Aveeno BAAN Fund + Giveaway...

"The AVEENO® Be An Active Natural Fund™ will support those that are leading community projects that benefit others in need, educate on a healthy lifestyle and give back to the environment. We will be rewarding eight $10,000 grants to individuals who are committed to making a difference.

Consumers can enter to win one of eight $10,000 grants that will be awarded in 2012 by creating positive change in one of the following ways:

· INSPIRE - Inspiring others to see their natural and inner beauty

· EDUCATE - Educating about the values of an active and healthy lifestyle

· PRESERVE - Preserving, restoring and improving the local environment"

 Do you want to win the new PURE RENEWAL™2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner?

AVEENO® PURE RENEWAL™ 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner

Easy one-step use to cleanse and condition hair without being drying

Formula with sulfate-free technology to provide extra gentle cleansing

Leaves hair feeling healthy and manageable

Safe for colored treated hair

Available drugstores nationwide $6.99

"MOMumental" by Jennifer Grant Review + Giveaway...

Momumental: Adventures in the Messy Art of Raising a Family Jennifer Grant

About the Author-Jennifer Grant is mother to four children and author of Love You More: The Divine Surprise of Adopting My Daughter (2011) and MOMumental: Adventures in the Messy Art of Raising a Family (May 2012). For more than a decade she wrote for papers in the Sun-Times newsgroup. Currently she freelances for the Chicago Tribune and is a regular contributor to her.meneutics, Christianity Today magazine's blog for women. Grant is a Wheaton College graduate who received her master's in English and Creative Writing from Southern Methodist University. She lives outside of Chicago, IL.

What we thought:  Jennifer great knows a lot about being a mom.  With this book she takes a look at "real life" parenting.  With humor and frankness she tells stories of the reality of parenthood and all its perfectly "normal" imperfections.  Both moms and dads alike will be able to relate to this book and will find comfort in knowing that they are not alone in the messy world of raising children these days:)  ABCD Diaries gives MOMumental an A!

MOMumental is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and wherever books are
sold.

Mother's Day Gift Guide- En Rouge Cosmetics...

"En Rouge offers innovative gifts for mom. En Rouge is constantly going through their products and ingredients to see how to improve any particular item by offering a better product. By doing so, they are able to offer our customers the best in quality, style, and health.

EnRouge is all about high quality customization,to give you an idea of some promotions that EnRouge features, they are currently offering customized gift packages for Mothers Day. Whether your mom has blue, brown, green or hazel eyes EnRouge has created a specialized gift package that accommodates their eye color."

Basic Eye Set-This basic eye-set is customized to enhance your eyes.  The set includes: Five shade Eye-shadow compact Mineral Based and Paraben Free Long Lasting with excellent payoff Liquid Waterproof Eyeliner A highly pigmented waterproof formulation that results in an eyeliner that is long lasting and easy to apply. Fragrance free and non-irritating, the liner effectively emphasizes eyes with a thin elegant line or a dramatic look with a heavier application. Non-Flaky Waterproof Mascara A water resistant mascara formulated to provide a gentle non-flaking result. Lashes are thickened and lengthened without clumping or smudging while remaining soft and conditioned. Women with sensitive eyes and those who wear contact lens find this formulation highly acceptable. Large Shadow Brush The Large Shadow Brush is the best for blending all over color. The flared flat squirrel brush sweeps and slides sheer finishes easily. What we thought:  This is a great comprehensive set that any makeup wearing mom would love!  En Rouge does a great job of coordinating eye shadow shades to highlight your eye color and their products are long-lasting.  This set makes it easy for Mom to create both day-time and night-time looks to show off her best features.  ABCD Diaries gives En Rouge cosmetics an A+! Disclosure:  ABCD Diaries was given samples  for review purposes only. We were in no other way compensated. The opinions expressed in this post are ours and ours alone

Mother's Day Gift Guide-Alli's Everlasting Floral Design...

"Renee Heyden has created Alli's Everlasting Floral Arrangements in memory of her beloved 24 year old daughter, Allison Emilie Heyden, who tragically passed away in the summer of 2011. These are arrangements are used with the same fabrics Alli used for her designs, and would make a heartfelt and beautiful gift for any occasions.

Alli's Everlasting Floral Arrangements is an everlasting flower that offers an innovative decoration for the home or office."

What we thought:  Our arrangement was simply beautiful!  The story behind these creations will tug at your heartstrings.  It is the story of a mother's unwavering love for her daughter and continued support of her daughter's passion.  These are heartfelt creations that would bring a smile to any mom's face and a tear to anyone's eye.  The flower arrangements are expertly created and lovely to look at.  They would really create a statement wherever they are placed.  ABCD Diaries gives Alli's Everlasting Floral Designs an A+!

	Disclosure:  ABCD Diaries was given a sample  for review purposes only. We were in no other way compensated. The opinions expressed in this post are ours and ours alone.

"Can You Canoe?" by The Okee Dokee Brothers CD Review...

"As childhood friends, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing spent summers at their neighborhood creek building makeshift rafts, fishing for crawdads and dreaming of great river adventures.

Now, as The Okee Dokee Brothers, they have realized these boyhood dreams via a great adventure on the Mississippi River, culminating with Can You Canoe? This new CD-DVD set will be available on May 15th (Red Eye Distribution, $16/$8.99 digital). This is the first release in a planned Adventure Album series for families.

It all began last June when Joe and Justin embarked on a canoe trip in Minneapolis and continued down the river for the next 30 days until they arrived at the St. Louis Gateway Arch. During their month-long journey on the Mississippi, they camped, canoed, filmed and most importantly, composed the songs that make up their new album for kids and families."


What we thought:  This is a really fun CD.  If you have outdoorsy kids, they are sure to enjoy the theme and the messages in these "river" songs.  These songs are fun and funny and beautifully performed:)  We love the pairing of the banjo and the guitar and The Okee Dokee Brothers are great storytellers.  This would be a great CD to take on a family camp out this summer.  ABCD Diaries gives Can You Canoe? an A+! 

Disclosure:  ABCD Diaries was given a CD  for review purposes only. We were in no other way compensated. The opinions expressed in this post are ours and ours alone

OLOVES Review...

"Perk up a picnic or lavish a lunchbox with delicious marinated olive snacks OLOVES. The award winning healthy snacks are designed as a healthy on the go snacking alternative to chips and nuts. Sold in 1.1oz/30g packs OLOVES have 50 calories per pack and are suitable for vegans and vegetarians, and are Kosher approved. They come in handy little liquid free foil fresh packs and are available in delicious flavours."

What we thought:  We LOVE olives so we were thrilled to get the chance to review OLOVES!  These are fantastic snack-size packs of delicious olives that the whole family loved.  They are great for on-the-go and in lunchboxes.  The olives held up surprisingly well for being packaged and not jarred and the flavor combinations were fantastic!  They were great for salads and for garnishes, even in martinis!  ABCD Diaries gives OLOVES an A+!!

Disclosure:  ABCD Diaries was given samples  for review purposes only. We were in no other way compensated. The opinions expressed in this post are ours and ours alone

Peter Rabbit Organics Review...

"The Peter Rabbit Organics family of fruit and veggie puree snacks has grown to include five new and nutritious flavors.  The new flavor combinations, inspired by customer feedback, help moms squeeze more fruits and veggies into their kids’ diets through the use of familiar base flavors such as apple and banana.

The addition of the new flavors, available at Amazon.com and Target.com, bring the popular line to a total of 11 delicious flavors including:

· Peach and Apple – New!

· Banana and Apple – New!

· Pear and Apple – New!

· Pear and Pea – New!

· Pumpkin, Carrot and Apple – New!

· Apple and Grape

· Mango, Banana and Orange

· Strawberry and Banana

· Pea, Spinach and Apple

· Sweet Potato, Corn and Apple

· Carrot, Squash and Apple

Peter Rabbit Organics pouches contain a generous 4 to 4.4 oz. serving of 100% USDA certified organic fruit, with no added sugar, preservatives or artificial ingredients and provide 100% of the recommended servings of fruit and/or vegetables for kids. You won’t have to read the label – the fruit you see on the front is what’s inside! If you do read the label you’ll see your snacks are high in vitamin C, have between 60 and 90 calories, 0 fat (of course – it’s fruit!) and 1.5-2 grams of fiber."


What we thought:  We love these healthy, convenient snacks because they actually taste good!  The new varieties are just as tasty as the original lineup and the kiddos loved every flavor.  These are great for quick snacks and the resealable lid is handy for younger kiddos who can't finish a single serving at once, which isn't a problem for our growing monkeys:)  ABCD Diaries gives these new flavors of Peter Rabbit Organics an A+! 

Disclosure:  ABCD Diaries was given samples  for review purposes only. We were in no other way compensated. The opinions expressed in this post are ours and ours alone