Giveaway: Vera Bradley Super Tote

Category : Featured Reviews

I adore bags. I have a tendency to fall in love with a certain purse and I won’t be able to get it out of my mind. I dwell and day-dream and love from afar. Vera Bradley has a wide assortment of handbags, purses, and accessories that make me drool. 

One of my most recent loves is the Super Tote. This ginormous tote bag has a place to store everything. The bag is covered in pockets that allow you to store all of your needs on the inside and out. With children I need to be organized at all time. With all of these pockets I can stick different things in each pouch and know that it won’t take a ton of digging and taking everything out to find it.

What I can’t wait to use the Super Tote in Bali Blue for:

  • Going to the beach- At just the perfect size for towels, sunscreen, buckets, pails, and more, this tote is the perfect beach going one to have!
  • On an overnight- Next weekend we are traveling to Connecticut for an overnight. I know I can fit all of my clothes, travel items, cosmetics, and necessities. I can’t wait to pack everything in there and look stylish while lugging it around.
  • Extended diaper bag – Lately, I get really annoyed having to carry multiple bags. I have been using the Super Tote to carry not only my child’s diapers, and accessories but I can also put in my beautiful Coach purse so I don’t have to worry about it falling off my shoulder in a balancing act.  The Tote is so strong and durable it can hold my 3 year old daughter inside without any hint of breaking. Sure, I don’t carry her around in it. But she thinks it’s silly when I put her inside and lift it up!

From the Vera Bradley website: 

“Hold everything! The ultimate bag for travel-savvy moms or any girl who thinks “packing light” requires no less than six pairs of shoes! Amply sized with a sturdy base, it’s perfect as a market bag, beach tote, weekender, craft carryall…you name it. Yet with all this room, ten slip-in pockets (six inside, four outside) plus a trigger clasp for keys make organization super easy.”

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We are giving away the Super Tote in Bali Blue to two lucky readers! Suggested Retail Price: $85. Here’s how to enter:

  1. Go check around at Vera Bradleyand tell us what other purse, accessory, or bag that you want.  This is mandatory, if not done all other entries are null and void.
  2. For an extra entry, you can follow uson Twitter. Post a comment here with your Twitter username.
  3. For a third entry you can tweet about this giveaway once a day until giveaway is closed. Leave a comment for each tweet. “Vera Bradley Giveaway – The Super Tote is huge and in beautiful Bali Blue. Win one at http://www.mommasreview.com
  4. Post about it on your blog and leave a comment here with the URL of your post and get five extra entries. Leave five comments for this extra entry opportunity.
  5. Get emails from Mommas Review and receive an extra entry. Be sure to leave a comment with your email address for confirmation.
  6. Post this giveaway on a forum, myspace, facebook or another social networking site. Link to it in a comment for extra entries.
  7. For a final entry, subscribe to our RSS feed, leaving a comment here to tell us you’ve done so. We’ll be posting more giveaways on Momma’s Review soon so subscribing will be a great way for you to stay informed about all the great things you can win in the days and weeks to come.

The contest will close at 12:00 p.m. EST on Sundary June 7th.

This giveaway is open to all US Residents.

All Star Buddies: Online Sports-Themed World of Games For Kids 6+

Category : Family entertainment, Featured Reviews, Website

All Star Buddies is a great website for kids ages 6+ that provides a safe, educational and fun virtual world for the pint sized sports enthusiasts in your life. Created by two moms with a passion for sports, fitness and leading a healthy lifestyle, their mission in creating All Star Buddies was to create a website that was both educational and entertaining. Noticing that children are spending more and more time online, they wanted to give them a place to “weave important learning into the fun and adventures that their kids were having online.” Their sports theme provides lessons on problem solving, teamwork, good sportsmanship, fitness and nutrition, taking care of the environment and the importance of staying active and playing real sports offline.

All Star Buddies says:

“We built this website and virtual world to bring kids of all ages and skill levels together on an equal playing field to have fun, compete and socialize. In Varsity Heights, every kid can be an all star and everyone is part of a winning team.”

The game takes place in an online town called Varsity Heights. This town offers endless games and activities that teach the important lessons mentioned above while having fun. Kids can explore areas like the Varsity Heights Stadium, the Arcade, School Zone, Town Square, The Museum Zone and The Beach Zone which each have their own games and activities to explore. The options for fun and learning are endless. Parents are also welcome in this virtual world, on and off the bleachers, so you can manage your “team” every step of the way.

All Star Buddies looks like the perfect virtual world for your little sports fans. If you have kids ages 6+ I definitely recommend checking it out with them!

Why I like Max & Ruby…

Category : Momma's Say

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There has been some discussion lately over children’s shows that parent’s don’t like to watch. Of course, as a Momma, I have shows that annoy me to no end. They include but aren’t limited to: Hi 5, Boohbah, and Barney (of course). I don’t like to watch them because they are just plain irritating. Unfortunately, my kids love the high spirits, songs and joy that the shows bring.

I heard during a virtual conversation that one of the highly disliked shows was Max and Ruby. The reasoning for the dislike is the lack of parents for the adorable rabbit brother (Max) and sister (Ruby). At no point in the show do the parents show up to help out. In one episode you can get a glimpse of the parents in a family portrait on the wall, but this is the only note of their existance. It does seem odd that the young Ruby cares solely for Max, but I love that Max teaches Ruby lessons with his naivety and honesty.

Of course, I’ve wondered where their parents are… though all it took was a google search and a little digging and I had my answer. The reason there are no parents is the very reason I like Max and Ruby. Associated Content clarified this issue in February 2009:

“Well, sometimes kids have to work things out on their own. Rosemary Wells tells Nick Jr. that “As in most other classic stories, we don’t see Max & Ruby’s parents. I believe that kids resolve their issues and conflicts differently when they are on their own.” – Associated Content

Ms. Wells, you may be on to something here.  My two children are constantly at each others throats. They fight over everything. It makes me lose my mind. Example:

  1. “CAYLEIGH!!! LET ME SIT IN THE BASKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” (slap)(kick)
  2. “Mooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmm Gabrielle is looking at me funny and I’m trying to watch tv”
  3. “Cayleigh, give me back my horse!” (slap)(Kick)
  4. “I hate you!”

That’s a normal five minutes of my life. No matter what I do they do not get along. I’ve started to take advice from Max and Ruby and step out of the picture. Each time my children battle it is constantly brought to me as a wall to beat the issue onto. I began the task today and when I was yelled at one more time I said to them:

Me: “Girls, resolve this on your own”

Them: “What does resolve mean?”

Me: “That means fix things on your own.”

Them: ….. (crickets chirping)

Holy cow, it worked. There was silence and they didn’t bug me again about this one small battle. Thank you Rosemary Wells, why didn’t I think this earlier? This did not stop the next issue from coming to me but it was a start.

Do you have any tips on how to get your children to get along?

Naturepedic NO-COMPROMISE™ DUAL FIRMNESS ULTRA Baby Crib & Toddler Mattress

Category : Featured Reviews, Giveaways, One Week - One Room, One Week - One Room Giveaways, around the home

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From padding the corners of furniture to toilet seat locks, early childhood safety is the most important priority of parents. Babies spend up to 70% of their early life sleeping and playing on a crib mattress, so being concerned about their sleeping environment makes sense.  Visibly, there is little difference between this and a ‘regular’ crib mattress; what is really important is the stuff inside.

Baby and children’s mattresses typically use materials such as vinyl/PVC and polyurethane foam which release questionable chemicals over time. These materials and chemicals have been eliminated in the No-Compromise Organic Cotton Mattress.

The NO-COMPROMISE™ DUAL FIRMNESS ULTRA Baby Crib & Toddler Mattress features a luxurious organic cotton fabric with an easy-to-clean polyethylene waterproof coating (like the really nice take out food containers). Waterproof edges and heat sealed waterproof seams prevent moisture penetration for a more hygienic design. No seepage of fluids or entry points for dust mites.

A crib mattress made with organic cotton promotes a healthy and more chemical-free sleeping environment. Cotton is an ideal filling material that is both natural and renewable. Organic Cotton is unbleached, undyed, and grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers. Cotton does not burst into flames or release deadly fumes when ignited (as compared  with polyurethane foam). It meets and exceeds all Federal and State flammability standards without the use of potentially harmful chemicals.

With Square corners for a snug fit,  the mattress features a slightly firmer infant side and a slightly softer toddler side that will grow with your child for many years. Heavy-duty orthopedic innerspring and firm flat surface provide ideal support in accordance with pediatrician and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) firmness recommendations.

Naturepedic backs up its product development with scientific data. In particular, Naturepedic products are regularly tested and are certified by GREENGUARD®, the strictest independent third party testing laboratory for eliminating toxic chemical off-gassing.

The No-Compromise™ Dual Firmness Ultra is simply the cleanest and healthiest crib mattress available. It is waterproof, firm and eliminates potentially harmful chemicals from your child’s crib. It will provide your child with a more natural, healthy and comfortable sleep environment.

To round out the One Week – One Room Bedroom Week we are giving away a Naturepedic NO-COMPROMISE™ DUAL FIRMNESS ULTRA Baby Crib & Toddler Mattress to one lucky winner. Here’s how to enter:

  1. Tell us what you call your baby. For example, mine are cupcake and pumpkin. This is mandatory, if not done all other entries are null and void.
  2. For an extra entry, you can follow us on Twitter. Post a comment here with your Twitter username.
  3. For a third entry you can tweet about this giveaway or post about it on your blog and leave a comment here with either the URL of your post or your twitter profile. “Win the cleanest and healthiest crib mattress available @ http://www.mommasreview.com
  4. For a fourth subscribe to our RSS feed, leaving a comment here to tell us you’ve done so. We’ll be posting more giveaways on Momma’s Review soon so subscribing will be a great way for you to stay informed about all the great things you can win in the days and weeks to come.
  5. For a final entry visit http://eightymphmom.blogspot.com and enter into any ONE of her ongoing giveaways. Come back and tell me what you entered.

This giveaway is open to US readers!

The contest will close at 12:00 p.m. EST on Saturday June 11th.

About the Momma:

Amanda @ funkEpunkEmonkE.com

Amanda is a homemaker, roller derby vixen, freelance web architect, indie crafter, writer, wife, and mother of two girls. She is a supermom and loves it.

Giveaway – Hotel for Dogs on DVD

Category : Featured Reviews, Giveaways, movies

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Adapted from author Lois Duncan’s 1971 children’s book of the same name, director Thor Freudenthal’s Hotel for Dogs follows two mischievous orphans as they attempt to hide dozens of stray dogs in an abandoned hotel. Disheartened by their new guardians’ announcement that pets are strictly forbidden, 16-year-old Andi (Emma Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Jake T. Austin), race to find a home for their loyal dog Friday. Fortunately for Friday, there’s an abandoned hotel just around the corner, and Bruce possesses just the kind of mechanical smarts needed to transform the rundown inn into a four-star retreat for canines. For a while, Friday and his friends have it made, but when the neighbors start to get suspicious, Andi and Bruce resort to every trick in the book in order to prevent their secret from being discovered. Don Cheadle, Emma Roberts, and Lisa Kudrow star in a family-friendly film penned by screenwriter Jeff Lowell. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

 Hotel for Dogs is a heart warming movie about two foster children who find a way to take care for not only one stray dog, Friday, but also a dozen other pooches who each have their own sweet personalities. Some things I like about this movie:

  • As an adult there are times when watching a childrens movie can be barely tolerable. With Hotel for Dogs I genuinely liked watching it. The cast was adorable and though the children were not always the best of actors I wasn’t cringing while watching them.
  • You’ll want to adopt all the dogs. Beware of that.
  • I loved the concept that the group of kids were doing what they thought was right and stood up for what they believed in.
  • I didn’t like that they broke the law multiple times and each time got away with it. This is not exactly a good morale for me to be teaching my kids.
  • Sure, the movie is predictable but it does have a few unexpected twists and turns that made me smile.

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One lucky reader can win Hotel for Dogs on DVD. Here’s how to enter:

  1. Tell us which dog you would love to adopt (use your imagination if you’re not a dog person) that the Hotel for Dogs helps out.  To do so visit the Hotel for Dogs movie website and click on “Pick your pup” learn more about the pups from the movie there. This is mandatory, if not done all other entries are null and void.
  2. For an extra entry, you can follow us on Twitter. Post a comment here with your Twitter username.
  3. For a third entry you can tweet about this giveaway once a day until giveaway is closed. Leave a comment for each tweet. “Woof. Woof. Hotel for Dogs Movie giveaway going on now @mommasreview enter here: http://www.mommasreview.com
  4. Post about it on your blog and leave a comment here with the URL of your post and get five extra entries. Leave five comments for this extra entry opportunity.
  5. Get emails from Mommas Review and receive an extra entry. Be sure to leave a comment with your email address for confirmation.
  6. Post this giveaway on a forum, myspace, facebook or another social networking site. Link to it in a comment for extra entries.
  7. For a final entry, subscribe to our RSS feed, leaving a comment here to tell us you’ve done so. We’ll be posting more giveaways on Momma’s Review soon so subscribing will be a great way for you to stay informed about all the great things you can win in the days and weeks to come.

The contest will close at 12:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday June 3rd.

This giveaway is open to all US Residents.

Winners – Suzzi, Evolve, Reliable, and more

Category : winners

Congrats to all of those who won our recent giveaways. Below are the winners:

Reliable Digital Velocity Iron

Toryn T.

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Evolve Showerhead

Dana V.

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Suzzi Homewrecker Apron by Amanda Suzzi

Aisha O.

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Oster Beehive Blender

Joanna S.

 

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Lee Jeans – Colorwashed Khaki Pant

Norma N.

Terra H.

Jan K.

 

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First Act Guitar

Sara N. 

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Motorola TN20 GPS

Nicole M. aka Miss Blondie

 

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All winners have been notified! Thank you everyone who entered, please be sure to check out our other giveaways for more fun prizes.

Kenneth Brown Launches Baby Bedding Line At Babies ‘R’ Us

Category : Featured Reviews, One Week - One Room, around the home, pregnancy & babies

Monkey Vine style by Kenneth Brown

The famed Los Angeles designer, Kenneth Brown has just launched a new line of baby bedding at Babies ‘R’ Us that is just adorable. There are three styles to choose from: the Handsome Puppy, Monkey Vine and Lady Bug Paisley. Each style in the collection has everything you need to make your dream nursery, each sold separately so that you can buy just the pieces you want and / or need.

I received the Monkey Vine four piece bedding set for my little one due in July and I just love it. While you might think getting the Lady Bug Paisley for my little girl would have made more sense, the monkeys just had me swooning and I could see so many mix and match possibilities that I just had to have it. The four piece bedding set includes the comforter, bumper, fitted sheet and crib skirt. I also got the matching adorable monkey & banana mobile and a super soft 100% cotton luxury blanket.

One of my favorite pieces in the collection is the monkey mobile. I am incredibly picky about mobiles and often don’t like them at all – but this one just made me swoon. So I was surprised to see the negative reviews that it was getting on the Babies ‘R’ Us website. It would seem that a lot of people are having a hard time assembling the mobile so that it hangs inside the crib. Luckily after a little searching around I found a helpful reviewer who says:

“I noticed one comment saying that the arm went on the opposite side of the crib. I had that problem but then realized that the top piece that hangs over the crib can be reversed and now mine hangs properly.”

There are several other pieces to these great collections including a table lamp, wall art, a diaper stacker, wall stickers, window valances, and changing pad covers. The prices are very  reasonable for what you would expect to find in Babies ‘R’ Us and like I said, they are just adorable. I cannot wait to use my Monkey Vines nursery bedding with our new little one!

If you have any ideas for Kenneth Brown’s baby bedding line he’d love to hear from you! You can email him at questions@kennethbrowndesign.com with any questions, ideas or comments.

Carissa Rose: Tailored, Woven Shirts for the Full Bust

Category : Featured Reviews, clothes shoes & accessories

bratiquehelene_lgCarissa Rose is a clothing company specializing in fitting the full bust. As defined by the founder, Carissa Brown, a full bust is “a narrow rib cage (28-40 back size) with a DD+ cup size, otherwise a misses sized body, but with a bust-line that doesn’t fit button-up shirts.” The company is named after her mother, for sentimental reasons and because her mother gave her the education on designing clothing for well endowed women.

As a second time mom with large breasts prior to giving birth, I could never find a button up shirt that fit correctly. Instead, I constantly struggled with pulling down shirts, showing my bra straps (or side boob gap), and settling for stretch jersey to give me the dreaded uniboob. After having 2 children, my breasts grew to an unmanageable size, and I had to donate all but 2 of my shirts. When all hope was lost, Carissa sent me a sample of her line.

Carissa Rose’s button up style shirt allows me to be put together for business and even make other mom’s jealous at the playground. From the darting to the unique closure system, this shirt was made for busty women like me.

The darts at the bust area are perfectly placed to give women a slimming shape. For me, the seaming on the breast area created an unflattering point reminisce of Madonna. I think the dart problem could be related to the bras I wear and will be fixed simply by changing the dart to a princess seam. Carissa writes about finding a great bra for a full bust in her styling tips (hint: there’s more to lace than just being pretty).

Being short, I did find the sleeve length to be long. I’m nit picky and don’t like sleeves anyways, so hitting the tips of my fingers didn’t make me happy. I see myself turning this into a 3/4 sleeve shirt, as I tend to turn the cuffs up that much anyways.

The fabric is a great stretchy woven material that looks durable and feels smooth on the skin. The fabric is light enough that I can layer the shirt under a blazer, but thick enough that it’s not see through.

Breastfeeding with this shirt is just as easy as finding a private corner. The closure system is hook and eye, which means no more unsightly gap between buttons, or worse, popping buttons when breathing deep. I thought the closure would be hard to manuever, but I’ve mastered the technique one handed with a wriggling baby in the other arm.

The bottom of the shirt flairs out slightly, which has a slimming effect. Leaving this shirt untucked is the only option for me, and having the bottom flair means I can hide the mommy pouch that hasn’t been beaten into submission yet.

This shirt, the company, the story of the mom and mom’s mother behind the company, and the website all get a big smile and thumbs up from this Momma.

About the Momma:

Amanda @ funkEpunkEmonkE.com

Amanda is a homemaker, roller derby vixen, freelance web architect, indie crafter, wife, and mother of two girls. She loves to tailor clothes to oddly proportioned people.

Giveaway: Barley & Birch Organic, Planet-Saving Children’s Clothes

Category : Featured Reviews, Giveaways, One Week - One Room Giveaways, clothes shoes & accessories

Barley & Birch organic children's clothing

Barley & Birch is a scientist-created and artist-designed children’s clothing line made in the USA using 100% certified organic cotton. They are committed to being environmentally friendly in all aspects of their business – from the energy used by their computers to the production of their product. Created with the goal of making hip organic clothing after learning the true nature of several prominent ‘organic’ children’s clothing lines (overseas production facilities, harsh chemicals used in printing, etc.), Barley & Birch assures you that their product is what it claims and that the company is committed to their goals to be environmentally friendly.

My son is a big fan of the fun Cactus tee that Barley & Birch sent him for my review. The print is fun and fashionable – the green in the cactus really pops out at you – and the cotton, oh the cotton. I don’t think I’ve ever felt a plain cotton tee shirt that was so unbelievably soft. I wish all my clothes were that comfortable! The shirt washes easily, along with all his other clothes and maintains that first day out of the box vibrancy. In short, I love it.

You can get Barley & Birch clothing online at eConsciousmarket.com as well as a handful of retailers in the US (with more coming soon) like Green Genes in Chicago, IL (773) 944-9250.

Want to win a cute tee shirt from Barley & Birch for a little one in your life? We’re giving away tee shirts to five (5) lucky winners! You can choose your favorite t-shirt style from the following drawing-style designs: Monkey’s, Panda or Fishies.

Here’s how you can enter to win:

  1. Check out the Barley & Birch website and tell us which of their products (and styles) you like the best. This is mandatory, if not done all other entries are null and void.
  2. For an extra entry, you can follow us on Twitter. Post a comment here with your Twitter username.
  3. For a third entry you can tweet about this giveaway or post about it on your blog and leave a comment here with either the URL of your post or your twitter profile. “5 Chances to win a great organic children’s tee from Barley & Birch @ http://www.mommasreview.com!”
  4. For a fourth entry, subscribe to our RSS feed, leaving a comment here to tell us you’ve done so. We’ll be posting more giveaways on Momma’s Review soon so subscribing will be a great way for you to stay informed about all the great things you can win in the days and weeks to come.

This giveaway is open to US and international readers!

The contest will close at 12:00 p.m. EST on Monday June 8th.

One Week – One Room: AT&T Home Phone Giveaway

Category : Featured Reviews

Okay. I want to admit something… we constantly break our home phones. Most of the time this has nothing to do with the phone, generally it has to do with my husbands ADD. Before I share about the amazing AT&T TL92278 I have to share what occurs in our household.

Once upon a time in the Proulx household we had plenty different portable phones. These phones were strong and durable. Or so we thought. Here is what happened to those phones:

  1. Phone 1 – Run over by my husband with his Jeep
  2. Phone 2 – Dropped into our fish pond by my husband
  3. Phone 3 – Run over by my husband with his Jeep – Snapped in half, not down the seem, like top and bottom completely seperate but connected by wiring. The phone still semi-worked after this
  4. Phone 4 – Dropped in a cup a water (kind of my fault)
  5. Phone 5 – Dropped so many times the screen is a jumble of letters

That is making a long story short. As you can tell, we are bad phone handlers. I shared this all with you because the dual-handset TL92278 made my life so much easier. This AT&T phone has two handsets. So, when one is missing I can be sure that the other is on it’s base or within reach. The secondary handset does not even need to be plugged into a phone jack. It plugs into the wall and works off the main base

What makes this phone so special? The phone allows you to connect a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone to the base unit and you can make and receive cell phone calls right on the home phone. I love this feature!It works great when I need to plug in my cell phone (because it’s always dying) Im not stuck to where it’s plugged in to talk to the people in my life.  At my parents house they have weak cell phone service since they live in such a small town.  This phone is ideal for them they can plug their cell phone in at the best cell service location and use the home phone to make calls.  One thing to note is that using this bluetooth enabling will deplete your cell phone battery faster. It’s recommended to keep your phone plugged in while using this service.

A few other note worthy features are ones that work well for me as a work at home Momma. On each phone there is a mute button and also a speaker phone option. This allows you to mute the call so you can deal with screaming children, or put on speakerphone and get yourself hands free while in meetings.

The TL92278 can be programmed so when a call comes in from your home phone number the ring is a different one than when your cell phone rings. Also, when it is a bluetooth enabled call the phones cellular button will light up. This AT&T phone has all the features I would put in a phone if I made one, and more.  The only feature missing that, not a must have, is a plug in jack for a headset that goes over your head. I do not need to wear one though with speakerphone and mute. 

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One lucky winner will win the AT&T TL92278 worth $89.99.  Here’s how to enter:

  1. Tell us who you would call using this fantastic home phone. This is mandatory, if not done all other entries are null and void.
  2. For an extra entry, you can follow us on Twitter. Post a comment here with your Twitter username.
  3. For a third entry you can tweet about this giveaway once a day until giveaway is closed. Leave a comment for each tweet. “Ring! Make calling that much easier with the AT&T TL92278 home phone - win it now at http://www.mommasreview.com
  4. Post about it on your blog and leave a comment here with the URL of your post and get five extra entries. Leave five comments for this extra entry opportunity.
  5. Get emails from Mommas Review and receive an extra entry. Be sure to leave a comment with your email address for confirmation.
  6. Post this giveaway on a forum, myspace, facebook or another social networking site. Link to it in a comment for extra entries.
  7. For a final entry, subscribe to our RSS feed, leaving a comment here to tell us you’ve done so. We’ll be posting more giveaways on Momma’s Review soon so subscribing will be a great way for you to stay informed about all the great things you can win in the days and weeks to come.

The contest will close at 12:00 p.m. EST on Sunday June 7th.

This giveaway is open to all US Residents.

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