Now at Build-a-Bear Workshop: Peace & Smiles Bear and Peace & Friendship Bear

Just a quick note to let readers know that a few more of the darling bears I got a sneak peak at during my June trip to Build-a-Bear Workshop Bearquarters arrived in stores yesterday.  The Peace & Smiles Bear is the one with black fur and the Peace & Friendship Bear is the one in blue.  You can see both bears and the additional themed accessories here.

Additionally, I wanted to share some photos of my kids making Build-a-Bear Workshop Ice Cream Bears a few weeks ago.  Build-a-Bear Workshop was nice enough to send me home with a gift card to take the kids for another visit and we all had a wonderful time.  Our bears have been traveling virtually everywhere with us ever since.  We even made an additional ice cream bear for friend of my daughter's who was turning 9.  Rumor has it, the gift was a huge hit.

2010 Back to School Guide: Coming Soon!

As a mommy of 5 I know how crazy this time of year can be crowded with school physicals, dental visits, haircuts, and shopping.  To make things a touch easier, we've been rounding up some great "back to school" gear and info.  Stay tuned for product reviews, back to school giveaways, and more coming soon!

In the meantime, click here to browse last year's items.

Blueberry Muffins (Egg & Dairy Free Recipe)

We visited a small farmer's market in Homer Glen, IL last weekend and bought some fresh fruit and veggies including banana peppers, mushrooms, and a pound of yummy looking blueberries.  The kids talked me into using some of the blueberries to bake muffins yesterday so I googled a recipe.  I stumbled upon "Ellen's Awesome-est Bluberry Muffins" on the site of the Pioneer Woman.  I needed an egg and dairy free version so my 15 year old son could eat them too, so I did some adaptions.  The original recipe can be found here along with a yogurt-blueberry sauce for drizzling.

My dairy and egg free adaptation of the muffin recipe is below with some photos.  All the muffin eaters declared them to be, "Yummy" and asked that I please make more.  Perhaps it is back to that farmer's market this weekend?

Ingredients:
3 cups minus 2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
Dash of Nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons Apple Sauce
1 generous cup vanilla soy yogurt (throw in extra if you want)
2 cups fresh blueberries
paper muffin tin liners
Loose Brown sugar (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 385 degrees.
In a large bowl sift flour, baking soda, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In another large bowl whisk together sugar, oil, cap-ful of vanilla, egg, and yogurt.
Add the dry ingredients and stir to a count of 10.
Add blueberries to mixture and stir gently and minimally.
Add mixture to lined muffin pans.
Sprinkle lightly with brown sugar.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes and allow to cool.
Eat one quick before the swarm arrives!

eShakti: Women's customized clothing online

No need to conform to standard sizing with eShakti because they realize that most women are not created equally.  Tall, short, curvy, petite, busty; eShakti makes clothing exactly the way the customer asks them to make it.  Their concept is to offer trendy, comfortable styles of clothes in a selection of fabric types and colors sized to fit your unique measurements.

Learning Resources Game: Counting Cookies {Review & Giveaway}

Our older three children will be heading back to school in less than a month and I know the twins will be sad to not have them around during the day.  Mommy will be a touch sad too.  I adore having those extra helpers around, plus it's so nice for the twins to get that extra attention, have more play pals, and get additional chances to be loved up.

Baby Potential T-shirts and Onesies

A new line of baby long or short sleeve 100% fine cotton onesies and t-shirts by Baby Potential allow parents to show their own baby's potential.  Choices include apparel featuring graphic silk screened patches depicting careers such as artist, biologist, chef, doctor, lawyer, philanthropist, radiologist, rancher, rocket scientist, scientist, teacher, and veterinarian.

Mixes from the Heartland (Gluten Free)

Mixes from the Heartland recently provided us with a variety of their many gluten free mixes to try.  No one in our family is in a gluten restricted diet, but our oldest son does have so food allergies such as nuts that made these products a welcome addition to our kitchen.  Mixes from the Heartland contain no eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, oats, barley, rye, or wheat in the factory.  Additionally, No bean flours are used in any products and the factory is allergen controlled.

We tried the Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Pancake Mix, Gluten Free Tortilla Pasta Soup, Gluten Free Strawberry Pound Cake Mix, and Gluten Free BBQ Beef and Pasta Meal.  We particularly loved the pancake mix and tortilla soup.

With "back to school" / "back to rushing about" season coming soon, these are great mixes and kits to have in the pantry.

 

Magic Bumpers, soft bed guard rails

I have wild child sleepers in my house and wood floors in most bedrooms.  So when the twins were making the transition from crib to bed, I began looking for a fresh alternative to the bed rails I had used in the past.  No mommy likes the idea of her little ones going bump in the night, as they fall out of the bed and hit the hard cold floor. 

All aboard for Choo Choo Johnny's

The twins were such good boys when getting their first haircuts last weekend, we just had to reward them with a special lunch afterwards.

Our stop was the nearby Naperville, IL location (one of two) of Choo Choo Johnny's.  It's a train themed family diner that delivers all counter seated patrons their food via the locomotive riding the counter track.  I'm sure it goes without saying that to twin two year old boys, it doesn't get much cooler than that!  Food that arrives by train is at least twice as yummy.

Among the many continuations of the theme is staff clad in engineer hats and apparel, an additional train circling the entire diner on a near ceiling track, a tv playing train videos, and music consisting of various train tunes.

Get there before noon on the weekends to avoid the rush and insure a counter spot.  What to eat?  The twins both had chocolate shakes, cheeseburgers, and fries.  The shakes were a particular favorite.

General Mills is teaming with Nickelodeon’s The Penguins of Madagascar {Info & Giveaway}

General Mills is teaming with Nickelodeon’s The Penguins of Madagascar to bring some action-packed adventures to your breakfast table.  The days where prizes are found inside the cereal box have made a return.

Inside specially marked boxes of General Mills cereals, you’ll “commence operations” with one of five characters from The Penguins of Madagascar; Skipper, Rico, Kowalski, Private or King Julien. Each participating cereal contains one character launcher with mission details outlined on the back of the box.

Disney.com's Create {Info & Giveaway}

Looking for an online fun destination for the kids, check out create.  Create is an entertainment portal on Disney.com.

Launched on Disney.com in August 2009, the Create portal features a set of creativity tools that offer an entirely new way to interact with Disney characters and stories.  Guests have access to rich Disney character art and graphics to design their own works of art then share them with other guests online.  Since its launch, more than 1.2 million original pieces of content have been created within Disney.com Create.

Little Tikes Anchors Away Pirate Water Table Winner Announced:

 And the winner of the Little Tikes Anchors Away Pirate Water Table Giveaway is # 326, Heather!

American Girl Debuts Shine On Now

To foster a spirit of goodwill and help make the world a brighter place, American Girl is introducing Shine On Now—a new charitable initiative that harnesses the collective power of girls to help others in need. Through Shine On Now, American Girl is calling on girls across the country to help the company give up to $1 million in clothes, books, dolls, and money to the following four organizations: Kids in Distressed Situations, National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions, Wildlife Federation, and Save the Children.

The Twins' first haircut

The twins are getting to be such big boys these days.  Newly two, it seemed time for mommy and daddy to take both boys to get their first real haircuts.  Up until now they'd each just had a little trim here and there from mommy.

We decided to take them to one of those kid orientated places that have cars to sit in instead of intimidating chairs and dvd's playing on tvs to distract a possibly nervous toddler client or two.  This one was called Cookie Cutters.

We also made sure both boys went at the same exact time, since we've found at doctor's visits it can go downhill quickly when one has to watch the other go first with negative results.

I was still a touch anxious about how this whole thing would go.  The boys feed off each other, so when one deems an experience undesirable the other quickly does too.  However, I worried for not because they each did great.  Both stylists were moms themselves and did awesome with the boys.  I was extra impress with how the one stylist just moved on when Declan vetoed wearing the cape.

As for picking a hairstyle, both were giving a completely different cut at my request.  Declan has very fine fuzzy dark brown hair and needed a short style to wrangle it.  Cormac has thick golden brown hair and a scar on his forehead that needs sun protection.  We kept his hair in a longer layered surfer cut because it not only suited his personality but serve to protect his delicate scar.

The best part?  The giant double slide right inside the salon.  We slid on it both before and after.

Seventh Generation Baby Wipes

With twin toddlers among our pack of 5 children, baby wipes are a regular staple around this household.  We typically keep them in various places around the home as well as some in the car, the diaper bag, and the purse.  Additionally, we use them on various spots on our little ones not just the diaper area itself.

Makaboo Personalized Gifts {Review}

Personalized gifts are always hit among new parents.  It's such a treat to see that perfect name in fancy embroidered font adorning items your child will either don or snuggle.  Twin parents appreciate the gesture all the more as it eliminates the guess work as to what belongs to who and can often make things easier for others around you as well.

Dimple's Monkey Custom reversible stroller liners

I just had to share this photo of my new reversible stroller liner's sent to me by Dimple's Money.  They were a thank you gift for my previous mention of the awesome liners she did for my Bumbleride stroller a while back.

A Visit to Lincoln Children's Museum

On our way home to Chicago-land from our Colorado Vacation, we had a chance to stop in Lincoln, Nebraska.  It's a stop we frequently make on this route.  The older kids love seeing all the University of Nebraska stadiums and the hotels and restaurants tend to work out well for our family of 7.  A favorite place to dine is the Noodles Restaurant right downtown.  As it happens, the Noodles is right next door to the Lincoln Children's Museum and we had a chance to check it out this time.

What a wonderful way to stretch our legs and minds after a long drive!  Our newly two year old twin boys were in charge.  They took us on a tour of three story location and indicated a preference for the Prairie Dog hilled tunnels, the sail boat water play, various touchable vehicles, and many roleplaying areas such as the general store and pizza place.

The cost for all of us to visit?  Nothing.  This museum is included in our local museum's reciprocating family membership program (ACM Reciprocal Program).

Disney’s.com U Rock {Info & Giveaway}

Back for its third rockin’ summer on Disney.com, U Rock is a popular user-generated content summer promotion that celebrates the inner rock star in all of us.  U Rock gives fans the opportunity to create their own music videos set to songs from popular Disney artists and post their original videos on the U Rock site (www.Disney.com/URock).  The most popular U Rock video finalists, voted on by fans, will win amazing prizes like the chance to meet the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato.

Banish Bugs with ThermaCell

ThermaCell sent us one of their bug lanterns for review a month or so back.  It's designed to ward off mosquitoes and other biting bugs.  We've spent a large amount of time outside this summer and as best I can tell this ThermaCell Lantern has been really helping.  Of course the true test is coming soon, August and September typically worse for us.

Giveaway Winners revealed:

Kung Zhu Bundle Winner is #158, Janice Crespo!
Good Earth Dry Dinner Kit is #81, Louis!

In-store Old Navy "Back to School" sale this weekend

Show your high school or college ID and get 25% off all of your back-to-school purchases from Friday, 7/23 through Sunday, 7/25.  In-store only. 

For details, check out our event page on Facebook!

Offer valid from 7/23/2010 through 7/25/2010 at Old Navy stores in the US and Canada. Not valid at OldNavy.com. Discount applies to merchandise only, not value of gift cards purchased, packaging or applicable taxes. No adjustments on previous purchases. Not valid for cash or cash equivalent. Cannot be combined with other offers or discounts including Gap Inc. employee discount. Must show either student ID, school ID or teacher pay stub to obtain discount.

Chicago-land Followers take note:

Summer means hot savings at the 3rd Annual Learning Resources Tent Sale, Thursdays – Fridays beginning August 5 – August 14. Because Learning Resources is a leading maker of educational toys and materials for the classroom and home, each year area teachers and parents look forward to buying these items at up to 80% off. And because the tent sale is actually not in a tent but in a nice air conditioned building in Vernon Hills, it means the bargains will be hot but customers can stay cool and comfortable!

It's the sweet simple things: Willow Baus Sailboat

It's no secret I'm a huge fan of etsy merchants.  There is just something about handmade items that screams to me.  My latest find was this wooden boat toy sent to me by etsy merchant Willow Baus.  It's simple, unique, and it really sails.

A bit under the weather on our Colorado vacation, calmly taking turns sailing this sail boat toy about the tiny waterfall pond in G.G. and Paka's Colorado House backyard was just what the doctor ordered.  Next trip, we are buying more so we can have races.  The only challenge?  Picking a sail color from the many different choices.

The First Years MiSwivel Feeding Chairs Review

The MiSwivel Feeding Chair is one of those products I find myself wishing I had found sooner (or in this case found me sooner).  Choosing the right highchair or booster is extra tricky when you have twins. Space becomes a real issue when you are trying to fit two into the average kitchen or dining room.

I found this out the hard way when we chose two highchairs for our twins when they reached 4 months.  We bought two nice highchairs on wheels that reclined and moved around easily.  They worked well in principle but completely overtook each room they entered.  The twins were comfortable in them, but honestly they were impossible for our family to navigate around and a touch ugly.  I paid around $150.00 each for them for a total of $300.00.  They are now garage decor.

Bambino Mio Swim Diapers {Review}

Bambino Mio offers a greener alternative to water logged disposable swim diapers for both little boys and girls.  The best part?  No other diaper, cloth or disposable, is required.  The Bambino Mio integrated swim nappy/swimsuit is designed to prevent any solids from escaping while allowing baby to swim freely in the water.  The best part, these reusable swim diapers save parents money while helping to maintain a bacteria-free environment for the other swimmers.

ThinkFun Zingo! To Go {Review & Giveaway}

We just returned from our trip to Colorado complete with some fresh travel related product reviews, tips, and some other discoveries.  Among them is this new travel version of the beloved game Zingo provided to us by Thinkfun.  (We've actually worked with ThinkFun before, in fact you can read our previous game reviews here.)  This new version allows the kids to take the ThinkFun Zingo! game with them anywhere they go.  Zingo! To Go is great for playing in the backseat of the car, on the airplane, and once arriving at your desitination.

Don't Miss Giveaways:

Little Tikes Pirate Ship Water Table  ends 7/25
Kung Zhu Pets Battle Bundle  ends 7/22
Learning Resources Rainbow Color Cones  ends 8/2
Schleich Toy Figures Bundle
Kraft Mac & Cheese

Our Trip to Colorado: Not Exactly my idea of a Vacation

We are back and I feel I need to mention that it was not exactly a vacation.  It ended up being more of a trip.  The difference in my book is in the level of relaxation.  I'm going with a 1 on a 10 scale and that 1 is attributed in most part to the view from my bathtub and perhaps a few glasses of wine.  Our vacations are rarely a 10, who's are?  Hubby & I have 5 children and something is bound to go askew with those odds.

I'll save you the long drawn out version and go with a summary of this trip's events.  Getting there was not pretty.  My daughter and I were meeting the rest of the family there due to a dance competition Cordelia had.  Our first flight was delayed for 4+ hours and we missed my connection.  The connection is a once a day flight, so we had to fly to Denver instead.  This added a 2+ hour drive through the mountains at midnight to our day.  4+ hours for hubby who had to come pick us up.  Remind me to write American Airlines and thank them for their promptness next.

We were awoken incredibly early by a sniffling and wheezy 2 year old and his runny nosed twin brother.  The wheezing progressed with the day and by 10am we were finding a local doctor.  Poor Declan ultimately needed regular nebulizer treatments, a few doses of steroids, to be kept quiet, and to be on oxygen for a few days.  Needless to say this ruled out virtually everything.

Declan HATED the tube in his nose, we all hated him having it, the cord that limited his range of movement was not a hit either, nor was the fact his brother didn't have one.  He was tired, cranky, sick, and likely longing for the comforts of home.  Twin, Cormac, was jealous of Declan getting extra attention and frustrated with our inability to go do much.  The older three children were also a touch frustrated with our situation as well but very understanding for the most part.

In the end, we survived it all and are incredibly thankful our health crisis was a minor one that had an end in sight.  I have the utmost respect for parents who consider this almost a normal day of their life.  We even had some fun along the way, though keeping Declan quiet was no easy task.  Thank goodness for the existence of items such as Playdoh and Crayola Markers.

Among the highlights were visits to the Freedom Park in Edwards, horseback riding on Beaver Creek Mountain, visits to the Farmer's markets in both Vail and Minturn, bike rides, board games, Smiling Moose Deli, and Frisbee golf.

Watch for some upcoming reviews of items we brought along with us and details on our visit to Lincoln Children's Museum on our way back home.

Summer Vacation

Colorado Bound again!  The boys left by car a few days ago and the girls are leaving by plane today.  Watch for some summer travel related posts and reviews among the usual banter.

The Backyardigans: Operation Elephant Drop on DVD 7/13

Go wild with delivery agents Pablo and Tyrone as they try to bring an elephant to a wildlife sanctuary in India in the new DVD, The Backyardigans: Operation Elephant Drop.  Featuring four new to DVD episodes, preschoolers will be introduced to the music genres of Alternative Rock, Forró, Bo Diddley-Style Rock and American Country Rock. Created by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment, The Backyardigans: Operation Elephant Drop DVD hits shelves tomorrow.

Activeion Ionator HOM, an eco friendly way to clean

Interested in learning more about an eco-friendly cleaning device that simply plugs occasionally to charge and uses only ordinary tap water?  How about a chemical-free way to clean around your children while still destroying 99% of the germs?  And, did I mention it is so cool looking my 11 year old now wants to be given the "wipe the counters" job?  Checkout my video review of the Activeion Inonator.



*Thank you to both Activeion and MomSelect for providing me with this product for purposes of my review.

A Visit to Dupage Children's Museum

Yesterday, I took my four youngest to the Dupage Children's Museum located in Naperville, IL.  It was a first visit for our newly turned 2 year old twins, Cormac and Declan.  We spent about 2 hours roaming about the exhibits.  Our favorite sections were the water and bubble play area, the wind tunnel, and the light play section.

The highlight of the trip for me was when nearly 12 year old Hayden tried to convince me on the way home that the wind tunnel had clearly been made smaller since his last visit there a few years ago.  In reality, I explained to Hayden that he had grown.

Everyone had a fun time.  It was a great way to escape the heat and sun for a couple hours.  I ended up buying a year long reciprocating family membership (ACM Reciprocal Program) which means we will surely be heading back again some time soon, plus we will have access to another 165 children museums across the country.

Several of these museums are in route to our Colorado destination we'll be embarking upon soon.  What a perfect way to allow the kids to stretch their legs a bit along the drive without additional expense.

All Things Birthday @ The Shopping Mama

Blog News & Events: 

Kate from The Shopping Mama just launched a Birthday Party event featuring some children's birthday parties, birthday gift ideas, and more.  Among the featured parties is our recently posted 5 part series on the twins' puppy dog themed 2nd birthday.  Pop over to see Kate's highlights of our Puppy Dog Party as well as some other adorable celebrations she has gathered.

If you missed our posts on the the Twins' Puppy Themed 2nd Birthday Party, below are links to the entire extravaganza for you to peruse.  Dog fans will also want to enter our giveaway for 6 canine figures by Schleich.

Part 1 - Baking themed cookies
Part 2 - Personalized birthday party apparel
Part 3 - Themed Birthday Party Games
Part 4 - Themed Party Favors
Part 5 - Decorations and Food

Winners:

The winner of the Vtech MobiGo Touch is #374 AEKZ2.
The 5 winners of the Redbox Promo codes are #3, #20, #38, #51, & #75.

Not really a "giveaway", but I also wanted to announce that our randomly selected DonorsChoose.org project is Reading Rocks by Ms. K.  This morning Ms. K's project received a $25 donation from AndTwinsMake5 made possible by Build-a-Bear Workshop.

Little Tikes Anchors Away Pirate Ship Water Table {Review & Giveaway}

The twins are learning to shout "Ahoy Matey" in the backyard after the Little Tikes Anchors Away Pirate Ship water table arrived for review last week.

Luckily this Little Tikes table was easy to put together, because the twins were very anxious to play with it once spotting it on our front porch.  We had just returned home from carpooling one of their older siblings around town for a couple hours, so outdoor fun was just what they needed.  I normally save a decent amount of the large toy construction for hubby, but this called for immediate pleas for action so I jumped right in.  The legs are placed on first and secured with screws and next comes placing batteries in the mast then snapping it into place.  From there you pop in some other extras, install the drain, and use screws to attach a couple other little features.  The hardest part was installing the squirting water cannon.  You screw in a plate then snap the cannon into place.  It took me a little while to get it to snap, but I got it.  Total construction time was perhaps 15 minutes.

We added water to the table with our hose and the twins were in heaven.  It is plenty big for two kids to play with it at once.  In fact, it might handle 3-4 but it only comes with two pirate people.  The third would have to be the shark.  As a mommy of 5, my suggestion would be that Little Tikes sell additional pirate people and items for it as an add on.  I'd definitely purchase the extras.

Just look at Declan's face (in the photo wearing an orange shirt above) when he realizes the mast can be turned on to rain water down on the gadgets below.  The squirting water cannon is a huge hit as well.  I might add it has quite the range of fire!  They've aimed and squirted someone several feet away.  I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how nice it is to have a drain on this table.  It's a huge plus over picking these tables up and trying to pour the water out.  Also worth noting is the fact that this table has a sturdier design then other water tables we have previously used.

This provides the perfect distraction on a hot muggy day when heading to the pool is not an option.  The twins just turned 2 and I can see this toy being a huge hit for several more summers.  I think it compliments our recently purchased Little Tikes Endless Adventures Fold 'n Store Picnic Table located near by it as well (bottom photo).











Enter to Win:  One lucky reader will win an Anchor's Away Pirate Ship Water Table of their own.  Simply visit Little Tikes and return here to tell us about another Little Tikes item you'd like to see us review in the future.

Optional Additional Entries for:
1 extra entry if you follow this blog or subscribe to this blog's feed.
1 extra entry if you "like" Little Tikes on Facebook.
1 extra entry if you "like" And twins make 5! on Facebook.
1 extra entry if you tweet about this giveaway and include @littletikes & @andtwinsmake5
1 extra entry if you blog about this contest and link back to it.

Rules:
An email address is required to enter. Please leave it in your comment, or make sure one is visible for me to find in your blogger profile. If you qualify for additional entries please comment separately telling us which options you have used. Please limit your tweets to once daily.  A winner will be chosen via random.org. The winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to reply before a new winner is chosen.  This contest is open to 18 + USA only.  Ends on 7/25/10 @ 11:59PM CST.

Learning Resources Game: Rainbow Color Cones {Review + Giveaway}

Now that the twins are 2, it has opened up a whole new world for them in turns of appropriate aged games and toys.  One of our newest favorites are the Rainbow Color Cones by Learning Resources.  This item is aimed at the 2-5 year old crowd.  Perfect for twins, this set includes 2 cones and 8 scoops in different colors, each labeled with the color name underneath.

Play is flexible.  We like to give each twin a cone and put the scoops in the middle.  Hubby, I, or one of the three bigger kids in our home then helps the twins take turns finding a color.  Example, "Declan, can you find the yellow ice cream scoop?"  If they try to grab the wrong one, we tell them "oops, try again".  They are allowed to keep going until the find the right one and then place it on their cone.  Once done, we count the scoops on each of our cones.  Additional play options can later include find a scoop that starts with the letter "p" or spelling the color name entirely in order to earn it.





I was very impressed with the quality of this product provided to us for review from Learning Resources and I adore the numerous learning possibilities within this item.  I should mention that placing the first scoop on each of the cones can be a bit tricky at first, as it sort of snaps into place.  We helped them with that part the first few times, but the twins are starting to get the hang of it now.

Win a Smart Snacks Rainbow Color Cones set for your own little learner ...