Mom Caboodle

Archive for July, 2010

We travel a lot and the one thing that I always wish we had while traveling is headphones for the kids. Between my husband’s radio shows, my daughter’s DS, or my son’s PSP…..it can get really loud.  Usually someone is always screaming at someone else to turn their entertainment down.

We have tried earbuds in the past but they have never worked out. The kids are always complaining about how the earbuds hurt their ears. I can totally relate to that because they hurt my ears as well.

I have finally found something for the kids……Kidz Gear Headphones. We were sent two pair of Kidz Gear Headphones for review and I must say they are perfect!! These headphones are adjustable to fit just about any size kid (they even fit me) I only wish I had learned about these headphones before all of our summer travels.

The first adult-featured stereo headphones made specifically for kids. Manufactured with  the same high quality components as those used in standard adult headphones, the Kidz Gear Wired Headphones deliver extremely rich stereo sound quality for all your audio needs – DVDs, MP3s, Game Players, Television, Radio and more. They are a must for children in the car, on the plane or hanging out at home. 

IR Wireless Car Headphones from Kidz Gear. Delivering the same perfect fit, excellent quality and rich stereo sound as our Wired Headphones, but now with total portability thanks to no wires! These headphones are 100% Guaranteed to work with all built-in car DVD/sound systems. Designed with custom sized ear-cups, auto-power off feature, and comfortable padding, your child will be sure to enjoy those trips in the car. You can even use these headphones at home!
(IR transmitter sold separately)

We were sent one pair of wired headphones and one pair of wireless headphones to try. Call me old fashioned but I lean toward the wired headphones…..They just seem more practial. The wireless headphones need batteries, so that’s one more thing that needs to be kept up with.

Buy It!

You can buy these headphones at www.GEARFORKIDZ.com

Win it!

In addition to the two pair that we tried out, I was sent two pair to give away…one pair of wired and one pair of wireless. There will be two winners. The first person picked will receive their choice of wired or wireless.

Mandatory Entry:

Tell me who will get these headphones!

State which kind you prefer: wired or wireless. Please choose carefully because the first winner will receive what they stated in their mandatory entry.

Additional Entries:

(Please Note: All Entries will be visible after approval)

Follow Mom Caboodle on Twitter and leave your Twitter name (2 entries)

Follow Mom Caboodle via Google Friend Connect (2 entries)

Subscribe to Mom Caboodle via Email and leave your Email Address (2 entries)

Fan/Like Mom Caboodle on Facebook  and leave your Facebook name (2 entries)

Grab my button and leave the URL where I can find it (5 entries)

Blog about this giveaway and leave the URL where I can find it (5 entries)

Vote for Mom Caboodle on Top Mommy Blogs (2 entries)
(simply click on the banner located on the left sidebar)

Leave a comment on any Mom Caboodle non-giveaway Post and tell me which one (2 entries)

You may tweet about this giveaway up to 3x a day and leave the URL to your Tweet (1 entry for each tweet)
Please space out your tweets at least one hour apart!

Enter to #win Kidz Gear Headphones @momcaboodle #giveaway (2 Winners) http://tinyurl.com/23f8z3y Ends 8/20

 Stumble this giveaway and leave your account name (2 entries)

Submit this giveaway to any giveaway linky and leave the URL to the linky (2 entries)

Email this giveaway to five friends and copy me on the email: shanna@momcaboodle.com (2 entries)

Tell me how you heard about this giveaway (1 entry)

Giveaway is open to the USA and Canada. Giveaway/Contest will end on August 20th, 2010 at 11:59 P.M. EST. Two winners will be chosen using Random.org. Winners will be sent an e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond. If I do not hear back form the winners within 48 hours, I will choose different winners.

 I was given the featured items at no cost by Kidz Gear in order to review and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but it was not influenced in any manner by monetary means.

I know, the kids have not even started back to school yet and I am already starting to think Halloween! I love Halloween and everything that comes with it. However, living in Florida, I do not get to experience the ambiance of the Halloween season that I am accustomed to. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE living in Florida……for about ten months out of the year. I am originally from Kentucky, so I long for those cool, crisp Kentucky Fall days! I miss the beautiful fall colors, ranking leaves, wearing sweatshirts and jeans, fall festivals, candy apples, and of course a good old fashioned Kentucky Halloween!

I guess my love of Halloween has rubbed off onto my children. My daughter has already started talking about her Halloween costume for this year. She wants to be a flying squirrel…..yes, a flying squirrel! How in the world am I going to pull that one off? Last year, she wanted to be a Dalmatian puppy. My daughter is eight years old…..do you know how hard it is to find a puppy costume for an eight year old? It’s not an easy task. I could not find a costume for her anywhere, So I decided to try to make her one. I am not much of a seamstress, so it had to be something simple. I came up with the idea of getting a white sweat suit and painting big black dots all over it. I then went to the local craft store and bought black felt for the ears and tail. I simply cut out the shape of the ears and tail and hot glued them to the costume. I then found a white mask and painted a black nose on it. I completed the costume with a blue dog collar. I think it turned out pretty cute. We had tons of compliments on it but most importantly is that my daughter loved it and that’s all that matters!

I am thinking I will try to do something similar to crate a flying squirrel. I am open to any and all ideas, so let me know if you have any brainstorms on creating a flying squirrel costume!!

In the meantime, I am working on putting together a Mom Caboodle Halloween Bash!!  I am hoping to offer my readers tons of chances to win some fabulous prizes!

If you are a company and would like to be a sponsor in the 2010 Mom Caboodle’s Halloween Bash….Contact me!

They grow up way too fast!

Would you eat crunchy fruit? Normally, I would say “NO” But when it comes by the way of a purple Funky Monkey in a purple hat, then it’s all good!

Funky Monkey: Fruit that Crunches!!

I was sent the seven packs shown in the picture above. My first thought was these snacks would be like all the other dried fruit snacks that I have tried in the past…….but they are not like all the rest!! The Funky Monkey snacks are exactly what I have been looking for!! In the past, I have been looking for dried fruit snacks that crunch but I always ended up getting chewy. Funky Monkey provides that crunch that I have been craving!

Funky Monkey Snacks are a line of freeze-dried fruit that are 100% natural, 100% real fruit, and 100% delicious – with three servings of fruit in each 1oz bag!  Our “fruit that crunches” provides the ultimate snack, fusing the great taste, smell, and nutritional goodness of fresh fruit with the crunch and convenience of conventional snacks.  Here are some additional Funky Monkey highlights:

•       Funky Monkey Snacks have no added colors, flavors, sugars, or preservatives

•       Our special, proprietary manufacturing process provides for a crunchier texture vs. conventional freeze-drying techniques

•       We use full slices and pieces (not dices) of delicious, fresh fruit

•       Funky Monkey is made in Brazil using tropical fruits at the peak of freshness

•       Our products are gluten-free and are certified Kosher

•       One of our 7 flavors, Purple Funk, also includes açai, a berry from the Amazon that is viewed as the newest superfood

Funky Monkey Snacks come in seven flavors:

• Applemon
• Bananamon (My favorite flavor!)
• MangOJ
• Pink Pineapple
• JiveALime
• Purple Funk
• Carnaval Mix

Bananamon, JiveALime, and Purple Funk are 100% organic!  Pink Pineapple is 95% organic, Carnaval Mix is 70% organic. There’s 3 servings of fruit in each 1 oz. bag.  They are also Gluten Free, Peanut Free, and 100% real fruit. So you can feel good about giving these to your kids at snack time!

Learn more about Funky Monkey at: http://www.funkymonkeysnacks.com

I love this product and I will definitely be buying more! Click here to find out where to get your Funky Monkey snacks.

Win Funky Monkey Fruit Snacks!

The awesome people at Funky Monkey are giving one lucky Mom Caboodle reader seven bags(one of each flavor) of their own!

Mandatory Entry:

Tell me what flavor you want to try first. If you have already experienced Funky Monkey, tell me your favorite flavor.

Additional Entries:

(Please Note: All Entries will be visible after approval)

 Follow Funky Monkey on Twitter (2 entries)

Subscribe to Funky Monkey’s You Tube Channel   (2 entries)

Subscribe to Funky Monkey’s Newsletter (2 entries)

Follow Mom Caboodle on Twitter and leave your Twitter name (2 entries)

Follow Mom Caboodle via Google Friend Connect (2 entries)

Subscribe to Mom Caboodle via Email and leave your Email Address (2 entries)

Fan/Like Mom Caboodle on Facebook  and leave your Facebook name (2 entries)

Grab my button and leave the URL where I can find it (5 entries)

Blog about this giveaway and leave the URL where I can find it (5 entries)

Leave a comment on any Mom Caboodle non-giveaway Post and tell me which one (2 entries)

Vote for Mom Caboodle on Top Mommy Blogs (2 entries)

(Simply Click on the Banner located on the left sidebar)

Submit a Recipe to the Recipe Row Linky and tell me in your comment which recipe you submitted (3 entries)

You may tweet about this giveaway up to 3x a day and leave the URL to your Tweet (1 entry for each tweet)

Please space out your tweets at least one hour apart!

                             Enter to #win Funky Monkey Snacks @momcaboodle and @FunkyMonkeySnck #giveaway http://tinyurl.com/29jggz2 Ends 8/15

 Stumble this giveaway and leave your account name (2 entries)

Submit this giveaway to any giveaway linky and leave the URL to the linky (2 entries)

Email this giveaway to five friends and copy me on the email: shanna@momcaboodle.com (2 entries)

Tell me how you heard about this giveaway (1 entry)

Giveaway is open to the USA and Canada. Giveaway/Contest will end on August 15th, 2010 at 11:59 P.M. EST. One winner will be chosen using Random.org. Winner will be sent an e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond. If I do not hear back form the winner within 48 hours, I will choose another winner.

 I was given the featured items at no cost by Funky Monkey in order to review and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but it was not influenced in any manner by monetary means.

I love giveaways!! I love to enter them and I love to host them. I guess you could say I’m addicted to giveaways!! I came across a new web site called Giveaway Scout.  It is a giveaway search engine that automatically scans thousands of blogs to bring you the latest blog giveaways, sweepstakes and contests.

If you love giveaways, check out http://www.giveawayscout.com/

Calling all Nature and Science Lovers!! If you or your kids love nature and science as much as I do, then Nature Pavilion is the store for you! They offer a huge selection of educational toys and games, science fair projects, and nature craft kits, plus so much more from companies like Insect Lore, Melissa & Doug, and Bird Brain….just to name a few.

I have four kids….three boys and a girl. I have always been the kind of mom that gets down and dirty with nature! I love going fishing, camping, catching bugs and tadpoles. So when I was given the chance to review the Insect Lore Ladybug Land sold by Nature Pavilion…..I was very excited!!

With Insect Lore’s Ladybug Land discover the metamorphosis of a ladybug with our new Ladybug Land. Mail certificate, along with $3.00 for handling, to receive your Pink Spotted ladybug larvae by mail. The see-through domed habitat allows you to get a bug’s eye view as you watch the small alligator-shaped larvae eat their special food and drink from “water bubbles”.Includes sturdy Ladybug Land habitat, magnifier dome cap, certificate for 15 to 20 ladybug larvae with special food and complete instructions. 10 Ladybugs guaranteed to be perfect specimens. Please allow approximately two weeks for your larvae to develop.

Ages 4 & up.

Available only in the Continental U.S. and Alaska. Sorry, not available in Oregon. Can not ship to Hawaii, Mexico, Canada or United Kingdom.

*Larva and food can’t be shipped from Nature Pavilion. Coupon must be mailed to Insect Lore in California – Sorry!

The Ladybug Land arrived last week and with all live insect kits, the bugs don’t come with it. Included with the kit is a coupon to redeem your larvae. Your first set of insects/larvae are free but you do have to pay $3.00 for shipping and handling. Normally with any ant farms, insect kits, or butterfly kits that I have had in the past, you would have to send your request for your insects/larvae via snail mail. Now you can do this via the Internet which makes your wait time much shorter!! We ordered ours yesterday and I received an email stating that our ladybug larvae will arrive within 3-5 business days.

Since we do not have our ladybug larvae yet, I will have to do a follow up to complete this review. In the meantime, you can purchase your own Ladybug Land here: www.naturepavilion.com

Win a Ladybug Land!!

Nature Pavilion has generously offered to give one lucky Mom Caboodle Reader a ladybug Land of their own!

Mandatory Entry:

Go to www.naturepavilion.com and tell me another item that you would like to have.

Please Note: Available only in the Continental U.S. and Alaska. Sorry, not available in Oregon. Can not ship to Hawaii, Mexico, Canada or United Kingdom.

Additional Entries:

(Please Note: All Entries will be visible after approval)

 Subscribe to Nature Pavilion’s RSS Feed (2 entries)

Subscribe to Nature Pavilion’s Newsletter located on their sidebar (2 entries)

“Like” Nature Pavilion on Facebook and tell them Mom Caboodle sent you (2 entries)

Follow Mom Caboodle on Twitter and leave your Twitter name (2 entries)

Follow Mom Caboodle via Google Friend Connect (2 entries)

Subscribe to Mom Caboodle via Email and leave your Email Address (2 entries)

Fan/Like Mom Caboodle on Facebook  and leave your Facebook name (2 entries)

Grab my button and leave the URL where I can find it (5 entries)

Blog about this giveaway and leave the URL where I can find it (5 entries)

Leave a comment on any Mom Caboodle non-giveaway Post and tell me which one (2 entries)

Vote for Mom Caboodle on Top Mommy Blogs (2 entries)
(Simply Click on the Banner located on the left sidebar)

Submit a Recipe to the Recipe Row Linky and tell me in your comment which recipe you submitted (3 entries)

You may tweet about this giveaway up to 3x a day and leave the URL to your Tweet (1 entry for each tweet)

Please space out your tweets at least one hour apart!

#win Insect Lore’s Ladybug Land from Nature Pavilion and @momcaboodle #giveaway http://tinyurl.com/235h7gx  Ends 8/14

Stumble this giveaway and leave your account name (2 entries)

Submit this giveaway to any giveaway linky and leave the URL to the linky (2 entries)

Email this giveaway to five friends and copy me on the email: shanna@momcaboodle.com (2 entries)

Tell me how you heard about this giveaway (1 entry)

10 Bonus Entries:

Only If you responded to my bonus entry post here: http://tinyurl.com/338ry8w 

Giveaway is open to the USA. Giveaway/Contest will end on August 14th, 2010 at 11:59 P.M. EST. One winner will be chosen using Random.org. Winner will be sent an e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond. If I do not hear back form the winner within 48 hours, I will choose another winner.

 I was given the featured item at no cost by Nature Pavilion in order to review and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but it was not influenced in any manner by monetary means.

When most of us think about first aid kits, we normally think of band-aids, bandages, ice packs, etc. As a mother of four children, I have seen my share of first aid kits but I have never seen one like the Intelligent First Aid Kit that actually talks to you!!

Having four children I have seen many cuts, scrapes, and bruises. Thankfully, I have never experienced any serious injuries with my children. When you are a Mother, you quickly learn the Tricks of the Trade when it comes to first aid….but would I really know what to do with a serious injury? I feel that I am pretty knowledgeable when it comes to first aid but I was surprised when I read common first aid mistakes! For instance, I did not know not to remove blood soaked gauze from a bleeding wound. Once the gauze becomes blood soaked, leave them in place and simply apply the new gauze over top of the blood soaked gauze!

The Intelligent First Aid Kit is not meant to replace calling 911!

Always call 911 or seek professional help in an emergency in addition to using the kits. First aid kits are meant to provide immediate aid before the arrival of emergency personnel, which can take several critical minutes. Every second counts. Correctly managing the situation can have a positive effect on the victim’s outcome.

What defines a first aid kit?

By definition, first aid is the emergency care provided to an injured person prior to the arrival of professional medical services. A true first aid kit should be able to treat both common and emergency injuries, thereby containing the essential first aid supplies that go well beyond simple bandages and ointment. However, traditional first aid kits have a number of supplies, mostly related to cuts and scrapes and rarely have any instructional guidance.

What differentiates Intelligent First Aid kits from others in the marketplace?

The patented design of an Intelligent First Aid kit combines individually labeled and color-coded Care Packs with the necessary medical supplies and simple step-by-step instructions for managing the injury. The Talking First Aid™ kit adds another layer of technical guidance with audio directions that can pause or repeat throughout the treatment process. No other first aid kit in the marketplace is as comprehensive, and few offer any medical instructions whatsoever. With Intelligent First Aid kits, you get the exact support and medical supplies you need to help you through an emergency.

Are Intelligent First Aid’s instructional guides written to any specific standards?

Yes. All guidelines included in the first aid kits were provided to Intelligent First Aid by national first aid training agencies and trauma surgeons. Medical guidelines were written to and meet the standards set by the 2006 National First Aid Science Advisory Board.

Who should have a first aid kit?

It is strongly advised that first aid kits become a staple of all homes, schools and workplaces. The most at-risk for not having a first aid kit are homes or locations with children or older adults, as those age groups are the most prone to injury. Another prime target for first aid kits are residents of communities that can’t provide immediate access to emergency services. Regardless, the reality is that first aid kits should be readily available despite the situation or location. Safety must always come first.

Intelligent First Aid kits were a “Best Buy in Safety For Your Family” in Good Housekeeping Magazine and also received an IParenting award in 2005. Most recently Intelligent First Aid Kits have been on The Doctors TV show and have sent kits to aid them on the recent visit to Haiti.

I received the TFAK Talking First Aid™ (ERS700) to review and I must say that I am very impressed with it. I feel more at ease knowing that I have the Intelligent First Aid kit in my home. I Love it but I hope I never have to use it!

Buy It

You can purchase the Intelligent First Aid Kit at http://www.intelligentfirstaid.com

Win It

Intelligent first Aid is giving one lucky Mom Caboodle Reader their very own Intelligent First Aid Kit (ARV $149.99)

Mandatory Entry:

Visit http://www.intelligentfirstaid.com  and tell me something you learned about the company.

Additional Entries:

(Please Note: All Entries will be visible after approval)

Follow Mom Caboodle on Twitter and leave your Twitter name (2 entries)

Follow Mom Caboodle via Google Friend Connect (2 entries)

Subscribe to Mom Caboodle via Email and leave your Email Address (2 entries)

Fan/Like Mom Caboodle on Facebook  and leave your Facebook name (2 entries)

Grab my button and leave the URL where I can find it (5 entries)

Blog about this giveaway and leave the URL where I can find it (5 entries)

Leave a comment on any Mom Caboodle non-giveaway Post and tell me which one (2 entires)

Vote for Mom Caboodle on Top Mommy Blogs (2 entries)
(Simply Click on the Banner located on the left sidebar)

Submit a Recipe to the Recipe Row Linky and tell me in your comment which recipe you submitted (3 entries)

You may tweet about this giveaway up to 3x a day and leave the URL to your Tweet (1 entry for each tweet)

Please space out your tweets at least one hour apart!

 Enter to #win Intelligent First Aid Kit (ARV $149.99) @momcaboodle #giveaway http://tinyurl.com/2wvzfuz  Ends 8/14

Stumble this giveaway and leave your account name (2 entries)

Submit this giveaway to any giveaway linky and leave the URL to the linky (2 entries)

Email this giveaway to five friends and copy me on the email: shanna@momcaboodle.com (2 entries)

Tell me how you heard about this giveaway (1 entry)

10 Bonus Entries:

Only If you responded to my bonus entry post here: http://tinyurl.com/338ry8w 

Giveaway is open to the US and Canada. Giveaway/Contest will end on August 14th, 2010 at 11:59 P.M. EST. One winner will be chosen using Random.org. Winner will be sent an e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond. If I do not hear back form the winner within 48 hours, I will choose another winner.

 I was given the featured item at no cost by the manufacturer in order to review and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but it was not influenced in any manner by monetary means.

My son struggles in school. His main problem is Math. I have never thought about alternative educational sources until I heard about Online School Solutions. I was really impressed with what they offer to middle school and high school students. It will be a couple years before my son is in middle school, but I am thrilled to know that there is a place on the internet like onlineschoolsolutions.com. Weather you are looking for full time, part time, or just a class for your child to brush up on their skills, Online School Solutions definitely has it all covered.

To put it in context, the “iGeneration” has never known life without the Internet, being mobile, using avatars, IMing or choosing and watching content whether they are at home, in the car, at a football game or shopping at the mall. To reach them in their high-tech, high-touch world, many parents and educators are looking at how to rewire schools to match how the iGeneration learns.

Taking classes online is one way to give middle and high school students (and their school districts) new options to learn using preferred tools in a familiar environment, and even experience enhanced, one-on-one relationships with educators.  Whether they’re in need of more assistance, looking for wider range of classes or simply prefer to learn in a medium that they have grown up with, online learning can be a great way to fit your child’s needs. 

Online Public School

• Tuition-free
• Students follow a traditional school year
• Students may be required to take standardized state tests

Online Private School

• Students can enroll any time of the year
• Complete flexibility for students to create their own schedule and have 12 months to complete their courses
• Students are offered optional mid-term and end of course assessments to measure achievement growth
• Work with other students from across the US and around the world!

Since my son is struggling in math…. it is wonderful to know that we will be able to turn to Online School Solutions when or if needed.

Disclaimer: This review is part of a campaign for MomSelect and onlineschoolsolutions.com. I may be rewarded with a $20.00 Target Gift Card.

Ten Little Piggies