CLOSED #UltimateBabywearing Event with Over $800 in Prizes!

Welcome to the Ultimate Babywearing Giveaway Event, hosted by Happy Mothering and Green Moms Media. As part of this event, we’re giving away 8 amazing baby carriers! That means 8 of you will win a baby carrier to help you keep your baby close to you!

Our fabulous babywearing sponsors will be providing the following carriers to our winners:

Baby K’tan Breeze Carrier {$59.95 value; US entries only}

The Baby K’tan Carrier is a ready-to-wear wrap; all the same benefits without all the wrapping! The Breeze carrier features 50% cotton and 50% mesh to make babywearing cooler in the summer. Read Happy Mothering’s review here.

Balboa Baby Adjustable Sling {$60 value; US/CAN entries only}

This comfortable sling was designed in conjunction with Dr. William Sears and is designed for babies that weigh up to 25 pounds. It features a padded strap and heavy-duty nylon rings to make it comfortable and easy to adjust. Read Happy Mothering’s review here.

Beco Gemini Carrier {$130 value; US/CAN entries only}

The Beco Gemini Carrier is a made in the USA from organic cotton. It is very comfortably padded, and can be used in the back carry, hip carry and front carry (inward and outward facing) positions with babies and toddlers ranging from 7-35 pounds. Read Happy Mothering’s review here.

Boba 3G Carrier {$120 value; US entries only}

The Boba 3G is a comfortable soft structured carrier made from 100% cotton. It has a removable hood and plenty of storage. It can be used with babies and toddlers ranging from 7 to 45 pounds, and requires no additional insert for infants. Review coming.

Catbird Baby Mei Tai Carrier {$89 value; US/CAN entries only}

The Catbird Baby Mei Tai Carrier features a beautifully simple design, with no buckles, straps or wrapping required. It has wide padded straps, a small hood and can be used with babies from 8 to 40 pounds in multiple carrying positions. Read Happy Mothering’s review here.

ERGObaby Performance Carrier with Cargo Pack {$163 value; US/CAN entries only}

The ERGObaby Performance carrier is designed for people who love outdoors activities, but don’t want to leave the kids behind (7-45 pound weight limit). It features a mesh lining and high-performance Ripstop water-repellant polyester on the exterior. The Cargo Pack accessory ensures you have plenty of extra storage space for long hikes. Read Happy Mothering’s review here.

Moby Wrap, Sponsored by Thanks Mama {$44.95 value; Worldwide entries}

The Moby Wrap is a versatile, 100% cotton babywearing option that uses your entire back, as well as your shoulders, to carry the weight of your baby. This carrier is being sponsored by Thanks Mama, a family owned cloth diapering and natural parenting store based in Boston, MA. Read Happy Mothering’s review here.

Onya Baby Carrier {$149 value; US/CAN entries only}

The Onya Baby Carrier is the only babywearing option that allows you to wear your baby not only on your front and back – but also allows you to convert nearly any adult chair into a safe seat for your baby! It can be used with children up to 45 pounds. Read Happy Mothering’s review here. Are you ready for your chance to win one of these awesome baby carriers? The winners will be chosen the following day and announced on Happy Mothering and the participating blogs once winners have been confirmed (all entries will be verified). Worldwide entries welcome (each sponsor has individual country requirements). Must be 18 years or older to win. The sponsors provided Happy Mothering with free samples of these products to review. Facebook is in no way affiliated with this contest. Please note that Happy Mothering, Green Moms Media, the Ultimate Babywearing Giveaway Event and Mama Papa Barn are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify the blog you won a prize from within 4-6 weeks for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you.

Episencial 3 Step System Review

Episencial has been on my green mama radar for one year. So it makes my interaction with its founder, Kim Walls, all the more meaningful to me.  You see, on an unrelated Facebook page, I suggested using the Soothing Cream in response to a mom’s question about her child’s skin issues.  I received a personal message from Kim thanking me for sharing my opinion.  I asked if I could further share her great products via a review and giveaway.  Not only did she agree, but she sponsored several prizes!  The first one was for my Green Summer prize in June. This time I have a set of products for my Dog Days Summer giveaway in August! 

One of the reasons I love Episencial products is that they contain ingredients that help, for specific reasons. There are no dangerous ingredients at all in any of their products. The ingredients all have a purpose; they are not just chemical names.  The Soothing Cream is the first skin product I have seen to contain pro-biotics.  You might know that pro-biotics, usually found in food, are what keeps our internal systems working properly.  Pro-biotics usually come from milk, which poses a little problem to us, you will see.

The most fun product in the bunch is the Playful Wash - Actively Healthy(™) ingredients: organic calendula, oat extract, thyme oil. It is intended for bath time, but I decided instead to try some cheap and easy water play on a hot day.  I filled up some aluminium pans with water and the wash and made bubbles.  We added some toys and it was endless bubble water fun.   Here you have a quick and easy and great way to keep your tot busy and cool on a hot summer day. And it is totally safe!

The Soothing Cream itself is not as ‘creamy’ as the name suggests. It is more gel like while not being sticky or thick. It goes on smooth and absorbs pretty fast.  While my milk allergic Tubby reacts to the probiotics by getting a little irritated and red by the cream on application, it quickly subsides and makes his skin smoother.  This is the reason I like it most.  The benefits of this product outweigh the one little risk. You can't go wrong with 'Actively Healthy(™) ingredients: organic calendula, neem, probiotics'.

The Sunny Sunscreen on the other hand is quite thick - Actively Healthy(™) ingredients: Organic, transparent zinc, green tea.  I used it on myself and Tubby.  It does leave your skin a little whiter than when you started, no matter how much rubbing I did.  That would be the good part, you know that the coverage is complete and working with an SPF 35 rating.  There is no smell on the cream to deter use or make your children run away :)


If you are looking for safe, effective products for your children or even yourself, Episencial has a huge range of products with organic and natural ingredients.  And now when you order as little as $10 online, you get FREE shipping and samples.  Now that is a deal that can't be beat.


Thanks again to Kim and Episencial for sponsoring these great prizes.


Disclosure: I was provided free products for review. The opinions in this review are my own true experiences. However, yours may be different. 

Seasoned Traveler, Mostly! #WW

Travel, Family and Sun - First Week in Sweden

We were expecting rain and cool temperatures, but we were pleasantly surprised by sun and warmth.  Here are some pictures of our first week of vacation.

Of course, it is raining today and rained this weekend so much that some streets in Göteborg flooded. We shall see how the rest of the week goes.

Leak Proof Pad from Eco Alternatives #MadeNAmerica Spotlight

The month of July is a big month for Traci of Eco Alternatives because she is celebrating one year in business. And she has had such good customers all year long that she is also having daily specials all month long to celebrate. She wants to share her good fortune with everyone! Her shop offers a lot of mama cloth as well as non-paper towels, wet bags, and a few other family items. Her motto is 'Life is Full of Choices...' Indeed.

Traci decided I should try out her newest product to the store, a fleece-backed cloth pad.  Although there is no 'water-proof' backing per say, it is constructed to be leak proof.  The pad came with instructions on care and use. It is always and infinitely helpful to have this information handy :)  

The pad was a fancy and peppy fabric that totally surprised me.  The backing was a pretty teal fleece. It measured a little over 9 1/2 inches total.  And just like a disposable, it can be folded and snapped for neat and easy storage.

My experience with the pad was all positive! It was easy to prep, just one wash.  It was easy to use (of  course) and stayed in place once snapped.  It did not leak.  I used it for several hours and checked a few times to find that all liquid stayed on the cotton pad and did not seep through the fleece onto my underwear.  The pad washed clean, did not stain, and dried fast in both the dryer (pre-wash) and in the sun for a few hours.  I very much liked the functionality and ease of use.  My little tip on making the washing process easier for cloth pads is to rinse out in the shower.  I did it with this pad and didn't have to pre-wash or soak overnight.

Traci wants to share her great and successful achievement of one year in business with one of my readers.  She is a sponsor of the Made in America prize with a $25 gift card to her store!  Check out the pretty and green selections she offers.  That will be a fun shopping spree indeed. Thank you Traci!

Disclosure: I was provided a free product for review. The opinions in this review are my own true experiences. However, yours may be different. 

My Love Will Burn (Min kärlek ska brinna) - My Favorite Line

I was reminded of my most favorite song today. Since we are currently visiting my in-laws in Sweden, Tubby has been busy playing Farmor's new CDs (new to him, that is). He happened upon one that contained 'Min Kärlek'  by Shirley Clamp. I looooved this song when I lived in Göteborg.  That was some years ago. Ahhh, the memories....

Baby Shower Gifts - ONE Winner Takes All!!

Welcome to the Baby Shower Event Hosted by : Curly Girl Braids and More

A big thank you to all of the following sponsors for the wonderful prizes they are providing to ONE lucky winner! Yes one person will win all of these prizes!

From Coupons & Freebies in Texas 

$10 Babies R Us Gift Cards

Baby Gourmet is offering a 12 pack of their wonderful baby food

Baby Legs is sponsoring a grab bag valued at $50!

Babo Botanicals is sponsoring an Oatmeal Calendula baby shampoo & wash

Tommee Tippee is providing a baby bottle - can never have too many of these!

Little Toader is sponsoring a Teether

A lovely baby blanket is being provided by Minky Couture

For Mommy & Baby's comfort Double Blessing is sponsoring a healthy nursing pillow

Yay a $30 Store Gift Card from Nature Bratz

From Go Picnic winner will receive 2 yummy Meals

A yummy pretzel crisp assortment is being sponsored by Pretzel Crisps

Moms 4 Life is providing a pair of "Baby Legs"

Enter on the Rafflcopter below for your chance to be the lucky winner of ALL these wonderful prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from  yours. Mama Papa Barn is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.  

Enjoying the Rain #WW

BabaSling by Joovy is Groovy! Baby Carrier Review

I am mad for baby carriers of all kinds. I have a stash of them and Hubby doesn't understand why.  I find them good to use for comfort and closeness as well as being able to get my hands back for tasks both at home and out on errands.  I love using both sling carriers and backpack carriers.

This BabaSling by Joovy is a sling carrier made of organic cotton (love that!) that has a buckle strap which attaches two adjustable straps for maximum versatility. The sling can be used for 7.7 up to 33 pound children. We made it in just under the wire with room still in the pleated fabric.

This was my first experience with an adjustable sling.  I had only encountered buckles and straps on my backpack carriers before.  Here's how things came out of the box.

There are lots of information and illustrations on both the box and the instruction booklet.  I thought it was cute that the fabric sling came folded up in a cube shape...could I get it back into that same shape once I had used it? I did; in fact, the sling is constructed is such a way with the padded shoulder and side straps that it is easy to use and store back in the pouch.

Here you can see how thick and sturdy the padding is. But it is also soft and comfortable!  

There is also a handy, dandy pocket near the padding for a toy or bib, or whatever little thing you might need. It stays hidden in a fold if you don't want to use it.

Here are all the lovely straps: safety strap (thin black) and the buckle straps that adjust independently.

I found using this adjustable sling to be not too different from my pouch sling carriers.  I simply had to make sure Tubby was positioned right so that both he and I were comfortable.  I had the straps open less than 10 inches to accommodate his 30 pound frame.  He seemed totally content in it and always thought I needed a snuggle when I put him in :)

Our sling adventures:

Waiting in line at the airport.

Sleeping on the plane.

Snuggling at the harbor.

Do you have a baby carrier or are you curious about this one? Check out Joovy's selections as well as their other baby products! 

Disclosure: I was provided a free product for review. The opinions in this review are my own true experiences. However, yours may be different.