Monday, December 23, 2013

Sanity for Mom, A Treat for the Kids: Kidoodle.TV (sponsored post)

I participated in a Blog Blast program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Kidoodle.TV.
 I received a promotional item and a free trial as a thank you for participating.

If your house is like mine, the next week is going to just be plum crazy.  Preparations, celebrating, entertaining, cleaning up and then probably doing it all again.  I try to avoid getting to annoyed with the kids during times like these, but sometimes all you can do is look for a way to keep them distracted and quiet while your hands are busy wringing, wrapping, and baking. This holiday season Kidoodle.TV has been the source of my sanity...


Let me tell you up front the reason I love this new service: With a parental passcode, I set up an account for each of my kids with the shows I think are appropriate or that they will like.  Then when they sit down to watch, they choose their profile and I don't have to worry at all about what they're watching while I'm busy someplace else in the house.  


Want a few minute breather with your kids in the coming days?  Here are some tips to get you started:
  • You can set profiles for up to 5 kids. 
  • Shows can be filtered by age, making it easy to choose appropriate entertainment for all ages
  • There is no advertising after you are logged in, so no chance kids will accidentally click on anything 
  • HUGE variety of shows:  My kids' favorites have been Sonic Underground, Monster Math Squad, and Zoo Babies.

(Free trial through December 2013) 

Try Kidoodle.TV for FREE and enter by December 31, 2013 to win 1 of 10 tablets or 1 of 10 Kidoodle.TV year-long subscriptions!

To enter, sign up for your free trial and follow the on-screen directions

Want to hear more from Kidoodle.tv?
Follow on Twitter @kidoodle.tv
Follow on Facebook: Kidoodle TV

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Back to Blocks Wooden Block Set: Giveaway

We're fairly child-focused on the blog lately, but it's the holidays and who doesn't wish they were still a kid at Christmas time?  I tried really hard this year to avoid buying all plastic toys for my boys.  It's so good for their development to have textured and natural interactions while they play.  And that is why I'm excited to join up this week for this giveaway...

Welcome to the Back To Blocks Giveaway!
Sponsored By: Back To Blocks

 
 
Back To Blocks is a family owned and operated business located in Kaysville, Utah. The wooden building blocks are handcrafted. Back To Blocks feels as though many children are not developing their natural creativity, due to the increasing world of technology. Back To Blocks is committed to providing a safe, durable, natural and quality product. Their blocks are made from natural hardwood, have no paints, dyes or stains and they use a popular, beautiful hardwood that comes naturally in a variety of color variations. Their products have been safety tested, read more about this here

Read Mami's 3 Little Monkeys review here

One lucky reader will win a 48 count bucket of natural wooden blocks!
Open to US residents
Ends January 2nd at 11:59pm CST
Enter through the Giveaway Tools entry form below for your chance to win. 
Winning entry will be verified, winner will be notified via email and will have 48hrs to respond or a new winner will be chosen. 
Good Luck!

Disclosure: Freemples was not compensated for this post nor is this blog responsible for the fulfillment/shipment of the prize. If you have any questions please contact Sarh at mamis3littlemonkeys@yahoo.com

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Double Creativity, No More Boredom...Sign Me Up! #sponsored

I received a complimentary subscription
 for this service via US Family Guide.
  You know the thoughts are mine, though, don't you?


A few weeks ago I shared an information post on the new toy rental company, Pleygo.  Now that I have had a chance to test out the service myself, I want to let you know that I LOVE it, and also share a fabulous deal Pleygo is offering right now.


The #1 reason I'm in love with Pleygo is that this little guy loves it.  His 6-year-old creative brain can be a lot of energy to deal with, but the minute the Pleygo box comes in the mail it's all focus and thinking.  I love the suggestion from Pleygo to contain the pieces of each set on a baking sheet.  It has done wonders to keep us from losing pieces...B can just pick it up and move it if the babies are coming near or if it's time to put it away for awhile.  

I've been really impressed that the instruction manuals we've received have all been pristine and looked brand new.  I know that we haven't always sent them back in such good condition and so I appreciate that Pleygo is appreciative of the wear and tear that comes with normal play and provides new manuals with their packages. Even better, most Lego sets can make 2-3 different objects, and the manuals for each set are always included.  I discovered this week that you can also go into your account online and bring up a file of the manuals if for some reason you don't have access to the ones they sent you.  

The #2 reason I think Pleygo is such a great company?  Their customer service is amazing! 
 Periodically they send out a short survey asking for input and both times I've responded, I've received an email back either answering my questions or addressing my concerns.  This picture is a product of one of those interactions...


The original advertising I had seen showed the toy packs showing up in  fabulously branded packaging, but our first several sets arrived only in a plain grey plastic envelope.  There was no way to know what it was without further investigating and nothing for the kids to get excited over.  Can you see the re-enacted look on his face when we finally got a set in the Pleygo packaging?  He could see the box waiting on the front porch before he'd even left the car that day and couldn't wait to get inside and open it.  And if you set up your account with your child's name, it will come addressed to them specifically.  Real mail for them...how can that not be exciting?


In addition to the appearance, the box also offers improvement on the instruction sheet.  In the plastic envelope the instructions were on a separate sheet of paper and were ripped and wrinkled by the time they got to us.  With the box, the instructions are printed very professionally on the inside top flap.  


In 3 months we have received 5 or 6 sets of Legos.  It seems like we've kept each one about 2 weeks before returning it and waiting for the next set on our wishlist to appear.  Even in the past few weeks we've seen continued improvement from Pleygo as they've decreased the wait time by shipping your new set as soon as they've received confirmation from the post office that you've mailed your last one.  In some cases this can literally mean a 1-2 day turn around time.  That is definitely value for your money!


Pleygo is a new and developing company and I think they will have some hiccups along the way.  But they seem to have all the elements for success already and if they keep listening to what kids and their parents are saying, I'm confident they have big things ahead of them.

Be sure to check out my first post on how the Pleygo system works and then head to their website for your one-month free trial.

Ready for the great deal?  Right now Pleygo is offering a $20 account credit to customers who purchase a gift subscription for someone else.  That is even more free!

Who in your world would be excited to see their 1st Pleygo box waiting in the mail?





Monday, December 16, 2013

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Giveaway: Zike Z100 Scooter...AWESOME Prize!

Participating today in a giveaway that my little guy would LOVE to win.  Who would you win this for?

Welcome the the Zike Z100 Scooter Giveaway!
Sponsored By: Zike

 
Zikee LLC is a revolutionary company that has a passion for creating the next generation of revolutionary human powered products! They have combined an innovative new scooter and bicycle creating their freestyle hybrid scooters. Their scooters are unlike any others on the whole planet. They hope to make a positive difference in people's lives by combining fun and fitness as well as environmentally friendly transportation. As you may know mainstream bikes have basically been the same for over 100 years, but with 27 patents pending, Zike has pioneered a radical rethink of these bikes. 

Read Mami's 3 Little Monkeys review here.

Giveaway! 
One lucky reader will win their own Zike Z100 Scooter ($249ARV). The Z100 is recommended for children from 5 to 8 years of age and can support up to 150lbs. This giveaway is open to residents of the Continental US whom are at least 18 years of age at the time of entrance. Giveaway will end on December 28th at 11:59pm CST. For your chance to win, simply complete how ever many entries in the Giveaway Tools entry form below, the more you complete, the better your odds of winning! The winner will be chosen at random, winning entry will be verified and winner will be notified via email in which they have 48 hours to respond to or a new winner will be chosen. Good Luck!


Disclosure: Freemples is not responsible for the fulfillment or shipment of this prize nor have I received any form of compensation for this post. If you have any questions or would like to see your product/brand/etc promoted similar to this one please contact Sarh at mamis3littlemonkeys@yahoo.com. 

Friday, December 6, 2013

Not Waiting for New Year's-Jumping on the Scale #sponsored

Item in this post was provided for review in exchange for my opinions.
No other compensation was received.

Three years ago I quit fitting into my favorite skirt.  I squeezed and wiggled and pulled and pushed.  It would not go on.  So I hung it on a hanger, took a picture, and challenged my sisters to join a Facebook Group with me called "I Want To Wear This..."  Sometimes successfully, and sometimes not, we use that space to encourage each other in exercise pursuits, healthier eating, and the ups and downs that come with trying to live a healthier life.  

In the middle of that two years my twins were born.  I have never owned a scale, but when you're pregnant the doctors do a great job of making sure you know every ounce that your body packs on.  When the babies are born, at least for me, the weight yo-yo begins and I've been trying this time to take my best guess what a scale would say that I weigh.  Thank goodness for the people at Ozeri!  A bathroom scale to try out and review just in time for the holidays...

Sleek packaging!
I'll have to say I was surprised to open up the packing box to find something so flat and unassuming.  I think my last memory of an in-home scale is from my grandma's house 25 years ago.  The Ozeri Rev Digital Scale is reminiscent of grandma's old clunker with it's electro-mechanical dial, but fits in unassumingly in my much more modern decor. 

Very Unassuming size and design.

I love this scale!  It's simple with only 2 instructions:  Set the switch on lbs or kgs and then step on.  At first I was a little disappointed it didn't have bells and whistles like measurement memory or settings for more than one person, but realistically, I do not need that and would probably just be frustrated knowing it was there and I wasn't using it or couldn't get it figured out.  This scale does have an option to set a daily alarm if you want a reminder to check your weight at the same time everyday.  

After having the Ozeri Rev Digital Bath Scale in my home for a few weeks now, I can honestly say I needed to have a scale in my house.  I had been doing pretty good at guessing what my weight was, but with an inanimate object telling me the straight facts about how my eating habits affect my weight, I've already felt a kick in the pants.  And it's helping me not to over-indulge on all the holiday yummies that surround appear at this time of year.  I know everyone waits until the first of the year to set their New Year's resolutions of perfect exercise and eating, but I'm glad to have my scale now and have some factual encouragement to go along with the "Good job!" and "You can do it!" I get from my sisters along the way.  Here is where I'm at today...check back for the day I finally fit into that skirt again!  

Love that the bright display, and that it has both a needle and a digital display
will support up to 400 pounds 
and has StepOn technology requiring no extra steps to turn it on.
Available at Amazon.com