I found the perfect gift – handmade reusable glass straws from Strawesome.

There are many reasons to use a glass straw, including that they’re free of nasty chemicals (BPA, for one) that many plastic straws have, they’re fun to use and may encourage your kiddos to drink healthy drinks, and you’re saving more waste from going into landfills, just to name a few.

Reusable glass straws make an awesome gift for anyone – your sweetheart, Mom, Dad, babysitter, teacher, kids and anyone you may need an economical, fun to use gift for.

Strawesome has short straws, long straws, skinny straws (these fit well into the Starbucks cup and other similar reusable cups), smoothie straws, straws specifically for kids, and more. Strawesome features colorful, fun decorative straws as well as economical plain straws.

My favorite straws are the extra long, skinny straws because they fit perfectly into the reusable cup filled with water that I take everywhere with me. I also love the decorative straws for gifts and to make enjoying any drink (even plain old water with lemon) more festive and fun.

You can also have straws custom made to the length, width, style or any other customization you would like, including engraving.

One of the incredible things I love about this small, family-run business based in Michigan is their replacement policy. If your straw is accidentally broken, Strawesome replaces it for free (you pay shipping). Strawesome has replaced two of my straws – one broke in the dishwasher and one fell off the kitchen counter. I can’t think of too many companies that will replace a product that is accidentally broken.

Strawesome is featuring a special Valentine’s Day set for $34.99 through February 14 that includes (all 8” long) a pink sapphire regular straw, an amethyst smoothie straw, a decorative regular straw and a decorative smoothie straw, as well as a free cleaning brush.

You can purchase Strawesome’s products online at www.strawesome.com and at select retailers.

After a 13+ years PR/communications career, Jamie K. recently took on her most challenging job yet – as a fulltime CFO (chief family officer). Currently, she lives in Alabama with her husband, an officer in the Air Force, and her toddler son and infant daughter. She’s a big fan of deal sites, attempts to be eco-friendly, and struggles daily with the great balancing act of being a super mom.

I am like many crafty people and have a healthy obsession with Pinterest. If you have not been on there, please RUN. Well after Christmas, k? ok. I love having special ornaments on my tree and Love having ones made by my kids. My daughter started making them when she was 2 with just the basic wood ornaments and crayons/markers and glitter paint. I just let her go crazy and cleaned it up later- the next year I just put newspaper under her. My hope is that when my kids have a home, family, or tree of their own, I will be able to send them some to start off.

So I had this project pinned from Pinterest. You can find the original idea here.

I knew I could let my 4 year old do this project while I worked on something else. So we already had the round glass ornaments from a previous project purchased at Michael’s. We had paint to use, and I just grabbed a metallic paint pen during one of our many Walmart runs.

So All we did was drop paint into the glass ornament and let it swirl or shake around. It was pretty thick and gloppy and hard to move around, so I did add a few drops of water to thin it out a bit, and that worked perfect.

My little helper enjoyed shaking her ornament- and she was very careful. She twisted and twirled it around till it was well covered. Then we sat it back into the tray the ornaments came in to dry.

Once it dried, I just took the metallic pen, had to shake it well, and get the paint flowing. I used a scrap piece of paper to check when it was ready. I read the directions on the pen, but assumed I had to keep pushing the tip down while writing to keep the ink flowing. I didn’t. So you can see my “p” is a bit sloppy, but I had it figured out after that. So here is our finished project. It was dry and hanging on the tree by that same afternoon.

My daughter is very proud of her ornament and it so suits her and the point in life we are at. It was definitely enjoyable for the family, though baby brother was sleeping. For his ornament, I may just do his handprint on one of these balls.

Jessica is the mom to two beautiful children, and expecting her third at the end of February. She currently lives in NC and is the founder of the blog, “Begin to Craft”. Check her out here and show some love: http://www.begintocraft.blogspot.com/

Thanks to Mommy B, my 2-year-old son and me (yep, I tasted them) had the opportunity to try several flavors of Gerber’s Graduates Toddler Meals.

The meals are in a convenient box with a microwaveable tray and include selections such as Cheese Ravioli in Tomato Sauce with Mixed Vegetables, Pasta Stars in Meat Sauce with Green Beans and Rice and Turkey in Gravy, among several additional flavors.

My son is a typical toddler. Some days, it’s difficult to get him to eat anything. Other days, all he seems to do is eat. He’s fairly good about trying most foods, even those that include lots of herbs/spices and a touch of heat (like hot sauce – yes, he’s asked for it when he saw Daddy with it and he actually liked it).

After trying many of the flavors offered in the Gerber’s Graduates Toddler Meals line, they will not become a staple in our house like many other Gerber products.

Here’s a quick list of what we liked and didn’t like.

Like

• Good balance of starches, proteins and veggies
• Heats quickly – only 30 seconds
• Generous portion sizes for toddler
• Divider keeps veggies and entrée separate
• Food pieces were appropriate size for a toddler – no additional cutting or smashing necessary

Tomato based pastas, in our opinion, had the best flavor. Many of the other main entrees had an “off” taste and were not appealing to me at all. My son, however, wasn’t as discerning as I am.

Dislike

• The veggies are in what the packaging calls “seasoned water.” We’ve eaten many veggies from a can that’s in a liquid solution and they taste just fine. The veggies in all the meals we tried have a slight chemical-like taste.
• Many of the main entrees also had a high liquid content that didn’t taste very appealing. There’s a lack flavor and several of the meals taste similar. However, this may be a plus for some toddlers who like their food on the bland side.

Although we love many Gerber products, the Graduate Toddler Meals are not among our favorite. They would be a good choice if you need a quick, relatively healthy and balanced meal for your toddler. However, the lack of flavor and somewhat odd taste of some of the foods make them not a good fit for us.

Has your family tried the Graduate Toddler Meals? What do you think about them?

After a 10+ years communications career, Jamie K. recently took on her most challenging job yet – as a fulltime CFO (chief family officer). Currently, she lives in Alabama with her husband, an officer in the Air Force, and her toddler son and infant daughter. She’s a big fan of deal sites, attempts to be eco-friendly, and struggles daily with the great balancing act of being a super mom.

Although products were provided for this review, the opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Dawn Sandomeno and Elizabeth Mascali are entertaining experts, authors of Plan To Party, and founders of The Party Bluprints Blog, they have appeared as featured experts on TV, radio, and in national publications like the Today Show, Martha Stewart Radio, Good Housekeeping, Redbook and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazines. These two moms get it what it means to be a busy mom and that we don’t have unlimited budgets when it comes to gift shopping and hosting Holiday parties. Their approach to gift giving is the same as planning parties: always make it fabulous, but use tricks that save you time and money!

This Holiday season Dawn and Elizabeth teamed up with CheapSally.com to find the best deals for the gifts they recommend in their Holiday Gift Guide. This means that you will find the best deals on the hottest 40 items mentioned in their gift guide, and you will save time and money. They recommend shopping already on Black Friday or Cyber Monday to get the lowest prices of the season.

Best Holiday Tips You Need to Know

See all Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals in One Place
The easiest way to get all Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals is by getting all from one place. Many deals sell out quickly so you need to locate and act on the information fast! Save time and money by visiting CheapSally.com’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday pages, they aggregate all the best deals across the internet for you, offering a one-stop resource for saving.

Gift Trends of 2011
Tech the halls this Holiday season: iPhone, iPod Touch and accessories for them is a hot gift trend. Save money and get more bang for your buck by buying one large tech gift for the family, instead of many larger gifts. Kinect for XBox 360 is popular gift for families this year.

Dawn and Elizabeth also recommend giving gifts that offer double-duty by paying it forward; for example TOMS Shoes donate a pair of shoes for those in need for every pair sold. Check out the hottest gifts for everyone in your list from the Party Bluprint Blog’s Best Holiday Gift Ideas for 2011.

Holiday 2011 Decorating Trends
“Traditional” is trendy and “Retro” is hot, be inspired by a 60’s or 70’s look. Peace signs as accessories on Christmas trees, wreaths, mantles or in any décor are hot for the holidays! Also, less is more this Holiday season, let simplicity shine and try a minimalistic decorating style. The mantle is a great place to start: a few candles and stockings in a monochromatic theme. This makes shopping for decorations easy too and you can get it all done once on Black Friday.

Tips for Holiday Entertaining

Plan your holiday parties properly to make sure also you can enjoy the parties. Making memories for your family, friends and especially the children in your life is a gift you give each guest as a hostess, but you don’t need to sacrifice your own enjoyment to give it.

Make it easy by letting your guests make their own hot drinks by using a single serve coffee maker, like Keurig, in the bar area. Make ahead meals like casseroles are great for holiday entertaining. Or skip the dinner entirely and host a desserts only Holiday party.

Graciously accept guests’ offer to help, this makes many people feel good. Invite them to bring a side dish or dessert or help serve or clear dishes. Enlist the help of teens at the party to watch the little ones for a while so you can join in conversation and eat a hot meal! And don’t forget the entertainment for the kids, like setting up a Wii party with the new Just Dance 3 game.

Whatever you will do – remember that the Holidays are all about the family and spending time together!

This is a sponsored guest post. The opinions expressed in this post are not my own, however I endorse the above message and would not post it if I didn’t feel that it was a resourceful message on Holiday Tips.

Thanks to MommyB, I also got a chance to step up my yoga mat. I’d been using the same one day after day for who knows how long, and I didn’t realize how worn out it had become until I unfurled my new Northern Lights mat from Aurorae Yoga.

Measuring 72″ long x 24″ wide, the Aurorae mat is about four inches longer than a standard mat, which doesn’t seem like much but makes a difference: I’m no longer having to hop back throughout a DVD or class so that my hands stay on the mat. Similarly, the 5 mm thickness seems incrementally cushier than normal mats but the difference is undeniable. My knees, creaky old things that don’t like repeated contact with cold floors, no longer scream after a session. And where I was once uncomfortably aware of my sit-bones and the base of my neck during the relaxation phase at the end of a session, I’m now supported and comfortable, and able to actually let go.

The mat’s thickness and grip make it much easier to really dig in your fingers and toes to support your weight, and slipping is minimal.

So strictly based on performance, we have a winner in the Aurorae mat… but wait! There’s more! The Northern Lights model also scores big points for aesthetics and eco-friendliness.

Mimicking the serenely undulating dance of the aurora borealis (but also echoing the recent ombre craze that’s been happening, at least in my mind), the Northern Lights mats come in five richly toned colors and no two mats are exactly the same. The colors are identified with certain characteristics, so that you can choose a mat that signifies the qualities you want to evoke/boost with your workout. The top of the mat is strategically emblazoned with Aurorae’s logo to create a point of focus, to aid with balance (brilliant). And in spite of its extra length and thickness, it easily rolls tight and is not noticeably heavier than my old mat.

Aurorae mats are made from PER Eco Safe material, and are biodegradable and phthalate-free. There was none of that wretched plastic off-gassing odor when I opened the package. I still flipped it over the clothesline to let it relax and air out, but I didn’t feel like I had to, to avoid breathing in chemicals.

Basically, I’ve learned that a good mat is essential to really getting the most from your yoga workout, and post-workout relaxation poses. I feel like I can perform the poses better and hold them longer without straining or slipping. The fact that the mats are eco-conscious, pretty, affordable and from a company that appears to really appreciate its customers? Incredibly awesome and totally welcome bonuses.

Aurorae Yoga supplies are sold through Amazon and ship for free when spending more than $25. Add it to your wish list today!

Disclosure: I received an Aurorae yoga mat to review; no other compensation was received. This mat was put through the paces of many hours of Rodney Yee DVDs and YMCA yoga sessions; therefore all thoughts and opinions are thorough, honest, and entirely my own.

Robin Elton is a real food advocate, wilderness champion and Honey Badger Mom of three. She blogs about the life non-toxic, the restorative benefits of the outdoors, and the power of play at simple. green. organic. happy.

Cloth diapers enthusiasts will tell you that you need a detergent specifically formulated for cloth diapers that doesn’t contain optical brighteners, phosphates and other chemicals that can increase the likelihood that your diapers may experience odor or stain issues.

I’ve tried several cloth diaper detergents and believe some work better for us than others because of the hard water we have in the South where I live.

I recently tried Ruby Moon Cloth Diaper Detergent for the first time, and overall, it seems to work well.

With the help of my co-tester, my 3 month old daughter, we washed several loads of soiled cloth diapers using Ruby Moon in the summer lemonade scent.

The scent is very strong when you smell it straight out of the bag. Almost too citrusy – reminds me of kitchen cleaner. However, the scent it leaves in your clothing is almost non-existent (a good thing).

The detergent did a fairly good job of removing the urine and waste. I didn’t notice any lingering odors, although staining remained (more than with some cloth detergents I’ve tried) on the cloth inserts that my daughter had a bowel movement in. However, this is very common, especially with exclusively breastfed babies like my daughter.

The simple fix for that is to place the clean, wet diapers or inserts in the sun. The sun is miraculous – it will remove most, if not all, stains. Even if you don’t cloth diaper, try “sunning” any clothing you have with stains.

Ruby Moon Cloth Detergent is all natural and does not contain phosphates, enzymes, optical brighteners, fabric softener or soap, which is good for the diapers/inserts and my baby’s skin.

I also tried Ruby Moon’s Wipe Bits, which I am now in love with. You take the small cube, drop it in hot water and let it melt. Small “chunks” remained and never completely dissolved, but when you swirl it around, you’re left with a silky, luxurious-feeling liquid that you can use as a wipe solution or to simply clean up any mess on you or your child’s skin. Trust me – you’ll want to use them yourself. I don’t like heavy scents or fragrances because they trigger my allergies, but Ruby Moon’s Wipe Bits have a light, refreshing scent of milk, oatmeal and honey.

Overall, I’m quite pleased with the Ruby Moon products and I would purchase them for our cloth diapering needs, particularly the heavenly Wipe Bits.

You can find Ruby Moon online at www.diaperparties.com/andream or on Facebook: Diaper Parties by Andrea or email Andrea at: andream@diaperparties.com

Although products were provided by Diaper Parties by Andrea for this review, the opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way.

After a 10+ years communications career, Jamie K. recently took on her most challenging  job yet – as a full-time CFO (chief family officer). Currently, she lives in Alabama with her husband, an officer in the Air Force, and her toddler son and newborn daughter. 

In the digital world, filled with social media platforms, it is a blessing to be able to stay connected. Being friends on Facebook or following each other on Twitter is a great way to stay connected and just like any relationship, a friendship takes effort. Of course you have to make yourself available, but being interactive with your friends is essential.

Here are 10 ideas to be a better friend in a digital world.

1. Create laughter by sending YouTube videos that remind your friends of memories, fun songs, funny videos that make you think of her.

2. Remind them of your friendship by emailing goofy pictures of you and your family to let her know you still are you even though you are far away.

3. Be thoughtful by sending surprises via snail mail for no particular reason.

4. Plan get-togethers by visiting each other often. Even if it is an occasional girls lunch, or night out. If you can be together, make it a priority, (don’t forget to compliment her on something or bring a small gift.)

5. Hear each others voice by setting up time for all of your girlfriends to log on to google+ to share a glass of wine or morning cup of coffee via web cam. Call on the phone just to say a knock knock joke.

6. Communicate and bond by trying to find something in common that you have of interest today with each other. Whether it is your old college sports teams or the latest episode of Dancing with the Stars, watch it and talk about it.

7. Never grow-up by playing madlibs or silly games randomly. Play games that remind them of fun times together too.

8. Talk about abstract things by reading the same book and talking about it when you get together. Share thoughts and start conversations.

9. Be competative buy similar phones so you can play “words with friends”, “tetris”, or “scrabble” with your smart phones together.

10. Keep it real by remembering to go all out for special days in their life. Don’t just leave a 2 worded message on Facebook or text them, make it seem like their special days are special for you too.

It is hard to stay truly connected in a crazy world. With connections and a number of online platforms.  We can battle the crazy schedules, sickness, and work but only with intention can relationships fully grow. Be an intended friend today!

Elizabeth Norton, is a former party planner by trade now turned mom, wife, and so much more. She owns a birthday party ideas site called Party Planning Professor. Elizabeth Norton is currently writing an ebook on how to throw a princess party. You can follow Elizabeth on twitter @Elizabeth_N.

Life lessons from a six-month-old:

Don’t wish infanthood [childhood] away.

*E’s mom has mentioned it several times. I vaguely remember it myself. All the late-night feedings, unpredictability, and most of all, the sheer amount of packing that is required to transport an infant anywhere is overwhelming. When you’re exhausted you think, “Goodness, I can’t wait until s/he can ____.”

I have literally watched E go from doing things he couldn’t do the day before to doing them like a champ. Like sit up unassisted. He is now starting to crawl. It is amazing to watch. I barely remember my own children reaching these milestones.

Now that my own children are becoming increasingly more self-sufficient, I don’t want to miss anything. I won’t say that I haven’t wished time would speed up when one of the tweens is having an attitude, but I am doing my best to enjoy the last few years of childhood we have left.

Keep a journal.

Take pictures and videos. Write in a spiral notebook. Develop a website. Whatever you can get your hands on, write down/document the things the baby has done that day. I had good intentions with each of my children, with most of the documentation starting with my oldest. I thought I would remember everything.

I didn’t.

I started writing a blog when my boys were preschool-aged. While I now have those precious memories, a lot of things that happened prior to that are gone. I have probably taken more pictures of E in the last two months than of own children in the last year.

None of my children want to be written about online anymore, so it’s all private now, but I still do it, and grab a snapshot when I can. Clearly, relying on my memory is not an option.

Enjoy each day. Even the crappy ones.

Like most Type-A personalities, I give myself a to-do list every day. It is typically more than I can ever accomplish, but I wake up optimistic. However, E has taught me that while some things can’t be ignored – we need clean clothes, hot food, and clean dishes — other things can wait. The dusting, the ironing, or painting the laundry room can wait. Why not take an hour to giggle over the dogs? Or play with a ball?

Or make silly faces with each other?

I always thought it was important to get the work done and then play. And while my OCD tendencies keep me itching at times, I am getting better at ignoring it for the greater good. For example, this past Saturday, I had planned a full day of writing and editing. But my twelve-year-old read in the local paper that there was a Civil War battle reenactment nearby. As much as I needed to get some work done, I took them to the reenactment.

The work was waiting on me when we returned home. No one was hurt or inconvenienced. (That I am currently aware.)

“Nap when the baby naps.”

Everyone has heard this adage. Just do it. A power nap never hurt anyone. Whether there are babies in the house or not.

There are many more little life lessons that E has shown me every day that I have him. He will forever hold a special place in my heart, not only because he is absolutely adorable, but because he showed me how precious life is.

*Name withheld for personal reasons.

Heather spends her days (and many late nights) trying to meet the demands of life as a wife, mother, and writer. She blogs about nothing in particular at Cool and Hip, I am Not and is occasionally spotted on Twitter @coolandhip.

I’ll admit, I’ve said it a few times.

But recently, I found myself calling out a whole list of names when I wanted to get my 2-year-old’s attention because he was, once again, doing something he shouldn’t. The list included my daughter’s name and our two dogs (who have human names).

That’s when I realized, I was like my mother.

Mothers can be overprotective, like when they tell you to stop jumping on the bed or you’ll hurt yourself. Or when they insist that you tell them where you’re going and when you’ll be home.

They seem like they’re constantly nagging sometimes, like when they tell you to always be nice to others if you want them to be nice to you. Or to clean up your room and you might find that toy you’ve been looking for. And of course, there’s always the ominous threat, “You’re in trouble when your father gets home.”

These common “mom sayings” are just a few of the ones you likely heard growing up.

My son is only 2 and I’ve already found myself saying some of the traditional mommyisms. And when I think back to the situations where my mom said similar phrases, which she did because of how much she really cared, I realize that it’s not so bad being like mom.

What have you said or done that makes you realize you’re like your mom? What are some traits or habits you display to your children that you hope they’ll look back on and realize they’re like you?

After a 10+ years communications career, Jamie K. recently took on her toughest job yet – as a full-time CFO (chief family officer). Currently, she lives in Alabama with her husband, an officer in the Air Force, and her toddler son and newborn daughter, who are her toughest bosses yet.

Photo courtesy of Cea’s via Flickr Creative Commons, they do not personally endorsed this post or this website.

As a frequent road tripper, I’ve compiled a list of tips on how to have an enjoyable road trip with your family:

1. Pack Wisely – You’ll be spending a lot of time in your car, so keep it comfortable. Pack the luggage in the back or on top. Leave room for the things you’ll need and want close by in the passenger section. This isn’t the type of trip where you want to be packed in like a sardine.

2. Download Music – Come on and admit it, you sing in the car. So why not have your family join in? Download favorite songs for every member of the family and take turns listening to them and singing along.

3. Play Games – Bring along travel size games. Find odd color cars. Pack pens, markers, and paper. Travel trays make it easier for your children to make use of games and crafts. Just leave the noisy toys at home for everyone’s sanity.

4. Pace Yourself – Take time to stop and see the sights. Even if you have a deadline for your drive time, stop to let the kids run around, for you to hold the baby and to take some photos. If you have more time, stay overnight in a motel and enjoy a swim in the pool, or a side trip.

5. Take Food – Bring along lots of snacks and drinks. A cooler works well to organize and keep them cold. Don’t forget napkins, wipes and hand sanitizer.

6. Souvenir Shopping – You don’t need to go to a tourist trap or spend a lot of money, instead pick up something at a gas station or a shop near a restaurant. Place a limit on the amount of money you’ll spend. You can even use this as a reward for good behavior. Bribery does work!

7. Talk and Talk Some More – Discuss what you’ll be doing on your trip to get the conversation started. Ask open ended questions of your quiet tweens and teens. Let you toddler babble away. Soak it all in. You can even video this special time for your memories later on.

8. Surprise Gifts – Buy some things before you start your trip and wrap them to give to your children when the going gets rough. Think dollar item toys, DVDs, coloring books, and iTunes gift cards.

9. Restaurant Choices – Let the children choose the place to eat, within limits. Give them a few choices that fit your budget and the type of food your family prefers. If you have more than one child, let one choose for lunch and one choose for dinner, or one chooses one day and the other chooses the next day.

10. Have Patience – Sitting in a vehicle for long periods of time can be tough for some children, no matter the age. Being more patient and tolerant will make things go much smoother for everyone concerned. A road trip isn’t the time for punishment or too much scolding. If you use the tips provided, you’ll help prevent the need for either.

Hopefully, these tips for a fun family road trip will stop your children from whining and complaining. And you won’t hear the dreaded, “When will we get there?” or “I’m bored!”

What are some activities or tips that you use for a family road trip?

Connie Roberts is best known as @ConnieFoggles. Her blog Brain Foggles, focuses on parenting, social causes, and being an advocate for her daughter, who has multiple medical conditions.

Photo courtesy of Cea’s via Flickr Creative Commons, they do not personally endorsed this post or this website.