There are so many great charities and worthwhile projects out there that it’s impossible to share all of them. I do what I can. That’s why I want to share about The Climate Quilt Campaign that began last month. It’s a project co-founded by HabitatHeroes.com and the Green Schools Alliance as an effort to connect and educate children from around the world about climate changes.

There are many ways for kids to get involved (make patches, help sew, etc.) Please watch the short clip below from the NBC-TV “Today” show segment, where the Climate Quilt was officially debuted on 9/22. Then (if you can), please visit the Climate Quilt Campaign site http://www.climatequilt.org/ to join in.

Congrats to the winner: Sara

There’s still a few weeks of summer left (at least here on the East Coast!) and fall is right around the corner. That’s why I was thrilled when Diaper Dude contacted me about offering a lucky Mom in the City reader a couple of their products that are ideal for outdoor activities: The Dude Pack and The Diaper Dude Blanket. You can give them to the “dude” in your life – or keep them for yourself. (You don’t understand how “full circle” this particular giveaway is for me. I have been following Diaper Dude since I did my first Father’s Day giveaways back in 2006 when Mom in the City was simply an offline group. Three years later, we’re finally doing a promotion together. Woo Hoo!)

Anyway, below is a little bit more about the two products:

-The Dude Pack ($98) is a messenger-styled pack that opens to a portable changing station. It has 4 large compartments, a separate food pouch, and clips for use as a stroller strap.

-In addition, the winner will receive a Diaper Dude Blanket ($54), like the one which was featured on Celebrity Baby Blog. It’s water resistant and machine washable so you can use it wherever you want – inside or outside.

To win, please let me know your favorite Diaper Dude product in the “Comments” section below by August 31st.

For additional entries:
1. Link to this giveaway post on your blog.
2. Follow me on twitter or friend me on Facebook.
3. Leave a comment on any of my other (non-giveaway) posts until August 31st.

Good luck!

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

Congrats to the winner: mona

One great thing about having my own site is that I can introduce my readers to products from people who are special to me from time to time. This is one of those times.

The wife of one of my great “e-friends” recently launched a line of fun, unique tees for infants and toddlers. (Although my boys have grown past that stage, I know that many Mom in the City readers have very young kids.) That’s why I’m happy to introduce you to Shrimp Wear – Shirts for Shrimps.

In my friend’s words:

“Shrimp Wear came about after a Kansas City mom became frustrated by the usual styles found on the market, and was inspired by her own little “shrimp” (daughter Violet). Shrimp Wear’s 100-percent cotton T-shirts and onesies have a specific baby saying and feature a hand-drawn image to match.

They can be worn alone or under a sweater or jacket with the image peeking out… in addition to being stylish, they also hold up well under numerous washings…”

Not only do I have the honor to introduce you to the line, but I’m also excited that Shrimp Wear is offering two lucky Mom in the City readers a chance to win a Shrimp Wear t-shirt.

To win, please let me know your favorite Shrimp Wear design in the “Comments” section below by September 7th.

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

Congrats to the winner: 1stopmom

Have you heard about GoPicnic? They offer ready-to-eat meals that are filled with natural ingredients that require no refrigeration or preparation. They are great for camp, school, or simply when you don’t feel like cooking! When you look on their site, you’ll see many familiar food brands included in their meals. For those with dietary restrictions, they also have specialty diet meals such as gluten-free, vegetarian, kosher or halal

Just in time for “back to school’ lunches, GoPicnic is giving one lucky Mom in the City winner $50 worth of their meals. To win, please let me know your favorite GoPicnic meal in the “Comments” section below by August 31st.

For additional entries:
1. Link to this giveaway post on your blog.
2. Follow me on twitter or friend me on Facebook.
3. Leave a comment on any of my other (non- giveaway) posts until August 31st.

Good luck!

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

Congrats to the winner: Pat
Since my family and I are coming towards the end of our summer family traveling, this will be my last post (this year) on family travel. I just wanted to share several items that come in handy during long (or short) trips:

-*Allergy Products: Both my kids and my husband have allergic reactions to both pollen and pets. One day, I was speaking with another mom at the park regarding how the pollen makes Michael’s nose runs. She shared that her son had allergies also, but that he was on 2 or 3 different drugs to control them. My kids’ allergies are pretty minor, so I don’t feel comfortable giving the kids drugs to prevent them. That’s why I like “Little Allergies Allergen Block”. It’s a drug-free gel that you put around and below the nose to block allergens. (For adults, Chloraseptic’s AllergenBlock is a gel that does the exact same thing.) We’re definitely going to make sure that we take both products with us when we go to my family reunion, because my mom has a big dog.

-*Ear Guards: We’re not doing any air travel this summer, but we did earlier this year. I wish that I knew about EarPlanes back then. Thankfully, my kids’ ears were fine for the flight. There was this other little kid on the plane whose ears started hurting at the same time as mines – right before we were getting ready to land. The only difference was that kid was crying loudly, while I was crying in my head. It was painful! I’m flying to the General Mills conference later this month though, so I’ll be using the EarPlanes for Adults. They are simply soft, silicone plugs that you put in an hour before landing (See – it is the landing that’s the hardest on most people!). Recently, I met one of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute’s test engineers at an event. I was so impressed by how thorough she was that it made me have a new appreciation for the “Good Housekeeping” seal. What does that have to do with anything? Well the EarPlanes (for kids and for adults) both have the Good Housekeeping seal.

-*Lansinoh Diaper Rash Ointment: True Confession: I never used diaper rash cream on Michael when he was wearing diapers. (He never got a diaper rash either.) The reason I didn’t use it was because I found available ones to be messy and too much extra work. That’s why I was happy to receive Lansinoh’s recently released Diaper Rash Ointment to test out on Sean. It works as well as other diaper rash creams, but it’s easier to use. It does go on white, but it turns clear when you rub it in. That’s especially helpful when you’re out and about traveling. Other pluses: the ointment is fragrance free, preservative free and hypoallergenic.

-Safety Products: Keeping my kids safe is one of my top concerns as a mom. That’s why I like products that are focused on child safety. Once such product, SafetyTat, was created by a mom to protect my kids. Basically, these temporary tattoos show a parent’s cell phone number on the child’s arm or hand as a temporary tattoo. Spot Me ID also offers a line of bracelets, lanyards and temporary tattoos that help to reunite kids and their parents. The Spot Me ID bracelets and lanyards feature an animated dog named Spot, who winks, wags his tail, and waves to keep children entertained. I definitely think that products like these are great to use if you plan on going to a place with large crowds (like amusement parks and such). Kids are quick! I remember one time when Sean was one and he “disappeared” at a park music event for a few seconds. I thought that I was going to have a heart attack! He literally walked away in the amount of time that it took for me to scan from videotaping him to some friends to Michael and back. (Thankfully, I found him following the person with the musical instrument…that boy has been independent since birth!) I’m all for products that help us parents keep our kids safe.

I have a small package containing the items marked with an “*” for a Mom in the City reader that I’m going to give away in one week. To win, simply let me know one product that your family considers a travel essential in the “Comments” section below by August 17th.

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

Congrats to the winner: Aimee W.

I shared my thoughts about Seventh Generation on the “Keeping a Healthy Family Home / Seventh Generation Giveaway” post back in March. Currently, they are hosting an “Under the Sink Makeover Contest” up until August 14th. This time, they’re asking you to reveal your best friend’s dirty “under the kitchen sink” secrets.

You can nominate someone who needs their under the sink area organized and detoxified at www.SeventhGeneration.com/under-the-sink today through August 14th. To enter, you would need to submit a photo of the area under a friend’s sink and a 250-word description on why they deserve an under the sink makeover. There are several prizes for finalists and the grand prize winner will receive a package that includes:
• An in-home consultation at the friend’s house with Dr. Alan Greene, practicing pediatrician and specialist in green living
• A one year supply of Seventh Generation products for both the entrant and the friend in need
• A trip to New York City for the entrant and her friend that includes a one-night stay at the W New York – Times Square hotel
• A day of pampering at New York’s Green Spa that will include a Body Polish, Wellness Massage, Ocean Vegan Spa Manicure/Pedicure along with a one hour make-up application and lesson

In addition, one lucky Mom in the City reader will receive a Seventh Generation Living Home Starter Kit containing a variety of home-cleaning products for their own “under the kitchen sink makeover”.

To win, please let me know your favorite Seventh Generation product in the “Comments” section below by August 14th. (For an additional entry, nominate someone in the “Under the Sink Makeover Contest”.)

To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

Congrats to the winners: Jennifer M., Wendy, Natalia D., stacy, and Alexandra
We just returned home from a mini-vacation. Later this month, we’ll be going down south for a family reunion. I’m not a big fan of the actual traveling aspect of vacations, but I always have a lot of great memories once we arrive at our destination. I like to take a lot of pictures in order to capture the special moments. (It’s funny. That’s only been the case since I had kids. Before, I wasn’t interested in photography at all.)

Anyway, HazelMail (www.hazelmail.com) is doing a fun little giveaway for five Mom in the City readers. HazelMail allows you to turn photos into personalized postcards. They print, stamp and mail your postcards anywhere in the world at a flat-rate $1.50 postage fee. I especially like two things about HazelMail. One is that they use a global network of printers to print and deliver postcards closest to the recipient’s address. That is more earth-friendly, because the mail doesn’t have to be transported as far. Secondly, I like the back story of the company’s name. The creator Michael Lato was inspired by his mother Hazel, who has kept every postcard he ever sent to her. Awww! (I know…I’m a sap.)

The fun part: HazelMail is giving each of the five winners a dozen free HazelMail postcards. This is a great way to share pictures from your family’s summer vacation!

To win, please let me know your favorite summer vacation memory in the “Comments” section below by August 17th.

To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

Life has been so “full” lately, that I’ve barely had time to read. That’s hard for me because reading is one of my favorite things to do. There are a few books that I’ve been sent to review that I have had a chance to delve into. I think that you’ll like them…

Along Came You by Karona Drummond
This is a sweet little children’s picture book by a mom and early childhood educator. (Although I often rail against the educational system in our country, I have the greatest admiration and a soft spot in my heart for educators.) As such, it was no surprise to me that this book would be great. It is basically about the effect that kids have on their parents’ lives and the changes/sacrifices that parents are more than willing to make as a result. It’s a thoughtful way to show kids how precious they are and how important their happiness is to their parents.

Four Wives, a novel by Wendy Walker
As my consistent readers know, I personally lean towards non-fiction books. Sometimes, I’ll read non-fiction though if I think that I’ll enjoy the story. That’s the case with Four Wives, the debut novel of Wendy Walker. I have this thing with books (especially non-fiction ones) – I know whether I’m going to like the book after reading the first few pages. It has to do with the writing style. It either grabs me or it doesn’t. This book does. It’s about how the “picture-perfect” lives of four wealthy suburban wives and mothers begin to fall apart. Although their lives are very different from mines, I could relate to each character in a different way. I especially identify with the character of Love Welsh, who chose to leave a career to become a stay at home mom. Overall, I think the book is about the choices that we make as wives, mothers – as women. It’s not just a suburban thing. Lastly, I love how the novel ends, “there she was, just the same. Standing on the edge of a deep pool of possibilities. Knowing she (Gayle – another character) would dive in.” Since I’m at a couple of endings/beginnings in a couple of areas in my life, I loved the language that so adequately captures those moments of possibility that we all experience at one time or another. In any event, you can hear Wendy Walker speak a bit about her book in the clip below:

If You Give a Mom a Martini: 100 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself by Lyss Stern and Julie Klappas
If I were the author of this book, the title would be “If You Give a Mom a Midori Sour…” (I don’t like the taste of alcohol, but when I want a special drink, I order Midori Sours because they’re yummy.) I “get” and like the point of the book though. Sometimes as moms, it’s a gift just to get 10 straight minutes of “me time”. This book is perfect for busy moms, because it provides 100 short, practical things that moms can do with those valuable 10 minutes. A variety of celebrities – i.e. Kelly Ripa, Christie Brinkley, and Keisha Whitaker – are among the many moms who share their tips in this helpful, little book. My two favorites are “Dwell on It” (going fantasy home shopping in the Sunday newspaper) and “Become a Woman of Letters” (write a real letter). On a side note, I have met one of the book authors (Lyss). She is a mom of 2 young boys and is the founder of a NYC based company Divalysscious Moms (www.divamoms.com). I attended their holiday event at FAO Schwartz last year and it was wonderful. Lyss knows a lot about moms!

(To see what others are reading, visit What’s on Your Nightstand.)

Congrats to the winner: Judy

I had such great feedback regarding The Safe Sippy, that I’m happy to offer a giveaway for a set of The Safe Sippy 2™.

The Safe Sippy 2™ is a two-in-one cup. It features a straw and straw adapter that allows your child to use the cup like a regular sippy cup or like a straw cup. I especially like that it comes with a travel plug, and a travel cap. That makes it easier to take it “to go”. This new cup is available online and at various retailers.

To win, please let me know your favorite aspect of The Safe Sippy 2™ in the “Comments” section below by August 15th.

To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

Congrats to Rhonda

I have written before about how helpful Mabel’s Labels were in labeling Michael’s things for preschool. We have so many left over that I plan on using them to label his kindergarten items also. (That is if he gets a spot in the local preschool. I don’t think that I need to label his things if I end up homeschooling him for the year!) Anyway, since I still have enough labels, I’m going to give one of you a gift certificate for a Camp/School Pack that I won at the “Role Mommy at the Ritz!” event earlier this year.

The ($34) pack includes 15 Sticky Labels, 40 Iron-Ons or 50 Tag Mates™, 8 Shoe Labels and 2 Bag Tags.

To win, please let me know what item your kid tends to lose the most in the “Comments” section below by August 15th.

To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)