Twist Organic Flavored Water

Finally! A flavored water that acctually makes sense

Its not sweetened with sugar!

Instead the people over at Twist have created a flavored water that is sweetened with Agave!
A great idea for kids to take to school with lunches!

With six great flavors, you can add one in lunches each day for a new flavor, or if you're like me its a great treat for a special day or a Friday lunch.

My daughter loved the twist waters as did I, which says a lot  because normally I hate flavored waters. 

Its only got 9 calories!!

I liked how natural the Twist water tasted, it was clean like water but still had flavor in it so that it could substitute  the taste of soda or other sugary flavored water drinks.

Another thing that I liked about the Twist waters were the flavors they come in 

• Mandarin White Tea
• West Indies Lime
• Mango Acai
• Wild Strawberry
• Lemon
• Pomegranate Blueberry

We tried the Lemon and the Wild Strawberry.

Annabella preferred the Wild Strawberry which is a tad sweeter so I think it appealed to her more. 

I enjoyed the Lemon, it was light and didn't make me think I was drinking soda rather then water which I commonly feel with other beverages like this. 

I really want to try the West Indies Lime, I'm a huge fan of putting limes in my water so I think I may have found a match for me! 

To find out more about Twist water visit their website at www.drinktwist.com

To find a retailer near you visit http://www.drinktwist.com/StoreLocator

Sweet DIY idea

Do you LOVE redoing old furniture? Wouldn't you love a way to customize those knobs that could look so much cooler on your dresser?

Introducing Ghostnest.com and their custom knobs!

Simply select your shape, upload your picture and order as many custom knobs as you need!

Its simple, easy and affordable!

A great addition to really set off that piece of furniture you worked hard to fix?

I'm thinking of getting some holiday knobs to add some really fun holiday decor without having lots of breakable decorations all over the house. They are easy to change out and you can even get a few different ones for each piece of furniture if you're feeling super creative!

If you're a bit confused then just watch the easy 'how to' video on the site, I don't think that most will have any problems creating your knobs!

I uploaded a poppy flower

that I took on my trip to Luther Burbank Gardens in Santa Rosa California. I think it was a great way to remember the trip that we took, everyday.

Here's a picture of Annabella's dresser before I put the custom knobs on. As you can see its adorable but plain. I'm happy that I can help this dresser grow with her as well as change it now when we get bored with the same looks.

Just go behind the original knobs and unscrew the screws in the back. Then replace the knobs with your know knobs.

Screw the new knobs onto the screws! 

Look at that! A simple do it yourself solution to the same 'ol dresser! The whole project only took me about fifteen minutes!

The knobs are great quality, they not only are adorable but they seem like they will hold up well. I found that my screws that came with the knobs were too short for the dresser, so I just left the original screws in the dresser and the knobs fit just fine!

The pictures remain looking just like the original pictures. I really like the idea of customizing a dresser with whichever knobs that I like to go with the decor of whatever room that I'm in!

This is another great example of one of the knobs that you can create with Ghost Nest. There are some great already loaded images already loaded onto Ghost Nest that you can use if you don't have an image that you would like to use.

I love the idea of being able to switch the knobs on a dresser to help a nice piece of furniture grow with the kids! No need to buy new furniture as the little ones grow.

Get Your Own!

To purchase your own custom knobs for your dresser or whatever you may need them for check out www..ghostnest.com. And follow the easy instructions to make your own!

Win some!!

Ghost Nest  is offering one Mommypants reader a $25 gift certificate to their store!

To win:

Be a follower of Mommypants and let me know what you would put on your knobs, or what piece of furniture you'd like to fix up!

Contest ends March 11 2011, at midnight. Please leave your e-mail address, any entires without an e-mail address will be disqualified. (Sorry folks but searching all over the internet for e-mail address is something in my past) Winners will have 48 hours to respond to winning`!

Good luck!

I was sent a sample set of Ghost Nest custom knobs for this review and giveaway, All opinions are mine, I did not receive any cash for this review.

Great Last Minute Gift Idea

The Post-it note heart shaped pop-up dispenser is an adorable Valentines gift for anyone.

I was surprised at how easy it was to put the notes inside, it opens at the bottom then you just slide the special 'pop-up' post its into the slot and there ya go post its at your fingertips!

The notes come up and its easy to write your message while the note is still inside the heart so you can leave cute notes.

They range at retailers from $8.50 to $11.95 so its an affordable gift that will get used as well as look adorable on your desk. I like how heavy the product is. At first glance  you may think that it was light weight plastic. But its heavy, so it makes a good paperweight. 

I can think of so many people to give this to parents, college students, teenagers, grandparents. 

February is Heart Awareness month, so even if you don't celebrate Valentine's day then its still a great 

"Thinking of you" gift for a loved one.

The dispenser comes with a 50 pack of post-it pop ups so you don't have to spend extra money on a pack of post-its to go with it (although they are affordable so its not a huge expense)

Wanna get one? They're available at Office Depot, so stop over and grab one, throw in a bar of fancy chocolate and a sweet card, and thats a great gift for under $20!

Happy Valentines Day!

I was sent a free Post-it Heart Shaped Pop-up dispenser for this review, I did not get any cash for this. All opinions are my own

ECO clean!

Good morning blogworld!

Today I'm going to talk with you about ECO clean

As a mama that tries to be enviromentally friendly, I am always looking for Ecofriendly products that can make my life easier. As well as smell better then the pungent vinegar and water mix that I usually am cleaning everything with.

I really like EcoClean because if you go to Alice.com you can see ALL the ingredients of the products, this is one of my favorite features of EcoClean! I know that I am using a quality product if they aren't afraid to tell me whats in it.

Enter: Ecoclean

A line of great smelling and ecofriendly cleaners that are available ate DUANEreade and Alice.com

I'm a huge fan of DUANEreade, since I was a New Yorker for a little while. I'm glad to see that they are carrying ecofriendly cleaners because when I lived in the city it was always nice to be able to get most of my things there. 

I was sent the EcoClean hand wash, dish wash and glass cleaner. There are lots more products available by EcoClean. The best part is that they all retail for under $5.00! Now thats pocket and eco friendly!

The hand wash in Lavender was delightful. I loved how the lavender scent wasn't overpowering while I washed my hands but I could still smell it when I lathered up and it left a light scent on my hands. I thought that it smelled very clean and light, not like some lavender scents that can seem heavy,

I also liked how after I dried my hands off they didn't seem to be dried out. I attribute this to the hand wash having no alcohol in the formula (you can see whats in ALL the products at Alice.com. I try hard not to buy bath and body products that contain alcohol because often times the alcohol dries out your skin and it defeats the purpose of a moisturizing wash or lotion.

Another thing that I liked about the hand was was that it WORKED! It got my hands feeling super clean even though it didn't have the same amount of suds that other cleaners have!

The Glass Cleaner in white tea and sage wasn't a scent that I normally would have chosen (to be honest I've never tried to get scented glass cleaner) But I loved this scent! I would love to get more of the product in the white tea and sage.

The cleaner has a cap on the top that can make the cleaner foam or spray! I really love the foam feature and the versatility of being able to use foam or just the window cleaner. I wanted to show you just how great the window cleaner works (because myself I tend to be weary of ecofriendly window cleaners)

I had some help!

The window before cleaning, a combination of dog slobber and kid prints.

During, notice the foam that we used to get the tough greasy spots

Its nice to have someone so eager to clean!

She is very pleased with her work!

WOW! What a great job! Okay so maybe I helped Annabella a little bit with the wipe on wipe off feature but still the EcoClean did its job! The window was streak free and had no residue left! It left my house smelling like the wonderful white tea and sage that am newly in love with! 

The final product for review is the Dish Wash in Apple and thyme. I enjoyed this wash, I really liked the shape of the bottle, it was short and squat rather then tall like most soap bottles. I also really liked the control I had over the amount of soap, it has a top like most dish detergents but it seems more secure and leak proof because I didn't end up squeezing too much out of the bottle, maybe because of the shape?

The scent was nice, I really like how they added the thyme to the apple to make it a little less fruity, as I don't really like super fruity smells. I prefer the herbs to the fruits when it comes to scents.

I liked this dish soap, the only complaint that I received (from my mother and grandmother) is that it doesn't have as many suds as they like. I find however that this is a common complaint of ecofriendly products.  Most of the time chemical laden products contain a chemical that makes the soap sud up and therefore leaves the consumer thinking that they get the dishes cleaner because of the bubbles. This is not always the case and personally I don't mind the lack of suds, usually I use the sink method of putting all the dishes in a basin and washing then rinsing them. So lots of suds don't mean that its getting cleaner, it just means it has more of a "sudsing agent" (is that the correct terminology?)


To buy or not to buy

I really loved the window cleaner, I think that I will probably buy another bottle of it when it runs out, the scent was so amazing (in case I haven't told you yet) and the foaming feature really gets those tough greasy fingerprints off!
The hand and dish wash are also great products and I would recommend them to people that are trying to stay ecofriendly, but want their house to smell great as well! I'm a believer in aromatherapy so I like different scents depending on my cleaning job, EcoClean is great for this.
Also you can know exactly what you're getting in your products, which is wonderful for houses with kids!
Its also Affordable!

Where to get it?

To find a DUANEreade in your NYC neighborhood try their store locator

Don't live in the city? You can buy EcoClean from Alice.com

"The Club No One Wanted to Join"

Wall Street,  Investments, Banking, trusting people we don't know with our  money.

Its a common practice today to invest, and why not? It helps business to grow and it helps investors to make some cash back for their good faith.

But what happens when one of those investors is only out for themselves? What happens when hard working people put all their eggs in a basket, and then that basket drops? Well it leaves them all crashing to the floor, and thats what happened to the Madoff Victims.  The large group of investors who trusted Bernard Madoff with their money ended up with their lives shattered all over the floor just like that basket.

Most people thought of these investors as rich people who got what they deserved. How could they trust someone in Wall Street with all this money. Why didn't they do more research? What were they thinking?

The truth is that most of these people were hard working Americans, many of them growing up with nothing during the depression, and working hard to make ends meet. These people thought they were going to be protected by their government. But they haven't been, the insurance that was supposedly on their money is nowhere to be found. A life savings gone in a day.

"The Club No One Wanted to Join" is a collection of personal stories, written by the people who lived them. It tells of their struggles and disappointment. It explains how their families lost everything. Reading this book puts a face on those people, it gives them a personality and a soul. Which is obviously what Bernard Madoff was lacking. Innocent people scammed by someone who wanted no more then a fortune, what he got was jail. 

My favorite thing about this book is how these people have learned to rebuild thier lives afterward. These people have found comfort in their families and in remembering that it was just money in an account.

This book is absolutely on my 'must read' list. If you're not into Wall Street, don't worry because thats not what this book is all about. Its about Americans working hard and losing it all, and then rebuilding thier lives. It helps to put into perspective how lucky we really are and that money really is just some numbers in a bank.

Buy It:

The Club No One Wanted To Join-Madoff Victims In Their Own Words

is available on amazon.com

Win It:

I am so excited about this giveaway because I know that you will love this book.

To Enter:

1. You must be a follower of Mommypants! Leave a comment telling me you are and be sure to leave your e-mail address.

I will choose one winner on January 21st 2011 via Random.org

Good Luck and be sure to check out this book!

Smart & Sexy Extreme Push Up Bra

Its an understatement to say that early motherhood and pregnancy changes your bra size a couple times. Its been a while since I thought that I may need a pushup bra. But these days, since we are almost done with breastfeeding, my ladies are back to about thier usual size (I even think a little smaller) No complaints

When I was sent the Extereme Push Up Bra in Lepord from Smart and Sexy Lingere. I was excited, its probably been since high school that I had a push up bra. I was super excited to see how the girls looked in it!

The bra looked great I love the design, it also felt comfy and I didn't feel like my boobs were being forced to be pushed up, it felt natural like a regular bra.  The bra claims to add a whole cup size! Now I don't know if it did because I'm not sure how to tell but it did make them look bigger and more perky! Which is always nice

The bra is made of strech satin, and its very comfortable and feels smooth on the skin. It has adjustable shoulder straps as well as a closure in the back. The only downfall to the bra in my opinion is that it only has one hook in the back rather then two or three. Personally I like to have at least two hooks on the back I think it helps keep the bra even. But it stayed on okay and it didn't seem to ride up my back.

The padding on the bra is heavy at the bottom then gets lighter at the top of the bra. I really liked how the padding sat under my breasts and lifted them up.  I also really liked how smooth the bra was not lacy like other bras which makes it easy for me to wear under a t-shirt.

Overally I'd say for the price of $15 Smart&Sexy's Extreme push up bra is a good bra. I question whether this bra would work well for larger breasts due to the lack of support in the back of the bra. But for ladies with smaller chests looking to add some clevage, this is the affordable bra for you!


I recieved a free smart and sexy bra for this review, all opinions are my own.

Amazing Cows! Review and Giveaway

Its no secret to my friends that I love cows, I think that they are pretty darn neat, I like how they hang out in herds and I love cheese. So naturally things having to do with cows interest me.

So when I was asked to review Sandra Boynton's newest book Amazing Cows I was ever so happy to oblige! Written for children, this book is a great addition to any collection.

Whats it about? 

Cows!! Its a hilarious book filled with jokes, short stories, comic books, hidden pictures, poems as well as lots of other crazy topics that are sure to have your kids stuck to the book! (Ahh quiet time!)

When I first picked up the book, I was first drawn to all the great illustrations, I love how cute and comical all the cows look. The pictures are colorful and have lots going on, which makes this book great for lots of ages because even though my toddler might not understand the words yet, she can for sure appreciate what the cows are doing and wearing.

My niece liked how the stories were short and easy to read. The book is big, and has lots of little stories, and poems that can be read in a short period of time making this a great book for bedtime! The jokes got lots of belly laughs out of her, and I could see her reading the book later choosing ones to bring to school the next day to share with her friends.

I especially appreciated the poems, growing up I read lots of poetry at my grandmother's house and it can be lots of fun, when you know how to read it. Amazing Cows had lots of poems that I could read to the kids. 

I have a feeling that this is going to be a book that we read a lot in my house. It is a great book for teaching little ones to read on, as well as a good book for older kids to read to younger kids because the short stories don't require long attention spans. But be warned, this is one of those books that its easy to get caught up in! It didn't take long for me to reach the end of the book!

Who Will Love this?

Anybody, I guess thats a little vague but its true, the book is great for grandparents who like old fashioned comedy and don't quite get the newer comedy. Its also wonderful for them to read to grandkids.

If you have someone who has a farm in your life this would be a great gift for them as well. As a fellow cow lover I can appreciate Sandra Boynton's love for cows. 

Kids! Any kid will love this book, because funny books are great ways to get them reading! 

Get Your Own

Sandra Boynton's Amazing Cows is available Here at workman.com

Be sure to check out her other books, as well as her Mom's Family Planner Calendar which was sent to me as well, I'll have a review for that later this week

Win A Copy!

One of you lucky readers will win a copy of this book for yourself or the cow lover on your list!

To enter:

1. You must be a follower of Mommypants!, and leave me a comment telling me your favorite thing about cows!

2. For an extra entry blog about this giveaway! Leave a comment with the link please
Be sure to leave a comment for each entry!

Be sure to leave your e-mail address on your comments so that I can contact you! I will choose one winner via random.com on January 10, 2011

These photos were Excerpted from AMAZING COWS by Sandra Boynton 
Copyright 2010 by Sandra Boynton
Used by permission of Workman Publishing Co., Inc. New York
All Rights Reserved

Magnets.com!

I am one of those people who never evolved from covering my fridge in pictures.

I have toned it down, in my early 20's every visible surface of my fridge had someone's face on it.

Now it is a bit more toned down,  and since my last package arrived at my mailbox, much more organized too! I was lucky enough to be chosen to review the great products over at magnets.com and oh boy, do they have some fun stuff!

When I pulled this out of the mail envelope I was delighted at how nice the folder was, I had expected just lots of magnets in  a bag or something along those lines. But this was super fancy!

On the inside cover, I found this great list of reasons for using the magnets for your company

I think that they are such a wonderful idea, especially because I hang everything on my fridge! I just love to see all my friend's faces when I open the door! That; and I can never decide which pictures to display!

I was super excited! Look at all these great magnets!

There are so many different kinds! A magnet to fit every use that you could think of!

That Arrow magnet? Made for outdoor use! 

 But even though its made for outside, I'm for surely going to be using it for important announcements! I love how magnatized these are, they really stick to the fridge. Outdoor magnets are a great idea for parties or helping people find their way to events. There is nothing worse then a magnet that keeps falling off the fridge everytime that I try to put a picture underneath it, but the magnets that I recieved from Magnets.com didn't seem to have that problem at all!

I love frame magnets, I have quite the collection of them, These ones are great they have a great amount of space in them. One of the perks that I find with these magnets is that they are like getting two magnets in one! Because you can use the center for a magnet too! Put your business card in the middle and its a double magnet!

Aren't these mailer magnets great? I think these would be perfect for a delivery service of some type, I'm thinking the magnets attached to a menu! I would be calling that pizza place for sure! The magnets are secure enough to the cardboard to stay on while being mailed yet easy enough to take off so that paper isn't stuck to them and I can get them off the paper!

Look at all the great shapes that Magnets.com offers! I really love that cow! She has a special place on my fridge now. Magnets with shapes stand out much more then the generic rectangle shapes

And all these! These schedules would be great to have for sports teams! Or even a schedule to remember important family dates. I also LOVE the calender magnets, they are great as a quick reference to see what day of the week certain dates fall on! 

Thats right they even have word magnets! These came attached to a business card for American express and all the words were relevant to their business! I have had probably at least three hours of fun with these already and I'm sure that there is more to come! These magnets are great for discovering what creativity you have when you are feeling a little stumped. I also really like them for teaching grammar, and sentence structure

And now you can see how wonderfully organized my fridge is! Complete with magnetic phrases by me!

Overall I give magnets.com two thumbs up, the magnets are vibrant and they stay on my fridge. I also love all the variety that they offer, there are magnets to suit everybody's taste and style!

I can't wait to order some magnets of my own! I was thinking maybe these might make some great additions to Christmas baskets I'm making, a magnet with Annabella lasts much longer then a Christmas card! Maybe I can even throw in some of these word magnets for my artsy friends!

I would like to say thank you to magnets.com for allowing me to sample their products, and giving me the chance to host this great review

I received a package of magnets for this review, all the opinions in this are my own.

Ten tips for Smart Holiday Shopping

Its that time of year again! If you haven't already, you better start that holiday shopping, because prices are going up, and so are the amount of people in the stores! I try to make most of my gifts, but there are lots of people who I give gifts to that I just can't seem to find the right thing to make (or I just don't feel I have the time) So for those people that crafting doesn't cover, here are a few tips for getting everything you need

1. Join Amazon Prime, Amazon prime is a great program that amazon has, it is a club that you join for about $80 a year, you get FREE shipping on tons of items!  If you are searching for specific items, you can even choose "amazon prime shipping" as a choice, and make sure that you don't have to pay for shipping!
2. Go Local: go to that little farm stand down the street, they have some great local and handmade gifts! Choosing local not only helps local people, but it gives your gifts a touch of charm, especially if you are sending them somewhere else, it helps to invite family far away into your life
3. Get gift-cards: did you know that you can now send gift-cards on facebook? Thats right, don't leave anyone out this is a quick way to get all your gifts taken care of. What a great way to come up with a quick gift when you notice that you forgot someone!
4. Have a backup: Just in case you forget someone, make sure to keep a few backup gifts, bottles of wine, board games, or bath and body sets. These are great when unexpected visitors stop by with  gifts. You will avoid awkward situations.
5. Be frugal; Make up your own gift baskets. Stop at costco and get a bunch of candy, popcorn, some movie tickets and other goodies and wrap them in cute tins and add them to gift baskets. These are great for personalized presents that don't cost much!
6. Take a tip from the fat man: Make a list and check it twice! Make sure that you get everybody on that list! This will help you avoid forgetting about someone while you are shopping and having to run back to empty store shelves
7. Use your apps: Have you heard of the fast price check? Well if you have an i-phone look in your app store. This allows you take a picture of a bar code with your phone and then check the prices of local stores and the internet to find the lowest one!
8. Be prepared: Bring extra everything for your little one. This way you don't have to stop to buy french fries in that crowded McDonald's' line, or have to stop to buy some diapers in the mall where they are super taxed!  Don't forget some fun toys to distract!
9. Leave the kids at home: If its possible get your hubby or grandma to watch the kids while you do your shopping, even if its not for them. Shopping with kids in a crowded mall can be hard, not only are they begging for everything, they can get antsy, or even lost among shoppers
10. Don't be afraid of restaurants: Everybody likes dinner out, and a gift certificate at a restaurant is a quick easy and tasty way to say that you care. How about a restaurant gift card and a babysitting certificate for that new mom and dad in your life? Nights out are sometimes underrated

Most of all enjoy this time of year, the music, the lights. Try to ignore the frustrations that can arise, remember that this is a time of year about joy and love for your family. It shouldn't really matter whats wrapped up in that fancy foil!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Office Depot blogging program, making me eligible to get a $40 Office Depot gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Since I can't upload any pic's here is a wishlist

Great Things for under $100

I can't get any photos to upload on Blogger, 

But I know you need an update

So here's a list I've compiled of some great items for under $100, 

Most I want

a few I have

but they're all great

Vera Bradley Baby Bag: This bag has 11 count them 11 pockets! How perfect to a pocket obsessed person like myself. Vera Bradley bags are so great, and I love how they let you see what patterns are on sale for which bags. I would love one of these in just about any color! Some patterns are on sale for only $60!

3-in-1 calf fringe boot from Minnetoka: Are these not adorable?? I love how versitile they are, I' hoping to score them in the black they would look great with skinny jeans or a pair of leggings, and for under $100 on 

Moccasins.com they're a great deal for shoes you can wear three different ways. I'm a HUGE fan of the feathers!

Fisher-Price Go Baby Go! Stride-to-Ride Dino: My mom got this for Annabella on her Birthday and it was a sure winner, this is one of those toys that can distract your child when they just seem to be getting into everything! It not only is a ride on toy, but the back opens so that it can be a tool for walking as well! This toy  goes for just under $40 on Amazon, but you can also find it at your local toy store

Josie Maran Argan Mascara: I know I know $30 seems like a lot for mascara, but after seeing ingredients like 'shellac' in my mascara, I vowed to go organic for the sake of my lashes! This stuff looks amazing on my lashes, they are thick, long and not clumpy. Try it and you'll never go back 

The Ergo Backpack : This not only attaches to the Ergo, but it also is a backpack that you can use after the Ergo no longer fits your baby, I love backpacks, and this would just make my Ergo that much more convenient! I hate having to carry a diaper back around as well as my carrier, with this I could just wear add it to the Ergo! It will run you just under  $50!

Nature's Gate Sunless Tanner, : Of all the reviews that I read this seemed to be the best. I recently heard that pantyhose were a no-no. Since I'm pale and have recently rediscovered my love for dresses, I've decided I really need to learn how to use sunless tanner before winter. And it only costs about $10!!

Not for Kids Only: This tape by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman is filled with great tunes that we all know and love, as well as a few new ones that are sure to make you and your kids start singing along. I love the sounds of Jerry and David's voices as they sing these songs, they give you a warm feeling in your stomach. For under $20 this will save your car trips

Yo Gabba Gabba Live Tickets: I try not to let Annabella watch too much television but who can resist it sometimes (and since we all have our guilty television pleasures). I can't wait to take Annabella down to San Francisco to see Yo Gabba Gabba. She loves the music, and I know she will have a blast dancing with all the kids. (Also, I support any product that can help stretch a car trip)