Everything Yankees!

I never thought I would become an obsessed professional baseball fan...and lo and behold, over the last 20 years, I am 100% Yankees!

And because I am, my boys are equally as rabid. They know all the players by name, are collecting baseball cards and wearing NY Yankee gear to school. Of course, it is always easier to root on a winning team, yet the devastation when they lose is compounded by the hope of their winning the World Championship.

We've been lucky to be spectators in the new Yankee Stadium which much to my surprise (shock!) is tremendous improvement over the original. All of the seats (including the nosebleed section we were in) have gorgeous views of the field while at the same time they've managed to keep the vintage, classic stadium design. l.

Of course, tickets are so outrageously priced we'll never get tickets for the final games. And because we have gone with out a television in our house for over 2 years, it's a true retro experience....on the radio. We all crawl on my bed and listen to the game. I personally find this better and a tad more exciting than watching it on TV in a bar. Plus, my husband grew up listening to baseball games on the radio in his room, so gets nostalgic with each game.

As a mom of 3 boys, I am delighted that I've found a classic sport we can all bond over (I am sure they will be starting to practice their sewing post season!)

Super Mom Organizer GIVEAWAY

Congratulations to Aura for winning our Columbus Day series!

And now, for the mom who needs to be a tad bit more organized...(that just may be ALL of us!)...we can help! Our bestselling Mom Organizer is the ultimate for keeping it all together.

No more missing PTA meetings, losing babysitter phone numbers, showing up late for play dates with this comprehensive organizer designed for the modern mom. This 3 ring binder style organizer has oversized pockets with plenty of room for homework review, menus, etc. It comes with cute sticky notes, monthly and weekly calendars plus loads of project planning pages.

No more excuses, moms...we can KEEP IT TOGETHER!


Good look and spread the word about this fabulous give away!
Here is how to win:

1. Leave a comment with your organizational tip to share with other moms.
2. Mention how you found this site
3. Check out the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. to see what other products they carry.
4. Make sure I can contact you! Either leave an email address in your comment, or make sure that you have contact information on your blog profile.

You can receive an extra entry towards this giveaway if you link to this give-away in your blog and put that link in your comment. Or Twitter this giveaway and follow me on Twitter.

The give-away is open for entries until Sunday, October 25th, at 11:59 PM. Winners will be chosen at random, and announced Monday afternoon. Good luck!

Discovering Columbus GIVE AWAY

I had to stop and remind myself what we do on Columbus Day (other than SHOP!). So I asked the kids why we celebrated Columbus Day. And here's what I got:

• "Umm, to remember how the country got started." (Pretty good)
• "To celebrate Christopher Columbus."
• "To rest." (my favorite)

So in honor of getting started on Columbus Day, we are giving away some NAUTICAL treats. A personalized nautical pillow and our famous (and very popular) sailor name plaques.



Good look and spread the word about this fabulous give away!
Here is how to win:

1. Leave a comment with your favorite holiday and why.
2. Mention how you found this site
3. Check out the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. to see what other products they carry.
4. Make sure I can contact you! Either leave an email address in your comment, or make sure that you have contact information on your blog profile.

You can receive an extra entry towards this giveaway if you link to this give-away in your blog and put that link in your comment. Or Twitter this giveaway and follow me on Twitter.

The give-away is open for entries until Sunday, October 18th, at 11:59 PM. Winners will be chosen at random, and announced Monday afternoon. Good luck!

Being Noble

The announcement of President Barack Obama winning the Noble Peace Prize is sure to illicit commentary as it was a surprise for most of us.

In my case, a happy one. Obama's journey can be an inspiration for us all, especially our children. (He represents the youth probably better than my generation.) He motivates us to think differently, try new things and break out of our comfort zone.

He starts new conversations (abroad, Russia. Iran) and domestically (healthcare) where there is clear discomfort and no clear, set path to take.

The Noble Peace Prize has always been a symbolic (and political) prize. He won for his efforts to encourage cooperation and conversations among various countries. As a mom, this is what I do with not only my children but also with their friends. It's NOT easy to do in my own tiny, microcosm and can't imagine the difficulty on the world stage.

For our boys, my husband and I encourage them to take the road less traveled, be true to themselves and do the right thing. And in the end if we all can do that, we come out noble winners.

Fabulous Family Tree Give Away!

Thank you for all your great baking tips last week...And yippee skip... Amber of Making A Home, won our Apron Give Away (please e mail me as I do not have your email!)

This weeks give away is from one of my favorite artists of all time. Sarah Jane of Sarah Jane Studios. In fact, once you visit her BEAUTIFUL blog, you may NEVER come back to mine!

Sarah Jane illustrations make you feel light and happy. I spent years collecting vintage children's book primarily because I would fall in love with the illustrations. I loved the simplicity of a children's parade or kids hosting a tea party with their animals. Similarly Sarah Jane's work captures the innocence of childhood, so much so, that you can easily loose yourself to a daydreaming of days gone by!

Sarah Jane has doodled and sketched her entire life. Her work is impeccably charming and will be a family favorite for generations to come. Enjoy her use of color on these whimsical and timeless images on this family tree!

Everyone of us has thought about tracing our roots (some of us actually have even captured this information somewhere in our kids baby books). Now, Sarah Jane gives us the perfect excuse to showcase our family history.

Good look and spread the word about this fabulous give away!
Here is how to win:

1. Leave a comment with your favorite children's book.
2. Mention how you found this site
3. Check out the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. to see what other products they carry.
4. Make sure I can contact you! Either leave an email address in your comment, or make sure that you have contact information on your blog profile.

You can receive an extra entry towards this giveaway if you link to this give-away in your blog and put that link in your comment. Or Twitter this giveaway and follow me on Twitter.

The give-away is open for entries until Sunday, October 11th, at 11:59 PM. Winners will be chosen at random, and announced Monday afternoon. Good luck!

Do chemicals make fabric safer for children?

One of my bestselling, "mom loved" and kid adored products we made and marketed for years were our "Lounge-Around-the-Housewear". In the process, the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. did our best to label these products as "NOT intended for sleepwear" as we did not treat them with the required fire retardant chemicals.


As a purist and a mother of 3 healthy boys, I am a firm believer in using natural, untreated products which include cotton fabrics. This is why so many moms (myself included) do NOT want to unnecessarily expose their children to chemically treated products. If you stop and think about it, any additive chemical that would STOP fire is incredibly powerful (or in my mind and in the opinion of many scientists, toxic).

In fact, this weeks Scientific American had this to say , "Also targeted are brominated flame retardants added to electronics and other goods; perfluorinated compounds used in manufacturing non-stick coatings and food packaging; some parafins, used in lubricants, and benzidine dyes and pigments. Many scientists say these chemicals can mimic hormones and obstruct development of fetuses and children, as well as possibly cause reproductive problems, cancer or other health effects."

We've since pulled our product and stop marketing them all together. However, in our product recall of thousands of pairs of "Lounge-around-the-Housewear", daily we get calls from previous buyers. And after our announcement, we got more letters from parents who were distressed that they could no longer buy them. In fact, we only had 3 returns and one return was from a mom who didn't fully understand what or why she was returning. Our untreated loungewear was safe. Because they were untreated, they did not comply with the federal guidelines for flammability.

So moms, I encourage you to question what is deemed safe for your children. And if you are like me, think about whether chemical additives are REALLY protecting your children.

Get involved in the political process if possible. Voice your opinion and continue to demand high quality products for your children!

Bodwell Family Olympics

It's been over a year without a TV in our house and with no computer during the week. As a result, the boys have been amazingly creative with their free time.

Last night, I walked into an Olympic village. My oldest son made a trumpeting sound, followed by a cry..."Let the Family Games Begin"!

Ok, I agreed...but AFTER dinner.

The boys and our neighbors raced to finish dinner, eager to get started with the Bodwell Family Olympic Trials. Participants could choose to compete in:

• the Penny Pitch
• the Connect Four Challenge
• Balloon Volleyball
• Hallway Relay Races
• Guinea Pig Mazes

I was sure that I could win in the Penny Pitch...yet was easily defeated by my youngest son and our neighbors daughter. (it was REALLY hard!)

The favorite spectator sport was the Balloon Volleyball. The kids taped down lime green crepe paper streamers to mark the court and used a big yellow balloon for the ball. They were diving and slamming with athletic vigor.

Everyone "won" something at the medal ceremony. Fischer ingeniously fashioned custom medals using crepe paper with taped on pennies to drape across the athletes chest. My youngest fell asleep wearing his handmade medal he won for "Best Sportsmanship".

I must say, it was far more fun than any Wii Sport and far more REAL than today's reality shows!