Cheeks to Cheeks

I used to travel a lot for business and have read many reports regarding sanitation rating of airline carriers. Unfortunately, the airplane is the least likely place to pass sanitation test. Germs are found everywhere and the items found to have most germs are the blankets and pillows. Aha! And you think the air carriers are nice enough to provide those for you, least have them changed between each flight. Think twice now.

Whenever I travel with my children, I would bring their pillows along. Luckily, the kiddy pillows are small enough to fit into a backpack. I would never let my kids sleep on the pillows provided by the airline carriers. I bet that was  the headache the creators of JetHeads had gone through before. Otherwise they would not have come up with this ingenious product: Disposable Airline Pillowcases.

JetHeads disposable pillowcases are super soft and comfortable. It is made of non-woven fabric and come in 2 to a pack. Why compromise with yours and your love ones health? When traveling, take JetHeads Disposable Pillowcases with you.  It is super light, fits into any handcarry bag and the best part of it:  Disposable! That way, you are guaranteed with no contact of germs left behind by previous passengers.

It is also 100% Made in USA. At this time and economy, let’s support our local businesses.

~Thank you JetHeads and Parent Reviewers for this opportunity~

Our family grew up with music. I started playing the piano when I was at the age of six. My husband played the trumpet during his high school years. Needless to say, we wish to foster the love of music to both of our girls.

My three going-to-be four yea-old has begun to show a lot of interest in music. She loves all range of music from hip hop to classical flute. Loving music is the key but learning how music is created is the foundation. I was thrilled when I found out I was the chosen lucky few who get to review Trebellina and Friends DVD by The Cristofori Baby Company.

I followed the instruction that came with the DVD and coached my girls by having them repeat the notes and instrument names. My soon to be four year-old did fantastically well. My one year old who is in the barely talking phase amused me by going da-da-dada when she heard her sister repeated after me.

The DVD captivated them for a good mere 20 minutes (the DVD is about 30 minutes long). I thought to myself, “Oh no! They are not interested in this DVD. I will have to find another method to teach them music.” Needless to say I was quite disappointed. But my disappointment dissipates the next day. My three year old (who insists she is four) was playing in a corner with her toy instruments and started to name out each one of them. She had never done that before. Imagine the joy! It was like hearing Christmas bells in the air.

I truly believe the DVD did help my child recognize musical instruments but it will have to take a lot of DVD watching time for her to truly understand how music is created. Unfortunately, this child of mine prefers her cartoon DVDs over Trebellina and Friends. As a parent I will not totally rule out Trebellina. I will probably introduce Trebellina to her again only when she is ready to learn a musical instrument. It will definitely make piano learning a fun session. How I wished I had this when I was six. That said, I am giving this product a 2.5 out of 5 stars.

If you like to know more about Trebellina, click onto www.trebellina.com.

~Thanks Parent Reviewers and The Cristofori Baby Company for this opportunity~

My Mommy’s Tote came just in time for me to reward Belle for her good behavior. This little girl of mine loves to rummage through my purse and at times she would stick her little hand into my friends’ purses or totes. It is a big no-no and we have been disciplining her on that.

From the description found in Amazon, I have perceived My Mommy’s Tote as a tote that is made of card boards and is an abundance of fun for both child and parent. It is an interactive gift that elevates a child’s imagination. A child can play adult, as in acting out being an adult by toting this mommy-like tote.

As a parent, I had high expectation from this product before receiving it. When I saw the package, I opened it immediately before Belle came back from daycare. Upon inspection I was a little disappointed that some of the card boards were bent. If I have to make this toy last for my second child, I will have to use scotch tape to tape at the bent sections. Otherwise, it would fall off after a few rough play from Belle. I had expected some of the items to be detachable but they aren’t. As an adult, I would find it a boring make-believe toy.

Well, that’s an adult’s (which is mine) opinion. The reaction I received from Belle was a total opposite from mine. It was like day and night. Belle absolute adored the tote. She kept asking me to read to her as the tote has some written words on it. She kept asking “what’s this and what’s that.” I guess in a child’s eyes, this tote is like a treasure bag with tons of goodies in it. There was once upon seeing me slinging my (real) tote onto the shoulder she wanted to take her tote along too. It was a funny sight!

So, there you have it, it has Belle’s stamp of approval.

~Thank you Workman Publishing Company and Parent Reviewers for the opportunity~

Look what I’ve received in the mail…

I’ve blogged about Renuzit TriScents previously and am I glad I get to try it out over the week. To refresh the readers about Renuzit TriScents: It is an electric scented oil air refreshener that emits three different scents via control scent release and scent transitions.

The Renuzit TriScents were immediately put into use at the most stinky room: the master bathroom. We always have soiled diapers in the trash can and at times we just let the soiled (not poopy) diapers sit in the trash can until it’s all filled up. Needless to say, the bathroom smells like overnight diaper.

One thing I notice that the fragrance from TriScents is super strong. I had to tone it down to low setting. Even at low setting the hubby caught the aroma immediately when he walked into the bathroom and asked, “Mmm…What’s THAT smell?” Today is day four since I’ve plugged the TriScents kit into the electric outlet and the scents are still strong. Not a hint of stinky diapers. The Renuzit TriScents kit stated that the air refreshener will last up to 60 days.

Now I love spending time in my bathroom. My shower is a little longer now. I stare at the mirror a little longer now and it’s all because of the nice tropical fragrances emitted by this little kit.

If you want to feel all ZEN-like, there’s a $3.00 off coupon at Renuzit TriScent’s site. Be sure to get the coupon before you purchase your kit. I know I’m getting another one because one just isn’t enough.

This is the first time I have to write a product review middle of the night because it is the only time I can flip through the personalized learning products from See Me Read. If I do that while my daughter is awake, she will never let go of the books and reading cards. This shows how much she loves reading now.

When I was younger I was an avid reader. My parents even special made a bookcase for my ever growing volume of books. I could read for hours and my relatives used to made fun of me and called me an unopenable durian (fig: someone who is unwilling to talk). My interest in books was instilled by my mom since young. Now that I am a mother, I have been trying to rub off a little bit of my reading enthuasiasm to my first born. Sadly, it was not easy because my girl tends to have short attention span. That used to be a problem but not until the day we got See Me Read products in the mail.

The See Me Read Early Childhood Literacy Program is a whole-word learning product line that associates words with a child’s familiar possessions and family members. The whole-word approach introduces familiar words in whole units. Children learn to sight-read words, pronouncing the entire word in a single unit. By repetitive exposure to words that are important to them, children will be eager to learn to read these words, beginning the development of a whole-word vocabulary.

-excerpt from SEE ME READ Parent Guide

When Parent Reviewers gave me a choice creating my own kit or use the premade kit sample, I opted for the whole nine-yard. I went for the See Me read Kit–Complete that includes all five products: See Me Read Labels, see Me Read Reading Cards, the See Me Read Book–Level One, the See me Read Book–Level Two, and the See Me Read Writing Pad.

See Me Read Labels:

It is suggested to place these labels on or near the physical item itself. I did that and Belle absolutely loves pointing at the objects now and read the labels out loud.  Now that the labels are on the item itself I don’t have to supervise her. This will come in handy when Cassie is at the learning age.

See Me Read Reading Cards:

This is by far the BEST flash cards we have at home. Belle could relate to the words in the flash cards and it is all because it has her photos in it! Belle is familiar with majority of the objects in the reading cards. Now I just need her to recognize the words. The Parent Guide gave plenty of tips on how to do it and they are very good advices. Do you want to know? Get a set.

See Me Read Book–Level One:

This book is great for kids who are at the early learning stage. It uses simple repetitive sentences where it emphasized on the word with bold prints. I have been reading each page to Belle by placing my finger under each word. She loves to copy me and hopefully, in time, she will grasp the reading skill.

See Me Read Book–Level Two:

This is an extension of the Level One Book. The sentences are longer and more complex. I will progress to this book once Belle has master the Level 1 Book.

See Me Read Writing Pad:

This Writing Pad is absolutely handy when the child has some what master drawing and writing. This writing pad is useful for children to express their thoughts. At this moment, Belle need it but I’m safe keeping it for her future learning use. In my opinion, if the writing pad is printed on durable glossy material, that could be written, erase and re-write; it will be better.

My take:

I wish there were more words to choose from. For the Level 2 Book, I was hoping for more flexibility in the sentences. All in all I still think this is the best reading assistance I have ever come across with. The kit may seem like a lot of work but it isn’t. I had so much fun sorting through my daughter’s old photos and uploading it onto my See Me Read account. When I didn’t have the appropriate photo for a certain word, all I needed to do was have my daughter pose according to what was needed. When doing something fun, time isn’t a matter any more. Best of all, I was creating something educational for my daughters.  

On the side note: The customer support is world class best! I was stuck with an issue while completing my kit and wrote in to the customer support email. In less than an hour I got a reply from them. Elena Blanco got back to me right away with the fix and even wrote to me (again) when she didn’t see my order in the system. She was worried that I may still have problem completing the kit. This shows the people from See Me Read are genuine and willing to go an extra mile for their customers. I had another problem related to shipping and Lori Luke ironed out everything for me. What can I say? This is what I call A+ customer service and definitely has my two thumbs up!

If you are interested in the See Me Read Complete Kit, Parent Reviewers have a 20% promotional discount code in their site for it. Don’t forget to swing by there to get your promotional code.  

~Big thanks to See Me Read and Parent Reviewers for this opportunity~

I have been trying to instill the love of reading to Belle since she turned one. We have our story time before she goes to bed and she will think of ways to prolong our story time every night by saying, “Mommy, more!” or “Mommy, little bit more.” Recently we have been sent two books by Cedar Valley Publishing: Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten and Let’s Get Ready for First Grade by Stacey Kannenberg.

I have started to include these books during story time and weekends. Just so you know, our Belle is only 2.5 years old and these books are meant for kids who are at the age of 5 and above.

I strongly believe these books will work well for older kids and not kids who are at the age of 5 and under. Why would I say that? For starter, there are too many information written on each page. Small fonts don’t do well with toddlers. The pictures did not do the trick for my daughter too. Again, I would like to stress she is only 2.5 years old.

We tried to read ABCs but she got lost in the sea of alphabets. Mind you, this girl can sing her ABC song very well but when it comes to recognizing the alphabets by reading the Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten book, I lost her at G. She got disinterested and went for her toys instead. It seems as though the author tried to cramp a lot of subjects into the book but only gave no more than 4 examples to each subject. Take the subject on Opposites: I wish there were a lot more examples for this subject. I also find the examples used are not at the kid’s perception level. I believe kids will be able to relate more to familiar day-to-day type of examples.

The great thing about this book though is the paper quality. This book is printed on glossy material where kids and adults can write on it using erasable markers. I can tell older kids will like that.  

I also like how they have the alphabets jumbled up and having the readers guess which alphabet comes next on the Let’s Get Ready for First Grade. Again, only older kids will enjoy this kind of challenge.

Just so you know, these books are getting great reviews from the Parents and Educators. These books are approved by the State Department of California’s Social Compliance Review Board. That means any state school in California can get funding to purchase these books. With all these recognitions and awards, I’m sure it has met some kids’ stamp of approval. As for us, we will just have to wait a couple of years later to see if our daughter will like this book.

~Thanks Cedar Valley Publishing and Parent Reviewers for this opportunity!~

I’m gonna guess, yes, from everyone. Like they say, the apple does not fall far from the tree. Belle is very much like her Daddy and I found the perfect t-shirt that says it all…

Part of the fun of doing product review is getting the product itself. When the little one saw the cool tshirt from Huddy Buddy, she couldn’t resist trying it on immediately. Isn’t this t-shirt perfect? She is definitely a Daddy’s Girl.

When comes to children clothes, I’m very picky. I prefer 100% cotton and I’m glad all the t-shirts from Huddy Buddy are 100% cotton. It makes hand-me-downs much easier. As some of you have already known my younger daughter has eczema. Any scratchy material will irritate her sensitive skin. Just so you know the t-shirt that we got from Huddy Buddy is amazingly soft. I just wish they have more color selections.

Since it is 100% cotton, make sure you order one size up as it can shrink in the dryer. It will not shrink as much if you plan to line dry it.

A little history about Huddy Buddy: Huddy Buddy is run by Huddy’s (yes, he’s a real boy) mom, Robyn. Robyn noticed Huddy’s apparels were beginning to look like all his friends. So, with the help from Huddy’s dad (the designer), they came up with an apparel line just that simply spells Hip, Cool and Cute.

If you like what you saw, you find these cool tees in some retail stores but to make things easier, you can purchase online at www.huddybuddy.com. 

Guess how many Huddy Buddy t-shirts we have now? Three! Aunty Mott got a sibling set for Belle and Cassie.

~Thanks Huddy Buddy & Parent Reviewers for the awesome opportunity~

Before I type anything, take a look at this…

Aren’t they adorable? Now, take a look at this…

(I can hear oooohs and aaaahs now)

I fell in love with these dolls the moment I laid my eyes on ‘em. These are the type of dolls that make girls and grown women goo goo gaa gaa over ‘em. O-kay, I’m not going to keep everyone in suspense.  I’m sure everyone is dying to know where they can get their hands on these dolls. These dolls are from Gifts Define.

Irma Niekum, the designer of these dolls, works with her team in Indonesia to create these crafty pieces. All of these creations can be purchase at Gifts Define e-store.

If I have known about Gifts Define in 2005, I would’ve gotten my baby shower favors from them. Now tell me, aren’t these party favors simply adorable?

Gifts Define collections are ideal for gift-giving from brides to babies to moms. The collections are chic, adorable and perfect as party favors. Have you ever received party favors that can only be consumed and be forgotten. With these dolls, it can be kept forever and who (in the right mind) would want to throw away such irresistable dolls?

I’m already hooked onto Irma’s designs just by looking at it. Look what I got in the mail?

This is perfect for my keychain, or I could attach it onto my toddler’s backpack. This lil Tiger is called Champ and he’s part of the Pocket Pets collection. These mini dolls are made out of wool felt and with close inspection, I can tell it has been hand-stitched with care. The seams are tight and neat. These Collectable Pocket Pets come with a sketch button, personality bookmark and in a paw print organdy bag.

Here are some ideas you can do with Gifts Define collectibles. Better still, hop over to their site now to check it out yourself. I have something in mind for both my toddler and 3-month old baby already.

~All photos were taken from Gifts Define with permission. Thanks Gifts Define for the lovely sample!~

p/s: Gifts Define donates a portion of its profit to ‘Suara Karya’ (Voice of Art) that helps low income women seeking better education and health care.

Look what we got in the mail last Friday?

I was so excited about the Huggies Cleanteam products and waited anxiously for my 2 year old to come home from the daycare. She was as excited as I was when she saw the cool, colorful handsoap, shampoo and wipes. We gave it a try right away.

The  hand soap has a really cool gadget that blinks for 20 seconds after each pump. This is really awesome as it enforces the child to wash their hands properly. Belle was going trigger happy pumping Henry the Hippo for soap and I had to stop her; otherwise we will run out of the hand soap in less than a week. All I can say, this hand soap will make any kid who hates washing his/her hands to loving it. This is how I’ve rated the hand soap:

Child-friendly: 4 out of 5 stars
- It does come with a locking system by turning the pump to the right but 3 year old toddler will be able to turn it easily.
Aroma: 5 out of 5 stars
- Mild yet an aroma (melon flavor) any kid will love sniffing their hands after a wash.
Looks: 5 our of 5 stars
- Cute cartoon characters and vibrant colors on the bottle; and the animal character pump is simply adorable!
Price: Affordable (around 4-5 USD)

The shampoo has now replaced my child’s old shampoo. Now, all she wants is the Huggies shampoo, which she fondly calls “Snake Shampoo.” She really loves her shampoo…

Child-friendly: 3 out of 5 stars
- The shape of the bottle is great as it isn’t too bulky and can be easily held on to. It comes with an average cap. If it comes with a pump it will be more child-friendly and also mom-friendly.
Aroma: 5 out of 5 stars
- Mild yet an aroma (melon flavor) any parent will love sniffing their kids’ hair after a wash.
Looks: 4 our of 5 stars
- Cute cartoon characters and vibrant colors on the bottle.
Price: Affordable (around 4-5 USD)

The flushable moist wipes is something I had been waiting for. I see a lot of Mommies and Daddies nodding their head with approval. Anything that is flushable is great for those toilet training days. The wipes are pre-moistened; thus making it easy to wipe out any yucky stuff from the derriere. I did try it on my 2 month old infant and to be disappointed with the size of the wipe. So, if you are planning to use this on infants, it isn’t the best wipe. This particular wipe is purely intended for toddlers and in the Cleanteam site, it did mention “easy for little hands.”

Child-friendly: 3 out of 5 stars
- It will have to take an adult to open the pop-up tub. At the beginning I had difficulty getting the lid to pop up.
Aroma: 3 out of 5 stars
- It is the same blue melon aroma. It does not take away an infant’s poop smell. I have yet to have a #2 accident with my toddler and I doubt the aroma from the wipe will mask the smell. The traditional soap and water rinse is more affective.
Looks: 4 our of 5 stars
- Cute cartoon characters and vibrant colors on the tub.
Price: Slightly expensive (around 3-4 USD for 44 wipes)

Overall, these products have passed a toddler’s approval. Here’s Belle’s stamp of approval…

~Thank you, Huggies Cleanteam for the awesome product samples~

After having two babies, I find my body is loosing it’s nutrients and my hair shows it all. It is dry, brittle and limp. At times my hair is so brittle it breaks off easily until the day I was given a sample from Naked Naturals.

I have the tendency to look through the ingredients of all the products I try. I went to naked naturals website and found out that this shampoo is a natural product that does not use harsh chemicals like DEA, TEA and lauryl/laureth sulfates. On top of it, it contains Keravis. Keravis is a plant protein and has been clinically proven by Naked Naturals, in which it claims to increase hair strength, adding flexibility and reducing breakage. I’m not sure how they can claim that the hair will be 7 times stronger after using their shampoos and conditioners but I gave it a try.

This is the my personal opinion after using the sample twice (the samples given were only enough for 2 applications):

Sample: Awapuhi & Lavender Shampoo and Conditioner (1 sachet each). Samples were used according to instruction printed on the sachets.

Smell: 4 out of 5 stars
The Awapuhi and Lavender smell was great. It reminded me of a lavender field besides a beach. Some shampoos leave a strong after-wash smell but not this one. It is mild yet pleasant.

Shampoo: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Since I could only use the shampoo twice, I can’t really say my hair is 7 times stronger. If I was given the entire bottle to try over 30 days, I should be able to give an indepth opinion. So, it is just 2.5 stars as it is just like any other shampoos. One thing I do find is that the shampoo foams less. It could be due to the non existence of lauryl/laureth sulfate in it.

Conditioner: 2 out of 5 stars
The conditioner did not leave a silky, sleek feeling after the wash. It could be a plus point but I find the conditioner did not do a full job of getting my hair untangle.

Overall, this is a great shampoo if you wish to be more environmentally friendly. This shampoo is as natural as you can get. This natural shampoo contains NO DEA/TEA, lauryl/laureth sulfate, animal by-products, artificial colors, synthetic fragrance, harsh chemicals and most importantly NOT tested on animals.

Like I have said before, I were given the chance to test out this product for 30 days, it will either convince or not convince me to purchase it. I am still curious to know whether it will really strengthen my hair 7 times more.