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Bumkins Back 2 School Blog Tour Contest

August 3, 2009 by

The Bumkins Back 2 School Blog Tour made a stop at our house. Check out Shae in her Blue Paisley Junior Waterproof Apron. This keeps her clean when coloring and painting, super easy to slip in and in machine washable when it gets covered in watercolors or smooshed banana!


Bumkins is about more than just cloth diapering accessories. They have a diverse selection of waterproof bibs, smocks and aprons for crafting, painting and helping in the kitchen. Kids of all ages will be headed back to school so why not send them Child Waterproof Apron, 1st grade will never be the same when they show up in the modern Rose Stripes design.
Bumkins’ products are made only from natural or non-toxic fabrics, such as organic cotton and our signature PVC, phthalate and BPA free waterproof material. Most products are also manufactured in the good ole USA further strengthening our responsibility to support our local economy.
Bumkins Back 2 School Blog Tour is giving 5 random winners a $35 gift certificate to be used at Bumkins.com. Leave a comment below telling me you’d love to win this GC or visit any of the other participating bloggers or Bumkins Blog for your chance to win.

A winner will be chosen once a day for 5 days starting August 10th so hurry and get your entry in!
If you’d like to shop Bumkins for your diapering, clothing or school supplies needs use discount code b2school09 for FREE UPS Ground Shipping for purchases over $35.
Stay connected with Bumkins ! Follow them Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.



Dover Publications – Free Weekly Samples

July 28, 2009 by

During these economic times, it’s more important than ever to find frugal ways to feed, clothe, and even entertain your family. Fortunately, the Internet is full of creative ideas, freebies, and samples that can help. One of my favorite such treasure troves is the weekly Dover Sampler, which you can get sent to your inbox every week – all you have to do is supply your e-mail address.

So just who is Dover Publications, and what is this sampler all about? Well, Dover Publications is a nifty publishing company that has been around since 1941. They specialize in republishing low-priced editions of works in the public domain (why pay $7.95 for your high school student’s required copy of Ethan Frome when you can get it for $1.50 in a Dover Thrift edition?), and in publishing fun and creative coloring and activity books, often using vintage clip art or reproductions of famous works. They also sell CD-ROMs of royalty-free clip art, which means you can use it for run or profit without having to worry about copyright violations.

So what about this Dover Sampler? It’s simple: in exchange for your e-mail address, every Friday Dover will e-mail you a link to a web page offering you dozens of free samples from their hundreds of titles. Just to give you an idea, the most recent sampler link gave me one or more pages from each of the following Dover publications:

Clip Art

  • Victorian Designs
  • Persian Designs and Motifs
  • Jazz Age Art Deco
  • Spot Illustrations and Motifs

Coloring Books

  • Color Your Own Bakst Ballet Designs
  • Wedding Traditions from Around the World
  • Art Nouveau Patterns
  • Leonardo da Vinci Stained Glass

Children’s Favorites

  • Cats and Kittens Stained Glass Coloring Book
  • Cut & Color Paper Dolls: Maria and Megan
  • Favorite Poems of Childhood
  • Hidden Pictures Coloring and Puzzle Fun

and Miscellaneous Books

  • The Romance of Tristan and Iseult
  • Contemporary Stained Glass Sidelights
  • Our Vanishing Landscape
  • Radford’s House Designs of the Twenties

In previous samplers, I’ve gotten origami instructions, classic Arthur Rackham fairy tale illustrations, Color Your Own Tiffany Windows, How to Draw Horses, Fashion Drawing, Logic Puzzles, and more. Many of the samples are in black and white for coloring, while others are in full color, such as a page of vintage Christmas designs that would be gorgeous on do-it-yourself cards.

Now what can you do with all this? Well, each week, you can explore the sample pages and save the ones you like simply by right-clicking, choosing “save image as”, and naming the file. The pages will save as jpgs that you can then cut and paste into Word or Publisher, resizing them to your liking. The clip art designs are wonderful for adult crafters to use when making greeting cards or other ink stamp type art, and the children’s samples are obviously great for kids. These pages can be a weekly treat for your child, or you can save up a variety of pages over several weeks and months and produce an impressive activity/coloring book. You can even print the pages on the back of scrap paper and put them in an old three-ring binder, for the ultimate in frugal, eco-friendly fun.

Naturally, Dover provides these samplers in the hope that you will peruse their title list and eventually order something — and you actually should take a look at their offerings because they have so many wonderful and inexpensive products! However, I’m happy to report that Dover is completely non-intrusive — they don’t send obnoxious amounts of e-mails, and their privacy policy states that they do not sell customer information. I’ve been very happy with their sampler, and I think more people should know about it. One note: I would recommend not saving up the e-mails for too long, because eventually the link may become inactive. They do seem to last at least several weeks, but I was unable to open some that were a few months old. In any case, I’ve gotten to the point where now I open the e-mail as soon as I get it, because I can’t wait to see what they’ve sent me this time!

This guest post was provided by Amy from Amy’s Stocking Stuffers. Amy has an awesome website with awesome finds. Check out her site you might find that perfect Stocking Stuffer that you have been looking for.







Probiotics – The Good Gut Bugs

July 27, 2009 by

Dave Tabaczynski, Founder of PHD probiotic products ww.drinkphd.com

Did you know 90% of the cells in your body are actually bacteria? These probiotics, or active cultures, are naturally-occurring friendly bacteria that form a protective layer in our digestive tract. 70% of our immune system is in our gut and is regulated by these bacteria, so it’s important to maintain a good supply of them. These good gut bugs help digestive and immune function, remove toxins, process vitamins, and crowd out harmful bacteria.

Probiotic-enhanced foods and beverages are taking off because of their health benefits – just look at any store’s yogurt section. However, not all probiotics are created equal, and there are a few things you should know when choosing a probiotic product to make sure it’s effective. As a microbiologist, I have been studying probiotics for years and I’d like to share a few pointers on how to choose a good probiotic product.

  • Strength in numbers: Multiple strains (species) and doses in the billions of cfu (colony forming units, or cells) are better than a single strain. Think of it like a multivitamin versus just taking Vitamin C. While there are some amazing products on the market with single strains of probiotics, in general multiple strains of probiotics will have a wider ranging health benefit. Look for products with 6+ strains and a dose of at least 5 billion – you won’t overdose, what your body doesn’t use, will leave as waste.

  • Fiber is the answer: Also called “prebiotics,” the best fibers enhance the effectiveness of probiotics because 1) they feed the probiotics so they can better grow in your system, and 2) they slow the transit time throughout your body so that the probiotics can stick to your insides. While probiotics in the pill format don’t have room for much fiber, if any, there are some products out there like cereals and bars that incorporate it well.
  • Alive is effective: Many manufacturers of probiotic products simply mix in some beneficial bacterial strains and slap the word “probiotic” on the label. However, the good bugs need to be kept alive for maximum effectiveness, and they are very sensitive so they often die off over time in yogurts and other foods. If they are kept dry, have a food source, and are in the right pH environment, probiotics can be kept alive much longer until you’re ready to consume them.

I have designed several probiotic products with these three factors in mind. Our PHD TO GO™ drink mixes each have 6 strains and a dose of 10 billion CFUs, and they also contain plenty of complex prebiotic fiber. Most importantly, the probiotics are kept alive for 18 months in the packets to ensure they’re as effective the day you mix them with water as the day we made them. You can get it online at http://shop.drinkphd.com/ and be sure to enter promo code LWMF at check out for 20% off – that way we know you found it on this blog. An effective product like PHD TO GO will make a difference in your digestion in a day or two at the most.

This article is courtesy of Dave Tabaczynski, Founder of PHD probiotic products. Check out their website at http://www.drinkphd.com/ and don’t forget to use promo code LWMF at checkout..





Ozon Naughty Girl Hair Tool Analysis

July 22, 2009 by

With summer came super frizz for Sabreena’s mega thick wavy hair. I’ve never seen someone with hair as thick as hers so you can safely assume she dreads blow-drying and straightening her hair each day. Her flat irons usually last about 6 months before they completely die or start snagging strands of hair and those wider plates seemed to always leave indents near her scalp.

Ozon Hair Systems has introduced us to the Naughty Girl titanium styling iron. This has got to be hands down the best flat iron we both have ever used. It’s 1 inch super smooth titanium plates glide so easily over hair thus leaving no indents and no scorched hair. The Ozon®Naughty Girl’s 1-inch micro-porous, scratch resistant, floating titanium plates lock in moisture and seals the cuticle giving hair a nice glossy shine. With a variable temperature control you can adjust heat from 180°F to 450°F depending on your hair’s type. Sabreena needs the high heat to get through the thickness and I need a much lower temperature since I don’t have much to straighten. The time in which the Naughty Girl heats up is amazing. I sit down at my vanity, turn on the flat iron, apply deodorant and face moisturizer and it’s HOT. A few quick swipes through my hair and I’m good to go. What is there to say about the look of the Naughty Girl, it’s a funky red leopard print just to add a little fun to your primping.

To get a better idea of the dramatic results we have received check out Sabreena’s before and after, this took about 10 minutes and even the hair at the nape of her neck was straight.

Why titanium?
Teflon plates are smooth, and heat up to high temperatures; however they don’t heat evenly, causing some sections to be hotter than others, which is a perfect recipe for burning your hair. After only a couple months, the Teflon starts to chip off. Our ti plates won’t chip away and heat evenly, and can reach temperatures well over the iron’s limit.

Coated Ceramic plates are basically gimmicks that don’t benefit your hair any better than the other surfaces, unless they are paired with infrared heat, which would help eliminate static. But who needs static free hair if it’s burned to a crisp? The Ozon can reach high temperatures or, if your hair is thin or fragile, set it to a lower temperature. It heats up fast, and cools down fast.

Tourmaline Ceramic plates are better than ceramic alone because they have a higher density of negative ions, however the plates still tend to snag hair, and don’t heat as evenly as titanium. The Ozon Titanium hair straightener contains tourmaline ceramic heaters, which give off the same ionic effect but use the benefits of titanium on the actual plates.

Solid Ceramic plates heat more evenly than the coated versions, but over time, the plates, because they are brittle and under constant temperature changes, tend to crack and chip away. Even a little crack would cause you a huge problem if you get just one hair snagged in it.

Titanium plates will never crack or crumble. The glass smooth surface will last longer than the iron itself.

If you’re going to spend the money, spend it on something that is going to work and is going to outlast your hairstyle. Ozon puts out salon quality products with a 1 year warranty. That says they believe in what they are producing and so should you.

Do you have hair troubles too? Do you need a little help in the style department? Do you crave the lastest in fashion and beauty accesories? Want to win your own Ozon Naughty Girl ? LookWhatMomFound…and Dad readers! are getting that chance.

Visit Ozon Hair Systems and sign up to become an insider. This 100% free membership is your IN to specials offers and announcements for new products and company information.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry above and please be sure your email in in your comment, attached to you blogger dashboard or easily seen on your website/blog. I will not search through About Me/Contact Me links.

  • Follow Mom and Dad and Ozon on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway DAILY for an additional entry each day, copy and paste this message: get sleek sexy straight hair with the @OzonHair Naughty Girl flat iron, win one @lkwhtmomfound http://bit.ly/5sx1b
  • Leave a relevant comment on a non-giveaway Article; let me know where to find your comment
  • Enter any other Giveaway for an extra entry for each one entered
  • Grab the LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! button or add us to your blogroll, leave site link
  • Follow this blog
  • Subscribe to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! RSS Feed, see sidebar
  • Become a fan of LookWhatMomFound on Facebook
  • Blog about this giveaway with link to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! and Ozon Hair Systems for 3 extra entries

Your entries must follow the rules or they won’t be eligible for prizes. This contest ends 11:59 pm, Wednesday, August 12, 2009. Winners will be announced and emailed and will have 48 hours to claim prize. This contest is open to US residents.




Sport Brella Analysis

July 21, 2009 by

Sklz who is the leader in sports skills development trainers has bulit a brand that consumers trust to deliver the most innovative and effective sports training products available. Sklz has not let consumers down with the creation of Sport-Brella.

If you go to the beach, have picnics or attend kids sporting events you can’t be without the Sport-Brella from Sklz. Sport-Brella is perfect at the beach for one person or on the sideline of your kids soccer or football game to provide sun protect for the whole team. The Sport-Brella opens to 7’ wide and with side flaps it offers full cover sun, wind and rain protection. It sets up in a few minutes and is the easiest setup sun shelter available thanks to the folding umbrella action. Sport-Brella provides UPF 50+ sun protection and protects you from 99.5% of UVA and UVB rays.

Here is the full list of details for the Sport-Brella in case I missed something:

 

    • Quick shade protection from sun, wind and rain

 

    • Easiest setup sun shelter available thanks to folding umbrella action

 

    • Rugged umbrella structure with side flaps for full cover protection

 

    • Top wind vents and side zippered windows for efficient airflow

 

    • Maximum sun protection UPF 50+ and water repellent

 

    • Protects over 99.5% of UVA and UVB rays

 

    • Internal pockets for stakes, valuables and gear

 

  • Includes convenient carry bag plus tethers and ground stakes

Sklz was nice enough to send us a Sport-Brella for analysis and I am glad they did. We used to use a regular beach umbrella when we went to the beach and after using the Sport-Brella we realized what a superior product it is. Sport-Brella offers UPF 50+ sun protection that our old beach umbrella was not providing for me or my family. It set up in minutes which is imperative when you have 3 kids who as soon as you hit the sand want to go into the water and play. Sport-Brella provided great shade for my 2 year old to nap. All I had to do was put the umbrella at an angel and stake down the side flaps and my baby had all of the shade and sun protection she needed. Sport-Brella is such a versatile product with so many features and is so simple to use that no one should be without one.

SKLZ has been generous enough to offer one Sport-Brella (retail value of $69.99) to one of our lucky readers.

VISIT SKLZ and come back and tell me another product you would really love to try out.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry above and please be sure your email in in your comment, attached to you blogger dashboard or easily seen on your website/blog. I will not search through About Me/Contact Me links.

 

    • Follow Mom and Dad and SKLZ on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway DAILY for an additional entry each day. Please paste tweet in comment and must mention SKLZ our site, and use this URL http://bit.ly/13AMa9 in Tweet to count.

 

    • Leave a relevant comment on a non-giveaway Article; let me know where to find your comment

 

    • Enter any other Giveaway for an extra entry for each one entered

 

    • Grab the LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! button or add us to your blogroll, leave site link

 

    • Follow this blog

 

    • Subscribe to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! RSS Feed, see sidebar

 

 

  • Blog about this giveaway with link to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! and SKLZ for 10 extra entries. (Leave 10 seperate entries saying blogged about it 1-10)

Your entries must follow the rules or they won’t be eligible for prizes. This contest ends 11:59 pm, Tuesday, August 11, 2009. Winners will be announced and emailed and will have 48 hours to claim prize. This contest is open to US residents.




Out of the Box Publishing

July 17, 2009 by

We try to incorporate family game night each week especially in the cooler months when the kids are bored sitting around the house. The biggest problem we run into is playing the same game over and over. Shaun is 6 and Sabreena is 13 so we need something that works for both of them but not too complicated for him and too babyish for her.

I was recently introduced to Out of the Box Publishing. They are a mall company that has been creating new, family-friendly and innovative games that are focused on fun first with a hint of learning. They boast a few facts about their games
• can be learned in minutes.
• are colorfully illustrated and fun to play.
• can easily be played in less than an hour.
• are efficiently designed in smart packaging.
• feature dynamic player interaction from start to finish.

When we received our HUGE assortment of games Shaun immediately snagged one of the Zen Benders and went to work. In just a couple minutes he was playing on his own and a few minutes later he finished one of the easy puzzles. Later that night Sabreena played the other Zen Benders game and since she is older she went right for the hard level, she was whipping through those but since it’s a new game everytime they really kept their attention.

Wallamoppi is my favorite game so far, it is a game of quick thinking, swift stacking and clever strategy. This is a game Shaun and I like to play together. I try to get him to play without the timer just because I want to play fair with him but he insists on using it. The basics of the game are stack as many disks as you can without toppling the tower. There isn’t reading, writing or drawing involved in this game so it’s perfect for his age. It’s also a quick game, lasting less than 10 minutes, letting us squeeze in a couple games before a meal or before bed without a whole drawn out process of setting up a board or dealing out cards or re-explaining complicated rules.

We still have another game to try, Cloud 9, it’s not that we aren’t interested we just haven’t gotten bored with the ones we’ve opened already. Cloud 9 is the one that I’ve been most interested in playing but we just haven’t gotten to it yet. We will be packing up these games to take on vacation next week and their well thought out packaging is allowing us to do that. All of our games came in simple boxes that actually fit on our shelves. We have an extensive collection of board games and puzzles and my biggest pet peeve is odd shaped and domed containers. How the heck am I supposed to store a hand shaped tin? Out of the Box Publishing got is right with regular shaped boxes and containers.

Out of the Box Publishing puts out games that aren’t just fun but educational too. With over 30 games titles to choose from with age ranges from 7 to adult you are going to find something perfect for your child and yourself.

Win an Out of the Box Publishing game of your choice right here at LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too!.
Visit Out of the Box Publishing and tell me which game would be perfect for your family.
EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry above and please be sure your email in in your comment, attached to you blogger dashboard or easily seen on your website/blog. I will not search through About Me/Contact Me links.
  • Follow Mom and Dad on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway DAILY for an additional entry each day, copy and paste this message: OTB-games are fun, original and entertaining and for the entire family, win one @lkwhtmomfound http://bit.ly/122a41
  • Leave a relevant comment on a non-giveaway Article; let me know where to find your comment
  • Enter any other Giveaway for an extra entry for each one entered
  • Grab the LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! button or add us to your blogroll, leave site link Follow this blog
  • Subscribe to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! RSS Feed, see sidebar
  • Become a fan of LookWhatMomFound on Facebook
  • Blog about this giveaway with link to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! and Out of the Box Publishing for 3 extra entries

Your entries must follow the rules or they won’t be eligible for prizes. This contest ends 11:59 pm, Friday, August 7, 2009. Winners will be announced and emailed and will have 48 hours to claim prize. This contest is open to US residents.




Sprig Toys Study

July 16, 2009 by

My kids love toys that they are able to take to the beach so when we had the chance to do a analyse of Sprig Toys we jumped at the opportunity.

Sprig Toys came into existence after three designers went to visit the factories that turned their computer renderings into real toys. Once they saw how the toys were manufactured they realized the surrounding environment was being harmed by their toy production. Devastated they vowed to make toys the right way so in 2007 Sprig toys was born. Sprig Toys are battery free, paint free, kid powered, eco-friendly toys that allow kids to use their imaginations and explore a whole new world. I really like the fact that not only are Sprig Toys safe for my kids they love playing with them inside as well as outside.

Bee and Butterfly who are the creators of Sprig Hollow designed all the farm vehicles with water resistant materials which make them very versatile vehicles for the water, sand and dirt. The Dunebug Sand Truck has a built in shovel, rake and bucket and the Dragonfly HeliScoopter can be used to scoop up dirt or sand and the landing pad turns into a sand sifter making these perfect for outdoor use. Sprig Hollow was designed with outdoor play in mind but can be used inside as well. My kids love the Sprig Hollow set and can’t get enough of the cartoon like characters and big wheeled vehicles. Looking for toys made by a company who cares about Mother Earth? If so take a look at Sprig Toys.
Want a chance to win a full set of Sprig Hollow (Farm, Sand Truck and Heli-Scooper sets)?

Visit Sprig Toys and tell me something about Sprig Toys that I did not mention in this post.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry above and please be sure your email in in your comment, attached to you blogger dashboard or easily seen on your website/blog. I will not search through About Me/Contact Me links.

 

  • Follow Mom and Dad and Sprig Toys on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway DAILY for an additional entry each day, copy and paste this message: @SprigToys are natural toys that kids LOVE, Win the entire Sprig Hollow set @lkwhtmomfound @pbandsdad http://bit.ly/spiUF
  • Leave a relevant comment on a non-giveaway Article; let me know where to find your comment
  • Enter any other Giveaway for an extra entry for each one entered
  • Grab the LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! button or add us to your blogroll, leave site link
  • Follow this blog
  • Subscribe to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! RSS Feed, see sidebar
  • Become a fan of LookWhatMomFound on Facebook
  • Blog about this giveaway with link to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! and Sprig Toys for 5 extra entries

Your entries must follow the rules or they won’t be eligible for prizes. This contest ends 11:59 pm, Sunday, August 2, 2009. Winners will be announced and emailed and will have 48 hours to claim prize. This contest is open to US residents.

 




Kickboard USA G-Bike Analysis

July 14, 2009 by

One phase of growing up that Rob dreads is teaching the kids how to ride their bikes. While it’s an exciting and liberating time for the kids it’s an exhausting and strenuous time for Rob. Running up and down the street holding on to the back of a bike is no fun.

We are trying something new with Shae. Kickboard USA sent us a super cool G-Bike to get her started with learning balance and coordination. She’s been trying this out for about a month and LOVES it. She wheels around the house and even ventures outside with it. She hasn’t grasped the concept of gaining lots of speed and lifting up your feet but she does call it her bike and races with the other kids down the street as they ride bikes, scooters or skateboards.

 


Assembly takes literally minutes; handlebars on and away you go. Its lightweight (3.85lbs) and micro design make it small enough for her to tote around without struggle and its low profile allows her to climb on with little help. What I like especially about the G-Bike is its clear wheels; it allows Shae to wheel around the house without fear of marking up the floors or walls. The steering wheel is adjustable from 17.7 “to 20.5” and the seat adjusts 11.8 to 15.75” making this the perfect foot bike for toddlers age 2-4. I’m a bad parent and kept forgetting to get Shae a helmet this is why she spends most of the time riding in the house. I definitely recommend a helmet not just for kids but for everyone.
Mastering the balance of biking is a big deal, once they have that, kids are on their way to a world of independence. The g-bike is a perfect match for early learners, perfect for those who are still too little for traditional tricycles or scooters. Let the g-bike grow with your little one till they graduate to a “big-kid” bicycle.

Kickboard USA was founded on Wim Ouboter’s need for a quick way to travel a short distance in Zurich. Over the years he and his partner Hans-Peter Bolliger came up with a compact 3-wheeled design that is recognizable today and known as the kickboard®. By the end of 2000 more than 9 million scooters had been sold. Kickboard USA has added other cool products such as scooters for little kids, bigger kids and adults plus helmets and the tiny wonder G-Bike.

Want to win your own G-Bike ($140 value) from Kickboard USA. LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! readers are getting the chance to win not one but two g-bikes. We will have 2 winners for this contest. Visit Kickboard USA and tell me what other cool product would be a great fit for yours or your child’s life.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry above and please be sure your email in in your comment, attached to you blogger dashboard or easily seen on your website/blog. I will not search through About Me/Contact Me links.

  • Follow Mom and Dad on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway DAILY for an additional entry each day, copy and paste this message: G-Bike balance bike GIVEAWAY help teach the littlest ones balance @lkwhtmomfound http://bit.ly/mUNla
  • Leave a relevant comment on a non-giveaway Article; let me know where to find your comment
  • Enter any other Giveaway for an extra entry for each one entered
  • Grab the LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! button or add us to your blogroll, leave site link
  • Follow this blog
  • Subscribe to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! RSS Feed, see sidebar
  • Become a fan of LookWhatMomFound on Facebook
  • Blog about this giveaway with link to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! and Kickboard USA for 3 extra entries

Your entries must follow the rules or they won’t be eligible for prizes. This contest ends 11:59 pm, Tuesday, August 4, 2009. Winners will be announced and emailed and will have 48 hours to claim prize. This contest is open to US residents.





The Flying Scotsman

July 13, 2009 by

I read a review on Rants, Raves and Pet Peeves about The Flying Scotsman which is a true story based on the life of cyclist Graeme Obree. Since I am a huge cycling I went over to my local library and got the DVD and watched it yesterday. This was a great movie with alot of highs and lows.

Graeme Obree played by Jonny Lee Miller was bullied as a kid causing severe emotional and mental stress and was prone to crippling bouts of depression. His father gave him a bike one Christmas so that he would be able to out run the bullies and hence the beginning of his cycling career.

Graeme Obree is married with a child and whilst competing in local races runs a failing cycle shop. While doing local races he gets an idea he’s going to try and beat the hour record. With no money or bike he built his own bike called “Old Faithful” from scrap metal and his wife’s washing machine. Obree attempted to break the hour record in Norway and initially failed but came back the next morning to succeed only to lose the recored a week later to Chris Boardman.

Obree won the Individual Pursuit World Championship in 1993 but as he was going to defend his title the UCI changed the rules on his riding position. Unable to adapt to the new riding style Obree crashes and is unable to defend his title leading him into depression and trying to commit suicide. In the end Obree gets the title back.

This movie takes you on a journey of a mans life who hit so many road bumps thru his journey but never gave up. This was a very feel good movie that I think most people would enjoy watching.




Simple Shoes new Toddler Collection

July 9, 2009 by
I am back to talk about my favorite topic…SHOES! Kids shoes more specifically! Simple Shoes is an eco-friendly shoe company that makes shoes and bags out of recycled and sustainable materials like organic cotton and silk, natural rubber, eco certified leather and suede, recycled PET(clear plastic water and soda bottles) and recycled carpet padding. Simple Shoes is striving for 100% sustainability.

“Finding materials and processes that make our products sustainable is a method we call Green Toe. It isn’t a magic formula, or a cure. It is a compass that, we hope, points to a bright green future.”

Simple Shoes is launching a brand new collection of eco-friendly toddler shoes. Doodle, Poodle and Noodle are shoes that are not only healthy for your little one’s feet but they are meant to be comfortable and withstand the everyday grind of playground running, jumping and then washing. Yes I said washing, these shoes are machine washable!!!

Here is a rundown of the other cool earth friendly details
• Washable suede uppers from an eco-certified tannery (BLC/ISO 14001)
• Certified organic cotton flannel lining
• Natural rubber non marking outsoles
• Recycled PET and latex elastic laces
• 100% post consumer paper pulp foot forms
• Velcro closure (Poodle) or User friendly pull toggle (Noodle & Doodle)
• 100% post consumer paper pulp foot forms
• Ships in our state of the art/back to the future post consumer recycled box… Each size has a different animal on the box. Collect them all! Woof woof!

Let’s get back to the washable part. Thrown them in the washing machine, air dry and run a brush over the suede to keep them looking good. How awesome is that. We are outside almost every day so needless to say shoes and clothing take a beating. How great is it that Shae’s new shoes don’t have to look like I’ve dragged them around them park and sidewalk. Shae was lucky enough to receive a pair of Doodles (purple ash). The shoes went on easily as the simple toggle closure allowed me to open up the shoe wide enough to fit her chubby little feet. She wore them around the house for the rest of the day, no complaints and no strange pressure markings on her feet. We are glad to say that these shoes have passed the Shae test.



Because Simple Shoes is so excited to launch this great collection they are giving you a 10% discount on your first purchase using discount code “SimpleMommy” at checkout.






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