#Giveaway E-BLOX® Stories - The Island LED Light-up Building Blocks Set

When it comes to toys for kids, parents are always on the lookout for the ones that claim to be ‘educational’ in addition to being fun. Sadly, we all know that many such toys don’t live up to that claim. On the rare occasion when a toy comes close to hitting the mark, we want to make sure to share our excitement with our readers as well. We are talking about the wonderful, patented building block sets from the good folks at E-Blox. Some may remember our first introduction to one of their fascinating toy sets a few months back: the pArts Starter Set. Since then we have been fans of the company and when we had a chance to try out another one of their products, the E-Blox Stories - The Island, we jumped at it with both feet.

For those of you who are new to E-Blox, the company is a newcomer in the toys arena (started in 2016) and their construction toy kits use a patented technology of tin plated blocks that connect electrical component blocks to a battery block enabling kids to create 3-dimensional circuits that light whatever they build, with no wires. Think your regular old building blocks, but with added lights and sound. Their products have already won a few industry awards for bringing innovation to the construction set category by introducing multiple concepts from the STEM area (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

The E-Blox Stories toy sets go one step further from STEM to STREAM, adding reading and arts into the mix. The E-Blox Stories - The Island set is based on a chapter in the novelette ‘Earth One’, describing various adventures that kids can immerse themselves into. The storybook includes QR codes that create an interactive learning environment using online resources. As soon as the box was open our kids were hooked on to the familiar appearance of the blocks that they were used to, but with the shiny connector pieces especially standing out. The instructions were relatively easy to follow (though there might have been some calls for parental assistance for assembling this 8+ targeted kit) and we very quickly had a boat assembled, followed by a dog. The set does require a 9V battery which is not included, something that can cause a delay in getting the electronics to work. We had kept the wow factor of the electric circuits, and lights, from the kids until the set was complete and boy they sure were wowed when the lights were turned on. Whenever you have your kids step back and actually say ‘wow’ about a toy, that sure sounds like a keeper. While we haven’t tried it yet, it seems that the E-Blox blocks may work with existing blocks sets you may have lying around the house (the ones that rhyme with Pego), which does sound like opening up a whole new world of experimentation that is waiting to be explored.

We are also excited to partner with E-Blox to offer one of our fabulous readers a chance to win their very own E-Blox Stories - The Island, by entering below:

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Product received, thank you to the E-Blox as well as the PR for supplying us with a product for this review, all opinions are our own.

#Giveaway Go on a Creature Adventure with the new Wild Kratts Magazine

Have you had a creature adventure lately? Maybe you've taken part in a creature rescue? How about collecting a treasured set of creature power discs? If your answer to any (or all) of these questions is a yes, then you know we are talking about the uber-popular show Wild Kratts on PBS. For those few of you that don’t know about the show, it is a fun educational children's live-action/animated series created by brothers Chris and Martin Kratt. The show's aim is to educate children about biology, zoology, and ecology, and teach kids small ways to make big impacts. The show is very popular with our two boys and we are not ashamed to say that they know more about some wild animals than we ever did.

Given that anything that has the word Kratt associated with it is an instant hit in our house, we were very excited to preview the latest issue of the show’s companion magazine, Wild Kratts Creature Trail Scrapbook, put together by Topix Media Lab. Topix Media Lab is a magazine and book publishing company that partners with the biggest kids brands to create fun and educational magazines, such as the Wild Kratts issues.

Developed in direct consultation with the Kratt brothers, the latest issue of the Wild Kratts magazine (which came out on July 24th) is chock full of short blurbs about amazing creature adventures from the TV show on each page along with activities, crafts, and photos of real-life animals. We are totally fascinated by how unique some of the animals and their stories are - streaked Tenrec or spotted-tail Quoll anyone? The quality of the content, information, and drawings is top-notch and would make an awesome gift for the Wild Kratts lovers in your family.

Now one of our wonderful readers can get their hands on copies of the last 5 (yes 5!) Wild Kratts magazines put together by the good folks at Topix Media Lab through the giveaway below: 

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Product received, thank you to Topix Media Lab for supplying us with a product for this review, all opinions are our own.

#Giveaway Introducing STEM through Dream Big: Engineering Our World 2-DVD Set (+Educators' Resources!)

Watching IMAX®  films at our local Science Center was a great way for us to beat the heat recently.  We weren't sure what the kids would think of their first  IMAX® giant screen viewing experience.  Would they love it or freak out?  We had been looking forward to seeing Dream Big: Engineering Our World as a way to talk to the kids about the many ways engineering impacts our lives and help ignite their interest in science and technology.  Produced for all ages, Dream Big showcases engineering's impressive impact on our world and our lives.  The film features amazing engineering projects, along with forward-thinking and compassionate engineers. The huge scale of the IMAX® format made these engineering marvels even more impressive - the soaring expanses of bridges and skyscrapers were pretty incredible and the kids were spellbound.  

Jeff Bridges narrates this engaging film about the wonders brought to life through engineering.

Now this amazing educational and fascinating film is available in a 2-DVD education-focused set from Shout! Factory.  It makes the transition to the small screen really well (admittedly without some of the stomach-flipping impact of the aerial visual effects through IMAX®), and Shout! Factory takes it even further by including a 150-page educator's guide, with detailed lesson plans, PLUS additional education short clips and featurettes.  As a former educator, I was impressed with the quality lesson plans that were targeted to each grade level from Kindergarten through High School, as well as special activities and event planning guides.  Even though much of the educator content is available at discovere.org, having all these materials easily at hand without searching and downloading will be a great resource for educators who want to offer enrichment opportunities aligned with the film. (Even if you purchase the 2-DVD set, visit discovere.org for even more extension activities and information)

Here are some example lesson summaries from the educator guide:

1st Grade
Daylight in a Bottle
Harness solar energy to light a room.
Topics: Electromagnetic radiation, refraction, use of recycled materials

7th Grade
Building the Pyramids
Determine how Egyptians moved giant stones.
Topics: Teamwork, forces and motion, ancient cultures and mythologies

High School Chemistry
Making an Impact on Habitat
Create a safe way to neutralize the byproduct of a factory.
Topics: Engineering in the real world, runoff from pollution, impact of human civilization

Bridge engineers in Haiti: Engineers work on the final pieces for the deck of the Chameau footbridge in Haiti, as seen in the film Dream Big. The Chameau Bridge will provide welcomed access to schools and medical care for isolated, rural families.

The Shout! Factory 2-DVD set is a perfect back-to-school resource for the STEM-focused educator, but its content is also great for community groups like Scouting troops or industry groups focused on engineering (I liked the event planning guide for 'Girls Night Out' focused on using the film and  inspiring engineering heroes to help encourage development of STEM careers). 

I loved these five messages for conversations about engineering (from discovere.org) that are reinforced through the educator materials:

Curiosity—Engineers ask lots of questions that start with: Why? How? What if?
Creativity—Engineering is a great outlet for the imagination—the perfect field for independent thinkers.
Teamwork—Engineering takes teamwork, and engineers work with all kinds of people inside and outside the field. Whether they’re designers or architects, doctors or entrepreneurs, engineers are surrounded by smart, inspiring people.
Opportunities—An engineering degree offers lots of freedom in finding a person’s dream job. It can be a launching pad for jobs in business, design, medicine, law, and government. To employers or graduate schools, an engineering degree reflects a well-educated individual who has been taught ways of analyzing and solving problems that can lead to success in all kinds of fields.
Helping Others—Imagine what life would be like without pollution controls to preserve the environment, life-saving medical equipment, or low-cost building materials for fighting global poverty. All this takes engineering. In very real and concrete ways, engineers save lives, prevent disease, reduce poverty, and protect our planet.

Dream Big delves into the inspirational story of Civil Engineer Menzer Pehlivan, who as a young girl experienced a devastating earthquake in Turkey. Here, Menzer uses everyday items to demonstrate to children how engineers design and build earthquakeproof structures.

Shout! Factory has generously offered a free copy of the 2-DVD Dream Big: Engineering Our World Set, including the educator resource materials, to TWO MommyKatie readers!  Enter below!

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Product received, thank you to Shout! Factory for supplying us with a product for this review, all opinions are our own.

#Giveaway Preserving memories with Canvas on the Cheap

Is it just us or does summer seem to be just flying by? Our family has been busy enjoying our time outside as much as possible and have a good number of photos to show for it. While we do make an effort to enjoy actual moments rather than just try to capture them, our phone memory is mostly dedicated to pictures. Some family pictures, however, deserve to blown up, printed out and displayed lovingly on a wall in our house. Many times it may make sense to go with a formal picture and frame combination, but other times a more unconventional option like a canvas print is the way to go. Canvas printing provides a unique combination of value, longevity and picture quality (we love the texture!) that is hard to match. So when we had a chance to try out a canvas print from our friends at Canvas on the Cheap, we jumped at that opportunity.

Now we have tried a couple of canvas printing service options before, but the website for Canvas on the Cheap is indeed one of the simplest we have interacted with. Only a few simple steps, and before you know it, your order is complete: upload a picture, choose the size, frame depth (deeper adds a three-dimensional feel), optional wooden border, and open or covered back. This may be a good place to point out that they have some of the cheapest prices on canvas prints we have come across, the almost-too-good-to-true level. Especially, if you compare the cost of having a similar sized print photo with frame.

The delivery of the print was prompt and without any problems. Given the price, we weren’t sure what to expect but the print out of the box looked great. Vibrant colors with no distracting glossy sheen (one of the benefits of canvas), taut quality canvas and a sturdy wooden frame, what more could we ask for?! We compared it against some of our other canvas prints and couldn’t really tell any difference in quality. The question of longevity and normal wear and tear still remains, but the first impression has indeed been a good one.

Given the low prices at Canvas on the Cheap, we've got a long list of other photos we'd like to have printed out as well. These canvas prints would make a great, inexpensive but thoughtful gift for holidays, birthdays or any other special occasion. If only they could help us make our minds about the right picture to print!

To bring more memories to life, the wonderful people at Canvas on the Cheap are now making one of their canvas prints (Canvas size: 16"x20'' / 40x50cm) available for free to one of our fabulous readers:

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Product received, thank you to Canvas on the Cheap for supplying us with a product for this review, all opinions are our own.

#Giveaway Summer Fun with Ju-Ju-Be's Tokidoki Iconic 2.0 bags

One thing I never could have predicted before I had my first child was how personal my relationship with my diaper bag would be.  If you don’t have kids, that might sound weird, but that diaper bag was a part of everyday life.  Of course, I was nervous about venturing out with that tiny new person (who was generally in a crabby mood, btw) and having all the little necessities at hand gave me just that extra bit of confidence I needed.  From baby’s first mobile mega-blow-out (of course while being shown off at Grandma’s office) to our first international trip, I quickly learned to what to pack and having a great bag helped me actually be able to find things when I needed them.  I’ll admit that the diaper bag I put on my baby registry was not the right bag and was soon replaced with a quality bag from Ju-Ju-Be.

The folks at Ju-Ju-Be are masters at designing bags for moms on the move.  They know what we need and incorporate those great features into every bag.  They also know that, although having a diaper bag is a day-to-day necessity, moms need options to reflect both personal style and occasion, so they have designed bags that incorporate the full spectrum from classical sophistication to more whimsical styles.  I was so excited to get the opportunity to review the latest pattern that just launched in May 2018 from Ju-Ju-Be’s partnership with Tokidoki, the Tokidoki Iconic 2.0.  This limited release design is so cheerful and absolutely perfect for the mom that likes to be on the edge of pop culture without sacrificing quality and functionality.  As usual, Ju-Ju-Be has made all of their iconic bag designs available in this new pattern.

Meredith, the MommyKatie baby blogger, and I were lucky enough to preview four quality Ju-Ju-Be bags in the Tokidoki Iconic 2.0 pattern.  Do check out the detailed vlog reviews for these bags on MommyKatie's YouTube channel as well, but here are some highlights:

The B.F.F.  This is one of the most popular Ju-Ju-Be designs and was actually the first Ju-Ju-Be bag I bought for myself over 4 years ago. I felt a little guilty when I initially splurged on that bag, but once I received it and realized how perfect it was, I knew it was a great value.  Four years (and multiple international trips) later, the bag still looks brand new.  I love the thoughtful placement of the many interior pockets and the awesome wide opening that allows you to actually *see* what’s in the bag.  Of course, Ju-Ju-Be's Teflon coated materials and easy washability helped keep it looking new.  The versatility of being able to switch between backpack straps and a shoulder/crossbody strap made the B.F.F work in so many environments. Meredith loved the B.F.F in the new Tokidoki Iconic 2.0 pattern and found it perfect for her recent family vacation with her 2 older sons and 4-month old daughter.  Here’s a quote:  “The quality design of the B.F.F. said ‘responsible mom’, but the cheerful Tokidoki Iconic 2.0 pattern said “ edgy trendsetter”.  Just because I drive a minivan doesn't mean I've totally given up on fashion!”

Meredith modeling the Ju-Ju-Be B.F.F. 

The Be Right Back: I chose to test this bag out while on a beach vacation with my sons recently.  Poor Mr. MommyKatie had to stay home and work, so I was on my own for the flights and keeping everything at hand for the kids was important.  I loved the more traditional backpack styling which was really comfortable and kept my hands free for managing luggage and holding little hands through airports.  Since there are no more diapers in our house (yeah!), I replaced the changing pad with my iPad and loved the easy access that the large stash pocket provided from the side of the bag.  The other awesome feature I love about this bag is the very large stash pocket at the top of the bag.  This was perfect for keeping snacks and items I wanted close at hand on the flight without having to remove the whole bag from the underseat storage.  Of course, like all Ju-Ju-Be bags, it has all the pockets and storage compartments to keep yourself organized and the essentials close at hand.  My video review is on YouTube here.

The Ju-Ju-Be Be Right Back is an incredibly versatile diaper bag!

The Be Packed: My 7-year old son has claimed this bag for himself.  He loves the Tokidoki Iconic 2.0 pattern and the bags smaller profile makes it perfect for him.  He’s been wearing it to school for the past few weeks and loved taking it on vacation. It's going to be a great back-to-school bag for him in the Fall as well.  I am glad it has the Teflon coating and machine washability!  You can watch my video review of this bag and comparison with the Be Right Back on YouTube here.

The Be Packed is the perfect Back-To-School backpack!

The Be Set: This set of three bags in varying sizes (plus 2 different strap options) has been surprisingly versatile and the source of many compliments on my recent vacation. The large bag with the crossbody strap is my new weekend favorite and was perfect for carrying my large iPhone 8+ and a few essentials.  The Tokidoki Iconic 2.0 pattern works great in this smaller format as well.  I used the smallest bag as a mini-wallet, but it would work great as a mini first aid kit too.  The medium size bag was great for our first aid kit on vacation, but I’ve already morphed it into my new travel makeup bag.  Watch my YouTube review here!

The Be Set from Ju-Ju-Be is a super versatile set of 3 bags and 2 interchangeable straps.

  

I’m so happy Meredith and I were able to review the newest Tokidoki pattern in the Ju-Ju-Be line up.  If you are on the fence about buying a Ju-Ju-Be bag, I’d encourage you to make the leap. You will love the bag and it will hold up for all your outings (with or without baby!).

We are also excited to be able to partner with our friends at Ju-Ju-Be to offer one of our wonderful readers a chance to win a combination of the B.F.F and the Be Right Back bags: 

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Product received, thank you to Ju-Ju-Be for supplying us with products for this review, all opinions are our own.

#Giveaway Scratch & Create Books from the Quarto Group

What do you do to unwind after a long day? Listen to music? Read a book? A warm bath? Sure, these all work reasonably well and we have also tried them all to relax at one time or another. How about trying out something unique, something that speaks to your inner desire to create something beautiful? Adult coloring books started the trend of making art more accessible, fun and simple for an older audience and now there are even more unique ways of using art to relax and de-stress. We were intrigued by the new Scratch and Create books from Quarto Group. They seemed a few steps up from mindless doodling, but a lot simpler than carrying around a box of crayons or colored pencils. After trying out the Folk Art Flowers and Enchanted Animals books were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed them (even the less-artistically-inclined member of our family).

Both the books have beautiful and sturdy construction, and primarily require one to scratch dark metallic coating away from pages to either re-create a template provided on the opposite page or to reveal a colorful picture underneath. Many of us may remember the concept from the scratch and reveal books we see kids industriously working away at. While the concept may be similar, these books are definitely designed for adults with the scratching requiring more precision while also creating a lot less mess. Both books include a lightweight stylus with a pointed and a flat end for scraping, scuffing and scratching, which is kept close at hand in a reclosable clamshell storage case.

A wonderful feature of these books is that the artwork included has been created by renowned artists. Enchanted Animals has drawings created by artist and illustrator Marisa Redondo and includes renderings of rabbits and dandelions, woodland raccoons, owls, foxes, bears and a whole forest worth of other enchanting wildlife. Each drawing is created with simple lines and shapes. You can either follow along with the drawings or design your own variations as you create your own personalized scratch art on the opposite page. This book would definitely be a good gift for those who like to flex their creativity! The scratching part does require some effort so you may need to rest your hand a little while working on your masterpiece.

Folk Art Flowers has colorful artwork by Chilean illustrator and Children’s book author Maya Hanisch, which is revealed incrementally as you scratch away. Personally, that one was our favorite! Both the books have perforated pages that can come out and be displayed wherever you may feel like it (e.g. the fridge ‘gallery’), and the Folk Art Flowers pages are heavier cardstock that are also postcards (what a great idea...art + letter writing!) All in all, the books do a good job of focusing and capturing your attention, while working the creative half of your mind

The good folks at the Quarto Group are also giving away a pair of these books to try for one of our fabulous readers:

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Product received, thank you to the Quarto Group and to PR for supplying us with a product for this review, all opinions are our own.

#Giveaway Making Science Fun with the Beaker Creatures Liquid Reactor Super Lab

With summer well underway in most of the country, most parents are constantly on the lookout for activities and products that are economical and can keep kids busy and entertained for as long as possible. If there is actual educational value to the activity as well, then that makes it even better. The Beaker Creatures Liquid Reactor Super Lab from Learning Resources gets close to hitting that sweet spot. This set is very much in line with Learning Resources’ focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) toys that help children learn, problem-solve, prepare for future success, and have fun at the same time.

The Beaker Creatures Liquid Reactor Super Lab set has everything you need to perform your very own mini science experiment to reveal two of 35 small and cute Beaker Creatures from far away planets, each one with its own unique backstory, classification and characteristics. The set includes the following: 2 Reactor Pods with Beaker Creatures, 1 base, 2 Hydroplungers, 2 beakers, 1 set of tongs, 1 stir rod, 2 classification cards, 2 mini-posters, 1 experiment guide, and 1 full-size poster. The directions for setup are pretty easy to follow and our boys were very excited in helping put it together. The main idea of this set is to use the beakers to house different liquids that can be transferred to the plungers and then combined in the main base cylinder. Watching the liquids mix in the base cylinder is the real payoff: the bubbling reaction taking place when the liquid covered the ‘reactor pods’ was very fascinating for our kids, as was the cute alien creature revealed after the bubbles settled down. One word of note here: the creatures are pretty small relative to the size of the reactor pods, so better to set the right expectations for the little ones so no one is disappointed.

When the two ‘reactor pods’ (we call them creature eggs) that come with the set have been used up (which can happen real fast), there are suggestions for many other ‘experiments’ that can be conducted using household products (e.g. water with food coloring mixed in, baby oil and water, vinegar and baking soda, etc.) The set is pretty sturdy and can be used over and over to creatively combine different liquids into the base cylinder.  You can also buy additional reactor pods to continue collecting the alien creatures. Our kids also want to try this out in the tub and in our water play table outside.

To spark STEM creativity at home for one of our fabulous readers, the good folks at Learning Resources are offering one of the Beaker Creatures Liquid Reactor Super Lab sets as a giveaway:

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Product received, thank you to Learning Resources and to PR for supplying us with a product for this review, all opinions are our own. Mommykatie.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

#Giveaway Celebrate Summer with Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation + Enter to Win a Hotel Transylvania Prize Pack

Like many, when it comes to the summer and finding those fun family movies to watch in theaters, we like to seek out the ones that everyone can enjoy. So when we heard about the new movie, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, which will be in theaters on July 13th, we were excited to mark the date on our calendars and also add to the excitement by sharing the Hotel Transylvania movies during our family movie night.

With the Hotel Transylvania 1 and 2, my family and I can watch those movies we have enjoyed in the past over and over again as we await the new movie to hit theaters. Where in the movies, we can first get to know the group of monsterous family and friends along with the strange outsider who is introduced to the bunch. We can continue to follow their story in Hotel Transylvania 2 as more members are added to the unique group of family and friends. Along with the movies, we can also enjoy the fun bonus clips which include the Mini Movie, "Goodnight Mr. Foot" and more! Then on July 13th, we can head to our local theater and make it a family movie night out as we watch our favorite group of monsters take off for summer vacation on a luxury monster cruise ship. Where Drac can relax and enjoy catching up on his moon tan, playing games with his friends and family on the ship and more! Making the choice to add the line up from Hotel Transylvania to your summer fun, a choice that you and your family will be glad you made. And to help with your next family movie night, we will be giving one lucky reader their own Hotel Transylvania Prize Pack which will include the DVD's, Hotel Transylvania and Hotel Transylvania 2.

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Product received, thank you to the PR for supplying us with a product for this review, all opinions are our own.

#Giveaway Tunai Creative Drum Earphones Review

Let us ask you a few questions: what is your favorite song? Songs? How about your favorite group? Favorite soundtrack? Now that you have a song or two stuck in your head, imagine how amazing they always sound with the volume cranked up. We all love music and the better the sound quality the more enjoyable the experience, no matter whether we are dancing at a party, grooving to our workout playlist or enjoying our very own music bubble with some headphones on. These days, we all carry around an almost limitless music collection on our smartphones and of course the best way to enjoy it is through the right set of headphones (over-the-head or in-ear). We are always on the lookout for affordable, high-quality headphones and hence we jumped at the chance to try out the Creative Drum Hi-Res Earphones from the good folks at Tunai.

This is the first foray into making earphones from Tunai, after the launch of their bluetooth receivers. They started with a very successful Kickstarter campaign last year and now have made the Drum earphones available to all. We are a sucker for eye catching design and right off the bat this product blew us away as soon as we opened the mail package. A sleek, square box with cool graphics on the outside and a nice foam insert inside to nestle the Drum earphones. The Drum earphones look great out of the packaging as well, with a great combination of black and variety of metallic colors to choose from. The earbuds are covered in a soft rubber that feels silky smooth in the ear and doesn’t slip, even after long use. The wires are soft and flexible and haven’t really tangled into a crazy knot yet even after being in use for a couple of weeks.

So they look great but how do they sound? There is good news on that front too. They sound great! Yes they may not have the sound quality of high-end (and pricey) headphones but they sure hold their own. The bass and treble come out nicely balanced, the different instruments sound clear and very low distortion when the volume is cranked up. In this price range of around $30, the Tunai Creative Drum offers almost everything you could ask for. There are now many wireless headphones in the low price range as well but many don’t sound great and bluetooth is still very much a battery hog. I love that I can buy a couple of these Drum earphones so I’ve always got one close at hand - maybe throw one in the gym bag and a second in my office bag. Music is magic for me, so I don’t really know all the technical details of how they make such great sound come out of such small earphones but if you are so curious you can learn all about it on their site. All in all, these are a very solid pair of earphones with a great price. These unique, design-forward Drum earphones could also be a great gift for Dad or even a back-to-school survival kit to help keep the peace among the roomies.

Now one of our fabulous readers can get their hands on one of these Drum earphones in the color of their choice, all thanks to our partners at Tunai letting us run a giveaway:

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Product received, thank you to Tunai for supplying us with a product for this review, all opinions are our own.

#Giveaway The Aero Scooter by Flybar: A Sweet Ride

When you have long winters like we do (and we do have really long ones!), summers tend to be spent outdoors as much as possible. As far as our kids are concerned, it doesn’t matter if they are on two feet or two wheels, as long as they are out in the open, they are happy. Given that they do outgrow so many of their clothes and toys every year, we have been in the market for a new bike and scooter for our 7-yr old. As luck would have it, the good folks at Flybar have come out with their 2-wheel first scooter, the Aero Scooter, this year and asked us to test one out. Flybar has been around since 1918 (Happy 100th Anniversary!) and is known for being the original Pogo Stick company, so they know their way around making products for kids.

Even before the box was opened there was evident excitement about the scooter from both our boys, i.e. the packaging is pretty nifty and is bound to be a magnet for most kids. The unpacking and assembly of the scooter took barely 5 minutes and it was ready for inspection and trial. Flybar has done a great job in choosing vibrant colors and designs and that does make it stand out from many plain-looking competitors out there. The three color choices are pink, orange and blue (the one we choose). The construction looks and feels very sturdy, with the frame being steel and the deck supported by a steel composite. The Aero claims a maximum weight limit of 175 lbs (compared to about 145 lb limit of our previous kick scooter), so the scooter can potentially handle ‘big’ kids too (at least wait until the kids have gone to bed though!). The scooter was designed for kids 5 and older, so the handlebar easily adjusts from 27.5 to 32 inches. making it easily transferable from one kid to another (if you can pry it out of their hands first, that is). It seemed it was most comfortable for our 7 year old son to have the handlebars between his hips and waist, so that might help you determine if it might be a good fit for your child. The standing board has a grit tape on it to minimize any slippage, along with a cool design pattern. The light up wheels add a definite wow factor for the kids. A prominent brake in the back is pretty standard for these kinds of scooters but the Aero brake does seem to be more pronounced than many others we have seen. We are hopeful we can finally teach our son to use the brake vs wearing down the soles of his shoes!

In addition to the good looks, the Aero has a pretty sweet ride as well. The sturdy construction and larger wheels offer a relatively smoother ride and easy maneuverability. Our 7-yr old was zipping around on it in no time and liked it so much that we had to take it along on a picnic in a nearby park as well. We were impressed that the park’s uneven paths didn’t seem to slow him down much on this scooter. The grownups squeezed in a short ride (ok, the ones that were under the max weight limit, that is!) and we were pleasantly surprised that it was even pretty comfortable to balance the Aero across a shoulder when it was sidelined on some of the rocky hiking trails. We totally expect the Aero scooter to be part of our kids’ riding collection for a while, tough enough to survive the transition from the oldest to the youngest with flying colors. And of course, to make sure your littles have fun and stay safe while they are learning new skills, don’t forget to make sure you have all the recommended protective gear: helmet and elbow, knee and wrist pads.

To make this summer more memorable , we have partnered with Flybar to offer our fabulous readers a chance to win an Aero Scooter in the color of their choice:

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Product received, thank you to Flybar for supplying us with a product for this review, all opinions are our own. Mommykatie.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

#Giveaway 3-months Subscription to Audiobooks.com

Quick..what is your favorite book? Got one? If you are like us you would have a hard time choosing one, there are just too many good ones out there. We all know the joy and emotion a good book can evoke, and we all wish we had more time to read. While ebooks have made it easy to carry a large number of books on your phone or other mobile device, the challenge of finding enough time to read still remains. That is where audiobooks come in. These have been around for a long time (remember books on tape?) but it’s only recently that the ease and cost-effectiveness of digital access has made them even more popular. For people who are always on the go or multi-tasking, like the busy mom of today, audiobooks can be a godsend. Now a busy mom can easily ‘read’ her favorite book on her phone while running errands or driving kids all around town.

A great place to get your hands on a large variety of audiobooks, from today’s best sellers to the classics, is audiobooks.com. Audiobooks.com is a subscription based streaming and downloadable service for audiobooks, delivering access on any internet-connected mobile device. They have over 100,000 titles available to subscribers, with new titles being added all the time. Now they want to share their great service on by making this Mother’s Day even more special for one of our amazing readers by offering 1 free title for three consecutive months:

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Product received, thank you to Audiobooks.com as well as the PR for supplying us with a product for this review, all opinions are our own.

#GIVEAWAY VIRTUOSO PLUSH BEARS WITH CLASSICAL MUSIC RECORDINGS, By VOSEGO

Children love music and we’ve seen a lot of articles lately highlighting the positive impact of music across the spectrum of child development: from creativity and language to math and spatial intelligence. One thing is for sure, we always relied on music to help soothe our children and we still play a favorite lullaby playlist while engaging in our nightly bedtime routine. Hence, we were excited to review the new Virtuoso Bear plush musical toys from Vosego. Two Virtuoso Bears are available, the original Amadeus and the newer Ludwig. Both are styled to resemble their namesakes Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig von Beethoven, as well as including 40 minutes of beautiful classical favorites (you can snag a nice 20% discount on purchase through Amazon till 7/20 on either bear by using the code BC8ZRS75).

We received the new Ludwig bear to review and I fell in love as soon as I saw this little cutie! I am literally hiding it from my youngest because I’m not ready to give it up yet, and he is a fiend for the loveys! In addition to being soft and cuddly, Ludwig plays seven tracks of well-loved music using an ingenious music device insert that can be easily removed and allows both volume control as well as song skipping with a few simple pushes of a single button (pressing the button twice quickly skips to the next song, holding the button down changes volume). I was a little skeptical of the design when I was assembling the music device, but it was really simple to use and easily activated by pushing on Ludwig’s tummy (or back, depending upon how you insert the music device). I love that you can adjust volume of the music without removing the music device, thought I might like to have a little bit softer setting for quiet times. 

The bear seems to have been designed for younger kids and the cute facial features are embroidered (We never liked buying ones with hard eyes or noses for our kids). I was, however, able to pull Ludwig’s neckerchief into a loop after tugging on it pretty aggressively, so I’d probably take that off for smaller kiddos. The music device requires 3 AAA batteries (not included) that were easily installed using a Phillips screwdriver. All in all, I really love this Virtuoso Bear and look forward to adding snuggles with Ludwig to our nightly bedtime routine.

To share in the joy of having one of theses cute musical bears to enjoy with your little ones, the wonderful people at Vosego would like to give one of our amazing readers your choice of a Virtuoso Bear:

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Product received, thank you to Vosego as well as the PR for supplying us with a product for this review, all opinions are our own.

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#Giveaway Thomas & Friends Wooden Toys Prize Pack from Mattel

When it comes to my kids and finding those toys they enjoy playing with, I have learned that with my youngest son, he adores anything that has to do with trains. From his fascination with watching trains go by, to his collection of toy trains and sets he enjoys playing with on his train table, we have learned that when we are seeking a toy to keep him engaged with, trains can be exactly what he wants! With that said, my little guy not only likes watching big trains and playing with toy trains but also watching the Thomas & Friends movies. So when we were sent a collection of the new, Thomas & Friends Wooden Toys to review from Mattel, we were excited to check them out and share with our readers.

With the new Thomas & Friends wooden toys, we get a great selection of easy to build tracks that with the trains included, along with others we can add to our sets, can ride along on. We get universal connectors with each track, allowing them to fit together every time, which allows my son to put the tracks together easily, over and over again and enjoy independent play. I also like that aside from the ease of setting up the tracks, that the wood is made from sustainable beech wood, which gives us that classic look from the play sets we enjoyed when we were kids, with a more modernized material!

The sets we were sent include:

Thomas & Friends™ Wood Racing Figure-8 Set (FHM65)

SRP: $39.99 | Ages 3+

• Redesigned with kid-friendly, easy-to-build track and made with sustainably sourced wood, this Figure-8 Set has a unique connector design so there's no wrong way to build!
• Kids can race, help the Mayor ride along in Bertie, raise and lower the drawbridge, and move the crossing gates, just like a real railway. 
• Includes Thomas, Bertie the bus, plastic poseable figure, 2 track adaptors, full figure-8 track layout with station, accessory piece, crossing gates and drawbridge

Thomas & Friends™ Wood Lift & Load Cargo Set (FHM66)

 SRP: $69.99 | Ages 3Y+ 

• Redesigned with kid-friendly, easy-to-build track and made with sustainably sourced wood, the Lift & Load Cargo Set encourages kids to build by themselves as they load and unload cargo
• Poseable Charlie figure can sit in the sliding crane and lift and lower the cargo pieces 
• Magnet connectors allow connection of trains to other trains and cargo cars
• Includes Charlie, 2 Troublesome Trucks, 2 cargo pieces, 2 track adaptors, and track layout with transfer crane, cargo loading station, ramps, and 4-way crossing with knob to switch the train's direction

 

Thomas & Friends™ Wood Engines

SRP: $10.99 | Ages 2+ 

• Encourage imaginative play with the iconic, redesigned Thomas & Friends™ Wood toy engines, compatible with redesigned track and classic Thomas & Friends™ Wooden Railway track (sold separately and subject to availability)
• Premium, high-quality construction, made with sustainably sourced wood
• Collect Thomas and all his friends, including:

• Thomas & Friends™ Wood Thomas (FHM16)
• Thomas & Friends™ Wood Rosie (FHM19)

Then when it comes to the tracks and the possibilities of what my son can build, we like that we can not only build by following the ideas included with the track sets, but also recreate scenes from the shows and movies and even make fun stunt tracks like the one in the video above. Where my son can follow along and build tracks that his trains can race down, jump across and more! Making the new Thomas & Friends Wooden Toys that you can find from Mattel, a great selection that any Thomas & Friends fan will enjoy having and playing with over and over again! And to help with bringing that Thomas & Friends track building fun home for your little ones, the wonderful people from Mattel would like to give one of my amazing readers their own Thomas & Friends Wooden Toys prize pack!

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Product received, thank you to Mattel as well as the PR for supplying me with a product for this review, all opinions are my own.