For Japan With Love

 Tomorrow, AFOMFT will be participating in the FOR JAPAN WITH LOVE BLOGGERS DAY OF SILENCE to acknowledge and help raise funds and awareness for the devastation going on in Japan.  You will not see a post here tomorrow; instead, I hope that you'll take the few minutes you usually spend here to stop by the For Japan With Love site and contribute if you are able to do so.

All of the donations made on the For Japan With Love site will go to ShelterBox, which provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most. Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to the situation at hand but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items. 

In less than a week, this effort has raised more than $15,000 and every little bit helps so we're hoping this will encourage you to open your wallet - every AFOMFT reader who makes a donation will be eligible for 5 additional entries into all giveaways through March 31st.  That means if you donate to the Red Cross and to For Japan With Love, you'll earn 10 extra entries.  So please, visit For Japan With Love and do some good.  Hopefully you'll win something fabulous in the process!

Giveaways Galore! {GIVEAWAYS}

BLOGMANIA is over and I have to say that I am completely and totally overwhelmed by the response.  When all of the comments from early and bonus entries were tallied, AFOMFT received more than 4,000 entries into our giveaways!  Insanity!  I'm working on consolidating everything today and will draw the two winners as soon as possible.  Keep an eye out for the big announcement - I promise it will come within the next 48 hours and will be posted here, on our Facebook page and on Twitter.  I can't wait to see who won!

And if you've still got giveaway fever, here are 22 more you're going to want to enter.  The best part?  They're for a great cause!

My friend Lani from Triplets: Who Knew?, Who Knew? Reviews and Multiples and More is holding her second annual Blog For a Cure blog party to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Here's how it works:

Visit Who Knew? Reviews and make a donation.  Just $1 earns you an entry into all 22 giveaways (just post a comment in all of the ones you want to enter).  For every dollar you donate beyond that first one, you earn another entry into the giveaway of your choice.  So if you donate $10, you can enter all 22 giveaways once and then add 9 bonus entries toward the prizes you want the most.  And let me tell you, the prizes are fabulous!  You could score a 16 x 24 canvas wrap from iprintcanvas valued at $95.

A Dora & Diego DVD set.

A $120 gift card to CSN Stores, which can be used for toys, clothes, furniture and more.

A blog makeover from Blogaholic Designs.

And much much more, including the grand prize, sponsored by AFOMFT, filled with some of my Favorite Things for Fall.  This accessories package is valued at more than $300!

The full guidelines can be found HERE and the party ends on Monday, September 20th, so head on over to Who Knew? Reviews, make a donation and get to entering!  Don't forget to tell them AFOMFT sent you!

Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes {GIVEAWAY}

I'm a total shoe-a-holic.  My closet is filled with more than 100 pairs, not including boots, so as you can probably imagine, I'm banned from buying more.  For me, that is.  For Gabrielle and Alaina?  Mama may not need a new pair of shoes but the babies always do!

So when Wee Squeak contacted me about doing a review of their footwear, I jumped at the chance.  But when I started browsing their website, I realized there was a huge problem - it was almost impossible to choose just one pair.  Should I pick these adorable Gladiator sandals?

With the end of summer just a month away, I decided I should go with something more practical.  Maybe these funky orange tennis shoes?

Or these sassy Silver Sparkle boots?

After much debate, I opted to receive these Mary Janes, and once they arrived, I was really happy with my choice.

The colors are vibrant and will coordinate with almost everything in the girls' closet, and the construction was great.

So the Wee Squeaks were mama approved but what would the little ones think?

Here's the thing about the Wee Squeak line - they have little cushions built in to the heels so when your child takes a step, air gets squeezed through a nozzle and you hear a squeak.  You're probably wondering why you'd want shoes to do that.  The squeaks actually serve a few purposes.  First, the noise helps you keep track of where your children are at all times.  No more searching for them when they wander off at the park - the squeakers are like a built in baby lo-jack!   Second, the squeaks show that your child is stepping properly from heel to toe.  My girls went through a tippy toe phase where they wouldn't put their whole foot down while walking.  If their Wee Squeaks aren't squeaking, they're not taking steps the way they should and you can address the issue.  And third, the squeakers are just fun!

As soon as I pulled out the box with new shoes in them, Alaina went crazy.  This kid LOVES shoes (hmmm, wonder where she gets that from?) and she couldn't wait to put them on.  And boy, did they look cute!

Then she took a step.  And a few more. 

And she heard the squeaks and reacted like this:

She loved hearing the noises!  She proceeded to do laps around our living room, just to hear herself squeak.  Meanwhile, poor Gaby was left wondering why her shoes weren't making cool noises too.

I have to buy her a pair of Wee Squeaks ASAP or else I might have a riot on my hands!  I've got my eye one these Peony Mary Janes that she can wear for her birthday.

Or maybe I'll go for the Pink Patent Bows instead.

There are just too many sweet options to choose from!

If you have boys, there are some super cute Wee Squeak styles for your little guys too.  I love the Navy Cross design.

These Olive Suede numbers are perfect for fall.

And the camo sneakers are my absolute favorites.

Wee Squeak shoes come in sizes 3-12 and from my experience they run true to size.  There's also a size chart on the site to help you pick a pair that's perfect for your child.

So the next time you're looking for well made and good looking footwear for your little ones, be sure to visit Wee Squeak.  Not only will you love the shoes, but your kids will love the squeaks!  But not to worry - if they start to annoy you or you need to go somewhere the noise wouldn't be appropriate, the squeakers are removable.

And one more thing to love?  Wee Squeak donates 5% of their profits to Half the Sky so with every purchase you make, you'll be giving back too.  Shoes with style and substance - can't go wrong with that!    

Wee Squeak has graciously offered to give away one pair of shoes to a lucky AFOMFT reader!  To enter, visit Wee Squeak and post a comment here telling me which shoes you'll choose if you win (this is mandatory).  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook -- http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN
• "Like" Wee Squeak on Facebook
• Ask your friends to "like" AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does.  You'll earn one entry per new friend who "likes" our page and names will be cross-checked. 
• Sign up for the Wee Squeak newsletter
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  #Win a pair of Wee Squeak shoes for your little one from @AFOMFT - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog about AFOMFT or this giveaway (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and post a link to the post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and ends August 11th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on August 12th. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Images: AFOMFT & Wee Squeak