Saturday Randomness

I realized I have posts I've never updated all of you on so today I'm going to do a random post of some things going on. If you missed my post about the medical issues I had going on you can read about it here. The doctors did switch my birth control and everything has been fine since, which was amazing. I was having bleeding for 3 months. There has been no issues since the switch, so that is good. I'm well, and healthy:)

I'm now a stay at home mom again, caring for kids for my income. I've always had some kind of a job since I was 14, so I feel like I have to do something for income. When I went back to work I was really excited, but it just got so hard, having to get Zoe to a sitters, and getting Gav from school. When my husband works overtime it's hard to tell when he will get out, and if our son wasn't picked up from school by 6PM, they would have sent him to the police department to wait. The afterschool program ends at 6, so parents are required to be there by then. On top of that they switched the pricing from $15 a week to $15 a day. Not in our budget, on top of daycare. So I'm now home again, and almost pulling my hair out once again....haha.

The remodeling is going well. We are almost finished with Gavyn's room, and I'm so excited to show the before and after photos to all of you. My husband has been home for the last two weeks and worked his butt off getting in finished. The color Gav picked(Iguana) wasn't something I would have chose, but then again it's not my room, it's his. It's now more grown up. We have a few things we want to get when we have the extra money, like a new TV stand, and a new dresser, but they aren't a necessity right now. Our room is next....Yay! We also decided to do something with out fridge.


Our stove, dishwasher and all our small appliances are black, but our fridge was white.

We've been looking at purchasing a new one, but ours isn't that old so we always so oh well, a white fridge will do, I however want all my appliances to match. Stainless steel in the future! We were doing our weekly stroll at Home Depot and saw Rust-Oleum black appliance paint. We both looked at each other and said lets spray paint the fridge. So we purchased 5 cans($4.98 each) and hubby went to work. I highly recommend if you ever do this, do it outside. He decided to do it on the sun porch and now it's got black paint everywhere. We did this there because of a review I read on Amazon, the girl said she did it in her living room(no way did she.) Take a look at the mess this made, around the cardboard my husband lied down.
Luckily, this hasn't been remodeled yet. Also, make sure you clean the appliance your spray painting extremely well. We did this but my husband touched the handles when he was painting them, and it did bubble a bit.

We are very pleased with the overall look, and now everything matches, and now we have a black fridge for $20! Now, the pink and flooring has to go!

The kids are great. Zoe is not too good right now. She cries and throws fits all the time. She is completely opposite from Gavyn at this age. He never cried, and always listened. She doesn't. She tells us no all the time, and will sit and scream. Any tips on how to handle these situations would be greatly appreciated!

I'm enjoying reading all your feedback from my $50 thank you giveaway for the Visa gift card. It's so nice to read what you think about it here at KiddiesCorner Deals, and what you would like to see or more of. Giveaways is a big one for most of you and I will do my best to get what you all want.

I think that is all for this week, and I may make this my normal Saturday post from now on, as it's hard to update with the sales/deals and reviews/giveaways I post. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. You doing anything fun?

Kidorable Umbrellas Review & Giveaway!

We do not have school buses in our school district. Everyone must walk or get rides to school. I really enjoy walking Gavyn the 1/2 mile up the road to school. Many times, we have been stuck due to the torrential rains that happen in late afternoons. I have my umbrella which doesn't work to well for myself as I'm 5 foot 9 and 2 children under it. I'm way to tall for them to stay dry. It's time they had their own umbrellas to stay dry just in case it does rain. Kidorable has come to our rescue with the most adorable umbrellas for kids.

"In 1997, Kidorable sprung from the minds, hearts and efficiency apartment of Liping and Jonathan Domsky. They proclaimed, "The world needs someone to create children's apparel and accessories that are both functional and fun. We can do that."
And so Kidorable was conceived. Starting with lions and cats and bears, oh my, manifested as umbrellas and hangers, Kidorable generated enough sales during its first year to break even and plant fruitful Kidorable seeds throughout the land. The following year sales grew ten fold. Every year since, give or take, a new style and/or product line debuted. And every year, the world joyfully embraced more Kidorable delights, give or take, than the year before."

I searched for the perfect umbrellas for Gavyn and Zoe. Designs from frogs, butterflies, ladybugs, pirates and more, kids will surely be proud to carry an umbrella from Kidorable. For Zoe we chose the butterfly and Gavyn the space hero. Once I received them, which was speedy, I had to see what Kidorable was all about. The umbrellas were inside a plastic case for storage.

We unfastened the button to open up the purple butterfly, that is surely going to be attached to Zoe at all times. Made of 100% nylon, the brightly colored butterfly is perfect for little girls. The antennas even stick out from it, giving it a super cool look.

What little girl wouldn't want to walk around with a butterfly, that is protecting her little head? Perfect for her little hands and drapes over her head, so I know she will stay dry. It hasn't rained here since receiving the umbrella but we cannot wait to try them out. We have gone on several trips to the store and today to grandmas house and her butterfly had to travel with. Gavyn's space hero umbrella is a perfect umbrella for boys. An astronaut, a moon, stars and a rocket with the nose peeking off the top of the umbrella, super cool.

He is really into space right now, and doesn't like walking with moms pink umbrella, so now he can have his own, and not get wet. All boy colors as well. Here is what Kidorable says about their umbrellas.

"Kidorable has taken the idea of the humble umbrella and transformed it into an imagination tent. We are proud to offer the most popular assortment of whimsical umbrellas ever created. Made of 100% nylon, Kidorable umbrellas are child-sized for those little hands."

Kidorable has a large line of adorable products for boys and girls and I'm looking forward to purchasing the matching rain boots for both kids. We actually wear these quite a bit going to papas house, as it's in the country and gets extremely muddy after rain. But all the kids love it. If you have a younger(preschool) age child going to school this year, check out their super cute backpack line. They also have a birthday club, which you'll want to check out. Your child will get a free gift plus you'll receive a special offer. Gotta love birthday clubs:) Check out their outlet store for amazing savings. You will really have a hard time getting rid of the smile on your face, once you see your child with any of the darling products they carry. Super cute, bold, and totally fun! Don't you agree?


BUY IT: You can head on over to www.kidorable.com and purchase any of their super cute products.

WIN IT: Kidorable is offering one of my readers an umbrella of choice.

MANDATORY ENTRY: Head on over to Kidorable and tell me which style is your favorite. Please don't use the two styles I reviewed(if it's your favorite tell me another)

EXTRA ENTRIES: Leave a comment for each(Mandatory entry must be done first)

~Like Kidorable on facebook(2 entries)
~Follow Kidorable on twitter
~Sign up for their email updates
~Become a friend of mine on facebook
~Follow my blog
~Grab my blog button and add it to your blog
~Subscribe to my blog
~Enter this into any linky and leave me the link(2 entries)
~Enter any of my current giveaways, tell me which one in your comment(1 entry for each giveaway your entered in.)
~Blog about this giveaway with a link to my blog and www.kidorable.com Leave me the blog link in the comment(3 entries Must have at least 50 blog followers)
~Follow me on twitter and tweet the following: You may tweet daily

#Win an adorable @Kidorable umbrella @KiddiesCorner Deals! http://is.gd/dS7TG #giveaway

RULES: Open to readers in the US and Canda only. Giveaway ends August 13, 2010 at 11:59PM EST. Winner will be chose using random.org and will have 48 hours to confirm by email. If no confirmation in that time frame a new winner will be chose. Non bloggers welcome. Just follow the instructions but leave your email address in the comment section as well. If your profile does not have an email, please leave in the comments. Good luck to all entrants.

DISCLAIMER: This is a review based on my opinion only, yours may differ. Kidorable sent us the above mentioned items to help facilitate our review. No other form of compensation was received.

Is a mommy makeover in your future?

Before kids I had a flat belly that I never wanted to get rid of. I actually had abs! I walked around in bikinis and cute clothes. Now, here I am at 30 years old, and 2 kids later, with the flab going nowhere. I am back down to my pre-pregnancy size, but just cannot seem to get rid of the tummy flab. I'm skinny right now, but once you look at my stomach, you would think I'm in the early stages of pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I have two beautiful children that put this there, but I still dream of that flat stomach I once had. Oh to wear a bikini again. I eat a well balanced diet, and exercise regularly. It's frustrating all the hard work I've done this past year, just to look down and see a belly. I'm so jealous of girls who have kids, yet they have a nice flat stomach again. Nope, not this mama. Belly fat seems to be an issue with many women after having kids.

I've done quite a bit of research in the past couple of years, especially now since losing all my weight, about removing unwanted belly fat. A tummy tuck was the main research but I wanted something easier and with less scaring. I continued to research and found information about stomach liposuction. I'm thinking this is my route to go. It's safer for one, and seems to have fewer complications, as well as a much faster recovery. My stomach could be shapely again, and defined. I'm happy where I am right now in my life, but a few changes would be wonderful. I love my form fitting tops, but they just do not go well with flab.

Have you ever thought about having anything done, to make yourself look better? Is a mommy makeover in your future? Let me know, I'm interested to know your thoughts.

DISCLAIMER:This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% mine

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Culturelle Probiotic Review!

You may remember my brief introduction to Culturelle Probiotics last month. Well, I actually had the chance to try the product out, so today I'm going to refresh your memories about Culturelle, as long as my experience with it.

"Culturelle is a pharmacist-recommended probiotic. Our success is in our science: Culturelle's Lactobacillus GG is one of the most effective strains of good bacteria (or probiotic) at balancing out the causes of gas, bloating and stomach upset. And with better digestion, your immune system is stronger and ready to fend off bad bacteria."

I was sent a 30 day supply of Culturelle Probiotic to review. Before I started to take it though, I had to get all the information about the product. I'm very familar with probiotics, and why we should take them, but I actually never thought about taking a capsule daily. I would eat plain yogurt twice a day sometimes. I learned that our bodies are filled with bacteria - billions, maybe trillions of them. Some are good. Others are bad. Under normal circumstances, your body maintains a healthy balance of good and bad. Trouble can arise when the bad bacteria take over, compromising digestion and your immune system. You know the feeling: bloating, poor digestion, irregularity, occasional diarrhea. That's when the power of probiotics can help. Alright, onto the review:)

The packaging states taking these once daily capsules boost your immune system, improves digestive health and restores the natural balance of good bacteria in your digestive tract. So with these statements I was extremely excited to try them out. I do eat a pretty well balanced diet, and not a lot of junk, so in general I feel my health is pretty good. This well balanced diet started less than a year ago though so to feel 100% again would be wonderful. I also had gall bladder surgery in 2007, so eating certain foods will still cause extreme discomfort, bloating, pain and give me the "rushing" effect. This is never fun and is quite embarrassing. Going out to restaurants to eat rarely happens. I truly believe that Culturelle has helped with the gas pains I do get with certain foods and I haven't had any pain due to bloating either. I've only had a few occasions of having to rush away after eating, this is much better than daily. I can now eat some of the foods I was not able to eat before, like a cheeseburger. Greasy, fried foods since surgery were a no, no and are the main cause of my pain, so to eat my homemade cheeseburgers again is joy:) I also feel more energized. Chasing after 8 kids a day, would normally make me feel extremely tired, and want to crash at 3pm. Now, I'm up and cleaning my home in the evenings, this didn't happen much before. I was drained. I feel great again.

I was also sent a 30 day supply of the Culturelle for Kids. We all know that kids have stomach issues and their immune systems aren't the greatest. My Zoe is one that has issues with both. She is only 3 and has complained of more stomach aches then any child I know. With her bowel movements being irregular, and hard stools, the doctors recommend a few weeks ago to give her more fiber and to try probiotics. Culturelle for kids came at the perfect time for us. Culturelle for kids contains no sucrose or corn syrup, so by her taking these, no harmful sugars are being taken. It is very easy to take. A packet containing 1 billion cells of Lactobacillus GG, the most clinically studied probiotic, or “good bacteria”, in the world. The good bacteria safely and naturally displaces the bad bacteria, strengthening kids’ natural defense systems, improving digestion, reducing digestive upset and leaving your child happier and feeling healthier. You empty this packet into a glass of water or juice or mix with food. It has no flavor. I tried it just to see! Zoe asks for her glass of water almost every morning and she has no clue what's inside it. It's done wonders for her, her irregularity, and her hard stools. She is now regular and does not complain of stomach aches. This is also safe for infants and it states on the box it could help the symptoms of colic. So if you have a colicy infant and have tried everything, give this a try. The Culturelle for kids is also dairy and gluten free!

I would highly recommend Culturelle to anyone who has stomach issues. It's helped myself and my 3 year old daughter. I haven't heard Zoe cry from a tummy ache in almost 2 weeks. Don't get discouraged if you do not feel anything at first. It took around 2.5 weeks for me to feel great and more energized. The only real issue I could see with many families is the price, which retails at about $19.99 for Culturelle and over $20.00 for Culturelle for kids. For what it has done for my family though, it's well worth, especially since school is starting, and kids get sick constantly. It is recommended to keep product in the refrigerator as well.

Interested in trying Culturelle? You can save $1.00 by clicking here or $2.00 here. Have a family member or a friend who would benefit from Culturelle? Tell them and get a $3.00 off coupon You can also connect with Culturelle on facebook as well as twitter. Check out all their videos on Youtube as well. Here is one of them.


DISCLAIMER:This is a review based on my opinions only, yours may differ. Culturelle sent me the above mentioned products and information to help facilitate my review. No other form of compensation was received.

Thank you to Culturelle for this review opportunity!