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I live in Southern California where people rarely have to put on “real” shoes. Most of the time, even in the winter, you’ll find us running around in our flip flops.

I adore flip flops and probably own more than 20 pairs. In fact, I’m sure I have more than 20! I don’t always buy expensive ones, but I do own a few that I paid some money for…like my favorite brand, Havaianas. Read more…

When we had the twins, I was wondering how I was going to fit two high chairs into our kitchen. I really didn’t even want two big, bulky high chairs in there and I definitely didn’t have anywhere else to put them. I started looking around for other options, and found the Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair.

It was really easy to use and SO convenient because it fit right on our kitchen chairs. It’s very compact and not at all bulky like most high chairs are. All you have to do is Read more…

I don’t know about you, but everyone I know loves fortune cookies. Okay, they aren’t very tasty, but the notes that you find inside are so fun to read and compare with everyone’s at the table.

Have you ever gotten a great fortune inside the cookie that you really hoped would come true? That you could save the cookie and the message for luck’s sake? I have! And I love the idea of these cute handmade fortune cookies that I found on Etsy! Read more…

Are you doing what I’m doing right now, and scrambling to get into presentable shape for the upcoming summer months? If you are like me, you’ll try anything to speed up the process…never mind how long it took you to put the weight on!

I’ve been thinking of getting a pedometer so I can keep track of how much I’m walking – and that’s how I found the Nike+ Fuelband. Read more…

Last week, I told you about an easy way to Go Green for Earth Month – how to make your cleaning products. It’s simple to do, doesn’t cost much to do it, and won’t take a whole lot of your time. We’re taking the Scott Brand 4 Week Test Drive this earth month – it’s a great (and free!) way to help your state win $50,000 in nature conservation.

Many people still equate being green with recycling, and recycling is a big part of green living, but did you know there are several other ways to get rid of things you no longer use, want or need? Just because something can’t be thrown in your recycling bin doesn’t mean that it has to be thrown in the trash!

Here are 5 other recycling alternatives. Read more…

My nephew is teething right now, and he is chewing on everything, including his favorite blankie. My sister-in-law was at her wit’s end, and was tired of having to wash the blanket everyday. She started looking around and found this Green Sprouts Organic Teething Blankie.

This blanket is supposed to be used just like a teething toy…it’s supposed to be chewed on! This star shaped blankie is really cute – it’s made from organic knitted terry fabric and is entirely BPA, PVC, phthalate and nitrosamine free, so baby can chew away! Read more…

I’ve mentioned before how I’m trying to get my little ones to eat healthier snacks (well, foods in general). I don’t know how I stumbled across Funley’s all natural snacks, but I’m sure glad I did!

What are Funley’s snacks? Yummy, totally natural products. The products are made with high quality ingredients, have NO trans fat oils, NO preservatives, NO high fructose corn syrup, and NO artificial anything.

The products meet all Whole Foods Market guidelines, and many of the snacks have benefits like vitamins and minerals, whole grains, and even superfoods inside! Read more…

It happens to almost all of us. It doesn’t matter if you are tall or short, thin or curvy, a size 0 or a size 18, shopping for jeans ain’t easy. If you are any size or shape other than a super model, it’s probably hard to find jeans that fit perfectly. Or it was before I introduce you to INDi…

INDi does what nobody else does: they create unique jeans just for you. It’s super easy to get the perfect pair of jeans. You just go online, pick your fit and style, and then fill out the body profile. The jeans you purchase are designed just for your body. Read more…

I’m a huge fan of costume jewelry and inexpensive jewelry I can choose for one specific outfit. I just can’t see spending a ton of money on a piece of jewelry I’ll only wear once or twice. And how I never found Bombay Fashions before is beyond me!

Have you heard of Bombay Fashions? They offer Indian imitation jewelry and accessories. You’ll find cuffs, bracelets, bangles, earrings, necklaces, scarves, skirts, tunics, handbags, and more.

The pieces are eclectic rare finds at prices that everyone can afford…they have an average price point of about $20.00. They also offer a great shopping experience and customer service, including a 30 day return/exchange policy, live chat customer service, and free shipping on orders of $29.99. Read more…

We’re celebrating Earth Month this month, and there are a lot of different things that you can do to “go green” without making huge changes to your daily routine or putting too much effort into it.

I have mentioned before that I write at ChiquitaMoms.com, and I recently wrote a post about 10 easy ways to go green. I do lots of simple things in my home to live a little greener, including buying from green brands, using green products, and things like that.

We are currently also in the process of having solar panels put on our house – not cheap, but in the long run it will save us thousands of dollars. But by far, my favorite green thing I do is make my own cleaning products. Read more…

If you’ve been reading my posts here on Smart Mom Picks for any length of time, you know I’m pretty cheap. I don’t splurge on a whole lot of things, though I am willing to try out new products that can help make my life better…or ones that make me feel better!

I’ve told you before about one of my favorite online deal sites, BabySteals.com, and that’s where I found my new favorite splurge: Dara & Co. throws and blankets.

What makes these luxurious blankets so luxurious? Read more…

I am always looking for healthy snacks that my kids will willingly eat. Normally, if it looks like anything good for them, like fruit or veggies, they want no part of it because they don’t consider those things snacks.

Since becoming a Charter Chiquita Mom for ChiquitaMoms.com, I have really been trying to come up with  fun and healthy snack ideas (make sure to watch my video of snacks you and your kids can make…they’ll love ‘em!). And when I came across the Crispy Green site, I knew the kids should try them. Read more…

I’m going to be honest with you: I’m freaking out. The high school senior who lives across the street is graduating in a couple of months and heading off to join the Air Force. I’m not freaking out about that…I’m freaking out because we are losing our babysitter!

What is so great about her is that she’s right across the street – if something happens, her parents are there to help. Or, if we enjoy wine with dinner on our night out, we don’t have to worry about driving her home. Also? She’s lovely and she’s like part of our family.

But the problem is that we are losing our babysitter. And that’s when a friend told me about Sittercity. Read more…

It’s no secret that babies love to sleep in cradling arms, their car seats and/or in the swing…but rarely do they want to be put down on their backs in a bed. And if you think about it, this makes sense.

Whether they are in your arms, the car seat or a swing, they are being snuggled and feel safe….it’s why they like to be swaddled as well. And if your baby loves to sleep in the car seat, you’ll want to check out the Nap Nanny. Read more…

I’m one of the few people out there who actually enjoys cleaning. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy cleaning, but my house isn’t spotless or even always clean. And with kids and pets, it goes without saying that cleaning usually isn’t high up on my priority list.

But since spring is here, it’s time for “Spring Cleaning” – that detailed cleaning we only make time to do once a year. I thought I’d share some tips for making your efforts more time efficient while making the job easier, or at least bearable. Read more…

As women, many of us grow up expecting to get married, have lots of babies, and live happily ever after. Never do young girls think about not being able to get pregnant or of having to take charge of their fertility.

I was one of those girls that thought I would get pregnant when I started trying to get pregnant…never in a million years did it occur to me that I would have unexplained infertility or that it would take me 5+ years of struggling with infertility to start a family. That’s why I think the Lily App is worth checking out if you are trying to get pregnant. Read more…