Fun Bites are a fun, easy and kid-safe way of cutting food into small pieces.

You may think “Can’t a knife do that?”

Well, yes. But after the hundredth time you’ve cut something ‘just so’ for your picky little eater, you’d pay in gold for these things! I love that they have no metal parts so the kids can grab them and cut away. They’re much more likely to eat the food you serve if they play a part in the preparation – and Fun Bites are so easy to use that even a two year old can do it!

Win it! We’ve got one set – as pictured – to give away. To enter, comment on this post before noon mst on February 20, 2012. Don’t forget your extra entries!

Each December we love to remind our long time fans and encourage our new ones to get the most for their money this season of spending. There are so many things you can do, costing from nothing to unimaginably ridiculous amounts, to make the season extra special for your children. I say, if you do only one “extra” thing for your little lovelies, make it a personalized phone call from the big man himself!

Over the last five years, we have seen our share of mall Santas. Some are great, some are rude, some are rushed, some smell like onions. You just never know what you’re going to get. With Santa Speaking, you’re guaranteed a great experience. The calls range from 3-5 minutes (single call) to 8-10 minutes (extended call) and I highly recommend the extended call if you have more than one child or one that either really likes to talk or make take a few minutes to warm up. No matter what happens, the well trained (and background checked) Santa will fill any empty space with questions and comments about your child’s life that only Santa could know. Even the skeptics will have their hearts opened by a call from Santa Speaking. SantaSpeaking.com will send you a MP3 of your child’s call and/or a mini-CD ornament to both listen to and hang on your tree year after year. We have listened to our previous calls each December and they area absolutely precious!

The set up of the call is as simple as can be, and they’ve thought of everything in terms of ensuring that Santa knows a ton of information about your child. He knew the names of my son’s best friends, about his classes and hobbies and so much more – all of which I was able to effortlessly enter prior to the call.

At SantaSpeaking.com, you can read the North Pole Gossiper, dance to Santa’s Groovy Hits, get the recipe to make Santa’s fave hot chocolate and so much more. Whether you’re purchasing a call or not, it’s a great site to visit. However, once you experience a call from Santa Speaking you’ll likely be ordering a call every year. From $20 – $50, there’s one that’s affordable for most families. If you do it once, you’ll want to find a way to make the magic happen every year!

SAVE WITH TOP Use the code MB2011 for 10% off your call.

“Help your child’s early math skills take off and soar! In superhero proportions, this 320-page workbook builds early math skills, while the award-winning Flash Action software teaches essential facts in a flash! Combining traditional pencil and paper learning with high-tech computer methods makes this dynamic duo a Super Value.”

My son recently began working with this math book. As an early years teacher, I have extensive experience with teaching math and with countless worksheets and workbooks. School Zone products are always among my favourites, and this one does not disappoint. My (admittedly advanced) five year old is loving learning to read charts & graphs and is figuring out place value like a champ simply by reading the instructions and following along.

The Super Math Made Easy Workbook holds teacher-created content with attention-getting strategies geared toward multiple learning styles. The pages are packed with fun-filled exercises, colorful illustrations, and simple directions for hours of learning. The lessons focus on strengthening essential math skills, such as addition, subtraction, shapes, numerical order, time, money, fractions, estimation, measurement, graphing, and multiplication. The tear-out pages make great, take-anywhere individual worksheets!

The Flash Action Addition & Subtraction Software transforms your computer into a fast, fun, fact machine that makes learning addition and subtraction child’s play. Children can practice problems against the clock, challenge another player to a game of fast facts or test themselves for speed and accuracy. Set the program to practice addition, subtraction or mixed problems, and the difficulty will be adjusted based on your child’s score. Players can check their facts in the handy chart or print the chart for reference away from the computer. Learning is reinforced with a printed scorecard that reports progress and shows problems to practice. Audio guidance, colorful graphics, animated rewards, and positive reinforcement motivate learning.

The skills addressed in this set are addition and subtraction, sets, shapes, numerical order, time, money, fractions, estimation, measurement, graphing, multiplication, plane and solid figures, patterns, coordinate grids, skip counting, greater than/less than, place value, focus & concentration, eye-hand coordination and following directions.

Win it! We’ve got this fabulous set, valued at $20, to give away! Comment on this post before noon mst December 2, 2011 to enter.

Affectionately known as “The Grateful Dead for kids,” Ben Rudnick & Friends have hit the mark with their soon-to-be-released CD Live in Lexington: Under the Copper Beech. As a bit of a closet dead head myself, I love the sound of these guys (and my kids did too, but whatever.) These are some mega-musically-talented dudes, and their style is really their own. It’s a fabulous addition to your kiddie music collection for sure.

The CD will be released on August 30th and you’ll find it at our affiliate, Amazon.

Win it! Win a copy of this CD! Just comment here before noon mst on August 25, 2011 to enter!

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I have another new-to-me treasure to share with you.

In The Nick of Time (by Nick Deysher) is about to release the new CD “Making Silly Faces.” Geared toward kids aged 2-8, Making Silly Faces is an eclectic mix of fabulous creations like my son’s fave “Pirates Never Say Please,” my daughter’s fave “The Sun Is Up (And So Am I) and mine “You’ve Got To Have Patience.” You know your kids will love this one, because Nick is a preschool music specialst 5 days a week, and an after school music teacher too. Suddenly I feel the need to take music lessons!

Check it out at In The Nick of Time Music.

Win it! Win a copy of this CD! Just comment here before noon mst on August 25, 2011 to enter!

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I haven’t hear any of the previous tunes from the “Celebrate Earth” series, but this one is as unique as they come. I had no idea what to expect when I popped “Wild Child” into the stereo, but I didn’t expect what came booming out. It opens with ‘Earth Lullaby,’ a very calming piece with earthy undertones (well, duh). It brought my family to the living room from all around the house with it’s soothing beats, and they stayed for an African dance party for the next 13 tracks. It gave us a jumping off point for a great discussion about African animals and the at-risk environments in Africa and around the world. If ever a CD screamed African culture, this was it.

Check out Recess Music for this CD and more.

Win it! Win a copy of this CD! Just comment here before noon mst on August 25, 2011 to enter!

Multiple entries are available for every TOP giveaway!

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I’m a new Ted Jacobs fan, and a big one at that. He uses his tender voice to turn some of the world’s most beloved poetry into beautiful acoustic songs. Available at House At The Corner, Back to the Garden is a showcase of Ted Jacobs’ talent featuring some very cool pipes, the pennywhistle, accordion, and dulcimer among others. It’s a CD that I find hard to describe, but you won’t be sorry if you pick this one up. It would make a great baby gift with his soft Cat-Stevens-like voice that the parents will love, too.

Win it! Win a copy of this CD! Just comment here before noon mst on August 25, 2011 to enter!

Multiple entries are available for every TOP giveaway!

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Spark Story Starters are the newest addition to our car trips and family meal times, and we absolutely love them! Spark Your Imagination is a family-run, Canadian venture and Tamara Vukusic and her husband and two little boys came up with this deck of open-ended questions together to get them all talking and thinking outside the box.

We started reading the questions on the way home from the mailbox and the kids could hardly wait to get inside and read some more. When my husband came in and started listening to the conversations we were having, he was enthralled. Once we heard what came out of them, we sincerely regretted not videotaping their answers. Thankfully, the deck of story starters is here to stay and their answers are sure to get even more creative now that they know what kinds of wonderful things they get to imagine when we break out the cards.

I especially love that many of the cards get kids solving problems creatively so in addition to talking to me they’re stretching their brains and really thinking outside the box. Imagine asking your child how they’re going to sneak their new pet dragon into school. Just imagine the stories you’ll get – the different types of dragons, the creative names, the methods of actually getting their giant beast into the classroom – it’s amazing!

Spark Story Starters are available online from LearningToys.ca for $11.99, and there’s now an app version of Story Starters that’s exactly the same as the cards for iPhone ($1), iPad ($2) and Android ($2) – I can’t wait to check those out!

Win it! Spark Your Imagination is giving away 3 decks of cards, 3 iPhone apps and 3 iPad apps. To enter, simply comment below before noon mst on August 15, 2011. If you can think of a Canadian retailer that might be a good fit to carry Spark Story Starters, please share that in your comment. There are so many wonderful little neighborhood toy, gift and book stores in Canada that are hard to track down and Tamara would love your input! Let us know in your comment if you’d like cards, an app for your iPhone or iPad, or all three. Random.org will do the work and we’ll make sure you get something you can actually use if you’re selected.

Multiple entries are available for every TOP giveaway! Click here for details if you’re not familiar with them.

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Brilliant in it’s simplicity, I Caught Santa can help you turn a typical Christmas morning into something spectacular. For less than $10 anyone can bring back the wonder of Christmas and be a hero to children by catching Santa “in the act.” In just three simple steps that anyone with an internet connection can do easily, you upload a photo of your tree or fireplace, choose and place your Santa, and download your unmarked jpg file which can be printed anywhere you like or just left right in the laptop that had the “Santa Cam” turned on all night!

Want Santa by the Christmas tree? Coming down the chimney? Eating milk and cookies? Sleeping on the sofa? Stealing a kiss from Mommy? Easy peasy lemon squeazy! Check out some examples of photos in this YouTube video.

Win it! We’re giving away TEN photos from I Caught Santa! If you’d like to surprise someone you love with this on Christmas morning, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on December 17, 2010.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Waiting in line for half an hour at the mall to see a creepy Santa with hummus breath and then paying $15 for a crappy picture of my kids with him isn’t my idea of a great Christmas memory.

What is my idea of a great Christmas memory? Santa phoning my children each year and getting them so excited about his upcoming stop at their house and about the entire season that they can’t talk about anything else.

The calls range from 3-5 minutes (single call) to 8-10 minutes (extended call). I highly recommend the extended call if you have more than one child or one that either really likes to talk, like mine, or one that may take a few minutes to warm up. My children are 4 1/2 and nearly three and their call from Santa this year was, as always, the absolute highlight of their year. It is nothing short of amazing to watch them light up and tell Santa their Christmas wishes. Whether your child talks for 10 minutes non-stop or just sits & listens, the well trained & background checked Santa will fill the empty space with questions and comments about your child’s life that only Santa could know. Even the skeptics will have their hearts opened by a call from Santa Speaking. You can get an MP3 of your child’s call via email and/or a mini-CD ornament to both listen to and hang on your tree year after year. After hearing the children speak to Santa this year, we listened to the CDs of the calls from the last two years and were amazed by the change in the sound of their little voices. So incredibly precious.

The set up of the call is as simple as can be, and they’ve thought of everything in terms of ensuring that Santa knows a ton of information about your child. He knew the names of my children’s best friends, their activities and hobbies and so much more – all of which I was able to effortlessly enter online prior to the call.

Don’t forget that Norad is tracking Santa’s progress on Christmas Eve so be sure to check in with him, and check the weather at the North Pole. You can even have him call you four times throughout the day to update you on his progress. At SantaSpeaking.com, dance to Santa’s Groovy Hits, get the recipe to make Santa’s fave hot chocolate and so much more. Whether you’re purchasing a call or not, it’s a great site to visit. However, once you experience a call from Santa Speaking you’ll likely be ordering a call every year. From $20 – $50, there’s one that’s affordable for most families.

Santa Speaking is under new ownership and has undergone a re-design – now you can also get more great gifts, like a personalized letter from Santa!

Win it! We’ve got a pretty sweet hook up for three of our readers, and a little something for everyone!

One reader will win an extended call with CD ornament. ($52.90 value, including S&H)

Two additional readers will each win a set of Santa Speaking’s new pre-recorded Christmas Eve Messages. ($12.95 value, each)

To enter, simply comment on this post before noon mst on December 12th. The three winners will be notified by 5 pm mst that day to leave you enough time to book your call if you’re not the lucky one!

Everybody Wins! SAVE 10% on your call this year with the code TOP2010.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNERS EMAILED – Merry Christmas!

How many young girls have you met who dream of clothes, who live to shop. Fashion divas and little princesses alike are sure to love Creativity for Kids new “Designed by You Special Occasion Fashions” ($39.99 – ages 9-99). From ball gowns to wedding gowns, this kit has it all and everything your little lady needs to design her own masterpieces is included in the kit.

* Mannequin and Satin Dress
* Assorted Fabrics
* Assorted Trims
* Spools of Thread
* Sewing Needles and Threader
* Thimble
* Pins
* Pin Cushion
* Scissors
* Tape Measure
* Fabric Swatches
* Sketch Book
* Pencils and Sharpener
* Iridescent Sparkle Accent
* Silver Sparkle Accent
* Satin Roses
* Satin Bows
* Tiaras
* Accessories Storage Bag
* Instructions and Ideas

Featuring even more supplies than the original award-winning Designed By You Fashion Studio, this deluxe version includes exceptional quality essentials that every couture fashion designer needs to inspire one-of-a-kind originals.

Check out the product trailer on YouTube to see it in action. It almost makes me wish I was a pre-teen again. Almost.

Win it! Three winners will each receive a Designed by You Special Occasion Fashions Activity Kit valued at $39.99. To enter, simply comment below before noon mst on October 16, 2010. Get your extra entries too!

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNERS EMAILED

ETA: Apparently the one item we were so excited to open with is out of stock! Dang! Will update when someone tells us it’s back. Grrrr…

Two years ago, I reviewed a magnetic calendar for preschoolers & school aged kids my family is still using to this day and just love. For that reason, I’ve made it the first item for sale in our new OpenSky Shop!

Now, with two preschool aged children, the magnetic weekly calendar from 2fishkids is even more a part of our day. It’s such a great visual organizer for little people, and a sanity saver for this mama. It’s well organized, colourful and personalized to my children and their incredibly busy weeks. It teaches about the days of the week, seasons, weather and more.

The fully magnetic calendar measures 13 1/8” x 8 1/8” and comes with 58 activity, season and weather magnets, a dry erase marker and a storage bag. Because of the smallish magnets, it’s recommended for ages 3+. This indispensable preschool tool retails for just $20 and you can now buy it right from us without leaving our site!

Our OpenSky shop is small – one item only at this time – because of our promise to test out each and every item we sell and only sell things that we love. From each sale, we will make a small amount (~$1-$3) but you pay no more than you would if you had to do all of the shopping around on your own and purchased the same item from their own or any other third-party site. We do all of the work for you, and hope you love shopping with your trusted friends at T.O.P!

Children who have never experienced missing one or both of their parents are few & far between these days. Parents work, travel for fun without their children, get deployed, get sick…there are so many things that take parents from their children, and Cuddletunes aims to make those times a little easier on everyone. Cuddletunes began when five year old Olivia missed her daddy. Olivia’s parents, Cuddletunes cofounders David and Cherie, were tucking their daughter in for bed the day before David left on a business trip to New York.

“I’m going to miss you so much honey. You know how much I love you right?” David kissed his daughter on the forehead and she nodded.

“I wish you could tell me that when you’re gone and I’m going to sleep at night. I wish I had a daddy doll so I could hear your voice when I miss you.” This gave Cherie and David the idea that eventually led to Cuddletunes. They talked to their friends Denise and Mike, also parents, who came on board as cofounders. Four years later, in 2007, Olivia’s idea has been transformed and they’re selling bears, but their focus is the same: helping families stay close.

When it comes to comforting a child, there is nothing quite like a good old-fashioned teddy bear. The Cuddletunes Social Networking Bear is a hybrid: she is just as cuddly and sweet as the teddy bear you loved as a child, but is also equipped with a built-in MP3 player. Parents, grandparents, and loved ones can record a story, song, or message from anywhere and upload it to the Cuddletunes site and it is in turn downloaded onto the MP3 player inside the bear via a USB connection. She’s called a social networking bear because in conjunction with their website she’s helping families stay connected more than ever before. Each bear also includes five lullabies sung by professional singers and customized with the child’s name.

My daughter received a Cuddletunes bear and it’s utterly awesome. You can’t feel the mp3 player at all – the bear really is as soft as any other good quality teddy bear – and the quality of the recordings are fabulous. Setting it up online for her was ridiculously easy – her name was available in the professionally pre-recorded songs so I simply had to type in her name, and then I recorded myself reading her a personalized story using the built in mic on my camera (fully guided by Cuddletunes – I’m not that creative!) The Cuddle Tunes Bear with pre-loaded player retails for $59.95.

Win it! Enter to win your own Cuddletunes bear with a comment (or up to five comments!) on this post before noon mst on August 14, 2010.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED (Congrats Betty!)

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

LiLiKiKs is a fabulous new-to-me company created by a mom of three active girls and based in Vancouver, BC (Go Canada!) that makes age-appropriate sportswear that girls actually want to wear.

Now, imagine that. Novel idea, no?

I was excited just browsing the website to see the clothes I buy for myself at conferences for fitness professionals (the most modest you can buy there!) in mini-versions for kids like mine who aren’t allowed to play with or dress like Bratz dolls. We received the Ragcap short sleeve tee, Langur capri and Teamster jacket for review, and I was more than excited – THRILLED – with every piece.

We haven’t had them long, but we’ve washed them now three times and my daughter has worn them twice, and they look just like new. That may not seem like long, but I am physically & mentally unable to wash clothes properly and she’s a rough & tumble (and messy) kid, so it’s good for us! The material is smooth, soft & supple, doesn’t ride up and is highly breathable.

Now that we’ve found LiLiKiKs for her, perhaps they’ll start making my size so I don’t have to wait until my next conference to get great workout clothes without paying Lululemon prices?

At times in the Canadian prairies it’s tough to find those great natural & open ended toys that many of us believe in (toys that allow children to play…and learn…without getting overstimulated or ingesting nasty chemicals) without paying insane shipping charges and customs fees. We recently discovered a northern Albertan company, Play and Learn Toys, that solves that problem for parents all over Canada. Owner Narissa Singh, a UNB Business graduate, has lived in northern Alberta for nearly ten years and struggled to find Canadian sources for quality toys for her own children. She has chosen to offer a super array of products from some great manufacturers known for their quality & safety, and runs her business out of her home since her tiny town doesn’t have retail space for a store.

Play & Learn Toys carries many products that I’ve seen on European sites and been curious about, so I was thrilled to see that they’re available in Canada now – and being from a mom-run business makes it even better!

My children are absolutely loving their new Stepped Pyramid ($54.99) from Grimms. It consists of a square wooden base filled with blocks in a variety of colours, sizes and versatile shapes. With an open ended toy like this, the possibilities for learning are endless. We now use them daily for imaginative building play and they’ve been castles, rocketships, dragons, post offices, houses and so much more. That’s the thing with great toys – they don’t do the imagining or noisemaking for you, so they can be anything at any time. Grimms’ products are made in Germany of wood and non-toxic colourings.

Another super product the Play & Learn Toys carries is Contina by Bamboo ($29.99). This is not just another sets of blocks. Contina includes a rainbow of colors, black and natural finishes on 100 bamboo sticks which are small and lightweight for children 3 years and up. Combine colors, create a rainbow, stack lengthwise like dominos or pile them high for tons of creative fun. The possibilities are endless with Contina. It’s no wonder that Contina won the Best Toy award from Child’s Magazine.

Join Play & Learn Toys on Facebook.

Save 10% on your order with the code TOP10.

Win it! You can win a set of Contina by Bamboo from Play and Learn Toys. To enter, visit the Play & Learn Toys shop and comment here with another yet un-mentioned toy or item from the shop that you kinda dig. Contest closes at noon mst on February 9, 2010.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Joe Rothstein, a speech-language pathologist trained in early childhood education, has recently released his groundbreaking CD Power Tunes. Normally we’re excited to tell you about CD’s that are perfect for the whole family, but this CD is definitely just for the kids. Power Tunes meets children’s most simple language needs with ten upbeat, original tracks.

Tracks include School Song, Train Song, Food Song and Red Light, Green Light pick kids up and get their bodies and brainwaves moving together while empowering them with important language tools. They’re educational and address many language learning skills but are so fun that kids will never realize they’re learning. That’s my goal as an early childhood educator – to make learning so fun and engaging that kids don’t realize what’s happening. I have several students with speech issues in my room this year and was thrilled with the results of playing this CD for my class. Whether your children have speech concerns or not, it’s a great CD for all children and is particularly great for toddlers who are in the early stages of developing language.

I give it a ten out of ten – even if I wouldn’t listen to it without my kids around.

Not THE common cold. Not the one that involves lots of snot and ears that feel like they’ve been stuffed with cotton.

The Nuddle cures cold – like the thermometer dipping kind of cold. The Canadian kind of cold, even.

The Nuddle Blanket (nap + cuddle = nuddle) is a truly luxurious blanket. Whether you have the adult version ($68), the kids version ($48) or the baby version ($38), you’ll be amazed when you feel the fabric. Just pure ultra-plush heaven. It has holes for your arms, a foot pocket and an outer hand pouch like a muff. The arm openings are just the perfect size – not large enough to let a bunch of cold air in but large enough to fit pretty much anyone’s arm.

The Nuddle Kids blanket (which my two fight over constantly – “It’s MINE!” “No, it’s MINE!”- comes in three delicious colours: cherry, fudge, & blueberry, and is the perfect size for children from about 2-12 after which they’d likely be ready for an adult Nuddle. (Though it says 4 and above, my daughter who will be 2 in a week or so would fight you on that and she’d win. She always does. I have no idea where she gets that from. Heh.)

The Nuddle Baby (available in neutral oatmeal, bubblegum pink & cloud blue) is the newest Nuddle product and it’s intended for use in the stroller. It measures 24″ x 32″ and has the classic Nuddle foot pocket and holes for the five-point safety harness on your stroller. While I no longer have a baby who rides in a stroller (sniff) I asked a local new mama to test the Nuddle Baby for us and her words follow: “Wow, this is an amazing stroller blanket! It’s impossible to get it to fall off, even in our crazy winds, and it’s SO soft! The foot pocket is fantastic and keeps my little guy snuggly no matter how long our walks are. What a great product!”

Sure, they’re not as cheap as a Snuggie, but have you felt a Snuggie? They’re only worth the $10-$20 you’ll pay for them and not a penny more. It’s like comparing a Lamborghini to a Kia, so don’t bother. (If you’re desperate for sleeves, which you needn’t be, then shun the Snuggie and get a Slanket. Trust me.) < /ramble > If you want a quality blanket that washes well over and over again, that keeps you & your babies warm & cozy and may prevent you from leaving the house because you’re just to darn cozy, then you need a Nuddle.

Win it! We’ve got a Nuddle Kids in fudge and a Nuddle Baby in oatmeal to give away to one very lucky T.O.P. reader. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on January 15, 2010.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED!

My daughter, until two weeks ago, had never had her nails painted. There just wasn’t a safe enough option for those porous little nails. Sure, there’s toluene & formaldehyde free polishes everywhere now, but the other ingredients are enough to send you screaming & running in the other direction.

We recently discovered Piggy Paint and are now thrilled to be able to paint her nails any time she’s feeling the need for a little extra pink.

It’s got no harsh, nasty chemicals in it – it’s free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, Bisphenol A, ethyl acetate and acetone. Check out the difference between Piggy Paint and other children’s nail polish on a styrofoam plate. It’s rather astounding. Piggy Paint is non-toxic, low odour, water based, hypoallergenic, and the fun colours all dry to a hard & durable finish. My daughter absolutely loves having pink nails to match her pink clothing, pink boots, pink coat, pink toys…you get my drift.

We also have some Piggy Paint remover but actually haven’t used it yet because the Piggy Paint wore off fairly quickly. It looked great for about 3-4 days and then came off over the next day or three. Perfect for a little girl who would hate for me to use remover on her. We didn’t cure it with a blow dryer as they recommend, and just put on two coats. I honestly wouldn’t want polish on my child that lasted for much longer, so she and I absolutely loved it. It’s going to make it much easier to change colours regularly as well. When we do need to use the remover, I’ll use it without reservation because it also is made from natural ingredients, is low odour, acetone-free, hypoallergenic & biodegradable.

Piggy Paint was founded by mom of two Melanie Hurley and is made in the USA. Natural & safe products for kids that are still sparkly & fun? Piggy Paint is just the kind of product and company that Opinionated Parents love to recommend and support with our own hard-earned cash.

Save 15% on your Piggy Paint (including sale items) with the code OPINIONATED15L until January 31, 2010.

Win it! Comment below before noon mst on December 24/09 with your favourite Piggy Paint shade to win a $15 gift certificate!

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

This weekend I’m planning to brave the mall so my kids can see Santa. Actually, the only reason I’m considering it is because I got some adorable frames for the annual Santa pics last year and I have a mental block to leaving the old pictures in them. Poor kids. A nicer mother would keep them as far away from the mall as possible and just go straight to SantaSpeaking.com.

Founded by Anne Gaskell (aka Elf Annie), a mom of three, Santa Speaking is absolutely top notch. There are a lot of sites out there that we’re asked to check out & recommend to you, and the one we’re consistently impressed by and the only one we’ve tried that we think is good enough to recommend at this point is Santa Speaking. Elf Annie is well aware that the mall Santa may not quite meet your expectations, so she developed this service to “offer personalized Santa Claus experiences that are modeled after the ideal Santa Claus figure.” The calls range from 3-5 minutes (single call) to 8-10 minutes (extended call). I highly recommend the extended call if you have more than one child or one that either really likes to talk, like mine, or one that may take a few minutes to warm up. My children are 3 1/2 and nearly two and their call from Santa Speaking was the absolute highlight of their year. This year, just like the last two, it was nothing short of amazing to watch them light up and tell Santa their Christmas wishes. They could hardly wait to call Grandma to tell her all about the phone call from the big guy, and were just bouncing off the walls with excitement all day! Whether your child talks for 10 minutes non-stop or just sits & listens, the well trained (and fully background checked) Santa will fill the empty space with questions and comments about your child’s life that only Santa could know. Even the skeptics will have their hearts opened by a call from Santa Speaking. You can get an MP3 of your child’s call via email and/or a mini-CD ornament to both listen to and hang on your tree year after year. We just listened to last year’s call and were amazed by the change in the sound of their little voices. Precious.

The set up of the call is as simple as can be, and they’ve thought of everything in terms of ensuring that Santa knows a ton of information about your child. He knew the names of my children’s best friends, their activities and hobbies and so much more – all of which I was able to effortlessly enter prior to the call.

SantaSpeaking.com is tracking Santa’s progress this Christmas Eve so be sure to check in. You can even have him call you five times throughout the day to update you on his progress. Santa also has a blog! At SantaSpeaking.com, you can read the North Pole Gossiper, dance to Santa’s Groovy Hits, get the recipe to make Santa’s fave hot chocolate and so much more. Whether you’re purchasing a call or not, it’s a great site to visit. However, once you experience a call from Santa Speaking you’ll likely be ordering a call every year. From $20 – $50, there’s one that’s affordable for most families.

Win it! We’ve got a $60 SantaSpeaking.com gift code for one lucky T.O.P. reader! That will cover the whole she-bang – an extended call and a mini CD ornament/MP3. We’ve only got a couple of weeks until Christmas eve, so leave your comment by noon MST on Monday 12/14/09, and the winner will be notified that afternoon./blockquote>

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

My children both love crafts. It’s all crafts, all the time around here. From simple colouring & playdough smushing to glueing random things on to other random things, they love it all. With going back to work, the craft projects I plan & do with my children aren’t as intricate or as often as they used to be, so I was thrilled to find the awesome kits from Creativity for Kids.

My son and I delved into the new festive felt stocking kit ($21.99) last week, and at just 3 1/2 years old he was able to do everything independently. It looks just like a 3 1/2 year old made it, and it’s pure perfection simply because he loves it. It’s marked ages 5-95 but was absolutely no trouble for him at all. I don’t know that I’d want to spend twenty bucks on a kit for a 3 year old, but for an older child it would make a valuable keepsake. (For us, it made a bunch of random stickers and glitter glue smudges on a stocking. While we got some great pictures of the process and the product, I don’t know that we’ll keep the actual product forever.) That’s actually a large part of the charm of these kits. The activities are open ended so no two children will create the same product and everyone can be proud of their creative process.

The kits come equipped with everything your child needs to personalize a whimsical light blue felt stocking – peel and stick felt stickers in a variety of shapes and colours, jewel stickers and a tube of silver glitter glue. It comes with a teensy mini stocking, too, that just fits a little bone for Fido. The large stocking measures 10 1/2″ x 13″ and both stockings include a ribbon hanging loop.

Win it! One reader will win the kit of their choice from Creativity for Kids. To enter, comment on this post with your selection before noon mst on Monday, December 14, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

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

“Too old for toys, but too young for boys.” That’s what newly launched company Mia My has to say about tweens today. They need support as they deal with physical and emotional changes, and they need their voices to be heard. They also need to express themselves in ways that those of use who aren’t in their headspace find difficult to understand. Mia MY’s mission is to positively influence the lives of girls by creating stylish products that reinforce positive messages:education, creativity, empowerment, friendship, cooperation, and self-confidence.

The first product launched by Mia MY is their signature Mia MY jacket – a white jacket that comes with a package of write-on-wash-off markers so that your daughter can express themselves in their own way. As girls are wont to do, if they change their minds just toss it in the wash and start all over again! The jacket is made in the USA and is 97% cotton with just enough spandex for easy care and comfort. It comes in sizes 4-14 and sells for $49.99 at Mia MY dot com.

We gave a Mia MY jacket to a local grade one student to check out for us and here’s what she had to say (with her newly literate spelling left intact – I love it!):

Thank you very very very very very very mush for my awsum new jacket from Mia MY. It was a reelly nice jacket before I dezined it and it’s comfy but after I drew on it it was the nicest jacket in my hole scool. I did flowers and butterflies and my name ALL over it. Then my Mom washed it and now I’m going to write a message for my teacher on my back to surprise her on the last day of school. My friends can write on it too. I loooooooooove it!

So, there you go. Nicest jacket in the school, and certainly the most unique! She’s not even a tween and loved being able to express herself on her clothing, so imagine what that would do for an eleven year old? Wicked cool.

Win it! We’re giving away a Mia MY jacket to one of you! Comment with who you’d give it to (and what size you need) before noon mst on June 24, 2009 to be entered.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Well, maybe not swaddle. That might be a little too straight-jacket-ish for me, but I’d certainly like to be draped in the stuff. Unfortunately, Aden + Anais doesn’t make muslin wraps or sleep sacks in my size so I’m stuck with regular old sheets & blankets, but your baby is in luck!

I happen to love and use my muslins all year long, even in the great white north, but it’s in the summer that I am particularly thankful for them. They’re perfect for keeping the children covered and protected without making them sweat. We totally dig our sleep sack ($30). As soon as the thermometer hits about +20, it’s time to pack away the thick winter Grobag and pull out the muslin. It’s one of the great signs of summer, and the sizes range from newborn through the toddler years which is absolutely awesome for those kids who move so much they wake up crying because they’re uncovered & cold. Cursed air conditioning.

For those of you who perhaps don’t want to invest in a package of Aden + Anais’ fab (truly! fab!) wraps, Aden + Anais has just introduced a new single wrap that’s available in both conventional ($20) and organic ($35) muslin.

Celebrate those summer babies with some awesome muslin baby gifts – you’ll be the star of the baby shower, I promise.

Win it! Aden + Anais is giving away one winner’s choice of both a sleep sack ($30) and organic or regular single wrap valued at $50-$65. To enter, choose your sack & blanket from the links in this block and let us know what to send if you win! (Yes, you actually have to choose. No, “anything will do” will not do, actually. But nice try.) Comment before noon mst on June 23, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Not that the people we love aren’t worth several hours of folding, drawing and colouring, but sometimes that’s why they get an impersonal dollar store card instead of a handmade one – it either takes too long or the kid can’t draw much more than a stick figure independently. With the ingenious KidCards, any child can quickly & easily create a card for any occasion that’s perfect for their own skill level.

Volume 1 is perfect for my kids who are 1 and 3. There are 20 cards with envelopes for a variety of occasions (birthday, thank you, get well, congrats & friendship) and they’re ready to colour & decorate. Even if you have a kid who just does a little scribble, the recipient is sure to appreciate the gesture, and the child learns the concept of card giving and kindness from a young age. Volume two also contains 20 cards with envelopes in the same variety, but only features a themed frame on the front, leaving much more room for creativity for the older child. Also available are a special edition Christmas set and three sets just for teachers (Mother’s Day, Father’s Day & thank you) with a card & envelope for each child in the class. I just happen to be an early childhood educator in “real life” and these cards are just perfect for a class of K-2ish kids to quickly create an occasion card that doesn’t tie up an entire double art period. If you have an extra large class, the cards are easily double-side copied (they’re just black line masters, really). They remind me a lot of the cards we teachers create all the time in MS Publisher, but now we no longer have to spend the time doing that. They even come pre-scored for easy & straight folding – a huge bonus if you want the card from your three year old to fit in the envelope.

At just $15/book, they beat even the dollar store prices and mean a heck of a lot more to the person receiving them.

Win it! Your choice of volume 1 or volume 2 is up for grabs. To enter, let us know which one you’d like via comment before noon mst on June 17, 2009. Canada & US only please.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Generations of children have frustrated their parents by playing with the box more than the costly toy that came inside it. Color Me House, founded by April McCray, offers a genius solution that makes kids happy, saves parents money, and encourages unlimited creativity.

The Color Me line of products is made of strong, sturdy, 100% recyclable 2 ply cardboard that’s safe for kids of all ages with no staples or sharp corners. (Provided they won’t eat it – it won’t necessarily hurt them but it’s not vitamin-packed either.)

There are currently two products available – The house sells for $40 and the rocket will set you back a mere $50. A small price to pay for hours and hours of creative entertainment. If you grew up making forts from cardboard boxes, you’ll love sharing Color Me House with your kids. Simply open & assemble (a few minutes, tops) and set the kids free with their choice of creative paraphernalia – crayons, paints, markers, glitter glue, wallpaper, stickers or anything else that makes a mark.

We’ve had a bit of a strange spring here in the great white north, and we’ve been loving the Color Me House & Color Me Rocket for those snowy (wth?) May days. We leave them inside on the sunny days (though they can be taken outside if you have a dry location) so they’re a great novelty for the times when we trade in the swimsuits for the snowboots. The next one I order will be an awesome addition to our mid-January forced-to-stay-inside birthday party.

Order yours from Color Me House or find a location near you.

Win it! We’re giving away a Color Me House or Color Me Rocket – your choice – to one lucky USA-based (sorry ’bout that!) reader. To enter, leave a comment letting us know which one you want and your state on this post before noon mst on June 3, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

I have never met a mom of a little girl who has never felt the exasperation of trying to keep up with their ever changing tastes. Mag-Tagz, a new line of magnetic interchangeable jewelry is perfect for the tween set because it allows them to change their jewelry to match their outfit or their mood without having to break the bank buying a bunch of new necklaces.

Mag-Tagz necklaces come with a standard magnetic pendant base (which is cute enough to wear alone, actually) and the tagz charms can be easily interchanged at any time. New & limited edition tags are released every few months so there’s always something different to try and they’re a great thing to trade & share amongst girlfriends. Who needs hockey cards?

Invented by mom Anita Worth, Mag-Tagz involve young girls in every step of their business. Her daughter and her friends shared their input right from the start, and now the site includes several interactive features. They can play “Tag, You’re It!” where they can enter a code found on the back of each tag to get a clue. The goal is to collect four clues and decipher the common trait. Once they’ve solved it, they can submit their answer and be entered to win awesome prizes. (Wii!) And it’s not just a grab to get your kids to buy more Tagz. Girls are actually encouraged to share codes with each other and trade their Tagz in order to learn more clues. Though if it were, at only $3.99 – $4.99 most girls could afford to buy them with their own money. The necklace base sells for $9.99, and a starter pack with a base and 3 tagz goes for $19.99 (small) or $23.99 (large).

Girls (and, I suppose, boys, if they’re into that kind of thing) are also encouraged to design their own Tag and enter it into the Mag-Tagz design contest where they’ll be voted on by blog readers. If they win, their design will be produced as a limited edition Tag and their name is even engraved on the back! How thrilling would that be?

Use the code blogger20 to save 20% on purchase of $20 or more.

Win it! A necklace base and either the Green Earth Tag or the Bee Tag is up for grabs. Take a look at the design winners page and then come back to comment with your choice to be entered to win.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED (Congrats Terra!)

Over the last few years, I’ve invested in a cupboard full of glass containers for freezing & storing food and ditched 90% of the plastic that we used to use. It’s costly, but totally worth it for the health of my family. I consider it an investment. They’re endlessly reusable which means I save money, the earth, and the bodies of the people I love most.

My husband and I often take leftovers for lunch in glass, but I’m not about to send glass with my three year old. Even if he didn’t smash it on purpose, he’d surely do it accidentally by the end of the first week. Since he mostly eats dry snackies, fresh produce & cheese all day long, I was thrilled to discover LunchBots. Made from the highest quality 18/8 stainless steel, LunchBots won’t leach chemicals into foods like plastic does.

The LunchBots uno (blue lid) is perfect for sandwiches or a larger quantity of the same snack. My kids love it for trail mix or cookies. The LunchBots duo (orange lid) is the same container but with a divider welded in to hold two portions of snacks. The divider is not water tight so LunchBots are not intended for wet foods, but if you pack fresh like we do then you’ll be very happy with these. For extras like dips & yogurts, you’ll need to supplement with another type of container. We love the duo for cheese & crackers, raisins & cucumbers, fresh fruit salad & veggies sticks and so much more. Both measure 6.5″x4.5″ and fit easily in lunch bags, diaper bags & most purses. I recommend buying both because no matter which one you choose, you’ll wish you had the other one as soon as you start packing lunches! They’re both great, and used daily in our home.

US readers can purchase directly from LunchBots ($14.99). Canadian readers can purchase from Parenting by Nature ($22.98).

Win it! We’ve got a LunchBots uno AND a LunchBots duo to give away to one lucky reader. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on May 12, 2009. Feel free to share your great “dry lunch” ideas!

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

We frequently feature fab shoes around these parts, but they’re almost always for very little people. Most of the companies we’ve featured cater to the newbie through three years set, and it’s about time we dig up some more great finds for the older kids. They deserve comfortable shoes with great style too, and shouldn’t have to wear the stiff soles that we adults are often stuck in.

Two very famous people (or at least people we think should be famous) felt the same way we do, bringing a very happy ending to the sad story of the school aged child in Walmart shoes. Nancy Coronado of Picaflor Kids and Cause Haun of T.O.P. fave See Kai Run met and forged a friendship that led to the creation of Eleven Collection. With the same tradition of superior flexibility, perfect function and fashionable good looks as S.K.R., but for kids aged 3-8, Eleven shoes are the perfect extension to the baby & toddler shoes we all love.

The all-white summer sandal, Maya, (top) is perfect for every big girl and matches every outfit, dressy or casual. If you’re into pink, there’s never a shortage of options but the Laura (second from bottom) is irresistibly adorable!

It’s not too often we can say that the choices for boys are just as awesome as those for girls, but with Eleven (& SKR) that’s truly the case. My son looks super stylin’ in his Aubin’s (pictured second from the top), which are the boys’ version of the ‘matches everything’ shoe. For something with a bit more of a European look, I love the Carlo (bottom).

No matter your style preference, you’re sure to find something for your bigger kids from Eleven Collection that rivals the great stuff available for the smaller ones. Jumping one size shouldn’t mean losing access to comfortable, fashionable footwear. (Also see Eleven Collection at the SKR site.)

Win it! We’re giving one reader their choice of any pair of Eleven Collection shoes. Whoo hoo! To enter, leave a comment before noon mst on Friday, April 10, 2009 letting us know the style and size of your choice. (Please remember to follow the rules. We may not take the time to delete your comment but if your number is drawn and you didn’t do what we asked you to do, we’ll draw someone else.)

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

In the dead of the cold Canadian winter, nobody in their right mind takes their kids to the park. Sure, we’re tough up here. We can get bundled up in balaclavas and down skidoo suits, with nothing showing but two squinting eyeballs, but once we get outside we can barely walk for the bundling and the kids sure couldn’t get up on any playground we were crazy enough to take them to. (And if they did, how long do you think it would take before someone’s tongue was stuck to the slide?)

Enter Toronto based DreamGYM Inc., the first company in Canada to produce indoor jungle gyms for home use. Company founder Marina Mironov has created an ingenious product which allows children to stay physically active all year round, regardless of the weather. DreamGYM Indoor Jungle Gyms and wide variety of accessories can be installed in almost any space of the home: a kids’ room, basement, or a spare bedroom. Children have a blast climbing ladders, scaling monkey bars, swinging on a trapeze bar, or doing flips on gym rings right inside their homes.

We tried out a few of the DreamGYM accessories with a local preschool group. The gym rings, trapeze/ring combo and disc swing all mounted very easily & safely in a room with exposed rafters and were a huge hit with all of the children. They’re obviously well made and feel very solid – almost industrial. The accessories are very affordable, especially for such high quality equipment. They range from just $15 for the trapeze bar to just under $200 for the four sided rope ladder. The basic model of the jungle gym sells for $950 (pine) or $1270 (maple), and all prices are in Canadian dollars so Americans get even better prices than that! Obesity prevention and health benefits aside, we all know that an exercised child is a happier child, which equals a calmer and quieter child. You’re welcome.

All DreamGYM Inc. products are available from their online store.

Win it! DreamGYM is giving away an accessory pack (gym rings, trapeze/ring combo and disc swing, an $80 value) to one randomly selected winner. To enter, pay a visit to the DreamGYM Inc. site and come back here to comment with what other items not mentioned in this review that you would love to have in your home. Contest closes at noon mst on March 25, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Please visit our sponsor:

It would come from this awesome new T.O.P. discovery.

There is certainly no shortage of pitches from people who make hair bows & clips in our inbox every week. We’re choosy about those we choose to check out, and even choosier about who we recommend once we give the product the opinionated-mom-test.

I am THRILLED to introduce you to Sarah’s Bowtique, a Chilliwack, British Columbia based business that features an absolutely huge variety of hair bows, clippies and tiny little snappies. There are small bows, medium bows, korkers in several styles, amazingly cute holiday styles and some of the most gorgeous and functional bow holder boards I’ve seen to date. You know, one with more than two usable ribbons? Count them – twenty! Twenty ribbons with room to clip 50 or more bows, depending on the styles you like. The photos on the site don’t do the holders or the bows justice – they’re truly awesome. Owner, designer & mom Kendra Christie covers all of the bases for your little one’s hair, from newborn peach fuzz to long school aged locks.

As if great style weren’t enough, the no-slip grip used is free of latex and toxins, and the ribbon is heat sealed to stop fraying without toxic glues. Now that’s what I’m talking about.

Want to help your friends save money on these fab bows and earn a store credit for doing it? Have an e-party! One of the best ideas I’ve heard in a while!

Another way to save – check out the bow of the month which is always buy one, get one free!

Yeah, I know I’m perhaps a little too excited about bows. I mean, they’re just bows, right? But these? Worth it.

Win it! We’re giving away a bow holder and a selection of super duper cute bows (including at least four of those pictured above, package valued at over $50) from Sarah’s Bowtique. To enter, visit the site and take a look around. Come back and comment with a few things that you hope are coming your way if you’re the randomly selected winner!

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

On their website, the creators of Little Stars Bedtime Cards share a quote from Barbara Coloroso’s A Pocket Guide to Kids are Worth It. “Bedtime is a special time, a time of transition. It is an opportunity for closure to one day and a preparation for the next. It is a small turning point in the natural rhythm that gives structure and meaning to life. With care and patience and awareness of our children’s needs, each bedtime can be its own celebration of love and life.”

As parents, we all wish for bedtime to be a positive time, but all too often it’s filled with whining, demands & less than stellar patience levels on the part of both parent and child. Canadian moms Shannon McQuillan & Linda Komori created Little Stars Bedtime Cards to help parents make bedtime the affirming and positive experience that it has the potential to be. They’re not designed to teach new concepts, but to ‘affirm positive qualities that already exist in your child.’

The Little Stars, Sparky, Blaxe & Shiner help parents ask “big questions for little people.” There are some great reasons for using questions as opposed to statements. According to the site, “when we have a specific lesson or message that we need to communicate, teaching or telling our child is very effective. However, when the goal is to connect and deepen our understanding of our child, questions about thoughts and feelings can be incredibly effective for the following kinds of reasons:

~It becomes a two way conversation
~It feels good when someone takes and interest you (even if you don’t have a lot to say)! The very nature of asking questions is an expression of the desire to learn about the other person
~There are no right or wrong answers when you are talking about thoughts and feelings
~Your child will feel loved knowing that you care enough to ask the question and to listen to their response (again even if they don’t have a lot to say)
~You see the world through your child’s lens and may end up talking about things you wouldn’t otherwise (you may be surprised to learn just how opinionated and observant your three year old really is!)
~It keeps your attention focused on your child and children love to have a parents undivided attention even for just a short while
~Children are naturally curious and while they love to answer questions, they may start to ask questions themselves which is lots of fun too.”

Any one of those reasons would have been enough for me to try these cards. I’ve seen them in action with my own little guy and I think they’re every but as awesome as they sound. The cards sell for $15 and ship for just $3. They’d make a great gift for your child who is transitioning to a big kid bed, don’t you think?

Win it! We’ve got a set of Bedtime Cards to give away to a randomly selected reader. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on February 27, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

I’ve always wanted a tutu. < / embarrassing confession >

The tutus from Janie Dale’s Baby Cha Cha Boutique fit the bill perfectly if you’re looking for a sassy tutu for your little girl. (Or for you – she can custom make anything so I’m sure a 30″ waist wouldn’t be a problem.) They’re all elasticized to grow with your little girl and made with a metric tonne of soft-ish tulle so they’re super fluffy & full as a tutu should be.

The standard sizes run from newborn to seven years. The newborn (0-12 months) sample we received was too small for my daughter at 10 months (which, quite literally, broke her heart because it’s so darn cute) so I recommend buying a size up if you have a child with any sort of belly going on. (Mine is very long & lean but has a nice solid Buddha thing going on which makes the elastic too tight. It would have fit her as a newborn, though. Just something to keep in mind when you’re ordering.)

You’ll also find some longer halter style tutu gowns in the Baby Cha Cha Boutique that I know would be a huge hit with any little girl. She also makes adorable hats, headbands, bows, onesies, flip flops and some wall decor for baby’s room – all of which are equally adorable and sassy.

Win it! We’ve got a white crochet headband with a red rosette attached to give away to one randomly selected reader. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post before noon mst on February 11, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

PLEASE NOTE – This giveaway was never received by the winner and the owner of this company chose not to respond to our many attempts to contact her. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT YOU SHOP HERE.

We’ve told you about the awesome Xeko missions from Matter Group in the past and are super excited about the newest one. Mission: China is the newest edition of Xeko, the award-winning trading card game that introduces kids to threatened species and the world’s conservation hotspots. This mission includes many fascinating endangered anumals like the Giant Panda, Snow Leopard, and King Cobra.

The Xeko Mission: China starter set comes packaged in an awesome pagoda-shaped box decorated with animals from China’s habitats and dragon illustrations. The starter set retails for $24.99. Booster packs of 9 cards are available for $3.99.

A new line of eco-friendly plush, the Xeko Pals, also debuted this fall. They’re based on the most popular characters from the game and are made with soy and certified organic cotton “fur” and filled with soy-based stuffing. The toys each feature “mission codes” that allow kids to play their missions at xeko.com.

Win it! We’re giving away a Xeko Mission: China package valued at $45 including the starter kit and Xeko Pals Panda to a lucky randomly selected winner. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on December 31/08.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Having a portable record of your child’s growth over their young years is priceless. I am amazed when I look at the growth chart on my son’s bedroom wall, and he’s only two and a half. As we continue to mark it over the years, we’re creating memories. Memories that don’t include taking a piece of door moulding with us when we move.

I’ve been looking for one for my daughter but unfortunately the awesome one we have for my son has been discontinued. I left it alone for nearly a year because I just couldn’t find what I was looking for. Now she’s the proud owner of a growth chart from Sugarplum Dreams and it’s a great addition to the decor of her room…and to our memory making.

We’ve got the “My Japanese Garden” one, pictured at right, and it’s gorgeous. It sells for $54, but you’re going to want to splurge the extra $10 to get it personalized unless you’re sure you can make a beautiful match on your own. My daughter’s name is printed in a beautiful blue matching the blue flower on the chart and it looks perfect.

The charts feel like a laminated canvas – heavy enough to be sturdy but light enough to hang on just one nail. There are holes in all four corners so you can choose to hang it from a ribbon (as pictured, but the ribbon is not included), on nails or tacks, or with any other hanging device you can dream up.

Let me share this bit of wisdom with you if you’re on your first child: No matter how much you think you will, you will NOT remember how small they were. Get a growth chart like this and you’ll have a tangible memory when your own fades.

Save 15% on any purchase over $50 with the code TOP15.

Win it! We’ve got a growth chart of your choice inscribed with the name of your choice to give away! To enter, let us know the style & name for inscription. Contest closes at noon mst on December 30, 2008

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

One of the trends I’ve noticed in children over the years – in my classroom and elsewhere, and it’s not a good one, is that many of them are less than empathetic (insert your own pet peeve here – respectful of adults is another one I’ve noticed). I don’t know the reason. More parents working long hours? Parents trying to be friends instead of parents?

Whatever the reason, the things that are suffering are all character traits that we, as a human race, should be concerned about.

Life’s Building Blocks is a company founded by Vikash and Juli Sanyal, two SoCal parents. Their goal was to develop character building products that would be fun for kids and easy for parents to use and they’ve succeeded with their award-winning lineup of age appropriate products.

In addition to creating Zaki, my child’s favourite lovable, talking, plush “character chameleon,” they placed Zaki in the midst of the Spruce Street Six — a group of best friends in the third grade. In the stories, the friends who make up The Spruce Street Six encounter many of the common ethical challenges that confront children everywhere. The stories highlight both the strengths, weaknesses and virtues of each of the children making them seem very real to the children reading. Because of that, the ethical decisions made in the book are easily transferred to the decisions they are faced with in their daily lives.

Zaki himself is geared toward children aged 3-6. My three year old is just at the youngest appropriate age and he loves it, but I can see how he will grow into using it more often. Actually I can see us pulling out Zaki as a teaching tool when we need to readdress some of the basic character issues. He sings “Zaki’s song” and has six short stories and rhymes starring the Spruce Street Six programmed into his innards. The best part of “Storytelling Zaki”, in my opinion, are the fins on his back which change colors when the kids are in situations where they should stop (red), slow down and think (yellow), or go for it (green)! It was the first thing to get the attention of my son and definitely the part that kept it. It gave us the opportunity to chat about the situations in the stories and ensure that he actually understood the thought processes going on in the characters. Zaki sells for $30.

The Spruce Street Six Chapter Books, for ages 6-9, feature characters Honest Jake, Jessica the Brave, Calm Carlos, Lauren Never Quits, Jarrett the Just and Kind Shawnie who, with Zaki’s help and their own consciences, take readers on fun adventures that use real dilemmas & ethical problem solving skills teach character building while they enjoy a good book. They sell for $6 a piece.

The related Spruce Street Six Activity Books help reinforce the moral lessons learned in the books via puzzles, short stories, word searches and crack coded messages. They also sell for $6 each

I’m glad to see more products that do more than sing songs and blink, and character building is one of the most valuable goals for a toy that I’ve seen yet.

Save 20% off a purchase of $15 or more with the code top20 through 12/31.

Win it! Thanks to Life’s Building Block’s we’re giving away one of each of these awesome character building products to one lucky winner. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on December 29, 2008.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED – Congrats to Beth!

We all know that babies need to be pampered – both in skin and in spirit. We mamas, though, are often a little neglected in the self-care arena and there’s no time we need it more than when we’re raising young children.

However, with the heightened concern about chemicals in body care products it can be tough to find pampering items that are sure to be safe. It’s hard to relax when you could be giving your child cancer or changing the structure of your own ovarian cells.

(I happen to know there are still a lot of people out there who think that products such as those that rhyme with Dohnson and Gahveeno are safe. No, my friends. Throw them away.)

The Belli Baby collection is the only brand in the world that teratology screens every product, ensuring that none of their products contain ingredients linked to birth defects. Even organic brands contain ingredients like aloe vera, which is a teratogen and should be avoided during pregnancy. Belli is the only baby collection free of ALL xenoestrogens (ingredients that mimic estrogen and can cause problems with reproductive development) and not just the highly publicized phthalates. The Belli Motherhood collection is LACTMED screened to ensure safety for nursing moms and their babies. Due to their unprecedented safety standards, they are the #1 OB/Gyn recommended brand in the US and Australia.

Now that I’ve found some strong reassurance in Belli Skin Care, I’m happy to report that both my children and myself are getting some much needed safe pampering. My baby girl is tickled pink with her massages using her Nourish Me enriched body lotion ($19). It’s lightly chamomile scented and, after the initial ticklish giggling subsides, is wonderfully relaxing.

Every new mom needs to check out the Belli eye brightening cream ($37). Even if it’s psychological (which I’m fairly confident it’s not) I love the way my eyes look when I remember to use this on a regular basis. The dark circle, while still puffy with lack of rest, are noticeably lighter and I’d swear the fine lines are less visible.

During & after pregnancy, we could all use the Stretch Mark Minimizing Cream ($52). This healing skin repair treatment is specifically formulated to decrease the appearance of existing stretchmarks. Applied to stretchmarks morning and night for 4 weeks postpartum and then once daily until desired results are achieved, it has been clinically shown to reduce stretchmark length and irregular surface area by up to 52% and stretchmark depth by up to 72%.

No matter what you’re looking for, the large selection of products for both mamas & babes in the Belli Skin Care line has likely got you all covered. And covered safely, which is really the most important thing.

Win it! We’re giving away full size bottles of each of the three above products with a total value of $108. To enter, you need to go browse the Belli Skin Care Line and comment here with at least one additional product the piques your interest before noon mst on December 24, 2008.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

We spent an afternoon a couple of weeks ago at the mall with friends doing some shopping and visiting Santa. My two and a half year old son enjoyed it well enough (for the first time ever) but my daughter – not so much. To her it was akin to torture. Whether your children enjoy the mall Santa or not, we’re bringing back our favourite way – hands down – for your child to contact Santa during this awesome season.

SantaSpeaking.com was founded by Anne Gaskell (aka Elf Annie), a mom of three. She knows that the mall Santa may not be all you were hoping for so she developed this service to “offer personalized Santa Claus experiences that are modeled after the ideal Santa Claus figure.” The calls range from 3-5 minutes (single call) to 8-10 minutes (extended call) and I highly recommend the extended call if you have more than one child or one that either really likes to talk or make take a few minutes to warm up. My not-usually-shy little guy happened to receive his call at what should have been his nap time on a day when he wasn’t feeling well so it took him that long to get across what he wanted to say. If you have an older child, they’ll may talk the entire time or they may just listen wide-eyed, but no matter what happens, the well trained (and background checked) Santa will fill the empty space with questions and comments about your child’s life that only Santa could know. Even the skeptics will have their hearts opened by a call from Santa Speaking. You can get an SantaSpeaking.com will send you a MP3 of your child’s call and/or a mini-CD ornament to both listen to and hang on your tree year after year.

The set up of the call is as simple as can be, and they’ve thought of everything in terms of ensuring that Santa knows a ton of information about your child. He knew the names of my son’s best friends, about his classes and hobbies and so much more – all of which I was able to effortlessly enter prior to the call.

SantaSpeaking.com is tracking Santa’s progress this Christmas Eve so be sure to check in, and Santa also has a blog! At SantaSpeaking.com, you can read the North Pole Gossiper, dance to Santa’s Groovy Hits, get the recipe to make Santa’s fave hot chocolate and so much more. Whether you’re purchasing a call or not, it’s a great site to visit. However, once you experience a call from Santa Speaking you’ll likely be ordering a call every year. From $20 – $50, there’s one that’s affordable for most families.

Win it! We’ve got a $60 SantaSpeaking.com gift code for one lucky T.O.P. reader! That will cover the whole she-bang – an extended call and a mini CD ornament/MP3. Being that it’s only ten days until Christmas (yikes!) we need to close this one off soon so get your entries in quickly! Leave your comment by noon MST on 12/17/08, and the winner will be notified that afternoon!

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

We are full to the brim with Christmas spirit around these parts. As anyone with a preschooler can attest, Christmas rocks. Having an excitable child in your midst makes the holiday season truly wondrous. There are so many traditions to pass on from our own childhoods and more to start fresh with our children.

One tradition that I was excited to start this year was Elf on the Shelf (caution: music loads automatically). I was excited when I decided I was going to do it, and now that the kids have experienced him I’m even more excited and thrilled that we’ll be able to use him every Christmas season to come and start a tradition that we hope our children will pass on to theirs one day.

Elf on the Shelf, founded by mom, entrepreneur, former teacher & writer Carol Aebersold, who teamed with her daughter Chanda Bell, also a former teacher, and award-winning illustrator Coë Steinwart to create The Elf on the Shelf in 2005. The tradition of the shelf elf began for her family when her own children were young.

She says, “Plagued by their desire to know how Santa really knew who had been naughty or nice, I searched through the Christmas decorations for a plausible explanation. Nestled among them was the answer; a small elf doll from my own childhood. With that discovery, the idea for the elf tradition was born.

Unwittingly, the tradition provided an added benefit: it helped the children to better control themselves. All it took was a gentle reminder that the “elf was watching” for errant behavior to be modified.”

Seeing the look on my children’s faces when they first spotted the elf and their excitement as I read them the story was the best gift of the season thus far. Each morning as they wake and search for the elf the spirit of the season just keeps on giving. The gift of seeing that innocent wonder & bubbling excitement in a child is the best gift a parent can receive, and the Elf on the Shelf gives it to us every single day. Also a great gift? A little help with the crazy behaviour that comes with December. Just a little added bonus.

Elf on the Shelf sells for $30 US and is available for purchase from their gift shop (shipping to US & Canada) or by phone @ 877-919-4105 (for shipping worldwide or if you’d just rather not buy it online). I also spotted one in the card shop at my local mall for $40, but it was the last one and every other store I checked was sold out so online is the way to go if you’re as excited about getting this tradition started as I am. There’s an additional activity book available for $15.

Win it! We’ve got an Elf on the Shelf gift pack including the book & elf to give to one lucky reader. In order to allow the winner to use this for more than a few days, we’re going to make this contest a little shorter than usual.

To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on Monday, December 15, 2008. The randomly selected winner will be contacted via email within the hour and the parcel shipped that afternoon so that it can be enjoyed to the fullest this season. Good luck! (and if you haven’t gotten an email by Monday at 1 pm mst, order one! Your family will love it!)

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Doodlestix?. What could THAT possibly be?,” I thought to myself when I got the email about potentially reviewing this product. It turns out, Doodlestix is something I couldn’t wait to try with my 6 year old son because it’s “a subscription based product that helps parents teach their children character traits and to ‘do the right thing.’”

From their website:  “We believe most parents want their children to do what’s right, but may not have a good support structure for teaching them. That’s where Doodlestix comes in! We felt that kids would be more likely to listen to instruction from another kid’s point of view and that this type of influence should come early in their development, before they are exposed to negative influences in the external environment.

Doodlestix is not intended to be the sole source of character education for your child. Rather, it is one tool in your toolbox to support and reinforce your efforts to teach your children. Doodlestix provides positive peer pressure for your child. Doodlestix is your child’s best friend!”
[Ed: If Doodlestix is your child's best friend, you need to get out more.]

How does it work? Children receive personalized letters from Doodlestix detailing one of Doodlestix’s experiences and how that experience demonstrates a character trait.

Who is Doodlestix exactly? He is a fictitious friend, who wants to be your child’s pen pal. Doodlestix is basically a good kid and wants to do what’s right, but often makes bad choices and suffers the consequences. Fortunately, Doodlestix learns a lot in this process and is willing to write your child frequently to teach them how to do what’s right and stay out of trouble.

Doodlestix discusses many common character traits such as honesty, integrity, courage, responsibility, trustworthiness, respect, fairness, and much, much more. Each character trait is presented with practical, everyday examples that will help your child understand not only what the character trait is, but, more importantly, why it is important to be that way.

You can select the frequency at which Doodlestix will write your child a letter, and you can have it personalized so that Doodlestix will mention specific things about your child such as their pet or favorite game or TV show. Doodlestix is written in a gender-neutral manner, so it is appropriate for both boys and girls. Also, while Doodlestix emphasizes basic moral and ethical principles, no one particular religious viewpoint is expressed, so it is appropriate for children of all faiths or without faith.

Along with each letter, parents receive a parent guide outlining the themes presented in the letter. The parent guide also includes several discussion questions the parent can use as a launch pad for a conversation about that particular character trait with their child.

Try it free for one month, and subscriptions start at just $1.95/month for email delivery and $2.95/month for postal mail delivery. To order or find more information (including how you can try the service for free for 30 days), visit http://www.doodlestix.com/ – by CPA Mom

NOTE: Contest entry is different than usual at the request of the sponsoring company. Please read carefully.

Win it! We’re giving away two, 12 month subscriptions of the Doodlestix “two letters per month” service – one to each of two randomly selected winners.

To enter, just leave a comment telling how you spread the word about Doodlestix before noon mst on December 17, 2008.

Update your Facebook status, blog, twitter, e-mail or IM your friends this URL:

http://www.theopinionatedparent.com/2008/12/10/doodlestix/

We’re working on the honour system here…karma will bite you in the butt if you enter without doing your part.

A short message like this should do the trick:

“Click here to read about Doodlestix, a cool parenting tool that’s being featured on one of the leading product review blogs for parents, The Opinionated Parent.”

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNERS EMAILED – Congrats to Julie & Jennifer!

My children, it seems, were fortunate to inherit my husband’s long, lean figure. It’s wonderful…until their pants fall down. My son, in particular, loses his drawers with astounding frequency.

That is, he did. Until I found Dapper Snappers. The adjustable waist on all his pants don’t adjust enough to fit him well because of the size he needs to accommodate his height. Invented by a mom of two skinny toddlers, Dapper Snappers attach to the belt loops on the back of a child’s pants and cinch them tighter without the dreaded belt. The last thing potty training or gotta-go-right-now youngsters need is a belt to fiddle with.

If you’ve got a slimline kiddo in your midst, I highly recommend the Dapper Snappers rather than a belt – you won’t be sorry when you’re not undoing & redoing a belt multiple times a day. They’re just the right size for a stocking stuffer, too. They’re available online from ToddlerTech USA for only 9 bucks or buy big in a three pack for $24 or a six pack for $40. For girls, the cutesie Snapcessory collection is stepped up a notch for $13. Totally worth it for something as necessary as keeping your pants on. (Unfortunately, I don’t have that problem. I just can’t get them on in the first place.)

Win it! We’re giving away two original Dapper Snappers to two separate winners. To enter, visit the shop to choose your favourite colour. Contest closes at noon mst on December 16, 2008.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNERS EMAILED

Kids love computers and they instinctively want to push all those buttons on the keyboard and click on all those icons on the desktop. Even a well-meaning child can accidentally click on an important document, an older sibling’s school assignment, financial documents, treasured pictures, or more and – UH OH! – KidDesktop.com

KidDesktop is a kid-friendly Windows desktop alternative that makes it simple and safe for the kiddos to use the computer without the worry of accessing harmful web content or deleting your files or applications. With KidDesktop, your child can visit only child-friendly sites, watch videos from a personalized YouTube playlist, play games, upload pictures from a camera and view pictures locally.

When your child logs onto your computer he or she doesn’t even see the Windows desktop. Instead, the child sees a child-friendly, customized start screen and an activity bar with their own favorite activities. The desktop is icon-driven with spoken help: The start screen and Activity Bar are completely icon-driven, and even include spoken help, to make it easy for even non-reading preschoolers.

As both a teacher and a mother (and a blogger and a non-verified internet addict) I know there is great value in the web as a research tool among other things, but so much of what’s out there is unsafe for children. Instead of saying which pages or sites your child CANNOT visit, KidDesktop allows you to designate sites they CAN visit so you don’t have to know about all of the bad ones in order to block them. Each site has its own icon on the child’s activity bar. With each site you set up access for, you can decide if your child can leave the site, view pop-up ads from the site, print from the site, or download from the site.

With KidDesktop, your files are safe. Your child can’t purposefully or accidentally open, change, or delete any other files or programs installed on your computer because your child doesn’t even see those items. Children only see the KidDesktop screen with their own customized activity bar.

Even my 2.5 year old can safely use the computer now that we have installed his KidDesktop. He feels like a big kid and we aren’t worried about him downloading a virus or getting a flash of porn while he’s trying to find the next hidden letter in his online game.

Anyone can try it free for 15 days, but if you have kids that access the computer, you’re going to want to buy the full version.

Save 10% with the code TOP$10

Win it! We’re giving away a fully licensed copy of KidDesktop to one lucky reader. Simply leave a comment before noon mst on December 15, 2008 to be entered in the random draw.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

It’s time to get booking those holiday flights, and since the holidays don’t really seem like the appropriate time to ditch the kids with Grandma you’re going to have to bring them with you. Kids and confined spaces aren’t a great combination at the best of time. Try it for hours on end and mix it with the excitement of the holiday season and you could very well be screwed if you don’t plan ahead.

Portable Playtime is a patent-pending kids backpack that converts to a playmat designed to fit the airplane tray table. It’s the ideal accessory for traveling by air. As your child’s carry-on, it is lightweight and foldable and looks like a compact backpack. When you open it, though, Portable Playtime becomes an instant playmat that fits on the fold-out trays on airplanes. It is secured by adjustable straps and features easy-to-use zippers and several pockets for storing toys and snacks. More important than storing them, though, is the fact that it provides a germ-free snacking & play area in what is otherwise a germ-filled bubble.

Portable Playtime comes in five fun styles: Plane Fun (pictured @ top & middle) , Aero Playin’, Princess Adventure, Pirate Passage, and Enchanted Journey.

Now that I’ve got my Portable Playtime ready for my preschooler’s first airplane ride, I just need someone to buy me the ticket. Any takers?

Win it! We’ve got a Portable Playtime mat in the Plane Fun style to give away. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on December 10, 2008.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Toy cars have always been a hit gift for both kids and adults and I’m quite sure they always will be. From simple toy cars to high-tech remote control models, a car is a man’s best friend. Second to the family dog, of course. Oh, and our wives. Parents and kids now have a brand new high tech way to take their favorite car out for a spin. Road Mice, a brand new line of optical wireless computer mice, let’s car lovers cruise the Web in style.

Road Mice are exact replicas of some favorite automobiles (even the headlights work) that are compatible with both Apple and PC desktops and laptops. There are nine models, including a 2008 Corvette which I tried out. There’s also a Chevy Camaro, a Dodge Charger SRT8, a Ford Mustang GT, and several souped up police vehicles. The price point isn’t too high for such a cool gift and the mouse works as well as any other good quality wireless optical mouse. It’s not something I’d buy for myself but does make a wicked gift for the grease monkey on your list.

Each car mouse retails for $45 and for an additional $20 you can pick up Road Mice Insurance. “The Road Mice™ Replacement Plan provides comprehensive coverage from day one. This plan covers all of its Optical Wireless Road Mice products with no deductibles or other hidden charges. Its comprehensive, bumper-to-bumper coverage that protects against all types of damage, including: mechanical breakdown, crashes, theft, fire, acts of god, parental repossession, beverage or water damage, earthquake, floods, drops, falling rocks, animal consumption, jealous friends or family members stepping on it, and anything else that typical insurance companies will exclude from coverage. The plan offers a one time product replacement per customer and does not include shipping.” - by Kenton

Win it! We’re giving away a car mouse from Road Mice to one lucky T.O.P. reader. To enter, visit the Road Mice site and choose your model and colour. Come back and leave a comment with your choice. Pick carefully because that’s what you’ll get if you’re the winner. Contest closes at noon mst on December 5, 2008.

CONTEST CLOSED AND WINNER EMAILED

When Amy Shek, a stay home mom of two, couldn’t find just what she was looking for in stay-put hair clips for her daughter, she made her own. Once she found what she considered the perfect clippie formula, she decided to share it with the world.

At the newly launched www.CustomClippies.com, you’ll find a huge assortment of clips, all of which Amy makes herself. Each one comes with a no-slip grip. Her designs are unique, lightweight & comfortable, and the clips are very affordable for the boutique quality that you’re getting.

My own daughter, with her super fine hair, is able to keep these clippies in for several hours – and she looks darn cute!

Win it! We’ve got a set of two of the cutesie double flower stack pictured above to give away to a reader. To enter, go have a browse around www.customclippies.com and come back to comment with another one or two of her designs that you dig.

CONTEST CLOSED AND WINNER EMAILED

I’ve got to tell you about this cool new preschooler product developed by Canadian 2FishKids and available from Stork Baby Boutique.

I have a young preschooler (Oh my God – did I just say I have a preschooler?) who is obsessed with what we’re doing each day and never forgets an appointment. I have tried to use my calendar with him and I’ve tried one with little round magnets & no writing space that just didn’t work.

This magnetic weekly calendar is PERFECT for us! It’s well organized, colourful and personalized to his incredibly active week. It teaches about the days of the week, seasons, weather and more. He can now simply look at the calendar to anticipate what’s coming up later this week and it’s greatly reduced the occurrence of “What’s tomorrow, Mommy?”

The fully magnetic calendar measures 13 1/8” x 8 1/8” and comes with 58 activity, season and weather magnets, a dry erase marker and a storage bag. Because of the smallish magnets, it’s recommended for ages 3+. This indispensable preschool tool retails for just $19.99.

Save 10% at Stork Baby Boutique with the code OP1008.

You’ll find this code and many more in the TOP Shops!

Win it! We’re giving away one of these great calendars to one reader. To enter, you just need to browse Stork and leave a comment on this post with your favourite product(s) not mentioned in this post before noon mst on November 28, 2008.

CONTEST CLOSED AND WINNER EMAILED

I’ve been known to rag on many of the toys around these days for their, um…hooker-like qualities. There are enough influences teaching our daughters that beauty & boobs are more important than brains & heart without their toys adding to the mix.

That said, little girls love their dolls.

Enter Groovy Girls. Available from the Manhattan Toy online shop, Groovy Girls are not just models – they’re role models. The RSVP line embraces the valued of respect, self-expression, values and play – the core ideas that serve as the foundation for the Groovy Girls line. The Groovy Girls RSVP dolls come complete with a special password into an online community where girls can create virtual dolls, customize a play space, change into hundreds of customized glamorous outfits, interact via chat and more. All of this online play allows the girls to earn points toward making a doll donation to another child in need.

Groovy Girls are intended for girls aged three and up, and they’re dolls that even a toy stickler such as myself is happy to buy for my child and any other girl I’m buying for. They’re soft dolls with stiff yarn-like hair (that, incidentally, looks much better than mine ever will) and, most importantly, the clothes are incredibly fashionable & fun while still being modest decidedly un-hooker-like.

It just doesn’t get better than that. (When it comes to dolls, anyway.)

Win it! We’re giving away an awesome prize package that includes one of each of the eight dolls and give pets currently available! To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on November 24, 2008.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

While I’m not a huge fan of much screen time for kids, I much prefer when they’re actively using a computer than sitting in front of the boob tube with a blank stare. If your kids are more sports fan than unicorn lover there’s a new virtual world for them with seven ‘real-life’ (stuffed life?) sports-related characters whose codes on their hangtags unlock fun online games.

Created by two moms, Caryn Burns and Cindy Prince, with a passion for sports, fitness and their children All Star Buddies is a safe, wholesome and even educational virtual world for kids aged 6 & up. The characters available are Chip, (the “Golf Buddy”), Blitz (the “Football Buddy”), Deuce (the “Tennis Buddy”), Striker (the “Soccer Buddy”), Ace (the “Baseball Buddy”), Swish (the “Basketball Buddy”), Deke (the “Hockey Buddy”). Based in a fictional town called “Varsity Heights”, the All-Star Buddies’ virtual world is a place where a healthy, positive lifestyle is reinforced through fun games, quests and social interaction. Using games (both individual and multi-player), children learn about problem-solving, goal setting, good sportsmanship, teamwork, fitness, good nutrition and environmental awareness. Their first stop is in the Locker Room where they log in to the world and select one of the seven characters as their onscreen persona. They can change characters as often as they like, which was a huge hit with the kids that tried this out for us. They loved not being locked in to one sport.

In Varsity Heights, every kid can be an All-Star no matter what their sports ability is in real life – and that’s the way it should be.

Win it! In good old Canadian fashion, we’re giving away “Deke,” the hockey buddy, to one randomly selected reader. (Go Flames Go!) To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on November 12, 2008.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED