GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Imagine this, you are sitting on the bus with nothing to do, the ride ahead of you is the same every afternoon without fail, then you hear the faint sound of Joe Satriani playing in the background. Looking over in the isle next to you is someone playing guitar on their shirt with a mini-amp attached to their belt buckle, Or a keyboard on their shirt blasting out some techno Chopin. How could this not be the BEST bus ride ever?

ThinkGeek.com has outdone them selves again. They never fail to amaze me; I was stunned by the T-Qualizer shirt which I used to see in the clubs from time to time. Now, they have come out with the Kids Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt and Drum Kit Shirt.

Each T-shirt has:

• Battery pack with speaker stores in hidden pocket near hem of shirt
• Adjustable volume… the top volume level is really loud
• Black 100% cotton shirt
• Requires 4 AAA batteries (not included)
• Exclusive product designed and manufactured by ThinkGeek
• Electric guitar and drum kit T-shirts for young rockers that produce authentic sounds for rocking out
• Belt out your favorite rock tunes on these t-shirts based on real playable instruments
• Each button on the shirt’s guitar neck represents a major chord, which makes playing classic rock songs easy
• Drum shirt features 7 different drums and sounds and has an embedded speaker
• Strum the guitar by waving the included magnetic pick over the strings

BUY IT : If you think you don’t get enough “playtime” with the kids in your life, I challenge you to go to ThinkGeek.com, grab these shirts and see how long it takes for your kids (and you) to be jamming out at the kitchen counter for at last a half an hour.

These shirts go way beyond my expectations and have always met with the quality of ThinkGeek.com. In fact, I have seen co-workers around the office with some of these shirts on. They are perfect for the young and old alike, get a handful of them and get ready for a rockin’ good time, it’ll be a HUGE hit.

WIN IT : Now, one of our lucky US reader will have an opportunity to win a piece of Kids Guitar & Drum Kit Electronic T-Shirt which retails for $29.99. Here’s what you need to do to enter this giveaway:

• One Mandatory Entry- visit the ThinkGeek website and let us know which Interactive T-shirt design is your favourite
• Two Additional Entries- follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway.  Be sure to leave a comment including your twitter id and the tweet url.
• Five Additional Entries- leave us a comment letting us know which of our blog tour product appeals to you
• Giveaway is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends March 22nd 2011 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.

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GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

I am a pillow hog… I love pillows- the fluffier and yummier, the better!!  I was thrilled to be asked to review a great product from Dacron- the mini pillow.  The only problem was that my daughter is almost as much of a pillow hog as I am and as soon as it arrived she claimed it as hers.  It is the perfect size for her little head and she loves that it is little enough to take on the road with us.  She has taken that mini pillow everywhere for the last week or so.

So… what makes Dacron filled pillows so wonderful:

The DACRON® brand was launched in 1959, as a versatile, easy to care for polyester. Today the brand is still strong in the minds of today’s bedding consumer and associated with attributes such as quality and durability.

The DACRON® brand has developed a new quality seal that assures consumers that products bearing the seal are filled with high quality branded fiberfill from INVISTA.

DACRON® offers the following fiberfill choices:

DACRON® Comforel® fiberfill – Brings lasting comfort and softness to pillows and other bedding products. For consumers who want an easy to care for alternative to a down pillow, look for pillows filled with DACRON® Comforel® fiberfill.

DACRON® Performa® fiberfill – Some consumers like freshness, some want more support, Pillows filled with DACRON® Performa® fiberfill fit the bill for a variety of consumer needs in bedding.

DACRON® Duralife™ fiberfill – Long lasting durability and a great value make pillows of DACRON® Duralife™ fiberfill an easy choice.

Trust is so important when choosing products for my family.  Dacron has a brand new quality seal,  assuring that when you see this seal, you’re getting a great Dacron product and you can “Trust What’s Inside” and that “It Just Feels Good”.

The Dacron fiber quality seal is based on a legacy of fiber technologies that have earned people’s trust for more than 50 years. Over two-thirds of consumers noted that they were familiar with the Dacron brand in a 2010 nationwide survey, showing that Dacron has one of the highest levels of consumer awareness among popular home furnishings.

I know that we love the Dacron pillow we were given and I believe that you will love them for your family as well.

The wonderful people at Dacron have offered a pair of Dacron mini pillows to one lucky reader.

To enter:

• First Mandatory Entry- Leave us a comment telling us your favorite feature of the Dacron products.  Please be sure to leave a valid email address.
• Two Additional Entries- Follow Parent Reviewers on twitter and tweet this giveaway.  Please leave additional comments including your twitter id and your tweet url.
• Three Additional Entries- Leave additional comments including the url of your favorite reviewed product over the past year.
• Giveaway is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends February 21st, 2011 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.

Good Luck!!

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GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

The Rumba watch has done something no other watch/fashion item has done to my tomboy daughter, it won her over. It comes in this cool plastic holder and bends/moves whichever way you want it to, so when I pulled it out of the container and tested it, I was thrilled.

There are no latches that might break, no pieces that are sensitive to the oils in your skin or concerns if you throw it in your backpack before sports or gym class; it’s a resilient watch perfect for people with an active lifestyle.

Some key points with the Rumba VanDam watches:

• Silicone Unisex Watch
•  22mm Wide
• Ultra Lightweight at only 10 grams
• Water Resistant to 99 feet

And so RumbaTime began with the simple idea of making time keep up with your life, instead of the other way around, Made with silicone, watches that feel like a second skin. They are smooth, bright, water-resistant & durable – in styles and colors as diverse as personalities.

Small/Medium is a nice fit for women, my daughter is 17 and it slid on her perfect with a little bit of room to move on her wrist. One tip that she gave me when I asked about how she likes it is to read the instructions to set watch, it can be a little difficult to understand on your own.

BUY IT : These watches are only 16$ and for an original idea for a birthday gift you aren’t breaking the bank for style. You can get yours from Rumba Time.

WIN IT : Thanks to Rumba Time, we are giving away a watch of your choice (excluding Mercer) to one of our reader. To enter for a chance to win, here’s some easy peasy requirements:

• One mandatory entry – Head over to Rumba Time and tell us, which watch is your favourite.
• Two additional entry – Follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway “Win a watch from Rumba Times at parentreviewers.com“  with a link back to this post. Please leave an additional comment including your twitter id and your tweet url. You can do this daily until the giveaway closes.
• Two Additional Entries- Are you a subscriber? You get 2 extra entries just for that! If not, best you subscribe right now!
• Two Additional Entries- Post this on FB and share this piece of good news with your friends!!!! Let us know if you’re a fan too!
• Giveaway open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends February 15th 2011 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.

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GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

My children are all taught that most of life is full of non-gender roles.

What I used to call policemen, are now police officers. Teachers are male and female as can be presidents and military officials.

So when given the chance to take my toddler girls outside of the realm of their traditional apron and kitchen playtime as they normally have, (I got them a kitchen, pots pans and matching aprons) it was wonderful to give them these cute outfits to expand their playtime.

They have spent hours pretending to talk on their radios and “answer” emergencies like, fires in the kitchen and the backyard full of burglars.

The outfits are simple, comfortable and will last many years of hard play. They are not plastic like most other costumes for play, they are sturdy and filled with pockets (That you can put a badge in) cute designs that look like hand cuffs and a police scanner. These long shirts are a soft fabric and made large so kids won’t stretch them out.

• Velcro tabs make it easy to put on and take off
• Great silkscreened graphics
• One Size fits most 3-5 years old

Let your imagination run wild with these great dress-up clothes.

The other bonus to these costumes is my girls can play with my boyfriend’s son, because it’s not cool to be six years old, and trying to play princess with the girls. Sometimes you just need a cool shirt!!

BUY IT : If you are looking for a police officer or Fireman outfit (or any other career outfit), they are available from Aeromax Toys through Amazon.com.

WIN IT : Thanks to Aeromax Toys, one lucky winner will get to pick TWO My 1st Career Gears. To enter for a chance to win, here’s what you need to do:

• One mandatory entry – Pay a visit to their  My 1st Career Gear page at Amazon and pick your favourite two gears
• Two additional entry – Follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway “Win TWO My 1st Career Gears at Parentreviewers.com” with a link back to this post. Please leave an additional comment including your twitter id and your tweet url. You can do this daily until the giveaway closes.
• Two Additional Entries- Post this on FB and share this piece of good news with your friends!!!! Let us know if you’re a fan too!
• FIVE Additional Entries – Leave a comment in one of our parenting article and come back here and tell us which article you had commented on.
• Giveaway is open to US  shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends November 28th (11:59pm) 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.

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GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

One of the first “baby items” that I received for my new little girl who is due early November was an adorable pair of shoes from See Kai Run. I received a pair of size 4 (9-12 months) “Kai” style sneakers – in pink, red and brown – and I think they are probably the cutest shoes I’ve ever seen. Pink and brown is incredibly hot this season (and is light blue and brown for baby boys) so these shoes are incredibly easy to pair with outfits.

These shoes feature super soft leather and flexible leather soles – so they are healthy for your little ones developing feet yet they are sturdy enough so that baby can run around outside with the big kids. I figure that getting the 9-12 months size was a good choice since my son walked around 7 months and it will be nice enough to play outside and try them out (really whether she is walking by that time or not).

See Kai Run footwear has been awarded the American Podiatric Medical Association’s prestigious Seal of Acceptance which means that they meet rigorous standards set forth by the APMA for foot health and functionality.

There are a couple more size groups that See Kai Run sells which include the “little” baby shoes called (most appropriately) “Smaller” which feature sizes 0-6 months up to 12-18 months. The “See Kai Run” size group runs from 3 to 7 (or 6-9 months up to around 3 years). Then there is the “Eleven” group which covers the “bigger” kids up to age 8.

BUY IT : Want some of these adorable shoes for your child this Xmas? You can purchase them at the See Kai Run website! Hurry, See Kai Run is celebrating their 6th Birthday and there will be free ground shipping to addresses in the US, valid until 4pm PT November 8th.

WIN IT : We heart See Kai Run and we know you will too! So, we’re giving away a pair of See Kai Run (or Smaller) shoes of your choice.

• One Mandatory Entry- go visit See Kai Run and pick the shoes that you would like to win.
• One Additional Entry- if you’re our subscriber! Easy! If you’re not a subscriber, click here to subscribe!
• Two Additional Entries- follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway “Win See Kai Run shoes at Parentreviewers.com” with a link back to this post once a day. Leave an additional comment including your twitter id and the tweet url. You can tweet on a daily basis.
• Three Additional Entries- Share on Facebook about this great giveaway! It can be done on a daily basis too! Please leave your FB id.
• Giveaway is open to US  and Canada shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends on November 15th 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.

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Sign up for her free Positive Parenting Newsletter at http://www.drlouisehart.com.

Louise Hart is a community educator, and author of two books. The Winning Family and On the Wings of Self-Esteem have been translated into half a dozen languages. A professional speaker, she currently teaches Positive Psychology as it applies to parenting. Dr. Hart has a Doctorate of Education in Community Psychology, which deals with the relationships of the individual to family, communities and the wider society.

Copyright 2010 Dr. Louise Hart is a Community Psychologist, author, and Grandmother.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Kidz Bop 18 is the newest release in the Kidz Bop franchise (which has been around since 2001). Kidz Bop are compilation albums of popular songs, covered by children singing rather than the original artist. They are edited to remove the blatantly “questionable” things so that kids who want to listen to what’s hot on the radio can without constantly hearing the “bad” stuff the songs may discuss.

For instance; on Kidz Bop 18 there are two Lady Gaga songs performed – Alejandro and Telephone – both having some major lyrics changes (I only really caught them because I am a HUGE Gaga fan and have heard both originals many, many times).

Another edit I caught is on the “Billionaire” song – original lyrics are “I wanna be a billionaire so fricking bad.” Kidz Bop changes the “fricking” to “very” which is more appropriate.

Then on the song “Hey Soul Sister” I caught “like a pop star you’re Madonna” instead of “like a virgin you’re Madonna.”

It’s actually fun for me to catch the rewrites – don’t judge me, lol.

Songs on Kidz Bop 18 include:

• Baby (Justin Bieber)
• Telephone (Lady Gaga ft. Beyoncé)
• California Gurls (Katy Perry)
• Hey Soul Sister (Train)
• Do You Remember (Jay Sean ft. Sean Paul & Lil Jon)
• Naturally (Selena Gomez & the Scene)
• Whataya Want From Me (Adam Lambert)
• Nothin On You (B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars)
• Break Your Heart (Taio Cruz)
• All The Right Moves (One Republic)
• Two Is Better Than One (Boys Like Girls ft. Taylor Swift)
• Evacuate The Dancefloor (Cascada)
• Billionaire (Travie McCoy ft. Bruno Mars)
• Alejandro (Lady Gaga)
• Breakeven (The Script)
• Single Ladies (Beyoncé)

Now – my son (who’s 5 years old) and his friend (who’s 6 years old) both were jamming along to this cd – and I could get into it a little also since I listen to a lot of the songs on the cd anyway. But – this is really for parents who want to censor their kids music a little. I personally don’t care what music my son gets to hear for the most part. The company says that the Kidz Bop cd’s are geared towards ages 5 to 12 but I would think age 8 would be more appropriate since by 12 they’ve certainly heard the real lyrics and may question why they are listening to a bunch of kids since edited versions.

Buy It: You can find Kidz Bop 18 both at “local” stores like Target or Wal-Mart or at online retailers including Amazon and even the Kidz Bop website.

Win It: We’re giving away THREE copies of Kidz Bop 18! If you would like to enter for a chance to win this CD, here’s what you need to do:

• One mandatory entry – Visit the  website Kidz Bop and name another of their album (besides Kidz Bop 18).
• Two additional entry – Follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway “Win this awesome Kidz Bop 18 CD“  with a link back to this post. Please leave an additional comment including your twitter id and your tweet url. You can do this daily until the giveaway closes.
• Two Additional Entries- Post this on FB and share this piece of good news with your friends!!!! Let us know if you’re a fan too!
• Giveaway is open to US  shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends  August 2nd (11:59pm) 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/2

By Sandby Sandler

It’s summer and the kids are excited, no school… you’re a bit overwhelmed thinking how am I ever going to keep them busy and out of trouble? Of course there are sports, video games, hikes, but the weather isn’t always cooperative and there are 24 hours in each of those three months of summer.

A great activity for summertime is crafts. Crafts are great, not only because they are fun and can be very inexpensive, but craft projects have been proven time and again to be one of the best activities for quality interaction between parents and children. Crafting is a great way to stimulate your children’s imagination while spending some great family time. If you have never tried crafting with your family, then you will be proud by how readily your children take to these creative projects.

Many of the major craft stores have great summer craft classes and most of them are free. Check with local stores, community recreation centers and other parenting resources to discover what is available.

Here are just a few of the numerous benefits that your children will take away from your crafting time together:

1. Increased Self Esteem: Children develop self-esteem and pride from working on projects with their “adult” helpers.
2. A Boost in Creativity: Craft projects develop creativity, along with the ability to think and problem solve. Kids will dream up new thoughts, ideas and even methods of creating original projects.
3. Develop Patience and Perseverance: Craft projects teach persistence and the ability to systematically and logically work a project through to completion. There are all skills that will prove invaluable later in life!
4. Making Memories: Most importantly, family crafting is amazing fun. Your time spent crafting with your children will create priceless family time and memories.

On the topic of making memories, there are many great summertime family craft projects you can do with your children to preserve summer memories.

A few great ideas for preserving your summer memories include:

1. Collecting: Save everything, ticket stubs, cards from restaurants you visit, the brochure from a museum, and of course, some pictures from your trip. A favorite project for me is to take these collected items, decopage them onto a board and then make a picture frame using anything from wine corks, to sea shells, or even decopaged mat board. This has an eco-element to crafting too teaching kids to creatively reuse and repurpose seemingly throw away items. Consider giving each child a page in the scrapbook with their designs that depict their summer vacation….think Picasso…it doesn’t have to look like what is depicts!
2. Journal Activities: Have your children journal about their summer days. If they are too young to journal themselves, you can have them tell you about their day and you can write it for them. They can also add photos or drawings to illustrate their day.
3. Go on a Nature Walk: You can take photos or draw pictures of the beauty you see. Then you can do everything from making scrapbook pictures to making birthday and thank you cards to keep on hand.
4. Make a Family summer Vacation Scrapbook: Give each child a page in the scrapbook with their designs that depict their summer vacation….think Picasso.. it doesn’t have to look like what is depicts!
5. Make a Family Time Capsule: This is a tried and true memory preservation idea. You can use most anything as the “capsule.” Even an old shoe box can work. Have each member of the family choose something to put in the capsule. It can be a journal, a DVD, photos, a toy, or other items. Also, have everyone write a note or draw a picture and put it in the capsule. Then let your children tape and decorate the box so it will be until the determined opening date! Finally put it away in the back of a closet, the attic or even bury it in the back yard.

As you begin to craft and create regularly you will see that your children will grow more confident with their own creativity. They will look forward to spending this special time with the family. The best benefit is that you will be making new memories as you are preserving old ones!

About the Author:

Sandy Sandler is founder of non-profit Crafters 4 Kids and creator of the QVC best-seller, the Bowdabra. Her frugal craft projects and activity ideas are designed to transform the creatively-challenged into creative pros. Sandy’s focus is on creative and easy projects that parents can do with their kids and that kids can even do on their own that are both frugal and green in nature. Crafters 4 Kids focuses on projects that can be done under 5 minutes and under $5. Visit www.C4K555.org. Contact Sandy at jaimevivre@mac.com.

I just got back from an 8 hour plane flight, with three kids (2, 4 and 7) and 60kg of luggage, by myself. Not only that, I managed to watch 3 movies, eat the meals and enjoy myself. The best thing was, the 2 year old did not scream or yell (unlike the first time we went, where he screamed non-stop for 2 hours) and instead, entertained himself and the other passengers. To be honest, as I was planning for our 19 days trip, everyone asked if it would be alright, traveling with kids. Well, to be honest, the best answer to that is to not to have any expectations on how your kids will behave. They will not sleep if you want them to. And they will sleep when you least expect them to. I gave myself a big pat on my shoulder, and for remembering to take double of my anxiety relaxant pills.

However, if I had read “Wanderlust and Lipstick – Traveling with Kids” by Leslie Forsberg and Michelle Duffy, it may have given me more ideas on how to relax even further!

“Wanderlust and Lipstick – Traveling with Kids” is a collection of real-life experiences by moms who travel with kids. By travel, it could mean interstate or international. It doesn’t matter. What really matters, is your sanity and maintaining it. Reading this book WILL. HELP. YOU.

It covers from pre-travel (yes, even if you’re just thinking about it) right up to post-travel, where it mentions recovery from jet-lag. It includes an extensive list of websites, which is pretty handy since it’s all laid out in one book! While alot of us moms just worry about the logistics, the food and water supplies, we often forget about the enriching experiences our kids go through. Like just letting them play and make friends with the local kids, is enough to fill their memory banks for a lifetime. The book is peppered with “hot tips” for short trips that are 1 hour drive away or super long ‘around the world’ trips!

About Wanderlust and lipstick :

Our mission is to increase your passion for travel by providing inspiration, tips and words of wisdom from experienced Wanderlusters who’ve seen it all! Here you can find travel stories to whet your appetite for adventures around the globe; join a WanderTour to Bhutan or India; peruse posts from the ever expanding group of WanderBloggers; read travel tips from experienced globetrotters; learn about Wanderlust and Lipstick-recommended travel gear; and salivate over the glorious photos in the WanderGallery submitted by travelers the world over.

More about the co-authors : Leslie Forsberg and Michelle Duffy, please go here!

Buy It! The Wanderlust and Lipstick series is specifically targeted to women, and I only wish I had known about it earlier. I have so many girlfriends who have the ‘wanderlust’ in them, and have traveled far and wide, and this would have made perfect gifts for them. Series include :

• The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo – 2nd Edition
• For Women Traveling to India

These books are available at the Wanderlustandlipstick website and also at Amazon.

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