Mom and baby product reviews on The Mommy Insider

My Name Is Chicken Joe (Book/CD Set)

Madelyn turned 3 this weekend and her favorite gifts were books.  She loves books.  One of her favorite books right now is My Name is Chicken Joe.   We read it every night.  The story is about a cat named Chicken Joe and other animals whose names don't quite fit.  Featuring whimsical illustrations and an easy to remember 'chorus', it's nearly impossible for me to not to start singing the story.

My Name is Chicken Joe is a book/cd set and is a fun book for beginning readers and equally as fun for toddlers being read to.  Both of my kids love the 11-song CD which I consider to be a mashup of folk, rock, and country style music. This CD will be one that we listen to on our road trips this summer.  Trout Fishing in America has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, Parents Choice Gold, American Library Awards, and others.  Trout Fishing in America have earned widespread critical praise from USA Today, Billboard and The Los Angeles Times.

You can buy the My Name is Chicken Joe book/cd set on the Trout Fishing in America website here.

Enjoy!

Bratz - Spring Activities from Dancing to Swimming

Madelyn is a little young to play with Bratz but believe me, she would if she could.  Bratz dolls are vibrant, stylish, and come with lots of accessories to occupy and entertain little girls for hours.
Bratz's new spring line is made up of Bratz expressing their individual style and interests from   sports themes to team activities giving girls the opportunity to express their own interests through their favorite Bratz dolls. 

The new Bratz Dance Crewz line has Yasmin™, Cloe™, Jade™ and Sasha™ showing off their individual style as they bring their talents to the dance stage.  The Bratz World® line expands this season with additions to each doll’s house, and the introduction of Cloe’s mom, Polita.  If I remember right, my sister and I used to fight over who was the mom when we played dolls. If you're reading, correct me if I'm wrong!  There is even a Swimmin’ Mermaid whose tail changes color when she swims in water.

Go to the Bratz website to see all of the products, watch Bratz TV, and listen to Bratz tunes.  Check out these and other Bratz on the Bratz page on the Toys R' Us website.

Bella Sara Treasures & Miniatures collections

Why do boys get to have all the trading card fun?  They don't.. silly me.  Now with Bella Sara collectible trading cards and miniature velvety horses, girls ages 8-12 will spend hours trading and playing with the magical world of Bella Sara.  

Bella Sara trading cards were introduced a while ago and the addition of these adorable miniature horses make for amazing fun for girls.  The Miniatures collection is the first time Bella Sara collectors get the chance to collect actual figurines of the Bella Sara horses.

When I received my Bella Sara package from Team Mom I didn't realize that two of the packages held beautiful miniature horses.  Madelyn was there when I opened the first package and her face lit and she immediately took the horse to her doll house and welcomed her into her dollhouse family.  The horses fit in the palm of your hand and there are 20 velvety horses and bonus codes to collect in all.  Imagine the fun girls will have with these along with the Bella Sara trading cards. Bonus codes are used on the Bella Sara website which is a place where girls can play games and collect and care for horses.  Girls get their own cottage upon signing up for a free Bella Sara account.

More about Bella Sara

• Girls can have even more fun on the interactive Bella Sara game website

• 20 collectible horses

• 20 bonus codes to use on the website

• 8 series of trading cards

• Trading card game

• Bella Sara books

  
  

Cat in the Hat - I Can Do That! game

Are you crazy like a cat.. a Cat in the Hat?  My kids are and maybe I am too, just a little bit.  I am guessing that almost everyone reading this review owns a copy of The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess.  By the way, did you know that his birthday is Monday, March 2nd.  What the perfect reason to bake a yummy cake..  I'm sure even at 107 years old Dr. Suess will appreciate your thoughtfulness and so will your kids.

The Cat in the Hat I Can Do That! game brings The Cat in the Hat book to life via the game, giving kids a new and incredibly fun way to experience this classic Dr. Suss story we loved as children and our kids love now.  The Cat in the Hat I Can Do That! game will entertain your entire family, maybe not your 15 year old, including your husband! You'll all laugh and connect your family in a way that TV or video games can't.

I Can Do That! comes with imaginative props inspired by the classic child ren's book The Cat In the Hat by Dr. Seuss, as well as a deck of color-coded cards that provide funny, challenging activities thus the name I Can Do That!.

"I Can do That" is a fun game that engages kids in fast paces activities. 

• First, your child flips over one red card, one blue card, and one yellow card. 
• After flipping the cards your child fits them together like puzzle pieces which when read together as a sentence, form an activity for your child to do. 
• For example, one card might read "Take Four Giant Steps," the next card might read "With the Cake," and the third card might read "On your head!" How funny is that!?
• Each card also has one, two, or three stars on it for score keeping purposes. 
• This is a great confidence boosting game as kids will complete challenges they may not have thought possible.

Cat in the Hat I Can Do That! is available at Amazon.com and you can learn more about the game at the "I Can Do That!" website, which I highly recommend visiting.  There are lots of other fun games like Horton Hears a Who - You to the Rescue and Curious George games.

Enjoy!

UB Funkeys

U.B. Funkeys are colorful, unique collectible figures that I predict are going to be around and growing in numbers for a long time.  Funkeys provide access to Terrapinia – a virtual world and home to the Funkeys via USB connected to your PC.  Each Funkey has its own characteristics and can access different features on the website.  There are 14 species of Funkeys and 42 Funkeys available as of this review.

My 9 year old son likes Funkeys' games and the interactivity of the website.  As a mother though, I appreciate the fact that he is challenged by some of the games and that he is motivated to get more coins.

5 steps to getting started with U.B. Funkeys:

1. Purchase a Funkeys starter kit
2. Install the included software
3. Plug the base into your computer via the USB
4. Register on the U.B. Funkeys website
5. Enjoy exploring the virtual world of Funkeys

Go to the U.B. Funkeys How it Works page to learn more.  I recommend checking Funkey prices in Amazon.com's U.B. Funkeys section before running out to your local toy store. 

Solaroo UV Blocking Sun Clothing from SunFriendlyProducts.com

I received two Solaroo UV blocking suits last summer and failed to write the review and now I can't find the photographs of the kids wearing the suits to post in this review.  Anyway.. I am giving you the heads up now that Solaroo's UV blocking sun clothing is a must have this coming spring and summer. 

Both of my kids loved their suits last summer.  Sebastian felt cool in his surfer style blue shirt and Madelyn looked adorable in her pretty pink one piece suit.
My kids were outside a lot last spring and summer and Sebastian wore his Solaroo shirt when playing with his friends outside and helping me in the garden.  I am paranoid about sunburn and UV damage and love knowing that the kids Solaroo UV blocking sun clothes protect them from UV rays and I never forget to cover the rest of their bodies with super spf sunscreen.  It's not worth it to skip the sunscreen or UV blocking clothes if you have them!  I just wish I had a Solaroo shirt and Extreme Performance Hat for when I'm out in the yard or playing with the kids.

Solaroo UV blocking sun clothing is lightweight, dries quickly, and keep 98% of the UV rays out.  Available in kids sizes 0 months to 8 years, womens sizes up to 18 and mens sizes up to XX-Large with varying prices.

Go to SunFriendlyProducts.com to see their huge selection of UV Blocking Sun Clothing and accessories for babies, kids, and adults.

Toy review: Balancing Coral toy from Plan Toys

Plan Toys makes some of the nicest looking and well made wooden toys I've seen.  

Made of earth-friendly and replenishable rubber wood, Balancing Coral, is a game for up to 4 players ages 3 and up. The idea is to take turns putting pieces of coral on the coral base and see who makes the coral topple by not keeping the coral balanced.  Madelyn works very hard at putting a few pieces on but manages to topple the coral within a few tries.  That is to be expected though as she is only 2. 

Balancing Coral is great game for young kids as it will help develop good cognitive and fine motor skills.  I always supervise Madelyn when playing Balancing Coral because the pieces could potentially be a chocking hazard for children 3 and under.  Madelyn stays too busy putting the coral on to try to put the pieces on her mouth.

GIVEAWAY!
We have a Plan City Fire Station to giveaway to a lucky reader!   Go to Plan Toys website and tell me in the comment box below what you think makes Plan Toys stand out and tell me what other product (1 only) you would love to have of theirs and why.  You just might get it too!

You can buy Balancing Coral at Plan Toys or at Oompa Toys, one of my favorite online toys stores, for about $35.

Check out some of our other givewaways running now (Expire Dec. 31, 2008):  invisibelt giveaway, Little Tikes Rated Green products giveaway, Fisher Price Zen Collection Swing giveaway, Precious Girls Club book and goodie bag giveaway.

Review of Joobles - the cutest little animals, from FairIndigo.com

 These are the cutest little animals!  
I recently got Bella, a huggable little bunny with lots of personality, to review and think moms are going to want to keep these to themselves.  Don't kid yourself.. you're going to be jealous of your kids if you don't buy a Jooble for yourself.  I am a huge snuggler and always have something in my arms at night.  I found my new favorite!

Joobles are made of 100% soft organic yarns and eco-friendly dyes and are about 11 inches tall making them super snuggly and perfect for little hands to hold.

Joobles are very special in that they are made fairly in Peru under fair trade conditions which is a rapidly g rowing movement dedicated to paying workers fair wages rather than minimum ones and to providing workers with a safe and healthy working environment.

Joobles are GREAT stocking stuffers!

Price: $29.99

Where to buy: FairIndigo.com

Win a Jooble of your very own!
Go to the Fair Indigo website and click on the Meet the Joobles link, choose your favorite Jooble, AND then click on the About Fair Trade link in the top right area of the site.  Then come back here and tell me which is your favorite Jooble and something you learned about Fair Trade, in the comments box below.  Or blog about this post and send me the link and you will be entered to win the Jooble of your choice.
I just learned that they are out of Icy the Penguin and Jiffy the Giraffe so be sure to choose an available Jooble.

View more photographs of the kids with their Jooble, Bella the Bunny.

Build-A-Bear Workshop offers even more animals before for just $10

I'm determined to show some holiday spirit this year, at least inside our house.  Our excuse the last few years has been that we (Tim and I) have been so busy with the kids, work, etc. that we didn't have time to get up in the attic to get the holiday decorations down and then put them out.  Check back in a couple of weeks and I'll let you know how holiday decorating is going this year.

I got a cute little Build-A-Bear Workshop animal for review a couple of weeks ago and that's when I realized that I don't have to crawl around the attic to find decorative holiday stuff.   Adding a touch of holiday spirit can be as easy as putting a cute holiday spirited stuffed animal on a chair.  That's easy enough.  I'll try to do more but dressing up a stuffed animal in red and green and calling him Rudolph.. for a few weeks at least will make me feel better.

Build-A-Bear Workshop has a huge selection of animals, including the moose you see here, and tons of adorable dress up outfits and accessories.  The animals are super cute with faces full of personality and have exquisitely soft fur.

Buying a Build-A-Bear Workshop bear is easy.  Here's how you can do it:

• Go to the Build-A-Bear Workshop website
• Choose an animal 
• Choose an outfit 
• Choose a sound 
• Choose accessories 
• Order your animal and it will arrive at your doorstep in a Cub Condo® carrying case.

  
Have Fun!

Mo Smells Red - a scentsational journey

Did you ever think you could smell color with your nose?  I didn't but I've been given a new appreciation for smells since reading Mo Smells Red.  Mo Smells Red is a cute story about a dog, Mo, who goes on a scentsational journey and takes readers with him.  Throughout the book Mo enjoys the smell of red roses, juicy red strawberries, chocolate, and fire.  Readers can actually smell what Mo smells through the Press-2-Smell technology.  Embedded within the pages of the book are scent-dispensing packets good for thousands of “sniffs” containing safe, non-toxic scents that truly mimic real life smells.

Both you and your child will enjoy the story about Mo, an adorable little dog, and the real life smells are sure to leave you craving a juicy red strawberry, a walk through a rose garden, a piece of chocolate.. or maybe all three.  The book is short and sweet making it perfect for kids two years and older.  My daughter is two years old and wants to read Mo Smells Red every time she sees it.  The concept is fascinating.   I thought surely after reading the book a few times, the smell of the roses would combine with the smell of the strawberries and so on, but that's not the case.  Each smell stays true to what it is and will for thousands of sniffs.

The embedded scent pouches contain natural essential oils and the pages are printed on 10% post-consumer paper stock and printed with soy-based inks.  A portion of the proceeds will go to Best Friends Animal Society (www.BestFriends.org) and support their initiatives to work with humane groups across the country — to bring about a time when there are no more homeless pets.

You will also find baby tee's, tote bags, stickers, notebooks and more in the Mo's Nose store.  Mo Smells Red will make a gift for a child ages 2+.  Even tweens enjoy Mo Smells Red because cute story and fun scents.  Mo Smells Red is the first installment in the Mo's Nose series of books created by long time friends Margaret Hyde and Amanda Giacomini.  I can't wait to see what the next installment is!

Price: $17.95

Available at: Mo's Nose

Giveaway alert! We have two Mo Smells Red books and tee's to give away.  Join our newsletter to learn how and when you can enter to win.