|
|
By Stacey, on November 29th, 2011
I love toys that can also teach my girls something. The Lamaze Cowgirl Carly Activity Doll helps toddlers and young children develope their fine motor skill development through play: your little one can help Carly button her vest, tie her scarf, buckle her belt, zip up one boot or fasten the other boot. I remember looking high and low for a doll like this when Ashlyn was a year old, so I’m excited that Rowan can have one of her own! Recommended for ages 18 months and up, it retails for the suggested price of $24.99.
Learning to share is an ongoing battle in our house, so it’s nice when a toy is big enough that more than one child can play with it at the same time! Chuggington is still a a big deal in our house, and I’m excited to see that Learning Curve‘s Chuggington Interactive Railway All Around Chuggington Set has been voted a Hot 20 Toy by the Toy Insider!
Featuring 60 total pieces, this set features a 3 ft. layout with a spiral elevation and includes three Interactive train stops (a loading yard, a tower platform, and a roundhouse ), an Interactive Wilson engine and an Interactive Vee figure. We love the SmartTalk technology from Chuggington Interactive Railway Wash & Fuel starter set review and I’m looking forward to setting up both Chuggington sets to see how they interact, especially Wilson and Brewster!
The Chuggington Interactive Railway All Around Chuggington Set features more than 250 sounds and phrases, and the batteries are included, which is a huge bonus for a toy that would make a great present. The Chuggington Interactive Railway All Around Chuggington Set is recommended for children aged 3 years and up and is available at Toys R Us for the suggested retail price of $69.99!
One lucky reader will win a Chuggington Interactive Railway All Around Chuggington Set from Learning Curve!
To enter, look around Learning Curve and tell me what else you’d like to give a special someone this holiday season (required).
For additional entries (leave a separate comment here for each):
-
Follow me with Google Friend Connect (there’s a link on the left side bar)
-
Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email
-
“Like” Not Just Baby Brain on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial in your comment so I can find you, please)
- Share this post on Facebook
-
-
Grab my button for your blog and leave a link in your comment
-
Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in your comment
Contest closes DECEMBER 13 @ 10pm EST; open to US and CANADIAN RESIDENTS only.
Please make sure that your profile is public or leave me your email address in each entry so I have a way to contact you. I will use And The Winner Is… to chose the winner and email them. The winner will have 72 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!
By Stacey, on November 27th, 2011
All Ashlyn wants for Christmas this year is a new baby doll. She even worked up the nerve to ask Santa for one in person, only to find out that she has to wait for Christmas Day to get it!
I received the Little Mommy™ My Very Real Baby™ Doll from Mattel to review and I know Ashlyn is going to love it when she opens it! For ages 2 and up, this little doll has all sorts of features that will make my little girl feel like a ‘little mommy’. The doll says a number of phrases, including asking for her bear and for her mommy to fix her booboo. She can also open her arms wide to show just how much she loves you, and her hands hold her popsickle, which even turns her little tongue green!
I have played with tested this doll out and it’s really impressive! My 2.5 year old will love that her baby’s eyes close when she lies down and that the Little Mommy™ My Very Real Baby™ Doll is so cuddly and easy to carry around. I particularly like that it comes with batteries (so there won’t be a Christmas Day panic when Ashlyn opens her up and then we have to find a way to make her work) and that there is an on/off switch so that Ashlyn can play with her quietly when her baby sister is sleeping. Plus, she comes in a sweet purple outfit, which just happens to be my little girl’s favourite colour these days.
You get a doll, juice pop, bear, ”bandage”, wiping cloth, bowl and spoon accessory pieces for the suggested retail price of $74.99. You can find the Little Mommy™ My Very Real Baby™ Doll at major retails in Canada and the USA, or you can purchase it directly from Mattel.
By Stacey, on November 25th, 2011
This is the first year that Ashlyn has been old enough to begin to understand the magic of Santa. We took her to get her picture taken with Santa on Wednesday, and once she worked up the nerve to actually talk to him she was a little put out that she asked Santa very politely for a new baby doll and didn’t get it right then and there.
Merry Mailbox is an Etsy store that lets your child receive a personalized letter from Santa! All you have to do is answer some questions and Santa’s speical helper Marissa passes along all of the information. The letter comes in an outer envelope address to Mommy or Daddy, and inside is a special envelope just for your little one!
I gave Ashlyn her personalized letter from Santa Claus this morning, so that Santa would have had enough time to send it after our visit this week. Ashlyn loved opening her own envelope and she loved hearing all of the little details about her life (our cat’s name, what a wonderful big sister she is – Santa even mentioned her closest friends by name!) that are all throughout the letter. She was thrilled that Santa included some stickers for her too.
This is a wonderful idea for any child who believes in the magic of Santa! There is also a letter specific to baby’s first Christmas, and a religious letter from Santa if you’d prefer that to be the focus of the season.
One lucky reader will win a personalized letter from Santa from Merry Mailbox!
To enter, tell me who you’d be sending this special letter to (required).
For additional entries (leave a separate comment here for each):
-
Follow me with Google Friend Connect (there’s a link on the left side bar)
-
Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email
-
“Like” Merry Mailbox on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial in your comment so I can find you, please)
-
“Like” Not Just Baby Brain on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial in your comment so I can find you, please)
- Share this post on Facebook
-
-
Follow @NotJstBabyBrain on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (RT 1x per day and leave me the link to your tweet in your comment) #Win #custom #Santa letter from @merrymailbox via @NotJstBabyBrain http://notjustbabybrain.com/?p=3317 #giveaway #Christmas #Etsy #kids #HGG
-
Grab my button for your blog and leave a link in your comment
-
Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in your comment
Contest closes DECEMBER 6 @ 10pm EST; open to US and CANADIAN RESIDENTS only.
Please make sure that your profile is public or leave me your email address in each entry so I have a way to contact you. I will use And The Winner Is… to chose the winner and email them. The winner will have 72 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!
By Stacey, on November 24th, 2011
One of my biggest pet peeves is trying to get, and keep, mittens on a baby during the winter. Ashlyn acted as though we were amputating her hands every time we tried to force those teeny baby mittens on her hands, and then she’d promptly manage to get the mittens off and her little hands would freeze. Luckily, we were in Vancouver at the time and it wasn’t very cold during the winter so she survived. Now that we’re in Ottawa, I knew that Rowan would require something better to keep her little hands warm and dry during the winter months.
Having worked with Stonz Wear last year on a review their Booties, I know that the quality of their products stands up over time. Rowan is already wearing Ashlyn’s hand-me-down booties and now she has a pair of Stonz Mittz in Polka Dot – Brown to complete her winter wardrobe.
 What makes Stonz Mittz different? Their features include:
- Two adjustable toggles ensure they stay on and keep the cold out!
- Extra-long wrists are designed to go over outerwear
- No thumb for sizes 0-24 months for ease of use and warmth, added thumb for sizes 2-7 years with an extra layer of protective rubberized fabric on the palm and thumb.
- Machine wash and dry, inside out on delicate.
- Made in Canada.
We chose size small (0-12 months) since Rowan is only 8 months old and they’re so much easier to put on than the other mittens we had lying around the house. I love that there are 2 toggles, so no snow/cold air will get in at the top, and her little hand will stay at the bottom right where it should be. No matter how hard she tries, she’s not wiggling out of these Mittz!
We had our first snowfall today and while Rowan didn’t get to play outside, her hands stayed toasty warm when we were out and about. Stonz Wear would be an excellent gift this holiday season, especially for the baby that has everything!
One lucky reader will win either a pair of Stonz Wear Booties OR Stonz Wear Mittz in their choice of colour and size!
To enter, look around Stonz Wear and tell me what you’d pick (required)!
For additional entries (leave a separate comment here for each):
-
Follow me with Google Friend Connect (there’s a link on the left side bar)
-
Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email
-
“Like” Not Just Baby Brain on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial in your comment so I can find you, please)
-
“Like” Stonz Wear on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial in your comment so I can find you, please)
- Share this post on Facebook
-
-
Follow @NotJstBabyBrain on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (RT 1x per day and leave me the link to your tweet in your comment) #Win @StonzWear booties or mittz via @NotJstBabyBrain http://notjustbabybrain.com/?p=3315 #baby #toddler #kids #winter #giveaway #HGG
-
Grab my button for your blog and leave a link in your comment
-
Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in your comment
Contest closes DECEMBER 8 @ 10pm EST; open to US and CANADIAN RESIDENTS only.
Please make sure that your profile is public or leave me your email address in each entry so I have a way to contact you. I will use And The Winner Is… to chose the winner and email them. The winner will have 72 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!
By Stacey, on November 23rd, 2011
I came home from a weekend away to find this little guy in my garden.
Ashlyn helped Daddy pick him out for me and I love him. Bring on the Christmas decorations!
By Stacey, on November 22nd, 2011
 It’s become an annual tradition (two years in a row makes something a tradition, right?) for some of my girlfriends and myself to meet at a B&B just outside of Edmonton for a weekend of scrapbooking, eating and catching up. We used to all live in the same small town in Alberta but now only one of us still lives there; the rest are at least still in the province.
Last year I was pregnant so I was able to have a much enjoyed break; this year I packed up all of my scrapbooking essentials, plus my clothes AND Rowan’s clothes and snacks and toys and diapers into one very large, VERY heavy bag and flew off for a girl’s weekend away with the baby in tow. Luckily, Rowan was a really good traveller overall and was very cooperative while we were there, so I actually got 8 pages done – that’s more than last year! – and had a wonderful visit with friends that I had been missing.
As we were leaving, one friend asked if I was going to blog about them. I said I would, then realized I had taken 1 picture the entire weekend – of Rowan on her first flight. I really should have taken a picture of all of the food, not to mention all of us hard at work! Oops. Instead, here are the layouts that I finished:
Now that I’ve gotten back into scrapping, and I got to play with lots of fun new things, I’m inspired to get my craft area in the basement all set up and to find a great store (or two!) in the Ottawa area that specialized in scrapbooking. If you know of one, or of a great online store, leave me a comment!
By Stacey, on November 18th, 2011
This recipe comes from my husband’s Gram. They are a tradition on his side of the family but for some reason, whenever my mother-in-law tried to make them they didn’t quite turn out right so unless Gram bakes and mails some goodies, they don’t get them. I was quite nervous to give them a shot last year but when I got the seal of approval from my husband, and then his mom and brother, I knew they’d become a tradition we’ll be passing along to our daughters too.
As a bonus, they freeze and mail very well!
MOLASSES COOKIES
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup milk with 1 tsp white vinegar in it to sour it (I think you could just use buttermilk but I haven’t tried it myself)
- 2 tsp baking soda (add this to the milk)
- 4 cups flour, plus more for rolling the dough out
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- jelly for the centres of the cookies (I used strawberry)
Directions
1. Mix together all of the ingredients and chill for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight. I usually make the dough at night and actually start baking the following afternoon or evening.
2. Heavily flour your rolling surface and rolling pin. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick – I do it in batches to make it easier. When the dough starts to stick, add more flour.
3. Cut dough into circles. I used a 2 inch cutter but you can also use a juice glass.
4. Use your thumb to make a slight indent in the top of the cookie and add about 1/8 tsp of jelly. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart of your cookie sheet because they will spread!
5. Bake at 350 °F for 13 minutes.
This is what they look like when they’re done; you can see how much they’ve puffed up and spread out.
This makes about 2 dozen cookies, depending on how thick you roll the dough and how big your cookie cutter is. Let them cool and enjoy!
By Stacey, on November 17th, 2011
I’m big on sending out Christmas cards to our families and friends and have done it for about 5 years now. I used to make them myself but I don’t have time to do that now if I want to send out more than 10! I love to send photo cards but I hate only having a few templates to chose from when I go to the big box stores, and I really hate when I end up sending the same card as some of my friends and family members.
I was offered the opportunity to try out Minted this year. I spent quite a bit of time looking around their many holiday cards and I really liked how easy the site is to navigate. You can easily sort by how many pictures you’d like on your card, and it shows what colours each card comes in at the bottom of the thumbnails.
Even better, if you click on “quick view” you can see how the card will actually look in each colour, instead of having to do all of the personalization first! Once you select a card, this is what you see.
I settled on the Warm and Fuzzy holiday photo card (above) and got to work. Uploading my pictures took no time at all, and you can upload multiple pictures at once, which is a huge time-saver. What I really liked was that you can switch between colour options on the same card and it keeps whatever pictures you’ve already selected instead of making you start over!
Once you’re done and you submit your order, they send you a digital proof to make sure that everything is just right. I got my proof less than 18 hours after I submitted it and I’m so excited to get them in the mail!
All pictures on the card were taken by Elizabeth Fulton Photography
The shipping to Canada is quite reasonable and mine should arrive late next week. As a special offer for my readers, Minted would like to offer a to receive 15% off your Minted holiday cards through 11/28/11 buy using the code READERS36!
By Stacey, on November 16th, 2011
 I’ve got 3 stockings to stuff this year and I’m on the lookout for all sorts of different things to make everyone happy! For Rowan, since she’s getting the hang of solid foods and drinking out of cups, there will be a Playtex® The First Lil’ GripperTM Straw Trainer Cup. Featuring a soft, flexible straw and sturdy handles on both sides, it’s easy for her to pick up and drink from already. I really appreciate that there is a sliding top so that it’s easy to travel with (I hate it when I lose the travel top to sippy cups) and that it is squeezable so you can get the water to the top of the straw to encourage the baby to drink from it when they’re just starting out and don’t have a clue what this cup is for. I’ve seen these cups all over the place, including Walmart and Loblaws.
Now that Ashlyn is getting older, we’re getting introduced to all sorts of new toys, including Kachooz! These are tiny fuzzy creatures whose hair goes wild when you spin your pencil between your hands. I’m thinking Ashlyn will love them when we introduce pencil crayons soon! They also have little loops hidden in their hair so they can be worn as necklaces, which I know she and her friends will love.
There are nine different moops (groups), including Mohawk (they have even more hair than the others) and rainbow. Kachooz! are available in both two and four packs, and range from $6.99 (2pk) to $10.99 (4pk). All Kachooz! products are available at Walmart, Toys “R” us and Loblaws.
What kinds of things are you putting in your kids’ stockings this year?
By Stacey, on November 15th, 2011
If you’re a regular reader, you know I’m a fan of NCircle Entertainment and I’m happy that they have 2 new winter-themed DVDs to kick off the holiday season!
In The Cat In The Hat Knows a lot About That: Told From the Cold, Nick, Sally and the Cat go on 4 wintery adventures. With stories about penguins, bears, and snow (oh my!), there are lots of fun songs and facts to learn. We don’t go on a road trip without a The Cat In The Hat Knows a lot About That DVD packed up so this will get lots of play during our busy holiday season!
Chloe from Chloe’s Winter Wonderland is a new character to our household. As soon as Ashlyn realized this movie was about a little girl (with the cutest accent!) who discovers magical new worlds while playing dress-up, she was sold! Chloe dresses up as an ice skater, a snow princess - this would be Ashlyn’s favourite, an ice hockey player and a snow skier.
You can find both movies at your local retailer, or at NCircle Entertainment for a suggested retail price of $9.99 each.
One lucky reader will win a copy of The Cat In The Hat Knows a lot About That: Told From the Cold and Chloe’s Winter Wonderland from NCircle!
To enter, tell me who you’d like to give these wintery DVDs to (required).
For additional entries (leave a separate comment here for each):
-
Follow me with Google Friend Connect (there’s a link on the left side bar)
-
Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email
-
“Like” Not Just Baby Brain on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial in your comment so I can find you, please)
-
“Like” NCircle Entertainment on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial in your comment so I can find you, please)
-
Share this post on Facebook
-
-
Follow @NotJstBabyBrain on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (RT 1x per day and leave me the link to your tweet in your comment) #Win #Winter #dvds from @NCircle via @NotJstBabyBrain http://notjustbabybrain.com/?p=3268 #giveaway #entertainment #kids #movies #HGG
-
Grab my button for your blog and leave a link in your comment
- Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in your comment
Contest closes NOVEMBER 30 @ 10pm EST; open to US and CANADIAN RESIDENTS only.
Please make sure that your profile is public or leave me your email address in each entry so I have a way to contact you. I will use And The Winner Is… to chose the winner and email them. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!
|
Coupon Codes Enter the code "BABYBRAIN15" at the checkout to save 15% off your Elephoto order!
Enter the code "Baby Brain" at the checkout to save $5 off your Momzelle order!
Enter the code "notjustbb20" at the checkout to save 20% off your Mixbook order!
Enter the code "BabyBrain2011" when you place your order on Second Peek Maternity Boutique to save 10%!
Enter the code "STMMMS73949" at the checkout to receive $10 off your purchase of My Memories Suite
Blogger To WordPress Switch & Blog Design By:
|
