Munchie Mug Review and Giveaway

Do you have a cereal trail in your house that leads to your toddler? Does it drive you crazy?! If you answered yes, then you need a Munchie Mug! If you said no, I'm sure someone you know needs a Munchie Mug!

Munchie Mug is a snack cup that has a soft fabric closure in the lid that allows little hands to dip into the snacks without spilling the contents! I love my Munchie Mug! I have a 3 year old and I babysit several other children and it is fantastic for avoiding spills. The kids love it too! Here are a few photos of them trying it out.

It even works upside down!

Munchie Mug is great for all kinds of snacks. So far we have tried grapes, cereal, teddy grahams, and M & M's. We also tried popcorn but it crumbled when they tried to pull it through the fabric lid.

They only complaint I have "heard" about the Munchie Mug is from my 3 dogs. LoL, they are not so happy about the fact that their unlimited supply of Cheerios is now nonexistent!

Munchie Mugs are made in the USA in Sonoma, CA and are 100% FDA approved and #5 BPA-free polypropylene. They are also dishwasher safe.

You can order one here for just $12.95! This would make a GREAT baby shower gift.

You can also win one here on my blog!

Here's what you need to do to win:

Main Entry: You must complete both parts to be eligible
1. Subscribe to my blog via reader (panda on upper right sidebar) leave comment.
2. Go to munchiemug.com here and leave a comment telling me who manufactures the Munchie Mug.

Bonus Entries
1. Follow me on Twitter here. Leave a comment.
2. Follow my blog (left sidebar) and leave a comment
3. Tweet this contest by copying and pasting this tweet "Win a great snack holder for your toddler! Munchie Mug is a must have! http://tinyurl.com/bx388e" You can do this 1 time each day. Leave a comment
4. Post a link to this giveaway on your blog. Leave a link to your blog in your comment.
5. Grab my button (right sidebar) and post it on your blog. Leave a comment.
6. Stumble or Digg this post. Leave a comment.
7. Go to MomFaves here and Fav the Munchie Mug. Leave a comment.

PLEASE READ THIS!

US entries only please. Please make sure to leave a valid email address or your Twitter ID in each of your comments. I will not hunt you down if you win. If you do not follow the entry requirements as stated above, your entry will be invalid, so please make sure you read the directions carefully :) This contest will end at 6 pm EST, Tuesday, March 3rd. The winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified via email or Twitter DM. The winner will also be posted on this blog. The winner has 48 hrs from the time of the posting to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen.

Are There Monsters In Your House? ~ CurlyQ Cuties Review

Do you have kid that wakes up screaming in the middle of the night? I do! My 3 year old Nathan has an uncontrollable fear of monsters in our house.

Let me start at the beginning. I have a nephew Hayden who is the same age as my son. They spend a ton of time together and when they are together my nephew's favorite game to play is monsters. In the beginning, Nathan would only talk about monsters or have a fear on nights that he had been with Hayden during the day. It didn't take long for his imagination to get the best of him and after 2 sweet years of sleeping through the night he started waking up EVERY night calling for me to get rid of the monsters.

This has been going on now for about 6 months and mama is tired! We started by "chasing" the monsters back to Hayden's house. I would have to stand in the middle of the room and announce to the monsters "It's time for bed, get out, go away, go back to Hayden's house" This worked for a little while, but wouldn't you know after a few weeks they were coming back even after I chased them away! Darn monsters!

Now the weather was getting colder so I decided to go with "the monsters all went to Hawaii because it's too cold here." I hope I never decide to go on vacation to Hawaii because I don't think he will go! Anyway this also worked for a few days until the sun came out one cold December day and Nathan decided it wasn't cold enough here anymore because the sun was out and they were back, again.

So we tried flashlights to shine in the monsters eyes, he would leave them on ALL night and I was going through way too many batteries! Not to mention, he would play with the flashlight during the day, loose it and freak out a bedtime!

Next we tried the "monster spray" Santa left under the tree. I was really excited about this one, he wasn't. He said the monsters liked the smell and it made them come in his room! By this time he pretty much even had my 6 yr old who shares a room with him convinced there were monsters in there!

So now I am at the end of my rope, how am I going to get this kid to sleep at night? Then by some Twitter miracle I came across CurlyQ Cuties!

CurlyQ Cuties are custom made monsters you design at the CurlyQ Cuties website! They are completely handmade from anti-pill fleece, some felt, and are stuffed with hypo-allergenic polyfil. These adorable monsters cost $25 plus shipping. WORTH EVERY PENNY! (come on you can't put a price on sleep can you!)

Here is a little about the company from their website:

"CurlyQ Cuties was started in early 2008 by mompreneur Stephanie Estrin as an alternative to impersonal plastic toys manufactured overseas.

After searching for safe and locally made toys to encourage imaginative play in her own children, Stephanie experimented with making plush Monsters from her children's descriptions and drawings.

Stephanie's children liked their Monsters so much that Stephanie decided to make them available to others. She opened a shop on Etsy selling ready-made Monsters.

After several customer requests for customized variations, we developed the CurlyQ Cuties website to make it easy to design your own plush Monster toy. Shortly thereafter, we closed the Etsy shop to focus on the Made-to-Order business.

We have experienced significant growth since then. We are completely focused on providing a quality customized product and an unparalleled customer service experience at a completely affordable price."

When I found these great little monsters I was so excited! I sat Nathan down in front of the computer and we began to design his very own "good" monster. You choose every aspect of your monster, the shape, the eyes, the mouth, the belly shape, and all the colors! We spent over an hour trying out lots of different combinations it was so much fun!

Here are a few we tried out:


Finally I got him to choose "the one" and here it is:
Isn't it cute! He was so excited he couldn't wait to meet his monster!

A few days later we got a package in the mail and by luck, my cousin was visiting and she had her Flip video camera with her so I was able to catch the "meeting" on video for you!

So now we have our "good" monster who's job is to chase away the "bad" monsters and let me tell you IT IS WORKING LIKE MAGIC!

Nathan sleeps with Red every night and loves showing him off to everyone. My 6 year old wants one now and I think I am going to get him one for his birthday!

I am very pleased with the quality of our monster, he is very well made and stuffed to perfection! Thanks to Red (and of course CurlyQ Cuties) I am getting some sleep again, YIPPEE!

These monsters are a MUST HAVE for any children who have a fear of monsters. They also make great friends for children who love monsters! To order your custom CurlyQ Cutie visit the website here and create away! Gift certificates are also available so you can give a monster to anyone and they can design it themselves.

Thank you CurlyQ Cuties for helping my son overcome his fears and for giving him a friend to love!

Magnet Street Baby Reivew and Giveaway

So, it was December 15th and I realized Christmas was only 10 days away and I still didn't have Christmas cards. I hadn't even taken my kids photo yet. I never wait this long! I start thinking about my Christmas cards in September. I'd like to do something fun, but at this point I was running out of time. What was I gonna do? Then I found something great ~ MagnetStreetBaby. But first I needed a photo.

So I showered all the kids, got them dressed and told the hubby what our evening plans were; 3 words that send terror into my hubby's soul "Christmas Photo Shoot." I still didn't have my tree up (long story for another day) so a photo at home was out of the question, so we headed to the local mall to see what we could do. Do you know how hard it is to take a photo at the mall 10 days before Christmas and not get other people in your photo? Pretty hard. Here are some of the photos that didn't make the cut.

Not bad, but I'm not crazy about the shoe store in the background!

Everyone is getting a little crazy!

Check out those evil eyes! Where did the baby go?

A photo with Santa was out of the question, 3 year old is terrified of him. So we settle for a bench we found near the big tree by the train and we were able to get a decent photo with a not so bad background.

I think we have a winner!

So now I have my photo, we all go for ice cream, I get the kids to bed and I head to MagnetStreetBaby.

MagnetStreetBaby specializes in birth announcements but they also offer shower invitations, address labels and seals, and holiday cards. Many of their designs are available as 3.5" x 4" magnets. How cool is that? I was looking for something fun and here it was! Just think, my kids would be smiling from everyone's fridge instead of being stuffed into a drawer with all the other Christmas cards.

The cool thing about MagnetStreetBaby is once you have chosen one of their many designs available, you can customize the colors and fonts on the card. In the past when I would order cards I always had a hard time with this because I would like the card, but the colors didn't match the outfits or the background of the photo. With MagnetStreetBaby colors are no longer a problem! You can choose from a menu of colors or go even further into the color tool and choose any color on the spectrum! They also have close to 200 different fonts to choose from to make your card uniquely yours. With each change you make the preview reflects the change so you can see exactly what your card will look like. I had a lot of fun playing around with the options for my card. The editor tool was so easy to use and my ordering experience with MagnetStreetBaby was fantastic! There are so many possibilities everyone can find something that suits their taste.

I was so happy with my cards, and just as I imagined, everyone I sent them too thought they were great!

MagnetStreetBaby has generously offered to give one of my readers a $100 credit to use for the products of your choice at their online store MagnetStreetBaby.

Here's how to enter:

Main Entry
~ Go to MagnetStreetBabyclick on the "magnet announcement" button. Look through the designs on the first page (you can look through more if you want) and come back here and leave a comment telling me your favorite design. = 1 entry

Bonus Entries ~ Leave separate comments for each you complete
~ Follow my blog - left sidebar = 1 entry
~ Subscribe to my blog via reader -left sidebar = 1 entry
~ Copy and paste the following on Twitter "Enter to win $100 GC to MagnetStreetBaby, your source for unique for birth announcements http://tinyurl.com/ay7jle". Leave a link to your post in comment = 1 entry each day.

~Follow me on twitter here = 1 entry
~Post this giveaway on your blog. Leave a link to your post in comment. = 1 entry
~If you don't have a blog, you can email the link to my contest to 3 friends and CC me in your email craftymamaof4@gmail.com. Leave a comment. = 1 entry
~Grab my button -right sidebar- and post it on your blog. = 1 entry

Good luck!
Thank you to MagnetStreetBaby for this great giveaway!

US entries only please. Please make sure to leave a valid email address or your Twitter ID in one of your comments. I will not hunt you down if you win. If you do not follow the entry requirements as stated above, your entry will be invalid, so please make sure you read the directions carefully :) This contest will end at 11:59pm EST Saturday, January 17th. The winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified via email or Twitter DM. The winner will also be posted on this blog on Sunday, January 18th. The winner has 48 hrs from the time of the posting to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen.

Quick Yummy Candy Treat

Looking for something quick to make for a last minute gift? These are so easy to make and the kids can help too!

Here's what you need

~Snyders "Snap" pretzels - they are square and look like graph paper

~Rolo candies

Here's what you do

~Heat oven to 250 degrees

~Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

~Arrange pretzels on cookie sheet

~Place 1 unwrapped Rolo on top of each pretzel

~Bake just enough for the Rolos to soften, but not melt

~Remove from oven and place another pretzel on top of each Rolo and smash down to make a sandwich

~Cool

Fill up a jar with candies, wrap the lid in a pretty piece of fabric and ribbon, attach a gift tag, and you are ready to go! Wanna give a little more than candy? Attach an instant lottery ticket to the jar too!

I give these out every year and everyone loves them!

Build a Bear Workshop for Wii Review and Giveaway

I was fortunate enough a few weeks ago to receive some games to try out from The Game Factory. My kids have been having a blast trying them all out. Here is our review of the first game.

Build a Bear Workshop A Friend Fur All Seasons for Wii
You begin this game by creating the furry friend you would like to be while you play the game. As you play you visit 4 islands each with a different seasonal theme. On each island you must play a series of mini games to collect puzzle pieces to get to the next island. You also receive medals based on your success in the mini game that can be used to buy additional clothes and accessories for your character. Once you have completed all four islands you go to the final island to the big party!

My kids had a great time playing this game! My 11 yr old daughter had fun playing with my 3 yr old son, but I don't know if she would play by herself! Don't tell hm I told you, but my 9 yr old son played his way through the whole game this weekend and enjoyed himself while he played! My 6 yr old son is having a great time playing his way through the game and can't wait to get to the party. The manufacturer suggests for ages 6 - 12. I think children under 6 would like it, my 3 yr old does, but they need a little help to play.

This game is rated E for everyone and can be played by up to 4 players. It retails for $39.99 but you can snag it right now at http://www.bestbuy.com/ and http://www.toysrus.com/ for the bargain price of $19.99.
~OR~
You could snag it right here for FREE!! Yep I said FREE!

The Game Factory has been generous enough to offer a copy of this game to one of my lucky viewers.

To enter:
1. Subscribe to my blog via reader (upper right sidebar) & leave a comment telling me what your favorite season is and why. 1 entry
2. Follow my blog (upper right sidebar) & leave a comment that you follow. 1 entry

To be eligible to win you must complete the 2 items above. You can earn extra entries by doing any or all of the following: Please leave separate comments for each thing you do.

1. Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/craftymamaof4
2. Follow The Game Factory on Twitter http://twitter.com/gamefactorygame
3. Post my giveaway on a social networking site like Twitter or Facebook and leave a link to your post in your comment. Can do this 1 time each day
4. Post a link to my contest on your blog. Leave a link to your post in your comment.

PLEASE don't forget you leave your Twitter ID or email address for notification. I will not hunt you down if you win.

This contest ends Thursday, December 18th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be chosen by the sequence generator at random.org. Winner must have a US postal address. Winner has 24 hours to claim prize or a new winner will be chosen.

My Precious Kid

Have you heard of My Precious Kid yet? I had not until a few weeks ago when what in my mailbox should appear? A Child Seat Id Kit I won on Twitter. This kit is for emergency personnel to identify crucial information on my child in case of an accident. The laminated card is attached to his car seat like a luggage tag. This is a fantastic idea! As parents we hope that nothing bad will ever happen, but the reality is that you just never know. Don’t you want to be prepared if something happens to your child? My Precious Kid helps you prepare for these emergencies.

My Precious Kid is a company run by Kay Green, a mother of 4 and grandmother of 1. Her company began with her invention of My Precious Kid Id Kits and has grown to include over 100 great products geared toward the safety of children.

Some of my favorites are:
Child Safety Pack $16
· Includes everything you need to ID your child in an emergency situation
Personalized Allergy Labels $16
· Includes 60 labels with your child’s name and up to 4 allergies
Kid Dog Tag $10
· Personalized, waterproof, place on zipper or belt loop
Sippy Cup Name Bands
· Personalized stretchy bands to identify your child’s sippy cup

There are many more items to choose from that are really great! Interested? Visit them at www.mypreciouskid.com

Virtual Legos

My 6 year old son is obsessed with Legos! I have to brag that I feel he is very advanced for his age. He does really well following the directions in the large kits and even better dreaming up his own creations. He has amazed many people with his creatitivy.

A few weeks ago he was bored and didn't know what to do (anyone else have this problem?). He asked if he could go on my computer and instead of letting him play the usual internet games I decided to do a google search to find something new. I searched for "virtual Legos" and what do you know, there is such a thing and it's at http://factory.lego.com/!

As facinated with Legos as we are I had never been to their site. So we checked it out. When you get there you have to download the program to your computer, which is nice because you don't have to be connected to the internet to play. Once you download, every Lego piece in every color you could ever think of is there for you to create with! I will admit it took a few fustraiting attempts for him to get the hang of it, but now a few weeks later he has gotten quite good.

You can build from scratch or add to starter models. Once you are finished you can view your creation on a variety of different backgounds. Here is a plane he made:

Here is one more, a car complete with drivers:
The coolest thing is you can order your creation from Lego complete with instructions so you can build it with real blocks!

If you have a kid who likes Legos, I suggest you check out this site, it really is a lot of fun.