1+1+1=1...Reviews

All About Reading Level 1 Giveaway

2012-01-17T13:32:00.001-08:00

I was blessed to receive the All About Reading Level 1 Kit to review and have been using it with Krash. We were also sent the Deluxe Reading Interactive Kit and love it all!

So far I LOVE what I have seen. Seems to be the perfect combination of phonics, vocabulary, fluency, & comprehension. I believe ALL are important. You also know I believe sight words are an important part of learning to read and I just love what AAR has done with the teaching of sight words. The words that cannot be sounded out have a little “bad guy” printed on them with a sign that says “Rule Breaker” ~ how cute is that? It reminds the student that some words don’t follow the rules we learn and need to be memorized by sight from the very beginning. The first Rule Breaker word is “the” and appears in lesson 3. Krash loves the rule breaker words!

I also just started All About Reading Level Pre-1 with Ladybug last week! Krash is joining in with us as a solid review of the Big 5 Skills. You can see regular updates of our experience with All About Reading Level Pre 1 in my Tot School posts.

Wondering if YOUR child is ready to learn to read? Read this article, “Checklist: Is Your Child Ready to Learn to Read?” for some wonderful information!

If you have specific questions about your particular situation/child, I highly recommend contacting Marie from the All About Learning website, she is wonderful and helpful!

You will be seeing my ongoing review of All About Reading Level 1 and many details in my regular Kindergarten with Krash posts.

I also describe why we chose to review AAR in the FAQ section of my “Current Curriculum” post.
I know this is a pricey investment and I want to help you in any way I can to make the best decision for your family. If you would like to read a few reviews from moms I trust and know, let me guide you to some…

Homeschool Creations {Jolanthe} All About Reading Level 1 Review.
Delightful Learning {Michelle} All About Reading Level 1 Review. Michelle also shares a lot about using All About Spelling and All About Reading together.
Confessions of a Homeschooler {Erica} All About Reading Level 1 Review
Granola Mom 4 God {Jodi} All About Reading Level 1
Spell Outloud {Maureen} All About Reading Level 1 Review

Currently the Level 1 Kit is selling for $99.95. The Deluxe Reading Interactive Kit is $48.95.

Want to win? Well, of course you do!!!!!

All About Learning Press is giving one Level 1 Kit and Deluxe Reading Interactive Kit {both pictured above}

Use the Rafflecopter form below {click “read more” if you don’t see it} to enter to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Table Talkers & A Year of Sugar Scrubs

2012-01-09T18:16:00.001-08:00

You may remember my raving review about the eBook, Table Talkers, written by Erin from In Between Laundry.

We are still loving Table Talkers, and it has become the tool that helps my Krash to focus on eating. If he isn’t eating-he can’t join in with our fun! We don’t play every night, but it has stayed a regular thing for us. We even switched up some of the games over the holiday season to do Christmas versions, it was fun coming up with our own games based on the ones in the eBook!

I am excited that Erin is partnered with 1+1+1=1 as a blog sponsor and is offering another chance to win not only her Table Talkers eBook, but also this amazing eBook, A Year of Sugar Scrubs…

Erin sent me the eBook to review and it was simple and even looked like something I could handle! Check out these pictures of gift examples she has on her site:

What amazing gifts these would make for those of you who like to make creative gifts to give!

The eBook contains,

instructions and helpful tips at the beginning
2 unique recipes per month, a total of 24
printable gift tags to include for gift giving…

BUY IT!

If you’d rather not wait to see if you win, you can purchase Table Talkers for just $4.99.

You can purchase A Year of Sugar Scrubs here for just $3.99.

WIN IT!

Erin is giving away a copy of Table Talkers and A Year of Sugar Scrubs to 2 different winners!

Enter using Rafflecopter below, comments do not count as entries-all info can be entered into Rafflecopter. If you don't see the widget, click Read More below and be sure you have Javascript enabled.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Birth of Jesus Study ~ Giveaway

2011-12-03T17:38:00.001-08:00

We have used Grapevine Studies for years. We completed Old Testament Overview and are now working through New Testament Overview.

We were recently given the chance to review the Birth of Jesus study and will be working through it as a family soon! It is a shorter study, that is just perfect to do at this special time of the year!

Here’s more info about the 2 different levels {we were given both to review}, we will most likely be using the beginner level this year since only Pac could handle the multi-level.

Multi Level {ages 7 and up} Birth of Jesus..

Children and teens will travel back to the first century for a fresh look at the events surrounding the birth of Jesus! The timeline of the Nativity will come alive through the Bible study of the characters and events surrounding the birth of Jesus. On this journey students will map the travels of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus.

Beginner {ages 5-7} Birth of Jesus…

Preschool and kindergarten Bible students will saddle up their donkeys and take an unforgettable journey back in time to discover the amazing events that surrounded the Nativity.

Use the discount code Advent11 and your will receive 20% off on any item not already on sale from now until December 31!

Use Rafflecopter to enter to win both a student and teacher book {print or eBook-your choice}. US only for print copies, open to anyone for eBooks. Comments do not count as entries, enter all info into the Rafflecopter form. Click READ MORE if you don’t see the Rafflecopter widget below!

Montessori at Home! and Montessori Print Shop ~ Giveaway

2011-11-19T07:22:00.001-08:00

I am so thrilled to share John Bowman’s new website for his awesome eBook Montessori at Home! Not only is the website all snazzy and new, the eBook is updated in a SUPER fabulous way. I have a copy of the new edition and it is a serious upgrade! I loved the original and can’t even believe how much better it is now. If you already own the original, you should have received an email from John with the updated version for free. If you don’t already own this eBook, and are teaching young children, this book is awesome ~ you really should have it!

You can read my original review here, and I feel even more strongly now that everyone who is teaching young children at home needs this book. You can view sample pages here on his website.

In honor of the new site launch and the new edition of the book, John has a special treat for all of you! Three, yes 3, of you will have the chance to win the eBook, and all of you have the opportunity to purchase the eBook at a discounted rate of only $6.95 from now and for 2 weeks AFTER the giveaway closes.

Here’s some detailed info about the new version …

The newly released Second Edition of Montessori At Home! is a 296 page, multimedia Ebook that guides you through the entire process of doing Montessori early learning activities at home. Complete background and how-to chapters are followed by clear directions for over 250 early learning materials and activities. Many activities use materials you may already have or which can be obtained easily and inexpensively almost anywhere. Clear directions and guides help you become a great Home Teaching Parent. The ebook comes to you in a PDF file, readable on all kinds of computers and tablets. Numerous links to sites and videos - many for your child to watch - expand on the information and activities in the ebook. 42 Pages of printouts are included to use with many of the activities. There is no resource for parents quite like Montessori At Home!

Montessori early learning activities support and facilitate the natural sensitive periods to growth and development that 3-6 year old children everywhere experience. These are the years when our foundational brain architecture is formed. Montessori activities engage and coordinate a young child's attention, sensory skills, movements, and developing intellect. The results include stronger brain architecture, a positive self-image, and early reading, writing, math, and science skills - a great preparation for success in school.

Remember John also writes our guest series Montessori Minute on my blog, you can read his detailed and informative posts here!

Wait, there’s more!!!!

If you are one of the 3 winners, you will not only receive a copy of John’s amazing eBook, you will also receive a copy of "The Montessori At Home! Materials Bundle"! I adore Montessori Print Shop and use TONS of their printables, you can read my past review here.

The Montessori At Home! Materials Bundle includes 21 printable files that compliment the Montessori At Home! eBook. It includes a few materials from most areas covered in the eBook, and will get you off to a great start learning what your child is most interested in. The value of the 21 printable files is $60.49 if purchased individually. The Bundle is available for $28.89, but is FREE to the winners!
BUY IT!
You can purchase Montessori at Home! eBook for the discounted price of $6.95 from now through December 17, 2011. Use this link to purchase it at the discounted price!

You can purchase the Montessori Print Shop bundle here for $28.89 {a $60.49 value if purchase separately}.

WIN IT!
3 of you will win both the eBook and the bundle! Use Rafflecopter to enter, no blog comments will count as entries. If you don’t see the Rafflecopter widget, be sure to click on “read more” and make sure you have Javascript enabled!

Table Talkers & A Year of Sugar Scrubs ~ Giveaway!

2011-11-09T07:51:00.001-08:00

You may remember my raving review about the eBook, Table Talkers, written by Erin from In Between Laundry.

We are still loving Table Talkers, and it has become the tool that gets my Krash to focus on eating. If he isn’t eating-he can’t join in with our fun!

I am excited that Erin is back as a blog sponsor and is offering another chance to win not only her Table Talkers eBook, but also this amazing eBook, A Year of Sugar Scrubs…

I must be totally honest with you-I am not a crafty gift giver, nor am I a make-my-own-sugar-scrub kind of gal, BUT I know that many of you are which is why I said YES to host this eBook along with Table Talkers!

Erin sent me the eBook to review and it was simple and even looked like something I could handle! Check out these pictures of gift examples she has on her site:

What amazing gifts these would make for those of you who like to make creative gifts to give! I would love to receive these, I just won’t be creating them! I don’t even know much about sugar scrubs, but they sure sound yummy and look beautiful!

The eBook contains,

instructions and helpful tips at the beginning
2 unique recipes per month, a total of 24
printable gift tags to include for gift giving…

BUY IT!

If you’d rather not wait to see if you win, you can purchase Table Talkers for just $3.99 {limited time, regular price is $5.00}! You really can’t beat that, huh? Get some great new fun dinner time ideas and support another mom in her creativity!

You can purchase A Year of Sugar Scrubs here for just $3.99 {limited time, regular price is $5.00}.

WIN IT!

The Moffatt Girls Shop ~ Giveaway

2011-10-13T12:53:00.001-07:00

I have met many creative moms online, and Annie is one of them! You probably know Annie from her blog, The Moffatt Girls ~ which is how I “met” her too. We have gotten to know each other via email and have even collaborated on a few things, sharing ideas back and forth! Annie creates printables and has opened up shop over at Teachers Notebook, The Moffatt Girls Shop.

Annie has been sending me many of her creations to preview and review so I could share with you and offer a giveaway!

We have been using Annie’s printables for Krash who is in Kindergarten. Here are a few of our favorites.

Crack the Sight Word Code…

Pirate Skip Counting…

Sight Word Graphing…

Sight Word Caterpillar, which is FREE in her shop and was created to go along with my You Can Read program {thanks Annie!}
We love Annie’s creations and know you will too! It is an honor to share another creative momma with you!

BUY IT!
If you’d rather not wait to see if you win, you can purchase items from The Moffatt Girls Shop and even find several freebies.

WIN IT!
Annie is giving three readers any three individual items (bundles not included) from her Teachers Notebook Shop.

Remember, if you don’t see the Rafflecopter entry form below, you need to enable Javascript and click on the READ MORE below!

Table Talkers…Fun for Family Dinnertime ~ Giveaway

2011-09-27T18:21:00.001-07:00

I am thrilled to share a new eBook with you, Table Talkers, written by Erin from In Between Laundry.

I was recently sent this eBook to review and was a bit nervous because mealtime around our house is a bit chaotic thanks to a special someone who detests eating in general. Our little precious Krash is our meal time trouble maker and often brings me to the point of almost tears. PacMan is the exact opposite, loves and eats everything! Ladybug is a good mix-some nights rejecting like K and some nights embracing new foods like P. The idea of adding fun to this time of the day seemed about as possible as, hmmm…pigs flying, and more. You know, it seemed virtually impossible.
But, we gave it a go and I printed out the wonderful cards to keep handy at the table and I read through them to choose a few that I thought might be worth a shot for my 2, 5, and 9 year old.

Thankfully the night we first tried a Table Talker idea, we were eating a meal that Krash liked, so it was a relative good-mood evening. We started out with a game that has since become a family favorite. Someone has to think of a movie/tv show that we are all familiar with {example Nemo}. Then the person gives a 1 word hint {example: fish}. We each get a turn to guess based on just the one word clue. If nobody gets it, the person gives a second clue {example: ocean}. I was AMAZED with how many we got with just 1 word! For example I thought of the movie Robots and my clue word was “dishes” and Pac got it right away!

On another night, the night I decided to snap a few pictures, we were eating a meal Krash does not prefer and attitudes were flying, but we were still able to get some laughs in that otherwise wouldn’t have been there. When I snapped these photos, they were pointing out shapes in the room.
One of the games is to think of a shape and go around the table to have each person point out something that is that shape. This is perfect for younger ages, and even PacMan enjoyed it!
Ladybug doesn’t actually play yet, but she giggles right along with us and I do believe enjoys our family mealtime much more without all of the somber faces. Mealtime had truly become a time of day that I just wanted to be over. I don’t love mealtime due to the struggles but adding in Table Talkers has brought much joy to my heart!

I can fully recommend Table Talkers as a worthwhile purchase for your family. It is currently only $2.99 and was created by another mom, so you know I love supporting her creative efforts also! For $2.99 you get 52 simple ideas to make your mealtime more fun. I would say if you have a child from the age of 3 or older this would be for you. There are many simple games and some more advanced ones that older children would really get into. There are even blank cards to have your family think of their own and write them in to have in your Table Talkers set.

I laminated our cards and put them on a metal ring so I can have them at the dinner table always. I also loaded the eBook onto my iPad too. You can load any PDF file into iBooks by importing the PDF file through your iTunes account and then plugging in your iPad to sync. It’s really that simple!

BUY IT!
If you’d rather not wait to see if you win, you can purchase Table Talkers for just $2.99! You really can’t beat that, huh? Get some great new fun dinner time ideas and support another mom in her creativity!

WIN IT!
Erin is giving away a copy of Table Talkers to 3 different winners!

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms

If you don't see the Rafflecopter giveaway entry widget, CLICK READ MORE below! I am using a new giveaway widget, let me know what you think. You'll need Javascript enabled also.

Boca Beth ~ Spanish Learning Fun Giveaway CLOSED

2011-09-21T08:47:00.001-07:00

Congratulations #112-Cassie and #127-Leslie, you both won!

Boca Beth brings Spanish to life for your children! We were sent several Boca Beth items to review, including: Mi Casa/My House Coloring Books, the Boca puppet, 2 egg shakers, My First Songs in Spanish CD, Sing Praise For Children CD, and I Like Animals DVD.

From the moment I opened the package, the puppet and egg shakers went straight into Ladybug’s hands and have been favorites ever since! Boca the puppet has turned into a little friend, you can even see Ladybug using Boca to color and help her clean up her markers!

She has enjoyed coloring Boca in the coloring book too!

I showed the DVD to all 3 kids at various times and asked them what they thought. Here’s the verdict: Ladybug wandered a bit, only the song portions kept her attention. Ladybug prefers the puppet, coloring book and even the music CD over the DVD. Krash loved it and to my surprise so did PacMan {age 9}! He specifically was able to tell me that he loved being able to read the words on screen and how it said both the Spanish and English. He also LOVES animals so this DVD was perfect for him.

Is it helping with Spanish? I am sure it is-but it’s hard to tell. We are continuing to use Speekee also, and these 2 compliment each other well. Beth and Jim have actually partnered up together! I personally enjoy having both as resources and like to introduce as much Spanish as possible at a young age. We live in a bi-lingual area with many Spanish speaking neighbors. I hope to have my children grow up and become fluent in Spanish, if it is their desire also!

We have added the CDs to our iPod and have enjoyed having them in our rotation! We look forward to more Spanish learning fun with Boca Beth!

BUY IT!
If you’d rather not wait to see if you win, you can purchase products on the Boca Beth website! Use this amazing discount code ONEFAM to receive 40% savings on anything on the Boca Beth site PLUS shipping is always FREE on BocaBeth.com. No limit on the order size. This discount code is only good from now until Oct 15, 2011.

WIN IT!
Beth is giving away the Boca Beth Beginner Backpack to 2 different winners!

This Boca Beth Beginner Backpack will get your child's second language journey going right away! Use our award-winning Boca Beth bilingual music CD, DVD, coloring/activity book, puppet and musical shaker to bring Spanish and English together for children ages 1 month - 8 years old. We use the parallel method of teaching two languages so that everyone in the family will feel comfortable using these tools!

Mandatory Entry: Visit Boca Beth to take a peek and then leave a comment letting us know you’d like to win!

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...

If you subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for Boca Beth! Enter here: http://bit.ly/oFjPxU
If you subscribe to Spanish Fun For Everyone-Beth’s blog, give yourself an extra entry!
If you sign up for the Boca Beth Newsletter, give yourself an extra entry! Look for this:

This Giveaway is open for USA Only!

I will select two winners 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 October 8, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Weekly Homeschool Planner ~ Giveaway CLOSED

2011-09-19T13:25:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Cara #98, you won!

It’s no big secret that one of my best friends is Jolanthe from Homeschool Creations. I met her online years ago and our friendship went from blog comments, to emails, to phone calls, to visits! This is one thing I am most thankful that God has given me through blogging-true friendship with Jolanthe and a few others! Here is us cheesing while at Relevant last year!

I tell you all of that so you know upfront that I am TOTALLY biased and think anything she creates is simply wonderful. I feel I must disclose this in a huge way! So, now that you know that, I am honored to host a giveaway for my friend and her wonderful Weekly Homeschool Planner, even though I don’t even use it myself! The only reason I don’t use hers is because I created my own {just for myself}. We do many of the same things and even talked a lot as she was creating the planner.

Here’s some information about the Weekly Homeschool Planner…

What's inside this editable pdf planner:
138 planning pages ~ 8 1/2" x 11" sized
12 blank month-at-a-glance pages
40 weeks of weekly planning and journal sheets: each page can be customized to the
subjects that your family studies and can be saved to your computer!
Preschool planning sheets
Field trip/Event plan sheets
Yearly curriculum planning sheets
Yearly planning and evaluation sheets
Yearly attendance tracking sheets
Field trip/Event plan sheets
Daily to-do lists
Main dish menu planner
Customizable chore charts
Important contacts info
Additional note space
Standardized testing and yearly assessment result tracking
Homeschooling requirement planning
Type your lesson plans into the form and print them off or simply save them to your
computer, the choice is up to you! You can edit your plans any time and even save your
planner to your computer to have a digital copy each year.

One thing that I was really confused about when I previewed the final copy of the planner for Jolanthe before it went up for sale was the duplicate lesson planning pages {and duplicates of various others}. I obviously had a lot to learn about editable PDF files {which I don’t create}. She explained to me that when saving an editable PDF product you can’t copy/paste the pages and must have a blank copy of each page you plan to use. So, if this confuses you also-know that you aren’t alone. Jolanthe is smarter than both of us! ha ha!

She also has an affiliate program that you can join and even make a bit of $ yourself!! You can read more about that on her Weekly Homeschool Planner sale page too.

BUY IT!
If you’d rather not wait to see if you win, you can purchase the Weekly Homeschool Planner for just $20, which is a steal considering you can use it year after year! Be sure to view the sample pages, as well as the fine print at the bottom of her site and ask any questions you may have beforehand! Jolanthe is very willing to help you figure out if this is the planner for you!

WIN IT!
Jolanthe is giving away the Weekly Homeschool Planner to one of my readers!

Mandatory Entry: Visit the Weekly Homeschool Planner to take a peek and then leave a comment letting us know you’d like to win!!!
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...

If you subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @jolantheerb and @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @jolantheerb ‘s Weekly Homeschool Planner! Enter here: http://bit.ly/omL7N6
If you follow/subscribe to Homeschool Creations, 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 October 1, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.
Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Guidecraft Hideaway Country Kitchen Review

2011-09-14T13:32:00.001-07:00

A while back I was sent the awesome Guidecraft Hideaway Country Kitchen to review. It sat in the box way too long because I was waiting for my husband to put it together. Finally I decided I could do it. I figured if Jolanthe could do it, so could I. So, I did. I won’t lie-it wasn’t terribly fun to put together but I did it. The kids, and the husband, were all pretty impressed with me.

This kitchen is a 2nd kitchen in our house, Ladybug has her own from last Christmas up in her room. It’s the plastic kind-that my husband picked out. This adorable wooden hideaway kitchen is located downstairs in our dining room, right off of our schoolroom. I LOVE the way it looks so I let it stay in public view! The kids cook for me quite often and it has been something they have all 3 enjoyed for months now.

I moved only our felt food and some dishes down here, to keep things simple and it has been wonderful. I put a pink fabric basket underneath in one of the cabinets and it all stores away easily. That’s one of the things I LOVE about this kitchen {especially versus the plastic one upstairs}-the storage underneath! You can hide it all in the nice open space.

I was planning to give this kitchen away soon after the review, feeling bad owning 2 kitchens, BUT I think my kiddos would miss it for now so were hanging onto it for awhile longer! They really like it!

If you are thinking of a kitchen as a gift this Christmas or anytime, I highly recommend this one. It is VERY well made, sturdy {notice Krash sitting on it below!}, and adorable.

It has features that kids and parents love. The clock and the sink are two child favorites in our home…

For those of you tight on space or who may be storing it for the next child, check out the hideaway feature {images from the Guidecraft website}…

I tested out the storage feature and it was easy to use. I wouldn’t want to store it every day and take it out again, but for longer term storage this is such a great option! It compacts to only 6” in depth with a simple twist of an Allen wrench. Fully extended, it measures 30"W x 15.25"D x 38" H.

Thanks to Guidecraft for allowing us to review this wonderful play kitchen!

Get yours on Amazon here or on the Guidecraft website here!

Montessori Print Shop Giveaway CLOSED

2011-08-26T12:40:00.001-07:00

Congratulations #206, you won! I sent you an email!

As you have probably noticed, my blog has taken a turn in a more Montessori focused direction. “Why?” you ask…because my beliefs are largely based in the Montessori Method. I did an internship at a wonderful Montessori School while in college and fell in love. I read many of the books, studied the method. I wanted to go to school the extra year to become certified to teach Montessori but I needed to begin working so I stuck with the public school system. My heart never left Montessori though!

Although we do not have a full Montessori based homeschool, many of my ideas stem from Montessori. When I found Montessori Print Shop, I fell in love. When they signed on to be a blog sponsor and allow me to host this AMAZING giveaway I was thrilled! This is probably my all time favorite giveaway and I am still in shock that I get to be a part of blessing someone with this gift that Montessori Print Shop is giving one of you.

First, if you haven’t been to their site, go now and browse around. Even if you don’t do anything Montessori-based in your schooling…I promise you will be inspired.

If you have been to their site, you have probably drooled over the beautiful printable files they offer, both for sale and for free. I did for a long time and then I was blessed beyond words to be given the entire printable set on CD for review in order to prepare to host this giveaway! Ya’ll, the CD set is worth over $2000, with a retail price of $593.21!!! To say I was excited is a complete understatement!!!

I have printed many of the files and plan to use these for many years. Here’s just a couple of the things we have already used…

Insect 3 Part Cards

Butterfly Life Cycle Read & Illustrate

My goal for this year is to utilize the wonderful Geography printables I have been given to create Continent Boxes. I am hoping to use this to bring the world alive for all 3 of my children. Stay tuned on my blog to see this project unfold throughout this year!

Here’s a small glimpse into the other files I now own, {and one of you will too}! Obviously I don’t have time to prepare them all, but I sure wish I did-they are amazing! I have printed so many already-mostly based around science and animals. My kids absolutely eat up any information about animals!

I hope to find time to prepare many of the phonics and math printables for Ladybug when it is time. The Montessori Method for teaching math and language is wonderful.

If you don’t “like” Montessori Print Shop on Facebook yet, be sure to jump over right now and do that. They are always posting discounts, giveaways and fun ideas. This doesn’t give you an extra giveaway entry {thank Facebook for their silly rules}.

Now for the fun part, the HUGE giveaway!!!!

WIN IT!

Montessori Print Shop is giving away a Deluxe Montessori CD Rom Collection - at this time it has 997 pdf files: 993 printable Montessori materials and 4 Primary Teaching Manuals. Most materials include beautiful photographic images that provide the children with real-life, concrete images, and information about the world around them.

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling us you’d like to win, and briefly why!!!

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...

If you subscribe via RSS, Google Friend Connect, or email or to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @MontessoriPrint and @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @MontessoriPrint for an entire Deluxe #Montessori CD Collection, 967 files! Enter here: http://bit.ly/q2L18m
If you subscribe to the Montessori Print Shop Blog, 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 checking comments to see that your entries are valid-please be honest!

Contest ENDS September 10, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Guidecraft ~ 3D Feel and Find World Icons Review & Giveaway

2011-08-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

We were recently sent a really cool to review, 3-D Feel and Find World Icons. This sensory toy is part of the eco-friendly toy line that Guidecraft offers.

The Feel & Find World Icons come with 20 wooden disk and matching chunky puzzle-piece shape inserts as well as a cloth bag to store the pieces in. The pieces are made from rubberwood and then stained with a low VOC aniline dye.

We have played with this toy a LOT, you have probably seen it in my Tot School posts!

One day we got it out as a whole group and played the game together with our own special “rules”. Each child got 7 disks, and had to find any of their 7 icons when it was his/her turn.

I was on Ladybug’s team and found them mostly but she stacked them up for me…

This is one of those toys that can be used in SO many different ways and for so many different age levels. All 3 kids love it and I do too. The quality is wonderful!

BUY IT!

Feel and Find World Icons can be purchased directly from the Guidecraft website, via their NEW Facebook page, or from Amazon.

WIN IT!

Xenia is hosting the giveaway this month! Head on over to enter to win.

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.

Betty Lukens Learning Fun with Felt Giveaway! CLOSED

2011-08-12T15:18:00.001-07:00

Congratulations #480, Jay & Amy ~ You Won!!!

I love beautiful felt learning sets! I don’t know what it is about felt, and colorful, fun designs…but I think all teachers love them! When Betty Lukens emailed me I was simply thrilled! Not only are they a sponsor of my blog now, they also sent me several sets to review and are allowing me to host this amazing giveaway for 6 sets!! Here are the sets I chose for my review items {click on the images to see them on the Betty Lukens website}:

We have played with 2 sets so far, first the Fun in the Sun set, after returning from our beach trip…

Currently we are loving the ABC set!!! Ladybug is really attracted to this one and has completed it herself several times and also with me. She doesn’t match them up by letter on her own, just likes putting the pieces in the squares.

I sometimes have our neighbors over for some school time and one day these 3 were assigned the ABC board as a way to encourage teamwork so the older 2 brothers could help their younger brother! They all loved it!I am so excited to include these felt boards in our school time throughout the year. I chose my review items specifically for themes I know we have coming up and themes we just love.

I loved seeing a special part on their FAQ page about offering special discounts for missionaries!!

If you want to know more about Betty Lukens and the background of the company, you can read that here!

If you don’t “like” Betty Lukens on Facebook yet, be sure to jump over right now and do that. They are just beginning their Facebook journey, so you can be one of the first to show your “like” for them.

BUY IT!

If you’d rather not wait to see if you win, you can use coupon code OnePlus for a 15% discount! Or if you join their Facebook page or follow on Twitter, you'll find the code for an even better discount!

WIN IT!

Betty Lukens-Learning Fun with Felt is giving away 6 Learning Fun with Felt play board pre-cut felt sets of your choice - over a $100 value.

Mandatory Entry: Visit the Betty Lukens website and then leave a comment telling us which set is your favorite!!!

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...

If you subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @bettylukens and @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @bettylukens for 6 felt board sets, over $100 value! Enter here: http://bit.ly/olIENS
If you sign up for their mailing list, give yourself an extra entry! Look for this at the top of their homepage:

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 August 27, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Scripture Lullabies Giveaway

2011-08-08T10:19:00.001-07:00

Congratulations #196-Debbie, you won!!!

It is not common for me to instantly fall in love with music. It usually takes me a few listens and then I am hooked. Not the case with Hidden in My Heart Scripture Lullabies! I heard a sample on another blog and was mesmerized and hooked…instantly! I emailed the company within minutes and we began a conversation over email which leads to this giveaway! I am thrilled to share my absolute favorite quiet music with you…

This powerfully peaceful music is helping children sleep soundly, free from nightmares, while also providing some much needed peace for mom and dad. It’s the perfect baby gift, but as you listen, you’ll understand why so many adults are buying their own copy or several to give as gifts to friends and family members. I personally listen to it alone more than with my children! We are also using it as background music during our morning school time just to help keep the peace.

One out of every 10 "Hidden In My Heart" CDs is donated to Pregnancy Resource centers around the country so by purchasing this CD, you are blessing more than just your family.

You can download a FREE sample song here!

Take a peek at this video also which features my favorite song on the CD!

Ifyou’d rather not wait, you can use coupon code SL2011 for a 15% discount!

WIN IT!

Scripture Lullabies is giving away a Hidden in My Heart CD to one of you!

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling us you’d like to win, and briefly why!!!

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...

If you subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for Hidden My Heart Scripture Lullabies, enter here: http://bit.ly/pAIKpT
If you choose a method to stay updated with Scripture Lullabies, give yourself an extra entry! Look for this graphic on their right sidebar and pick email, RSS or FB!

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 August 20, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Guidecraft Crystal Beads/Shimmering Water Blocks Review {& Giveaway}

2011-07-18T03:55:00.000-07:00

We love Guidecraft’s Crystal Bead Blocks, and Shimmering Water Blocks.

Actually we love all of Guidecraft’s wooden blocks, including the wonderful Rainbow Blocks we reviewed a few months ago. The kids actually saw the photos of the “special” blocks on the rainbow blocks package and asked me if we would be getting those too. Thankfully we did a few months later and they all LOVE these wooden blocks!

Both the water and the bead blocks are a hit and they all work well together with our Rainbow Blocks set. Ladybug loves examining the special blocks…

Peeking through them is a favorite activity. Here she is using the bead block, but she normally uses the water blocks as she tells me the color she sees.

Of course stacking is always a popular use for any type of blocks!

She also enjoyed measuring her feet with the blocks!

I absolutely love these blocks and highly recommend adding any set of the special wooden blocks to your block collection. I am very thankful that we had the opportunity to review these! They also have mirror blocks and sand blocks!

BUY IT!

You can purchase the Crystal Bead Blocks and Shimmering Water Blocks on the Guidecraft site. They also sell them on Amazon: Crystal Bead Blocks, Shimmering Water Blocks

WIN IT!

Jolanthe is hosting the giveaway this month! Head on over to enter to win.

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.

Roadtrip USA Review & Giveaway CLOSED

2011-07-04T10:49:00.001-07:00

Congratulations #463 Kayla, you won!

We love USA geography around here! I had the honor of reviewing Erica’s Road Trip USA curriculum and I love it!!! Currently we don’t have time to do it all based on our other curriculum, but there are aspects that we are already doing and some we will be working in for next year! I was blown away when I opened the 363 page file and read through what was included, SO thorough! You can visit her detailed post to read and see all that is included! You can even download a free sample.

Right now we are using and loving these…

We are going through the states in ABC order as we do on my USA Geography PowerPoint {which you can see on the computer screen in this photo}

Each boy is coloring a different page to create one joint notebook.

Another fun thing we have added in is finding photographs of different items on the coloring pages. Before we begin I do a simple Google Image search and copy/paste the images into a document to display for the boys as they color. This is their favorite part and even I am learning a few things {OK, many things}.

BUY IT!

You can purchase Road Trip USA for $18-instant PDF download, or $23 for a CD.

WIN IT!

Erica is giving away an instant download of Road Trip USA to 1 winner!

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling us you’d like to win!!!

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...

If you subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
Subscribe via email to Confessions of a Homeschooler
If you follow @ericahomeschool and @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @ericahomeschool for Road Trip USA, enter here: http://bit.ly/muJ3sy

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 July 17, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

MadeOn Hard Lotion Giveaway CLOSED

2011-06-26T14:09:00.001-07:00

Congratulations Joyce #74, you won!!!

I am excited to share a unique and wonderful product with you…Hard Lotion!!! I had heard of it, but never tried it. When Renee emailed me I was thrilled to be able to try it out and share with my readers! I do not suffer from dry skin myself so I can’t speak on that, but I was very impressed with this strange little lotion bar! It comes in a cute little tin as shown above and honestly looks like a bar of soap! I have been using it on my heels at night and love it. I personally don’t like how it feels on my hands but I can imagine someone who suffers from dry cracked skin would love it. I am anxious for my husband and PacMan to try it out in the winter months as they both suffer from severe dry skin.

What exactly is hard lotion & why did Renee begin making it?

Hard lotion is lotion that is solid at room temperature. It is designed to specifically protect hands and feet from cracked skin and extreme dry skin. Ingredients are shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax. It also relieves skin that suffers from eczema and psoriasis. Renee began making it when she was searching for a recipe online that could help her cracked fingers that hurt from frequent hand-washing, and heels that split every summer from walking barefoot. The business took off in 2010 and now her husband joins her full-time in running the business while raising and homeschooling their 8 children in Northern California.

Renee also sent me the lip balm to test out and I am in LOVE with the peppermint flavor! The lip balm is a bit trickier to find on the website, look for this near the bottom of the home page:

They also make diaper rash cream, goat milk soap, and hair butter. They look amazing!!! You can even do it yourself with much help from Renee’s tutorials! There’s also a blog filled with amazing information. I love natural products and this website was a gem to find!

WIN IT!

MadeOn is giving away 3 Pack Dry Skin Care: 1 Family-size lotion bar, 1 Pocket-size lotion bar, & 1 lip balm.

Mandatory Entry: Visit MadeOn, browse around and then simply leave a comment telling us you’d like to win!!!

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...

If you have a particular skin condition that would make this product very useful to you, give yourself an extra entry!
If you subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1, give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @hardlotion and @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @hardlotion enter here: http://bit.ly/lUzmnL

This Giveaway is open for USA Only!

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!

Giveaway ENDS July 10, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Guidecraft Fraction Cups & Board ~ Review & Giveaway!

2011-06-21T08:21:00.001-07:00

Guidecraft has amazing math toys! Wooden toys that introduce math in a fun playful way are ideal in my boat! We love the Fraction Action Board and Fraction Cups!

These have been an awesome tool to use for introducing concepts and vocabulary to Krash and Ladybug. Ladybug is especially drawn to these, they are the perfect challenge for her.

I use the proper terms with her while she plays, so down the road they won’t be as strange when she hears them and it’s actually time to really learn fractions!

I love seeing her try different combinations out and also perfecting her “try again” or “help please” skills! This fraction board gives her more trouble and we have really worked on those 2 phrases a lot when working with it!

I love these math toys and know my kiddos will get years of play out of them!

BUY IT!

You can purchase the Fraction Action Board and Fraction Cups on the Guidecraft site. They also sell them on Amazon: Fraction Action Board and Fraction Cups

WIN IT!

Mama Jenn is hosting the giveaway this month! Head on over to enter to win.

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.

Montessori at Home! Giveaway

2011-06-18T12:09:00.001-07:00

Congratulations #300-Lindsey, you won!!

A few months ago I got an email from John Bowman asking me to review his books. I get emails like this quite often and honestly I don’t review many books simply for lack of time. However, my heart is based in Montessori and I was excited to review these particular books!

Soon after beginning to read both the paper book ~ Help Your Preschooler Build a Better Brain, and the eBook ~ Montessori at Home, I was in love! Both books are exactly what I had been looking for when I began homeschooling PacMan.

You may be wondering, “why 2 different books…what is the difference?” Honestly, I was too. Mr. Bowman sent me both formats and I have been able to pour over them both. Here’s my thoughts…

If you are on a computer or have an eReader that can read PDF books {like I do with iBooks on my iPad} I personally recommend getting the PDF version, Montessori at Home! It is more extensive and has more meat to it. The paper copy, Help Your Preschooler Build a Better Brain, was written for those parents who like a traditional book and want something to hold in their hands. It is filled with much of the same info and gives you everything you need, but is a bit more condensed.

What will you find in the books? Tons of scientific stuff, which I love! Tons of early childhood education stuff, which is my background and I love reading it even for the 100th time! Information about Maria Montessori and the background behind her methods. Lists of items to gather, simple ideas to make Montessori work for you at home.

You will also find TONS, and I mean TONS of activities…most which you can begin the day you read about them! Mr. Bowman makes it truly easy for you to do the activities at home! You can already see many of his activities featured in our first Montessori Minute post…

Each month, John will be sharing a new post with us, so be sure to follow along so you don’t miss his extensive posts!

I promise if you are even remotely interested in doing homeschool with your child for the early years, you want this book {either or both}. Mr. Bowman empowers you to believe you can do this. Many times in my early homeschool years-even with my early childhood degree, I felt like it was out of my reach and too complicated to pull off at home. John Bowman lets you know how wrong that thinking is! He assures you that you CAN do it!!!

Here are some more details straight from John Bowman himself…

Montessori At Home! is 193 full size pages with color photos throughout and over 200 Montessori early learning activities, adapted for use by parents at home. This book is available on CD for $12.95 and as a download for only $9.95. Most activities use common household items and are designed for easy, quick setup & use. Complete background information on Montessori education and how to set up, display, and do Montessori activities successfully at home are included to guide parents. Activity groups include Everyday Life, Sensory Experience, Science, Math, and Reading. The Math & Reading sections are completely sequenced for ease of use. Recommendations are given for a selection of Montessori and other excellent materials for home use by preschoolers. A second PDF file includes 36 printable activity sheets for use with various activities. A comprehensive guide just for parents.

For those who prefer a book to hold, I recently collected the activities from Montessori At Home! in a paperback titled Help Your Preschooler Build a Better Brain.

Want to know about John and his personal Montessori background and why he wrote these books? Here’s what he told me…

I spent 12 years as a Montessori preschool teacher and center director. I actually shelved this project after I got married in 1980 and entered a new career. In late 2009 I again became interested in writing a Montessori book for parents. I assumed that multiple similar books had probably been written in all that time, so I checked out most of the books on the market. Surprisingly, I found none that covered the subject in the comprehensive way I had in mind, especially concerning modifying Montessori activities for easy set up & use at home and giving parents a complete Montessori at home program. So, I wrote Montessori At Home! and then the second book.

BUY IT

You can go ahead and purchase your copy of Montessori At Home! here on his website, or you can order the paperback book Help Your Preschooler Build a Better Brain here on Amazon.

WIN IT!

John Bowman is giving away a CD with the Montessori At Home! book & Activity Sheets in two PDF files; and a copy of Help Your Preschooler Build a Better Brain (paperback).

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling us you’d like to win and who you are hoping to teach with your new books!

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...

If you Follow/Subcribe to 1+1+1=1, give yourself an extra entry!
If you visit and read our 1st Montessori Minute post and leave a comment {on the other post, not this one} for John with either a question you have or a comment about his post…give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for #Montessori At Home! enter here: http://bit.ly/ilWDos

This Giveaway is open for anyone for downloadable book, paperback book can only be sent USA!

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 July 3, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Speekee Spanish ~ Giveaway CLOSED

2011-06-06T19:08:00.001-07:00

Congratulations # 13 Kama!! You Won!!

My kids are digging Speekee. I must admit, I was a bit skeptical of the goofy looking purple guy {which I think I have learned is actually a gal}, but the kids have taken a liking to this creature Speekee. Especially Ladybug-she begs to watch Speekee!

We have been watching Speekee for Spanish lessons about twice a week, with some bonus viewings when requested. All 3 kids watch it together-which is a real bonus considering their age difference! They all get something out of the videos.

The videos are streamed online, and I was even able to stream through my Wii! PacMan’s favorite part is reading the English translation at the bottom, as the little guys soak up the audio.

I know it is working because I hear bits and pieces of Spanish throughout our days now. The most popular phrase is “me gusta” and “no me gusta” to tell me if they like or don’t like something!

Speekee offers a monthly fee to have access to their videos and printables, the fee is currently $7.50 per month {with a free 2 week trial for everyone}. I love having the PDF files to reinforce the videos-we have used some of them every time we have watched! I have dreams of making printables to correlate with Speekee, but we’ll see if I can find the time!

Here’s a portion from their website…

I highly recommend trying out Speekee for yourself with the free 2 week trial, you can’t go wrong! If your kids like it and learn from it, you can consider adding it to your home by joining monthly!

WIN IT!

Speekee is giving away a free two month membership to their site. This is what we were given for our review and we have had plenty of time to fall in love with Speekee!

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling us you’d like to win!!!

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...

If you Follow/Subcribe to 1+1+1=1, give yourself an extra entry!
Visit the Speekee website and watch the intro video {on your honor}, for an extra entry!
If you follow @speekee and @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @speekee enter here: http://bit.ly/iIMt0v

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 June 19, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Play This Way Giveaway CLOSED

2011-05-27T14:29:00.001-07:00

Congratulations #96 Heather, you won!

Play This Way with Dr. Jen has many new things in store, which we will be sharing with you in the months to come. In the meantime, Dr. Jen would like to offer one of my readers a chance to win The Original U-Play Mat for Education!!

We have had our original U-Play Mat for awhile now, since we did our review last year. Recently, we tried our mat in 2 different ways this time and she AMAZED me!!! Last time she could barely match 4 images, this time she begged me to do it over and over again!!! First I just showed her a card and asked her to find the match, this was obviously easy for her and we did it about 3 times-the whole stack!

Here she is signing more, which she did each time we finished the set! She also cheered for herself after every match she made!

Next I just verbally asked her to find something and then showed her the matching card to put in. She loves putting the cards into the slots! We had so much fun and she cried when we had to stop! I was honestly surprised with how much she enjoyed this. When we first reviewed it-she certainly wasn’t as enthused!

Dr. Jen is inventing up a storm with new U-Play Mat versions coming out through Sassy Baby for the mass-market 0-2 years toy category, and for the Educational market with real photo cards with Stages Learning. She has a secret stash of the original version, and is giving away a starter kit for one of my readers! Dr. Jen is not selling this right now, but you can visit her website to learn more about exciting things coming soon!

Letter of the Week K4 Expansion & You Can Read Giveaway!

2011-05-23T05:07:00.001-07:00

I am thrilled to share this giveaway with you! As I am sure most of you know, I create printables and so does Erica from Confessions of a Homeschooler. What you may not know is that through blogging we became friends behind the scenes long ago! We have recently decided to partner together to share our Kindergarten-focused programs and host a giveaway of BOTH!

I used Erica’s LOTW Preschool printables all throughout preschool with Krash. We used RRSP as our base and added in tons of LOTW printables to supplement-it worked beautifully for us!

We are now using Calvert as our base, You Can Read as our main add-on for sight words, and LOTW K4 as a supplement!

Because I know I will be using these materials again with Krash for review and also with Ladybug in the future, I decided to print my favorites and laminate them. I actually scaled down a few and printed 2 per page and laminated these back to back to save paper/ink/laminating film.

Here’s just a small glimpse of a few of Erica’s K4 printables we have used…

As Krash got towards the end of RRSP, we began using the letter hunt worksheets from LOTW K4…

More recently we have been using the beginning sound sheets. We both love these because they become a big laughing fest for us. First he says the sound {“k”} and then he replaces the beginning sound in each word says them aloud {Kish, Kebra, Kite}. He absolutely loves this and it really helped him!!

We also used the simple sentence mini books…

He did awesome with the middle vowel sound work-I was actually quite surprised!

I love that Erica’s creations can be added into our routine so easily. He recognizes many of the graphics from doing the LOTW week work during preschool. I have many other activities printed to use in the future, I just keep it all together in a pocket folder and pull out a few things to add to his lesson plans each week.

BUY IT…

You can purchase the LOTW K4 program for just $5! It comes to you as one simple download {zipped}. It is very easy to work with and you have everything you need all at once, organized into nice folders!

You can purchase access to my ad free/bonus section of You Can Read for just $5 right now. You get access to units ahead of time, and also have the ability to download your units from a clear ad-free page that you can come back to anytime. I also provide bonus materials that will only be available there.

If you buy either or both programs, or already own-you can still enter to win-we will refund your $$ if you are the winner! Just mention this in your comment!

WIN IT!

One winner will receive the entire LOTW K4 Expansion program and also access to the ad-free/bonus section for You Can Read! Remember, even if you own 1 or both, you can still enter to win a refund!!!

You can also enter to win over at Confessions of a Homeschooler! We are both hosting the same giveaway and will be sure to choose 2 different winners!

Mandatory Entry:

Just leave comment telling me you’d like to win! {make sure your email is enabled or in each comment}

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...

Follow or Subscribe to 1+1+1=1
Follow or Subscribe to Totally Tots {we both write there!}
Subscribe via email to Confessions of a Homeschooler
Follow @ericahomeschool and @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 & @ericahomeschool are co-hosting a giveaway together! Enter here: http://bit.ly/mGmEKi

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 May 28, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Guidecraft Twisters & Twister Curves Review {giveaway closed}

2011-05-14T08:04:00.001-07:00

CLOSED, Congratulations Kathy-#391 You Won!

Guidecraft has amazing open ended building toys. Recently we were sent a set of Twisters…

and Twister Curves, and all 3 of my kids love them!

I do believe this might be one of the top 3 Guidecraft toys we own now! I love seeing all 3 of my kiddos play together…

They have played with these almost every day since we opened them, this is just one play time! Krash made a square…which he turned into a picture frame!

We made tons of circles and made stairs…

We made words…

We even made names, which Ladybug LOVED, she was enthralled with her L…

Her favorite thing is pushing the little pegs into the holes. SUCH great fine motor work!!!

PacMan made a basket…

Krash worked on a tall tower for awhile!!

PacMan is showing the lizard he made using the guide that is included…

This is one of those toys you open and just stare at and wonder. Then you see your kids dive in and their imaginations run wild and you say to yourself…”I am so glad I got that!!”

WIN IT!

Guidecraft is giving away a set of Twisters and Twister Curves to one winner!

Mandatory Entry…

Visit Guidecraft to look at their awesome products. Come back and leave a comment with one of your favorites!

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...

If you follow via Google Friend Connect 1+1+1=1 {main blog} AND 1+1+1=1 Reviews {where you are now}, give yourself an extra entry!
If you subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
If you Follow or Subscribe to Totally Tots, give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @guidecraft Twisters & Twister Curves, enter here: http://bit.ly/kbdMj4

This Giveaway is open for USA only.

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 May 22, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Want it NOW? If you can’t wait to win, you can head over to purchase the Twisters and Twister Curves from the Guidecraft website OR through Amazon!

As a Guidecraft Mom blogger, this product was given to me for review purposes. I do not have to return the product to the vendor and I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Life is Art…Giveaway CLOSED

2011-04-27T08:18:00.001-07:00

Congratulations #83 Pam, You Won!

When Tara, from Life is Art emailed me I was so thankful! She sent me a beautiful gift for our home, simply as a kind gesture. She let me choose a print and even had it framed for me!!! I was in love with this print and it is hanging beautifully on my dining room wall…

A bit about Life is Art…

Tara and her husband work in ministry as house parents for troubled teens. They are also the parents of 3 small children and 1 on the way! Their dream is to homeschool their children! Tara’s husband {and sometimes Tara} takes the photographs and Tara edits them and creates the final images which end up in Life is Art! This small business adventure is a way to help bring in extra finances while honoring God at the same time.

I pray you will check out Tara’s website and see if there is a piece of art she and her husband have created that would fit perfectly in your home or as a gift for someone you love! Supporting the business adventures of others who work in ministry is a passion of mine! You can see links for the different pieces of artwork that are available on their site here or see how to request a custom print here.

WIN IT!

Life is Art is giving away an 11x14 unframed print from their “available prints” section to one winner!

Mandatory Entry…

Visit Life is Art to look at the available prints. Come back and leave a comment with your favorite! If you are the winner, you can change your mind. ;-)

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...

If you follow via Google Friend Connect 1+1+1=1 {main blog} AND 1+1+1=1 Reviews {where you are now}, give yourself an extra entry!
If you subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for a beautiful 11x14 print from Life is Art, enter here: http://bit.ly/feu0t7

This Giveaway is open for USA only.

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 May 8, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Guidecraft ~ Interlox Review {and giveaway}

2011-04-18T12:16:00.001-07:00

Guidecraft has amazing open ended building toys. Recently we were sent a set of Interlox, and all 3 of my kids love them!

They all enjoyed them, but Pac Man loved them the most! He loves building toys, so these were right up his alley!

Here is the first motorcycle garage…

Which was then renovated to a MUCH fancier version as you can see!

The little ones enjoyed them also, making airplanes and butterflies. ;-)

We also sorted by color, lined them up to make a long train and have played with them many times since this day! The price is great for this set and they are a wonderful addition to any child’s building supplies!

BUY IT!

You can purchase the 96 piece Interlox on the Guidecraft site. They also sell them on Amazon.

WIN IT!

Cindy from Along the Way is hosting the giveaway this month! Head on over to enter to win.

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.

Flag Page ~ Review & Giveaway CLOSED

2011-04-15T18:25:00.001-07:00

Congratulations #114 Hailey-You Won!!!

I was introduced to the Kids Flag Page while at Relevant this past October. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was but was very curious! I was given a free copy to review, just knowing Pac Man would love it! We had a nice time together working through the process, and he enjoyed the 1 on 1 time the most.

He was a tad bit upset that it wasn’t a game {he had seen the box and got confused!} but once he got over that, he enjoyed the process!

I enjoyed reading the book, especially the portions specific to his Home Country {Peace} and Adopted Country {Fun}. Although some of it seemed off to me, the parts that were ON really touched my heart and honestly convicted me in some areas. He and I are not the same and I struggle with that often. I adore him, but I need to do a better job being sensitive to him and his unique personality. Although I did not complete a page for myself, I believe I would be the exact opposite of him-Control and Perfection! We are a mess of a combination, but we love each other dearly and that’s what matters most!

Here’s a photo of his completed page {with his name left off}

When Krash gets old enough, I plan to do it with him too ~ he is a bit too all over the place to even consider it right now! ;-)

Here is what is included in the entire kit, everything you need to complete a Flag Page for up to 3 children, and the book to go with it. It really is a neat process and I am really glad we had the opportunity to do this.

BUY IT

You can purchase the Flag Page here on the Family Matters website. They are offering my readers a 20% discount using the following code: BLG042011KFP {copy and paste the code to get the o/0 correct!}

WIN IT!

Mandatory Entry…

Visit Family Matters to read a bit more about the Kids Flag Page kit, if you like what you see…leave a comment telling us you’d like to win! ;-)

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...

If you follow/subscribe to 1+1+1=1 {main blog} AND 1+1+1=1 Reviews {where you are now}, give yourself an extra entry!
If you Follow/Subscribe to Totally Tots give yourself an extra entry.

This Giveaway is open for USA only.

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 May 1, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Guidecraft ~ Block Mates Review {giveaway}

2011-03-15T13:55:00.001-07:00

Guidecraft has amazing wooden blocks. Recently we were sent a set of Farm Animal Block Mates along with the 5 Piece Hardwood Unit Block Set.

All 3 of my children LOVE these! Here you can see them in their “barn”

Soon after the barn was constructed, a pasture was built using our Rainbow Blocks, complete with hay made from Learning Links

Feeding & watering troughs too…

Ladybug has been VERY impressed with these too…

The following photos were taken weeks apart from the ones above…

Check out what he built, again…

Apparently these animals are hungry!!! I HIGHLY recommend Block Mates, even though I didn’t really “get it” at first. Seeing my kiddos interact with them has converted my thinking. They truly LOVE them!

BUY IT!

You can purchase the Farm Animals Block Mates and the 5 Piece Wooden Block Set on the Guidecraft site. They also sell them on Amazon: Farm Animal Block Mates.

WIN IT!

Jodi from Granola Mom 4 God is hosting the giveaway this month! Head on over to enter to win.

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.

Color Squares from Little Bits ~ Giveaway CLOSED

2011-02-20T18:35:00.001-08:00

Congratulations #356 Your Impact Matters ~ I have sent you an email!

Many of you probably already know the story behind Little Bits, but for those of you who don’t, you are welcome to read this post I wrote on my blog awhile back. Little Bits is still going strong and is one of our main sources of financial donations for our mission work. We are faith-supported missionaries, which means we don’t have an organization paying us. We get paid all through donations and Little Bits is one of our main sources! We are SO grateful to my mom and the hours and hours of work she puts into Little Bits to help earn money for us and God’s work.

You may have seen these adorable Color Squares on my blog recently…

They have become a fast favorite of all 3 kids, especially Ladybug.

Even Krash enjoys them, especially when they act as color coordinated pillows and blankets for his Battle Force 5 guys.

We also use them for all sorts of other activities. They are about 3”x3” and are each padded inside with batting to make them like mini pillows. They are lightweight so we can even play catch with them inside.

On the Little Bits site, you can purchase a set of 10 {1 of each color} for $10.00 or a set of 20 {2 of each color} for $18.00.

My mom has offered to give away a set of 10 colors, 2 of each color, to one of my readers!!!

BUY IT & support our mission work!

If you’d like to purchase a set of Color Squares or any other Little Bits, you can do that here! The best way to purchase something from Little Bits with the desire to support our mission work is to select something from the premade section. My mom makes these items in advance so they are already done and ready to ship. You can see all premade items available on the Little Bits blog.

MAKE IT

If you know how to sew, just cut squares about 3-4” in size and fill with a tiny bit of batting. Sew edges together and then trim with pinking shears! Pretty easy for someone who actually knows how to sew a bit {NOT me}.

WIN IT! CLOSED

Mom has a set of 20 color squares all ready to ship to one special winner!

Mandatory Entry…

Visit Little Bits and tell me one other item that you like after you browse around the site a bit. Leave the name of the item in your 1st comment!

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...

If you Follow/Subscribe to 1+1+1=1, give yourself an extra entry.
If you already own a Little Bit already OR buy a PREMADE Little Bit during this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry as a thank you for a previous purchase!
If you have no clue how to sew anything {like me} give yourself an extra entry!

This Giveaway is open for USA only.

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 March 6, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Guidecraft Nesting Cubes & Cylinders…Review {& giveaway}

2011-02-14T15:20:00.001-08:00

Guidecraft has amazing wooden toys. Recently we were sent these…

I have been wanting this particular wooden toy for years and I don’t know why I never bought it. When I heard we were getting BOTH sets to review I was thrilled! I hoped my kids would enjoy this awesome open ended toy and I was thrilled to see that they did! Ladybug is especially in love with this toy.

It provides so many learning opportunities, a great example is shown below as she was trying to fit the cylinders inside one another. She tried 2 that were the same size and then tried one that fit. She did this all independently and I know her little brain was just soaking in the knowledge of what she was learning simply by playing with a neat toy.

She is also enjoying when her brother shows her something new to do with the toy. Although, I never allow this at first because I like the younger ones to explore freely without an older child “showing” them everything. When I first bring a new Tot School toy out I always allow my youngest to explore freely without any interference from an older child. After this time period is over {usually just 5-10 minutes} I allow group play.

These photos were taken soon after that period of time, Pac Man was dying to get his hands on this new toy, he loves stuff like this!

Pac Man also enjoyed playing with this toy on his own ;-), here he made a pattern to show Krash, who sadly wasn’t very interested.

Daddy joined in the fun too with Ladybug-she loves showing him her toys!

I am SO glad we own this awesome Tot School tool, I love it!

BUY IT!

You can purchase the Guidecraft Nesting Cylinders here on the Guidecraft site, or the Nesting Cubes we reviewed here on the Guidecraft site. Both are also on Amazon : Cubes, Cylinders.

WIN IT!

Xenia from Thanks Mail Carrier is hosting the giveaway this month! Head on over to enter to win, now through 3/11/11.

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.

Pick and Draw ~ Giveaway! CLOSED

2011-02-06T19:15:00.001-08:00

Congratulations #254 Keya...you won!

We were sent Pick and Draw awhile back to review and I am excited to share it with you! This is such an wonderful, yet simple game. For a non-artist like me, it is just perfect!

There is an awesome tutorial on their website that walks you through the entire game step by step. You can even play a round using the sample!

Did my kids like it? YES!

Up until this particular night, I had only played with Pac Man and hadn’t taken any photos. Krash decided to join us and I was surprised with how well he did! I used our mini pocket chart to hold the cards…

Here are 2 of our “results” {I played too}…

{left-mine, middle-Krash, right-Pac Man}

Quite proud artists

After we finished 3 drawings we each chose 1 to color. The boys were giggling together as they looked back through their drawings together.

Krash’s final drawing was awesome. He even had me write details on it. He had me write…”Extremely Dangerous Hair that can Zap You” as a label for the red hair. His official name was “Red Peach Bad Guy”. Oh how I love this silly kid.

Rich Davis, the creator, also has an awesome blog, which we have used to draw “Doodle Bugs.” Be sure to visit this amazing free resource!

BUY IT…

You can buy Pick and Draw here on their website for just $10.00!

WIN IT…

Mandatory Entry…

Just leave a comment saying you’d like to win this and who it would be for.

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...

If you Follow/Subscribe to 1+1+1=1 give yourself an extra entry.
If you follow Rich Davis’ blog, give yourself an extra entry.

This Giveaway is open for USA only.

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 February 20, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Education Cubes ~ Review & Giveaway! CLOSED

2011-01-23T13:06:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Jamie, you won! I have sent you an email!

My long time blogging friend, Jenn from Mama Jenn has launched an awesome new learning idea!! I am thrilled to be a part of her Grand Opening Celebration this month for her new site, Education Cubes. You have probably already seen me feature the Education Cubes in action on my blog and I am excited to share more and giveaway a membership to one of you!

To see ideas already on my blog, click on the images below to be taken to the blog post featuring the idea…

Jenn has added many new inserts recently and I haven't had a chance to print much lately. Here are my favorites that are on my list to prepare…

AND…she made an entire set all based on my Raising Rock Stars Preschool program! I will be printing the 2nd review unit for Krash this week!!

At first glance the idea of cubes and inserts seems simple-but remember that simple is often AWESOME! Just the addition of a cube can turn a once boring review or learning activity into something completely new for a child. As an adult, I could care less if it’s in a cube-but for children, there’s something about the cube that makes it more fun. All 3 of my children love our cubes and our inserts, I highly recommend adding this learning tool to your homeschool!

Learn all about joining Education Cubes here! The membership is only $10 right now! Remember this is not only a membership but also a way to support a fellow homeschooling mom. Jenn is so generous and talented, I am honored to call her friend!

Want to win an Education Cubes membership?

Mandatory Entry…

Visit www.EducationCubes.com and tell me a set of cube inserts that you like after you browse around their site a bit.

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...

If you follow/ subscribe to 1+1+1=1, give yourself an extra entry.
If you Follow/Subscribe to Totally Tots 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 January 30, 2011. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Guidecraft Construct-It Review

2011-01-17T09:46:00.001-08:00

Guidecraft has amazing building toys. We were sent the Construct-it Early Builder set back in the fall and my kids have been enjoying it ever since!

Once again, the child this toy would normally be intended for {Krash} liked it the least. He definitely likes it, but not as much as Pac Man and Ladybug. The age recommendation is 4+ which means it is perfect for both boys. I don’t doubt for a second that this will be a toy Krash grows into.

Pac Man is my “builder” and seems to naturally enjoy open-ended toys like this. He will follow the plans included sometimes, but mostly come up with ideas of his own, like this wagon…

He comes up with some very interesting creations, my favorite being a beach chair for Phineas ;-).Phineas also got a car…

Ladybug enjoyed playing with {and eventually destroying} all of the creations.

While Pac Man was playing I asked him to give me his thoughts for my review. I asked him to tell me what he liked the best about this building toy, he said that the pieces go together easily and aren’t frustrating to hook together. I also asked him to tell me what he didn’t like about it. He hesitated a bit {because I think he really does like it}, and said that sometimes the pieces fall out and he didn’t like that. He demonstrated how some pieces slip out and then some don’t. I too noticed this and it was a bit frustrating for me also. I wondered if maybe I was “using it” wrong. We are still exploring the set and overall we really enjoy it. I am actually anxious to read the other Guidecraft Moms reviews to get more ideas!

BUY IT!

You can purchase the Construct-it Early Builder set we reviewed here on the Guidecraft site, or here on Amazon.

WIN IT!

Jenn from Mama Jenn is hosting the giveaway this month! Head on over to enter to win, now through 1/21/11.

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.

Skylar and George Washington ~ Book Review

2011-01-10T18:12:00.001-08:00

We were sent an adorable and unique book recently to review. Skylar and George Washington is unlike any book we have, in that it is both a fun picture book and an in depth book with awesome and accurate historical facts! The book combines digital illustrations and photography in a unique way. I love the combination of the two.

The book is laid out like this…

You can read just the left side-which is written using a simple, rhyming text. For older kids, the historical information, including many famous quotes, is written on the right side. Even I learned many new facts about George Washington, making him seem much more real. I look forward to diving into the book even more as we study George Washington in our homeschool. You can preview the book yourself by clicking here.

We really enjoyed this book and are hoping the author writes more. What a neat way to learn about history!

Another cool fact-Skylar is actually the author’s dog! You can see the real dog here in a video where the author, Matt Burgess, explains the book and it’s purpose for your family.

You can order a copy of Skylar & George Washington here on their site…

You can also purchase this book on Amazon!

Matt has provided my readers with a generous discount code for those of you who would like to order 2 or more copies. Use the code 1+1+1=1 to receive 23% off when buying 2 or more! What a unique gift to give, especially to another homeschooling family! Look for the discount code box on the order form to enter the code…

Thanks Matt for providing our family with this awesome book free for review! We greatly appreciate it and are continuing to enjoy the great book!

33MILES Today & Christmas CD Giveaway!! CLOSED

2010-12-08T13:19:00.001-08:00

Congratulations #10 Autumn ~ You Won!!!

A few months ago I got an email from a reader of mine. She casually mentioned that she was married to someone named Chris Lockwood. I knew I recognized the name and emailed her back to ask her if it was Chris Lockwood from 33Miles {a Christian band I love}? It was!!! I have been a long time 33Miles fan and so has Pac Man. Even Krash LOVED one of their older songs “Thank You” when he was about 2{he still does}. He would belt it out in the car, where we kept their CD!

I was thrilled to learn that 33Miles had a new CD, Today, coming out and I was offered review copies and a copy to give away to one of my readers! This also includes their awesome Christmas album too!!!! So, even if you aren’t a 33Miles fan {how could you not be though}, the Christmas album alone is simply beautiful!!! I am always collecting Christmas music and just love having this as a part of my playlist.

I am currently listening to the Today CD while typing this and I am in love. I have been mostly listening to the Christmas CD for obvious reasons {and I LOVE it}, but I have a feeling that after Christmas, Today will be on a LOT. Pac Man loves 33Miles too and thought it was SO cool that a reader of mine is married to one of the band members!

33Miles is a Christ focused band with amazing talent. I love Christian music that is wonderfully written and preformed but mostly gets the Message right. Christ is very obviously the center of their work. You can read a bit of background information about the band here, and also listen to samples of their music. Here is their touring schedule in case any of you are blessed enough to live close and see them in person. I would love to worship with them if they ever come close to me! They even have a blog too! I loved this quote from Christ Lockwood…

“We need to regroup and refocus, to unplug from all the distractions that keep us from
living like we know who we are,” Chris explains. “Despite our circumstances, we are
people of faith. And like all those listed in the ‘Faith Hall of Fame’ in Hebrews 11, we
have to live today as citizens of heaven. They didn’t receive the fruition of all they
believed in, all they’d struggled to accomplish. But they kept the faith because they knew
they were meant for the world to come. That should be our goal: to live with eternity in
our hearts.”

BUY IT…

You can buy the Today/Christmas Album combo for only $10 right now on their website!!! I recommend this option, so you can get both for that low price. If you can’t wait and want to download, you can find Today here and Believe {Christmas} here on Amazon. You can here great samples of the music on Amazon too.

WIN IT…
I am excited that one of you will win this awesome Today/Believe CD combo set! I am going to leave the contest open for just a few days so the CD can get in the mail to the winner before Christmas so you can enjoy the beautiful Christmas music in time!

Mandatory Entry…
Just leave a comment telling me you’d like to win! Pretty easy huh? 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...

If you follow @1plus1plus1 and @33Miles on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry. Feel free to copy and Tweet this: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @33Miles, enter here http://bit.ly/dEiA96 to win a copy of their new CD set! Ends12/12
If you subscribe to /follow 1+1+1=1, give yourself an extra entry.
If you visit www.33MilesOnline.com and browse around a bit, give yourself an extra entry telling me something you learned about the band or any other fact you find!

This Giveaway is open for USA only!

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 December 12, 2010 {11am}. Winner will be announced here 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.

DaySpring Christmas Cards {Review}

2010-11-29T10:46:00.001-08:00

I was given the wonderful opportunity to review beautiful Studio DaySpring Christmas cards this year! I usually make my own cards but was ecstatic to have this opportunity to use a beautiful design by DaySpring. I was able to see MANY DaySpring products, including their gorgeous cards, while at the Relevant Conference back in October.

Here is the card I chose {with our family info deleted}…

I got the 5x7 flat card and included our family information on the back! I was VERY impressed with the quality when the cards arrived in the mail. I usually do my own designs and have them printed myself, I am so glad I had this opportunity to use Studio DaySpring this year!!!!

If you are quick and order TODAY {11/30} you can get 30% off using the code SUPER30!!!

Play This Way ~ U-Play Mat Giveaway

2010-11-15T11:27:00.001-08:00

Congratulations #19 ~ Lauren, You Won!

Play This Way Every Day was started by Dr. Jen ~ a pediatrician AND a mom of 2 sets of twins! Talk about experience, huh? Wow, I was impressed when I read her about page!

Play This Way Every Day was founded in 2008 with the goal of enhancing interactive floor play between toddlers and parents.

We were sent the entire set {U-Play Mat Professional Edition} to review…

The 4x6 cards slide into the pockets like this…

The size is perfect, because you could easily use 4x6 photos also! I haven’t tried that yet, but think it would be a great idea, especially for family members’ photos!

Here you can see Ladybug with the mat, this photo was taken after we played together one day. She likes to collect all of the cards and hug them as you can see. I let her explore freely after we did some of the activities together.

She enjoyed our play time together but her attention span is a bit short! This will be great for working on that! The images are a tad bit unrealistic {for some of the animals especially, you can see them here in PDF form}, and this was the only problem I had with the entire kit. I tend to be a bit more Montessori minded and go for natural, life-like images when teaching names of animals and items. The images are bright and certainly cute, but the green elephant threw me a tad. Obviously Ladybug didn’t mind that at all and she was very drawn to the images. Krash liked them a lot also. So, it isn’t really a problem, but I wanted to point it out in case anyone else might want to know!

What I loved about the U-Play Mat…

It is a great way to expose your child to different items you may have forgotten about! There are several things we talk about daily but as we used the kit I realized how many simple items I had not taught Ladybug through natural exposure.
The mat is awesome, I LOVE the shape and the concept of the pockets to hold the cards. It is perfect for the games suggested in the little booklet that comes with the kit.
It grows with your child. The ideas seem endless, there are so many ways to expand on knowledge using this simple tool.
It would be wonderful for children who need extra help; whether with speech, language acquisition {ESL possibly}, attention span, and more. I can see this tool being something certain parents would really benefit from.
The cards are thick and have rounded edges-which I love. Ladybug is able to freely explore them and they are sturdy and safe.

Overall we are very thankful to have this kit in our home and I think it will be used for many years, especially with Ladybug as she grows.

BUY IT…

Can’t wait to see if you’ll win? You can use this special discount code to receive 10% off and FREE SHIPPING: 1PLUSTEN

WIN IT…
www.PlayThisWay.com is offering a U-Play Mat Starter Set to one winner!

Mandatory Entry…
Visit www.PlayThisWay.com and tell me your favorite feature of the U-Play Mat/Cards after you browse around their site a bit.

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...

If you follow @1plus1plus1 and @playthisway on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry. Feel free to copy and Tweet this: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway with @playthisway for a U-Play Mat Starter Set! Enter here: http://bit.ly/cEv8QI
If you Like 1+1+1=1 on Facebook, give yourself an extra entry.
If you Like Play This Way on Facebook, give yourself an extra entry.
If you subscribe to /follow 1+1+1=1, give yourself an extra entry.

This Giveaway is open for USA only!

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 30, 2010 {11am}. Winner will be announced here 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.

Guidecraft Animal Train Sort & Match ~ Review {w/link to giveaway}

2010-11-11T20:42:00.001-08:00

Guidecraft has amazing learning toys. I am always blown away with their quality and unique ideas. I was very curious about the Animal Train Sort & Match even before I knew I would be getting it for review. I wasn’t sure what to expect and it surpassed my expectations! I didn’t read well to realize that the board the shapes go onto is magnetic-duh. I think I imagined them just laying and slipping around-NOT the case! This toy is awesome!

I was a tad bit surprised to find out which of my children loved it and which one didn’t really care for it too much. Any guesses?

Well, this cutie pie didn’t get the concept, but absolutely loves the toy! She plays with the pieces, we talk about the animals and colors and she loves the magnetic board!

The other kid of mine who loved it…

…the oldest one!!!! Yup, PacMan was certainly not too cool at the ripe old age of 8 for this toy!

So, in keeping my reviews honest and from the heart-I have to admit that Krash wasn’t very fond of this toy. I honestly thought he would like it, but it isn’t a super hero or a dragon, so what could I expect? I DO think he will like it eventually, as he does love puzzles and challenges. We did play with it one time, where I put the puzzle together and then had Krash close his eyes to guess which piece I removed. He DID like that-just didn’t want any part of building the puzzle himself!!!

As a mom and as an educator-I LOVE this learning toy. It has so many learning opportunities and is so well made. You can read more reviews form my Guidecraft Mom team members also-the toy seemed to be a hit with them all!

BUY IT!

You can purchase the Animal Train Sort and Match we reviewed here on the Guidecraft site, or here on Amazon.

WIN IT!

Carissa from My Life on a Taffy Pull is hosting the giveaway this month! Head on over to enter to win from Nov 10th til the 14th!

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.

ABC Twiggles ~ Giveaway {2 winners}

2010-11-03T15:41:00.001-07:00

Congratulations...

#255 Eszter AND #112 The Bish Family You WON!

I will be emailing shortly!

I am excited to share ABC Twiggles with you! It is a great early childhood website filled with wonderful resources for your child! You can read all about the program, their beliefs and what they have to offer here on their site. ABC Twiggles contacted me to offer a free membership to my family and also to 2 of you! I have been reviewing the site for a couple of months now, you have probably noticed photos of us using the resources in my Preschool blog posts! Here are a few of our personal favorites on the site.

Our favorite {both mine and Krash} is definitely the cute online books. Krash has watched these over and OVER again! Definitely a great addition to our RRSP program-as I don’t create anything like that!

Here you can see his face as he was watching one of them! He is also holding the apple worksheet he had just completed, which you can see for FREE here in their sample letter A lesson!I never thought Krash would be my worksheet kid, but he is. He loves certain types of worksheets and there are a several on the ABC Twiggles site that he loves to do! His favorites are these that have the letter of the week mixed in and he has to color them all to make a path {this time for the squirrel to the nut} He also really enjoyed this one in particular, getting the zebras to the zookeeper…

ABC Twiggles is donating a membership to 2 different winners!!

BUY IT…
Can’t wait to see if you’ll win? You can join ABC Twiggles now for $21.99.

WIN IT…

Mandatory Entry…

Visit www.ABCTwiggles.com and tell me one activity you like after you browse around their site a bit! Remember you can download and print the entire A unit for FREE!!!

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...

If you Like ABC Twiggles/Kids Soup on Facebook, give yourself an extra entry.
If you Follow/Subscribe to 1+1+1=1 give yourself an extra entry.
If you Follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry {only one tweet please, not daily} Sample Tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for ABC Twiggles here... http://bit.ly/9zrgCl 2 Winners! #preschool #ece #education

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 14, 2010. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Guidecraft Rainbow Blocks Review {w/link to Giveaway}

2010-10-18T01:36:00.000-07:00

Rainbow Blocks are AWESOME!

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.

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…

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

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? ;-)

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.

Guidecraft Doll Cradle Review

2010-10-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

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?}It 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 ;-)

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

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.

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. Then she went night-night…

On another day she rocked our pumpkins… 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…

Table & Chairs {Jolanthe}, Table & Chairs {Cindy}
Bunk Beds {Carissa}, Bunk Beds {Erica}
Doll Buggy {Xenia}
Doll Cradle {Jodi}
Doll Bed {Jenn}

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.

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

2010-10-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

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

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. 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.

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!

She also thinks it is a super fun toy…

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

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

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

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!!!

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...

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
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
If you Like 1+1+1=1 on Facebook, give yourself an extra entry.
If you Like AHH! Bean Bag Chairs on Facebook, give yourself an extra entry.
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.

The Jesus Book ~ Review

2010-10-07T17:58:00.001-07:00

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…

Usborne Books ~ Giveaway ~ 2 Winners!

2010-09-18T20:01:00.001-07:00

Congratulations #94-Julie and #16-Stephanie...YOU WON!!!

Usborne books are awesome. I drool over the tables at homeschool conferences, I thumb through the catalogs, and envy my friends who have tons of their books. When Stacie contacted me to see if I would be interested in hosting a review/giveaway I said YES, happily! When we got the review products in the mail it was pure joy! She generously sent us these awesome products {click on the images to see details}…

We loved everything so very much, but I must say the book, In the Castle has been read SO many times already. Seriously…a new VERY FAVORITE BOOK around here.

I love this shot of Ladybug asking me to help her get the puzzle out. She loves these books {we have 2 like this}. Krash still loves them too!

Pac Man enjoys his USA States and Capitals Learning Wrap. He said it is MUCH better than writing on a worksheet! We have been studying USA Geography a ton lately, so this was perfect for him!

Krash and I are looking forward to working through the 123 Sticker Book together during our preschool time! We are just so thankful for the wonderful items Stacie sent to us! I highly recommend each item!

BUY IT!

Can’t wait to see if you will win? You can purchase your own Usborne Books right here! Stacie is generously offering a FREE SHIPPING credit for orders over $50! The credit will come in the form of a refund check mailed to you. You must use this link to get the credit…it is an Usborne show set up just for my readers! If you have any questions about orders, please contact Stacie directly.

WIN IT!!

Stacie is generously donating TWO $25.00 gift certificates to her Usborne Books Site! That’s right…TWO of you will win!!!

Mandatory Entry…

Visit Usborne Books and tell me what your favorite item{s} is after you browse around the site a bit. Leave the name of the item{s} in your 1st comment!

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...

If you Follow/Subscribe to 1+1+1=1 give yourself an extra entry.
If you Follow/Subscribe to Stacie’s blog The Amazing Mess {great for preschoolers} give yourself an extra entry!
If you Follow/Subscribe to Stacie’s Usborne Book Blog give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter AND tweet about the giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Feel free to copy and tweet this: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for Usborne Books here...http://bit.ly/auuG5w
If you follow Stacie on Twitter @1AmazingMess 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 October 3, 2010. Winner will be announced here, 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.

Guidecraft Moms...

2010-09-13T08:26:00.001-07:00

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have already heard, but if not…you can now learn about the new Guidecraft Mom Bloggers team! You will recognize many of the moms, as they are almost all Totally Tots contributors! That’s right…Guidecraft has partnered with us in a big way! I am one of the Mom Bloggers and will be able to provide reviews and giveaways for you all year long-along with the rest of this team!

To kick things off, my good friend Jolanthe will be hosting a BIG Twitter party that you will most certainly want to take part in. Even if you are clueless about Twitter-I promise now is the time to learn! 2 people will win $500 gift cards to the Guidecraft store!!! AMAZING! On top of that, four other toys will be given away during the 1 hour party and even a set of Magneatos will be given to someone who simply RSVP’s to the Twitter party. You can learn all about it here {and even how to participate in the party}. Jolanthe does an awesome job explaining it all. I will be there, hope to “see you there.”

Seeds Family Worship ~ Giveaway!

2010-09-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Wendi #359, YOU WON!!!!

Didn't win? You can purchase Seeds Family Worship CDs on their site here, using coupon code 1plus1plus1 for 20% off. You can also buy Seeds on Amazon and iTunes.

Thank you Seeds Family Worship for all you do to spread the GOOD NEWS!!!

If you have been a blog reader of mine for awhile, you certainly know that I LOVE Seeds Family Worship!!! We were sent the cd set for review awhile back and they quickly became a family favorite. Such a favorite, that it became the new featured music for the In My Heart feature on Totally Tots!

We have started using these songs and the printables from Totally Tots for our family Raising Rock Stars time. We still do Bible topic lessons, but mix the Seeds verses in also now! The kids LOVE it, and so do we. It is a simple way to teach God’s Word without having to create elaborate plans. Our favorite family night by far was when we focused on the song “Out of the Mud.” We made a slimy pit and everything, here’s Daddy pulling them out of the mud… see more here!

We use many of the different printables, and they have really helped with memorization and mostly APPLICATION. The mini verse cards are great for taking each portion of the verse separately and explaining its meaning.

I can’t say enough about the music itself, it is truly amazing! I listen to it by myself quite often, I enjoy it as much as the kids do. The music is awesome, I HIGHLY recommend it!!!!

BUY IT!

You can purchase Seeds Family Worship CDs on their site here, using coupon code 1plus1plus1 for 20% off. You can also buy Seeds on Amazon and iTunes.

WIN IT!!

Seeds Family Worship is generously donating a set of 5 CDs! That means 1 of you will win the entire 5 CD set!

Mandatory Entry…

Visit www.SeedsFamilyWorship.net and browse around a bit. Leave a comment telling me you’d love to win the CD set!

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...

If you Follow/Subscribe to 1+1+1=1 give yourself an extra entry.
If you register for Seeds Family Worship’s newsletter, give yourself an extra entry. {see yellow arrow below}
If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter AND tweet about the giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Feel free to copy and tweet this: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @seedsworship CDs here...http://bit.ly/cgNspT
If you follow @seedsworship on Twitter, give yourself an extra entry!
If you LIKE 1+1+1=1 on Facebook, give yourself an extra entry!
If you LIKE Seeds Family Worship on Facebook, give yourself an extra entry!
If you Follow/Subscribe to Totally Tots, give yourself an extra entry!

This Giveaway is open for USA!

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 September 21, 2010. Winner will be announced here, 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.

The Felted Pear ~ GIVEAWAY! CLOSED

2010-08-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

Congratulations #85 Julie, you won!

For those of you who didn't win, remember...

Susan is also offering my readers a limited time 20% discount code! She will refund 20% of your purchase when you enter the code 1plus1plus1! If you have any questions you can contact Susan through Etsy. This discount code is good now through 9/17/10.

To say we LOVE our felt food from The Felted Pear would be a total understatement!!!! I knew we would like it, I had no idea how much my children {all 3 of them} would LOVE it!!!

Susan from Chasing Marcus has been a long time blog reader and Tot School participant, so when I saw she opened up her own Etsy store I was super excited for her!!! She sent us the most amazing package, it was like Christmas in July when we opened it.

The night we opened it, the 2 littles had a bit of a fight over who got to be in control of the food pile, it was so funny.

Ladybug enjoyed putting it in and out of her bag. Stirring the food is a fun event for her also!

After the littles got their time, my oldest, Pac Man {who is 8}, spent some time playing with all of the food by himself. He LOVED it and asked me to pull up the website to look at what we could possibly order. He fell in love with the spaghetti, the omelet, and the sandwich! It was precious seeing how excited he got browsing through her site. He was also amazed that it was all hand made.

From a mom’s perspective, I was VERY impressed. The attention to detail was amazing! Susan does a wonderful job creating a one of a kind toy for your children.

BUY IT!

You can purchase your own hand made felt food here from The Felted Pear. Isn’t it lovely to know you are not only getting a great product but also supporting a fellow mom! Susan is also offering my readers a limited time 20% discount code! She will refund 20% of your purchase when you enter the code 1plus1plus1! If you have any questions you can contact Susan through Etsy. This discount code is good now through 9/17/10.

WIN IT!!

Susan is generously donating a $40 Gift Certificate to The Felted Pear! That means you get to choose any combination that you want!!!!

Mandatory Entry…

Visit The Felted Pear and tell me what your favorite item{s} is after you browse around the site a bit. Leave the name of the item{s} in your 1st comment!

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...

If you Follow/Subscribe to 1+1+1=1 give yourself an extra entry.
If you Follow/Subscribe to Chasing Marcus {Susan’s blog} give yourself an extra entry.
If you LIKE The Felted Pear on Facebook, give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter AND tweet about the giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Feel free to copy and tweet this: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for hand made felt food here... http://bit.ly/cozVaL
If you have no sewing skills what so ever and could never even dream of making felt food on your own, 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 September 12, 2010. Winner will be announced here, 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.

YANCY ~ Rock-N-Happy Heart CD Giveaway CLOSED

2010-08-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Jen and Stacy! You each win a CD!

I was recently sent an awesome Yancy Rock-N-Happy Heart CD and devotional book to review. I had never heard of Yancy but am always looking for awesome products for preteen girls specifically. I developed and lead the God’s Girls program at our inner-city church. We lead a group of about twelve 10-13 year old girls each year and spend an intense week teaching them about what God’s word says about many issues. We put an major focus on modesty and purity, while also sharing about many other issues relevant to young girls today. This week long program then turns into our weekly God's Girls Sunday school class which I also lead.

When I was contacted to see if I would be interested in reviewing this CD and devotional I was thrilled, as I immediately thought of the possibility that it could be a great new resource for the God’s Girls program in addition to sharing the music with my own children!

The daily devotional book is wonderful. I will definitely be using it as a resource with my God’s Girls!!!

After listening to the music, I was excited to learn a few things…

I LIKE the music! I have actually added a couple of the tracks to my “Mommy’s Quiet Music” playlist on my iPod!
It is scripturally based! I am very picky when it comes to music, even Christian music ;-). I was happy to listen and even hear verses within the songs. The message of Jesus is loud and clear, I love it!
It is COOL! Yup, it’s hip, modern, cool and awesome!!!!

I would highly recommend this CD especially if you have kids {of any age}!!!! I like the music, so I can imagine that those of you with kids will really enjoy this music along with your children! With all of the worldly music out there for young kids {especially in the preteen age range}, it is nice to see a cd that is “cool” and Godly!!!

The songs are mostly all written by Yancy herself, which I think is so awesome. I absolutely adore singer/songwriters!!! I was also surprised and happy to hear the song “My Savior, My God” written by Aaron Shust, a well known Christian song these days!. You can see lyrics to all of the songs on the cd here in an awesome PDF format.

In case you’re not convinced yet, here's two videos I found on YouTube. This is the awesome song Shout it Out…

Here’s one that gave me chills, a little 4 year old singing Shout it Out with Yancy, it’s so cute!!!!

BUY IT…

You can purchase Yancy’s Rock-N-Happy Heart cd on her site, and also here on Amazon, or here on CBD. If you order both the CD and the devotional book, you can get the best deal on her site by getting them both for $20 {the option is listed right under the cd purchasing info}. They are also located in Christian book stores around the country!

WIN IT!!!

Yancy is giving away 2 copies of her CD Rock-N-Happy Heart! That means 2 of you will win!!

Mandatory Entry…

Visit Yancy’s website and just take a peek! You don’t have to do anything special, just visit the site and leave a comment to say you’d like to win!

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...

If you subscribe/follow 1+1+1=1 give yourself an extra entry
If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter give yourself an extra entry
If you follow @yancynotnancy on Twitter give yourself an extra entry
If you Like 1+1+1=1 on Facebook give yourself an extra entry
If you would blog about your win give yourself an extra entry

This Giveaway is open for USA/Canada only.

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 August 25, 2009. Winner will be announced here, 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.

The Vintage Pearl ~ $50 Gift Certificate Giveaway CLOSED!

2010-07-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to #225 Rusheika from Island Mama's Adventures!!!

I am so excited to share The Vintage Pearl with you! Not only are they a current blog sponsor, they sent me a gorgeous necklace, and are offering a giveaway to my readers! First, here is my awesome necklace…

I chose the Circle of Love, with the names of my 3 children on it. I also added a pearl in the middle. I chose the whimsy font and a 16” chain. This is one of the first “girly” necklaces I have had in a long time so I am totally in love with it!!!! I am not sure I will wear anything else now! I am SO happy with this necklace and have already received many comments about it.

Here are several more options The Vintage Pearl offers, aren’t they wonderful? I had SUCH a hard time choosing which necklace I wanted, it took me days!!!

BUY IT…

Can’t wait to see if you’ll win? You can use this special discount code to receive 15% off of your purchase: ONEplusONE15

WIN IT…

The Vintage Pearl is offering a $50 gift certificate to one winner!

Mandatory Entry…

Visit www.TheVintagePearl.com and tell me your favorite item after you browse around their site a bit. Leave the name of the item in your 1st comment!

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...

If you follow @thevintagepearl on Twitter, give yourself an extra entry.
If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry.
If you Follow 1+1+1=1 in Google Friend Connect, give yourself an extra entry {this is not the same as subscribing, this is publicly following}.
If you Follow The Vintage Pearl blog, give yourself an extra entry. This Giveaway is open for anyone, the gift certificate will be emailed to you.
If you Like 1+1+1=1 on Facebook, give yourself an extra entry.

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 August 8, 2010 . Winner will be announced here, 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.

Easy Lunchboxes ~ GIVEAWAY CLOSED

2010-07-18T19:53:00.001-07:00

Winner #81-Lauren! Congratulations!

We were recently sent a set of Easy Lunchboxes along with a cooler to review. I am about to admit how truly dorky I am. I was probably more excited for these to arrive in the mail than I have been for any other item we have had sent to us for a review!!!!! Yup, I LOVE containers and I knew if these ended up being half as great in person as they appeared online, I was in for a plastic container state of bliss.

They arrived and I tore into the box to find my plastic slice of heaven. They ARE better in person! I honestly had 2 main concerns that I knew I would have to figure out when they actually arrived…

How easy the lids came off, and if they sealed enough for my liking without being too tight or too loose. They are PERFECT, seriously. Somehow they stay on, but yet the kids can open them alone.
The quality of the plastic itself. I have used both Tupperware and also Ziploc…and I don’t love either. Tupperware tends to be a bit too tough for my liking, and the lids are often too tight and secure for me. Ziploc {and other cheaper brands} are too flimsy and don’t cut it for me either. Easy Lunchboxes are the perfect middle ground, Honestly I was shocked, they are much sturdier than Ziploc-ish containers, but the lids are still able to be removed easily.

Within hours of their arrival, they were neatly stacked in my fridge like this……all ready for the next day. I also decided to color coordinate the boys’ juice cups {they only get 1 per day} and pre-fill those too. The container under the juice cups is the morning snack, and to the left are the boys’ water bottles.

Lunch the next day was a dream {and each day since then}. I pulled out the boxes and handed them out. It was wonderful.

After lunch, what wasn’t eaten, got left in the Easy Lunchbox and put right back into the fridge to be eaten before afternoon snack!!!! This was a feature I hadn't thought of! It makes lunch easily re-storable for those little sweethearts who don’t eat all of their healthy food only to beg for snacks later. We don’t offer our children alternative meals, and if they don’t eat what is served, they are either done for the day {if it is dinner} or if it can be saved, it will be saved for the next time they are hungry. Easy Lunchboxes make this plan work beautifully!!!!

The boxes that were emptied went into the sink, and that was the ONLY mess I had to worry about! I didn’t have to clean up the entire kitchen after preparing lunch in the middle of our homeschooling day. Nor did I need to stop early to begin preparing lunch!!!! Doing the prep work at night saved me tons of stress!!!

I LOVE these things!!!!!! I highly recommend them to all of you…both for home use and for traveling use. Whether you homeschool or pack your child’s lunch for “going” school…they are perfect!

FDA approved. No BPA, phthalates, lead, vinyl, or PVC. Safe for dishwasher, freezer, and microwave.

BUY IT…

Can’t wait to see if you will win? Use this discount code to save 10%…ONEplusONE {valid through 9/6/10, good for one time use per customer} here on the Easy Lunchboxes site.

WIN IT…

Easy Lunchboxes is offering a set of 4 lunchboxes along with a cooler {winner chooses cooler color} to one of my readers!

Mandatory Entry…

Visit www.EasyLunchboxes.com and tell me one thing you learned about their products after you browse around their site a bit.

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...

If you follow @easylunchboxes on Twitter, give yourself an extra entry
If you Follow/Subscribe to 1+1+1=1 give yourself an extra entry
If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry. Sample Tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @EasyLunchboxes Enter here: http://bit.ly/9Jactx
If you are a member of 1+1+1=1’s BlogFrog community, give yourself an extra entry

This Giveaway is open for USA or Canada only.

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 August 1, 2010. Winner will be announced here, 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.