I See Me! 15th Anniversary Children’s Book Review and Giveaway #review #giveaway #iseemebooks

February 17, 2016 By Marijean

Recently I was given the opportunity to review a children’s book from I See Me!. I See Me offers a large variety of personalized children’s books and gifts. Right now they are celebrating their 15th anniversary of the book “My Very Own Name.”

My Very Own Name is a beautifully illustrated personalized children’s book that helps children to learn to recognize letters and spell their names. Beautifully illustrated animals bring letters one by one to create the child’s first and last names in rhyme. At the end, the animals celebrate because they’ve created the perfect name.

As an added personal touch, this award-winning book includes the child’s birth date, a printed dedication from the sender, an illustrated encyclopedia of 61 animals and a special letter to your child from the co-creators of the book. When ordering, customers have the option to upload a photo of their child to appear on the dedication page of the book. Children love seeing their names and photos in print! This storybook is made in the USA and written by Maia Haag.

My Very Own Name – 15th Anniversary Edition

This book was sent to me for my 4 year old boy. For the dedication page, I chose his Preschool photo he just had taken. His birthday is on the page as well as a dedication from me, his Mommy! The picture came out crystal clear. It really is a beautiful page and it is something he will cherish forever.

Each page of the book tells the story of an animal that starts with letters in the child’s name. My son’s name is Anthony, so there are 8 pages of different animals for each different letter. Same with his last name, so the book has a lot of pages! It also has an Animal Encyclopedia in the back telling your child more about each individual animal. My son loves this book and loves reading it with his big sister. This is the perfect gift for any child!

This book would make a perfect Easter gift additional in your child’s basket!

I See Me! offers so many other products that can be personalized such as Lunchboxes / Puzzles /Coloring Books/ Placemats / Stickers and Growth Charts! Something for every occasion!

The cut off date for customers to order with US standard delivery and have delivered by Easter is March 11th.

EASTER Link: http://www.iseeme.com/easter-personalized-childrens-gifts.html

Right now I See Me! is celebrating 15 years of connecting friends and families together, receive 20% off all purchases through 2/19 with code CELEBRATE

Want an I See Me! book for your very own? You can visit them at their website, or through social media on their Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest accounts. Sign up to receive email notifications and promotions at this link.

*GIVEAWAY**

Would you like a copy of the 15th Anniversary edition? One lucky reader will win!! Giveaway ends 3/1!

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***I was given a product in exchange for my honest opinion. This review is based on my experience with the product. I am not affiliated with the company and everything in this review is my opinion.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

P!nk To Partner With Disney’s ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS + New Poster!!! #DisneyAlice

February 16, 2016 By Marijean

THREE-TIME GRAMMY®-WINNING SINGER/SONGWRITER P!NK

TO PARTNER WITH DISNEY ON “ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS,”

STARRING JOHNNY DEPP, ANNE HATHAWAY, MIA WASIKOWSKA, RHYS IFANS, WITH HELENA BONHAM CARTER AND SACHA BARON COHEN

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS opens in theaters everywhere on May 27th!

Walt Disney Studios is partnering with three-time GRAMMY®-winning singer/songwriter P!nk on the studio’s upcoming release “Alice Through the Looking Glass.”

P!nk will write and record an original song which will appear in the film and on the motion picture soundtrack from Walt Disney Records featuring four-time Academy Award® nominee Danny Elfman’s score. She has also recorded a cover version of the iconic song “White Rabbit” for the film’s marketing campaign.

“Alice Through the Looking Glass” is an all-new spectacular adventure featuring the unforgettable characters from Lewis Carroll’s beloved stories which stars Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Rhys Ifans, with Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. The film opens in U.S. theaters on May 27, 2016.

Like ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyAlice

Follow ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS on Instagram: https://instagram.com/DisneyAlice

Follow Walt Disney Studios on Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneystudios

http://movies.disney.com/alice-through-the-looking-glass

About P!nk:

Since her debut in 2000, P!nk (Alecia Moore) has released seven records, sold over 60 million albums, over 130 million singles, over 2.4 million DVDs worldwide and has had 14 singles in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (four at #1). In addition, she is the recipient of three GRAMMY® Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, six MTV Video Music Awards, two MTV Europe Awards, two People’s Choice Awards and was named Billboard’s Woman of the Year in 2013. Her “The Truth About Love” World Tour played 142 shows in 13 countries. In the fall of 2014, she released a side project with singer/songwriter Dallas Green entitled “You+Me.” Their album, “rose ave.,” debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Folk Album chart and #2 on Billboard’s Digital Album chart. In 2015, P!nk became the newest UNICEF Ambassador. She is also a huge supporter of various charities, including: Make a Wish Foundation, Autism Speaks, Human Rights Campaign and No Kid Hungry. She is currently a spokesperson for COVERGIRL, and made her acting debut in Lionsgate’s “Thanks for Sharing,” alongside Gwyneth Paltrow and Mark Ruffalo.

About The Film:

In Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” Alice returns to the whimsical world of Underland and travels back in time to save the Mad Hatter. Directed by James Bobin, who brings his own unique vision to the spectacular world Tim Burton created on screen with “Alice in Wonderland,” the film is written by Linda Woolverton based on characters created by Lewis Carroll. The producers are Joe Roth, Suzanne Todd and Jennifer Todd and Tim Burton. John G. Scotti serves as executive producer. “Alice Through the Looking Glass” reunites the cast from the 2010 worldwide blockbuster phenomenon, including Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Matt Lucas and Helena Bonham Carter and introduces new characters played by Rhys Ifans and Sacha Baron Cohen. Also back are the talented voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Barbara Windsor and Paul Whitehouse, and they are joined by Toby Jones.

About Walt Disney Studios:

For over 90 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel Studios; Lucasfilm; and Touchstone Pictures, the banner under which live-action films from DreamWorks Studios are distributed. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Meowbox Review and Giveaway

February 16, 2016 By Anne

We adopted our third kitty two years ago. Wow it does not seem like it was that long ago. Angel is our baby. She is two. Spice and Zena are about 4 1/2 years old. They get along pretty good. Having a new puppy in the house has certainly thrown them for a loop. Since the puppy, it seems like we forget to play with our kitties like we use to.

That’s where Meowbox comes in nicely. Meowbox is a monthly cat subscription box, full of fun toys and yummy goodies all delivered to your door. All the items are chosen with care and all edible treats are made in Canada or the US. Each box is personalized by hand with your kitty’s name, which a sweet touch. 🙂

We received a Meowbox, or BarkBox for cats, for our three kitties. The box was originally sent for my contributor’s cat, Scarlet. However Scarlet let Spice, Zena and Angel have a little fun.

When we opened the box “Hi Scarlet” was right there on the box to greet us. Inside were fun looking toys and treats.

Right away I took out the blue Catnip and Crinkle Squid toy and placed it on the ground. Spice was immediately drawn to it. Then Angel came along and the two of them started playing together.

Meowbox supports small businesses when they can and include well-made handcrafted toys and treats.

They give back. They have a program called One Box Can: with every meowbox you purchase, they will give a can of food to a shelter cat. Plus, you can track your individual can to see where you’ve made a difference. And for those picky kitties or ones with special dietary requirements, you now have the option to receive meowboxes with no edible items. We replace food and treats with more toys and goodies. (Our cats are not big on treats so this would be a great option for us.

Meowbox costs $32.95 for 1 month, $27.95 for 3 months ($83.85 upfront), $22.95 for 6 months ($137.70 upfront). They offer free shipping and they ship to Canada, US. Each box includes 5-7 items.

SCARLET10 (Get 10% off your first subscription with code SCARLET10 at https://meowbox.com)

Follow Meowbox on all of their social media channels:
https://meowbox.com
Facebook.com/meowbox
Twitter.com/meowbox

Win a Meowbox for your kitty! Enter to win below:

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Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

5 Non Candy Easter Gift Ideas For Your Children #Easter #Pley #Sponsored

February 16, 2016 By Marijean

Easter is one of my most favorite holidays!! I love dressing the kids up and visiting the Easter Bunny, cooking up a delicious dinner and having relatives come spend time with us. I also love watching the joy and excitement from my children when they wake up and see what gifts the bunny has left for them! I have come up with a list of 5 gift ideas for your little ones this Easter that isn’t all about the usual candy filled eggs.

Books: Books are great to give for Easter. Children can never have enough, and it is much better to give than candy. One of my favorite books is The Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story.

Outdoor Toys: Lets get ready for spring!! New outdoor toys (pool toys, balls, beach toys, bubbles etc.) are great for Easter! Kids will love getting them and will look forward to playing with them in the spring weather.

Sidewalk Chalk: Children LOVE sidewalk chalk! A new set of it in their basket will be perfect!

Arts and Crafts: Children love Arts and Crafts. How about including some spring themed arts and crafts in their baskets? Even a new box of crayons and markers.

A Toy Subscription Service: Toy subscription services, like Pley, would be great for Easter. Pley sends you Legos, K’NeX and toys right to your door. Your children play with them, and when they are done you just send it back! With different subscription plans, Pley makes a great addition to your children’s Easter baskets. Go check out their website here and give Pley a try!

Key benefits of Pley:

Pley offers access to a large selection of educative toys, including 400+ LEGO sets and popular robotics toys. More toys are being launched in the next few months. Stay tuned for updates!
Pley is always on the hunt for the best toys, so our assortment reflects the latest and greatest toys.
All these toys come at a low price point vs. buying toys. Average members save ~$800/year.
It’s really convenient and helps reduce clutter: Pley packages get delivered to your door and when the kids are done playing, they can return them for a new toy. No more toys sitting unused on shelves!
The savings in plastic alone from reduced purchases amounts to at least 240lbs fewer C02 emissions per annum per Pley member. And while the Pley business model relies heavily on shipping, we usually take advantage of trucks already on the road. If anything, our shipments are smaller than the typical Amazon package for the same LEGO set (Pley re-package them in smaller bags). Also, Pley helps reduce CO2 emissions from cars going to malls/stores to buy toys.
Besides having access to a variety of toys, kids learn the concepts of sharing and reducing waste for the environment.
Pley makes a fantastic gift! Shoppers can either gift unlimited subscriptions or gift cards!

***I was given compensation in exchange for this post. I am not affiliated with the company.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Bartholomew Quill: A Crow’s Quest to Know Who’s Who @Sasquatchbooks #bookreview

February 13, 2016 By Marijean

I was asked to do a review on a new children’s book coming out on April 5th called Bartholomew Quill: A Crow’s Quest to Know Who’s Who.

Thor Hanson’s first children’s book is the story of Bartholomew Quill, a crow who’s trying to figure out what he is. Rather than just a creation myth, it’s a legend about biodiversity and the clever and loveable crow. Tour the animal kingdom from a crow’s point of view in this whimsical mix of science and poetry. The rhyming story and beautiful illustrations of Pacific Northwest wildlife make this a fun read-aloud for the whole family.

Bartholomew Quill is clever and curious, but he doesn’t know quote who or what he is. He has feathers not fur, so he can’t be a moose; he is black like a puffin but his beak is the wrong color. This determined bird won’t stop asking questions until he discovers what the reader knows – Bartholomew Quill is a crow!

This is a hardcover book with 32 beautifully illustrated pages. My children love this book. It is great for my 1st grader and also an easy book for my almost to be Kindergartner to start reading. They love following Bartholomew’s journey to find out that he is a crow. Really cute and great for all ages!

About the Author

Thor Hanson is a biologist and author renowned for his adult books about nature (The Impenetrable Forest, The Triumph of Seeds, and Feathers). He won a PNBA Award and The John Burroughs Medal for Feathers, which was also a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. Hanson is a Guggenheim Fellow, a Switzer Environmental Fellow, and sought-after public speaker.

Dana Arnim has a Certificate in Art from the Children’s Market from UW Extension and serves as co-regional advisor for the Western Washington SCBWI.

This book will be available on April 5, 2016 and can be pre-ordered from the below retailers now:

Connect with Sasquatch Books: Website Twitter Facebook Pinterest

***I was given a product in exchange for my honest opinion. This review is based on my experience with the product. I am not affiliated with the company and everything in this review is my opinion.