Reading Tip: For an authentic chatting-over-coffee experience while reading this post, be sure to imagine me giggling every time I say “Butt Paste”.
When BlogHer asked if I’d be interested in trying Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, they wanted to know if I had a cute and funny diaper disaster story to share. I almost laughed out loud at the question – of COURSE I have diaper disaster stories. I have two kids! There was the time I was trying to be super cool and wore my baby into a tattoo shop to make an appointment and he promptly poopsploded right through the sling. Or I could tell you what happens when you have two kids in diapers and you accidentally mix up the sizes in your middle-of-the-night diaper changing fog. It’s not pretty.

But then The Incident happened. I will refrain from using names so as to make this story less Googleable in the future, although after what she did that’s being EXTREMELY generous. Let’s just call her Shmaroline.

Shmaroline has recently moved to a big-girl bed, which makes her feel very grown up and important. She loves her big-girl bed, especially because it means when she wakes up in the morning she can get out of bed and play with her dolls and blankies and other toys on the floor. Unfortunately, the transition to the big-girl bed came at exactly the same time as her interest in using the potty. And along with the interest in using the potty came a desire to NOT wear a diaper.

If you’re a parent, you can probably already see where this is going. Feel free to skip ahead, unless your child has been terrible today and you need to be reminded “Hey at least I didn’t have to scrub poop out of the carpet today!” Because yes. That is exactly what happened. My adorable baby girl woke up, silently removed her jammies and diaper, and crapped right on the floor. Which is terrible! Horrible! Totally disgusting! Definitely a Diaper Disaster!

And then she decided to stomp in it. (I’m sorry. So so sorry.) I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when I heard her making her normal, happy, morning baby noises so I sent Evan in to let her out of the room. He took one look at her, slammed the door and ran back to the bathroom yelling “Mommy! Big mess Mommy! Shmaroline pooped!” Luckily, they both think a morning bath is a special treat – and I had a bottle of carpet cleaner waiting on top of Shmaroline’s bookcase. Wait, that actually wasn’t very cute. But it was definitely a disaster!

Mmmmm butt paste

Luckily, one of the things that ISN’T a disaster right now is Caroline’s diaper rash (Shocking news: Shmaroline was actually Caroline all along!). Despite lots of long car trips and super hot summer days, her bottom is as soft as a, uh, baby’s bottom. I got my tube of Boudreax’s Butt Paste right after we returned from Virginia and it worked wonders on the redness from 7 hours in the car seat. Since then I’ve been putting just a tiny dab on every night after bath and we’ve had zero issues. I’ve found it to be easier to put on and wipe off than other diaper creams I’ve tried and it doesn’t have that super-distinctive diaper cream smell I associate with most zinc oxide products. It even worked on the dreaded “Look Mom, I just ate an ENTIRE pint of blueberries on top of those strawberries I had for breakfast – now can I have some grapes?” rash. Boudreax’s was created by a pharmacist in 1978 and is recommended by pediatricians.

Got a diaper rash story? Leave a comment below and you will be entered into a sweepstakes to win a $100 gift card!

Visit Boudreaux’s Butt Paste on Facebook to learn more about the ultimate “secret weapon” when it comes to preventing and treating diaper rash. Check out BlogHer.com to find other reviews and more ways you can enter to win!

Sweepstakes 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 sweepstakes 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 7/12 – 8/31/12.

An extremely nice PR rep I’ve worked with in the past sent me an email waaaay back in May asking if I’d ever heard of Moringa Oil and would I be interested in trying some out? Oh and did she mention it’s great for sunburns? Since I knew we’d be spending a lot of our summer outside/at the beach/on a boat I said “No but yes and yes please!”

I wasn’t exactly sure what I was getting into, but this is what I learned about Moringa Oil:

Because of its potent composition with high levels of oleic fatty acid, Moringa oil spreads easily on the skin, without causing greasiness or stickiness, and readily penetrates the top skin layer. This allows Moringa’s mixture of naturally occurring vitamins A, C, E and other beneficial compounds such as zeatin to permeate skin cells below to support new cell growth and faster repair.

Rich in over 90 nutrients such as vitamins, proteins, amino acids, iron, calcium and anti-oxidants, Moringa oleifera is the most nutrient dense plant yet discovered. The health and beauty applications of Moringa oleifera, the “Miracle Tree,” extend from supporting increased energy, auto-immune health, focus and emotional balance, to reparation of skin elasticity, minimizing wrinkles and making hair more manageable.

Hey, that sounds pretty good. When I got my sample I decided to try it out on as much of me as possible. I got a bottle of plain Moringa Oil to use for beauty type stuff, but not for eating – although they do make capsules if you wanted to try it as a supplement. I already mentioned that I’ve been using it in my hair as a de-frizzer and to soften the dry ends, but here’s my full report:

The oil is a tiny bit thicker than other body oil products I’ve used, so it’s easy to pour a little into my hand and spread it on my whatever bit of me needs oiling. It absorbs well – not instantly, but it doesn’t leave me greasy and unable to get dressed for hours (although I wouldn’t put on a silk dress for a couple minutes – if I owned any silk dresses). I’ve tried it on all my rough spots and it smooths them out nicely all day. It doesn’t have a strong scent, which means it doesn’t make me smell like a a coconut or a flower and I can still wear my own perfume if I want to.

As for sunburns, so far this summer I’ve managed to mostly avoid them (yah for diligent sunscreen applications!) but I have been using Moringa Oil on my skin after long days outside. My tan looks really great and the pinkness from just a liiiiiitle too much sun always fades quickly (something it doesn’t usually do, thanks to extremely Scandinavian genes). The one painful burn I got was on my upper thigh – the kind of spot that NEVER sees the sun unless you’re sitting at just the wrong angle for too long. I put Moringa Oil on it before bed and in the morning it was much less red. I reapplied and the burn faded within 24 hours. I never peeled. I used it on Evan when he got too much sun too (no matter how diligent I am with his sunscreen he always seems to get a little pink). He never complained of pain or itching, the red always faded very fast, and he didn’t whine at all when I made him hold still so I could apply it.

I have a small bottle I’ve been using fairly often since May, but it’s still half full. A little goes a long way, like with most oils. Besides the basic oil I used, they also offer a spa collection with scents like chocolate and lavender which sounds amazing. Check out their website for tons of great information.

Are you intrigued? Do you love kind of hippie, natural beauty stuff as much as I do? Would you be interested in trying out Moringa Oil for yourself? Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a bottle!

I’m going to be out of town (for YOU KNOW WHAT) next week, so I’ll make this short and sweet. One comment per person, giveaway ends Sunday night 7/29 at 5 pm. Winner will be chosen using random.org. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I was given a bottle of Moringa Oil to try so I could write an honest review. No other compensation was received and there are no hidden catches.

I was careful to plan extra time into my trip to NYC next week for sight seeing, since last year in San Diego I was so rushed with conference events I didn’t see anything besides the inside of the hotel. This year I planned time for relaxing, unpacking, and a walking food tour of Chelsea Market. But when Adorama announced The Blographer Event on Thursday, August 2rd I threw ALL my plans out the window (Deep, sincere apologies to the friends I cancelled on, but thank you so much for understanding.)

The Blographer Event is a chance to learn from and connect with some extremely talented photo bloggers, whose specialties range from urban landscapes to food to children and families. I’m extra super excited to hear Rachel Devine speak on how photographs can be just as important as words when it comes to telling our stories online. I imagine I will spend most of Thursday yelling “Yes! Perfect! Exactly! Amen!” – but I promise to yell quietly so I won’t bug you if you’re sitting next to me. (Please come sit next to me?) You’ll also get to meet Jill from Baby Rabies – Miss Blographer herself.

I promise this isn’t just for pros and experts (heck, if I’M going I can assure you no one is checking portfolios at the door.) Here’s a quick list of people who should attend this event:

1. Bloggers.
2. Photographers
3. Blographers
4. People who shoot on manual all the time
5. People who don’t even know how to set their camera on manual
6. People who have read their manuals
7. People who can’t find their manuals
8. People who really love photography no matter what their level
9. People who love to be inspired
10. YOU!

Here are the details: The Blographer Event runs 9:30 am – 5:00 pm on Thursday August 2nd at the Metropolitan Pavillion (2.2 miles from The Hilton – a 7 minute cab ride). There are 3 sessions, each led by two experts. Drinks, snacks and lunch will be served and each attendee will get some amazing goodies (aka swag) to take home. Really, with tickets priced only $69 I guarantee it’s worth it JUST for the swag and food. If you can find a buddy to go with you can buy two tickets for $99 and it’s an even more amazing deal.

Are you as excited as I am now? Are you ready to register? You DON’T have to be attending anything else happening that weekend to come, so if you’re within a couple of hours of NYC I recommend calling in sick taking the day off because this is a very, very special event. Here’s the coolest news so far: I have one free ticket to give away for The Blographer Event!

Time is short so this is going to be a quick turn around! Leave a comment on this post saying “I WANT TO GO!” (if you want to comment but can’t make it to NYC, you can leave a comment too but I won’t count ones that don’t specifically say “I WANT TO GO!”) I will count up all the comments and draw a winner using Random.org early Monday morning.

p.s. If you buy a ticket now and end up winning, Adorama will happily reimburse you. So go! I mean come! I will see you there!

 Disclaimer: One comment per person, winner must provide a valid email address so I can contact them Monday. I was given a ticket to this event along with one to give away, but I was already planning to ditch my friends and go because it sounds super cool. No other compensation was provided and all really excited and caps-locky opinions are my own.

Hello friends, I’m late as usual but I wanted to announce the lucky winner of my Shabby Apple $50 gift card!

Random.org picked…

#31, who is Julie at julie.m.xxxxxxxx@gmail.com! Congrats Julie, I’ll forward your email to my contact and hopefully she’ll be in touch soon. I hope you get something really, really cute and fun.

Hello friends! This week and next and uh, the one after that too are going to be a little crazy for me and the ginger babies, so I apologize if I don’t get as many posts up as usual. But since the two people who read every day – my friend Erin and my Mom – are going to be with me for at least part of that time I doubt anyone sends me hate mail over a lack of aquarium pictures and iphone photo posts.

But today, because it’s Monday and because I like pretty things, I have a giveaway for you from Shabby Apple! Have you seen them around the interwebs? They sell adorable, vintage inspired clothes, bathing suits and accessories for women. They also have maternity and kid’s clothes, although I refuse to let myself spend too long looking at the Shabby Baby page because I want to buy ALL THE THINGS.

I mean, COME ON. Seriously:

Midnight Princess dress

Or for a stylish mama:

Crosswalk Skirt

Or how about this one?

Pina Colada dress

Gorgeous right? So how about $50 to spend on anything your fashionable little heart desires? I’m super bummed I can’t win this myself – new dress for BlogHer what!? – but I giving it to one of you is even better. Or if you want to go shop now, use the code bebehblog10off to get 10% of your order!

To enter, please Like Shabby Apple’s Facebook page and then leave me a comment here saying you did!

For more chances, you can do any of the following (please leave a separate comment for each one):

1. Visit Shabby Apple and tell me which item is your favorite!

2. Like bebehblog on Facebook (or tell me you already do).

3. Follow bebehblog on Twitter (or tell me you already do).

4. Tweet about this giveaway! Just be sure to include @bebehblog in your tweet so I can see it. Leave me a link in the comments!

Good luck!

Contestants must have a USA shipping address to be eligible for entry. Prize furnished by Shabby Apple. I received no compensation for this giveaway. Contest ends June 25th, 2012 at 5 pm, winner will be chosen using Random.org. I will email the winner and they’ll have 72 hours to get back to me or I’ll draw someone else so please make sure you leave an address you check! GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED.