Haba Toys..A block party for your little one.

This year’s newest Haba wooden blocks are guaranteed to beat the television for entertainment.  Kids will quickly forget about lounging in front of the television and turn play time into a “block party”

Haba Stack the Trix Mix Pull Toy ($50)

This is such a bright and whimsical toy for your little one ages 1 to 6 years. It is designed to stimulate the child’s creative skills, large motor skills and spatial thinking. There is no right or wrong way to stack the brightly colored spools each with a color or unique feature like a face or a fabric tail.   It encourages your child to think creatively.  Then your little guy or gal can pull it around showing off their new creations.   I even found myself playing with it.  Haba toys are well worth the money because these toys will stand the test of time.

Haba Curioso Fabric Shape Sorter ($45)

Which blocks fits where? The Curioso shape sorter is a matching game designed for ages 12 months and up, that acquaints children with shapes and colors.  Each block has a special optical or acoustic element about it such as a bell, or a mini kaleidoscope that stimulates perception.  Each block has a different shape which encourages your little one to develop cognitive skills as well.  I must say that I am impressed with Haba’s quality and the blocks have such bright and fun colors.  When you are holding them in your hand they don’t feel cheap and are well made.  The boys love trying to fit them through the shaped slots and even love to stack them.  These will definitely be on my list of things to give for Christmas.

You can tell that Haba takes pride in designing toys that can stand the test of time and can be passed on from generation to generation.  Many of their products have received German and American awards such as Parents’ Choice, and Dr. Toy and Best Toys of the Year recognition.  Haba toys can be found at many online specialty toy retailers such as Maukilo.com

tottieBean… Fun classic clothes for children

tottieBean was created by two sisters who are moms as well, that wanted to create an ideal sportswear line for children and moms alike. Their line of clothing is all about classic fit and wearability, made with comfortable and durable fabrics. Their motto is that “kids should dress like kids, look good and always be comfortable.”

tottieBean’s newest Spring 2009 collection will include athletic-inspired swimwear and togs featuring swimsuits, and t-shirts in coordinating colors for girls and ladies, as well as, t-shirts and shorts for boys.

Some clothes today just have too much going on and we seem to lose track of the more simple clothing designs for children.  As a mother I tend to go with the more practical things when picking out my children’s clothes.

I was recently given the opportunity to review tottieBean’s classic pullover ($45). To me clothing should withstand numerous washings and come out looking as good as it went in. Before even putting it on one of my boys, I washed the pullover about 3 times and it washes beautifully. I love tottieBean’s pullover because it is a classic and simple design that can be jazzed up with  bright colors underneath. My boys are so active when they play that this is perfect for those cool Fall days and rolling around in the leaves, and I don’t have to worry about it falling apart. Clothing should stand up to the wear of young children and still look good.

Check out tottieBean today…simple yet classic style for your special bean.

You Can Make This

Experienced mothers have many things to share with future mothers. Whether it’s tips on enduring pregnancy, suggestions about nurturing a “spirited” child, or ways to teach children crafts that will enhance their lives, the information needs to be passed along. The earth’s first mothers passed their lore through the oral tradition of storytelling. The advent of the printing press let mothers pass knowledge in books. But in today’s modern world, mothers pass along their know-how via the internet through “YouCanMakeThis.Com.”

YouCanMakeThis.Com is an iParenting award winning website that provides families and or anyone with instant access to patterns, eBooks, instructions, and tutorials for wide range of favorite craft and sewing projects.  The site has patterns and instructions for all sorts of things such as woodworking, sewing, knitting and quilting.

YouCanMakeThis.Com’s downloadable eBooks provide simple, step-by-step guides.  For those unfamiliar with eBooks, basically, they are files that can easily be downloaded, saved and then printed or read on a computer monitor. The website offers more than 700 projects that help moms make things for their children, for themselves and even teaches tweens how to learn a new skill.

This is my first experience with this site and I must say I love it! I spent close to two hours just looking at all the fun things to do! There is a huge wealth of information all in one spot and it is very well organized into categories. I just recently got the the “Nap Mat” pattern and the instructions are very thorough and pretty easy to understand. We will have to see how these turn out! I have always wanted to learn how to quilt, and there are lots of patterns for that. These projects are perfect for the upcoming colder months when you are stuck inside, and a great way to learn something new. The possibilities are endless!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!

Thank you to all who entered!   Check back often!

DoubleBugs and YouCanMakeThis.com are giving you the chance to learn something new by giving three lucky winners an ebook of their choice!

Here’s what you gotta do:

Leave a comment on what you like about the site and what you would like to try to make.

Please leave me an email or a way to contact you if you win

Contest starts September 24, 2008 and and ends October 4, 2008

Check back and see who the winners are!

Good Luck!

LeapFrog Learning Table Giveaway

This Contest Is Now Closed

Thank you to all who entered.  Check back often to see whats up at DoubleBugs!!!

In honor of going back to school and getting back into the learning groove.  DoubleBugs is giving away a LeapFrog Learn and Groove musical table to one lucky winner.

A favorite among moms and kids alike, the award-winning Learn & Groove Musical Table engages and entertains with more than 40 learning songs, sparkling lights and lots to spin, slide, push, pull, open and close.

Here’s What You Gotta Do!

Leave a comment on this post about why you’d like to win.

Please leave me an email so I can contact you if you win

If a winner does not respond in 2 days a new winner will be chosen.

Winners are chosen via Random.org

Contest starts September 23, 2008 and Ends October 7, 2008

GOOD LUCK!!!

Borders Gift Card Winner

Congratulations to Suzanne D. for winning the $10 Borders gift card giveaway!

Check back often at DoubleBugs for more fun opportunities!

Umi shoes….Like walking on clouds!

I just recently had the chance to review Umi shoes for the boys and I must say that I am very impressed with their shoes.  Over time, I have become a bit of a shoe connoisseur so naturally I took them out of the box and started doing the “Mommy” test.  When looking for shoes for toddlers,  I always check the soles on shoes, to make sure they are flexible.  Umi shoes fit the bill perfectly.   Shoes that are well made for children, need to offer give for quickly developing feet.  This is one of the first things I look for in the stores.  Most of the time, the soles are so hard you could just use them as paper weights!

The insides of the shoes are amazing!  I couldn’t believe just how soft and cushy they were, and I can imagine that they are like walking on clouds.  Comfort is such and important factor, because kids really “wear” their shoes to run, jump, and play.  I know I have those few pairs of “pretty”  looking shoes in my wardrobe, that only serve that purpose.  Children need functional shoes because they are always on the go. Umi shoes offer easy velcro closures so you can get them on and off without the hassle of shoelaces.  Besides all the important factors, their shoes are fun hip and stylish for your little one.   Their latest Fall and Winter collection is absolutely adorable and I found it hard to make up my mind.  You can dress these shoes up or down and  I have already had three people ask me where I got these shoes!

Check out Umi shoes you won’t be disappointed!

Whomi…staying hip while staying organized

I just recently got the chance to review some fun organizers from Whomi.  Their organizers were featured in Oprah magazine announcing that most women today use paper to organize their busy schedules.  I know the calendar in our kitchen always has appointments and reminders on it.

Between my husband, the dog, the cat, two kids, grocery shopping and all the tasks in between, I am constantly jotting things down.  Most of the time I find myself scratching something down on a napkin, a torn off piece of envelope, or whatever else I can find.  Whomi has fun ways to organize your life with simple and colorful organizers.

Clarity Agenda (Compact size $25)
This calender lets mothers view their crazy schedules right along side their kids’ crazy schedules. I love this calendar because it fits right in my purse and allows you to keep track of your own schedule on top and has space for the rest of the family’s schedule on the bottom.  So you know what’s going on with everyone.  It comes in two sizes the original size and a more compact version of the original.

• Weekly Planner tracks multiple family members all in the same view
• Color-coded lines for each family member
• 30% of customers use color-coded lines to track:
• View your entire week in one easy snapshot
• Portability enables scheduling on the spot
• Beautiful and unique shape, layout and graphic design
• Vinyl cover for durability
• Clarity Agendas are January-December 2009, with a Monday through Sunday weekly view
• A separate August 2008-December 2009 Monthly calendar is included in the top booklet

There is even spaces to write down birthdays, contacts name and numbers, and favorite books and movies along with a full calendar with holidays marked of course!  This was a very well thought out weekly planner, I love how its designed!

Every Day Pad ($19.50)

Organize your tasks by days of the week.  I think this is such a neat idea because you have a little mini pad for each day of the week!  Not only is it extremely multifunctional, it is such a fresh idea to boring pads of paper.

The To-Do Collection

Here is another brilliant idea by Whomi.  I have never seen pads like these but they are ideal especially when I am lining up tasks to do.  Men inherently never know what needs to be done around the house (sorry guys!), so now I have a place to put who needs to do what and there are no questions about what needs to get done.

-ME YOU TOO PAD: ($16) This helps to delegate such tasks and nobody is guessing about what they should be doing.  This is great for me because I can hand my husband his sheet of paper and send him on his way  LOL!

-HOME WORK PLAY PAD: ($16)  This pad is handy when you have tasks that need to be done in specific places. Separate tasks by where you’ll be when you need to get things done.

I love all the bright colors these organizers come in, and they are certainly a different spin on the same old boring stuff.  Real thought and consideration went into their design, and they are actually a helping hand for busy moms like me.  Anything that is designed to simplify our lives, is such a blessing and helps devote more time to having fun when you have a handle on all the things that make life busy.  Whomi has done a great job and I highly recommend them if you want to stay organized!

Getting back on the saddle

Hello everyone!

Well, I am finally up and running again after a very long week!  We lost power for about three days (due to 80mph winds), I am busy trying to finally catch up.  We are all sick as a result of the windows being open all that time, and we have been busy trying to replenish our food supply, as we lost both freezers of food and the entire refridgerator of food.  Our next task this weekend will be to cut up our beautiful maple tree that didn’t survive the high winds (I was so looking forward to seeing its leaves change!), and to get my windshield repaired that was cracked by a falling tree while driving!  I am attaching a video of just how crazy it was here, and this is when it was just picking up!

Leap Frog….Jump into learning

It is amazing how fast kids grow in their development especially at the toddler stage. My two year olds are picking up new things every day and I am amazed at how fast they grasp things. They both already know their colors, and are starting to count and say their ABC’s. I know I may be a little biased, but I am impressed with my little guys.

With LeapFrog they make learning easy and fun! The boys could hardly wait to break these toys out of the box and started playing and learning right away! LeapFrog’s Fridge Words™ Magnetic Word Builder is such a neat toy! The boys love trying to fit the letters into the slots and hearing what each one says. They were even repeating some of the letters and dancing to the ABC’s. It has three modes of play which is great, because as the child grows and develops you can advance the skill level.

Fridge Words™ Magnetic Word Builder | Ages 3 & Up | MSRP: $24.99

With LeapFrog’s Fridge Words, kids can create more than 325 three letter words with singing magnetic letters. Three modes of playinclude : Letter Hunt, Word Builder, and Word Hunt. Encourage little ones to learn letter names and sounds, spell three letter words and replace letters to make rhyming words.

LeapFrog’s Learn & Groove Guitar is just as much fun. The boy’s love “rockin” as they call it. I think they picked this up from my husband. They both love to hold it and dance it is so fun to watch. I love toys that incorporate music and learning. Music plays a huge role in infant and toddler development so, kudos to LeapFrog for having these brilliant two in one toys. Another thing I like about their toys are that they offer a lower sound setting so it isn’t loud or annoying and the boys can still play with it. This is probably one of their favorite toys and I can see them using it for a long time.

Checking in on behalf of DoubleBugs

Hi! This is Tanya… Laurie’s friend from Mommy Goggles.

I wanted to let you all know that Laurie is out of commission right now. She lives in an area where Hurricane Ike’s aftermath decided to venture her way. With 80+ MPH winds last night , it blew power lines over and her electric is out. They estimate anywhere from 3-7 days, or more.

Please say a prayer for her and her family that the power is back on. Having two toddlers in the house, it is hard enough keeping everyone happy with the power out.

Thinking about you Laurie!

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