The Carseat Company Conspiracy (A Pissy Post)

I'm a little pissy about something and so I will share it with you! Lucky!

We had a garage sale last weekend. I decided to part with a carseat that we used for (I think) our last 4 kids. We were never in so much as a teensy fender-bender. Of course nobody at the garage sale bought it, even though it has a base and is in AMAZING shape.

I tried to put it on the porch for the charity to take and THEY LEFT IT!

So I ask you, what can I do with it? Since everyone is so freaked out about used carseats that have possibly been in a wreck and are possibly cracked and could possibly not work when needed in the future, where does that leave all the carseats?

We are so damn concerned with BEING GREEN in this country lately, but I ask you how many carseats are sitting in landfills, to NEVER DECOMPOSE?'

Don't ride me about how we want our babies to be safe and all that. I get it, okay? But there has to be some way to like do a sonogram on a carseat to see if it has a hairline fracture or something, right? And if it passes as NEVER BEEN IN A WRECK, then let's use it again!!!!!

You'll use cloth diapers and feed your kid all organic but you are perpetuating landfill crap, new mommies!

YES, I used a USED carseat back in 2001 when I had my first kid. A friend had used it and a friend before her. This was back in the day before bases and we had to roll up a towel and put it under the back of the carseat to make sure it was tilted correctly. I also did not use special expensive baby detergent (yes, I know some kids really do have sensitive skin). Do these things make me a bad mom? Nah.

I think the carseat companies just want you to believe all this crap and just buy more carseats ... at $100+ a pop. Think about it.

So I'm gonna try to Freecycle the dang thing before I throw it in a Dumpster. I'll let you know how THAT goes.

*UPDATE: Thank God for Facebook or I would know nothing. One person said the local health dept. might take them for the needy. Another person said you can go online to see how to recycle the entire seat! Another said to post it like on Facebook to see if someone wants it and trusts me that it has not been in a wreck! There ya go!

Moon Sand Review

Maybe your kids or grandkids have been asking for Moon Sand for a long time, but you're scared.  "What if it's like that crappy Floam?" you wonder.  "And it's expensive!" you proclaim!

You wanna know what I think about Moon Sand?  I love it! I don't love vacuuming it off the floor, but it's more fun and less mess than Play-do and Floam and other junk that's out there these days. My husband says it's like if you took an eraser and erased for an hour ... the eraser "leavings" are like Moon Sand, only it somehow sticks together like nice, wet beach sand -- only better!

I give it two thumbs up and 5 Dove chocolate hearts! A great gift for a kid at Christmas or for a birthday!

Originally published 4/30/10

Adult Preschool at My House

I picked up a 2007 copy of Parenting Magazine that was being tossed out at my library and came across a great thing on the inside back cover. It's called "Preschool Ideas We'd Love to Steal." Here are my favorites:

Time-outs. YES! I need a time-out sometimes! From my kids, from my husband, from other people in general. Let's take more time-outs!

Free play. YES! I need to stop focusing so much on getting everything done and stop and turn on the music and just dance with the kids.

Snacks every two hours. Well, I kinda have this one covered already. If I don't snack, I turn into a bear.

Super-enthusiastic greeting at the end of the day. Well, I do get that from my husband, which surprises me after 17 years of being together. But I'll take it!

Buddy system. Every now and then I do this ... like when a friend is coming over and offers to bring a nice coffee or when I offer to buy something for a friend who is currently cash-strapped.

MANDATORY NAPTIME. Need I say more? I'm not sure who will be watching my kids while I take my daily mandatory nap, though. The Nap Fairy, perhaps?

Got any to add?

Crockpot Chili (EASY!)

I love this meal to make life easy ... and cheaper because I don't use canned beans! I love this meal for Tuesdays when the kids have religious education class and I work the nursery there. It runs from 4:30-5:45, so it's nice to get home and have dinner READY!

You will need:
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup pinto beans (or just used canned!)
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can diced tomatoes
Chili seasoning to taste
Sour cream, cheese, crackers, onions

Follow instructions on beans for the quick method where you boil them then let them sit for a while in the hot water. Meanwhile, brown ground beef until no longer pink, then drain. Add chili seasoning and some water and mix. Toss it in a slow cooker. Add corn and tomatoes. Drain water from pinto beans and rinse. (a friend told me the more rinsing you do, the less gas you get later!!!!) Add beans to slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours and enjoy!

Grab your can of air freshener for later.

Falling in Love With Baby Giveaway! Ends Nov. 3

Beautifully BellaFaith, An Ordinary Housewife, Mommies with Cents and The Birth of a Mother are hosting a fabulous event named Falling in Love with Baby. This giveaway event features products specifically for babies, toddlers and expecting mommies! The majority {if not all} of the participants of this event are mothers, and we know how stressing it might be to get EVERYTHING needed for baby. We decided to make it easier on one special mommy {or mommy-to-be}! One LUCKY winner will receive ALL of the following:

Tiny Love 3-in-1 Rocker Napper {ARV:$100}

Diaper bag full of Lansinoh, Colief and mOmma products

Three onesies from Hank Player {ARV: $72}

Shampoo and Baby Lotion from Sum-Bo-Shine {ARV:24}

One DVD from Little Pim {ARV:$17.95}

$25 Gift Card to Taylor Joelle Designs

Two canisters of Boogie Wipes {ARV:$18}

Mommy MD Guide to The Toddler Years

BellyBuds {ARV:$50}

The Mommy Hook {ARV: $10}

Glodose {ARV: $7.99}

Blankie Buddy Set from Vitamins Baby

Tubby Time Set from My True Nature

GoGreen Champ 3 Cloth Diaper {ARV: $17.95}

Two Christmas hats from Tweetlebug Boutique {ARV: $40}

Take Your Pix Board Book Album {ARV: $25}

Monogrammed Juppy Baby Walker {ARV:$50}

Newborn Necessities by Jennifer Cigale {ARV: $9}

Binky Spritz {ARV: $6}

3 winners = Preggie Pops, Preggie Drops and Queasy Kids {ARV: $14 per winner}

Doesn't this look like an AMAZING prize pack to win?! I think so! Enter below using the Rafflecopter widget. The giveaway will end November 3rd 11:59PM EST. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before another will be chosen. You do not have to be a blogger to enter or win! Beautifully BellaFaith, co-hosts and participants are not responsible for prizes that are lost, damaged or stolen. Good luck!

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Wordless Wednesday with LINKY: It's Not Easy Bein' a Kid

Samuel, age 2, trying to take out the trash

Samuel, helping put lunch on the tray

Samuel, after a long day, asleep in his carseat with his sister's shoes on

Tackle-It Tuesday: Garage Sale!

There comes a time in everyone's life when they say:

I HAVE TOO MUCH JUNK AND WANT TO SELL IT!!!!

I usually just donate our unwanted/unused things, but the kids were wanting to sell some of their stuff and we heard there was a Neighborhood Garage Sale coming up, so we started saving up our stuff to sell.

The kids ended up making more money than we did. Even listing it on Craigslist twice, we didn't get as much traffic as we usually do and I probably made about $1/hour at the end. Our HUGE NEIGHBORHOOD GARAGE SALE probably had about 10 house participating ... sheesh! C'mon, people, I know ya'll have junk to get rid of!

** Come back soon to see my pissy post about getting rid of carseats and the conspiracy involved!

Garage sales can be fun, but in the end they are never worth it for us. And we ended up with all this on the porch to be donated to a charity.

STILL, we got rid of a bunch of stuff from the house. So Tackle-It Tuesday is a SUCCESS!!!!

The question for you for today is: How do you feel about hosting a garage sale?

Eddie Bauer Travel System Giveaway Ends 9/30

As child safety week is coming to an end Tailor Made Momma and and Life With Levi have teamed up to bring you the giveaway event of the month! From Monday September 24th to Sunday September 30th you have the chance to enter to win this awesome prize! US Only. Sorry :( This item retails for $249.00 and can be found exclusively at Target! What to see what Cristina at Tailor Made Momma thought about the Trevel System? Check out her review here. Here are a few of the great features that this travel system offers: -Infant seat holds up a baby from from 4lbs to 35lbs. -Stroller supports child from 4lbs to 50lbs. -Quick one hand fold and stand. -Child snack tray with cup holder. -Parent tray with 2 cup holders.   Even if you don't have an infant this would make a great gift for the mom-to-be in your life.   

Kerrie says: Just because I may be done having kids, doesn't mean I don't want to offer my readers some great baby stuff! And if you don't need this, you could win it ... what a great baby shower gift for someone in your life! They would owe you for life! So why not enter and share it everywhere?!

Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.


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Happy Fall Sunday!

Whew. I've been busy this last week, so I'm taking a break! Check out my tons o' giveaways down the left side of the blog ... I have an addiction to giving things away ... who knew?

We had a garage sale, a day at the farmstead with friends, a NICU reunion at our local children's museum, an orthodontist appointment for Joel, Scouts and so much more!

I hope you are all doing well and are having a lovely fall day. Check in with me in the comments section ... I do read them all and get back when I can!

Come back Monday night for a Toys R Us gift card 6-hour flash giveaway from 6-12 EST. Then Wednesday night I'm having a Starbuck's gift card 6-hour flash giveaway, same Bat time, same Bat channel.

See you then!

I Love This Dress! + Earrings/Bracelet GIVEAWAY! Ends 10/3

Small Concept and Wonderful Things In Life are giving away a Peaches n Cream Dreamy Blue Vertical Tiered Ruffle Dress (worth $52.50) – if ever the size of the dress is not available during the time the winner claim the dress, the owner will give a cash credit ($55) to purchase anything they want to the store, a pair stud earrings, and a Gemstone bracelet. The giveaway will start September 22 and will end this coming October 13, 2012. The mechanics of the giveaway is just easy follow, leave a comment, and tweet. Just fill up the rafflecopter below.

Kerrie says: Okay, when I saw this dress, I knew I had to participate in this giveaway! My daughters went nuts when they saw it and if they made it in my size I would TOTALLY wear it! Also, I love me a good simple stud earring! I love black, too, so the bracelet kind of rocked. So there ya go! Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: The Kerrie Show is not responsible for any damage or loss of item and not reliable to replace the item once it is received by the post office or any shipping company.

EcoDitty Lunch Bag Giveaway! (and Guest Post by Mommy Lesson Plans)

Mommy Lesson Plans is our guest host for this post and she's sharing this awesome giveaway with ya'll. I love this idea because it appeals to my crunchy-ish side. So many kids are allergic to stuff these days, and this helps solve the PVC allergy challenge. Check out what she has to say about the prize that's up for grabs, one Snack-ditty! Here's MLP ...

As a parent, I am always thinking about how I would change things if I could. For example, I would install a stop sign at that one corner that scares the death about of me. Or, I would monitor the playground during recess. Whatever it takes to keep my children safe. Well, the creator of the Ecoditty is a mom like me. She discovered that her child as allergic to PVC plastic, making it hard to send lunch to school in baggies.So she made baggies that were made out of fabric.

The company sent me a snackditty, which measures 6 x 4 inches and had a velcro closure. It is made of 100% Organic Cotton fabrics and is printed with low-impact inks and dyes. I like this because it is Eco-friendly, as well as safer for the body. When you close the bag, it is deigned so that a little of it folds and keeps the little snacks in the bag. My snackditty is a little too girlie for me to use in my sons' lunch. So, I decided that it was perfect for me to carry snacks in the diaper bag.

Snack-ditty™ was awarded the iParenting Media Award - 2010 Best Products

This event would not become possible without the participation of these amazing co-hosts: Giveaway Gatorfollow , Couponing with Integrity, and followPea of Sweetnessfollow.


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  This giveaway is open to entrant 18 years of age or older, except where prohibited by law. US residents only. No purchase is necessary to enter. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received. To qualify to win, you must complete, at minimum, one entry on the Rafflecopter form. The winner will be randomly chosen by Rafflecopter. Winners will be notified by email from Mommy Lesson Plans. Winners will have 72 hours to respond or risk forfeiting their prize. Prize may re-awarded solely by the Sponsor’s discretion. Prize fulfillment is the sole responsibility of the sponsor. This blog may not be held liable for Sponsors who do not fulfill prize shipments. Mommy Lesson Plans was not compensated for this post. I reserve the right to publicly publish winners’ names. By entering this giveaway, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions.

When Seasons Change Blog Hop 9/21-10/4

Yippee, I know you love a good blog hop, and it's time for another one! The hosts of this particular rockin' hop are And The Littles Ones Too and Taking Time for Mommy. After you find out about the sponsor and the prizes, please enter to win on the Rafflecopter below. Then don't forget to check out the other bloggers involved in this fun hop because they all have great prizes! I love entering in blog hops, and I usually end up winning at least 1 thing from each hop I do when I enter all the giveaways! Good luck!

InvitationCelebration.com has the most gorgeous personalized invitations for any occasion in many exclusive designs. These invitations make any celebration extra special. Bridal showers, birthday parties for young and old, weddings, baby showers and holiday parties ... you name the occasion, InvitationCelebration.com has a design you will love! Ordering could not be easier, and I was floored by all the options! So hard to choose!

With 5 kids, this would definitely make the invitation process much easier for me! And maybe class up my life a little bit! Lord knows I need some class! And the Christmas invitations make me want to have like 10 parties in December! Check out some of the cool stuff below:

I am also offering a copy of The Tater Baby Casserole E-Cookbook valued at 2 bucks.

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And The Little Ones Too, Taking Time For Mommy and the When Seasons Change bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prizes.

Gifts for My Girlfriends Blog Hop $84 Prize Package! Ends 9/27

Welcome to the Gifts For My Girlfriends Giveaway Hop hosted by BloggerPR!  September is Women’s Friendship Month, so we decided to celebrate our girlfriends!  In honor of these friendships, this blog hop will highlight some of the best gift ideas for our girlfriends; things we would give to our besties! The bloggers involved have some cool giveaways to help you win some great prizes! This event ends September 27th, which gives you plenty of time to hop down the linky list below and hit up each giveaway! Each blogger is giving away prizes valued $20 or more, so you don’t want to miss out! Good luck and have fun!

I am excited to offer one lucky winner a terrific prize package valued at between $75.95 and $84.95 depending on what you choose from one of the sponsors, and you are not responsible for any shipping!

The first gift I would give my girlfriends is a super cool 11x14 printable pdf of custom mod art from Modern Art Announcements, Angeliina Lawson's Etsy shop. She will customize any print for you, and her art is great for not just parents, but grandparents and other relatives, too. You can print out her art and put it on your wall, print it out as scrapbook paper, print multiple copies, whatever you want! Here are a few examples of her work:

This prize is valued at $16 and is available WORLDWIDE!

The second gift I would give my girlfriends is booties or hand warmers from Sophisticated Play Apparel, also an Angeliina Lawson Etsy shop.

This prize is valued at $13 for the booties (up to 2T) and $22 for the hand warmers (2T-6T) and is only available in the USA.

The third gift I would give my girlfriends is a 2-month subscription to Grocery Shrink AND her set of 4 e-books.

Check out my review of this great service that has transformed my kitchen, the way I eat, the way I feed my family, AND has actually given me some Kitchen Confidence! Angela Coffman, the Grocery Shrink, is offering a prize valued at $30 and it is available WORLDWIDE.

The fourth gift I would give my girlfriends is a Tbox To-Go Tampon Holder. You can find my review (and funny picture of my husband modeling it!) here. This prize is valued at $14.95 (USA and Canada) and if you don't win (but let's be positive here!) you can still purchase the Tbox here.

And the final gift I would give my girlfriends is my own (along with Jordan McGarrigle) The Tater Baby Casserole E-Cookbook! This prize is valued at $2.00 (WORLDWIDE) and if you don't win you can still buy it here.

Good luck! And when you're done entering my giveaway, why not hop on over to some other great ones?! (after the Rafflecopter ...)



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