Veggie-Go's: Organic Chewy Fruit and Veggie Snacks to go

Spring Break is officially over and it's back to school. We had a slightly difficult time adjusting back to our regular schedule. Over the break, we had a little road trip vacation across the border. Though it was cloudy most of the time, we had fun exploring.


Before we headed out on our road trip, I packed up some Veggie-Go's snacks to munch on if we ever get hungry in the car or at the hotel. We don't get much veggies and fruits while on vacation so this was a convenient way to get something healthy. So these are the perfect on-the-go snacks for our travels and I learned that there are no preservatives. Veggie-Go's (a product of nakededgesnacks.com)  are similar to a fruit strip but are made from whole, organic fruit and vegetables.


We had a chance to try all the five flavors: TropiKale, Mountain Berry Spinach, Sweet Potato Pie, Cinnamon Spice Beet, and Carrot Ginger.

Brandon, our Little One, really loves Veggie-Go's. Though he found a couple of them too chewy for him, he likes the Sweet Potatoes Apples Spices flavor most. I'm surprised he even likes the one with kale, the Tropikale (mango, kiwi, kale, pumpkin, apples, and guava). It's pretty tasty and interesting with all these fruits mixed together.



Features & Benefits:

• no added sugar
• no preservatives
• gluten-free
• contains 1/2 serving of fruit AND 1/2 serving of veggies in every strip
• less than 1/3 the sugar of the leading fruit strip (no added sugar or fruit concentrates)
• easily fit in a purse, pocket, diaper bag, or backpack
• perfect office snack and for school
• perfect while traveling and for the great outdoors

WHERE TO BUY: Veggie-Go's are available for purchase online at www.nakededgesnacks.com/products or Well.ca (if you are in Canada). You can also purchase at a store near you.



Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product(s) from the company/PR firm at no charge in exchange for my review in this post. The opinions expressed are my own personal and honest thoughts. No other compensation was given.

Stackins Stackable Plush Giveaway

Funrise Toys is celebrating the release of their new line of stackable plush with a giveaway! Just in time for Easter, they're giving away Stackins, the adorable, stackable plush you'll love collecting! Look for them at Justice stores now!

To enter the contest, visit: http://on.fb.me/10YRwMv

Furby Boom Review

I've finally decided to share my review on the Hasbro Furby Boom that our Little Brandon had received as a gift from a special person this past Christmas. It was a toy that Brandon had been asking for quite some time. He wanted the one with the waves pattern.


Description: A New Generation Is Hatching on the free Furby Boom app, where you and your Furby Boom can collect digital eggs, hatch them, and raise a city of virtual Furby Furblings. The Furby Boom experience combines real-world interactions with virtual play for a game that will keep you coming back for more. Your Furby Boom responds to you, changes personalities based on how you treat it, dances to your music, speaks Furbish and, more than anything, wants to connect with you!

The all new Furby Boom has a mind of its own and combines physical and digital ways to play! Interact with your Furby Boom 1-on-1 to shape it’s personality. Only with Furby Boom can you hatch and raise digital Furby Furblings.

• Collect and hatch virtual Furblings to fill your city in the Furby Boom app, and try to get the golden Furblings egg
• You can hatch and raise virtual Furblings with your Furby Boom, and play games together using the free Furby Boom app
• Use the Furby Boom app to give your Furby Boom creature virtual food, checkups, showers and more
• Furby Boom will remember the name you give it and the names of other Furby Boom friends it meets
• Furby Boom has more than twice as many possible responses as the previous Furby, and how you treat Furby Boom will shape its personality

MY THOUGHTS:

These figures reminded me of Gremlins. I have heard that the Furby can change into many personalities. One got my attention was the "evil" mode. I found that the new Furby Boom we have (not the Furby 2012 models) does not have that mode and have slightly different modes. When the Furby change, their eyes start to blink and then their personality changes with different voice tones.


Here are the personalities for the Furby Boom (from the Furby Boom user guide I found from Hasbro's website):

• If you want your Furby to be Rockin', play music so it can rock out! Crank it up, dude!
• If you want your Furby to be Sweet, pet it gently on the head, but don't pull its tail. It's just not nice!
• If you want your Furby to be Feisty, flip it upside down and tilt it back and forth. It's like a ninja move! Hi-YAH!

The first few days since having this toy, our little one had been playing with it all day. Remember, it uses 4-AA batteries and it pretty much used it all in 1-2 days of playing with it. There's no off button so we can't turn it off, but you can get it to go to sleep by putting it on its side.


Disclosure: The above mention product was purchased on my own. I received no compensation nor other products for this review. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of other consumers.

Seattle Museum of Flight and Whidbey Island Road Trip

Travel journal pages written by Brandon (6-years-old):

Spring Break vacation of 2015...

Disney/Pixar's #InsideOut New Trailer Released

The NEW trailer for Disney/Pixar’s INSIDE OUT is now available on EllenTube.com and EllenTV!

Directed by Oscar-winner Pete Docter ("Up," "Monsters, Inc.") and featuring the voices of Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling and Phyllis Smith, INSIDE OUT opens in theatres on June 19, 2015.


From an adventurous balloon ride above the clouds to a monster-filled metropolis, Academy Award-winning director Pete Docter has taken audiences to unique and imaginative places. In Disney•Pixar’s original movie “ Inside Out,” he will take us to the most extraordinary location of all — inside the mind.

Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it's no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley's main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.

The Cat in the Hat Costume from Birthday in a Box

Did you participate in "Read Across America" on March 2nd (aka Dr. Seuss Birthday)? It is a nationwide celebration in the U.S. that promotes the love of reading with kids and teens around the country and around the world.

To celebrate, kids dressed up as their favorite "Cat In The Hat" Character and joined in the fun. Little Brandon wore his full costume that was sent to us from Birthday in a Box, a company that provides a wide variety of party supplies and kids costumes. We love this "Cat In The Hat" costume and it fits well on Brandon.





Included in this costume kit are the tall stovepipe hat and jumpsuit. The tail is detachable with velcro. The tall hat features red and white stripes just like the one in the book. We still have the character white gloves from our previous costume set so that would make our costume complete.

Follow Birthday in a Box on their Facebook & Twitter to stay-up-to-date on new products and current promotions:

Like Birthday in a Box on Facebook

Follow BIB on Twitter

Our Little One is a big fan and his favorite is definitely The Cat In The Hat. What's your child's favorite Dr. Seuss story or character? Leave a comment and let me know.


Disclosure: I received a choice of costume from birthdayinabox.com in exchange for my honest review in this post. Any expressed opinions are my own and personal thoughts. No other compensation was given.

Book Review: Motivate Your Child

Motivate Your Child: A Christian Parent's Guide to Raising Kids Who Do What They Need to Do Without Being Told

Most parenting approaches end up encouraging children to ask the wrong questions about life: What’s in it for me? Are you going to pay me for that? What’s the minimum I need to do to get by?

But God’s Word gives us a better way to parent, one that builds strong internal motivation in children. When parents change the way they parent, kids change the way they live. This practical book explores a theology of internal motivation and then gives parents real-life solutions to equip their kids for life.

MY THOUGHTS:

For me (like many other parents), it is a challenge to raise a child to be responsible and teach them what's right or wrong as well as to be compassionate. Here's a great book worth reading if you are looking for parenting resources or a new parenting tool. Motivate Your Child provides advice and help parents to teach their child within their heart and emotions. The book shows you how you can help your child build a strong moral and spiritual development.

It's funny when I thought about what Little Brandon wrote in his New Year Resolution at school. He wrote that he will get changed every morning without being told or asked.  Guess what? That never happened. I kept reminding him and I wish he would try -- just try to be a little more responsible.

You will learn:

• How to build a strong conscience to strengthen internal motivation
• How faith changes kids in practical, down-to-earth ways
• Ways to help self-focused kids think of others
• A strategy to help kids who tend to blame, rationalize, or defend
• Ways to use consequences for heart change
• Specific heart-based strategies to develop responsibility and initiative

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Scott Turansky has been a pastor and missionary for more than 33 years and is an author of several books. In addition to pastoring full time, Scott also conducts parenting seminars on Saturdays around the United States (http://www.effectiveparenting.org). He is the cofounder of the National Center for Biblical Parenting (www.biblicalparenting.org) and has co-authored four books.

Joanne Miller is a pediatric nurse with 26 years of experience and the cofounder of the National Center for Biblical Parenting. She is the coauthor of seven parenting books.

BONUS: Free $150 of parenting materials!

To receive the bonus materials, purchase a copy of Motivate Your Child from any retailer. Once you've made your purchase, follow the instructions below. Click here for some common retail options.

Instructions: Purchase the book. Send an email with MYC150 Promo in the subject line with a receipt of purchase to gift@biblicalparenting.org. Biblical Parenting will send you the link and a special code to access these downloadable video, audio and written products.



Disclosure: I received a complimentary digital copy of the materials and book at no charge in exchange of my review from the company/publisher. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of other consumers. No other compensation was given.

Brandon's Taekwondo Orange Belt Promotion

Thursday, March 5th was Little Brandon's Belt Promotion Test day. So proud of the little guy! He had a bit of trouble with the Step-Behind Side Kick Board Breaking. He never gave up and kept trying until he broke the board in half. In the end after everyone has done their required testing areas, they had a group photo session with the Master, Instructor, and students.

Heroes of the City: Full Episodes on YouTube

Little Brandon and I love the Heroes of the City app and video series. It's actually one of his favorites since he was just a toddler because he always loved cars and rescue vehicles. And he still loves them.

The Heroes of the City YouTube channel is popular and loved by many preschool kids around the world, created by a small Swedish company. Check out the playlist below:


Heroes of the City are an animated TV-series about rescue vehicles in a small town where everybody gets to be a hero! You will find over 6 hours of full episodes with great stories for the little ones.

The 3D animated characters are fantastic and each episode comes with a great storyline that little ones can easily understand. The TV-series contains a lot of warmth and teaches the importance of friendship and what we can achieve by helping each other.

Heroes of the City - a YouTube channel for Toddlers and Pre-schoolers.

• Full of fun episodes
• Sketch & Guess with Calamity Crow
• Calamity Crow Kids Crafting Show

Follow Heroes of the City on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeroesOfTheCity