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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

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

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

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

Remember Lullaby Island?

“…a wonderful mix of lullabies that transports children to far away magical places…”

To celebrate the 2nd birthday of her album, Julia Norton is offering it for just $10 on her website http://www.lullabyisland.com until the end of June.

Vincent Shoes is one of the few places we can order shoes for kids older than three. So many of our awesome footwear finds only fit up to size 9 or age three, and that’s just not good enough. These little people grow up, you know?

There are SO many great Vincent styles that it’s always hard to choose. This rainy (and snowy – ugh – but that’s a story for another day) Canadian spring, my daughter wears the pink BLOMMA (“flower” in Swedish – adorned with romantic May Flowers that make a rainy day a happy day) and my son wears the navy GRAFFE (bold colours & the perfect height for uninhibited puddle stomping), both from the Spring/Summer 2009 collection and both priced at $33.95.

If it rains where you live, you’ve got to puddle jump in style and Vincent has you covered. Check out these styles and more at Vincent Shoes.

Get 20% off all summer sandals via this link or 10% off all kids shoes via this link.

(P.S.: My first stop at Vincent is always the sale section. It’s always full of great styles!)

UPDATED!

For the first time ever (we hope the first of many!), we are bringing you a TOP Deal of the Day…a half price item with free shipping from a reputable company that we’ve checked out for you.

Today and tomorrow only,T.O.P. readers (and ME! I’m getting in on this!) get…

50% off all tote bags and free shipping worldwide with the order of any two items!

50% off for everyone…
Free shipping if you order at least two…

Just use the code TOP50.
(note the change in code if you saw this previously…)

This deal of the day is available for only 48 hours…place your order before midnight tomorrow!

Each of the tote bags features spots to display three of your favourite photos in pockets (allowing for easy & quick changes). The outside is made of durable canvas and the bags feature leather detailing with contrast stitching, a reinforced bottom and interior zipper pocket, as well as metal feet to protect the tote when you’re out and about. The bags measure 15″ x 7 1/4″ x 12 1/2″ high.

A perfect Mother’s Day gift, don’t you think? In order to have your order before Mother’s Day, you need to order by May 4th. Thanks to this great T.O.P. Deal of the Day, you’ll not only save a bundle but your shopping will be done over a month in advance!

Remember – TODAY and TOMORROW ONLY – 50% off all tote bags and free shipping worldwide with the code TOP50.

UPDATE: GigglyGear has extended this program just for you, to include 50% off ALL ITEMS until May 10, 2009. Whoo Hoo!

If you’d like to sponsor a Deal of the Day for T.O.P. readers with a 50% off item & free shipping to, at the very least, Canada & the US, email us to discuss!

The Vincent Shoes Spring/Summer ‘09 Collection is here!

Use this link to get 20% off on all styles until Sunday, April 5, 2009!

Looking for a last minute Valentine’s Day tee that you can wear all year?

This one’s made from 100% recycled sweatshop free cotton and printed using non-phthalate water-based inks that are good for you and good for the environment. And it’s not just for Valentine’s Day. Love is a never ending theme.

Use the code TOPLOVE for 15% off the entire line

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED – Congrats to Beth!

Since over 225 of you wanted to win some Groovy Girl dolls from us and 225 of you didn’t…

A little special for you!

*Free Chetta Chic fashion item with any purchase of a RSVP doll.
*Free shipping for orders over $75.

Enter promo code RSVPGroovy at cart to receive promotion.

Offer expires 12/31/08

Free shipping applies to UPS Ground Shipment only from Manhattan Toy.

What parent doesn’t want to give the gift of safety this year?

Save 20% on fire safety products until December 19th in the Kidde store on Amazon.com. Just click on “Give the Gift of Safety” on www.kidde.com or visit the Kidde Amazon store directly and enter 85BR5532 as the promotion code when checking out.

With the economy the way it is and the trend toward frugal living becoming larger by the day, many parents choose not to buy their children a new backpack for every school year. Or maybe your child has a new one but it’s not the Cadillac of packs. Or maybe you just have a kid who likes to express their individuality. Whatever the reason, chances are your kid will love PakNaks. Paknaks are decorative accessories that transform plain backpacks, bags and other random stuff into personalized, ever-changing, colourful
works of art. With 40 plus designs that are interchangeable, weather resistant and quickly and easily adhered to (no ironing, sewing or pinning – hooray!) all of your stuff, PakNak “makes changing your style as easy as changing your Nak.” Check out this YouTube clip of PakNaks in action. It doesn’t get much easier. And if you ever want to move your PakNaks to another piece, the custom velcro is removable too, so you don’t end up with a black dot on your backpack.

Green News: The Portland, Oregon based & mom-run company makes their PakNaks from recycled plastic!

Whether you’re trying to make last year’s backpack work for another year or just make the ones you have look a little cooler, PakNaks may be just the thing. They even make the five dollar WalMart special look cool.

Save 10% with the code PAK10

Win it! We’re giving away a set of five PakNaks to two winners. To enter, simply browse the great selection and leave a comment listing the five you’d choose should your number be selected as a winner. As always, the winners will be selected via random integer generator but you must leave a qualifying comment to be entered. (i.e. In this case, “I want to win” would disqualify you.) Good luck!

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNERS EMAILED

Some of our long time readers may remember my review of the Wrap N Mat from February 2007. With the shift toward green living becoming larger (yay!) every day, it’s time to revisit this great invention which is now available from the new-ish Vancouver-based Canadian boutique Lavish and Lime.

Lavish and Lime carries only the Wrap-N-Mats with the phthalate-free LDPE lining (the same material as plastic sandwich bags but a thicker grade to ensure re-usability) and carries a selection of the nicest available fabrics. I’m especially digging the dots fabric (pictured at right) for it’s decidedly not bright and ugly style. These fabulously green reusable sandwich wraps are not only great for sandwiches but also for muffins, crackers and other snacks. When opened they provide a clean place to eat that can be brought home, washed in warm water and re-used for an entire school year. At a price of $7.50, you’ll not only be doing your part to save the earth but you may even be saving money if you’re not buying as many costly ziploc bags.

Save 10% at Lavish and Lime with the code TOP