Product Review: AnimaLamp by MOBI

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I am so excited to share this product with you!  If you have a child who refuses to read, or fights with you to read, like I do, then try to make it a little fun for them.  My daughter loves to read in bed, however, at night time, you don’t want your child’s room brightly lit or they may never settle down.  We have tried turning on closet lights but that still wasn’t good enough.  I let my daughter “borrow” my book light and she loved it!  In fact, I couldn’t get it back from her.  Then as if my prayers were answered, in comes MOBI TykeLights.  These adorable night lights for children are amazing!  I mean, look at that cute monkey, how could you not love him?  They come in three different characters, monkey, bunny and giraffe.  They’re safe for kids, which I love!

I was able to sneak a snapshot of Gianna reading…she was actually very content which made me pleased.

The one thing that Gianna likes is that it you can make the light dim or brighter just by sliding your finger over the touch button and it doesn’t get hot.   With 12 bright white LED lights, tilting lamp head, rechargeable battery (that holds it charge up to 10 hours…yes, I said 10 hours!)  and touch button technology, it has everything your little reader will need for reading in bed, taking on camping trips, making home made tents under the kitchen table with a bunch of blankets, and they make the best night lights!  They will take this AnimaLamp everywhere they go because it’s that portable!  These little guys retail for $24.95 and can be found at www.getmobi.com

 

 

 

 

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Product Review: Organic Teensy Fruits by Plum Organics

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When ever I tell my kids, “It’s organic“, or “It’s good for you“, all I hear are moans and groans.  I don’t know what it is about hearing that something is actually ‘better‘ for you that throws people into a frenzy.  I don’t know if it’s just habit or lack of being open to trying new things, but once you’ve had something that is so much better for you, how can you not like it?  Take for instance, fruit snacks.  Now we all know that the fruit snack is a staple in most of our homes, right?  What kid doesn’t like a chewy fruit snack?  You can now, happily, provide your child with a healthy alternative to your standard fruit snack by simply swapping out the old for the new, organic teensy fruits by Plum organics.  They are great for tots…but also great for moms on the go! *wink wink*  They are made from all natural, organic fruits (97% real fruit that is) and are perfectly sized for teensy fingers.  They come in three flavors, peach, apple (great if you like tart flavors -kids loved these) and berry (which I preferred after tasting them all), and they are soft, easy to chew, and extremely tasty!  I loved them and so did my kids, which makes me a happy mom!  Head on over to Plum organics to learn more about the organic teensy fruits and see what else they have to offer your little tot.

Disclosure

I Heart Minnie DVD+Digital Copy {Giveaway}

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Happy Birthday Minnie!!  If you’re child loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse he or she will enjoy

I  Minnie!

I  Minnie is new to DVD February 7th, 2012

This special DVD celebrates friendship and fun and is right in time for Valentine’s Day.  The littles in my home are over the moon for I  Minnie– I just love hearing them interact with the DVD and singing the songs : )

My daughter s this DVD and cannot get enough of it!  Which is great considering the DVD is 110 minutes long and has 5 episodes to choose from.  She cannot wait to share with her friends– I’m thinking Minnie Valentine’s Party.

My three year old son thought Donald Duck was hysterical in Daisy’s Dance he wanted to tell us all over and over how funny Donald is.

Here are the episodes you will find on Minnie

  • Minnie & Daisy’s Flower Shower {All-New, Never-Before-Seen} 
  • Daisy’s Dance
  • Daisy’s Pet Project
  • Minnie’s Rainbow
  • Minnie’s Birthday

{We thought you might like to PRINT these I ♥ Minnie activity sheets for your kiddos & play Minnie’s Bow Maker game}

This movie is absoultley perfect for Valentines and you have a chance to win a copy of the I ♥ Minnie DVD+Digital Copy!

Yup, we are giving away 2 copies to 2 of our lucky readers!!! If you cannot wait to win the DVD and want a copy now here is where to purchase the DVD I Minnie.    

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Product Review: Re-Pac Reusable Bags

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I must admit…I am officially addicted!  Who knew one could love a reusable bag or bags so much?  With having 3 kids, 2 of which take lunches to school (the oldest is far too old to be walking around with a lunch box of any kind…what would it do for her reputation being 13 and all?), as any parent knows, buying those plastic sandwich size bags are expensive over the course of one school year, not to mention what they do to our environment.  With trying to cut corners and expenses, this mama took the reusable bag challenge.  I was provided with the Re-Pac Reusable Bags as you see above, to test out and share my thoughts.  Well, I cannot honestly say enough about these bags.  I LOVE that it has a zipper which insures that sandwiches and snacks will not fall out…at all, and the quality is amazing!  I LOVE that they are easily washable and, here’s the kicker…”reusable”!  Then of course there is the styles and designs to choose from.  I LOVE that you can pick from a nice assortment of colors and patterns to suit your own particular style.  I LOVE that I am saving money, every day that I use my Re-Pac Reusable Bags, not to mention that I am doing my share to reduce waste, and that makes me one very happy mom!  One sandwich size bag costs $6.95, snack size $5.95 and quart size, $7.95 and they now have a gallon size bag for only $9.95.  They are mold-mildew-water-stain resistant inside and out and are dishwasher safe!  I was worried about the staining because my daughter uses mustard on her sandwiches and I was pleasantly surprised to see it wash right out!  I am so happy and pleased with the Re-Pac Reusable Bags that can honestly say,  I don’t have anything bad to say about this product!  If you are looking for a great quality reusable bag of any kind, visit Re-Pac Reusable Bags…it’s a must!  With baseball season right around the corner I’ll be sure to pick up a few more bags myself!  Thanks Re-Pac for making such a great product and opening my eyes to the reusable bag world!

Rock N Learn Letter Sounds

Rock N Learn did it again!  They created a DVD that keeps kids intrigued with reading and learning through energetic music and games.  When I review something I want to make sure I really take time to know the product to provide an accurate review.  With a DVD such as, Letter Sounds by Rock N Learn I want to make sure there is learning actually going on.  Rest assured that I don’t just summarize the DVD the next day. I took some time with the Letter Sounds DVD.  My 3 year old and 5 year-old both watched the DVD on different occasions on their own and together to see what they thought.  My son was happy to do the Alphabet song, letter sounds, and sounding out the words—he even has a favorite character Festus.  However, with my 3 year-old son I had to break-up the DVD it is 62 minutes long.

Letter Sounds is a little more depth than the last DVD we reviewed Rock N Learn’s Sight Words.  This DVD was a better fit for my kindergartener she loved trying to beat the clock and swap the sounds.  She loves Rock N Learn Letter Sounds so much she asked if she could share it with her class.

If I had to nitpick the one thing that I did notice is that for the letter X the word used did not start with X but ended with X.  The other pictures or words all began with that particular alphabet. Example: A for Apple

Other than that, we enjoy the Letter Sounds DVD and we will keep using it to learn and improve reading skills.

What you will find on Letter Sounds

  • The New Alphabet Song
  • Learn the Sounds
  • Letter Sounds Quiz
  • Name That Letter!
  • Reading Words
  • Consonant Combinations
  • Spell It!
  • Swap the Sounds
  • Common Sight Words
  • Reading Sentences

Baxies: Setting a trend from behind!

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When you think of the back of your earrings, you certainly do not think anyone is going to notice or pay much attention, but you are so wrong.  Gone away are the regular metal earring backs!  Say hello to Baxies!  Baxies allow you to dump those old boring backs and add a touch of fun and fashion to the backs of your earrings!  They are so cute for kids and are making quite the statement with cheerleaders and little fashionistas around the world.  They aren’t just for the little ones, oh no they are not!  Moms and Dads can get in on the fashionable fun too!  I tested Baxies out myself (to make sure they stay in place and don’t bug the backs of my ears) and they fit like a glove and didn’t budge or wiggle its way off.

Check them out!  Girls can use cute little lady bug Baxies or (perfect for Valentine’s day) hearts and swirls:

Now you can wear your hair back or up and make a statement coming and going!   There are other fun designs to choose from too so be sure to take a peek!  Baxies are hypoallergenic and 100% lead free! Each pair is 11mm round and retails for $4.95.   If your little one, cheerleader or even yourself is an earring fanatic, or you just love to be one up on the trends, then Baxies are a must-have for you!

Everlasting Gifts Review & Giveaway

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This past Holiday, Tots to Teens Magazine was delighted to share the uber cute creations from Everlasting Gifts in our Gift Guide.  Everlasting Gifts has the most adorable felt foods line “Mimi’s Felt Foods.”  We love, love, love the Mimi’s Chinese Takeout and our little reviewers love this set even more.

The Chinese Takeout includes:

1 takeout box

2 chopsticks

2 broccoli spears

2 pieces of shrimp

2 potstickers

2 eggrolls

2 fortune cookies

4 flat noodles

4 round noodles

2 round spicy noodles

Our kid testers loved taking our order and serving us yummy Chinese takeout, and giving us the fortune cookie was their treat.  As much as we love the Chinese takeout set there is so much calorie-free goodness over at Everlasting Gifts.

Here is a little peek into the shop… you have to check out.

Mimi's Felt Food - Ultimate Grocery Cart

Mimi's Felt Food - Lunch for 2

Mimi's Felt Food - EZ Pull Apart Pizza w/ box

Do you like what you’re seeing?  Well, if you said YES and I’m sure you did Everlasting Gifts will be giving away 4 toaster pastries to one of our lucky readers!

What do you have to do to win? Simple go over to Everlasting Gifts and tell us your favorite Mimi’s felt food, or favorite an item, or favorite Everlasting Gifts shop.

 
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Featured Holiday Product: I See Me “A Christmas Bear for Me”

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Personalized gifts are great for the holidays, birthdays, or just because.  I love giving gifts that can be opened and enjoyed over and over again– and personalizing it is a bonus! I See Me is popular for their personalized books– they have been presented multiple awards, I See Me also made this year’s gift guide pages 55-56.

We have to admit we do love I See Me books and when we were given A Christmas Bear For Me we fell in love all over again. The story of the Christmas Bear for your special child is so sweet!  The busy but big-hearted Santa will take a minute to write a sweet letter to include with this special book and bear set made especially for your child.  Children will cherish the letter from Santa, they will also enjoy reading their name and the names of their loved ones in their very own special book.

We have a Kindergartner in our house who loves to read, and I know she will love this book.  My eldest daughter has the I See Me book: My Very Own Fairy Tale and she loves it!

Please check out all the wonderful books I See Me has to offer for any occasion.

 

 

 

 

 

Product Review – Jingle the Husky Pup.

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I recently saw a commercial on TV from Hallmark for their new interactive story buddy, Jingle the Husky pup. According to Hallmark, you read the included story with Jingle and he responds. I have a 2 year old little boy who just adores puppies and this was a must buy for us! As soon as they were release for sale I purchased one. These puppies do not run cheap. They run around $30.00 for puppy and book. But, I could not pass it up.

Once I returned home with the puppy, I read the instructions carefully. We were all set and ready for our story time with Jingle.

Instructions stated that the room must be completely quiet and free from noise. Really? Is this even possible? But, after reading the story, I understood that this was a major instruction to follow. Jingle will respond to certain words or phrases that are in the book and if he can not pick up on them he will not respond. Also, while reading the book you must speak clearly and loudly. Not so loud that you are yelling, but not so quiet that it is too soft for him to hear. But, worked wonderfully!

Once we figured it out, we enjoyed our story time with Jingle. The boys laughed and cheered along as our husky pup barked and howled along with the book. After seeing their faces, I knew the price for this was well worth it. They even brought Jingle into their bed at night.

Jingle the Husky pup also starred in his very own TV show on the Hallmark Channel. Just like the book, your pup can follow along at home. We set our Jingle in front of the TV and turned him on. He barked and howled along with the TV as well. This was a fun surprise for the boys as they didn’t know our Jingle would interact with the TV as well. The movie was 30min long and stayed true to the book only adding a few little details.

On top of the book and TV show, there is a free iPad app that has games, music, and even your own interactive book that you can record your voice to and read along with Jingle. We had a blast recording our voices to the story and having the book come to life.

There are now new books and more stories available for Jingle for more adventures with your Husky pup available at Hallmark.com.

Jingle made such an impact with my boys that they insisted he be included in our holiday family photo. A wonderful new holiday tradition that is a must buy!

Featured Holiday Product & Giveaway: Rock N Learn Sight Words DVD

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This Holiday why not give the gift of Reading?  I love giving books for the Holidays, so naturally I love the idea of a sight words DVD as a gift.  Not just any sight words DVD, but a Rock N Learn Sight Words DVD.  This DVD is filled with fun music and entertaining practice that children will enjoy over and over again.  Our children testers 3, and 6 enjoy singing and dancing to the songs while they learn.  Most of us learned our alphabet using song; this technique has been proven effective time and time again.  I personally take pleasure in hearing my children sing the songs and try to beat the word machine.

My three-year-old son is taking the Rock N Learn DVD seriously he wants to be like his older sisters.  My kindergartener enjoys the extra practice here at home and of course the game for her is beating the characters to the word.

Now your child has the chance to do the same.  Rock N Learn is giving away 2 Rock N Learn Sight Words DVD to two lucky readers.  Rock N Learn is also offering 25% off your order at the Rock N Learn website using the code JQ7711

Rock N Learn also offers FREE Sight Words Apps on iTunes and in the Android Market

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sight-words-for-reading-hd/id461887237?mt=8

Android: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.sight.words.rock.learn&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5zaWdodC53b3Jkcy5yb2NrLmxlYXJuIl0

 

 


Sight Words Covered in this DVD:

up, down, come, go, in, out, of, the, a

where, is, it, here, there

one, two, three, red, yellow, blue, little, big

look, see, find,

run, jump, play, away, and,

you, I, we, can, make, funny, face, get

to, for, me, my, give, from, came, as, are,

no, not, now, said, help, will

he, she, his, her, they, that, was, with, on

Bonus:

Word shapes

Pronouncing t-h-e

Just a little side note– you may end up singing these songs… it happens.  I sing LOOK, SEE, FIND quite often– it’s catchy.

Here is how you can enter to win a Rock and Learn Sight Words DVD for your little one.
 


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