MumsTheWurdUnique finds for hip parents and cool kids

And that would mean, we’ve started making our lists, and checking them twice…What do you want for Christmas?  How about your little ones or your baby?  Not sure?  Why make it too hard on yourself?  We know you’re busy!  Here’s a few ideas to help you out.  Everything on this list has withstood the test of all the members of my family, and they all get the Noel & Lennon, Elliott & Laura Seal of Approval-ENJOY!*

Unique Boutiques!

Munchkin Designs

Munchkin Designs offers paper goods & gifts.  Check the Fabulous Gifts section for a 12 Days of Christmas Celebration!  Get this shirt, or one for the holidays!  Lots more to see at this awesome little boutique!

Bee Simple

Bee Simple has adorable shirts like this cute “Go Green“, not to mention loads of lotions, balms, and chai!  Load up all your favorite people with wonderful, earth-friendly, hand-made products from Bee Simple!

 Prosh Wear

Need a mommy calling card?  Baby blanket?  Recipe cards?  This unique boutique is every new mom’s one stop shop!

nonny & boo

Our favorite sling store now carries all sorts of fun treats!  Clothes, plushies, and, of course, the amazing slings and wraps.  Check all the awesome eco products too!   Get 15% off + FREE SHIPPING on purchases over $50 with the Coupon Code MUMS from now until Dec. 23, 2008.

Umbrella Shoppe

Is there a collector in your life?  Visit The Umbrella Shoppe to find that Brady Bunch Novella for your quirky aunt!  Want your kid to have that Wonderbug coloring book you used to have?  Chances are, you’ll find it under the umbrella.

Fun & Games (and MAYBE a contest or two)!

eeBoo

eeBoo has some of the most fanciful games and toys I’ve seen.  I just love the style, and we love our robot game!

“eeBoo is about producing beautiful, useful and well-made products for children.

Using only the original art of well-known and well-loved children’s book illustrators we create vibrantly original toys and gifts that hopefully children will affectionately remember.”

WIN IT!  Win a Build A Robot Game for your munchkin!  Enter HERE and tell us your favorite childhood game!  Contest runs through 12/10/08, 10 PM CST.

Briarpatch

Briarpatch has tons of games, puzzles, and card games!  Find something for any age!

Learning Tower

We absolutely love our Learning Tower.  Noel probably uses this every single day.  He enjoys helping with the cooking, and standing in the safe Learning Tower, he is as high up as I am, in a contained, secure way!  It doubles as a playhouse too!  Now, add the latest addition to the Learning Tower-the art easel.  Just look how fun it is!  This magnetized dry-erase/chalkboard is a huge hit!

WIN IT!  Win a Learning Tower & Art Easel!  Enter HERE and tell us how you’d use the Learning Tower!  Contest runs through 12/10/08, 10 PM CST.

Fun for the Whole Fam Damiy:

Nintendo Wii

Let me preface this by saying that I am NOT a video game person.  Pac Man is about as advanced as I get, so the Wii has never intrigued me too much.  That is, until I started hearing about it ad nauseam from everyone on the planet.  I had to see what the fuss was all about…and we’re here to tell you, the Wii is so. much. fun!  The big buzz around the Wii is that it will get you moving, instead of sitting like a slug watching TV or playing video games.  It does!  We love the Sports package that’s included with the system a ton.  Play tennis for 30 minutes, and you’ll wake up sore in the morning!  BUY A Wii!

The other “game” that we have enjoyed is the Wii Fit.  In this, you actually work out-jogging, hula-hoop (my personal fave), snowboarding, yoga, and so much more.  The fit also helps you learn to balance, weighs you, shows you your BMI, weight, etc.  For a “game” the Wii Fit is really amazing!  BUY A Wii FIT!

The littler ones will enjoy playing baseball with Mario Super Sluggers.  This is another great way to keep your kids busy when it’s too cold (or in our case, sometimes, too hot!) to play outside.  BUY MARIO SUPER SLUGGERS! 

EPSON Artisan 800

I’ve never gotten too excited about a printer…until now.  This printer can print coloring pages, scan, improve faded pictures, fax, print better than lab quality photos, and more.  I am honestly amazed at the quality of the photos…see for yourself.  This all-in-one from Epson is it.  For more information about the Artisan 800, please click here.

*Image borrowed from this site!

Olive Kids is a wonderful one-stop shop to get anything and everything for your little tyke’s room.  Bedding, floor pillows, and wall art are just a few of the many items they have to offer!  We love Olive Kids, and want you to be some of the first to experience one of their newest items: The Personalized Canvas Art! 

Enter here, and tell us which theme you would pick. Winner will be chosen randomly and contacted via email Sunday, November 23rd.  Good luck & THANKS for being fans of MumsTheWurd!  Keep your eyes peeled, because FOUR more giveaways will go up TODAY!!!!

Here’s what we’ve got, fellas and drellas!  Win a pair of shoes for the little set!  Just going on the See Kai Run website makes me smile.  Their selection of shoes is just too darling!  Now, here’s a chance for you all to smile when you see your toddler walking around in these adorable shoes!  Five winners will be chosen for this contest!!  Please give us your preference of style-we will try our best to accommodate!  The sizes are all as listed below. 

Jake -  0-6 mo.

Monica - 6-9 mo.

Elaine - 6 Toddler

Julie (**These are in PINK!!!***)- 7 Toddler

Paul - 6 Toddler

Let us hear from you!  Enter here, and tell us your style preference. Winner will be chosen randomly and contacted via email Sunday, November 23rd.  Good luck & THANKS for being fans of MumsTheWurd!  Lots more to come!

Mums & Dads!  MumsTheWurd! would not be where it is today without you guys, our loyal readers!  As we get closer to the holidays where we celebrate giving thanks, want to say THANK YOU with a bunch of giveaways!  We’ll have a new giveaway EVERY DAY this week!  All of the giveaways listed today through Saturday will be chosen on Sunday (November 23rd, 2008) at 10 PM CST!  Every day that you enter will give you another entry into ALL the contests, so be sure to enter EVERY DAY!

I’m sure you’ve all heard of One Step Ahead, right?  Well, get over there and check out all of the amazing toys, safety gear, clothing, and more, that they have to offer.  I’ve looked, and yearned for items from One Step Ahead before I even had kids.  That’s how great it is!  We love our Animal Crackers Giant Stacking Toy, and we want you to love it too!  Here’s the skinny on this cool toy:

Kids will go crackers for our giant critter stacker! Terrific play value: more than a towering, stacking toy, it’s a menagerie of plush animal pals. Squeeze ‘em, stack ‘em, shake ‘em — each piece is a toy in itself, with different sounds and textures to explore. Great for coordination; outstanding quality. A whopping 18″H, for bigger stacking fun! For newborns and up. Imported.  

Now through December 7th, save 15% on orders of $85 or more, with the coupon code: BLOGSAVE at One Step Ahead!

Of course, you all know LeapFrog, and if you don’t, you have no idea what your kids are missing out on!  LeapFrog has learning toys for all ages, from babies to teenagers!  We have a crazy amount of LeapFrog toys-they ALL get used, and often!  If a toy can help teach my kids, I’m all for it, and these do-every single one.  Some of our favorite items are the Learn & Groove series, the Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo, the Click Start My First Computer, and the Tag Reading System. 

Here’s your chance to win the Animal Crackers Giant Stacking Toy, the Learn & Groove Maracas, and the Tag Reading System!  Let us hear from you!  Enter here, and tell us about your children’s favorite learning toys. Winner will be chosen randomly and contacted via email Sunday, November 23rd.  Good luck & THANKS for being fans of MumsTheWurd!  Lots more to come!

U*neaks are such a cute idea for a kids shoe!  It brings me back to the early days of the 80s, when I wore my Roos, except these are actually cool.  U*Neaks are a simple sneaker, but then you add the darling, dual sided socks, and voila!  They turn into a different pair of shoes with every change of socks!  They are soooooo cute!  

Noel’s little Camel Revs are so adorable, with or without the super cute socks.  Roo’s got a pair too, but she refuses to wear the socks. However, these socks totally liven up the shoe-Change the Sock, Change the Shoe!  Fun, huh?  The socks aren’t dull either-find Skulls & Extreme Sportsfor boys, or Zebras & Leopards for girls.  There are many selections of shoes and socks for both boys and girls.  

Interested in livening up your child’s shoe & sock collection?

Win it!

Enter here and tell us how you enjoy getting exercise with your kids! Winner will be selected randomly, and contacted via email. Contest ends November 3rd at 10pm (CST).

Have you noticed that we have another new Mum?  Jaymi, better known as FlipFlopMamma, has joined the awesomeness that is MumsTheWurd!  She is the bomb.  Welcome her!  Jaymi is another babywearing mamma of 3 cool kids that you’ll see from time to time on Mums.  

While we’re on the topic of babywearing, I have to tell you about the pouch from Rockin’ Baby Sling!  Well, first of all, they’re gorgeous!  Secondly, all the pouches and slings are named after songs, and really good songs, at that!  Check their huge selection of slings and pouches.  You are bound to find one that suits your style!  My issue with the pouch has always been that it seems to snug.  Not the Rockin’ Baby Pouch-these slings are generously sized.  My Medium/Large “I’ll Stop the World and Melt With You” fits me on the smallest setting for carrying Lennon, and on the biggest size for carrying Noel (it’s happened a couple times).  Like a sling, this pouch allows you to hold your baby in a variety of ways.  Find a way that is comfortable for both you, and your child, and start babywearing!  Want another reason to buy from these two Rockin’ Mamas?  They give 3% of their profits to Heifer International.

Do you enjoy babywearing, but find that it takes time away from doing certain things, like exercising (as if hauling around your baby isn’t exercise enough…)?  Well, the gals at Chicks-n-Chickens found a way to make it easy for you to get a little workout in while cuddling on your little bundle.  The Chicks Lullaby Exercises is a great way to get a little exercise for yourself, keep your baby close, and get them ready to nod off to dreamland.  I’ve done Lullaby Exercises with Lennon a few times, and it was pretty great.  It was a fun workout, without being too over the top.  I really enjoyed the sleep set, which was very relaxing, and did indeed put Lennon right to sleep!  Want to try it?  

Win it!

Enter here and tell us how you enjoy getting exercise with your kids! Winner will be selected randomly, and contacted via email. Contest ends October 26rd at 10pm (CST).

Just a contest, that’s all!  Win The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything DVD or DVD & Prize Pack!  Thanks, Big Honco Media!  Hailey gives this movie two thumbs up!

VEGGIE TALES

THE PIRATES WHO DON’T DO ANYTHING

DVD & PIRATE PRIZE PACK GIVEAWAY

PRIZES!:

One (1) Grand Prize Winner receives:

• Copy of the new DVD
• Sticker Pack
• Inflatable Sword
• Movie Poster

Four (4) Runners up receive:

• Copy of the new DVD

 Begins TODAY!    

End on November 3rd, 12 AM CST.  Enter HERE and tell us your favorite kid’s movie!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE RELEASE:

Set Sail for Adventure!

This year’s big screen hit comes to DVD! Join the comic misadventures of a boatload of Veggie pals who reluctantly set sail for adventure and discover what it really means to be a hero!

The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything is coming to DVD October 14th!

For more information visit these links:

http://www.veggiepirates.com/

http://bigidea.com/products/shows/shows_content.aspx?pid=684

K’nex weren’t something I was familiar with before I had kids, but I always thought they’d be something I’d want to get for our boys…in the future.  They definitely seemed like an “older kids” toy, with their models of vehicles and thrill rides.  Well, now K’nex are finally available for smaller children!  You don’t have to wait too long to help your little one learn building skills.  We’ve also been excited to have the opportunity to share one of our favorite childhood shows with our kids-Sesame Street!  

Noel has been having a great time building “Oska“.  He puts him together every day.  I was amazed that he was able to do it so easily, with a little help.  He knew where to put the arms and legs, and how to make his “body”.  We love Oscar!  

If your kids are fans of Sesame Street, you’re sure to find the perfect K’nex Sesame Street Character for them.  With seven to choose from, including Ernie, Bert, Abby, and Super Grover, there’s one for everyone!  

Want one of your own??

WIN IT!

Sesame Street K’nex

Click HERE to enter and tell us which Sesame Street character is your favorite. Contest ends Friday, October 10rd at 10 PM CST. Winner will be chosen randomly and notified via email. Good Luck!!

Thanks, TeamMom, for another great find!

Need a little something for YOU, mama??  Then pamper yourself with Bella il Fiore.  It’s an awesome, boutique-driven line of cosmetics, bath & body, and boudoir.  Jennifer Maloy is the creator of this lovely little line of products (not to mention, she’s married to a rockstar and songwriter!).  Bella’s got something for everyone, whether you do yourself up every day, or throw on a little mascara and gloss.  Need to chill?  Relax with some yummy bath products, and slip into a pretty nightie.

Bella’s received a TON of attention-people love this stuff-including the Mums!  The Private Eye Mascara & Kiss Me Now Gloss are some of our favorites!  Wanna know what Jennifer’s faves are in her collection?  Listen to our conversation with her on MumsCast!  Jennifer’s super cool-we love her & we love Bella il Fiore!

Want a little Bella for yourself?

WIN IT!

Bella il Fiore Beauty Favorites

Click HERE to enter and tell us what is your “can’t live without it” makeup product. Winner will be chosen randomly and notified via email on October 15th, 2008. Good Luck!!

Don’t forget to listen to our MumsCast & check out our Contests Page for a list of ALL of our contests!

*Original ParentSphere post (giveaway info for MTW readers below!)

As a parent of a young child, I know how important it is to watch for a rising temperature. When my daughter was just about 5 months old, she became very ill with Rotavirus (severe flu-like symptoms and diarrhea). We were taking her temperature every half hour to forty-five minutes. Believe me, when you have a very sick child, like she was, inserting a rectal thermometer into her very tiny and sore little bottom was no picnic. I wish I would have had a thermometer like this two and a half years ago.

Now with the Exergen TemporalScanner, it’s so easy to check her temperature with just a swipe of her forehead. Of course I was skeptical at first but in time, found out first-hand that it does work, as we have used it a number of times. Here is some more information on the scanner:

The TemporalScanner Thermometer is a totally non-invasive system with advanced infrared technology providing maximum ease of use with quick, consistently accurate measurements. Advanced, patented technology measures temperatures with a gentle stroke across the forehead.

The TemporalScanner Thermometer has been clinically tested for accuracy compared to rectal thermometers and temperature sensors inserted in the heart during course of patient treatment and accepted for use in major hospitals, making it the ideal thermometer for use with newborns, infants, children or adults.

The TemporalScanner has patented software, providing arterial heat balance. This unique process determines temperature by accurately measuring the balance between the tissues warming from arterial blood and tissues cooling (warming) caused by heat loss (gain) to the environment.

*The above three paragraphs were taken from the Exergen website.

Anyone with a young child knows how hard it is to get them to agree to have their temperature taken or to take medicine, for that matter. My husband and I sat down with our little girl and we each used the TemporalScanner on each other, so she could see how easy, quick and painless it was. Now, she ocassionally asks for us to take her temperature. I like products that make this job easier!

WIN IT!

We’re giving away one EXERGEN TemporalScanner to an MTW reader.  To enter, leave a comment on this post (comment section below).  Winner will be chosen randomly.  Last day to enter giveaway is Friday, September 26th. The winner will be notified via email the morning of the 27th (check your spam folder!) and we will update this post after the winner has been chosen.

Good luck!

*Double your chances - head over to ParentSphere.net and enter there too!