Summer is just around the corner and that means trips to the park, lawn parties, family gatherings and other events. I love taking cupcakes to our summer events because of the ease of transporting. This looks like a yummy recipe book! Click Here to grab a FREE copy of American Family’s Top 12 Incredible Cupcakes eBook from Southern Living!
Earlier I posted a review for My First Crayola, well now you have a chance to win some of the items I reviewed! 
The winner will receive one of each of the following:
The giveaway is now live and will close on 5/23 at 12:01am EST.
Disclosure: The information, products, coupon, video and additional My First Crayola™ gift pack was provided by Crayola® and Cheerios through MyBlogSpark.
I was recently given the opportunity to review several products from Crayola’s line My First Crayola. I thought maybe there’d be some great goodies for our 22 month old since the product line items we received were geared for 12 and 24 months old. Plus, maybe we’d come away with more ideas for activities while the old siblings are working on school.
I wasn’t disappointed and neither was our little guy. He must have felt like Christmas (or his birthday) came early! Our box of goodies arrived right as we were coming down with a nasty bug so for the last 1.5 weeks, all the kids have been wanting to peek in the Crayola box.
We received:
My First Crayola™ Washable Crayons – We tried these first and he loved them. The shapes are adorable and the grip size is perfect for little hands to grasp while coloring. The crayons are in a rectangular shape and can be easily adjusted (by an adult) to either pop more crayon out or retract it back into the animal body.
My First Crayola™ Washable Markers – Next we tried the markers. These are very similar to the crayons in that they have the same large grip area so it’s easy for little ones to grasp. My little guy loved these! And apparently I missed capturing him using the markers.
My First Crayola™ Washable Stampers – Not only did my little guy LOVE these but I did too! lol I think these are the cutest things and so easy. They have the same large grip like the crayons and markers so once again, an easy hold for a little person. I love that these are self-inking. You don’t have to mess with ink pads. The little stamp retracts inside the animal whenever you remove pressure from it. He had so much fun with these and I later discovered a few stamps in other places. lol Good thing they’re washable!
My First Crayola™ Washable Dry-Erase Activity Mat – After having fun with the crayons, markers and stampers, it was time to try the Dry-Erase Activity Mat. This was another favorite for our little guy. It’s really quite simple and I love the fact that you can reuse and reuse without wasting paper because of the ‘dry-erase’ effect.
The board opens up like a book and inside are two clear plastic slots (see image below). The Activity Mat comes with a variety of pages and you can just change them out as the child gets board. You can either store them behind the picture he’s coloring or you can store them in the second slot.
I colored the rainbow and the mountain so that there’d be more color to demonstrate how well the dry-erase works. (Before)
(After) You can see that it cleans up perfectly. If the child colors off the plastic and onto the board, it doesn’t come off completely but it still fades. (The board comes with the cloth needed to erase the crayons). Once you’re done with the board and ready to put it away, there is a plastic pouch on the back of the board that stores the crayons and cloth so you’re ready to go for the next time without having to find everything you need.
My First Crayola™ Washable Triangular Crayons (no image) – Next came more crayons. I love the triangular shape. My little guy had such an easy time holding them and coloring. (The drawing is courtesy of his older brother lol).
My First Crayola™ Washable Musical Rub-Art Station – This was probably the least interesting item to my little guy. It was the hardest for him to attempt and he lost interest in it quickly after he tried it. In fact, he never could really grasp what he was suppose to do. The age on it says 24 months but I it would probably be more suited for a 3 year old. My other children LOVED it and figured it out right away, it was just a little to complicated for my little guy. The concept is great, though, and the sounds are cute. I wasn’t able to get a good picture of him trying to use it as he was just too quick to lose interest. lol
My First Crayola™ Mess-Free Markers & Paper – Who doesn’t love mess-free markers? Or mess-free anything for that matter! We’ve used similar products like this before for our older children so I was glad to see something more geared toward little ones. I put the special paper down and handed our little guy the marker and his expression was priceless when he realized that different colors were showing up as he scribbled.
My First Crayola™ Mess-Free Finger Painting – This was our little guy’s absolute favorite. It kept him busy the longest and he caught on right away. He loved dipping his little fingers in the special paint and smearing it on the special paper. It’s nice that a little bit of the paint goes a long way. The paint is also thick so it won’t spill if the bowl is tipped over and it dries fairly quickly. It’s also very easy to clean it off the little hands.
One specially marked box of original Cheerios® cereal – And last but not lease, my kids all LOVE Cheerios. We don’t have them very often but they do make a nice snack. Check your local stores for specially marked boxes to receive 3 coupons off My First Crayola products.
Want to win some of the products listed above? We’ll be having a giveaway starting today so be on the lookout for the post!
Disclosure: The information, products, coupon, video and additional My First Crayola™ gift pack was provided by Crayola® and Cheerios through MyBlogSpark.
Having a baby soon? Enter for a chance to win this beautiful Zen Collection from Fisher-Price! Sweepstakes ends 12/31/12.
Right now you can subscribe to the All You Magazine for only $1.67 per issue (that’s 44% off the cover price) and for a limited time, you will receive two gifts with your subscription! This would be a great Mother’s Day gift or treat yourself!
Coupon Organizer
Store and organize coupons so you never miss a bargain!
101 Money-Saving Tips
Exclusive tips from the editors of ALL YOU
Not only is the All You Magazine full of coupons, they offer tips to stretch your dollar even further, easy-to-make recipes and affordable beauty advice. Order now to receive your two FREE gifts available while supplies last!
Love cooking? Here are some FREE Kindle Edition eCookbooks!
*Please Note: Amazon prices are known to change quickly so please double-check the price before adding the eBook to your cart.*
Twenty-Five Cent Dinners for Families of Six
SMART SCHOOL TIME RECIPES: The Breakfast, Snack, and Lunchbox Cookbook for Healthy Kids and Adults
Dishes & Beverages of the Old South
Thinking about entertaining? Here are some FREE eBooks (Kindle Editions)!
*Please Note: Amazon prices have been known to change quickly so please double-check the price before adding to your cart.*
Savvy Spring Entertaining (Savvy Entertaining)
Party ideas (52 Brilliant Ideas)
Planning for the next school year (’12/’13) is in full swing for many homeschoolers and I thought I would take a few minutes to share one of the ways you can cut back on your curriculum costs. I know selecting our curriculum was a daunting task and if you’re new to homeschooling, you might be feeling overwhelmed with what curriculum to start using.
Plan In Advance – You don’t need to have your lesson plans all laid out before knowing what books you’re going to need. Decide on a curriculum for the following school year, search for it on the internet, write down their suggestions for what you’ll need and what supplements they recommend.
Try Rainbow Resource Center for curriculum ideas. You can request a free catalog through them. It’s about twice as thick as a phone book (1300 pages) and can feel overwhelming at first, but they are the most “One stop shop” I have found so far and their catalog contains reviews which are helpful.
Watch For Sales – Knowing what curriculum you’ll be using and what books you’ll need will allow you to take the time and search for sales. You might get through half the school year and decide you really don’t like the curriculum or it’s not working well for your family. If you don’t spend an arm and a leg on curriculum costs, it will be easier to decide to switch.
Buy Used Over New – If you need workbooks, those obviously need to be new or in new condition (used but not written in), but text books and teacher resource material can often be used and found for a fraction of the cost. Check local used book stores and see if they have a section that might meet your needs and don’t forget to check online sites like:
Join the Club and Swap Books for Free! – PaperBackSwap.com
Craigslist
eBay – Curriculum
ShopGoodWill.com
Go To Curriculum Fairs – If there are other homeschoolers in your area or close by, chances are that there are curriculum fairs in your area. You’ll find both used and new curriculum at the fairs and often, they’ll be so much cheaper. A homeschooling parent may have decided that they don’t like the curriculum they have been using and they’re trying to sell what hasn’t been used.
Curriculum fairs will give you the chance to talk to other homeschoolers about what works/didn’t work for them and will also give you the chance to flip through different curriculums giving you a better idea if it’s going to work for you or not. Be sure to check out Donna Young’s (Surviving) The Curriculum Fair as she offers a few free printables to take with you if you go to a curriculum fair. Look for a Homeschool Convention/Curriculum Fair near you.
Borrow From Friends or Library – When it comes to textbooks or supplemental material, you may not even need to purchase the books. Check with homeschooling friends who have older children. They may have some of the books you need and you can either buy them from them or borrow. Also, check your local library. You never know what might be on their selves for borrowing or in their book sales.
Here are several FREE eBooks! Grab them while you can!
*Please Note: Amazon prices have been known to change quickly so please double-check that the price still says $0 before adding to your cart.*
Cooking Without Measuring: Taste and Approximate Yourself to a Great Dish
Circle of Friends Cookbook 25 Brownie & Bar Recipes
21 Bacon Dessert Recipes That You’ll Wish You Would Have Tried Sooner (Diane’s Desserts Series)
Grandma’s Best Cake Recipes (Grandma’s Best Recipes)
Love Of Cooking: Appetizers (Love of Cooking: Volume I)
Easy Chinese Food In Under 30 Minutes
Enter to win this beautiful “Languages of Mom” Necklace Sweepstakes, just in time for Mother’s Day! Sweepstakes as it ends on Mother’s Day, May 13,2012.
