DIY Flash Cards for Toddlers

Before the age of two, Little Mister became a pro at "Head & Shoulders, Knees & Toes" by pointing out every part of his body that was in the song, as well as also knowing his elbow, belly, and booty. I am so proud of that little guy for knowing his body parts and I have been dying to get him started on recognizing colors, shapes, and even begin him on numbers and counting, but I was at a loss of where to start. Identifying body parts is much easier because, well…they're on you! I decided it was time to brainstorm on how to get Little Mister familiar with colors, shapes, and counting and it didn't take long before the lightbulb turned on. Flashcards.

Share Your Special Events with Minted!

Screenshot Via Minted . com

*I received a website credit to use for Minted in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions on their website*

When it comes to purchasing cards and invitations for your special occasions, choosing a website to work with can be a real challenge. You want a website that is not only user friendly, but reasonably priced, and has a great selection! Whether you're shopping for holiday cards, birth announcement, wedding invitations, or birthday invitations, Minted will be there for every step of your journey. 

The Adair Group Review and Giveaway

*I received complimentary clothing for review in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions*

Photo Credits: The Adair Group

The Adair Group is a family owned company that has been selling t-shirts in Atlanta and around the country for over 50 years.  They offer quality products at the lowest prices in the industry.  They buy in bulk so that they can pass the savings on to the customers.  They offer first quality and slight irregular t-shirts, fleece, tie dye, polos, and more.

I was happy to do a review for The Adair Group, as a mother I am always looking for good quality clothing at an inexpensive price, since we all know how fast kids go through clothes.  I received a fitted t-shirt and a zipper hoodie for myself, a kids t-shirt and pullover hoodie for Little Miss, and a toddler t-shirt for Baby C.

Boo We're Due Gift Guide Entry Page

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Monday: Boo!

Tuesday: Baby Shower

Wednesday: October

Thursday: Pregnancy

Friday: Fall

Saturday: Halloween

Sunday: Giveaway

3 Scrumptious Recipes For Your 'Straight Out of The Pumpkin' Seeds!

*You are about to read a guest post from my friend Jessica! I've known Jessica since high school and when I spotted her picture of these delicious pumpkin seeds, I practically begged her to share the recipe! Enjoy!

Hi everyone! My name is Jessica and I am so excited to be a guest here at MCO today! Fall is my FAVORITE season and nothing feels or smells more like fall than pumpkin everything! Today I wanted to share with you a few recipes for pumpkin seeds, a wonderful post pumpkin carving treat. This year I decided to get a little crazy and make three different flavors of seeds using some of my favorite ingredients.  

New Home, New Roots Pt 2: Just For Dads! Bagster Bags Giveaway

We are so excited you joined us for the last day of this awesome event!  New Home, New Roots: Just for Dads, hosted by We're Parents has been an awesome week long event featuring some great reviews and giveaways for things DAD needs in his new home!  

Zebra ERGObaby Carrier Giveaway from Thanks Mama

Babywearing is one of my favorite things to do when Little Mister and I go out and about. I love knowing that he is close, safe, and hey, it gives us extra time to cuddle! In honor of babywearing, MCo is excited to be participating in this giveaway!  Enter to win an ERGObaby Carrier from Thanks Mama natural parenting store, we think you'll love it!

New Home, New Roots Pt 2: Just For Dads! Brylane Home Giveaway

We are so excited you joined us for this awesome event we are participating in this week!  New Home, New Roots: Just for Dads, hosted by We're Parents is going to be an awesome week long event featuring some great reviews and giveaways for things DAD needs in his new home!  We hope you check back in daily!

A Classic Cookie: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip

Before I start this, let me just say that I know that chocolate chip cookie recipes are a dime a dozen. I have tried out probably about 50+ different recipes and I have yet to find a recipe that makes me stop looking. After encouragement from Mr. Hunky I decided to start "tweaking" recipes and came to a recipe that we both loved. This time around I decided to add oatmeal because I was craving oatmeal cookies!

New Home, New Roots Pt 2: Just For Dads! WORX Giveaway

We are so excited you came back for Day 3 of this awesome event we are participating in this week!  New Home, New Roots: Just for Dads, hosted by We're Parents is going to be an awesome week long event featuring some great reviews and giveaways for things DAD needs in his new home!  We hope you check back in daily!

New Home, New Roots Pt 2: Just For Dads! Rockwell Giveaway

We are so excited you joined us for Day 2 of this awesome event we are participating in this week!  New Home, New Roots: Just for Dads, hosted by We're Parents is featuring some great reviews and giveaways for things DAD needs in his new home!  We hope you check back in daily!

FitFlop Review

*I received a complimentary pair of FitFlops for review in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions*

Photo Credits: FitFlop

FitFlops is a company that makes beautiful shoes that are ergonomically optimized and biomechanically engineered to make the wearer feel fantastic.  Their microwobbleboard technology was inspired by the equipment used by physical therapists to support rehabilitation and post-injury muscle strengthening.

I was very excited when FitFlop gave me the opportunity to review their shoes.  I love shoes!  But I also love comfort.  There is nothing worse then a ridiculously cute pair of shoes that never leave your closet because they make you miserable.  I reviewed the Due Leather Rouge.
 

Giveaway Promote's $200 Cash Giveaway

Welcome to the $200 Cash Giveaway!

Sponsored by Michael Phillip Cash.

Seventeen year old Arielle is at a crossroads in her life. Disenchanted with her father, she is testing the boundaries of his trust by dating someone he does not approve.

Under the moonlit sky in Long Island, Arielle and her boyfriend meet beneath the infamous hanging tree. The couple's destiny is rooted to the five spirits in the tree whose lives and deaths are determined by an ancient curse. Will her future be determined by the past or will Arielle's choices alter the course of her life?

MCO loves to read and I am so excited to be apart of this giveaway! I hope one of my awesome readers wins!

New Home, New Roots Pt 2: Just For Dads! Wellness Mats Giveaway

We are so excited you joined us for this awesome event we are participating in this week!  New Home, New Roots: Just for Dads, hosted by We're Parents is going to be an awesome week long event featuring some great reviews and giveaways for things DAD needs in his new home!  We hope you check back in daily!

Easy Puree's & Smoothies for Picky Eaters

If your child or children are anything like my son, every meal you're given a run for your money. I cannot for the life of me get Little Mister to eat anything that I make so thick textured puree's that can be eaten like pudding and smoothies have been a go to. Below are some go-to recipes that I make for Little Mister when I'm feeling frustrated and just want to get a meal down into that belly of his!

Life & The Blog

It's been a while since I sat down and wrote about what was going on in my life. I sometimes wonder if you lovely readers even want to know what is going on but I'm going to tell you anyway. Life for me has been crazy lately.

A lot of you may not know this but along with working on the blog and of course being a full time mommy, I also work two jobs from home as a means of making some extra income for our family. Things are always busy in my world but it was even crazier over the last two and a half weeks.

When the government shut down Mr. Hunky and I went into panic mode. We were one of the millions of families who were directly affected by the shut down and the looming fear of "when would we get our next paycheck" was a dark cloud over our heads. We were grumpy, we were nervous, we were mad. We had a tiny mouth to feed and two furry mouthes to feed along with our own, and although we had a small savings to live off of if it came to that, we had an even bigger thing to worry about.

We were just a couple short weeks away from closing escrow on our first house. How on Earth were we suppose to pay for closing costs when we didn't have a pay check coming in?! Would our VA loan be held up because of the shut down? Not sleeping well became a regular occurrence for those couple of weeks.

In the midst of all that, Little Mister was babbling up a storm and making us laugh daily with his might-as-well-be Chinese language. Although he says several real words, his overall conversation is still babbling. Mr. Hunky & I then decided we should start telling people that his first language is Chinese and that he's pretty much fluent in it. It gave our friends a good laugh when we said that which is what we all needed.

UM! Brands Review and Giveaway

*I received complimentary UM! Brands products for review in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions* 

 Photo Credits: UM! Brands

UM! Brands is a housewares company that invented a new adhesive technology called EverSTIK Nanosuction. They use the power of microscopic suction cups that allow you to stick things to most household surfaces like glass, wood, tile, stainless steel, and smooth concrete, without having to use a hammer, nails, tape, glue, staples etc., and it peels right off so it can be used over and over again without leaving a sticky residue.

  

I was thrilled when UM! Brands contacted me to do a review for them.  My husband hates holes in the walls.  Anytime I hang something I can feel him cringing because that's just one more hole that he will eventually have to patch up.  Needless to say my wall are pretty bare.  I choose to review the UM! Brands Starter Kit. The kit includes one Note UM! medium size, one Stick UM!, and one Hook UM!

Why I Choose to Babywear

From the day that I found out that I was pregnant, I knew I would be one of those moms who wore their baby. In my head, babywearing made sense and it looked like an amazing way to bond with your child. When Little Mister was born, I constantly had him snuggled up on my chest while we were at home and I craved that closeness while we were out as well.

My first carrier was one I would prefer not to talk about as I would hate to badmouth an otherwise great company, but to put it lightly, it wasn't around for very long. Not only was Little Mister uncomfortable, I was uncomfortable and my back constantly hurt while I was wearing him. During my pregnancy I had acquired a hand-me-down Ergo and quickly brushed it off. When I was pregnant, I will shamefully admit that I did not do a lot of research on my baby gear (ironic right?) and because Ergo was a brand I had never heard of before I quickly brushed it aside and didn't bat an eyelash at it. That was stupid. Thankfully I figured out just how stupid it was and ended up falling in love with it.

$100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

Welcome to the $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway from Everything Mommyhood and MommyPolls!

Astro A40 Audio System Giveaway

Hosted By: Geeky Gamer Mom | Mom Blog Society | Girl Gone Digital 

Sponsored By: Astro Gaming 

Prize: White Astro A40 Audio System [$250]

$75 Wise Decor Gift Card Giveaway

 

Little Giraffe Birthday Giveaway Event

Happy Birthday Little G!

Little Giraffe's favorite plush toy giraffe, Little G is turning 2 and we're throwing a big party to celebrate! There will be 13 winners in this HUGE giveaway hosted by A Mama Collective and Viva Veltoro.

 

Fall Back Into Babywearing Giveaway

What better way to celebrate the Time Change than a Mega Baby Carrier giveaway!?

So Easy Being Green, Viva Veltoro, According to Jenny, and Thrifty Nifty Mommy have come together to throw a huge Babywearing Party! On November 3rd, not only will you be falling back into time, we're hoping you'll Fall Back into Babywearing with some of the best baby carriers on the market! We have 18 Baby Carrier Prizes for 18 winners!

Are you ready to see the fabulous carriers and accessories that you can win!?

I am so excited to bring you such a great giveaway! I hope one of my lovely readers is a winner!

Bloggers! Blogger Opp

FOR BLOGGERS!

Black Friday Shopping Spree Event

Disney On Ice Rockin' Ever After Performance Review

*I received complimentary tickets to Disney On Ice for review in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions on the show*

One fact that you may not know about me is that I am a complete Disney fanatic. I LOVE Disney anything and fee like a little kid all over again when I see..well, anything Disney! 

When I was a little girl my mom took me to see Disney On Ice a few times and although I can't remember my experience, from pictures and from what my mom tells me, I absolutely adored it. The lights, the songs, the ice skating..whats not to love? When I had the opportunity to go to a Disney On Ice performance here in my city and then write a review on it I was ecstatic. I was literally jumping up and down at the opportunity and I couldn't wait to take Little Mister to see it! 

Daedra, Little Miss, Baby C, Little Mister and I all went for the opening show and were completely thrilled to be there. It was all of our first times at our convention center and we were so impressed with how big it was and we were excited and bursting with anticipation for the show to start. We worked our way through the sea of people to find our seats in section 203, row E. 

'Skinny' Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer Recipe

So to say that I love Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Lattes is an understatement. The second this time of year rolls around I'm doing backflips and headin' on over to Starbucks to grab a coffee. As much as I would love to, my budget just doesn't allow me to visit Starbucks on a daily (or even weekly!) basis to pick up one of their $5 cups of joe, so I've had to resort to getting crafty and making my own creations. 

One thing I have had on my 'to do' list is to make a homemade pumpkin spice creamer to add to my coffee so it will keep my crazy cravings at bay. After a little experimenting and adjusting, I finally came to create a recipe that I like and will continue to make and use.

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Wish List Item Giveaway!

Welcome to this great giveaway from Kwickeye!

Safety 1st Elite 80 Air 3-in-1 Car Seat Giveaway

Welcome to the Safety 1st 

Elite 80 Air + 3-in-1 Car Seat Giveaway

hosted by:We're Parents!?

Guidecraft Kitchen Helper Giveaway

Welcome to the MMP Living 

Guidecraft Kitchen Helper Giveaway

hosted by: Open Hands & We're Parents!?

Attention: Tucson Mamas! Disney's Rockin On Ice is This Week!

Get ready to rock out with some of the most magical idols of all in a musical showcase that features the hottest tunes and talent from across the kingdom in Disney On Ice presents Rockin' Ever After! Jam to a Scottish jig as a group of royal contenders from the latest Disney' Pixar film, Brave, competes to win the heart of headstrong, sharp-shooting Merida, making her ice debut! Experience a show-stopping performance as Sebastian breaks out of his shell for one night only to make waves with Ariel. A chorus of harmless hooligans from Tangled unleashes musical mayhem when they get a visit from the sassy and spirited Rapunzel and her charming ally Flynn. And, get your feet moving as the Beast and his castle's enchanted entourage take center stage in a spectacular show for Belle. It will be a rockin' remix of royalty when Disney On Ice brings this superstar line-up to Tucson!

Little Mister's Birthday & Traveling With Baby: Skip Hop Review & GIVEAWAY

Welcome to the [2nd Annual] Travelin' with Baby Giveaway Hop Event, hosted by So Easy Being Green, According to Jenny, and Viva Veltoro. This Hop was so popular last year, that we decided to bring it back and make it bigger and better than ever. We've got a fabulous group of bloggers that have come together to offer giveaways on the best products that make traveling with baby a success! Once you enter my giveaway, be sure to hop around to all the other bloggers in the Event and keep scrolling for a Sneak Peek of the amazing Travelin' With Baby Grand Prizes! 

*I received a complimentary back pack from SkipHop for review in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions*

When it comes to traveling with your little one, packing can always be a challenge. The last few times I have traveled with Little Mister I have felt overran with our luggage and it never ceases to amazing me how much stuff a tiny human needs for traveling. When I discovered the Skip Hop Zoo Packs I knew that I wanted to get one for Little Mister before we left on our next trip because not only would it free up some space in the luggage but Little Mister himself could carry it! Score!

If you are a regular reader of Mommys Craft Obsession you may have seen my recent post, Little Mister's DIY Shark Birthday Party!. My little guy turned two and in celebration we threw him a shark themed party that turned out absolutely adorable! I actually got the idea of doing a shark theme from my friends at Skip Hop who offered to give Little Mister one of their Shark Zoo Packs as a birthday gift! I was so excited to receive a Shark Zoo Pack for Little Mister and I couldn't wait to see it in person!

When the Zoo Pack arrived, it was just as adorable in person as it was online and I thought it was just the right size for my little guy. I loved that the front pouch of the backpack was the "nose" and teeth of the shark,  it really was just to cute for words!

$200 Babies R Us Gift Card Giveaway!

Welcome to this great giveaway from Babies R Us, Pampers, and Everything Mommyhood!

Homemade Pumpkin Muffins

Fall is by far my favorite season. I love the weather, the colors, and most all I love that everything is pumpkin flavored. As long as I have something pumpkin flavored in hand all season long, I am a happy camper. One of my favorite things to make around this time of year are pumpkin muffins. They make a delicious snack, breakfast, and dessert that the whole family loves so really, how could you go wrong? Want to try my pumpkin muffins? Follow the quick and easy instructions below and you'll have delicious muffins within the next hour! 

Yogi Clothing Review & Giveaway

*I received complimentary clothing for review in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions*

Photo Credits: Yogi Clothing

"Every journey starts with a path, and an idea of destination. Since 2000 Yogi has been blazing its own trail in the yoga community on the idea and inspiration that anything is achievable with a positive mental attitude. We believe in the power of imagination, and utilizing positive energy to achieve goals whether they be physical, spiritual, or psychological, our company philosophy embodies the power and mind set of the most disciplined yogi's and maintains the attitude of enlightenment through achievements and encouragement. We love sharing this philosophy with our customers and strive to put this love and care into our clothing." -Yogi Clothing

I'm sure that any woman will agree that putting a new piece of into your wardrobe is an amazing feeling. That amazing feeling magnifies when you put a piece of quality clothing into your wardrobe. Listen closely ladies because I'm about to tell you about a clothing line that is not only adorable but amazing quality as well. Yogi clothing offered me the opportunity to review their clothes and I jumped on the chance to. When I was in high school I worked in the boutique portion of a Pilates studio as their boutique manager so I was constantly around high quality work out clothes and I really learned what a difference high quality fitness wear can do for your self esteem while you're working out. I spent one of my paychecks on a $100 pair of bamboo yoga capris and I still to this day have them (and I was 17 when I bought them!!). When I went shopping on Yogi Clothing's website I knew that whatever item I chose for review would last just as long, if not longer, than those pants that I bought in high school. 

Fibi and Clo Review

*I received a complimentary pair of sandals for review in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions* 

Photo Credits: fibi & clo

Fibi & Clo began designing these beautiful shoes by AnaLiza in 2009.  AnaLiza wanted to be able to spend more time in Texas where her family was, while still being able to do what she loved.  She came up with the idea to start selling shoes at trunk parties, like Tupperware but with shoes.  That is how her adventure started.  It did so well that they now have an online boutique that you can order from. 

I was delighted when Fibi & Clo contacted me to do a review, I love love love sandals!  I choose to review the Burst Cascade sandals. They arrived in a cute little bag and looked even more amazing in person then they did online. 

Little Mister's DIY Shark Birthday Party!

When it came time to start planning Little Mister's 2nd birthday party I was at a loss for a theme. Least year we did Mickey Mouse and I was hoping to carry out my love for Disney and do a Disney theme each year, but sadly Little Mister is more into Hot Wheels these days than Disney. Needless to say, it was back to the drawing board. I thought a Hot Wheels theme would be fun but finding decor to go along with that was a challenge and I was quickly loosing steam in the creativity department. I chatted with my friends at Skip Hop and was given the idea of a Shark birthday party. Sharks are pretty "hot" right now so I thought it would be a great theme for his birthday and I figured that I better do it while he was just turning two and couldn't protest yet.

So I set off to think of some ideas that would go along with the theme. I even reached out to my lovely readers via Facebook to grab some ideas! I knew I wanted to do a "cutesy" shark theme rather than scary since my little guy is still little so using anything "Bruce" from Finding Nemo would be out since he was a little to scary for what I wanted...

Photo Credits: Disney's Finding Nemo

Learning Resources New Sprouts Ring It Up Cash Register Review & Giveaway

Over the summer my kiddos obtained two toys that have become their "go to play" , a toy kitchen that I picked up at a yard sale for $20 and the New Sprouts Market Deluxe Play Set from Learning Resources. You might remember the review of this item that I did a few months back, you can read it here. Between these two toys, all 3 of my children can be found engaging in the most imaginative play. So I was really excited to add another element to this pretend world of theirs.

We were sent the New Sprouts Ring It Up Cash Register and both of my boys think it is one the coolest items to ever enter our home.