Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty List and Giveaway

I don't know about you, but I like quality toys for my daughters. One of our favorite toy makers is Melissa & Doug.  Their well made toys promote creativity, imagination, and fun! We own many of their toys and they get a lot of play at our house.


With Christmas around the corner, you might be scratching your head while you search for gift ideas for the little ones in your life.  If you're looking for great gift ideas for your tot, be sure to check out Melissa & Doug's Terrific Twenty Holiday Gift List.  There's something on their for everyone.


And they've got more than just ideas for you, they're are giving away one item from the list for every day for 20 days.  Just pop over to their Facebook page to enter.



And if that is not enough, the kind folks at Melissa and Doug are offering one of my readers an item off of the Terrific Twenty List to one of my readers. That means you dear reader!  So if you're interested in the Doorbell House, then this the give away for you.

Ding Dong! Fun is at the door of this soundly-built wooden doorbell house. Four electronic doorbell sounds, four unique locks with matching keys, and four pose-able play people are included with this charming cottage! The keys are attached to the house so they won't get lost, and the sturdy handle allows this exciting house party to go wherever children.

Good luck!!!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was given a Doorbell House for myself and a reader in exchange for blogging about the Terrific Twenty List.

Madagascar Preschool Surf n' Slide Review and GIVE AWAY

Boy do I have some good news for you, dear readers! JumpStart Online contacted me again with another review opportunity. This time for their new Madagascar Preschool Surf and Slide App for your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.  And guess what? The ever generous JumpStart company is going to to give my readers a chance to win the app.

About Madagascar Preschool Surf n' Slide

From the company...




From DreamWorks Animation and JumpStart comes Madagascar Preschool Surf n' Slide, and immersive themed game, where players join young Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman, and the entire Madagascar gang for a slip-sliding adventure in learning! Players will surf down amazing slides as they learn multitudes of preschool skills on their mobile devices.


Our Experience

I'm going to be completely honest and just start off telling you that this app can be a bit addictive. And not just for the preschooler in our house. There might have been an 11 and 41 year old who enjoyed testing the app when the small one wasn't around. The sliding around is just plain fun.

You start out picking your favorite Madagascar character. The characters are super cute baby versions of the originals. Baby Melman is always my first choice.  Next up, choose your ride. Turtles, clouds, snow boards, magic carpets, surf boards. There's something for everyone.


Next thing you know, you are ready to slide!

The controls are very easy for a preschooler to navigate. There is a slider bar on the bottom of the screen and all that your tot needs to do is use their finger to slide to the bar left or right to avoid the obstacles in their path or to collect stars. Sometimes Mort will jump on your ride with you. Kayleigh LOVES it when that happens.

Every so often, your child will encounter a balloon character. Now it's time for one of the learning games. The games cover all sorts of preschool skills: critical thinking, colors, numbers, letters, shapes, science (in the form or animals.) After about 4 questions, they get to pick a sticker for a job well done. The best part is that the questions are read out loud to the child, perfect for non-readers.

As you play, the different scenes will be available to you. The play is continuous so your little one won't get frustrated having to wait between scenes.

All-in-all Kayleigh has a blast playing Madagascar Preschool Surf n' Slide. It has all of her favorite characters that she loves and she's learning will having fun. A win for both of us!

F.Y.I.

Age Range: Preschool

Cost: $2.99

Win the App!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make Room Monday #2, Find Out About France, Spain, & China

So here's the deal. I have a lot of homeschooling stuff. Tons. I buy more each year and I get quite a bit from the Homeschool Review Crew. I don't, however, buy more bookshelves each year. You can see the dilemma, right?

Since I need more room for new books, I have decided to spend the rest of the summer giving away some of the stuff that we're not using anymore. You read right, I am offering free homeschooling curriculum. Everything I offer will be in Excellent to Like New condition.

Next up are three books from the Find Out About series. Find Out About France, China, and Spain specifically. The books are brand-spanking new. We received them with our Winter Promise Children Around the World "program." Since we ditched decided to go another route six weeks into that "adventure", I'm willing to part with this trio. Don't worry, they are not written or published by WP so it is safe to read them to your children.

Each book includes:

*Where is Spain/France/China?

*Map

*How to Say Spanish/French/Chinese Words

*An Introduction

*Life in Spain/France/China

*Facts About Spain/France/China

*Let's Learn Spanish/French/Chinese

In the event of full disclosure, what we read of the Spain book didn't thrill us. It didn't go in-depth enough for my fifth grader and there was a lot of me butchering the Spanish language. So we didn't even finish reading it. Not that big of a deal because WP had us reading this book while we were studying Switzerland.  Weird, right?

That being said, I think these books would be great for younger children. The books each center around a "family" from that culture and they give you a little tour around their country. I think they'd be just enough of an overview for the younger kidlets.

Sound like a good fit for your family? Enter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make Room Monday #1

So here's the deal. I have a lot of homeschooling stuff. Tons. I buy more each year and I get quite a bit from the Homeschool Review Crew. I don't, however, buy more bookshelves each year. You can see the dilemma, right?

Since I need more room for new books, I have decided to spend the rest of the summer giving away some of the stuff that we're not using anymore. Everything I offer will be in Excellent to Like New condition.

First up, TruthQuest History: Middle Ages.  

TruthQuest History is a deep and rich literature-based history study… but with a difference. You will not learn the story of mankind; you will learn the love story of mankind. You will not focus on the rise and fall of human civilizations; you will focus on the arrow-straight line of God's unchanging existence, power, love, truth, and plan for civilization. You will not simply 'meet the culture' or 'get the facts;' you will probe the truths of history so deeply that your students will be equipped to change their world!

The history guides are made up of four parts: 

1) Commentary for each topic.
2) Reading lists, organized by grade level, for each topic.
3) Think Write exercises to help students internalize key truths.
4) An appendix which offers sample answers to help evaluate the students knowledge.

Read my detailed review of TruthQuest History HERE.  

Does it sound like something you'd like to own? Enter below via Rafflecopter. Contest will close and a winner will be drawn on July 11. I will mail the winner the TruthQuest History Guide via Media Mail.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We have a winner!!!

And the winner is....

Congratulations Kelly!!  I will email the Knowledge Quest company with your information and they will be contacting you with the membership info shortly.  

Jump Start Online Review and Give Away!

My oldest daughter, Mackenzie, has been playing Jump Start computer games since she first learned how to work a mouse.  They have always been a favorite of hers.  My youngest hasn't had the pleasure of their games because we switched entirely to Mac computers and all of our games were for the pc. So when Jump Start contacted me asking if we'd like to review their Virtual Online World and there were shouts of joy throughout the house.  They had both seen the commercials on tv and were dying to try it out.

About Jump Start Online

From the website:   


JumpStart is a magical online world packed with friends, games and adventures! From training dragons to exploring lost islands, JumpStart.com includes thousands of games and activities for kids ages 3-12. But what really sets JumpStart apart is our commitment to education. We believe that learning should be an adventure, not a chore. That’s why the games at JumpStart.com are specially designed to make math, reading and critical thinking fun! After all, there’s no stopping a kid with a JumpStart!


By presenting a virtual world for kids, online virtual games give kids the opportunity to escape reality for a while and live it up in a virtual reality world. But these virtual worlds have proved to be beneficial for kids of all ages! With the number and kind of online virtual games available today, kids are learning about various things through these virtual worlds. From taking up avatars that represent them in the virtual world to carrying out various educational tasks and activities, virtual online games give kids to opportunity to express themselves. Be it virtual car games, pet games or adventure games, there are options for kids of all interests.


Today, with the impressive advancements in technology and the increasing popularity of online virtual games among kids, educational activities have also become an integral part of online games. Interactive in nature, online virtual games encourage kids to learn in a virtual reality setting that they can enjoy in the comforts of their home. Virtual worlds give kids the opportunity to carry out assignments and projects and learn new things.

Our Experience

It has been wonderful.  There are games for children of all ages.  Seeing as I have a four year old and a ten year old, that is great news!  There is a ton of games for both of them.  They were both able to create their own character under our one account.  In fact, you can create up to six.  How awesome is that for families with several children?


The set up was ridiculously simple.  Just create an account and then the kids can start creating their Jumpee.  It was easy enough that I didn't even need my 11 year old to explain it to me.  Mackenzie quickly got her and her sister up and running. They were able to choose how their Jumpee looked and name it.  The name selection is set up in such a way that your child is not using their real names. Safety first with Jump Start!

Once that is done they are ready to start exploring.  There are more than ten different areas for them to explore.  I spent the most time in Story Land, with my preschooler.  Story Land is meant for ages 3-5 and they work on basic preschool skills such as letters, shapes, and numbers all while meeting wonderful new friends.  The controls here can be set to the mouse only, which is perfect for a preschooler.  Kayleigh just has to point and click in the direction she wants to go and off her Jumpee goes.  It is super easy for her to navigate.  When your preschooler completes activities they earn story book pages.  When they collect all the pages to a particular book, they will find it in the library and will then be able to read it.  

There are also TONS of different activities for older children.  There are arcade games, learning games, racing games, flying games, treasure hunting games.  Pretty much anything you could think of.  Mackenzie's favorite area is Windy Hollows, which is a magical area reminiscent of Harry Potter.  You can make potions, fly on brooms, cast "spells" on other Jumpees.  Marine Land was another favorite for Mackenzie.  You get to complete underwater quests to earn pieces of sand dollars.  When you have collected 15 complete sand dollars, they make you an honorary mer-maid.  Mackenize is hooked!






Online gaming isn't all the site has to offer.  Jump Start also offers worksheets, holiday activities, and lesson plans.  A wealth of resources at your finger tips.  You can see all that Jump Start has to offer by clicking HERE.  Want to know whats up and coming with the company? Be sure to visit their blog.  

The Exciting News

Guess what?  Jump Start has graciously offered one of my readers a FREE three-month membership to Jump Start online.  How awesome!  Just enter by following the instructions below.  You can enter up to seven times.

Upcoming Review and Give Away!!!

The girls have been having a lot of fun reviewing the exciting world of Jump Start online.  It's a fun, adventure-packed virtual world for children ages 3-12.  Watch for our upcoming review. Even more exciting, Jump Start is generously offering  a FREE three-month trial to one of my readers.

Stay tuned!!!!

We have a winner!!!

The winner of the My Memories Software giveaway is...

Commenter #12...Jody

Congratulations Jody!!  I will be sending you the download information soon.  Have fun scrapping those beautiful babies!

Review & Give Away: My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software

Scrap booking has long been a popular creative outlet for many people.  It's such a fun and creative way to preserve precious family memories.  About 11 years ago I found myself wanting to create beautiful books to document my own families special moments.  I bought the books, papers, elements, tools, everything you can think of.  To date, I've yet to complete a traditional scrap book.  Not one.  Ever.  In 11 years.

Why? I guess one reason is that I'm not that creative or skilled.  Another reason is that it's a lot of set up and clean up if you don't have a dedicated scrapping space.  I don't.  I also didn't find it very forgiving if I made a mistake.  It's hard to unstick the glue once you've stuck something on.  This made the expense even greater.

About a year ago I discovered the world of digital scrap booking.  I was intrigued.  I tried it out.  It has a pretty steep learning curve.  But I liked it.  I'll take the learning curve over the mess any day.  Plus, if I made a mistake I could fix it.  I could reuse my supplies as many times as I wanted.  The benefits are tremendous.  After  a lot of tutorials, I've actually completed several books.  A scrap miracle!

Recently I was asked to review a scrapbooking software program called My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software.  They had me at "digital scrapping" so I decided to give it a whirl.

What I discovered was a way to scrap digitally that greatly lowered that dreaded learning curve.  This software is really simple to use.  Creating and customizing your album is no more difficult than dropping and dragging or a couple of clicks.  It was so simple that I might even let my 10 year old try her hand at it.

And while it is pretty simple, it still gave me total control over the design.  It has pre-made templates where all I had to do was drop in my photos and add journaling.  Photo layout templates where I could add the pictures but choose my own background and elements.  Or you could build the entire page from scratch.

The program comes loaded with some great digital scrap supplies already plus they offer tons of other kits for purchase.  I was most excited to see that I could easily use scrap supplies from other sources, as I already own a ton.  It was no harder than any other upload.  The layout to the right was made entirely from a kit that I already owned.

You can also convert their kits into files that are able to be used in other programs, such as photoshop or elements.

You can print the pages from your own printer or upload the pages to an outside printer and have them bound into a book.  I was able to upload mine onto Shutterfly, which is my choose for printing my digital albums.

And making albums isn't all that you can do with this program.  You can take your albums and convert them into movie that you can watch on your dvd player or on  your iPod.  How cool is that?  You can also create an interactive digital album and email it to family and friends.  You can even post it on Facebook with just one click.  You can also create cards, posters, trading cards, and calendars.

My Memories has generously offered to give one of my readers the entire program for FREE.  It's normally $39.97, so score!!!



Mandatory Entry:

1)  Visit the My Memories website and take a look around.  Leave me a comment sharing your favorite kit.

Additional Entries~Leave a comment with each entry

2) Like My Memories on FB.  If you do they'll give you a promo code for money off.  Woot!

3) Follow My Memories on Twitter.  http://twitter.com/#!/mymemoriessuite


4) Follow me on twitter and tweet about the give away.  http://twitter.com/#!/prncsstefy

5) Follow my blog.


Contest ends November 15.

Shutterfly Photo Book Give Away

As a mom of two, who owns a digital camera, I take a TON of photos.  Everyday.  

The thing with digital photos is that you often take so many and then they sit on the camera or the hard drive or maybe land on your blog.  Living in the digital age doesn't require us to print them out to view them so you don't see a lot of photo albums these days, unless you're a scrapbooker.

I've recently discovered, and fallen in love with, digital scrap booking.  But there I was with all of these digital layouts stored on my computer.  Then I discovered Shutterfly photo books from a digital scrap book site.  I had found my answer.  

I can upload MY OWN digital scrapbook pages to Shutterfly and end up with a beautiful, professionally bound book filled with my layouts.   But maybe you're not into scrapbooking in any form; Shutterfly still  has options for you too.  The simple path requires little more than adding photos and captions.  The custom path offers more options to customize by allowing you to resize photos, move photos, and move text.  There is an option for everyone.

The photo books come in five different sizes, from 5x7 to 12x12.  You can get hard or soft covers, padded or cloth, leather or faux lizard.  The options are endless!

My family LOVES these photo books.  I am currently working on my third book and I can't wait to finish it and have the bright, orange Shutterfly envelope arrive in the mail.  My girls love flipping through these books, reliving our family memories.  Holding that book in your hands is so much more special than flipping through pictures on a computer.

The also offer Christmas cards, invitations, calendars, and birth announcements.  And, of course, prints.

Shutterfly has graciously offered me an 8x8 photo book (my favorite size) for writing my honest opinion about their photo books.  My honest opinion is that you should get one for your family because they are an awesome way to preserve your family memories.  So I have decided that I am going to offer the free photo book to one of my readers.  

If you'd like to win, leave a comment sharing your favorite childrens book.  I'm looking to up my collection.  Don't forget to leave your contact info.  I'll draw the winner at random on Friday, August 5th.  I'll email the winner with the code for the free book as soon as Shutterfly gives it to me.

Can't wait to win and have a blog?  Sign up  for a chance for a free photo book from Shutterfly. 

Win a free stroller from Zooper and J.Leigh Designz

Enter to win a Waltz stroller from Zooper over at J. Leigh Designz.

Of course, I hope to win it myself because the stroller is just what I need.

My favorite things about it...

A 5 pt. harness to keep my escape artist in place.

Has a 55# weight limit. I have big babies and I'd like to keep them contained for as long as possible.

Has a ton of fabulous accessories, including a sleeping bag for wee ones, rain cover, snack tray, cup holder for mom, and an oversized sunshade. Awesome!

It is only 17#s. Much lighter than the beast I'm currently pushing.

It comes in 6 fabulous colors. I like the plum

Win a Tag Junior

plus two books over at Go Graham Go.

I'm a huge fan of Leap Frog products for reading. My oldest taught herself to read with the help of the Leap Frog DVD's and her Leap Pad. All I did was pay for them. Now that was money well spent. =o)

But if you could get it for free...that's even better!

Everybody likes to win a prize

Check out the give away going on over at Ten Kids and a Dog!

This is our second time trying to win one of these. If we can't do it this time I guess I'll just have to break down and buy one because I'm certain that Kayleigh NEEDS one. LOL