Mother’s Day Gift Pick: Spa Weekly Gift Card at CVS

When I originally signed up to compete in a Tough Mudder obstacle course mud run, the date didn’t click. Just the other day I realized a morning of breakfast in bed and extra pampering was not to be this year for me. Instead I’ll be getting a different kind of “mud treatment” making a spa trip post-race a delightful prospect.

Spa gift cards are a go to gift for my own mother and mother-in-law each year; we make a ”Spa Day” an annual post-Mother’s Day event. Spa Week Gift cards, which can be remeemed for spa visits nationwide, can be found at CVS along with many other gift card options for mom. As we previously reported from our local CVS pharmacy, they have a vast array of gift card options ranging from restaurants to retail.  So no stressing over Mother’s Day gifts this year. Head to CVS, grab a card and gift card, and try not to spend the day jumping into mud pools or carring logs up a hill!

Q&A: Will you have a 2012 Mother’s Day Gift Guide?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year, rather than a gift guide, I will soon be sharing a Mother’s Day Gift Pick to feature on the site. In the meantime, check out this contest by one of my favorite companies, M-Edge, creator of the coolest covers for your technology.

Post a family photo that you think would make a great iPad or e-reader jacket to M-Edge’s Facebook Page. They will select 10 winners at random to receive their special gift (custom cover) in time for Mother’s Day! All contestants will receive a 20% off promo code to design their own. Contest ends 4/27 11:59 PM EST. Check out their Mother’s Day Gift Guide too.

Family Activity & Gift Idea: Mickey Mouse Greenhouse {Giveaway}

We’ve been spolied in the Northeast lately with mild temperatures and have been outside playing much sooner in the season than normal. This weekend, when the weather turned cooler and wetter, a more typical March day for us, the family was once again relugated indoors looking for dance party and learning time alternatives. The Mickey Mouse Greenhouse by Peachtree Playthings, who partnered with Scotts Miracle-Gro, was just what the doctor ordered. (Speaking of doctors, Doc McStuffins continues to be a huge hit, so I’d like to take this opportunity to lobby Comcast to get Disney Junior channel in NEPA!) I can barely keep the three plants in my house alive, so the idea of a vegrtable garden is foreign to both myself and my children whose idea of gardening is helping to rake leaves. I love that it introduced them to the process as our Disney charachter friends guided us to plant tomatos, sweet peppers and cucumbers. Each character is designated a different vegrtable, and a cardboard cutout reminded us that plants need soil and sun to surive. We added water to special safe and non-toxic Miracle-Gro Gro-Mix, added our seeds and Disney friends and the greenhouse now sits on the kitchen counter, soaking in the sun until mini-veggies appear in a week or so.

With other varieties including the Disney Princess Castle and Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow Greenhouses, Peachtree Playthings Miracle-Gro Flower and Vegetable Gardens are not only fun family activities but will be my go to preschooler gift at just $12.99. Check them all out and find a retailer near you.

Cool Giveaway

Enter to win a Peachtree Playthings Greehouse of your choice by commenting on this post. For extra entries:

Check out even more entry possibilities if you’re really determined to win. Read the prize claim information; we announce winners on Prizey.net. Contest ends 4/9/12.

A sample  was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% our own.

Top Ten iPad/iPhone Apps for Preschoolers

Fingerprint Big Kid Life: Firefighter

Price: FREE
Platform: iPhone/iPad
Age: 4-7
Review: Put out fire monsters in this adorable Big Kid Life Firefighter which allows firefighters-in-training to test their skills including saving animals and putting out fires.

Fingerprint: Playmaker

Price: FREE
Platform: iPhone/iPad
Age: 4-8
Review: Highly customizable Playmaker teaches math and spelling skills through custom recorded sounds and interactive features for parents as well!

Fingerprint: Do Re Mi 1-2-3

Price: $2.99
Platform: iPad
Age: 3-8
Review: Interact with musical animals in Do Re Mi 1-2-3 while learning pitch and melody which brain research shows "helps forge new brain connections for math and language learning."

Disney DigitalBooks: Toy Story Showtime!

Price: $4.99
Platform: iPhone/iPad/iTouch
Age: 4-6
Review: Disney DigitalBooks are narrated read-along books with sight word and context-based vocabulary. In Toy Story Showtime! Buzz tries to impress Jesse as users read along with an interactive story that moves, shakes and teaches all at once.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast: Storybook Deluxe

Price: $6.99
Platform: iPad
Review: My children absolutely love Belle's maze in this Beauty & the Beast app. I love the ability to narrate the story in a completely interactive tale as old as time which also includes coloring pages.

Disney's It's a Small World

Price: $3.99
Platform: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
Review: This kids #1 favorite app at the moment? Hands down It's a Small World . They've been singing the song like crazy, and the app with it's clickable kids from all around the world that each perform different tasks is the best I've seen to date.

Disney's Winnie the Pooh Puzzle Book

Price: $.99
Platform: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
Review: Affordable at .99 users can get their Disney fix with Winnie the Pooh and friends in this puzzle book app. Activities including read, finding missing honey pots, and of course puzzles!

Disney Princess Dress-Up: My Sticker Book

Price: $3.99
Platform: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
Review: This app takes the prize for most engaging over a long period of time. We downloaded the Disney Dress Up app nearly a year ago, and they still love to change their favorite princesses clothing and accessories, changing them over and over. They can even add their own picture to "become" a princess themselves.

Teach Me: Kindergarten

Price: $.99
Platform: iPad, iPhone
Review: We have more educational apps than we know what do to with. Hand down the best learning app is Teach Me. It's simple but effective and includes sight words, addition, subtraction and spelling. The built-in rewards system with "stickers" is their favorite!

Jumpstart Preschool Magic of Learning

Price: $2.99
Platform: iPad, iPhone
Review: We've been fans of Jumpstart for years when first introduced to their online virtual learning world. The app is just as comprehensive teaching preschoolers math, pre-reading and critical thinking skills. It's a go-to app for both kids, but my nearly 3-year old son is particularly mesmerized.
Disclaimer

A sample product was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% our own.

Cool Giveaway: Enter to win a gift pack of Disney apps including Toy Story Showtime, Beauty and the Beast Storybook Deluxe and all new Disney Publishing’s first Marvel app, The Amazing Spider-Man: An Origin Story by commenting on this post with your favorite kids’ app. For extra entries:

  • Like Cool Baby Kid on Facebook
  • Follow Cool Baby Kid onTwitter
  • Follow Disney Digital Books on Twitter
  • Follow Disney Digital Books on Facebook

Check out even more entry possibilities if you’re really determined to win. Read the prize claim information; we announce winners on Prizey.net. Contest ends 1/26/11.

Top 5 Green Mountain Coffee Gift Ideas

Spicy Eggnog & Gingerbread K-Cup Coffee

MSRP: $16.49 (24 Count)
Review: Get into a holiday seasonal mood with Gingerbread and Spicy Eggnog coffee which are both Fair Trade Certified so you can feel good about your purchase too!

Green Mountain Coffee Signature Sampler

MSRP: $27.95
Review: Coffee eficinados rejoyce in this gift which brings together some of Green Mountain's most popular coffe blends including Dark Magic Expresso, Breakfast Blend and Vermont Country Blend (fair-trade).

Keurig Brewers

MSRP: Various
Review: My mother received one for Christmas a few years back, and now the entire family is hooker. With Keurig Brewers ranging in price from $79.95-$199.95, there's a perfect one for your gift needs. (I own and love the Special Edition Brewer.)

Thermo Ceramic Mug

MSRP: $17.95
Review: For coffee or tea drinkers who like the feel of a ceramic mug but also want their drink to stay hot, this Thermo Ceramic Mug offers the best of both keeping your liquid gold hot for an hour!

Cafe Express

MSRP: $Free!
Review: Cafe Express gives users Regular Green Mountain Coffee delivery with addes bonuses such as K-Cup portion pack savings, free standard shipping, a free travel mug and replacement Keurig brewer if theirs breaks. Paying ahead for the service could be a great gift idea for those short on time.

Cool Tip: Visit our other top picks and gift guides for even more holiday gift ideas, top 5 and top 10 posts.

Holiday Gift Pick: Uncle Milton *Fireworks In My Room*

When you have 10 and 13 year old boys, not many toys impresses them anymore. Fireworks in my room did impress both my boys. A matter of fact, my ten year old took this out for a sleep over party and all the boys were highly impressed and were talking to about this to their parents the next day. I’m sure there will be several units purchased after this sleepover.  Allof  the boys said the fireworks were amazing, they kept this gadget out all night.  I was impressed with the quality of the sound effects; there is sizzling sounds and crackles, just like real fireworks would sound. The launcher is very easy to use, first you choose your firework; you pump the launcher with air and pull the trigger to view an incredible firework display from the comfort of your bed. This cool gadget is a hit for all ages and great idea for an age segment whose gadgets are typically quite costly.

Written by Amy, Cool Baby Kid Review Team

 Disclaimer

A product sample was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% our own. 

Cool Tip

Follow Uncle Miltion on Facebook and Twitter for updates and promotions on their cool line of toys. 

Buy or Gift It

Amazon.com

Top Spinmaster Toy Gift Picks *Mutliple Winner Giveaway*

Watch our Top Spinmaster Toys Video

Why We Love It

From Aquadoodle to Moon Dough for little ones, to Redakai for the older kids, we’ve spotlighted Spinmaster toys in the past and are happy to highlight some of their coolest picks this holiday season.  With a chance to personally check out the best toy gifts Spinmaster has to offer, it was difficult to limit our video montage to just a few. We love Bizu beads because of their unique take on jewelry making with bracelets and fun animal friends all wrapped into one with just s quick twist. And Liv and her spa world is hard to resist with color-changing hair, nails and more; this was favorite of my daughter’s who could seemigly color change all day. As we said, it’s impossible to share every cool Spinmaster pick but would remiss in leaving out AppBlaster with it’s augmented reality shoot ‘em up feature utilizing the iPhone or iPod Touch. From board games to high tech, girlie gifts and more, our SPinmaster Amazon shop below is a one-stop shop for all things cool this holiday. Enjoy!

Disclaimer

Sample products was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% our own.

Cool Giveaway: Enter to win your choice of Spinmaster prizes including board games (Quelf, The Logo Board Game, Stomple) or a Liv Color-Change Doll (2 winners). To enter, comment on this post telling us which Spinmaster page you like/follow. All additional follows or likes will be considered extra entries. Exp. 12/18/11.

AppBlaster: Facebook, Twitter

Redakai: Facebook, Twitter

Moon Dough: Facebook.com, Twitter

Liv: Facebook

Spinmaster Games: Facebook, Twitter

Cool Baby Kid: Facebook, Twitter

Buy or Gift It:

2011 Holiday Gift Guide & Giveaway *Over $600 Giveaway*

The Diva Holiday Giveaway is here! The Double Duty Divas have cooked up a holiday prize pack worth approximately $600 for one lucky winner this holiday season! Along with my fellow divas – Angie at My Four Monkeys, Bridgette at Experimental Mommy, and Renee at What Mommies Need – we have put together a very helpful Holiday Gift Guide for 2011 that includes gifts for babies, children, teens, and mom, and dad. Just follow Double Duty Divas on Pinterest and browse the boards and find gift ideas for everyone on your list. PLUS, check out the holiday giveaway board for pictures of all the items included in our Diva Holiday Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY ITEMS:

 

All entries must be received by 11:59 PM on December 5th. Enter below to win all of these fantastic prizes, and don’t forget as your mandatory entry to leave a comment on this post telling me which item(s) you are most excited about entering to win.


 

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