Rave & Review

Deuter Fox 30 kid's pack fosters a love of the outdoors from tot to teen {Review & Giveaway}

2013-06-18T01:11:25-07:00

My daughter likes nothing more than to match hubby and me. While this is completely adorable, it makes shopping very difficult as I have found that it’s almost impossible to find matching items for us that we both really like. In her size we find cartoon characters and excess amounts of pink, and adult sizes don’t go small enough to fit her. Thank goodness there are companies like Deuter that specialize in both adult and kid’s gear that is the real deal. No frills, no cartoons. But, that doesn’t mean they scrimp on features, in fact quite the opposite. We got to review the Deuter Fox 30 backpack for our little explorer this month and she was beyond thrilled. She had been eyeing it at...

Welcome to the world of Mike the Knight {Fisher-Price prize pack & DVD giveaway}

2013-06-17T23:53:05-07:00

by Susan, editor and reviewer I'm not going to lie; my kids love TV. Sure, we love playing outside together, and building with blocks, but they are also big fans of the TV. When I was first pregnant, visions of sharing princess movies with my kids danced in my head. So far, I have boys. Boys who are not interested in princesses. Thank goodness for Mike the Knight! When we first discovered Mike and his friends in Glendragon, I was very happy. It's a very vibrant show that really teaches kids about problem solving, being a good friend, and doing the right thing! "Be a knight; do it right!" is always the end motto - and the one most repeated by my 3 year old....

VTech InnoTab 2S Wi-Fi Tablet prevents "Summer Brain Drain" {review & giveaway}

2013-06-15T12:54:17-07:00

Do you remember as a kid you would go back to school each fall feeling like you were in shape from staying active all summer only to find your legs and abs burning after one gym class because you were now using muscles you had neglected during the past few month? Well, that is exactly what happens to your brain, too, and in a phenomenon commonly referred to as Summer Brain Drain. What is Summer Brain Drain, you ask? According to research from the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, students typically lose one to two months of reading and math skills during the summer break because they are not regularly exercising their brains. So, how do you combat Summer Brain Drain? You...

Loving the Digital Life with AT&T {Home Depot gift card giveaway}

2013-06-13T22:51:36-07:00

I lead a very digital life. With smartphones, internet connectivity everywhere I go, and even cameras that can email me and automatically backup pictures, I thought I had fully embraced new technology in just about everything I do. Or, at least I did until I took a visit to the AT&T Digital Life House last month when they showed me what the house of the future really looks like. No, there’s no talking robots or time travel pods, but what it lacks in sci-fi, it makes up for in super cool cutting edge technology. Let me tell you, one afternoon in the Digital Life House and all of a sudden my house seemed so... vintage. And, not the good kind of vintage. My house doesn’t...

Secure your TV with SANUS {tilting TV wall mount giveaway}

2013-06-13T21:49:31-07:00

I’m sure everyone out there has read the horrifying stories about little kids climbing furniture and pulling it down on themselves, but I’ve got one more for you. About ten years ago, my little niece climbed the drawers on a dresser in her older brother’s room to change the channel on his TV. Since the TV perched on top already made it top-heavy, the addition of a 35+ pound child was too much and the entire dresser tipped forward onto her, along with the heavy TV. Unlike all the stories you read online, her injuries weren’t too serious and she just had a gash above one eye. She was rushed to the ER to treat the gash and to evaluate her bumps and bruises, but...

Oz The Great And Powerful out on Blu-ray and DVD today!

2013-06-11T01:53:00-07:00

When I was young, I memorized every word in The Wizard of Oz movie. And, to this day, every night before bed, my daughter and I sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” together as part of our bedtime routine. Obviously, I’m busy cultivating a deep love for all things Oz at a young age. And, now is the best time to be introducing her to Oz with the release of Disney’s Oz The Great And Powerful that comes out TODAY on Blu-ray and DVD. While I saw Oz when it was in theatres {and loved it}, I really wanted to watch the film over and over again to see everything I might have missed the first time, so I knew this would be one film we...

Win $100 cash from Blinds.com {Pin to Win}

2013-06-10T23:06:20-07:00

Who doesn't want to win $100 cash or a $500 shopping spree from Levlor? Blinds.com is giving you the opportunity to win every day from now until the 18th to help with a little summer spending cash. Entering takes seconds and you'll be glad you did! Click here for #BlindsComWin giveaway details. No compensation was received for this post. I'm a member of their MOBsters group and wanted to share about this great giveaway.

Skimboarding made easy with the D6 Sports SurfSkimmer {Review}

2013-06-09T23:38:31-07:00

In the Pacific Northwest we are literally surrounded by water and that means we spend a lot of time hanging out at the beach. And, while the water is still too cold here to do much swimming in the sound, we still like to get in the water as much as we can. And, now we’ve got even more reason to hit the beach this summer with the arrival of the D6 Sports SurfSkimmer for review. For those of you who don’t live at the beach, you probably haven’t heard of skimboarding, but around here it’s all the rage with the teens and 20-somethings who enjoy shredding and doing tricks on large surfboard-like skimboards. Unlike surfing that is done in the deeper water, skimboarding is...

Seattle area parents: see Caspar Babypants at Teatro ZinZanni throughout June

2013-06-09T22:59:05-07:00

Who knows how many times I’ve walked past the Teatro ZinZanni historical spiegeltent on Mercer Street in Seattle over the years, wondering what it was and dying to get inside. Who would have thought that it would be a kid’s show that finally brought me through the doors and into the world of Teatro ZinZanni, but that’s exactly what happened. When I heard that one of our favorite Seattle “kindie” bands, Caspar Babypants, was partnering with Teatro ZinZanni for a month-long presentation of King's Wish, I knew my daughter would go crazy for it. With Teatro ZinZanni circus performers including child acrobat Saffi Watson, child juggler Max Peterson, rope aerialist extraordinaire Terry Crane, former Ringling Bros Clown Peter Pitofsky, and more paired with awesome kid-friendly...

Motorworks Customizable Cars and Tri-Level Super Garage {Review & Giveaway}

2013-06-06T23:46:06-07:00

One night my daughter came to me, head down and forlorn, and she asked, “Why don’t I love cars like Brother does?” I started by explaining that people like different things and it’s what makes us all special and unique. Then I suggested that she not focus on the one thing the two of them didn’t agree on and instead focus on the things they had in common, like dressing up, building with blocks, and playing with babies. She seemed to like this explanation and she bounded off, happy with the fact that she and Brother had lots of things in common. But, every once in a while I will catch her watching him play cars and she just looks so… sad. So, when the...