Mama Loves: Free Laundry {GIVEAWAY}

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!

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There's some great ideas from last week I'm eager to share with you!

• Before twins, Emily worked with infants in a daycare. She'll tell you all about how you don't have to wait till your kiddos are older to do crafts. Her six-month-olds fingerpainted some beautiful masterpieces with edible fingerpaints. She includes the recipe and tips for making the project all come together. Check it out!

 

• Melissa's twins love a series of books by Eric Litwin about Pete the Cat.

• Laura loves organizing her girls' lunch boxes by using Ball freezer jars---an inexpensive, eco-friendly way to pack lunches. She'll tell you all about it.

 

• Cat will tell you about the most awesome idea to both give her children responsibility and to keep peace in her home. You must check this one out! 

 
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A few weeks ago I told you about  Nellie's All Natural Laundry Soda.



This tiny little bag gives you a whopping 50 loads of laundry, and does a pretty stellar job of getting everything clean, especially our cloth diapers.

What's beautiful about this laundry soda is that it's dye-free and perfume-free. Perfect for babies' sensitive skin, and free of all those harsh chemicals for the health and well-being of your entire family. 

Nellie's Naturals is giving away one of these to one of my readers. That's 50 loads of laundry for free!!

To enter to win please do two things: 

• Go "Like" Nellie's All-Natural on facebook
• Then, leave a comment letting me know you liked them, and tell me one thing you've done to make your home a little more "green"----hint: It can be as simple as what my friend SarahFae does in the bathroom; they reuse their towels a couple times before washing them.   

That's it. Just those two little things will get you entered to win.

Entries will be accepted through Friday, September 7th at 5PM (CST).

Can't wait to see what you're loving this week!

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Mama Loves: Clean Diapers and another {GIVEAWAY}

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!
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Some fantastic ideas shared this past week! Check it out!

• Krista loves dry erase crayons. I guess I need to try these---everyone seems to rave about them!

 

• Ginger loves no-spill bubbles, which I have to agree are a pretty fabulous idea, especially after one of the girls spilled a bottle of colored bubbles all over herself at a playdate recently.Yellow goo everywhere! (good thing it was a bath night). 

• Melissa linked up with a great list of things to do with toilet paper rolls. You'll want to pin this, friends! Lots of great ideas here! 

• Affton tells us all about how much her kiddos love Kindermusik---she loves it so much she's becoming a teacher! Awesome! Good luck with your first up-coming class, Affton!

• Laura gives us a great list of on-line references to combat the cultural pressures of beauty and body image.

Thank you, thank you, everyone for sharing your great ideas here!
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It was a year ago this week that we kicked off Mama Loves. Thank you, everyone, for showing up and contributing ideas----such a great community here!

So, good morning afternoon. We've had company, and I didn't do a better time of planning ahead.

Anyway.

Awhile back I told you about how much I love our dryerballs from Nellie's Naturals. After I raved about them here, I contacted the company, just to let them know how much I liked their product. They then sent me some Nellie's Laundry Soda to try.

 

 Now, I've told you that I make my own laundry detergent, so it took me awhile to actually give this a whirl, but I'm glad I did.

I like that it is small, and doesn't take much to clean an entire load---the scoop needed, is really small.

 
I also love that it's completely dye and fragrance-free. Even people with the most sensitive skin can use it.

What I love most is that it does a great job of cleaning cloth diapers, while leaving no residue behind. Yay! Definitely a product I can get behind!
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Okay, first thing's first.

A winner!

The winner of one of our most favorite books, The Pout-Pout Fish is Krista D. from Life on the Gravelly Road. Yay! Congrats, Krista! Could you email me the address you'd like it mailed to, please? (pontifications@hotmail.com)

And---now on to our next giveaway!

This gal loves a good workout, and I really, really love hair bands that don't slide out of my hair while I'm working up a good sweat! Sweaty Bands hold the hair out of my face, don't slip out of my hair, and they come in lots of great styles.

Just so happens that I have an extra one of these to giveaway to one of you! It's white with a bit of sparkle. Here's a picture:

To win this cute Sweaty Band:

• Please leave a comment below telling me your favorite way to get sweaty.

For additional entries, it would be an honor if you'd consider doing any of the following (please leave a separate comment for each entry below):

• Link-up this week! Blog about something you've been loving, and share it below! (You can link up a post you originally did for something else too---if it qualifies, share it!)
• Like Pontifications of  a Twin Mom on facebook (or leave a comment letting me know you're already a follower).
• Follow Pontifications of a Twin Mom via Google Friend Connect (or leave a comment letting me know you're already a follower). 

Each comment is worth one entry.
Entries can be made until Friday, August 17th at 5PM.
Winner will be announced August 18th during our weekly Mama Loves post.

Do check back next week---there just might be another Mama Loves giveaway!

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Mama Loves: InfantRisk Center {Giveaway}

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.


Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!
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Check out these mama-approved ideas from this past week!

MandyE's girls love these scissors. Friends, she tried to cut her hand and her hair, and could not, so they are mama-tested, and mama-approved for safety. 



 We love the book Little Blue Truck around here! Krista's son enjoys acting the story out---what a clever way to combine books and imaginary play!



This sidewalk paint from Laura looks like so much fun! I can't wait to whip up a batch!



Katie has been walking through the alphabet this summer with her 2.5 year olds---there are some awesome ideas there---you should check that too! She incorporates dot markers with letter-learning. I need to get my dot markers out, and get over my fear that it will be a gigantic mess!


Ginger re-lived her childhood love of traveling carnivals with her kids. It looks like her whole family LOVES traveling carnivals now!



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A friend of mine recently has been having some health concerns. While in the ER, her doctor prescribed some medication that wasn't safe for her to take while breastfeeding her baby. I urged her to call the InfantRisk Center, an organization that's current on the latest medications and doses, and how it affects nursing and pregnant mothers.

Each year, more than 4.3 million women give birth in the U.S. Virtually all of these women will use at least one medication during pregnancy or during breastfeeding.

The new InfantRisk Center provides information on the use of medications while women are pregnant and while breastfeeding.

Truthfully, we know about the safety and hazards of using medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding, its just that many healthcare professionals are not current on all these new drugs. This is all we do. We are here to provide you with real evidence-based medicine about the use of drugs during these important periods of your life.

Their service is completely free of charge! My friend said when she called they were super-helpful, and she quickly learned that she would be able to resume breastfeeding again, much quicker than the ER doctors had told her.

Not everyone is going to need this organization, but it's super-handy to remember for your friends, or for yourself.
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Okay---now, for the fun part! Our first Mama Loves giveaway!

Back in November, I told you guys about one of the girls' favorite books, The Pout-Pout Fish.

 

We still really love that book around here, and we'd love to share the love with someone. So---if you'd like to win a hardcover copy of this book check out the rules below:

• Leave a comment below telling me what children's book is a favorite around your house right now. 

For additional entries, it would be an honor if you'd consider doing any of the following (please leave a separate comment for each entry below):

• Link-up this week! Blog about something you've been loving, and share it below! (You can link up a post you originally did for something else too---if it qualifies, share it!)
• Like Pontifications of  a Twin Mom on facebook (or leave a comment letting me know you're already a follower).
• Follow Pontifications of a Twin Mom via Google Friend Connect (or leave a comment letting me know you're already a follower). 

Each comment is worth one entry.
Entries can be made until Friday, August 10th at 5PM.
Winner will be announced August 11th during our weekly Mama Loves post.

Do check back next week for another Mama Loves giveaway!

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Mama Loves: Funky Tan Lines, Comfy Sandals and Anniversaries

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!
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The criss-cross tan lines across my foot are from the one and only sandal I've worn all summer a.k.a. the most comfortable sandal I've ever slipped my foot in.

Meet the Teva Olowahu Sandal:
 
It has this mush stuff on top that is so squishy and soft, and it has arch support, which makes it better than just your regular old flip-flop. The extra straps keep them securely on my feet, even if I have to take off at a run after one of the girls.

As my tan lines clearly demonstrate, these shoes are part of my everyday life---the plain black lets me dress them up, dress them down. Best purchase of my whole summer!  

Can't wait to see what you're loving this week! 

P.S. I do wear sunscreen, and I lather my girls in sunscreen too. For some reason I never think to put any on my feet.
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On August 6th last year, we kicked off our Mama Loves series. Over the past year, you guys have shared some awesome ideas! We've heard about:

• toys
• gear
• crafts
• time savers
• recipes
• books 
• money saving ideas
• games
• handy tips to make life easier
• pretty things for mamas to wear
• activities to wear out those kiddos

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom here in this space! I've incorporated many of your ideas into my parenting---it's definitely made me a better mama! 

I wanted to celebrate our one year anniversary with a huge giveaway extravaganza.

Starting next week, I'm going to be giving away some of the great items I've "loved" over the last year. I'd love for you to be a winner!

Please check back next week.

Do you have a Mama Loves idea from me or someone else that was particularly helpful? Leave a comment. I'd love to hear about it!

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Sweet Simplicity Design Winner!

Hey there! The girls and I were busy tonight announcing the giveaway winner for the Sweet Simplicity Designs, Simple Blog Makeover winner.

Check it out!

Here are all the contestants (the girls had to decorate all the cards):

Then we folded all the pieces of paper and placed them in here:

Hadley did the honors with Brynne looking on:

We had to pratice unfolding paper in order to get this part right:

It took awhile:

And the winner is:

Eeks! Sorry! She wouldn't hold still!

The winner is Sara from To This You Were Called.

Congrats, Sara! I'll pass your email address along to Liz, and she'll take it from there.

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I'd encourage all of you to follow Sweet Simplicity Designs. She, periodically, offers free background and great blog tips!   



Winners!

I know you've all been holding your breath, waiting to hear if you won one of the six Lil Rinsers. Thank you to random.org for choosing these six winners. Without further ado, the winners are:

1. Stacey @ Ramblings of a Stay at Home Mom
2. Katie @ Once Upon a Time
3. Leslie @ HahsHousehold
4. Wendy @ The Singing House
5. Summar
6. Erica @ PFM

Congrats to the winners! I'll be contacting you each individually.

Lil Rinser Giveaway

If you've been reading my blog recently, I have, on two occasions, mentioned the Lil Rinser. It's my new favorite mama must-have!

Our Hadley had such a hard time letting us rinse the shampoo out of her hair. We would try to keep the water out of her eyes with a washcloth, or our hands, but that didn't work very well. Most baths ended in tears. I found the Lil Rinser here, and placed the order--hoping it was going to make bathtime better.

It arrived just in time for bath night! Here's my daughter, Brynne testing it out.

That first bath with the Lil Rinser was amazing! Hadley didn't fight us when it came time to rinse the shampoo out of her hair. She didn't get any water in her eyes. And, best of all, there were no tears. It. Was Awesome. The girls had fun splashing and playing in the tub, and there was no drama!

You can see how it works--it forms a seal, so that no water gets into the eyes, and channels all the water out the back. Hair is rinsed, and everyone's happy!

I emailed the little family-owned company that invented the Lil Rinser to tell them how much I liked their product, and how it had made bathtime with our girls a pleasant experience. They emailed me back, and graciously offered to give away six Lil Rinsers to my readers!

Win one for your family, or to give away as a gift. Spread the word, tell your friends. I'm so excited to be able to share the Lil Rinser love with you!



Here's how to win:

*Please leave a separate comment below for each thing completed (you can enter multiple times)--be sure to include your email address and what color you would like (see above--green, purple, yellow or turquoise).

1. Like Lil Rinser facebook page, and leave them a comment telling them that I sent you.

2. Visit Pontifications of a Twin Mom on facebook and tell me one thing that you're thankful for today.

3. I collect quotes, and would love some new ones to add to my collection! Leave me a comment below with your favorite quote.

4. Do you Twitter? Join Lil Rinser on Twitter, then leave me a comment letting me know.

**I would be honored if you choose to "like" Pontifications of a Twin Mom on facebook, or become a follower of this blog, but it is not necessary to win.

Thanks for playing!

Winners will be randomly selected on Wednesday, March 9th.