Nutella With Breakfast?

I was very lucky to be selected by MomSelect and Nutella to host a Mommy Party and share one of my favorite products with friends of mine! I was introduced to Nutella a few years ago by a good friend of mine - and have been addicted ever since. But to be honest, I always kept it stashed away as a treat for myself (hubby and kids were banned from my jar of Nutella). I also always enjoyed it later in the afternoon or after dinner as a treat (spread on some graham crackers is one of my favorite treats).

Nutella for breakfast? At first I thought Nutella was crazy! But let me tell you - my kids are in love (as well as the 13 other kids that were at our house)!!!! My son has a sweet tooth like myself and I think he enjoys it the most.

Thanks so much Nutella for sponsoring this fun event!!! All of my mommy friends were excited to leave with samples of Nutella, yummy breakfast ideas to satisfy some picky eaters in the group, and a new coffee mug to help them get going on those early mornings with their kids! I must say, Nutella was huge hit at our party! (I think the most favorite breakfast was Nutella on an english muffin with sliced strawberries on top).

And on a side note - my son actually came up with a new lunch that uses Nutella - and he has now been eating it EVERY DAY!!! It's a Banana Hot Dog (originally from the children's nutrition book: Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right) - On a hot dog bun, there is layer of peanut butter, then add a banana, and then on top of the banana is a thin layer of Nutella - definitely his new favorite lunch!

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Latest Giveaway Winners!

Using random.org, here are our winners.....

The NOVICA giveaway winner was #19:
Anonymous said...

I like you on FB as Abbie Neary
flutterbyenature(at)yahoo(dot)ca



The Precious Moments Baby Blanket giveaway winner was #10:
Heather said...

I posted about it on facebook. (2)
http://www.facebook.com/airplanesanddragonflies
Heather K.
mysticbutterfly37 at yahoo.com


Winners have 48 hours to contact me (send me an email at jbuccigross at gmail dot com) or I will select another winner.  Congratulations!!!!!!!!!

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Precious Moments Baby Boutique Review & Giveaway

Are you like me and love to look at baby stuff in the stores?  I can walk into a department store and walk through all the women's items and not find one thing for me, but as soon as I head to the baby department, I can have my hands full of adorable stuff that would be perfect for one of my little ones or someone else I know that is having a baby or just had a baby! 

Through MomSelect, I recently had the opportunity to review a Precious Moments baby blanket from the Precious Moments Baby Boutique.  If you have never visited the Precious Moments Baby Boutique, I really suggest that you do!  There are so many adorable items for both baby boys and baby girls! 

When the baby blanket arrived in the mail, my 19 month old baby girl immediately picked it up and started cuddling with it....(and I couldn't blame her either with how soft it was!)

And since the day we received the blanket in the mail until now (a few weeks later) it is still the blanket she takes with her at naps and bedtime!  If you are looking for a baby present, I would definitely recommend this blanket - it is adorable and super soft!

 

Precious Moments has been kind enough to offer one lucky reader the same baby blanket that my daughter received in the photos!  If you are interested in winning, all you have to do is follow 3 Little Ones publicly via Google Friend Connect to be entered - just leave a comment below letting me know you follow my blog. 

If you would like a few extra entries, here they are:
1) Follow 3 Little Ones on twitter and tweet the giveaway (leave a link to your tweet in the comments) - this can be done up to 3 times a day
2) Become a facebook fan of 3 Little Ones
3) Share this giveaway on your facebook page or on your blog (or both - 2 entries for each done)

Giveaway begins on September 19th and will end on October 3rd at 8 p.m. EST.  Open to those ages 18 and older and living in US.  One winner be selected via random.org and posted on this blog.  The winner will then have 48 hours to email me or another winner will be selected.  Good luck! 

*I was not compensated for this review - I did receive a free Precious Moments Baby Blanket to review courtesy of MomSelect and Precious Moments. All opinions included in this post are my own. *

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NOVICA Review & Giveaway

I was very excited when I was contacted by NOVICA to review one of their handcrafted products - and more specifically, from their sterling silver jewelry line!  If you've ever read my blog before, you know that the majority of stuff I review are either for my kids or some sort of green cleaning product for my house - so to actually be able to review something just for ME, definitely made me even a little more excited!

NOVICA is one of the leading fair trade artisan websites.  They work with National Geographic to give talented artisans around the world a place to express their artistic talents and provide access to the world market.  They have thousands of jewelry items on their website!  It took me a long time to go through their website to find what I really wanted to review.  I ended up going with an Amethyst pendant necklace "Mystic Marvel" from an artisan in India - I do love Amethyst and it is my youngest baby's birthstone! 

I received the necklace in the mail a few weeks ago and have had a chance to wear it a few times already!  Everytime I wear it, I am always receiving compliments!  It is a square pendant with 12 round amethyst stones in it.  My husband and I went on a cruise last week together without our kids, so this necklace was definitely worn one of the nights at dinner.  I really love the necklace - it is the perfect size and length.  Many times when I buy a necklace, it ends up too long for me, but I love that this had an option of a shorter length.

What is even cooler (besides the gorgeous necklace) is that when it arrived, it came with a personalized postcard from the artisan!  It was very cool to receive the postcard from India written by the artisan (and also an English interpretation below).  I thought it definitely added a personal touch to it!

Here are a few other pieces that I love too!

NOVICA has been generous to offer one of my readers a $50 gift card to the NOVICA store.  Use it for whatever you would like - some stuff from their home decor line or possibly even a nice pair of earrings!!!   In order to enter, you must be a public follower of my blog and leave me a comment letting me know you follow and what item you would purchase from NOVICA with your $50 gift card. 

Before you can do any extra entries, make sure you've done the mandatory one....
Extra entries:
1) Become a facebook fan of NOVICA
2) Become a twitter follower of NOVICA
3) Follow 3 Little Ones on twitter and tweet giveaway (tweet can be done up to 3x per day) - make sure to comment with link to your tweet
4) Like 3 Little Ones on facebook
5) Blog about this giveaway (3 extra entries)
6) Post giveaway on your facebook wall

Giveaway begins on September 18th and ends on October 2nd at 8 pm EST.  Giveaway is open internationally to anyone over the age of 18.  Winner will be selected via random.org and will announced on this blog.  Winner will then have 48 hours to send me an email or a new winner will be selected. 

Good luck!!!

*I was not compensated for this review.  I did receive a necklase from NOVICA for the purpose of this post.  All opinions are my own. *

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Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale DVD Review

We recently had the opportunity through MomSelect to review the latest Barbie DVD - "Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale".   I remember as a kid one of my favorite toys to play with were all my Barbie dolls.  My parents still have our Barbie playhouse in the attic (and possibly her convertible too)!  My 3 year old daughter is just starting to get into Barbie dolls - so when our DVD arrived in the mail and she saw it, she was immediately excited and couldn't wait to watch it!

Overall, we enjoyed the DVD.  We enjoyed al the fashion, sparkles, glitter and glam as Barbie traveled to Paris to help her aunt (a fashion designer) save her fashion business!  Definitely a great movie to help us all "discover our inner sparkle"!  

If you are interested in this DVD for a little girl in your life, it became available on DVD a few days ago (September 14th) at stores across the nation. 

*I was not compensated for this review - I did receive the DVD for free from MomSelect and Barbie in order to view and write my review.  All opinions included are my own *


 

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Skoy Cloth Review

I was very excited to have the opportunity to review Skoy Cloths in our house!  As you've probably read before, I really try to not use paper towels in the house anymore and instead use rags for clean up and washcloths to clean off the kids hands and face.  I came across a few blog reviews of Skoy Cloths and immediately went to their website, because the product really intrigued me.  It is a reusable, washable and 100% biodegradable cloth that is used instead of paper towels and sponges.   One Skoy Cloth can be used over and over again to replace up to 15 rolls of paper towels!! 

Skoy was founded by two stay-at-home moms (Michelle & Karen) who live in Encinitas, California.
"Our story is quite simple. We had a desire to share a cloth that is better than any cloth we have ever used and was environmentally friendly.  We started to do a little research and were shocked to see how people were cleaning their kitchens. We were even more shocked to find out how many tons of paper towels were being used annually (2.5 million tons) and filling up our landfills." 


I received a package of 4 Skoy Cloths and couldn't wait to try them out - I loved how the package had 4 different colored cloths in it - it made it much easier to keep track of which one I was using for dishes and which ones for cleaning.  I must say, that these reallly do work well!  They work great at cleaning up my kitchen counters, the kitchen table and even the sink!  Everything comes out clean without leftover residue.  And when I'm done cleaning, I can either run them through the dishwasher, throw in the washing machine when putting on a load of laundry, or even pop it in the microwave for a minute (when wet) to clean it.  Very easy :) 

Here are some facts about Skoy Cloths:

*Each SKOY Cloth is approximately 7”x 7”

* They are made using water-based colors and inks

*Easy cleaning: place in the dishwasher, washing machine, or microwave

*Is equivalent to using 15 rolls of paper towels

*Super absorbent - up to 15x it's own weight

*Long lasting - can last up to 50 wash cycles

*Made from a blend of natural cotton and cellulose from wood.


So if you're interested in trying some out for yourself, head over to Skoy's website to purchase some of your own - they are only $6.99 for 4 cloths!  (Much cheaper than buying 15 rolls of paper towels!)

* I was not compensated for this review - I did receive a free sample of 4 Skoy Cloths. All opinions included in this post are my own. *

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"Are All Those Kids Yours?"

I had plans all weekend of getting to Michael's, but somehow I just never made it there.  My hope was to go there without any kids, but instead I went this morning with all 3.  Why do I continue to do this to myself?  I ask myself this question all the time because everytime I walk out of that store with my kids, I swear to myself I will never do that again.  Here's how this morning went....

When I pull into the parking lot, I remind everyone of the rules - (1) no taking things off shelves without asking me and (2) no asking for anything.  Only 2 rules, so it should be pretty easy (at least I think so).

When we get inside, my 19 month old wants to sit in the seat of the shopping cart and my almost 3 year old daughter wants to sit in the back of the shopping cart.  I'm thinking to myself "yay!" - only my 4 year old is "loose" in the store.  I try to hurry and get to all the aisles I need to before I know someone starts to fuss.  But, my older daughter decides she needs to use the potty.  Of course!  Do you know that everytime I take her to either Michael's or JoAnn's she needs to use the potty?  (Even she has gone right before we leave the house and she's had nothing else to drink since then).  For some reason she loves to complain about the smell in the Michael's bathroom (very strong cleaner) and she loves to comment about the hole in the wall at JoAnn's.  Can I just say - frustrating! 

And then my 4 year old spots some toy that he really, really, really wants.  Tears come and he then follows me down each aisle crying about how much he now "needs" that toy.  Yes, I was that annoying mom in the store who lwas oosing total control of her kids....

So once one starts, they all seem to chime in....then the baby started to get upset because her older sister wasn't letting her hold anything that mommy was buying.  And now she is refusing to sit in the cart so I must carry her if I don't want her standing.  I rush to get in line and as my older daughter is helping to put everything on the counter, her elbow hits a box of huge bouncy balls (seriously, who puts a box of bouncy balls on a too small counter at the check out ares?) so they all go bouncing down to the ground.  As my son tries to collect them, I go ahead and pay (and forget to use my 40% off coupon).  In the midst of all that, the woman behind me (who is probably close to 80 years old) asks "are all those kids yours?".  With a smile on my face, I look her in the eyes, and respond "yes, of course they are".  Her response "oh".  What was she trying to get at?  I only have 3 kids.  So many other people have many more kids than I do.  And it really isn't all that uncommon to families to have 3 kids.  And what business is it of hers?

So anyway, I get handed my receipt (and see a new 40% off coupon which triggers my memory of the coupon I forgot to use) and am about to walk away when my son comments that he's still holding the package of buttons and scotch tape that I wanted to buy - he had never put them on the counter. Ugh!  So I go to pay for those and ask if I can return the expensive item from before to use my coupon I had forgotten to give her.  Well, that would entail calling a manager up front to handle the return.  Doesn't she realize that I just want to get out of there as quickly as possible?

So I pick up a bag of candy corns and use my 40% coupon on the $2.50 scotch tape.  And how I would have loved to enjoy those candy corns on the drive home, but.....(I'll save that story for tomorrow)....

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