Thursday, September 26, 2013

NIMLI marketplace giveaway

 

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So my little guy is growing like a weed and that gives me a built in excuse to shop, Shop, SHOP! There are hundreds of stores out there for baby clothing but this one caught my eye and interest! http://www.nimli.com/ has the most adorable baby things as well as great items for my older children, the home and the hubs and I.

about_center_text Nimli is a curated marketplace of makers & sellers.  We're a community of independent designers, curators and consumers.  You can read more about NIMLI at www.nimli.com/about-us.

And bonus, everyday FREE shipping! That’s like an online shopping gem right there.

Don’t take my word for it check out NIMIL yourself! I absolutely fell in love with the Mi Cielo's brand clothing for infants and children. They are 100% handmade and using 100% recycled eco felts, cotton, threads. Cute and environmentally friendly! Check out this adorable yoda infant bodysuit.  

yoda

awww!

I seriously spent a day clicking through the Mi Cielo’s clothing page and making a wish list a mile long! Superheroes AND star wars, my kids are totally getting their geek on soon!

It gets better nimli is giving one of my lucky readers one of the pictured Yoda bodysuits above, enter to win it below……


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Disclosure: All views are my own and the giveaway prize is supplied by nimli.

Babies”R”Us The Sweetest Registry Deal Ever

 

This past June, my family was blessed with our third bundle of joy. For us, using the registry at Babies”R”Us is an old habit. It makes it hard to remember back in the days when we were expecting our first child, back before we knew how to do registries. And now, it’s my great pleasure to share some of my secrets for first time mothers filling out a registry with you.

First, when you walk into a store like Babies”R”Us, you go to the registry desk and ask to setup a registry. The people at Babies”R”Us will help with everything, and you will get a great welcome package, which includes a Baby Registry Planner with a full checklist of essential items, invitation cards to inform family and friends that you are registered at Babies”R”Us, a $5 off coupon for spending $25, product samples, and much more.

Then the fun really begins when they hand you that little hand scanner. My best advice here: go nuts! Scan everything you think you need, and scan everything you don’t think you need, but want. Babies”R”Us has an unmatched assortment of baby products, everything from bottles, diapers, strollers, toys…just about anything you could ever need or want for babies. And, with terrific assistance from their Registry Consultants, Babies”R”Us will make sure you’re ready for that special guy or girl.

And, if you set up your registry between now and November 15, 2013, you will enjoy the Sweetest Registry Deal Ever. You will earn 10% back on all purchases made from your registry, up to $200, in the form of an e-gift card about 10 weeks after the expected arrival date. That includes gifts given to you at your baby shower. So if your mother buys that nice stroller, or your friend gives you that dresser you had your eye on, you’ll get money you can use for things when the baby comes.

All-in-all, Babies”R”Us is the best place to register for your impending bundle of joy. With the widest selection, the greatest perks, and the most helpful staff imaginable, you will be well prepared for when you’re holding that precious baby in your arms.

Babies“R”Us is THE leading dedicated baby products retailer, and its registry, to date, has been used by more than 18 million parents and caregivers! The Sweetest Registry Deal Ever is the first promotion of its kind.

Read more about Babies“R”Us and their registry visit these helpful pages:
And BONUS! Babies“R”Us is giving away one (1) $50 gift card to a family treasures reader (U.S. residents only) to use for their Babies“R”Us needs. A big thank you to Babies“R”Us!

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Disclosure: “The Babies“R”Us information and gift cards have been provided by Babies“R”Us.”

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Back to School Allergy Tips from Claritin

backtoschoolIts back to school time! Are you as excited as I am? Haha! With backpacks and lunch boxes we also have to restock our medicine chest with our fall needs. One thing we reach for is Claritin.

This summer went by too fast for our family. We welcomed a new baby and my oldest baby went on a cruise with out me. So unfair! But now its back to the daily grind. With our oldest off to school I cant be around to shelter her from things that might cause a flair up but I know that we will have Claritin on hand if it does. I’m just glad our big guy doesn’t have any allergies! Below are some Allergy tips from Claritin.

Back to School Allergy Tips6a00e554e8b4c2883301901e96d3c9970b-800wi_thumb[8]

  1. Be sure to have Children’s Claritin, the #1 pediatrician-recommended non-drowsy allergy brand, on hand!
  2. Multi-vitamins are building blocks to having a strong immune system. Make taking a multi-vitamin part of your child’s daily routine.
  3. Let there be light! Mold doesn't like sunlight, so try to keep your curtains open during the day. Should be easy during the summer months!
  4. Did you know that most pillows trap allergens, dust mites, and bacteria? Monitor the cleanliness of the pillow your child with allergies sleeps on and replace if necessary.
  5. Back to school season means lots of laundry for many moms. Be sure to remove laundry from the washing machine promptly. Allowing wet clothes to sit in the washer means mold can quickly grow there.
  6. Monitor pollen counts and adjust outdoor before and after school activities accordingly. Dry, windy days can be particularly high in pollen.
  7. Showering or bathing at the end of the day as opposed to the morning can be helpful in removing allergens from body surfaces and hair.
  8. Stay hydrated! Always send your child to school with a bottle of water. Drinking lots of clear fluids through the day can help get rid of toxins and flush out body.
  9. Peak pollen production typically occurs in early morning, so try to plan outside activities at other times of the day.

What back to school tips do you have?

And don’t forget to Vote for Play with Children’s Claritin & KaBOOM!  www.facebook.com/Claritin

"As a member of the Children's Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience."

Growing Up Online Free eBook & The Lorax Blu-ray Giveaway

 
About Growing Up Online -
We live in an exciting new world of sharing information, more so than ever before, but this is not without its challenges!
Many of us have heard about or experienced “cyber-bullying.” We know the pain it can create. Far too often have we heard the stories of children being cyber-bullied who don’t know what to do or where to turn.
The More You Know Learning Series, in collaboration with NBC News, addresses this new and dangerous trend, in addition to other online issues, with the launch of Growing Up Online, the FREE eBook for parents to keep their kids safe on the Internet! You and your family can now be prepared, clued-up and openly communicative about online issues big or small!
Our kids have never known a world without the Internet. They’re spending more and more time on the web, so teaching them about using technology responsibly and safely is critical. Use the #GrowingUpOnline Blog App and download the free eBook for a chance to win a copy of THE LORAX on DVD & Blu-ray!
Download the FREE Growing Up Online eBook and be sure to watch all four entertaining comic book stories as a family. These stories show real situations that may occur when your kids go online.
This free eBook provides easy-to-use information that addresses the growing concern about kids’ online privacy and cyber-bullying in a unique and engaging way. Growing Up Online is packed with important tips that every parent should know!

 
Print off these 6 Tips to Keep Your Kids Safe Online.



WIN IT! enter to win The Lorax on Blue-ray below - a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: I am working with Growing Up Online,  and Growing Up Online supplied these materials to me so I could share them with my readers.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

VTech® InnoTab 3® Learning Tablet {Review and Giveaway}

 

ar137510177038192Welcome back to Techie Tuesday, a segment of this blog written by my husband, Robert. Every Tuesday, hubby will bring you a review of a great piece of technology for you, your spouse, or you children, or even the whole family. He will also take questions and answer them right here on the blog, so leave your questions in the comments each week.

Thank you, Krystal, for that warm welcome back to your blog. I am really excited about this first Techie Tuesday review in a long time. As a kid, and even now as an adult, I play my fair share of video games. My children are getting to the age I was when I began playing games, and already they have several different games. They have Kindle Fires, where they watch movies and play games. But the games that I want them to enjoy need to be educational as well as fun. Games that are just fun (like Super Mario Bros.) are fine once in awhile, but now there are a plethora of educational games available, games that give children the fun they love while also teaching them something.

thumbnailgeneratorVTech is one of those companies bringing this kind of game to our children with the Innotab 3. First off, it is ready to go out of the box, complete with batteries and games (batteries are huge, as any parent knows. Many a Christmas and birthday have been spent hunting down batteries to make that one special toy work.).

The 4.3” touch screen is set enough inside so that it is relatively protected from the standard bumps that any toddler can and will put these through. And of course, VTech makes accessories to protect this even more.

One thing I really like about these is the expandable memory. Never will my wife and I have to worry about the memory getting too full on our children’s Innotab. We can stick a 32gb microSD card in there and fill it with all kinds of things. Even their Kindle Fires don’t have that (side-note here: my family just loves our Kindle and Kindle Fires. This is not to bash Amazon at all, just making an observation.)

Let’s talk of the software. Games are just the beginning. This kid-friendly tablet does eBooks, music, pictures, and video. This does just about everything a tablet does, in a very kid-centric way. When your child breaks out an eBook, they will be reading an interactive story. Suddenly, reading is fun. Not only will this tablet read to your child, highlighting the words as they are read, but will allow you to interact with the illustrations. Plus, the tablet will track your child’s progress, highlighting new words for your child to learn. Then, your child can touch the highlighted word and learn what it means.

The Innotab can play mp3 music, which can be loaded onto a microSD card and played through the unit. This allows parents like me to individualize their tablets with music that they like, music that they can listen to whenever they like.

It can also take pictures and videos. My kids love to take pictures. They love taking our phones and snapping pictures of everything from us to their dogs to each other. With the Innotab, they can do crazy things with the pictures they take, ensuring that one picture can last for a long time.

The best part is, as they learn on the Innotab, my wife and I can follow along with their progress by checking the Learning Lodge, which is like an online report, showing us what our children has learned and allowing us to express our pleasure and to see if their knowledge is retained.

All-in-all, the Innotab from VTech is a perfect all-in-one learning machine for children. With the interactive storybooks, they will learn reading skills that will carry them throughout their lives. And with the Learning Lodge, we can be an integral part of their development and education by allowing us to keep up on their progress.

  • The InnoTab® 3 combines educational games, creative activities and reading skills in a child-friendly, multi-function, touch screen tablet to make learning fun.
    • Compact and lightweight design with 4.3” color touch screen, new directional pad and tilt sensor
    • 2.0 megapixel, 180° rotating camera with more than 55 photo features and special effects
    • Four different media players: e-book reader, MP3 music player, photo viewer and video player
    • Includes 16 exciting apps such as:
      • “What’s that Noise?” e-book
      • WonderCam, which uses the camera to add special effects, funny faces and photo frames to pictures
      • Magical Bean Stalk, a growing game lets kids harvest and collect beans from their beanstalk
      • Color & Pop, a coloring book activity that makes coloring pages come to life
      • H2O Go! a directional pad game that teaches science concepts
    • Hundreds of downloads are available via the Learning Lodge™ to enhance learning fun

 

  • 21070106-innotab-3-learning-tablet-05The Learning Lodge™
    • The Learning Lodge™ features more than 350 educational games, e-books, music and videos developed specifically for each child’s unique stage of development and will nearly double its current selection by the end of the year.
    • The broad library of subjects includes reading, math, social studies, science, creativity, problem solving and so much more!
    • Starting with activities suitable for toddlers and expanding to grade schoolers, the Learning Lodge™ gives every child an opportunity to expand their learning potential while keeping them entertained.
    • Featured throughout the downloads and software cartridges are popular characters from Monsters University®, Turbo®, Planes®, Doc McStuffins®, Sofia the First®, Jake & the Never Land Pirates, Mike the Knight™, Angelina Ballerina®, Team Umizoomi™, Dora the Explorer™, Thomas & Friends®, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles®, Sesame Street and many more.
    • Parents can track their child’s progress through the Learning Lodge™ Progress Log, offer encouragement and share in their pride when kids reach new learning milestones.
  • Learn even more by visiting these sites-VTech-Logo

Now for the Fun Part! Vtech has graciously provided a innoTab 3 for one Lucky Family Treasures Reader. Enter to win below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was provided with a sample to review by VTech. But all thoughts are my own and I was not influenced in any way to give a positive review.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

THE ULTIMATE LIFE Blog App

Are you living THE ULTIMATE LIFE?
Between the pressure of running a foundation started by his late grandfather, being sued by his greedy extended family, and seeing his beloved Alexia leave on an extended mission trip to Haiti, Jason Stevens' world is unraveling. But when Jason discovers a journal that his grandfather began as a Depression-era lad, his writings transport Jason on an incredible rags-to-riches ride. With everything he loves hanging in the balance, Jason hopes he can discover THE ULTIMATE LIFE.
Opening in theaters September 6, THE ULTIMATE LIFE (the sequel to The Ultimate Gift) reminds us some things are worth more than money!
With The Ultimate Life Blog App, take the quiz to find out if YOU are Living Life to the Fullest! Read six great ways to start living the ultimate life NOW, as written by Jim Stovall, author of The Ultimate Life book. And watch the official trailer for this inspiring movie!
 
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Want to win this gift pack?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was given the content above and a gift pack to share with you my readers. I hope you find the information and blog at above to be both informative and fun.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Tech Timeout! Take the challenge…

 

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WHAT IS TECH TIMEOUT?

The Tech Timeout challenge started by Foresters encourages families to take a daily break from technology. Participating families are encouraged to disconnect from all things electronic with the goal of helping spouses, parents and children build stronger bonds, communicate more personally and get more involved in each other’s lives.

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Over the weekend, I participated in a 3 day Tech Timeout challenge. Basically, for one hour each day, My family and I would be completely disconnected from technology. That means no cell phones, no computers, no tv or game systems…nothing more high tech than a book. We were encouraged to undertake this challenge from Friday through Sunday. The days most people find themselves connected to their tech devices.

DAY 1 - On Friday, my husband got paid, so we went out running around. That made it easy to keep tech down to nothing. We were out shopping for over an hour. We went to a game store and let my son play on some of the games they had there, then we went to Target to shop for clothes and things we needed for the household. The entire day was tech free with the exception of those few minutes my son had.

DAY 2 - Saturday was the toughest day to stay focused on this task. As a SAHM who has a working husband, I don’t get out too much, especially with 3 kids. So, to entertain myself, I do things online, things like this blog, while watching a show on tv. So, we spent the hour (and longer) outside playing with my older children in the yard while my youngest child sat in his bouncer, smiling and giggling the whole time (he loves being outside already. Guess I better start reviewing camping gear, LOL).

DAY 3 - Sunday was an easy day as we spent an hour in church. My kids love to sing and dance in church to all the great music we have throughout the service. After that, we went to browse at a store, and then home.

So, overall, I reconnected with what life was like before we were bombarded with all of this technology we take for granted. In this age of smartphones, laptops, game systems, and everything, we lose touch with what we used to do. Now, I make my children spend less time using technology and more time outside using their imaginations. I want them to learn the same lesson I grew up with and relearned this weekend: your imagination is the greatest technology there is, and the only technology you really need for a great time.

By participating in this challenge I realized that out family needs to take more timeouts and go out and live. My husband and I are discussing how our family will keep Tech Timeout a part of our family routine, maybe doing a hour or two a day or maybe a whole Tech free day a week. I will let you know what we decide.

Now its your turn. Do you think your up for the Tech time out challenge? Do you think your family needs a Tech timeout? Let me know by posting below and check out more about Tech Timeout and take the challenge yourself at http://techtimeout.com/ 

And here are a few ideas to do with your family during your Tech Timeout.

50ThingsToDo

ar137510177038192Disclosure: I was compensated for this post but all thoughts and experiences are my own.