Happy Birthday to Me! Turquoise Mother Bird Pendant from Lenox

Today I am 29. How did my 20s go by so fast? So many exciting things have happened--I moved into NYC with my best girl friends, met my husband and got married, gave birth to my adorable baby boy, and moved back home to Rockland. So, I'm really not going to complain, then, that 30 is now in sight. Who knows what amazing and wonderful things lay before me? As my best friend Kate once wrote to me in a birthday card, "We should be glad that the birthdays keep on coming. Otherwise, we'd be dead." Good point!

So, what does one buy a newish mom on her birthday? My husband actually gave me the perfect gift--and its something that I've been lusting over for a while now. Behold the Turquoise Mother Bird Pendant from Lenox:

I am so in love with this necklace! It is sterling silver with genuine turquoise beads. AND you can add or subtract egg beads to represent up to 5 children or loved ones. I kept the original two eggs on mine to represent my husband and Andrew. Also, I didn't want to fiddle with the beads and extra provided jewelry wire right at this moment--I wanted to put the necklace right on!

The 1 inch pendant is just so adorable and you can really tell it is well-made. It is solid, but not too heavy, and sits just perfectly on my chest strung on its 18" sterling silver chain (included). As you can see from this next picture, I am one very happy birthday girl.

Lenox's Turquoise Mother Bird Pendant is $119 and you can purchase it from the Lenox catalog or online. Or, you could just drop hints to a special someone in your life and see what happens! 

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Mommy Haiku #2

Butterfly kisses,

upon my cheek are so sweet.

Goodnight, baby boy. 

Andrew just fell asleep, arms around my neck, cheek to cheek. Motherhood is the greatest job in the world.

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Product Review & Giveaway: KIDStrong Hydration Drink

KIDStrong Hydration Beverages were scientifically formulated by Dr. George J. Murphy to meet children's (4 years and up) hydration and energy needs and combat childhood obesity by being a healthy alternative to soft drinks. Each 12 fl oz bottle is chock-full of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, is low in sugar, contains no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or preservatives, has an optimal electrolyte profile--and is only 45 calories. That's darn impressive!

The folks behind KIDStrong were nice enough to send me samples of their three flavors--Clearly Fruit Punch, Clearly Orange, and Clearly Grape--to review. In my opinion, all of the drinks taste like melted ice pops in their respective flavors--and I find that strangely yummy. While I wasn't able to give Andrew a sip since the drink is formulated for bigger kids, I bet he would have found the drinks tasty too.

On the flipside... at the time of taste-testing, I didn't have any children over 4 around to give their opinions, but my husband and older brother gave them a try for fun. My husband didn't care for them at all and my brother gave them a "5 out of 10."   But bear in mind that these are grown men who are used to artificial flavors and sweeteners.

Sorry for the mixed bag of a review, but why don't you try KIDStrong for yourself and see if your tastebuds agree with me or my husband and brother? KIDStrong has provided me with a 12-pack case (4 in each flavor) to give away to one of my readers! All you have to do is be a follower of my blog and comment below by Tuesday, May 3rd.

KIDStrong is currently available for around $20 for a 12-pack at the KIDStrong website, Amazon.com, and at various food retailers (check out the KIDStrong site for store availabilities).

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Mommy Haikus

Lately I find myself creating mommy haikus in my head (mom-kus?). This generally happens when Andrew is up to some mischief or when he is being particularly adorable. Both occur often. Soooo, I've decided to share these haikus with you on a regular basis dear readers! Here's a funny one to start off your Tuesday:

Yes, that's a dead bug. 

No, don't put it in your mouth. 

Want some milk with that? 

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Service Review: The Friendly Movers of NYC

The last time my husband and I moved within Queens we used Sonic Movers and it was a NIGHTMARE. Not only did they arrive three hours late, but one of our movers quit working mid-move. We had to bribe him with extra cash to finish the job and finally arrived at our new apartment with all our stuff at 2am. THEN they beat up our furniture and our new landlords walls AND left a heavy piece of furniture on the front stoop because they didn't want to bring it up. NIGHTMARE. These guys were so bad and got so many complaints I don't even think the company is in existence anymore.

Suffice to say we were more than a bit wary about hiring movers this time around. We rented a UHaul in nearby Brooklyn and hoped to rope friends into helping us move our stuff. At the last minute, however, overwhelmed by packing with a 15-month-old underfoot, I searched for a pair of low-cost movers on Craigslist. The Friendly Movers were the first and only movers I contacted--and I feel like I hit the moving jackpot!

I set up our move by calling Lui (pronounce Louie) at 917-374-4789 a week before our move. He was very pleasant and I was able to set up the move for any time that was convenient for me. Two movers cost $50 for the first two hours and $40 for every hour after that (their website has different rates, so be sure to confirm the rates while on the phone). Lui told us that there was a three-hour minimum for our move, which made our estimated total $140 total for two movers for three hours, scheduled to be paid in cash after the move (you must mention ahead if you want to use a credit card).

At first, I voiced my concerns to Lui about the three-hour minimum as their website states a two-hour minimum, but he explained that most moves take at least three hours on average. He was right! We weren't even bringing all of our furniture with us in the UHaul and it still took four hours to complete the move, taking us up to $180 total when all was said and done.

$180 is an extraordinarily reasonable price when you factor in the great service and piece of mind our movers brought us. Juan and Andrew were our two movers and not only were they amazingly efficient, but they were super relaxed and friendly. Both men kept waving to baby Andrew and I was so impressed with how patiently Juan directed his partner when they were moving the larger items--they were so calm and quiet that baby Andrew napped through the first half of the move! They didn't even stress out when my husband was late with the U-Haul because the rental lot in Brooklyn gave him a truck with a flat. They simply began bringing stuff down to our front stoop/deck, organizing it carefully until the truck could be delivered.

My stress level was 100% as we were approaching the move, but once the Friendly Movers got there, all my worries completely disappeared. I have NEVER been that calm during my many moves. I really can't praise the Friendly Movers enough.

If you need a mover in the NYC area, I highly suggest that you check out the Friendly Movers. Visit their website and call or email them for more info: 917-374-4789 or friendlymoving@yahoo.com. Happy moving!

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Welcome to Rockland Mother!

Hello and welcome to Rockland Mother (formerly Queens Mama)! What do you think of the new blog design by Dream Like Magic? Cute and woodsy like my new locale, right?

I'm happy to report that our move to New York's Rockland County went very smoothly last week, thanks in no small part to the truly wonderful Friendly Movers who loaded our U-Haul quickly, efficiently, and with amazingly sunny attitudes. I'll be posting a full review of Friendly Movers in the near future for those of you looking for great, affordable movers in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, Hoboken or Jersey City (see, you're still in my heart, New York City-ers!).

I'm also happy to report that today is my 3rd wedding anniversary! It goes without saying that I love my super sweet and incredibly handsome husband, and hope you'll join in helping me send him some good karma this week as he is starting a new job. A new job on top of moving! That is one brave man for you!

Thanks for stopping by the new site!

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Queens Mama is Moving!

Happy Friday! In a week or so Queens Mama is going to be moving--literally and figuratively. After living in Manhattan and Queens for a little over 11 years, this Mama is ready for a change of scenery (and a washer/dryer, backyard, and parking space), but I will still be close enough to NYC to review some of the awesome happenings and services now and again.

My new home and blog name is going to be Rockland Mother. The link will go live the week of April 18th, complete with a snazzy new blog design! Queensmama.com will redirect there for some time after, but be sure to update your bookmarks. Google Followers don't have to worry about a thing--you'll still receive updates from me through Google.

I hope you'll stay tuned for what Rockland Mother has to offer! I'll be providing the same sort of product and service reviews, commentary, and personal stories as I do at Queens Mama, just from New York's Rockland County in the beautiful Hudson Valley. Nice!

Have a great weekend! And please do forgive the delay in the KidStrong giveaway. I'm waiting on some info from the company before I post my review. Stay tuned!

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