What the stars have to say

When I was a teenager I was fascinated by Astrology. I spent so much time day after day in school learning about amino acids and stoichiometry (ha, remember that?) and centripetal force that my head spun and I welcomed a little mysticism in my life. I bought a thick book -- I wish I remembered the name -- that had a whole page dedicated to each of the 366 possible birthdays and what it predicts about your personality and personal relationships. It told you what birthdays would yield good (and disastrous!) matches for friends and significant others. I remember looking up the birthdays of boys I liked to see what the book had to say about our hypothetical relationship...just for fun, of course.

I was excited to revisit this all over again for the first time in a long time. And now I want to go find that book, too...

Meet my sponsor, Stephanie from Astroloetry!

I am a writer. I am not an astrologer by nature, but I love Astrology and psychic phenomenon. I combined the words Astrology and poetry together to trademark my company: ASTROLOETRY as a trademarked name. I have created a tangible form of art with my writing now into one beautiful gift for your favorite child or baby! Each poem is custom written from the child's astrological chart with no two exactly alike! I have always been a big believer in following our own identity as our own unique individuals. I create poems to enlighten those beliefs with a positive outlook on your child's wonderful future indeed!

For my Astroloetry poems I use highly specific software to guide me through the process where I get very detailed info about the person and interpret the specifics to create the poem. Most professional astrologers today use software.

Tell us how you got started

I am psychic with myself and a handful of the absolute closet people to me. I created Astroloetry after a psychic vision I had about my little nephew's future. I hired a calligrapher and wrote it up as a poem on cardstock paper and framed it and gave it to him for his 1st birthday. Everyone loved it so much I decided I should maybe start a business around it. Yet, I knew I wouldn't be able to do so on a mass scale because as I said, I can only predict things for those absolutely closest to me. So, I decided to use astrology as my means to do so since I could interpret their futures through their birth date and chart through the aid of software. And just so you know, my predictions about my nephew are already coming true!!!    

I try to help people see the best in themselves because most often we are our own worst critics. Although they are a gift for babies and young children, I hope people keep them throughout their lives to reflect back on for hope.

Stephanie crafted a poem for Aurelia based on her birthdate (September 23rd, 2012) and sign - Libra. The canvas is beautiful and from what we have seen so far of her budding personality, it's so perfect! It fits her better than I could have imagined. 

Seems like she has a bright future, no? Every time I read the poem I get a little teary-eyed thinking about the person Aurelia will become one day. Will these post-partum hormones ever go away? ;)

Stephanie offers the following color choices for the background: Dreamscape (sky blue, yellow, mint green), Rainbow (like Aurelia's), Mint Green, Brown, Yellow, Sky Blue, and Pink. The prints are 14 X 11 canvas on wooden stretcher bars with a hanging mechanism on the back. Ours looks great in the girls' shared nursery.

From now until August 22nd, the first person to purchase a canvas print who mentions Growing Up Geeky in the notes section at checkout will receive another print free! Be sure to provide all the information for the first child in your order, and Stephanie will contact you personally to get the info for the 2nd print.

P.S. It's funny that Aurelia and Mike share a sign, and Carina and I do as well (Capricorn). Aurelia was born 6 days before Mike's birthday, and Carina was born 6 days before mine. We wonder which family member our future babies will be born 6 days before ;)

The most technologically advanced baby wear out there!

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own; you cannot have them.

It was likely only a matter of time before some of the cool technology currently being used to make clothes entered the realm of baby wear. What could be better than combining cute styles with geeky antibacterial and moisture resistant properties?

Meet my lovely sponsor Julieta, co-owner of SanBelle:
Together with my father, we have created a family business focused on introducing the concept of health in clothing. Babies are in contact with their clothes all day so why not offer clothing that protects baby and keeps him/her comfortable at the same time?

Tell us a little bit more about SanBelle:

SanBelle is a unique, innovative new brand of infant clothing (newborn to 12 months) that uses textiles made with nanotechnology that protects babies and keeps them comfortable. We are the only brand on the market that use this kind of technology for baby clothing. Our soft, comfortable fabrics, which are imported from France, contain tiny particles of silver, making them:   

• Antibacterial: Using freshFX technology, our fabrics help the skin maintain a healthy balance of microorganisms which work to prevent irritations and infections, and fight bacteria and fungus.

• Moisture resistant: CoolMax technology makes our fabrics fast-drying and helps keep babies (and their clothes) moisture-free.

• UV resistant: The fabrics we use contain permanent UV 50+ solar protection, meaning it does not come out in the wash - perfect for babies with sensitive skin that cannot tolerate sunscreen.

• Static resistant: Our clothes repel dust and animal hair, ideal for babies with allergies.

What is your personal favorite item?

I just love SanBelle pajamas, they are really soft and adorable!! Babies look so cute in them.

Here's Aurelia sporting the long sleeve bodysuit. It's pink with white trim, and is super soft and slightly stretchy. The material is reminiscent of a more lightweight and flexible swimsuit. It's breathable and keeps Aurelia comfortable. The 12 Month size is just a little long on her arms and leaves plenty of room for her to grow.

SanBelle long sleeve bodysuit

I love that the clothing provides sun protection because I have been known to forget the sunscreen (oops!) and repels animal hair, as our two rather long-haired kitties get hair everywhere imaginable. 

SanBelle clothing is available on Amazon and you can find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

So comfy!

Mother's Day Gift Idea - Origami Owl Giveaway! CLOSED

This is a sponsored post.

Meet Shelly, an Independent Designer for Origami Owl, a jewelry company that allows you to design customized lockets that reflect your interests and tell the story of your life! There are over 200 different charms so -- in Shelly's words -- whatever your pleasure, there's a charm for that ;)

More about Shelly
I'm Shelly. First I chase three kids, second I chase the dream of being a filmmaker/actor. So I'm a story-teller by nature…I started with Origami Owl for just that reason, they give everyone a chance to tell their story through the lockets they design. I love hosting parties and doing events because I get to hear everyone's stories and also their hopes/plans--it's really interesting and exciting.

Tell me a little bit about Origami Owl
First the lockets are so awesomesauce! They are really well made and beautiful for any occasion. What's so cool about the company is they are all about inspiring women to good things. It's really empowering, especially because the whole concept was started by a 14 year old girl in AZ! It is still a new company which makes it exciting to be part of the growth curve. It's fun to talk to people about because it is the perfect gift for everyone and a really fun way to own your own biz.

 

I love my Origami Owl locket! For Mother's Day, I might see if *ahem ahem* someone might want to add a few charms to mine. I particularly like the "M" initial and music notes. Oooh and this cute key dangle.

Shop:

E-mail Shelly your Origami Owl order and she'll add in a free charm with a $50 purchase, or 2 free charms with a $75 purchase!

Win:
One lucky reader will win (a $59 value):
1 Medium Living Locket with Crystals in silver or gold
3 Charms of winners choice
1 16-18" Ball Station Chain in silver or gold
1 Medium Stamped Plate in silver or gold

How to Enter:

This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. Click "Read More" below and then follow the instructions on the widget. Make sure to click "Enter!" after you complete each entry. All currents count! The giveaway is open to residents of the US only and ends at 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, April 21st.

The first entry is mandatory - Visit Shelly's Origami Owl site and tell me which charms are your favorite! Once you complete this entry, the widget will give you the option of completing the rest. Complete more steps for more chances to win!

Blogging about blogging (sorry!)

I read two blog posts earlier this week (here and here) that really spoke to me. They prompted me to rethink some of my procedures when it comes to blogging, social media, and sponsorship.

As a result of some reflection in the wake of these posts, I will be following suit and will no longer accept sponsorship from bloggers. It's not that I don't love reading blogs (because I do) or sharing posts I enjoy (again, I do), it's that I want to tweet/link/share/promote posts because I enjoyed them, not because someone paid me to. I certainly don't judge or think ill of anyone else who promotes other bloggers in exchange for money, it just isn't what I want to do anymore. I'll share when I read something that I think is awesome...and I won't expect anything in return.

If you are a blogger and currently have an ad with me, it will remain until the end of your term. This is just a from here on out change. In lieu of charging, I've opened swap spots once again. If you're interested in swapping ads on our blog sidebars for one month, head to my Sponsor page. I'll also be resurrecting my Blog Roll (which needs an update, badly...sorry) for blogs that I regularly read and love.

I've also made some changes to my ad packages, including lowering prices slightly and morphing my monthly sponsor post into a group giveaway (note: no changes will be made for existing sponsors).

I think this is a step in the right direction for me. I've made some blogging decisions in the past that {in retrospect} I'm not proud of or didn't sit well with me for whatever reason. I hope you'll bear with me as I continue to try to figure out what's right for my little geeky corner of the interwebs :)

Goal 2: CONQUERED (well, mostly)

In my quest to start caring about how I look again, I first went shopping for some new {non-maternity} clothes for the first time in a year two years way too long. Then, it was time for a hair cut.

I've been notoriously lazy in cutting my hair due to a few rather unfortunate salon experiences, but I knew that I needed to get it done as it was taking me a good 10 minutes to simply brush it out and almost an hour to straighten. And nobody's got time for that! So despite loving wearing it straight, I only bothered to do it once every few months.

Last week I chopped a lot off. It might still look long, but they snipped almost 8 inches! It only takes about 2 minutes to brush out and more like 25 to straighten now, which means I've been doing it more often. I hate to admit it, but this little change makes for a happier and more confident me.

In retrospect I should have had the hairdresser cut layers or something to make it more interesting, but I was too nervous. Next time I vow to be brave ;)

Ack, blurry. Sorry.

I'm still not sure about the color. I keep on wanting to go blonder again, but then a lot of people tell me they think I should go back to my natural color. Thoughts?

Oh, and my necklace! I first met creator Chancie on The Bump message boards and she recently began making these adorable {and functional!} necklaces with her sister. My triple-strand necklace has two rows of blue beads on navy suede sandwiching a row of navy beads on white fabric. Around the neck, the suede and fabric is braided together. Aurelia loves to play with it while she nurses, and even Carina enjoys fiddling with it, too. I wear it all the time because the little miss has become quite a distracted nurser lately, every noise making her stop and look. But when she plays with the necklace, she is so enthralled she can't be disturbed by anything. WIN.

Tell me a little bit about your Etsy shop, boubeads (and by the way I see what you did there with your name, and I love it) --

Perfect nursing "toy"

My sister and I are both moms, she had a 6 month old at the time and was having a hard time nursing because he became so wiggly and squirmy. One day she decided to string wood beads on plastic cording so that he could play with something while he nursed. As we came up with prototypes we decided that we wanted them to be fashionable enough to wear outside of the house and wanted to make them something that would appeal to all women, not just nursing moms. We hand-dye our own natural beads so that we can control what colors we produce and they (as well as our suede) are manufactured in the USA. The suede is certified to be free of lead, AZO’s, PCP, mercury, formaldehyde, chromium VI, cadmium and other carcinogenic/hazardous chemicals.


Chancie and her sister Chandace are offering one of my readers a $36 credit to boubeads! Or if you'd like to shop yourself, code GEEKY10 will get you 10% off of your order through May 8th. Go quick, though, because they have been selling out almost immediately after posting many of their items!

How to Enter:

This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. Click "Read More" below and then follow the instructions on the widget. Make sure to click "Enter!" after you complete each entry. All currents count! The giveaway is open worldwide and ends at 11:59 PM EST on Wednesday, April 3rd. The first entry is mandatory - Visit boubeads and tell me what you'd spend the credit on! Once you complete this entry, the widget will give you the option of completing the rest. Complete more steps for more chances to win!

Treats to help with breastmilk supply? SIGN ME UP (CLOSED)

When my breastmilk supply dipped a little bit back when I was nursing Carina, I took Mother's Milk Tea to help increase it. The tea worked, but it 1. tasted awful and 2. made me smell like maple syrup. As you can imagine, it wasn't my favorite thing to have to take. Once I was making a bit more milk, I shelved that stuff faster than Carina filled her diapers ;)

If you know me, you know that I love chocolate and all things sweet so to say that I was intrigued by my new sponsor Mrs. Patel's. Yummy treats and teas for nursing Moms that help with milk production? No more pancake smell or gross tea? And CHOCOLATE?! I was like, SIGN ME UP NOW MOAR CHOCOLATE.

Before I tell you all about it, let's learn a little bit about Mrs. Patel:
I live in San Francisco with my husband and two young children, aged 3 and 16 months. I created Mrs. Patel's last February and am passionate about helping nursing and new mothers. I also love cupcakes

Please tell us more about your products!
Mrs. Patel's are Indian treats and teas for nursing mothers that help increase milk supply and boost postpartum healing. Our products are based on recipes that were passed down from mother to mother within the Patel/Desai (my mother's maiden name) for hundreds of years based on Ayurvedic principles -- Ayurveda is a system of traditional medicine native to India. I was inspired by my mother who whipped up these treats and teas for me after the birth of both my children. And I was driven to start the business so that I could share these wonderful recipes with other mothers and women who may need extra support and were struggling with their supply.

Mrs. Patel sent me Fenugreek bars, Milk Water Tea, and Munch Crunch to try out! The combo pack of Fenugreek bars included 4 each of the regular, peanut butter, and chocolate flavors. I took one after breakfast every morning for 12 days and when I finished I was sad! I came to look forward to my little treat every day. The peanut butter bars were my favorite; they have just a bit of a kick to them and are so yummy! Each Fenugreek Bar contain 5% pure ground fenugreek and are designed to enhance postpartum healing by strengthening the joints while boosting milk supply.

Peanut Butter Fenugreek Bars - OMG SO GOOD

On day 3 of eating the bars, I felt letdown for the first time in weeks, maybe months! By day 5 I noticed a marked increase in my milk supply and since, I've noticed that letdown happens more quickly than it used to. If my supply ever dips again I am absolutely getting more of the Fenugreek bars! I seriously can't tell you how much I love them. The bars can stay out in their boxes for about 1.5 weeks, 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer.

The Milk Water Tea is miles above the Mother's Milk Tea I used to drink. The Chai Spice is delicious and is totally something I would want to drink even if I didn't need to increase my supply ;) It is caffeine-free and also serves as a post-partum detoxifier in addition to being the strongest lactation agent Mrs. Patel's offers. Munch Crunch can be eaten on its own or sprinkled in yogurt or on a salad. It aids in digestion while increasing milk supply.

All of Mrs. Patel's products are a 10-12 day supply. If your supply increases and you feel like you can maintain your new output (like in my case, woot!) then you do not need to keep taking using the products. Your supply shouldn't decrease and you don't need to wean yourself off of them as you do with  Products are not to be taken if you are pregnant.

Chai Spice Milk Water Tea - Mrs. Patel's favorite

Shop:

At Mrs. Patel's you'll find all of these delectable (as Carina would say; it's her new favorite word) milk-making and post-partum healing treats. Use code MAKEMILK for 20% off of your first order. Mrs. Patel is also starting a "regulars" discount program for women who have already made 3 orders and are planning on continuing with their products - but you have to sign up for their newsletter (at bottom center) to learn more about that!

Win:
Mrs. Patel's is generously offering one of my readers a package including their choice of Fenugreek bars, choice of Milk Water Tea, and Munch Crunch.

How to Enter:

This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. Click "Read More" below and then follow the instructions on the widget. Make sure to click "Enter!" after you complete each entry. All currents count! The giveaway is open to residents of the US only and ends at 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, March 28th.

The first entry is mandatory - Visit Mrs. Patel's and tell me which product you'd most like to try! Once you complete this entry, the widget will give you the option of completing the rest. Complete more steps for more chances to win!

February Loves!

Check out my February sponsors!

DiaNoche Designs

DiaNoche Designs, meaning Day and Night Designs, creates stunning pieces of art that double as lights. This unique concept beautifully brings to life our Art Today — Light Tonight concept.
Our lights are all built by hand in Denver, CO. We start with a solid Pine frame, add beautiful artwork and illuminate the art from behind. All lights are gallery wrapped with artisanal fabric, LEDs designed to last 50,000 hours, come equipped with an embedded on/off switch and 12V DC power cord, and have a stylish backing. For free shipping on your order, use code geeky321

Site | Facebook

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jenni from the blog

Hi. I'm Jenni. I'm a married, working mom of three adorable kiddos: Carter, Brynn, and Reid. I'm the middle child of three girls and love it {this also explains a lot about me.} My family is my world and I just love that it continues to grow more and more with each passing year. I'm a Philly sports lovin', wine drinkin', hard workin' mama of 3. I grew up just outside of Philadelphia, in a beautiful town in South Jersey {go ahead... get your jokes in now, but I love being a Jersey girl.}

My favorite post of Jenni's this month:

The adorable Easter outfits she chose for her little ones

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Itzbeen Pocket Nanny

The ITZBEEN™ Pocket Nanny was developed by a new mom and dad who found themselves sleep-deprived and needing help to remember baby care details, such as when their baby last ate or napped. They tried charts and journals, but thought there had to be a better way. So, they created the ITZBEEN™: a multi-purpose nursery tool that helps new parents remember the basic details of baby care. The ITZBEEN™ has four timers that count up with the touch of a button, and a host of other helpful features, all designed with the needs of a new parent in mind.

For more on the Itzbeen Pocket Nanny, check out this post on how much we love it. I'm using it again all day every day with Aurelia and it has been so helpful. We've even started using a second one to make sure I remember to change Carina's diapers on time... (ugh, Mommy brain!)

Shop | Facebook
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Simple Wishes

Simple Wishes is the simple solution for every mother who has ever wished she could be in two places at once, that she had an extra set of hands, or just that she could manage her hectic schedule and still find time for herself. Simple Wishes Bustier allows multi-tasking moms the chance to be more productive while they pump, or simply to take a breath and recapture a moment for themselves. Stylish and functional, and grounded in innovative, thoughtful design, the Bustier is an affordable and quality alternative to the fussy and unflattering hands free alternatives on the market. For more on the Simple Wishes bra, check out my personal rave about it!

Shop | Facebook | Twitter
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So Say We All: Adorable Baby Valentines

New Mom in the 'Burbs: Leia's current favorite things

ArmyWife-Style: I'm pretty much living this, too: This is what it's like to have a toddler

It's a Vol: Simple Southern Coconut Cake NOM

January Friends!

Meet my January sponsors!

jenni from the blog

Hi. I'm Jenni. I'm a married, working mom of three adorable kiddos: Carter, Brynn, and Reid. I'm the middle child of three girls and love it {this also explains a lot about me.} My family is my world and I just love that it continues to grow more and more with each passing year. I'm a Philly sports lovin', wine drinkin', hard workin' mama of 3. I grew up just outside of Philadelphia, in a beautiful town in South Jersey {go ahead... get your jokes in now, but I love being a Jersey girl.}

Here are some of my favorite posts of Jenni's this month:

Fellow September baby Reid is 4 months old!

Borrowed time: Jenni's heartfelt post about her Dad

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Kristine's Keepsakes

I design and create hand stamped jewelry and keepsake pieces. Each one is individually stamped, so no two pieces are identical. I am a single mother to an amazing little boy! He is the one who has inspired me to create so many of my pieces. 

I love these best friends necklaces. I'd love to buy one for the girls someday :)

Etsy | Facebook

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Itzbeen Pocket Nanny

The ITZBEEN™ Pocket Nanny was developed by a new mom and dad who found themselves sleep-deprived and needing help to remember baby care details, such as when their baby last ate or napped. They tried charts and journals, but thought there had to be a better way. So, they created the ITZBEEN™: a multi-purpose nursery tool that helps new parents remember the basic details of baby care. The ITZBEEN™ has four timers that count up with the touch of a button, and a host of other helpful features, all designed with the needs of a new parent in mind.

For more on the Itzbeen Pocket Nanny, check out this post on how much we love it. I'm using it again all day every day with Aurelia and it has been so helpful. We've even started using a second one to make sure I remember to change Carina's diapers on time... (ugh, Mommy brain!)

Shop | Facebook
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Simple Wishes

Simple Wishes is the simple solution for every mother who has ever wished she could be in two places at once, that she had an extra set of hands, or just that she could manage her hectic schedule and still find time for herself. Simple Wishes Bustier allows multi-tasking moms the chance to be more productive while they pump, or simply to take a breath and recapture a moment for themselves. Stylish and functional, and grounded in innovative, thoughtful design, the Bustier is an affordable and quality alternative to the fussy and unflattering hands free alternatives on the market. For more on the Simple Wishes bra, check out my personal rave about it!

Shop | Facebook | Twitter
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New Mom in the 'Burbs: An easy Valentine's Day craft

So Say We All: OMG...the Santa Baby is KILLING me - Getting in the Christmas Spirit

It's a Vol: I Got Your Crazy - how Sarah reacted to a troll's comment.

ArmyWife-Style: I will be trying this recipe this weekend! The Best Beer Bread Recipe...EVER.

P.S. For a limited time I'm having an ad sale! $5 off any ad spot with code JANSALE. That makes Baby Geek (125x125) just $5!

Valentine's Day with cute stick figures! CLOSED

I'm not the most romantic person and as such, I often have a hard time choosing a Valentine's Day gift for Mike. If I were to buy him a watch he'd probably lose it (don't shake your head at me, Mike, you know you would!) and ties are actually contraindicated while working in a lab. So...yeah, Mama G is usually fresh out of ideas. But this year? It's not going to be such a challenge for me! My upcoming sponsor Datevitation.com lets you create fun custom date coupon books. Creative, personal, and adorable (read: cute stick figure illustrations!)

More about Datevitation:
Datevitation is the first online platform to create a custom love coupon book. Unlike the pre-packaged love coupon books on the market, you pick the dates and can customize the text to your liking. Once you are done customizing the text in your book, Datevitation will print it out and ship it to you in a ready-to-gift box.

What a fun idea! What inspired its creation?
Launched in 2011, Datevitation is the brainchild of Alex Karpman, a UCLA graduate and USC School of Law alum. “This all started when I gave my girlfriend an iPod for her birthday along with a card describing a fun date night I had planned for us,” explains Alex. “When she was visibly more excited about the card than the iPod, I knew I was onto something. I set out to build tools and a platform to help anyone in a relationship create the most unique, thoughtful, and romantic gift imaginable. It’s all about giving your special someone the gift of having fun and spending time together."

Before I show you the book I created for part of Mike's Valentine's Day present, I want to tell you how much fun I had making it! There are over 60 cover options to suit any occasion and the library contains over 200 fun date ideas ranging from skydiving to stargazing to steamy adult-only activities (some of which, by the way, are HILARIOUS). I took my time looking through all of them to pick the perfect ones for my book. And I seriously can't stop giggling about their X-Rated illustrations. Each date has a fun blurb that you can leave be or edit to your liking. I modified all of mine just slightly. I bet you can tell what I added on the first page below ;)

Top: cover, Below: three of the pages in my book!

In addition to the unique and fun date ideas and corresponding illustrations, something else I love about Datevitation is that their gender-neutral figures make it possible to make a book for anyone. There are male-male and female-female versions of every illustration in the date library.

Shop:

Books start at just $20 and are perfect gift for Valentine's Day! You can use the code GEEKY for $5 off your purchase.

Win:
Datevitation is generously offering a custom date book with 5 pages to one of my readers!

How to Enter:

This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. Click "Read More" below and then follow the instructions on the widget. Make sure to click "Enter!" after you complete each entry. All currents count! The giveaway is open to US Residents Only and ends at 11:59 PM EST on Friday, January 25th.

The first entry is mandatory - Visit Datevitation's library of over 200 date ideas and tell me which is your favorite! Once you complete this entry, the widget will give you the option of completing the rest. Complete more steps for more chances to win!

Surviving Infancy - keeping babies safe and parents sane! CLOSED

I wish my sponsor, Surviving Infancy, had existed when Carina was born. I remember leaving the hospital feeling like I had no idea what to do should an emergency arise with this new little person for whom I was completely responsible. We've been lucky in that neither of our girls have had too many issues...save for a few that I think I resorted to asking for your help because I didn't know how to handle them!

More about Surviving Infancy:
Developed by top physicians Dr. Maureen McCollough and Dr. Diane Birnbaumer, Surviving Infancy™ is a 3-hour 15-minute video guide that presents 36 essential topics covering infant and toddler safety, routine illnesses, common parenting challenges, immunizations and pediatric emergencies including choking first aid and CPR hands-on demonstrations. It was created to help new and expectant parents, grandparents-to-be and child caregivers navigate the often difficult aspects of infancy through the toddler years (0-3 years). Surviving Infancy™ is thought to be the most comprehensive video guide of its kind with unparalleled and authoritative content.

What inspired its creation?
The development of the Surviving Infancy video guide was inspired by the birth of my daughter Brooke who was born on March 27, 2011 (now 20 months old). Upon discharge from the hospital we were not given any instructions (like many new parents) as to how to properly care for our new daughter. We wanted an educational video guide that was:

• Authoritative
• Concise
• Engaging 
• Easy to refer to 

Upon much research, we found that there was definitely a lack of authoritative and concise educational DVDs available to new parents on the care of their new child which is astonishing since one would think that the health and safety of one’s new baby would be of utmost importance. With our company background in providing live and internet-based continuing education courses for medical professionals, it was clear that we had the resources and award-winning medical educators to create the video guide we searched long and hard for but never found. After over a year in development by top physicians, Surviving Infancy was born.

What topic covered in Surviving Infancy do you think is the most important "must-see" for new parents?
Parents and caregivers should know them all if looking after any child, but if we had to choose one topic all parent’s should be familiar with, it would be fever, because it is one of the most common symptoms managed by pediatricians and other health care providers and frequently results in unscheduled doctor visits, calls for medical advice and extensive use of over-the-counter fever-reducing medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. 

Mama G's take:
As I said before, I wish the Surviving Infancy video guide had existed when Carina was a tiny babe. Personally, I much prefer to watch a quick 5 minute video segment created and narrated by medical professionals on let's say, choking and the heimlich maneuver, than read a step-by-step description in a book or try to have someone explain it to me over the phone. Drs. McCollough and Birnbaumer are thorough and engaging and provide a great mix of video clips, hands-on instruction and informative slides in their discussions. The format (36 short topics) is perfect for those of you who (like myself) only have a few minutes at a time to spare ;)

Carina enjoys watching it, too. She'll bring it to me and say, "watch babies!"

Shop:

You can purchase Surviving Infancy™ as a 2 DVD set, or as a streaming video. Get 20% off with promo code GEEKY20!

Win:
2 of my readers (yay, 2 winners!) will win a copy of the Surviving Infancy™ 2 DVD set!

How to Enter:

This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. Click "Read More" below and then follow the instructions on the widget. Make sure to click "Enter!" after you complete each entry. All currents count! The giveaway is open worldwide and ends at 11:59 PM EST on Tuesday, January 15th.

The first entry is mandatory - Visit Surviving Infancy's website and tell me what topic most interests you (they're at the bottom of the homepage). Once you complete this entry, the widget will give you the option of completing the rest. Complete more steps for more chances to win!