Pre~seed review/giveaway

Seriously fun baby-making!

My husband and I started Trying to Conceive (TTC) back in October 2007. I figured we're young, we were 19 & 22 at the time (it was a military wedding!) and healthy so it shouldn't take long. All my friends got pregnant so easily, all they needed to do was look at their partner and voila! I never thought I was going to end up temping,charting and checking things like the position and consistency of my cervical mucous, but I was. I stalked my chart on fertility friend and looked for every possible sign that I might be pregnant. 4 months passed of actively trying to get pregnant and in March 2008 I got my + hpt! I called the Dr. and had blood tests right away! I was in fact pregnant but only a few days later, I miscarried. We waited one cycle and got a second +test in May 2008! Again, just a week later another miscarriage. We continued to try for 7 more months.. Chris, (my husband) was honorably discharged from the NAVY and we moved back home in December 2009. In January, I finally became pregnant again! Sadly enough, on January 24th, my 21st birthday.. I miscarried again! 

Enough was enough!! 
After months of not conceiving a sticky baby I  purchased a book by Toni Weschler, Taking Charge of your Fertility “The bad news is that virtually all lubricants...can kill sperm. Until recently, there really wasn’t a viable option...Luckily, though, a revolutionary new vaginal moisturizer has been developed... It is called Pre~Seed ...”  I had heard amazing stories of Pre~seed on all of the TTC forums and especially on the TTC after miscarriage pages! I went ahead and ordered a package and even had it rushed! :) I only wish I had done this sooner!   

WARNING: Details below! If you're squeamish or don't want to hear any explanation of how to use pre~seed then skip this part!

At the first signs of ovulation I couldn't wait to whip out my  Pre~seed and try to make a baby! The instructions say (for TTC purposes)  :

Pre~Seed can be inserted 15 minutes prior to intercourse. Applying it before sex allows it to disperse throughout the vagina and allows for more spontaneity as a couple! 

Note: I applied pre~seed with the applicator tube while getting myself ready before my husband came into the room! He appreciated it much more than sticking around for the show! ;) 

Using Pre~seed lubricant was so wonderful! Really! If you're a seasoned TTCer then you know just how much of a chore and how uncomfortable it can be sometimes when you need to plan out your baby making sessions! When you've got one thing on your mind, and it's not trying to have a good time with your partner..things can be less than slippery! Pre~seed has a super light consistency! It's actually pretty darn identical to Egg white cervical mucous, or fertile quality mucous if your just a ttc beginner ;) It has NO taste and absolutely ZERO smell! It doesn't leave any residue if you let it dry on your skin! It's just a PERFECT lube whether your TTC or not! I'll never use anything else!  

A little info!

"Other lubricants can create a barrier that interferes with sperm swimming out of the semen."

Whereas the live swimming sperm are able to move freely from the semen into Pre~Seed.

* Pictures taken in laboratory at 200X magnification after 10 minutes of
contact between semen and products. Dead sperm remain behind in semen.

We continued to use pre~seed the next two following nights & then we waited! 

My period was due two weeks later  and I had one leftover cheapy pregnancy test lying around. I peed on the stick and didn't give it a second, third or fourth thought like I always do!  I washed my face and dried off, leaned over to grab the test and throw it away when I noticed what was TWO LINES! I seriously did a double take! It worked! This time, it just felt different and I knew this baby was gonna stick! 

And she did! 

Layla stuck around for 41 weeks and I give lots of credit to Pre~Seed!  There's no question in my mind that Pre~seed helped us conceive our Daughter and helped her to move along to where she needed to go in a timely matter so she was able to be a sticky bean!! 

From the bottom of my heart, Thank you Pre~Seed! Layla is an amazing little girl and I truly believe that without your product, she might not be here! 

On to the Giveaway!! 

Pre~seed was kind enough to send me some Pre~seed to give to one of my lucky readers! 

Rules! 
You must be a Modern Mama Reviews GFC follower in order to earn ANY entry or extra entries! If you do not do this, you cannot win! (Click Follow on right hand side of page)
You MUST like Pre~Seed on Facebook! & thank them for the Giveaway at Modern Mama!
 (Leave those as one comment like this) " I'm a GFC Follower & I thanked Pre~seed for this giveaway!"


Extra entries!

Leave a separate comment for each extra entry you've done:) 

• Like MMR on Facebook -1 entry
• Go toPre~Seeds website and tell me one thing you've learned- 1 entry 
• Repost this giveaway on your facebook wall! ( Must be your primary facebook and have actual friends, not just a page used to post giveaways!) I will check! Also Leave perma link! :) * Right click the timestamp and leave the link! :) Each post gets 1 extra entry! Can be done 3x a day 3 hours apart!
• Tweet this giveaway! Can be done up to 5x a day! Leave a perma link! Each tweet gets 1 extra entry! (3 hours apart!) 
• Refer a friend to become a GFC follower and leave a comment on a NON-Giveaway (receive 5 extra entries!)

Giveaway is open for ONE WEEK! And well close on August 4th at 11:59 pm EST.

Gooodluck! :) 


WINNER!

Congratulations Jody!! 

I'll be contacting you shortly to get your info! Best wishes on baby-making!! 

You have 48 hours to claim your prize or a new winner will be drawn!

Big Latch On- in honor of World Breastfeeding Week!

A Big Latch on? I was surely confused about this when my girlfriend mentioned to me that we should organize an event in our area, Syracuse NY. I thought somebody went and insulted the breastfeeding community and now we need to go nurse our babies outside their place of business! ( It's totally a joke!) I googled it and was surprised to find it's an incredible event at locations all over the United States and beyond! 

Whats a 'Big Latch On'?

Groups of nursing mothers coming together at registered venues around the country (or the world) to all nurse their babes at a set time. All the mamas and babes latched on for one minute at the set time are counted by the witnesses. The numbers are added up and we see how close we come to the world record.

Why have a Big Latch On?

We all know how important breastfeeding is and this way we can show everyone just how much we all value breastfeeding and support all mamas as they raise the next generation.
Plus it's a really good way to spend time with other mothers and have a lot of fun, maybe a coffee and some cake as well!

(taken from Big Latch On.org)

Absolutely! I must participate in this event! There's no way we could have done this alone so I emailed two of the sweetest people ever, Josh & Colleen from Basic Baby in Manlius, NY! They were excellent at pointing me in the right direction. My next phone call went to Lisa at Mother Earth Baby. She was thrilled and is going to help by hosting the event at her store! Awesome! So, if you're in Syracuse, NY or anywhere nearby on August 6th at 10:30 am. Come by, get counted and win some awesome prizes! 

I've also had a chance to reach out to some wonderful companies..I'll post a full list after the event with all our event details and PICTURES! :-D Quite a few of them are also sponsoring some reviews and SWEEEET giveaways you DO NOT WANT TO MISS! 

Oh Katy Review & GIVEAWAY

I know you guys have been waiting so patiently for this! Thank you for sticking around ;) 

Tonight I'm going to review the Oh Katy One-size pocket diaper. 

(Pictured above is the Sage color)

I recently got a pretty sweet deal on a bunch of Oh Katy diapers through a daily deal website! Which lead me to need to share some details about this awesome diaper with you guys and give one lucky reader a chance to win one of their very own!

I absolutely love this diaper for a few very good reasons. My top reason is that they are incredibly soft! Especially in the leg elastic where I typically have problems with diapers leaving red marks on Layla's chunky thighs! 

Oh Katy diapers are also made with TPU instead of PUL! What's that mean? It means it's going to stay flexi,stretchy and crunch free! It also means it will break down a lot faster if it should make it's way to a landfill! I also love how Teeeeeny tiny this diaper can get (top photo) and also how large it can get for the chunkiest of monkeys! ;) 

One more awesome feature is the "Wrap n Snap" concept! This is why daddy likes it! Because it's just like when we used to use ahemmm...disposables. Just roll it up and snap across the tabs and voila!

Each Oh Katy diaper comes with TWO inserts! An adjustable one size and a newborn/doubler! They come in 9 bright colors & cost 17.95! 

 ( This review and giveaway was not sponsored by Oh Katy. These diapers were purchased with my own money and this review is my honest opinion of Oh Katy diapers!)

How to enter:

In order to enter my giveaway, you MUST be a public follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect. To follow me, click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog. If you are not a follower and you enter this giveaway, all of your comments will be forfeited.

1). "Like" Oh Katy on facebook  (you MUST be a public follower of my blog to enter this giveaway, and your profile can not be set at private). (1 entry)

Earn additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each additional entry):

2.) "Like" MMR  on Facebook for 2 additional entries.

3.) Tweet about this review and giveaway. Please tweet the following: " I entered to #win #free@OhKatyDiapers #Giveaway @KellyBratt http://tinyurl.com/3s7mblt
  " Please leave perma link so I can check! Tweet 3x a day- 3 hours apart! (1 entry each!)

4.)  Comment on Oh Katys wall with " I entered to win a Oh Katy Cloth Diaper Giveaway @Modern Mama Reviews! : Check it out and enter at http://modernmamareviews.blogspot.com/ (4 extra entries)
5.) Post this giveaway on your wall up to 2x a day! Leave perma link! (up to 2 entries)

Giveaway will end at 11:59 pm EST. August 4th. 

Winner will be chosen via random.org & will be notified via email!

Winner will have 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner will be selected!

Please make sure your email is easy to be found or leave it in the your first comment!

GOODLUCK :) 

Where have I been?!

Hey guys! I've had a whole lot going on & that's why such a delay in getting some posts posted!! Unfortunately..I've just started my 4th miscarriage..(which will bring me to a new review and possibly a giveaway very soon, but we'll talk about that later.) I have no idea what's wrong with my body & why I can't keep little babies fighting longer than a few weeks! I've just had a load of tests done in May and everything came back perfect, except for low...something, my brain is mush (low milk supply) & yes and I am still nursing my 20 month old daughter! :) We were just surprised with a pregnancy and almost as fast as the two blood tests came back that everything was OK, only a low level of progesterone which is easily fixed I'm told..the happiness ended. I started bleeding and had my levels checked again. All levels have gone down! Timing wasn't right this time, but either way, it's a sad ending!

It took my husband and I 18 months to get pregnant with our Daughter, Layla! I had three miscarriages before  becoming pregnant with her! Read our pregnancy blog HERE. She is our true miracle baby and has put into perspective just how lucky we are to be here and just how amazing it is to grow a healthy baby!

Ok, Ok! I'll stop and get on to the good stuff ;) 

Evolution ION review & GIVEAWAY

I am super excited to do this review & GIVEAWAY! 

Stacee from Evolution Diapers has been the biggest sweetheart to me! She has sent me 2 of her amazing diapers! One to review and One to give to a LUCKY reader! Stacee also did a super generous thing and donated some diapers and goodies to our GREAT CLOTH DIAPER CHANGE Event that was hosted by BASIC BABY SHOP in Syracuse,NY! 

On to the review!! :) 
First of all, I must say this is one of the BEST diapers I own...and I own a lot! The evolution ion is hands down our trimmest diaper. It's about as close to panties as we can get.. and hey, because of the side snaps, when it comes to potty training..you can actually use it like panties! That's pretty sweet, since my daughter is almost at that age! We can comfortably zipper and snap her jeans without her laying down to do so! :) 

This diaper is made with COOL MAX ( like the material sports gear is made from) to keep your babies genitals cool! This idea  has your baby boys future fertility in mind! This might sound silly, but to anybody who has struggled with fertility, (we have!) This is something that truly means a lot! 

The Ion is TOTALLY the most adjustable diaper I have ever owned & although A LOT of companies claim to fit from birth to potty, most of them don't! I have no doubt this diaper would fit from exactly, if not sooner than when they claim.."5 pounds!" potty training up to 40 pounds. The sizing is done with elastic on the inside for the waist and leg holes! It is a little confusing at first, and takes a few tries to get it right but once you get it where you need it to begin with, it isn't a problem! :) 

It comes with 1 insert! Either organic cotton or hemp! I love these inserts, they are SUPER SUPER trim but they are extremely absorbent! :) 


Overall, this diaper is amazing! I would recommend it to anybody! The Ion just has a little extra love from me for the thought on fertility <3 


One lucky reader is going to win an Evolution ion in Ferne with a Hemp insert!


Ways to enter.. 
MANDATORY  ENTRY
MUST BE A GFC FOLLOWER ( You need to do this in order for any extra entries to count )


Visit evolutiondiapers.com and tell me something else you would like to try +1
Go to EvolutionDiapers facebook and Thank her for the giveaway at Modern Mama Reviews +1
Like the NEW FACEBOOK page +2
Become a follower @EvolutionDiaper on twitter +1
Become a follower @KellyBratt on twitter +1
TWEET (once daily)  (return here and leave perma link) +2
" Wanna #win an @EvolutionDiaper from @KellyBratt ? Head on over to http://tinyurl.com/4xn7s5e for a chance!! "
Share on facebook (leave link) once daily. +1



Refer a friend to become a follower here and mention your name (add 2 entries)


Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry!


Giveaway will close on July 12th


GOODLUCK! :) 

Totally Felted Wool Dryer ball review & DISCOUNT! :)

Totally Felted!

In March I was lucky enough to find a wonderful WAHM to sponsor a review for wool dryer balls! Elicia Arwin from Totally Felted on Etsy sent me SIX of her beautiful, hand-made wool dryer balls! I was a little skeptical about trying wool balls just because of how pricey they can get & if they would actually cut out drying time. You know what? They actually DO! Now, convincing me that something works is a little tough, but it's my husband that needs major convincing.  He pretty much thinks everything is just me finding a reason to need to buy things. I don't know if he likes these because I didn't buy them or what. But, he came up from throwing a load of towels in right after realizing he was going to be late to school and came up saying " Kelly! These things DO WORK!"

I've got a pretty large collection of cloth diapers and sometimes tend to get lazy and wait 4 days between wash loads (making for an unusually long 90 min. drying time.) Adding the six balls to our cycle took it down to...are you ready? 65 minutes! For a normal towel cycle our dryer normally takes about an hour or so and these have cut it down to close to 45 minutes! Dryers do vary, and drying times will not be approximate for all dryers/wash loads! This is whats working for us and I'm could not be happier! We have eliminated all fabric softeners and dryer sheets from our routine and I must say that our clothes are just as soft and static free!

3 balls will greatly reduce static

4 balls will greatly reduce drying time

6 balls are INCREDIBLE and knock off a good 20-30 minutes

Now, I've been using these balls for a couple of months now and they are still in EXCELLENT shape, with very minor pilling! The pilling can be removed *see Elicia interview*

If you're on the fence about trying wool dryer balls, I say GO FOR IT. They can be a little pricey to get a set but will for sure pay for themselves in energy costs in NO TIME! If you're a tough cookie to convince as well, then THIS might help! Elicia is going to be offering my readers a couple pretty sweet deals. The first is for a B2G1 50%off & the second is super SWEET Buy5G1FREE! All you need to do is head over to her shop & Convo her with your desired order! She'll put together a reserve listing and VOILA! :) Totally get in on this deal! They're well worth it! Nothing is better than something that has been hand made, with amazing attention to detail & love! 

1- Why wool dryer balls and what got you started?
I started making the wool dryer balls as toys for my toddler and his friends. They make great toys for small children because they're colorful and soft. I knew they were supposed to be good for making dryer cycles more efficient and when I tried them out for this purpose and got great results, I began to market them in my etsy store as dryer balls. I love that they help to conserve resources and save us a little money on our electric bill!
2- Whats the best way to care for dryer balls and how long should they last?
Wool dryer balls should last for years if given a little care. To prevent them for getting moldy, make sure they dry out completely after using. They do get pilly but can be easily depilled with a razor or sweater de-piller. After much use they may need to be refelted and this can be easily done by slipping them into some panty hose, tying them off in individual sections, and running them through a mildly soapy hot wash and dry cycle. 
3- If this is your full-time job, how do you juggle being a WORK AT HOME MOM with 3 kids? So far, my felting business is a part-time job but it already requires planning and discipline to make it work with taking care of what will soon be three children. I set aside two mornings a week to felt, do research and attend to the more mundane aspects of running a business. When custom orders come in I often have to work in the evenings after the kids have gone to bed. 

4- Whats the very best part of running your own business? I love the creative aspect of running my own business. I'm constantly learning new techniques and creating new products and I love that I get to use my creativity to make money 

* my 20 month old daughter LOVES to play with these dryer balls and loves the adorable critters on them!

Elicia is a SWEETHEART & I will be a customer of hers anytime I need dryer balls and will share her with everybody I can! Thank you so much Elicia for letting me try and review you're dryer balls!

Mama Days giveaway!

Another giveaway for beautiful Jewelry! Mama Days is hosting a giveaway from Amy Cornwell designs!

The giveaway is super easy to enter and you've got a ton of ways to get multiple entries! They're giving one lucky person a 25.00 certificate to Amy Cornwell Designs store! EVERYTHING she's got is stunning! My favorite piece so far is.. ok.. I have a few

                  Milestone Necklace - Gold Filled or Sterling

Square Washer Mother's Necklace

These can be found on her website! Also..check out the GIVEAWAY at MAMA DAYS!