8 months old!

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Haven't done one of these in a little while. Emerson is 8 months old today!! I can't believe he's 2/3 of the way to a year!!!
He got his first tooth on his 7m birthday and just got his second tooth on his 8m birthday!!

 Getting so big!

 This is how the end of most photo shoots go these days!

 I get the best smiles when my flash is off

He is right around 17 pounds and about 29.5" long!!! He's so tall and skinny.

At 6m and at 7m he was just 10oz bigger than Avery at that age, but a whole 2.5" longer!!! At 6 months he was 80% for height and 30% for weight.

Getting way too big. He will most likely be walking by 10 months. He's attempting to stand on his own already. He'll barely hold on to something and turn completely around. He tries to let go, but then falls.
He's been crawling for almost 3 months now. Look how red and beat up his poor knees are :(

Kids at the zoo. Emerson's first trip

 He is a bully towards Avery!

Little Bee Co Review & Giveaway *CLOSED*

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We have reviewed for The Little Bee Co. once before. We received a OS diaper and a newborn diaper for that review. I used the heck out of that newborn diaper. It did take a while to dry, but it was super absorbent and fit him wonderfully until he was about 10-11 pounds. We still use and LOVE our Bamboo OS diaper.

Little Bee Co. has released a new kind of diaper. They came out with an Ultra Cool diaper in solids and prints. This diaper is in the NB and OS sizes. 

We received the Ultra Cool in the MooRockin' Cow print!

Milk Unleashed Giveaway *CLOSED*

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With handy single-serving shelf safe milk there’s no need to ever run out!  You can take it anywhere at anytime!  Milk Unleashed goes wherever your family goes, whether it’s a lunchbox, a cooler, purse or a diaper bag!

GIVEAWAY
Milk Unleashed wants to offer one reader the chance to win a Gift Pack including: Four Shelf Safe Milks (white and chocolate) from: Hershey's, LaLa, Horizon and  Organic Valley

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Take the quiz above and post your results!

Giveaway ends 9/1 at 11:59pm est

Jack & Lily Review & Giveaway *CLOSED*

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I contacted this company in December 2010 with no response. You can imagine my surprise when I was contacted by them in Late June in response to my original email!! It was great timing though. Although Avery has outgrown the Jack & Lily shoes now, they were perfect for Emerson. 

We received the wonderful Grey/Black Trainer from the My Shoes line in a 6-12 month!

Burt's Bees Review

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I have done a review for Burt's Bees twice now I believe. I love all of their items equally really. I have never tried a Burt's Bees item that I didn't like. Truly! 

This time around I received 2 new items from the Intense Hydration line for my review. I got the Cream Cleanser and the Treatment Mask

LEGO KidsFest is coming to Novi Michigan!!! GIVEAWAY

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We've been invited and I have the wonderful opportunity to give away 2 tickets to this wonderful event as well!!! Here's some info!

LEGO^® KIDSFEST MICHIGAN: OCTOBER 12 – 14

THREE FOOTBALL FIELDS OF HANDS-ON EDUCATIONAL FUN FOR ALL AGES

THE LEGO^® KIDSFEST NATIONAL TOUR STOPS IN MICHIGAN AT THE SUBURBAN COLLECTION SHOWPLACE IN NOVI, OCTOBER 12 – 14, 2012, BRINGING ALL OF THE CREATIVE HANDS-ON, MINDS-ON FUN OF LEGO BUILDING AND EXPERIENCES TOGETHER IN THIS THREE FOOTBALL FIELD ACTIVITY- AND  ENTERTAINMENT-PACKED FAMILY EVENT FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES AND BUILDERS OF ALL SKILLS AND INTERESTS.

   

AMONG THE MANY LEGO ATTRACTIONS, FAMILIES WILL FIND:

•         LEGO MODEL GALLERY: DOZENS OF LIFE-SIZED MODELS MADE ENTIRELY FROM LEGO BRICKS

•         LEGO MASTER BUILDERS: LIVE DEMONSTRATIONS AND ACTIVITIES FROM THE CREW WHO GET PAID TO PLAY

•         CREATION NATION: BUILD YOUR OWN CREATION TO ADD TO A CUSTOM MAP OF THE U.S.

•         RACE RAMPS: BUILD YOUR OWN CUSTOM CAR, THEN RACE IT DOWN THE RAMP AGAINST FRIENDS AND FAMILY 

•         LEGO GAMES ARENA: ROLL THE DICE TO PLAY LEGO BOARD GAMES

•         CONSTRUCTION ZONES: CREATIVE FREE BUILD, PLAY AND DISPLAY AREAS

•         LEGO DUPLO®: YOUNGER VISITORS CAN EXPLORE IMAGINATION THROUGH BUILDING

•         LEGO RETAIL AND KIDSFEST MARKETPLACE: PURCHASE LEGO MERCHANDISE AND OFFICIAL KIDSFEST TOUR GOODS

•         BRICK PILE: A GIGANTIC PILE FULL OF LEGO BRICKS FOR CREATIVE PLAY AND ENJOYMENT

•         MONOCHROMATIC BUILDS: BRICKS OF A SINGLE COLOR TO FOSTER GROUP CREATIVITY

•         BRICKSCAPES: FANTASTIC DISPLAYS THAT COMBINE LOTS OF LEGO AND DUPLO SETS

•         AND MUCH MORE, COVERING OVER 150,000 SQUARE FEET OF SPACE

“ANY FAMILY WHO LIKES TO BE INSPIRED, GET HANDS-ON AND HAVE FUN TOGETHER WON’T WANT TO MISS LEGO KIDSFEST,” SAID VINCE RUBINO, LEGO EVENTS MANAGER. “WE’RE BRINGING SO MANY ACTIVITIES FOR MICHIGAN FAMILIES TO TEST AND SHOWCASE THEIR CREATIVITY AND BUILDING SKILLS IN WHAT IS SURE TO BE A FAMILY EVENT TO REMEMBER.” 

BASED ON SELL-OUT ATTENDANCE IN PREVIOUS MARKETS, ADVANCE TICKET PURCHASE IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED.

FIVE SESSIONS – ALL IDENTICAL – ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE MICHIGAN OCTOBER 12 – 14 TOUR STOP.  LEGO KIDSFEST TICKETS ARE $20 FOR ADULTS AND $18 FOR CHILDREN AND CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE AT WWW.LEGOKIDSFEST.COM. 

THE LEGO KIDSFEST 2012 TOUR STOPS: CINCINNATI (MARCH 23 – 25), DENVER (APRIL 27 – 29), MILWAUKEE (JUNE 15 – 17), TEXAS (AUGUST 31 – SEPTEMBER 2), MICHIGAN (OCTOBER 12 – 14) AND PITTSBURG (NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 2).   

FUN FACTS

MORE THAN 400 BILLION LEGO® BRICKS HAVE BEEN PRODUCED SINCE 1949.

THE LEGO® MINIFIGURE REPRESENTS THE WORLD'S LARGEST POPULATION OF PEOPLE! OVER 4 BILLION MINIFIGURES HAVE BEEN PRODUCED IN THE LAST 30 YEARS. THIS IS ALMOST 12 TIMES THE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES!

LEGO® MINIFIGURES ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD, LITERALLY. THE 2 MARS ROVERS HAVE AN IMAGE OF THE LEGO® MINIFIGURE ETCHED INTO THEIR FRONT GRILL.

APPROXIMATELY 7 LEGO® SETS ARE SOLD EACH SECOND.

THERE ARE ABOUT 62 LEGO® BRICKS FOR EVERY ONE OF THE WORLD'S 6 BILLION INHABITANTS.

LAID END TO END, THE NUMBER OF LEGO® BRICKS SOLD IN A YEAR WOULD REACH MORE THAN 5 TIMES AROUND THE WORLD.

THERE ARE 915 MILLION WAYS TO COMBINE SIX EIGHT-STUD LEGO® BRICKS.

CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD SPEND 5 BILLION HOURS A YEAR PLAYING WITH LEGO® BRICKS.

WITH A PRODUCTION OF ABOUT 306 MILLION TIRES PRODUCED A YEAR, THE LEGO® GROUP IS THE LARGEST PRODUCER OF TIRES IN THE WORLD.

LEGO® IS THE CONTRACTION OF TWO DANISH WORDS, "LEG GODT" WHICH MEANS "PLAY WELL".

THERE ARE ABOUT 62 LEGO® BRICKS FOR EVERY ONE OF THE WORLD'S 6 BILLION INHABITANTS.

19 BILLION LEGO® ELEMENTS ARE PRODUCED EVERY YEAR. 2.16 MILLION LEGO® ELEMENTS ARE MOLDED EVERY HOUR, OR 36,000 PER MINUTE.

Pretty awesome right?? We personally can't wait to go to this wonderful event. Avery will have a BLAST I'm sure!! And secretly Jon and I are wanting to go and have some fun too!!

GIVEAWAY

I am hosting a giveaway for 2 Tickets to the opening day (October 12th 4-8:30 pm) for you and your child! 

Please use This Link to enter to win your tickets!!!

Winner will be chosen on Friday September 28th and your tickets will be emailed to you!

Krimson Klover Review & Giveaway *CLOSED*

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I've worked with Krimson Klover in the past. I did one last winter with a gorgeous sweater of their's. This time around I received a summer tank top that I also love! I received the Day Dreamer Reversible Stripe top for review In the Charcoal/Poppy color

A Very Green Back to School Hop Sponsor Spotlight LUNCH SKINS

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Now that Avery will be starting school (2 more WEEKS!!!) it is time to think about lunches. At home I just make her a sandwich, give her some fruit and throw it on a plate or her placemat. But now that she'll be heading to school I need to pack more for lunches/snacks and I need to think about cost and garbage.  A great way to save some money AND garbage is reusable bags. So Lunch Skins sent me a Sandwich and a Snack bag for my review.

A Very Green Back to School Hop Sponsor Spotlight ECO VESSEL

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I always look for more natural choices when I'm shopping for any product. I look for healthier options. Now it has been banned to put BPA in baby bottles, but what about other plastics? So for this reason I usually opt for Stainless Steel for drinkware. It doesn't contain all of those chemicals and it's easier to clean. So I contacted Eco Vessel and they were kind enough to send me the Kids Insulated Bottle with Straw Top in the Purple Butterfly for Avery

 It is a straw cup, and it comes with an additional straw

I'm loving this cup for Avery. It is insulated and keeps drinks cold for up to  12 hours I think it said. So this will be perfect for her to take juice or milk to school with her. 

We tested it out. I Gave her ice water and 9 hours later when we woke up the water and the outside of the cup were still cold. It worked and kept her drink cold for a LONG time. So this will truly be great for school. 

The lid on it closes up too. There's the little drinking spout, you push it down into the lid to keep it sealed and then pick it up to drink from it. 

I love the purple color and the butterfly that are on there. I just love the look of this cup and the stainless steel on it is great too. I do find SS to be much easier to clean than plastic. 

This cup comes in 4 other colors. 

The cup is 13oz so it's the perfect size for children.

Price: $21.95 for this cup. It is a little pricey, but it's so worth it and this cup will last for years!

Overall: *****

 A VERY GREEN BACK TO SCHOOL HOP

For the Very Green Back to School Hop, Eco Vessel has offered one Mommy's Favorite Things reader the chance to win this same cup in the color of your choice!

*Disclaimer* I received an item directly from  Eco Vessel in exchange for a review. I was not paid to try out these products*

A big thank you goes out to Eco Vessel for allowing me to review this product and for offering a giveaway

Woolzies Review & Giveaway *CLOSED*

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Dryer balls are a great way to cut down drying time. Therefore making laundry go quicker and saving you electricity and money in the long run. 

We have most recently gotten a clothes line for outside, but I still like to fluff everything and I know that what I do dry all the way and for those rainy days that my dryer balls will cut time down significantly. 

I received a package of the Woolzies dryer balls for my review. They come in a pack of 6.

Conscious Box Vegan Giveaway *CLOSED*

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I have done a review for the wonderful Conscious Box before, but now they offer an all Vegan box!

Conscious Box has teamed up with Brendan Brazier, former pro Ironman triathlete, bestselling author of Thrive, and formulator of Vega. Brendan Brazier is known as a top authoritative source for the vegan, plant-based diet, and has used his experiences to help create one of the most incredible Conscious Box experiences yet!

Which is just wonderful I think!!! I love that this company that was already offering healthy items in their boxes now offers a vegan option. So many are choosing this lifestyle lately and I think that's really great!

So without further ado, we're going to do a giveaway for the wonderful Vegan Conscious Box!!

A Very Green Back to School Hop Sponsor Spotlight MILKDOT

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My very first spotlight for the Very Green Back to School Hop is milkdot. 

When you're children are going to school brown bags are not very green. They produce a lot of waste and aren't very pretty. Yes you can color on them and write notes for your kids on them, but you can also write a note on a piece of paper and put it inside a Lunch Tote like milkdots! We received the tote in Plum for Avery and we're both so excited for her to start taking it to school. 

Evenflo Bebek Review

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Now that Emerson is older, it's time to start using sippy cups. He's at the age where he should start getting some water in a cup and I don't want him to have it in his bottles, so it's time for the bigger cups! Evenflo Bebek contacted me asking if I wanted to review this cup and I jumped at the chance. It was perfect timing!!

We received the blue cup and Emerson loves it!

Carmex Review & Giveaway *CLOSED*

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I love being a part of the Carmex blog squad. I love getting new products in the mail from them for review. 

This time I received a tote bag FULL of their Sticks, plus their new Pomegranate flavor!

Zinny Jane Review & Giveaway *CLOSED*

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We all know I use cloth diapers here. They are awesomeness and all :) Along with that comes another realm which is wool soakers! I use them once in a while, I have knit Emerson a pair of shorties and I use longies in the cooler months, but I haven't actually knit a wool soaker. I have a couple wool wraps that I use though so I wanted the chance to try out a soaker. I came across Zinny Jane and knew she was the one to contact. 

She sent me a Rugby Stripe soaker in a Medium.

Balboa Review & Giveaway *CLOSED*

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I have heard of Balboa Baby in the past. They have some really cute stuff. We were in need of a shopping cart cover since Emerson is now sitting up and I wanted to start putting him in the shopping carts. So I contacted them and they sent me one for review. 

We received the Suri cart cover for our review!

The Green PolkaDot Box Review

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The Green PolkaDot Box is one of my new favorite stores. Honestly. This store has most everything you could ever want that's healthy, natural and green. 

They have baby food, household items, food, pet food, personal care, produce and more. They have tons of wonderful items to choose from at great prices. 

I was given $50 to spend with them and this is what I got.

It Works! Review & Giveaway *CLOSED*

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I have heard of these wraps for a long time now. I didn't know that they could really work. So when I was contacted by Angelique at It Works! I knew I would say yes, because I really wanted to try them!

I received 3 wraps and a defining gel sample to try out.

Mary Kay Review & Giveaway *CLOSED*

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My mother used to use Mary Kay. I have never tried any of their items though, so when my good friend Lori contacted me to do a review I jumped at the chance. I've already reviewed her bows from her bow business. So I was very excited to get to try these items. 

She loaded me up with goodies!

A bag full of stuff, with a nice letter and catalog!

Bouncing Babies Review & Giveaway *CLOSED*

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Today I'm going to be sharing with you my review of the Thirsties Duo Wrap and Thirsties Duo Hemp Prefold, that was made possible by Bouncing Babies. 

I got the new Scottish Storm in a size 2! And the prefold in size 2 as well

Beyond-Bedding Review & Giveaway

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We bought Avery's bedding set when I made her twin bed, so it was about 18 months ago. It was time for a more grown up bed set for her. The one she had was cute, but it was pretty young. Although we're still keeping it as backup, but the comforter was all matted from being put in the dryer a few too many times, it was definitely time for a new one. 

Beyond-Bedding got in contact with me and I was so excited to pick out a bed set for Avery. I settled on the Pink and Black Madison 4 pc kids bedding set and they also sent along the Madison Sheet Set. I was torn between this set and the Deco Dot Modern Set, but that one had white sheets and that wasn't smart!!

So the Madison arrived and it was PERFECT!