Thank you Tomoson and the makers of Ride Along Dolly for allowing me to test out this product free of charge. I really appreciate it!

I think every girl has had a love of dolls at one point or another in their lives. I remember when I was 4 or 5 I had a doll named Cricket. It was the kind of doll that had a cassette player on her back and so she talked. I thought it was so neat. I remember I used to play with her all of the time and I would make up stories as we played in my tent together.

These days you can get dolls that are made to look just like you or someone you know. You can pick out all their features, practically everything. With so much thought put into some of these dolls it’s no wonder little girls want to take them everywhere, even on a bike ride.

No parent would want their daughter holding onto their doll while they attempt to ride a bike. That would be a huge safety issue. The Ride Along Dolly Doll Bike Seat fixes that problem in a snap (well techinically with a bolt). Ride Along Dolly allows your daughter to take her favorite friend whether a doll or stuffed animal on a ride, safely.

This doll bike seat attaches to any bike with a standard rear crossbar with a hole. Please note that with some bikes this hole in their rear crossbar is taken up if the bike has hand brakes which was the case with one of the bikes we own.

Ride Along Dolly comes with sticker decals so your daughter can decorate the doll bike seat as she wishes. It fits all dolls and stuffed animals 18″ – 22″ and that weigh less than 3lbs.

Too bad they didn’t have something like this when I was little. If I had wanted to take any thing for a ride I would of had to strap it to my bike with a rope. Glad things have changed. How old were you when you first learned to ride a bike without training wheels?

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Thank you Fuzzy Ink and Tomoson for giving me these Mustache Cookie Cutters to review free of charge. You guys are awesome!

Are sugar cookies the only type cookies that can be used with cookie cutters? I’m not sure but they are the only ones I ever see in different shapes. So when I was given a Mustache Cookie Cutters by Fuzzy Ink I thought I guess I’m making some sugar cookies.

This cookie cutter set features three stainless steel mustache shaped cookie cutters. They measure around 4″W x 1.25-1.5″T but vary depending on which mustache you are using. Mustache shapes have many names but the three featured in this cookie cutter trio set are sometimes called The Walrus, Handle Bars, and The Cop. The cookie cutters feel durable and cut through dough like a breeze.

Personally, sugar cookies aren’t really my thing. They are too plain for my tastes. I much prefer something with chocolate in them (or something like my peanut butter cookies). Surprisingly, the sugar cookie recipe I found turned out pretty good.

Yummy Sugar Cookie Recipe

You will need  a cup butter (softened), 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, an egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon cream of tartar.

Mix together the butter and confectioners’ sugar until it’s really smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Add the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar into the creamed mixture. Cover and chill the dough for at least two hours. I let my dough sit in the fridge over night. Well, actually it was almost 2 nights because I got busy and didn’t have time to make them. If this happens to you and you notice the dough is hard after coming out of the fridge, just pop it in the microwave for 30 second intervals under it’s soft. Worked like a charm.

Once your dough has chilled preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a floured surface, roll out the dough out to your desired thickness and cut into shapes with cookie cutters.

Place cookie cut outs about 1.5 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and cook for about 8 minutes. I would keep an eye on them around the 5 minute mark to make sure they aren’t browning around the edges. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing them.

You can eat these cookies plain or add icing to them like I did. What is your favorite type of cookie?

To win your very own Mustache Cookie Cutter Set follow the Rafflecopter’s instructions below. Happy Entering! 18+, US only.
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Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

And with all the reports about home break ins in some areas, setting up better home security and CCTV systems is something that you should really consider.

But setting up CCTV systems at home isn’t the be-all-and-end-all of securing your home. There are other more practical things you can do to make your home a safer place for your kids when you have to leave them alone or with other people, or when you are leaving your home empty when you need to go somewhere.

Below are some security tips for moms on the go:

• Invest in outdoor lighting. Sufficient outdoor lighting is an effective intruder detterent. Your home’s doors, windows and dark corners outdoors should be installed with lighting equipment so there’s no place for burglars to hide.

• Keep the doors locked. This one is definitely a no-brainer, but something some moms tend to take for granted or forget, especially when they are in a hurry. If you’ve got someone to double check the doors for you, say your husband, that’s fine. But what if he leaves for work earlier than you? And don’t just lock the doors. Invest in double locks for all your doors if possible. This makes your home more un-invinting for intruders.

• Remember to lock all the windows. Some suggest that you should keep ground floor windows locked, but what about the windows upstairs? Skilled intruders can easily climb up and sneak in through the windows upstairs. It’s fairly easy to slide a window open even for a small child. For added protection, you can set up special window bars so you can leave the window open to let fresh air in without you having to worry about anyone trying to slip in.

• Use social media responsibly. It’s quite a common pitfall among active social media users, but posting your work schedule or the times when you’re not at home on Facebook is something that is so tempting for intruders. For all you know, someone could already be keeping an eye on each of your Facebook or Twitter status updates for any information that could give your whereabouts away.

• Hide your keys in places only you should know. Hiding keys under the flower pot, beneath the door mat or on top of the door frame is pretty obvious. Everyone does that, and that’s a dead giveaway. Instead, hide your keys somewhere only you should know, like inside your bag so you can bring them along with you.

• Trim the bushes and trees around your home. Bushes and trees are nice. Burglars think so too. They are perfect hiding places for intruders. Trim the bushes or replace them with plants that don’t grow too thick.

And then, of course, it’s highly recommended that you set up CCTV cameras in key areas in your home to capture and record suspicious activities around your home.

For more information on security systems such as CCTV cameras for your home, visit Newhams Security at http://www.newhamssecurity.com.au or call 1300 133 343 today.

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Image by Anthony Easton on Flickr

Young people in particular these days often find themselves under a lot of stress. Many people seem to find that there are too many things to try and compete against in the world today.

Jobs are becoming more scarce, and there is constant stress when it comes to school and loans. As a result, it can be quite easy for people to get down on themselves when it comes to stress, work and school. As a result, having the right quote now and then can help to cheer a person up and give them a little bit of insight when it comes to life. These quotes are designed to help people see the brighter side of their lives and perhaps inspire them to do something new and different with their lives, if necessary. Take a look at these inspirational quotes.

“Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold; the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul.” – Democritus

Happiness comes and goes, but this quote is particularly insightful because it shows us that true happiness cannot be found in possessions. At the end of the day, you are going to have only yourself. Democritus helps us to find inner happiness and allows us to realize that we do not need possessions in order to feel good.

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau

This is a great quote for those who are interested in doing something for themselves. A lot of people these days are stuck in jobs (even work at home jobs) that they do not like, living lives that they can no longer stand. As Thoreau put it, it is up to you to create the life that you have always wanted.

“Go back a little to leap further.” – John Clarke

In this quote, Clarke states that sometimes we need to retrace our steps in order to find out how we can further progress. This may seem like the opposite of what you want to do, but you will be surprised at how much you can learn by backtracking and going over what you have done before.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller

Helen Keller’s wise words offer a great level of inspiration for those who may be too afraid to try new things from time to time. There are simply two possibilities in life: the possibility that you will just sit around doing nothing and living a humdrum existence, or the possibility that you will actually go out there and make a difference to the world. This is often enough to scare many people into doing what they have always wanted to do.

“It is best to learn wisdom by the experience of others.”

This Latin proverb is something that few young people will follow, but it is always good to remember. Taking the advice of others can help you to avoid making certain mistakes.

This guest post was written by Sasha. She is a freelance writer and blogger. She writes for a number of different companies, on a range of subjects. These subjects include travel, and career development. These inspirational quotes help the young to overcome stress. Quoto is a site, where you can find quotes that fit any occasion.

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Miracle-Gro wants fun garden projects to be just that-FUN! Gardening should not be complicated or something you dread. Join the The Gro Project and bring fun back to gardening!

I don’t know about you but I am a huge fan of avocados. I love them in soups, sandwiches, in salads, by themselves, squished up on bread, in sushi, made into guacamole…I just love them! Maybe it’s the Texas girl in me.

Well, last year my son was into saving seeds from fruits and wanting to plant them. Since he loves avocados too we decided to grow a plant from the seed. He thought the process was pretty strange considering we weren’t sticking it in dirt at first. I’m sure he was having dirt withdrawals.

To start an avocado plant first get 4 toothpicks and a skinny glass. Puncture a cleaned avocado pit with one toothpick on each side, about half way down the pit-kind of like a cross or T shape. The toothpicks will suspend the avocado pit in the water that you will put in the skinny glass. Make sure to place the correct end of the seed in the water. The pointer side of the pit is the top and the flatter side is the side that goes in the water. So now you should have an avocado pit that is halfway suspended in water that looks something like this.

After a few weeks, but usually a month or more your seed will begin to crack and you will get your first sprout. Be sure to change the water once a week or so and place in sunlight.

Once your avocado plant is tall enough (around 7 inches or so) you can place it in dirt. I’ve noticed snipping off leafs encourages upward grow.

My avocado plant needs to be cut back 6 inches or so right now to help it get bushier. I just haven’t done it yet because it will be sad chopping all of the leafs off. Also, try not to over water your avocado plant. They love water and sun but so do the knats which can be annoying. Moisture Control Potting Mix might help with that though.

To learn more about The Gro Project please visit and follow Miracle-Gro’s Pinterest page. Do you like avocados? What is your favorite gardening project?

Disclosure: This post brought to you by Miracle-Gro. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you Tomoson and the makers of Snuggle Stars for giving me the cute fellow pictured above and the chance to review it!

Bedtime is probably the least favorite time of day for kids. Who wants to go to bed when you can be bouncing off the walls instead? Plus, children often want to be in contact with people and their room is often a lonely, dark place. Children learn young that bedtime is the perfect time to whip on out all the stall tactics they have stored in their back pocket. At bedtime I often hear things like “I’m thirsty”, “I need to go potty”, “I forgot to brush my teeth”, “Will you sleep with me?”. The list could go on and on.

One of the best ways to make bedtime easier is to stick to a schedule. Make bedtime the same time every day of the week. Children do much better with things once they become predictable. Making a bedtime routine will help with this. I like to start things about an hour or so before their bedtime. We have a last snack, brush teeth, get ready for the next day, clean their room, and listen to a story. Once kids go through a couple of the routine items they get an ah ha moment and usually just go with the flow.

Ever since my oldest son was maybe one or so he has been extremely attached to stuffed animals. I’ve had to get rid of so many (I always keep the special ones though). He’d never let me do this willingly so I have to sneak them out when he’s not around. His room doesn’t need to be a stuff animal factory. When he was younger he would throw huge fits if we forgot them at home when we were just going out for a bit. These days they are mainly for sleeping with. For my younger son, he likes blankets, a certain pillow, and to be in his room to go sleep easier. Personally, my bed just isn’t sleep worthy without my pillow. Most children (and even some adults) have some comfort item that helps them sleep at night. Make sure you know what this is and it will make bedtime tons easier.

Also, most children do not like sleeping completely in the dark making the Snuggle Stars Constellation Nightlight a great night time companion. The Snuggle Stars TM Bear Constellation Night Light is like a mini pillow pet that projects stars and a moon onto the ceiling. The moon and stars can be changed from blue to green to orange or you can set it to change between those three colors every 8 seconds or so. The colored lights seem to vary in brightness blue being the brightest and orange being the least. To change from one color to another or to turn off the nightlight all you do is press the dome that’s on the back of the bear making it super simple for young children to use.

I love that this night light projects decent sized stars. I’ve tried other star projection toys where the stars were so tiny they just looked like dots. These projected  stars are probably a good 8 inches or so and the moon is over a foot it seems making the room a starry paradise. The Snuggle Stars bear is soft and can either be folded up with Velcro or laid flat out like a pillow.

I love this product overall. The only I wish was a little different was the battery concealer cover. The battery compartment is just covered by Velcro so it will be easy for children to change the timer from off to on. You how kids love buttons and switches. It might of been better if it was zippered or had more Velcro.

Also, the velcro that keeps the bear folded in half could be a little bigger. It almost doesn’t want to hold the bear in that position but it does. The Snuggle Stars Constellation Nightlight would make an excellent birthday or baby shower gift. Perfect for children scared of the dark, any outer space lover, or heck I’m sure any young child would love this!

For a chance to win your very own Snuggle Stars Constellation Nightlight please follow the rafflecopter instructons below. Open to those 18+, US only. Happy entering!
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Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Image by Pablo Ruiz Múzquiz on Flickr

Over 7.8 million women-owned businesses exist in the United States. Whether you’re new to the work-at-home mom game or have been in business for yourself for a while, there are some technical skills you’ll need to learn to be an at-home business success. These technical skills apply whether you’re running a flower shop from your living room or freelance translating on the side.

1. Basic Office Skills

Being able to run your home office is important. Which office skills you’ll need, though, will vary depending on your business. Some work-at-home moms need to know how to set appointments, answer phone calls, desk organization, and file tons of actual paperwork. Others need to have an email management system and know how to manage electronic files. Either way, these basic office and computer program skills are essential.

2. Bookkeeping

As a business owner or contract worker, you’ll be responsible for tracking all your business income and expenses, paying quarterly taxes, and more. If your business is relatively simple, you can probably do your own bookkeeping. One easy option is to use a credit card specifically for your business, which helps keep business and personal expenses separate. Using a credit card in conjunction with a simple bookkeeping system will help you track your business income and expenses, both for tax and personal purposes.

3. Typing

Whatever your business, you’ll probably need to do some of it on the computer. So you’ll need to type, and the more quickly and efficiently you can type, the faster you’ll get your work done. If you’re still doing the one-finger key peck, it may be time to take a typing class to brush up on these skills. Many local libraries offer classes in typing and other computer basics for free.

4. A Website Interface

Chances are that you’ll need a website for your business. If you don’t already have one, you’re probably going to want to get on that right away. Whether you’re running a brick-and-mortar business or actively selling services and/or products online, having a website is essential. Even if someone else does your design, you should know the basics of your website interface. WordPress is one of the easiest interfaces to learn, so it’s a great tool for your business site.

5. Basic Computer Maintenance

You don’t have to be an IT pro to run your own business, but you can definitely save yourself time and frustration if you learn basic computer maintenance. For one thing, you should be actively using an anti-virus software, and you might also want to look into an automated backup service. Other than this, learn to troubleshoot basic computer problems so you don’t have to call in the professionals every time there’s a glitch.

6. Teleconferencing

If you’ll be working with clients or vendors that you can’t talk to in person, using a basic teleconferencing software is a good idea. Skype is usually fine for one-to-one conferences, but other, more complicated teleconferencing services are good for pulling in more than two participants.

Even if your work-at-home mom business has absolutely nothing to do with the technical side of life, learning these technical skills can help you keep your business running. Having skills like these will help you save money in the long run, since you won’t have to hire a pro to complete many of these basic business tasks for you.

We all know that there are many reasons to breastfeed your baby, but unfortunately breastfeeding isn’t something we all can or want to do. Some people choose not to breastfeed for personal reasons others may have breastfeeding problems and choose it’s not for them. When I was pregnant I had decided I was going to breastfeed but when it came down to it my son(s) would barely latch on. I tried breastfeeding for a while but ended up having to pump instead. My boys received a combo of expressed breast milk and formula. It wasn’t exactly how I pictured things going but it worked for us.

Holding a baby for a long time while trying to feed them and wreaks havoc on your poor arm. My arm kills these days when my three old wants me to carry him for just a few minutes. It’s actually pretty funny. My son starts off with him up on my waist in the normal child kid hold but as time goes on he starts sliding down. By the time I can barely hold him any longer he’s practically to the floor and might as well be walking again. Ugh. I can’t help it I’m a pretty little person and he’s probably half my height. But surprisingly a tiny baby can do the same after a while. Luckily, there are nursing pillows like the Mombo that will help save your arm while getting your baby into the right position for breastfeeding.

Nursing pillows can also be used several other ways which add to their value.

1. Prop for sitting.  In the past I often used these types of pillows as a way to prop my sons’s up for sitting. A nursing pillow is great for the times when your baby can hold up some of its weight but can’t sit on their own yet. I have so many pictures of my son sitting this way. Just sit it around them where the U shape’s opening is cradling them.
2. Elevation for Laying. It’s often a good a idea to have your baby elevated some when they lay down. If we were just chilling in lets say the living room I would rest their head on the pillow while the rest of the U shape goes toward their sides. The added plus of the Mombo is that is has a soothing vibration feature which is so comforting to babies.
3. Elevation for Tummy Time. Most babies do not like being on their tummies at first because they can’t hold their heads up yet. Placing their chest/arms on the pillow helps with this some making it so their face isn’t planted on the ground. The mombo nursing pillow is two sided with one side being firm for feeding and a soft side for lounging. Sounds great and a perfect addition to tummy time!

I think it’s funny how a lot of baby product’s names sound like some variation of our big eared friend Dumbo. Why is that?  Anyway, Mombo is available at Toys R Us and Babies R Us where they also offer slipcovers for the times the pillow is bound to get dirty. To learn more about Mombo please visit Comfort & Harmony on Facebook and Comfort & Harmony on Twitter.

Did you breastfeed your babies? Can you see a product like this being useful?

The tie itself is white (leaning toward the cream side) and the word “Daddy” is in a black, cursive like font vertically displayed on the tie over and over. The cool thing about this tie is that from a distance it almost just looks like a black and white tie with vertical stripes but when you get up close you get the wonderful surprise of it saying “Daddy” over and over. This makes it classy yet personal-a perfect combination for new dads or any dad! The repetivness of the word “Daddy” is something new dad’s will need to get use to while veteran dad’s know all too well that kids are often set on repeat.

The Elegant Daddy Tie comes in its very own keepsake box as well! The top of the box is the same print as the tie and is padded. When you open up the box you are greeted with the amazing quote, “Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Daddy!”. I love this quote because it’s the truth.

DaddyScrubs would love for you to win your very own DaddyScrubs tie. The winner will get to choose from the Elegant Daddy Tie, the Wordsearch Daddy Tie, and the Edgy Daddy with Hearts Tie. This giveaway is open to 18+, US and Canada only.
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Disclosure: I was given this product by DaddyScrubs to review, however, I received no monetary compensation to do so. All opinions and thoughts are 100% my own and completely honest.

I just had to do something Mickey for the drink as well. Thanks to the blog H is for Hayes I came up with these cute kids drinks, Mickey wrapped Yoo-Hoo’s. Kids love chocolate milk and it went well with the breakfast foods we were serving-they loved them! My neice thought they were so cute that most of the party she opted to make extra Mickey Juice Boxes. I set up up a little craft spot and she went to town.

It was pretty simple to make the Mickey Juice Box Wrappers although the duct tape can be a pain at times. I used black duct tape, cardstock, and buttons. Easy enough, right?

This is going to sound silly but to make my circles for Mickey’s ears I traced the top of a honey bear container. It was close enough to the size I needed and it worked perfectly! As for Mickey’s pants I just measured the juice box and eyed how far I wanted his pants to come up-probably a little over a third of the Yoo-Hoo box. I bought a pack of cheap buttons from Walmart and I was set to go.

The easiest way I found to wrap a juice box in duct tape was to start with the narrow sides first. So from left to right pull enough duct tape to cover only the top and sides of the box. Before completely covering the top make sure you eye the spot for the straw and hole punch it. I first punctured it with a pencil because it was easier to eye that than the hole punch. I had several rounds of misplaced hole punches because they were too hard to eye. So just jab a pencil through the tape where the straw will go through making sure it’s the right spot and then hole punch over your jab hole. Once the sides are covered just fold down the edges where it kind of looks like it’s framing the front and back of the juice box.

Once the sides are covered it’s time to cover the front, bottom, and back of the juice box. On the front of the juice box, start by slightly overlapping the top of the “framed” area I mentioned with tape. Pull the tape down and completely around until the front then bottom and then back are completely covered. The duct tape should be wide enough where none of the juice box should be showing now.

Now it’s time to bring on out the hot glue gun! Attach the rectangular red pieces of cardstock for Mickey’s pants, the black circles for Mickey’s ears, and for a finishing touch add white buttons for well his buttons. This is a cute and simple way to dress up a juice box for Mickey party or you can create your own for any birthday party theme. Who is your favorite Walt Disney character and why?

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