Good Lord, I am TERRIBLE at remembering to tell people they won things.  I remember to PICK a winner on time, but having their name in my head doesn’t a) let them know they won or b) get them a prize. SO!

The winner of the Social Cooler from PackIt is…

Comment number 12, Amanda! Congrats lady, I hope you have a great time with your cooler at the beach and the zoo and on picnics and doing tons of fun things this summer with your girls!

And if you’re not Amanda, be sure to like PackIt on Facebook to keep up to date with other chances to win great stuff. Or head on over to their site and just buy one already because they’re awesome!

True fact: I had to go out and buy a loofah to review this Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash because I haven’t owned one in years. I subscribe to the “meh, my shampoo sort of dribbles down and gets the rest of me clean enough” school of Shower Techniques. “But Suzanne!” absolutely no one just asked, “What about when you shave?” I don’t want to alarm you, gentle reader, but I used regular old soap. The kind meant to make men less smelly. It’s like I was on a mission to make my knees as rough and scaly as possible. At least I could save money on sandpaper!

In the winter, dry skin is itchy and uncomfortable but easily hidden with pants and sweaters. With spring quickly approaching – not to mention all the shorts I knew I’d be wearing on my vacation – I needed to do something about my dry skin but I don’t want to spend a bunch of time applying moisturizer.

Enter Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash! First of all, I want to tell you I really, really like how the Olay Body Wash smells. A LOT. It’s like a fancy perfume, kind of reminiscent of lily of the valley, and it stays on my skin for a long time after I shower. The whole bathroom smells fantastic and I’ve been surreptitiously sniffing my arms when I think no one is looking. Second, I LOVE that there’s more than a whole jar of Olay moisturizer in every bottle. The body wash feels rich and creamy and luxurious whether I spread it on directly as shaving cream or on the loofah to wash all over. A small amount goes a long way and it lathers up nicely.

But most importantly, my skin feels great. Even my husband noticed my skin felt smoother, although it might have been because every time I put on a sundress I said, “Look at how soft my skin feels! Touch it! So niiiiice!” I love that using Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash means I don’t have to waste any time applying moisturizer and I can use that time for more important things, like taking iPhone photos of my kids while they sleep.

Tell me one way you simplify your routine for a chance to win a $50 Visa gift card! Just leave a comment on this post.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 3/20 – 4/17.

Be sure to visit the Olay Body Wash page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win! While we’re on the subject of looking good, you might want to check out the “Looking Your Best” posts in the Life Well Lived section of BlogHer.com. There are some great tips and expert posts!

My friend Nicci just launched her brand new Etsy shop where she sells handmade fabric coasters and throw pillow covers and she asked me if I’d help her spread the word. OF COURSE I said yes – I love having so many talented, crafty friends and I greatly admire someone with enough ambition and talent to throw their hat into the handmade biz ring!

Nicci sent me a set of Zen Garden coasters to try out and they’re even cuter in person than online.

I love that they’re fabric and lined with fleece to absorb drips and protect my coffee table, but also something I don’t have to keep putting out of reach from the kids. In fact, they’re perfect for teaching small people the importance of coasters!

One coaster is good!

So two coasters is better!

Everything is ready-to-ship and made in limited quantities, so if you see a pattern you like buy it quick! I think coasters would make a cute hostess gift for a neighbor or a housewarming gift for a friend – everyone uses cups! And tables! And everyone hates water stains! It’s universal! Nicci’s hoping to add new patterns and fabrics to the shop every couple of weeks. You can follow her blog, her Facebook page and her Twitter for shop updates and new deigns.

AND you can enter to win a set of your choice! Just check out the Changing the Universe shop and leave a comment telling me which item you like the best. Or you can go ahead and order yourself a set and use the code BEBEHBLOG at checkout for a 10% discount.

I’m keeping this one short since I’ll be gone next week, so I’ll draw a winner on Friday. Good luck!

There’s been a rash of bra-fitting revelations on the internet recently (for a really good laugh check out Mandy’s), where everyone realized wearing a bra in the right size is SO MUCH BETTER. I’ve been thinking about getting fitted for a long time – it’s one of those things I’ve got on my “To Do Now That I’m A Real Grown Up And Stuff” list. But because I’m still nursing I figured I’d have to suffer through a few more months of horrible saggy chesticles before I could upgrade.

And THEN I got an email from Leading Lady that said even though they knew I was weaning Caroline, they loved my blog and thought might enjoy their nursing bras and would I be interested in doing a review?

How about “Yes” and “Hell Yes” and “HOLY COW this might be the best opportunity I’ve ever gotten from blogging.”

I used the size calculator on the Leading Lady site to figure out my size (they even have a cool printable tape measure in case your kids ran off with yours months ago) and told them if we were going for function I could really use something for Stroller Strides but with Valentine’s Day coming up it sure would be nice to have something that wasn’t hideous, pokey, and ripped.

They sent me a Sport Wirefree Nursing Bra and a Lace-Cup Wirefree Nursing Bra. I love them both SO MUCH I actually took pictures of myself wearing them to show you. Then I thought better than to post topless pictures of myself on my baby blog and deleted them. You’re welcome. But I can assure you they make my boobs look awesome. The sport bra really helped control the, uh, bouncing problem I had when it came to jumping jacks at Stroller Strides. It’s the first bra with a full sling (meaning even when you fold the outer part down there’s still fabric across your boob) that I’ve EVER liked – the opening is large enough to nurse without having to yank it all over the place. The lace bra is GORGEOUS and not even the tiniest bit scratchy. It blows the horrible “sexy” underwire nursing bra I bought at a cheap big-box store out of the water. It was so comfortable I even slept in it. I sort of can’t believe I hadn’t heard of Leading Lady before, but will absolutely be ordering from them again.

Leading Lady is a family owned company that’s been selling nursing, maternity and full-figured bras for more than 70 YEARS so they really know their stuff. Their nursing bras range in size from 34B to 48F and their full-figured bras are available from 34A to 56G – which if you ask me includes a lot of women that wouldn’t really like to be considered “full-figured” *ahem ME ahem*. The site offers bras, tanks and sleepwear. They have a great selection – how clever is a nursing bra with a hidden pattern for the baby? You can search by size, type and category, including specialty categories like latex-free and organic. They even have a Breastfeeding A-Z Guide on their site full of really great information. And if you were wondering, I think their prices are extremely reasonable, especially considering what nursing bras from other companies cost. And right now new Facebook fans will receive 10% off by liking Leading Lady between now & Feb. 14, while all fans of Leading Lady can tweet “I Love @LeadingLadyBras” on Feb. 14 and receive a special 10% off code.

Yes, I’m gushing. I promise there was no gushing required when they offered to send me a bra to try (they’re probably super embarrassed by me right now), but I truly can’t help it. I’m so excited to find a company I like so much, has such a great product AND agreed to let me give YOU a free bra!

That’s right, you could win an e-certificate good for one free bra from the Leading Lady collection PLUS free shipping.

Just leave a comment on this post telling me why you NEED a new bra.

For extra entries, you can follow @LeadingLadyBras on Twitter and like Leading Lady on Facebook or you can follow me on Twitter or like bebehblog on Facebook . Just leave a comment telling me what you did (or what you already do). So if you did all five things it would be five comments.

Right now they only ship to the US and can’t ship to P.O. boxes so giveaway is limited to those who qualify (sorry Canadians!) No duplicate comments or cheating of any kind. I’ll draw a winner using Random.org sometime this weekend.

 Disclaimer: Leading Lady provided me with 2 bras so I could give an honest review for my post, all opinions are my own. No other compensation was provided. They didn’t even ask me to include product links or make you like them for the giveaway. Leading Lady is good people.

Have you noticed we’ve been in a celebratory mood around here? I don’t know what could have possibly given it away, besides maybe my endless posts about Evan’s 2nd birthday. I just really love any occasion that involves a good party. And who doesn’t? Dressing up and eating delicious food are two of the greatest joys of life.

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