Holiday Gift Guide: Joseph Nogucci IRIS Bead & Charm Bracelet Review

Every holiday season, I easily purchase gifts for the entire family, but there is one person I always save for last. Finding a great gift for my mom is always difficult and I struggle with it every single year. This year, however, I found the perfect gift for her. Joseph Nogucci IRIS glass bead and charm bracelets are so beautiful and can be customized to your own liking. Plus, they are absolutely beautiful!

Rebecca Glass Bead

My mom and I both love jewelry, so when I read about the Joseph Nogucci bracelets, I couldn't wait to receive one. On the website, customers have the option to buy complete bracelets, which come with either 5 charms or 5 beads, or they can create their own! The IRIS Lampwork Glass Beads on the bracelet are beautifully handcrafted blown glass, giving each of them a shiny and unique look that is surely eye-catching. The charms come in both silver and rhodium and the band comes in your choice of a silver European clasp or a genuine leather double-wrap.

As soon as my package came in the mail, I tore it open to reveal a gorgeous bracelet complete with glass beads and charms. I was able to pick my favorite colors, blue, purple and green, which fit perfectly together along-side the silver charms. When picking out your charms and beads on the website, you can tell how pretty they are, but seeing the finished product is even more beautiful and breathtaking! My favorite of the beads is the Rebecca, a blue and white Murano inspired glass lampwork bead that just shines and shines when light hits it. My favorite charm is the Annette Rhodium charm, a triangular shaped charm that resembles a Celtic design.

Another thing I love about this bracelet is the clasp. It's different from all the other jewelry I own and is so much easier to put on myself without help. Instead of having to hold the clasp open with one hand, one side of the bracelet easily fits into the clasp and shuts around it.

European Clasp

All of the beads fit together and make a truly unique bracelet that my mom will be able to wear and enjoy for many years to come. I wish buying her presents were this easy every year! Be sure to check out the Joseph Nogucci website for great selection of jewelry. Complete IRIS bead and charm bracelets retail for $109 or you can make your own by purchasing a starter band for $40 and individual charms/beads at $13 each.

Disclosure: This post was written for Joseph Nogucci and a product was received for review purposes. No other compensation was provided. All opinions expressed are my own.

Holiday Gift Guide: Aveeno Mommy & Me Gift Set Review & Giveaway

As an Aveeno ambassador, we've had the opportunity to try out some of the most amazing products over this past year. I've loved absolutely everything tried so far and couldn't wait to receive the Aveeno Mommy and Me Gift Set. So many sets of baby products just contain items for baby, but this one is especially wonderful because mom and baby both receive a variety of great Aveeno products.

About the Aveeno Mommy & Me Gift Set
Aveeno Baby products contain natural oat and are formulated to provide daily care for baby's skin. This set includes a special bonus just for mom! The Aveeno Mommy & Me Gift Set includes a cute reusable canvas box and contains:

For Baby:

• Aveeno Baby Baby Wash & Shampoo
• Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Lotion
• Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Lotion
• Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Bath
• Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Diaper Rash Cream

For Mom:

• Aveeno Stress Relief Moisturizing Lotion
• Aveeno Stress Relief Body Wash

Our Thoughts
My youngest son, Liam, was a preemie at birth and, ever since, he has been very sensitive to things in his environment. Liam has always had very sensitive skin and so many products break out his skin and even cause hives. Of course, I only want the best for my little man, which is why I thought of Aveeno brand products. I remember my own mom buying the Aveeno Oatmeal Bath when I had chicken pox as a child and it worked wonders to relieve the itchiness and redness, so I was excited to try out all the Aveeno Baby products.

I have used the Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Diaper Rash Cream for years now and completely stand by its ability to get rid of redness and soreness for baby's heiny. The Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Bath and Lotion smell so delicious with their lavender and vanilla scents, and are perfect for babies, especially those with sensitive skin like Liam. The Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Lotion is also great for sensitive skin because it is hypoallergenic and fragrance-free and does wonders to keep skin so soft!

I love that Aveeno products use only high-quality natural ingredients and I think this is one of the reason Aveeno doesn't break out Liam's skin and, in fact, keeps his skin soft, clean and moisturized. We try to only use all-natural products and that's why so many Aveeno products, from shampoos to make-up, can be found in my bathroom. My all-time favorite product is the Aveeno Clean Complexion BB Creme, which works not only as a foundation, but also protects skin with a 30 SPF and moisturizes skin. I'd never tried the Aveeno Stress Relief Moisturizing Lotion or Body Wash before, but now I know why this is a must-have for all moms. Using the body wash and then the lotion as a combination keep my skin feeling so soft. Plus, I am a huge lavender fan, which is known for its relaxing and healing properties, along with chamomile, ylang-ylang and colloidal oatmeal. After a long day I especially need some relaxing time to myself and these two products work wonders to help me calm down and get ready for sleep.

As you can tell, the Aveeno Mommy & Me Gift Set was a huge hit! This would make for a perfect holiday or baby shower for a new or soon-to-be mom! Retailing at only $29.99, this set is also very affordable.
Now that you've heard all about this great gift set....

Are You Ready For A Giveaway?

One Lucky Children Teaching Mama and Happenings of the Harper Household Reader Will Win An Aveeno Mommy & Me Gift Set!

Holiday Gift Guide: Ornaments With Love Personalized Ornament Review & Giveaway

Each year we look forward to the weekend after Thanksgiving because that's when we start decorating our home for Christmas! This has become a tradition for us and is so much fun for the entire family. Over the years, we've collected ornaments of all kinds- some the kids have picked out, others have been in our family for much longer, 1st Christmas ornaments, yearly birthday ornaments and much more. My favorites, without a doubt, are the ones we have received from Ornaments With Love. These beautiful personalized ornaments are a hit with the entire family and have become keepsakes for us. This holiday season we had the opportunity to work with them again and couldn't wait to pick out something new!

About Ornaments With Love

Ornaments with Love is a company run by a family that has been in the retail gifts business for over 50 years. For the past 16 years, we have taken our experience and applied it to selling personalized Christmas ornaments in Connecticut and Washington, DC area malls, 6 years on the Internet. Be sure to view our catalog of 2000+ Personalized Christmas Ornaments.

Our Thoughts
Every other year we have opted for personalized hanging ornaments for our Christmas tree, so this year I thought we'd do something a little different. I picked out the Personalized Tabletop Frame Christmas Ornament with a Snow-woman! I thought this would be a great surprise from Grandma because there was enough room to include our names... all 11 of them! We took a great family photo recently I thought this would be perfect to display inside this adorable frame. Complete with the snow-woman, I  knew this would be a great present for Grandma and something she would cherish, too.

The frame came in the mail wrapped up perfectly and looked even better than I imagined, all ready to place a photo and put on display for everyone to see. This is such a wonderful frame and I know it will be one of the annual decorations that will be brought out to display. What I truly love about Ornaments With Love is that they not only make for great keepsakes, but are also perfect as gifts for friends and family members. Plus, the prices are more than affordable. The picture frame we received retails at only $24.00 and many of the ornaments are priced around $12!

Ready For Your Chance To Win?

One Lucky Children Teaching Mama and Happenings of the Harper Household Reader Will Win Their Choice of A Personalized Ornament From Ornaments With Love!

Build-A-Bear Workshop Clarice Review & $25 GC Giveaway - 2 Winners!

For years I've heard about Build-A-Bear Workshop from my niece and nephew. They love all of their animals, so earlier this year we went for the first time! The boys had such a great time creating their new teddy bears and, since then, we've been back several times. Each time is so much fun and it honestly never gets old! When I heard about their new line of holiday celebration stuffed animals, I couldn't wait to get one for myself. This holiday season, children can make their very own Rudolph, Clarice, Frosty the Snowman, Santa or Merry Mouse. You can also purchase them on the Build-A-Bear Workshop webpage!

We received the Merry & Bright Clarice for our review and she is absolutely adorable! This little reindeer came delivered complete and ready for Christmas with her Red & Green Polka Dot Dress, red bloomers, red bow glitter flats and a red bell collar. Plus, our very favorite feature is that her heart lights up at the press of a button! She is the perfect addition to our holiday decor and will be perfect sitting out with our Christmas tree and stockings.

You can purchase Clarice for only $58 on the website, which includes her entire outfit or you can purchase just Clarice without the outfit for $25. The kids now want the matching Rudolph, so I think we will have to get it, too. Just like the story goes, Rudolph's nose lights up! I can tell Clarice will be a family member for quite a long time because she is not only cute, but also very well made. She will definitely be able to keep up with my boys and their rough play! You can tell from the pictures above that she has already been played with and loved on very much, yet Clarice still looks just as nice as the day we received her.

To help celebrate the holiday season, we are offering our readers a chance to win thanks to Build-A-Bear Workshop!

Ready For A Giveaway?

Two readers from Children Teaching Mama and Happenings of the Harper Household will receive $25 gift cards to use online or in-store! 

Holiday Gift Guide: HALO giggleBaby SleepSack Review & Giveaway

“HALO Innovations became the standard for hospital nurseries and parents alike. In fact, 1,000 hospital nurseries use the HALO SleepSack Swaddle instead of blankets through the HALO Safer Way to Sleep Initiative. That is 1.5 million births getting first-hand, in-hospital experience with the HALO SleepSack Swaddle and safe sleep practices! Modeling safe sleep practices for parents in the hospital is the key to safer sleep practices at home.  HALO Innovations also offers free Safe Sleep Practices kits to childbirth educators to help further the cause of SIDS prevention.”

Last month was SIDS Awareness Month, and I wrote a post about how HALO Innovations is working to make sleep safer for babies and toddlers.  HALO also partnered with us to promote their Facebook “LIKE” campaign, where they donated $1 for every new “LIKE” during October.  Throughout last month, they were able to donate $15,000 to organizations that promote safe sleep education with all of your new likes!

In our home, we are big fans of HALO SleepSacks.  Baby Ezra was even HALO’s Baby of the Week back in September (in the photo he was 1 day old!)

HALO has been working to place SleepSacks in more stores for easier access to moms and babes.  Their newest line, part of the giggleBABY Shop at JCPenney, is now available exclusively in select JCPenney stores across the US.

To launch the new giggleBABY line, we were able to try out one of JCPenney’s brand new HALO designs- the giggleBABY HALO SleepSack Microfleece Wearable Blanket in Cream Sheep.

With winter and Christmas coming up, we LOVE our microfleece SleepSacks!  As always, HALO has a soft, safe, warm product that we can enjoy with Ezra.  The SleepSack is made as an alternative to traditional blankets in the crib, allowing baby to stay warm while safely keeping the blanket below the face and mouth.  It’s perfect to slip over a onesie or thin jammies, to snuggle in for the night while knowing that no blankets will occlude Ezra’s airways.

HALO even took the time to create a zipper that opens from the bottom, away from baby’s face, for maximum comfort and easy diaper changes.  Sometimes it even allows for diaper changes that don’t wake up baby!

You can follow HALO on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to keep up-to-date with all of their new products and tips for safe sleep.

Ezra wants you to know that SleepSacks make an amazing Christmas gift for those littles that are still too small to enjoy toys yet but still deserve a wonderful gift.  He said that they make the perfect warm, snuggly, and safe present for under the tree.  He also told me that HALO would like to give one away to our awesome readers. 

Ready For A Giveaway?

One Lucky Reader Will Receive Their Own HALO giggleBaby SleepSack! 

Yala Designs- Comfort Meets Fashion Review & $50 Gift Card Giveaway

This review review was written by Danielle from Happenings of the Harper Household for our annual Holiday Gift Guide event.

Babies don’t care what their clothing looks like, but they do care what it feels like.  Don’t believe me?  Well maybe they can’t tell you in actual words but their facial expressions and body language speaks loud and clear.  My girls have never been happy in clothing with stiff collars – I will never understand who’s bright idea it was to put collars on baby pajamas. Oh and baby dresses with all the ruffles, lace, and itchy netted material that makes the dress look poofy – Easter is like torture for babies!  And so I listen to my babies and put them in clothing that is super comfortable which is what they want and that is super cute… because what mom doesn’t want their kid to look adorable?  I’m so excited to share a company that has the comfy and cute all wrapped in one – Yala Designs.

Willow received the BambooDreams Bateau Set in Paradise Chevron, but it is also available in five other colors/patterns including boy and gender neutral options.  In fact, we might need to get a few more sets!

I absolutely love chevron and so when I saw these pants I practically died from the cute, hehe.  And since chevron can be a bit “loud” when there is too much I love that Yala paired the pants with a solid long sleeved shirt.  After digesting how cute this set was the next thing I noticed was the softness of the fabric which is 95% Viscose from Bamboo and 5% Spandex.  It’s the kind of soft that you just want to rub against your face and snuggle with til you fall asleep….. or you could dress your baby in it like it’s intended to be, hehe.  Not only is the material amazing because of how soft it is, but also because it is organically grown in sustainably managed forests.

It was quite obvious that Willow was very comfortable in her BambooDreams Bateau Set because she was only focused on playing.  If something is irritating her skin she will mess around with it til she gets it off.  Willow has literally mastered the art of taking off her clothes at only fourteen months old, but she almost didn’t even seem aware she had clothing on.  This could be due to the fact that the bamboo material is so silky soft that it almost feels weightless against your skin.  

Willow was so comfy that she even took her first two steps unassisted while wearing this outfit today!  And after she was done playing she fell asleep and took a nice long nap – comfy enough for play and sleep!

I definitely want to get Willow a bunch more BambooDreams clothing. Luckily Yala Designs carries a large selection including onesies, blankets, dresses, crib sheets, beanies, and more.  Plus they even have clothing for men and women as well as for the bed and bath.  I would love to have an outfit just as comfy as Willow’s…. yup, I’m a tad jealous, hehe.

If you would love to feel just how soft this bamboo is I suggest entering the giveaway below.  One lucky Happenings of the Harper Household reader is going to win a $50 gift card to Yala Designs!  And if you plan to go shopping be sure to use the coupon code “HOUSEHOLD20” which will get you 20% off now through December 3rd 2013. Good luck!

Ready For A Giveaway

One Lucky Reader Will Receive a $50 Yala Designs Gift Card! 

Holiday Gift Guide : Be You With Lottie Doll This Christmas & Giveaway

This review was written my Danielle from Happenings of the Harper Household for our Holiday Gift Guide Event. 

I married into an awesome family- one that values each person and will be there for you no matter what, just because you are family. While I love them dearly, those silly people left me with little chance to birth a baby girl (the last girl born in the family was 60+ years ago!). Good thing I love my boys to the moon and back anyway! So when I had the chance to review a Lottie doll by Arklu, I was a bit out of my element. But when I looked into Lottie further, I knew that this was the doll I would want my own little girl to have (and by the way, my boys LOVED her too).

Meet Lottie, a wholesome doll alternative for girls aged 3-9 with a correctly proportioned body (except for her head) and childlike features (no makeup, high heels, or jewelry, and she can literally and figuratively stand on her own feet). She’s all about letting girls be girls, doing all the activities a child would do, not growing up too quickly, and presenting a healthy view on body image. Lottie embraces the idea that girls can be strong, smart, bold, and powerful, and can essentially do anything a boy counterpart can do in life. In other words, she encourages girls to Be Bold, Be Brave, Be You.

We received a Pirate Queen Lottie to try out at home and see how great she was. And, can I say, I was impressed! The first thing I noticed when I took Lottie out of her box was how different she felt in my hands than a traditional Barbie or Bratz doll. Her skin and hair were much softer, her feet were flat, and she was just over 7 inches tall. She had more of a straight waist, a flat chest, her knees were bendable, and her hips were an actual ball-and-

socket joint. Plus, she comes in a cute, re-usable doll box bag with handles to carry her and her accessories around in.

We also received an extra outfit for Lottie- the gymnast Raising the Bar outfit. I loved how many accessories there were, and my boys had a blast dressing her up with all of the different accessories. Everything was made of brightly colored materials, easy to put on, and had lots of attention to all of the small details. I also noticed that all of Lottie’s clothes were pretty modest compared to some other dolls currently on the market, and that’s something we value in our family.

Reese spent a lot of time playing with Lottie’s soft Saran nylon hair, and attaching different pieces to her outfit like bows, award medals, and pirate logos. Aiden enjoyed trying the different outfits on Lottie and posing her differently around the living room. In fact, Lottie was so much fun for them that they ended up fighting over her and we had to set up a timer system. Boys…

Lottie is available globally in 14 different countries including the US, and can be found on Amazon.com, the Lottie website, or your local neighborhood toy store (in 2014). She has won 15 awards in the US, UK, and Canada, and has the approval of many industry and child development experts.

Lottie dolls make a fun Christmas gift and are affordable with a price of $19.99 per doll and just $9.99 for each accessory kit. You can choose from a variety of smart and savvy professions, outfits, and activities such as Robot Girl Lottie, Butterfly Protector Lottie, Kawaii Karate Lottie, Girls United outfit (soccer), Body Boarder outfit, Raspberry Ripple outfit, Sweet Dreams outfit (pajamas), and even Biscuit the Beagle or Seren the Welsh Mountain Pony accessories set.

Ready for a giveaway? 

Arklu has offered to give one lucky reader a Lottie doll and an additional outfit. Enter the giveaway below and remember to Be Bold, Be Brave, Be You!

Holiday Gift Guide: Eye-Fi Mobi SD Card Makes Transferring Photos Easier Than Ever

Disclosure: A product was received in exchange for a review. No other compensation was provided and all opinions are my own.

At only four years old, I remember carrying around an old 110 camera, snapping pictures of my family. So much has changed since the 80s and photo-taking is no limited to film. I have always loved taking photos and have picture books pretty much documenting my entire life, but now that I a parent and can take photos with my digital camera as well as my phone, you wouldn't believe how many photos I take on a daily basis! Just recently, on our Disney trip, I took over 500 pictures. No joke!

I have to admit that there are two downfalls to taking photos. Every time I take a great photo on my digital camera, be it of a sunset or of my kiddos, I can't wait to post it on my blog or on social media for everyone to see. However, it's a bit of a process because I have to take the SD card out of my camera, insert it in my laptop (which isn't always with me, unfortunately), download onto the computer and then upload the photos online. Secondly, if I do take a photo with my phone, the quality is always lacking and pixilated. If you enjoy taking photos like me, I am sure you can relate!

A typical blurry photo taken with my smartphone with low lighting and little detail.

What if there was a product that bypassed all of this work to post quality photos online or to message them to friends and family? 

Well, there now is an amazing product, the Eye-Fi Mobi SD Card, that makes transferring photos easier than ever before and I couldn't wait to give it a try.

What exactly does it do? Many of us love our social media these days. From blogs to Facebook and Twitter to Instagram, I love posting photos and do it often. I mentioned above that my phone doesn't take the best photos and it really lacks the quality my Canon Rebel photos have. I really dislike having to post mediocre photos, but I don't have to do this anymore! The Mobi SD card allows you to instantly transfer your best photos and videos from a camera to a smartphone or tablet! It completely cuts out that lengthy process, giving you the ability to bypass the middleman, aka your computer.

How does it work? What makes this SD card so unique is that it does not require a wireless network. I've heard bad things about other SD cards that work on a wireless network, mainly that they suck your battery life and the user often receives error messages. However, Mobi has its very own WiFi, so it can work anywhere you are. You install the free Eye-Fi App on your smartphone or tablet, which connects the card.

So, I went online to install the free app and found that it was readily available in the Apple App Store, Google Play and the Amazon Apps, making it accessible for just about any device. I easily installed it on my iPad and then on my phone. Once installed, you just enter the access code that is included in the Mobi SD Card package. Once you get that set up, you are ready to put the SD card in your camera!

A great photo taken with my camera and transferred to my phone via my Mobi SD Card!

Once my phone and iPad were connected to the card, I was ready to take some photos. As soon as I took a new photo, it is detected by the Mobi SD Card, which is triggered to transfer it immediately to your phone. Once the new content is transferred, the card disconnects from its WiFi! This feature is what completely saves battery life and one of the reasons I think the Mobi is so awesome. Not to mention, you can switch off the WiFi completely to use it as a regular SD card, BUT beware! If you do this, when you switch it back on, all of the photos you took will then be transferred, which may take a while, especially if you take as many photos as I do. I don't plan on turning mine off, though, so this shouldn't be an issue.

Once the photos are transferred to my phone, they show up on my camera roll and, from there, I can edit and show off. In no time at all, I was able to share beautiful quality photos with friends and family from my phone. No more low-lighted, blurry or pixilated photos will be shared anymore and it's so easy!

Another reason I love the Eye-Fi Mobi SD card is the price point. We received the 8gb, which retails at the affordable price of $49.99! Cards with more memory and features are also available and range in price up to $99.99. I think this would be such a great holiday gift idea for just about anyone. Parents and photographers alike would enjoy this product.

Disclosure: A product was received in exchange for a review. No other compensation was provided and all opinions are my own.