Winners & Contests

Thank you all for reading my blog posts. Thank you to all the wonderful and generous sponsors of the review products, and for the prizes for my readers! I love reviewing products and sharing my experiences with my readers! Here are the latest contest winners~ and CONGRATULATIONS!!

Kiss Me Again (book review plus 4 giveaway books!): princess210, Wheatiesmomma, Staci, Linda K
Heigh- HO!! I'm thinking...it's time for a give-away: Don @ oldgramps
The Sound of Sleigh Bells (book review & giveaway)... : Jen

Congratulations again! I will be contacting the winners, and they will have 3 days to respond..if no response, then I will re-pick winners.

Check out these contests quickly...they end tonight at midnight:

Snazzy Baby it's time to eat! (review and giveaway... (enter to win a travel chair or knee pads)
Keep Going Journals (review & giveaway) ~ a journal for cancer patients/survivors

I have these other great contests going on as well:

Happy Days & Nights Diapers from Fisher Price
Decorate your home with PartyLite (big giveaway plus 5 pillar candles)
Art For Baby (book review & 3 giveaways)
Madeline for Madelyn (Review and Giveaway!)

I will be posting more reviews and awesome giveaways very soon! Thanks for reading, entering, spreading the word, and following my site! Have a super weekend!

Think Christmas...Think Tiny Prints!

I am the kind of person who likes the idea of sending out Christmas cards, thank you cards, birthday cards, etc.; however, me liking the idea...and doing it are two separate things. Being a busy mom of four, home schooling two of my kids, and running a household...life is a bit busy. I am so thankful for the wonderful company of Tiny*Prints! What a time saver to go to their site, pick out the card design that I like best, and add a few photos to it. They even have a LIVE CHAT button if you have any questions. Tiny Prints has a Personal Shopper Service (free until Nov 15th), to help you make the choices for your card selections, too!

I like that Tiny Prints has a great selection of new Christmas cards, and they even have 2010 edition available (for the big-time planners). Tiny Prints have some new styles available like the Photo Collage cards, Tri-fold holiday cards and Pop-Up Christmas cards. Tiny Prints have so many great options to chose from, and I think most everyone could find exactly what they want in a card. Uploading photos to use in the card is easy, too. I had no problems uploading pictures that I wanted to use. I couldn't finish my card order yet, so I saved my work until I am ready to order. I love that feature of Tiny Prints. With your card selections, you can change the words or sayings on the card, too (on most cards). That way you can personalize your card even more!

Tiny Prints also has Photo Books and Photo calendars. I think these would make great Christmas gifts, especially to the people in our lives that have "everything," and you don't know what to give them.

If you haven't ordered or purchased your Christmas cards yet, I would highly suggest you stopping by Tiny Prints! I think they have so many styles to make so many people happy and satisfied!

You can follow Tiny Prints on Twitter, too!!

Madeline for Madelyn (Review and Giveaway!)

I used to watch Madeline when I was younger...little French girl with the bright red hair. She is adorable! Well, this year marks the story of Madeline's 70th Anniversary! In celebration of the big celebration, Kids Preferred is celebrating this grand event with plush dolls (Madeline dolls and her dog~ Genevieve). I got a Talking Madeline doll to review....for my Madelyn to enjoy! Madelyn loves this little doll! She could not wait to get the doll out and play with her! I would have loved to wait, and give this to her for a Christmas gift...but I wanted to share with all of you what an adorable and lovable doll she is! (This would make a great Christmas gift!)

Soft Talking Madeline, is 17" tall. In Ludwig Bemelmans classic tale, Madeline is the shortest little girl in Miss Clavel's class. She mostly wears blue and yellow outfits, and this 70th Anniversary Soft Talking Madeline doll is adorned in the yellow outfit and yellow hat with a black ribbon. With a squeeze of either Madeline's left hand, or her right hand, you will hear her say a few phrases.

This soft plush Madeline doll speaks both French and English. The phrase is English on one hand, and French on the other. I think it is a great toy for my Madelyn. She loves to have tea parties with her!

I think this doll is made with great quality! I love that the hat does not come off, and that the dress is secure. So often clothes for dolls get lost. There are no buttons, or pieces that can fall off this great doll, either. I find that a great safety feature. There are books (hardcover and softcover) about Madeline. You should check out the original Madeline book. We got this book, and it is great! There is also another book called: Cats of Rome that looks great!

You can find this Soft Talking Plush Madeline doll at Toys "R" Us for $24.99.

Kids Preferred is a leading plush manufacturer, founded in 1983 by Louis Premselaar. "The Company is known for bringing superior quality, uniquely designed products to the marketplace under its own brand and through private label programs such as Scholastic Education, Build-A-Bear Workshop, and Toys "R" Us, Animal Alley, just to name a few."

Thanks to Kids Preferred, they are sponsoring a giveaway to my readers! You have a chance to win a soft talking Madeline doll~in celebrating 70 years of Madeline~

This giveaway is open to residents of the USA (bloggers/non-bloggers), and will end on November 12th, 2009. TO ENTER: Tell me if you have ever watched Madeline, or if your daughter watches the show. Also, go to Kids Preferred, and find another product that you like. With your entry, PLEASE VERIFY which prize you would like to win.

You can come back once each day throughout the contest and enter again by just leaving a friendly comment relevant to the contest, but you MUST do the first entry. **For extra chances you can: blog this contest, add my button to your site, subscribe to my blog, twitter this contest, and/or visit everyday and add another friendly comment. Lots of chances to win! Don't forget to put the extra comments for the "extra" work. Good luck!**

This review was sponsored by Kids Preferred. They have supplied me with a free book to keep for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review. They have offered to sponsor a giveaway for a prize for my readers.

DVD gift sets from HIT Entertainment and Lionsgate ~ a great gift idea for Christmas!

Barney Tee-Riffic Holiday Collection
Bundle up with your best friend Barney for this special collection of wintertime favorites! Take a musical journey to the North Pole with Barney, BJ™, and Baby Bop™ in “Night Before Christmas.” Sing along to your favorite Barney tunes in the fun-filled game show, “Can You Sing That Song?” And join Barney, Bob the Builder, Thomas & Friends and more for the magic of “Winter Wonderland” in this tee-riffic holiday gift set!
Night Before Christmas ~ Spend the most wonderful time of the year with your favorite purple Dino-mite Christmas classic. Join Barney and his friends as they take a musical journey to the North Pole where they are greeted as special guests at Santa’s toy workshop. With music everywhere and presents everywhere, it’s a dream come true as Santa unveils his secret toys for Christmas. Give the gift of music and laughter in this classic collection of Christmas treats!
Bonus Features: 2 Holiday Read-Alongs, 10 Sing-Alongs, 5 Christmas songs, 8 Interactive games, Behind the scenes
Can You Sing That Song? ~ Live from your imagination, it’s time to sing lots of your favorite songs with Barney’s Musical Game Show! Barney, Baby Bop, and BJ can’t wait to play in this day of interactive musical challenges. There are songs to sing, clues to solve and surprises from some fairy-tale friends. With Barney, the name of the game is fun
Winter Wonderland ~ Celebrate winter with your favorite friends! Barney, Bob the Builder, Thomas and Friends, Fireman Sam, Kipper, and Pingu for 6 fun adventures. Episodes include: Barney – Winter, Bob the Builder – Bob of the North, Thomas and Friends – Keeping Up With James, Fireman Sam – Let It Snow, Kipper – Snowy Day, Pingu – Pinga’s Balloon.

Bob the Builder: Building Crew Holiday Collection
Digging For Treasure~ “Scoop’s Stegosaurus”, “Scruffty The !
Detective” and “Bob’s Metal Detector”
Bonus Features: Trailer
Snowed Under~ The Bobblesberg Winter Games (Full-length Feature) Bob is building a log cabin and smoothing out the ice rink in this feature episode.
Bonus Episodes: “Clumsy Roley”, & “Bob’s Hide”
Bonus Features: “Bob’s Snowy Day Read-Along”, Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, & Trailers
Bob’s White Christmas~ “Bob’s White Christmas”, “Bob And The Big Freeze” and “Bob Of The North” Bob and his "can do crew" help rescue a friend in Bob's White Christmas.
Bonus Episodes: “Special Delivery Spud” and “Bob’s Bugle”

Thomas & Friends: Sodor Friends (includes an exclusive Holiday Train)
All aboard for snowmen, Christmas trees and festive train rides! When you ride the rails with your jolly friends, you never know what to expect. Enjoy exciting adventures filled with lucky trucks, Christmas puddings, surprise parties and much, much more. Join Henry, Emily, Percy and Thomas for trainloads of fun in the Holiday Express!
There’s fun around every turn in these joyful wintertime adventures! Catch the holiday spirit as Thomas & Friends prepare for the grand opening of the Toy Workshop. Laugh and play along as Percy tries to fool his friends into believing he’s Jack Frost.

Bonus Features: "Sodor Sounds" game and "Cargo Challenge" Game.

Each of these DVD gift packs have a SRP $19.98. I think that these make great gifts for kids, because they are positive-filled messages, team work examples, problem solving situations, and just fun to watch. My kids love all three of these shows, and our family recommends them! Perfect timing with winter time settling in,...

These DVD gift sets came out October 13 from HIT Entertainment and Lionsgate.

This review was sponsored by Lionsgate & HIT Entertainment. They have supplied me with free DVD gift sets to keep for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

Art For Baby (book review & 3 giveaways)

I had the opportunity to review a new book called Art for Baby, which is a board book compiled of twelve black and white images. These images were created by leading modern artists: Josef Albers, Bridget Riley, Julian Opie and 8 others. The images in this artistic book are large, simple, and my baby Cole loves it. Cole loves touching the pages, and his eyes light up with the visuals.

There are pictures of shapes, designs, faces, animals, fruits, vegetables and scenery. This book is designed to "help babies recognize and connect with the world around them."

From the book:
Research by leading child development experts suggests that focusing on high-contrast images is the first step to picture recognition in newborn babies. This skill is essential to the development of your baby's understanding of images and words. As they delight in looking at the pictures and concentrating on the vivid shapes, even the most restless children can be engrossed and calmed by the black-and-white images.

Included in this contemporary art book for babies is a set of two friezes. Each frieze consists of pictures used in the book. On the back of the frieze is a blurb about the artist. I like that the information explains a little about the meaning behind the artwork. I thought these were fun to read, and fun to talk to my kids about.
This book came out in September ~ Published by Templar Books, an imprint of Candlewick Press. SRP $19.99.

You can enter to win a copy of this book for your baby! I have three copies of this book to giveaway to my readers!
This giveaway is open to residents of the USA (bloggers/non-bloggers), and will end on November 12th, 2009. TO ENTER: Leave a comment about a fun activity you and your baby enjoys...and if you aren't a parent of a young child...leave a comment about something you used to enjoy.
You can come back once each day throughout the contest and enter again by just leaving a friendly comment relevant to the contest, but you MUST do the first entry. **For extra chances you can: blog this contest, add my button to your site, subscribe to my blog, twitter this contest, and/or visit everyday and add another friendly comment. Lots of chances to win! Don't forget to put the extra comments for the "extra" work. Good luck!**

This review was sponsored by Candlewick Press. They have supplied me with a free book to keep for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review. They have offered to sponsor a giveaway for a prize for my readers.

Prima Pincessa (presents the Nutcracker)

I have always been a fan of Ballet, and I love watching the Ballet plays. When I was little, I was in Ballet and Tap dancing~ and I loved it. I wasn't flexible/limber enough remain in ballet, but I kept with the Tap. My sister went through ballet, and made it to the hard toe shoes. I remember hearing her mention the different positions, or moves of ballet. I loved the sounds of the words, and thought the different moves were beautiful and graceful. I just recently reviewed the Prima Princessa DVD and I was thrilled! This DVD is super! I think this would make an excellent gift for your little girl this Christmas.
I love the Nutcracker Ballet, and the world famous San Fransisco Ballet is performing bits and pieces of it. The setting of the DVD is a party of children...girls in tutus. They are coming to learn different ballet moves, and at the end practice their moves (also getting a lollipop).
My little kids, Caleb (age 4 1/2) and Madelyn (age 2 1/2) loved this DVD. They were fascinated by the complex moves of the ballet. My kids like to try the moves out, and say the names like passe. I really like that the Prima Princessa shows so many moves/positions of ballet and I think this is a very educational film. If you have a child that is interested in ballet, or you would like to expose your child to ballet....I HIGHLY recommend the Prima Princessa!
Throughout the movie, there is a little cartoon fairy ballerina (Prima Princessa) that is helping assist with the narration and introductions. If there was any con that I would give this movie, I would say that Prima Princessa (herself) isn't my favorite. Otherwise, I think the whole DVD is superb! I know that my kids love it, and it is one they want to watch over and over. I love that the kids learn real ballet steps, demonstrated by students from the School of American Ballet, the official academy of the New York City Ballet. There are about 3-4 breaks in the Nutcracker Ballet performance, so kids can try out the moves that are being demonstrated.
“Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker” is the second show in the Prima Princessa Presents series, which is designed by two stay at home mom-entrepreneurs on a mission to bring the beauty and magic of ballet into the lives of children everywhere.

This review was sponsored by Family Review Network and Prima Princessa.com. They have supplied me with a free DVD to keep for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

My Baby: First Steps for Nintendo DS and Wii **coming soon!!

There is a fun new game being released tomorrow that looks so cute and fun for little girls! Most little girls love to play "mommy," and I think that the new Wii and Nintendo DS game My Baby: First Steps would be fun for them! I remember playing paper dolls when I was a little girl...and let's just say that My Baby First Steps sounds similar (but in video formation...for this generation). The game is made to represent the 21 Century Baby Doll.

Here is a tidbit of information about the new SouthPeak Games game:

My Baby: First Steps continues the journey of raising a baby at 15-months-old. You will get the challenging, yet very rewarding, task of teaching their baby how to walk, talk and more.

Your baby has grown so fast! Can you believe that a year has already gone by? Take care of your baby from their 1st birthday until they're 3 years old. Your baby will discover its entire environment and learn from it, they'll walk, babble and speak, try to catch every object they can, and put everything in their mouth... Your baby will be the apple of your eye!
Features
Your baby looks more lifelike than ever with brand new 3D animations and reactions
Make sure that your baby has the latest trends with even more items; customize your furniture, clothes, and hair just to name a few...
With a new and improved AI your baby will react as if they were in the room with you
Innovative gameplay that is based on stylus, touch pad, voice recognition, and the microphone - not a compilation of mini-games
Interact with your baby whenever you want and experience real baby-like reactions
Watch your baby grow from both a physical and psychological point of view
My Baby Villiage has a mini game that is similar to the game coming out tomorrow, your task is to try and help your baby with naming the different body parts she points to! Make sure to pay attention because you will have to click the body parts she does in the same order. This will be great practice for all of the different skills you get to teach your baby in My Baby First Steps.
My Baby Villiage will be in stores on and offline November 3. Wii game has a SRP $39.99, and the Nintendo DS game SRP $29.99. I look forward to checking this game out more!

Decorate your home with PartyLite (review & BIG GIVEAWAY)

Have you heard of PartyLite? PartyLite has such fun, stylish, and decorative products for your home, or to give as gifts. I have so much fun looking through their products, and finding things for my "wish list." I have hosted a PartyLite party in my home years ago, I think over 10 years ago. It is really fun to host a party, because not only is it a great excuse to have friends over and see great candle products, you get to earn free product, too! PartyLite recently sent me a few of their products for review, and I was impressed! I ordered the Couture Hearthside Candle Holder. This set is a great display on our fireplace, and it is made to last through a few seasons. This set has magnetic pieces that are interchangeable. Each side has a panel that you can switch from three designs: Pumpkin, Couture, and Snow Flakes. Winters in MN last a LONG time, so I know that we will display the Snow Flake one mostly. I like that this set is fitting with most decor and is of quality design. The Courture Hearthside Candle holder is made with black metal, and stands about a foot tall and about 2 foot long. I have set my candle holder on our table as a center piece, as well. This set would look great on a mantle or on an entry way table, as well. The Courture Hearthside Candle holder will display 5 pillar or ball candles. I received 5 pillar candles to display in the Hearthside Candle holder. I love that you can mix up the candle selection for your Courture Hearthside Candle holder. This set is $139.95 (with two sets of panels) and $89.95 (for one set of panels). Candles sold separately and vary in price range.
PartyLite started in the early 1900's by Mabel Baker, a school teacher. She crafted her own candles from Bayberries, and worked toward making her hobby into a business. The company, PartyLite Gifts, Inc. started with just three people. PartyLite developed into a company where women could sell the products individually, making this business one of personal relationships.
"Today, PartyLite Consultants number over 68,000 around the world. And what began as a single line of bayberry candles has expanded to an extensive selection of top-quality home fragrances and accents with 100 or more new products each year."
I am very happy with my new Hearthside Candle holder from PartyLite. I had also received a few tea light candles and a Tea Light Candle holder. PartyLite has so many options to chose from to bring a great ambiance to your home.

Would you like to have a chance to win the Courture Heartside Candle Holder ~ PLUS, 5 Pillar Candles? The scents of the candles will be in Mulberry and Frosted Pine (to celebrate the upcoming holidays). Thanks to PartyLite for sponsoring this great contest!
To enter, leave a comment about something you found on the PartyLite website, or leave a comment about a PartyLite party you had (if you ever hosted one). For a second entry, Become a Fan of PartyLite on Facebook.
This giveaway is open to residents of the USA (bloggers/non-bloggers), and will end on November 12th, 2009. You can come back once each day throughout the contest and enter again by just leaving a friendly comment relevant to the contest, but you MUST do the first entry. **For extra chances you can: blog this contest, add my button to your site, subscribe to my blog, twitter this contest, and/or visit everyday and add another friendly comment. Lots of chances to win! Don't forget to put the extra comments for the "extra" work. Good luck!**

This review was sponsored by PartyLite. They have supplied me with a free product to keep for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review. They have offered to sponsor a giveaway for a prize for my readers.