Connected2Christ » Give Aways

Review & Giveaway: Farmer Jason and Buddies Nature Jams Music CD + DVD

Erin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:56:49 +0000

Even though the Ground Hog is predicting six more weeks of Winter, we’ve been encouraged this week to get moving and get out and explore nature thanks to award-winning, internationally acclaimed family music artist Farmer Jason’s latest kids music cd/dvd combo! No doubt in my mind that this collaboration is sure to get kids moving and prompt a lot of excitement in exploring nature a fun humorous way with songs about exploring caves, canoing on the river, taking a hike in the woods, observing animals, and so much more!

Farmer Jason and Buddies Nature Jams has 16 original songs on CD and includes a bonus DVD that features four fun music videos! The booklet that comes with the CD is very colorful and features really colorful eye catching illustrations for every song! Many guest artist sing along with Farmer Jason such as REM’s Mike Mills, Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson, Iris Dement, Alison Brown, Suzy Bogguss, Brandi Carlile, Terrance Simien, Webb Wilder, Todd Snider, Tommy Ramone and Hank Williams III, and more!

Farmer Jason and Buddies Nature Jams has been a huge hit with my children ages nearly 4 years old and a little over 1. My son loves the song Dison the Bison and whenever it plays he’ll go round and round in circles. And my daughter keeps asking when we’ll be able to go hiking at one of our local parks again. I admit I’m itching to get back out explore nature more myself too. The songs are fun and I really like that before each song plays that a background information discussion is added which is a great education aspect!

I encourage you to check out Nature Jams for yourself and pre-order your own copy today! And while you are at it, check out Farmer Jason’s newest record label myKaZootv, which just launched [http://www.mykazootv.com], a new 24/7 interactive kids’ entertainment channel. myKaZootv features hundreds of kid-friendly music videos, including several from Farmer Jason and his buddies. We invite you and your family to enjoy the fun, day or night, at: http://www.mykazootv.com.

**Fun fact: This CD has just won a Dove Foundation “Family Approved” seal and “five doves” -www.dove.org! **

-Win it!-

I’m excited that two of my readers are going to get the chance to win the following things;

A copy of Farmer Jason’s brand new CD Nature Jams (Value: $15)

One official MyKaZoo kazoo! This quality blue metal kazoo will provide kids with
hours of play-along fun, and it sports a myKaZoo logo (Value: $5)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

Review and Giveaway: Whole Grain First Ingredient with General Mills Cereal with White Check

Erin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:45:45 +0000

“Ringing in the New Year often means new eating habits. We know whole grain is important to you, and the Dietary Guidelines recommend choosing products with a whole grain listed as the first ingredient. Now every cereal with the white check has more whole grain than any other single ingredient with the same great taste. You will see “whole grain” as a part of the first ingredient on the ingredient list, indicating that whole grain is the first and most prevalent ingredient”.

According to Dr. Travis Stork, emergency room physician and host of “The Doctors,” identifying whole grain products can be challenging. Shoppers can look for nutritional cues on the front of the box, but they need to read the ingredient list to know if they are getting enough whole grain. Ingredient lists detail ingredients in order of prevalence, and if the words “whole grain” are followed by a grain like wheat or oats, it means the food contains more whole grain than any other single ingredient. Here’s how to determine if your cereals have whole grain as a first ingredient:

With all the health messages facing grocery store shoppers, it can be confusing to translate what appears on food labels into nutritional needs, and hard to determine which foods have a meaningful amount of whole grain. Dr. Stork has some additional recommendations to help you include whole grain easily into your diet. They include:

Start Early! The Dietary Guidelines recommend people get at least 48 grams of whole grain in their daily diets. Get a jump-start on the day’s nutrition by incorporating whole grain into your morning routine. For instance, when choosing cereal make sure whole grain is listed as the first ingredient. One easy choice is cereal with the white check, which have more whole grain than any other single ingredient.
Make Simple Swaps. Choose whole grain versions of the foods you love. Great options include whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread or even whole grain crackers. Also, try different types of whole grain. Use brown rice instead of white rice as a side dish at dinner or popcorn, which is a whole grain, for a snack.
Don’t Judge a Food by Its Cover. The front of food packages provide good nutritional cues, but don’t forget to read the ingredients and check the nutrition label and side labels for additional health information. Cereals with the white check even include the amount of whole grain per serving on packaging.

To help with choosing products with whole grain, General Mills developed “Fast Lane for Whole Grain,” an online educational game. Consumers can navigate virtual grocery store aisles and identify products that have whole grain as the first ingredient, with the option to enter a sweepstakes to win one of each of the 50 cereals with the white check.

Our Thoughts…

What a treat that my family and I were able to review a 5 boxes of General Mills cereal with the white check. I love that there’s is an easy to find check mark system to make our shopping trips much easier and quicker too! No more reading label after label in the cereal aisle!

I was pleased to know that cereal that’s often are eaten in my household have the white check mark! I am extremely happy to continue to maintain my families eating habits with healthy breakfast cereals in which we not only eat in the morning but also snack on through out the day. Healthy cereals that taste good are a plus, especially with a picky three year old in the house who turns up her nose before even trying something!

Make a commitment to add more whole grain to your diet by simply pouring a bowl of cereal with the white check including Cheerios^®, Lucky Charms^®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch^®, Honey Nut Cheerios^® and Total^®.

You can visit http://www.myblogspark.com/uc/main/d537/ to download a printable coupon for $1.75 off the purchase of any (2) cereals with the white check today!

For more information on the importance of whole grain and a chance to enter the “Fast Lane for Whole Grain” sweepstakes, visitwww.WholeGrainNation.com.”

-Win It-

How would you like to win a Whole Grain First Ingredient Five Boxes of Cereal Prize Pack?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Review & Giveaway: Froggy Feeding Fun from Learning Resources

Erin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:00:40 +0000

One of my favorite sources for educational tools and supplies to use with my children is the company Learning Resources. I’m pretty excited about checking out, researching, and deciding what products I would like to bring into my home to use for preschool and early education with not only daughter but my son too. It’s really nice that there’s so many products available in wide range of ages! And I was very happy to see that with the 2012 New Year, many exciting new products have been released!

One of the latest products from Learning Resources that my family and I have been enjoying quite a bit is the Froggy Feeding Fun set. My daughter whom is 3 1/2 years old absolutely loves Froggy Feeding Fun. This particular set is in a must have product for your preschooler. The two rubber frogs included are made to emphasize proper handwriting position in developing thumb-forefinger strength by squeezing the frogs mouths to open! How neat is that?

Along with those awesome muscle building frogs in the set, 60 flies, 1 number cube, 1 color cube and Activity Guide are also included. Children can develop number sense, color, and counting recognition. The activity guide gives several suggested activities and intervention strategies to do with your child in getting the most out of the Froggy Feeding Fun Activity set.

My daughter and I have been sitting together a few days a week and playing with this set together. We’ve right now been rolling the color and number dice and feeding our frogs that particular number to see who can fill up their frogs mouth completely first! She’s been having a lot of fun with it. I have seen great results in her pencil holding and also in her counting ability, both things she was struggling with before!

There’s nothing I dislike about this set. The recommend age of use is for children ages 3-7 and I would say with the numerous ways you can use this activity kit that’s about perfect. This product is great for home or classroom use! I would highly recommend anyone looking for a fun way to teach counting, colors, taking turns, and looking to develop fine motor skills in a exciting way.

You can purchase the Froggy Feeding Fun Activity set for $21.99 on the Learning Resource Website.

Get Connected with Learning Resources…

Request a mail catalog | Sign up for Email Updates | Follow them on Twitter (@LearningHandsOn) |Become a Facebook Fan |Follow their Hands On Learning Blog

-Win it-

Learning Resources is giving one of my readers a chance to win their very own Froggy Feeding Fun Activity Set!
Please Enter Below. US and Canada only please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned products in exchange for my opinion of them. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

Holiday Gift Guide 2011: Picture Collage Maker Pro {review + giveaway}

Erin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:55:16 +0000

Christmas is only days away and New Year is right after! Can you believe it? I’m preparing myself to begin working on photo books and albums from all my 2011 endeavors. My 2011 was certainly a year full of so very much. I have been looking for place to easily make photo collages, calendars, digital scrapbooks, and cards to share with family and friends. I had been using one program currently but it’s been very limited in what I can do. And though I love the look of scrap-booking by hand, it often becomes quite expensive purchasing papers, embellishments, and more.

I recently was given the opportunity to try out Picture Collage Maker Pro. This is a useful and helpful software program that gives people the opportunity to easily create and share photo collage projects of all kinds. In fact, right now they have a Special Christmas Edition that contains 26 abundant brand new professional Christmas templates to create Holiday cards to send along to friends and family. I love that you can choose whether or not if you’d like to print or send your creations by e-mail or regular post. You can even create desktop wallpaper of all your favorite photos!

I’ve been using this software for about a week now and I’ll have to say that it’s very user friendly! There are options to use pre-made templates, but you can also customize and create your very own quite easily. There are backgrounds, stickers, photo frames, and any more items and tools to create a one of a kind gift or greeting that’s specific to you and your family to share or keep for yourself.

There’s a resource page which you can download add on templates to include in the program! Tutorials and design ideas and suggestions also can be found. If you fan the software created Pearl Mountain on Facebook you’ll be able to download some great bonus templates too! If you sign up for their free newsletter you’ll be in the know of when new templates and updates are available.

Overall I am really happy with Picture Collage Maker Pro. It’s user-friendly. It doesn’t slow down my computer like other collage sites and programs I’ve used. It has lots of great pre-made templates to choose from for holidays, seasons, and so much more. I couldn’t be happier!

You can purchase Picture Collage Maker Pro for $ 39.90 off their website or you can try to win 1 of 20 license for free here on my blog! Please enter below through Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was sent the above product mentioned for review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

Holiday Gift Guide 2011: Kidorable Space Hero Collection {Review + Umbrella Giveaway!}

Erin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:56:07 +0000

Have I got an out of this world product line to tell you about from Kidorable! I’ve mentioned this company many times here on my blog because they are a go to for all my children’s rain gear. I’m pleased that for over ten years, this company has created functional and fun children’s apparel of all kinds and keep coming up with great new styles and designs that continue to wow me. In my mind, Kidorable is a name that both parents and children should get excited about.

I was beyond thrilled when I was given the opportunity to review several products from the Kidorable “Space Hero Collection” for my baby boy. This collection is incredibly adorable! It was right up my alley since we’ve been sticking with an outer space theme since my little boy was born! Rockets, the moon, stars, aliens, astronaut, they totally covered everything I could have ever hoped to find in a rain jacket and more! I was so ecstatic that I texted my best friend, my husband, and social networked about my find so anyone else that may have been looking for something similar could also see what was offered in the brand new collections!

My friend just got the brand new Dragon Knight set for her baby boy and oh my gosh both of our sons are totally styling, completely oozing with cuteness! We’ll apologize to them later for all the flashes from cameras, squeezed cheeks from family members, over the top attention, and embarrassing pictures to share with their girl friends and to include in their future graduation photo slide show.

I was sent the Space Hero Raincoat which included a free rocket ship hanger, Space Hero boots, and the matching Rocket Ship Backpack to review. This collection comes in classic yet bold space man themed colors of gray, blue, and orange. It’s very eye catching and perfect for any child sizes one through six years old.

The Space Hero Raincoat is made out of PVC which is very easy to wipe clean and lined with polyester. It has one flap over pocket on the front, four button snaps from top to bottom, and inner loop for hanging. The raincoat itself has hood that looks like an astronaut helmet. It’s really cute! My 11 month old baby boy is still growing into this coat as it’s 12-18 months in size. But he can wear it now if I roll up his sleeves. It’s got enough give to put over a bulky sweater too making this rain coat perfect for almost all season!

The Space Hero boots, are perfect for puddle jumping! These are excellent in resisting water with the natural rubber exterior and the top part is cinched so no water gets inside! The cinched top is also perfect for tucking in the bottom of your child’s pants. These boots are light weight so it won’t weigh down your children’s feet as they are walking or running. Speaking of running, the non-skid soles improve traction on wet surfaces and are great in preventing accidents. You can easily wipe these clean after a day in the mud! This style of boot is available in My First (size 5), children’s sizes 6-13, plus young adult sizes 1 and 2.

The matching Rocket Ship Backpack is great for kids of all ages. We are using this pack right now as a day bag for my son. It’s got plenty of room to add diapers, snacks, a cup, and a few other things. I know as my son get’s older, he’ll still use this bag as it would be perfect for any outing whether it be a trip to the park, the beach, grandma’s house, or the local zoo.Overall there’s nothing we don’t like about the Space Hero Collection from Kidorable. In fact, we are already looking to purchase the matching umbrella as well as a new rain collection for my three year old daughter for this upcoming Spring!

Interested in Purchasing?

Kidorable offers more than just rain wear! I encourage you to check out their knit hats, gloves, and scarves for the cooler weather roo. I couldn’t help but mention that their items would also make wonderful Holiday gifts this season! There is free shipping on all orders over $100

**For the week of December 5-11 ONLY, use the coupon code DRAGON7 to get a free Dragon Knight umbrella with any order over $20 (make sure you add the umbrella to your cart first!). **

Win it!

I am thrilled to be giving one of my readers the opportunity to win their very own umbrella!

Disclaimer: I was sent several products to review from Kidorable. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide Feature: Holiday Candle Making Kit from A Toy Garden {Review + Giveaway}}

Erin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:00:35 +0000

A Toy Garden is truly a wonderful place to find all sorts of fantastic gifts for children of all ages! After having my own child, I’ve been pretty picky about the toys and gifts that she receives. I’m a fan of the sort of gifts that I know will be treasured for many years to come, much like the products I found while browsing the vast selection offered at A Toy Garden. A Toy Garden is a family based business that offers only the best! You’ll find that they offer a large amount of fair trade toys, as well as toys made 100% in the USA!

I was blessed with the opportunity to review the Make It Yourself Candle Kit to feature in my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! The Multi-Colored Make It Yourself Candle Kit assembled exclusively by A Toy Garden is a lot of fun! In my mind this candle making kit is the perfect craft to do together with family and friends during the holiday season!What this kit includes is 12 8×8 inch sheets of 100% honeycombed beeswax in 12 different beautiful colors, 4 yards of quality wick, and very easy to follow instructions.

My daughter and I used the candle making kit together to create such pretty candles! I first prepped the beeswax since it was stored in a cooler place with my blow dryer to make sure it was warm enough to roll. I then cut the wick to the proper size and then let my daughter help me roll each candle out! We also brought out my mini clay cutters to use to add different shapes such as stars to each candle!The candles came out great and my daughter was so proud of her creations! I look forward to trying out some different combinations because the combinations of candles you can make are endless!

I think hand crafted candles are wonderful gifts and how extra special if the receiver knew you made them yourself! I recommend checking out A Toy Garden! They have a fantastic selection of arts and craft items among the vast selection of toys that encourage imaginative play! Keep in mind that it’s not too late to order the The Multi-Colored Make It Yourself Candle Kit to enjoy with your own friends and family this season! It’s also available in Christmas or Hannukah colors, and in natural beeswax.

Get Connected: Visit a www.aToyGarden.com | Fan a Toy Garden on Facebook!

Holiday Gift Guide 2011: Plagentra Skin Care Products for Mom & Baby {review and giveaway}

Erin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:20:14 +0000

My baby boy has sensitive skin so I’m always on the look out for ways and products to use that will ease any discomfort that he may have. I wash his clothes with special detergent. I use wipes specifically for sensitive skin to wipe his face and bottom. All my sons clothes are completely tag free. I apply lotion to his skin at least twice a day. And during bath time, I use products specifically created to gently cleanses and moisturizes itchy, extra dry skin.

My latest brag worthy skin care products for both mom and baby would have to be from the company Plagentra.They have a entire skin and body product line created specifically to relieve common skin care issues such as eczema, stretch marks, and acne.

This company won awards in…

Number one in stretch mark care (2011 Korea Satisfaction Consumer Index)
Number one brand for moms and babies (2010 Korea Satisfaction Consumer Index)
2011 best luxury skincare brand (Korean Governments Department of Ministry of Women and Family)

After seeing that these products contain absolutely no steroids, colorants, alcohol, or perfumes, I was quite excited to use them. I was sent two full sized products to review from this company and several samples of their other products. I picked the Foaming Facial Wash for myself and the Mild Wash to use for my son to share my thoughts on.

The Foaming Facial Wash is an excellent make up remover and my total go to wash at the end and the beginning of the day. This facial wash is easy to use and very gentle on my skin. It goes on smooth and rinses off very easily which is a must for any foaming cleansers. I can vouch to have had some bad experiences with foaming washes! I’m so glad I had a great experience with this one.

The fine micro beads in this cleanser do an excellent job of exfoliating skin without being to rough removing unwanted dead skin, dirt, and oils. The scent of this product fragrance free so it’s great for those sensitive to certain smells. My skin looks and feels great after use without sacrificing a thing! I would highly recommend using the Foaming Facial Wash & after such a great experience with it, I am excited about trying out and using the other Mom offered skin care products such as lotions and soaps!

The Mild Wash I’ve been using on my 10 month old son for a week now and will have to vouch that his skin has been so much better! So much better that I’ve seen no itching or scratching of any kind! I don’t even have to use that much either. I simply use the handy pump top bottle to squeeze about a nickel size amount onto a cloth or my hand to cleanse my son. The wash lathers nicely and rinses just as well. And the scent is very refreshing!

This wash is a great supplemental treatment for moisturizing dry skin, such as atopic eczema in infants and adults, psoriasis, ichthyosis, senile pruritus. And it’s formulated to be the same PH as your skin, our body wash soothes skin while keeping it soft and supple. I would highly recommend this product and I plan on purchasing more soon to use on both my kids!

I would highly recommend checking out this company and am excited Plagentra products are available in the US and Canada! Plagentra has an entire skin and body care system, from lotions to soaps, oils to creams, there’s something there for all your skin needs! If you’d like to try before you buy, you can request FREE SAMPLES right from their website.

I’m excited that one of my readers is going to get a chance to win a bottle
of Plagentra Mild Face and Body Wash (retail value of $17.50) Enter below through Rafflecopter!

Holiday Gift Guide 2011:Vinyl Wall Quotes by Belvedere Designs {Review + Giveaway }

Erin — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 10:00:15 +0000

If you are wanting to decorate the walls of your home, I would recommend checking out vinyl art and lettering. Vinyl is a great alternative to having pieces of framed art that needs mounted and also to painting designs and murals on the walls. I for one love to decorate but have held back because of living in rental homes and apartments where such things are just not allowed. I think it’s great to have a reasonably priced solution and option to my household designing needs!

I recently was introduced to a great vinyl wall decal company called Belvedere Designs. This company specializes in offering unique vinyl wall art! The options are endless as you can pick specifics quotes, single words, or a particular art design from their many categories! You have the options of choosing a favored font style, color, and a specific size that’s perfect for wherever you’d like to display your wall quote or art. And if you don’t see something you like that’s already offered, they also take custom request!

I was sent a wall quote from their Religious quote category to review and share my thoughts on which reads ” The Approval of The Lord Matters More Than The Applause of Men”. I had my husband read the included instructions and apply the quote to the corner in our living room. The instructions were very easy to follow and in about 10-15 minutes tops I had a lovely quote on wall for all to see.

I quite enjoyed browsing the the Fall 2011 and Seasonal Collection. Both categories have many great designs that I’d be more than happy to showcase in my home through out the year and during specific holidays. The prices are reasonable and the products are hassle free making decorating a cinch! The designs are simple yet stylish, professional yet not pain staking, and can make your home or office look great in a matter of minutes!

I highly recommend checking out Belvedere Designs for all your wall art needs! And if you know somebody you think would love something like this, you can also purchase gift certificates straight from their website. Defiently a unique one of a kind gift to give this Holiday Season and there really is something there for everyone especially since you can go really personal and get a custom design done!

Buy It: You can purchase all Belvedere Designs wall quotes and wall art on the Belvedere Designs website.

Get Connected: Check out Belvedere Designs on their Facebook page for the latest news, promotional offers, and design inspiration!

GIVEAWAY!

I’m excited that three of my readers are going to get a chance to win their very own $50.00 gift certificate from Belvedere Designs. Readers can pick what they’d like from the following categories (Seasonal Collection, Fall 2011, Religious). Please leave the link and specify which design you’d like! Enter below through Rafflecopter!

Holiday Gift Guide 2011: Beautiful Handmade Jewelry by Hayjac Designs {review + giveaway}

Erin — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:00:27 +0000

If you are looking for a gift this Holiday season that is simple, stylish, and meaningful? If so I’d like to recommend the personalized sterling silver hand crafted jewelry from Hayjac Designs.

I was sent a Family Circle Necklace from Hayjac Designs that arrived in a very nice gift bag along with polishing cloth to keep my necklace shiny. In the center of the necklace, our names (Justin, Erin, Melody, & Owen) circle a cross charm. It’s my favorite necklace that serves as a reminder in symbolizing how Christ is the center of my own life and the life of my family.

The jewelery offered by Hayjac Designs are the perfect fashion accessory in which each pieces simplicity goes with everything from a fancy dress to more casual apparel like jeans and a sweater. Pieces can be customized in many different ways such as chain length, size of the disc, names or affirmations stamped on the necklace, and whether you’d like a charm or not.

There are many styles and different pieces offered at Hayjac Designs such as Cube Necklaces, Initial Necklaces, Monogram Necklaces, Bracelets and more. The large variety of styles make fabulous gifts for moms, grandma’s, bridesmaids, wives, new mommies, sweethearts, and children. The customization allows for perfect gift to feature anniversary dates, birth dates, favorite sayings, and what ever else you can think of!

I highly recommend checking out the Beautiful Handmade Jewelry by Hayjac Designs if you are looking for that one of a kind heartfelt gift this season. They even offer wine charms, key chains, and tags for your pets.

Connect with Hayjac Designs on Facebook for the latest offering, promotions, and giveaways!

How about winning a $75 gift certificate to Hayjac Designs? Be sure to enter below for a chance!

Holiday Gift Guide 2011: The Slice™ Safety Cutter {Review}

Erin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:30:38 +0000

The Slice™ Safety Cutter is the most versatile tool you’ll ever own. Features a finger-friendly microscopic ceramic blade that’s quick, easy and a safe substitute for scissors or traditional safety knives. Slice Safety Cutters are perfect for scrap-booking, clipping recipes, coupons and news articles, removing shrink-wrap, opening CDs, DVDs, plastic packaging, and more. Includes a built-in magnet and key-ring hole.

- Ceramic blade lasts longer than steel
- Stays sharp and never rusts
- Built-in magnet and key-ring hole
- Rubberized non-slip finish
- Finger-Friendly™ Design
- For left- and right-handers

What a handy item the Slice Saftey Cutter is! It such an innovate product that has made my life easier! I like that this product is safe and easy for children to handle. No more worries of falling on scissors or getting cut!

I’ve been using this on almost everything. It’s been fantastic for opening the wrapping on cd and dvd cases, trimming coupons, cutting out bookmarks, clipping coupons and recipes out of papers and magazines. It’s such a great little tool.

The cost of this Safety Cutter is equally impressive at only 5.99! I honestly thought this product would be going for more. The price is reasonable enough to purchase several to keep around. One for my keyring, one to reside on the office magnet board, and one for crafting! Overall The Slice Saftey Cutter’s would make fantastic stocking stuffers this Christmas season! I give this product 5 out of 5 stars!

Get Connected: Check them out online at sliceproducts.com | Like SliceInc on Facebook

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.