review Archives - Page 214 of 232 - Have Sippy Will Travel

God Gave Us the World- a truly beautiful book (review)

February 2, 2011 by Samantha 6 Comments

I recently got the chance to read a fabulous children’s book- God Gave Us the World, written by Lisa T. Bergren and illustrated by Laura J. Bryant.

Weather or not you are a deeply religious person, I think you will love this book. Why? Because I think this book is fantastic for everyone who has a child, and wants their child to grow up tolerant and loving towards others. You don’t have to even be a certain religion for this book- it just speaks about “God”.
This book is extremely well written, has a great flow, and lovely illustrations. It is all about a little polar bear who doesn’t understand why there are other types of bears in the world, why they live in other places, look different, and eat different foods. (Sound familiar?) The loving and thoughtful mother polar bear explains that God made the world, and made all the creatures in in. That we all love our homes and foods the best, because it’s what we know. There are some very wise and well written responses to some not-so-easy questions. I loved this book, I love the premise. It’s just so lovely! The fact that the Little Cub is questioning the colors and food choices of other bears is really interesting, and is helpful to let kids draw a parallel to humans. Should we all look alike, or are we beautiful because we are different? If we all looked the same and ate the same and lived in the same places and houses- would that be as much fun? Would it [Read more…]

Filed Under: book review, kids, review

The Dragon and the Turtle go on Safari- a review

February 1, 2011 by Samantha 4 Comments

The Dragon and The Turtle go on Safari written by Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark and illustrated by Vincent Nguyen, is about a little dragon and turtle who go on a camping trip. They are a little scared, and must be brave! They have a few adventures, and tell each other stories to help one another feel better. Will they make it all night outside?

It has cute drawings and I like the camping out story. It was a little long, and I “lost” a few of the kids at the Pre-K, especially the younger ones. However, the very Irish dragon was a fun find, and that amused me, at least, LOL.

“Padraig the dragon and his best friend, Roger the turtle are determined to spend the whole night outside. As brave explorers at the base of Mount Sillymanborrow, the boys use their imaginations to have fun while munching on crunchy baked bugs and toasting s’mores over their campfire. But when the sky gets dark and the sounds [Read more…]

Filed Under: book review, review

Look Fab in New Sunglasses! Review and Contest

February 1, 2011 by Samantha 105 Comments

I need to wear sunglasses when I drive. I get terrible migraines, and when the sun gets in my eyes and I already have a blinding headache, it is a very bad combination! A few weeks ago, my husband dropped my sunglasses onto the floor of my car and stepped on them. It was an accident, of course, but I was not happy! I didn’t have a spare pair, and I have a seriously hard time finding a pair that I like that is dark, but not too dark, and is big enough to cover up my whole eye and surrounding area so no light gets in. Plus, I don’t want to look like a COMPLETE weirdo, LOL. And I don’t want to spend a whole lot. So, while I am not normally hard to please, I am VERY hard to please when it comes to sunglasses. It is not an easy task!
Want to hear something interesting? That night, I got an email to review a pair of sunglasses from Sunglass Replicas.com . Odd, right? They have a huge selection, and the best part? Once you find frames you like, you can pick the color of the frame AND lenses- so I can get a dark pair that are not completely blackout! I took my time on the website- like I said, I’m picky! LOL. And I came up with these “Thick Retro with stripe” sunglasses.

They are pretty close to my other, recently deceased pair. They are a little “blingy”, but I guess I will just have to come to terms with fashion one of these days, won’t I?
I am told that these are a pretty good imitation of Dolce and Gabbana! I have a few fashion-y friends and co-workers, and they gave me numerous compliments on my new shades, LOL.
I may not be a fashionista, [Read more…]

Filed Under: giveaway, review

Coldcam Homeopathic Medicine Review and Contest!

January 30, 2011 by Samantha 29 Comments

Boiron, makers of great homeopathic medicines, recently sent me Children’s Coldcam to try out. I didn’t review it right away, because I actually wanted to use it and see how it worked, LOL.
The Coldcam comes in a little tube about the size of a chapstick- in fact, it is in the bag next to a Burt’s Bees chapstick, and I often mistakenly grab it when I am looking for the chap stick, LOL.
When you take the top off, you turn it to take out tiny little balls or pellets of medicine. They taste like sugar-water to me. Here is what Boiron has to say about Childrens Coldcam

Children 3 years of age and older: At the onset of cold symptoms, take 5 pellets every 20 minutes for 1 hour. Then take 5 pellets every 2 hours until symptoms are relieved. Allow the pellets to dissolve in the mouth.

Children younger than 3 years of age: Ask a doctor before use.

Active Ingredients

Allium cepa 3C HPUS		Relieves sneezing and runny nose
Apis mellifica 6C HPUS		Relieves nasal congestion
Belladonna 6C HPUS^*		Relieves colds with a sudden onset
Eupatorium perfoliatum 3C HPUS		Relieves sinus pain
Gelsemium sempervirens 6C HPUS		Relieves headaches associated with colds
Kali bichromicum 6C HPUS		Relieves nasal discharge
Nux vomica 3C HPUS		Relieves sneezing attacks
Phytolacca decandra 6C HPUS		Relieves sore throat associated with colds
Pulsatilla 6C HPUS		Relieves colds with a loss of taste and smell
*Contains less [Read more…]

Filed Under: fitness, giveaway, health, natural, review

GoCoffeeGo- an energetic review!

January 29, 2011 by Samantha 9 Comments

Don’t you just hate it when you run out of coffee? It’s really those little things that make your whole day just seem to fizzle. Maybe it started out with the “OH NO! I ran out of coffee!” but it always seems to go downhill from there, doesn’t it? And if you are like me, stopping for one on the go is not always an option- and it’s so expensive! They really add up. There is a website, called GoCoffeeGo, that has all sorts of coffees (and coffee products) from so many different companies all in one place- and my favorite feature? Auto-ship! Never run out of coffee again! You can have your favorite brand and roast shipped to you automatically. Want to switch it up? No problem!
GoCoffeeGo doesn’t just carry coffee, either. Nope, they also have espresso, blends, etc. But they DO have a whole lot of coffee- just check out the variety! Organic, dark roast, light roast, everything in between. And it’s so easy to find whatever it is you are looking for. The website is really user-friendly. They even have music you can turn on or off- your choice! Too bad you can’t smell the beans over the internet, LOL.
Even the style of bean is up to you. Like your coffee in whole bean form, so you can grind it up at home? No problem! No grinder? That’s cool- just select “drip” and it will come to you in ground form. Other preference, or a different kind of machine? There is a selection that will make you happy.
My husband is the kind of person that really, really NEEDS his coffee. He’s also very serious about his beverages- a little too serious, if you ask me! He brews his own beer, makes his [Read more…]

Filed Under: review

MegaBlocks Thomas Toy!

January 26, 2011 by Samantha 6 Comments

How Fab is this toy?
You know you love it, LOL. It’s called Adventures on Misty Island. My sweetie just loves it! Megabrands, who were one of the sponsors at Bloggers Brunch in Chicago at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair (ChiTAG) thought Little Man would love it- and they were so right! It’s made by MegaBlocks (can you tell it’s going to be Mega-fun?) It was fun for he and daddy to build together, and Little had hours of fun playing with it!

Have your little engineer join Thomas and James on a fun-filled trek to Misty Island with the Adventures on Misty Island buildable playset! Based off the hit movie Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue, Thomas and James must travel through mysterious Misty Island mountains to transport needed construction supplies to the Sodor Search and Rescue site. Build and rebuild your travel [Read more…]

Filed Under: review

Child’s Play Communications at Chicago Toy and Game Fair

January 26, 2011 by Samantha Leave a Comment

Hey Bloggy Buddies! So I am getting ready for the NY Toy Fair, coming up in Febuary. Super excited! I love to go check out all the new toys, and meet some of the fabulous people that make them and bring them to our kids!
You all know that I went to the Chicago Toy and Game Fair back in November, and there have been several posts and LOTS of Facebook and twitter shares and posts about all the fun stuff I got to see and do there, as well as people I met and great stuff I got to try out!
I thought I would make one more post, about the November 20th Child’s Play Communications’ Holiday Bloggers Brunch (right inside the Toy Fair- no need to do any big walking, LOL).

There was a Question and Answer session between Child’s Play and a few of the Mom Bloggers that were on a panel. These mommies gave their opinions on all things bloggy- from sponsors, to email, to content. It was a [Read more…]

Filed Under: review

Boogie Wipes- Review and Contest!

January 25, 2011 by Samantha 48 Comments

Ah, cold and flu season. We all know it! Have had it, maybe have it now? (Wish it would go away and never come back, taking it’s lovely friends “mucus” and “congestion” with it?) One of the annoyances that come along with colds is the constant runny noses! As an adult, it’s bad enough. But when I see my Little Man with that red, chapped nose? I feel so bad! I can’t stand it when he gets worked up over a tissue- he doesn’t want me to wipe it because he knows it’s going to hurt his nosie. Poor bubbie! So what’s a mommy to do? Often, I end up using a wet wipe, like one that is made for “diaper messes”. But there is another kind of wipe- called “Boogie Wipes” that I just got to try out. Made just for runny noses, they don’t chap them like a regular tissue does. They are soft and sensitive, and come in 3 varieties- Unscented, Aloe, and Grape (LOL, like you are going to eat them!) They are really big, too- so if you have a GIANT boogie mess- you are good to go! I usually ended up cutting them in half, because I don’t like to waste, and they are too big for your average nose wipe. But it is good to have the option of the GIANT MESS WIPE if you need it- because we all know they come, don’t they?

Boogie Wipes are made with natural saline to dissolve boogies (mucus) caused by the common cold, allergies or otherwise booger-filled kid moments.

Extra soft, alcohol, phthalate and paraben free, Boogie Wipes are available in Great Grape, Fresh Scent, Magic Menthol and Simply Unscented. Recommended by pediatricians as a gentle, effective alternative to a dry tissue.