A Great Shelf

As you might remember, we had the opportunity to review a product for CSN Stores.  We chose a great big shelf!  It is Iron Horse Rivet 72"H x 48"W Shelving Unit with Five Shelves.

This is a very large, very sturdy shelf!  It was fairly easy to put together, according to my dear husband.  We actually have two of these shelves, and we did get them both from CSN.  We have several shelves in our basement, as we are really trying to get organized, but this is our favorite. These shelves are huge!  I also like that it has particle board shelves.  We definitely recommend this shelving unit!  It's pictured below on the left.  I wanted to show the size comparison to the five foot shelf beside it.  As you can see, gallon paint cans can be stacked on the shelves.  (Obviously, I did not clean before taking the photo.)

Our experience with CSN Stores was great.  The products are processed and shipped very quickly. I appreciate the opportunity to offer giveaways and even review products myself.  If you haven't shopped with CSN yet, I would suggest you check them out the next time you buy online.  Their prices are very competitive with other retailers-even Amazon.  Many of their products ship for free, too.

This was a product review with a code provided by CSN for one shelf, but we did pay for a portion of the shelf ourselves.

Welcome "Sign"

You might remember a few months ago I had a giveaway for Uppercase Living.  They offer high quality vinyl decor for your home-indoors and out.

When I offered the giveaway I didn't actually  have the opportunity to review any products, but eventually I did purchase two expressions myself, and I wanted to follow up on the original post.  In my kitchen it says "Bless This Home."  I chose a burgundy color that looks nice with my black appliances and dark countertops.

Where I live is very windy.  Without a front porch to lesson the wind, I'm not really comfortable hanging much on the front door, so I was really excited to get my "Welcome" expression to add a personal touch.


















You can't really read it from the road though, but that's okay.  (I didn't want to order the next larger size.)  Maybe our neighbors just think the children drew on the door.














Because they did.  Well, a certain little girl did.  She saw it and promptly asked what it said.  Then she ran to get her chalk to add to the pretty door.  How can I blame her?  It's white on black!  I'm happy to say she wiped off the chalk very easily when asked to.

I purchased my Uppercase Living products and was not paid for sharing my thoughts on this product that I like.

CSN Review~ Waffle Maker

I'm sure you have heard about the online shopping experience that CSN stores offer.  With over 200 stores to choose from, they are likely to have what you are looking for.

Recently I was offered the chance at reviewing a product from CSN stores.  This was quite a treat for me!  I spent hours and hours trying to decide what would be a good choice for our family.

After many hours of looking at cookware, toys, and home improvement items, I finally decided on a new waffle maker!  It's practical, yet something we will really enjoy.  We have waffles for dinner a couple times a month, and it's something we really enjoy.

We chose the Chef's Choice International WafflePro to make Belgian waffles in our home.  Like the better-known Amazon, CSN Stores shares reviews and often free shipping which is really important with on-line shopping, along with large selections.  CSN Stores offer competive prices.  When I shop on-line, I compare prices (including shipping), and will be checking in to CSN stores each time.

Our waffle maker arrived in just a couple of days.  I will say I was intially disappointed in the size of the waffle maker because the size specifications were not available to me.  However, it is the same size as other professional-grade waffle makers, I just didn't know it at the time.   We're looking forward to using this waffle maker for a long time.  My favorite feature is the speed!  It makes waffles incredibly fast, and it BEEPS when they are ready!  This is definitely the best of the three waffle irons we've had.  I also like that you can adjust the crispness to your liking.  The Chef's Choice International WafflePro made almost no mess since it is nonstick and takes one half cup of batter for each baking time.


My shopping experience with CSN stores was fun and efficient, and I look forward to doing it again in the future on my own dime.  LLL readers already had a chance at winning a gift certificate to do their own shopping at CSN Stores, and you can look forward to another chance in the future!

Coming Soon...

You might remember a while ago we partnered with CSN stores to offer a great giveaway for one of our readers!  If you are not familiar with CSN stores, they carry just about anything you might want from headboards to cookware to shoes at one of their 200+ websites. (You can see it here.)  I'm excited that CSN has now offered me the chance at a product for review.

It's really exciting to choose something for our home!  We'll have to decide if we want something for the children or something a bit more grown up for our home.  I look forward sharing our choice soon with the review.  In the meantime, if you need to do a bit of on-line shopping, you might consider CSN stores.

Preschool Devotional

The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers 2 uses the Little Blessings characters to help children through easy-to-understand devotions. Each reading pairs a Little Blessings illustration with a short Bible verse and devotional thought that gets you and your child talking about the simple truths of Scripture. A fun, rhyming prayer completes each devotional. This book is a great way to get young children interacting with Scripture daily to learn of God’s wonderful promises and timeless truths. Previously published as Blessings Every Day.

I was excited for the opportunity to review The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers 2 from Tyndale Publishers. It is written by Carla Barnhill and illustrated by Elena Kucharik. Though we read an age appropriate Bible daily with our 3 year old, I know that daily application is not our strong point. This does not take place of Bible reading, but supplements it, just like devotions do for adults.

The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers 2 is what you would expect for a devotional for young children. Each day's reading begins with a Scripture verse followed by a short reading. It ends with a short prayer rhyme (though they don't always begin by addressing God or end with Amen). The January devotion's verse and application begins in Genesis, and it continues in Biblical order, ending with Revelation in December.

This is short enough to keep my three year old's attention. She may not fully understand every aspect of it, but she understands enough that it is worth while. I think this book would still be good for an older child, especially one who desires to read a devotion on his/her own. The pictures are adorable, which is no surprise since it is illustrated by the creator of the Care Bears in the 1980's. I do like this devotion! Since we read the Bible before bedtime, I like to read this before nap time.

Tyndale Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this product for review.

Elmer's Go Paint! (How I Survived Another Doctor Appointment)

We have recently been sick.  Actually, it's just been the children who have been ill, but it's hard on all of us.  Though M is in preschool four days a week, in the past month I had to take both of the children to the doctor's office.  Together.

Now, I'm sure most moms out there would say, "No big deal.  I take my thirteen children to the doctor's office and don't complain."  Well, from a very young age M's soul purpose when we were in an exam room was to escape.  And you know those doors open easily.  It makes visits to the doctor not so fun.

(I have learned that if I am the one to be examined, especially if I won't be fully dressed, then I cannot have children with me.  It's no fun to chase a child out the door if you are not dressed.)

For about a year my first line of defense has been a portable DVD player.  It does a pretty good job of entertaining M, but only if it's the right DVD.  E, our 1 year old, isn't so interested in TV.

We were given Elmer's Go Paint! for Christmas.  I had never heard of Go Paint before, but liked the idea.  It allows you to "paint" the pictures in the little book with a mess-free powder.  The Go Paint only paints on the special pages, and really it is not paint at all.  On your finger and other surfaces, it just appears as a white powder.



Before allowing M to play with it, I wanted to test it out for myself to see
just how mess-free it was.  I was pleased.

It doesn't truly look like paint.  It looks like colored pencils or pastels, but the pale color does appear after a few seconds.

Though I colored this daisy in my test run, M did use it for the full time we waited for the doctor to come in to the room.  Granted, she went from page to page, not completing any drawings, but she was still occupied.  This will be our new waiting activity.

When I went to Elmer's website, there was a Go Paint! coupon in the bottom right corner for you to click.

Toys My Kids Actually Play With

Two of our favorite toys for our 13 month old son, E, are Leap Frog's My Pal Scout and Fisher Price's Miracles & Milestones Musical Projector Soother. He sleeps with Scout. He pushes all the paws on his own. The music is truly soothing. It's programable to say his name. He loves it. The star music box (my name) has been used since M got it at age 2 months. She enjoyed it until E was born when she was two years old. It can play music for 5, 10, or 15 minutes. It puts colored pictures on the ceiling or wall. If E is having a particularly difficult night, I will even put it in his crib with him. My favorite is nature sounds so I don't have to listen to music, but really, the music settings are good too. So there are two toys that my son and I highly recommend of a 1 year old. (M did get Violet, the feminine version of Scout, for her birthday, but as a 3 year old, she isn't really interested. It does say to age 36 months, so that makes sense.) You can see others' toys at My Bilingual Boys.

Puzzle Book

M, age 3, loves puzzles. We have many wooden puzzles, but this Sesame Street: School Days Puzzle BOOK is my favorite (and maybe M's too). I think I've shared this before, but thought I would again. It's my favorite because it is a puzzle book. M likes it because it's Sesame Street.

Pros:

1. 5 puzzles in one book.

2. 16 pieces each.

3. There is a picture under the puzzle, but if your child doesn't need it, they can put it together without looking, too.

4. Easy storage...it's a book!

5. Each puzzle's backing has a different color, so if they are all out at once, it would be easy to sort the pieces.

Cons:

1. Abby Cadabby isn't in it. (Well, it was a disappointment for M.)

2. It might be hard to find. A Google search wasn't so productive, though I did find other Sesame Street puzzle books.

For other puzzle ideas/reviews you can check out Izzie, Mac, and Me's Christmas Reviews of Games and Puzzles.

Top Five Toys

Christy at Superheroes and Princesses suggested doing a top five favorite toys post today. I think it's great to share ideas sooner than later for Christmas gifts. M is about to turn three years old. In no particular order, some wonderful toys... Play-Doh- We have the duffel bag kit. It is the perfect starter kit with the "needed" accessories like the rolling pin, scissors, and spaghetti maker. We still Doodle Pro by Fisher Price- We have the dinosaur version, so it comes with a bone and dino foot print to use, too. Even our son (almost 1) loves to use this and draws daily with it. Blocks- We have Lego Duplos (the basic start up and a couple of additional sets),as well as, a nice set of wooden alphabet blocks. Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Musical Learning Chair- I got this at a yard sale two summers ago and gave it to M for her second birthday. It was a huge hit for many months. For E's safety, we put it in the basement for several months. Just recently it was brought back out and both children love it. Puzzles- We love any wooden puzzle, especially Melissa and Doug brand, but they are really hard to store. We have an Elmo puzzle book (not wooden) that we just love too. It has five puzzles inside and it's simple to store!

I highly recommend the Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD for ages 2-4. It's not a toy, but still worthy to be included in my top five post. Though M does not sing along, she knows each letter's sound because of it. She'll sing the song with me, just not the video.

Visit Superheroes and Princesses for other toy recommendations.

File Folder Games

From my days in the elementary classroom, I have appreciated file folder games! Older children can usually use them independently, and younger ones can practice a skill in a fun way. Want a free download? Read on! Integrias Academy is where Shanna, mom of seven children 8 and younger, shares her wonderful artwork and file folders for a very small cost. (They just had their seventh baby at the end of August. Baby L was recently hospitalized, and they could use some prayer support. You can read more about the family at their blog.)

I had the opportunity to review three file folder games. Though she also offers file folders for grades kindergarten to third grade and up, I choose some of her preschool games. (There are more available for the preschool level).

M's favorite is, by far, Seasons Change. She gets to dress Fox in proper clothing depending on the weather/season.

We actually haven't tried this Letter Match game where you match the lowercase envelopes to the proper uppercase mailbox. I think she'll be ready for it fairly soon though.

Busy Buzzing Numbers has the child counting the flowers and matching the proper bee to it. I cut the flowers apart and arranged them out of order. Since this is a number game, M is not interested, yet. (I have hope!)

All of these games are very cute! The drawings are great and reinforce the skills we are working on, or will be soon. It's easy to prepare the game since Shanna has completed the hard work! I just cut, laminated, and glued. (You could use card stock, but laminating will make it extra durable.)

The file folder games for older children have great variety in themes and artwork. I do hope to see more variety for the preschool age in the future. I think boys might like to see more trucks, bugs, and creatures. Everyone loves ice cream though and it's a great way to practice colors!

Interested?? These are quite affordable at $3 each. It's the same cost if she custom designs a folder game for you! Another great option, especially if you plan to homeschool for several years, is her CD. You get all 17 games, for a variety of ages, for just $15! If you'd like to see the quality for yourself before buying, just sign up to be on her email list! You get one free download with sign up! (I think I have only gotten one email in a couple of months time.)

Do you use file folder games? How do you store them? Do you design them yourself or seek help, like from Shanna? I'd love to hear about what you do!

Grandma Rabbitty's Visit (Review)

This past weekend while Derek's mom was visiting we found this book at the library. We checked it out (along with 18 others). Grandma Rabbitty's Visit by Barry Smith is a delightful book for toddlers. Its illustrations are vivid and have a variety of vehicles that children love in it. Some of them are a bus, ice cream truck, steam roller, and sports car. The book is also filled with a wide range of sounds that kids like to imitate. Even M was able to do this! It is not a board book, but it has the thick, durable pages that make the book last and last. Grandma Rabbitty's Visit begins with the "bring, bring" of the telephone. Grandma calls to say she's on her way for a visit. The bunny family spends the day listening to the sounds of the cars and trucks passing by wondering if each sound will bring Grandma Rabbitty. The illustrations show the family in their living room with a large window that has a wonderful view of the street and all the vehicles passing. Grandma Rabbitty finally arrives with a "vroom-vroom-vroom"-on a motorcycle! (The book calls it a motorbike.) M has enjoyed this book a great deal, and has requested it time after time. The best part is that my mom does ride (not drive) a motorcycle! How sweet! I've noticed that when books try to not stereotype, it comes off as too strong. Grandma Rabbitty's Visit is a wonderful surprise, but not because it isn't stereotypical, but because it's just plain sweet that Grandma has finally arrived. Even if your child's grandma doesn't tote a motorcycle helmet, this is still a great book for a toddler! Enjoy!