Piece Of Cake

It’s Halloween!

Halloween is just a little under a week away and it's time to start celebrating!  There are so many ways to make this Holiday fun for the kids but easy on our pockets! There are a few things that I would like to share with you that I like to do with my kids and their friends!

The best way to get into the spirit is getting our pumpkins ready!  This is a fun project for all ages! We decided to have a play date with my daughters friends and decorate some pumpkins.  The best thing to do when getting ready for a pumpkin carving party is have the pumpkins ready. Take the time to cut off the top and clean out the insides before your little guests arrive. The less cleaning out you have to do with the little ones the better! Don't forget to save the seeds for roasting later, yum! The next best thing to have on hand are stickers crayons and/or paint. Who says you can only carve a pumpkin. Younger kids cant use the sharp tools to carve a pumpkin so coloring and decorating with stickers is a fun way for them personalize their pumpkins. My daughter wanted me to make a cat so I did the carving and she did the coloring and finished it off with Halloween stickers! Didn't she and her friends do a great job?!

The second thing you have to think about every year is the costume. My daughter is still young enough that mommy gets a say in her costume. I try to find a fun way to dress my daughter up without spending a lot of money. After all it's just one night of fun! This year I have a few ideas for you. My daughter is going as a Snow Princess which is a perfect choice for an Alaskan girl and I'm not buying a thing. The best thing about having a little girl is she has a dress up box and a lot of friends who like to dress up. You can make a great Halloween costume using what your child already has. And don't be afraid to ask around to other moms and borrow/trade things you may need.

An even easier and more fun Halloween tradition is a ghost and what is easier then a ghost? A few holes in a sheet and you have a cute little Halloween costume! Remember you can get creative you don't have to just use a white sheet. You can use any color and decorate your ghost. If your little ghost is a girl maybe put here in a pink sheet with a bow on her head, and if he's a boy make a bow tie! To make sure your little one is able to move around without her costume falling off be sure to pin a hat under the sheet. This will insure it stays on. For more homemade costume ideas go to Family Fun!

The best for last, food! It so much fun and can be so easy! Pillsbury has some great recipes you can try. How about this Chicken Enchilada Mummy, it looks delicious and the kids will love to help you make spooky or silly faces on them. By letting the kiddos help in the cooking process they are more likely to eat their creations.  

Make dessert more fun for the kids by giving them cupcakes to decorate and use Halloween candy to make some scary little monsters! These will definitely be a hit! Visit Family Fun for some more great ideas!

Have a fun, safe, and memorable Halloween! Feel free to comment with any other ideas you may have on making this Halloween a special day for your kids.

Happy Halloween!

~Tracy~

Shutterfly Review and Giveaway

CLOSED
Winners- #1, 6, 17

It's that time of the year again, time to start thinking about your holiday cards. Really?! My how time flys! Don't worry though as usual Shutterfly has got you covered. I use Shutterfly regularly for all my photo needs. I love how easy it is to upload your photos on their site and create awesome memories and greetings. Especially this time of year.  They always have a great assortment of Christmas cards to choose from, and I love how easy you can personalize your cards. Here are some of my favorites.

Berry Merry Frame

Vintage Merry Wishes

Bright Shiny Ornaments

Looking for something a little different? No worries! You can find the perfect card to fit your style and personality. No kidding! With the large assortment they carry I guarantee you will find that flawless card to send to all your loved ones. And while your at it be sure to check out their photo books. These make wonderful Christmas presents. Trust me, I have gifted a few of these and they are always a big hit.

If you are not a Shutterfly member yet what are you waiting for? Oh and a little side note, I regularly get awesome deals sent to me via Shutterfly and if you are like me and are a little camera crazy you are bound to to take advantage of them.

Shutterfly is allowing me to give 3 Girly Girls the chance to win a coupon code each that is good for 25 FREE cards. How cool is that?!

To Enter: Leave me a comment telling me when you start sending out your greetings. You can also get extra entries for following GGG through GFC, Subscribing via email, liking us on Facebook and following via Twitter.

This giveaway will end on November 7, 2011. I will choose the winner using Random.org. Please leave a vaild email address if it is not visible in your profile. US entries only.

***Monica***

Shutterfly has provided me with a free coupon code for writing this post. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.

Make Up Matte Review

So many woman these days are on the go, including me, and I could use a touch up when I'm chasing the kids around from playgroup to dance class and on to dinners with friends. The problem is that I wear loose powder makeup just like a lot of other woman, and it makes a mess, which makes touch ups a pain you don't want to deal with.

The Make-Up-Matte™ is a mineral and powder workspace solution and portable carryall for your cosmetics and brushes when you are on-the go.  Unfold your Matte and use at home on your vanity, at the gym, in your car, a hotel bathroom or just about anywhere you apply your makeup. The Matte’s not only provide a clean workspace to apply your makeup but absorb excess powder and mineral particles and enable quick and efficient cleanup.  The Matte comes in a large variety of chic print fabric designs combined with luxuriously soft microfiber so you’re sure to find one… or two… or three you love!

I really like my Make-Up-Matte. I use it in the bathroom when I'm getting ready so I don't have to worry about powder all over my counter tops. It's also great in the car when I need some quick primping. The Make-Up-Matte does what it says and keeps the mess on the matte and off my clothes and everywhere else.  I think that this matte would be good for anyone who uses mineral and powder based makeup. It even has compartments for all your brushes and makes powdering up on the go a breeze. It's a great way to store your makeup in your suitcase when your traveling too! Plus I love the design of fabric that was chosen for me. And the best part of all? I can throw it in the washer when it gets messy.

The holidays are coming and I think this would be a fun gift for mothers, daughters and other women in your life!

To see how it works or order your own you can go to their website.

~Tracy~

The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the company or pr company representing them. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.

SkidDERS Review and Giveaway

CLOSED
Winners- #30, 1

We have hardwood floors in our home and a very active three year old. Sometimes the floors and our spirited girl don't always mix. Anyone who has wood floors knows that running and bouncing three year olds are bound to have slips and falls, especially when wearing slippery socks. Unfortunately living in Alaska it can get a little chilly so prancing around barefoot is not always ideal. Little ones gotta keep their tootsies warm! So when I learned about Skidders while browsing the internet I knew I had to find out what these cute and so called SkidProof shoes were all about.

Skidders Footwear was founded in 2008 with a unique collection of toddler shoes that can be worn both indoors and outdoors. The idea behind the Skidders Shoe was that kids need shoes to be light weight, fun and offer enhanced traction and protection. Skidders kids can walk, run and play safe indoors and outdoors.

We were sent a pair of adorable ballerina print Skidders to review. As soon as Penelope saw these she loved them, she is a ballerina in training after all. These were so much better then I expected! I expected a kind of slipper sock with those little rubber dots on the sole. The soles on these shoes are actually completely rubber. They have small "bumpy" grippers on the bottom making them pretty much slip proof and Penelope instantly loved walking around in them. They are also very easy for little hands to slip on. The actual shoe part is like a thick stretchy sock so they also appear to be very comfortable. I want a pair! These are perfect for wearing around the house but they are also made to be worn outdoors. If you live in a warmer, dryer climate then we do I can see how this would be practical unfortunately I think these will solely be an indoor shoe for us. Another nice thing about Skidders is they are washable. You can just toss them in your washer and get them all nice and clean again. Skidders Shoes come in several adorable styles for both boys and girls. They range in sizes from 12 months to 4 years. In addition to shoes Skidders also makes Socks and Gripper Knee Pads. We absolutely love our Skidders!

The people at Skidders were also generous enough to send along a couple extra pairs of Skidders Shoes for me to pass along to two of our readers.

I have a boys Sports print in a shoe size 4 (12 months) and

a girls Peace print in a shoe size 8 (24 months) for two of you.

To Enter: Please visit Skidders and tell me another item you would like to have. Also in your comment let me know which pair of Skidders Shoes from the two I mentioned above you would pick if you won. You can also get extra entries for following GGG through GFC, Subscribing via email, liking us on Facebook and following via Twitter.

This giveaway will end on November 6, 2011. I will choose the winner using Random.org. Please leave a valid email address if it is not visible in your profile. US entries only.

***Monica***

The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.

For All Your Beauty Needs

Are you a girly girl that loves learning about and trying new beauty products? If so, Birchbox is for you. For just $10 a month Birchbox will deliver four to five hand-picked deluxe samples for you to try.  Find something you like? You can purchase full size versions of your favorite products in the Birchbox shop. Here is my first Birchbox I received.

It contained:

2 Deborah Lippmann Stripper to Go nail polish remover mitts. These sell for $12.00 for a pack of 6.

2 Samples of Oribe Beautiful Color Shampoo & Conditioner.

colorescience pro® sunforgettable® Mineral Sun Protection Powder SPF 30

Ahava Mineral Foot Cream

Kissable Couture Lip Gloss in Eric

In addition to the goodies you will receive each month Birchbox.com also provides some great beauty tips, articles and videos.  Check them out today!

***Monica***

Sleep Therapy System Review and Giveaway

Closed
Winner: #57

What's more important then Sleep? Nothing, sleep is important for all aspects of our lives. Our health is based on the amount of sleep we get, it can effect our mood, energy and even our weight can be effected. I was interested in trying the Sleep Sound Therapy, because I read about all the health benefits of getting a good nights sleep.

Being a mom I have a million things on my mind when I go to bed and sitting in the quite listening to my thoughts makes it hard to go to sleep some nights. I wanted to try something that would give me a better night sleep but I didn't want to take a pill. Being a mom I need to be alert for my children and I would hate to start relying on a pill to get a good nights sleep. Plus I read how good it is to sooth babies to sleep and I wanted to try it with my son that's nine months old. He isn't on a consistent sleeps schedule and I thought this might work better then a fan in his room.

The Sleep Therapy System offers the chance for a rich and natural sleep. With adaptive sound technology it offers 10 high definition sound profiles: waterfall, fireplace, ocean, meadow, train, city, rainfall, brook, meditation and white noise. If you would like to listen to clips of the sounds you can listen to them on their website.
I am so glad that I tried the Sleep Therapy System. When we received it I first put it in my room. I was excited to go through all of the sounds and try them out. The one  my husband and I both liked the best was the fireplace. It is soothing and it reminds me of laying in a tent listening to a campfire. Plus I think just listening to the fireplace makes you feel warm and cozy. After trying it for a few days I could already tell the difference in my sleep. I noticed I wasn't waking up as often and with the adaptive sound if my husband turned the television up too loud upstairs the sound would get a little louder blocking out the TV. I felt so much more rested and relaxed after using the Sleep Therapy System.

I was sad to move it into my kids room but I wanted to try it out with them too. I tried out all the different sound on them but my son didn't seem to do very well on most of them. He sleeps the best with the white noise sound and I think that's because we usually have a fan running. The Sleep Therapy System works great for them, I think it helps my daughter sleep better also because if my son wakes up crying he doesn't wake her up also.

Now I just need to get a second Sleep Therapy System so I can have one for each bedroom! If you would like to buy your own Sleep Therapy System visit their website.

Win it: To enter for your own Sleep Therapy System become a follower of Girly Girl Giveaways through GFC . You can also get extra entries for  Subscribing via email, liking us on Facebook and following via Twitter.

This giveaway will end on November 4, 2011. I will choose the winners using Random.org. Please leave a valid email address if it is not visible in your profile. US entries only.

~Tracy~

The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.