Well, I didn’t believe it was possible to improve upon the Emi, but Remington has done it with their new 3-in-1-styler!   They sent me one to review and I *love* it every bit as much, if not more.

It looks like a normal dryer, but it comes with three fabulous attachments!

First, the curling/waving attachment.

This is the piece that made me fall in love with the Emi in the first place, and it works just as well as the original, actually even better!   I think it works a bit faster, unless it is my imagination.  It got my hair nice and wavy in no time flat.

Secondly, the straightening attachment.  This works AWESOME. Really, if you blow your hair out straight every day, or even often, you want this.

It really focuses the heat of the dryer on the particular part of your hair that you are trying to work on!

Thirdly, the attachment that was new to me, and that I was quite afraid/skeptical of, the Volumizer.

But I LOVED it.  Now, my hair doesn’t particularly need much extra volume, but if yours does, you will love it even more!  What I loved most was that the bristles on the attachment allowed me to blow my hair out pretty straight with one hand – just using the dryer, not the dryer AND a hairbrush!  Since my left hand is usually cramped and sore fron holding the hairbrush after blowing my hair out straight, this is awesome for me!  Really, it’s a great attachment for not only pumping up the volume, but one-handed styling!  And I was still able to get my hair dry pretty quickly.

The 3-in-1-Styler also has Eco-friendly heat and speed settings.  If you want to save the environment and dry your hair at the same time!  Which I, of course, DO.

So, I am gonna give the Remington 3-in-1 styler TWO enthusiastic THUMBS-UP!  If you didn’t get the Emi last year, you definitely want to get this one now!  It’s only $26.49 on Amazon, that’s a price I can live with!

If you want to see more life-changing Remington products, head over to their newly re-vamped Facebook Page where you can find videos and tips from celebrity stylist Richard Marin and soooon – you can get exclusive coupon codes! Me likey!

Remington totally gave me this hair dryer to review.  That’s all that changed hands.  I know, bummer.   All opinions are totally mine!  Because really, I’m not THAT cheap!

Thanks so much for all your enthusiastic entries to our Win Giveaways Back 2 School Bash! We will have more for you around the holidays so keep following Mommin’ It Up and Win Giveaways on Facebook to stay updated!  Here are the winners from Mommin’ It Up. Each blog will be posting their winners separately.

Bissell Steam & Sweep – Sarah Keil

Belkin Router – Debbie Christie

Crocs – Beverly Burrell

iWireless Broadband Modem – Sarah Grojean

Acer Laptop from Intel – Amanda King

Proactiv – Sarah Bloedel

Snapware – Elaine Fox

Zulily – Shannon Perlow

Cracker Barrel – Natalie Vandenberghe

Remington hair tools – Susan Chester

Lands’ End backpack – Amber Core

Cengage Brain $150 Credit – Betsy Hoff

Texas Instruments TI-Npire – Debbie Grawn

Lovable Labels – Laci Winslow, Chelsei Ryan, one other who has not confirmed (check your email you have until Wed 9/1 at 10 am to confirm or I will pick someone else!)

$100 Amex Gift card from Invisalign Teen – Christine Zigler

$150 Staples gift card from Bar-S – Cam Wald

Thanks again everyone and stay tuned for more great Win Giveaways!

Here’s what I like about this playard:

• The bassinet can be inclined if baby needs to sleep at an angle!  Totally cool!  It is really easy and takes only seconds to change from flat to incline.  They call this feature Sleep Easy Incline.

• It has a sweet changing table.  The sides on the table are nice and high so baby can’t roll off of it, and the middle is nice and flat so you don’t feel like your kid is always rolling toward the center.  Also, you can easily rotate the changing table to the side without totally removing it when you’re not using it.
• Extra-large storage space on the side to hold all your diapers, wipes, ointment, etc.!  I never had this with our old playard and am SO looking forward to taking advantage of this feature!
• Easy to set up, and easy to take down.  This is important to me because I am mechanically deficient and seem to make everything harder than it should be!  It also has a really awesome, totally unique feature called One Less Step that allows you to fold the playard without removing the bassinet!  Say what??  Doesn’t that rock?  It’s the only playard out there with that feature! *Love*
• It’s easy on the eyes. I won’t lie.  This thing is going to be sitting in my living room and I want it to be aesthetically pleasing!!
• It comes with a very handy carrying case which makes it easy to tote when you need to travel.

You can get this bad boy at Target (where it qualifies for free shipping on select baby gear!)  or Amazon, and if you’re looking for a great, functional, pretty playard with a nice price, I’d say the BrightStarts InGenuity is the way to go!  I’m so glad to have it in our home as we prepare for the arrival of our little boy!

Like I said up there in yonder first paragraph, Bright Starts gave me this playard to review!  All opinions are my own, and this post was written solely by moi.

The Bravado Body Silk Seamless nursing bra.  It is soo comfy!  I haven’t worn a bra without wires in for-ev-ah, so I was a little nervous about that but WOW this gives plenty of support without underwire and it really is like a second skin.  I could not love it anymore.  I went through lots of nursing bras in the combined 36 months that I nursed Joshua and Sophie, and I never had one anywhere near this nice!  It’s got lots of rows of hooks on the back to expand with your expanding pregnancy/nursing bustline, and it has removable molded cups that put juuuuust the right of material between my skin and my shirt.  I like a wee bit of lining and this is perfect – plus, you can totally remove them if you don’t want them, or when you need extra room for nursing pads. Oh! And even though I am obviously not nursing yet – I went ahead and gave the clasps a try to see how easy they were to open and close with one hand. SO easy!  And they lie flat under your clothes.  This whole bra stays nice and invisible under your clothes.  I wore a pretty fitted tank top the other day and you couldn’t see anything underneath – it was perfect!

This bra comes in lots of pretty colors and I am DEFINITELY getting another one.  I love it so much that I can’t wait to try out all the other Bravado styles!

Bravado is also a company that is all about helping other women, which I love!  Along those lines, in support of Breastfeeding Awareness Month, Bravado is giving you the opportunity to be a HERO to a favorite organization of yours that helps women.  Go here to Bravado’s site and nominate an organization that is exlempary in helping women.  If your organization is chosen, Bravado will donate 1,800 nursing bras in YOUR NAME!! You can nominate as many times as you like, and you will be entered to win a Bravado nursing wardrobe of your own.  So head over to the site and be a hero – there are only a few days left to enter!

Thanks Bravado for giving me this awesome bra to review. I know I’ll enjoy it for many, many months to come!

**Updated to add** Bravado Designs now has a 20% off coupon code you can use!  It is good through Labor Day, Monday September 6th.  Just enter LDAY-195 at checkout for 20% off your online purchase.  Rock on!!

When LEGO contacted me about reviewing this Ramses Pyramid game, I was like, “Hmm this looks a little too advanced for my six-year-old.”  So, I decided to let my 10-year-old LEGO-crazed nephew review it, and it was a HIT!  As a matter of fact, my sister-in-law even said she had been considering purchasing this as part of their home school curriculum!

This LEGO game is great because well, first you have to BUILD it, so it covers all different skill sets.  It’s also set up so you can establish some of your own rules, and the play is very entertaining and action-oriented.  So, it’s a game, it’s a history lesson, it’s a strategy-builder, and it’s a toy – all in one!   My nephews have really enjoyed it and if you have a LEGOmaniac in your family, I am sure they will too. It retails for only $29.99 and you can get it at Lego.com!

LEGO sent me this game to review.  I posted my opinions after consulting with my LEGO expert nephew and his mom.  This post was not edited by LEGO.  Like I would let anyone else edit my blog posts! Please!!

Unfortunately, Kate is also in love with my new iPad. And she is just about as graceful and coordinated as her mom. Which means my iPad was in serious peril.

That is, until I received the Otterbox iPad Defender case.

Here’s what the Otterbox website has to say about the features of the case:
# Three layers of protection
# Complete interaction of the iPad’s functions
# Built-in stand for viewing convenience
# Bottom silicone grip pads keep your iPad in place
# Silicone plugs provide coverage for all ports
# Snap-off access for optional iPad dock

Here’s what I have to say about it:
Getting the iPad in the case wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I am sure it’s user failure, but I couldn’t make heads or tails out of the directions. And once I did get the thing in, I realized I should have put the screen protector on before putting the case on. Oops. But once I got it on, I was immediately impressed with the feel of the case. It makes the iPad a little heavier and a little thicker, but it’s very clear that the case will do what it’s designed to do – protect the ridiculously expensive piece of equipment inside of it.

The case, while providing protection and cushioning from the drops that are bound to happen – doesn’t inhibit the iPad’s function at all. It has spaces that line up perfectly with all the iPad’s little buttons and switches, and everything works just as it should.

I also like the removable face plate – you can snap it on and off to cover the iPad’s screen. I don’t use the cover every day, but when I through my iPad in a bag or my purse, I love being able to protect the screen.

Overall, I am very pleased with the Defender Series case. It makes me feel much more comfortable with allowing my kids to use my iPad, which is great because I can’t pick up the thing without Kate saying “Can I play???” (and no, I’m not bitter about that, not one bit), and frankly, it makes me much more comfortable using it myself! At $89.95, it’s not the cheapest case you’re going to find, but after dropping $600+ on the iPad itself, what’s an extra few bucks? It’s more than worth it to keep your iPad safe.

I give the Otterbox Defender Series iPad case two thumbs up!

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As you know if you have EVER read this blog before, this review is part of my involvement in the Frigidaire Test Drive program through Mom Central, which I am super-proud to be involve in.  Frigidaire gave me a sweet washer & dryer and I’m giving you the facts about ‘em!

This is a review and giveaway (Stay tuned to win!!) that I’m thrilled to do because I LOVE the product and I KNOW the people behind it! The creators of A Modern Eden are the great guys at FORGE, hosts and sponsors of both our May Mom’s party and this upcoming Ultimate Mom’s Night Out July 29th. These are great people making cool stuff!  And it’s (well, I don’t know if they want me to say pretty so I’ll say) aesthetically pleasing as well!   A Modern Eden is a brand alive with cool, beautiful animal characters like Presley the Peacock, seen here in this gee-orgeous poster they sent me for review:

If Presley is a little feminine for you, perhaps you might prefer Webster the Frog:

Or Henry the Lion:

I love the Presley the Peacock poster. This is a great quality poster.  It’s not like the paper-thin glossy ones of Debbie Gibson and New Kids on the Block I had hanging in my bedroom in the 6th grade *ahem*.  The colors are vibrant and all these designs will really turn your kids’ rooms into the most whimsical zoo around.

The next genius thing A Modern Eden has in it’s bag of wares is an APP!  Yes, there’s an app for A Modern Eden!  They offered it free me to review but I ALREADY HAD IT because it’s so cool and it’s only 99 cents!  It’s called “Speak, Piggy” and it’s a great tool to entertain your kiddos and help them learn animal names and sounds at the same time.

Lastly, I did get one other cool thing to review from these guys: A Modern Eden reusable TOTE! I love reusable totes for all my drugstore shopping and this one is a lot cuter and more durable than the ones I get at the grocery. It’s also just the right size for toting around Sophie’s favorite books everywhere we go!  I chose this tree design but they have a really cool apple design here too.

They also have some super-cute animal flashcards featuring all their many animal characters which I will have to get for baby #3 for SURE! Just cause I like to look at them.

These are just the DEBUT products from A Modern Eden! I can’t wait to see what else they’re going to create for this gorgeous line.  How about some rugs and wall decals for baby’s nursery, guys?  :)

Now the really fun part: one lucky reader will win a poster and tote of their choice from A Modern Eden!  Wheeeee!  Here’s how to enter:

1) Go to A Modern Eden and look around their site.  Leave a comment on this post telling us your fave product.

2) Follow @amoderneden on twitter and @them to say hi!  Then leave us a separate comment letting us know you did.

3) “Like” A Modern Eden’s facebook page and then leave a separate comment letting us know you do.

One winner will be chosen via random.org on Monday, July19th at 5 pm.  Good luck!

So, A Modern Eden is what I LOVE today. To see what other bloggers are diggin’ check out Things I Love Thursday at the Diaper Diaries!

And a new microwave.

And they are sweet.

As I thought about what to write in my last appliance post (don’t worry, you’ll still hear plenty about Jenny’s new washer and dryer), I thought about the change they’ve made in my kitchen (to quote Casey, “Your old oven gave me hives over the Internet.”), but also the change they’ve made in my habits.

As in, I actually cook now. Sometimes. (Not tonight when I strolled in from work at about a quarter after 8. But I had good intentions and pork chops thawing in the refrigerator. There’s always tomorrow, right?)

But seriously, I have started to kind of enjoy this cooking thing. And I’m getting the slightest bit better at it.

Here’s what I’ve discovered. Becoming a good cook requires actually trying to cook. Not that I am a good cook yet, or even a moderately proficient one (I mean, let’s think about the level at which I started), but my new appliances have inspired me to give it a go, and that’s the first step, right?

And because they are idiot-proof work so well, it’s given me the confidence to keep going. Which really, if you think about it, has a big impact on our family and our health – not to mention our wallet.

Speaking of wallets, I’ve also discovered something else during this little experiment. Before, I would have never bought an appliance from the “professional” line. I’m more of a one-step-up-from-the-bottom-of-the-barrel kind of girl. However, now I know it’s worth putting a little more money in things like this.. things we use every day. When the refrigerator we inherited from the previous owners of our old house finally bites the dust (which, judging by the noises it makes, isn’t far off) I will strongly consider replacing it with the one from the Frigidaire Professional Series.

So there you have it – the last of my range/microwave review posts. I cannot promise, however, that this will be the last time you hear about my cooking.

Because, really, I am still pretty incompetent.

Case in point: the pizza dough I brilliantly rolled out onto wax paper.

Stay tuned.

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I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Range/Microwave to facilitate my review.

I’m talking about how I’m melting all kinds of stuff in my microwave!

My Frigidaire over-the-range microwave has all sorts of buttons that do cool things, but the one I’m currently obsessed with is the melt/soften button.

It gives you the option to melt butter or chocolate, or to soften cream cheese or ice cream. Which, coincidentally, covers all four main food groups.

I discovered the beauty of softening cream cheese when I made taco dip for a baby shower a few months ago. I had always “softened” my cream cheese by smooshing it around in the foil pouch before unwrapping it, but that day I gave the button a try. I was surprised by what a difference it makes – it blended together with the sour cream so well, and there were no cream cheese chunks, just creamy smoothness.

I just tried out the other soften option – ice cream – the other night. Kate and Andy wanted some ice cream (I didn’t have any, I swear! I only ate a couple bites out of the carton to test the melty-ness. And also what was left of Kate’s. *ahem*), and the new half-gallon carton was frozen solid. I put the whole thing in the microwave and hit the “soften ice cream” button twice to indicate that it was a half-gallon, not a pint. Had I been using the timer alone, I would have set it for 10 seconds, so imagine my surprise when the timer started counting down from 2.5 minutes. I thought for sure I was going to have ice cream soup on my hands. Speaking of my hands, I practically had to sit on them to keep from pressing “stop.” But I decided to let the microwave do its thing, and I was glad I did – the ice cream was perfectly softened. Not too much, not too little.

From this experiment I learned two things. 1) the microwave is smarter than I am; and 2) soft, creamy ice cream is freaking good. I had no idea! Apparently I’ve always scarfed it down so fast that I haven’t given it time to get to the proper consistency.

Finally, the “melt” button. I’ve been using it to melt butter for a while now, and it works perfectly, but I had been wanting to try out its chocolate-melting skills. I googled “melted chocolate chip cookies” and came up with this recipe for chocolate chocolate chip cookies. I had to be able to give an honest review of this feature, you know! I made them for you! But since you weren’t there, I ate them all.

Anyway, when I took the chocolate chips out of the microwave, they still looked like chocolate chips. I was slightly confused. But when I stirred them up, I found that they were perfectly melted, and not the slightest bit scorched. Very impressive.

I still can’t believe how many features this microwave has. It’s pretty amazing, really. It can do it all – from melting chocolate to steaming ears of corn – with the touch of a button. Even I can’t screw it up.

Most of the time.

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I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Range/Microwave to facilitate my review.

P.S. we have a totally unrelated and awesome giveaway that your kids will love going on over HERE so check it out!!