MumsTheWurdUnique finds for hip parents and cool kids

Sugarplum Dreams is a very lovely online boutique offering everything you could think of for your little one. From Lotions and Potions to Baby and Children’s furniture they’re bound to be a boutique that you have bookmarked. At Sugarplum Dreams you’ll be able to outfit and decorate your baby and your nursery. But don’t stop there! Have older children? Sugarplum Dreams hasn’t left them out. There are tons of imagination building, educational and just plain fun toys!

Not only do they have an extremely wide selection of items for your baby, but they are all about building relationships. They Strive for excellent customer service and welcome all inquiries, from questions about your purchase to potty training, they want to be there to support you in your motherhood journey.

Don’t miss out! Right now through December 31st get 15% off all purchases $50 or more using the code: MUMS15.

Nana Star and the Moonman is the follow-up story and song to the first story in the Nana Star series. Ever since the Moonman came into our lives, my little girl has been hooked.  She is now obsessed with the moon and has to look for it every night.  We listen to the Moonman story and song on my iPod every morning on our way to the sitters.  Hailey can sing the accompanying song word for word without missing a beat.  She loves her Moonman lovey and every night we tuck her into bed, we must give Moonman a kiss goodnight. Of course, Nana Star is tucked in right beside both of them.

If that doesn’t show how easy these characters are to love, then I don’t know what does.

The Moonman Lovey is such a sweet little plushy. He plays a snippet of his song and lights up when you push a button on his belly. He definitely became an instant favorite.

In his story, the Moonman gives guidance and assurance to little Nana Star, who becomes afraid as the day turns to night. She is eager to help the baby star return to its home.  It’s a delightful, feel-good story that will surely capture the attention of your child.

We’re highly anticipating the next release in the Nana Star series!

We would like to pass on our sincerest sympathy to the family and friends of the real life Nana Star, Elizabeth Owens, who passed on late this summer.  She will obviously not be forgotten, as her memory lives on in these wonderful stories and products that her daughter and granddaughters have brought to life.

*Dr. Toy’s 100 Best 2008 for Nana Star & the Moonman and Moonman Lovey
Nana Star and the Moonman has been awarded in the Top 10 Best Language/Learning/Math & Reading Readiness product, part of the 2008 Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products list

**Highly recommended this holiday season!

Available through Amazon.com and other online retailers.

Scholastic’s Storybook Treasures is a collection of DVDs that will make you feel slightly less guilty about using the TV for a babysitter. All kidding aside, these DVDs are the closest thing you’ll find to reading aloud. The narration is slow and steady and purposeful, which is very useful to try and coax kids into reading along if you happen to have the book that it is based upon. Luckily, the titles available in Scholastic’s Storybook Treasures series are all tried and true classics. In fact, the laid-back pacing of these adaptations reminds me of the old classroom filmstrips from my youth, the ones that required you to hang on every word until the beep told you to advance the frame. Such a difference from the frenetic style of today’s action-packed cartoons!

We recently received Make Way for Ducklings…and more delightful duck stories. Robert McCloskey’s sweet story of nesting ducks always makes me smile. And Jasper especially likes this DVD since “duck” is one of the words he can say understandably. Lucky for my little duck lover, this extra-long (76 minutes!) disc also features The Story of Ping, The Ugly Duckling, and Angus and the Ducks, as well as two stories that have non-duck birds in central roles.

If you have a dog lover, Harry the Dirty Dog…and more playful puppy stories may be more your style. There are six canine-centric tales on this 73 minute DVD. Roo loves the one about Harry trying to lose his new sweater from grandma.

The Storybook Treasures DVD I enjoyed most was Where the Wild Things Are…and 5 more stories. I have long been a Maurice Sendak fan and the title story is one of my all-time favorite childrens books. There is also an adaptation of In the Night Kitchen, and I am pleased to report that Mickey’s nethers are unretouched here. (I can’t believe that some libraries censor or remove this book for full frontal nudity… geez, it’s called a penis and half the world has ‘em, right?) The other fantastic thing about this collection is the inclusion of the Nutshell Library. I love reading these to Roo and Jasper, but I must admit that the Carole King versions pretty much blow me away. Duh. I vaguely remember these songs from my youth; they were part of the Really Rosie LP. I wish I still had that! 

WIN IT!

Where the Wild Things Are…and 5 more stories (four winners!)

Click HERE to enter and tell us which childhood literary classic you would like to see turned into a Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD. Contest ends Saturday, October 18th at 10 PM CST. Winner will be chosen randomly and notified via email. Good Luck!!

I can’t believe that I read this book TEN years ago. Seems like a lifetime! I was only 22 when I first read Harry Potter. My husband actually recommended it to me. I was hooked! I don’t care if it makes me a dork. Harry Potter is COOL. And once again, I find myself a decade older, celebrating that Harry Potter is turning 10! If any of you out there are Potter geeks like me, you will be psyched about this contest!!! Yes, I said psyched.

WIN IT!

One (1) Grand Prize

• Complete Box Set Books #1 - #7
• Copy of the 10^th Anniversary Edition of ‘Sorcerer’s Stone’
• Collectible Harry Potter Gold Pin
• valued at $195

Four (4) Runners Up

• Copy of the 10^th Anniversary Edition of ‘Sorcerer’s Stone’
• Collectible Harry Potter Gold Pin
• Each copy valued at $30

Contest Starts today, 9/12, and will end on October 13th at 11:59 CST.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER, and tell us what your favorite Harry Potter book is.  Winners will be chosen randomly and notified via email.

This beautiful collectible edition has been produced in celebration of the 10th anniversary of HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, in stores September 23rd.  It features the following:

• New Jacket artwork by Mary GrandPré
• Additional four-color frontispiece artwork from Mary GrandPré
• Two pages of special content from J.K. Rowling
• Full cloth case with gold stamping

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE

The wickedly funny debut novel from master storyteller J.K. Rowling tells the story of Harry Potter who, having endured 11 miserable years with his hideous aunt and uncle, is invited on his 11th birthday to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  There he learns of his distinguished wizard pedigree—and his frightening destiny.

Thanks to Big Honcho Media and Scholastic for hosting this great giveaway!  Go enter!

I don’t really remember life before Nana Star. Seriously. This book and all of the magic surrounding it has consumed our family. Even my husband! Actually, he doesn’t have a choice in the matter. We are true Nana Star fans (or “Twinkles”, if you will) and it didn’t take long for that to happen.

As soon as my toddler got her little hands on the Nana Star plush doll and attentively listened to me read her the story of a little girl in a blue princess dress, she was hooked. Ever since that day, the accompanying book and narrated story/song cd that came with the doll has been played continuously at naptime and bedtime. I even had to go so far as to loop the cd in her player, because she would keep getting out of bed to replay it.

In the story of Nana Star, a little girl finds a lost baby star. The little girl (aka Nana Star) pledges to help the little baby star find his way home, to the heavens above. When I read this book to my toddler, I see her get lost in the story and virtually put herself in the shoes of the little girl.

The authors of the Nana Star book series, Elizabeth Sills and Elena Patrice (”ee publishing”), are granddaughters of the real life Nana Star, Elizabeth Owens. What a wonderful way to preserve and share their grandmother’s special story. This is one of the most enjoyable children stories I’ve read yet.

*Our readers can enjoy a discount of 10% off the already discounted combination price for any plush and book together until 7/31/08. Just enter code “mum10” at checkout.

WIN IT!

We are thrilled to be able to offer our readers a giveaway! One lucky reader will have a chance to win a Nana Star plush doll and book combination (MSRP: $38)

TO ENTER:

Leave your entry comment on this post. Let us know if you have any special stories from your childhood that you’ve passed along to your children or grandchildren. Don’t worry if you don’t, you can still enter. Deadline to enter is Friday, July 18 at midnight (PST). A winner will be chosen at random (not based on comment) and notified via email.

Good luck!

Reading is something we really enjoy at our house. In fact, I’ve often times contemplated hosting storytime at a local coffee house. In all of my spare time…right?

I digress. My toddler is a big fan of storytime before bedtime and if that’s what it takes to get her settled in, then we’re all for it.

The new children’s book, “Joy is the Greatest Gift” is an exceptionally lovely story to read to girls and boys (age-range of about 2 to 9 yrs.). The inspirational story is told by Joyann, the main character in the book. She talks about all of the things that she is joyful and happy about. The message that author Lisa Rey Marks conveys is a good one: Be thankful for the simple things in life. Nothing else will bring you greater joy. To that I say, “Amen, sister!”

The artwork in this hardcover book is so colorful and whimsical. This is one of the first things that caught my eye. My toddler is especially fond of the “kitty”, who makes an appearance throughout the story. I think he reminds her of our cat, only, about 18 lbs. lighter.

When you visit the Focus Friends website, you’ll notice they also sell framed art of select scenes from the book.

WIN IT!

We have one copy of “Joy is the Greatest Gift” to give away to a lucky MTW reader (MSRP: $16.99)! To enter, leave a comment on this post and let us know what brings you joy (Ok, you may think that sounds cheesy but really, can you name just one thing?). My joyful things are my childhood memories. I can always look back and smile when I think about my childhood.

The contest ends Friday, July 18th at midnight (PST).  A winner will be chosen randomly (not based on comment) and notified via email.

Good luck!

It’s out on the shelves now and Tag! You’re it! It’s time to head out to your nearest LeapFrog product retailer and pick up this brand new, sensational reading tool…for the kids of the next generation.

I’m still amazed at how far technology has come even in the past five or so years. I sit and watch my toddler run this over-sized pen along a sentence in the accompanying book and it actually READS the story to her. She taps a word on a page and the pen SAYS the word. Pretty fantastic, in my opinion.

The Tag is quite easy to set up and use. Load the software onto your computer (disc included/Mac and PC compatible), connect the Tag to your computer via USB (cord provided) and follow a few simple instructions to load the books onto the pen-like reading device. The Ozzie and Mack book (our favorite) comes with your Tag. You can also connect the Tag to your computer and use it online at LeapFrog’s Learning Path.

“The Tag Reading System is the first handheld learn-to-read technology that interacts directly with real books. Audio for the stories, as well as the fun-filled games and activities spread throughout the pages, offers early readers an entirely new and captivating reading experience. By simply touching the Tag reader anywhere on any page of a Tag-enabled book, children can bring their favorite stories to life, easily skipping from page to page or book to book.“

So, we’re totally digging this new product and highly recommend picking one up for your kiddo or purchasing one as a gift for someone. The Tag retails around $50 dollars and can be found at most major retailers that carry LeapFrog products. Additional accessories for the reading system, like books, retail around $14/ea. There are quite a few books in the LeapFrog library to choose from right now. I can’t wait to pick up more!

WIN IT!

Of course, we’d love to give THREE of our loyal readers a LeapFrog Tag Reading System! Shucks, isn’t that swell?

TO ENTER:

Leave your entry comment on this post and let us know which of the books made especially for the Tag Reading System your child would love. Click HERE to browse the LeapFrog library.

This giveaway ends on Wednesday, July 9th. Three winners will be chosen randomly (not based on comment) and notified via email. After winner’s confirmations, we will update this post with the winner’s names. Bloggers and non-bloggers are welcome to enter.

Good luck!

PS: I highly recommend checking out the live Tag Demo by clicking HERE and scrolling down the left-side of the page to “Try the Tag Demo”.

My toddler, Hailey, using Tag on her new Tag Cars “Tractor Tipping” book:

*Update: Congratulations to our winners: Carolyn N., Marlene, Ana, Mel B. and Beth, our winners of the Little Scholastic Summer Reading Goodie Bag giveaway.  Thanks to all who entered!

We have a teamed up with Little Scholastic to bring you a pretty fantastic Summer Reading Goodie Bag giveaway. Read on to learn more about Little Scholastic:

“From the most trusted name in learning comes Little Scholastic, a developmental publishing program that introduces reading to babies and toddlers ages birth to three years. Each book features rhyming, repetitive, or predictable text, interactive components, and familiar subjects—all formatted to delight babies, toddlers, and parents. Visit www.littlescholastic.com for expert advice and articles, parenting tips, book information, and more!”

The Summer Reading Goodie Bag Prize Package includes:

• A Summer Tote
• 5 Book Titles: Peek-a-Zoo, Star, Numbers, Petting Farm &Twinkle Twinkle Panda

Perfect to bring along to the beach, pool or picnic!

TO ENTER:

Leave your entry comment on this post. In your comment, let us know if you have a favorite summer read - could be a kid’s book or a book for yourself. We’ll compile your comments and post them on our site or in our weekly newsletter.

FIVE MTW readers will be chosen randomly (not based on entry comment subject matter) and notified via email. This giveaway ends on Monday, July 14th. We will announce the winners on our site after receiving confirmation.

Good luck!

I’ve always loved to read, and I’ve always wanted my children to develop a love for reading early. Noel has already begun to show a lot of interest in books, which is awesome.
Last summer, I told you about a set of DVDs that we received; Your Baby Can Read! Well, unfortunately we were not persistent with the DVDs (but Noel does recognize a few words thanks to this set, so I know with some gumption, we would have a little reader on our hands). Now, Your Baby Can Read! offers books to go along with each DVD. The great thing about these books is that the pages are water & TEAR proof (why don’t they do this with all kids books??)!! The Lift-a-Flap Books show a word, then the correlating object behind the flap. Within a couple days of having these and looking at them, Noel could pick out the right words when we’d ask him. I am convinced that these books and DVDs do work. We’re going to start over with the DVDs and see what happens.

Another book we received will help steer your child in the direction of green living early. My Bag and Me shows how even the littlest among us can help protect the Earth by doing something as simple as bringing your own bag to the grocery store. This book includes a pint-sized bag just for your child! Check out Penton Overseas for more great choices for kids.

Who doesn’t want their children to develop early literacy skills?

“Kutoka Interactive’s new edutainment software game, Mia Reading: The Bugaboo Bugs!. The DVD-ROM, for the PC and Mac, is an adventure targeted at children five to nine that focuses on literacy skills with lots of fun games and activities.

The software delivers exceptional quality and incredible graphics that are delivered in HD. Mia Reading is one of a very small number of completely original titles — not based on a movie, television show or licensed character, and it is one of a small number of educational software titles released each year.”

WIN IT!

Kutoka is giving away the Bugaboo Bugs to one lucky winner! Email “Bugaboo Contest” to mumsthewurd[at]gmail[dot]com for your chance to win. Winner will be randomly drawn on May 5th at 5 PM CST. Again, this software is geared toward children aged 5-9. To learn more about the various software available from Kutoka, visit their website! Good luck!