I'm moving!

I have made a decision! I am shutting down operations here and moving my reviews and giveaways back to my main blog, so everything's all in the same place.

I am adding several new giveaways coming up, so please check Better in Bulk, the new Life is Sweet!

*Your Best Birth* Book Giveaway

*GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED*
The winners have all been notified by email

No, I'm not making any announcements. No more babies for me (I am going to have to be hit over the head by an angel or something in order for me to go down that road again....). I loved having babies, but with my sciatica problems, my heart condition, my varicose veins.....my body has had enough. There are a few things I will miss about not having any more babies. I miss nursing them. I miss snuggling teeny babies and smelling their skin. And I regret the fact that I didn't learn about baby wearing (and wraps specifically) until my fifth. I'd love to go back and re-do a few things, and baby wearing is one of them.

I'd also like to re-do a few aspects of my birth experiences. Before KitKat was born in 1996, I was a very recent college grad with little money. I figured that I quick Saturday seminar would be plenty of preparation for the experience. KitKatcame right on her due date. My water broke around 3:00 the morning of Christmas Eve. 6 hours and one epidural later, she was born. I hated everything about the epidural. I felt like it ruined my birth experience (and, yes, it was an epidural-gone-bad....but that's another story).

Two and a half years later, I thought I was prepared. I had been through this before! Again, my water broke in the middle of the night. We headed to the hospital, determined not to have an epidural. The birth experience this time around was beautiful, but a little longer than the 1st. Everything went very well, even though I still needed pitocin to kick things up a pace.

I could keep going through all 5 birth stories, but I won't bore you with the details. All you need to know is that every time I went in to labor, I thought that THIS time would be teim that I would get to chose how it went. I would be in control. No longer would I have to wait around--I was going to get that pitocin as soon as I walked in. But there were always set-backs, and each labor was longer and harder than the last. I never did have an epidural again, but I wonder if I'd consider it if I were ever to get pregnant again.

I wish I had had a book like Your Best Birth (by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstien) in the beginning. Or even in the middle....There are so many birthing options, and one thing that really resonated with me in the book was the fact that we need to have a good attitude no matter what direction the experience takes. Knowledge and preparation can make such a huge difference in the perspective. This book is all about inspiring women to take back the birth experience, with practical advice, personal experiences, and crucial information.

Are you expecting....or do you know someone who is pregnant? Do you hope to be pregnant someday? This book is a must-read! And guess what? I have 5 copies to give away!

All you have to do to enter this giveaway is to comment about who this book would be for.

If you'd like extra entries, do any of the following:
*Follow me
*Tweet about this
*Blog about this
*Email your pregnant friends and send them here (cc me at lollislife at gmail)
*Tell me your birth stories (let's make it fun!)

This giveaway will end on Wednesday, June 3 at 11:00 pm EST. I will pick 5 winners, email them, and announce their names on this post. Please make sure you leave me an email if it is not accesible through your blog profile. Thanks!

Do-Over {Book Giveaway}

*CONTEST ENDED*

I recently received a new book, which just came out this month. What a fabulous idea for a book!

Do-Over!:
In which a forty-eight-year-old father of three returns to kindergarten, summer camp, the prom, and other embarrassments
by Robin Hemley

Here's what the back of the book says: "Robin Hemley's childhood made a wedgie of his memory, leaving him sore and embarrassed for over forty years. He was the most pitiful kindergartner, the least spirited summer camper, and dateless for prom. In fact, there's nary an event from his youth that couldn't use improvement. If only he could do them all over a few decades later, with an adult's wisdom, perspective, and giant-like height...

In the spirit of cult film classics like Billy Madison and Wet Hot American Summer, in DO-OVER! Hemley reencounters paper mache, revisits his childhood home, and finally attends the prom--bringing readers the thrill of recapturing a misspent youth and discovering what's most important: simple pleasures, second chances, and the forgotten joys of recess."

Who wouldn't love to be able to do-over a few things in their life? I think I might do over my hair style in 5th and 6th grade. And I might like to take back my freshman year of high school. There were a few things I'd love to do differently.

How would you like to own a copy of this brand new book? I have 5 copies to give away!
Just tell me what you would do over if you had the chance (this could get fun!). (this is your first entry)

For extra entries,
~tweet about this giveaway
~Follow me or my main blog, Life is Sweet
~Enter another one of my giveaways (listed in my right sidebar)

Contest ends on Monday, May 25 at 11:00 PM Eastern Time. Winners will be notified by email, so be sure you leave me a way to contact you. Good luck!

The winners are:
#25: Kelly
#20 jemscout425
#30 Samantha
#33 A reader
#7 Dina

Congrats!

Fancy Fortune Cookies Giveaway!!

*GIVEAWAY CLOSED*
The winner is comment #17, Leslie! Congrats!!

Today is your lucky day!

But....It was a sad day when I discovered that I would be out of town when the a certain package (from Fancy Fortune Cookies) was due to arrive. I called home to make sure that "someone responsible" (and I use that term loosely) would retrieve the package and put it up high where little hands would not get into it. I knew how my kids would react when they opened the package and found this:

Yeah, that's exactly how I thought they'd react. That's why we waited until I was back home to open the box.

But that's not all. We were also lucky enough to try some of these:

Not only do Fancy Fortune Cookies make an incredible Giant fortune cookie (the largest in America!--it's over one pound!) but they have flavored (regular-sized) fortune cookies as well as chocolate-dipped cookies. OK, I have to admit-when I heard the words "Chocolate dipped" I knew I was in trouble.

These are not your typical Take-out fortune cookies. They are a whole different animal. These cookies melt in your mouth, and the flavors are scrumptious!

In addition to lots of flavors, colors, and varieties, you can customize the messages inside. What a perfect party favor at a baby/bridal shower, birthday party, or wedding?!

I don't think I want to wait til my next big event. I want another box just to eat myself.

How would you like to try some Fancy Fortune Cookies for yourself? Did I already mention that today was your lucky day?

One of my readers will be indulging soon....and the best part? You get to pick what you'd like to try....the giant cookie, or a collection of the small flavored cookies!

All you have to do is tell me which you'd prefer: Giant cookies, or flavored little ones?

If you'd like more chances to win (and trust me, you DO!) you can do any of the following for extra entries:

*Follow me
*Tweet this giveaway (and leave me the link to your tweet)
*Blog about this giveaway (you get 3 entries for this! Just leave me 3 comments)
*Enter any of my other giveaways (tell me which one you've entered. See my right sidebar for contests)

This giveaway will end Wednesday, May 20 at 11:00 PM Eastern Time. Please leave an email so I can reach you (blogger profile email is ok). Good luck!

Kiss My Face Kids Collection Giveaway

*GIVEAWAY CLOSED* The winner is comment #41, ameloncalledhelen. Congrats!

Happy Endangered Species Day! (did you know May 15th was Endangered Species Day?)

Kiss My Face invites you to celebrate National Endangered Species Day by visiting Kiss My Face Kids Safari, where kids and parents can learn about endangered species and partake in great kid-friendly activities. They have coloring pages, videos and games (and really cute animals!). Kiss My Face launched the site to celebrate the launch of its collection for kids, which features endangered species like Terell the Tiger and Peter the Panda on its packaging. My favorite part of the website is the individual animal pages, which have videos of lives animals. My kids love watching them!

The kids’ bath collection packaging highlights various endangered species and provides facts and tidbits on each animal. Inside the bath products, parents will find products free of artificial colors, fragrances, parabens and SLS, and boasting natural ingredients such as Organic Green Tea Extract to protect against sun damage, Nettle Extract to stimulate hair growth and improve the condition of the scalp and Tea Tree Oil to kill germs.

Kiss My Face created the kids collection because they know parents want to teach their child/children on how to make good decisions naturally. Whether it is about what they eat, wear or put on their skin, today’s parents are teaching their kids the importance of choosing natural products whenever possible. Kiss My Face, a company that has believed in making natural products since they were founded in the 1980s, uses natural ingredients to create products that won’t harm the earth, or your skin! The packaging was designed to bring awareness of endangered species and the importance of making a conscious effort to help preserve the environments these animals live in, with the goal of getting these animals off the endangered species list one day.

Last week, Kiss My Face sent me the entire kids' collection. My first impression was that the smell (Orange U Smart) was fabulous! I love it! AJ's favorite product, hands down, was the whale soap. KitKat and Reese grabbed the lip balm right away, and I know that I'll have a few kids taking bubble baths this weekend.

The collection includes: bubble wash, detangler, foaming hand wash, foaming shampoo & body wash, shampoo & conditioner, lip balm, toothpaste, and a whale of a soap. Wow!

How would you like to win this entire collection?

Visit Kiss My Face's Kids Safari and tell me something that you learned or liked about the site. (this 1st entry is required)

For extra chances to win,

*Tweet about this giveaway (please leave link)
*Blog about this giveaway, with links to my blog and www.kissmyface.com/kids
*Enter any of my other giveaways (links on the upper right sidebar. Let me know which one(s) you've entered)
*Follow me here or at my main blog (http://1momof5.blogspot.com/)

This giveaway will end on Thursday, May 21 at 11:00 PM Eastern Time. I will pick a winner using Random.org. Make sure you leave me an email if your email is not in your blog profile. Thanks and good luck!

Sambucol Giveaway + 10 Tips to Boost Your Immunity!

**GIVEAWAY CLOSED**
Winner: comment #18, GAhome2mom!

With all of the talk about the Swine Flu the last few weeks, I was slightly unnerved to get on an airplane last weekend. But regardless of swine flus and other concerns, as a mother of 5 kids, I need to keep my immune system strong. A lot of junk comes through our house, and I am the one who has to be the nurse. Mommy doesn't get a day off to be sick.

I was intrigued when I heard about Sambucol.

Sambucol® is a unique black elderberry extract rich in immune supporting flavonoids.

Flavonoids are powerful, natural antioxidants that are thought to work to protect the body’s cells from the potential damage caused by free radicals.

Certain flavonoids – anthocyanins – are found primarily in the pigments of dark blue and deep purple fruits such as the black elderberry. It is these that have a remarkable ability to stimulate the body’s immune system.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the highest concentration of anthocyanins are found in black elderberries – nearly double the amount found in any other fruit.

The presence of these anthocyanins gives black elderberries twice the natural antioxidant capacity of blueberries and significantly more than cranberries.

*****

I also found this helpful list of tips for boosting immunity, and thought that I would share:
1. Get plenty of zzzzz's.
2. Stop, breathe, and relax.
3. Stop emailing and get social
4. Get moving!
5. Drink up (water!)
6. Have fun!
7. Be optimistic (Hello, Fishful Thinking!)
8. Snuggle up
9. Supplement your diet
10. Let there be light (open the curtains, step outside!)

***

I have been taking Sambucol as a dietary supplement for the last 2 weeks, and I have been very pleased. I've tried both the original formula liquid and the chewable tablets. I was happy to learn that Sambucol can be purchased at local pharmacies that are near me--like CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and online at drugstore.com. The great news is that I have two bottles to share: one 4 oz Original Formula liquid for adults ($14.99 value) and one 4 oz berry flavored liquid for Kids ($14.99 value).

To enter to win these supplements, visit Sambucolusa.com and tell me which product you would like to try (required entry).

To earn extra entries, do any of the following and leave a separate comment for each:
* Tell me how you are boosting your immunity
* Follow me, add my blog to your blog roll, or post my button on your blog
* Tweet about this giveaway (include link to your tweet)
* Stumble, kirtsy, or fave on technorati

This contest will end on Tuesday, May 19 at 10:00 PM Eastern Time. Please be sure that you leave an email for me to contact you (or have email enabled in your blogger profie). Good luck!

Florastor Kids Giveaway

*GIVEAWAY CLOSED*
Winner: comment #14, Dina

In every child there are billions of microorganisms that keep the intestines working properly. Some medicines, certain diseases, travel and stress can cause an upset of the balance of microorganisms in the body. Florastor® Kids promotes and maintains intestinal health and is safe to take with other medicines.

What is Florastor Kids?
Florastor Kids is a probiotic made of live freeze dried yeast cells of the species Saccharomyces boulardii lyo. The cells look like a powder which is then put into packets and sealed. Each packet of Florastor Kids has 250 mg of Saccharomyces boulardii lyo in it.

Why take Florastor®?

1. Florastor® is good for everyone - from infants to adults
2. Florastor® helps with your body’s ability to digest food. (Florastor® produces enzymes that help with the digestion of fat, protein and carbohydrate)†
3. Changes in diet and stress can cause a disturbance in your intestines. Florastor® helps maintain normal balance of the intestinal flora†
4. To maintain intestinal health†
5. To promote intestinal health even when traveling†
6. To protect your intestinal tract and keep your intestines healthy†

What does Florastor® do?

• Florastor® keeps the normal balance of micro-organisms in your intestines†
• Florastor® can be taken for more than 48 hours
• Ask your health care professional if Florastor® is right for you

_____________________________________________

Florsator Kids has sent me two boxes of their dietary supplement and a children's book, The Budding Boolees, (over $45 value) to give away to one of my readers! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me why you'd like to try Florastor!

To gain extra entries, leave an additional comment for each thing you do:
* Visit www.florastor.com and tell me one fact that you learned there that was not included in this post
* Follow me, add my blog to your blog roll, or post my button on your blog
* Tweet about this giveaway (include link to your tweet)
* Stumble, kirtsy, or fave on technorati

This giveaway will end on Tuesday, May 19 at 10:00 PM Eastern time. Please be sure that you leave an email for me to contact you (or have email enabled in your blogger profie). Good luck!

Everyone wins!

Photofiddle (the fantastic company I just did a review and giveaway for last week) just emailed me with this exciting news:
If you email them at mom@photofiddle.com they will email them a $10 Photofiddle.com gift certificate. That's $10 just for sending an email!

This promo is running until May 4th and can be used with the discount code (enter the code sweet15 for a 15% discount on your order).

Photofiddle winner!

Martha at The Daily Grind (comment #44) was our Photofiddle giftcard winner! Congratulations, Martha! I think one of your weekly "best shots" will make a gorgeous canvas for your home!

Personalized Name Pillow Book Giveaway

This month, YouCanMakeThis.com is spotlighting one of their favorite books: Personalized Name Pillows. They sent me a copy of the book (pdf format, so I got it instantly through email!) and they offered to give a copy of this book to 2 of my readers!

Now, I haven't had a chance to make the pillows yet for my kids, but I did read through the entire book of instructions, and I couldn't believe how thorough and easy to understand the directions were! I am not a talented seamstress by any stretch of the imagination, and this looks like something even I could do. I am so excited to make one of these for each of my kids. I actually have a stack of fabric that has been waiting for me to find a purpose for. I think I'll let each child work with me to make their own pillow, and have them pick out the coordinating fabrics, to make it their "own."

How would you like this book? Simply leave a comment and tell me who you would make it for.



If you'd like extra chances to win, you can do any of the following (just leave a separate comment for each entry):

* Visit YouCanMakeThis.com and tell me something else you would like to make from their site (2 entries!)
* Follow me (Life is Sweet counts, too)
* Grab my button
* Add me to your blogroll
* Tweet about the contest (leave the link to your tweet)
* Blog about the giveaway
* Fave on Technorati, kirsty, or stumble

This giveaway ends Friday, May 8th at 10:00pm. Since this is an eBook, and will be sent via email, please make extra-sure that I have your email. Thanks and good luck!

Joolwe Winner!

Rachel at One Day at a Time is our Joolwe winner! Congratulations, Rachel!

Photofiddle $50 Giveaway

**GIVEAWAY CLOSED**

If you've been to my house lately, you've seen my new, beautiful canvas print of my family picture (does it look familiar?). If you haven't been over lately, I'm sorry. You're welcome to come any time. Really.

Isn't this canvas wrap gorgeous? It was created at photofiddle.com. In case you've never heard of photofiddle, they are a fun and useful website that takes your picture and turn it into a work of art. Check out their gallery and see what some other people have done. I guarantee you will be inspired!

I found photofiddle very easy to use. I was able to see exactly how my picture was going to look with different effects, and once I submitted my photo, it was at my house before I knew it. I bumped the scroll of the Great Wall of China off my wall so that I could hang my canvas wrap as soon as I received it. The canvas is high quality and sturdy, and the colors are spot on.

Photofiddle.com has offered a $50 gift certificate for one of my readers! This is a perfect gift for Mother's Day (either as a gift to yourself or for your mom). Here's what you can do for a chance to win the $50 gift certificate to make your own canvas wall art:

To enter: Tell me what photo you'd like to turn into a canvas wrap. Simple!

**For a second entry, Visit Photofiddle.com and tell me what design style you would like to try out.**

And then all of the typical "extras" (remember to leave a separate comment for each entry).....
*Follow me (Life is Sweet counts, too!)
*Grab my button
*Add me to your blogroll
*Tweet about the contest (leave the link to your tweet)
*Blog about the giveaway
*Fave on Technorati, kirsty, or stumble

This contest will end on April 28 at 10:00 PM, which just happens to be my 14th anniversary. ;) I might wait til the next day to pick a winner. Make sure that you leave me an email so that I can contact you if you win. Good luck!

Also, if you don't win, you can still leave a winner....because photofiddle has offered ALL of my readers a 15% discount. All you have to do is add the code sweet15 to the promotion code box at checkout. Wow!

Joolwe Silver Necklace & Earring Giveaway!

*CLOSED*
I am back in business and ready for a new giveaway. Look what I have for you guys! These simply classic and simply stunning Sterling Silver and Cubic Zirconia necklace and studs from Joolwe! Aren't they pretty?

Joolwe has something for everyone, with stunning sterling silver pieces and gorgeous gold. They have a great selection of designer Elle jewelry, lots of CZ and sterling silver earrings and pendants, and they even has a blog! They have a bi-weekly jewelry giveaway for people who are signed up for their newsletter. WOW! Go check Joolwe out! PS--they've got a great Mother's Day sale going on, too!

Here are a few of my other favorite things from joolwe:


Would you like to own this CZ stud earring and pendant set? Here's what you can do to win it:

First: (required) Go to Joolwe.com and tell me in the comments what your favorite piece is.

For extra entries, you can do any of the following. Just leave me a separate comment telling me what you've done.

* Subscribe to the Joolwe newsletter (on the right side of the webpage)
* Follow me (here or at my main page, Life is Sweet, or both!)
* Add me to your blogroll
* Tweet this contest (please leave a link)
* Blog about this giveaway
* Stumble, fave on Technorati, or Kirtsy (leave your user name)
* Send me chocolate (I'm totally kidding. That would NOT get you an extra entry, but it would make me very happy!)

This giveaway will end on Thursday, April 23 at 10:00 pm Eastern time. Please leave me an email address if yours is not linked to your profile. The winner will be chosen on April 24th and will have 48 hours to contact me. Good luck!

How to Mess Up Your Child's Life Winners!

We have our 5 winners for How to Mess Up Your Child's Life! These women's kids don't know what gonna hit them! In an effort to get some sleep tonight, I am not linking to each of these blogs, but you are welcome to scroll down to their comment #'s and visit the winners if you wish!

Emails have been sent to each of the winners. Ladies, please send me your addresses! Congrats!!

#24--Sharon
#21--Liane66
#35--Leslie
#14--Lady of Perpetual Chaos
#50--Marie

Pearl Bracelet Winners!

We have our 3 winners for the Pearl Bracelet giveaway from Cheerios! Random.org picked three numbers: 20, 1, and 35. (this is the 2nd time that comment #1 has won recently! Meet the winners:

1- Angie Marion of A Simple Kinda Life

Angie Marion said... 20

I faved this blog at technorati: pricousins

April 2, 2009 9:49 PM

2- Cari from Two Under Two, Whew!

Carebear said... 1

Ummm... wow. I read this scary statistic over at the Heart Truth (home of the red dress campaign): An astonishing 80 percent of women ages 40 to 60 have one or more risk factor for heart disease.

I don't have the risk factors of being a smoker, obesity, high blood pressure or cholesterol, but my diet is terrible and I don't exercise. I realize as I get closer to 40, I need to start taking better care of myself so that I can be here to enjoy my children, and hopefully grandchildren, as long as possible. Time to start the diet and exercise plan I've been putting off for, well, ever!

April 1, 2009 3:43 AM

3- Viv from And Now There Are 6

Viv said... 35

It is very important when things like heart diease run in your family. With soon to be four kids I need to think more about this NOW at age 31 and not wait until I am in my 40 and up and show signs!!!

April 8, 2009 3:08 PM

Congrats, ladies! Please send your address along to me!

Eco Store and Crayola Winners!

Cathy at In Search of the Best is our Crayola Gift pack winner! Congrats, Cathy! I know your SUnday school class will love these! Comment #41 was the winning comment, but I thought I'd also include Cathy's previous comment. :)

ProjectHope7 said... 40

What a great and constructive gift for the children for Easter! I actually am on rotation of teaching sunday school for Easter sunday, and our class could really use some new Crayola products... It would be awesome to be able to surprise the class with this great gift basket!They would love it
cathy b
projecthope7 at gmail dot com


cathy b

April 5, 2009 12:20 AM

ProjectHope7 said... 41

I follow you now! look forward to it.

cathy b
projecthope7 at gmail dot com
please feel free to stop by my blog too, its still a work in progress. I am working on 2 other blogs and a new design..

April 5, 2009 12:21 AM

*******************************************************************************************
Our Eco Store Winner was comment #7, Cheryl of Tidymom! Congrats, Cheryl! You will be even MORE tidy with these products! You'll have to let me know what you end up getting. :)

tidymom said... 7

I tweeted giveaway! http://twitter.com/Tidymom/statuses/1423911963

~TidyMom

March 31, 2009 8:14 AM

Emails are being sent. You have 48 hours, ladies!

Flirtbuttons and Country Bobs Winners Announced!

The winner of the Flirtbuttons pendant is........

Jessica from Duck Duck Cow! Congrats, Jessica!

Jessica G. said... 9

AND I already have your button up on my blog!

March 28, 2009 11:07 PM

And the 2 winners of Country Bob's Amazing All-purpose Sauce are:

1- Jennifer of Eighty MPH Mom! Congrats, Jennifer! It's cool when a fellow giveaway-sponsor wins!

Eighty MPH Mom said... 16

I am following you on this blog (new follower!)

April 2, 2009 10:52 PM

2- And Amy again! This is her second recent win on my blog. Congrats, Amy!

Tj and Amy said... 2

would love to try the slow cooker stew. amsbolda@hotmail.com

March 30, 2009 5:03 PM

Emails have been sent. I'll be looking forward to hearing from you ladies.

And for the rest of you, don't forget that I have giveaways ending everyday this week! Get a last entry in before it's too late!

Let Crayola Color Your Spring Giveaway!

Crayola is celebrating the spring season with a brand new Spring/Summer product lineup. Crayola’s new creative activities are inspiring children – from infants to tweens – to explore, discover and create everything imaginable.

With five kids (and five birthdays, and five times the holidays to find gifts for) it is tough for me to find gifts that are good quality, engaging, and a good value. My kids love to create, and Crayola products are an ideal way to find that balance between quality and value. But it’s not only price motivates people like me to buy Crayola – it’s also the belief that I'm providing my kids with the tools to power their imaginations and enable endless everyday play. No childhood is complete without a good collection of Crayola products, don't you think?

Take a look at some of the great things on their Spring/Summer product line-up. Each of these products are below $30, with the majority retailing below $10.

Crayola Beginnings Baby Slide & See is a magical way to introduce babies to their first coloring experience. There are six pictures, each representing a different color, and by simply pulling the tab, baby can “color” the black and white images. For children 6 months and up; suggested retail price is $9.99.




Crayola Beginnings TaDoodles Ta-Doodler is a soft and cuddly bear buddy that becomes a canvas for your child’s imagination. It comes with three TaDoodles Crayon Buddies, allowing toddlers to scribble away on the light-up tummy or anywhere else on the washable bear. With one quick swipe of a damp cloth, the scribbles disappear and the “TaDoodling” fun can start again! Two different musical modes set the tone for different activities -- a lively tempo for coloring and creating, and a slower, soothing melody for quiet time. For children 18 months and up; suggested retail price is $29.99.

Crayola Beginnings Tub Time Tracers bring colorful, creative fun to toddler’s bath time. These nontoxic washable crayons wash away from walls when bath time is done. Washable stencils can be used for tracing or play. Tub Crayons and stencils float for even more colorful bath time fun! For children 18 months and up; suggested retail price is $7.99.




Color Surge Camp Rock gives fans of the hit Disney movie a chance to put their favorite stars in a spotlight of brilliant colors with colors like “amped-up apricot” and “high voltage violet” when Color Surge markers meet the super bright paper. For children 6 and up; suggested retail price is $7.99.




Crayola Sidewalk Crayons offer kids more than pretty pastels to create outdoor masterpieces. Once reserved for bringing coloring books to life, this new technology offers the richest, brightest, boldest colors for creating extraordinary outdoor artwork. The difference is striking, as the smooth, creamy colors lay down on driveways and sidewalks with unmatched brightness. For children 4 and up, suggested retail price is $4.99 for a set of 15 colors.

Pip-Squeaks Colored pencils may be smaller than their full-size Crayola counterparts, but they pack a big punch of bold color that inspires kids to travel wherever their creativity takes them. Whimsical color names like “blue suede shoes,” “goldfish” and “wacky watermelon” give children the opportunity to put their huge imaginations to paper. For children 4 and up; suggested retail price is $4.99 for the 18-ct.






Pip-Squeaks Glitter Glue is the perfect compact size for jazzing up art projects with bright, bold shimmering colors. With 16 whimsical shades, there’s always a hue that will do. For children 4 and up; suggested retail price is $4.99 for a set of 16.







Crayola Color Switchers are dual-ended markers that allow kids to magically change the colors of their drawings with a swoosh of the “color switch” tip. Each Color Switcher features a broadline marker on one side and a clear-ink tip marker on the other. The clear ends reveal their true colors when kids color over the marks they’ve made. Kids can draw a red house with one end of the marker and then switch sides to add yellow windows. For children 6 and up; suggested retail price is $4.99 for a set of 6 dual-ended Color Switchers markers.


Crayola Window Crayons are creamy, colorful drawing tools that let kids transform car windows, mirrors and other glass surfaces into instant decorations. Their bright, bold colors lay down smoothly and dry quickly without smudging. And when it’s time to redecorate, colors wipe clean with a damp cloth. Crayola Window crayons will keep kids’ creativity flowing with endless options for coloring and drawing on any glass surface. For children 6 and up; suggested retail price is $5.99.


For additional information and ideas for great creative activities you can do with your children, visit www.crayola.com.

*******************************************************************************************

Crayola has generously offered this entire line-up (with an estimated retail value of $80!) to one of my readers. Not only will the winner get this incredible set of Crayola products, but they will be over-nighted to you so that they arrive before Easter! How great would these be inside an Easter basket?
If you would like to win this set, simply leave a comment on this post.

If you'd like an extra entry or two, feel free to *Blog it, *Tweet it, *Follow me, *Grab a button, *Stumble, *Add to Technorati, or *Kirtsy.

***

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (no PO boxes, please), and will end on Tuesday, April 7 at 10:00pm EST. Winner will be chosen with random.org's widget and will announced on the 8th. They will have 24 hours to get their info to me (this is shorter than usual because Crayola would like to ship these out before the holiday weekend). If the winner doesn't respond, I will have to pick another number. Good luck!

Yanni Voices

I was stunned when I popped Yanni's new CD, Yanni Voices in the stereo for the first time. It was nothing like I had expected. The music is breathtaking, relaxing and invigorating at the same time. There is life in this music.

***

"The recording of a piece of music is like a still photograph of the ocean.It's like looking at it frozen in time. Music is not like that. In real life, music is liquid. It's forever changing, forever evolving." ~Yanni

***

Yanni Voices is his first studio album in 6 years, and his first album to prominently feature lyrics and vocals in his classic compositions. He assembled a talented group of vocalists to come together in this CD--Nathan Pacheco, Chloe, Ender Thomas, and Leslie Mills. Each one is talented, and I don't think I can pick a favorite voice.

For the first time in five years, Yanni is returning to the stage in April to launch an incredible world tour featuring 50+stops throughout the US including Orlando, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and more!

Performances by Yanni, his world-renowned orchestra, and the four new talents from YANNI VOICES promise an AMAZING SHOW! Get your tickets now!

Thanks to One2One Network for the opportunity to try out this great music from Yanni!

It's Hip Hop, Baby!

Recently, we received a brand new DVD called It's Hip Hop Baby!: Rockin' Dance Party!. Visit their website, It'sHipHopBaby.com and see what people are saying about this fun and energetic new DVD series for kids.

It's Hip Hop Baby! is a new children's DVD series for ages 2 to 6. These videos educate toddlers and preschoolers with fun child-friendly hip hop music. Children and even babies will want to move and groove and dance to the fun rhythms and beats in this educational DVD. There are several learning tools to help children of all ages and ethnic backgrounds learn key developmental concepts at an early age.

Here's the deal. When I played it at my house the interest was kind of so-so. I wasn't sure what I would say about it in the review. Could it be that AJ has never heard hip hop music and simply prefers the sound of Mamma Mia or the Dixie Chicks? Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that he's the youngest of 5 kids and has gotten accustomed to watching a more sophisticated kind of movie?

I decided to try the DVD out on my niece, who is 2 1/2 years old.

What a difference! She did not want the DVD to end! She was instantly hooked on the screen and even tried singing along with the music first time around. Here's a picture of the kids watching the video. NO joke!

So, the point is that everyone (even kids) have preferences. This was a hit with my 2 1/2 year old niece but just so-so with my 3 1/2 year old AJ. I'd say, check out the website and see what you think! It's available on Amazon.com right now for a GREAT price (only $7.99 new!). There are several fun topics in the series. Which one would your kids prefer?