Silly Monkey Stories: Shopping Trip to Claire's

Our children had a bit of spending money saved up from gifts for Christmas and their birthdays and some lucky money from Chinese New Year.  (Can you tell why December and January are their favorite months of the year?)  So, the whole family made a visit to the mall this past weekend.  It was actually our first trip to the mall since October because we try to avoid it during the peak holiday shopping season.

In the interest of time, the boys and girls eventually split up.  My daughter wanted to go to Claire's and there was certainly nothing of interest in there for my husband and two sons.  If you've never been, Claire's is an accessory store that sells everything from fashion jewelry to bags to cosmetics.  My daughter ended up choosing a pair of Heart Skip A Beat Shades, a pair of clip-on earrings, and a little compact with lip gloss and eye shadow in it.  I had explained to her that the make-up would just be for playing in the house and would not be opened until her Dad says she is big enough to play with make-up.  She was fine with it and it now is sitting unopened in her dresser drawer (and probably will until she is 30 if Dad has anything to say about it).

Since Claire's was having an incredible sale on all their winter hats, scarves, gloves, and other warmwear, I picked up this Sock Monkey Hat, convertible mittens, and Panda Earmuffs for her for just $4 for all three items!

When we got home, she just had to model everything we bought.  We put on as much as we could, but the earrings wouldn't work with the hat and earmuffs.  And here she is . . .

We purchased all products mentioned here with our own funds and did not receive compensation for sharing this shopping experience with our readers.

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Silly Monkey Stories: Organization Preschooler-Style

Every day when our twin preschoolers get home from school, I always let them leave their coat, hat, gloves, socks, and shoes out because we would be needing them again to go meet their big brother at the bus stop in a few hours.  The problem is that they would not leave everything in a neat pile, but rather they would leave everything scattered all throughout the dining room and living room.  When it came time to get ready to go to the bus stop, they would have a hard time finding at least one thing, like their socks that mysteriously ended up under the sofa.

Well for some reason, our daughter picked today to become more organized.  She decided to hang her coat on the door knob of the backdoor (which happens to be 2 feet away from her very own coat hook on the wall).  She carefully stood her boots up on the mat by the backdoor.  She put her socks on the stairs (which are located through the dining room on the other side of the living room).  Then she put her mittens on the back of a dining chair . . .

Yes, everything was still scattered all over the first floor of our house, but they were scattered in a very organized and deliberate fashion.  Nothing was misplaced today, so that is a step in the right direction, right?

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If you have a Silly Monkey Story to share, sign Mr. Linky below with the link to your blog post (not the link to your main blog page). Please do not forget to visit the other participants and leave them comments to let them know you stopped by!

Review: Selk'bag 4G Lite Kids Sleepwear System

Sleeping away from home can be an uncomfortable, sometimes chilly, and frustrating experience for some. Selk’bag seeks to eliminate some of those annoyances by introducing a unique product to the market: a person-shaped sleeping bag. It may sound and look funny, but it’s actually very well-made, comfortable, and a great idea for any person who enjoys camping or stays away from home often.

We were sent the Selk’bag 4G Lite for Kids for my oldest son, Avery, in the K2 size. He was thrilled to try something new because Quinn has been benefiting from most of my review products lately and because he gets very cold at night, so anything that saves him from his hot-sleeping family is aces in his book. The Selk’bag Kids Sleepwear System features a nylon, water-resistant shell, hand-warming pockets, zipper closures, leg vents to regulate temperature, and reinforced nylon soles to prevent wear and to give traction when walking on surfaces. It also has a hood for extra warmth and a handy carrying bag for storage and travel.

Avery loves his Selk’bag and I think it’s a much nicer product than I had anticipated. Admittedly, I thought it looked a little silly at first and might not be a useful product for us, but Avery has enjoyed using it both at home and when staying with his grandmother and camping with his dad. He says it is comfy, warm, and he loves all the extra features it includes. I find it to be extremely sturdy and will likely last until he outgrows it.

You can purchase Selk’bags for adults and children on their website, www.selkbagusa.com.


Thank you to Selk'bag for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Holiday 2010 Review: Squall Ice Scraper Mitt from Lands' End

This gift idea is something you will look at and wonder, "Now why didn't I think of that?" I am talking about the Squall Ice Scraper Mitt from Lands' End. It is an ice scraper and mitten in one. What a perfect gift for someone who does not like to wear gloves or only likes to wear thinner driving gloves . . . absolutely perfect for someone like my husband, who refuses to wear a winter coat and gloves unless we are in the middle of a blizzard.

This Ice Scraper Mitt is one size fits all. I was curious if it would be large enough for my husband, who usually takes a size large or extra large in a men's glove. It turns out that the mitt was a perfect fit for him, proving that this mitt would be a suitable gift for both a man or a woman.

This fleece-lined mitt comes in four neutral colors . . . Aubergine, Black, Chambray Blue, and Ivory. Priced at $19.50, this is both an affordable and thoughtful gift. Unfortunately, we have not experienced much ice or snow yet where we live, so I cannot report on how well the scraper works. We do know that the fleece lining combined with the water-repellent nylon shell will keep you both warm and dry because this is not the first item from the Lands' End Squall outerwear line my family has experienced.

Visit LandsEnd.com to view this and other great gift items, including outerwear and clothing for the whole family and gifts for the home. Visit Lands' End on Facebook to stay on top of the most recent promotions, including discounts and free shipping.

Thank you to Lands' End for sending us a complimentary product sample to base this review upon.

Review: Bunnytail Outdoor Blanket for Kids

Since I live in New England, I have been worrying about how I will keep the twins warm during those extra cold winter days while they accompany me and their big brother to the school bus stop. I've already decided I would try to take them in our covered red wagon. I'm just concerned about their being cold if we end up having to wait for more than just a few minutes. After all there's only so much I can bundle them up.

So I started my search for an outdoor blanket to use on those extra cold days. That's when I came across these windproof and water-resistant blankets made especially for young children.



What I thought about our Bunnytail Blanket:

1) After inspecting this blanket, I see that it is well-crafted, but still has that special handmade quality.

2) The Polartec fleece is very plush and comes in lots of fun colors and prints. I am a big fan of monkeys, so I would love to see a monkey print added to the assortment.

3) The blanket has a metal snap on each of the top corners. This makes the blanket easy to secure around your child.

4) A nice added feature is the reflective tape on the outer nylon shell, which allows your child to be spotted more easily during outdoor evening activities.

5) This blanket washed well. There were no signs of pilling at all after its first wash.

6) These blankets measure 30" x 36", which is a great size for infants if you would like to wrap the blanket completely around your child. For a toddler or an older child, this blanket can only sit around his or her shoulders. I would love to see a choice of a larger blanket added to this line or to have snaps added to the other two corners so that the blanket can be worn horizontally too.

If you would like to learn more about Bunnytail Blankets, visit BunnytailBlankets.com, where you can shop their full line of kids blankets. You can also find Bunnytail Blankets locally at select retailers throughout New England.


Thank you to Bunnytail Blankets for providing us with a review product free of charge.