Category Archives: BEAUTY, HEALTH & FOOD

Feb 23 2012

Alphabet Napkin Rings – Uncommon Goods

[ABOUT] Get your table talking with porcelain alphabet napkin rings by Gail Garcia. Modern, lovely and interactive, these rings encourage you to get creative at every meal. Use them as abbreviated place cards or to spell out “pasta” on spaghetti night or to send a cheeky message to guests. Handmade in New York. WEBSITE

[REVIEW] We ordered these because we wanted a way to “Go Green” with our family. We were tired of using paper napkins but we found as a family of 5 that using cloth napkins was a hassle because nobody ever remembered which napkin belonged to them. These Alphabet Napkin Rings solved the problem! Each family member has their own napkin ring and we are now eco-friendly at meals.

Feb 8 2012

Zip ‘n Hang – over the door hook

[ABOUT] Zip ‘n Hang is the first adjustable over-the-door hook that won’t damage doors. It uses flexible lines to go over the corners of the door quickly, easily and with no tools required. Great for hanging a backpack, diaper bag, door decorator, clothing or shoes. With a push of a button, you can raise and lower the Zip ‘n Hang to the desired height! So it gives kids easy access to their stuff. The Zip ‘n Hang comes with a Jumbo Hook perfect for wreaths, and also a Small Hook great for towels, clothing, backpacks and bathrobes.

[REVIEW] We have tried so many over the door hooks and they never work because they either chip the paint or the door will not close We have also tried the adhesive hooks which always seem to fall off when there is any weight on them. I was skeptical about this gadget… however it has a soft rubber texture on the back of the Zip ‘n Hang that keeps it from scratching and also helps hold the hanger in place. You can easily adjust it up or down on the door and it holds a surprising amount of weight. These would even be great for traveling when you need to hang items in your room.

Feb 8 2012

Teddy Needs a Bath – finally a way to clean stuffed animals!

[ABOUT] Teddy Needs a Bath is the first wash-and-dry bag for toys, stuffed animals and everything in-between to keep your kiddo germ-free and happy. TNB is one of the best ways to steer clear of unwanted germs and bacterias. Mommy-invented, kid tested and consumer approved, Teddy Needs a Bath is 100%, eco-friendly and your new house hold helper.

[REVIEW] Theses bags are fantastic! I am constantly getting rid of stuffed animals because they are just dust collectors and most of them say you can only surface wash them. I was THRILLED to test this bag and yes, it works! The bags are large and can hold plenty of animals. No more dust collectors!

Dec 5 2011

Go2Bras — AMY Go2 Bras – Cami Style

[ABOUT] This sexy cami style bra in ivory, toast and black can be shown and no one will know it is your bra. It is a full coverage bra with an embroidered lace that can be worn under plunging necklines and jackets giving the appearance that you wearing a beautiful cami, without the extra layer. WEBSITE

[REVIEW] I love this bra. I often have blouses and sweaters that I wish came up a little higher so I could wear them without a shirt or tank underneath. This is a fabulous option and they are comfortable and sexy. This Go2Bras website is also a great resource for bra purchases.

This company also gives back with their Buy ONE, Give ONE campaign with Clothes4Souls… “We are thrilled to partner with Clothes4Souls and help provide hope and clothing to those in need,” said Connie Elder, Founder and CEO of Connie Elder International. “We hope you will join us in this effort by purchasing a gift or something for yourself from our Go2 Bra collection and help someone else at the same time,” she said. Clothes4Souls has distributed more than 1 million pieces of clothing since the charity’s inception after the Haitian earthquake in 2010.

Nov 24 2011

GAIAM Fitness & Yoga DVD’s

[ABOUT] Gaiam is releasing three new DVD titles, featuring some of the most highly recognized names in fitness and yoga. I wanted to let you know about these new titles and offer you the chance to review these DVD’s and/or interview the high-profile talent featured on them before they hit shelves on December 6.

  • Gwen Lawrence’s Fit Body Yoga – In her first DVD with Gaiam, Gwen calls upon her extensive experience working with professional athletes to provide everyday yoga routines for women, with a focus on fitness. Fit Body Yoga blends traditional yoga practices with cutting edge training techniques to get women into shape. Known as the go-to yoga instructor for several New York sports teams, Gwen presents women with the same moves she uses to keep professional athletes fit and injury-free.
  • Seane Corn’s Detox Flow Yoga – Seane Corn, the internationally-recognized yoga instructor known for her holistic approach both on and off the mat, teamed up with Gaiam to provide a yoga experience that focuses on detoxifying the body and mind of physical and emotional toxins. Seane Corn’s Detox Flow Yoga introduces users to poses that improve circulation and digestion, build strength, and help lose weight. Throughout the DVD, Corn shares her extensive knowledge on how to integrate awareness of the body, breath, movement through the practice of yoga.
  • Trudie Styler’s Strengthen & Restore – This is the seventh DVD release and second mobile app in the mind-body fitness series featuring actress, producer and environmental activist, Trudie Styler, and celebrity trainer, James D’Silva. The DVD features three practices designed to strengthen the body while calming the mind, creating the ultimate balance in life. The Strengthen & Restore App will support the practices found on the DVD along with a photo gallery of images shot on Trudie and Stings’ farm in England.
  • WEBSITE

[REVIEW] coming soon…

Nov 24 2011

Aubrey Organics

[ABOUT] Why use something synthetic when something natural works so much better? That’s the practical philosophy behind every Aubrey Organics® product. This simple idea has been the cornerstone of our pioneering company since the beginning. Read our labels. You’ll find only the finest herbals and plant extracts in their most natural form, and no synthetic additives or petrochemicals of any kind in any of our products.

  • Crème de la Shave – Pomegranate. Made with rich emollients and fruit extracts, this moisturizing shave cream pampers and protects your skin for a luxurious, ultra-smooth shave and legs so soft, you may not need a lotion after shaving. You’ll love its silky feel and exotic tropical scent.
  • Natural Baby & Kids Shampoo – Our natural soap base cleanses gently, while camomile and balm-mint soothe and hydrate baby’s hair and scalp. (Not a “no tears” formula.)
Nov 24 2011

Husky: 45-Piece Stubby Combination Wrench and Socket Set

[ABOUT] Convenient set includes all of the most commonly used bits and sockets plus a ratcheting screwdriver that indexes up to 180 degrees

  • 45-piece set provides a generous collection of compatible tools for use on the job or at home
  • Includes a ratcheting screwdriver that is able to index up to 180 degrees and locks into 9 different positions to help make the job easier
  • Ratcheting Screwdriver and Ratchet features a rubber grip handle for comfortable and non-slip grip
  • Set includes 1/4 in. and 3/8 in. Ratchet, Stubby Wrench, and Ratcheting Screwdriver, plus 12 SAE sockets and 13 Metric sockets
  • Additional pieces include 1/4 x 3/8 adaptor, 15 screwdriver bits and a screwdriver adaptor
  • The screwdriver’s ratcheting feature and stubby size help get into tight spots
  • Useful set for household repairs and auto work
  • Comes in a compact and handy carry case for easy portability and storage
  • Backed by Husky’s Forever Guarantee
  • WEBSITE [available at Home Depot]

[REVIEW] Every household needs something this compact and convenient. This is an excellent stocking stuffer for any man in your life!

Nov 23 2011

Cupcaqe Muffin Meal

[ABOUT] A brand new bakeware accessory that makes cup-like holes in regular or large size muffins or cupcakes so that you can fill with your imagination.

  • Fits any regular or large size muffin or cupcake pan (any brand, make or model)
  • Easy adjustable cup locks into place to make shallow or deeper holes as desired and slides out effortlessly.
  • Fast and easy clean-up – dishwasher safe
  • FDA approved – high temperature sturdy plastic bakeware
  • Make your next muffin a meal and you will never have leftovers again.
  • Kids will love helping you bake with muffinmealTM.
  • Endless batter and filling combinations
  • You will never have a problem trying to get your kids to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner.
  • WEBSITE

RECIPES

  • Lemon Cupcakes Stuffed with Fruit
  • Carrot Cake with Baked Apples
  • Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes
  • Chili & Cornbread

[REVIEW] This bakeware accessory easily allowed us to make a fun, delicious meal without a lot of extra effort. We tested the muffinmeal ™ with cornbread and chili for an unique dinner. It’s easy to imagine making fancy cupcakes for birthday parties and Girls’ Nights. helping me be more creative in the kitchen than I really am.

Nov 3 2011

Yummi Bears from Hero Nutritionals

[ABOUT]  Like all Hero Nutritional products, Yummi Bears® Vitamin C and Yummi Bears® Echinacea are allergen, GMO, casein and gluten-free, and have all-natural flavors and colors. Both contain 60 mg of Vitamin C, and Yummi Bears® Echinacea also contains Echinacea and Zinc. As they are taken in the form of a gummy bear, your tots won’t protest at having to take a large vitamin pill each morning!  Yummi Bears® Gummy Vitamins are available in fine health stores in the United States. www.heronutritionals.com

[REVIEW] Every fall I try to get back in the habit of doling out vitamins to ward off colds and the flu. My family is terrible about remembering to take vitamins on a regular basis especially when I purchase the chewables. However when they tried the Yummi Bears, I no longer had to bribe them since they felt as if they were getting more of a special treat every morning.  The box includes 15 packs of 3 gummy bears. The To-Go packs make it easy to keep extra packs in your car or your purse so you always have then on-hand.

Oct 29 2011

Potter the Otter

[ABOUT] Potter the Otter is made available for free by FIRST 5 of Santa Barbara County with funding from FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, Kaiser Permanente, and the Department of Health and Human Services. FIRST 5 wants kids to grow up healthy and strong, and knows that habits form early. They developed Potter the Otter: A Tale about Water to assist parents and childcare providers in talking with young children about making healthier drink choices.Visit potterloveswater.com to learn more, play games, meet Potter, order the book and much, much more.

[REVIEW] A Tale About Water is popping up all over Santa Barbara County this year! Throughout the book, Potter the Otter, in charmingly simple illustrations, takes children on a walk through the park, talking to friends about the benefits of drinking water (did you know that the average 4-5 year old child drinks 17 teaspoons of added sugar each day? Hand over the juice box, stat!). The rhyming story is simple and repetitive, which will help Potter’s message stick long after the last page is turned. The words are in English and Spanish.

Oct 29 2011

Health & Wellness – The latest to keep your family healthy!

Give your medicine cabinet a makeover with these great new products on the market.

Sippy Sure
[ABOUT] Colder weather means colds and sniffles for little ones. Giving medicine doesn’t have to be a difficult and stressful task. Now there’s a stress free way to make sure your little one gets the needed dosage.

  • Sippy Sure® is the first ever medicine dispensing sippy cup. Its unique design keeps the medicine and a kid’s favorite drink separate until ready to drink. As the child drinks from the cup the medicine is mixed with the drink concealing the medicine. Pediatrician recommended and developed by a doctor and dad, Sippy Sure® is BPA free and can also be used as an everyday sippy cup.
  • WEBSITE

Maty’s Healthy Products
[ABOUT] A line of all natural, homeopathic and gluten-free cough and cold remedies that are safe and effective to use on infants (three months) and adults.

  • All Natural Cough Syrup with antioxidant-rich Buckwheat Honey
  • All Natural Baby Chest Rub – with immune-boosting soothing essential oils
  • All Natural Kids Cough Syrup with banana-caramel taste
  • Breath Better Nasal Ointment
  • All Natural Vapor Rub
  • WEBSITE

[REVIEW] We love when we have the chance to give our kids all natural products especially when they are sick. We will continue to stock our cabinets with Maty’s! The cough syrup tastes good with the honey flavor and it coats their throats and really does help with the coughing. The chest rub is gentle on their skin and helped with breathing during the night.

MotherKnows.com
[ABOUT] For the first time, a brand new website gives parents 24-hour online access to their children’s medical records.

  • MotherKnows is a secure website and mobile app that provides parents access to their child’s health records. Users simply sign an electronic release and MotherKnows collects the records from any medical provider and converts them into a custom tailored health record with easy to read graphic displays of immunizations, growth charts, medications and more. Then, parents can view your child’s complete medical history, as well as record developmental milestones and share this information easily.
  • WEBSITE

Topricin Junior Pain Relief and Healing Cream 
[ABOUT] Whether it’s a bump or bruise, muscle spasm, cramp, sprain, strain or neck and shoulder pain, minor burn or bug bite, Topricin Junior delivers soothing, rapid relief.

  • It contains 14 safe, natural ingredients that naturally support and assist the body to reduce inflammation, detoxify and stimulate blood flow that increases oxygenation of the skin to speed healing and relieve all aches and pains and boo boos of life.
  • Among Topricin Junior’s key active ingredients include arnica for injuries and bruising to the muscles and joints, Echinacea to help reduce inflammation and graphites for most skin conditions.
  • Topricin Junior is gentle, soothing and moisturizing and is kind to the skin and effective on such skin conditions as eczema. It has no odor and uses no volatile oils such as camphor or menthol or irritating chemicals.
  • WEBSITE

ACE
[REVIEW] Keep ACE Brand’s line of elastic bandages, braces and hot/cold therapy products stocked in your cabinet. but afterwards our creaky knees and aching backs tell the truth about our age. This week in our house we tested the ACE Brand Knee Stabilizer. While it looks complicated, it was easy to put on and truly fit a number of knee sizes. There is even a helpful printed guide on the inside of the Stabilizer, so no need to keep track of a product pamphlet. This product is lightweight but can feel bulky on the knee. During activity, it did its job, holding our knees in place better than most comparable products and kept the joint warm. We could see a huge benefit to wearing this (anything that can keep us playing and active!). 

  • Reusable Cold Compress – Keep this cold compress with soft fabric in the freezer—it contours to the body and can be applied directly to the skin without a cover, making it perfect for bruises, bumps, sprains, strains and even bee stings and toothaches.
  • Self-Adhering Bandages  -  Pack this no-clip version of the iconic “ACE Bandage” in a backpack for use on the spot, providing stability and preventing swelling for twisted ankles, bruised wrists and other common injuries.
  • Instant Cold Compress  -  An on-the-go essential, these instant cold compresses provide immediate emergency first-aid treatment without the need for refrigeration—great for injuries that happen on the field, or to just to keep cool after a game.
  • Braces, for Almost Any Body Part  -  A variety of braces in assorted fabrics like neoprene and lightweight nylon fit almost any body part or condition. Breathable materials release moisture while providing optimal support with proper fit and comfort.

We have one for a GIVEAWAY so enter our ParentClick.com Contest! Go to your community and click on the CHATTER page to find out the latest way to enter the contest.

Oct 29 2011

The Latest in BEAUTY Products

[ABOUT] Keep your skin looking younger this winter with these great new products! You can win all these products by entering a ParentClick.com contest!

  • Trinity of Youth… BrilliantFx Body Serum is the first exfoliating and moisturizing body serum to introduce a skin-healing mixture of ingredients all in one bottle—lactic acid, Arnica montana, and vitamin E.  WEBSITE
  • Minus -417… Time Control Recovery Cream is a special intensive treatment cream fights wrinkles and signs of aging. Time Control Facial Active Serum is a highly concentrated serum for firming and smoothing skin.  WEBSITE
  • Pirri Hair Products… The Pirri Elements Line was inspired by the beauty of the Mediterranean “crystal blue” Sea, pure air, rich soil and fiery volcanoes. Each product consists of Bergamot, an essential oil that comes from a fruit native Calabria, Italy, the hometown of the Pirri brothers. The oil along with other essential and natural ingredients is used to nourish the hair and lock in moisture. WEBSITE
  • FaceLube… The High Performance 3 Step System includes a Cleaner, Treatment and Protectant. It’s simple and precise – bing, bam, boom, am/pm and you’re done!  WEBSITE
  • EnvyDerm… EnvyDerm Eyelash Growth & Conditioning Serum is a groundbreaking new nonprescription formula that uses vitamins, minerals and amino acids to moisturize and nourish lashes and brows.   WEBSITE

We have one for a GIVEAWAY so enter our ParentClick.com Contest! Go to your community and click on the CHATTER page to find out the latest way to enter the contest.

Oct 29 2011

Bonding Over Beauty

[ABOUT] In this down to earth guide for moms of tweens, Bonding Over Beauty offers practical advice for building self-esteem, confidence, and trust. Moms of tween girls know what’s coming: puberty. As a young girl heads toward the teen years and exerts her independence, mom suddenly seems out of touch. She just doesn’t understand.

That’s the shift Erika Katz—former actress and model and now mother of a tween girl—hopes to prevent by teaching moms how to open up a dialogue during the often awkward preteen and early teen years. Her approach: give moms all the information they need to guide their daughters through the trials of womanhood while providing fun bonding activities they can do with their daughters.

The tween years present a golden opportunity for moms to gain their daughters’ confidence. A mother’s approach to sticky issues such as shaving legs, using tampons, or wearing makeup to school will help determine the nature of the relationship she has with her daughter. Erika’s practical, comprehensive tips on hair, skin, makeup, hair removal, nails, healthy eating, and puberty, as well as the great bonding activities presented in each chapter, will give moms the knowledge and tools they need to create bonds that will last a lifetime.

[AUTHOR] Erika Katz

[REVIEW] As a mother of three girls who are entering the stage of make-up and now obsessed with fashion, I was happy to learn about this book. The book covers everything from beauty to exercise to eating healthy. Bonding Over Beauty is a great all around reference with tips that are practical and applicable.

We have one for a GIVEAWAY so enter our ParentClick.com Contest! Go to your community and click on the CHATTER page to find out the latest way to enter the contest.

Oct 29 2011

Handstand Kids Cookbook series

[ABOUT] The Handstand Kids Cookbook series introduces kids 3-13 to new and familiar foods, featuring the languages  and cuisines of Italy, Mexico and China. Each Handstand Kids cookbook translates each of the ingredients and utensils into the country’s primary language, familiarizing them with international cultures.

[REVIEW] The Handstand Kids Cookbooks are a  great way to introduce children to culture, language, cooking and at the same time expose them to thinking of others. Kids are given choices with how to alter the recipes by substituting ingredients and make healthier meals. The illustrations are captivating and fun.  These are wonderful cookbooks for kids and make terrific gifts with the fun packaging and accessories that they include.

We have one for a GIVEAWAY so enter our ParentClick.com Contest! Go to your community and click on the CHATTER page to find out the latest way to enter the contest.

Oct 29 2011

Recipe Rock

[ABOUT]  This small 2-inch, sculpted, concave “rock” simultaneously holds up to eight pages of printed recipes upright at the ideal viewing angle and prevents pages from sauce splatters and dirty hands.  Recipe Rock is perfect for recipes from the Internet, magazines and even note-cards. And it is small enough to fit in a drawer or recipe box.

Recipe Rock is simple, practical and extremely easy to use. Just remove the metal ball from the magnetic rock, place the pages upright in front of the rock and replace the ball on the rock with the papers in between.

[REVIEW] I rarely ever use a cookbook anymore. I typically find a recipe online and print it out. Now instead of taping the recipe to my cabinets, I can use the Recipe Rock. I love it because I can put it in a drawer when I am not using it and it takes up very little space. My kids have also used it to prop up their notes when they are working on the computer and typing up papers. Perfect gift for holiday stockings for all the cooks in your life.