Seven Dogs and A Baby

Stocking stuffers for the kid who truely does have everything!

2009-11-18T23:55:00.000-08:00

I had the hardest time telling people what to buy Connor for christmas. It's not so much that Connor has EVERYTHING but he certainly is beyond any reasonable doubt spoiled. The problem is I'm so incredibly picky as to what I let my kids play with. It's not so much as I'm a stuck up toy snob as honestly I'm not. I love toys of every shape and size it's more than when you live in a house that your already obviously outgrowing you really need items around you that function and look pretty at the same time.

So this year we are asking for toys that will spark Connor's creative side and still hold up to our functional/pretty requirements. Personally though I wanted to give something to Connor that I knew he would love and had a bit of a personal touch to it. Connor's obession with crayons and pirates/monsters sort of merged into a handmade stocking stuffer that would be durable and still get him as excited. Connor loves to color but he gets terribly frustrated when the crayons break. It's not that you can't color with a crayon but I can't tell you how many times he's asked me to tape the broke ones back together.

So to fix that problem I came up with some great handmade crayons which he could enjoy without worrying about them breaking or rolling off the table. Mind you they are not totally indestructible but they have certainly held up thus far for us and we're so excited to share them with you guys! I've set up an entire selection of handmade molded chunky crayons that are the perfect stocking stuffer for any kid on your list. Each of these crayons is massive the jumbo ones easily taking 14-16 crayons to fill each hold so they will last a very long time. Personally I'm a huge fan of the skull designs but they are all ridiculously adorable. Each one is made of recycled Crayola and other high end brand crayons painstakingly unwrapped and broken down into smaller pieces for melting. I inspect each and every piece before it ever hits the recycling bin and if you could see the state of my fingers you'd understand just how much it takes to unwrap that many crayons.

Check out my Etsy storefront and look at all the great designs and color choices I currently have available. Depending on the popularity I'd like to offer some more designs but right now we have Skulls, Snowmen, Stars, Christmas Trees, and Mini Christmas Trees available in the shop. They come in "solid" color which are marbled crayons of the same color family with a little bit of white mixed in just for effect and rainbow versions which is basically a mixed chunky crayon. The rainbow is kind of fun as you never really know what color its going to make when you use it. I can sell them in individual pieces or custom colors as well for parties depending on how many un-melted crayons I have here at any given time. Just send me an email to ask!

I'm also going to give away one set of crayons to one of my readers! Just check out my Etsy storefront and check out all of the crayon selections. Come back here and tell me which set you'd most like to have if you win. Choices will be limited to what I have in stock at the time a winner is chosen but I will try my best to get you your first choice!

To enter :

Leave a comment on this post. Just check out my Etsy storefront and check out all of the crayon selections. Come back here and tell me which set you'd most like to have if you win. Choices will be limited to what I have in stock at the time a winner is chosen but I will try my best to get you your first choice!
Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
Please US entries only.
To get extra credit :
- For an extra entry :
- Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
- Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
- Let people know about the giveaway on Twitter with a link to the giveaway!
- THREE extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
- This contest will end Dec 15th at midnight!

Have I told you about Connor's obession with Monsters?

2009-11-18T23:38:00.000-08:00

Ever since Halloween Connor has been talking non stop about monsters. Not in a "I'm scared of the monster's under my bed!" sort of way, but he actually LIKES the monsters. He proudly informed me last week that there was a ghost under his bed and a monster in the closet. This was of course before he has ever seen Monsters, Inc so now he's really obessed. Thank goodness I stocked up on monster themed pajamas at the Halloween clearance sales!

With the release of UP Disney decided to re-release Monsters, Inc in a really fanatastic blu-ray/dvd combo pack which if we could rate a movie by how often Connor asks to see it in a one week span Monsters, Inc is off the charts. Seriously I've seen UP at least five times this week but Monsters, Inc has played almost nonstop on one TV in my house since it arrived. Thank heavens for those blu-ray/dvd combo packs as without them I'd be constantly running from one side of the hosue to the other attempting to appease my own little monster. Actually speaking of which he's sounds asleep in his fort pillow on top of my bed as we speak, and you can only guess what movie he was watching when he fell asleep... heh.. Monsters, Inc.

If you haven't yet seen Monsters, Inc then I'm not even sure where to begin. It's the perfect cure for any child who is afraid of the monster in their closet as after watching an hour and half of Sulley baby Boo you'd wonder why ever kid wasn't as monster obsessed as mine is. Seeing it in blu-ray was a real treat it was a goregous movie in its original release but seeing it in blu-ray makes you wonder what they did to enhance it as each of the hairs on Sulley stands out and the lighting is fantastic. The audio is also much clearer on the blu-ray version than the standard edition.

As for bonus features we had a blast watching the Pixar shorts included, Mikes New Car and For The Birds. There are also several dvd games included for the older kids and lots of documentary type features. Regardless if you own an older copy or if your buying Monsters, Inc for the first time the blu-ray/dvd combo pack is a winner in my book. For every time I've not had to go dig the blu-ray copy out when Connor wanted to watch it in my room makes it all worth it to me and then some. Not to mention seeing it in blu-ray reminded me why I loved it so much in the first place!

You can pick up your own copy of Monsters, Inc at Amazon right now!

UP is great for the whole family!

2009-11-17T20:36:00.001-08:00

Are you absolutely tired of watching cartoons? I never thought I'd say this but there are some days I really wish we could watch something with an actual plot to it. Not that I mind watching endless amounts of children programming but for the most part it just ends up as background noise while I'm studying. When Up showed up though, everything changed. Up was the first children movie in a really long time that my husband was actually excited about seeing. So much so he couldn't wait for me to watch it as it arrived in the middle of my midterms week and between having to take care of the horse and doing homework I was pretty much gone that whole week. I've honestly never seen him so excited about watching a movie with Connor.

Now I really wish I would have been there that night to watch it with them as since, I've watched Up at least four times with Connor and not only does it have a really detailed story line but there is really something in the movie for everyone in the family. The story line is not at all what I expected from seeing the previews, its actually a romance in a way and it really starts off pretty sad. Without ruining it for you I could only hope to dream that my husband feels even half the way that Carl feels about Ellie when we are old. The whole story goes has everything from parts that will make you cry to laugh out loud. Once you've met Dug the dog you'll be in love.

What really surprised us though was the picture quality. It's hands down my favorite animation from Disney in quite some time. So often with so many of the newer releases it always seems like they are attempting to impress you with something. Everything about this film is totally flawless and there is no aspect that really stands out over the rest. It's just clean, gorgeous, and even down to the balloons it feels like you can just reach out and touch them on bluray. I've watched it with Connor on regular dvd too in the bedroom and though there is a difference the graphics lend themselves to either aspect. Even Chris made a comment on just how great this movie looks. So often it seems like your staring at this gorgeous background or 3D effects and everything else goes to waste. Nothing was left out in UP and everything looks amazing.

The sound quality offers the same sort of feelings as the graphics. Everything is just so crisp and clear nothing is overwhelming and there is nothing to distract you from the storyline. It's really quite refreshing as this movie really gives itself to its storyline but nothing else takes second stage. The voices of the dogs are downright hilarious and the sound effects Kevin (the very colorful bird) is as impressive as his rainbow colored feathers. Unlike so many movies I have to turn the sound up on the tv to hear the dialog over the background that's just not the case for UP. Everything from the dogs to Carl comes over clear as a bell which makes this the perfect candidate for a great movie for Connor to watch while the new baby is sleeping in the near future. The only problem will be getting him not to laugh at full volume every single time one of the dogs squeal "SQUIRREL!"

I know I say this every single time we get a new blu-ray video to review but seriously regardless if you have a blu-ray player yet or not your downright silly not to buy the blu-ray combo packs. Stocked with both a blu-ray version and a regular version of the movie as well as more extra features than you can imagine it's just more economical. Connor does not have a blu-ray player yet for his bedroom. If you do have the luxury of a blu-ray player check out the entire disc worth of extras. When I say there are a ton of extras included you could spend all day watching them. We went through just a few of them including a cute one about married life for Carl and Ellie. Disc one also has a great little short all about Dug, my favorite character if you can't tell, that you really must see!

You can pick up your own copy of UP right now on Amazon!

Never worry about having the files you need when your on the go.

2009-11-16T01:18:00.000-08:00

I'm always traveling back and forth between my parents house and home. The problem with that is I'm running a full time blogging career, school, and being a mom. I can't tell you how many times I've been at my mom's house working on homework or something for a client and realized I either left my contact list or my homework on my home computer in another state. Nothing is more frustrating than either having to put client stuff on hold or having to restart an entire school assignment just because I forgot to transfer my files onto my usb drive or onto my laptop. Its actually gotten to the point that I dread going to my parents house all together as I'm always forgetting something at home that I need. The problem is now Connor is old enough to ask to go see his Paw Paw and how am I to refuse something that cute?

Microsoft Office Live is just the thing I've been looking for and so much more! Actually, as a Microsoft Office user myself making the jump to Microsoft Office Live was so incredibly simple. All you have to do is go to the website and sign up for a free account. Once your activated you have 5gigs of free storage to use however you like, if your just using it for documents that's more documents than I could ever hope to store but you can use it to store pictures and other files as well. Once your account is live you can set up as many workplaces as you like. Each workplace is accessible to anyone you choose to share it with. I'm currently working on setting up a family workplace where I can share pictures and documents with my dad which will make transferring information between us so simple, not to mention there is a calendar function we can set up so I can keep him up to date on all the family parties going on up here. As well I set up a school workplace where I can store all of my schoolwork for when I travel. No worrying about if I have my usb drive and did I remember to transfer the files? As well there is a place for me to keep track of all my assignments and deadlines. I can't even tell you how wonderful this will be once I'm back to taking classes on campus as if I forget to print out a homework assignment or paper I can just go into my Microsoft Live account from any school computer and print them out. The same goes with my blog files, with a workplace set up just for the blog I can store all my contacts, disclosures, and any files I need to transfer to clients. Each workplace is its own "place" and you can keep them private to yourself or choose who you share them with. People you invite to your workplace can edit as well as share files of their own as well.

All of this is absolutely free to use and anyone can set up their own account at Microsoft Office Live! It's a fabulous service and you really must check it out!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Microsoft Office Live. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Why am I the only one that catches the little fish?

2009-11-13T23:25:00.000-08:00

Connor was introduced to fishing officially for the first time on our summer trip to the Ozarks. Though his attention span is incredibly limited hes been talking about it non stop since. Quite often he goes "fishing" of my father's dock as well though he never has the patience to actually sit there long enough to catch something. Not to say that he doesn't try his little two year old heart out. He even does the sign for fishing, yes we are still occasionally signing though he can talk your ear off in a few seconds flat at this point.

We have found a great fishing spot though that always scores us some fishies to catch and no one has to get a hook in the mouth for us to have a little fun. heh. The only issue is somehow Connor is always the one catching the "big fish" and I'm always stuck catching the runty ones. Complete with its own tackle box, fishing vest, fishing rod, worms, and of course cute little fishes to catch the Learning Resources Pretend and Play Fishing Set has had Connor occupied for weeks. Actually I really had no idea what to expect when it arrived from Learning Resources. Sure its an adorable set and I have to admit I'm a little jealous of that adorable fishing vest that it comes with but I really wasn't sure how Connor would take to it. His real life fishing experiences are so short on his attention span I was sure I'd be cleaning it up every 30 seconds but that's not at all been the case.

Connor's favorite fishing location in the house is his crib. He's still not mastered the art of sleeping all night in his "big boy bed" so usually he ends up in his crib after I'm tired of sticking him in the big boy bed for the 20th time a night. Our compromise is that he's allowed to take a book or two and a toy to bed or we leave something close to the bed for him to grab when he wakes up. Connor has been unusually kind to me as I'm always exhausted with this pregnancy and for the most part if he wakes up before I do he will quietly sit and play or read his book while he waits for me to get up. Often his toy of choice is to take his fishing set to bed and have me set up his fish on the chair next to the bed. He will actually fish from his boat, aka the crib, all morning if I let him. It's really adorable to see how his imagination is really starting to take shape and work. The same game happens quite often in the living room where my pink laundry basket ends up as the boat and we fish off the side on the rug. Sometimes he graciously allows me to catch fish as well but usually I'm only allowed to catch the smallest fish while the large ones are reserved for Connor.

The Learning Resources Pretend and Play Fishing Se t comes with three really cute fish in three sizes, three worms, and a fishing rod which are all magnetic. The fish themselves sort of sit back on their tails with their mouths open to make catching them really easy even for the smallest of fishermen. However, I will say the magnets are really much stronger than I expected and even if the fish fall over (or are thrown out of the "boat") it's pretty simple to catch them with the magnetic hook even if they are upside down or sideways. As well the set comes with a fishing net, coloring activity book, and a really adorable one size fits all fishing vest. Everything is stored inside its own tackle box so you can keep track and take it with you to the grandparents house as well. Actually one of my favorite parts of the set is the coloring book that came with it as the whole book is laminated so you can color on it and then wipe it off. It's relatively small and only six pages long so it fits perfectly in my purse for us to take with us to restaurants or doctors appointments. It's just a nice little bonus that has really come in handy.

The whole set is available on the Learning Resources website for under $30 which is a great bargain especially if your looking for a present this year on a budget. One thing I'm really starting to appreciate about the toys from Learning Resources is just how incredibly well made they are. We've actually owned several fishing sets and without fail the magnets either stop working or something breaks. The fish in this set are very sturdy as is the fishing rod so I suspect even with two boys in the house it will far outlast their interest in the set. You can pick up your own set at the Learning Resources website as well!

Learning Resources has provided us with a second Pretend and Play Fishing Set to giveaway to one very lucky winner!

To enter :

Leave a comment on this post. Check out the Learning Resources website search for products by brand. Check out all the Pretend and Play items and tell us which is your favorite, other than the fishing set!
Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
Please US entries only.
To get extra credit :
- For an extra entry :
- Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
- Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
- Let people know about the giveaway on Twitter with a link to the giveaway!
- THREE extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
- This contest will end Dec 1st at midnight!

Puppies, ponies, crayons and school!

2009-11-10T22:09:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd give you guys a personal update on whats going on over here behind the scenes at Seven Dogs and a Baby. We are officially no longer a seven dog family and sooner than later there will be more than one baby. I've been asked if we would change our name.. and no.. I have no plans of doing so as I still think the name suits us. It's always a state of chaos around here and the name was originally designed to reflect that. With the new baby on the way we made the heartbreaking decision to place some of our older dogs and though some of those placements almost destroyed me emotionally in the end most of it was for the best. Indy, Jasmine, Melos and Boo are still resident here and we will continue to be a four dog household indefinitely.

For those of you that don't know Boo was Waffle's replacement after Connor lost his puppy suddenly just a few weeks ago. Boo is doing good and has adjusted fabulously. I'm still working on potty training but that's a sore subject with a two year old who's giving me trouble as well. Boo and Connor have an on and off again relationship at the moment. It's certainly been slower than the bond he had with Waffles but then again Waffles was born here. Boo and Connor get along and Connor is well aware that Boo is "his" puppy.. but his interests have been elsewhere at the moment. I have a feeling things will pick back up when the new baby comes. Melos however has decided that Boo is just the friend he always wanted and they sleep together every night in Boo's crate as Boo, is strangely enough, scared of the dark. heh.

I've been spending more time at the barn lately decompressing and it's done wonders for my attitude. This pregnancy has been much more painful and physical than Connor's pregnancy was even at the very end and I didn't even feel like leaving the house the first few months. Lately though I've had a lot more energy and my mood is certainly improving. I'm already dreaming of the next time I get to sit in a saddle and nothing in the world is better. Dove the pony has been a model citizen as well lately and I got a cute video of her jumping on my youtube if you guys wanna watch.

I've been making gifts for Christmas as with the new baby coming so close to Christmas my budget is just maxed out and having to replace Waffles did not help anything at all. It's been years since last I made shaped crayons but I decided that Connor just "had" to have monster shaped crayons for Christmas. The whole obsession lead to me making him the cutest ever skull crayons for his stocking and we got so excited about it I listed some on Etsy as well! These crayons have been a total blessing as he is notorious for breaking his crayons within seconds of using them and thus far these have been really difficult if not impossible for him to break. He's absolutely giddy about his "monster pirates" as he calls them as well. I'm not totally sure how skulls translate into monster pirates but pirates do seem to enjoy skulls so I'm rollin with it. If you want to check out some of our other designs for Christmas check out my Etsy store! Most of our recycled crayons were donated from school and art programs and we provide them with new crayons in return. I'll continue making these until the CSPIA law shuts me down or I flat out run out of crayons. In the meantime its tons of fun. I do sort and process every single crayon that comes in by hand, my poor sore fingernails can prove this as well.

School is not going so great this semester. I've learned that microeconomics makes NO sense to me and it was possibly not a wise decision to take it online. My second attempt at my midterm is tomorrow and if I don't raise my grade I'll be forced to drop and retake it over the summer in class as I'm currently taking it online. The whole prospect just makes me nauseous as I'm already under the assumption that I'll never actually graduate at this rate as I've already been taking classes for four years. Between moving colleges and loosing almost a year's worth of credits in the transfer, babies, having to change majors due to my eye condition, and now this. Every time I have to drop or loose a class it just feels like a slap in the face. I will.. one day.. finish my degree, I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. I could use all the moral support and prayers you guys can give me. I have to sit next term out as well because of my due date and it's all just super frustrating!

Chris, however, is LOVING his career and he makes us proud on a daily basis. I have to admit I'm a little jealous of all his revelry. Connor on the other hand just loves to tell people his daddy is a "piggie" aka a police officer. heh.

With all that said its Holiday Gift Guide time! Let's get cracking on some great holiday gift ideas and my all time favorite review to do, TOYS! I think I'm more giddy about this than Connor is to be honest with you. As well I have some great baby gear and maternity items coming up a well in prep for our baby guide coming in Jan/Feb. After all the main reason I started this blog three years ago was how frustrated I was with my baby product experiences. I really can't wait to share with you guys the items I've found that we just cannot live without, some great new items, and of course some cute clothing items to boot!

Saturday mornings the way I remember them.

2009-11-04T20:40:00.002-08:00

Growing up Saturday meant one thing and one thing only. CARTOONS!!! I remember waking up early just so I could watch a few extra hours. You know I honestly don't even know if kids still do such things? Regardless I can finally share the cartoons I grew up watching with Connor and the new baby when he gets here.Warner Brothers just released two new Saturday Morning Cartoon dvd collections the Saturday Morning Cartoons 1970s Volume 2 and Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960s Volume 2!

Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960s Volume 2 brought back some very familiar faces from when I was a child, even though I grew up in the 70s and 80s. Regardless many of the cartoons were very familiar and there were a few that were new to me. Just a few of the included shows are Johnny Cypher, Porky Pig, Aquaman, Flinstones, Jetsons, Tom and Jerry, Space Ghost & quite a few more!

The Jetsons was always one of my favorite childhood cartoons as well as the Flinstones. Space Ghost was never on my radar as a child but as an adult its still one of my favorites. Zorak is still one of my all time cartoon characters to date. Connor on the other hand really enjoys Tom & Jerry which sends him into fits of giggles every time. What I really forgot about 1960s cartoons is just how hilarious the villeins are.. seriously I think to make up for the fact that the villeins were not really that "evil" they made up for it in some of the best evil laughter ever. Actually if I had to pick one of the two dvds released this is by far my favorite as it's really hard to beat the episodes and shows included.

Saturday Morning Cartoons 1970s Volume 2 is seriously a blast from my past. These are the shows that were on every Saturday morning when I was Connor's age and older. Yogi, Batman, Tom and Jerry, Sea Lab 2020 and of course The Banana Splits. Though there is a lot that the 60s and 70s had in common there seems to be much more of a switch towards the Hanna Barbara more serious super hero in the 70s that never did keep my interest compared to the characters from the 60s. Actually I almost hate to admit this but I barely remember Shazzan,New Adventures of Gilligan and Valley of the Dinosaurs. I did really enjoy the Tom and Jerry episodes included and the jewel of this dvd is The Banana Splits Adventure Hour seriously if you have never seen them they are hilarious plus who didn't love the mini series Danger Island which was apart of their show. Just a few of the included shows are Sea Lab 2020, Shazzan, Yogi's Gang, Banana Splits, New Adventures of Batman and Robin and quite a few more!

Regardless if your looking to add to your own cartoon collection or introduce your own children to some great cartoons both Saturday Morning Cartoons 1970s Volume 2 and Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960s Volume 2 are both great choices. You can pick them both up right now on Amazon as well!

Daddy might be working but we are busy playing!

2009-11-03T23:41:00.000-08:00

Like every little boy Connor totally idolizes his daddy. Though I might have, um, accidentally taught him that his Daddy is a "piggy", yes I'm ashamed to say I in joke taught him to tell people his Daddy was a piggy instead of a police officer. He's overwhelmingly proud of his Dad even if he really has no real concept of what a police officer does. What Connor does know is that Daddy drives a really cool car, has a super bright flash light, and catches bad guys.

One of my favorite toy collections is the Mighty World collection by International Playthings. Mighty World not only makes some great play sets from construction vehicles to even a really cool horse set, but most importantly they make emergency vehicles which gives us a chance to really role play what Daddy actually does for a living. We recently got a chance to test out the Complete Emergency Response set which includes everything we need to play. A ambulance complete with Paramedics and even a gurney to haul away the injured, a police car with a officer and even a tiny radio to call for backup, and super cute bike cop! Along with tons of accessories including road blocks, emergency cones, and more!

What is really unusual and cool about the Mighty World trucks is that the parts are totally interchangeable. You can totally disassemble them to the bear bones for the most part and each of the of the trucks from the collection can be reassembled using each other's parts to make a unique vehicle. As well you can remove the roofs off the cars to access the interior. Each of the emergency vehicles lights work as well which is a cool feature! You can check out all of the Mighty World play sets and check out how they come apart and what cool accessories are included on the Mighty World website. Personally I'd really like to have the Parade Day set as Connor could play with the police truck while I enjoy the cute horses. heh.

International Playthings has given me an extra Mighty World Complete Emergency Response to give away to one incredibly lucky winner. It retails for $85 and will make one lucky kid scream with glee on Christmas morning!

To enter :

Leave a comment on this post. Check out the Mighty World website and tell me which play set other than the Mighty World Emergency Response set you'd most love to have for your children!
Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
Please US entries only.
To get extra credit :
- For an extra entry :
- Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
- Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
- Let people know about the giveaway on Twitter with a link to the giveaway!
- THREE extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
- This contest will end Nov 30th at midnight!

Wow I can't belive I'm already thinking about feeding a baby again!

2009-11-02T13:17:00.000-08:00

It just seems like yesterday that Connor took his last drink of breast milk and I debated on what sort of formula to move him on. We held the fort down on breastfeeding as long as we could but I had to routinely supplement as though I had a ton of milk in the beginning things slowly eased off as we went along. Actually I was NEVER ashamed to admit that we supplemented one bottle a day almost from the beginning as there were times I honestly just needed to take a nap or leave the house and it gave my friends and family a chance to feed him. Though I can't say I've thought in depth about infant nutrition in the same way I have about feeding solid foods and trying to feed Connor, who I found out today was VERY anemic.. probley because refuses to eat meat more often than not.

There is a new Infant Nutrition Website sponsored by Enfamil and Visual MD which aims to help parents understand a little more about their babies digestive and nutritional needs. An awesome video not only help explain everything but make it very interesting as well. Along with the video there are some great informational slides with articles on each of the points covered. My favorite of which was the information on just how DHA is used by the body. You hear so much about DHA and see it on labels everywhere... but do you really know what it is or what it does? If your curious you can check out the DHA and ARA section on the Infant Nutrition Website!

Regardless if your a parent, caregiver, a prospective nurse or nutritionist or are just curious about infant nutritional needs its a great resource. Check out the Infant Nutrition Website for more info.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Mead Johnson. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

My favorite type of super hero!

2009-11-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite children's companies has a brand new line of plush which will inspire any little super hero lover in your family. Ze Super Zeros have to be the cutest super heroes we have ever seen! A zebra, monkey, hippo and mouse make up only a small portion of the Ze Super Zero collection. Each are made from an interesting combo of colors and materials that make them really unique to look at not to mention irresistible. As well each Ze Super Zero has his or her own super power which is really their natural talents, ie the hippo is a fast swimmer and the zebra has camouflage. In a way we all have our own super powers and Ze Super Zeros get that point across in their own way.

What we really love about them is the unique look and creative play they inspire. Connor loves to show off his Zipo the Hippo Ze Super Zeros. We absolutely love plush but I have to admit I'm always overly bored by the standard teddy bear or plush dog. Ze Super Zeros give us something unique and fun to enjoy and like everything else we have seen from All New Materials, they are nowhere close to boring!

You can check out the Ze Super Zeros over at the All New Materials website and search for a retailer in your area or online. You can also pick up one on Amazon!

Who says we don't see snow in Alabama?

2009-11-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, so its highly unusual that it actually snows here in Alabama though back home in IL we'd be expecting snowstorms any day now. I don't think Connor remembers the snow at all so it may just be a shock to him if we end up with some snow for thanksgiving when we go up to visit his grandparents. Though we've been watching some of our Hit Entertainment friends enjoy some snowy weather!

Frosty Friends is the perfect dvd to get your kids in the winter mood. It's still a little early if you ask me for the Christmas dvds but its certainly never too early to watch some fun in the snow. I know down here in Alabama we sometimes forget its winter at all with some days down here still hitting the 80s.

You know what we love about this collection is unusual assortment of episodes included. Of course you will still see the Hit Entertainment favorites Thomas, Barney, Bob but also making an appearance is Kipper, Pingu, and Fifi! Not always included in this sort of dvd. Pingu is the perfect choice for a winter time dvd and we always love seeing him! Connor is a dog freak so Kipper went over really well as I really think this might just have been his first Kipper episode at least that I can remember off hand.

Frosty Friends would make for a great addition to your current dvd collection or the perfect stocking stuffer! You can pick up your own copy of Frosty Friends right now on Amazon!

Hit Entertainment was kind enough to give me a copy of Frosty Friends to giveaway to one of my readers!!

To enter :

Leave a comment on this post. Check out the Hit Entertainment Store and tell me which movie you'd like to see in your child's Santa gifts!!
Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
Please US entries only.
To get extra credit :
- For an extra entry :
- Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
- Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
- Let people know about the giveaway on Twitter with a link to the giveaway!
- THREE extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
- This contest will end Nov 15th at midnight!

Scaring the pants off our neighbors!

2009-10-31T15:56:00.001-07:00

We love our neighbors.. lol.. ok.. well love = scare the pants off of them in no better terms. We set up a huge Halloween display every year and attempt to make all the neighborhood kids that dare to get candy from us scream for their troubles. It's gone so far as to have grown women screaming at me from the road histerical. *shrug* What did you expect when you see a house decorated like this?

Connor is attempting to follow in our footsteps already. I think he makes for a pretty cute but sometimes scary skeleton! :)

Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Who said fairies are just for girls?

2009-10-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

We went to a Halloween event at our local zoo last night. Connor saw lots of monsters, one of which had four heads on a chain and two bloody knives and unlike most of the kids that were screaming in horror, Connor insisted on giving him a high five.. only my kid! We rode the monster train and for the most part Connor was pretty brave even laughing at a few parts. The highly of his night though was another little girl in line that was dressed in the cutest Tinker Bell outfit ever. He squealed and kept saying over and over "Tinker Bell is here!!".

What people may not know about my precious little boy is, one of his favorite dvds of all time is the newest Tinker Bell adventure : Tinker Bell and The Lost Treasure that just came out on blu-ray/dvd combo. Why can't he love Tinker Bell after all she's always been my favorite with that little attitude of hers and her tomboyish charm. Plus I can't help to admire a fairy who is as disaster prone as I am, though her keen whit and pure determination always gets her through.

He asks to watch it at bedtime quite often and you know Tinker Bell is one of my favorite Disney characters too so I'm always happy to oblige him. Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure does not disappoint. I mean did you check out the clip with the trolls? Hilarious! Tinker Bell has got herself into a fix this time though after breaking the magical scepter who turns out is incredibly hard to replace she is stuck attempting to find a way to replace it! Not without a little help from her new firefly friend Blaze though!

Again Disney has me jumping for joy for a blu-ray release that comes with a standard dvd as well. I'm telling you these things are brilliant as though we have a blu-ray player in the living room quite often Connor wants to watch his favorites in the car or before bedtime in his room and I'll be perfectly honest with you guys there is no way on earth I can afford to outfit our entire house with blu-ray players at the moment. Though personally I don't think there is any other way to properly watch a movie, much less a Disney movie! These two packs though solve all my problems and wow does Tinker Bell look amazing on blu-ray! I'm always concerned on the quality with the direct to dvd movies but both Tinker Bell movies out thus far really have wowed us with their quality! Even the soundtrack is pretty amazing. We've only had the movie a short time and Connor has already watched it at least a dozen times if that gives you any idea.

There are some cool extras including a little personal tour of Pixie Hollow and some really awesome deleted scenes including more scenes with the new beloved Blaze and my personal favorite the trolls!

If you have a Tink fan in the house you really must pick up your own copy of Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure right now on Amazon! Regardless if you have a blu-ray player or not I highly recommend you buy the blu-ray combo pack as you WILL at some point and this pack has both copies in it for very little extra!

Cleanup is rediculously easy with my new Frigidaire!

2009-10-29T14:42:00.001-07:00

Participating in the Frigidaire test drive program has been an amazing experience. I always said that there were two appliances I'd most like to replace in my household if the funds existed the first being my washer and dryer and the second being my stove. The main reason for this is that those are in my opinion the two appliances that can make your life a thousand times easier as a mom if like us you own just basic models. Our washer and dryer does the job but I'm constantly rewashing and redrying my clothes as it just does not always get the job done on nasty toddler or police stained clothing. Our stove was fine as well, glass top, newer, but the space was limited and Chris was always asking me how to set the temperature or do something. I'd be the first to admit I snapped off to him more than once about that.

Frigidaire's “More Me Time” guarantee is not at all a joke. I kind of laughed when I heard about this campaign wondering just how much a new Frigidaire stove and microwave would really affect our lives. The first and most wonderful change was I no longer have to help the boys cook a pizza or make some macaroni. That sounds silly but seriously having to stop working on homework get up and help set the timer on the oven is really annoying. Now the boys can just hit one button and be ready to roll. No guess work, no fuss, good to go, plus I've been rewarded on several occasions with dinner waiting for me when I got home. It may have just been chicken nuggets and french fries but seriously nothing is better.

The thing that surprised me the most about my Frigidaire gallery stove and microwave is just how incredibly easy they are to clean. I used to own an older set from a competitor also stainless steel and though I loved them intensely the problem always was hand prints. I swear I was always cleaning and cleaning and cleaning the hand prints off the stove and fridge. Lets not even talk about water marks. You know a month into the test drive I was really surprised at the fact that I had yet to see one hand print or mark on my stove. Especially seeing Connor is constantly touching it. I also hate to admit that last night was the first night I really seriously cleaned both the stove and microwave. Sure I've wiped it down several times after cooking but no serious attempts at cleaning.

So last night I busted out my manual to see how exactly Frigidaire thinks I should clean the appliances just so I could tell you guys the right way and I was totally flabbergasted. Yes, I just said flabbergasted. The recommended method of surface cleaning was just a soft cloth and warm soapy water. What!? No chemicals, no stainless steel cleaner??? Kind of taken back I started but pulled out a glass top range cleaner to clean the surface of the glass on the top of my stove though honestly I don't think it really needed it. Most of the dirt on the surface of the glass was purely crumbs from the pizzas cooked recently, I've been out of town all week and that's the food of choice when I'm gone. So here ya go pictures before I started including the supplies needed. Two soft rags one to wet and one to dry and my glass top range cleaner. I used really warm water and very little if any soap.

Before and after shots of the stove top.

Less than ten minutes later we were all done, ok the back corner of the microwave is not perfect but I'm 4'10 and I didn't feel like dragging my stool out so I had some problems reaching. Otherwise I cleaned both the microwave and stove inside and out including scrubbing the glass on the range. Everything came out amazingly clean and the last step I didn't show you guys is I removed the inside racks and hit self clean on the stove. It all looks brand new. I really honestly don't even think I needed the glass top range cleaner there was just one spot from some soup I cooked a few weeks ago that needed a scrubbing and honestly what little glass cleaner I used I could have gotten away with just warm water. Even my old basic stove would have taken much longer to clean in that sort of detail as I always had a problem getting anything greasy off the surfaces and the knobs were a pain in my butt to get clean. I love the fact that all the controls on my Frigidaire gallery stove and microwave are flush set as all it took was a simple wipe and dry and we were back in business.

Before and after shots of the microwave.

Now if I could only convince Chris that we really need a new front loading washer and dryer, heh. Seriously unless your as short as I am you have no clue what its like trying to get your laundry out of the back of a top loading washing machine especially if your pregnant and your stomach is getting in the way. I actually have to get a stool out or try to balance on my laundry basket to get the clothing out of the back of the washing machine. Lets not even talk about having to rewash/redry clothing.

Check out the entire line of Frigidaire appliances on their website. Don't forget that Frigidaire offers the “More Me Time” guarantee!

The greatest burp cloth known to man kind...

2009-10-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

Heh.. ok I always attempt to write an eye catching title to my posts but that one seriously cracks me up. Actually the whole thing started almost a year ago when we were first introduced to Burp Armor. I have to say that burp cloths are not the most exciting of review material for me, something about the whole aspect of spit up down your back has never quite enthused me. However, they are quite possibly the most useful investment you will make as a parent of an infant. I've used my burp cloths from everything from changing pads to makeshift bibs and even to blow the occasional nose. I also cant even remote begin to tell you how often I strolled out of my house with a burp cloth across my shoulder half asleep when Connor was still an infant only to realize it when someone pointed out the stained tattered mess hanging from my shoulder after I had been wandering around a store for thirty minutes.

My entire attitude towards the ever present, ever useful, but not so exciting burp cloth changed completely the day we met Burp Armor. Burp Armor is simply genius in the making, the perfect curve shape it actually lays across your shoulder and stays put, not to mention provides protection in ALL the right places. It's also strangely soft for a burp cloth and I have to admit shamefully I've found myself rubbing my face into it more than once. Really the only complaint we could even remotely come up with the original design was the lack of color choices, actually strangely enough for a product designed by a dad, the original color choices were kinda girlie. Chris though he loved our first Burp Armor didn't dig the selection. However, our newest Burp Armor in blue aqua skulls will please even the most manly of dads.

The best part though is when your busy packing up all your used burp cloths once your baby is past that point don't even think about putting that Burp Armor in the attic. The Burp Armor also makes for a great bib and if you feel as if you really need some sort of clasp on the back a simple clothespin (or paperclip if your in a hurry) will do the trick. Though I've never found that we've needed anything to hold it in place as our Burp Armor just drapes perfectly over Connor's shoulders, even today!

I'm pretty excited to use my new Burp Armor with the new baby. You can get one of your own over at the Burp Armor website! I recommend you buy several!

Thinking ahead to thanksgiving.

2009-10-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

If all goes well we won't be home for Thanksgiving. The plan is to leave our warm sanctuary that is the south and drive 12 hours north to the frigid weather to spend a glorious Thanksgiving with Chris's parents. It's a very special Thanksgiving as it will most likely be our last glimpse of Chris's family home. His parents are retiring and moving to the lake and the hold house will go up for sale soon. Not to mention we absolutely miss everyone and it will be great spending some time with everyone up north and seeing my adorable nephew for the first time.

However, I have been thinking about cooking us a pre Thanksgiving dinner with our new Frigidaire stove. I mean it seems such a shame not to as the stove was born to cook a big meal. Of all the things I can cook, the one thing I really excel at is cooking an amazing turkey. Quite possibly because I'm really passionate about turkey in general. Nothing and I do mean NOTHING is better than a great turkey with homemade southern style corn bread stuffing and cranberry sauce. Forget thanksgiving all together I could eat it once a week. Actually before I had a toddler attached to my leg almost 24 hours a day I did cook at least the turkey part once a month. Up till now the big problem has been the fact that I had to cook the turkey all by itself as my old stove would not fit a turkey plus dressing in the oven at the same time. This is not even remotely an issue with my new Frigidaire gallery range.

Seriously I'm still not so sure how it all works as the new stove is no bigger than my old stove.. but with the addition of more shelving and the fact that I can use the drawer underneath as a warming drawer I've yet to even remotely run out of space. Seeing as we are about to be a family of four in just a few months I'm really appreciating the fact that I can make a large meal all at the same time and keep anything done early warm in the meantime. Not to mention that my amazing husband works third shift and we sometimes eat at odd times so keeping a meal warm is usually one of my biggest challenges. The Frigidaire gallery range not only has an heating drawer located under the stove but there is a fifth burner on top of the stove which is a heating zone for pots you need to keep warm as well. Lets not forget that the microwave has warming capabilities as well!

I actually took some photos of exactly how many pots and pans would comfortably fit into my stove and on my cook top. Mind you my turkey pan is currently in Florida as my mom uses it to make our turkey every year... but the space in the bottom would easily fit the full sized turkey pan I have as well. So just pretend its there. heh.

Check out the entire line of Frigidaire appliances on their website. Don't forget that Frigidaire offers the “More Me Time” guarantee!

Oooo.. Its almost Halloween.

2009-10-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

Connor's recent obsession with pumpkins, monsters, and ghosts means one thing and one thing only. It's almost Halloween!! Actually I was totally dumbstruck with his recent pumpkin addiction not to mention the fact that he kept telling me he wanted to "eat" the pumpkins as I'm fairly sure he's never actually had a pumpkin pie... though his favorite baby food was by far pumpkin (yes pumpkin). Until that is I realized that every night he has been watching Hit Entertainment's new release Trick or Treat Tales pretty much non stop.

Included on Trick or Treat Tales is six awesome Halloween themed episodes from all your favorite Hit Entertainment crew. Thomas in a super spooky, ok spook at least for Thomas, Halloween episode in which Thomas has to go on a last minute late night Halloween run for Sir Topham Hat. Barney and his friends planning an awesome Halloween celebration. Not to mention the whole episode that I'm fairly positive that started Connor's pumpkin obsession, Bob the Builder in Trix's Pumpkin Pie. You can also catch Fifi, Angelina, and Fireman Sam in "Halloween" type episodes. We always enjoy a bonus Fireman Sam episode so it was great to see the extra to include one by our favorite fireman.

Halloween is almost upon us.. and if your looking for a great kid friendly Halloween dvd for the kids to watch while they sort their candy or to get everyone in the mood I really recommend you run out and buy it this week. I know we'll be watching ours far after the holiday season is over as well. Trick Or Treat Tales is available right now and you can pick yours up on Amazon!

Want some Guitar Hero for your DS?

2009-10-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Seriously I think my Nintendo DS has to be one of my favorite inventions. Nothing is better to entertain yourself on road trips or sick days. Though I don't play it every day I certainly rely on it for those times where I can't live without it. Like wise I absolutely love Guitar Hero games but sometimes I just don't feel like breaking out controllers and planting myself in the middle of the living room floor. If I'm at home playing with my DS it usually means I need a little quiet time for myself.

Guitar Hero On Tour Modern Hits is everything I love about Guitar Hero but with the portability of my DS. Actually an expansion on the original Guitar Hero On Tour DS game it's game play is really quite similar but the soundtrack is far improved with bands such as AFI, Coldplay, The Offspring, and Weezer. I'm as happy to listen to it as I am to play it. Though there are a few new changes to characters and the career paths for the most part its really almost the same game just a new storyline. Not that that's unexpected however at all.

Included with the game is the little adapter you need to play Guitar Hero on your DS. Like my last review of the On Tour series if your used to playing Guitar Hero on the big consoles this may be a bit of a stretch for you at first. It's really quite simple to pick up it just took me a bit to reprogram my brain around the controller change. Honestly now I almost prefer playing it this way though it doesn't give you the same sort of rockstar feel as playing it on a guitar.

All in all if your a fan of the series or even a first comer its a great addition to your Guitar Hero collection and super addicting. It's also the perfect size to stuff in those stockings come the holiday season. I know quite a few teenagers who would be thrilled especially with the new soundtrack!

Guitar Hero on Tour Modern Hits is available right now and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!

What are you seeking?

2009-10-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

I had honestly never heard of the Legend of the Seeker before it came out as the entire first season on dvd. I'm not honestly sure how I totally missed it but then again I'm not a huge TV watcher in the first place unless something in particular I want to watch is on tv. Legend of the Seeker was one of those series that so often I happen across in my dvd reviews that really surprised me.

I sat down and watched the entire season in a two day stretch, a rare feat for me to watch so many hours at once and I have to say I'm really impressed. When I first picked up the series I knew I'd enjoy it though I had expected another run of the mill middle ages type fantasy with dragons and wizards and all the such. In that I would have watched it regardless as I'm totally a sucker for that type of show, however, this wasn't exactly the run of the mill story line.

In Legend of the Seeker the "seeker" is basically the hero of the story for told to be the end of the evil Darken Rahl, except that there are these massive magical barriers separating the kingdoms. With the help of a wizard and a confessor, basically a woman who has the ability to control people's minds, he sets off to fulfill his destiny and help people along the way. It all sounds a bit confusing and the storyline is complex but not so complex that you couldn't understand what was going on after watching a few episodes. Though there is a bit of sexual tension in the series for the most part its family friendly as well (rated TV14).

Though produced by the same group that made Xena and Hercules the show has the same sort of feel, this was a fact that I never knew about until after I finished watching the show though I sort of suspected, but without the goofy humor. It does share some of the same lightweight fantasy appeal that speaks to a much wider crowd than just die hard fantasy geeks. The series was also adapted from a book series called the Sword of Truth, I honestly cannot tell you how it compares as its not one I've read. However there is a large amount of bonus features dedicated to the author of the book and his views on the show.

You can check out The Legend of The Seeker - The Complete First Season right now and pick up your own copy on Amazon! I highly recommend it.

It's officially a weenage.

2009-10-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

Heh, I apologize in advance for my gratuitous use of weenage to all my family members reading but seriously that's all I could think of when I saw my ultrasound this last week. We had suspected since the 14 week ultrasound that this baby was indeed a boy, but my fears were confirmed on the 20 week ultrasounds. Indeed I am officially outnumbered by weenies in this household, heh.

The good news is this new baby will certainly cost us less money, though I did have a little hope held out that Id be busy buying dresses this upcoming week, the fact that I still have most of Connor's newborn clothes will certainly help our budget. Not to mention that Chris and Connor are both incredibly excited about the "new little brother". I have to even secretly admit to you guys that I'm just a tiny bit relieved it's a boy as honestly I know what to expect. Male anatomy and care has become second nature around here. Plus Connor's room is already painted blue and seeing as we only have two bedrooms Connor was going to end up with a roomie regardless. heh.

So here he is.. my second little munchkin man.

Sppppoooooky Sheep!

2009-10-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

Heh, Shaun the Sheep Little Sheep of Horrors had me laughing before we even opened the dvd. There is just something hilarious about that little gang of fuzzy sheep and this cover takes the cake on all the previous children's dvds we've reviewed.

Included on this dvd is six hillarious Shaun the Sheep epsidoes including : Little Sheep of Horrors, Abracadabra, The Things That Go Bump, Heavy Metal Shaun, & Troublesome Tractor Sleepwalking.

My favorite was the one that the dvd is titled after, Little Sheep of Horrors, little Timmy really wants to watch the horror movie the farmer is watching and decides to sneak in to watch himself without telling his mom. Needless to say the sheep think something awful has happened to little Timmy and sneak into the farmers house in an attempt to rescue him only making a huge mess of things. If you have never seen Shaun the Sheep you can't help to fall in love with Timmy, the baby sheep, with his cute little pacifier.

If your looking for something fun, but not at all scary, to watch for the Halloween season with the kids. Shaun the Sheep Little Sheep of Horrors is a title everyone in the family will enjoy.

Shaun the Sheep Little Sheep of Horrors is available right now and you can pick up your own copy on Amazon!

No, I'm not actually a long lost eight dwarf.

2009-10-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

For friends and family that know me.. go ahead and laugh it up now. Just because I absolutely have always loved Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that does not at all mean I'm secretly the eight member of the dwarfs. heh. I'm kidding, seriously, I'm short but I'm not that short and if I was one of the dwarves my dwarf name would be tired hippo dwarf at the moment as this baby in my belly would prefer me to sleep all day long.

Disney however did just re release my beloved Snow White in a really fabulous bluray combo pack that has me drooling. I'm really starting to rely on these diamond edition releases and bluray combo pack editions. There is something overly comforting that I can put one of these videos on at naptime or sleepytime and not have to worry about whats on them as I have them memorized already myself. It's also really cool to be able to share something that was a part of my own childhood with my son. Connor has been asking to watch Pinocchio almost every night for the last week, it makes me really tempted just to record the way he says Pinocchio for you guys to hear it, its so cute!! We watched Snow White together for the first time today and you might think that Snow White is a "girls" movie but his favorite dragon plush is Maleficent after all!

The diamond edition Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is downright stunning. The work they put into redoing this movie is really overwhelming. It really blows me away when I think about just hold old this movie really is, my mother watched it when she was a child, I grew up with it, and if I'm not mistaken it was first released in the 1930s. Even just the thought of watching a cartoon on a high definition tv in bluray from anywhere in that time period and it looking this great is really amazing all on its own. Not only does it look amazing but the colors are crisp and sharp and the sound quality is just as good. Of course included in the package is the bluray disc and the standard edition disc so if your like us and have both types of players you can do like we do and watch the bluray in the living room and the standard in Connor's room. However for those of you that have yet to upgrade to bluray I HIGHLY recommend you buy these combo packs as at some point you will want to do so and you'll be ahead of the curve without sacrificing anything in the meantime.

Included on the bluray disc is a ton of extra features including several dvd games (it's no secret that I'm a sucker for disney bluray games) and a really cool feature about some forgotten storyboards for Snow White. All in all there is just no subsitution for Disney on bluray.. there is just something overwhelming about Disney movies even the older ones that really need to be experienced.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is available right now and you can pick up your copy on Amazon.

I'm so excited to announce that I have a super special gift pack to give away to one lucky winner. Included is a diamond edition Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as well as a full set of dwarf plush! Connor immediately closed in on it and asked if it was for him and I had to tell him it was for another lucky little boy or girl. It's really a cool gift pack and it would make for an outstanding Christmas present!

To enter :

Leave a comment on this post. Check out Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and tell me which Disney movie you'd like to see in your child's santa gifts!!
Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
Please US entries only.
To get extra credit :
- For an extra entry :
- Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
- Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
- Let people know about the giveaway on Twitter with a link to the giveaway!
- THREE extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
- This contest will end Nov 15th at midnight!

Meet Bugsby our new playmate!

2009-10-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

Connor loves books, this is no secret. He actually won't go to bed unless I give him at least two books to put in the bed with him. It's actually kind of funny as he attempts to read them by looking at the pictures and some of the things he says is downright funny. I swear this kid would have me read to him 24 hours a day if only I had that sort of time.

Well now he has a friend that will read to him any time he wishes. Not to mention a whole new perspective on books. The Bugsby Reading System by Vtech is truely Connor's dream come true. Bugsby is a bookworm shaped "pen" in which you use with the Bugsby books to allow your child to read their own books without any help. Actually the recommended age range is 3 to 7 and I was slightly worried it would be a bit over Connor's head. Like always the little man had no problems working Bugsby. We loaded the first cartriage, each book comes with its own cartridge, into Bugsby back and Connor turned him on all by himself and went to work. I only had to give him a few second demo on how to point at items on the page and he was off.

The books that go with Bugsby are really quite astonishing. Bugsby works much like a pointer you just touch him to anything on the page and you get a reaction. Characters talk when you click on them, items make noise, and of course you can run the pen across the words and Bugsby reads the book. You can also use the play icon on any page to have him read independently. Its really a great system for not only entertainment but teaching your child to read. Connor can spend hours playing with Bugsby and we've already gone out and invested in several extra books by popular request. Lets not even talk about how much of a lifesaver Bugsby is on a long car ride. Connor will easily play with Bugsby for the whole three hour trip to his Paw Paw's without any complaint.

Really the only complaint I have about the whole system is the fact that if your child is a little overly zealous with the tip of Bugsby on the pages the books start to look a little ragged after only a few weeks. Partially our issue is Connor is under the recommended age range and his coordination isn't quite as good as a four or five year old. So we've had a few accidents with the books. Nothing mommy couldn't fix with a little tape but it always makes me cringe when a page gets torn or gouged. I'm a bookworm myself and its just a personal pet peeve. If your dealing with an older child this should not at all be an issue. Otherwise the system is very simple to use, Connor has already mastered getting his own cartridges in and out of Bugsby by himself and can turn him on and off. Really the only help he needs is occasionally turning the volume up and down.

If your looking for a fabulous gift for the little bookworm in your life we highly recommend Bugsby. He would also be a fabulous companion for holiday traveling as I know we will be taking him with us when we drive home for Thanksgiving this year!

You can learn more about Bugsby and purchase your own system at the Vtech website!

Oh were off to see the wizard!

2009-10-14T00:14:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite childhood movies of all time recently got a brand new spanky new face lift and a brand new release!

The Wizard of Oz as far as I'm concerned is a childhood classic. What little kid can get along without knowing the joy of following the yellow brick road, or the bizarre and sort of creepy wizard. Call me a weirdo but my favorite part of the entire movie is when the evil witch gets squashed by Dorothy's house. Something about those little curly feet with stripped socks sticking out from under the house still brings me to giggles at just the thought. I can't even tell you how many times I've seen the movie but I certainly could not count it out on my fingers and toes.

Its really honestly hard to believe that this is the Wizard of Oz : 70th Anniversary 2 Disc Special Edition edition. Something about trying to imagine this movie being released 70 years ago just blows my mind. I'm sorry though I really love some of the great CGI effects we have today there is just nothing like the visuals on a good ole hand crafted movie with amazing set. I'm not sure you could make it any better today than they did 70 years ago. Honestly I don't think it would have the same charm without all the amazing sets they used for the film. Even the color and sound quality is remarkably good. What really blows my mind though is how amazing the picture looks in its new format. You'd think you'd see some flaws in the picture on the high definition screens we have today, but seriously its prettier and better than ever.

Included in this release is the original movie as well as a whole second disc dedicated to special features. Including a really cool "making of" video that was fun to watch. Though this edition is far lighter in features than some of the more expensive versions being released at the same time you'll have plenty to keep you busy.

Whats really great about this set is the price point. So many of the collectors sets are incredibly expensive. This one is very reasonably priced and is a great edition for a collector or just someone who really loves the movie like myself.

You can pick up your own copy of the Wizard of Oz : 70th Anniversary 2 Disc Collectors Edition right now on Amazon!

Wow Toys continues to inspire us!

2009-10-12T21:29:00.000-07:00

Its no secret that I love toys with no batteries. They appeal to my husband's thrifty side as well, batteries are downright expensive at times, and if you have ever had to do homework with a two year old in the same room you would understand my elation. I try to get this point across to so many of my friends with kids with the exact same response : "Doesn't Connor get tired of them since there is no action?". HA! Sorry I just can't help to laugh at that one.

No one would ever in a million years suspect that our collection of Wow Toys are not only some of the most durable toys we have ever played with but they are 100% battery free. Connor has more toys than he knows what to do with, and yes even ones with batteries, but more often than not his little line of Wow Trucks are usually the ones left in the living room after a long day. Connor is only allowed a small number of toys in the living room at once to try to control the mess and he usually thinks long and hard about what he wants to bring out. Tonight I found his Wow Trucks all neatly lined up against the living room wall after he went to bed. This is a sight that's quite often around here.

Our newest member of our Wow family is Harvey Harvester. We've actually had Harvey for a few months and he's been a great addition to our collection. Harvey is actually pretty unique as I can't say I've seen a ton of harvester toys. Harvey has several cool functions that keeps Connor really entertained. The first is his really unique hay baler. Harvey comes with several little hay bales which you can drop into the slot on top. As you move Harvey along the floor the bales pop out the back just like they would do with a real baler. If you don't roll Harvey along the floor the bales won't come back out. This makes it a bit more realistic and it gives younger children an incentive to keep him moving.. As well the grain harvester on the front spins and rattles around the grain inside so it really does look and sound like he is harvesting when you move him around.

One of my favorite aspects about WOW though is the fact that all their toys are compatible. We own several vehicles and Connor loves to interchange the people and animals between the vehicle. I had to laugh as yesterday I caught Connor with his new Best Buddies Dragon in the roof of our WOW Police car which is usually where the Police dog sits. Connor's daddy is a police officer and I'm pretty sure he'd be pretty excited to have a dragon as a partner. Actually I had to laugh as the knight is busy driving the garbage truck tonight as well. I mean what else is a knight supposed to do with his time in the modern world? heh. The Best Buddies collection is actually a new edition to the WOW toy line and comes with a person and buddy in each pack. Connor has the knight and dragon combo but you can get lots of cool editions to your WOW family including a police officer and dog and a princess and a unicorn!

I'm really excited to say that WOW provided us with an extra Best Buddies pack to give away to one lucky reader. I'm going to keep a secret as to which Buddies it is just to keep this a bit interesting. They would make for perfect stocking stuffers!

To enter :

Leave a comment on this post. Visit the Wow Toys website and check out the Best Buddies collection. Come back here and tell me which buddies set you think we are giving away!
Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
Please US entries only.
To get extra credit :
- For an extra entry :
- Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
- Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
- Let people know about the giveaway on Twitter with a link to the giveaway!
- THREE extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
- This contest will end Nov 15th at midnight!