This Full House Reviews

Good Causes: Buy One, Give One Campaign

It's cold here in Jersey.  What?  You, too?  I know, right?  Even my kids have taken to wearing their winter coats...for real...I mean, it was 7 degrees last night, which, by Chicago standards, sounds downright balmy, I guess.

"Thank goodness, we have a warm house to come home to, right Momma?"

1 in every 50 kids in the U.S. is homeless and even my 9 year-old is aware that homelessness is a brutal fact...especially, in the wintertime.

I recently learned about a campaign launched by The Company Store and CompanyKids to help make these children’s lives a little bit warmer:

Sharing: $150.00 JCPenney Gift Card Because, Some of Us Are STILL Shopping for School Clothes!

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: SO HAPPY TO SHARE THIS WITH KIMBERLY (COMMENT #617) ENJOY!!!

Raising 4 kids, I spend A LOT of time back-to-school shopping (i.e. hunting through dozens of clearance racks, comparing price tags and debating the definition of "school clothes" with my husband) did I mention, we have 3 girls?

I've been putting off back-to-school shopping for the boy (he's 11) because, well, he's become even pickier than the girls (darnit!) and here in Jersey, you can actually wear shorts to school...up until mid-October...sometimes.

Until, the very generous folks at JCPenney.com offered to help, by sending us a $150.00 gift card to splurge on some MUCH needed back-to-school clothes for my son.

Did I mention, they are giving us a chance to share the experience with you (yes, maybe even YOU!) wanna see?

77kids + 77 Mombloggers = A Whole Lot of Good Stuff Happening on Do Good Day!

I am very, very proud to partner with TheMotherhood.com and participating in 77kids Do Good Day on July 14th (that's next week, btw!) by doing good in our local communities in all sorts of pay-it-forward kinds of ways.

Me and 76 other bloggers, from 11 cities across the U.S., I mean.

Why?

Well, here in Jersey, I'm in REAL good company:

Bay -  http://www.queenmotherblog.com
Julie - http://www.bouffamily.blogspot.com
Monica - http://www.paperbridges.net
Shannon - http://www.momimprovement.com

Okay, GREAT, but why 77kids and what's all this Do Good stuff about, really?

FashionPlaytes: Tween Girls Design Studio - $10 Coupon Code and Giveaway

It's official!  The unofficial kick-off of the summer season has begun -- which, in Jersey, means we have to pay to get on the beach, today, dangit -- gosh, but I love flip flop weather!

Raising 3 girls (and 1 boy, who wishes there were, you know, more boys in the house) would you believe, only 1 of them likes to wear dresses (no, NOT the boy) so, when the good folks at FashionPlaytes introduced themselves as a, "design studio for tweens," I was all, like, uh-oh, my youngest (she's almost 9) would absolutely LOVE this!

Uh...I better check it out, first...wanna see?

Pure and Little: 40% OFF Organic Crib Sets

I know, I know, you don't have to remind me -- my kids are waaaaay past the baby stage -- still, this is a pretty good deal for those of you who are, you know, still enjoying that new baby smell!

DETAILS:  40% off crib sets & fitted sheets; use code CRIB40; offer expires April 1, 2010

FIND IT HERE:  PurandLittle.com (http://www.pureandlittle.com/organic-baby-bedding/organic-crib-sets-fitted-sheets.html)

[sniff-sniff]

Enjoy it while you can!

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

FWIW:  NO PAYMENT OR CONSIDERATION, BESIDES A CHANCE TO HELP FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) SAVE A LITTLE MONEY, BY SHARING COOL STUFF I FIND IN MY EMAIL, WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST.

Spring Showers Giveaway: Baby Egg Nest Gifts - Cute Baby Shower Gifts from Baby Bunch!

[COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: SO HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO SHARE THIS WITH, VICKI COUTURIER - COMMENT #12 - PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!!!]

When my friend, Vered (a.k.a. MomGrind) asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing a bunch of baby clothes, my first thought was, like:

"Ah, H...E...double hockey sticks...to the NO!"

Then, I pulled my head out of the snow and was pleasantly surprised to learn about The Baby Bunch, brainchild of Bryony Boxer and her husband Simon Martin, where they actually take a bunch of baby clothes and arrange them into "gorgeous baby gift bouquets" and into "crayon boxes" AND "cupcakes."

Having spent this passed weekend, hiding out from torrential rainstorms (reserving space on an ark, for six, along with a delinquent cat and one big doofus-dog, as we speak) I'm very pleased for the chance to go green and help baby leave a tiny footprint, by hosting a giveaway of the cutest organic baby sock bouquets, I've ever seen (available in blue or pink) courtesy of my friends at BabyBunch.com!

Because, the kids and I are SO ready for April and, you know, we roll like that!

Baby Bunch Giveaway: Forget Flowers, Give a Bunch of Baby Clothes Instead!!!

[EDITED TO ADD 2/22:  NO RESPONSE FROM FIRST ENTRY DRAWN ON 2/16.  RUNNER UP VIA RANDOM.ORG IS DARCIE K. COMMENT #50 -- PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!!!]

Martha and Bryony via The Baby Bunch

When my friend, Vered (a.k.a. MomGrind) asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing a bunch of baby clothes, my first thought was, like:

"Ah, H...E...double hockey sticks...to the NO!"

Then, I pulled my head out of the sand and was pleasantly surprised to learn about The Baby Bunch, brainchild of Bryony Boxer and her husband Simon Martin, where they actually take a bunch of baby clothes and arrange them into "gorgeous baby gift bouquets" and into "crayon boxes" AND "cupcakes."

Color me tickled pink (and blue, or yellow) although, my baby-making days are pretty much over (knocking on wood until knuckles bleed) I thought this was a fantastically cute idea for a unique baby gift, anyway!

Aaaand, apparently, so does Martha Stewart:

Who am I to argue with Martha (don't answer that) so, you who want a bunch of baby clothes?

Free Shipping on Nowali Moccasins and Springtime Giveaway

[SHARING WITH: CONGRATULATIONS, LAURA C. (COMMENT #34) PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!]

Even though they've been around for 50 years, I had the pleasure of being introduced to the very nice folks at Nowali Moccasins a few months ago and even got the chance to review a pair of their awesome slipper socks last year.

They're from Sweden, you know?

Although, my youngest daughter has turned 8 (since our review) she STILL hates wearing socks (seriously, she mismatches the pairs she wears to school, on purpose) but, loves her Nowali Big Kid Girls Stripe Moccasin.

Er, the one that she can find...I mean.

Did I mention, I have 3 girls...who share 1 bedroom...and, well, if you have girls, then you know, they lose EVERYTHING!

The new Nowali Spring 2010 line is here and, since they've lasted, at our house, for this long (yes, I am very pleasantly surprised) of course, I humbly agreed to host another Nowali giveaway.

Because, we roll like that! Here’s a look at the four new styles, $26.95 each, available this spring:

Get 15% Off School Uniforms from French Toast

The good folks at French Toast are at it again -- today, we're sharing a special coupon code with my blog friends and, well, according to parents of children who must abide by a dress code, January is like Back-to-School Shopping, all over again.

Why?

1. Kids either outgrow or wear out their clothes.
2. After vacation, many schools renew their focus on compliance with dress codes.
3. Schools sometimes start the uniform dress code in January if they missed the approval for the fall.

Niiiiiice, right?

In order to help out families save a little money this year, French Toast would like offer This Full House readers 15 percent off everything on their site at (www.frenchtoast.com) for the rest of this month!

Because, we roll like that.

• The coupon code is:  QPPR15

• You get:  15% Off Your Entire Order

• The code will remain live until:  January 31, 2010

In the meantime, wake me up when winter ends!!!

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT, PRODUCT OR ANY OTHER CONSIDERATION, BESIDES A CHANCE TO HELP FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) SAVE A LITTLE MONEY THIS YEAR, WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST, COURTESY OF MONARCH COMMUNICATIONS AND FRENCHTOAST.COM

Coupon Code for School Uniforms from French Toast

I was first introduced to French Toast back when my two oldest girls were in elementary school -- yes, I am surprised to be able to remember THAT FAR back, too -- dressing our kids in school uniforms was followed on a voluntary basis.

Raising 4 children, having 1 set of school clothes -- khaki pants, skirts; white blouses, shirts and maroon polos -- made sense.

Unfortunately, it didn't last very long and, well, now that they're teens and tweens, I feel it safe to say that clothes shopping is NEVER easy...especially, for school!

The good folks at French Toast contacted me about sharing a special coupon code with my blog friends and, well, seeing as there are families with children who go to a school with a dress code (according to their email, that’s about 1 in 4 public schools and the vast majority of all private and charter schools) I said, SURE:

• The coupon code is: QPPR09

• The code will remain live until November 18, 2009.

• The coupon code will provide 25 percent off accessories (backpacks, belts, ties, socks, tights, hair accessories, etc.) and 10% off Polos.

Because, we roll like that.

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT, PRODUCT OR CONSIDERATION, BESIDES A CHANCE TO HELP FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) SAVE A LITTLE MONEY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST, COURTESY OF MONARCH COMMUNICATIONS AND FRENCHTOAST.COM.

[Please, clean off a chair and stay a while - subscribe to our feed or, if you really, really like me, then feel free to stop by my parenting blog and I'll love you forever!]

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Save on Back-to-School & Be a "Schoolebrity" This Year with Kmart!

Kmart created this really cool site where kids can check out awesome back-to-school looks, dress up their own personal avatar, and play games online with friends.

The site also has a bunch of online offers (I blogged about Kmart's back-to-school weekly offers, here) and it is also where you can enter your kids in the Be a Schoolebrity Sweepstakes:

One Grand Prize Winner will receive a visit at their school from a Nickelodeon® celebrity and the ultimate shopping spree PLUS a trip for 4 to LA for the true star treatment and a tour of Nick on Sunset studios!

I entered my 8 year-old daughter.  Why?  Well, she is the youngest of 3 girls and, even my son will admit, Hope is the kid who usually gets stuck with all the hand-me-downs!

Check it out the parent-geared site here:  http://kmart.com/schoolebrity

[No payments or products were received for this blog post - just passing along some useful information I find in my mailbox]

Check out other Weekend Specials and Reader Discount Codes!

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Lands' End Back-to-School Twitter Party

 

This is what I'm wearing to the Lands' End Twitter Party on August 20th!

Aaand, guess what? You're invited! Why? Well, here are the details and then you decide if you wanna go, or not. Did I mention, you don't even have to get dressed? I mean, if you don't want to, unless you're using a webcam, then, well, never mind:

Join Lands’ End for the ultimate Back-to-School Twitter Party!

Lands’ End hosts will be available to answer back-to-school shopping questions and the party will feature more than 20 product giveaways from co-hosts, 5minutesformom.com.

Lands’ End Back-to-School Twitter Party

Date: Thursday, August 20th

Time: 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

CST Location: #landsend

Or, if you like to blog about stuff you like (like me) and choose to write up a quick pre-party post (ditto) you can also enter for a chance to win a $250.00 Lands' End gift card. 

Seriously, who couldn't use that?

Pre-Party Posts to Win a Back-to-School Wardrobe!

Step 1: Create a Fantasy Backpack at Packland - Simply visit Lands’ End’s Packland at www.landsend.com/packland, create a fantasy backpack (like I did, above) and post it to your blog before August 20, 2009

Step 2: Promote the Lands’ End Back-to-School Twitter Party – Don’t forget to promote the Back-to-School Party on your blog before August 20, 2009

Step 3: Send a Link – To be entered for a chance to win, you must send a link to your post to [email protected] One winner will be chosen randomly and contacted by Lands’ End on August 21, 2009!

That's it - good luck!  Unless, I win.  Then, please know that the gift card will be put to very good use.  Seeing as we've been taking in hand-me-downs from our neighbors, for years and, well, though, I am VERY thankful to have such generous friends AND having NOTHING against hand-me-downs.

[eyes boxes marked, "girls' stuff - age 10" in garage]

Still, it's nice to be able to get some new stuff, every now and again, right?

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Lady Bug Birthday Party Gift Bag from Tori Spelling and Baby Stella's 1st Birthday!

[THIS GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED:  CONGRATULATIONS JUDY BRITTLE - YOUR COMMENT (#75) WAS PICKED (VIA RANDOM.ORG) AND ANNOUNCED AS THE WINNING ENTRY ON MY GIVEAWAY PAGE ON PRIZEY, NET - PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!]

In the, "Like that could ever happen in my usually NOT so rock star life..."

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott were joined by over 100 guests to help celebrate daughter Stella’s first birthday. Guests included Melissa Joan Hart, Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin, Scott Baio and Larry Birkhead.

The luncheon was ladybug themed and attendees were given lavish gift bags including:

• Cloud B Twilight Ladybug - a soothing bedtime companion and interactive, educational toy
• Pixie Bows - custom created ladybug and flower hair clips for Stella’s guests
• Robeez Shoes - in a variety of styles
• Suave Kids 2 in 1 Shampoo Smoothers in Fairy Berry Strawberry
• Tasty Baby - 100% certified organic baby food

Want one?

TheFabricofOurLives.com: Summer Camp Essentials and Staycation Tips

Take a "Staycation"

Relax and Recharge In Destination Home

Have you heard about Cotton Incorporated's new website at www.thefabricofourlives.com?  I found it to be a great resource for information on cotton fashion, home décor, crafts and lifestyle related topics that even a professional dork (like me) can follow easily:

---->  Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor ™ data reveals that 47% of female respondents have cut back on travel or vacation plans this year due to the economy. Instead, “staycations,” are the theme for the summer. Consumers are opting to vacation in their own hometown - a great way to relax and recharge without breaking the bank. Cotton Incorporated offers some tips and ideas in Take a Staycation for a successful and enjoyable vacation with all the comforts of home.

---->  Cool nights, hot days.  Swimming, hiking. Ease of care. Durable.  The lists of needs for a child’s summer camp wardrobe are endless. Cotton Incorporated has created a primer on what to pack in Summer Camp Essentials to help parents cover all the bases.

My kids will be attending Camp Thompson, AGAIN, this year...how about yours?

[No payments or products were received for this blog post - just passing along some useful information I find in my mailbox courtesy of Daddi Brand Communications and Cotton, Incorporated.

Check out other Weekend Specials and Reader Discount Codes!

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

Nowali Moccasins and Happy Feet Giveaway!

[THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED: CONGRATULATIONS ELLEN C., YOUR COMMENT (#3) WAS PICKED (VIA RANDOM.ORG) AND ANNOUNCED ON MY GIVEAWAYS PAGE ON PRIZEY.NET.  PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!!!]

 

You know how kids are always pulling off or kicking off shoes and slippers that are uncomfortable and no fun to wear.  Even as babies, my kids almost always followed the one-sock-on and one-sock-off rule that still holds true, even today.

My youngest daughter hates wearing socks.  My mother is constantly asking her, "Where ARE your slippers?" insisting that yes, you can so catch a cold, barefoot.  Really?  Well, she won't wear her slippers, either, dangit.

Then, I received an email about a company in Sweden (you know, it's cold there, too) telling me about Nowali (rhymes with grow-a-tree) and their classic moccasins -- a cross between a shoe and a sock -- that just might fit Hope's style of wearing two different socks, because it's, you know, different.

WARNING:  Happy feet, just ahead!