EZSOX.com Review & Giveaway!

She did it all by herself! Our two year old resident commonly referred to as "Silly" (because she is), put on her pair of Bo The Bear EZ SOX all by herself. Did you see how those double reinforced loops provided her with a strong grip for pulling over her tiny toes? Her cute bear face wasn't on her foot straight (she's a bit of a perfectionist) the way she wanted so I had to fix the face for her. That doesn't mean she couldn't get the socks on it just means she wanted the face a certain way! Normally I have to fix the seams inside the socks but these have seamless toes. Happily she jumped off the couch, shouted "MINE!" and took off running. I didn't worry because EZ SOX have the sticky grip non-skid bottoms. Now when she is running 90 miles an hour across the kitchen tile I know that she won't be getting any boo boos.

Would you like to add a little more fun and confidence to your child's day?

If you are looking for a great birthday gift or stocking stuffer this holiday season look no further. These are perfect for kids ages 2-5 years old with shoe sizes ranging from 4-12. They come in packaged gift boxes and the socks are available in solid colors too. The great folks at EZ SOX are giving my readers a chance to win their very own pair! What do you have to do?

Visit EZ SOX and come back here and tell me which pair you would like to win!  Please be sure to leave an email address so that I can reach you if your comment number is randomly drawn. Open to U.S. residence only. Contest entries will be cut off  12/14 11:59pm cst. Winner will be announced 12/15. Good Luck!

Would you like extra entries?
Become an EZ SOX follower on Twitter.
Copy & paste the following on Twitter:
@EZSOX @pamelamkramer THX 4 my chance to win! http://tinyurl.com/34rroka
Become a EZ SOX "FAN" on Facebook.
Become a Google Follower on  the EZ SOX blog.

Just in time for the Holiday Season -

FREE SHIPPING FOR ORDERS $50 OR MORE!

Offer expires Dec. 31, 2010

 And The Winner is.....

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

6 

Timestamp: 2010-12-15 20:50:27 UTC

LoveCubed on December 3, 2010 5:57 PM said...

i follow Ez Sox on twitter @beckybeitzel hiccupapparel at yahoo dot com

 
Share with your friends and click on those "Like" and Retweet buttons. Before you go, don't forget to link up! I'm sure we are in some of the same circles. Have a look around the side bars and don't forget to check the "Add Me" tab.

Sunscreen Allergies? Episencial is our Solution

Last month I got this email -

Can you believe summer is almost here? It's time to start thinking about summer skincare, and we think all-natural is the way to go!

Our Sunny Sunscreen is featured in an amazing limited edition Fun Summer Skincare value kit available exclusively at diapers.com.  It features three top selling Episencial skincare essentials - Sunny Sunscreen, Soothing Cream and Protective Face Balm, plus a cute Hungry Caterpillar art project for your child - all for $19.99. (30% savings!) Check it out here -  http://bit.ly/bm8BxZ. (And get an additional $10 off coupon on our Facebook page - tab "Coupon!") We think this is something you and your readers will really enjoy. 

Need a little more sunny-inspiration? Episencial Sunny Sunscreen offers the safety of a chemical-free formula plus the added health benefits of top-quality skincare. According to the Environmental Working Group database of ingredients for personal care products (http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com), our all-natural formulas have among the highest safety ratings for ingredients that target sun damage and prevent sun-induced heat rash.  For battling sun exposed skin, dehydration and oil-dry symptoms, Episencial Sunny Sunscreen (SPF 35) is the best defense for babies’ tender skin. 

Plus it melts into your skin - leaving no thick white residue or greasy feeling. We are confident you and your children will fall in love! Let me know if you are interested in trying Episencial Sunny Sunscreen.

Honestly, I passed because I had already stocked up on Coppertone for kids and Coppertone for Babies. I thought I was all set until this happened...

This photo was taken in a panic with my cell phone. It doesn't do the situation justice because it was much worse than this and all over his body. I sent it to my friend Emily who quickly began helping me research what was going on. Our little guy has given me plenty of panic moments: his malrotation surgery, nut allergy, egg allergy, asthma and now this! It happened before but I never connected it to the sunscreen until now. Most of us don't put the sunscreen on early enough before they get into the water and it washes off. This is why it took so long to catch this and he attends a swimming camp and they don't let it dry on either otherwise this would have happened before.


On this day the backyard was being mowed so the kids couldn't go out in the backyard to play with their water toys. I slathered sunscreen on all of them while they waited and this time the sunscreen had time to dry. As it dried he began to break out all over his body. It was AWFUL and I immediately gave him Benadryl which eventually worked it's way through his system. Meanwhile, I phoned his allergy doctor and spoke with a pharmacist. Each told me to try different brands and do a spot test. Sounded simple enough right?

Emily told me to check the active ingredients because she found a lot of research on chemical reactions and told me to stay away from anything with "Octi" in the active ingredients list. Seems simple enough right? I also tried Neutrogena but the same thing happened, he broke out in hives. Aveeno, Banana Boat, Coppertone, Equate and Neutrogena have the same active ingredients. Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octisalate, Octocrylene, Oxybenzone but vary in percentages used. Rather than spot test different brands and put him through this over and over again I searched for that email from Episencial. I remembered it was organic and when I checked the active ingredients the list was Titanium Dioxide (Sunscreen) 10%, Zinc Oxide (Sunscreen) 4%.

I immediately contacted them for a sample of this sunscreen! After all we are in the early months of summer and he has camps, swim lessons and will be spending plenty of time in the sun. Lucky for me they were nice enough to send it my way. I was holding my breath! My poor little guy....

Whoo Hoo! We have a solution. He was happy and I am ecstatic to share this story with all the Moms on Twitter and Facebook. We were all tweeting and messaging back and forth links and research and I got a lot of different brands of what their friends tried. I'm relieved we have solution. Going organic is more expensive but obviously necessary in our case. I hope that our story will help other parents who are looking for a solution of their own. Thank you Episencial for providing a product that helps our son stay protected from the sun while allowing him to play out doors in comfort!

Episencial did not provide any cash payment for this post only the Sunny Sunscreen. Before you go, don't forget to link up! I'm sure we are in some of the same circles. Have a look around the side bars and don't forget to check the "Add Me" tab.

Responsible Adult In Training - Empower My Child.com

Are you constantly trying to improve your parenting skills? EmpowerMyChild.com has a fantastic t-shirt line for toddlers that can assist parents. Elisa Geisz is the mastermind behind Empower My Child. Her educational and work experience in the field of Social Work has helped her to develop this fantastic concept of parenting lessons accompanied by t-shirts for toddlers. She offers shirts that fall under the categories of Encouraging Independence, Substitutes for Punishment, and Helping Children Cope with Their Emotions. Winning a Child's Cooperation and Problem Solving Skills are coming soon. These lessons can help you as a parent to empower your own child.

My favorite pick fell under Encouraging Independence and I chose a yellow t-shirt (my little guys favorite color) that says Responsible Adult in Training. There is a very long list that we parents must teach our children in order for them to become responsible adults. As my son wore his shirt it really did serve as a queue for me. I began thinking about all the things that I wanted to teach my son. We spent some time running errands and playing which gave me lots of photo opportunities for the slide show above. It was important to me that I share my thoughts of what it means to me to raise my son as a responsible adult.

The binder that accompanied my product is a fantastic resource! It has a list of books that helps parents further their quest to improve their parenting skills. Remember each shirt comes with a corresponding lesson that can be stored in a leather binder. These lessons are printed on 100% recycled paper. The shirt is to remind parents of the lesson they learned.

It's my hope that these shirts will be offered in larger sizes because they are currently offered in 2T, 3T and 4T. It's very easy for me as a parent to think "I survived the toddler years!" but the reality is I still need these queues as they get older too.

If you would like to purchase one of these great t-shirts you can click here! Don't forget to use the code: QSJ95415 for 15% off. $1 of every purchase is donated to Parents as Teachers National Center.

Would you like a chance to win a t-shirt of your choice and a $25 gift card from Target? Visit EmpowerMyChild.com and return here and comment on your favorite t-shirt lesson. Please make sure there is a way to contact you! The shirt and lesson will ship from EmpowerMyChild.com and the Target gift card will ship from me. Contest entries will be allowed until 5/4 @ 11:59pm cst. The contest is open to U.S. only. The winner will be announced here on this post 5/5 by @10:00am cst. Good Luck!

Need an extra entry?
Become an Empower My Child fan on Facebook.

And the winner is.... #3

Agoo clothes for active kids!

The folks from Agoo who also produce Leg Huggers were so impressed with our last review they asked me if I would give their active wear line a try. Today we are putting Agoo clothes for active kids to the test. Our resident toddler is trying out one of their Racerback T-Shirts. It feels fantastic to the touch and it's tagless. It's a mix of 88% Nylon and 12% Spandex. The fabric features UV protection which helps me feel better about sun exposure. Other benefits include quick dry wick away fibres and it's stain resistant. I know this fabric does what it says because our toddler still slobbers all over his clothes. As I was taking photos all I could think about was this spot on the shirt because he instantly slobbered on it when he put it on. I just knew it was going to stick out like a sore thumb but I was wrong! Those quick dry wick away fibres really work. That slobber dried up quickly. Can the Agoo Racerback T-Shirt hold up to my active kid? Press play to find out.

Baby Trend Sit N Stand LX Stroller, Silverstone

This stroller right here has given me my freedom back! I'm not kidding. My friend told me about it and there it was at Toys R Us and now I have my walks again. Our baby girl can't sit up on her own yet and our toddler likes to run around. Using our wagon was just not going to cut it. Now I can put the baby in the front and the toddler in the back. He doesn't like to stand on it, he likes to sit. When he sits down he faces me. Now I can go back to walking our son to school in the mornings. We can walk the track at the park with ease. Our toddler can walk the track too and if he gets tired he can sit and buckle up. It's not as compact as I would like it to be when it folds up but I really like this design. My hubby was impressed with the shock absorbers. I'm happy to have a place to put my little people so that I could have a more active life style again!

Huggies Pull-Ups - Potty Training Moms - Update

Baby Swags chose at random the #1 - The Posh Parent wins! Thanks or entering ladies.


Remember this DVD I told you about? It's a Potty Training Success DVD. You can get your free DVD at Pull-Ups.com while supplies last. Here is what you should know before you order your copy.
TERMS OF OFFER
1. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery.

This was my main concern but it came in the mail today. That took only 3 weeks! How cool is that? My little guy and I are going to go watch it real quick and I'll let you know what I think.

This is a pretty good guide as a refresher course for potty training. It's a marketing tool for Pull-Ups but there is still valuable information in it. My little guy liked to listen to the cute potty training songs. He knows what a Pull-Up is and watching this with him is helping him to understand what we are trying to accomplish.

I had made a Huggies purchase at Sam's Club and there is this same DVD inside. Do you want it? No problem. I'm not going to make you add my site to your favorites on technorati, sign up for my blog feed, add my blog to your list of blogs you follow on blogger or digg this post. Instead, leave me a comment and tell me you want it! I will pick a random winner Wednesday (10/8) morning and ship it to you. Easy Peasy!

New Product for Toddlers! - A Must Have For Moms

Business owner Pamela Kramer has come up with yet another great concept for moms. Introducing "The Crying Chair" especially made for those toddlers that relish in being whiny and scream into a crying rage without warning. This great product can also double as a "Time Out Chair." How do you use this great product you ask? Simple! When your toddler goes into one of their hysteric fits you quickly put them in The Crying Chair and instruct them to leave when they are done. Pamela Kramer has tested this product on her own toddler and swears by this method.

"When I put my toddler in The Crying Chair and tell him to leave when he is done, he sits, calms down and is back to his sweet self in no time. What is so amazing about this chair is that it removes the need to put on a show. If no one is paying attention to the drama it quickly dies down."

You can get your very own chair for the low low price of $19.95 and it can be found in most bulk or hardware stores. The chairs are padded in the seat and back area for extra added comfort while they sit and cry. You can easily store this folding chair any where in your home. Get yours today!

Potty Training 101

It's that time again, time to potty train another one of my children. I was pretty successful with our soccer star and armed with a potty training doll and skittles. This time it's not so easy. My full attention isn't with our little guy because we have a newborn in the house. But I'm armed! Here are my supplies so far. First I have this Winnie The Pooh potty chair that I just bought from Wally World aka Wal-Mart. Now that I am doing this post I have found that Wal-Mart has betrayed me by making this available to purchase when it was recalled in December 2007. Perfect! I also have these super cool toddler underwear featuring Elmo and Transformers. Last but not least a bag of M&M's.

He seems ready. He takes off his diaper on his own when it is dirty. He watches everyone got to the bathroom and he understands the concept of wiping. I need to read up on tips and tricks and read posts from other moms. I know Jen from Cheaper Than Therapy is writing about her experience. I need to go read up on her blog and find out what she is doing. Wish us luck on our journey to a diaper free child!

Day 1 - He had about 5 accidents in his new underwear. They always occurred right after he got off the potty chair. He's on his potty (which is a hazard now!) sitting reading his potty training book. We have a magazine that has Halloween costumes and he hangs out and looks at that one too. But nothing has happened!

Day 2 - He's had 3 accidents so far. He peed while on the couch, yes! We have M&M's today. He gets one just for sitting on the potty chair. He can have more if something happens. His big brother is helping by going to the potty with him. So far still nothing in the TOXIC potty chair. He did put his stuffed bunny on the chair. I have a plan! I'll post about it tomorrow. Note to self - get non toxic potty chair.

Bright Starts, My Little Booster Seat

Recently our Super Star has been moving up in the world. We ditched the high chair and moved to this little booster seat by Bright Starts. It safely adjusts to your existing dining chairs. This allows you to prepare your toddler to eat directly from a plate off of the table instead of a tray. Our little guy loves it! He calls it his "Big Boy Chair!" Thank goodness it is easy to clean up as well. As you can imagine with any toddler learning to eat they can make a nice mess. If you are in the market for an upgrade this is a great booster seat to buy.