Fresh Organic Baby Conditioning Shampoo and Wash and Calming Bubble Bath.

Ends November 29th.

Music with Mommie CD winners:

Emily D and Jessie

Faded Memories CD winners:

Emily C and Crystal

Congrats!  I will be emailing all of you as well, so please reply with your information.  Thanks to everyone for entering!

So remember when I bragged about how awesome Music with Mommie is? Well, they are SO awesome that they provided me with some CD’s to giveaway to you guys!

I have two copies of “Music with Mommie” and two Copies of “Faded Memories” by Stacy Jagger (hint, the voice on Music with Mommie is Stacy Jagger.)

1. Preview the “Music with Mommie” CD and Stacy Jagger’s CD “Faded Memories”

2. Like what you hear? Comment on this post telling me which one you would like.

3. If you would like to be entered for both? Leave two comments.

Comments will close September 1st and I will announce the winners September 2nd. Four winners will be chosen at random then announced on this blog and emailed. Simple enough? Good :-)

A huge, huge thanks to Ron and Stacy Jagger for providing this giveaway opportunity!

Confession: I’m addicted to baby sites. I hit refresh on the Babycenter.com groups constantly throughout to day to see what other pregnant mommies are up to and if we’re feeling the same. I also read about the baby’s size (a blueberry as of now), how it is developing this week, how I should be feeling, etc. over and over. Seriously, babies and all the information surrounded them are infectious.

I’ve avoided looking at baby products though, like clothes, cloth diapers, slings, etc. because we have zero extra money for me to be tempted if I did by chance find a super good deal or super cute item.  If I don’t look, I won’t know what I’m missing, right?  But come June when Mark has a full time job, you bet I’ll be on the hunt!

On another note, I’m confused as to how tired I can be or how early I get into bed,  and yet I can’t fall asleep until at least 11pm. And then I wake up a million times. It stinks. And on top of that late falling asleep, Savannah has been waking up during the night for some unknown reason (I tell you, we always have sleep issues! ) or waking up super early like 5 am. Not cool. Thankfully the hubby has taken awesome responsibility with that and has let me rest. That’s love, yall.

It’s now 11pm, so hopefully my mind will let me sleep. But maybe I should get a snack first…

P.S. Did you see the Evenflo Comfort Select Performance Dual Auto-Cycling Breast Pump giveaway is up?

1) The word “delicious” should not be associated with Kidetox, as it says it is in it’s brochure.   Herbally tasting? Maybe.  Borderline gross, but drinkable if you immediately follow with water? Absolutely. But not delicious. I’m betting parents would have to fight with kids to swallow this every morning.  However, the probiotics that are like chewable vitamins do taste good.

2) It’s the last night to sign up for the Crayola light up toothbrush giveaway!  ( And another giveaway coming tomorrow!)

Sorry for the late post, between a dead computer and traveling for the holidays, I’ve just now got a chance to sit down and write.  So, without futher delay…

Bre  is the winner of “Life Doesn’t Begin 5 Pounds From Now”

IvyMae is the winner of  ”Perfect Daughters, Starving Girls”

Congrats! If you 2 will email me  (leah [at] omommawrites [dot] com) your mailing addresses, I will get them shipped to you :-)  Also, the SmartShopper winner is now posted…is it you?

There is another giveaway over at the review blog!  It’s a SmartShopper, which is an electronic grocery and errand organizer. A great Christmas gift if you’re still looking for one!

And, the Real Beauty Books giveaway is still open as well. Both giveaways end tomorrow at midnight, so head on over before it’s too late.

(Off to study…2 more exams to go and I shall be free…)

How many of you stand in front of your mirror each morning, loathing the way you look? Your acne, your hair color, the size of your hips and thighs, the way your nose is shaped. I, like the most of America, am guilty of all these things. I compare myself daily, many times a day to other women. From magazines, movies, to even Barbie dolls, we’ve all grown up with a skewed perception of beauty. We’re comparing ourselves to something that isn’t real. An image that has been made into what society idolizes as beauty, and looks nothing like the original image, nothing like you or me.

Accord to research the Dove Self-Esteem Fund conducted, globally only 2 percent of women describe themselves as beautiful. TWO PERCENT! That’s crazy talk. The problem is that low self-esteem affects everybody. From 60 year old women concerned about their wrinkles, down to 5 year old little girls concerned with their weight, this crisis is affecting every one of all ages. I have an 8 year old sister who is already self conscious of her body in a bathing suit and obsesses with finding the perfect outfit. And why shouldn’t she, when constantly the media tells us we should fit their fake mold? That tall, skinny, and young is beautiful? In case you haven’t noticed, we are human. We aren’t plastic dolls that can be melted into whatever form we want to be in. We can’t erase our wrinkles and make our eyes larger with the touch of a computer button. This is real life, with real people, real bodies. What most of us don’t realize is that we have real beauty just the way we are. It’s not just about physical appearance either, but about how we succeed in life as well, from our domestic duties to school grades. The world tells us we should be perfect at everything we do.

So what if we’re not perfect? Low self-esteem can lead to depression, eating disorders, self-abuse such as cutting, or being sexual active too early (just to name a few…).  It’s scary how one issue, can lead to so many devastating and life altering issues. And that one issue effects the majority of girls and women around the world.

It’s time to take a stand against this, folks. It’s time for us as women to realize that we are all beautiful just the way we are. Put down that magazine with all the 6 foot tall super skinny models.  Turn off the TV with perfect looking news anchor or Martha Stewart’s perfect holiday decor. Think before you give your daughter that Barbie doll for Christmas.  Turn you negative thoughts into positive ones, think about some thing you do like about yourself. Surround yourself with people who are positive towards you and don’t judge others just as you don’t want to be judged only by your outward appearance.

As Dove says, talk to your daughter to you daughter before the beauty industry does.  I know I as a mother of girls do not want them to grow up hating their bodies or dealing with the constant pressure of being perfect upon them.  We’re human, none of us can be perfect and it’s silly to pretend we can be.  I want them to embrace their flaws and see themselves as unique.  It starts with us, as Moms. Moms who can start to love our selves and in turn it shows our girls, who admire us and mimic our actions,  that they don’t have to live up to perfection either.

Want help with talking with your daughter about these issues? Want to bond with your daughter?  Dove’s website Campain for Real Beauty has amazing resources for both women and girls. I highly, highly recommend taking a look. Watch the videos, they are eye opening.  Read the articles, see the statistics and full report, and participate in the free tools they have. It’s all wonderful and encouraging stuff.

And?  Dove has provided me with 2 books to giveaway! I’ve scanned through both of them when I did my research for one of my classes and honestly, I thought about not doing a giveaway so I could selfishly keep them myself. But, I know that there are so many out there that struggle with this issue and I wanted to do something to encourage others to break past this issue.

First up is the book, “Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters” by Courtney Martin.  This is a fantastic book that covers many issues that are an outcome of low self-esteem. Courtney tells of her own struggles and the stories she found through many interviews with other girls.  I love the image of the perfect girl on the outside and the starving girl on the inside that she talks about. This is a must read, whether you are the lucky winner or not, whether you struggle with image issues or not, it can be a great source for Moms to understand their daughters better.

The second book is “Life Doesn’t Begin 5 Pounds from Now” by Jessica Weiner. Also, a must read.  It’s a step by step guide to loving your body as it is today.  It has wonderful tips and reassuring information that you are not alone. And ya know, how to love yourself for who you are now.

If you’d like to win one of these, simply make a comment on this post telling me which book you are most interested in receiving. Comments will close Thursday, December 18th at midnight. Two winners will be chosen at random, one for each book, and announced on Friday December 19th.

Good luck! And remember…You’re Beautiful. Pass it on.

This giveaways was good for three lucky winners, so here they are:

1) Michelle (She already won a Pillsbury gift basket from another blog so she wants to pass this gift along to a new winner…)

2) Angie

3) Alexandra

4) April

If the 3 of you will email me with your mailing information, we can get your prize out as soon as possible. Just in time for baking for the holidays!  Thanks to all who entered for passing the cause along to others.  The commercial was sent to 35 people, which equals 35 pounds of food. Thank you guys!

The review network that I work with, The Family Review Network, is looking for new members! It is because of them you all get such awesome giveaways :-) Plus, they are just wonderful people to work with.  Visit this post for more information and how to sign up!

Speaking of giveaways…remember the Refreshn’ Dryer Towel review?  The company has offered to sponsor a giveaway! Comment on the post on my Review Blog to enter.  If you comment to this post, it will not count.

So that makes 3 giveaways right now:

1. Kiss My Face Kid’s Line
2. Pillsbury
3. Refresh’n Dryer Towel

Now, I’m off to bed. I’m beyond exhausted…and it will only get worse until school ends. Oy.