I will be busy with my family for the next two days but wanted to remind you that these giveaways END TOMORROW night. Be sure you've entered in interested. My Holiday Gift Guide officially starts on Tuesday, so check back often for reviews/giveaways.
LeapFrog has several different products that you can personalize for your child. They recently sent me their new My Own Story Time Pad, which would make a great Holiday Gift.
Personalized play, stories and activities on a tablet just for little learners! Children can watch fun animations and listen to stories, emails and music as they explore the world of Scout & Friends. Parents can personalize the story time pad with their child's name, favorites, customized “emails" from family and a music playlist. My Own Story Time Pad comes pre-loaded with 1 story, 1 email, and 3 songs, and holds up to 5 stories, 10 songs and 3 emails at a time.
The Story Time Pad is so much fun for Isabella. I hooked it up to my computer and personalized it with her name, favorite songs, personalized emails from us, and 5 different stories.
She uses the buttons at the bottom to check her email, listen to her music, and hear stories.
Isabella thinks she is so big when she plays with her Story Time Pad. It knows her favorite food and animals as well as her name. She listens to the stories and uses the alphabet pad to type.
My only issue with it is how small the screen is. The graphics aren't that great and it can be hard to see. Here is the start of an email that I wrote to Isabella.
Visit LeapFrog to learn more and to view their other great gift ideas!
Win It
LeapFrog is giving one of my readers a My Own Story Time Pad.
To enter, visit LeapFrog and tell me another product you'd like. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!
Extra Entries
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.
1- For TWO extra entries, subscribe to my blog via email.
2- Follow my blog via google friend.
3- For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post and LeapFrog.
4- Follow twoofakind AND LeapFrog on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Leave me a link to your tweet in a comment below. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: #WIN a @LeapFrog My Own Story Time Pad @twoofakind http://tinyurl.com/3ez6wg6 #giveaway #HolidayGiftGuide
5- Include a link to this post in your facebook status letting your friends know you entered this giveaway. Leave your first and last name(or initial) in a comment below. If you tag me (@Dee Twofakind or @Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House), I can actually see your status on facebook. You can do this 1x per day for an extra entry each day.
7- For THREE extra entries, leave a comment on my LeapFrog Review.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on November 21st when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 24 hours to respond!
Open to US Only!
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the products for the giveaway.
I have expressed how important reading is to our family several times in the past. We read regularly with our children and have many tools to help them learn how. LeapFrog has several new products that will promote learning in young children. They sent us the Tag™ Book: Learn to Write and Draw, Tag™ Junior Book Set: Ready to Read, and the Tag™ Junior Book Pal.
Use your Tag™ Reader to bring writing skills to life! Learning how to write letters is linked to future literacy success. Using methods based on current research on effective handwriting instruction, this set reinforces the learning through fun audio feedback with the Tag™ Reader. As children follow the story of Dot and Dash--on a mission to find a band to play at the Doodleburg Fun Fair--they'll get step-by-step guidance in writing letters. Fun workbooks, activities and interactive stickers help reinforce writing skills. 8-piece set includes 1 hardcover activity book, 4 workbooks and 3 sheets of interactive stickers.
Evan turned 4 in August and has been learning how to write his letters. He knew how to write his own name, but that was about it. The story book allows him to use his Tag to follow the characters and complete the activities on each page.
After reading through the hardcover book, he can practice what he learned in the workbooks. The set also comes with 3 sheets of stickers that the Tag also recognizes, so the whole set is interactive and fun.
The Tag Junior Book Pal is easy for parents and children to use. Parents can download audio for up to five books to the Book Pal, then let their toddlers explore. Each Tag Junior board book introduces a different preschool skill - such as the alphabet, counting or social play - through 24 playful activities and more than 130 audio responses.* Open-ended questions and fun sound effects encourage children to take charge, as they touch any part of any page to bring words, pictures or activities to life. After their child has played, parents can connect the book pal to the online LeapFrog® Learning Path to see their child's progress and get printable activities to expand the learning!
It is never too early to start learning how to read! Toddler's brains are like little sponges and they absorb more than you'd think. The Tag Junior is designed for ages 1-4. Leap Frog has a large selection of books that allow children to explore the page with their Tag Junior. They can touch the words to hear them, or anything else on the page to hear sounds and interact with the pages.
Help little book explorers take the next steps toward reading! This Tag™ Junior book set includes seven board books that spring to life when you touch Tag Junior to any part of any page. Every book helps introduce early reading skills and short vowel sounds through engaging music and funny stories. Parents can connect to the online LeapFrog® Learning Path to see their child's progress and get printable activities to expand the learning! Appropriate for children ages 2 to 4 years.
At 2 years old, Isabella wants to learn right along with Evan. This Tag Junior set of 7 board books allows my kids to use the Tag Junior Pal to learn early reading skills. Before this set, I would have never thought to teach them short vowel sounds, but it is an important part of phonics. The books are funny, so the kids don't even realize they are learning!
Visit LeapFrog to learn more about these products and other great gift ideas!
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the products for the review.
Here are the winners from the giveaways that ended last night. Don't forget that my Holiday Gift Guide starts next Tuesday, so be sure to grab the button before it starts!
I've mentioned before that my siblings and I all had our favorite shows growing up. My sisters was Winnie The Pooh. Mom still has a few Winne The Pooh toys that have become Isabella's favorite. I couldn't wait until Winnie The Pooh was released on Blu-ray and DVD October 25th to share it with her.
Disney returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with “Winnie the Pooh.” Featuring the timeless charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo – and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail. “Ever have one of those days where you just can‟t win, Eeyore?” asks Pooh. Owl sends the whole gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit. It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply set out to find some honey. Disney‟s all-new “Winnie the Pooh” movie is inspired by three stories from A.A. Milne‟s books in Disney‟s classic, hand-drawn art.
Blu-ray ™Bonus Features:
-Exclusive bonus short “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon” – In this charming short, Pooh comes up with a daring plan to get a hold of some honey by fooling a group of bees.
-“The Ballad of Nessie” - The animated short film included in the theatrical release is the heartwarming tale of how Nessie found her new home in the Loch Ness.
-“Winnie the Pooh and His Story Too” – A fun and informative behind-the-scenes look at the film, designed for the whole family. Hosted by John Cleese (narrator of the film), and with occasional help from Pooh himself, this featurette explores Winnie the Pooh‟s history from his beginnings as a character in a book, to his continued life in the movies. The filmmakers reveal how they worked to keep the look of the characters and settings in this movie consistent with their first appearances on-screen in 1966. Pooh, being a bear of very little mind, finds much of this confusing, but the Narrator and the filmmakers make it all clear to Pooh – and you!
-Deleted Scenes introduced by directors, Stephen Anderson and Don Hall – 5 deleted scenes including “The Tummy Song,” “”Rabbit‟s Friends and Relations,” “Original Eeyore Intro,” “Original Tigger Intro” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”
-Sing-Along with the Movie – Follow the red balloon and changing word colors to seven song lyrics featured in the film.
-Disney Song Selection – “Winnie the Pooh Theme Song,” “The Tummy Song, “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “The Backson Song,” “It‟s Gonna Be Great,” “Everything is Honey” and “The Winner Song Finale” DVD Bonus Features:
-“Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon”
-“The Ballad of Nessie”
-Deleted scenes introduced by directors, Stephen Anderson and Don Hall – 3 deleted scenes including “The Tummy Song,” “”Rabbit‟s Friends and Relations” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail” Movie Download Bonus Features:
-“Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon”
-“The Ballad of Nessie”
-Deleted Scenes introduced directors. Stephen Anderson and Don Hall – 3 deleted scenes including “The Tummy Song,” “Rabbit‟s Friends and Relations” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”
Our Thoughts:
My parents and sister went with us on a trip to the mountains last week and those of us sitting in the back settled in to watch Winnie The Pooh. It wasn't long before we were all giggling along with Pooh and his friends. This movie was even better than I had anticipated and both kids adored it.
At home, my kids like the Sing-along with the movie special feature. A red balloon follows the words and I hope this aids with Evan learning to read. Isabella just laughs and dances along. I personally like the "behind the scenes" feature - it taught me so much about Pooh that I didn't know.
If your kids enjoy drawing, look below to learn how to draw Pooh.
The Winnie The Pooh Blu-ray/DVD was released today, so be sure to run out and use this coupon.
Win It
Disney is giving one of my readers a copy of the Winnie The Pooh Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack.
To enter, tell me who your favorite Winnie The Pooh Character is. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!
Extra Entries
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.
1- For TWO extra entries, subscribe to my blog via email.
2- Follow my blog via google friend.
3- For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post.
4- Follow twoofakind on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Leave me a link to your tweet in a comment below. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: #WIN a Winnie The Pooh Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack {$40 ARV} @twoofakind http://tinyurl.com/3odlhp8 #giveaway ends 11/7
5- Include a link to this post in your facebook status letting your friends know you entered this giveaway. Leave your first and last name(or initial) in a comment below. If you tag me (@Dee Twofakind or @Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House), I can actually see your status on facebook. You can do this 1x per day for an extra entry each day.
6- Enter any of my current giveaways(1 extra entry for each that you enter).
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on November 7th when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 24 hours to respond!
Open to US Only!
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the products for the giveaway.
We traveled north last week to stock up on Apples and to see what Fall is supposed to look like. We came back with a bunch of apples and decided to can apple butter to give as gifts to some neighbors and friends at Christmas. The kids and I went to my mom's where we spent the morning enjoying the smells that making apple butter brings. If you don't have an apple peeler/corer/slicer, I would suggest getting one for this recipe. In a matter of seconds, it peels, cores, and cuts the apples into super thin slices so it doesn't take as long to cook.
Many recipes call for using the crockpot, but we used the stove top! It made 12 pints...plus a little more here and there from us tasting. :)
Ingredients:
6ish pounds of apples peeled and sliced(or enough to fill up the pot you're using)
3 1/2-4 cups sugar(we tasted after 3 1/2 and felt this was more than enough-you can always add more later)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Instructions:
Poor all ingredients in a pot and stir well(we used 3 different kinds of apples).
Let apples cook for 35-45 min or until soft(longer if your cut apples are thick) stirring occasionally. Use immersion blender or food processor until consistency of applesauce.
Cook for another 30 min on med-low heat to make it a thicker consistency(we left the top half on so it wouldn't pop out). Stir pretty often to prevent sticking to bottom.
Canning process:
Once your apples are to a consistency where it doesn't spread on a chilled plate, you're ready to can. We boil cans and lids in a pot to sterilize. Here are complete instructions for canning.
Take hot jars out and place on a towel or wire rack. Using a funnel(you can purchase a utensil set for $7 that has everything you need) fill jars with butter - be sure to leave about an inch of space at the top. Tightly place lid and rim on cans. If using a Waterbath canner(like we did), place jars on wire rack and lower into the water. Cover until there is an inch or so water over cans. Turn stove on high until it starts to boil. Let boil for 10 minutes then turn the heat off and let jars sit in water for about 5 more minutes. Remove jars from water and let cool on a towel or wire rack for 12 hours.
This apple butter will make your whole house smell amazing and it tastes fantastic. I would definitely suggest heating the apple butter up before serving. I can't wait to give these to our friends and neighbors.
Have I mentioned how addicted I am to Pinterest? Feel free to leave your Pinterest link in a comment so I can follow you-I'm twoofakind on there. Its opened my eyes to many new recipes including my family's new favorite side - Garlic Cheese Mini Puffs. In the post she gives the Red Lobster version and then the recipe for mini biscuits. I'm personally a fan of miniature versions, so I went with that.
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (*see recipe tips)
1/2 tablespoon garlic salt (*see recipe tips)
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease mini muffin tin. In large bowl, mix all dry ingredients to combine. Cut cold butter into flour mixture until coarse. Stir in grated cheese and all milk. Mix until all ingredients are moist and flour is absorbed. Using small cookie scoop, drop dough into prepared muffin tin. You should get close to 20 mini cheese puffs. Bake 8-10 minutes or until sides are browned and tops are starting to brown. Cool 5 minutes and remove from tins. Serve warm. Recips TIPS:
*You can use garlic powder in place of the garlic salt, however, you will want to increase the salt to 1-1 1/2 teaspoons(I'd advice you to use no more than 1 teaspoon).
These things are seriously awesome and so incredibly easy to make. I've made them several nights in the past few weeks.
This past weekend was our 6 year anniversary. We went out to dinner and the next day we packed up the family(including my parents and sister) and headed north to see some pretty fall scenery and get some apples!
Hubby and Evan are in the Green and Orange shirts. My dad is the one waving with Isabella on his lap.
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