Are you going to a Halloween party or trick-or-treating with your children?  I’m sure you’ve already participated in all sorts of activities for Halloween, as it’s no longer a one-day event (for us, it seems like the whole month of October has been dedicated to this one day).

Starting with the pumpkin patch, followed by the school’s fundraiser, then the spooky parties at my daughter’s friends’ homes (along with the other events at malls and stores), and finishing it off with the trick-or-treating in the neighborhood.  Of course, my daughter loves all of it because she gets to be the “queen” for more than just a single day (that’s her costume this year).

Today, we went to A Great Green Play Date at The Pump Station in Santa Monica.  The event had an assortment of fun activities for the children, good booths with products and services (super-cool balloons made by Super Inflated) and of course, I ended up spending some money (I had to buy some products for my kids).  But I didn’t realize I missed half of the event’s offerings until I came back home.  There were some indoor activities with a trick-or-treat trail, the main reason we went there, and since I forgot to look at the map that was given to us, my children completely missed out on it (after my daughter whined that she only got 4 lollipops, I realized my mistakes).

Tomorrow, we are going to hit the pavement hard.  I’m excited that Los Angeles ranked 8 on Zillow’s 20 Best Cities to Trick-or-Treat and my neighborhood Westwood ranked #1.  We are going to try to collect as many candies as possible because my daughter’s school collects the candies and sends them to the troops overseas via Operation Gratitude.  It’s a great way to teach my daughter about having fun and also giving back.

So what are your plans for the day?

Going to college is a huge investment.  But how much will it cost when my kids are ready to go?  I wish I had the magic number.

Just recently, my cousin was sprinting towards the finish line, so that she could send her child off to college.  She had to write letters, meet with the director of financial aid, call the school on daily basis and also put her own finances together.  I’m sure it was stressful and crazy.

Her son is an uber-talented artist and got accepted into a good fine arts college that happened to be in state.  Because he is super-talented, he also got accepted into a top 3 fine arts university. 

The in-state college offered a 50% scholarship and the “top 3″ college offered a 35% scholarship, which pretty much tells you how talented he is.  Even with those scholarships, it was hardly affordable.

Eventually, the in-state college offered more and he decided to go there.

After I saw what my cousin had to go through, I started to do some research of my own.  Even though my kids are 5 and 2,  I want to be prepared for what’s ahead versus waiting until last minute.

I found some really helpful information and I also found out that if your family meets certain income requirements, your child could go to college for free.  Yes, you heard that right!

Recently, I wrote about how you could send your kids to Harvard, Stanford, Yale and Cooper Union for FREE.  I found it fascinating and also reassuring that if I was having any sort of financial hardship, at the time my children entered college, I had options.

Pampers recently improved their Cruisers with the new 3-Way Fit.  Because the three-way fit adapts to the babies waists, legs and bottoms, your baby will be able to play at optimum level, leak-free.  They also added a longer absorbent area and new soft quilted backsheet for maximum comfort.  Let me tell you, when I put the diaper on my daughter, I could instantly see how the leg area fit better.

On top of all the great new additions, now you can even see Oscar the Grouch on the new diapers.  These Cruisers were definitely improved so that the baby can enjoy his or her play experience.  With that in mind, Pampers Cruisers is hosting “”30 Days of Play and Giveaways.”"

If you go to Pamper’s Facebook page and click on the “Pampers Cruisers Sweeps” from the left, you can enter to win everything from an Imagination Station to the Grand Prize which is a year’s supply of Pampers Cruisers and a four-day/three-night trip to Beaches Resorts located in Turks & Caicos or Jamaica (now that’s a Grand Prize!).

And if you couldn’t top that, one of my readers will win an exclusive Pampers Cruisers “Play-A-Palooza” Pack which includes the newly improved Pampers Cruisers with 3-Way Fit diapers, a 64-Count Tub of Pampers Wipes and Hasbro’s new Let’s Rock! Elmo.  I’m so excited for one of my lucky readers because it retails for approximately $100.

UPDATE: Congratulations #52 Laurie Brown for winning the Giveaway

For your chance at winning this prize pack, tell me if you could create the perfect diaper what would that be (design, feel, additional purposes).  Get super creative!  Please comment below.

For additional entries (each entry must be a separate comment):

• Follow me on Twitter
• Tweet about the Giveaway
• Subscribe to Mommas in The House

Giveaway ends October 30, 2011 at 11:59pm PST. Please make sure you leave a valid email address so that we can notify the winner. We will notify the winner, and the winner has 48 hours to respond. If the winner fails to respond within that time period, we will choose a new winner.

(Disclosure: A pack of Pampers Cruisers were provided free of charge for review purposes and does not affect my views or feedback of the product.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

Who doesn’t love Disney and who doesn’t sing along to “It’s a Small World”?  It brings back such great childhood memories for me.  It’s no surprise that many companies have come out with there own “It’s a Small World” line, inspired by Disney.

If you’ve seen the It’s a Small World diaper bag from Petunia Pickle Bottom and It’s the Small World bag from FEED, you know how special these products are. 

Now, you can get luxury skincare for you and your baby, all inspired by “It’s a Small World”. 

Basq, the luxury skincare company recently launched their “it’s a small world” line to depict the unique bond between mother and child.

I can’t think of anything better for a mother and baby.  The line includes the DREAM Sleep Mist, SHARE Lavendar Calming Oil, TOUCH Lavender Body Butter and LOVE Nourishing Cleansing Soap.  I think the names speak for themselves.

I was able to try the SHARE Lavendar Calming Oil and I have to say I am a fan.  I love to take baths at night, especially when I have an action-packed day with my children and this oil definitely helps me relax in every which way.  Plus, a little dab on my forehead, neck and ears, makes me sleep like a baby.  For my little one,  I use the techniques from our infant massage class, along with the oil and by the end of it, she snores (too cute!).

The luxury skincare line has quite the celebrity following and after using their Soothing Foot Relief Spa Set, I can see why.  The moisture enriched socks and the cooling soothing lotion is just what the foot doctor ordered.  After my special treatment, I felt like I was walking on air.

If you’re looking for a baby shower gift, definitely check out the “it’s a small world” line.  If you’re a mommy, treat yourself to the many luxury products from the basq line.  You’re definitely worth it!!!

(Disclosure: The products were provided for review purposes from the PR company and does not affect my views or feedback of the products.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

The time of the year has come when jack-o-lanterns, goblins, and Halloween decorations can be seen in neighborhoods all across the country.  It’s also the time of the year when retailers make lots of money.  This year, a total of 6.86 billion is estimated to be spent for Halloween.  Now that’s a lot of money.

For those that want to save money on Halloween costumes, I wrote a post on how you can either save or spend nothing on your next costume.  If you don’t want to pay for a costume, there are many other options that you have, such as going to a swap or doing a swap online.

Like any holiday, safety should be high up on your priority list.  Make sure your costume is made of flame-retardant materials, try to go trick-or-treating before it gets dark, and thoroughly check the candy for any tampering, before your kids chomp on them.

Have a Happy Halloween 2011!

I’m always on the lookout for stylish and functional shoes with preferably no heels.  My days are very busy, taking my older daughter to and from school, as well as working full-time and watching over my 2-year old.  At the end of the day, my feet can tell me how my day went.

Before I had children, I was all about the cute heels and even if they made my walking experience a very painful one, as long as they made my feet look cute, I was okay (well, for the most part).  The day that I got pregant with my daughter, all the heels went out the window and flip-flops became my best friend (still not good for my feet).

After awhile, I got sick of my flip-flops and went on a mission to find some nice looking flats.  However, I ran into problems trying to find shoes that were flat and comfortable, but cute.  I went through shoes from BC Footwear, Seychelles and Toms, but still craved for a more refined look.

The Laurel

Roses & Rye has come out with 2 different shoes in The Town Collection, The Laurel and The Marina.  It’s exactly what I have been looking for and the best of all worlds.  With the busy and active woman in mind, more specifically a mom, Roses & Rye’s patent pending technology boasts a combination of seven unique features designed specifically to protect women’s feet during the active years (from their website).

The shoes are very elegant, functional, and comfortable with its patent pending technology, but they don’t come cheap.  At $235 a pop, if you have one of those days you want to splurge, these shoes should satisfy your cravings.