Stuffed animals, one of the few things that are loved by virtually everybody. People win them at carnivals, spend a ton of change just to win them from machines, gift them on holidays to their loved one, and secretly or not so secretly cuddle up to them at night when we need some added peace and security. I think we can all agree stuffed animals are great but they are not all made equally, and being a 31 year old stuffed animal enthusiast and Mom of 2 I know a good one when I see one and let me tell you recently I have stumbled upon the BEST. That’s right you read it correctly, your eyes have not deceived you I have found the best stuffed animals out there, Piccoli Horses. Curious as to why I say that? Stick around and keep reading to find out.
Piccoli Horses is a company who you guessed it makes stuffed animals that are horses. Pretty self explanatory but what isn’t self explanatory is the quality of these horses and the thought and care that was put into them. I say thought and care because these are more than just stuffed animals these horses included with your horse is access to an app that encourages your child with language development. That alone had my mommy senses buzzing, my oldest child has autism, his speech was delayed and he is still enrolled in speech therapy to this day. Had I have had this tool around when he was younger it would’ve helped us a ton. Now that I have a toddler on my hands again, I am excited to use it with him and watch him flourish. Also, while the app helps children develop and learn language skills in the English language there are plans to add other languages. I love the idea of my kids knowing other languages, I plan on sitting right by them too so that I can pick up on some words as well.
Piccoli Educational App
Another thing that gave me the feels and told me someone had put a lot of thought into these horses is that when you purchase your Piccoli horse the experience is like adopting a new animal pal into your home. You can log online on their website and register your horse, your child will be able to give them a name of their choosing, making the experience even more special.
If Piccoli Horses doubling as the perfect cuddle companion/best friend and learning companion and being able to register and name the horse themselves isn’t enough to convince you that these are the best stuffed animals on the market then let’s talk aesthetics. These horses are nothing short of gorgeous. They each sport a different saddle with a different pattern, there is plaid and floral and they come in a variety of colors to suit your fancy. The saddles are interchangeable too, perfect for the kids who like to play dress up with their toys. One of the horses which happens to be my son’s favorite is listed on the Piccoli site as “Red Velvet”. Red Velvet sports a rose necklace made of roses. It is a racehorse and judging by the necklace around its neck a winning one. You see, I am from Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Derby. Horse racing is a big deal for my state and I like that the necklace is factually accurate in what a horse gets to wear when it wins a race. Not only is it a beautiful detail, but it is something that I can use when teaching my kids about the history of horse racing in our state.
Every horse is adorable in its own unique way but looks aren’t everything. What makes a stuffed animal for me has always been how it feels. These horses are made of the softest materials, when our horses arrived and we took them out of the box it is an automatic reaction to rub one against your face and then give it a squeeze, that’s how soft they are. My toddler picked up Red Velvet and instantly laid his head on it, we’ve had our horses for more than a month now and he packs it around everywhere. He will lay the horse in the floor and lay his head on it, he will also give it kisses, it’s the cutest thing ever. In my experience every child will find something early on, whether it be a blanket or special toy and grow attached to it. It is clear to me that Red Velvet is his thing. Understandably so since I have had my friends my own age come over and gush over how nice and soft they are.
Just a boy and his best friend
Now that I’ve proven just how great these are it’s time to talk about where you can purchase yours. The holiday season is coming up and I can’t think of a better gift to give then one of these adorable stuffed animals. These would look perfect sitting under the tree left by Santa. Piccoli also has miniature horses that would fit nicely in a stocking and fit easily even in the tiniest hands. If you plan on shopping for kids who aren’t yours, say a friend’s kids or whoever they may be these would be the perfect way to win Christmas and make a lasting impact. You aren’t just gifting a toy you are gifting potentially a best friend, a snuggle buddy, something that a child won’t leave behind or sleep without. Let’s not forget all of the points you will score with their parents when they hear it is a learning tool too.
Feeling lucky? Want a chance to win one of your own? Comment below and tell me what you would name yours and I will pick a winner. Want extra entries go and follow Piccoli Horses on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/piccolihorses
Kids and sleep two things that don’t always mesh well together. From the time they just coming into the world and beyond kids are always making us lose sleep somehow. I wish I had advice to give you on how to sleep well but I don’t. I do however have an awesome Toddler Bed to tell you about, it is by Delta and it has Elmo on it.
When Delta agreed to send me this toddler bed to share my thoughts and give my stamp of approval I was delighted. There aren’t many things in this world cuter than Elmo besides baby themselves of course, so just imagine your cute little angel on this cute little bed. Cuteness overload!
As much as I could go on and on about how easy this bed is on the eyes, there are more important things like – Does it take a rocket science and a hundred different tools to put together? The answer to both of those questions is no, I was able to put this bed together in a little over an hour. It would probably take the average person even less time to put together considering I do well just to chance the batteries in my tv remote. It doesn’t get much easier than this bed, it sure beats putting together a crib.
As I was putting the bed together it gave me a first hand feel of how strong every piece feel. Using a wrench and screwing the bolts in, I could feel that every piece was going to stay put, even if a sneaky toddler decides to ignore all lessons learned from the the age old tale about monkeys jumping on the bed, and decides to use the bed as a makeshift trampoline, nothing is going to budge.
The bed rails are equally as sturdy which they should be, this isn’t my first parenting rodeo. Granted, there is a 10 year age gap between my two boys I can still remember trying to sleep with my oldest when he was a toddler. The kicks and jabs that I felt all night long was misery, it was like sleeping with a little karate kid. Luckily, my newest little guy won’t have the chance to use me as a punching bag all night, no worries here though, those bed rails are locked on tight, he’s not going to go tumbling into the floor.
I can’t say enough good things about this bed. If you are looking to make the big leap from crib sleeping to toddler bed look no further. Your child’s face will light up when they see Elmo peeking over on them while they go night night. If for some reason Elmo isn’t your kids thing Delta has toddler beds made of the same great quality with countless different theme choices. Check them out and buy your child’s favorite today.
Activity books, they have been around for as long as I can remember and they have always been a childhood favorite of mine. Sadly most activity books back in my day and even today are normally surrounded by coloring sheets with very few activities. Since the activity pages were the more sought after pages in my home growing up it always ended up in a race and often times a fight over who would get to the good pages first. After the activity pages were all completed the rest of the book sat there collecting dust before eventually making its way to the trash can. Luckily for the kids today, especially my kids I have discovered a whole new line of new and improved activity books called Flip’N’Check books. The company graciously offered to send me all three books from their activity line to try and share with you guys.
Let’s flash forward to when my box arrived, no matter how many boxes that I receive or how old that I get I will forever be like a kid on Christmas morning when a box comes. The box could be full of plain white socks, and I would still be watching my window impatiently waiting for them to arrive so that I could run out and snatch them up. Anybody else? No, just me? Okay. The mail lady pulls up and I run out and get the box bring it inside and open it up. I see all three of the books, 2 Flip ‘N’ Check brain game activity books and the third book was a book full of Mad Libs. Holy Smokes, Mad Libs! I don’t want to brag but I have Mad Libbed a time or two or hundred. I was excited and couldn’t wait to sit down and check them out more in depth.
Once I did a few things quickly around the house and got my littlest down for a nap I sit down and looked at the books more. I was super impressed by the quality of these books. The books have a hard cover on the front and back and they are bound by thick and smooth metal. I took a picture of the binding because it is seriously nice, I have had a few bad experiences when things are spiral bound, mostly cheap notebooks. You know what I mean? When the metal unravels and pokes out, you end up scratching everything around you including yourself. Yeah, this binding isn’t like that, it’s strong and smooth and will withstand the test of time.
Strong spiral binding
When I opened the books I seen that there was a pocket on the left side that held 20 worksheets, on the right side was a thick plastic sheet that lifted up, and beside it was a dry erase marker. I flipped through the worksheets and all of them were on thicker glossy paper and all of them sported brilliant colors and illustrations, very eye catching and again very impressive quality. I read through the directions written on the pocket because these books were clearly different than your average activity book.
Pocket where the worksheets are stored and the directions.
For the activity books you slide the worksheet under the plastic sheet. You write your answers on the plastic sheet vs. directly on the sheet. When you are finished you can flip the worksheet over and check your answers as the back of the worksheet has the answers. The worksheets vary, there are some classic games like connect the dots and mazes, word scrambles, and there are other activities that were geared more towards math and science. Math and Science? Yes, Math and Science but still set up like a game, a perfect way to sneak some learning into what seems like only play. Using the plastic sheet instead of writing directly onto the worksheet means that the fun is virtually never ending. If your home has more than one child in it that means no more fighting over who gets to work what puzzle, though it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get more than one book to decrease the chances of a fight even more.
The Mad Lib books are set up basically the same way but the front and back are different. The front side is a bunch of blank lines arranged in different places on the page. Under the blank line it will tell you what type of word it wants you to give for example verb, noun, or adjective. Once you write your answers in you flip the sheet over where you will find a story with blank lines in the exact same places the blank lines were on the other page, so your words fall right into place in the story. The only thing left for you to do is to read the story and hear just how your words sounded. WARNING most of the time the story sounds pretty silly with the added words plugged in and laughter will ensue. This is a really fun game to play with your child, I played it with my 10 year old son and we laughed until we had tears flowing from our eyes. It was a real bonding experience and something that I plan to make a habit of.
If you were a fan of activity books when you were younger or still are a fan like me. If you are constantly buying activity/coloring books for your kids to just have to turn around and buy more when they’ve done all of the cool activities. If you are looking for a way to keep your child’s brain sharp over those long school breaks or an awesome travel activity, then I suggest you purchase these books. They are perfect for travel as there is no loose pieces, there is a place for everything. These would even be a valuable tool for a homeschooling mom or teacher/substitute teacher to have in their arsenal, as they make for awesome and fun learning tools.
Childhood is a magical time. When you are a child there are so many cool things for you to believe in. There is the old time tales that have been around for ages like Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, and The Tooth Fairy and then there are newer traditions like Elf on the Shelf. If you take a glimpse even just a quick one at Pinterest you will see a million and one other ideas on what you can do to make your child’s childhood more memorable. Unfortunately, if you are like me, that is where those cute ideas stay; and it is not because we love our kids any less. The reason behind it is because of life. Yes life. Life gets busy; there are only so many hours in the day. I may want to make reindeer food like Cindy Lou Who down the road did for her child or I may want to type out elaborate letters from the man in the big red suit for each of my kids but sometimes it just isn’t practical. If you are one of those moms who do manage to do all of those things every single time then I applaud you but even you could use a little help from time to time.
Luckily, for us I have discovered a series of books that does all of the work when adding a little something extra for your child’s special days. The book series is called “The Magical Tales” and there is a book for every major holiday and even one for your child’s birthday. Loving the idea of these books, I was able to speak with the Author and creator of the book series Patricia Cardello who sent me 2 signed Birthday books from the series, one for me and one to give away at a get together that I was throwing.
To say that I was excited was an understatement, but the real excitement came when the shipment arrived with the books. I knew that the books were nice looking from seeing them online but the online pictures as good as they were really didn’t do the book justice. The book came packaged as a set,included with the book is a neon green soft pouch full of multi colored confetti also known as “Birthday dust”. The sack was closed by a thin red ribbon with a note attached. The cover and the box that the set comes in is so brightly colored and festive, I was really impressed. We have all heard the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, well kids don’t get that at their tender age in my experience anyhow. No worries with this book, my son spotted it when it was first delivered and was drawn to it. He commented immediately on liking the “sparkles” on the birthday hats the bears are wearing.
Once he seen it, it was decided, it hadn’t been my original plan and it was not anyone’s birthday but that had to be the book that we read before bed that night. A little background on my son, he is 10 but was diagnosed with autism around the age of 5. He is one of the most sweet and innocent minded kids you will ever meet and still very much believes in magic, and not sure if he will ever stop, and I don’t mind it at all; Actually I love that he does. If I have to I will still sneak into his room if he ever was to lose more teeth when he’s 20 and slide him a little something under his pillow.
Bedtime came and it was time to read “The Magical Tale of Birthday Dust”. Since I knew I would be blogging about it I paid extra attention to every little detail while going through. When you open the book there is a place for you to write your child’s name and a place for you to write when you started the birthday tradition. Immediately it made me think of how cool it would be to gift this book to a new parent. How cool would it be to gift something to them that they could use year after year and be remembered as helping them start one of their family traditions? We moved along and read the book, the illustrations were gorgeous and the font was a good size. I didn’t feel like I had to squint to read it, and the words used were easy for kids to read. My son was able to read a page, and then I would read one.
The story is about three cousins who have their birthday party together. One of the cousins has his list of who he wants to invite, the other cousin has hers, while the third cousin wants to invite her bears; but on the day of the party she can’t find her beloved bears. The party must go on, but after getting to the party and playing the cousins spot a bag on the ground. What is in the bag you ask? Birthday Dust that’s what! The illustration of the bag looks like the bag included with the book and the note says the exact same thing that it does in the book, which I thought was super cool! Not only does your child get this cool book and birthday dust but everything matches up down to the note on the pouch. The idea of the dust is that you make a wish and throw it up in the air, the birthday dust will help your birthday wishes come true. In this case the cousins wished for the bears to be able to attend the party, and after throwing the birthday dust in the air the bears appeared.
We loved the book! My son can’t stop talking about the magic dust now, and how he can’t wait to use it on his big day in March. In a normal situation I think it is meant to be read the night before your child’s birthday or maybe even a few days prior or else you will be in the same boat that I am currently where I will be hearing about birthday dust from now until it is time to use it for him 8 months from now. Also, aside from bringing some magic to your child’s birthday, I noticed that there was even a teachable moment. It was when all of the cousins used their wishes so that the one could have her bears at the party, and I think whenever we read it again we will talk more about it.
Now that I had read the book it was time for me to give the second copy away that came a day or so later when I had family and friends over for a day full of fun. I had a ton of activities for everybody to do that day there was a lot of outdoor toys and even water balloons for all of the kiddos to enjoy, but as hot as it was I knew that they would appreciate a good story time. I gathered everyone up and passed out some drinks, it was story time! I underestimated how hard it would be to get kids to pay attention, and listen all at the same time. How do teachers do it?
Eventually, after having to hide the birthday dust and the box that the book came in, we were able to have story time. Despite how hard it was to get everyone to listen, once the story started the kids were tuned in and I was even able to ask a few questions to test their listening skills. After the story was finished every kid there was wanting to have magic dust for their party which made the give-away even more exciting. In my head I thought about having all of the adults compete in a physical competition, maybe a badminton match, but who am I kidding most of us are in our 30’s. After being in the heat with a group of hyper kids all day, it wasn’t going to be much of a match. Instead, I wrote everyone’s name on paper and drew a name from a hat. Sorry I couldn’t deliver a more dramatic play by play of a hard long fought badminton battle but hopefully this adorable pictures of the winners will make up for the lack of drama.
After getting the opportunity to read this book and share it with family and friends I can’t say enough good things about it. What is there not to like? A book that helps busy parents do a little something extra for their kiddos without having to get second degree hot glue gun burns from trying to keep up with Pinterest Mama; and it is a thoughtful gift to give to a parent or expecting parent to give them a jump start on starting their own birthday tradition.
Being a blogger has its perks, I get to try things and give my thoughts about them; but don’t let that statement confuse or be misconstrued I am very selective about what I review and take it seriously. Since starting back into the the reviewing world and building up my social media following I have decided to be more selective and review only the items that are relatable to me and to my life. That’s why when I received an e-mail from Tryazon about an opportunity to host an Escape the Indoors party featuring Ogosport toys I jumped at the chance and applied. You see, I talk and think often about how things used to be and how differently my kids are growing up from the way that I did. I don’t mean the, “When I was your age I used to walk 20 miles to get to school” stuff I am not that old. I mean technology; it is so hard to get my son to do anything other than play on one of his gaming systems, phone, or tablet. I am always searching for new ways to try to get him to be more active and get outside, breathing some fresh air. Luckily, I was selected and my party pack full of goodies was on its way.
Party Pack
This was my second party that I have been able to host through Tryazon. The first time I was nervous, what if I do something wrong? What if no one shows up? All of the what ifs that runs through a person’s head when they are doing something for the first time. This time I kind of knew what to expect and the timeline of how things work and had a generally expectation of how things would play out. I received my party pack and started looking at the contents. The box looked less full than I expected and whenever I looked at the contents sheet included with the package I seen that the original totals had been marked out and new ones were written over with a marker.
I was supposed to receive the following:
3 – H20 Ogodisks
3 – Ogosport Paddle ball sets
3 – Ogosport Splash Tails
10 – Packs of Glove-A-Bubbles
The party pack after I received the second box from Tryazon. Special addition LORA Ogosport disk with koosh ball, 3 H20 Ogosports disk, 3 Ogosport paddle ball sets, 13 packs of Glove-A-Bubbles, and 1 Splash tail
I contacted Tryazon, and they couldn’t have handled things better or quicker than they did. They quickly contacted Ogosport who informed them that they ran out of product to send out for the promotion and would send out another box to make up for the incident. A few days later, I did indeed receive a box with a 5 pack of Glove-A-Bubbles with an included bubble pan, another paddleball set with an American flag theme instead of the beach theme like the others, and a special edition FORA Ogodisk set. After I got the package I was excited, the FORA Ogodisk had a koosh ball included with it, Koosh balls were a big thing when I was a kid. When you host a party for Tryazon they will send out a party guide, it always says that you can run through and try products if applicable ahead of the time so a party goes smoothly. Let’s just say the FORA Ogodisk was tried right on the spot, after it was delivered. SO FUN!
About the toys
All of the toys from Ogosport were nice and most could be used in a number of ways. For instance, the H20 disks had mesh netting in the middle and could be used in the pool or on land. There was water balloons included with each set, you could fill them and bounce them back and forth to each other on the discs. For Solo play you could bounce a water balloon with one of the discs and see how many times you can bounce it before it drops or busts. You could get creative and have a badminton or volleyball style net up and try to bounce the balloons over, the possibilities are endless. Similar concept with the FORA Ogodisk, the FORA disk was made slightly different instead of mesh in the middle of the disks there was a silky and bouncy material. You can use both the FORA and H20 disks as Frisbees and from experience I can tell you they glide in the air better than any Frisbee that I’ve ever thrown, easier to catch as well!
The Glove-A-Bubbles were neat. I had seen them at my local Walmart, but had never gave them a try. I typical just pick up the long bubble wands for parties and events that I throw for my kids but after hosting this party I will be purchasing them for all of my bubble needs from now on. The name is pretty self-explanatory it is a plastic glove that you can put on your hand there is holes in the top of the glove, you dip the top into a pan or bucket of bubbles and wave your hand around to produce the bubbles. The gloves come in a wide variety of animals to choose from, the kids at the party took their time and thought about which animal they wanted, they really appreciated the choice and being able to pick a different animal than everyone else. The Glove-A-Bubbles were a hit, everyone agreed that those are the way to go, and are similar in price to plain old bubble wands. I only was able to try one Splash tail and it was fought over, it is a powerful and cool tool to have when having a water balloon fight. You fill it full of balloons and can swing it around to launch your balloon. If you are throwing a party with even a few kids you definitely need to have more than one.
The Party
I don’t ever need an excuse to shop, so naturally beforehand I went shopping for a few party extras that I thought the kids would have fun with. Just like my party before I had a Dollar Tree shopping spree. I bought oversized sunglasses, containers to display all of the different toys nice and neatly, bubble accessories, extra bubbles, fake mustaches, photo props, and a few other odds and ends. For food I picked up 5 hot and ready pizzas, watermelon, things to make hotdogs, chips, and drinks. If the kids were going to play as hard as what I knew they would, I knew that they would be packing an appetite.
Then it came time to set everything up, and prep. I underestimated how hard and how time consuming it is to fill up water balloons. I went against my better judgement and didn’t pick up any of the easy fill balloons, you know the ones that you can fill up 100 balloons within minutes? Maybe I am spoiled by how quick and effortless most things happen today, or I am just a lot more lazy because I don’t remember it being this hard when I was a kid anxiously filling up balloons to throw at my little sister. I would try to fill them, some would have holes, some of them would pop as I placed them in the tub. It is the number one thing that I would do differently, and recommend that you do if you are going to have a party like this one.
Once the balloons were filled and in the tub, I moved some chairs close on the porch and set up a table with everything displayed nice and neatly. Little did I know I would be carrying everything to the yard a few minutes later. The guests started to arrive, and before too long everyone was there. The kids were amazed at all of the toys that I had laid out for them starting grabbing at all of it. The Glove-A-Bubbles was the first thing that we tried. I have never been a perfectionist and have always considered myself to be laid back, but at the same time I am a dreamer.
I always have an idea of the way that I think that things will go. I seen myself being in total control of the party, almost like a Mary Poppins like character. I thought that I would be guiding the kids through activities and things would go seamlessly. Boy, was I wrong and I was a fool to ever think like that. Kids will be kids, it was chaos. Everyone wanted their Glove-A-Bubble opened, and they wanted it now. Some was trying to open it with their teeth while I was busy with the only pair of scissors that I could find, helping other kids open theirs. I had opted out of using the tray, I bought a bucket and had prefilled it with two large containers of bubbles. The Glove-A-Bubbles themselves have sealed clear packages of bubbles inside of each glove to use, but for the sake of my sanity and with so many kids at once we used my bucket. Once everyone had their glove it, it was magic. For a while me and the other adults could sit back and watch the kids twirl around the yard with their Glove-A-Bubble on their hand. The bubbles were blowing in the wind. All you could hear was laughter, and “Look Mom!” We had extra bubbles, us parents couldn’t sit back and let the kids have all of the fun we slipped a glove on and played.
A few minutes later, one of the kids stumbled upon the previously ignored tub of water balloons. I can’t think of much of anything that kids like more than water balloons. Not even Candy. If I thought the chaos over the Glove-A-Bubbles it was nothing compared to water balloons. The water balloon festivities hadn’t even started officially and water balloons were already being popped. I had to find my outside voice and bring some order to the court. Once I did, I was able to quickly open some of the H20 Ogodisks. There was balloons bouncing off disks here, there, everywhere. The water balloons held up better than expected while being tossed, it was easy to get a competitive game started and keep going even for someone like me who is less than graceful or athletic, a few even holding shape when being dropped. Before too long the water balloons that seemed like took forever for me to fill were gone, and in a flash. A full blown water fight had ensued; one of the kids had gotten a hold of the splash tail. I fill like I blinked, opened my eyes covered in water and it was over. I managed to get a few pictures of the action, their faces are priceless and it was totally worth filling up the balloons.
After refusing immediate requests for more water balloons the disks started flying. As I have mentioned before I feel like these disks, both the LORA and the H20 glided more smoothly and were easier to grab a hold of than a traditional Frisbee. While some of the group was throwing the H20 discs around I introduced the LORA Ogosport disk set. I had to be the one to do it first since it was my favorite out of all of the toys and I’ve had practice. I needed to show the other party goers how it was done. Bouncing the Koosh ball off of the discs takes very little effort, the soft springy fabric in the middle of the disc acts as a trampoline. With no real effort at all it will bounce where you need it to go, and if you do apply a little force the Koosh ball can go pretty high. The thicker edges of the LORA disks made them a breeze to hold and keep a good grip on. If you love a good back and forth game then look no further than the LORA Ogosport disk set. Not only was it my favorite but I think it was a favorite among everybody else as well. From then on the kids ran from activity to activity and when it was time to leave no one was ready to go home. A few kids came without their parents but with other members of their family and later that evening I got a few texts telling me that they didn’t know what I had at my party or what all had went on but their kids hadn’t stopped talking about it since they had got in. I’ve already made arrangements to have a repeat of this event, and we are going to try to make it a thing that we do at least a couple of times a month until the weather gets colder.
I ended the party with a whole new impression of Ogosport. I had never even heard of them prior to applying to host the party. I had seen a few of their products but never paid much attention to who the brand was. The toys that we used at the party still look brand new despite all of the rough play that they received from multiple kids. These toys will last us a few summers and are a must have for summer play. I don’t know how many badminton rackets and other outdoor toys that I have had to replace a few times per season every year. If I would’ve known about these sooner I could’ve saved a lot of time and aggravation.
If you are interested in hosting cool parties like this one you can do so by signing up on http://www.tryazon.com.
If you are interested in giving Ogosport toys a try like the ones featured in this blog post you can do so by purchasing on Amazon or a variety of other retailers; or by going to their site- http://www.ogosport.com
Recently I stumbled upon a website where you can apply to host parties for brands, that site is called Tryazon. A lot of brands team up with Tryazon to offer a chance for people to try their product and share with their family and friends through parties. I explored Tryazon and seen that there was a few parties available for me to apply for but, the one that really caught my eye was the S’mores Maker Jr. by Sterno party. I mean who doesn’t love a S’more? I put in my information that was needed to apply and crossed my fingers and waited to see if I was selected. A few weeks went by and I received an email congratulating me that I had been picked! I was so excited and could hardly wait for my party kit to arrive. With each party you receive a party kit, every party kit varies but one thing that all party kits seem to have in common, they are awesome and full of free goodies for you and your party guests to help your party run smoothly.
My Kit Included:
2 S’more Makers (1 for the party and it was suggested to give the other one out as a door prize)
2 Packs of S’mores Heat (Fuel that the S’more Maker uses to work. I kept one and put the other one aside to be included with the door prize)
2 boxes of gourmet marshmallows from Plush Puffs (Caramel Swirl, Vanilla Bean were the flavors I received)
$10.00 Walmart gift card to purchase other party supplies (chocolate bars, wooden skewers, graham crackers, and etc.)
A big white envelope that had information about Plush Puffs along with a 25% off code and cards that provided more information about the S’mores Maker Jr. including new recipes to try.
S’mores Maker Jr. Party Kit from Tryazon
I didn’t have to wait too long before my Party Kit arrived. Any time I receive a package I feel like a kid at Christmas time and this time was no different. I knew what was in my party kit, Tryazon does a wonderful job with being ahead of the game, always one step ahead with sending out helpful tips and making sure that party hosts are well informed. That being said, my excitement didn’t change; I ripped open the box and made sure everything was in there. Then I snapped a picture to show off to all of my friends and family to let them know as sort of an informal invite that we were going to have a party!
I had only a week or two to plan after my box arrived and I needed every minute of that time and plus some. I encourage anyone else who applies and is approved to host a party to give yourself more time than you think you will need. I want to say that this time of year is busier than others. I had my party on May 19th school is about to be finished and everyone is having their own parties and planning for vacation I could go on and on but let’s face it we live in a busy time. It is going to be hard to get everyone together at the same time no matter when you plan a party. So, I can’t stress to you enough if you are approved to host a party like this in a future don’t be like me and wait until your box arrives start as soon as you are approved to host.
During the two weeks that I had between the time that I got my box and the weekend of the party I made a few shopping trips. First I shopped for things to entertain kids and adults who are kidlike (like me) with. I went on a Dollar Tree shopping spree. I bought packs of bubbles, fake mustaches, sparklers, water balloons, water guns, and a few other odds and ends. I also was able to get some platters to spread out the s’mores supplies, and other necessary party things like paper plates. If you are ever throwing any kind of event you can’t go wrong with the Dollar Tree it is almost a one stop shop for all of your party needs without breaking the bank. A few days before the party I went to the grocery store to pick up the chocolate bars, extra marshmallows, wooden skewers, drinks and anything else that I felt my guests may want to snack on while at the party. When looking back at my store list I wouldn’t change a thing. I had debated on grilling but took a quick look at the weather forecast for Saturday and it was giving rain. So I picked up a few Hot N Ready pizzas and was ready to roll.
I had my party at my grandpa’s house he is my favorite person in this world and a party isn’t a party without that man. He can’t get out much because he takes care of my grandma who has Alzheimer’s, so we brought the party to him. I don’t know of many people who get parties brought to their door step that should be a testament of how awesome of a man he is. Anyhow, I unload the vehicle and start setting things up. I sat down and was breaking the chocolate bars into squares and my grandpa comes peeping over to tell me “Sissy, don’t be wasting all of that candy”. I told him that we would be using the chocolate to make the S’mores with. It was apparent that in his nearly 90 years in this world that he has never had the pleasure of having a S’more and I was blessed with the opportunity to get to introduce him to them.
I was starting to get nervous about everything and thinking about the all of the what ifs. Like what if no one bothers to show up? What if I don’t get good enough pictures? What if I don’t have enough of this or enough of that? How in the world do I even start a party? Luckily, I didn’t have too much time to worry as guests started to arrive and without any kind of formal announcement the party began. The kids helped themselves to the toys. The toy mustaches that I had bought were ending up on everyone the young, the old, and everyone in between. Some were even running around sporting a mustache as one big unibrow. I had forgotten one crucial detail though and that was prepping the whole reason I was having this party the S’mores Maker.
Everyone was gathering around the table wondering when they could have a S’more. The most excited was my little cousin Brennan, he absolutely couldn’t wait. I quickly started to pick up the box and read how to get things started. When I opened the S’mores Maker I noticed there was already a can of S’mores heat tucked inside. I grab it and read the instructions and it was pretty simple thankfully. I pried open the lid and then carefully lit the S’mores heat with a match. I placed it back inside and replaced the top of the maker, after that we were good to go! While reading the instructions on how to use the S’mores heat I noticed that it said that it would burn for 45 minutes. I would say that is probably a conservative estimate, ours burned longer. Whenever the party had died down and all but a few had left we were still able to roast a few more marshmallows and we only had to open the one can.
Brennan with his brother Ethan. Brennan was the most excited about the S’mores Maker. He anxiously waited while I got the Maker set up and his patience paid off as you can see.
Once the S’mores Maker was up and going the pizzas and other food that I had bought for the party was pretty much neglected. The S’mores table was booming so much so that it was hard to get pictures of everyone as they were using it. It seemed like I always was being blocked by an elbow or someone’s hand reaching for a graham cracker or whatever else that they needed to make their S’more. That was fine, at least everyone was enoying themselves and putting the S’mores Maker Jr. to work. In between the random pictures of hands and elbows I did capture some pretty nice moments. I was able to witness my grandpa surrounded by a few of his great grandkids roasting marshmallows. It isn’t very often that people put down their devices and take in the moment and loved ones around them but Saturday I was able to witness it. Also, let us not forget as I mentioned before that my grandpa is nearly 90 and I was able to watch him have his first S’more, and he dawned a fake mustache while doing so none the less. That alone made my party EPIC in my eyes.
Pop-Pop with a couple of his great grandkids Brennan and Braden roasting some marshmallows with the S’mores Maker Jr. If you will notice there is not a device in sight, that alone is a miracle.Pop-Pop sporting a mustache at my S’mores Maker Jr. Party
As the party moved along, my grandpa and a few people had to leave to attend a church get together. He doesn’t get to attend many things unless he has someone to sit with my grandma and since the party was still going I was more than happy for him to go and enjoy. The S’mores were still flowing and the rain that had been an issue earlier in the evening stopped so we moved the party outside. My uncle was brought out the sparklers and lit them for the kids. Brennan was equally as excited over the sparklers as he was the S’mores earlier which ended in a sore eye but all there was no major incidents, none that were 911 worthy anyhow. The S’mores Maker is light and easy to move from area to area. The outside of the Maker wasn’t hot to the touch as long as you didn’t touch the top. We moved the unit outside with us and gathered around for a group picture.
The group picture was like a whole other event in itself. I think that 50% of my phone storage is probably all of the retakes that we had to take just trying to get a group shot. I don’t know if it was from the sugar buzz but it seemed like we couldn’t get everyone to stay still. In the end we did two different set ups one with us all arranged in a circle with the S’mores Maker in the middle and then another with us all lined up. The pictures are nowhere near perfect, the spacing is off, probably a stray fake mustache or mustache unibrow but to me they are perfect and a perfect representation of how much fun my Motley looking Crew had.
We all made our way back inside thinking that we were going to be saying our goodbyes but once again me the hostess with the mostest had forgot another crucial part of my party. The door prize! I quickly gathered everyone around and we played a quick game that I had brought from home. It is a game kind of like hot potato but it is in the shape of a pig and not a potato. The pig sings but instead of the song coming to an in when someone gets caught with it, it passes gas. My 9 month old and 10 year old find it hilarious. Anyhow I pull it out and we proceed to play. It was a pretty tough battle, the pig had some pretty rough treatment being thrown around aggressively, as people didn’t want to get caught with it and end up being out of the game. Finally, we had a winner and the winner was my aunt Terra, she posed in a picture with two out of three of her boys. It is only fitting since Brennan loved the S’mores more than anyone else despite how he looks in the picture since he had a case of sparkler eye. Everyone else walked away with a full belly, tons of memories, coupons for plush marshmallows, and a card of new recipes to try when they make S’mores.
This mama and two of her boys won their very own S’mores Maker Jr. and extra pack of S’mores heat to take home. Brennan is more excited than it looks he has a case of sparkler eye.
I walked away impressed by my experience with both Tryazon and Sterno. I loved throwing my party, loved my party kit, and have Tryazon to thank for giving me this opportunity. I am super impressed with my S’mores Maker Jr. by Sterno. It was easy to clean up, easy to set up and get going, and my friends, family, and I shared so many good memories while gathered around making S’mores with it. Once the party was over I started thinking about people like my grandpa who aren’t able to leave the house very often for whatever reason how the S’mores Maker provides them with a way to roast a marshmallow and make S’mores from the comforts of their own home. The S’mores Maker is also a good way for me to be able to make S’mores without having to worry about building a fire outside. I’ve never made a fire on my own and am always afraid of trying to maintain it. Being a busy mom of two, at the end of most days I don’t feel like making a fire even if I felt comfortable doing so.
Whether you like your marshmallow nearly burned (like me) or lightly toasted, the S’mores Maker Jr. has you covered.
S’mores Table Hustling and Bustling as it was most of the party.
Guests socializing and getting their S’more on.
Ain’t no party like a S’mores Party. Pretty sure the sugar high was real in this picture.
S’more made by yours truly.
Information that was sent home with party guests. Including new S’more recipe ideas and coupons!
Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows included in my party kit. I also received the flavor Caramel Swirl but those were devoured before I even thought to get a picture of them separately. Delicious!
If you are interested in hosting browsing a list of upcoming parties and applying to host you can do so here – http://www.tryazon.com
There are a few sites out there that you can sign up for that will give you sampling opportunities, gift cards and etc. One of those sites is called Crowdtap and it’s a personal favorite of mine. Crowdtap is a site that brings the brand and consumer together by asking you to do missions. These missions come in different forms and are all worth different amounts of points. Your points go on to a point wheel the first gift card you have to have 500 points and every other there after you need to earn 1000 points and there is no maximum amount of gift cards you can earn. I have managed to get 25.00 in Amazon gift cards just this last month. If I let them build imagine how much they will come in handy around Christmas time?There will be screenshots below of where to find your point wheel and a picture of mine as an example later in this post.
Missions
Polls- Polls are quick multiple choice questions. You are asked a question choose the answer that best fits you and you are done. Polls are worth the least at 2 points each but they add up quickly.
Comments- You are asked a question and instead of choosing from a multiple choice list you type your answer in. They may ask you to elaborate some but there is no minimum (there is a maximum character limit though) The question is based off your own opinion or experience, it’s not like a test or tough. No one else sees them but I would imagine Crowdtap staff and the brand itself. Worth 20 points per comment mission.
Media- Media mission could be a few things. There could be a link to an add that they want you to look at and then answer questions or comment on. You could be asked to share something to social media or even take a picture of a certain thing and then submit or share. These missions are worth 20 points. All missions are optional by the way so if you are asked to take a picture of an item or whatever it may be you can always just not do it.
Discussions- A discussion is a mission that you get invited to and if you are interested you need to accept quickly because spots fill up quickly since there is usually a lot of points to be made. A brand will make a discussion board with several different topics. You will get 20 points for every first response on each topic. In my experience there has never been a time frame to answer a question, it’s been pretty laid back. You check back and see if another topic is added if so answer the question and get your points. Each discussion lasts a few days and it’s an opportunity to rack up a lot of points fairly quickly and easily.
Sampling- With the Sampling mission the brand is usually looking for someone who fits a certain demographic. You will see it appear on your mission list and once you click it you will see a place to apply. You get 20 points for just applying. If you are chosen you are sent whatever product the mission is for sent to your home for free. You try it, keep it and then answer a few questions by the deadline. You get 20 more points once the mission is completed. The products that have been sampled range greatly from vitamins, make up, household products, you name it and you could have a chance at sampling with Crowdtap all from major brands too! You will be notified by email to let you know if you are chosen and if the mission is full.
Now that we have been through the basics of the missions. I will share some tips about signing up and where things are located as far as the prize wheel is concerned and etc. You go to http://www.crowdtap.com and sign up. To make it more accessible and since there is no app as of yet (they are working on one) you can click to add it to your home screen. Here are some screen shots to help if you are on an IPhone and aren’t familiar with how to do that.
When filling out your profile information make sure it’s accurate before you click submit as you will only be able to change it every 3 months.
Here is a screenshot of where to locate your point wheel. Here you will be able to see how many points you need until your next reward (5.00 Amazon gift card).
Once you have completed your point wheel and an email will be sent to you letting you know that your reward is on its way. Then, your gift card will be sent in an additional email usually in about 3 days and by then you will probably be well on your way to another one.
I feel like that covers most of the things you need to know when it comes to Crowdtap but in case I have missed something or if there is any questions feel free to comment below or message me and I will gladly help you as much as I can. Stay tuned for more sites to try, freebies, reviews on products, and much more!
I will start off by saying that it’s been a while since I have blogged a few years to be exact, and since then a lot has changed. I went from being a mother of one to a mother of two. Two boys with a pretty big age gap between them. My youngest is 8 months and my oldest is 10, and even though that technically makes me a second time mom I feel like a first timer in a lot of ways.
A lot has changed since I had my first, one of the most noticeable changes has been all of the new baby products that are around that wasn’t whenever I had my first. We have tried several new things in my baby’s little 8 month life. Some have been hits and others have been misses. We bought a Mamaroo and while it was the neatest thing to me ( I wish they made them in adult sizes), my baby wasn’t impressed. He wasn’t impressed by his swing either. Seemed like everything that I got excited about and thought for sure he would love, he would prove me wrong and hate. Isn’t that the way it goes? The only thing that I have been impressed with is something that I didn’t even think that we would use that much it’s a Silicone Squeeze Feeder by Nuby. Even though I had my doubts, being the sometimes compulsive shopper that I am I seen the 5.00 or so price tag and threw it in my cart and I am glad that I did.
The feeder comes with three pieces: a spoon piece that twists off, the silicone bottle, and a cover for the spoon tip. It isn’t hard to figure out how to work it. You fill the bottle part with whatever food that you are feeding your baby at that time, twist on the spoon piece, and you are good to go. If the baby doesn’t finish the food in the bottle you can snap on the cap and put it in the fridge for later. The lid also is awesome for when you are on the go. For the other day while at a doctors appointment for my oldest I brought the feeder along with a squeeze pouch of food. We waited longer than expected and I knew that the baby was wanting to eat so I got it out and squeezed the pouch into the bottle and we were able to feed him without a bib and while sitting in the waiting area. We just snapped the lid on it and put it in the diaper bag when we were done, it snaps on securely so there was no leakage into the bag. The best part is it isn’t hard to clean I am one of those people who still wash dishes by hand most of the time and a bottle brush and it is clean within seconds even when it has been sitting in the sink for awhile.
While there is no fool proof way to not make a mess while feeding your baby this is the closest thing that I have found to making the task a easier and with less mess. Check out the pictures of the baby feeder below.
Being a woman has had it’s challenges but one of the most challenging things that I think that we face is the pressure to have children. No, this is not another blog post about whether I think everyone should have babies or if whether I think that becoming a parent is overrated it is simply about where I am in life and reaching out to those who may be in the same boat as me.
Moving along, I am 27 years young and have a 7 year old son who I love more than life itself. I got pregnant with him at a pretty young age and after he was born knew I wasn’t ready to bring more kids into the world and decided to explore my birth control options. After weighing my options I decided to go with an IUD, one that would last for five years and was told that right after it was removed that I would be able to go right back to normal and be able to have more kids if I wanted to just as easily as I did with my son, sounds perfect right? Wrong! Since having it removed I haven’t been able to get my menstrual cycles on track and knowing that this plays a big part of being able to conceive again in the future I started to get worried about whether I will be able to have anymore kids or not.
So I decided to take matters into my own hands and start being more proactive with my reproductive health. I started to drink a lot more water and change my eating habits and then I was offered to try a dietary supplement called Fertilify in exchange for an honest review. After thinking long and hard about it I decided to give it a try and am glad that I did. Fertilify is a dietary supplement that is for women who want to have a baby now or just want to maintain their reproductive health so that they can do so in the future. It is a chewable vitamin that tastes to me like an orange sweet tart and you take it three times a day.
A picture of what the fertility dietary supplement actually looks like. It is pretty yummy.
There is a lot of things that can affect a woman’s fertility and I am now more confident than ever that with the help of Fertilify and the other changes that I’ve made in my lifestyle that the future is in my hands. I may not be able to go back in time and choose a different birth control but I can rest more at ease that I’m maintaining my reproductive health and this dietary supplement is helping me with that.
Recently, I was given the opportunity to try the Cassani FOGLESS Shower Mirror in exchange for an honest review. I was skeptical at first thinking why in the world would I need a mirror in the shower but after giving it much thought and trying it the better question is, why doesn’t everyone have a mirror in their shower? It has been the handiest thing to have around and it just seems natural to have a mirror where we do the most grooming.
A picture of the FOGLESS Shower Mirror hanging my shower as you can see it has a cute little razor holder for added convenience. The installation was easy and hassle free and it comes with easy to read instructions but I doubt you will need them.
The ways to use this mirror are seemingly endless, as you can see by the picture of the box above you could use it to get a clean shave. By letting the hot steam from the shower open up your pores you are bound to have the best shave yet with the effect somewhat like you would get from a nice barber when they put a hot towel on your face, all without fogging up your mirror. Being a woman my favorite way to use this mirror has been when it comes to removing my make up. I have never been one to stand in front of the mirror for minutes at a time trying to get the last smear of make up off my face and for that my skin has suffered. Even after a nice hot shower more often than not I will go in with a face full of make up and come out expecting a fresh clean face only to come out and look in the mirror and see raccoon eyes staring back at me from the mascara and eye liner left behind, but with this mirror I can see what I’m washing to make sure I leave nothing behind all in the comforts of my nice relaxing shower. It’s even good for applying all of the lotions and potions that a lot of us like to apply like facial masks now I can apply a mask and leave it on and rinse when I rinse my conditioner out. I love my mirror and I’m sure you will love yours too.
shiayne 