We hope you had happy birthdays, August b-day girls! Thanks again for sharing with us. September Birthday Girls, you’re up! E-mail us at mamas@nwaMotherlode.com (or comment below) and we’ll put you on the list for next month.

If you’re new to the Birthday Girls List, here’s how it works: During your birthday month — or wedding anniversary month — send us an email letting us know about it and we’ll throw your name in a special party hat. At the end of the month we’ll choose two winners at random and you’ll get a birthday or anniversary dinner on us, courtesy of NWARestaurants.com!

Winners will be announced on the first of every month. And we’ll also run a list of all the birthday girls celebrating out there!

The September birthday winner will receive a gift certificate to Bella Napoli in Bentonville. The anniversary couple will receive one from Outback Steakhouse.

NOW ON TO THE AUGUST WINNERS!

The birthday dinner winner for August is Stephanie McCratic, who celebrated last week on August 26th. Happy Birthday, Evolved Mommy! You win dinner to Fred’s Hickory Inn, courtesy of NWARestaurants.com!

We’d also like to congratulate Helen Urban and her husband who celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary on Aug. 5. They win the anniversary dinner to Crabby’s Seafood Bar & Grill, also courtesy of NWARestaurants.com. Congrats, Urbans!

About NWArestaurants.com: This website is the most comprehensive and accurate restaurant search engine anywhere in NWA. You can search for a single item (Mexican Food) or multiple items (Mexican Food, Open Sunday, Outdoor Patio) and get pinpoint results immediately. All restaurants have contact information, hours of operation, average price, and a list of all the amenities offered. “Featured Restaurants� also have menus, specials, interior images, and a verified map.

What makes NWArestaurants.com really unique is the way they support our community. Check out their 50% OFF gift certificates which range from $2 to $15 (something for every budget!) and all net proceeds go to local nonprofits. Restaurants are listed completely at random every month and you can follow them on Twitter (Here’s a link!) to get early announcements when new restaurants are about to be listed. Click here to check it out and bookmark the site for future reference, so you can check it out before your next dinner on the town or to see where you’d like your birthday or anniversary dinner!

We want to give a shout-out to the August birthday (and anniversary) girls.

Happy Birthday to these NWA moms:

Kristy Brown, Aug. 10

Ashdon, Aug. 16

Jen Simmons, Aug. 19

Stephanie McCratic, Aug. 26
Happy Anniversary to these moms and their husbands:

Helen Urban, Aug. 5 (15 years)

Laura Boysen, Aug. 7 (11 years)

Lesya Morrison, Aug. 8

Britney Schrag, Aug. 12 (10 years)

Kristy Brown (Aug. 16)

Diane Willits, Aug. 16 (40 years!)

Heidi Stephens, Aug. 17

Ashley, Aug. 30 (13 years)

Barbara Black, Aug. 30 (also 40 years!)

Brandy, Aug. 28 (12 years)

Don’t forget to send in your September birthdays and anniversaries for a chance to win dinner out to Bella Napoli or Outback!

 

Mamas, it’s giveaway time and you’re gonna love this one! You can win a basket filled with top-selling Procter & Gamble beauty and health brands — think Cover Girl, Olay, Pantene, Crest, Gillette, Secret … !! It’s a $200 value, girls! 

And this giveaway is especially awesome because it’s tied to a wonderful event that helps women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment. Please note that you don’t have to donate hair to put your name in the drawing for the gift basket, but we wanted you to help us spread the word about Procter & Gamble’s Pantene Beautiful Lengths event on Wednesday, Sept. 8. The event will be held during the P&G Beauty Northwest Arkansas LPGA Championship.

If you – or your daughter – have long hair, you can help by donating your locks! If you’ve been considering a cut, this is the perfect opportunity. As a thank-you for donating your hair, you’ll receive a free hair style by some of NWA’s most talented stylists. And LPGA players will be there to support the cause! Sign up to donate your hair at the Sept. 8 event by emailing nwaBeautifulLengths@yahoo.com.

The donated hair will be used to craft beautiful wigs with P&G’s partner, HairUWear. It takes at least SIX ponytails to make one Beautiful Lengths wig, and the wigs are given free of charge to women who have lost their hair during cancer treatment.

A few key facts about donating your hair:

• Donated hair must be a minimum of eight inches long (measure your hair just above the elastic band of the ponytail to the ends).
• Hair may be colored with vegetable dyes, rinses and semi-permanent dyes. It can’t be bleached, permanently colored or chemically treated.
• Wavy/curly hair is fine!
• Learn more at www.beautifullengths.com or by calling P&G at  479-571-5400. If you know you want to donate your hair, sign up by e-mailing nwaBeautifulLengths@yahoo.com. They’ll let you know when to be there!

Now, on to the giveaway details!

HOW TO ENTER: Throw your name in the hat to win the $200 health and beauty basket from Procter & Gamble! It’s simple to enter — just click on the orange comment button and tell us about your own personal battle with cancer or about someone you know whose life has been touched by this disease.

You may also enter via e-mail at giveaways@nwaMotherlode.com.

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR ODDS: As always, we reward those mamas who help spread the word about our giveaways. And since this one is linked to SUCH an important cause we’d love for you to tell your mom friends and their daughters about the Beautiful Lengths event.

Send your friends an e-mail about the $200 basket giveaway (and the Sept. 8 Great Lengths event) and we’ll give you an extra chance to win for every friend you tell. Just be sure to put giveaways@nwaMotherlode.com on the CC line of your note so we can give you proper credit.

Thanks in advance for helping us spread the word about this important event, mamas! Good luck winning the great basket of health and beauty products from Procter & Gamble!

Congratulations to Amber Denny! This lucky mama won the Vintage Virgo $100 Shopping Spree!

Amber has 1-year-old Emma Rose and is pregnant with a baby boy who’s due on November 30th. Enjoy your shopping spree, Amber!

We know she’ll love cruising Vintage Virgo’s online shop because the clothes and gifts are simply adorable.

We wanted to know more about behind-the-scenes at Vintage Virgo, so we asked the owner, mama to two sons, to spill a little in the following Q & A.

(Also, don’t forget that nwaMotherlode readers receive a  20% discount when they use the checkout code nwaMother! Click on the ad at right to shop the Vintage Virgo website.)

How did your idea for launching Vintage Virgo develop? I have always wanted to do something creative. I remember growing up and making all of my own Barbie doll clothes, so the idea to have a website that allows me to use some of my creativity was very appealing. I also have always loved clothing and fashion. The idea to create a website that combined nationally recognized brands with handmade and organic items came to me, and I thought other moms would appreciate such a site too. I also think life is too short to not do things that make you happy. That combination is why I started Vintage Virgo.

How did you come up with the name? The name comes straight from the zodiac. My boys and I are Virgos, and I am a very typical Virgo (type A, sensitive, outgoing, overanalyzes everything, annoyingly driven, etc).

You said your clothing and gifts are 100% homemade with a focus on organic. Why is that so important to you? Our Vintage Virgo line is 100% handmade. It’s important to me to offer handmade items that come from moms across the country just like myself, who want to have a creative outlet and have fun making things for their children. Organic is also a focus of ours and will continue to be. What could be better for a baby than clothing and blankets that are good for the environment and amazing on their skin?

And you and your best friend design some of the tees? Yes, my friend and I design and make all of the Vintage Virgo tees. I help design them, and she makes them. It has been so much fun to work on this project together.

What’s  the latest, greatest find that you’re telling everyone about? Some of the hottest items are our Bella Tunno diaper bags. The bags are so classy, trendy and cute that they do not even look like a diaper bag. Our amazing baby blankets are very popular. The Razzle Baby Blankets are gorgeous and very indulgent. They make the perfect gift. Another hot trend is handmade crocheted toys. (We are getting a shipment soon). They are very popular among new moms, and complete a baby nursery.

What’s your hottest-selling item right now? Our aden & anais baby swaddle blankets are huge. They are 100% organic and are antifungal, antimicrobial and are so soft. Another hot selling item are our BabyJar burpies. They are very popular among the celebrity crowd including Kourtney Kardashian and have been featured in numerous celebrity magazines.

How can we order from Vintage Virgo? It’s so easy…just go to www.vintagevirgo.com and start shopping! Don’t forget that nwaMotherlode mom’s get a 20% discount, just use the
nwamother code at checkout!

What sizes do you have? We carry newborn to 4T

What are some of your most popular brands? We are fortunate to be able to offer some great brands including Pink Chicken, Appaman, BabyJar, aden & anais and Mustard Pie

Tell us about your two little boys. Are they wild men? Wild men is an understatement…they are rowdy boys who love to be active. My oldest is eight and my youngest is three. They are so much fun, but such a handful!

Will you share with us why you support the American Heart Association and St. Jude’s with some of the proceeds? The American Heart Association is a very important organization in our lives. Three years ago, my husband caught a virus and instead of his body fighting it off, it attacked his heart. This lead to severe congestive heart failure. This has had a profound impact on our lives. We are uncertain if he will need a heart transplant, and take things one day at a time. The AHA does amazing things to support heart disease. We also support St. Judes because of our love of children, and those we know who have had to deal with a sick child. We will continue to grow our support of these great organizations as Vintage Virgo grows.

How did you and your husband meet? We met in college. He was the older upperclassman who was also a star athlete. I was the dorky college freshman who crushed after him. I always say that I chased him until he caught me.

And he helps out with the business, right? Yes, he handles all of the day to day activity of the website. He loves numbers, accounting, spreadsheets, and all of those other things that make my head hurt, so we make a great team and it works out well.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working? I love hanging out with my boys. My son
is in youth sports, so that keeps us busy (any mom with kids in sports knows just how busy I am talking about!) I also love tennis and being active.

Click HERE to visit the Vintage Virgo website and start shopping!

 

We have a new sponsor, mamas, and as you can see, it’s Sweet, Sassy and Stylish!

Vintage Virgo has adorable clothing and gifts. And guess what? Yep, you’re right, we’ve got an awesome giveaway this week! You could win a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR shopping spree to Vintage Virgo! Well, a virtual shopping spree, that is. Vintage Virgo is online and has TONS of great items. The local company is also offering 20% off any order if you’re a Motherlode reader! Just use the check out code nwaMOTHER to receive your discount.

They’ve got boutique baby clothes and gear, funky baby gifts and cute clothes for boys and girls up to 4T.

Just look at this precious dress:

HOW TO ENTER: Simple, of course! We always like to read comments from other local moms, so tell us what your kid looks like when he picks out his own clothes (fashion do or don’t?) or about your child’s favorite piece of clothing (or maybe it’s an entire Spiderman/princess ensemble!).

INCREASE YOUR CHANCES: If you want to share the love — and give yourself even more chances to win — send info about the giveaway to friends and family. We’ll throw your name in the hat for every person you tell. Just remember to CC us on the email (giveaways@nwaMotherlode.com) so we can give you proper credit!

Good luck and we’ll leave you with some other cute offerings from Vintage Virgo: