Frugal Family Tree

Monday, October 1, 2012

Tiny Love Gymini My Nature Pals Product Review and Giveaway

Sometimes getting your baby to sleep at nap time and bed time can hard. Especially around our house where there seems to be constant noise and chaos. Poor little Ashley has to try to fall asleep and stay asleep in the middle of it all. To help with the noise level I like to turn on her My Natural Pals Mobile from the My Nature Pals Collection by Tiny Love.

The My Natural Pals Mobile is so sweet and all of the bright and happy colors are really eye catching. I can use it to help my baby get to sleep, stay asleep or put her in the crib to admire it for a bit while I am doing something, like unloading the dishwasher. There is an overhead light, music box light and dangling toys. The music variety includes 9 different tunes in 3 categories. The My Nature Pals Mobile is for ages 0-12 months and enhances Cognition, EQ and Senses.

Another great benefit about the Mobile is that once your baby is old enough to pull themselves up you can remove the arm and leave the music box attached. Ashley loves music and loves being able to reach the buttons and change it herself!!!

Another great product from the My Nature Pals Collection is the Gymini My Nature Pals play mat. The mat is endless fun for your little one. The Baby-activated take-along Lights & Music Caterpillar enhances the Gymini® playtime experience along with lights dangling toys and cute animals. The Gymini is for 0-12 months and enhances Fine Motor Skills, Gross Motor Skills and Senses.

1-3 months

Move nature pals within baby's reach and allow him to explore their smiling expressions and take his first batting attempts.

6-9 months

Let baby enjoy the stimulating features of the baby-activated Lights & Music Caterpillar, which plays 30 min of continuous music and 10 different tunes.

Tiny Love has so many great products that we just love and know you will too. Check them out! Tiny Love has offer one of our readers to win a Gymini Move ‘n Play activity mat.

Enter to win a Tiny Love My Nature Pals Gymini Move ‘n Play activity mat in the Rafflecopter Giveaway Below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts Oct. 1 2012 and ends on Oct. 16, 2012 at 12:01 am EST. Winner will be emailed and has 72 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize. I was sent My Nature Pals from Tiny Love for my review.

Thank You Zondervan Kidz Book Donation and Review

I have enjoyed reading books to my son since the day he was born. Reading is something I have been taught by my own parents to love. There is an adventure waiting in each book and lessons to be learned. I have been able to read my son Zondervan Books and do so proudly. I grew up loving the Berenstain Bears and am thrilled to be able to share the Bear Family adventures with him. He loves to sit on my lap or in his little car chair and look through the books. He reads them to me in his own way as he describes to me what he sees in the illustrations. Earlier in the month I participated in the Champions for Kids Nickelodeon Big Help book drive and Zondervan Publishing was excited to help. They sent us books to donate and books for my son to have.

We read The Berenstain Bears Faith Gets Us Through and God Made the Seasons. Both are great books!

Follow Brother and Sister Bear through the seasons of the year Bear Country style, doing everything from swimming and biking to sledding and studying. I liked reading this one to my son since we are getting ready for the fall. Summer time stuff like swimming is no longer an option but we have fun fall time stuff to look forward to.

The Bear Scouts hope to earn their Cave Adventure Merit Badges with Scoutmaster Papa’s help. While learning all about caves from Papa the cubs also learn a lesson about counting on God to guide them too. I like this one! As parents are kids look to us for answers and know how, we don't always have it but can rely on Christian teachings to help us help them.

Along with the Berenstain Bear books we were sent one of my favorite Christian children books The Jesus Storybook Bible.

The Jesus Storybook Bible is a beautifully illustrated book for kids and adults to enjoy together. In The Jesus Storybook Bible, every story whispers his name. It tells the story beneath all the stories in the Bible. We were able to donate a wonderful Italian Duo-Tone binding copy of this book to the kids at Home Start. The binding on this book is perfect for keepsake gifts. This book has been printed in 17 different languages so it can be shared with kids all over the world. I love that!

Our book donation to Roseville Home Start that included Zondervan Kidz books.

THANK YOU Zondervan Kidz Publishing for your contribution to the Champions for Kids Nickelodeon Book Drive. The kids at Roseville Home Start are thankful for the books they received. You can purchase the Zondervan Kidz books mentioned in this post and see the other great books they carry online at Zondervan.com

To learn more about Zondervan you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
For more info on The Jesus Storybook Bible you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

* I was not paid or compensated for this post. I was sent a free copy of some of the books for my review by the publisher/PR company. The opinions are 100% mine and may vary from others.

Clearance Items you can actually use ROCK!!!

While cruising around Walmart this weekend I came across some Clearance "Back to School" items. I know that the Back to School craze is over but there are still some really great folders and paper products out there at a great price.

I found these file folders and paper pads for 20 cents each!! That's right for less than a dollar I got all four items. What a score!! The file folders are a 3 pack so really I got 6 folders for 40 cents! With both the boys in school and my husband as well, I NEED to organize our schedules. I found that the inside of our pantry is the best place to keep the calendar and all of our other important papers.

Here is the inside of out pantry door and you can see how I already added my new apple folder and paper pad!! Everyone in the family is color-coded so that if they take a quick glance at the calendar they know if the event is for them or not :) Getting organized and keeping our schedules is an ongoing task for me and I am always looking for bright and colorful ways to help me get there. How about you? How do you keep you and your family organized?

~ By Sam ~

Happy National Coffee Day!

Hooray! Today is National Coffee Day! We love Coffee in my family. I wanted share with everyone some info on the language of coffee and how to make some drinks.

In honor of National Coffee Day on September 29th, Eight O’Clock Coffee, America’s Original Gourmet Coffee, is demystifying coffee jargon—and explaining how to make a great-tasting specialty coffee drink at home, no fancy machines needed. Behold, your guide to creating a café coffee experience right in your own kitchen, courtesy of Eight O’Clock Coffee!

Latte- Traditionally, this is made using espresso and foamed milk. The milk to coffee ratio is 3:1.

Make It At Home! Use a strong coffee, like Eight O’Clock Coffee’s Dark Italian Roast, and brew regularly. Pour some milk into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk milk as it heats to make it frothy. Pour some of the coffee into a mug, add some hot liquid milk and spoon the foamed milk on top.

Café Mocha- This is simply a latte with some type of chocolate flavor added in.

Make It At Home! Prepare using the latte instructions. Before adding the coffee and milk, pour 2/3 cup of hot chocolate mix into the bottom of the mug, add coffee and milk and stir until the mix has dissolved.

Café au Lait- Similar to a latte, but usually uses strong brewed coffee instead of espresso and has a 1:1 ratio of coffee to milk.

Make It At Home! Brew Eight O’Clock Coffee’s Dark Italian Roast, steam the milk and add equal parts milk (add this first) and coffee to your mug.

Cappuccino- Usually made with equal parts espresso, steamed milk and frothed milk.

Make It At Home! Follow the same instructions as the latte, but pour equal parts coffee and steamed milk into the mug and top with frothed milk. It’s great with cinnamon or chocolate sprinkled on.

Macchiato- A traditional macchiato is a shot of espresso with a bit of milk foam. We usually think of the caramel macchiato, which is very popular at coffee shops in the US.

Make It At Home! Make a tasty caramel macchiato using Eight O’Clock Coffee Dark Italian Roast. Heat milk in a saucepan and whisk until frothy, add a few pumps of vanilla syrup to your cup of coffee, top with milk froth and drizzle with caramel syrup.

Frappe- A frappe is a cold blended coffee drink with chilled coffee, sugar, milk or cream and ice blended together.

Make It At Home! All you need is 6-8 ounces of cold coffee (we like Eight O’Clock Coffee Original Blend), 2 Tbsp milk, 3/4 cup crushed or cubed ice and sugar to taste. Combine ingredients in a blender. You can also add 2 Tbsp of your favorite syrup—caramel, chocolate, vanilla—some people even add ice cream to make it thicker. The possibilities are endless, so get creative!

Pumpkin Coffee- Virtually every coffee shop has some kind of limited-time-only pumpkin coffee, a delicious fall flavor.

Make It At Home! Brew your own pumpkin coffee this fall or any other time of year you feel a craving coming on. Use 2 tsp of pumpkin spice for every 3 Tbsp of Eight O’Clock Coffee Original Blend. Combine the pumpkin spice with the coffee grounds and brew. Sweeten to your desire.

Espresso: A concentrated coffee brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans.

Make It At Home! Espresso machines are typically very expensive, but you can come close to the real deal with your regular coffee pot. Choose a dark roast, like Eight O’Clock Coffee’s Dark Italian Roast, and grind the beans as finely as possible. Double the coffee filter, and pack down the coffee grounds into the filter (use 1 tbsp for every 1/4 cup of espresso). It’s a great option that replicates the strong, bold flavor espresso and cappuccino aficionados love.