EcoMom Review and Giveaway

My son being a music lover I knew for his birthday I wanted to get him some sort of instrument for he and I to interact with together. I knew EcoMom just started to carry Plan Toys brand so I looked through their products before deciding. I thought about mini pianos, wind blown instruments or even a simple maraca to shake. After really thinking about the kind of boy my son is I remember he loves to be rowdy and throw stuff I knew he needed some drums. I was so right in my assumption that he would enjoy one. He loved, I mean really loved to hit his drum. He beamed from ear to ear to be able to hit it with his little hands and have it make music back to him. He was so sweet too, he would bring me the drum to use too. He seemed to like even more to sit and clap while I pounded on the drum. This is the exact experience I wanted from a musical instrument. For my son and I to interact and share in the moment together. I also loved the Plan Toys Percussion Set as a great Christmas gift.

In honor of my son's 1st birthday EcoMom has agreed to send one of my lucky readers a $25 gift certificate to use towards a purchase and shipping.

Here is how to enter the giveaway for a $25 Gift Certificate to EcoMom:
MANDATORY Entry: Follow EcoMom on Twitter
Leave your email address in your comment so I can contact the winner.

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry.
If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on.
Follow Me on GFC (right top corner) +3
Follow Me on Twitter +2
"Like" my fan page on Facebook +4
"Like" EcoMom on Facebook +2
Visit EcoMom and tell me what great product you would pick if you won. +2
Enter any of the other giveaways during the 1st birthday bash +2 entries for each giveaway entered.
Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link +10

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts November 30, 2010 and ends December 10, 2010 at midnight PST.  Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. I was sent for free a Plan Toys Drum from EcoMom to review for this post.

1st Birthday Bash 10 Days of Giveaways Day 8: Play Time

Play Time is not just fun for my little guy but for me as well. Its my chance to be silly, free and in the moment just as my son is. I try to let him just be and allow him to explore stuff without my influence. I noticed the other day I cheered him on when he threw his football over and over, then when he did it again and I did not cheer him he looked at me funny. I thought in the moment does he enjoy football or is it my praise he wanted? This led me to think I need to let him show me what he enjoys and then praise him for that. I do not want a child who likes something to please me, I want him to like stuff that gives him joy. And if he happens to get joy from what I enjoy then we can share in that together. With that in mind I wanted to buy him gifts for his birthday that reflect what I know about my little guy's likes from what I have observed. What activity does your child enjoy that surprises you?

SKOY Re-usable Cloth Review and Giveaway

I must admit since my son has been born my clean freak ways have went out the window. Now I aim for keeping it clean and safe more than sparkle and looking neatly placed. During bath time I seem to need safety and clean up at the same time. My little guy splashes so much water all over I have to make a towel barrier to keep the floors dry. From another mom blog I won a set of re-usable SKOY cloths and I use them for bath time and teeth brushing time. They absorb 15x their own weight making it easier for me to wipe up water around the sink and bathtub.  I do not like to mix cleaning towels from the kitchen or bathroom so I have a set of SKOY cloths for the bathroom and another set for the kitchen. I feel bad when I throw out so many paper towels when I clean, I know they will just go to fill up a landfill. With SKOY cloths I like that they are 100% biodegradable and in a composting test the cloth completely broke down after 5 weeks. They are also made with water based colors and inks. I would love to have more of these reusable towels for the garage and nursery. I think they would make a great stocking stuffer for young adults and parents.

In honor of my son's 1st birthday SKOY has provided me 1 set of cloths to give to one of my lucky readers.

Here is how to enter the giveaway for 1 set of SKOY cloths:
MANDATORY Entry: Follow SKOY on Twitter
Leave your email address in your comment so I can contact the winner.

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry.
If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on.
Follow Me on GFC (right top corner) +3
Follow Me on Twitter +2
"Like" my fan page on Facebook +4
"Like" SKOY Cloths on Facebook +2
Leave a comment on my review of  EcoStore USA Baby Products +4
Enter any of the other giveaways during the 1st birthday bash +2 entries for each giveaway entered.
Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link +10

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts November 27, 2010 and ends December 09, 2010 at midnight PST.  Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. I was sent 2 sets of SKOY cloths for free. One to review one to giveaway as a prize.

Firefly Spider Man Toothbrush Review

Since my son's first teeth came in I have brushed them in one way or another. I used a washcloth or a small finger brush with water. Now that he is almost 1 and has 6 front teeth I was concerned he needed a better toothbrush. I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to review a Spider Man Firefly Toothbrush. Right out of the packaging I was impressed. Spider Man looked so cool. I enjoyed the way it lights up when the timer button is pushed. We even turned out the lights one night after brushing his teeth to watch the red light do a mini light show on the walls and ceiling. He made the sweetest face watching Spidey light the room.

The bristles were just right for his teeth, he let me only brush them a few seconds at a time but each time he seems to get more use to the sensation. My little guy is very grabby so his favorite part was to take the toothbrush from me and try to brush his hair. I recently showed him how to use his hair brush so now he brushes his hair with toys too.

I would recommend this toothbrush for any parent to buy for the light up timer that flashes for one minute. I think this gives kids something entertaining at the same time is giving them guidance on how long to be brushing. I like the idea of 1 minute for the top teeth then press the timer again and brush one minute on the bottom teeth.

Firefly toothbrushes are also available in Barbie, Hot Wheels and non character in the colors red, blue, green, yellow, pink and clear. You can find Firefly toothbrushes at Walmart, Kmart, Walgreens, Toys R Us, Target and Big Lots.
For more information you can follow FireFly Toothbrushes on Twitter and be a fan on Facebook.


* I was not paid for this post. This review is my own opinion and may vary from others. I was sent one free Firefly Spider Man toothbrush.

EcoStore USA Baby Body Wash and Shampoo Review + Cyber Monday 60% off Code

When I decide what brands to buy for baby products I do my best to match a good price with a brand that is good for the earth. Since my budget does not always allow for me to buy eco friendly products I was pleased to find a online store that carries products that are green and a reasonable price. For my 1st Birthday Bash event EcoStore USA allowed us to review the Baby Body Wash and Baby Shampoo. Their products contain what they have termed "No Nasty Chemicals" you can read the big list of what harmful chemicals there products do not contain here. A few I was glad to see not in their products are no chlorine, ammonia, or parabens.

I enjoyed the smell of the of both of the products. They have a subtle lavender scent that is pleasing and not overwhelming. A little does go a long way with these products as well. We have been using them for the last couple weeks and are just now at the end of the bottles. The body wash worked well on him but I do have to say the shampoo required a bit more scrubbing than his regular soap to get his hair clean. I do think the extra scrubbing is well worth not exposing him to harmful chemicals that are found in most soaps. I would also love to try their Baby Sleepytime Bath that contains a mixture of lavender and geranium.

 EcoStore USA is having a 60% off Sale for Cyber Monday on November 29th, one day only!  Use the code TX883 in the coupon code box at checkout. All orders over $25 receive free shipping.

For sale info and coupon codes you can follow EcoStore USA on Twitter and Facebook.

*I was not paid for this post. This post is my own opinion and may vary from others. I was sent for free 2 baby bath care products for this review post for free.