Fold & Go Bouncer from Infantino

Having a good bouncer seat for your baby is such a help. It is nice to have a seat to put your baby in, and something that is both comfortable and enjoyable for your baby. I really like the new Infantino Fold & Go Bouncer. I really like that the Fold & Go Bouncer is mobile, and travels easily and compactly.

The Fold & Go Bouncer has two soft animals that attach to the toy activity bar. The Giraffe has a bell inside and the elephant has a side mirror for baby to see their reflection. I like that the toy activity bar is adjustable and removable on the Fold & Go. It is really simple to pull the bar out and easy to put back.

Infantino's Fold & Go Bouncer has extra padding on the foot area, which is over the battery compartment, and the bouncer comes with a padded headrest (which is detachable).

The battery compartment holds three AA batteries. This Bouncer plays 3 songs, water sounds, a heartbeat sound and gives a soothing vibration. There are two volumes (louder and quieter) so you have two options. The big plus to the Infantino Fold & Go is the easy way it closes and is stored. This is a great bouncer to take on the go, and pack with your baby's necessities. There is no need to take the covering off the bouncer, but just slide the safety switch, squeeze the top of the slide bar and pull the seat forward until the frame is flat. There are two adjustable hook straps to secure the seat together while storing or traveling with this bouncer. I also really appreciate that the Infantino bouncer is washable! The cover, headrest and the waist harness are all removable and washable. I recommend this bouncer for you if you are looking for a bouncer for easy travel and storage. The cost is affordable, and the value is definitely worth it.

I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for Infantino and have received various Infantino products to as part of my participation. The opinions in this post are of my own, and not of the company or program. I am not compensated for my time or written review.

Protect yourself this summer with Doc Martins Maui!

Having been diagnosed with Melanoma last year (skin cancer) I am extra cautious about applying sunscreen on myself, as well as my kids, before heading out to play. It can be a challenging task finding the right type of sunscreen, and one that works great!

I was recently able to review Doc Martin's of Maui sunscreen, developed by Maui Dermatologist George M. Martin, M.D. I was very impressed with this sunscreen. I really liked that it wasn't super thick and white paste. Actually, when I applied the sunscreen, it was like putting on lotion, but it was clear and smooth. I really liked how the Doc Martin's of Maui smelt, too. It was a beach scent, and I loved it!

Creator, George M. Martin, M.D., spent two decades of product research and development to create Doc Martins. "It is superior because of the unique agent which bonds directly to the skin (epidermal cells) creating an armor of protection from damaging rays of the sun.
As an avid surfer himself, Dr. Martin has worked with other surfers, windsurfers, swimmers, cyclists, tennis and golf players in creating "Doc Martins of Maui" to the specs of that active lifestyle. The results represent some of the most significant advances in sunscreen technology in recent years. Even after hours in the water, it does not have to be re-applied, and it will not run into the eyes no matter how hard you sweat.
From tow surfing giant waves all day at "Jaws" off the coast of Maui, to climbing Mt Everest, Doc Martin's sunscreen is specifically formulated to protect. Doc Martin's sunscreen is heralded by enthusiasts from extreme athletes to concerned Moms and skin cancer survivors." (taken from the Doc Martin's website)
Doc Martins of Maui has a SPF 30 and is PABA Free, plus it is MEGA Waterproof, even with hand washing. It is also UVA and UVB Protection!
Doc Martins holds a SPF 20 even after 6 hours in the water
Another bonus is, Doc Martins won't run into eyes! I have found it to be a great sunscreen that is great to put on those wiggly toddlers. I am always afraid of getting sunscreen in their eyes, mouth or ears. I love that the Doc Martins will not run or seep into their eyes.

You can purchase your Doc Martins for $13.00. I recommend this great sunscreen for you and your family!

This review was provided from Doc Martins of Maui. They have provided me with a sunscreen to review and information to share with my readers. I was given the product for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

Madelyn is three~

I know that I am way behind on posting about Madelyn turning three, and actually I did Cole's turning 1 on her birthday. I do have to post about Caleb turning 5, too. Ahhh, the life of a Mom is never boring or ahead of the game. However, I want to make sure that I write a post for each kid when they reach another year. So, to Madelyn...
Madelyn is, for the most part, a very "girly girl"...she loves the princess, make up, finger nail polish, shoes and dresses...but she also loves to get into the dirt and play. She really isn't a fan of her hands getting dirty, but that annoyance really doesn't apply when she is out in the mud. This spring Madelyn, her siblings, and some of her friends had a great time playing in the dirt, which lead to mud, and ended up in the tub. It was great fun!

Daddy brought home flowers for his littlest sweetheart on her third birthday. Can a mom be jealous of her daughter? :) I was OK with it, because I thought it was totally sweet that he thought to bring flowers to his little girl for her birthday.

Last summer we went to the Minnesota Zoo, and Madelyn loved the sheep. She was so excited to be at the farm at the zoo because she could pet & feed the animals. Madelyn is a big animal lover....cats, dogs, sheep, cows, horse, birds...you name it, she "needs" one of them. (that's what she tells us).

Along the topic of loving animals, to start of the spring/summer, Madelyn had a little baby Warbler bird land on her head. It was super crazy to walk out and see a bird on top of Madelyn's head. The little bird didn't want to leave, either.
Madelyn loves to dress up in clothes. I think dress up and playing mom is her favorite thing to do. She played dress up at her friend, Claudia's house.
I think she looks like Cinderella in this picture...I just think she is adorable!
Madelyn got out of the bathtub a month (or so) ago, and she wanted to comb her own hair. So, I handed her the comb and she did this:
She was holding her chin to comb her hair, because sometimes I hold her chin to comb her hair. I think that is so cute!
Here are some of the things Madelyn does: She knows her numbers, colors, shapes, how to jump on one foot, how to climb, slide, and how to do the splits (I know...ouch!). I hope to get her in a gymnastic class and/or ballet class. She is very flexible, graceful and tiny. She can literally run in heels, and run up/down the stairs in them. She loves to copy what Mom does...and is requesting my make up. She is really starting to use her imagination, because today she came up the stairs saying she was going to bring her sister with. I asked her what she meant, and she held up her doll and asked if she could bring her sister with. No, she does NOT want a little sister (I asked her), and NO we aren't planning on any more kiddos. :) (for now anyway) She loves to be with Caleb, and that is her buddy. If she sees something neat, is going to eat or watch something, or for any other reason, she calls Caleb so he doesn't miss out on it. Madelyn loves when we snuggle her, and if she had it her way, she would sleep in our bed every night. She loves to hold our hand, be hugged/kissed, or any kind of affection. She is so much sugar and a bit of spice. I just keep thinking God has something big planned for her someday.
She is full of life and loves to have a great time. She is all about fun and playing with her siblings, cousins and friends. We were at a friend's house this summer and she was rolling down the hill (well, Madelyn rolled sideways).
Madelyn is a silly girl, and loves to make people giggle. She has a pretty contagious giggle and many people laugh with her when they hear her laugh.
Happy (belated) Birthday to my little princess. I am so thankful to be chosen to be your mom. You are a precious blessing, and I pray that you will honor God with all you do. I love you dolly!

Nathaniel is so creative and inventive

Nathaniel loved to be outside by the lake in the summer. He was outside for sometime yesterday, and I really wasn't sure what he was doing. I trust him being outdoors, and he usually finds something to do, whether that is fishing, looking for frogs, or something else. Well, yesterday he was busy being creative and inventive. Look what he made~ he made a dock and a raft out of reeds. My hubby and I were pretty impressed with what he came up with. At the time he had his pet salamander outside, so he had made these for "Sally." Nathaniel has had that pet for 4 years. He got the salamander from his great grandma's window well the summer we moved into our house. He has kept his salamander in an aquarium with dirt and water. In the summer he digs up worms, and in the winter we buy worms from the bait and tackle store. It has been a fun pet for him. Anyway, I had to post about his raft and dock he made because it was pretty cool.

"We're going on a bug hunt" with Backyard Safari Outfitters

"We're going on a bug hunt, going on a bug hunt...we're not afraid, we're not afraid..." My kids love going outside, and looking for the creepy crawlers that roam in the grass and dirt outside. Summer will be so much more fun with their new Backyard Safari Outfitters products from Summit Toys! They are set to go on hunts for bugs, butterflies, grasshoppers, caterpillars and more.... Here is Madelyn looking for ants crawling around with the Mega View Periscope.
My kids love to use the Mega View Periscope to look at each other, too. One is closer to the ground looking in the bottom and the other one is looking through the top. We love the Mega View Periscope, because it is crazy how it works. The Periscope can be opened up to three new lengths (reaching 4 feet high) for looking way below the viewer, or way over the viewers head. This works great if kids want to look over a fence, high bushes, around corners or into their homes. The Periscope makes things closer or further away. It is great looking for bugs, or watching a crawling critter on a leaf/branch with the Periscope, too.

The Periscope can be used in water, too! I think that is amazing! Kids love water, and with living on the lake, having a tool for the kids to view into the lake water is way cool! The Mega View Periscope can go 16 inches into the water for underwater viewing, will work with docks, poolside, lakes or beaches. A fish eye view...but without all that water in your ears!
I also love that the Periscope is easy to hold onto for small hands.
Suited for ages: 5 & Up SRP $24.99

Caleb loves the Bug Vacuum. His older brother had one of these, and it was a coveted item for a long time. Now that Caleb has his own Bug Vacuum, he is busy looking for bugs to snatch up. With the Bug Vacuum, kids can suck up the bugs live, and the bugs go into the capture container. The container has a built in magnifying glass for easy viewing, and there is screen on the container so the bug can breath. The bug vacuum comes with two nose cones for two different sizes of bugs.
Suited for ages: 5 & Up SRP $19.99
Searching for just the right bugs, or creepy crawlers. I am sure this summer will be busy with my little backyard explorers.

I think Caleb got a bug in his bug vacuum. I know he was trying to get the mosquito's, but they are a bit fast.
Caleb gives the Backyard Safari Outfitters products two thumbs up! He loves using his new products daily, and is constantly looking for more to vacuum and capture.

Caleb is a great backyard explorer with his Cargo Vest and Bug vacuum. The Cargo Vest from Backyard Safari Outfitters is great, because it has so many pockets and places for explorers to store their important items. The Cargo vest has six D-rings and two shoulder epaulets that kids can clip and hang their gear onto the vest, and a big zipper pocket to put the binocs (binoculars) into. I want to get the binoculars for the kids, because I know they would use them a TON!
The Cargo Vest came with a great pop-up field guide, which explains important tips to follow when you go out, what items you may need on for your journey, and what things you can look for or observe.

Here are the features of the Cargo Vest:
RUGGED POLY-TWILL FABRIC WITH REINFORCED DETAIL
4 CARGO POCKETS WITH VELCRO CLOSURES
1 TWO INCH DEEP ZIPPER POCKET WITH MESH-NET OUTER POCKET
6 D-RINGS
CUSTOM ZIPPER PULLS
CARGO SHOULDER EPAULETS WITH SNAP CLOSURES
ADJUSTABLE REAR STRAP
2 OVER-SIZED MESH-NET CARGO POCKETS IN REAR
PLUS CLEAR-VU FRONT POCKET CONTAINING ESSENTIAL FIELD POP-GUIDE

Suited for ages: 5 & up SRP $19.99

Our family is really enjoying the Backyard Safari Outfitters products, and we highly recommend them to your family. Kids have so much fun going searching for the bugs and crawlers, and then, they get to watch them up close, or capture them in the container. Backyard Safari Outfitters has several other products that can help your child explore, too.

This review was provided from Team Mom and Backyard Safari Outfitters. They have provided me with a Cargo Vest, Mega View Periscope and a Bug Vacuum to review and information to share with my readers. I was given the product for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

Zhu Zhu Flo dance and the Zhu-niverse 2010 Tour!!

The Zhu Zhu pets are quite entertaining, and they are a great little pet for kids. You don't have to "care" for your Zhu Zhu pet as you would a live pet, so they make great little pets for your kids if you don't want the responsibility and work that a live pet can bring.
Zhu Zhu pets cam out with a new line of friends called the KUNG ZHU. Our family loves the Kung Zhu's! These are warriors: ninjas and special forces. These Zhu Zhu's have shields, armor and special vehicles. To kick off the new Kun Zhu pets, the Zhu Zhu's are visiting 20 cities this summer and fall with the Zhu-niverse Tour, and welcomes all fans to come live for a day like the Zhu’s. Our family had a great time checking out the Zhu-niverse Tour at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN on June 5th, 2010. I think that visiting the Tour is a great way to introduce your children to the Zhu Zhu's and get in on all the fun!
I think the set up at the Mall of America was great...it was a rainy day, the Zhu-niverse was indoors, and people were everywhere! There were a few other events at the Mall of America that day, so it was great for even more people to check out the Zhu-niverse! There was a life size hamster habitat trail and wheel. My kids loved that!
There were four large tables of Zhu Zhu pets, accessories and habitats for kids to play with. The sets included the original Zhu Zhu sets as well as the new Kung Zhu pets/habitats/accessories.
Geoffrey, the Toys R Us giraffe, was there to greet all the children. Toys R Us is one of the main stores that sell the Zhu Zhu pets. My kids had a great time saying, "Hi" to Geoffrey and giving him a hug.
The Zhu-niverse had so much activity available for the kids! The staff and volunteers led kids in games, like pick the correct Zhu Zhu pet, land on the Zhu Zhu's birth mark, and more. There were prizes awarded like stickers, postcards, and tie string bags.

The live hamster habitat was such a blast! The kids had a great time pretending they were Zhu Zhu pets. Check out this cute video my oldest son took of the younger kids:

Here is a picture of Madelyn near the end of the habitat, next to Mr. Squiggles.
The kids had a great time playing the Zhu Zhu pets game on the Nintendo DSi gaming station.
It was great that there were several gaming systems so several children can play at the same time. The kids all loved the game...traveling with their Zhu Zhu pets.
Even my husband and our 17 month old had a great time playing the game.
Cole was so excited to play with the Zhu Zhu pets. He was just amazed at how they moved around. I like the little police car that is in front of him.
This is a very colorful set up for the Zhu Zhu pets!
There was a station set up where kids could play, "Which Zhu are YOU?" With answering questions about what they like, activities they enjoy, etc. the computer matches up the child to a Zhu Zhu pet they are most like based on their answers. After it picks the Zhu Zhu you are most like, the computer will take your picture and fit it in the body of a Zhu Zhu pet. With a plastic card, you have a special number and instruction to go online and view/order your photos.
Kung Zhu Training Grounds were a big hit for my kids. I think they spend most of the time training for Kung Zhu wars. The Training grounds started off with a race through the matted tunnel

....you can see Cole's legs in this photo.
Then the kids run through another tunnel and climb up on a stool to reach the monkey bars.

They quickly reach across to go through the monkey bars (Madelyn is getting some help from bigger brother).
Almost to the finish line, the kids need to run through the fierce ninjas and special forces (large mats that were standing upright).
At the end of the race, the kids got to hit the big cymbal for a big "DONG." Cole loved hitting the mallet on the cymbal. Once they hit the bell, they got a sticker for their achievement.
Here is a couple pictures of the Kung Zhu Zhu pets, home, and accessories. The kids really like the new additions.
Be sure to check out the Zhu-niverse if they are coming near you!~
Upcoming events for the rest of the summer for the Zhu-niverse Tour!
Belleville National Strawberry Festival, Detroit, MI (Belleville, MI)
Friday - Sunday, June 18-20
Summerfest, Milwaukee, WI
Saturday - Monday, June 26-28
Naperville Ribfest, Chicago, IL (Naperville, IL)
Thursday - Sunday, July 1-4
Taste of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
Saturday - Sunday, July 10-11
New England Sand Sculpting Festival, Boston, MA (Revere, MA)
Friday - Sunday, July 16-18
QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, Trenton, NJ (Readington, NJ)
Friday - Sunday, July 23-25
Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Friday - Sunday, July 30-August 1
Also, at the Zhu-niverse you could get up on the platform and dance to the new Zhu Zhu Flo song. I had a party gathering before attending the Zhu-niverse and we tried the song out. I think the song is a bit easier for older kids (like ages 5 and up). The kids we had at the party were under 6. So, it was harder for them, but they still had a blast. We had some Pizza Hut pizza to kick off the Zhu Zhu flo party, and then got to work learning the dance. Here are some photos and a video from learning the Zhu Zhu flo.

The Zhu Zhu flo is on a DVD and we had instructions, video with music, and a fun Zhu Zhu pet video after the song.
The kids had fun dancing to the music and learning it, however I don't think they were too anxious to learn a new song.
My daughter loves the Zhu Zhu flo song, and really gets into the dance. Sometimes she makes up her own little dance, too. If we had wanted to, our group could have performed the Zhu Zhu flo dance at the Zhu-niverse tour, but I think the kids were just not quite ready for that yet.

It is a fun dance to learn, and I think it is fun that the Zhu Zhu's have their own dance song.

Thanks to Mom Select and Zhu Zhu pets I was able to host a Zhu Zhu flo party. I was sent a gift card to pizza hut to purchase snacks for our party. I was given information on the Zhu-niverse Tour from Mom Select, and given information to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review. The Zhu-niverse Tour is a free event and open to the public.

iFrogz Headphones~ great comfort & sound!

Do you ever want to rock out to music, but you really don't want to annoy someone else with your music? Have you ever sat next to someone and they thought that you couldn't hear their music, but really it was just buzzing away? I recently received a pair of headphones to review, and I was so amazed at the quality and comfort of the iFrogz CS40s. The "CS" stands for Comfort Series, and they are the brand new addition to the EarPollution headphone line by iFrogz. Really, the comfort of these headphones is amazing. My son and I just slide the headphones on, and the ear pieces are like little pillows on our ears. The fit is perfect for both of us, and the ear piece completely covers our ears. I think the design of the iFrogz is great...you really can't hear the music when people are wearing the iFrogz. I love that you can wear these headphone, completely jam out to music and not bother those around you.
Everyone has a certain preference when it comes to what type of earphone or headphone they choose to wear. Some people like the little ear piece that slides into your ear canal, and some like the bigger ones that cover the ears. Personally, I truly do like both, depending on what I am doing when listening to music. However, I do know that the small ear phones tend to slip out, or fall out, of my ears while listening. It can be quite irritating. The iFrogz feel a bit more secure on my head. I like that the head band is adjustable, the ear pads are extremely comfortable, and the cord isn't too long. All around, the iFrogz are perfect for our family.

The quality of the iFrogz CS40s is superb! I think the sound is so rich, and you actually hear the bass and instruments clearly. I think that the iFrogz are the best headphones that I have ever tried out, and I am so happy to have had the opportunity to try them out! We highly recommend these headphones! They work great with our ipod touch and the ipod shuffle. I haven't really tested it on other devices yet.

The CS40s are currently available in five colors - white, black, blue, red and pink - for an MSRP of $39.99. Each pair has an adjustable headband and folds into itself for portability. You can see them here: iFrogz.com

This review was provided from iFrogz.com. They have provided me with CS40s headphones to review and information to share with my readers. I was given the product for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.