GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

When I was little and my mom still had to send me to school with an extra set of clothes she used this little “fabric pen” (that was supposed to be waterproof) to mark my name on my clothes. Unfortunately for her the pen never stayed put and she always had to re-mark the clothes.

Nowadays my son heads off to school with not only his stuff marked with his name but also his clothes and let me tell you – those names are not coming off!

I got a chance to test both clothing labels along with all-purpose (think dishwasher safe) from a company called I.D. Me Labels. I promptly tagged my son’s extra clothes (jeans, t’shirt and underwear) and threw them in the hamper (they have to sit 24-hours before they are washed). I also tagged his backpack with a neat little alien Bag Tag (which lists his name and phone number). I even put a couple stickers on a sippy cup and his snack box – the cup eventually went through the dishwasher and the label is still sticking tight!

I love these labels – they really stick and they come in all different colors, fonts and styles. The combination pack that I received included several (each) of the All-Purpose Icon Labels, Streamline Labels and Stick on Clothing Labels. I also received a couple of the Bag Tags! I got to choose not only what the labels would say (of course) but also colors and even the font that I wanted to use. You can even order labels with a custom photo of your child which is really super cool.

BUY IT :  I.D. Me Labels are all weather-resistant, microwave and dishwasher safe. They even offer free shipping on orders over $50.00 (US only) so you can order tons of labels, get organized and keep track of your child’s stuff! I.D. Me Labels are available at their website.

WIN IT : Thanks to I.D. Me Labels, we’re giving away a School Combo Pack worth $59.95.  To enter and win, just following the requirements below:

• One mandatory entry – Visit our sponsor I.D. Me Labels and pick your favourite choice of label.
• Three additional entries – Follow us on Twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please leave your Twitter id.
• Five additional entries - If you blog about this giveaway and link back to this post. Please leave your post url in the comment section.
• Entry is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway closes on  9th February 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0

Author : Jay Tucker
Illustrations: D.E. West
ISBN-10: 1932690824
ISBN-13: 978-1932690828

First of all, I must say I love the shiny, vibrant colours and lovely illustrations used on the cover of book. This is a definite plus if you’re trying to attract a toddler’s attention. Ferdinand Uses The Potty tells the story of Ferdinand The Frog, who suddenly awakens one night to find  that his bed is wet. He is confused about the situation but fortunately, help is on hand. Ferdinand has a friend who had gone through the same experience and he encourages him to use the toilet. The big hurdle for Ferdinand was to overcome his fear of hearing the noise from the toilet flush. And this he ultimately did with much bravery.

Ferdinand Uses The Potty is a great book which encourages children to confront and overcome their fears about using the toilet.  I like that the pictures are big and vivid and the amount of wordings are also just perfect for a toddler’s attention. The story is short, easy to understand and though not perfect, the rhyming prose used by the author Jay Tucker, added some fun when you’re reading to a toddler. 

BUY IT : Ferdinand Uses The Potty is available for purchase at Amazon. You might also be interested to check out the FREE colouring pages available from the book’s website here.

And here’s a peek at what our panel of reviewers had to say about Ferdinand Uses The Potty:

Contests and Giveaways – All in all, it is a story worth reading to kids. I liked it, and more importantly, my daughter liked it. Ferdinand faced and conquered one of his fears – a very important lesson for kids! It is available for purchase at bookstores and at Amazon.com. Be sure to check it out!

Connie’s View – The rhyming, adorable character, Ferdinand and the bright, cherry illustrations make this a book that your child will want you to read again and again. My daughter had major fears of potty training and I wish that I had this for her. Seeing a frog go through it with the help of a child is a creative move. I recommend this to parents who are in the throes of potty training of going to give it a start.

 Happy Healthy Families – The story is humorous, gentle and fun. The dialogue between Ferdinand and his friend is written in a rhyming fashion, which made my boys enjoy the story even more. It will,I believe, help kids feel more reassured when it comes to their own thoughts and challenges with potty training.The only thing my 5 year old wondered about is whether or not Ferdinand continued to have any more “accidents” at night. Maybe we need a “Ferdinand Sequel??”

 Quiverfull Family – Written in rhyming prose, Ferdinand is a bold, enthusiastic exploration of overcoming bed-wetting and the commonly held fear about using the potty that can arise after children understand the basic concepts of potty-training. Ferdinand and his young friend don’t attempt to explain the basics of going to the potty, or even describe the event in much detail -– they rather focus in on being afraid of the toilet, and to some extent on wetting the bed.

Moomette’s Magnificents – Put this delightful, humorous book on your list of “must reads” or as a gift for any mom-to-be, daughter, daughter-in-law, daycare provider, homeschooling mom or friend who will be going through the challenge of potty training in the future!

 As They Grow Up – My son has been potty trained since he was 18 months old, but still has night time accidents. Deciding when and how to completely night potty train has been an issue that my husband and I are currently dealing with. Ferdinand The Frog Uses The Potty actually talks about one night when Ferdinand the Frog wakes up and realizes that he is all wet. The problem is, Ferdinand just can’t figure out why he is all wet. Luckily though he has a friend that explains to him to him what happened during the night and also there is nothing to be scared of when it comes to using the potty (Ferdinand the Frog was scared of the sound the toilet makes when it flushes). Finally at the end of the day Ferdinand realizes that using the potty isn’t so bad after all!

Rambling Moo – Generally, this book is a good start for those who wants to try to potty train their little kids. The story which is short and filled with colorful illustrations is perfect to hold a toddler’s short attention span.

Right Reads - Since the boy is toilet trained for the day, he can identify with the toilet, the word “pee pee” and having a tummy ache. However, the language used was slightly above his age level and also, the lack of descriptive words had him slightly puzzled…

Nevertheless, the storyline kept him hooked to the book from start to the end. For this, I think the author and illustator have down an excellent job.

Our Makiko – He loves the book so much -so much that after that first time, he asked for me to read it twice to him! And everytime, he never fails to laugh aloud on those parts I mentioned. And actually, the Ferdinand Uses the Potty book is on the table beside our bed as I type this post. So if my son’s reactions were bases to this review, then I would give a two-thumbs up for this book.

Without a doubt, everyone I know has a Facebook account. How do I know this? Simple…. whenever I meet new friends or bump into old ones, we’ll ‘Facebook’ each other by the end of the conversation. I think it’s the equivalent of ‘let’s keep in touch’. And that’s the thing. While we all have Facebook accounts, I’m pretty sure we don’t want to share every little news or updates with everyone. I mean, yes, we can twitter, but it’s about us. Sometimes, we have news about our relatives or our own kids, where we just want to keep it within the family and close circle of friends. Let’s face it..seeing someone’s uncle pinching someone’s daughter’s cheeks isn’t exactly what we really want to see on Facebook, right?

And that’s where Kidjot.com comes in. Here, we can share every snippet of our family’s life with everyone who won’t find it remotely boring. It’s super easy to sign up, just your username, password and email. Thereafter, it’s setting up the household details like my name, my husband’s and of course, the 3 boys. Easy, takes less than 5 minutes, depending just how many kids/hubbies you have! LOL.

[sample screen, courtesy of kidjot.com]

Here’s why I personally like it:

My family doesn’t have to create a username for each person. We can all login with the same username and password, but create our stories in our respective names! So, all our stories are kept in one single neat site, but in their individual pages!

It’s one way of detailing the scrapbook part of your life. For instance, capturing photos of my eldest son’s dance in his junior concert would be easy, but I’d also like to explain the feelings that I had for him, his very own thoughts as he danced through it.  It’s a great family project that everyone can get involved with. Grandparents or relatives in distant states/countries, can add in their side of the story, or add in a trophy or three, as positive encouragements.

It’s quite different from Facebook or a blog, because when you want to add your side of the story in Facebook or a blog, it’s not part of the big picture, it’s just merely comments here and there. So, visually, Kidjot.com is better presented, just like a storyboard, instead of fragmented pieces lying everywhere.

About (as written by the co-creator, Chris Fawcett) :

The site came about as a result of my family seeing a need in our own lives for something like this.  Up until 5 years ago, we all lived within 15 miles of each other.  Today, we’re spread out over the eastern U.S.  We wanted a way to connect with each other that was more private than Facebook and also would allow us to revisit these memories years later.

So we came up with the idea for Kidjot, and thought it was a good enough idea that other families would use it too.  The main creators are myself and my brother Jon.  But my wife, Jon’s wife, and our parents have all been highly influential.  Jon programmed 100% of the site while I directed the look and feel and functionality and handled the business side.

Since we started testing in September, my extended family has added over 60 stories (we call them Jots) to the site.  I already find myself occasionally going back to re-read them, so I can only imagine how cool it will be 20 years from now to look back on these memories.  The site has also allowed us to reconnect with a cousin that we never really knew growing up.  It has made our family better.

Buy It! : I do sincerely believe that Kidjot has come up with a gem. Once you’ve gotten your family and extended family on board, there will be no end to the stories/memories that will be stored in here. When you or your kids look back into their lives (‘jots’), the ol brains will be jogging down memory lane.

Right now, Kidjot is offering a free 6 months subscription to everybody! Thereafter, there is an annual fee of USD10 (which is pretty darn low, if you ask me). In fact, if you sign up now, you’ll get to participate in their  $100 Amazon gift certificate sweepstakes! What? Where? Here, at Kidjot.com!

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

For those who  follows this blog, you will know that I’ve reviewed a couple of Rock N Learn’s DVDs – Earth Science & Physical Science as well as Life Science sometime last year. My kid and I whole heartedly felt that these titles were fantastic learning tools for kids of all ages. Thanks to Rock N Learn once again, we received the latest addition to their Science DVD Series, The Human Body DVD before the holidays.

My son, who was in Grade Three when he first watched this DVD, was a little overwhelmed by the depth of the topics.  However, I wasn’t too overly concerned as he was able to explain to me how the digestive system worked (minus the big words)  ~ which proved that he did learn something new from the DVD. The cover of the DVD also stated that this title was meant for Grades 4th – 8th, so if you have younger kids watching it, don’t be surprised if they find it harder to memorize terms like “semicircular canals, tympanum, circulatory, urinary, respiratory, bronchioles, etc”. Heck! Even I had difficulty remembering them!!!

Nevertheless, I am confident that the entertaining approach and humorous characters in the DVD will greatly help to retain such vocabulary in a child’s  memory once he/she watches it more often.

Here’s a quick look at what  The Human Body DVD covered:

• Skeletal System
• Nervous System
• Muscular System
• Circulatory System
• Urinary System
• Respiratory System
• Digestive System
• Five Senses

Kevin, the main character in the Rock N Learn Science DVD series, discovers his interest in the medical field and begins exploring the human body with his humanoid pencil friend, Marko. The journey of discovery takes these characters through the various systems in the human body. Colourful animations, fun filled songs and delightful conversations in this DVD makes it so much easier for kids to remember the contents than if they were to read from a book. Parents might be interested to know that there is also a bonus section on MyPyramid for Kids. MyPyramid is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s update on the food pyramid and it is also included in many school systems.

BUY IT : The Human Body DVD is available for purchase online from Rock N Learn or you can visit the website and find the store nearest to you.

WIN IT : Another great giveaway from Rock N Learn! One lucky reader will get to win copy of The Human Body DVD. Just follow our simple requirements:

One mandatory entry – Visit Rock N Learn and name an award that has been presented to Rock ‘N Learn’s fun educational programs.
Three additional entries – Be our Facebook Fan, leave your FB name and Share
Three additional entries – Tweet, tweet, tweet! Leave your twitter ID please.
Entry is open to all shipping addresses.
Giveaway closes on  26th January 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0

Here’s the lucky winners for December 2009′s Count Your Blessings:

1. Melinda Woody
2. Carol Mintz
3. Kathleen Robertson
4. Sherry Conrad
5. Cheryl Wood
6. Pending for subscriber to revert back

We’re starting the New Year with another awesome Chicken Soup title to giveaway, “The Story Behind The Song“.* I’m sure many of you have been through a phase in your life where you were once passionate about certain songs…songs which may have special meanings to you or…. songs which are reflections of what you went through in your life…..or perhaps, simply because you enjoyed listening to them. Have you ever wondered what were the inspirations behind these songs? ”The Story Behind The Song“  gives you the opportunity to get a personal insight into the real story and influence behind 101 of your favorite songs from artists of different genres,  including Barry Manilow, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Paul Anka, Hall & Oates, Huey Lewis, Kanye West, John Legend, Melissa Etheridge, Smokey Robinson, Heart, Queen, Bon Jovi and many others.

This title also features a foreword by Lamont Dozier, a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and architect of the Motown sound.

But hey, the best part is we have SIX (YES, SIX COPIES!!!) to giveaway to our email subscribers. All you need to do is ensure that you have subscribed to our feed via email and your email will be automatically added to the draw.

* Disclosure : Prizes courtesy of www.chickensoup.com and ships to North America only.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED! 

Introducing three fantastic products from Sothys:

Sothys Aroma-Sothys Energizing Shower - Softly cleans and tones the skin. It contains essential oils of eucalyptus, cardamom, nutmeg, and neroli for an energizing fragrance while leaving your body feeling refreshed. Price: $24

SOTHYS Aroma-Sothys Energizing Bath Essences Tablets – Effervescent, playful and revitalizing bath pebbles which enrich the bath with their tonic and energizing fragrance… a particular moment of pleasure and wellness. Price: $26

SOTHYS Aroma-Sothys Energizing Essential Oils Elixir – Magical, this very concentrated dry oil is an invitation to happiness: when massaged, it restores tonus and felicity… the skin is divinely satiny and full of energizing active ingredients. Price: $29

Win it! Here’s a chance to give your body a little pampering without the need to spend. One reader will get to win all the above three products valued at $79. To enter this giveaway, simply follow the rules below:

• One mandatory entry – Tell us why you want to win these products
• Three additional entries -  Grab our Mega Xmas Giveaway badge on our sidebar and place it on your site. Leave your site url in the comment section here.
• Five additional entries - If you blog about this giveaway and link back to this post. Please leave your post url in the comment section.
• Entry is open to US and Canada shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway closes on  9th January 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : Giveaway courtesy of Sothys-USA

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Gone are the days spent waiting for creams and beauty products to work and show any visible sign of reducing wrinkles. Modern day women want results from their products not only immediately, but with satisfactory improvements. And who has the time during the fall and winter months to wait for products to work? AminoGenesis has the solution.

New for Winter 2009, Gone in Sixty Seconds by AminoGenesis Skincare is an instant wrinkle filler that contains a scientific blend of oxygenating peptides, micro-collagen and firming proteins that tighten, firm and reduce puffiness all day long. Advanced patented technology time releases key ingredients all day long.

Gone in Sixty Seconds features InstaFirm Protein, an exclusive protein technology that instantly starts to firm and plump wrinkles, creating younger-looking skin within seconds. Clinically proven OxyPeptides increase skin respiration and oxygenation by as much as 745%, and Gamma-Aminobutryic Acid (or GABA) is present to help the body relax the muscles causing wrinkles. Price $19.99

WIN IT : One lucky reader will win a bottle of Gone in Sixty Seconds, thanks to our sponsor, www.aminogenesis.com. Here’s how you can participate to win:

• One mandatory entry – Visit www.aminogenesis.com and tell us one fact about the company
• Two  additional entries- Tell us why you deserve to win Gone In Sixty Seconds
• Three additional entries – if you have our badge up on your blog or you can grab our Mega Giveaway badge from our sidebar. Please leave your blog url to qualify.
• Giveaway is open to US and Canada shipping addresses only and closes on 8th January 2010.  The winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : Giveaway courtesy of our sponsor, www.aminogenesis.com

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Time for a little self pampering ~ Introducing Karite Special, an intensive treatment for restoring dry and damaged hair, is rich in Shea Butter, which revitalizes the hair’s capillary fiber leaving hair soft and silky as well as luxuriously fragranced. No more bad hair days!

Karite Creamy Shampoo – Formulated with Shea butter, one of the richest emollients available, the Karite Creamy Shampoo gently cleanses while restoring shine and silkiness to dry and damaged hair. Price $6.49

Karite Conditioner – Nourishes, protects and moisturizes dry and damaged hair while restoring elasticity, moisture and silkiness. Price $6.49

WIN THEM : Thanks to NuNaat, we’re giving away a bottle of Karite Creamy Shampoo and Karite Conditioner to one of our very deserving reader. To enter for a chance to win, this is what you have to do:

• One mandatory entry – Tell us why you need to win the Karite Creamy Shampoo and Conditioner
• Three additional entries – Grab our Mega Xmas Giveaway badge on our sidebar and place it on your site. Leave your site url in the comment section here.
• Three additional entries - If you tweet this giveaway. Please leave your twitter id/thread in the comment section.
• Entry is open to US and Canada shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway closes on  6th January 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : Giveaway courtesy of www.nunaat.com

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

The Young Scientists Club was started by Esther Novis, a mother of five and a former Harvard-trained biologist over a decade ago as a summer science camp for her then 5 year old son. Friends from other parts of the country told Novis they felt cheated that their kids couldn’t participate, so she packaged the experiments and sent them off. The ideas was such a hit that now subscription kits are mailed monthly to thousands of children around the world and the company’s retail kits are sold in hundreds of specialty stores worldwide.

We were thrilled to receive the Magic School Bus Diving into Slime, Gel and Goop kit by the Young Scientist Club. My little ones are budding scientists and could not have been more excited. I, on the other hand, was not so thrilled with the kit- Slime, Gel and Goop- sounded messy to me!! I have to admit, however, that I had more fun doing the experiments and activities than my children.

There are so many amazing aspects to this kit including step by step instructions, multiple exciting experiments, and hours of family fun. I loved this kit so much that we will be purchasing other kits from the Young Scientists Club for Christmas for other young family and friends. I would recommend these kits to anyone wanting a way to help young ones get excited about science and spend some wonderful time learning and laughing together.

About the Magic School Bus Diving into Slime, Gel and Goop kit:

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Squeeze Blaster by Prime Time Toys is a game for boys (and girls) of all ages. We received a Squeeze Blaster game recently to review for our Mega Xmas by Parent Reviewers.

My 7 year old son and my 38 year old husband were both equally as excited when they first saw the box. They were equally as excited when they began playing it and realized how fun and competitive it could be.

Since that time, both my husband and my son have enjoyed countless hours playing Squeeze Blaster with wonderful results. The best part in my opinion is the fact that the ease of play allows both my son and my husband to be competitive and they have each enjoyed winning many games.

Another wonderful aspect of this game is the softness of the foam darts- when my son “accidently” shot one at his sister she was not harmed. She actually found it amusing enough to want to give the game a try and had fun playing with it as well. I found this one to be a win-win and I am sure that this will be a family favorite for a long time to come.

About Squeeze Blaster:

The Squeeze Blaster Target Game from Prime Time Toys is the dart game that challenges players to take aim at the colorful 11 diameter board, squeeze the soft launcher, and make the 3 foam missile fly towards the target. The player with the most points wins!

Includes 2-3.25L launchers and 6-3L missiles.

Buy It! Squeeze Blaster can be purchased here or via Amazon.com.

Win It! One lucky reader will win a set of Squeeze Blaster. Here’s how you can enter for a chance to win this prize:

• One mandatory entry- Visit our sponsor and let us know one feature of the Squeeze Blaster
• Two additional entries - Tweet this review/giveaway and leave us a comment with the tweet URL and your Twitter ID. You can tweet everyday and come back here to leave your twitter thread.
• Three additional entries – grab our Mega Giveaway badge from our sidebar. Please leave your blog url to qualify
• Giveaway is open to US  shipping address and closes on 4th January 2010.  The winner will be picked using Random.org.
• We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0

The above review is also cross posted by Jenn on her site One House School Room Reviews.