Holiday Shopping at Bandai- Pocoyo and Thundercats!

December 18, 2011 by 10 Comments

The holidays are very quickly approaching- what to do when you need a great gift for that special child in your life?

Pocoyo is always a good bet, with the adorable show on TV, Pocoyo and all his friends have laughed their way into our homes and into our kids wish lists. Based on the popular Pocoyo CGI television series, the new Pocoyo SwiggleTraks feature set is the fun and engaging preschool toy that encourages kids to learn through laughter. The set includes pieces that can bend, twist and extend to suit any child’s imagination, and a motorized bridge that gives the set a dynamic “swiggle” action. To experience SwiggleTraks and “SwiggleStunts” in action, check them out on YouTube-

Nominated for a Toy Industry Association’s 2011 “Toy of the Year Award”, Pocoyo SwiggleTraks is now available online and at retail locations nationwide including Toys R Us, Amazon.com and select Walmart stores. These were a big hit with Pre-K and younger ages, and they entertained the adults who saw them as well. My son is four, and he gets a huge kick out of watching Pocoyo move about the tracks, and designing his own track as well.

Other fun and beneficial toys in the Pocoyo line include:

Filed Under: kids, review

Zip Bin Farm by Neat-oh! W!N a Zip Bin of your own, as well

December 18, 2011 by 476 Comments

You all know Little Man is a nut for farming. The animals, the hats and boots, the wide open spaces, he loves it all. Especially the animals and barnyards. As most kids to he has accumulated lots of ‘favorites’. These favorites are often misplaced and lead to day long expeditions to hunt for his ‘precious’. It is a big headache for us and for him.

Zip Bins help this problem quite a bit. A Zip Bin is a play mat that is also a toy containers. So you can put like themed toys with the play mat. IE the big farm set can be put in the Farm Zipbin with all the animals. So next time Little Man wants to play farm it is all together even his favorite little baby chicken, who always ends up in the couch cushion. This is a great idea, in an instant you know exactly what kind of toys are in, or should be in, each container. Farm stuff is in the Farm Zipbin. Cleanup is a breeze too, just zip up the container, insert toys, repeat until all toys are in container, then put the lid on the Zipbin and you are done.
The idea is simple yet incredibly useful.

The Zip bins are also high quality, we have a few of these and none have shown and signs of wear and tear. The zippers are also good ones. We have had some low quality zippers in the past, you know the ones, the pull snaps off, or the zipper gets caught on every little thing. Well these are not those, at all.

One of you will win a Zip Bin of your own!

Mandatory entry
You must be a public follower on Google Friend Connect or G+1
Leave me your email so I can contact you if you win.
2 entries if you are doing both 🙂

Extra Entries
Leave a separate comment for each entry

– Like Zip Bin on FaceBook -Facebook is in no way sponsoring this contest- Never required, always appreciated! 🙂

– Follow @neat_oh on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway
#Win FUN TOY Zip Bin Giveaway! http://tinyurl.com/6u7qoya @neat_oh @HaveSippy


-“Like” me on Facebook. Facebook is in no way sponsoring this contest.
+2 entries

-Subscribe to Have Sippy Will Travel by email, and confirm subscription
+3 entries

– Follow me on Twitter ( you can use my [Read more…]

Filed Under: giveaway, kids, review

W!N Libre Tea Glass, leak resistant thermal container- Perfect for Travel!

December 18, 2011 by 427 Comments

Are you a big tea drinker, or know someone who is? It’s hard to find that perfect tea tumbler.
Libre Tea has a solution for you. The new Libre Glass n Poly. This wonderful product is perfect for anyone who drinks loose tea and would actually like to drink it in someplace not home.
The Libre has a glass interior and poly exterior to keep the tea hot and safe. There is also a stainless steel filter which separates two chambers. One of which is small and near the mouth of the bottle and the other is large and where the bulk of your water will be stored.

There are two ways to use the Libre.
1) Tea leaves go in the large chamber, as does your water. The filter screws on top and once you are ready to drink, the filter keeps the tea leaves in the bottle while the tea flows through the filter.

2) Only the water is poured into the large chamber, after which your tea goes into the smaller chamber/filter area. In order to steep the tea, you jsut make sur ethe lid is on tight and flip the container upside down.
Both of these techniques work well. If you want a strong brew the first works well. For more control over the strength of your tea the second is your choice.
For visual instructions click here.

This product is an example of good execution of a good idea. The filter is high quality and reusable, so new filters don’t have to be bought every time you use it. Also it is shatter resistant to it can take a licking and keep in good shape. We have a good friend of ours who just got into loose tea blends and this is a perfect gift for him!
Take a look at this wonderful item either for yourself or those tea lovers in your life.

Mandatory entry
You must be a public follower on Google Friend Connect or G+1
Leave me your email so I can contact you if you win.
2 entries if you are doing both 🙂

Extra Entries
Leave a separate comment for each entry

– Like Libre Tea on FaceBook -Facebook is in no way sponsoring this contest- Never required, always appreciated! 🙂

– Follow @libretea on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway
#Win Libre Tea Glass/thermal container Giveaway! http://tinyurl.com/cwe8cl5 @libretea @HaveSippy


-“Like” me on Facebook. Facebook is in no way sponsoring this contest.
+2 entries

-Subscribe [Read more…]

Filed Under: giveaway, review

Does Your Child Need a Tutor?

December 18, 2011 by 6 Comments

Is your child freaked out by school? Are they afraid to show you their report cards because they are
continually facing bad grades? With public education still a controversial topic in the U.S., and with
stricter regulations passed by the 2002 implementation of No Child Left Behind that has many educators
up in arms, finding someone that can help your child out on a private basis is an option you might want
to consider. If you feel that your child might benefit from a tutor, watch out for these signs that can give
you a clue if they even need one in the first place.

Less-than-perfect grades. If your child is continually receiving failing grades in one or more subject
areas, this is the biggest sign that they may need additional help. Researchers on education claim that
it is easy to label children as lazy when in reality they may be avoiding doing the work because they are
falling farther and farther behind. And bad grades are poor motivators for many to seek improvement.

Hereditary learning disorders. If you already have one child with a diagnosed learning disorder, you will
need to understand and be able to cope with the fact that many times these disorders run in families. If
your second or third child begin to display signs you recognized in your first-born, a tutor may be able to
help.

Small versus large groups. Teachers are increasingly using a variety of strategies for differentiated
learning, including activities for the whole class as well as large [Read more…]

Filed Under: education, kids

Small Home Improvements that Add Resale Value to Your Home

December 17, 2011 by 6 Comments

Times continue to be tough, and the housing market can be scary. If you’re thinking of selling your
home someday, you probably want to begin figuring out ways to improve the resale value of your
property without breaking the bank. Think about these tips that will help you save money as well as
bring your house into a more inviting condition.

The exterior. Consider the curb appeal of your home, which simply means looking at your from a more
objective viewpoint, usually that of a potential buyer. The first thing anyone will see of your home is
the outside, including your yard. This is one place that doesn’t take a lot effort to keep up. Make the
sure lawn stays mowed and watered. Pull any unsightly weeds. If you feel that you are lacking in the
landscape department, add a tree, a hedge, or some flowers (window boxes are attractive). Fix anything
that is broken or ugly. Add a coat of paint to windowsills or trims.

The bathroom. Along with the kitchen, this is one of the most important rooms in your house, and one
that buyers are going to want to investigate before they make any decisions. Replace the toilet seat or
even the sink, or simply add new handles. If the floor has seen better days, you can apply new tiles or
sheet vinyl directly over the old one.

The kitchen. Rather than hire someone to do it for you, practice your own kitchen remodeling
skills. Visit a home improvement store and [Read more…]

Filed Under: home

Couponing- Start Small!

December 17, 2011 by 7 Comments

The following is a guest post by Outside the Box Mom:

Photo Credit

Smart Strategies

Do you want this couponing series to be a regular feature? Share your feedback in the comments.

– Outside The [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Little Pim- Learning Languages is FUN! Kid’s Educational Review

December 16, 2011 by 109 Comments

Our Little ones are going to grow up in a world we will not even recognize looking back on today. Just 20 years ago the world has changed by allot, the widespread usage of the Internet has led to more and more people being connected on a constant basis
In this new global community learning the most used language on the planet can’t hurt our children in the slightest. What language do you suspect that is? Chinese. Chinese is the most spoken language on the planet of the Earth, don’t you think its time for your kids to learn it?

The best time to learn a language is at a young age, and to continue using it throughout your life. As initial language skills grow, this is the time to wire the brain to learn languages. As this new language blossoms it must be used, take a look at this wonderful series of language learning tools, Little Pim. Little Pim teaches your children a foreign language using DVDs flash cards and a cute panda, called Pim. The DVDs break up the language learning experience nicely. There are DVDs focusing on eating and drinking, wake up smiling, playtime, in my home, happy, sad and silly, and I can count. Each DVD tackles a different segment of the new language and all flow into one another quite nicely.

The Chinese for kids is particularly interesting. This is because I feel a child growing up now could benefit greatly with a good understanding of the Chinese language. Not only is Chinese spoken by a large segment of the world population but it is also very different then English structurally and even in regard to its characters and writing. Plus how great would it be for our uber-pale Little Man to speak perfect Chinese? LOL. Or even Kamikazi finally understanding what people are trying to say to her in Chinese, which happens quite often by the way. (She is half Asian.)
Little Pim is great fun and the DVDs themselves are not boring or overly educational in the slightest. Both out kids were entertained right through to the end. The kids at the Pre-K LOVE Little Pim in Spanish, which I had bought a long time ago and mentioned often in past reviews.

One of you can win a Little Pim DVD! Here is how to enter! (even if you don’t win, you should really consider picking one up- the price is right and it will really benefit your kids!)

Mandatory entry
You must be a public follower on Google Friend Connect or G+1
Leave me your email so I can contact you if you win.
2 entries if you are doing both 🙂

Extra Entries
Leave a separate comment for each entry

– Like Little Pim on FaceBook -Facebook [Read more…]

Filed Under: education, giveaway, kids, review

Family Game Night 4 The Game Show- Family Video Games

December 16, 2011 by 5 Comments

Family Game Night 4 is the newest Kinect compatible game in the popular Family Game Night series. Game Night 4 breaks the mold a bit by basing itself on the game show on The Hub, Family Game Night. This show has contestants partake in various twisted versions of popular Hasbro games like Yahtzee bowling where instead of rolling dice from a cup players roll a giant bowling ball ad dice-like pins. Looks like a perfect game show to translate into a Kinect game.

Game Night 4 is the first in the series to take advantage of the Kinect. This game will make a regular family game night into a whole new creature. One which uses video games to bring a family together. The game has local multi player only with up to two players. So taking turns only. This is true of all Kinect games, 2 players only. Some may see this as a problem but the whole point of family game night is so a ‘family’ can play together and the Kinect limits the number of players [Read more…]

Filed Under: family