Without further ado:

Congratulations to Katie!  (Please check your email, you should have a message from Helloky.com.)

We hope you love your new Sleepy Wrap!

We tested it.

And then, we had the experts come in. Their names: Lorelei (3 years old), Aurora (1 year old), and Eden (newborn).

Lorelei, although 3 years old, adored the swing. Actually, she said she didn't want out. Ever. Which, should tell you all you need to know from her perspective. From a mom's perspective, wearing Lorelei in the Sleepy Wrap was great. She was comfortable, I was comfortable, and her weight was spread out evenly across me.

Aurora had a similar reaction. She liked it.

Eden's reaction was a little different:

She immediately fell asleep and protested any sort of disturbance that felt like she was being taken out of the wrap. Her mom liked that she could choose to carry Eden high or low, and in a variety of different positions.

We thought about it.

Sleepy Wrap is hands-down my favorite sling/wrap that I've tried so far. And, I've tried a lot!

In fact, if I were to list the attributes of the perfect baby-carrier, it'd be these:

• It must be easily adjustable. The same carrier must be able to accommodate my husband and myself...and any future or present friend of my choosing.
• It must keep my baby secure.
• It would be comfortable for my child - whether she's a newborn or 3 years old.
• It must be comfortable for me - I can't hike if my shoulders and back feel like I'm dislocating every bone.
• It should be breathable.
• It wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg.
• It would allow me to conveniently and discreetly nurse my daughter while in it.
• It would allow me to change my child's positions in it, depending on what they liked.
• It would allow me to cook and shop...with both of my hands.
• It would be made of quality fabrics.
• The feel of it would make me smile.
• It would be turquoise.

Okay, 11 out of 12 is pretty great. And, truthfully, with all of the other great colors that Sleepy Wrap offers, I think I can get past the non-turquoise part.

Sleepy Wrap believes in and loves their product as much as I do, so in addition to letting me review their product, they offered to let ONE lucky reader in on the excitement.

The exciting part -

To enter to win your own Sleepy wrap in the color of your choice - from their selection, obviously - you can do any (or all) of the following for a chance to win:

• In the comments, tell me how you'd use the Sleepy Wrap. (i.e. - cooking, hiking, etc.)
• Visit Sleepywrap.com and then come back and tell us in the comments which color is your FAVORITE!
• "Like" us on FACEBOOK (click to be taken to our page) and then come back and leave a comment, telling us you did. Or, that you already are.
• "Like" Sleepywrap on Facebook (click link) and come back to leave a comment, letting us know you did it.

Other important information:

• This giveaway will end on May 19, 2010 at midnight.
• The winner will be announced on helloky.com.
• You have up to 4 chances to make your odds of winning even better.
• Open to all US and Canada residents.

Myth:  If I make a budget, I'll have to set aside money where other people have suggested (savings, tithing, etc), and I won't be able to control where my money goes.

False, You are in charge of your budget, and you are in charge of where your money goes.  Budgets are extremely customizable, so feel free to make yours fit your needs.

Myth: If I use a budget, I won't be able to buy the things I want.  I'll have to adhere to someone else's goals and ideals.

False, the whole idea behind budgeting your money is that you CAN buy the things you want.  We'll show you how to customize your budget so it fits YOUR goals and ideals.

How To Create A Budget

1. A budget is useless if you don't have any goals - so, set your goals.  Like budgets, goals are personal, so think about what YOU want.  For example, do you want a new car?  A down-payment for a new house?  To pay off a credit card or debt?  To go to college?  A vacation?
2. Next, you need to calculate your incoming and outgoing expenses.  You can do this by using a general worksheet like one of these or you can simply write them down on a piece of paper or in an Excel document.
3. Take a look at your "Outgoing Expenses," and figure up which ones of those are necessities, and which are "extras."  Highlight are separate those into different columns.
4. Subtract what you make by what you spend.
5. Use the total from #4 to decide how you want to approach your goal.  You may want to work towards your goal slowly, giving yourself a lot of room for "extras" - like "fun money", emergency savings, etc.  Or, you may want to save any extra money you get.  It's entirely up to you!

Budgeting Tips

• Mint.com can help you keep track of your finances.  Think of it as a personal checkbook keeper that notes your transactions and fits it into your budget so you don't have to!
• Budgeting can be as simple as keeping track of your expenses in a cellphone app as you get a receipt at checkout.
• For our family, we prefer to list bills only under our "necessity" column because they never change.  Then, we put a food, toiletries and supplies, and miscellaneous section up that is adjustable to our current needs and budget.  For us, this helps us feel like we have more control of our own money, and we "allow" ourselves to spend (however we want) any extra money from those sections that hasn't been spent at the end of the month.
• Use websites such as smartypig.com to help you reach your savings goals.  --It's a cool website where you can track your progress and invite people you know to watch (and contribute), too!
• Reward yourself.  Don't make budgeting a chore (or you may stop), instead factor in some "fun" money that you can do with what you want.
• Be adjustable.  If your budget stops meeting your needs, change it!
• If spending money is too easy for you, try the "envelope method", where you divide up your budgeted expenses into labeled envelopes and fill with only enough cash to meet your budget.  For some people, it's harder to spend cash that's clearly labeled than to swipe a debit card.
• Get creative!  Clip coupons, watch sales, and offer trades for services to help your budget last longer.

Tell us, what are your budgeting tips?  Have any useful information or resources?

Or... any questions?  Leave a comment, please!

First, you'll need some scissors, thread (or fishing line), and tissue paper (it takes about 9 sheets to make one pom pom)

Unfold your tissue paper and stack each sheet on top of each other, lining up the edges making sure it's all neat and straight.  Next, begin making an accordion fold (I make mine about 1 inch wide).  Keep folding accordion style until you reach the end.  When you finish, set something heavy enough to hold the tissue paper down (so it doesn't unfold), and cut each end with some sharp scissors.  This will give your giant flowers/poufs/pom poms pretty texture.  My favorites are a rounded edge or a pointed one.

Next, tie your thread around the center of the folds, leaving plenty of extra for hanging.

Carefully begin to "pouf" your tissue paper by separating the layers, pulling them straight up.

Repeat with each layer and VOILA!

Thank you to everyone who entered, it is such a great prize!  But, if you didn't win, you can still get your First Toddle at a fantastic savings because they are generously giving all of our readers 20% off , free shipping in the continental U.S., and a zippered canvas bag with purchase of kit!  All you have to do is use the code FT20M in checkout.

First Toddle

With its snap-and-release technology, this toy can take many shapes - from a "walking center (with three heights!) to a basketball goal.  --Oh, but it doesn't stop there!  This awesome toy has even more in store - think balancing exercises, soccer goals, and built-in hideaways perfect for any imagination!

It gets even better!  We are giving one of these brilliant sets away!  The winner chooses whether they want a boy or girl set.  Don't have a child between the ages of 3 months and 6 years?  -- Win it as a gift for someone that does!  They'll thank you for it!

What You'll Win

A First Toddle Complete Kit - valued at over $149.95

How To Win

Simply leave a comment to this post before April 4, 2010.

More Details

- You can increase your chances of winning by doing any of the following (be sure to come back and leave us a comment, letting us know you did it):

• Tweet about this giveaway and include the link back to this post.  Be sure to use the hashtag #firsttoddle in your tweet.
• Facebook about this giveaway and include the link back to this post.
• Write a blog post about this giveaway and link back.
• Check out their website and answer this bit of trivia in a comment to this post:  Can you name ONE of the many awards First Toddle has received

Winner will be randomly chosen and  announced on April 4, 2010

In your comment, please make sure we have a way to contact you (email, etc.)

So, for fun, we've compiled a few fun FAST FACTS:

• St. Patrick's Day is an annual feast day celebrating the patron saint the day is named after.
• St. Patrick's Day is the national holiday of Ireland and is usually celebrated on March 17.
• Irish immigrants began observing the holiday in Boston in 1737 and the first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in New York City in 1766.
• It is believed St. Patrick, a Roman-Britain-born Christian missionary, was born in the late fourth century and is credited with bringing Christianity to the Irish people.
• It is also believed St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. However, post-glacial Ireland never actually had snakes. Many believe that the term "snakes" referred to the serpent symbolism of the Druids of that time and place. Today, there are no snakes to be found!
• Most people, whether they are Irish or not, wear green on this day. One of the Irish traditions is to pinch anyone who is not wearing green on St. Patrick's Day.
• Corned beef and cabbage are traditional foods eaten on this holiday.
• The shamrock, pot-of-gold and leprechans are also associated with St. Patrick's Day. The shamrock was worn as a badge on the lapel. Three is Ireland's magic number and the three petals that make up the shamrock are supposed to bring good luck. The three leaves also represent the Trinity in the Christian religion.
• The leprechan is a small Irish fairy. He is dressed like a shoemaker, with pointed shoes and hat. He also wears a leather apron. Lephrechauns are supposed to be unfriendly little men who lives alone in the forest, spending all of their time making shoes and guarding their treasures. If someone catches a leprechaun, he will be forced to tell where he hides all his pots of gold. However, the leprechaun must be watched at all times. If his captor looks away, the leprechaun will vanish along with his treasure.
• St. Patrick's Day has become a holiday all around the world and for one day out of the year anyone can be Irish and join in the celebration.

Now, we want to know...do you have any fun tidbits about St. Patrick's Day?  Do you do anything special on this day?  Any fun stories?

FOR THE BOOK LOVER:

FOR THE GIRL WITH A SENSE OF HUMOR:

The typical pink and red grace the aisles of almost any store you visit. Lace fringes every other cheap cardboard box of candy and stuffed animals threaten to fall on your head from every direction. Is this what it's really about? Don't get me wrong - gifts are great, it's my love language (giving and receiving), but why do we insist on making things so routine, so...impersonal?

Jen from Momma Hen has joined us with her list of gift ideas (things she'd love to receive). So, if you're looking for ideas for that amazing gift, look no further. We'll be posting more lists throughout the week of some great finds.

Jen's Wishlist

1. A voucher for quiet, uninterrupted, shower time at any time of the day (when my husband is home).
2. A voucher for time to use the bathroom with the same luxuries (and disclaimer) as above.
3. A voucher for an afternoon or evening out by myself, with my husband at home with the kids, while I'm shopping or just sitting somewhere with a coffee and reading.
4. A voucher for sleeping in, as in past 7am.
5. A voucher that I can redeem and my husband will take care of getting the kids up and ready and off to school/daycare for the day while I get the extra 45 minutes at home in the morning to primp a little extra before having to face the world.
6. A voucher for date night where HE finds the babysitter and makes all the arrangements necessary. (Date night can be a night of us at home by ourselves, and the kids just visiting with a Grandpa and Grandma, or Aunt and Uncle.)
7. A voucher for breakfast in bed, consisting of cinnamon toast (with extra butter and sugar, please) and a cup of coffee (2 teaspoons of sugar and a teaspoon and a half of Cinnamon Vanilla creamer, please).
8. Michael Buble's CD... he can pick (since I don't own any). And I'm cool with second hand, so check out Amazon for used deals.
9. A bag of Miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups that nobody else is allowed to put their paws in (husband or kid (or kitty))
10. A hand written note professing his undying love for me. Because what woman doesn't like to have her husband (or significant other) remind her that she's the Queen of his world.

What about you - ladies and men - of Western KY? What's on YOUR wishlist? Comment below with what would make your day OR send me your entire list via email: ashley (at) helloky (dot) com and we may post your list!

Instead of using the refrigerator as your artwork display center, consider creating a gallery (or several) just for your little ones in your home.

Here's how:

You'll Need

• Empty wooden frames without the glass or backing - I found mine at Walmart in a clearance bin for cents!
• Acrylic paint - can be found at virtually any craft store.  I recommend the cheap acrylic for this project, it comes in small bottles.
• A paint brush or sponge.
• A way to hang your frames - You can use nails, but I bought the removeable adhesive and velcro.  I put part of the adhesive velcro on the back of the frame and part on the wall.
• A way to hang the artwork - You can stick it up with tape or get creative with a bit of string and small binder clips (which nestle well into the velcro)

Instructions

Paint your wooden frame.  Hang your wooden frame using nails or adhesive or adhesive velcro (as mentioned above).  Tie a piece of string to a small binder clip and nestle the string into the velcro (or tie around the nail).

Why It Works

As your child presents you with artwork, use the binder clips to hold the artwork up.  Then, as new masterpieces come in, you can rotate the artwork.  And, as art is rotated out, you may want to invest in some clear protector sheets or a box to store each child's artwork in, possibly choosing to mat and frame your most favorite pieces to be hung around the house.