The Shopping Mama

Wordless Wednesday: Air Show!

by Kate on April 13th, 2010 | 5 Comments | Weekly Features, Wordless Wednesday

I attended my first Air Show last weekend. We got to see a lot of pilots – including the Thunderbirds – practice on Friday but it didn’t make the actual show any less exciting. I really didn’t know what to expect, but it was awesome and so impressive.

Preschool Boy was dressed the part in his flight suit with his dad’s patches.

I was surprised to find a lot of fun stuff for kids to do. He loved “flight school” that was actually me pushing him around in this little plane since his feet didn’t reach the pedals.

And I think this looks like it was traumatizing, but he loved it and did the giant blow up slide over and over again.

And, of course there were planes there. Here are the Thunderbirds!

I look forward to seeing your photos!

Houston, We Have a Biter.

by Kate on April 13th, 2010 | 5 Comments | Life, Parenting

It’s official: my daughter is a biter. Yes, that sweet little nearly 17 month old girl you see there has a serious biting problem. Thankfully thus far she’s only be gnawing on her brother. (Clearly he doesn’t share my relief.) But I am REALLY worried about this summer when she starts attending Mom’s Day Out. I’m sure she’ll be that girl who bites every child in her class. I can already envision the calls from the teachers to tell me she left teeth marks on some poor child.

I have no idea how to handle it. My son was not a biter (that I know of) so this is my first time dealing with this. I assume it’s due in large part to the fact that she has no other way to express herself. She still doesn’t talk much. But, her biting is not limited to when she’s mad or when her brother takes a toy or something. They’ll be playing side by side and next thing you know she’s leaving teeth marks on his shoulder. (And it only take a second and, I swear, she’s close to drawing blood. Girl may only have 6 teeth, but she knows how to use them!) To this point, I’ve been very consistent and said the same thing every time she does it (“We don’t bite. Biting hurts. No bite!”), but she continues to do it almost every day.

Did/does your child bite? How did/do you handle it? I’d love some advice on how to muzzle my little biter!

DownEast Basics Afforable & Stylish Clothing Review + Giveaway (Closed)

by Kate on April 13th, 2010 | 5 Comments | For Mama, Giveaways, Giveaways, Reviews, Reviews, Spring Into Spring

It’s no secret that my children have far better wardrobes than I do. It’s not that I don’t want to dress stylishly or look nice all the time. The main problem is that it’s hard to find clothes that I love that don’t break the bank. I was recently introduced to DownEast Basics and I love the clothes, and was thrilled to receive a skirt from the new spring arrivals.

Grey Scale Skirt

A cotton poplin A-line skirt, the Grey Scale Skirt features 1/4 inch pin tuck detailing along the front and back of the skirt. I love that it is colorful and has lots of pattern without being shockingly bright or overwhelming. The skirt can be dressed up with heels or dressed down with flip flops. This skirt will easily go from church or lunch with the girls to date night. Pair it with grey or ivory to tone the color down or with blue or pink to brighten it up. The sweater I’m wearing with it in the photo is actually more salmon/pink than orange.

The skirt is available in sizes XXS to XXL and I ordered based on the sizing chart. The skirt is a little big around the waist so it sits low on my hips. Its’ hard to tell in the photo on the website and the description doesn’t indicate if the skirt is meant to fit around the natural waist or lower. I think if I had to order again, I might try the smaller size so bear that in mind when you order. The skirt fully lined and the overall quality is great. It’s definitely a notch above other clothing stores in the same price range.

New Arrivals for 2010

The new arrivals for spring 2010 include lots of great pieces from tops and skirts to accessories like purses and jewelry.

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… At only $30 – not on sale, that’s the real price! – the Grey Scale Skirt is a great buy. The quality is great and it’s a really cute skirt. I will definitely look at DownEast Basics next time I’m buying clothes for myself.

Or Not to Buy… It’s always a challenge and a gamble to order clothes online without being able to try them on, and based on my experience with the skirt I might order a size down next time.

Shop! DownEast Basics and DownEast Outfitter retail stores are located throughout the west coast in Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Washington and California. Luckily, for those of us that don’t like there, they also offer a complete line of stylish and affordable women’s clothes online.

Win! Your Choice of one Item from the New Arrivals for Spring 2010!

How to Enter: Visit DownEast Basics and take a look around. Leave a comment with what you’d like from the New Arrivals if you win.

Bonus Entries – valid only after completing the first required entry. Please leave a separate comment for each you do.

* Spring into Spring! Enter the Sunglass Warehouse giveaway at Baby Loving Mama and let me know you did.
* Follow DownEast Basics on Twitter
* Fan DownEast Basics on Facebook
* Follow The Shopping Mama on Twitter and tweet this giveaway. You may do this every day, just leave the link when you do. DownEast Basics stylish and affordable women’s clothing Giveaway @TheShoppingMama http://bit.ly/b5rnAD
* Fan The Shopping Mama on Facebook
* Be a Shopping Buddy, aka, follow in Google Friends Connect
* Subscribe to The Shopping Mama in email or RSS
* Blog about this giveaway including a link to this post – leave 5 comments with your link
* Post the Spring into Spring button on your blog

Disclosure: Giveaway ends April 27. Open to US mailing addresses only. Thanks to DownEast Basics for providing a sample product for the purpose of this review and the giveaway prizes. Opinions here are my own and uninfluenced by receipt of product.

Free Download of Planet Earth on iTunes

by Kate on April 12th, 2010 | 5 Comments | Blogging

To celebrate Earth Day’s 40th Anniversary, BBC Earth is offering a FREE download of one episode of the award-winning series Planet Earth. Episode Pole to Pole is available for download for at iTunes for a limited time – today through April 26.

Planet Earth

This jaw-dropping, 11-part series from the BBC’s Natural History Unit presents the epic story of life on Earth. Series producer Alastair Fothergill and his team spent four years in production, over 2000 days in the field, using 71 cameramen filming across 204 locations in 62 countries to capture the ultimate portrait of our planet. It has garnered legions of fans and universal critical acclaim with Oprah Magazine saying “It is the most beautiful, wondrous and truly majestic series – the best thing I’ve ever seen on TV.” Using a budget of unprecedented proportions and captured on HD cameras, Planet Earth is among the highest rated and best selling HD programs ever made.

I’ve heard so much about Planet Earth and am embarrassed to say I haven’t seen it yet. I’m downloading my episode now and am looking forward to watching it. I’m sure the photos don’t do it justice, but even they are breathtaking.

Free Download! The Planet Earth episode Pole to Pole is available in HD or standard definition and is available for free download only on iTunes – click here! If you like what you see, the entire Planet Earth series can be downloaded instantly on iTunes.

Have you watched Planet Earth? What did you think?

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post, but I did download my free episode!

Little Tikes Backyard Barbeque Review + Giveaway (Closed)

by Kate on April 12th, 2010 | 5 Comments | Giveaways, Giveaways, Reviews, Reviews, Spring Into Spring, Toddler, Toys

If you have little ones in your home, chances are you have at least one (or five) toys from Little Tikes. Since 1970, Little Tikes has been making high-quality, innovative children’s products. That’s right, 2010 marks the Little Tikes’ 40th Anniversary. Given the awesome selection of ride-on toys, sandboxes, activity gyms and outdoor toys at Little Tikes, they are a natural fit for Spring into Spring and I’m thrilled to share this Get Out ‘n’ Grill Backyard Barbeque review and giveaway (for TWO toys!).

Get Out ‘n’ Grill

We received the Backyard Barbeque just in time for the beautiful spring weather in Florida. For the past couple weeks, as my husband prepared dinner on the grill, my kids did a little grilling of their own. We set up the Backyard Barbeque as soon as it arrived, and luckily assembly didn’t take too long because my children saw the photo on the box and were eager to play.

Backyard Barbeque Features

Just like a real gas grill with dual grill, lid sink and side burner.
Includes 8 piece playset, including hamburger, hot dog, condiments, tongs and spatula.
Everything fits inside grill cupboards for easy storage.
Starter button and clicking knobs.

Our Experience

The first thing I noticed and appreciated about the Backyard Barbeque set is that it came with the 8 accessories so everything your kids need to play comes in the box. In some ways the Get Out ‘n’ Grill is an outdoor kitchen, but if you buy a kitchen you have to buy separate play food as well. This barbeque set comes with the hamburger, hot dog and 2 buns, as well as ketchup. You also have the tools – a spatula and tongs – just like mom and dad use.

The grill has a starter button that makes noise and two gas grill heat knobs. (Perhaps you like your pine cone well done and your flower medium?) The cooking area has two levels. On one side of the grill there are two burners and on the other side is a sink.

I really like the size of the Get Out ‘n’ Grill. It’s big enough for both of my kids to play at it at the same time. It might be a little tight for a couple 3 or 4 year olds, but my kids can actually play and “cook” together. The best part about the size is that the barbeque is light and easy to move. I’ve moved it from front to backyard multiple times, depending on where we’re playing. Another big plus for parents is that the set is completely self-contained. You can store all the food and tools inside the bottom of the grill. (Just like a real gas grill, there is a cupboard with two doors underneath the grill.) And, even though it’s built like a grill with a narrow base and wider top, it hasn’t toppled over or been knocked down by clumsy toddlers. The grill is surprisingly steady and pretty sturdy.

School Bus Activity Gym

The School Bus Activity Gym is small enough for the littlest climbers, but big in fun! Little students will learn to have lots of fun, indoors or out!

Features:

The School Bus Activity Gym is perfect for indoor or outdoor play.
Tires really spin to display numbers, shapes, colors, and letters.
Dashboard features clickers and buttons for imaginative play.
Spinning steering wheel lets kids “drive” the bus.
Stop sign folds in or out just like a real school bus.
Slide is 18” high with a gentle slope for safe landings.

To learn more, read the Little Tikes School Activity Bus review on Baby Loving Mama.

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… The Get Out ‘n’ Grill Backyard Barbeque is a fun and affordable toy for outdoor fun. It’s a great way to bring the imaginative fun of a play kitchen outdoors. Even though it’s suggested for 3 years and up, both of my kids really enjoy “cooking” with the Get Out ‘n’ Grill.

Or Not to Buy… This is nitpicking, but I’d love the sink area to be a bit deeper. My kids love to pretend to wash things and there’s not much room between the spout and the sink.

Shop! The Little Tikes Get Out ‘n’ Grill Backyard Barbeque (suggested price is $39.99) is available in stores nationwide and on Amazon. Though it comes with everything necessary for hours of play, there are some great Little Tikes Backyard Barbeque accessories. You can outfit your little one in Barbecue Chef’s Accessory Set (including hat and apron) in Whiteor Pink and get all the fixins for a picnic, too. The School Bus Activity Gym is $99.99.

Win! One lucky winner will receive the Little Tikes Get Out ‘n’ Grill and the School Bus Activity Gym!

How to Enter: Visit Little Tikes and tell me another toy your kids would love this spring.

Bonus Entries – valid only after completing the first required entry. Please leave a separate comment for each you do.

* Spring into Spring! Enter the Little Tikes giveaway at Baby Loving Mama and let me know you did. (Yes, she’s giving away the Barbeque and School Bus, too!)
* Follow Little Tikes on Twitter
* Fan Little Tikes on Facebook
* Follow The Shopping Mama on Twitter and tweet this giveaway. You may do this every day, just leave the link when you do. Little Tikes giveaway! Win a Backyard Barbeque AND School Bus Activity Gym ($140 total value) @TheShoppingMama http://bit.ly/bUu2Fu
* Fan The Shopping Mama on Facebook
* Be a Shopping Buddy, aka, follow in Google Friends Connect
* Subscribe to The Shopping Mama in email or RSS
* Blog about this giveaway including a link to this post – leave 5 comments with your link
* Post the Spring into Spring button on your blog

Disclosure: Giveaway ends April 26. Open to US mailing addresses only. Thanks to Little Tikes for providing a sample product for the purpose of this review and the giveaway prizes. Opinions here are my own and uninfluenced by receipt of product. This post contains affiliate links.

This giveaway has ended. Congrats to Cory!

New Resource for Parents to Prevent Underage Drinking

by Kate on April 11th, 2010 | 5 Comments | Parenting

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (holy department title!) has a new resource for parents to help prevent underage drinking that encourages talking to our kids early and often about the dangers of alcohol.

The Scary Facts

40% of kids have tried alcohol by the time they reach 8th grade and those who first use alcohol before age 15 are SIX times more likely to have alcohol problems than those who start drinking after 21.

I have two kids – based on those statistics it’s likely one of them will try alcohol BEFORE the age of 15. That means I have 12 years to influence them in the right direction. Plenty of time, right? Well, the problem is that many parents put it off (and put it off and put it off) until it’s too late. The main point of the SAMHSA program is to talk to kids early. My kids are too young to sit down and have a conversation about why they shouldn’t drink alcohol, but I think the point is that you should start talking before it becomes an issue.

Start Talking Before They Start Drinking

Between the ages of 9 and 13, children start to think differently about alcohol. Many children begin to think underage drinking is OK and some even start to experiment. It’s never too early to talk to your children about alcohol, and encourage them to talk with you.¹

The good news? “Over 70% of children say parents are the leading influence in their decision to drink or not.”² As parents we do have an impact on the choices our kids make. We need to step up and have the hard discussions that are important and necessary, no matter how uncomfortable.

Create an Action Plan

If your kids are an appropriate age for a discussion about the dangers of alcohol, you create an Action Plan to help make the conversation easier. Answer 3 questions, and you’ll get a step-by-step guide with tips and advice on when and how to talk to your kids.

Involve Others

No matter how old your child is you know that you are not their only influencer. Peers, teachers, and neighbors all play a part in our children’s lives. Talk to other adults about the conversations you’re having with your child about alcohol and encourage them to do the same, or at a minimum reinforce the message. Get others involved by sharing the website.

Talk EARLY. Talk OFTEN. Get Others INVOLVED to prevent underage drinking. For more information visit http://www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov.

So this post has me thinking… At what point do conversations with our kids become difficult? As the mother of young kids, I don’t hesitate to tell them what’s dangerous and I’m constantly talking about the behavior I expect from them. I’m asking because I’m really curious. When does talking to kids about difficult subjects become a challenge?

I was not paid for this post. Just sharing a great parenting resource.

Hey, Rabbit! Book Review + Giveaway (Closed)

by Kate on April 11th, 2010 | 5 Comments | Giveaways, Giveaways, Reviews, Reviews, Spring Into Spring

As much as my son likes his electronics (he is his father’s son after all), he loves that we make time every day to read books. And I love being introduced to new children’s authors and books to share with him. One such author is Sergio Ruzzier. We received the book Hey, Rabbit! and it has become one of our new regular reads.

Hey Rabbit! Sneak Peek

Author Sergio Ruzzier shares the book with pre-K students.

Short & Sweet Story

Hey Rabbit tells the story of story of Rabbit who travels around with his magic suitcase, meeting friends along the way and granting their wishes. As friends as Rabbit for things, he opens his suitcase and makes their dreams come true. For example, Rabbit encounters a dog who says, “HEY, Rabbit! Is there anything for me in your suitcase? Maybe a bone for my birthday?” As you turn the page, you see the stuff dog dreams are made of: a giant bone birthday cake. For every friend Rabbit encounters, he opens his trusty suitcase and reveals an over the top dream world for his friends. Finally, Rabbit wonders if there’s anything in the book for him? And, after being so generous to all his friends, Rabbit finds his wish comes true as he’s surrounded by all of his friends.

As a mom sharing the book with my child, I really like that Rabbit is generous. He seems to enjoy sharing with his friends. I also like that the book is short, without too much prose so that there’s room for us to fill in the blanks and tell the story in our own way. For every page in the book that asks “Anything for me in your suitcase?” the next page lacks words and a beautiful picture tells the story. The illustrations are really beautiful and my son loves explaining the story.

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… Hey Rabbit! is a great addition to your children’s library. The book’s message is one of kindness and Rabbit is a generous little animal. The book is lovely to look at and it’s a short and sweet story. I think the book is probably best suited for kids my son’s age – preschoolers to kindergartners.

Or Not to Buy… Seriously, what’s not to love about a great children’s book?

Shop! Add Hey, Rabbit! to your library for $12.23 from Amazon. Connect with the author on Sergio Ruzzier’s blog and visit Ruzzier.com to play the Rabbit drawing game.

Win! Hey Rabbit! book and an Original Signed Ink and Watercolor of Rabbit!

Prize details: Total value $269.99 with Original Signed Ink and Watercolor valued at $250.

How to Enter: Check out the books by Sergio Ruzzier and tell me another book you think your child might enjoy.

Bonus Entries – valid only after completing the first required entry. Please leave a separate comment for each you do.

* Spring into Spring! Enter the Everything Spring book giveaway at Baby Loving Mama and let me know you did.
* Follow The Shopping Mama on Twitter and tweet this giveaway. You may do this every day, just leave the link when you do. Win a Hey Rabbit book and signed ink and watercolor of Rabbit by Sergio Ruzzier ($269 value!) @TheShoppingMama http://bit.ly/aD3IzC
* Fan The Shopping Mama on Facebook
* Be a Shopping Buddy, aka, follow in Google Friends Connect
* Subscribe to The Shopping Mama in email or RSS
* Blog about this giveaway including a link to this post – leave 5 comments with your link
* Post the Spring into Spring button on your blog

Disclosure: Giveaway ends April 25. Open to US mailing addresses only. Thanks to Sergio Ruzzier for providing a sample product for the purpose of this review and the giveaway prize. Opinions here are my own and uninfluenced by receipt of product.

VTech KidiZoom Plus Review + Giveaway (Closed)

by Kate on April 10th, 2010 | 5 Comments | Giveaways, Giveaways, Reviews, Reviews, Spring Into Spring, Toys

My poor kids. Between taking pictures for reviews, the 365 blog and, you know, real life, I am constantly shoving a camera in their faces. As you can imagine, my 3 year old wants to take pictures, too. He sees me using a camera every day – he wants to do the same thing. For obvious reasons, I can’t let him use my cameras. But now he has his very own REAL camera. The VTech Kidizoom Plus camera is awesome. And it’s designed perfectly for little hands and to entertain little ones beyond taking simple photos.

About the Kidizoom Plus

With the KidiZoom Plus, your child can become the family photographer with 4 times the fun: photos, photo editing, movies, music & games all in one! KidiZoom Plus is a sleek and durable digital camera for kids to take photos, edit photos, view photos, record digital video movies, and play fun games!

Camera for Kids

From the moment the VTech Kidizoom camera for kids arrived, my son has been pretty much obsessed with it. He takes pictures of our family. He takes pictures of his favorite toys. And, after going through the built-in memory and viewing all 203 pictures saved on his camera at the moment, I can tell you he often takes pictures of absolutely nothing. But he loves it and so do I.

Kidizoom Plus Camera Features

The Kidizoom Plus is a real camera. With real-life grown up camera features in a kid-friendly, easy to hold, durable package. (And I don’t mean the plastic packaging, that was annoying. I mean the camera itself – it’s extremely rugged.) The camera has 2.0 mega pixel resolution and 256MB of built-in memory. It can store more than 500 photos or ten minutes of video (yes, it takes video, too!). You can also use up to a 2GB Secure Digital (SD) memory card to take and store even more photos.

In addition to taking photos, the Kidizoom Plus has a photo editor where you can add silly frames and stamps, Funny Faces, as well as distorting and kaleidescope effects. You can also add video messages to photos. There is an easy to manipulate Activity Selector Dial on the camera that switches between the features. My son can change from taking pictures to one of the 5 games to use the Kidizoom like a hand-held game console. The games are a bit above his skill level, but I don’t think he knows that he’s not very good at them.

The Kidizoom comes with cables so you can connect it to a computer or a TV. My one complaint about the camera is that it uses 4 AA batteries and not a rechargeable battery. So, when plug it into the computer it doesn’t recharge like some other electronics. My son’s been using the camera for several weeks and we’ve changed the batteries once.

A Few Photos

And now for your viewing pleasure, here are a few masterpieces taken by my 3 year old. I think we can all agree, he has a special eye for photography.

The view out the window of our cabin on the cruise.

A piece of artwork on the wall of the cruise ship. (So you can tell that pictures can be clear and actually nice, but my son doesn’t hold the camera still so many of his pictures are a tad blurry.)

Portrait of his sister.

Fun with photos! There are several photo frame options, but he wanted to be in the aquarium.

Another portrait of his sister. The original on the left and then we used the kaleidescope effect to make lots of her.

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… The Kidizoom Plus is a ton of fun. It’s recommended for ages 3 to 9 and I definitely think it’s a “toy” that we’ll be using for at least several years. I love that it is a real camera that holds up to the rough and tumble life of my crazy boy.

Or Not to Buy… My only complaint is that the camera requires 4 AA batteries rather than a rechargeable camera battery. (I recognize that is probably a way to keep the cost down.)

Shop! Available in pink or blue, the the VTech Kidizoom Plus‘ suggested retail price is $49.99. I think the Kidizoom Plus is pretty popular because it seems to be out of stock with limited availability online (reflected in higher prices). For example, on Amazon, the Pink Kidizoom $63.70 and the Blue is $76.97. Which is just another reason why this giveaway is so cool…

Win! A VTech Kidizoom Camera for your little photographer!

How to Enter: Visit VTech Kids and tell me another product your little one would love to own.

Bonus Entries – valid only after completing the first required entry. Please leave a separate comment for each you do.

* Spring into Spring! Enter the Boon Oval Animal Bag giveaway at Baby Loving Mama and let me know you did.
* Fan VTech Kids on Facebook
* Follow VTech Kids on Twitter
* Follow The Shopping Mama on Twitter and tweet this giveaway. You may do this every day, just leave the link when you do. Have a budding photographer? Win a VTech Kidizoom Plus camera @TheShoppingMama http://bit.ly/dCiSLF
* Fan The Shopping Mama on Facebook
* Be a Shopping Buddy, aka, follow in Google Friends Connect
* Subscribe to The Shopping Mama in email or RSS
* Blog about this giveaway including a link to this post – leave 5 comments with your link
* Post the Spring into Spring button on your blog