Piper Tate: Natural Skin Care Products - Holiday Gift Idea {Giveaway}

 

Back in March I had the pleasure of working with Raintree Boutique when I featured one of their lunchboxes. Now I am working with them again to introduce you to a wonderful line of skin care products available in their online store.

Piper Tate products are free of chemicals, sulfates, phthalates and parabens and they are handmade in small batches in the USA.   They use ingredients like organic jojoba oil, organic shea butter and aloe vera that are perfect for mom and baby's sensitive skin.

Mutsy: The Grow-Up! Booster Seat {Holiday Gift Idea}

We have been transitioning our little one to eat with us at the table.  Instead of using the tray in his high chair we have been looking for a booster seat that is safe, comfortable,  and easy to attach (to our chairs) and clean. We finally found what we were looking for in the Grow-Up! booster seat from Mutsy.

Greeting Card Universe: Perfect for the Holidays {Giveaway}

    

In our modern and technology driven world most people are bombarded with information and receive hundreds of e-mails per month.  Most of our communications are now done via e-mail and online and we are sending/receiving less paper mail everyday.  While this is great for the environment because we are using less paper and producing less waste, e-mail is unfortunately not the best medium to communicate with people who are not technologically inclined.

My grandparents for example are not spending their days typing e-mails and they rarely log in to their accounts. If I want to send a greeting card to them I have to make sure I send it by snail mail only.  There is also something nice about getting an actual paper card in your mailbox once in a while, specially a photo card with your loved ones in it.  It means a lot more than getting a simple e-card.

Greeting Card Universe is the premier producer and supplier of paper cards on the Internet. They offer paper greeting cards for every occasion,  from Birthdays to Weddings, Christmas to Valentine's Day.  I got to order a few cards from their online system and I must say it was SO simple.  I was able to send a paper card to my grandparent's address directly without having to go to a store or going to a post office.

While I wouldn't send a paper card to every single family member it is great to know that with Greeting Card Universe I can send the same paper cards I send every year without leaving the house or having to use my car at all.

Their online system is very easy. You find the card you want to use, personalize it and then enter your details to purchase it (only $3), then mail it. You can choose to have it mailed to you or directly to the person you are sending the card to. It saves you time, gas and money!

With over 470,000 unique greeting cards and 4,400 artists, Greeting Card Universe offers cards for literally any occasion/event/holiday you can possibly think of. I am sure I will take advantage and will order my holiday cards from their great selection. The photo cards are such a great present for family members and friends.

Win it: One lucky reader from the US/CAN will receive a credit to personalize and send 5 Greeting Cards.  Perfect for the holidays! Click "Read more" below to see the Rafflecopter form to enter.

Eko Bear: EverEarth Activity Walker - Holiday Gift Idea {Giveaway}

Eko Bear is a Canadian online store based in Ottawa, Ontario. This mommy owned store offers affordable eco-friendly products and specializes in green toys that are safe for little ones and the planet.  I loved going through the different categories knowing that all of the toys available are safe an eco-friendly.

For my feature I got the chance to review the EverEarth Activity Walker (18 months+). This solid wooden activity walker is filled with super fun activities that my little one sure enjoys.   We use it a lot in his play area as an activity center and he can spend hours playing with it.

We don't really use it as a walker as he doesn't like pushing anything while walking and he has been walking unassisted since he was 11 months. To try out the walker I invited one of his little friends over (20 month old boy) and he took the walker for a few walks all over our living room, he absolutely loved it and squealed with joy the whole time ;-) 

The EverEarth Walker comes in eco-friendly packaging and it is made from renewable forests with water-based colors. The product was pretty easy to put together as well and the instructions were very clear. The box was easy to collapse and it went right in the recycling.

I love companies that really care about the environment and the safety of our children and I love sharing their awesome products with my readers. I now understand why  the EverEarth Walker won the Preferred Choice Award from Creative Child Magazine in 2009.  It really is a smart choice.

Some of our favorite activities in the walker are the bead Maze, xylophone, interchangeable animal puzzle (4 pieces), peg maze, 3 piece shape sorter and of course my son loves the netted storage area in the back. He uses it to store some of his blocks or other toys.

In general we really love the activity walker, it is made with high quality wood and it has many fun activities that keep our child entertained.

Buy it: (Price: $84.95) Visit Eko Bear's online store to purchase.

Win it: One very lucky Canadian reader will get to pick a toy from Eko Bear's online store worth $30 or less (free shipping). Just perfect for the holidays! Click "Read more" below to see the Rafflecopter form to enter to win.

Smart-Trike, 3-in-1: A Tricycle that Grows with Your Child {Holiday Gift Idea}

I was super excited when I found out we were going to try out the Smart-Trike Zoo 3-in-1 Tricycle from Smart-Trike. First of all I love the fact that this is a product that is designed to be used for a while.  It can be used from 10 months up to about 36 months!  The super SMART-Trike can be adjusted depending on the child's age so it basically grows with your child.

Having a tricycle that grows with your child means not having to buy a brand new tricycle once your little one is older.  So you are saving money and avoiding waste at the same time! Brilliant!

When we received the package from Smart-Trike I wondered how many small pieces we were going to be putting together.   To be honest it wasn't that bad at all. First of all you are dealing with lots of larger pieces and the package has step by step instructions with lots of pictures that are super easy to follow. 

Now if you get confused with manuals and instructions and you are more visual then be sure to check out their website. I LOVE that they have a full assembly video showing step by step how to build your Smart-Trike.  It is super easy to just follow along and you can always pause the video if one step is taking you a bit longer than expected.

After we built the Smart-Trike it was time to test it.  My son was thrilled! He was screaming in excitement every time we pushed the tricycle.  He LOVED it!  We put it together in the first setting (10 months+) and it was very safe and secure for him plus very comfortable.  Some of my favorite features were: the Seat Belt,  Washable and Padded Seat Cover,  Side Safety Bar,   the Foot Rest, the Adjustable & Removable Handle and the Play Phone that comes attached to the front. My son sure loved that!

The Smart-Trike's frame is not made of plastic but instead metal and it has special injection rubber wheels designed for smooth riding.  You would think it is heavy but it is super light and easy to carry instead.  On top of that it is made with high quality materials and you can continue to use it for many many years!

We are enjoying this stage of the tricycle and it is great to take it when we go on walks instead of his stroller. He sure loves our walks when he is riding his tricycle,  he is all smiles and I hear lots of giggles and squeals. I can't wait to try the other stages once he is a bit older. 

Buy it: ($139.99 CDN) You can purchase your own Smart-Trike Zoo at a Toys R Us store near you.  The Smart-Trike would make a fabulous gift for the holidays.

Playskool: Sesame Street Toy Line for the Holiday Season

Are you a Sesame Street fan? I sure am! All of the fun characters bring back lots of great childhood memories, I remember I even had a Sesame Street lunchbox at one point...

When I found out I was going to introduce you to a couple of the toys from the new Sesame Street line from Playskool I was super excited.  The Count 'n Crunch Cookie Monster,  Cookie Monster Keyboard  and the Elmo Guitar are available right on time for the holiday season. Perfect holiday present for that special little one in your life. 

I know there are still some weeks before the holidays but early planning is always the right way to go.  It really saves you headaches and stress in the long run.

Anyhow, let's talk about the Count n' Crunch Cookie Monster.  This adorable friend will ask for cookies and "eat" them. Once he is finished "eating" them he will count them. He can count each cookie (up to three) and sing a fun song about counting cookies.  You can also hear him laugh and giggle if you press his foot repeatedly as well.

I love that it comes with a small backpack that stores the cookies after he eats them and where your little one can find them to feed him (and start the process all over again).

The Count n' Crunch Cookie Monster, the Cookie Monster Keyboard and the Elmo Guitar are recommended for children 18M-4Y so I was curious to see my son's reaction to them. He absolutely loved them all.  After he saw me putting the cookies in the Cookie Monster's mouth he tried it himself and then retrieved the cookies from the backpack to continue feeding him.  It really keeps his attention focused on the game and I love that he is learning to count to three. 

The Cookie Monster Keyboard allows your child three fun play modes.  First there is a free play mode to play anything they want, then the second mode is play-along  where they have to follow light-up cues to play along one of three songs and the final mode is band mode, to jam out to "The Rock 'N Roll Alphabet" song.  

I love the fact that he has a chance of free play to make any sound he wants and that he also gets to hear the alphabet song and start learning his ABCs. Again, I am all for educational toys that help my little one learn new things, all while having lots of fun.

The Elmo Guitar has three fun play modes as well. The free play is our favorite because he gets to make any sound he wants. He plays it and looks at us and smiles right after! He loves the guitar.   I think something he really likes about the guitar are the lights. Because it has very colorful lights that turn on when he plays he gets very excited.  In general this is a super fun set to have.

We are really having fun with the Sesame Street Toy line from Playskool and I am sure will continue to have lots of fun with them.  Thanks to Playskool for making educational toys that are a blast to play with.

Playskool: Poppin' Park Bounce 'N Ride {Holiday Gift Idea}

My son LOVES bouncing. I remember when he was just a few weeks old bouncing would calm him down almost immediately.  Now anytime that we bounce him on our legs he laughs and smiles. Now thanks to Playskool's Poppin' Park Bounce 'N Ride he can bounce all he wants! 

First of all I love that the packaging was super compact. There were no huge boxes that arrived at our door. A tiny box had it all ready to be assembled.  Assembly was super easy and I got it done in a few minutes (my little one was there helping).

I like that the bouncing "ball" that allows for the bouncing can be inflated and customized  based on the child's length and to ensure it is comfortable for him.

Now, what I love the most about this toy is that we can use it in stationary mode or scoot it along for a ride of fun. He is super happy doing the bounce on his own but not ready to scoot on his own so we help him do that. I am sure he will be scooting on his own in no time.

This toy helps teach my son balance, scooting and bouncing! Plus it has a super fun music box (can be turned off) that makes sounds and plays music when he is playing.  

My little one really loves his toy and we do too because it doesn't take a lot of space in the house. It is compact but lots of fun. Awesome!

Buy it: You can purchase it online here (perfect for the holidays!)

Disclosure: I received a sample of a product to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided and and all views and opinions stated on this post are 100% my own.