Winners!

Random.org has chosen our winners for the Pixie Kid Toys and Celebrating Love Giveaways!!

Pixie Kid Toys - #53 Emillie Rose
Celebrating Love - #4 Matthew

Congratulations to our winners! E-mail notifications have been sent. The winners will have 48 hours to respond or we will have to choose another winner.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Educational Toys Planet Review

As a teacher, I know the value of stimulating your child's brain with toys that are engaging and fun. I try to always hunt for toys that provide benefits for my child in several developmental areas. Lets face it, kids love toys so why not give them something they will love and benefit from?

Educational Toys Planet is a great place to go to find beneficial toys. they have their site set up so you can easily search in the correct age category or by subject area (such as science, math, puzzles, etc). I was fortunate enough to receive one of their amazing products for review.

The Aquarium Shape Sorter is the perfect toy for my little 21 month old. It is recommended for ages 2+, but I like to expose her to things that I can do with her and teach her to start to do independently. This was perfect! The bright colors are stimulating. The fun little sea creatures are cute. The shapes are great for teaching their proper names. And figuring out where they fit and putting them in the aquarium is great for brain development as well as fine motor skills and coordination! This falls under the math toys category.

Learn colors and shapes with the fun Aquarium Shape Sorter by I-Play! With 4 underwater critters to play with in the shapes toy set, your little ones hands will be kept busy. Play with the square clownfish, the turtle who’s a pentagon, the circle octopus and the half moon shaped fish! Stick them all into the pretend play aquarium and let them swim around. Aquarium Shape Sorter has sea creatures with fins, claws and shells that you can move around and pop out! Enjoy bright colors and fun shapes as you play with these critters from this toddler activity toy. From Educational Toys Planet, this kids shape sorting toy will make a splash for your toddler!

I played with her and showed her how everything worked. I talked her through the different shapes and how to try and fit them in. I showed her to turn them when they are fitting just right and how to open the tank to get the shapes back out. Before I knew it she was doing it on her own. Now she often goes to this toy when she wants to sit and play.

Educational Toys Planet has a very large selection of great toys for kids of all ages! I highly recommend you check them out!

Getting Dirty - Clean Screen Review

Got dirty electronics? Do you ever find yourself struggling to clean off all the smudges on your sunglasses? What about those finger prints on your ipods and phones? Have you wondered how to get the dust safely off of your dirty flatscreen? We’re here to help!

We’ve developed a way to clean your valuable electronics safely and effectively. Clean Screen uses reverse osmosis to give you a crystal clear clean. And our Little Clean Screens are portable, on-the-go wipes great for removing fingerprints, make-up, dirt, dust, oily residues and ink off of your delicate surfaces. Gives us a try and you’ll be amazed at how you ever lived without it!

I had the opportunity to try out Clean Screen and Little Clean Screen on some of my electronics. We have a lot of electronics in this house. Everything from a flatscreen tv to several iPods, an iPhone, and an iPad. And to top it off... we have a toddler who LOVES to play with anything electronic. Why would she play with her Elmo phone when she can play with daddy's phone? So little finger prints are on everything!

Probably the most used and most icky is our iPad. Our daughter is so savvy with it, she can turn it on, unlock it, and go into her favorite apps.

Our first experiment with Clean Screen was with the Little Clean Screen wipes (which I love because I can throw them in my bag and take them with me, since the iPad goes everywhere with us!).

Obviously it was super easy to use since you just open and wipe. And it did a great job of getting the screen nice and clean!

Look at that shine! I was really impressed with the Screen Clean and Little Screen Clean. I really like having the option to use the spray at home since it lasts a lot longer than the wipes. But I love being able to throw some of the Little Screen Cleans in my bag. Great product!

You can check them out on facebook and twitter, too!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Women Know Everything... By Karen Weekes - Book Review

Women Know Everything - 3,241 Quips, Quotes & Brilliant Remarks was first published in 2007. It has since had a little face lift. With it's new design and lots more words of wisdom I can honestly say every woman should have this book on their shelf!

This book is full of sayings from women of all ages and walks of life. With lots of names I recognize, like Betty White, Tina Fey, Erma Bombeck and more; and lots of new names, this was a book I couldn't put down!

The quotes are broken into sections on life, love, fashion, dieting... tons of great topics! Some of the words made me laugh out loud, some made me think, some even made me tear up. Here are a few of my favorites:

"Think of stretch marks as pregnancy service stripes." - Joyce Armor

"I don't go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head." - Princess Diana

"Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backward and in high heels." -Faith Whittlesey

"The family - that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our own inmost hearts, ever quite wish to." - Dodie Smith

It's an easy read. I skipped around to areas of interest... checked out some areas of controversy... looked for names I recognized. It's just a really fun book!

The Book Seller's Sonnets - Book Review

“The Bookseller’s Sonnets”

By Andi L. Rosenthal

Tudor England. WWII Europe. Present day NYC. This book combines all three eras in one well-craftedtale. There is mystery, romance, drama, trauma, small daily problems and monumental problems. Asthe main character, Jill, travels through her story, she is influenced by so many factors: her job, herfamily, her family’s religion and bits of world history entwined with her history. It is a journey I enjoyed following.

The world war story was heartbreaking and dark. Told in bits and pieces, it was still hard to read. This is a disturbing piece of history and sadly, it has been part of history since the beginning of time until today.

The sonnets, though were the most delightful part of this book. The Tudor-era storyline was lyrical and beautiful, told in poetry and prose.

There is no time in history that is perfect. There are no characters that are all good or all bad. This story takes different women and gives them voices and lives that are real because they aren’t perfect. From Tudor unrest through the Holocaust to the Twin Towers, there is fear and terror and strength and warmth and especially love. A good read for a winter’s night.

Week 8 Weight Loss (or Should I Say Gain)

I wasn't even going to do this post today. I knew this week was going to be bad. I can flat out admit that it has been the worst week since January 1st in terms of my eating. It was so bad that I actually had dreams last night that I went to weigh in and had gained 15 pounds. So I was just gonna skip this week and try really hard to get back on track for next week. But then I remembered why I am doing this on my blog. I am accountable to you, my loyal readers. I owe it to you and myself to be honest through it all.

So the ugly, honest truth? I ate two boxes of Popem donuts in 4 days. Are you cringing right now? I am. It all started with the fact that a 7-11 opened down the street from our neighborhood. So we decided to stop in one night and check it out. My plan was to get something like a small slurpy. Nope, I spotted the Popems and went to town eating them on the couch all night.

The next day I finished the Popems (my husband and daughter had some... but I had the majority) and I went into a major crave freak out. I called my husband at work and asked him to bring home more. Isn't that the sign of a problem?

So then on Saturday I decided that I better make up for it and do some exercise. It was a beautiful day so we took the baby for a nice loooong walk. A two hour walk to be exact. But about half way through I started to have a lot of pain in my knee. I don't know why (maybe I'm just really out of shape?) but I now have a big, ugly, swollen knee that hurts to walk on.

So my plan for the week was to exercise and eat well so that I could get back on track. Now exercise seems to be out of the picture. But none the less, I let myself down big time this past week and I don't intend to make that mistake again.

The results:

Starting Weight: 177.2

Week 1: 174.8

Week 2: 175

Week 3: 173.4

Week 4: 175

Week 5: 174.4

Week 6: 174

Week 7: 173.4

Week 8: 175.8

Weekly Gain/Loss: +2.4

Total Gain/Loss: -1.4

First Goal: 165 by March 31st

 

This is a huge blow. I have erased several weeks of small loses in one week of a big gain. My goal now seems to be unrealistic, but I am going to keep working at it. Lesson learned!

Felicity and Cordelia: A Tale of Two Bunnies Review and Giveaway

FELICITY AND CORDELIA: A Tale of Two Bunnies by Lisa Jahn-Clough (FSG/Feb 2011) is a sweet tale of friends who are very different. Felicity likes adventures, while Cordelia prefers to stay home. When Felicity sets off on a hot-air balloon adventure, Cordelia stays home and bakes pies--and tries not to worry. This is a lovely story about staying friends in spite of--or perhaps because of--being different. Here's a link to the author's website with a cute book trailer.

This book is absolutely adorable! From the story to the illustrations. It was so enjoyable for me to read this with my daughter. It really illustrates how kids have different interests, but that their bond of friendship can still be strong. They don't have to do everything together, but it's nice to support each other and cheer each other on. These two bunnies are very different, but you can see how much they care about each other and want to spend time together.

This is a great book to open up conversations about being different. It's also a good way to talk about accepting their friends interests and not pushing what you want to do on others. It's important to be understanding and find ways to enjoy spending time together. It's really very cute!


Giveaway: One lucky reader will win a copy of Felicity and Cordelia: A Tale of Two Bunnies!

HOW TO ENTER: Leave a separate comment for each entry and be sure to leave your e-mail address!

MANDATORY ENTRY: Tell me who you would like to win this for!
EXTRA ENTRIES:
1. Enter another one of my current giveaways (1 entry each)
2. Follow my blog
3. Follow me on Twitter (1 entry) and tweet (1 entry per tweet - 1 tweet per day)
4. Fan me on Facebook
5. Grab my button and tell me where it is (3 entries)

This giveaway is open to US and Canada.
This giveaway ends on March 14, 2011 at 5:00 pm EST. One winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified by e-mail. Please respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. Good Luck!

The Flexi Clip from Lilla Rose - Review and Giveaway!

As a very busy mom of a toddler I am always looking for quick and easy ways to take me from rag-a-muffin to stylish momma. One of the hardest things to keep up with is my hair. When my daughter was first born I cut it pretty short to cut back on maintenance time. But that look just wasn't for me. I love my hair long, but I find I wear it in a pony tail pretty much every day.

The main reason I wear a pony tail so often is that my hair cannot be left to dry alone. If I leave it down and let it dry while I go about my day I will literally look like a lion. It's thick and wavy. It also holds moisture really well, so it take forever to dry. Answer: pony tail. But a plain pony tail makes me look about 12. It's not sophisticated or stylish. So when I was introduced to Lilla Rose I was so excited!

Lilla Rose has the most awesome hair product I have ever used, the Flexi Clip! No more headaches, no more pins, no more plastic claws! Our Clip is different from other hair accessories because of the following features: Our clip is ornate: beautifully designed in a multitude of colors; it is amazingly flexible which most items of it’s kind are not; it is one-piece so you do not have to worry about losing a piece of it; the Flexi Clip is also very durable and finally, it locks so the pin does not slip out. Our flexible clip will fit in just about any thickness of hair. We have six sizes: mini’s, extra small, small, medium, large, and extra large.

 

Lilla Rose has a huge selection of gorgeous Flexi Clips! I decided on the Etched Lily with Amethyst. When it arrived I was pleased to see just how simple it is to use. I gathered all my hair into a low pony tail and simply slide the clip so that it was latched. It held my hair all day with a loose, elegant look. It's amazing how quickly and easily you can dress your hair up with these clips! I am still working on some of the fancier do's... it takes some practice, but once I get it down it will be great to switch up my looks! (Their website has some great instructional videos on how to do some cool styles!)

Giveaway: One lucky winner will receive a Flexi Clip of their choice (up to $15 in value)

HOW TO ENTER: Leave a separate comment for each entry and be sure to leave your e-mail address!

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit Lilla Rose and tell me which Flexi Clip you would pick!

EXTRA ENTRIES:
1. Enter another one of my current giveaways (1 entry each)
2. Follow my blog
3. Follow me on Twitter (1 entry) and tweet (1 entry per tweet - 1 tweet per day)
4. Fan me on Facebook
5. Grab my button and tell me where it is (3 entries)
6. Like Lilla Rose on Facebook
7. Follow Lilla Rose on Twitter

This giveaway is open to US and Canada.
This giveaway ends on March 12, 2011 at 5:00 pm EST. One winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified by e-mail. Please respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. Good Luck!

Oscar Party Games from Python Printable Games Review

Who do you think will win Best Picture this Sunday?!

For a pop culture junkie, like myself, the Academy Awards are my Superbowl!  Every year I plan a big party, create some clever invitations based on word play using all the Best Picture nominee titles.  I organize a Hollywood-themed menu with a different cocktail each year...nothing too difficult, but usually something that involves champagne or prosecco.  And I always print out enough ballots for my guests so that before the awards ceremony officially begins, everyone is able to make their own predictions about who will be taking home a statue at the end of the night.  And, of course, I have a Grand Prize for the guest with the most correct predictions, usually a DVD or a movie poster.  It's always so much fun!

This year I am going to use the Oscar Party Games Pack from Python Printable Games at my party.  For $19.95, you can download, save and print out copies of sixteen Oscar and movie-related trivia sheets.  They are really fun, easy to use, and they all come with answer sheets.  So you can print out a bunch for your own Oscar party!   In addition to an Oscar Ballot, there are a bunch of sheets about Oscar Trivia, including cool information such as "How much does an Oscar weigh?" (Answer: 8.5 lbs)  There are also trivia and activity sheets focused on James Bond villains, Lord of the Rings, Disney characters, and Famous Beach movies. My favorite sheet is the one where you can match up past Best Director winners with the titles of the films they directed.  I love movie trivia! 

I do wish the company included all the sheets in one zip download.  Right now you have to download each of the sixteen documents individually.  It only took a few minutes, but I'd have loved to just download one file and print out multiple copies for my guests. 

I hope your Oscar party is lots of fun this weekend!
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.