About My Living Stories
Upon downloading some of the books that My Living Stories offers, Chan was excited to try them out. They are extremely easy to navigate. Simply click on the app, choose your language (English or French), and play the story. Once you play the story, you can also choose to play it with music only, (for older kids who can read), or with the narration. One feature that I found really fun, was the ability to record your own voice and use it as the narration. I recorded my voice on the princess and the pea, and it was fun and easy. Plus, it’s a voice that the boys recognize when they read the story. I also like that these books are interactive. With the simple touch of a screen, you can hear fun sound effects, depending on what is on the screen. Here is a short video of Chandler loading and reading Little Red Riding Hood.

The illustrations are beautiful, and at 99 cents a piece, they are definitely worth downloading from itunes for your iphone or ipod touch. My Living Stories offers these different books: Princess & the Pea, King Midas, The Tortoise & the Hare, Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. My kids definitely loved them, and as a parent I’m glad to know that these exist and to have them on my iphone. Books on the go have never been this easy!

Win It
One Babes and Kids reader will win a $25 itunes gift card

Here’s How to Enter: (This entry is mandatory)

• Tell me which story you or your child would like best

Additional Entries

• Tweet about this giveaway. (daily entry) – 2 entries
• Subscribe to my feed via e-mail – 2 entries
• Follow me – 2 entries
• Comment on any non giveaway post that you haven’t previously commented on – 2 entries
• Become a fan of Babes and Kids on Facebook – 2 entries

Please leave each entry as a separate comment. Contest is open to US & Canada residents and will end at 11:59 MST on August 4th. Winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning e-mail or prize will be forfeited and I will redraw. You may enter this contest on other blogs that are hosting it, but are only eligible to win 1 itunes gift card as part of the My Living Stories. So if you win on another blog, and I draw your name, I will redraw.

I am participating in the My Living Stories program by Mom Central on behalf of Decode Entertainment. I received 3 free apps and a gift card as a thank you for my participation.

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It’s Hot!

Taste Test
I already like the double churned ice cream. It’s rich yet light, and super tasty. Since I knew I liked the ice cream, I had high expectations of the bars. After drooling over the varieties at the store, I settle on the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwiches. Cookie dough is a favorite in this house, so I knew it would be the preference of everyone. As soon as my 2 year old saw the package he started saying. “Want nummies!” Smart boy, takes after his mom. Remember how I said I had high expectations? Consider them met. Smooth and Dreamy is the perfect name for these sandwiches. The cookies were soft, the ice cream was delicious and guess what? Only 160 calories, and 4 grams of fat. That’s for 2 cookies AND ice cream. These are little baby sized sandwiches either, they are a nice size and satisfy your sweet tooth. Next on the list? Triple Chocolate Chip bars.

Don’t they look heavenly? I have a craving, and I’m headed out the door soon to satisfy it.

Price: Around $3 for a 6 pack of bars/sandwiches

Where to Buy: A retailer near you.

Win It
Two Babes and Kids readers will win coupons for FREE Smooth & Dreamy Ice Cream bars and sandwiches.

Here’s How to Enter: (This entry is mandatory)

• Visit Breyer’s Smooth and Dreamy and let me know what kind looks good to you.  (Don’t blame me if you have a sudden urge to go to the store to try them out.  )

Additional Entries

• Tweet about this giveaway. (daily entry) – 2 entries
• Subscribe to my feed via e-mail – 2 entries
• Follow me – 2 entries
• Comment on any non giveaway post that you haven’t previously commented on – 2 entries
• Become a fan of Babes and Kids on Facebook – 2 entries

Please leave each entry as a separate comment. Contest is open to US residents and will end at 11:59 MST on August 9th. Winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning e-mail or prize will be forfeited and given away in a live giveaway.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Breyers and received products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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We all have something that we are passionate about, and what better way than to express it on our clothing! Recently I was given the opportunity to design a shirt through Fibers.com. You can shop for one of their graphic t-shirts or other apparel, or design your own custom t-shirts.

From their website:

About Fibers.com

Fibers.com is an innovative website that gives site users the opportunity to design and order customized products, such as t-shirts, hoodies, and a variety of other clothing items. With our revolutionary technology, each and every design on the site is customizable, allowing you the freedom to go with your creative vision. From editing text and changing the image design and colors to resizing images and switching around elements, you can create a truly unique look for your desired product.

Headquartered in Sacramento, California, the Fibers.com team is a passionate group of artists, developers and creative minds who are crazy  about self-expression and strive to create an experience for customers that offers the ultimate in product customization.

• No minimum order
• Complete freedom in customization
• Top-quality products
• Unlimited printing colors
• Quick turnaround, usually within 3 days.
• 40+ products in over 200 color combinations
• Apparel sizes from Infant to 5X
• 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

I set about creating a t-shirt for my daughter who is a competitive swimmer. She is very passionate about swimming and likes to express her love for the sport on clothing and swim caps! This was very easy,  we were going to design a swim shirt! The hard part was having such a huge option to choose from.  After narrowing it down to a graphic print and a font size and type, this is what I came up with:

My daughter loves it! We ordered an XS  in women’s and it was true to size.  I was impressed with the final product.

Pros: Website was quite easy to navigate. I found it easy to cut and paste the desired text, desired font and graphic image onto the t-shirt. You can move the words and pictures around online so they lay on a particular part of your garment as well as change the size of the image and font. When the t-shirt arrived, the images and font were exactly where I laid them out while designing it online. That, I was quite impressed with. After placing the order, it arrived quite quickly in the mail, which was also a pleasant surprise. The quality of the t-shirt and the quality of the printed graphic seems to be quite good.

T-shirt was true to size. My daughter is 5’4” and wears an XS in women’s or Jr.s. The t-shirt fit perfectly when it arrived. The t-shirt is 100% cotton, so I will be interested to see how or if there is much shrinkage.

Cons: The only cons that I could come up with was that it may seem a bit pricey. However, we attend many swim meets where there is a screen printing booth set up so you can have a customized article of clothing from that swim meet. I found that the prices at Fiber.com were comparable to what I would pay for a custom graphics t-shirt at a meet. Perhaps a bit less!

Overall, they have good products and a good company that stands behind what they say. I would order from them again.  They also have some ideas for shirts that you may want to check out like the I Heart Shirts, or Vintage T-Shirts.

Price: Items start at around $15.99 and go up from there, depending on the customization of your product.

Where to Buy: Fibers.com

Win It
One Babes and Kids reader will win a $25 Gift Certificate to Fibers

Here’s How to Enter: (This entry is mandatory)

• Tell me something you love and a t-shirt that you would wear everywhere representing it.  For example, it would be a shirt that says, “I love  _____”  and you fill in the blank.  Mine might say running, my kids, or blogging to name a few.

Additional Entries

• Tweet about this giveaway. – 2 entries
• Follow Fibers on Twitter – 2 entries
• Subscribe to my feed via e-mail – 2 entries
• Follow me (google friend connect) – 2 entries
• Comment on any non giveaway post that you haven’t previously commented on – 2 entrie
• Like Babes and Kids on Facebook – 2 entries
• Friend Fibers on Facebook – 2 entries

Please leave each entry as a separate comment. Contest is open to US residents and will end at 11:59 MST on August 7th. Winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning e-mail or prize will be forfeited and given away in a live giveaway.

The product reviewed in this article was a sample provided to me by the company or PR representative. These views and opinions are my own and I was not compensated by this review.

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Pros: The ladies swimwear line this summer is nothing short of adorable. Polka dots, wide stripes, florals, and colors that pop. I honestly had a hard time choosing which one I liked best, but in the end settled on the Riviera Tank, and Malibu Swim Skirt, both in taffy stripe.

Not sure what size to order, I ordered a small. After getting it, I realized I needed more room around the ribcage and bust, so I traded it for a medium. This is honestly one of the best lined swimsuits I’ve ever had. Right now I have 5 different swim suits that I alternate between. I know that seems like a lot, but we are headed to the Bahamas in December, and a girl can never have too many swimsuits, right?   The top is lined with a very soft thick material and really helps with tummy control. My tummy is definitely my problem area. I attribute this to having kids, so anything that helps pull it in, I like.  The lining is also super important because the base color of the swimsuit is white. We all know what wet white swimsuits can mean. Not with this one. As I mentioned before, it’s lined really well.  The Rivera tank also has nice support through the bust area, and has removable bra pads. I really like the vertical stripe on this suit, it’s slimming and the colors are adorable.

As far as the swim skirt goes, it’s definitely used for a coverup. The fit is really cute and flattering, but it does not have a built in bottom, so you need to purchase different bottoms.

Cons: When I first ordered the size small, I got the Waikiki Bikini instead of the swim skirt. It was a bit on the small side, but it didn’t have the stitching along the outer edge of the bottom. Because it didn’t have this, I felt like it was more likely to ride because it was completely slick against the skin. When I talk about stitching, I mean something like what is pictured below. This is actually on the tankini top part. I think this would be a nice improvement.

I’d also like to see swim skirts offered with a bottom sewn in. That way you could have the coverage of the skirt when you swim without having to use it as just a coverup.

Overall, the swim line is priced very competitively and is awesome quality. Although this post is focusing on the swim line, I wanted to point out a few of my other favorites that I’ve purchased and loved from DownEast Basics. I have this Samba Skirt in white and love it’s versatility. It is that perfect knee length and you may have seen me wear it to The Jensen Project when I went to Austin last month.

Another favorite? The Heart Throb short. They are knee length, have an adorable wash and are a staple in my wardrobe. I wear them a couple times a week.

And one last thing that I am planning on ordering…I’ve had my eye on it – The Window Shop Top. The pattern is adorable, and details are great as well.

Price: Swimwear starts at just $22.99 per piece.  (I noticed right now swimwear separates are 25% off by entering SUNSHINE at checkout.)

Where to Buy: DownEast Basics

Win It
One Babes and Kids reader will win a swimsuit from DownEast Basics

Here’s How to Enter: (This entry is mandatory)

• Visit DownEast Basics and tell me which swimsuit you would choose if you won.

Additional Entries

• Tweet about this giveaway. – 2 entries
• Subscribe to my feed via e-mail – 2 entries
• Follow me – 2 entries
• Comment on any non giveaway post that you haven’t previously commented on – 2 entries
• Become a fan of Babes and Kids on Facebook – 2 entries
• Become a fan of DownEast Basics on Facebook – 2 entries
• Leave a comment on DownEast Basics Facebook page (after liking it), and tell them Tiff @ Babes and Kids sent you! – 2 entries

Please leave each entry as a separate comment. Contest is open to US residents and will end at 11:59 MST on August 3rd. Winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning e-mail or prize will be forfeited and given away in a live giveaway.

The product reviewed in this article was a sample provided to me by the company or PR representative. These views and opinions are my own and I was not compensated by this review.

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Pros: As I mentioned above, this camera is tough. It’s been thrown around and dropped, yet it still works. It has a 1.5 inch screen where you can view pictures, take pictures of your subject, or change functions. Your child can also look through the view finder to take a picture, but neither of my boys used the view finder when taking pictures.

It’s quite user friendly, and only has three buttons. The on/off button is on the left, and the playback, flash, scroll buttons are on the right. The camera makes a sound to let you know it is on, and then you simply look at the screen and take a picture. After each picture, the camera tells you things like, “Great shot!” This was really cute at first, and Chan would come show me the pictures that he had taken.
The resolution goes from 640×480 to 1600×1280. There are actually 3 different settings, and you can change the resolution by using the function that shows stars. One star means it is on the lowest resolution, 2 stars, middle, and 3 stars means it is the highest resolution. We kept it on the lowest resolution, because if you do this, you are able to take a couple hundred pictures. This is great for kids, because the more pictures it can hold, the better. My boys have been taking a LOT of pictures.

The overall look and feel of the camera is also great for kids. It’s not so big to be obnoxious, but big enough for small hands to grip. This camera also incorporates a flash. While I think a flash is a great idea, it tends to expose the subject a little too much, and results in pictures that look white or washed out. You can see that in the example above. However, the pictures are quite nice when you are outside in a natural light.

As good as you can get with a 2.1 megapixel camera that is meant for kids anyway.  And really, kids don’t care about quality that much I’ve noticed.  Chandler especially is proud of the pictures he takes regardless of how they look.

The camera is battery operated, but powers off by itself after a minute or two of not being in use. This is a nice feature because your batteries will last longer. This LeapFrog camera also comes with software that is great for basic editing.

Cons: As mentioned above, the flash overexposes subjects. The pictures that I had posted above with the flash used were very typical of any that we took. I tried them in different lighting, etc, but the flash always made the pictures look really horrible. Because it doesn’t really serve a purpose, I think it might be a good change just to not have a flash at all on this camera.
Another thing that I felt somewhat annoying was the sounds. It does praise your child by saying “Great Shot!” And says things like “Goodbye!” when the camera is powering off. You are able to turn the sound off, but if your child turns the camera off and then back on again, it’s those loud sounds again. I feel it would be better served to have an actual switch on the camera like many toys do that will turn the sound on and off. I know I would definitely appreciate this as a parent.

The software that the camera comes with really doesn’t do very much. You can change up the pictures just a little bit with color, special effects, and erasers, but I would love to see more incorporated such as scenes and stickers. These are little improvements that I think would make the software more fun. I also was not able to actually install the software, but can access the program when I have the cd in my computer. I’m not sure if it is because we are operating on a mac, but I haven’t been able to put the software on my desktop, I have to have the cd in to use it.
My last complaint is the price point. Everywhere I’ve seen this camera, it retails for about $50. I think it’s a good digital camera for kids, but would be more likely to buy it if it was around the $30 price point.

Price: $49.99

Where to Buy: Toys R Us

Win It
One Babes and Kids reader will win a LeapFrog Talking Digital Camera

Here’s How to Enter: (This entry is mandatory)

• Tell me your favorite feature about this camera

Additional Entries

• Tweet about this giveaway. (daily entry) – 2 entries
• Subscribe to my feed via e-mail – 2 entries
• Follow me – 2 entries
• Comment on any non giveaway post that you haven’t previously commented on (unlimited) – 2 entries
• Become a fan of Babes and Kids on Facebook – 2 entries

Please leave each entry as a separate comment. Contest is open to US residents and will end at 11:59 MST on August 2nd. Winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning e-mail or prize will be forfeited and given away in a live giveaway.

The product reviewed in this article was a sample provided to me by the company or PR representative. These views and opinions are my own and I was not compensated by this review.

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A few weeks ago when the boys were out playing in their pool, Chandler told me he and his brother were frogs.  However, when they got into their pool they would turn back into boys.  Here they are in their frog pose.

The other day as I was putting my contacts in and Chandler was watching intently.  After a moment he said, “Mom, why you put diamonds in your eyes? I don’t want to have diamonds in my eyes.”

After chuckling to myself, I told him he didn’t have to. Now if only I DID have diamonds that size, I’d be rich.

My last story has to do with driving and happend a week or so ago. One day when getting in the car, Chandler had told his dad he wanted to drive. Hubby told him when he was 16 he could drive. Fast forward a week later: Chandler is buckling up and says,
“Mom, I’m 6 now.”
A bit baffled I say, “6, huh?”
He replies with, “Yep, and that’s almost old enough to drive.”

I feel like I’m not always good about writing down his funny sayings, but I really want to remember them.    I’m sure many other moms and dads feel the same way. I also find it humerous what other kids have to say. That’s where you come in!

CONTEST!
Submit the funny things your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, or other kids in your life say. You can enter daily to better your chances! Submission will end the 29th of July and 5 of the best comments/stories will be chosen. Only July 30 & 31st, there will be a voting period where you can decide on your favorite. The kids story or quote with the most votes wins! This month, you can enter to win a Scentsy Plugin system.  It includes a Scentsy Plugin warmer, and 3 scents of your choice. (ARV $25) So good luck! Enter those funny things your kids say, I’m excited to hear them.

This contest is just for fun, and is sponsored by…..me!

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About Fairytale Wishes Inc
From the Fairytale Wishes  Inc website;

All of the products at Fairytale Wishes, Inc. were conceived and developed by Mompreneur, Debbie Glickman. After searching for remedies to get her two young children to overcome common childhood anxieties such as sleeplessness, fear of monsters under the bed, separation issues etc., she developed a line of natural aromatherapy sprays that empower children to overcome these fears. Each bottle comes with a mini fairytale written by the Magic Fairytale Wishes Frog, Freddy, which explains why each particular scent will help them overcome their fear.

Pros: First off, I love mom inspired companies. I always have, and it’s amazing to me what moms are able to come up with. Over the past month, we’ve been trying out the sweet dreams spray. This spray is a lavender scent and is “magic.” It helps chase bad dreams away. It comes in a 4 ounce bottle, and has some glitter in it, which I think gives it that magic appeal.

I like the idea of spraying lavender on my boys pillows at night. Lavender is known to have soothing properties, and I use lavender often to help me wind down and sleep. The product comes in bottle that is easy to spray, and lasts a long time since it only takes a few pumps to chase those dreams away.
One nice touch about this company is the personalization. Chandler’s spray came with a letter, specifically to him. The bottle of spray also has a cute message from Freddy the Frog and is written just for a child.

Cons: While I think the glitter is a cute idea, it can rub off and get on other things. I felt like I’ve been washing Chandler’s pillowcase more often than I was before, and sometimes I notice glitter on his face. I think it would be nice to have the option of buying the spray without the glitter in it. I love using the lavender on his pillow, but I think he would think it was still magic, even without the glitter.
I’m also not sure that I would use this spray with Rowan, although I haven’t tried on his pillow. Because he is an asthmatic, I’m not sure if the glitter or lavender would be irritating to him. I really can’t say since I haven’t tried it on his pillow.

Price: $10.00

Where to Buy: Fairytale Wishes Inc

Win It
One Babes and Kids reader will win a Fairytale Wishes Inc Spray of their choice

Here’s How to Enter: (This entry is mandatory)

• Visit Fairytale Wishes and tell me which spray you would choose if you won.

Additional Entries

• Tweet about this giveaway. (daily entry) – 2 entries
• Subscribe to my feed via e-mail – 2 entries
• Follow me – 2 entries
• Comment on any non giveaway post that you haven’t previously commented on (unlimited) – 2 entries
• Become a fan of Babes and Kids on Facebook – 2 entries

Please leave each entry as a separate comment. Contest is open to US residents and will end at 11:59 MST on July 23rd. Winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning e-mail or prize will be forfeited and given away in a live giveaway.

The product reviewed in this article was a sample provided to me by the company or PR representative. These views and opinions are my own and I was not compensated by this review.

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Ocean Saline Nasal Spray
As I mentioned above, we always have a few bottles of Ocean around. Ocean Saline is very soothing to dry nasal passages, safe for frequent daily use, gentle enough for infants, non-medicated relief for stuff noses, relieves dryness from allergy, sinus and cold medications, and is a pharmaceutical grade quality.
I like that it is non medicated. I know that the medicated nasal sprays can become addictive, so it’s nice to know that you can use saline on a daily basis. Ocean Saline Nasal spray also comes in a for kids formula which includes a child sized nasal applicator.

Ocean Sinus Irrigation
Ocean also has a Sinus Irrigation Kit which I hadn’t heard of or used before, but I trusted that if it was from Ocean, it had to be good. The irrigation system as two actuator tips. One is for stream irrigation, and the other is for spray moisturizing. I feel like this system is a little more effective in actually cleaning out your sinuses than the original nasal spray which just moisturizes your nose. It comes in a 6 oz bottle and is great for clearing you out when you have a cold.

Canker Cover
On a little bit of a different note, another health help is Canker Cover. I used to get cankers all of the time when I was younger and had braces, but don’t get them very often now. Every once in a while, I will, but not often. Hubby gets them occasionally and had a really bad one last month. Because he had one, he was essentially the guinea pig for the Canker Cover. The cover is actually a small pill-shaped muco-adhesive patch. You put it in contact with the canker, and it makes a gel type patch to protect your canker so that it doesn’t rub and hurt. Hubby said it was a bit of a different feeling first, but definitely gave him relief from his cankers. Canker Cover is also made from natural ingredients including natural menthol, citrus oil and sea salt, which dissolves over time.

All products featured here can be purchased at supermarkets and drugstores nation wide.

Win It
One Babes and Kids reader will win Ocean Saline, the Irrigation System, and Canker Cover

Here’s How to Enter (mandatory)

• Tell me which product you are most interested in and why.

Additional Entries

• Tweet about this giveaway. (daily entry) – 2 entries
• Subscribe to my feed via e-mail – 2 entries
• Follow me – 2 entries
• Comment on any non giveaway post that you haven’t previously commented on – 2 entries
• Become a fan of Babes and Kids on Facebook – 2 entries
• Like Ocean on Facebook – 2 entries

Please leave each entry as a separate comment. Contest is open to US residents and will end at 11:59 MST on July 13th. Winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning e-mail or prize will be forfeited and given away in a live giveaway.

The product reviewed in this article was a sample provided to me by the company or PR representative. These views and opinions are my own and I was not compensated by this review.

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Fruit Roll Ups and Nature Valley
The fruit roll ups that we got are a lot more healthy than the original ones, which is encouraging for me to give to my kids. I’m definitely not a health nut, but try to make sensible choices in what works for our family and lifestyle and I think these fit in quite nicely. Simply Fruit Roll-Ups contain Vitamin C, are 90% fruit, have a full serving of fruit, are gluten free, and only 50 calories. They come in Strawberry and Wildberry flavors as well. My boys love the original fruit roll-ups, so I’m happy to report that these were a hit as well.

Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Bars are really delicious as well. This was my first time trying these, and they were super yummy. Rowan loves them too, and I actually had to put them in a place where he couldn’t get them all of the time because these are all he wants to eat. For a few days, he would bring me one of these bars at least 4 times throughout the day, even if he’d just had a big meal. Now they have 25% more almonds, peanuts, raisins and cranberries. They contain no artificial colors, are 140 calories, and contain 8 grams of whole grain per serving.

Costco offers these two varieties of snacks in large boxes which lasted us well over a month, and we at them almost daily. Plus, you are usually getting a better deal when you buy your snacks in bulk.

Win It
One Babes and Kids reader will win a Costco Sunny Days Prize Pack which includes: Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Bars (48 ct), Simply Fruit Roll-Ups (42 count), and a $25 gift card to use at Costco

Here’s How to Enter: (This entry is mandatory)

• Tell me a healthy snack you plan to stock up on for your next trip.

Additional Entries

• Tweet about this giveaway. (daily entry) – 2 entries
• Subscribe to my feed via e-mail – 2 entries
• Follow me – 2 entries
• Comment on any non giveaway post that you haven’t previously commented on – 2 entries
• Become a fan of Babes and Kids on Facebook – 2 entries

Please leave each entry as a separate comment. Contest is open to US residents and will end at 11:59 MST on July 7th. Winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning e-mail or prize will be forfeited and given away in a live giveaway.

Information, a Costco gift card, and samples of the snacks mentioned were all given to me from General Mills through MyBlogSpark as part of this campaign. They are also sponsoring the giveaway prize package. Opinions remain 100% mine.

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