Wordless Wednesday-Lego Land

My step-son Jan 2007 at Lego land. It was a fun trip!

Wordless Wednesday-Third Birthday

Singing Happy Birthday to my three year old. She didn't freak out at least this year! :)

Sprig Toys Review & Giveaway! *CLOSED*

My daughter and I had the chance to check out some toys from Sprig Toys and we're really excited to present this review and are lucky enough to offer one parent a toy for free!

These really fun toys are growing in popularity. A few months ago I hadn't even heard of Sprig and through another blogger, I saw these adorable little items and asked them if I could check them out too. Sprig Toys are a company based out of Colorado. They are made to be earth friendly and are simple, yet sturdy in their design. Their products are made of recycled Sprig wood which contains child friendly bits of recycled woods and plastic. They are not painted but, the wood itself is stained at times to achieve color. Sprig uses "safe pigments, keeping our toys free of soluble heavy metals, phthalates or endocrine disruptor's."

Taken from Sprig site:

"Sprig Toys, Inc., is an Eco-friendly company dedicated to making the best toys
the right way.
Inspired by our collective desire to keep kids active and the planet healthy, Team Sprig is dedicated to infusing creativity, smart design, quality manufacturing, earth-friendly materials, product satisfaction and responsible business practices into a superior line of fun, kid-powered toys.

We help make the world a better place and we get kids off the couch. Pretty cool, huh?"

My daughter just turned three and is definitely in that imagination and active mode. She likes to play with her dolls just as much as cars, etc. She really took to her Story Builders Barnyard toy! She helped me set up the fences, the barn, and the animals. She liked the fun illustrations and the little scene it made. It's made for 3 years and up but, is a little difficult to put together on their own at that age. A parent definitely needs to be involved and it should be done on a flat surface, not a carpet.(too hard to stand the characters up)

They also are featuring toys from their Adventure Series right now. the Adventure Series features non electronic and electronic toys that are full of fun and imagination. All of them feature a little adventure guide and themed items to match the adventure.

My Take

I really liked the simple, clean designs of the toys. I like that they use a child's imagination and very few battery powered items. I like that they are Eco friendly as well as child safe toys. The only thing that I didn't love is how many pieces the Story Builders set came with. It makes for more clean up. Otherwise, I really give this company a thumbs up for making toys that are educational and fun!

Buy It

You can buy Sprig Toys at http://www.sprigtoys.com/ and any other participating retailer

Win It

Sprig toys is very generously offering a Dolphin Explorer boat to one of my lucky readers! Please leave your email in your entry or a way for me to access it or I will choose another winner. You must follow the rules for the first entry or your entries will be invalid.

Rules

Please go to their site and tell me another favorite Sprig item, besides the ones listed in this review

Extra Entries

-Blog for 3 extra entries and leave the link here

-Follow me on twitter @kaiasmommy and leave one comment

-Follow me on blogger and leave on comment

Contest will end January 15, 2010 at 11:59 PM Arizona time. U.S. entries only please.
*thank you to Sprig Toys for providing the review and giveaway items*

Wordless Wednesday-Cousins

I'm having trouble with my computer today so I pulled a pic where I could access. This is Kaia with her cousin Alexis last Thanksgiving. Kaia is still trying to hold her cousins which are nearly the same size as her now ha ha.

Wordless Wednesday-Pumpkin Time

Wordless Wednesday-Water Baby

My daughter has been asking me to wear her swim suit in the bath and is wanting to stay in there until she is a prune! I love that she has such a fun imagination and loves to entertain herself.

Wordless Wednesday-First Time In Snow

When Kaia was just a month old, my brother and his family as well as my own went up to Pinetop, AZ for some fun in the snow. We don't get snow in the valley here so, we needed a getaway. I didn't have a carrier for Kaia so, I bundled her up and then tucked her in my hubby's coat.

The Phoenix Mercury And The WNBA

On July 18Th some of my family and I had the pleasure of going to the US Airways center here in Phoenix to see a game between the Phoenix Mercury and Chicago Sky. I have never been to a WNBA game before this, and was excited to see how they played.

Among us going to the game were two one year old toddlers and my two year old. I thought they were going to go crazy by half time but, they were really entertained by what was going on! My two year old loved the energy of the game and the music. She danced when music was playing and loved watching the half time show. She also learned how to say "defense" and other related game terms. Also, true story, the boys were rolling their eyes and sighing when I told them we were going to a WNBA game. Once we were there, they were really into it. My sister-in-law had to leave early and my nephew was really upset that he didn't get to see the outcome. Ha ha. Just goes to show that a sport can be engaging no matter what sex the person is watching and what sex the team is playing.

My favorite parts of the experience were the fans, which were really upbeat and enjoyed their team playing, and all the fan participation involved before and during the game. There were adorable little children dancing a little hip hop number, and doing it very well. There were fun little games and races done with other fans to win prizes, and there was awesome music to set the high energy tone of the games.

One of the best parts? Phoenix Mercury beat Chicago Sky in their home game. Yay! Way to go team. During this game, they were a cohesive team and did a great job with their defense. I also like that having a professional women's team shows my little girl that she can do basically anything that she puts her mind to. That example is very important to me.

The WNBA in and of itself is also linked to many different causes including; breast health awareness, Jr. NBA, Fast Break to Reading Program. If you're interested in learning more about the Mercury, or the WNBA as a whole, you can check them out on twitter, follow them on facebook, youtube, and 2009 t.v. spot.

Go check out the great discounts that WNBA and ticketmaster have put together.

Wordless Wednesday-Piano

This is Kaia playing the piano at my Brother's house a few days before her first Christmas and first Birthday. She loves the piano and plays it every chance she gets. I know someone who is getting piano lessons!

Splash Pad!

Wordless Wednesday-Sedona 11/07

Kaia was almost a year old. We took the day and had a great time drinking hot cider and playing in the red dirt. Time flies too quickly!

Kidshoos Review & Giveaway *CLOSED*

I've come across a wonderful source for kid's shoes of all different styles and want to tell you about it. It's a new site and they are committed to offering quality, low priced footwear called Kidshoos. Kidshoos are also committed to providing a safe work environment, fair wages, and being environmentally conscious. There's an assortment of athletic, urban, dress, sandals, etc. My daughter got to try these funky, fun, new styles called Edgie Veggies. They are super soft, and made 100% animal free.

They carry brands like Birki's kids, Graffeeti, and Rocket Dog. There's plenty to choose from for boys and girls. Their prices are reasonable and mine came quickly! Kaia was sent the Edgie Veggie in Simba Pink. This shoe has "playful" written all over it. The first thing I thought of when I saw them was that they were very playful and kid friendly.

The sole of the shoes are white. They are scuff, slip, and water resistant. The toe is covered with the rubber to prevent tearing and scuffing. The material on the shoe has a slight pattern to it and it is really stretchy. There are no laces, which is wonderful to me. This makes these shoes easy to slip on and off my two year old.

I had a lovely experience with them customer service wise and would definitely recommend you checking them out. You may find something you just have to have.

Buy It

You can buy the Edgie Veggies and more directly from their site, kidshoos.com. They are offering free shipping on all orders through the end of June!

Win It

Kidshoos has been gracious enough to offer one winner their choice of Edgie Veggie brand shoes.

Rules

Please go to kidshoos.com and tell me which pair of (Edgie Veggies) you would choose And size. Please only pick from this selection. People are picking from ineligible shoes!!

Extra Entries

-Follow my blog to the right

-follow me on twitter @kaiasmommy and tweet about this contest. Leave the link to the tweet.

Anyone can enter this contest, please leave me a separate entry for each item you complete. Also, if there is no email address or way to contact you I will be forced to pick another winner. And, if you don't read the rules you are disqualified!!

This contest ends 11:59 PM Arizona time on May 27,2009

Kaia and Elmo

Daddy and I think Elmo is obnoxious but, our girl loves to dance with him. She has learned what setting she likes best and dances to it over and over. She will even turn off Elmo in order to reset it. Smarty pants!

Sorry for messing up the video a little. I was snapping my fingers and got off track for a second there.

Coconut Groove CD-Review AND Giveaway*CLOSED*

When I first heard about the Coconut Groove CD, I had not heard of Nicholas Deysher or his other previous CD's before. I was excited to learn more though because I love music and my daughter loves music. I try to find interesting, exciting music for her to enjoy while being kid appropriate. I also don't want to listen to something that's going to grate on my last nerve while she's enjoying it either. ha ha.

I got the CD and since I was home I popped it in right away. The Hello song came on and both my daughter and I started moving. It's a really catchy, fast paced song that makes you wanna dance and laugh. I listened intently to the rest of the CD and was pleasantly surprised at the variety of music, the education within the songs, and the sound. It truly does have an island "feel" to it.

Nick Deysher has been making music for most of his life, and has attained a Master’s Degree in studio music production and film scoring. He was a preschool teacher for awhile and began educating through music. He was such a hit, the parent's and children wanted his music on CD. He released his first album, One Man Band in 2001 and followed that up with In The Nick Of Time in 2003. In 2005 Nick moved from Boston to Coconut Grove, FL and created his company In The Nick Of Time Music.

I have also enjoyed looking through Nick's blog http://bathtubsinging.blogspot.com/ and seeing his views on music, education and things that make him laugh.

Buy It

Buy a Cd or download MP3 from here http://cdbaby.com/cd/innickoftime

Win It

Nick is being generous and offering one of his CD's to a lucky winner! Even better, he said he would autograph it! How exciting.

Rules
You must go to In The Nick Of Time website and tell me a favorite song, or fact listed on the site. Not something I've listed here please!
If you don't follow the rules, your entry will not be considered. Please leave your email address so you can be contacted if you win. You don't have to have a blog to enter.

U.S Entries only please

Giveaway ends April 6, 2009 11:59PM Arizona time