Wordless Wednesday - Christmas

Here are a few random pictures from our Christmas. I'll be back from "vacation" next Tuesday.

Our first Santa visit this year was a complete failure-both kids refused to sit on his lap. The second time I sat on poor Santa's knee(at 30 weeks pregnant) and they both did awesome! My sister and I didn't get the memo about which camera to look at!

Santa came!

Have a WW?


 

Got Giveaways? Linky 12/27

I hope that all of you had a very Merry Christmas if you celebrate it. My husband still has time off until Tuesday of next week and so does most of my family. I had planned on posting some this week, but I've decided to "be on vacation" until next Tuesday. I will put up a Wordless Wednesday tomorrow, but that is all I plan on doing.

Link up if you have any giveaways!
mamRoo Infant Seat Of Choice {$239.99 ARV} 1/9


$50 Kids Foot Locker GC - TWO WINNERS 1/9


DownEast Basics Women's item OR Girls' item - TWO WINNERS 1/2


Please link to the specific post for each giveaway-NOT just your blog! I will delete your link if it does not go directly to the giveaway.


***CLICK HERE for my Daily List of blogs with giveaway linkies.***

 

Wordless Wednesday - Merry Christmas, Yall!

Have a WW?


 

How To Make Santa & Reindeer Nutter Butter Cookies

Its no secret that I'm addicted to Pinterest. I have found so many cute ideas and great recipes on there. Each year my parents, brother, sister, and my little family make gift baskets and platters for friends and neighbors. This year we made many of our same goodies to fill them, but we also made these Santa and Reindeer Nutter Butter Cookies.

The Reindeer cookies were a little challenging at first because I couldn't find good instructions on how to make them. We tried a few different things and this is what worked/looked best for us. First we broke up pretzels to look like antlers. Next, we opened the nutterbutters and put one antler on each side, then put the nutter butter back together. I held the nutter butter while my dad poured melted chocolate(Wilton chocolate melts) around the pretzels on the inside of the nutter butter so that they would stay in place. We then placed them on a wax sheet to dry and harden. Using a spoon, we poured melted chocolate over the top and made sure it ran down the edges evenly. We quickly popped the mini M&M into place as the nose. Once the chocolate hardened, I went and piped a small white dot of icing and then a black dot for the eyes(we could have used white melting chocolate and a mini chocolate chip, but I liked this look better).

The Santa Nutter Butter cookies were extremely easy to make. We just looked at a picture and knew what to do. First, you dip each end in white melting chocolate. While the chocolate is still wet, pour red sprinkles on top to make it look like a hat. Pour some of the white melting chocolate into a bag and snip a tiny corner off. Pipe dots for the nose and eyes. Hurry and put a mini M&M and two mini chocolate chips in place to make the eyes and nose. You can go back and make a white dot on the hat to make it look like a Santa hat(look at the first picture in this post to see what I'm talking about).

We got a great response out of these and they were fairly easy to make. Of the two, Santa was much easier, but I thought it was cuter to make them both!

 

Kids Foot Locker - Muppet Adidas Originals Sneaker Collection + $50 Gift Card Giveaway - TWO WINNERS

My kids are going through shoes extremely fast these days. I feel like I'm always on the lookout for new children's shoes. With the opening of the Muppets movie on Thanksgiving Day, Kids Foot Locker released its exclusive adidas Originals sneaker collection, inspired by the beloved Gonzo, Kermit, Animal and Fozzie.

Animal ($49.99)

The Animal sneaker is based on the classic basketball shoe but inspired by the Muppets drummer, with rock n'roll accents that include a plush orange faux fur.

Gonzo the Great ($45.99)

The classic adidas Samoa is made with a full grain "Gonzo blue" leather upper that features "Gonzo the Great" scenery. A cozy fleece lining in the collar and tongue adds additional comfort.

Kermit ($49.99)

The Kermit the Frog adidas Superstar II shoes feature green leather stripes with "The Original Hip Hop" running alongside one of it. The shoe's tongue is a version of Kermit's fringed collar.

Fozzie ($37.99)

This black adidas Campus 2 features Fozzie with classic pink stripes and fuzzy pink fleece lining in the collar and tongue.

In addition to the new Muppet collection, Kids Foot Locker carries many different brands and styles of shoes that your child is sure to love! Be sure to visit Kids Foot Locker to view their full selection.

Win It

Kids Foot Locker is giving TWO of my readers a $50 Gift Card.

To enter, tell me who your favorite Muppet Character is. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!

Extra Entries

You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.

1- Subscribe to my blog via email.

2- Follow my blog via google friend.

3- For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post and Kids Foot Locker.

4- Follow twoofakind on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: #WIN 1 of 2 $50 Kids Foot Locker Gift Cards @twoofakind http://tinyurl.com/7mbt6aj #giveaway had TWO WINNERS

5- Place my pink, Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House button on the sidebar of your blog.

6- Include a link to this post in your facebook status letting your friends know you entered this giveaway. Leave your first and last name(or initial) in a comment below. If you tag me (@Dee Twofakind or @Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House), I can actually see your status on facebook. You can do this 1x per day for an extra entry each day.

7- Leave a relevant comment on the InnoTab review and/or the Craftsman Multi-Tool review. One extra entry for each that you leave a comment for.

8- Vote for me.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on January 9th when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 24 hours to respond!

Open to US Only

This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the product for review and giveaway.

 

Vtech - InnoTab Learning App Tablet

My kids both adore playing on my tablet. They love listening to music, playing their games, and watching videos while on long car rides or when we're out shopping. Vtech has provided them with hours of fun with the Mobigo and V.Reader, so I couldn't wait for them to try the InnoTab.

Take learning to the next level with the InnoTab Learning App Tablet by VTech! This multi-media tablet combines interactive reading, learning games, creative activities, and a rich collection of applications into a sleek, durable, and educational toy that kids will want to play with. Featuring a 5" color touch screen and tilt-sensor, kids can tap, flick, drag, and pat their way to learning fun. The fun continues with many on-board applications such as an MP3 Player, Video Player, Art Studio, Friends List, Calculator, and Clock that will engage kids for hours as they develop their skills with this electronic learning toy. Additional cartridges with favorite licensed characters are sold separately and teach essential skills in reading, logic, and creativity. Additional content such as e-books and learning games can easily be uploaded to the InnoTab through VTech's Learning Lodge Navigator where parents can also see their child's progress on a variety of educational milestones and lessons.

Features:

• 5" color touch screen and tilt-sensor for educational gameplay
• E-books, educational games, creative activities, learning apps, and more available on cartridge or as downloads from VTech Learning Lodge Navigator website
• 4 different media players: E-Book reader, MP3 music player, photo viewer and video player
• 64MB onboard memory and SD card slot for memory expansion (SD memory card not included. InnoTab supports SD/SDHC memory cards between the sizes of 2GB and 16GB.)
• Learning toy connects to PC/Mac with included USB cable

The back has a stand so that the InnoTab can sit up, but it is pretty flimsy and I'm worried that it will eventually break. You can hook the USB cord up to the tablet and your computer to upload additional games and e-books that you must pay extra for in the learning lodge, but they're only about $2.99. There is a space for cartridges that are sold separately for around $20. The cartridges seem to be very similar to the games/e-books that we already use for our V.Reader and Mobigo. I would like the InnoTab much better if I could use my Mobigo or V.Reader cartridges for it. I don't want to purchase InnoTab cartridges that have the same or very similar content as the cartridges we already own for other Vtech products. You also have to purchase a separate SD card to load music and/or videos on. I haven't quite figured out how to do this and my husband will have to take a look when he gets some time. It also requires 4AA batteries, which isn't too bad, but we burn through batteries like crazy.  My kids don't play with it for long each day, but within 3-4 days, it needs to have the batteries replaced. I wish it came with an AC Adapter.  You can purchase one separately, but it won't charge the battery so that kids can use it when away from outlet plugs.

The InnoTab comes loaded with 2 games (Pinball Letters and Ice Escape), 1 book (What’s That Noise-same as the V.Reader), an art studio, coloring book, calendar, calculator, video player, mp3 player, photo viewer, notebook, clock, and a contacts app. So far the favorites are the art studio and coloring book-my kids love to draw. We haven't purchased any new apps yet, but we will soon. The photo viewer comes with a few random pictures of people and animals that you can't delete. I really wish that it had a camera on the InnoTab because my kids get a kick out of taking pictures of themselves. The size of the screen isn't too bad, but I really feel like it would be beneficial if it was about 2 inches larger. The screen tilts when you turn it so you can see it horizontal or vertical.

The InnoTab entertains my kids with the apps that are already on it, and as soon as I figure out how to load the music and videos into a file that the InnoTab recognizes, they are going to adore it even more. They love walking around with my Tablet dancing to music. Obviously, this is not an adult tablet, so you can't think that it will replace a "real" tablet that your kids are used to playing with. I don't like for my kids to play with mine when we're out in case they drop it, and the InnoTab has protective edges and is extremely light so that it is more indestructible. While I mentioned a few things that I feel would improve it, the InnoTab is a very fun toy and keeps kids entertained!

Visit Vtech to learn more and to view their other products.

This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the product for review.

 

Got Giveaways? Linky 12/20

Got Giveaways? Come link up!

These are my current giveaways while you're here:

mamRoo Infant Seat Of Choice {$239.99 ARV} 1/9


DownEast Basics Women's item OR Girls' item - TWO WINNERS 1/2


Build-A-Bear Workshop Gift Card 12/26


 $100 ArrayGift.Com to purchase Gift Cards from over 500 Retailers 12/19


Prince Lionheart Toddler Bundle {Over $90 ARV} 12/19


Please link to the specific post for each giveaway-NOT just your blog! I will delete your link if it does not go directly to the giveaway.


***CLICK HERE for my Daily List of blogs with giveaway linkies.***

 

Limited Edition Holiday K-Cup® Packs + Coupon Code

We seem to constantly be on-the-go this time of year. My Keurig has made grabbing a cup of coffee easier than ever since all I have to do is drop in a K-cup and hit the brew button. There is no grinding coffee, washing out coffee pots, and waiting for a whole pot to brew. With the Holiday Season upon us, Green Mountain Coffee® has reintroduced their Limited Edition Holiday K-Cup® packs.

The Gingerbread and Spicy Eggnog Flavored coffees are sure to help give a boost of Holiday Spirit. I adore the Gingerbread flavor and have been drinking it every morning since the K-cup Packs arrived. I've never liked Eggnog, so I let my husband drink those.

Have you been looking for the perfect gift for the coffee lover on your list? Green Mountain Coffee has compiled several Holiday Gift Ideas that would be sure to please! You can also use the coupon code, AM0009-3567, 15% off the whole store to help with your shopping through December 31st.

This was a sponsored post, but honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the product for review.

 

Craftsman NEXTEC G2 Multi-Tool

Sometimes I have problems buying for the men on my list. Each Christmas, I always end up getting them each some Craftsman tools or accessories to add to their collection. All of the men in my life are very handy and own mostly Craftsman tools. According to a recent survey commissioned by Kelton Research and Craftsman, more than three-quarters (77 percent) of men plan on tackling some sort of DIY project next year and they sent us the Craftsman NEXTEC G2 Multi-Tool so that my husband could be prepared.

The second generation of the popular cordless NEXTEC 12-volt Multi-Tool can sand, cut, grind, grate, remove grout, and now offers a new tool-less accessory exchange and variable speed dial to match speed to the specific task at hand. It’s a perfect all-in-one. Comes with the tool, carrying case, one battery and new QuickBoost™ Charger.

Features:

• New quick-release tool-less accessory change system
• Variable speed 7,500-15,000 rpm
• Soft grip handle; LED light; side switch
• Weight: 5 lbs. (with accessories)

Our house is on the market right now, so we don't have many projects to work on at home, but we will when we move into our next house. I'm sure we'll be putting down new flooring and decorate the house to our preference. I see this tool coming in very handy in the future. Look at all it can do-

It even comes with a nice bag to keep everything together.

Visit Craftsman to learn more and to view everything that they have to offer.

This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the product for review.

 

Brother P-Touch Label Maker - Kitchen Organization

A few months ago, I posted about my Brother P-touch Label Maker Test Challenge. I put labels from the Brother P-Touch Label Maker through several different tests to see how well they would stand up. My next challenge was to tackle and organize my kitchen. The label maker required 6AAA batteries to get started and then I was on my way to a more organized kitchen. First, you go through several steps to determine the size and font of the label you want. Then, you type it in.

After you've done that, a label quickly prints off and is ready for you to use.

I had an extremely unorganized shelf in my pantry that housed the odd-sized snack bags, chips, cereal, and cookies. We were constantly throwing things away because they'd get lost in the shelf, lose their clips and go stale. I went out and bought a bunch of these awesome storage containers and filled them with chips, cereal,and other snacks. I then printed off labels so that we knew what to refill each container with after we ran out. Now, my bags of chips don't get crushed, the cereal and snacks stay fresh, and we can easily see what we have available.

The Brotehr P-Touch Label Maker was extremely easy to use and gives a variety of choices in the size and font of the labels. My biggest issue is that it takes so many batteries. I feel like it should come with an AC adapter.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Brother P-Touch and received a product and gift card to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

 

JJ Cole Collections Car Seat Cover & Body Support + 24 Hour Giveaway

With baby #3 due in just over 10 weeks, I am thrilled to be part of the JJ Cole Collections 12 Days Of Holiday Giveaways. From December 8-19, they have been sponsoring a 1-day giveaway on different blogs. Today, I am fortunate to be able to feature their Car Seat Cover and Body Support.

Car Seat Cover
With baby girl being due during the winter, the car seat cover will keep her warm and snug in her car seat.  As most of you know, you're not supposed to put baby in thick coats/clothing before strapping them into the car seat.  The JJ Cole Collections Car Seat Cover will keep my baby safe and warm at the same time.  We will soon be getting her car seat, but I don't have it yet to show you a personal picture. I did take the cover out and see that it has elastic all around the edges, so it will be extremely easy to put on and take off. The middle part can also be completely unzipped if there are warmer days that she doesn't need to be quite as bundled.

Keep your baby protected and warm with JJ Cole's Car Seat Cover, made of weather-resistant nylon and soft fleece. Its blanket-style design eliminates the need for bulky jackets while the zippered flap provides a custom fit to grow with your baby.
• elasticized outer band fits over infant carriers and standard-size strollers
• removable top for temperature control
• machine washable

Body Support
I get all cozy just looking at the body support. It is padded well and the fabric is extremely soft. It can be used for more than just car seats. Infants often end up in little balls in their swings or seats, so the body support will keep them comfortable and positioned correctly. I put it in our infant seat and as you can see, it works well with the straps. It is also reversible which is great when something I'm putting her in doesn't match the pink.

JJ Cole's reversible body support has soft velour on one side and a breathable embroidered knit on the other, providing comfort to baby in any season. The head support is adjustable and detachable, which accommodates baby's growth.
• reversible fabrics for year round comfort
• fits snugly around infants of all sizes
• machine washable
• crash tested- FMVSS 213

Be sure to visit JJ Cole Collections to learn more and to view all of their other baby and toddler products.

Buy It

You can purchase the Car Seat Cover for $29.95 and the Body Support for $21.95.

Win It

JJ Cole Collections is giving one of my readers a Car Seat Cover AND Body Support in the color of the winner's choice.

To enter, Visit the JJ Cole website and leave a comment below with your favorite Mode Diaper Bag Print. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!

Extra Entries

You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.

1- Subscribe to my blog via email.

2- Follow my blog via google friend.

3- For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post and JJ Cole Collections.

4- Follow twoofakind AND JJ Cole Collections on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: HURRY - 24-hour #Giveaway - #WIN a @jjcoleusa Car Seat Cover AND Body Support {$52 ARV} @twoofakind http://www.twoofakindworkingonafullhouse.com/

5- Become a fan of JJ Cole Collections on Facebook.

6- Include a link to this post in your facebook status letting your friends know you entered this giveaway. Leave your first and last name(or initial) in a comment below. If you tag me (@Dee Twofakind or @Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House), I can actually see your status on facebook. You can do this 1x per day for an extra entry each day.

7- Subscribe to the JJ Cole Collections newsletter.

8- Enter any of my current giveaways.

Contest ends at 11:59pm Pacific on December 17th when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 24 hours to respond!

Open to US Only!

This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the product for review and giveaway.

 

4moms mamaRoo Plush Infant Seat Moves Like You + Giveaway {$239.99 ARV}

I have been following the hype on the mamaRoo Infant Seat for the past year, and now that baby girl is due to arrive soon, we get to enjoy one.  Both of my other babies adored being bounced and rocked side to side. In fact, that is the only way Evan would quiet down. He didn't sit in bouncers or swings and many nights my husband and I took late night car rides to get him to fall asleep. I wish more than ever I would have had a mamaRoo at the time. 4moms sent us the Paint Dots mamaRoo Plush for our newest addition.

"We’ve never seen a parent vibrate like a bouncy seat or swing like a swing. But we’ve seen thousands of parents scoop their little ones up in their arms and bounce and sway. And that’s what the mamaRoo does. It moves like you do."

Features-

• Five unique motions based on real parental movements
• Built-in nature sounds and an MP3 hookup
• Three reversible toy balls (original mamaRoo comes with art patterns; plush mamaRoo has monsters)
• Fabric (both plush and nylon) is easy to remove and machine washable
• Seat reclines to any position
• Detects obstructions, won't run if recline is unlocked
• Suitable from birth to 25 pounds
• Discontinue use once child can sit up unassisted
• Product weighs 14 pounds. LWH: 22.3" x 8.6" x 26.5"
• To be green, it doesn't run on batteries, just wall power

They're right - have you ever seen a baby that doesn't quiet down quicker from bouncing/swaying than vibrating? I've been surrounded by babies my whole life and they all like to be held with one arm to my side and bounced while swaying. The mamaRoo doesn't just move one way, it actually has five different movements.

The mamaRoo was much easier to put together than a bouncy seat that I had to assemble. It arrived in a box like this and took less than 5 minutes to have it up and ready to go.

The seat has an infinite amount of recline positions. It goes all the way back for sleeping infants, or sits up this far as baby gets older.

The fabric is extremely soft and plush. 4moms put a lot of thought into all of the mamaRoo features. The fabric quickly unzips and unsnaps from the frame and can be thrown in the washing machine!

Another awesome feature is that the mamaRoo requires no batteries! It comes with and A/C adapter, so you simply plug it into the wall to get your little one bouncing and swaying. This is the "control center". Again, they have thought of everything. I can't think of one thing I would add!

Our new baby girl isn't due to arrive for a few more weeks, so I borrowed my cousin little boy - Baby Z. Baby Z was born last month and is super sweet, but like most babies, he also likes to be bounced. When we first put him in the mamaRoo, he wasn't too sure about it, but quickly decided that he liked it. His favorite movement at the time seemed to be the Kangaroo. I put a star over his face for privacy. His mommy gave me permission to post his face, but I only feel comfortable publishing my own children's faces.

Baby Z's brother, J, was extremely interested in the mobile. Within about 3 seconds, he figured out that you could take the soft balls out and he was ready to play ball. You can switch them around so that the colorful sides are facing baby, you can have the black and white side facing baby, or you can do a combination.

Visit 4moms to learn more and to view their other products. A mamaRoo would make an awesome gift for a baby or new mom in your life.

Buy It

The Paint Dots mamaRoo Plush is available for $239.99 and the non-plush mamaRoos are $199.99.

Win It

4moms is giving one of my readers a mamaRoo of their choice(pending availability).

To enter, visit 4moms and tell me which mamaRoo you would choose(color choices are at the bottom of the page) AND tell me who this would be for. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!

Extra Entries

You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.

1- Subscribe to my blog via email.

2- Follow my blog via google friend.

3- For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post and 4moms .

4- Follow twoofakind AND 4moms on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: #WIN a @4moms mamaRoo infant seat of choice {up to $239.99 ARV} @twoofakind http://tinyurl.com/ckadnk6 #giveaway ends 1/9

5- Become a fan of 4moms on Facebook.

6- Include a link to this post in your facebook status letting your friends know you entered this giveaway. Leave your first and last name(or initial) in a comment below. If you tag me (@Dee Twofakind or @Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House), I can actually see your status on facebook. You can do this 1x per day for an extra entry each day.

7- Become a 4moms Insider.

8- Leave a relevant comment on the QuickSmart playard review.

9- Vote For Me.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on January 9th when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 24 hours to respond!

Open to US Only!

This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the product for review and giveaway.