I’ve been a fan of Leapfrog ever since we got our first Leapster for Nathan the Christmas he was six, so I jumped at the chance to review the new Leapster Tag. Even though Kaitlyn is only 2 1/2, she is already trying to “read” her books and she can hold a crayon correctly, so I wanted to see how she would do with the Tag. And, I wanted to see how it worked for myself! Verdict? SUCCESS.

The great thing about the Leapfrog Tag is that the audio is in the Tag itself, not in a separate (and very easy to lose) cartridge. It comes ready to use with the audio for the book “Ozzie and Mack” already uploaded. You just turn it on and touch it to the book, and it’s ready to use. I also received the book Disney Princess: Adventures Under the Sea but it doesn’t seem to interest Kaitlyn as much as I thought it would, which is probably why it’s meant for ages 4-6. Even though all the books say ages 4 and up, I think Chicka Chicka Boom Boom would probably be easier for her to follow, so I’ll get that one next time.

The Tag System comes with a CD that contains the Connect application, and a USB cable. You get it installed on your computer, and then you have all the audio needed for any of the Tag books or games. When you buy a new book, you go into your Library and select the title, drag it over to the list of what’s on the Tag, and drop. The Tag can hold the audio for up to five titles at a time. It’s really easy to use.

You can watch your child learn with The Learning Path. You set that up through the Application CD, and then when you connect the Tag to your computer, it downloads information about what your child is doing with their Tag and what skills they are learning. How cool is that? So for example, you can see that when the Tag said “touch the letters that spell cat”, you can see how many times your child correctly touched the right letters. I just think that is so cool!

The Tag comes in either green or pink (I’m glad I received green, Nathan uses it too), and you can buy a carrying case separately. Right now you can buy either Tag and a Tag Book, and get a Tag Storage Case 50% off! Enter promo code FL8TGA. I’m really enthusiastic about recommending this product, for a birthday or Christmas gift, or to help reinforce the reading they do at school. It’s fun to use and educational too, and that’s what Leapfrog is all about!

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Until recently, every member of my family had their own MP3 player except for Kaitlyn. She was always snagging our players and trying to fit the ear buds in her teeny ears, upset that she didn’t have one of her own. And then we received this SweetPea3 Player from Mary at Orca Communications and our problem was solved! Made by Peapod Toys, the SweetPea3 MP3 Digital Music Player is encased in soft rubber that makes it comfortable to hold and tough in case it’s dropped, and it’s just the right size for little hands. The speaker design means no headphones are needed, and with just three buttons, my 2 1/2 year old has no problem figuring out how to turn it on and scroll through the songs!

The SweetPea3 holds up to four hours of music that you organize into three playlists. It comes with one playlist already created, ours has music by Susie Tallman & Friends as well as stories by Jim Weiss. It comes with a USB cable and easy to follow directions for downloading songs from your CD collection on to the player, and you can also purchase songs from www.sweetpeasongs.com. Kaitlyn’s favorite is “Toora, Loora Loora”, which she calls “The Quiet Song”. I can tell that it is soothing and calming her when she listens to it.

Other great features of the SweetPea3: it’s water (and drool!) resistant, lasts up to 40 hours on a single AA battery or you can use the included power supply cable, and it has a parental volume control so you can assure that it won’t be too loud for your child. You can also set it to auto-shutoff after a certain amount of time, we all know how kids like to turn a toy on and then walk away leaving it running! At $69.95 the SweetPea3 is comparable in price to other MP3 players, and since it’s designed for ages 0-8, it would make a great, long-lasting gift! Visit Peapod Toys for more info!

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I know what you are thinking, geez Elizabeth, let us enjoy summer and not think about FALL and Halloween yet, but if you want to have really amazing halloween costumes for yourself or your children this year, why not start looking now before the selections get picked over? Kaitlyn is very into princesses right now, and loves to put on Tiaras, so I’m thinking she will love this Butterfly Princess costume that comes with a dress, wings, and a tiara:

With three kids to buy costumes for, and a burning desire NOT to have to settle for whatever is left over at Target, I like the idea of buying costumes now, so I can spread the three purchases out over a few paychecks and each of my kids can get just what they want. Of course, it’s hard to know whether Halloween in Michigan is going to be sunny and mild or windy, rainy and cold, so we tend to buy costumes that will still look good with a heavy turtleneck underneath and possibly a coat on top!

I never think I look good in halloween costumes and don’t usually dress up, but I do like this 50’s Poodle Skirt, even though the price only includes the skirt, not the jacket, top, or scarf, which are all separate. Still, it would be a fun costume to wear!

Wouldn’t that be cute with my hair in a high ponytail and some saddle shoes or penny loafers? Writing this post is making me actually excited for Halloween! BuyCostumes.com has tons of great themed and classic costumes for adults and kids, as well as accessories, hats, wigs, masks, decorations, and props. The prices are really reasonable and very competitive. Check out the site for your halloween costumes this year!

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There are dolls, and then, there are DOLLS. When Lisa from Kidstuff PR emailed me about KidsGive and their amazing Karito Kids dolls, I showed the images to Kaitlyn and asked her what she thought. I didn’t try to guide her towards any one doll, and she pointed to Zoe and said, “can you get her for me?” So, I asked, and Kidstuff came through! I want to thank them right up front, because this is not an inexpensive doll, people. At our local educational toy store, this doll sells for $99.00. I’m going to tell you and show you exactly why that is not too much money to spend on one doll. Meet Zoe:

The Karito Kids World Collection launched in summer 2007 with five doll and book sets:

• Zoe and book “The Manhattan Menace” • Wan Ling and book “Shanghai Secret” • Lulu and book, “Nairobi Nightmare” • Pita and book, “Mexico Mystery” • Gia and book, “Florence Fiasco”
• A sixth doll, Piper from Australia and her book, “Sydney Scandal,” joins the collection in 2008.

Karito [`ka-ree`-toe] noun. Etymology: from the constructed international language, Esperanto, a universal second language created to foster peace and international understanding. 1: charity, 2: love of one’s neighbor

Zoe is dressed in the height of Manhattan kid fashion (or so the box says), and comes with a hardback book and her own passport. The only problem we have is that her hat won’t stay on. But look at how beautiful her hair is:

I love her beautifully detailed face, although her joints are so moveable that her head rotates around on her neck. One night we were sitting on the couch, Kaitlyn, Nathan, myself, and Zoe, and Nathan suddenly says “MOM. I swear that doll just turned it’s head and LOOKED at me!” More likely he just bumped the doll and the head rotated, but his reaction was kind of funny Here’s her sweet face:

From the press release:

Karito Kids® World Collection is an award-winning new line of ethnically authentic international dolls and books, designed to empower kids to become globally aware and participate in helping other children around the world. Parent company KidsGive believes that children are naturally charitable and only need to be given the opportunity. They approach this goal through a methodology that can be summed up quite simply as “the more you play, the more you give.”
Kids need no instructions to teach them how to play house. Playing “world” is a little different, so KidsGive has created a simple yet effective way to help teach children that every purchase helps another child. When a child gets their first doll, book or accessory, they receive a special code and are invited to “activate” it on the Karito Kids website, www.karitokids.com. Next, the child can read about four charitable causes that KidsGive supports through Plan USA, a children’s focused charity that delivers an impressive 80% of all funds directly to programs. After learning what life is like for children in other parts of the world, they can choose the cause they want to support. KidsGive donates 3 percent of the retail price of all products to Plan USA.

So, your child gets an amazingly detailed doll to play with, and a chance to directly help a child in another country. And while Kaitlyn chose the doll from Manhattan and not one of the world dolls, I’ve been talking to my boys about it and they are going to help me decide which charity to support with our code. The donations that the four charities have received so far are just amazing:

38% of children who “voted” on their favorite cause through the Karito Kids website directed funds to aid the “Health Project” in Kenya. This money can now buy 15,720 mosquito nets helping children in 357 remote villages.

24% of children directed funds to aid the “Food Project” in China. This has helped children in 13 rural schools which can now purchase 4630 chickens and the eggs they produce for food.

23% of children directed funds to aid the “Homes Project” in Honduras. This can help families live in enclosed homes by building 12 mason homes to be clean, safe and healthy.

15% of children directed funds to aid the “School Project” in Mali. This can now purchase 1,925 textbooks for 976 kids in Mali.

See? Amazing! I am so proud to be helping spread the word about the Karito Kids World Collection of dolls and books. I urge you, if you have a child to buy a gift for, or for your own child, to consider purchasing a Karito Kid doll to not only have a beautiful doll, but to have a chance to make a difference in the life of another child. See www.karitokids.com to learn more about the company’s products and online games, or visit www.kidsgive.com to learn more about the company and its charitable mission.

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Until I was contacted about doing the review of Purex Naturals Laundry Detergent, I didn’t realize how many other products that I use in my laundry room are part of the Purex family. One product I had seen in the store but had never used was 20 Mule Team® Borax, so when I was offered a box to try for this review, I said yes. So, what is it?

20 Mule Team® Borax is an all natural product with many practical uses in the laundry room, kitchen and bathroom. It’s made of 100% Borax, a naturally occurring mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. 20 Mule Team® Borax is not harmful to washing machines, plumbing or septic tanks and does not contain phosphates or chlorine. For over 100 years, 20 Mule Team Borax has helped the world get their clothes smelling fresher and their households looking cleaner. Borax has long been, and will continue to be the natural way to clean. 20 Mule Team is all natural and always has been!

How to use 20 Mule Team Borax in your laundry:
In Regular Wash
Add ½ cup of 20 Mule Team® Borax to each wash load along with the recommended amount of detergent. For large capacity and front-loading machines, add ¾ cup.
Pre-Soaking Stains
Add one tablespoon of 20 Mule Team® Borax per gallon of water or ½ cup in washer. Pre-soak for at least 30 minutes before washing.
Hard Water
Got hard water? 20 Mule Team® Borax works great as a water conditioner, helping your detergent to work more effectively. Add ½ cup of 20 Mule Team® Borax along with your regular laundry detergent. You’ll get clean, fresh smelling laundry.
Delicate Hand Washables
Dissolve ¼ cup of 20 Mule Team® Borax and 1 - 2 tablespoons detergent in a basin of warm water and soak them for 10 minutes. Rinse in clear, cool water, blot with a towel, lay flat (woolens) or hang to dry (away from sunlight and direct heat).
Cloth Diapers & Baby Clothes
Flush out cloth diapers and begin soaking immediately, using ½ cup 20 Mule Team® Borax for each diaper pail of warm water. Follow soaking with warm wash, using the “regular wash” instructions above.

You can also download a PDF Booklet(link is at the bottom of the 20 Mule Team page) that gives uses for around the house, such as deodorizing your refrigerator and garbage pail, cleaning and deodorizing your shower, tub, and toilet, you can even use it to preserve flowers and make candle wicks! And the best part? It’s NOT EXPENSIVE! A 76 ounce box costs $8.69 on Drugstore.com, and that’s going to last you a LONG time.

Become a fan on the 20 Mule Team BoraxFacebook page! For more fun, add the Dirty Girl Quiz application and find out what kind of “Dirty Girl” you are! I’m a Dust Bunny Diva:

I’m giving 20 Mule Team Borax a MomReviews Fabulous Find badge for their Facebook page!
Purex also makes Zout Stain Remover, which I need to buy, because my favorite sweatshirt has some kind of greasy/waxy stain on it, and I’m determined to get it out. Do you use 20 Mule Team Borax? Tell me in your comment what your favorite use for it is!

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