Fabulous Finds: Shout Laundry Products and 52 Nature Activities!

I don't know any moms who could live without some great laundry stain removal products. They seriously are a lifesaver! I just hate that feeling of putting an adorable new outfit on your cute little girl only to have juice stains and food stains all over it five minutes later. And you know it happens, all the time. I've been using Shout Trigger for quite awhile now, and it works great! I love being able to just spray it on the clothes and stick them in the washer, without any soaking required. Since I don't have a sink in my laundry room, it's nice to not have to take up another of my household sinks for soaking.

A new product I recently got to review is the Shout Advanced Ultra Gel for Heavy-Duty Stains. I love the built-in rubber brush on the top, so you can rub the thick gel right into the stain and really get the marks out of clothing. And my favorite thing about it. . . you can pre-treat it and wash it up to a week later. Nice!

Shout has developed a really cool initiative for fall: The Go Play initiative! Shout is all about educating parents on the benefits of unstructured play and wants to inspire families to get outdoors and play. It's nice knowing you can go outside and get messy without worrying about stains ruining the clothes, since Shout will be able to get the stains out. :)

Fall is my very favorite time of the year! I'm thankful that so far in Seattle we've had a really gorgeous October, with lots of crisp, cool and sunny days that have allowed us to go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather before winter gloom sets in. Here are a few of my favorite fall outdoor activities to do with my kids:

*Go to a pumpkin patch!
*Pet some farm animals. Tons of farms have fall festivals around this time of year, and my kids just love petting the animals.
*If you have a yard (wishing we did!), rake up a big pile of fall leaves and go jump into them!
*Pick apples or berries, whatever's in season where you live.
*Go on a gorgeous drive to see all the fall leaves changing!

For some more creative ideas, Growing Tree Toys (one of my very favorite sources for learning toys for all ages) sent me a fun little pack of cards to review called "52 Nature Activities." They're a great small size to fit into your purse or diaper bag, and you can take them with you to the park or out into nature. The games, activities, and art projects are going to inspire you to use nature more creatively!

What are your favorite outdoor fall activities?

My disclaimer: I received some Shout products for free in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated, and all opinions are mine!

Adorable Etsy Shop: DreamBelle Designs $20 Gift Certificate Giveaway!!!

I'm seriously in love with these gorgeous handcrafted earrings I received to review from DreamBelle Designs. I just don't want to take them off! They add the perfect touch of sparkle to literally ANY outfit and they go with everything!

I could probably spend a small fortune in this shop, because there are SO many unique pieces that I love. DreamBelle Designs makes jewelry out of incredibly high-quality materials to ensure that each piece is a work of art. And they really are!
Aren't these peach moonstone earrings beautiful? They're hand-wrapped in copper wire, and she brushed and hand-polished the stones.

I'd love to own these striped blown glass earrings!
Each piece is shipped out in a cute box and tied with a ribbon, totally cute and gift-ready.

I think the feature that stands out the most about all the earrings in her shop are the unique ear wires. The shapes to all of them are SO gorgeous and really elevate the style to the earrings, and it's because they're actually hand-forged ear wires. She makes them herself!

I really want this pair!

So if you win the $20 gift certificate she's generously offering to one of my readers, all I can say is good luck choosing what you want! It would be an extremely tough decision from all the gorgeous pieces!

Here's how to enter to win the $20 gift certificate:
*Go look at all the pages of beautiful designs at DreamBelle Designs and leave me a comment on this post, telling me which pieces are your favorite!

Get extra entries (up to 10!!!) when you:
1. Follow my blog!
2. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
3. Talk about this giveaway on your Facebook status and link to this post!
4. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me!
5. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
6. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.
7. Display my button on your blog. You can find it on my sidebar.
8. Add DreamBelle Designs to your favorite shops on Etsy.
9. Go here and Like DreamBelle Designs on Facebook.
10. Follow DreamBelle Designs on Twitter over here.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on October 31'st. Good luck!!!

My disclaimer: I received a pair of earrings in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated, and all opinions are mine!

New Music For a Fall Day!

It's been quite awhile since I made a new music mix, so I was dying for a new Fall CD that I could take in the car and listen to over and over. Here are my recommendations for some great tunes to brighten up your fall days:

My new Fall Mix CD:
1~ Start a Fire by Ryan Star (One of my new song obsessions, for sure. SO upbeat and addictive!)
2~ Misery by Maroon 5 (Who doesn't love this song? I definitely replay this one often!)
3~ Empire State of Mind by the Glee cast (one of my faves so far from the new season)
4~ Drummer Boy by Debi Nova (Kirsten's new favorite. She loves dancing to this one!)
5~ Dynamite by Taio Cruz
6~ Secrets by One Republic
7~ Talk by Coldplay (always such a great song!)
8~ Billionaire by the Glee cast (here's hoping the new guy gets to sing a whole lot more. He is good!)
9~ Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars (Love it!)
10~ Teenage Dream by Katy Perry (I suspect I might get sick of this one quickly like I did with California Girls, but I still like it for the moment)
11~ Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner
12~ Ridin Solo by Jason Derulo
13~ Bulletproof by La Roux
14~ Stronger by the Glee cast (the only one I really liked from the Brittany episode)
15~ Strip Me by Natasha Bedingfield
16~ Vultures by John Mayer
17~ Rhythm of Love by Plain White T's
18~ Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland
19~ September by Daughtry

What do you think? What great songs did I miss?

If I had already listened to KT Tunstall's new album, Tiger Suit, I would have added a couple of songs from it to my fall mix too. It's really a good CD! I received a copy to review, and I enjoy it a lot. It's just upbeat enough and just mellow enough at the same time to be a great album to put on in the background and just chill out to. If you're already a fan of her music or just looking for something new to listen to, I totally recommend this brand new album!

My favorites from her album are:
~Lost
~Fade Like a Shadow (in the top 20!)
~Uummannaq Song (no idea how you'd pronounce this, but it's a nice song!)

My disclaimer: I received a copy of Tiger Suit to review, and the opinions are totally mine. I'm entered to win a gift card through One2One network by posting the review of Tiger Suit on my blog.

Salt Lake City and San Diego Highlights!

Random fact: I've lived near three large cities throughout my lifetime. And all of them start with the letter 'S'. San Diego, Salt Lake City, and Seattle. I think I'm just not allowed to live near any city that starts with any other letter. So that leaves me with. . . St. Louis, San Antonio, San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento. I think I'll stick with Seattle for awhile.

Anyway, in August our family flew to Salt Lake City for a short weekend trip. Stephen had to fly back home for work after that, and me and the girls undertook the road trip down to San Diego with my parents and grandparents. Check out some of the highlights from our August trip:

*Getting to go to my cousin Stefanie's wedding at the Salt Lake Temple. This was the main reason for our Utah trip, and it was wonderful to be there!

*Spending time with lots of family! Most of my extended family were in town for the wedding, and it's always so much fun to see everyone. We used to live so close together while I was growing up, and now everyone is so spread out and I miss them all!

*Playing with Kirsten on the Salt Lake Temple grounds, and watching her play with my Dad. She loves her Poppy so much!

(Gotta love these pictures!)

*Kirsten adores "Agoo and Poppy Ray" (my grandparents), so it was super fun for her to get to play with them and spend time with them, too.

*Getting pictures of our family at the Salt Lake Temple. Even though it was HOT and Natalie was really grumpy that day. :)

*Eating my FAVORITE pizza in the whole entire world. . . from The Pie in Salt Lake City! Gosh, it was heavenly! My parents and our kids had never been there before, but me and Stephen used to be regulars when we lived near there. MISS that pizza!

*Getting spoiled by Poppy. Kirsten got to share ice cream with him, and loved every minute of it!

*Attending my Grandpa's 80'th birthday party at the Little America Hotel! My mom and Aunt planned a surprise party brunch for him, and it was really special to be there and celebrate his life with all of my family there.

*Going to see the statue of Christ at Temple Square. Natalie was too little to care, but Kirsten was really enthralled with it.

*Watching Kirsten play with the dogs and "swim" naked in the fountain at her Aunt Mary's house. I didn't want to post the naked pictures on the blog, but it was pretty funny. She wanted her swimsuit and refused to keep her clothes on!

*Eating at a couple of our other favorite Utah restaurants. . . Tucano's Brazilian Steakhouse, Hires burgers, and Rubio's (okay, Rubio's is all over the place, but we don't have it in Washington!) It was just so hard to choose what to do and where to eat with such limited time there! We had two days in Utah, and that was it. I wish we would have had time to see more friends, and spend some time in Provo too! I haven't been back to BYU campus in such a long time, and that would have been nice. But we did enjoy our short time in Utah.

*Blissful, sleeping children on the long drive to San Diego. (We got to put the girls in separate vehicles, so Kirsten didn't keep Natalie awake. Score!)

*Stopping off for one night's stay in Vegas. Me and my Dad braved the Strip with Kirsten! We got to see the volcano erupt outside of The Mirage, ate deli food and delicious cheesecake at the Carnegie Deli (yep, the one from New York! They have a location in Vegas too!), and then walked WAY too far in the heat to see the Bellagio Fountain that Kirsten ended up being scared of. Oh well. . . it was an adventure!
(Kirsten had fun playing with the phone in our booth at Carnegie Deli!)

*Getting to Grandma and Grandpa's house at last! Kirsten loved having someone to take naps with her.

*She also loved playing with Grandma's lipstick.

*Having so many adults around to help entertain the kids for a change was just SO nice! Kirsten is always so happy when we're at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

*Having air conditioning in the house! Because it was HOT while we were in San Diego. My parents just put in the air conditioning a couple months ago, and it was a good thing they did! My pregnant self would have melted for sure without it!

*Spending time with my old friends! I actually got to go play games and go out to eat with friends while my parents happily watched the girls. It was a really nice break for me!

*Kirsten loved playing outside in the garden and helping Grandma pick beans.

*Kirsten is such a little farm girl when she gets the chance! (Unlike me, haha!)

*Going swimming at our neighbor's pool! Kirsten wanted to go there every day.

*Even Natalie had some fun in the pool! Up in Seattle nobody has swimming pools in their yards, so it was great being able to swim whenever we wanted.

*As always, it was hard to come back home and re-adjust to real life again. We had a lot of fun on our August vacation and just wish it could have been longer!

Fabulous Finds: The Stylin' Super-Giveaway!!!

I should have taken a picture of my old wallet before I threw it away last week. It was dreadful! We're talking had it since college, way too small to fit all my stuff, haven't been able to shut it in years, really embarrassing! That's why I was SUPER excited to receive my stylin' new wallet to review from SavvyCents! And I LOVE it!!! It's not just a wallet, it's actually a whole budgeting wallet system with space for all my cards/cash/receipts/papers AND organized spots for coupons!

Plus it's shiny and pink and fabulous and makes me happy when I pull it out of my purse!

Finally, at 28 years old, I have a real grown-up wallet! Took me long enough, don't you think? :)
Check out these great compartments to keep all your coupons organized:

Why it's so awesome:
*The outside is shiny patent leather, and you can get it in pink, black, or red! They're so glossy and pretty!
*This wallet has serious space. Besides the coupon compartments (that come with labels too!), there's also space for cash, change, 6 pockets for debit cards and store discount cards, a place for your driver's license, and place for your checkbook.
*I love being able to zip everything up so nothing falls out all over my purse (a common problem I used to have).
*This wallet really does combine fashion and function. Such a killer combo!

These wallets sell for $24.95 each, and SavvyCents has agreed to give TWO of these away to my blog readers!!! One black, one pink! So check down at the bottom of this post for all the ways you can enter, and two readers will own these gorgeous wallets themselves!


Next up for grabs is. . . a $10 gift certificate to the WhatKnotShop!
You can use it to buy yourself some really beautiful handmade braided rope bracelets from this Etsy shop. I received this turquoise bracelet to review, and the simple beauty of it is SO appealing. I get a lot of comments when I wear it!

The WhatKnotShop has SO many beautiful colors and designs to choose from, and bracelet prices start as low as $4 apiece! They're made of hand-dyed cotton cord and are just so unique and special. These would make wonderful Christmas gifts for friends! They love to make custom orders as well. I actually got one in a kid's size, and my 17 month-old got a huge kick out of wearing it.

Flip-flop and sandal addicts like me are going to love this one. . .
ANY sandal pair of the winner's choice from Sanuk! They can be men's, women's, or children's sandals! Pretty awesome!

I am totally in love with the pair I chose to review!
They're made out of. . . (get this!). . . real yoga mat! If it sounds pretty comfy to be walking around on a yoga mat all day, you're totally right! These Yoga Safari sandals are really beautiful and dress up a pair of jeans, and they're also incredibly comfortable. I'm so happy I discovered them!

Sanuk also generously sent a pair for Kirsten, my 3 year-old, to review. These Bumpy Ride sandals are so unique and fun, with the innovative egg crate texture. Her pair also has a strap that goes around her heel, so they stay on her little feet. She loves the bright pink color and asks to wear them every day!

Four winners for this giveaway!!! Here's a rundown of the stylin' prizes:
#1- Pink SavvyCents wallet
#2- Black SavvyCents wallet
#3- $10 gift certificate to the WhatKnotShop Etsy shop
#4- Pair of women's, men's, or children's sandals of your choice from Sanuk!

Here's how to enter to win all of this amazing stuff:

*Leave a comment on this post, telling me which prize you'd be most excited to win and why!

Get extra entries (up to 15 this time!!!) when you:
1. Follow my blog!
2. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
3. Check out SavvyCents and tell me the main reason you'd love to own one of their wallets! And which color would you want?
4. Click here and "Like" SavvyCents on Facebook.
5. Become a SavvyCents Twitter follower here.
6. Look around the WhatKnotShop and tell me which bracelet color and design you like the best!
7. Add WhatKnotShop to your Etsy favorites.
8. Go here and become a Twitter follower of WhatKnotShop.
9. Look around Sanuk's website here and tell me which pair of sandals you'll choose if you're the winner!
10. "Like" Sanuk on Facebook over here.
11. Talk about this giveaway on your Facebook status and link to this post!
12. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me.
13. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
14. Grab my button off my sidebar and display it somewhere on your blog.
15. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on October 21'st. Good luck!!!

My Disclaimer: I received some free products in exchange for writing honest reviews. All opinions are totally mine and I was not compensated!

Fabulous Finds: Handmade Accessories!

Everyone knows that I absolutely love finding fun accessories for little girls (some would say I'm a little bit obsessed. . . good thing thing I'm having three girls!), but every once in awhile it's really nice to find a gorgeous accessory for myself as well. I know my kids look a lot more stylish than I do, but it can't hurt to try!

I found some absolutely beautiful handmade hair accessories over at the Love Bird Designs Etsy shop! The colors and shapes of these headbands are just breathtaking!

Her white gardenia hair clip looks formal enough for a nice night out but would also dress up a casual outfit. It goes with SO many things!

The Love Bird Designs shop also features totally cute handmade ipod/iphone cases! Really awesome gift idea for the holidays!

And I'm just in love with the clutch purse I received from her to review. It's so pretty I'm afraid I'm going to put it down somewhere and lose it when I go out! It's the perfect size to hold some lipgloss, cards and cash, and any other little essentials for an evening out. The inside is lined with dupioni silk. So classy!

And if you're looking for thoughtful, beautiful gift ideas for mothers, in-laws, and friends, I'm loving these hand-stamped, personalized silver necklaces from Winter Mute Creations!

You can customize these beauties however you want. . . husband/wife names, children's names, birthdates, and you can add different charms and birthstones. Each piece is truly unique and one of a kind and would make a very memorable Christmas gift.

I love the combination of charms and hand-stamped silver disks offered in these jewelry creations. And the shipping is free to the US too!

My disclaimer: I received accessories from these shops in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated and the opinions are all mine!