Fun with Spark Your Imagination

I love hearing about new products that challenge my daughter, bring out her creativity and are fun to use. I was so excited when given the opportunity to try out Spark Story Starters and Story Starters DRAW from a Canadian company called Spark Your Imagination.

As soon as I opened the package my mom side was super excited and my teacher side was even more excited. These products looked great and could be used with my kids at home AND in the classroom. WOW!

The Spark Story Starters are a series of cards that get kids thinking and talking about fun topics. I loved hearing my 4 year old’s response to some of the story starters. The Spark Story Starters are very portable. We took them with us on a trip, they were fun to use on the plane.

Spark story starters just won a PTPA award!

The Story Starters DRAW have been my daughters favourite product out of the bunch. She just loved the huge sheets of paper. When we play with the Story Starters DRAW we lay them on the floor and all pick a side to draw from. Its a very interactive activity. The large sheets make it easy to get creative and silly.

Things I love about Spark Your Imagination products:

• Spark Story Starters are easy to bring with you anywhere – restaurant, trips, grandma’s house
• Spark Story Starters get great conversation going
• Story Starters DRAW are a great family activity
• I love the big size of the Story Starters DRAW pages.

You can get Spark Story Starters and Story Starters DRAW products on the Spark Your Imagination website. All products are priced right (from only $11.99).

I think these products are great for any family. I really believe they make great gifts too!

Get yours today and see what they’re all about.

WINNER – Bumbleride Flite

The Bumbleride Flite contest was amazing.

Thank you to everyone for the wonderful comments and feedback about the Flite and Bumbleride.

I’m happy to announce that our winner is Jackie from Medford, MA.

Congrats Jackie! We can’t wait to hear what you think about your new Bumbleride Flite.

Top 5 Products reviewed in 2011

It’s been another great year of reviews! Here are my TOP 5 Favourite products. Be sure to check these out in 2012!

5 – Coco and Tini bath products

Still using these bath products for the kids every night. I love their fresh scent and how well the products lather up. (Also love that they use natural ingredients – a big plus!)

4 – Leapfrog Explorer

In my opinion this is still the best toy on the market for a 3.5 – 6 year olds. My daughter is 4 years old right now and this is her favourite toy ever. There are so many great games to choose from, her current favourites are the “Ni Hao, Kai-Lan” and “Dora the Explorer” games.

3 – Boba Carrier

The best carrier around! I still use mine on a daily basis when I do quick trips to the store. Its also great to have as back up when traveling. If you need a carrier you must check out the Boba.

2 – Bumbleride Flite

The best, most reliable umbrella stroller I have tested. I love how durable it is. This stroller has already come on one major trip with us and will be coming along for another trip in the Spring. Love it!

1 – Bumbleride Indie

My dream stroller. Nothing else feels and maneuvers as well as my Bumbleride Indie. This stroller makes me want to go for walks with my little guy rain or shine. There are so many features that make this the perfect stroller for me. If you are looking for an awesome all-terrain stroller look no further than the Indie.

The Flite takes off!

In the market for a well built, lightweight and functional stroller?

I’ve been testing out the Bumbleride Flite for a few months now and took it on a family vacation to Mexico. I was extremely impressed on how easy it was to take along and how well it performed on the bumpy roads in Mexico.

The Bumbleride Flite is the umbrella stroller in the Bumbleride line. Like all other Bumbleride strollers the Flite maneuvers well, has lots of extras and looks great!

Things I love most about the Flite:

• It only weighs 13lbs
• I can use the stroller for my baby and toddler – it holds up to 50lbs!
• It comes with a car seat adapter - not often seen in an umbrella stroller!
• It folds down easily and has an awesome carry handle
• It has a great canopy that has an SPF 45 protection on it
• It has a large basket to store lots of things in and a zippered pocket for your ipod
• It comes with a cupholder
• It has an adjustable footrest and the seat reclines to an almost flat position. Great for when baby falls asleep!

The Bumbleride Flite is built light and built strong. It is a durable stroller that feels more like a full size stroller than an umbrella stroller.

I highly recommend you check out this stroller. You won’t be disappointed!

You can find the Bumbleride Flite at Bumbleride.com and at specialty stores across Canada and the US.

WIN BIG! One lucky reader will WIN their very own Bumbleride Flite. Click below for more info.

Tasty eats with Baby Gourmet

My little man has been testing out and loving Baby Gourmet foods for the last few weeks.

When I received the products I was so impressed with the variety that Baby Gourmet offered. This is not your typical baby food. Your baby will love flavours like Juicy Pear and Garden Greens, Sweet Potato Pie to Apple Crisp. These flavours are so tasty you’ll find yourself sneaking a bite here and there.

What I love most about Baby Gourmet:

• The packaging – no jars here! Just easy to use and reseal BPA Free pouches.
• The variety – with flavours like Apple Crisp there’s something special for every baby.
• No added sugar, no gluten, no fillers, no nuts and no added salt in all their products.
• Easy to pack along in a diaper bag or on a trip (like we’ve done recently for a trip to Mexico).

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We are huge fans of Baby Gourmet in this house. Both my husband, 4 year old daughter and I have tasted all the food our little guy has been eating. This is not something we have done with other brands!

Baby Gourmet foods come in three stages starting at 6 months of age. All Baby Gourmet foods are organic and available in a variety of stores including Walmart. Baby Gourmet is also a recent PTPA winner.

I urge you to try Baby Gourmet foods with your babies – you won’t regret it!

Be sure to check them out on Facebook too! You can be entered to win a 6 month supply of their awesome baby food just for becoming a fan!

CONGRATS to Tammy from Sudbury, Ontario! She won a sample pack of Baby Gourmet.

You CAN be anything

As a mom of an almost 5 year daughter I know how important it is to raise a well rounded, confident child.

Growing up I had many role models. I clearly remember looking up to my neighbour. She was in gymnastics, was so much fun to be around and always had time for me – even though she was 5 years older than me. She left a big impression on me to be a good person and to include others.

I am so grateful to have a daughter of my own now. I’ve seen so many changes in my little girl in the past few months. She is growing fast and is very impressionable.

Only months ago I would try to make her laugh and get her attention when taking a pictures, now she poses for the camera when she sees me take it out.

I used to be able to buy her clothes – any style – and she’s wear it. Now she is picky and I end up returning most of what I buy.

I want my daughter to be confident, to be happy and to be accepting of others. I also want her to feel like she can do anything when she grows up. I will all encourage her to try new things and to follow her dreams.

I like to think that I am setting a good example in everyday life and hope she will follow these examples.

I’m also happy that there are many resources out there these days for parents raising children. One site that has recently launched is the Barbie I Can Be website. This site is designed to help moms with the task of raising their daughters so that they are smarter, stronger, happier, and more fulfilled.  The site also features articles from  Terry Carson a leading parenting coach. She will be providing perspectives, wisdom, and experiences with parents.

Check out the Barbie I Can Be website and join in on the conversation!

Disclosure – I am participating in the Barbie I Can Be campaign by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Mattel Canada.  I received compensation as a thank you for my participation.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Preschool fun with Leap Frog

I continue to be impressed with Leap Frog toys.

My 4 year old daughter has been busy testing out two amazing products from Leap Frog – The Leapster Explorer and the Tag Reading System. She loves them and so do I!

The Leapster Explorer is an amazing hand held game console. You can download educational games, buy game cartridges or get e-books for this device. The Explorer is simple enough for a 4 year old to use without adult supervision. It’s extremely fun and the perfect size for little hands.

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What we love most about the Leapster Explorer:

• The fun educational games that can be purchased for the system. (There are over 40 games available!)
• It’s easy to use.
• It has a large, bright screen.
• It’s very portable.
• It’s very sturdy (we’ve dropped it a few times and its still in tact)
• It’s easy for parents to download apps for the Explorer.

The Tag Reading System is a reading system that brings books to life. Popular characters are brought to life with wonderful stories, songs and games. You can have the pen read an entire book page per page or you can focus on certain words on a page. The Tag reader can hold up to 10 books.

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What we love most about our Tag Reading System:

• It is very easy to use.
• It is very easy to program. (Just go online and download the book you’ve purchased to your pen)
• The pen has different volumes.
• The pen can read the entire page of a book or focus on certain words.
• There are so many books to choose from. (There are over 40 books available)

Overall both these products are amazing. I can’t believe we had not tried them before. My daughter loves having a bit of time everyday to choose either her Leapster Explorer or her Tag Reading System.

I love that my daughter is learning as she’s having fun. The games for the Leapster Explorer focus on spelling, reading, math and other important skills.

The books she reads with her Tag Reading System teach her the alphabet, numbers, vocabulary skills and reading comprehension.

I highly recommend both these devices by LeapFrog. I would consider them for birthday gifts and add them to your Christmas list right away.

This contest is now closed. Congrats to Marla from Mississauga, ON. She won a Leap Frog Tag Junior!

Disclosure: Leap Frog Canada provided samples for my review. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and no monetary compensation took place.

Safe with ICE tags

I was recently given the opportunity to test out some I.C.E. tags from www.IceTag.ca.

What is an I.C.E. tag? Its a “In Case of Emergency” tag you can add to your keychain, to your backpack or even your shoes that has emergency contact information for you or your child.

Right away I thought these tags were super smart. They are very easy to use and are easily identified when on your person. I especially think these tags are important for children to have since they may not know how to contact a parent or guardian if they are lost or in an emergency situation.

There is a wide variety of I.C.E. tags to choose from and prices range from $4.95 for a single tag to $24.95 for a pack of 6.

I believe every child should have I.C.E. information on them and this product allows you to easily indicate emergency information for your child. It gives you peace of mind.

I think I.C.E. tags make a great gift for a new parent – even a great stocking stuffer for your family members!

To get your I.C.E. tag check out www.IceTag.ca

BOGO event with Seventh Generation

I recently blogged about my new found love for Seventh Generation diapers.

I have been using their Chlorine Free diapers with my son and have continued to be impressed.

Seventh Generation diapers are great. They fit well, they keep my baby dry and I love that they aren’t put through a chlorine process like other diapers are. I actually feel better using these diapers on my son.

I was so excited to see the recent campaign that Seventh Generation has on for the month of October.

For every bag of diapers you buy they will donate one bag to a local Canadian Women’s shelter. This just warmed my heart. I love seeing a company making a good product and giving back.

This weekend I’ll be donating diapers to my local single parent’s association. I’ll also be stocking up on Seventh Generation diapers and supporting this BOGO event. I hope you do too.

Disclosure: Seventh Generation provided samples for my review. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and no monetary compensation took place.

Go GREEN with Seventh Generation

I was so excited to be chosen by Mom Central Canada and Seventh Generation to test out amazing products from Seventh Generation.

My family tries to use as many green products as possible. We especially think its important to use green cleaning products since we have little ones that touch and are into everything.

I was really looking forward to testing out four products from Seventh Generation.

• Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Diapers
• Seventh Generation Natural All Purpose Cleaner
• Seventh Generation Automatic Dishwasher Detergent
• Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent

Chlorine Free Diapers

My favourite product from the bunch are the diapers. We do a mixture of cloth diapers and disposables in our home. I really valued that the Seventh Generation diapers are fragrance and latex-free.

You won’t find a white diaper with cartoon characters in the Seventh Generation diaper package. Seventh Generation chooses not to whiten the fluff pulp with chlorine in their diapers like other brands do. This means their diaper is more of a tan colour. I think this is great and I honestly feel better putting these diapers on my son.

I love how well they fit and how well they absorb. They are also priced quite competitively. I purchased my bag of 35 diapers on sale for $12.99.

All these factors made me completely re-evaluate which brand of diaper I use and has converted me to use only Seventh Generation diapers when my son wears disposables.

Natural All Purpose Cleaner

The All Purpose Cleaner has performed great. I love how easily it wipes off. I also love how it doesn’t leave any grime behind. This cleaner does not have any powerful scents to it.

Automatic Dish Detergent

I’ve been using this dish detergent for over two weeks now. It always leaves my dishes sparkling clean. This dish detergent does not use chlorine, phosphates or synthetic fragrances.

Laundry Detergent

I have been very pleased with how the Seventh Generation laundry detergent has performed. It has cleaned all our clothes extremely well. My son has severe eczema so we always do a second rinse with all our laundry. His eczema hasn’t seemed to be affected by this laundry detergent.

Overall all these products have performed extremely well. I would highly recommend all Seventh Generation products to family and friends.

I highly recommend you join the 7th Gen Nation program. It’s FREE to sign up and you’ll receive tons of coupons and Special Offers.

Disclosure: Seventh Generation provided samples for my review. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and no monetary compensation took place.