Review + Giveaway | Mental Blox 360 3D Building Game

It's been a hot minute since I did a review and a giveaway on this blog, yes? What better time than December, when you are probably making lists and shopping for plenty of kids that seem to have everything already! #LearningResources has something that might fit your criteria.

When offered to review the Mental Blox 360 3D Building Game, I immediately said yes because it looked like something clever and different that we don't already have in his house. Sure, we have standard blocks and Legos, but this is geared more towards ages 5+ and is a real brain exercise. A 'smart toy' that has nothing to do with technology for once. Score!

I had all three of my kids open the box from Learning Resources when it arrived, and I wasn't sure which child would really dig this gift the most. I sort of thought Porter would like to just stack the blocks because of pretty colors, and I figured Cecelia would like organizing all of the guide cards. But Truman? He takes the cake with this game and is totally obsessed.





This is a game where you pick a guide card and it tells you which blocks to use. Then it shows you a configuration from a certain angle---either looking down on the blocks from above, or from the side. It's all about point of view and spatial relations, so it's more than just stacking the blocks however you please. Truman started with the easiest card and moved to the medium cards quickly. Then he pulled out the hardest cards, which are edged in red and I got a little panicky. Spatial relations are HARD man, my brain isn't great with all of those abstract angles and such. But Truman takes after his dad and completely nails it.









We had some trouble with card #37 and even looking at the answer on the back was tricky. We saved the hardest card, #40, for Nate when he got home from work. I should have continued to take pictures of his debut with this game because he was absolutely focused and got it assembled right away. Truman was in awe!





The little kids liked their own version of this game, too, and Cecelia could accurately assemble the first card configuration which made me super proud. Mostly she just likes to stack the blocks in fun ways, as does Porter. But I'd say for first graders and above this game really packs a punch. Truman told me before school one day that he wanted to try the hardest cards as soon as he returned from school, so I shouldn't put away the box because he had plans to master it in the evening. And he will just sit there and work through the cards without getting frustrated somehow. It's like this game was meant for his brain, that's for sure.

It's kind of fun to have the kids put this away, too, because inside of the box there is an outline showing how to make each of the shapes fit well. Total bonus for me, so that they don't get thrown into a big pile and shoved somewhere.



The game is sold online at Learning Resources, and today they are giving one of my readers a set of blocks. You have to be in the U.S. (sorry, international readers) and you'll need to visit the Rafflecopter link below to enter. I'll randomly draw a winner on 12/10/16. Ready, set, go!

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Giveaway | Lovely Little Acorns Necklace

I received an email from Andrea, who owns Lovely Little Acorns, asking if I would be interested in a review and giveaway for one of her necklaces. She gave me a little background on herself as a Canadian mom to two little boys, and one who works outside of the home three days per week, also loving her little side business of making jewelry. I hadn't heard of the term 'mama metal' and was intrigued by the concept of a necklace that is hearty enough to withstand gentle putting by little hands. It's fused and made without chemicals, worn on strong chains or beaded necklaces to make it kid-friendly. Andrea's are strung on nylon-coated stainless steel wire and finished securely, but they are still necklaces made to be worn by adults and are not teething toys for babies. Good to know as Porter and Cecelia both think my jewelry was made for them!



Andrea offered to send me a necklace with a longer chain since she knows that is my style from reading the blog (love her).  I said that I would like three circles to represent my three children and she happily made me this beautiful necklace.


I really love it because it's simple and it has held up to the Porter test just fine. He likes to play with it as I cart him around on my hip and the necklace makes a pretty tinkling sound when it moves. I'm not sure how Andrea fuses the shapes together but they are solid, and the chain clasps right on top of the shapes make the necklace more interesting than a standard necklace I've seen before. So yes, I am a big fan of this necklace!

For the giveaway necklace, Andrea will mail this one to a lucky reader.



Description from Andrea:

"The pendant design is called "Linked Leaf".  This pendant is made out of fused 14 gauge argentium silver, without the use of any chemicals. It is hammered on both sides to give it strength and character and heat hardened. These pendants make the most wonderful twinkling sounds when being played with and as you move. It is handmade and may have small imperfections that make it unique. It can be worn in a variety of ways, with a beaded necklace or chain.

This lovely handmade jewelery is designed to be worn by adults. However, it is ideal for people who spend a lot of time around babies and small children, since it is designed with safety and durability in mind. No longer does your beautiful jewelery need to be hidden away for a few years in fear of it getting broken; these necklaces are tug-resistant and the interesting shapes and musical sounds keep small hands busy while eating, being worn, or just held close.

These make wonderful gifts for anyone, but especially moms of young ones, grandmas, day care providers - the list is endless! Those second-, third-, fourth-, and more, times moms who "don't need anything", would always appreciate a keepsake piece with shapes that represent their family members that is safe to wear now.

The beaded necklaces are all made with real stones and are chosen for their beauty and function. For those who believe in the healing power of stones, they offer that, as well.

I make all my pieces myself. I am a mom to two boys, aged one and three. I love what I do and stand behind all my products. If you are not 100% satisfied please contact me and we will figure out how to make you happy!"


Sounds good to me!  Whether you use this for yourself or for someone on your Christmas list, I think you will love it in person.  Also, Andrea is offering 10% off for all of my readers, by using this code on her Etsy page: HOLIDAYCHEER10.

To enter the giveaway for the linked leaf necklace enter the Rafflecopter drawing below. I will email the winner and give Andrea her email address, so that she can mail out the necklace to them directly.


Find Lovely Little Acorns on Facebook here, and on Etsy here.

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Giveaway | Costco Giftbasket (for the locals)

I'm not sure how many of you are in the Milwaukee area, but I'll give this a shot anyway.

Do you belong to Costco? If so, are you as obsessed as many people seem to be with this store?

We are not members of Costco yet, but one of their representatives has been in contact with me promoting the grand opening of another store in the Milwaukee area. Currently the closest Costco stores to us are pretty far out in Pewaukee, or Menomonee Falls, or the one in Grafton. But on Friday, November 6th the New Berlin location is opening which will be closer than the rest. So maybe it's a sign that we are finally supposed to buy a membership!

Not only that, but the contact from Costco has sent us a few care packages to try some of their products. The Kirkland brand dried blueberries and their applesauce pouches are definitely favorites for the kids and I am partial to the granola they sent us. Yes, their stuff is sold in bulk but apparently we do not have an issue consuming it all in record time.

To help spread the word about the New Berlin, WI store opening on Friday 11/6, Costco wants to provide one reader with a gigantic gift basket of Kirkland Signature items. Seriously, it looks enormous and when I saw the list of items in the basket I became even more envious: granola bars, animal crackers, microwave popcorn, Saigon cinnamon, Starbucks coffee, organic maple syrup, honey bear, body wash, applesauce, steak strips, baby wipes, fruit snacks, trail mix, body soap, body lotion, disinfecting wipes, organic strawberry spread, flushable wipes, facial tissue, Belgium chocolates, mayonnaise, vanilla, chocolate chips, chocolates around the world, and organic salsa.

The motherlode of gift baskets:


If you are in the Milwaukee area and you would be able to pick up the gift basket at the New Berlin location (15300 West Grange Ave, New Berlin WI 53151), enter in the Rafflecopter giveaway below to win that baby. We will probably go to the store ourselves to sign up and check out the new location, and then we will have to restructure our grocery purchasing methods to include bulk buys.  

So yes, leave a comment below to enter for the gift basket. And hello, locals!

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Giveaway + Review | Itsy Ritzy Nursing Happens Infinity Scarf

August is National Breastfeeding Month and although Porter weaned in January, you know I'm still down to celebrate nursing. Truman nursed for a year, Cecelia for sixteen months, and Porter for six months so I'm sitting just under three years of nursing my children. Ah, I miss it, I really do. But what a privilege it was.

It goes without saying (I hope) that I support all moms no matter which method they use for feeding their babies. I've done it all at this point: nursing exclusively, pumping until my boobs nearly fell off, fighting a child to take a bottle (ahem, Cecelia), fighting a child to continue nursing when I wasn't nearly ready to let it go (ahem, Porter). I'm also a formula-feeding mama and this part of my journey has certainly taught me the most about humility and perspective. Because it's all good, ladies. And eventually (if they are anything like my children), babies grow into kids who like to eat stale Cheerios they find under the couch instead of the healthy lunch lovingly provided by mom.

Who me?


Anyway.

I didn't always use covers when breastfeeding in public, although I was a lot more self-conscious about that the first time around compared to the third. But now breastfeeding mamas have an awesome option for staying covered while looking fashionable. The Nursing Happens: Infinity Breastfeeding Scarf by Itzy Ritzy had me at 'infinity scarf' and completely sold me when I got my hands on it. It's super soft and breathable and looks like a regular old infinity scarf at first glance. I mean, I'm not even a nursing mom anymore and I will totally rock this scarf because it's adorable.





But it's actually very sneaky in that it doubles as a nursing cover for those that need a dual purpose of fashion and functional. I love that you could wear this to feel put together and cute then just adjust it to hide your goods when nursing the babe. No need to pack yet another baby item to leave the house. YES. Great invention, Itzy Ritzy! I think I just found my new go-to gift for my new mommy friends, too.

My favorite part:


See how huge it gets? Totally roomy enough to put a squirmy baby under there.


Target.com has launched this nursing scarf chain wide just in time for National Breastfeeding Month, and you can order any of the patterns of the nursing scarf online or get the gray chevron in stores.
What about the giveaway, right? Up for grabs is one Itzy Ritzy Nursing Happens Infinity Scarf + one $50 gift card from Target. Anyone can enter the Rafflecopter drawing below and I will keep this one up for just a few days, since I'm a little late to the game. Darn postal service held my scarf hostage for many weeks it seems, and now August is almost over. Wahhh, slacker blogger, but not on purpose, I swear!


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Giveaway | Noonday Collection

When Melissa from Noonday contacted me about a possible review and giveaway, I went to their website to see what kind of company Noonday was. I hadn't heard of them before but when their site opened up, I immediately recognized Kelle Hampton in one of the rotating pictures. Next I read through Noonday's story and mission, and finally peeked at the jewelry. But this time I was totally sold;)

If you haven't heard of Noonday, like I hadn't, let me talk them up for a second. Their purpose says that "Together we are building a flourishing world where children are cherished, we are connected, women are empowered, and people have jobs". All of the jewelry is handmade by over 2000 artisans from ten different developing countries. They use items like recycled artillery pieces from Ethiopia,  metalwork in Peru, Water Buffalo Horn in Vietnam, and Tagua seeds in Ecuador. Noonday reps travel the world to find these artisan entrepreneurs who are passionate about creating opportunity in their communities.  They believe in the dignity and design of their work, creating dignified jobs as a powerful way to alleviate poverty. So basically, the jewelry is beautiful, handmade, and is a part of a great cause. 

Noonday Collection's first trunk show was hosted by founder, Jessica Honegger, in her home as a means to raise money to adopt her son and third child from Rwanda. The style and purpose of the products drew an overwhelming response, and the business quickly grew beyond a fundraiser. Thanks to Noonday sales, Jessica and her hubby brought home their son Jack in October of 2011 and orphan care and prevention remain a core value.

Melissa said I could use this image which is a good representation of what Noonday is all about (click to see larger version):

This company is quite different than the rest, no? 

Here is where you can check them out, make a purchase, host a trunk show or become an Ambassador. Noonday's Spring line launches today, so have fun shopping!

But what do I think of the product itself? I picked the Clustered Charm Necklace after browsing every single long necklace on the site. I have been looking for something long and sort of 'fun' to wear with simple tops and this necklace totally fits the bill. 

I don't own much yellow gold jewelry which makes this even more unique for my own collection, and I am in love with the pretty charms. It feels kind of eclectic and like I'm a cool mom when I'm wearing it;)




I think it will pair well with many of my tops and I'll probably just wear my trusty stud earrings with this piece. It has a lot going on and can speak for itself in a simple outfit, and I already know that Porter wants to eat this necklace whole (will have to distract him with another sparkly object, I guess).




The necklace feels substantial and expensive without being too heavy and it's just the right length for me. I really do love it!

Now for the giveaway portion of this post. Melissa is offering a $50 voucher to go towards the item of your choice on Noonday's site. Just enter the Rafflecopter drawing below from now until Tuesday, February 24th. I will email the winner directly at that point and you'll see her name on the widget once the drawing is complete.

Best of luck!

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Giveaway | Valentines Day Cards

Last year I used Pear Tree Greetings for Valentine's Day cards, and somehow it's time for another V-Day giveaway for you readers. Up for grabs is $25 off any Valentines Day cards from Pear Tree Greetings.

This will be the first classroom Valentines experience for Truman, and since he is one of twenty seven kids (!!) in Junior Kindergarten I can't wait to see the cards he brings home. All I've been told is that we need to supply an undecorated shoe box for their party and the Valentines Day cards should not be addressed to each child individually, since it will be too difficult to sort them out among the masses. Fine by me, although I'm sort of bummed that I can't decorate the box myself….er... help Truman decorate his shoe box, because that was literally my favorite part of Valentines Day parties growing up. I still remember using tin foil and conversation hearts and boat loads of glue. Ah, early beginnings of crafting.

But I digress. Truman's party is coming up in a few more weeks, and I wanted to get him some fun cards that aren't too over the top. I mean, would I be *that* overachieving mom if I picked a personalized card with three pictures of T-man on display? Probably, but I still love the kids Valentine's Day photo cards to death and might go for it next year once I get a feel for the proper card selection for school parties. I looked through all of PTG's classroom Valentines and eventually selected the Monster Heart in red/blue. Not too girlie and 'lovey', a little goofy so that Truman can stand behind my choice, and perfectly tiny so that it fits into those 26 shoe boxes in his class. I also ordered some of the matching stickers, which are supposed to be gift tags, but I figure that most 4-5 year olds kind of obsess over stickers to be placed on their bodies/clothes anyway. I might put the sticker inside of the envelope with the card for a few of his most special friends, or maybe I'll make the sticker the actual Valentine for some people. We shall see. But I think both will be big hits for the big (heart) day!







My handsome Valentine <3


Hey kids, will you pose for a picture for me in this meager make shift V-Day photoshoot? (Never mind that we exiled Henry to a different room, since he was attempting to steal food from the children as always. And never mind that Cecelia's new Valentine's Day sweatshirt still has the tag on it, since we opened the care package from my mom seconds before this picture).


Now for the part that includes you:

Enter the Rafflecopter drawing below to win $25 your Pear Tree Greetings Valentine's Day order. Offer expires on 2/28/15 and I will draw the winner on Saturday, February 7. Have fun shopping!!

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Tis the Season for Christmas Cards | A Giveaway

Does it seem like my blog has become one big giveaway lately? Well I have one more up my sleeve and then I will attempt to do an actual update on life and it will likely be extra ramble-y. Just for you, dear readers.

Yes, I know we are supposed to 'respect the turkey' and Thanksgiving hasn't happened yet. But Christmas is going to be here before we know it and it's time to get those cards ordered! This year I achieved my personal dream of our entire family in matching Christmas pajamas from Hanna Andersson. Yep, even Nate. He didn't put up much of a fight, resigning himself to the fact that he married me and therefore matching pajamas were kind of in our vows at the alter. Seriously, I've wanted to do this for years and now that our family is complete it was time to make it happen! And Nate knew this would make me happy, plus I ordered them while he was gone on a four night work trip to San Diego. He really had no choice in the matter while I was caring for his children and he was in sunny California, sleeping through the night and enjoying peaceful silence in the evenings. So there, Nate. Striped leggings are a payback!

Instead of having professional family pictures taken this year, I just set up the tripod and snapped a few shots one Saturday morning. I knew a true photo shoot in a studio or outside would NOT be happening with Nate's skin-tight striped leggings, so a make shift home shoot would do just fine. I was sweating, I really need to get a remote for my camera, and it was fairly painful like most family photo shoots tend to be with three small children. I figured that even if I only got one half-way decent shot, the pajamas would be cute enough to make it Christmas card worthy. And I did get a few acceptable images that morning;)

Three kids at Christmas time!


Love them so.


A winner, right here:


#PorterTheElf


Strategic baby placement throughout these images--we knew we would not get any standing up shots of our family! ;)


LOL at Truman and Cecelia. What in the heck is going on? Why is mom running back and forth and yelling about the camera timer process?


Best we could do. Porter would not smile and I'm glistening in sweat but whatever!


I wanted one with the kids and at this point, everyone was obviously over it.


Then for the cards, I went with Pear Tree Greetings yet again. They have been awesome to work with in the past for Christmas cards, Valentines cards, Cecelia's first birthday, and Porter's birth announcement, so when they contacted me about Christmas cards it was a no-brainer. Their quality is always top notch and I love how our cards turned out this year. I chose a much simpler Christmas card this year compared to the folded card I chose last year, but I really just wanted a flat card with two images and a text box. The Moveable Cheer Vertical card was my winner this year. A picture of the kids is plastered on the front, our family picture is slightly smaller on the back (and Nate's leggings are barely visible), and I wanted to do a little update on our year, similar to how my mom would always send out Christmas letters growing up. If you are dying to know, this is what my mini-letter says:

"Merry Christmas! 2014 was a big year for the (Goolia) family. Truman turned four, Cecelia turned two, we celebrated seven years of marriage, and then Porter was born on 7.11.14. After an awesome maternity leave, Julia returned to work part-time as a PT, Nate switched clinics as a full-time PT, and Truman started Junior Kindergarten. Our first Christmas as a family of five (plus Henry dog!) will surely be memorable and full of incredible, happy noise. We hope this year has been kind to you, too. Cheers!"


The colors on our card really pop, the gold glitter polka dots make me happy, and I love the little foil logo at the bottom, too. Success!

(Spoiler alert for friends and family who will be getting these in their mailboxes shortly!)








Pear Tree Greetings is going to give one lucky reader a $50 off coupon code to use on your favorite card. Take a look around their many options for Holiday photo cards (or no photo, if that is your thing) and enter the Rafflecopter below. I will draw a winner on Saturday, November 29th and will post it on my Facebook page and in the Rafflecopter box below. Best of luck and have fun card shopping!


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Still Loves Trains at 4.5 | A Giveaway

Sometimes it seems like Truman is practically an adult, now that he is in school every day and just *looks* so grown up to me. But there are still so many sweet, obviously child-like qualities in my boy that remind me that he is ONLY four-and-a-half, not quite fourteen yet.

Sure, he is obsessed with Angry Birds and this super weird TV show on Netflix called 'Ninjago' which is some sort of Lego/fighting show. Those are sort of 'big boy' things to me. But my Truman still loves trains and tracks and creating imaginary stories with his trains, losing himself in that little engineer world for longer than any other toys will allow. He's not a toddler anymore and is definitely a preschooler, but those trains that were his OBSESSION at age two are not going anywhere any time soon.

So when I was offered the opportunity to review a Chuggington set and DVD, I happily agreed knowing Truman would be overjoyed. And then I pushed to do a giveaway for you readers, too, since I like doing reviews that also offer you guys something. Christmas is scary close and I'm guessing there are plenty of moms with train loving kids who need ONE more track to take over their house, right? Enter Chuggington StackTrack Brewster's Big Build Adventure Playset and "Chuggineers Ready to Build" DVD.





When the package arrived, Truman asked like he always does if it was for him. When I was actually able to say 'yes' this time, you would have thought the kid just won the lottery. Packages are like a little slice of heaven for him. And when he opened it up? Pure joy. 'This is for me? And I don't have to give it back? Ever?' He didn't hear me when I said I got this from the blog and kept telling people that one of his grandmas bought it for him. I guess that would make more sense, and you try explaining the concept of a blog (and giveaways) to a preschooler! ;)


His very first train set was actually one of Chuggington's, and then he has an absurd amount of Thomas tracks and trains from my amazing Craigslist find (used successfully as potty training bribery---I'll always have Cranky the Crane to thank for ending Truman's days in diapers). He and my mom set up the playset together when she was visiting, I held Porter and took pictures, and then Mom took Porter back and I kept taking pictures;) It seemed very easy to assemble and Truman is seriously obsessed with this set. As soon as I saw the crane with big hook I knew he would be a goner. Plus there is a collapsable bridge and a big crank that lifts the trains up an incline. Basically the more moving parts to a train track the better for Truman. He's a big fan.




So is Porter. He can't get to get this as another hand-me-down someday;)


Truman also studies and discusses the small pamphlet that came inside of the box, that shows all of the Chuggington trains. I have no idea why he loves things like this----pictures of other toys, with labels and bright colors seem to be his jam. I've seen the two trains touring our entire house and the track itself has stayed in the family room since we got it, meaning I haven't banished it to the playroom or basement yet. He really does play with it every day and we haven't even switched up the track arrangement yet.

Then there is the DVD, which goes along with the track perfectly. He requests to watch an episode (of the five total) most days, and he likes to play with the playset at the same time. Note the pamphlet laying next to him, too.


There is a video for the playset here, and it can be found at ToysRUs and Target. The DVD is on Amazon and I think both the playset and the DVD would be awesome gifts for any train-lover out there.

And now for the giveaway. I have one of the Chuggington StackTrack playsets to along with the 'Ready to Build' DVD, both going to one lucky winner of this Rafflecopter drawing. I am specifically supposed to tell you that they cannot guarantee a holiday delivery for your prize---so Santa might be a little tardy with this one, I suppose. But if you would like to enter for the track and DVD combo, enter below. Otherwise add these to your Christmas lists for your train kid!

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Playing Dress Up with Princess Cecelia | A Giveaway

When a representative from Just Pretend Kids emailed me and asked if I wanted to do a review and a giveaway, I had to check out the site first since I hadn't heard of it before. But then I saw that they have a ton of costumes and dress up dresses, and I was in---even though I already had the kids' Halloween costumes. Because princess CC doesn't yet have a dress up dress, and I saw this pink one and immediately knew she'd rock it.

I can't get over her in this! Such a princess!

Now the Just Pretend Kids clothing is all high-end, made of soft and durable fabrics, without itchy and stiff seams. I figured that ordering a size 4 dress would mean my petite girl would probably swim in it right now but we could get a lot of use over the years. But it's really not TOO big for her now and so I think we'll get even more wears out of it as Princess C grows. Because seriously? The layered, glittery skirt and the rosettes and the sheen? Too much. This is one amazing dress up outfit, no?




Cecelia loves twirling in it and started doing that without being prompted---so maybe it's some sort of intuitive thing about a puffy dress on a little girl;) The smile on her face when she wears this dress pretty much says it all---miss hard-to-please is a big fan.

Every night I tell the kids one story that involves 'CC Princess and Prince Truman'----I've done this for many months. But now I specify that CC Princess wears her beautiful pink dress in this story. She eats it up, of course.


And the details are pretty incredible.



Cecelia loves this dress and it does seem quite soft and comfortable, not too heavy or stiff. It's poofy but not difficult for her to walk in, and she loves the sash and rosettes the most. I really can't get over how *pretty* she looks in this dress and when I texted Nate a picture of her in it, his first response was 'she looks so big!'. Because she does! And it has to be said: little girls are so much fun for things like this. She isn't the most 'girlie girl' but she plays the part in this dress!

Cecelia was all about going outside with me for this photoshoot, posing away and showing off her smiles. Until the end when she was just ready to go back inside and I demanded one more picture...


That's my girl with her classic 'displeased' face I'll never forget!

When Just Pretend Kids emailed and asked if I would do this review, I said that I really prefer to do a giveaway for my readers along with posts like these. They were kind enough to offer a discount code for $20 off the item of your choice, to one winner. I'm thinking lots of little girls would love a dress like this as a Christmas gift, but there are really adorable costumes (for boys and girls and BABIES) and fairy wings and tutus, too. And if you don't win the $20 giveaway, you can still get 25% off your order by signing up for their mailing list.

But to enter the drawing for the $20 off, hit the Rafflecopter below. I will email the winner next week and will update this post then, too. Good luck!
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