Anka Mini Furniture Review

Having three little boys is like having three mini tornadoes in your home. They run around, yell, fight, wrestle and in general destroy everything in their path. Getting them to sit still for more than a minute can be close to impossible. Unless of course there is food involved. One thing that I have found to help is having a kid size table set up somewhere for them so that they have a place to color or do crafts and to snack. We used to have a Little Tikes plastic picnic table set up for them in the dining room, but it honestly did not look the greatest and could not seat the three of them comfortably.

When I first saw the Anka Mini Furniture set I knew that this would work so much better for us.
This set is crafted from sustainable wood and the wood stain is lead free. Included is a sturdy round table and 4 seats. There are 3 chairs and then one stool for parents to sit on. The stool can hold someone up to 250 pounds. You can also choose from three finishes: Natural, Honey and Espresso.

"Anka Mini Furniture is built to host a lifetime of tea parties, coloring marathons and games. But it's not just for children. It also provides a place for parents to join in and create lasting memories. Crafted of high-quality birch wood, Anka Mini Furniture stands up to year after year of children's play. And it's sturdy and stylish enough to pass down from generation to generation."

I was fortunate enough to receive one of these sets to review. I chose the Honey finish because it goes well with the wood trim and floors in my home. You do have to assemble this furniture yourself but that should not be an issue. I had planned on taking some pictures of the assembly process, but my dear husband put it together in the garage without me even realizing it. But I can report back what he told me. He did say it was fairly easy to assemble and he didn't run into any problems. You are given a small tool to get the screws in, but my power tool loving husband broke out his electric drill instead.


We set the furniture up in the corner of our dining room, where the old table previously was. It looks so nice there, doesn't it? When the boys first saw it, the were very excited and sat right down. All 3 of them fit nicely at this table and there is plenty of room for a 4th child or an adult. On its first day in our house, the Anka Mini Furniture got put to the test when the twins speech therapist came for their weekly session. The adult stool worked fantastic for this as she was able to have the boys sit at the table and then she sat on the stool and worked right there with them. It definitely made it easier for her. And yes, this large pregnant mama is even able to sit on the stool if needed.

The functionality of this table and chairs set has been great thus far. In addition to speech therapy sessions, the boys eat their snacks there or do some coloring. The twins even just like to sit in the chairs and hang out there with some toys. And what is truly great about this furniture is the quality and sturdiness. I have had cheap "wood" table sets before that did not survive but I know that will not happen with Anka. This is a furniture set that is built to last and I look forward to my kids enjoying it for many years to come.

Shop
You can purchase the Anka Mini Furniture set directly from Scandinavian Child or through online retailers such as Amazon.com.

Want to win one? The Shopping Mama has a giveaway going on right now for an Anka Mini Furniture set. Hurry, it ends December 4th!

Please note that the opinions and views expressed in this review are my own and based on my personal experience with the product. You may encounter a different experience with this than I did. Scandinavian Child provided me with an item for review however this had no effect on how I reviewed the product.

Just Jen Christmas Shirts Review & Giveaway

We love Christmas in our house. Well, who doesn't right? We just really get into decorating and being very festive. One thing that seems to be difficult to find for myself are nice holiday shirts - especially maternity! Just Jen makes customized Swarovski crystal Christmas shirts for woman and girls and yes, they even make maternity shirts. That was very exciting for me as I needed something to wear in our family portrait next week.

There is a variety of Christmas designs to choose from like a Christmas Wreath, Snowflake or Santa Hat. Once you decide on the design, you can than choose from 11 shirt styles. For example, for women you will find fitted short-sleeve, fitted long-sleeve, maternity and even organic cotton. In some instances, you may even choose the crystal color of any words that might be on the shirt.

For my shirt, I chose a black maternity shirt with the "Santa Baby" design. I thought it was a cute and fitting choice, being pregnant and all. For this particular design, I was able to choose the color for the words "Santa Baby". I liked how it looked in the model picture (shown above) with Peridot crystals but thought I would go with a darker green and chose Emerald. The next day I received an email from Just Jen explaining their concern over my choice. Because I had also chosen a black shirt, they felt that the Emerald crystals would not show up very well and they recommended that I switch to Peridot or switch the shirt to white. As a mom of 3, I avoid white shirts at all costs, so I took their advice and switched my crystal choice to Peridot. These days, quality customer service is hard to come by, in fact i thought it no longer existed. So I was impressed when they contacted me to make sure I ordered something that would look great and I would be happy with. And believe me, I am very happy with my shirt! Just a few days later I received it in the mail.



The crystals really sparkle in the light and I am excited to have this shirt to wear for Christmas. The one thing I will say about the maternity tees is that they are fitted and they run small so you should order a size larger than normal. I have worn an XL for the majority of this pregnancy and since that is the largest size, that is what I got from Just Jen. It fits me good now but there is no room for growth, which is fine because I only have 3 weeks to go anyway!

Now I had my husband take a whole bunch of pictures with me actually in the shirt. All of which came out HORRIBLE. Who would have thought that there was someone out there that takes worse pictures than I do! But, I thought it still only fair that you see me in it, so here is the best of the worst, scaled small so I don't look as hideous. :)


In addition to Christmas shirts, Just Jen makes a wide variety of other custom shirts. They have some fun bridal shirts and also a bunch of cute maternity shirts. They even have shirts for baby girls and little girls. Do you have your own custom logo that you want to put on a shirt? No problem, they can do that too!



Shop
Visit www.justjen.com to order your very own Christmas shirt or other great custom shirt. Orders ship within 1 -3 days. Receive free shipping on any orders over $75 by using code FREESHIP.

Giveaway
One (1) winner will receive a Christmas shirt from Just Jen! You may choose a ladies or girl's tee, tank, or onesie.

Mandatory Entry
Visit Just Jen, look at their Christmas shirts then come back and tell me what you would get if you won.

Extra Entries
- Follow me on Blogger or subscribe to my RSS feed
- Subscribe via e-mail. Your email must validate or it will not count.
- Add my Green Mama's Pad button to your sidebar or add Green Mama's Pad to your blogroll. Leave your blog link.
- Follow GreenMamasPad on Twitter and and tweet this giveaway. You must have at least 50 followers. You can tweet once daily. Leave link to tweet in comment.
- Add my Green Holiday Gift Guide button to your blog. This gives you 2 entries so leave 2 comments.
- Stumble this post and comment with your ID. 2 entries.
- Become a fan of Green Mama's Pad on Facebook.

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Sunday, December 6th at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org and will be posted on the Winner's Announcement Page. Winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in all of your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

Please note that the opinions and views expressed in this review are my own and based on my personal experience with the product. You may encounter a different experience with this than I did. Just Jen provided me with an item for review and is providing an item for the giveaway.

Kushies Black Friday Sale

Save 25% you entire online purchases this Holiday weekend at www.kushiesonline.com. You can find some great eco-friendly products here like cloth diapers and organic layette clothes for baby. Simply use coupon code blackfriday at checkout. Offer valid from Friday, November 27, 2009 through Sunday, November 29, 2009.

Wordless Wednesday: Gobble Gobble!

In honor of Thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought I'd share this picture of some of our neighbors. We actually see a lot of wild turkey's around here, the boys love it!

Down To Earth Toys Review & Giveaway

Are you looking for a place to shop online for quality and eco-friendly toys this holiday season? I have recently been introduced to a site where you can find something for all of the young children on your list and feel good about your purchase. Down To Earth Toys has a large selection of wooden toys and natural and organic toys for babies and toddlers. Take a peek in the natural and organic section and you will find pretty much anything from a cute little organic puppy doll to beautiful natural wood play kitchens.

At Down To Earth Toys you will also find that many of the toys they carry are toys made in the U.S.A. In fact, about 90% of the toys you will find there are U.S.A. Made. With the growing concern over not just toys but all products made oversees, so many of us would prefer to buy things that are made right here. Not to mention if that if the product is made in the U.S.A. it has a shorter distance to travel from production to your doorstep and that equals a smaller carbon footprint!

Down To Earth Toys offers top quality Toys Made in the USA.We feel that protecting your child, while also supporting America’s economy, are of utmost importance.We know that American made toys are constructed with safe materials and built by fair labor practices.Whether you are looking for baby toys, toddler toys, or outdoor toys… know that you have found a store that is dedicated to offering you toys that you will feel great about giving to your child!

I was fortunate enough to receive a Hickory Dickory Dock Clock by Holgate Toys to test out. This toy is made in the U.S.A. and recommended for ages 2 - 6.



Let me first say why I picked this. As many of my readers already know, I have 3 young boys. My oldest is 4.5 and my twins are 2.5. The twins are both in speech therapy for a speech delay, something we've been working on for a year now. When I saw this clock I thought it would be great for them for learning shape and color words. We also work on basic skills like matching and this toy is working well for us with that. Not only do I have them match the shapes to the corresponding space on the clock, but then we also work on grouping by color. I haven't focused on the actual numbers yet, but we will work our way up to that. I also like that my older son can play with this too. He likes to look up at the clock on our mantle and make up what time it is so now I have a toy where I can actually try to help him with reading time. The hands in the middle of the clock turn easily so you can set it to whatever you want and then let the learning begin.

Shop
Visit Down To Earth Toys to get started with your holiday shopping! They offer $5.95 flat rate ground shipping within the Continental USA. (Oversized items do require an additional fee). In the spirit of being eco-friendly, Down To Earth reuses boxes and packaging when shipping orders to cut back on waste.

Giveaway
One (1) winner will receive a Roy Toy Earth Friendly Log Cabin Set. This fun set is made using wood from mills that follow sustainable forest management practices. Each piece is tumbled for a smooth finish and left in its natural color-free from dyes. Includes 83 pieces and comes in a 100% Cotton drawstring bag. Log Cabin building directions are included.


Mandatory Entry
Visit Down To Earth Toys and tell me a product that you really like, other than the ones mentioned in this post.

Extra Entries
- Follow me on Blogger or subscribe to my RSS feed
- Subscribe via e-mail. Your email must validate or it will not count.
- Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post. Must be at least 100 words. Please leave link in comment.
- Add my Green Mama's Pad button to your sidebar or add Green Mama's Pad to your blogroll. Leave your blog link.
- Follow GreenMamasPad on Twitter and and tweet this giveaway. You must have at least 50 followers. You can tweet once daily. Leave link to tweet in comment.
- Add my Green Holiday Gift Guide button to your blog. This gives you 2 entries so leave 2 comments.
- Stumble this post and comment with your ID. 2 entries.
- Become a fan of Green Mama's Pad on Facebook.
- Become a fan of Down To Earth Toys on Facebook.

This giveaway is open to Continental US Residents 18+ only and will end on Tuesday, December 8th at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org and will be posted on the Winner's Announcement Page. Winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in all of your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

Please note that the opinions and views expressed in this review are my own and based on my personal experience with the product. You may encounter a different experience with this than I did. Down To Earth Toys provided me with an item for review and is providing an item for the giveaway.

Creating a Green Nursery

As you prepare for the arrival of your little peanut, one of the most fun and exciting tasks you will undertake is setting up the nursery. Deciding on patterns, colors, furniture and décor is really a blast, at least for the mom anyway. But perhaps you would like your nursery to be green, and not just in color. Here are some ways to incorporate eco-friendly options into new baby’s room.

Paint. When picking out that perfect shade of lavender or blue, choose a No VOC paint. Traditional paints are loaded with about 300 toxic chemicals many which have been linked to cancer. Included in these chemicals are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) which are emitted as gasses not just when you first paint, but for many years to follow. Both Home Depot’s Freshaire Choice and Benjamin Moore’s Natura paints are 100% VOC free.

Crib Mattress. Your conventional mattresses are usually made with polyurethane foam, vinyl, and other petroleum based products and then treated with a multitude of chemicals (fire retardants, etc.). Look for mattresses made with organic cotton, wool or natural rubber. Make sure you do your research as there are plenty of companies who claim to be natural or organic when they are not. Sure they may throw a layer of organic cotton in there, but the rest is still loaded with chemicals. Check out companies like Natural Mat who offer several truly natural choices.

Bedding. If you have already begun your search for the perfect bedding set you already know that there seems to be thousands of choices out there. This is probably the most time consuming choice as it essentially determines the décor for the rest of the room. Consider an organic crib bedding set, like this one by Migi, over a traditional one. Conventional cotton is grown with a large amount of insecticides and pesticides and synthetic fabrics like polyester are made from oil.

Toys. Skip the plastic toys made with PVC, phthalates and other nasty chemicals and choose fabric or wooden toys. If you can find organic fabric toys or wooden toys that use vegetable-based dyes instead of possibly toxic paints, well that is even better!

Furniture. Do you want your baby sleeping in a crib that has been painted with paint containing VOCs or stained with polyurethane? That peanut will be breathing in any toxins released not to mention that one day he or she may decide to chew on the crib railing. Instead, find a crib that is made with water-based, non-toxic finishes. And you get extra points if it is made from FSC certified wood like this Graco Eco-Friendly Dakota Classic 4 in 1 Convertible Crib.





Please note that this post contains affiliate links.

Hot Picks from Haute Moms

I am very excited to be included in the November edition of Hot Picks from Haute Moms! Every month these ladies feature posts from each others' blogs so we can all have some fun blog hopping. Below are some fabulous posts from some fabulous ladies so please go check them out!


Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Erin at The Mom Buzz

How to Green Your Swiffer Wet Jet, Marianna at Green Mama's Pad

Best Christmas Ever, Ellen at Thrifty & Chic Mom

Got Zhu Zhu? Top Ten Ways to Score a Hamster!, Bridgette at The Experimental Mommy

Expose On A Fat Girl Part 3, Lee at MySentimentExactLee

Have Kids Will Travel! Spotlight on Kid Friendly Maui Hotels from Sarah at The Ohana Mama

Celebrate Cool Baby Kid's Two Year Anniversary with a $500 Giveaway for One Winner! from Cecilia at CoolBabyKid

Automoblox Review & Giveaway

The holiday shopping season is upon us and it is time to figure out what to get the kiddos. For the past 2 years, I've really been trying to avoid the plastic, flashy, noisy toys that don't last and opt for better quality things. This can be challenging since your major chains carry most of the same things. I don't want any more toys that break easily and will be junk in a year or two. No, I want things that will be educational and also last a lifetime. So when I came across Automoblox, I new I had found a great toy.

Automoblox is a line of high-quality wood, interchangeable cars and they are available in two sizes: original and mini. These cars are meant to be heirloom toys - ones that can be passed down to the next generation instead of thrown in the trash. Not only will they provide hours of fun as your child builds his/her cars but they also provide learning benefits like creative problem solving, gross and fine motor skills and visio-spatial processing. Recommended for ages 3 and up.

We've merged the fun factor of classic car toys with the warmth of natural wood, richly colored roofs and bright rubber tires to create a design system that stimulates creative thinking and excites the tactile and visual senses of children at any age. And by combining the open-ended play of wooden blocks wit the cognitive challenges of shape sorters and puzzles., we've created a play system loaded with the healthy developmental benefits that are so necessary for today's kids.

Automoblox was generous enough to send us 2 vehicles to test out: the T9SE in red and the S9 Sedan in blue.


As a parent, I have to first say how impressed I was with the quality. To test out the durability, my husband decided to toss one across the family room (took me by surprise) and the car emerged victorious. What makes these cars so very fun is the ability to take them apart and reassemble them. Every single part comes off easily and my son enjoys simply putting them back together again. And the little people that sit in your car have little shapes at the base (shape sorting) and each have their designated seat inside the car.



Probably the coolest feature of Automoblox is that if you have more than one car, you can interchange parts and make your own original, fun designs. The possibilities are endless from simply mixing up wheel colors to creating a whole new vehicle. Here are a few that we came up with.


While my son went for a more classic look in the bottom vehicle, my husband created what he called a "stretch limo" in that top one. No matter how you put them together, it sure is fun! For a demonstration of just how easy it is to interchange parts, you can watch my quick, 1-minute video.



Overall, the whole family had a lot of fun with the Automoblox cars. While I am keeping them away from the 2.5 year old twins at the moment (I fear they will lose parts on me) I know that these cars are ones that can be passed down to each one of my boys and that they all will enjoy them .

There is some very exciting news in the Automoblox world and that is the launch of two vehicles: the new T900 Truck and the new Hot Rods. Below is just a rendering of each, but you can see photos of the actual vehicles on the Automoblox Facebook page. These will be sold exclusively at Automoblox.com should be available to order in early December.


Shop
Automoblox vehicles may be purchased directly at Automoblox.com which is currently offering free shipping on orders over $60. Use coupon code ship60 at checkout.

Giveaway
One (1) winner will receive their choice of the A9 Original Size Compact Car or the T9, S9, C9 3-Pack.

Mandatory Entry
Visit Automoblox.com and tell me which vehicle is your favorite.

Extra Entries
- Follow me on Blogger or subscribe to my RSS feed
- Subscribe via e-mail. Your email must validate or it will not count.
- Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post. Must be at least 100 words. Please leave link in comment.
- Add my Green Mama's Pad button to your sidebar or add Green Mama's Pad to your blogroll. Leave your blog link.
- Follow GreenMamasPad and Automoblox on Twitter and and tweet this giveaway. You can tweet once daily. Leave link to tweet in comment.
- Add my Green Holiday Gift Guide button to your blog. This gives you 2 entries so leave 2 comments.
- Stumble this post and comment with your ID.
- Become a fan of Green Mama's Pad on Facebook.
- Become a fan of Automoblox on Facebook.

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Friday, December 4th at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org and will be posted on the Winner's Announcement page. Winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in all of your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

Please note that the opinions and views expressed in this review are my own and based on my personal experience with the product. You may encounter a different experience with this than I did. Automoblox provided me with an item for review and is providing an item for the giveaway.

GREENGUARD Certification Program

With so many companies and products claiming to be "green" or "organic" or "non-toxic" these days, it can be hard for consumers to figure out what to buy. And unfortunately, many of these claims are not 100% true. A very big concern for many of us is limiting the amount of chemicals used and released in our homes. I wonder how many people are unaware that household items like mattresses, wall paints and furnishings release toxic chemicals into our air. To help us pick safer products, the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) developed the GREENGUARD Certification Program.

GREENGUARD Certification Program is an industry-independent, third-party testing program for low-emitting products and materials. The first GREENGUARD Certification was awarded in the fall of 2002. In 2005, GEI announced the GREENGUARD Children & Schools standard, which evaluates the sensitive nature of school populations combined with the unique building characteristics found in schools, and presents the most rigorous product emissions criteria to date. To date, more than 170 manufacturers across various industries offer GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® Products. All GREENGUARD Certified products are listed in the GREENGUARD Online Product Guide, an indoor air quality (IAQ) resource that is provided at no charge. The guide features products, which are regularly tested to ensure that their chemical and particle emissions meet acceptable IAQ pollutant guidelines and standards. GREENGUARD Certification is a valuable tool for architects, designers, product specifiers, and purchasing organizations that want to locate, specify, and purchase off-the-shelf, low-emitting products for indoor environments. GREENGUARD Certification is a voluntary program available to all manufacturers and their suppliers.

Did you know that the indoor air quality inside our homes is anywhere from 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air? Children's developing brains and bodies are particularity at risk from all of these chemicals and with them spending on average 85% of their time inside, well that is far too much exposure to toxins. By using products that are certified by GREENGUARD, parents can rest easy knowing the products have met stringent chemical emissions standards and know they are taking the right steps to reduce the indoor pollutants within their own home.

The GREENGUARD Children & School standard is one of the most stringent in the world and takes into account the special sensitivities of children. The standard requires that all products be tested for thousands of chemicals and that they meet rigorous health-based criteria for all volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including formaldehyde and phthalates. More than 200,000 products produced by over 225 manufacturers contain the GREENGUARD Certification marks.

The GEI makes it easy to find GREENGUARD Certified products with a search on their website. You can either search by category or by keyword. For example, I searched for "crib" and I received results for several certified crib mattresses and cribs. You can also find a diverse group of items like The Freshaire Choice Paint and Anderson Hardwood Floors.

Are you pregnant and looking to set up a safer nursery for your new baby? The GEI recently unveiled a special nursery using all GREENGUARD certified products. Below are some pictures of the nursery. Certified products from AkzoNobel, Anderson Hardwood Flooring, BonaKemi, Eclipse Shutters, Fleetwood, Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, Herman Miller, Knoll Textiles, National Gypsum, Naturepedic, Owens Corning, Q Collection Junior, Rubbermaid, Sherwin-Williams, Stanley Furniture - Young America and Teknion were included in the nursery. (Click on each photo to enlarge).




So the next time you are looking to make a purchase for your home, take into consideration how your purchase will affect your indoor air quality and your family. Make sure you look for products with the GREENGUARD Certification logo!

Palin has nothing on this hockey mom

When my uncle gave me all of my cousin's old hockey equipment (reuse baby!) earlier this year, we jumped on the chance to enroll William in a Learn to Skate/Intro to Hockey program. I mean all the equipment fit perfectly so the only thing we had to pay for is the "course", we couldn't pass up the opportunity. Now luckily, the rink is down the road from us, but it is still crazy early in the morning. Saturdays at 7am and Sundays at 8am. 8am is not bad, but 7am is hard.

So this past weekend was the 4th week of hockey. He has been getting so much better every week. He went from refusing to even get on the ice to getting right out there and participating. Then this past Saturday we had a little regression. My husband took him solo because really, for me to drag the twins there that early and then make them wait an hour is pure torture...for me. But William had a melt down and is yelling at daddy and refuses to participate. When they get home, my husband is so frustrated he tells me I have to take him alone on Sunday. I'm doubtful that this is going to go well because I cannot go out on the ice with him like my husband does. Can you imagine a big fat pregnant woman out on the ice?

Sunday morning we head out to the rink. We get to the parking lot and I realize I have to carry the huge, heavy equipment bag across the street and inside. Great. So here I am waddling along the road as little kids whizzed by with their bags on wheels. Smart kids. Must get one of those. We make our way over to the locker rooms to get him geared up - all of which are packed with kids and parents. I squeeze my fatness in there and we make our way to an open spot on the benches. Here I am squatting and barely keeping my balance while unloading all this stuff and then trying to get it all on my 4 year old. After a few minutes I lost feeling in my feet and had to switch to kneeling instead. Eventually I lost all feeling in my legs as well. Oh and lets not forget the multiple times I was stepped on by other kids and hit in the head with equipment bags.

OK, we get him all set and we walk over to the ice. I am dreading this moment, fearful of the whining that is going to ensue because daddy isn't here to go out on the ice with him. Very much to my surprise, the exact opposite happened. The kid got out on the ice all by himself and never looked back. He participated in every drill and did awesome. I just stood behind the glass and watched. Which by the way, standing in a cold hockey rink for an hour at 35 weeks pregnant is not very smart. My feet, legs, everything really, were killing me by the time I was done. But it was all worth it, watching my little man out there. Look how cute!

So guess who will most likely be bringing him to future hockey sessions? It should get really interesting as I get closer to my due date.

Just call me hockey mom. :)