MixBook Photobook Winner!

What the heck was going on with my eyes while I was making this video?!?!!!  This is why I don't do stuff like this more often.  Major Vlog FAIL!!! 

But oh yeah...Congrats to Melanie for winning the MixBook Giveaway!!  Have fun putting your photobook together, Melanie!! 

Episencial Skin Care Products Review

A few weeks ago, I received some really great skin care products from Episencial and Mommy Parties to try out.  They arrived at the perfect time, because here in the desert, as the air gets colder, it also gets even drier than in the hot summer months, if you can believe that!  My boys both look like they have alligator skin right now, but I have to be really careful about what I use on Little Man because his skin is super sensitive. 

Episencial makes several all natural skin care products specially formulated for babies and kids (but adults can use them too!).  Free from the bad stuff like parabens, phthalates and fragrances, Episencial products are loaded with all-natural goodness and healthy organics.  All of the formulas are safe for newborns and actually contain an exclusive "skin immune complex" to help the boost the skin's immune functions. 

I got together with some friends and we tested some of the lotions on some of the toddlers in the group:

We used the Better Body Butter and everybody really loved the feel and smell of it, it wasn't oily at all.

Melisa was happy to get the Nurturing Balm for her 3 month old baby girl to help keep the diaper rash under control and the "Kristys"( two of my neighbors are good friends who live next to each other...both named Kristy!) were both excited about the Playful Foaming Wash.

My camera had a meltdown, so couldn't take any more pics, but all of the guests received gift bags full of samples so they can try out several Episencial products.  I came home after the party and used the Soothing Cream on Little Man who always struggles with a bit of eczema behind his knees and on his arms.  He usually hates using lotion on those spots, because it either burns or feels greasy and iscky to him.  To his and my delight, he felt no burning or irritation and he said the itching started to go away pretty quickly.  Yay!  Something that actually works for him!   

It was a fun to get together and I want to thank Episencial and Mommy Parties for letting us try out their new line of all natural, organic skin care products for little ones.  We love what we have tried so far!  

**Disclosure - I was not compensated for this product review.  Episencial and Mommy Parties provided me with skin care products to help facilitate this review. **  

Like Mother, Like Son...

Remember the Toe post?  I do.  Because it was my toe.  You should take a minute to read it.  It is absolutely hilarious.  Despite the fact that it happened to me.

Why do I bring this up?  Because my little guy recently suffered a like injury.

Only unlike his numbskull father, I did not run boiling hot lava water over his toe in an attempt to cauterize the wound.  I calmly cut away the torn skin and remnants of his toenail while he flailed and screamed and acted as if I were amputating his entire leg.  All this from my normally tough guy who takes injuries with a grain of salt and moves on to the next challenge.  Seriously?  You would have thought I was using a rusty saw to remove his last limb the way he went on and on and on.  I have no doubt it hurt, but the reaction was waaaaay over the top, even for a drama prone kid, which Little Man is NOT!

When I finally asked him what all the drama was for?  He stopped crying for a moment, looked at me with his huge brown, tear-filled eyes and said..."I was afraid you wouldn't be here and I didn't know who would take care of my toe."  Ouch.  I know!  Dagger through the heart moment, right?

What I can't figure out is why he thought I wouldn't be here for him.  I was home when he left to go outside to play, did he think I would get in the car and leave while he was gone?  Does he not know that I spend every waking hour worrying and thinking about him and praying for his well-being and happiness?  Does he not realize that the worst nightmares I have involve me not being able to get to my children to help them when they are in the most desperate of circumstances?   How could he think I would just go away? 

I guess he had an irrational moment.  Just like his mama does when, on occasion, out of the blue I imagine something horrific happening to my family.  Have you ever had that happen?  I hate that!     

Now, there might come a day when he hopes I'm not home when he walks in the door.  And if he hopes that because he is being accompanied by the police for some idiotic prank he pulled,  then I would say for his sake he'd better hope pretty dang hard that his father answers the door.  But until that day comes, I hope he knows that there is nothing that would get in the way of making sure I am here for my boys whenever they need me.  Why?  I Am Boymom.  It's what I do.  

LikeWear "Military Chic" a Big Hit with Big Brother

I wrote about LikeWear maybe a year ago?  When I was first asked to review some of their clothing, I wasn't sure what my kids would think.  Turns out, the t-shirts I got from LikeWear are some of the boys favorite items of clothing. 

LikeWear has some new designs in their "Military Chic" line and we were excited to check them out as Big Brother is a major military fan, so this new line is right up his alley and trendy to boot.

He loves his new shirt!  He wears it almost every day, so I have to take full advantage of his sleep time to wash it.  So far it's holding up well.

Things I like about LikeWear:

• Well-made clothing - the t-shirts are not made of thin, flimsy material and they are put together well.  
• Trendy, unique, kid-friendly designs. 
• Business opportunities for stay-at-home moms. (See LikeWear website for more details!)

They have lots of cute girl clothes too!  Stop by the site and check out some of their fun designs and find out more about how you can earn a few bucks working with LikeWear.  "Mom designed - kid approved!" (that's my slogan for LikeWear, not their slogan.  But they can have it if they want it!)

Mixbook Review and Giveaway

Are you one of those photo people who constanly has a camera with them, taking pics of everything and everybody (not so hard now that cell phones all have cameras on them!)?  Then do you take those pics and do amazing things with them like scrapbook or make video montages?  You are?  Then I so hate you right now.  Kidding!  I kid.  I'm actually super jealous of your organizational skills and creativity, both of which seem to be just out of my reach since having kids.

If you are one of those people who loves to document life events with photos and scrapbooks and such, then you need to check out Mixbook.  Mixbooks are photobooks that are 100% customizable in that you can choose to start with blank pages or use a template that can be edited to your liking.  Mixbook even has "stickers" that allow you to personalize your pages, giving it more of a scrapbook feel and look.  

Here are the things I like about Mixbook:

• You can choose a "theme" to help you get a certain look, and Mixbook will create a template for your book, so all you have to do is drop in the photos and maybe add a few embellishments. This a great time management tool for someone like me who tends to get stuck when I have too many choices.
• Mixbook also lets you choose and change backgrounds from all of their themes to use on individual pages.  So if you don't like the background that the template gave you on one page, you can create something totally different by pulling individual components from other themes.  If you like a sticker from a Wedding theme, you can add that to your stockpile of stickers.  If you want a background from a holiday theme, you just add it to the background choices that came with your theme.
• You don't have to choose a theme at all!  You can go completely custom and use your imagination to create some amazing and unique designs by pulling different backgrounds and design elements from all of the choices Mixbook has to offer.  Personally, I need help getting started, as the ideas and flow of creativity seem to be stifled lately.  But I have friends who are amazingly talented scrapbookers who would love Love LOVE this feature!
• You can access your Photobucket, Facebook and Picaso accounts right from Mixbook to pull photos from those sites, as well as from your computer. 
• You can invite other people to contribute to your book!  Say you and your siblings are spread out across the country and want to do an "anniversary book" or a "memory book" for Mom and Dad.  Instead of just emailing photos and putting one person in charge of designing and putting the photo book together, each family can log into Mixbooks and do their own page, with their own unique design!  The end result is a book that everybody helped create and it's totally personalized.  And nobody had to travel across 6 states or spend tons of money and time scanning and mailing photos.  The whole family can participate from their own homes!  (Okay, does anyone here have the brother or uncle who always trys to throw in an unflattering photo and then when you bring it up they go find an even MORE unflattering photo?  Because I could totally see that being an issue in some households.) 
• Mixbook has lots of help and tutorials available if you get stuck.  They also let users post their projects for others to view, which is a great resource to help you get ideas for your own book.  There is even  a live chat feature on the site so someone can walk you through whatever issue you might have while you work on your book.   

As an honest reviewer, I do have to say, I was a little disappointed that Mixbook doesn't have more "boy" type themes or stickers.  I mean, I Am Boymom, right?  So most of my pics are about boys.  They have a few sports themes and one for boy babies, but nothing really for boys my age.  Having said that, I'm not sure I have a lot of input regarding how they can fix that issue, other than adding more "boy" oriented stickers, like maybe army guys, legos, bottle caps, pebbles and rocks, skateboards, bikes, cool flame type things, little crawly creatures - you know...boy stuff.  That is really the only downside I have found about Mixbook.  

So basically, Mixbook is like Shutterfly on steroids. So many more choices and options and after some research, I found the prices are lower at Mixbook as well.  And right now?  You can save even more money at Mixbook!  I Am Boymom readers can get an extra 20% off with this code:  BOYMIX20  

Okay, I'll tell you! I wanted to wait until my Mixbook was done to tell you about it.  But it is taking me waaaaay longer than I had planned to finish it because of the custom options that are allowing me to create the "exact" look I want and because I am still sorting through some old photos to put in the book.  But I want to get the giveaway underway so the winner can use their book as a gift if they want to.  So...

Wanna Win a Mixbook Photobook?  The good people at Mixbook are giving away a 20 page, 11x8.5 hardcover landscape photo books with free US ground shipping to one of my readers!  The winner will have until January 31st to redeem the prize code, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post.  The contest will end on November 30th, 12 Midnight MST.  US residents only.  You can gain extra entries by

• Following my blog (if you already follow, just leave a comment saying so)
• Posting the giveaway on Facebook
• blogging about the giveaway
• Tweeting the giveaway on Twitter

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry so I can count each one. 

**Disclosure - I did not receive monetary compensation for this post.  Mixbook gave me a Mixbook photobook to help facilitiate this review.**

Holiday Wish List Meme

Times are tough for a lot of people right now, right?  We don't have a lot of money any money for gifts this year, so in the spirit of hope and believing in the power of positive thinking, I am entering lots and lots of contests to help supplement the lame homemade gifts I will be giving.  I like this contest, because along with gaining me entry to win, I can share a little bit about myself with my friends and readers. 

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

Todays Mama (http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?  To find our path.  We have been struggling for 13 years now to figure out how to become the family we want to be.  We want a healthy family dynamic, a home filled with love and acceptance and the skillset to deal with and overcome adversity without losing our minds and our bearings in life.   And we want to find where we belong.  We want to find the place where we all feel like we're finally home.   

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition?  Sadly, we haven't really established anything really great.  We all just kind of get up and watch the kids open gifts then I get breakfast.  Maybe I'll put on some Christmas music.  We didn't grow up with traditions, so we are still struggling to find one that means something to us.  Maybe that will be my goal this year is to really hone in on a Christmas morning tradition that will have some meaning for our family.  

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?  To have the money to attend a really great blog conference!  I love social media and I have so many ideas that I need help to flesh out and a blog conference would be the perfect place for me to network with the experts and get their input and advice.  Plus I would finally get to meet some of my great blog friends!  A vacation and a learning experience, all rolled into one awesome package!

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money? We try to focus on the real reasons we celebrate the holidays.  On Thanksgiving, we talk a lot about the blessings we've received throughout the year and we take time to thank our Heavenly Father for his love and support.  Throughout the Christmas season we talk a lot about our belief in Christ and really focus on loving and serving others as much as we can to create a spirit of warmth and love.  We try to give gifts that have meaning, rather than gifts that cost a lot of money, like photo albums, handmade cards, homemade treats, etc. 

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?  Ummm...we didn't play games.  We didn't really play as a family at all.  We didn't really have that kind of family dynamic.  My sister and I lived in many different homes with different family members, so there wasn't a lot of game playing, mostly just trying to adjust and survive.  To be fair, when we did live with my mom, she worked 7 days a week, so there wasn't really a lot of time for "playing" or doing stuff with the kids.  But enough of the whining!  I'm trying to leave those issues behind!  I do remember a few times, back when Atari Pong came out, sitting with my step-dad and playing Pong with him for $25 a game.  I KNOW!!  He played for some serious cash!!  Now that I think about it, he had to purposely lose the first game because neither of us kids had $25 to start with!  Wonder why that never occurred to me then?  Ahhh...good times.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood? Like I said, we never really had holiday traditions growing up.  I guess no matter where we lived or who we lived with it seems like we always made sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles.  And I can always remember being able to watch the Christmas specials and It's a Wonderful Life.  I do make sure my kids make cookies and we watch some of the classic specials and Christmas movies every year, so I guess we do have a tradition!  Yay!!!!  We're making progress! 

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip? I would love to go to Switzerland and see the Alps and eat lots of hot, melted cheese dishes while I watch the snow fall and listen to milking maids yodel about hot chocolate. Seriously though, Switzerland sounds like a wonderfully, picturesque place to spend at least one Christmas, with it's pretty little villages nestled among huge snow covered mountains.     

8. Check out GameStop (http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year? 

1) A Nintendo Red DSi Bundle for Little Man, his Gameboy is antiquated and hard to find games for.

2) An Xbox 360 w/Kinect for The Man and Big Brother, because apparently PS2 is no longer relevant in the gaming world.

3) A Wii Fit Plus w/ Balance Board or EA Sports Fitness Bundle for me so I can get my fat butt moving in 2011 to something fun and finally get in shape!

Well, that's my meme.  It actually made me a little depressed.  My goal right now is to be extremely positive, so I really need to work hard this year to create a different experience for myself and my family!  No more mourning the past!  Now you know a little bit more about me, I would love to hear about some of your family traditions and Christmas wishes!!  Maybe I can borrow from some of you to start creating better memories for my kids.  Here's to a happy, memorable Holiday Season!! 

Hilarious Radio Call

Something for you to giggle about...have a good Sunday!

Texas Man Witnesses a Car Accident

(When you get to the site, click the PLAY button in the box that says Roger Rick and Marilyn Morning Show Bits)