tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41737340288448932252024-02-18T21:51:43.605-08:00Mommy Needs Therapy Review BlogKristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-40676238752318782652011-09-04T13:15:00.000-07:002011-09-20T15:29:27.789-07:00Zhu Zhu Puppies review and giveaway!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">***And the winner is Jen S.!*** </span></div>
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I guess its time for the big ticket items to start hitting the shelves for the holidays. I received our annual preview of the latest <a href="http://www.zhuniverse.com/">ZhuZhu</a> craze the other day, thanks to <a href="http://momselect.com/">MomSelect</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_f4yWiX9xFn2bGDHJNRhuoE1E11lHvdMzR_iys2Nu5mvD3pV1GybeOfpvhJ-dKyO3uEloG0M539evcHpwYtg0HGc96rufBdRNl27XJpcfUUhdN23lt-nFnbV9g4fXa8wvkPXidfd5bVw/s1600/1277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_f4yWiX9xFn2bGDHJNRhuoE1E11lHvdMzR_iys2Nu5mvD3pV1GybeOfpvhJ-dKyO3uEloG0M539evcHpwYtg0HGc96rufBdRNl27XJpcfUUhdN23lt-nFnbV9g4fXa8wvkPXidfd5bVw/s320/1277.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This year it is ZhuZhu Puppies! And ZhuZhu Babies and ZhuZhu Fashion, too, but we were sent the Puppies. We received one puppy, one outfit, and the Puppy Car and Meter to test out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqMYfP2oD4aa3PABklC_RbmsV99V0iIe8NCTndMMXS4ZHoJT8xAZ1qHZe8ebt-i08tRLIzsXonY_Ge4HHeDh-QmGxcktZvZqulA4w2vzBEi_fFOxt1EwNac309po04ce1awKwfJ73hLM/s1600/DSC01041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqMYfP2oD4aa3PABklC_RbmsV99V0iIe8NCTndMMXS4ZHoJT8xAZ1qHZe8ebt-i08tRLIzsXonY_Ge4HHeDh-QmGxcktZvZqulA4w2vzBEi_fFOxt1EwNac309po04ce1awKwfJ73hLM/s320/DSC01041.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Kiel thought the puppy was so cute. Thor was thinking "puppy? who said puppy?".</div>
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The car was the most exciting part.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnkXsuXk35a-xvDZhZEhlH2BDgqoHzMaZgOoZedX9zd7c8CR-cJdiYSQ0IadCl2OIY2ManEQZ6ypH18iX257jsx5tVX4FqrXLIHgK3AlHO_UP8l9GPikpr5NsK7TjsDtxBEwT4n3Mgvw/s1600/DSC01050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnkXsuXk35a-xvDZhZEhlH2BDgqoHzMaZgOoZedX9zd7c8CR-cJdiYSQ0IadCl2OIY2ManEQZ6ypH18iX257jsx5tVX4FqrXLIHgK3AlHO_UP8l9GPikpr5NsK7TjsDtxBEwT4n3Mgvw/s320/DSC01050.JPG" width="225" /></a><br />
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The outfit was cute, but Noah said it was too girly for him.</div>
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It didn't stop him from taking an opportunity to look cute for the camera though.<br />
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Here's a little video of the puppy in action, along with a little cat terrorizing action.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/fQuLlljkPOo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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My thoughts:<br />
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This is definitely cute. Kiel was very excited when we opened it up. Like the other ZhuZhu toys you have to have a very smooth surface for them to run if they are not on a track. We had varied results using the car, especially when trying to get the puppy to go into it himself from the parking setup since it kept getting stuck.<br />
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The outfit we received was a little disappointing as it didn't fit very well. The Velcro in the front kept coming undone so then the outfit slid around or came off entirely when the puppy was moving. Kiel took it off because it was frustrating him.<br />
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It was definitely entertaining when we just let him run around, especially when the cat was watching.<br />
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Noah lost interest pretty quickly (he's 8 1/2). Kiel (3 1/2) played with it on and off most of the afternoon. He played with it in conjunction with his fire station and trucks. <br />
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I don't think this is the kind of toy that is going to be used every day. It could be frustrating for kids because it doesn't always work as it is supposed to. My past experience with the pets themselves is that if you push them while the wheels are running you will break the mechanism that turns the wheels. I doubt the puppies are any different.<br />
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I sense this is the kind of toy that will get a day or two's use and then will have broken or will lose its excitement. If Santa leaves this under the tree for your kids I imagine they will be pretty excited, but I'd be surprised if it is used much past New Years. Or maybe that is just my kids.<br />
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Overall: two MNT thumbs-up for cuteness, one for the fun factor, zero for the likelihood of getting your moneys worth.<br />
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That said, I would not pass this up if I received it for free, which I did!<br />
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And even better, one of my readers is going to win a Puppy and outfit!<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>To enter to win your own ZhuZhu Puppy and one outfit all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! </b></span></div>
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you
have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is
actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled
on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
You have until midnight on Sunday, September 11, 2011 to enter. I'll
announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your
email address so I can contact you! </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Full disclosure: MomSelect and Cepia, LLC provided me with our ZhuZhu Puppy and accesories . I am
not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The
opinions in my review are purely my own. </span></span> <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><br />
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-56419059050916731142011-01-22T10:34:00.000-08:002011-01-22T10:34:01.557-08:00Young Rembrandts<b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The following is a guest post from </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Lisa Zollinger of Young Rembrandts. I thought you would find this art program interesting for your children.</span></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hi readers of Mommy Needs Therapy! Many thanks to Kristine for this wonderful opportunity to share my story with all of you. I hope you’ll enjoy my tale of how I left a fast-moving career to open a Young Rembrandts franchise and teach children how to draw.<br />
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</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">From the time I was a child, art has been a passion of mine. I expressed myself through drawing, painting, and creating art of all kind. As I worked my way up the ranks and my career developed at the Philadelphia Inquirer, I decided to temporarily shelve my dream of making art my career for the betterment of my family. I always knew I’d fit art into my life one way or another when the timing made sense. Sure enough, one day I had an epiphany and realized that the time was right. I took a leave of absence from the Inquirer and decided to pursue my lifelong passion of starting my own business related to the arts. Through research and careful consideration, I found Young Rembrandts.<br />
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</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">At this point, you may be wondering how I could make such a bold move in today’s economy. Secure job, great lifestyle, and I (seemingly) throw it all away to take a chance on an ambitious dream. As off-the-wall as it sounds, I was one hundred percent confident in my decision and knew I couldn’t deny my purpose any longer. It also helped that the Young Rembrandts unique and proven method, developed by an artist and educator, fit my needs perfectly. The program allowed me the flexibility to be there for my family, and was the perfect avenue for me to share my passion with children of all ages.<br />
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</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Young Rembrandts is built upon an exceptional mission, to teach the drawing skills children need while developing learning skills that give children an academic advantage in the classroom. Young Rembrandts teaches children how to draw using a proprietary method, which combines unique step-by-step instruction and best education practices. Coupled with the fantastic curriculum, that is what defines Young Rembrandts and sets them apart from other art businesses. The same structured, skill based learning used to teach science, math and reading is used to teach children how to draw.<br />
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I was also honored to learn that my franchise would mark the Young Rembrandts’ hallmark 100th opening, which is an incredible testament to the power of the program. For over 20 years, this program has delivered a top quality classroom experience that is fun, engaging, educational and affordable. To find a Young Rembrandts location near you, enter your zip code on our Class Locator page (<u><a href="http://www.youngrembrandts.com/Locator/%29" target="_blank">http://www.youngrembrandts.<wbr></wbr>com/Locator/)</a></u>.<br />
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There will undoubtedly be bumps along the road, and we’ll face our fair share of challenges, but I’m excited to see where this next chapter of my life takes me and my family. This is a new family-friendly lifestyle where I can apply my business skills to a new venture. Sometimes you just have to have faith in yourself and trust that the reward will be greater than the risk. Knowing that my franchise will mean dozens of small smiling faces every day serves as a constant reminder that I did the right thing by following my instinct. I hope you see the power in art as much as I do! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">- Lisa Zollinger </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span></span></span>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-53331753825813069052011-01-02T14:36:00.000-08:002011-01-02T14:36:11.809-08:00Powertek Precision Cordless screwdriver set by Husky Tools Review<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I</span><span style="font-size: small;">n a departure from the products I typically review on MNT, I was sent a </span><a href="http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=202479057&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&cm_sp=GiftCenter-_-TheFixer-_-202479057&locStoreNum=1950&marketID=234">13-Piece Powertek Precision Cordless screwdriver</a> set by <a href="http://huskytoolsnews.com/">Husky Tools </a>to review.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I figured the perfect time to review a cordless screwdriver was at Christmas when I'm putting together toys! </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Husky Tools has a number of under-$20 tools available at Home Depot.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I have to admit when this showed up in the mail I wasn't quite sure what it was. (At first I thought maybe it was a surprise gift from one of my sponsors that also sells "tools" that often require batteries.) Obviously, I figured it out. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here is some info from the company about the screwdriver.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><a class="MidAreaContentlink" href="http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=202479057&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&cm_sp=GiftCenter-_-TheFixer-_-202479057&locStoreNum=1950&marketID=234">13-Piece Powertek™ Precision Cordless Screwdriver Set - ($9.88)</a></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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* Easy to Grip, Soft Touch, Forward and Reverse Precision Cordless Screwdriver Set</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
* Ideal for Toys, Electronics, Eyeglasses, Hobbies, Crafts and More<br />
* Contains 12 Multiple Use Mini Bits with a Single Tool Design<br />
* Includes Easy Use Bit Storage Case<br />
* Ready to Use with 2 - AAA Batteries<br />
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*Guaranteed Forever</span></i> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Initially I was underwhelmed. It felt very light and bit flimsy. You also have to provide the batteries. I didn't immediately grasp that because it's a "precision" set it its for smaller jobs and uses mini-bits. I first tried to use it to put together a wooden fire house for Kiel, that requires regular size screws to be screwed into wood. It took about two tries before I set it aside and was using our regular rechargeable screwdriver for that job. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The next day however, I needed something to open up the battery compartment on one of Kiel's cars so I figured I'd give it another try. It worked beautifully! And that was when I really looked at it and the size of the bits. Duh! Mini-bits!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We've used it several times in the past week to open and close battery compartments and it is great. The bits are the perfect size and the power provided in forward and reverse is good. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The set comes with 12 mini-bits. I have no idea what I would use the majority of the bits for, but as long as it has the three or four that I would use who cares, right? The storage "case" holds the bits and also allows the screwdriver to stand upright in the middle of it. I like that because I have it on my kitchen counter where I keep my pens and other odds and ends, and it is easy to find. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://huskytoolsnews.com/">Husky Tools</a> provided me with this set. All opinions are my own.</span></i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-62653460932038394312011-01-02T13:54:00.000-08:002011-01-02T14:06:24.319-08:00Lionel Little Lines Train Playset Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KZHC4uU3T0ctvR6U2prpUzVvQnFLFZ9uVFOi1o0IUqYO__bLT4iDMCNIRApdH8kqVSrmLpiB0qocWOBDK9Xdy_GNGZW3BBA-Ylj3ESENcd6cCQBY3ov8TfQ7xJR_eD07JAjju9wcP30/s1600/DSC00954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KZHC4uU3T0ctvR6U2prpUzVvQnFLFZ9uVFOi1o0IUqYO__bLT4iDMCNIRApdH8kqVSrmLpiB0qocWOBDK9Xdy_GNGZW3BBA-Ylj3ESENcd6cCQBY3ov8TfQ7xJR_eD07JAjju9wcP30/s320/DSC00954.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Did you know that <a href="http://www.lionelstore.com/">Lionel Electric Trains</a> now has a retail store in NYC? They also opened pop-up stores this holiday season in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Cherry Hill, NYC, Westchester, Dallas, and Minneapolis. I'm not exactly sure what a pop-up store is, but if it involves trains I know my boys would enjoy visiting it.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">We weren't able to attend a special event in Cherry Hill earlier in December, so Lionel sent us their <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1680602295"></span>Lionel Little Lines<span id="goog_1680602296"></span></a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lionel-Little-Lines-Train-Playset/dp/B002WGMEY0?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Train Playset</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002WGMEY0" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> for the boys to play with and me to review. I didn't want it to get missed in the chaos of Christmas, so we just opened it up today to play with. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Rich and I put it together while a very </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0a3xPnbdBGJtBVQVrFhKCbXMlDqSnMm1AfGL09JCBeYeHiQh9KvhctQOufDMwzL4sENzeSHUNoNAMYekmTAWUeVA6BA0Phox2bEtOCpxfCQA4GHq9pmhFoxVMMJTozhqgZKKy8EvVzo/s1600/DSC00956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0a3xPnbdBGJtBVQVrFhKCbXMlDqSnMm1AfGL09JCBeYeHiQh9KvhctQOufDMwzL4sENzeSHUNoNAMYekmTAWUeVA6BA0Phox2bEtOCpxfCQA4GHq9pmhFoxVMMJTozhqgZKKy8EvVzo/s320/DSC00956.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">excited Kiel waited a bit impatiently. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Here is a picture of the pieces right out of the box. The train isn't in this picture, but it includes an engine, coal car, carrier car, and caboose. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As with all toys we review, Thor is right in the middle of the action. He was actually more patient than Noah and Kiel were during the assembly. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZdH-S-yN_6-IGgrPZPY4DRQ4pbfPLqXAhxrl3j6Wsi6lMivmyn6Q_mSEnathQvGAdFImfnFoRP38EiG1ncr6vPdCluErdXr0JnvWHialh_R14i6j0_qrPBdzlvVxHGEQuN1r_FPwTjg/s1600/DSC00961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZdH-S-yN_6-IGgrPZPY4DRQ4pbfPLqXAhxrl3j6Wsi6lMivmyn6Q_mSEnathQvGAdFImfnFoRP38EiG1ncr6vPdCluErdXr0JnvWHialh_R14i6j0_qrPBdzlvVxHGEQuN1r_FPwTjg/s320/DSC00961.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The assembly itself wasn't too bad. I only swore once when I pinched my hand between two of the tracks. I was impressed by the solidity of the track considering it is made of plastic. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Snapping the tracks together took some force, but other than some difficulty snapping the tracks into the risers until I figured out it was easier to slide them in than snap them in, it wasn't too bad.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The hardest part was getting Kiel to stop playing with the engine before the track was ready.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIYDO6fsZhSWoBCEP1acB4hQKi1xgHjMShQZhF3bn7uMtgh57WwM6Z89kpwmvH4ddemuTHv4puSb489UubePAzocpHOdEHD5OhYzjxY88AooaHrkN6rUxf0mZ9XgboyXj83-3WNWS7Vw/s1600/DSC00963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIYDO6fsZhSWoBCEP1acB4hQKi1xgHjMShQZhF3bn7uMtgh57WwM6Z89kpwmvH4ddemuTHv4puSb489UubePAzocpHOdEHD5OhYzjxY88AooaHrkN6rUxf0mZ9XgboyXj83-3WNWS7Vw/s320/DSC00963.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here we are mid- construction. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can see my little engineer is anxious to get started.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzhqKJgs-0N-6-6dRqw9o1v30M1smIsS9Hi-4FL323QUZg51wt8Dw-A9WUN3Xfx2fmX_K42GIpT8HhyphenhyphenEP2zOSoD7HiiuiMGYAueWwua_7_CD27tmmsyaeEivaCahOF76m9aJ28VfU8nc/s1600/DSC00966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzhqKJgs-0N-6-6dRqw9o1v30M1smIsS9Hi-4FL323QUZg51wt8Dw-A9WUN3Xfx2fmX_K42GIpT8HhyphenhyphenEP2zOSoD7HiiuiMGYAueWwua_7_CD27tmmsyaeEivaCahOF76m9aJ28VfU8nc/s320/DSC00966.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here it is 95% complete, just before I realized I had a 3" piece of the track under the bridge that wasn't supposed to be there, which was making things not quite snap together correctly at the curves. After I fixed that part the track looked and felt very stable.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_85cdU_HPTuNIFraeSLEwUcoxX2pHa8oF7n7IZ5L2UIqh-A-uOMV6ADL06YfpM7Wmiu7FLvNaaNpPalUGN6Mhq_jQ16vyGYpDc3s2M60-slQtU0QkMGSv2WcjTczyaXhXEKiXRNvg8zc/s1600/DSC00969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_85cdU_HPTuNIFraeSLEwUcoxX2pHa8oF7n7IZ5L2UIqh-A-uOMV6ADL06YfpM7Wmiu7FLvNaaNpPalUGN6Mhq_jQ16vyGYpDc3s2M60-slQtU0QkMGSv2WcjTczyaXhXEKiXRNvg8zc/s320/DSC00969.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The engine itself moves very slow in the forward direction, a bit faster in reverse. We didn't have much luck getting the engine to pull the other three cars around the track. Fortunately, the boys were happy just playing with the engine. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The remote control is easy to use and a nice size for little hands to hold. You can see Kiel is holding the remote in the picture below.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJUjJDHkTMJcB7SKS6Y-fYbWPOnuIVCxGDpTp7-AdfxUh-ngoCuqIjGJ-_4l1DoPXE9eeZJRIsnOw5TRd-mjDVO4H3NzmUWjpS488EKXkmu4EmNe7NsMt21_43ZUEjFs-1-ArqUfaWoY/s1600/DSC00970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJUjJDHkTMJcB7SKS6Y-fYbWPOnuIVCxGDpTp7-AdfxUh-ngoCuqIjGJ-_4l1DoPXE9eeZJRIsnOw5TRd-mjDVO4H3NzmUWjpS488EKXkmu4EmNe7NsMt21_43ZUEjFs-1-ArqUfaWoY/s320/DSC00970.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">We have to keep an eye on Kiel because he really wants to push the train around the floor himself. We don't typically have good luck with trains/cars/ Zhu Zhu pets that have a gear mechanism because of that, as eventually the inner mechanism breaks from the misuse. Hopefully, I can prevent that from happening with this train. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">**Updated to add that four hours in and the train now only works in reverse.**</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The engine is a little tricky for Kiel to get on the track correctly but Noah does fine with it.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The age range is 2 1/2 +. I think that is a realistic age as far as ability to use the remote, but not to play with the train by itself. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Both boys have been playing with it (together even) on and off all afternoon and the track is still in one piece. We've had a couple small plastic Thomas sets in the past that quickly became frustrating because the track wouldn't stay together. So far that isn't an issue with this Lionel Train set. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4NzplDiZ0nJsCr2KgTVH1a_T2rfpVM6m-lJwP6sKyscdJnTVlWH0zOPx1UTzoVcP8GArRDWjQv5ecjSisl-D0acies-z4NtF3nfPwWH5R1Wbp3mAx78cblbYBh2Yuo5MBrweShzwpzo/s1600/DSC00977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4NzplDiZ0nJsCr2KgTVH1a_T2rfpVM6m-lJwP6sKyscdJnTVlWH0zOPx1UTzoVcP8GArRDWjQv5ecjSisl-D0acies-z4NtF3nfPwWH5R1Wbp3mAx78cblbYBh2Yuo5MBrweShzwpzo/s320/DSC00977.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My thoughts on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lionel-Little-Lines-Train-Playset/dp/B002WGMEY0?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">this set</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002WGMEY0" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />: </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Durability of the tracks initially seems good and feels solid. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The engine is slow, which is a little disappointing. I think it would keep kids attention longer if it had a bit more pep. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you are thinking of getting this for a toddler keep in mind that if your kids are like mine you are going to have to supervise any use so they don't try to push it themselves, which will likely break the mechanism in the engine.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I don't see where you can buy additional track for it, but if you can that would be a nice feature. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'll let you know if you can buy the engine by itself, since its a shame we now have a nice track without a working engine. </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">Lionel Trains and </span><span style="font-family: Bookman Old Style; font-size: small;"><span>Dan Klores Communications provided me with the Lionel Little Lines Train Playset. All opinions are my own.</span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-49616547431790492802010-11-27T15:13:00.000-08:002010-12-06T18:19:21.587-08:00Thomas & Friends: Merry Winter Wish DVD - review and giveaway - ended<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> ***Congrats to mamaOtwins+1!****</span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I have one more Thomas & Friends DVD to giveaway today!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This one is </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Friends-Merry-Winter-Wish/dp/B003WVJ66S?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Thomas & Friends: Merry Winter Wish</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003WVJ66S" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. Just in time for the holidays!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I've been saving this one for the kids until after Thanksgiving. I think we are going to put it in tonight and enjoy it together with a bowl of popcorn! </span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVwy2jrN9loc-j6XIeuu45teH_5IFWWvg1rs48BHH4h5raMzuTa0tzEfaRfRvC5qEttrceTU9zteeu-F8TrCXEkKZfVuXs2T844rIDRRHEcwsJHz7VVaRAGaM6Lld-78R-SjuZ7li_LE/s1600/thomas_MerryWinterWish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVwy2jrN9loc-j6XIeuu45teH_5IFWWvg1rs48BHH4h5raMzuTa0tzEfaRfRvC5qEttrceTU9zteeu-F8TrCXEkKZfVuXs2T844rIDRRHEcwsJHz7VVaRAGaM6Lld-78R-SjuZ7li_LE/s320/thomas_MerryWinterWish.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">PROGRAM DESCRIPTION </span></i></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><i><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Celebrate with the ultimate collection of Thomas & Friends™ tales that every child will be asking for! Just in time for the holidays is the first collection of fun, festive, winter-themed adventures in new CG animation with Thomas and his engine friends in Thomas & Friends: Merry Winter Wish available in DVD, Digital Download and On Demand from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment. Children will also enjoy host Driver Perkins, who can ONLY be seen on DVD, and engages children with interactive dialogue and extra fun! </span></i><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">DVD SYNOPSIS </span></span></b> <span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Next stop, Winter Wonderland! Join Thomas and his friends as they celebrate the holidays in these four enchanting tales. Thomas has a special delivery for the season - the Star of Knapford, a festive light that makes wishes come true! The children are excited for the Snowman Party in the Town Square but it’s up to Thomas to find the snowman a special hat before the party can begin. Watch Bash, Dash and Ferdinand prepare for the first ever Misty Island Christmas party. Then Henry helps Sir Topham Hatt prepare a secret holiday surprise for all of Sodor. The more friends the merrier, so join the fun and see that winter wishes do come true with Thomas & Friends! </span></i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>To enter to win your own DVD all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! For fun tell me what your favorite holiday DVD is. </b></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
You have until midnight on Sunday, December 5, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you! </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
US mailing addresses only.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations and Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own.</span><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-46111590517253659522010-11-27T14:21:00.000-08:002010-12-06T18:22:38.321-08:00Thomas & Friends: Adventure Pack 4-DVD set - review and giveaway - ended<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> ****congrats to slb3334!!*****</span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Kiel and my husband have about a 45 minute drive to and from work/daycare every day. They usually take our minivan which has a DVD player in it. That allows Rich to listen to his sport radio crap and Kiel is <strike>mostly</strike> entertained.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">When we got the 4-DVD <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Friends-Adventure-Pack-4-Disc/dp/B0040J1RWW?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Thomas & Friends: Adventure pack</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0040J1RWW" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, which includes a complete TV season of Thomas & Friends episodes. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Now, I haven't watched these myself, but my husband said Kiel has been enjoying them on their drive for the last several days. Each disk is just about the right length of time for their drive. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Friends-Adventure-Pack-4-Disc/dp/B0040J1RWW?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWIidsgNMICYuIVKp3lH7mnuHiLTRONj5rhGcfdPoX_AgnqkKQyJlZ8NVuOIL0JBlp_tscQdvin9JTknfc2pGF6_T1TzsX9BP87OZOgk_9rovA8Znv_wZbKrhidlFIGKXYxhFY8eSIQU/s320/tf_adventure4pack.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">DVD SYNOPSIS </span></b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Full steam ahead for friendship and fun with Thomas and his engine pals! This full series set has exclusive, heartwarming tales on the tracks filled with more adventures, and more lessons than ever before. Capture the spirit of Thomas as he learns to share his workload and experience exciting festivals and surprises in these episodes, including never before seen on TV footage exclusive to the DVDs. Hop on board and put on your conductor's hat for this thrilling all-in-one-set with Thomas & Friends. </span></i><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></b></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">DVDs include: </span></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">· Thomas & Friends: Railway Friends </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">· Thomas & Friends: High Speed Adventures </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">· Thomas & Friends: Team Up With Thomas </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">· Thomas & Friends: Percy and the Bandstand </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span></i> <br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>To enter to win your own DVD all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! </b></span></div><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
You have until midnight on Sunday, December 5, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you! </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
US mailing addresses only.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations and Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own. </span></span> <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-57143906323701341762010-11-27T13:33:00.000-08:002010-12-06T18:26:03.131-08:00Barney: Best Fairy Tales - review and giveaway - ended<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span id="goog_851207385">***congrats to Kathy Pease!!***</span></span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span id="goog_851207385"> </span>Barney doesn't irritate me as much as he does some people I guess. I wouldn't say I look forward to watching that purple dinosaur, but there are times when a half hour of an entertained and quiet child is priceless. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LWtQ8dRe1ihTCU3MVYYXYHNqDQkGsF4_RLhoVqaKmDyl8yoWlSKfHaJYjafpnjlLN2wgT1qH7Nu0YK8jF7IXqA7mNA44lNBlGm0KWnc9xHM9Huizvchj7Az5mT6q7-tRph5u11WVJ48/s1600/barneyBestFairyTales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span id="goog_1208897681"><span id="goog_1208897685"></span><span id="goog_1208897690"></span><span id="goog_851207383"></span></span><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LWtQ8dRe1ihTCU3MVYYXYHNqDQkGsF4_RLhoVqaKmDyl8yoWlSKfHaJYjafpnjlLN2wgT1qH7Nu0YK8jF7IXqA7mNA44lNBlGm0KWnc9xHM9Huizvchj7Az5mT6q7-tRph5u11WVJ48/s320/barneyBestFairyTales.jpg" width="236" /><span id="goog_851207384"></span><span id="goog_1208897691"></span><span id="goog_1208897686"></span><span id="goog_1208897682"></span></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Best-Fairy-Tales/dp/B003ZXDP0G?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Barney: Best Fairy Tales</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003ZXDP0G" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, (released November 9, 2010) did not disappoint when it came to the "keep my child occupied" factor. And honestly, there were a few parts of it that even I thought were kind of cute. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Barney brings nine of the best known fairy tales to life, including Jack And The Beanstalk, Goldilocks and The Three Bears, and Three Billy Goats Gruff.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">SYNOPSIS </span></b></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Once upon a time in a land of friendship and fun, a fairytale celebration had just begun! In this collection of enchanted stories, Barney, B.J., and Baby Bop share their favorite tales about Goldilocks, Elves, Tortoises and Hares. Let your imagination unfold as you delight in new dances and plays, and learn that no one is too big or too small --everyone is perfect just the way they are! With your beloved dino friends by your side, you'll be sure to live happily ever after! </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Classic tales include: </span></b></i></span> <i><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Jack and the Beanstalk</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Goldilocks and the Three Bears</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Three Billy Goats Gruff</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Shoemaker & Elves</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Sharing Hen</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Little Boy Blue</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Three Little Kittens</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Tortoise and the Hare</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Girl Who Cried Wolf</span></span></i><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To enter to win your own DVD all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! For fun tell me what your favorite fairy tale is.</span></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
You have until midnight on Sunday, December 5, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
US mailing addresses only.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations and Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></span></span></b>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-35496878259393727762010-11-27T12:56:00.000-08:002010-12-06T19:15:15.056-08:00Thomas & Friends: The Lion of Sodor - review and giveaway<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> ***congrats to lstanziani!!***</span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Kiel has learned to recognize the large yellow envelopes that arrive with DVD's in them. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"Is it Thomas?" he asks? He's pretty excited by anything we receive to review, but Thomas and Shaun the Sheep are definitely his favorites.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=cac768f539&view=att&th=12c2c88fe0da01d4&attid=0.1&disp=emb&zw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDVRixtsiC-2ILjNHPlHzrC8t4N9txaek3FMpUONcL2BqF51CTdVjcSyp89-TLAjHdCgzWBkQvKHBQh8S7yp8gsvW_YuYNl68lZY8ap6nvx6iR3YmJPo13MB3CE4ryZBT2QGHKM9RnZQ/s1600/kadvd_300dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDVRixtsiC-2ILjNHPlHzrC8t4N9txaek3FMpUONcL2BqF51CTdVjcSyp89-TLAjHdCgzWBkQvKHBQh8S7yp8gsvW_YuYNl68lZY8ap6nvx6iR3YmJPo13MB3CE4ryZBT2QGHKM9RnZQ/s320/kadvd_300dpi.jpg" width="226" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">There was something extra exciting about <b>Thomas & Friends: The Lion of Sodor</b> though. Probably the golden lion on the front. "Rrrrrarww" says Kiel!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I like the message in this one that stresses the importance of listening to others. I need to get my older son to sit down and watch it a few or 20 times! </span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><pre style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"></span></i></b></span></pre><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Thomas & Friends: The Lion Of Sodor will be a</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">available On DVD, Digital Download and On Demand </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">December 7, 2010 </span></span></b></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;"></span></span></b></span> <br />
<h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">DVD SYNOPSIS</span></span></u></b></span></h4><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Join Thomas as he roars down the tracks with the most special delivery yet, The Lion of Sodor. Thomas’ special delivery is not what he thinks it is - a real lion. When the other trains try to tell him that it’s actually a statue, he is too excited to listen. Join Thomas as he learns the importance of listening to others in this lionhearted collection of tales from the tracks. </span></span></i><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To enter to win your own DVD all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! For fun tell me what lessons your kids learn from Thomas.</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </b><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </b></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
You have until midnight on Sunday, December 5, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you! </b></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
<b>US mailing addresses only.</b></span></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations and Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own. </span></span> <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"></span></span></div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-91668191463872826882010-11-07T11:00:00.000-08:002010-11-15T16:39:34.925-08:00FiberOne giveaway - includes a $25 Safeway giftcard! -- ended!<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">****And the winner is </span> <span style="color: blue;">allthingsnew </span>who said..."I'd like to call the Caramel Delight cereal! Thanks so much for hosting this giveaway!"***<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I have another MyBlogSpark giveaway for you guys!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This one is from Fiber One and is for VIP coupons good for </span><span style="font-size: small;">one free box of Fiber One cereal and one free box of Fiber One bars, in addition to a $25 Safeway gift card (also valid at Dominick´s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, and Genuardi´s). </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSfBaUGi1PCWktwz7iP22opzuSphmF5uuWgbz-gZXlOsBzISg9lSXnyv5fzY3exgwP70ODVZTLe09xcrmULsJbICVkIT1vIKtjdo4HX-T4FMy3d1fKbPCrwn_IiQ0TqTtjjMReovmz8w/s1600/fiberone_current_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSfBaUGi1PCWktwz7iP22opzuSphmF5uuWgbz-gZXlOsBzISg9lSXnyv5fzY3exgwP70ODVZTLe09xcrmULsJbICVkIT1vIKtjdo4HX-T4FMy3d1fKbPCrwn_IiQ0TqTtjjMReovmz8w/s1600/fiberone_current_logo.jpg" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fiber One products have you covered with at least 35% of your daily value of fiber in every serving of their cereals and bars. And now they taste even better!</i></span><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I haven't tried the Fiber One cereal yet, but I have a new box in my cupboard just waiting. I love the FiberOne bars! I learned the hard way not to eat more than one at a time however, if you know what I mean.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Even my little one who barely eats anything likes the bars!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>If you would like to win two VIP coupons for Fiber One and a 25$ gift card to Safeway just leave a comment on this post.</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </b><br />
<b><br />
You have until midnight on Sunday, November 14, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you! </b><br />
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<b>US mailing addresses only.</b></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> <br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Disclosure: The VIP coupons and a $25 Safeway gift card for me and for one of my readers was provided by Fiber One through MyBlogSpark. Any opinions given are my own.</span></div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com89tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-5623690838986382122010-11-06T14:51:00.000-07:002010-11-15T16:43:29.259-08:00Family Flick Night gift pack giveaway --ended<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">***And the winner is <span style="color: #20124d;">shirley </span>who said..."Here we use dry Trix and Reese Puffs for snacks, too. Thanks"***<br />
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I received a box from MyBlogSpark and General Mills today. I opened it up to find a "Family Flick Night" gift pack, which included a box of Lucky Charms cereal and Trix cereal.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Noah saw me open it and declared this was "the best day ever!" Kiel jumped up and down with excitement. I'm seriously going to wrap up boxes of cereal for Christmas since it excites them so much. I think it's obvious we don't buy "sugar" cereal.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The exciting part for me though was that the box also included four Movie Cash certificates! Yeah!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JXeRs9IcSuB0HGGGHtihXel_DBnjqVwrj9p41fUWR7at48tPP3piCn2WS_CKodf1iAMkUlV6iZhav4AHkR4NJkPuizBbUO38GdOVNqvg6c_JF3lr_oIaJx9GbRZ8KHtiNMdy39MQhlk/s1600/free+movie+on+us+tonight%21++image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JXeRs9IcSuB0HGGGHtihXel_DBnjqVwrj9p41fUWR7at48tPP3piCn2WS_CKodf1iAMkUlV6iZhav4AHkR4NJkPuizBbUO38GdOVNqvg6c_JF3lr_oIaJx9GbRZ8KHtiNMdy39MQhlk/s320/free+movie+on+us+tonight%21++image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Right now General Mills is running a promotion when you purchase two specially marked packages of Big G cereals including Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (17 oz.), Lucky Charms® (16 oz.), Trix® (14.8 oz) and Reese´s Puffs® cereal (18 oz. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
After purchasing two participating cereals, visit <a href="http://www.generalmills.com/moviecash" target="_blank">generalmills.com/moviecash</a> to enter the unique code found inside each box of cereal and print your free Movie Cash certificate (good for one admission of up to a $12 value at participating theatres). To find a participating theater in your area, log onto <a href="http://emoviecash.com/dis_locator/" target="_blank">http://emoviecash.com/dis_<wbr></wbr>locator/</a>. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZfiKf2bbUZIDP2_zXQccrhop_0sve2jqTHfbq7tBLYRg1UNm1kRGzf3BwIZObHO5KlhisAg7B9Tt3DMKkJslXYXBsFdiKv9eTmOwbIX90MRniJWGzJF9jC9W0-lgKjF4qou62ZJS69c/s1600/big+g+cereal_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZfiKf2bbUZIDP2_zXQccrhop_0sve2jqTHfbq7tBLYRg1UNm1kRGzf3BwIZObHO5KlhisAg7B9Tt3DMKkJslXYXBsFdiKv9eTmOwbIX90MRniJWGzJF9jC9W0-lgKjF4qou62ZJS69c/s320/big+g+cereal_web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you would like to win your own </span><span style="font-size: small;">"Family Flick Night" gift pack which will include two boxes of the participating Big G cereals and four Movie Cash certificates just leave a comment on this post. </span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </b></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><br />
You have until midnight on Sunday, November 14, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you! </b></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
<b>US mailing addresses only.</b></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /></span> <br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclosure: A </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Family Flick Night" gift pack </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">for me and for one of my readers was provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. Any opinions given are my own.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com112tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-91952651738908883932010-11-05T12:53:00.000-07:002010-11-05T12:53:03.713-07:00The Day Leo Said I Hate You<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What do you do when you kid tells you for the first time that he hates you?</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Unfortunately, with a seven year-old with an attachment disorder I hear that phrase pretty much every time he gets mad at me. I also hear "you are a lier," "you are stupid," and the latest "you wear hideous clothes," which I have to say gave me a good laugh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My almost three year-old on the other hand hasn't done more than the stomp his feet and cry temper tantrum with a few "I don't yike that mommy" thrown in there, when he is mad. And then you can tell he immediately feels bad if he senses mommy isn't happy with him. It's a wonderful thing!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I do know that the phrase "I hate you" is in our future. Not only does he hear his older brother say it, but I think its a normal feeling for kids to have at some point, as they try and figure out what their feelings mean and appropriate ways to express them..</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">When I was offered the chance to review the childrens book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Day-Leo-Said-Hate-You/dp/B003NHR9SS?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Day Leo Said I Hate You!</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003NHR9SS" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Robie Harris I was excited. </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003NHR9SS" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002WAUVFA" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Day-Leo-Said-Hate-You/dp/B003NHR9SS?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WMu_089iBZTuNqJPa-B0KaK4REl4zYiiGVm-oI-ucOEOPG0lJjxHJA_jKHL6xAuK_ywo6AIgi0vWM2UgMpuAKVpbHMKu2v2TMRPIy5E79mIpPgLp-_LGu2wcrNg2oHC-nY7iUj4MfQo/s1600/leo.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'm always happy to add new books to our library, and this one has become a regular in our nighttime story routine. </span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The story starts out with Leo making some poor behavior choices (rolling tomatoes in the house until they burst, droping string beans into the fish bowl, and squeezing toothpaste all over the toilet) to which his mother repeatedly tells him "no." Leo's frustration at being repeatedly told "no" overwhelms him and eventually he tells his mother that he hates her. His mother, at first horrified, then explains to him that you that words can hurt, but there are things you can hate, like broccoli. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
The illustrations are colorful and engaging, and mirror the intensity and emotions of the story.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I was somewhat nervous reading this with Kiel, because I didn't want to introduce these words to him and then live to regret it. While that would have been the case with his older brother, with my younger, well attached, "typical" child I did not need to worry.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Kiel was fascinated by the illustrations and recognized immediately when Leo was doing something naughty. Watching Kiel shake his finger at the pages of the book and say "naughty" to Leo was adorable. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Not only did we use the story to talk about "mean words," which honestly I think went over Kiel's head a bit, but we used the illustrations to work on recognizing and talking about feelings. Kiel was drawn to the emotions shown on Leo and his mothers face and was very animated in telling me that Leo was sad, or Leo's mom was mad.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Some of our books we read purely for the enjoyment of the story and just snuggling together. Other books we use in a more dynamic way, with the two of us interacting with the story line. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Day-Leo-Said-Hate-You/dp/B003NHR9SS?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Day Leo said I hate You!</a> is definitely the kind of book that your child will enjoy the story and the illustrations, but as a parent you can feel like you are teaching your child something too.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The next time my older son gets mad and says mean things to me, after he calms down, I plan on pulling out this book and reading it with him. Although it is meant for younger children I think we can use it as a discussion starter with him.</div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Day-Leo-Said-Hate-You/dp/031608350X?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Day Leo Said I Hate</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=031608350X" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> you is now available in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Day-Leo-Said-Hate-You/dp/031608350X?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">paperback</a> and for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Day-Leo-Said-Hate-ebook/dp/B002WAUVFA?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, as well as in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Day-Leo-Said-Hate-You/dp/B003NHR9SS?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">hardcover</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003NHR9SS" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. All versions are on sale at Amazon right now.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>I was provided with a review copy of the book by Raab Associates Inc. All opinions are my own.</i></div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-50370624851594596722010-11-04T19:11:00.000-07:002010-11-14T15:54:21.167-08:00Betty Crocker Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes Review and Giveaway - ended<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> **And the winner is....</span> <span dir="ltr">Have A Sweet Day!</span> who said..."we usually make them from scratch but with 6 kids and all the things we have going on this would be great."**<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I grew up in a family that thought instant mashed potatoes were the side dish of choice. We also drank Carnation instant milk for several years. The milk was to save money I think. The instant potatoes were to save time. Peeling and mashing potatoes was reserved for holiday meals.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">By the time I was in college I hated instant mashed potatoes. Watery, flavorless white mush.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">When MyBlogSpark and Betty Crocker offered me the chance to review the new Betty Crocker Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes I almost turned them down. Then I thought maybe I should try them and see if I was surprised. Either way I was going to be honest about what I thought.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV3UfYBscFfLWtNP0Ml-XjEeLBTDlWLDvvrwKEEXN1oIY3QTRIja_uUp85rdempo_6E7VERLRpxCqsukMYe1z5ooQSP44RW1xbthHZ5DBX3Pyt7r7h_3VBodBfQsrAbrVB8NdJM6MUNXg/s1600/hcb+package_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV3UfYBscFfLWtNP0Ml-XjEeLBTDlWLDvvrwKEEXN1oIY3QTRIja_uUp85rdempo_6E7VERLRpxCqsukMYe1z5ooQSP44RW1xbthHZ5DBX3Pyt7r7h_3VBodBfQsrAbrVB8NdJM6MUNXg/s320/hcb+package_final.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qQiFWpi7JhTUF7ZssD3265RBWLWzW35ROLFmmndoYLLgMIjRFxvgQqMojfcsTXxW4jRkRsGv11pvV9yRBx3yAZM21diKrdurt4mNxCSwNFTB0GOSEQbeV-ZOEwe4aaBAEEDlRcNazBY/s1600/rg+package_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qQiFWpi7JhTUF7ZssD3265RBWLWzW35ROLFmmndoYLLgMIjRFxvgQqMojfcsTXxW4jRkRsGv11pvV9yRBx3yAZM21diKrdurt4mNxCSwNFTB0GOSEQbeV-ZOEwe4aaBAEEDlRcNazBY/s320/rg+package_final.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">With a just-like-mom´s taste, Betty Crocker Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes go from stovetop to table in just eight short minutes. Based on a scratch recipe, the Homestyle Creamy Butter variety will have your family thinking you spent hours in the kitchen the next time you serve up a hearty helping. If you prefer an extra kick of flavor, give the Roasted Garlic variety a try. And with two pouches in every box there´s plenty to go around. </span></i></blockquote><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I made them tonight and served them with my homemade meatloaf. This was the reaction:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFOUka5lOt8ZR1R-VsbQ237-RlSMngGtrTfrkVp2F35RUfiyibhoP0INTgfXupd8zI5YC_bHQhetfBWdLx6I1Oue1oxeujevXiksnTvy-L8dG3GZJRxpotcgrbk9ptW2it3QQFNRJjPg0/s1600/DSC00430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFOUka5lOt8ZR1R-VsbQ237-RlSMngGtrTfrkVp2F35RUfiyibhoP0INTgfXupd8zI5YC_bHQhetfBWdLx6I1Oue1oxeujevXiksnTvy-L8dG3GZJRxpotcgrbk9ptW2it3QQFNRJjPg0/s320/DSC00430.JPG" width="228" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Noah gave them two thumbs up! He wanted more.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKsVlQL_y8TR7zr1Xr7N_EvFQq9_xx5KwkEefP03K0xto2MJTyzzcrNWYIXtCsHyXzO9MmAw0OhS13EYqPnjCA9ZmGkzrLJhlnLqpCgyjUmY7zJdWqu-KNv6kH1Fx7txISh3NLNKwnwk/s1600/DSC00441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKsVlQL_y8TR7zr1Xr7N_EvFQq9_xx5KwkEefP03K0xto2MJTyzzcrNWYIXtCsHyXzO9MmAw0OhS13EYqPnjCA9ZmGkzrLJhlnLqpCgyjUmY7zJdWqu-KNv6kH1Fx7txISh3NLNKwnwk/s320/DSC00441.JPG" width="306" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is Kiel giving his "yuck" face. He didn't care for them. Unfortunately, he didn't actually try them either, so don't take his opinion seriously.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rich said they were the best instant mashed potatoes he has had. He would eat them again.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Me? Well, I'm a purist. I still prefer the real thing, but I do agree with Rich that for instant they weren't bad. </div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If you would like to try them yourselves you can grab a $0.55 coupon <a href="http://www.myblogspark.com/uc/main/4775/">here</a>. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And, if you would like to win the prize pack pictured below leave a comment on this post. </span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ovMFXS5DEEzjo5xKKfg_4wKU3j0cEd1zTjB36Tk5Z9tBGWvX9LBL51oz2i8erJuikn-wdIYK7h0HzjPtO7Dysh6uzZQzoPg4m87T_cNdcMoNsoJjp4yRDWCdSVmS0vNITPka9ATzpKk/s1600/instant+mashed+potatoes-web++final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ovMFXS5DEEzjo5xKKfg_4wKU3j0cEd1zTjB36Tk5Z9tBGWvX9LBL51oz2i8erJuikn-wdIYK7h0HzjPtO7Dysh6uzZQzoPg4m87T_cNdcMoNsoJjp4yRDWCdSVmS0vNITPka9ATzpKk/s320/instant+mashed+potatoes-web++final.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </b></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><br />
You have until midnight on Friday, November 12, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that weekend. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you! </b></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
<b>US mailing addresses only.</b></span></span> <br />
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<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Disclosure: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Betty Crocker Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes, the prize pack, information and the prize package for giveaway were all provided by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark. Any opinions given are my own.</span></div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-40820757562786385912010-10-28T11:28:00.000-07:002014-02-05T15:15:56.697-08:00Blow it out your nose - a SinuSense reviewTen years ago if you asked me what I wouldn't travel without I probably would have told you my hairdryer and curling iron.<br />
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Now, I won't travel without my sinus wash. <br />
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I know, I'm sounding old. But I sure do enjoy having clear sinuses!<br />
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Recently MomSelect and Waterpik offered me the chance to try out Waterpik's new SinuSense line of products, including their SinuSense Squeeze Bottle and SinuSense Neti Bottle.<br />
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I've been using a fairly traditional form of the Neti pot for the last year, but I was open to trying some other options so I said yes.<br />
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First, let me tell you that if you aren't doing some form of nasal/sinus rinse and you have sinus issues, you really should try it. It was a little strange the first time but once I got over the fear that it was going to hurt (It doesn't!) or I was going to choke or inhale it (I didn't, just make sure you breathe through your mouth when you use it.) it was really kind of cool.<br />
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I know it sounds gross, but I actually get a kick seeing how much crap I can get out of my sinuses some days. I've never been that great at blowing my nose and usually feel like my congestion is further back in my sinuses than I can easily blow out. The sinus rinse gets in further and cleans more out than I could ever blow out on my own.<br />
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(I wish I could get my husband to try it. He's chronically congested and of course snores like a rough engine at night because of it.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Waterpik-SWS-360-Sinusense-Eucalyptus/dp/B003QYFVDI?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Waterpik SWS 360 Sinusense Squeeze Bottle Includes 60 Soothing Saline Packs With Aloe Vera and Eucalyptus, Blue" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003QYFVDI&tag=momneetheorab-20" height="200" width="131" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003QYFVDI" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
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<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
Waterpik SinuSense™ Squeeze Bottle- <img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003QYFVDI" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />allows you to customize the amount of water flow for a complete cleanse, simply with an easy squeeze. The SoftSeal™ nozzle maximizes comfort and the One-Way FlowControl™ valve prevents backflow to maintain solution purity.</div>
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<img alt="Waterpik SWN 460 Sinusense Neti Bottle Includes 60 Soothing Saline Packs With Aloe Vera and Eucalyptus, Blue" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003QYFVTC&tag=momneetheorab-20" height="200" width="171" /><b><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003QYFVTC" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> </b>Waterpik SinuSense™ Neti Bottle<img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003QYFVTC" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />- a unique approach to the traditional neti pot; its ergonomic shape, SoftSeal™ nozzle and One-Touch FlowControl™ valve make the Neti Bottle easy to hold, comfortable against your nose and creates a controlled gravity-fed water flow that provides a gentle sinus cleansing.<br />
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One of the issues I have with the traditional Neti pot is that they aren't sealed, at least the one I had wasn't. It was very much like a tiny tea pot without a lid. Since you add a packet of saline salts to the water, I typically ended up using my finger to mix it up since the cat was always stealing the little spoon that came with it and I could never find it.<br />
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With the SinuSense products you remove the nozzle, fill the bottle, then replace the nozzle, which allows me to shake it to mix in the saline powder. (It's the little things people, I'm lazy, I admit it.)<br />
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I used both the Neti bottle and the squeeze bottle for a month and I think I prefer the squeeze bottle over the Neti bottle, but by a small margin. I'd really like to try the Water Pulsator since it sounds like it is a bit more aggressive in how it cleanses, now that I'm an experienced nasal cleaner. *snicker*<br />
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You can check out the Waterpik site to read more about their SinuSense line and the health benefits of a sinus wash.<br />
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<i>MomSelect and Waterpik provided me with the products. All opinions are my own.</i>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-79484492340405514212010-09-06T15:50:00.000-07:002010-11-27T13:36:28.244-08:00Thomas & Friends - Misty Island Rescue DVD review and giveaway<div style="color: blue; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> **And the winner is 11newmom. Sorry I'm so late at posting this!! **</span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">There is a new Thomas & Friends DVD available tomorrow! My friends at Andrea Blaine Public Relations sent me an advance copy and the boys and I watched it this weekend. Several times! All Kiel wants to watch is "twain, twain." </span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It's a cute movie, and as always, has some good messages in it. This is the first time a Thomas movie will be available on Blue-ray as well as a standard DVD.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Friends-Misty-Island-Rescue/dp/B003O85VYU?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmY5-VtT61oKN1xdj8kx7X11N6mLVbv1VxSc5LKolsOaXGxk_yYA5TJUrL8JZSeikQCzxCmeuZxPB0ddCBdMe3YMkvekq7BhVEdCuD89h7hEHmu9fEnbYFTMynQPet4UN3QoHpDSPSW4/s320/image005(2).jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Thomas and his engine friends embark on a thrilling new journey that takes them from the Island of Sodor to the mysterious Misty Island in the all-new, CG animated adventure <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Friends-Misty-Island-Rescue/dp/B003O85VYU?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Thomas & Friends™ Misty Island Rescue - The Movie</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003O85VYU" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> available on DVD, Blu-ray Disc+DVD combo pack, Digital Download and On Demand, September 7, 2010 from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment. </span></span></i></span></div><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><i><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold;">SYNOPSIS</span></span></u></b></i></h4><i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">The engines are hard at work to build a new Search and Rescue Center. When Thomas helps a friend in need, he is rewarded with an exciting trip to the mainland. Along the way, he gets lost at sea and finds himself on the mysterious Misty Island, where he meets new friends Bash, Dash and Ferdinand. Together they discover the secrets of Misty Island and help Thomas find his way home. Will Sir Topham Hatt's search party ever find Thomas? Find out in this action-packed movie adventure the whole family will enjoy!!</span></span></i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i> </i> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To enter to win your own DVD all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! For fun tell me which engine is your child's favorite.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
You have until midnight on Sunday September 12, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you! </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
<b>US mailing addresses only.</b></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations and Lionsgate and HIT Entertaiment provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own. </span></span> <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
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</span></span>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-56287177773013543622010-09-06T15:31:00.000-07:002010-11-27T13:38:03.917-08:00Angelina Ballerina: Love to Dance DVD review and giveaway - ended<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div style="color: blue; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> **And the winner is Jenscout425!!**</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Finally I have a DVD for my readers with kids that aren't as enamored with trains and building like my boys are. Angelina Ballerina has a new DVD available, and while my boys thought it was OK, I thought it was adorable! </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Angelina-Ballerina-Dance-Charlotte-Spencer/dp/B003P3PQKI?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNtpLis4SeqMqy4V0qGn-E2aoIP3cm0OYpuZrbrTE-PDYf0o_Rbw4ZzxWfifLZDOHMpdgSgp32dQQiFDNsnTGLVPDoN7V5Rt8you7itcHFM2OIjUxXUGcQV6PealVS1SAMbJiXTWGZlY/s320/image005.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Angelina Ballerina™, the eight-year old mouseling who dreams of becoming a prima ballerina, enters a whole new stage of dancing delight with the all-new CG animated <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Angelina-Ballerina-Dance-Charlotte-Spencer/dp/B003P3PQKI?ie=UTF8&tag=momneetheorab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Angelina Ballerina: Love to Dance</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003P3PQKI" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> piroueted onto DVD August 31, 2010 from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span></i></h4><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to take center stage with Angelina Ballerina! On Angelina’s first day at Camembert Academy she discovers new forms of music and dance, like jazz, tap and hip hop, and meets new friends who have their own unique rhythm. Together with her friends new and old, like best friend Alice and the new Hip-Hop Kid AZ, Angelina realizes that becoming a prima ballerina requires collaboration and compromise, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! Get ready to step, leap and groove as you discover your own love of dance in this fun filled DVD.</span></span></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To enter to win your own DVD all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! For fun tell me what your kids favorite DVD is.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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You have until midnight on Sunday September 12, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that week. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you! </span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></b> <span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">US mailing addresses only.</b></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations and Lionsgate and HIT Entertaiment provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-20083746250257975422010-08-15T17:30:00.000-07:002010-08-24T15:34:16.158-07:00Yoplait Splitz giveaway! - ended<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;">***And the lucky winner is Sweepmom who would like to try the strawberry banana split flavor.*** </span></div><br />
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Yoplait has a new yogurt product available, called Yoplait Splitz. We haven't tried it yet but I will be looking for it in our local Safeway store. My boys love yogurt, as I've written before, and I love yogurt without artificial colors, sweeteners or high fructose corn syrup, so I'm pleased to say that Yoplait Splitz meets both our needs. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC42NiimCdEhCN6TEq5rmwo77EkIDsJnWdJgDw8s0n7RkqaoADTu7Zp4J0Y7v-8V36V1KtEuux3DJoqrCAi5MvbsO2gVT6HHutNtfDylaLmb8wjKm3dMKlO8VfMtUYZdLylTgKzrRjUkA/s1600/yoplait+splitz+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC42NiimCdEhCN6TEq5rmwo77EkIDsJnWdJgDw8s0n7RkqaoADTu7Zp4J0Y7v-8V36V1KtEuux3DJoqrCAi5MvbsO2gVT6HHutNtfDylaLmb8wjKm3dMKlO8VfMtUYZdLylTgKzrRjUkA/s320/yoplait+splitz+logo.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Now you can drive past your local sweet shop without looking back. Yoplait Splitz is the new yogurt that tastes like a sundae. Providing all of the goodness of 100% real yogurt, Yoplait Splitz is a good source of calcium and vitamin D. With no artificial flavors or sweeteners and no high fructose corn syrup, this 90 calorie dessert is the treat your family craves. <br />
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For an even "cooler" experience, just pop a Yoplait Splitz in the freezer and in a few hours you can enjoy a cool, creamy cup of authentic frozen yogurt. Available in three delicious flavor combinations including Strawberry Sundae, Strawberry Banana Split, and Rainbow Sherbet, Yoplait Splitz is sure to have your family screaming for more. </span></i><br />
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<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The boys have been eating go-gurts frozen, so I know they will like these! I'm not a big yogurt fan myself, but I think I just might like these frozen.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You can visit </span><a href="http://www.myblogspark.com/uc/main/7b3a/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" target="_blank">My Blog Spark</a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> to download a printable coupon for $0.75 off any flavor Yoplait Splitz today! </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">And don't forget to visit <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Yoplait" target="_blank">Yoplait on Facebook</a> or <a href="http://twitter.com/yoplaityogurt" target="_blank">Yoplait on Twitter</a> and "Like" or "Follow" the brand to keep up with the latest news on your favorite Yoplait products.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My Blog Spark and Yoplait are offering one of my readers a Yoplait Splitz prize pack that includes an insulated carry tote and a roll up fleece picnic blanket, along with a coupon for a free pack of Yoplait Splitz.*</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgSGq1atmdazaplCgCqJaHgeNm6u5AJohRwhl0WCRtRd1UmCMC9uWNFaMUocvrozwBPZJC-3e7sCujvFO0qOgVWAL4j3ILzCbrFod5vRpTTwEuowP5jI1zyaXQL-Z2CWIjEn6YqDaCew/s1600/yoplait+splitz+prize+pack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgSGq1atmdazaplCgCqJaHgeNm6u5AJohRwhl0WCRtRd1UmCMC9uWNFaMUocvrozwBPZJC-3e7sCujvFO0qOgVWAL4j3ILzCbrFod5vRpTTwEuowP5jI1zyaXQL-Z2CWIjEn6YqDaCew/s320/yoplait+splitz+prize+pack.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was sent a prize pack and it's pretty nice. I'll definitely be using both the blanket and the insulated tote the next time the kids and I go to the park.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">To win a prize pack for yourself just leave a comment on this post telling me which flavor of Yoplait Splitz you would like to try. I'll choose a winner using random.org. This giveaway ends Sunday, August 22, 2010 at midnight (EDT).</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Disclosure: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Yoplait Splitz, the prize pack, information and the prize package for giveaway were all provided by Yoplait through MyBlogSpark. Any opinions given are my own.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*This coupon offer for a free pack of Yoplait Splitz is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota and Tennessee.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> <br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-77782104685798734272010-08-14T16:49:00.000-07:002010-08-24T15:41:32.255-07:00Staples Back-to-School review and giveaway - ended<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #351c75;">***And the winner is Leslie, who says she hasn't bought a single thing yet.*** </span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I have mixed feelings about school starting back up. On one hand it will be nice for Noah to get back to a more structured environment, and not have to worry every day that I'm going to get a phone call about his behavior. On the other hand it means homework starts again, and that is a struggle I am not looking forward to. (I think we might be on a path to make that a bit easier, with glasses and some vision therapy, so if you read my main blog I'll update you all on the latest very soon.)</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One thing I do love however, is shopping for school supplies. I love colored pens and pencils, fresh notebooks, and all the little do-dads that make organizing my office at work a little easier. I frequently use colored ink to help me organize data and notes for reports at work, and I get a little thrill every time I open a new set of pens! </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With school shopping for Noah I get to buy all the fun things I don't get to use at work (like crayons!). </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When MomSelect and Staples contacted me and offered me a chance to participate in a back-to-school review and giveaway, I of course said yes!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000099; font-size: small;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103585771538&s=45520&e=001C2GfYo3DB5WIFlzHyb6oo-YOik23cM8L-pk1zjcuqSPiiIzqRoJmIFoPHyeOsyyjUqWqymiJ-y8D0-qEPorcseKcEJIIVUW_tABI-Ca86Fr1qKOsRF_kpw==" shape="rect" target="_blank"><img align="center" alt="staples logo" border="0" height="143" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.501" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs077/1101058254515/img/501.jpg" width="284" /></a></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000099; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">For many Moms, back-to-school season can be chaotic as we scramble to run errands and pick up supplies. Our friends at <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103585771538&s=45520&e=001C2GfYo3DB5WIFlzHyb6oo-YOik23cM8L-pk1zjcuqSPiiIzqRoJmIFoPHyeOsyyjUqWqymiJ-y8D0-qEPorcseKcEJIIVUW_tABI-Ca86Fr1qKOsRF_kpw==" shape="rect" style="text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Staples</a> want to make sure we spend our time soaking up the end of summer with our families, not combing store aisles for the lowest prices and hard-to-find items. That's why they're committed to making back to school shopping easy, by providing the best deals on everything your family needs for a successful school year. And because they know that Moms love to be prepared, they're offering you and me a chance to experience their fantastic back to school offerings! </span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000099; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">They sent me a back-to-school goodie bag full of cool stuff including <a href="http://dosomething.org/">DoSomething.org</a>-inspired note books and a date book. </span>These feature cool designs and help students stay organized while learning about important issues impacting their communities.</div><span style="color: #000099; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="color: #000099; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">The gift pack also included a Glam Rock stapler, pen and calculator. Noah of course was all over these glittery objects! We were sent the clear crystal set, which is very sparkly! (I think I have Noah convinced that keeping these at home is a good idea. His class is all boys and I think some of them may think they are a little girly. I hate to set him up to get teased. What do you guys think? Am I teaching him gender stereotypes or just protecting him?)</span></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000099; font-size: small;"> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momneetheorab-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001GAOWZC" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">We also received an <a href="http://www.staples.com/Omnitech-2GB-USB-Flash-Drive/product_831761?storeId=10001&jspStoreDir=Staples&cmSearchKeyword=omnitech+2+gb+swivel&fromUrl=home&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&cmArea=SEARCH&ddkey=StaplesSearch">Omnitech 2GB Swivel Flash Drive</a> ($12.99), which is designed to keep the cap in place and are available in some cool designs including black and white, multi-colored dots, and peace-sign patterns.We received the peace sign pattern, and I'm going to use it to transport reports back and forth from work, when I need to work from home. </span></div><span style="color: #000099; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7HMyPBVnWUdKwqLLHRFC-jfTGC51x0TBT2o6eOdqHr-roV_1ahnNsr3iagpxiM2wp76w7s8Sr6JsDuH5Jd2UjBaV-L7oX3SsfI4MrZb2vDTHelphHMM4Q4rqw4bvu3q-SxoC7LxfeOY/s1600/zipper+bag.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7HMyPBVnWUdKwqLLHRFC-jfTGC51x0TBT2o6eOdqHr-roV_1ahnNsr3iagpxiM2wp76w7s8Sr6JsDuH5Jd2UjBaV-L7oX3SsfI4MrZb2vDTHelphHMM4Q4rqw4bvu3q-SxoC7LxfeOY/s1600/zipper+bag.png" /></a></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">And how cute is this? The Zip-it pencil case. It's a pencil case made out of a really long zipper. Just pull it and watch it zip into shape! It is the brainchild of an Israeli student whose class project called for turning an everyday item into something new. The <b>Zip It-Unzip Your Mind</b> pencil pouch ($5.99) is available in black, purple and pink with exclusive rainbow-zipper design for Staples. Ours came in my favorite color - purple. </span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntPyuDyzWqusM5YafCdVj1h5twiZ1-JnHtQFEfTxxO3i1fUJdv-hs6X2msT5a_YJEUWtTpGB5HvPmd7CXTXIB3X2J6mfh_Csjvyai8tFkdTZWSSl-hR6XFg7bhFY6D8GC6evA-rK9pTI/s1600/omnitech+portable+speaker.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntPyuDyzWqusM5YafCdVj1h5twiZ1-JnHtQFEfTxxO3i1fUJdv-hs6X2msT5a_YJEUWtTpGB5HvPmd7CXTXIB3X2J6mfh_Csjvyai8tFkdTZWSSl-hR6XFg7bhFY6D8GC6evA-rK9pTI/s1600/omnitech+portable+speaker.png" /></a></span></div><div style="color: black;"><br />
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</div><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">And finally, we received the<b> </b><a href="http://www.staples.com/Omnitech-Mini-Speaker/product_810808?storeId=10001&jspStoreDir=Staples&cmSearchKeyword=omnitech+portable+speaker&fromUrl=home&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&cmArea=SEARCH&ddkey=StaplesSearch">Omnitech Portable Speaker</a> ($9.99), which is a mini pod that </span><span style="font-size: small;">plays music from any device equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack; including MP3 players, notebooks, mobile phones, and gaming devices</span><span style="font-size: small;">. This might just inspire me to actually put music on my iPod. I know, I'm pathetic and way behind the times. </span></div></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000099; font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'll be finishing up our school shopping this week at Staples, and I'll probably buy myself some new colored pens for work. I deserve it, right?</span></div><span style="color: #000099; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #000099;">Now, I promised you a giveaway, and here you go. Staples and MomSelect have provided me with a $25 Staples gift card to give to one of my readers to help make your school supply shopping a little easier.</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #000099; font-size: small;"><b>To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what you still need for your back to school list. One comment per person please! You have until Friday, August 20, 2010 at midnight (EDT) to enter.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #000099; font-size: small;">Discloser; MomSelect and Staples provided me with a gift bag including the items I have shown above. All opinions are my own.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com153tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-25391533407000037722010-07-06T11:26:00.000-07:002010-07-10T19:01:55.546-07:00One week down and my son and I are both using Neutrogena's new UltraSheer Liquid Sunblock.<div id="body" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">When I was offered a chance to try Neutrogena UltraSheer Liquid Sunblock in exchange for reviewing it I jumped at the chance. I've been a Neutrogena fan since I was a teen, so trying out a new product they were making was a no brainer. </div><div id="body" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </div><div id="body" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I use sunscreen every day as part of my daily skin care routine, but in the past it has been part of my moisturizer. I didn't feel I was using a high enough SPF so had recently purchased a stand-alone sunscreen from the department store line of skincare that I use. I frankly hated it. It was mostly zinc oxide and it felt very heavy on my face. It basically just sat on top of my skin and made my face feel dirty.<br />
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I started using Neutrogena UltraSheer Liquid Sunblock seven days ago. I was impressed from the first day. It comes in a bottle with a small tip. It is a somewhat thin, white liquid, so the small tip on the bottle is appropriate so you don't pour out more than you need.<br />
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The best part is that it rubs into my skin easily. I don't feel it at all after I've applied it unlike so many other products I have used. I have only been out in the direct sun once for about 60 minutes since I started using it, but I can say with that one experience it worked. If only I had used something on my shoulders and the back of my neck that day, which did not fare as well.<br />
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Interestingly, my 7 year old son started summer camp this week and I have applied sunscreen to his face every day, along with the rest of his body. He reacted badly to everything we tried on his face until two days ago when I tried using this product on him. We are still waiting for the reaction from the other sunscreens to completely heal, but the Neutrogena Ultrasheer Liquid Sunblock doesn't seem to be making it worse. I'm very interested to see how he does with another week of using it. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://giantwavepool.com/img/r/e1194f22aa021f68d59a4f05845148cac956a4c9" /> </div></div><br />
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Would you like to review UltraSheer®, too? Then go to <a href="http://www.giantwavepool.com/ultrasheer">http://www.giantwavepool.com/ultrasheer</a>!<br />
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Or get $2 off your UltraSheer® purchase at <a href="http://www.neutrogena.com/suncoupon">http://www.neutrogena.com/suncoupon</a>.<br />
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from Tidal Labs. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-77325180306498594692010-07-05T16:29:00.000-07:002010-07-19T15:49:03.253-07:00Kung Zhu Pets review and giveaway! - ENDED<div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">***And the winner is Abbi who tweeted about this giveaway! Congrats Abbi! You should receive an email from me shortly.*** </span></div><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Introducing the hottest new line from Cepia evolving from the Zhu Zhu Pets...<a href="http://www.kungzhu.com/"><b>Kung Zhu Pets</b>!</a> These warrior hamsters are far from being the cute and cuddly Zhu Zhu Pets that everyone fell in love with. But make no mistake, these ultra cool, tough pets will be a sure competition to the original Zhu Zhu Pets! With eight original characters split into two battling groups called <i>Special Forces</i> and <i>Ninja Warriors</i>, Kung Zhu Pet owners will have the thrill of training each character to transform them into fighting, battling warriors. While these Kung Zhu hamsters may start off as "cute" and "mild-mannered," once they are sent into their main training grounds, smart chip technology will actually allow you to hear a distinct personality transformation of fighting ninja and warriors.</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPLtGQZPm61UVFGY2WisS-FSOpzf-KXOZmWfsIE0GaBH8c6R4qeeeIz-3ILfwg69sNQk4kOfimsjYWJVJbvAr4_tHLRxkc1ooEeJ8CCmroRO1Yk8MfuetKxlqbkOFvzqsXYqGrK4fcpE/s1600/IMG_4216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPLtGQZPm61UVFGY2WisS-FSOpzf-KXOZmWfsIE0GaBH8c6R4qeeeIz-3ILfwg69sNQk4kOfimsjYWJVJbvAr4_tHLRxkc1ooEeJ8CCmroRO1Yk8MfuetKxlqbkOFvzqsXYqGrK4fcpE/s320/IMG_4216.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A couple weeks ago I came home from work to find <i>this</i> box waiting on my front steps. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGaL6alAvjCVvturMTWYzosml0kXXBXqzoAWJbf0oS7eYRcw7bhcCSubVPHY4kBz18m4L2Z1FMguTuBgFnWvf8tv5-Ru_kLJFszbtUDGt85NWcoWLQO34rpupw_HM5WlRKC_Dn9ygktQ/s1600/IMG_4226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGaL6alAvjCVvturMTWYzosml0kXXBXqzoAWJbf0oS7eYRcw7bhcCSubVPHY4kBz18m4L2Z1FMguTuBgFnWvf8tv5-Ru_kLJFszbtUDGt85NWcoWLQO34rpupw_HM5WlRKC_Dn9ygktQ/s320/IMG_4226.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it to find it full of the latest toy craze - Kung Zhu Pets! Noah was pretty darn excited himself! How lucky were we that MomSelect chose us to review the newest Zhu Zhu pet craze!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilExjf6-akK4RDFwTZ8vxAeU-TBYVMn-0t0p3wy1Qm1DdH6xseHJsBbL_cObeDQBzlDmwojPo7zXkWzAsqwFQ_fRAIEbdBwwqgeBQ5tgGntDXkaTCCnRDJShj3bw5slW8FRIyfwvY963Y/s1600/IMG_4230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilExjf6-akK4RDFwTZ8vxAeU-TBYVMn-0t0p3wy1Qm1DdH6xseHJsBbL_cObeDQBzlDmwojPo7zXkWzAsqwFQ_fRAIEbdBwwqgeBQ5tgGntDXkaTCCnRDJShj3bw5slW8FRIyfwvY963Y/s320/IMG_4230.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">Thor had a few ideas himself about those pesky hamsters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYBxPhqiMPXc84NrPKYFUhUohQpZutA3MdSmw4Ubfph8Hdp8qgi0eNpBNTrQ1_4VbVqHeC2tt44Bi6NGpKP5hznwBr4BI2TgFcH72tpCOOAXvf-h8Z3Dpu5XE7z3ESgXP38KifxgXY5Y/s1600/IMG_4232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYBxPhqiMPXc84NrPKYFUhUohQpZutA3MdSmw4Ubfph8Hdp8qgi0eNpBNTrQ1_4VbVqHeC2tt44Bi6NGpKP5hznwBr4BI2TgFcH72tpCOOAXvf-h8Z3Dpu5XE7z3ESgXP38KifxgXY5Y/s320/IMG_4232.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Noah, Thor and I spent a very fun couple of hours unpacking and setting everything up. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VcJ2Vqu60p3CiI8ZkeLEVFTF1lHRlBVkgK7JyKANQHYXOPcFIJj7o2bzoW4r77R9_LKPThGWTWljs66M0vqhNTRSw8EImMoclbRm26g4F7JDkSqdOhyphenhyphen2MIcS6Gk6eVoD0qDT9QiIRxk/s1600/IMG_4231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VcJ2Vqu60p3CiI8ZkeLEVFTF1lHRlBVkgK7JyKANQHYXOPcFIJj7o2bzoW4r77R9_LKPThGWTWljs66M0vqhNTRSw8EImMoclbRm26g4F7JDkSqdOhyphenhyphen2MIcS6Gk6eVoD0qDT9QiIRxk/s320/IMG_4231.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Thor was especially concerned about keeping us safe from those fierce Ninja and Special Forces hamsters!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAtG9sCz7Mwb_ZHESYPjeJhZb8vqg7et7LgEacBYWMrNqAifRvY7ZRINlflGHfvrc8x6oSmkk7y5mejEAD1aOp-6HNHZE0yYn8HUCi1tlmRzzrKuoDXF4j7DlwMZf32LJWT3F4h-dYrs/s1600/IMG_4233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAtG9sCz7Mwb_ZHESYPjeJhZb8vqg7et7LgEacBYWMrNqAifRvY7ZRINlflGHfvrc8x6oSmkk7y5mejEAD1aOp-6HNHZE0yYn8HUCi1tlmRzzrKuoDXF4j7DlwMZf32LJWT3F4h-dYrs/s320/IMG_4233.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Kiel came home and was slightly underwhelmed by the training zone that had taken over the family room. That is until he realized how much fun Noah was having.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpU5_b6Z21r3F4yZ1M17aFejHocDphOzI61KqUbXB7sqOmE4J0gGVIWpgeunjjmGL8h5qnJ0OLewlcsISaqBwdANURJqWX6Cgu61uqeRCmOndaU-D7P2q9BRnPssSHQl0cJq1eefXyzYg/s1600/IMG_4235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpU5_b6Z21r3F4yZ1M17aFejHocDphOzI61KqUbXB7sqOmE4J0gGVIWpgeunjjmGL8h5qnJ0OLewlcsISaqBwdANURJqWX6Cgu61uqeRCmOndaU-D7P2q9BRnPssSHQl0cJq1eefXyzYg/s320/IMG_4235.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"> Then he was right in the middle of it all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhs1Xt17ljnfb8S6MrvJ9Cynm5NSHCULqdLxABd5OBToXFnhj_IgxxtYZJMIkaDwoheRZ5HBf30vK_GBX3aVOf_2rPGenT8Wgpvj8g2WqcJhY4Z4yb3Q_my52ijQReqnHVoJPg5FNRZbM/s1600/IMG_4229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhs1Xt17ljnfb8S6MrvJ9Cynm5NSHCULqdLxABd5OBToXFnhj_IgxxtYZJMIkaDwoheRZ5HBf30vK_GBX3aVOf_2rPGenT8Wgpvj8g2WqcJhY4Z4yb3Q_my52ijQReqnHVoJPg5FNRZbM/s320/IMG_4229.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">Much like Thor was.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGGB6ecN-4O2wk3I1IiM8MGHEF3TNwoppQE6kJta93Qu-AFwuCEMXvvfNnz6H92Yrh9pHy4fER15pVEGYPY_lE8dp_rbXLo6mjnhqX9s5XB0VwAESaNtQCdqTy-lNXH06m2xkxFDHRV0/s1600/IMG_4242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGGB6ecN-4O2wk3I1IiM8MGHEF3TNwoppQE6kJta93Qu-AFwuCEMXvvfNnz6H92Yrh9pHy4fER15pVEGYPY_lE8dp_rbXLo6mjnhqX9s5XB0VwAESaNtQCdqTy-lNXH06m2xkxFDHRV0/s320/IMG_4242.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"> Over all the "three" of them did a great job playing together.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Igyiik81AzvVvyySrp-TvLzmudgw-moLpA3oHMZ2FM1uUC9tuDgqQa-2mEsgYy8a0ZqWbPn_An3a6rTWKdm6vkn70M_as0pjlDxyTSI4VzKmkritltTYpT6fOLIhcwHUXTl4g-moqlg/s1600/IMG_4239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Igyiik81AzvVvyySrp-TvLzmudgw-moLpA3oHMZ2FM1uUC9tuDgqQa-2mEsgYy8a0ZqWbPn_An3a6rTWKdm6vkn70M_as0pjlDxyTSI4VzKmkritltTYpT6fOLIhcwHUXTl4g-moqlg/s320/IMG_4239.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">It was a pretty impressive setup!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOW9bO-7SLx8YQezI-CGED1ipi_WSDWX0C4F2zC3C3DCag2kDz_tqxP4ycsmzbg5yxm4P1i8F0XhqPkXw3zedKzxVfzUmL6M4p8Z1KRiS1adjjj_2GRZHpRJSLJ1BKSA77wmTD3Vot7s/s1600/IMG_4237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOW9bO-7SLx8YQezI-CGED1ipi_WSDWX0C4F2zC3C3DCag2kDz_tqxP4ycsmzbg5yxm4P1i8F0XhqPkXw3zedKzxVfzUmL6M4p8Z1KRiS1adjjj_2GRZHpRJSLJ1BKSA77wmTD3Vot7s/s320/IMG_4237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">Even if it did take over the entire family room floor. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6h-ttiEfRQIOS6AjUl_BScC2B4kbZu99IpnKqKqq4JXbnc-iY2V_Fom3OtcKsTYFkoWeta5kuF7qwhp8oh3ZVdSWnKabwPmpmu49BXO48Mg6QuQzG_VidNrz4nPij8o5Il8xhiIRtIbs/s1600/IMG_4238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6h-ttiEfRQIOS6AjUl_BScC2B4kbZu99IpnKqKqq4JXbnc-iY2V_Fom3OtcKsTYFkoWeta5kuF7qwhp8oh3ZVdSWnKabwPmpmu49BXO48Mg6QuQzG_VidNrz4nPij8o5Il8xhiIRtIbs/s320/IMG_4238.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">Seriously, the entire floor. I couldn't get them all in one shot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBJfEmF55-0xrAIUbTua0n0v-Ml42kT3mNxQ_Ti5C2Uh3qTerekLdtBDcpA_h9bHMtLHexkGH0aobI_8O7mj53YGXRhCQrqdplxh1kicbrgLdZ67F45tRn37ljlLEaxfUt0imczXEhLE/s1600/IMG_4246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBJfEmF55-0xrAIUbTua0n0v-Ml42kT3mNxQ_Ti5C2Uh3qTerekLdtBDcpA_h9bHMtLHexkGH0aobI_8O7mj53YGXRhCQrqdplxh1kicbrgLdZ67F45tRn37ljlLEaxfUt0imczXEhLE/s320/IMG_4246.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">Is it possible to have too many toys?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7H8sZtzny2QDl8ElgCOtB6m0aK0oo01Sfw-ZJAjKJ_2wVf3PQaY4B7-2gkp4k_Ss8T-R9HDmSqeHLo9zCJkgzHMqpyNr6zewCRVNJ7aXr37cKQW89tLggzOhlvsOHrJYzOpa0dwWtf-A/s1600/IMG_4245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7H8sZtzny2QDl8ElgCOtB6m0aK0oo01Sfw-ZJAjKJ_2wVf3PQaY4B7-2gkp4k_Ss8T-R9HDmSqeHLo9zCJkgzHMqpyNr6zewCRVNJ7aXr37cKQW89tLggzOhlvsOHrJYzOpa0dwWtf-A/s320/IMG_4245.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">Stel says, "Yes, Yes it is." Especially when they move and make noise. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4MuDBd129v5RFe4EL-u1N_RKXUt_j1FKBt17u25nRymGhZCxJ5FYJxCDpfxb86QhGmLViWDb5zlg0Uhcl7dClxUVEansgCDxdbL3ny9tlZdGQTlS8E6JYvmx0bL2dB2fRS4RsZa4ujI/s1600/IMG_4244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4MuDBd129v5RFe4EL-u1N_RKXUt_j1FKBt17u25nRymGhZCxJ5FYJxCDpfxb86QhGmLViWDb5zlg0Uhcl7dClxUVEansgCDxdbL3ny9tlZdGQTlS8E6JYvmx0bL2dB2fRS4RsZa4ujI/s320/IMG_4244.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">The Kung Zhu pets in action. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJss1U19MN1MImq0oJvjoKa3_hPaJb1YJo4A7vYN6vBb8PQCdMkxGmAVMjqfhpZtUdYPRnj-dqTX8rJyzpdJcge3qtxCjxBWK3ff8BEFyKlOShoRa94zgljnpCggYA6J8-3GAER2bh6g/s1600/IMG_4236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJss1U19MN1MImq0oJvjoKa3_hPaJb1YJo4A7vYN6vBb8PQCdMkxGmAVMjqfhpZtUdYPRnj-dqTX8rJyzpdJcge3qtxCjxBWK3ff8BEFyKlOShoRa94zgljnpCggYA6J8-3GAER2bh6g/s320/IMG_4236.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">Training time.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">So what do <b>I </b>think of the Kung Zhu pets? Well, as I said before, they take up a lot of space! We were fortunate to be able to review the original Zhu Zhu pets last year when they first came out, and I can say that they have improved the design. This set was much easier to put together and the connections between pieces stay together better. The entire design is pretty impressive considering all they do. Unfortunately, in our case whenever they were in the arena the same hamster always ended up losing, even when we switched the armor between the two. Noah and Kiel were less interested in the arena action than everything else, so that wasn't a big deal for us.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">Unfortunately, one of our hamster's wheels are no longer turning, but you have to remember that Kiel is only 2 1/2, and these are recommended for ages 4+, so that very well could be because he insisted on pushing them along the track rather than letting them go on their own. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">We had a lot of fun with the entire set-up over the last few days, but these type of toys don't do well in general with my boys. Too many pieces and way too many ways to interact inappropriately with them (as in now their monster trucks and Lego men are interspersed throughout the training area - but I love watching their imagination in action). It will be interesting to see how long this lasts with them. (Again, remember that Kiel is 2 1/2 and Noah isn't a "typical" child.)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>So, ready to hear the really exciting news? </b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Yes, it's true. I have Kung Zhu pets to give away to one of my lucky readers! </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchBSDksm4TIwvFDKCj-lyvOKVB64BP14A7RciB0jQ7Om2_ndPnV9n3fv1rWhDGU5At0G1JZv6tWXv8kLl8SUJ7ob1cWASu048fEyUBOgZRaW8cmvu98tJWGQ35zCe1hkr9tPiZ0gzn_I/s1600/IMG_4218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchBSDksm4TIwvFDKCj-lyvOKVB64BP14A7RciB0jQ7Om2_ndPnV9n3fv1rWhDGU5At0G1JZv6tWXv8kLl8SUJ7ob1cWASu048fEyUBOgZRaW8cmvu98tJWGQ35zCe1hkr9tPiZ0gzn_I/s320/IMG_4218.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">In fact, I have <b>two </b>Kung Zhu pets, <b>two </b>sets of Kung Zhu armor, a Dragon Hammer and Missile Attack Tower, and the Giant Battle Arena. Everything shown in the picture above! And believe me, it was a difficult task for Noah to decide which two hamsters he was going to keep and which two he was giving away. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><b>To win all you need to do is leave a comment on this post and tell me who you would like to win this for! </b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For extra entries you can do the following:</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">1. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter with a link back to this post. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You can tweet once a day. Make sure you come back here and leave a comment on this post each time. </span></b> <b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">2. Post it on Facebook. You can post once a day. Make sure you come back here and leave a comment on this post each time. </span></b> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>3. Follow my blog on Google connect or as an RSS feed. Leave a comment here letting me know you do.</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>4. Follow my main blog (<a href="http://mommyneedstherapy.blogspot.com/">Mommy Needs Therapy</a>) in a reader or via email. Leave a comment here letting me know you do.</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>5. Post about this giveaway on your blog. Leave a link in the comments to let me know.</b></div><div><b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </span></b> <b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You have until midnight on Friday, July 16, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that weekend. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you! </span></span></b> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">US and Canada mailing addresses only.</b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br />
Full disclosure: <a href="http://www.momselect.com/">MomSelect</a> provided me with the Kung Zhu pets to review and the set to give away. I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0coMC9L-M95S_Yj91LTSOZPiasubynZ3OKEK1XnMGAs8mRIvN4kbBMxOpCKGXdQpQ5M2yN1JDolAt_ZgJ4A_zTiFYack-C-6WLEocFCcC3XHQQPMNsEDBl9X93IxlBXjmjrjtCEfRwBo/s1600/IMG_4247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com212tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-75426063409927490712010-07-03T13:49:00.000-07:002010-07-19T15:52:13.073-07:00Balloon Time helium balloon kit giveaway! And tips on hosting a vampire party. - ended<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I never thought I'd be intrigued by vampires. As a kid stuff like that scared the crap out of me. When Twilight came out it took me months to jump on the band wagon and read it. I did though and was sucked in just like so many others. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The same thing happened with True Blood on HBO. My husband watched the first season and I wasn't the slightest bit interested. Then I read Twilight and became somewhat intrigued by vampires, so I watched the second season of True Blood. And of course I'm hooked and can't wait for Sunday nights to watch each new episode of season 3! I've read all the books now too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And you better believe I'll be dragging the hubs along to see Eclipse very soon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Now I'm not much for hosting parties; frankly my house is never neat enough to make me feel like the work involved wouldn't suck all the fun out of it for me. Yeah, I'm that lazy. And that antisocial.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Anyway, I know some of my readers <b>do </b>like to host parties (and probably have much neater houses than I do) so when I was contacted by <a href="http://www.balloontime.com/display.php?page=home">Balloon Time</a> with tips on how to throw a vampire party and the offer to sponsor a Balloon Time giveaway, I figured why the heck not!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I've used Balloon Time kits before for the boys birthday parties and other than struggling the first time to get the tank to work, because I was being a complete idiot and turning the valve the wrong way (boy did I feel like a dumb-ass), it was super easy and convenient. Cheaper and easier than going somewhere to get the balloons blown up for us. The last time we did that Rich lost a bunch of them trying to get them in the car because it was so windy. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So here is the information from Penny Warner about hosting a vampire party! Go to the end of this post and you can enter to win a Balloon Time helium balloon kit.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRv2HNG95Pkus9m0Ij3TuU9XYvRg4SSRuJw88iJ4OQXIpjbi0hmbG9IfZqAIjSegE_p3OddGQPy5S7NxeJbo3qQPHlkGeomN2QTgleFQB0G6OXJgFtcgItlQ5DnWu0zvc5JXts-nsrlk/s1600/Balloon+Time+30+Count.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRv2HNG95Pkus9m0Ij3TuU9XYvRg4SSRuJw88iJ4OQXIpjbi0hmbG9IfZqAIjSegE_p3OddGQPy5S7NxeJbo3qQPHlkGeomN2QTgleFQB0G6OXJgFtcgItlQ5DnWu0zvc5JXts-nsrlk/s320/Balloon+Time+30+Count.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><b><span style="color: black;"> </span></b><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="color: black;">Celebrate Your Favorite Vampires with a Premiere Party at Home</span></u></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;"><i>By Penny Warner with </i><a href="http://www.balloontime.com/" target="_blank"><i>Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kits</i></a><span style="color: black;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Vampire Parties are all the rage, thanks to books, TV shows, and movies like “Twilight,” “True Blood,” and “Vampire Diaries.” Whether you’re a fan of vampire Team Edward or werewolf Team Jacob, barmaid Sookie Stackhouse and vampire Bill Compton, or good/evil vampire brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore, you can host a Night of the Living Dead party to celebrate a birthday, Halloween, or the latest vampire episode.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Invitations</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">There are lots of vampire-related party supplies available, but you can easily make your own invitations and personalize them to your theme. For a Coffin Invitation, fold a sheet of black construction paper in half. Draw the shape of a coffin on the paper, making sure one side of the coffin is on the fold. Cut out the coffin and write “Do not open until midnight” or “Open at your own risk” on the front using a sparkly pen. Or you can type it up on the computer using a spooky font, print it, cut it out, and glue it to the front. Next find a picture of your favorite vampire on the Internet or in a fan magazine and copy it for each invitation. Open the coffin and glue the picture on the right-hand side. On the opposite side, write the party details. For added fun, cut out drops of “blood” from red paper and place them in the envelope. Or add a set of vampire teeth. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Costumes</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ask your guests to come as their favorite vampire—or werewolf—past or present. When they arrive, offer them face paints, vampire teeth, and vials of fake blood to add to their costumes. Make simple capes out of black fabric and hand them out to guests.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Decorations</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Create a gothic atmosphere with helium-inflated black and red balloons. Tie the balloons onto furniture, to backs of chairs, and float them to the ceiling. Turn the lights down and light candles, or string holiday lights around the room. Replace regular light bulbs with black lights and red bulbs. Make a giant coffin using a large appliance box. Paint it black, add a string of garlic or a wooden cross to the top, and place it in the center of the room to use for setting out snacks. Place vampire fangs, garlic, and plastic bats around the room or hang them from the ceiling. Cover your mirrors and black out your windows. Set the table with a black cloth and bright red paper products. Use vampire teeth as napkin rings. Make a centerpiece using a glass bowl, fill it with red tinted water, and float black candles. Make some personalized tombstones from cardboard or foam, and write epitaphs on them for each guest. Set them around the room. Play Clair de Lune, Muse, and Coldplay music in the background.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Games and Activities</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><b>Team Trivia</b>. Divide guests into two teams and have them answer trivia questions about vampires and such from “Twilight,” “True Blood,” or “Vampire Diaries.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><b>Quote the Vampire</b>. Write down quotes from the vampire books or shows and have guests try to identify the speaker. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><b>Vamping Vampires</b>. Write down scenes from your favorite vampire film, book, or show, and have guests act them out for one another to guess. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><b>Vampire Shirt</b>. Let guests make their own t-shirts with their favorite vampires or sayings on them. Print pictures of vampires and sayings on iron-on paper using the computer, and then let guests iron them on and decorate with glitter glue, sequins, and other embellishments. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><b>Vampire Videos</b>. Watch videos of your favorite vampire films or TV shows. Don’t forget the originals, such as “Dracula,” or the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Refreshments</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Serve lots of red-colored food to satisfy that thirst for blood—red licorice, sliced red peppers, strawberries, red apples, red salsa with red tortilla chips, French fries with ketchup dip. Ask the bakery to tint a loaf of bread red, then make sandwiches with red jam. Cut out bat-shaped cookies, bake them, and spread with chocolate icing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Offer a variety of red-colored drinks for the vampire guests, such as tomato juice, cranberry juice cocktail, red punch, red sports drink, etc. Freeze gummy worms in red water to make ice cubes for the drinks.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Make a coffin-shaped or tombstone-shaped red velvet cake, covered with chocolate icing. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Favors</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Give the vampires plastic teeth, black capes, fake blood, posters of hot vampires, face painting makeup, videos of the shows, or other vampire related gifts—there are lots available!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Penny Warner</span></span><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> has more than 25 years of experience as an author and </span></i><span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">party planner</span></span><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">. She has published more than 50 books, including 16 specific to parties. Additionally, Warner writes a weekly newspaper column on family life, penned a column for Sesame Street Parents magazine and has appeared on several regional and national TV morning programs. Her latest books include LADIES’ NIGHT, HOW TO HOST A KILLER PARTY, and HOW TO CRASH A KILLER BASH.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Balloon Time is the leading brand of consumer <span>helium balloon kits</span> in <span>North America</span>. Balloon Time kits feature a helium-filled tank, latex or foil balloons and ribbon, and are available at national retail chains, party goods and grocery stores nationwide. For more information, visit </span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.balloontime.com/" target="_blank"><span><i><span style="color: windowtext;">BalloonTime.com</span></i></span></a><i>. </i></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>***************** </i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To enter to win all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post and tell me what kind of party you would host!</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> For an extra entries you can do the following:</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">1. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter with a link back to this post. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You can tweet once a day. Make sure you come back here and leave a comment on this post each time. </span></b> <b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">2. Post it on Facebook. You can post once a day. Make sure you come back here and leave a comment on this post each time. </span></b> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /></b></div><div><b><span>Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </span></b> <b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You have until midnight on Friday July 16, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that weekend. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you! </span></span></b> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">US mailing addresses only.</b></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /></span> <span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Full disclosure: </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">Balloon Time is sponsoring this giveaway and will provide the winner with a voucher can be redeemed at a local store (a retailer locator is available on the Balloon Time website at <a href="http://www.balloontime.com/display.php?page=storelocator" target="_blank">http://www.balloontime.com/<wbr></wbr>display.php?page=storelocator</a>)<wbr></wbr>. The only compensation I am receiving for this giveaway is the joy of offering something fun to my readers! ;)</span> <div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i></i></span></div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-75610398759544317342010-06-29T18:28:00.000-07:002010-07-10T18:37:18.014-07:00Help fight Ovarian Cancer with Electrolux and enter to win a $25 Am Ex gift card! - ENDED<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Wow, this is the best response I've ever had to a giveaway! I actually had to come back and make sure I didn't say somewhere I was giving away the refrigerator and freezer! Thanks to everyone that visited Kelly-Confidential.com and made a banana split!</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">The winner of the $25 American Express gift card is commenter number 185 - </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">missrantsypants!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">***Don't forget to enter to win the Apple Bottoms 3-piece outfit I have </span><a href="http://mntreviewblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/applebottom-3-piece-outfit-giveaway-and.html" style="color: #990000;">here</a><span style="color: #990000;">!***</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWoUYTmVXaYL6PaJ1RwDHncKmliCg3EaWmJsLR8pfpA97TX9rYNXkuWDOCwp6yRTaiNECVb9FSk4nnGlvvnDE_UwG98wI_n7FituBTOXvVYkdS6Iji4X1dP899Te7Ctp20gsQ6m4zGiw/s1600/splits+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWoUYTmVXaYL6PaJ1RwDHncKmliCg3EaWmJsLR8pfpA97TX9rYNXkuWDOCwp6yRTaiNECVb9FSk4nnGlvvnDE_UwG98wI_n7FituBTOXvVYkdS6Iji4X1dP899Te7Ctp20gsQ6m4zGiw/s320/splits+image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">First, can I just say "holy crap, who wouldn't love to have a refrigerator and freezer like this?!" Of course my kitchen isn't big enough to fit both, but a woman can dream can't she?</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So anyway... <a href="http://www.electroluxusa.com/welcome/">Electrolux</a> has a new stand-alone refrigerator and freezer! And to celebrate they have joined forces with Kelly Ripa and Stephen Bruce, the "Emperor of Ice Cream" and <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">owner and founder of Serendipity 3, the landmark New York City restaurant and dessert spot.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /></span><br />
The cool part (pun intended) is that Kelly and Bruce are making banana splits for a cause. And you get to dig in too, with your virtual spoon! </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Go to <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103508469882&s=0&e=001cEbVtvaMUFtkb1Cm10gwJA4epphehywlF3NzFUyuAnoE_ZBcGpJa96uATSA2DKfodhOWzTKMyLQwA3agk9aTIRdy7LoVsEIZ9frS8PfIG34XaD6X6_Mt9A==">www.Kelly-Confidential.com</a>, and you can build your ultimate banana split using virtual ingredients from classic whipped cream to caramel sauce to rainbow sprinkles. For each "split", Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund as part of its $750,000 commitment to help fight ovarian cancer. <br />
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As usual, Electrolux and Kelly find new and fun ways to say thank you to those who support this great cause. Everyone who logs on to the <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103508469882&s=0&e=001cEbVtvaMUFtkb1Cm10gwJA4epphehywlF3NzFUyuAnoE_ZBcGpJa96uATSA2DKfodhOWzTKMyLQwA3agk9aTIRdy7LoVsEIZ9frS8PfIG34XaD6X6_Mt9A==">site</a> and builds a split will be automatically entered for a chance to win the daily prize - $50 towards sweet summer treats - and the grand prize: the new stand-alone refrigerator and freezer from Electrolux. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You'll also find some of Serendipity 3’s ultimate banana split recipes on the site – sure to inspire incredible ice cream confections from experts and novices alike. </span></div><br />
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<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And to sweeten the deal a little more, MomSelect has offered me a $25 American Express gift card to giveaway to one of my readers! All <b>you </b>have to do to enter to win it is go to Kelly Confidential and build your virtual banana split, then come back and leave a comment here telling me what goodies you included! Besides bananas of course!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For an extra entry tweet about this post on Twitter and leave a link to the tweet in the comments. You can tweet once a day. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></div><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You have until midnight on Friday, July 9, 2010 to enter!</span></b><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Disclosure: As a thank you for posting about the campaign MomSelect is sending me a $25 American Express gift card for my own use.</span></span></i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;">***Don't forget to enter to win the Apple Bottoms 3-piece outfit I have </span><a href="http://mntreviewblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/applebottom-3-piece-outfit-giveaway-and.html" style="color: #990000;">here</a><span style="color: #990000;">!***</span></div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com195tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-70036482613380403022010-06-25T18:55:00.000-07:002010-07-10T18:21:33.096-07:00Apple Bottoms 3-piece outfit giveaway and Akademiks outfit review - ENDED<div style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">***And the winner is commenter #11 "TJ and Amy"! Congrats! ***</span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I was very excited when I was given the opportunity via <a href="http://www.momselect.com/">MomSelect</a> to review an outfit from </span><span style="font-size: small;">the <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103462495975&s=45520&e=00101LhMjG340x_8arfegiCw5oLfsidLo6Rr8p92XHUWeYziXDaOCDhtf9E5Vn2f4e-rsSOAskmu4NZGM14hhT1g3fBgSBOzWwfBuG0ANOFXrcjqNECTGF1uZIJVFDVPB5xEtdy3v5bPqE0zCRTUpcLew==" shape="rect" style="text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Parigi Group</a>. For nearly a quarter of a century, Parigi Group's stable of brands has played a major role and are some of the main contributors in helping to shape and define the children's fashion apparel market. They represent brands such as <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103462495975&s=45520&e=00101LhMjG340xhF1OM1QSxvfcmvA7AMLzZNm5afi1vcAeBLIqg-Dz8UkbIKexQ4J5S1EhCRc0Ul-5fpAovLlCD3eV-UqhtTCmSMPvHIIZ47U44F0gsq24Jadr93-m89kU6taJFgjp0ci3d7y4mgYG3w2W1yB75bq0XhivcAr83jVQ=" shape="rect" style="text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">PUMA</a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103462495975&s=45520&e=00101LhMjG340yjszkSXT0tDfh0JxWCP6-A8gNm3BTVZ8dnEClgZ7gL61JSFoWijGgftb-1v-pmjsim_m8bccu-mlBXokOZg5lhVJEnBrmoiOCULKCFQJXz0JPlqLvqQlzmlP-ShQ_C0h8wAi4HuCZhDg7FVFNzvhZsBLyMSkCm6f_pZikUddorqFFKaE8j77DfJAeHhP3Ebq07SgzYQs0soOLXfwG33Q7e1cWQWDZHViTRihTLGwLKzDOO6PClZFGyjRtCTK4hr82LudG7-Hqd2A==" shape="rect" style="text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Apple Bottoms</a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103462495975&s=45520&e=00101LhMjG340zQgRvFQZ4FwLlZ8iQrfVzTiPqNKaGInw7_K7qDpq_fo93pvnLwQNPXOsZ3_FgJjdyU0cazVTNbhEMCgyZ0QRag2pny8Pe6QVADF1bmgNDOQF_2N1CraEWzd12NUVmoOGiueS3MJ3fOCSD8D9kRQpT2" shape="rect" style="text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Akademiks</a>, and <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103462495975&s=45520&e=00101LhMjG340xJlG0sjsQwnF-y99pKB180ZbuZ6CTRIynsfUzsHuUyXhfp0Gr6NdCSl1KjYJc4r-WD4qwguo9qCygODbBC4DzWAWiEWueD0c3Xq8uruWfHZA==" shape="rect" style="text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">LRG</a>. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'll admit, there aren't a lot of "cool" brands in my boys closets. We tend to stick to OshKosh and Carter's, with the occasional Gap outfit thrown in. At seven, Noah has yet to ask for specific brands, but I'm sure that will happen soon. *sigh* For now both boys pretty much wear what I put out for them, so the thrill of having something "cool" in the closet for Noah to wear is more mine, than his. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That said, Rich, Noah and I were all excited when the box came from the Parigi Group and we opened it up to find this outfit from <a href="http://www.akademiks.com/shop/G1-R72187/boys.html">Akademiks</a>!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxiaKBlNhyiVNipgl_8OLbE3b2j80kLyk1GR2xU4C5OdkaTBa3SeqGooJLDOcedIo_oJKPnga66T3dsGNlJcJ9LBfx9nv3s6XQ046gIZY7gN_KtFnP7zT1ZoG6VCwQryj5OjIhyphenhyphenCvqh0U/s1600/IMG_4199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxiaKBlNhyiVNipgl_8OLbE3b2j80kLyk1GR2xU4C5OdkaTBa3SeqGooJLDOcedIo_oJKPnga66T3dsGNlJcJ9LBfx9nv3s6XQ046gIZY7gN_KtFnP7zT1ZoG6VCwQryj5OjIhyphenhyphenCvqh0U/s320/IMG_4199.JPG" width="207" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I thought it looked a little big for Noah, and he was in a bit of a mood, so instead of asking him to try it on I just set it out to take the picture. Well, he decided he wanted to see if it was too big.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDNdWewh8zQcwO8D3Wh2NqBeWEx0tv-iEk-KiCWI2a7tWNQIAVC4VeOxyL0cAygjrXLDym7HnErocjYbvdhYEhyc7wEgFizyJQvEKGEerktP_4wW0DFMwL249kfCdpNjGGFBF-C7OLiU/s1600/IMG_4200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDNdWewh8zQcwO8D3Wh2NqBeWEx0tv-iEk-KiCWI2a7tWNQIAVC4VeOxyL0cAygjrXLDym7HnErocjYbvdhYEhyc7wEgFizyJQvEKGEerktP_4wW0DFMwL249kfCdpNjGGFBF-C7OLiU/s320/IMG_4200.JPG" width="242" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Apparently in the seven-year-old world of fashion this is how you test out size. Fortunately feeling the outfit under him was enough to inspire him to try it on.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ju4LNZW5zLtWYnwRZ-LKNQkZmmAZYTYGkPOj8VxdYZJX25ISH-mFyEdvjUYa_wRTsjEqal-kDQmHTERLPci7FmakOfUjkAcHAj4EDZ1oo2jAIYzOsGochhN24lLY0D2ExcLD3qecnIA/s1600/IMG_4204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ju4LNZW5zLtWYnwRZ-LKNQkZmmAZYTYGkPOj8VxdYZJX25ISH-mFyEdvjUYa_wRTsjEqal-kDQmHTERLPci7FmakOfUjkAcHAj4EDZ1oo2jAIYzOsGochhN24lLY0D2ExcLD3qecnIA/s320/IMG_4204.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here are the jeans. A little big on him right now but I think they will be perfect in the fall. Cool pockets, yes?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfe1O0FhimvUm03V-S7ySxbcsZKo8JfAtNe6h0-4WF5V4dqXIWocLWKOJULw8YZ6W2JqtswTC2J-jOjSaGsGAGsAEcCFfXBdILrR0CmVPA66exqrP4sVkO9nq6Raz3GOacL7hntObB9NA/s1600/IMG_4205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfe1O0FhimvUm03V-S7ySxbcsZKo8JfAtNe6h0-4WF5V4dqXIWocLWKOJULw8YZ6W2JqtswTC2J-jOjSaGsGAGsAEcCFfXBdILrR0CmVPA66exqrP4sVkO9nq6Raz3GOacL7hntObB9NA/s320/IMG_4205.JPG" width="149" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The "ensemble" moved him to show off some of his karate moves while I was taking pictures.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3rHfyKlg9u4isEbaauDhuEtAVxdJgBSJPEXnVd6ZooukDIcGeEZILoZUnzAZwz9Swn1mGLRng912J8x7vNBNrI2WQkPjKn2CZzYsomFqITVJVTKe5E_uBmOQAFcSwQ_YWGGXOXTgMwo/s1600/IMG_4207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3rHfyKlg9u4isEbaauDhuEtAVxdJgBSJPEXnVd6ZooukDIcGeEZILoZUnzAZwz9Swn1mGLRng912J8x7vNBNrI2WQkPjKn2CZzYsomFqITVJVTKe5E_uBmOQAFcSwQ_YWGGXOXTgMwo/s320/IMG_4207.JPG" width="192" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.momselect.com/">MomSelect</a> and</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103462495975&s=45520&e=00101LhMjG340x_8arfegiCw5oLfsidLo6Rr8p92XHUWeYziXDaOCDhtf9E5Vn2f4e-rsSOAskmu4NZGM14hhT1g3fBgSBOzWwfBuG0ANOFXrcjqNECTGF1uZIJVFDVPB5xEtdy3v5bPqE0zCRTUpcLew==" shape="rect" style="text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Parigi</a></span> have offered to give away an outfit to one of my readers! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIVxjsxMR3xwkCJpCK8AAbFXsXJBMpnit9f7uhh2Fpn4J-mhzB_Ssl60YKYQYlYAJsxOooozXvhyphenhyphenYDbg4iATaQMFiE_pxP21-NUKNoUCXVUUPw-I0tEr3dLPak9Zp29jEvU9-b2gR0jY/s1600/Apple+Bottom+pink+hoodie+open+with+jean+skirt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIVxjsxMR3xwkCJpCK8AAbFXsXJBMpnit9f7uhh2Fpn4J-mhzB_Ssl60YKYQYlYAJsxOooozXvhyphenhyphenYDbg4iATaQMFiE_pxP21-NUKNoUCXVUUPw-I0tEr3dLPak9Zp29jEvU9-b2gR0jY/s320/Apple+Bottom+pink+hoodie+open+with+jean+skirt.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For you, my lucky reader, they have chosen an <a href="http://www.applebottoms.com/nshop/product.php?view=listing&section=girls&category=Your%20Top%20Picks&groupName=TopSellersGirls">Apple Bottoms</a> 3 piece outfit in a size 3-6 months (shown above). It looks absolutely adorable and makes me seriously sad I don't have at least one little girl to dress up in my family! We only grow boys on both sides of the family it seems, so I'll just have to live vicariously via one of my readers.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To enter to win all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post and tell me who you would like to win this outfit for! </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> For extra entries you can do the following:</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">1. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter with a link back to this post. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You can tweet once a day. Make sure you come back here and leave a comment on this post each time. </span></b> <b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">2. Post it on Facebook. You can post once a day. Make sure you come back here and leave a comment on this post each time. </span></b> <b></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>3. Follow my blog here in a reader or via email. Leave a comment here letting me know you do.</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>4. Follow my main blog (<a href="http://mommyneedstherapy.blogspot.com/">Mommy Needs Therapy</a>) in a reader or via email. Leave a comment here letting me know you do.</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>5. Post about this giveaway on your blog. Leave a link in the comments to let me know.</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </span></b> <b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You have until midnight on Friday July 9, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that weekend. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you! </span></span></b> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">US mailing addresses only.</b></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /></span> <span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
Full disclosure: <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.momselect.com/">MomSelect</a> and</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103462495975&s=45520&e=00101LhMjG340x_8arfegiCw5oLfsidLo6Rr8p92XHUWeYziXDaOCDhtf9E5Vn2f4e-rsSOAskmu4NZGM14hhT1g3fBgSBOzWwfBuG0ANOFXrcjqNECTGF1uZIJVFDVPB5xEtdy3v5bPqE0zCRTUpcLew==" shape="rect" style="text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Parigi</a> are providing the clothes for this review and giveaway</span>. I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.prizey.net/detail/3-piece-apple-bottoms-infant-girls-outfit/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJSsN24pQanaV-LBjR7o-QUobluuMzKkMV3gfCJcsNvTVZJiEcvNkWJ059e48xS1D8tBMWrK7e_2-lU48tGjNy6PKEvq3Xm2T3ifl6s_OlNfmukRxzaS74fQg6SeufRXxHH3ufYhcJmU/s1600/prizeypick.png" /></a></div><br />
</div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-45402582722347274942010-06-11T15:44:00.000-07:002010-06-20T17:11:37.690-07:00Shaun the Sheep: One Giant Leap for Lambkind review and giveaway! - ended<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"> And the winner is </span>Mom2anutball! Congrats! <br />
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<span style="color: blue;"> **Don't forget to enter the other DVD giveaways I have going on!!**</span></div><br />
Since my boys saw their first episode of Shaun the Sheep they have been huge fans. Even Rich enjoys it. I still don't quite get the appeal, but they love it so much I don't complain. You can imagine how excited they get when a new Shaun the Sheep DVD arrives in the mail for us to review! I know I'm going to hear hysterical laughter from them as soon as we play it.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rich and Kiel have about a 45 minute drive to and from work/daycare (Kiel's daycare is an employee daycare), so when they take our minivan Rich usually lets Kiel watch the DVD player. He doesn't understand the concept of headphones quite yet so everything is a silent movie for him. Shaun the Sheep is actually a pretty good video for him since there isn't much (any?) actual dialogue. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8o3GXzDtXb54jMlEvj5clNquRMI3V0oc7lD3sLZcpzO6JPs2RgIhdr8u8UdoMonJEtSfgPeCqalh66-WvuBtQAQwJ7X2rRw_zS7O6Log7_kDpxzkzcDQm_9yr3gRsqFfFIdZFCvnNT64/s1600/shaunthesheep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8o3GXzDtXb54jMlEvj5clNquRMI3V0oc7lD3sLZcpzO6JPs2RgIhdr8u8UdoMonJEtSfgPeCqalh66-WvuBtQAQwJ7X2rRw_zS7O6Log7_kDpxzkzcDQm_9yr3gRsqFfFIdZFCvnNT64/s1600/shaunthesheep.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Shaun the Sheep: One Giant Leap for Lambkind</b></span></span></div><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">He’s Baa-aa-aack! The beloved, award-winning Shaun the Sheep™ returns for a brand new collection of barnyard adventures – and he’s not alone. The six-episode collection, <b>Shaun the Sheep: One Giant Leap for Lambkind</b>, beams onto DVD June 8, 2010 from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment. Shaun and his pals will have close encounters of a different kind with old nemeses the Naughty Pigs as well new friends from a galaxy far, far away! Five minute shorts of the series currently air in the U.S. on the Disney Channel. Fans can only find full length episodes on the DVDs. </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">DVD SYNOPSIS: </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Unidentified Farm Objects and paranormal sightings are the norm with Shaun the Sheep and his barnyard buddies Bitzer, Shirley and Timmy, as they encounter more madcap mischief along with those Naughty Pigs next door. Big laughs are evident, as the creators of the Academy Award®-winning Wallace & Gromit™ are out to prove that sheep-herding fun is universal. </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">The latest DVD is now available and I have a copy available to give to one of my readers! Yeah!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To enter to win all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> For extra entries tweet about this giveaway on Twitter with a link back to this post. Or post it on Facebook. You can tweet or post once a day. Make sure you come back here and leave a comment on this post each time. </span></b> <b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </span></b> <b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You have until midnight on Friday June 18, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that weekend. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you! </span></span></b> <span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /></span> <br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;">US mailing addresses only.</span></b><br />
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Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations and Lionsgate and HIT Entertaiment provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own. <br />
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</span>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-8644005835847376802010-06-09T18:05:00.000-07:002010-06-20T17:15:38.658-07:00Barney™: Songs From the Park DVD + Music CD review and giveaway! - ended<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"> And the winner is mysharona! Congrats!</span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">OK, we've all done it. Made fun of that big purple dinosaur Barney. He pretty much annoys the crap out of us parents, but darn it, our toddlers love him! And we really can't complain because that silly dinosaur does address useful topics (like sharing and caring) for our kids, and he keeps them out of our hair for a few minutes so we can get dinner ready (right?).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Today I have Barney's new DVD Barney™: Songs From the Park DVD + Music CD to giveaway to one of my lucky readers!</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUqeIEmFdFxeKndl8g4Kss8uBCoskHiwIiXWJrzeXLx5SNZNampP6-fbhAaCsAQ1jBLlNCYN96yA1l_Uhi_kM3WeJUoUfxW2FKMjI38LgsB3XP-rxj5vfzLoi7yNfWvhRid6TOa9NtoI/s1600/image005.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUqeIEmFdFxeKndl8g4Kss8uBCoskHiwIiXWJrzeXLx5SNZNampP6-fbhAaCsAQ1jBLlNCYN96yA1l_Uhi_kM3WeJUoUfxW2FKMjI38LgsB3XP-rxj5vfzLoi7yNfWvhRid6TOa9NtoI/s1600/image005.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A little more info:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Barney’s park is a fun place to play! Create musical memories with 20 of your favorite songs and join Barney, Baby Bop™ and BJ™ as they visit the pond, gazebo, playground and caboose. It’s something to sing about! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Strike up the band for fun in the sun with Barney™ and his playground friends in Songs From the Park DVD + Music CD available in one DVD package on June 15, 2010 from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment. Filled with 20 favorite Barney songs – perfect for outdoor sing-alongs -- this magical, musical DVD comes packaged with a free music CD of five fun songs, designed to create musical memories for fans everywhere. The songs featured on the CD include: "Fun, Fun, Sunny Day," "By Myself," "Duckies Do," "Rain, Rain Go Away," and "Bubbles." Songs From the Park is also available as a digital download.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Barney: song's From the Park is available in stores June 15, 2010, but you can win your own copy here. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To enter to win all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> For extra entries tweet about this giveaway on Twitter with a link back to this post. Or post it on Facebook. You can tweet or post once a day. Make sure you come back here and leave a comment on this post each time. </span></b> <b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </span></b> <b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You have until midnight on Friday June 18, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that weekend. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you! </span></b> <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">US mailing addresses only.</span></b><br />
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Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations and Lionsgate and HIT Entertaiment provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions in my review are purely my own.Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4173734028844893225.post-73116455187106355802010-06-09T17:37:00.000-07:002010-06-20T17:19:26.698-07:00Sara Hickman's "Big Bird, Little Bird" DVD review and giveaway! - ended<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="color: blue;">And the winner is Gianna! Congrats!</span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I have several children's DVD's I'll be reviewing and giving away this week! So don't forget to come back and enter to win!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=cac768f539&view=att&th=12913a87c33caa75&attid=0.1&disp=emb&zw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=cac768f539&view=att&th=12913a87c33caa75&attid=0.1&disp=emb&zw" width="182" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">First up is “Big Bird, Little Bird” a new DVD from </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">Singer/Songwriter Sara Hickman!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">I wasn't familiar with Sara Hickman, so I didn't know what to expect when I received the DVD. We popped it in the DVD player one night a couple weeks ago (yes, I am incredibly behind in my reviews right now!) when I was trying to get the boys to calm down before bed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Big Bird, Little Bird" features 13 of Hickman's "soothing songs for children aged newborn to five years, that are </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">brought to life through bright, colorful computer animation." </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kiel sat right down and watched about 75% of it and enjoyed it. Noah checked it out but quickly told me it was for little kids. Rich and I thought it was cute, but were a little confused (and amused) by the song "Goop's in It" that is about eye boogers. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Overall it was nice music. Definitely the kind of music I would play for little kids during naps or at bedtime. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The DVD also includes 14 short parenting tips, which I have not watched yet, so I really can't comment on them. In general I don't find "parenting tips" like that to be anything but annoying, so YMMV on that part.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Personally, I'd go out and get the CD that this DVD is based on before I'd buy the DVD. But, if you would like to <b>win one</b> I have one copy available to give away to one of my readers. You'll find entry requirements at the end of this post.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">But before you do that, here is some more information about the "Big Bird, Little Bird."</span></span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<h5 align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><b><i> </i></b></span></span></span></h5><h5 align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><b><i>Big Bird, Little Bird</i></b> DVD from renowned singer/songwriter Sara Hickman was just named a winner in Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Products 2010 and will be available in stores June 15, 2010.</span></span><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span></h5><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><b><i>Big Bird, Little Bird</i></b>, based upon Hickman’s award-winning CD <i>Newborn,</i> – features 13 of Hickman’s soothing songs for children ages newborn to five. The DVD is brought to life through bright, colorful computer animation (one by Hickman herself) that engages young viewers and creates a calming bonding experience between parent and child that can be shared and enjoyed again and again.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Whether learning about the goop lingering in the corner of your eye, the family tree or a dispute between two birds over a crumb of bread, <b><i>Big Bird, Little Bird</i></b> DVD is a sweet union of visual, lyrical and musical art and a stunning treasure to be added to any wee one’s DVD library. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Songs – ranging from 52 seconds to 5 minutes – are “It’s Alright (Acapella), “A Slice of Heaven,” “Goop’s In It,” “Big Bird, Little Bird,” “Lily,” “This Heart,” “You Are My Sunshine,” “The Family Tree (You and Me),” “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” “We Are Each Other’s Angels” and “It’s Alright.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">The DVD also includes 14 short parenting tips – hosted by Hickman, a former certified parenting instructor – offering ideas on what to expect as they enter the glorious challenge that is their newborn’s life. Tips include “Nursing,” “First Hello,” “Introduce Your Baby,” “Being Polite,” “Being on the Same Level,” “No-No to Pacifiers,” “G.E.M.s,” “Feeling Frustrated,” “Early to Bed, Early to Rise,” Consistency is Key,” “It’s a Whole Other World,” “Going to the Store,” “Family Ritual” and “Rap Up.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To enter to win all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post! </b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For extra entries tweet about this giveaway on Twitter with a link back to this post. You can tweet once a day. </b><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Make sure you come back here and leave a comment on this post each time.</b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Don't forget to include your email address in the comment. I know you have to include it to publish the comment, but unless it is actually within the body of the comment or you have email enabled on your Blogger profile I can't see it. </b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You have until midnight on Friday June 18, 2010 to enter. I'll announce the winner that weekend. Again, don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you! </b></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">US mailing addresses only.</span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </b></span> </span> </div><div><br />
</div><span style="color: black; font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">Full disclosure: Andrea Blain Public Relations provided me with my own copy of this DVD . I am not receiving monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">The opinions in my review are purely my own.</span>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401725929395230941noreply@blogger.com13