ABOUT DONORSCHOOSE.ORG:

DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that connects you to schools in need. They help fund school projects in support of education and literacy. You can narrow your search by a school, state, city, etc. You can also read about their projects and needs – like a new carpet, books, pencil sharpeners, smartboards – and I even saw a request for the beloved Tag Readers! You can choose to give any amount and it tells you how much more they need and what time span they are working on to accept donations. It is really easy to donate.

And regarding that LeapFrog Tag request, there was a note that LeapFrog will fund 50% of this project if someone provides the remainder. That’s because LeapFrog has partnered with DonorsChoose.org to help teachers who want Tag Readers and books for their classroom.

MY CHOICE:

So, the Mom Buzz was given the opportunity to donate $25 to a school in need through Donor’s Choose. It was a hard choice! I would have loved to donate to my son’s school, of course, but the school wasn’t on the list. So I was looking far and wide, trying to choose between PE games, science equipment, butterfly kits and more. But I finally settled on donating to the Jumping Into Learning classroom project requested by Mrs. Garcia on Sep 27, 2011. She only has 22 more days to collect for her cause. What she wants is a Leapfrog Learning Center to assist her students in learning alphabet letters and sounds, numbers, and problem solving activities while building fine motor skills. What can I say, LeapFrog is paving the way for others to help thousands more children to learn to read with Tag™, the #1 selling reading system!

I can definitely approve of her project, since my son had a LeapFrog Tag center in his pre-K and it was successful. Plus, we have Leap Frog products at home where I can actually see my boys learning as they play. So, I made my donation and hope she gets the rest she needs to make this a successful project!

GIVE-AWAY!

Since 2009, LeapFrog has donated more than $1.5 million in Tag Reading Systems and books to the classrooms of more than 20,000 students. And not only did they give the Mom Buzz the opportunity to give $25 to a school project in need, they also have some for one lucky reader:

• The Opportunity to Donate $25 to another school in need via DonorsChoose.org
• A Tag system with 6 books!

Why not help LeapFrog bring $100,000 total in Tag Readers and books to classrooms in need? LeapFrog has already donated $50,000 and will match donations dollar for dollar up to $50,000!

• WIN $25 to donate to a school project in need through DonorsChoose.org
• Win a Tag reader and 6 books
  

HOW TO ENTER:

To enter this contest, you can any or all of the following. Leave a separate comment(s) for each action:

• Check out DonorsChoose.org and tell me what school project you would donate to – leave their link in your comment!
• Add theMomBuzz to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link. (1 tweet per DAY is allowed.)

• Like Leapfrog on Facebook 
• Blog about the this give-away – leave the link to your post in a comment. (5 entries, leave 5 comments)
• Visit LeapFrog.com and tell me what you would add to your LeapFrog Learning Center at home?

Contest ends 2.14.12. This is open to the USA – no PO Boxes. Please refer to complete contest rules. The entries listed above are the ONLY entries for this contest. Winners will be notified by e-mail (if supplied in the entry or on profile page), as well as on the Winner’s Wall.

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. The Mom Buzz was not compensated for this buzz. A school of the Mom Buzz’s choosing was provided with a Tag School Kit. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products!

10% DISCOUNT CODE for Look Who’s Growing Growth Chart: Buzzing10

A few months ago one of my good friends asked if I knew of a place she could get a personalized growth chart. I sent her to Etsy at the time, because I didn’t know of any online stores specializing in growth charts. Well, now I am happy I can share with her and you Look Who’s Growing, providing growth charts that you can personalize with over 20 designs, your children’s names, various color options and even pictures.

I had the opportunity to review a growth chart for my boys, and I have to say I was impressed at the quality and attention-to-detail. It is printed on a vinyl material, which to me has a nice, fresh scent when I first opened my box. It smelled new. It was nicely rolled, so no creases in the vinyl. On the top of my growth chart it has two grommets for easy hanging, plus it eliminates the need of puncturing the vinyl to hang it on the wall. On the bottom of the growth chart it has a dowel hidden inside the chart, to ensure it hangs straight for accurate measuring.

There were 23 style choices when I ordered. I loved Liquid Fire for a boy and the purple Origin for a girl. But in the end, it was the Giraffe who got my attention. I chose that one to design and received the 12″ width. On the site you can choose 12″ or 6″ width, the 12″ width is an additional $25.  Included with the Chart Price is personalization of your child’s name, their date of birth annd your choice of font (Block or Script). You can also add a photo for an additional $20. I think I normally wouldn’t have added the photo, but for the review I wanted to see how it looked.

I uploaded a favorite photo of my boys. LookWhosGrowing.ca took the time to photoshop the photo so that it would fit perfectly on the growth chart. The only other company I’ve worked with that took the time to do the same was PicturesonGold.com, so I commend Looks Who’s Growing for their attention-to-detail.

A Growth Chart from Look Who’s Growing costs $34.99. It provides over 6 feet of “growth”. You hang it at the 2 feet above the ground.

Pricing of a Growth Chart: includes a 6″ width and Name and Birth Date Personalization.

• Growth Chart: $34.99
• 12″ Width: +$25
• Photo: +$20
• Normal Shipping: $18
• Tax – 13%: $10.39

Don’t forget where you saw these cool growth charts! Follow Looks Who’s Growing on Twitter and Facebook to stay up-to-date on their latest news.

One reader will win a 12″ Growth Chart with Personalization (Name, Date, Photo) ($108 Value)

FIRST: MANDATORY ENTRY:

Visit Look Who’s Growing and tell me your favorite growth chart option by leaving a comment below.

SECOND: EXTRA ENTRIES:

To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED/MANDATORY entry. But for extra entries, you can do the following – leave a comment for each:

Follow @themombuzz

Follow @lookwhosgrowing

• Share this contest on your Facebook page – Link it to @theMomBuzz – Here is the text:

Win a Personalized Growth Chart @theMomBuzz from @LookWhoseGrowing . Give-away ends 2.25.12 http://themombuzz.com/?p=20537

• Tweet the contest – can be done daily – just push the tweet button below:

Tweet to @lookwhosgrowing

• Stumble any review or post on theMomBuzz.com (Please don’t Stumble Give-aways). Let me know what you Stumbled!
• Follow Look Who’s Growing on Facebook
• Visit theMomBuzz on Facebook! How old and how tall are your kids?
• Add the Mom Buzz to your blogroll (Feed: http://themombuzz.com/feed/)

Contest ends 2/25/12. This is open to the USA. Please refer to complete contest rules. The entries listed above are the ONLY entries for this contest. Winners will be notified by e-mail (if supplied in the entry or on profile page), as well as on the Winner’s Wall.

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz was not compensated for this buzz. The Mom Buzz did receive a sample for review.

We’ve been using a simple Lightening McQueen Umbrella Stroller, but it has no “perks”. It’s just a simple stroller that has started to sag underneath his 36 pound body. So we were introduced to Baby Cargo 200 Series Lightweight Umbrella Stroller to give it our thoughts!

Baby Cargo 200 Series Umbrella Stroller Review

We’ve been using the Baby Cargo 200 for 1 month now. Our first trip with it was to the zoo for their holiday event. It gave the boys a chance to sit when they got tired, and allowed us to stick with the group since we also went with my sister and her older kids. It also gave us a real chance to compare it to a lower-end umbrella stroller.

Storage: One of the first things I have to chat about is the ability to store goodies, both underneath the stroller in the basket, as well as with a small pocket on the back of the seat. So I was able to keep larger items, like extra coats and and scarves, underneath the stroller. While I used the small basket to hang on to small knick-knacks the kids were winning at the holiday event. This smaller pocket can also be buttoned with snap buttons for security.

Shade: The Canopy sits higher, so it wouldn’t land on my son’s head when I opened it. Our other umbrella stroller we can’t put down the flat canopy, because it lands on his head. The canopy on the Baby Cargo 200 also has a “viewing window”, so you don’t have to pull it back to see what your child is doing.

Accessories: It came with a cup holder and a rain cover, which is tucked into the basket area when not in use.There is also a shoulder strap, so you can carry the lightweight stroller easily.

Leg Rest: It has a unique, adjustable leg rest. You can keep it high for little ones or lower for toddlers and preschoolers. It is a little tricky for me to adjust the leg rest, I usually end up getting down to look at the shifting buttons to make sure I am totally unlocked so I can move the leg rest where I want.

Multi-position Back Rest: The back rest also is adjustable, pretty much however you want it. It does not fully recline in a flat position, but it does recline far enough to be comfortable for a baby.

Fabric: The fabric is soft, cool and seems easy to clean.

Safety: The Baby Cargo 200 has a 5-point harness to keep a baby safely in the stroller. For my preschooler, I simply tuck the seatbelt back so he can go in and out of the stroller easily when I walk around the zoo, mall, etc.

Comfort: My husband is more comfortable using the Baby Cargo than our other stroller, because the handles sit higher. You can grab the handles comfortable between 41″ – 44″.

Who can fit in the Baby Cargo 200? The baby can be used from birth on up. It sits my 36 pound child easily, still offering him a smooth ride. I estimate that it can be used up to 40 – 50 pounds.

Dimensions and Weight: The stroller is “lightweight”, weighing just 13.7 pounds. It folds pretty “tight”, folded dimensions are 42″ x 12″ x 10″.

COLORS: I have a stain-hiding Ocean/Stone color combination. Most of the outside color (facing the world) is a dark blue, while the inner side (facing the child) is stone colored. Other colors include a gorgeous Pomegranate/Cherry Combo (my favorite) and Smoke/Mirror – which is a beige-like color combo.

Want to learn more? Visit BabyCargo.com to see the 200 Series, as well as their 100 and 300 Series of Strollers.

Baby Cargo Online Retailers

• Baby Cargo 200 Series Lightweight Umbrella Stroller on Amazon
• Baby Cargo on aBaby.com
• Baby Cargo on Wayfair.com

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz was not compensated for this buzz. The Mom Buzz did receive a Baby Cargo for review.

Photo Credit: Bartlomiej Berczynski

As we continue to upgrade to the newest versions of smartphones and other electronics, many parents choose to pass their old device to their own children. In fact, my oldest son has an iPhone 3 that came from my husband’s employee, when she got a new phone. And my youngest plays with my iPhone 3, since my husband gave me the iPhone 4S for my birthday.

But, before passing  or donating your phone, take some precautions to ensure your personal data won’t be compromised and that your children are using the device appropriately. Here are some tips that I received from PBS Kids:

1.     Sweep it: All devices should be cleaned of any content including personal files, credit card information, etc. before handing down to kids. Parents should swipe all their browser “cookies” and perform an application sweep.

2.     Secure it: There are parental controls on most tech devices that can turn certain features on and off. Settings on the iPhone, for example, that can be restricted include explicit song titles, Internet browser, YouTube, iTunes and the camera.

3.      Set limits: As with any new toy, parents should set expectations and limitations with their kids when the device is handed down, and should encourage other forms of learning and play beyond the screen.

4.     Find the right apps for your child: A good app is the perfect combination of education and entertainment, and should be appropriate for your child’s age and stage of development.

5. Avoid apps that try to sell: Apps labeled “lite” or “free” often attempt to make money by trying to sell virtual items while a child is playing a game, or link to another related app that requires payment to download. Select apps from trusted, reliable sources, and make sure that they are not trying to market to your child.

Once the device is cleaned, load it up with age-appropriate apps.  With more than a thousand apps in the iTunes store, choosing the right apps for your child can seem overwhelming! Here is a hint – PBS KIDS has a suite of educational apps that are perfect. You can even gift them as rewards for good behavior! Here are some of PBS KIDS’ recent top apps for mobile devices which can be found on pbskids.org/mobile:

• FETCH Lunch Rush for iPhone/iPod Touch, Free (PBS KIDS First augmented reality app)
• SUPER WHY Alpha Boost for iPhone/iPod Touch, $2.99
• SID Science Fair for iPhone/iPod Touch, $2.99
• LITTLE PIM French and Spanish for iPad, $2.99

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contestsso you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz was not compensated for this buzz.

Llama Llama Red Pajama is about a little llama who is ready for bed. He wants to delay a little and have his busy mom come in RIGHT NOW. When she isn’t in his room immediately, he has a Llama tantrum. She comes in and gently reminds him that she’s always there for him, even if she’s not right there. It is a fun rhyming book and a great bedtime read. It’s suggested for ages 3+, but I’ve been reading it to my youngest since he’s been 2. It comes with a hard cover and regular pages. It has 40 pages, but just a few sentences (if that) per page. It is by the author Anna Dewdney.

We also own Llama Llama Mad at Mama and Llama Llama Misses Mama. They are both written in the same format, each book is 40 pages long. At home, our books are soft cover. In Llama Llama Mad at Mama, he goes shopping with his Mama and has a fit at the store, because face it – he was overwhelmed and bored. As always, the Mama Llama shows utmost patience in helping her son move past the drama and have a happy outcome. In Llama Llama Misses Mama, little Llama is on his way to his first day of school. He misses his Mama and doesn’t know what to make of the new environment. But once he relaxes and joins the other kids, he realizes he can love school and his Mama too. Both books are also by Anna Dewdney and for suggested for ages 3+.

I would say Llama Llama Mad at Mama could be read at a younger age, just be careful of the pages. And Llama Llama Misses Mama is great for little ones as they start a early childhood program or their first day of Kindergarten.

**TWO NEW LLAMA LLAMA BOOKS! ***

Now, there are two new Llama Llama books for even younger readers! These new books are suggested for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. They are 14 pages long and in a board book style for durability. They are a smaller size for little hands, measuring 6.8 x 6.8 x 0.4 inches. And they are a comparable cost to other board books, retailing for$5.99. The new titles are:

Llama Llama Wakey-Wake: This quick read lets your little one wake up with Llama Llama. He brushes his teeth, brushes his hair, gets dressed, eats, gets ready to go out for the day … and after some kisses he is on his way.

Llama Llama Nighty–Night: This book features the end of the day for Llama Llama as he gets ready for bed. He brushes his teeth, takes a bath, gets his famous red pajamas on, goes potty, chooses a bed-time book, snuggles and then the lights turn off and he’s asleep.

These new board books were just released on 1.5.12. They are part of the Penguin Young Readers Group.

OTHER LLAMA LLAMA BOOKS AND PRODUCTS:

If your child loves Llama Llama, there is a snuggle plush doll available. And there are two other books (which I so want) also available. See the list below:

Llama Llama Home with Mama: Llama Llama has a little cold. Back to bed, no school today for Llama Llama! He’s home with Mama. By lunchtime, though, hhe’s beginning to feel a tiny bit better, but Mama starts getting sick! Can Llama Llama help his Mama feel better? This book is a good read for those days when children (or their parents) are feeling under-the-weather.

Llama Llama Holiday Drama: Okay, this is the book I wanted to buy this year! I have to get it for my youngest son. We all now Llama Llama hates to wait. But during the Christmas season, all he and Mama are doing is rushing around, shopping for presents, baking cookies, decorating the tree  – but when will it finally be Christmas? The story has a nice ending, teaching Llama the value of spending time with family and friends over gifts.

Llama Llama 13.5″ Plush Stuffed Animal Doll: The Llama Llama Plush is 13.5″ long, features Llama Llama in his red pajamas and he is carrying his own Llama Plush. It receives 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.

MORE:

For more information and news, visit Llama Llama online at www.llamallamabook.com.

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contestsso you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz was not compensated for this buzz. The Mom Buzz did receive the two Llama Llama Board Books to consider as buzzworthy. Since she is a fan of Llama Llama, she decided to introduce them along with other favorites to you.

Peek-a-Shoe is a shoe-wearing octopus. He is a sturdy plastic toy, with 5 different colored shoes and a white sailor hat. He comes with 5 balls and minor assembly is needed to put his shoes on his feet. They must have done that for packaging/shipping. But the shoes were easy to pop in place and have not come off, even with both boys scrambling to lift those shoes up to find out where balls are hiding.

You see, that is their FAVORITE mode of play with Peek-a-Shoe. There is one tentacle that holds balls. Then another tentacle acts as a tunnel, where you can roll balls into. You can also pop balls into his hat. Then the children have to figure out which shoe the ball landed in. Shoes are differently colored and numbered, so make sure you assemble it in the correct order! Shoes are red, yellow, green, orange and blue. And those are the same color of the balls.

The Red Shoe is #1. it has an image of 1 turtle on it. The Yellow Shoe is #2. It has an image of two crabs. The Green Shoe is #3. It has three puffer fish on it. The Orange Shoe is #4. It has the image of 4 seahorses. The Blue Shoe is #5. It has the image of 5 jellyfishes.

There are two modes of play – by color or by number.

BY COLOR: When you roll a ball down, Peek-a-Shoe encourages the child to find it. If you peek under an empty shoe, he tells them, “Not under the *insert color* shoe.” If you find the ball, Peek-a-Shoe says, “Peek-a-boo, you found it under the *insert color* shoe”.

If you haven’t dropped a ball and lift a shoe, it will tell you the color of the shoe.

BY NUMBER: When you roll a ball down, Peek-a-Shoe encourages the child to find it. If you peek under an empty shoe, he tells them, “Not under the number *insert number* shoe.” If you find the ball, Peek-a-Shoe says, “Peek-a-boo, you found it under the number *insert number* shoe”.

If you haven’t rolled a ball down and you lift a shoe, it will tell you the number on the shoe.

There is also a song button. It plays My Best Friends are from the Sea, a Counting Song and it also has a few musical melodies. I think I recognized Chopsticks? It plays the same songs no matter if you are on number or color mode.

The balls are not empty, cheap, thin-plastic balls that get squashed and unusable. These are good quality, sturdy, and can withstand the play from a curious toddler and rough preschooler.

Peek-a-Shoe requires 2 AA batteries, not included. You need a screw driver to insert the batteries. It has a power on-off button and two volume levels. He retails for $29.99.

CONTEST ENDED EARLY AT SPONSORS REQUEST!

To apologize take an extra 2 entries into any/all of these contests that interest you. Simply comment, “Peek-a-Shoe Ended Early”. This entry is good until 12/17 and it can be done daily.

1. TWO WINNERS: Target PlayWonder Tessa Doll - Ends 12.17 - RAFFLECOPTER
2. Uprinting Canvas Print – 16? x 20” – Ends 12.17
3. Hershey’s Gift Pack – Ends 12.20
4. Baby Bee Crochet Beanie – Winner’s Choice in Size – Ends 12.21 – RAFFLECOPTER
5. Liquid Palisade for Perfect Polished Nails – Ends 12.21
6. Simply Spray Tie-Dye – Ends 12.31
7. Britax Travel System ($399 Value) - Ends 1.8.12
8. Power Shredder (MSRP $89) – Ends 1.13.12

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contestsso you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz was not compensated for this buzz. The MomBuzz did receive Peek-a-Shoe for review.

My boys love my iPad. Most recently I received the VivaKids ABC app, which is suggested for children 4+.

About the app: VivaKids’ ABC combines high quality art and interactive design to help children learn the alphabet. Award winning app developer 1K Studios and accomplished designer Ulrike Kerber collaborated to create VivaKids’ ABC. It is compatible with the iPad and retails on iTunes for $2.99.

My Thoughts: I can be pretty picky about apps. And my 3-year old (almost 4) is very knowledgeable about his alphabet, letters and their sounds (thanks LeapFrog!). But I thought that the interactivity of this app would help with fine motor skills and I thought the screenshots of the app were just gorgeous. So I accepted a download code to try the app and share my thoughts with my readers.

There are two parts to this app. On the top you can scroll through the alphabet letters – both “big” and “little”. When you choose a new letter, you really get to see some amazing imagery and graphics, as the letters come alive with illustrations, stop motion and music. For D you can see a dragon being illustrated, breath fire/glitter/letters and then the letters and words are repeated. Or for M, the letters are made with mini marshmallows in space, with a glittery blue background and a paper unicorn jumping over the moon. Honestly, it is so cool.

The second part of the app is on the bottom. There is a little painters color palette. If you touch it, you can color in the big and little letters with different objects. You are filling the “U” with cocktail umbrellas and the “I” with sand.

Now, my 3 year old does enjoy the app, but he doesn’t like filling in the letters himself. It’s too much “work”. So much for helping him with fine motor skills. But he does like to see me fill the letters for him, just dragging my fingers back and forth like a paint brush. I can admit, that part is tiresome for me since I know my letter. But, the top part, where you can scroll through the alphabet and watch the letter videos is just amazing! That part does make the app worth $2.99.

For future renditions and updates of this app, I hope to see them add in the sounds of the letters, though. That would make it even better for the 4+ crowd. And maybe they can have access to the alphabet to make their own words using these crazy letters – that would be cool.

OVERALL: Overall, I would give this app 4 out of 5 stars. I’ve had no bugs or glitches with it. The alphabet design is absolutely amazing and my son is playing with it every time he gets his hands on my iPad – which is daily. In fact, he just took my iPad away from me and is playing with Vivakids’ ABC now.

HOW TO ORDER: You can order Vivakids’ ABC on iTunes for $2.99

Another Recent App Review:

National Geographics’ Weird but True

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz received the app for review.

 I love holiday books. In fact, I just placed an order today through Scholastic for a Thanksgiving and Christmas book (T is for Turkey and Gingerbread Pirates) to read with my boys in the upcoming months. And for Halloween we had the chance to read two new Halloween titles which I just LOVED.

I’m the Scariest Thing in the Castle:

This book is written by Kevin Sherry, who also wrote a library favorite of ours – I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean. I’m the Scariest Thing in the Castle is a 26-page board book that follows a little vampire bat as he goes page by page saying he is the scariest thing in the castle. Scarier than the spiders, skeletons, mummies and so on. Towards the end, all of the Halloween Ghouls scare him, proving he isn’t as scary as he thinks. But goodness, he is the CUTEST thing in the castle. And he loves that idea just as much.

The simple repetition is great for my boys. My 5 year old can read it to my 3 year old. And he loves the pictures of the “cute” vampire bat and all of the other creature lurking in the castle. If Halloween is a favorite holiday for your early readers, this book is a must-have. I’d suggest it for ages 0 – 5.

I’m the Scariest Thing in the Castle retails for $6.99. It is published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguins Young Readers Group.

Night of the Pumpkinheads:

Night of the Pumpkinheads caught my eye because of the beautiful photographs of carved pumpkins. All pumpkins carved for this story were carved by Hugh McMahon.

In the story, the Jack-o-Lanterns want to join in the Halloween fun and get “dressed up” for Halloween. These orange, plump pumpkins make “scary” faces, like saber-tooth tigers, cobras and dinosaurs. Then the other pumpkins want to join in on the fun. The white pumpkins make Zombie Mimes and the miniature pumpkins become killer bees and eyeballs. The farm veggies, like turnips, radishes and parsnips, want to join in on the spooky fun, too, but the Jack-o-Lanterns laugh at them.

From there you get to see Green Pumpkins turn into Frankenstein and the Lochness Monster and other pumpkins turn into The Slime, Bats, Spiders and Skeletons. They go out to scare the children, but the kids aren’t spooked. Until… someone else hijacks the pumpkins “Jack-o-Ween” and sends the kids screaming. Can you guess who it is?

Both my son’s loved the photographs in the book. The carvings and photographs used to illustrate the story line really make this story. I’d suggest the book for ages 4 – 8.

This is a hardcover, 30 page book. It is written by Michael J. Rosen and McMahon’s pumpkin carvings were photographed by William Brinson. Night of the Pumpkinheads retails for $16.99, although you can find it for $11.99 on Amazon. It is published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguins Young Readers Group.

MORE HALLOWEEN BOOKS:

And if you are looking for more titles to purchase for Halloween – here is a favorite that I’ve been reading to my kids since 2008:

Where’s My Mummy

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz was not compensated for this buzz. The MomBuzz did receive two books for review.

His brother gets cool Darth Vader Shoes (thank you Nema and Baboo!), the little one wants Captain Rex shoes (thank you again Nema and Baboo!). And when a backpack comes special for my oldest, my youngest feels left out. But the truth is, he doesn’t need a typical school backpack. But a little preschooler pack would be adorable and useful! You know, something comfortable to carry to the library or playdates. It doesn’t need a lot of pockets for things to get lost in. It should be soft, flexible, easy to carry and easy for a 3 year old to manage.

Well, Give Wink, a children’s gear store located in Miami, FL, has LOADS of back-to-school items for older children and their younger siblings who look up to them. For example, Give Wink has this insane (in a good way) Spiketus Rex backpack. It makes your kid look like Bowser from Super Mario Brothers 3. It retails for $62 and comes in Blue, Green, Pink and Orange. It’s not your typical backpack. But for my 3 year old, I wanted something smaller and simpler.

The Fast Track Backpack answered my call. It measures just 12″Lx11″Wx 6″D. I have it next to a full size Pottery Barn Backpack for comparison. The Fast Track Backpack has adorable details that a boy is sure to love, with little race cars zooming down a road. The straps are adjustable, from within the backpack. And there is an outside pocket on the back and a mesh pocket inside to hold thin objects, like books. The backpack material is this soft and cushiony, not scratchy canvas. We can easily get 2 years use out of ours, this year for outings and next year at pre-Kindergarten. As flexible and roomy as it is, I don’t think it’ll meet the demands of Kindergarten.  But for little ones, this is just what they need to keep them from feeling left out as older siblings go to Kindergarten and higher.

The Fast Track Backpack retails for $45. There is also a cute girl option called CatNap that has the same features, but a more girlish design.

From Back Packs to Lunch Bags and all the gear in between, stop by GiveWink.com or their store location in Miami for more children’s gear.

WEBSITE: GIVEWINK.COM

STORE: 2570 NE Miami Gardens Drive
N.M.B., FL. 33180

SOCIAL MEDIA:

http://www.facebook.com/GiveWink or http://twitter.com/#!/givewink

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz received a sample for review.