As you all know, I love reviewing kids books and kids toys on here.  With having a 4 year old and a 1 year old, I have great product testers, and I really get to see how products hold up.  That being said, at my house, we have been playing with the Nana Star books and plushies, and we have a winner at my house.

Before I go to far into the books, I need to give you a little background on how Nana Star came about (and I got a little teary-eyed myself when I found this all out).  The authors of this series of books are Elizabeth Sills and Elena Patrice.  The illustrator is Linda Saker.  The original creator of Nana Star is Elizabeth Owens (Elizabeth and Elena’s grandmother and Linda’s mother).  She had a grandson named Vance  that she made up Moonman and Nana Star for.  When he moved away, she often sent him hand made cards with her characters, so he always knew she was with him.  Unfortunately, Vance now “dances with the stars“, but she has allowed us into her fantasy world, so our children can have that sense of belonging too.

The first thing I have to do is warn you. You need to read the Nana Star book first. Trust me, it all makes more sense if you do (**blush** won’t tell you how I figured that out). This is a truly entertaining book. Not only can I read it to my kids, there is a CD that comes with it.  When you listen to the CD, make sure you get comfortable.  They have really awesome background music behind the narrator.  There is also an additional song on there.  Madison was singing along after the first time listening to the songs.

The other really cool thing that they do with these books is that they have a Nana Star’s Little Twinkles Club.  On purpose, they have a spellling mistake in the book.  You are able to write them and tell them what the mistake was, and you can then join the Twinkles Club!  This is such a cute idea to engage their little readers.

The second book we read and listened to was Nana Star and the Moonman. Now, in the first book, we learned that a little star fell out of the sky was looking for her Nana. Now, the second book is the start of the journey the little girl (Nana Star) takes to help the little star get home. I truly can see this being an awesome series of books. As an adult, I’m wondering what happens next.  The other nice thing is that the CDs that come with the books are held by a pocket that is attached to the book.  You don’t have to worry about losing the CDs.

Now, I highly recommend these books.  Madison was engaged with them.  The thing I noticed and loved about the books themselves (besides the CD pocket) was that the paper is a thicker paper.  It does not rip easily which is a huge problem normally in my house.  You also get a bookmark with each book.  Amazingly, we don’t actually own any bookmarks, so it is a welcome addition in our house.  I also like that I am not the only one who thinks these products are great.  They have gotten numerous awards including Mr. Dad Seal of Approval and Great Dad Recommends Awards, Nominated by Mom’s Choice Award® for Most Inspirational Story, and iParenting Media Award for Excellent Products of 2007.

Not only did we try out the books, we even had some fun with the plushies that they offer.  Now, I’ll be honest, I didn’t quite know what to expect.  I really am not good with measurements and figuring out how big things really are.  However, this Moonman was quite a bit larger than I expected!

Now, if you push on Moonman’s belly, his head lights up and it plays a lullaby (which you can kinda tell with my picture of Will and Moonman).  Will likes walking around with him (and let me add that is kissing him not biting him in the second picture!).

Now, this Nana Star plushy is a huge hit with both kids.  Its cute, easy to carry, and even has bloomers on under the skirt (yes, I checked).  Madison immediately made the connection between the doll and the books.  She talks about Nana Star quite often now.  You can also tell that this is not a small doll either.

If you need a great children’s gift, this is the way to go.  The books are for 3-7 years olds and they have such a postivie message.  In some of the books to come, they will learn about good manners and courtesy, friendship and fun, and giving and sharing just to name a few.  Now, if you’d like to win a copy of these books and plushies for yourself, they are running an awesome contest.  All you need to do is comment on their Got Lemons post and tell a story about how you turned lemons into lemonade.  The best story they get by July 7th will win you a copy of the books and they will also donate a copy of the books to your favorite school, childcare center, library, children’s hospital, or doctor’s office.  How awesome is that?

Since Will’s first birthday is coming up soon (June 7th to be exact), I am already on the lookout for birthday party invitations. I don’t have the creativity I once had and have been on the lookout for cute things I can do. Izzyprints your one stop shop for both birthday invitations and birth announcements.  This site has so many cute invitations it is super hard to decide which one I should go for.  The site is super easy to navigate and you can easily find what you are looking for.  They also have holiday and thank you cards if you are looking for those.  Their prices are in line with other sites.  Processing takes 2-3 days and you get to choose your shipping method.  I love that you can preview the changes you make anytime you want too.  They also let you order a couple extra envelopes in case you mess up!  You are able to order invitations in lots of 25.  If you are in need of invitations, check out Izzyprints.com.

I know, I know — This isn’t a review. However, it is a very awesome contest though. Who couldn’t use a Nintendo® Wii and Charter High-Speed® for Life?

Here is the deal. If you preregister, you get your name put in a drawing for a Nintendo® Wii. You also get a Wii Stand, 5 Sports games ( Boxing, Baseball, Tennis, Golf and bowling), 1 Remote Controller, 1 Nunchuk Controller, 1 Sensor Bar, 1 Wii AC Adapter, 1 Wii AV Cable. Everything you need for a great gaming experience! Now onto the fun part of this all. Charter is auctioning off a High Speed Internet connection for life. All you have to do is being in their servicing area. They give you the connection, a cable modem, a wireless router, and professional installation. The bidding starts March 12th with the very low bid of $10. I look at it this way. Figure out what you spend a year on your internet service. Times that by ten or twenty years. As long as you are bidding less than that number, you will end up ahead and have a darn fast internet connection.

I guess to make this a review — I give Charter a two thumbs up for coming up with not only one but two great ways to win some awesome prices. Off to go preregister, what are you waiting for - Click Here for a Chance to Win a Nintendo® Wii™!?

Want to be styling? Then you definitely need to check out Wedding Tropics. If you are planning a beach wedding or just like nice shirts, this is your one stop shop. My sister order one of the wedding shirts for her husband, and he loves it.  The quality is excellent.  Shipping does take a little bit.  However, the quality is worth it.  They make your shirt especially for you.  I even found some cute dresses for Madison:

I would definitely order from this company.  They have top notch products at good prices.  They make perfect gifts for yourself or others.

I am little worried about what kind of hits I’ll get with a title of a book like this, but I love Underwear Dos and Donts. It is one of the funniest little kid books ever (and as you can tell from a lot my prior posts, I own a ton of kid books). Plus, it does teach your kids to wear their underwear! The colors are bright and will keep their attention. The story is short and to the point. It tells you how to and how not to wear your underwear. For example, you should not wear your underwear over your Halloween costume! As an adult, I found it hard not to giggle at this book. It gets 2 thumbs up from me.

We definitely need some area rugs in my living room. You may have seen what we are currently using:

Yes, that is a foam alphabet that I bought at Toys R Us. That is my new living room floor. It is quite attractive.

Abingdon Rug is definitely a place you should check out if you are in the market for an area rug like me. They have a ton of choices to pick from that will meet everyone’s tastes. Personally, I wouldn’t mind either any of these:

I saw several namebrands like Kathy Ireland and Mary Kate and Ashley. I was surprised since I no idea they even were into decorating (none of these styles are theirs). They have live help if you have any questions about the rugs too. The part I love the best: All rugs sized 8′ by 11′ or smaller are SHIPPED FREE within the continental United States! I love anything that’s free even it is only shipping! That alone can save you a bundle!

I know that I will be slipping this website to Bill while he looks for my Christmas present. If you are in the market for an area rug, I would check them out.

Going into the winter season, it is extremely important to find a good lotion that actually works. Since I live in Chicago, the constant going in and out from the heat the cold is brutal on your skin. I think I found a product that will work great! The first thing I noticed About the Skin MD Shielding Lotion was that it did not have a fruity smell to it. I personally don’t care what it smells like. However, Bill has an allergy to perfumes, and if they are too strong, he can’t breathe. The fact that this doesn’t smell like that is a great thing. The other thing I noticed is that it doesn’t feel greasy. That is something I can’t stand. I don’t want to put on lotion and then leave a trail onto everything I touch. I can definitely tell that I have this lotion on my hands right now, but it is nowhere else but where I put it. I am also trying it on my feet (which are icky dry) and my face. I hate that even after applying my current moisturizer, my face still feels dry. With Skin MD, it does not. If you are in the market for a great lotion, this should top your list.