Spring Sensory Giveaway from Soft and SPDBN!

It's World Autism Awareness Day, so it seems like the perfect time to share a great giveaway. Soft clothing and the SPD Blogger Network are once again sponsoring a sensory giveaway. My little lady (and sensory-input seeker!) would LOVE the items in this giveaway!

Be sure to check it out if you have a child in your life with sensory needs!

Holiday shopping for therapeutic toys!

Well...I'm in full-swing shopping mode.

Maybe not so much on Friday morning at 4 am, but I'm definitely on the lookout for things that will bring my children smiles this year, and help them learn and grow.

My kids don't really need toys. At all. We seem to have toys coming out of every corner of our home, in fact. What I would like to do is provide my kids, and ask Santa to bring, some wonderful things that will help them make new discoveries and provide some new challenges and fun. For my daughter with autism, I'm shopping almost exclusively for "sensory-friendly" toys and materials that will support her therapy goals.

Soft clothing and HL3B have a Sensory Friendly holiday giveaway going on that would be so fun for my daughter to win. Check out the fun items they will be giving away:



I'd be delighted for her to have any of these play items to use in her therapy. She'd also look gorgeous in that yellow Soft party dress! No bothersome tag or seams, either!

Wish me luck, or go enter the giveaway for a child in your life who would also benefit from some wonderful sensory-friendly materials like these.

Green is gorgeous! mini mioche review and giveaway

I've tried to "green" many areas of my life, especially where my children are concerned. We eat many organic foods, have used cloth, hybrid, and eco-friendly disposable diapers, made our own baby food, and we do what we can in our daily living to consume less and reuse.

However - organic clothing just seemed too "something." Too expensive, too limiting, too "crunchy" or un-cute. I don't know. I've just never been able to go there.

So I really admire the efforts of mini mioche founder, Alyssa Kerbel. When she had her first daughter, she realized how difficult it was to find great stylish, comfortable and affordable fashion for her little one without the often tacky traditional colors and patterns. She also wanted to find an alternative to the negative environmental footprint left by traditional clothing manufacturing. Mini mioche was created out of these ideals.

The premise for mini mioche is simple:

Amazing basics and fashion styles
The absolute softest organic cotton
Great fitting products
Interesting and difficult to find colors (no pastels!)

Each baby and toddler clothing piece from mini mioche (pronounced “Mee-osh," meaning "little one") is designed and made in Toronto, Canada, from 100% organic cotton and reusable dyes.

The company uses 100% recycled paper in its hang tags and catalogs, and eliminates unnecessary packaging by shipping online orders in reusable organic cotton drawstring bags.

It makes me so happy to know that there's an option with fashionable organic cotton clothing that doesn't break the bank! It's the sort of style I'd wear (if it came in my size, that is) and I can feel really good about putting this soft and safe, organic cotton next to my little ones' skin. I absolutely love the bold colors!

Win mini mioche for your little one!

Visit the mini mioche website and take a look at their gorgeous Fall collection. Tell me which piece is your favorite and why. Easy-peasy! Please leave your email address if it is not readily visible in your profile. I want to be able to reach you if you win! One winner will be selected and notified by email on December 1st, and will have 72 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

And if you just don't want to wait, the code "MCFALL” is good for a 20% discount on online orders at minimioche.com! This discount is good through November 30.

Disclosure - I am participating in a mini mioche ambassador program by Mom Central on behalf of mini mioche. I received an outfit as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters - Review and Giveaway

Thanks to MyBlogSpark and Nature Valley, I was sent some free samples of the yummy Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters to try. In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you - I was already a fan! I was at a friend's house a few weeks prior who had purchased a bag, so I had tested these out even before I knew I'd be given an opportunity to try them.

Interestingly enough, I'm not a fan of crunchy granola bars at all. I just don't care for the texture or excessive chewing involved. The Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters are crunchy, but surprisingly light considering the size of each cluster. They are satisfying, salty and a bit sweet, and (I'm telling you from experience) it's pretty easy to put away half a bag if you're not careful.

Want to try them?

One person will win a nice box full of some protein-packed snacks of their own, and a few cute stocking stuffers besides! Check out these goodies, perfect for some winter outdoor fun (or spy gear indoors, at my house.) Are you a fan of peanuts, cashews, almonds, or do you have to have them all?

To enter - please leave one comment letting me know which of the 4 varieties: Roasted Almond, Roasted Cashew, Honey Roasted Peanut, or Nut Lovers, would be your favorite.

(I like the cashew ones, but there is no extra credit for agreeing with me.)

Be sure to include your email address, or make sure it's visible in your profile. Contest will close at midnight, CST on December 3rd. There may not be too many entries, so your chances are good!

I did receive a bag of each of the four varieties of Granola Nut Clusters to try, free of charge, to allow for an informed review. They also included a few goodies like a pair of binoculars that my son thinks are the coolest, a bag, a flashlight, and a stainless steel water bottle. No other compensation was received, and the opinions expressed within this post are my own. I can't tell you what you'll like, though. You're going to have to try them for yourself!

Shi Shu Baby Review/Giveaway

There are quite a few gorgeous baby finds out there. There are even more baby goods that are those practical, must-haves. However, very few baby items fit both the beautiful and practical categories.

Which is why we love our SHI SHU STYLE baby blanket.

These blankets are incredibly soft and handwoven for a beautiful texture and feel. Made of a 60%/40% natural cotton to bamboo blend, they are completely free of unnatural or chemically treated fibers.
SHI SHU STYLE's creator designed these blankets when her own son's favorite microfiber/polyester blanket caused him to break out in a rash.

If you haven't discovered bamboo yet, you will be amazed! Bamboo is soft, has antibacterial properties, and breathes. It is a soft and natural fiber to wrap delicate baby skin in. The 100% bamboo sateen trim on the blanket gives it that wonderful, silky edge that babies love so much. My toddler loves to rub her face against its silky softness.

We especially love this blanket's weight and texture, which is warm for winter winter, but also breathes, making it cool enough for use in the warmer months, too.

I'm also really impressed with its generous size.The blanket is 30 by 40 inches, which makes it sufficiently large for swaddling baby or covering a sleeping (and wiggly) toddler. So many traditional baby blankets are outgrown quickly, and many of them are never large enough for the "swaddling-challenged" parent at all. This blanket will easily take us through the infant stage to toddler and beyond!

For those of you who wonder (like I do) why the best blankies are always baby-sized...they make an adult-sized throw too! The SHI SHU HOME throw was even a premier gift at the 66th annual Golden Globes.

Win it!

SHI SHU STYLE has generously offered a SHI SHU BABY snuggler (16 by 16 inch size) for one lucky reader to win!

To enter, leave a comment letting me know who would be the lucky recipient of this snuggler if you won, AND what color you like best!

Extra entries: (Be sure to leave an additional comment for each extra entry!)

*Follow this blog with Google Friend Connect (1 entry)

*Follow me on twitter and tweet this giveaway. Leave your twitter status link in your comments (1 entry for each tweet)

*Blog about this giveaway, including a link to this post and to SHI SHU STYLE. Leave your post URL in the comment. (3 entries)

Giveaway will end on 4/30/09 at Midnight, Central time. Winner will be chosen at random and contacted via e-mail and announced on this site. Winner will have 72 hours to claim his or her prize before a new winner is chosen.