One Fun Pack plus Friend includes:

• A miniaturize, pre-stuffed plush toy
• A Teeny Shirt
• Heart
• Fabric Stickers, for decorating the Teeny Shirt
• 3 Trading Cards
• Online Code to Bearville.com
• Pamphlet that includes the Collector’s Guide, Activities and Fun Facts

This mini BABW Furry Friend is approximately 3.5″ tall, depending on it’s ears and legs. It is pre-stuffed, but it has a pocket in the back to put it’s heart. Children can wish upon the heart before tucking it in the Furry Friend. They also can customize the shirt of their Furry Friend with a nice selection of Fabric Stickers.

A BABW Fun Pack plus Furry Friend retails for $5.99 from popular retailers, like Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us. Other stores will carry them, as well. Keep an eye out towards the trading card department of the stores. There are 12 Furry Friends to choose from and 36 cards to collect. Cards are included in the Fun Pack plus Furry Friend, as well as in Trading Card Fun Packs.

Trading Card Fun Packs ($1.99 ea.) include:

• 3 Collectible Cards
• Temporary Tattoos
• Scratch-Offs
• Fun Activities

This mom thinks that they are fun as a small reward for doing well at school or home, will make a great filler in an Easter Basket, a sweet Valentine’s Gift, and would be a fun activity for birthday parties!

One reader will win a Build-a-Bear Workshop Fun Pack plus Furry Friend and extra Trading Packs

FIRST: MANDATORY ENTRY:

Who would you like to win a Build-a-Bear Workshop Fun Pack plus Furry Friend for?

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

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

Win a Build-a-Bear Fun Pack Plus Furry Friend @theMomBuzz . Give-away ends 3.07.12 http://themombuzz.com/?p=20748

• Tweet the contest – can be done daily:

Win a Build-a-Bear Fun Pack Plus Furry Friend from #theMomBuzz . Give-away ends 3.07.12 http://themombuzz.com/?p=20748

• Stumble any review or post on theMomBuzz.com (Please don’t Stumble Give-aways). Let me know what you Stumbled!
• Have you spotted these Build-a-Bear Workshop Fun Packs plus Furry Friends at any stores? Take a picture of it and send it to theMomBuzz via Twitter, share on our Facebook Page or Blog it for 10 extra entries each method! Just be sure to tag and/or share your link w/theMomBuzz and leave the comments below for each extra entry.
• Add the Mom Buzz to your blogroll (Feed: http://themombuzz.com/feed/)

Contest ends 3/07/12. 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.

Easter is only a few days away. Are you in a last minute shopping frenzy, looking for ideas that aren’t calorie-filled and overly sweet to fill your child’s Easter basket? Well, number 13 on my Easter Basket Ideas for 2011 included Hexbugs. Small, collectible, cool and they provide hours of fun. What’s funny is that after I wrote that list I found out they actually had the same idea I did – except improved upon!

Not only are they packaging special Easter Hexbug Nanos in orange/clear eggs. These Hexbugs are dressed for the occasion, wearing little removable pink ears. I’m not quite positive of the color assortment of these Easter Hexbugs, but I have seen olive, pink, purple, yellow and blue.

Recently I had the chance to share the fun of these Easter Hexbugs with my sons’ friends. Each friend received one Easter Egg with a different assorted Easter Hexbug. Most of the kids were boys, but we did have two girls who love the Hexbugs in pink. And the ears totally up the awww-factor.

I hid HexBugs eggs in my backyard for friends to find during a playdate. So that’s a great idea for Easter – I just suggest marking your hiding spots for these buggers, since you don’t want to lose them before you play with them! On Easter, you can also simply present them in an Easter Basket with eggs filled with Hexbugs (already pre-packaged in their eggs) and pack the other eggs with GOMU Erasers and stickers. I also am adding Wipe-Off books, Dry-Erase Markers and Zippies.

Luckily, some of the kids we invited to the party were already aware of Hexbugs and owned them – so they have sets to play with them at home. But you don’t need a set to have fun. If you have a train table, that’s a perfect place to let them loose since they will bounce around on the table and not topple over the edge. You can let them loose on the floor too, but I like seeing them bounce into obstacles and turn around. It makes them look so bug-like and realistic.

One mom was concerned about batteries. I told her that if they seem to be dying or dead to leave them off for a while. Often the battery just seems to need a rest after a day of continuous play. I experience this with any electronic toy that the boys first get their hands on. The batteries seem to wear out because they never want to put it down. But through normal usage I find the bugs seem to last through several plays before needing a new battery. I buy 2-packs of batteries on sale at Target when I see them for $2.99. So that is around $1.50 per cell battery. You need a tiny screwdriver to get the battery in. And I always suggest picking up extra batteries along with any Hexbug purchase.

The Easter Hexbugs are available exclusively at Radio Shack. You can find other Hexbugs at Toys R Us, Radio Shack, Target and online at Hexbug.com. They are actually less expensive than the regular Nanos, even with their cute ears! Easter Hexbug Nanos retail for $4.99. Current Nanos in the test-tube retail for $7.99.

OTHER RELATED POSTS:

Easter Ideas 2011: Think Outside the Basket

Hexbugs 2010

Zippies IDs

Happy Easter!

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. The Mom Buzz was not compensated for this buzz. The Mom Buzz was chosen to host an in-home party for HexBug Nanos through Mom Select and Mommy Parties and given the materials and samples to do so. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products!

I’ve been thinking hard on what theme to use for my youngest son’s birthday this year. Then the idea practically fell in my lap – Dinosaur Train! Dinosaur Train is a PBS Show for young kids. In the show, Buddy the T-Rex and his adoptive family of Pteranodons go on whimsical adventures through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans as they unearth basic concepts in natural science, natural history and paleontology. They do this aboard the Dinosaur Train, which is a colorful locomotive, customized to accommodate all kinds of dinosaurs, and it has the ability to visit the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous worlds, while the Train’s Conductor, a knowledgeable Troodon, provides passengers with fascinating facts along the way.

Pretty much, the show combines two things boys love – Dinosaurs and Trains! It’s colorful fun and makes a perfect birthday theme.

I always make the birthday cakes for the boys, so my choices were to turn a Wilton Stand-Up Bear pan into a Dinosaur (which I’ve done before) or use the DecoPac Dinosaur Train Decorating Set and Cupcake Rings. The Cake Decorating Set includes one Buddy Figure – a hard plastic 4.5″ figure on a stand, making it perfect as a keepsake or for display for years to come. It also includes a glossy, laminated train with real working reals. The train shows the conductor hanging out the window. And then there is a little plastic green Pteranodon. With this set you can get as creative as you want. I plan to do something similar to the suggested picture. I think I’ll use brown cupcakes for the “background”, though, and stick the Pteranodon on that.

Dinosaur Train cupcake rings are also available. I gave each of my sons a ring to play with and they loved them. They come in dark green, lighter green and orange with pictures of the Dinosaur Train logo, Buddy or the Pteranodon Tiny.

Dinosaur Train Eggspress App:

Dinosaur Train Eggspress application, now for iPhone, iPod and iPad ($2.99), challenges your child to find and match dinosaur eggs and then reunite dinosaur families while progressing through three different time periods. Your child will discover real flora and fauna from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous eras. Along the way, there will be learning moments as Buddy and the Conductor reveal mystery dinosaur hatchlings, fun dinosaur facts, and an adorable Dinosaur Baby Book. All aboard! Check out this review from Geek Dad: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/tag/dinosaur-train/

EASTER TOYS:

And in the spirit of the Easter egg hunt tradition, Dinosaur Train offers a new twist! Available now, young fans can watch the characters from Dinosaur Train hatch from their eggs and grow 4x their size with Hatchers! It’s simple, easy fun…Just place the egg in water and wait for it to crack!

LEARN MORE:

Learn more about Dinosaur Train, the apps, toys and Decopac sets by visiting these links:

• Dinosaur Train on PBS: http://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain/
• The Jim Henson Company: www.henson.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/hensoncompany
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/hensonparents
• Cakes: www.cakes.com

One reader will win a Dinosaur Train Cake Set and Cupcake Rings.

FIRST: MANDATORY ENTRY: What’s your child’s (or yours) favorite dinosaur?

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:

• Visit Dinosaur Train on PBS and tell me something you learned: http://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain/
• Add theMomBuzz to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link. (1 tweet per DAY is allowed)
• Leave a comment on any other post/contest on theMomBuzz
• Add the Mom Buzz to your blogroll (Feed: http://themombuzz.com/feed/)
• Follow Henson Parents on Twitter (http://twitter.com/hensonparents) and tweet them that you saw them @themombuzz (2 entries, leave two comments)
• Fan Henson Company on Facebook: www.facebook.com/hensoncompany
  

Contest ends 4/30/11. 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.

Samples were provided to 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 sponsor is handling prize fulfillment.

Win this Hoppy Easter Basket

For a third year now, Lindt has partnered with Autism Speaks to raise funds and awareness in support of the autism cause during the Easter season. Through Easter, April 24, Lindt is donating 10 cents to Autism Speaks for every Lindt Gold Bunny purchased in the U.S., up to $100,000, and $1 for every free e-card sent from LindtGoldBunny.com. Yes, this bunny gives back…. He also tastes delicious too!! Made with the finest ingredients and crafted by the Lindt Master Chocolatiers.

The Mom Buzz wants to help spread the news before Easter, so we are looking for your support! One buzz reader will win a Hoppy Easter Basket from Lindt (pictured). This basket includes:

- A classic Lindt Gold Bunny (milk chocolate)
- Lindt Chocolate Carrots (milk chocolate blended with hazelnut)
- Assorted Lindor Truffles Eggs (milk, white, and dark chocolate, as well as peanut butter and stracciatella)
- Mini Lindt Chocolate Chicks, Bunnies and Lambs (milk chocolate)

This contest ends on Easter day. To be entered to win, just follow the instructions below!

One reader will win a Hoppy Easter Basket from Lindt. This basket includes:

- A classic Lindt Gold Bunny (milk chocolate)
- Lindt Chocolate Carrots (milk chocolate blended with hazelnut)
- Assorted Lindor Truffles Eggs (milk, white, and dark chocolate, as well as peanut butter and stracciatella)
- Mini Lindt Chocolate Chicks, Bunnies and Lambs (milk chocolate)

FIRST: MANDATORY ENTRY: How do you celebrate Easter?

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:

• Share this contest on Twitter – Leave the Tweet Link. Can be tweeted every hour.
• Share this contest on your blog – leave your blog link. (Worth 5 entries, leave 5 comments)
• Share this comment on Facebook – Leave the Facebook Link.
• Share this contest on a Forum or Contest Linky – let me know where. (1 entry for any way shared)
• Send a free e-card from LindtGoldBunny.com and $1 will be donated to the cause. Let me know who you sent it to! (Not their e-mail, just who the person was…)
• Leave a comment on any other post/contest on theMomBuzz

Contest ends 4/24/11. 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 the opinion of theMomBuzz. 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 sponsor is handling prize fulfillment. The Mom Buzz was not compensated for this buzz – she just wanted to share the buzz.

Easter is coming! On April 24th, Peter Cottontail will hop on down the bunny trail to leave all sorts of surprises for the kids. Now, it’s easy to fall into the sweets trap when filling an Easter Basket. Even I buy those little M&M Characters for my kids. But, I just wanted to remind you of some alternatives items to fill your children’s Easter Baskets!

1. Educational Items: Own a Leapster, Leapster Explorer or MobiGo? Consider buying educational games to go along with the handhelds.

2. DVDs: I started this tradition when it was just my hubby and I. He is usually on a bodybuilding diet, so I buy him kid-friendly DVDs. Some great choices right now are ‘Twas the Night Before Easter (VeggieTales) and Bambi.

3. Beach Toys: This is a favorite of mine! Every year I buy shovels, pails and other beach items. The kids love it and it gets a lot of use!

4. Bubbles: Who doesn’t love bubbles?

5. Play Doh: Need I say more? Or you can try Moon Sand, too.

6. Mr. Potato Head: Don’t forget to add a Spud Bunny to your Easter List! Hours, Days, Weeks, Months of Fun! You can never have too many Mr. Potato Heads!

7. Zygopsyche: She was one of my first finds here on the Mom Buzz. And after 3 years, I still think she has the cutest selection of bunnies and guinea pigs to fill an Easter Basket with!

8. Flip Flops: This goes along with my “prepare for summer” idea. One great brand with as many Flip Flop choices as there are Easter Egg designs are Havaianas!

9. Books: Why not throw some books into the Easter Basket. Coco and Gossie are some of my baby and toddler-friendly favorites. My children LOVE them. I am sure yours will too. Coco is about a little wire chick and the Gossie series are about quirky Geese.

10. Socks: Okay, maybe it doesn’t seem too exciting – but I do socks for Easter and Underwear for Stockings at Christmas. Roll them into balls (eggs?)

11. LEGO Minifigures or LEGO keychains: Sometimes you can great deals on them at LEGO.com!

12. Chalk, Markers, Crayons and Dry-Erase Markers

13. One item that is sure to be in my boys baskets are HEXBUGS. They are these cool robotic bugs that act like REAL bugs, scurrying, reacting to light and dark reacting to sound and more. The HexBug Nanos are uber cool, even with their own habitat. But you can buy extra Nanos individually packaged in test tubes! We love ours … but I think Santa will delivering some HexBug Ants, which seem so cool in the commercial I saw on YouTube!

Those are just some of my ideas and top choices! What is the Easter Bunny bringing to your home?

RELATED POSTS:

Egg Cupcakes (made with candy melts!)

Peep Cupcakes

Easter Crafts and Activities

Personalized Easter Baskets Just $19.99

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products!

It doesn’t have to cost a rabbit’s foot and a bunny tail to get Peter Cottontail to visit your house affordably. The Happy Easter Store, which is made up of mom-loved stores like Red Envelope, ProFlowers and PersonalCreations.com, is now open and selling Easter merchandise like Easter baskets, gifts for kids, candy and chocolate, flowers, and various other Easter gifts.

My number one pick from the Hapy Easter Store are the All-in-One Easter Baskets. They are available for $19.99 (on sale from $32.99). That is $13 off the original price – and let me tell you, they are totally worth the original price. First off, personalization is FREE. Then the round wicker basket is prestuffed with goodies, like:

• A 6″ White Plush Bunny
• Marshmallow Peeps
• HUGE 2 oz. Milk Chocolate Bunny – I think he’s hollow? But it’s that traditional bunny in the foil wrapper.
• 3 oz. Jelly Beans
• 3 oz. Bunny Candy Corn
• 3 oz. Milk Chocolate Malt Ball Eggs
• 3 oz Foil-Wrapped Solid Chocolate Eggs
• Faux Easter Grass
• An Embroidered gingham liner

I am just AMAZED at how much stuff there is in the basket. And honestly, my favorite part is that it is embroidered. I also like the handle, which can be raised and lowered. And the care they put in packing it is very nice. It was surrounded by peanuts. And then the baskets are individually wrapped. And then the items INSIDE the basket are individually wrapped.

There are currently 3 colors to choose from:

• Pink All in One Easter Basket
• Green All in One Easter Basket
• Blue All in One Easter Basket

I chose the Green and Blue for my boys. It was ordered on the 9th. I was expecting it 5 days later on the 16th. I was completely surprised with it arriving 2 days ahead of schedule on the 14th.

These are the first “official” baskets they ever had. And you won’t find a price like this in stores. $19.99 for a personalized, pre-stuffed basket that will be around for YEARS is just awesome. And you’ll be sure to find loads of other Easter goodies, for kids to adults, at the Easter Store, as well!

You can also stay current on Easter Must-Haves by following the Happy Easter Store on Facebook!

One Winner will win $50 Gift Code to the Happy Easter Store

FIRST: MANDATORY ENTRY: How do you celebrate Easter?

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:

• Add theMomBuzz to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link. (1 tweet per DAY is allowed)
• Become a Fan of theMomBuzz on Facebook
• What other Easter product do you like from the Happy Easter Store?
• Like the Happy Easter Store on Facebook!
• Vote for my Triple Chocolate Cake on Facebook
• Add the Mom Buzz to your blogroll (Feed: http://themombuzz.com/feed/)

Contest ends 3/31/11. 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 received ‘Twas the Night Before Easter. The sponsor is handling prize fulfillment.

Filly Princess

Almost all kids love little collectibles – and some adults too! You know what I am talking about, anything you find in the impulse aisle at Target pretty much. Trading cards, Japanese erasers, Crazy Bandz, Sqwishland Squishies, Filly Princess and more. Well, I just discovered the coolest online store – CoolZips.com – that sells of these AND more. Honestly, the only thing that would make their collection complete in this mom’s eyes is if they also start carrying Zippies and LEGO minifigures. But already I’m eying their wares to fill Easter Baskets, as party favors and for Christmas Stockings.

CoolZips has 26 categories in all. It will be impossible for me to cover them all – so instead I am giving you my faves from CoolZips in the following categories: Easter Basket, School, Party Favors, and Christmas.

COOLZIPS.COM DISCOUNT CODE: USE Discount Code MOMBUZZ to be entered at checkout and receive 10% Off an entire order. Valid now through March 24th.

For the Easter Basket: Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail. Is he going to leave an overloaded sugary sweet basket for your kids? Or maybe he’ll leave a Filly Princess Ponies for your daughters and GoGo’s Crazy Bones for the boys.

Filly Princess Ponies are a collectible line of ponies that girls love and adore. Each Filly Princess has a unique name, storyline, golden crown, and sticker. There are 85 to collect. They are blind packaged and retail for $2.79.

GoGo’s Crazy Bones are fun, colorful plastic figurines to collect and trade. Your child can even play a modern version of an Ancient Greek game called Astragals with these figures. They are blind packaged and retail for $2.99.

For School: As I type this, I am sitting next to a folder full of my son’s admission paperwork for Kindergarten. School doesn’t start for another 5 months, but already I need to buy his uniform and start paying tuition and other fees. Crazy, right? So I figure it’s not too late to think of some fun stuff to pack in his backpack to help ease first-day jitters. One item I really liked were the cool Pencil Sharpeners in the shapes of a cheese wedge (sharpen your pencil to see mice come out), bears, and a car that rolls. Sharpeners start at just 99 cents.

For Party Favors: What’s in your party favor bag. Honestly, I am not a fan of cheap candy and cheap toys that break as soon as I am in the car. Might as well not give out a good bag! In my goody bags I normally have stickers, fruit gummies and cute toys – some of my most memorable ones were adding beach toys from Target’s $1 aisle or action figures from Imaginext. But I saw Little RasCools at CoolZips and I think it’s something that both boys and girls would squeal over. They are these little animals that when you squeeze – their eyes goosh out. So there is the cute factor for girls, the eww factor for boys and a price tag mom will like – 4 Little RasCools for $4.99.

Eye-Popping Little RasCools

One of Many Japanese Erasers

For Christmas Stockings: I love when Santa leaves sweet finds, without the calories, in my children’s stockings. My boys LOVE Japanese erasers and GOMU erasers. They are practical for school-aged children and may almost be too cute to use. Iwako Japanese erasers are puzzle erasers that you can take apart and put back together in different ways. GOMU erasers are blind packaged, collectible, can be traded … or simply used to erase mistakes. Prices start at 99 cents for the Japanese erasers and $1.49 for Gomu erasers.

So those are my top picks. Now tell me more about the little collectibles your kids like to get and ones you like to give.

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 compensated for this buzz.

Kissy-Face Kayla

Y’all know I love finding cute, inexpensive things to share. It’s been a while since anything has struck my fancy the way Zippies do. Zippies are circular, flexible ID tags that you can hang on water bottles, book bags, luggage, strollers and more. What makes these special are their cute faces, which resemble tigers, bunnies, walruses, sharks or are almost too unique to really say WHAT it is – so you and your kids can use your imagination.

The front of the tag is made of this soft, colorful plastic that just screams cute and cool. While the back has room for you to write a name and number in permanent marker. There is a special clip on it that let’s you attach it to various common water bottles. And you can also clip it to almost any carry bag.

I love it because not only is it a clever, stand-out from the crowd tag. But it just has so many uses that it’s a great excuse to buy the whole series. (Yes, there is a series, so expect a new wave of collectible faces from Zippies!) Here are the uses I thought of:

1. SCHOOL: Book bags and lunch bags can be easily identified.

2. VACATIONS: Clip it to luggage, camera bags, diaper bags and purses – you never know when a bag might be lost in a rush.

3. THEME PARKS: Clip it to your kids’ pants. If they get separated, a park employee can call your cell phone.

4. GYM: Attach it to your gym bag and water bottles, so there is no mistaking who it belongs to.

5. BABY: Attach it to strollers and diaper bags, in case mommy brain gets the better of you.

6: KIDS: Attach it to your kids’ bicycles. In my neighborhood they pick up bikes that are just laying on the sidewalks and many of them sit unclaimed in the front office. With a tag, the office would know who to call.

7. KEYS: Anyone who has keys – adults or kids – can attach this to their key ring. It will help their key ring stand out and if misplaced, they can get reconnected with the keys though a quick call.

Tazmo is Protecting my Gym Bag

I also think they make great, small gifts for:

• Easter Baskets
• Christmas Stockings
• New School Year (For any grade level – even college!)
• Party Favors inside a Birthday Goody Bag

Zippies are available online at www.zippiesfun.com and found at select retailers. They retail for $4.98 each of $39.99 for the entire limited-edition first series. The first series comes in 10 different characters:

1. Wally the Walrus
2. Faina the Frog
3. Tazmo the Tiger (Squee! My favorite!)
4. Chip the Cool Blue Dude
5. Kayla the Kissy Pink Lady
6. Bruno the Dog
7. Paco the … Green Guy that wants to Chomp
8. Flops the Bunny
9. Edge the Nervous Purple Dude
10. Ranger the Robot (that resembles a shark)

I received the first collection and decided to spread the fun with family and friends. Since I love Tazmo I put him on my gym bag. Ranger is for my husband’s gym bag. Chip is attached to my oldest son’s backpack and Paco is on my youngest son’s backpack. Kayla went to my niece and Edge to my nephew. Bruno and another Wally went on the boy’s bikes. And I shared the last ones with friends for their kids. I had a lot of fun IDing everything, if you can tell!

You can see Zippies in action here:

And you can connect with them on Twitter (@ZippiesFun) and Facebook!

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 samples for review from ZippiesFun.com through the Family Review Network.

It’s time to pick up another VeggieTales movie! Yes, those clever, animated veggies have released another great flick, helping to teach children the true meaning about Easter. It’s not just about chocolate bunnies and Easter Eggs, although the commercials, school parties and candy aisles might try to tell us otherwise. Sometimes we just need that gentle reminder (from a tomato and cucumber) that Easter is celebrates ‘new life’ because Jesus was resurrected on the third day – giving us new life in Him. The new movie is ‘Twas the Night Before Easter.

My kids have so far watched ‘Twas the Night Before Easter twice. The first time I put it on to introduce it to them, since I’ve been hyping up Easter quite a lot and wanted them to have a better understanding in a message appropriate for children. The second time my son requested the Veggie Tale Bunny Movie, since it does have a lot of “bunnies” in it. You see, the movie centers around a musical that goes on “the night before Easter”.

Marlee Meade wants to help others through theater. When she learns that the old town theater is shutting down, she manages to cook up a HUGE production called “Up with Bunnies” that includes costume-clad townies, massive props and a 20-foot robot rabbit. She even steals singing sensation Cassie Cassava from the hometown church service practice to ensure the whole show is a success. But does a musical about bunnies the night before Easter really make a difference, or is there a better way to help others?

Well, all it takes is one BIG BUNNY to help bring down the house, giving Marlee the opportunity to discover the true meaning of Easter.

The DVD is 48 minutes long. It includes one silly song – the Hopperena. You have to watch the sill song from the “extras” menus, which was a little different. I am used to the silly song interrupting the main feature. The DVD is available for pre-order from BigIdea.com for $14.99. It will be officially released on March 5, 2011.

“Eggs-tra” Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary
• “The Hopperena” Silly Songs Sing-Along
• Behind the voice of “Cassie” with Melinda Doolittle
• Larry’s backstage pass to “VeggieTales Live!”
• “Easter Cards” Interactive Matching Game

Other Veggie Tales reviews from the Mom Buzz:

Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah’s Umbrella
It’s a Meaningful Life
Abe and the Amazing Promise
Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving
Pistachio – the Little Boy that Woodn’t
SweetPea Beauty
Happy Together

One Winner will win the VeggieTales DVD ‘Twas the Night Before Easter ($14.99 MSRP)

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:

• Add theMomBuzz to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link. (1 tweet per DAY is allowed)
• Become a Fan of theMomBuzz on Facebook
• What other DVD or VeggieTales product do you like from the BigIdea.com?
• Become a Friend on Google Friend Connect (Right side sidebar)
• Add the Mom Buzz to your blogroll (Feed: http://themombuzz.com/feed/)

Contest ends 3/28/11. 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 received ‘Twas the Night Before Easter. The sponsor is handling prize fulfillment.

Stuff You Need to Make Peep Cupcakes

So I was looking through recipes at McCormick for Easter  – something for my playdate with my Mom’s Club, as well as for Easter Day with family. I was inspired by their clever bunny cupcakes and chick cupcakes, and decided to create some easy Peep Cupcakes. To make Peep Cupcakes (the easy, quick way) you need:

• Favorite Box Cake Mix
• Favorite White Frosting
• Food Dye – McCormick Neon Food Dye is PERFECT for Peep Cupcakes
• Vanilla or Almond Extract
• Clear Sugar Crystals

Create the Perfect Color

First, I made cupcakes using box directions. Then I went to the Perfect Color Guide on McCormick to see what color drops I need to add to my frosting. I wanted to match my blue peeps, so I needed to add 20 drops of Neon Blue food dye. Then, I think Whipped Frosting is a little flavorless, so I added a dash of McCormick Pure Vanilla. I mixed and got a gorgeous blue that perfectly matched the Peeps.

Next I needed to color my crystals. I went with neon pink. I just added about 1/3 of the sugar crystal jar and 2 drops of Neon Pink Dye then mixed with a spoon. Now I had colored crystals! I will say that my next batch I will match the crystals with the frosting and peeps – I think that will look “neater”.

I almost don’t need to tell you what to do next! Frost the cupcakes, add the colored sugar crystals and pop a peep on top! It’s so cute and easy. You can replace the colored sugar crystals with colored coconut shavings. I think that has a more “adult” feel to it. Perfect for playdates, Easter or just a fun family snack!

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 D.I.Y. Kit to try some Easter projects at home!