You may or may not have heard of CSN Stores. Admittedly, I hadn’t before they contacted me about doing reviews for them. There are 200+ stores under one virtual roof, where you’ll find anything from couches to dinnerware to dog beds to spices! Pure insanity in the online shopping world, I tell you!

Perhaps the best part? The shipping is free, and Canada is included!

Starting August 10th, we’re opening an OpenSky shop!

See that countdown clock over there to the right?

Yes, that one! Once my shop opens, the clock will switch to a link to the shop.

Here’s how it works: When we feature items we love, we’ll check to see if OpenSky has a relationship with the company. If they do, we’ll be able to put a “Buy Now” button within the review post so you can buy the item directly from us without being directed to a third party website. It’s like shopping with a friend! You can also, once it’s open, just browse the shop as you can any other online store, but the only things you’ll see there are things that the TOP review team have personally used and approved! OpenSky is simply a platform. An amazing platform, but just a platform. The shop will be ours and under our full control so you’ll only see items we truly love & believe in!

I’ve shopped from OpenSky shops in the past & loved it, which is what prompted me to check in to offering something similar at TOP. We’ll make a small dividend from each sale, as will OpenSky, but the markup will be very small. Currently they only ship within the USA but they’re working on adding Canada. OpenSky is a new company (just a one year old baby!) so they’re still growing. If you are a small business owner, contact OpenSky to start your relationship and let people like us help get your product out there!

We’ll actually be on holidays on opening day, but once we’re back and the shop is rockin’ & rollin’ I’ll let you know!

A few little girls were granted the chance to review the beautiful new hardcover book from Prima Princessa, Prima Princessa’s Ballet for Beginners: Featuring the School of American Ballet [Hardcover]. Here’s what they had to say:

Kamryn (7) says: “I really like this book. It is easy to understand because there are really nice pictures, and I can read lots of the words too. I like to copy the pictures in front of the mirror in my bedroom. I like the hard cover too, so my sister probably won’t wreck it.”

Emelia (3) says, with the help of her mom: “I love my ballet class and I love everything pink. This book is great for any girl who loves ballet, from toddlers right on up to pre-teens. It’s an easy read for mom, too, so I can help her learn more which makes her class easier for her.”

Ashley (10) says: “Even though I’m kind of over pink, I still love ballet and this book is a great review for anyone who’s taken a few years of classes already. It has some definitions in it that I didn’t know before so that was neat. I think every beginning dancer should get a book like this before they start ballet!

Maren (4) says: “I love love love my new ballet book! I have both of the Prima Princessa DVD’s and have loved them forever, so I was really excited to get this book. The pictures are really nice and easy to copy, even if you can’t read the text without help.”

Buy it for under $11 at Amazon.

Win it! Comment on this post before noon mst on August 4, 2010 to win a copy of your own.

Three dimensional movies are way cool, but the glasses that the theatres hand out are, um, questionable. RealD, a leading global licensor of stereoscopic (three-dimensional), or 3D, technologies, sent my children some ReadD kid-size 3D glasses of their very own with which to watch Toy Story 3.

They’re designed to fit kids 8 & under, and all theatres showing the 3D version of Toy Story 3 have received shipments of these little guys so be sure to ask for them. Bonus: they’re new so you don’t have to worry about the questionable cleaning methods of the recycled ones! (Tip: keep them and clean them yourself for re-use.) They’re made to the same high quality standards as the adult RealD 3D glasses for a bright & immersive 3D experience.

Win it! Want your kids to have their own sanitary, child-sized pair of realD 3D glasses? FIVE randomly selected commenters will each win TWO pairs! Comment on this post before noon mst on August 4 to be entered.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNERS EMAILED

Scoop food. Lift food. Dump 90% of food on lap. Lick spoon. Repeat.

If you’ve watched a toddler learn to feed themselves with utensils, you know it’s almost laughably ridiculous. Laughable if you aren’t the one that has to remove the stains from their clothing.

Thanks to a cool new toddler eating utensil, Mount St. Laundry just got a little bit less difficult to conquer. Little Grips for Little Hands were designed with your toddler in mind.

It has a no–choke safety handle that fits easily in the palm of your child’s hands and allows them to use their arms and wrists for better control. Other utensils require finer finger controls that are still undeveloped, creating a frustrating experience for your child. And you. The ergonomic design that takes advantage of a toddler’s stronger grasping and overall hand–movement skills, while still allowing them to learn proper feeding motions.

Kid feels better. Laundry gets easier. It’s a win-win!

Little Grips sell for $11 at the Little Grips for Little Hands website.

Win it! Comment on this post before noon mst on August 3, 2010 to be entered to win a set of Little Grips for Little Hands. Don’t forget you can get up to 5 entries in every TOP giveaway!

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Since we’ve had a rather extended hiatus thanks to my flooded house giving us no access to our review items & press kits, I thought it might be wise to remind you of our contest information & rules.

You can get up to four additional entries in our contests, unless we state otherwise in the post.

1. You always get one entry for simply commenting.

2. Blog about the contest using one of the top three images found here. Leave a comment with the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate comment from your other entry).

3.

or

 Subscribe in a reader

Leave an additional comment to let us know that you did this for an extra entry. Be sure to leave a valid email address the form so we can confirm your subscription.

4. Place our button in your sidebar or add us to your blogroll. Leave an additional comment or send an additional email to let us know that you did this for your extra entry. Be sure to leave a valid url so we can confirm the addition. If we’ve been in your sidebar forever, it still counts!

For your convenience, here is the button code (also found here)

5. Tweet about the giveaway and let us know @opinionated. Be sure to let us know you tweeted in a separate comment to get your entry.

EACH entry must leave a separate comment…one comment = one number for the random integer generator.

Anything else you want to know? Just ask!

I love to read, and always have at least 3 books on the go. Something fiction, something non-fiction, and something parenting. I also always have a stack of at least 30 (and sadly, I’m not exaggerating) books in my “waiting their turn” pile. The Green Guide for Families: The Complete Reference for Eco-Friendly Parents from National Geographic Books sat in that pile for a long time because it just kept getting buried. The poor thing. There were just so many series that came up in the meantime that I just had to finish. (Millennium trilogy, anyone? Begin with ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ and see if you get any parenting books read before you finish all three!)

Now that I’ve finally read it cover to cover, I’m recommending it to everyone I know with a family. It’s extremely well organized and is filled with practical advice and great ideas. It addresses all of the key environmental issues faced by parents of young children today, and takes a straightforward approach to things like lead-painted toys; vaccinations, antibiotics, vitamins, plastics, managing food allergies, avoiding fat and sugar filled snacks and SO much more. It’s just an awesome book that is sure to become dog eared as you reference it for years to come.

The author, trained scientist, seasoned writer, and mother of two small children Catherine Zandonella combines both knowledge and experience as she helps parents guide their children through a society that doesn’t always make green lifestyle choices easy and offers advice on raising children to “think green” from the start.

Win it! We’re giving away THREE copies of “The Green Guide for Families” to three randomly selected readers. To enter, comment on this post before noon mst on July 31, 2010.

You know pomegranates are a super food right? But if you probably also know what a pain in the butt they are to eat and to wash out of your family’s clothing after they’ve been squirted and wiped all over everything.

Solution? POM Wonderful.

Six different varieties of juice, teas, coffee, pills, bars…if it’s pomegranate, it’s there.

We’ve tried all of their juices now, thanks to some coupons they sent us to pick up free samples at our local grocer. I prefer the straight POM, but for those who like it cut there’s blueberry, kiwi, nectarine, cherry & mango as well.

Check it out – get your superfood & get hydrated too!

There are many joys, big and small, for a mama with a little girl. One of the small joys that I adore is choosing new hair bows & clips to match every outfit. I have no time for crafts, so luckily there are a ton of shops online selling fabulous products at reasonable prices, like fromalicebows.com

The variety is great – check out their signature collection – and the prices range from a very reasonable & demure $4 to a gorgeous, layered & fancy $15.

Win it! We’re giving away a selection of 5 “pretties” valued at $40. Visit From, Alice and comment on this post with one of your faves before noon mst on July 31, 2010 to be entered to win!

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Am I the only one who has those moments?

Sometimes I feel like a Kindermusik superstar. At other times I sing the ABC’s and the days of the week and tuck them in.

To avoid those “drawing a blank” moments, I highly recommend The Goodnight Book for Moms and Little Ones from Welcome Books. (It’s great for dads too, but isn’t named for them…yet.)

The Goodnight Book for Moms and Little Ones includes:
Literary Excerpts: Ten excerpts relating to sleep, stars, and dreams from beloved children’s classics. In Charlotte’s Web, Charlotte sings Wilbur to sleep; in Mary Poppins, Mary glues stars to the sky; and in James and the Giant Peach, James falls asleep in the web hammock under the soft light of a glowworm.
Tales & Legends: Fourteen stories from Sleeping Beauty and Rip Van Winkle to creation tales of the moon and stars from different cultures.
Songs: Ten songs and lullabies, including “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “Goodnight” by Lennon and McCartney, and “Hush, Little Baby.”
Poetry: Fourteen poems, including “The Land of Nod” by Robert Louis Stevenson, “Is the Moon Tired?” by Christina Rossetti, and “Afraid of the Dark” by Shel Silverstein.
Activities: Twenty activities to make bedtime easier (sleep-inducing sachets, clothespin guardian angels, relaxation exercises) and enjoyable (glow-in-the-dark sleep shirt, galactic mobile, hibernating beanbag bear).
Recipes: Twelve recipes combining soothing ingredients for dinners and before bedtime snacks as well as dreamy sweets like Full Moon Cookies, Overnight Surprise Cookies, and Soothing Smoothies.
Prayers: Ten bedtime prayers from various cultures and faiths.

What a wonderful baby gift this book would be for a new mama!

The book hits the shelves this September.

Win it! Welcome Enterprises is giving a copy to one lucky TOP reader. To enter to win, simply comment on this post before noon mst on July 31, 2010.

We’re holding out hope that the drywallers will get here and done this week. Everything we own, including everything for this site, is in a giant mouseproof & waterproof steel box. Gah.

We’ve picked & paid for the floor (Ouch. Have you any idea how much flooring costs?)

On the upside, I hated the couch that got wrecked and now I get a new one.