Monday, October 18, 2010

Guidecraft Rainbow Blocks Review {w/link to Giveaway}

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Rainbow Blocks are AWESOME! 

Wooden Rainbow Blocks

I have always wanted these, so when I found out we were getting the 30 Piece Rainbow Block Set to review I was ecstatic!  They are even better than I imagined!  Quality wooden blocks are a must-have in my mind and these are not only wonderful wooden blocks, but they have the addition of the rainbow windows which provide for even more imaginative play.

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I knew this little guy would LOVE them, and I was right.  He was a bit confused at first-thinking there was a specific something he was supposed to do with them.  Once he let loose he played for hours.  My favorite was his rocket ship…

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Ladybug surprised me with how much she enjoyed them and actually built {stacked} with themIMG_9675The cars in the blocks = awesome…totally her thing.IMG_9649

 

Pac Man has had a good time with these blocks too, he has always loved blocks of any sort-he has that type of mind and enjoys creative free play.  One night he set up a store with “glasses” for sale.    This is the pair I chose…nice huh? ;-)IMG_9716

Mom’s thoughts…

Initially I was skeptical due to the expense, and I originally wondered if 30 pieces would be enough to have fun with.  I am happy to say that these blocks are worth the $$ and that 30 is enough.  We would love to add to the set, by possibly getting some of the other neat sets they have {sand, shimmering water, crystal beads, etc.} but these as a stand alone set of wooden rainbow blocks is wonderful.

BUY IT!

Guidecraft offers awesome wooden blocks, you can see their rainbow blocks here, as well as many other different types of wooden blocks they carry! You can purchase the rainbow blocks we reviewed here on the Guidecraft site, or here on Amazon

WIN IT!

Erica from Confessions of a Homeschool is hosting the giveaway this month!  Head on over to enter to win a set of your own Rainbow Blocks!

This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Guidecraft Doll Cradle Review

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When I found out we were going to be reviewing doll furniture, I must admit, I wasn’t too excited. Oh how WRONG I was to think Ladybug was too young {she is 18 months old} for doll furniture. I chose the doll cradle in natural, and knew she would love it someday, just had no idea it would be the day I put it together! PacMan snapped some pictures of me while I was putting it together {didn’t he do a good job?}IMG_0141It was very simple to put together and I was amazed with how sturdy it was as I examined all of the pieces. Krash saw me working with tools so of course he had to come help me ;-)

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The minute it was done they all came over to investigate. Ladybug was IMMEDIATELY drawn to it.

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She then went to find her Mickey and Minnie dolls and rocked them for a long time. She even positioned them just-so and covered them with the included bedding.IMG_0196

Then, she insisted on getting in. I was nervous at first ;-) but let her try it out. Talk about sturdy-you’d think this was made for her to sit in {but it is not}. She sat and rocked herself for a really long time.IMG_0215-2 Then she went night-night…IMG_0233-2

On another day she rocked our pumpkinsIMG_0245 IMG_0257 She has played with the doll cradle so much, like I said-I had no clue she would like it so much! We are so grateful to Guidecraft for allowing us to review this awesome doll cradle.

Other Guidecraft Moms got to review doll furniture too. Curious to see what they thought? See reviews for…

BUY IT!

Guidecraft offers beautiful doll furniture! You can purchase the doll cradle we reviewed here on the Guidecraft site, or here on Amazon. This would be a GREAT Christmas gift, for a special little girl in your life!

This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Ahh Prods Bean Bag ~ Review & Giveaway {$50 gift certificate}

Congratulations Comment #138...Shannon, you Won!!!!

Ahh Prods Bean Bags

To say we LOVE our Ahh Prods bean bag chair would be a total understatement. If you spent a day in our home, you’d see how much this bean bag is loved, by ALL of us. IMG_8590 I had been researching bean bags in preparation for our new schoolroom and found several online, but was honestly a bit skeptical without ever being able to sit in them. I knew the ones I could find at my local retailer weren’t what I wanted-I just wasn’t sure which route to go. I was drawn to the Ahh Prods Bean Bags site {which I found through a Google search} and ended up contacting them to see if they would be interested in a review…thankfully they were! My amazing bean bag arrived soon after that and the love affair began. I knew we would like it, I had no idea how much we would love it.IMG_9302

From the moment the box was opened, everyone was just in awe. It is SUPER soft {we chose the cuddle fabric in navy blue-which is the same fabric my mom uses to sew baby blankets out of!}. This fabric is not only soft, but also extremely durable-I know this from the blankets!

Our little Ladybug, who is almost 1 1/2 thinks the bean bag is her bed ;-). She loves for us to dig her a little hole and let her lay in it while she watches her favorite show!IMG_6561

She also thinks it is a super fun toy…IMG_6518

Our boys rotate days using the bean bag for independent reading time,

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and often will end up in it together…getting along well just so they can share it. If they fight-I get it!

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The bean bag has been used for a chair in other various locations, this was one of my favorites!IMG_6724

Ahh Prods bean bags all come with an outer cover which is WASHABLE, along with an inner cover that protects the beads from moisture. This is a VERY important feature, as I am sure any of you with kids will understand! You can see detailed product info here.

We have had our bean bag for about 2 months now and it is actually more comfortable for all of us now that it has been worn in a bit!

I highly recommend this bean bag, and I don’t say that lightly as I know it is more expensive than the type of bean bags you can find elsewhere. The quality far surpasses any bean bag I have personally seen and the fact that it can be washed, refilled if necessary, and even recovered ~ lets me know that this bean bag will be around for a long time. Unlike our $30 bean bag that our cat peed on and ruined. Of course there was no liner so the nastiness soaked through to the beans and damaged it permanently. We don’t have to worry about this one since we can wash the cover and the inner liner will protect the beads from moisture!

An AhhProds Bean Bag would make an excellent Christmas gift for your family and would be something every member would enjoy. They carry different sizes, we have the 37”. My husband really wants the giant, although he does fit in the 37”. You can see excellent photo comparisons of the different sizes they carry to get an even better idea. We are thrilled that we will be getting at least one more bean bag we just haven’t chosen our fabric yet!

They even offer free fabric swatches if you are trying to match something or just decide between different fabrics. The customer service has been amazing! Shipping was awesome too, when my order was placed, it arrived in just a few days!!! The BIG box became a play fort for the boys too…added bonus!!!IMG_6542

AhhProds.com is donating a $50 Gift Certificate to one winner!

BUY IT…
Can’t wait to see if you’ll win? You can use this special discount code until October 31, 2010 to receive $10 off of a regular-priced bean bag chair: 1111off10


WIN IT…
www.AhhProds.com is offering a $50 gift certificate to one winner!


Mandatory Entry…
Visit www.AhhProds.com and tell me your favorite item and the page name where you found it after you browse around their site a bit. Leave the name of the item and URL (page name) in your 1st comment!

Ex: I like the Fun Paisley Fleece Bean Bag Chair: http://www.ahhprods.com/inc/sdetail/28113


After you do that, you can gain some extra entries by any of the following, remember to leave an extra comment for each item so they will count as entries...

  1. If you follow @beanbagchairs on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry. Feel free to copy and Tweet this: Do you want an awesome bean bag chair? Head over to @1plus1plus1 who is hosting a giveaway for @beanbagchairs here: http://bit.ly/9BwydZ
  2. If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry. Feel free to copy and Tweet this: Do you want an awesome bean bag chair? Head over to @1plus1plus1 who is hosting a giveaway for @beanbagchairs here: http://bit.ly/9BwydZ
  3. If you Like 1+1+1=1 on Facebook, give yourself an extra entry.
  4. If you Like AHH! Bean Bag Chairs on Facebook, give yourself an extra entry.
  5. If you subscribe to /follow 1+1+1=1, give yourself an extra entry.

This Giveaway is open for anyone!


I will select a winner using Random.org, so be sure you leave a separate comment for each entry, I will also be moderating comments to check that your entries are valid-please be honest!

Contest ENDS November 1, 2010. Winner will be announced here and on the AhhProds Bean Bags Blog, and emailed (your email MUST be in each comment/or enabled in blogger). Winner must reply to my email within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

The Jesus Book ~ Review

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We have had this book, The Jesus Book by Stephen Elkins,  for some time now…and have been reading bits and pieces over time.  Here are our thoughts…

  • The illustrations are awesome, I specifically like that Jesus has dark hair!
  • It is not a book I would recommend sitting and reading straight through, but rather using it more as a reference tool to look up certain things about Jesus.  There are categories {Who, What, Where, When, Why, How} and short excerpts digging deeper into specifics about Jesus.
  • The stories are well done and simple, yet explain a lot.  Pac Man {age 8} really enjoyed the book and read much of it on his own, then asking me questions later.  Krash {age 4} enjoyed it too, but he doesn’t have great comprehension skills so much of it was over his head.  He was drawn into the illustrations though.
  • Overall I am glad we own this book, as it is unlike any other children’s Bible storybook we have.  It is one I am sure we will go back to over the years as we dig deeper and deeper into the life of our Savior!
  • I would recommend this book, and I especially think of my blog readers who have emailed me telling me that they did not grow up in a Christian home yet want to teach their children about Jesus.  Many of you have expressed that you are learning right along with your children, I think this book would be great for you!

You can buy The Jesus Book here on Amazon.  See the book info page here on the Thomas Nelson Website.

Do you want to review books on your blog, here’s where I got this one…

I review for BookSneeze