reviews

jamboo creations: babyproofing with style

If you have an active two-year-old who likes to fall down around sharp corners like I do, you'll probably just LOVE Jamboo Creations!

Jamboo’s debut product addresses one of the greatest areas of concern for child safety at home: The sharp-edged area around the fireplace hearth, which also happens to be a major focal point for entertainment and family gatherings. The founders of Jamboo Creations and parents of a vivacious 4 year old, Gina and Bill Maguire, have blended the elements of design and safety into one unique and creative baby-proofing solution, with HearthSoft™, by Jamboo Creations- the first fireplace hearth cover that accomplishes two clever and essential objectives:

1. Add a safe layer of protection for your child or loved one (including those with disabilities) around the hard surfaces and sharp edges of the fireplace.

2. Create an attractive home furnishing piece that enhances the look and usability of any room, using durable, easy-to-clean and flame-retardant designer fabrics.

The patent-pending, durable, lightweight HearthSoft unit is custom-tailored to fit any hearth and decor and goes directly from shipping box to the fireplace hearth, with no assembly required. Zippered entries further enhance the convenience factor, allowing for easy cleaning when necessary. In addition, the padded skirt folds effortlessly underneath for easy storage in a closet or under a bed. The top pad of the HearthSoft contains 2” of dense, flame-retardant polyfoam that is wrapped in Dacron. The skirt contains 1” of dense polyfoam.

Available in 12 colors, HearthSoft is priced at $249.00, with low, flat rate shipping and Jamboo’s 100% money-back Customer Satisfaction Guarantee. Unusual hearth shapes and custom fabrics to fit any décor are also welcome, as part of Jamboo’s commitment to bringing safety and style to any interior design specifications.

ikea 2011 catalog preview event

Today I spent the morning in one of my happy places:

IKEA.

Today I got to get a special sneak peek and the new 2011 IKEA catalog and see all the new yumminess Ikea has to offer - many at even lower prices. There are gorgeous new sofas, entertainment centers, bedroom set... oh, the yumminess just goes on!

Ikea is one of the companies I truly love - they have a commitment to their customers, the community and the environment that you just don't see very often. I was especially impressed with the Sunnan Lamp project: since June 2009, UNICEF receives one Sunnan solar-powered lamp for every Sunnan sold in IKEA stores worldwide, which enables children in homes without electricity to do their homework even after dusk. What an amazing project!

I also love that while IKEA's stuff is super affordable,it is still high quality. Our first apartment was about 2 miles from an IKEA, so almost all of our furniture is from there. And - more than ten years later - we still have it all! And it is even surviving our three kids. (Well, the white slipcovers... notsomuch, but the rest is fine ;-)

My first rule of furniture is that it has to be usable. While that gorgeous sofa in the showroom is absolutely fabulous and drool-worthy, its not practical. I have no desire to have a home where my kids can not play in certain rooms, or where I'm constantly worried about things getting dirty. I want a home that can be lived in and enjoyed and loved...
Yes, I want a couch that's stylish and comfortable, but I also want one that my kids can take apart and make a fort out of the cushions and we can all snuggle up on with a big bowl of popcorn.
Yes, I want a kitchen table that is beautiful and big enough to sharing meals with friends, but I also need one that can be used for finger painting, coloring, frosting super messy cupcakes (with sprinkles) and can withstand a two-year-old banging his fork on it.

Personally, I was thrilled to see not only the new items but the loads of lower prices!  Coincidently, the sofa I want is like $100 cheaper! Yipee! And this Extorp loveseat and chaise lounge would be just perfect for our family room... But what I fell in love with is this:

Mama just found her dream kitchen.

A special thanks to the adorable Jennifer, from IKEA who organized this special review event! It was fabulous!

CSN stores makes shopping easier

Have I mentioned how much I love shopping online? I've had several very good and very bad experiences over the past couple years buying major purchases online. One of the best resources I've found is CSN stores. (And I have several friends who do as well and I'm amazed that I have never heard a bad thing about them.) Besides the low prices, I love the free shipping, easy returns  and great customer service!

Now you know I'm a huge fan of cookware.com and allchildrensfurniture.com because I've shared about them before, but did you know that there are actually over 200 CSN stores? All with the same great service, huge inventory and great prices.  You can find pretty much anything you need from bathroom sink to beds to bikesto playsets.

When I go to a home store looking for a bathroom vanity, they have maybe 30 options, most of which aren't what I'm looking for. But I love how with CSN I can search for the exact type, size, shape and price I want to find the perfect bathroom vanity for my kids bathroom, like this little number:

Hello, Gorgeous!! Don't you think that would look FABULOUS in my kid's bathroom? Me too. 

Last year we were looking for a breakfast nook for our new house and I was tearing my hair out because no one had them - or they were cheap and ugly. And look what I found on CSN:

Its only EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR! For only $400 with free shipping. Darn it!! I'm coming here first next time!

I encourage you to check out CSN stores for yourself - you'll be amazed!

disclosure: This is a sponsored post for csn stores. while these opinions are mine, i was compensated for this post.

Zoku Quick Pop Maker

At a recent blogging event I won a Zoku Quick Pop Maker. We love popsicles in our house and in our effort to eat less processed foods, I was so excited to try making our own out of fresh fruits and juices!

What they say:

• Makes up to nine 2 1/4" x 3 1/2" pops (three 2-oz. pops at a time) before refreezing is required.
• Nonstick cast-aluminum molds have a proprietary solution sealed inside their bases to enable rapid, uniform freezing.
• A specially designed tool helps to quickly release the frozen treats from their molds.
• Durable, reusable plastic pop sticks have unique ridged designs that allow pops to adhere securely.
• Special drip guards promote tidy eating.
• Includes base, remover tool, six reusable pop sticks and six reusable drip guards.

What I say:

It is so easy to use! And it really, actually does work really quickly. Its hard to believe, but it does! Promise! I love how easy it is to clean as well. (Believe me, if it wasn't it would be out the door!) It such a great tool for making healthy, summer treats for our family. If you are trying to eat healthy and naturally, this would be a great product for you! Just the other day, we mixed up fresh strawberries, a bit of water and sugar and they were FABULOUS! 

Zoku Quick Pop Maker is available exclusively at Williams Sonoma and on  Zoku's website. (Check out their way cool blog!)

And check out these amazing popsicle recipes from Self Magazine (One of my favorite magazines!) Talk about turning it up a notch!

Watermelon-Lime-Cilantro--62 Calories
Base: 3 Cups Cubed Seeded Watermelon
Sweetener: 6 tablespoons Sugar; 1 tbsp honey
Flavor: 3 tbsp fresh Lime juice
Booster: 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

Chunky Pineapple-Chile-- 61 Calories
Base: 2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
Sweetener: 3/4 cup pineapple juice; 3 tbsp sugar
Flavor: 2 tbsp fresh lime juice; 1 tsp ground ancho chile
Booster: 1 cup coarsely chopped pineapple

Crunchy Peanut Butter-Banana--165 Calories
Base: 3 medium bananas; 1 cup 1 percent milk
Sweetener: 3 tbsp honey
Flavor: 5 tbsp natural peanut butter
Booster: 1/4 cup lightly salted dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Avocado-Mango—93 Calories
Base: 3 cups cubed mango; 3/4 ripe avocado
Sweetener: 5 tbsp sugar
Flavor: 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
Booster: 1 tbsp grated orange zest

disclosure: i received the zoku as a door prize at a blogging event. recipes courtesy of self.com. i was not compensated financially for this post.

cheap le creuset? you can find it at cookware.com

You know how I'm absolutely in love with my new Le Creuset French Oven. I debated and debated over which one to get and you all passionately debated as well. ;-) Well, after I bought my new Le Creuset, I discovered the AMAZING prices at Cookware.com on Le Creuset! You can get a complete Le Creuset gift set for only $199. That's $200 off, people!! The 7-piece set is over $300 off.

And they don't just have Le Creuset. Cookware.com has everything from Calphalon is up to 70% off and Henckels knives for 60% off! This Cuisinart Grind and Brew Coffeemaker is a personal favorite of mine and this is a great price! Kitchen Aid Stand Mixers are another classic that every cook would swoon for! You can even get Electrolux washers and dryers for 20% off! 

With graduations, Mothers Day, Fathers Day and wedding season coming up, you can get some fabulous gifts shipped for free right to your front door!

I will definitely be buying my next Le Creuset piece from Cookware.com. Unbeatable prices + free shipping = Happy Mama!

Cuisinart Grind-and-Brew Coffeemaker

Hovering at the top of my Christmas list this year was the Cuisinart Grind-and-Brew Coffeemaker. I needed a new coffeemaker in the worst way... I NEED coffee in the mornings and my old coffeemaker was on the fritz. I asked a few fellow coffee-lovin' friends and the response was practically unanimous: Cuisinart Grind-and-Brew.

What they say:

• this 10-cup automatic coffeemaker grinds whole beans right before brewing to produce a fresh and flavorful pot of coffee.
• 24-hour fully programmable unit works great for "wake-up" coffee or having coffee ready when it's time to serve dessert--without getting up from the table.
• Smaller amounts can be brewed without any loss of flavor thanks to the unit's 1- to 4-cup setting, and its grind-off feature allows for using pre-ground coffee.
• 10-cup (5 ounces each) thermal stainless-steel carafe with a generous stay-cool handle and drip-free pouring spout. 

What I say:

This coffee lover has died and gone to heaven. This coffeemaker has my coffee perfectly brewed, piping hot and waiting when I stumble down the stairs every morning. Unlike other pots I've had with a programmable feature - this one actually works. The thermal carafe keeps my coffee hot for hours without having to keep the coffeepot "on" which is fabulous: I'm saving electricity and I no longer have to worry about shutting of the coffee pot as I'm running out the door.
And the taste is phenomenal. Even my normal coffee tastes better (maybe its the charcoal water filter?) and - when I'm in the mood for a treat - I have fresh ground gourmet coffee at my fingertips. The grind feature is automatic, so if you always use pre-ground coffee, its a little annoying to have to remember to shut off the grinder. But for me its worth it to have to option when I want to brew some of my gourmet stash. (They do make a version without a built-in grinder.) Its quiet, its very easy to clean and it looks terrific on my countertop! I can't imagine ever buying another coffeemaker!!

disclosure: i was not compensated in any way for this review. the above links are affiliate links.

dyson d25 (aka my new baby)

A few months ago our vacuum died suddenly.

Well, actually it wasn't suddenly... seeing as it was probably 20 years old, used to belong to my mother-in-law and had issues with basic vacuum cleaner functions like "turning on" and "sucking things up."

Anyway, after doing some careful research and considering several different brands, I decided it was time to go after my dream vacuum... a Dyson.  (And if you don't think its strange to have a "dream vacuum" then you have come to the right place.)

First I bought the Dyson DC14... and I hated it. I KNOW, right?! It was supposed to be super amazing!  An - in all fairness -  it was really nice. It had so much suction that my carpet looked like it had been shampooed. But was really heavy and hard to maneuver.  So I went online and decided to try the Dyson DC25 Ball instead. Kohls let me return the first one (Love Kohls!) and I picked up the D25.

I LOVE IT!! LOVE IT LOVE IT!!! It has ruined me for other vacuums. Its light, so easy to maneuver (even under the kitchen table), works great on all our floors (carpet, hardwood and tile), and is VERY easy to use on the 4 flights of stairs we have. I know that Dyson vacuums are pricey, but this vacuum blows every other one I tried out of the water. And I love that there are no bags or filters or anything else to buy... EVER! Once you decide you want one, just keep a close eye on the sales and you'll be fine. In my opinion, it was totally worth the price.

And let me just share the conversation I had with my husband while we were putting the D25 together:
"Well, I was going to get you a Christmas present, but now you have your Dyson."
"WHAT? A vacuum cleaner does NOT count as a Christmas present!"
"A vacuum cleaner doesn't. But this isn't a vacuum cleaner. Its a Dyson."
What can I say? He's right!!

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this review....  I just love my new vacuum. The above post does have affiliate links, since I'm sure this will convince you to run out and buy one for yourself!!

bath and body works sale!

I LOVE Bath and Body Works Antibacterial Foaming Soap. Even before H1N1 and such, I was a loyal user.  If you came to my house and visited all three of our bathrooms and my kitchen, you would see one on every sink. Its one of the only antibacterial soaps that doesn't leave my skin super dry. And the foaming soap is perfect for my little ones!

My two very,very favorite scents are Japanese Cherry Blossom and Midnight Pomegranate. But my kids bathroom has Sweet Pea in it, because its pink. And you know how my girls are about pink! Its one of those little, tiny indulgences that makes me smile!

Right now, Bath and Body Works is having a sale! All their antibacterial soaps are 3 for $10!! And 4-packs are only $12! Small pocket hand sanitizers are only $1!!! Go forth and stock up!! These make great stocking stuffers and teacher gifts as well!

Disclaimer: I'm just posting this because I love this product. No compensation was received.

products i am loving this week

diva skinny jeans from Old Navy: It actually happened. I found skinny jeans that look great on me. Run. RUN to the store and try them on. Even if you have been badly burned in the past by skinny jeans, give these a try!!

Vera Bradley File Folders - How adorable are these? These would be so fun to pretty up your desk or would make a fabulous gift for a teacher or a new college student! No plain, ugly ivory folders here, thankyouverymuch!

products i am loving this week

I recently upgraded my mismatched, cracked set of bowls for these gorgeous, sleek bowls from Bed Bath and Beyond's Everyday White collection. These bowls are the perfect size, light but solid and great for everyday use! And for only $4/each, you won't freak out when you break one. (Not that I break dishes all the time. Ahem.)

Ann Taylor Loft fall line: The Ruffles. The Layers. The Colors. The Accessories!
I just adore this and this. And THIS!
And must save up to buy this.
(And - don't tell anyone - but I confess to buying this at full price. Me! Bought something at full price! I couldn't resist!!)

Mint Mocha Chip Light Frappuchino. 'Nuff said.