Tuesday, May 25, 2010

GIVEAWAY: Tangle Teezer Magic Flowerpot!



Tangle Teezer Magic Flowerpot!

One of my readers will have the chance to win this adorable new brush from Tangle Teezer! This is perfect for all kids, but I especially love it for Serenity since she can brush her hair by herself and I don't have to worry about her getting a brush hopelessly tangled in all those pretty curls!

I can brush through my own hair using the Tangle Teezer in like 30 seconds, but my hair is fine with just a little curl. The Tangle Teezer shows what it really can do in my DD's hair - Serenity's curls are a serious challenge and the Tangle Teezer performs better than any other brush I've ever used!

To see what Serenity's hair looks like before and after using our Tangle Teezer, check out my blog post, Taming that Mane!


To Enter:
Leave a comment telling me who'd give the Magic Flowerpot to!



POST-IT-NOTE: You don't need a blogger account to enter. You can enter under "anonymous" just make sure to leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win!


Extra Entries:
*Leave a Separate Comment for each!*

1. Tell me what show the creator of the Tangle Teezer, Shaun P first debuted his revolutionary new brush.
Example: He was on...!


2. Follow Treasures for Tots and leave a comment telling me you're now a follower!
If you're already a follower, don't forget to leave a comment too!
Example: I'm a stalker now!
or
I've been stalking you forever!


3. Become a Treasures for Tots Facebook fan and leave a comment telling me you're a FB fan!
Example: I'm a T4T's Facebook Fan!

4. Become a Tangle Teezer Facebook fan and leave a comment telling me you're a FB fan!
Example: I'm a Tangle Teezer Facebook Fan!

5. Follow Treasures for Tots on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you're a Twitter follower!
If you're already a follower, don't forget to leave a comment too!
Example: I follow T4T on Twitter!
or
I've been a follower of T4T on Twitter!


6. Follow Tangle Teezer on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you're a Twitter follower!
Example: I follow Tangle Teezer on Twitter!

7. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment (and a link) telling me you did!
Example: Check out Treasures for Tots @http://tinyurl.com/2dks6jg for a chance to WIN a TT Magic Flowerpot!
www.twitter/myprofile


8. Share this Giveaway on Facebook and leave a comment (and a link) telling me you did!
Example:Check out Treasures for Tots @http://tinyurl.com/2dks6jg for a chance to WIN a TT Magic Flowerpot!
www.facebook/myprofile


9. Blog about this Giveaway and leave a comment (and a link) telling me you did!
Example: I blogged about the Giveaway! Here's the link: www.iluvtangleteezer.com

10. Purchase any product at Tangle Teezer's Ebay store (or online store) you're eligible for 10 extra entries! Just make sure to leave your transaction # in your comments.
Example: I made a purchase at Tangle Teezer! Trans. #1234 (Comment #1)



That's a grand total of 20 chances to WIN!


Rules:
1. Everyone is eligible to enter - no matter where you live!
2. Giveaway ends on Wednesday, June 2nd at 12AM (Central time).
3. Make sure to leave your email address in your comment if it isn't available through your blog or profile! I need to be able to contact you if you win!


Have fun and Good luck!

Two Years In CC!


I first discovered courtneycourtney on ZozoBugBaby's blog at the beginning of last year and was blown away with Courtney's amazing creative abilities. The dresses Courtney designs are the result of over 5 years of hard work - and of course lots of pure raw talent!

Her work is art - and it certainly appeals to every little girl! They want to wear her designs not only because are they comfortable, but because each dress is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Every little Princess loves knowing her dress is extra special because she's the only girl who has one like it!

Serenity gets compliments on her CCs from adults everywhere we go, but the sweetest compliments come from other little girls - they adore her CCs! They always want to touch Serenity's dress too - it's so cute to see them do that!

One of the best features of a CC is how long they will fit your child. If a dress becomes too short, just pair it with cute leggings, skirt, or blue jeans and you've got a whole new look. After a couple of years, a CC tunic dress becomes a shirt and will look great with shorts, capris, a skirt, or leggings.

For a CC to survive a whole year of wear on a toddler or young child means it has to be pretty durable too and our CCs have held up in the wash just great.

On the left of both pictures Serenity is wearing a CC from last year, and on the right she's wearing the same CC this year.

I hope y'all enjoyed looking at the pictures!



Have fun!

TRESemmé Naturals Silicone-Free Conditioner


Everybody who reads my blog knows how much I love the Curly Q line - it's just the BEST! But buying the whole line can get expensive so I'm always trying new things in Serenity hair.

I've been using Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner to wash and condition Serenity's hair, but a couple of weeks ago while in Target I spotted TRESemmé Naturals silicone-free conditioner. It was less than $5 for a BIG 25 ounce bottle and I thought, why not? So I grabbed a bottle.

Well let me say that I LOVE THIS STUFF! It's amazing that this product works as good as it does for less than $5!

I've been using it every other day for 2 weeks to wash and condition Serenity's hair. Basically all I do is apply it all over her hair (I sorta squeeze it into her curls), leave it in for 5 minutes, brush using the Tangle Teezer and then rinse. Next I apply about a quarter-size amount as a leave-in conditioner. I'm still using Curly Q's Moist Curls for tangles (but I find I don't have to use as much). On the days I don't wash, I just apply about a quarter-size (or more depending on what's needed) to Serenity's curls along with Moist Curls. It actually does a good job as a leave-in conditioner, it doesn't weigh down her hair at all and leaves it so soft.

Except for using Curly Q's Moist Curls as a detangler and Gel-les'c to hold her curls in place after I've styled it, I haven't used anything else for the past two weeks - I wanted to see how well Naturals would work.

I noticed a difference right away! I mean immediately - its amazing the results I'm getting with this product. With this unbelievably
cheap product!

I got curious about what exactly some of those big-named ingredients were - so I Googled it.

The blog, My Journey Back to Natural has an excellent and extremely detailed post about all the ingredients in TRESemmé Naturals. It's so helpful! Mikimu breaks down each ingredient and explains exactly what they mean. Nice!

I also checked out a few TRESemmé Naturals reviews on youtube:



Now I have to say that while Curly Q's is my personal favorite, I'm sure I'm not the only one who can't afford to use their entire line every day, so I'm very excited to find a highly acceptable substitute!

TRESemmé Naturals Silicone-Free Conditioner does an amazing job and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Serenity's hair will continue to do good with this product.

Have you tried it? Let me know what you think too!

POST-IT-NOTE:
I followed a leave-in conditioner tip I found over at Measured by the Heart using TRESemmé conditioner and it works great!
I put the conditioner in an empty Blended Cutie Satin Style Reviver spray bottle.
Satin Style Reviver is awesome - but $16 for an 8 ounce bottle.
I go through an 8 ounce bottle in no time, so I can't always afford that price.
Making my "own" using TRESemmé conditioner is much cheaper and it works!

Have fun!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Is Your Sunscreen Bad For You?


In the recent article "Study: Many Sunscreens May Be Accelerating Cancer", Mr. Andrew Schneider reports that the researchers at Environmental Working Group (EWG) lists only 39 of the 500 products safe to use in their annual report to consumers.

Oh yeah - you read that right!

Crazy huh?

Go read the article, it's a real eye-opener.

So how do you know if your sunscreen is safe?

The EWG has put together an excellent list of the best sunscreens on the market today.

You can also look up the sunscreen you're currently using to see if it's safe.

I've been using Aveeno Continuous Protection Active Sunblock Spray, SPF 70 and was totally satisfied with it - until I saw it rated a 7! That's with 10 being the worst!

Needless to say it's in the garbage now!

Don't forget to check your sunscreen today.

Have fun!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day!

Painting by Katie M. Berggren


Longing for a child to love,
I'd wish upon the stars above.
In my heart I always knew,
A part of me was meant for you.

I think how happy we will be,
Once I adopt you, and you adopt me.

I dream of all the joy you'll bring,
Imagining even the littlest things.
The way it will feel to hold you tight
and tuck you in every night.

The drawings on the refrigerator door
and childhood toys across the floor,
The favorite stories read again and again
and hours of fun with make believe friends.

The day you took my outstretched hand
A journey ended but our love began.
Still mesmerized by your sweet face
Still warmed inside by our first embrace.

I promised to give you a happy home
and a loving family all your own.
A house you've now made complete
with laughter,smiles and tiny feet.

A parent is one who guides the way
Know I will be there every day
Rest easy as each night you sleep
A lifetime of love is yours to keep

Longing for a child to love
I'd wish upon the stars above.
In my heart I always knew
A part of me belonged to you.

-author unknown


Happy Mother's Day!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

And the WINNERS are...



Kira, The Jordans and Kim!


Congratulations!



I just sent y'all an email (or left a comment on your blog)! If you don't see it - check your Spam folder!


Please make sure to contact me with your mailing address so Sidewinder Hair Holders can mail off your prize!


A HUGE thank you to everyone who entered!


Please stay tuned for a NEW giveaway this week!

Have fun!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Sunday Planting


Serenity and I planted flowers, a tree, and some "Magic Beans" today. Serenity really did most of it, I was just on hand to take pictures and help her pour the the water.

First we started with the Magic Beans from the Jack and the Beanstalk Adventure by GWMG. We planted them in the Jiffy Greenhouse. It was very easy - just add warm water to expand the soil pods, widen the opening on the netting around the the top of the soil pods, and planted two Magic Beans per pod. Then you place the dome cover on it and place in a warm spot out of the sun until the seeds sprout. So simple!

You can share the growth of your Magic Beans with other GWMG fans on Facebook too. Kim is wonderful and I love seeing pictures of all the kids' progress!

The Jack and the Beanstalk Adventure kit is great. The growth chart that comes with the kit is so beautiful. The whimsical artwork was created especially for the Jack and the Beanstalk Adventure theme by Emily Marino. Kim always has the best ideas to interest your child in growing things and it's a fun way to spend quality time with them too!





Next up was a Blue Spruce tree from Earth Friends. I bought Serenity's new rag doll, Malia from them and she came with her very own backpack fill with a soil pod and Blue Spruce seeds.

Have you seen these beautiful earth-friendly handcrafted rag dolls? They are made from eco-friendly recycled and natural materials. Their hair is made from thick cotton, their skin is hemp, their clothes are organic cotton and recycled cotton blends, and their stuffing is recycled plastic containers. And they are very cuddly too! All nine of their dolls has a little and big version - Serenity has the bigger Malia, she's so pretty. Go check out their FB Earth Friends Fan page too!

We put the soil pod in a bowl, filled it with warm water and waited about 15 minutes for it to expand. Then we transferred the pod to a little plate (Serenity used her Green Toys saucer), and she planted three Blue Spruce seeds. Very easy, fun and a great project for a preschooler.





Last was the Indoor Gardening Kit by Green Toys. I love Green Toys! Their stuff is made from recycled milk jugs and it's so durable and tough.

The Gardening kit comes with a trowel, three pots and a tray, three soil pods, and some organic seeds. We didn't plant those today. Serenity wanted to plant flowers instead so I let her pick some out at Wal-Mart yesterday.

Just like the other two projects, we poured warm water over the soil pods and waited for them to expand. It took about 20 minutes. Then Serenity planted flower seeds in each pot.



These are so easy and fun for your preschooler or child of any age. Serenity felt a huge sense of accomplishment planting her seeds almost all by herself. I helped a little with the water and fluffing up the soil, but she basically did it all herself.

I'm not much of a gardener - I tend to ignore whatever I plant, but Serenity really loves it. I'm thinking about setting up a small area so she can plant more flowers and plants. I believe she would really enjoy have her own "garden"!


Have fun!