Little People Animal Sounds Contest

At the beginning of the month, Fisher-Price, along with celebrity zoologist and children's show host, Jarod Miller, announced the launch of the Little People Animal Sounds Contest. The contest invites parents to submit a video of their child making their best animal imitations. Everything from squawks to roars to growls are welcome!
The winner will receive $10,000 and a trip to Fisher-Price headquarters in East Aurora, New York for a special photo shoot and a chance to be featured on a Little People product or website.

In addition, ten first prize winners will receive a Zoo Talkers toy prize pack and all successful submissions will be entered for a chance to win one of 100 Zoo Talkers Safari Trucks.

To enter, grab your camera, encourage your little one (ages 1 to 5) to use their imagination and get a little wild and loud. Then visit the Animal Sounds Contest page to submit your video, or submit it through the iPhone or Android App. Videos must be under 20 seconds and feature your little one making one of the following animal's sounds: lion, tiger, elephant, bear, penguin, rhinoceros, leopard, whale, polar bear, hippopotamus, monkey, seal, gorilla, alligator, zebra, giraffe, ostrich, dolphin, snake, or bird. After submitting your little animal lover, be sure to share the site link for your friends and family to go vote for your video.

The contest has already started and will run until November 30, 2011.

Little People Animal Sounds Zoo
In conjunction with the Little People Animal Sounds Contest, Fisher-Price recently released the brand-new Zoo Talkers Animal Sounds Zoo. Zoo Talker toys are designed to teach your little ones animal names and sounds. The Animal Sounds Zoo contains a zoo play set, a zookeeper, polar bear, lion, and gorilla. When the animal figures are placed on the paw pad in the zoo hut, your child can hear the animal's name and sound. The play set has lots of features to keep little ones engaged, including a water slide to push animals down, a treetop swing, and a hippo that opens his mouth and snorts.

The Animal Sounds Zoo was a huge hit with my 3 year old nephew (as well as my little guy, who though older than the recommended age, had no problem playing alongside his cousin.) They loved that the play set talked to them and offered several different places to play. With a polar region, treetop, lake, cave, ticket booth, and hut, they both had their own space to pretend in. Perfect for those moments when they don't feel like sharing.

Buy It:
The Animal Sounds Zoo is available for $40 and additional animal figures can be purchased for $3 each.

Product was provided for review. All opinions are our own.

Welcome to the World

Welcome to the world little one!
Born August 19th
8 lbs 6 oz
21 1/2 inches
Absolutely perfect

Orchard Bars Review

With this pregnancy, I am constantly snacking. I rarely feel like eating a huge meal, but am more than happy to eat snacks throughout the day. My fridge is full of string cheese, fruit, and carrots. The only problem I have is finding gluten free snacks that are easy to eat on the run or in the car.

I was recently introduced to Orchard Bars. Orchard Bars are fruit and nut bars that cater to many special dietary needs. They are gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher, and vegan. Orchard Bars are low in sodium, high in Omega-3, and a good source of protein. They contain no preservatives, no artificial flavors or colors, and no cholesterol or saturated fat.
So how do they taste?

That is always my first question when I find a new gluten free snack, because often times the taste doesn't live up to my expectations and I find myself throwing away the rest of the box or pawning it off on my husband.

With Orchard Bars, I wasn't disappointed. They are fruity and sweet, without being overpoweringly so. As soon as you open the wrapper, you can smell the fruit. You can taste the fruit, nuts, and sunflower seeds, and the texture is a great combination of chewy and crunch.

Orchard Bars are available in 3 flavors:
Blueberry Pomegranate & Almond
Pineapple Coconut & Macadamia
Strawberry Raspberry & Walnut

I'm absolutely in love with the Strawberry Raspberry & Walnut flavor. Delicious!

The only thing I don't like? No stores in my area carry them! However, Orchard Bars can be purchased online or in some brick and mortar stores. Plus, they are coming to more stores soon.

Buy It: Orchard Bars can be purchased online for $14.95 to $25.95 for boxes of 12-20.

Check them out:
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Product was provided for review. All opinions are my own.

FyrFlyz Review

A few weeks ago, my son won one of those cheapy glow sticks at our local fair. He had such a blast waving it around in the dark to see how the lights changed and made patterns in the air. So, when I heard about FyrFlyz, a new spinning light toy, I knew it was something he would adore.

FyrFlyz allow kids to create their own light shows by swinging a multi-colored LED light connected by two strings on either side. By tightening or loosening the strings, the pattern of the lights changes, as it creates different designs, such as figure eights, rings, or stars.
There are tons of patterns or tricks kids can perform. Several trick ideas can be found on the FyrFlyz website, and include moves such as Shooting Stars, Black Holes, and Moon Craters.
My son was very excited to try out FyrFlyz. Since it was the middle of the day, we turned out all the lights and closed the curtains and he started creating a light show for me. He was amazed at how easily he could create different light patterns just by applying or releasing tension on the strings. Some of the tricks were tough for him to copy, but he had a lot of fun trying and was thrilled when he came up with moves of his own.

I like that the light portion of FyrFlyz has safety tips on the end, as well as an on/off switch to conserve battery power. I also love that the toy inspires creativity and helps improve my son's motor skills.

Buy It:
FyrFlyz are available for under $10 and come in a variety of colors

Samples were provided for review. All opinions are our own.

Top 100 Pasta Dishes: Cookbook Review

My house is full of picky eaters. It seems like everyone has a list of what they will or won't eat, or in my case, what I can eat. However, it seems like every week my meal plan includes at least one pasta night.

I recently had the chance to check out Top 100 Pasta Dishes: Easy Everyday Recipes that Children will Love by Annabel Karmel. The book is filled with such a variety of pasta dishes that it wasn't hard to find a new recipe to try. The topics in the book include pastas for babies and toddlers, plus poultry, meat, fish, and veggie dishes. I was excited to try the Fusilli with sausage and sweet peppers. It's filled with tangy cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, and spicy sausage. And even though the heartburn with this pregnancy is through the roof, I constantly want to eat peppers and tomatoes from our garden, so I found this recipe to be amazing. The best part? It was ready in under 30 minutes. The only substitution I made was corn pasta for the typical wheat pasta, but it was still a hit in our house.

I really like that the book tells readers what ages the recipes are appropriate for, as well as whether or not they are suitable for freezing. The recipes also use ingredients I typically have on hand and offer quick meals for those of us who are always rushing at dinnertime. We can't wait to try out more recipes.

Buy It: Top 100 Pasta Dishes by Annabel Karmel will be available August 9th for $18.

A copy of the book was provided for our review. All opinions are our own.