Review: Pajaminals Storybook Nap Mat and Cowbella plush toy

We received a Pajaminals storybook nap mat and a Cowbella plush animal for review. 

Pros: Fun, colorful, foldable mat for naptime, great for sending to daycare or preschool to use on top of cots, with babysitter, or to keep at Grandma's. Super soft, cuddly characters that encourage happy napping are always a plus!

Cons: The "storybook pillow" may at first be a bit exciting to "read" when trying to go to sleep. :)

Summary: If you are looking for a great cot-liner or sleeping mat for the babysitter or to keep at Grandma's, this is a great naptime product to have on hand!

Purchase: In most department stores and online. Prices vary.

Full Review:
If you haven't seen the new Jim Henson show called "Pajaminals" aimed at toddlers-preschoolers yet, it is showing on Sprout and NBC Saturday mornings. This show focuses on promoting preschool skills to help their days run smoothly. As a parent, foster parent, and teacher I can especially appreciate the part where they teach healthy sleep and naptime habits!

Along with this show, there is a new line of Pajaminal toys and products.

We loved the snuggle up story mat. It is made with premium fleece material and includes a plush book (all attached) that transforms to a pillow at the top.  Kids can use their imagination to tell stories about the pictures which could help with transitioning from play time to sleepy time. 

A soft blanket is attached at the side of the mat with colorful characters printed all over it. This mat is sized perfectly to fit on top of a nap cot or to use on the floor at babysitters house or at grandma's. The mat folds and velcros shut for easy storage. It is sized for a preschooler up to about age 5.

 

There is also a collection of Pajanimals plush toys (in 2 sizes) includes the characters: Apollo, Squacky, Cowbella and Sweet Pea Sue inspired by the TV series. We received Cowbella, who is made of soft fleecy fabric that is trimmed with silky ribbons.  These would make a great birthday presents for toddlers or preschoolers!

 

 

Disclosure: We received the  Pajaminals storybook nap mat and a Cowbella plush animal  to  review. The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

JourneyBee Travel Crib Review and Coupon Code

Pros: Very light weight, quick pop-up assembly, folds flat for easy storage or transport.

Cons: Does not come with a bassinet/changing table feature that some travel cribs include.

Summary: If you are looking for a great travel crib that is soooo easy to set up, is lightweight, stores and travels easily ...JourneyBee is the way to go! This would be a great item to keep at Grandma's house or to have on hand for visiting guests with babies and toddlers!

Purchase it at ParentLab.com and use coupon code: H5ezWmQ6 to get 10% off your purchase!

Full Review:

Okay, there are quite a few great things to say about this product! It arrived in a zippered storage bag with a shoulder strap and 2 smaller handles. The bag also contains a front zippered compartment which would be convenient to store toys, blankets or diapers in..

Take out the travel crib and it will gently pop open with no tricky assembly, and no trouble getting it to stay open. The mattress pad easily slides into a pocket at the base of the crib to make the bed cushiony. The JourneyBee comes with a soft fleecy sheet that attaches and lines the inside of the crib and can be removed and washed easily. Assembling and breaking down this crib was so easy it reminds me of the pop-up play tents and tunnels my kids have. This crib folds so flat that it could be stored under a bed or behind a couch.

Thinking back on the other travel cribs we have owned, I'm sure that they weighed at least twice as much as this one, were tricky and took a significant amount of time to set up and break down, and were annoying to store and travel with.

Below is a video of the first time we set up and broke down the crib...we didn't even have to read the directions... :)

The only feature I miss with this travel crib is an adjustable bassinet/ changing table feature that some travel cribs have.. However, the detachable mattress part of the crib could be easily used as a changing mat.

Overall we loved this product!

Find more info about this travel crib at ParentLab.com or follow them on Facebook or on Twitter.

Disclosure: We received a JourneyBee travel crib  to  review. The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

Coming soon: Journey Bee Review and Coupon Code!

Be watching for an upcoming review of JourneyBee- a brand new pop-open portable travel crib created by ParentLab!

In the mean time, head over to the The ParentLab site and check them out..  You can use the coupon code: H5ezWmQ6 to get 10% off of your purchase!

A Meaningful Easter Gift

I've been on the look out for meaningful gifts and activities to do on Easter... To be honest, I'm really tired of the typical Easter basket fillers, and I'm overwhelmed at the colossal amount of candy and junk that goes through our house all the time! In the process, I found this lovely little book:

The Jesus Storybook: Every Story Whispers His Name...  The wording in this little book is so beautifully written and I love the way the heart of the story shines through in such a kid friendly way! I chose the deluxe edition which comes with 3 audio cd's of the entire book which is so pleasantly spoken.

Here is an example:

I'm looking forward to listening to this on long car rides, putting it on my kids mp3 players, and playing it at bedtime when my little people are falling asleep!
   
Disclosure: The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies of the product. No compensation was received.

New ChicoBag and Coupon Code

Check out the new sidekick Cross Body Tote by ChicoBag!  You can get 10% off your purchase ordered by by using the coupon code: SIDEKICK

Coupon offer is good till 4/15/13

Adoption Day!!!

If you've been wondering, we've been a little busy lately! I wanted to let you in on our happy news... We finally adopted our 2 little ones last week on National adoption day! Due to a few miracles and great adoption caseworkers, they are really ours now! This brings our official total family count to 6! So much to be thankful for...

Zylie the Bear Review and Giveaway!

Summary:  Zylie is a quality bear with an adorable face that any child would love!  She is a classic looking 18 inch bear that can be dressed up in doll clothes and played with like a doll.  

Review:
As you can see, Zylie is not just a typical stuffed animal toy... She is an American Girl-sized bear that can wear 18-inch doll clothes and is dressed to go on an adventure!

Inside the little tote is a world map, a tiny journal, and a passport. This Zylie the Bear Kit also comes with a small chapter book about the places she visited in New York...

She comes wearing a flowery dress top, jeans,  button jacket and is accessorized with a little orange tote.  I love that her "designer clothes" are so soft and feel perfect for cuddling! 

Enter to Win Zylie!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: We received Zylie the Bear for review. We always express our honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

Sadie the Paper Crown Princess: Review and Coupon Code

Summary:  If you have a little "princess wanna-be" in your house that is concerned primarily with her princess attire... Sadie, The Paper Crown Princess is a great book to show what it really means to have the heart of a princess (or Prince)....hint: it's not about the clothes or the shoes! :) A lovely little story to help instill generosity and compassion in little people.

Use coupon code "overflow" on the Sadie Website to get 20% off your book purchase!

Review: Recently at our house there have been a few episodes with a certain little 4-year-old "princess" over her clothes...If she doesn't get the dress she wants to wear, we hear loud dramatic outbursts of  "Then I'm NOT going to be a PRINCESS!!!" Good heavens, what will we do with her when she is a teenager?! After getting tired of hearing this over and over, I sat her down and talked with her about how some children in the world don't even have any clothes to wear, and about being thankful.  She stopped suddenly and was shocked and horrified..."Some children don't have ANY clothes?" 

"That's right," I told her. 

She thought for a minute and then looked at me in disbelief..."Then show me, where are the children with no clothes?!" :-o

After our little chat about being thankful and about children who don't have clothes, we have had far less trouble getting dressed in the morning! 

This sweet little book is a wonderful addition to our library and is a great way to talk to kids about what's really important.  In this colorful story with adorable illustrations, Sadie travels the world and learns about giving to others.  She learns how compassion and generosity bring far more happiness than having "princessy" stuff on the outside.  She even encounters a lovely surprise...she gets to see what a real prince looks like! :)

Learn how to join the Paper Crown Society on Sadie's website!  

Also visit the blog to learn more about Sadie's Summer of Giving and how YOU can get involved!

Disclosure: We received a digital sample of Sadie: The Paper Crown Princess for review. We always express our honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

Review and Giveaway: Robby Wash Laundry Washing Ball

Pros: No carrying heavy bottles of detergent, no detergent spills or mess, no measuring, no large containers to store, reduced cost, hypo-allergenic, environmentally friendly, refillable, use with all washing machine types, wash 120 loads of laundry before refilling!

Cons: It doesn't fold the laundry..  ;o)

Summary: If you hate dragging heavy detergent jugs home from the store and would prefer to use something more earth-friendly and hypoallergenic, Robby Wash Ball is a great option!

Purchase it for $32.95 here

Review:

Okay, there are quite a few good things to say about this product.  I will admit that it's hard to believe that this little laundry ball replaces detergent for One HUNDRED and twenty loads of laundry!  The ball is filled with tiny balls contains activated macromolecules that claim to slowly dissolve dried-in stains by generating ions into the water. 

With six people in our family, we go through a LOT of laundry! After using this little wash ball for a few weeks it has been working surprisingly well! The clothes have been coming out clean and pleasantly fresh smelling, which is always impressive when you have small children! :)

 A few other things to consider:

• This is a time saver (no more shopping for and lugging heavy detergent jugs from the store).
• a huge space saver (In our small house, those big detergent jugs take up a lot of space)!
• a big money saver (I'm sure we've been spending more than $32 on 120 loads of laundry).
• There is a cap in the ball that allows you to refill it and continue using for years to come. *Make sure the little cap is placed on the ball tightly to prevent beads from falling out.

The wash ball also includes a stain stick to pre-treat stains before washing.  The jury is still out on this as we haven't tried it on everything yet, but I am pleased to report that after trying it on a white shirt with red frosting, the frosting is completely gone!

Giveaway! Enter to win a Robby Wash Ball below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: We received the Robby Wash Ball by Oransi for review. The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.