Off Beat Mama Shout out!

Thursdays Tunes: Against me! - Trash Unreal

This is the PERFECT song to bring in the New Year... You can never go wrong with Against Me! But this song... all about partying hard and makin changes... *cheers mates* Thanks for an amazing year of support... you all "rock" ;)



If she wants to dance and drink all night, well there’s no one that can stop her.
She’s going until the house lights come up or her stomach spills onto the floor.
This night is gonna end when we’re damn well ready for it to be over.
Worked all week long now the music is playing on our time.
We do what we do to get by, and then we need a release.

You get mixed up with the wrong guys.
You get messed up on the wrong drugs.
Sometimes the party takes you places that you didn’t really plan on going.
When people see the track marks on her arms she knows what they’re thinking.
She keeps on working for that minimum,
as if a high school education gave you any other options, you know.
They don’t know nothing about redemption.
They don’t know nothing about recovery.
Some people just aren't the type for marriage and family.

No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to be a junkie.
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to sleep alone.
[x2]

She’s out of step with the style.
She don’t know where the actions happening.
You know the downtown club scene ain't nothing like it used to be.
You reach a point where there’s not a lie in the world
that you could use to make the boys believe you're still in you twenties.
But they keep getting younger, don't they baby?
She’s not waiting for someone to come over and ask for the privilege.
She can still hear that Rebel Yell just as loud as it was in 1983, you know.
There ain't no Johnny coming home to share a bed with her and she doesn’t care.

No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to be a junkie.
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to sleep alone.
[x2]
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to be a junkie.
And if she had to live it all over again you know she wouldn’t change anything for the world.

New Giveaway: 3 winners Heathens Hearth Bath, body, & skin care

It has been no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Heathen's Hearth.

You can walk into any room w/ a sink in my house and find a bar of Heathens Hearth soap. I honestly can't even pick a favorite scent. Every time I go back - i grab a new one. At this point I have more soaps than sinks! haha. But, to choose my favorite product? Hands down the Deep Cleansing facial set for Normal/Oily skin.

Like most people my age (23) my skin has changed SO MUCH in the last few years... not to mention the hormone changes from having two babies back to back. Trying to find a face wash that kept me clear was near impossible... Lets face it... its hard being a girl *ahem...* a woman ;) Your clear for a week, then your period comes... BAM! Breakout... then by the time you clear back up... your ovulating... hormones all out of whack... BAM! breakout... or maybe your the opposite? And get really dry skin? Either way, she's got your back... I have literally tried every brand of face wash out there on the market and I could not find anything that regularly worked for me until I tried this. The Tea Tree Peppermint Charcoal face wash. And now I would be a pizza faced mess without it. I honestly & truly do not feel clean until the end of my shower when I finish washing my face.

Charcoal? Scary right? No - its not the stuff you scrape off your grill, lol "Activated charcoal has long been used to absorb toxins from your body, inside and out. It is used to effectively cleanse and whiten your skin, unclog pores, remove impurities and dead skin cells from the top layer of the skin, resulting supple, delicate and smooth skin." Combine that with the Tea Tree Oils & The Peppermint & you get pure perfection. While washing, I get that amazing deep clean tingle... and when finished I feel cool & smell like mint candy :) It actually even helps my makeup to stay on. I dont know why... maybe she does? My guess would be that Im so clean and not oily that the makeup can cling to my skin rather than oils and dead skin? (maybe she will verify this for me) But it was my savior for my wedding day. My makeup went on beautifully and stayed all night until I washed it off. I was SO grateful to find this product before the wedding.

So how could she make such an awesome product even better? With the full line of products. After falling in love with the face wash, i HAD to go back and get the mask... and as I expected its just as wonderful as the wash. "Bentonite Clay, Colloidal Oatmeal, Activated Charcoal with Chamomile and Tea Tree Essential Oil have been proportioned to perfection in this improved formulation." Cool right? But it gets even better! You can mix the powder with whatever you want to (milk, cream, water, honey, yogurt, etc) to create a paste. Totally fun. The first time I used it I just used water... but since then I have used milk, yogurt & honey. My favorite of those has been the yogurt. It was cool & tingly, yet creamy, and rinsed really clean. I skin Looked cleaner, felt cleaner and it even minimized my pores & black heads... Best of all? Hubby loves it too! He said... "my skin feels so soft and smooth!" he was right... it really did!

The newest part to my skin care has been the Toner. Its been a really great & simple addition to help take care of my skin... I just dab it onto my face and neck using a cotton pad or ball when I get out after I wash my face in the shower. Keep in mind... " if used in the morning, this toner needs to be followed by a moisturizer with sunscreen"

So that it folks - the whole 3 piece line up... and it couldn't be any better. But when if comes to something like this, you can't just take my word for it, you need to try it. I have turned SO MANY people onto this facial regimen who love it as well. And this week you get a chance to win it! Not just one of you... but THREE of you! ONE of you will win the Dry/Sensitive Skin Care Set... ONE of you will win the NORMAL Skin Care Set... and ONE more of you will win the Oily/Acne prone Skin Care Set.

How to win: 

#1:  Mandatory entry:  Tell us which of the 3 skin care sets you would want to win... SENSITIVE, NORMAL, OR OILY

Extra entries?? But of course :)
EACH ENTRY MUST BE LEFT IN A SEPARATE COMMENT TO COUNT!!!!!

#2) Follow us publicly here on (blogger) - Leave a separate comment for being a (old or new) follower on our blog.
#3) Follow/Tweet us (Twitter) - Leave a separate comment for being a follower and TWEETING about this giveaway on Twitter... If your already a twitter follower of ours, TWEET about it for an extra entry anyways :)

Tweet This: "Free Giveaway! 3 piece facial skin care set from @HeathensHearth at the @RockeByeBaby blog! 3 WINNERS & 15% off code! http://bit.ly/6l6jq0"
#4) Write a blog about this giveaway and link back to this review. Leave an extra comment with the link to the blog.
#5) Fan RockerByeBaby on Facebook...

#6) Fan The Heathen's Hearth on Facebook... 

#7) Follow Heathens Hearth on Twitter...

#8) Follow the Heathen's Hearth blog... 
#9) GET TWO ENTRIES - by making a purchase from Heathens Hearth... and when you do, mention the RockerByeBaby Giveaway and get 15% off!!
Come back here... and leave two comments telling us what you bought. :)

Note to Self Saturday: Xmas Success!

Ohhh what a day... Cali may not be "home"... and Christmas sure doesn't feel the same when its 70 & sunny... but it sure went off without a hitch! We spent Christmas Eve at the Settimis house and it was amazing... such great company... amazing Prime Rib... and BEAUTIFUL baby girls ;) (which only helped to make me want a little lady even MORE!!)  But the boys were great... they had a ton of fun... and we were able to stay until almost 11pm!! My boys are usually melting down by 7pm and ready for bed! So that was definitely a nice treat...  we finished off the night with champagne & exchanging presents with hubby after the kids went to bed. It was perfect. I was the luckiest girl in the world! He got me a brand spankin new sewing machine, and  bad ass camera, lol Cannon Rebel XSi... two lenses and a case. *dies* I have had SO MUCH FUN taking pictures... and was so happy to have it for xmas morning... its everything i could have possibly wanted and MORE! He definitely earned the #1 hubby award, lol.

i got him a new grill and a bunch of other randomness...

hes doing a wonderful job at being excited... though a feel like a total failure next to his gifts. lol

The boys had a ton of fun opening gifts... the kitchen & felt food has been a HUGE hit. But I think izzaq's favorite is the Melissa & Doug Birthday cake... He has been with it for like 6 hours! (yay for creative play - click photos to zoom)

My girl Ailie @ Baby Boo Felt has been so generous in helping us build our felt food collection... Not sure how likes it better, the boys or myself... but I just cant wait to start buying more :)

Zavery's favorite toy was probably the Mater truck. He loves it so much he even slept with it last night, lol

 

After presents there was a TON of playing... lots of snuggling... and then finally napping... kinda. (i think they were just too excited) Daddy took a good nap though... *good job daddy* while zaq napped and the boys pretended to, I started prepping stuffing. Zaq's mom makes the best sausage, rice & bread crumb stuffing... and for Thanksgiving zaq took a crack at making it... fail, lol So for x-mas it was my turn... I must say (and he will agree) i did a much better job... but it still wasn't Nana's stuffing...

Zaq was in charge of the rest... he likes cooking and holidays make it lots of fun for him to prepare the meal.

(notice the Vikings apron he got from santa... i think santa is even COOLER now that i know he shops on etsy!)

For dinner zaq made big fluffy squishy yummy rolls...

a HUGE bowl of mashed potatoes... (and this makes me laugh)

 Healthy Organic milk... with about 3 sticks a butter, lol

and of course... a christmas "roast beast"...

With all the playing and eating... there was bound to be lots of snuggling... Zavery went over and plopped himself right onto the floor with his "b's" it was the cutest thing in the world...

Then after some snuggling with daddy it was time for bed...

The day was great... I couldnt have asked for anything more... and now today the countdown to Santa has switched to the countdown to Nana and Papa... The should be here in about 8 more hours! Not much time left seeing as the started the 30 hour drive yesterday! We are really excited to see them... its been about 4 months :( Hope everyone else had a great holiday! Be sure to leave some comment love, id love to hear all about your day!

Favorites Friday: Creative Play

Merry Christmas to my readers that celebrate it! If you dont, Happy Friday! ;)  In honor of this christmas "creative play" trend this week... I wanted to use that as inspiration for todays post! Full of items that I bought... that I want... and that I hope to get soon! As always... click the photo to enlarge and the links below coordinate with the numbers!  Oh, and to any of the stores below that Im in love with... my kids would LOVE for me to host a review & giveaway of your items for a full writeup and week of adv. :) just email or comment if interested...

#1: MamaMayI: I always love a good memory game... make it wood and hand inked & im sold... such a cute idea :)
#2: ChaseDreams: Recycled Lego Crayons bought these for their stockings in both brights & Primary colors. Even cuter in person!
#3: LinenKids: You know my love for sewing (obviously) this WILL be mine... for sure... its hearted and after this has been posted for a few days im totally going back to get one. Izzaq will LOVE getting to help mommy "work"
#4: BabyLoveBlankies: We searched and searched for cool skully ISpy bags for xmas with no luck... and NOW after its too late for xmas, here they are, lol just my luck... Have to snag these up later!
#5: WoodShopBob: 12 Piece Wooden Mini cars... insanely adorable... i NEED to buy these... 3 inches long... what an awesome deal!! Zavery will LOVE it.
#6: BeeDot: My girl Mandy is so darn talented... I just love her Amigurumi creations... so I asked her to make me two ice cream comes and they are easily some of the cutest and most well made things i have ever seen come from etsy... I cant wait to get more!
#7: BabyBooFelt: We got SO MUCH felt for from her for christmas... its amazing!! The fruit basket is next on our list!
#8: LittleSapplingToys: 10 pin Wooden Bowling Set... I have been drooling over this all year. Izzaq is obsessed with bowling and i know would just go nuts to have this. Wish I would have found it before I was done xmas shopping!
#9: BabyBolt: Skull crayon roll made in my favorite print... lusting over this one for sure!

Thursdays Tunes: 1,2,3,4

So, the other day I was on a hunt for a song I had heard on a fellow mommy blog... I searched and searched not remembering where I heard it... or what that song even was... it was just stuck in my head. Finally a checked the Brooke Van Gory blog... saw the button I was looking for, and *ta da* there it was... on Newly Wed Newly Bred just blaring through my speakers... and right them, my heart melted a little... it is the cheeziest song I htink i have ever heard... and i just can't help but love it... it makes me think of zaq & the boys... and I promise you, it will be gracing the slideshow of the next family photo DVD :)

Read the Lyrics... listen... and let it become your guilty pleasure also.




1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4

Give me more lovin' than I've ever had
Make it all better when I'm feelin' sad
Tell me that I'm special even when I know I'm not

Make me feel good when I hurt so bad
Barely gettin' mad, I'm so glad I found you
I love bein' around you
You make it easy, it's as easy as 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4

There's only one thing to do
Three words for you I love you
There's only one way to say
Those three words and that's what I'll do, I love you

Give me more lovin' from the very start
Piece me back together when I fall apart
Tell me things you never even tell your closest friends

Make me feel good when I hurt so bad
Best that I've had, I'm so glad that I found you
I love bein' around you
You make it easy, it's as easy as 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4

There's only one thing to do
Three words for you I love you
There's only one way to say
Those three words and that's what I'll do, I love you
I love you

You make it easy, it's easy as 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4

There's only one thing to do
Three words for you I love you
There's only one way to say
Those three words and that's what I'll do, I love you
I love you

1, 2, 3, 4
I love you
I love you

Wordless Wednesday: Creative Play

3 kids... one wooden toy = Creative Play that even SaraSophia would be proud of ;)

 

Maddie: Her mommy runs BDPhotography

Early in the month we won this Labyrinth from the @FentonSlee She has a Blog called Paisley and Pretty's. This christmas has been all about wooden toys & handmade goodies & creative play... so winning this was jsut the icing on the cake! The kids sat there quietly for about 45 minutes... not kidding... MY KIDS!  and were VERY involved with making the balls make their way through the maze... Im so excited for our Creative Play christmas and seeing them with this just ensured that all my thoughts were right... Shortly after I decided to go this route for xmas - SaraSophia posted an AMAZING blog about their transition from plastic, overwhelming commercialized toys to real, true creative play... and it only inspired me MORE! I urge everyone to take a second to read it... its wonderful. So, as usual my Wordless Wednesday is full of words... I guess you could say I have a big mouth... err...keyboard? I dunno, lol but Ill hush up now so you can go read Saras post... then come back here and tell me what you think :)

Free Giveaway: EcoStore USA $25 Gift Certificate and Free shipping!

Oh, it is love! Im always on the hunt for new and amazing ecofriendly products... and this time, they found me. Ecostore USA contacted me a couple weeks ago offering a review and giveaway. Yay! I got to choose two of their wonderful products to try out, and let me tell you, the hardest part was choosing which ones to try!

EcoStore USA has an AMAZING line up of "green" products... everything that us "crunchy" mamas need to keep our counters sparkling... our laundry fresh... and our babies clean. I love that they have a big lineup of household products at great prices... Dishwasher soap is definitely on my "to buy" list as well as their toilet cleaner and spray cleaner. These are normally such harsh & potent chemical filled toxins, but with Ecostore they contain No Nasty Chemicals. Now of course I love all of these options, but thats not all... they have a whole list of baby products!! Things like Baby Nappy Balm, which is great for all kinda of skin issues little ones can have... Cradle Cap, Diaper Rash, etc. Chamomile & Lavender baby soap...  Baby massage oil for moisturizing and relaxing baby. And my two personal favorites that I got the chance to try... the Shampoo and the Body Wash.

The shampoo was wonderful... Chamomile & Lavender scented... smooth, not overbearing at all... perfect for that bed time bath... Now, when you use all natural soaps, its hard to find ones that are "tear free" but I can honestly say (girl scouts honor) that there was not one tear while washing both boys' hair. It soaped up to a nice thick later... rinsed clean... and let their hair silky smooth.



The body wash compared just as highly as the Shampoo did. We used a "loofa" with the soap and just as the Shampoo it had a really nice lather with just a little quarter size amount of soap. A soft scent and left the boys' skin even softer...

I have to say - I think the EcoStore USA company has a new regular customer. I am that satisfied with the products... and did i mention the prices? They are totally budget friendly. Always offer free shipping on $25 & up. And right now, 40% of all items for the rest of the year.

Don't worry - Im not taking all the goods for myself! The EcoStore USA has offered for one lucky reader to win a $25 gift certificate to anything in the store, as well as free shipping on your items!

How do you win? Easy... just comment!

#1:  Mandatory entry:  Tell us how you would spend your $25 if you win...

Extra entries?? But of course :)
EACH ENTRY MUST BE LEFT IN A SEPARATE COMMENT TO COUNT!!!!!

#2) Follow us publicly here on (blogger) - Leave a separate comment for being a (old or new) follower on our blog.
#3) Follow/Tweet us (Twitter) - Leave a separate comment for being a follower and TWEETING about this giveaway on Twitter... If your already a twitter follower of ours, TWEET about it for an extra entry anyways :)

Tweet This: "Free $25 Gift Certificate for "green" momy & baby products from @ecostoreusa at the @RockeByeBaby blog!! http://bit.ly/5pF6CU"
#4) Write a blog about this giveaway and link back to this review. Leave an extra comment with the link to the blog.
#5) Fan RockerByeBaby on Facebook...

#6) Fan The Eco Store on Facebook... 

#7) Follow the Eco Store USA on Twitter...

#8) TWO EXTRA ENTRIES IF YOU Sign up for the Eco Store monthly newsletter. This is a great way to stay up on their promotions and discounts!! 

Punk Rock Shopping Cart Covers!

So - some of you have seen (and some bought) the new boppy covers that my MIL started making to help out with the shop! They rock right? Well this is the last one we have! They sold super duper fast...

*sneak peek*

So in honor of that... she started making shopping cart covers for us!! Rad right? She made one for me and i use it EVERY SINGLE TIME I go to the store... helps to keep little man clean and germy free.... which is always a good thing... And Brooke got one when her husband said if I didn't send her one it would be my fault when Gory got swine flu, lol

(I think thats his poopin face, lol)

But yeah! So take a peek at all the new ones in the shop and let me know what you think! As always we are keeping out prices low... and our quality high! For now we are not doing custom orders on them but if they seem to sell well it could be in the future! *you can click on ANY of the photos to ZOOM it up*

 

 

 

Last but most definitely not least... one more big mention!! I got a GREAT deal on the flannel prints you see below... and because I love you... YOU get a great deal... Clearance Bedding just $225 each set. Thats $75 off of the regular bedding price!! I only have enough to make just ONE of each print so dont hesitate! Once it is gone its gone... Each custom set is available in any of the prints below... then can be paired with any of the many, many minky options :)

Sunday Snuggles...

I woke up this morning... snuggled up with hubby on this slow Sunday morning... dozed back off for a bit... woke up to a toddler tugging at my arm...

"mama... mama... wake up! Its sunny out... its morning... its breakfast time!"

well, no way was that happening, it was like 7am... so i told him to go take his diaper off (he only wears a diaper @ night time, and I have him trained now when he wakes up, to take it off, toss it in the trash and go potty, yay!) He climbed into bed with me & zaq... we clicked on some cartoons... and continued with the sleepy Sunday snuggles... after about 30 minutes Zavery woke up... I dragged myself outta bed... one foot after the other... did his diaper swap... and dropped him into bed next to me. This sweet little 2 year old man wrapped his arms around my neck... sniffed and whimpered pretending to be a puppy... then meowed like a little kitty... kissed my nose the just rested his hand on my cheek... Oh how I wish I would have had my camera... it was pretty much the sweetest thing he has ever done. I looked around... and there were my men... snuggled up... just lovin' their Sunday snuggles... luckiest mama in the world.

Note to Self Saturday: Just Try It...

So - the other day Lela from Glittersniffer started chatting about a trade... I needed a couple late xmas gifts... and of course - more of her amazing shades... and well - she (like most ;) needed some RockerByeBaby goodness...  so we talked about some little pouches... and an adult blanket... but the kicker? She wanted a purse... well we all know if you want a rad bag you go to Brooke, from Brooke Van Gory... But I thought, what the heck... its been awhile since I have gotten to sew anything other than blankets & bedding... so id give it a shot... At first I was just gunna make her a super simple tote out of the Midnight Snack fabric she loved... but... but... but... that MY favorite fabric too! (well, one of many, lol) So I couldn't send something so plain... I broke into my personal stash of fabrics and pulled out the dots that will be used for my curtains in the office... found some fuchsia ribbon... and started cutting... Now - one of the things that makes RockerByeBaby so special is I do not use patterns. Never once in all my years of sewing... if I wanna make something I figure out how. Somehow, in my brain i can just look at something and know how to sew it... So it one shot... no re-cutting... no tearing out stitches... I made Lela what i think might be the cutest thing I have ever made... and I gotta say... i dont really wanna send it off, haha... but I must... I just hope she loves it just as much as I do!! I left the edges raw by the ties... then knotted (and glued for strength) the fabric to the wide double sided satin ribbon. Then to finish it off I added a Purple snap if she wants to be able to keep it closed...

Lela - I know this was supposed to be a surprise... but its just too cool (and im too proud, lol not to show it off...

Thanks for listening to me gloat, lol Im done now... OH! one more thing... As you see in the photos... I made a new watermark to lay over the photos instead of just the text! And its also my new blog signature too :) YAY! Its amazing what you can do with a little free time.