Mommy Musings

These days, almost everything is online.  Books, tv shows, even magazines.  It keeps everything right at your fingertips, and really helps with the clutter in your house!  I was resistant to the whole digital book thing when it first came out.  I liked holding something in my hands to read it.  But with two kids and a busy schedule, I can't always remember to bring a book with me, or hunt around and find one to sit and read.  But having them right on my phone has really helped me step up my reading game.  I can browse a few pages anytime I have a minute alone. That is why I was so excited when I found out about Zinio - The World's Largest Newsstand.   Zinio carries thousands of magazine titles from around the world.  You can purchase subscriptions, or even single issues instantly from your computer or smart phone.  You can then use them on your iPad, iPhone, Android mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop.  Zinio users...

Happy Wednesday readers!  First off I'd like to announce the winner of the Valentine's Day card giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway Congratulations Jackie!  Jackie is also a real life friend of mine and new mom to the cutest little girl ever.  I'm so excited she won!!  {I'll be emailing you later Jackie!} And for those that didn't win, remember you can click on this link here and get 15 free cards of your own!!! I saw this post over at The Pink Growl and decided to fill one out myself {do these remind anyone else of the surveys we used to email around to each other in high school?!}  I've had a lot of new followers recently, HI! , and thought this would be a quick way for you all to find out a little more about me! A. Age: I'm officially in my 30's now.  It's as miserable as I thought it would be B. Bed size: Queen...I like to snuggle C. Chore you hate: Folding laundry.  I would love  to pay someone to come do it for me.  D. Dogs:...

I'm a sucker for a good holiday card.  I mean I sent out close to 100 Christmas cards this year!  There's just something about sending a little love in an envelope {and often getting some back in return}.  But why should we just keep that feeling over Christmas?  Why don't we send cards for the other holidays too? Last year I sent out some Valentine's Day cards of the girls.  All of my friends and family thought it was super sweet, so I really want to do it again this year. So when Day2Day Printing contacted me about their Valentine's Day cards, I jumped at the chance.  According to their website: Day2DayPrinting.com is an established online printing company with 25 years of experience . Our wide array of products addresses both your business and personal printing needs. Look no further than Day2Day Printing for everything from business cards to high-end annual reports. When your custom printing job requires a distinctive touch, you can be ...

Thank you all so much to all that entered my 1000th post giveaway!!!  And now, without further ado...here is our winner!!! a Rafflecopter giveaway Congratulations Carrie!!!  I'll be in touch with you via email later!!

So here it is.  My 1000th published post here on Mommy Musings.  Crazy.  Apparently I've had a lot to say in the past almost four years. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I wrote my very first post, but I could not be happier I took the leap.  The friends I have made and experiences I've had in the blogging world are so near and dear to my heart. So as a little thank you to everyone who has ever stumbled upon this little blog, I have assembled a fabulous giveaway!  {and a huge, huge thank you to all who donated something.  It truly touches my heart} So now the moment you've been waiting for....here are the fabulous prizes one lucky winner will win!! A total of $280 value!! Ashley from I Love You More than Carrots: Ad Space! {Mini guns...one month} Mini Guns :: 1 Month 125 x 125 These ads are perfect for personal blogs as well as small businesses, direct sales companies and Etsy shops. These ad spots will rotate with each page load. {$40 v...

With the temperatures dipping down into the 30's and 40's at night here, it's easy to think it's a lot closer to Christmas than it is.  But it is never too early to start thinking about your Christmas Cards!  I love to have mine ordered, addressed, stamped, and mailed out just after Thanksgiving.  So I better start checking them out now! Thankfully Tiny Prints always has their collection already up!  But the tough part of Tiny Prints is deciding which card I like best!  They have so many good ones to choose from!  This year is even harder because they are introducing a new Premium DoubleThick™ Matte Paper, which is the most luxurious card stock yet! Here are some of my favorites so far. I have always been a fan of the holiday letter included cards I sent out some of these round ones last year and people just LOVED them!  They could easily be hung on the tree! I love all of the new photo trends they have...this one has such a great feel to it. I just d...

Thank you to all who entered my Johnson's Baby Bedtime Bubble Bath and Wash giveaway!!  I'm very excited to announce that our winner is .... a Rafflecopter giveaway Congratulations!!  Email me at mommymandymusings@yahoo.com with your information!

I was sooooo excited to review this product by Johnson&Johnson .  First off, did you know that Johnson&Johnson is a New Jersey based company?  As I'm sure you can tell, that is a *huge* bonus in my book...you know how much I love all things Jersey!  My mom used Johnson&Johnson products on my sisters and I as kids, and I always knew I would use them on my children as well. Since the girls were babies, I have used Johnson&Johnson on them during bath time.  I love how gentle it is on their skin and especially how it is tear-free.  So I just JUMPED at the chance to review Johnson's Baby Bedtime Bubble Bath &Wash.  Here is a little information about the product. "The Johnson's Bedtime products were used in a Johnson's 3-step, before-bed routine which was clinically proven to help babies and toddlers sleep better.  Evaluated by a leading pediatric sleep expert, babies and toddlers using the Johnson's 3-step routine, consisting of a warm b...

I don't know about you, but finding healthy, easy, portable snacks for the girls is really a struggle sometimes.  So when Bare Fruit contacted me about reviewing their baked dried cinnamon apple crisps I jumped at the chance.  My girls {and Skip!} absolutely love eating apples, but they're not the easiest thing to just bring along in the car.  But crisps would be a whole other story! When I received my bag, I was so pleasantly surprised at the size of it.  This was not just a little snack bag, this was some serious apples!  These snacks are super healthy, organic, gluten and dairy free, low in calories, fat free, and like all apples, high in fiber.  The only ingredients?  Organic apples and organic cinnamon...doesn't get any simpler than that. But the best part?  Everyone in our family loved them!  I can't keep Skip out of the bag, haha.  I love that it's an easy way to get another serving of fruit into the girls. The peo...

I was so excited when I was contacted recently about doing a review of Liberty Science Center in Liberty State Park, Jersey City.  I had been there a few times as a kid, but had not yet gone since they did a major renovation a few years ago.  I knew Emmy would totally get a kick out of it as well...and Skip had never been! According to their website, "Liberty Science Center {LSC.org } is a 300,000-square-foot learning center located in Liberty State Park on the Jersey City bank of the Hudson near the Statue of Liberty.  Dedicated to bringing the excitement of science to people of all ages. Liberty Science Center houses seven museum exhibition halls, a 3D theater, the nation's largest IMAX Dome Theater, live simulcast surgeries, tornado and hurricane-force wind simulators, K-12 classrooms and labs, and teacher-development programs. 600,000 students, teachers, and parents visit the center each year, and tens of thousands more benefit from the center's offsite and ...

Thanks so much for all who entered my Sibu facial cleanser giveaway!  This was my first time using Rafflecopter for giveaways and I LOVED it!  What did you all think?  Well, without further ado, here's our winner!! a Rafflecopter giveaway Congrats Lins!  I'll be contacting you soon!!!

I have been having a little trouble regulated my skin post-two babies these days.  I don't know if it's hormones, the lack of sleep, or not always enough time to wash my face.  Regardless, when Sibu Beauty contacted me about reviewing a facial cleanser I was totally on board.  Anything to help me stop looking like a pre-pubescent teen! The Sibu Beauty Product Line is all based around the sea buckthorn .  What is the sea buckthorn you might ask?  Here is a description from the Sibu Beauty website: For healthy and beautiful hair, skin and nails High in the Tibetan Himalayas (12,000 feet above sea level) grows a tiny but resilient fruit that resists the harsh weather conditions and high altitudes. The sea buckthorn berry fortifies itself against the elements by producing an array of powerful nutrients. With over 190 bioactive compounds, sea buckthorn is an unsurpassed source of Omegas 3, 6, and 9. And it's a rich source of the elusive essential fatty acid, Omega-7,...

Thank you so much to all who entered the Thirty-One Thermal Tote Giveaway!  It was definitely the biggest giveaway I've had yet!  Now on to the important info...the winner! I had sixty entries and used random.org to pick the winner.. Our #17 winner is Lynsey !! Congratulations Lynsey!  Send me an email at mommymandymusings@yahoo.com and I'll get you hooked up with your prize! Thanks again to all who entered and a huge thank you to Britt and Pam for hosting this giveaway!!

I could not be more excited about this giveaway for all of you.  As I have, I'm sure most of you have heard about the wonderful company called Thirty-One.  Here is a description of their products off the website: Our stylish, affordable products are exclusive to Thirty-One. From our signature purses and totes to storage solutions that help organize your life, you'll find something to fit every personality and situation. Each season, we develop new products built on the idea that our products must be functional AND fashionable (and, of course, make great gifts!). I personally have not bought anything from Thirty-One yet, but am definitely hoping to change that soon.  They have sooo many cute things from purses to organizational totes to the most beautiful aprons I have ever seen! Thanks to my wonderful sponsor Britt I will be giving away the Cinch-Up Thermal Tote in Black Paisley Parade Found here Seriously, how cute is this!  It is approx. 10.5"H x 9.5"W x 6.25...

Hey guys, we have a winner for the My Memories Software giveaway!!  I wrote out everyone who entered based on all the ways they entered, numbered the list, then used random.org to pick the winner.  So a *huge* congratulations to Lins!  I'll be emailing you about how to get your free software.  And thanks so much to all who entered!

I was so so soooo excited when My Memories contacted me about doing a review/giveaway.  I had seen reviews of their company on other blogs and was just dying to get a chance to work with them!  So what is My Memories you're asking?  It is a website where you can buy digital scrapbooking software !  I know there are tons of you out there who love scrapbooking, and now you can do it online!  Once you've made the scrapbook, there are so many different ways to share it with your friends and family!  You can print it, make a movie, or even add it to your Ipod!  Besides the scrapbooking software, My Memories also has wedding software {for invitations, thank-you notes, etc} and a photobook studio! I was able to review the scrapbook software.  Of course I immediately started making one for my baby girls.  I was happy with how easy the process is, and how many options I had to change and tweak things around.  Check out my sweet girls Now here's ...

I am always on the lookout for new cleaning products.  I am most interested in their effectiveness and price.  And while it isn't a priority for me, a product that is good for the environment is always a bonus! That's why I jumped at the opportunity when a representative from Shaklee contacted me about reviewing their Basic H2  – a concentrated, organic cleaner.  It's non-toxic, organic, doubly concentrated, natural, and biodegradable.  This product can be used on any washable surface: walls, windows, mirrors, counter tops, floors, appliances, stoves, sealed woodwork, pots, pans, and furniture. The tiny vial is enough for 2-16oz bottles of cleaner..I just had to mix it with water!  The directions were "First, mix 2 drops into 16 oz of water in a spray bottle for cleaning windows and mirrors.  Then mix 1/4 tsp. into 16 oz of water for all purpose cleaning."  I didn't mind the extra step of mixing it myself, because then I knew I wasn't p...