Belly Charms Bracelet Winner!

I used random.org and lucky number 69 was selected!

Congratulations MeggyNC!!

69. MeggyNC said...
I follow your blog <3 :)
megcarter.nc@gmail.com

January 12, 2011 7:41 PM

I'm going to email her now and she'll have 48 hours to respond or I'll select a new winner.

Thanks for entering everyone!!

Belly Charms Mother's Bracelet Review and Giveaway!

Hello everyone!! I know I've been seriously slacking around here lately, sorry for that. I'm hoping with this New Year and the end of the Holidays I'll have more time to get back to blogging and catch up with some of my favorite internet friends. To start us off nicely, I have a great review and giveaway!

During my pregnancy with Rosemary, I remember looking through websites checking out personalized Mother’s jewelry. That’s where I first came across Belly Charms.


Belly Charms is an online store offering a large variety of jewelry from pregnancy belly button rings, mother’s bracelets, child safety ID's, children’s jewelry and so much more. Sonya (the owner and designer of Belly Charms) has such a large selection of products; I am amazed at her creativity and talent!

I was so fortunate to be given a wonderful opportunity to review a beautiful piece of jewelry from Belly Charms!

I selected a stunning Swarovski Pearl & Antique Silver Mother's Bracelet. The bracelet comes with 5.6mm silver pewter beads separated by sterling silver spacers. The name on the bracelet is surrounded by 6mm Swarovski Pearls and antique silver beads. There is a nice selection of colors to choose from and sizes as well, so that made ordering really easy. I chose the rose colored pearls for Rosemary’s October birthday, and cream rose to accent. My bracelet shipped very quickly after I ordered and arrived packaged in a lovely box.

I couldn’t be happier with how my bracelet turned out. As you can see, it’s perfect!

It is so professional looking and gorgeous, I’m still surprised that someone made this by hand! It’s so lovely, very well made, and since it’s personalized with Rosemary, so very – very special to me. I honestly treasure my bracelet so much and I wear it whenever I think of it.

This bracelet retails for $42.99 and I truly think it is worth every dime!

I know I’ll have this beautiful keepsake forever, and you can bet I’ll be getting matching ones for my future children!

Please check out the Belly Charms website, Blog, Etsy, Facebook and twitter sites for more information on all the fabulous products Sonya has to offer!

Not only was Sonya gracious enough to offer a bracelet to me, but she is offering one to one of my very lucky readers!! The winner is in for a real treat!

To enter to win your very own personalized Swarovski Pearl & Antique Silver Mother's Bracelet from Belly Charms, please visit the Belly Charms website and return here commenting on something you'd love to have. Please leave an email so I can contact you if you're my winner.

For extra entries you may do any or all of the following:

1. Follow my blog publicly via Google Connect (over on the right side bar). You must follow publicly in order for this to count. Current followers just have to write that you already follow me. (2 entries)

2. "Like" Belly Charms on facebook

3. "Like" A Mama Stork Knows on facebook

4. Follow Belly Charms and myself on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You may do this once a day. Please leave a url so I can check your tweets. If you don't tweet, you may instead add this as your facebook status. You may use the following to tweet/post:

"Enter to #win an elegant Swarvoski Pearl Mother's Bracelet from @BellyCharms over at @AMamaStorkKnows http://bit.ly/f4a70m #giveaway RT"

Leave separate comments for all of your entries and remember to leave an email address in at least one of them so I may contact you. You must do the main entry in order to win the bracelet.

Good luck!!

Giveaway is open to entrants in the U.S., and ends on January 17, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. A comment number will be drawn at random from random.org. Winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond. If I don't hear back, another winner will be selected.

I was provided with this product free of charge by the highlighted company and/or its PR agency in order to test the product first hand and to provide you with my personal opinion on it. The opinions I have provided are mine and mine alone. I am in no way required to write a positive review and my review was not influenced in any way by monetary means. Please investigate before any and all purchases as I am not liable nor responsible for any losses nor damages you may incur. Please read my Terms of Use before entering this contest.

Lucid New York Giveaway Winner

I used random.org and lucky number 51!

51. Ingrid said...
I have your blog button on my blogroll.
http://averyandme-ingrid.blogspot.com/

I'll message Ingrid to let her know she's won! She'll have 48 hours to respond or I'll select a new winner.

Thanks for entering everyone and Congratulations to Ingrid!

I've got a bunch of new reviews and giveaways for the next couple of weeks set to start later this week so check back to see ones from Guidecraft, Eleven, Belly Charms and more!

Lucid New York Giveaway Extended! - CLOSED

Since the entries are so low on this lovely puzzle piece necklace giveaway from Lucid New York, I've decided to extend the giveaway for one more week!

It's such a cute necklace and I'm thinking that busy summer schedules and the Holiday have kept people from entering. SO... One more week!

The extended deadline for the giveaway will be Friday, July, 16th.

Here's the original link. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Amy Adele Giveaway Winner!

Sorry for the delay in posting the Amy Adele winner!

J had off last week so we had lots of family time. I have a post in the works filling everyone in on the fun. :)

I used random.org and lucky number 2 was chosen for my Amy Adele winner!

2. Jennifer said...
Entry #2 - follow publically GFC

Congratulations Jennifer!

I'll send Jennifer an email this morning. She'll have 48 hours to respond or I'll have to select a new winner.

Thanks for entering everyone!

EcoMom Boon Squirt Giveaway Winner!

I used Random.org and number 3 was selected!

3. MomLovesDeals said...
I follow on Google Friend Connect. #2

Congratulations to MomLovesDeals!

I"m going to email her now and she'll have 48 hours to respond. If I don't hear back I'll select a new winner.

Thanks for entering everyone!

Hot Mama Handbags Winner!

I used random.org and lucky number 13 was selected!

Belle's Butterfly said...
I voted for you on top mommy blogs

Congratulations Belle's Butterfly!

I'm going to email the winner now and she'll have 48 hours to respond. If she doesn't I'll select a new winner.

Don't forget everyone can still get free shipping on their order this month with the code just for my readers! Just enter the code: MAMA STORK – FREE SHIP.

Thanks for entering everyone!

Lucid New York Review and Giveaway - Extended Until 7/16! - CLOSED

I’m especially excited about the review I’ve got for everyone today!

Most of my reviews and giveaways have to do with Rosemary, but this one is a special treat just for us Women! Well, technically that’s not true as Rosemary was the deciding factor in which necklace I chose, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

I recently had the opportunity to review a gorgeous necklace from Lucid New York!

Lucid New York is a jewelry collection created by New York designer/writer/photographer Anna Sabino. Not only is Anna beautiful and stylish herself, but she’s extremely talented!

Lucid New York is sold in over 100 stores all over the world and has been featured in many popular magazines such as People, Nylon, and Vogue - just to name a few.

Anna’s collection is full of unique, handmade jewelry including necklaces, earrings, bracelets and cocktail rings. I absolutely LOVE so many of them! She is so creative and trendy; I could pick out something to wear for every occasion with all of her fabulous pieces.

When deciding which necklace I’d love to get for this review, I had a hard time narrowing it down, that’s for sure! The necklaces come in either sterling silver or 14k gold - I'm more of a silver gal, so that decision was easy. The necklace itself - not so much.

In the end I chose the puzzle necklace in sterling silver because it reminded me of Rosemary. She was after all, my missing piece.

Am I a complete dork that even when I select jewelry to wear I think of my sweet baby girl? Possibly, but I’m ok with that.

Anna had the necklace in stock already and shipped it right over to me. I received the necklace in an extremely timely fashion – three or four days after I first spoke with her it was around my neck!

It’s absolutely stunning!

The puzzle piece is a silver vermeil charm that is 5/8” by 1/2”. The charm comes on a stunning 16” handmade chain that is so perfect I have no idea how she can make it look so good! I am simply in awe of anyone who could make this delicate (yet sturdy) chain look just as good as one made by a machine. Both the clasp and the end jump ring are on very secure so I’m never worried about it breaking while I’m wearing it.

My absolute favorite feature of this necklace is how Anna secures her charms in the middle front so it’s not moving around.

One of my biggest pet peeves of charm necklaces has to be that the clasp always ends up in front right alongside the charm.

Not this one.

Since Anna has secured the charm to the middle of the chain, this ensures I’ll never have to rotate my necklace around my neck again! The charm is heavy enough so it always stays in the middle and therefore the clasp is always where it should be – in the back. LOVE this feature.

Another reason I love this feature is that I know I’ll never lose the charm!

If you look in my jewelry box you’re sure to find half dozen charms at the bottom that have fallen off their chains. It’s always a pain to try and find the matching chain, so by having the puzzle piece securely on the chain itself, this helps out with that issue as well.

I am so happy with my necklace!

It’s cute, it’s me, and it’s overall a really great necklace!

Head over to Lucid New York now to check out all of her great collection!

Don’t forget about her other pieces besides the necklaces. She’s got some cocktail rings that are perfection!!

Anna also has blog you can check out too where she tells all about her world adventures (like learning the trapeze in Turks and Caicos) and letts us in on her fabulous style finds. And trust me, her style IS indeed fabulous.

Anna has graciously agreed to do a giveaway for the same beautiful necklace I received!

To enter to win the gift certificate visit the Lucid New York website and return here commenting on something you'd love to have. Please leave an email so I can contact you if you're my winner.

For extra entries you may do any or all of the following:

1. Follow my blog publicly via Google Connect (over on the right side bar). You must follow publicly in order for this to count. Current followers just have to write that you already follow me. (2 entries)

2. "Like" A Mama Stork Knows on facebook - must do this as an individual (adding as your blog favorite will not count)

3. Follow Anna and myself on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You may do this once a day. Please leave a url so I can check your tweets. If you don't tweet, you may instead add this as your facebook status. You may use the following to tweet/post:
"Enter to #win a Lucid New York Necklace from @LucidAnna over at @AMamaStorkKnows http://bit.ly/csyZ2v #giveaway RT"

4. Add my button to your blog or add me to your blogroll; leave your blog url so I may check

5. Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs and/or Picket Fence Blogs. This may be done once daily.

Leave separate comments for all of your entries and remember to leave an email address in at least one of them so I may contact you. You must do the main entry in order to win the Amy Adele Gift Certificate. Good luck!!

Giveaway is open to entrants in the U.S. and Canada, and ends on July 9, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A comment number will be drawn at random from random.org. Winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond. If I don't hear back, another winner will be selected. (I'm running this giveaway a little longer than usual as the holiday is in there.)


I was provided with this product free of charge by the highlighted company and/or its PR agency in order to test the product first hand and to provide you with my personal opinion on it. The opinions I have provided are mine and mine alone. I am in no way required to write a positive review and my review was not influenced in any way by monetary means. Please investigate before any and all purchases as I am not liable nor responsible for any losses nor damages you may incur. Please read my Terms of Use before entering this contest.

Guidecraft Elephant Pull Along Giveaway Winner

I used random.org and lucky number 74 was selected!

74. Tiffany said...
I'm following you #1

Congratulations Tiffany!

I'm going to email Tiffany and she'll have 48 hours to respond. If I don't hear back I'll select a new winner.

Thanks for entering everyone!

Amy Adele Review and Giveaway

Since Rosemary’s birth I’ve already sent out a few different forms of stationary like announcements and Holiday cards to multiple family members. I chose pretty basic ones from the store, and though they were cute, I never really felt like they were unique or special enough for what I really wanted.

I’ve recently been thinking about Rosemary’s first birthday party (early, I know) and I already know I want to do something a little more special for the occasion. I’m not doing anything really large or super fancy, but I’d love for it to be a little more unique than the same invites a ton of people buy at the local Hallmark. I’m looking for something more special.

In my search for ideas, I happened upon a unique and cute website, Amy Adele.

Amy Adele has affordable stationary, invitations, thank you notes, clothing and more available for babies, children and teens. Hundreds of different designs are available to personalize for any season or occasion. From baby announcements, religious events, and birthdays to becoming a big sister or brother, Amy Adele has stationary and clothing to cover your Child’s needs. Actually, Amy Adele even has a smaller variety of stationary for grown up needs as well!

I was given the opportunity to select a few products from Amy’s website to review, and I have to say, I was pretty excited!

For Rosemary’s big day I’ve decided to go with a bit of a lady bug theme, and Amy Adele had a really nice selection of products for me to choose from to review. I decided to go with a lady bug onesie, invitations and some flat card notes.

I absolutely LOVE how they turned out and I couldn’t be happier with what I received!

The onesie is so soft and the lady bug character and writing are both cute and bright so it shows up really nicely. I think it’s going to fit perfect on her big day!

Close up of Rosemary's onesie

The invitations and notes came out perfect as well. I chose the font I wanted as well as a cute saying I liked and it turned out adorable! The invites and notes come on a sturdy card stock, and the colors are bright and show up excellent. I am extremely happy with both of these products and I can’t wait for Rosemary’s Birthday to come around so I can send them out!

I really feel this is exactly the unique and personalized touch I was looking for for her Birthday!

The flat cards I’m going to use as her thank you notes for her party and I really think people are going to love receiving a little note from my little lady after the party.

Not only are the products affordable and extremely well made, they are also environmentally friendly!

All orders are made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper including the envelopes and address labels. Even the shipping peanuts the order was sent with are made with cornstarch making them biodegradable and FDA approved.

I truly am so happy with all three of my products and I would really recommend Amy Adele to anyone needing stationary or clothing for their child!

To check out all of the wonderful products and designs Amy Adele has to offer, head over to her website now. She really does have an amazing amount of wonderful themes and designs; and I’m sure there’s something for everyone!

For one lucky reader of mine, Amy has graciously offered a $25 gift certificate good towards any purchase on her site!

To enter to win the gift certificate visit the Amy Adele website and return here commenting on something you'd love to have. Please leave an email so I can contact you if you're my winner.

For extra entries you may do any or all of the following:

1. Follow my blog publicly via Google Connect (over on the right side bar). You must follow publicly in order for this to count. Current followers just have to write that you already follow me. (2 entries)

2. "Like" A Mama Stork Knows on facebook - must do this as an individual (adding as your blog favorite will not count)

3. Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You may do this once a day. Please leave a url so I can check your tweets. If you don't tweet, you may instead add this as your facebook status. You may use the following to tweet/post:
"Enter to #win a Gift Certificate for Amy Adele over at @AMamaStorkKnows http://bit.ly/cwilM0 #giveaway RT"

4. Add my button to your blog or add me to your blogroll; leave your blog url so I may check

5. Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs and/or Picket Fence Blogs. This may be done once daily.

Leave separate comments for all of your entries and remember to leave an email address in at least one of them so I may contact you. You must do the main entry in order to win the Amy Adele Gift Certificate. Good luck!!

Giveaway is open to entrants in the U.S. and ends on June 28, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A comment number will be drawn at random from random.org. Winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond. If I don't hear back, another winner will be selected.


I was provided with this product free of charge by the highlighted company and/or its PR agency in order to test the product first hand and to provide you with my personal opinion on it. The opinions I have provided are mine and mine alone. I am in no way required to write a positive review and my review was not influenced in any way by monetary means. Please investigate before any and all purchases as I am not liable nor responsible for any losses nor damages you may incur. Please read my Terms of Use before entering this contest.

CafePress T-Shirt Giveaway Winner!

I used random.org and lucky number 1 was selected!

1. Sippy Cup Mom said...
OMG, there are a ton of Lost shirts I want! I might have to get one anyway!

Congratulations Sippy Cup Mom! I'm going to email you now to get some information. Please respond within 48 hours or I'll have to pick another winner.

Thanks for entering everyone!

Hot Mama Handbags Review and Giveaway

When I first started looking for a diaper bag about a year ago now, I must say, I wasn’t really impressed with what the stores were offering. I could’ve found something I liked more for well over $100, but I really couldn’t see spending that kind of cash on something just so I could carry around a cuter diaper bag. Let’s face it, there was a good chance it would get puke and/or poop on it and I’m not in the habit of spending that much on something that may end up ruined. I ended up purchasing a plain old brown diaper bag from the baby store. It was plenty big and not exactly ugly, but not really with any style to it either.

About a month or so ago I was reading a blog (sorry nameless blog, I can’t remember which you were now) and they were talking about Hot Mama Handbags. I instantly fell in love with these bags. They are so cute AND affordable! I immediately went and checked out her etsy store and blog to look over more of her work. As Rosemary is getting older, (7.5 months now!) I no longer need the humongous starter diaper bag that fits everything but the kitchen sink. I was definitely in the market for a new bag and I thought a Hot Mama Handbag would be exactly what I needed.

Maranda is a mom of two and started making these wonderful bags for the obvious reason; she herself needed a fabulous diaper bag to tote around her own baby supplies. The rest is history. Now Maranda makes these bags in three great sizes to accommodate your personal needs. The bags in my opinion are perfect for a diaper bag, a purse, a beach bag, and overnight bag – the list goes on. She also makes wristlets, changing pads, key fobs and more that you can buy separately or have her make to match your bag.

I really love how you can get everything to match if you'd like!

When deciding which fabric I wanted for my own bag, I had such a hard time narrowing it down! Maranda has a large selection of fabric, so I’m sure everyone can find something they love. I really loved this bag in the Del Hi Earth fabric, but I also was thinking I wanted it a little different at the top, so I asked her to do the top section and the straps in just a dark brown. She was perfectly happy to accommodate my individual needs. So, when you're looking through her products, even if you see a bag exactly the way you'd like it, just know it's no problem at all to have her tweak it a bit. Maranda will work with you on whatever you’d like!

Since there are so many fabrics to choose from for both the inside and outside of the bag, different sizes, different strap choices - I feel like Maranda does such an excellent job of making the bags unique to each individual owner. The possibilities really are endless with all the choices.

After I chose my fabric, I had another hard decision – size. I was torn between the Medium Emma bag and the Large Emma bag. I decided to go with the Medium Emma as I really was looking for a smaller bag that I could take on my daily errands, like to the library or the grocery store.

I think it was three or four days later and Maranda sent me an email saying my bag was ready to ship. Amazing turnover time! Two days later, I had my perfect bag!

My bag!

I’m not kidding when I say it’s perfect! I love, love, LOVE how it turned out! I can’t believe she MADE this bag. It honestly looks straight out of the store and you would never have guessed someone sewed this at home. The bag is absolutely perfect for my style, but it’s also perfect for my needs as a mother too. In my Emma bag there are 6 pockets which make for perfect little sections for all my random toys and accessories for Rosemary. It has a nice magnetic snap to keep the bag securely closed. There is also a nice key hook at the top of the bag so I can attach my keys so they don’t fall to the bottom which avoids me constantly having to dig around in there.

In my Emma bag here’s what I’m carrying now just so you can get what that size will hold: 2 burp cloths, 3 diapers, wipe case, change of clothes for Rosemary, small blanket, my wallet, my cell phone, two little toys for Rosemary, my camera, and a bit of room to spare for any last minute add ons. Pretty good for a small bag that passes as a purse!

Hot Mama Handbags has an etsy store, a website and a facebook page that you can go to check out all of Miranda’s different products, fabrics, prices and any other details you’d need to get your very own Hot Mama Handbag (or accessories)! These bags are perfect for yourself, make a great gift, or she even has gift certificates available as well.

For the month of June, Maranda has graciously offered all of my readers free shipping on their purchases! At the end of your purchase, enter the code MAMA STORK – FREE SHIP.

For one even luckier reader, you are able to win $25 dollars to Hot Mama Handbags!

To enter simply visit the Hot Mama Handbags etsy store or website and return here commenting on something you'd love to have. Please leave an email so I can contact you if you're my winner.

For extra entries you may do any or all of the following:

1. Follow my blog publicly via Google Connect (over on the right side bar). You must follow publicly in order for this to count. Current followers just have to write that you already follow me. (2 entries)

2. "Like" A Mama Stork Knows on facebook - must do this as an individual (adding as your blog favorite will not count)

3. "Like" Hot Mama Handbags on facebook - must do this as an individual (adding as your blog favorite will not count)

4. Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You may do this once a day. Please leave a url so I can check your tweets. If you don't tweet, you may instead add this as your facebook status. You may use the following to tweet/post:
"Enter to #win a Hot Mama Handbag Gift Certificate over at @AMamaStorkKnows http://bit.ly/d74lYD #giveaway RT"

5. Add my button to your blog or add me to your blogroll; leave your blog url so I may check

6. Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs and/or Picket Fence Blogs. This may be done once daily.

Leave separate comments for all of your entries and remember to leave an email address in at least one of them so I may contact you. You must do the main entry in order to win the Hot Mama Handbags Gift Certificate. Good luck!!

Giveaway is open to entrants in the U.S. and ends on June 22, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A comment number will be drawn at random from random.org. Winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond. If I don't hear back, another winner will be selected.


I was provided with this product free of charge by the highlighted company and/or its PR agency in order to test the product first hand and to provide you with my personal opinion on it. The opinions I have provided are mine and mine alone. I am in no way required to write a positive review and my review was not influenced in any way by monetary means. Please investigate before any and all purchases as I am not liable nor responsible for any losses nor damages you may incur. Please read my Terms of Use before entering this contest.

Basie and Paisley Giveaway Winner!

Random.org selected lucky number 87!

Congratulations Colleen!!!

87. ColleenMarie82 said...
I voted on PICKET FENCES

I'm going to email the winner now and she has 48 hours to respond before I select a new winner.

Thanks for entering everyone!!

aden + anais Sleeping Bag Giveaway Winner!

Sorry for the delay in posting the winner, I was having a lovely weekend off from life with the family. :)

I used random.org and the number selected was #12!

12. Cindy @ This Adventure, Our Life said...
My Twitter feed for the link is not working or something...I did tweet it though:
this_adventure
"Enter to #win an @adenandanais sleeping bag over at @AMamaStorkKnows http://bit.ly/aitUqd #giveaway RT"
1 minute ago via web

Congratulations Cindy!

I'm going to email the winner now and she'll have 48 hours to respond or I'll pick a new winner.

Thanks everyone for entering!

Guidecraft Elephant Pull Along Review and Giveaway - CLOSED

It’s time for another great Guidecraft review!

For my third review in the series, I received an Elephant Pull Along toy for ages one and up.

Started in 1964, Guidecraft is an award winning company that has over 580 educational toys and furnishings. The company’s mission is to create beautifully crafted wooden products that allow children to use their minds and imagination while having fun.

Guidecraft guarantees the quality and workmanship of all their products, and are about complete customer satisfaction. They also design and test their products to meet or exceed mandatory safety standards set forth by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 to insure the safety of children playing with their products.

The Elephant Pull Along toy is very similar to the first Guidecraft product I reviewed, the Puppy Pull Along. The difference obviously being that it’s an elephant. :)



When I received the toy it was in a very sturdy box and the toy was twist tied down to avoid moving around in the box.

After being opened there is zero assembly required before giving the toy to a child.



The toy comes with a long white pull string (which is nicely tied up during shipping) to allow for plenty of room for the child to pull the toy safely behind them.

The wheels have a nice rubber outline on them so it makes pulling the elephant on a variety of surfaces easy. This really is a nice added feature from other pull toys as it keeps the toy from constantly tipping over.

The head wiggles back and forth just like the Puppy Pull along which in my opinion, makes the toys just that much cuter! The ears are again soft leather that are moveable and just another fun feature of the toy. The elephant’s trunk is also moveable for children to position to their liking. I thought this was a really neat feature as Rosemary at 7 months already loves anything that can be manipulated by her hands.

The quality of this toy is excellent! The paint is vibrant and colorful sure to be admired by children. The toy is made with a hard wood that seems really durable for children to play with. All of the parts like the rubber and the trunk appear very secure and I just know we’re going to have this around for a long time.

I found no flaws in this toy whatsoever and I know it sure captured Rosemary’s attention! She’s a little young still to be pulling the toy, but I let her check it out (under my supervision) just to see what she thought of it. She loved it! Her favorite part was the ears as she loved moving them back and forth, and kept checking them out. She also loved the trunk as it was easy for her hand to hold on to and move.



I would really recommend checking out the Guidecraft website and catalog to see some great educational toys they have for your child today! You can purchase the toys directly from the Guidecraft website. Guidecraft also has a blog where you can find more reviews from people if there was something in particular you were looking for, or if you wanted some ideas on how to narrow your selection down (there really is so many great toys on their website available).

If you like what you’ve read about the Elephant Pull Along, and think this toy would be great for your child, Guidecraft has graciously offered one of my readers a free Puppy Pull Along!

To enter simply visit Guidecraft and return here commenting on which item is your favorite. Please leave an email so I can contact you if you're my winner.

For extra entries you may do any or all of the following:

1. Follow my blog publicly via Google Connect (over on the right side bar). You must follow publicly in order for this to count. Current followers just have to write that you already follow me. (2 entries)

2. "Like" A Mama Stork Knows on facebook - must do this as an individual (adding as your a blog favorite will not count)

3. "Like" Guidecraft on facebook - must do this as an individual (adding as a blog favorite will not count)

4. Follow the Guidecraft Blog, please let me know what email and name your are following under

5. Follow me and Guidecraft on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You may do this once a day. Please leave a url so I can check your tweets. If you don't tweet, you may instead add this as your facebook status. You may use the following to tweet/post:
"Enter to #win a @Guidecraft Elephant Pull Along toy at @AMamaStorkKnows http://bit.ly/awLKQm #giveaway RT"

6. Add my button to your blog; leave your blog URL so I may check

7. Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs and/or Picket Fence Blogs. This may be done once daily.

Leave separate comments for all of your entries and remember to leave an email address in at least one of them so I may contact you. You must do the main entry in order to win the Elephant Pull toy. Good luck!!

Giveaway is open to entrants in the U.S. and ends on June 13, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A comment number will be drawn at random from random.org. Winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond. If I don't hear back, another winner will be selected.


I was provided with this product free of charge by the highlighted company and/or its PR agency in order to test the product first hand and to provide you with my personal opinion on it. The opinions I have provided are mine and mine alone. I am in no way required to write a positive review and my review was not influenced in any way by monetary means. Please investigate before any and all purchases as I am not liable nor responsible for any losses or damages you may incur. Please read my Terms of Use before entering this contest.

Cafepress Review and Giveaway - CLOSED

If you come into my house at any given point, I’d bet you good money, I have a t-shirt on. It’s my uniform. Especially since I stay home with Rosemary, it’s not often I have to dress more professional during the day than a t-shirt and jeans (or even pajama pants.)

I was recently given the opportunity to review a t-shirt from Cafepress and I of course wanted to do this one seeing how I wear so many t-shirts. So many of mine are old and starting to get worn out, I thought this would be perfect for me to try.

It was shortly before Mother’s Day so I thought a Mom t-shirt would suit me perfect. I chose an organic, white, short sleeved t-shirt that said I heart Mom.

The t-shirt I chose.

The t-shirt was really soft and I loved how the letters were actually on the shirt. I’m not sure the technical terms for it when it’s actually dyed into the shirt as compared to when it’s ironed or pressed on, but I like it so much better that it’s this way. I have several t-shirts that the wording or pictures are peeling off because they are just pressed on.

I’ve washed my t-shirt at least a half dozen times now, if not more, and it’s still perfect! The shirt is still as cozy as it was when I got it three weeks ago and the colors are just as vibrant. Did I mention I love that it’s not the kind with writing that peels off? I do!

So, after my very first experience with Cafepress my impression is that they rock!

I absolutely love my Mom t-shirt and I’ve even gotten several compliments on it as it’s pretty unique.

What I also love about Cafepress is that on top of t-shirts, they have millions of different personalized gifts for any topic, interest, event, or brand you’d be looking for. They have posters, magnets, mugs, aprons, boxer shorts, calendars, onesies, keepsake boxes; the list goes on and on. You can even personalize any of their items to suit your individual needs with your own text and/or photos.

Don't forget that Father's Day is coming up soon and Cafepress would be a great place to scout out some nice gifts for your own Dad or Husband.

One lucky reader of mine is eligible to win a t-shirt of their choice too! Thanks Cafepress!

To enter simply visit the Cafepress website and return here commenting on something you'd love to have. Please leave an email so I can contact you if you're my winner.

For extra entries you may do any or all of the following:

1. Follow my blog publicly via Google Connect (over on the right side bar). You must follow publicly in order for this to count. Current followers just have to write that you already follow me. (2 entries)

2. "Like" A Mama Stork Knows on facebook - must do this as an individual (adding as your blog favorite will not count)

3. Follow me and Cafepress on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You may do this once a day. Please leave a url so I can check your tweets. If you don't tweet, you may instead add this as your facebook status. You may use the following to tweet/post:
"Enter to #win a @cafepress t-shirt over at @AMamaStorkKnows http://bit.ly/bReLU5 #giveaway RT"

4. Add my button to your blog or add me to your blogroll; leave your blog url so I may check

5. Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs and/or Picket Fence Blogs. This may be done once daily.

Leave separate comments for all of your entries and remember to leave an email address in at least one of them so I may contact you. You must do the main entry in order to win the t-shirt. Good luck!!

Giveaway is open to entrants in the U.S. and ends on June 08, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A comment number will be drawn at random from random.org. Winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond. If I don't hear back, another winner will be selected.


I was provided with this product free of charge by the highlighted company and/or its PR agency in order to test the product first hand and to provide you with my personal opinion on it. The opinions I have provided are mine and mine alone. I am in no way required to write a positive review and my review was not influenced in any way by monetary means. Please investigate before any and all purchases as I am not liable nor responsible for any losses nor damages you may incur. Please read my Terms of Use before entering this contest.

Baby Dipper Winner!

Sorry for the delay in choosing the Baby Dipper winner, I've just had a pretty busy weekend. :)

I used Random.org and number 16 was selected!

16. Anastasia said...
Follow baby dipper on twitter

Congratulations Anastasia! I'm going to email her now and she'll have 48 hours to respond with her information.

Thanks for entering everyone! If you didn't win, head on over to the Baby Dipper website to purchase this great feeding set!

Vintage Pearl Winner!

Using random.org lucky number 74 was selected!

74. Shandell said...
GFC follower (2)

Congratulations Shandell!

I'll email the winner and she has 48 hours to respond or I'll have to select a new winner.

Thanks for entering everyone!

Basie and Paisley Review and Giveaway - CLOSED

Since becoming a mother, I’ve recently been reading A LOT of children’s books. You’ve got your educational ones, your sentimental ones, your fun ones and so many more different types. I love them all, but one of my favorite types has to be the plain old silly, make you smile, fun kind of books.

I recently had the opportunity to read the Basie and Paisley Children’s series and they ARE this type of fun. The two books, A Spider Lives in my Belly Button and A Monstrous Smile are such cute children’s stories; I can’t wait for them to come out with more. It’s all about having fun with this series and the author and illustrator do a great job of making these books show children that.

Basie and Paisley were created in 2007 by the author James Robert Miller who creatively came up with this fun concept for the books. James enlisted his sister, Leslie A. Kelly, to create the fun and loving characters that would become Basie and Paisley. Both James and Leslie reside in my home state of Michigan, and I am so thrilled to know such talent is so close to home! I promise my review isn’t biased on this fact alone.

Miller hopes that, with his books, he can inspire children that no idea is too silly, and that dreams can come true with hard work, dedication, and daydreaming. I’m thinking he’s well on his way with these two books and I look forward to more being created.

The books -

A Spider Lives in my Belly Button

I think you can get from the title that this is going to be a silly one. It is and I love it! This book incorporates imagination and silliness perfectly. Basie and the spider in his belly button sure do have some fun! They eat cheeseburgers and fries, play drums, go roller skating and more, only to find out there isn’t actually a spider in his belly button, just lint. It’s very imaginative and very fun. The idea behind this book is so simple, yet it’s so cute, you just have to smile. This book had me smiling the whole way through and I can’t wait for Rosemary to be a bit older so she can understand the silliness and play along with Basie.

A Monstrous Smile

Paisley takes readers through all of the fun activities that cause her to have a monstrous smile. She plays polka on an accordion, jumps in leaves, talks into an oscillating fan and more. I mean, who doesn’t smile when they do those things?! This book is just as beautifully illustrated as the first one and shows just as much fun and imagination as the other as well.

I’m not sure on the exact intended age for these books, but I think Rosemary at 7 months is a bit young for them by herself. They are soft cover, so even though I’ve read them to her, they’re not the kind I’d let her play with by herself at this point. Perhaps board books are on the agenda?? Once Rosemary’s a bit older, I’m going to be so excited for us to read them together. I really hope she loves them as much as I do!

I really like both of these books. Everything about them. The vibrant colors of the characters, the silly way they’re shaped, the silly things they do, everything! I think it’s a great combination of silliness and incorporating positive experiences that all children and parents would approve of. The characters are drawn well, the colors are bold, the writing is well done, and I really recommend this series.

To purchase these books you can find them over on Amazon and several local Michigan stores. Go here for a complete listing. Basie and Paisley also have cute wall graphics for the characters available to purchase here.

One lucky reader won't have to purchase the series as I've been offered one set of the books for a giveaway!

To enter simply visit Basie and Paisley website and return here commenting on something you learned. Please leave an email so I can contact you if you're my winner.

For extra entries you may do any or all of the following:

1. Follow my blog publicly via Google Connect (over on the right side bar). You must follow publicly in order for this to count. Current followers just have to write that you already follow me. (2 entries)

2. "Like" A Mama Stork Knows on facebook

3. "Like" Basie and Paisley on facebook

4. Follow me and Basie and Paisley on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You may do this once a day. Please leave a url so I can check your tweets. If you don't tweet, you may instead add this as your facebook status. You may use the following to tweet/post:
"Enter to #win @BasieAndPaisley children's books over at @AMamaStorkKnows http://bit.ly/9CJSZG #giveaway RT"

5. Add my button to your blog; leave your blog url so I may check

6. Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs and/or Picket Fence Blogs. This may be done once daily.

Leave separate comments for all of your entries and remember to leave an email address in at least one of them so I may contact you. You must do the main entry in order to win the sleeping bag. Good luck!!

Giveaway is open to entrants in the U.S. and ends on May 31, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A comment number will be drawn at random from random.org. Winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond. If I don't hear back, another winner will be selected.


I was provided with this product free of charge by the highlighted company and/or its PR agency in order to test the product first hand and to provide you with my personal opinion on it. The opinions I have provided are mine and mine alone. I am in no way required to write a positive review and my review was not influenced in any way by monetary means. Please investigate before any and all purchases as I am not liable nor responsible for any losses nor damages you may incur. Please read my Terms of Use before entering this contest.

aden + anais Sleeping Bag Review and Giveaway - CLOSED

As a new parent, I’ve spent plenty of time thinking of how best to keep my baby safe and appropriately dressed during the night as she sleeps. For the first four months or so, Rosemary slept swaddled, so that made it really easy as far as adding blankets in her crib. Since then, I’ve tried a variety of different sleepers and sleeping bags for her to sleep in. I was recently given the opportunity to try an aden + anais sleeping bag and I was really looking forward to it. While I hadn’t tried any of the blankets or other products myself, I’d heard great things about aden + anais on several different Mom forums and blogs.

I received the aden + anais jungle jam monkey sleeping bag in medium for Rosemary to try out. The sleeping bag is 100% cotton muslin and is designed to wear over a baby’s pajamas, eliminating the need for crib blankets. The sleeping bag and is so soft and cuddly, even after being washed at least half a dozen times. This is the perfect material for a baby to have as a blanket/sleep bag.

I love how light and airy the sleep bag is and how it’s perfect for all temperatures. At first I was a little nervous it was too light and she’d get cold in the bag. Not the case at all. Regardless if it’s been a cool night or a warm night, she’s been the perfect temperature with this bag. With other pajamas or sleep bags, I’ve previously noticed her feet were freezing and other times she’d be sweating. I haven’t noticed this once with the aden + anais bag. I love that I can keep her the perfect temperature without having to add additional blankets in her crib. Safety is of course always an issue in our nursery, so having one less thing in her crib works great for us!

Another thing I like is that the bag zips from the bottom. In my opinion this makes diaper changes easier, especially in the middle of the night. Also, the sleep sacks that have it zippered from the top allow the zipper to scratch Rosemary’s neck a little, so I like to use ones with it zippered from the bottom more. The only thing I did notice about the zipper is that it didn’t always catch very well, and a few times I found it hard to get the zip zippered. I’m not sure really why this would be, I think it’s just that it’s a plastic zipper instead of metal one like some of her others.

Have I mentioned that this sleeping bag is also adorable? It is. I love the monkey design we received and I also like so many of the other patterns aden + anais has as well, it’s going to be hard narrowing down Rosemary’s next one!



Other than the few times the zip wouldn’t catch, I really love this blanket! It’s by far become my favorite of Rosemary’s sleeping bags and pajamas so I hope to get more soon. aden + anais have multiple patterns available for all of their products so it shouldn’t be hard for anyone to find something they love. Products range from the great sleeping bags we tried out to several other blankets, bibs, towels and more.

If you’d like to purchase your own aden + anais sleeping bag or something else from the aden + anais line, you can do so either directly from their website, or by entering your zip code to locate a retailer closest to you.

To be kept up to date with new aden + anais news, join their mailing list or follow them on twitter and facebook as well.

If you are interested (which I’m sure you are), aden + anais has generously offered one of my readers their very own sleep sack for free!

To enter simply visit aden + anais and return here commenting on which item is your favorite. Please leave an email so I can contact you if you're my winner.

For extra entries you may do any or all of the following:

1. Follow my blog publicly via Google Connect (over on the right side bar). You must follow publicly in order for this to count. Current followers just have to write that you already follow me. (2 entries)

2. "Like" A Mama Stork Knows on facebook

3. Follow me and aden + anais on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You may do this once a day. Please leave a url so I can check your tweets. If you don't tweet, you may instead add this as your facebook status. You may use the following to tweet/post:
"Enter to #win an @adenandanais sleeping bag over at @AMamaStorkKnows http://bit.ly/aitUqd #giveaway RT"

4. Add my button to your blog; leave your blog url so I may check

5. Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs and/or Picket Fence Blogs. This may be done once daily.

Leave separate comments for all of your entries and remember to leave an email address in at least one of them so I may contact you. You must do the main entry in order to win the sleeping bag. Good luck!!

Giveaway is open to entrants in the U.S. and ends on May 28, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A comment number will be drawn at random from random.org. Winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond. If I don't hear back, another winner will be selected.


I was provided with this product free of charge by the highlighted company and/or its PR agency in order to test the product first hand and to provide you with my personal opinion on it. The opinions I have provided are mine and mine alone. I am in no way required to write a positive review and my review was not influenced in any way by monetary means. Please investigate before any and all purchases as I am not liable nor responsible for any losses nor damages you may incur. Please read my Terms of Use before entering this contest.