Tiny Oranges – Fresh, fun blog for OC moms

I recently discovered the company Cheap Collage online and thought it was a cute idea so I wanted to share it with you. If you are interested in making your own collage, enter code “tiny50″ for  50% OFF any order through 2/14/12 – yippee!

First you choose your shape or design your own, upload your personal photos, and then your photos are used in the shape of the design to make a personal and unique piece of artwork.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought this heart collage would make a VERY cute gift for a grandparent or child (but please note Valentine’s order deadline is 2/3 to ensure you get it on time!)

You can also choose to incorporate one picture or many pictures inside of one word, like your child’s name or FAMILY.  How cute would that be?  Or, something like “LUKE TURNS 3″ with pictures throughout the year for a birthday party idea?

You could make one of your vacation, use honeymoon or wedding pictures, make one as a gift for a alumni that is nuts over their alma mater, anything!

They also have great race car or airplane design for those of you with little boys who love all things that go! Or a butterfly for your little girls.

But this one happens to be my favorite…and just in time for the month that we celebrate it…

Ahhhhh…and once again, to show us their love, Cheap Collage is offering a coupon code to Tiny Oranges readers to make it even cheaper.

Enter promo code “tiny50″ for 50% OFF today through 2/14/12.

www.CheapCollage.com
Follow Cheap Printing Company on facebook *  Tweet with @PrintingCheap on Twitter

Have a great weekend everyone!

When I met Colleen, the editor of JustAskBoo Orange Co, my first question was “What is JustAskBoo??” as just the name in itself immediately piques ones interest!

JustAskBoo is a weekly email Newsletter full of interesting questions that “JABBERS” want to know.

Questions that usually start with “Does anyone know a good…?” Because really, doesn’t someone always know someone?

It’s completely free to join, and any JABBER can submit a question to be included and any JABBER can respond directly via email with a referral or advice.

A few months back I was going to look into laser hair removal, so I emailed Colleen to see if she could post a “Does anyone know a good laser hair removal place in Costa Mesa or Newport Beach?” question in the next weekly Newsletter.

From the Newsletter, I got several referrals, some of which were for the same place near me, which made me feel great knowing that multiple people had positive experiences there.

I thought it was especially helpful to pose a question like this to the JABBERS who are mostly all women because this was not the sort of question that I would want to put out there on facebook.

Like do I really want a random high school guy that is a facebook friend of mine knowing I am looking into laser hair removal?! NO!

On the flip side, it’s also fun to chime in with your own recommendation. I  know for me, when I LOVE a company, there is nothing I like more than referring them to someone else!

It is definitely worth signing up to check it out!  You can click here and click the blue bubble to “JOIN the Grapevine.”  Then you can look forward to the weekly Newsletter where you can exchange personal recommendations, seek advice, post announcements, promote special events, sell personal items, and even advertise your business.

And just in case you were wondering, the company was started in 2008 by a woman in Miami named Boo Zamek, who found herself connecting friends with each other. Yes, there is a REAL Boo!

Completing HAVE TO activities each day with my headstrong two-year-old can be challenging to say the least.

Essential tasks like going potty, brushing her hair (don’t even get me started on the washing hair drama), brushing her teeth, getting dressed, etc., can sometimes turn into situations where I am forced to exercise patience I really don’t have.

The teeth brushing process for awhile was horrendous. I tried everything…using big sis as an example, songs, trying to give her some sense of power with “your turn” then “MOMMY turn!”

It even got down to me naming the “sugar bugs” in her mouth I was getting out while brushing. “Morgan! I see Sammy the Sugar Bug back there, open wide, I have to get him out…!”  That lasted for maybe a few brushings as she peered at me with angry, skeptical eyes as the toothbrush was working to evict Sammy.

But sadly it usually ended up with me having to brush those little things against her (SCREAMING) will which is SO not pleasant for either of us and can set a mama’s blood pressure through the roof.

But every time I felt like throwing in the towel, my pediatrician’s voice would be in my head…”If she didn’t feel like riding in her car seat would you let her? Same thing, her teeth have to be brushed, there is no choice.”

Then I remembered seeing something on www.MyFavoriteEverything.com awhile back about a Spinbrush for kiddos and thought maybe getting a new exciting toothbrush might be worth a try.

The Arm & Hammer Kid’s Spinbrush My Way! is a battery-powered toothbrush that comes with 141 waterproof stickers that the kids can use to decorate their own toothbrush.

Really brilliant because I have two girls and they even come with sticker letters so you can put your name on it.

According to Arm & Hammer, kids brush 38% longer with a battery-powered toothbrush. That is huge. So we got two and gave them a try!

My five-year-old loves her new toothbrush and I feel that she is doing MUCH more thorough job using this toothbrush vs. the normal old one.

And, I am happy to report that my two-year-old is BETTER using this toothbrush. I am not going to claim she is clamoring to get those pearly whites polished up, BUT the battles have been drastically reduced, and that to me is a success!

They are available now at most grocery stores and drugstores, but you can also buy online here. I also wish I knew these Arm & Hammer coupons were online before I bought ours!

If anyone has any toddler tooth brushing tips - PLEASE DO TELL AND COMMENT HERE!

I am sure many of us have health goals this new year, and one of mine each year is to make sure I stay hydrated by drinking enough water every day.

I am going to be honest and tell you that up until about 3 or 4 years ago, I drank a lot of bottled water. I was doing so because I was a busy new mom it was convenient.

One day I remember seeing the bottles pile up in my recycle bin and it made me cringe, which is when I made the switch to a reusable bottle.

This past summer I discovered a new favorite (green) way to drink water which is so ultra convenient I had to share with you!

The Filtrete Water Station showed up on my doorstep after the BlogHer ’11 conference last summer in a package from it’s maker, 3M.

Composed of four, reusable bottles, the station allows you to filter water directly from your tap into the four separate water bottles at one time.

The filtration system reduces the sediment and chlorine taste from tap water and in my opinion, the water from this system tastes really great.

But here’s the thing I love the most… I fill up the four bottles of filtered water at one time and stash them in my fridge to chill.

Now when I am rushing out the door which happens quite frequently, I can grab a chilled bottle already filled and be on my way. I don’t have to hassle with filling up my reusable bottle because one is ready to go.

They are the perfect size to fit in your purse (16.9 oz) and come with an attached cap that securely locks in place and I have had zero issues with leakage.

The filter lasts for three-months and there is an indicator that shows when it’s time to change the filter.

I LOVE this money-saving, green product and use it everyday!

You can learn more at www.FiltreteWaterStation.com.

[Disclosure: I received my water station for free but this is not a compensated post. All my opinions are my own and I am drinking filtered water out of my Filtrete bottle as I type! Images provided via 3M.]

Up until recently, I have never found bed sheets that I absolutely LOVE. In fact, I have spent quite a bit of money on high thread count sheets that really weren’t that great.  When we got our new dreamy iComfort bed, I needed to buy new sheets since we went from a Cal King to a King and that is when I discovered the best, softest, coziest bed sheets EVER!

It happened by accident actually.  I bought a set of the Bed Bath and Beyond Pure Beech Sateen Sheets for our guest bed first. After I washed them and felt how amazingly soft they were, I went straight back to get a King set for us.

They didn’t carry King size in the store, so I had to order online. I have a  Bed Bath and Beyond tip to share! You can bring in your 20% off coupon that you probably get in the mail into the store and can have an associate order it online for you and apply the 20% off coupon, which is what I did.

For such luxurious sheets, they are not that expensive, ranging from $79.99 – $99.99 per set. With the 20% off, it’s not a bad price for the best sheets you will ever sleep on.

They are flipping amazing. Soooooo soft and cozy. They just sort of drape over you like silk. I have never felt sheets so soft in my entire life. I wash and dry them on “delicate,” and I have only had them a short time so I can’t tell you how they hold up, but from first impression, so far so good.

Now, time for a nap…have a fabulous weekend!