I am pleased to announce that approximately a week and a half ago my daughter grew some hair.

Like anything, there are positives and negatives about that. The great thing is that she can wear her fabulously fantastic Bugalug barrettes in the tuft on top of her head, but the bad news is that she’s getting closer to telling me to “Just back off and get your own accessories, Mom!” I admit it – I’ve been wearing her clips from Bugalug for weeks now. But I’ve gotten a ton of compliments on them so they must not look too bad on a grown woman.

Bugalug clips are based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and are designed with an innovative non-slip grip like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s a silicone type grip – and it works! The clips stay in both my daughter’s hair and my own. The clips are also glue free and can withstand the washer and dryer and never get bumpy with glue like many do.

I was most impressed with the quality of Bugalug clips. Everyone’s next door neighbour makes clips these days, but Bugalug clips stand out from the rest as some of the finest I’ve ever seen. There are no raw ribbon edges visible and the ‘crafts-woman-ship’ is worth every penny of the…oh wait – they’re only $4!

She’s not yet old enough for headbands, though, so I don’t have to share those for a while. At their new longer length of 26″, they fit any head and are fully reversible and adjusted via plastic toggle. They’re available in tons of gorgeous ribbon selections.

Bugalug is so concerned with safety and quality that they’ve declined producing the baby clips that many of their customers are asking for (after lots of research) simply to reduce the chance of a child choking on a Bugalug clip. That’s commitment.

Save 10% at Bugalug Baby with the code TOP10.

Win it! We’ve got a gift package of 4 clips and 2 headbands to give away to a reader. To enter, visit the Bugalug Baby site and comment on this post with your favourite products. Contest closes at noon MST on May 26/08.

Additional entries available. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED

My little sweetie has the most precious feet. No, seriously, they’re so cute that I could just kiss them all day! That might explain why I usually let her go barefoot and until recently have not put a pair of shoes on her sweet feet.

Well, that changed when I received a pair of Minnies baby shoes. The shoes are almost as cute as her feet! Note that I said “almost”, nothing really compares to her little piggies. That said, I did not hesitate to dress her little piggies with these beautiful pink corduroy shoes. They slipped on easy and they were kept in place by two silky smooth elastics accented with a pink butterfly!

After visiting Minnies website, I could see how much thought and effort are put in to these tiny shoes. They have four fabulous lines, including Funky Casuals, Kickin’ Sneakers, Chillin’ Boots, and Sweetalicious Mary Janes. They restock their line twice a year in the spring and in the fall, always being sure to keep on top of the “what’s new” in the baby fashion world. To top it off, the material used to make these fab little shoes is carefully tested to make sure it lives up to the strictest safety standards!

Minnies are some seriously funky and functional footwear for those sweet little feet in anyone’s life. They are available in sizes 1-4 for pre-walking baby girls and boys. Launching just this spring, Minnies will be found in specialty stores and boutiques across North America and in Europe. - Andrea

[Ed: The Minnies site is driven by flash (not good) and has auto-play sound (also not good) but the shoes? Rock.]

Win it! We’re giving away a pair of boys Kickin’ Sneakers in 6-12 months. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post by noon MST on May 21, 2008.

Additional entries available. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED

We travel rather frequently because none of our family lives where we do. We travel packed from floor to roof in our mommy-van because we take our own…well, everything.

One thing I refuse to leave behind is the playpen. We use it for a bed and for a safe restraint and a used one is just…ew. Well, it was ew until I discovered the Coverplayard designed by smart-mom Allison Costa.

The aptly named Coverplayard is a slip cover liner that gender neutralizes any playpen, protects your babe from the germies on a borrowed unit or just modernizes your own playpen. It slips on and off easily and fits most any playpen – just slip it on and attach it with Velcro and pop it off and into the wash when it needs it. It’s absolutely perfect for hotels and anywhere else you take the babes, and comes in several awesome designs.

Starting at just $50, the Coverplayard is way cheaper than buying a new playpen and more convenient than dragging your own everywhere you go. Thanks Allison – now my kids have room in the van to pack “just one more toy!”

Save 10% on your Coverplayard with the code faf

I’ve always been a very happy person and can see the positive in almost any situation. I believe that happiness is a choice. You may not be able to control what happens to you, but you can control how you react to it. I tend to find the “Negative Nellie” type of person annoying and energy draining and choose not to spend my time with them.

Since having children I find it even easier to find joy in every day things – like the dew on a blade of grass or the feel of the rain on my head as I stomp in a puddle.

Focus Friends is a mom-run company out of Colorado producing a series of children’s books and products based on characters called Focus Friends. Each of the characters created by founder and author Lisa Rey Marks is imbued with a special gift or valuable trait and the books and products provide a springboard for teaching young children to develop the positive thought patterns and emotions that will help them to live happier lives.

The debut title, Joy Is The Greatest Gift, features Joyann – a friend with the focus of creating joy. With colourful illustrations and flowing rhymes, it’s a book that captured the attention of my children and would do the same for yours. And while books are always preferred over tech toys, books with positive lessons like this are absolutely first-rate in my book.

Win it! Focus Friends is giving a copy of Joy Is The Greatest Gift away to one TOP reader. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon MST on May 20, 2008.

Additional entries available. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED – CONGRATS CINDI!

If you have kids (which I assume you do if you’re a regular at T.O.P. – tell me if I’m wrong…) you have probably played the “uh-oh” game toys, sippy cups, cutlery and any number of other things. It may be cute at first (just may-be) but after the seven hundredth time it gets a little old.

Crafty mom Allison Conta of Ali Designs has created the Ali-Oops! Toy Clip just for you. It tethers your child’s toys, sippy cups, snack traps, and more directly to the stroller, carseat, or highchair.

Each toy clip is approximately 10 inches in length with heavy duty snaps on either end for attachment. They come in two different sizes and make a great present topper for a baby gift or first birthday gift.

Sippy cup – $4.99
Soother – $3.99
One parent saving another from the endless game of drop and retrieve – priceless.

Win it! Ali Designs is giving away two TOP readers a toy clip of their choice. To enter, leave a comment on this post stating which of these you would like if you’re one of the randomly selected winners. Contest closes at noon MST on May 21, 2008.

Additional entries available. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED – Congrats to The Chatty Housewife!

May all of you spend the day surrounded people you love and may they appreciate the sacrifices you make every day, just because you’re their Mom.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Great news – there’s been so much interest in our review of the Flipper toothbrush holder that the company is giving all of you a 20% discount!

Now no home needs to be without this great invention that keeps toothbrush germ sharing to a minimum.

Save 20% on your Flipper toothbrush holders with the code “opinionated parent”

If everyone else jumped off a bridge, we’d be right behind them.

Or something like that.

The Opinionated Parent is now on Facebook! Come join our group!

You’ll have chances for extra entries and occasionally special prizes just for group members.

See you on the flip side Facebook!

In decades past, if you gave most mothers a piece of computer equipment for Mother’s Day you would have been in the doghouse for weeks. Not anymore.

We’ve got the perfect gift for the tech-savvy yet fashionable mama.

The Cruzer Gator is a flash drive adorned with stylish mock alligator skin. It’s available in three great colours and comes in 2 GB (pink), 4 GB (red) and 8 GB (black) capacities.

But what’s style without function? The Cruzer Gator has some fantastic features. I particularly love the password protected access control. Now we can safely store our data without worrying what someone may do with it should we misplace it.

Want to show off pictures of your kids at work? Take home videos to Grandma’s house? The Cruzer Gator is a suitcase of memories that fits in your purse and is lighter than your lipstick.

It also allows you to take your files plus U3™ compatible PC programs wherever you go, with no PC installation required. Never tried U3? You will love it! With a U3 smart drive – like the Cruzer Gator – you can plug your into any PC and work, play a game, message friends, send email, edit photos and more. A U3 smart drive makes any PC your own PC. And when you unplug it, it leaves no personal data behind. For a busy mom, that’s simply awesome.

Win it! We’re giving away a 2 GB pink and a 4 GB red Cruzer Gator to two winners. To enter, leave a comment with your favourite Mother’s Day memory. Contest closes on Mother’s Day – May 11, 2008.

Get up to three additional entries into this contest!

1. NOTE THE CHANGE FOR THIS CONTEST – On your own blog, post a picture that embodies Mother’s Day for you. Include, if you wish, the story behind the photo. Link to this contest using one of the top three images found here. Leave a comment with the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate comment from your other entry) so that we can come check out your entry.

AND/OR

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

AND/OR

3. Place our button in your sidebar or add us to your blogroll. Leave an additional comment to let us know that you did this for your extra entry. Be sure to leave a valid url so we can confirm the addition.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.theopinionatedparent.com"><img src="http://www.theopinionatedparent.com/images/topbutton.jpg" alt="The Opinionated Parent" /></a>

Maximum four entries total per person.

CONTEST CLOSED

I dig finding new & unique shops from which to clothe my kids, and I dig even more finding shops that are eco-friendly.

Pondür is a 100% organic and 100% stylin’ shop that started with a childhood passion. Owners Shanna and Christy are dedicated to inspiring the world, one tiny thought at a time. The Pondür shop features organic tees & onesies printed with thought-provoking and inspirational quotes.

My personal favourite and the one my daughter wears regularly – Take care of me, Take care of the world.

So true, my friends. So true.

Pondür’s unique, environmentally friendly baby apparel not only inspires the little one wearing it but also everyone who sees it.

With every purchase you make from Pondür, you’re making a difference for kids.

Save 20% at Pondür with the code TOP20.

Pondür is a proud member of the TOP Shops, where they and many others are giving you great deals just for being an Opinionated Parent!

Win it! Pondür is giving away a tee to one TOP reader in your choice of size, quote and colour. Value $23.

To enter, leave a comment on this post with your choice for all three – size, quote and colour – should you be the randomly chosen winner.

Contest closes May 14 @ noon MST.

Additional entries available. See contest entry information and rules. Maximum 4 entries per person.

CONTEST CLOSED

Brothers-All-Natural is a company out of New York who sent some of their new freeze-dried Fruit Crisps and Potato Crisps for us to sample. They were pitched as a snack food that gives moms and kids a break from sugary fruit snacks and greasy potato chips.

If you shop at Whole Foods or Costco, you may have seen Brothers-All-Natural on the shelf, but they’re also available online from their site .

The Fruit Crisps and Potato Crisps are 100 percent all-natural, freeze-dried fruit and potatoes that come in single-serve packets that are easy to take in the car or pack in lunchboxes and are shelf-stable for one year. Each packet has between 30-70 calories.

They taste great and we love the concept.

But…

There are two very important things that we were not impressed with.

1. They’re not organic. While that’s okay for pineapples and potatoes, the pineapples, pears, strawberries and apples are extremely high in pesticides if they’re not organic. Giving these to kids would not be a good idea.

2. They’re made in China. Huh? A New York company with access to great organic North American foods and great North American factories has their “healthy” food made in China? I can’t think of any good reason for that. I’d pay a lot more for quality food (organic preferred) made anywhere BUT China.

Win it! If you’d like to try these out for yourself, we’ve got two prize packages to give away. Each contains 2 bags of fruit crisps and 2 bags of potato crisps. To enter, leave a comment on this post by noon MST on May 9/08.

Additional entries available. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED

When it comes to window shopping, I have a gift. I usually have no problem looking at the cute stuff, drooling a little, and moving on. Not this time. As soon as I saw the new custom room products from Jennifer Talbot at b.delicious, I knew that I simply had to have a few for my little girl. Just look at this stuff!

Gorgeous, huh?

Each piece of the décor is handmade using 100% wool adhesive backed felt, ultra suede, boiled wood, and printed cotton which features a woodland theme and incorporates three dimensional birds, owls, and buckets of apples.

Select pieces of the room décor are currently available at Jennifer’s website, b.delicious (check out the cute clothes, too). You can also see some of Jennifer’s works in progress at her blog, cup of coco.

Just be warned, you’re going to want this stuff. Seriously. - Kelli

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See our year-ago review of b.delicious clothing here.

NOTE TO MY MOM – STOP READING THIS RIGHT NOW!

Seriously Mom – click away!

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(You’re not reading this, are you Mom?)










I had to tell you about this before Mother’s Day so you’d have a chance to order this reader recommended wonderful and inexpensive gift for your own moms (or yourself) but it’s at risk of giving away my own mom’s and mother in law’s gift that I do this. The things I do for you people…

The one of a kind, hand-stamped mother’s necklace from Ohana by Lea is a custom keepsake of the totally non-tacky variety. The photos on Lea’s Etsy site don’t do these necklaces justice. I’ve worn mine every day since I got it (Happy early Mother’s Day to me!) and have gotten more compliments on it than any other jewellery I own. The price is totally reasonable at around $25-$30 depending on how many discs and ‘danglies’ you want. Lea will work with you to create the awesome custom jewelery that every mom deserves.

Type “OPtake10” when convo’ing Lea through her Etsy shop and she’ll take 10% off when she creates your custom listing.

Now that I’ve got two children with tentative plans for more (did I just say that?) I have had to find ways to make this baby a lot more portable. While I’m a devoted baby wearer, it’s not always comfortable or convenient and sometimes my two year old just wants to have his mama all to himself. For those times, I am in love with the baby zabu™ from wagamama baby.

Whassa wagamama? (That’s exactly what my husband and my son both asked. Genetics much?) It means “spoiled rotten” in Japanese.

My own spoiled rotten baby now gets to enjoy the great outdoors and the living room floor alike in the zabu, a luxuriously soft mat with tie-up soft bumper walls that’s a playpen alternative for babies of the non-mobile variety and a playpen insert for when you need a little more security with added padding and cleanliness. Leave it untied for a great playmat too.

When you’re done, the baby zabu™ rolls up like a way cushy yoga mat and comes with a coordinating shoulder strap for travel or storage.

The baby zabu™ is currently available in two sizes and nine styles which include two eco-friendly bamboo options and range from $88 – $135.

Save 15% with the code TOP15 until 5/31/08.

The newest addition to my van tunes is the new CD from Bari Koral Famly Band. I had this review all done for you a couple of weeks ago but lost it in the great upgrade debacle of 2008. It’s much shorter now, but a great CD nevertheless.

With track names like “Dad’s New Car” and “A Day at the Beach,” the lyrics are obviously kid-friendly but the tunes are a parent delight. Bari has a breathy Norah Jones-ish sound that appeals to rock fans of all ages – (listen here). It’s a totally welcome addition to our family collection. It even received high compliments from my husband – “This doesn’t suck like lots of them do.” From him, that’s amazing for anything intended for the kids. I’ve heard they’re even better in person so if you ever have the chance to see them be sure to let us know!

Buy it at CD Baby for less than $10!

Remember Tiny Revolutionary? Of course you do! (They’re in the TOP Shops too, with a 15% discount code!)

Today only, save $10 on your purchase at Tiny Revolutionary by entering the code EARTH08 at checkout.

Feel like you can’t make a difference because you’re just one person? Here are some tips from the great folks at Tiny Revolutionary that will help you see the error of your ways.

We don’t know about you, but sometimes, this whole “Save the Earth” thing can start to feel just a tad overwhelming. Good thing we always have our “All Change Begins Small” philosophy to reign us in and remind us that little things can make a big difference. To that end, we thought a good way to celebrate Earth Day was to send some simple things you can start doing today, to help get us a little closer to global balance.

5 Ways to be a Better Earthling

1. Teach your Kids Discipline. Why? Because discipline is all about doing the hard stuff, the right stuff, even when it’s not easy. Most actions that contribute to a kind, compassionate, socially responsible world are not easy. Giving up meat – that’s not easy. Volunteering time when you’ve already had a tiring week, is not easy. Buying a car that is fuel efficient, even when you can afford a Hummer, is not easy. For some reason people always think those cars get you laid. Two words: Cameron Diaz. She’s been driving a hybrid for years and as far as I know, isn’t having any trouble in the booty department. Cameron, if you are, call me. Now.

2. Be Nice to Cows. Don’t eat ‘em. Or, at least, don’t eat ‘em as much. Turns out, cows are responsible for the second most significant greenhouse gas emissions! Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs make for some rather noxious posterior expulsions. So, if you stop eating beef (or reduce your intake), you not only save a sweet little cow life, you save the ozone. Yay! Love all around.
* Bonus Points: This is actually a great way to start becoming more animal friendly in your diet. Start to phase out one meat at a time. You’ll find it easier than going cold turkey.

3. Unplug your chargers. Even when you’re not charging your phone or computer, the charger itself is still sucking energy out of the wall. All that suckin’ goes completely to waste. What a shame.

4. Buy Compact Florescent bulbs. Why in the hell they call these things this lame-ass name is beyond us. We like “Green Bulbs.” Anyone? Anyone? They really do save you a lot of energy even if the investment up front hits you a little. Plus, you don’t have to replace them for like, five years. Heaven. Oh, and they don’t get hot. How many other reasons do you need?

5. Stop littering. It just makes the joint look crappy. Save the mess for your house. And if you see some litter, pick it up! Not only does it help keep our little corner of the universe looking nice but it will definitely win you points with onlookers, especially your kids.

My amazingly gorgeous and intelligent husband has found a work-around for the WordPress glitch that was causing TOP to flip back to the default design at random. God, I love him. (For more reasons that that he fixed the site, but that helps!)

So, now that you can all see it…

Watch for our first ever reader survey coming soon!

Olive Kids (reviewed here) is celebrating their tenth birthday by giving away over $1000 worth of presents!

Click on the image above to get to the entry form, answer a few simple questions and, voila, you’re entered! Entries must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. PT on June 30, 2008.

We reviewed the Kaboost before Christmas and love it. We take it everywhere, and now you can too!

Much more convenient than the grocery bag I use, Kaboost is giving away a carry bag to everyone who sends a proof of purchase of their Kaboost and tells them “I saw the Kaboost video on The Opinionated Parent!”

Send your proof of purchase and your “I saw…” sentence to one of the following:

1. Email: TravelBag@KABOOST.com

2. Fax: 212.625.8645

3. Mail: KABOOST Corp
41 Union Square West, suite 320
New York, NY 10003

As you may have noticed, our most recent WordPress upgrade has not gone as planned. We have this gorgeous new design (which we hope you’re seeing right now) and a glitch in WordPress continually reverts the site back to the boring and unattractive default design. After trying everything the pros have suggested and more (forced database upgrade, revert to backup and re-do the upgrade, etc. etc. etc…), we’re back to the drawing board and may have to start the site from scratch in order to stabilize it. (Though if you’re a wordpress pro who knows php coding, please email or leave a comment if you’d be willing to help us save this one!)

Rest assured we have backed everything up multiple times, and if it appears that some contests/comments are gone, they are not. We have all of your comments saved and will be able to draw contest winners as usual. We’ll do our best to reinstate everything but it may take a while and we’re not positive that the comments will come back in a way that’s visible to our readers.

Thanks for sticking with us through this – we’re glad to see our traffic hasn’t dropped off at all. We’ll continue to bring you the daily goods & giveaways as we stumble through design-land blindly!

Our house is full of pictures – scrapbooks, boxes, CD’s full of digital images and walls full of frames. I was recently given the opportunity to try out Imagekind Story Frames™.

It’s an online service that allows you to build your own visual narrative by placing multiple images in the frame of your choosing. After uploading and selecting your images you use their unique framing engine to position, crop, rotate and resize your images in the frame of your choice.

The process is fun and extremely easy. You can try it out at no charge and see for yourself!

I made a story frame for my new daughter’s room with a belly photo, her ultrasound photo, a newborn photo with me and a 6 week photo. It looked great on my monitor but I was still very pleasantly surprised when the (extremely well packed & protected) parcel arrived on my doorstep. The framing is truly professional quality and the frame itself is obviously not from the local big box store.

Imagekind is so sure you’ll love their products that they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee – no questions asked! Imagekind Story Frames™ range from approximately $50-$90 – less than it would cost me at a local professional framing store but much more than a similar but far lower quality frame from a big box store. Perhaps these aren’t for every day at those prices, but for special occasions like weddings and babies, story frames are perfect!

We told you recently about the new Robeez Tredz. My love affair continues with the launch this month of the Tredz sandals!

The sandals, like the Tredz shoes, are available in three sizes – 12-16 mos, 16-20 mos and 20-24 mos, and there are currently six available styles. They retail for $41.95.

My daughter has the fuschia flower sandal (pictured) and I’m completely in love, as I always am with any new pair of Robeez. The ankle elastic allows each month range to fit a variety of sizes and ensures that the sandals are easy to get on and really stay on, and the sole is perfectly supportive and flexible – perfect for the new and exhuberant walker alike.

How great to have the comfort of Robeez, the function of Tredz and the summer style of sandals all wrapped up in one awesome little shoe!

Win it! Two lucky randomly selected winners will win their choice of any Robeez sandal! To enter, leave a comment on this post listing your favourite sandal style from this page.

Contest closes at noon MST on March 31, 2008.

Get additional entries into this contest!

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here.

2. Leave a comment on this post containing the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate comment from your other entry) or send a trackback to receive your second entry. If you don’t know how to do this, just email us for help!

AND/OR

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

Maximum three entries total per person, and each one must be in a separate comment to qualify.

CONTEST CLOSED

Searching the internet for the perfect hair clips is becoming a weekly activity for me. There are just so many awesome and talented moms out there making fabulous accessories.

Reader recommended Taia Hairclips are no exception. Par.entrepreneur Jen Pezzolla creates velcro lined (brilliant!) alligator clips that stay comfortably in even the finest baby hair yet are suitable for babies and girls of all ages. She has recently launched her Spring Collection of 16 new clips and they’re just as fab as the not so new clips of yesteryear. Each clip is lovingly hand made by Jen herself and the quality is evident as soon as you see them in person.

Taia clips range from $7 – $9 in price and though they look great online, they’ll look completely awesome on your daughter.
View all 90 clips in the Taia line here.

Get 15% off your first order at sweettaia.com with the code opinionated

Get free shipping on any orders placed by May 3/08 – just enter theopinionatedparent.com in the comments box at checkout and your order will be adjusted.

Win it! Two readers will each win four clips of their choice! (Value $28-$36.) To enter, leave a comment on this post before March 31 listing at least two of your favourite styles from the Taia line.

Contest closes at noon MST on March 31, 2008.

Get additional entries into this contest!

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here.

2. Leave a comment on this post containing the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate comment from your other entry) or send a trackback to receive your second entry. If you don’t know how to do this, just email us for help!

AND/OR

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

Maximum three entries total per person, and each one must be in a separate comment to qualify.

CONTEST CLOSED

When it comes to baby and toddler furnishings, it’s always been tough to find things that aren’t (a) what every family on your street has or (b) overstimulating and wildly colourful.

Not anymore! Check out the modern and eco-conscious Hiya Series from Generation Orange. Made by Spot on Square, these six fab pieces all use low VOC non-toxic paints and MDF which is made of recycled and/or reclaimed materials. There are three wood finished to choose from and by selecting bamboo you have the option of choosing a sustainable hardwood for a bit more of an investment.

Until March 31, save 10% on anything at Generation Orange by entering “Opinionated Parent” at checkout.

Please note: Canadian customers must order via email or phone at this time.

Several TOP contributors have been checking out the newest product from KUTOKA Interactive, Mia Reading – The Bugaboo Bugs.

Read on to see what they thought.

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If there’s one thing my kids love, it’s computer games. So when a program comes along that’s not only educational but fun, I’m excited!

KUTOKA Interactive has recently released the 6th installment of their popular character, Mia Mouse, in The Bugaboo Bugs. This time, Mia’s family home has been invaded by stinky bugs. She’s afraid that if the humans find out, the exterminators will come and Mia’s family will be out on the street.

This program focuses on Reading concepts for children 5 to 9 years old by using 12 different activities on 4 levels of difficulty. Our favorite game was Bubble Blast where a word is displayed with one letter missing. Below it are a bunch of bubbles that contain a letter each. All you need to do is pop the bubble of the letter that will complete the word. Even I enjoyed it!

However, the best feature of this program is the 3-D graphics. The rich and colorful animations will really hold your child’s interest. Even my 2-year old was enchanted!

KUTOKA Interactive’s mission is “to continue to produce original, different, high-quality, entertaining and educative products that use the strengths of interactive entertainment to educate.”

I think they’ve done just that.

By Kailani

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My children’s screen time is extremely limited so I’m always excited to find a product that allows them to spend their time learning as well as having fun. Mia Reading from Kutoka is a fantastic new game that teaches a variety of reading concepts and is intended for children 5 to 9 years old. It has 12 different activities and 4 levels of difficulty. It has awesome graphics and was enchanting for all of my children. I’m very very picky about what media I will allow into my home but after having played this game with the kids I’d easily be convinced to purchase any of the Mia products. They’re a great addition to our home as a supplement to homework that is more “fun” and I can see it being a great purchase for homeschoolers as well!

By Betty

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As a mother of two boys and a business owner, I am constantly looking for ways to entertain my boys while I work. However, I am not a big fan of the television as a babysitter so when I was approached to review a new Reading Computer Game, I was, well, all game! Enter Kutoka’s newest mouse Mia. The game: Mia’s Big Adventure Collection: The Bugaboo Bugs. For 5-9 year olds. Kutoka claims, “This game contains an excellent balance of fun and education, surpassing the minimum daily requirements of an exciting role-playing adventure.”

I must say at first I was a bit skeptical as really how fun could an educational game be for a kid? I popped the DVD into the computer and settled my 5 year old down on my lap. Soon the screen was filled with wonderful graphics and bugs with voices that not only kept my five year old’s interest, but kept us giggling. At first he was a bit overwhelmed, as he has never played a computer or video game before. Nope, not once. After he mastered the mouse and keyboard he was off and running. Needless to say because the game is so well put together and the directions geared towards 5-9 year olds, it wasn’t long before he was sitting solo at the computer. With 12 different activities, along with an adventure all it’s own and four different difficulty levels, I am sure I will have to begin to monitor computer time, as my son has fallen in love with Mia and The Bugaboo Bugs.

Thanks to Kutoka and their endearing new mouse, Mia, not only will I have some time to work without the whining, but I’ll feel good about it, knowing my son is getting a successful mix of entertainment and education.

By Jody

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The mouse on the cover is definitely eye-catching for children, maybe more so for girls. The bugs however, are great for the boys. I proceeded to load the disc onto my computer so that I could get my twin boys of 7 years to start enjoying it. Their excitement sort of waned down because of the length required to load the program. It just seemed to take longer than most standard programs of today.

I liked the fact that there are 12 activities. It keeps the boys from getting bored so quickly. We started with the flea circus. It was a little hard for them at first until they realized how the answers were supposed to be done. They enjoyed watching the fleas jump up if they got it correct, and even when they didn’t.

We then tried the rhyming circus. Probably one of the easier games to play. It helped that there were pictures to kind of give a hint as to what the word was. We then played the safe combination using three words of rows to form sentences. I set the level a little higher than normal just to see if they could figure it out, and it proved to be a little difficult to form the sentences. They didn’t like that one because they couldn’t get it right.

Bubble blast was once again easier for them. They like the fact the picture was up there and the word was pronounced to help them figure out what letter was missing. I liked the fact of the repetition of the words with the different letters missing. It helped to figure out the other letters rather than just one in particular.

The boys wanted to play one more, so we played letter arcade. The jelly beans are very colorful and the sound effects great. They liked using the joystick process since it reminds of those arcade games with the claw. They favor those particularly, and were excited to get the jelly beans. Rather easy game for beginners, and the photo of the word helps as well.

I liked the fact that you could choose what level you wanted the game set at. It helped to keep the boys from getting frustrated and wanting to give up so quickly. Once they mastered the easier levels, we moved it up. The colors and over effects of the program is great. Some of the instructions had to be repeated for the boys to understand, but once we did that, they got it.

It seems to be an overall great product for the kids to start on. I think the ages under 6 may have a little trouble, even in the lower levels of some of the games. The price is a little high for a computer game, I would have figured it would be closer to 19.99 rather than the 24.99. Looks like a great product for learning.

By Sandra

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I’ve been reviewing a new software program for kids called Mia’s Reading: The Bugaboo Bugs. It’s put out by a French company called Kutoka.

From what I’ve seen of the program, I really like it! Kristin had a great time with it. It helped her with her reading, spelling, and sentence construction. But those are only a few things that it covers. It also teaches Word to image association using comic strips which are really cute. It covers phonics, singular/plural, capital letters, adverbs, rhyming, verb tense, and following instructions.

There are 2 ways to play the game. You can choose an adventure mode, or just play the individual activities. We had a little trouble with adventure mode. I think our disk was faulty. However, we played a lot on the activities and Kristin seemed to enjoy each one. Our favorite was the Bubble Blast where you choose what letter completes each word given. She also loved Bat Cadet which is for reading directions and following the instructions given. There are 4 levels of difficulty for each game, ranging from Beginner (1) to Expert (4).

The recommended age is from 5-9. I think it’s far better suited for 5-7 year olds. Maybe 8 & 9 year olds who struggle with the above mentioned concepts. Sarah is 9 and she found it far too childish. However, she does really well with reading and reading concepts.

Overall I think this is a great and fun program. I know we will continue to use it. Kristin enjoyed the graphics and the little bugs. They are quite humorous sometimes. And, what kid doesn’t love bugs?

by Gina

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Win it! A copy of Mia Reading: The Bugaboo Bugs will be delivered to one lucky T.O.P. reader. To enter to win, leave a comment on this post containing a valid email address (and blog link if you have one) and tell us one other Kutoka product that you’re interested in. Rest assured, your email address, when entered in the comment form, is not visible to anyone but us and we don’t share that information with anyone. You cannot win if we cannot contact you.

There’s software in English, French and other languages, as well as toys & collectibles to choose from!

Contest closes at noon on March 17, 2008.

Get an additional entry into this contest by blogging about it!

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here.

2. Leave a comment on this post containing the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate comment from your other entry) or send a trackback to receive your second entry. If you don’t know how to do this, just email us for help!

Contest Closed

I love my diaper bag, but it isn’t always convenient to bring it everywhere. And even when I have it it’s not always easy to dig to the bottom to find the puny little change pad that came with it. At Butt-Ums Up Baby, there’s a great solution to both of those issues. Their changing pads have several advantages over the typical ones.

1. They’re the longest I’ve ever seen. Even my 22 month old fits on it easily.
2. There’s a pocket at the top end that easily holds a wipes case (included) and a couple of diapers. It’s not zippered, so it’ easy to get the things you need with only one hand while the other hand holds down the poop covered child that’s trying to escape.
3. It rolls up into a compact package and secures with velcro.
4. That same velcro makes it easy to open with one hand. while you’re holding the above mentioned poop covered child with the other.
5. There’s a buckled loop attached at one side that makes it easy to clip it to a stroller or purse.
6. They come in your choice of twelve gorgeous chenille fabrics and are all lined with vinyl.
7. They’re all machine washable and dryer safe.

Entrepreneurial mom Stacy Sager is the talent behind Butt-Ums Up Baby and she also makes gorgeous matching blankets in the same luxurious soft chenille fabric with silky satin trim and binding.

The change pads retail for $40 and the blankets range from $25-$108.

Win a Butt-Ums Up Changing Pad in your choice of fabric! To enter, leave a comment on this post stating which of the twelve fabrics is your favourite. The randomly selected winner will be contacted via email for their mailing address and will have 48 hours to reply before an alternate winner is chosen. You must leave a valid email address and all required information or you will not be entered in the draw. Comment approval is always at our discretion. Contest closes March 11, 2008.

Get an additional entry into this contest by blogging about it!

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here.

2. Leave a comment on this post (in a separate comment from your other entry) or send a trackback to receive your second entry.

Congratulations to Mary @ Adventures in Mommyland who said “I love the pink mod dots print. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!”

T.O.P. isn’t normally the place to find out about contests at other sites, but this is a gooder we thought you’d like to know about. Mostly because we want to see what you come up with and can’t wait to see the final product.

Nursing Mother Supplies is having a contest to find the perfect catch phrase to encompass the environmental friendliness of breastfeeding.

Get your saying on a t-shirt, win a $300 breastfeeding gift basket and help the environment all at the same time.

Contest Details:
~The winning phrase will be printed on t-shirts and sold at nursingmothersupplies.com.
~All of the profit generated from the sale of t-shirts will be donated to charity.
~Fifty percent of the profit will be donated to La Leche League International to assist in its effort to promote breastfeeding.
~The other fifty percent will go to an environmental organization chosen by the winner.

Entries may be submitted by email to contest@nursingmothersupplies.com.
The email must include the following: name, address, e-mail address, phone number, and “Breastfeeding is Green” catch phrase. Contest ends 11:59 pm EST on April 30th, 2008.

Contest rules are here.

Read more about green breastfeeding here.

By Angela, Contributing Writer

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You know that old expression, “Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes?” Flip ‘n Flops can help your child learn what this means in a practical and fun way.

Flip n’ Flops are actual, wearable flip-flops that have adventure storybooks tucked away in a “secret compartment” of each heel. The message of the books is to help teach kids compassion and empathy – the characters “flip-flop” with each other to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. Your children will quickly discover there are at least two sides to every story.

These $29.99 shoes are designed for children between the ages of 4 and 8 and come in 3 sizes: 10/11, 12/13 and 1/2. Bonus? You can purchase the stories separately ($7.99 each) so you can have up to five different stories! They are uni-sex and come in four colors. The books are tear and water resistant.

Surfer Blue Flip n’ Flops (Dashing Dolphin/Steady Turtle Stories) – Discover different ways to travel! Danny Dolphin likes swimming super fast to get where he’s going and Myrtle Turtle thinks taking it slow is the best way to get to her next destination until they flip flop and give each other’s pace a try.

Purple Poncho Flip n’ Flops (Good Day/Bad Day Stories) – Understand people’s actions! Amy is having a great day being helpful and Liz is having a bad day acting grumpy. I t isn’t until they flip flop that they understand why each other feels the way they do.

Bubble Gum Pink Flip n’ Flops (Sports Star/Book Buster Stories) – Appreciate different interests! Kim wonders why Sophie always has her nose in a book, while Sophie ponders why Kim spends all her time playing sports. Learn how these girls share their interests after flip flopping.

Army Green Flip n’ Flops (New Kid/Neighborhood Kid Stories) - Make new friends! Nate, the neighborhood kid, is busy playing games with his friends and Alex, the new kid, is too shy to say hello. Learn how these two neighbors become friends after they flip flop.

The fifth story is Manners are for Me/Sharing is for Us - Learn to be polite and share! Cara likes things her way and Mia knows what’s hers is hers. Find out how these girls learn the benefits of manners and sharing after they put themselves in each other’s shoes.

For more information or to purchase, visit their website. Get free shipping and handling through January 31 with the discount code FS001.

Playaway is one of those ideas that made me wonder why it took so long for someone to invent it and, at the same time, incredibly glad that someone did!

So, what are they? Each Playaway is a pre-loaded digital audio player. They’re about half the size of a deck of cards and hold content that ranges from six to 40 hours of play time. They come ready to listen (with batteries, earbuds and a lanyard) and are completely portable. Kind of like a book on CD without the need for a CD player or a library (though they are in lots of libraries!) For us, they’ve become the ultimate in convenience. I’ve always been an audio book lover for car travel but rarely take time to get to the library & borrow them. Now I’ll be ordering my books from Playaway and sharing them after – since the units run off of AAA batteries & can be replaced as needed, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be used and used…and used!

Playaway has a selection of 700 audiobooks and there’s something for absolutely everyone! We listened to 100 Gross & Silly Songs which is awesome for kids and kids at heart, and we’re part way through Anne of Green Gables – still one of my favourite stories. I’m especially struck by the intelligent design of the Playaway. It remembers where I was and starts at the right spot ever time. No more flipping through tracks to try to find the right part of the right chapter. Praise the Playaway!

Receive 20% off your first order with the code OpinionatedParent20.

I highly suggest using this code today and giving yourself a reputation as the best gift giver in town! However…

Playaway is also listed in the TOP Shops, where we feature only the most fabulous online retailers offering discount codes exclusively for Opinionated Parents everywhere.

Naturally, I get excited when I discover a Canadian business that I can recommend here at T.O.P., and I get even more excited when the business offers natural & earth loving products that are often hard to find for your average Canuck parent who is not interested in paying shipping from the US or overseas. For that reason and more, I’m excited to present EcoBaby Canada, a Lethbridge, Alberta based business run by parentrepreneur Andrea Johnson.

EcoBaby Canada’s shop carries a large assortment of earth-friendly (we love that!) products for mom, baby and the two together. A proponent of the attachment parenting philosophy, she has a great selection of slings. (If you’re not a slinging parent, you need to be – trust me!)

As a Canadian mother with winter sneaking up on me, I am absolutely loving the Australian made Huggalugs available in her accessories shop. The adorable cool and not at all cutesie skull pattern seen below comes in pink and black, and I also love the ‘Cool Spirit’ pattern (at right) for a more funky look. They’re great on both arms and legs on kids of any age and are only $13. I tried them on myself and they could easily be worn as mid-calf length leg warmers by teens & adults as well. With 1 washing, they returned to their original size and fit my little guy.

Shipping information is available here and she allows for free pick-up of local orders.

Win a pair of Huggalugs of your choice from EcoBaby Canada! Just look around the site and then email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with EcoBaby Canada in the subject line and send us the url and name of your favourite product. Just choose one – I know it’s hard but you can do it! Contest closes at midnight MST on 11/12/07. Congratulations Angela & Connor!

Gustafer Yellowgold is a name I was completely unfamiliar with when he showed up at my door. Honestly, I’m still not sure what he is or why kids like him but they most certainly do! He looks a little like a psychedelic banana. He’s living his lifelong dream of living on Earth after leaving his home on the sun and in Have You Never Been Yellow he has some equally psychedelic adventures with is equally psychedelic friends. The DVD is full of semi-stationary “music videos” that you can play in normal or karaoke style (the kids LOVE this one!) and also includes a commentary by illustrator and musician Morgan Taylor. It also comes with a 9 song audio only CD.

You can read about both Gustafer and Morgan Taylor here and see if you can figure it out.

It reminds me of that infamous pants-wearing sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea — you just have to be a kid to get it!

All of Gustafer’s goodies are available at the store.

I recently previewed Hear My World from the new Braincandy 5 Senses DVD series. The shows are recommended for ages 0-4 and if you have been reading here for any length of time you know how I feel about media and babies. I’d say ages 2-4 would really enjoy them, though.

They’re ever so slightly annoying to me in a “Sesame Street” kind of way, but it’s in that same way that I can see them really appealing to kids. The 5 senses are a large part of the early elementary curriculum and I see every year that kids love to learn about and explore their senses. These DVD’s would be a nice compliment to talking about and actually experiencing the cool things about their senses.

See clips here. They’re available for purchase online and are currently $14.99 each.

We’ve reviewed the complete line of Buttoned Up products here at T.O.P. in the past and have loved them all. They’re a company that strives to help women organize their lives by organizing less. As in, they have great products that take the work away from organizing and make it (almost) fun.

(Reviews are here, here, here, here and here.)

Apparently the fabulous folks behind the company liked us (and you!) too, because they’ve just sent us a whole case of CrossItOff.Lists to give away to our amazingly loyal, beautiful and intelligent readers. Twenty of you have the opportunity to win these great books valued at $9.95 each!

Since our previous reviews, Buttoned Up has started a blog so be sure to check that out as well.

To enter to be one of the 20 randomly selected winners, all you need to do is email us at theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with LIST in the subject line by midnight on 11/7/07 and tell us the dimensions of the book. Congratulations to all 20 winners!

I love Eric Carle‘s books. I read all of them in my classroom and at home on a very regular basis, so I was excited to hear that Kids Preferred was making plush stuffies of many of his best characters.

Pictured here you’ll find “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and “The Very Grouchy Ladybug,” the main characters from two of my personal favourite Eric Carle stories. Also available are Cuddly Brown Bear in mother and baby versions from “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You Hear?” a Butterfly pullstring musical toy from “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, a Lion hand puppet from “1,2,3, to the Zoo” (incidentally my 18 month old son’s current favourite book which he sleeps with and drags everywhere) and a Panda Bear bean bag plush from “Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?”

I took a caterpillar into my classroom and simply sat him on the bookshelf. As the children walked in to the room several of them spotted him right away and shouted “It’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” That book was off the shelf being read with the plush toy all week!

(A bonus of the caterpillar is that it appears very child-safe with fabric eyes and no removable parts. Others may be like this as well, but I haven’t seen them in person.)

We’ve got a plush & very hungry caterpillar to give away! To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Eric Carle in the subject line and tell us another children’s book character you wish would be made into a plush toy. You’ve got until midnight mst tonight. Congratulations Kathy!

Looking for things to do with a toddler? Often, so are we! We’ve been looking for great sites full of activity ideas for kids between the ages of 1-3 and we think we’ve found some that aren’t too shabby. Some are blatantly obvious and others are rather creative. Many are great variations of things that I do in my classroom and have been simplified for the younger set. My son is 17 months old and has yet to watch TV so we’re often looking for creative ways to entertain him and the internet is an ever growing resource.

I define “baby/infant” as newborn to 1, “toddler” as 1-3 years old, “preschooler” as 3-5 and 5 & up as “school aged.” However, it seems many “toddler” ideas are completely inappropriate for kids under 3. Use these ideas with your parental instinct at hand. Obviously you aren’t going to play with marbles with an 18 month old child. Unless you’ve always wanted to try the Heimlich maneuver.

Enjoy!

1. Toddler themed preschool activities from Preschool Rainbow. I love this page for the slightly older preschool set.

3. Thirteen toddler activity ideas from LilDuckDuck and more ideas from the same site.

4. Just ten but wonderful ideas from Associated Content.

5. 70 Toddler Games and Activities from Abel Cheng at Parent Wonder. This is a neat site. I’m not sure where they’re blogging from but the grammar tells me they may be an ESL site. Good content though, and just ignore the plethora of ads.

6. Some fun ideas from loveyourbaby.com.

7. Ideas from Ann Douglas at sheknows.com.

8. Thirteen bath time activity ideas from Baby-Patch.com

9. A whopping 134 ideas compiled from a chat board of parents. Many for preschoolers but some would work for toddlers too!

10. Check out this ‘best answer‘ from yahoo!answers about entertaining an 18 month old at home.

11. If your kids are 2.5 or older, Enchanted Learning is one of my favourite sites. I use it for ideas for school all the time.

12. Read to your kids! Okay, that’s not a site but you need to know how incredibly important this one is. For book ideas, search “read aloud books.”

13. Have the computer read to your kids for you! Try Starfall, a very popular site with early childhood teachers such as myself. Or hear one of my favourite children’s authors read aloud and then learn how she does it so well and how you can too.

14. There are lots of other sites that will read to your kids for you. Not that it’s a substitute for YOU reading to them, but it’s pretty fun. Try BookPALS Storyline Online. All of the others that I use are via subscription. Anyone know of other free ones?

Reader Recommended Sites

(Several were recommended that contained too much unrelated advertising for me to endorse here, but I will include any that I’d actually use.)

KinderSay

Play Activities

Preschool Activities Everyday

Dear Dr. Moz

There must be more! To have your favourite activity websites for kids aged 1-4 added, email them to theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with “toddler activity sites” in the subject line.

It’s a long weekend here in Canada and we’ll all be celebrating Thanksgiving with our families rather than slaving away at reviews. (Kidding – it’s a labour of love.) We’ll be back from the holiday hopefully well rested and full of (totally calorie-free) gravy and pumpkin pie with reviews and giveaways galore.

Have a great weekend!

My laptop? The one that I have lived with for 2 years and which contains my entire life? It is dead.

It was a Dell, and I will never own one again. They run way too hot for regular use. The motherboard melted. I’m coming to you from very limited computer access but will be borrowing a laptop to bring you more reviews & contests starting tomorrow (and am SO thankful I married a geek god who has backed up my entire profile and everything I own to our server so I’ll have everything back as soon as I have a computer!)

Do any of you have a laptop that you love and would recommend? Hate and think I should never buy? I don’t particularly want a mac, though they’re cool. I need something compatible with my work equipment. What do you use? I’m opening the comments on this post for a few days and would welcome your input if your a laptop person!

(Note: Comments are now closed to prevent spam. Thanks for the input and the emails – Hopefully I’ll have a new baby soon! (That is, in addition to the one currently growing in my uterus.)

By Jenn

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What it is: “A step by step guide to making money online with your passion for natural family living.”

Cost: $47.00 – Packaged E-book Download

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I am a small business owner who has recently made the leap from local farmers’ market to the Internet and so I was very excited to be given the opportunity to try the Natural Mom Business Guide program.

To get started I downloaded and printed out the entire e-book. I read through it and made tons of notes in the margins and highlighted information that I thought was relevant to me. Once I had read the book, I went back over it and started working through it section by section at a more thorough pace, testing the ideas as I read them. I then read the additional guides, transcripts and listened to the audio interviews that come with the package.

This program guides you through the may different types of Internet based businesses and provides links and information about each of them. It also provides you with many ideas and options to get visitors to your site, creative ways to fund your initial business costs and how to get started with your first website.

As an existing website owner I found some of the information as bit unnecessary for my purposes (it would be great for people just starting, though) but I was able to use the majority of the program to start improving the look and feel of my site as use the techniques outlined in the program to boost my visitor volume. I even took Carrie’s advice and started a business blog – something I had been thinking about for a long time but wasn’t sure how to start.

My only disappointment was that the guide is somewhat self – promoting. Many of the links you are directed to belong to The Natural Mom, but don’t let that deter you. This program had lots of great ideas and points you in the right direction to use them. I found that once I had the fundamentals I was able to come up with ideas on my own and had more confidence to implement those new found ideas!

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Carrie Lauth also has a natural moms podcast. The business guide reviewed is available here for $47 and if you’re not ready to commit to that there’s a free mini-course at that site too.

We know a little boy with the teeniest parents who is quite possibly the “huskiest” kid I’ve ever seen. People often asked his mom if she was lactating pure cream. Par.entrepreneur Pamela Kramer’s kids were both “robust” and the frustration of shopping for clothing led to the creation of her company Happy Panda Baby – the brand for the bigger baby. If people jokingly ask you if your kid is starving, then this brand just might be for you!

For just $20 or less you can get a onesie or tee for the big & beautiful baby in your life. They’re super soft and wash up wonderfully. It’s about time someone developed the alternative to the preemie sleeper!

Win a full-to-overflowing Happy Panda Baby gift basket! To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com before midnight MST tonight with Happy Panda in the subject line and tell us hpw many happy pandas Pamela has in her own family. Congratulations Holly!

Bath time at our house is always fun. It’s my son’s favourite time of day – mostly because he gets to eat a pomegranate juice popsicle in there – referred to around here as the “bathsicle.” Tons of antioxidants and no stains! Now that’s a parent hack. And it’s one of my favourite times of day because it means bedtime is coming soon.

Moving on…

The loud sound of the water running from the faucet has always been a little scary to my son so we’ve had to have the tub filled and the water turned off before putting him in, and then use a cup to rinse his hair. Not any more. With the Boon Flo, the water runs from the faucet like a waterfall and he loves it! It’s not just a water deflector, though. It’s also a protective faucet cover (that’s not a duck or a polar bear – yay!) and has a built in bubble bath dispenser. It’s easy to put on – it just opens like an alligator mouth and clamps – and perhaps a little too easy to get off for the curious toddler.

There’s a space on top for the shower diverter to poke through but when we moved to our new house last week we inherited a new kids’ bath tub faucet on which the shower diverter is a pull-down on the bottom of the faucet, which means the Flo doesn’t fit. That makes me sad, but I have no ingenious solutions popping into my head. Other than this – the Flo now lives in our ensuite soaker tub and I get to rinse MY hair under a waterfall!

You can buy it direct from Boon for $14.99. Canadian retailers looking to carry Boon products can contact the great folks at 5514km.

I love baby showers. I love everything about them, whether the baby has made it’s appearance yet or not.

And let me tell you – if I received a shower invitation on a Couture Keepsake from Keepsake Concepts, there’s no way I’d be missing it. When you receive an invitation as gorgeous as these, you can be assured of a beautiful experience.

Each handmade Couture Keepsake comes on a petite wooden hanger and is stuffed with pre-packaged (delicious!) kosher candy covered Jordan almonds. Your personalized message is attached with an adorable little wooden clothespin. Designer Donna Benavides-Diaz has left no detail untouched. Everything about these keepsakes is absolutely precious!

Most styles are $5.50 each. Admittedly, this is an investment and you might not want to send one to the masses, but for a new mother and her nearest and dearest Couture Keepsakes are a beautiful addition to the beautiful memories that babies create just by being.

Get free shipping until September 10, 2007 with the code OP07.

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Although we often wish they did, babies aren’t born with a manual attached to their toe. And if they were, it probably wouldn’t be as comprehensive as one of our favourite parenting sites, Parent Hacks.

Run by mom of two Asha Dornfest, it’s a site full of primarily “this worked for me” type advice. Just like sitting down with a very experienced parent friend who knows way more than any one person ever could.

If you’re looking for a solution to your problem, chances are many other parents have been in your shoes and maybe one of them has submitted a hack. Check their archives by date or by category. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, submit your own hack once you’ve got it figured out. Parents everywhere will thank you!

We’ve gotten lots of great ideas from this site (and submitted a few). The more, the better, so we hope to see you and your great ideas there!

Love The Life Baby is a UK based company offering worldwide service (Yay internet!) to parents & parents to be allowing you to create a virtual family album that’s accessible to your family and friends no matter where in the world they may be. You don’t need any IT skills (it’s even easier than a blog!) and anyone with internet access can do it. Launched in 2005, it gives new parents the opportunity to create their own website – up to 100 photos of the new-born can be uploaded along with video/audio clips, the baby’s vital statistics and much more.

Reviewer Stephanie spent some time creating a Love The Life Baby website for her brand new and gorgeous nephew and here’s what she had to say about the process:

Pros:

* Everything is all organized, so it’s easy and fun to navigate around the page without having to look for stuff.
* You can customize your own theme so you can change it to your child’s personality or to something that suits the family.
* It’s a great way for family and friends, who live far away, to keep in contact and see the growth of your child.
* It’s so easy to use. All you have to do is type in the info you want and save it. It’s that easy!
* It’s very quick and convenient. You don’t have to know any special computer skills, all you have to know how to do is type.

Cons:

* nothing.. I LOVE IT!

Anyone can try it free with unlimited use for one month and see how easy it really is. After that it’s only £29.99 for the first year(currently $61.09 USD or $63.72 CAD) and your baby membership is easily converted to a toddler site should you wish to keep it up. Your site also comes with a free “Celebration CD” containing all of the contents of your website whenever you want it – you just pay a small shipping fee. For those of your concerned with privacy, your site is password protected and only accessible by those people that you have given the password to.

We’ve got 10 (yes, ten!) annual Love The Life Baby memberships to give away, each valued at over $60. (They are transferable – we just need to know the email address you’d like to be entered.) To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Love The Life in the subject line and tell us where this family run business is based. (Hint: Hit the FAQ’s)

Contest closes at midnight MST on Friday, August 3, 2007. Congratulations to Diatribal, Michelle S., Ashley, Caryn, Mel, Tanyetta, Julie, Catherine, Kelli & Julie!

Bitty Braille is a new indie mom-run company that’s found a unique niche in the children’s market and I think you’ll be as impressed as I am.

Julie Dutt, the mom behind the operation, hand embroiders child-friendly words on soft & comfy tees and embellishes above them with the same word in Braille using either iron-on metal studs or Swarovski crystal rhinestones. She’ll even personalize a shirt for your child if you’d like their name or a word that’s meaningful to them.

These American Apparel tees are pre-washed so you can be assured that they won’t shrink and they wash up easily with no extra-special care required. Just wash inside out on gentle & dry on low. In our tests the Braille came through two washes with no sign of wear or weakness. These tees would make a great gift for the older sib (think “Big Brother”) or for any child to whom you’d like to present a fabulous & unique gift. I can pretty much guarantee it will be the only Braille tee at the baby shower!

Enter to win a Bitty Braille tee of your choice! Email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Braille in the subject line and the answer to the question “To what organization does Bitty Braille donate 10% of every sale?” Contest closes Friday night at midnight MST. Congratulations to Lara Wellman!

My newest summer love…

We’re popsicle folks around here (with +37 C temps for a month, you would be too…) but we’re constantly doing laundry and resorting to ludicrous stain removal techniques to remove the remains of the icy treat from the kids’ clothing.

We used to, that is.

From now on we’ll be serving popsicles in the Dripstik.

It’s an ingenious little piece of plastic that holds a popsicle (or any other treat on a stick) in one end and an ice cream cone in the other and catches all of the drips in a little cup surrounding the icy treat. Our product testers all reported that the Dripstik really did catch ALL of the drips! Another feature that was very well received is the thick handle which was easy to hold even for the teeniest of toddlers.

At only $4.99 each, they make the perfect party favour for a summer party. (And only $4.05 shipping no matter where you live for any amount except a case of 24. Gotta love it!)

Get 10% off your orders with the code 0707. Go on – you know you want to!

You can find the Dripstik in our TOP Shops where we post permanent and exclusive online shopping discounts just for T.O.P. readers!

Price Products LLC. is giving away a Dripstik gift set valued at $19.99 USD (pictured at left) to one lucky T.O.P. reader. The gift set includes 4 Dripstiks, 1 plastic ice cream scoop, and a recipe book in a gift box. To be entered in the random draw, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with DRIPSTIK in the subject line and tell us the name of the couple behind Price Products and the Dripstik. Contest closes Friday night, 7/27/07, at midnight MST. Congratulations Jenny B!

Parents of children with asthma and allergies are extra cautious about plush toys and fabrics that collect dust & allergens. Before now, stuffed toys were off limits for many of these families. The “asthma friendly®” toys from Kids Preferred are making their way into allergic homes everywhere to the delight of many children in need of a fuzzy cuddle! These certified toys don’t contain any fabric or fillings known to aggravate asthma. The toys maintain all safety requirements even after the allergen reduction procedure of freezing, washing and drying has occurred.

The directions from the website:
1. Freeze. Place toy inside a freezer bag, then place in freezer for 24 hours.
2. Wash/Dry. Machine wash warm, delicate cycle/tumble dry high. Do not use bleach or fabric softener. Recommend use of fabric bag for wash/dry cycle and allow toy to cool before giving toy to child.
3. Cuddle with confidence.
4. Repeat this process every certain number of weeks, as specifically directed for each toy.

Happy snuggling!

We’ve got an asthma friendly chihuahua to give away so that one lucky kid can breathe easier. Email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with ASTHMA in the subject line and tell us where Kids Preferred is headquartered. Contest closes Wednesday night at midnight MST. Congratulations Sarah!

Good Manners Placemats from one of our creative parenting faves Moms On Edge teach good manners and positive behaviour at a time when the family is (hopefully) together to practice. They come in a set of 6 and each placemat teaches a different lesson about good behavior including manners, sharing, safety and more. They’re regular “placemat material” (whatever that is) so they’re easy to clean and very durable. I love the idea of using these at a dayhome or in a home with multiple children and letting the kids teach each other about the lesson under their food and practice together.

We’ve got a 6 pack to give away! To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with GOOD MANNERS in the subject line and tell us one of the other topics covered in the set. Contest closes Friday 7/6/07 at midnight MST. Congratulations Betty!

The Naughty Spot time out mat from Moms On Edge is a great tool when you begin to introduce time outs as a discipline strategy.

It’s portable and comes with age-adjusted instructions, a traveling pouch and a digital timer. It’s very durable (important when your child is very angry) and is machine washable. I love the idea of an attached timer – the child can watch the clock count down and have a visual reminder of exactly how much time is left.

The time-out side has sad face and gets the message across quite clearly. After the time-out is over, your child can turn the mat over to see happy face and “I love you.” A great reminder to end all discipline on a positive note and a reminder that the behaviour may be bad but the child is not!

Take it to Grandma’s, send it to daycare & keep it consistent at home. Your child will see it coming and perhaps even shape up before you say a word!

We’ve got a Naughty Spot to give away! To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Naughty Spot in the subject line and tell us the retail price of this item. Contest closes at midnight MST on 7/4/07. Congratulations Jaz!

You know those imprinting and casting services that are advertised on maternity wards and cost a bajillion dollars for either a piece of clay that will soon crack or a hunk of plaster that you end up using as a mud-covered stepping stones because there’s nowhere else to put it?

The UK company Cast In Time has developed a large variety of home imprint kits and casting kits that are super easy to use, are relatively inexpensive and come with beautiful handmade frames to keep those memories contained and out of the garden.

I’m partial to imprints over castings (personal choice – I know lots of people who love the disembodied hands on their piano) and I can highly recommend the sibling kit (pictured). Whether you have one, two or three children it’s the perfect kit in my not so humble opinion. For one child, you can do three prints, two prints and a photo or one print and two photos. Two kids? An imprint of each and an adorable pic of the kids together. Three? There’s room to print them all! There are full colour instructions included and it’s completely dummy proof. (Trust me – if anyone would screw it up, it’d be me.) The dough is non-toxic and air drying; no messing with the oven and as far as I’ve seen no sign of impending cracks.

They offer free delivery of all kits within the UK. I’m anxious to try one of their newest collection – animal kits! (Shut up – they’re kids too. They’re just hairy, and occasionally smelly.)

Want to win one of these fab kits of your very own? Enter to win YOUR CHOICE of any kit from Cast In Time. Two winners will be chosen randomly. To be entered, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with CAST IN TIME in the subject line and tell us the name of one of the other imprint kits that’s available. Contest closes at midnight MST on 7/2/07. Happy Canada Day long weekend! Congratulations Nickola & Joel!