$50 ebeanstalk Gift Certificate Giveaway

Ebeanstalk is giving away $50 gift certificates! With the holidays just days away (doesn't it sound more ominous when you say it like that?) everyone is toy shopping. Even veteran moms can use a little help! Ebeanstalk is a website dedicated to selecting great, safe toys for a 3 year old and toddler toys. They also have toys for children of all ages! They rely on the opinions and feedback of bloggers and moms around the country and have a team of child experts who help to pick out kids toys.

Would you like a chance to win a $50 ebeanstalk gift certificate? It's easy! Take a picture of your little one playing with a toy, and email the picture to emily@ebeanstalk.com. You could be 1 of 10 lucky winners to win a $50 gift certificate at ebeanstalk this holiday season. Entries will be chosen on their cuteness factor. For privacy, please only send the first name of your child and your email address. Your email address will be kept private. Please do not send your child's last name or address.

As a special bonus, all blog readers will receive a 10% discount on any ebeanstalk purchase. Enter the code ebeanstalk100 at checkout!

Logitech Webcam

Recently I was excited to receive a Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 in the mail. I was hoping I'd be able to try it out because I was already planning to purchase one and I'm a webcam virgin. I had no idea what type to buy or even how to use one. (Pathetic, I know!)

With a husband who is deploying to Iraq and 6 children at home who miss him almost as much as I do, the webcam is a huge blessing. We can see each other and talk even though we're thousands of miles apart. Technology is amazing!

Because this is my first webcam experience, I'll admit I don't know much about the specifications of the camera. What I do know is that there is a 2MP autofocus lens and the video and image quality is far better than I was expecting. The camera also has RightLight technology which basically means that if you're using the webcam in your basement at 11pm, you don't have to worry about poor image quality from the lack of light. The camera compensates accordingly and your videos still look good. In other words, it's EASY!

Please ignore the terribly unflattering still shot that appears below, and instead watch the video and see what I mean. This was my third time using the webcam and I had it installed and running within minutes. Logitech even includes free video software so I was able to make video calls instantly. Now, if I could just stop thinking about what a huge dork I am in videos...



If you're looking for a great webcam, this is it! It's high quality, easy to use, and includes everything you need to get started. The software installs quickly and gives you instant access to your videos, pictures, and the ability to make video calls. I was intimidated at first, but the Logitech Pro 9000 webcam really has been a great way for me to plunge into the world of web video!

Sonicare for Kids

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Sonicare for Kids. This review is my honest opinion.

With 6 children ages 6 and under, I spend a lot of time with personal hygiene. Unfortunately, not my own. I have 6 little mouths full of teeth that need brushing, faces that need washing, and bottoms that need cleaning. The day that my oldest son started to bathe himself and brush his own teeth was a major milestone! With 5 kids in diapers at that time, I was excited to get a break.

As a mother, I worry that my kids are growing up healthy and of course I want them to have clean, white teeth. I always worry about whether my kids are doing a good job when they brush. Once they gain that independence to do it themselves, I get to go back and check their work. I cringe at the thought of last night's chocolate chip cookie rotting away in my son's mouth. Ick.

I'm sure my kids aren't the only ones who rush through brushing their teeth. They never seem to be at the sink long enough to do a good job, and if they are at the sink long enough it usually means they are playing in the water and the bathroom is being flooded. Trust me on this one.

Sonicare for Kids is a fantastic new toothbrush for kids from the makers of the #1 dentist recommended brand of sonic toothbrushes. Sonicare for Kids combines the benefits of the adult Sonicare brushes with special features to encourage good hygiene in kids. Like the adult brushes, the patented sonic technology creates a gentle and powerful cleaning action that gets in between teeth and along the gums. My kids best describes this as "the tickles." It actually feels good to clean your teeth!

The new Sonicare for Kids brush is perfect for kids who are learning to brush on their own. The brush is designed for 4-10 year olds and my 6-year and 5-year old were eager to try it out. Both of my boys are brushing their own teeth but they do sometimes need me to go back and clean them again when they've not done a great job.

My favorite feature of the Sonicare for Kids brush is that it has a built-in times that teaches children proper brushing techniques. There are a series of musical notes that alert the child to switch between cleaning different areas of their mouth. My boys often need a reminder to clean the backs of their teeth and this brush teaches them to do that. It also encourages them to brush for a full 2 minutes by slowly increasing the length of time over 90 days. During that 2 minutes, there are 4 sets of musical notes that let them know to switch between brushing the outside of the lower teeth, inside of the lower teeth, outside of the upper teeth, and inside of the upper teeth. There's no place left for germs to hide!

I was impressed to see that the Sonicare for Kids brush has 2 different modes. The low mode is for ages 4 and up while the high mode is for ages 7 and up. My almost-but-not-quite 7-year old was proud to use the high mode while his younger brother used the low mode. In addition, they each had their own brush heads-one for younger kids and one for older kids. My only complaint is that the set only comes with 2 brush heads (one of each) with no room on the charging base to add more. With 6 kids to brush, we will need more in another few months!

My sons both love their new Sonicare brush and it shows. Their teeth have been perfectly clean since the brush arrived! The brush appeals to kids with 3 different, funky faceplates that can be changed as desired. My kids actually want to brush their teeth now. I feel good knowing that they are doing a good job and I have more time to take care of their twin brothers and twin sisters. We all win!



Would like to try a Sonicare for Kids toothbrush? (You know you would!) BlogHer is giving away a $100 Visa gift card for one of my lucky readers. You have a total of 10 chances to win a $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer Reviewers, plus the chance to win a Sonicare prize pack on the BlogHer.com special offers page!

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me:
How do you handle your kids' dental hygiene?
or leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below.

The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) on 10/15/2009 and will end at 5 p.m. (PST) on 11/15/2009. Make sure that the email address you leave is correct.

Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US-residents, 18 years of age or older
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• Please see the official rules here: http://www.blogher.com/sonicare-kids-sweepstakes-official-rules"; target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Official rules
  

Official site

Secrets of the Sea

Picking toys is not easy and there is a toy website called ebeanstalk that is dedicated to selecting good, safe learning toys. They need help from moms (like me!) to help pick the toys. We recently received a game from ebeanstalk for Matthew (age 6) and Joshua (age 5) to review. My boys absolutely love board games and we have quite a collection of them. They were both very excited to try out a new game! The game they sent is called Secrets of the Sea from Playroom Entertainment, who makes great educational toys.

As with any new game, I spent several minutes reading the directions while the boys frantically set up the game pieces. There are a lot of small tiles that are placed on the game board but the set up is simple enough that the kids can do it themselves. There is a game piece that requires the installation of a battery (included) so I had to do that for them.

The theme of Secrets of the Sea is a deep sea dive. The object of the game is to dive to the bottom of the sea and earn points along the way by collecting treasure, battling sea monsters, and earning rewards. The game seems a bit complicated at first and my boys were more interested in using the "mystery light" than listening to me read instructions. Once we played one game together, they were experts. They spent an entire afternoon playing together. Two boys playing quietly together? Unbelievable.
The best part of this game, according to Matthew and Joshua, is the mystery light. Each player begins their "dive" at the top of the game board. They roll the dice to determine how deep they can dive and then choose a tile accordingly. Once they pick a tile, they shine the mystery light on the blue surface of the tile to reveal a secret picture. In the words of my 6-year old son, it is "awesome!"
Each player takes turns diving and collecting tiles. There are rewards (treasure chests, gold, etc.) and there are even sea monsters that must be defeated. The players keep diving until they reach the shipwreck at the bottom of the game board or until all of the tiles are gone from the board. The winner of the game is determined by who has the most points, based on the tiles collected.

Secrets of the Sea is a unique board game because of the very cool mystery light. The concept of the game is easy to grasp and appealing to school-age children. The game is intended for children ages 5 and up. I have to admit, I even enjoyed it myself! Up to 4 players can play together, but only 2 are required. This makes it a perfect "quiet time" game for the big kids while I'm taking care of the little kids.

I think Secrets of the Sea even appeals to children who don't typically like board games because the mystery light makes even more interesting than the usual roll-dice-move-peg type games. I love to give (and receive!) board games as Christmas gifts and this is one that I would definitely recommend. My 6-year old and 5-year old loved this game and ebeanstalk has a large selection of 5 year old toys and games. Check out ebeanstalk for more educational toys and games for all ages.

I was given the Secrets of the Sea game in exchange for offering an honest review for ebeanstalk. No other compensation was received.

Dad's Wooden Toys

I've been meaning to write about the great baby teethers that I purchased from Dad's Wooden Toys. I found out about this shop because the toys are made by a father of twins. All of the toys in his Etsy shop are plain wood with no chemicals, dyes, or toxic finishes. I love that the toys leave so much to the imagination and are safe even for young infants!

I bought Nathan & Ryan each a pair of teethers. It was hard to choose which ones to get but in the end I picked the turtle, car, snail, and frog. Each teether has soft, rounded edges and they are very easy for even the tiniest fingers to grasp. An added bonus-those razor sharp first teeth can sink into the soft wood instead of my arm!

The toys from Dad's Wooden Toys are high-quality and I love the fact that they are handmade and not mass-produced in a factory. I'd rather support a family like mine than some faceless corporation. Basically, these are toys I can feel good about and I can feel safe giving them to my children as well.
Besides wooden teethers, Dad's Wooden Toys also offers adorable wooden animals and figurines, heirloom oak building blocks, and interchangeable puzzle piece animal sets. There are toys for children of all ages. I know I'll be buying some of the animals for my children this Christmas. You are never to old for some great imaginative play!


I did not receive any compensation for this review. I just loved the products so much that I wanted to share!

Natural Toys

I'm sure everyone is now aware of the dangers of certain toys that may contain lead paint, small magnets, etc. after the huge recalls last summer. This prompted many parents to start buying "China-free" toys and other products. Safety is obviously a huge concern and with so many people "going green" it only makes sense that our childrens' toys should follow suit.

I was already a fan of natural toys before the recalls but was even more resolved to find cool toys that were safe for my kids. I love Waldorf type toys that encourage imaginative play. In my quest for exciting new toys I came across some great websites such as Sara's Toy Box and the big toy stores like Oompa and Magic Cabin.

Last Christmas my kids were delighted to receive a wooden playstand and the entire PlanCity set with parking garage and little wooden vehicles. It was a huge hit! We also discovered Automoblox which soon became the boys' favorite toys. (This year we are hoping to get a nice wooden kitchen set for our kids!) PlanToys in particular is a very responsible company that takes pride in being eco-friendly. Their toys are made of organic rubberwood and dyed with water- and plant-based inks.

Sometime in the midst of our toy purging my friend Christen also decided to make the switch to more natural toys. And soon she became somewhat... shall we say obsessed? Out of her new found obsession Lizzy Bee Natural was born.

Lizzy Bee Natural is still relatively new but new products are always being added. From our favorite Automoblox to the adorable PlanToys tea set, there is something for everyone. Because I know the owner so well I can confidently assure you that she has great customer service and she really knows her toys!

From now through December 10th you can use the code "twinsanity" to save 15% off of any order (excluding cloth diapers.) You can't beat that deal for some of the coolest toys around!

I did not receive any compensation for this review. I just wanted to share the news about this great store!

Swingers!

My boys have just become swingers! The first in the family as a matter of fact!

I've somehow survived infancy with 4 other children before discovering the joys of using a swing. With my oldest child I never bought a swing and he loved his bouncy seat (that's how I snuck in a daily shower) so I just used that instead. When Baby #2 came along I never thought twice about buying a swing since we hadn't used one before. When the first set of twins arrived I did think that a swing would be useful but wasn't going to go buy 2 of them without knowing if the babies would like them. (These were the same babies that hated their bouncy seats!)

Fast forward a few years.

Meet the Fisher-Price My Little Lamb Cradle 'N Swing.
When I was given this swing recently I was excited to finally try an infant swing with my babies. And since these new babies are my fifth and sixth children in less than 6 years- and my second set of twins- I figured the swing would get some use. I was right.

At first neither baby would let me put them in the swing. This is because they wouldn't let me put them down at all! When we tried the swing there was screaming and so we waited a couple of weeks and tried again.


No more screaming now.

I am what some might call an "AP" parent. That is, we practice a lot of the principles of attachment parenting. Usually I have a baby in my arms or I am wearing them in a Mei Tai carrier. With just one baby this is easy! When you start adding more babies it becomes a bit challenging.

I love having the option of putting a sleepy baby into the swing. I will usually nurse the babies and then put the sleepier one in the swing while I wear the other one in the carrier. This leaves my hands free to take care of the other children and (usually) buys us some quiet time.

This swing is perfect for newborns because it has a cradle motion that gently rocks the baby from side to side. My twin boys were about 4 weeks old when they started to really enjoy the swing. There are different speed settings so even the youngest infant can be lulled to sleep. My favorite thing about this swing is the plush fabric. I have never felt such soft fabric. The headrest is so nice that I've considered removing it to use on my bed. Seriously.

At almost 7 weeks old my babies are starting to take an interest in the mobile that hangs over the seat. The mobile is fascinating to them because it has a globe-shaped mirror that is surrounded by soft stuffed lambs. You can even set the mobile to rotate. My babies will actually sit in the swing when it's not moving and just stare at the moving mobile while listening to the soft nature sounds it plays.

As my babies grow we'll get to test out another versatile feature of this swing- the seat converts to a traditional swing so that baby can swing in a front-to-back motion. This works well for older babies who want more stimulation.

For now, this swing is like an extra set of arms for me. Sometimes it's the only way I get lunch made or get the twin toddlers' diapers changed. When I can't have the babies in my arms, I have a nice, soft place to set them for a few minutes. And that is priceless in the House of Twinsanity!

I was given a swing by Fisher-Price in exchange for offering an honest review of their product. No other compensation was received.