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

Worlds of Fantasy

I had the great pleasure of attending Disney on Ice's, Worlds of Fantasy. This was truly a fantastic show! My children sat and watched in amazement as the Cars' beloved characters of Lighting McQueen, Sally, Matter, Ramone and Flow drove all around the ice with grace. The whole time I was wondering how they did that, while my children smiled with delight.

After Cars, the graceful beauty of the Little Mermaid took the ice. The love story of The Little Mermaid was beautifully retold through music and skating. The characters gracefully moved across the ice. Ursala looked as if she was gliding on the ice. The costumes really made it feel as if you were watching the movie.

The Lion King retold the story through all it's classic songs. The creativity of the costumes were unbelievable. Pumba was just like in the movie, and the buffalo stampede was creatively executed.

At last Tinkerbell took the ice. The colors and the scenery were beautiful! With Fairies and pixie dust flying, it was a delight for all to watch. Tinkerbell's story left you with a message to be proud of yourself for your uniqueness and that everyone is important no matter how small you feel your roll may be.

Catch Disney on Ice's Worlds of Fantasy when it come to your area, you will not regret it! Tickets start as low as $16! It is currently in Southern California at the Honda Center, Anaheim from December 22- 27; Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario from December 30 - January 3; and the Long Beach Arena, January 6-10, 2010.

Visit www.disneyonice.com to see when they will be coming to your area!

Merry Christmas from Glasses USA

GlassesUSA.com is having a three great one-day-only sales!!

December 23: Take $25 off any order totaling over $80! Use code: almostxmas

December 24: Take $18 off any order totaling over $65! Use code: silentnight

December 25: Take 25% off any order of eyeglasses! Use code: merryxmas

http://www.glassesusa.com

Personalized Call from Santa!

Experience the latest, most exciting, and most BELIEVABLE way to visit with Santa Claus - over the telephone!

No more standing in long lines at busy malls to see Santa Claus! SantaSpeaking.com offers you live personalized phone calls from the REAL Santa Claus, in the comfort of your own home (or wherever you are traveling!). When Santa calls personally, Santa will know everything Santa Claus SHOULD know.....friends names, pets names, how they are doing in school, their favorite toys, and most certainly whether they made the Naughty or Nice list... right down to the details!

A live phone call from Santa Claus from SantaSpeaking.com offers the most exciting and memorable way to talk to Santa! Completely personalized, completely fun, and totally believable!! So make your list (and check it twice!), schedule your personal phone call from Santa for the 2009 Christmas Season today and witness the awe on your child's face when they talk to Santa. It's fun for the entire family!

AND to capture this memory of a lifetime SantaSpeaking.com will record the entire conversation between your child and Santa Claus and send you a (very cute) keepsake CD in the mail, OR we can send the MP3 to you by email so you can quickly send to all of your friends or family to hear! Don't forget to order your recording...you'll be so happy you did!

Elf Annie contacted me and she would like to offer Swanky Moms' readers a gift code! If you enter FRIENDOFSANTA you will receive $5 off your order. My boys look forward to receiving their call from "the big guy" every Christmas!! It's such a joy to see the amazement in their eyes as they talk to Santa, they are always so surprised at how much he knows about their life. The appreciate that he takes time out of his busy schedule to say 'hi' to them!! Thanks Santa!! Talk to you soon!


Visit www.SantaSpeaking.com

Swanky Giveaway: Cocotier Kids

Cocotier Kids would like to offer one of our lucky readers a $30 Gift Certificate to their boutique!!

Contest open to US and Canadian residents ONLY. Contest will end at 11:59pm December 31st. If winner does not respond within 72 hours, another winner will be randomly selected.

Enter here!

Swanky Giveaway: Baby Bling Couture

How very swanky!!!
Win a couture wipes case from Baby Bling Couture!!!

Contest open to US and Canadian residents ONLY. Contest will end at 11:59pm December 31st. If winner does not respond within 72 hours, another winner will be randomly selected.

Enter here!

Swanky Giveaway: Dizzy Daizy Creations

Win this beautiful necklace from Dizzy Daisy Creations!!! Absolutely gorgeous!!

Contest open to US and Canadian residents ONLY. Contest will end at 11:59pm December 31st. If winner does not respond within 72 hours, another winner will be randomly selected.

Enter here!

Automated Man

Automated Man is a revolutionary idea that will make every mom's job easier. If you have a son in college, a husband who commutes to another state for work, or even a fireman or policeman in the family who has a locker filled with his essentials, Automated Man is your answer. With Automated Man, the men in your life receive all of their toiletry needs, delivered, once a month for up to 65% off of the cost of the drug store. If you have a kid in college, but don't want to give him a credit card, sign him up for Automated Man. Through the holidays, sign your boy or man up and enter the code "BestMom" and you will get another 15% off. Automated Man takes the work and worry out of being a mom. Save time, save money, and keep control.

Visit http://www.automatedman.com

Removeez - Get Stuff Off Your Skin!

Get ready all you moms (and non-moms as well) out there! I have just found a super efficient and useful product that I think everyone should have. It's called Removeez and it is fantastic.

Removeez gets stuff off of your skin naturally. Made with a blend of soothing citrus oils and plant extracts, Removeez was created to get all the hard-to-remove stuff off of your skin without using harsh cleaners or scrubbing your hands raw. It leaves your hands soft and pleasant-smelling as well (which is a BIG bonus).

I have to say, I was a bit skeptical when I first received my Removeez kit that contained a few sample bottles of the product and a bunch of testing items such as bandaids, permanent marker, temporary tattoos, tar (yes TAR....in a little plastic container), etc. All I can say is, when a company sends you items in a test kit, they better be certain their product holds up. Removeez held up and then some. Not only did Removeez remove everything in the test kit that the product claimed it could remove, it also removed something from my hands it didn't claim to remove: superglue. Just so happen that I chipped a Christmas decoration that needed to be super-glued, but then got distracted when the phone rang and ended up getting super glue on my fingers. I tried scrubbing it off with soap and water, but that didn't work. Then I remembered I had my Removeez and decided to give it a shot. It took a couple of drops of the Removeez and some coaxing, but the super glue did come off my fingers and my skin was quite thankful.

I highly recommend Removeez to one and all. It's non-toxic, free of parabens, phthalates and PPG's and is dermatologist-tested. It was created by parents (and the best children's items usually are created by parents), it actually works, smells great and a little goes a long way. Removeez makes for a great stocking stuffer and is a perfect gift for any parent, teacher or human being really on the planet. Seriously, this stuff works!

Check out Removeez at http://www.removeez.com/ to purchase Removeez or get more information about the product. Removeez is also available at Amazon.com and Fred Segal, and other select boutiques across the country.

Want to win some Removeez for yourself ('cause when you get it, you'll want to keep it for yourself and not give it away as a gift)? Post a comment why you would love to get some Removeez and we will choose a couple of random winners who will receive a FREE Removeez! Contest ends on December 18th. Winners will be notified via email. Please be sure and include your email in your response/comment!

Have the Kids Been Naughty or Nice?

You know almost everyone uses Santa as a good behavior motivator at this time of year. I have found someone to give you a little extra help. Elf on the Shelf is a clever little book and elf doll set that gives them a constant reminder to behave nicely.

This darling read aloud book explains to the children that this little elf has been sent to your home to watch and report back to Santa. Every night while the children are asleep, this magic little elf flies to the North Pole to tell Santa just how naughty or nice the children have been. And when he returns he finds a new look out point to observe from.

You may wonder how you might answer the questions that you know your little ones will ask, well you don't have to. This book has covered almost all the questions your children can come up with. The book explains that the elf cannot move or talk to the children because Santa gave him rules that he has to follow, and breaking the rules would be naughty. He also cannot be touched too much or he will lose his magic and not be able to report back to Santa. However, the children can talk to the elf and tell him what they want Santa to bring them for Christmas.

My children, 6 and 4, bought into it! They are convinced that this elf has been leaving every night to tell Santa all about their behavior. Each morning they are excited to see where the elf has moved to. One morning they got a little worried because they couldn't find him right away. My daughter asked if he was maybe giving a naughty report to Santa and is why he hasn't returned yet. This little elf is certainly keeping them on their toes!

Get yourself some extra help with Elf on the Shelf! You can buy at Barnes and Noble in store or online at www.barnesandnoble.com. This book set can also be purchased at www.amazon.com.

A Xmas Gift to Treasure Forever!

Every child needs something special to cherish from their childhood. An Adorable Kinders Rag Doll is the perfect present for you to give a child. These unique dolls are sure to delight all.

The beautifully crafted rag dolls started as a mother's dream and are now a son's legacy. Aranza made her first doll for her baby sister when she was 16 years old. She loved to create and design. She now has 3 children of her own. When her oldest son graduated High School he was determined to help his mother make these adorable dolls a success. Just when everything seemed like it was coming together, her son, Ivan passed away from an undetected heart condition. Her dream stopped there until a friend became a partner to make a dream come true and a legacy for her son.

Each Adorable Kinders Rag Doll is 100% soft and are 18 inches tall. The dolls and clothing are washable. There are 26 different, darling characters to choose from with names from A to Z. All the dolls are made in the USA.

My daughter loves her Adorable Kinders Rag Doll. She has been taking her to bed with her since her arrival. The doll is so well made. The clothes and shoes are easy for my daughter to remove and redress. Each doll has yarn for hair, and I love it! Unlike a Barbie doll, Adorable Kinders Rag Doll hair does not get knotted and ratty. The hair is so easy to care for. All you have to do is run your fingers through it and it falls back into place.

Whether you have a son or a daughter, Adorable Kinders Rag Dolls are the perfect gift. Visit www.AdorableKinders.com for a local retailer near you or to purchase one online.

Say Hello to Your New Favorite Item in the Medicine Cabinet!

Flu season is here. And it has recently gone though our house like wildfire. Fortunately I was spared, but my poor boys and husband were hit hard. I did however have a new tool that helped make things just a bit easier. The Thermofocus Family Thermometer is truly the best on the market. I have both a temporal and digital ear thermometer. Neither have been as accurate or less intrusive. Using the Thermofocus is a breeze, simply press the "happy face button" aim the red light at the forehead until the two dots align and voila the temperature has been taken without even a touch!



Thermofocus also takes the temperature of household items, aim it at the bath water to make sure it's not too hot, check baby's bottle, heated food, or even just the room temperature. We played around with the Thermofocus quite a bit before actually needing it for medical reasons, but when those fevers showed up, we were prepared.

Made in Italy, the Thermofocus is FDA approved. It uses harmless infrared technology and measures in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. The unit comes with an excellent instructional DVD and also has a 2 year warranty. For more details be sure to visit the BV Medical site.

I simply can not stress how much I am loving this thermometer. It's as easy as aim and press, there are no pricey probe covers to buy and you won't have to poke, prod, or irritate an already irritated kid to get an accurate temperature.

The Thermofocus is available on Amazon.com and qualifies for free super saver shipping. Trust me when I say this is something you'll want to keep in the medicine cabinet, always and forever!