The collar is made very well out of sturdy nylon webbing with a fun and colorful “jigsaw puzzle” ribbon around the outside. The side release buckle makes it very easy to put the collar on or take it off when needed. They offer other options as well, like a metal clip on buckle that you can have engraved. Feline Fido also carries a lot of other designs and has something for everyone. They even provide a variety of holiday designs, as well as offering cat collars!

Every purchase of the Autism awareness collars help a 3-year-old boy reach the fundraising requirement to bring home his autism assistance dog. At least 15% of the proceeds from each autism awareness collar, leash and keyfob will be donated to 4 Paws for Ability in honor of Trapper Leeth.

I always love a company that not only has wonderful products that are made well, but that also takes time to give back to the community. Each collar is custom made by hand in the USA. Baby and I are both very happy and satisfied with our entire Feline Fido experience and would happily recommend them to anyone.

Written by Aimee, who is a stay at home wife and caretaker of two adorable parents, an amazing husband, and an ever growing zoo. Someday there may even be human kids in the mix! She loves playing in the garden, working on DIY projects around the house, and blogs about it all at Aimee’s Petite Maison.

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Recently, I had my hair stylist give me some pointers on using a ceramic flat iron. I knew I was going to review a very fancy flat iron called the Hana Elite and I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing. She showed me some very easy ways to style my hair using the iron and gave me a few pointers.

Armed with this knowledge I took on the Elite Flat Iron and it went smashingly well. At first I was a little intimidated as the Elite came packaged in this slick black metal tin and almost looked like something a celebrity hair stylist might use. I’m just a mom in a brick ranch, so I was afraid this might be above my head.

Once I looked it over I realized it was a sophisticated styling tool, but it was also very user-friendly. It has a 1 inch ceramic plate that self adjusts to different textures. The plates will not chip or crack and expose your hair to dangerous metal. They are truly ceramic and not just coated like most flat irons. I’m fairly certain the only other flat iron I’ve used (and purchased from Wal-Mart for under $20) didn’t do that.

If you travel a lot then you’ll love the included heat resistant pouch and silicone mat. The cord is 8 feet long, swivels and is tangle free. You can use the iron on damp or dry hair and the beveled edges (which my stylist pointed out to me) makes it easy to create curl, flipped or straight hair styles.

Overall, I loved all the features on the Elite flat iron. If there was one thing I could change it would be where the on/off switch and temperature setting buttons are located. They are inside the handle as you can see from this image. I think it makes it a little more difficult to reach and being as though this iron can get very hot, I would think it might increase the chances of accidentally touching the wrong part.

Over time I’ve learned that sometimes you get what you pay for and cheaper isn’t always better. My first experience with a flat iron was a cheap one and it didn’t go well. I thought it was just how I used it, but it was actually the iron itself. With the Hana Elite I got everything I wanted out of this flat iron and more. Plus my hair look fabulous!

Written by Emily, who is a married working mother of a very energetic 5 year old son. They reside in Southern Indiana (a little too close to the Kentucky border). Someday she’d like to visit Intercourse, PA and have her picture taken with the welcome sign. She writes at her personal blog, Fenicle and loves free samples and trying new things!

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Enter by leaving a comment HERE. Visit the Shoo Shoos website and tell us which style you would choose. The contest is open until July 28, 2008.

You can receive a second entry by blogging about the contest (linking to it) or adding us to your blogroll. Just e-mail us with a live link or let us know you have it posted on your site. You do not need a blog to enter, just leave us your e-mail address so that we may contact you. As always, it is Props & Pans policy NOT to distribute any information you give us (including your e-mail). Thanks for entering!

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The first day, Christopher wore his very cute other brand of shoes with the puppy faces on top. Cute was their only redeeming quality. Of course, they can be cute without my son wearing them and me having to put the back on his feet every five minutes. I don’t need just cute.

The following day, Christopher wore his Shoo Shoos. They didn’t have puppy faces on them, which meant I had many more choices of outfits for them to match. The best part? I put them on once. One time. Then he wore them as long as I intended. They were great. I loved the softness the natural leather provided and that they fit perfectly. Plus they are very easy to wipe clean.

One thing I noticed was that they seem to have some stretch and give which means they were not too tight and he will probably be able to wear them for longer than usual. The ankles have a small amount of elastic which allows for the comfortable fit without being overly tight. However, the best feature is that they are all made with non-toxic dyes.

Christopher would like to add that he thought they tasted delicious as well. Just a bonus I guess.

Written by Canape, who is a girl from the deep south who loves her husband, her stepdaughter, her dogs, and her baby boy. She’s a musician by trade, and a baker and writer by hobby. She and her husband renovate houses on the side and she writes a personal blog at Don’t Take the Repeats.

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I didn’t know that Grippo’s BBQ chips were a local thing until I spoke about them recently to an out-of-town friend who had no idea what I was talking about. After some online searching I discovered this chip company was based out of Cincinnati, Ohio and being in Indiana that is why most grocery stores carry their line of snacks. I must tell you that the BBQ flavor is something almost indescribable. The are soft chips with a sweet, yet hot seasoning that you will crave after the first bite. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t enjoy them.

Grippo’s dubs themselves as the “fun food company,” and judging by the delicious chips I’ve had thus far, I would have to believe it. If they aren’t available in a store near you, then go online and order a box. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Next on my grocery list is to find the Hot Dill Pickle and the Sweet Bermuda Onion chips to try. I was surprised to find that Grippo’s makes pretzels and other snacks such as cheese popcorn.

by Emily

My family was recently in search of a pizza cutter that wouldn’t wobble and come apart when we used it. For the last few years we’ve had several cheap versions that has occupied our utensil drawer. Each time we pulled one out to use, we would pray it would work one more time without falling apart. Imagine how delighted I was to find the OXO Good Grips 4 inch pizza cutter.

Not only was the handle comfortable to hold and easy to manuaver, but it was sturdy. The real test of course was to see if it cut all the way through the crust on the first try and it passed with flying colors. I can honestly say this was the best $12 I’ve spent on a kitchen utensil in a long time. I may have to try some of the other OXO kitchen products, because I was very impressed with this. The OXO Good Grips pizza cutter is a must have item for every kitchen.

by Maria

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My great uncle was a hairstylist from the 40’s and 50’s, and even though he was retired when I was a child, he still saw his “regular” old lady clients and gave them a weekly “do” as they requested. He religiously used TRESemme products and swore by them, for how gentle they were to your hair. My childhood bathroom was filled with over-sized salon jugs of the stuff.

When I saw it come to the market several years ago in these big old bottles, I pretty much paid it no mind. I assumed this could not be the same quality product now and it hadn’t ever been that good to begin with. After all, how good could some old school shampoo and conditioner be?

Two years ago when someone I worked with started taking classes at a hair design institute I noticed how shiny and beautiful her hair was and I asked what she was using on it. She giggled and said, “TRESemme, can you believe it? My teacher recommended it.”

Son of a gun. I picked up a bottle shortly thereafter and have been using it very happily since. It’s a great bargain because it comes in the great big bottle. It leaves my hair and my boys shiny and smooth. If you are trying to save money, but still look great this might be the hair product for you. TRESemme is still the same wonderful product! My uncle would be so pleased!

by Gidge

I don’t know what I’d do without my Mei Tai baby carrier from Cuddling Baby. With a toddler and baby, I’m not sure how I’d get anything done around the house, make it through the grocery store, be a fun mommy, or keep the little one content without being a baby wearer.

I purchased my Mei Tai when my daughter was about 6 months old and have been using it everyday since. It makes life so much easier when you’re able to tote your baby around on your front, back, hip, nurse semi-discreetly while at it and your baby is as happy as can be. Cuddling Baby, a WAHM eBay store, has great quality products and absolutely fantastic prices!

by Andrea

I’m fairly picky when it comes to lip balm. My biggest criteria was that it must be substantional enough to keep my lips moist and smooth, but after looking at a few labels recently I’m also looking for natural ingredients. If there is one thing I cannot stand, it is products that contain so many chemicals that they end up drying out my lips and it defeats their purpose altogether. It’s actually kind of scary to research what some of the ingredients are in the products we put so close to our mouths.

For My Kids All Natural Vegan Lip Balm is the perfect combination of organic natural oils. They’ve used sweet almond oil, coconut oil and tamanu oil to create the perfect potion that protects lips. The lip balm comes in circular tin containers (in 1 ounce or 1/2 ounce) and you can choose from organic vanilla or peppermint extract. My son preferred the vanilla, but I enjoyed the peppermint flare.

by Emily

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What I loved about the Chilly Jilly is that it can be casual or dressy, is always comfortable (the fabric is fabulous!) and it comes with a little carrying bag that fits right in your purse or diaper bag. The fabric is absolutely fabulous! It is the perfect mixture - just enough to provide warmth and comfort and not too much that it’s cumbersome or heavy.

When you take it out, it’s never wrinkled and the black matches any outfit. I can’t wait to be poolside this summer! It will definately match my swimsuit as well. It comes in a few colors, all of which are perfectly understated.

I am incredibly picky (and opinionated) and I love the Chilly Jilly. That means there’s a very good chance that you will too.

Written by Nicole, who blogs about whatever strikes her fancy at Much More Than a Mom. She’s a mom first, and then a whole bunch of other crazy stuff, including a teacher, fitness & yoga instructor and mother to two. She is also the founder & senior editor at The Opinionated Parent, where one of her favorite things to do is give great stuff away.

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I tried them with several pairs of pants that haven’t made it to the seamstress yet, and was disappointed with the Sole Clips about 75% of the time.

First of all, they jab a hole in your pants that’s large enough to be noticeable. You can poke them through the hem or if you have thick material that will stay folded, fold the bottoms up and wear them within the fold. They come with protective ends to cover the point in black and clear to hopefully match your pants. Sounds pretty simple, but it just didn’t help me at all.

They only worked when I wore them with large runners, but with flip flops and ballet flats they didn’t work at all. Sole Clips come with a small, medium and large sets. Perhaps I have strangely shaped shoes, but they didn’t work for me. Instead of spending $15 on these, I’ll spend $6 - $10 to get my pants hemmed properly.

Written by Nicole, who blogs about whatever strikes her fancy at Much More Than a Mom. She’s a mom first, and then a whole bunch of other crazy stuff, including a teacher, fitness & yoga instructor and mother to two. She is also the founder & senior editor at The Opinionated Parent, where one of her favorite things to do is give great stuff away.

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First of all, the color touch screen is very user friendly and easy to view while driving. If you prefer not to take your eyes off the road for even a second, a voice will tell you when your next turn is coming up. It will also show or tell you how long until the next one. On the bottom left corner there is a display that tells you your estimated time of arrival. This was a pretty cool feature that enables you to monitor if you are making good time or not.

Secondly, because we have never been in the area before, we had no idea where the gas stations or grocery stores were. The Garmin has a feature where you can select points of interest and it will navigate and inform you of some nearby options. Thirdly, you can also use the GPS as an entertainment tool which includes listening to your favorite MP3’s and audio books while driving. How cool is that? There’s also an expansion slot where you can use SD cards to help with language translations and currency converters.

The Garmin is compact enough to fit into your carry-on and comes with a vehicle power cable, suction cup, dashboard disc, USB cable and a Preloaded City Navigator® NT for North America or Europe. The only thing I wished was included was the carrying case and AC adapter. Overall we loved this product! I’ll definitely be taking this with me on all my layovers from now on. We purchased it for $299.99 and it was worth every penny.

Written by Kailani, a full-time Mommy, part-time Flight Attendant, and occasional wife living a chaotic life in Hawaii. You can also find her at An Island Life, An Island Review, and 5 Minutes Around The Blogosphere.

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While I love my jogging stroller, slings, and wraps, I quickly found that I needed a lightweight, smaller stroller for trips to the mall, the doctor’s office and a few other places where wearing my little one was simply impractical.

Then, the Aria entered our lives. Peg Perego bills the Aria as a light weight one-handed stroller. They aren’t lying. You really can open and close this stroller with just the one hand. It weighs less than 10 pounds, but feels sturdy and secure. It reclines enough for my 6 week old, provided I add a little head support, and it is easy to steer. It is most definitely an indoor stroller; I think the wheels wouldn’t last long on the pavement.

All in all though, I love this stroller. I only wish I had purchased this stroller right when our son was born. We certainly would have gotten out of the house more by now. It has been a wise purchase and well worth the simplicity it provides.

Written by Canape, who is a girl from the deep south who loves her husband, her stepdaughter, her dogs, and her baby boy. She’s a musician by trade, and a baker and writer by hobby. She and her husband renovate houses on the side and she writes a personal blog at Don’t Take the Repeats.

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