Micralite Toro Stroller & Rider Review

A little over a month ago, I told you that I received something very exciting in the mail to review. Now that I have had a whole month of trying and pushing my super awesome stroller around, I am ready to tell you all about it!


I was a very lucky recipient of a Micralite Toro Stroller & Rider. Like many moms out there, I have tried more than a handful of strollers and I have been dissatisfied with all of them! I know, I know, you think it's crazy too right? How many strollers can a woman buy? Well, apparently, more than a few, lol! In all honesty, I did not personally purchase all of them myself. I received a stroller as a baby shower gift before DD was born. And when I was unhappy with my stroller shortly after DD's birth, my in laws brought me another stroller. Then, when I was not happy with that either was began to buy more strollers. You can probably guess the rest of the story... I was on a path to search for the perfect stroller.


If you own a stroller, you can probably name at least one of two things you don't like about your stroller. After speaking to more than several dozen moms (from DD's playgroups, from random moms I met at the park, mall and stores), I realized that I haven't met a single mom who was 100% happy with her stroller. I think that's the most incredible part of it all. If you think about it, we spend so much money buying safe, well made car seats for our babies, nice diaper bags to carry stuff in and soft cute clothes for our kids, so why don't we invest our money in decent strollers?!


For me, I made several new mom mistakes that some of you might identify with. First, I see moms pushing a particular brand of strollers around all the time, I think that this must be a great stroller since all of these moms are using it. Wrong! My first stroller was a traveling system that I saw many moms using (still see them all the time, actually). The whole travel system was less than $250. After using it for less than 2 months, I found it too heavy to push around and too bulky to fold & toss into the trunk of my car. Every time I wanted to put the stroller away, I fought with it (often times with someone watching me and waiting for my parking spot).


After my initial mistake, my in laws bought me a light weight stroller that was another well known brand. I had a couple of problems with my second stroller, I found that because it was so light weight, it was easy to tip over (totally unsafe to have an infant in it). The basket was too small to hold my diaper bag and that the handle bar was too low for me to hold onto the stroller comfortably.


Then I was on my third stroller. I knew exactly what I needed from the previous mistakes I made. I needed a stroller that is:

*Light weight but well made enough that it would not easily tip over
*Comfortable handle bars (for me who is 5'4" but also for my husband who is 6'5")
*Easy to push
*Easy to fold and store
*Compact and not bulky, but still roomy enough for my baby
*Plenty of storage on the bottom
*Great quality (I don't want a stroller that's going to fall apart in a month)
*Chic design (something I hoped for, but not must)

You think those are simple enough right? Not so. I bought my third stroller based on a recommendation from a friend. It was easy to hold, compact and easy to push, but it had almost zero storage spaces for my diaper bag. So I basically bought strollers that met most of my requirement, but I could not find one that I was truly happy with. (Though I was still lucky because none of the strollers I brought broke in less than a month. My friend Debra bought a stroller based on a blogger mom's review and it broke within the first week she had it. The wheel fell right off. Guess what brand of stroller I will never ever purchase :P).


Anyhow, I started asking moms around me what sort of strollers they use and had used in the past and how they felt about it. I was surprised to find that not a single mom I knew was truly happy with their stroller, there is always one or more things they want to change with the stroller they had.


When I was offered the Micralite Toro Stroller & Rider, I was overjoyed! I thought, "This might just be the stroller I have been looking for! The stroller that will solve all of my problems!" Many thanks to Erin of Micralite! She sent me an absolutely beautiful Toro Stroller to review. Just check out how awesome it looks!

Along with the stroller, I also received a rider for DD to stand on. You know, baby goes in the stroller, DD stands in the back ^_^.

This is what it looks like when you have the whole set together. I love that your older child (DD in my case) can stand on the rider when he/she gets tired of walking while your baby can rest comfortably in the stroller.

The Micralite Toro Stroller only weights 18.5 lbs and can hold up a child up to 40 lbs. A baby can sit comfortably in it, but DD (who is almost 4 years old and is 42" tall can sit in it comfortably too). There is still room on top for DD-- though the feet rest is a bit too short for her. DD just let her feet dangled and she said that she was comfortable. The canopy is definitely large enough to block the sun from your child's eyes and provide some privacy too. Perhaps my favorite feature is that instead of just the back reclining, the entire seat reclines. Although you do need 2 hands for this feature, it is so easy to do and your child can lay back so comfortably that it wasn't a hassle for me to use 2 hands to recline the stroller at all.

There is a storage basket on the bottom of the stroller. I found that it was the easiest to access the basket when the stroller is in a fully recline position. The wheels on the stroller are simply amazing! I hosted a playdate where moms from DD's playgroup came over and we all tried out the stroller together. We pushed the stroller around my house, over grass, on the pavements, up and down the sidewalks. We even pushed the stroller in turning circles and used only one hand to push the stroller (with a baby inside) and it handled like no other stroller that any one of us has tried before. The stroller handled so well that everyone was impressed!

Last but not least, the stroller is soooo easy to fold and open. It does take 2 hands to open, but it is easy to do, it only takes me a minute to open it up. Folding it up is even easier. The best part, once you fold up stroller, it stays in a standing position. How cool is that! So you can stand this stroller upright in restaurants, in your home or on subways. It also means that your stroller will not be on the ground getting icky dirt and germs all over it. Seriously, who wants to put their baby into a stroller that's has been laying on the dirty ground, right?!

The rider attachment is super easy to install too. Just connect it to the back of the stroller and you are all set! DD loves riding on it because she feels like she is the big girl and I love that she can hop on and get off it so easily.

The Micralite Toro Stroller will cost you $525 and the rider is another $120. Is it worth the money? Definitely! You are definitely getting what you pay for. High quality stroller that will grow with you child and meet your needs!

To buy this awesome stroller and its accessories, please go to Micralite to make your purchase.

Spoonful of Comfort Review & Giveaway (ENDED)

Winning comment is #113!

Like a lot of people, whenever I get sick, I totally crave for a bowl of warm homemade chicken soup. After being married for so many years, I know that I can't count on my husband to make the soup for me. My best hope is to ask him to get takeout for us. Of course, you can't get homemade chicken soup from takeout places.



Then, I was introduced to Spoonful Of Comfort. You know someone who is not feeling well? You know someone who had a bad day at work? You can cheer them up by sending them Spoonful of Comfort Chicken Soup!



The company sent me a huge jar of chicken soup to review. The chicken soup was packaged extremely well. You just need to be sure to put it in your fridge after it arrives at your home. There was enough soup for 4 adults. After trying it, I have to say that it tasted just like the chicken soup my grandma used to make. Yum! Yum!



In addition to the chicken soup, we also received home made dinner rolls. They went perfectly with the soup!

After the delicious meal, we had some cookies for dessert (also courtesy of Spoonful of Comfort).

I think Spoonful of Comfort is such a great idea. It would be such a wonderful gift to send someone who is not feeling well or for a college student who is missing home cooked meals.

To send Spoonful Of Comfort to a special someone, please go to its website to make your purchase.

Many thanks to Marti of Spoonful Of Comfort, who has generously offered a jar of chicken soup, homemade rolls, as well as some cookies as giveaway prizes to one of my lucky readers (US residents only please).

How to enter:

In order to enter my giveaway, you MUST be a public follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect. To follow me, click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog. If you are not a follower and you enter my giveaway, ALL of your comments will be automatically forfeited.

1). Please go to Spoonful Of Comfort and then come back to tell me something interesting you learned about the company.

How to earn additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each additional entry):


2.) Blog about my giveaway- with a link back to here, when you leave the comment make sure you include the URL of where your post of my giveaway is. Please do not copy and paste my review over to your blog, please write about why you would like to win this giveaway and provide a link back to this post. The Contest ends March 10th, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Blogging about my giveaway earns 2 additional entry.

3.) Add me as a friend on Facebook for 1 additional entry.

4.) Follow me on Twitter for 1 additional entry.

5.) Grab my button from http://sugarpopribbonsbutton.blogspot.com/ and display my button on your blog or website. Then come back to tell me what your website or blog address is, make sure to leave an url address so I can check it. Grabbing my button is worth 3 additional entries.

6.) Retweet this review and giveaway by clicking on the "retweet" button on the bottom of this post. (Right next to where you click to leave me comments). After you retweet, please leave me the url of your tweet so I can check. If you do not know how to check your tweet url, please read this post for step by step instructions. You can retweet once a day for 1 entry each time.



Read the fine print:

* Lucky winner or winners will be selected through True Random Number Generator.
* If your profile page does not show your email address, please include your email address in your comment. For example: sugarpopribbons at yahoo dot com -- so that I may get in touch with you if you are selected as the giveaway winner.
* Each giveaway winner has 48 hours to respond to my email about getting the awesome giveaway prize to him/her. If the winner does not reply to my email within 48 hours, I will choose another winner using the True Random Number Generator.
* I do contact each winner via email. If anyone is curious about who the giveaway winner is for any of my giveaways, please go back to the original post of that giveaway. Once a winner is selected through random.org, I will post a screen shot of the the number random.org picked. You will be able to see which number has been selected and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can cross check who the giveaway winner is.
*I received a free product (or products) for review purposes. I did not receive any form of compensation from the company. All opinions are my own and not influenced in anyway. My reviews are not always positive, but they are my personal and honest opinions. Other people's views and experiences with the product or products might be different from mine.

Zoë b Organic Review & Giveaway (ENDED)

Winning comment is #155!

You all know that I am a fan of organic products, so when I was given the chance to review Zoë b Organic, I really looked forward to checking out the items in person.

The first item I received to review was the on the go sleepy hats. Besides being made from super soft organic fabric, I think this hat is just adorable! Since it is made from organic material, you know that it is safe for your child's skin. Furthermore, the flip down sleepy eyes will keep the sun out of your child's eyes while he/she naps.

We also received a set of bowl, plate, and glass from their kidishes line to try out.
These dishes are:

* Tempered glass dishes

* Perfect kid size

* Dishwasher and microwave safe

* 100% recyclable

* Shock resistant.

What we loved about these dishes are that they are just the right size for DD. We don't need to worry about her breaking the dishes and accidentally hurting herself with broken glass. DD gives them her stamp of approval and we do too!

To buy the fantistic products we received to review, please go to Zoë b Organic to make your purchase.

Many thanks to Valerie, owner of Zoë b Organic. She has generously offered 1 set of large Gigogne Tumblers (4 peices) and 1 set of medium Gigogne Tumblers (4 pieces) as giveaway prizes to one of my lucky readers. The retail value for these two sets is $36. US residents only please.

How to enter:

In order to enter my giveaway, you MUST be a public follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect. To follow me, click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog. If you are not a follower and you enter my giveaway, ALL of your comments will be automatically forfeited.

1). Please go to Zoë b Organic and then come back to tell me about another product you like.

How to earn additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each additional entry):


2.) Blog about my giveaway- with a link back to here, when you leave the comment make sure you include the URL of where your post of my giveaway is. Please do not copy and paste my review over to your blog, please write about why you would like to win this giveaway and provide a link back to this post. The Contest ends March 10th, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Blogging about my giveaway earns 2 additional entry.

3.) Add me as a friend on Facebook for 1 additional entry.

4.) Follow me on Twitter for 1 additional entry.

5.) Grab my button from http://sugarpopribbonsbutton.blogspot.com/ and display my button on your blog or website. Then come back to tell me what your website or blog address is, make sure to leave an url address so I can check it. Grabbing my button is worth 3 additional entries.

6.) Retweet this review and giveaway by clicking on the "retweet" button on the bottom of this post. (Right next to where you click to leave me comments). After you retweet, please leave me the url of your tweet so I can check. If you do not know how to check your tweet url, please read this post for step by step instructions. You can retweet once a day for 1 entry each time.



Read the fine print:

* Lucky winner or winners will be selected through True Random Number Generator.
* If your profile page does not show your email address, please include your email address in your comment. For example: sugarpopribbons at yahoo dot com -- so that I may get in touch with you if you are selected as the giveaway winner.
* Each giveaway winner has 48 hours to respond to my email about getting the awesome giveaway prize to him/her. If the winner does not reply to my email within 48 hours, I will choose another winner using the True Random Number Generator.
* I do contact each winner via email. If anyone is curious about who the giveaway winner is for any of my giveaways, please go back to the original post of that giveaway. Once a winner is selected through random.org, I will post a screen shot of the the number random.org picked. You will be able to see which number has been selected and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can cross check who the giveaway winner is.
*I received a free product (or products) for review purposes. I did not receive any form of compensation from the company. All opinions are my own and not influenced in anyway. My reviews are not always positive, but they are my personal and honest opinions. Other people's views and experiences with the product or products might be different from mine.

BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Original Organic Review & Giveaway (ENDED)

Winning comment #284!

BabyBjörn is definitely a company that does not need an introduction. If you are a mother, I am sure you have seen BabyBjörn products in baby stores and you know about the high quality that many moms have come to expect from the company. Well, it appears that BabyBjörn has delivered once again! For those eco-friendly, environmentally conscious moms, BabyBjörn has just the thing you have been asking for! That's right! Organic Baby Carrier!

The company used fabric made from organically grown cotton to recreate its famous classic Baby Carrier design, so you know that the its the same high quality baby carrier that has been used by many, many moms. The only difference, it's organic!

Why should you choose organic products? Well, the organic fabric complies with the GOTS standard and is certified in accordance with Oeko-Tex, Standard 100, class 1 for baby, a health and safety certification that guarantees it is free from hazardous substances.

Features:

* Machine washable

* Baby Can face inward and outward

* Padded and adjustable head support for baby's head

* Easy to put on and take off with all adjustable made quickly in the front

* Comfortable wide padded shoulder straps

* Front piece is easily removed to lay down a sleeping baby.

If you are a new mom and you are not sure if you want to try baby wearing, I highly recommend giving this a try. The BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Original Organic is easy to use, it keeps your hands free and your baby happy. Furthermore, I think it's great that it comes in gender neutral color so that daddy can wear it too!

To buy your own BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Original Organic, please use the store locator to find a location near you.

Many thanks to Mariana of BabyBjörn. She has generously offered 1 BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Original Organic as a giveaway prize to one of my lucky readers. The retail price for this baby carrier is $89.99 (US residents only please).

How to enter:

In order to enter my giveaway, you MUST be a public follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect. To follow me, click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog. If you are not a follower and you enter my giveaway, ALL of your comments will be automatically forfeited.

1). Please go to BabyBjörn and then come back to tell me about another product you like.

How to earn additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each additional entry):


2.) Blog about my giveaway- with a link back to here, when you leave the comment make sure you include the URL of where your post of my giveaway is. Please do not copy and paste my review over to your blog, please write about why you would like to win this giveaway and provide a link back to this post. The Contest ends March 9th, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Blogging about my giveaway earns 2 additional entry.

3.) Add me as a friend on Facebook for 1 additional entry.

4.) Follow me on Twitter for 1 additional entry.

5.) Grab my button from http://sugarpopribbonsbutton.blogspot.com/ and display my button on your blog or website. Then come back to tell me what your website or blog address is, make sure to leave an url address so I can check it. Grabbing my button is worth 3 additional entries.

6.) Retweet this review and giveaway by clicking on the "retweet" button on the bottom of this post. (Right next to where you click to leave me comments). After you retweet, please leave me the url of your tweet so I can check. If you do not know how to check your tweet url, please read this post for step by step instructions. You can retweet once a day for 1 entry each time.



Read the fine print:

* Lucky winner or winners will be selected through True Random Number Generator.
* If your profile page does not show your email address, please include your email address in your comment. For example: sugarpopribbons at yahoo dot com -- so that I may get in touch with you if you are selected as the giveaway winner.
* Each giveaway winner has 48 hours to respond to my email about getting the awesome giveaway prize to him/her. If the winner does not reply to my email within 48 hours, I will choose another winner using the True Random Number Generator.
* I do contact each winner via email. If anyone is curious about who the giveaway winner is for any of my giveaways, please go back to the original post of that giveaway. Once a winner is selected through random.org, I will post a screen shot of the the number random.org picked. You will be able to see which number has been selected and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can cross check who the giveaway winner is.
*I received a free product (or products) for review purposes. I did not receive any form of compensation from the company. All opinions are my own and not influenced in anyway. My reviews are not always positive, but they are my personal and honest opinions. Other people's views and experiences with the product or products might be different from mine.

Tropical Traditions Shredded Coconut Review & Giveaway (ENDED)

Winning comment is #55!

I am exited to be working with Tropical Traditions once again to bring you another awesome product! The last time we reviewed the Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, and we thought it was one of the best products ever! DH does not care for coconut and even he thought it was great.

This time around, we received a gallon of shredded coconut to review. Because we really loved the coconut oil, so we had really high expectations for the shredded coconut. Well, we were not disappointed! Tropical Traditions delivered once again!

I used the shredded coconut to make coconut cookies as well as a coconut cake. They were huge hits! The shredded coconut was very fresh and very tasty! Tropical Traditions have really made us true believers of their products. As a matter of fact, we have recommended their products to all of our friends and family members.

The unbeatable high quality of Tropical Tradition makes it nearly impossible to find anything else that might come close to substituting for it. Yes, that is our statement and we stand behind it ^_^.

To buy your own Tropical Traditions product, please go to its website to make your purchase.

Many thanks to Sandra of Tropical Traditions. She has generously offered 1 gallon of shredded coconut as a giveaway prize to one of my lucky readers. Yum! Yum! (US and Canada residents only please). * Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge if you decide to participate in this Tropical Traditions sponsored blog giveaway.

How to enter:

In order to enter my giveaway, you MUST be a public follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect. To follow me, click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog. If you are not a follower and you enter my giveaway, ALL of your comments will be automatically forfeited.

1). Please go to Tropical Traditions and then come back to tell me what what other products you would like to try.

How to earn additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each additional entry):


2.) Blog about my giveaway- with a link back to here, when you leave the comment make sure you include the URL of where your post of my giveaway is. Please do not copy and paste my review over to your blog, please write about why you would like to win this giveaway and provide a link back to this post. The Contest ends March 6th, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Blogging about my giveaway earns 2 additional entry.

3.) Add me as a friend on Facebook for 1 additional entry.

4.) Follow me on Twitter for 1 additional entry.

5.) Grab my button from http://sugarpopribbonsbutton.blogspot.com/ and display my button on your blog or website. Then come back to tell me what your website or blog address is, make sure to leave an url address so I can check it. Grabbing my button is worth 3 additional entries.

6.) Retweet this review and giveaway by clicking on the "retweet" button on the bottom of this post. (Right next to where you click to leave me comments). After you retweet, please leave me the url of your tweet so I can check. If you do not know how to check your tweet url, please read this post for step by step instructions. You can retweet once a day for 1 entry each time.


Read the fine print:

* Lucky winner or winners will be selected through True Random Number Generator.
* If your profile page does not show your email address, please include your email address in your comment. For example: sugarpopribbons at yahoo dot com -- so that I may get in touch with you if you are selected as the giveaway winner.
* Each giveaway winner has 48 hours to respond to my email about getting the awesome giveaway prize to him/her. If the winner does not reply to my email within 48 hours, I will choose another winner using the True Random Number Generator.
* I do contact each winner via email. If anyone is curious about who the giveaway winner is for any of my giveaways, please go back to the original post of that giveaway. Once a winner is selected through random.org, I will post a screen shot of the the number random.org picked. You will be able to see which number has been selected and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can cross check who the giveaway winner is.
*I received a free product (or products) for review purposes. I did not receive any form of compensation from the company. All opinions are my own and not influenced in anyway. My reviews are not always positive, but they are my personal and honest opinions. Other people's views and experiences with the product or products might be different from mine.

Zak! Designs Review

We have been using the same bowls I purchased from the Chinese supermarket during my poor college student days. It is not that we can't afford to replace them, but I just could not find anything else I like more. DH talked about replacing them because they were pretty worn out, but with what? Well, we were lucky enough to review a whole set of bowls from Zak Designs!


we received the Confetti 4pc Bowl Set in Assorted Brights, and we just LOVE using them for everyday needs around the kitchen. Because there is 4 of them in the set, we really are able to use them for all sorts of things. DH likes using the largest bowl for pop corns and the smallest one for guacamole. I like to use the medium size ones to rise out and clean fruit. I also like to use the larger size bowl to store our fresh fruits when DH isn't using it to eat pop corns. These bowls are food and dishwasher safe. Most importantly, they are made from recycled material! How awesome is that! I think it is so great when companies make products that's made from recycled materials because not only it helps reduces waste, it is also good for our environment.
In addition to the Confetti 4pc Bowl Set, we also received the Mellow 6pc Batter Bowl Set in Tonal True Blue to review. As many of you already know, I have been taking cake decorating classes. These are very handy when it comes to make cake icing as well as cake batter. I also use them for pancake batter on the weekends. I like that they come with lids so when I have left over batter I can just put the lids on them and use the batter later.

To buy the products I received to review (as well as hundreds of other Zak! Design products), please check out your local Walmart as well as on Amzon. com .

RHB Designs Review & $25 Gift Card Giveaway (ENDED)

Winning comment is #107!

I LOVE handcrafted products, especially personalized jewelry. When I was given the chance to work with RHB Designs for a review & giveaway, I had such a hard time picking out exactly what I wanted to review because the shop has so many cute things.

I finally decided on the good night moon necklace. It says on it, "Good Night Stars, Good Night Moon." If you are a parent, you probably have heard of this children's bedtime story. It is actually one of DD's favorite stories of all time. I just adore this necklace. Besides the fact that it is very well made, I think it is very whimsical.

I also like this design. This would make the prefect gift for that special someone in your life.

This would be great for your favorite teacher!

Other than these super cute necklaces featured here, there are tons of other beautiful jewelry pieces made by DHB Designs that you can check out at her etsy shop.

To buy your own RHB Designs jewelry, please go to its store to make your purchase.

Many thanks to Rosalynn of RHB Designs. She has generously offered a $25 gift card to one of my lucky readers.

How to enter:

In order to enter my giveaway, you MUST be a public follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect. To follow me, click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog. If you are not a follower and you enter my giveaway, ALL of your comments will be automatically forfeited.

1). Please go to RHB Designs and then come back to tell me what what you would buy with your gift card if you are selected as the giveaway winner.

How to earn additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each additional entry):


2.) Blog about my giveaway- with a link back to here, when you leave the comment make sure you include the URL of where your post of my giveaway is. Please do not copy and paste my review over to your blog, please write about why you would like to win this giveaway and provide a link back to this post. The Contest ends March 5th, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Blogging about my giveaway earns 2 additional entry.

3.) Add me as a friend on Facebook for 1 additional entry.

4.) Follow me on Twitter for 1 additional entry.

5.) Grab my button from http://sugarpopribbonsbutton.blogspot.com/ and display my button on your blog or website. Then come back to tell me what your website or blog address is, make sure to leave an url address so I can check it. Grabbing my button is worth 3 additional entries.

6.) Retweet this review and giveaway by clicking on the "retweet" button on the bottom of this post. (Right next to where you click to leave me comments). After you retweet, please leave me the url of your tweet so I can check. If you do not know how to check your tweet url, please read this post for step by step instructions. You can retweet once a day for 1 entry each time.


Read the fine print:

* Lucky winner or winners will be selected through True Random Number Generator.
* If your profile page does not show your email address, please include your email address in your comment. For example: sugarpopribbons at yahoo dot com -- so that I may get in touch with you if you are selected as the giveaway winner.
* Each giveaway winner has 48 hours to respond to my email about getting the awesome giveaway prize to him/her. If the winner does not reply to my email within 48 hours, I will choose another winner using the True Random Number Generator.
* I do contact each winner via email. If anyone is curious about who the giveaway winner is for any of my giveaways, please go back to the original post of that giveaway. Once a winner is selected through random.org, I will post a screen shot of the the number random.org picked. You will be able to see which number has been selected and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can cross check who the giveaway winner is.
*I received a free product (or products) for review purposes. I did not receive any form of compensation from the company. All opinions are my own and not influenced in anyway. My reviews are not always positive, but they are my personal and honest opinions. Other people's views and experiences with the product or products might be different from mine.

Pawparazzi Review & Giveaway (ENDED)

Winning comment is #74!

DD has been asking for a pet, but because we live in a small condo, we don't have the extra room for pets (plus because of her skin issues, the doctor thinks that she might be allergic to having pets). Well, the best solution is to give her the pet she always wanted. She got a pawparazzi!


I present to you DD's new pet, Misty! Adorable Misty came with a cute little purse and a little note pad.

The company also sent us Pawparazzi Celebrity Pet Dress Up Set – Flower Fairy for Misty. Look at how seriously cute this is!

After a day of having fun, Misty then gets a good night of rest with her Plush Pet Bed.

DD thinks that her new pet is totally awesome. She likes to take Misty everywhere in the little purse. Just like the Noodle Head Travel Buddies and Bag Buddies we received, we think that Misty and all of her accessories are soft and adorable.

To buy the Pawparazzi products we received to review for the princess in your life, please go to its website to make your purchase.

Many thanks to Susan of Pawparazzi. She has generously offered Misty Pet Set AND Flower Fairy Dress Up Set as giveaway prizes to one of my lucky readers (US residents only please).

How to enter:

In order to enter my giveaway, you MUST be a public follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect. To follow me, click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog. If you are not a follower and you enter my giveaway, ALL of your comments will be automatically forfeited.

1). Please go to pawparazzi and then come back to tell me what what other designs you like.

How to earn additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each additional entry):


2.) Blog about my giveaway- with a link back to here, when you leave the comment make sure you include the URL of where your post of my giveaway is. Please do not copy and paste my review over to your blog, please write about why you would like to win this giveaway and provide a link back to this post. The Contest ends March 4th, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Blogging about my giveaway earns 2 additional entry.

3.) Add me as a friend on Facebook for 1 additional entry.

4.) Follow me on Twitter for 1 additional entry.

5.) Grab my button from http://sugarpopribbonsbutton.blogspot.com/ and display my button on your blog or website. Then come back to tell me what your website or blog address is, make sure to leave an url address so I can check it. Grabbing my button is worth 3 additional entries.

6.) Retweet this review and giveaway by clicking on the "retweet" button on the bottom of this post. (Right next to where you click to leave me comments). After you retweet, please leave me the url of your tweet so I can check. If you do not know how to check your tweet url, please read this post for step by step instructions. You can retweet once a day for 1 entry each time.

7.) Follow Pawparazzi on Twitter for 1 additional entry.


8.) Become a fan of Pawparazzi on Facebook for 1 additional entry.

Read the fine print:

* Lucky winner or winners will be selected through True Random Number Generator.
* If your profile page does not show your email address, please include your email address in your comment. For example: sugarpopribbons at yahoo dot com -- so that I may get in touch with you if you are selected as the giveaway winner.
* Each giveaway winner has 48 hours to respond to my email about getting the awesome giveaway prize to him/her. If the winner does not reply to my email within 48 hours, I will choose another winner using the True Random Number Generator.
* I do contact each winner via email. If anyone is curious about who the giveaway winner is for any of my giveaways, please go back to the original post of that giveaway. Once a winner is selected through random.org, I will post a screen shot of the the number random.org picked. You will be able to see which number has been selected and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can cross check who the giveaway winner is.
*I received a free product (or products) for review purposes. I did not receive any form of compensation from the company. All opinions are my own and not influenced in anyway. My reviews are not always positive, but they are my personal and honest opinions. Other people's views and experiences with the product or products might be different from mine.

Noodle Head Travel Buddies and Bag Buddies Review & Giveaway (ENDED)

Winning comment is #110!

Does your child fall asleep in the car? I have just the thing you need and your child will adored. DD often falls asleep in the car after visiting her grandparents. Before receiving her Travel Buddies from Noodle Head, she would always sleep in the most uncomfortable position. But, with the help with Travel Buddies, she is now sleep peacefully in the car.

The Travel Buddies we received was the horse design. We could not believe how soft it was, and it's just the right size for kids! If DD does not use it as a pillow when she is napping, she likes hugging it and using it as a toy because it is so cute. The best part? Well, if the Travel Buddies get dirty, all I have to do is toss it in the washer to clean it.

In addition to the Travel Buddies we received to review, we also got a Bag Buddies. The one we received was the horse. But this image will give you an idea of the size of it. DD uses the Bag Buddies on her lunch bag. On the belly of the horse, there is a white tag area for her name, so we know that if the Bag Buddies ever gets lost, it will make its way back to us. The bag Buddies is made with the same soft material as the Travel Buddies.

After trying the Travel Buddies and Bag Buddies, I have to say that I am really impressed by how nice and soft the material is. To buy the products we received to review, please go to Noodle Head to make your purchases.

Many thanks to Susan of Noodle Head. She has generously offered 1 horse design Travel Buddies and 1 horse design Bag Buddies as giveaway prizes to one of my lucky readers. (US residents only please).

How to enter:

In order to enter my giveaway, you MUST be a public follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect. To follow me, click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog. If you are not a follower and you enter my giveaway, ALL of your comments will be automatically forfeited.

1). Please go to Noodle Head and then come back to tell me what what other designs you like.

How to earn additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each additional entry):


2.) Blog about my giveaway- with a link back to here, when you leave the comment make sure you include the URL of where your post of my giveaway is. Please do not copy and paste my review over to your blog, please write about why you would like to win this giveaway and provide a link back to this post. The Contest ends March 4th, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Blogging about my giveaway earns 2 additional entry.

3.) Add me as a friend on Facebook for 1 additional entry.

4.) Follow me on Twitter for 1 additional entry.

5.) Grab my button from http://sugarpopribbonsbutton.blogspot.com/ and display my button on your blog or website. Then come back to tell me what your website or blog address is, make sure to leave an url address so I can check it. Grabbing my button is worth 3 additional entries.

6.) Retweet this review and giveaway by clicking on the "retweet" button on the bottom of this post. (Right next to where you click to leave me comments). After you retweet, please leave me the url of your tweet so I can check. If you do not know how to check your tweet url, please read this post for step by step instructions. You can retweet once a day for 1 entry each time.


Read the fine print:

* Lucky winner or winners will be selected through True Random Number Generator.
* If your profile page does not show your email address, please include your email address in your comment. For example: sugarpopribbons at yahoo dot com -- so that I may get in touch with you if you are selected as the giveaway winner.
* Each giveaway winner has 48 hours to respond to my email about getting the awesome giveaway prize to him/her. If the winner does not reply to my email within 48 hours, I will choose another winner using the True Random Number Generator.
* I do contact each winner via email. If anyone is curious about who the giveaway winner is for any of my giveaways, please go back to the original post of that giveaway. Once a winner is selected through random.org, I will post a screen shot of the the number random.org picked. You will be able to see which number has been selected and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can cross check who the giveaway winner is.
*I received a free product (or products) for review purposes. I did not receive any form of compensation from the company. All opinions are my own and not influenced in anyway. My reviews are not always positive, but they are my personal and honest opinions. Other people's views and experiences with the product or products might be different from mine.

Announcement

Thank you everyone for your continuous support of my blog. I can hardly believe how quickly my blog has grown in just the last couple of months. Although I have been blogging for years, I only started writing reviews and offering giveaways to my readers 3 months ago. When I started, I had less than a handful of followers (all of them were my friends following me to check out what DD and I have been up to). And in 3 months time, I now have over 800 followers and close to 20,000 unique visitors per month, and close to 70,000 pageviews in the past month. Crazy right?! Well, I would not have been able to do it without all of your support, so I really do want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. I really appreciate it!

Now, onto my announcement. Since my blog has grown, I am now having some issues that I know other giveaway bloggers have experienced too. So, I want to break them down for you a bit.

First of all, please do not leave a comment and say that you are a follower if you are not. If random.org picks you as the winner, I will check to see if you are indeed a follower. If I can not verify your statement (because your profile is not public, or you are actually not a follower), then I will pick a new winner. The reason why I wanted to bring this up is because I recently came upon a number of comments saying that they are followers and when I clicked on their profiles, I could see that they were not. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they simply forgot to follow my blog. However, the reality remains that if your statement is untrue, I will pick a new winner.

Second, I do check your tweets. If you leave me a url for your tweet and it is not a valid url, I will also pick a new winner. This goes hand in hand with my previous concern.

Third, please do not copy and paste any part of my review or my giveaway rules. If you have been reading my blog, I am sure you have noticed that I make grammar mistakes and occasionally even spelling errors here and there (I am sure you probably already came across several since you started reading, lol) . English is my second language and I did not even learn the English alphabets until I was 13 years old. I kid you not! I worked very hard to learn English and to "master" my writing skills. I am by no means a great writer, but I do think that my writings are uniquely my own. So, please do not copy and paste my work and claim it as yours. That is not ok! Besides the fact that I do actually try the products and write my own personal reviews of them, I think it is incredibly disrespectful and distasteful to the company you are working with when you copy my work. If you have received a free product to review, please at least have enough courtesy to that company to write your own review and come up with your own giveaway rules. If you like to check out my blog for ideas, that is, of course, ok with me. I welcome everyone to check out my blog for idea and if you would like to give me feedback that is awesome too. However, I am not ok with anyone just copying and pasting my writing over to their blog. I have dealt with this issue privately in the past and spoke to those involved via emails. At this time, I would like to warn you that in the future, I will not be so kind. I will be pointing you out in my blog and let all of my readers as well as the company you are working with know that you have plagiarized my work.


Now, on to the happy stuff :). As I have mentioned before, I really appreciate those of you who have taken the time to enter my giveaways and became a follower of my blog. I think now it is time to start giving back to you.

All giveaways posted after February 16, 2010 will only be open to my followers.


Did you say that you have a giveaway blog too? Awesome! Starting this Sunday, you will be able to come to my blog and link up your giveaways! I will be doing this every Sunday from now on!


Last but not least, I am thinking of opening up a "ask anything session" on Fridays. So, my idea is that you get to ask me questions (about my giveaways, my life or just whatever) and I will answer some of them each Friday. This is just something I am toying with. What do you think?

Please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts or if you have any questions or concerns. If you don't feel comfortable leaving a comment for everyone to see, you can also contact me via email at sugarpopribbons at yahoo dot com.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!

UPDATE: Several people have asked me here and via emails about being a follower to my blog. To address some of your questions:

1.) To check if you are a follower of my blog (click on your name) where you have left me a comment and you can see if you are following my blog -- this is also what I do to check.

2.) If your follow list is set to private that means I have no way of verifying if you are indeed a follower. It is not that I don't trust you, but I have people commented that they are following my blog when I could see that they clearly were not when I checked their profiles. I am sorry a couple of bad seeds are ruining it for everyone. But this is the rule from this point forward. If I can't verify that your statement is true, then your comments will be forfeited. Thank you for your understanding in this matter, and thank you everyone for making this a smooth transition for me and my blog!

3.) Thank you to those who sent me links of people who copied and pasted my reviews to their blogs. Apparently there are more out there. ARG! Thank you for letting me know, and I would really appreciate it if you can continue to send those links to me.

Earthlust Review & Giveaway (ENDED)

Winning comment is #35!


As I have mentioned before, I am a huge fan of stainless steel because you don't have to worry about harmful materials like BPA. If you love stainless steel products too, you are going to love Earthlust. The company carries a wide variety of stainless steel bottles with adorable designs on them.


My family was lucky enough to review 2 products to review. The first one was this cute 13 oz. stainless steel bottle with a fish on it. This is the prefect size for DD and she loves that she can drink water like a goldfish does.

The second product we received to review was the 20 oz insulated mug. I love this insulated mug. This mug is the prefect size for coffee on the run. Although there is another reason why I love insulted mugs. DD is a huge fan of milk. I love using insulated mugs to keep her fresh milk cold when we go on long shopping trips. I know some moms just stop by a gas station, a coffee shop or even at fast food places to pick up milk for their kids. I found that to be too expensive (considering how often DD wants milk). Plus, by using our own insulated mug, we aren't creating as much waste. It is a win win situation for us.

I love the designs on Earthlust bottles. However, another reason why I love Earthlust bottles is because you can become more eco-friendly by using reusable bottles. I love giving DD the 13 oz bottle to use because I think it's great to teach your kid about the different ways we can be nice to mother earth though little things like using Earthlust bottles.

To buy your own Earthlust, please go to its website to make your purchase.

Many thanks to Allison of Earthlust, she has generously offered 1 bottle as a giveaway prize to one of my lucky readers (US residents only please).

How to enter:

1.) Please go to Earthlust and then come back to tell me which product you would like to win.

How to earn additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each additional entry):

2.) Become a follower on my blog (publicly- privately does not count)-leave another comment to let me know that you have become a follower. To follow me, click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog. Follower earns 1 additional entry.

3.) Blog about my giveaway- with a link back to here, when you leave the comment make sure you include the URL of where your post of my giveaway is. Contest ends March 1st, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Blogging about my giveaway earns 1 additional entry.

4.) Add me as a friend on Facebook for 1 additional entry.

5.) Follow me on Twitter for 1 additional entry.

6.) Grab my button from http://sugarpopribbonsbutton.blogspot.com/ and display my button on your blog or website. Then come back to tell me what your website or blog address is, make sure to leave an url address so I can check it. Grabbing my button is worth 3 additional entries.

7.) Retweet this review and giveaway by clicking on the "retweet" button on the bottom of this post. (Right next to where you click to leave me comments). After you retweet, please leave me the url of your tweet so I can check. If you do not know how to check your tweet url, please read this post for step by step instructions. You can retweet once a day for 1 entry each time.


8.) Become a fan of Earthlust on Facebook for 1 additional entry.


Important stuff:
* Lucky Winner will be chosen from True Random Number Generator.
* Anonymous comments must include an email address. For example: sugarpopribbons (@) yahoo.com -- so that I may get in touch with you if you are selected to win the giveaway.
* Please come back to this post on March 2nd, 2010. I will announced who the winner is. You will have 48 hours to respond to my email about getting your awesome giveaway prize to you. If the winner does not reply to my email within 48 hours, I will choose another winner using the True Random Number Generator.

Nature's Path Organic Food Review & $150 Gift Basket Giveaway (ENDED)

Winning comment is #660!

When Nature's Path package came to our door, DH literally announced that this was the best product review ever before he even got to try any of the products. Just imagine this over excited 6'5" man and a hyper active 3 year old circling around me like two hungry sharks as I attempted to open the box. We have tried Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola before and our entire family loved it, so we really looked forward to trying the company's other products.

This is what came to the door for us!

DH and DD loves cereal. They can eat it everyday for every single meal. After I opened the package and took this photo, the two of them opened up all of the boxes to give each one of them a try. We were happy to discover that each one of the products we received to review was yummy and tasty. They meet DH and DD's standard and have our family's stamp of approval! Besides the fact that they are simply delicious, we love that they are organic and good for you! Eating Nature's Path products is a great way to start our day. We look forward to eating breakfast every morning because of Nature's Path cereals and granola are so tasty, it's like getting a special treat every morning (sometimes DH even eats for them snacks at night).

In addition to loving their products, I also love how eco-friendly the company is. Their PR team made sure that the package sent to me was packed in the most eco-friendly way possible. How awesome is that! I give Nature's Path two thumbs up for their efforts in making our environment more green.

If you have not tried Nature's Path products, I highly recommend giving them a try. My family loves them and I think yours will too! To purchase Nature's Path organic products, please go to its website to make your purchase. You can also buy them locally at stores like Trader Joes.

Many thanks to Kylie of Nature's Path Oranic Foods. She has generously offered a gift basket valued at $150 to one of my lucky readers (US residents only please). The basket will be filled with favorites from Nature’s Path, this basket is bursting with delicious, organic treats including Nature’s Path cereals, hot oatmeals and bars.

How to enter:

1.) Please go to Nature's Path and then come back to tell me what product would you like to try.

How to earn additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each additional entry):

2.) Become a follower on my blog (publicly- privately does not count)-leave another comment to let me know that you have become a follower. To follow me, click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog. Follower earns 1 additional entry.

3.) Blog about my giveaway- with a link back to here, when you leave the comment make sure you include the URL of where your post of my giveaway is. Contest ends February 28th, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Blogging about my giveaway earns 1 additional entry.

4.) Add me as a friend on Facebook for 1 additional entry.

5.) Follow me on Twitter for 1 additional entry.

6.) Grab my button from http://sugarpopribbonsbutton.blogspot.com/ and display my button on your blog or website. Then come back to tell me what your website or blog address is, make sure to leave an url address so I can check it. Grabbing my button is worth 3 additional entries.

7.) Retweet this review and giveaway by clicking on the "retweet" button on the bottom of this post. (Right next to where you click to leave me comments). After you retweet, please leave me the url of your tweet so I can check. If you do not know how to check your tweet url, please read this post for step by step instructions. You can retweet once a day for 1 entry each time.

8.) Follow Nature's Path Organic Food on Twitter for 1 additional entry.


9.) Become a fan of Nature's Path Organic Foods on Facebook for 1 additional entry.


Important stuff:
* Lucky Winner will be chosen from True Random Number Generator.
* Anonymous comments must include an email address. For example: sugarpopribbons (@) yahoo.com -- so that I may get in touch with you if you are selected to win the giveaway.
* Please come back to this post on March 1st, 2010. I will announced who the winner is. You will have 48 hours to respond to my email about getting your awesome giveaway prize to you. If the winner does not reply to my email within 48 hours, I will choose another winner using the True Random Number Generator.

New Jammies Review and Giveaway (ENDED)

Winner is comment #251!

You know that I love trying organic products, so when I was given the chance to review New Jammies, I was really excited. What I notice about organic fabric is that it's typically very soft, and New Jammies was just that!

The company sent us a set of tangerine jammies to review. DD loves tangerines, so she was super excited to be able to wear them to bed. Personally, I love that these jammies are made from 100% organic cotton, so it is good for the environment and good for your child's skin.

DD's jammies came in an organic cotton drawstring bag so that she can put her name on it. I love the idea of the drawstring bag because if your child goes to a friend's house for a sleepover, he or she can use the drawstring bag to store the jammies. Also, the organic cotton drawstring bag makes the jammies ready to be presented for gift giving.

Of course, the best part about New Jammies is the designs. I love the different fruits and vegetables that are on the jammies. I think it's great that your child can celebrate a fruit or vegetable he/she likes by wearing it to bed.

These jammies are so cute that I would not mind picking up one of each design for DD. To buy New Jammies, please go to its website to make your purchase.

Many thanks to Nicole, founder of New Jammies. She has generously offered 1 set of New Jammies as a giveaway prize to one of my lucky readers (US residents only please)

How to enter:

1.) Please go to New Jammies and then come back to tell me which design is your favorite.

How to earn additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each additional entry):

2.) Become a follower on my blog (publicly- privately does not count)-leave another comment to let me know that you have become a follower. To follow me, click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog. Follower earns 1 additional entry.

3.) Blog about my giveaway- with a link back to here, when you leave the comment make sure you include the URL of where your post of my giveaway is. Contest ends February 27th, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Blogging about my giveaway earns 1 additional entry.

4.) Add me as a friend on Facebook for 1 additional entry.

5.) Follow me on Twitter for 1 additional entry.

6.) Grab my button from http://sugarpopribbonsbutton.blogspot.com/ and display my button on your blog or website. Then come back to tell me what your website or blog address is, make sure to leave an url address so I can check it. Grabbing my button is worth 3 additional entries.

7.) Retweet this review and giveaway by clicking on the "retweet" button on the bottom of this post. (Right next to where you click to leave me comments). After you retweet, please leave me the url of your tweet so I can check. If you do not know how to check your tweet url, please read this post for step by step instructions. You can retweet once a day for 1 entry each time.


8.) Follow New Jammies on Twitter for 1 additional entry.



Important stuff:
* Lucky Winner will be chosen from True Random Number Generator.
* Anonymous comments must include an email address. For example: sugarpopribbons (@) yahoo.com -- so that I may get in touch with you if you are selected to win the giveaway.
* Please come back to this post on February 28th, 2010. I will announced who the winner is. You will have 48 hours to respond to my email about getting your awesome giveaway prize to you. If the winner does not reply to my email within 48 hours, I will choose another winner using the True Random Number Generator.