It's the Mom Faves Holiday Giveaway!

We know moms work hard to make Christmas special for their families. This Mom Faves Holiday Giveaway coordinated by Mommy Scene features great gift ideas to keep moms healthy, happy, pampered, and moisturized! One lucky winner will win them all! Giveaway ends December 18th, 2016.

Mom Faves Prize List

Full Details »
Aurorae Printed Yoga Mat
How to Raise Great Kids - 101 Fun & Easy Ideas
Moon Valley Organics Herbal Heal Gift Set: Herbal Heal, Moon Melt Lotion Bar, Herbal Lip Balm
Signs.com Custom Canvas 12" x 12" print
Duo Diary Health Journal
Revelae Kids Yummi Pouch Cloth Snack Bags
CiPU Diaper Bag in Heather Grey
Paperless Post 1,000 coins (Retail Value $90)
The Picket Fence $50 gift certificate
This giveaway is coordinated by Mommy Scene, sponsored by the participating brands, and is open to US entries ages 18 and older. No purchase required to enter. 1 winner will be randomly chosen and contacted through e-mail, and their name displayed on the giveaway page after the giveaway ends on December 18, 2016. Mommy Scene and participating blogs are not responsible for fulfilling brand-sponsored prizes. Prizes will be shipped directly from each brand. Have fun and good luck!

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12 Days of Christmas Giveaway

It's time for the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!

Can you believe it's almost the holidays? We are excited to share some super fun, educational, and problem solving gift ideas for families and bring you another amazing giveaway! Enter to win one of these 12 fabulous prize collections as part of Mommy Scene's 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway! 12 winners (one per gift collection) will be selected December 12th, 2016!

Gift Collection 1

Ah Goo Baby Plush Pad Memory Foam Changing Pad
Revelae Kids Cozy Sleeper
Loopy Gear Loopy Rattle Holder
Blue Baby Bum Multi-Purpose Car Seat Canopy

Gift Collection 2

Milkies Milk-Saver
Snuggle Me Organic Original Co-Sleeping Baby Bed
Goochie Goo Garb Blankets
LullaBelay Car Seat Strap

Gift Collection 3

Aqua Vault Packable Pails
The Minkey by The Olie
Ubbi Snack Tweat Container
Star Kids Products Snack & Play Travel Tray 2.0

Gift Collection 4

Revelae Kids Cozy Blanket Pouch
Toofeze Natural Baby Teether
Handsocks Baby Mittens
Active Essentials Egyptian Calendula & Aloe Baby Body Wash & Shampoo, Egyptian Calendula Calming Baby Bath, Body & Massage Oil, Egyptian Calendula & Comfrey Healing Baby Balm (3 products)

Gift Collection 5

Wellie Wishers American Girl Doll Emerson
EarZings Pierce-Free Earrings
Yummi Pouch Cloth Snack Bags
Livie & Luca Mulberry Pepper Boot

Gift Collection 6

timi & leslie Rachel 7-Piece Designer Diaper Bag Set
Kindred Bravely Davy Maternity & Nursing Pajamas Pants Set
Rachel's Remedy Breastfeeding Relief Packs
Beyond The Tiger Mom: East-West Parenting for the Global Age

Gift Collection 7

Earth Mama Angel Baby Sleep Little One Gift Set
Buttons Diapers Muslin Burp Cloth Bib Combo
Jack N Jill Kids Natural Care Bunny Gift Kit
PaigeLauren Classic Layette Footie Romper

Gift Collection 8

Wristy Buddy Moose Teething Wristband
Bazzle Baby Banda Bib Drool Bib
QuickZip Zip-On Crib Sheet 3 PK: Starter Pack + 2 Zip-On Sheets
Thinkbaby All-In-One Bottle Set

Gift Collection 9

Thinkbaby Safe Sunscreen SPF 50+
Star Kids Products Play-n-Go two sided educational activity mat
Catchie 3-In-1 Car Seat Protector
Sudsy Dough Moldable Soap

Gift Collection 10

Funbites
Pacific Baby Natural Bamboo Feeding Plate
I See Me - It's Fancy to Be Me Personalized Book
Surprise Ride Leonardo da Vinci Activity Kit

Gift Collection 11

YoRo Naturals Organic Manuka Skin Soothing Cream
The Shrunks Bouncer Pool
Tottigo Pack 'n Potty
Aqua Vault FlexSafe + Waterproof Phone Case

Gift Collection 12

Purl Lamb Hoodie & Pants Set
SmartNoggin NogginSeek Peek & Seek Rattle
Breganwood Organics Hooded Towel for Babies & Toddlers
Yummi Pouch Reusable Food Pouches

This giveaway is sponsored by Mommy Scene and is open to US entries ages 18 and older. No purchase required to enter. 12 winners (one per gift collection) will be randomly chosen and displayed on the giveaway widget after the giveaway ends on December 12th, 2016. Mommy Scene and participating blogs are not responsible for fulfilling brand-sponsored prizes. Prizes will be shipped directly from each brand.

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2016 Fall Green Scene Mom Award Winners & Giveaway

We are very excited to bring you another awesome giveaway and help announce the 2016 Fall Green Scene Mom Award Winners, hosted by Mommy Scene and celebrating Eco-friendly product design and creative innovation. Award winning products include natural body products, universal baby gear, essentials for moms, and items for solving problems and making family life with kids easier. Enter to win a fabulous collection of prizes! Open to US entries and ends 11/20/16.

Green Scene Mom Award Prize Collection

Yoro Naturals (2) Organic Manuka Skin Soothing Cream - 2 oz. jars
You'll love this natural, creamy balm by YoRo Naturals. It’s incredibly soothing and healing for eczema, diaper rash, chapped skin, bug bites, cuts and scrapes.  Use it anywhere your skin ails you. Gentle and safe for little ones. Soothing and effective for adults too. Full Award Details »

Back Buddy All-In-One Support Pillow
Back Buddy is an award-winning maternity and feeding support pillow, designed by a Chiropractor and a nursing mother. It alleviates common back pain, provides comfort and support for holding or feeding baby, and encourages proper position for breastfeeding. Made in the USA from high-quality structural foam that is certified to be made without harmful flame retardants, phthalates, CFC's, mercury, lead and other heavy metals. Full Award Details »

Bebe Bamboo zZippy Sleepsuit - Pear
Bebe Bamboo specially designed zZippy sleepsuit makes change time quick and easy. The 2 way zipper unzips from the bottom for quicker changing without having to expose the chest, and top to bottom to undress your baby as usual. Extremely soft, delicate and smooth, and promotes comfortable and restful sleep. Full Award Details »

Andy Pandy Diapers 2 packs of bamboo diapers
These eco-friendly bamboo diapers are made from the highest quality premium materials. Naturally hypoallergenic and antibacterial, making them ideal for babies with sensitive skin. Made from biodegradable bamboo, these diapers are extremely soft and silky to the touch, yet strong and absorbent. Moisture wicking and thermal regulating capabilities keep your baby's skin dry and comfortable in hot or cold temperatures. Natural aloe liner nourishs your baby's skin and a wetness indicator lets you know when baby needs to be changed. Does not contain chlorine, alcohol, peservatives, phthalates, latex, PVC, TBT, or antioxidants. Full Award Details »

Revelae Kids Cozy Sleeper and Blanket Pouch
Revelae Kids Cozy Baby Sleepers create a secure sleeping environment that helps babies sleep through the night, thanks to the fully enclosed baby sleep sack design that resembles the womb and keeps hands and feet tucked inside. One-of-a-kind Cozy Blanket Pouches keep baby cozy from the waist down and are hard to kick off, secured by a soft elastic waistband. The fuzzy polyester material is comforting and can't be pulled up near the face, providing a cozy and safe sleep space. Full Award Details »

Baby Care by e-cloth chemical-free cleaning
Stroller & Car Seat Cloth
Toy & Nursery Cloth
Table & High Chair Cloth

Baby Care by e-cloth products clean with just water, 100% eliminating the risk of chemical sensitivities, allergic reactions, rashes and asthma attacks associated with the use of chemical additives, fragrances and dyes. Baby Care by e-cloth is the safe cleaning choice for thoughtful moms who want to protect their babies and kids by eliminating exposure to toxic chemicals without sacrificing performance. Full Award Details »

Crane Cube Cool Mist Humidifier
Here at Crane, we put "Design for Better Living" into everything that we do. We started with a few designs in 2005 and continue to grow each year working towards solving your indoor needs. Crane products are designed with efficiency, function and style in mind. We love to be creative with colors, designs and we know our products will bring comfort and smiles to your home! Full Award Details »

Active Essentials
Egyptian Calendula & Aloe Baby Body Wash & Shampoo
Egyptian Calendula Calming Baby Bath, Body & Massage Oil
Egyptian Calendula & Comfrey Healing Baby Balm
Active Essentials is a luxury organic skincare company offering safe products for babies, kids and adults that are made using ONLY fruits, vegetables, plants and flowers. Active Essentials products are free of any harsh chemicals and chemical preservatives, synthetic fragrances, GMOs, parabens, sulfates or phthalates and are cruelty-free, gluten-free, color-safe, vegan, biodegradable, hypoallergenic, and naturally non-toxic. Full Award Details »

Fresh Wave Works Laundry Booster
Loads of happiness is within reach. Fresh Wave Laundry Booster removes odors using natural ingredients. No harsh chemicals. No harmful ingredients. Give your laundry detergent a boost and remove difficult, set-in odors. Add 2 to 4 capfuls during the wash or rinse cycle. To remove washer odors, wet a soft cloth with Laundry Booster. Wipe the rubber gasket, the door and any other visible seals. Full Award Details »

Buttons Diapers Muslin Burp Cloth Bibs
Buttons Diapers 100% cotton muslin burp cloths and bibs are the perfect baby essential. They work as a contoured over-the-shoulder burp cloth for baby, an large coverage bib during meals, and a handy cloth to wipe up messes. These cute muslin bibs are soft, breathable, absorbent, and made from natural material that gets even softer & fluffier each time you wash it. The burp cloth easily converts to a bib by using the sewn-in snap. Full Award Details »

Better Life New Baby Essentials Kit
All-Purpose Cleaner (32oz)
Nursery Cleaner, Lavender & Chamomile (16oz)
Dish Soap (22oz)
Hand and Body Soap (12oz)
Hand and Body Lotion (12oz)
Six-Compartment Cleaning Caddy
(2) General Purpose Microfiber Cloths - green
Safe for bottles, binkies, bibs and even your baby's bum. Better Life was born by two dads who set out to create a line of plant-derived, non-toxic, environmentally friendly cleaners that would be the perfect marriage of safety and performance. The result is a line of cleaners that work better and are safe enough for everything in your home and sink. Even baby. The Better Life New Baby Essentials Kit has everything you need to prep for baby and makes clean up a snap after your bundle of joy arrives! Full Award Details »

Pacific Baby Natural Bamboo Feeding Apple Plate - cream
Made from natural bamboo, this modern apple plate is completely plastic-free. Strong, durable and safe, Pacific Baby bamboo feeding products are machine washable, top rack. Full Award Details »

Enter to Win!

This giveaway is coordinated by Mommy Scene, sponsored by the participating brands, and is open to US entries ages 18 and older. No purchase required to enter. One winner will be randomly chosen and contacted through e-mail, and their name displayed on the giveaway widget after the giveaway ends on Nov. 20, 2016. Mommy Scene and participating blogs are not responsible for fulfilling brand-sponsored prizes. Prizes will be shipped directly from each brand. Have fun and good luck!
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2016 Fall Green Scene Mom Awards

ALL 2016 Fall Green Scene Mom Award Winners »

Active Essentials Calendula & Aloe Baby Body Wash & Shampoo + Calming Baby Massage Oil + Healing Baby Balm
Andy Pandy Bamboo Disposable Diapers
Back Buddy Support Pillow
Bebe Bamboo zZippy Sleepsuit
Better Life's Stain and Odor Eliminator
Buttons Diapers Muslin Burp Cloth Bibs
Crane Personal Cube Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
e-cloth Chemical Free Baby Care Cleaning Cloths + Hand & Face Cleaning Kit
Fresh Wave Laundry Booster
iBaby Air Smart Air Quality Monitor
Organic Manuka Skin Soothing Cream
Pacific Baby Natural Bamboo Plate
Philips AVENT Innovative Baby Products
Revelae Kids Cozy Blanket Pouches + Cozy Sleepers
Yookidoo Intl. Fill & Flow Spout + Submarine Station
Yummi Pouch Cloth Snack Bags

Brooke's Treehouse Bloomers (review)

Brooke’s Treehouse is a shop run by a mom who had little chunky baby that needed custom fit clothing, but she loved the older style clothing (in her words, “Heirloom quality”). After discovering a love for sewing and designing these clothes, she has since opened Brooke’s Treehouse to offer these clothes to everyone.

Despite how it sounds, this is not a sponsored post. In fact, the owner of Brooke’s Treehouse doesn’t even know I have a blog (though I have a feeling she’ll figure it out after this post)! I was scouring the internet for “bloomers”, “pantaloons”, or “pettipants” for Squiggle for her Halloween costume. She’s going to be Ponyo.

A still-frame from the movie Ponyo.

I kept finding white diaper covers or adult pantaloons, but I finally found some that looked perfect, and were actually the most reasonably priced, too. Those were at Brooke’s Treehouse. I actually found the Brooke's Treehouse shop through amazon.com, but after ordering realized I might not have them in time for our party (a little over a week from placing my order) because there is a hurricane making landfall right now, and it’s sort of a big deal. I decided to look up where the seller was from, found them on FaceBook, and saw that they were, indeed, in the south. 

After a message to their shop, I was surprised to hear back so quickly… it hadn’t even been an hour! I had explained my concern with the weather and my sort of last-minute ordering on a Friday night (so them not arriving on time seriously would be all my fault!), and they assured me I should have them Tuesday or Wednesday. The earliest shipping estimate had said the following Friday at the earliest. They arrived the following Tuesday!

A front and back view (having her lift her costume a bit to show the fit) after our little party. The party, of course, means chocolate on everything near her mouth.

Our little Ponyo with a $1 bucket from the party store, and an adult jacket (thrifted) cut and sewn to resemble a dress. It isn't a perfect costume, but it was good enough for her! And of course she had put her shoes on the wrong feet.

And, as you can see, they are perfect for the costume! I ordered a size 5 since Squiggle is a chunk, but Amazon didn’t have the size chart shown on the actual store front page. I wish I had seen the store page, first! Still, they fit great and will get lots of use. I'm glad I ordered up. They are good quality, decently priced, and the customer service is great. I definitely recommend Brooke’s Treehouse if you’re looking for some cute, old timey clothing.

For some more cute outfit browsing, check out Brooke's Treehouse on Instagram & Pinterest, too!

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff is responsible for the content of this post. The bloomers featured in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.

I SPY Eagle Eye Find-it Game (review)

University Games also sent us I SPY Eagle Eye Find-it Game for review. I was super excited about this because I'm sort of awesome at searches (word puzzles, image searches, you name it!) and I knew this would be my sort of game.

It's a very simple game to explain, there is no reading required to play, and the instructions suggest numerous ways to play including different ways to score and tournament style playing. Since Bobble and Squiggle are so young (5 and 3), I opted to not keep score at all. I mean, let's be honest: I was going to win, right? I figured that I'd just take a few seconds to remind them of the instructions, and take pictures for the review before I started searching.

The first time we played, I helped them, explaining that everyone gets one board piece (a big, cardboard card), and everyone gets one little card that has images on it. Each tiny card has 8 tiny pictures on it, but it only has one item on your game board. The game boards are 2-sided, so you technically have 8 boards. There is a bell that you place in the middle and when you find the item on your card on your board, you hit the bell. (If you are keeping score, you hit the bell and yell first; simply hitting the bell would imply you should all switch boards because you couldn't find anything.)

Honestly, I figured my 5 year old would be decent, and my 3 year old would get frustrated. This is because my husband played with us the first time and we quickly learned that there are lots of little "almost" images. By this, I mean the same item as on your card, but tilted a different way (for example, instead of a toy pig on its side, it would be standing upright, or a truck that is identical but a different number). It's actually pretty challenging!

The second time we played was about 2 weeks after first introducing them to the game. Squiggle abandoned her building activities to play, leaving the mess behind her (explaining the background in the pictures). I was a bit cocky in thinking I was going to own them at the game, apparently, because Squiggle (who is only 3, mind you) quickly put me in my place! Look at that smug face!

She found the first 3 legitimate items, first try, and very quickly. I thought she was finding near misses, or maybe simply excited to ring the bell. Nope... she was simply ruling the game. I had another image that showed her pointing out what she found on the card and on her board, but I don't want to give anything away, so I opted not to share that one. I will, instead, share an extremely up close image of part of a board to show just how detailed they are.

That being said, the game suggests ages 5 and up. I know these are suggestions, but I didn't expect a 3 year old to actually be good at it. I was going to recommend this for kids that were about kindergarten age, but I am now going to suggest that if your child (or the one you are shopping for) has an eye for detail, get the game regardless of age.

Bobble leaning over to see if Squiggle really did find something again. She did.

Despite only having 8 board images, we have not succeeded in memorizing a single thing. Each board has so much detail and there are so many cards to search off of that we've never played through all of them in one game, and many times we don't even find the items on the card since you get a new card when someone finds an item. It's really set up to keep it challenging for a long time.

You can purchase I SPY: EAGLE EYE for under $20 at Areyougame.com, and at various retail stores. Don't forget to check out Areyougame.com for games to suit all sorts of occasions!

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff is was sent this product in exchange for a review. This did not sway my opinion in any way. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. 

Coffee Milk

The weather is changing to that lovely autumn weather here, and that just begs for a hot drink. Both of my kids love all sorts of hot drinks, even coffee, so we improvise a bit to make things more kid friendly (for them).

Not being big caffeine drinkers anyway, we keep decaf in the house (we drink ½ caff., but there is always 100% decaf available). The kids love the taste of coffee, but we’re not too keen on them having coffee as a drink. Thanks to many shopping visits to Trader Joe’s, the kids have become fond of “coffee milk”.

Coffee milk really is nothing more than a tiny bit of coffee (with whatever sweetener you desire) to a disproportionate amount of milk. At Trader Joe’s, I tend to do something like a 1:4 ratio of coffee to milk. Enough for the flavour, but also always a drinkable temperature for them.

At home, we use a Keurig with a refillable k-cup. I make a single cup of decaf coffee, split it between two mugs, and add milk. Since this is 100% decaf, I’ll do a 1:1 ratio. We also add stevia powder at home since they really don’t need a bunch of sugar. On the rare occasions they get sugar, we just stir that in before adding the milk so it dissolves better.

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff is responsible for the content of this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Spin & Seek ABC Game (game review)

Another character favourite is looking to be a favourite game for your little ones, only this time it's one of Eric Carle's characters! A family favourite recognized almost everywhere: The Very Hungry Caterpillar!! 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Spin & Seek ABC Game by Briarpatch (University Games) is geared towards the younger game-playing crowd, this game focuses on letter recognition for both uppercase and lowercase letters.

Character piece choices

The set up of the game is pretty easy. The players can choose one of 4 Eric Carle characters to be their playing piece, the cards are spread out on the floor to be visible, and you spin the spinner to determine how far you move.

There are two cards for each letter: 1 uppercase, 1 lowercase. In the example above, you can see that the letters are both the same colours, regardless of case (so both A cards will have a red A, both C cards will have a green C, etc.). This is identical to the representation on the game board to help with identification. To further assist identification, all lowercase letter cards are bordered with a blue line, and all upper case cards have an orange border. The backside of the cards show an example of a word that starts with that letter (same for both cases).

So everyone picks a character, the cards are spread out image side up (i.e. bear -- you know, opposite of what I did above... I'll get to this), and everyone is ready to go, so you spin the spinner!

You can choose to move the number of spaces shown on the spinner (in the above case, 3 spaces), or you can move to the next space with a BIG or little letter as indicated in the outside ring of the spinner (above case would be BIG letter). This is beneficial if someone just landed on the space 3 ahead of you, but 1 ahead of you was a BIG letter not yet snagged!

Bobble moving his piece

Now you may notice that I separated the lower case letters from the upper case letters in the picture above. This is not suggested in the instructions, but since Squiggle doesn't recognize most letters (unless they are in her name), I thought it would help her to have the lower case on one side and the upper case on the other. As she gets better at the letter recognition, I plan to mix them all up. 

You may also notice that, contrary to the instructions I mentioned earlier, I have the letter side up instead of the image side up. This is specifically to benefit Squiggle, as she doesn't know her alphabet, or sounds. Image side up would be more challenging for Bobble because he would see a train before he paid attention to the top of the card that said "little t", and he might think of the sound and associate with a letter that way. Since Squiggle is so new to letters, however, he obliged us in playing the "easy way" to help her learn.

When you move to a space, you have to find the image card that matches that letter, and it must be the proper case. If you land on the BIG B, you cannot select the little b card. If you select a wrong card, the card is put back down the next person gets to go. If you land on an space that someone already got a card from, you can spin and move again. If you land on an space that someone guessed incorrectly on (so they are there, but the card hasn't been taken), you may share a space.

The game ends when all players reach FINISH. The player with the most cards wins (ties result in more than one winner). 

The kids liked it so much, they insisted on playing again before bed! To make it a little more challenging for Bobble, we mixed up the upper and lower case letters.

 
What I love about this game is that you can alter the play to accommodate the skill level of the child(ren) playing. For Squiggle, she needs to just see the letters as she starts learning, but we always flip over the card to show the image and say what it is and what sound it makes. That usually sounds like, "B. Bear. Buh-buh-bear. Bear starts with the letter B!" As her letter recognition improves, the cases will be mixed up

As letter recognition improves, mixing the letters will help her

For someone like Bobble who knows his letters and sounds really well and is just starting to read, the image side is great. It encourages letter recognition coupled with sound recall, and also helps learn to spell/read as they see the word spelled out on the card.

The only thing I don't like about the game isn't actually an issue with this specific game at all, so much as an issue with any game with cardboard pieces that slide into a tiny plastic stand:

With young children, they get ruined quickly. Bent, ripped, you name it. We made it a household rule (...that never seems to be followed, of course) that you always leave the base on the pieces and they will be stored that way to prevent things like the above from happening. Of course, you could also just put a bit of tape around the bottom before putting it on the base. I'm sure that would help too!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Spin & Seek ABC Game is a great choice for an emerging reader or young preschooler. This game can be purchased for around $15, making it a fun, educational, and budget-friendly gift for any occasion. Be sure to check out Areyougame.com for this game, and many other great games!

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was sent this product for review. This did not influence my opinion of the game at all. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.