My girls were recently offered a sneak peek into the latest online world from Bella Sara trading cards. All the horses in the fanciful world of Bella Sara are featured on their website (55 million cards have sold!) Since its debut, Bella Sara has received many awards, including “Toy of the Year” from Creative Child magazine and a “Seal of Approval” from the National Parenting Center.

On November 6 the world of Bella Sara will welcome a new addition with Baby Bella foals, complete with new trading cards that feature the baby horses. The grand opening of the website kicks off with a 10-day celebration where kids can qualify for daily prizes, print off babies’ birth certificates, read stories, and get access to special codes and more.

The Bella Sara trading cards are beautiful and my daughters, who are 3 and 6, were completely enthralled with them. I have to admit I’m not that crazy about any type of virtual online gaming, but I love that the cards themselves can be traded or used to play fun card games. The online portion is a little above my 3-year-olds’ head (the trading cards and related website are intended for girls ages 5 to 9) but my 6-year-old was so excited about registering her horses and learning their names. Each card features a special activation code and girls can take care of their horse online in their own virtual stable. As a parent I love that each card features an inspirational message, such as “Choose friends who are positive and loving” and “Learn from yesterday, enjoy today, and imagine tomorrow.”

Baby Bella card packs retail for $2.99 each and are available nationwide at such stores as Target, Barnes & Nobles, and WalMart. They would make a great stocking stuffer for the little girls on your shopping list this holiday season!

Thanks Team Mom for the review opportunity!

p.s. It’s official. After watching my girls play online with their virtual ponies off and on today…these are deemed cooler than Webkinz online!

What’s for dinner? It’s the question that never dies.

Mompreneuer Lindsay Siebert has taken the work out of meal planning for busy moms with the creation of her My Family Meal Planner in October 2006. Lindsay has experience as a daycare provider and was already familiar with USDA requirements in planning balanced meals so she turned her meal plans into a helpful spiral bound book. She’s now developed a second My Family Meal Planner book, which includes a crockpot meal every week. I can’t wait to try the crockpot meal recipes this fall and winter. Organized by month and by day, Lindsay has also included an extremely helpful grocery list section which coincides with each weekly menu in the planner.

The latest in the meal planner books, My Family Meal Planner Light, was released this fall. All meals are 500 calories or less, which is a great option for so many of us eyeing the skinny jeans.

Want to win your own Family Meal Planner along with a helpful magnetic meal planner grocery list for your refrigerator? Visit the Family Meal Planner website and then come back and leave a comment on this post by midnight Saturday, November 1, telling me which planner you’d like to win. A random winner will be selected from all comments (U.S. residents only); please make sure you leave a valid e-mail address so I can contact you. I’ll announce the Bloggy Giveaways fall carnival winner on Sunday.

Be sure to check out my giveaway on BlondeMomBlog for SIX chocolate and caramel theme Baskets of Indulgence, courtesy of General Mills and Chex.

Febreze and Family Dollar are responding to one of the military’s most common product donation requests by sending Febreze To Go Fabric Refresher to 150,000 troops stationed abroad now through Veteran’s Day, November 11.

For every Febreze item purchased at Family Dollar stores nationwide, Operation Gratitude will send a 2.8 ounce travel-size bottle of Febreze To Go to a troop abroad. Febreze To Go can be used by troops to freshen and eliminate odors on virtually all fabrics, including military gear, uniforms, pillows and blankets.

For more information on all of Febreze products (my favorite is the new candle line), visit their website.

Halloween is one week from today and hopefully you’ve already secured your costumes.

Never fear, however, if you’re a slacker mom like me because I have been known to throw together a fabulous snow princess costume at the last minute (luckily my thrifting juju was on that day!) With younger children especially, under age 5, it’s pretty easy to concoct a creative and inexpensive costume. Plus your child will really enjoy working on this project with you!

Here are some ideas outside the usual WalMart or Target costume aisle for great Halloween costumes:

Thrift stores. Last year my oldest daughter had a lovely Disney Little Mermaid costume I found on Ebay that she wore to my inlaws’ church for trunk or treat. On Halloween eve, however, she declared she wanted to be a “snow princess.” Desperate and telling her I’d only help her put together a costume if I could do it for less than $10, I hit my local Goodwill stores. It took two stops but I found a beautiful floor-length ice blue shimmery dress. A few silver sparkle snowflake ornaments later from the dollar tree and she was the prettiest snow princess in town.

Ebay. If you can hit Ebay early, especially in the summer, you can find fantastic deals on costumes or items that can double as costumes, such as leopard tights for girls or camo pants for boys. Don’t forget to search in your child’s clothing size category and not just the specific costume category on Ebay. 

Dress up stash. Don’t forget to take inventory of your own dress up wardrobe at home. My 3-year-old wore a cute homemade black kitty costume (another Ebay find) made from a black pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt that my older daughter had worn two years prior.

Other people’s closets. Call or e-mail your friends and family to take inventory of the costumes you already have. This is a great way to save money and recycle old costumes. If you have daughters like me your moms from soccer or dance may have quite a few costumes or dance outfits.

Linen closets. Three years ago my oldest daughter was a ghost and her costume was practically free. I cut a hole in a white crib sheet and with some inexpensive (less than $1) black felt, I glued a “face” on the sheet and I also glued the words “boo” to the back of the sheet. Doesn’t she look adorable? She was so proud of her ghost costume.

What creative ideas do you have for avoiding the expensive costume aisle?

Once upon a time there was a girl who had 20/20 vision. Then one day during her senior year of college she noticed she couldn’t read the board in class or see that cute boy across campus whom she just knew could help her with her dreaded economics class. She graduated and started working on a computer at least 7 hours a day and started wearing glasses more and more often. She didn’t want to walk down the aisle wearing glasses, so in 1997, the year she and her husband got married, she became a full-time contact lens wearer and fan.

I’ve been wearing Johnson & Johnson’s Acuvue brand for nearly 10 years. Since its introduction in 1999, Acuvue 2 has been best-selling hydrogel contact lens on the market. Acuvue 2 lenses also protect your eyes against harmful UV-A and UV-B rays.

I’ve been a faithful Acuvue customer because they’ve never given me any problems. They are 2-week disposable lenses, which I prefer since I don’t like to sleep with my lenses in, but you can also choose to wear them as 1-week extended wear lenses. I spend a lot of time in front of a computer and I’ve never experienced eye fatigue or dryness. Acuvue 2 lenses are also slightly tinted, making them easy to see, which, for someone like me with a -4.50 prescription in her left eye (thankfully my right eye is not as weak) makes it much easier when I’m cleaning my lenses and storing them for the night.

Right now Acuvue 2 is offering a special deal for a free trial pair of contact lenses on their website, so this is a great time to try them out. Plus, they are reasonably priced. Whether you’re just starting to wear contact lenses, or you’ve been relying on them for years like me, you should definitely try them out.

Commentor #3, Sandy, is the winner of the SpongeBob DVD. Thanks to everyone for entering the giveaway!

Parents fall into one of two SpongeBob camps: the lovers and the haters. Personally my husband and I love SpongeBob, although I came very close to banning SpongeBob during the recent Sponge “boob” incident at my house.

Nickelodeon Home Entertainment released Spongebob Squarepants WhoBob What Pants October 14 on DVD and it’s 78 minutes of classic Bikini Bottom goodness.

Here’s the lowdown on the episodes featured on the DVD:

What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?
SpongeBob leaves Bikini Bottom, gets amnesia and finds himself Mayor of New Kelp City! When Sandy, Patrick, Mr. Krabs and Squidward finally find him, will SpongeBob return to his old life with these “strangers” or remain in the city where he’s a hero?

Goo Goo Gas
In his latest attempt to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula, Plankton turns everyone inside the Krusty Krab

The Two Faces of Squidward
When Squidward breaks his face, his resulting look is so handsome he becomes all the rage in Bikini Bottom!

SpongeHenge
The strong winds whipping through SpongeBob’s pores are creative beautiful music. Everyone knows music attracts jellyfish, and this time is no exception.

Banned in Bikini Bottom
The United Organization of Fish Against Things Fun and Delicious has banned Krabby Patties

Stanley
Cousin Stanley comes to live with SpongeBob and find his purpose in life. But it’s tough to find when practically everything you touch goes up in smoke. Literally.

One lucky Savvy Housewife reader will win this fun new DVD from Nickelodeon Family Entertainment. Simply visit the official Spongebob website and come back to this post and tell me your favorite character from Bikini Bottom. For two chances, blog about this giveaway. A random winner will be drawn from all eligible comments left by midnight Friday, October 24.

The R.W. Knudsen Family brand has partnered with one of my favorite bear families from childhood, The Berenstain Bears, to launch a new line of organic juice boxes. Sensible Sippers are 100% organic and feature the Berenstain characters Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Brother Bear, and Sister Bear on the packaging.

Sensible Sippers are a great choice for lunch boxes, snack time, and any time you are on the go with your kids. They contain 50% juice and 50% water, reducing the amount of sugar intake in each serving without compromising taste. They also contain 40% less calories than regular juice boxes and have no added sugar, artificial flavors,  or preservatives

My girls tried the fruit punch and apple Sensible Sippers and loved them so much they asked for them as soon as we got home from school and daycare in the afternoons. Sensible Sippers also come in yummy banana and mixed berry flavors.

Click here for a printable coupon from the R.W. Knudsen website for $1 off an 8-pack of Sensible Sippers.

Spin Master has two new toys on the market that would make great gifts this Christmas.

Kid Kleen Bath Blizzard

My girls had already gotten very excited over a TV commercial for the Bath Blizzard so I couldn’t wait for  them to try this out at bath time. No bath is complete without bubbles at our house, so I knew this would be a hit. The Kid Kleen line is a new series of kids’ activity toys specially made for bath time. The Bath Blizzard creates a waterfall of soapy, fun bubbles with the turn of a knob so your kids’ bubble bath never runs out of bubbles. It’s small and is designed to be hung on a tile wall, the side of the bathtub, or positioned on the flat side of the tub using suction cups. You can also hang it over the faucet. The Bath Blizzard comes with a small bottle of hypoallergenic bubble solution, but it is safe to use with your child’s favorite bubble bath. It retails for $19.99 and is suggested for ages 3 and up. The only problem you may have is talking your kids out of the tub. (Note, it does take four C batteries, which are not included.)

Aquadoodle Draw N’ Doodle Mat

I have always wanted my girls to try one of Spin Master’s Aquadoodle products since I am a huge fan of toys that don’t require batteries and are easily portable and no mess. My girls loved drawing and writing on the 32 inch by 32 inch fabric mat, which can be used over and over again (and rolls up for storage). I love that this is a no-mess toy that encourages independent play and imagination. My oldest daughter is in first grade and we used the mat to practice her weekly vocabulary words for a little fun twist to homework. The Aquadoodle Draw N’ Doodle Mat retails for $24.99 and is suggested for ages 2 and up. You can buy extra pens and if you have two kids I highly recommend doing so, you know, in order to avoid a mat meltdown.

Both the Kid Kleen Bath Blizzard and the Aquadoodle Draw N’ Doodle Mat are available at all leading toy retailers.

Thanks Team Mom for another fantastic review opportunity!

Since my daughter started kindergarten last year I have turned into an escort service. Paris Hilton she is not, but it seems like I am RSVPing to something for her every week. She’s been to skating parties where I had nightmarish flashbacks of preteen angst and fretting over watching the couples’ skate from the sidelines, inflatable jump up and down in your sock feet and give mama a heart attack parties, and junior miss diva in training karaoke makeover parties.

Here are tips for managing the kids’ party circuit relatively stress free:

RSVP promptly. If your house, car, and purse are like mine, a paperwork black hole trifecta, you should RSVP as soon as you open the invitation. Plus you’ll earn brownie points with the mom organizing the party.

Record the date in your planner. As soon as I RSVP I add the party to my planner along with the RSVP info (phone number and/or e-mail address.) I can’t tell you how many times that has come in handy when I am searching for one of my daughter’s classmates’ phone numbers because I always carry my planner with me.

Use the invite as a shopping guide. A lot of times we get somewhat generic invitations in the mail with balloons and no hint at what the birthday child likes. However, if the invitation is a theme invitation, you know you can’t go wrong with selecting a gift that goes along with the theme (i.e. Spiderman, Barbie, High School Musical, etc.) You can also ask what types of things they like when you RSVP, provided you don’t get voice mail. Gift certificates are a good choice for last minute gifts.

Buy duplicate gifts. If your 6-year-old is like mine, she is probably obsessed with Barbie, My Little Pony, Littlest Pet Shop, Hannah Montana, or some other girly girl character. When you’re out shopping for your child’s friend, go ahead and pick up two of whatever item you buy if it is on sale. Webkinz are also a great choice, since they are usually less than $15. You could also toss in a pack of stickers or temporary tattoos or lipgloss from a dollar store. I typically will not spend more than $20 on a child’s birthday gift.

Be prepared to hang around, or not. My daughter is still at the age where she wants me to hang out at the party. As luck would have it the one time I left to run a few errands (always check with the parents first and make sure they have your cell phone number if you drop your child off) while my daughter was at a party, she wasn’t able to participate in a rock climbing wall because the facility required parents to be present. She was crushed, and I felt like a jerk.

Save on birthday cards. My daughter always makes a homemade card for her friends. It’s cheaper than buying a greeting card and it helps reinforce the positive nature of a handwritten sentiment. We also recycle gift bags.

Do you have any tips for surviving the kids’ party circuit?

Suzie G., who commented, I like Wubbzy! He’s the cutest and he’s the star!,” is the winner of the Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! prize pack. Thanks to everyone who entered!
Got your weekly Wubbzy fix?

If  you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, chances are you don’t have a kid under the age of 8 or so and you think Nick Jr. is the greasy haired, pimply faced teenager behind the counter at the neighborhood 24-hour gas station and market.

My girls love Wubbzy, Widgit, and Walden and they couldn’t wait to watch the first ever Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! DVD release, A Tale of Tails, which came out September 23 and includes eight fun-filled episodes from season one. Get it today (it’s on sale currently at Target for $9.99) and save it for the holidays or for a stormy fall day when you need a boredom buster for the kids, and a sanity saver for you (and it’s too early for tequila).

One lucky Savvy Housewife reader will win a fantastic Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! prize pack which includes this new Wubzy DVD, a fun interactive book with sounds from Scholastic, AND an adorable soft Wubbzy plush toy. Simply visit the Wow Wow Wubbzy official website and then come back to this post and tell me your favorite character from the show or a favorite episode. For two chances, either blog about this giveaway or subscribe to my feed. A random winner will be drawn from all eligible comments left by midnight, Wednesday, October 22.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and all of us know someone who has personally been affected by breast cancer. I found a small lump in my breast in the fall of 2006 and last year had a series of tests, ending with a lumpectomy last fall, to find out, thank God, that I was cancer free. Then my mother-in-law went in for her routine mammogram, was diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent radiation.

Award-winning singer and Nashville native (like me) Amy Grant, Philosophy, and Art of Grace, a company for greater purpose and not profit have partnered to raise funds and awareness for the Entertinament Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund, an organization dedicated to developing an early detection biomarker test so that women’s cancers can be detected years before current tests allow.

Inspired by the artwork of her daughter, Philosophy founder Cristina Carlino and friend Stuart Mathis co-wrote an uplifting song, She Colors My Day, that celebrates the relationship between a mother and her daughter. Multi-platinum artist Amy Grant has recorded it and it is available for download for just 99 cents on a special website. While you’re there, upload and share your favorite photographs of your moms, daughters, sisters, and friends and Philosophy will donate $1 to support women’s cancer research (up to $10,000) for each slideshow created. Philosophy has also released a special bubble bath in a beautiful container that retails for $20 and an Art of Grace keepsake gift and sketch book (also $20) to build hope and awareness for all women’s cancers.

Philosophy, Art of Grace, and Amy Grant will donate 100% of their net proceeds from the sales of these products and the song to the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s women’s cancer research fund.

Tina M., who commented “I love the pink socks,” is the winner! Thanks to everyone who entered the Karen Neuburger giveaway.

October has officially arrived and everyone is thinking pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month, a cause near and dear to my heart and thousands of others. Although this is a month where much attention is focused on breast cancer research, the Karen Neuburger Pink Ribbon Collection gives you the opportunity to “shop for the cause” year-round. KN will donate a minimum of $75,000 this year to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation from sales of KN pink ribbon products.

The KN Karen Neuburger Pink Ribbon Collection includes comfy boyfriend style pajamas, loungewear, home accessories, paper goods, and quilting fabrics. There is even a special getaway spa vacation package to Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. All sales from these items benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Through the Pink Ribbon Collection, Karen Neuburger will donate a minimum of $75,000 in 2008 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Here are the Karen Neuburger’s Tickled Pink Boyfriend Pajamas (her boyfriend pajamas have been deemed a favorite of Oprah Winfrey’s) ($72) and the so comfy it should be illegal pink lounge socks ($15):

Karen Neuburger’s Solid Aqua Pajama top and Print Pants ($72):

The KN Karen Neuburger Pink Ribbon Collection collection is available at Macy’s North, Dillards, or Bon-Ton Stores or at www.karenneuburger.com.

One lucky Savvy Housewife reader will win a pair of super comfy pink chenille lounge socks from this special Karen Neuburger line. I have a pair and they are like buttah for your feet…BUTTAH! To enter the giveaway, simply visit the KN Pink Ribbon Signature Collection website and come back to this post and comment about your favorite product. For two chances, either blog about this giveaway or subscribe to my feed. A random winner will be drawn from all eligible comments left by midnight Thursday, October 16.