I recently had the great fortune to receive some scrapbooking material from a company called “Close To My Heart”, a maker of high-quality, innovative scrapbooking and stamping products. The products I received were both beautiful and overwhelming. As a novice scrapbooker I was not aware so much time and devotion could go into gluing a picture to a piece of paper. LOL. But as my wonderful consultant, Michele, informed me- scrapbooking and cardmaking are the new “knitting”, though I’m sure it’s a lot harder to do on the subway train. Along with the really creative materials they make “Close to me Heart” also provides you with exceptional resources like their website, and their knowledgeable consultants. For beginning scrapbookers like me you can get a wealth of ideas by checking out their website which includes a section called “My Art” where you can “scraplift” ideas for your own pages, they also have workshops and events you can attend and how to videos to watch. Something I found extremely helpful were sample pages that my consultant made for me and now all I have to do is glue in a picture and take all the credit for a beautiful presentation!

For those really interested in sparking their creativity you can contact a consultant for a 1 on 1 meeting. My consultant Michele is full of great tips and ideas and is so in love with these products that she has no problem dropping by to show you the product line and how to use everything. Something interesting she shared with me that I never imagined going into a scrapbook was a voice recorder that they just added to their line. It adds such a cool personalized touch to a photo and will no doubt offer a special surprise to a friend going through your album. The recorder itself can even be decorated so it fits right into the theme of your page. You can record a message to your album visitors, a story about the picture, or capture a beautiful moment you will always want to remember like the sound of your baby’s laughter to go along with a picture of them giggling.

As a working mother struggling to make the most of my time everyday I always thought of scrapbooking as an overindulgent hobby only afforded to the desperate housewives of Wisteria Lane. But with a resource like “Close to my Heart” and their easy to use products, it makes it possible to grab a cup of tea and my scrapbooking kit and sit on the floor for an hour during naptime and finally finish my honeymoon album 6 years later!!

To view their products you can check out their website at www.nycscraps.myctmh.com
or contact:
Michele Luxenberg
Independent Consultant
Close To My Heart - Scrapbook & Stamping Products
917.509.4611
mluxenberg@hotmail.com

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Recently, I received a few products from the Littlest Pet Shop line to review. This is really an adorable line of toy pets and virtual interactive pets.

For the younger kids (ages 4+), I received a “Portable Pets” and “Pet Pairs” from their new line of mini pets. Retailing from $3.99 to $5.99, these make great stocking stuffers for little pet lovers. (Kids love collecting these little pets.) I’ll be giving these two away to one Mom in the City member.

Portable Pets

Pet Pairs

I also received the Littlest Pet Shop Tail Waggin’ Fitness Club (for ages 4+). If you want to see your little one’s eyes light up, this is a great gift option. I gave it to a Mom in the City member’s daughter. She loved it! She kept carrying the box (which is pretty big in comparison to a kids’ body) around. A small set of kids also kept stopping by to see the fitness club. Along with the gym (that includes workout centers, lockers, a snack bar and rest area) the set comes with 2 pets and other various accessories.

I was also sent the latest from the LPS VIP line called VIP Friends. VIP Friends are only out for a limited time (until the end of December). The age range is 6+ but I’m including it because some of you have older kids also. These Virtual Interactive Pets (VIPs) have codes hidden in the collar. Older kids can visit littlestpetshop.com to play games and participate in activities for both the kids and the pets. When I gave this toy to a young girl in my neighborhood, she just hugged the pets and told her mom ”I’ve always wanted this!”

Mom in the City newsletter subscribers can enter to win the two minis package by leaving their name in the Comments section below along with the name of their favorite Littlest Pet Shop pet or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Pet” and the answer in the Subject line by December 31st.

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A couple of weeks ago, I unexpectedly received a box filled with some of Avon’s best winter essentials from BSM Media. What a pleasant surprise! (Even better, they sent enough to share with one lucky Mom in the City member….). These were the goodies that were included:

-Foot Works Winter Spice Moisturizing Cream ($4.99)

-Foot Works Winter Spice Foot Soak ($3.99)

-Foot Works Winter Spice Foot Scrub ($4.99)

-Holiday Hand Cream

And

-Winter Delights Lip Balm ($0.99)

It has been fun trying out the various products. My feet are a constant “work in progress”, so I love trying out various foot treatments. I especially liked the foot cream. It does a great job of moisturizing without feeling thick and heavy on the feet. I was so amazed when I checked and saw how inexpensive the Foot Works products were priced. I already know who I’m going to gift some of their items to (a nurse friend of mines who is constantly on her feet).

The hand creams and lip balms also worked well. At less than a $1 each, they make really great stocking stuffer gifts. I put a lip balm and hand cream in my bag; my husband’s bag and Michael’s backpack. (In the near future, Sean will be receiving a set for his diaper bag too - I just ran out of product.) It’s nice to know that “my guys” are covered (moisture-wise, anyway) in this cold weather season!

So, here’s the fun part. BSM included two of each of the products, so I have a set of the five products to give away to a Mom in the City member. (If you don’t win / don’t want to wait, I also have a free shipping code for everyone to use on Avon.com. Simply enter the code JINGLE30 and you will receive free standard shipping with a $30 order when you shop with an eRepresentative. Note: This offer expires on January 1, 2009.)

Mom in the City newsletter subscribers can enter to win the bundle by leaving their name in the “Comments” section below along with the name of their favorite Avon stocking stuffer item or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Avon” and the answer in the Subject line by December 15th (just in time for holiday gifting!).

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday.)

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Recently, I had a chance to review a new children’s toy, the new line of Groovy Girls RSVP dolls and pets from Manhattan Toy. I fell in love with the 8 dolls and 5 pets in the line after opening the box that contained them.

The thing that I like the most about the dolls is that they have on fashionable clothes that actually cover everything that needs to be covered! Unfortunately, that is not the norm with many dolls on the market today. I also like the diversity of the dolls. (I promptly put “Alesa” to the side – she’s a keeper!) The pets are super-cute too. I think that this is a great, age-appropriate line for girls ages 3+.

Each doll or pet comes with a RSVP code that can be used to get exclusive access the Groovy Girls RSVP Web site where they can get rewards, play games, join parties and much more. You can download a free exclusive song with each doll or pet’s RSVP code as well.

Additionally, there’s a special site for parents so that they can be in touch with their kids’ play, stay aware of actual Groovy Girl events and accumulate points towards a doll donation for girls in need (which is great!).

Lastly, the line is reasonably priced ($15/doll; $12/pet). FREE is even better than reasonable, right? So, I’m going to give one lucky Mom in the City member two dolls and one pet. (The other dolls and pets are accounted for already!)

Mom in the City newsletter subscribers can enter to win the bundle by leaving your name in the “Comments” section below along with the name of your favorite Groovy Girls RSVP or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Groovy” in the Subject line and the answer by December 15th (just in time for holiday gifting!).

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The stuffed animals in this line (Snow Leopard, Polar Bear or Giant Panda) by KIDDesigns are adorable. It just so happened that we received the panda (perfect timing – we saw Kung Fu Panda later that week!) for review.

Girls (ages 3+) will especially love the animals, because Barbie’s voice is used to speak. However, don’t open it around animal-loving little boys – they’ll want to keep them too. Each animal comes with a variety of items (syringe, bottle, thermometer, tweezers, an ice pack and a bandage cuff) so that the kids can play veterinarian and nurse their animal back to health. It was great watching my kids tend to their panda’s needs. I was impressed - kids really do pay attention to how we parents take care of “boo-boos”. (Areas that need attention light up and sometimes the animal makes noises too. When the animal is “better”, the light goes out and the sound changes.) Each wildlife animal also comes with a pretend Passport and an adorable little Adoption Certificate with the animal’s “photo” on it. Best of all, Mattel (the licensor) will make a donation to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), an organization that helps protect endangered species.

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I mentioned the EA Sports All-Play line in this Mom in the City’s Holiday Toy Guide 2008: Video Games post. Since my husband plays the sports games as much (if not more) than me, I mentioned that I’d be getting his view on a couple of the games.

Initially, when I asked his thoughts, he said, “I liked them”. When I asked him to elaborate/let me know what he’d tell another guy who was considering buying it, he said, “I’m a guy. I wouldn’t say a lot.” (He’s more into playing with others/ letting them test it out themselves.) After a bit more prodding, this is what I got out of him…

NBA LIVE 09
I really liked it. It’s great. The players are realistic and the graphics are life-like. It’s easy to play and shoot. Using the remote while making the actions is fun. It inspires teamwork when playing together. The players are lifelike and seem to have many of the abilities that the actual players possess (i.e. it was hard to stop Lebron James and Kobe Bryant’s characters). The only negative was the dunk competition – initially it wasn’t as intuitive/ easy to figure out as the other games.

FIFA 09
The soccer game was very lifelike too. It was easy to pick up. Even my four years old son figured out how to play it even though he knows nothing about professional soccer. We especially enjoyed playing the included FootII party games (Table Football, Boot It and Juggling) together.

Both games have the potential to be “addictive”. I could see playing them for hours on end. They both would also make great group/party games.

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Recently, two Mom in the City members (who have daughters) reviewed two fun new items - Polly Pocket™ Pop ‘N Swap and MyMeebas™.

Edith’s daughter enjoyed the Polly Pocket™ Pop ‘N Swap Sport set so much that she wanted to take her new dolls with her to school. (Edith compromised and let her keep them in her backpack during school…) These doll combinations are cute and they come with a variety of fashions to mix and match. The set comes with five heads, nine torsos, and nine bottoms that you simply click together to mix and match. (The only thing that I don’t like is the lack of racial diversity with this set. Polly Pocket does have a Black “Shani” doll in their line, but she’s not included in these Pop “N Swap sets.) At $19.99 for the set though, this is a great pick.

Carla’s family is enjoying trying to get the little MyMeebas™ plush toy to come out of this electronic game fully grown. They are enjoying the games and noted that they keep their daughter occupied for a good period of time. The toy “surprise” comes in a colorful tube that can only be opened through (20+) electronic games and activities being played on the sliding LCD screen. There are over 60 plush toys (including the possibility of twins!) to collect in this unique electronic game series that retails for $19.99 each.

Mom in the City newsletter subscribers can enter to win both toys by leaving their name in the “Comments” section below or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Polly” in the Subject line by December 15th (just in time for holiday gifting!).

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday.)

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Recently, Publications International, Ltd., (PI) sent me a sample of its new interactive product, Poingo. Michael (my 4 years old son) loves it.

Basically, kids (suggested ages 3-7) use the pen-shaped Poingo to touch pictures or text in the accompanying books which makes the characters talk, make sounds and play music. The starter kit comes with the Poingo and two hardcover books (Cars and Finding Nemo). Here are the three things that I like the most about the Poingo set:

1. The books (duh!). I like that they are fun, popular stories that keep Michael’s attention. Sometimes, he asks me to sit down with him and point out each word of text as it is read by Poingo. At other times, he’s content to explore the books by himself. Right now, there are six titles available – all of which are already loaded into Poingo’s memory. New titles are planned for the future.

2. It is user friendly. Really. You just turn a button on the Poingo, touch the books and it’s ready to go. (For non-techs people like me, that is a definite plus!) Note: When new titles become available, you will have to download the content from their site though.

And

3. It is reasonably priced. The starter set (including the two books) is $34.99. Additional books are $9.99 each. You can find the set at a variety of stores (Toys R Us, Target, etc.) as well as online at www.discoverpoingo.com.

The only thing that I don’t like is that the reader goes back to the top to read the entire text of each page every time any text on the page is touched. (I prefer to be able to read word by word.) Other than that, I really like this product.

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Back in August, I expressed my excitement about Mabel’s Labels’ school combo for kids in this post. Recently, I was happy to hear that the company was launching a new line of “Mama Cards” on the first of this month.

I had heard of mom cards before, but I wasn’t too interested. I reasoned that (as a work at home mom) I already have business cards with my information on it. That should suffice. Then, I saw some of the Mama Cards samples. The five original designs were too cute! Besides the “cute factor” the thing that stood out to me the most was being able to include the kids’ allergies on the cards - very smart indeed! Another great thing about the card is that it has a “Notes” section on the back with six lines, so that you can include additional information. (Besides, I hardly ever bring my business cards to social events, so these cards spare me from having to scrounge around for pen and paper to exchange information.) Lastly, I like that the cards are affordable. They’re only $29 for 100 cards.

In any event, it’s obvious that moms are behind Mabel’s Labels!

Here’s what my “Summer Day” cards look like:

To make your own custom Mama Cards, visit here.

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Lately, scent has been on my mind – specifically, scents for my home. I’m not a huge fan of air freshener sprays (even though I use them on occasion, they tend to make me choke?!) and candles are off-limits (because of the kids). So, I was excited when Hillhouse Naturals (they sell a variety of scented fragrance gifts for the bed, bath and home) sent me a Reed Diffuser and Room Spray from their Holiday Collection. The Holiday Fragrance Mist (room spray) smelled nice, but after using the Holiday Diffuser, I really don’t need it. Rather, let me tell you about the reed diffuser….

I had never heard of reed diffusers before. That’s surprising to me (now) since they are such a great home scent option for moms. Not only are they fragrant, but they’re also a (much) safer alternative to candles. This is how it works: Basically, the package comes with a set of reeds and a sealed bottle of fragrance. You open the bottle and put the reeds in. Be forewarned that the initial scent can be strong. (“That’s stinky!” Michael said.) A few hours later though, the aroma will have a chance to spread throughout the room(s) of your home. (Michael loved the smell the next day forward.) After the first day or two, you turn the reeds over in the bottle. After that, you just enjoy your great-smelling home! Our scent has been keeping our home sweet-smelling for the last couple of weeks and (from what I read) it can work for months/ until the fragrance in the bottle is used up. I just need to keep turning the reeds occasionally (about once a week) to refresh the scent. I live in a small(ish) NYC apartment, so one bottle is enough for my whole home. (It’s a powerful fragrance choice - we can even smell a light hint of the scent when we come out of the elevator and walk towards our door.) In any event, I’m sold! I’m looking forward to buying other reed diffuser fragrances after this one is finished.

On another note, fragrance products make great holiday gifts - for hosts/hostess, family members, etc., so be sure to bookmark Hillhouse Naturals site. (They have more than 50 fragrances available.)

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