Book Review: MoonRivet Saves His Skin

I was recently given the opportunity to review the children's book  Moon Rivet Saves His Skin by Harris Tobias.  It is illustrated by Emma Latham.

What a cute story!  The book is about MoonRivet, a frog made of recycled items who lives on the moon.  MoonRivet lives in Dusty Lake with other creatures made  of recycled items.  The creatures of Dusty Lake must beware of the birds on the Moon.  At the end of the day, it is MoonRivet's quick thinking that saves him.

I love that there are science facts and concepts throughout the story.  MoonRivet and his story allow children to use their imaginations and explore the genres of fantasy and science combined.   The illustrations are wonderful, using mixed media to combine real life objects and drawings.  I look forward to reading more about MoonRivet and his adventures!  I have already ordered a print version of this book to add to Babygirl's collection for when she is just a bit older.  At 15 months it's a bit above her level but she was drawn in by the pictures while I was reading it to a friend.  I can't wait to share this book with my goddaughter and nephew.  They are the perfect age for this one!

In addition to being available in print, MoonRivet is also available in Kindle and Nook format. While the age range given is four to seven I can see older children enjoying this as an independent read. 

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I received an electronic version of this book to review.  All opinions expressed are mine.
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MAM Party

A while back I was invited to a MAM Party.  Up until that point I only knew MAM for the adorable pacifiers that they make.  (I'd like to Thank whoever at Mam is responsible for the glow in the dark pacifier.  GENIUS!)  I was very excited to attend this party and see what this was all about.  The only thing I was told was that we would be able to check out some new products.

Upon arriving I discovered that my friend was hosting a teething party.  Talk about perfect timing.  Babygirl was in serious teething mode at that time.  At the party we spoke about teething (It was great to hear tips from other moms!), played some games and received these gifts:

I cannot tell you how much I LOVE these toothbrushes!  The larger ones (training brushes) are great for when I brush Babygirl's teeth and she wants to "help".  Love, love, love the ergonomic handle.  It is comfortable for me to hold and gives Babygirl something to grab onto.  At this point Babygirl uses the smaller First Brush independently and I follow up with the larger brush.

The adorable little rabbit  came a bit too late for us to use as part of Babygirl's oral care routine. (By the time of the party I was tired of getting bit as I stuck my fingers in Babygirl's mouth to clean her teeth.  Holy sharpness!)

Sippy cups

A cup is just a cup....right?  Oh so wrong.  Babygirl has been exploring the cup since she was six months old.  And boy, have we learned alot about cups the last six months!  We've been through three brands in that time.  The Lil-Gripper-Spout-Cup by Playtex is the winner in this house :

It doesn't leak, it's easy to clean and thus far has proven to be made of strong plastic.  Yes, Babygirl has reached the throwing stage.  She's caught the edge of the doorway a few times with the cup and it's still in one piece.

Clean + Green Giveaway Winner

Congratulations Candace M!   You are the winner of the Clean + Green giveaway.  I have sent an email requesting the necessary information to get your product shipped from Clean + Green.

Review and Giveaway: Clean + Green

With a baby and two dogs I am constantly cleaning up messes.  I’m always looking for safe cleaning products to use to clean up said messes.  Recently I connected with Clean + Green and received some products to review.  The three items I received from Clean + Green are:
   
    * Carpet & Upholstery – Eliminates odors, deep cleans and removes stains from  
         carpet, area rugs and upholstery.  
   
    * Furniture Refresher – Cleans and eliminates pet odors on fabric and leather.

 * DeSkunk Coat Cleaner – Odor eliminator and cleaner.

The carpet and upholstery was really put to the test as one dog got sick two days after I received it.  I found the product easy to use to spot clean my carpet.  I did need to scrub the area after spraying the carpet cleaner in order to get it clean.  I felt comfortable using Clean + Green because it’s made from all natural ingredients.  With Babygirl crawling all over the place I really don’t want to be spraying chemicals on the carpet!

Next up was the Furniture Refresher.  When we got new living room furniture we moved the old furniture downstairs.  The dogs have taken to climbing up and snoozing on the chaise down there.  Furniture Refresher to the rescue!  I sprayed the chaise until it was damp, closed the door to keep the dogs off and walked away.  No scrubbing needed.  I went back down in an hour…so much better.  I’ll be adding this to my weekly cleaning routine.

Unfortunately (fortunately for me) I did not have the opportunity to try out the De-Skunker.

I really enjoyed reviewing these products.  I love finding eco-friendly, non toxic products that I can feel comfortable using around my daughter and with my pets.   The ingredients are organic and biodegradable.  Another thing I like is that this product is made in the USA and all containers can be recycled.

Clean + Green can be found on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/CleanGreenR-by-SeaYuR/83457123819 and Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/seayu  

Clean + Green has offered a giveaway for one of their cleaning products.  The giveaway begins tonight and ends March 14th at 12:01 am (EST).  One lucky reader will win a cleaner of his/her choice from the Clean + Green website.  I will need the following from the winner: Name, email, address (no PO boxes), a phone number (for shipping) and the item you would like.  Winner will be chosen March 15.  Winner will be posted on the blog and notified via email.

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I was given three free cleaning products to review for this giveaway.  I was not compensated in any other way.

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We Have Our Winners!

~~Congratulations!~~

The winners of The Birthday Chronicle are: #11 Ed and #14 meme

Winners:  I need the name and date of birth for The Birthday Chronicle, your headline choice, and email address sent to me at babyisbossblog @ gmail . com (Take out spaces). The Birthday Chronicle will be delivered via PDF.

Review and Giveaway: A Birthday Chronicle from Because I Tried It

Because I Tried It what a great site for personalized gift needs!

                                   Because I Tried It, Personalized Gifts for Anyone, Anytime!
                                                                
I received The Birthday Chronicle, a personalized 8 1/2 x 11 newspaper headline page from the date I chose.  You can get a Birthday Chronicle made for any date between January 1, 1900 and December 31, 2010.  I chose to have one made for my nephew, Crash. 

The Birthday Chronicle includes a greeting from the then President of the United States along with headlines from the chosen date of birth.  It tells which celebrities share your birthday and the top music hits of the year.

Delivery can be by email for $2.00, super cheap and QUICK!  I received my Birthday Chronicle within a few hours of ordering.  (The site states that all orders will be delivered within 48 hours.) Great for a last minute gift!  Or by snail mail for $6.00. You can even have it put in a black frame and mailed for $20.00.

My husband and I are excited to give this to our nephew.  It makes a wonderful keepsake that he can look at as he grows older.  I look forward to getting one for my daughter as well.  I just have to wait for her date of birth to become available :)  I can see myself ordering form Because I Tried It in the future.  The product I received is adorable, the price is great and delivery was super quick.  The website states that orders will be delivered within 48 hours.  In addition to the Birthday Chronicle, Because I Tried It offers many other personalized products. An Anniversary Almanac, Handprint Keepsake Poem, N is for Name Poem, and Meaning of Name Print are just a few of the other products offered.

                                                               Some Because I Tried It products.

Now for the fun.  Casie at Because I Tried It has offered to giveaway a Your Birthday Chronicle to TWO readers of Baby Is Boss!  In order to win this giveaway you must be a public follower of this blog.  Additional entries are available for: becoming a Facebook fan of Because I Tried It, following Because I Tried it on Twitter, tweeting about this giveaway, and joining Because I Tried It's Newsletter.  Contest ends March 7, 2012.

If you are the winner: I will need the name and date of birth for The Birthday Chronicle, your headline choice, and email address sent to me at babyisbossblog @ gmail . com (Take out spaces).  The Birthday Chronicle will be delivered via PDF.

Bzz Review: Ristorante Pizza

My husband and I enjoy having pizza for dinner.  Sometimes we make it, sometimes we order in, but when we are really short on time we reach for the frozen kind.

I was invited to the Bzz Campaign for Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza.  In exchange for my review I was given coupons for two free pizzas (to review) and some $1.50 coupons to share with my friends.

My husband and I tried Pizza Speciale and Pizza Vegetale.

What we loved:
*the pepperoni was not greasy
*the thin crispy crust
*the vegetables tasted fresh.  We were impressed how the peppers and tomatoes held up.
*The pizzas cooked quickly!  Great, since we were having a rough evening with a teething baby.

What we would have liked:
*a little more cheese on the vegetable pizza

My biggest concern: the price.  The pizzas were $5.99 each in my area, a bit more than I'd normally pay for a frozen pizza considering we need two for dinner.  For that price I could order a pie, get it delivered and have leftovers.  However, since the taste was so great I will keep an eye out for coupons so I can get a few of these to keep in the freezer for a quick meal that tastes great.

Ella's Kitchen

 Ella's Kitchen


My friend Nancy introduced Miss H to Ella's Kitchen products about a month ago.  Hannah absolutely loves them, which works out great for me!  At her last doctor's appointment it was discovered that H is anemic.  The doctor said to give her eggs, spinach and baby cereal five times a week.  H will tolerate eggs, and only eat spinach if it is mixed with something else.  Baby cereal...well, it's just boring.  While reading the back of the Ella's pouches I discovered that there are a few with 45% iron!  Woo Hoo!  A quick, easy, nutritious food/snack that baby loves. Hannah's favorite seems to be the purple pouch (sweet potatoes, pumpkins, apples and blueberries). I've been stocking up particularly on the iron rich varieties lately because it's a win-win option in this house.

I love the fact that these are organic and introduce children to veggies that are not always household favorites.  Really, when is the last time you cooked pumpkin or parsnips for your child?  I know I've never done it.  But now that I know she likes some of these foods I'll be adding them to my shopping list.