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.

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.

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.

Create a character, explore the town, party with the MySims!

There’s so much fun to have with your friends in MySims™ Party! Explore the town with old friends Chaz and DJ Candy, and discover new ones at every turn! Create the house and village of your dreams starring your very own MySim! And discover robot-racing, snowboarding, and tons of other new adventures in this mini-game paradise!

Challenge your reflexes, strategy, smarts and speed with lots of games: Find the real mummy with a flashlight, slash a cannonball, flip bacon and more.

MySims’ unique talents: strength, endurance, speed and luck all play a part in how well they play. Choose a team of four for victory in every minigame!

Fast-Paced Festivals: play minigames one right after the other in fast-paced series to win the monuments! No more walking around a game board!

Great parties: any get-together turns into a party with up to four players playing more than 50 minigames (Wii™) and 40 (Nintendo DS™). Quickplay modes get you and your friends to the games fast.

MySims Party Website

My Insight

Finally a game my daughter can play for a longer period and she never bores of it. With 50 different mini games she can go back and forth and choose whatever she is in the mood for. Her favorite game is the one featured above, Dress for Success, where an adorable little girl thinks of the perfect outfit she wants to wear and you find it in the closet. Multiple people can play this and see who can find the outfit first.

All of the games are played well alone (against the computer) or in groups. This fun game will be played in our house for awhile to come. Sure, it’s not the best for adults as it is a bit juvenile - but for children, tweens and teens it is a fun game to be had!

Two lucky Mommas Review readers will win a copy of MySims Party for the Wii.  Here’s how to enter:

1. Visit the MySims Party website and tell us what Mini Game you would most want to try. 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. “Get your party on with MySims Party game for the Wii or the DS. Win a copy for the Wii 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 Thursday June 4th.

This giveaway is open to all US Residents.

Word to the Wall creates word graphics for your home, work, or even office (if the boss allows).  I love the sweet sayings, they make my heart soar for their inspiration, tenderness, or motivation. You can even customize the sayings to be just for your family. The graphic I tried out said:

Learn from yesterday,

Live for today,

Hope for tomorrow.

I decided it was best to place the graphic  pre-pasted and pre-spaced letters on my dining room wall. It felt like it would “fit” the best there.  One thing to note, these graphics are not decals or sticker-like, they are individual letters  and there is no clear film over them. When on the wall they look like you stenciled them on. I know if I tried to stencil something like this it would run outside the lines and look horrible.

The letters came with two sheets of paper on either side. One sheet was a paper backing that kept the letters in place, the second was a sticky one that allowed the letters to stay in place but be transferred to your wall. The thin letters come off fresh and easily. While I was pulling off the top layer one or two letters stuck to the sheet all I had to do was lay the sheet back on the wall and rub it with my thumbnail and voila! it came off.

If you are looking for a beautiful way to decorate your space, express yourself, and personalize your home then consider Word to the Wall. The letters are easy to hang, within 15 minutes I transformed my dining room from blah to Awe (wait for it) some.

Photo below from Word to the Wall Website

FLOR Modern Mix Rug in Brown

FLOR rugs are a huge hit it the blogging world and on floors nationwide. They have beautiful carpet tiles that are extremely family friendly. One of my favorites is the Modern Mix Rug, especially in the brown color. Lately I’ve fallen in love with creams, browns, and whites. They are stunning and very clean looking. And FLOR has made it so I can outfit a plain room into something beautiful and fresh with their carpet tile rugs.

A few months ago, Amanda from Mommas Review, did an article about FLOR’s Stampede rug. Here is some information from it:

In my never ending quest to make life a little greener, I recycle, compost, grow my own veggies, clean with natural products, and buy products without much packaging. I came across Flor carpet squares and they’re perfect for my lifestyle.

Flor’s aim is to replace regular old roll carpet and the “take, make, waste” philosophy of the industry that produces it. They use mostly renewable and recycled material and the rugs have low VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds).  Flor even offers an option to return and recycle the carpet square. They promise to eliminate any negative impact their companies may have on the environment by the year 2020.

This story starts out with a cheap IKEA rug and ends with a happy momma. We bought a 5×7 carpet at IKEA over the summer, and it proceeded to get so filthy and stained that I banished it to the basement. It was barely used, being in an infants room, and nothing other than water ever spilled on it. Nontheless, it got disgusting. Fortunately, just as it got banished, the Flor package waited to be opened.

We received the Flor Stampede Tiles, and laid them out on top of my cupcake’s very cold (uninsulated in the crawlspace) laminate wood flooring. The existing floor was clean, hard, and level, so it was super easy to lay out the carpet tiles and arrange them how I wanted. My husband installed the strong adhesive sticky dots at all of the joints and outer seams to hold the tiles together, and I had a beautiful quirky rug in less than 10 minutes.

I worried that the texture would be rough on cupcake’s skin, but these tiles are just as soft as my living room carpet and she hasn’t gotten rug burn yet. Even better is the fact that they hide dirt enough to keep me from vacuuming every day and I know that if one gets damaged or stained, all I have to do is replace the tile, not the whole rug.

My other daughter (let’s call her pumpkin) liked the Flor so much that we got her a matching one. This time we didn’t attach the tiles to each other, and she has a blast reconfiguring them around her room. The rubber backing provides a good enough grip that they stay in place on top of hardwood floors.

If you want to see how easy Flor is to install, their site has instructional videos. There are tons of colors, styles and patterns to choose from and they can be placed in any design you want.You can purchase them online, from a retailer near you, or win them in our giveaway.

Originally posted by Amanda on March 2nd, 2009

What I love most about the Modern Mix rug by FLOR is that it’s not just one color in the style, there is a variety of colors. You can match this rug to any room of your house. It’s modern, yet classic in colors, and makes any floor pop. The tiles come in sets of four, which are each a different tone of the main color.

One lucky Mommas Review reader will an 8 x 10 area rug from FLOR in the Modern Mix style.  Here’s how to enter:

1. Visit FLOR and tell us what other FLOR rug you would love to have in your home (not including the Modern Mix and the Stampede). 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. “Modernize your home with the beautiful Modern Mix FLOR rug – 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 Wednesday June 3rd.

This giveaway is open to all US Residents.

• New question categories and all new questions with each turn. No need to “shuffle the deck” now!
• Earn extra points by guessing whether your friends know the answer in Facts & Friends mode.
• Track your best categories over time with your customer Trivial Pursuit profile.

I really enjoyed this video game version of the classic. It plays easily with little learning curve as far as how to play the game goes – it walks you through the whole thing. It might have even been easier than the original, with no set up required – and of course clean up was a breeze! If you like Trivial Pursuit, you will enjoy this game (although I’m going to confess that the “narrator” in the game can get a little bit annoying after awhile). Of course, if you don’t like trivia games (like my husband) you might not like this game, but that goes without saying right?

Want to win a copy of Trivial Pursuit for the Nintendo Wii? We’re giving away one copy. Here’s how you can enter to win:

1. Tell us: Which classic card game or board game would you love to play as a video game on the Nintendo Wii? 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. “Enter to win a copy of Trivial Pursuit for the Nintendo Wii @ 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 Sunday May 31th.

The Fit Finder tool is truly unique because it asks the user a series of questions about their body shape and how they like their clothes to fit, gathering information about your waist, thighs, stomach, and seat to determine the products that will provide the best fit. The tool also offers video demonstrations from Lee’s team of fit experts during each step of the process, educating customers on why certain styles fit differently and how to choose the style that flatters their figure. And one you find your fit, you can save it to your fit profile for next season’s shopping. 

Other highlights from the new-and-improved Lee.com include:

Ÿ         An easy-to-use product filtering system that helps customers narrow products to your best fit based on style, price and your unique body shape.

Ÿ         New photography to give customers a closer look at the products they are most interested in – just like in the store!

Ÿ         Single-page checkout so customers don’t have to go back and forth to process their orders.

Ÿ         Ability to compare different products that meet the customer’s selection criteria.

Ÿ         Consumer reviews about Lee’s products and the opportunity to upload their photos in Lee products.

In addition to the new technology, the site also offers a vast assortment of new denim and casual pants for the entire family, including extended sizes for both men and women.

Information above from Lee Jeans Press Release

Englewood Pub by Bobs Discount Furniture

About the Englewood Pub Table

The beautiful and highly detailed inlaid veneer top table has a medium sheen Cherry finish. The two tone set would fit in perfectly in any household. I would love to have this table in my dining room. With all wood construction, it is built to last. The chairs match perfectly with the table. The contrasting black finish on the legs, table apron and chair backs make a stunning piece of furniture that looks straight out of those fantastic home magazines.

About Bob’s Discount Furniture

Named the 2008 Furniture Retailer of the Year, with 31 stores located throughout New England and New York, Bob’s Discount Furniture has built strong brand awareness and customer loyalty by providing quality furniture at everyday low prices, combined with a unique and enjoyable shopping experience. First-time visitors are pleasantly surprised by the comfortable atmosphere and vast selection of fashionable and affordable furniture that surpasses their “discount” expectations. As a part of the overall shopping experience, many locations have complimentary cafés featuring gourmet coffee, fresh baked cookies and candy, while other locations offer home theater and video arcade entertainment. For more information, visit www.mybobs.com.

About Bob’s Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation

Through the Bob’s Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation and Bob’s Outreach program, Bob Kaufman, Cathy Poulin and all of Bob’s Discount Furniture employees support hundreds of nonprofit organizations with sponsorships and charitable contributions.  Among the many supported charities are Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, Salvation Army, Marshall House Youth and Family Emergency Shelter, National Conference for Community Justice, American Red Cross and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.  For more information about the foundation and Bob’s Discount Furniture, visit www.mybobs.com/charity. 

What I love about Bobs

Have you ever been to Bob’s Discount Furniture? It’s one of my all time favorite places to visit. I go and just fall in love with all of their furniture. The price is always right at Bob’s. For our next home purchase (soon I hope!) we have been eyeing the Patriot sofa and loveseat set. For only $799 you can get a whole living room set. It is gorgeous and priced in a way that I will be able to actually afford it.

Also, some locations feature “The Pit.” This cool section of certain stores (see all locations - those with a Pit center are notated) is the scratch and dent of furniture. It is where all of the furniture goes that might have a tiny scratch underneath or maybe someone special ordered it then changed their mind. All furniture in the Pit is usuable, gorgeous, and cheap! The price is surprising since Bob’s Discount Furniture is already so low priced. My neighbors purchased their sofa from the Pit for only $199, which is the starting price of couches. It is big, comfortable, and perfect. The only catch? You better bring a truck with you while shopping because you have to bring it home yourself and if you wait it could be gone!

Don’t be afraid to bring the children along, either. In each location they have complimentary (that means free!) cafe’s. According to Scott at my local Worcester, MA store (who was wonderful by the way!) they have candy, coffee, sodas, and even Hagen-Daz ice cream. It’s a fun outing for the whole family to enjoy!

One lucky Mommas Review reader will win the Englewood Pub from Bobs Discount Furniture – valued at $599.  Winner MUST be located in MA, CT, ME, RI, NH, NJ and NY for delivery. Here’s how to enter:

1. Take a look at all of the Bobs Discount Furniture products and tell us your favorite (you can name a few if you are having a hard time choosing!) also include the state you live in. 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. “Make dinnertime more beautiful – win an Englewood Pub dining set by Bob’s Discount Furniture at Mommas Review – 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 addrress 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.

This giveaway is open to those located in the US in the following states: MA, CT, ME, RI, NH, NJ and NY!

The contest will close at 12:00 p.m. EST on Friday May 29th.

It’s time for another Aloha Friday, the day that you take it easy and look forward to the weekend, in Hawaii and blog land anyway. As you should know by now, over at An Island Life, Kailani decided that on Fridays she would take it easy on posting and ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link at An Island Life’s blog. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

This marks the end of Kitchen Week in our One Week One Room carnival. This week we’ve shared our favorite recipes, reviewed some great new products and even given some away. So one last thing before the beginning of Living Room Week. Tell us…

• Do you like to cook? What’s your favorite dish to prepare?
  
• If you could get anything for your kitchen what would it be?