Spunky Comments on My Worldly Surroundings

Looking in the middle row of our van before the trip, I was wondering how I was going to keep the girls’ stuff together.  Fortunately, we received these adorable tote bags from LikeWear.  Each girl had a bag in front of their seat with all of their entertainment goodies that were appropriate for them.  It helped them each have a sense of their own stuff.

In addition to many other things, we put a ZhuZhu pet in each bag (which didn’t work well in the car, but they had fun bumping their noses to make them squeak), and two coloring books.

The coloring books were a big hit in the car.  Colors, markers, crayons.  That took up quite a bit of time.

Now, the ZhuZhu pets…I knew they were all the rage, but I didn’t know how my kids would respond to them.  Turns out they really enjoyed them.  My toddler figured out what to do immediately to make them move.  Then, she would pick them up, put them on different surfaces (like a counter or the edge of the couch).  She had even more of a blast watching them fall off of things.

Win It: One lucky reader will win everything you see here; a ZhuZhu pet, a LikeWear bag and coloring books.

First Entry: Leave a comment.

EXTRA ENTRIES- Please leave an additional comment for each extra entry.
– You already have the Road Trip Event and commented on that original post (5 extra entries).
– You added the Road Trip Even button since it started (1 entry).
– Tweet this giveaway (leave the link to your tweet); one tweet daily; just come back and comment each time:

Win a ZhuZhu pet, coloring books and a bag from @likewearchick #giveaway with @SeriousKrystyn http://bit.ly/bO50nw

THE RULES:
*OPEN TO US
*Winners are chosen by random, so make sure you leave individual comments, not all in one!
*Winner has 48 hours to contact me, or another winner will be chosen.
*Contest ends Wednesday, August 4th at 9pm EST. Winner will be posted shortly after and contacted via email.
*Rules for each entry must be followed to be valid.

My opinions are my honest, and thoughtful views and were not influenced by any source. I was not compensated monetarily for this giveaway.  I received the samples to facilitate the review.

{ 18 comments }

I had no idea that Nickelodeon had so many licensed products.  One of the most interesting ones was a Dora The Explorer chip for our Garmin (which can be used in TomToms, too).  After you install it, you can use the chip to select child/Dora friendly locations to visit.  You can also change the navigating voice to Dora (however, unlike the Garmin voice that speaks the street names, Dora does not).

The girls thought it was awesome that Dora was navigating us on our way to Houston.  They enjoyed listening her use phrases like “checking the map” and “we’re on our way.”

They also feature numerous coloring books with Kailan, Dora, The Backyardigans and more.  Some of the books even came with the crayons on the cover, which made it easy to pass back.

In fact, the Kailan one on the bottom right was a hard book that could be colored on, wiped off and used all over again.  The toddler really enjoyed that.  Not shown is a Dora musical book that allows to create songs to popular tunes by pressing the piano-like keys.  This was a popular item in the car.  There might have been a couple fights, too.

We also received the Dora Walkie-Talkies and Dora talking camera.  The girls loved the idea of these.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have quite as good of luck with them.  They both went through batteries very quickly.  The camera even more so.  The company recommends using rechargeable batteries, but we didn’t have any.  It was also difficult for Izzy to figure out how to turn off.  The walkie-talkies were fun for them as long as they weren’t but a room away from each other.  Of course, most of the time, they just liked to push the Morse code button to make them beep at each other.

Win It: One lucky reader will win everything you see here; the Dora navigation chip, the coloring books, sticker book, music book and more, the Walkie Talkies and teh camera.

First Entry: Leave a comment.

EXTRA ENTRIES- Please leave an additional comment for each extra entry.
– You already have the Road Trip Event and commented on that original post (5 extra entries).
– You added the Road Trip Even button since it started (1 entry).
– Tweet this giveaway (leave the link to your tweet); one tweet daily; just come back and comment each time:

Win an assortment of Dora goodies #giveaway including a Dora GPS chip from @NickelodeonPR with @SeriousKrystyn http://bit.ly/a8ptgn

THE RULES:
*OPEN TO US
*Winners are chosen by random, so make sure you leave individual comments, not all in one!
*Winner has 48 hours to contact me, or another winner will be chosen.
*Contest ends Wednesday, August 4th at 9pm EST. Winner will be posted shortly after and contacted via email.
*Rules for each entry must be followed to be valid.

My opinions are my honest, and thoughtful views and were not influenced by any source. I was not compensated monetarily for this giveaway.  I received the samples to facilitate the review.

{ 24 comments }

When you travel, and you have an infant or a toddler, a stroller is a must.  Depending on the place you are traveling and the age of your little one, you will probably think about a full sized stroller like the Safety 1st AeroLite LX Deluxe Stroller.  In fact, onBoard™35 Air infant car seat, you can use this stroller with it to make a travel system.

The stroller has many great features (listed from their site).

• All-weather, multi-position canopy with airflow mesh panels
• Ultra-compact, 1-hand fold ‘n stand
• Child snack tray with SlideGuard® protection
• 5-point harness
• Multi-position recline
• Easy-access basket
• Parent tray with 2 cup holders and fabric covered storage compartment
• Accommodates child up to 50 pounds

After removing it from the box, this is what I found.  There wasn’t too much to do.  Basically, the front wheels had to be snapped on, and the back wheels had to be assembled.

This little piece had to go into the back wheel axel to keep the wheel on.  They were a bit of a challenge to put in, but once we realized we needed pliers to do it, we got the piece in.

Then, we just had to open it.  There is an insert for an infant’s head and a 5 point harness which is very adjustable.  The straps can be adjusted to three different heights very easily.

The rear basket is huge and very easy to access, even with the seat reclined (which it isn’t here).  The seat reclines and sit up by using a mechanism you squeeze and then pulling the straps.  I would prefer a metal mechanism with “stops” along the way, but this is very strong and I didn’t worry about my almost 4 year old in it (see below).

The basket is my second favorite thing.  The canopy is my first.  It actually has two canopies .  The larger one has a mesh middle that you can either cover with the narrower one, or you can move the narrower one even further forward to cover the sun from your little one.  I imagine this would close completely over a carseat if you were using it as a travel system.

The one-fold is true to what they say.  You just slide a button like lever in the handle, squeeze, and then push down and back.   It is a little strange to me that it folds with the seat and fabric out, but it’s just something different.

As I went to put up the review (bad blogger) I realized I didn’t have a picture of my main stroller subject, so I let the preschooler take it for a ride around the house.  She thought it was awesome.  She even let me buckle her in. Obviously, she is too big for it (but she’s 42″), but that shows you that a kid that’s almost as big as her would fit.  Also, the straps are tall enough for her and it supports her weight.

Pros: It rides and pushes very smoothly.  The handle comes back far enough that even tall people (like Mr. Serious) won’t kick the wheels.  The canopy is huge and the cup holder is easy for the kids to use.  It is pretty easy to carry and not too heavy.

Cons: The seat doesn’t quite sit up as much as the girls would like it to.  They ended up not leaning on the back and just sitting up on their own unless they were relaxing.  The wheels seem a little wider than the other travel system stroller we have.  None of these are deal breakers, just things to point out.

Buy It: You can purchase the Safety 1st AeroLiteLX Deluxe stroller in silver leaf online and in many stores for around $149.99.

Win It: One lucky reader will with their Safety 1st AeroLiteLX Deluxe Stroller.

First Entry: Leave a comment.

EXTRA ENTRIES- Please leave an additional comment for each extra entry!
– You already have the Road Trip Event and commented on that original post (5 extra entries).
– You added the Road Trip Even button since it started (1 entry).
– Tweet this giveaway (leave the link to your tweet); one tweet daily; just come back and comment each time:

Win a Safety 1st AeroLiteLX Deluxe Stroller ($150 value) from @Safety_1st with @SeriousKrystyn http://bit.ly/b9axZX

THE RULES:
*OPEN TO US
*Winners are chosen by random, so make sure you leave individual comments, not all in one!
*Winner has 48 hours to contact me, or another winner will be chosen.
*Contest ends Wednesday, August 4th at 9pm EST. Winner will be posted shortly after and contacted via email.
*Rules for each entry must be followed to be valid.

My opinions are my honest, and thoughtful views and were not influenced by any source. I was not compensated monetarily for this giveaway.  I received the samples to facilitate the review.

{ 33 comments }

My Pillow Pets® are a great road trip companion for just about any kid toddler age and up.  Not only are they a cuddly stuffed animal, but they also transform into a comfortable pillow by undoing the strap underneath.

They are available in 20 different animals including jungle animals, farm critters and sea creatures, and this limited edition Fourth of July dog.  A definite plus is that they are machine washable (just wash them like you would any other pillow).

When you purchase the special, patriotic pup from My Pillow Pets Gives, $5.00 of the cost will be donated to Scholarships for Military Children, an organization that provides scholarships to the children of military personnel.

Serious Tested: I think the pictures speaks for themselves.  The girls love them.  She cuddled it immediately, and loves to play pretend with it.  The preschooler has used hers as a pillow in her room many times already.  Trust me on the comfortable pillow part, I even took a nap on one, too.

We loved it so much, we’ve already purchased one as a gift!

Buy It: You can purchase the patriotic puppy through My Pillow Pets Gives.

Win It: One lucky reader will with their very own patriotic puppy pet!

First Entry: Leave a comment for our troops as a thank you or some other kind message (do not use this as a platform to speak poorly of troops!) or what freedoms you enjoy.

EXTRA ENTRIES- Please leave an additional comment for each extra entry!
– You already have the Road Trip Event and commented on that original post (5 extra entries).
– Tweet this giveaway (leave the link to your tweet); one tweet daily; just come back and comment each time:

Win a My Pillow Pets Patriotic Pup #giveaway with @SeriousKrystyn http://bit.ly/c5NmFv

THE RULES:
*OPEN TO US
*Winners are chosen by random, so make sure you leave individual comments, not all in one!
*Winner has 48 hours to contact me, or another winner will be chosen.
*Contest ends Wednesday, August 4th at 9pm EST. Winner will be posted shortly after and contacted via email.
*Rules for each entry must be followed to be valid.

My opinions are my honest, and thoughtful views and were not influenced by any source. I was not compensated monetarily for this giveaway.  I received the samples to facilitate the review.

{ 16 comments }