staSAFE is non-alcohol, non-toxic, all-natural hand sanitizer.  It kills germs on hands for up to two hours which is much longer than traditional alcohol rubs (which pretty much stop killing germs once the alcohol evaporates).  Unlike other hand sanitizer, this doesn’t dry your hands out if you use it a lot (I’m guess that is because there is no alcohol in it).  I like not having to worry that my kids might ingest this.  This also has not been tested on animals and doesn’t contain parabens, phthalates, formaldehydes, or steroids.  It’s a high grade moisturizer, as well as a sanitizer.  Who can’t use that especially with the H1N1 virus going around?

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Will is very texture oriented. He loves books that allow him to touch the page and feel the items on there.  We recently checked out two of the Touch The Art Books:  Tickle Tuts Toes and Catch Picassos Rooster.  These books definitely fit the bill for us.  These are both board books, so there is no destroying them.  Each page has something for your kids to interact with be it feeling the bumpy pyramids to feeling a pet cat.  Wills favorite though has to be the mummies.  I love that this is a great introduction to both art and history.  I love how they are able to incorporate famous works (like van Gogh’s Two Rats) into a children’s book.  At the end of each book, there is also a section that gives background information for both you (the parent) and your kids.  It helps you gain a better understanding of what you are looking at and gives you some additional things to talk to your kids about.  These books are geared for the 4-6 age group, but my two year old loved them just as much as his five year old sister!

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Want to get your kids to brush longer and better?  The Kid’s Spinbrush is your answer.  These are perfect for ages 3-11 and the specially designed handles makes brushing all the more fun.  You can get everything from butterflies to skateboards to a fire truck.  These brushes promote healthy brushing, they reduce plaque, and massage your gums.  It only take 2 AAA batteries to run too.  At first, your kids will be more interested in playing with the toothbrush than brushing their teeth (trust me!).  Also, make sure that you have the toothbrush in their mouth BEFORE you turn the brush on.  Otherwise, you’ll be cleaning up toothpaste (I won’t tell you how we figured that out.)  Research has shown that kids brush 38% longer with this brush, and I definitely believe it.  It is just more fun for them.  I’ve seen it with my own kids.

I would definitely get these toothbrushes again for my kids.

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This has also been posted on Lisa Cooking.

I am a fan of gift baskets. Where else can you get lots of yummy food and have it be called a present? It is also pretty nice when everybody in the house can enjoy something from it.  Hickory Farms gift baskets don’t disappoint.  We had one of these to try over Thanksgiving, and everybody loved it!  Besides the excellent cheese and sausage (which we are still munching on a week later), my husband is in love with the cheese cutter that this basket comes with.  How many gift basket come with what you need to cut the contents with?

The basket itself comes with (besides the slicer):

2 – 12 oz. Beef Summer Sausages
- 12 oz. Ham Summer Sausage
- 10 oz. Original Cheese Ball
- 7 oz. Pennsylvania Dutch Edam
- 2 – 6.5 oz. Apple Pie Cheddars
- 10 oz. Sweet Hot Mustard
- 5 oz. Flatbread Crackers

I have to admit that I loved the apple pie cheddar cheese.  It was beyond yummy.  That is a flavor I can readily admit I’ve never had before.  Bill was super excited about the mustard because well, he loves mustard.  My only complaint is that this doesn’t come with enough crackers!  This makes a great gift for a get together or house that is fan of cheese of sausage (which would be mine!).  If anybody wants to know what to get me for Christmas, please send me another! 

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a Hickory Farms gift basket to facilitate my review.”

You know you are a mom when you get all excited about a new winter coat for your 5 year old. However, this Lands’ End’s Kids Sport Squall Parka is Madison’s new winter coat and we couldn’t be happier! First of all, it is windproof with a  3-ply nylon shell with a DriOff™ finish.  For us here in Chicago, this means it keeps the kid dry and warm.  We’ve had plenty of icky weather so far, and this coat has passed that test!  I love the adjustable cuffs (which you can’t really see on this picture that they really are adjusted for her arms.  It’s a great way to keep the cold finding it’s way in.  I do like that the trim is reflective.  It makes it easier for her to be seen when we are in the parking lot (like at school for drop off and pick up.  I can only imagine I’ll be dropping her off in the dark come winter!)  A feature we don’t use but is on there is a MP3 player pocket with a cord port.  The waist also cinches so make the coat fit better and be warmer.  I can see us getting (hopefully) two years wear out of this.  The first day I had Madison wear this to school, her teacher complimented her on such a nice coat! The Lands’ End’s Kids Sport Squall Parka is available in 12 colors (differing for boys and girls) and come in youth sizes S, M, L and XL.  Your kids definitely want one of these for this winter!

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