What’s New at Dollar Shave Club

Disclosure- The following was sent for review in order to facilitate this post. The items were reviewed by my husband, who wrote (much of) this post. For more, see “I Disclose”.

As a man, there are fewer things more mindbogglingly annoying as buying a razor.  Many of them are locked up behind a counter, as well as being astronomically priced- but they are necessary evils.

Or so we thought- with the internet, there is now a way to get blades for an entire month for as little as $3.  Dollar Shave Club is here with a great deal for anyone who shaves.  As an introduction, prices are reduced so getting into the swing of using the club saves you money as well.  Once up and running, it is possible to get refill blades every month then after delivered to you for as little as $3.  But razors and handles aren’t the only shaving items available.

There are also components for every portion of your shave, such as a pre shave oil to rub into your skin,  shaving special lathers, and/or a post shave balm to help keep that sensitive skin moisturized and healthy.  One of the best parts is that there is no heavy scent.  No flowers, no herbal scents, just a light clean scent that leaves you smelling fresh and well groomed.

A shave and a shower becomes much more of a cleansing event with your new shaving rituals.  The oil worked nicely and I suggest it.  Makes shaving a bit easier and less damaging to your skin.  We also tried out the post shave balm, which smells nice and is a thin, quick absorbing skin cream.  You may be asking yourself, well what if I don’t use that many razors a month?  Well, for you there is the option to have a refill of blades delivered every other month as well as pausing and canceling the subscription at any point in time.

Dollar Shave Club is surprisingly easy for a good product, so be sure to check them out soon.

Superfoods Snack Time with The First Years

Disclosure- We received the below in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are our own and honest.

Dinner Time and Snack Time can be quite the feat with young children, as anyone that has eaten with a child may well know. The First Years is going above and beyond to make sure that it is a much more enjoyable experience for everyone.

About The First Years:

3 Things The First Years believes above all else:

  1. Your journey as a parent is uniquely your own.
  2. The not-so-smooth moments are more memorable than when the stars align.
  3. Think out of the box and trust yourself; you’ve got this

The First Years was founded by parents more than 65 years ago. Mr. & Mrs. Sidman from Roxbury, Massachusetts were looking for the next big thing to grow a business. Marshall Sidman found it in an innovative diaper pin developed by a friend – one that wouldn’t prick parent’s fingers or baby’s skin. He approached local stores and The First Years journey began. Today, The First Years is a leading global juvenile products brand, recognized for it’s breadth of thoughtfully designed products that help parents through the many unexpected twists and turns on their own parenting journeys.

About Double Duty Plates:

It’s easy to “Put a lid on it” with The First Years Take & Toss Double Duty Plates! The plates double as lids for on-the-go meals, with a built-in utensil compartment for added convenience. Each leak-proof compartment seals independently so food stays separated and fresh.

My Thoughts: I absolutely love this product. I know that once my youngest gets a little older this product is going to be a very important tool for me. I love that the compartments stay separate even as you put it together on the go. 

About Stackable Soft Spout Trainer Cup- Pink:

This is the perfect cup for Baby’s First sippy cup. The First Years Stackable Trainer has easy-grasp handles and a soft spout that’s gentle on gums. Spill-proof and easy to clean, the one-piece lid is interchangeable with The First Years reusable cups, with no small parts to lose.

My Thoughts: I absolutely love these cups. My youngest is still at the stage that the soft spout are the cups that she prefers. I love that there are not multiple pieces to these cups. I hate when moisture gets in between all of the layers in the cup and then you have to work about mold and such. The design was adorable and my daughter was in love!

About The First Years Simply Spoutless Cup – 2 Pink:

The First Years Spoutless Cup lets your little one drink naturally from anywhere around the rim (just like an open cup), and it automatically closes tight when they stop sipping.

My Thoughts: Yay, I love these cups and I want to know why they didn’t exist when my other girls were younger. I can’t wait for my youngest to grow into these cups. I love the look and style of them, as well as the No spilling. 

About The First Years Inside Scoop Suction Sectioned Plate Pink:

We know that feeding time can be messy time. The Inside Scoop Section Plate is designed for easier self-feeding, with a unique curved rim to help guide more food onto forks and spoons. With a suction base to avoid slips and slides, plus three sections to keep food separate, it’s the plate you’ll reach for again and again.

My Thoughts: I absolutely love this awesome plate. My daughter is not quite to the age where she uses utensils, but she has gotten very excited about having her own plate and different foods in each section of the plate. 

Purchase:

If you are interested in purchasing any of these awesome products, make sure to click the links provided above with their explanations of the products.

What To Put In An Easter Basket

With Easter just around the corner, you are likely thinking of what you might put into your children’s Easter baskets this year. Here are a few fun suggestions that we think you and yours might enjoy.

Surprizamals are the perfect toy to put in your basket- they are cute for any time of the year, but love them for Easter baskets because they come in their own balls that are roughly the size of your basic plastic egg. The “surprise” is that you don’t know what animal comes inside each ball- there are even some very rare ones your child will enjoy looking for. These toys are small, cute, and inexpensive, and the “surprise” aspect of them really makes kids like them that much more. Not to mention, that they are easy to collect. An easy win.  Available at https://www.surprizamals.com/

We’ve mentioned Whiffer Sniffers before, but there is a new series out as well as new Spring/Easter exclusives that little fans or collectors will really enjoy. These scented plush characters really smell like they are supposed to.  They are fun toys that come with clips so that they can hand off your child’s backpack (or whatever they prefer). These small toys pack a large fragrance as well- several months later, I still smell the ones he’s had on his backpack from August. Not overwhelming. Also, the sweet smell of confections is one I will take over the gross “little boy playing” smell any day of the week, I will tell you that. There are several sizes and styles available for each character-  snuggley super size, a backpack clip, and scratch ‘n’ sniff stickers. You can also find exclusive characters only found inside specially marked mystery packs. Ah, the fun is in the hunt, right? Grab yours at a toy store near you or at http://whiffersniffers.com/ .

Perfect for Spring as well as any Doc McStuffins fan is the Doc McStuffins Baby Check Up Lil’ Nursery Pals doll collection. Yes, quite the mouthful of a name, but the doll is perfectly sized for little hands and arms and designed for kids in that Pre-K-K age. The outfits on the dolls (or doll styles) come in Bumblebee, Ladybug and Blue Bunny.  These baby dolls are inspired by the Doc McStuffins Toy Hospital Nursery your kids might watch on Disney Junior, and every doll wears her own spring themed costume and comes with an included pacifier. Available in most retails stores for about $9.99.

If you are traveling this holiday, you might want to take along a familiar friend. Peppa Pig has her own portable night light that kids will love and is easy to bring with you wherever you go- she also looks cute sitting in an Easter basket. So, fun meets function, my favorite. This Peppa Pig Soft Lites is plug free and needs 2AAA batteries (which are included) to emit a soft glow that will comfort kids as they fall asleep. $15 on http://www.tech4kidsdirect.com

Looking for a fun bunny to add? How about Mim-Mim? If your kids are fans of this newish TV show, they will love the toys available. Not only is there the large, purple bunny from Mimiloo, Mim-Mim, but also friends like Tack. You can get these toys in stuffed versions or in a figure pack. The Mimiloo Friends Figure Pack comes with Kate, Mim-Mim, Lily, Boomer, and Tack. These brightly colored and unusual creatures will be fun additions to your child’s basket, and let kids act out favorite scenes from the show or imagine their own adventures. Books and DVDs are also available, such as the new “Kate and Mim-Mim, The Mimiloo Zoo”. There are books for the littlest kids, such as “Kate and the Mitty Kats”, as well as stepping up readers. Prices vary.

Sing Movie Gift Pack at @BestBuy #bbymovies

Disclaimer:  The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Good news- you can grab the new Sing! movie at Best Buy. It’s really cute.  If you haven’t seen it, now is the perfect time. Grab a copy and have a movie night with the family!

If you don’t know much about the movie yet, SING is a wonderful, funny, heartwarming film with great music and a fantastic cast. My son loved it, and is so excited to have his own copy. He has watched it about a zillion times now, and he said it’s one of his favorites.

Best Buy has an expanding selection of kids and family movies that you can get either online or in-store.  Movies are always a great gift, or fun for your family’s movie nights or rainy days.  You can check out the amazing selection right here– see what strikes your fancy.

Pick up a copy of the SING for your next family movie night, it’s the perfect movie for everyone. Do you watch “American Idol” or “The Voice” or any of those? If so, you will really enjoy it. We don’t watch a lot of singing shows, but we still thought this was a fun one.  For a limited time, you can get an adorable collectible lunch box as well 🙂  If you spend $25 on select movies, you get a $5 gift card as well. It’s a win-win.

And there is another bonus of getting the DVD, even if you already saw the movie in theaters. The music-filled comedy will include over 60-minutes of bonus content and will incorporate three all-new entertaining mini movies featuring the cast from SING as well as an exclusive Tori Kelly music video and a variety of musical extras.

 

I think your family will really enjoy this one. Head over to Best Buy and pick up your copy today!

Candy Free Easter Baskets

With Easter around the corner, you are likely starting to gather items for your children’s baskets. You probably don’t want to fill them with candy, and might be looking for other small items to put inside. Here are a few toys we think are a great fit.

Are your children fans of Super Wings? The new Super Wings Vroom ‘n Zoom are great for pre-k and toddler aged kids, they push to rev up, then release them to speed away.  Jett and friends available, $5.99.  Also available are the Super Wings Transform-a-Bots four Pack. These planes can transform from planes to robots in just three easy steps, each slightly differently, since they are shaped uniquely. Transform-a-bots let your kids recreate favorite scenes from the Super Wings TV show or imagine whole new helpful deliveries. $11.99

super wings toys
PJ Masks, another show for young kids, makes similar cars. PJ Masks Mini Vehicles feature your favorite heroes from the hit show.  You can get Catboy in his Cat-Car, Gekko in his Gekko-Mobile, and Owlette in her Owl Glider. Each car is $6.99 at stores like Walmart and Toys R Us. The cars are a good size for small hands, and are easy to push and roll around.

Madballs are great for slightly older kids, and even tweens. They are fun, gross, and collectable. Millennials and kids born around that time might remember them- they were first out in 1985 (so dad will likely get a huge kick out of them as well).  Icky faces made of foam that are also great to throw, hit, bounce, etc- everything you’d do with any other ball, but these are “way more better” since they have gruesome features.  They come in the classic 3 inch (typical ball-ish size) and mini blind bags. Six Madballs characters are currently available: Dustbrain, Horn Head, Oculus Orbus, Screamin’ Meemie, Skull Face, and Slobulus. $7.99 each, $2.99 for the mini blind bags.

no candy Easter Basket

If you want to take the fun outside, check out Bunch O Balloons. These are like classic water balloons, except you can fill AND tie 100 of them in less than one minute. Really. These balloons not only fill quuickly, but are self tying. If you ask me, that’s alwyas the worst part, the tying.  Just connect the ballons bunch to your hose or sink, and fill them up- done. The balloons are also biodegradable, so if you miss a few pieces when picking up after yourself, at least it’s safer. OK, maybe that’s the best part. We love these, it’s hard to pick a best part. Oh wait- did I mention they now come in “Minion” form? Yes! SO much fun. You and the kids will have a blast with Bunch O Balloon warfare. $9.99

You can also get the portable Bunch O Balloons Filler/Soaker to take with you on the go. Wherever you want to take your water balloon fight you can. No need for a hose, just put the balloons on the front nozzle, put the filler into a pool, bucket of water, any body of water, and fill it. It also doubles as a water gun, huzzah for double use!  It is $14.99 for the Filler/Soaker and 3 bunches of included Bunch O Balloons.

Animal Jams are adorable toy pets that you “adopt”. After you open your new friend, you can also activate them online on the Animal Jams website.  The site helps you keep track of your collection as well as unlock special online accessories and play games. Kids can also learn about plants and animals, but we recommend parents monitor all chat on the site to be safe. There are all sorts of options, ranging from blind packs, pets that come with their own pet (really), playsets, and more. They are a great size for an Easter basket, and quite a few of them are even “Easter Egg” sized. Just right! Prices vary per product. Available in many stores as well as online at places like Amazon.

animal stickbots

To add more animal fun to your Easter basket, a personal favorite of ours, Stickbot, now introduces Stickbot Pets. These are so much fun and let your child be so imaginative, we can’t say enough good things about Stickbots. They are inexpensive, nearly impossible to break, teach your child technological and creative skills like photo and video editing, and inspire hours of fun. With the addition of pets (including not-so-pet-like animals like gorillas and pandas) your Stickbots and Pets can have more companionship on their adventures. Who knows where they will end up? Let your kids find out. Love. These. About $5 each in stores like Target.

Win a Copy of SING Special Edition on DVD or Blu-ray, out now! #SingMovie #ad #SingSquad

This post is in partnership with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

Good news! SING Special Edition is now available on Blu-ray & DVD. If you haven’t seen it, now is the perfect time. Grab a copy and have a movie night with the family!

If you don’t know much about the movie yet, SING is a wonderful, funny, heartwarming film with great music and a fantastic cast. My son loved it, and is so excited to have his own copy. He has watched it about a zillion times now, and he said it’s one of his favorites.

Pick up a copy of the SING Special Edition Blu-ray in stores for your next family movie night, it’s the perfect movie for everyone. Do you watch “American Idol” or “The Voice” or any of those? If so, you will really enjoy it. We don’t watch a lot of singing shows, but we still thought this was a fun one.

And there is another bonus of getting the DVD, even if you already saw the movie in theaters. The music-filled comedy will include over 60-minutes of bonus content and will incorporate three all-new entertaining mini movies featuring the cast from SING as well as an exclusive Tori Kelly music video and a variety of musical extras.

The Golden Globe nominee for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, SING features more than 65 hit songs including ‘Faith,’ a brand new song by the legendary Stevie Wonder (featuring Ariana Grande), marking his first song for a major film release in 25 years.

I think your family will really enjoy this one. Pick up your copy today!

You can also enter to win a copy here by entering the RC code below. Good luck! Ends April 15, 2017.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cubetto- Must have Coding Toy For Kids

Disclosure- We received the below in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are our own and honest.

My girls absolutely love to play. I  do encourage playing without the use of screen time in our house a great deal. With this awesome coding game, Cubetto, this is easy for my girls to have a great deal of playtime without using a tv or an iPad.

About Primo Toys:

Primo Toys is the leading purveyor of hands on, screen-less, smart toys that introduce computer programming skills in early years learning. They are ready to build a new standard in early learning and coding.

They have received some great awards in 2016.

  • Gold Lion – Product Design – Cannes Festival of Creativity 2016
  • Platinum – 3 to 5 year old toys – Junior Design Awards 2016
  • Best of the Best – Concept- Red Dot Design Awards 2016
  • Winner – Product Innovation – GESS Dubai 2016

About Cubetto Playset:

Cubetto is made up of 3 separate elements. A friendly wooden robot, a tangible interface board, and 16x instruction blocks that make up a programming language you can touch. The playset comes with a charmingly illustrated 1×1 m World Map and story book that will make every play session with Cubetto a unique and memorable adventure.

Inside Every Box:

  • 1 Cubetto Robot
  • 1 Interface Board
  • 1 Instruction Manual
  • 1 Story Book
  • 1 World Map
  • 16 Coding Blocks

Not Included – 6 AA Batteries. 

The Cubetto Playset is the easiest way for children to start learning computer programming, and it consists of a friendly wooden robot named Cubetto, a physical programming console, a set of expandable coding blocks, a collection of beautifullly illustrated maps and an activity book. By placing the blocks in different patterns on the control panel, children create sequences of instructions that program the robot’s movement. In the process, they develop computational thinking skills that help them understand the basic principles of coding – all of this, in a very age-appropriate way that respects a child’s natural way of learning.

The Maps and activity books help children and parents get started with play, by navigating Cubetto through stories and challenges. Planning these mini adventures helps children learn more than coding. They are now learning to tell stories, to communicate, and to think critically and independently.

 

About Adventure Pack:

The Adventure Pack is a set of 4x thematically illustrated world maps with corresponding activity books. Each map is a world to explore, each book is an adventure. Cubetto Playsets purchased in conjunction with an Adventure Pack outnumber Cubetto Playsets being sold individually 3 to 1.

The World Map Themes:

  • Solar System
  • Ancient Egypt
  • Big City
  • Blue Ocean

My Thoughts:

What an awesome toy. My daughters absolutely love this toy. This is the first time that they have every done anything with coding outside of their school settings, but they absolutely love it. My girls are 4 and 6 and had a great time working on it together. My oldest loved to read and help out her sister, while her little sister was the “brains” of the operation. I think that this is a great toy for kids.

Purchase:

If you are interested in purchasing the awesome Cubetto and Adventure Pack, head on over to their website and order one for yourself.

 

Great Cup From Perfect Shaker

Disclosure- We received the below in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are our own and honest.

About Perfect Shaker:

Perfect Shaker crafts the world’s best 100% leak-free shaker bottles and mixing bottles. Mix protein, greens, waffle batter, sauces, gravy, or anything really! BPA-Free and Dishwasher Safe!

This great company has amazing service.

  • Free Shipping
  • Free Design Support
  • No Set-Up Costs
  • No Extra Fees for Paying by Credit Card
  • If you are not happy with your shakers, they will do whatever it takes to make it right.

Product Description:

The Perfect Shaker Shaker Cup has many wonderful features.

  • A Stay-open flip cap
  • An extra wide mouth
  • A screw on lid, without a rubber seal and leak free!
  • Easy to use, easy to clean, dishwasher safe
  • This awesome cup is light weight and portable
  • The cup fits in most all drink holders
  • You can mix, pour, and store  – All in the same container.

My Thoughts:

These cups are pretty awesome!  They are one of the only shaker cups that I have used that truthfully doesn’t leak. I use this cup for a lot of different things. I have used it for protein, just to drink water, make tea, etc. It is extremely easy to clean and smells don’t linger in the cup after you wash it. I have even had to fight my children to get my cups back because they like to use them just as much as I do. I like that the shaker is attached, so that it doesn’t get misplaced and won’t be lost.

All in All, I would say that this is definitely my favorite Shaker that I have ever used in the past.

Purchase:

If you would like to purchase from PerfectShaker, head on over to their website and see what product is the perfect fit for you.