Category Archives Product review

Fun with Birthday Express

Since we have had the boys, we spend months before their birthdays trying to figure out several items. In addition to who we invite, when to have the party, there is another big decision. We need to figure out what theme to use for the party each year. In the past, NHL has had: Bear in the Big Blue House (1st), Finding Nemo (2nd),  Madagasgar (3rd), Curious George (4th), Dinosaurs (5th).

For JSL’s first birthday we did the Sesame Street 1st birthday partyware. We had a hard time finding places that carried it. After the fact, several of my friends suggested ordering from Birthday Express. Recently I had the opportunity to purchase some items from Birthday Express. JL and I decided to buy something for JSL’s upcoming second birthday.

Birthday Express

When you go to the Birthday Express website you can browse by male/female party supples, party theme, or view all. JL and I wanted to see all of the options for boys, so we selected that. There were 85 options to look at. We immediately fell in love with two. We loved the exclusive Mod Monkey 2nd Birthday as well as the Sesame Street Sunny Days.

Mod Monkey Party     Sesame Street Sunny Days

We eventually selected the Sesame Street Sunny Days theme. JSL is really attached to Cookie Monster and friends these days. He often asks to see "Street" and wants to read his "Street" books all the time. Next, we had to make the decision on what to order. Immediately, my eyes fell onto the personalized banners that was made out a heavy duty vinyl (like shades for the windows) and was 61"x18". The cost was only $14.99 and we could put a custom message on it for no additional charge.I fell in love with one that had most of the Sesame Street Characters on it. In addition to that, we purchased a centerpiece, some party blowers and hats. Since we will be at Disney for his actual birthday, these will not be used for a few more weeks when we have some family over for a little gathering (photos to follow later).

The website was extremely user friendly and easy to follow. This is not always the case with personalized item ordering. Four days after my order was placed, everything except the personalized banner arrived.

Sesame Street Sunny Days items

Two days later, the banner arrived on my doorstep in a hard tube that helped it to stay safe during shipping. As you will see it is very thick and comes with a label on the outside to preview what you will unroll. 

Personalized Birthday Banner

When we unrolled the banner it is as wide as our couch. The quality is absolutely amazing. My little guy is going to love this on his birthday and beyond when we hang it up in his room. 

Amazing personalized banner

Thanks to the great selection, quick shipping, and easy ordering we will definitely be ordering from Birthday Express again. In fact, in the next few weeks we will probaby ask NHL what he would like to have for his 6th birthday theme this summer.

TheAngelForever

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Story time at Chez Angel – Monkey Monkey Monkey

My almost two year old is really starting to enjoy story time . I love this because he will not only sit and "read" his own board books, but he likes to listen to bigger books that I read to him. JSL is fascinated with all things monkey. He will demand that we put the Wiggles monkey song on and he makes monkey sounds galore.

Recently, we read the new book Monkey Monkey Monkey by Cathy MacLennan

Monkey Monkey Monkey book cover

I must admit, when I selected this book I definitely judged a book by it’s cover. I knew that JSL liked monkies and the cover was absolutely adorable. The minute I pulled the book out, JSL came flying to me. He was making monkey noises and plopped onto my lap. My kindergarten kid heard the noise and also came to listen to the story.

When you start the story, you immediately meet Monkey. Monkey is playing and doing what monkies do. Monkey has a problem, though. Monkey can not find something he wants. Monkey is missing his "monkey-monkey-monkey nuts!"

While reading the story, you follow Monkey as he looks for his monkey-monkey-monkey nuts. With each page you turn, Monkey finds various rainforest friends including spotted leopards, crocs, frogs, insects, birds. Monkey also travels to different places in the rainforest like to fruit trees and even the top of the leafy canopy. Monkey gets more and more hungry and does not find his monkey-monkey-monkey nuts . . . until somebody saves the day!

Both of the boys thoroughly enjoyed the book. NHL really appreciated the rhyme and repetition within the story. He quickly joined in and was able to help me read the book. Even JSL was making his monkey sounds each time we turned the page and saw the beautiful colorfilled illustrations of Monkey’s rainforest world. I know that we will be looking for more of Cathy MacLennan’s books in the future because of how the amazing illustrations put you into the world with the characters.

JSL also likes to take Monkey Monkey Monkey and "read" it alone. Here he is enjoying some reading time on his own. 

Monkey Monkey Monkey time with my little monkey

TheAngelForever

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Story time at Chez Angel – Go! Go! Go!

When growing up, I remember I adored books that had flaps. It was always exciting to go inside and explore all of the hidden wonders. My oldest son, NHL loves reading flap books as well. He is now able to explore them without damaging the books.

Recently, NHL and I read the book Go! Go! Go! by Roxie Munro. Right on the cover of the book, it states that there are "More than 70 flaps to uncover and discover!"  Each and every page in this book is loaded with flaps and items to unwind and flip that help and  tell the story.

Go! Go! Go!

NHL and I waited for a quiet time and stretched out on the floor to explore the book. As soon as we opened the book, NHL noticed that the information on the inside cover was even included in a flap. We immediately knew that this was going to be a fun experience. As you continue into the book, you are taken on a transportation adventure. Roxie Munro’s colorful illustrations, and interactive flaps quickly brought us into the world that she created.

Our first stop was a fire station where firefighters were getting ready. NHL liked lifting a flap to help some of them slide down the pole. Another flap made one of the people in the scene pick up a telephone. This allowed NHL and I to talk about things that go on in a fire house. He had a great time using his 5 year old imagination and playing out the scene sine there is no text on the page. As we continued on, the book a huge flap that allowed the fire truck to drive down the street, send out the ladder and put out a fire. NHL was in his glory because this one page required you to flip a section four times.

Next, Munro takes us to a Balloon Festival. Here you lift flaps to assist the people taking items out of their trucks and getting the balloons off the ground. Then you go to another page and the balloons all lift into the sky in a gorgeous display of artistic perspective.

Go! Go! Go! continues taking you to a horse race where you watch the horses getting ready and then they are off and racing. Next, there is a Deep-Sea Discovery Research Vessel that shows a diver exploring the ocean below. The last stop is a Pit Stop where members are assisting two cars in a race. The last page of the book opens up to reveal an amazing display of a raceway that is as wide as four pages. While exploring here you are able to make the cars race around the track.

NHL and I enjoyed this book. It was a great way for us to talk about different items that are on the "go" and discuss things that take place in these environments. Roxie Munro does an amazing job of capturing the details and allowing the reader to truly feel like they are in the scene while flipping and turning the flaps. I know that we will definitely be exploring more of the wonderful books by Roxie Munro in the future.

TheAngelForever

 

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Tie Buddies – Review & Giveaway

As adults, we often take simple things in life for granted. One example of this is being able to tie our own shoes. Now it seems like second nature, so easy to do. However, I still remember trying to learn to tie my shoes when I was little. My mother tried everything to assist me, but nothing worked. That was until my best friend from across the street came over. She taught me to make two "bunny ears" and voila . . . my shoes were tied.

My oldest son, NHL, is five years old. As he has grown up, we have predominantly bought him shoes that have velcro on them. Some of this was for the pure ease of it, another was to allow him to be more independent. NHL has low muscle tone. Due to this his fine motor skills are not quite up to par. With occupational therapy, he has gained a lot of skills, especially in writing.

Recently I wrote a note to NHL’s therapist asking her about tips to help him tie his own shoes. She sent some great poems to use with him. Still, I had no real idea of how to assist him. Each time I tried to show the "bunny ear" approach it was just too much for NHL to do.

Thanks to The Family Review Network, I had the opportunity to try a product called Tie BuddiesTM

 Tie Buddies

Facts about Tie Buddies:

Tie Buddies were invented by Wendy Welling, a mother, in 2007. She was trying to come up with a way to assist her children to tie their shoes independently. From the website:

Tying your shoes is a small but essential skill, one you use for the rest of your life. Help your little one learn faster with Tie BuddiesTM. These cute, kid-friendly devices act as easy pull-tabs for small hands, taking messy loops out of the equation. The happy characters make a game of it, resulting in a strong knot and even stronger recall.
The simple developmental hurdle of shoe tying affects millions of parents and children daily. For many years, shoe tying has been a point of frustration for both parents and children. With 1slip-ons and hook-and-loop closures, children and parents have postponed the learning of tying shoes. Tie Buddies® is a mom-invented product that came
about from wanting to give my daughters independence, build their confidence and have fun learning. By eliminating loops, Tie Buddies® eliminate the confusion of multiple "holes" where the laces can pass through. There is no other product that stays on the child’s shoe giving them independence while re-enforcing the learning process.

  • You place the Tie Buddies on the laces of your child’s shoes in one easy step
  • Instructions to assist your child with a story to tie their laces in eight steps are included on the back of the Tie Buddies.
  • A demonstration of Tie Buddies is available on their website.
  • Currently available in two designs: Fairy and Magic Wand (for girls) and Red and Green Race Cars (for boys)
  • Each package includes four Tie Buddies at $7.95 for one pair of shoes.
  • Patent is pending on the design for this shoe tying tool.

Our Review of Tie Buddies:

NHL has been very reluctant to learn to tie his shoes. He would rather not spend the time and gets easily frustrated. When I heard about Tie Buddies, I asked NHL’s Occupational Therapist about them. She told me that she had been hearing a lot about them, but had never actually tried them. We were intrigued and hoped that they would assist NHL with this milestone.

When the package arrived, NHL was very excited to see what they were. I was able to place the Tie Buddies on his shoelaces with no problem. Then it was time to test them out. I modeled on one shoe as he followed along. Unlike previous attempts to learn how to tie his laces, he did not scream and yell. He was genuinely interested in what the Tie Buddies would do. He was able to easily grasp them and with practice has been getting much better with them.

NHL was shy and would not allow me to take his photos while working with this. He really seemed to like the fact that the Tie Buddies made things so much easier with the "bunny ear" formation. He did not have to do too many steps and can follow along. With more practice, he will likely be able to add this to his milestones. It will probably be a little time before we will be able to take the Tie Buddies off, since they honestly do assist him so much.

Front of Tie Buddies package     Back of Tie Buddies package

We will definitely be recommending these to all of NHL’s kindergarten friends that are still learning to tie shoes. They take the guess work out of the process for the parent, and make it a fun experience for the kids.

A Chance for you to win!

Thanks to Tie Buddies, 1 lucky winner (US Residents only) will have a chance to win their own package of Tie Buddies.

Rules for Giveaway:

  • MAIN RULE – Visit the Tie Buddies website and then come back and leave a comment telling me which set you would prefer and who they would be for.
  • 1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
  • 1-2 Bonus Entries – Stumble this post and/or my main blog page and leave your Stumble name in a separate comment.
  • 1 Bonus Entry – Follow me on Twitter @TheAngelForever and tweet about the giveaway. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and Tie Buddies in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment. 
  • 1 Bonus Entry – Add TheAngelForever to your blog roll and leave a separate comment.
  • 3 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the Tie Buddies giveaway. Be sure to leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries

To enter, just follow the rules above within the comment section. Be sure that I have an e-mail address that I can contact you for a mailing address once the giveaway is over. All entries must be received by 10:59pm EST on  April 15, 2009. I will pick the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, another winner will be selected.

TheAngelForever 


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LemonHead Kidz hair accessories

As the mom of two little boys, I never get to buy cute little bows and accessories for their hair. Thanks to this, I love to get them for myself.  Since I have really thick hair, I often have trouble finding products that work for me. I can not use the hard plastic headbands because they give me a headache. I love fabric ones, but sometimes they are too big and fall off, and other times not big enough. Due to this, I am always looking for new and exciting things to try.

Thanks to The Family Review Network, I recently received some items from an exciting company called LemonHead Apparel LLC.

LemonHead carries two products. The first are called Clipeez and they come in a wide variety of colors and styles. They have a patent pending, non-slip design that is made to stay on even the little pieces of hair. Here is what their website has to say about their creation:

Our Hairclips are like no other, they are designed to stay put – even on super fine hair.  We don’t use magnets/hot glue and NOTHING squeezed out of a bottle like silicone or rubber.  Our premium patented GRIPSTRIP is made of a unique reliable material that is identical in every clip – that means you are getting the same feature every single time!!!  We have also patented several processes to make the Clipeez and attach embelishments reliably to our Clipeez that is so secure it impresses every time.  Our competitors have bought our clips to take them appart, they’re that good! We have a wide range of embelishments from flowers to bows and butterflies.  Take a look, they’re great for any age and to accessorize our Bandeez Headbands.

The Clipeez that I received is absolultely gorgeous. The proud new owner is goign to be my niece. I can not wait to capture a photo of her wearing the cute Clipeez in her hair. 

A Clipeez from LemonHead

The other product made by LemonHead are the Bandeez Headband. The Bandeez have a patent  pending design that is made to stay put in the hair of infants to Moms. The Bandeez Headband come in three different ribbon widths and a multitude of different designs. Here are more facts about the Bandeez:

Our Bandeez Headbands were originaly designed for our two-year-old.  She kept losing her headband because it slipped off.  After losing so many headbands and having to readjust them all the time we decided to experiment on our own and came up with Bandeez.  Our headbands are fully adjustable, they fit infants to moms on-the-go.  They’re designed to not slip or slide on heads of any size.  Tweens & Teens love our headbands because we have so many different patterns and they can create their own styles.  We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!!  

When I first saw the Bandeez that I was sent, I have to admit that I was skeptical. I could not imagine how this was going to work in my extremely thick hair. I am happy to report that it worked very well. The little grippers that are on the ribbon do a fabulous job keeping the Bandeez exactly where you put it. I never once felt like my headband was slipping out of my hair. The adjustable back was easy to tighten so it felt secure and set in my hair. Here is a photo of my camera while I was wearing my Bandeez:

Please excuse the frizz

I will definitely be buying some more Bandeez for myself. I will probably buy the thickest band size and some of the fun and wild colors. I know that I will also purchase Clipeez when I need some hair accessories for little girl gifts. As a parent, it is great to know that both items are sturdy and made of safe materials.

TheAngelForever

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