Oko Creations Gift Certificate Giveaway

What is Oko Creations? They are a Canadian family business that uses only the best eco-friendly textiles to make maternity, baby, and other care products. These textiles include organic cotton, hemp, organic merino wool an recycled polyester.  They use reusable and durable products including their tags on their products, packaging and shipping materials, and business cards and advertisements.  

I love how their products are high quality and so cute! Here are some of the awesome products they have, enter now through July 20, 2013 for a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate.  

1) Baby
For Oko Creations baby products, you can find bibs, changing pads, cloth diaper liners, bibs, and more.  I love the products made from Hemp and Merino Wool which adds such comfort and durability.

Hemp baby wipes

This set of 5 wipes are perfect for changing dirty diapers or can be used for bathing.  One side of the wipes is soft and the other is textured to help clean your little one and still provide comfort.  I love how durable the hemp is and the colorful outlines that come in blue, red, green, yellow, and purple.

Organic cotton hooded towel

Merino wool baby mittens

These mittens are my favorite! They are made from merino wool and have velcro around the bottom to keep in the baby's warmth.  These mittens are so soft and are great for the cold winters and to prevent the baby from scratching his/her face.

2) Women

In Oko Creation's women's section, I absolutely love their hemp diaper bags which are super stylish and fun.  You can also find nursing pads and sanitary pads made from breathable and washable fabrics. 

Hemp diaper bag

Merino wool nursing pads

During lactation, you can go through tons of nursing pads.  These nursing pads from Oko Creations are perfect to have, not only are they reusable and eco-friendly, they are waterproof, breathable, durable, soft, and absorbent. This pack of 6 includes 4 hemp compresses and 2 wool barrier pads to allow you the comfort you need in nursing pads.  

Full set of pads

3) Care Products
Ontop of their great baby and women's products, you can also find care products like makeup headbands (so cute), washcloths, and handkerchiefs.


Enter with Rafflecopter below:
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Intelligender Test to tell your baby's gender at 10 weeks

When I saw the Intelligender kit online, I got really excited thinking maybe once and for all we can determine the baby's gender.  Quick recap.... I had two ultrasounds that said our baby was a little girl, next ultrasound we were told we were having a boy!  I was so excited to get my Intelligender kit in the mail and it was so easy and nice to use from home.

The Intelligender Gender Prediction Test can show your baby's gender as little as 10 weeks pregnant.  The kit comes with two main pieces, 1) the actual test - labelled boy and girl 2) syringe to collect and insert your urine into the test.

6 Easy Steps to Determine the Baby's Gender:

1) Collect first morning's urine in clean container
2) Remove the sticky tab from test jar
3) Use syringe to pull 20 ml's of urine, insert into exposed hole in test jar
4) Swirl around for 10 seconds
5) Place test on flat surface for 5 minutes
6) Read your test at 5 minute mark and match the color to the boy or girl color chart.

Look at what the Intelligender test revealed... It's a BOY!!!

I'm so excited to confirm our baby's gender.  I would have used this kit earlier in my pregnancy if I could have and it was so fast and easy to use.  Online pricing is $27.99 and 2+ kits are $24.47 each.

Feel free to check out and follow Intelligender on their social media sites:
http://www.intelligenderblog.com
http://www.facebook.com/intelligender
http://www.youtube.com/intelligender
http://twitter.com/intelligender
http://www.pinterest.com/intelligender

Pretty Mommies Maternity Skin Care Giveaway

This pregnancy has made my face look worse than it ever did in High School.  No matter what time of day or circumstances, my face always looks so bumpy and full of pimples.  I tried a few different products, but by far my favorite and most effective one I tried was from Pretty Mommies.
Their products are effective, safe, and targeted toward pregnant and nursing women.  They create their products to target hormonal breakouts and melasma and don't use anything that would be harmful to you or your baby.

Enter below to win a set of Pretty Mommies Skincare products.  Giveaway goes through July 20, 2013.

Step 1: LET’S BE CLEAR FACIAL CLEANSER

I use this Pretty Mommies cleanser morning and night to help my face stay clean and get rid of my oily skin. I   love the exfoliating feeling I get from using this product and how I don't even need to take off my makeup before washing my face.  This cuts through dirt and makeup to make my face clean and fresh.

Step 2: TRUTH BE TOLD SKIN BRIGHTENER

After using the "LET’S BE CLEAR FACIAL CLEANSER", I use this brightener to help tighten and brighten my skin.  Even after one use I could feel the subtle tightness especially around my mouth and forehead.  I also thank my glowing complexion to this amazing product.

Step 3: PROTECT and REFLECT SPF 30

Before going to the pool, I put on this amazing product to help my sensitive pregnant skin from getting fried. A little goes a long way and the Zinc Oxide protects my skin and reflects ultraviolet rays.

Enter with Rafflecopter below:

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Preggie Pops and Drops Giveaway

With this pregnancy I've overall feel pretty good, but it's always when I'm running errands or supposed to be somewhere I get a headache, stomachache or hunger.  Ugh, it's always such a pain because half of the time I can't just leave right away and go home, so .... being prepared and keeping some essentials with me has been such a big help.

Here's my messy purse filled with 4 essential items:
1) Preggie Pops and Drops
2) Snacks like fruit rollups
3) Water
4) Gum or mints

What are Preggie Pops and Drops you might ask?  They are drops made especially for pregnant women and help reduce morning sickness symptoms by using natural ingredients.  They are healthcare provider recommended and help pregnant women get rid of dry mouth, provide energy, and have helped me quickly get rid of headaches and pain in my stomach.

You can find these pregnancy 'miracles' in the form of a drop or a lollipop in flavors like green apple, sour raspberry, sour lemon, peppermint, spearmint, lavender, ginger, and sour tangerine. They also have Organic Preggie Pop Drops as well.

I love how discrete I can be in popping one of the drops in my mouth as I continue my daily routine and within a few minutes I'm feeling better.  The containers of the drops contain 21 pieces and can be found in so many retail stores like Buy Buy Baby, Babies "R" Us, Motherhood, Target, Walgreens, CVS, and more.

So who wants to win a box of Preggie Pops and a container of Preggie Drops!? Enter below, contest ends July 12, 2013.

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Baby-Name Reveal Party

At gender reveal parties, parents-to-be have become creative in finding ways to disclose the sex, and often learn the news right alongside their guests through practices like cutting a cake or releasing of the balloons. However, more and more, moms and dads reasonably want to know whether the child is a boy or girl right off the bat. Instead of offering your friends and family a celebration that divulges the gender of the baby, why not throw a party that reveals the chosen name? This is a fun spin on an otherwise traditional idea that will celebrate your little person as the unique individual he or she is.

Though parents find inspiration for baby names in everything from religion to celebrities, most traditional names and their spinoffs carry meaning. Why not use this significance as a motif throughout the celebration? For instance the name Ava means “like a bird”, so parents could have the invitations and napkins imprinted with this design, as well as themed mobiles hanging from the ceiling; Caleb means “whole hearted”, so heart shaped centerpieces could be situated on the surfaces along with heart-shaped cookies. An alternative to this is to create a theme around a famous individual or character who bares the same surname? Let’s say you are naming your unborn son Luke; parents who are Star Wars fans can feature R2D2 cupcakes, give out light saber lollipops and entertain guests with Star Wars trivia games; parents who are giving their children the name Robert might want to have a party inspired by the music of Bob Marley, complete with his soundtracks, Rastafarian foods and a beanie as a party favor.

Many names are passed down through generations and hold cultural origins, so perhaps honor these nations by serving the music associated with the particular country. Let the food reflect the nation as well and, depending on the particular legacy, a fun dress code could liven the atmosphere as well. For an extra touch, use flags to cover the walls and use the flag’s colors as your decorating palette.

Of course, you will want to build suspense for the actual name reveal. You can create a guessing game centered on the name. You can always go with your own version of Wheel of Fortune, have the guests break up into teams to play a round of “20 questions” with you, or hide the various letters that spell out the name in different places throughout the night so guests can find and piece them together as a group. If you would rather forego the games, perhaps design a snazzy banner, spell it out on top of pizzas using pepperoni or use Christmas lights to reveal the name on the side of your house.

Tell me parents, what are some fun ideas to reveal the name of your baby to friends and family?

100 Days Left!

100 Days left of my pregnancy! I've been shocked how fast second trimester has flown by and hope that third trimester will go by just as fast (especially with this hot summer weather).  I can't believe how hot it's been even though it's only the beginning of July!

Wearing dresses and skirts is my staple for this whole summer.  Here's  my  favorite  from PinkBlush Maternity.  Made  with beige, teal, and yellow chiffon, this dress was light and flowy and I have been given so many compliments. I also loved the silver belt with gold trim which can be taken off the dress and used with some of my favorite summer clothes!

They have similar dresses and other cute maxi skirts as well! Check out these and many more cute maternity clothes currently at 35% off of summer styles.  Believe me, you'll need them during the hot summer :) 

Neutral Nurseries

There is something really beautiful about using neutral colors in a nursery. When done right, there is an expensive feeling and a feeling of elegance and luxury. Recently I've been pinning these beautiful neutral nurseries and here are some of my favorites:

This nursery is from homeimprovementpin.com.  I love the furniture and big pieces they used which already looked elegant and added so much to the room.  They definitely went all out from the chunky white mirror, large chandelier, fur rug, and shiny silver changing table.  There is so much interest and texture all around this room.

There is a little more contrast in this nursery from the floor and wall.  This nursery featured on Project nursery  has white/tan furniture pieces and very light/white bedding to keep everything calm.

This neutral nursery uses white and light browns throughout the room.  I love the pieces of interest like the canopy over the bed, elegant chair, and cute teddy bears all around. From:  littleemmaenglishhome.blogspot.com

LOVE this neutral elegant nursery.  Things that are symmetrical are pleasing to the eye and give a settling feeling.  This crib is placed in the middle of the two windows that are equally curtained and have some minor detailing to draw your eyes as a focal point. From: babybedding.com

I love this neutral nursery because of the textures you find throughout the space. From the wall designs, crib and blanket patterns, and the amazing rug and back of the crib, there are so many things to catch the eye and avoid a 'boring' approach.  From: Pottery Barn Kids

And last on our list of neutral nurseries is this white elegant nursery from rhbabyandchild.com.  White furniture and pretty much white accessories throughout the room.  The wall, rug, and bedding have a slight color to them, but they definitely wanted to have this nursery stay neutral.