Ella's Kitchen Review & Giveaway

One day I had the bright idea to let my brother feed Lil E dinner.  Oh my, was that a sight to see!  My brother laughed hysterically as she swatted the spoon away from her face, eventually grabbing the jar of baby food and dumping it out on him.  I stood there simply shaking my head.  How am I going to feed her when we go out? I thought.  The answer was easy Ella's Kitchen pouches to the rescue.

Ella's Kitchen offers a variety of organic, nutritious and delicious baby foods.  The best part it that it comes in a convenient pouch.  I love Ella's Kitchen because it's the perfect handy-dandy, healthy treat for Lil E while we are home or on the go.  She doesn't even use a spoon, she just slurps it up right out of the pouch.

Ella's Kitchen products start at four months and up.  They offer a selection of fruits, vegetables, smoothies, and their newest product Baby Brekkie.  Baby Brekkie is a smooth fruit yogurt mixed with brown rice. All of Ella's Kitchen products have no preservatives, no added salt or sweeteners, and they are completely gluten, wheat, and lactose free.  You can find Ella's Kitchen at Target and Buy Buy Baby stores.  I pick mine up at the local Shop Rite.  Ella's Kitchen is not only scrumptious, it's a great way to make eating fun!

One lucky reader will have the chance to win an Ella's Kitchen sample pack.  Here's how to enter:

Mandatory Entry:

• Every entry MUST contain a form of contact information
• You MUST leave a comment for EACH entry on this post

Enter each one once only:
1. Subscribe to Sweet Serendipity03

2. Follow Sweet Serendipity03 via GFC

3. Follow @mommyande on Twitter
4. Follow @EllasKitchenUSA on Twitter

Entries once daily:

1. Tweet about this giveaway and mention @EllasKitchenUSA and @mommyande (enter tweet URL)

Terms and Conditions

• Entries will be counted by comments.  In order for your entry to count you MUST go back to this post and comment telling me what you did in order for EACH entry to count.
• Winner will be selected on Friday, Novemeber 18, 2010 at 11:59p.m. through random.org
• You will have 24 hours to claim your prize before a new winner is picked
• Contest open to U.S residents only
• Good luck!

Congratulations Fritter!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: 

Result:

5Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post.  I did receive an Ella's Kitchen sample pack to review and one to give away.  All opinions expressed are my own.

60 minutes in "Mommy Time"

I never appreciated time the way I do now.  A year ago when I had a free hour I would lolly gag around and procrastinate because, "I could do it later."  If it didn't get done, I'd do it the next day.  On Monday, a friend of mine was off from work and I pawned Lil E off on her (she seemed happy to do it) and I promised her I'd be back in an hour.  

When I walked through my front door, a weird feeling came over me.  That's when I realized I had never actually been in my house without Lil E since her arrival.  It was oddly quiet and I missed the pitter patter of her crawling around the wood floors.  Either way I was determined to get things done.  I immediately went downstairs threw in a load of laundry, came back up banged out my paper for class, read the assigned chapters, took care of a few things on the computer, and went back downstairs to finish our laundry.  Next thing I knew an hour had came and went. I couldn't believe how much I accomplished in such a short period of time.  

Now, the strangest part about being a mommy is that as much as I needed that time to get everything done, I felt guilty that I wasn't spending that time with Lil E.  I was gone for only an hour, but I missed her tremendously.  My day instantly got better when we got home because I was able to give her my undivided attention, since there wasn't anything left for me to do.  "Mommy Time" took on a whole new meaning and it was exactly what we both needed.

  

Three quick ways to start using less plastic today

As I said in Transformation Green we are starting off slow and simple for my friends that aren't yet green.

Tip #1- Three quick ways to start using less plastic today.

1. Reusable shopping bags:

Stock-pile a collection of reusable bags to take with you to the store.  I leave them in my car.  Stores like Stop and Shop take $.05 off your bill for every bag you use.  If you use 5 bags per week that is $1/month and $12 a year, over time that adds up.   Reusable bags are better for the environment and you'll have a little extra money in your pocket.  Who doesn't like that?

2. Reusable water bottles:

Plastic bottles contain a chemical called "Bisphenol A".  It clings to the plastic and is harmful to your health.  If you choose to invest in a reusable plastic water bottle make sure it is BPA free.  However, the best choice is using one that is stainless steel.  If we all used reusable water bottles there would be a lot less plastic in the world.

3. Glass containers for storing food:
Hubby and I are big on packing lunch and storing left overs.  It's another way for us to save money.  We always try storing our food in glass containers, rather than plastic ones.  It also makes it easier to reheat things, since you should never heat anything up in a plastic container. Investing in some glass containers for food storage is another simple way to be more green.  

If you don't feel like lugging a glass container back and forth to work or while traveling then invest in some reusable sandwich bags.  They may be easier to fold up and stuff away once you are finished.  Either choice you can't go wrong, it's better for you and our planet in the long run.

Remember that something is better than nothing.

If we all tried to change something little each week, it would make a big difference over time.  

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post.  Stop and Shop is my local grocery store that I shop in regularly.

O.C. Designs Fall Giveaway

O.C. Designs hits the East Coast

O.C. Designs in Sunrise Mall

With already three stores in California, O.C. Designs has hit the East Coast and taken New York by storm.  O.C. Designs recently opened a brand new location in Sunrise Mall  in Massapequa, New York.  You can find it directly across from Bakers and next to At&T.   O.C. Designs is known for their wide variety of vibrant colored tees, tanks, cardigans, sweats, and stretch pants.  They also carry the newest styles and accessories from casual tanks to chic dresses, belts, hats and more.  The store offers stylish clothes for all ages and the best part is that everything is under $25.

Fall Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive:

• trendy fall scarf (shown on mannequin)
• basic tee (black, white, red, green, blue, grey or yellow)
• pair of leggings ( black, white or charcoal) 

Mandatory Entry: (Closed)

• Every entry MUST contain a form of contact information (e-mail, FB or Twitter)  
• You MUST leave a comment for EACH entry on this post

How to enter: (each one once only) (Closed)

1. Subscribe to sweetserendipity03 via e-mail and comment on this post telling me you did (Sample Comment: I follow you via e-mail and contact info)

2. Follow sweetserendipity03 on GFC (Click on join the site and comment telling me you did, follow mandatory entry)

3. Follow @mommyande on Twitter

4. Follow @OCDclothing on Twitter

How to enter: (once per day) 
1. Tweet about this giveaway and post URL in comments

Terms and Conditions

• Entries will be counted by comments.  In order for your entry to count you MUST go back to this post and leave a comment for EACH entry
• Winner will be selected on Sunday, October 30, 2011 at 11:59p.m. through random.org
• You will have 24 hours to claim your prize before a new winner is picked
• Contest open to U.S residents only
• Good luck!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:8Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Winner was #8 Debbie! Congratulations!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post, but I did receive a scarf, tee, and leggings to giveaway