Happy New Year's!!!

Cupcakes by TrophyPinkNYE

As the final hours of 2009 wind down, I want to thank all of my readers for your support. Many more posts to come in the New Year! May 2010 be a prosperous year for you and yours!

gorgeous holiday cupcakes

gorgeous creations by obliviousfire

new diaper cake creations

bundle2baby is growing!

thrifty love

Are you a thrifty girl? Does your heart beat a little faster when you stumble upon a great deal? Even if money wasn't a consideration, I would still be forever searching for buried treasure. So if you're anything like me, you will enjoy reading the posts at Pink of Perfection, a thrifty girl's guide to the good life.

cupcake art

Looking for inexpensive whimsical artwork for your child's room? Check out Etsy seller, Mina Makes Art for colorful hand painted works of art with a cupcake theme!

wordless wednesday

crafty inspiration

Reading my Daily Candy today and found Parcel. A lovely craft and tidbit shop full of the most exquisite papers, craft materials and vintage party decor.  ~ I'm in love!   

wordless wednesday

How about cookies for breakfast? Check out Kudos Kookies. 

Lion King in Vegas

Finally getting around to updating the blog. It's been a busy summer and now here we are preparing for kindergarten already! The summer is passing by so quickly.

Here are a few pics from the "Lion King in Vegas" baby shower we helped host July 11, 2009 in Las Vegas.

happy father's day!

Creative Father's Day cupcake toppers from The Frosted Cake 'n Cookie.

planning a shower?

Looking for baby or bridal shower games and ideas? Check out The Shower Diva for step-by-step tips on planning a fun shower everyone will enjoy. 

bath time baby!

Ever try juggling a towel and a squirmy wet baby at the same time? You no longer need to do a balancing act between the towel and your baby with Baby Top n Towel. Simply place the neck strap around your neck (like an apron). Connect the hook tabs on the ends of the neck strap to the special fabric border on the towel. Place the towel top on baby's head after washing and secure under baby's chin. Lift baby from the bath and place on your chest. Hold your baby securely while you wrap the towel around him or her. When you are ready to change your baby you can detach the towel from your neck straps. Makes bath time more relaxing both for baby and new moms!    

kids write books

Would your children like to write and publish their own real hard-bound (or soft-bound) book? Check out I Am An Author: Online Edition! Owners Kari Wilcher and Marie Watson created the web based program, which can be tailored for just a few children. Great for homeschool!

wordless wednesday

Cuz...we're cute!

Image clevercupcakes

superstar blogger!

I have been given the Super Star Blogger Award from Moms On The Go! Thank you so much Jennifer!! 

Here are a few favorite blogs of mine that I'd like to give this award to:

A Military Wife's Mayhem! 

This Casual Life.

Two more super star bloggers! 

*Oops! I forgot to add Swag Studio! Another blog I really enjoy visiting. You're on our list of super star bloggers Amy! 

wordless wednesday

Blue Pacifier Baby Shower Cupcakes

Image clevercupcakes

easy for you, safe for them

Thinking of giving your teen a credit card? You may want to try BillMyParents instead. Your teens can still have the freedom to shop online, but parents control what is purchased. Your confidential credit card information is private and is not shared with your child. Using email alerts, parents can approve or deny each item a child requests through a secure account on the BillMyParents website. Better than receiving a huge bill at the end of the month! Sign up at BillMyParents or read more about teens and spending in the Wall Street Journal.

Monday Mealtime

I found this wonderful recipe over at Nook & Pantry. Soup for dinner is always a winner! YUM!

Roasted Tomato and Quinoa Soup & Grilled Cheese SandwichRoasted Tomato Soup with Quinoa2 C roasted tomatoes (from 2 pounds tomatoes) or 2 cans of14.5 oz Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion or half a large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 - 3 C chicken stock or water, to taste
1/4 C quinoa, rinsed
1/4 C chiffonade* basil (optional)
*chiffonade right before using to prevent the basil from turning black
For Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup
- Add half a cup of heavy cream right after cooking
In a Dutch oven or large nonreactive saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the diced onions. Saute the onions until they are translucent and have softened. Add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Scrape the onion and garlic mixture into a blender and add the roasted tomatoes or cans of fire roasted tomatoes. Blend until completely smooth, add a little of the chicken stock or water if the mixture is too thick.
Return the puree into the saucepan, add the dried oregano, and the chicken stock or water. Simmer on low to medium low heat for 10 minutes, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, add more stock or water if it’s too tomatoey, and add the quinoa. Continue to simmer until the quinoa are cooked through and opened, about 10 – 15 minutes.
Off heat, stir in the chiffonade basil. For creamy soup, stir in the cream after simmering the soup. Add basil at this time too.
Roasted Tomatoes
3 lbs tomatoes
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Slow Roasted 
Cut the tomatoes in half and get rid of as many seeds as possible. In a bowl, toss the tomato halves with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Arrange the tomatoes on a parchment paper lined metal sheet pan or skip the parchment and use a pyrex glass dish.
Roast in the oven at 300 degrees for 6 or more hours, depending on how dry you want them. I only roasted them for about 6 hours because I wanted to keep them juicy since they were going into soup.
Fast Roasted Tomatoes
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Cut the tomatoes in half and get rid of as many seeds as possible. In a bowl, toss the tomato halves with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Arrange the tomatoes on a parchment paper lined metal sheet pan (do not use a pyrex in such high temps). Roast until the tomatoes start to color, about 30 minutes.
After roasting the tomatoes are easily peeled off. I forgot to peel them but the skins pureed in the blender and were not an issue.

sweet saturday

Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting look delish. 

Perfect for a red theme baby shower. Yum! 

~ photo bossacafez's

 

our first blog award!

We were pleasantly surprised to receive our first blog award this week from The Thoughtful Parent and A Pocket Full of Buttons.  Thank you Amy and Stephanie!

Here are the rules:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Here are 15 of B2B's favorite blog friends:

Swanky Moms

3 Kids and Us

Baby Boogers

Better Than Boogers

Born 2 Impress

But Mommy

Critical Mass

Daisy Pink Cupcake

Essential Baby Planner

Faith, Family, and Fibromyalgia

Ramblings of a Fab Brunette

The Obnoxious SAHM

Painter Mommy

Party Perfect

Lemon Drop Studio

vanishing iPhoto

Okay, I'm officially annoyed today.  I was on a roll this week getting so much done.  I decided to upload some Mother's Day pics, when I discovered my iPhoto application...gone.  Poof!  Vanished! After much Googling, it appears iPhoto is not part of the regular "bundled" software I reinstalled on my MacBook? Apple, really...I love you, but WHY does everything HAVE to be so complicated?!

I haven't found the solution to this new MacBook problem. I refuse to drop off my newly acquired appendage with Geek Squad or with genius at Apple store (after all I "fixed" it when I locked myself out last week). I will go it alone for now, unless of course I find myself desperate.  Then I may actually HAVE to part with said MacBook for longer than 8 hours. Maybe it's time to take some classes.  

contain the potty train

Calling all moms of potty-training boys!  Tired of daily clean ups around and behind your toilet? Contain the mess with the Flippee Toilet Shield.  Created by a mom, Flippee protects the bathroom from accidents by creating a barrier to the toilet, floor and walls.  Easily attaches to the toilet with suction cups and stores discreetly around the base.  Convenient drip lip feature stops excess from hitting the floor when it's flipped down.  Another smart innovative product designed by one creative mom!  

message in a jar

Looking for a great baby shower gift that you can add your own unique touch to? Try KindNotes, the gift your loved one can open and enjoy daily.  Each standard jar comes with 31 customizable messages in beautiful mini envelopes. Select from the Ready-Made, Special or Completed Collections or add your own unique touch and choose the Customize It option. With over 400 inspirational messages to choose from, KindNotes makes a wonderful alternative to flowers! 

Enter the B2B giveaway to win three (3) dozen assorted mini decorative envelopes/papers. Use them as notes of inspiration, love, and gratitude for the one you love. Place them in a book, wallet or lunchbox to surprise someone special!  To enter, simply drop by KindNotes to check out their designs. Then come back to our blog and leave a comment to let us know which KindNotes jar is your favorite. 

Giveaway ends May 22, 2009 at 9:00 pm PST.  One comment per person. USA residents only. Duplicates disqualified. Please be sure to leave us a way to reach you or check back to see if you are selected.  Winners must respond within 48 hours of giveaway end or another winner will be chosen.

For an extra entry, Follow B2B on Twitter and be sure to tweet about our giveaway! 

Good luck!

warming hearts and making feet happy

If you're looking for an interesting alternative to the standard greeting card, try SockGrams. Shop their socks, choose a greeting, add your personal message and they handle the rest!  

MacBook Meltdown

So it's been a few days since my last blog post.  Note to self: do NOT mess with Mac settings unless you want to spend the next three days in a panic. 

31 cent scoop night

Looking for a sweet deal? Join Baskin-Robbins and help honor America's firefighters with a $100,000 donation to the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) National Junior Firefighter Program. Baskin-Robbins will reduce prices of small ice cream scoops to 31 cents on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 from 5 p.m.- 10 p.m. At some locations, you may also have an opportunity to make a donation to local fire charities. Enjoy a scoop of ice cream with your family for a good cause!

baby booty bag swag

It's been a busy week! We finished and shipped 220 baby shower favors for the Baby & Tween Celebration LA event next weekend. The next project will be adding quite a bit of product to the Bundle2Baby store before our trip up to LA on Friday. Lots of work ahead!

the yuck solution

Finally, a solution for the yuck (good word for it). It's called Chuck The Yuck. Yes, I am talking about "it" again. You know, my favorite topic. Yeah that. These cute lined bags come in pretty handy when you are having a bad case of all day sickness (like I did) during pregnancy. Or food poisoning, car sickness, kids...

diaper pin bottles by donna hay

A cute baby shower idea from Australian cook and author Donna Hay. Simply wrap coordinating fabric around drink bottles and secure with diaper pin. Adorable!

Image courtesy Party Perfect

Baby Shower Invites That Grow

Looking for baby shower announcements, invitations or thank you notes that are eco-friendly? Botanical Paperworks uses handmade, plantable seed paper. This special paper grows wildflowers when planted. Just put the seed paper into a pot of soil and the wildflower seeds will grow into beautiful plants. An invitation that gives back!

Gift Hero

Need to buy a gift for a child's birthday party, but don't know what to get? Gift Hero can save the day! Selected by moms, great finds (that kids would actually like) at any price range. Includes reusable drawstring gift bag. 

Icky stained car seat problem finally solved!

I think I just found a genius invention, the Nomie Baby car seat cover. As a mom, I can't tell you how many times I've thought "Ick! Why aren't car seat covers easy to wash?" Thank you Nomie Baby!

Order now on our website www.bundle2baby.com

Stuff I Like

Calling all moms of future fashionistas! Extremely funny (and cute!), completely soft high heel shoes for babies 0-6 months. http://www.heelarious.com

Happy Resurrection Day!

Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday weekend.  I've been neglecting the B2B blog lately since joining Twitter. Now that I've officially become a Twit addict, I will have to tear myself away and get back to updating here more frequently. Lots of interesting baby stuff to share, cool baby products made by fellow WAHM's, as well as shower ideas. Been busy here! Wishing all my Christian friends and readers a Happy Resurrection Day! More to come...  

Fashionable Nausea Relief!

I hate feeling nauseous.  I mean, I REALLY hate feeling nauseous.  I'm one of those people who plug their ears and yell "la, la, la" at the mere mention of vomit.  During pregnancy, one of the first things I looked for was some kind of morning sickness relief. Somehow I found out about Sea-Bands, which I immediately bought. They seemed to help a lot with morning sickness (I never actually got sick), but they weren't exactly fashionable. Sea-Bands look like ugly gray sweat bands, plus they can't be worn in the shower or adjusted. 

You can imagine how excited I was yesterday when I stumbled upon PsiBands! Functional AND stylish! Definitely a must have for those with morning sickness AND people who would like to avoid the v-word at all costs.  

Children and Food Allergies

I recently blogged about peanut allergies and how it can affect daily life.  I thought I would post a link to this article about a mom and her young son's struggle with severe food allergies.  This topic is near to my heart, as I've dealt with peanut allergies and other food sensitivities my whole life. For more information on food allergies, please visit The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

Tax Time: Facts About The Child Care Tax Credit

As tax day approaches, you may be looking for ways to maximize your tax deductions. If your children attended daycare or you hired a babysitter, you may be able to reduce your taxes this year by claiming the credit for child and dependent care expenses.  The expenses you paid must be for the care of one or more qualified children under the age of 13 and both you and your spouse must have earned an income (unless one spouse was a full-time student or was physically or mentally incapable of self-care).

Read the top ten tips about this tax credit at Strollerderby's blog or visit the IRS Website for more detailed information.  

Photo by Phillip.

Teaching Kids To Save

No doubt about it, our country is facing tough times. Every day seems to bring more bad news about our economy and what the future holds. As we tighten up our budgets, we can also teach our children how to become a little more frugal. 

In our house, we aren't afraid to simply say no when asked for the umpteenth time "can I have (fill in the blank)." We also look for bargains instead of buying things at full price and we love resale stores! Our daughter seems to grow about two inches every month, so bargain shopping certainly helps us stick to a budget.  Personally, I enjoy shopping at our local children's thrift store. I always seem to find an armload of the cutest clothes for no more than $40 (plus a stray Barbie). And it seems we aren't the only family who think it's pretty "cool" to be frugal.

Photo by Ken Wilcox

Possible Treatment For Peanut Allergies

There may be a promising new treatment for peanut allergies. Scientists announced last week the results of a small study which involved giving highly allergic children small amounts of peanut flour daily for over two years.  The children gradually became less sensitive to peanuts during this time. 

Moms of children with peanut allergies have mixed feelings about the new treatment and with good reason.  Peanut reactions can be very scary with swelling, hives, itching of mouth or throat, shortness of breath and in severe cases, anaphylaxis. I've personally suffered through several allergic reactions to peanuts, which were very scary. I learned from a young age to always ask about the ingredients of unfamiliar foods and read labels. For those of us who suffer from food allergies, promising new treatments are a step in the right direction. Click here to read more.

Television Is Not A Sleep Aid

Citing evidence that television viewing before bed undermines healthy sleep habits, advocates for children are urging PBS KIDS Sprout to stop packaging its evening programming as The Good Night Show. Read more...

Are The Baby Products We Use Safe?

Increasingly we are hearing about toxic chemicals being found in baby products.  Officials are examining the chemical BPA to determine whether to issue a public health advisory or outright ban on its use in baby products.  Products such as baby bottles, pacifiers, and sippy cups all contain BPA.  Recent investigations have found this chemical may cause developmental problems and other illnesses in fetuses and young children.

While some major retailers such as Wal-Mart promised to eliminate BPA bottles from their shelves, manufacturers Gerber and Playtex agreed to stop using the chemical in bottles.  Click here for more information on BPA.

Rock-A-Bye Baby

My daughter was born prematurely at 32 weeks. Thankfully, she was healthy and able to come home after only a week in NICU. But for the next 6 months, I struggled to get her to sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time. My baby was cranky and I was beyond tired!

Little did I know, some sensitive fussy babies cannot sleep in a traditional crib, lying flat or without motion. This especially can be the case with premature or colicky infants. Solution? The Amby Baby Motion Hammock. With it’s “womb-like design” and gentle rocking motion, babies (and their parents) sleep better and longer.



Read more about how the Amby Baby Hammock can help you and your baby sleep through the night at www.ambybaby.com. Sweet dreams!

A Baby Business is Born

After a lot of planning and hard work, we are finally open for business! Bundle 2 Baby was “conceived” after I came across an article about diaper cake gifts for baby showers. This inspired me to create a baby gift business featuring handmade products by work-at-home moms.

Diaper cakes? I know, sounds kinda gross. These “cakes” are actually made with layers of unopened disposable diapers and other usable baby products. The diaper layers are stacked in tiers resembling a real cake. I love the idea of creating baby gifts that are handmade, unique and completely usable!

We are hard at work adding new creations to our store. Meanwhile, I invite you to read our blog where we will discuss all things mom and baby. Please feel free to share your thoughts and mommy experiences with us.

~ Janice