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WebKinz Jr. Review and Giveaway!

Fiona Bryan — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:30:15 +0000

REVIEW BY KAT ROBERTSON: My four year old absolutely loves getting things in the mail, so you can imagine the excitement that overcame her when she realized that she had received *gasp* a PACKAGE from WebKinz, Jr.! She pulled out the contents to find “Princess” which is what she named her soft, fluffy purple monkey that has barely left her side since. Attached to Princess’ arm was a card which unlocked a world of fun – and responsibility – online! I have to say that although I was interested in testing this out, I wasn’t sure I was going to be impressed. I don’t typically allow my 4 year old to have computer time because it ends up being stressful for me. She doesn’t know very well how to navigate everything and I end up having to *do* it all for her rather than her have fun playing on her own. This system was so easy for her to get the hang of, she was in her own little Kinzville world in no time!

Avalyn was able to learn how to care for someone else’s needs by caring for her pet virtually. She watched Princess’ levels on the meters that represented her happiness, health, hunger, and energy. When Princess needed love/stimulation, food, sleep, or hygiene-related attention (bathroom, etc), Avalyn could provide those things for her. She fed her, played with her, brushed her teeth, bathed her, put her to sleep… She was also able to take her around Kinzville to school, the bakery, the park, the post office, the ‘caring’ center, the store, the playhouse, and of course – home! Once home, she could navigate around to Princess’ bedroom, the bathroom, the playroom, and the kitchen.

Not only could she earn KinzCoins through certain activities, but she could take Princess to the store to purchase items using what she had earned – food, toys, clothes, and even decorations for their house! There were hours of fun available for Ava and Princess – hours during which Avalyn had no idea that she was actually LEARNING life skills in the process That’s a double score for WebKinz, Jr.! Their system also allows parents to access their own account through which their child is able to send them greeting cards, which my daughter LOVED to do. WebKinz, Jr. also provides an option of upgrading to a Deluxe membership which unlocks even more learning capabilities – and reporting features for parents to track their child’s progress. There are so many functions provided in this software that it is impossible for me to cover them all, but I highly recommend that you try it out for yourself.

Want to try WebKinz, Jr. out for your child?

They are offering one lucky reader the chance to win one of their very own WebKinz, Jr. pets! Here’s how to enter:

(REQUIRED) Visit Webkinz Jr. website and take a look around! Click on the catalogue and browse the different available plush animals – come back here and leave a comment and tell us what animal you think your child would choose and why.

Extra Entries – please leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Subscribe to MomActive.com in a reader .

2. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter HERE.

3. Follow @momactive on twitter.

4. Visit For the Love of Chaos and subscribe to Kat’s Newsletter

5. Tweet the following message (leave separate comments)

Win a Webkinz Jr. on MomActive.com ~ Adorable plush & membership in virtual world! http://bit.ly/84mWLp

***Winner will be chosen 12pm EST Fri. January 29, 2010***

CONGRATULATIONS TO LT ~ She has won the Webkinz Jr. giveaway!

Join us!! Virtual Book Launch Event with Daddy Bookins

Fiona Bryan — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:02:50 +0000

Our very own Daddy Bookins of PeasandBananas.com has finally released his first childrens book Outside with Lil’ Boo! We are so proud to announce an exciting virtual book launch event that will be held January 28th 8-10pm EST.

Twitter Party #LilBoo ~ 8-9pm ET ~ Reading to Children – we’ll discuss early childhood development and the importance of reading aloud to our children.

MomTV MomActive Channel ~ 9-10pm ET ~ Meet the Author! Daddy Bookins will answer questions and discuss the book Outside with Lil Boo.

Follow @banteringblonde @childhood @peasandbananas @savorthethyme @momactive

RSVP on Mcklinky below using your TWITTER ID and Enter to Win LOTS of great prizes including:

Autographed copies of Outside with Lil’ Boo

Huge gift basket from Earth’s Best

Webkinz Jr. from Ganz

$50 Amazon gift card

$25 Starbucks gift card

$50 gift card for Label Daddy from The PR Place

Keurig Platinum Brewer and K-cups

Gift card for Planetshoes.com

e.l.f French Manicure Kit

…………and stay tuned for several super surprise items!!!

Win a Yes! To Cookies Gift Pack

Fiona Bryan — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:33:39 +0000

I personally know many people who could benefit from knowing about Yes! to Cookies, as they are afflicted with health conditions that give them glucose and gluten problems. So when a box filled to the brim with these treats arrived at my house, I quickly opened them to give them a good ole’ taste test.

Since I have become a chocoholic over the years and am not a huge fan of anything strawberry-flavored, I preferred the Coco-Licious over the Strawberry-Banana Blitz cookies. But I didn’t want to rely solely on just my tastebuds, so I shared the Yes! To Cookies samples with some girlfriends. They all said they were tasty, but just like me, they would pick the chocolate ones over the strawberry. However, when one of my friends shared them with her relatives, many of whom suffer from Celiac Disease, they gave both flavors a thumbs up.

What I find most important than taste when it comes to these products is the fact that they offer people, who might otherwise not be able to eat desserts, an option to quench their sweet tooth.

Facts about Yes! To Cookies:

1st cookie made from fiber instead of sugar
Made with premium, all natural ingredients
Fresh baked without high calorie starch
Zero sugar, fructose, or corn syrup
Zero Gluten (wheat gluten is replaced with calorie free, heart healthy fiber)
A low-carb cookie option

So if you know someone who is unable to eat cookies due to blood sugar, gluten, or weight problems, this is the answer they’ve been waiting for. Yes! To Cookies will allow them to eat cookies and not exacerbate their health conditions.

You can win a Yes! To Cookies gift pack of your own, which includes (2) containers of ready to eat cookies (one of each flavor) and (2) boxes of cookie mix (one of each flavor) by visiting my blog, The (Un)Experienced Mom for details on how to enter this giveaway.

This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada only. It ends 12/28/09 at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be picked by using Random.org and notified by email.

*I received samples of Yes! To Cookies to review. This review is my honest opinion and I was not compensated in any other manner. Please refer to my product review/giveaway policies for further information.

Holiday Giveaway! Win a Complete Holiday Dinner From Save A Lot!

Fiona Bryan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:25:10 +0000

MomActive is budget conscious and loves a good deal. When I was asked if our readers would be interested in hearing about how to put together a meal from Save A Lot for under $20 I immediately though “absolutely! If your family is watching budgets as closely as mine is, you’ll be pleased to know that your holiday meal doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg!

Take a look at what $19.31 would get you at Save A Lot:

9 lb Sugardale Shank Portion Ham

2 Lbs Fresh Jumbo Sweet Potatoes

Fresh Express Garden Salad Mix

16 ounce bottle Portman’s Salad Dressing

2 Cans Wylwood Canned Vegetables (corn, peas or green beans)

20 ounce can of Libby’s Pineapple

So-Cheezy Shells and Cheddar

Grissom’s Brown & Serve Rolls

Mrs. Smith’s Apple or Cherry Pie

(** we recognize that there are a few choices on here that MomActive wouldn’t ordinarily recommend but it’s a holiday and we’re splurging a bit!)

Two lucky readers will win a complete holiday dinner from Save A Lot! For those who don’t win, Save A Lot has offered a coupon for $5 off your next purchase of $20 or more. With this savings the above meal could be purchased for under $15.

click this image to print your $5 coupon!

TWO MomActive readers will win a $20 gift card from Save A Lot to cover the cost of their holiday dinner! Winners will be announced on Friday 12/18/09

To Enter (please leave a comment for each entry):

1. Leave a comment and tell us how you plan to spend your holidays

2. Subscribe to MomActive blog feed HERE

3. Fan MomActive on Facebook HERE

4. Sign up for the MomActive Forum HERE and introduce yourself!

5. Follow @momactive on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway

Dinner is on us! Enter to win a Free Holiday Dinner #momactive http://bit.ly/7Ub0NJ

Stay Healthy This Holiday Season with Earth Footwear Exer-Walk Giveaway!

Fiona Bryan — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:59:38 +0000

I was one of six women to participate in Earth Footwear’s Earth Exer-Walk “Change Your Body in 30 Days” Challenge. I was a little skeptical about exactly what kind of changes I might see in my body over a period of just 30 days but I committed to wearing the shoes every day and went about my normal daily life and exercise routines. I could tell that the muscles in my legs were working differently but I was really surprised when I took my measurements and realized that I had lost 2 inches in my hips!

Studies have shown that women wearing Earth Footwear burn 4x the fat than normal shoes. The secret is in the patented Kalso Negative Heel Technology, which positions the toes 3.7º higher than the heels. The slight angle shifts your weight back over the heels, and helps strengthen and tone the body while also burning more calories.

Join us for a discussion with tips on how to enjoy a healthy holiday season! I will be a panelist Tuesday December 1st for the Earth Footwear sponsored #GNO Twitter Party (9-11pm EST). Enter the giveaway at Mom-it-Forward ~ Three lucky winners will win a pair of Earth Exer-Walk from @earthfootwear!

And lookie! I’m famous — I’m in an Earth Footwear ad! I’ll also be included in an ad that will run in Weight Watchers, Lucky & More Magazine!! I just wish they had airbrushed “Fred”, that pesky zit that is always hanging out on the left side of my chin….

PUR Flavor Options Pitcher Review and Giveaway

Fiona Bryan — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Most of you have heard me on air encouraging everyone to drink more water. Drinking water is important to your health and weight goals no matter whether you are losing or maintaing. Water has no calories and can often stave off feelings of hunger. Those of us that exercise know that we need to replenish fluids lost during those workouts and that without water we can easily slip into a state dehydration.

We were recently given the opportunity to review the new PUR Flavor Options water filtration pitcher. We’ve been using the pitcher for just over a week now and it has actually been quite a hit! The great part about the pitcher is that it gives you the option of having plain or flavored water, so I have even started filling up my water bottles from the pitcher. My kids LOVE it most because they can have flavored water and it switches things up for them. They like the lemon flavor best. They also get a kick out of the light that flashes green to tell them that the filter is still working each time they pour water!

I am particularly happy that I don’t have to buy bottled water anymore. Did you know that PUR filtered water is about one-tenth the cost of bottled water, and can lead to a savings of up to $600 a year? And that each PUR pitcher can replace up to 2,000 16 oz. plastic bottles of water in one year? I didn’t know that, but I do now and I’m all over it!

Win a PUR Flavor Options Water Filtration Pitcher:

To Enter: Visit PUR Flavor Options and take the “What’s Your Flavor?” Quiz – come back and post your answer in a comment.

For Extra Entries:

1. Favorite MomActive and sign up for show reminders on BTR

2. Subscribe to MomActive RSS feeed.

3. Become a follower of MomActive

4. Tweet about this giveaway as often as you want!

sample tweet:

Win a PUR Flavor Options water filtration pitcher! http://tiny.cc/hkpLI

5. Blog about this giveaway

6. Become a follower of BanteringBlonde blog

* Please leave a separate comment for each “entry”
* The deadline for entries is September 19, 2009, Midnight CMT.
* The winner will be notified via email on September 20, 2009 (make sure your email address is in your profile or comment).