Toddler Tales-Sausage and Waffles Breakfast

***Disclosure-I received free product coupon and $100 gift card to facilitate review.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal opinions.

If you have kids, you know all the tales that come with life.  Some many things happen.  We live to tell those tales, laugh about them, and learn lessons from them.

My toddler loves to help.  I sometimes let her help where she can.  Today's lesson, breakfast.  We are making sausage and waffles.  I picked an easy meal that she and the entire family likes.  I also picked items that we can learn from.

Ingredients-

-Sweet Potato Waffle Mix

-Johnsonville Vermont Maple Syrup Breakfast Sausage

-Green Apples

Toddlers can help get the kitchen tools ready like the measuring cups, bowls, etc..  They can also help with the liquid pouring into the measuring cups.  My Lil Bit helped mixing the waffle fix.  Pouring it into each waffles area on the waffle maker too.  I had her handle putting the sausage on the skillet as well.  It was not hot as I had just turned it on.

I reminded her, she needed to wash her hands before handling food.  She used her stool that she has readily ready in the kitchen to reach the kitchen counter.  As she placed the sausage on the skillet I had her count them.  Math goes well in the kitchen.  

What breakfast items do your little ones help with?  Any suggestions on our next dish?

Name Bubbles Review

Disclosure-Sample product was received to review.  All opinions are based on my personal experience and as always are my honest opinions.

Name Bubbles’ award-winning, personalized name labels are durable and stylish, press-and-stick labels designed to help busy families keep track of summer camp gear, hand-held electronics, food containers, baby bottles, school and sports uniforms, and much more.


The waterproof labels are safe for the dishwasher, laundry, and microwave, are weatherproof, and resistant to bug repellent, sun block and fading. They are completely customizable and come in a variety of styles, colors, and icons to match individual personalities and ages.

Name Bubbles also offers Medical and Allergy Alert labels; and a popular Share Pack, which allows up to six personalized names per order -- perfect for families with multiple children.

My thoughts-My daughter started daycare a couple of months ago.  We took her cups, and personal items to the daycare.  When she came home, they had written on them with ugly black permanent marker and not in the cutest handwritting.  Eventually it would wear off, you could see something was there, and then they would write her name on it again.  Not too cute at all.  So when Name Bubbles wanted to send me some labels I jumped on the chance to try out the Daycare labels, see picture below:

 You pick your series, style, color, icon, font, shapes, select laminated or nonlaminated, and then review.

The labels work great on every shape.  They are so cute too.  I went crazy labeling all of her cups and food containers for daycare.

But they also carry other labels, like school labels for the kiddos.  Bame Bubbles also sent my a school label pack for my son which I was able to customize with his school colors and sport.

 The labels came in just in time for me to label all of my son's personal items.  He along with his class are traveling on a school trip.  I used the labels to label all his items so that they would not get mixed up once they get to the hotel.  I labeled his school uniform shirts and his luggage.  They were asked to bring a water bottle and the label fit perfect and it also went with his school colors.

I would have picked the share pack which is a great value but I could not decide on a neutral color that I liked that worked for both my son and daughter.  But it is a great value for those with multiple kids.

From now until 5/12, you can get 20% of shape labels using the PLAYOUTSIDE code at checkout.  For more information on Name Bubbles line of products, go to www.NameBubbles.com.

HUGGIES Little Movers Slip-On Diaper Pants Review

Thanks to Mom Central Consulting for sending me HUGGIES Little Movers Slip-On Diaper Pants samples to review. All opinions that will be stated are my own from our personal experience.

Learning to walk was a pretty big milestone for our little one.  My daughter took her very first steps on New Year's Eve right before the clock struck midnight.  She is still learning how to walk and control her legs and feet.  But she thinks she is a professional runner who can't be stopped.

Diaper changing has become a game to her.  She tries to runaway as fast as she can, and we have to catch her to change her diaper.  This is not fun for mom, especially not dad, grandma, or sibling.  She was already a little wiggly monster but now she can and will run away.  Everyday we are always on the go, so trying to catch a toddler to change her is not part of the schedule. 
So I was very excited to try the HUGGIES® Little Movers Slip-On® Diaper Pants.  As you can see from the smirk on my daughter's face, she was ready to to run.  We joke, as shout "We have a runner loose" when my daughter starts to sprint away from us.  It doesn't matter who is changing her.  She even runs from grandma, my poor mom and mother in law.  Our first fit was the perfect fit, no complaints for the kiddo.

Here are the things I like-

-I can stand her up and she puts her legs in without any fuss.  It is fun for her to slip the Huggies on.
-The sides stretch and make it easy to slip on.
-I do not have to adjust the tabs after we slip the Huggies on.
-When it is time to change her, we just snap them off.

So we no longer have a runaway toddler, well sometimes.  Lil Bit really likes to slip these Huggies on.  It is no longer a challenge.  No more fighting or fussing for her to lay still.  I no longer have to readjust the snaps because I snapped them really fast just hurry up and get them on her.  And best of all, I don't have to look for a changing table anymore because not all places are diaper changing friendly-learned this the hard way.  try changing a wiggly toddler on your lap.

Huggies Little Movers Slip On Pants have been Lil Bit tested and are grandma, daddy, brother, Lil Bit, and Independentmami approved.

Lil Bit wants to know if you would like to try them on your little ones?

Save $2 on any one package of HUGGIES® Little Movers Slip-On® Diaper Pants.  If you share it with three friends, the coupon value increases to $2.50!


•Coupon link: http://www.huggies.com/en-us/products/diapers/littlemoversslipons

***Disclosure-Thanks to MomCentral and Huggies.

Houston Children's Festival - Mark Your Calendar - April

Happy Spring Break for those of you hanging out with the kiddos - hope you are out doing fun things!!  I love that Spring is here because I love doing fun things with the kids.  I like finding fun things for the entire family to do around town and in our budget.  Today's feature is:

WHAT:  Houston's Children's Festival

WHERE:  Downtown Houston

WHEN:  April 6 & 7 from 10:30 am - 6:30 pm

WHO:  Everyone (Mom, Dad, Kiddos, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Jo, Aunt May, Cousin Susie, etc...)

HOW MUCH:  $10 at the gate, $8 online (also any Military Personnel)  Kids under 3 FREE

For more information, go to www.houstonchildrensfestival.com

Keep up with what is going on by following the festival on Facebook or twitter.

Since its inception twenty five years ago, The Houston Children's Festival has benefited Child Advocates, Inc. and the abused and neglected children that it serves. For more information about Child Advocates life-changing work and how you can help, please click Child Advocates.

***Disclosure-I will be received complimentary entries for my family in exchange for posting about event.  All opinions are always my very own, honest opinions.  The Houston Children's Festival is always a family favorite event we attend on a yearly basis.

C is for Cereal

Sesame Street has teamed up with Post and they have created 2 cereals for toddlers-Elmo Apples and Cookie Monster Banana.

Did you know that Nutritionists recommend toddlers 2 to 3 years old eat 1 1/2 servings or more whole grain foods per day?

Post Sesame Street C is for Cereal-

-provides 2/3 of toddler daily whole grains.
-Provides 12 essential vitamins and minerals
-16g of whole grains per 20g serving
-only 1g of sugar per serving
-No artificial flavor
-No high fructose corn syrup
-Fortified with iron, zinc, choline



My thoughts-I like that they are small in size.  Easy to pick up and eat as a snack or finger food.  Easy to chew and swallow.  My daughter likes both flavors.  She loves to eat them all day long.  I tasted them and they are good. 

***Disclosure-I am a BzzAgent.  I received this product to sample and review.  These are my own, honest opinions.

***CLOSED***PAJANIMALS DVD Giveaway

Hey PAJANIMAL fans,

February is the month of love with Valentine’s Day (February 14), Celebration of Love Week (February 10 – 16) and Love Your Pet Day (February 20), and Pajanimals want to help you celebrate by offering new FREE PAJANIMALS-themed Valentine’s Day printable cards available now at http://www.sproutonline.com/printables/pajanimals-printable-valentines-day-cards

Check out the new DVD,

In “Pajanimals Playdate,” the Pajanimals love to play games, sing songs and go on great adventures to meet new friends.  Each story resolves a challenge typically encountered during every preschooler's day. Through their imaginary journeys, these friends discover fun ways to learn daily life lessons. Snuggle up with the Pajanimals for a magical adventure and play date that encourages a bedtime routine!  $9.99; Ages 0 - 6   now available at www.ncircleentertainment.com and www.amazon.com.  

I have a giveaway.  1 Lucky winner will get a PAJANIMALS DVD

How to enter:

1)  Show me the love, follow blog, Facebook, Network, Twitter (1 entry each)

2)  Share the love, Facebook share. (1 entry/per share, must link)

3)  Tweet the love. (1 entry/per tweet/per day)

Enter to #win @hensonparents @SproutTV PAJANIMALS DVD @independentmami #giveaway ends 2/28  http://tinyurl.com/ad6826e

4)  Follow @hensonparents on twitter (1 entry)

5)  Follow @SproutTV on twitter (1 entry)

Bonus Entries-

If you are a Facebook Fan-you get a bonus entry for each.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sprout

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Pajanimals

Facebook: www.facebook.com/hensoncompany

This giveaway ends 2/28/13 at 8 am.  1 winner will be randomly selected.  You must leave your email in the link.  The winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize.   For U.S. and Canada participants only please. Godd luck.

***Disclosure-Sample product received to review.  Any opinions stated are my own.