Lazoo App & Bookbag Review PLUS Outfit Giveaway

A few years ago, my mother-in-law bought some adorable shirts on sale at Toys R Us for my son, Josiah. The shirts had games on them and hidden graphics behind pieces of cloth. As you can imagine, these shirts quickly became his favorites. I recently came to learn that the shirts were made by Lazoo and they have an entire line of ridiculously adorable outfits for boys and girls, coloring books and much more! They also have a new iPad App called Squiggles!, based on their best-selling coloring book, that is so much fun for kids and helps bring out their creativity and imagination, which is what Lazoo is all about! You can also get the Squiggles! app on iPhone, too!

About Lazoo

Lazoo is a quality-conscious lifestyle children's brand emphasizing award-winning design, creativity, and play. It was founded by two New York City dads, with eight kids between them. Inspired by an internationally best-selling series of Japanese children's books, our unique products embody the same core mission: to foster a child's creative process, encourage self-expression and empower the imagination!

 My Thoughts

We received the Hoshi backpack from Lazoo. It is quite possibly the cutest backpack I've ever seen and Liam immediately claimed it as his own. The backpack is so soft and cuddly, just like a stuffed animal, which also adds to its appeal. The inside is not terribly big, but has enough room for some toys or an outfit to take along for an overnight trip. Liam loves filling it up with toys when going to Grandma’s house.

We also received a long-sleeved t-shirt to wear when the weather gets cooler. We have the short-sleeve version of this t-shirt already, which is what Liam is wearing in the picture above. As you can see, the shirt looks like new. Would you believe the shirt is over 3 years old and has been worn by both of my children? Lazoo has so many cute clothes that I would love to buy for my children and they are all reasonably priced, too.

 Would you love to win something from Lazoo? 

Thanks to Lazoo, One Lucky Children Teaching Mama Reader Will Win A Cute Outfit For Their Little Girl Or Boy (Sizes 6-9 months up to 5T)!

Little Cosmetics Children's Play Make-Up Review & Luxury Kit Giveaway

Little Cosmetics is play make-up that looks and feels just like real make-up. But it doesn't show up on skin or rub off on fingers. Pretend play at its best - all the imagination and no mess! Little Cosmetics is the perfect solution for the little girl that always wants to use mom’s make-up, but won’t be fooled by fake plastic make-up. And the perfect choice for mom’s that want to keep their little girls mess-free and safe from toxins.

Little Cosmetics is different than most pretend make-up for four reasons: 

1) It actually looks like real make-up. Each pretend make up piece is packaged in realistic looking compacts and jars with vibrant shades, it can even fool adults!

2) It feels real! It is not fake hard plastic or dried nail polish. It is soft and smooth, just like real make-up.

3) They do not show up on skin at all. Little Cosmetics is not a chemical free make up that is safe for kids like what is sold in stores. It is 100% pretend make up.

4) The pretend make-up in Little Cosmetics products is safe and non-toxic.

The Luxury Kit Includes:

- One Pressed Powder Compact

- Two Iridescent Lip Glosses with roller ball applicator

- One Pink Blush Compact

- Two Eye Shadow Palettes

- One Glitter Shadow Pot

- 5 Piece Brush Set (real make-up brushes!)

 The entire kit comes packaged in a pink organza draw string bag so your little girl can tote around her make up easily! Please not that Little Cosmetics are a choking hazard because they contain small parts. They are not intended for children under 3.

Buy It: You can purchase a Little Cosmetics Luxury Kit for 25.00 on etsy.com!

Win It: Little Cosmetics has offered one lucky reader their own Essentials Kit!

How Does Your Family Stay Active? Pledge To Play With Your Kids!

We recently moved to the mountains for many reasons, but one very important reason was outside activity! Living here, there are so many options for our weekend trips and we definitely take advantage of those opportunities. As a family, we realize just how important it is to spend time together outside, to exercise, and to stay healthy! It's essential to everyone's health, mentally and physically.

We love to go down to our river, walk around, and play in the water. This has become our daily outside activity since the river is just a nice walk away from our cabin. After dinner, we put on our shoes and walk down the trails to the water. It's so nice to know we have that amount of time together no matter what. With our busy schedules, this is the one constant in our family's lives, so it's very important, especially to the children. They look forward to Papa coming home and going for our walk.


Our walk is also educational because we always point out different trees, their names, their leaves, and more. We spot fish, turtles, crawfish, etc, too. We actually recently have seen wild geese, chickens, and, this week, we saw our very first bear! It was both frightening and exciting to see the baby bear cub walking by. He was relatively unconcerned with us, but it sure has made for good storytelling! Josiah has made sure to tell everyone. It's so much fun and I've noticed Josiah talking about a walk for days afterwards and what he learned during that walk. In addition to our daily walk, we take time on weekends to go to festivals, local parks, national parks, and/or to visit relatives. With the fall season coming up, there is even more to do around here. We have Apple Festivals for weeks on end, pumpkin farms to visit, the corn maze, hay rides, and much, much more! We definitely keep busy, active, and healthy!

Even in the winter, we bundle up and head outside! I can't wait for the snow this year. Since we live further north, we will hopefully get more than the inch or two Georgia gets each year. Even Josiah has been talking about walking in the snow and making a snowman.


It's hard to imagine our family not going outdoors and staying active. I notice immediately how attitudes change when we are stuck inside on some days and the kids' overall demeanor is just so much more positive when we not only spend time outside in the fresh air, but when we do it as a family.

September 24th, 2011 is dubbed Worldwide Day of Play to turn off the TV and play outside!! Clorox 2® is a proud sponsor of Nickelodeon's 8th Annual Worldwide Day of Play. So, take the Clorox 2® Play 2Day pledge to play outside!! We did!
 
On September 24, 2011, kids and families are encouraged to participate in the Worldwide Day of Play to turn off the TV and play outside. Physical activity can improve health, self-esteem and the well being of children. Teach kids a healthier lifestyle of limited TV time and a more physical activities.  Clorox 2® is a proud sponsor of Nickelodeon's 8th Annual Worldwide Day of Play by clicking here... http://clorox2play2day.com/

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Clorox2® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here. 

Summer Block Party %11: Magic Cabin Review & &50 Giveaway

I am a huge Magic Cabin fan, so I was so excited to finally write a review for them. Magic Cabin is a wonderful online store dedicated to providing toys and items that promote creativity and imagination. Their variety of items immediately sets them apart from other online shops that are simply "toy stores".

The Magic Cabin Story (from website)

Working Pulley Toy

From our humble beginnings in 1989, to our full-color, full-size catalog of today, Magic Cabin has been guided by the simple notion that children's lives are enriched by ample time for open-ended, creative, imaginative play. We believe in good-old-fashioned make believe and in children's innate need to interact with simple, natural toys and crafts.

While childhood becomes endangered we pioneer towards protecting this special time in life by conscientiously selecting products that are beautiful and enchanting, sturdy and safe, and best of all, FUN. 

My Thoughts

We received the Camping Tent for review and the boys were delighted. They received it for Easter and have not stopped playing with it since. As soon as I took it out of the box for the first time, I realized just how much I would love this tent, too. It has "one-touch technology", which means, the springs help the tent pop up and stay in place with a simple shake. It's easy to set up and ready for all-day play!

The Camping Tent is also very versatile, making it great for indoor and outdoor play. The netting at the top makes the tent well ventilated and the fabric is UV-treated and 30 SPF-coated! We've taken this tent indoors and outdoors. With its included tote, it's very easy to take with us anywhere. I can't wait to use this when we go to the beach! With all of the play, the tent still looks brand new, so it's very sturdy, too. Plus, it's very roomy considering both my husband and I have gotten inside to play with the kids.The little side-door is fun for them to crawl out of, too. Liam was so excited when he made that discovery. I also like that you can tie the flaps back in the front so you can see out of the tent. I really can't say enough about it!

Liam loves playing in his tent!

Buy It

Purchase the Camping Tent Today for Only $59.98!

Win It

One Lucky CTM Reader Will Win A $50 Gift Credit To Magic Cabin! Yay!

How To Enter

Take A Look At The Magic Cabin Website And Comment Below About What You'd Like To Purchase If You Win!

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 Plenty of opportunities to increase your chance of winning! This Giveaway is open to US Residents and Ends June 22nd at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn by random.org. An announcement will be made on the blog and the winner will also be contacted by email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.