Tenzi Review and Giveaway

As many of you know, I homeschool my 3 children. During the days, we do varied activities to encourage different thinking skills. One new game we've been playing is a dice game called Tenzi that I received as a review. Tenzi is one of those games that is fun because of its simplicity in instructions and game play. The entire family can play it (even the 6 year old) and the entire family has fun while doing so.

With several ways to play, the basis of the game revolves around each player rolling ten dice to achieve a goal. The goals can be to roll the same number on all of your dice before everyone else or to roll collections of certain numbers. It encourages my kids to think quickly, recognize the numbers in dot form and to manipulate their fingers and hands on something other than a video game remote... We've even gone so far as to design our own games that include quick adding and patterns within the different dice colors.

At $14.95, Tenzi may be that extra present you need for that hard-to-shop-for person in your life.

Want to win your own Tenzi game in time for Christmas? Then follow the directions below and Good luck! We'll draw the lucky winner on Monday, Nov 21!

To Enter:

MANDATORY: Like Tenzi on Facebook.

Extra entries:

~ Follow me on Twitter

~ Subscribe to my blog(s)

~ Tweet about this giveaway and link back (once a day)

Good luck!

*I was given this product in exchange for my honest review.

Lights and Sounds toddler bike review

The Lights and Sounds Racer by Radio Flyer is an adorable bike for the toddler or preschooler in your life. It's priced at about $40 and offers an easily adjustable seat, comfortable pedals and handlebars and some of the best songs and sounds my daughter's heard. Sadly for her, this little bike is destined to be used by her little cousin as Corinne is almost 6 years old (48 inches tall) and a touch too tall for this bike.* I do hope my nephew loves it as much as she does, though!

One negative for me was the assembly, but I've had similar problems with toddler bikes of this type. I am a word/picture girl and the directions seem to only come in less-than-understandable picture-form. That could be just me, but be sure to allow plenty of assembly time BEFORE you hand this present to a 2 or 3 year old because they are NOT going to want to wait the hour that it takes you to pound those wheel caps on and screw the dozens of screws in. That said, it's pretty darn sturdy, now that it's all put together!

My opinion is that this is a good purchase for the price and totally appropriate for a 2-5 year old. I picture many Radio Flyers under the Christmas trees this year!

Win a romantic weekend in Lincolnshire, IL!

If you're looking for a unique weekend away, check out the Viper Alley site for information regarding their Ultimate Romantic Weekend contest. There are three different winners for some really exciting packages including tickets to a Sweetest Day concert by Steve Tyrell (modern day love crooner!), overnight stays at upscale hotels in the Lincolnshire area, massages, limo rides, dinner, breakfast, etc. Plus (and you don't want to miss this one), a chance to hang out with me and Patrick (we'll be at the Friday night show)!

To enter, read the official rules and then fill out their form by 9 am, October 17. Don't forget to include why you need a romantic weekend!

Good luck!

Disclaimer: I am receiving complimentary tickets to the Viper Alley venue in compensation for this post. All opinions remain my own.

Chicago Toy and Game Fair Giveaway!!

I am so pumped up about attending the 2011 Chicago Toy and Game Fair (i.e. CHITAG)! My family had an absolute blast last year. We found tons of games and toys that the kids not only liked but actually LOVED. 2010's Christmas morning found my children opening Catan's Settlers of America, Munchkin, a Razor Rip Rider 360 and Razor spark scooter, Strawberry Shortcake's remote control car, and Top Trumps (to name a FEW), all of which were discovered at CHITAG. So I am definitely attending with a pen and paper and camera (and maybe even a few bags in case we find something we just HAVE to have that day) to keep track of the Must Have items of this year.

CHITAG also hosts a truly unique contest for children, too. It's called the Young Inventor's Challenge. If you have a kid who is into creating new games and toys, or just has a wild imagination, why not enter him/her in the Challenge and see if one of their crazy ideas is the next Big Thing in the Toy and Game world? Did you know that if your child enters to participate in the Young Inventor's Challenge, your entire immediate family can enter the fair for free? It's such a cool way to inspire your children to think outside the box!

Excited to attend? Wish that you could go, and wish that you could go for FREE?

Well, it just so happens that CHITAG has generously extended the offer of Free Family Weekend Passes for my readers! And not just one pass. But one pass for every week leading up to the fair! FIVE WINNERS!

All you need to do is enter below, as many times as you can (please follow the rules) and I will continue to pick from the list every Friday as it grows! This means that you will basically have 5 chances to win a family pass for every single comment you enter below.

Don't know if you're 100% sure about this event? Don't know if playing with toys all day will appeal to your children? (HA!) Check out these pictures and see if you change your tune:

The Toy and Game Fair is being held at Navy Pier in Chicago on Nov 19-20. Sat hours are 10am-6 pm and
Sun hours are 10am-5pm.

To Enter for a chance at 5 different Family Pass Drawings for the Chicago Toy and Game Fair (parking is not included) (please enter one comment for each entry!):

~ Comment below! You can say hi or tell me your shoe size or why you want to go. Surprise me!

~ Follow me on Twitter

~ Follow ChitagFair on Twitter

~ Tweet this giveaway and link back. 2 entries a day!

~ Subscribe to my blog(s).

~ Spread the word about this giveaway on any other social media site that you belong to and link back!

Good luck! We'll start picking the winners this Friday night (Oct 14), so get cracking as fast as you can for the first chance to win a family pass. But if you aren't picked, just remember this: 4 more chances to win!


First winner on Friday, October 14 is Clementine! Congratulations to her! For everyone else, there are still 4 more drawings, so keep on entering!

Second winner on Friday, October 20 is Lceel (Lou)! Congrats, Lou! For everyone else, are still 3 more drawings, so keep on entering!

Third winner on Friday, October 27 is Steph! Congrats! For everyone else, there are still 2 more drawings! Good luck!

Fourth winner on Friday, November 4 is Heather. Congrats, Heather! For everyone else, there is still 1 more drawing. Good luck!

Fifth winner is MeghanW. Congrats, Meghan!

Contest is closed.


*disclaimer: I was given a pass to attend the Chitag with my family in compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

The Greatest Show on Earth Returns! And a GIVEAWAY too!

Contest is over and MEP is the winner! Congrats and have a blast!


It's that time of year, again! The circus is coming back to Chicago and my family couldn't be more excited! Every fall, ever since I can remember, The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus tours through the Chicago area. And every year, we try to attend because their circus is just the Top Bar for circuses, isn't it?

This year we get to experience the all new show, Fully Charged. Of course Fully Charged will exhibit a tiger tamer, flying acrobats and the hilarious Ringling Clowns. But one of the best parts of going to the circus is the excitement of not knowing what other crazy and outrageous acts will follow. I try to hide the special acts from my kids, so that they get the full experience of WOW! But if you really want a little sneak peek into the action...

Planning on attending? The Circus will be in Chicagoland for several weeks. And remember: you can use the code MOM when purchasing through Ticketmaster to receive $4 off of all weekend tickets or to purchase a 4 pack of tickets for $44 on a weekday!

Allstate Arena

November 3-13, 2011

United Center
November 16-27, 2011

UPDATED TO ADD:

I have a 4 pack of tickets for one reader to win! Enter a comment below for a chance to win. You can get extra entries for every tweet, Facebook, blog post, etc. that you do. Just please remember to comment for each entry and link back!

We'll pick the winner on Oct 23.

The shows available are November 3,9,10 (at the Allstate) and November 16 & 17 (At the United Center).

Good Luck!!



*Disclaimer: I was given tickets for my family to attend the show, but all opinions remain my own.

All pictures are copyrighted and used with permission from Feld Entertainment.

Why Buy When You Can Rent for Less?

I am so interested by this site, CampusBookRentals.com. Knowing exactly how high the cost of college books are and how little resale value they have, the idea of renting a textbook greatly appeals to me. You pay less than half the price of the book to rent it, without any hidden fees for memberships or what-not, and then, once you are done, you return it. End of story. If you want to buy it instead of returning it, you just pay the remaining amount of the original cost past what you paid to rent it for. Kinda like RedBox for College books, eh?

Anyone with college students this semester or next should look into this option for books. Try out a few books and let me know how it works out for you. I am REALLY interested in this. If my own kids' college experiences still utilize paper books (ha. We'll probably have computer chips in our brains by then), then I fully intend on utilizing this service!

Also, I can't help but be intrigued by a company that helps support a charitable organization like Operation Smile. If you've never heard of Operation Smile, it's an organization that offers medical help for people who suffer from cleft lip/palate and other facial deformities. They do amazing work and make a huge difference in many lives.



Disclaimer: I will receive a discount code for half off the cost of a semester of college book rentals for my cousin in exchange for this post. However, all opinions are my own.

Getting Ready for Halloween?

I am usually the last person in the family to get decked out for Halloween. Not that I don't dress up, because I do. I've been everything from the Cat in the Hat to a pumpkin in recent years. It's just that everyone else's costumes tend to come before my own. They all get store-bought or carefully crafted homemade costumes while I have to do a last-minute rummage through the donation box for a flannel shirt that I can tape some raffia to in an attempt to look like a "festive" scarecrow. Yet another perk of Motherhood...

So it's refreshing when I can find sites like PartyMart.com that have plenty of Women's Costumes for me to browse through. Their site has the spooky and creepy in addition to the hysterical and slightly off the wall. (I like the Sperm. How perfect for the guy who is just a little brain dead...) It's especially nice to see that, though many costumes DO, not all of their costumes have the word "sexy" in the title. I just don't think I can pull off "sexy" at Halloween.

Then again, this Olympic Goddess costume is quite appealing but still appropriate to wear around the family as we trick-or-treat. At $32, it's affordable and I already have the hair to complete the look... Hmmmm...Either that, or I go for the Sally costume from Nightmare Before Christmas. Wouldn't that be awesome? I love any opportunity to paint stitches on my face... Of course, THAT costume looks like it'd be fun to MAKE. Not that I have time to sew, or anything...

What do you think, dear readers? Go for a little sass this Halloween? Spooky or Sultry? Store bought or Home Made? Or put on the good old Cat in the Hat coat, tail and top hat and slouch along behind the kidlets in their kicking costumes?

Do you dress up for October 31? Do you deck the house in cobwebs and screeching ghouls? Do you watch from the windows or carry your own goody bag? Are you normal or are you a fellow freak, like me???



Though I was compensated for this review, all opinions and thoughts are strictly my own.