Thomas & Friends Holiday Giveaway

Thomas the train has been a permanent fixture in our house since my 5 year old was introduced to his first Thomas engine at 18 months of age. Now, my 2 year old (the 3rd boy in pecking order in our household) is all about Thomas and loves to play trains with his older brother who are, surprisingly, still very into them as well.

Two of a Kind Working on a Full House is now giving me (and you!) the opportunity to win the Thomas & Friends: Sodor Friends Holiday Collection for someone special this Holiday Season. How great would it be to see my little Micah Moo's eyes spring open wide after opening this gem on Christmas morning?! While I'm (not so secretly) pining away to win this prize for myself, I'm happy to share the opportunity with you too. Be sure to stop by HERE today for your chance to win!

Holiday Celebrations Gift Set {Review & Giveaway}

A big shout out of Thanks to Jessica over at The Army Wife for hosting our Ellia C. Naturals Holiday Celebrations Gift Set Giveaway!

Holiday Celebrations Gift Set:

4 oz. Holiday Body Meringue in Holiday Spice
5.5 oz. bar of Autumn Harvest Shea Butter & Coconut Milk Soap
.15 oz. Candy Cane Kisses Lip Smoother

Head on over to The Army Wife to read Jessica's sweet review of this gift set and enter for a chance to win one of your own. And don't forget to stop by and check out all of the fabulous Holiday goodies available from Ellia C. Naturals!

Shutter Buddy {Review}

Photo courtesy of Shutter Buddy (TM)

Just in time for the Holidays!

With so many photo opps approaching, the Shutter Buddy (TM) is a must have for parents of wee ones. Those of us with little ones know that getting the "money shot" from an infant can be challenging at best. With shorter attention spans and under developed visual focus and acuity, it is often difficult to capture those big baby eyes looking into the lens.

I recently had the privilege of reviewing the Shutter Buddy (TM), a unique camera accessory designed capture the attention of even the youngest subjects. Designed with baby's visual perception in mind, the Shutter Buddy (TM) is a geometric cone designed to attach easily to the front of your camera (which to my delight, it does!). Bearing a checkered black and white pattern (a pattern renowned for capturing baby's early visual interest), this unique accessory fits most digital cameras and folds compactly for easy transport and storage. I gave this little gem a run for its money over the Thanksgiving Holiday and found it to be quite effective. Rather than having to chirp like a bird, cluck like a duck, or sing renditions of any one of my famed "mommy songs", the presence of the Shutter Buddy (TM) on the front of our camera was enough to draw my little Ellie Bean's attention for quite some time. As an 8 month old whose vision has developed far beyond the black and white phase, I imagine the unique 3-D shape of this piece was as much a draw for her as anything, but I am confident that the pattern on it would be quite effective for babies in the 0-3 months range as well. I was pleasantly surprised that even as an "older" baby, Ellia was drawn to this product. I was able to take shot after shot with ease and without the usual backflips needed to gain her attention :)

We all know that the Holidays with all of their merriment can be overstimulating for little munchkins to say the least. If your looking for a little something extra in your picture taking arsenal this Season, I encourage you to give the Shutter Buddy (TM) a try!

Please Pass the Bombolini!

Photo courtesy of www.bell'alimento.com

My stomach lept for joy just reading the following recipe...Bomblini alla Nutella (Nutella Filled Doughnuts). My mouth is watering just at the mention of these decadent pillows of goodness! Check out all of the details at Paula Jones' fabulous foody blog, bell'alimento...I am sooooo making these this week :)