Sonoran Living Segment - Mother's Day Gift Ideas!

Mother's Day should be full of pampering and relaxation for moms! This selection of gifts provides ideas for every mom and every budget.

Born Free Cups are the perfect baby cup for toddlers on the go. 100% BPA-free, these cups are safe and sturdy for the youngest child.  All products can be found at www.bornfree.com.

To go along with the Born Free cups for the little ones, mom can carry her own customized Sigg bottle! Full color, vinyl wraps can be ordered from www.siggskins.com. It's easy to upload your photographs or custom artwork to make a fully personalized bottle wrap. Skins for 1L bottles are only $12.95.

Jewelry is always a popular gift, and the Isabelle Grace line offers some wonderful pieces for moms to wear. From initials, to customized pendants, and even a sweet "Mom" charm, any woman would love to wear these pieces. They can be found at www.isabellegracejewelry.com.

Stylish and beautiful "Teething Bling" pendants were designed for babies to handle and chew, but are a wonderful accessory to wear every day. They are made from the same material as many teething toys, and are perfectly safe and non-toxic. They're even dishwasher-safe! More information and products can be found at www.smartmomjewelry.com, including local retailers.

Provide your mom the chance to be pampered at one of our local spas and help a worthwhile cause! Purchase a ticket to the annual Arizona Spa Event. Each ticket includes a gift bag, access to kick-off event, a Summer Spaaah tee, and a spa certificate valid for 30 days after the kick-off event and gratuity! This is truly a luxurious gift. For more information, visit www.summerspaaz.com to find locations, dates and ticket prices.

For an at-home pampering session, visit Whole Foods and put together a spa basket with their quality bath and personal products. Choose from calming scrubs, relaxing tea, organic soaps and more! Many products are made in Arizona, and their staff is happy to help you choose the perfect gift. Visit Whole Foods Markets at www.wholefoodsmarket.com to find the closest location. There are 8 Arizona locations.

Brand new moms can pamper themselves with products that accelerate healing, lessen scar appearance, alleviate pain and swelling and promote relaxation. Recovery Kits were designed to help new moms recover faster following c-section or natural childbirth. The Recovery Kits can be purchased online at www.therecoverykit.com.

Baby Daze is the gift for a moms who want to keep track of everything about their new baby. Their products allow easy organization of all the information we need to share with our spouses, doctors and sitters about our young children. The Baby Daze Organizer also makes keeping a baby journal easy in those hectic first months. See the products at www.babydaze.net

A gourmet food basket full of Arizona products is a welcome gift! Sphinx Ranch in Scottsdale has been creating unique, gourmet baskets from 1951 and would love to help you spoil your mom this Mother's Day. Baskets can be viewed and ordered from www.sphinxdateranch.com.

Edible gifts that are fun to share are great for gatherings. Surprise Mom with a "flour" pizza, or a completely edible, chocolate bouquet! Visit www.ediblegiftsplus.com for their full collection.

What mom doesn't need a little caffeine? Seattle's Best offers a Toddy cold-brew system, as well as their signature blends to keep mom going! Toddy cold-brew technology makes the smoothest coffee - coffee that's 67% less acidic. The Toddy system and Seattle's Best Coffee whole bean coffees are available for sale in Seattle's Best Coffee cafes or online at Cooking.com.

Help Mom meet her fitness goals with Chung Shi shoes. These shoes do more than cover mom’s feet – they make the leg muscles work 57% harder than with a standard training shoe and lower leg muscles are worked over 200% harder to increase caloric burn by more than 25% to 40-percent.  Combine them with specially designed Pink Poles to increase circulation and aerobic fitness!  Find them at Foot Solutions, www.footsolutions.com or by calling -888-FIT-FOOT (348-3668). Foot Solutions has 3 Phoenix stores, and is able to specially fit their products.


Stella & Dot jewelry is offering a brand new little girls' line and a Mommy & Me line that is sure to make those Mother's Day portraits sparkle.  Customize matching sets with unique charms that can be shared. View the entire line at www.stelladot.com/esk or contact Elisabeth Krakora directly at 602-790-0629. Call Elisabeth for a 10% discount & free shipping for Sonoran Living viewers until May 3, 2010.

Tell Me Thursday - Three Years

Few Hours Old

Three years ago today, at 10:32AM, this amazing child was born.

She is my sunshine and my laughter. She knows how to bring a smile to my lips in a moment.

She is wonderfully stubborn and independent -- two traits I believe will carry her far in life.

She is my baby girl - forever and always - although she is quick to tell you that she is NOT a baby.

She loves books, food, and being outdoors. She fits perfectly into our family and helps keep us all young.

She is devoted to her Aunt Bunny. (and that devotion is returned) She is fiercely attached to her brothers, as they are to her.  I hope those strong bonds are lifelong. She is loving and kind and helpful.

She is the daughter of a currently exhausted mother -- who wishes she had time and energy to write a more eloquent post celebrating her third birthday.  We'll celebrate tonight with her grandparents, uncle, and aunt. We'll enjoy the dinner she chose -- chicken and rice.  We'll shower her with gifts and I can't wait to see  her reaction to the sterling bangle I had made for her that is engraved "Lydia -- Warrior Princess"  Because, really?  That just about sums her up!

1 year old

2 years old

Not quite 3 years old

First Holy Communion

Nate celebrated his First Holy Communion last Sunday.  My parents & brother traveled from Wisconsin to help celebrate, so that made it even more special.

He wore the same suit his brother wore last year, and it fit him perfectly. He was very excited about the day, and did a great job staying calm and listening throughout the Mass.  He's very excited that he has made this big step into our faith.

We enjoyed a fun party after Mass with our family and a few close friends. The weather was beautiful and it was a perfect day.

Wordless Wednesday - 3 years

Review: Wonder Hanger

I admit it!  I see "As Seen On TV" products and wonder if they really work as well as it looks like they do on the commercial. I had the chance recently to try out a set of Wonder Hangers, and can share that they do just as promised.

The plastic hanger allows you to place 5 standard hangers on it, then by releasing one side, the clothes cascade down and leave more room in your closet! I found they work best if you set them all up, then move them down but don't add any more clothes to your closet! It definitely makes your closet neater.

They also work great for holding purses (of which I have a ton, because I'm always on the search for the perfect purse.) They are sturdy and work with any type of hanger.

You can find them at Wonder Hangers. If you buy them online, you can buy one set and receive a second set for just the cost of postage and handling.  They're also found at Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and other large retailers.


Disclosure: This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by Wonder Hangers for this review.

Review: Edible Gifts Plus

I'm getting ready to share some great Mother's Day gifts on Sonoran Living this week. In preparation, I have been receiving some wonderful things to show during my segment. I'll link to the video later this week, but I wanted to share one of the companies a few days early.

I received a couple boxes from EdibleGiftsPlus.com and was blown away by how great they were!  I received this huge fortune cookie, a cookie to-do list, personalized photo graham crackers, a flour pizza and this amazing bouquet of chocolate flowers. These items all look cute in the pictures, but they don't do justice to how wonderful they are in person!

Anyone would be thrilled to receive one of these treats!  (In fact, I'm going to give a couple to my mom because I'm lucky enough that she is visiting this week.)


The price is very fair, and the quality is outstanding.  Now that I've seen them in person, I will definitely send gifts from this site in the future.

I haven't tried any yet, because I want them to be intact for Thursday's appearance, but we'll try them after that, and I'll be sure to share how they taste.  They were kind enough to let me keep the yummy treats!

Disclosure: I received free samples of these food items for review.

Tell Me Thursday - Tired Babe

Yesterday, I shared this picture of Lydia sacked out in front of one of our many bookshelves.  She stopped napping regularly long ago, but every once in a while a nap sneaks up on her.

She slept for almost 2 hours in the same spot - oblivious to the boys coming in and out the door to the left of her, various conversations, and the noise of making dinner.  She obviously needed the rest.

Have you seen this study?  Apparently they have found that the more books a family has in their home, the more education the children in the home pursue.  On average, kids that grow up in houses full of books pursue 3 more years of schooling on average than kids who grow up in homes devoid of books.

I think our kids have a pretty good head start.

Products from Fox Spot

I've received a few emails asking me about the specifics of the products shown on my kitchen table during my recent Fox interview about trying to avoid chemicals in items - especially for my kids.  I wasn't able to talk about every piece on camera, but here is what you saw on my table:

1. Born Free was the first company to manufacture BPA-free plastics for baby bottles and plastic drinking cups. Their products can be found at www.bornfree.com
2. June Bee Baby Clothing specializes in handknit baby clothing, made from organic materials. Each piece of clothing is handknit by women working from their homes in Turkey. Clothing can be found at www.junebeebaby.com
3. Innobaby provides a variety of serving dishes and food storage devices that are convenient and safe for children. Their stainless steel bus platter is durable, as well as adorable and safe for kids. Not all of their plastic products are BPA-free, but a listing can be found at their website – www.innobaby.com
4. Little Duck Organics provide quality, organic snacks for toddlers and preschoolers. Their freeze-dried fruits contain nothing except fruit! Their snacks are found at Amazon and www.littleduckorganics.com
5. Revolution Foods is another company providing organic snacks for infants, toddlers and older kids. Their innovative packaging and fresh ideas, coupled with their commitment to providing organic foods for kids makes them a company to watch. Visit www.revfoods.com to see a complete line of products.
6. Boogie Wipes are a gentle alternative to dry tissues for sensitive noses. Saline-moistened wipes help moms keep noses clean! This mom-created product can be found at www.boogiewipes.com
7. Tyler Trends Organic Cotton Clothing is made by a family-owned company that makes quality clothing with fun designs. Their cute designs can be found at www.tylertrends.com
8. Teething Bling pendants and bangles are made from silicone that is phthalate and lead free - completely non-toxic. Available from Amazon and www.smartmomjewelry.com
9. Melville Chair – These versatile chairs are made from formaldehyde-free plywood and finished with environmentally safe finishes. The chairs can be turned into a table, and even used as a stool. The company incorporates sustainable practices, in an effort to create fun and responsible products. More products can be found at www.greenhome.com
10. Mrs. Meyer’s Baby Line is a sweet-smelling, eco-friendly line of products safe for babies. More information can be found at www.mrsmeyers.com
11. Piggy Paint is a completely non-toxic nail polish which is safe for everyone to use. The colors are bright and vibrant, but practically odorless. They also provide a non-toxic nail polish remover. They can be found at www.piggypaint.com
12. Lotus Bebe creates sustainable luxury for babies. Their blankets are made from soybeans and bamboo– considered eco-fabrics, that are less damaging to the environment than cotton and petroleum based fabrics. Their products are found at www.lotusbebe.com

Review: Melville Chair

I've had a few questions about the chair from my recent interview, and I realized that I hadn't posted this video review that Lydia created a couple months ago!



The Melville chair is wonderful for kids, for all the reasons you see in the video.  It's easy to carry, it's versatile, it's cute, it's sturdy! Lydia claimed it as her chair the day it arrived in our home, and she has used it daily ever since (we got it in January.)

What I especially liked about the chair is the fact that it is made from formaldehyde free plywood and stained with non-toxic, low VOC finishes.  Each chair is made completely in Olympia, WA by Hatched Eggr's, and all materials are sourced within 100 miles of their shop!  It's a wonderful green product, that is made entirely in the USA, and kids love it!  It's the perfect gift for any toddler.

Wordless Wednesday - Tired Babe