Marble Maze Review and giveaway

Cuddlebug Kids sent us some marble mazes to try out and review. It is basically a marble placed between two very soft pieces of material in a maze form. The idea is to manipulate your hands/fingers to move the marble from one area to another all without actually being able to visually see the marble. This is an excellent hand toy/fidget that is great for concentration. It makes a wonderful car toy, grocery store toy, basically anytime you would like to keep your kids busy this would be a great toy to take along.

"The marble maze series gives kids something fun to do with their hands to help busy minds stay focused"

Fruity Twist Marble Mazes:
The Serpentine maze zig zags back and forth (lemon/lime)
The Double S maze has a mirror image zig zag with 2 marbles to manipulate at the same time (tangerine/lime)

Have you ever found yourself subconsciously doodling in school while your teacher was talking? I used to do that but just because I was doodling, doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention.

Deen really enjoyed trying to figure out the marble maze.

Cuddlebug kids handmade "products help provide structure and sensory support to kids with ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, PPD-NOS and Sensory Integration Disorder." That is no limitation though as I find their products to be great for kids without the above disorders too!

Although I don't have one of her gorgeous weighted stuffed toys it is definitely on my wish list!

and... that is not on my wish list for my son... I want it for myself!
It looks so cozy! :)

"Weighted animals can help little nervous systems calm down enough to participate in story times, circle time, and other seated activities. Sitting on a child’s lap or being carried around the classroom or home, Lovie can help provide deep muscle input to calm little ones."

Cuddlebug Kids has offered one of my readers the chance to win a set of marble mazes!
Read on to learn how to enter.

Mandatory Entry: Visit Cuddlebug Kids Store and leave me a comment here telling me which item interests you most.

Extra Entries(leave appropriate comments for each extra entry):
Visit Cuddlebug Kids Blog and leave a comment (1 entry)
Subscribe to my blog in a reader. (1 entry)
Become a follower of mine. (1 entry)
Add my button to your sites sidebar. (1 entry)
Tweet about this giveaway. (1 entry. Leave link to tweet in comment)
Post about this giveaway on facebook. (1 entry. Leave a link to your facebook page)
Blog about this giveaway (2 entries. Leave link to blog entry in comment)

This giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday February 28, 2010. Good luck to all my readers!

*Disclaimer: I was not paid to do this review. I was given a free product to try and to review honestly.*

Fly safely with your kids

I am a very nervous flyer and hate having to fly(this is odd since we travel A LOT). I am so scared of all the millions of things that can go wrong on a flight(which I blame on Discovery's Air Crash Investigations)!

We decided to fly to Singapore/Malaysia/Thailand in December. After having heard about a Continental Airlines flight that had bad turbulence in the air and how there were a few injuries I immediately started wondering about whether we could bring Deen's car seat on board.

I wondered how we would manage carrying a car seat while caring for two kids under 3.
I then found the CARES Child Aviation Restraint System and was immediately sold on this product. You are basically giving your child a 5 point harness instead of them using those flimsy little lap belts on the airline seats. Kids are so tiny that honestly I don't feel like those lap belts will hold them down in case of an emergency or bad turbulence.

The CARES system gave me one thing less to worry about on the flight. When we hit turbulence I could easily grab my husbands hand(I'm a big baby) instead of having to worry whether my son would be safe and secure.

The CARES belt is made of good sturdy material, it includes an FAA Approval on the seat belt and it folds up pretty small. It takes up very little space in your carry on luggage.

The system comes with a DVD so you can easily see how to install the CARES belt correctly. (It's a good idea to practice at home once).

Deen was very excited to use his seat belt and we had no problems using this belt on any of the airlines we travelled on.

Here is a little more information on CARES:

• CARES stands for Child Aviation Restraint System. CARES is a harness-type safety device designed for children who weigh between 22-44 lbs and are sitting in their own airplane seats. (Generally 1-4/5 years old.)
• CARES takes the place of a car seat when traveling by air with your children and provides an equivalent level of safety (ELOS) to a car seat. (Stated in the FAA certification designation)
• CARES weighs 1 pound (car seats weigh 15-20 lbs).
• CARES comes in a 6 inch stuff sack that fits in a pocket or purse. (Car seats are over 2 feet high, 20 inches wide, heavy, bulky and hard to carry)
• CARES is designed specifically for air travel: it is portable, light weight and easy to use.
• CARES takes one minute to install on any airplane seat and augments the regular lap belt.
• Parents who need the car seat at the other end of trip can ship it through as luggage, and carry their CARES on board.
• CARES has been certified by Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Certification for many other countries is in process.

Final Thoughts: I think those that CAN travel with their car seats should stick with their car seat since it is also very safe and your child is already familiar and comfortable in it.
For those of you who cannot travel with their car seat for any reason (too big, not enough hands to carry,etc) but would like extra protection and more peace of mind the CARES system is perfect!

Twinkle Wish Adventure Review and Giveaway!

I walked into the local Toys R Us store in South Africa this past weekend and what do I see all over the girls section? A Lot of My Little Pony toys! My Little Pony seems to be very popular right now and I can definitely see why.. (I used to love my little pony when I was younger)

Shout! Factory was kind enough to not only send me their new My Little Pony Twinkle Wish Adventure to review but they also sent me 2 copies to giveaway to two of my lucky readers!

My Little Pony Twinkle Wish adventure is a fun story with great lessons about friendship. Pinkie Pie and her friends are so excited about the Winter Wishes Festival because the wishing star will grant them one of their wishes. Unfortunately the wishing star goes missing so Pinkie Pie and her friends go on a journey to find the wishing star.



The dvd is full of bonus features including:
6 Sing along songs
Downloadable Activities
An animated story called Elefun and Friends ( which is about a frog and an elephant learning to help each other out)
Waiting for the Winter Wishes Festival a prequel

This DVD would make a great Christmas Present or a great birthday present!

Even though Deen is a boy he really enjoyed the DVD... as soon as he saw the DVD he helped me open it up and asked me to play it immediately.

The theme song for my little pony is so sweet... I now sing it to Deen with a few word changes... It is so easy to substitute your own words in... "My little Deeny, my little Deeny"

To enter the giveaway(MANDATORY entry):
Leave me a comment telling me one of your favorite things about Fun With Mama... It could be an activity, a printable, etc..

Extra Entries(leave appropriate comments for each extra entry):
Subscribe to my blog in a reader. (1 entry)
Become a follower of mine. (1 entry)
Add my button to your sites sidebar. (1 entry)
Tweet about this giveaway. (1 entry. Leave link to tweet in comment)
Post about this giveaway on facebook. (1 entry. Leave a link to your facebook page)
Blog about this giveaway (2 entries. Leave link to blog entry in comment)

This giveaway will end at midnight on Saturday November 28 2009. Good luck to all my readers!

*Disclaimer: I was not paid to do this review. I was given a free product to try and to review honestly.*