Berries was there! Were you?

My day started at 7 a.m. and really got going when I piled Buttercup, my mom, and sister into the mini van and drove 2.5 hours to Pheonix for the American Baby & Family Expo. Yeah, I know...crazy, huh?

But I couldn't turn down an invite from Boon Inc. Marketing Director Kate Benjamin to check out the fun.

I've been in Tucson for a month now and know my way around the area pretty well...after all, you can't really get lost when you live in an area with one interstate. ;) But today my good luck ran out and our trip there and back took over 3 hours each due to shut down freeways and detours that led a line of frustrated drivers in endless circles.

But all the swearing under my breath is behind me now and I can sit down for a minute and focus on the fun, the vendors, and the incredible products I got a chance to look at today.

Like this Awesome onsie from Bubby Baby Boutique!

Bubby Baby Boutique has plenty of other sweet stuff for both boys and girls and I am so in love with the fact that this stuff has ATTITUDE! (A onsie that says "Elmo is my Homeboy? A Punk Rock Diva dress? A flippin' Wonder Woman Tee? Come on!)



And with Birthday on the Brain, I had to check out the Maddycakes booth.

For those in the Pheonix area, this is definetely the place to go for the perfectly planned themed party for your little ones.

Michelle's got plenty of experience making birthdays extra sweet, and I only wish she was close enough to help me plan Buttercup's 2d birthday bash! (Hmmmm...I wonder if an Elmo/Princess party would work...)



I can't forget about the Peanut Posh display. Talk about cute! Kickin' ties for your little man and the coolest interchangeable bottle cap barretts I have EVER seen. I can't wait to do a review and contest!











And then of course, there was boon! We had tons of fun with Buttercup trying out the Flair High Chair that a few lucky readers have won here at Berrie Sweet Picks (and I am so jealous...this thing is too cool for words!), and just oohing and ahhhing over the mod baby and kid stuff that I know we all love. (Seriously now...do you all keep coming back for my offbeat sense of humor and gripping writing style or to see what else boon is giving away on my blog? Or do I really want the answer to that? hmmmm....)







It's almost 1 a.m. here and I am exhausted (and I still have a vlog to put together!) but my looking like a newborn kicked my butt tomorrow morning was so worth the fun I had today.

So let me get back to work here and I promise to be back tomorrow with another great contest. Sweet dreams!

Oh and Kate? Buttercup says "thank oooo" to you and boon for your generosity. ;)

Get ready to PAR-TAY at Buttercup's 2nd Birthday Blog Bash!

Hi peeps!

I'm getting ready for Buttercup's second birthday on June 12 and thought now would be a good time to start generating some interest for the Bloggy Birthday Bash I plan on throwing as part of the fun.

Remember last year's event? With the help of generous sponsors, Berrie Sweet Picks was able to gift bloggy party-goers with over $500 in prizes! Who wants in on the fun this year?

I'd love to hear from PR reps and business owners representing birthday-related review items for all ages/and or suggestions for prizes for the party, which is scheduled for June 12 through June 19. I'm also looking for a birthday blog button to be designed, as well as an official party sponsor to donate a variety of prizes, including a grand prize, in exchange for exposure for your company or business in each party blog post.

So who's in? Email me at berriesweet.info@gmail.com for details! And hope to see you all there!

Yo! What's up?

I am a muncher. Honestly, I'd have to list it right at the top of the list if I had to describe my biggest weakness.

Now, what I munch on can obviously be a factor in my never-ending quest to find my waistline again, so I have to make a conscious effort to reach for something sweet but healthy.

That's where Yoplait yogurt comes in. I am not even kidding you when I say that one entire shelf in my refridgerator is, at any given time, completely filled with a variety of Yoplait. This means that when I get the munchies during late night blogging sessions, I can tame the beast and still respect myself in the morning.

I recently got a chance to try the new Yo-Plus Blueberry Acai, which I loved! It's creamy and sweet with live and active probiotic cultures to help regulate your digestive system. Even better, you've also got your fiber, calcium, and vitamins covered when you indulge in a little Yo-Plus. So what's to lose?

If you'd like to enter for one of three chances to win your own Yoplait gift bag containing a (BPA free!) water bottle, a purse-sized journal (great for keeping on track when out and about!), and a coupon to try the new Blueberry Acai, just leave me a comment describing your biggest weakness and how you try to keep yourself in check. And PLEASE remember to leave your email address or I can't contact you to tell you that you have won. Entries will be accepted until midnight (Mountain Time!) on April 23. Good luck!

Additional extra entries are also available if you:
* Become a fan of Berrie Sweet Picks on Facebook
* subscribe to my RSS feed and comment letting me know you did so.
* Blog about contest and link to this post.
* Non-bloggers can email three of their friends about the contest at berriesweet.info (at) gmail (dot) com and CC me on the email. Girl Scout's honor that I will never bother these sweet people. I promise!
* Grab my Berrie Sweet Picks button and place it on your blog page. I'll check!
* Follow me on Twitter! (nickname: berriesweetest)
* Tweet the contest and leave a comment with your username telling me what you said to your "tweeple"!
* Vlog about the contest and post at www.newbaby.com!

Please note all entries MUST include a valid email address to be considered for the drawing! That means that well, all entries must include an email address to be considered valid. Simple enough, right? ;)

Add a little green to your day

I have to admit: I might try my best to do Kermit proud with my efforts to be as green as I can be, but I haven't really done much to celebrate Earth Day since middle school. (Yeah, I know. Bad Mommy Blogger. Bad!)

But I can try to make up for it at least a little bit, right? In fact, I can help you add a little green to your Earth Day Celebration on April 22 by telling you about the new Eco Kid Kitson HP Creative Studio. Just stop on by for fun, printable projects with kid-friendly reminders about energy conservation where it matters most: in your home.

You can also get more information and more Earth-friendly printables featuring expeditions from award-winning photographer and environmental advocate, Sebastion Copeland. Select from all-occassion cards with tips to reduce environmental impact printed on the back of each one, or check out the calendar template that helps spread the word about the Young Ambassadors of the Arctic, an initiative to increase public awareness about climate change by getting kids involved.

Happy Earth Day!

Will I see you at the American Baby Fair?

Who knew that moving cross country would snag me an invite to the Pheonix area American Baby and Family Expo for a chance to scope out the latest and greatest in baby products?

I am SO excited to have received a personal invite from Kate Benjamin at boon inc and I plan on being there with Buttercup and my flip video camera to capture some of the fun!

And for those of you in the area, make sure to stop by the boon inc. booth for a chance to win a flair high chair! So will I see you there?

ChicBuds Jr are sweet!

I love sparklies and so does my niece, Jade. So when I got an offer from ChicBuds to review a pair of their new ChicBuds JR for kids, I knew exactly who to have try them out.

ChicBuds are just plain sweet (if I do say so myself! Check out my review here!) And the Jr's are even sweeter. Just enough bling to for your tween/teen to make their girlfriends jealous without the hefty price tag, making them a perfect last minute gift for all of the birthday parties she fits into her busy social calendar.

Jade loves her Jr's, and had the following to say:

"I liked the headphones a lot. well, they were kinda to big for my ears but i liked them because i would take them to my friend's house and they were really easy to use because there was two people and having to be retractable made it easier. I never have to worry about themm getting tangled anymore."

Jsde told me she went out to the store and bought a set of small (and cheap) off-brand gel cover ear buds to create a better fit with her new fave accessory, and all is well!

So who wants in on a chance to win a pair of ChicBuds Jr? Gift them to your daughter or save as a gift for a special niece! (You MUST be 18 to enter, so ask a relative to enter for you if necessarry!) To enter, please leave me a comment telling me one other ChicBuds item you'd LOVE to see reviewed on Berrie Sweet Picks! Entries will be accepted until midnight (Mountain Time!) on April 17. Good luck!

Additional extra entries are also available if you:
* Become a fan of Berrie Sweet Picks on Facebook
* Become a fan of ChicBuds on Facebook
* subscribe to my RSS feed and comment letting me know you did so.
* Blog about contest and link to this post.
* Non-bloggers can email three of their friends about the contest at berriesweet.info (at) gmail (dot) com and CC me on the email. Girl Scout's honor that I will never bother these sweet people. I promise!
* Grab my Berrie Sweet Picks button and place it on your blog page. I'll check!
* Follow me on Twitter! (nickname: berriesweetest)
* Follow ChicBuds on Twitter (nickname: chicbuds)
* Tweet the contest and leave a comment with your username telling me what you said to your "tweeple"!
* Vlog about the contest and post at www.newbaby.com!

Please note all entries MUST include a valid email address to be considered for the drawing! That means that well, all entries must include an email address to be considered valid. Simple enough, right? ;)

Looking for a sponsor

Listen up dear readers! I take my blog seriously. And when a sponsor pulls a no-show on a promised prize, I do everything in my power to make sure that my winner gets their item (or something to make up for it.)

And luckily, I've only had one instance before this one where I had to step in. It was easily resolved and my winner remains a happy returning reader.

This time, however, I'm at a loss for what to do. Without giving away the company who is giving us the cold shoulder, I will say that one unhappy mommy reader has remained prizeless while my emails to said company have remained unanswered. It's inexcusable, and I won't be "doing business" with this company again.

I would, however, like to ask if any business owners or PR reps for mom and baby-related blogs would like donate a prize, no matter how small, to the mom who is still waiting for the postal-worker to show up. I will accept email at berriesweet.info@gmail.com for 7 days and provide those of you interested in making a certain mommy happy with the correct shipping address.

Thanks to everyone in advance and I'll be back today with another contest.

I Dream about buying green

If I could afford it, every item I ate would be organic. Every fruit, vegetable, meat source, and snack consumed by my family would be free of toxins and pesticides.

But guess what? If I stopped there, I'd still be missing the mark when it comes to personal care items. Not for Buttercup, of course. But for me.

I recently got to try the lovely (and handmade) I Dream Intensity Body Wash from BuyGreen.com and realized what I've been missing. And this stuff is truly a crunchy mama's dream come true: it's completely biodegradable, contains no harsh chemicals, no synthetics, and is made from hgh quality organic, wild, or sustainably grown ingredients.

The difference between I Dream's body wash ($20 for 10 oz.) and most traditional skin care options is that "100 % natural" doesn't include any of the bad stuff like sulfates, parabens, or pesticide/herbicide residue that can be associated with other "plant-based" options.

Buygreen.com describes the scent as "warm" and "spicy." I prefer to think of it as "green" and "sassy" and a perfectly sensible indulgence to start hinting for as a mother's day present.

;)

Immune support for busy moms

What happens when the kids get sick? Oh yeah...aside from the world stopping so Mommy can make it all better?

And what happens when Mommy gets sick? Oh yeah...Mommy's aren't supposed to get sick! And when we do, we have to drag our unappy rumps out of bed to make lunches, kiss boo boos, find dollies, and make dinner.

Just don't get me started on what happens when daddy gets sick. ;)

The bottom line is that super hero moms like us need a little bit of extra immune support when it comes to keeping healthy. We make the world go 'round, after all, and Sambucol with natural black elderberry is here to help.

I'm a big fan of homeopathic remedies, and black elderberry has a long history of being relied upon for the treatment of colds, flu, burns, fever, and everything in between from the plague to toothaches. Medicinal uses have even been traced back to prehistoric times, which says a lot to me.

And with health buzzwords like "antioxidants" showing up in ads for juice commercials and more, it's important to point out that black elderberry beats out blueberries and cranberries hands down...and that's big news when it comes to immune support to help fight viruses.

We got to try Sambucol Original($14.99 for a 4 oz bottle), which was my favorite. It tastes good and I can vouch for the fact that I did not get sick once while I was downing my daily dosage, even though everyone else I knew was! I gave the Sambuxol for kids ($14.99 for a 4 oz bottle for kids ages 2-12) to my 3 year old nephew, and he was happy to munch on the tasty chewables. I wasn't too crazy about the Sambucol chewables ($14.99 for 30 tablets) for adults because they dried my mouth out for some crazy reason.

The Sambucol products are available nationwide health food stores, such as Vitamin Shoppe, pharmacy chains like Rite Aid, Walgreens, and CVS and online at drugstore.com.

So who wants an immune boost of their own? One lucky reader gets to win a gift bag with all three of the Sambucol products reviewed here. Just leave me a comment telling me how your family handled it the last time you got sick and you are entered!

Entries will be accepted until midnight (mountain time!), April 9, 2009 and the winners will have four business days from the announcement date to contact me with their information or an alternate will be selected.

Additional extra entries are also available if you:
* Become a fan of Berrie Sweet Picks on Facebook
* subscribe to my RSS feed and comment letting me know you did so.
* Blog about contest and link to this post.
* Non-bloggers can email three of their friends about the contest at berriesweet.info (at) gmail (dot) com and CC me on the email. Girl Scout's honor that I will never bother these sweet people. I promise!
* Grab my Berrie Sweet Picks button and place it on your blog page. I'll check!
* Follow me on Twitter! (nickname: berriesweetest)
* Tweet the contest and leave a comment with your username telling me what you said to your "tweeple"!
* Vlog about the contest and post at www.newbaby.com!

Please note all entries MUST include a valid email address to be considered for the drawing! That means that well, all entries must include an email address to be considered valid. Simple enough, right? ;)

boon, splat, scrubble!

Buttercup loves staying in the tub until her little toes prune up, and thanks to the new toys from boon I'm having one heck of a time getting her out of the tub now.

I really can't complain, though. I love boon products, and am relieved to have bath toys options that are safe for my baby girl to play with since each of the new line of boon goodies is BPA, PVC, and Pthtlate-free!

Check out the video of Buttercup getting her splash on with her new favorite splash time toys!



*Scrubbles are just cute and the name makes me all happy cuz I'm easily amused like that. For $9.99 you get three interchangable bulbs witgh tectured attachments that kids can fill with water and then squeeze it out to their hearts content. And the best part? Yeah....they're dishwasher safe. Rock on.

*Splat is just $7.99 and is the most adorable take on a bath time ring toss game I have ever seen. You get one floating post and three fun rings.

*Water bugs also run $7.99 and are as simplistic as they are genius. Three colorful little critters glide across the water until your happy kid scoops them up with the mesh net.

Now, get ready for the drumroll because I have my first contest since my moving craziness took over! The cool peeps at Boon want me to picks three winners and each will get their choice of one of the three toys I reviewed. Entries are limited to U.S. and Canada, please.

To enter the contest, please leave a comment telling me how much you missed me and that your world is now a better place because I am blogging again. (no, really!) Or you can just leave me a comment telling me which boon toy reviewed here that you would like (by name!) to win if your comment is chosen! It's simple, really... just don't forget to leave your email address in the comment or your entry will not count.

Entries will be accepted until midnight (mountain time!), April 7, 2009 and the winners will have four business days from the announcement date to contact me with their information or an alternate will be selected.

Additional extra entries are also available if you:
* Become a fan of Berrie Sweet Picks on Facebook
* Become a fan of boon on Facebook
* If you are already a facebook fan of either group, let me know in a comment on my fans page for your extra entry for this contest.
* subscribe to my RSS feed and comment letting me know you did so.
* Blog about contest and link to this post.
* Non-bloggers can email three of their friends about the contest at berriesweet.info (at) gmail (dot) com and CC me on the email. Girl Scout's honor that I will never bother these sweet people. I promise!
* Grab my Berrie Sweet Picks button and place it on your blog page. I'll check!
* Follow me on Twitter! (nickname: berriesweetest)
* Follow boon on Twitter (nickname: booninc)
* Tweet the contest and leave a comment with your username telling me what you said to your "tweeple"!
* Vlog about the contest and post at www.newbaby.com!

Please note all entries MUST include a valid email address to be considered for the drawing! That means that well, all entries must include an email address to be considered valid. Simple enough, right? ;)

Hello world!

I'm back!

And wow, am behind! But I guess coordinating a cross country drive with four women, four dogs, and two vehicles from Michigan to Arizona can do that to a blogger...so I'm not gonna be too hard on myself!

I'm hard at work putting together a few finishing touches on a vlog and a few written reviews/contests, so stay tuned!

Temporarily closed for business

Hi dear readers!
I haven't abandoned you.

How ya doin', generous sponsors?
I haven't taken the free stuff you sent me to look at and run. Well, I have, but not in the way you think.

Ya see, I'm currently sitting at a cramped kitchen table with all of my earthly posessions that are NOT going with the moving truck on my trek to Arizona. I naively assumed I'd be able to handle coordinating a 2,000 mile move, breathe, sleep, shower, and blog. But reality knocked me upside the head and I'm lucky I got two out of five handled in the past week.

I am leaving Michigan on Monday morning and planning on being at the new home by Wednesday or Thursday, and as soon as I unpack my "Items to Review" box, I will diligently get one new review and contest (if applicable) up per day until I am caught up.

So stay tuned because I have some sweet items to tell you about like some new stuff from Boon, an eco-friendly shower gel, an immunity booster for moms and kids, some cute new styles from See Kai Run, and more!

Expert nap tips from parenting expert Elizabeth Pantley

Did you know that studies have proven healthy sleep habits for your child now can directly impact their health for the rest of their lives? Or that a child not wanting a nap and not needing a nap are not one in the same?

But let's get real: While our intentions may be great, real life doesn't always allow for step-by-step approaches to getting our kids the daytime rest they need (and the sorely needed breaks we get while they nap!). Crabby kids, relatives popping in unannounced right before nap time, teething, upset bellies, that doctor appointment you can't miss, that 15 minute car nap that ruined little Johnny's afternoon siesta that led to an even more difficult bed time fight because he was so overtired...we've all been there, done that, and were all ready to pull out hair out by the end of the day.

Best-selling author and parenting expert Elizabeth Pantley recently shared with me her newest book, The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems (Pantley), and I can't recommend this book enough.

There's a lot of great information in this book for parents of newborns through toddlerhood, and I made plenty of notes while I read. And there was also plenty of information that did not apply to our situation, some of which I skipped entirely and some of which I just skimmed (because I do plan on having another baby eventually!). But that is what is so great about Pantley's book: it's not a one-size-fit-all solution. Whether you co-sleep, nurse-to-sleep, stick to a by-the-clock schedule, or fly by the seat of your pants (like I do), you and your nap-fighting child will benefit greatly from the little bit of time it will take to sit down and read!

A few very important lessons I learned while reading Pantley's book included:

* Buttercup needs 12 hours of sleep a night and 1 to 2 hours of nap time per day for 13 to 14 hours of sleep total. Oops! I had been cutting her short by about 2 hours. We have been working on remedying that situation and I am already noticing improvements.

* Night time sleep can help make up for naps but naps cannot make up for night time sleep.

* No matter what ANYONE tells you, newborns cannot be spoiled. So baby-wear, cuddle, and hug to your hearts content.

* I am not the worst mother in the world.

* What works for us is fine. A parenting expert says so. So if Buttercup and I are happy with our she-holds-my-hand-until-she -falls-asleep-for-every-nap-and-bedtime situation, then so be it. It doesn't mean I am spoiling her and it doesn' mean I did something wrong. It just means that this is what is right for us. (I'm not sure why I needed an expert to tell me this to make me feel better, but thank you, Elizabeth. You don't know how much better this makes me feel.

I should also point out that I actually read the book. As in cover to cover. And that is a big flippin' deal because I haven't read a book since before I gave birth. This one mattered. And I think you'll agree.

Elizabeth Pantley's The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems (Pantley) is available at Amazon.com.

One sweet music player for your little pea

Funny story: Once upon a time a mommy-to-be had her own 30 gig iPod and was happy. But once the baby came, the little princess took over the iPod in the nursery for nightime lullabies on the mommy's iHome2go.

For months, the mommy left the iPod in the little princess's room for naps and bedtime on the appropriate "Buttercup's lullabies" playlist. Although the little princess loved her sleepy-time tunes, the mommy was REALLY missing her iPod.
That's when she discovered the SweetPea3 mp3 player for kids. And the mommy rejoiced.

This award-winning little baby is seriously AWESOME! The Sweetpea Toy Company was kind enough to send one for Buttercup to try out for our trips to see her daddy who is working out of state, and I can already promise my future unborn children that I will by each of them a sweetpea3 of their own because it is that cool.

The sweetpea3 itself is the brain-child of a small Canadian start-up designed for kids ages 0-6. Yep, you read that right. But before you freak out, no one is talking about sticking nickel-sized headphones into your little prince's or princess's ears. Instead, the player is designed to play with our without headphones, and has a jack for older kids to listen to their chosen tunes in peace. The littlest music lovers can enjoy naptime lullabies in their nurseries with the sweetpea3 shushing them to dreamland while perched safely on a dresser or shelf.

The design itself is pretty smart. It's small enough to throw in a diaper bag for happier car rides and made of a durable enough rubber that it survived Buttercup's baptismal spike onto the floor from a shopping cart the day we got it. Add the fact that it's easy for little hands to carry around and it's one smart kiddie mp3.

Other bonuses are the easy-to-use kiddie controls with three buttons which allow kids to go forward, backward, or stop a song. Hidden parental controls allow for saavy parents to set the volume, play time (you can have it auto shut off after a few minutes or let it play for a few hours), select the playlist (you have three you can choose from to easily separate boisturous play time music from gentle night lullabies), and set the volume to your desired level.

The Sweetpea3 holds up to 16 hours of music and easy to get going with the included USB chord. You can load it up with mp3 and WMA files, but save yourself the trouble of even trying to get any of your iTunes music on this little player. It won't work. Ninety percent of my iTunes playlist is from my own personal CD collection, including Buttercup's tunes, and I wasted a good chunk of time trying to load it with music it basically just rejected.

This really is my only major complaint as I have about 5 gig of music for Buttercup on the iPod that I have no chance of letting her listen to on the Sweetpea3.
And as far as complaints go, I also have one minor one: Buttercup listens to the Sweetpea3 all day long and no battery can outlast her. And when you add in the 8 hours of uninterrupted nighttime serenades, we use up AA batteries pretty quickly. The Sweetpea3's $60 price tag would be much more attractive to me if it included the AC adapter, which currently sells as an optional accessory for $10.

If you are looking at purchasing this for your child for plane trips, keep in mind that unless your child is old enough for safe headphone use, you will only be able to use the sweetpea3 while waiting to board the plane. But it's a great buy for long car rides and even longer layovers in boring airports.

All in all, I think this is a great option for mjusic-loving kiddos and parents wishing to reclaim their own prized electronics. You can get your own sweetpea3 from the Sweetpea Toy Company.

***Post edited on March 3 to include a message from the Sweetpea Toy company***

Hi Pauline,

Thanks for the review.

FYI, you can use iTunes to copy your CD collection but first you have to change the setting from AAC format to MP3 format (see http://sweetpeatoyco.com/SupportTroubleshooting.cfm#6 for details). Also, 40 hours on one AA battery is exceptionally good. I get many comments about how long the battery lasts. About 1/3 of customers purchase the adapter. Separating the adapter from the package allows me to lower the price for 2/3 of my customers who don't actually want or need the adapter.

I'm pleased to offer you a promotional code that you can distribute to your readers. They enter the code on the order page of my website and it knocks $10 off the purchase price of a SweetPea3. It would be wonderful if you could let your readers know. Your promo code is 24WWW.

Thanks so much,
Dan Lemay
SweetPea Toy Company Ltd.

I'm back!

It's been a crazy two weeks and I am finally home...or at least I am for the next two weeks before moving cross country to Arizona. Talk about a whirlwind! Buttercup and I had a great time visiting with family and seeing her daddy...and we are counting down the days until we can all be together again under the same roof in about 8 weeks!

I swear that I had planned on blogging while I was on vacation, but I had laptop issues and basically wasted a carry-on since I wasn't able to use it at all on my trip. So give me tonight to get to bed early (ha! It's midnight already...) and I promise to get back in the game tomorrow. I've got winners to pick and announce, new items to review, and more contests to post!

It's going to be craaaaazy over here in Berrie-land for a few more weeks, but I am going to do my best to get back on track and give you all plenty of reasons to keep on coming back!

See ya tomorrow!