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!

For me, disaster is an “It’ll never happen to me” thing. Living in the prairies and far from fault lines, I feel fairly safe from hurricanes, earthquakes and the like. But natural disasters happen, and they can happen to anyone. As can break ins, fires and any number of other tragedies.

My goal is not to depress you or increase your anxiety, but to share an awesome product with you.

In the name of preparedness, T.O.P. favourite Buttoned Up has developed a great resource for recording all of your valuables room by room. Valuables.doc contains easy to follow forms to ensure you document the right information and capture critical policy details so you’ll be prepared should you ever need to file a claim. We hope you don’t, but should you ever be in a situation where you must, you’ll be glad you made the $25 investment in Valuables.doc.

Win one and protect yourself ~ email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with VALUABLES in the subject line and tell us which of the five Buttoned Up products that we’ve featured over the past five weeks would be of the most use in your home. Contest closes Monday at midnight. Congratulations Kelsa!

I used to have literally hundreds of post-it notes around my house. They were on the table, on the counters, on the fridge, even on my daytimer and my PDA. I’m a note person, but it’s next to impossible to keep them all in one place when you’re as busy as I am. Since I’ve been using my CrossItOff.List from Buttoned Up I’ve cut way down on the extraneous pieces of paper and have a central place to consolidate all of my notes. It’s a unique take on the To-Do list, with lots of room for your own lists as well as a section of duplicate sticky notes for tasks you need to delegate. I love the duplicate idea ~ it helps me to remember to check up on my husband and see whether he’s actually done his jobs!

At less than $10, it makes a great gift for the organizationally challenged and an inexpensive tool for any home.

We’ve got one to give away! Simply email theopininonatedparent@gmail.com with CrossItOff.List in the subject line and tell us one of the cardinal rules listed on the site of getting Buttoned Up! Contest closes Monday, June 18/07 at midnight MST. Congratulations Tonya!

Watch next week for the final of the five weekly Buttoned Up features!

I love to scrapbook and make cards, but now that I’m a working mom I rarely make the time to do it. (Um, not once since I’ve returned to work, actually.) Now that I’ve found Magic Mesh, though, I can hardly wait to get back into my craft room!

Magic Mesh is a self-adhesive, repositionable decorative craft mesh that adds dimension and texture to any page or project. The mesh comes in a variety of weaves, textures, widths and colors with a range of over 50 products. (The metallic is especially gorgeous!) It’s pressure sensitive, which is very cool for the indecisive and distracted crafter – it sticks where it’s placed but is very easy to reposition if you feel the need and the paper underneath doesn’t lift at all. I even tried it on delicate handmade paper and that didn’t lift either. It’s also trimmable & punchable ~ you can trim it with scissors, punches, die cuts, laser die cuts or any other cutting system of your choice. It’s also totally kid friendly ~ if you’re brave enough to craft with your kids, Magic Mesh makes it mess-free! It comes in 2.5 x 36 inch rolls and is also newly available in 12×12 sheets.

As busy parents, we need all the inspiration we can get to capture memories for our children. Magic Mesh works for me!

We’re giving away a sample pack of Magic Mesh to a random TOP reader. To be entered, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Magic Mesh in the subject line and tell us the name of the brilliant & crafty Magic Mesh inventor. Contest closes at midnight MST on 6/14/07. Congratulations Marylyn!

By nature I’m a type A organizational freak, but having a baby threw me for a loop. I can’t even imagine what it would do to people who are organizationally challenged.

Need to find the health cards? I dunno – they used to be in my wallet but I took them out at the hospital and haven’t seen them since. Financial records that didn’t get refiled after I tried to pay bills with a baby attached to my boob? Not a clue.

The Life.doc system by Buttoned Up gives new parents (or old ones, I suppose!) an easy system to organize their newly insane lives. It consists of a lovely cloth covered binder (bright red & easy to locate like all of their products) with 120 pages and organizational tabs. The pages can be filled out by hand or you can use the included CD Rom to enter your data on your computer, and feed the Life.doc pages into your printer. Easy as pie! With categories for finances, insurance, health records, caregiver information, legal papers and more, it makes the perfect wedding or baby shower gift for a family just starting out or someone who you know needs a little assistance in the paper storage & location area. It’s available from the Buttoned Up Shop.

This is the third of five weekly giveaways sponsored by the great folks at Buttoned Up! Want to enter the random draw for your very own Life.doc binder? I don’t blame you! Send an email to theopinionatedparent@gmail.com before midnight MST on 6/11/07 with Life.doc in the subject line and tell us the retail price of the Life.doc binder. Congratulations Jenna!

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I hate moving. You hate moving. I’ve never met anyone who likes it. Sure, the new place is great once you’re unpacked & settled in, but the whole process, quite frankly, sucks. We’re on the horizon of moving with a one year old, which is even less of a party.

The Moving.kit by Buttoned Up won’t make moving fun but it sure will make it easier & more organized!

The kit is contained in a cute (because that’s important) red binder that will guide you through the process of moving step-by-step including closing up your old house, planning the move and getting you settled in your new home. Every detail is covered. It included six tabbed sections (At Your Fingertips™, Movers, 2 Months To Go, 1 Month To Go, Moving Days &Settling In), pre-formatted estimate forms for moving companies, change of address tracking forms, delegation lists (YES!), labels for your boxes and much more.

The binder retails for $24.95 but who are we kidding?

An organized move – that’s priceless.

This is the second of five weekly giveaways sponsored by the great folks at Buttoned Up! Moving soon? You’ll want to enter the random draw for a Moving.kit. Send an email before midnight MST on 6/4/07 with Moving.kit in the subject line and tell us the name of one of the founders of this fab company. Congratulations Craig!

As drivers, we’re never prepared for a collision of any kind but as soon as we become parents our run of the mill anxiety can turn into complete panic as we worry about nothing more than the safety of our babies. It’s easy to leave the scene of an accident without gathering all of the information you might need when you need to get your child checked out by a doctor, buy a new carseat or two, call the insurance company and who knows what else.

Buttoned Up, a great company founded by four women to create great organizational products to help you get & stay “buttoned up,” has created a tool that every parent should have in their vehicle. The Collision.Kit, pictured above, includes pre-printed cards to capture vital information for all parties, a pen, a clipboard, and most importantly, a flash camera – because a picture is worth a thousand words when it’s yours against theirs.

The Collision.Kit is $14.95, weighs only 1 pound and fits in your glove compartment for convenience. We hope you never have to use it, (as we didn’t over the course of the review) but we’ll all feel a little better simply for having one in our vehicles.

We’ve got a Collision.Kit to give away to one lucky reader. To be entered in the random draw, send an email to theopinionatedparent@gmail.com before midnight MST on 5/28/07 with Collision.Kit in the subject line and tell us one other product available from Buttoned Up.

(Which, incidentally, we’ll be reviewing as well! Buttoned Up is sponsoring a weekly prize for 5 weeks so be sure to come back and enter to win all of their great products!)

Congratulations Sara-Ann!

Atlanta moms Caryn Boxer and Gail Duner were each looking for a way to teach their kids to manage money responsibly. The Learning Cents Bank is the fabulous result of their collaboration.

It’s a piggy bank with the benefit of a financial education. Money is a very abstract concept and most kids think it either grows on trees, in ATM machines or miraculously appears in mommy’s purse. I thought that until I was about 24. The Learning Cents company has made it their goal to help you help your kids & grandkids learn to be money savvy from a young age. Separated into three compartments marked ‘spend,’ ‘save’ & ‘give,’ the Learning Cents bank has several great features. Kids can label the bank to make it truly their own with the included letter labels, and each lid has a dry erase label to keep track of totals and/or goals as kids accumulate their wealth. The lids are hinged so the money is easy to get in and easy to access at any time. Hopefully with the great financial responsibility that comes with using this bank, the access will be slightly more in than out!

We’ve got a GirlSense bank to give away to one lucky TOP reader. To be entered, send an email to theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Learning Cents in the subject line and include the correct answer to the question “How much allowance do the Learning Cents founders feel children should receive?” Hint: Hit the FAQ. Contest closes at midnight MST on 5/24/07. Congratulations Jaclynn!

Welcome to today’s stop on the Mother-Talk blog book tour for my new favourite gift for boys!

The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn & Hal Iggulden is a package of excitement from the moment you take it out of the box (or pull it off the shelf, if you’re the old fashioned type). The bright red cover is thick & hard & reminiscent of something you’d find in Grandpa’s library. I couldn’t wait to open it.

The inside of the book, if you were to flip really quickly, looks like nothing special. No colour at all. However, as soon as you stop flipping and start reading, this book is totally awesome! Even for me – a girl! My husband liked it just as much and our son will now grow up doing lots of the crazy & fun activities in the book (if I ever let them get it long enough to actually accomplish anything.)

It contains detailed instructions on so many things that simply say “childhood.” Not boyhood, necessarily, unless you’re a froofy girl. I can think of tons of girls who would love this book. I know I would have. Maybe not the history of war, but almost all of the activities & games would have been right up my alley.

The book covers so many amazing things that I can hardly wait for my son to grow into. How to build a go-kart, build a treehouse, juggle, make a bow & arrow, make a paper airplane, hat, boat & water-bomb, how to marble paper, how to make disappearing ink, write in code…enough to fill many amazing summers that will be engraved forever in memories. There’s also great information on grammar, wars, extraordinary stories from history and, perhaps the most important – girls.

This is an awesome book. If there are boys on your gift list who don’t have it, buy it. I happen to think new dads are left out of the whole birth-gift scenario and this would be a fab book to present to a new father of a son. It’s like you’re saying Congratulations! Have fun helping your kid experience real life. He may break a few bones and he’ll definitely get bruises, but hey – we’re making men here!

Check out this very cool awesome promo for the book on You-Tube. And if you didn’t see Conn Iggulden on the Colbert Report, watch this.

Also, be sure to go enter the Harper Collins contest where they’re giving away 100 free copies!

Thanks to Harper Collins, we also have two copies to give away! To be entered in the random draw, email me via this link before Friday 5-18 at midnight.

I’ve always loved buying baby gifts and hated buying the accompanying cards. There’s always some cheesy saying and a rather uninspiring creepy cartoon baby.

Now that I’ve discovered the new Canadian company Speckles & Weeds, however, I can hardly wait for the next opportunity to give new parents a card. (It’ll accompany a gift, of course.)

These cheeky and oh-so-true motherhood cards are the perfect way to express your joy and welcome another woman into the wonderful world of motherhood while not pretending it’s all pastel bubbles & butterfly kisses.

Like my personal favourites pictured here, A newborn baby’s head smells sweet. Yours, however, is oddly reminiscent of an armpit and Welcome to motherhood. Luxury has been redefined. All of the Speckles & Weeds motherhood cards ring true. From snarky to hilarious, there’s sure to be one for the moms on your list. Come on, be a good friend. Don’t subject them to the cartoon baby.

Speckles & Weeds cards are made in Canada and are printed on recycled paper. They’re blank inside with lots of room for your own real-life mothering tips & well-wishes. They ship free on orders over $25. You can find Speckles & Weeds cards at retailers across Canada and anyone in the whole wide internet-friendly world can order online.

Type ‘opinionated parent’ in the optional second address line and receive a free card with your order.

You’ll find Speckles & Weeds in the TOP Shops
along with many other awesome exclusive discounts for TOP readers.

Win a full set of motherhood cards from Speckles & Weeds, a $60 value. To be entered in the random draw, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Speckles & Weeds in the subject line and the correct answer to the question “What’s one of the upcoming projects Jane is working on?” Contest closes at midnight MST on 5/10/07. Congratulations Jenny!

No matter how you feel about bottles & babies, sometimes it’s the mom who needs a little time to herself via a scrumptious bottle of Pinot Noir. While I’ve never subscribed to the ‘pump & dump’ method myself (because I haven’t had more than half a drink at a time in nearly two years), I know lots of moms who ditch their liquid gold for fear of feeding their baby spiked milk. There are lots of reasons why any alcohol in breast milk is not a good thing for your baby.

There’s a cool new product on the market that takes the questions out of nursing after drinking. Milkscreen was invented by moms Julie Jumonville and Elizabeth Smith to ease their own minds and the minds of other mothers.

The stick looks a little like a pregnancy test with a small pad at one end. You simply put a few drops of breastmilk on the pad, wait 2 minutes and if there’s a colour change your milk has alcohol in it. A few of us put Milkscreen to the test and it definitely works. After one drink, there was a slight change in colour. After two, a definite change. Dipped straight into the drink it was bright green immediately. (One of our reviewers is a chemist and couldn’t help herself.) We all loved the idea of using Milkscreen to determine how long it takes for a drink (or three, whatever your pleasure) to be out of your body, since everyone’s different, so you don’t have to test every time.

You can buy Milkscreen at various locations including their online store. They retail for approximately $20 for a box of 6.

Want to try it? We’ve got some to give away! To be entered in the random draw, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com before midnight MST on 5/7/07 with MILKSCREEN in the subject line and give us one of the good reasons for testing your milk listed on the Milkscreen site. Congratulations Heather!

It must have been destiny. When mom Jennifer Fleece wanted something softer than cotton for her baby’s crib sheet, she decided to make her own. Of what, you ask? Why fleece, of course! Fleece Baby was born, like almost all parent-invented products, of necessity. We’ve been reviewing Fleece Baby sheets and aren’t quite sure how we lived without them for so long.

Fleece Baby crib sheets & playpen sheets have a brilliant patent pending 6 inch deep pocket and elastic all the way around the bottom. They’re easy to get on (I was surprised that they were actually easier than less secure sheets) and easy to get off, yet no amount of tugging from the top by little hands will make them pop off. You actually have to lift the mattress.

One might think that fleece would be too hot. I thought that, but it’s absolutely not true. They’re definitely warmer than cotton sheets when they need to be, but they wick away moisture keeping babies cool, dry, and comfortable all night long. To test their moisture wicking ability (because I’m sure that’s what he was doing), my son dumped a bowl of water & eucalyptus oil on his mattress and it all ran right off onto the floor leaving the mattress clean & dry & ready for the long-awaited bedtime!

The crib sheets are available in seven solid colours for $24.99 USD and the playpen sheets are available in ecru only for $14.99 USD.

I understand Jennifer’s in the process of making her fab sheets in twin, queen & king! Count me in!

Order yours from the Fleece Baby Shop.

The Opinionated Parent, a labour of love (primarily a love of shopping, but I digress) has been nominated for the Blogger’s Choice Awards in several categories.

Best Blog About Stuff

Best Blog of All Time
(I was surprised it wasn’t my mom that had nominated us for this one!)

Best Parenting Blog

Best Shopping Blog

and *ahem*

Hottest Mommy Blogger.

If you’d be so kind, please click over on each of those links (or the images below) and give us your vote.
It’s a one time thing in each category. Thanks so much to our nominator(s) and to all of you for keeping this blog at the top of your list of daily reads!

(Pretend this says shopping!)

We’re getting lots of emails lately thanking us for creating this site. You’re making us blush with all the compliments.

You do need to know, however, that the reason we have such a fab site with great reviews & giveaways, and the reason it’s completely free for you is because of our sponsors. You’ll find them in our right sidebar, and we’d sure appreciate you paying them a visit.

Like right now? If you’re not busy, head over to madallie.com. Spring has sprung and it’s travel time. Whether it’s summer vacation, spring break or a trip to the mall across town, you’ll find lots of goodies to keep the kids entertained at madallie.com. Madallie is a TOP Shop and you can save 10% with the code TRAVEL. Shopping’s fun anyway, but it’s even more fun with a discount code!

Stikins(tm) clothing labels by LabelLighthouse.com are yet another great tool for the organized (or trying really hard to be organized) parent.

Developed by Canadian par.entrepreneur Lena Grierson out of pure need, they’re available in easy to attach garment labels, mid sized shoe & item labels and tiny micro labels.

They’re perfect for all of those clothes that get left at playdates, the shoe pile at the gym and the matching sippy cups at daycare. Make sure you get that favourite sweater back – without having to remember where you left it! Stikins(tm) are also great for seniors – label their clothes with their name & phone number to help get the sweater – and the person – back home where they belong.

The garment Stikins(tm) have a unique shape – like an uppercase H – that sticks easily to any tag and stays in place wash after wash and is even dryer friendly. They’re really great!

The shoe labels stay put under the tongue of the shoe (don’t put them under the foot – they come off), and the micro labels are perfect for school supplies.

Order your Stikins(tm) online at LabelLighthouse.com.

Get 5 additional labels free of charge with your order…
just use the code TOP.

One lucky TOP reader will win a Super Package of 120 Stikins(tm) labels in 3 different sizes, a $39.95 value. To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Stikins in the subject header and tell us What’s another item that the shoe labels can be used on? Contest closes at midnight MST on 4/2/07. Congratulations to Catherine R.

TOP favourite Zoom Distribution has done it again.

The MOBI TykeLight Buddy, available in Canada from Zoom’s retailers, is a great little gadget for children’s rooms, from babies to teens.

It’s a funny little man-shaped figure that sits on an electric charger which is completely safe with no exposed contacts. It takes about 6-10 hours to fully charge and automatically turns on and off when removed from and placed back on the charger. (It actually turns off about an inch from the charger with is totally fascinating for a toddler!) The auto-on function also activates during a power outage.

The light is soft and unobtrusive, with low and high settings adjusted with a smooth button on the bottom of the “little guy” (as we’ve taken to calling him around here). When put under the crib overnight, it illuminates the floor and the entire room perfectly for those middle of the night feedings but it’s not so bright as to be annoying or painful to the newly awoken eye. The batteries are supposed to last up to 10 hours, but on low they last well over 14. With both the light and the charger being completely smooth, it’s very easy to clean and there are no grooves to dig random kid-gunk out of. The MOBI TykeLight Buddy isn’t just for nurseries and toddler rooms. Older kids will love the portability of it when exploring their room at night or making their way to the bathroom. It doesn’t look at all “baby-ish” so it can carry a child right through the teen years as an emergency light for power outages (because, of course, they’ll be way too cool for a night light). Heck, I’m thirty (until tomorrow) and I want one for my room!

It’s available in four mod colours – green, orange, blue & yellow (pink and lavender will be available as of April 27) for $29.99 Cdn. Another WAY cool product. This has got me hoping someone’s having a baby soon because it would be a hit at the shower!

Two lucky TOP readers will win their own MOBI TykeLight Buddy courtesy of Zoom Distribution. Email theopinionatedparent[at]gmail[dot]com with Tyke Light in the subject header and the answer to the question What’s another MOBI item that Zoom Distribution carries? before midnight MST on 3/24/07. Congratulations Amelia & Rody!

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Invented by par.entrepreneur Bonnie Stromme of Loveland, Colorado, the Wrap-N-Mat is one of those things that make you ask “Why didn’t I think of this?” When she found she had six sandwiches to wrap and only four plastic bags, the prototype Wrap-N-Mat was made of paper towel and tape. They’ve come a long way since then, but are still surprisingly simple.

Available in a large selection of fabrics, they’re a colourful, fun and environmentally friendly way to pack a lunch. The Wrap-N-Mat does double duty as a container and an octogonal placemat keeping your sandwich fresh and giving you a clean place to eat your lunch. We found the Wrap-N-Mat simple enough for a child to use and really appreciated the fact that they’re lined with PEVA, an alternative to PVC which is less environmentally harmful in its production.

These are perfect for anyone concerned with the health of our earth, and would make a wonderful gift to celebrate a youngster’s entry into the school years!

You can win your own Wrap-N-Mat by simply sending an email to theopinionatedparent [at] gmail [dot] com with Wrap-N-Mat in the subject heading and the answer to the question In what year was the Wrap-N-Mat patented? Get your entry in by midnight MST on Friday, February 23, 2007. Congratulations to Vivien, Michelle, Stephanie & Nicole!

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Method Products was founded in San Francisco, CA in 2000 by two buddies, Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan. They’ve taken the consumer packaged goods industry by storm. And with good reason. The Method philosophy is a simple one, and one the opinionated parents can appreciate. To rid the world of dirty by developing premium formulations that are highly effective, simple to use, safe and both socially and environmentally responsible.

Recently, the folks at Method made the move across the border into the great white north.

The Opinionated Parents have been reviewing a selection of products by the fine people at Method .

The short version: There was nothing we didn’t like.

The long version:

There were some things we liked so much we just had to tell you…

• All of their products are non-toxic and biodegradable. This means they’re safe to use around the kids and the pets. No more worries about letting the littles crawl on the floor after it’s been washed.
• The company is actually against the use of rubber gloves. Unless you really want to use them. But you don’t have to. The products are just that mild.
• The scents are very light and refreshing. I’m not a fan of lavender. I just don’t think flowers need to be in a bottle, but the rest of the scents are great.
• The bottles are SO funky! Designed by the brilliant Karim Rashid, you won’t want to keep these under the sink.
• They test on flowers, not animals.
• Any company that PETA loves, TOP loves.
• Did I mention that all of their products are non-toxic and biodegradable?
  That rocks.

Method laundry detergent is a great alternative to other commercial brands. It’s biodegradable and phosphate free, which I love, but even better? It works. I have tried a few other “natural” laundry alternatives but our clothing never really came clean. Method seemed to work just as well as the chemical-filled brands of my past. It’s super concentrated so you only use one small capful. I love that they’re all HE and front-loader compatible.

The dish soap is quite lovely. The scents almost make doing dishes enjoyable. But not quite. The pink grapefruit scent is my personal favourite.

To reduce the risk of repeating myself repeating myself, let me just say that the all purpose cleaners and wipes work great, the wood for good is fab, smells great and has a funky little matching microfiber cloth to rub it in with (matching = good), the glass cleaner doesn’t burn your nostrils and also has a cool matching cloth (both good).

An opinionated Grandma helped us test out the Method products and was impressed that she could easily read the back of the bottles. This is often a difficult task and can be frustrating so easy to read print is definitely appreciated!

In my home, we clean with primarily vinegar and baking soda because we are against toxins. Method products are our new alternative when we need something a little stronger, but still not harsh on the conscience. I really hope this comes to Canada soon!

And dudes – they have a blog! They post some great eco-friendly stuff ~ we highly recommend checking it out.

The eco-conscious folks at Method have donated a basket of products against dirty for one lucky winner valued at approximately $50. If you’re against dirty, send an email to theopinionatedparent [at] gmail [dot] com with METHOD in the subject line and Name a Method product you’re interested in that was not mentioned in this review. A winner will be selected at random and will be notified via email after the contest closes at midnight MST on Friday, February 23, 2007. Congratulations, Stacey!

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Straight Edge, Inc. is an educational supply company who’s mission is to encourage kids to read through innovative products. The Opinionated Parents have been reviewing several of their products over the past weeks and have been very impressed. We’ve had team members as well as friends who are parents, preschool teachers, early elementary teachers, and homeschoolers take a look at the products and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.The Inside-Outside Puzzles are a cool take on the good old puzzle. They’re made of sturdy 1/4″ board and at first glance are just a puzzle with an appealing picture. However, printed underneath the puzzle on the tray is a colorful cross section that illustrates and explains how things work with clearly printed captions for early readers. A reviewers 3 year old son loved this puzzle (we tried the dairy barn edition) and didn’t want to give it up so that we could take it to a homeschooling family who are currently exploring farming. When we finally did pry it out of his sad little hands (and replaced it with a toy to thank him for helping us – we’re not that mean!) we were able to share it with a family who have 3, 5 and 7 year old children. All three of those children enjoyed it. The older kids truly learned something from it and the 3 year old just loved that there was something under the puzzle pieces that she could hide and uncover. Learning is learning, right? Perhaps doing these educational puzzles with your kids will reduce the number of “Why” and “How” questions you are bombarded with all.day.long.

The Story in a Box books are board books each with a built in drawer holding 7 stand-up characters or props related to the story. These were tested in a preschool classroom of 3 & 4 year olds as well as in a kindergarten and a grade one classroom and all age groups thoroughly enjoyed them. The younger children explored the early reading skill or making up a story to go with the pictures and characters and enjoyed, primarily, the dramatic play aspect of using the characters as “actors” to tell the story. The school age children moved toward reading (or, in some case, making up, which is a step in the right direction) the story and using the cardboard characters to act out the plot as it actually happened in the story. With both groups, we asked them to tell “the next chapter” of the story using the characters and the creative play that came out of that was imaginative, intelligent and downright hilarious! These are available in seven classic fairy tales and would be a great purchase for parents and/or teachers of children aged 3-6.

In the Abigail’s Adventures series, each book comes with an Abigail doll that little ones will enjoy. The stories follow 3 1/2 year old Abigail through a series of activities. We reviewed the “Abigail Ice Skates” edition and it was very well received by a reviewers 2 1/2 year old daughter who is actually learning to skate. The book reinforced the lesson her mother had been trying to teach her for the past month ~ if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again…Why is it that toddlers listen to books better than they listen to their parents?

Last, but very far from least, we reviewed the Read a Mat, Write a Mat and Color a Mat series. These are WAY cool. The Write a Mats and Color a Mats are similar to items that I use regularly in my own classroom and they’re always popular with the children. Something about writing on plastic instead of paper always gets them going. The Straight Edge series’ offers WAY more titles than I have ever seen in any store. I especially love the Read a Mats though. They come in over 40 titles that are sure to entice even the most fidgety kid to spend a few minuted actually sitting at the table.

As a teacher I love the idea of toys that disguise learning as fun. Not that learning isn’t fun. It certainly is. But these products are great even for those kids that do need to be tricked into thinking they’re not doing homework!

The Opinionated Parent has a selection of Straight Edge Products for one lucky reader! The set is intended for children aged 3-5 years. To enter, email us at theopinionatedparent [at] gmail [dot] com with STRAIGHT EDGE in the subject heading and the answer to the question What is one product that Straight Edge carries that is not mentioned in this review? Contest closes Friday, February 9, 2007 at midnight MST. The randomly selected winner will be contacted via email. Congratulations Leah!

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There are relatively few store bought snacks that I will allow in our home. We don’t serve processed, chemical filled, pesticide laden, high fat or high calorie snacks. To kids anyway.

Fruitabu organic smoooshed fruit flats are one snack that I’ll serve with pride. With only all natural fruit and 95%+ certified organic ingredients, Fruitabu is the antithesis to the frankenfood.
Available in five flavours with easily pronounceable ingredients, you can order smoooshed fruit to be delivered right to your door from the Fruitabu online store and the folks under the 49th parallel can search by zip code for a retailer in your area. At only $14 for 30 including tax and handling, they’re a steal of a deal for something so healthy.

Our 9 month old son loves to suck on small pieces of smoooshed fruit and will spend several minutes gnawing on the entire piece if given the opportunity. All of the flavours are delicious and it’s nice to have another option for a convenient organic snack to pull out in a pinch. They’re great for teething, too!

And yes, there are three o’s in smoooshed.

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Nicole is the quintessential Opinionated Parent. She’s always been exceedingly picky, and has grown to view that as a positive thing. It only got worse (better?) when she became a mother. Always on a quest to find the safest, healthiest and coolest products for her family, she founded The Opinionated Parent to promote some of the amazing par.entrepreneurs who makes stuff she loves, to highlight her favourite mom and child products and to, occasionally, roast the things she hates. She’s a semi-crunchy mother to a boy and a girl and a gaggle of pets, auntie to two perfect little girls and hails from western Canada.
Nicole
Founder and Senior Editor

Kenton is an opinionated father of two who is a techie in “real life” and a true geek at heart. As the TOP resident electronics guy, he reviews (and fixes when we break) anything that plugs in, has a motherboard or contains the word “digital.” He’s a sports freak, has a killer sense of humour and is finding his inner crunch as he does his best to keep his family healthy.

Kenton
Editor, Senior Techie and Contributing Writer

Chelle is an opinionated and hip, yet geeky Canadian Mom who lives in a gorgeous maritimes with her husband and two kids. Parenting has opened her eyes to living much more organically and she believes that less is more when it comes to her children. Although her hobbies range from web design to knitting, Chelle loves to shop, especially for her children. The quest for quality items for a fair price is one she is always on!

Chelle
Design Guru & Premier Contributing Writer

Michelle is a stay at home mom to two and wife to a career military guy. They are currently stationed in New Mexico, USA. Michelle is also a consultant with Discovery Toys and enjoys finding her daughter products that are unique and educational. She enjoys trying out new products and letting others know when she finds something that works, or doesn’t work, for her and her family.




Michelle
Contributing Writer

Jenny is a mom of two, a tween and a teen, with a husband of almost 19 years and a cat who is severely deprived of any love and attention whatsoever. When she isn’t busy trying to think of what to make for dinner, driving somebody somewhere and trying to schedule times for dates with her husband – she loves spending time with her friends, reading teen fiction, going to movies and, sometimes on a Sunday afternoon, taking a nap. She recently started working full time after caring for her children for the past almost 15 years …she needed a job outside of the home so she could have a rest!

Jenny
Contributing Writer

Raised in the American South, Candice has been teaching ESL overseas since 2002. She has taught first graders in China and university students in Laos, and has spent time in Belize, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, and Malaysia. She is mom to two sons. She loves to read, write, and eat delicious international foods. She’s a vegetarian, co-sleeping (same room, not same bed), elimination communication, cloth diapering type of Mama. Always one to root for the underdog, Candice fits well with the TOP goal of supporting small, parent-run businesses.


Candice
Contributing Writer

Angela is an opinionated mother of 2 – a boy and a girl. She lives with them and her EMT/Safety Officer husband in Virginia (U.S.A.) and expresses her opinion about anything and everything to anyone who will listen. (Hmmm, she fits in here!) She also expresses herself on Did You See That? and The Soccer Mom Vote. In her “spare time” she also holds a full time job outside the home as a certified public accountant and stalks great product review websites like The Opinionated Parent.




Angela
Contributing Writer

Bios of more Opinionated Parents are coming soon!

Sara

Christine

Andrea

Grace

Tara – our resident animal parenting specialist & auntie extraordinaire.

Tara

Jody

Kailani

SJ

Heather

Gina

Sandra

Lisa

Rashmi

Kristi

Kendra

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By Michelle of Big Blueberry Eyes

…
One day I sat down with Kayla on my lap and we went through the ABCs. I figured this would last through a couple of letters and then she would get bored and wiggly and want down. She sat mesmerized through the whole alphabet! I couldn’t believe it, this child of mine who is always so busy and on the go and can’t sit still for 5 minutes, couldn’t get enough of this website!

I forget how old she was when we actually started showing it to her, I think it was after she turned 1 though. I thought it might help her when she started talking because they say the letters and the letter sounds. So repetition of this would help with speech right?

I do think it has helped, not only with speech, but with recognizing the letters as well. I remember how shocked I was when one day I was asking her where is the “A” and she pointed to the “A” on the book we were reading, so I tried another letter, and she got it right. Wow, all that time on Starfall must have paid off because she was really paying attention and processing all that information!

They have more than just ABCs on that site -it’s a Learning To Read site so there are short stories and other fun activities.

I hadn’t been on it in a few weeks, so we checked it out last week (every so often they update and add things to it) and I found they now have the alphabet in sign language (ASL) as well- how cool is that?

…

[Ed. note: I use this site regularly in my grade one classroom and it is truly awesome! It has sections appropriate for children ages 1-8. Thanks, Michelle!]

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(Scroll down to see the amazing products & sites currently under review!)

See sidebar to search reviews by category

Listed in reverse chronological order:

KIDS Preferred – Asthma Friendly Stuffed Animals – review here
HABA
- review here
Gifts – review here
Bathtub Dice – review here
Jitterbug Theatre Music – review here
Generation Baby handy sack – review here
Lullabeds Story Blankets – review here
Good Night StopLight – review here
Siente – review here
Naughty Spot – review here
Lullabeds Story Blankets – review here
Cast In Time – review here
Handy Sack – review here
Sarah and David – review here
Dado Cubes – review here
Potty Training Targets from Moms On Edge – review here
Valuables.doc – review here
Gloves in a Bottle – review here
Wee Gallery art cards – review here
Matica Designs headbands – review here
Sugar and Spice Bows – review here
CrossItOff.List- review here
Grippy Clippys – review here
Oompa Toys – review here
Magic Mesh – review here
Havins Originals – review here
Life.doc – review here
Table Toppers To Go – review here
Lunapads – review here
Babe Ease Clean Shopper/Clean Diner- review here
Baby Bath Gate – review here
Buttoned Up Moving.kit – review here
My Conservation Baby – review here
Immedium – review here
Il Cocco di Mamma organic tees – review here
Kipling bags – review here
Bambini Carini bath sacks – review here
Giddy Giddy hair clips – review here
Buttoned Up Collision.Kit – review here
True Learning – review here
Learning Cents – review here
I Spy Seeing Doubles & I Spy 3D – review here
TNMT Joining Forces – review here
Thomas Bingo & Thomas Making Tracks – review here
Jackpot! – review here
Dangerous Book for Boys (A Mother-Talk blog book tour) – review here
Do You Look Like Your Dog? – review here
Young Scientists Club Adventure Science & Magic School Bus Series – review here
Made By Hands Go Figure! Cards – review here
XEKO (Mission Costa Rica) – review here
Peace Love Mom – review here
Made By Hands Make Your Own Thank You Notes – review here
Healthy Mother Healthy Child (Mother-Talk blog book tour) – review here
Bingo Records – review here
Fashion Angels ziplette – review here
Mom4Life – Four Peas Travel Pack – review here
The Learning Tower – review here
Speckles & Weeds – review here
Blankeaze – review here
Good Night – review here
Aden and Anais muslin wraps – review here
Walking Wings – review here
Frubi Shades – review here
Milkscreen – review here
Okki Baby – review here
Giggles Bibs – review here
Mother-Ease – review here
Snappi Fasteners – review here
Fleece Baby – review here
MeMovies – review here
Miracle Blanket – review here
Milk Bomb – review here
Sage Baby NYC – review here
Milkshake Music PLAY!- review here
Il Cocco di Mamma books & CD’s – review here
Posh Papoose – review here
2 Funky Mums – review here
Planet Mom T-Shirts – review here
b.delicious – review here
Princess Katie & Racer Steve (Songs for the Coolest Kids) – review here
zoe b – review here
Fortune Tees – review here
Parade Organic – review here
Nori Peekaru Vest – review here
Big Tantrum – review here
DLL Rainwear – review here
Nina and Tom – review here
Tummy Talk – review here
Il Cocco di Mamma signature onesies – review here
Vincent rain boots – review here
Your Baby Can Read – review here
Meal Makeover Moms – review here
My Dwink Box – review here
The Funky Mamas – Mamas’ Fishing – review here
Baby Dagny Bamboo Line – review here
Ellaroo mei tai – review here
Watersall – review here
Dolca USA – review here
Debi Derryberry Music – review here
Cozy Hoods by SueHavens.com – review here
JJ Cole Collections – Essentials Blanket – review here
Sweet Fletcher slings – review here
Alli’s Originals – review here
Goosie Cards – review here
Stikins labels – review here
Il Cocco di Mamma baby mocs – review here
Mommy’s Helper Inc. – review here
Baby Daze – review here
Mobi Digital Duck bath thermometer from Zoom Distribution – review here
Cute Baby Shoes – review here
LillaBoo – review here
Stella Bella Boutique – review here
Georgie Tees – review here
Bella Tunno – review here
Mobi TykeLight Buddy from Zoom Distribution – review here
Skin MD Naturals shielding lotion – review here
Roslyn’s Closet – review here
Tomat Kids – review here
JJ Cole Collections – Essentials Travel Pods – review here
My Medical Assistant – review here
Taggies – review here
Il Cocco di Mamma blocks – review here
Made By Angie – review here
FocoLoco – review here
Tushy Gear – review here
Ellie Bellies – review here
JJ Cole Collections – Bundle Me Urban – review here
Spacebabies Baby Bed Blocks from Zoom Distribution – review here
Liquid Holster – review here
Blue Blankie – review here
The Diaper Clutch – review here
madallie – review here
Suzy Creamcheese Sweetroll Swaddler – review here
ItzBeen – review here
Gissy Bella Comfy Crawlers – review here
Silly Billyz play blankets – review here
Baby Dagny – review here
2dTees – review here
Fit by Sara Postnatal Workout – review here
Burp Catcher – review here
Chloe in Style – review here
Good Kids Bad Habits (Mother Talk Inc. book tour) – review here
Enhance Me – review here
Nosefrida – review here
Bobo Baby – review here
Athletic Baby – review here
JJ Cole Collections – System – review here
DotGirl – review here
New For Baby – review here
Baby Starlet – review here
Fantaztic Learning – review here
Myself Belts – review here
The Slanket – review here
Silly Billyz long sleeved bibs – review here
Ellie Bellie Kids – review here
Your Child’s Health & Wellness Record – review here
liliputians NYC – review here
Wrap-N-Mats – review here
Method – review here
Pedoodles – review here
Mommy & Daddy ROCK! – review here
IsaBooties – review here
Tummy Honey – review here
Miss Oops – review here
Straight Edge Inc. – review here
Urban Baby Runway – review here
Maliboo Kids – review here
FruitaBu – review here
Vincent Shoes – review here
Belly Ups – review here
Stonz – review here
The Snack Trap – review here
Eric Herman music – review here
Cycle Savvy by Toni Weschler (Mother Talk Inc. book tour) – review here
Robeez apparel – review here
Mabel’s Labels – review here
Beba Bean – review here
Starfall – review here
Baby Buddy nursing pillow – review here

Reviews Currently In Progress by The Opinionated Parents

Harvey’s Seatbelt Bags
JJ Cole Collections – Premaxx
Fashion Angels (badge maker, make-up artist sketch book)
The Bead Shop (Twinkle Twine Wish Bracelets, Boingy Bouncy Bracelets, New World Necklace Kit, Jellloopydo Keys, Fresh Mesh Bracelets)
ImagiPLAY (African Safari wooden play set, Rubberwood puzzles – elephant)
Birdcage Press – Amazing Places National Parks cards

The Baby Buddy Nursing Pillow was the first gift I received after my son was born. It was expected, and it didn’t come a moment too soon.

When I was about eight months pregnant, we had one of my best friends as a house guest for the weekend. She is a mother of two and is as discerning [read: picky] as I am about many things. We took a trip to the local Toys ‘R’ Us to pick up a few things – baby bedding, receiving blankets and a nursing pillow. I hadn’t told her in advance what I was shopping for – only that we were getting some baby items. When I reached up toward the top shelf for the popular pillow, she shrieked. “You’re NOT going to buy that. It’s fine if you don’t know what you’re missing, but I’ll get you one that’s WAY WAY better!”

I hemmed and hawed because I didn’t want to have to learn to nurse in the hospital without a pillow. I had heard how difficult it can be and I wanted to be as comfortable as possible. She assured me that if she didn’t have it to me before our baby was born that she would make the two hour drive and bring it to the hospital.

Our son was born on a Friday morning. Saturday morning, in walks my best friend behind the biggest yellow lump of pillow I had ever seen. “It’s here, it’s here!” she said as she dropped it and came over to give me a hug and meet our new addition.

Over the next few months, my Baby Buddy Nursing Pillow was my constant sidekick. I never left the house without it. It was the fourth pair of hands when mine, my husbands and my mom’s weren’t enough. Learning to nurse can be a tough business. This pillow makes it (almost) easy. And definitely comfortable! I brought it in the van, in the bottom of the stroller, into restaurants – literally everywhere I went. If I went into a store without the pillow and my son got hungry, I’d run to the van to feed him where my pillow was!

Nursing has, thank goodness, become much easier. I no longer need my Baby Buddy to be comfortable, but it sure helps. It keeps my back from getting sore and it keeps my son safe and comfortable if we fall asleep in the glider in the dark of night.

My husband and our parents also love our pillow. Especially when our son was tiny, it made everyone feel much more secure while holding him. Even several six year old children from my class held him safely with the support of the Baby Buddy. It’s so wonderful that I think I may dedicate this one as ‘his pillow’ and buy any future child(ren) their own. I have a feeling they’ll love them for a long long time. Once the kids are old enough to stake claim, I may need to purchase one more. For me. I love to read and watch tv with it. It’s a great support for a large book on my lap and makes a wonderful snuggle pillow on the couch.

Our son has grown in to using the Baby Buddy as a support while learning to sit as well. It’s soft yet supportive, and large enough to provide a cushion when he inevitably topples over. It’s larger than most pillows on the market and is filled with hypoallergenic polyfill. Each pillow comes with a removable and washable pillowcase in your choice of many fabrics (and if you don’t find one you like, they’ll custom-make one just for you!).

See what others have to say about the Baby Buddy.

This pillow is definitely going to be one of my default baby gifts from now on. It’s one of the best gifts I received, and I’m proud to say it’s Canadian. Awesome, awesome product!

Save 10% on your Baby Buddy Nursing Pillowwith the code TOP10.
You’ll find Baby Buddy in the TOP Shops!

YOU CAN WIN ONE OF THESE GREAT PILLOWS! Send me an email at muchmoreopinionated [at] gmail [dot] com by midnight Friday, November 17th with BABY BUDDY in the subject heading and the answer to the question How long has The Baby Buddy been in business? A winner will be selected using a randomizer and I’ll email him or her for their mailing address on Saturday.(Congratulations, Pat!)

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