Category: Product Reviews

Almost exactly a year ago, I hosted a joint baby shower for my bloggy buds Erin and Tricia. I could not have even imagined that a year later I’d be having another baby of my own!  At that baby shower, I gave Erin and Tricia both some swaddlers from aden + anais.  Although a big fan of swaddling, I had never tried aden + anais’ muslin swaddlers, but I’d heard great things about them so that’s why I got them for my friends.  Since then I’ve heard praises for aden + anais from several other moms, including my friend Maria.

And now I get to try them out on my own little guy!  I’m so excited!  These swaddlers are super-soft muslin, and are just the perfect size for a nice, snug swaddle.  And of course, the patterns are adorable!  There are SO many benefits of swaddling, and like I said, I was already a believer.  (Sophie NEEDED to be swaddled!) Now, I am glad to have another great swaddling resource to use on baby Jonah.

Another thing I like about aden + anais is that they are committed to the fight against SIDS, which swaddling is shown to help prevent.  Since 2009, they’ve been donating a portion of their profits to the CJ Foundation for SIDS with their Sleep in Safety, Grow In Style campaign.   The SSGS campaign educates parents about how to set up a safe sleeping environment that is cost-effective, comfortable for baby, and most importantly, reduces the risk of a sleep-related death.

Thanks, aden + anais for the beautiful muslin swaddles you sent for my baby boy, and for working to prevent SIDS deaths!

I’ve told you many times before how much I love Weight Watchers, and since last year’s Lose for Good campaign was what originally got me going, I was excited to be involved with it again this year.

In case you’ve missed it, here’s what the campaign is about:
Could the weight you lose help fight world hunger? Weight Watchers has designed a program to accomplish this. This September, the third annual Lose for Good campaign will strive to relieve world hunger.

Between September 5 and October 23, the Lose for Good campaign is teaming up members, online subscribers and charitable organizations to donate up to 1 million dollars to leading hunger-fighting organizations. These organizations, Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger, will benefit from members’ weight loss and other activities.

So, to get in the spirit of things, I assembled the Big Deal Moms at Young’s Jersey Dairy, where we brought canned goods to donate to a local food pantry… and played and played. Jenny wasn’t sure she was ever going to get Sophie out of the bounce house! Here’s Kate on the hay bale playground!

We had a lot of fun, and more importantly, collected a lot of canned goods! (which I failed to get a picture of). As of right now, the Lose for Good website estimates that nearly 4 million pounds have been lost by WW members during the campaign. Isn’t that amazing??

During “Lose for Good,” I’ve been using Weight Watchers online. I’ve tried to do it before, but never stuck with it. I found out last year that I am definitely a “meeting person,” but I’ve been impressed with the way the website can augment the experience between meetings. I love the mobile app as well, because anything I put in there shows up on the website, so it’s easy to count points on the go. I also enjoy what they call the “interactive cheat sheets,” which are fun little games that show the point value for customizable foods… like what you’d cook on the grill, for instance. My personal favorite is the one about mixed drinks – I am trading my 5 point margarita for a 3 point mojito from now on!

If you’ve wondered if WW is for you, how it works, if it really works… feel free to contact me by leaving a comment on this post or emailing me at emily at momminitup.com. I was skeptical at first, but 17 pounds (and one year since it’s been off) later, I am a believer!

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As part of my participation in the Lose for Good campaign, Weight Watchers gave me a free three-month membership to their online site, as well as a grocery gift card to get me started on the right foot. They also sent prizes to make the food drive even more fun! But I evangelize WW to anyone and everyone all the time for free, too, because I believe it in so much.

I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be working with Mom Central as a Ralph Lauren Ambassador over the next few months.  I can’t wait to share with you all the features of this multi-faceted brand!  But first I’m also happy to share with you something they are doing for a great cause that effects all women: Breast Cancer.

For the 10th consecutive year, Ralph Lauren is having a charity auction to benefit the Pink Pony Fund of the Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation.  The Pink Pony Fund supports programs for cancer screening, early diagnosis, treatment, and research.  As Emily and I both have cancer in our family, we are thrilled when big brands give such support to women’s cancers!  Because cancer, in general, totally sucks, whether you have dude cancer, chick cancer, or non-gender-specific cancer!

The Pink Pony auction is offering some fabulous items up for auction at Charity Buzz through Wednesday, October 21st. Make sure to stop by and check them out (there are even some celebrities getting into the action!  You can bid to meet LeBron James or on tickets to a Jerry Seinfelf show!) Some items are going for HUGE bids – Ralph Lauren is going to raise a bunch of money for this great cause!

Congrats, Ralph Lauren, on 10 years of fighting Breast Cancer with the Pink Pony Fund!

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I am a participant in a Mom Central Consulting campaign for Ralph Lauren and have received various Ralph Lauren products as part of my participation.”