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Real Moms Talk About:Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion & A Giveaway

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A Real Mom Review by:  Tracy Roberts

When I received my box containing the samples of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion I immediately ripped open a package and applied it to my old, dry, wrinkly hands.

I was surprised at the light- almost non-existent- fragrance (a plus if you’re sensitive to them) and very light, non-oily texture.

The directions say to use sparingly.  As a matter of fact a small packet containing a mere 3cc’s will give you 3-5 applications.  I won’t say that I didn’t pay attention to the instructions but I have old, dry, wrinkly hands…’nuff said.

I was pleased to find that my hands didn’t have that oily or slippery feeling that often occurs after applying lotion and I began to “shield” my hands whenever I felt the need.

I have to say that my hands no longer look as old or dry.  Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that this lotion is a cure for wrinkles but I hold out hope.

I’m looking forward to using Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion on other dry parts soon.

Other than working really well, one of the things I really like about the shielding lotion is that a 4 oz. bottle will last 1-2 months with daily use - depending upon how much of your body you’re shielding, I suppose but well worth my money.  You don’t have to use a ton of product to get results!

“Shielding Lotions are a new type of skin care product based on years of research into how skin heals. They form a protective shield with the outer layer of skin and help keep out irritants. They allow the natural oils and moisture to remain in the skin so it can heal better and they’re light in texture so they go on without a greasy mess. Your skin needs help to keep out these moisture-robbing irritants.

A fundamental difference between Shielding Lotions and traditional skin care lotions is that Shielding Lotions enhance the skin’s own natural protective abilities by turning the outer layer of skin into what could be described as a hydrating invisible shield making them many times more effective than mere protective lotions and moisturizing creams.”  Dr. Brian Zogg, board certified dermatologist, Albert Lea, Minnesota

Where can you find it?  Just check on their Store Locator for a location near you.

You can get a free sample but the great people at Skin MD Natural are going to give one of our lucky readers their very own bottle.

How Do You Win?

Simply leave a comment here with what part of your body need pampering the most and why.

If you’d like a second entry just  stumble it, write a tweet, post it on your Facebook page, mention it on your favorite mom forum, or write about it on your blog and leave a second comment letting us know what you did.

If you do something in addition to commenting, please let us know and don’t forget to add us as a friend on www.twitter.com/momsinablog, on Facebook or on Mom Bloggers Club.

When Does It End?

You have until Noon on Friday, August 29, 2008.

The winner will be notified via email so please be sure to include it or your entry will be disqualified.  The winner will 3 days to contact us with your mailing address.  If we have not heard from the winner by then another winner will be chosen.

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Real Moms Talk About: Princess Linens

A Review By Real Mom Reviewer:  Sara Lily

When I first opened my package from Princess Linens, I knew it was going to be special. My package was wrapped and packaged very cute, which made me feel very good about ordering future gifts for friends and family! I always like to know that if I send a gift, it will have that personal touch and not just thrown in a box. You won’t have to worry about that with Princess Linens.

I was sent a set of their “My First Scrubs” to review and let me just say that I am in love! The quality is great and they are super-cute! They have been durable even through the countless days that my son has worn them….He basically refuses to take them off! I did wash them after he dripped a popsicle all down the front. They didn’t stain and washed very well.

I have thought of many cute uses for this outfit: A big brother set to wear to the hospital for the sibling’s birth, a Halloween costume (we’re gonna use this one!), and dress-up/pretend play. They come in “No More Blues” blue, “Lab” green, and “Candystriper” pink….And you can also have them embroidered for a small extra fee with whatever personal message you would like…How cute is that?!

Princess Linens has a ton of other great products as well! From adorable clothes (like this: http://www.princesslinens.com/garden-princess2.shtml and this: http://www.princesslinens.com/hamptons2.shtml ) to great gifts, including Christening gifts which I have found hard to find in my experience.

One of my favorite things they carry is the “Doodlebagz” collection. They are an all-in-one set including crayons, a pad, of paper, chalk, and mini-chalkboard all wrapped up in adorable fabrics with a zipper closure and a nifty front pocket for stickers and such! This would be an awesome and convenient way to keep a toddler busy….Especially away from home!

Princess Linens is truly an awesome shop! They have such a wide variety of great gifts, the only problem would be limiting yourself from buying one of everything in their inventory!LOL!

The gifts they carry are not ones that you will find anywhere else! If you are looking for something unique and reasonably priced, Princess Linens is definitely the way to go!  Thanks, Princess Linens, for allowing me to review one of your products…You have definitely found a customer for life!

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Real Moms Talk About: Pillows of Lavender

A Real Mom Review by Tracy Roberts.

If you love lavender then you must visit Robin Lemon’s Pillows of Lavender Site

When my beautifully packaged - well, package - arrived I was pleasantly surprised by the heavenly fragrance.

Like it was Christmas morning, I ripped into the box and buried my nose into the yummy goodness of the gorgeous pillow.

I was excited to see there was a bonus eye pillow included in the gift box - it proved very useful that night as I ended up with an awful migrane. So, to bed I went with a pillow under my neck and over my eyes.  After a few minutes, I was able to relax and fall asleep awaking without a headache.

I didn’t see my pillow again for almost a week.  It seems I’m going to have to order one for every member of my family because they were fighting over it.

Since having my wonderful lavender pillow, I have used it over and over again.  The fragrance is such a great mix of lavender and mint and I can’t explain how relaxed I feel when I’m near it.

The pillow comes with a sham type cover so it’s washable - a wonderful benefit that I haven’t found in other pillows of the same type.  In addition, Robin loads up the pillow insert with 2 pounds of fragrance.  Did I mention how heavenly it smells?

Have your own fabric?  Want a second fabric cover so you can change things around?  Or are you like me and want a humongo-giantic pillow of lavender?  If you have a special request Pillows of Lavender will strive to accommodate it.

Robin, the owner of Pillows of Lavender has offered to give our readers a 20% discount by using the coupon code momsinablog during checkout until 8/31/08.

Pillows of Lavender has a great choice of fabrics so choose one and get on over to the site and check things out.

Spring/Summer 2008

Purple Paisley	Palm Flower	Roses
Teal Vines	Debbie Mumm Green Hearts	Sedona Bandana
Purple Stars	*Limited1	*Limited2

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Real Moms Talk About: ListPlanIt.com

A Review By Real Moms Review Panel Member:  Jacquie Engbrecht

When I got the opportunity to review ListPlanIt.com, I was really excited! Who doesn’t love lists?!?! Well…my husband hates lists, but I adore them and for anyone else like me, you’ll love this resource site!

Now there’s more than just lists at ListPlanIt.com – you’ll definitely find many ready made checklists that you can download, like all the items in your home that you can spruce up when spring cleaning time comes around or what to pack when you go traveling, but you’ll also find tons of PDF forms that you can type in or print off and write in to create your own lists, like contacts, blogging topics, goals, etc. and other planning sheets with charts for chores, menus, recipes and the “list” goes on (pun fully intended)! J

I really loved the fact that many of the PDF forms can be saved so that you can easily make changes and updates in the future. Also, the ability to download them to your computer for future use is a great feature. With over 300 lists and planning sheets to peruse, you may not want to download each one separately – so for a very reasonable price, you can also purchase the ePlanners, which have all the lists for a particular category in one file.

But ongoing membership definitely has its benefits, as the creator and founder, Jennifer Tankersley, is continuously adding new lists to her growing stock. To become a member, the cost is very affordable at only $9.95 for 3 months or $29.95 for a full year!

As for me, I already downloaded a few dozen forms and typed in & printed off several which I was then able to put in a small binder as a great resource for all my home planning and organizing. There were so many different types of lists and forms that I never would have thought of, but realized would be so helpful to me and even necessary, like creating a home inventory or having a plan in case of an emergency evacuation.

With categories for your business, club, family, finances, home management, meal planning, memories, personal interests, time management, students, travel and more, you’re bound to find many lists and planning sheets that would be relevant and helpful for you, so go check it out at ListPlanIt.com! As an added bonus, you might also enjoy Jennifer’s blog List Mama Blog with even more “lists of lists for list-lovin’ mamas”.

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Real Moms Talk About: The Schoolhouse Planner

The School House Planner

A Review by Daisy Sutherland

Being a home school mom of 5 children I was very excited to review this planner first hand.  I want to share with you some exciting features of this planner in hopes that it will ignite your interest as it did mine.

First off, this planner is a downloadable and interactive planner.  Interactive means you can input your information directly into the planner and print each page individually.  That is a great feature and something I enjoyed.  It makes the forms cleaner and legible, easier to read.

This is a 247- page planner that is loaded with valuable information.  Some of the forms included in this planner are:

•         Calendars in various forms – yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily
•         Lists of holidays and places to record special days in your family
•         Planners for your home school – in various styles to meet your individual needs
•         Pages for both long-term and short-term home schooling goals
•         Curriculum planning forms
•         Evaluation forms and test score recording sheets
•         Forms for recording Bible memory and other memory work
•         Logs for recording books read, movies and documentaries viewed, etc.
•         A sample science lab sheet and nature study sheets
•         A place to record extracurricular activities
•         Household planning forms
•         Daily, weekly, and monthly household schedule charts
•         Grocery, menu-planning, and food logs
•         Various budget and financial planning forms
•         Garden planning sheets
•         Vacation planning ideas
•         Address and telephone records
And more…..
•    12 “home school must-know” items, one for each month of the year
•    12 essays from some of our favorite authors in the homeschool community – you absolutely won’t want to miss these!
•    24 easy main-dish recipes from some top homeschoolers around the nation
•    Forms that are appropriate for preschool – graduation
•    A 12-year planning form, so that you can plan your child’s school career from beginning to end!
•    2-page monthly calendar with BIG blocks with lots of room for writing in details each day

Another neat feature is the monthly “planner supplements” they offer that help you add special celebrations for holidays, etc. They also offer a 31-page sneak peak with a few samples of their forms, recipes, resource lists, etc. This is a great planner to not just organize your home school but to also organize your home.

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Real Moms Talk About: Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce

I love sauce!  It’s one of my secret vices so when it came time to review Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce the decision about who would review it was easy - ME - Tracy!  Why?  ‘Cause I love sauce!!

From the moment we got the box from Country Bob’s my family was curious.  They all picked up the bottle, read the label and couldn’t wait until dinner to try it out.

Along with some other items I prepared a pork roast & mac n cheese.

I opened the bottle of Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce and my husband promptly relieved me of the bottle and started sniffing (wish I had pictures of that!) and poured a big ‘ole puddle right in the middle of his plate.  Yummy!

My 3 yr old dipped everything she could find into what she called “yummy sauce”.

The sauce itself is difficult to describe using words other than “yum”, “mmm”, “ohhh” and “this is really, really good” but it does have a nice flavor.  When you first put it in your mouth there’s a sweet-ish flavor that balances nicely with the  slightly but, not overpowering spice that finished the melange of flavor explosion.  This stuff is GOOD!!

Honestly, we kept looking for things to eat so we could use Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce.  My bottle of sauce is all gone.  Yep, we ate it up in less than 2 days….Did I mention that this stuff is GOOD?

You can find Country Bob’s All Purpose in most local Wal-Mart stores and that’s where I’ll be getting mine until I talk my local grocery store into carrying it.

Yep, Mama’s found a new sauce and it’s called Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce.

Want your own bottle of Country Bob’s?  Sign up for their newsletter and get a coupon for a free bottle of sauce.  While there don’t forget to take a look at their interesting recipes and fundraising opportunities.

….I think I just found the recipe for my entry into our church’s Chili Contest!!

If you have tried Country Bob’s Sauce or will be trying it soon, please be sure to come back and let us know what you think.

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Real Moms Talk About The Gift Whiz.com (Snack and Laundry Bag)

A Review By Real Moms Review Panel Member:

Laniea Millare’

I was extremely excited to have received my package from “The Gift Whiz.com”. After reviewing their site and seeing the products that they offer, I knew the items would be something that my kids would love.

Once I got my package in the mail, my kids (especially my girls) would not even let me open it. I had to tell them to stand back and give me a second to at least open the envelope that the items came in. I then took out two small packages, which contained “Snack Squares” which looked like lunch boxes and a “Laundry Bag”.

These were so extremely cute, each one of the snack squares was personalized with each of my girls names on them, and she sent them in colors that both of my girls loved, a pink one with flowers on the straps for my 3 year old daughter and a brown and pink one with flowers on the straps for my soon to be 2 year old daughter. My son got a great sized laundry bag in camouflage colors, which had his name embroidered on it as well.

The girls loved the Snack Squares so much, they wanted to use them immediately, so,

I decided to pack them for the next day (since we were going to gone from home all day, this would be the perfect opportunity to start using them). I think that these are more than just snack squares, they can actually be used as a lunch box, I put everything from sandwiches to drink boxes in them and nothing got smashed or broken and there was still plenty of space for more. Now, they won’t leave the house without them, and everywhere we go people ask where they got them from and I tell them “thegiftwhiz.com” and show them the business card that was enclosed.

The laundry bag was a great thing because even though my son has a laundry basket, for some reason his clothes never totally make it into the basket. But, since receiving the bag, he has made more of an effort to keep the clothes in the bag instead of on the floor (which I don’t understand but what ever works).

Thanks “Gift Whiz”, You Are The Best

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Real Moms Talk About Earth Mama

A Review By Real Moms Review Panel Member: Jacquie Engbrecht

A short while ago, I received some products by Earth Mama Baby Angel from CaSeraSera’s Baby Gifts Shop! This line of natural skin and body care products was made for both moms and babies for the entire process from pregnancy to birth to baby care and beyond. What makes these products unique however is that they are 100% natural and toxin-free! I have been learning recently about the negative effects of the many toxins in our environment these days on our central nervous system, which controls all the functions of our body, from cleaning products to the food we eat and also the products we use on our bodies, so it was great to find out that there was something for my baby that I could use with a clean conscience, knowing that it was safe for him. Earth Mama Baby Angel products are cruelty-free, certified vegan (no animal products), kosher, and 100% toxin-free - that means no phthalates (which studies have shown can have adverse effects on the developing organs of infants and which have strong links to allergies in children), parabens (a preservative), SLS (used to create the ability for soaps to lather, but is known to cause various skin irritations), artificial preservatives, fragrances or dyes.

The specific products I received were the Angel Baby Bottom Balm, Angel Baby Oil, Angel Baby Shampoo and Body Wash, and the Angel Baby Lotion. While I can’t go into detail on all of these, I’ll tell you some of the things I loved. Since they don’t use SLS, their shampoo doesn’t lather on it’s own, and is instead fitted with a self-foaming pump - I loved this, since I found it difficult to create a lather with other body washes when dealing with a wriggly baby! And while they don’t use artificial fragrances, the shampoo has a delicious natural citrusy smell and the lotion smells like sweet vanilla. I love smelling my little guy after he’s just had his bath and is all lotioned up! Also, after using the shampoo and lotion for a couple weeks, I found that they virtually “cured” his really dry scalp and skin! (One thing to watch out for though is because the shampoo has no anesthetizing ingredients, it is not tear-free and you need to use extra care to not get any in your baby’s eyes.) A neat thing about the bottom balm is that it’s not just for diaper rash, but can also be used to treat cradle cap, bug bites, scrapes, chicken pox, minor rashes, and burns!

I could probably go on and on about all the various benefits of these baby products, how they use organic ingredients (crops grown without the use of harmful pesticides or the usual dose of toxic chemical fertilizers) and how they even took care to use the safest plastic for their bottles that is also the most readily recyclable! But enough of my blabbering - you can check them out for yourself at CaSeraSera and even find things for mom too!

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Real Moms Talk About Girl Mogul - AND A GIVEAWAY!!

GirlMogul is a company that believes in the power of dreams, and encouraging those dreams. You won’t find an princesses or tiaras in their t-shirt design. Instead, you will find refreshing, hip and fun designs with empowering messages for little girls. Is your little girl a future brain surgeon? Future Leader of the Free World? Will she Reach For The Stars? Those are just some of the choices on these wonderful, girl power t-shirts and onesies for little girls.

Laniea Millare’-King talks about the Girl Mogul Shirts:

I was very excited to find a package from GirlMogul, which included two T-Shirts for my 2 little girls. They were just as excited as I was because they got to choose which design they wanted on the front of each of their own shirts.

My youngest 1 ½ year old girl choose the “Dream Big” print and my oldest 3-year-old girl choose the “Future Brain Surgeon” with the girl dressed in scrubs graphic. I am happy to say that the shirts turned out great!! The print was very visible, the graphics were nice and the shirt quality was outstanding. It is very important to me for my kids clothes to last long and be durable, and these shirts are made of an excellent cotton which will stay looking new for a while.

There is nothing worse then washing your kids shirts and having them either shrink or stretch out due to the poor material that they are made of. These durable cotton shirts will probably be around our house for a long time. I will definitely recommend Girl Mogul.

Andrea, at GirlMogul is also offering a free shirt to one of our readers! To enter to win, visit the Girl Mogul website. Then, leave us a comment and let us know which design is your favorite and why! Entry before midnight on Friday, May 16! The winner will be announced on Saturday.

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Real Moms Talk About Zaky

A Review By Real Moms Review Panel Member: Jacquie Engbrecht

When I first received my Zaky Hand pillow from CaSeraSera, I was definitely intrigued by this unique idea of having a pillow shaped like your own arm and hand to use with your infant. As I read about this creative product, I discovered that the inventor was a mother and a doctor who had a premature baby and longed to be able to hold her little one, while being unable to - and so the Zaky hand was born. When I saw pictures of the Zaky hand being used to “hold” a tiny little baby in an incubator, it tugged at my heart strings!

This pillow could not only be scented with your own smell by simply wearing it around your neck for a few hours, but you could also warm it up in the dryer and your baby could have the feeling of being held by mom or dad or another loved one, even if they were unable to actually do so. The testimonials of parents with premature babies who used the Zaky hand were endless as they shared the immense relief they felt by being able to provide this comfort for their baby. I would definitely recommend this product for anyone with a premature baby or to buy as a gift for anyone you know you has had a preemie. I think we all know how important touch and the familiar smell of mom or dad are to a newborn to feel safe and protected, who is already surrounded by so much of the unknown.

As for my husband and I, we were blessed to have a full-term, healthy 8 pound baby who thankfully didn’t have to spend hours away from us at the hospital and who we could hold ourselves as often as we desired, but we discovered some other creative ways to use the Zaky hand. Our little boy Justice likes to have his head held in our hands, so sometimes we would “trick” him into thinking our hand was still there by slipping the Zaky pillow underneath his head or by laying it across his tummy to hold his blanket in place.

Most often we use it laying along one side so he can just feel it there and smell my scent or to prop him on his side, a position he sometimes likes to sleep in. However, since he gained weight quickly after birth, if you also have a healthy full-term baby, I would recommend buying two Zaky pillows - you can purchase both a right and left hand - which would provide better support if you wish to use them to help position your baby.

There are seriously far too many benefits and different ways you can use the hand then I could possibly mention here, so I encourage you to check out the website www.zakeez.com for more information, instructions and pictures of its many uses - then visit www.CaSeraSera.com to purchase yours today!

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