Stay tuned for T.O.P.’s very first formal book week!

We’ve got some great books to share with you this week, and they all come with giveaways ending Friday at noon.

This summer, Hallmark is focused on helping people spread encouragement to both moms and to children. I don’t know about you, but there are many days when receiving one of these cards from a friend would have the ability to change my day. Maybe even week.

As mothers, we experience many moments that can only be fully appreciated by other moms. To help encourage moms through the day-to-day challenges of motherhood – and give a few laughs along the way – Hallmark has introduced a new line of humor cards called “Edge of Motherhood.” These new, edgy humor cards can help moms share a laugh, connect with one another and celebrate motherhood — and they start at just 99 cents. Some styles of the “Edge of Motherhood” cards are available online at hallmark.com, but the full collection is only in stores.

For kids, Hallmark’s new collection of encouragement cards are designed to help parents provide an extra boost of confidence for kids as they experience “everyday” moments – whether it’s the first day of school, trying out for a team or even just because they’re loved. They’re cute & funny and include heartfelt messages to help adults show support and pride, and give a special child a boost of confidence. Some of the cards include originally recorded sound clips too, which play when a child opens the card. These cards also start at 99 cents, and the ones with sound are $2.99.

Both collections of cards are available at select Hallmark Gold Crown stores and other retailers where Hallmark cards are sold.

Win it! FIVE winners will receive five of the Edge of Motherhood cards and five of the kid encouragement cards (with sound). To enter, just leave a comment on this post before noon mst on September 1, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Confession: I’ve never been able to wear a pouch sling. They just don’t fit me right. Something about there not being enough room for both a baby and my boobs. I love me a ring sling, though, and have found another great one to share with you.

Baby Bean is a mom-run business out of Hong Kong that makes some super cool jewelery that we can’t get it we’re not in Hong Kong and the Bean Pod sling that’s available worldwide. I was sent the the orange and brown dots for review and love it. Not only is it super cute, but it’s SO light & airy. 100% cotton is the way to go if you’re carrying a child in the heat. It’s 30+ degrees here right now and there’s no sweating. Well, no extra carrier-induced sweating, anyway.

They’re padded on the shoulder to cushion the weight of the baby and reduce the strain on the carrier’s shoulder, and even with my 25 lb kids it’s pretty darn comfortable. One side of the sling is sewn in green thread to make it easy to know which side to pull/release in order to adjust the tension of the sling. It comes in a pouch which is equipped with a clip that can be easily hooked on the rings or the eye inside the shoulder pad for easy access of keys, wallets, or soothers. Quite brilliant, I’d say! The rings are no-weld constructed solid aluminum and are tested to hold up to 250 pounds. If you’re carrying someone that heavy, you’ve got bigger problems than your carrier holding.

Win it! Choose your sling and leave a comment before noon mst on Aug 31, 2009 to enter.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Just in time for back to school, the 30+ degree weather has finally hit. It’s time to put away the rain hats and pull out the oh-so-cute summer bonnet from Alberta based Chic Peek.

Echo Wells, a Medicine Hat mama, designer & entrepreneur, designed these hats with both function and fashion in mind. They cover the child’s entire head and many have a large extended bonnet-style peak that provides shade for their delicate face. The sample bonnet we received (pictured) makes my daughter look like a little pioneer girl! (We’ll be donating it, as we do with 90% of our samples, to a deserving child at our local shelter or another charity.)

There are currently twenty-four styles available and they vary in pattern and style. There are some awesome boy patterns, which are often hard to find, and some decidedly non-pioneer styles for the girls too.They’re sized from newborn to four years, and retail for $28.99.

Chic Peek makes functional, fashionable.

Mention T.O.P. for a 10% refund on any order from Chic Peek.
Beautiful tutus, chic nursing covers, clips, hats, headbands, chic legwarmers, carseat covers, the best Buggie Hugs ever (for two kids!) and so much more.

This code is just one of many in our infamous TOP Shops, where you’ll find exclusive discount codes for some pretty darn awesome online shops.

Win it! Chic Peek is giving one T.O.P. reader their choice of summer bonnet. To enter, just take your pick and leave a comment before noon mst on August 31, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

TOP fave EcoBaby Canada isn’t just for eco-babies. Canadian mama of four, Andrea, carries a large selection of products for the green-leaning mom as well. Andrea is running for the Savvy Mom Entrepreneur of the Year and I happen to think she totally deserves it!

I’ve been checking out the LunaPads intro kit (Canadian made too!) It’s an introductory kit that allows you to try both pads (for light and average flow) and pantyliners (for daily needs or very light flow). It contains 1 Maxi Pad, 1 Maxi Liner, 1 Maxi Wing Liner, 1 Mini Pad, 1 Mini Liner, 1 Mini Wing Liner, 1 Mini Pantyliner and 1 Teeny Pantyliner in assorted colours. It sells for $57.99 and can save both you and the earth in the long run. Just think of the money you spend on feminine hygiene products between the teen years and menopause, and how much of it ends up in our landfills and sewers. If we get our young women started with eco-friendly products like those available from EcoBaby Canada, so much of that could be prevented.

I’ll admit I was a little leery of using these (and I’m still terrified of the Diva Cup!) but actually they’re pretty darn awesome! They can just go in with the regular laundry (not your cloth diapers – Andera says the flannel can make them pill) and come out just as good as new. If the thought grosses you out, be flexible – a little goes a long way when it comes to being green. Use a LunaPads liner with a regular tampon or Diva Cup, or even just use them on light flow days. Every little bit helps!

We’re giving a Luna Pads intro kit away to one reader (worldwide) courtesy of Eco Baby Canada. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on August 31, 2009.

CANADIAN residents, get TWO extra entries! Please go VOTE for Andrea in the Savvy Mom Entrepreneur of the Year contest – leave your email address (the one you voted with) in the form with your second comment and you’re entered two more times.

Additional entries are always available in T.O.P. contests. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

We love paint programs. From the time my children could grasp a mouse (or their daddy’s PDA stylus), they’ve been asking to “draw pictures on the computer.” I realize that drawing on a computer screen is significantly different than drawing with pencil and paper. Different motor skills are necessary, and there is a different type of steadiness and patience required. But video games can be a great learning tool when you find the right one.

What happens when an easy-to-maneuver paint program becomes integrated with a problem-solving, creative challenge on top of an early reading practice tool? ItzaBitza happens, that’s what!

We were asked to review ItzaBitza by Sabi and jumped at the chance. Just one glance through at their website had me convinced. What I wasn’t expecting was how jovial and fun the music is, how utterly loveable the girl and boy characters (“Sketchies”) are, and how interactive (and smart) the game is!

The first time my son tested out ItzaBitza was right before bedtime (in lieu of a story one night). He caught on to the game rules immediately — and was amazed at how incredibly FUN it was! He giggled over little things (like how he could click on the mailbox to make letters come flying out). It was nearly impossible to convince him to put it away until the next morning, then settle down and go to sleep. Long after I left his room, I could hear himself talking to himself and laughing about what he’d seen in the game. I smiled. I really, really like ItzaBitza. And believe me, so does he.

With “living ink” technology, the simple shapes your child draws on the “paper” screen fill in and become “alive.” When asked to draw a house, your child draws a square and a triangle, then the Sketchy comes over to ask where are the windows and doors. Brilliant! It teaches simple following of directions while allowing for the flexibility of creativity and whimsy.

(And if your child draws something that doesn’t quite fit into place or isn’t quite was asked for, the line(s) simply cut up into pieces and fall away.)

The words that the Sketchies say to your child show up in speech bubbles. When your child mouses over the words, the Sketchy says them aloud. Early reading skills are thus sharpened in an unoffensive, gentle way.

Each time your child completes a task, a star appears. Click on the star to receive more challenges, which increases problem solving skills and divergent thinking abilities.

ItzaBitza is available for download onto your Windows XP or Vista computer. At only $19.99, it’s an absolute steal. For the price (and even a higher one), in my opinion, there aren’t many finer educational (all the while fun) games out there for preschoolers and early elementary-aged children.

ItzaBitza gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from our family! - By Meg

Win it! We’re giving Itza Bitza to one lucky family. Comment here before Friday 8/21/09 noon to enter!

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Another newcomer to the fabulous Putumayo Kids Playground series, European Playground is a collection of 15 songs that takes the listener on a musical tour through Europe. With the rich cultural variety of this expansive continent, (almost 50 countries, each with its own unique culture, history, traditions, food and music), the range of music on this CD is not-surprisingly pretty awesome. The songs are multi-genre and multilingual songs, easy to sing and dance along to, and just a whole lot of fun.

From Putumayo: “The song themes speak to children’s interests and spark their imaginations. The Swiss tune by Roland Zoss is about a magical land where teddy bears come to life. Sås & Kopp sing in Swedish about jumping on a trampoline with friends in the backyard, and German favorite Alex Schmeisser celebrates the friendship between a big cow and a little mouse. Alain Le Lait highlights the French love of good food while London-based Herbie Treehead explores a universal theme in a fresh new way with his “Change Song,” noting, “We all have to change sometimes!””

Nothing less than what I’ve come to expect from Putumayo & Putumayo Kids.

Win it! Want it? Leave a comment on this post before noon mst on Friday, August 14, 2009. All giveaways held during this “TOP Music Week” will end on Friday at noon.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

We love every CD from Putumayo that we’ve ever heard, whether for kids or not, but the kids Playground series is extra super awesome for children.

Picnic Playground “provides a veritable feast of international songs about food, cooking and healthy eating in a global gumbo of musical styles and languages.” The first track, “Eat Like a Rainbow” introduces the same idea we reinforce at our house – eat every colour and a variey of flavours every day – and it’s followed by a selection of fun & upbeat & utterly danceable songs from Cuba, Denmark, Oz, France, Germany, Trinidad and even Canada! “The artists sing so joyously about delicious food that you can almost taste it.” Whether you’re craving a “Bowl of Cherries,” “Ice Cream” , or cookies (“Let’s Bake Cookies”), there’s something on this album for every palate. (quotes all from Putumayo)

Win it! Want it? Leave a comment on this post before noon mst on Friday, August 14, 2009. All giveaways held during this “TOP Music Week” will end on Friday at noon.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

When the CD Robot Dance from Mr. Leebot showed up in my mailbox to review, all I could think of was Styx for weeks every time I walked by the CD sitting in my entryway awaiting it’s turn in the stereo. (Seriously, if you were a child of the 80′s, you must click.)

Anyhoo…once Mr. Leebot‘s ROBOT DANCE (currently out of stock at Amazon) but available from CD Baby) finally made it into a player, I forgot all about that awesome decade and…started dancing like a robot. Yes, you read that right. I looked like an idiot, but I couldn’t stop. Soon both of my kids were doing makeshift robotics alongside me and we were all cracking up. It’s just as you’d imagine it would be – electro-pop with an undeniable 80′s flair. It’s completely different than anything else we own. Perhaps the missing genre of kids music?

So thank you very much (English translation of “domo arigato”), Mr. Leebot, for a very enjoyable CD!

Win it! Want it? Leave a comment on this post before noon mst on Friday, August 14, 2009. All giveaways held during this “TOP Music Week” will end on Friday at noon.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

That’s how Hullabaloo describes themselves, and it’s perfect. I’d just add the word “Cowboy” in there somewhere. Their new CD, High Roller, is one of my kids’ new favourites. It’s a brand new release and doesn’t seem to be available for purchase quite yet, but you can get a listen here at watch for it at CD Baby or Amazon if you like what you hear. It’s so new that I couldn’t even track down a picture. For shame!

The music on High Roller is definitely folky, which I love, but a little too twangy country for my taste…however, my kids love it and all of my country loving friends love it too and convinced me to share it with you. They drew inspiration from Woody Guthrie and Johnny Cash, but don’t let that turn you off. Even my country music hating self was dancing right along with the kids by the third track. With classics like “Oh, Susanna!” and “This Land is Your Land” as well as some awesome originals like the title track “High Roller,” if you’re a country music fan this CD is one that you’ll find yourself pulling out of the case and actually suggesting to your kids. Unlike the Wiggles one.

Win it! Want it? Leave a comment on this post before noon mst on Friday, August 14, 2009. All giveaways held during this “TOP Music Week” will end on Friday at noon.

On July 7, San Diego based singer-songwriter Tracey Singer (a work at home dad of four!) released his debut children’s CD entitles Sweets ‘n’ Treats ($15).

The song styles range from oldies rock n’ roll to close harmony vocals, and Tracey’s sense of humour shines through in all of them. He speaks incredibly clear – so much so that my two children were able to repear the lyrics properly after only one listen. It’s a pretty hilarious CD, so listening to my own cuties repeat it was pretty hilarious too. It’s a very “real life” CD which teaches kids that life, no matter how crappy or annoying at times, is really funny if you have the right attitude. I also love the song “Stinky Smoke” which tells kids that smoking is repulsive and stupid. (My words.)

A highly recommended CD to add to your collection, and we’d like to offer Tracey our congrats on his first album. We have no idea how he did it while staying home with four kids!

Win it! Want it? Leave a comment on this post before noon mst on Friday, August 14, 2009. All giveaways held during this “TOP Music Week” will end on Friday at noon.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Next week we’ll be featuring yet another T.O.P. music week – the week when we share the best of all of the music we’ve received over the past couple of months.

Tune in for reviews and giveaways galore to stock up your CD case and replace all that Wiggles crap swimming around in your head. As usual, all giveaways will end on Friday at noon so we can get everything shipped out before the weekend.

See you next week!

We love classic wooden toys and, though our house is still overrun by plastic, we try our best to find and buy as many non-toxic items as we can.

Our latest fave is the Maple Landmark Spinny Speller from Canadian company Go Green Baby. It consists of three four-sided blocks that spin to make 3 dozen simple consonant-vowel-consonant words. It’s great for developing and challenging early reading skills, is constructed of hardwood construction and is 5″ long. It’s recommended for children aged 3 and up. My three year old son digs his, and though he can easily read all of the word sit makes he still has fun creating rhyming words and is trying to teach his sister how easy it is to sound out words and create word families – that alone is worth the price! It’s only $9 so makes an easy & inexpensive addition to your preschooler’s toybox, and a great addition to a birthday or Christmas gift.

The Spinny Speller and so many more cool things are available from Ontario based Go Green Baby.

Win it! We’re giving away a Spinny Speller to a randomly selected reader. To enter, visit Go Green Baby and let us know one or two of your favourite items or things you’d like to see reviewed before noon mst on August 19, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Remember My Week the awesome magnetic calendar from 2FishKids that we reviewed last fall?

Well, it’s so fab that it needs to come back into the limelight for back to school.

Head over to 2FishKids, the makers of My Week, and use the code TOP15 to save 15% off everything in the store – including My Week, SIGGbottles and so much more!

Since we got our Wii & Wii Fit, we haven’t played them nearly as much as we thought we would. In fact, it just might have an embarrassing layer of dust on it. I blame it on having small children who aren’t allowed to touch expensive electronics. However, we recently received a few cool items to go along with our Wii that have brought it back in to our repertoire.

The NERF Sports Pack ($19.99) includes add-ons for Baseball, Golf, and Tennis that are coated in that great & well loved NERF material that protects both your head and your big screen tv. I love that these games actually came with our Wii so we could play with them right away without buying anything else. All of these games are way more fun when you have the right equipment instead of just a Wii-mote. Who knew? The NERF Racing Wheel (only $9.99) makes driving super fun and much safer. It actually inspired me to let the three year old drive, which means we no longer have to wait until after bedtime to break out the games! I would never have played or bought Mario Kart if I didn’t have to try out this wheel, and now it’s my fave!

Energizer Power & Play Wii 4X Charger ($39.99) offers Wii users the ability to charge up to 4 Wii-motes with or without the wrist-strap via conduction technology. If you have more than two remotes, you MUST get one of these! It’s pretty awesome to know you’ll all be able to play together with fully charged remotes any time. It comes with 4 rechargeable battery packs, 4 battery covers and a power cord. If you’ve only got two remotes, check out the very cool Energizer Power & Play Wii Induction Charger ($49.99). It charges 2 Wii-motes at once without removing the silicone jacket or your Wii Motion Plus attachment and comes with 2 rechargeable battery packs, 2 battery covers and a power cord.

Performance Designed Products (PDP) is an industry leader in designing and manufacturing products for all major video game platforms including the Sony PS2, PS3, PSP, Nintendo Wii, GameCube, Nintendo DS, Microsoft XBOX and XBOX 360. The company has been supplying video game accessories to the U.S. market for more than a decade. PDP sells products under a variety of brands, with sales in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and throughout Europe. For more information on PDP and its products, visit www.pdp.com.

Win it! We’re giving away all FOUR of these great products for the Wii to one T.O.P. reader! To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on August (holy crap! August?) 19, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED