It’s no secret that reoccurring themes in my blog are pregnancy and motherhood. When it came time to buy my first pregnancy book there really was only one name that popped into my head instantly….”What to Expect When You’re Expecting”!  The “What to Expect” series has to be one of the most well known guides for women who are having a baby, and/or already have one! The book series along with the “What To Expect” website, has been a guide for me since the moment I allowed myself to believe that the pregnancy was really real.

Now that my son is one,  I can officially say that I have read both “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” as well as “What to Expect the First Year”. I can’t believe it! I used to wait each month to read what should happen that month. In both pregnancy and the baby months the articles were right on. I have always loved the honesty, even when it scared me to death! Now, as I am entering my second year, I have put the “What to Expect the Second Year” book right on my night stand just so I can keep up with what is going to happen next. It’s all a mystery to me!

In honor of my son’s first birthday, the people at WhatToExpect.com want to give 6 lucky readers their choice of either “What To Expect When You’re Expecting”, “What To Expect The First Year”, or “What To Expect the Second Year”. How fun is that? The contest will run for 1 full week, and the winner will be chosen on Tuesday December 13th! Just in time for the holidays!

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me which book you’d like to own.

Extra Entries:

1. “Like” After The Alter on facebook. (if you already..tell me)
2. “Like” What To Expect on facebook.
3. Follow afterthealter on Twitter (if you already do.. tell me)
4. Follow What To Expect on Twitter

Remember, that a comment must be left for each extra entry. Good luck!

I was provided with copies of the What to Expect Books for the purposes of this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

After having a baby my drive to cook dinner plummeted. Not only did the idea of hitting the grocery store frighten me, but the idea that I actually had to prepare the meal was even worse. Over time I found a good balance, and we got take out less and less. Then, a new dilemma occurred, one that I think anyone who is in charge of meals faces. What the heck am I going to make? Do I have the ingredients to make it? And that my friends is when you start to lose the motivation to cook. If you aren’t prepared, then you fail. That’s where e-mealz comes in. Menu plans based on weekly grocery store sales, seasonal discounts, or diet preferences. The perfect solution to “What’s for dinner?”

I love menu plans! If I buy my food for the week on Sunday or Monday then the odds of me sticking to the plan and cooking throughout the week is good. But sitting down coming up with ideas of what to cook is where I fall short. e-mealz solves all that. For a $1.25 per week, e-mealz compiles you a menu plan based on your preferences, and provide you with the recipe and shopping list to go along with each meal. If you choose Kroger, Publix, Wal-mart, ALDI or Ralphs the meal plans are chosen based on those store’s weekly specials! I don’t shop at those stores, so I chose the “any store” plan.

There are a ton of meal plan options to choose from. Their regular meal plan is 7 meals for 4-6 people, but you also can get a meal plan for two people! This is the one I’ve been using and it’s the perfect amount of food! For those with special food needs you can choose gluten free, low fat, low carb, portion control and vegetarian.

The people at e-mealz want to help you get organized with your menu planning, and are offering a lucky After the Alter reader is a 3 month membership to e-mealz!! How great is that?

The giveaway will run until Thursday October 20th.

To enter…Leave me a comment telling me your favorite go to meal to cook!

Extra Entries:

1. Like After The Alter on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did, and if you already do “like” us then leave a comment saying that!
2. Like E-Mealz on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did, and if you already do “like” them then leave a comment saying that!
3. Follow @afterthealter on twitter
4. Follow @EMEALZ on twitter
5. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the link!

Remember each comment is an entry. Be sure to enter every day!

Congratulations to the Quilted Northern Winner! Lucky number 8!!! You are the proud winner of a year supply of Quilted Northern Toilet Paper!

Thank you for all who entered! I hope all my new readers continue to follow and comment!

Anyone who cohabitates and shares their home with another knows how hard it can be to share your space. I am a true believer in living with someone BEFORE getting married. Why? Well, forget about sharing a bed…I think being able to share a bathroom is the secret to a happy marriage. It’s about knowing the other persons home life habits

I think the key is to learn to accept the other person. Take my home for example…each morning The Captain leaves both towels anywhere but back on the towel rack, and his dirty clothes crumpled in the sink. It used to bother me at first. As a matter of fact I used to keep a tally on a post it stuck to the bathroom mirror to show him how many times he didn’t put away his towel since he actually believed he hung it up. You’d think bringing light to the situation would make him change, but amazingly enough it didn’t. Over the years it has become my routine to go around and pick everything up in the morning. Doesn’t bother me anymore….that’s our dynamic.

Do you have one sink or two? Do you wipe down the sinks every day? Do you have to get ready for work at the same time? While she’s blow drying he’s brushing? How about when you have to pee? Do you do it in front of each other? (Not in this house! Bodily functions are kept private by me!) What is your bathroom dynamic?

One company that understands the importance of the bathroom in a marriage is Quilted Northern. That is why they are here to help a lucky reader with the never ending problem of….”WE’RE OUT OF TOILET PAPER!”

Quilted Northern is going to give one lucky reader a years supply of toilet paper! (about 90 rolls) in their Master Bathroom Prize pack! With that you get  a toilet paper rose and a Quilted Northern recyclable bag (funny story, when I got my prize pack I smelled the rose like it was real…I thought it was!). Who doesn’t need more toilet paper?? I know that I always wait till we are down to the last roll…now, there always will be more!

Funny story…when UPS delivered my prize pack the box holding the rose was a bit crushed so I opened the box in front of him. He saw it was a toilet paper rose…made a weird face and said “Maybe they wanted to thank you for your tremendous business” like I ordered that much toilet paper! I was rather embarrassed and felt I had to explain…but telling him it was a blog thing didn’t make it much better….but I digress….The giveaway will run until Tuesday October 4th. Ready to find out how to enter??

The giveaway will run until Tuesday October 4th.

Mandatory entry: Tell me about your master bathroom in one word!

Extra Entries

1. Follow @afterthealter on Twitter. If you already do let me know you follow!
2. Tweet about this giveaway and come back here and leave a comment with the link to the tweet
3. Follow @QuiltedNorthern on Twitter.
4. “Like” After The Alter on facebook (be sure to say hi on the page! I’d love to “meet” you!
5. “Like” Quilted Northern on Facebook

Remember to leave a comment for each of these entries. I wish you lots of luck!

Disclosure: I’m a fan of Quilted Northern® bath tissue, and wanted to share this opportunity with my readers. This post is brought to you by Quilted Northern bath tissue. Please join the conversation at www.facebook.com/QuiltedNorthern or on Twitter each week @QuiltedNorthern.

Approximately 11 million couples in the US are trying to conceive (TTC). On average, a couple only has a 20% chance of becoming pregnant each month during the woman’s fertile time (not the best odds huh?).  In fact, 75% of women report an increase in their frequency of dryness when TTC. Pre~Seed mimics natural body secretions to relieve dryness while providing an optimal environment for your man’s little swimmers. Its moisture is delivered in the same pH , osmolality and viscosity (thickness) as fertile cervical mucus. Pre~Seed does not harm sperm and is less irritating to women than the leading lubricants (see Clinical Studies).

That my friends is why Pre Seed is so great for women who are TTC! I was ready to try pretty much anything while TTC, and when I gave this a try I fully noticed a difference. The good news is that you can now buy Pre Seed at your local stores as well as online. I promise you won’t be sorry you gave this a try.

When the people behind Pre Seed contacted me to do this giveaway, I knew that even though I didn’t need it now, I still wanted to offer it to my dear readers. I know many of you are struggling with TTC, and if there is anything I can do to help, I will. And I believe that Pre Seed will help.

So onto the GIVEAWAY! The giveaway package will consist of one carton of the Pre~Seed Product, and one product brochure. The giveaway will run until Monday September 19th.

How to enter: Remember…each entry needs a separate comment to count.

Mandatory entry…now this will be easy…:

Leave a comment saying “I want to win Pre Seed!” Yup! That’s it!

Extra Entries

1. LIKE After The Alter on Facebook
2. LIKE Pre~Seed on Facebook
3. Follow @afterthealter on Twitter
4. Follow @preseedbaby on Twitter
5. Tweet about this giveaway and come back to leave a link to your tweet! Be sure to @preseedbaby and @afterthealter in your tweet!

Look at all those ways to enter! Good luck!

I was provided with Pre~Seed for the purposes of this review. as always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Chic Mama is a site that caters to gifts for the expecting mama, and has BEAUTIFUL Diaper cakes along with other mommy accessories such as diaper bags, clutches, totes, baby gear and clothing for mom. All things that would make great gifts! The Demi Bella Tee doesn’t have to say Mommy of 1…it can of course tell everyone the number of kids YOU personally have. What I liked best about it was it’s soft feel, and long length. It was a perfect fit post baby, and will also be great once I lose the yucky baby weight… It’s made from 98% cotton/2% spandex super soft knit. AKA…very comfy!

Now for some fun news! Chic Mama has agreed to give one of my lucky readers their very own Demi Bella T shirt!! How fun is that? I think you’ll like it as much as I do! Now remember it doesn’t have to be for you…it would also make a great gift!

The contest will run for 1 Week! The winner will be chosen on Thursday December 23rd!!!

For the main entry, Go to the Chic Mama website and let me know what diaper cake is your favorite!

Extra Entries:

1. Publicly follow After The Alter on Google Friends connect: If you already are then let me know!
2. Follow @afterthealter on twitter. You can let me know if you already do!
3. Follow @TheChicMama on twitter. Come back here and let me know.
4. “Like” the After The Alter Page on Facebook!
5. “Like the Chic Mama Page on Facebook

Now remember you need to leave a comment for each type of entry. That means you could possibly have a total of 6 entries which means you’d need 6 separate comments.

Good luck! I hope you win! (yes you!) And then you can let everyone know before they even ask that you are a proud mommy of (insert # here!)

I was provided with a Demi Bella T shirt for the purposes of this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

We Have a Winner!

Thank you for all who entered! The winner will be contacted shortly!

Who doesn’t love Coffee? I know I certainly miss it! And for you coffee fans out there, today I am giving you an excuse to drink some because today, September 29th, is National Coffee Day! Now you may be asking yourself what PUR water, and coffee have in common. I know I asked that question myself. But the answer is quite simple. You need water to make coffee don’t you?? Yes you do! And the new PUR Water One Click Filter is a great start for making that perfect, great tasting cup of coffee.

Living on Long Island I have always been scared of the water since the rumors are that the very high breast cancer rate here comes from drinking the water. (who knows but better safe than sorry right?) Therefore, I have been using a PUR filter on our faucet for the last few years. It was a white one, and served it’s purpose, but I was extremely excited when I met the Proctor and Gamble people at Blogher this year and they showed me the new one click faucet. It just looked so much better! It’s sleek and stylish and matches my faucet exactly. It looks like it came with the faucet.

The Captain easily installed the filter. I guess the true test would’ve been if I could do it, but he told me to get a monkey wrench and that threw me off from the start…so I knew I should just let him take care of it. (the wrench was to unscrew our old faucet, not to put on the new one) The faucets retail from about $30-$50. Definitely worth the investment!

PUR Water Faucet

Check out this information from PUR. Why wouldn’t someone want to add this to their current faucet?

PUR is the first leading brand to claim reduction of trace levels of pharmaceuticals identified in U.S. tap water – more than 99 percent for PUR faucet filters*

The main workhorse of PUR filters is activated carbon. Contaminants in water collide with the activated carbon particles and get trapped in the intricate pore structure of the carbon, thus removing the contaminant from the water stream

PUR filtration systems remove 99.9 percent of microbial cysts such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium parvum, which can lead to intestinal illness

PUR filtration systems remove 97 percent of chlorine (taste and odor)

The new one-click faucet mounts’ ability to reduce contaminants is certified by the Water Quality Association (WQA)

PUR reduces contaminants in the water while leaving fluoride, which is essential for developing and maintaining healthy teeth in children and adults, and has been granted the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance**

Now for some FUN! PUR Water is also going to be giving one of my lucky readers their own PUR water faucet filter!! This giveaway will run for 1 week and will end next Wednesday October 6th.

Here’s how you enter! In honor of National Coffee day…tell me how you like your coffee! If you don’t like or drink coffee you aren’t out of the contest..you can tell me that too.

Extra Entries:

1. Publicly become a google friend follower of After The Alter
2. “LIKE” after the alter on Facebook and let me know that you did
3. Tweet about this giveaway and post the link in a comment: I entered to win a PUR water 1 click faucet @afterthealter! Did you? http://bit.ly/8XOfmG
4. Follow @afterthealter  on Twitter and then let me know!

Good luck!!!

So there you have it folks! I hope you are enjoying a nice cup of coffee for me on this National Coffee Day. Maybe I could make a pot and just smell it? lol (yes I know it’s sad)

PUR Water provided me with a 1 click PUR water faucet for the purposes of this review. As usual all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ok! We have a winner for the Touch’d Giveaway! The winner will be receiving Touch’d Bath Butter!

The winner is commenter number 5! I will be contacting the winner directly to inform them of their win!

If you didn’t win…Touch’d is offering my readers 25% off their products from July 7th – July 15th by using the promo code AfterTheAlter (all one word) So mark your calenders and remember to use it!

Thank you so much for those who entered!!

I am a big fan of beauty products, and therefore I jumped at the chance to be one of the first to try a new line of products called Touch’d. The line is currently small, but it certainly seems that it could suit all of your bath needs. What I noticed the most when being introduced to these products is the enthusiasm from the woman who started the line. She seems so excited about her products, and the launch of her new company that it made me excited to be a part of it.

The product I was sent to try was the Organic Sugar Scrub. After the winter months my body certainly screams for some exfoliation, and this product seems to do the trick. The scent that I tried was the tropical paradise. If you like fruity scents then this one is for you! The ingredients are Sugar, Jojoba Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Essential Oils, Carrier Oils, Fragrance, and Coloring. At least the first few ingredients sound natural. The rest I find kind of confusing, but what product labels aren’t confusing!?  Here’s what the website says about the product…

Our organic Sugar Scrubs are the perfect natural blend of sugar, essential oils, and scents.

Who knew sugar could be so healthy!

Sugar Scrubs exfoliate the top layer of unwanted dead skin cells and open pores, allowing skin to breathe. They stimulate your skin, improve circulation and add much-needed moisture and vitamins, leaving your skin feeling smooth and silky as if you just left the spa.

Honestly, I used the product a few times and it really seems to make my skin feel smooth and smell great. Perfect for the summer months when lots of your skin normally shows!

Currently there are 3 products in the line. The Sugar Scrub (that I tried), The bath butter, and the Moisture Myst. If all the products do what they say they are going to do it seems that these 3 are all  you need to stay moisturized and have healthy skin.

Now for the fun part. The Giveaway! The people at Touch’d will be giving one of my readers a Bath Butter! How fun is that?? The giveaway will run for 2 weeks and the winner will be announced on Wednesday June 23rd!

Now how to enter. Each comment acts as a separate entry, so be sure to leave 1 comment for each thing that you do.

1. Go to the Touch’d Website and tell me which product and which scent interests you the most
2. If you aren’t already become a Google follower of After The Alter, if you are already let me know!
3. Become a fan of Touch’d on Facebook
4. Become a fan of After The Alter on Facebook if you are already you can let me know that too!
5. Follow @touchd and @afterthealter on twitter
6. Tweet about this giveaway ” I just entered for a chance to win @touchd bath butter at @afterthealter you should too! www.afterthealter.com/touchd-review-and-giveaway ”

Good luck! I hope you win! If you don’t win…Touch’d is offering my readers 25% off their products from July 7th – July 15th by using the promo code AfterTheAlter (all one word) So mark your calenders and remember to use it!

Lucky number 87 is the winner! And yes…yet again I counted 87 comments down. (I am still hoping someone out there can tell me about a plug in that will number my comments!)

The winner is Marianna! I will be contacting her directly.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated and followed. I truly appreciate it!