Monthly Archives: January 2012

Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair & Baby Set, Review and Giveaway!!!

 

Tripp Trapp®

I am so excited to tell you about this review and giveaway.  When I connected with Stokke a few months ago, and they suggested sending me 2 of their Tripp Trapp High Chairs to review, I was stoked.  We choose rich cherry for both chairs, but they are available in several stains and many bright colors.  When they were delivered we removed the pieces from the boxes and my husband easily assembled both chairs in very little time.  We were very impressed with the quality and beautiful finish on the wood.  The chairs are easy to adjust and when the little guys saw them they were so excited to give them a try.

Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair

I took a lot of time with this review, just about 2 months because it is hard to evaluate a product in a week or even 2.  I wanted to really give these chairs a thorough review and I am so glad that I took the time because I have so much insight on these chairs now that I would never have gathered from just spending a couple of weeks on the review.  We were sent the Baby Set which is for use with children 6-36 months.  It is so easy to attach and detach from the chair, no tools needed, and so even when your child outgrows it, it is a compact 2 pieces that you can keep in a closet and if you have company or friends who come over that have a younger child, you can just get it and put it on the chair in seconds.  It is easy to clean by just wiping it down and as an added bonus it is dishwasher safe.  There is also a harness strap system that is on the chair but it can be removed if you feel your child no longer needs it.  When it is removed the chair looks like a great piece of high-end furniture and it will not need to be put away when you child is ready to move on from a high chair because this chair will keep growing with your child, right up to adulthood and then be ready for the next generation.

One of the first things I noticed was that prior to the Stokke Tripp Trapp, my kids were using those Space Saver High Chairs, that sit on a regular chair (not the little booster but the full size with the big tray).  Anyway, we have a large eat in kitchen but those two high chairs were always in the way, I mean with the large tray they did not fit under the table and so the two of them were often put between the center island and the kitchen table when the kids were eating and after the would get pushed against one of the walls but they stood out like sore thumbs, especially having 2.  Since we have a large family and could not sacrifice two of our chairs from the table, to put the high chairs on we put them on our large matching counter stool height chairs. This made them as high as a high chair so they were even more awkward and so many times I just wanted to push those chairs right out the sliding doors onto the deck, to get them out-of-the-way.  After bringing the Tripp Trapp chairs in the kitchen we removed with relish those clumsy, awkward, large high chairs.  We were thrilled to now have 2 of 3 island counter chairs back and for the first day or so the kitchen appeared 5 times larger than usual.  There was so much empty space now between the island and the table that it kept amazing me every time I went in the kitchen.

 

The Tripp Trapps are able to slide right under the table and they are sleek even with the baby set attached.  In time we removed the baby set, because Luke liked to be able to get on and off the chair by himself.  He did great and they were so happy to have a place at the table like the big kids.  The high chairs had never let them get very close to the table no matter how close we pulled them, with the large tray in the way.  We found we did not use the harness straps and my husband easily removed them and the chairs looked great.  Since these chairs can accommodate adults up to 300 lbs they are able to be used by everyone.  In fact my 6 foot 4 inch cousin came to visit over the holidays and he immediately pulled out the Stokke Tripp Trapp and sat for about an hour talking with us around the table and then when we told him he was sitting in a “high chair” he laughed, and told us how much he really like them and how comfortable they were.  I find myself reaching for one all the time.  They are easy to move around and their height is perfect for so many tasks, like when I was decorating my son’s birthday cake.  they also make a great step stool for adults and kids and I can slide them right in front of the sink and they are the perfect height for my kids to reach everything and wash their hands.  Since having these chairs my kids do a lot of activities and crafts on the kitchen table.

I love the finish on these chairs and all I do is just wipe them down with the activated water in my activeion spray bottle and a towel and they clean up beautifully.  I know some people feel that these chairs are too expensive for a high chair, but they are so much more than a high chair.  When you consider that fact that some conventional high chairs can cost just as much and have to be retired when you child grows out of them and even if you do save them for your grandchildren, chances are they will be obsolete and out of style by that time.  With the Tripp Trapp you are buying a chair for a lifetime and then some.  With their beautiful styling they will look great for generation after generation and the quality ensures they will handle all the use you can dish out.  If you do the math and think of  all the years that you can and will use this chair, it makes it the best value for your money in the long run.

So do I have anything bad to say or anything I don’t like?  Honestly, no I don’t, I wish someone would have clued me in on these chairs long ago.  I am so happy with them, and can’t think of a thing I would change.  If you think you would miss a tray they have an available table top transparent tray with interchangeable templates that grow with your child.  Cushions are also available, but my opinion is these chairs are comfortable as is and are so easy to clean, that I really don’t think they are necessary.  I do like the idea of the table top trays because since I have messy eaters it is a great wipeable surface that can go right over my table linens and protect them while allowing the kids to be kids.  Also, they provide a nice surface for crafts, games and writing.  So to sum it up for you, we love these chairs!!!  I feel so blessed to have connected with such a wonderful company like Stokke, their support through all of this has been phenomenal, they have excellent customer service and they truly care about your satisfaction.

So now I am thrilled to let you know that Stokke is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings.  One lucky blog reader will win their color choice of the Stokke Tripp Trap High Chair (excluding signature collection) complete with the Baby Set (ARV $330). Thank you Stokke for beautiful review chairs and for sponsoring this awesome giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!!  Open to US and Canadian Residents.

Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair & Baby Set Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

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Go Max Go Foods, Vegan, Dairy Free, Candy Bars Review & Giveaway!!!

If you love the taste of milk chocolate candy bars but are looking for a vegan, dairy free alternative then you should check out Go Max Go Candy Bars.  

Go Max Go Foods, set out to create extraordinarily delicious candy bars. They craved candy bars that were chocolatey, nougaty, caramely, peanutty, almondy, coconutty crazy indulgences! They wanted a variety of bars that popped with all the luscious flavor of the traditional treats. What they didn’t want in their candy bars was dairy, eggs, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, artificial ingredients, or cholesterol. They had a hunch your sweet tooth might be feeling the same way, and so they went to work on the concept. Happily, their efforts paid off and now even your inner angel (you know, the one who reminds you it’s gotta be vegan, or you’re dairy intolerant, or you need to kick those hydrogenated oils to the curb, etc.) can enjoy real candy bars again.

Combine great taste, good sense, sweeten with compassion, and what have you got? A Go Max Go candy bar! Their journey, over a year in the making, has finally brought to life the best tasting natural candy bars ever! We are pleased to offer to you the finest vegan versions of the candy bars you grew up with. Make room for the NEW classics.

Go Max Go Foods. Your taste buds will never know the difference.

I was sent 6 Go Max Food Candy Bars for review but when I went to review them, one was missing.  Apparently my oldest son did not know they were for review.  Likely story, but I heard no complaints so we are going to have to give that sixth bar a thumbs up.  The five bars I did get to review were:

SNAP!™-Toasty, crunchy, crisped rice POW! jammed into a hunk of rice-milk chocolatey BAM!

Buccaneer™-Rich, fluffy, chocolatey nougat covered in a creamy chocolatey coating. sound right about now?

Cleo’s™– Rice-milk chocolatey coating cuddles the creamiest, dreamiest, peanut butter filling ever! So, if this combo makes you want to walk like an Egyptian, Cleo’s peanut butter cups are for you!

Twilight™ – rich, fluffy, chocolatey nougat topped with a layer of thick, buttery-tasting caramel all wrapped up in their very own creamy, rice-milk chocolatey coating.

Jokerz™-layers of dry roasted peanuts, buttery-tasting caramel, and rich peanut nougat, sweetly wrapped in a delicious chocolatey coating.

The missing bar is the Mahalo™ – a gently sweetened coconut candy bar topped with three whole dry roasted almonds and covered in a luscious chocolatey coating.

All of the candy bars tasted decadent and delicious.  My favorites were Twilight, Snap and Buccaneer.  If you are looking for Vegan or Dairy-Free alternatives to milk chocolate candy bars but think you would be giving up taste, think again.  These bars are packed with the chocolate taste you’re looking for and nothing you’re not.

Go Max Go Foods is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings.  One lucky blog reader will win all 6 delicious candy bars.  Thank you Go Max Go Foods for the delicious review bars and for sponsoring this scrumptious giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!!  Open to US residents.

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Pet Peeves!!!

 

Okay, I thought it would be fun to talk about our Pet Peeves today.  It is funny to think that some of the things that make us bonkers, other people don’t even notice.  So let’s play a game of: I’ll tell you some of my top Pet Peeves, and you tell me yours.  I am a little bit of a germophobe, so I am sure some of my pet peeves have to do with that personality trait of mine.  Okay here we go, I am going to list 5 of my top pet peeves below.

1. Bag Lickers

It seems no matter what checkout lane I choose, 8 out of 10 cashiers are bag lickers.  If you do not know what I am talking about, let me explain.  If you are like me and have lots of reusable shopping bags but always seem to be without them in the store, then you have probably encountered a bag licker or two.  Maybe, you have never even noticed and I am on the opposite end because I am hyper aware.  So since plastic grocery bags tend to stick together, it is sometimes difficult for cashiers to open them to bag your items.  So while I have seen some that keep a moist paper towel to wet their fingers, most just stick their fingers in their mouth to wet them and then take their saliva covered fingers to open you plastic bag and handle all the items going in that bag.  This grosses me out to no end and I wish I had the courage to tell them exactly what I am thinking; “Why don’t you just lick all my food before I bring it home? Don’t you realize what is on your hands?  You are handling money, didn’t your mother ever tell you that money is the dirtiest thing in the world?  Do you know where some of that money has been?”  I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.  So I do appreciate self checkout when they have them and appreciate those cashiers that use moist towels to wet their finger tips.

2. Finger Lickers

No, I don’t mean Kentucky Fried Chicken lovers, I mean have you ever shown someone a magazine article or circular ad and they take your magazine and start turning pages and for some reason they need to lick their fingers to turn the pages.  It is at that point, I tell them just to keep the magazine and read it at their leisure.  I mean really, I asked you to look at something, not lick it.  I have issues here people and I don’t put my saliva all over my reading materials and I certainly don’t want anyone elses.  Probably why I no longer read the magazines in doctor’s offices or hospitals, anywhere for that matter.  One of the best things about my iPad 2 is that I have my own saliva free reading material wherever I go.

3. Money Lips:

Well, referring back to pet peeve one,  I was raised instilled with the fact that money, was the dirtiest thing in the world.  I just cannot handle when I see people put money in their mouth, to hold it while they do something.  Literally if I see that, I am dry heaving.  Along those lines are people who count their money and lick their fingers which I have seen by people and bank tellers everywhere. Yuck!!!  As I would tell my little ones, “Dirty, Caca, Yuck!!!”

4. Tissue Holders:

No not the ones in your bathroom that hold your toilet tissue, but those people who walk around with tissues in their hand.  Now I have nothing against the fact that they are carrying a tissue, but my peeve is that it is often these tissue holders that always want to touch you and shake your hand with the hand holding the tissue.  I am not big on shaking hands without tissues but please don’t touch me or my baby with a tissue in your hand.  Along these lines, I also cringe when a person that you see touching, wiping their nose and lips with their hands then immediately reaches out to shake your hand.  That’s okay lets just bow like the Japanese to show respect.

5. Serving Utensil Snubbers:

You know when you are having a big dinner with family and or friends and the food is  served family style on the table, and then someone goes for a second helping, and even though the serving utensil is in the bowl or plate, they stick their fork in to serve themselves.  I know if one of my brothers is reading this, he is laughing with me, because this is a pet peeve of both of ours and one of the offending people is one of our other 2 brothers.  Even my kids are aware of Uncle Blank and his less than hygienic table manners.  It is often after these people dig around in the serving bowl with their utensil, that they enjoy telling you how sick they have been.

6. Double Dippers:

The reason I don’t eat dips at parties is due to the double dipper.  When I entertain and if I am serving something like a platter of shrimp with cocktail sauce I will often serve the cocktail sauce with individual sauce cups so everyone can have their own and dip as much as they want.

7. Aisle Hogs:

You know those people in the grocery store or any store with carts, that walk in the middle of the aisle and have no idea they are not the only ones in the store.  Even worse they like to stop turn their cart just enough so it is across the aisle and zone out looking across the aisle at the condiments.  Some are pleasant when you have to mutter, “excuse me” but others look at you as though you should just wait or turn around.  Along these lines are people on the escalator who just stand there when it gets to the top or bottom after they step off.  Not a good idea.

Okay, so I went a couple over the top 5 that I told you I would share, but I couldn’t help myself, and it felt good to get that all out.  I know it’s my germophobiness (my own word) that make the first 6 bother me so much.  So now that I have let you in on mine, please feel free to tell me yours. 

 

 


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New Kidorable Dragon Knight Collection, Raincoat Review and Umbrella Giveaway!!!

 

 

 

I am really excited to let you know that Kidorable has recently introduced a new collection called Dragon Knight and it is on FIRE!!!

The Dragon Knight collection is steel grey with dark green as accent color, perfect for strong and brave boys.  Some pieces accentuate the Knight, others the Dragon, but there is a nice interplay between both characters throughout the set.  The umbrella has protruding dragon horns and wings, with a knight, fire, and a castle motif along the bottom. The helmet on the matching raincoat is Kidorable’s coolest hood so far.

The child who wears it can imagine himself as a valiant knight fighting the dragon.  The backpack is shaped like a shield for extra play value.  It comes with a little stuffed toy sword. The coat is a new material, PU (polyurethane).  It’s softer and lighter than PVC.

I was recently sent the Dragon Knight raincoat and dragon hanger to review.  I love Kidorable products so I was not surprised that the quality is great.  My son loves all the detail and that with the hood up, he really looks like he has a knight’s helmet on.  The fun designs of Kidorable rain gear means never having to fight with my kids to wear it.  The dragon hanger makes it really fun for my son to hang his coat up when he comes in.  Kidorable hangers are so nicely painted, smooth and never any rough edges or sharp corners on them.  Take a look at the new Dragon Knight Collection, it’s a big hit with little boys and parents alike.

 

Kidorable is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings.  One lucky blog reader will win the new Dragon Knight Umbrella.  Thank you Kidorable for the review items and for sponsoring this HOT giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!!  Open to US residents.

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Ugglebo Urban Collection Clog Review & Giveaway!!!

Coco Chanel once said, “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”Ugglebo can’t agree more! They have designed their clogs with Coco Chanel’s girl in mind. A little 70s retro chic with traditional Swedish style, they have sculpted a clog brand that reinvents the traditional notion of clogs as comfort shoes. When a woman slips an Ugglebo Urban on her feet, they want her to feel sexy (yes sexy!) and fabulous because an Ugglebo Urban woman is a trend-setter who dares the world to watch her.

Recently, I had the opportunity to review Ugglebo’s Urban Collection of Clogs.  I knew my daughter would love these, so I let her pick a pair out.  The funny thing is that she picked a pair that was almost exactly like I had in very late 70’s.  She picked the Etna in Dexter Tan.  The Etna is a sleek and sexy traditional style Swedish clog. With its oxford-style lacing, it creates a retro-chic look for any occasion, and it can be worn as a casual or professional style clog. It features a high-heel Pine wood base and rich Nubuc leather, which is fastened with staples for a timeless look, and the laces on the wood clog can also be adjusted for a personalized fit.   The Etna is available in four colors.

When this clog arrived it was love at first sight.  The pictures cannot convey the beauty of these clogs.  Quality craftsmanship shines through and they definitely look classy and sexy. One touch of the super soft, Nubuc leather will never be enough.  My daughter loved them and can dress them up or down depending on what she is doing or where she is going.  Comfortable, attractive, classy and sexy, really what more can a girl ask for?  Hmmm, maybe another pair?  If you are looking for stylish clogs that will give you a variety of wearing options, then take a look at Ugglebo’s Urban Collection of clogs and get ready to fall in love.

I am thrilled, and I am sure you will be too, to tell you Ugglebo is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings.  One lucky blog reader will win their choice of clog from the Ugglebo Urban Collection (subject to availability/size).  Thank you Ugglebo for the review clogs and for sponsoring this great giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!!  Open to US residents.

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Simply Colors Personalized Shirt Review & Giveaway!!!

Recently, I connected with Simply Colors and had the privilege of designing a personalized shirt to review from their site.  Their site was very easy to navigate and I had a lot of fun designing a shirt to celebrate Luke’s birthday.  They have great graphics, high quality materials and lots of color.  I chose a long sleeve red t-shirt which is a really great weight and so soft.  Then off to the fun part, where I picked out a birthday cake with a number 3 and his name on the bottom all in apple green.  It arrived quickly and I was very impressed with the quality of the shirt and printing.  It looked really sharp and Luke loves it.  It is warm and soft and will hold up nicely to my active little guy.  It washes great and I could not be happier.  They have a large selection of clothing and accessories you can have personalized for kids and adults.  I am definitely going to be shopping there a lot.  If you are looking for a special way to celebrate a birthday or for a unique gift, take a look at Simply Colors because they have it all!

Simply Colors is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings.  One lucky blog reader will have the opportunity to choose and design a shirt similar to the one above but with their choice of personalization and colors.  Thank you Simply Colors for the review shirt and for sponsoring this fantastic giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!!  Open to US and Canadian Residents.

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American Girl, FedEx SmartPost and USPS, Star in a Tale of Bait & Switch; Today on Mommy Ramblings!!!

I consider myself a pretty savvy business person. I mean, I work for major companies, I receive packages with review products delivered daily by UPS and FedEx, FedEx twice a day.  So when I ordered an American Girl doll last weekend for a special little girl in North Carolina, I chose ground shipping, there was nothing saying that it was not the normal ground carriers and I know that from WI to NC with FedEx or UPS she would have it by Friday.  Well, today I called as I had not been sent a tracking number and this is when I learned about how a sneaky little bait and switch game is played on customers without them knowing.

Now if you are not familiar with American Girl, let me fill you in a little bit.  I used to be a regular customer when they were the original Pleasant Company, and my daughter was very into collecting the dolls.  I will tell you everything was sent to me in 3 days or less through ground shipping.  Now Mattel owns American Girl, and I have not placed an order in the recent past, because I have all boys except for my daughter who is now past that stage.  Anyway, some of the things that irk me a bit about the company are that there was no free shipping option, even though any doll and just the basic accessories are going to cost well over $100 and upwards of $200 without adding very much.  Also, for every little item you add, such as the hairbrush the shipping increases by a significant amount.  Now, most companies offer free shipping on amounts over $50, not American Girl, they offer free shipping once a year in November and if you missed it, well they think there is always next year.  I guess American Girl feels if you can afford their products, you can afford the shipping.  So, I accepted it for what it was, and placed my order.  Told a very excited little girl that her doll would be there this week.  Today, I decided to check and I was given a FedEx tracking number, that I was not emailed as I should have been according to their website.  When I called FedEx, I spoke to a very nice representative who explained to me what FedEx Smart Post was.

FedEx SmartPost is when your package starts out FedEx but is shipped to the post office to then be delivered by the US Postal Service.  She also explained that it is well within the Post Office’s discretion to hold the package for up to 3 days before attempting delivery.  So now this doll which could have been shipped Priority Mail in 3 days or less for what I paid or sent UPS or FedEx in that time frame as well can end up in transit for 12 days or more.  Wow, you would think I paid some economy shipping rate for times like that?  What is even more aggravating to me is I see nothing about the details of the “ground carrier” shipping they offer.  If they think this is such a great service why not put down in print what it actually is.  Even going to the FedEx site I cannot find much at all on it.  The FedEx rep even shared with me how many companies are doing this without informing the customers of the shipping process.  She also told me UPS has a similar service.  Well, to say I was upset did not even begin to cover it.  I had an excited little girl  messaging me while I was on the phone, to see if the doll was coming today or tomorrow. Now, I was left to burst her bubble and let her know, it could be Monday if the Post Office doesn’t exercise its right to take 3 days before delivering the package.

I called American Girl after the FedEx rep told me that there is a way they could reroute the package.  I was first given a standard rep who could provide me very little and then I was transferred to a more seasoned rep but she could also not offer anything for me.  When I asked to speak to someone else I was put on hold for a long time and then told there was nothing else they could do.  She told me I was the first one that ever complained about FedEx SmartPost and that she would note my comments.  I highly doubt I am the first to call with a complaint about SmartPost and I asked her right out why it was not on the website?  She had no answer, except to say it says ground shipping and the time frame.  When I explained to her that I was a seasoned member of the media and when I see ground shipping from WI to NC I do not think 10-12 days.  I also do not think ground shipping is some snail mail version of FedEx especially when I am paying enough that the package could have been shipped Priority Mail or FedEx Ground to begin with and arrived in 3 days or less.  She did not have much to say about that either and hastily told me there was not much that could be done and goodbye.  I fired off some strongly worded emails to AG Public Relations and Mattel Corporate.

Well, a half hour later the same woman who I spoke to called me back.  This time she had a little more empathy with my situation and she offered that I could buy the doll and all the accessories again and pay rush shipping and then do a call tag on the original doll.  It was then, that in my mind the voice of Dana Carvey as the church lady came through loud and clear, “Isn’t that special?”  Was she kidding? This is what she offered me!  When I asked her about contacting FedEx and getting the package sent by FedEx all the way to its destination (I cannot believe I even have to say that.) she replied, that was not possible.  Nor was any other solution except me buying everything over and this time paying rush shipping charges for FedEx real ground delivery.  As I was on the phone with her I had posted a tad about this on my personal FB page and in minutes my friends were telling me similar stories and how they got the old bait and switch from other companies.  Then I thought, if someone had alerted me, I would have made sure that I was getting “real” ground service or “real” priority mail.  So, I kindly told her that I planned to take this to my blog and let other people learn from this, so that there does not need to be disappointed girls, boys, or anyone who is used to dealing with one shipping service and is aware of their delivery times.  She also told me that shipping rates were going to go up in 2012 and went on and on about the fuel costs and when I explained to her that the amount to ship the package priority in the first place was much cheaper than what I paid, she once again showed empathy for my situation.

FedEx and UPS had their share of bad press over the holidays by hurling packages over gates and flipping off security cameras and while I love my delivery guys this is just another slap in the face.  However, this time, I think it is the companies using these SmartPost services that need to step up and take their licks.  Come on American Girl, stop the craziness, if you are going to ship our package through two different carriers so that a package that could be delivered in 3 days now takes 12, how about letting us know?  Maybe put something like:  Times are tough, we can’t lower prices or cut shipping rates, but we can keep our shipping rates high and cut the services.  We are now shipping FedEx SmartPost when it says Ground and that is not FedEx Ground.  Try and scour up some information of the service on Google and then if I were you I would probably upgrade to rush shipping which is the old FedEx Ground.

 

So this is my rant.  My rant on companies that don’t really care about customer service anymore, companies that really don’t care if you buy from them or not.  Companies that think it is fine to keep customers in the dark about shipping services and companies that just don’t get it.  I just want to do my part to educate my readers that there is some shady stuff going on in shipping and I wish I had known prior to placing my order.  Hopefully my words will enlighten others and one less little girl will go to bed in tears.  Thanks American Girl!!!

Oh and just to let you know the little girl I purchased this for, has never had an American Girl doll, she is not a spoiled brat with 12 dolls on the shelf, stamping her foot for another.  She was over the moon when I told her I was getting this doll for her and has had her share of  hard times so this was something very special to her.


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Rafflecopter Launch Party Giveaway!!! Win-Apple iPad 2 & Kindle Fire!!! Ends 2/9!!!

Mommy Ramblings has been using Rafflecopter and we love it!!!

Rafflecopter is now celebrating the official release of the new version with a “name the Rafflecopter” contest.

The prizes are an Apple iPad2 and a Kindle Fire!

Say ‘Hi’ To Rafflecopter

Rafflecopter makes the whole process of running giveaways on your blog really, really easy. Over 80,000 giveaways have been created with Rafflecopter, and if you didn’t know yet, there’s a new version in town! Oh yeah, it’s free. If you haven’t used Rafflecopter, sign up and launch a giveaway in the matter of minutes.

If you’re a Rafflecopter veteran, check out several of our recent blog posts, including ‘6 Tips for Rafflecopter’s New Widget‘, and ‘Rafflecopter Q&A: Facebook vs. Email Login‘.

 

Now… Let’s Give Away Something Awesome!

To celebrate the new year, we’re going to give away a 16GB Apple iPad2 and several Kindle Fires. The giveaway starts Monday 1/9 at 12:01 a.m. and lasts for a month. To enter, simply tell us who referred you to this giveaway! You can receive additional entries by tweeting about this giveaway, following us on twitter, and giving us feedback. In addition, we’re doing something a little special to make things more fun:

Suggest a Mascot Name – You’ve seen the Rafflecopter smiley-face dude hanging around the web. The poor guy needs a name, and we want to leave it up to you to decide what his (or her?) name should be. For an additional entry, suggest a name! After the giveaway is over, we’ll go through the list of names and pick out our favorite suggestions (be creative!) and bring it to a vote on Facebook. If your name is chosen, you’ll win a Kindle Fire and be immortalized in Rafflecopter history 🙂

 

This giveaway is open for the US and Canadian residents and will close February 9th at 12:01 a.m. EST.

Please put that Mommy Ramblings referred you…

I’d love to win a Kindle Fire when you win the iPad2!

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Surf Sweets Organic and Natural Candy Review & Giveaway!!!

I was recently sent an assortment of Surf Sweets Organic and Natural Candy to review.  Surf Sweets organically sweetened gummy candies and jelly beans are drenched in fresh fruit flavor. Free of artificial colors and sweeteners, these fun treats are great for kids and adults. The first thing we all tried were the gummy bears and they were delicious, the kids loved them and I thought they tasted great too.  Now, I am not here to tell you that candy is healthy but we know that are kids are going to have it from time to time.  I would rather have my kids indulge in candy with natural flavors and colors, without corn syrup and with 100% of their daily vitamin C.  The next candy we sampled was the Sour Berry Bears and what I liked about these is that they were not as intense as the leading sour kids candy.  While my older kids like that intense sour to sweet taste it is a bit too much for my little guys.  So these were much tamer and they enjoyed them a lot.  If you are looking for a healthier candy that is organic and natural for when your child wants a sweet treat, check out Surf Sweets.

Surf Sweets is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings.  One lucky blog reader will win assortment of Surf Sweets candies, including their NEW Fruity Hearts that are available for a limited time for Valentine’s.  Thank you Surf Sweets for the review assortment and for sponsoring this sweet giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!!  Open to US Residents.

Surf Sweets Organic and Natural Candy Assortment Giveaway Rules:

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Custard ‘N Jelly Guardian Angel Doll Review & Giveaway!!!

 

Several weeks ago I received an email from a mother named Julie who told me about her daughter Ally, who at the age of 8, drew a line of very diverse and adorable guardian angels. 3 years later, Ally and her parents launched Custard ‘N Jelly, a play on “custodi angeli” which is how you say guardian angel in Italian. Custard ‘N Jelly is a line of 7 guardian angel buddies. The angels are a part of GARD, Guardian Angel Rainbow Division, a special task force of guardian angels. Each angel has training and a special skill. Each angel also has an emotional strength and pledges to watch over it’s young owner. Even more, they are affiliated with 3 A+ rated children’s charities. With every purchase, a donation is made to one of the 3 and the child gets to choose which one! Time.com named Custard ‘N Jelly one of the “15 smartest toys for young geniuses of 2011,″ and they were just awarded ‘Top Toy” in the soft toy category by Creative Child Magazine.

I thought it was a great story and since my daughter, Alexandra’s nickname is Allie, I chose Ally as my Guardian Angel to review.  The doll is very colorful and cute and comes with a carabiner that will allow a child to attach it to a backpack so their Guardian Angel is always close.  The Website also has a creative doll outfitter interface where kids can choose one of the dolls and design outfits for them. They also have a link to a free app of the doll outfitter that you can download to your iPad, iPad 2, iPhone, and iPod Touch.

If you are looking for a cute doll, created by a child to remind us of our Guardian Angels who are watching over us, that also gives back to kids in need, then you need to check out Custard ‘N Jelly.  What a great way to tell that someone special we love them and for them to always have a special friend to remind them of that love and protection from above.

Well, Custard ‘N Jelly is being even more of an angel and sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings.  One lucky blog reader will win their choice of Guardian Angel Doll from the Custard ‘N Jelly Website.  Thank you Custard ‘N Jelly for the review angel and for sponsoring this terrific giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!!  Open to US Residents.

Custard ‘N Jelly Guardian Angel Doll Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Please enter using Rafflecopter below.  Good Luck!!!

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