A few weeks ago, I told you about a different game for your family that you might want to consider for your next family game night. The Watch Ya’ Mouth Throwdown Edition would also be a fun gift for kids and families on your holiday gift list.
Rather than just speak phrases, players now go head-to-head with hilarious and challenging tasks – while wearing mouthpieces. Throwdown Edition takes competition – and laughter – to the next level and builds on the multigenerational gaming phenomena.
We had some time to try this game out and I will admit, while I thought it looked fun, the germophobe in me was wondering about everyone putting this stuff in their mouth and the logistics of cleaning it. This is a thought that never occurred to my kids or husband, lol. Apart from that, it is a very fun game but one that I have sterilization duty after.
Throwdown Edition has already been Awarded Top Holiday Toy of 2017 by Toy Insider & selected for the 2017 Amazon Holiday Toy List. We have added it to Mommy Ramblings’ 2017 Holiday Gift Guide.
The icing on this cake is that you can save 15% Off when you use the Coupon Code 15THROWDOWN when you check out on Amazon.
I just adore the Make and Play ChristmasBook. It is so much fun for my kids to make the fun Christmas decorations and display them throughout the house.
This innovative new activity book includes ten press-out pieces to play and decorate with. The simple die-cut shapes, including Santa, a reindeer, and an angel, are easy to press out and slot together. The book also includes lots of activities, songs, and recipes to help celebrate Christmas!
This is a really nice book to give to any child and it gives them something to do throughout the season to prepare for Christmas Day.
We think this book is so fun we have added it to Mommy Ramblings’ 2017 Holiday Gift Guide.
Giveaway:
Candlewick Press is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win their own hardcover copy of Make and Play Christmas Book! Thank you to Candlewick Press for the review book and for sponsoring this amazing giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.
Where’s Waldo? Destination: Everywhere! Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Throughout the year, you do little things to help ensure your kids grow up to become good people.No doubt, they are well on their way, but here’s the thing: Kids don’t always listen. When you try to drive a message home among a million other messages, it can be difficult. That’s what’s so great about New Year’s Resolutions. This time of year offers us a podium.
If you make resolutions fun, the entire family can get involved. Make the process interactive by keeping track on a chalkboard or a website. Hold everyone, (yourself included) accountable, and it may start feeling like a game.
Here are five ideas for resolutions you can set for your family.
Less screen time. Isn’t this always the goal? Maybe this year, your family can achieve it by adding a board game night or a group game of volleyball. Whatever you do, try to keep it simple and consistent, so everyone knows when it’s not okay to turn on the television or pick up the tablet.
More exercise. You can make this a family event where you all exercise together or have everyone keep track of their own goals with something like a Fitbit. Getting your kids in the habit of exercising now will help them understand the importance of staying fit throughout their lives.
Family dinners together. If you aren’t already sitting down at the dinner table together, this is a great idea for a resolution. In fact, regular family dinners are associated with reduced rates of depression and suicidal thoughts in teenagers. Try to sit for dinner together every night, if you can.
Have regular mental health days. Teenage depression is on the rise, and mental health is an issue that has become extremely important. Take one day a week to talk to your kids about their thoughts and feelings. Let them know why this is important. Untreated depression can have dangerous consequences, such as alcoholism, substance abuse, or suicide.
Keep gratitude journals. While we’re teaching our kids to be good to others, we sometimes forget to teach them how to be good to themselves. Show your kids how to create a gratitude journal to express all the things they appreciate in their lives. Especially in the teenage years, kids can get so wrapped up in what’s happening around them that they forget the important things. Gratitude journaling serves as a great reminder. This is something you can even do together as a family.
As the new year approaches, it’s time to set new goals. We may not need to reinvent our families, but we can refine some of the skills we’ve taught and learned throughout the years.
New Year’s resolutions can be a fun way for the children to try something that they wouldn’t otherwise try. If you make it fun, it’s likely to last well into the year. If you’re lucky, these habits will continue until those little ones go off to college!
This is a sponsored guest post that does not necessarily express the ideals or views of Mommy Ramblings.
Waldo isn’t ready for his copy of AARP yet, but he is 30 years old! To celebrate this exciting milestone we are having a giveaway for the anniversary book, Where’s Waldo? Destination: Everywhere! by Martin Handford. Inside you will find 12 classic scenes as you’ve never seen them before.
Everyone’s favorite bespectacled explorer has been many places — the land of dragon flyers, a Jurassic arena of sports-loving dinosaurs, the set of black-and-white movies in Hollywood.
Join Waldo as he hand picks his favorite journeys of all time, revisiting twelve of his most fantastic travels in a new format that includes a surprise at the end of the book. New eye-boggling games await Waldo-watchers alongside every scene in this fresh tribute to Waldo’s many years wandering the world.
We think this anniversary book deserves a place on Mommy Ramblings’ 2017 Holiday Gift Guide. Unlike Waldo, the book is very visible on our gift guide.
Giveaway:
Candlewick Press is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win their own hardcover copy of Where’s Waldo? Destination: Everywhere! Thank you to Candlewick Press for the review book and for sponsoring this amazing giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.
Where’s Waldo? Destination: Everywhere! Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
I love sharing classic stories with my children. The Velveteen Rabbit is probably one of the most beloved children’s books of all time.
When the Velveteen Rabbit first arrives in the nursery, he is snubbed by the other toys. But the Rabbit soon makes friends with the Skin Horse, who explains how toys can become “real” if they are loved enough.
The Velveteen Rabbit longs for this to happen, and one day he finds that he has become the Boy’s very favorite toy. They play together through a long, golden summer, Rabbit becoming shabbier and shabbier as he becomes real to the boy who loves him. The rabbits in the garden think otherwise — how can Rabbit be real when he can’t leap and hop?
When Boy takes ill with scarlet fever and Rabbit must be discarded, a magical fairy appears to transform him into a real, wild rabbit, though her parting words remind him that he was always real to the Boy.
A perfect gift for delivering an old favorite to a new generation, this beautifully illustrated version of Margery Williams’s time-honored tale is the first in a series of Nosy Crow classics. We love this book so much, you will find it on Mommy Ramblings’ 2017 Holiday Gift Guide.
Giveaway:
Candlewick Press is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win their own hardcover copy of The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real! Thank you to Candlewick Press for the review book and for sponsoring this amazing giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.
The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
We really like to choose toys for our kids that are fun and educational. That is why when we saw the Gadgets & Gizmos Invention Kit, we knew it was one that our kids would love and let’s face it, I knew my husband would love it too!
This is the ultimate kit for every aspiring inventor! The open-ended kit is packed with parts that kids can mix and match to make tons of gadgets and gizmos.
The step-by-step guide is easy to follow to create 8 projects, like a catapult, helicopter, hydraulic lift car and so much more including their own unique creations.
When they build and invent with this kit, they are exploring exciting science and engineering concepts. My son Ethan is interested in becoming an engineer so this is very exciting to him. The first thing they built with this 180 piece kit is an air powered rocket launcher. After building it, the testing it was super fun for all the boys!
We love this kit so much we are adding it to Mommy Ramblings’ 2017 Holiday Gift Guide.
Giveaway
Lakeshore Learning is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win their own Gadgets & Gizmos Invention Kit! Thank you to Lakeshore Learning for the review kit and for sponsoring this fantastic giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to US residents.
Gadgets & Gizmos Invention Kit Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Unique gifts like personalized books, board games, placemats and more celebrate the recipient and can even include their family and pet in the fun. I See Me!makes it easy to give gifts that will make every child a star.
I love giving I See Me! products to my kids. The look on their faces, when they discover they are the main character of a special book, is truly priceless. This season, I created some really special gifts for my kids on the I See Me! website. It is so easy to add personalization and photos to create unique and treasured gifts.
I know my son Ethan is going to love the personalized USA Road TripStorybook I created for him. It is such a fun book, that will really spark his curiosity and imagination with a fun and factual geographic exploration of the United States. In the story, he receives a personalized driver’s license, hops into a magical car, and learns state names and key monuments during the journey across America. He will take a rest stop in our own state of New York to learn a few extra fun facts!
I was able to easily personalize this road trip adventure with my son’s name and the state we live in. I selected his skin tone and hair color, and uploaded a photo of his face to be incorporated throughout the illustrations!
He is going to love it, and at the end of the book, he will see a personalized map of the United States. The book even includes a list of all 50 states with their capitals, so he can check off the names of the states that he has visited! We ordered the gift set which included a scratch off state map that he is going to just love! I cannot wait to see his face when he opens it.
For our son Luke, our dog lover, we choose the If My Dog Could TalkStorybook. I customized it for him and our American Bulldog, Delilah. I was able to choose from twelve illustrated dog styles and five colors to create a dog that really resembled our dog.
The book includes Delilah’s name and the names of four of our family members, this really makes it fun to read! This book is also a nice way to celebrate a new puppy or dog adoption or remember a lost pet. Your dog’s name and the names of up to four family member’s names (children or adults) are also included throughout the story and illustrations! Plus you can add a personal message and up to two photos on the dedication page.
For a really special gift, the book can be ordered with a personalized bandana, ornament or placemat for you pet. We ordered the book with the bandana and a personalized Christmas ornament that we already have on our Christmas Tree.
Another great gift idea on their site that is fun for the whole family is I See Me!’s new, Our Family’s Race Across the U.S.A. board game. This game makes family game night so much fun! It is a brand new addition to their extensive product line.
Take an adventure across America as you move your piece along the game board. Personalize up to six game pieces with photos of your family member’s faces so they can “travel” from space to space. Your family’s names will also be incorporated into the game board artwork! Create lasting family memories with this uniquely personalized keepsake.
If you order by December 17th and use code CELEBRATE when you checkout, you can save 30%! This is the perfect chance to get a special gift at an amazing price! Click HERE to get started.
We love I See Me! products so much, we have added them to Mommy Ramblings’ 2017 Holiday Gift Guide.
Giveaway
I See Me! is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win their own Personalized, Our Family’s Race Across the U.S.A. Board Game! Thank you to I See Me! for the review items and for sponsoring this fantastic giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to US residents.
I See Me! Our Family’s Race Across the U.S.A. Personalized Board Game Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
If you have a LuvaBella or LuvaBeau Interactive Doll from Spin Master tucked away, just waiting for Christmas morning, I have a warning, that you are probably not going to want to hear. As a blogger who reviews the newest products, I was anxious to get my hands on a LuvaBella doll.
I had no trouble finding one, but the trouble began soon after taking her out of the box. Her silicone or vinyl doll “skin” had a greasy appearance and had all kinds of hairs and dirt stuck to her face.
It was not that she was ever taken out of the box, it was how she was packaged from the factory. She had what looked like a crease between her eyes, which most like came from a defect in the mold. On the side of her face she had this huge unsightly seam that was very obviously a flaw from the mold. Her molded hair was painted so sloppy, as if a child had done it. The paint went right down onto her face and was all over her ear.
After inserting the batteries she had a terrible clicking in her neck, and her chin and would seem to get stuck, she would vibrate in place before turning her head. I took a video of this and let the company know. After viewing my photos and video, they said that, the doll was indeed very damaged and needed to be returned. They explained that in an effort to get the dolls out quickly, there were some issues with defective dolls being released that should not have happened.
I returned that doll and picked up a new one. Now, when I removed the new doll from the box, she had a much better paint job on her hair, she did not have that unsightly crease defect between her eyes, nor did she have the big seam on the side of her head.
I thought everything would be okay. I took a video of her and she began to keep yawning and saying things at different times that did not make sense. She also could not stop burping when eating.
I thought she needed new batteries, so I put in a fresh set of 4 C batteries. However, with the new batteries, she still said things at the wrong time, she did not burp when her back was patted, but kept doing so when eating. She also started to have limited movement of her mouth. Her mouth barely opened now.
See the video below to see how her mouth is failing
I did some reasearch and found several adult collectors on their 4th doll, and still not having any luck with replacements. Some had the eyes start to fail, they stayed shut unless their was a string tied around their head not allowing the eyes to close. Others had the mouths just stop moving totally.
Many people would comment how gingerly these dolls must be handled. Now they are marketed to ages 4 and up. Do you think if adult doll collectors are having issues like this, that when you give the doll to a 4 year old child. that they are not going to move the limbs, turn the head, bang the doll? Given all the parents that have not opened or tried the doll, we are bound to see reports of many broken and damaged LovaBella and LovaBeau dolls after Christmas Day.
In my opinion, given what I have experienced, and from what I have seen happen to dolls that were not in the hands of children, I have to say, these dolls are not suitable for toddlers or young children. There is a review for the doll you can see on Amazon that shows the aftermath of the doll being in the hands of a three-year old. It is not pretty.
LuvaBella and LuvaBeau are very delicate dolls, not one that can be toted around and carried everywhere. It is quite disheartening that they are so delicate yet marketed to such young children.
/div>
So, let me know if you do decide to check your LuvaBella or LuvaBeau out. The new doll that I had in the video to replace the other damaged doll was only on for the fourth time when she started showing issues with her mouth.
I hope the company does something to make up for all the damaged dolls.
Update: See our new videos HERE and find out how our 3rd replacement is doing.
Traveling to a different country can be a wonderful, life-changing experience if you stay safe and healthy while you’re away. Dealing with medical issues while you’re traveling can be disorienting, plus being away from home, could leave you wondering what to do. Some advanced preparation will help you keep a level head. Check out the list below for four different ways to handle medical emergencies in other countries.
Look for Low-Level Care
Preparation is one of the best ways to combat any medical issues you might encounter while traveling. Before you leave, do some research to find some local pharmacies to purchase supplies for non-emergency medical issues like scrapes, minor burns, allergies, or to fill prescriptions. Also, be aware that medications may have different names abroad, so know what your prescriptions are called at your destination. Knowing where to go and what to expect when you get there, can help you find the care you need while saving you the cost of going to a hospital.
Consider Costs as a Traveler
If you do end up needing to take a trip to a hospital, it’s important to understand how you’ll be billed as a tourist. Depending on where you’re traveling, a hospital bill could be free, or the most expensive part of your trip, so look into medical costs in the countries you visit. While doing research, make sure to look into whether your insurance plan protects you while traveling. More often than not, you’ll have to pay for medical expenses upfront with the option to file for reimbursement when you get home.
Add Extra Protection
If you feel like your current insurance plan is lacking when it comes to traveling, you may want to consider additional protection in case of a medical emergency. Often, additional protection from providers such as MedjetAssist will offer you extra benefits, like severe weather warnings or emergency translation. When looking for a plan that suits you, consider the risk that comes with the activities you’ll be doing, for a better idea of how much extra security you’ll need. Depending on what you’ve decided, you might want the peace of mind that comes with a travel plan.
Have a Backup Card
It’s always good to have a few different kinds of identification on you when traveling, and it’s no different when it comes to your health. In addition to any IDs you have with you, consider making a card with your medical information on it. This should include things like your doctor’s name and number, any travel insurance you have, emergency contacts, and even things like medication or prescriptions you might be taking. Carrying this card with you could prove helpful in circumstances where you’re incapacitated or can’t get to your documents.
One of the best ways to handle a medical emergency abroad is by being prepared for it. This applies not only to yourself, but also to the people you’re traveling with. Conduct your own research, consider additional protection, and print out your medical information to help you handle medical emergencies while traveling.
This is a sponsored guest post, it does not necessarily represent the views or ideals of Mommy Ramblings.
Wow, the weather has taken a serious dip in the Northeast. Tomorrow is going to be absolutely frigid, the morning will feel like 7 below 0 degrees F. The only bright spot is that next week, we should be back to more seasonable temperatures.
When the weather gets colder, I get into the mood to make hearty meals that stick to your ribs and warm you up. I love a good pot roast, beef stew, pasta fagioli and other flavorful stews and soups, on cold winter days.
If you have been following Mommy Ramblings for a while, you will remember my posts about the best way to cook hearty soups and how to make the perfect beef stew. The right cookware, and the way you cook, really make a difference in how your recipes turn out. I love trying new things in the kitchen and, I have always wanted to try cooking in a Tagine.
A Tagine is a cooking vessel that is used to cook food at a low temperature, for a long time. The unique shape of the Tagine lid allows steam to circulate, which works to keep all the ingredients tender and moist. This kind of vessel and cooking method, works so well with dishes like pot roast. The end result is that type of meat that just falls apart so beautifully, and melts in your mouth.
I just finished cooking my second pot roast in my Emile Henry Tagine, and I don’t think I will cook pot roast any other way. There are so many great recipes you can make in a Tagine. My daughter loves cooking chicken tagine. Any type of recipe that you can cook at a low temperature for a long time, will turn out well.
There are many different kinds of Tagines on the market, but I prefer the Emile Henry Tagine. This Tagine is made of their Flame Ceramic and can be used directly on the heat of the stove or in the oven. This is perfect, because I love starting off on the stove cooking my onions and garlic, browning my meat, and then transferring it all to the oven, to cook for several hours.
You can see the video I made the first time I used the Emile Henry Tagine to make pot roast
We love the Emile Henry Tagine so much, which is why you will find it on Mommy Ramblings’ 2017 Holiday Gift Guide. A gift of Emile Henry Cookware, is a gift any cooking enthusiast will treasure. I know, I certainly do! My Emile Henry Cookware and Bakeware are staples in my kitchen, and they make cooking and baking for my family and friends, easier and better than ever.
Giveaway
Emile Henry, is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One Lucky Blog Readers will win a set of Emile Henry Ramekins #9 in Burgundy! Thank you to Emile Henry for the review Tagine and for sponsoring this amazing giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.
Emile Henry Set of 2 Burgundy #9 Ramekins Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Hello, I’m Carolyn! I am a PR Savvy, WAH Mom to 5! I love Photography, Baking, DIY Projects, Crafts, Cooking and making memories with my family. I love sharing reviews and giveaways too!
