Do you know what I hate?  When you find the cutest shoes for your favorite little feet but can’t (or won’t) buy them because they are tie up shoes.  You know the kind you have to help out with every single time you get ready to go somewhere!  The kind that takes way too much time when you are trying to get out the door in a hurry.  Just one more thing to do before little Johnny can get off to school and out of your hair!  Yeah, those.  And teaching said little feet person to tie those shoes…fuggedaboudit!  Too much drama for this lady!

When I heard about One Two, Tie My Shoe, I just had to try it!  I’ve got two little boys that are just at that age where tying shoes is on the list of things to conquer.  I mean, velcro is SO three year old!  I was happily impressed by how something so simple could make the complex art of shoe tying…so simple!  Even little Charlie (who’s only four) quickly caught on to how to tie his shoes!

It’s really easy.   Just show your little one the basics steps of shoe tying (you know, make an X, push one lace through the bunny hole, make a bunny ear, etc) and then use the little split rings provided in the One, Two, Tie My Shoe kit to hold the loops in place.  Make  another X and whola!  Shoes tied!  No floppy bunny ears to tangle with!  Genius!

Add some super cute shoe charms and shoe tying just got a whole lot sweeter!  The One, Two, Tie My Shoe kits are great for special needs kids, early learners and late bloomers!  The price is nice at only $7.96 with FREE shipping!!  So check then out over at www.onetwotiemyshoe.com and have fun getting those little fingers in the house to take take care of their own little feet!

SWAG ALERT: Follow us on Twitter for random giveaways of more than TEN One, Two, Tie My Shoe kits!!!  It’s our first round of Twitter SWAG ALERTS with many more to come, so stay tuned to @Bellaziza on Twitter!!!  Tweet us and tell us you’d like one… and that’s what you just may get:)!!

School has started (… and all the frazzled mommies said Amen!).  Routines are now my best friend.  With two kids in school, homework to be done, dinner to be made and a rambunctious four year old to keep happy, routines are necessary!  So when we found ourselves trying to do homework at the kitchen table amongst all of the above, we knew it was time for a new Favorite Thing…a desk!  But just any old desk wouldn’t do…only the best for my boys!  We were excited to find Maxtrix and had no doubt that it was perfect for us!  When we received our Student Desk and Chair, our expectations were exceeded!  The quality is perfection, almost no assembly and the look is nothing short of pure class!

All pieces from Maxtrix are made from solid hardwood and are designed to grow with your child. These pieces will fit in your child’s room for years to come, an investment worth making!  The quality is just what you would expect from a Favorite of ours!  All of the drawers are crafted using English Dovetail joints, something you never find in those cheap desks and dressers at your local furniture store!  Maxtrix offers 2 types of desks that you can combine in a variety of styles and options, the Student Desk and the Long Desk with Keyboard tray.  We love options, don’t we?!

Can I tell you how much I  love the desk chair?  The height easily adjusts from 17 ½ to 20 inches.  The details include a frame grip for easy handling, back slats for added support and large rubber high quality ball-bearing non-scuff swivel wheels!  Add in the vibrant colors the chairs are available in and you’ve got a super cool spot where you can get your study on!

Nothing is complete without accessories, right?!  Organizing just got cuter with the Maxpack!  This super sturdy storage pouch is made from soft, colorfast 100% cotton and is offered in two sizes and eleven exciting color combinations!  Again, with all the options!!  The neat thing about this storage accessory is that it attaches to all of the Maxtrix pieces.  So attach it to the back of the chair, on the side of the bed, the wall, anywhere you need a little place to stuff (or neatly place) something!  My son considers it his “special hiding spot” so lots of “important” things are hidden there.  I imagined it as a spot to put on the back of the desk chair for homework papers and schedules, but I digress to the need for a “special hiding spot”.  Maxtrix certainly did this one up right by winning the coveted “Mom’s Best Award”!

So there you have it, a mundane routine like homework at the dinner table transformed into a fabulously stylish space in your home!  Considering the quality and how long these pieces will last, the prices are fantastic!  The MSRP for the desk is $615, $239 for the chair, and $35 for the Maxpack.  But look around, prices will vary from retailer to retailer!

SWAG ALERT:  Check them out Maxtrix online and let us know what you think!  They’re giving one very lucky reader a Student Desk, Chair and Maxpack in your choice of color valued at arounf $1,000!!!  You know how it works and what to do.  This SWAG ALERT will be open until we say so.  Good luck and have some fun with all that homework!

It’s 10:30 Friday night at Chez Bellaziza.   The girls are in bed… and I am still thrilled over the Alice delivery that I received from UPS Santa earlier today.  Yes, I need a life.  I just love great service, saving time and saving money!  (That’s all!  No ‘lack of life’ here!)  I’m all about the premium product side of life, in case you hadn’t figured that one out.  I’m also absolutely the most value-obsessed consumer I know.  Although I can find value in luxury, my happy place is where quality and value intersect (*shout-out to Costco!*)  Without impressive amounts of both, I’m the queen of buyer’s remorse.

So Alice, dear Alice… I just love ya so far.  Here’s what UPS Santa brought me!  (Coincidentally he actually came to the back door, just off of the kitchen, and carried my daliceous goodies right in for me!)  Maybe he saw the “alice” on the box and thought he needed to take his service to the next level.  I toootally get it.

This is my Alice…

Not only did my new friend Alice send what I ordered, but what I forgot to order… in another box… for free.  “Always free shipping”, after all.  I’m in love.

All of my things were lovingly packed in a sea of fun and eco-friendly air filled pouches.  Inspiring.  Sounds like the mother of bubble wrap to me!

Carefully packed.  Full of care.  Care.  Full.  Yayee.

Alice, I love you for taping my fabric softener cap closed.  I love you more for using tape that didn’t leave it sticky.  I will love you most though… every time I hold said cap and think of how it could have been… sticky.

Personalized tape too?  What a diva!  But considerate, none the less.  I love the little tab you left me!

And here’s what Alice brought me… for $56.76.  But there’s more.  Remember?  I forgot…

… this, and it shipped.  Alone.  And that shipping was free…

as were these two handy oversize heavy duty ziplock bags that we will be reusing…

and a whole lotta these.  Should keep Isabella busy for at least a few noisy minutes!

See you soon Alice!  Thanks for saving me two trips to the store and a bunch of dough.  Love it!  BFF’s maybe?

Crista

Want to meet Alice?  CLICK BELOW and get $10 off your first order of $50 or more…

I just found something that is going to save me time and money on a regular basis!  It’s a lot of fun too:)!  Check out Alice.  It’s a service to help you buy all of the kitchen, bathroom, household, baby, kid and lots of other STUFF that we all have to get regularly but have to go find first, put it in the cart, purchase and then lug it home.  We are now happily ‘lug-free’!  Heck, let UPS do it, right?!?! Oh, it’s ALWAYS FREE SHIPPING at Alice too!  Even for tiny orders:)!!!  Definitley, let UPS do it since it’s easyyyy and only takes 2-3 days!

Saves me MONEY:  The best part (other than saving a ton of time on a regular basis, which I know I mentioned) is the AUTOMATIC COUPONS!!!  Yes, that’s right!  All of those manufacturer’s coupons are automatically found and applied to your order!  Yesterday I placed my first order and bought a pack of Huggies Supreme diapers that retails for $10.99 and usually costs $9.69 from Alice… for only $3.50 after coupons!  Take a peek and notice how MANY of the things I bought had coupons!!

All in all, I bought over $80 worth of things I buy ANYWAY, I got it delivered for free, and AFTER COUPONS I ONLY SPENT $56.76!!!!!!!!(…)!!!

Saves me TIME: Now instead of tromping though the store and forgetting a few things along the way… and buying some more that I don’t really need… I get to pull up my “Shelf” to see what I always buy!

You can even get automatic reminders if you want.  Alice’s organizational features are truly fantastic and I am really looking forward to never running out of anything ever again, and the cumulative savings of both time and money thanks to Alice.

Also, Alice makes shopping Green and Organic very easy!  They carry lots of great brands like Earth’s Best, Gerber Organic, Tom’s, Kashi, Seventh Generation and MORE!

Want to try Alice and save $10 off of your first order?  CLICK HERE, sign up to shop and never run out of anything again!  It’s SO simple and trust us it’s going to be one of your Favorite Things just like it is ours:).

I’ll see ya there!  Look for me online at Alice as Bellaziza in the “Neighborhood” and we can chat or tell me what you think in the comments of this post:)!  For now, back to shopping….

Crista

We looooove to snack here.  There’s always something crunchy and sweet not far from reach from carrots to Crunch bars…oops, let that cat outta the bag!  It’s great to be healthy, but sometimes you just want that great flavor… you know, the one that’s NOT usually in the “healthy picks” aisle.  Sometimes you just want that chocolate chip cookie!  Or maybe some cheese puffs?  I know we do.  This is precisely I was SOOOO happy to find our newest Favorite Thing, Snikiddy!!!

Snikiddy has the absolute BEST line of snacky yet healthful foods that kids and adults alike will absolutely crave!  Do you like the sound of Chocolate Chip Bites?  Nacho Cheese Puffs?  How about Chocolate Chocolate Bites?  Oooh yeah – chocolate ON CHOCOLATE and our absolute Favorite!!  Not only that, but have you ever tasted or seen flavors like Mac’n Cheese and Grilled Cheese on your average bag of cheese puffs?  We thought not.  The best part of Snikiddy is that not only is everything really delicious, it’s all natural and quite healthful to boot!  (*Oooh, Aaah!*)

The Snikiddy founders, Mary and Janet, are actually mother and daughter!  Their secret to true tastiness is in the ingredients that they choose.  The pick the absolute highest quality, freshest and most healthful ingredients out there and that is what goes into each bag and boxfull of goodness.  Great job girls and thanks from us and all of the loyal Snikiddy fans!  Yummo!  (Rachael Ray loves Snikiddy too so we can say her little “yummo” here as many times as we want.  Yummo-yummo-yummo!  Ok just try Snikiddy and you’ll understand.  It’s even available in snack packs, and easy to throw in those lunchboxes so stock up for back to school now!

Crista

SWAG ALERT:  We will be swagging FIVE lucky readers with a big box full of Snikiddy treats valued at over $60 each!  That’s a lot of crunchy goodness, but we’re sure you’ll know just to do with it!!

To enter, go to www.Snikiddy.com and take a look around.  Then come back here and comment on this post telling us what you think of their products, company and/or website!  You know how it works and what to do .  This SWAG ALERT will be open for daily entry until we say so!  Good luck and happy snacking!

Looking for some snacks to stock up on for the kids heading back to school?  When you hear the word “nutritious”, you usually do not immediately think, “delicious”.  But Nana’s Cookie Company totally changed my mind on that thought!  Nana’s Cookies are baked with all natural ingredients and what I love the most is what you WON’T find!!  No Dairy, No Refined Sugars, No Eggs, No Cholesterol, No Trans Fats, No Hydrogenated Oils, No Preservatives, and No GMO’s. (And they’re also vegan and kosher!)  This “crunchy-granola-health-nut” Mommy is happy about that!  I work so hard to make sure that my kids eat healthy and it’s truly delightful to find treats that I don’t have to feel guilty about giving to my boys!

My wheat and dairy free boy loved the No Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies (”You mean, I can have a cookie…out of a package?!”)  And I was handing out cookie bars left and right after I read that they are full of Omegas AND have 5 grams of fiber each! Now that’s nutritious!

But Nana’s Cookie Company did not forget about delicious, oh no!  The cookies were moist, soft and fresh…just like I made them myself that day!  Very impressive for an avid baker like myself!  And Nana has impressed celebrities too!  In fact, Jim Carry’s fave is Nana Banana and Jenny McCarthy swears by them for her autistic son who is on a special Gluten-Free diet!

Making good choices is what a healthy and fabulous lifestyle is all about.   Nana’s Cookie Company can help you make treat time nutritious, delicious and fabulous!