Review | - Page 2

#HolidayPalooza – Hasbro (review)

December 14, 2011 By Jackie

Welcome to Holiday Palooza 2011!! I have some great ideas for gifts this year! Check back often because I also have some great giveaways too! If you are looking to buy for someone in particular check the “Holiday Palooza” tab at the top and I have everything categorized for Baby, Kids, Women, Men, Pets and Other as well as a list of all the sponsors! All my current giveaways (as well as how many days are left til it ends) and most recent posts are on my sidebar as well!!

Hasbro is a company that is all over this house…Jaylin loves My Little Pony and has a TON of their stuff as well as a ton of random other Hasbro toys. This year, she’ll be getting 2 more Hasbro toys that are perfect for my little animal lover!

As I’ve said a million times, Jaylin is my animal lover…she has a ton of stuffed animals she calls her “babies” that she sleeps with (she has so many, there is barely enough room for her on the bed!) So a perfect gift for her is a FurReal Friend!!! She’ll be opening a Newborn Penguin on Christmas morning and I can’t wait to see her face! This cute furry little guy makes drinking sounds and chirps when you feed him. It opens it’s beak and flaps it’s wings too!

Newborns need lots of love and attention and this newborn penguin figure is no different! Cuddle up close with this fuzzy little fellow and “feed” him from his bottle accessory — he’ll open his beak and make “eating” sounds! Then, it’s back to playtime and lots of snuggling until he’s “hungry” again. How will you know? He’ll flap his wings and “ask” for his bottle. This little one just can’t get enough of spending time with you!

You can get the Newborn Penguin FurReal Friend from Hasbro.com for $14.99! They have a ton of other FurReal Friends to choose from too!

Just about anything little is adorable, that is so true for Littlest Pet Shop!! How could they make Littlest Pet Shop pets any more cute? Make them move of course…they now have Littlest Pet Shop Walkables!!!! We got the Dragonfly and it’s so cute! It’s pink head and purple body is going to thrill Jaylin (her favorite colors!)

This adorable pet can’t wait to play with you! You’ll love your beautiful dragonfly pet, and the best part is that he really moves! Put your pet on a smooth surface and push the button to see him move his wings just like a real dragonfly. With this amazing “critter” in your collection, you’ll love being a pet owner more than ever!

You can buy a Littlest Pet Shop Walkables on Hasbro.com for $6.99! They have a variety to choose from as well as a play set to go with them!

I received products for the purpose of reviewing at no cost to me. All opinions expressed are of my own and not influenced by anything or anyone.

Filed Under: Holiday Palooza 2011, Kids, Stocking Stuffer, review

#HolidayPalooza – Pressman Toys (review/giveaway)

December 14, 2011 By Jackie

My kids love playing games and so do I…it’s a great way to have family time. There are plenty of video games for us to play together, but there’s nothing like a good old fashioned board game! Some of my greatest memories with my Dad are of us playing board games together (he still picks on me about how much I would bug him to play Trouble with me lol) Pressman Toy has a lot of great games to pick from…and they sent us 2 to check out!

One of the newest kids’ movies is Happy Feet 2…I have yet to see it, but it looks cute. We got Happy Feet Two: Freezing Frenzy Game, and it’s completely ADORABLE! Each player (for 2-4 players…ages 5 and up) chooses a color and tries to be the first to collect all six matching ice cubes. But you have to be fast! Erik moves and shakes, tossing ice cubes everywhere! When your color pops off the game base, try to grab it. But if another player gets to it first, they’ll put it back…and keep you waiting for it. Be the first to collect your 6 ice cubes to win! You can get Happy Freet 2: Freezing Frenzy Game for $24.99 from Pressman Toy.

There are many reasons I love having a little girl, and one of those reasons is all the princess stuff she enjoys! So for Jaylin we got Who’s The Princess.

Get an invitation, dress, tiara and glass slippers into your coach and be the first player to get to the castle! Landing on Coach spaces will help you get the things you need for the ball and landing on Wicked Queen spaces can keep your opponent’s from winning. It’s a fairytale and a game all in one.

Contents: Fairytale castle, enchanted forest game board, 4 princess movers, 4 coaches, Wicked Queen, 2 dice,
16 princess cards, rules.

For 2 to 4 players
Ages 3 and up

Who’s The Princess is a Chimp and Zee game, their games are easy for parents to set up and fun for kids to play. You have fun, even when it’s not your turn, only takes 10 minutes to play (I can see this game being played over and over and over and well, you get the picture lol) and everyone has a chance to win! Their games make kids laugh and help them learn through play…which is something I LOVE!

You can get Who’s The Princess for only $15 from Pressman Toy!

The Giveaway: Pressman Toy would like to giveaway one (1) Happy Feet Two: Feeding Frenzy Game and one (1) Who’s The Princess? (2 different winners…there are 2 separate Rafflecopters, one for each game since one game is for girls)

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Filed Under: Giveaways Closed, Holiday Palooza 2011, Kids, review

Oxy Acne Products #CBias

December 13, 2011 By Jackie

I guess I got spoiled while I was pregnant with Justin…I didn’t have a single breakout on my face! That all changed shortly after he was born!

You can see my face starting to breakout.

So Jaylin, Justin and I went to Walmart and purchased some Oxy Foaming Face Wash to try to clear up my skin (check out my Google+ story of our shop ). I don’t do too much to my skin, other than use a cleaner when I take a shower…but now that these breakouts are happening I need to get on more of a routine to get and keep my face clear! I will be using the Oxy Foaming Face Wash 2 times a day as directed! I can’t stand to see my face broken out like this (it’s worse now than in the picture above…that was a few weeks ago)

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are my own and not influenced by anyone or anything.

Filed Under: review

#HolidayPalooza – Noodle Head – Snuggle Paws (review/giveaway)

December 10, 2011 By Jackie

Each year it seems to get easier and easier to buy for the kids. Especially Jaylin, she’s more vocal on what she likes and it’s only a few things she likes…Tinkerbell, any type of animal and her favorite colors are pink and purple. Well, Noodle Head has combined her favorite colors and one of her favorite things and has a pink and purple Snuggle Paws Cat!!!

A Snuggle Paws is a blanket and pillow set, the pillow is in the shape of a cat (or dog) and the legs hold the rolled up blanket! Both the animal and blanket are so soft.

Our Snuggle Paws travel pillows and blankets are made with a super soft, cuddly plush fabric that will lull tired travelers to sleep. Hook and loop tabs hold blanket in place and plush handle is easy for little hands to grasp. Can be attached to luggage and strollers too. Cozy friends for sleepy travelers. Soft, snuggle blankets with tag-along pillow pals. Machine washable. Hypo-allergenic.

This is going to be great for Jaylin when we go on one of our long trips to see Jeff’s parents…or even a trip to the city (a nice 30min drive) not to mention I know she’ll be playing with the cat at home with her tons of other stuffed animals!

You can get a Snuggle Paws Cat (pink and purple) or Dog (blue) on Amazon.com for $24.99.

The Giveaway: One reader will win a Noodle Head Snuggle Paws of their choice (cat or dog)!

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Filed Under: Giveaways Closed, Holiday Palooza 2011, Kids, review

#HolidayPalooza – Pawparazzi (review/giveaway)

December 10, 2011 By Jackie

Every year, Jaylin gets a Pawparazzi….they are THAT awesome and she loves them THAT much!!! She’s getting quite the collection and this Christmas is no exception!!!

This year she’ll be getting Lexi, the Fashion Designer Poodle. She’s one of Pawparazzi’s newest animal! A cute pink poodle with a pink and brown bag and a pink blanket. She also has a leopard print hat and scarf! She’s just one of the new Pawparazzi’s out…there is Cocoa, Ditto, and Mindy! Each with their own personality and “occupation”. You can also buy clothes for your Pawparazzi pet and play sets for them!

Pawparazzi pet sets are $22.00 and you can get acessories starting at $6.00 and clothes starting at $8.00! So much stuff for cute little pets!!!!

The Giveaway: I’m giving away one the new Pawparazzi pets of your choice (Woofgang, Cooper, Karma, Salsa, Lexi, Ditto, Mindy or Cocoa)

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Filed Under: Giveaways Closed, Holiday Palooza 2011, Kids, review

#HolidayPalooza – B Kids (review)

December 9, 2011 By Jackie

Babies aren’t the easiest to buy for….I always have a problem when my kids are little with what to buy them for Christmas! This year Justin will be getting 2 toys from B Kids even though they are for 6+ months…he’ll play with them eventually!

The first thing is the Stack ‘n Link Pal, I remember having one of the stacking toys when I was little…the multicolored rings you put on the cone thing. This one is different…not only can you put the rings on the cone, but you can link the rings together and play with them that way! Oh…and I love it even more because the topper is monkey!!!! You can attach a ring to the ear to include the monkey in the linking! It’s like getting 2 toys in 1 with the Stack ‘n Link Pal! Of course with having older kids that have had developmental delays, I’m always looking for toys that will help with development and the Stack ‘n Link Pal is good for fine motor skills to get the rings on the cone.

The other thing is the Soft Peek-A-Boo Block, it includes 3 blocks that open and have a window so you can put one of the 6 other blocks in and see the animal face! These are also great for fine motor skills…to put the blocks in the ones that open and stacking! I love that most…if not all of B Kids toys have a monkey on them!!!!

I received products for the purpose of reviewing at no cost to me. All opinions expressed are of my own and not influenced by anything or anyone.

Filed Under: Baby, Holiday Palooza 2011, review

Pregnancy 2.0 Mommy Party

December 7, 2011 By Jackie

Last month I was sent products to host a party for expecting and new moms I know. I was happy to do this since I had just had Justin and baby products are one of the things I know a lot about! It sucked because of the holidays and everyone had plans…but my best friend, Amy (who just recently found out she was pregnant!!!! I can’t tell you how excited I am for her to have a baby!!!) and her sister come to hang out…I’m kind of glad Amy and Beth were the only ones…I was able to clearly show them how things worked since Amy NEEDS the practice, yes she goes with me and the kids places but she had problems with car seat buckles and little babies (like Justin) she’s uneasy with (yes, she does hold Justin…but she is VERY still when she does lol) I had plenty of goody bags to give out, as well as some cool items for door prizes…just sucks everyone was busy But we made the best of it.

Goody Bags and Door Prizes

Britax Shipment

Britax was the first shipment I got and was excited to show off everything! I left everything in the boxes until they got there, so I could show how easy everything was. I first wanted to demonstrate the baby carrier since the baby wrap I use, freaks Amy out and I wanted to show her and her sister that there are other carriers out there.

Me demonstrating the Britax Baby Carrier and reading the directions to make sure I do it right.

The baby carrier was slightly confusing…hence the directions in my hand…but once I got everything figured out, I was comfortable enough to put Justin in it.

Justin in the Britax Baby Carrier

I thought the snaps up top were pretty cool, you stick the peg through a hole and it latches.

When I took Justin out of the carrier, I give him to Amy to hold (because she needs to “practice”), he wasn’t happy to be out of the carrier lol

Amy holding Justin.

What really sucks is…right after Jeff took the above picture….my camera died!!!! Even though my camera died…don’t mean the party did! I opened up the big Britax boxes and showed Amy the carseat…then she watched as I quickly put together the stroller and showed her how the carseat fit on the stroller. I even had her put it on the stroller and take it off…it was so easy she could do it and she was thrilled!

Before the party I was debating switching out the carseat we had for Justin and keeping the Britax carseat and stroller for myself…but the Britax carseat was heavier than my Evenflo so I decided to keep mine…and since Amy don’t have a lot….this baby was a total shock…she had mentioned the only thing she wanted NEW for her baby was a crib and carseat…so before the party ended I told her my gift to her was the Britax Carseat and Stroller! Her eyes lit up and she was THRILLED!!! Her sister got the Britax Carrier

I was also sent a Baby Plus Prenatal Education System, but neither Amy or her sister was far enough along to use it and I had already had Justin…but I did show it to them and Beth went home with it…someone will get use out of it eventually.

I was also sent 2 snuggle buddies…a boy one and a girl one…I kept the boy one for Justin because it was so cute and soft…the head is a rattle!!!!

Justin with his snuggle buddy puppy.

Neither Beth nor Amy know what they are having yet…but I let them take the girl one home…hopefully one of them will have a girl!!!!

The goody bags, had samples of and coupons for Spry Gum and Xlear nasal spray. Amy and Beth each got one, I kept one for myself and I handed out the rest to the other moms and moms-to-be I invited but were unable to come.

Overall I think the party was great…I taught Amy and her sister about infant carseats and strollers…as well as carriers and was able to give my best friend the best baby gift!

I was sent products for the purpose of hosting a party. All opinions are my own and not influenced by anyone or anything.

Filed Under: review

#KmartHoliday Decorate It Forward #CBias

December 6, 2011 By Jackie

My Mother in Law and Father in Law

This past year has been rough for my mother in law (MIL). She already had health issues and has since I’ve known Jeff. But earlier this year Jeff said his mom really wasn’t doing good and it was her birthday and she was thinking it might be her last…so we scrounged up the money to make the 4+hour drive down to North Carolina to surprise her. Then a few months ago, Jeff got a call from his brother while he was at work…Jeff thought the worst and that it was “THE” call…but it wasn’t as bad as he was thinking, but it was bad enough…his mom was in the hospital…a section of her intestines had ruptured. After having major surgery and being in a drug induced coma for a few weeks…she was able to come home, only to be taken back after about a week or 2. For awhile I wasn’t sure she was going to make it home at all again. I was worried for her, for Jeff and his entire family. She is now home…but was told she has colon cancer and that is why it ruptured the other month.

My MIL is a fighter, she said she isn’t going to give up and will do everything she can to beat the cancer. But knowing how the disease can take a toll on your body, not to mention your emotions, I wanted to do something special for her for Christmas. When I got the opportunity to Decorate It Forward…she was the first person who popped into my mind. I got a huge box of Christmas decorations from KMart to send to her.

Sample of all the decorations I'm sending to my MIL

In the pack I’m sending includes everything she would possibly need to decorate her tree! Including the tree skirt, garland and a TON of ornaments and glass bulbs as well as 2 big bows to put wherever she would like.

3 different color bulbs...10 silver, 10 red and 10 pink (the pink one looks red because it's on the red tree skirt)

One of the bows, and you can see more of the color of the pink bulb

These are cute little gingerbread people and barn ornaments (I think there are 2 or 3 sets of these)

These were interesting to me...2 sets of kitchen utensil ornaments lol

Ice Cream cones and little star ornaments (in pink and red)

Ribbon Candy ornaments.

I've never seen garland like this...but I think it's pretty cute.

I don’t know if you noticed a theme…but it’s the Country Living Homespun Holiday collection from KMart. My MIL loves country items so I thought this would be perfect for her. The package is currently being shipped to her and I will update as soon as she gets it. It will be a shock to her to get something from me…we’ve never really gotten along. I usually stay in a hotel room while Jeff takes the kids to see her and visits with her and then comes back to the hotel room for the night. It’s not that I don’t like her, or she don’t like me…it’s that I don’t have anything to do there…we don’t have anything to talk about and I am more comfortable sitting in a hotel room relaxing…it gives me a vacation while Jeff gets to visit his parents.

I think and I hope she likes the package…I hope it brightens her Christmas…she deserves it. I hope sometime after Christmas we will get enough money to go see them again, she hasn’t met Justin yet and I want to make sure she gets to see and hold him. It sucks to live 4+ hours away…I know Jeff would love to see his parents more and my kids would love to see their other grandparents more.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are my own and not influenced by anything or anyone.

Filed Under: review

#HolidayPalooza – Steve Spangler Science – Insta-Snow Day (review/giveaway)

December 1, 2011 By Jackie

Welcome to Holiday Palooza 2011!! I have some great ideas for gifts this year! Check back often because I also have some great giveaways too! If you are looking to buy for someone in particular check the “Holiday Palooza” tap at the top and I have everything categorized for Baby, Kids, Women, Men, Pets and Other as well as a list of all the sponsors! All my current giveaways (as well as how many days are left til it ends) and most recent posts are on my sidebar as well!!

Winter around here we don’t lack snow, heck we got snow before Halloween this year!! But there are times we wish we had snow, I would love to have a white Christmas…and now I sort of can and have fun with my kids at the same time! Steve Spangler Science sells a product called Insta-Snow Day and it’s a container of “snow” that you just add water to and it fluffs up and you can play with it!

Creating your Instant Snow Day is simple and fun. Just use the included blue scoop to get the perfect amount of powder in a small cup or in someone’s hands and then pour 2 oz. of water over it. One! You can see the powder begin to polymerize. Two! The powder is starting to expand more and more. Three! The powder over flows and you’ve got a brilliant start to your own Insta-Snow Day. The clear quart-sized pail has everything you need including mixing instructions, scientific explanation and the measuring blue scoop to make sure that you mix-up a perfect batch every time!

My dad loves science projects, so I know he’d love to check out the Steve Spangler Science website. I actually just requested a free catalog because that’s how my dad likes to shop and I’m going to give it to him when I get it Insta-Snow Day is just up my Dad’s alley (one year we saved snow in the freezer, he’s so goofy and fun!) It don’t take much of the “snow” and water to make a lot to play with either! Plus, you don’t have to be out in the freezing cold to play with it!

You can get Insta-Snow Day from Steve Spangler Science for only $19.99 which is a great price for as much as it makes (even though the container don’t look like a lot…it expands a LOT!) You can use the code TOYS11-MM to get 10% off your purchase of $50 or more!!!!

Make sure you Like Steve Spangler on Facebook, follow them on Twitter @SpanglerScience, and check out the Steve Spangler Blog!

The Giveaway: One lucky reader will win their very own Insta-Snow Day!

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Filed Under: Anyone/Everyone, Giveaways Closed, Holiday Palooza 2011, Kids, review

#HolidayPalooza – Santa’s Hideout (review)

November 27, 2011 By Jackie

Having older kids who know what they want for Christmas, it can be hard to remember what all they’ve told me they want for Christmas. I’m glad there is now Santa’s Hideout…a site the kids can create their lists for Santa so I can’t forget what they want!

Santa’s Hideout is a great site that parents go sign up, then add the kids. Parents can even limit how many things they can ask for, as well as a price limit! I created a FREE account and set it up for Jeffery and Jaylin…I helped them add things they’ve been asking for and it was so simple! Jeffery can do it on his own since he can spell, he can type in what he wants to search for, such as “cars” and all kinds of Lightning McQueen stuff popped up and all he had to do was click “Add to List” under the toys he wanted and bam…DONE! The lists don’t have to be just for you, you can share the lists with family and friends so they know what they can buy for your kids and if someone buys. Whoever has access to the list can mark when they have bought something so no 2 people will buy the same thing! The parents have all the control too, if you see something on the list that shouldn’t be, you can delete it!

On Santa’s Hideout you can even send emails “From” Santa, such as reminding them to be good, to do their chores. You can select one of the started messages or create your own! How cool would it be for a kid to get an email from Santa that is personalized with their name, and telling them to be good to their brother or sister (and using their names!)

Santa’s Hideout is great for on the go too, you can access the lists on your phone so you can shop from the list in the store No more forgetting what you went to the store to buy for them!

I’m happy to use Santa’s Hideout, it’s FREE and useful!!!

I was compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and not influenced by anyone or anything.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, review