I have always been a huge fan of Crayola Color Wonder products since I found them, so when I was given the chance to try out some of the travel products I jumped at the chance! On a recent car trip to Maryland I pulled at my arsenal of Color Wonder products to make our trip more pleasant for everyone and the best part is their mess free so I don't have to fret over markers getting all over our seat and cleaning the kids up after we get to our destination.
The great Crayola Color Wonder products that we took along on your summer trip include:
* Crayola Color Wonder Lap Desk provides a large, hard-top surface for kids to create on the go. The sturdy desk has a built-in handle and a soft detachable pillow that can be used as a storage unit for Color Wonder markers and paper. The Lap Desk is equipped with 12 re-stickable pieces of Color Wonder paper to keep kids´ drawings in place and 5 Color Wonder mess-free mini markers in red, orange, yellow, green and blue.
* Crayola Color Wonder Fingerpaints & Paper make the once impossible possible - fingerpainting in the car! The set includes clear, fast-drying gels that feel just like traditional fingerpaint. The set comes with 5 mess-free colors (red, yellow, green, blue and orange) in a hand-shaped storage container, a built-in finger cleaning sponge and 12 extra-wide sheets of Color Wonder paper. When kids are finished painting, they simply snap the fingerprint lids closed and paint stays fresh and ready to use again!
* Crayola Color Wonder Story Stampers includes 5 Color Wonder markers in red, blue, green, purple and orange, a Color Wonder stamp pad, 6 sea creature stamps, and an 18-page coloring pad with undersea background settings. Each setting is unique, so every page will inspire a different fish tale just waiting to be told! Kids´ imaginations will take them beneath the sea as they stamp color sea creatures using the colorless Color Wonder stamp pad to create innovative stories and scenarios then can then color in. It's like high tide for your imagination!
The best part is Crayola is offering a printable $1.00 off coupon Crayola Color Wonder product today! Click here to print your coupon
Discloser: The Crayola Color Wonder products, information, and giveaway were all provided by Crayola through MyBlogSpark. (Thanks to both!)
___________________________________________________
Zhu Zhu Babies and Giveaway! CLOSED
Remember a few Christmas's ago, standing in line for the hottest new toy ZhuZhu pets? The Zhu Zhu craze is still going strong and the hottest addition to the ZhuZhu familiy is ZhuZhu babies. Recently, I was given the chance to review the cutest addition to the ZhuZhu family.
ZhuZhu Babies
ZhuZhu babies are much smaller than regular ZhuZhu's they also don't have the wheels that come with your traditional pets. They do move around on different play sets, by magnets on the bottom of the play sets. The adorable babies each come with a unique name, tiny birthmark, biography and a collectors number. In each pack the babies comes with a bottle, rattle or toy to keep the ZhuZhu happy. You can also dress your baby up in different outfits.
What I liked
* Perfect for kids who like to play mommy
* Easy to dress (perfect for small hands)
* Easy to transport around, mom can put them in her purse!
What I disliked
I disliked the small accessories but, because my kids are probably like your kids, they don't see it as a problem. If you have very small children or a puppy, like my house, you don't want to find the little pieces laying around. My kids will be playing with the set on a separate floor that the dog is not allowed on so, everyone is happy.
Dance Recital Play-set
The ZhuZhu toys have play-sets for the babies and we were able to review the recital play-set. The set has magnets that allow your ZhuZhu babies to move around on stage. You add you regular size ZhuZhu's to
the play piano which make the babies move around. The recital play-set has props that also move, and 2 scenes that the kids can use to create different shows for their babies.
What My Kids Liked
* Different back drops give kids different choices when playing
* We could use regular size ZhuZhu's with the babies ZhuZhu's
* The kids could use their imaginations instead of sitting in front of a computer or television
What My Kids Didn't Like
* There is some assembly required once the kids open the box.
Overall my kids and I loved these products from the ZhuZhu family. I have an 8 year old and 5 year old and they really enjoyed playing with the babies and play-set.
Get a jump on your holiday shopping by entering to win a ZhuZhu baby. Click here and enter by Friday September 16th. I will pick a random winner with by Saturday 9/17. CLOSED
For more information: www.zhuniverse.com
We were provided with complimentary products in exchange for a candid review of our experience. All opinions are 100% our own.
_____________________________________________________________
Shutterfly
I am a little late this year selecting my holiday cards; I usually like to get it done before Thanksgiving. It’s not because I don’t have the perfect picture of my kids, it all because of Shutterfly. You see every year for at least the past 5 years I have ordered my holiday cards from Shutterfly, and this year they have made it so hard for me to select 1 card. They have so many beautiful choices, so every time I get a few minutes to look at the choices I find more that I fall in love with. For instance, Shutterfly's Christmas holiday photo cards, my favorite so far I like the Scrapbook Style Blue Christmas Card, the black background with the blue is stunning.
Now I am also in love with Shutterfly’s holiday cards and the one I fell in love with is Picture Ornaments Holiday Card, I love how they used black and white photos with colored Christmas balls.
I am also thinking about ordering a calendar for my husbands office, my favorite is the desk calendar. I think this is a perfect way for my husband to have different photos of the family in on spot.
What are your favorite cards from Shutterfly?
Disclosure: I wrote this post in exchange of receiving 50 free cards from Shutterfly- Thanks Shutterfly!
_______________________________________________________________
MyGetTogether Chex Mix Party
If you follow me on Twitter, you may remember a few weeks ago I was tweeting about a Chex Mix party I was having, Recently I was chosen to be a My GetTogether host for their Chex Mix Snacks “Game Day” get-together. So of course I wanted to plan my get together around an Eagles game! We invited some friends over to watch the game, everyone brought some of their favorite football snacks to share!
I set up a few different types of Chex Mix for everyone to sample, the adults loved the turtle Chex Mix with the peanuts and chocolate pieces, but the kids really enjoyed the traditional Chex Mix (we were so surprised).
The kids all made football themed bracelets and bookmarks with beads that truly kept the kids entertained during the game! Overall everyone enjoyed the party and had a wonderful time eating the Chex Mix! Thanks to MyGetTogether and Chex Mix for helping me to plan my party.
Disclosure: MyGetTogether provided several bags of Chex Mix, the football bowl, coupons and some plates and napkins. The opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.
___________________________________________________________
Safety Tats
Chances are you will be visiting the beach, zoo, or an amusement park this summer and if your like most parents you worry about your little one getting separated from you. I know it's a constant fear that I have. When I travel with my kids I usually use a safety necklace with their information engraved on it, but I always have to remember to put the necklaces on them each morning before we leave the hotel and recently my youngest broke her necklace while we were away.
While we were traveling over spring break, I had my kids try Safety Tats, and we were very happy with them. I placed them on each child before we left the hotel room, the Safety Tat stayed on them for for our 2 day trip and even during the pool and showers. I liked the fact I didn't have to worry about placing a new one on while we were away and the kids thought they were cool. Safety Tat also has allergy tattoos, build your own tattoos and tattoos for tweens.
Great News Safety Tats is offering 10% off an order of $15 or more. Coupon is good now through May 3, 2010. The coupon code is KidsInDelawareCounty (must be typed as seen, case sensitive)
For more information: visit www.safetytat.com/
Disclosure: I received a free package of Safety Tats for this review
________________________________________________________
You don’t often think of a retail home furnishing store as something fun to do with kids but IKEA can be an event. Because of the unique design of the store there is plenty for kids to watch and look at as you strole through the showrooms on each floor. I recommend first stopping in the kid’s toy section. For just a few dollars you can pick up a wooden or plastic toy for your child to enjoy as you shop.
The store also has a kind of kids camp where you can leave your child with IKEA staff members while you’re shopping. I have never done this with my children but it looks very busy.
Eating at IKEA
Believe or not IKEA is has a very economical cafeteria type restaurant where you can enjoy dishes such as chicken breast sandwich, Swedish meatballs, chicken fingers, fries and various deserts for very reasonable, almost subsidized prices. A family of four can easily eat for $20.00.
IKEA Products
I have actually purchased several products from IKEA in the past. We have a daybed which my daughter uses as her primary bed. It has held up very well over the three plus years we owned it. We recently bought a laminated counter top for our home office. It was I think 8ft long and it was only $65. We like their lamps and other lighting. They have every type of light bulb ever imagined. They also have very inexpensive glassware that holds up well.
We go to IKEA two to three times a year and it always takes up 2 to 3 hours of our time, even more if you choose to have a meal. They often run kids eat free discounts which makes the trip even better.
I was not paid for this endorsement
______________________________________________________
Gymboree Play and Learn Classes
My daughter took these classes between the ages of 6 months to three years old. She really got a lot out of them. For me it was about getting out of the house and going to an activity that involved regular exercise. The equipment, ramps, slides and climbing obstacles taught her coordination and gave her a sense of accomplishment. The staff was fantastic and she looked forward to seeing our teacher each week.
For me it was about meeting other stay at home moms. I actually developed some long-lasting friendships and we still get the kids together even though they are school age now. Through these friends I began to learn about other activities in the local area that helped acclimate us into the community.
In addition to the obvious physical benefits you receive gymbucks that you can spend on clothing in the store.
If you want to explore Gymboree Play and Learn Classes you can go to their website http://www.gymboreeclasses.com/index.jsp and sign up to attend one free class.
I attended classes at the following location:
Wilmington: Concord Pike Village
4723 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803 US
Phone: 302-477-0553
Email: nwilmde@gymboreeclasses.com
I was not paid for this endorsement.
______________________________________________
Zhu Zhu Pets
Zhu Zhu Pets were released in September and our quickly becoming the hottest toy for Christmas 2009. Recently I was given the chance to try out Zhu Zhu pets with my children. Let's just say we have a hit, the kids love the fact that they could create a home for their pets and the loved the sounds their hamsters made. We did find out the the pets work much better on hard wood floors than carpet.
Thank to Moms Select for giving us the opportunity to try out this wonderful new toy. I was not paid for my opinion,but were were allowed to keep the Zhu Zhu pets.