Loveable Madeline

Its time to introduce your daughter to the wonderful world of Madeline. Madeline's picture books are enjoyed by all ages for the cheerful humor and rhythmic story telling. The Caldecott Award winning books are tales that your child will enjoy reading over and over. Through Madeline's adventures they will travel all around France and learn about historic landmarks and the French culture.

The Talking Madeline Doll is the perfect partner for your daughter to take along on these adventures. Squeeze Madeline's right hand and listen to 4 different sayings in English. Your child can also learn a few sayings in French just by squeezing her left hand. This cuddly doll can become your child's dearest friend.

The Talking Madeline Doll and books can be found online at amazon.com.

Lunchbox Love for Kids

Put a smile on your child’s face with Lunchbox Love note cards by Say Please. I think these are a fabulous idea. My boys love receiving their love notes from me. We too often go through each day without telling our kids how proud of them we are and how much we love them. Your child will appreciate and look forward to their Lunchbox Love note card each day. The notes also has interesting facts on the back of each note, so they are educational as well!

Lunchbox Love note cards are now available at Michaels Stores and can be purchased in Volumes 1-8 with 10 notes in each set. Say Please also just released Lunchbox Love for Teens & Tweens, Birthday Boys, Birthday Girls, Girlfriends, People You Work With and Those You Appreciate! Start spreading the love!!

To find out more visit www.sayplease.com

Orglamix

Wow! If you haven’t heard of Orglamix, you HAVE to try it!! I LOVE it!! It is made from 100% pure minerals and it is AMAZING! It is so light and fluffy and easy to apply. You will feel so glamorous with Orglamix! So many great predesigned color combinations, the hardest decision is which ones to buy!! It is affordable and completely fabulous!! Orglamix is so confident in their products, they have 100% satisfaction guarantee. You will not be disappointed I can assure you!

Orglamix definitely receives the "So Swanky" seal of approval!

Visit www.etsy.com/shop/orglamix

Eco-Me

If you plan on going green in 2010, Eco-Me has a wonderful starter kit to get you going. It has everything you need to start going green now! For only $55, here is the what is included:

Bill – All Purpose Cleaner

Kate – Wood Polish

Emily – Scrub Cleanser

Suzy – Dish Soap

Emma – Laundry Soap

Matt – Carpet Deoderizer

This family of green products is safe for the environment as they are made with simple household ingredients and pure plant oils. Also, check out the DIY Home Kit, it is currently only $13 and has all the things you need to make your own chemical- free cleaning products!! Eco-Me also has a Skincare, Baby and Pet line!!

Visit www.eco-me.com

EcoBuddies

My 7 year old son loves EcoBuddies! He sees me on Facebook playing all sorts of games and always wants to play but it’s really not meant for children. EcoBuddies is the perfect online solution for him. He plays games, buys costumes and decorates his house with his own little avatar. He can chat with other members as he explores this adorable virtual world. I love the fact that this website was created for children, it is a safe virtual world for kids to play on. Ecobuddies has live monitoring and has several chat options for safety. Ecobuddies’ goal is to teach today’s children about eco friendly concepts. It also has coloring pages and information sheets about endangered animals. Come join the fun and create your own special character!! You can play free or upgrade to a more interactive membership.

Visit www.ecobuddies.com

Dear Lillie: Tutus to Write Home About

So my almost 4 year old daughter has really gotten into ballet, fairies and dress up; all three of which incorporate the tutu. And we have several versions in our house; some she uses for ballet and some are for dress up and play. But there is one special one that she is going to be wearing for her birthday (which is her favorite day), and it's by Dear Lillie.

I stumbled upon Dear Lillie a few weeks ago and fell in love with their gorgeous tutus because they looked so beautiful on the website. But the real love affair began when I actually received my Dear Lillie tutu. It was so beautiful, hand-made with so much care and attention. My daughter loved it too, and I knew we had found something very special. All the tutus by Dear Lillie are hand-made using the softest tulle and are accented with gorgeous satin ribbon, feathers, hand-made flowers, pearls and lace. They come in an array of magnificent colors from soft pastels to bolder brights. They are exquisite pieces that make even dress up and play time for girls the most special of occasions.

Dear Lillie was created by Jennifer Holmes with help from her mother Heidi Crotty, and sisters Jamie Druke and Dana Crotty. The four women have always loved designing anything and everything including artwork, stationary, invitations, florals, clothing, accessories, wedding items, and items for the home. In August 2009, the first Dear Lillie item was sold on Etsy and interest in the products grew at a shocking pace. Dear Lillie sold more in the first month and a half than they had anticipated to sell in a whole year. To meet the demand for their amazing line, the ladies of Dear Lillie launched www.dearlillie.com and also began selling their items in boutiques nationwide. In addition to making beautiful, high-quality items, the ladies at Dear Lillie are some of THE NICEST, polite and sincere women I have ever worked with. Just goes to show that manners and talent are an amazing combination.

Every exquisite Dear Lillie tutu is hand-made by Heidi Crotty. As a mother, Heidi's love of arts and crafts and reading to her children helped them develop their imaginations and their love of all things fanciful. In doing so, she helped create the foundation from which Dear Lillie was born. Her love of children inspires her to design and create whimsical tutus for infants and toddlers.

And even though I am raving about the tutus specifically, Dear Lillie does make other amazing items (for baby, toddler, girls and women!) such as headwear, t-shirts, tanks and flower clips and pins. It's whimsical girl heaven with a vintage twist! I guarantee that any Dear Lillie piece that you get will be treasured and adored for years to come.

For all of our lucky Swanky Moms: Dear Lillie is offering 15% off your order from their site(www.dearlillie.com)! Just use the code swanky15 to redeem the discount. I suggest buying two...of EVERYTHING they have. Check out www.dearlillie.com

Is Mommy Looking to Catch Some Extra ZZZZZ's?

So, my boys are 5 & 8 and their sleep patterns have greatly improved over the past few years, the fact that they know how to turn on the TV and find the correct channel also helps me sleep a little longer some mornings. However, I SO wish I had this product starting about 5 years ago. Meet the Stoplight Sleep Enhancing Clock by Custom Quest. This little beauty trains little ones to stay in bed (or in their rooms) until a decent time set by their parents. It's obvious this is a "mom invented" product. It's easy to set up, easy to understand, AND it works. The set up instructions are crystal clear. Once you set the alarm, the red "don't you dare get up" light comes on and your little one knows it's not time to wander into your room and stare at you until your eyes open leaving you feel as though you have a stalker. The green "feel free to open your door and present yourself" light comes on at mommy or daddy's chosen time. Really, it's brilliant.

When your big kids grow out of needing the red and green light situation, the fantasticness can simply stay in the room as a clock and/or alarm to get your big kid up in the morning. So, we know red means no and green means yes. At this point, you may be wondering what yellow is for. It's a nightlight! Just press the "Light" button and you're good to go. This feature is great for my 5 year old, as he still likes to use a night light. He's also obsessed with time, so it's a perfect package. Available in 4 different styles, with uses for kids of all ages, you're sure to find the right one for your early riser or deep sleeper!

The Stoplight Sleep Enhancing Clock is available online at Amazon, Lilian Vernon, and One Step Ahead. To save you Swanky Moms the research time, Amazon has the best selection and free shipping.

Fantastic Family Fun with the Epson PictureMate Show

Looking for a sure fire hit at your next party? Send everyone home with photos that very instant! Epson has done it again. Continuing to wow me with their fun "grown up" toys, they have recently released their PictureMate Show. The PictureMate Show is a combination photo printer/digital frame. Other than the ease of use feature, I really love how portable it is. When the box arrived, I was quite surprised by how small it was. Its look is very sleek, and although I do recommend the carrying case for protection, it has a handle for easy transporting.

The PictureMate Show has been such a blast this holiday season. Our first use was at the family Christmas party. We have such a big family that we actually rent a community center out for the night. Literally, there are over 40 kids at this shindig every year. Anyhow, I thought why not set up a craft area where the kids can take photos with siblings, cousins, aunties, uncles, grandparents, or whomever they want! So, I brought the digital camera and the PictureMate Show, snapped a bunch of pics and voila! Instant hit. The kids, and I'm not going to lie, adults too, thought it was fantastic. They loved the instant gratification of a photo printing right out. I also brought craft supplies and cheap frames for the kids to decorate. The cost on this was less than a dollar a kid, and the outcome was priceless. Plus, while not in use, it displayed all of the pics from that evening.

I'm thinking that the PictureMate Show would be a welcome accessory at any party. How fun would it be at a birthday party? Take a pic with the birthday boy or girl, print it out, decorate frames, and there's your party activity and favor all in one! Honestly, even at "grown up" birthday parties it would be fun, I don't know that I'd have grown ups decorate frames, but hey, you never know...

With the Epson PictureMate Show, the possibilities are truly endless. Some of its features include a 7" tilt screen, several slide show options, a remote control, and 270 MB of internal storage. Photos can be printed in color, black and white or sepia from USB thumb drives and all popular memory cards via the built in memory card slots. Prints come out in about 30 seconds and dry instantly. They are smudge, scratch, water, and fade resistant. You can print 4 x 6 photos as well as wallets. Whether glossy or matte, your photos will come out vibrant and beautiful. The PictureMate Show is a complete photo printing lab and no computer is needed. Be sure to visit the Epson official PictureMate Show page for even more details.

The PictureMate Show is available directly from Epson with free shipping. Definitely worth the investment, you will not be disappointed. Everyday I think of new uses for it and I know you will too. In fact, right now, I just had an idea... to bring it into my boys' classrooms to make Valentines for the students' parents. See, endless possibilities in action!

Hollywood 48 Hour Miracle Diet

I was skeptical at first but am extremely happy to report….I lost 8 pounds!! The Hollywood 48 Hour Miracle Diet is a concentrated juice that you mix with water and sip throughout the day for 2 days. To achieve the best results, make sure you drink 8 glasses of water as well. The juice tastes great is and filled with natural juices and botanical extracts. This is a fasting program so it is challenging to neglect food for two days, while everyone around you is chowing down, but definitely worth it for the results!! If you need to get a jump start to your weight loss or need to lose a few pounds after the holidays, this is the perfect solution.

To find out more, visit hollywooddietstore.com