Aruni Gunasegaram is the….

Grand Prize winner for the Grand Prize Pack including:
Wii Video Game ‘Ultimate I SPY’
Board Game ‘I SPY Memory Game’
I SPY A to Z: A Book of Picture Riddles
I SPY Treasure Hunt 

Grand Prize Pack valued at $85.99

Four (4) runner-up winners receive a copy of the new book
I SPY A to Z: A Book of Picture Riddles

Each book valued at $13.99

1. Brandy Arivett

2. Sarah Harvey

3. Cindi Hoppes

4. Jenine Herrell

For the month of July 2009, we have two prizes to pamper our readers:

1. Votre Vu’s Cheveux Heureux Shampoo Riche

The shampoo hydrates, restores, balances and protects adding a boost in volume and shine.  The shampoo is an effective yet gentle cleanser which eliminates build up, impurities and toxins without stripping your hair’s natural oils. It does not contain sodium laurel sulfates. Cheveux Heureux Shampoo Riche leaves your hair more manageable and soft to the touch.  For more information please visit: www.VotreVu.com

2. LashFood

LashFood is an all natural eyelash and eyebrow conditioning stimulator that provides you with fuller, longer, darker, and stronger lashes. LashFood is formulated using the highest grade natural ingredients including Biotin, an essential vitamin, Arginine, a natural amino acid, and root and herbal extracts. The newest innovation of JB Cosmetics, LashFood is created by Jane Kim. JB Cosmetics is a well known cosmetic manufacturer that specializes in eyelash products and stands for sophistication and beauty.  For more information please visit: www.lashfood.com

If you’re new to Parent Reviewers, our subscribe button is on the top right side bar. Just sign up and you’ll be entered into a monthly giveaway draw. IT’S THAT EASY!

* Most prize ships to US only unless specified otherwise.

Every year, you will see notices of toys recall from notable toy manufacturers, and as parents, we really wonder if any toy is safe now. If we can’t trust these ‘notable’ toy manufacturers and their standard of quality, who can we trust? Really?

NMC Toys have been building up a reputation of only selecting toys that are of high quality and designed for imaginative play. They search for toys that are Not Made in China (hence the website being acronymed as NMC) and provide you, the consumers with a better selection in toys!

Here’s more on NMC Toys :

NMCtoys.com was developed by parents of two small children in 2007. We made it our mission to provide quality toys that stimulate and challenge a child’s mind.

There was much news regarding the quality and safety of toys produced in China during the summer of 2007. We walked through the toy department of big box retailers and could not find a toy produced outside of China. Gone were the wooden blocks, dolls and wooden trains we played with as children. These toys were replaced with cheap plastic toys that had character ties to movies and cereals. We then turned to the internet and were frustrated by the lack of alternatives and lack of country of origin information. We experienced first hand the frustration and angst associated with taking away our child’s favorite toy that was recalled and we routinely threw away toys within a few days or weeks of purchase due to poor quality. These experiences led to the development of NMCtoys.com.

NONE of the toys found in NMCtoys.com are Made in China. When it comes to our own home we choose to keep Chinese Made Toys out of our childrens’ hands. Many of the toys in our home wind up in our childrens’ mouth and we did not want to gamble with their future.

Our parent reviewers had the opportunity in reviewing some Plush Toys from NMC Toys, which are made of 100% organic cotton and dyed with environmentally friendly natural, metal free vegetable colors. Each plush toy gives the child an opportunity to learn about the various animals’ habitats, and how to protect them.

Buy It : These adorable Plush Toys are retailing at $16.99, and are available at NMC Toys.

Here’s what some of the parents have to say about it :

She scribes : Scout is adorable! He’s not very big (maybe a bit bigger then a large man hand) but what he lacks in size he makes up for in cuteness. He has a very happy smile and his “arms” are opened as if he’s ready to give you a hug.

My son is a huge weather buff so he was especially happy to see Scout. It reminds him real clouds. His logic is since he loves weather Scout should be his friend. We’ll see…

Coordinated Chaos : So Little Dude is enchanted with Waverly, the Water Drop and I am too because of all the learning he is inspiring in my son (and me!) But most of all I love Waverly because he is an Organic USDA certified handcrafted toy. That means I don’t have to worry about my youngest son chewing on Waverly, or wonder if it is OK for Little Dude to be sleeping with Waverly. Waverly is made with conserving nature in mind, so he is made out of organic cotton and the tag is printed in the US on recycled paper with eco friendly inks.

Jo-Jo’s Place : With the quality and safety of toys so very important since the China scare a couple of years ago I have been on the look out for toys that aren’t made in China.

Have you tried to do this?  If you go to your local big box stores it’s proven to be a hard task at hand.

I was happy to get the link to NMC Toys.  All the toys offered at NMC Toys are not from China.  But this isn’t the only plus you will find from NMC Toys.

Mom Start: Scout is extremely soft. My husband even commented on how soft he was. My kids think he’s funny. I think he would make an excellent chew toy. I mean, teething toy. Kids can suck on him as they are breaking in new teeth and I don’t have to worry about the quality of it.

It does say however that it is only for ages three and up because of small pieces. I can’t figure out what those small pieces would be unless they are taking extra precautions that the legs might fall off. Which, I don’t think will happen because it looks like a solid made toy to me.

Babies Gotta to Have It : Not to get all oogly boogly on you here, but I love that.  And these toys are sweet sweet sweet and green green green.  Lola the Flower, Waverly the Water Drop, and Scout the Cloud are made of 100% organic cotton (even the tag is printed on recyled paper with eco-friendly inks). And these toys are definitely Not Made In China — they’re made in Egypt from Egyptian cotton!

PNR Reviews : Each Idbid comes with a code that lets you access a protected part of the Idbids website. I didn’t think my 3 1/2 year old was old enough to appreciate that feature, but to my surprise he got really excited about it. In Scout’s section, we met three animals that live in the rain forest and learned a little bit about why their habitat needs protecting. My son’s favorite part was getting to name the animals and print out certificates with their pictures on them. (Thanks to Idbids from this adoptive parent, by the way, for not making it an “adoption” certificate like so many toys do.)

All Because Two People Fell In Love : Ella has really enjoyed playing with her new Flower Friend, Lola!! She has also enjoyed the online adventures that Lola has to offer! I love that each of the toys in this line come with a purpose and they are educational as well as entertaining! We highly recommend these fun friends!!

Mommy Loves It! : Lola is an adorable plush toy that is made with 100% organic cotton. Each toy in the line is handmade with love, and as Idbids say, ‘No two are alike… just like children!’ My 4-year-old daughter befriended Lola, and she just adored her sweet smile and rosy pink color. With her cute little arms and legs and soft material, she is so huggable! This is the perfect toy to use to introduce your child to earth-friendly concerns.

Mommy Mandy : Sarah is in love with her new Lola Plush Toy. Lola the Flower is here to teach your child all about the “iddy biddy” things they can do to make the world a better place.

Maria’s Space : Our kids love toys. We love giving our kids toys. These toys are safe and environmentally friendly. How many toys do you know are 100% organic? I don’t know of any. An educational, plush toy makes it easier to consider adding another stuffed toy to your collection. I don’t believe any of my daughter’s other stuffed animals teach her anything truly educational.

Happy Healthy Families : Waverly is particularly - and deeply - concerned about protecting
the Earth’s water resources and keeping them clean. His areas of expertise are Oceans, seas, rivers and lakes. My munchkin boys received Waverly in the mail a bit ago, and instantly fell in love with the guy. I have to say this plush toy is so soft–it just feels good to hold him.

Crunchy Green Mom : However… now… I’ve come up with a new plan for Ms. Lola. She is going to be my companion. I am going to start taking pictures with her in random places that I go, and start placing those photos on my blog and my Facebook. What better way to see that world than through the eyes of a Flower girl?

Shake the Salt : You can get your own Waverly or other IdBid from NMCToys(Not Made in China!).Lil Roo has several toys from NMCToys – the toys are always a high quality, a lot of fun, and I do love knowing they are NOT made in China. Waverly was provided to us by NMCToys.

One of the coolest “inventions” I’ve seen for a baby is the Bib-A-Roo. A Bib-A-Roo (made by Li’l Darlin’s, LLC) is a handcrafted full body bib made with adorable juvenile prints and quilted backing. The bib has Velcro at neck and ribbon at legs to assure it will fit securely – but not too tightly on your baby.

I was given one of these super cool bibs to try out – problem is, my son Xander is four years old now – so I took it over to my friends house to try out on her five month old, Abbie! I picked out an awesome pink camo print for the fabric because Abbie’s daddy is a US Sailor. We put the Bib-A-Roo on Abbie and she looked SO CUTE! Her Mom has used it with her on several occasions and just loves it. It covers all of the baby – so while she’s eating (or even spitting up) all of her adorable girly outfits are protected.

The Bib-A-Roo is made in the USA from 100% washable fabric. They have 3 unisex, 7 female, and 7 male prints that are available in Small & Large. Sizes include small (5mos-18mos) and Large (18mos and up).

Li’l Darlin’s also has a ton of other cool products for Mom’s and kids.

BUY IT :  Bib-A-Roo is definitely a Mommy Must Have ~ So much that even celebrity mommies are using them on their tots.  Head over to www.bibaroo.com and get yours today.

WIN IT : Love this innovative bib?  Want to win one? Here’s your chance now! To enter and win:

WOO HOO…..THE RESULTS ARE FINALLY OUT!!!

First off, our Reader’s Giveaway Winner is Tanya of Mommy Googles

Congratulations to the following finalists:

3 Kids and Us

Life Starring The Kids and Me

SuperMom Central

Rave and Review

Mom Most Traveled

Potamus Prefers

Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House

AND

The Following Are Our Top Three Winners:

2nd Runner Up

Just A Mom’s Take On

1st Runner Up

Lille Punkin’ Reviews

AND THE WINNER OF THE 2009 BEST REVIEW BLOG AWARD GOES TOO *Drum Rolls*

A Family Completed

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAD PARTICIPATED, THE JUDGES AS WELL AS THE SPONSORS WHO HAD MADE THIS AWARD A SUCCESS.

There were many awesome blogs which had been nominated and the judges had a tough time making their decisions. If you did not make it this round, please join us again next year!

WINNERS - PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SNAG YOUR WINNER’S BADGE FROM OUR SITE. DON’T FORGET TO PROVIDE YOUR SHIPPING ADD VIA THE CONTACT FORM BELOW FOR YOUR PRIZE CLAIM.

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Congratulations to the following winners:

1. Shushybe Books and CDs Giveaway

kathy pease

Janelle @ Brimful Curiosities

2. Father’s Day Giveaway From Nu Skin

JamericanSpice

3. Father’s Day Giveaway From VoiceQuilt

Lisa Taylor

The winner is required to do the following:

1. Submit your relevant info via the Winner’s Submission Form Below; AND
2. Leave a comment in this post to let us know you have submitted. 
3. If any winner does not claim her prize by the 3rd July 2009, we will do a second draw. 

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAD PARTICIPATED!

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I had the opportunity to check out a cool personalized music CD by NameYourTune. My son is a music fiend like his parents (and grandma!) so it was no surprise that he LOVED this CD! When I first received it I was thinking that it would be a pain to listen to (like most “kids” music CD’s …) but it totally wasn’t. The CD has songs that are easy on the (adults) ears yet familiar to little ones. Plus – each song mentioned Xander’s name! It was like each song was written just for him; it was pretty cool!

Xander gets a HUGE kick out of hearing his name in the songs that he asks to listen to “his” music CD almost every day. This CD is so worth the price – and is something your kids can call their “own” for sure.

Here is the track listing:

• Hello, How Are You?
• If You’re Happy And You Know It
• Old MacDonald
• Oh How I Want to Go
• Wheels on the Bus
• Boom Boom, Ain’t It Great To Be YOU!
• Down By The Park
• The More We Get Together
• Head and Shoulders
• There are Seven Days
• Rainbow Song
• ABC Medley
• I Don’t Want To Live On The Moon
• Instrumental Lullaby

BUY IT: With over 4,200 recorded names available, you can get your child his/her own made to order and personalized CD at http://www.nameyourtune.com. A portion from the sale of each CD will be donated to Hear Here, the Toronto-based non-profit organization that provides hearing aids for children.

WIN IT : NameYourTune, an iParenting Media Award Winning site has generously sponsored a giveaway of one personalized CD on our site. Here’s how you can win this treasured keepsake:

• One mandatory entry - Visit www.nameyourtune.com and name another personalized product they have on their site
• Two additional entries - Tweet this giveaway (leave your Twitter id in our comment section)
• Three additional entries - Stumble this post (leave your SU id in our comment section)
• Entry is open to all shipping addresses.
• Giveaway closes on 6th July 2009 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

I’ll be completely honest. I wasn’t bowled over by the Trebellina & Friends DVD. I just wasn’t taken by it’s simplistic graphical illustrations. I expected more! I expected pizzazz! I expected all the hype all the parents were talking about!

But guess what? Who am I to give an opinion, when my 2 younger kids, a 3 1/2 year old and 1 year old were completely enthralled by it. They (well, the elder one) insisted on watching over and over again. The baby actually enjoyed the show so much, at times I could hear him giggle! I suppose, the simpler the better? Kids aren’t complicated creatures…so, I suppose, they do appreciate the simple things in life, eh?

With Trebellina and her friends, they get serious with the notes, and then they have fun with the songs! Either way, both my younger kids really enjoy the various lessons. From learning about notes to learning about the names of musical instruments and the individual sounds they make.

Through this DVD, the parent will find it bridges the gap towards formal lessons. I mean, who would want to spend a mini fortune on lessons only to find that the child has absolutely no interest whatsoever in say, the piano, but prefers the guitar or the flute? So, yes.. I have grown very quickly to appreciate this wonderful discovery. I will now eat all my words *chomp chomp chomp gulp*.

BUY IT: At a very affordable price, I can very safely say, it is great value for money. Your child will insist on replaying this over and over again. They won’t get bored by it, as kids just love shouting out the next instrument that appears and they certainly love bouncing around to all the music! Don’t believe me? Check out what our panel of reviewers had to say.

For a limited time until September 30th, 2009, if you purchase $27.50 or more, you can use coupon code “SHIPFREE” for free shipping within US.

WIN IT : Now, Cristofori Baby Company is giving one very lucky reader a chance to win a Trebellina & Friends DVD here!

Here’s how you can do that :

• One entry - Name one of Trebellina’s friends in our comment section
• Three additional entries if you
• Three additional entries if you Subscribe in a reader
• If you qualify for additional entries, please comment separately and let us know which option you’ve used
• Giveaway is open to all and closes on 29th June 2009. A winner will be drawn using the Random.org number generator.
• We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

TO THE WINNERS OF:

SKUUT Giveaway

Amy Taylor

and

Exergen TemporalScanner Giveaway

1. rebekah arnold

2. Angie

Winners are required to do the following:

1. Submit your relevant info via the Winner’s Submission Form Below; AND
2. Leave a comment in this post to let us know you have submitted. 
3. If any winner does not claim her prize by the 25th June 2009, we will do a second draw. 

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED!

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You’ve heard the term ‘helicopter parent.’ Maybe you’re one of them—parents who hover over their children and actively participate (maybe even orchestrate) every decision and activity their progeny undertake. This works well during the elementary and middle school years. But the strategy needs to change during the high school years and beyond.

If your ‘baby’ just graduated from college, it’s time to cut those apron strings. He or she worked hard on their own and survived their years in college. Now their time in that ‘final playpen’ has ended and life in the real world must begin—on their own. That means they need to be calling the shots for their own life. Sure, you know ‘better’ because of the experiences you’ve had and the struggles you’ve overcome, but your grown child needs to have experiences of their own and conquer their own struggles. Taking an active role in your grad’s life may seem like the loving thing to do—to help smooth the way for them during a rough patch in life—but it can become a hindrance to your child’s career and personal development if it goes too far.

So what is ‘too far’? Throughout the 100+ interviews I conducted as I researched my book for new graduates, counselors and hiring managers alike reiterated the same piece of advice: don’t make contact with potential employers on behalf of your child and, by all means, don’t accompany them to their interview! It’s the career ‘kiss of death.’

With the tremendous number of older, more experienced workers now vying for jobs traditionally sought after only by new college grads, managers who have positions to fill are being overwhelmed with applications and resumes. Hiring managers need to sort through the avalanche quickly to find the most qualified candidates. That means eliminating candidates early so they can spend their time concentrating on the most impressive ones. When a parent calls a target company to inquire about the job application process or to research the company, it’s essentially automatic—their child’s resume is headed straight to the wastebasket. If Mom or Dad (heaven forbid, both) insist on tagging along to the interview, go ahead and count it as good practice in answering interview questions, but don’t count on ever hearing from that company again! Employers are looking for individuals who demonstrate maturity, responsibility, and motivation—having parents in the picture gives the opposite impression of the young candidate.

If you feel you must participate somehow in your child’s job search, take a behind-the-scenes role: introduce your friends and colleagues to your bright rising star; proofread resumes and cover letters; let them practice articulating answers to interview questions; and help them invest in a properly-fitted, professional wardrobe. These few things will do much more to launch your child successfully into the professional world than all the hand-holding you’re tempted to do. They’re grown up now—let them fly!

About The Author

Kathryn Marion is the author of Grads: TAKE CHARGE of Your First Year After College! She coaches new grads and job seekers through important career transitions and tirelessly shares career advice on Twitter daily (@RealSolutions22). Learn more about the book at www.TakeChargeBookSeries.com.

With Father’s Day fast approaching, you might be finding yourself on the search for wallet-friendly, yet wow-factor gifts for Dad. This means ideas like a set of new golf clubs, a box of nice cigars, or a new GPS “Dash Express” for his car is definitely out of reach.

Now, picture this….remember when you were little and he taught you how to throw a football just like John Elway, or when he left work early to make it to everyone of your little league games on time? Perhaps you might even recall how proud he was when you graduated, when he refuses to stop taking pictures during your convo? You’ve never told dad how much all these meant to you before but would like him to know how much you appreciate him now…..

GIFT IDEA : Here’s your chance to “express” your love to dad through VoiceQuilt. VoiceQuilt is a unique keepsake gift for all the special occasions in one’s life. The sound of your pre-recorded voice message conveys much more than a photo, letter or a store-bought gift. It will definitely be a memorable gift that will touch the heart of the recipient.

All you need to do is select a keepsake gift and pack it with voice-based memories by calling a toll-free number with messages, greetings and tributes. A VoiceQuilt keepsake with “best hit” voice recordings can then be shipped anywhere in the U.S. Or, you can instantly share an electronic VoiceQuilt for FREE. You can check out samples of such messages to provide you some inspirations.

GIVEAWAY : VoiceQuilt has partnered with us to giveaway one Audio Folio CD. This faux leather CD folio can be customized with two photos – a cameo on the front (2½ by 2½ inches) and a larger 4½ by 3¾ inch photo on the inside cover. The folio securely folds up with a magnetic close and arrives in an elegant 7 by 7½ by 1½ inch gift box. To enter for a chance to win this unique personalized keepsake, here’s what you need to do:

• One compulsory entry - Visit VoiceQuilt and  let us know in our comment section here, your preferred choice of colour for the audio folio CD.
• Three additional entries - If you subscribe via email (please leave your email add)
• Three additional entries - If you blog about this giveaway (please leave your post url)
• Giveaway is open to US shipping addresses only
• Giveaway closes on 23rd June 2009 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.