Every child loves to see their name in print and if there’s a way to make seeing your name in print more exciting, it is seeing your picture along side it. Proud Canadian company Mini Me Books has gotten it just right with their creation of The Octopus Book.

There are three available options, all of which are fantastic and only get better as you put a few more dollars into it. The first, with personalized text including the name of the child and their parents, sells for $32.99. For $39.99, you can personalize the names of the characters, and upload an image of your child. Finally, for $49.99 you can personalize text and photo for your child and 2 adults. My son has the $49.99 edition of The Octopus Book and I can tell you very honestly that it’s worth every penny and you will love it as much as your child will! The quality is second to none - better, in fact, than many of the thousands of books that fill my house and classroom from bookstores and other sources. The pages are thick and shiny and the paper is certified to the environmental and social standards of the Forest Stewardship Council. The binding is sturdy and tough, and the integration of the uploaded photographs is professional and…perfect. This does not look like a homemade book. It’s one that we have read daily since it arrived and will continue to read for many years.

Sure, it’s more than you’d spend on an average book at the store…but this is no average book. If you’re able to make the investment for your child, I assure you that you won’t regret it. I highly recommend it.

Save 10% on your Mini Me Book purchase with the code TOP10.

Win it! We’re giving away a personalized Mini Me Book valued at $49.99 to one lucky TOP reader! To enter, leave a comment on this post letting us know what little person in your life would be the lucky recipient before 11:59 mst on October 10, 2008.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Not only did I lose all of my contacts and files, but I haven’t even been able to use the 15 minutes per day that my kids are both asleep to attempt to recover them because I’m totally addicted to Jishaku.

What’s that, you ask?

Don’t worry. So did I.

Jishak, the Japanese word for magnet, is a portable strategy game like chess or checkers that can be played anywhere. Unlike any other game, though, there is an element of surprise when the magnets jump out of position without warning.

All magnets have North and South poles. Jishaku magnets do too, but they aren’t marked. As you carefully place your magnet in a hole you can feel the tug of magnets all around the board. Skilled players (apparently…I’m not there yet) learn to use magnetic force in their favor- repelling the magnets closest to them without forcing them into other magnets.

Depending on which version of the game you choose to play, I’m Out, Roundup, or Elimination, your goal will vary. The suspense that you feel as you place your stones, though, never changes. Even when you play it all by yourself as I’ve been doing.

See it in action here and then tell me you don’t want to buy this game. Trust me. You do.

Save 10% through 7/31 with the code TOP100.

Win it!We’ve got a game of Jishaku for one randomly selected winner. To enter, simply comment on this post before 11:59 MST on August 4/08.

Additional entries available - up to four per person. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

2Chix (previously reviewed here) has added some sizzling hot burnout tees to their already smokin’ collection. The thin, super-soft, weathered tees, which are all the rage this season whether you’re expecting or not, look equally fab paired with a skirt and strappy heels or designer jeans and your most comfortable flats. (Or, in my humble non-metro opinion, yoga capris and Birks…but whatever.)

This tee, which comes in both v-neck and crew neck, is form-fitting, long enough to cover a full-term belly, super-soft and generally just perfect for forty-two weeks of sexy comfort. If, like me, even your arms get pregnant, you’ll love the sleeves on this tee that accentuate the best and hide the rest. At $44, it’s a little more than the tee you’ll pick up at Old Navy but after the initial pinch you won’t regret it. These tees are incredibly comfy and aren’t so ‘maternity’ that you couldn’t get away with wearing them for a long time after that cute bebe is in your arms instead of your belly.

Save 10% on anything from 2Chix with the code TOP10 through September 30, 2008.

We’re ba-ack! Sorry for the extended delay but…have you ever been unplugged for ten days? Once you get used to it, it’s fan-freaking-tastic! It’s been a long time since I held my baby for so long sans-sling, played for so many uninterrupted hours on end or just sat and enjoyed the silence instead of checking email. I highly recommend it.

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TOP Contributing Writer Rashmi has been reviewing the fabulous vegan faux-suede Isabooties pre-walker shoes. Check out her review below and read on for a giveaway.

The main reason soft-soled Isabooties shoes caught my eye was because they describe themselves as *eco-friendly*. When a business, especially one which deals with children’s products, makes a statement of that kind, I was naturally very curious in checking them out. I’m glad I did! Hip and stylish Isabooties, besides being made in the USA with fair labor and using fabrics that are animal-free are, more importantly, formaldehyde-free. It’s a little known fact that formaldehyde is one of the most common shoe allergens! In my book, that’s a BIG plus.

The Anchors-Away pair I got to try out were cute, comfortable and nicely flexible on my little one’s feet while being easy for me to slip on and more importantly, difficult for my son to pull off. My son has worn his “e-butty” as he insists on calling them, inside and out and they’ve held up well on a hot sidewalk and even inside, on a tile floor where they’ve have demonstrated their skid-proof abilities. Among their numerous plus points, the Ultrasuede material of Isabooties is also fade-resistant. My son’s have been through two washes (one necessary, one just for test purposes) and so far I can’t see any change, shape, color and quality-wise. They look as good as they did when they first arrived in their recycled packaging.

They have choices galore on their website and I particularly liked their 60-day return policy. In other words, Isabooties are something I’ll have no hesitation recommending to Moms everywhere.

Use the code TOP for 15% off your Isabooties through August 31, 2008

Win it! We’re giving away TWO pairs of Isabooties in your choice of size and style. Two winners will be drawn at random from all qualifying comments. To enter, simply visit the Isabooties site to choose your fave and leave a comment on this post by noon MST on July 23/08 letting us know the style and size you’d want if you’re selected. That’s it!

AND…

The lovely ladies at Isabooties would love for you to subscribe to their newsletter. It’s our policy never to share your information unless you’re a winner so if you’d like to subscribe please leave your email address in the body of your comment so that Libby and Laura can add you to their list and keep you informed about new styles and sales. Of course, you’ll be able to safely unsubscribe at any time.

(And since we’ve been away from giveaways for a week, shall I remind you that lazy comments can’t win? Visit the site, choose a pair, leave a comment. It takes but a moment and it’s the least you can do!)

Additional entries available - up to four per person. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED - WINNERS EMAILED

What child doesn’t like to build forts? None that I know, and as a mother and a teacher I know hundreds.

Parents, though, aren’t always huge fans of finding every sheet and blanket from their linen closet draped over the kitchen and living room furniture. Invest in a Fortamajig and you’ll never come home to an empty linen closet again.

The Fortamajig, created by The Happy Kid Company, is a far better alternative to sheets even if you are the mom that doesn’t mind re-washing and re-folding them repeatedly as-nauseum. It’s a fort, a tent, a drawing room for a tea-party, an art studio, a bug museum, a library or a barn. It’s whatever you want it to be. Limited only by your imagination, the genius easy to use (see?) Fortamajig is an 8×8 foot piece of ripstop nylon with slits, windows and 24 velcro loops sewn at strategic locations allowing children to build and re-build a variety of play structures using chairs, trees, stair rails or anything else you can dream up. Packaged in a tote with no pieces to break or lose - and is really the ultimate in portable, washable, storable and durable open-ended toys. We have used the Fortamajig with kids aged 2-72 and every one of them adored it.

The single layer Fortamajig retails for $70 and the double layer reversibles and the cool new Connectables retail for $90. Both can be ordered from their online shop.

Save 10% off your entire order through August 1, 2008 with the code opinion.

When I bought (okay, my mother in law bought…) my first stroller, I was very concerned about the cup holders. Little did I know that no matter how many and how deep they were, they’d still spill their contents everywhere when we hit bumps and would fall off and even break when they were stuck in the back of my vehicle. I suppose it’s akin to buying a car for the great mirrors and lipstick holder. You do it once and learn your lesson.

Now that my stroller is adorned with the fabulous (reader recommended - thanks Katja!) Think King Soft Buggy Cup designed by King-Yee Man, I’ll never worry about cup holders again. It’s made of squishable but sturdy mesh and nylon and is large enough to hold both a drink and your keys/wallet/cell phone but small enough to be totally unobtrusive. It’s flat bottom and drawstring top keep the contents level and secure. I stick my necessities at the bottom and my drink on top and I’m ready to rock and roll.

The Think King Soft Buggy Cup is truly the first cup holder I’ve found that really works and is multi-purpose. It attaches easily with Velcro to almost anything (strollers, car seats, scooters, bikes…), is easy to clean and pulls of in seconds if you want to move it to another stroller or location.

Get 15% off on your purchase of 2 or more with the code buggycup-top for the next two weeks only! (Ends May 16/08.)

Trust me when I tell you that you’ll want to keep both for yourself. I’m ordering even more - one for each child to keep on the stroller, one for my regular dose of caffeine and necessities, two for hanging in the van so I can ditch those blasted carseat cup holders, four to live on our bikes…

Hmmm, get yours fast before I put them out of stock!

In honour of the arrival of 2008 and to thank us for our previous review, Downtime is offering you - our amazingly loyal and online shopping loving readers - a chance to win one of five Downtime Sleepy Hats. Five winners will each win their choice of hat from the Downtime shop.

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T.O.P. readers receive a whopping 25% off all online orders for the month of January with the code TOP2008

At only $22 regular price, that makes an awesome baby gift for only $16.50, so stock up now!

To enter the random draw, simply send an email to theopinionatedparent@gmail.com before midnight MST on January 11, 2008 with DOWNTIME GIVEAWAY in the subject line and tell us your choice of colour and size should you be selected as a winner.

Remember to include your full (real) name and mailing address for shipping. (Open to US & Canadian addresses only.)
Incomplete entries will be deleted.

Congratulations to Lisa, Andrea, Kirstin, Brooke & Nissa!

It was almost exactly a year ago that we featured a review of T.O.P. fave Mabel’s Labels and we still love them just as much as (if not more than) we did then.

Apparently you agree because as Christmas nears we’re getting tons of emails asking about a discount code for the best labels on earth.

Dear readers, ask and you shall receive!

Save 10% at Mabel’s Labels until February 10, 2008 with the code TOP10FEB