Vitacost

I finally decided to give Vitacost a try.  I've seen it mentioned on several blogs, and had never paid attention.  I was pleasantly surprised at the prices and selection.  For $40.81 I got all this shipped straight to my door:

Maranatha Organic Peanut Butter (x3)   $5.87
Organic Bay Leaves   $5.12
Organic Breakfast Tea   $2.82
Organic Brown Rice Pasta (x2)   $3.80
Weleda Arnica Massage Oil   $14.35 (a splurge, but very helpful for pregnancy aches and pains)
Organic Worcestershire Sauce   $3.31
minus $10 off my first order!

These prices are cheaper than I have been able to find elsewhere.  Organic peanut butter has been $7.99 at Meijer lately, so I was happy to stock up on this.  Shopping at Vitacost was like shopping my local health food store, only with better prices, free shipping, and no dragging kids out in the snow.  :)  I'll definitely be ordering again.  In fact, they emailed me a coupon for 5% off my next order.

To get $10 off of your first order at Vitacost, use this link.  (I get $10 too if you sign up, but I definitely wouldn't be promoting this if it wasn't worth it!)  I'm thankful for such great shopping options, especially at 32 weeks pregnant.  Conserving my energy and saving a bit off of my grocery bill is great.

Other things on my shopping list for next time include: Emergen-C, Redmond Real Salt Organic Garlic Salt, Earth Mama Angel Baby products, and more.  You can create and save a shopping list at Vitacost as well, which comes in handy.  If you order, let me know what deals you find!  :)

Coming Up...

Check back soon for some great breastfeeding related reviews.  For now I wanted to give you a discount code to Momzelle (my favorite nursing tops!).  Use the code onelittlewordsheknew for $5 off.  They are having a 25% off sale right now, so this is a great deal!  Thanks Momzelle!

Preschool Curriculum

Click here to visit Laura Coppinger @ Heavenly Homemakers.

I'm in the midst of planning our upcoming school year, but wanted to let you know about a sale I'm taking advantage of!  Laura at Heavenly Homemakers has developed a preschool curriculum called Learn Your Letters... Learn To Serve.  It focuses on an alphabet letter each week with service projects (like taking Brownie Bites to a friend who's name starts with B on "B" week), crafts, and more.  I love it!  I just purchased the curriculum this morning, and will write more as I get a chance to look through it.  This looks like the perfect thing for Julia, and very adaptable to fit in whenever we have time.

I am an affiliate for Heavenly Homemakers, so clicking on my link to make your purchase will help support my blog.  I'm sharing the link with you today because you can use the code BACK2SCHOOL through Thursday at midnight for 20% off.

Bravado Designs Discount Code

Here is a code for 20% off at Bravado Designs, good through Monday!  I love my Bodysilk Seamless Nursing bra, and will be reviewing a nursing tank soon too.  Happy Shopping.  :)

The Mermaid

No mermaid party is complete without the mermaid herself now is it?  Lucy has been wanting a mermaid tail for quite some time now.  The other day, she and Julia even took their pillowcases off and put their feet in them, pulling them up to their waist for mermaid tails.  We gave her this mermaid costume in the morning on her birthday so she could wear it that day.  She had so much fun trying it on for Grandpa and Grandma and posing for pictures as a mermaid.  Everyone was impressed and complimented Miss Mermaid on her stylish attire.  

We found this set at A Toy Garden, made by Sara's Silks.  There are three pieces: a headband complete with ribbons and seaweed, a halter top, and an elastic waist tail.  I like that the top is not the typical skimpy mermaid sea shells, yet its still very mermaidish.  The green and blue silk is a nice heavy weight, with a fish scale texture imprinted on it.  The tail is also lightly reinforced so that it lays flat.

Lucy is small for her age, but Sonya suggested that we go with the larger size, as the tail can be a bit tight otherwise and split.  It is big on Lucy, so she'll have plenty of room to grow and gets lots of use from it.  Julia likes to try it on, but the tail falls right off her tiny waist.  (She will be getting her own special costume on her birthday in August.  Check back to see what it is!)  

Visit A Toy Garden for lots of other fun gifts and natural, open ended toys.  We much prefer toys like this that encourage the imagination and allow for many hours of creative play.  A Toy Garden is one of my favorite places to browse because they have such a unique large selection to look through.  Many of the things they carry are made in the USA.  In honor of this, she just sent out a discount code to their email list good through midnight on July 9th.  Use "America10" for 10% off your order of $30 or more (does not apply to prior orders or out of stock items).   

We were sent this mermaid costume for review.  All opinions expressed are our own of course.  

Diapers.com

Get $10 off

your first order of diapers

use code ONEWORD

$49 min. total order

pampers dry maxhuggies pull upsseventh generation

A friend of mine recently used my referral code to diapers.com and saved $25, so I thought I'd share that again with you.  I've shopped at diapers.com a few times and have been pleased with their fast shipping, customer service, and nice selection of items.  They are always running sales and deals, so its worth taking a look around.

If you've never purchased from them before, you can use the code "ONEWORD" to get $10 off of your first order, and another $5 off of your second order.  Your order has to contain diapers and be a minimum of $49 total.  You can purchase cloth diapers, but your order also has to contain disposable diapers for the code to work.

Another tip is that on your first order of $75 or more, diapers.com gives you a subscription to Parenting Early Years magazine.  If you do not want the magazine, you can send in this form for a $10 rebate check.

Diapers.com sells some of my favorite things - Badger sunscreen and bug balm, Bravado nursing bras, aden + anais, Seventh Generation, Fuzzi Bunz (currently on sale), and more.  Happy Shopping!

If you do order with my code please leave a comment so that I can be sure diapers.com gives me credit.  Thanks!

Trying Rockin' Green

So far we've been using Purex Free and Clear laundry detergent on our cloth diapers. I haven't had any problems, but wanted something more natural. I mistakenly thought that since Purex didn't have enzymes, softeners, scents, or dyes (according to this chart) that it was safe. Here are the ingredients of Purex: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, C12-16 Pareth-7, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Polyacrylate, C.I. Fluorescent Brightening Agent 28, Tetrasodium Edta, Methylisothiazolinone. I'm not even sure what some of those are. A quick search on the Cosmetics Database shows these ingredients linked to neurotoxicity, skin irritation, and more. The words "known immune system toxicant" should not be used in reference to my laundry soap!

I've heard good things about Rockin Green Laundy Soap and decided to try it out. Now, some of their ingredients aren't completely favorable on the Cosmetics Database either. Rockin' Green's ingredient list is shorter and although I'm not a chemicals expert, it does seem like a better choice. (sodium carbonate, sodium percarbonate, natural chelating agents, sodium sulfate, biodegradable surfactants, natural fragrance oils (if scented is chosen)) Many other natural detergents aren't safe for cloth diapers because they are too soapy. I've looked at homemade detergent recipes, but they often contain Borax, which I'm a bit leery of. For now we are going with this.

I received two sample packets to try. My diapers were completely stink free after a good soak in Rockin' Green. You can see in the photo that the rinse water is pretty clear as well. I usually do a rinse, hot wash/ cold rinse with Purex, and then another hot wash/ cold rinse with no detergent. With Rockin' Green I'm doing an initial rinse, hot wash/ cold rinse with the laundry soap, and then another rinse. (eliminating the second hot wash) With Purex the diapers would have a lingering stink at times, and I think the Rockin' Green soak was great for stripping any leftover smell. I've only used this a couple of times but I did just order some more. I'm not sure yet if we'll use this on all of our laundry or if that would cost too much. There are some natural laundry soaps at Meijer that I'm going to look at for our regular laundry.

Would you like to try this out? Rockin' Green is giving away a 45/90 bag in your choice of formula and scent. To enter the giveaway let me know what detergent you currently use on your cloth diapers (or laundry) and if you like it or not. I'll close the giveaway in two weeks on June 3rd at midnight. For extra entries follow my blog and/ or be a confirmed email subscriber. Leave a comment for each extra entry with a total of three entries possible. Be sure that you include your email or have it listed on your profile. If you're interested in placing an order you can use the code "onelittle" for 10% off.

*Giveaway now closed.  Thanks for the interest.  Congrats to TheGirl!*

Abby's Lane

Abby's Lane is one of my favorite places to shop for cloth diapering supplies. They offer a great range of products at the best prices out there and have FREE shipping on every order! Join their yahoo group to get a 5% off code good every time you order from them as well. Become a Facebook fan for fun giveaways and contests. From now until April 30th, mention my name when you order and I will receive $5 in store credit! You must be a new customer, place a paying order, and mention my name in the comments box for me to get credit. (mention Christy - christy.vwATgmail DOTcom sent you) With free shipping and 5% off, I'm sure you can all find something you need. :)

BumGenius, Flip, Babylegs, and so much more. Check it out!

(Originally posted April 5, bumping this up for the last few days of this promotion.)

Sonny and Reed Necklace

I love reviewing products that were invented by moms! This one is a safe necklace for mom to wear that baby can teethe on. Sonny & Reed Necklaces were created by two moms who noticed their babies tugging and chewing on their jewelry and were concerned about safety.

The necklaces are made in the USA of non-toxic FDA approved acrylic. The beads are large enough that they do not pass through a choke tube (although the tag does carry a choking hazard warning). At any rate, if the necklace broke it certainly wouldn't be hard to find all of the beads. They are 2 inches long and about 1 1/2 inches wide. I received a clear necklace with brown cording. Other options include clear with pink cording, black beads, or blue beads.

It arrived in cute packaging...

I couldn't wait to try it out! Such a fun chunky style that will go with almost anything I wear. Esther already likes to pull on my necklaces and pinch my shirts, so this is perfect for us. The beads are hard acrylic - smooth on one side and bumpy on the other. I'm not sure how comfortable I am with letting her teethe on the necklace just because of it being plastic. I do like that its sturdy and she can pull on it and play with it without ruining it. I wear mine while I'm nursing as something for her to hold on to - its a perfect length for her to reach. I'm sure it will help entertain her in places like the grocery store or church as she gets older too.

Stylish mom jewelry that's safe for baby to play with = two thumbs up! Want one? We have a discount code good for 10% off your entire order and free shipping. "OneLittleWord10" Thanks Sonny & Reed!

Bravado Discount

The code MB-182 for 25% off your online order is good now through Monday at 11:59pm EST. (Don't forget to enter the giveaway here as well.) Thanks Bravado!

Momzelle Review

All month long I've been focusing on mom and baby products, bringing you some great reviews of helpful and unique products. Momzelle nursing tops are another great product for nursing moms. I was able to review one of their tops and purchased a second one. These tops are nice quality and comfortable to wear.

Momzelle tops have a specially designed easy access nursing opening. There are two different styles, a criss cross front and an empire opening. A video on their website demonstrates the openings. Both of the tops that I have are the empire opening type and I find it very easy to use. I like that I don't have to mess with layers of clothing, I just lift the material over the bust area and nurse. Other nursing tops that I've worn have two full layers and can get hot and feel cumbersome. With these tops I feel much more like I'm wearing a normal shirt.

Their sizing chart can be found here. I normally wear a small and even that can sometimes be big on me. I first chose an extra small because of the note under the sizing chart that says these clothes are designed with a postpartum figure in mind and they can run big in the cup size. I didn't find this to be true at all. The extra small was very tight and I had to exchange it. The small fits nicely but I would say its more of a 2/4 than a 4/6. If anything I think these run a bit small. I love the fit though, its usually hard to find nursing clothing that is flattering and slim fitting. The shirt is also a great length and comes down to my hips.

The styles Momzelle offers are great. They look nice with jeans or can easily be dressed up with a skirt and nice chunky necklace. I like having such versatile pieces in my wardrobe.

Momzelle was started by a breastfeeding mom who saw the need for functional stylish nursing clothes and her brother who jumped on board with the idea. They are supportive of breastfeeding (of course!) and have a section on the website with links to Dr Jack Newman's articles and information on how to get help with breastfeeding. If you're thinking of purchasing from them, they've given us a discount code. Use the code "LITTLE" for 10% off through the end of May. Thanks Momzelle!

Stay tuned, I have a few more baby product reviews and giveaways coming up!

Its All So Important

It was September 2004, we had just confirmed at the doctor's office that we were indeed pregnant with our first baby. I called my parents in Texas and told them the news and then we headed over to Ross' parents house in town to tell them in person. Backing up a bit...

The summer before, when we had gotten our Chocolate Lab puppy, Leia, we brought her over to Ross' parents house in a cardboard box. We handed them the box with Leia inside and some towels that she was wrapped up in. They didn't know that we were getting the puppy and were surprised and loved her right away. "Grandpa" pulled out his camera and they called her their "grand-dog". They had a Black Lab as their first "child" too. Yes, it was a bit silly, but that's the back story to this.

So, a year later... we decided to wrap the pregnancy test in some towels and put it in a big box. I added a jar of applesauce for some weight. When we arrived, we handed Ross' parents the box and said "You're going to be Grandparents again." It took them several minutes of searching the box looking for another puppy until Ross' sister pulled out the pregnancy test and started hugging us. His mom realized the news soon after that, and I think his dad was still looking for the puppy for another minute. Once everyone calmed down and stopped hugging us, we decided to go out to eat for dinner and then shopping at Target for a couple of baby things to celebrate.

We chose a pacifier and a little stuffed duck, and were wandering around. I picked up the book "Consumer Reports Best Baby Products" and was paging through it. I started reading the section about pacifiers and how latex was not a good idea because of possible latex allergies and a few other reasons they gave. Silicone was a better choice. I looked down at the cart - the pacifier was latex! I was horrified, and immediately told Ross that we had to go completely across the store back to the baby section and find a different pacifier. I think at that point he thought I was a bit insane, but went along with it.

I was shocked. I never knew that there could be a "wrong" type of pacifier. It was all so important though. I was responsible for this little being and everything in its world depended on me and my decision making. From that moment on I became obsessed with researching the best baby product choices for my new little one. I spent hours reading reviews and thinking about the pros and cons of different options. Honestly, I still do.

I've learned a lot since then about product safety, toxins, and more. I not only read reviews, but research the product from a few more angles now. I enjoy sharing what I'm learning on my blog, whether its a product review or something like how to use a cloth diaper. Being pregnant with my third baby, I haven't had to do quite as much research this time around, but I did still have a list of things I wanted or needed. Of course each item had to be thoroughly thought through.

I am going to be doing a series of baby product reviews this coming month. Each of the items that I'm reviewing are things I personally chose to use with this new baby. Most of the companies are offering a giveaway item or a discount code to my readers as well. I hope you enjoy this series and find it helpful. I'm sure you'll get to see lots of cute photos of my new little one trying out the products as we go. Let me know if you have questions or thoughts about the different items, and be sure to enter the giveaways!

Hugg-A-Planet

We recently received a Hugg-A-Planet Earth, Moon, and Mars set to play with and review. Of course the homeschool teacher in me is excited to have these as learning tools for my kids! Hugg-A-Planets are soft, stuffed globes. Earth has 600 places labeled on it, the Moon has 100 places labeled, and Mars actually has 400 places labeled as well. The Moon and Mars are both in proportion to the size of Earth. The Moon fits in a pocket on the Earth as you can see in this photo:

We already had a small beach ball type globe that we used for school and the girls really enjoy playing with it. I don't let them play with it all the time because its just a beach ball type thing. I like that we can leave the Hugg-A-Planets out and play with them and reference them often. They are squishy and huggable, although it does bother me a bit that they don't stay round. The Earth gets pretty lumpy, and I think that's because of the pocket part in it. Julia sitting on it didn't help its lumpiness either. There are just a few places where the seams don't match up exactly so the borders of a couple countries aren't entirely clear.

Overall though, I think the Hugg-A-Planets serve a great purpose. I love that I can have my kids toss me the Earth and talk about where elephants live. When we first opened up the package, Lucy asked me to show her where Australia was. I don't know why she wanted to know that in particular, but I was happy to show her. Mars and Earth both come with great fact sheets that we will use in our studies as the girls get older. We had to disregard parts describing how the earth began and the age of the earth and planets as this is contrary to our beliefs. The Mars fact sheet in particular has a lot of great information that I didn't know and was interesting to read.

The Earth, Moon, and Mars set is actually on the International Space Station right now! They were delivered on September 18, 2009 and will stay until 2016 or longer. Here is a fun video of some astronauts using a Hugg-A-Planet Earth in a short lesson. If you'd like your own Hugg-A-Planet, you can use the code "freeship" for free shipping until the end of February (this is for ground shipping only). Thanks Hugg-A-Planet!

Chlorine Shower Filter

Back when we bought our Berkey water filter, we also got a chlorine shower filter. We weren't able to put it up right away, but with all my nesting and "to do" lists in preparation for the baby coming, it is finally up. Installation was easy enough. The only slight drawback is that we had a detachable hand held shower head and it didn't work with this filter. It was also a low flow shower head to conserve water, whereas this one is not. Otherwise the shower filter works great and we can tell a difference in the water. The chlorine smell is gone, and although it hasn't been up very long, I think it may be helping our skin not to be so dry.

I decided that we needed a chlorine shower filter after all of my research on water filtration. You can read the What's In My Water series part 1, part 2, and part 3 for more information. Chlorine is added to water in order to clean it, but is actually a toxic chemical. While I'm thankful for chlorine and its role in preventing diseases and providing clean water, I do think its worth removing the chlorine before drinking or showering with the water. You can receive 6 to 100 times more chlorine by breathing the air around a shower or bath than by drinking the water. Big Berkey Water Filters has an informative article here on their blog about chlorine.

The shower filter lasts about a year and removes or reduces chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, microorganisms, scale and water soluble heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and iron. It also kills bacteria and inhibits the growth of mold, algae, and fungi. In an enclosed area like a shower, the chlorine in water can vaporize and be inhaled. The shower filter works by converting chlorine into a water soluble chloride. The chloride behaves differently than chlorine in that it cannot evaporate or be absorbed by the skin. More is explained about the process here.

I highly recommend Big Berkey Water Filters - they have great customer service. The first shower filter that we received ended up leaking from the silver band once we put it up. After an email to Big Berkey Water Filters about the problem, I had a new shower filter shipped to me right away along with a postage paid label to return the old one. If you're interested in purchasing a shower filter or Berkey water filtration system, we have a code good for 5% off of your order "oneword5".

New Cloth Diaper Store! (Review and Giveaway)

EcoBuns is a brand new cloth diaper store not far from my home! I first discovered EcoBuns through a friend, and then when I met Kellie in person we realized that we had worked together at a daycare 5 years ago. She is now a stay at home mom to two boys age 4 and 15 months and is just starting her cloth diapering website. If you live in the area, she has a great display set up right in her home where you can come and shop (give her a call or email first). She also does free cloth diaper classes at various places - you can check her calendar here. Kellie loves to chat and is great at helping her customers find what they need whether they are just getting started in cloth or have specific questions about something.

We received a Fuzzi Bunz One Size diaper from Kellie to try out and review. I was excited to try this for a few different reasons - for one thing, I can use this with Julia and simply adjust it to fit the newborn baby in January (or whenever Julia eventually potty trains...). I also like that it comes with extra elastic and it looks simple enough to replace. I still haven't tackled replacing the elastic on all of my old BumGenius and Fuzzi Bunz diapers, ugh. The velcro on my older diapers has worn out as well, so I like that the Fuzzi Bunz diapers close with snaps that won't wear out.

The diaper comes with two inserts, one slightly smaller than the other. The small insert seems a bit big for the small setting - I'll have to try it out with the new baby and see how it works. In this photo, I have both of the inserts in the diaper which makes it a bit puffy, but it still fits well around the legs and waist. Both inserts are nice and thick and we haven't had any leaks with this diaper. I do wish the inserts for all my pocket diapers were labeled though so that others could help me stuff diapers. Grandma and Daddy can never tell which insert to put in which diaper, although I suppose that doesn't matter much.

The elastic is easy enough to adjust - it is just like the adjustable waistband pants for kids with the button that fits through the elastic in several places. There is a chart that explains which numbered slots in the elastic correspond to which sizes, and thats a bit confusing at first. Once you figure out the sizing though, you just set it and leave it which is nice. Other one size diapers that we've used have snaps on the front of the diaper and these sometimes end up pressing into Julia's legs and leaving a mark so this hidden elastic adjustment is a good option for us.

Overall we like this diaper and use it often. Aqua is Julia's favorite color, so she chooses this diaper just for that reason. You can get these in a wide variety of fun colors. If you'd like to try one out, you're in luck! EcoBuns is offering one reader a Fuzzi Bunz One Size diaper. To enter the giveaway, check out their website and leave a comment letting me know another item that they sell. Be sure to leave your email address in the comment so that I can contact a winner. For an extra entry, become a fan of EcoBuns on facebook - just follow the link on their home page and leave a separate comment letting me know that you became a fan. The giveaway will close on January 12th at midnight. (as long as I'm not having a baby that day)

EcoBuns has a great selection of products and even a "try cloth for $25" program that is worth checking out. There are also some great info pages with cost comparisons, differences between the different types of diapers, how to wash cloth diapers and more. If you'd like to go shopping right away, Kellie is offering a discount code "ecobuns10" good for 10% off of any order. This expires 1/30/10. Thanks Kellie, and welcome to the neighborhood EcoBuns!

**The giveaway is closed, thanks for your interest. Random.org chose Heidi as the winner!**

aden + anais Discount Code

Hope you're enjoying the holidays! aden + anais has decided to get in the spirit of things too by giving customers 15% off all purchases made from their website between December 3rd and 18th. Just use the coupon code "celebrate" to save some cash.

We reviewed an aden + anais sleeping bag recently and I'm looking forward to using it with the new baby. I also have the swaddling blankets and will be posting a review for those once the baby comes. Without giving away the review ahead of time, I think these are going to be my new favorite baby gift, they are so soft and big and nice. Enjoy shopping with the discount code!

Star Bright Kids Company - Review and Discount Code

This month we're focusing on Toxins In Toys - what some of the dangers are and how to choose safer toys for your families. In our quest for high quality natural toys we've come across some great toy companies. Star Bright Kids Company is one of them! They carry a great selection and focus on natural, educational, eco-friendly, and European toys. You can read more here about how they select the products that they carry. They require safety statements from all of their vendors and are thoughtful about what they choose to sell. You can see those statements and information about each of the brands they sell here. Browsing the Star Bright Kids Company website, I saw quite a few of the toys that we own (and love).

Lucy and Julia got to review the Beleduc Moringa Lacing Tree. I chose this toy because of the creative possibilities it offers. Lucy is very into puzzles and is great at them, but something like this where the pieces don't have an exact spot challenges her thinking a bit. She has had some practice with regular lacing cards, so already knew the basic idea of how to "sew" the pieces on. With some help, Julia figured it out as well. Here the girls are showing Grandpa and Grandma their new toy:

The lacing tree comes with two long strings, so both girls were able to play at the same time. The strings have a little wooden knob on one end - whoever thought of that is a genius (or a mom)! I'm always putting a bead on one end or tying knots in strings for the girls, but these are all ready to go. The pieces are adorable and include a bird's nest, mommy bird, squirrel, fox, butterflies, lots of leaves, and more. Here is their finished product:

And a closer look (the pile at the top was Julia's hard work):

Lucy, Julia and I give this fun toy two thumbs up! If you're interested in shopping for this or any of the other wonderful things that Star Bright Kids Company carries, they've given us a discount code good for 10% off your order. The code is "IAEP68HB" and is good through 1/31/2010. Thanks Star Bright Kids Company!

Teach Me Tapes (Review and Discount Code)

We are using Teach Me Spanish as our foreign language homeschool curriculum this year. I've listened to numerous bad cds, watched many bad dvds, and finally came across Teach Me Spanish. I've honestly not found anything that compares to it as far as teaching young children a foreign language. I was surprised that in spite of all of the research about children picking up a language easily at a young age, it was so hard to find something. I'm very happy that we came across Teach Me Spanish though; we love it!

Teach Me... offers a series of engaging books with CDs that introduce children to new languages through familiar songs and stories. Along with Spanish, they offer a variety of other languages as well. Someone on a homeschool message board recommended the Teach Me series to me and I first checked out the CDs from our local library. Lucy and Julia were both engaged in the lively familiar music and I was impressed with the quality. We have since purchased the CDs and have been using them as part of our Spanish language learning. (The other part consists of watching Dora DVDs. Really, they have picked up quite a few new words from Dora and we don't watch TV otherwise.)

The Teach Me Spanish CDs have a fun selection of familiar songs sung in Spanish and English, as well as short narrative sections in Spanish. I like that the narration is included because the girls get to hear a person actually speaking the language rather than just a word or two from Dora. They don't understand it at this point and I haven't translated much of it for them, but I do like that they are hearing it. There is an English translation included in the accompanying book. The songs are popular children's songs (Old MacDonald, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Oats and Beans and Barley, etc) so once the Spanish versions get stuck in your head, you end up learning quite a bit.

We have the older versions of Teach Me Spanish, but recently had a chance to review one of the new Teach Me Everyday Spanish books and CD, as well as the Christmas book and CD, Feliz Navidad: Learning Songs and Traditions in Spanish. I really like the updated format - a hardcover book with full color illustrations and translations. The pictures are well done and the translations are easy to read. Each book of course includes the music CD that goes along with it.

The Christmas book and CD is also very well done. I think it will be wonderful to pull this out every year and listen to it. There are classic Christmas songs, as well as traditional Spanish songs and stories included. At the back of the book you will even find a couple of fun recipes to try. For now, my girls are just interested in the music, but as they get older we'll dive more into the cultural aspect - making the recipes, reading the stories included, etc. When I put the music CD on, the girls both immediately grabbed a stuffed monkey (their usual dancing partners) and started dancing around.

As far as purchasing a foreign language curriculum, the Teach Me series is well priced - $15 to $20 for a book and CD. You can start with one book and purchase more as you go. If you are interested in purchasing something, Teach Me Tapes is offering a discount code. Use the code "FF09L" for 20% off and free shipping! I highly recommend taking advantage of this great offer. Thanks, Teach Me Tapes!

See here for more homeschool curriculum reviews.

Fairies and Gnomes

Because of all that we've been learning about toxins in toys, as a family we're very picky about the toys that we choose for our girls. Some of our favorite toys are made of natural materials such as unfinished wood or stuffed with wool. One of the blogs I read, Z Recommends, just posted today about a Canadian recall of several Melissa and Doug toys for paint containing toxins (barium). These items are not recalled in the US, and may not ever be, but they do contain barium. You can read the whole story here. In looking at paint on a toy, I tend to choose water based stains (you can see the wood grain through the paint) or completely unpainted toys. If wood is unfinished, it is simple enough to rub a coat of beeswax on for a bit of protection. These wooden animals that we made for the girls have beeswax on them and they have held up well. In the photo above, Lucy and Julia are playing with some wonderful natural toys that we received from A Toy Garden for review.

The gnome house is such a neat toy. I like that it can be used in so many different ways: as a cave for animals, a stable, a house for gnomes, and I suppose - a bedroom for tired fairies and gnomes...

The gnome house bends, but doesn't completely fold up. Julia kept trying to bend it too far and it held up to her doing so (of course while I'm telling her not to). It is made of pine, and is 19 inches long. I'm sure this will get lots of use in our house because it is so versatile and can be added to any play scene. This comes unfinished, I am planning to add some beeswax to it, just haven't done that yet.

The girls very quickly decided that the gnomes were a mom and baby pair since one gnome is smaller than the other. The gnomes are often sleepy, but do like to join the dollhouse dolls around the table for food or fly with the fairies. They have the cutest wool felt capes and hats which haven't come off even though they have been played with quite a bit. These gnomes would make great stocking stuffers and come in various fun colors. Of course they are the perfect size for the gnome house.

We also received two beautiful fairy dolls. These are 5 inches tall (about the same size as our Plan Toys dollhouse dolls), have cotton dresses, tulle wings, and are stuffed with wool. These fairies are very well made, soft, and slightly bendable.

The fairies have been flying around our house ever since we received them. Lucy and Julia love to make them "fly" and run around with them. They are a bit big to fit through the holes in the gnome house but are a good size for our dollhouse, and are frequent visitors. Their bodies are well sewn and their wool stuffing makes them nice to hold. Their arms and legs are bendy, so they can sit down. The fairy doll is a bit pricey, but is definitely a quality well made item that will last.

A funny side note: while flying her fairy around the house, Lucy said "Follow me, yelled the fairy!". She's continued with that kind of talk while playing recently: "Lets go, said the gnome.", "I'm tired, cried the baby", etc. I think its rather funny, and must be because we read so many books around here. She doesn't watch much television to see and hear characters speaking in first person, just hears about them in "book language".

If you'd like to go shopping at A Toy Garden for these or other fun things I've reviewed in the past (here and here), Sonya has given us a discount code. Act quickly because this expires on the 10th of December. "littleword5off" will get you $5 off of a purchase of $50 or more. A Toy Garden has a great selection of natural and handmade toys that would be great choice for Christmas gift giving.

More About Lead, Safe Jewelry, and a Giveaway

I'm currently running a series of posts about Toxins In Toys. In my latest post, we talked about lead - where its found and more. I am subscribed to a recall email list and one of the things that I see recalled frequently because of lead is children's jewelry. Most of it is off brand jewelry that I wouldn't consider safe anyway, but the recalls do include some brand names such as American Girl, and Reebok. The Reebok bracelet was actually recalled because a four year old boy swallowed the heart shaped charm and then died of lead poisoning. The CDC has a report on the incident here. Here is a list of children's jewelry recalls.

As a mom of two little girls who love to dress up and be pretty, I'm definitely concerned about this issue. My girls do not have metal jewelry right now. Aside from the lead issue, I would also be concerned about charms coming off and posing a choking hazard to the new baby or little ones that visit our household. They do each have a special amber necklace that they can wear when they want to. They get so many compliments on their necklaces when they are wearing them, and the necklaces are a safe option for many reasons.

Amber is interesting in that it is not actually a stone, it is a fossilized tree resin, and has been used historically as a remedy for many ailments. When wearing a piece of amber jewelry, your skin warms the amber and it releases trace amounts of succinic acid which your body absorbs. Amber is credited for pain relief, restoring energy, strengthening the body's immune system, and more. You can read more about the benefits here. Personally, I'm undecided on how effective wearing amber is, but it certainly can't hurt. Its a natural substance, and looks great besides!

Inspired by Finn is a great little shop that sells amber jewelry. They sent us an amber necklace and bracelet for review. Here is a picture of Lucy with the necklace on:

We chose the light mix round bead necklace in 13 inches. The lighter colors are supposed to have more of the succinic acid. The string the necklace is made of is designed to stretch or even break if necessary. Each piece of amber is individually double knotted on the strand so that if the necklace does break you won't have little pieces flying everywhere. Lucy is very proud of her amber necklace and I can tell she feels very pretty when she's wearing it.

The bracelet that we received was for my mother in law. She has constant pain in her arms, neck, and shoulders from arthritis and other spinal problems. I asked her to wear the bracelet for a couple of weeks and let me know what she thought.

She said that the bracelet was somewhat helpful. She felt that it helped with the pain, although it was hard to tell. On a day where she did something strenuous and was in more pain, the bracelet didn't do much, but it did seem to help with everyday low level pain management. She's been wearing it every time I see her lately, so I it must be helping.

Its definitely interesting to read about the benefits of amber. I love these necklaces as a safe option for children's (and mommy!) jewelry. (Note: due to CPSIA regulations, the jewelry is recommended for ages 3 and up.) Inspired by Finn sells amber necklaces in adult and youth sizes, earrings, and more. As a side note, they have a huge selection of baby legs at a great price. (I have this organic wool pair for the new baby and they are so soft and nice.)

Inspired by Finn is offering one reader a necklace! If you'd like to enter the giveaway leave a comment on this post including your email address. The winner will be able to choose any necklace smaller than 16 inches. If you can't wait and would like to do some holiday shopping, you can use the code "blog" for 20% off. For extra entries, you can blog about this giveaway and leave the link in a comment, become a follower of my blog (or say that you already are), or both. The giveaway will close on December 11 at midnight.

Thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned for more on toy safety, toys reviews, and giveaways coming up soon.

**The giveaway is now closed. Random.org chose comment #13. Thanks for your interest!**