Winner! Rolled Canvas Giveaway

Congratulations DEB!
Out of 36 entries by comment and form, Random.org picked you! I am emailing you now to congratulate you and give you more information!

Thank you to all who entered!

Photo: L. Reynolds

Notable Newness - Giveaways

A few giveaways I thought you all might be interested in! :)

From Mom Trends:

• Playmobil Giveaway -ends 11/30
  
• Kickboard USA Scooter Giveaway -ends 12/10

and remember you only have one more day to get your entries in for the 16x20 Rolled Canvas Print - Ends 11/29

Thankful... for the ABC's

At Thanksgiving we are thankful for the ABC's:

Above

Ballet


Crazy babies with fake cigars
Doctors

Eating
Father and son love
Grandparent's love
Hugs


Intrigue

Joy

Kind and loving family
Learning
Mechanically inclined toddlers

Naps


OOOooohhh!

Playing
Quizzical thoughts

Reading

Silliness

Tractors

Unwrapping gifts


Vocalization

Wonder


X-tended family

Yuckies!!!


Zippity Doo Dah! Zippity Yay! Oh what a wonderful day!

We are most thankful for each other.

Our family. Our friends.
The love we share.

We are most thankful for our lives
and the many blessings that fill it.

Happy Thanksgiving friends.
We are thankful for YOU.

Global Influence Holiday Guide & Givaways!

Holiday shopping season is here again and the Global Influence network has some great gift ideas for you, tried and tested by real moms. Click on the links to check out what our team of reviewers had to say about each of these gift ideas, then take a moment to enter our fun giveaway and take a chance at winning some of these fabulous products.

Featured Reviews

Pouchees -

Busy moms need all the help they can get to stay organized and keep life as simple as possible. The Pouchee is the perfect solution to keeping all those little things together, putting everything you need, right at your fingertips.

Duck Hunter -

Duck Hunter turns the excitement of the hunt into an activity the whole family can enjoy. Launch the duck in the air and try to hunt it down with the toy shooter as it flies freely in the air. A fun choice for those who love outdoor sporting.

CardStore Cards

Personalized holiday cards are an important item on everyone’s to-do list and often a hassle to create and print. Cardstore.com has everything from family photo cards to invitations for your big holiday party, simplifying your holiday season.

Great Holiday Gift Ideas

Things Remembered Custom Couture Jewelry

Just Elfin’ Around

Card Cubby

Harumika By Bandai

Harumika Runway Showstopper

Harumika Style Starter

Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo

Strawberry Shortcake Playset

Kota Monty Rex

Wall to Wall Basketball

Nerf Pocket Vortex

Busy Ball Popper (My review! Cute pictures of Elijah included, so please leave some extra comment love!)

Talking Chuck Truck

Leapfrog My Pal Scout

Leapfrog Tag Jr

Leapfrog Scribble and Write

Animal Planet Polar Land Playset

Animal Planet Dinosaur Playmat

Onionhead Adult/Teen Feelings Pack

OnionHead Children’s Feelings Pack

Onionhead A-Z Feelings Magnet Set

FotoboxPlus

MeTime Tees

Fun Holiday Giveaway!

For this holiday guide, we want to share the love with the blogosphere! Some of our generous sponsors have donated prizes to be given away to lucky readers! To enter to win one of the following fabulous prizes, simply fill out the form here: http://tinyurl.com/y8t92rw

Prizes include:

Things RememberedCustom Couture Jewelry

Pouchee

Elfing Around

Harumika

Onionhead Feelings Pack

Nerf Wall to Wall Basketball

Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo

MeTime T-shirt

Entries will close on December 6, 2009 at 11:59 PM EST. Winners will be contacted by email after the close of the contest.

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Global Influence Member Guides

Need more ideas for this holiday season? Check out the guides that some of our Global Influence members have put together on their own sites!

Thrifty Jinxy, Happy Healthy Hip , And Twins Make Five , Because Two People Fell In Love, Mommy Musings , Lipstick to Crayons , Bargain Briana , Mommy PR , Shop With Me Mama, Santa Picks, Rave and Review, Connected 2 Christ , 3 Boys and a Dog, The Classy Closet , Contest Corner, Lisa Reviews , A Giveaway Every Day, HulaHoopinMom, Spalibrations, High Impact Mom, From Cribs to Car Keys

All reviews listed in the Global Influence gift guide were product provided. Featured positions were purchased by sponsors. Member gift guides are not affiliated with Global Influence.

Thank you!

Thank you all so much for your support during this domain issue.

I wanted to announce that after this domain issue and taking the weekend to discuss this with Dave, I have decided to end Mom Loves Today. I don't want to have to fight someone for my brand and I cannot afford to do so. But I am not giving up. Instead I am going to merge Mom Loves Today and From Son Up To Son Down, into a brand new site, One Big 'Pyle' of Love. I love plays on words, and with Pyle being our last name, and the blog being about family, Dave and I thought it was the perfect name. We both thought it would benefit you, our readers to have all the parent/child stuff in one place again. I know there have been many changes happening these last months and really hope this is the last change for the better for quite some time!

One Big Pyle of Love will be located at the same address as From Son Up To Son Down http://ejsmomej.blogspot.com or you can get to it from my brand new domain address http://www.pyleoflove.com. The new design should be up before January.

Posts about Elijah, reviews, giveaways, coupon codes, and all the fun stuff you have come to love on both sites will now be all in one place for you. Eventually my contributors will be merging over too and jumping in from time to time.

Again I want to thank you SO much for your support during this merger. I have some of the best fans, readers, and sponsors ever!

If you need to contact me during this transition I ask that you email me at ejsmomej at gmail and put the blog name you are contacting about as part of the subject while I get everything worked out and organized.

Again, thank you so much for your love and from here on out please visit http://www.pyleoflove.com for all my parent/child posts and remember http://www.erinjeany.com for all my personal craziness!

Have a great Tuesday!

United Health Care Student Resource Insurance

When choosing the right health care for your children there is a lot to consider. Parents have many questions about coverage and want to make sure they are getting the best care possible for their children. Does it cover injury, sickness, pre-existing conditions? Is there time/day/month limits to service? Am I going to call a representative to ask these questions only to hang up even more confused?

UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company has heard your questions. Dedicated to student insurance for over 40 years, United Healthcare has a insurance program just for your children, the UnitedHealthcare StudentResource (UHCSR). Focusing on children ages 5 to 18 (4 to 18 in Texas), this program has a better understanding of unique needs of this age group. Designed to be more affordable then traditional insurance plans for your children, it is currently $588 per policy year or $98 every two months. That is a small amount of money for a big peace of mind that your child is covered! UHCSR program offers your child protection and coverage for injury and sickness 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You don't have to worry about your child having insurance through your job. If you already have it, UHCSR could also be used as a secondary insurance plan. Available through many participating school districts and participating private schools. Nationally available through schools that belong to the Association of Christian Schools
International.

To find out if your school is participating visit https://www.k12studentinsurance.com/PlansAndPricing.aspx.

I was happy to see that the school my son Elijah will be attending currently participates. We have UnitedHealthcare now and think that this plan would be good for us when Elijah reaches school age.

To find out more information and decide if this plan is right for you please visit https://www.k12studentinsurance.com

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by UnitedHealthCare through MomSelect. All facts are from UnitedHealthCare. All opinions are that of the author.

50 Custom Thank You Winner!

And the winner is...

Bobbi Janay

Her comment was picked by random.org. I'm contacting you now to claim your prize!

Thank you to all who entered!

Make sure to enter my newest giveaway for a 16x20 rolled canvas print!

***Closed*** Printing pictures at LargeFormatPosters.com {giveaway}

I post so many of pictures of Elijah here. It is still not even 1/10th of what we take of him. We take an average of 300 pictures a month between our digital camera and my cell phone. We then burn cd and dvd backups (twice just to be sure) of all the pictures. I am embarrassed to say, even with all those pictures taken, we have only had a handful of pictures printed so far! And all those were all gifts! This year I will be giving a few more pictures of Elijah out as gifts and getting some printed for us. I have been weighing my options for printing. Normal 4x6 prints are wonderful gifts and surely appreciated by those who love his smiling face, but I wanted to do something special. Something big. I was looking into the price of having a picture painted by an artist onto canvas. I also looked into the price of canvas printing. Luckily I found LargeFormatPosters.com through UPrinting.

LargeFormatPosters.com have rolled canvas prints for great prices. They have no minimum order, free proofs, shipping, and can be custom printed any size you want up to 55" x 100"! Of course I won't be needing something quite that big... yet anyway. I am going to stick to 16x20 because that is a good portrait size. I was contemplating all I could do with custom sizing though. Besides just photos there are many ideas in my head for digital art I could do and then get the canvas printing to make some beautiful decor for our home. They would also be good for signage at my mom's store. I like the canvas printing for most the projects in my head but I have a few other ideas that would work just as well as just large format posters. Check out Uprinting reviews at Yelp.com!

~*GIVEAWAY*~
Get your own 16x20 rolled canvas print just in time for the holidays!

Prize: (1)
16x20 Rolled Canvas print from LargeFormatPosters.com

To Enter: Visit LargeFormatPosters.com and look at their poster printing options. Then come back here and comment below or in this form with how you would CREATIVELY use the print if you win!

For an extra entry: (leave a separate comment for each below or submit again in this form.)

• Follow my blog through Google Connect. (1 extra)
  
• Follow me @erinjeany & @Uprinting on twitter. (1 extra)
  
• Tweet about this giveaway including us both in the tweet! (1 extra)
• Blog about this giveaway linking back to this giveaway and LargeFormatPosters.com (3 extra)
  

Contest Ends 10pm et -11/29

This contest is open to US residents only. Sorry!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED! Thank you!

Disclosure: I will be receiving a 16x20 rolled canvas print from UPrinting.com for hosting this giveaway.

Free $15!

Starting your holiday shopping and want to save some money? I belong to CSN rewards! It's a great program that earns me some extra money and saves me 3% with every order. (Their prices are already really low on some great brand name stuff!) Want a FREE $15 to spend on an order at CSN? Sign up for their referral program under me and it's yours! I don't think there is a minimum purchase because I know someone who used theirs to buy something for 15.99. All they paid was .99 and got their son a cool toy!

Just click my referral link and make sure it says my email in the box for 'your friends email address' (should automatically fill in) when you submit the $15 code will pop up at the top of your screen. Write it down! Then spend it right away or when you make your first order! :)

Click here for the referral link

Enjoy! & Happy shopping!


Disclaimer: I was not paid in any way for this post. I REALLY shop CSN and love them!

Wordless Wednesday - 4 Generations

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

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Find more wordless Wednesday submissions and share yours at: Wordless Wednesday, 5 minutes for Mom, The Not-So-Blog Blog,Wordful Wednesday, Go Graham Go, What’s that Smell?, A Renaissance Woman and Moomette’s Magnificents

Thank you for reading! {50 custom thank yous giveaway}

With Elijah's birthday just passing and Christmas almost here, I will be writing many thank you's in the next few months. Luckily I will have help! DigitalRoom.com's custom thank you cards! High-quality paper and card stock, beautiful inks, great prices! For more proof, check out their reviews on Yelp.com!

I am thinking of all the designs I could have printed for Elijah's thank yous. I want it to be something that's good for Christmas and future holidays since I don't usually need to send that many at a time. I think a really cute photo of Elijah with some colorful text would be sure to brighten any recipients day! Or I could do a picture of our family. hmm... So many choices!

What do you think I should get?
What would you get if you had a chance to get your own custom thank you's printed?

Think hard! Because here is your chance!

To say THANK YOU for reading From Son Up To Son Down in 2009,
I want to give one of my lucky readers-

50 Custom Thank You Cards from DigitalRoom.com just in time for the holidays!

Prize: (50 ct.) 7 x 5" (folded to 3.5 x 5") Custom Thank You Cards with plain envelopes!

To Enter: Visit DigitalRoom.com and look at their custom thank you cards. Then come back here and leave me a comment with how you would CREATIVELY use the cards if you win!

For an extra entry: (leave a separate comment for each)

• Follow my blog through Google Connect. (1 extra)
  
• Follow me @erinjeany & @Uprinting on twitter. (1 extra)
  
• Tweet about this giveaway including us both in the tweet! (1 extra)
• Blog about this giveaway linking back to this giveaway and DigitalRoom.com (3 extra)
  

Contest Ends 10pm et -11/22

This contest is open to US residents only. Sorry!

Disclosure: I will be receiving fifty (50) thank you cards from UPrinting.com for hosting this giveaway!

Temple Touch Mini Thermometer

If you have ever tried to hold a wiggly baby and try to get an accurate thermometer reading you know how difficult that can be. With some babies it is next to impossible. With Elijah we had tried at least 7 different thermometers in his first 8 months. We tried ear, under the tongue, armpit, and forehead. We eventually just came to terms with the fact that we would never get a correct temperature until he was 10. That is until we got the Temple Touch Mini Thermometer.

I was skeptical at first and worried it would be just as hard and inaccurate as the rest. When it first came I opened it up and read the directions. Hit the power button and wait for the beep (about 6 seconds). Place on temple and wait for the beep (about six seconds. Ta-Da! Your reading will be on the screen.

At first I tested it on my husband. It was quick and accurate. He was a perfect 98.6. Then he tested it on me. Perfect. Then came the REAL test, Elijah. I showed it to him first so he didn't try to look at it when I was doing it. He smiled and laughed so I went ahead and did it. He didn't flinch or pull away. He just sat there smiling. He let me take his temperature! Honestly it's so quick I don't even think he realized I was doing it. We have used the Temple Touch quite a few times since. When Elijah did have a slight fever it worked great. It was nice to be able to check his temperature in his sleep too! I worried the beep might startle him, but he didn't even notice.

This thermometer is not just for babies. It is good for older children and even adults. It's so easy to use and since it only comes in contact with the temple you don't have to worry about covers and germs. We wipe ours off with an alcohol pad when using it on one of us that is sick. It would also be easy to replace the battery when it is needed.

I give the Temple Touch Thermometer 9 out of 10 hearts.

About Temple Touch: The Temple Touch Thermometer is a conductive forehead thermometer that provides the convenience of a non-invasive temperature reading with the accuracy of an oral thermometer. Using Medisim’s innovative R.A.T.E.™ technology, the thermometer provides accurate detection of the core body temperature using conduction in just six seconds by touching the thermometer to your temple. The Temple Touch mini recently won an iParenting Media Award in the baby care category.

Temple Touch on the web:

• http://www.templetouchthermometer.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
  

Buy it: The Temple Touch Mini can be purchased at Walmart for a very affordable $9.94.

**Disclosure**
Product has been provided for review but does not influence or affect the outcome of this review. All opinions are solely those of the reviewer.

Paperspring Friends & Family event at MLT!

Paperspring is graciously giving my readers at MLT a 25% off discount on their holiday card orders!

Visit MLT for more information:
offer expired

Wordless Wednesday - Toddler Suprises

Curious WHY Elijah is posing with a toilet? Check out last night's post. ;)

Happy WW!

Toddler Surprises

You really never know what a toddler is going to do. I had tweeted that this afternoon after an interesting diaper surprise.

I figured, 'oh well the bodily function surprise for the day has passed'. But no. That wasn't the case. Why would it be? That my friends, would be TOO EASY. And life with a toddler... ahem... life with a boy of any age is never easy when it comes to bodily functions.

It all started with this a few days ago.

Elijah kept running to the toilet any time he realized the path was clear or the door was open. No idea why. I don't think he even knows what this thing is for yet. Dave and I joked that maybe he was asking to be potty trained. Joked. Not serious. He is only just one. I don't even recall WHY I took the picture of him running in there.

We went on with our normal everyday routines and completely forgot about the whole thing until today. I am sitting here, minding my own business, playing Farmville. Dave had walked upstairs to the kitchen. Elijah had been taking his afternoon nap when I heard him say 'Mama' over the monitor. I figured Dave was already upstairs so he would hear him and get him. Elijah continued talking and I could hear him playing with his crib toys. Then he got quiet again and I heard Dave cough in the background. It was silent for about 30 seconds and then I heard a quite peculiar noise before Dave suddenly shouts over the monitor 'OH NO, oh no, OOOHHHH NNNOOOO!' I was jumping out of the chair to run up there as I hear him start to laugh and say 'Mama, we need you up here. He is pee...'

That's the last bit I caught before ascending the stairs. I went up them so fast I think I totally skipped the landing in the foyer. I ran down the hall to see Dave laying Elijah on the changing pad, his diaper all ready half off. I can see a puddle on the floor at the head of the crib. I immediately started chuckling knowing what had happened.

Apparently Dave had heard Elijah making an odd sound as he was exiting the bathroom. He said it was sort of like when hes sucking on his pacifier. The squishy sound, then he heard a sound like liquid pouring and ran in, assuming he was dumping out his sippy cup. When he got to the door he realized that wasn't the case at all. That's when he yelled for me. Elijah stood at the end of his crib, diaper half off, head on the rail pad, looking so relaxed and PEEING off the end. Yes, that's right. He had his little thing right between the slats letting loose! Dave said he didn't know what to do but let him finish, I mean, picking him up would have just made the mess worse. I totally agree. Elijah doesn't have much of an aim yet, but picking him up mid stream would certainly not help.

Dave picked Elijah up and laid him on the changing pad. His diaper was DRY. Well, of course. Why would it be wet? HE TOOK IT OFF TO PEE! Miraculously Elijah himself was dry too. Not even a sprinkle.

Dave and I were cracking up. I mean what else could we do? Of course the first thing I had to do was tweet about it.

Then I realized 140 characters was way too short to share this story. I had to take photos... and blog it.

So I documented the damage, then Dave & I cleaned it up. It was all over the end of the crib, the end of the mattress (this is why plastic mattress covers are a MUST), the breathable bumper, and the floor. It mostly pooled under the leg. Good lord there must have been a gallon! Things were so soaked!

We laughed the whole time we cleaned up. We couldn't be mad at him. We were reminded why we need to make sure he is wearing shorts or pants for bed. Then I remembered the whole toilet thing. Is he really trying to tell us something? Potty training may not be many months away if he keeps this up.

Maybe he's just trying to keep blog content fresh and interesting. LOL!

Guest Post: Party Planning Tips

Parties can be stressful, but thanks to these tips my son's 1st Birthday party this past weekend was much more enjoyable! Give a warm welcome to our guest blogger, Candi, and please consider some of her advice when you plan your next party .

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Here are a few tips we find helpful when planning a child's birthday.

Planning and throwing your child’s birthday party should be fun, but it often feels like another time-consuming, stressful thing on your “to do” list. Put the “festive” back into the festivities with the following tips:

• Keep it simple. Your child won’t care if there are elaborate decorations, or a meticulously thought out menu. He just wants to have fun.
• Get some help. Many parents get overwhelmed trying to do it all themselves. If your father-in-law is artistic, ask him to make the invitations. If your sister is a great baker, put her in charge of the cake. Consider hiring someone to entertain the kids, run the games or clean your house pre- and post-party.
• Ask for your child’s input. Before you start planning, get your child’s opinion. Even young children enjoy a trip to the party store to choose between Elmo and Thomas the Train plates. My kids love to browse through party catalogues to choose a few special things for their party.
• Keep it manageable. Instead of inviting your son’s entire first grade class (27 kids - can you imagine?), suggest that he invite his two or three favorite friends to do something special, like going bowling and out for pizza. Likewise, don’t feel like you have to invite all of his school friends, neighborhood friends, cousins and so forth. Chances are, it will be overwhelming for him - and for you!
• Don’t plan too much. It’s great to have a few ideas for games, crafts or other activities, but there’s no need to schedule a ton of different activities.
• But do have a “back up plan”. It’s smart to have a few extra crafts or games in mind, just in case the kids seem bored. Musical chairs is fun for all ages, a dance party is an easy, enjoyable activity, and younger kids would probably love a few stories.
• Have a set “end time” and a friendly way of ushering people out the door.

Remember, the birthday party should be a celebration of your child, not an elaborate affair. Keep it simple and you’ll all have a great time.

About our guest blogger:
My name is Candi Wingate and founder I am of Nannies4hire.com, Care4hire.com and a Nanny Agency. My nanny experience actually goes way back. I was a nanny for a family with 5 children, which included newborn twins. After becoming a nanny and working in a nanny agency for several years, I purchased the successful Nation-Wide Nanny Placement Agency. After finding that we needed to expand, Nannies4hire.com and Care4hire.com was born. Care4hire.com is an online database for families and caregivers to search babysitters, housekeepers, tutors, elder/companion care, pet sitters and other miscellaneous service. A free preview of available caregivers is available to families. Whether you need a caregiver for a few hours to a few days, you will find it at Care4hire.com. Besides relationships with Dr. Phil, Supernanny, TLC, Inc. 500, receiving the Mom's Choice Award and a Finalist for the Stevie Award, we have been helping wonderful families and caregivers since 1987.

Follow Candi on Twitter @Nannies4Hire & @Care4Hire - Subscribe to her Blog

Wordless Wednesday - My Halloween Birthday Boy

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

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Find more wordless Wednesday submissions and share yours at: Wordless Wednesday, 5 minutes for Mom, The Not-So-Blog Blog,Wordful Wednesday, Go Graham Go, What’s that Smell?, A Renaissance Woman and Moomette’s Magnificents

Steampotville by Steve Ouch

SteamPotVille is a brand new book by Steve Ouch, that sparks the imagination and leaves you viewing its pages for hours, only to see something new each time! From the moment I heard the premise of the book I was intrigued!

'Everything seemed normal in SteamPotVille - a town where animals live in teapots and birdhouses until one day when you wake up everything gets out of hand and the adventure begins.'

Just the cover image alone lures you in, tempting you to view it's pages. The photography and art is amazing! The story is fun and whimsical. Obviously I cannot say enough great things about this book!

The first time Elijah and I sat down to read this his little eyes lit up! He was smiling and laughing and pointing at the colorful pages. I can't tell you how long we sat there looking at each page. I couldn't believe how much detail Steve put into the images. You never know what you will see!

This is a perfect book for children and adults! For toddlers the pages are full of wonderful images, perfect for a game of I-spy. For older children the words are not too complex for beginning readers and for the oldest children (and adults) the book is just plain fun!

I give this book 5 stars for originality and creativity and highly recommend it!

Visit http://steampotville.com for more information!

Connect with Steve Ouch and Steampotville on the web:

Steampotville on Amazon.com

Steve Ouch On Twitter
Steve Ouch's Blog
Steve Ouch on Facebook
Steve Ouch Facebook Fan Page

I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to Steve Ouch for providing Elijah and I our own copy of Steampotville. We absolutely LOVE it! It is one of the first books Elijah pulls off the shelf for story time!