Coming Up: CSN Stores Review!!!

After seeing so many of my fellow bloggers host reviews and giveaways for CSN Stores I am so happy to finally be doing a review of my own. CSN has over 200+ unique stores where you can find anything from a new counter stool to cookware, shoes to clothes, a new lighting fixture to kids furniture. CSN is letting me order something and review it and since my husband's birthday is coming up soon, I thought I would let him pick out the item of his choice and we can review it together. Check out CSN Stores for yourself and keep an eye out for my upcoming review!!!

Farm Rich Snacks and Appetizers Review

So as I said in my last post, this past weekend I had my family over for "Family Football Sunday" where we watch football all day and have snacks and dinner. Another really tasty treat that we had as a snack was Farm Rich's Quesadilla Slices. They were these big slices of tortillas filled with cheese and chicken and then sealed so the filling doesn't leak out when you cook them. They were really quick to prepare in the oven and were another big hit with my family. I served them with salsa for dipping, but I could even see eating a few of them for lunch with a salad. Farm Rich has all sorts of other really yummy looking snacks and appetizers in the freezer section and I had a really hard time choosing which one to get because they all looked good. I have tried the panini slices before and they are great too. I would say any of Farm Rich's snacks would be perfect for entertaining company in a casual setting or even for Superbowl Sunday. They really were tasty and everyone in my family really liked them. Check out Farm Rich's website HERE for more info and coupons.

I received a sample product for my review but I was not otherwise compensated and my opinions are my own.

Melting Pot Review

This past Saturday my husband and I went to The Melting Pot to celebrate our anniversary. If you have never been to The Melting Pot or even heard of it, it is a fondue restaurant that offers cheese, main course, and chocolate fondue. And boy, do you get your fill of fondue. I chose The Melting Pot for our anniversary because first and foremost it is a romantic experience from start to finish. I also chose it because, being 9 months pregnant, the only fun thing I can do is eat. And it is really a great place to eat.
First of all, we had my parents watch Peanut for the night and the next morning so we could take our time at dinner and enjoy ourselves. We sat at a very private booth off of the bar and for the most part were by ourselves. That really set the mood. We decided on the specialty "Pacific Islands Big Night Out" for our meal. This includes a cheese fondue course, a salad course, a meats course, and a chocolate fondue course. A ton of food, I know. The cheese included with this was called the Feng Shui Cheese Fondue. It included white wine, mirin, Sake, Gruyere cheese, and horseradish and chive Havarti Cheese. There is a burner in the middle of the table and the server prepares the cheese in a pot in front of you. The burner keeps the cheese nice and melty, perfect for dipping. They provide veggies and different kinds of bread for you to dip in the cheese. This fondue was excellent. Very unique tasting but creamy, a little spicy, and delicious. My husband and I both loved it.
The next course was the salad. We both ordered The Melting Pot Salad with the sweet and tangy house dressing. It was a standard house salad but the dressing was great and the salad included hard boiled eggs, which I love. For the main course we chose the Fondue Fusion with the Bourguignonne style of fondue, which is simply canola oil. The meats included with the Fondue Fusion included lobster tail, sesame crusted teriyaki sirloin, citrus infused pork tenderloin, ahi tuna, garlic chili chicken breast, kiwi lime shrimp, spring vegetable dumplings and fresh vegetables. It also included 2 types of tempura batter and tons of different dipping sauces. It really is a romantic and fun experience cooking your food with your partner, trying different things, and basically sharing the same meal. This is an experience I think is unique to the Melting Pot. We both really loved the main course from start to finish.
The final course was the chocolate fondue. For this we chose the traditional fondue, which was dark chocolate with a swirl of creamy peanut butter. They include pound cake, brownies, rice crispie treats, strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, and chessecake for dipping in this. Let me tell you, this course is heaven. It almost put me over the edge of being full, but not quite. It was so creamy and delicious and the peanut butter added a little extra something that made it extra yummy.
You might be asking yourself, how can they eat this much food? Truth be told, it is a lot of food and you certainly won't leave hungry. But from the beginning of the meal we told our server we were celebrating our anniversary and were in no hurry. This allowed him to pace the meal slowly and allow time to digest in between courses. We found ourselves getting hungry in between courses and that was a good thing. In addition we never felt rushed to get out. I hate when you feel rushed at a restaurant and the server did a great job of matching the pace that we were looking for. From start to finish, we were there for over three hours!!! We were having such a great time that we lost track of the time.
The best part of the meal is that it is affordable. The big night out was only $84 with everything for the two of us. Not including drinks and tip, I find this to be a great value for all the food you get.
All in all, we had a great anniversary dinner. I would recommend The Melting Pot to anyone who is looking to celebrate a special occasion with that special someone. It was romantic, fun, affordable, and most importantly, delicious.

Hawaiian Tropic Lime Coolada After Sun Moisturizer Review

I just wanted to tell everyone about one of my favorite things this summer. It is the Hawaiian Tropic Lime Coolada After Sun Moisturizer. I use this lotion daily after I get out of the shower as my daily body moisturizer and the results have been fantastic. I try to spend at least a few days at the pool each week and I have built up a pretty good tan. The whole time I have been using this lotion I have not peeled once. And my tan has not faded at all. I also slather it all over my pregnant belly and it has kept it itch free and (relatively) stretch mark free as well.

I absolutely love the way it smells too. It kind of smells like key lime pie mixed with sun tan lotion. It really is refreshing and the scent lasts all day long. It contains aloe vera which can ease your burn as well as cocoa butter to moisturize your skin. I'm telling you, after using it all summer, my skin and tan has never looked better.

The other great thing; it is really affordable for a daily body moisturizer. You can buy it online HERE for $7.69. I have also found it at Walmart for even cheaper. It really is a great product and I probably will use it all winter as well.

I purchased this product on my own and was not compensated in any way for my opinions.

Baby K'Tan Review Part 1

I first saw the Baby K'Tan baby carrier in a boutique baby store in my town several months ago and really fell in love with it but I couldn't test it out because they didn't have my size . A few days ago I received it in the mail and was even more impressed. With my last baby, I had a "baby bjorn" style carrier that had buckles and straps and did not allow for much skin to skin contact. It was very difficult to get on and off when I was by myself, especially with an infant. Needless to say, I did not use it very much.

When I learned I was pregnant again I was determined to find a better solution to my baby wearing problem. I knew that with a busy two year old to chase after, I was going to need a baby carrier more than ever. I had tried out the traditional ring slings before but ultimately found them too confusing and time consuming to put on.

The baby K'Tan baby carrier is a cross between the traditional sling and the "baby bjorn" style baby carrier in that it is already put together for you, but allows for multiple baby carrying positions and more skin to skin contact. It also features a two shoulder sling design that allows for more back support as baby's weight is distributed across both shoulders. I was also concerned after the recalls of baby slings as I wanted to make sure the sling I chose was safe. Baby K'tan is in full compliance with the CPSC warning and recall and includes instructions and has videos on their website about how to wear your baby properly.

The baby K'tan carrier is also machine washable and dryer safe, something that my old carrier was not. You also buy the carrier in the size that fits you so you aren't left with tons of extra fabric like the traditional ring sling. It is even designed to support your child's weight up to 42 lbs.!!! I don't know of any other carrier that can support that much weight.

I call this review Part 1 because as I do not have my infant yet, I can't review the ease of putting my baby in the carrier or how useful it is just yet. I can tell you that the color and fabric are beautiful. The fabric feels so comfortable, like a really comfortable cotton t-shirt, just a little thicker and more durable. I ordered the warm cocoa color and I really like how it looks. The carrier comes in several other colors as well. It even comes with a hat for your infant and a sash that can accommodate other positions as your baby grows and to support kangaroo care.

I have to admit I was a little intimidated at first when taking the carrier out of the box in that I was unsure how to put it on or if I was going to be able to figure it out. I took one look at the basic cradle hold in the instruction booklet and figured out how to do it on my first try. I even took it upstairs to my husband to show him how to do it. He even said that he wants to wear it!!

There are 8 other positions to learn that are detailed in the instruction booklet and online in videos on their site, but until my baby is big enough, those won't be necessary.

Now for the bottom line: the price. The baby K'tan carrier can be purchased on the site for $59.99. This is a little pricier than the old fashioned ring sling, but I think it is comparably priced to the "baby bjorn" style carriers. And with it having so many positions to choose from, I think the price is well worth it. You can buy one for yourself at Baby K'tan.

Keep an eye out at the end of August/beginning of September. When my baby is born I will be doing a second review and plan on doing a giveaway of a Baby K'tan Baby Carrier at that time to one of my lucky readers. Stay tuned!

I recieved a Baby K'Tan Baby Carrier at a discounted rate for the purposes of a review but the opinions expressed are my own.

Secret Fit Panty Shaper: A product that I love

Being 7 months pregnant, I don't always feel that glamourous. In fact most days I don't feel glamourous at all. So when I had to attend a wedding last weekend, I was dreading it. Not because I don't like weddings. In fact, I love weddings. It was because I knew I had to wear a dress. I don't know if any of you other women out there have ever had to find an affordable, semi-formal maternity dress but I can tell you right now that they don't exist. I looked at every store possible and the only maternity dresses I found were something a 45 year old elementary school teacher would wear. I knew I really wanted a black or black and white dress so on a whim I decided to check out White House/Black Market for a dress. Not a maternity store, not even a store I had ever bought a dress from. I happened to find a really great long black and white patterened dress that worked perfectly as a maternity dress due to the empire waste. Only thing was, I hated how my hips and thighs looked in the dress. I bought the dress anyway and decided to see if I could find a maternity shaper that worked with it.

I found the Secret Fit Panty Shaper at Motherhood Maternity and could not have been more pleased. The panty fit from mid thigh all the way up to my bra line. I was worried because I didn't want anything to feel like it was constricting me. To the contrary, this shaper made everything feel as though it was being held in and supported. The dress looked great on that night and I felt really confident. The shaper also helped support my belly and really took away any back or side pains so I could dance with my husband all night. The fabric breathed really well so I never felt like I was overheating. I would recommend this shaper to any pregnant woman out there, for a special occasion or even under everyday clothing just to smooth out your clothing's appearance. Let's face it. Anything that can make us feel a little more confident while we are pregnant is a good thing. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. If you have tried any other pregnancy shaper that worked for you, let me know.