May 22

Lilliputiens Ophelie and Her Chicks From HABA #Sponsored

by mudpies

Thank you HABA for the Ophelie and Her Chicks!

Little Miss is growing so fast! She’s now at the stage where she can sit by herself and she loves to play with toys. One of my favorite toy companies, HABA, is proud to be the exclusive US distributor of Lilliputiens. Lilliputiens is based in Belgium and its toys, patterns, fabrics, and characters are all 100% its own creations. These adorable toys feature many fun characters. I was excited to receive Ophelie And Her Chicks.

The set comes with the mommy chicken, an “egg” and four chicks.

Each little chick is a finger puppet that makes a sound. One has a built in bell, ones makes a crinkly paper noise, one squeaks and one plays chirping sounds.

Ophelie has a pouch on her belly to keep her chicks close.

The egg has four openings for the chicks to fit in and out of. Ophelie herself is a puppet and the egg can fit inside her for safe keeping!

Little Miss loved Ophelie and her chicks! She liked the different textures and enjoyed chewing on these toys as well. I really liked how all the chicks made different sounds. Little Miss got a huge grin on her face when I made the one chick chirp! She also thought it was funny when I put the chicks on my fingers and made them dance around. I love that this toy will grow with baby girl. At this stage, she can enjoy the bright colors, varying textures, and fun sounds. As she gets older, she can develop her color matching and number skills. It will also help with her fine motor skills as she learns to put the chicks in the egg and take them out. Ophelie and Her Chicks is an all around great toy that Little Miss will enjoy for a long time!

Ohphelie and Her Chicks is recommended for ages 6 months and up and retails for $39.95. You can find it and the other great Lilliputiens toys at HABA. Connect with HABA on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to see all the latest toys they have to offer!

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May 22

Make Your Child the Star With See-Mee.com! Giveaway 6/5 #sponsored

by mudpies

2 comments

Thank you to See-Mee.com for my complimentary movies!

What child wouldn’t like seeing themselves on tv? I know mine would! With See-Mee.com, it’s possible! This fun site allows you to make your child the star of a variety of carttons by superimposing their photos on story characters’ bodies. Each episode is five minutes in length and introduce basic concepts including color and shape recognition and logic and critical thinking. They are designed to entertain and teach pre-schoolers. I got to try the site out and create episodes for my two youngest boys. The process is fun and easy.

First you choose your character.

Then you upload a picture of your child. Front facing is best. After you center your child’s head in the oval, you click next and can edit it to outline just your child’s face.

That’s it! You will see a preview and can either proceed or go back and tweek it. Super simple! Click on the image below to see an example of one of the episodes.

My boys LOVED it! They thought it was so exciting to see themselves in the cartoons! They especially liked the “Journey Into Space” episode since my 5-year-old has recently decided he wants to be an astronaut! I liked that the videos were on the shorter side so it kept their attention. I also really liked that they were educational as well.

The first four episodes are completely free and can be watched instantly online. If you’d like to watch all twelve episodes, you can purchase the complete movie at any time for only $9.95! You can also get the 12 downloadable episodes in MPEG format and watch these on your ipad or laptop at any time for $19.95. This also allows you to burn copies of the movies onto dvd. We did this so we could take them on our upcoming trip to Florida (we need all the entertainment we can get during a 10 hour road trip with 6 kids!). If you’d prefer, you can also purchase all 12 episodes already on dvd for $49.95, shipping included.

These fun movies will provide lots of entertainment and fun for your little ones! They’d make fun, unique gifts as well! Ten (yes TEN) lucky readers will win gift codes good for all 12 episodes!

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May 19

DIY Slug Snacks for Kids!

by mudpies

6 comments

Slug snacks. Yep. I made slug snacks with my kids. I know, I know. It certainly is not your normal rainy day activity but we did it anyways! It is super fun and you probably have all the slug ingredients on hand.

I bought some green Jello and made it the night before so that it was good and set. You can easily make slug snacks for kids without the Jello and just serve them on a plate.

Then you peel and slice one banana lengthwise. And place it on the Jello, flat side down.

Next, you add pretzel antenna’s.

Let your kids decorate their slug with food coloring (buy all natural food coloring to make it healthier).

Your kids cannot ruin it! They will love eating it and love making slugs! Do it for the start of your garden season, for a rainy day activity or just for some fun with your kiddos.

The food coloring drips around the bananas and looks like slug slime! Kids of all ages will love this and you will love their smiles.

Will you make slugs snacks for your kids?

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May 11

SleepSacks grow up! #Sponsored #Giveaway #HALOSleepSack (US/CAN) 5/25

by mudpies

30 comments

Thank you HALO for sending me this SleepSack to review. Our toddler loves it! All opinions are 100% my own.

SleepSacks were popular 10 years ago when we were expecting our first child. I remember receiving several HALO SleepSacks at our baby showers. I was not aware of all the reasons to put your baby in a SleepSack but I loved the ease of changing her diapers when she wore them. Recently I was contacted to conduct a review for a HALO SleepSack. My first thought was that our son is too big. Our other son is a toddler and is almost 3! He is on the run so SleepSacks were not for us right? WRONG! Parents, SleepSacks have grown up! HALO has created two new versions: the HALO SleepSack Early Walker and the HALOBig Kids SleepSack. I opted to try the Big Kids SleepSack for our almost 3 year old son.

(Stock photo from HALO)

We were anxious to try it with our son. He is such an active boy and does not stay covered up at night.

You can tell this is big on him, but we chose a larger size so that he can wear it longer. He seemed to love the way it fit. I loved how covered he was at night. We did not worry about covering him up over and over. The SleepSack Early Walker and Big Kids are now available in a new lightweight-knit fabric as well as available in Micro-fleece and Comfort Mesh so you can get the cloth that is just right for your child or for the season.

And there is big difference. Holes for the feet. This keeps your child covered from head to ankle and allows them the freedom to walk, run and climb.

Did you know?

“HALO Innovation’s SleepSack® wearable blankets have become the standard for hospital nurseries and parents alike. In fact, 1,000 hospital nurseries use the HALO SleepSack Swaddle instead of blankets through the HALO Safer Way to Sleep Initiative. As your child grows from baby to toddler, HALO Innovations offers the SleepSack Early Walker and SleepSack Big Kids – now in a new lightweight- knit fabric. HALO SleepSack Early Walker and SleepSack Big Kids offer your child the warmth and security of a SleepSack so he can fall asleep fast and sleep soundly throughout the night as well as unique foot openings for more mobility when awake.”

If you are like me, you are excited by these new developments from HALO.

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May 11

Only the best shoes will do! Umi #Sponsored #Giveaway (US) 5/25

by mudpies

43 comments

Thank you Umi Children’s Shoes for sending us these shoes for our kids!

We have 4 kids and they came in sets of 2. We have two girls ages 8 and 9. Our boys are 2 and 4 months. When buying things like shoes, only the best shoes will do. I could buy up all kinds of cheap shoes and “save money” but it’s not really a savings when the shoes fall apart after one season of usage. In our home, we save the shoes for the next child down to use. When only the best shoes will do for you, then consider buying from Umi Children’s Shoes. They sent us two new pairs of shoes to review. One pair was the Tala Ii for our 8 year old daughter. The other pair was the Laren for our 2 year old son.

My son calls his Laren shoes his favorite shoes. It is easy to see why. Three adjustable hook and loop straps allow for the perfect fit. Made with special materials, these shoes can handle puddle splashing and water-play with your boys. Each strap is lined and feels so soft. He has never even gotten a red mark of any kind. Not on the heel, not on his toes, nowhere. They seem to fit him like a dream and he is happy to wear them.

Our 8 year old tends to be a bit of a Tom Boy. She is so cute! She loves to run around in dresses and cowboy boots. She’ll tear her tights every time she wears them. She loves to wear dresses and jewels and anything glittery, but then you will find her poking sticks in a mud puddle or climbing a tree. The Tala Ii shoes were just meant for a girl like her.

They are tennis shoes (but PLEASE don’t tell her) with spunk and character. She wears these everywhere. We have already washed them many times and they are holding up in typical Umi style.

If only the best shoes will do for you, then enter below for a chance to win a $60 gift card to Umi!

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