ThinkGeek- Get Your Geek On

Now that all those relatives are gone, and the sweaters have been returned lets turn up the geek a bit. Throw on a cheesy sci fi movie and lets go shopping at ThinkGeek.


First up is a very cool shirt, The Spanish Inquisition Babydoll. It is bright red cotton and fitted. It is a witty design which includes a black shield, as well as Cardinal Ximinez hat. Expected by no one since 1970. Now that you have heard about the shirt, if you still have no idea what this is referencing- number one go sit in the corner. Now. Go. Secondly it is a skit from Monty Python.

Now for something a bit more festive, and fun, while still [Read more…]

BRAVE ROONEY kid’s storyapp

Last year, storyapp author, Gerry Renert, honored the anniversary of the surviving brave search and rescue dogs of 9/11 by giving away his BRAVE ROONEY kid’s storyapp. Renert’s intent was also to start the conversation – – among dog owners — about just how courageous dogs can be in defending their masters, and how it almost seems they have a special sense in knowing they’re needed to help human beings. Many dog owners wrote on Mr. Renert’s Facebook page with brief, touching recounts of courageous dog deeds, some even involving their children. Right now and until January 30, Mr. Renert again wants to hear from dog [Read more…]

Travelling Overseas With Young Children

The common wisdom is that children and overseas flights do not go well together. The many hours of travel, the lack of familiar resources, and the constant responsibility of caring for your child make it that the benefits of such a trip are often not worth the costs. Instead, parents stick to shorter, less glamorous trips while young kids are in tow. The overseas trips are consequently the domain of young couples and empty nesters.
But this belies the point that there are still many parents who travel with children overseas, often times for a job or family reason rather than for a vacation. While such trips can be stressful with youngsters in tow, they are certainly manageable – so long as you are prepared for the challenges. Here are a few suggestions to help insure that you are:

Allocate More Funds

Travelling with children is always more expensive than you think, so your best bet is to be flexible and have money easily available. This may mean taking a cab instead of the subway or going to an amusement park rather than sitting on the beach. You’ll also never know when you may need diapers, medication, toys, or various other items. On this note, it’s good to always carry no foreign transaction fee credit [Read more…]

Minute to Pin It- Weekly Pinterest Party! Find New Followers

If you would like to be a guest host next week, please email [Read more…]

Kidorable- fab raingear and so much more! W!N an umbrella HERE!

Kidorable makes some of the most fun raingear for kids 1T up to size 6X- and man I wish they went larger! LOL. We just love all the fun styles and options, and how they make all sorts of matching outfits- you can get not just matching rainboots and raincoat- but the umbrella, backpack, towel, mittens, hat, hanger- you name it! It all goes together, and it is all SO CUTE!

Kidorable just came out with a new Dragon Knight Collection, and it is just as cute as all the other styles they have (are they just too creative, or what?) This style is lighter then the other coats, and made in a new material. My Little Man loves to go fight dragons in his little coat- it’s a little thin for winter, but it will be super for all the warmer months (and honestly, most raincoats are too hot for summer and even spring!)

The Dragon Knight collection is steel grey with dark green as accent color, perfect for strong and brave boys. Some pieces accentuate the Knight, others the Dragon, but there is a nice interplay between both characters throughout the set. The umbrella has protruding dragon horns and wings, with a knight, fire, and a castle motif along the bottom. The helmet on the matching raincoat is Kidorable’s coolest hood so far.
The child who wears it can imagine himself as a valiant knight fighting the dragon. The backpack is shaped like a shield for extra play value. It comes with a little stuffed toy sword. The coat is a new material, PU (polyurethane). It’s softer and lighter than PVC.

Click here to take in the entire Dragon Knight collection—boots, coats, umbrellas, backpacks and hangers.

One of you will win a Kidorable Umbrella of Choice. (ooo, which one will you pick???)
Here is how to enter.


Mandatory entry
You must be a public follower on Google Friend Connect or Google Plus.
Leave me your email so I can contact you if you win.

Extra Entries
Leave a separate comment for each entry.

– Like Kidorable on Facebook -Never required, always appreciated! 🙂 Facebook is in no way sponsoring [Read more…]

Beginning the Green Life Style With Home Made Laundry Detergent.

This is a guest post from Grace at Blessed Elements.

I’ve lived a ‘Going Green’ Life Style even before it became popular. We use to refer to it
as living the Polly Pioneer life.

Some people begin the adventure but become disillusioned as it takes organization and
work. Buying the ingredients and making your own soap from scratch takes time and
effort compared to the convenience of opening a bottle and pouring the laundry soap into
the washer with soap bought from the store.

The health results are well worth it but there is work that goes into being a ‘greenie’.
If your interested in making the switch to a ‘greener’ life style then you may enjoy
beginning to make your own clothes detergent.

Here is my recipe for making my own detergent and I’ve kept it as simple as possible.
I keep mine as a powder rather than making a liquid because I have no desire to spend
more time by cooking my soap.

I use three ingredients for my soap powder.

Fels-Naptha – The manufacturer states that the soap grated and added to a wash cycle,
about 1/16th a bar’s worth of Fels-Naptha per load, is said to eliminate residual resins that
can remain in clothes up to a year.

Washing Soda – Washing Soda is a natural water softener, boosts detergent cleaning
power by 40percent as it cleans and deodorizes.

Borax – Is useful for [Read more…]

Kyjen Dog Toys

Are you looking for a dog toy that is a bit different then the norm? Or something that can really stand up?
Take a look at Kyjen. Kyjen have some fabulously different toys for dogs. Dog toys that range from squeaky toys to chew toys.

Today we are going to take a look at two of these unique toys. One is the Seamsters Bone. The Seamsters line of toys involves both rawhide and a natural rubber chew toy. The rawhide are knot free strips. The strips thread along the edge of the chew toy, which when it is opened up, can be filled with treats as a finishing point for the puzzle. Leela found this toy so much fun. First she loved throwing the bone around. Then she realized the rawhide was edible and started to chew at and eat that. Once opened she was ecstatic that there were treats inside. After eating the treats she literally ran around the house full speed. This would be a good toy to give your pooch when leaving the house for a while.

Next up is the Kibble Drop. Kibble [Read more…]

H0P Around- 3 In 1- With New Google Plus!

Welcome to 3 hops in one- At the bottom you will find 3 separate Links. One for Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

Make new friends & gain followers. Please follow host @lifesandcastle @Nightowlmama [Read more…]