Dayna Archives - MomStart

With Every Twirl…Baby Bella Maya Leggings

December 20, 2013 by Momstart 2 Comments

By Dayna:

I have two little princesses in my house. For Isabella, age 4, and Chloe, age 2, only dresses will do, every day of the week, rain or shine (or snow!), whether playing tea party or jumping on the trampoline. So I have to be creative to embrace their sense of fashion while making their outfits practical for the weather and appropriate for any kind of play. This usually means long-sleeved shirts and leggings go underneath the dress-of-the-day. My little princesses usually balk at the un-pretty assortment of leggings in their drawers, but that’s the deal.

I recently stumbled across the brand Baby Bella Maya, which was created by a mom who wanted to make typical baby and toddler products look prettier for her little girl. It started with an array of lovely baby carrier covers and now includes, you guessed it, leggings! Not just leggings – lacy leggings! Leggings fit for princesses. Now my girly-girls are happy with their oh-so-pretty outfits, and I’m happy they aren’t showing their undies to the world with every twirl!

Baby Bella Maya has whatever it is you desire! Whether it is car seat covers, baby booties or baby blankets, lacy leggings or fancy frills, baby headbands or cheer bows, we have just the product for you!

Baby Bella Maya has whatever it is you desire! Whether it is car seat covers, baby booties or baby blankets, lacy leggings or fancy frills, baby headbands or cheer bows, They have just the product for you!

About Dayna:

Dayna is a children’s counselor turned stay-at-home mom after the birth of her first child three years ago. She is married and has two beautiful daughters. When kids permit, she and her husband love to travel, enjoy good food, and spend time with friends. And she is an amazing friend

Blue Nile Discount Code: Leave Nothing To Chance App & Giveaway

December 11, 2013 by Momstart 34 Comments

By Dayna

Ah, Christmastime. It’s the time of year when we moms start running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trolling websites and scouring store aisles for those perfect gifts for our families. But try as they might, our spouses aren’t always as attentive to the not-so-subtle hints we drop about our perfect gifts.

So this year, I decided to “leave nothing to chance.” I’ve had my eye on something sparkly, and Blue Nile, the largest online retailer of fine jewelry, has never disappointed me in the past. So when I found their Leave Nothing to Chance app to target each woman’s personal preferences, I knew I had found the answer. This unique app, accessed via their website, asks a series of questions that help determine your personal style. Then, they combine your answers with information from your Facebook profile to create a personalized “infographic” for you, as well as recommending several jewelry items based on your persona.

I was amazed at how quickly and easily the app gained information about me, and then used it to offer gift suggestions. I knew this was just what my loving but clueless husband needed to find me the perfect Christmas gift. So I sent him the link, and now I know I won’t be disappointed this Christmas!

Discount Code: BNAPP2013

Good for 10% off Blue Nile jewelry from Nov. 29, 2013 – Dec. 31, 2013. Enter the code into the “Reference Code” box at checkout.

o Terms and conditions: Valid on select regularly-priced jewelry excluding loose diamonds, settings and Build Your Own Diamond Jewelry™. Offer not valid on sale merchandise, gift certificates, Monique Lhuillier jewelry, back-ordered items, polishing cloth, and jewelry cleaner purchases. Reference code BNAPP2013 must be entered in cart or mentioned over phone at time of purchase.

Offer may not be combined with any other offer, cannot be applied retroactively, and applies to US customers only. Void where prohibited. Offer expires 11:59pm PST 12/31/2013. The offer terms and conditions are subject to change at any time without prior notice. Other restrictions may apply.

Enter to Win:

win 1 or 2 $50 gift certificates to BlueNile.com.

To Enter:

Tell me what you think of the app

Extra Entries:

Use the rafflecopter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shopping Spree for Under $25 Ross Challenge

November 5, 2013 by Momstart 1 Comment

We sent Dayna off on a Shopping Spree to Ross( Ross provided the gift card), and her challenge was to purchase clothes for under $25.00. Here are her results:

By Dayna:

My oldest daughter has been growing like a weed lately, and she has needed new clothes, but I’ve been putting off taking her to the store. Am I a horrible mom, forcing my daughter into high-water pants, and belly-baring shirts that make her look like Miley Cyrus? No, it’s simply a matter of survival, since her two-year-old sister and one-month-old brother would make shopping for clothes impossible. So I finally left the littles with Daddy for a couple of hours, and took their older sister shopping.

Wanting to be sure I could stay in budget, I headed to Ross Dress for Less, one of my go-to’s for everything from clothes and shoes to house decor and kids’ toys. Sure enough, my old friend Ross did not disappoint me, with prices up to 60% off the department stores’. However, it wasn’t long before my little girl’s eyes wandered from the clothes towards the shiny toys, and soon we were faced with every mom’s least favorite shopping scenario: "Mommy, pleeease can I get this toy?" Uh oh. Toys were not in my budget. I started to argue with her, at which point, I saw that we were headed for tantrum territory, when I suddenly glimpsed the price tag on the object of her desire. Hang on, I could buy her an outfit, the toy, and still have money left over! Wow, that had never happened before!

With promises made to share the toy with her sister, we headed toward the register. On our way there, I spotted my husband’s favorite candies. Seeing as he’d held down our screaming two-year-old while we left the house without her, he probably deserved a little pick-me-up, too. As we left the store with an adorable outfit for my daughter, a pair of walkie-talkies to promote shared playtime between sisters, and a bag of candy for my patient husband, I patted myself on the back for getting it all for under $25. Thanks, Ross.

SmartyPants Gummy Vitamins Including Omega 3’s

October 24, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

By Dayna

I was doling out four piles of various vitamins for each member of my family, it occurred to me that my morning routine had become quite cumbersome. Vitamins alone were taking up entirely too much precious time. When I started considering buying one of those plastic pill boxes to keep us organized, I realized it was time for a vitamin intervention!

Thankfully, I discovered SmartyPants Gummy Vitamins. Each serving contains a multivitamin, vitamin D, and Omega 3’s, and they taste great! As my husband said, "They taste like delicious candy, and who wouldn’t want a reason to eat candy every morning?!" No more chalky chewable vitamins for us! With options for both kids and adults, everyone was covered in one fell swoop. And just like that, I added a couple of extra minutes of valuable time to my mornings!

Adult:

Simplify Your Life Excellent source of Omega-3 DHA EPA and Vitamin D3* plus 8 other key nutrients Manufactured in a GMP certified facility Third party tested Organic sweeteners only with no High Fructose Corn Syrup Natural Flavor and Colors Gluten and Casein Free Free of yeast, wheat, milk, eggs, gluten, peanuts, shellfish, artificial colors, artificial flavors and salicylates.

Kids:

Simplify Your Life Excellent source of Omega-3 DHA EPA and Vitamin D3* plus 8 other key nutrients Manufactured in a GMP certified facility Third party tested No High Fructose Corn Syrup with Only 5g of Organic Sugar per Serving Natural Flavor and Colors Gluten and Casein Free Free of yeast, wheat, milk, eggs, gluten, peanuts, shellfish, artificial colors, artificial flavors and salicylates.

Get Health, Give Health: every time you buy SmartyPants, we make a matching 1-for-1 nutrient grant to a child most in need through our partnership with Vitamin Angels

120 Great Tasting Gummies

Pediatrician Approved*

Educational And Fun To Watch: Wild Kratts Wildest Animal Adventures Box Set

September 11, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

By Dayna:

I’m picky about the TV my kids watch. We don’t have cable, so PBS Kids shows provide our sole pool from which we pull their options. I love that PBS’s shows are not only entertaining for my kids when I need them to have a distraction, but they also teach them valuable lessons.

Among these programs, Wild Kratts rises to the top of my list. My four-year-old daughter loves animals. Not just the cute, cuddly, kid-friendly kinds but also the ugly, scary, and weird. When we go to the zoo, she heads straight for the tarantula and the python, so Wild Kratts feeds her desire to learn about nature’s creepiest crawlers. I feel like her time spent in front of the TV isn’t wasted when she’s watching Wild Kratts because she always comes away with new tidbits of interesting information from the show.

So the recent release of the new box set, Wild Kratts: Wildest Animal Adventures, was cause for excitement in our family! It did not disappoint! With 20 episodes that left my little zoologist saying things like, “Mommy, did you know that honey badgers spray a stinky spray like skunks?” and “Mommy, you were wrong, earthworms can’t drown in water,” her curiosity was fueled when I needed a few minutes to myself. What’s better than that? Only the conversations we had afterwards, where for once, she was the one teaching me. Now that’s priceless.

About Dayna:

alternaVites Kids Multivitamins Review

April 6, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Disclosure: We received samples and this is a post of her experience and her opinions, when it comes to your children be sure to ask your doctor and use your own judgment and do your own research.

By Dayna:

With two picky young eaters in my house, vitamins are a must! I never know from one day to the next what they’ll eat and what they’ll refuse, so I have to make sure they get the nutrients their growing bodies need in a way that isn’t dependent on them choosing well.

That’s why I was excited to find alternaVites Kids multivitamins! I was shocked to discover that they contained twice the percentages of each vitamin as the one I was currently giving my kids. Not only are they good for kids, but the quick-melting powder is fun for them to eat and, according to my daughter, “tastes like candy!” My kids love to pour it right on their tongues out of the packet, but it could also be easily added to pudding, yogurt, a smoothie, or any other medium your kids would eat. Even the pickiest eaters will like this vitamin, since it isn’t chalky or gummy like other kids’ chewable vitamins.

Kids will love the taste of the Strawberry Bubblegum and Raspberry Cotton Candy flavors, and moms will love that, unlike many kids’ multivitamins, they contain no artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors, preservatives, or high fructose corn syrup. Now I don’t have to worry so much about what my kids are, or aren’t eating, and that’s a big deal to me!

About Dayna: