Spark of Amber - Baltic Amber Necklace

Baltic amber jewelry has been talked about for a while now, though I'm still surprised when people don't realize the versatility of it. When I was given the opportunity to review an amber necklace from Spark of Amber, I thought it would be a great way to help spread the word about Baltic amber jewelry.

So what IS Baltic Amber jewelry?

"Baltic Amber is a fossilized resin. Euorpeans greatly prize this beautiful stone for its claimed 100% natural anti-inflammatory, pain relieving, and calming properties. The healing oils of the Baltic Amber are said to relieve teething pain, tame baby's irritability, and relieve inflammation in the throat, ear, and stomach." - quoted from Spark of Amber's summary on their beautiful teething necklace "The Midnight".

Note that I quoted that from a teething necklace page. Please know that these teething necklaces are not meant to be chewed on, but rather are named as such due to their potential healing properties. They can help alleviate teething pain and symptoms. They should never be chewed on!

Should a child chew on it, or should it break, each bead is individually knotted so they don't have the opportunity to shove a handful of beads in their mouth.

Spark of Amber offers so much more than just teething necklaces, though. You can get amber necklaces, amber bracelets, hazelwood and amber jewelry, earrings, keychains... they seriously have some options! You can even have a custom mother's bracelet made that has beads that represent children's birthstones. To see all their options, check out the "Browse Products" tab on their page!

Are you looking for something natural to potentially help with attention, focus, or hyper-activity? Check out "The Serenity" necklace as a possibility! Lepidolite and Black Tourmaline beads are added between raw Baltic amber beads to encourage calming. The colour of the beads also makes it completely gender neutral, so it will be great on boys or girls.

All of the amber beads used in Spark of Amber's jewelry are from Lithuania due to their high quality.

Since Bobble is not interested in wearing anything at the moment and Squiggle is ready to remove something after mere minutes, Spark of Amber sent me a necklace for myself. I was sent the lovely Luxury Green Adult Amber Necklace "The Meadow":

It arrived in a cute little bag which was quickly confiscated by Bobble to be used for Lego storage (or something like that). Thankfully, I was able to retrieve the necklace before he made off with it!

The colour varies from each necklace due to the nature of the amber resin, and in the direct sunlight this can still look a bit orange or brown. This is one thing I absolutely adore about the necklace, though! I love how it can appear different in different lighting, and I love how each necklace is completely unique because of this natural variation.

A close-up of the clasp closure

Though my camera focused on my actual fingers instead of the necklace, this gives you the absolute best idea of the exact colour of the specific necklace I got. As I mentioned above, this can look a bit different in various settings, and it will vary from necklace to necklace, bead to bead.

The above was taken in indirect, morning lighting, and below was direct morning light. Neither picture has had colour tweaked or filters applied.

The particular necklace I got was polished, and was longer than I would normally wear. I liked that I could tuck it into my shirt and out of sight of Squiggle, though. She tends to grab and pull on things that she likes (read: everything), and would have tried to yank it right off of me!

You can also find unpolished, or "raw", jewelry from Spark of Amber.

The necklace was very beautiful (as you can see), light weight, easy to put on and take off, and was very comfortable. Anyone that happens to have longer hair or lots of little hairs on their necks has likely felt that horrible pull of a hair while wearing a necklace. That hasn't happened with this necklace. Not a single time. The necklace is very good quality!

I'd like to add this little tidbit on Baltic Amber in general: I've used Baltic amber jewelry on both of my children and myself, and various different brands over the last 5 years. From what I have experienced first hand, the effects of the jewelry differ from each person. Granted this is not medicine, the best way I can think of to liken the differences is to compare to a pain reliever. Some people get a migraine and need 2 children's pain relievers, and another person could have a migraine and take numerous extra-strength pain reliever to get the same effect.

Every person is different.

Bobble didn't have any response to the Baltic amber jewelry he had (positive nor negative). He looked adorable, and that was that.

Squiggle seemed to have lessened irritability when wearing hers.

I started wearing some amber jewelry because I have joint pain and headaches. My headaches decreased in frequency, though I didn't wear amber continuously and cannot really attribute the wearing of it to lack of joint pain or not.

No matter what your reasons for wanting to try Baltic amber jewelry, you will be guaranteed a gorgeous piece of jewelry. That gorgeous jewelry might just help with your child's pain caused by teething or earaches, too. Best of all? NATURALLY.

Don't just go off of what I say, though... try it yourself! Spark of Amber has generously offered one of my readers an item of their choice (up to $30 value)! Enter below for your chance to win! Can't wait to see if you won? Check out their store and get some high-quality Baltic amber jewelry with really fast shipping. They get orders out quickly!

Giveaway is for US/CAN only.

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Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was sent the above product for review. This did not influence my opinion of the product in any way. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Thoughts of Fluff is not responsible for prize shipment.

Love Mama, Love Baby, Love Fluff!

LOVE is in the air this month, and I thought I should show my readers a bit of love, too! While February is known more for jewelry, chocolates, and flowers, I know quite a few mamas out there who would like something a little more practical.

ONE lucky winner will win a prize package that has goodies for mama and for baby. These prizes are pretty nice, too!

Mom's Milk Boutique has given a $50 gift certificate to be used towards the purchase of a nursing bra or nursing tank.

Teething Bling is giving away a gift set in the winner's choice of colours!

Thirsties has offered one of their new One-Size Pocket diapers!

Rock-a-bums is giving away a cover, 2 inserts, and a wet bag (winner's choice of colour/closure)!

Mama Bird's Place is giving away a J.Chew teether, an amber teething necklace (for baby), an Earth Mama Angel Baby lip balm, and an Earth Mama Angel Baby lotion!

This prize pack is sure to make for one very happy mama (and baby)!

Thanks to all the sponsors for helping put this event together! Good luck, everyone!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Thoughts of Fluff is not responsible for shipment of prizes. Some links above include affiliate links.

Teething Bling Teething Jewelry (review)

We've all seen it: the baby chewing on whatever they can. Doesn't matter where they are, doesn't matter what it is. THEY. MUST. CHEW. This can be adorable (aww, fingers! yummy!), or disgusting (ewww, that is a shopping cart handle!)... or just plain frustrating (mommy's necklace... it might break!).

Then again, that last one doesn't really apply if it's Teething Bling. Teething Bling jewelry was made for baby to chew on. Consisting of safety-tested nylon string and a commonly-used, medical-grade, food-safe silicone pendant (or beads), Teething Bling is safe for your teething youngster to gum away on! The silicone used is the same material found in many teething toys and other baby products, too. It's not some weird new substance you've never encountered!

Teething Bling contains no harmful chemicals: no phthalates, BPAs, PVCs, lead or latex.  All their products are CPSIA compliant, carry the European CE mark for safety and are FDA approved.  Additionally, pendants also come with a breakaway clasp as an added safety feature (though you should never put the necklaces around baby).

So how much do babies really like these items? Are they really all that convenient over a teething toy? Yes and yes. Teething Bling was generous enough to send me a pendant and gemstone necklace to try out. I received Grey Gemstones and a Moonstone Donut Pendant (both pictured above). I was actually getting ready to head out to the store when I got these, so I did a quick wash on them and put on the grey gemstones necklace.

(The fact these were all taken from this outing means they were all taken with my phone and thus aren't the best quality photos.)

She was quick to grab them and knew just what they were for!

I babywear all the time, so I figured this might help keep my youngest distracted. She's been trying to eat everything, and been very grabby with my hair. Not only did she adore the necklace, but she left my hair alone the whole time! She loves grabbing a fistful of the beads in each hand and being able to gnaw on some, too. I loved that the beads didn't go around the neck because that prevented them from pulling my hair (and I have a very sensitive head).

Chewing on her Teething Bling while being worn through the grocery

So why was this better than a regular teething toy? Simple: It never ended up getting thrown on the floor. I swear I have cleaned teething toys more often than anything else! They love chewing them, but they love throwing them, too. The necklace stayed put and didn't get dirty. Yay!

She loved them so much she fell asleep chewing them and still didn't let them go!

Before our shopping trip was over, my husband was very hungry and asked me to run in to get a burrito at Chipotle. Seeing as how we fed Bobble before we left (and Squiggle is on mama's milk still), I thought it was a great idea. I ran in and waited to place an order. As I stepped up to the counter, the woman/girl on the other side of the counter raved about my necklace. She was talking about how cool it was, and asked where she could get one. I had not OWNED this necklace more than a couple hours and was already getting compliments!

This jewelry really impressed me! I am not a big jewelry person (literally, I like small stones/gems/beads etc.) so I was a bit self conscious wearing a larger bead out. (Yes, I know... silly thing to be worrying about, eh?) Being complimented so quickly really helped with that. I thought it looked nice, but I've never been one someone turns to for fashion advice. A complete stranger wanting to know where I got my necklace? Yeah, that did the trick! They have so many styles and colours that it's hard not to find something that would be perfect for your wardrobe, too!


Bobble also loves them. He likes to wear the pendant necklace and try to get Squiggle to chew on it. It's so cute! I might have to get him one of the fish pendants so he can have his own!

My husband has worn my Teething Bling, too! Granted, he didn't go out of his way to find it, but when I had to hand him Squiggle for something and I was wearing it, I would just put it around his neck so she had something to play with until I came back. He's a good sport. (He wasn't going to smile for the picture, though!) Perhaps I should have gotten him a Babe Magnet tie! (Actually, he never wears ties, so I have better odds of getting him to wear necklaces.)

You can head on over to http://www.smartmomjewelry.com/ to learn more and see the rest of their amazing products! Teething Bling is one of the sponsors for next month's LOVE giveaway, too. If you want to try and win a Teething Bling gift set, come back February 1st and get in on the action!

Disclosure: The product mentioned above was provided to me by Teething Bling for review. This did not influence my opinion of the product in any way. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.

Earth's Best Toddler Biscuits

Many parents already know the joys of teething. The drooly messes, the fussy baby, the swollen gums, tugging on the ears... it's all sorts of fun! (To see Teething FAQs on Earth's Best's page, go HERE.) Thankfully, there are many things we can do to help ease the pain and discomfort our little ones go through, including some cookies that are fantastic for teething! Earth's Best makes some biscuits (in both barley and wheat) that are fantastic for your teething little one. (They also make organic teething gel!) Not only are they good for your little one, but they are great to chew on to ease the discomfort those budding teeth are causing!

The Toddler Biscuits are:

• USDA organic: no growth hormones, antibiotics, steroids or potentially harmful pesticides or herbicides
• Good source of calcium
• No added salt
• No artificial flavors, colors, preservatives
• Kosher certified
• Individually wrapped in packs of two

Bobble loves these biscuits, and we used them long before I was ever an Earth's Best Blogger! They fit great into his little hands, and they don't crumble if he squeezes too hard! He would just gnaw on one end over and over, relieving his gums and (slowly) getting some yummy cookie, too!

You can find Earth's Best Toddler Biscuits, along with many other Earth’s Best products, online at the Earth’s Best Store, from Amazon.com, many other online retailers, or you can use the Earth’s Best Store Locator to find a retailer near you!

You can also enter to win some HERE!

 Disclosure: The product mentioned above was sent to me by the company in exchange for a review. This did not influence my opinion of the product in any way. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.

I Knew I Needed Them!

** This entry talks about poop. You've been warned. **

I have over 50 diapers for my little Bobble-head, and my husband has long since put me on a diaper-buying freeze. Most of my diapers are pockets, though I do have a couple AIOs, 1 fitted (never used, it's a NB size), some flats and some prefolds. I mostly have pockets and I LOVE them! Hubby always said we have too many, and always wondered why I wanted more. I guess he doesn't understand that they are exciting. They are fun. They are just full of awesomeness! Okay, they aren't usually "full" of awesomeness, they are usually full of something else.... but I digress.

Today is the day I am thankful I have the abundance of diapers that I do. See, I always figured we'd end up with two children in diapers. Right about now, I planned on having my second child (which is not even close to happening yet), so I thought this was a great amount to get me by washing every other day for two children. I didn't anticipate having my children "far apart" (read: more than 2 years apart), so I actually needed this many diapers when I was buying them. Okay, so I technically stopped around 35 or so. I started winning a few, I would get free diapers with coupon codes from the lovely ladies working at Kelly's Closet.... and when I'd forget about the coupon codes, Diapershops.com's facebook page would always seem to know and it would be the top thing in my feed shouting "BUY MORE DIAPERS!". Well, it couldn't shout.... but you get the point. I would look at it and think that spending $39 and getting a free diaper was brilliant! There are ways around diaper-buying freezes, of course. My favorite? Stocking up on laundry detergent!

(The above was my stash this past January. Most of my diapers were in there, but I have more now, and I can also see immediately certain ones were missing, so I must of have diapers in the pail/wash.)

So here we are, a holiday weekend, and we're planning on heading away to see family. It's not that horribly long of a trip, but it is still 4 hours, and it is still where I cannot do diaper laundry. Last night was miserable. Bobble woke up every 30-45 minutes sobbing. He's been cutting his upper canines for the last week, and I thought that was why he'd been so upset lately. Granted, that is likely the initial culprit, but something's just not right. He doesn't sob like that from teething. I'm not a medicine person, but I even gave him a partial dosage of children's tylenol because I felt like he was in such pain.... but from what?

Each time he woke up, he would flop around, toss around, latch on and then break latch because he didn't actually want milk.... he was miserable. Sometimes he'd let out a loud fart, then fall back asleep. I knew this wasn't going to bode well for our travels. How many of you EBF your child? If you have, you will understand what I am going to say next. The mess in the diaper was something I haven't seen since he was a very young infant. It was yellow, it had hardly any texture to it (save two tiny little clumps), and it STUNK. That's what got me. Last time I saw poop like this, it did not smell. Ah, the joys of breastfed babies [*I do know what formula-fed poo smells like as my siblings were 9 and 12 years younger than me and had formula. That stuff smells horrid!*] .... it smells like.... well, not this. This was awful.

I changed him and he was a bit happier. Okay.... happier, but still obviously miserable. I let him nurse, and called the doctor's office to try and get an appointment. He had been eating miserably for the last 2-3 days, he had been SUPER fussy [as in hitting away anything he normally loves like his favorite stuffed animals, my cat, my husband.... anything that wasn't me], and now this. A while later he messed two more diapers within half an hour. They were not just yellow, they were LIQUID. Literally nothing but liquid to them. The doctor's office got me in for 1:45. We were going to leave at 1, but we pushed back the leaving time. I didn't want to travel 4 hours with a baby with diarrhea!

At 1pm, I jumped in the shower. Bobble was napping (THANK GOODNESS!) and I was ready for a bit of a break from everything. While I was in the shower, the doctor's office called (hubby answered). Apparently there was a family emergency, and the doctor left. Any appointments for the rest of the day (which included ours) were canceled. Bobble messed two more diapers, and I decided our holiday traveling was not happening. The one time we were in the car today, Bobble messed a diaper. It was a double-stuffed diaper, as it was the one he had on when he napped, and when I went to change him it was down his leg. My husband made the comment that we should buy disposables to hold this stuff in.

*blink*

No, really. He said that. Maybe you don't cloth diaper, so you might not understand my disbelief in that comment. Maybe you only cloth diapered, so you, again, don't understand where I'm really coming from. We cloth diapered from 7 weeks because we couldn't afford our stash when Bobble came a month early. We used up the disposables from our baby shower and made our switch over. That being said, we had blow outs. He quickly seems to have forgotten the fact that we had poo-splosions with our disposables soooo easily! They streak up the back of baby, the leg blowout.... they were horrible. Disposables do not hold poo in as easily as the cloth! In fact, this is time #2 that we've ever had poop come out of a cloth diaper.... and I really don't think this one was the diaper's fault! Bobble was in the carseat, and the way he decided to situate himself pushed the diaper around a wee bit which caused a small gap. The inside of the diaper actually wasn't horrible. Messy? Yes. Filled? Nowhere near. It was obviously the way Bobble was sitting.

Actually, the first time we had a poo escape from cloth Bobble hadn't gone potty in 13 days. Yes. THIRTEEN. Plenty of wet diapers, EBF, and no discomfort, so doctor wasn't worried. When he did go, boy did he ever go! That FuzziBunz OS diaper actually held EVERY BIT OF THAT MESS in.... until hubby picked him up. He picked him up and held him up against his chest, pushing on the diaper. That, in turn, made stuff drip out onto hubby! Hmm, now that I think of it, both times we had poop escape, it was not the diaper's fault! (Though I would love if all diapers had that lovely double-gusset in the legs!)

So yeah. Hubby seems to have been trying to push buttons or something. It's amazing how quickly they forget things when they think their idea is awesome. If he remembered the poo-splosions of s'posies, he wouldn't have suggested buying any. Since it was his idea to suggest disposables for right now, of course it was convenient not to remember the hassles they really caused with this sort of poop!

I'm sorry, that was an awful lot of poop talk. It has been what my day was centered around, so it was bound to happen.

Anyway, the teething masked what else was happening. The teething fever broke Sunday or Monday night, but Bobble started not eating well Tuesday or Wednesday. He ended up with a small fever last night (very low-grade fever), and then just not happy at all. Had he not been teething, I would have been concerned right away, as this is very uncharacteristic of him. Unfortunately, now I have a weekend where I can be concerned because my appointment fell through. They do have Saturday hours (8-noon), but they don't know if the doctor will be back since there was that emergency. I'm thinking that maybe he has a bacterial issue from something he ate. His poor penis is super red right now (likely from all the poop that keeps ending up there), and I'm sure he's more than sick of dealing with pooping. I'll be honest, I am sick of dealing with poop!

Now it's 9pm and Bobble is sleeping (for now -- he just coughed). I've changed no less than EIGHT poopy diapers today, and my husband made a comment about how we should pick up disposables for times like this. I looked at him like he was nuts. This is what a washer is for.... and thank goodness I had just finished up the diaper laundry the night before! I had a full stash of clean diapers!

I actually took a few pictures of the different poops he had today, and if anyone, for some reason, desperately wants to see a picture, send me an email. I'm certain they would only be curious if their child was going through something similar and they wanted a reference. I won't, however, post those pictures on the blog. Not that I have a problem with poop pictures, but I'm certain there are better ones to look at (like the chart that shows what newborn poop looks like for different scenarios) as those are more beneficial to people as a whole. My whole reasoning for taking these pictures was for the doctor to see if I get in tomorrow.

All that being said, thanks for listening to my day. I know it wasn't fun, and I know I won't have an exciting extended weekend to write about, but it just wasn't in the cards for us. Now I'm off to start the washer again, and then get some mint-chip gelato in a tiny ice cream cone... because I totally deserve some after today!