Friday, April 26, 2013

Soft Scrub Total All Purpose Bath and Kitchen Cleanser Giveaway WINNERS!

Sandy V., Chavonne H., and Helen T. were the 3 RANDOM winners chosen by Giveaway Tools for the Soft Scrub Total All Purpose Bath and Kitchen Cleanser giveaway! 

Congratulations to all 3 winners!

All 3 winners have 48 hours to reply to my emails and claim their prize, or I will be forced to choose a different winner.

Thank you to everyone for following my blog and for participating in the giveaway!






***Disclaimer*** Winners are chosen completely at RANDOM and done automatically through Giveaway Tools, once the contest is closed. I have NO CONTROL over choosing winners unless winners do not reply to my winning email to claim their prize in the time specified.

Magic Cabin Giveaway WINNER!

Stephanie G. was the RANDOM winner chosen through Giveaway Tools for the $50 gift certificate to Magic Cabin!

Congratulations, Stephanie!

Stephanie has 48 hours to reply to my email and claim her prize or I will be forced to choose a different winner.

Thank you to all who entered the giveaway and to everyone for following my blog! 






***Disclaimer*** Winners are chosen completely at RANDOM and done automatically through Giveaway Tools, once the contest is closed. I have NO CONTROL over choosing winners unless winners do not reply to my winning email to claim their prize in the time specified.


Friday, April 19, 2013

Purex with Crystals Fragrance and Fabric Softener Giveaway WINNERS!

The 3 winners chosen at random for the coupon for a FREE bottle of new Purex with Crystals Fragrance and Fabric Softener are.....

Jamie B.

Donna C.

Elis B.

Congratulations to them all! All winners have been notified via email and have 48 hours to reply to my email and claim their prize or I will be forced to choose a different winner.

Thank you everyone who entered the giveaway, and for following my blog!





***Disclaimer*** Winners are chosen completely at RANDOM and done automatically through Giveaway Tools, once the contest is closed. I have NO CONTROL over choosing winners unless winners do not reply to my winning email to claim their prize in the time specified.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Magic Cabin Baby Food Maker Review & Giveaway!



I have attempted to make our own baby food in the past for all 3 of our children, but it has never worked well. With the twins, we tried a blender but it didn't work so well. We sucked it up and bought one of those cheap hand grinders. At the time, they were 6-8 months old, and LOVED cantaloupe but I wasn't comfortable cutting it up in small pieces to give to them, even though it's pretty soft. Grinding it up and feeding it to them with a spoon was the better option for us. I was so excited to try the hand grinder, but the excitement was short lived. After using it the first time, I was over it. It killed my hand to use it, took SO long, and all of the work to grind up the fruit and other food we tried just wasn't worth the outcome to me, so I quit bothering. I was going to do the same thing for Mason, but he has eaten the same table food as all of us since he was 6-7 months old, so it was never really necessary to make his own food or grind anything up too much for him. I have no idea how this baby will be, but when she is 5-6 months old and starts eating pureed baby food, I'd prefer to make it myself, but wasn't sure what baby food maker I would use...until now.

I was offered the chance to review the Kalorik Baby Food Maker, Food Processor, and Steamer from Magic Cabin.

I was SO excited to get this baby food maker and try it out. I thought I would have to wait to try it out at all, but I was SO wrong! This is such an amazing product! You can do SO MANY THINGS with it besides just make and process baby food!

From their website:

"In less than 10 minutes, the high-speed stainless steel blade chops food to very small pieces, and the powerful steamer cooks food. No fillers, no preservatives and it costs less than store-bought gourmet baby food. Includes a stand for sterilizing pacifiers and a container to reheat and defrost food. Includes measuring cup, container to warm up liquids by steaming, and BPA-free 8 oz. water tank. Easy clean."

I tried it out for the first time a few weeks ago to sanitize and steam Mason's pacifiers. Those things are SO hard to get clean, and sometimes, plain ol' soap and water just doesn't do the trick. Of course there is always the option of boiling them on the stove, but that can take a while, and I always questions just how good a job that does anyway.

The directions for sanitizing the pacifiers were very easy to follow. First off, we measured the proper amount of water in the small measuring cup included with the food processor.


There's a small stand with hangers that fits into the top of the food processor, to hang the pacifiers from, which I thought was pretty darn nifty!





We did that, then snapped the cover back on top, and poured the water that we had measured into the small area near the handle that the instructions directed us to pour the water in to for this purpose. This is not the only place you can place water, it's simply the correct place for the purpose of sanitizing pacifiers and bottle nipples.




After that, our work was pretty much done for the time being, the rest was up to the machine! ;) We turned it on, and watched it steam up and work it's magic!





After 5-10 minutes, it was time to take the pacifiers out and see just how well the steamer worked to sanitize and clean them!



I know it's hard for you to make a comparison when there are no "before" shots, but trust me...the insides of these nipples were caked with so much crud and junk that I just could not get out or figure out how to get out, and was on the verge of throwing these things away and buying new ones before I tried out this new toy! ;) I was VERY VERY happy with the results...squeaky clean, sanitized, healthy little pacifiers for my little man! 

I knew from that one quick use of this baby food maker that I would NOT be disappointed when I used it for making baby food or steaming/processing other foods as well, not just things for the baby. I can't wait to truly put it to lots and lots of good use soon enough!

Purchase it: You can purchase the baby food maker/food processor/food steamer reviewed here, along with many, many, MANY other unique and fun products at Magic Cabin's website!

WIN IT: ONE lucky reader of Mama 2 Multiples is going to WIN a $50 gift certificate to Magic Cabin, to spend as they wish! To enter, simply follow the instructions in the giveaway form below!











Easter...A Little Late!

I have been meaning to update and share our Easter, among other things, but you know how life goes and how busy things get! So, forgive me! I'm just a little behind. ;)

I was a little concerned with our Easter this year at first, because Mason got a stomach bug the Friday before Easter. It wasn't looking too promising at first. He woke up that morning and felt a little hot, but was talking, playing, yelling, and acting fine, so I got everyone ready and took everyone to daycare like usual that morning. Mason wouldn't let go of me when I went to sit him down in his classroom and kept saying, "No, no, no!" This was very unusual for him, since he loves seeing his friends and having that little bit of time away from mommy and daddy. I picked him back up and gave him some snuggles and realized he felt a little hotter than he had at home, so decided to take his temperature there at daycare. Right after another teacher took his temperature and walked away to convert it from Celsius to Fahrenheit, he threw up ALL over the kitchen floor of the daycare. He didn't eat breakfast yet but had had a cup or two of milk at home that morning, so of course it was all completely curdled, disgusting milk that came back up. That answered our question and I took him home while the twins stayed at daycare for the day. 


He slept for a while that morning, then chilled out on the living room floor on blankets and pillows, watching cartoons, until he was tired enough to go back to bed a few hours later. 



By mid day, his fever was at 103.5, and that was with regular doses of Tylenol all day. In between that time, he threw up again, even though he had had nothing to eat all day and only a little water to drink. He took another long nap that afternoon, woke up to lay back on the living room floor, had a few popsicles, threw those up, but by that night, he was up and walking around, playing with his brother and sister, and acting normally again so I figured he was on his way out of it, thankfully. 


Just to be safe, hubs and I slept downstairs in the living room so we were nearby in case he needed us, and it was good that we did because Mason was up quite a bit that night, just restless and whiny. His fever continued all night, but was significantly cooler by the morning and keeping food down again.

I was SO glad Mason was back to normal and nobody else was sick the next day, because we had Easter plans. Daddy had to work very, very early Easter morning, so we did our Easter together Saturday morning. We got each of the kids a nice, new beach bucket and shovel, a small egg full of jelly beans, some M&M's, and then a variety of beach and sand box toys for the summer. I cannot stand piling the kids full of junky candy or sweets for such a simple holiday, or getting them  aton of little cheap toys that get lost or broken that same day, or just contribute to the mess that is already our home at times. With new beach and sand toys, it's something that will get used very, very often both at home and away, and can withstand lots of use, so it's far from a waste of money like other things would have been. 

The Easter Bunny arrived soon after the kids went to bed Friday night, and set all of the goodies out for the kids to see the next morning.


They were SO excited to uncover and discover what the Easter Bunny brought the next morning!!





Connor had soccer in the morning with daddy, and I got some cleaning done while Merasia and Mason played an actually (*gasp*) got along for once! ;) When they got home, we went to a town nearby for an Easter Egg hunt and to see the Easter Bunny! The kids were SO excited! The event was at a local elementary school, and it was such a beautiful, sunny day out, so we didn't have to bundle up in big coats and hats. The egg hunt was all over the playground, and as soon as the kids were given the go ahead, they were OFF and running! Mason needed a little help from daddy on what to do, since he has never done an Easter Egg hunt before (he was too young last year!), but he quickly got the hang of it!











The Easter Bunny was at the egg hunt, and all of the children had the opportunity to meet him and take photos with him if they wanted to. Connor LOVED him and kept hugging him, and Merasia even stood next to him and said hi, which was a HUGE step from last year! She wanted NOTHING to do with him last year, while Mason and Connor visited with him. This year, Mason wanted nothing to do with him and stayed with daddy instead.



It was a great Easter celebration day! On Sunday, the kids and I went to the local playground for a couple of hours in the morning before lunch and nap time, since daddy was working and it was such a nice day out.













We had our own Easter dinner that evening, with ham, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and rolls. It was the perfect ending to such a perfectly celebrated holiday weekend, and we wouldn't have had it any other way!

I hope you all had a beautiful Easter holiday with your loved ones, as well!


My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow Review


I chose not to breastfeed my twins, for the obvious reason that they were twins and the task was far too daunting for me, and it didn't matter to me at that time whether I breastfed or not. With Mason, I set out knowing I was going to breastfeed from day 1, for at least a year, and maybe even a little longer if things were still going well by the time that first goal was done. I had all of the essentials ready to breastfeed Mason when he arrived...nursing bras, nursing tank tops, nursing pads, breast milk storage bags, breast pump, and most of all, a Boppy breastfeeding pillow. Breastfeeding itself went pretty good, though we only made it to 4 months due to issues with Mason being a productive eater, and cutting 8 teeth at 4 months old and thus refusing to nurse any further. The other problem I found, was the Boppy. It just was not helpful for me. While I do like the Boppy company an other products, the breastfeeding pillow they offer just did not work well for me. I could never seem to get in a comfortable position while nursing with it, and was ALWAYS re adjusting it over and over and over, and never could get it JUST RIGHT. There were a few times I had to get up and get something for one of the twins or do something while Mason was nursing, and doing so with the Boppy was difficult because I had to be sure I was supporting the pillow, of course supporting Mason, and making sure not to break his latch so he wouldn't get upset. 

I have been a big fan of the TLC hit show 19 Kids and Counting for several years now, and have seen Michelle Duggar nursing her babies using the My Brest Friend nursing pillow. She nurses hands free at times, and her ease of nursing out in public while using the My Brest Friend nursing pillow just amazed me so much that I knew I HAD to try this pillow out!

That's why I was BEYOND excited to get the opportunity to review a My Brest Friend nursing pillow for myself!

Let me start off by saying Paul, whom I corresponded with through email to coordinate this review, was beyond easy to work with! I was allowed to choose which pillow I wanted to review (the deluxe or the original), as well as choose an extra slip cover for review too! Most companies have such strict rules on choosing products for review for bloggers like myself, or they choose the product for you, and you take the chance of receiving a product you may not like, or may not be able to really use and review.

I chose the deluxe nursing pillow for my review. At the time I chose the pillow, we didn't know the sex of the baby, so I went neutral and chose the Chocolate deluxe nursing pillow, with the Fireworks deluxe slip cover for an extra cover with it.


I chose the deluxe nursing pillow for several reasons. It's 100% polyester, more plush and softer than the original, and has a doubling buckling system. There's also a velcro system for easy on and easy off, a pocket for a water bottle, book, snack, etc., and a silent release buckle for when baby falls asleep and you want to lay them down. The chocolate cover is so super soft and comfortable, and I figured it would hide stains a little more than a lighter color. 

I tried on this pillow immediately after receiving it. Of course it fit a little awkwardly the first time around since I was starting to get a baby bump, but it did give me a sense of what it would be like to use it. The first thing I LOVE about this pillow is that it buckles!! This makes it MUCH easier to stay in place, and if I need to get up and do something while the baby is nursing, I can and won't have to worry about the pillow falling too the floor. Of course I will need to support the baby, but before, I had to support the Boppy AND the baby, and it was too much. The strap is very easy to adjust to each woman's individual body shape and size, and the back rest of the pillow is added and much needed comfort for mom! 




There are times a nursing session could last an hour or more, and the added comfort of the back rest helps mom maintain good posture and avoid the back pain associated with sitting in one position for too long. There is a small raised section on each end of the pillow where baby's head would go, so they have added comfort no matter what breast they are nursing from, and it helps get them at just the right level and angle to latch on properly. So often, babies fall asleep while nursing, so the ability to silently release the buckle to take the pillow off and lay baby down in their crib is a huge bonus! I also really, really like the handy pocket for a water bottle or other small items you may need at close reach while nursing.


Changing the cover took a little extra time to figure out to get it on the right way, and fitting just right, but once I figured it out, it was very, very easy and effortless!


Of course I haven't yet been able to REALLY try this pillow out with the baby, but in 8 weeks I will, and I just can't wait! I can already tell how happy and satisfied I will be with this pillow and how much easier and comfortable it will make breastfeeding both for me AND our little princess. 

My Brest Friend doesn't only sell nursing pillows, though! They have an array of other products too, such as a 3-in-1 body pillow for us pregnant mamas looking for extra sleeping comfort, all natural nipple cream, pregnancy wedges, burp cloths, nursing covers, and even a nursing pillow for assistance nursing TWINS! They are definitely a company to check out and purchase from, and I, for one, can speak from experience and guarantee your satisfaction!





**DISCLAIMER** I received the above product(s) from My Brest Friend free of charge in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received. However, all opinions are strictly my own.