of the dolls I choose were
her choice. None of the ones I thought she would favor
are greeted with her hugs and kisses and those adorable
baby smiles. Her picks are hers alone and I already can
see the trend forming where it will not be long before she
has to tuck her baby in before I tuck her in. It won't be
long before she understands how much a Mommy can love
her baby.
I can't help but to smile when she does at the site
of one of her babies and when you ask her if she wants to
hug her baby and she grabs them with gusto and squeezes
them with more energy then she has ever squeezed me and
pats their little heads as if she is offering them comfort. A child's
first toy that they truly love is enough to tug on even the most
stoic persons heart strings. Now I told you, I went a little, well
a lot, nuts buying dolls for her to try and peak her interest but
it was this next product review I did that provided her Baby that
she keeps close to her heart. Kid Bean is an Organic Children's
store that offers a wide selection of items starting at your bath
and body care needs all the way down to your toys, clothing and
furniture. Whatever you need they have. They have the hottest
and most efficient brands of baby carriers with brands like New Native
Baby and I spent a lot of time with my shoe fetish and their
children's shoes and was totally impressed by their own line of
Organic shoes. Their Organic Sandals are just the thing for the
up-coming spring and were so cute I just about forgot I was
looking for Rowan. I was also impressed because a lot of the
products they carry I have reviewed before and know first hand
just how great and exceptional the quality is and was really
excited to have them all located in one convenient place.
Every department has an impressive selection and you can
be confidant with your purchase for they take pride in offering
you only the best Organic Products on the market. Normally I
would not go that far in my claim but like I told you I have
personally tried a lot of these items already and know just how
good they truly are.
Before I tell you about some of the items I fell in love with
on the site let me tell you about the item Rowan fell in love with.
For the review Rowan received a doll. Not just any doll mind you,
a Honeysuckle Dreams Doll that is made just for your child. This doll is
Organic and made from 100% Organic Cotton and also made in the
good old U.S of A so you know it has a superior quality you can
trust but thats not all. When you order it you pick out the details
and when your child recieves this Doll it is the spitting image of
them. Rowans has strawberry Blond hair, blue eyes and I swear is
almost as cute as she is. My little baby has her own little baby
that looks just like her and there could not be a cuter site in
the whole world. The cute factor is through the roof here but that
is not the only thing that made the Honeysuckle Dreams doll so
perfect. It also makes the best doll for a childs first when you
factor in there are no small parts, nothing that can come off in
babies mouth, all hand maid and embrodored with quality stitching
and even the coloring is made from natural dyes from roots, leaves,
flowers and berries so you do not have to worry about giving your
child something Toxic. So when Rowan snuggles up close with
her little baby I don't have to worry about choking or lead or
any of the other concerns that have become so highlighted in
the news today. She gets a baby that she loves and I love that
it is 100 percent safe for her. Kid Bean just knocked one out of
the park here for me and if Rowan could talk I am sure she
would agree!

Now they have more then dolls though I have to admit I
am a little hooked on those right now, but they have a huge
selection of toys ranging from those precious little dolls to Arts
and Crafts, Musical INstruments and some of the most orignal
and interesting games I have had the chance to run across for
all ages. There is a wonderful section for Maternity and Nursing
that offers a vast selection of Organic products for Mom to be
so you can make sure you are doing the best for your baby before
they even hit the scene. One of my favorite places for you guys
know how I love a sale is the clearance department. Pages and
pages and did I say pages? of clearnace items that you can
get for a song and dance. Just looking for a gift? They have
you covered there too with some great gift ideas and even
Organic cards to send with. I was also completly infatuated with
the Organic Bedding and Pillows for with my Allergies and
Ashthma I am really coutious about what I put down in Rowans
bed for the odds of her having the same issues are pretty big.
I feel as if I gaurd her now she might have a better shot at
avoiding some of the garbage I have to go through and they
have everything I could ever want to aid me on that mission.
From Sheets and Blankets and Pillows all the way to matress
toppers and the Matresses themselves all at great prices for
the quality you are recieving and if that is not enough they have
a wonderful selection of Furnature and Hand Crafted Wooden
Products. They even have a Surf Board, how cute is that?
Now I know the doll and Rowans love for it hooked me in,
how could it not? There is no better way to to find out if a place
is for you or not then to see the happyness it brings to
someone you love and one look at Rowan and her wide,
I have teeth now, grin is enough to tell me they have some
incredble items that make my little angel swoon. That was
what hooked me but once I started looking through the rest
of their items I was reeled in. The fact that they are Organic
and offer Hand Crafted Quality items, hook, line and sinker.
You just can't beat that! Kid Bean has soared into this house
with a smile and a Squeeze and and it will do the same for you!

Kid Bean would like to offer one of my readers the Doll that
took my little girl by storm. One reader will win a Honeysuckle Dreams
Nusring Doll with their choice of Hair and Eye color so you little
Mini Me can have a Mini Me of thier own. To enter just head
over to the site and take a look around then come back here
and post what your favorite item is in a comment. The contest
will start tonight and run to Midnight on April 14th.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day and other ways to enter are posted below.

Kid Bean


Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.

1. Become a follower of my blog or
post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.

2. Enter any of my other contest. I entry
per contest, separate post for each entry.

3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.

4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.

5. Tweet about this contest elsewhere. 5 entries
please post five times.

Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Mommy Tool Box and Port a Pong Contests!

You know how I just did a review for some Organic
shirts from Zahn Naturals? I told you how great
they were for Organic Cotton just seems so much softer
and more comfortable to me. I stand by that and with that
in mind I thought about last Winter and how I was pregnant
and wish I had some Organic Cotton Shirts to wear then.
I had one of those pregnancy's where I was freezing all
the time. I just could not get warm enough and after John
had a mini Stroke when he found out I had the heat cranked
up to 90 I had to start layering clothes from that point
forward and I hated the scratchy feel of the regular old
Maternity T-shirts I had. I swore I would not buy any
new maternity clothes but did have to pick up
a few shirts for my growing belly would just not fit in
anything else I owned. I broke down and bought a couple
and would have bought more but everything I found aggravated
my skin. Whenever I am uncomfortable anything touching
me makes me even more so, even my own hair hanging
on my neck. After 3 days of constant shopping looking
for shirts that were comfortable enough for me to tolerate
I finally called it quits with the two shirts I found and
went home. I would have given anything last year to run
across a store that sold shirts as soft and smooth and
comfy as Zehns were and thought how great it would be if
they sold Maternity wear. I know I can't have been the only
pregnant woman out there who had these issues so I
figured somewhere, someone has to make a shirt built
just for expecting Mommy's. After many false starts
and a few shirts I tried that said they were all natural but
I was pretty sure they meant all natural Brillo Pads, I
found Damo Momo.
These guys were Organic but they were Bamboo
mixed with Cotton and I had never felt anything made
from Bamboo before but I had the Cotton and knew I
loved that. Plus they had the cutest shirts I had
seen yet and and this was after days or shopping and the
42 zillion maternity places I had already been too. I figured
with shirts that adorable and the fact they were partly made
with Organic Cotton I had to give them a chance and see what
all the fuss it about Bamboo for everyone has been
talking about it and I have to fess up and let you guys
know this was my first foray into the Bamboo world.
Since I hate not being in the know more then anything
I did a little bit of research into the benefits of Bamboo.
What I found out was amazing. Bamboo is more easy to
grow then Cotton and has a unique antimicrobial bio-agent
called "bamboo kun" that gives it a natural antibacterial,
anti fungal and odor resistant property. Hum, now that is
something I can get interested in. It also is easier to die
then other fabrics and holds the color better and therefor
is much more vivid and brighter. But the best part and the
thing that really made me stand up and take notice is
Bamboo fabrics are as soft as cashmere! Um, I am really
not thinking I will mind my wonderful Organic Cotton mixed
with this stuff!
I contacted them and they were super to deal with
and told them I was not only interested in Maternity wear
but Organic Cotton as well and when I took the time to learn
more about Bamboo I was REALLY interested in that now and
they were awesome about offering up a review. I explained
I already had my bundle and no longer needed Maternity Wear
and would hate to waste something I could not wear but did
they have a sample of the material for I was dieing to know
if it was as soft as the articles I read about Bamboo said it
would be. She let me know she has something even better then
just a sample of Material, they have Baby Hats made from it
and would be glad to send me one so not only could I find
out if this was the cloth of my dreams, Rowans little baby
bald head could bask in it! The hat I received was so soft
I swear I was looking for traces of fur for it felt as soft and
silky as Rabbit Fur and I could not get over the texture. I
want to have a blanket made with the same stuff they make
their shirts out of so I can roll up in it and never leave my
bed. Luxurious and creamy ( is there a better word?) the
hat was so soft I was bummed I had not gotten a maternity
top for Pregnant or not I would wear it all the time. Heck,
I might even get pregnant again for a chance to wear some
of there shirts.
Softness aside ( if you can let go once you feel it) there is
more to Damo Momo then the feel of the shirts, there is also
the style. Their collection is not large but once you see it
you will realize it is because they put a lot of thought into
their items and wait until they have the perfect design before
they offer it on their site. The Little Star shirt is Simply Sheik
and looks so comfortable you could live in it. No tight
bands anywhere on it means you do not have to worry about
your belly growing faster then you can replace your clothes
for this shirt just flows with you and your Baby bump. The
Jack and Jill Dress is perfect for around the house and
not only do you get that wonderful softness of Bamboo
you also have a dress that is lose and comfy and great for
those hot summer days for as much as Pregnant Women
Freeze in the Winter, Double that and then some
with how hot they get during the summer. The Mary and
the Little Lamb dress is "The One" you would wear out, to
lunch with the girls or a romantic Dinner with you husband,
this dress is made to impress!
They also have their famous Bun In the Oven
shirt that is the cutest thing I ever saw. This is your simple
T-shirt that provides comfort and flexibility and keeps
you living in soft simple luxury. Even Better they have
a "The Bun" shirt that baby gets to wear that let's everyone
know this is what was cooking in the oven for the last
9 months. It is just darling! The prices are great and the
hat was put through the ringer on the Michelle Test and
not only kept its color it kept its shape. It just held up
fantastic and then you factor in all the other great stuff
about Bamboo and wonder how you ever lived without
it! Damo Momo has the Quality every Pregnant Mommy
deserves and needs!

Damo Momo is also going to let one of my
readers win a shirt from their store. To enter just head
over to their site and take a look around. When you are
done come back here and post what you have learned
in a comment. The contest will start today and run to
Midnight on February 24th.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day and other ways to enter are posted below.

Damo Momo


Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.

1. Become a follower of my blog or
post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.

2. Enter any of my other contest. I entry
per contest, separate post for each entry.

3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.

4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.

Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Alli's Originals and Stay With Me contests!

I know I have told you guys over and over again
I have been on a diet all my life. Well, at least since
I was 12. I have done every fad diet there is, worked out
to the point of exhaustion and ended up with Mono, starved
my self, took nutrition classes and even enlisted the aid of
my doctor more then once. It never fails. Every single time I get
right where I want to be something happens and my body
yells reset and I gain it all back. The Birth of my son, when
I quit smoking, when I hurt my back and one really nasty bout
of depression in my early 30's. Summer before last I made it
to a size 4 and my body screamed reset one more time.
This time was a total shocker though, I was pregnant with my
daughter. I was delighted with her impending arrival but
more then a little miffed that even under the best circumstances
most of what I had accomplished was bound to bite the dust.
With my son I gained 110 pounds and it took me over
10 years to take all that weight off. I was determined not
to travel that road again. John however hated me at a size 4
for he said at 5 foot 9 inches I was too thin and too bony. Once
he knew I was pregnant he put his plan in motion. I would tell
him I was craving a canoli and he would come home with a
dozen. I said Peanut M&M's sounded good and a dump truck
would be backing up to my front porch and drop its load.

I held out the first few months, heck I made it well into
the second trimester with less then a 15 pound weight gain
when I went Ker Plunk! 90 pounds later Rowan was born. There
is one thing men will never understand about being pregnant,
as happy as we are is almost as close to how uncomfortable
we are. There is no way for them to understand. I know a few think
they do as they loving stroke their beer belly's thinking lack of sit ups and
one too many beers at half time garner them the right to
sympathize but all that measures up to is alcohol induced
delusions of grandeur and not enough sit ups. The closest I can
come to even explaining it is to compare your third trimester and
sometimes even part of your second to taking a basketball, filling
it with liquid metal and attaching it to your stomach with a 2 inch
chain. Its big ,its heavy, its unstable and moves and can
sometimes drop a bit and take you off your balance. Women don't
walk around with their hand on their stomachs because they
are loving stroking the soon to be baby, we do that at home in
the privacy of our own beds so men in white coats don't chase
us through the mall. Women hold their stomachs for fear it
is going to fall off and bounce off their knees like Pele does
a soccer ball. A baby offers a lot of things and even being
pregnant has its perks such as prenatal vitamins and
shiny hair but balance and comfort are not one of them.
I heard of Amon when I was pregnant but at the very end.
Some poor woman felt bad for me as I wattled through
Kroger's and did one of the Psst, come here things and
let me in on the secrete. I planned on going home after my
doctors appointment and looking them up but I ended up
with a ticket to the hospital to have Rowan induced.

I would have dropped it all together since Rowan
was already a surprise and at my age I do not plan on having
anymore children but here I am 6 months later still grabbing
MT Jiggles whenever I walk through the house. I still wobble like
a weeble whenever I don't place my feet perfectly on the floor.
In short as long as I have any of this belly left my center of balance
is somewhere over the rainbow. I tried Spanx but those are made
for people who wear the same size clothing all over, not those
of us who still have pre-pregnancy legs, arms and even Bootie and
a bowl of Jello around their waist. I tried a Girdle, but oh, my,
GAWDDDDDDDD what sick individual came up with those?
Those dang things are so tight it doesn't matter where your
problem is it is going to smoosh it away. The problem is if you
"problem" is bigger then the Girdle your "problem" ends
up squeezing out one of the openings and it looks like your
belly is trying to make an escape to the south. After wasting
money on stupid parlor tricks I remembered the lady at Kroger's.
I went home and looked up Amon.

Amon makes their clothes for pregnant bodies. Plain
and simple. There is no other way to explain it. The support is
where you need it for when you are carrying your child they help
make it like you are taking that run away bowling ball and placing
it in a satin lined bag. I didn't get a chance to wear their pregnancy
line but if it is half as good as this little puppy for your post
pregnancy body I am almost tempted to give Rowan a little
brother or sister. It works that well! The Body shaper has a wide
band of support for your belly and then is tailored to fit
a normal Booty. You feel safe and secure and best of all not
like you are ready to topple over. It offers just the right amount
of stretch without being so elastic you fear Mt. Jiggle might
make a run for it. Not only are they secure and snug they
look pretty darn good too. I choose a black one for as you
guys know most of my clothes are going to go well with
it but it also comes in Nude and White. When I wore mine
for the first time I got a little giddy. I am a clothes hound
and I have talked about my wardrobe before but since I had
Rowan that is all I have done is talk. Everything I own has
sat gathering dust and the closest I have came to them is
laying tears on their alter for I knew with this baby belly there
is no way I would ever wear them. Now that I have the body shaper
I am ready to dance again! I grabbed one of my black dresses
and though I am not back to a size 4 I am down to an 8, a
6 on a good day and this dress is a little on the Va va voom
side of naughty. Perfect! Mt. Jiggles has left the building
with Elvis! I am going to order a few more and toss out
the sweats I have been living in!

Amon Maternity has a great selection and covers
every part of a woman's pregnancy. Unlike maternity
clothes that only stretch to accommodate your growing
bundle Amon supports you and takes the worry away
when you feel less then graceful as all of us do. They have
the band that you can wear with your own clothes and
offers fantastic support for your belly and lower back.
If a band is not enough you can go with the Brief. These
are like your own comfy undies you wear when you are not
trying to impress someone. Built for comfort and still
adding that extra perk of support you will never even realize
your bump is there. Still need more? I feel ya, for when I was
pregnant my center of gravity went from my tummy to
my thighs and I never knew what one was going to be
the epicenter on any given day. Sometimes the belly
wanted to shift, the next day my thighs were made of
lead and ready to slide down my legs. Even my Booty
was feeling the pull of gravity. Well Amon Maternity
thought of you too and offer a pantie called the Skivvies
and those are DA Bomb! Skivvies are for people like me
who all through my pregnancy walked my dog, ran around
town and even swam and exercised and loved it until the
third trimester when I was so big I could not even balance
my bike and as far as I walked the dog was waddling to
the end of the parking lot. If I had one of these that offers
full support from your tummy through your thighs those
75 extra pounds may not have found their way into
my pants in the last few months. I could have stayed
active instead of tossing in the towel the second I teetered
as I got off the couch. You see women with one hand holding
their belly's, well mine got so bad I had to use two hands and
a foot. With some Skivvies I could have been clapping at
a baseball game as I dig a jig! Why didn't I run into that
lady at Kroger's sooner?

I also gave the Body Shaper Michelle Durability
and Quality test you all know and even went so far as to
hold onto the waist band and put my feet in a leg hole and
pull as far as I could to make sure they would not lose their
elasticity. ZING! Right back into shape, even after 12 washes!
Amon maternity's items are 90 percent Nylon and
10 percent spandex and a breathable fabric and unlike Spanx
and a Girdle you don't sweat like a, well, just yuck, sweat like
a yucky person. I read all their info and did my own research
and one of the best things I like about them that I didn't see
mentioned everywhere was there are no tags. There is nothing
worse then being as big as a house and having a tag bugging
you in a spot you can't reach. Bravo for saving us that little
nuisance! Even if I don't have anymore children, and as temping
as it is knowing these are here for my if I decided to, I will
always keep these in mind for anyone I know who is pregnant.
They would make a great Congratulations gift or shower gift
and I swear you could use the body Shaper for support
even if you didn't have a baby. I know I don't plan on putting
mine in a drawer if I ever lose Mt Jiggles or lose the last 20
pounds. If I has these when John's cousin proclaimed "Dang, you
are getting big!" I might have just grinned at him instead of
smacking him! I love them!

You know what else I love? Giveaways and I know you
guys love them to by the emails I get! Amon Maternity
is happy to help and is offering one of my readers a $50.00
Gift certificate to their store. To enter just go to the web site
and look around then come back here and post something
you have learned. The contest will start today, December 55
and run to Midnight on February 2nd.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day and other ways to enter are posted below.

Amon Maternity


Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.

1. Become a follower of my blog or
post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.

2. Enter any of my other contest. I entry
per contest, separate post for each entry.

3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.

4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.

Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my No Throw and Snooze City contests!