Trio Building Blocks from Fisher Price

Little Man LOVES my blog because he has been the beneficiary of my efforts to review and share info about many new products. I am happy to try out new products and share my opinions about them, because as a mom on a tight budget, we don't have money to waste on products that are sub par and I know most of you feel the same way. So if I can give someone a heads up BEFORE they go spend their hard earned cash, I'm glad to do it!

So last week we received a box from Fisher Price and my Little Man was running in circles around the box while I opened it, waiting to see what was inside. Here's what we found:

I should have taken a better picture of the box. They are TRIO Building Sets, by Fisher-Price. I was really surprised at how much he enjoyed them, I thought he would get bored of them very quickly. It turns out he loves them! I love them because they are a LOT easier to pick up than some other little, tiny square building blocks that I find in every single room in my house. Since you can actually see TRIO components, you don't step on them in bare feet and then hop around doing the pain dance. I KNOW you know what I'm talking about!

Another bonus? The TRIO Building components CANNOT clog up my vacuum. They're too big! YAY! But I think the best bonus was that my son really uses and enjoys them. He was able to be creative and use his hands to build things, which he loves doing. I loved the fact that for a week straight he stayed busy and wasn't driving me crazy with his excess energy. Here are a few of the things he built:

He even used that monster/robot thing one night at dinner to hold his cup by pointing the finger things up and placing cups in them. He was so proud of himself! Fisher-Price says the sets are for ages 3-9, but my 10 year old jumped in at one point to build something too and I noticed they have all kinds of sets that allow kids to build castles, critters, airplanes, etc. Also, the set came with a booklet that shows how to build certain items, like the boat Little Man made.

I can say without pause that TRIO Building Sets are definitely worth having. Anything that gets my kids out from in front of the TV and gets them to use their imagination is a good thing and TRIO has done a good job of giving Little Man a chance to be creative and develop his mind.

Wanna check TRIO Building Sets out? Fisher Price has a coupon good for $5 off your first purchase. Just click the link to get your coupon! The offer expires on October 1st, so don't wait too long.

$5 off TRIO Building Set

Now the good news gets even better...Because they're good like that, Fisher-Price and Mom Select are giving away a TRIO Bulding Set to one of my readers! Leave a comment to win your own set and watch your kid build amazing things! Contest is open to US and Canada and ends September 20th at 12 midnight PST.

If you want extra entries you can:

• Twitter the contest
• Blog about my giveaway
• Post a Facebook Comment with a link to the giveaway

Thanks to MomSelect and Fisher Price for letting us try out TRIO. This TRIO set has found a happy home and will be used often!

GoGo Pets Hamsters

Some MORE Added Update at bottom of post and on Boymom blog!!!!!

My Little Man loves him some animals. Creatures of every kind are interesting to him and we have had numerous discussions about what can and cannot come in the house to become a pet.

So far the only things that have made it throught the door are a lizard that he kept in an aquarium and our cat, Blackie Chan. He has BEGGED for a hamster and I have refused to allow one into my home, because I've had hamsters and I know how they smell!

Well, the good people at MomSelect and Cepia have solved one of my long standing pet issues and I have to say...I am grateful. Really, really grateful! Let me show you what we did last week:



(Couldn't get the party video to upload, but here's on of Little Man and the hamster with fresh batteries!)

Can I just say that Go Go Pets Hamsters are one of the best toys to come along since the hoola hoop and Furbies!?! No kidding!

We had a Go Go Pets Party and invited some friends over to try them out with us. Along with the hamsters, we also received a whole Hamster Playset so the kids could experience the hamsters in action. Word to the wise, some of the playset items take a bit of effort to put together. Not like backyard swingset effort, but a little bit of concentration and just a tiny bit of muscle. The playset is made of plastic and did not seem to be cheaply made. I was impressed by the fact that nothing broke on us after we had to take a few things apart after we put them together incorrectly.

The one negative comment I do have regarding the playset items is that the Adventure Ball kept coming apart. It is made of 2 halves that kind of just snap together, but it wasn't a tight fit and the kids got a little frustrated that it kept coming apart. I finally Super Glued it and it works fine now. But if I were spending money on it I would be a little miffed at having spent money on a toy that doesn't hold together well. Maybe mine was defective...don't know.

Anyway...everything else worked wonderfully and although the Hamsters don't go through the Playset as smoothly as the video on the GoGo Pets Website shows, they are still a lot of fun and the kids have had a blast playing with them. They can make over 40 little noises and Little Man takes his with him wherever he goes. The hamster chatter can get a little annoying after a while, but the hamsters shut down on their own after a short time, then there's a button on their back to start them up again.

There are 4 different colors of hamsters availble, each color has it's own name and personality. The Go Go Pets website has more information and some fun games that will help kids get to know their hamster better. The little accessories are fun, it is hilarious to see a hamster driving the little car around. All the kids at the party left with one and most of the parents were interested in picking up an accessory or two for their child. The Hamsters run about $7.99 each and you can pick one up, along with some of the Habitrail accessories at Walmart or Toys R Us.

What do I love most about Go Go Pets Hamsters? No food to buy, no cage to clean, no hamster poo to deal with. In fact, the sticker on the side of the box the toys came in says "Pets without Poop." It left the Fed-X guy who delivered the box scratching his head, so I had to explain the whole Smart Pet thing. He was pretty impressed. So am I. So are my kids and their friends. So are the friends' moms. That's alot of impressed and happy people! I think we have a winner here, folks!

Update: I received an email today from one of the engineers from Cepia, LLC - makers of Go Go Pets Hamsters. They addressed the Adventure Ball issue so that it doesn't come apart anymore and I will be testing the new design. I will post results after the test. But how great is it that they actually took the time to listen to consumers and fix the problem!? Also, I put fresh batteries in both our hamsters today and there was a WORLD of difference in how they performed on the Habitrail! They ran much faster and smoother through the Habitrail thing and my boys enjoyed them a lot more tonight.

Update on New Adventure Ball: Received the new ball last week and the changes that the engineers made were definitely an improvement! The ball has held together well without the Super Glue! I noticed the new one also included a stabilizer to put on the botton of the hamster to keep it from tipping over when it is in the ball, which they tend to do. The stabilizer helped with the tipping issue, but the hamster sometimes got hung up on the lid of the ball with the stabilizer on it. All in all though, the product was much better than the first ball we received. I want to thank Cepia LLC for listening to their consumers and making the necessary product changes to ensure that their customers get a decent product for their money!

Check out the Boymom Blogoversary Giveaway Bash to win a GoGo Pet hamster of your your own!!

Land's End Has New UV Protective Summer Clothing!

Introducing The New Lands' End Collection

Sun.Life

In December we had asked you to provide some insight into what matters most to Moms when it comes to summer clothing and summer safety. We wanted to let you know that your opinions have made a difference!! Thanks to your valuable insights and opinions, Lands' End has created a new collection of clothing... and they couldn't have done it without YOU!

More than ever before, people are aware of the sun's damaging affects on unprotected skin. From painful sunburns, to serious skin diseases, to cancer; overexposure has people concerned about excessive time in the sun. Lands' End answered your concerns with a new, innovative, protective, and stylish collection of clothes simply called Sun.Life. The new Sun.Life collection is a full line of adjustable, breathable, and comfortable clothes for the entire family with an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) rating of 30 or 50.

"Our customers always look for the best quality, performance and style and we have built in all the attributes we felt were absolutely necessary to offer a fully functional, sun-protective outdoor apparel collection with everyday comfort and style."Suzanne Bryant, Vice President of Design for Lands' End.

To address your concerns, the new Sun.Life line offers bright colors and patterns along with cotton-rich fabric blends that keeps the entire collection looking like normal, everyday clothes! Here are just some of the really great Sun.Life items you might enjoy:

• Women - Bright colored convertible pants and long sleeve t-shirts
• Men - Functional shirts and pants
• Girls - Solid and patterned hoodies and t-shirts
• Boys - Half-zip mockneck shirt and shorts

Click on the image below to watch how Lands' End's new collection is something every mom can appreciate and enjoy:

And for a limited time, Lands' End is offering MomSelect members FREE SHIPPING on your Sun.Life purchases. Just use the following information at checkout:

Promo code: KIDSSUN

Pin #: 6852

End Date: March 9, 2009

Limited Time Offer - Receive Free Shipping and handling on up to two orders that include regular priced merchandise to U.S. addresses (includes U.S. territories, APO/FPO) when you supply a valid Promotion Code and PIN at the time of order. 4-7 business day delivery to most addresses. For items with monogramming, engraving, or hemming requests please allow another 1-2 business days. Shipping upgrades, drop shipments and items requiring Specialty Shipping excluded. This offer has no cash value and is not redeemable for cash. Applies only to merchandise purchased from landsend.com and Lands' End consumer catalogs. Not redeemable at Lands' End®, Sears® and Kmart® retail stores; at Sears.com and Kmart.com; on Lands' End Business Outfitters purchases; or by SHC employees. Consumer is responsible for applicable taxes. Offer valid through 11:59 p.m. CST Monday, March 9, 2009. Not valid on previous purchases or when combined with any other promotional offer.

Win a $25 Gift Card - MomSelect Survey!

With Spring Break just around the corner and summer not too far behind, the topic of travel and vacations seems to be on everyone's mind. As parents, we try and make these breaks extra special by fitting in a family trip to the beach, to a park or to visit grandma and grandpa. But with the economy the way it is, are you struggling to find the extra time and money to travel? We want to hear your thoughts on this subject and how you are planning to spend the upcoming time-off from school with your kids. Please take 5 minutes to complete this short online survey regarding your thoughts on travel destinations and family vacations. Three (3) Lucky Moms will win a $25 Target gift card!

Take the Survey Now!

We look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your participation. And congratulations to the winners of our most recent survey:

Linda from North Carolina
Darlene from MichiganThanks again for your valuable insights!

Sincerely,

Your Friends at MomSelect.com

If you are interested in participating in future MomSelect sponsored events and programs, register at MomSelect.com!

Wanna Win A $25 Target Gift Card?

MomSelect is doing a survey!! Here's the info, it's quick and easy and you could win a gift card!

It's no secret that Moms worry. And the concerns we have regarding our kids only seem to multiply as they grow older.

Whether you're currently raising teens or toddlers, we want to hear your about your present and future concerns as a Mom, as well as your thoughts on kids and technology.

Please take 5 minutes to complete this short online survey. Three (3) Lucky Moms will win a $25 Target gift card!

Take the Survey Now!

We look forward to hearing from you! Thank you for your participation and valuable insights!

Sincerely,

Your Friends at MomSelect.com

If you are interested in participating in future MomSelect sponsored events and programs, register at MomSelect.com!