Santa Cruz Organic and R.W. Knudsen (Review and 3 HUGE giveaways)!

Our family has become more aware of what we put into our mouth, and knowing if we are putting "pure" products into our bodies. I am a firm believer that we all feel better, and can function better with less chemically made foods entering our systems. I am even more careful about what my kids are getting for their snacks and meals, and trying to give them healthier options with their food. I was thrilled to review products from Santa Cruz Organic and R.W. Knudsen Family. Santa Cruz Organic sent me 2 jars of their Organic Peanut Butter. I love the taste of this peanut butter, and I greatly appreciate that Santa Cruz products are real...no chemicals to corrupt the ingredients. The Peanut Butter from Santa Cruz tastes just like crushed peanuts. You need to stir the peanut butter when you first open the jar, due to settling...then you store it in the refridgerator to keep it fresh. Santa Cruz Organic Peanut Butters are made with USDA certified organic peanuts and have unique flavor profiles made up of both light and dark roast varieties. I am not sure which I prefer between the dark or light roast, but both are extremely delicious and good for you! Even though I am usually a "Creamy Only" when it comes to peanut butter, I really liked Santa Cruz Organic Cruchy peanut butter. Santa Cruz peanut butters were one of the few brands NOT recalled this winter.

I was also able to review the Santa Cruz Organic Fruit sauces in the variety of flavors: Apple Blackberry, Apple Apricot, Apple Cinnamon, and Apple Raspberry. My kids love the Apple Cinnamon the best, but I really like the variety. It is nice to pull out a new one each day, and have something new. I think it is super that the Fruit Sauces from Santa Cruz are made from organic fruit and provides 100 percent of the USDA recommended daily value of vitamin C. The single serving cups are great to add to a lunch to work, school, picnic, or other. I am excited that Santa Cruz offers such great products that parents can give to their kids and know that it is good for them! I think my favorite flavor of the Fruit Sauces is the Apple Blackberry.

The Sensible Sippers from R.W. Knudsen Family are just as flavorful as other brand juice boxes, however, you don't have the same sugar and calories! R.W. Knudsen Family juice boxes are made with 50% organic juice and 50% water. Each contains 40% less calories than traditional juices boxes and the 4-ounce boxes make it easier for tot’s petite hands to handle. Flavors include apple, mixed berry, tropical and banana. I was sent the mixed berry and the apple flavors, and both are great tasting...and my kids love them. They really enjoy the Berenstain Bears, too...and that is the logo/theme on the Sensible Sippers. I would love to try the Banana and Tropical flavors for the Sensible Sippers, too. I love this option for a juice box for my kids...healthier and smaller portions.

We highly recommend these great products, and we are so thankful that we got to try them out and tell you about them.

Would you like to win a great gift pack from R.W. Knudsen Family and Santa Cruz Organics? The companies are generously sponsoring a giveaway to one lucky Sassyfrazz reader. Here is what the prize will be: 2 packages of 6 juice boxes (from R.W. Knudsen), 2 jars of Peanut Butter from Santa Cruz, and 3 packages of 6 Fruit Sauces from Santa Cruz. Isn't that a generous prize? Here is an even greater surprise...they are offering this prize package to 3 WINNERS!! So, here is what you need to do for your first entry: Go to either R.W. Knudsen Family website or Santa Cruz website, and find out something interesting. This contest is open to bloggers/non-bloggers of the USA, and will end on August 20th.
**For extra chances you can: blog this contest, add my button to your site, subscribe to my blog, twitter and/or facebook this contest, and/or visit everyday and add another friendly comment. Lots of chances to win! Don't forget to put the extra comments for the "extra" work. Good luck!**

Kids Cards Review & giveaway!

I love helping promote Mom invented products/websites! One product that I have just been introduced to is KidCards, created by an Ohio mom: Melissa Marra.
KidCards are books of pre-assembled cards that kids can tear out, color, fold, and give away. Each card has an unique design for different occasions: birthdays, get well, thank you and more. There is 20 cards and 20 envelopes in each packet of KidCards.
My kids loved picking out their own card to color. They had a lot of fun looking at all the different designs on the cards. The quality of the paper is great! The paper is thicker. All the paper is white, so kids can use any color to brighten it up for that special someone. KidCards also has a special Christmas edition booklet that comes with 15 pre-designed cards. I think that KidCards is a great product and fun activity to engage your child in. You kids will be encouraged to send cards to people for special occasions, and "just because" occasions. KidCards just won a 2009 iParenting Media Excellent Products Award in the Books Category, and I think that award is well deserved!
Here's what the iParenting reviewers had to say about KidCards:
What are the most positive characteristics of this book?
-The best characteristic of this product is that it promotes creativity and imagination. It gives the child the chance to create something for someone else with a personal touch. It gives a guide to work with, but allows the child to be as creative as they choose to be.
-There were many choices of cards and envelopes to use with the cards. The choices were plentiful and worked well for many occasions. The spiral binding was great for flipping through the pages.
-What a great way to teach children good social etiquette. With this product children learn the importance of empathy and helps them think of others on special occasions. These cards can really make a difference in someones life, especially knowing that it came from a young person.

KidCards would make a great gift to give a child, and it is the gift that keeps giving.
CONTEST!
Would you like to win a packet of KidCards? You can pick out which volume you would like to win (volume 1, volume 2 or the Christmas edition). This contest is open to those in the United States and will end on June 1, 2009. To enter, go to KidCards and learn more about the mom inventor, Melissa Marra. Come back here and comment about something you learned about her. You can have extra entries for doing any of the following: blogging this contest, adding my button to your site, subscribing to my feed, commenting on other posts, visiting daily with a comment, tweeting, etc. Just be sure to leave comments for the extras you do to get the credit you deserve! :)
Do you want to purchase some KidCards? I was given a code to give you to give you a bonus with your purchase! When you go to KidCards, click on Buy Online, then enter the Penny Promotion Code "Blogger Bonus" in the box. When you purchase 2 or more books, you will get the crayon set AND watercolor paint set for 1 Penny! What a great bonus!
Thanks KidCards, Melissa Marra, for the review of your great products! My kids love the pre-designed cards and have fun making the cards their own.

Life's Building Blocks (Plus a BIG giveaway)

Building character in our children is so important! Kids need to have good guidance and knowledge to learn the importance of kindness, perseverance, fairness, courage, honesty and self-control. Kids are bombarded with negative pressures and influences daily, and parents (myself included) are thankful to know of possible ways to help our children.
I am happy to introduce to you a great product line to help get kids excited about and learn character values in a fun way~ Life's Building Blocks.
"Life's Building Blocks, Inc., is a privately held company that designs, creates, markets and sells an extensive line of unique products and programs dedicated to helping parents develop morals and character in children in a fun and interactive environment. The smartly packaged products include books, board games, toys and DVD's that are distributed through proven direct marketing techniques that build upon historical data while taking advantage of the current trends in the market place. Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Vikash Sanyal, and his wife Juli, started the company in the summer of 2003 after he spent over 15 years in the golf industry during which he had a major role in launching and managing two successful putter companies. At Life's Building Blocks, Inc., he has assembled an impressive team of experts in the fields of moral and character development as well as individuals who helped create some of the most successful toys and books in the history of the toy industry."
Zaki the Chameleon is an adorable plush that is about 2 feet tall and he tells 6 fables written into short stories and rhymes starring the Spruce Street Six. Zaki includes a cartridge slot that allows the consumer to get new stories, thereby keeping Zaki fresh and extending the product’s life cycle. Zaki (story telling) Chameleon has a colorful, spiky back. The colors change from red, to yellow, to green to help kids understand when it is good to stop, slow down, or go for it! Zaki sings a song to help kids know the difference about what to do in different situations. My kids adore Zaki and really enjoy listening to his stories. It is fun to hear Caleb (my 3 1/2 year old) talk about and ask questions about the stories Zaki shares. (Retail value $30)
Life's Building Blocks offers great chapter books and activity books for older kids (ages 6-11) that engage the readers of the moral dilemmas of the Spruce Street Six kids. The books encourage the readers to think about how the kids make their choices. Each book in the series covers a different virtue and character trait. The activity books are filled with lessons that surround the virtue of the month and give parents and kids opportunities to talk. But to the kids they are just fun puzzles, stories, word searches, and coded messages. I think that the chapter books and the activity books are great for kids to read and work in, too. (Retail value $5.99/each book)I like that Life's Building Blocks offers products for ages 3-11. The company offers great guides for adults to use with their kids to cover the virtues and guides for discussions on the chapter books. The site also has lesson plans that parents and teachers can use. I think this is a great program for homeschoolers to use with their curriculum as well!
Life's Building Blocks has given me a code to share with my readers for a special discount of 20% off a minimum of $15 order! Just use sassy20 and you can use that code until 1/31.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN?? Life's Building Blocks has offered to sponsor a giveaway for a plush Zaki the Chameleon, all 6 chapter books, and all 6 activity books!! What a great gift to give your children, or other children you may know! This contest is open to all readers living in the Continental United States. To get your first entry, go to Life's Building Blocks, and comment about something you liked about their company or products. If you do not do the first required entry, you will be disqualified. You may come back each day and enter (again) after you do the first rule, just tweet about this giveaway and leave the url in your comment. Click here to see how you can earn extra credits to win, and click here to see guidelines and the official rules. Contest will end on January 12, 2009 at 11:59PM CST. GOOD LUCK!

Put a smile on their face~ Giveaway!

Kids go to school...sit through classes...sit down to have lunch, and could use a smile to make their day go better! Here is a way you can send a message to your child to brighten their day, get their mind moving, and create some chuckles. Kids Lunch Box cards are made to connect parents with their kids throughout the day.Our kids are gone over 8 hours a day at school, and it is nice to be able to let them know you are thinking of them. On the back of these postcard-like cards, it is blank, so you can send a personalized note to your sweet child. I know my son feels so loved when I can connect with him during the day. There are different topics of cards in the series. One set of cards is made up of Riddles like: I have holes on the Top and Bottom. I have holes on my left and right. I have holes in the middle, what am I? Then, kids can try to figure it out. They scratch of the answer to find out if they are right. Another set of cards are Gross, but true facts like: A cockroach can live 9 days without its head before it starves to death. Looney Laws give facts about laws in other states like: In Florida, you can tie your pet elephant to a parking meter as long as you add quarters.The last two sets of cards are Mystical People and It's a Wacky World. I think these cards are great ways to help spark conversations between your child and their friends. Kids are so encouraged by words of affirmation and praise, and I am happy that Kids lunch box cards encourage this communication to our kids. Kids Lunch Box card's website has some great ideas to make your child's day at school more creative and colorful!
I just think that this product is a great way to give your child some fun times at school, and they will appreciate it, I am sure! Would you like to win each set of 5 packs of cards?
You can enter to win these super cards by going to the site, and seeing which one you like best. This contest is open to all readers living in the Continental United States. You may come back each day and enter again, just leave a comment about what you appreciate about your kids. Click here to see how you can earn extra credits to win, and click here to see guidelines and the official rules. Contest will end on November 28th, at 7:00 PM CST. GOOD LUCK!

Let's get creative!

The Learning Tower, from Little Partners, is such a big hit at our house. Not only does it serve well as a step stool to aid at the counter top, stimulates hours of imaginative play in the themed "play house," it is now a great place to get those creative juices flowing from ideas created in the mind down on chalkboard or dry erase board!
Let me introduce to you the all new Little Partner's Art Easel! The Art Easel attaches very easy to the Learning Tower!The Art Easel is a two-sided art board! One side is a very nice chalk board, and the other is a magnetic dry erase board. How fun is that! Kid's can enjoy 2 very fun, and creative ways to show their Picasso-side. The Art Easel comes with a magnetic strip (like a ruler) to use to hold the kid's paper in place. There is also a detachable art supply tray that has two built-in paint pot holders which can be fitted with plastic cups or paint pots. The tray holder also has an indented area that holds a pencil, an eraser, paint brushes, chalk and markers. I am really happy that the tray is made very accessible to remove for easy cleaning! We all know kids can be messy!
My kids are constantly drawing and creating on their new Art Easel. I have a hard time getting them to finish their masterpieces and putting the chalk down. The only suggestion I would give Little Partners is to offer an eraser for the chalk board and dry erase board.
The Art Easel is a super addition to the Learning Tower's accessories! The Learning Tower comes in Natural, Cherry, Soft White and Black colors. New for this year, little Partners will introduce five new colors for the Learning Tower: Red, Pink, Apple Green,
Royal Blue and Azure Blue. The Art Easel comes in 8 fun colors, besides the natural color: Dark Cherry, Ebony, Soft White, Red, Azure Blue, Royal Blue, Pink and Apple Green. The Art Easel has a suggested retail price of $69.99, and you can purchase them at several locations! Thank you Little Partners for adding the super Art Easel to your great product line! My kids and I thank you!

Sakura of America: Great Art Supplies~A Review

I have always enjoyed using fun pens when I work on my projects, or just write a note. I think things always look better when written with sparkles or metallics! I was really excited to try out some of the great art products from Sakura of America! I was really impressed with the selection I got to sample! The Metallic pens are really pretty on paper! I love the look they create! Gelly Roll Metallic gel ink pens feature: Archival quality ink – chemically stable, waterproof, and fade resistant; No smears, feathers, or bleed-through on most papers; Writes on both light and dark papers as well as glossy and matte surfaces. The Gelly Roll Metallic collection (16 pens) retail for $20.64. With that you get: 2 gold, 2 silver, 1 each: red, pink, purple, emerald green, blue, sepia, burgundy, hunter green blue/black, black and copper. There are other packages ranging from $1.29 (single)-$12.90 (10 pack). The Gelly Roll Stardust gel ink pens have a superior glitter effect to them when contacted with paper! I think these are my favorite. It really feeds my doodling addiction while talking on the phone. My kids (and even my husband) were impressed with these pens! The Gelly Roll Stardust collections (16 pens) retail for $27.04. The set includes: 2 each: Red-Star, Pink-Star, Purple-Star, and Silver-Star; 1 each: Golden-Star, Copper-Star, Rose-Star, Sky-Star, Lime-Star, Green-Star, Blue-Star, and Marine-Star. Sakura offers other packages starting at $1.69 (single)- $10.14 (6 pens). Stickler Kits are a really fun way for kids to express themselves! The Sticklers contain outline stickers with 3- 3-D ink pens. There are 2 different kits available: Glaze (3-D ink pens provide glossy transparent colors) and Soufle' (3-D ink pens provide an opaque matte pastel color). There is also the option to chose either gold Sticklers stickers, or silver. It is fun to color in the stickers, and attach them to fun projects. You can put the stickers on many surfaces: glass. metal, paper, wood, plastic, and transparencies. Some put the stickers on their cell phones, game boys/DS, MP3 players and other electronic devices. What a fun way to personalize your things. Sticklers kits retails for $5.99. You can order sets in 2 packs ($3.96), 6 packs ($11.88), and 10 packs ($19.80). Sakura of America offers oil pastels that are fun for any age artist from beginner to advanced. I got the Cray-Pas for review, and this is a great set of oil pastels. The Cray-Pas Jr. Artist is for ages K-8 grade students. Another product from Sakura is the Cray-Pas Expressionist, and that is for the emerging artists, high school students and college age. Cray-Pas Jr. Artist Chubbies retail~12 pack: $9.00. The regular Cray-Pas Jr. Artists (25 pack) retails for $3.80, and the Expressionist (12 pack) retails for $5.90. There are other options available with different price ranges. Sakura offers annual contests for anyone in the K-8th grades, and they can enter to win with their creations. Sakura of America sells through wholesalers and distributors in North America, and to independent and National retailers. Online purchases are available on their website via Shopatron. I think that Sakura's products are a great asset to help children (and adults) spark creativity. Their products also make great gifts!

Kids Lunch Box Cards: A Review and Giveaway!

Updated information! Bigger contest giveaway!! See below~

It is that time again...back to school! Nathaniel loves school! He really looks forward to each day! I have been introduced to a great new company called KidsFunCards, that will really give Nathaniel

something fun to read while at school. KidsFunCards are great cards that can be put in a lunch box, backpack, book, or any other creative spot your child can get it. I think they are a great way for you to surprise your child with a gift. These cards are a variety of information, either gross or funny, mind boggling, or a fun riddle to solve. I think the illustrations are creatively drawn. At only $4.95 a pack of 5 (one for each day of the week), I think it is an affordable way for your child to have some great, and harmless fun! They are even endorsed by Disney! I like that the cards offer a space on the back for a special note from mom or dad.

KidsFunCards was created from two moms, Gina and Rose. Gina is the illustrator, and Rose is the graphic designer. Also joining them are Paul DeDomenico (Gina's Dad), Markus Flanagan (Gina's Husband), and Gina's brother, Paul P. DeDomenico. They all make a great team, and created a fabulous business! I think these cards are great for kids! I know Nathaniel will dig them! I can't wait to stick one in his bag on the first day of school next week.

Would you like to win a 5-pack of her five cards (25 days’ worth of cards)!!??**UPDATED**KidsFunCards has offered to sponsor a giveaway to one of my readers! This contest is open to all readers living in the Continental United States. Head on over to the KidsFunCards website, and pick out the set of cards you like the best. Come back and comment on which one you like. Click here to see how you can earn extra credits to win. Contest will end on September 9th, at 7:00 PM CST.