Playhouse Disney Channel Review & GIVEAWAY!

I grew up loving Disney and my children are also growing up loving Disney. The Playhouse Disney Channel is one-stop shopping in my house! My girls find it entertaining, funny and they often find themselves making connections between the programs and real life. For me, the Playhouse Disney Channel offers quality programming with shows that are “safe”, educational, light-hearted and FUN!

Little S just L.O.V.E.S. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and was able to say “Toodles” long before any of the characters’ names! Miss A and Miss H have a few favourites too – Imagination Movers, Strawberry Shortcake and Little Einsteins! What’s more, despite the 3 year age difference between my twins and my youngest, they are able to enjoy shows together!

There are a lot of programming options out there for the kiddos and all are not created equally. Playhouse Disney channel for me, is one of the best. We often also choose the Playhouse Disney Channel over watching videos. The programs are shorter, but just as satisfying for my young viewers – important when monitoring television usage!

And for all you technologically savvy families out there, Playhouse Disney has a fantastic website. We will sometimes play around on it during breakfast… shh! There are activities, games, contests and videos – all featuring your favourite Disney characters!

I was sent this Playhouse Disney prize pack to enjoy with my girls and guess what?! The good people at Playhouse Disney want to give one away too!!

WIN IT!

Enter to win a Playhouse Disney Prize Pack like the one I received to enjoy with your kiddos! The kit includes a Playhouse Disney DVD (with 5 full episodes), sticker sheet, a magnetic pen, crayons and colouring magnet!

Mandatory Entry

As always, please leave your email address with every comment (unless it’s in your profile)… you don’t want to win and then have me not be able to reach you!

Please leave a comment telling me which Playhouse Disney show is your child’s favourite.

Bonus Entries

1 Entry: “Like” Playhouse Disney Canada on Facebook. Please leave your FB name to verify entry.

1 Entry: “Like” Take A Mom’s Word For It on Facebook. Please leave your FB name to verify entry.

3 Entries: Sign up for the Playhouse Disney Newsletter. Subscribers get access to the latest Playhouse Disney news, information on new shows, activities and contests!

3 Entries: Subscribe by email to Take A Mom’s Word For It. Be sure to verify your subscription through Feedburner.

1 Entry: Follow AMomsWord on Twitter.

2 Entries: Tweet the following once a day for 2 entries each day until the giveaway closes.

“#Win a #PlayhouseDisneyCanada Prize pack on @AMomsWord ends 8/18 http://tiny.cc/ag31n #giveaway"

Good Luck to Everyone!

Giveaway open to Canada only. Readers may enter the contests on multiple blogs participating in this Playhouse Disney Canada blog tour but are only eligible to win once.

Giveaway ends August 18, 2010

Disclosure: I am participating in the Playhouse Disney program by Mom Central. I received a Playhouse Disney Prize Pack and a thank you gift card to facilitate this post. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Buddy Bandz Review & GIVEAWAY!

Check out the latest Back To School Reviews and GIVEAWAYS>>>

• Brugo Mug Review & Giveaway@The Knit Wit ends 8/13
• Easy Lunch Boxes System Review & Giveaway @The Knit Wit ends 8/14
• Sass Rocket Studios Review @The Knit Wit
• Mini Notepad Holder from Sass Rocket Studios Giveaway @Take A Mom's Word For It ends 8/20
• $10 GC to Buddy Bandz @Take A Mom's Word For It ends 8/20

August is officially here and while we’re busy enjoying hazey days and long summer nights, back to school preparations will soon be whispering in the back of your mind. For some families going to school can lead to all sorts of anxiety – and I’m not talking about whether the teacher will be nice or not, but rather will life threatening allergies be respected.

A fellow Canadian blogger suggested I look into Buddy Bandz - a Mom created, Canadian Company when I was planning this event and I’m glad I did! Buddy Bandz offer Food Allergy Alert Bracelets for children. Unlike other *reactive* bracelets, Buddy Bandz’ bracelets are designed to be PROACTIVE. They use simple, universal food allergy symbols which are easily recognized by everyone – despite age or language.

I was sent the below package from Buddy Bandz for review.

As you can see, the bracelets are currently offered for Peanut, Milk, Shellfish and Egg Allergies. The bracelets can be worn by boys or girls and are comfortable to wear. Miss A tried one on and said she liked the way it felt. I tried the very same bracelet on Little S and it fit great – the bandz are fully adjustable so they’re great in the long-term. They are also waterproof and contain no metal!

When I was young *cough*, there were virtually NO children with food allergies that I can remember. Luckily, my own children do not have any food allergies. But now as a teacher, I have yet to have a school year go by where there isn’t at least one student in my class with mild to life-threatening allergies! Times have certainly changed and while food allergies are more prevalent, parents of children with food allergies cannot assume other children or adults are aware of their child’s needs. I see these as a definite MUST for school trips where the environment is not easily controlled.

Buddy Bandz not only offers the bracelets, but also t-shirts

and easily identifiable medical packs – great place to store auto-injectors!

Your first defense against exposure to food allergies is a child’s self awareness. Buddy Bandz are a great second line of defense. The symbols are easy to understand and send a clear message. If your child – or a child you know, is going back to school this September and has a food allergy, be sure to check out Buddy Bandz – “because PREVENTION is key”.

BUY IT!

Protect your little ones and head over to Buddy Bandz to make a purchase today!

WIN IT!

Lisa at Buddy Bandz has generously offered one lucky Take A Mom's Word For It reader a $10 GC to use on any products on the web site!

Mandatory Entry

As always, please leave your email address with every comment (unless it’s in your profile)… you don’t want to win and then have me not be able to reach you!

In a comment tell me if you or someone you love is affected by food allergies. Who would make good use of one of these bracelets?

Bonus Entries

1 Entry: Follow Take A Mom’s Word For It Blog through Google Friend Connect.

1 Entry: “Like” Buddy Bandz on Facebook and tell them I sent you. Please leave your FB name so I can verify your entry.

1 Entry: “Like” Take A Mom’s Word For It on Facebook. Already like me?! Aw shucks! Please tell me!

1 Entry: Follow me on Twitter HERE.

2 Entries: Tweet about this giveaway. You can use this sample tweet:

“Back To School Event $10 GC from Buddy Bandz. Protect your kids from food allergies @amomsword (8/20)#giveaway #win http://tiny.cc/l3i0x"

This can be done once a day for 2 entries each day until the giveaway closes. Be sure to include the permalink to verify.

3 Entries: Post the Take A Mom’s Word For It Back To School Event button on your blog. Please leave me the link.

3 Entries: Sign up for email notifications from Take A Mom’s Word For It. Don’t forget to confirm your subscription through Feedburner.

10 Entries: Make a purchase at Buddy Bandz. Leave me your name, what you purchased and when.

Good luck to everyone! Open to Canada & US only.

Giveaway ends August 20, 2010

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product for review purposes. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

My Living Stories iPhone/iTouch Review & iTunes GIVEAWAY!! QUICKIE!

Technology sure has come a long way since I was a kid! I remember enjoying my radio/tape deck, my ‘original’ Nintendo and making calls on a rotary phone! Today children are way more savvy with all the ‘in’ gadgets and I have to say, I’m enjoying them too!

At my house we don’t have a fancy game system – after all, my girls are only 5, 5 and 2. What we do have though is an itouch. This thing is fantastic! There are apps out there for any and everything you can imagine – current news, videos, weather, stats, games and the like.

Both my hubby and I have our favourite apps – some of which get used on a daily basis. And like us, our girls have their favourite apps too! I was recently given the opportunity to test an app series called “My Living Stories”. My Living Stories offers 5 popular children’s stories (Princess and the Pea, King Midas, The Tortoise and the Hare, Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears) in an interactive, easy to use format with fantastic illustrations. I let me girls each choose a story they were interested in and we ended up with – Little Red Riding Hood, Princess and the Pea, and an all-time favourite: Goldilocks and the Three Bears!

My older girls were immediately drawn to the animated illustrations and easy to use display. They were thrilled that they were able to use it independently and also mentioned that the narrator sounded like a young girl.

Each illustration allows for the user to know what was happening and I often found the girls predicting what the words would say before they were read!

The My Living Stories apps also allow for your child to record their own voice. We were unable to use this feature as our itouch does not have a microphone.

Our itouch and the My Living Stories apps have been a great distraction while waiting in line at the store and also on our recent trip to the doctor! They will also be great on our upcoming camping trip!

WIN IT!

The lovely people at Decode Entertainment have offered 1 lucky Take A Mom’s Word For It reader a $25 iTunes Gift Card!! Think of the possibilities!

We’re going to keep things simple this time folks – this is a quickie giveaway!!

Mandatory Entry

As always, please leave your email address with every comment (unless it’s in your profile)… you don’t want to win and then have me not be able to reach you!

Comment below telling me which My Living Stories story you (or your little one) would like the most.

Bonus Entries

1 Entry: There are a lot of apps out there - tell me another app that your little one loves. Know of 3? Leave a comment for each one for a couple extra entries (max of 3 entries).

1 Entry: Follow Take A Mom’s Word For It via Google Friend Connect.

2 Entries: Tweet about this giveaway – help me spread the word. You can use this sample tweet:

“Quickie Giveaway for $25 iTunes GC @AMomsWord ends 8/6 #giveaway #MyLivingStories http://tiny.cc/f94f8"

Tweet today for 2 entries, tweet tomorrow for 2 more and then again on Thursday and Friday!!

Good Luck!

Giveaway open to Canada only.

Giveaway ends August 6, 2010

Readers may enter the contest on multiple blogs but are only eligible to win one iTunes GC as part of the My Living Stories contest.

Disclosure: I am participating in the My Living Stories program by Mom Central on behalf of Decode Entertainment. I received 3 free apps and a gift card as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Sass Rocket Studios GIVEAWAY!

Time for my first Back To School Event post and it's a great one to start with! Be sure to also check out my co-host The Knit Wit for other great Back To School giveaways!

• Brugo Mug Giveaway @The Knit Wit ends 8/13
• Easy Lunch Boxes System Giveaway @The Knit Wit ends 8/14

She’s baaack… Lindsay from Sass Rocket Studios is back to take part in our Back To School Event! Sass Rocket Studios sponsored a review and giveaway for a tampon clutch a few short weeks ago. If you entered you'll already be ahead of the game for this great giveaway! If you missed it, shame on you! But you’re in luck because you can read my original review HERE and Shari over at The Knit Wit wrote a review too HERE! Well, Lindsay is now giving away a super hip Mini Notepad Holder!

Say good-bye to crumpled homework lists and torn contact names and say hello to organization at it’s finest.

Not only is the outside super cute, but the inside is highly functional! There is a place for the mini notepad, a spot for your pen and even a pocket for miscellaneous papers or cards!

This same Mini Notepad Holder is available in a number of different prints sure to meet your (or your child’s) tastes!

Aside from Mini Notepad Holders, Lindsay at Sass Rocket Studios offers a number of highly practical, super cute and funky items – all designed to make your life simpler and more organized all while being fun, funky and “sassy”.

Here are a few of my faves… Check out this eco friendly, reversible Coffee Cozy!

Coupon Wallet - LOVE this idea!

Roll Up Change Pad - chenille backed!

I now own 4 items from Sass Rocket Studios – a drool bib, a diaper clutch, a tampon clutch and a wristlet! Each item is made of high quality materials and with a great deal of skill and attention to detail!

BUY IT!

Head on over to Sass Rocket Studios and purchase a super functional ultra chic item that WILL make your life easier!

WIN IT!

Lindsay at Sass Rocket Studios has offered one lucky Take A Mom’s Word For It reader a Mini Notepad Holder of your choice!

Mandatory Entry

As always, please leave your email address with every comment (unless it’s in your profile)… you don’t want to win and then have me not be able to reach you!

Visit Sass Rocket Studios, browse around and choose your favourite item (good luck choosing only one!) and come back here and tell me what it is.

Bonus Entries

1 Entry: Follow Sass Rocket’s blog through Google Friend Connect HERE.

1 Entry: Follow Take A Mom’s Word For It Blog through Google Friend Connect.

1 Entry: “Like” Sass Rocket Studios on Facebook and tell her I sent you. Please leave your FB name so I can verify your entry.

1 Entry: “Like” Take A Mom’s Word For It on Facebook. Already like me?! Aw shucks! Please tell me!

1 Entry: “Heart” Sass Rocket Studios on Etsy. Please leave your Etsy name to verify.

3 Entries: Update your Facebook status telling all your lovelies about this great giveaway. Please tag “@take a moms word for it” in your post so I can see it.

1 Entry: Follow Sass Rocket on Twitter HERE.

1 Entry: Follow me on Twitter HERE.

2 Entries: Tweet about this giveaway. You can use this sample tweet:

“Back To School Event! Win a cool Mini Notepad Holder from @sassrocket on @amomsword ends 8/20 http://tiny.cc/vz9lp #giveaway #win"

Tweet once daily for 2 entries until the giveaway closes. Be sure to include the permalink to verify.

3 Entries: Post the Take A Mom’s Word For It Back To School Event button on your blog. Please leave me the link.

3 Entries: Sign up for email notifications from Take A Mom’s Word For It. Don’t forget to confirm your subscription through Feedburner.

10 Entries: Make a purchase at Sass Rocket. Leave me your name, what you purchased and when.

Good luck to everyone! Open to Canada & US only.

Giveaway ends August 20, 2010

Disclosure: I received a tampon clutch for review purposes. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

Back To School Event!

Welcome to our Back To School Event!! Over the next month I will be featuring some really great products, companies and yes, GIVEAWAYS!! Everything featured was hand picked and will surely make your back to school transition easier! Also, don’t forget to check out my co-host’s blog The Knit Wit. She too will be hosting some pretty awesome giveaways! You can enter and win on both sites!! So let’s get this event started…

• Win a Brugo Mug @ The Knit Wit ends 8/13

WINNER WINNER WINNER!!

I know everyone has been waiting on a winners posting... but with it being a beautiful, long weekend here I haven't spent too much time in the blog world. So, without making you wait any longer here are the winners for the 3 giveaways that ended Friday...

Winner of the 5/8" sterling silver, hand-stamped pendant as chosen by random.org is...

Congratulations Danielle!! I will be emailing you shortly. You have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. Didn't win? Buy your own personalized accessories at affordable prices at Tiny Love Treasures! Special thanks to Trisha for sponsoring this awesome giveaway!!

Winner of the $30 GC to Circleline Studio, as chosen by random.org is...

Congratulations to Chasity! I'm excited for you... deciding will be tough! You have 48 hours to respond to the email I will be sending you shortly.

Special thanks to Connie at Circleline Studio! If you didn't win it's not too late to purchase a high quality vinyl decal... maybe you need a little something extra for a new back to school laptop?

The winner of the Corioliss Classic Pro Flat Iron from Misikko, as chosen by random.org is...

Congratulations Renee! This is a great win - you wont be disappointed! I will be emailing you shortly. You have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. For those of you who didn't win, be sure to check out Misikko on Twitter. They often list special deals and discounts there!

Thanks so much to everyone for entering! The more giveaways you enter, the most products I can offer you for review and giveaway!

Stay tuned, the Back to School Event will be starting up shortly - reviews and GIVEAWAYS that will make going back to school easier!!

Piggy Paint Review & GIVEAWAY!

Who doesn’t love great looking nails?! Some people go to a lot of time, effort and money to ensure their nails are in top form – I am not one of those people, at least not exactly. I have never been a fan of bold nail polish BUT when it comes time to don sandals I sing a different story! Like my love of jewelry, my coloured toes have totally enticed all three of my girls!

When WE were given the opportunity to test-drive Piggy Paint I knew it would be a great match for us (AND many of you!)! I had heard of Piggy Paint first from another Mom at my daughters’ gymnastics class – and we all know the value of another mom’s word! Ha!

Piggy Paint is

• Non-toxic
• Odorless
• Kid-friendly
• Specially Formulated with Natural Ingredients
• Hypoallergenic
• Water-based
• Durable

No wonder they say, “Natural as Mud”!

It was founded by a Mom – Melanie Hurley (gotta love Mom founded businesses!) who discovered the harshness of ‘regular’ solvent-based polish when it dripped on a foam plate and actually ATE through it!

I have admittedly painted my daughters’ nails a number of times with the solvent-based traditional polishes. They had always complained about the ‘stink’ and it was because of this that we often did it outside. Here is a sneak peak at the girls’ “collection”.

We were sent this fantastic bold purple colour named “Girls Rule” (so apporpiraite for my house!) and remover to try out.

Immediately Miss H noticed that it didn’t ‘stink’ while Miss A was amazed at just how quickly this “new stuff” dried – I’m sure many of you can appreciate this feature! It applied just as nicely as any polish. We applied 2 thin coats and found that it held up pretty good!

Although there are only 2 sets of toes in the pic I also painted my toenails and my 2 year olds’ without a second thought!

When it came time to remove the polish I found it a little difficult to remove completely BUT I will say the remover had virtually NO smell! We didn’t need to do it outside!

Piggy Paint comes in a variety of colours from bold to subtle which will definitely suit everyone! They have even launched a new line of colours titled “Project Earth” geared towards young ladies!

BUY IT!

Piggy Paint has offered all Take A Mom’s Word For It readers a 10% discount on ALL products (including sale items) until September 7, 2010!! Just enter coupon code MOMSWORD10L

I am personally going to take advantage of this deal!

WIN IT!

Win a $15 GC to spend on Piggy Paint products!!

Mandatory Entry

As always, please leave your email address with every comment (unless it’s in your profile)… you don’t want to win and then have me not be able to reach you!

Visit Piggy Paint and look at all the fun colours. Choose 2 colours you love and then come back here and tell me what they are.

Bonus Entries

1 Entry: Follow Take A Mom’s Word For It Blog through Google Friend Connect.

1 Entry: “Like” Piggy Paint on Facebook. They often post secret sales and special offers. Please leave your FB name so I can verify your entry.

1 Entry: “Like” Take A Mom’s Word For It on Facebook. Already like me?! Aw shucks! Please tell me!

3 Entries: Sign up for Piggy Paint’s newsletter HERE (bottom left hand corner).

3 Entries: Update your Facebook status telling all your lovelies about this great giveaway. Please tag “@take a mom’s word for it” in your post.

1 Entry: Follow Piggy Paint on Twitter HERE.

1 Entry: Follow me on Twitter HERE.

2 Entries: Tweet about this giveaway. You can use this sample tweet:

“Win a $15 GC for @piggypaint Polish that’s as Natural as Mud on @amomsword http://tiny.cc/0lhhm ends 8/13 #giveaway #win #natural"

This can be done once a day for 2 entries each day until the giveaway closes. Be sure to include the permalink to verify.

3 Entries: Post the Take A Mom’s Word For It button on your blog. Please leave me the link.

3 Entries: Post my Back to School Event button on your blog. Please leave me the link.

3 Entries: Sign up for email notifications from Take A Mom’s Word For It. Don’t forget to confirm your subscription through Feedburner.

10 Entries: Make a purchase at Piggy Paint. Leave me your name, what you purchased and when.

Good luck to everyone! Open to Canada & US only.

Giveaway ends August 13, 2010

Disclosure: I received one polish and one bottle of polish remover for review purposes. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

Meet Me On Monday

Linking up once again with Java at Never Growing Old for Meet Me On Monday... this week's questions (and answers!)...
1. What 1 food could you eat every single day?
I'm with Java on this one... PIZZA! And, I'm slowly converting my girls. There was a time when the door bell would ring and Little S would shout "pizza!"
2. Do you wear glasses or contacts?
Neither! At least not anymore. I used to wear contacts, but had laser surgery after my twins were born - BEST decision ever - totally life changing!
3. What kind of cell phone do you have?
I have a Motorola Krazor... next is def an iphone!
4. What did you have for dinner last night?
Mc Donald's! We went on a day trip to a local amusement park and were totally exhausted - Micky D's was on the way home!
5. What is your favourite candy?
ANY!! I am a total candy junkie! I do love sour coke bottles, sour keys, hot tomales, cherry blasters...

WINNER!

Well people, we have a winner of the Marley Jane giveaway!

The highly envied winner of a ring or necklace of choice, decided by random.org is...

Congratulations to "Shairbearg"!! You will have such a hard time deciding what you want!! You have 48 hours to respond to the email I'm about to send you.

Thanks to everyone who entered!! This giveaway has been my most successful yet! What does that tell me?! WE ALL LOVE JEWELRY!! I will do my best to find more sponsors to your liking!

If you weren't as lucky as our winner please visit Marley Jane and make a purchase. All her items are reasonably priced and uber-beautiful!

Potty Training - Day 3

Well, I didn't post about Day 3 when it ended cause frankly, potty training is exhausting! BUT, Day 3 went pretty good!

Little S refused to try in the morning so I just left it - no need to cause her any anxiety - though I did wonder if I'd pay for that later! ... nope, no accidents in the a.m.!

After waking up dry she again refused to try... uh oh... needless to say she did end up 'watering' Dad's grass soon after dinner!

The big excitement of the day came at night when she went #2!! She went #2 again this morning and I think we're well on our way to a diaper free household!! It's been a long time coming!!

We have a day trip to a local amusement park planned for Sunday. Not too sure how we're going to tackle this one. I REALLY don't want to use a diaper for a day - just seems to be defeating the purpose, but we'll see how things go today and tomorrow.

For those of you who are interested, here are some tips and things that went well for us...

• We waited for a number of 'readiness' signs.
• We didn't use a "potty", but rather a seat that sits on the regular toilet. Someone suggested ages ago when I was training my twins that some children have difficulty switching from a potty to a toilet and that using an insert would avoid this.
• Not pressuring her to try all the time, but rather asking often and allowing her to 'check' her own body.
• Praise, songs and books - all came during and after sitting on the toilet.
• Buying super cute underwear and letting her choose the pair she wanted to start the day. One caution to this - a friend said that her little one would pee in her pants just so she could choose a new pair to wear!
• We never used pull-ups, but rather went straight to underwear.
• Don't venture too far from home. Little S went so far as the edge of our lawn! Sometimes there were only seconds between her saying she had to go and her actually going. I think she'll be pretty house bound the next little while (aside from this weekend's day trip!).
• I plan to use one of the diaper change pads in her car seat for the next little while. It's a super thin, but resistant one.
• We have a fold-up travel seat that we'll be taking with us for the next while when we're out. It's great because it gives little ones a place to put their hands and prevents little bums from falling in! It's a bit of a trade off - not carrying diapers but carrying this seat :)

Good luck to all those potty training Mamas out there! It's a process - that's for sure, but boy is it worth it!!