Boon Inc. Oval Animal Bag Review

Does your child have oodles of stuffed animals invading his or her bed? My little guy has this need to acquire "loveys" wherever we go! Over time, the bed became so populated by teddy bears, Webkinz, and other stuffed animals, that there was little room for him any longer!

I noticed that my son was waking up at in the middle of the night because his bed was uncomfortable. When I mentioned getting rid of some of the animals, be refused. He would rather sleep on the floor than get rid of a single lovey!

When given the opportunity to review the Oval Animal Bag by Boon Inc., I was thrilled! Perhaps this was the answer to our problem!


Information from the website:
This oversized, plush bag is covered with large, zippered windows made out of transparent, durable mesh. Children can fill the bag with stuffed animals of all sizes, and then use the Animal Bag as a soft seat. Made from high quality, breathable fabrics, the Animal Bag is machine washable, or it can be dry-cleaned.

When the Oval Animal Bag arrived, I knew it was the perfect product for my fist video review! Take a look:

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

As you can see, the Oval Animal Bag fit all of my son's loveys perfectly! This storage solution is both fun and practical. There are five zippered openings which makes it easier to stuff the loveys into small ppockets of space in order to utilize every inch of the bag. Once filled, the bag is perfect for sitting on or leaning against. (My son loves to use it as a super-sized soft pillow when watching television.)

Now that all the loveys are off the bed, my son is back to getting a full night's sleep. To me, that is the biggest benefit of the Oval Animal Bag!

Thanks Boon Inc. for this fantastic review opportunity!

Natural Pod Review

I just love knowing that toys my children and nieces and nephew are playing with are safe, natural and high-quality. With recalls of toys becoming more and more apparent, it's even more important to me. Additionally, given today's economy, I want to know that the toys I buy are going to last. I'm not at all opposed to paying a bit more for something that is made well and is safe for the kids.

Recently, I found a great place online where I can buy toys. Natural Pod is a store where parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles can purchase beautiful, open-ended, natural toys for our children.

From the website:

As parents we found it increasingly difficult to find quality natural play items that supported creative and imaginative play. During our search, we soon realized that many parents shared our passion. We hope to encourage more families to discover the benefits of natural toys and rediscover a true sense of play. These items can become an heirloom, passed down from one generation to the next.

My niece Emma loves imaginative play. For Christmas, I gave her an adorable Poot and Boogie doll and a great wooden tea set from Natural Pod. She absolutely loves her new toys! I will most definitely make Natural Pod my first stop for purchasing toys in the future!

Check out Natural Pod now. You'll be pleased to find toys for any child on your shopping list.

Hoohobbers Review and Giveaway

*This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for entering.*

About Hoohobbers:

• Hoohobbers has designed and manufactured its own line of products since 1981, beginning with our now classic jr. director chair.


• Hoohobbers products are made in Chicago, IL.


• Hoohobbers sells hard goods. This term is used to avoid using the word "furniture", a word which connotes heavy, stationary items. Hoohobbers' 'hard goods' are totally different than this. They fold, are lightweight and portable; made to be carried by children themselves all around the house. Even outdoors—they're 100% watersafe. At the same time our hard goods are plenty durable. They take the abuse children often give.


• Hoohobbers also sells soft goods -these fabric items range from bibs to bedding and from art smocks to Moses Baskets.

About Hoohobbers Personalized Kids Coverup:

• COMFORTABLE, STYLISH PERSONALIZED KIDS COVERUPS IN THICK, ABSORBENT TERRY


• the sewn-in belt on the kids coverup is easy for toddlers to use and impossible to lose


• kids coverups are made with the Design Collection of your choice embroider your coverup


• kids coverup comes in 3 sizes: 18 mos, 2T, 4T


• kids coverup is machine washable

Hoohobbers sent Abigail this sweet coverup in the paisley design. (I apologize for the awful photo. My camera is not behaving.)

She loves to snuggle into the soft terry coverup after she has had her bath. In fact, she prefers to wear the coverup instead of her pajamas! The material is nice and thick, ensuring the Abigail is nice and warm after leaving the tub. I simply adore the unique fabrics and the fact that Abigail cannot lose the belt.


WIN IT:
One living life one day at a time reader will win a Hoohobbers Cover-Up. Winner will need to let me know size (18 mos., 2T or 4T and whether they want one for a boy or girl.)

HERE’S HOW TO WIN:
• Visit Hoohobbers, and then come back here and tell me one product you like other than the Cover-Up.
• If you are not a blogger, email 3 of your friends telling them about this giveaway, and cc me at colleenstearns@gmail.com.

SCORE EXTRA ENTRIES:
1. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to my site and Hoohobbers (be sure to post your link here so I know where to find it).
2. Subscribe to my blog via email.
3. Click on the FOLLOW THIS BLOG link on my left sidebar.
4. Tweet about this contest on Twitter (Be sure to follow me on Twitter too- see link in my sidebar.). Make sure to leave a link to your twitter message in your comment. You can do this once a day. Please make sure to come back each day and leave another comment with your new twitter message link.


IMPORTANT: Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

*Enter by 9pm (EST) on Wednesday, January 21, 2009.

One lucky commenter will be chosen at random and notified via email, so make sure you leave a valid email address in your comment. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email. If she or he does not respond within 48 hours, a new random winner will be chosen.

Fun in the Lunch Bag- Review and a Great GIVEAWAY

*This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for entering.*

I can remember Jake and Ian’s first day of school this year. Jake started middle school, and Ian was headed to third grade. The night before, I tucked them in, wished them happy dreams and a good first day, and off I went to pack their lunches. As I put together the last of the goodies, I snagged two napkins and grabbed my pen. You see, part of our tradition was for me to write a lilt note on the napkin letting them know that I am thinking of them and hoping that they are having a great day. I put a great deal of extra sweetness into those particular notes, as they were the first of the new school year.

The next day, Jake came to me at the end of his day and asked me to PLEASE quit putting notes in his lunch bag. “It’s so embarrassing, Mom,” he said, “I’m in middle school now.” Wow. He had a point. I decided to honor his wishes, even though it bothered me not to give him that little bit of mom love each day.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I came across the most AWESOME website, Kids Fun Cards. Kids Fun Cards are postcards designed to be dropped into lunch boxes, backpacks, overnight bags, coat pockets, even under a pillow any time you want to send a little smile. These cards were just what I was looking for! Finally, I could let Jake know I was thinking about him without embarrassing him in from of his friends!



I contacted Gina of Kids Fun Cards, and she agreed to let my kids test out the cards. Once the package arrived, I couldn’t wait to try them out. That night, I slipped a riddle card into each of the boy’s lunch bags. The next day, I sent them off to school and waited. Jake was the first to tell me about his card. “Mom! Dude, how cool was that riddle? My friends and I fought over who was going to scratch off the answer!” Okay, so I was called “dude.” I could ignore that. What’s important was that the card was a success! When I asked Ian about the card, he smiled and told me that it was cool. He said he even got the answer right! Before bed that night, the boys asked me if I would put another card in their lunch bags. Of course!



Kids Fun Cards come in packs of five cards. There are five different themes as well: Eeeeww, That’s Gross!, Real Looney Laws, Mystical Little People, It’s a Wacky World and Riddles. The cards were designed by moms Gina Flanagan (an award winning costume illustrator who worked exclusively in the feature film world) and Rose Cricchio (formerly of Warner Brothers retail).

These cards are perfect for kids. I really need to get my hands on some more for the boys.



BUY THEM:
You can find all five sets available for sale here: Kids Fun Cards.

ENTER TO WIN:
Gina has generously offered the gift of 5 sets of the cards- that's every theme
available- to one lucky living life one day at a time reader.

HERE’S HOW TO WIN:
• Leave a comment here telling me why you’d love to win these cards. Be sure to leave me your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner.
• If you are not a blogger, email 3 of your friends telling them about this giveaway, and cc me at colleenstearns@gmail.com.

SCORE EXTRA ENTRIES:
1. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to my site (be sure to post your link here so I know where to find it.)

2. Subscribe to my blog via reader.

3. Click on the FOLLOW THIS BLOG link on my left sidebar.

4. Tweet about this contest on Twitter.

5. Subscribe to the monthly "How to Make Lunch FUN" newsletter here.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

*Enter by 9pm (EST) on Monday, December 8.
One lucky commenter will be chosen at random and notified via email, so make sure you leave a valid email address in your comment.