I am absolutely tickled pink to announce the arrival of the newest addition to the Bellaziza family!

Camilla Marie was born on January 23rd in the early morning.  Due to severe complications, an emergency C-Section was performed to bring this little miracle into the world.  Against all odds and in the midst of what could have ended in tragedy, mommy and baby are both doing beautifully and are completely healthy!

They are so thankful for the thoughts and prayers from all of you, our faithful readers and friends.  Crista and family are now resting comfortably at home and enjoying every minute!  She will be sharing more later this week about the experience, so stay tuned.

Tasha

This year will be starting out peachy for two lucky readers!  We are giving away TWO sets of momAgenda products to TWO of you!!  For the “Mom Business” gal, you will receive a Chores Pad, various Desk Pads, the School Years Home Organizer, and the momAgenda Desktop Day Planner in leopard!  For our “Business Mom”, you will receive various Desk Pads,  the Faux Crocodile momAgenda Desktop AND the Mini Daily in leopard!

To enter, visit www.momAgenda.com and take a look at their products. THEN simply comment on this post saying what you love most about their products, their website or their company.

This SWAG ALERT will be open for daily entry until Monday, February 2nd at midnight PST.  Our same fabulous SWAG ALERT rules apply, including EXTRAS, but if you need a refresher on the details just CLICK HERE or visit our “SWAG INFO” page by clicking the tab at the top of this page. Winner will be chosen from the comments posted and our subscription list on Tuesday via random.org.  Winner will be fetched using Prizey.net.

Thanks on behalf of momAgenda for your feedback and of course, we thank you for reading Bellaziza’s Favorite Things!

In a world that is becoming more and more techno-savvy and paperless, momAgenda has reminded me of why I love a good old fashioned paper planner!  I love making lists, keeping a tidy (yet very full) calendar and organizing every last detail.  I have tried a few of those techno-cool organizing softwares too.  And while it was convenient to be able to upload my grocery list from my laptop to my phone, do you know how many times I did it?  Umm, that would be a big, fat zero!  But can I count the times I found a straggling piece of paper to make my grocery list on and then threw it in my purse?  Oh, don’t make me count that high!  (I love their Desk Pads for this very reason!!)  momAgenda has made the list-maker, organizer, calendar-crazy and make-life simpler side of this Mommy smile.  If you are not like me and the thought of organizing makes you cringe, these products will make it simple and easy to stay on track and keep your family organized amongst the craziness of every day life!

Let me tell you more about the products that will help you with your New Year’s resolutions of arriving on time more often, planning meals more fervently and attaining the sought after role of Super Mom!  Our Favorite part of momAgenda’s Day Planners and what makes them so unique is the super easy format that makes it a breeze to keep track of multiple family member’s schedules, not just one like most day planners!!

If you are all “Mom Business” and have more little league schedules on your calendar than conference calls, juggle PTA and charity work, and (of course) always bake those ten dozen cupcakes for the bake sale from scratch, then momAgenda will help you be the Bree Hodge of your fellow housewives.  Try the momAgenda All-in-One, the multi-tasking Momma’s life preserver!  And at only $48, you don’t even have to hold your breath when you purchase it!  Just jump right in!

If you are all “Business-Mom”, get ready to have your cake AND eat it too…right down to the last crumb!  You’re a woman on a mission!  Being organized is NOT an option!  It is essential to keep your family life and your career balanced and in control.  With momAgenda you will be able to do it all justice…work hard, play hard and breathe easier!!  Working moms will love, love, love the momAgenda Personal Portfolio.  For $116 you will be the most stylish, put-together It-Girl in the office AND on the soccer field!

There are many, many more cute, classy and oh so practical products that you just have to check out at www.momAgenda.com!!!  So get over there and get organized!  And thank you for always penciling in time to read Bellazia’s Favorite Things into your fabulous, busy schedules!!

My eight year old son wants his own email address.  What’s more bizarre than that?  I thought about it for a second!  I mean, do I REALLY want a million messages in my inbox from legoclub.com?  As I think about how differently my childhood was compared to my son’s, I can’t help but feel a little nostalgic about the good ol’ days.  Remember when we used to actually write letters?!  You know…pen, paper and envelopes!  In a world of e-cards and text messaging I hope I don’t forget to teach my son the fine art of sitting down and writing a note to a friend, a thank you card to a Grandma or a love note to his Mommy.

I do love that he can stay in touch with friends and family with the click of a button, but the world “out there” in cyberspace is so big, mean and uncaring of our children’s innocence.  So I will ride the line…play it safe.  We’ll take the best of both worlds, please!  A nice card mailed to Grandma, a quick email to a cousin and as for the love notes to Mommy, well, I’ll take those any way I can get them!!

Jessica Alba visited Petit Tresor Saturday with two girlfriends and went on a shopping binge for precious Honor Marie.  Among her fabulous finds from our Favorite West Hollywood Boutique were an “Audrey” diaper bag from Mia Bossi, a gorgeous pink cashmere sweater from Amber Hagen and a pink “my first sofa” from Kaloo.  It’s easy to see that Honor Marie is being raised to be a chic and savvy shopper just like her Mom!  Get a couple of girlfriends together and visit the links above and have a shopping spree of your own (without traveling to Cali)!!

Picture of Jessica courtesy of zimbio.com.

Subscriber Emilie P. of MN, you better make some room, because you are the winner of our HUGE Plan Toys Kitchen SWAG!!  You will be receiving the Plan Toys Kitchen Center, Dishwasher, Fridge, Toaster, Microwave, Assorted Fruits & Veggies, Breakfast Menu, Cooking Utensils, Tableware Set, AND Food & Beverage Set all valued at a grand total of $950!!!  Enjoy and let us know what you and your little ones cooks up!

Watch for next week’s SWAG Alert!!  We have some great products and companies to tell you about AND to SWAG you with!!!

My latest thoughts about teaching my kids the art of writing a letter have inspired me to make some homemade stationary.  Here’s a fun and unique idea that I just love.  The pictures shown are of cards but I think it would also be adorable done as full sheet stationary!  Make some with your kids and write a letter to Grandma!

Directions:  Pick (or buy!) some fresh daisies or other sturdy flowers with distinct petals.  Pour your paint into shallow dishes that are wider than the blooms on your flowers.  Lightly dip the blossom of your flower into the paint and carefully press it like a stamp onto the cards to create a beautiful floral image.  If you can’t see distinct petals, try removing excess paint by pressing your flower on a blank piece of paper before using it on your card.  You can also try applying paint to the petals of your flower with a paintbrush.  Have fun with your cards.  Try stamping a single bloom in the center of the paper or add more to create a pattern.  You can also experiment with different colors for interesting effects.  No two cards are exactly alike, so you’re sure to end up with unique and personalized stationery!

Ideas and photo courtesy of www.homemadesimple.com.

Extravagant?  Who, us?  You know we love to spoil our readers and our Favorite toy experts are helping us do just that!  This week we will be giving away some super duper SWAG from the best of the best, the always Eco-friendly, kid safe, and imagination inspiring Plan Toys!!

We are giving away to one very lucky reader the whole shebang – the Plan Toys Kitchen Center, Dishwasher, Fridge, Toaster, Microwave, Assorted Fruits & Veggies, Breakfast Menu, Cooking Utensils, Tableware Set, AND Food & Beverage Set all valued at a grand total of $950!!!

Plan Toys has asked that you, our fabulous readers, suggest what you would like to see included in PlanToys products, their website or any other efforts made by their very socially conscious company.  How would YOU suggest they improve? To enter, please visit www.plantoysusa.com, and comment on this post answering their request.

This SWAG ALERT will be open for daily entry until Monday, January 26th at midnight PST.  Our same fabulous SWAG ALERT rules apply, including EXTRAS, but if you need a refresher on the details just CLICK HERE or visit our “SWAG INFO” page by clicking the tab at the top right of this page.

A HUGE THANKS to all of our friends at Plan Toys for this generous giveaway, and of course to you for reading BellazizasFavorites.com!

There is nothing more precious to a Mother than her baby’s first moments.  Whether it’s your first child or fourth, every “first” matters.  When we found the Mother’s Stork Baby Book it was instantly one of our Favorite Things!  There is no better book for journaling about those precious moments we do not want to forget!

This book is SO luxurious!!  Its price of $135 is completely justified considering the incredible QUALITY of this heirloom keepsake!  The paper is archival quality custom-made, and the illustrations just send it over the top!  It comes in it’s own storage box and includes a black gel pen with archival-quality ink as well!  We are absolutely drooling over the luxury of it all! It is sooooo absolutely BEST of the best.  Nothing else even comes close!!

Liam Aaron McDermott is a big boy now!  To celebrate his exit out of toddlerdom his oh-so-stylish parents, Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott, bought him a big boy bed over the weekend at Petit Tresor in West Hollywood.

Tori chose a fantastic twin bed from Muu with the “Spout” panel which adorably displays a picture of a whale on the headboard.  Of course, they also just had to have the matching dresser!

Tori also picked up a half dozen bibs with the word “Babe” luxuriously embroidered on them from our Favorite, and that of all celebutots, Plain Mary, for sweet baby sister, Stella!

Image courtesy of Oxygen.

What do these women have in common you may ask?  Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears are easy enough to figure out, but Sarah Palin?  Yes, opposites do attract, but they really do have something they’re all working on… losing that baby weight!

PLEASE NOTE:

Plan Toys has asked that you, our fabulous readers, suggest what you would like to see included in PlanToys products, their website or any other efforts made by their very socially conscious company.

How would YOU suggest they improve?

To enter, please visit www.plantoysusa.com, and comment on our original post answering their request.

Thanks!!!

Congratulations to frequent commenter and subscriber, Sarah C., who is the winner of the Beaba Babycook!  Sarah – you must have really wanted this one!  Your daily entries really increased your chances to win…and it worked!!

Congratulations also go out to to subscriber, Colleen,  and commenter #120, Kathy S.,  who are the winners of a full 1 year subscription to RelishRelish.com!

We are so happy for all our winners!  Enjoy!!  Also, many thanks to our generous sponsors and fabulous readers who continue to make this site a success every week, giving their opinions and ideas on the absolute BEST products available for the family who has everything, but deserves more!  Stay tuned for some of our best SWAG yet coming up this week!!!

One of the classic New Year’s resolutions out there is to be more organized in the coming year.  The Queen Bee herself , Oprah, recommends this easy and practical system for organizing any room.  We suggest starting with a closet or pantry.  You will see quick results and you’ll be inspired to tackle the rest of the house!  Here is what Julie Morgenstern, author of Time Management from the Inside Out and Organizing from the Inside Out, and Oprah favorite suggests.

Julie’s Organizing Formula – S.P.A.C.E.

Sort: Identify what’s important to you and group similar items.

Purge: Decide what you can live without and get rid of it (e.g. donations, sales, storage, garbage).

Assign: Decide where the items you keep will go.  Remember, make it logical, accessible and safe.

Containerize: Make sure they’re sturdy, easy to handle, the right size, and that they look good. The art of containerizing is to do it last, not first.

Equalize: Spend 15 minutes a day to maintain what you’ve done.

Photo courtesy of Country Living.

This SWAG ALERT is going to make you say “Yummm!!!”  We are giving away a complete Beaba Babycook Babyfood Maker valued at $150!!!

To enter, visit www.babycookstore.com and comment on this post with what you think about their company/website/product for your chance to win!

This SWAG ALERT will be open for daily entry until Monday, January 19th at midnight PST.  Our same fabulous SWAG ALERT rules apply, including EXTRAS, but if you need a refresher on the details just CLICK HERE or visit our “SWAG INFO” page by clicking the tab at the top right of this page.

Thanks to Beaba for sharing their innovative product with us, and of course to you for reading BellazizasFavorites.com!