Shutterfly

One week from today is Mother's Day. A single day out of the year that is dedicated to all of us women who dare to wear the badge of Motherhood, distinguishing us from those who have yet to experience the Ring of Fire. A day that celebrates us a women and all the work that is put into providing our children with everything they need to grow into amazing individuals. Or just the simple satisfaction of knowing we didn't strangle our offspring today. Whatever it is you feel, Mother's day is a wonderful day to experience both as the child and as the mother.

Shutterfly is one of my favorite photo gift sites. I have used Shutterfly numerous times over the last 2.5 years of my journey into motherhood. I have had the privilege of providing Personalized Photo books and Personalized gifts for MOM to my own mother, all bearing the most adorable pictures of Baby DIVA...her only grandchild. (well for at least another week or so :)) I have never been disappointed with the caliber of work shutterfly does and the product has always arrived in perfect condition and is a true treasure and a gem for the recipient.

This year, as Mother's Day rapidly approaches, I have several other reasons to hit up shutterfly. First, I am in the process of picking wonderful Thank you Cards with the perfect look, for Critter2 to send out to all those welcoming her into the world with precious gifts. H4L and I are also particularly interested in Critter2's birth announcements. These little beauties will be revealing the name of Critter2 to many of our friends and family. We know we can count on shutterfly to provide us with the perfect quality in this product that will meet our high expectations.

Now you can imagine my excitement when I discovered that Shutterfly would offer me 50 free photo cards just to share this information with my readers. I was tickled pink. I already love this company so much and now I get to receive an awesome product for just reminding my readers how much I like this company. What can be better than that? And on top of that, Are you a blogger? If so, Click HERE for your own opportunity to enjoy the benefits of Shutterfly! You will not be disappointed.

I will send out (Free) Christmas cards! And YOU can too!

Christmas is right around the corner. *insert panicked scream here* Are you ready? We are here in Pink Haired momma land, for the most part. Gifts have been carefully selected throughout the year and discounted prices, of course, and tucked away for this grand event we all look so forward to each year.

The last couple of years H4L and I have not done Christmas cards. shame on us. But here is why. The first year Baby DIVA was due to make her grand entrance into the world on Christmas day, but surprised us by dropping in early on Thanksgiving. Between unplanned contractions and learning to change diapers our Christmas cards got lost in the diaper genie shuffle. Then we move on to last year. We got married on Halloween in Las Vegas, had a hometown reception 7 days later, Baby DIVA's FIRST birthday party was 2 weeks after that and POOF I got the swine flu. Again Christmas cards got lost in the tissue and Nettie pot shuffle.

So this year, before we grow from a family of 3 to a Family of 4, I am desperate to send out Christmas Cards , to get us back on track to spreading some holiday cheer to our friends and family. Enter Shutterfly . Right now they are offering a fabulous little gig for bloggers. Spread the word about how great they are, because you know they are, we all use them, and you get 50 free Christmas cards! How awesome is that? So here I am spreading the word and waiting on my 50 free Christmas cards! With the amazing variety that Shutterfly offers in Photo greeting Cards and the ability to Upload my own pictures, I am quite sure I will knock the socks off all my friends and family this year, not only because I am actually getting my Christmas cards mailed, but because they are absolutely FABULOUS!

Coochy Creme

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Life as We Know It...the movie

I had the marvelous opportunity to take a momma time out and go see a movie with a great friend, Love to Shop Mom. I jazzed myself up, which in layman's terms means I actually got out of my stylish fashion of day long Pajama wearing that moms seem to know way too well, painted up my face with some make up I forgot I had, slipped on some flip flops (my kind of heels), kissed the kids (Baby DIVA and H4L) bye bye and took off in my mom ride for a wild night out.

But, you know there is something about sporting the mom ride that just kind of deflates your bubble of fun from Hot wild gal to fat momma. And then there is that feeling of fluff that began to resonate over me because I was dressed fabulously in my never really wear anymore jeans because I live in "comfy pants" pretend to be hip mom fashion choice; and I might not really be fitting in them so swell these days. Nonetheless, I felt great and grabbed my gal pal for a whimsical spin in the van, that brought us to a sneak preview of the movie Life as we Know it.

FANTABULOUS movie! The movie is a predictable tale, a story line that is simple, yet incredibly captivating. It really hit home with me, displaying an image of the modern day family and lifestyles that I have come to know as the norm in this day and age. The general premise of this flick is as follows: A young successful couple has a child. This same young couple has a set of best friends, his best dude and her best gal. These bests hate each other, with a undying passion stemmed from a bad blind date set up many years before. Happy married couple dies and leaves their only child, whom is only 1 years old, in the custody of these two adults, the bests, that despise one another. The movie then chronicles the lives of these three people who are thrust together in a bittersweet turn of events that life dealt for them, throughout the first year of this lifestyle change. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

As a parent, I identified on a number of levels with this movie. I found myself immersed in the culture of being a parent and the favorable aspects such a gift provides. The enticing views of feeding a toddler and getting covered in "back spit". The first precious steps your child ever takes and how you must document this achievement with every electronic document capturing device you have at your disposal. Doing whatever it takes to soothe this "monster" child, even if it means standing on your head inside the fridge while singing Barney all night long. And of course those cherished moments where the baby is sound asleep and you peer over the edge of the crib and know deep in your soul you are looking directly at an angel, a gift from above, pure peaceful perfection.

But I also was able to catch a glimpse of my former self in the characters. A glimpse that reminded me, that although I am the greatest expert on parenting now, (hold your laughter back please), I didn't have a clue at the beginning. The former self that was lost, confused, terrified, but willing to bend my body backwards, in half, and up side down to figure out how to keep this kid alive. My former self that was shocked and terrified to learn motherhood was being tossed on my doorstep, but was flinging the door open with enthusiasm. Well perhaps it was a slip of the hand and fear that flung the door open, but that is neither here nor there.


The simple and genius storyline of this movie enabled the actors to really hone in on the real life moments that inevitability factor into every parents life. The movie portrayed a life that all of us could identify with. A story that tugs at the heartstrings and enables you to gain perspective into the lives of parents. All while giving a fantastic performance that is sure to capture anyones heart. Truly entertaining. A must see for all those who would like a glimpse into the life of parenting.

Grow Baby Grow

I am beginning to struggle in the garden. I managed to construct a garden and plant a slew of seeds this year. Seedlings began to show and grow into full grown mature plants. A few vegetables have even graced our garden and ended up on our plates. Pure luck, I suppose. I now am moving into a new territory and it is scary!

I mastered the plant and grow "something" task. Now I need to figure out how to master the plentiful growing of lots of fruits for my labor skill. And I kind of suck. I don't really know what to do. I love planting and watching things grow, but how do I get these planted things to produce loads of delicious produce? Luckily I have my fantabulous Average Person Gardening seed of the month club that not only delivers new seed babies to me in the mail each month, reminding me to continue on and that I CAN DO THIS. But also provide insightful tid bits and information pertaining to a variety of questions I didn't even know to ask via FACEBOOK and their website. The seeds arrive with great punctuality each month and provide me with the continued reminder to put those babies in the dirt and let things grow...practice makes perfect. Ask and learn what you don't know, and continue on!

So thank you my fantabulous Average Person Gardening seed of the month club . Without you I promise I might continue to suck at this gardening thing or worse I might quit. But with you by my side and reminding me to get out there I will succeed!! Check out the fabulous sproutage I have going on from last months seeds!!!

I have 4 new packets of fabulous little seeds just crying out to be placed in some soil and watered and loved and nurtured! I love that just when I begin to feel frustrated my fantastic Average Person Gardening seed of the month club delivers new hope right into my mailbox! So here we go...planting sprouts, digging in dirt and laying out new seeds for new growth! YAY for my brand new seeds of Radish, Broccoli, Cayenne peppers and Parsnip! GROW BABY GROW!!

La Finca Restaurant

The Pink Haired Momma clan tested out a local restaurant this weekend. A Mexican food restaurant. I have heard some rave reviews from friends and online and so we thought we would check it out. This place also has a playground for the tots, so I imagined H4L and I sipping on some authentic margaritas swirled about in someone else blender, while watching Baby DIVA romp around the playground and slide down the slide (her fav activity these days).

Ya, well that imaginary vision did not play out exactly like that. Its turned into a rather interesting evening, but no margs, no playground and well here let us chat...



Let me see where to start. Let us start with the good. The food was eatable. It was not the greatest, was not the worst, but was incredibly expensive for what it was. I mean I had cheese enchilada's, and they were good, but tasted similar to that which I could throw in the microwave and serve myself. So not my favorite food, but not spit it out and hide it under your napkin gross either. The place was clean and the service was excellent. Too excellent I might add. The waiter was a nice young gentleman who was friendly and did not mess up our order at all. The rest of the staff was very eager to help us at all times. They were very insistent on my H4L having his diet refilled before he was 1/4 of the way through it. Seriously, he was asked about 15 times, no exaggeration, if he wanted a refill. He kept saying in a little bit, not now. The staff stood by and watched us like hawks each time he took a sip, finally just coming a taking his glass away and refilling it when he was about 1/2 way through it. And then out of no where they brought me another full glass of soda, despite my original glass still being full. Guess they though we were really thirsty or something. It was quite humorous.

Now the bad. The staff being so eager to assist us kind of bordered on annoying. I did like that they were so attentive, however coming up and wiping the table, while we are still eating, each time Baby DIVA dribbled a little hot sauce or cheese worked my nerves. Not only because the invasion of our space, but Hello that dirty cleaning towel is now wiping the table and Baby DIVA is eating snack here, and you just used it ti wipe that table over there. GROSS invasion of the germs! Wait till we are done people! At least then I don't see you wiping germs on my table :)! And besides, I always clean the floor and wipe down the table before we leave the restaurant. Back off! Kindly annoying, to say the least. Then the playground was off limits while we were there. A private party had reserved the entire outdoor patio and playground area. Not a biggie, but annoying again to say the least.

Having nothing to do with the restaurant, we got some fun entertainment by eavesdropping on the patrons sitting in the booth behind us and got quite a tickle. Making the whole experience worth doing again. These patrons came to a Mexican restaurant, tex mex yummy delicious, fat engorged dining facility, and were all but throwing themselves on the floor demanding their foods be prepared without any grease WHAT-SO-EVER. Umm? Really? So we thought maybe they we order a taco salad. Then we hear, "And no vegetable please, and no Charo beans because they are cooked in bacon fat". REALLY?? no veggies, no bacon fat and no grease? Why the heck did you come to a Mexican food restaurant. WEIRD. But hysterical and still has us giggling several days later.

The atmosphere was fun and warm. It does have a great feel for families and a fun night of entertainment. Live music can also be found on the weekends in this friendly environment. The staff is incredibly attentive and the food was okay. I would like to test out the margaritas and playground in the future. I don't know if I will dine here again, but some chips, dips, and alcoholic beverages consumed while watching my TOT have a blast could be a great evening.

looking to test this place out? Click HERE for directions.

Bounce Bar

You have seen this thing right? The Bounce Bar. It provides a momma the ability to throw those clothes in the dryer and press the "on" button, and then take off, no other steps needed. Well you might need to bribe the kids or husband to actually wash the clothes and possibly fold them, but Hey! that's beside the point. The Bounce Bar promises you that you will not have a need to fumble around on the prowl for that dryer sheet box; No more trying to figure out if you should use 1, 2 or 12 dyer sheets. Nope. Nada. Zilch. Now you just install this little thingy in the dryer and POOF you gotta easy peasy dryer scenario. Now what are you going to do with that extra 10 seconds every day? Pee in peace possibly?

I have seen the commercials. I have read the mommy blogger reviews. I heard the gossip about the bounce bar here in suburbia; finally decided to give it a try. My goal was a tad malicious. I was giving the good ol' bounce bar a whirl in order to prove that it is worthless and a waste of money and time and just a tease to my frugal spending lifestyle.

A sale and coupon matched up at the precise time I decided to get myself a Bounce Bar for a $1, yep I am that good! I got home with my prize and immediately went to the laundry room for the installation ceremony. It was a snap. I simply opened the package used my fabulous common sense, reviewed my work with the instructions and I was ready. 30 seconds tops for this whole process. Oh wait add a minute, I had to hunt down the scissors from their hiding spot to open the outer portion of the package.

That was 2 months ago. I have learned some simple truths during my 2 months with the Bounce bar.

1. Bounce Bar takes away that "smell" from that load you washed Monday and dried Friday. You know what I am talking about, dont try and fake that you don't.

2. Bounce Bar never complains about drying the same load over and over and over because you are too tired to fold. Bounce Bar loves to see that same green tank top spin over and over again.

3. Bounce Bar makes drying clothes so much easier. Just flop those soggy suckers in and turn the machine on. I love it!

Bounce Bar is here to stay at Pink Haired Momma's. I already purchased a refill, couponing of course, and plan to keep this puppy rocking my dryer for some time! And as you can see from my "replace" picture, the Bounce Bar provides simple instructions for even the busiest, over tired moms!

Skin Free Skincare

Have you heard about this product line Skin Free ? I had, but only from passing by the product in the store and from reading reviews about this product from other mom bloggers. The reviews had me quite intrigued so I was really stoked when Skin Free contacted me to do a product review.

I received my package of goodies from Skin Free and was so excited. I tore open the package to see what prizes awaited me. I found Soap Bars, A heel stick and whipped body lotion.

Lets start with the soap bars. I was provided with 2 soap bars. So what did I do? Well I was super sneaky and placed one bar in H4L's shower and put the other bar in my bath tub. I was going to wait until H4L had taken a few showers to ask him about this "mystery" soap I secretly placed in his shower, however after the first shower he came to me.

"What is this new soap hun? I like it a lot. It leaves absolutely no residue on my skin and has no annoying smells. And my skin feels, well Clean!"


How about them apples? H4L totally dug the new soap! So I then just knew i had to take a dip in the ol' tub and test out this goodie. I was pleasantly surprised. The soap felt fabulous on my skin. Nothing sticky, no funky smells, no residue feeling, and I felt super clean and very happy with this new soap. So much so that I will be purchasing more of it when I run out, if not sooner.

Since the soap was so fabulous I was even more excited to test out the lotion. And what a treat this was. There was a light fragrance to this lovely spa treatment like cream as a slathered my body in a melt your troubles away mini moment vacay. Seriously! Lathering on this lotion was like a vacation. It went on smooth and light and smelled divine. I had no heavy cream feeling lingering and could really feel my skin being nourished and hydrated, all the while knowing I was not polluting my body with unwanted chemicals. I was loving it. And I am still digging it!

The biggest sellers for ME, about this line of products are the following, which can be found on the company website, The list of people who can benefit from these products as well as how natural and chemical free this line is. Have a look:

Recommended for:
Extreme Dry Skin
Skin or Fragrance Allergies
Psoriasis
Dermatitis
Eczema
Pregnant Moms
Babies
The Elderly
Diabetics
Renal Patients
After Radiation or Chemotherapy
Pharmacist formulated and doctor recommended patented formulas for delicate, sensitive and very dry or damaged skin.
All Natural, Vegan Ingredients
No Perfumes
No Petroleum Products
No Harmful Chemicals
No Steroids
No Colorants
No Greasy feeling
No Animal Testing, Cruelty Free
Money Back Guarantee

For me, this is important. I do not like using products that could possibly cause harm to myself or my daughter, I mean when Baby DIVA was first born I wouldn't even wear perfume because I was afraid it might rub off my clothes on to her perfect skin when I held her, yes I am loony but in a good way!! So Skin Free offers me the chance to enjoy a fabulous line of cleansing and beauty products without putting myself of my daughter at risk. The products From Skin Free have received a Toxicity Rating of "0" from the Environmental Working Group. Totally sensational. What could be better? A good "clean" soap that I can use on myself, Baby DIVA and H4L! Hot Diggity Dog! Check out Skin Free today by visiting the website and their FACEBOOK page today, tell Pink Haired Momma sent you!

I was not paid or compensated in any monetary form to do this review. I received a product to try and the remarks of of my own opinions.

Perricone MD Products

I am a mom. I sometimes do not get to shower let alone get myself dressed and put my face together each day. You other moms out there know what I am talking about, right? Just because we moms put ourselves on the back burner to our kids and family majority of the time, does not mean we do not appreciate being pampered and having nice things too every once in a while. Sure, I would love to be one of those moms with a fancy face and beautiful clothes and super dooper smile every single morning. But if i took the time to do so my walls would be covered in ketchup and the drapes would become magic carpets; I just opt for the "mom" look of comfy clothes, pulled back hair and no make up. I am cool with it.

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by an amazing company called Perricone in regards to doing product reviews for them. After looking through their material I discovered that the line of products offered by this company seemed really well made and I was very interested to give the product a try. I received the greatest "MOM' product ever, to give a test. The Active Tinted Moisturizer. This wonderful product provides a moisturizer for my face while also giving a hint of color to my cheeks AND has an SPF 15! Three characteristics in a facial product that I need. All i have to do is quickly apply this amazing product to my face and race out the door into the summer sun and heat with Baby DIVA. My skin is protected and the tint of color helps me feel less like a dead beat mom while kicking it at the local playground.

The key sciences of this Active Tinted Moisturizer can be found in detail on the Perricone website, however I have also provided this fabulous information for you as well:

Alpha Lipoic Acid - Patented
- The ultimate antioxidant protects the cell
- Diminishes fine lines, wrinkles and discoloration
- Refines skin texture
- Reduces pore size, puffiness, imperfections and uneven skin tone

DMAE - Patented
- Provides ultimate contouring benefits to skin beginning to lose elasticity
- Delivers lifted, tightened and toned appearance to the skin
- Diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

Vitamin C Ester - Patented
- A powerful antioxidant that improves firmness and elasticity
- Diminishes the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and discoloration
- Imparts a radiant, smooth and luminous appearance

ME, wearing the product recently!

I really have enjoyed using this moisturizer. I was even able to get up and apply it everyday for 2 weeks straight. It feels really light on my face, is easy to apply and supplies me with everything I need to keep my face clean and beaming everyday. It has also given my a boost of confidence because while I know it is protecting my skin, it also gives me the light coverage I need to make me feel like not only a mom but a beautiful woman!

I was not paid or compensated in any monetary form to do this review. I received a product to try and the remarks of of my own opinions.

Average Person Gardening

We are rip roaring right on into the hot and nasty summer months here in Texas. This year however, I have a fabulous little garden that is producing some lovely summer vegetables for my family to munch on. Having this little garden makes the heat tolerable. I find that Baby DIVA and I enjoy being out playing in the summer sun as long as our hands are in the dirt and the water hose is blasting water our direction. And I tell You Baby DIVA LOVES to water the garden! The fresh veggies are outstanding and I can really taste a phenomenal difference. Perhaps it is the taste of success in growing something on my own or perhaps I am just a dang good little grower. Who knows, but we totally dig it. H4L was amazed at the difference in taste a home grown tomato has in comparison to a store bought tomato. I gloated, but only a little.

A friend of mine introduced me to a fabulous web site called Average Person Gardening.com, recently, that is all about Vegetable gardening for you guessed it, people like me, AVERAGE folks who really have no idea what they are doing but LOVE it. I spent some time looking through the information on the website and was quite astounded when I discovered this powerhouse knowledge bank not only offered information pertaining to my light green thumb, but also a snazzy seed of the month club!

For a mere $1.99 a month, you can enroll in the Club and receive 4 packets of seeds each month from the SEED CLUB , AND in addition have access to a wealth of knowledge right at your fingertips. I couldn't resist! I quickly contacted Average Person Gardening.com, and let them know I was interested by filling out the easy to use SEED CLUB form. In no time, I received my first set of SEEDS!!

1. Cucumber

2. Radicchio

3. Cabbage

4. Spinach

Mike the Gardener runs the place and I have found nothing but kindness and fabulous assistance from him as I embark on planting my new seeds. I was so tickled. I mean how could one not be. These four packets would have cost me a minimum of $8 in a store and they only come with a couple little lines of planting instructions on the package. Average Person Gardening.com provides me with the seeds, the knowledge, the know how and a resource guide to ask questions whenever I feel in order to gain insight on how to produce the best vegetables from the fantastic seeds provided. I never feel embarrassed or too shy to ask a question; whatever is presented is answered in a group discussion on the Vegetable Gardening FACEBOOK page. It really is amazing and such a wonderful way to gain further growing knowledge.

Baby DIVA and I got busy as soon as the seeds arrived. We planted a few seeds of each vegetable provided and are now waiting on some sproutage. As you can see another fantastic advantage this club provides, beside the seeds, knowledge and learning to produce my own food, is one on one time with my fabulous daughter. A few moments in time where we can dig around in dirt and I can teach her the art of creating something on her own, right after I tell her to not eat the package the seeds come in of course!

If you are interested in learning about Vegetable gardening in any capacity, I suggest checking this group out. The seeds provided by Average Person Gardening.com are great and the resources of endless and plentiful. A great place for beginners and veteran growers alike! Let them know Pink Haired Momma sent you!

Reviews Reviews Reviews

The last few weeks I have been trying out some new products. Some are just random items I picked up while while navigating my way through the stores in my life; others are products provided to me by companies in order to provide my personal feedback on said items, for my readers. A few of the said products that I have been allowed the opportunity to examine, are also going to be available to some of my readers in a form of a giveaway!


It may seem over the next few days that I am all "shop talk". Please do not worry I am not turning into a strictly review blog. It just happens that I have a slew of products to tell you about all at one time. Enjoy the reviews as they are straight tales from my wacky Pink Haired world. I guess you can also just be excited that I have managed to put my Pink Supermom cape back on and can now handle all my daily to do's including playing here on my blog! YAY me!

Baby DIVA Digs K'NEX

Before Baby DIVA popped into my world I was completely child knowledge clueless; okay not that I really know what is going on now either, but at least I now know what a Binky is. This ignorance on rearing children also translates into ignorance in the toy department. I have no idea what toddlers want to play with. I mean seriously, I find really cool bouncing zebra's or fabulous dolls complete with personalized bottles and books a bountiful; only to discover Baby DIVA is quite content with a water bottle and a ring of keys. What the heck?

A couple of weeks ago the incredibly fantabulous company K'NEX shot me an email. "Pink Haired Momma, would you be interested reviewing some of our products with Baby DIVA?" Hmmmm I thought, What is K'NEX ? Thanks to my Swagbucks search engine, I discovered that K'NEX is an amazing line of toys for the imaginative minded child, aka Baby DIVA. The website states " K'NEX is the next generation of construction sets. It inspires creativity, builds self-confidence and encourages interaction among children and parents. The possibilities are endless!"

I agreed to the proposal of reviewing K'NEX toys and within a few short days had a box of goodies arrive at my door. Baby DIVA and I tore open the box and dug in with the quickness! ELMO!! Hot diggity dog! Baby DIVA found an Elmo K'NEX set and pleaded with me to "play" right now. So we sat right down in the middle of the floor and got busy. Momma and daughter interacted gracefully while activating our fabulous imaginations as we constructed piece by piece the cutest ELMO ever.

ELMO

Baby DIVA Creatin'

I was very impressed with how Baby DIVA interacted with the product. The K'NEX pieces were a great size for her petite toddler hands. She was able to grasp each piece and connect them to one another with great ease and contentment, not tantrums! SCORE! We used our creative juices and built Elmo, a few laughs and a series of claps and Baby DIVA was hooked. She then began to deconstruct Elmo and slowly place one piece in the Elmo container at a time. A lovely time consuming clean up process, that is perfect to eat up a few minutes before nap time. Total Fabulousness!

The pieces are just the right size for tiny tot hands, yet big enough to stay clear of choking hazards

Overall I am very impressed with my first experience with K'NEX. The packaging is user friendly meaning I can get the item open in toddler time. No having to get the jaws of life to remove the toy. The product is also quite user friendly and invokes a imaginative response from my little toddler. Baby DIVA engaged in learning while trying to assemble Elmo, but also came up with her own creative entertainment such as sticking Elmo's arm up her nose. I am thrilled that she is spreading her wings and grasping new concepts. I would recommend K'NEX to anyone with kiddos. And I look forward to exploring more products from K'NEX.

Harris County Park

With Baby DIVA feeling better and Kdude at a ripe age of wide eyes and wonderment, we headed out on an adventure to the park...

And both kids fell sound asleep on the 10 minute drive. So I opted not to hit our favorite park and instead drive around while the little ones napped, in hunt of new and exciting places to explore. We rolled around Katy, two little snores sweetly coming from the backseat, me enjoying the lovely GIANT Dr. Pepper I picked up at Sonic, to kill the time. After 20 or so minutes of aimlessly driving I happened on something wonderful. A NEW PARK! I had no idea a park even existed in this neck of the woods.

Right at Katyland and Franz I came across Harris County Park. Fabulous. A clean, well groomed, safe equipment park that has not only big kid playground equipment, but a special set up for toddlers too! WOOHOO!! I ever so quickly steered the fammoible into the parking lot, woke up the kids and yelped "Let's go play!"

Toddler Area

We walked right to the FABULOUS toddler area of the park, not of course without taking notice of the big kid section, the wonderfully paved walking track and the covered picnic area. How did I get so lucky finding such a great park by accident. Baby DIVA immediately found the stairs to the slide and took off. Kdude and I watched from a very close distance!

Toddler Rock wall and Baby DIVA checking it out

We did have one little accident. Umm. Dare Devil Baby DIVA found it quite humorous to give me a brief heart attack as she attempted to walk down the slide. A flip flop and roll later and she was screaming on the ground. I suppose this sort of behavior happens quite a bit amongst the toddler circuit, because luckily this park is prepared. Soft smushy pads have been placed at the bottom of all the slides and other prone to fall down locations around the park. Possibly to keep dirt in place, possibly to help minimize injury. Who knows. But it was a life saver for us this day!

Dare Devil Baby DIVA (p.s. this is not when she fell)

Toddler smushy fall pad

After our little mishap we strolled over to the swings and took a lovely little ride. This was followed by exploration of the big kid area. Baby DIVA found the slide is the big kid area awesome; I must admit I did too! Seriously! Check it out!

Cool Slide

The park was not crowded at all. About 5-7 moms and their kids were boppin around. Some I chatted with, some I raced around with tackling out kids. The park provides plenty of space for playing in groups as well as playing alone. And the park equipment, especially the toddler area, lends itself nicely to a great safety set up and ease of parents to assist in play time with the little ones. It was a wonderful surprise to stumble upon this great park. I advise any one in the area to stop by and have some clean, free fun!

The SPROUT changed our lives

Do you find that your child's hair looks like this?

Do you find that you have a kiddo with runaway hairs?

Well I do, FOR SURE. I have been a totally bad parent and covered my kids hair in RAVE hairspray and it still did not control the fly aways. Baby DIVA's hair always made her look like a ragamuffin. I called in reinforcements, my mother. She helped me find a product that would be safe to put on Baby DIVA's head but would also be strong enough to control the wild hairs.

The product, Original Sprout Gel, arrived at my door all wrapped up from amazon.com. I immediately gathered Baby DIVA, her hair thingy's, a comb and the gel and went to work. I was incredibly happy with the texture of the gel. It did not leave a residue on my hands, or on the tresses of my daughter. However it did seem to have a significantly strong hold. I was able to gather all those fine runaway strands and pull them together to form not only 1 pebbles pony on top of her head, but on the very next day, using the gel of course, PIG TAILS commenced in the house of Pink!

Sporting the Pebbles look!

Pig Tail'n it with Cousin Jaz!

Original Sprout Gel is fabulous. The company offers and entire Children's line of products that are organic, control wild hair, and safe for EVERYONE. The products are soy free, gluten free, 100% vegan, not tested on animals, have no disgusting over kill smells, leave no residue on the hair or scalp and get the job done. It really is a great product. I was quite hesitant to put anything in Baby DIVA's hair, well besides that horrid RAVE hairspray that I was using. Upon finding this I am SOLD, I am even checking into the adult line of products for my own Pink Haired self!

**I am not affiliated with the Original Sprout company. They did not provide me with products, monetary compensation or the like for this review of products. I paid for the product out of my own pocket after during careful research and decided this was a good product to try. Apparently my research paid off**

Disney on Ice Let's Celebrate

This past Wednesday night, Baby DIVA, my SIL, my Niece and myself loaded up into the fammobile and headed toward Reliant Stadium for a fun filled evening courtesy of the Houston Area Mommies . I was given the privilege of attending the fabulous Disney on Ice through a contest hosted on HAM . WOWSERS! I was stoked to have the opportunity to attend this event; but I was even more excited to share this fabulous festivity with my niece who just happen to have a big 7th birthday this week.

My Niece and Baby DIVA before the show


Me and Baby DIVA

We arrived in splendid fashion only moments before the show was to begin, something I do suggest to all parents toting a 16 month old to a big event like this. Although fun and exciting, they are 16 month olds and therefore any minimizing of "downtime" is highly recommended. Back to our arrival, we waltzed into Reliant Stadium with great ease, found our proper seats, and were delighted as the lights began to dim and the show began to come alive.

Opening festivities

Star sighting

The theme of this particualr fabulous event is "Lets Celebrate". A synopsis from the Disney website describes it best:

"It's one colossal party on ice, with all your favorite Disney friends! Join Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse as they celebrate a Very Merry Unbirthday Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter; a Royal Valentine's Day Ball with the Disney Princesses, including Cinderella, Ariel and Tiana; a Hawaiian luau with Lilo & Stitch; a winter wonderland with Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Disney/Pixar's Toy Story; a Halloween haunt with the Disney Villains and more in a magical medley of holidays, celebrations and festivals from around the globe."

The show was amazing. It is very interactive and stimulating for kids of all ages. As I looked around I saw almost every child in the facility staring with pure enjoyment, suspense and excitement down at the ice stage waiting with intense emotions waiting for the next Disney character to appear before their very eyes. I found that the high energy and vivid use of recognizable visual stimuli, for all ages, was a wonderful entertaining technique mastered by Disney. I was awe struck by the OH's and AH's not only from the children I might add, as each new character from the Disney collection made their presence known to the crowd. The creativity used to transition from scene to scene and to master the delivery of new characters really captivated my attention as a Disney lover and a critic. It was performed flawlessly.

Disney brought in EVERYONE!

Baby DIVA, being only 16 months old, and not too familiar with television shows and movies found the popcorn container to be the most delightful intriguing event of the night. She also rather enjoyed the full length mirror in the sizable bathroom facility.

My 7 year old niece shared with me her thoughts on the performance as we left Reliant Stadium , "That was the bestest ever". Her words summed up the entire performance and the entire evening. The satisfaction and enjoyment that oozed from my nieces character as we walked away from the stadium and talked was definitely awesome. Worth all the time in the world and every penny, if you ask me. I also found Reliant Stadium to fantastically accommodating to the family circuit, the Disney on Ice performance was spectacular and provided a wealth of entertainment for all ages, and the smile and happiness on my daughters (for the popcorn container) and nieces faces were priceless. I highly recommend this family adventure to anyone with children. Tickets range in price from $16 to $90, lending affordability to almost any budget. Parking is a mere $8 and can be cheaper with proper planning. Have dinner at home before heading to the show and this fun event can definitely be a cheap and exciting outing for just about every family around.


**I am not affiliated with Disney in any way. I was not compensated monetarily or by any other means for this review. All opinions are of my own thoughts and experiences at the event.