Plan Toys from Ebeanstalk: Review

When the folks at Ebeanstalk offered to send me a toy to review I was intruiged. Because my kids? They are tough on toys.

Ebeanstalk is a really cool site that I was familiar with long before they ever contacted me to review toys. It has big selection of quality kids toys with unique things you won't find other places. The toy they ended up sending me, the Activity Bus from Plan Toys couldn't have been more perfect to send our way. And it was much needed on the day they sent it because it kept the girls busy and gave me no less than one full uninterrupted hour of peace. Perfection!

More and more I've been trying to buy old-fashioned toys. You know the kind. The ones made of wood with quality parts. Ones that don't require AAA batteries or complicated instructions to play with. Which is why I loved this toy.

Plan Toys are great because they're wood toys and incredibly well made. They're green, educational, and (most importantly) fun! The bus was adorable and turned into a classroom, too, so it was multi-functioning. It actually reminded me a lot of the Waldorf style toys (though more colorful) because it allowed for more imaginative play than some of the plastic loud sing-song toys that have only one way to play with them.

The girls loved the little people, the desks, and all the possibilities the bus offered. I loved that the toy was one I could feel good about the kids playing with. Actually, I'm anxiously waiting on them to add infant toys to their line so I can pick up a few for Trav to play with!

And Speaking of Dinosaurs...

**These pictures of the event brought to you by my fantastic 5-year-old blogging assistant, Kai.**

Though my girls already loooved them some Dinosaurs, our trip to Dinosaur World seemed to amp it up to another level. Which is why last weekend when we got the chance to take the girls out to Dinosaurs & Donuts to check out the exciting new things coming to GPB during Dinosaur Week (September 13th-18th) it was perfect timing!

We got a chance to screen the new show Dinosaur Train, from The Jim Henson Company, that will be debuting during Dinosaur Week. We're big fans of GPB anyways because they make me feel much less guilty about the time we do end up spending in front of the TV and my girls LOVED this newest show! If you've got kids who are into Dinosaurs in the least little bit you (and they) will be excited about this newest show. Be sure to check it out during Dinosaur Week at 9 AM and 10:30 AM and then at its regular time weekdays at 8:30 AM!

And if your kids are as into Dinosaurs as mine are, they'll love the upcoming Dinosaur Week because all their favorite shows will be featuring Dinosaur themed episodes. See what I mean? Educational and distracting enough that you can take a shower while you're kids are enjoying cartoons about their favorite subject. Thank you GPB. I might never be able to take a shower in peace and quiet if it weren't for your programming!

Thanks again to the folks at GPB for the chance to come out and have some fun while previewing this cool new show!

I'm Tackling a Mountain (of Laundry, that is) **Giveaway**

If there is one domestic chore I am terrible at staying on top of it's laundry. If I told you how many times I had to dig for clean clothes for every member of our family you would be horrified. Truly.

In fact, just this morning my husband scoured the house for a clean pair of khakis because I'd apparently forgotten to wash anything but dark clothes for the last, oh, 4 loads. True story.

And if you saw the mountain of clean clothes on top of the washer and dryer? Yeah, you'd probably think I'm the worst housewife ever. (And, I'm not sure you'd be too far from the truth.)

The thing is, I don't actually mind doing laundry. In fact, I like the actual process of washing/drying. But the putting away? That is the part that throws me off every time. And I end up dreading the putting away process so much that I avoid laundry altogether.

I'm trying to get better. Really. And today I'm tackling the laundry. All day. I'm not stopping until it's under control. But, I'm wondering if maybe you can help a girl out?

I just recently got a chance to try a bottle of Sun Burst Laundry Detergent to help me out in my laundry endeavors. And they want you to have a chance to try it, too!

First, though, I'll tell you a little bit about what I thought about it. My favorite thing about it? It's cheap. I mean, inexpensive. Because I totally hate spending money on soap. I mean, after all, isn't that literally throwing money down the drain? But I also hate clothes that don't smell/feel clean. So, when I discovered that this stuff did a great job, smelled good, and was super cheap? I was sold on it. It's even HE compatible which is awesome.

So, if you'd like to give it a try here's your chance. I've got 5 coupons good for one FREE 45.4 oz bottle of liquid detergent or one 49 oz box of powder detergent in any scent. And all you have to do to enter to win is help me with my laundry. No, really.

Leave me a comment below with your favorite and most helpful tip for getting laundry done or staying on top of laundry and you'll be entered to win!

So, go ahead, give me your best tips for controlling the laundry monster.

For more great projects, head over to Tackle it Tuesday at 5 Minutes for Mom!

***This giveaway (and all comments) will close Friday, July 10th at 2 p.m.***

Intelius Neighborhood Watch

Intelius and BlogHer offered me the chance to review the Intelius Neighborhood Watch service. Come over to Land of Lovings Reviews to see what I thought about it!

Read Me.

This week is apparently Read Me week here in the South which as far as I can tell is one whole week dedicated to reading books to your kids and helping them learn that reading is cool.

And since we're all about reading being cool here in the Land of Lovings I thought I'd spend the week reviewing a few of our favorite books for kids. Come by throughout the week and check out which books we're enjoying and leave suggestions of your own favorites!

So, without further ado, our first selection for Read Me week is:

Junie B. Jones

I know these books are a bit controversial for some moms. Junie B. Jones is, after all, a bit of a troublesome little Kindergartener. But, as it just so happens, I have a soft spot in my heart for troublesome Kindergarteners so we quite enjoy these books.

Junie B. doesn't teach kids perfect grammar or manners. And she's a no wallflower, that's for sure. But, she's hilarious and adventurous and a hysterically funny read. Both Kai and Ivy are glued to the book series and look forward each night to seeing what crazy feat Junie B. will pull off next.

I'll even admit that there have been nights when I've read more chapters than I promised to read just because I'm curious to see what is going to happen next. Which is more than I can say for some of the other kid's chapter books we've read around here.

There are tons of books in the series for every occasion and the series is also available in box sets so I highly recommend picking one up and diving in to the crazy adventures of this even crazier kid!

Now it's your turn. What books are your kids (and you) enjoying?

The Skinny Nut. **Giveaway!**

Back in October, the folks at Everybody's Nuts sent me a sampler of their Pistachios. I am a big fan of pistachios and an even bigger fan of freebies, so I accepted their sampler box and expected to be no more or less impressed with Pistachios than I was before I tried them. Though, I was grateful nonetheless for the chance to give new flavors a try.

But, just like there is a big difference in gas station coffee and a Grande cup of Starbuck's Daily Blend, there is a huge difference in quality flavored Pistachios and the sticky red kind you find in the aisle of your local convenience store. I was immediately a fan and started buying their nuts from that point on. (Once you've had their Salt & Vinegar Pistachios you'll never go back to the gas station variety!)

So, when I got another chance to try Everybody's Nuts and Wonderful Pistachios samples I jumped at the chance to do so and turn it into a giveaway for my readers as well.

Here's what you may not know about Pistachios. These little nuts pack quite the nutritional punch. Among snack nuts, they have the highest content of phytosterols. I know, I know. Phyto-what? Basically, they have a lot of this really good stuff that has been shown to reduce cholesterol absorption and basically make them super heart healthy. Guess they aren't called the "skinny nut" for nothing.

Geez, what I wouldn't give to have that nickname.

Anyways, here's where the giveaways come in. Because they know that once you try these nuts you'll be so convinced that a snack can be healthy and delicious, they are offering to send 10 of you a sampler of Everybody's Nuts and Wonderful Pistachios.

And here's what you have to do to enter. Head over to the Pistachio Health site and check out the facts, then come back leave a comment with one interesting Pistachio fact you learned while you were over there. I'll be shutting down comments at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, February 1st and drawing 10 lucky winners.

**This giveaway is open to all U.S. addresses (sorry, no international folks this time.) Be sure to leave an email address or blog link in your comment so I can get in touch with you and get an address to have your sampler sent out ASAP!**

Head back to Bloggy Giveaways to register for more cool giveaways!

My Little Girl, Book Review

I'm reviewing "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw over at my review blog. Come check it out!

How Mobistories saved my day. (GIVEAWAY!)

I got the opportunity a couple weeks ago to check out and review Mobistories. Mobistories are virtual books for kids that you can buy and have stored on your computer, iPod, or iPhone. I kept meaning to try them, but was behind so much on everything that I forgot. Not exactly a shining endorsement of my reviewing skills, but I'm just keeping it real, people. That's the way it goes in this mommy's life sometimes.

Anyways, this week we were refinancing our house and had no one to watch the girls when we went to the closing. So, guess what distraction my scattered mind came up with? You've got it, Mobistories.

Okay, so truthfully, I was a bit skeptical. I wasn't sure a "virtual" book would be able to hold their attention for long enough. My girls do seem to have the attention span of one of those cute little spider monkeys that come dance for pennies with that organ grinder at the mall. You know what I'm talking about, right?

But, I downloaded 4 of the Mobistories books and had them to keep the girls occupied. And, amazingly, they loved them so much they kept asking all day to watch different ones.

They are pretty cool, too, because they come up full screen on your computer and have the printed words (just like a book) but with narration and music. I love the subject matter, too, because I was able to get one about "stranger danger," one about jazz, and even one about conservation. In case you're curious which ones I got, I dowloaded Ella Elephant (all about jazz and learning to scat), Stranger Danger (informative and not scary for kids), Salsa for Kittens & Puppies (a latin themed book), and All The Way to the Ocean (teaching kids about why littering is bad).

I actually really loved that they have lots of different books with varied cultural origins and even different narrators' accents.

And the best thing? Mobistories is offering each reader a chance to try $10 worth of books for free! Head over there, pick out some books, and then just enter the coupon code 211A at checkout for your free books. This isn't a free trial either. It is a full-fledged giveaway so you have nothing to lose by doing it. They even have a free book available for download, too, so be sure and add that to your order! Do it soon, though, because the offer expires December 31st, 2008.

If you end up going over and getting some, come let me know what you think. I'm definitely planning on getting a couple more to add to my iPod to have on hand for those days I'm sitting in the doctor's office with two unruly bored preschoolers and I'd love to know what other books you've tried!

Saturn/GM Ride and Drive Event

Tuesday night I got the chance to chill at Atlantic Station with some of Atlanta's coolest blogging ladies after driving around the city in new Saturns.

Click here to head over to my review blog and see what I thought of the Atlanta area Ride and Drive event sponsored by Saturn/GM and Blogher!

And the winners are...

Sarah Lyn and Kelly Mac!

I'll be dropping both of you an email to get addresses and you'll be getting your Everybody's Nuts Pistachios in the mail soon. Prepare to be addicted!