I am thinking about reusables

William has been potty training for several months now and it has been interesting. He has his good days where he will stay dry all day and even all night. Then he has those days that he just decides he will go in his pants. We have been using Huggies brand Pull-ups training pants. We tried a couple other ones but I like these the best and I find coupons more often for them. I have noticed something odd though. They have the regular ones and the overnight ones. I have found that the overnight ones are a little thicker which makes a lot of sense but they are cut shorter.

The training pants on the left are the regular and the overnight is on the right. If I use the overnight and he has a wet night, he wakes up soaked through to his pajamas. This does not happen when I use the regular ones. That makes no sense at all! I even get a couple less in the overnight pack. I am really thinking about purchasing the reusable trainers since it looks like this little dude will be taking his sweet time. Any suggestions?

Mezzetta Review and Giveaway

**Winner is #107 Lois S**
Congratulations! Those daily Tweets helped!

I am such a fan of savory food and love to have a little extra zing on the side of my meals. I am also a big snacker. Mezzetta food products really do a little of both for me. I recently tried out the Mezzetta Bleu Cheese Stuffed Olives and I am hooked! I was a bit hesitant since bleu cheese tends to be a bit stinky. These olives were so not stinky~ they were a great blend of salty, tart and "meaty" at the same time. I have eaten them with cheese and crackers, on the side of beans and rice and also just by themselves {with wine} as a snack. I really like them a lot and think they would make a nice addition to an appetizer tray along with the Mezzetta Italian Garden Vegetables.

I did not know this but besides olives, peppers and vegetables, Mezzetta has a line of pasta sauces. They are made from all natural ingredients including fresh Imported plum tomatoes, locally grown herbs, onions and garlic as well a variety of other unique ingredients. Something I really love about Mezzetta products is that there are serving ideas on the jar labels in case you are unsure of what to do with that particular food. You can also go here for some great recipes & tips. I have been purchasing the Greek peppers, Banana peppers and Cocktail onions for years now as salad toppers and add-ins for rice dishes, sauces and soups. I am really impressed to see the different varieties that Mezzetta offers. They even offer gift baskets online. The prices are way less that what I would have thought considering the high-end quality of their products.

Speaking of gift baskets, Momfiles is giving away one Napa Valley Bistro gift basket to one lucky reader courtesy of Mezzetta Foods. This basket contains Homemade Style Marinara, Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce, Porcini Mushroom Pasta Sauce and Homemade Style Basil Pesto. The featured olives are Pitted Bistro Blend and Garlic Stuffed olives, as well as a wood pasta spoon and a stainless cheese grater. This is a $25 value. All you need is pasta!
*Mandatory: Enter to win by letting us know what Mezzetta products you would like to try.

For additional entries you can do any of the following:
~ "like" Mezzetta and Momfiles on Facebook
~ Follow Mezzetta and Momfiles on Twitter

~ Tweet this giveaway (once daily):

Enter to win a @Mezzetta_Foods Napa Valley Bistro gift basket @momfiles http://tinyurl.com/3ez7mu8 #food #gifts #giveaway

~ Grab the Momfiles button and place it on your blog
~ Follow Momfiles via GFC

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on May 30, 2011 at 9:00 PM EST. Please leave your email address if you do not have a Blogger profile. One winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. Good luck!

I received sample products from Mezzetta Foods to review and all opinions are 100% mine as always

Keep your family's skin safe from the sun

The temperatures have been turned up in many states across the US recently. I literally feel my skin baking from the shortest amount of sun exposure. This is a great reminder about how important it is to protect my skin against the harmful rays of the sun. I recently tested out JĀSÖN™ Natural Sunblock in the Family formula with SPF 45. I am always leery of what any sunblock will feel like and even smell like. The scent was really light with a hint of citrus. The feeling was very smooth and light and it absorbed quickly. It did not have that typical heavy feeling of most sunblocks.

JĀSÖN™ Natural Sunblock is made with natural antioxidants from extracts of Açaí, Grape Seed and Green Tea to protect skin from sunburn and reduce harmful free radical damage. It's great for the whole family. I really could use this when I am working out in the yard!
Since it is sweat-proof and water-resistant, it will be a pool side must have for my family. I might need to wear some when I am driving the mom taxi since I sit in the sun waiting for the kids to get out of school and practice. You don't realize how much you are exposed doing general, everyday tasks.

I also tried out the JĀSÖN™ Natural Lip Balm SPF 25. I was surprised to see a lip balm with such a big SPF. I am used to only 10-15. This lip balm was really smooth and creamy with a hint of mint. This again will be good for when we are working out in the yard.

JĀSÖN™ Natural sun protection products can be purchased here as well as some natural foods retailers. You can search for a retail location here.

Disclosure: I received products samples to review and all opinions are 100% mine as always.

It's always the little things that matter

Today was a full day for me. I drove kids all over the place, ran errands, picked kids up, took one to the doctor, potty training and teaching boy, dropped girls to practice and then picked them up~ Well it was something like that. I know I must drive about $10-$12 worth of gas each day. It's worth it though. I love the time I spend in the car with the kids. We talk about serious issues, crack jokes and talk about the most random things! The highlight of my hectic day today was when William thanked me for each meal I gave him. Then he thanked me for teaching him his school lessons. He is so compassionate (all 3 of my kids are). I am a proud momma. **Now back to cleaning up the 50 million toys he left all over the place and the mountain of laundry that is stalking me**

Oooh Goody!!!

I was so very excited when I was offered the opportunity to review some of the new items from Goody. I believe you can't ever have too many hair accessories when you have girls in the house. My daughters love playing around with different hairstyles and they are lifetime users of Goody products. We have tried the off-brand in the past and always regretted it. Goody is the only brand that has been able to hold up well to the girls' thick, biracial locks. It's also the only brand of elastics that will hold my long, heavy hair. Goody has a new Spring Collection called Modern Organica and it is available exclusively at Target. This collection offers all things glamorous, girlie and earthy at the same time. They have your everyday elastics, barrettes, headwraps, headbands, bobby slides and more. We received the following items from the Modern Organica collection as well as a headband that did not make it in the photo but instead on a 14 year old girl's head! I personally loved the "Freshly Picked" bobby slide (pink flower). I have plans to wear it with a sweet little black dress I bought last month for my next date night.

I am loving the Ouchless cushion brush and Detangling comb. The brush has a unique comfort gel grip handle to make brushing more comfortable. I love the retractable cushion pad that makes for an "ouchless" hair brushing experience. The comb will be living in my shower caddy. I love that the teeth are slightly flexible to be more gentle on your hair. I also love me some ponytail holders without the metal. Our hair will break those types on the first wearing!

Lastly, the girls were going nuts for the reversible headbands and the double sided snap clips. I did not even know anyone made reversible clips! These are going to be perfect for the girls during volleyball season to help hold all the stray bits of hair and look cute at the same time :)

I know that Goody hair accessories have been a must-have for me since I was a little girl. I have passed that on to my own girls. I always feel like I get my money's worth when I purchase the Goody brand. Be sure to check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

Question: Are you a Goody girl too?

Disclosure: I received items for review and all opinions are 100% mine as always.

A Father's Love | Book Review & Giveaway (closed)

Contest Closed
Winner is #4 Kristin~ Congratulations!

I had the pleasure of reviewing the book called "A Father's Love" written by David Goldman. A lot of you might have followed the story of David Goldman going on a 5+ year crusade to bring his son home from Brazil. This book started out as a love story from a movie and then into a nightmare. Thankfully there was a happy ending for Mr. Goldman and his son Sean.

I am not a reader at all but I read the entire book in 3 days. It really captured my heart and opened my eyes to so much to things that I did not know about child abduction overseas. Mr. Goldman wrote this book in great detail and with such grace and dignity. The way he handled himself when dealing with the authorities was amazing. As much as his world was shattered he somehow managed to keep it together. I am not so sure I would have been able to handle things like he did if anyone took my child away from me. In this case it was his own wife.

"A Father's Love" was the perfect title for this book because that is what you felt from each page you turned. If you are interested in purchasing this book you can find it here. It is available in hardcover, audio CD/audiobook or Kindle Edition. I really enjoyed reading it and I think you will too. Be sure to have a tissue box next to you just in case! I admit I did shed tears, I was really moved.

I am pleased to be able to host a giveaway for one Momfiles reader to win a copy of A Father's Love. I think this would make a great Father's Day gift!

To enter: Please leave a comment letting us know if you followed the David Goldman story.

For additional entries you can Tweet, mention on Facebook, add the Momfiles button to your blog or follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook. Just leave a separate comment for each entry method to count.

Contest is open to US Residents and will end at 9:00 PM EST on May 24, 2011. Please leave a visible email address if you do not have a Blogger Profile. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be contacted by email. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book for review purposes and all opinions are 100% mine as always.