hairykids’ fabulous products are available in four different scents: Lemonade (oily to normal hair); Seaside (normal to dry hair); Tropical (all hair types); and Unscented for those with extra-sensitive skin (appropriate for all hair types).  The company was kind enough to send me samples of the shampoos, conditioners, body washes/bubble bath, in each of their lines, and a full-sized bottle of the styling gel in Lemonade.  I have had a great time trying these products out on my son over the last few weeks.  I even got his hair cut so that I could style it in a faux hawk using the hair gel!  I have to say that I have been really pleased with the entire line – hairykids shampoos sud and rinse with ease, their conditioners leave my son’s hair incredibly soft, the body wash/bubble bath works well and produces lots of bubbles, and the styling gel gives him great spiked hairdos.  I even tried some out on myself, and found the scents to be pleasant and not over-powering (the Lemonade scented products are our family’s favorite!).

I feel great using hairykids products to make sure that my little guy is squeaky clean and looking sharp, but the most important part for me is that I can relax knowing that I am also using all natural, environmentally-friendly products on him.  hairykids products are available for purchase through the company’s website as well as from the following retailers.  A bottle of the company’s styling gel (sold in 125ml bottles) costs $12 CAD, while the shampoos, conditioners, and body washes / bubble bath (sold in 250ml bottles) cost $17 CAD (buy a Family Pack for $49 CAD, which includes one of each of these products, and save $14).  While hairykids’ hair and body products are a little pricier than other products out there, the high quality, safe, and natural ingredients and the resulting peace of mind I get from using these products on my son are well worth the extra cost.

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The Spilt Milk Moms are thrilled that hairykids has agreed to supply samples of their shampoos, conditioners, body washes/bubble bath from each of their four lines as well as a full-sized bottle of styling gel in the Lemonade scent for a reader GIVEAWAY!  Thanks for your generosity, hairykids!

To Enter:  Go to the hairykids website and leave us a comment HERE (one per day only, please) telling us about a memorable kid hair experience and which hairykids product you would like to have a new hair experience with.  Once you’ve entered by leaving a comment, you can gain additional entries like this:

• Follow @SpiltMilkMoms on Twitter and tweet ” WIN a gift pack of all-natural hairykids hair and body product http://tinyurl.com/32ldtom @SpiltMilkMoms #giveaway #contest ” and leave us the link for extra daily entries.
• Leave us a comment if you ‘Like’ hairykids on Facebook for one extra entry.
• Leave us a comment if you ‘Like’ Spilt Milk Moms on Facebook for one extra entry.
• Mention this giveaway on your blog and leave us the link for one extra entry.
  

This giveaway ends at 12:01am PST on Friday, August 13th, and the winner will be selected using Random.org.  The winner will have 7 days to respond to our notification email before another winner is selected.  This giveaway is open to CANADIAN RESIDENTS only.

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• Prepare Your Child for the Trip: Assuming that your child is old enough to understand, it’s a really good idea to have a chat with your child about the trip, and how you’ll be traveling. If you’re going on a long car ride, let your child know. If you’re going to fly on a plane, a trip to the airport ahead of time is a nice idea. It lets your child take a look at the planes and see how busy an airport can be. If your child is particularly nervous about flying, there are a lot of children’s books on flying that you may want to check out from your local library to help soothe nerves.

• Get Your Child Involved in the Packing: Let your preschool age and older children select some special toys and books that they just can’t be without. If your kids are anything like mine, they will try to tell you they will need every toy they own. To avoid this battle, I give my son a small bag and let him fill it up with his special books and toys. Once that bag is full. He’s reached the limit of what he can take.

• Stock up with new toys and books: A new toy will almost always keep your children occupied for much longer than an old familiar one. Many people will tell you to go to the dollar store to stock up and while that’s an alright idea, I have found that our local dollar store sells such cheap toys, they barely last 30 minutes. I also don’t like that the dollar store toys often have small flimsy pieces that fall off easily and are appealing for my young daughter to pop into her mouth. I prefer picking up toys from the local thrift shop or less expensive toys from the toy store. Hint: Don’t hand your kids the entire bag of new toys/books all at once. If you give each child one new toy at a time, it will help stretch out the novelty.

• Pack Snacks and/or Drinks: Hint: Don’t forget that if you’re traveling by air, liquids are strictly limited. My kids don’t seem to be able to last more than an hour without needing a little nibble of something. Plan for the munchies and avoid the melt-downs by packing saltines, goldfish crackers, granola bars, trail mix, etc.

For Car Travel:

• Stock up on DVDs: I highly recommend investing in a portable DVD player that has separate screens that can hook onto the back of a seat. If you have more than one child, it’s a good idea to get a DVD player that comes with two separate screens. You can often stock up on DVDs from thrift shops, and DVD compilations of your children’s favourite television shows are available in bargain bins of many big box or toy stores).

• Plan for Down-time While on the Road: As most parents know, kids need to get out and run around from time-to-time. Pop a frisbee or a soccer ball into the car so the kids can get their sillies out at a park or rest-stop before piling back into the car for another few hours.

• Put a Trash Bag in the Car: It’s amazing the amount of garbage that accumulates on a road trip. Save yourself a head-ache and put a trash bag in the car. I found hooking it onto the centre console and resting it on the floor of the back-seat right between both kids, is the prime spot for trash collection.

I’m sure there are many more tips for traveling with kids! What are your tips?
Photo Credit: Caribb on Flickr

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A HUGE thanks to Bummis for sponsoring our review and giveaway and to all of you who entered.

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• a Colouful Ultimate Back-to-School Combo of labels and tags from Mabel’s Labels;
• and a Teething Bling necklace from Smart Mom Jewelry for you and baby!

There are also several GREAT offers for our readers to take advantage of:

• 10% off of Hank&Cheef large 12″×12” single handkerchiefs and 15% off of their 3-pack handkerchiefs.
• Receive a FREE greeting card with every purchase of a Monkey Shine Studio sock monkey.

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Do you ever get frustrated when you hear about yet another kid product recall? Do you, like me, wish that there was somewhere you could go to check out the safety and Eco-friendliness of a product BEFORE you spent money? Well how cool is this – Green Parents’ List does exactly that (and it’s Canadian run – hooray!).

On the website, it states: “Green Parents’ List was created by parents with engineering and scientific backgrounds to help address these needs. Green Parents’ List provides a list of children’s products that have been checked for compliance with restricted materials regulations. As parents, we have a vested interest in the safety of the products we buy for our children. As engineers and scientists, we have the technical background to verify the manufacturer’s claims. The products on Green Parents’ List have been checked by parents for parents and, most importantly, for children.” I think this is awesome, because this resource doesn’t just look at marketer’s ideas of what’s safe (or greenwashing their product for the media), it’s run by actual parents who know what they’re looking for both on a professional and personal level.

The site itself is easy to use and provides you with a lot of options to refine your search – you can look for products by category, brand or age range. My only complaint is that it doesn’t group product lines together when it presents you with results (for example, the “lots to say baby” soothers appear separately for each slogan, which is kind of annoying when you’re looking at multiple pages of products). You can also sign up for regular product updates so you can stay in the loop when something’s been given the Green Parents’ List check of approval.

Definitely bookmark this site and refer back to it often – I look forward to watching the list grow!

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Yes, it’s still July, and yes, the beginning of the school year is still five or so weeks away.  But time flies when you’re having fun, and for some reason it moves especially quickly when it’s summer.  Darn.

For those of you already thinking about Back-to-School season, Mabel’s Labels is sponsoring a fabulous giveaway with the Spilt Milk Moms!  Up for grabs is a set of their Colourful Ultimate Back-to-School Combo!

The Colourful Ultimate Back-to-School Combo comes equipped with:

• 50 Tag Mates;
• 40 Skinny-Minis;
• 16 Shoe Labels;
• and 2 Teeny Tags.

Available through Mabel’s website for a limited time until September 24th, 2010, the Ultimate Back-to-School Combo pack retails for $44 CDN with six awesome design motifs to choose from.  Oliver has the Rainforest one on the way thanks to Mabel’s, and we can wait to get stickin’ and tagin’ for daycare!

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Mabel’s Labels has generously supplied us with one Colourful Ultimate Back-to-School Combo for one lucky winner!  Thanks, Mabel’s Labels!

To Enter:  Go to the Mabel’s Labels website and leave us a comment HERE (one per day only, please) telling us which of the Colourful Ultimate Back-to-School design motifs you would choose if you were to win this giveaway.  Once you’ve entered by leaving a comment, you can gain additional entries like this:

• Follow @Mabelhood and @SpiltMilkMoms on Twitter and tweet ” WIN an Ultimate Back-to-School Combo pack of labels and tags from @Mabelhood @SpiltMilkMoms http://tinyurl.com/2afgpr3 #giveaway #contest “ and leave us the link for extra daily entries.
• Leave us a comment if you ‘Like’ Mabel’s Labels on Facebook for one extra entry.
• Leave us a comment if you ‘Like’ Spilt Milk Moms on Facebook for one extra entry.
• Mention this giveaway on your blog and leave us the link for one extra entry.

This giveaway ends just in time to get organized for Back-to-School at 12:01am PST on Tuesday, August 10th.  The winner will be selected using Random.org and will have 7 days to respond to our notification email before another winner is selected.  This giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.

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I couldn’t find Look – There’s a Baby! online through Amazon, but ask for it at your favourite local bookstore!

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When T-dog was about six months old, he suddenly became unbelievably grabby! He would grab anything and everything within reach, and so I sadly retired my necklaces to the jewelry box fearing that they would get broken. This is why I was SO excited when I received the Teething Bling necklace kindly provided to me by US company Smart Mom Jewelry for review!

Smart Mom’s line of jewelry was designed with both mom and baby in mind. The company’s Teething Bling necklaces, bangles, and key chains are made from the same food-safe, phthalate-free, federally-approved silicone that most teething toys are made from, which means that they are free from harmful chemicals and safe for baby to chew on. The necklaces have a breakaway clasp as an added safety feature for mom, and the pendants are large enough (2”x2”) that they won’t cause a choking hazard.

Safety aside, Smart Mom Jewelry’s Teething Bling simply looks good! There are 17 solid colors to choose from for your necklace pendants and coordinating bangles, from cotton candy blue to bronze and onyx, as well as six patterned colors. The pendant hangs off of a lovely, black silky cord that you can cut so that it hangs at your desired level.

As soon as I put on the necklace, two chubby little hands made a grab for the pendant and it was immediately jammed into a waiting mouth containing two new teeth! T-dog enjoyed mouthing “our” necklace for a good 10 minutes, and if I hadn’t been heading out for ‘date night’ he would have kept at it for much longer. The necklace is so stylish that I was able to wear it out and not feel like I was wearing a teething toy around my neck!

Smart Mom Jewelry also carries Teething Bling key chains and Tween Bling (designed for tweens with several scented options!). I love that Smart Mom Jewelry puts a portion of their sales towards two worthy causes: Dress For Success and Cure Search.

You can buy Teething Bling jewelry directly through the Smart Mom Jewelry online store. Necklaces retail from $14.30 USD to $21.20 USD (depending on your colour choice), bangles cost $12.75 USD, and key chains are $15.90 USD.

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Smart Mom Jewelry has been kind enough to provide us with a Teething Bling necklace to give away to one lucky reader in the colour and size of their choice!  Thanks for your generosity, Smart Mom Jewelry!

To Enter: Leave us a comment HERE (one per day only, please) telling us which Teething Bling necklace goes best with your favorite outfit, OR which pendant or bangle colour you like the look of most.  Once you’ve entered by leaving a comment, you can gain additional entries like this:

• Follow @TeethingBling and @SpiltMilkMoms on Twitter and tweet ” WIN a stylish yet practical Teething Bling necklace at http://tinyurl.com/2azakac @SpiltMilkMoms #giveaway #contest ” and leave us the link for extra daily entries.
• Leave us a comment if you ‘Like’ TeethingBling on Facebook for one extra entry.
• Leave us a comment if you ‘Like’ Spilt Milk Moms on Facebook for one extra entry.
• Mention this giveaway on your blog and leave us the link for one extra entry.
  

This giveaway ends at 12:01am PST on Friday, August 6th, and the winner will be selected using Random.org.  The winner will have 7 days to respond to our notification email before another winner is selected.

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My three-year-old son loves board games, which is great because I love them too. Not only do I think playing board games is fun, but I also love that playing a board game with my child is a great way to connect with him. It’s much more interactive than if we played a video game. My entire family is a fan of the games from I Can Do That! Games, and that’s why we were excited to try a variety of their games out recently, including the award winning Curious George Discovery Beach game.

Curious George Discovery Beach is a unique game that promotes matching and memory skills, while encouraging deductive reasoning and discovery. The brightly coloured box contains “sand” and 21 hidden treasures. At the start of each turn, the player flips over a card labeled with a picture of a treasure that they need to try to find in the sand. The sand and treasures are completely sealed within the box allowing for no-mess game play. If a player lands on a wave on the game spinner, the box is shaken up and the treasure locations change spots.

Curious George Discovery Beach is a simple game to learn and perfect for young players, while the constantly changing treasure locations allow for continued interest from older children. I can see why this game is an award winner. I have one small issue with this game – the treasure cards are printed on paper that is easy to crumple. In fact my son has already mangled a few of the cards. If the cards were printed on heavier card stock, or even cardboard, the game would stand up better over the long haul.

I Can Do That! Games makes various other games. We already own and are fans of Richard Scarry’s Busytown Board Game. My son also recently received both the Curious George Matching Game and the Dr. Suess Matching Game. Both of the matching games will be available in stores this Fall and feature the recognizable characters your kids love on 72 picture tiles. These games are very versatile to suit different ages. For example if your child is young, you simply play with less tiles than you would with an older child. I like the matching games, because not only do they promote memory skills, but they can also be played solo or with the whole family. My son and I have had a couple of matching game competitions, and I’m embarrassed to say that he’s won fair and square more than once.

In addition to the games mentioned here, in Fall 2010, I Can Do That! Games is coming out with some Dr. Suess puzzles that my three-year-old son really enjoyed putting together. These inexpensive puzzles are small and might be a good addition to your travel kit for fun activities to keep your kids occupied while away from home.

Curious George Discovery Beach sells for $16.99 US at Target.com or $29.99 CAN at ToysRUs.ca.  In Fall 2010, the matching games and puzzles will be available at mass and specialty stores across the US and Canada.

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Thank you to Boon Inc for sponsoring this wonderful review and giveaway!

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