BubbleBum Booster Seat: New Stars & Stripes Design Review!

I received this product free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

The BubbleBum is a portable, lightweight, inflatable booster seat for children ages 4-11 (40-100 pounds). So easy to set up, it easily inflates by mouth within 20 seconds and deflates so that you may fold it easily into a backpack, suitcase, or purse. Weighing less than 1 pound it is lightweight and manageable. It also comes with a convenient tote bag to carry it around with and shoulder belt positioning clip so that your child's seat belt doesn't chafe or be too high. It is perfect for ‘3 across’ tight fits because it is only 13” wide. This makes it the perfect car seat booster for vacations, rental cars, taxis, plane flights, car pools, play dates, and care givers.

Award-winning BubbleBum meets and exceeds all European and U.S. safety regulations and is rated the 'Best Bet' Booster by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) 6 years in a row. The material used to make the BubbleBum is similar to that of a lifebelt making it durable and extra safe. The air bladder is made from memory foam which adds structural integrity and comfort.

Includes: Bubble Bum booster seat, shoulder belt positioning clip, instructions/registration card, 1 free mobile games app, & bag.

Features:

• For children ages 4 - 11, 40 - 100 pounds
• Inflatable - easily inflates by mouth within 20 seconds
• Deflatable, foldable and portable - great for travel, vacations, rental cars, taxis, plane flights, car pools, play dates, and care givers
• Easily fit three car seats across the back seat with BubbleBum because it's 13" Wide
• Lightweight - weighs less than 1 pound
• Meets and exceeds all European and U.S. safety regulations
• Rated a "Best Bet" Booster by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Winner of many awards including the National Parenting Center of Approval
• When deflated, it easily fits in a purse or backpack
• Fun designs

Installation: inflate through valve, attach shoulder belt positioning clip and place behind shoulder of child, place belt through both red side clips, & buckle child in.

Our Thoughts:
We love the BubbleBum! It is easy to install and super convenient to take on trips. We plan on bringing it when we all go to Ohio in the fall as a family. We love how easy it is to grab and go and it is super affordable! For the safety and peace of mind of always having a car seat for my younger children, the BubbleBum is the perfect solution!

Zari siting in our van on the BubbleBum Booster Seat. Notice the shoulder belt positioning clip.

The Stars & Stripes design is so patriotic and a great way to show off your love of the United States of America. This design is especially wonderful for showing some Red, White, and Blue during Memorial Day, the 4th of July, or Veterans Day! BubbleBum also comes in Pink Chevron, Black, Union Jack, and Irish Shamrock.

BUY IT


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Harlem Globetrotters Summer Basketball Clinics $10 Off Offer

US Family Guide provided me with this promotional offer information to share with my readers. I am getting 4 free ticket vouchers to go to the Harlem Globetrotters next show in Portland for posting this information.

Now everything awesome - kids, basketball, teamwork, and having fun – comes together at destination awesome: Harlem Globetrotter Summer Skills Clinics, the ONLY clinics coached by stars of The Harlem Globetrotters!

Everyone loves The Globetrotters, the stars who always put smiles on kids’ faces. At Globetrotter Summer Skills Clinics, our stars coach kids in limited size groups and bring laughs, encouragement and high fives for everyone! Globetrotters direct, motivate, inspire AND entertain, keeping it inclusive and fun for ALL boys and girls, aged 6-12, of ALL skill and experience levels. Each session is $59 and includes a free ticket voucher to see the Globetrotters live in 2014! But you can save $10 with promo code USFAMILY! Code is valid through 5/31.

Each child will receive:

• A free ticket voucher (valued up to $40) to see the Globetrotters during their 2014 World Tour
• Autographs and photos with the stars! 
• Official Globetrotter certificate of completion with a personalized Globetrotter nickname

Clinic Locations: http://globi.es/GlobetrotterClinicsUSFAMILY (These are just the clinics - the games for your tickets are in 200 cities) Save $10 on registration! Enter the Coupon Code USFAMILY on the cart page after completing your registration http://globi.es/GlobetrotterClinicsUSFAMILY



DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about the Harlem Globetrotters I am getting 4 free ticket vouchers for my family to go to the Harlem Globetrotters next showing. Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free tickets. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this promo.

The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD Review and Giveaway

To celebrate Earth Day I received The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD for free to facilitate this review and the opportunity to also give one away.

I homeschool my kids and so I seek out educational programing on TV, Netflix, etc. for my children to watch and learn from. I grew up watching The Magic School Bus, a long-running Emmy® Award-winning animated science adventure series, on TV when I was younger and so I remember enjoying learning along with the show. When I got older and had children of my own I incorporated The Magic School Bus in my kids' education at home because they are so much fun. We have collected many of The Magic School Bus series of books that the series is based off of too over the years. All my kids love both the series and the books and so do I.

From Ms. Frizzle's outrageous wardrobe to her anthropomorphic school bus that takes her students on field trips to impossible locations, The Magic School Bus series takes you on great adventures all in the name of science. The classroom pet Liz, a lizard, that accompanies them on most of the excursions. These present scientific fact with situations where fantastic things happen with humor thrown in to make learning fun.

In The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD you get 3 all new, never before released episodes: The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed, The Magic School Bus Blows its Top, The Magic School Bus Goes on Air AND a bonus episode, The Magic School Bus All Dried Up. This DVD also has both Spanish and English language options. These are fabulous for getting inside the Earth like never before. Celebrate Earth Day with pizazz.

In The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed we get a bugs eye view of plants, flowers and bugs. In this episode we learn about plant nectar, pollen, and seeds. The class' garden is going to be featured on the cover of Plant It! Magazine, but Phoebe's garden plot is extremely empty...can they fill it in time for the magazine photo? We loved this episode and my daughters loved learning the parts of the flowers and about the bug's proboscis.

In The Magic School Bus Blows its Top we rock out with Ms. Frizzle and her class as we help them discover a new island. In this episode we learn a little about the formation of islands, Earth's crust, underwater volcanoes, magma, and lava. We loved this episode and my girls loved learning about heat buildup in volcanoes and what they form when they erupt.

In The Magic School Bus Goes on Air we see Ms. Frizzle and her class under a lot of pressure to get a class project done for the Walkerville Space Capsule. In this episode we learn about air pressure. We loved this episode and my girls loved learning about what air pressure can do.

In The Magic School Bus All Dried Up we try to beat the heat with Ms. Frizzle and her class as they go to the desert. In this episode we learn about how animals adapt for survival in such a hot seemingly arid place. We loved this episode and my girls loved learning about the desert and some of its flora and fauna.

We will definitely treasure this DVD and I know my kids will love watching these episodes again and again. I love the educational content. This is a great DVD for Earth Day or any day!

For more information on this title or any other Scholastic Storybook Treasures release, visit www.newkideo.com. Also, visit New Kideo, the online home for the DVD line, at their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/New-Kideo/169330949777241

BUY IT
Purchase The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD from New Kideo for $12.95

WIN IT
Prize: 1 winner will win a copy of The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD free from Scholastic and New Kideo.

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate my review and the opportunity to give another away to my readers. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

The Adventures of Scooter The Penguin DVD Review and Giveaway

Teaching lessons of acceptance, honesty, teamwork and understanding, this family friendly animated movie is about a unique blue penguin named Scooter that is from a lost colony of penguins known for their amazing speed and strength. He was abandoned before he was even hatched and is taken in by a family of silver penguins that encourage his talents. Still, Scooter doesn't feel like he belongs. He finally learns the lessons of love and self-worth and returns to his village to save the day.

This movie was low budget and the events seem to drag on too long throughout the movie. It is OK for younger kids, but didn't hold my little ones' attention and my older kids were extremely bored because the events were too predictable and there was very little eye candy or real detail to the animation. It was, however; a good storyline and message so I believe the whole thing could have been presented better.

BUY IT
You can purchase The Adventures of Scooter The Penguin on Amazon for $9.59.

WIN IT
Prize: Win a copy of The Adventures of Scooter The Penguin DVD. (3 Winners!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Entertainment One for sending me product for free to review and 3 to giveaway. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

My Gym Vote for Fitness Offers

Voting in the presidential election is important...so is voting for your family's fitness. Exercise your child's right for fun-filled activities, gymnastics, sports and more. Take advantage of one of these amazing offers and you'll be entered to win My Gym Free for a Year!

• Enroll for 2 Months get the 3rd Month FREE!
• Enroll for 4 Months get the 5th Month FREE Plus Free Lifetime Membership!
• Enroll for 6 Months get 2 more months FREE Plus Free Lifetime Membership!
• Enroll for 9 Months get 3 more months FREE Plus Free Lifetime Membership!

Win My Gym FREE for a Year - plus a FREE Birthday Party http://www.my-gym.com/oct2012.aspx

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER:
For my participation in this US Family Guide Promotion I will receive a My Gym Gift Pack that includes:

• A DVD and CD from The Activators - We Make Fitness Fun!
• A DVD and CD of Mymo's Adventures
• A FREE Trial Class at your local My Gym
• Eligibility to WIN a FREE Six Month Membership at your local My Gym (exclusive to participating USFG Bloggers)

Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free product. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this promo.

Putumayo Kids Cowboy Playground CD Review and Giveaway

I love music from Putumayo Kids! They are a great company that produces high quality music for kids that is both multicultural and educational.

Putumayo Kids Cowboy Playground is great musical fun for all your buckaroos! It has a wonderful selection of songs about the Wild West. This is especially perfect for cowboy themed children's events.

I have heard a lot of these songs when I was a child and it brought back some good memories of me and my sisters riding a bouncy horse at my Grandma's house and pretending we were cowgirls trying to rope cattle :) My Papa had gotten us cowboy boots and hats and I still have a blue sparkly vest that my mother made me with stars quilted on the front. Here is my daughter Teela wearing it when she was younger. :)

 Track Listing:
01 Wylie & the Wild West - Saddle Bum - (United States)
02 Riders In The Sky - I'm an Old Cowhand - (United States)
03 Kerry Grombacher - Close 'Em on Up - (United States)
04 Liz Masterson & Sean Blackburn - Back in the Saddle Again - (United States)
05 David John and the Comstock Cowboys - It's the Cowboy Life for Me - (United States)
06 Buck Howdy - Pecos Bill - (United States)
07 Johnny Bregar - Don't Fence Me In - (United States)
08 Victor Johnson - Home on the Range - (United States)
09 Ian Tyson - Whoopee Ti Yi Yo - (Canada)
10 Dave Stamey - May the Trail Rise Up to Greet You - (United States)
11 Peter Rowan & Don Edwards - Take Me Back to the Range - (United States)
12 Cowboy Envy - Happy Trails - (United States)

BUY IT
You can purchase Putumayo Kids Cowboy Playground on their website for $14.98 or on Amazon.com for $13.99.

WIN IT
Prize: Win a copy of Putumayo Kids Cowboy Playground.

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Thanks to Beth Blenz-Cluc​as of Sugar Mountain PR for sending me product for free to review and letting me giveaway one. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tatutina Review and Giveaway

Tatutina is a wonderful online store with unique products that are very colorful and happy. Most of their products are hand painted and all of them that are, use paint that is certified non-toxic and lead free. They now can also personalize by hand painting a name in their own Tatutina style. They have such a fun and funky way of painting their designs! I fell in love with the colors and bright patterns.

We received a children's medal with Cutie Pie on it and a mermaid sweater that was designed from one of their paintings and hand knit in Peru to test and review for free. My daughter, Teela, modeled them for me.

The medal was very cute and hand painted with a slice of pie on it. The medals are great for awarding achievements that kids can do or be on any given day. Positive recognition is wonderful for helping kids' self esteem. Each medal is made of painted wood with a ribbon that has velcro closure at the top for easy on and off. These medals come in various designs...such as: cutie pie, dinosaur expert, bug catcher, birthday girl, birthday boy, new big brother, new big sister, funniest kid, good citizen, little dancer, top chef, singing star, biggest ham and more! The back of the medal can be personalized with the child's name. They are just $5 each!

The mermaid sweater is adorable! I love the bright colors and Tatutina has other mermaid items that coordinate with it. When they designed this sweater and put it into production, they worked with an American company that helps support local Peruvian women in their efforts to sustain a living and provide for their families. This 100% cotton sweater comes in 3 different sizes for babies and toddlers. They also have other designs too and now on sale for $40!

WIN IT:
Roberta at Tatutina has given me the opportunity to choose one lucky reader to win 4 children's medals.

Mandatory:
1. Go to the Tatutina website and tell me what 4 medals you would love to win.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by email and let me know. (2 extra entries)

2. Become my fan on facebook. (1 extra entry)

3. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and Tatutina in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)

4. Grab My Button (see sidebar to the left) AND/OR Put My Blog URL in Your Blogroll - Leave Your Link. (1 extra entry)

5. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)

6. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra)

7. Add me on twitter and retweet this: @finamoon: @tatutina WIN: 4 Tatutina Children's medals http://bit.ly/6k8rnr
(Daily Extras are Available)

8. Add the Tatutina blog to your blogroll or link to your website and let me know your url and where it is located. (1 extra entry)

9. Fan Tatutina on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

10. Follow Tatutina on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. This contest ends on Friday January 08, 2010 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open toUS only!!

DISCLAIMER: Thanks to ChicExecs, a company which was created to promote small business campaigns, I was able to let you know about these products. I received samples from Tatutina free of charge. All information about the products I received from the products, ChicExecs, and information from the Tatutina website. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Putumayo Kids Review and Giveaway

ABOUT PUTUMAYO KIDS:
Putumayo Kids is the children’s and educational division of Putumayo World Music. They are committed to introducing children to other cultures through music from around the world. Their CDs are a beautiful multicultural, multilingual mix that is sure to please and inspire any child. Around the world they have sold more than 3 million Putumayo Kids CDs and with each CD sold at least one percent of the CD sales benefit non-profit groups that support children, families, schools and other charities. They have already contributed more than $1 million dollars to non-profit organizations that do good work in the regions where the music originates. They have both a Playground (which is upbeat) and a Dreamland (which is soothing and relaxing) series.

Watch this video to learn more about Putumayo Kids!

MY THOUGHTS:
I homeschool and I love to learn and teach about different cultures. I absolutely love world music and actually seek it out for my children so that they can experience and learn to appreciate different cultures by music. I think that it is very important while my children are still young to instill in them an importance of culture and immerse them in the diversity. One of the things I am doing this year is teaching my kids Spanish. I have found that by giving them an opportunity to also learn about the culture in the different places that speak Spanish that I am giving them a wider view of the world.

I was given Picnic Playground and European Playground to review and then also went out and bought the African Playground at a gift shop in the Portland Children's Museum. I love all of them!

Picnic Playground is Putumayo Kids' newest CD. It is packed with 12 great songs about food. My favorite song from that CD was #7 Beautiful Day by Kheswa from South Africa.

European Playground is is a collection of 15 songs from Europe's rich cultural variety. My favorites were #12 Tarantainas De La Casa Sin Pared by Biella Nuei from Spain and #15 Sandy River Belle by Sharon Shannon from Ireland. Get the Teaching Guide HERE, the lyrics translated to English HERE, and a map HERE.

My absolute favorite so far is the African Playground CD. It has 13 wonderful songs on it. My favorite song on it is #3 Mbube by The Mahotella Queens from South Africa (The Lion Sleeps Tonight). It is a very different version from what you are used to, but it is fabulous! Get the Teaching Guide HERE, the lyrics translated to English HERE, a fun craft activity HERE and a map HERE.

Get other Teaching tools for other Putumayo Kids CDs HERE! Visit their blog HERE.

WIN IT:
Beth at Putumayo Kids is giving one lucky reader a chance to win the Picnic Playground CD.

Mandatory:
1. Go to the Putumayo Kids website and tell me what other CD you would be interested in.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by email and let me know. (2 extra entries)

2. Become my fan on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

3. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and Putumayo Kids in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)

4. Grab My Button - See Sidebar to the left - Leave your link (1 extra entry)

5. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)

6. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra)

7. Follow me on twitter and retweet this: @finamoon: @putumayokids WIN: Putumayo Kids World Music Picnic Playground CD http://bit.ly/incgv
(Daily Extras are Available)

8. Fave me on Momfaves. (2 extra entries)

9. Comment on any other of my posts and tell me which one. (2 extra entries per post)

10. Become a Putumayo follower on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

11. Become a Putumayo Kids follower on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

12. Become a fan of Putumayo and Putumayo Kids on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. If you subscribed by email, blogged about this, listed it, commented on another post, or faved me on Momfaves leave 2 entries saying you did. This contest ends on Friday September 25, 2009 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open Worldwide!!

OHSU New Emergency Room for Kids Only

A while back Tatiana was at the ER at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, Oregon and they were filming for the new emergency room for kids that had just opened. We had been brought back to the new wing and were waiting for a room to open up. They asked me if it was alright to film her and I said sure. I signed a waiver and they started filming. She was there at the ER because she is medically involved and like many times before she had an episode of throwing up which we could not explain.

It was interesting because they made the ER for kids ocean themed and my husband, Brain, and I love dolphins and whales :) It was as if it was made just for us because Tatiana has been in a out of the ER so much. They have neat jelly fish lights hanging from the ceiling above the big check in desk, a sea creature on the floors outside each room, waves on the doors of the rooms, and other sea decor.

I was wondering when I was ever going to see the footage of what they shot when I ran across it today. Go to the link here and click on the image to begin the tour. Here are some clipped images from the video. If you don't know, Tatiana is my daughter with very red hair and she is the very first little kid you see in the video :) I am also in the video in my brown jacket. You can see me in the third picture standing at the foot of Tatiana's hospital bed.

While you are there you can also register to receive a free gift from the hospital. Gift includes a Portland Aerial Tram ticket, sidewalk chalk and a Doernbecher eco-backpack!

Happy Green Bee Review

Happy Green Bee is an organic kids clothing store. They have bright colors and their clothing looks wonderfully fun and comfortable to be in. They make their clothes from organic cotton and use non-toxic dyes and no chemical bleaches or finishers. Organic cotton does not contain any harmful residues or pollutants left behind from toxins and is better for sensitive skin. Fabric made from organic cotton is softer, breaths better, and lasts longer than regular cotton. They also have accessories like hats, tights, and socks and gifts such as dolls, blankets, and the Mom's on the Go Kit. You can become a fan of Happy Green Bee on Facebook.

Happy Green Bee was good enough to let me try out the new Mom's on the Go Kit. It has 6 products and a book that is printed on recycled paper all in a convenient see through zippered case.

The book that is called "Giggles, Riddles, and Rhymes To Read Out Loud" is delightful! It has pictures throughout its pages of kids and infants in Happy Green Bee clothing and sweet poetry...most of which I haven't heard of. Also, because the book was placed in the case with the products it smells of wonderful herbs and essences.

My son, Jaedan, shown here is holding the tooth fairy tin that also came in the kit. He recently lost three teeth...so I thought it would be appropriate to give him the tin to hold them :)

The herbal room spray uses all natural essential oils of pine, peppermint, lavender, and lemon that are both anti-bacterial and non-toxic. It helps freshen a room and soothes baby. At first I thought that all those essential oils put together wouldn't have a pleasant smell, but I really liked it and my daughters, Teela and Tatiana, did too when I sprayed it in their room.

The calendula oil is organically made and is an infusion with sweet almond, sesame, and olive oil. It also has lavender essential oil to calm baby when used. I used it on Teela after a bath and boy did she love the baby massage I gave her with it.

The laundry liquid in the kit is non-toxic, biodegradable and eco-friendly so you don't have to worry about it harming your skin, septic system, or the environment. It is made from renewable plant based ingredients including corn, coconut, and palm oil. It made my whole laundry room smell wonderful when I washed a load of clothing with it and it got them clean and smelling fresh.

The all natural diaper ointment that comes in the kit is not only for baby's bottom. I was told by Mari Sullivan of HGB Marketing that she uses it for dry skin and to treat fly away hair. It has organic comfrey infused with olive, pumpkin seed, and apricot kernel oils along with vitamin E and lavender oil. Comfrey contains allantoin, that speeds up the natural replacement of body cells so this ointment is perfect for putting on a number of different kinds of owies.

Last, but not least is an apple tree growing kit. It contains a peat pellet, fine gravel, Common Apple seeds, and instructions on how to grow it from seed. What a wonderful addition to the kit this is because an apple tree will produce yummy fruit for years to come!

I have some favorites from their shop! I love the Watermelon Sky color for everything especially the Petal Dress, A-Line Sundress, Chemise, Skort, Reversible Hoodie, Stripey Leggings, Girls Sport Suit, Abbee and Amber Doll, Tights. I also like the Muffin Hat (just wish the Muffin Hat came in more colors than just Radish). I also love the Blueberry/Sky color.

Piggy Paint Review and Giveaway

I received a bottle of Piggy Paint nail polish in a beautiful shade of Girls Rule! pink and a bottle of nail polish remover to review. Piggy Paint nail polish is a non-toxic, odorless (less odor than other nail polishes), hypoallergenic, kid-friendly (adult-friendly too), water based polish. "Natural as mud"...their slogan reads. Most nail polish is solvent based, flammable, and have toxic ingredients like formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, biphenyl A, ethyl acetate and acetone. This polish isn't and doesn't contain any of those harmful ingredients. I was pleased with the quality of the polish and how it dried quickly.

The nail polish remover has aloe vera and vitamin E in it so that it will supply the nails and cuticles with much needed natural oils that protect them. It does have one ingredient that I was concerned about. It has Methyl alcohol in it, however; Melanie assured me that it is non-toxic in the small quantities that would be used on the nails. In the event that a child tried to drink the polish remover, an embittering agent is also an ingredient in the remover to make it taste absolutely horrible. You should always watch your children with either of these products and keep them safely out of reach when not in use even though they are a lot safer than regular nail polish and remover.

I am very happy with Piggy Paint products and they are definitely safer and a lot better for your nails than regular polishes and removers. The quality is also comparable to regular polishes and removers. I really feel overall that these are great products! Here is a picture of me with my finger and toe nails painted with Piggy Paint Girls Rule! :)

Their Little Miss Firecracker Gift Pack normally retails for $26.50, but it is on sale now for just $22.50 (15% off retail - limited time). Buy it before the 4th of July!

Win it! Melanie at Piggy Paint is generously giving one gift pack of your choice away for my blog giveaway.

Mandatory:
Go to the Piggy Paint website and tell me which Piggy Paint gift pack you would love.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by blogger, by email, or both and let me know. (1 extra entry)

2. Become my fan on facebook. (1 extra entry)

3. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and Piggy Paint in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)

4. Grab My Button - See Sidebar to the left - Leave your link (1 extra entry)

5. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)

6. Add me on twitter and retweet this: @finamoon: @piggypaint WIN: Piggy Paint http://bit.ly/129oZn
(Daily Extras are Available)

7. Become Piggy Paint's follower on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. If you blogged about this leave 2 entries saying you did. This contest ends on Friday June 19, 2009 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is only open to U.S. only.

My Manga Family

Here is from left to right...My husband: Brian a.k.a. Afalina, My oldest son (who is currently 8): Delbin a.k.a. squeaker, Me a.k.a. Crystal or Finamoon, My oldest daughter (who is currently 5): Tatiana a.k.a. Tati or Boo, My youngest daughter (who is currently 11 months): Teela a.k.a. Tee or Na, My youngest son (who is currently 6): Jaedan a.k.a. Bug.

I had fun making this of my family. I had to improvise a little bit because they didn't have any really young kids to work with in the program I was using called Face Your Manga. I used the collage feature on Picasa to do this picture.

Spatulatta: cooking 4 kids online Review

My boys are on The Spat Blog! Click here to see. We love the Spatulatta website!! It is one of our favorites to go to find wonderful kid friendly recipes and activities. It also won a James Beard Award in 2006. My boys homeschool and this is a great tool for teaching kids cooking. My boys love watching the videos of the two sisters Liv and Belle, who are about 9 and 11 years old, making food and crafts. My boys grew this avocado tree with the help of their website. Liv and Belle even have their own spiral bound cookbook that has 50 yummy recipes in it with pages that are stain and spill resistant! Just perfect for kids to use and not get messy while cooking. Speaking of not getting messy they also have aprons with the Spatulatta logo on them in their shop along with many other great things that kids or even parents can use. Check out their new Valentine's 2009 videos and recipes on their website and don't forget to purchase an autographed cookbook while you are there!

Bitty Braille Review

My daughter, Tatiana, received a Bitty Braille short sleeve tee in lavender with her name on it. These are beautifully hand- embroidered and the lovely purple faceted studs just set it off gorgeously.

Bitty Braille tees feature simple "kid-friendly" words set in Braille type in either sparkly faceted metal studs for the girls or simple metal studs for the boys. The translation is hand-embroidered underneath in a simple print or cursive. They make great gifts for showers, birthdays or whenever a unique gift is needed.

I would change one little thing if I were doing the names on the tees. I would have the first letter of the name capitalized in both the braille and hand-embroidery. My daughter, Tatiana, is totally blind and so I have learned braille by taking courses through Hadley School for the Blind with their Family Education Program. When you write names in braille you use a capital sign in front of the first letter of the name. Tatiana's first name would actually read like this in braille...

My daughter also received a set of their new Braille Alphabet Tiles. These, although smaller than what I expected, are very well made. I am going to use them to teach my other children braille. As a homeschooling mother any opportunity to teach good things is wonderfully received! These are a great teaching tool! If you get more than one set you can spell more complex words with them. I think these would also be great as fridge magnets because of their size.

Bitty Braille donates 10% of every sale to the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB).

You can go to this website by the American Foundation for the Blind and make your name into braille. You can also do whole sentences with punctuation.

Homeschooling a blind child

I am currently taking correspondence courses from Hadley School for the Blind. Since the moment my daughter became blind I have wanted to find out more about how I can help her. I have researched all over the web and found wonderful websites helping me along my path of teaching her. I am currently in the process of building a webpage about my findings... http://www.angelfire.com/ut2/superdolphin/blind.html

I am trying to find resources about how to go about homeschooling a totally blind child.
I have found these links so far that are helpful...
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/weblinks/blind.htm
http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Meadow/8921/homeschool.html
http://www.wonderbaby.org/articles/homeschool.html
http://www.growingstrong.org/homeschool/index.html
http://forum.homeschool.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3167&PN=1
http://www.nhen.org/media/default.asp?id=278
http://home.earthlink.net/%7Edeedaze/
http://viphs.blogspot.com/
http://www.tsbvi.edu/Education/corecurric.htm

Extracurricular Activities and Field Trips

Since I am starting to homeschool my children I feel the need for them to be in some extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities, such as sports, art, drama, music, scouting, dance, home economics (cooking, sewing, etc.), language, and various clubs, are an important part of education. I think that my oldest son would benefit from doing some kind of martial art (I am thinking maybe Karate) because he needs the discipline it teaches. My youngest son needs something that will put some of his overabundant energies into good use. Maybe something like gymnastics (tumbling) or some other sport. My daughter would probably love some kind of music therapy...possibly something like Kindermusik, Gymboree, or Music Together and/or some kind of animal therapy...maybe with a hypoallergenic dog or a mini pony. I also want to start my boys in swimming classes, a 4-H club, and Boyscouts when the time comes.

I also love incorporating field trips to museums, zoos, farms, aquariums, aviaries, fish hatcheries, the ocean, parks and recreation, playgrounds, historical sights, monuments, factories, libraries, observatories, sanctuaries, nature centers, gardens, orchards, greenhouses, pumpkin patches, hospitals, fire stations, planetariums, etc. These are such awesome places of learning.