Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Checkup

May 22, 2013 By 8 Comments

We are excited to feature a review of Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Checkup!

doc-mcstuffins-dvd

Details …

 Get ready to start your day in a wonderful way! Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Checkup is all about helping to keep toys – and little ones – happy and healthy. Join Doc and her trusty team of lovable toys as every new checkup leads to miles of smiles. Laugh along when Doc cures Gus the Gator’s “Stuffedfulliosis.” Blast off with Star Blazer Zero as Doc shows him how to play it safe from launch through landing. Whether it’s eating right, getting enough rest, or getting an annual physical check-up, this delightful and nurturing program combines music, humor, and surprises in five fun-filled adventures that inspire friendship, hugs, and stay-healthy habits every day!

Episodes Include …

1 – Gulpy, Gulpy Gators! / One Note Wonder

2 – Tea Party Tantrum / Blast Off!

3 – Arcade Escapade / Starry, Starry Night

4 – Bronto Boo-Boos / Brontosaurus Breath

5 – Doctoring The Doc / Hot Pursuit

Our Thoughts …

Sophie is our Doc McStuffins fan. When I asked her if she would like to see a Doc McStuffins DVD, she jumped up and down! She was excited to see this DVD come in the mail. It has allowed Brian to have a few afternoons of peace to take and edit pictures for both here and This Cookin’ Dad.

I asked Sophie which episode of Doc McStuffins was her favorite and she said “The game one”. This is the Arcade Escapade episode where Doc McStuffins, the dad, and the boy go to the game place … according to Sophie that is! I followed up by asking her why she likes Doc McStuffins and she said “I like that she is a doctor and fixes people.” Sophie loves to play like Doc McStuffins does with her stuffed animals.

If asked Sophie to get a couple of her favorite DVDs right now, this would be one of her favorites for sure!

Doc McStuffins: Time for Your Checkup is a great price on Amazon right now with Prime!

We are excited to offer one our readers their own copy of Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Checkup DVD! Good Luck!

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Team Umizoomi: Animal Heroes

May 21, 2013 By 15 Comments

We are excited to feature a sponsored review of the Team Umizoomi: Animal Heroes DVD!

team-umizoomi-animal-heroes

Details …

Team up with Team Umizoomi on four fantastic animal missions! Help Milli, Geo, and Bot get Purple Monkey to his new Monkey Jungle home at the zoo, rescue Buster the dog at a construction site, fix the Cuckoo Bears’ clock, and find all of Farmer Dan’s missing animals!

Our Thoughts …

All three of the kids enjoy Team Umizoomi but they don’t ask for it much off the DVR. When they saw the DVD come, they danced around the living room. Matthew is on a big … no HUGE animal kick right now. So he saw the animals on this DVD and was really excited. The first time the DVD played, they just just sat and watched the whole DVD. That hardly ever happens. The next time the kids asked for this DVD, Matthew loudly requested the “zoo show”. Apparently the zoo episode on this DVD is his favorite.

Want to know the true test to a DVD at our house though? If a DVD is really loved at our house, it ends up in a DVD player in the van. About a week after this arrived, it was in the van. I don’t think it has left!

Do you have kids that love Team Umizoomi at your house? Amazon has a great price on the Team Umizoomi: Animal Heroes DVD right now plus it is available under Amazon Prime!

We are excited to offer a giveaway of the Team Umizoomi: Animal Heroes DVD to one of lucky readers! Good Luck!

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End of Year Cards Using Elmer’s Naturals

May 19, 2013 By 1 Comment

NOTE: “I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Elmer’s. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”

What is Elmer’s Naturals?

  • Reinforcing its commitment to innovation and to supporting consumer demand Elmer’s® Products, Inc., makers of America’s favorite school glue, is proud to introduce Elmer’s® School Glue
  • Naturals™— the FIRST and ONLY school glue made with naturally occurring ingredients and available in recycled packaging.
  • Elmer’s School Glue Naturals is just as strong, safe, non-toxic and washable as Elmer’s traditional School Glue.
  • Empty Elmer’s School Glue bottles – both natural and traditional – can be recycled at home by consumers. In schools, the glue bottles and sticks can be recycled through the Elmer’s Glue Crew® Brigade® with TerraCycle, an easy way for teachers and students to recycle and earn monetary donations and other rewards for participating in eco-friendly efforts.

Elmer's Naturals Glue

 

When challenged with making a craft with the kids, I was stumped. They often make little crafts but they seem to just happen and often aren’t fully planned out before the crafts happen. Then I remembered that Sophie and Matthew need to take their teachers their end of year gifts this week so cards were the perfect creation to make! The major issue was that we are redoing the area in the basement has all of the craft supplies. So I dug through stacks and piles to find the items for this project. I was impressed that I found everything that I looked for to be honest!

Supplies Used:

Here are the kids starting their cards that say “Thank You … for being my teacher!”

Starting Craft Time with Elmer's Naturals Glue

We were testing out the above mentioned Elmer’s Naturals glue stick and bottle of glue. The kids didn’t even notice that these were different. They use glue and glue sticks at school all of the time so they were right at home using these products.

Elmer's Naturals Glue Sticks in Use

I was hoping the glue was strong enough to hold the puffy balls. I wasn’t sure how it would work out but they stuck really nicely. Itouched some of Matthew’s glue and was surprise how sticky the glue was. Being Elmer’s though, it washed right off my fingers!
Grace using Elmer's Natural Glue

The kids love their creations.
Elmer's Natural Teacher Cards Finished

 

I love that we are able to take an extra step to be green and protect our environment for our kids. I hope to see more of these products out at back to school time. I know I will look for them when I buy new glue sticks for the Girl Scout troop next year for sure! Need some ideas? Check out the Elmer’s Facebook Page.

We are also excited to help announce the  Elmer’s “Pin to Win” Sweepstakes where you can win an Elmer’s Naturals Prize pack and $100 gift card!

Have you seen or tried the Elmer’s Natural products yet? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Filed Under: Kids, Promotional, Reviews, Simply Family Tagged With: , , , , , ,

ARM & HAMMER Tooth Tunes

May 18, 2013 By 1 Comment

We are excited to feature a sponsored campaign with ARM & HAMMER™ Tooth Tunes™!

ARM & HAMMER Tooth Tunes One Direction

What is ARM & HAMMER™ Tooth Tunes™?

Each toothbrush features two minutes of music to encourage longer brushing and ensure that kids achieve the dentist’s recommended brushing time. Two new ARM & HAMMER™ Tooth Tunes™ toothbrushes each feature a chart-topping single from One Direction: “What Makes You Beautiful” performed by One Direction and “One Thing” performed by One Direction.

Out of our three kids, Grace, who is 6, wanted this toothbrush. I will be the first admit that she is horrible at brushing her teeth! Horrible! She complains and complains and complains. It is too long and she wants to be done. Grace loves music though so I was hopeful the ARM & HAMMER™ Tooth Tunes™ toothbrush would work for her. She loved the One Direction: “What Makes You Beautiful” the first time she heard it. I admit we didn’t know the tune before trying the toothbrush but I think I will know the words before long. The only issue is trying to get Grace to not dance around with her toothbrush!  She is constantly moving with the Tooth Tunes toothbrush singing to her!

Grace using ARM & HAMMER Tooth Tunes Toothbrush!

Plus we are excited to help announce that Church & Dwight Co., Inc., is excited to announce the Brush with Tooth Tunes™, Rock with One Direction Sweepstakes! Enter for a chance to win the Grand Prize, four tickets to a One Direction concert in August 2013. 100 First Prize Winners will receive One Direction prize packs, with One Direction merchandise. Visit ToothTunes.com, complete the registration form and click submit to be entered for your chance to win. Enter up to once per week now through 6/30/13. Be sure to check out the ARM & HAMMER Sweepstakes Page to enter!

Want to learn more? Check out the ARM & HAMMER Tooth Tunes Website and ARM & HAMMER’s Facebook Page!

So do you think the ARM & HAMMER Tooth Tunes toothbrush would help your kids brush longer? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Disclaimer: I am part of the Mom It Forward blogger network. Mom It Forward and ARM & HAMMER™ Tooth Tunes™ partnered in support of this campaign. ARM & HAMMER™ Tooth Tunes™ compensated me for participation in this campaign. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Lids ‘n Lizards Magnetic Photo Vocabulary Game

May 9, 2013 By 39 Comments

We are excited to feature a sponsored review of the Lids ‘n Lizards Magnetic Photo Vocabulary Game!

Lids 'n Lizards Game

Details …

Lids ‘n Lizards® Magnetic Photo Vocabulary Game

Watch kids flip their lids over magnetic photos of ice cream, monkey and toothbrush, as they comprehend that they belong in Food, Animals and Transportation. Grownups place a magnet under each one of the lids and then hide the lizards under the lids. Children flip a lid, name the photo object on the magnet and identify its category (such as Animals, Clothing or Around the Home). The child that finds the most lizards is the winner. Game includes 50 magnets, 20 lids and 12 lizards. (suggested price: $39.95) Recommend Age: Grades PreK – 5

Our Thoughts …

As a refresher, our kids are ages 3 (almost 4), almost 5.5, and 6.5.  I wasn’t sure if this game would work for all of them. I was able to unstack the lids easily but the kids had problems unstacking them. I wasn’t sure how the game would go when the kids couldn’t get the magnets separated from each other (they were stacked by categories!) I did get 20 magnets unstacked to go in the bottom of the 20 lids. The kids hid all of the lizards and started playing the the game.

Lids 'n Lizards Game - Ready to Plan!

So the version of the game we played was the basic version that all of the kids could play. The kids picked a lid to see if there was a lizard. They got to keep the lizard if they could say what was on the picture of the magnet and then what category the magnet fit in. Some of the categories are Food, Transportation (this was a hard word for all of them!), and Around the House. I was worried Matthew wouldn’t keep up but he did!

Lids 'n Lizards Game - Found a Computer!

Matthew lasted a couple of rounds of the game. The girls wanted to keep playing though. Since we are the younger side of the games, I loved how the kids played this game with very little help.

Ready to go buy this game or another product? We are excited to share that Super Duper is celebrating ”It’s Better Hearing and Speech Month” with 20% off your entire web order with Promo Code BETTER! 

We are excited to giveaway a Lids ‘n Lizards Magnetic Photo Vocabulary Game to one of our readers! Good Luck!

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Mother’s Day Shopping at NOVICA

May 7, 2013 By 78 Comments

Last minute shopping for mom? We are excited to work with NOVICA on a sponsored review and help suggest some Mother’s Day gift ideas. Check out these following categories … 

Handmade Mother’s Day Gifts, Mother’s Day Necklaces, or Mother’s Day Handbags!

When I saw these suggestions, I went straight to the Mother’s Day Necklaces suggestion. I saw an elephant necklace in the suggestions and kept look. I then came across the … necklace. Matthew loves elephants and since we have three kids, I thought this was a perfect Mother’s Day necklace pick for myself.

NOVICA Elephant Stack Necklace

I kept look around the NOVICA website and saw the scarves. I was hoping to find one that was big enough to use as a should shrug and I did. I found this beautiful print. What do you think? I thought it would be great with black slacks and a solid color top since I am always freezing. Always.

NOVICA-scarf-sb

About NOVICA …

 We want to give artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity. And, we want to provide you with access to unique, hard-to-find items at great values that only the Internet infrastructure can allow.
At the deepest essence of our philosophy, we want to create a bridge between you and the many talented artisans across the globe.
We want you to know about who you’re buying from. We want you to feel that attachment to the product and to the hands that created it.
In the spirit of the Internet, let us bring you together.
NOVICA. The World is Your Market.

What is your favorite gift to give for Mother’s Day? Would the Mother’s Day’s gift suggestions help you in your gift hunt? Go check out the links and look around so you can pick your favorite item. Why? We are excited to offer one of our readers a $40 gift code in a giveaway so you can purchase a gift for yourself or for your mother!  Good Luck!

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Sweet Corn Black Bean Salsa Featuring Sunshine Sweet Corn

May 6, 2013 By 1 Comment

Is there anything better than fresh, local sweet summer corn right off of the stalk?  What can beat a freshly shucked ear of corn cooked for about 3 minutes and topped with a pat of butter?  How about a little dusting of cayenne to spice things up a bit?  Maybe instead of boiling them in water, you can coat them in a little olive oil and char them up over the the grill.  That smoky, charred flavor is just incredible.

Every summer we wind up getting dozens of ears of corn from our local farmers.  We eat it fresh or prepare it and freeze it for use all winter long.  We even freeze the cobs so that we can make corn broth!  What happens when we run out, though?  You can always buy corn in the frozen section for cooking up as a side dish.  A little salt and pepper and some butter and you are all set.  In the early spring, though, fresh corn can be pretty hard to come by.

Still, knowing that summer is coming up has me ready for just a little taste of fresh corn.  You can buy packaged corn in the produce section of most supermarkets and that can be a pretty close approximation, especially if you are using it in dish that calls for fresh corn, like our Sweet Corn Black Bean Salsa.  Serve this up with crispy tortilla chips and taste the sweetness from the corn, the creaminess of the black beans, the sharpness of the red onion, and the tang of the lime.  As easy as this recipe is, why would you buy anything in a jar?

Sweet Corn Black Bean Salsa Recipe

Sweet Corn Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients

4 ears of corn, shucked
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1-15.25 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
juice and zest of 2 limes
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Fill a pot 3/4 full of well salted water.  Bring the water to a boil and add the corn.  Keep on a low boil for about 5 minutes.  Remove to an ice water bath and set aside to cool.  Slice the kernels off of the cob and move into a large mixing bowl.  Combine all other ingredients into the mixing bowl and stir well.  Allow to sit for a couple of hours before serving.  Enjoy!

 

Sweet Corn Black Bean Salsa Recipe

 

Ready for a chance to win? Sunshine Sweet Corn is hosting the “Livin’ The Sweet Life” contest with chances to win one of 3 prize packs worth over $200!

Check out Sunshine Sweet Corn’s website!

What is your favorite sweet corn recipe? Leave us a comment and let us know what you love to make or what you think about this recipe!

NOTE: “I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Sunshine Sweet Corn. I received a gift card to purchase a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”

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The Young Scientists Club – Kitchen Science Kit

May 3, 2013 By 55 Comments

We recently heard that Ms. Frizzle, not known for missing an opportunity for science fun, will take her Magic School Bus® and be joining Clifford with two new kits of her own this year! We are excited to have the opportunity to review one of these kits for you!

We choice to review the Kitchen Science kit … more specifically the …Clifford Kitchen Science Kit Clifford The Big Red Dog Kitchen Science Kit

Clifford knows the kitchen can be a very intriguing place beyond a place to grab snacks and drinks. His friend Emily Elizabeth guides young scientists through captivating experiments with catchy titles such as test tube explosion, making slime, crystal star, crystal art, milk glue, colored celery, waking up fungus, fungus eats bananas, fungus in a tube, sticky ice, upside down trick, crystal garden, and exploding volcano. Young Scientists will feel like real scientists when they use the included colorful lab tray, measuring cup, test tubes, and funnel to perform their experiments! For • Ages 3+ • $19.99

The kids heard exploding volcano and couldn’t wait to try the kitchen experiments out. We had to delay activities by one evening because of some yard work we had to get done and we had three completely bummed out kids. Who knew science could be so exciting that the kids would be sad to not do it? Can you see how excited they were to get started?!

Clifford Kitchen Science Kit - Excited Kids
I personally loved seeing their excitement with my engineering background. We recently did a Math and Science Night at Grace’s school and I have to admit this kit has some great experiment ideas that are perfect for the Kindergarten through 2nd grade age group!

As I said they loved the exploding volcano. The test tube explosion was fun with more explosion happening. The kids laughed and laughed at me when I told them to please not blow the house up! I love hearing that laughter! They also loved coming up with a hypothesis (but we didn’t call it that for our 3-6 year old age range … we just said guess) on what would happen to the celery in the colored water. Grace, our 1st grader, cheated and read the direction sheet and was then all proud she knew the right answer! Guess we should expect that with her love of reading!

Clifford Kitchen Science Kit - In Action

Which activity do you think your kids would love the most from the Kitchen Science Kit?

At just $19.99 – $39.99 a piece, scientifically-inclined kids can get their paws on any one of the five new kits from The Young Scientists Club this Spring. We are excited to offer a giveaway of the winner’s choice of any of these four kits: Bubble Science kit,  Rainbow Science kit, Kitchen Science kit, or the The Wonders of Nature kit! Good luck!

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HUGGIES® Little Movers Slip-On® Diaper Pants

April 23, 2013 By Leave a Comment

We are excited to work with a local reviewer on this sponsored campaign for HUGGIES® Little Movers Slip-On® Diaper Pants!

Our family is a HUGGIES family. When I buy diapers for friends or baby showers, they are HUGGIES for sure. We have local friends that have a new addition of twins to their family. Oh they also have 5 year old and 1.5 year old. Their little man is on the move … just as the babies showed up. We knew their busy momma needed all the help she could get now changing three diapered kids. The HUGGIES® Little Movers Slip-On® Diaper Pants seemed like the perfect for her.

Two huge boxes of these diapers arrived at our door. They were excitingly delivered with a Sunday dinner meal to a happy momma!

huggies-2

So what did this busy mom think of these new diapers?

I love how easy it is to just slip them on his wiggly hiney! But … one of our little man’s latest escapades is stripping off his clothes. He can get out of just about anything right now, except overalls, which he’s figuring out. Oy! So these diapers are like pants or shorts to him and I caught him pulling it down yesterday, pretty easily. oops! I will say that they hold more than I thought they would!

Reviewer (Mom of 4!)–

VLUU L200 / Samsung L200Isn’t he a cutie on the move? 

VLUU L200 / Samsung L200

 

What makes the HUGGIES® Little Movers Slip-On® Diaper Pants special?

  • Easy open sides and grip tabs make removal and rolling up the diaper for disposal simple and easy.

  • HUGGIES® Little Movers Slip-On® Diaper Pants come pre-fastened and require no adjustments for a quick and easy diaper changes. 

  • The diaper has trusted Leak Lock® Protection. The protection and security you both need between changes. The diaper absorbs-away layers and long-lasting core lock in wetness and keep baby dry. 

My only comment is that I wish they had these in a size six diaper. These came on the market when our Matthew was a size six. They would have been great since he was so active. Then again he is the only kiddo I know that made it to that diaper size.

We are excited to share that you can save $2 on any one package of HUGGIES® Little Movers Slip-On® Diaper Pants. Share it with three friends and the coupon value increases to $2.50!

What do you think about HUGGIES® Little Movers Slip-On® Diaper Pants? Would they be a fit for your family with a standing and active little one still in diapers? Leave us a comment and let us know!

NOTE: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for HUGGIES. I received product samples to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

 

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Hidden Valley: Sandwich Spreads & Dips

April 17, 2013 By 2 Comments

I was excited to make a quick dinner for the family using the new Hidden Valley Sandwich Spreads and Dips recently! Hidden Valley Sandwich Spreads & Dips are available in four delicious flavors and with one-third the calories of mayonnaise and only 2 grams of fat per serving.

I am excited to announce that my Garlic Parmesan Baked Chicken recipe is featured over on Relish! The recipe only has three ingredients and is perfect for a quick weeknight meal for a family on the go. We did have leftovers from this meal and Beth said it reheated great at work so you might even make extras to have for lunches.

simply parm chicken 4-sb

I suggest serving the Garlic Parmesan Baked Chicken with a tossed salad for a healthy dinner that the whole family will love.

How would you use the new Hidden Valley Sandwich Spreads in your next meal? Would $1,000 help? Enter the Create Craveable Sandwiches Sweepstakes for your chance to win.

Thank you to Hidden Valley™ Sandwich Spreads & Dips for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

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