This is my husband, Cade, and I. This picture was taken at Davis Vision where my husband thought we were attending an event with 1-800 Contacts. Let’s just say he was a tiny bit misled by me. You should go read about the whole crazy surprise at Sweet Basil and go ahead and enter the giveaway too. And while posting about our LASIK eye surgery experience here isn’t a normal post for me, I decided to write about it because we had such an amazing experience and I wanted to offer a great review for those who are looking into it for themselves or someone they know. Well, and we happen to be giving away a FREE LASIK eye surgery to one lucky winner as well as a great discount to all who enter on my site. But most importantly, I wanted there to be a resource for others on who to go to since we spent such a ridiculous amount of time studying and learning about which office to go to.

So, in case any of you are going through the wretched hassle of trying to find the best doctor and best price for LASIK surgery, here’s what we discovered and why we chose to go with Davis Vision versus any other in Utah to correct my legally blind husband’s vision and take it to 20/15 just a few hours later and it will only continue to get better.

1. Dr. Davis has performed over 25,000 vision correction procedures
2. Every person has seen an improvement in vision.  
3. Advanced Blade Free LASIK can have outcomes as good as 20/15
4. Dr. Davis has several options available because everyone has different eyes. 
5. Some who weren’t candidates in the past are now candidates due to technology advancements.  
6. Dr. Davis also performs ICL and cataract surgery.  
7. Dr. Davis helped develop the technology that is used in LASIK as an electrical engineer in the 1980′s
8. Care Credit is available to patients who qualify, (0% interest is never a bad thing)
9. Dr Davis and his staff are kind, and more concerned with the patient and what a great privilege it is to change their life through corrected vision than prices, gimmicks etc. (This was a really big deal for us)
10. Lasik is performed with the intralase laser which means that the surgery is less complicated, lower risk and easier to recover from versus the blade procedure.  
11. It only takes 10-15 minutes to do it!
12. We were treated like family that was looking to improve our quality of life through vision, not a patient name or number. Real people needing real help

Generally the procedure can cost up to $4800 depending on your eyesight and what you choose to have done. However, Dr Davis offers amazing specials and an amazing payment plan with 0% interest. It really, truly is about helping you, not making as much money as they can off of you.

So, I know this isn’t anything to do with our love of food, but it is something that has been a very big deal to us and we want to shout it to the world that yes, LASIK is 100% worth it and there are amazing doctors right here in Utah that you can trust. Cade, my husband, woke up the next morning saying over and over that it was as if he had been part of a miracle. That is was amazing that he could see better than he ever had in his life, and that he didn’t need any assistance to do it. That, my friends, is worth everything in the world to me, and I don’t mind that overall we are going to save on prescriptions and contacts too.

In one of the other corners of my life I manage this Southern Utah site called Alive! Utah. We love to giveaway stuff on the site every once in a while. And we like to make sure the giveaways are packed full of Utah vendor product. Our Mother’s Day giveaway is going on right now and there are some pretty amazing prizes in this big giveaway including stuff like amazing chocolate, a music CD, a photo session, jewelery and recipe books and more.
Best part is all the vendors participating are right here from Utah and all of them are women. Go check it out and enter in the next 5 days.

See the Mother’s Day Giveaway to spoil yourself or another woman in your life.

 Washing clothes with no detergent? It sounds absurd! That’s exactly what the Smart Klean Laundry Ball claims to do….for A WHOLE YEAR! I stumbled on this product a couple months ago through another awesome blog http://theadventuresoflactatinggirl.com and I HAD to get my hands on one.

Well, I did get my hands on a Smart Klean laundry ball  as well as one of their cool stain sticks made of 100% natural ingredients and it lasts foooorever. I have to tell you that I absolutely LOVE both products! I’ve been working on simplifying my life, spending less money and getting rid of unhealthy things in my life and my family’s. Because I was cloth diapering, I was always on the lookout for detergents that were safe for my diapers and for my family. This is exactly what I needed…

What is the Smart Klean Laundry Ball and how does it work?

The smart klean ball is made of thermoplastic elastomer. Inside the ball are four types of mineral-derived ceramic beads and two magnets. When these components come in contact with water, they make ‘oxygenated’ water and increase the pH level which helps to clean and discinfect your clothes. You can click HERE to learn about each of the components.

The money you save isn’t only from eliminating laundry soap from your grocery list. The Smart Klean Laundry Ball cleans in cold water (washing in hot water is not recommended), because there are no suds there is no need for a rinse cycle which saves about 2000-8000 gallons of water, the ball eliminates chlorine and is gentle on your clothes which makes them last longer (although I LOVE shopping). I have to a say that I broke the first one somehow. I think the hubby washed it in hot water and it just ended up looking lopsided but the company sent me a replacement in a couple days. It’s been about a month now and it’s working great.

I was so excited to use the ball, I washed everything! Towels, kids clothes, husbands work clothes, the doggie bed (ok, so that didn’t fit so well in my machine) Everything was clean and smelled fresh. Not perfume clean, I mean for real clean…and soft.

My little guy potty trained a couple months ago so I missed the chance to try it on his cloth diapers. So, I went over to a friends house to do a couple loads of  diaper laundry and to put the stain stick through the ultimate test….newborn poop! You know, the yellow stuff that stains EVERYTHING!!!

So it seems that they washed best with a pre-rinse first and then a full wash. Cold water worked just fine and the diapers came out clean! Check out what the Stain Stick removed!

BEFORE THE LAUNDRY STICK TREATMENT

AFTER STAIN STICK TREATMENT

Then I figured the review wouldn’t be complete without trying the laundry ball in a high efficiency front loader so I found another friend with a HE washing machine and she loved it too! Cloth diapers and all Here are some pictures of her laundry (her baby is in the spaghetti stained t-shirt phase)

Some food and funky purple stuff

I think that’s pretty awesome

In conclusion, I think this little ball is full of awesomeness and I highly recommend everyone give it a try. I’m hoping it really does all my laundry until March 2014! Wanna give it a try? Here’s your chance to win a Smart Klean Ball and Stain Stick.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER OUR RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY!  Ends April 19.

Disclosure: I received a laundry ball and stain stick to sample in exchange for this review.  The winner will receive their prizes directly from Smart Klean. All of these statements are true and are my own.

I am almost as excited to be giving mamas and bakers this chance to win as I am to be creating my own gourmet pizza recipe. If you bake you are going to want to enter to win this. I mean look at all these goodies.

The Giveaway

One (1) 2lb. bag of Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour

Well, lucky you!  We are giving away 4 festival packages!

Festival Package includes  2 Tickets To Comedy Of Errors And Twelfth Night productions and also 4 items at the concessions counter.

The Children’s Theatre Shakespeare Festival runs from August 17-25, 2012.

Leave a comment below telling us your favorite Shakespearean character or play for a chance to win.  Giveaway ends August 17, 2012 at noon MDT.

In short, the Lunette is a silicon cup made in Finland and is a clean alternative to pads and tampons. If you’re wondering what type of safety standards are being followed, check it out here. Using a Lunette is similar to using a tampon but with less changing. It is made of  medical-grade silicone, not rubber or latex, and you can just wash it and reuse. You fold it up and insert it like you would a tampon and it opens up once inside.

A size one is recommended for women who have not given birth vaginally. It also works for women with sensitive bladders and/0r a low cervix and during light days. I have been told that if you have had a vaginal birth, it’s possible to use both sizes. Since I’ve had two vaginal births, I wanted to test this out so during  my last cycle I only used the size one throughout my entire cycle.

It’s easy to see the difference between size one and size two and I was concerned that the size one was too small and I would have to change very frequently on my heavy days. I was right about changing more frequently, although it was still less than changing pads or tampons.  The amount of liquid that the size one holds is a little less than the size two so I was changing often during the first two days of my menstrual cycle. I also had a little leaking during the first two nights and I think this was due to my heavy flow and the fact that I was lying instead of standing. I had no leak problems at night with the size two.

The size one is considerably softer and more flexible than the size two so it was easier to fold and insert. The one thing that was a little more difficult with the size one was the removal of the cup. Because it is smaller, the bottom of the cup is higher up which meant I had to pull the tab to move it a little further down when trying to grasp it to break the seal. I believe this is why the tab is longer (which you can cut to adjust the length if needed)

In conclusion, I would prefer to use the size one during my heavy days and the size two during my light days. If I had to pick one, because I’ve had vaginal deliveries and have a heavy flow for a good number of days, I would choose the size two. It just seems more hassle free for me, and I’m all for that!

Here’s the fun part. To enter for a chance to win your very own Lunette cup, click HERE to get to my Honey Bump Blog and enter through rafflecopter. Contest will end 8/17/2012…good luck!

Purchase a Lunette Cup – Happy Cotton Tails
7 Key Features That Make Lunette Unique
Top 12 Reasons to Use a Lunette Menstrual Cup

Disclosure: I received a Lunette Cup in exchange for writing this review. No other form of compensation was received, and all opinions are 100% honest.

Congrats to our 5 winners! (notifications sent via email)

We’ve got 5 copies of the new Christmas story “Jacob T. Marley” to giveaway! This is the backstory to the man who helped make Ebeneezer Scrooge in the Dickens class “A Christmas Carol”.

Be sure to enter by NOON on Wednesday, December 21st.  We’ll be picking winners then!

I’m about halfway through the book right now and loving it!

How to Enter:

Leave a comment and tell us what your favorite Christmas story is!

Now that we’re into December, I feel like I’m mired down in the “to do’s” of the holiday season. I’ve got my head down, pen scribbling list after list of gifts to get, treats to bake, cards to mail…you know the drill.

Let’s stop it.

Unless you want your kid’s holiday memories to be of you frantically pacing around the house muttering to yourself about wrapping paper.

Thanksgiving Point has more holiday happenings than you can shake a stick at. Don’t believe me? CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

They’ve got Holiday Lights, Breakfast with Santa, Utah Symphony Holiday Concert, Voice Mail Christmas Performance, Live Reindeer (you can feed them AND pet them) and a fabulous Christmas Tree lot, Photos with Santa, and an Ice Sculpting Demonstration. You can get all the details on ThanksgivingPoint.org.

If that wasn’t enough to make your Christmas merry, we’re giving away a Thanksgiving Point Annual Family Membership ($175 value) to one lucky UtahMama.com reader.

This membership offers access to all venues—including the popular Dinosaur Museum, award-winning gardens and even $5 movies on the XanGo movie screen.

Doesn’t that sound like a wonderful way to spend 2012? I bet a few families on your holiday shopping list would love a membership of their own.  (HINT)

To enter to win this Thanksgiving Point Annual Family Membership, just leave me a comment below telling me how you’d use your annual pass. Entry deadline is Wednesday 12/14 @ 7p MST. I’ll post one random winner that evening.

Good Luck!

A Kurt Bestor Christmas has been a much-anticipated tradition for audiences throughout the western U.S. The show draws more than 20,000 delighted fans every year. Featuring 45 musicians on stage, sophisticated sound and lights, and special guests, combined with warm storytelling and humor, Bestor creates an intimate rapport with concert-goers that sets A Kurt Bestor Christmas apart from any other seasonal show.

Showtimes
Thursday, December 16 – 7:30 p.m.
Friday, December 17 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, December 18 – 2 p.m.
Saturday, December 18 – 8 p.m.

Tickets $17.50 – $37.50
ArtTix.org

And of course we’ve got a few tickets up our sleeve for you and yours for Saturday’s show!  Just enter below and we’ll announce our winner end of day Thursday.

Happy Holidays!

I am so excited about this feature artist partly because I am lucky enough to be related to her (my cous).  She is a letterpress printer/designer who lives in scenic Idaho with her fly fisher guide husband and 3 beautiful children.  What a life!!  It’s fun to get a sneak peek into her creative environment, plus be sure to comment to get a chance to win some of her goods. If you haven’t been introduced to letterpress yet, watch out its easy to become an addict. This craft has made a come back in a big way.  Take note if you don’t want to be left in the dust !

1. When did you first realize you were creative?

I think since I could walk around the house I decided that a crayon or pen was a means to express myself. At the tender age of 3, I was mad at my mom and subsequently took a pen to her china cabinets in the living room. There was this linen in the cabinet doors instead of glass and I thought it would make a lovely home for a spider drawing to scare my mom. Scare her I did with that lovely scribble, and then I got sent to my room! I think that was premonition of the career path in artistry to come.

2. What drew you to letterpress?

I was a young bride and really wanted letterpress wedding invitations. However the place that I got a bid from was for close to $10k for a set of 300 invites. Clearly out of my budget I was determined to figure out to have letterpress for myself and be able to make it for others at a more reasonable price. Having just finished my art foundation in college I transferred schools, applied for their BFA graphic design program and got my degree. The rest is history, I bought a press and am primarily self taught as far as printing is concerned, however I have developed my design style over the years and was quite influenced by m amazing design professors that helped mentor me along the way.

3. How do you think your kids have benefited from watching you do what you love?

I think it helps them learn that they can do anything they want in life regarding career choice. I’d go to panels during my college years and ask about freelancing and having my own small design business with my family around me. I was told that it wouldn’t be possible without working for a large firm and establishing connections there first. I wasn’t willing to give up my younger years to a large firm and was determined to make it work. Make it work, I did and now am proud that I have interns pining for a position every semester and a few employees to lighten my work load.

4. Where do you see yourself in regards to your career in 10 years?

I’d really like to obviously grow my business to a wholesale national level. Right now I have clients all over the world and it’s just a matter of now getting my ready-made product out to them for everyday purchasing in their local stores. I’m all about supporting buying local and would love to have my product in stores that specialize is unique letterpress goods that are hand grafted and designed with love. Benefits and 401k would be awesome but it’s more important to me to enjoy my work than to be a work-horse just for benefits.

5. Where do you pull inspiration from?

Usually it’s my clients if its for custom work. They are the inspiration behind their brand and identity as well as printed collateral. For my collections and everyday goods it’s more about what I’m going through in my mind at the moment. Things all around me jump out to me and I think, “that would make a really cool project!”

6. Do you ever see yourself working in a different medium?

I’d love to expand my letterpress medium to foiling and embossing as far as printing technique goes, but as for printmaking? I am a letterpress snob and feel that there is really no other printing method that compares.

7. What advice do you have for other Mother’s trying to launch a creative career?

All I have to say is dive in and don’t look back. Learn good accounting or it will slow your initial growth (and the time it takes to cut you your first paycheck), and promote yourself shamelessly. Confidence is the first thing people look for in hiring out work especially art related work. If you have kids, start small and evaluate your goals to always keep your wants an wishes regarding work and family in the right spot. Lastly, don’t ever let anyone tell you it can’t be done. I’m living proof that it can and the odds were quite stacked against me! It also helps to have a really enabling and supportive husband, they are super fun to have around!

To enter the giveaway for these great bugs & butterfly card set just leave a comment below, tell us what you would have printed up for your self.  Be sure to check out Adrienne’s great etsy SHOP & fabulous business at DINGBAT PRESS.  Winner announced on June 30th!