Piggy Paint Review & GIVEAWAY!

Who doesn’t love great looking nails?! Some people go to a lot of time, effort and money to ensure their nails are in top form – I am not one of those people, at least not exactly. I have never been a fan of bold nail polish BUT when it comes time to don sandals I sing a different story! Like my love of jewelry, my coloured toes have totally enticed all three of my girls!

When WE were given the opportunity to test-drive Piggy Paint I knew it would be a great match for us (AND many of you!)! I had heard of Piggy Paint first from another Mom at my daughters’ gymnastics class – and we all know the value of another mom’s word! Ha!

Piggy Paint is

• Non-toxic
• Odorless
• Kid-friendly
• Specially Formulated with Natural Ingredients
• Hypoallergenic
• Water-based
• Durable

No wonder they say, “Natural as Mud”!

It was founded by a Mom – Melanie Hurley (gotta love Mom founded businesses!) who discovered the harshness of ‘regular’ solvent-based polish when it dripped on a foam plate and actually ATE through it!

I have admittedly painted my daughters’ nails a number of times with the solvent-based traditional polishes. They had always complained about the ‘stink’ and it was because of this that we often did it outside. Here is a sneak peak at the girls’ “collection”.

We were sent this fantastic bold purple colour named “Girls Rule” (so apporpiraite for my house!) and remover to try out.

Immediately Miss H noticed that it didn’t ‘stink’ while Miss A was amazed at just how quickly this “new stuff” dried – I’m sure many of you can appreciate this feature! It applied just as nicely as any polish. We applied 2 thin coats and found that it held up pretty good!

Although there are only 2 sets of toes in the pic I also painted my toenails and my 2 year olds’ without a second thought!

When it came time to remove the polish I found it a little difficult to remove completely BUT I will say the remover had virtually NO smell! We didn’t need to do it outside!

Piggy Paint comes in a variety of colours from bold to subtle which will definitely suit everyone! They have even launched a new line of colours titled “Project Earth” geared towards young ladies!

BUY IT!

Piggy Paint has offered all Take A Mom’s Word For It readers a 10% discount on ALL products (including sale items) until September 7, 2010!! Just enter coupon code MOMSWORD10L

I am personally going to take advantage of this deal!

WIN IT!

Win a $15 GC to spend on Piggy Paint products!!

Mandatory Entry

As always, please leave your email address with every comment (unless it’s in your profile)… you don’t want to win and then have me not be able to reach you!

Visit Piggy Paint and look at all the fun colours. Choose 2 colours you love and then come back here and tell me what they are.

Bonus Entries

1 Entry: Follow Take A Mom’s Word For It Blog through Google Friend Connect.

1 Entry: “Like” Piggy Paint on Facebook. They often post secret sales and special offers. Please leave your FB name so I can verify your entry.

1 Entry: “Like” Take A Mom’s Word For It on Facebook. Already like me?! Aw shucks! Please tell me!

3 Entries: Sign up for Piggy Paint’s newsletter HERE (bottom left hand corner).

3 Entries: Update your Facebook status telling all your lovelies about this great giveaway. Please tag “@take a mom’s word for it” in your post.

1 Entry: Follow Piggy Paint on Twitter HERE.

1 Entry: Follow me on Twitter HERE.

2 Entries: Tweet about this giveaway. You can use this sample tweet:

“Win a $15 GC for @piggypaint Polish that’s as Natural as Mud on @amomsword http://tiny.cc/0lhhm ends 8/13 #giveaway #win #natural"

This can be done once a day for 2 entries each day until the giveaway closes. Be sure to include the permalink to verify.

3 Entries: Post the Take A Mom’s Word For It button on your blog. Please leave me the link.

3 Entries: Post my Back to School Event button on your blog. Please leave me the link.

3 Entries: Sign up for email notifications from Take A Mom’s Word For It. Don’t forget to confirm your subscription through Feedburner.

10 Entries: Make a purchase at Piggy Paint. Leave me your name, what you purchased and when.

Good luck to everyone! Open to Canada & US only.

Giveaway ends August 13, 2010

Disclosure: I received one polish and one bottle of polish remover for review purposes. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

Meet Me On Monday

Linking up once again with Java at Never Growing Old for Meet Me On Monday... this week's questions (and answers!)...
1. What 1 food could you eat every single day?
I'm with Java on this one... PIZZA! And, I'm slowly converting my girls. There was a time when the door bell would ring and Little S would shout "pizza!"
2. Do you wear glasses or contacts?
Neither! At least not anymore. I used to wear contacts, but had laser surgery after my twins were born - BEST decision ever - totally life changing!
3. What kind of cell phone do you have?
I have a Motorola Krazor... next is def an iphone!
4. What did you have for dinner last night?
Mc Donald's! We went on a day trip to a local amusement park and were totally exhausted - Micky D's was on the way home!
5. What is your favourite candy?
ANY!! I am a total candy junkie! I do love sour coke bottles, sour keys, hot tomales, cherry blasters...

WINNER!

Well people, we have a winner of the Marley Jane giveaway!

The highly envied winner of a ring or necklace of choice, decided by random.org is...

Congratulations to "Shairbearg"!! You will have such a hard time deciding what you want!! You have 48 hours to respond to the email I'm about to send you.

Thanks to everyone who entered!! This giveaway has been my most successful yet! What does that tell me?! WE ALL LOVE JEWELRY!! I will do my best to find more sponsors to your liking!

If you weren't as lucky as our winner please visit Marley Jane and make a purchase. All her items are reasonably priced and uber-beautiful!

Potty Training - Day 3

Well, I didn't post about Day 3 when it ended cause frankly, potty training is exhausting! BUT, Day 3 went pretty good!

Little S refused to try in the morning so I just left it - no need to cause her any anxiety - though I did wonder if I'd pay for that later! ... nope, no accidents in the a.m.!

After waking up dry she again refused to try... uh oh... needless to say she did end up 'watering' Dad's grass soon after dinner!

The big excitement of the day came at night when she went #2!! She went #2 again this morning and I think we're well on our way to a diaper free household!! It's been a long time coming!!

We have a day trip to a local amusement park planned for Sunday. Not too sure how we're going to tackle this one. I REALLY don't want to use a diaper for a day - just seems to be defeating the purpose, but we'll see how things go today and tomorrow.

For those of you who are interested, here are some tips and things that went well for us...

• We waited for a number of 'readiness' signs.
• We didn't use a "potty", but rather a seat that sits on the regular toilet. Someone suggested ages ago when I was training my twins that some children have difficulty switching from a potty to a toilet and that using an insert would avoid this.
• Not pressuring her to try all the time, but rather asking often and allowing her to 'check' her own body.
• Praise, songs and books - all came during and after sitting on the toilet.
• Buying super cute underwear and letting her choose the pair she wanted to start the day. One caution to this - a friend said that her little one would pee in her pants just so she could choose a new pair to wear!
• We never used pull-ups, but rather went straight to underwear.
• Don't venture too far from home. Little S went so far as the edge of our lawn! Sometimes there were only seconds between her saying she had to go and her actually going. I think she'll be pretty house bound the next little while (aside from this weekend's day trip!).
• I plan to use one of the diaper change pads in her car seat for the next little while. It's a super thin, but resistant one.
• We have a fold-up travel seat that we'll be taking with us for the next while when we're out. It's great because it gives little ones a place to put their hands and prevents little bums from falling in! It's a bit of a trade off - not carrying diapers but carrying this seat :)

Good luck to all those potty training Mamas out there! It's a process - that's for sure, but boy is it worth it!!

Potty Training - Day 2

Day 2 had an early start. Little S woke up calling for me at 12:30am. Being the super Mom that I am (!) I ran right in and she told me she needed her diaper changed. YAY! She had made it a little wet. I put her on the toilet before putting a dry one on and she went some more! DOUBLE YAY! I thought this was a definite good sign!

The day turned out to be "ok". We had 3 accidents, but also some progress. She hasn't had a #2 since starting this whole process - too much information?! So I'm kinda waiting for the bomb to drop! (sorry, couldn't help myself! LOL!)

Funny story... It was my night to give the girls their bath. They all bathe together in the big soaker tub we have. Well, I got the tub filled and all 3 girls inside. Can you see where this is going? Not 3 minutes into the bath Little S says, "Mamma, haf to pee!". I knew she was due, but got nothing beforehand. I stood her up - just in time for her big sisters and I to see her have her pee - in the water! The big girls started screaming -after all, they were sitting in "pee water" and Little S was confused by all the noise. Ahh... I love potty training.

Despite all the progress, I feel like a huge weight is lifted off my shoulder when that night-time diaper goes on!

Purse Giveaway

As I've mentioned before, there are few giveaways from other blogs I will post about, but when it comes to purses, handbags and fabric I can't help myself! And besides, let's be honest here - it gets me another entry! ;)

Ashley over at Little Miss Momma is hosting a giveaway sponsored by Charm Design for a handbag!!

I have oogled over this etsy shop MANY times... she has great products! Good luck (but not too much - teehee!)

Wordless Wednesday

The girls had been playing "office girl" (??) for a couple days so I decided they each needed proper desks!

Their desks got progressively cluttered as the day went on!

Check out Little S with the folder under her arm!

Yes, this is all taking place in our family room... ahh, to have little ones!

Potty Training - Day 1

So, Day 1 has come to an end... no diapers all day - even nap! I started by putting her on every 20 minutes, but that was just too often so I played it by ear. There was 1 accident on the bathroom floor in the morning and then no accidents before nap! Fantastic! She was so proud of herself every time and we all acted like fools when 'it happened'! I have never seen her smile so hard before! I put her down for nap without a diaper, but gave her far less milk before hand than usual... I know, I live dangerously! She woke up dry!

It was the remainder of the day (after nap) that the training turned to just 'ok'. She had 2 accidents (1 on tile - yay! 1 on carpet - boo!) and only 1 success before going to bed for the night. Every time I asked her if she had to go she'd say "no thanks Mom", but I think she was just tired of the whole thing - and so was I! My back was sore from sitting on the stool every time! Although I will say that the iced cap my hubby picked up for me did help! ;)

I took this pic after I left her for 2 seconds to answer the phone... 2 seconds, an ENTIRE roll of t.p.!

Little S also had her very first 'wedgie' - LOL! She came over saying she had a "poo poo" and that her "bum hurt", I had a peak and sure enough... too cute!

Tomorrow is Day 2 in our journey... wish me even more luck! Thanks too for all the comments and support, both here and on my FB page! I LOVE hearing from everyone even if I can't respond to each of you!

It All Starts Tomorrow... POTTY TRAINING!

Tomorrow's the big day... Little S will officially start potty training! She just turned 2 in April and although I hadn't planned on doing any training until Christmas, I *unfortunately* think she's ready.

• She often tells me when I need to change her diaper.
• She sometimes tells me when a "Poo is coming".
• She usually wakes up dry from night and nap.
• She asks to go on the toilet.

So, here we go. I consider myself to be moderately experienced with potty training - after all, I did potty train my twins in one weekend! Granted, they were 2.5 years and still occasionally needed a sleep diaper, but it was quite a feat!

Not sure if there's really a term for my method, but we'll essentially be going 'cold turkey' - no diapers. She'll wear a dress (no need to worry about shorts or pants - will make us faster!) and underwear. I will have her sit every 20 minutes and if she goes we'll dance around like fools!

I am also prepared for accidents and bought carpet stain remover on the weekend! BUT... we just may spend a lot of time in the basement! :)

So, wish me luck... it's gonna be a looong day! I'll let you know how it goes!

I Did It!

Well I did it! I opened an etsy shop! I had been thinking about it a lot these last few months so last night (with my hubby's help), I opened a shop!

There are only a couple things listed so far, but I'll be working on listing more and more as the week goes on and as I create more. I'm not quite ready for an official launch just yet, but when I do, I'll be holding a GIVEAWAY right here on Take A Mom's Word For It!

So, keep your eyes open, there's lots going on!!

Meet Me On Monday

Linking up once again with Java at Never Growing Old for Meet Me On Monday... this week's questions (and answers!)...
1. What is your favourite sandwich? Um, not a big sandwich eater, but I always love a good BLT!
2. What is stashed under your bed? Believe it or not, absolutely nothing!! We moved just over a year ago and just haven't put anything under... oh wait, hubby does have a baseball bat! We live in a great community, but it makes him feel better ;)
3. What is your favourite flower? Sunflower. My Dad and uncle used to see who could grown the tallest sunflower.
4. What is your favourite magazine? Who has time for reading?! The only magazines I read nowadays are the ones in the doctors' office and the hair salon!
5. How often do you weigh yourself? Almost never. I've been about the same size and weight for years, minus of course being preggers with twins (7,7 and 8,4) and then again with my youngest (7,9).

WINNER!

We have a winner for the giveaway sponsored by Lindsay at Sass Rocket...

Chosen by random.org to win a tampon clutch of her choice...

Lucky number 158...
Congratulations to "Glogirl"!! I'll be emailing you shortly with some details. You are going to love it!! Plus, you can choose your own fabric combination - it'll be totally custom!
If you weren't as lucky as "Glogirl" you can still have your own tampon clutch by visiting Sass Rocket and purchasing one today!

Tiny Love Treasures Review & GIVEAWAY!

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times... a girl can never have enough bling in her life. Should I start to feel bad for my daughters' future husbands yet?! All 3 of my daughters (ages 5, 5, &2) and I LOVE sporting jewelry - though their tastes are slightly different than mine! :)

So, I was super excited when I was given the opportunity to review 2 products from an Etsy Shop called Tiny Love Treasures. Tiny Love Treasures is a super cute shop specializing in customized, hand-stamped sterling silver pieces.

For review I received 2 pendants – both sterling silver, both hand stamped and both gorgeous!Here are the 2 I received…

Both pendants also have Swarovski crystal element beads which are a fantastic addition. The April birthstone is diamond – probably the hardest birthstone ‘colour’ to duplicate, but the Swarovski bead sparkles and catches the light beautifully.

Trisha from Tiny Love Treasures has been a delight to work with. And work she does! Trisha is married with 2 children, a 2 year old AND a 5 month old. She is a teacher by day and a jewelry creator by night (and nap!) - can you say busy Mamma?!

Tiny Love Treasures offers a number of high-quality, fully customizable sterling silver pieces sure to meet your standards and melt your heart. Here are a few of my faves…

What Mom (or Grandma) wouldn’t love a pendant or keychain with their loved ones names on it? And don’t forget about the men. Here’s a sterling silver, hand-stamped golf ball marker.

There are a number of companies out there offering personalized gifts, but with Tiny Love Treasures you can be certain you’re going to receive a personal, high-quality item at an affordable price! Trisha is also open to making custom pieces! She will work with you to create a piece that you truly love.

BUY IT!

Head over to Tiny Love Treasures and pick up a little something in silver! ;)

WIN IT!

Trisha from Tiny Love Treasures has offered to give one of Take A Mom’s Word For It readers a 5/8” sterling silver pendant with a Swarovski bead (like the ones I received)! YOU choose how you want it customized! … child’s name, d.o.b., family name, inspirational word… the possibilities are endless!

Mandatory Entry

As always, please leave your email address with every comment (unless it’s in your profile)…you don’t want to win and then have me not be able to reach you!

Visit Tiny Love Treasures and look at all the gorgeous pieces Trisha has available. Then come back here and tell me what it is AND how you would have it personalized. It will be a hard decision!

Bonus Entries

1 Entry: Follow the Tiny Love Treasures’ blog through Google Friend Connect HERE.

1 Entry: Follow Take A Mom’s Word For It Blog through Google Friend Connect.

1 Entry: “Like” Tiny Love Treasures on Facebook and tell her I sent you. Please leave your FB name so I can verify your entry. She just may be hosting a FB giveaway at 200 fans ;)

1 Entry: “Like” Take A Mom’s Word For It on Facebook. Already like me?! Aw shucks! Please tell me!

1 Entry: “Heart” Tiny Love Treasures on Etsy. Please leave your Etsy name to verify.

3 Entries: Update your Facebook status telling all your lovelies about this great giveaway.Please tag “@take a mom’s word for it” in your post.

1 Entry: Follow me on Twitter HERE.

2 Entries: Tweet about this giveaway. You can use this sample tweet:

“Win a Sterling Silver, Hand-Stamped Pendant from TinyLoveTreasures on @amomsword ends 7/30 http://tiny.cc/qua9i #giveaway #win"

This can be done once a day for 2 entries each day until the giveaway closes. Be sure to include the permalink to verify.

3 Entries: Post the Take A Mom’s Word For It button on your blog. Please leave me the link.

5 Entries: Post my Back-To School Event button on your blog.

3 Entries: Sign up for email notifications from Take A Mom’s Word For It. Don’t forget to confirm your subscription through Feedburner.

10 Entries: Make a purchase at Tiny Love Treasures. Leave me your name, what you purchased and when.

Good luck to everyone! Open to Canada & US only.

Giveaway ends July 30, 2010

Disclosure: I received 2x 5/8” pendants for review purposes. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

Hop Along Friday!

Welcome to the eigth and new edition of Blog Hop Friday turns Hop Along Friday, hosted by My New Life As Mom, Chubby Cheeks Thinks, Take A Mom's Word For It, This Adventure Our Life and Belly Charms! No longer are we just a blog hop! We're also a twitter hop, facebook hop and anything and everything in between. Simply link up to all your network pages and have some fun! We continue to invite you and your friends to link up every Friday and join us for a wonderful site hopping adventure! We're all about making friends and having fun so come join us! Here's how you can join in on the fun;

Link up to your blog, facebook, twitter, etc using our inlinkz link list, below.

Follow the host/hostesses located in the first 5 slots.

Follow any other blogs that you feel appropriate! :)

If you get a new follower, please feel free to reciprocate the love!

While you're here please be sure to check out my current giveaways... there's a list posted on the top of the right hand column... all are such excellent products from fantastic sponsors!! HURRY, one ends 7/16!!

This is a new list every Friday, so please remember to come back and link up!

We understand that not everyone has time to follow and comment on every Hop Along Friday Participant, just do what you can and are willing to do. We will do the same! Take your time and go at your own pace. FYI, however, if you follow me and leave a comment, guarenteed, I will follow you back!

The link list is only open to add new blogs on Fridays but will be visible all week long.

Please make sure you have a way for people to follow you!

*ALL SPAM LINKS WILL BE DELETED!*

Circleline Studio Review & GIVEAWAY!

Art doesn’t have to be complicated, dramatic or expensive to make an impact. If you have been looking for a visual impact for really ANY room in your house, have I got the shop for you – Circleline Studio.

I was recently given the opportunity to try out a vinyl decal from Circleline Studio. They specialize in modern, high-quality vinyl decals. I was pumped about this review as I have seen these types of products advertised before, but had never had the chance to try one out. I immediately went to Circleline’s etsy shop to look around and decide what worked best for me and my house’s style. They have nearly 300 decals to choose from!! So after ‘flipping through the pages”, I ask my Sister-In-Law for a little help… well… help she did! She was immediately drawn to this decal…

After all, she is a Registered Massage Therapist and had been looking for something similar to this for her office. I had found my product reviewer! I immediately asked Connie at Circleline Studio if she was able to make a custom decal for review – she said YES and made this decal and even listed it in her shop!

My Sister-In-Law (a.k.a. Official Decal Tester) hung her decal in one of her therapy rooms. Here is the “before” picture.

Initially, she said she found the instructions a little confusing, but did manage to hang the decal successfully! Here is the “after” shot. It's just above the window.

Doesn’t it look great!! She is really happy with the way it turned out, saying that it looks like it ‘belongs’!

Circleline Studios offer decals for all styles and tastes! What’s more, they are fully removable – no worrying about damaging the walls or paint! Here are a few of my favourites decals…

What a fun way to 'fluff up' (intentional pun!) an otherwise dull room!

Add a little personality to your laptop!
This little beauty would be great on your child's door or above their headboard!
There's something so simple and elegant about this one that I love - high impact!
And who could resist this chicken?! I didn't think so.

If there’s an image you don’t see, or are looking for advice on how to create a particular mood Connie would be more than happy to help out – just ask!

BUY IT!

Head over to Circleline Studio to purchase a highly unique, quality vinyl decal at a reasonable price!

WIN IT!

Connie from Circleline Studio has generously offered one Take A Mom’s Word For It reader a $30 Gift Certificate to spend in her shop! $30 will look like that expensive art piece you’ve been waiting for!

Mandatory Entry

As always, please leave your email address with every comment (unless it’s in your profile)… you don’t want to win and then have me not be able to reach you!

Visit Circleline Studio and browse at all that Connie has to offer. Then come back here and tell me how you would spend your $30 if you won. Good luck!

Bonus Entries

1 Entry: Follow Circleline Studio's Blog through Google Friend Connect.

1 Entry: Follow Take A Mom’s Word For It Blog through Google Friend Connect.

1 Entry: “Like” Circleline Studio on Facebook and tell Connie I sent you. Please leave your FB name so I can verify your entry.

1 Entry: “Like” Take A Mom’s Word For It on Facebook. Already like me?! Aw shucks! Please tell me!

1 Entry: “Heart” Circleline Studio on Etsy. Please leave your Etsy name to verify.

3 Entries: Update your Facebook status telling all your lovelies about this great giveaway. Please tag “@take a mom’s word for it” in your post.

1 Entry: Follow Circleline Studio on Twitter HERE.

1 Entry: Follow me on Twitter HERE.

2 Entries: Tweet about this giveaway. You can use this sample tweet:

“Win a $30 GC from @circle_studio to spend on any vinyl decal your heart desires! @amomsword ends 7/30 #giveaway #win http://tiny.cc/emgm3"

This can be done once a day for 2 entries each day until the giveaway closes. Be sure to include the permalink to verify.

3 Entries: Post the Take A Mom’s Word For It button on your blog. Please leave me the link.

3 Entries: Sign up for email notifications from Take A Mom’s Word For It. Don’t forget to confirm your subscription through Feedburner.

5 Entries: Post my Back To School Event Button on your blog. Please leave me your blog address.

10 Entries: Make a purchase from Circleline Studio. Leave me your name, what you purchased and when.

Good luck to everyone! Open to Canada & US only.

Giveaway ends July 30, 2010

Disclosure: I received the ‘relax’ decal for review purposes. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own and my sister-in-law’s.

Wordless Wednesday

You can never have enough bling...

BUT, it's hard to be beautiful!
My posse ready to go cruisin!