Mia Bella Line - GIVEAWAY

Do you love all things pretty?  I know I do!  Mia Bella has some of the prettiest headbands I have ever seen!  I absolutely love them!  They are so girly!  She also sales winter hats and hair clips.  She is offering one reader the chance to win this GOREGEOUS headband!  Keep reading to see how to win it! 

How to Enter:
Mandatory - "Like" Mia Bella Line on Facebook HERE and leave a comment on the picture of the beautiful headband that she is giving away (click HERE to go straight to the picture). Be sure to tell me your Facebook name!

Extra Entries:
1 entry - Follow So Mommy by Google Connect
1 entry - Share this giveaway on your facebook page - make sure to tag @So Mommy Reviews so that it shows up on my page (be sure to click the "lock box" and change it to "everyone"

Giveaway will end at 5 p.m. CST February 11, 2011.  Winner will be picked by a random number generator and contacted by email.  If winner doesn't respond in 48 hours, another will will be drawn.

Brynn's Boutique

Brynn's Beautiful Bows was also an Ad space winner, and here is a little information about her shop - and just so you know, she does WAY more than just bows!!

Brynn's Beautiful Bows is expanding to Brynn's Boutique!  Brynn's was created based on a need to supplement income after a car crash and Jenn couldn't continue working with investments.  They specialize in Korker & Bottle Cap Bows & Halloween Costumes.  They have recently expanded to include many other items such as Super Hero Capes, Re-usable items like menstrual pads, snack sacks, food sacks, & nursing pads.  Adult & Children bibs are new and improved as well as the dog bows!  All items are hand made by Jenn, owner & creator.

Jenn is a WAHM of 3 kids.  Daughter AJ is 9, Gavin is 3 & Brynn, whom the company is inspired by is 1.  Sugar is their furbaby and dog model.  Check out their new website at http://www.brynnsboutique.com/. 

Check out Brynn's Boutique on:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brynnsbeautiful
Blog: http://www.brynnsboutique.wordpress.com/
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/brynnsbeautifulbows

Be sure to check the fan page for specials & the first look at new items!  Here are some of her items:

Coobie Bra - Review

Awhile back, The Coobie Store ran a Facebook referral contest - if you referred so many friends, they sent you a free bra.  I thought it was a good try, so I did it...and they followed through and sent out the Coobie bra!  I am always in need of a new bra, and I hate paying high prices for them (yes, I am cheap, even in this area)!  With the free bra, they sent a coupon for $15 off of any 2 Coobie bras.  Since they are $20 each, this was almost a BOGO coupon!!  I was sent an orange color Coobie...not my favorite color, but it was free so I'm not complaining!

(Picture from The Coobie Store)



When I first saw the bra, I was very skeptical.  It is pretty thin (with pad inserts) and has no wire.  I'm 30 weeks pregnant, and I was pretty positive there was no way that this would hold up the girls.  Not to mention the fact that the bra is supposed to fit anyone size 32A to 36D!  Sounds like a bra for a preteen, right?  That's what I was thinking, but I tried it anyways!

The first thing I noticed was that it came with 2 sets of straps - clear and the color to match the bra.  I am a HUGE fan of clear straps in the summer!  When I put this bra on, I was AMAZED at how comfortable it was!  It's like wearing your favorite old t-shirt!  Seriously!  I wore it ALL day, and it held up as well as any of my wired bras.  It may be thin, but the removable pads are great.  I'm always paranoid about "headlights" showing (you know what I mean!), but I don't have that problem at all with the Coobie bra.  The size was also great.  When you are pregnant, you tend to fluctuate in size throughout your pregnancy...with this bra, no need to buy a new one when your size changes - how great is that? 

I loved the Coobie bra so much that I sent it home with my mom to try.  Guess what? She loved it, too!  We ended up ordering 2 with the discount code (1 for me, 1 for her)...and then a week later she decided to order 2 more and let her teenage daughter try it out as well.  My mom actually even wore it to workout in, and she said that it held the girls just fine while she worked out.  I've washed/dried mine several times and it has still held up perfectly!

So, if you're in the market for a new bra, you may want to order a Coobie!  I know, this sounds like a paid message, but it isn't!  All of the opinions are my own (and my moms), we just happen to REALLY love this bra!  Also, they have a new referral contest going on - refer 5 friends to their Facebook page and be entered to win 1 of 50 plus size Coobie bras!

Click Photo Designs by Sarah

Click Photo Designs was one of the winners of the Ad space giveaway, and I wanted to introduce you all to her and her photography!  Be sure to check out her blog because she has a giveaway going on right now!

Here is a little about Sarah:

"I grew up with a love of photography and always took pictures everywhere I went, but I always enjoyed photographing friends and family the most.  When I had a child of my own I realized just how important it was to me to capture and preserve all the family and childhood memories that go by so quickly.  I absolutely love working with your families to capture casual, natural, real life images that you can enjoy for a lifetime.  I am based in Northern Alabama, and you can see more samples of my photography at http://www.clickphotodesigns.com/, http://clickphotodesignsblog.com/, and http://www.facebook.com/clickphotodesigns."

HTC Surround Windows 7 Phone

I was recently provided an HTC Surround to try out with BzzAgent.  If you have never heard of BzzAgent, you should definitely check it out.  They offer campaigns to try out a product.  All they ask in exchange is that you spread the word about the product and what you thought.  Here is my opinion of the HTC Surround that I received.

A few specs about the HTC Surround:

• The first Dolby surround sound pop-up speakers
• Windows Phone 7-with Xbox Live and Zune integration
• Pop-out kickstand and 3.8" touch display
• 5MP camera with auto focus and flash
• Live Tiles on the Start screen dynamically update, so you don't need to open an app to see if you have new mail, new texts or even new status updates from Facebook friends
• Internet Explorer 8 allows for full HTML Web browsing
• The Office Hub offers mobile versions of popular programs, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace
• Fast 3G connectivity via AT&T's HSPA/UMTS network (850/1900 MHz bands; 3.6/7.2 Mbps speeds with network availability)
• Ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n) for accessing home and corporate networks as well as hotspots while on the go.
• GPS navigation capabilities via AT&T Navigator service includes audible turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates, and re-routing options.
• Lithium-ion battery rated at up to 4 hours of talk time and up to 264 hours (11 days) of standby time
• Full QWERTY virtual keyboard
• Digital media player compatible with MP3, WMA, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ music formats and MPEG4 video.
• FM radio
• Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.1)
• 16 GB internal memory
• Text (SMS) and picture/video (MMS) messaging
• Access to personal and work e-mail (supports Microsoft Exchange corporate e-mail)
• MicroUSB port (2.0)
• 3.5mm headphone jack

I know, that's a lot of info, but what's the real deal with the HTC Surround (or HD7)?  Well, since this is my first smartphone, I don't have much to compare it to myself, so I'm going to use my husband for help on this one.  He has the HTC Aria which is an Android phone, so I will use it in some of my comparisons.

Personally, I haven't had the best experience with the HTC Surround.  Neither has my sister.  Both of our phones will shut off randomly.  We have to take the battery out to reset the phone.  My phone also drops calls frequently or mutes me so that the person I'm talking to stops hearing me in the middle of a conversation.  The battery will last about 2 days if I'm only using it to talk and text.  If I use the internet or play games, I have to charge it every night.  My husband hasn't had any of these problems with the Aria.  Also, the Surround and the Aria both come with some ringtones, but we can't find a way to add new ringtones on either phone.  That would definitely be something I would suggest HTC add.  Also, my Facebook App is almost always acting crazy.  It won't let me login sometimes for whatever reason.

After all of those bad things, let me get to some good ones.  I really like the calendar on the phone.  That is actually probably my favorite part.  It is super easy to add to your calendar, and activities for the day show up on the main screen.  It is very easy to send text messages (after you get used to the virtual keyboard); however, my phone has issues and won't let me send picture messages.  The surround takes great pictures and video (a little better than the Aria), and has AMAZING sound!  The Surround doesn't seem to have the same amount of Apps as the Aria because of the different operating systems, but the Surround does have some great Apps (like Netflix) that the Aria doesn't have.  The Surround is a little bigger than the Aria, but not by much.  When you hear how much better the sound is on the Surround - it won't matter that it's a little larger!

I don't love the Surround, but I don't hate it either.  I think that HTC should make some changes to it in order to make it better (mainly the important aspects mentioned earlier), but in general it is a good phone.  I would definitely give it back to have my trusty old LG Neon back, though.  Call me crazy, but I like it simple!

Eebee's Adventures - Review and Giveaway

Not all parents believe that kids should watch television and movies, but I believe that there is a time and place for everything, including letting kids have t.v. time!  We have a portable DVD player that has come in handy MANY times with our daughter.  I do monitor what she watches closely.  I prefer that she watch more educational shows/movies than others that are purely for entertainment.  When she was a young baby, I let her watch some of the baby movies so that I could get ready in peace!  I recently found a company that makes kids videos that I had never heard of, called Eebee's Adventures, and I was curious to how they would compare to the other baby movies I've seen.

A little about the company:

Eebee's Adventures were designed to help kids 2 and under learn by watching and doing, not by memorizing.  Anytime your child is playing, they are trying to figure things out - why balls move the way they do, why this or that happened, etc.  Eebee's Adventures show other kids in a natural playing environment and help show the cause and effect of playing with different items or doing different things.  These adventures are very simple, with bright colors, and are visually designed so that kids notice the important actions. 

My Review:

Before I start, I am not telling you to let your child watch t.v. all day long!  I think you need to put limits on it, and those limits are up to you as the parent.  That being said, I think these are great learning DVDs.  They are different from the other kids movies I've seen (like Baby Einstein, So Smart!, Praise Baby).  Eebee's Adventures really do focus on kids DOING things rather than just hearing music or stories or seeing pictures.  We were sent the first 3 DVD set (All in a Day's Play, Exploring Real Stuff, and Fguring Things Out).  Most of the videos seem to focus on the 6 month-12 month age range, however, Sydney still enjoyed watching them.  She would watch and tell me what the kids were doing ("Look! Mommy he got a ball," "He's on red stairs," "The baby dropped it").  I was impressed by her ability to narrate these movies so well!

Be sure to check out their website - they have several clips you can watch of their DVDs.  They also have a nice section for parents with downloadable activities and ideas.  Each DVD is $14.95 + shipping, or you can buy the first set of 3 for $40 with Free Shipping! 

GIVEAWAY
Eebee's Adventures is offering one reader the same set of 3 that I received! 

How to Enter
Mandatory Entry - "Lke" Eebee's Adventures on Facebook (HERE) and go to their website and tell me ONE thing you like/dislike about their DVDs.

Extra Entries:
(1 entry) - Follow Eebee's Adventures on Twitter @eebeebaby HERE
(1 entry) - Follow So Mommy by Google Connect
(1 entry) - "Like" So Mommy on Facebook HERE
(2 entries) - Grab my blog button - Leave 2 seperate comments
(2 entries) - Post this giveaway in your Facebook status and TAG So Mommy and Eebee's Adventures (make sure your click the lock button and change it to everyone so that it shows up on my page)

**Giveaway will end February 10th at 5 p.m. CST.  Winner will be drawn by a random number generator and contacted by email.  If winner doesn't respond within 48 hours, another winner will be drawn.**

*I was provided DVDs in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.  See full disclaimer for more information!*

Kidorable - Free Gloves Code!

February 1st -10th will be So Mommy's 1 year Anniversary Celebration - so look for some great reviews and giveaways!  I'm planning on making a few changes (hopefully for the better!) over the next few weeks...so let me know if you like/don't like any of them! I'm always open to advice! 

Here is your first Anniversary deal: 

  

Remember this adorable raincoat Sydney got from Kidorable?

Well, right now Kidorable has a Valentine's promotion going!  Through February 14th, Kidorable is offering a FREE pair of their adorable Heart Gloves with any $20 order.  You can get a matching hat and scarf or a new raincoat or rainboots.  Just add the heart gloves to your cart (with your $20 order) and use the coupon code "LOVEYOU" at checkout. 

((Thanks to Marsha Barton Photography for picture))