Strider Balance Bike Review

Lucy and Julia can both ride a bike! (Scroll down to the next post for video clips.)

We're had a Strider Prebike for just over a month now and you can see from the videos that Lucy is doing very well with it. I initially thought that Julia would enjoy the bike most, as she is a bit more outgoing and Lucy is my cautious one. Both girls were very hesitant on the bike at first and wanted Daddy to hold on to the bike while they "rode"... or rather, "very slowly walked". After showing them video clips of kids riding their Strider bikes, Lucy was determined to learn. Without saying anything, she just kept picking up the bike to practice, slowly getting faster and learning balance. Julia also enjoys riding now and can pick up her feet and glide for a short time.

I had seen balance bikes popping up on the internet and in stores and was interested in trying one out. My girls aren't super sporty, but this looked like a great way to teach them balance and confidence. I read reviews and did some research looking for the best balance bike for our needs. Strider was my top pick for several reasons:

- lightweight. Its only 6.9 lbs. Lucy and Julia can both pick up the bike, carry it, and easily maneuver it while riding.

- small. The seat height is one of the smallest available on a balance bike, but still offers a good range of adjustability. The optional seat clamp quick release allows us to quickly adjust the seat height for our two riders.

- sturdy. I read reports of some of the wooden balance bikes falling apart or warping. The Strider is very sturdy and well made. Various replacement parts can be purchased from Strider if you were to need them.

Our Strider was easy to assemble, even for bike novices like ourselves, and the girls were excited to try it out. The first couple of times they were on the bike, I thought it was going to take them forever to learn. It did take weeks of practice, but now they are soo cute and love to glide on their bike. Lucy can even ride it through our bumpy yard with no problem. She rides down to my car parked at the end of the driveway, stops just in time and whips the bike around to come back up the driveway. She likes to ride the Strider when we go on a walk around the neighborhood and manages just fine the whole way.

I love our little Strider bike and love to see the confidence and enjoyment its given the girls, especially Lucy. We've been talking about getting her a bike with training wheels for her birthday this summer, but I'm so glad she's been able to learn on the Strider first. The other day as we were walking Ross even commented "This is just such a better way to learn to ride a bike!" Check out the Strider website for more information and fun video clips of children riding their bikes. And of course check out my cuties in the post below!

Disclaimer: We received a bike from Strider to review, no other compensation was received. All opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.

Would you like to win one?

Check out the Strider website and tell me what color you'd choose if you win.  This is open to US residents only and will close on July 1st at midnight.  Be sure to include your email address in your comment or blogger profile so that I can contact you.  For extra entries you can do any of the following, leaving a comment for each one -

- follow my blog
- subscribe by email to my blog
- watch the videos in the post below this (come back here and tell me you watched them to get your extra entry)
- blog about this giveaway linking back here and to Strider (leave me the link in your comment)
- become a fan of One Little Word She Knew on Facebook

This makes a total of 6 possible entries.  Good luck!

Please be sure to leave separate comments for each entry, and a way for me to contact you!!  Thanks!
Giveaway is closed.  Congrats FancygrlNancy!

Strider Balance Bike Videos

Just Starting Out from Christy Vande Waa on Vimeo.

Slowly Getting Braver from Christy Vande Waa on Vimeo.

Look At Her Go! from Christy Vande Waa on Vimeo.

This is my first time posting videos to this blog, please let me know if you have trouble viewing them for some reason. Thanks!

Thank You, Stuart J. Murphy!

My girls absolutely love books. They read books all the time, they quote phrases from books, they pretend to visit the library with their baby dolls. They speak in book form saying things like: "Lets go, yelled the fairy." and "Stop, she said." while playing. We read books before bed. Lucy reads books to Julia, and books to Esther, and Julia reads books to Esther. We read books out loud together and look through library books for school. We have a million and one books and are probably going to buy another bookshelf this weekend just so we have room for them all.

I was so excited when I saw that My Father's World First Grade includes a huge list of books that reinforce math concepts. The list in the back of the teacher's manual is very extensive. For each concept (patterns, addition, etc) there is a list of books. We'll be checking these out from the library as we go through the curriculum, but I'm also going to purchase a few. (Using my Swagbucks for Amazon gift cards!) Browsing the list, I noticed that they include a large number of Stuart J Murphy's MathStart books.

MathStart books are fun fiction stories that include math concepts. Each book even has two pages of activity ideas you can do with your children to further the concepts. The stories are engaging and fun, so much more than your average counting book. With 21 books each in three different learning levels, there is something for everyone. The books have even been turned into a musical.

I contacted Stuart J Murphy about doing a review of his books and he was kind enough to send us some. Lucy, Julia, and Esther received two signed books each! They were so excited to open their packages and we read several of the books right away. You can read summaries of each book here, as well as see some of the activity ideas included in the books.

Just Enough Carrots has been read at bedtime several nights in a row now. I overheard Lucy and Julia explaining to Daddy that the bunny wanted more carrots but his mommy was buying worms and peanuts too. After reading The Greatest Gymnast of All only once, Julia was saying "zipping zooming Zoe" at the dinner table. Lucy likes Lets Fly A Kite and has read it many times over already. Henry the Fourth is adorable and clearly presents the topic of ordinal numbers. Missing Mittens has a fun twist at the end that makes the girls giggle. Same Old Horse is probably my favorite, I think it does a great job of discussing making predictions.

Each book is clearly labeled with the level and math topic. These will be great to read throughout the year to reinforce math concepts that we are learning. You can find many of these books on Amazon as a part of the 4-for-3 promotion. For more information about MathStart books, check out their website or sign up to receive email updates. Thank you Stuart J. Murphy!

Moom Organic Hair Removal

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Sorry, this post is not going to contain pictures of my hairy legs. I tried taking one and it didn't turn out so I'll spare you. ;) In the past I've tried all kinds of things to remove unwanted hairs - shaving (of course), waxing (ouch, and yucky chemicals), an epilator (serious. torture. device.), shave minimizing lotion (more chemicals), and hair removal cream (awful stuff). Now that I'm a crunchy granola hippy mom I figured I would have to shave the old fashioned way with a bar of soap since even shaving cream has toxins in it.

Actually, I've been using my body wash as shaving gel and it works great. I used to have insanely itchy legs every time I got out of the shower after shaving but its so much better since switching from shaving cream to body wash. (Tom's of Maine) I was quite surprised.

I was even more surprised to come across Moom Organic Hair Removal Kits. The ingredients are totally natural, organic, and harmless: sugar, water, chamomile, lemon juice, and lavender! Since I hate shaving I decided to give this a try. Moom sent me a kit to try and one to give away. Could this work as well as waxing? With no toxic ingredients?

I had a few minutes to try this while Esther was sleeping in her swing. I had two helpers: "Mom, what are you doing?" "I wish I could do that when I get bigger." Ok, it kind of hurts though. "Oh, you'll probably have to take care of me then." Ok, Julia.

Despite the interruptions, it was easy enough to do. Heat the jar - yes I used the microwave, I couldn't spare any precious moments waiting for water to heat up. Spread the sugar solution on and use the provided cloth strips to quickly remove the sugar and unwanted hairs. I am not a pro yet so I did have to shave afterwards too, but the kit worked wonderfully. The sugar solution comes off easily with warm water, much easier then trying to rub off sticky leftover wax.

I used about half the jar, but wasn't completely thorough, so maybe someone else would use a whole jar? Most importantly, my skin is nice and soft and didn't flare up after using this. I put a generous amount of coconut oil on when I was done and let it soak in. Nice soft summer-shorts-ready legs! I'll definitey be using this again.

Want to give it a try? Leave a comment on this post and let me know one shaving product you've tried that you're ready to ditch. Be sure to leave your email address or have it enabled on your blogger profile. If you follow my blog/ and or are email subscribed, you get extra entries, just leave comments letting me know. (For a total of two possible extra entries.) I'll close this on June 9th at midnight. Thanks for stopping by, be sure to check back soon for more fun summer reviews and giveaways.

*Giveaway now closed.  Congrats Bethany!*