Running from the Law: Savvy Sassy Moms Product Scout
Showing posts with label Savvy Sassy Moms Product Scout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Savvy Sassy Moms Product Scout. Show all posts

Monday, May 23, 2016

Summer Scoop Giveaway


You guys!! I have a very special surprise for you today - summer is almost here and I'm absolutely thrilled to be working with Project Nursery, Savvy Sassy Moms and some amazing bloggers to bring you this absolutely INCREDIBLE giveaway of some of the coolest gear, gadgets and gizmos around (over $2300 in prizes!!). Whether you're expecting or already have a baby, toddler or kid (or maybe all of the above), you're going to flip over these awesome prizes, which are all perfect for getting you and the kids ready for summer. I'm talking about an amazing new baby carrier, a travel system, a sun tent, a gorgeous diaper bag, an iPhone, a stroller that folds up to the size of a handbag and more! I've included all the details below, photos of the prizes, plus a link to the giveaway. Best of luck - I hope you win!!

Make sure you’re following me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest all summer long for previews, pics, reviews and information on these brands and prizes. We'll be using the #SummerScoop4Moms hashtag if you want to follow along!


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BABYBJӦRN Baby Carrier One Outdoors


Introducing the newest baby carrier from BABYBJÖRN. Designed to help you share an active, open-air lifestyle with your child, the BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier One Outdoors ($260) is the ultimate ergonomic choice for active families. The Outdoors Carrier features a sporty design, high-quality materials and functional details, while offering all of the best features of the Baby Carrier One. The carrier has an extra-sturdy waist belt for added weight distribution and pressure relief, padded form-fitting shoulder straps to help you comfortably and safely carry a growing child from newborn up to the age of three years, and four ergonomic front and back carrying positions. Perfect for parents who want optimal comfort and functionality while they are exploring the magic of the outdoors with their children, the Baby Carrier One Outdoors is made of breathable and water-repellent materials and includes a waist belt pocket and loops on the shoulder straps for easy access to keys, credit cards, baby accessories and more. Baby Carrier One Outdoors also comes with a practical storage bag that protects the carrier when it is not in use.



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Babymoov Anti-UV Tent

Babymoov’s Anti-­UV Tent ($40) takes the hassle out of Baby’s beach trips by protecting Baby from the elements and blocking 99% of UVA and UVB rays. Ventilated mesh will keep Baby shielded from the sand and wind, while still providing comfortable airflow on hot days, and a built-­in mosquito net keeps the pesky bugs at bay. Tie back the tent’s mesh entrance or secure it shut when the wind starts to pick up. The tent’s large capacity gives Baby ample room to play, while still being light­weight for parents. A pop-­up system and transport bag allow for set­up in as little as three seconds, with four tent poles to anchor it securely to the ground.



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Cybex Agis M-Air3/Aton 2 Travel System

The CYBEX Agis M-Air3 Stroller & Aton 2 Infant Car Seat Travel System ($600) allows parents to have an all-in-one, on-the-go system to allow them to explore with their little one. At Cybex, safety comes first and it shows in the features of their Aton 2 Infant Car Seat. Made for children 4-35 pounds and up to 30-inches tall, this car seat has innovative Linear Side-Impact Protection, while still being one of the lightest car seats on the market, weighing in at just under 9 pounds. The accompanying stroller fits children up to 55 pounds and is the perfect way to get around the city with your Aton 2 Infant Car Seat. Moms will love that you only need one hand to operate its key features — it only takes one hand to fold it into a standing position or recline the seat for Baby.



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Lily Jade Diaper Bags

When Meggan Wood's oldest daughter, Caroline, was born, Meggan found herself frustrated by the lack of beautiful, leather diaper bags. She wanted a bag that was stunning and hardworking, and one that would last long enough to still carry all those precious memories beyond the baby years. She sketched the perfect diaper bag design to her husband, Landon, and the rest is history! The real genius behind Meggan's idea is the "Baby Bag," a removable, washable organization insert included with every Lily Jade. This amazing engineering feat allows mommies to move from diaper duty, to meetings, to date nights. Lily Jade's most popular styles convert to backpacks with the flick of a clasp, and can be worn over the shoulder and crossbody as well. Lily Jade supports its rapidly growing community of moms with by encouraging them to tell their #storyofmotherhood and giving bags away as often as possible!


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Platypus Australia Swimwear

Platypus Australia is a leading Australian UPF50+ swimwear brand for children from babies through to size 14. Designed to mix-and-match, Platypus Australia is for little ones who like to be active, comfortable and stylish yet protected from the sun. But, just because these swimsuits for babies and kids come from the other side of the world doesn’t mean you can’t get them for your own little sun worshippers. Easy shipping is available to both the U.S. and Canada… and, it’s free if you spend over $80.


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gb Child Pockit Stroller

Designed for frequent travelers, the gb Child Pockit Stroller ($250)  in Monument Black quickly folds into an ultra-compact package, shaped like a handbag, for simple transport on airplanes and more. The stroller offers a self-standing folded option for added versatility when you and Baby are dining out. When in use, the Pockit offers a height-adjustable harness that is easy to tighten or loosen to secure your little one properly. Front swivel wheels make maneuvering simple and you can lock the tires for stability when strolling along uneven paths. Easily push your little bundle of joy with one hand in this compact stroller.




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STIYA Memory Keeping App

What’s the name of that lunch place? Where was that fun park? Ever wondered why you can search any data in the world except for your own memories? You had a fun day... how can you share the details with a friend?  Meet the newest app on the block, Stiya. Stiya stands for ‘Stories In Your Attic,’ bringing those precious ​stories from the attic of your memories into your to your pocket, making us all storytellers in a click. Stiya is a silent app that is completely private, capturing your memories and experiences — such as where you dined, walked, took a photo, and more — into beautiful journals that are searchable and, if desired, shareable via text, email, Facebook, or Twitter. We can’t wait to see where you’ve been making memories! (Note: Stiya currently only available via iTunes.)


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Ubbi Snack Tweats

The Ubbi Snack Tweat ($10 each) is an innovative snack container that combines playfulness and functionality making snack time enjoyable for both parents and children. Fitted for a small child’s hand, the bird shaped Ubbi Tweat stores and seals snacks to keep them fresh. Cleverly designed, the lid remains attached when open and the weighted base leans and wobbles to prevent the container from tipping over. The Tweat opening has a practical soft spill guard and is large enough for easy snack access.




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Enter to win the Summer Scoop grand prize!


One winner will receive all of the products in the #SummerScoop4Moms:
  • BABYBJӦRN Baby Carrier One Outdoors in Turquoise or Black ($260 value)
  • Babymoov Anti-UV Tent ($40 value)
  • CYBEX Agis M-Air3/Aton 2 Travel System in Moon Dust ($600 value)
  • Lily Jade Bag of Your Choice (Up to $375 value)
  • Platypus Gift Certificate ($100 value)
  • gb Child Pockit Stroller ($250 value)
  • iPhone 6s from STIYA ($649 value)
  • Ubbi Snack Tweat Collection ($50 value)
Total prize value: $2324


Please enter using the Gleam form below. You must be a U.S. resident and at least 18-years-old to enter and win. Winner will be contacted via email after the close of the giveaway. Please allow 4-6 weeks for prizes to arrive. All entries will be verified.

Summer Scoop






Monday, December 14, 2015

Sparkling Ginger Appletini - Holiday Drinks Blog Hop

Hi friends! Welcome to the 5th and final week of the Savvy Sassy Holiday Blog Hop! This week's theme is Holiday Drinks & Cocktails and you can bet your bottom-dollar that I didn't screw this one up like I did last week with the holiday crafts. I take my cocktails seriously. 

Week 4 Hostesses:
Lindsey of The Nashville Mom
Natasha of Hello, Happiness 
Carrie Beth & Jen of Magnolia Mamas

All of the hostesses listed above will be sharing a holiday drink/cocktail on their blog and we'd love it if you joined us! If you have a drink/cocktail that you'd like to share, just follow the instructions below to link-up with us! 
I was so excited to come up with a fun holiday cocktail to share with you. I wanted to make something simple and festive that had a hint of holiday flavor without being over the top. I had a couple rules though: (1) it must have vodka (my poison of choice); (2) it must have easily accessible ingredients (nothing fancy, expensive or that I have to make (i.e. simple syrup...NO)); (3) it must be light, refreshing and slightly sweet (definitely not thick or heavy); (4) it must be really easy to make (fewer than 5 ingredients).

I scoured Pinterest looking for something that fit my criteria and came up empty, so I decided to play around and come up with my own recipe! Three hours later I had it (and boy was I feeling good!!). May I introduce to you, the Sparkling Ginger Appletini. That name is totally made up (and tastes nothing like an appletini), so feel free to call this something else if you hate the name. 
There are really only three ingredients in this drink, all of which are super easy to find at any grocery store. Vanilla vodka, ginger beer and apple cider. Garnishes are a cinnamon stick (which gives the drink a tiny hint of spice) and an orange slice. I've also listed a ton of variations of the drink below if you don't like/have any of these or want to change things up a bit. After having 35 of these the other day, I can say that there's really no wrong way to drink them. 
Step 1: Add vodka. 
Step 2: Add ginger beer.
Step 3: Add a splash of apple cider.
Step 4: Garnish with cinnamon stick and orange slice, if you're feeling fancy.
(see, I told you that was easy!)


Variations:
1. If you don't like/have vanilla vodka, regular vodka would also work. 
2. Feel free to use diet ginger beer for fewer calories.
3. If you don't have ginger beer, ginger ale will also work (ginger beer will have a stronger spicier ginger flavor).
4. You can make the drink more or less sweet by adding more or less apple cider.
5. Swap out apple juice for apple cider, for a lighter crisper flavor. 

How to Participate:
  • Link up your favorite holiday drink/cocktail by putting the URL and name of your blog post into the InLinkz widget below.
  • Visit 3-5 other blogs in the Holiday Blog Hop and leave a comment on other posts.
  • Share this Holiday Blog Hop with your friends and readers on social media using the #SavvySassyHoliday hashtag.



Sunday, December 6, 2015

Holiday Kids' Craft Blog Hop

Hello friends! Once again, I'm co-hosting Savvy Sassy Mom's Holiday Blog Hop with a few of my fellow Product Scouts. This is the 4th week of our blog hop and the theme this week is Holiday Kids' Crafts! Each of the co-hosts listed below will be sharing a kid-friendly holiday craft and we'd love it if you joined us and linked-up your favorite holiday kids' craft post from your own blog! This is a great way to discover some new blogs, get fun ideas and make your posts accessible and pinnable for others! I hope you'll join us!

Hostesses:
Amy Gene of O'Leary Love
Angela of Playing with Words
Carrie Beth & Jen of Magnolia Mamas


We've now come to the part of the post where (as co-host of this link-up and mommy blogger extraordinaire) I'm supposed to WOW and impress you with our incredible artsy-fartsy craft skillz and blow you away with my creativity, unbridled patience and uncanny ability to make crafting with kids look easy and fun! However, if you're a regular reader of this blog you know that I don't sugar-coat things and the reality of crafting (or doing anything) with children is much harder and more frustrating than blogs and Pinterest would have you believe. So I'm here today with a confession that I just need to get off my chest...

Hello, my name is Sara and I'm a crafting failure.
Let's just cut to the chase and let me tell you that we tried really hard to come up with a fun and easy kid-friendly craft for this blog hop. We experimented with not ONE...not TWO...but THREE separate crafts and they all failed miserably. One was so bad that I'm too embarrassed to even post the photos. The other two are ridiculous enough that I felt like I had to share, just so you know that you're not alone if you fail at crafts this year too.

For our first craft we attempted to make ornaments from melted beads. Maybe you've seen the tutorials floating around Pinterest on just how easy and fun this craft is. The basic premise is that you fill your metal cookie cutters up with colored plastic perler beads, melt in the oven for a few minutes and viola...instant adorable ornament. How hard could it be? (famous last words)
First of all, those little perler beads are a bitch to handle. They go EVERYWHERE and are a major choking hazard for little ones, so I didn't exactly think that one through. Secondly, Mac had absolutely no interest in trying to make the ornaments look like anything other than a giant glob of rainbow-colored plastic vomit, so I was constantly picking colored beads out of the white snowman and red heart (which were the two he "let" me have). 
Third, we made the mistake of putting the ornaments on wax paper, so after a few minutes in the oven to melt, the wax melted and the whole kitchen filled with smoke which set off the smoke alarms, sending the dog into a barking fit, Mac into hysterics and waking the baby up from her nap. UGH. This is point where I decided that all kids' holiday crafts should be paired with a corresponding adult beverage - the more stressful the craft, the harder the liquor. Paper crafts = beer. Scissors and glue = vodka. Anything with glitter should automatically be accompanied with a shot of tequila. 
Finally, we made two sets of ornaments, one with a thin layer of beads (above right) and one with a thick layer (above left). We weren't sure which would look better, so we experimented. The thin layer of beads stuck to the wax paper, but not too bad to the metal cookie cutters. We did the thick set second, so we swapped the wax paper for parchment (which fixed the smoking and sticking problems), but they completely stuck to the metal cookie cutters, making it nearly impossible to get them out. I had to break out the pliers, a screwdriver and a knife. I lost a couple cookie cutters in the process and also ended up with minor 2 cuts and minimal bleeding. Thankfully no stitches were required (I hope I'm current on my tetanus shot) and the kids didn't witness my temper tantrum while throwing the ornaments around the kitchen in frustration and cussing like a sailor.  
I think maybe the thicker ones look a bit better, but by this point I don't even effing care! These certainly were not worth the effort (or blood, sweat and tears) I had to put into getting them out of the damn cookie cutters. Maybe it'd work better with non-stick cutters? Or just leave the cookie cutters attached?  OR JUST DON'T DO THIS AT ALL. Problem solved. 
Ok, so they're not a complete failure, but definitely not as easy or cute as I'd hoped they'd be (the pictures make them look way better than real life). The hearts and trees turned out the best; the flowers and bells just look like blobs; and the snowmen are just sad melted mutants. Although, the kids didn't care one bit and Mac actually thought they turned out amazing! He kept picking them up and saying "Wow! Look at this one!" over and over. I didn't really know how (or want) to turn them into ornaments, so we ended up adding them to our fake plastic food supply in the kids' play kitchen, so now they have colorful fake Christmas cookies to bake in the little fake oven. They think they're awesome. 
But speaking of complete failure, this next project was a total disaster. My kids love playing with window clings, so I thought it'd be fun to make our own for the front door. Genius, right? Well, here's where Pinterest led me astray. The directions I read for multiple DIY window cling posts told me to add a few drops of dish soap and food coloring to glue, apply the glue directly to a piece of plastic (or any non-stick surface) and let dry. Again, how hard could it be?
We mixed the glue and used plastic cookie cutters for the shapes. Mac loved this project because he's totally obsessed with glue right now and squeezing it out by himself. I usually have to supervise his glue usage or he'll completely drown our projects in glue, so this was a nice project to just let him squeeze away. He still managed to end up with glue and food coloring all over himself, the countertop, the dog and me, but whatever. This is me letting it goooooooooo.
Our first mistake was that the glue ran out from under the cookie cutters, turning it into a giant shapeless puddle of glue. Once we realized that was happening, I put a can on top of the cookie cutter to keep the glue in.  Turns out that didn't really matter, because when the glue dried, it was a thin hard rock -- nothing like a soft sticky window cling. The green dried almost clear with weird hard bubbles in it. The red was hard and curled up on the edges. The white just completely shriveled up and cracked into pieces. The one snowflake below (that looks like a spiderweb) looked okay (hahahaha!) at first, but it was no where close to sticky or clingy and after I peeled it off the paper it curled in on itself and broke. We ended up throwing everything in the trash and scrapping the whole project. 
So, there's that. Neither craft really turned out like we hoped. BIG FAT CRAFTING FAILURE. However, I have to say that the kids had fun and I guess that's the important part. They played with the ugly rainbow cookies and the hardened glue blobs. They didn't have high expectations (or any expectations), so they were pleasantly surprised with our creations and thought the whole process was pretty cool. Mac even told me later that night that he really loves doing crafts with me and it nearly made my heart explode. It just goes to show you that sometimes it's not about the end result, it's about the fun you had and the memories you made along the way.

Now it's your turn!  I've set the bar pretty low (you're welcome!). It's not going to take much to impress me, so show me your favorite holiday kids' craft! 

How to Participate:

  • Link up your favorite holiday sweet treat by putting the URL and name of your blog post into the InLinkz widget below.
  • Visit 3-5 other blogs in the Holiday Blog Hop and leave a comment on other posts.
  • Share this Holiday Blog Hop with your friends and readers on social media using the #SavvySassyHoliday hashtag.
  • Don't forget to head over to Savvy Sassy Moms next week to link up for Week 5 which is all about Holiday Drinks (and I rocked this one)!


Thursday, December 3, 2015

The Great Christmas Card Debacle of 2015

It's the most wonderful time of the year...holiday card time!! If you're anything like me, you love getting a stack of holiday cards in the mail every day. I love seeing all the card designs, the pretty pictures, the clever poems, the announcements about moves and births. I love seeing how big your kids have gotten; I love seeing photos from your vacation; I love that you took the time to send us a tiny piece of your holiday cheer. I display all the cards we receive in our hallway and the kids and I look at them and talk about them all December long. Holiday cards are one of my very favorite parts about Christmas!

However, getting holiday cards and sending holiday cards are two TOTALLY different things. Receiving holiday cards is easy and fun. Sending holiday cards is stressful and exhausting. The whole process of taking photos, selecting a photo, finding the right design, the right colors, choosing the right greeting, remembering to change the name of the family to your family's name!, committing, ordering, proofing, addressing, stamping and mailing holiday cards is enough to drive anyone to drinking (not that I need an excuse or anything). It's just really overwhelming.
Over the last few years, getting my act together and getting the cards out the door on time has been getting harder and harder. When Mac was a baby, I was all over it! I had 6,000 photos of him to choose from and sent a simple card with his big smiling face on it to everyone we knew, showing off our insanely cute baby. The next year I was newly pregnant with Mim and miserably sick and tired. I didn't book our photo session early enough and ended up with a late November date, which got snowed out and rescheduled for mid-December. By the time I got the photos back, ordered the cards, received the cards, got them addressed and stamped it was nearly February. I sent them anyway. Last year we hit the photography jackpot. We not only had an adorable family mini session done, we had photos from an extended family session that we loved and it took me WEEKS of agonizing over the photos and designs to finally pick a card. I was so overwhelmed with choices and the decision felt so momentous that I couldn't make a decision. By the time my husband finally intervened and picked ONE from the 37 options I gave him it was nearly Christmas. 

This year, I had a plan. I was on top of my game and booked a family photo session for early October, ensuring that we had plenty of time to get the photos back, order our cards and get them out well before the last-minute madness. All I wanted was ONE good photo of all of us looking at the camera and smiling. How hard could it be?! I had my amazing friend and personal stylist Dacy (from Mindful Closet) come over and pick out all our fun outfits, which I loved. I booked my other amazing friend and professional photographer Jessica (of Emma Constance Photography) to take our photos. Everything was falling into place!  Until it all just fell apart. 
(photos by Jessica of Emma Constance Photography)

I don't exactly know what happened, but our photo session was a total disaster. We were already running late that morning, when Mim pooped in the car on the way to the shoot, requiring a substantial clean-up and me having no wipes (WTF?). Then Mac decided to run absolutely wild and would not cooperate or get within 25 feet of us without hysterically crying. His pants kept falling down and we had to use a binder clip to keep them up. Ryan was exhausted, I was frustrated. We tried and tried and tried to get it together, but it just wasn't happening.
(photos by Jessica of Emma Constance Photography)

The kids were distracted, the parents were frazzled, the dog was ashamed to even be part of our family. The harder I tried to make it happen, the worse things would get. Bribery didn't work. Distraction didn't work. Silliness and patience didn't work. We hiked around the park, trying over and over. Mac fell down some stairs and had a meltdown. Mim tripped over every stick in a mile radius and had multiple meltdowns. The dog got loose and had to be chased. I had a meltdown. And guess what...after all that forcing, the photos looked...wait for it...forced!  Ugh.
(photos by Jessica of Emma Constance Photography)

Thankfully, my photographer is a really good friend and talked me off the ledge. She assured me that it wasn't just me and my kids weren't purposely trying to destroy my life. She told me every family has an off year and this was ours. It's normal. She reminded me that 3 and 1 are TOUGH ages and they won't be this little or uncooperative forever. She pointed out all the adorable shots that we did get of each of the kids individually and tons of great ones of each parent with the kids. She reminded me that we'll have these hilarious memories from the session and always look back on them and laugh.

And in the meantime, she agreed to come over to our house and try ONE MORE TIME to get that money shot of the 4 of us that would be Christmas card worthy...
And we screwed it up again! 

No really...we got some cute shots and a winner for the holiday card! But what kind of story is that?! Two months later and I'm finally over my sobfest about how my children are trying to ruin my Christmas (kidding). We got a great shot of the 4 of us (no dog this time) for the card and I set to work getting them ordered. After that ridiculous family photo debacle, I wanted the card ordering process to be as easy as possible.

I used Minted and was blown away with how easy they made it this year. You can sort by greeting (Christmas, Holiday, New Year), by how many photos you want on the front (0-3+) or by photo orientation (portrait, landscape, square). You can arrange by price, whether you want folded or flat, letterpress, foil printing and more. You can also upload your photo and see it/them directly in the cards while you're browsing! This was GENIUS. Minted has so many great options, but they were not so overwhelming that I couldn't decide. I narrowed down our decision by choosing a Christmas greeting, selecting 1 photo (landscape orientation) and picking a complimentary color. I think I got our selection down to about 12 that I loved and then went back to them over the course of an evening and made my final decision the next morning. Viola! I've included some of my favorites below.

Once you pick your card, you still get to customize it with more photos, text or design on the back, you can choose different edge types (rounded, scalloped, etc.), order coordinating labels and envelope liners. So many amazing options! 
I haven't sent out our cards yet, but tune back in a few weeks from now and I'll show you the final photo and holiday card design we chose.


Anyone else have holiday card drama this year?


*I received this product as part of the Savvy Sassy Moms Product Scouts program. All opinions are my own.