Mother's Day Giveaway: Escada Marine Groove

Last month we had the pleasure of attending a party thrown by Escada on the Venetian Lady yacht. It was an intimate crowd of about 50 and the guest of honor was singer Mya. No, our lives are typically not this exciting, but thanks to my friend Jewel we had the opportunity to rub elbows with the rich and fabulous for three hours on the Bay in Miami.

The party was in honor of Escada's latest fragrance, Marine Groove. Mya is the face of the fragrance and joined us on the yacht for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Yes, she's super pretty in person, but more importantly, really nice. After the yacht ride, we were each given a goody bag with a bottle of Escada Marine Groove inside.

I really like this fragrance! I've been wearing it ever since and I love the jasmine in it. It's citrusy, too. A very sensual fragrance, perfect for hot nights in Miami (or for when you're wishing you were here!)

Since I have the extra bottle, I figured I'd pass it along to one of you and you can either keep it for yourself or gift it to the Mom in your life. The contest will end on Sunday, May 2nd at 8 PM EST so I can ship it out on Monday and you'll have it by Mother's Day.

To enter, simply tell me who the perfume will be for. Want some extra entries?

"Like" The Blacktating Blog on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter- @Blacktating

Tweet about this giveaway. You can copy the following text directly into your Tweet:
Enter @Blacktating's Mother's Day Escada Marine Groove #giveaway! http://tinyurl.com/2bx7hde Ends 5/3


Please leave a separate comment for each of your entries. This contest is open to all US residents age 18 and over. Winner will be notified by email and will have 2  days to respond or another winner will be chosen. Good luck!

Simplisse Manual Pump Review & Giveaway

I was recently contacted by a representative from Simplisse Breastfeeding Products to review their new manual breast pump, called the Simplisse Breastfeeding Companion.


I was intrigued by this pump because it was created by lactation consultants to more closely mimic breastfeeding than traditional breast pumps on the market now. Did you know that the original breast pump was created by an engineer and based on the machines used to milk cows? Yikes! Simplisse wants to make pumping more comfortable and easier for moms. Since I am no longer pumping, I decided to pass this pump along to my friend Carrie and allow her to put it to the test. I knew Carrie would be perfect to review the pump because she works from home and only has to pump on occasion. Carrie was pumping with a good, single electric pump so she had something to compare the Simplisse to.

Here are Carrie's thoughts on the pump:

I tested the Simplisse Manual Breastfeeding Companion. Prior to actually trying it, I noticed how soft the breast cup is. It has a skin-like texture that is extremely flexible, conforming to the shape of your breast. The opening for the nipple seems somewhat small, but it worked well for me. It took a few minutes to begin expressing milk. I’d probably suggest manually expressing some prior to pumping just to get it flowing better. I found that it worked well if I pumped quickly at first, but then slowed down to increase the quantity of milk expressed with each pump. As the packaging states, it feels like a baby nursing. In fact, it’s more like a newborn nursing – very gentle. My electric pump often makes my nipples a bit sore, but this was very comfortable.

One thing I noticed after pumping for a few minutes was that the valve (piece between the bottle and the pump itself) would invert itself and would have to be fixed in order for the milk to drip into the bottle. Another difficulty was that although the pictures show a woman pumping with one hand, I found this to be awkward. I had to use one hand to hold the pump close to my breast and one to actually pump. Also, because it is so comfortable and does not create the same seal around your breast that an electric pump creates, some of the milk leaked as I was pumping, so make sure you have a wet wipe nearby.

One thing I am known for doing is accidentally spilling the milk after pumping. It’s such a horrible waste!!  This pump comes with a small stand to place the bottle after pumping before you are able to get the cap on – Perfect!

This breast pump would be really handy for traveling. I could imagine using it as a passenger in a car on a long road trip (as long as you use the milk immediately or have a cooler in the car with you). Just make sure that you bring along the instruction booklet since the assembly is a bit complex. This is a great inexpensive pump that is compact, comfortable, and convenient!

Carrie really liked this new pump and was thrilled with how comfortable it was. Simplisse also has a full line of breastfeeding products in addition to this new manual pump (the double electric will be coming soon). These include disposable breast pads which are ultra thin for comfort, an all-natural lanolin & paraben-free nipple cream, lactation supplements and breast milk storage bags that zip seal and stand upright for convenience and piece of mind.

I love the packaging, too! Want to win your own Simplisse Manual Breast Pump? Simplisse has been kind enough to offer one of my readers not only their own manual breast pump, but a goody box that includes the breast pads, lactation supplements, milk storage bags and nipple cream!

Want to win? Just leave me a comment letting me know why you'd like to try the Simplisse pump! Since this is such a great giveaway, you can get some extra entries by

• Following me on Twitter  
• Becoming a fan of Blacktating on Facebook
• Tweeting about the giveaway (leave a link to your status update by right clicking on the time stamp and copying the URL)

That's a total of FOUR entries per person. Please leave a separate comment for each entry and be sure your email address is in your public profile or leave it in your comment. This giveaway is open to US residents 18 and older and ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, March 8th. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. Good luck!

*CLOSED* Congratulations, SocMama!

See's Candies Valentine's Day Giveaway!

I have the most amazing husband. He cooks for me, takes great care of our son, is handsome, kind and someone I have a great time with. He's sturdy, a man's man. He's reliable, honorable, and practical. What he's not is a romantic.The way he expresses his love for me is by always taking out the trash without having to be asked, fixing things around the house, washing my car, etc.

So imagine my surprise when, while working away in my office last year, my co-workers told me I had a package at the front desk. When I opened the package, inside it was a beautiful box of strawberries covered in a variety of different flavors of chocolate, along with several mini cheesecakes! I was floored, not only because the gift was so fantastic, but because it was something he had pre-planned and was a fabulous surprise. Since I don't expect him to display his love in ways like this, it was totally unexpected. Also, let's face it, women eat stuff like this up. And the fact that my co-workers were green with envy was just the icing on the cake! That sweet gesture made my day, and is something I'll remember for a long time.

Do you have a Valentine's Day or romantic story to share? See's Candies* is running a contest this week titled "Share Your Sweetest Story." Leave a comment on this post with your sweetest love story and you'll be entered to win a See's Candies Red Signature Box, a whopping 2 pounds of chocolatey goodness.

 

Do you really, really want to win? Here are some opportunities for extra entries, in addition to your comment with your Sweetest Love Story. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

  1) Visit the See's homepage (http://www.sees.com/) and sign up for the newsletter

  2) Tweet about this contest using the #seescandy tag (you can Tweet daily and post the link in the comments below!)

  3) Blog about why you want to win the Share Your Sweetest Love Story with links back to this post, as well as to the See's homepage (http://www.sees.com/) and post the link to it in the comments below.

  Enter Now!
  Deadline for entries is midnight, PST, Friday, February 5th and winner will be notified by email.

*This post has been sponsored by the Clever Girls Collective and See's Candies.

CLOSED- Congrats, LeeAnn! 

Review: Bravado's Allure Underwire Nursing Bra

A few months ago, Bravado! was kind enough to contact me to see if I wanted to review one of their two new bras, The Allure or the Sublime. I agreed and was sent the Allure Underwire Nursing Bra in ivory to try out.

Now, you've probably heard me say in the past that you should avoid underwire nursing bras until your milk supply is well-established and that remains true for this bra. It's for moms who are already at least 6 weeks into their nursing relationship. Otherwise an underwire can cause plugged ducts which can lead to mastitis and no one wants that!

So what makes this bra different from other Bravados I own? First, the cups are more molded and firm. This is definitely the kind of bra you want to wear to work under your professional clothing because it provides a lot of shaping and lifting. It's also a sexier bra than my other Bravados, and I love the detailing, like the little ribbon in the center and the embroidered straps. This bra also looks and feels more like lingerie than my other Bravados.

What hasn't changed? You're still getting the same things you've come to love and expect from Bravado: a great, comfortable fit, light and breathable fabric, and cups that fully drop when you unhook the bra. I did notice after a few months of wearing and washing that the wire had shifted a bit, but I find this to be common with underwire bras and I was able to easily push it back into place.

Overall this is another hit for Bravado and a bra I'd highly recommend!

Cost of this bra to me: Free
Cost of this bra to you: $59.50

Review & Giveaway: Simply Breastfeeding & Breast Pumps & Briefcases

In March of last year I reviewed a how-to breastfeeding DVD called Simply Breastfeeding. The DVD was created by Shari Criso, a certified nurse midwife and lactation consultant. Although I really loved the DVD, I had a few dislikes. They were namely that the information was separated into two DVDs and that there was a serious lack of diversity in the women and couples represented.

So Shari and her husband, Joe, recreated the DVD and made some improvements and sent it to me to review again. First, all of the information is now on one DVD. No need to get up and change out DVDs and the chapters are labeled and include things like "What are your breastfeeding goals?," "Breastfeeding benefits," "Breastfeeding techniques," and "Is my baby getting enough milk?"  There are also images at the start of the DVD of families from all backgrounds, and if my eyes didn't deceive me, one lesbian couple.

What hasn't changed about the DVD is Shari's warm, compassionate manner. She really has a knack for spreading knowledge and dispelling breastfeeding myths in a way that doesn't come off as pushy.

So what makes this DVD different from any other breastfeeding book or video you may see? Well, there is definitely a "Criso" method and part of it is very controversial. Shari advises preventing sore nipples by limiting feedings in the hospital before your mature milk comes in and offering a pacifier from day one to satisfy baby's intense need to suck. I'm not an IBCLC, but I know that advice runs counter to what you'll hear in the hospital from the lactation consultant and in other experts' books. I also personally wouldn't offer a pacifier in the beginning (I'm not a fan of them anyway) because I would be concerned about nipple confusion and nipple preference.

Shari has also very specific instructions on how she thinks it is best to latch your baby on, which nipple creams to use, what kind of nursing bras and pillows to buy and more. I like that she explicitly spells out her technique and shows real moms nursing and employing them with their newborns. The DVD also features bonus material, including a segment on cord blood banking (Shari's a big proponent), and a message from Best for Babes co-founder Bettina Forbes (a portion of DVD sales are donated to Best for Babes).

I also had the opportunity to review Shari's CD, "Breast Pumps and Briefcases," for working mothers. Pumping at work caused me more problems than I ever had breastfeeding so I wish I'd had this CD back then! Shari talks about how she made breastfeeding and working work for her, including pumping and having her husband bring her the baby to nurse on breaks. Again, Shari has some controversial recommendations, including offering small bottles from week one. Typically it is advised that no artificial nipples be offered until at least 6 weeks. But she does also offer her expertise on which bottles, pumps and nipples to use (I happened to agree with all of her recommendations on the CD). She explains how to bottle feed the breastfed baby, how to maximize your output, how to store milk, how to talk to your day care provider about breast milk and more.

Now for the good part....your chance to win both the Simply Breastfeeding DVD and Breast Pumps & Briefcases CD! Shari was kind enough to offer one lucky reader a copy of each.

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment with why you want to win this set.

You can get extra entries by doing the following (please leave a SEPARATE comment for each):

• Become a fan of Blacktating on Facebook
• Follow @blacktating on Twitter
• Twitter about this giveaway (leave a link to your tweet)
• Blog about this giveaway (leave a link to your blog post)

That is 5 possible entries per person! This giveaway is open to residents of the US age 18 and over only. The contest will run until Wednesday, January 28th at 11:59 PM. Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. Good luck!

*CLOSED* Congratulations to Vanessa!

GMC Terrain Miami Event

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of being invited to an event to learn more about child safety, particularly car safety, and the new GMC cross-over vehicle, the Terrain. I was interested in attending because I am very passionate about car safety. I live in South Florida, where we really have a car culture. Mass transit is unreliable and runs on a limited schedule and most people have long commutes to work, riding solo in the car. In addition to that, because of our climate, we have some extra concerns when it comes to keeping our kids safe. We have to worry about pool (and ocean, canal, etc) safety all year round. And the number of kids who die every year in Florida because they’ve been left in the car is mind boggling.

That’s why I was so pleased to learn more about how to keep my toddler safe in the car. The representatives from Safe Kids USA gave us so much information on what kind of car seat to buy (expensive is not better; they all meet the same federal guidelines and standards), how tight the straps should be (forget two fingers worth of space, you shouldn’t be able to get a finger in) and how long you should keep your child rear-facing (as long as possible, people! Up to the max height/weight of your car seat).

We also talked about toy safety, which is timely with the holidays coming up. We learned a neat trick to test whether or not a toy will be a choking hazard for your toddler. If the toy fits through the hole of an empty toilet paper roll, it’s a choking hazard and shouldn’t be given to a child under the age of 3.

As a strong believer in attachment parenting, I was grateful that the Safe Kids reps stressed that you should never use your car seat as a baby-sitter or bed for your baby. Your baby should spend 60 minutes per day, MAX, in the car seat. Of course there are times when you won’t be able to meet that ideal standard, say on road trips, but your baby shouldn’t be left in the car seat for extended periods of time. Babies need to be held and they also need time on the floor to crawl and explore.

After the information session, the ladies from SafeKids checked our car seat, and like most of the population, ours was installed incorrectly. Oops! Thankfully they walked us through proper installation and now our car seat is at one with the car.

We also had the chance to test drive the new GMC Terrain. It’s a nice little cross-over that comes with lots of cool features, like a rear vision camera, standard. It has a ton of room in the back and comes fully loaded for $30,000, including double TV/DVD players built into the headrests. Since we only have one kid, it’s probably more car than we need right now, but would make a great vehicle for a family of four, especially once the kids are older and need to be shuttled off to soccer practice, ballet, etc. The hugest selling point for me, though, was that the car gets 32 MPG. That rivals my compact car! My mom was so impressed she is thinking of leasing one of her own when her current lease is up. Yes, GMC has brought back leasing programs, too!

I had a great time at this event and learned a lot and shared a lot of it with you via my tweets that day. You can search for the Twitter hash tag #GMCTerrainMiami for more information.

Full disclosure: I was not paid to attend this event or to write about it, but I did receive a Sony Webbie as a free gift. Thanks, Sony!

Baby Star Nursing Blanket Review/Giveaway

If you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you know how I've felt about nursing covers. For a very long time, I was very against the use of nursing covers. I didn't like the message they sent and I felt like in order to normalize breastfeeding, moms needed to ditch the covers. However, I do understand that many moms are more modest than I am and for some, nursing in public would not be possible without some sort of cover up. I want moms to be comfortable and I want them to breastfeed, so if you need a cover to do that, by all means cover up! Whatever it takes to get moms and babies nursing, I'm all for it!

I'll be honest, though, I still find those apron-like nursing covers to be hideous. I considered using a blanket to cover up while latching my son on, but living in South Florida, I never wanted to be under a blanket, let alone put my baby under one! That's why when Baby Star sent me their Star Nursing Blanket to review, I was thrilled at how lightweight it was.


The blanket is 27.5" x 27.5" so it's quite large, perfect for post-partum moms or those who are plus size. The outer shell is 100% cotton and the fuzzy lining is soft polyester. That star up in the corner helps to weight the blanket. Throw it over your shoulder and it helps anchor the blanket in place. This comes in handy with the baby who likes to pull at the blanket and will do his or her best to expose mom while breastfeeding(like my son did)! The star could also be given to the baby to chew on or play with.

Even if you're not breastfeeding, it's always nice to have a lightweight blanket that you can throw over a car seat to block out the sun, use as a changing pad for impromptu diaper changes, cover baby in a cold restaurant, etc. This blanket folds up easily into a compact little square that can be tossed in a diaper bag and not take up much room. I think this blanket is an ideal solution for the modest nursing mom who prefers to be covered when breastfeeding in public. I love that it's machine washable and comes in a variety of patterns and colors to fit every taste. I really like this blanket and think it would make a great gift this holiday season for the new mom or mom-to-be in your life.

Want to buy one for yourself? Use code 20twinkle09 to save 30% off any purchase at Baby Star until 12/31/09.

Want to win one? Baby Star was kind enough to offer a nursing blanket to one of my readers, in the fabric of your choice. For a chance to win, simply visit Baby Star and leave a comment with your favorite Baby Star item.

You can get extra entries by doing the following (please leave a SEPARATE comment for each):

• Sign up for the Baby Star newsletter (leave your email address in the comment)
• Follow @babystars on Twitter
• Follow @blacktating on Twitter
  
• Join the Baby Star fan club on Facebook
• Twitter about this giveaway (leave a link to your tweet)
• Blog about this giveaway (leave a link to your blog post)

That is 7 possible entries per person! This giveaway is open to residents of the US age 18 and over only. The contest will run until Friday, December 11th at 11:59 PM. Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. Good luck!

CLOSED- Congratulations, Xenia!