Gimmees.com

I don't know if any of you have shopped around for promotional giveaway products, but I have, and it's a confusing maze of companies that create and sell them.

I know that when I first made such a purchase last year, I was really nervous. I knew I wanted luggage tags with my name and URL on them, but there were so many options out there and I had no idea which one had decent products because it is impossible to tell from the websites.

I ended up going with www.gimmees.com because they had good prices, an easy-to-use ordering/customizing interface, and let me create exactly what I wanted. So I ordered my luggage tags and I waited, nervous that they would arrive and I would have 250 crappy luggage tags with blurry printing.

But they were awesome! They were thick and sturdy and beautifully created. If you got one last year at BlogHer, you may not have ended up reading Stimeyland, but you might have ended up using the luggage tag because it's so useful.

So this year, I knew that I was going with Gimmees.com. Instead of using their free clip art I uploaded my own art. And color me nervous again, because it seemed like that created a whole slew of things that could go wrong.

Fortunately, Gimmees.com is a great company. They emailed me back (on, like, a Friday night) and told me that my art wasn't vector artwork and that it needed to be and so I could resubmit it as vector artwork (whatever the hell that is) or they could create it for me for $10. Clearly, I had them do it.

As you can tell from the pens at the top, it came out great. I'm assuming that vector artwork means that it's clear, sharp, and doesn't have shades of gray. And not only do the pens look great, they write really well, which I was concerned about. (Who wants eight pounds of pens that stutter across a page?)

If you are ever looking to create some swag, I heartily recommend Gimmees.com. They have a broad selection of products, allow you to create things from their clip art or your own art, and are very fast and responsive to their customers (at least to me).

Honesty Clause: Gimmees.com has no idea who I am. I've paid for everything I've gotten from them. I'm just completely thrilled by them.

Funky Monkey Snacks

We all know that I am on a mission to find nutritious food that my kids will eat. It is not a secret that at least one of my children will not eat anything that has grown out of the ground.

Because of this, I am willing to try out almost anything that has fruit in it and offers a different delivery system that my children might like. I recently tried out Funky Monkey Snacks, which are freeze-dried fruit snacks.

Each one-ounce bag of snacks contains three servings of fruit, not to mention that they are made of 100% real fruit. The snacks are certified organic, are vegan, kosher, and contain no added sugar, preservatives, colors, or flavors. They are also gluten-free.

Funky Monkey Snacks come in four flavors: Bananamon, Carnaval Mix, Jivealime, and Purple Funk. Their tagline is "Fruit that crunches!" and I have to say, they are right. They definitely bring a new texture to fruit. From my completely unscientific survey of children, I have to say that the Bananamon (banana and cinnamon) were by far the most popular. My personal favorite parts were the apple bits in the Carnaval Mix. I've always been a fan of dried apples. Yum.

I have to be honest here. My kids were suspicious of the snacks and all of them refused to try them. But I took the snacks to a large playdate and offered them up to the gang of kids there. They were a big hit with kids who like freeze-dried style food. In fact, we found a family that uses these as treats for Christmas stockings, Easter baskets, and the like.

I think if your child is reluctant to try new food, these may not entice them into a taste, but if you have an adventurous child (or a child who likes freeze-dried snacks), these are a great option for healthy snacking or for packing in lunches.

You can order Funky Monkey Snacks online or find them in select stores.

Honesty Clause: The Funky Monkey people (oh how I wanted to say, "The Funky Monkeys...") sent me a review package of each flavor of their snacks. One-ounce bags of Funky Monkey snacks sell for about $2.50 a bag.

Little Passports

Getting a letter in the mail is a big deal at my house. Getting a package in the mail is an even bigger deal. Whenever one of those brown boxes gets put on our porch, my kids crowd around asking, "What is it? What is it?"

So imagine my kids' delight when they saw that our most recent package was addressed to them. And better yet, it was full of lots of small treasures for them from Little Passports.


The Little Passports concept is a simple one. The fictional Sam (Hey! My son's name is Sam too!) and Sophia find a magic scooter that lets them travel around the world. Each month, they send their friend (your child) a package featuring notes, photos, and little treasures representing the country they have most recently visited.

Along with the contents of the package, each mailing comes with a "boarding pass" that allows your child to access a new section of the Little Passports website each month. That means that every month, there will be new games and puzzles about a specific country for your child to play.


Not only that, but you can follow along on Sam and Sophia's adventures on the world map that comes in the first package. I love maps and love that we now have this beautiful, colorful map on their playroom wall. We'll definitely be using it to learn.


Something good about the company as a whole: Little Passports partners with SOS Children's Villages and the Ubuntu Education Fund to improve the lives of children around the world. A portion of the sale of each subscription is donated to these organizations.

But back to our awesome suitcase of...awesomeness. Inside was a worksheet with word problems. Once solved, they tell you where Sam and Sophia will visit next.


Now, I'm not 100% sure or anything, but I think we'll be reporting on our package next month that will be centered around Brazil.

We can't wait!

Honesty Clause: Little Passports gave me a trial subscription for my kids at no charge. The cost for a monthly Little Passports package is $10.95 a month. Order online.

Too Many Monkeys by Gamewright

Gamewright describes Too Many Monkeys as "A Totally Bananas Card Game," and I'd have to agree. This is a completely silly game in which the object is to go from six face-down cards to one face-up card featuring a sleeping monkey.

That probably sounds confusing. I was confused when I read the instructions the first time. (Although to be fair to the instructions, they say that they were written "by a monkey with a bad sense of humor.")

Once we started playing though, the game became very clear very quickly. I won't go into all the rules here, but it's a very silly game that takes place over several rounds. I really like that because even if every kid doesn't win the whole thing, every kid probably will win a round or two, which makes the game way more fun. No one—not even a monkey with a bad sense of humor—likes a kid who is surly because he didn't win a game.

Once you get into it, the game is really simple and, like every other Gamewright game I've seen, features adorable playing pieces—in this case, cards.



This game, which teaches number sequencing and probability, is intended for kids ages 6 and up. I've played with my kids, one of whom just turned six and one who is almost eight. I put my four-year-old on my team and let him help me. All of them had a great time. Adults will have fun too. This game even turned my physician sister into a silly raccoon-imitating lunatic. Because I'm really kind, I'm not posting that photo here, but it's a good one.

Instead, I'll show you this adorable one of my kids playing the game.


Even though the game takes place over several rounds, it's still pretty fast-moving. I like that this is a card game that doesn't involve kids trying to hold a whole handful of cards. There is a little strategy to the game, but much of it is just luck, and the strategy is intuitive enough that kids pick up on it pretty fast.

And any game that makes my kid this happy is okay by me!


Read my other reviews of Gamewright games: Ring-O Flamingo & Feed the Kitty.

Honesty Clause: Gamewright gave me a review copy of Too Many Monkeys at no charge. Too Many Monkeys sells for $10.99.

Quick Stick SafetyTats

Okay. I have a lot to say about this product, so buckle in. But if you're not interested in reading all the way to the bottom of this post, just know this: I LOVE THESE TATTOOS! I will be buying them in the future. SafetyTat is a great product.

Quick Stick SafetyTats are cute adhesive tattoos you can put on your child and personalize with your cell phone number in case they get lost.

They apply without water, are hypoallergenic and skin safe, are waterproof, and can last (according to the website) for up to two weeks. They come with a special pen to write your phone number on it, or you can get Original SafetyTats customized with your information. (I didn't try the Original SafetyTat, which applies with water and lasts 1-5 days, more like a traditional kids' tattoo.)

I tested these out on both Jack and Quinn, as they are my wanderers. I applied them on their forearms, but you could put one pretty much anywhere and just teach your child to point to it if they are lost. Jack was extremely proud of his and showed it to everyone he could find. (Which is why it's not recommended that you write your child's name on the tatttoo.) Quinn liked his as well.

The two of them each wore one to a Washington Nationals baseball game, which seemed like a pretty good place to have identifying information on my little nomads.


Frankly, Jack should be a sales rep for SafetyTat. I think he helped sell many tattoos at the baseball game and on the Metro.

SafetyTat claims that more than 2000 kids get lost in the U.S. every day. They say that 90% of families will experience losing a child in a public place. I'm horrified to say so, but I lost Quinn once at the mall. It was the most terrifying five minutes of my life. And that was only five minutes in a mall. Can you imagine losing a four-year-old at Nationals Stadium?


SafetyTats won't keep your child from getting lost, and they won't guarantee a safe return, but they might help get your child back faster if they do wander off. And isn't that worth a couple of bucks?

I think these tattoos would be perfect for a vacation because they last so long. Jack has been wearing the same Quick Stick SafetyTat for eight days and, yes, it's a little the worse for wear, but it's still legible and could be read in an emergency. These tattoos stay on through baths, soap, swimming pools, and pretty much anything except peeling them off (kind of like a bandaid).

Sticking strong after a shower!
One of the other great things about this company is all the varieties of tattoos they offer. With different colors and cute pictures featuring everything from dinosaurs and puppies to butterflies and giraffes, you will be able to find one your child loves. They even have tattoos designed to be cool enough for older kids and tweens. (Not all of these styles are available in the Quick Stick variety.)

SafetyTats offers many specialized tattoos, including some in Spanish, medical alert tattoos, tattoos detailing allergies, and special needs tattoos, including tattoos that say, "I have Autism" or "I have non-verbal Autism" or just "non-verbal please call."

I'll be buying more of these SafetyTats not only for our day-to-day outings, but for our vacation in August. My biggest problem with my imminent SafetyTat order is that it is going to be hard to choose which design to pick.

Enjoy them if you decide to buy them, and I genuinely hope that they never get put to use in an emergency by you.

Honesty Clause: SafetyTat sent me two three-packs of Quick Stick SafetyTats to try out at no charge. I used one pack and sort of grudgingly gave one set away to a friend of mine who wants to try them out at Disneyworld. Quick Stick SafetyTats sell at $7.99 for four, $9.95 for six, and $19.95 for 18.

Super Why Educational Activities

It is not a secret that I've always sort of credited Super Why with teaching Jack to read when he was four years old.

Part of his early reading, I think, has to do with the way his brain works, but his spontaneous (and untaught by me) reading coincided with rampant Super Why viewing. Jack is a very visual learner, and I think the show helped him "see" how to read. (I also don't think that all the reading and lap cuddling we did with him hurt.)

It turns out that I may not be so off base in my assertion about Super Why. It turns out that a couple of studies have shown that children reap tangible literacy benefits from Super Why. I'm not saying that you should park your kid in front of the TV and expect them to turn into brainiacs, but if your young child is going to watch TV, you could certainly do worse than this very fun show.

I went to a presentation a while back featuring Angela Santomero, the creator, executive producer, and head writer of Super Why (she's also the woman behind Blue's Clues) and I was actually really surprised at the amount of thought that goes into making PBS Kids' shows. She walked us through the process that goes into each episode and how they consider a reading curriculum and how kids learn when they're putting together their stories. It was fascinating. And it inspired trust in me.

PBS sent us home from the presentation with a backpack full of goodies, including materials they use at five-day Super Why Reading Camps that local PBS stations host for kids. You can find all these materials if you scroll down a little on this website page. They're set up so you can have a few activities each day, resulting in some improved literacy skills by week's end.

My kids and I spent a day last week doing some of the activities, and we had a great time. All three of my kids were eager to participate, which is unusual for them. The activities are fun, and centered around Super Why's Three Little Pigs episode (also available on this page), but definitely reinforce reading skills related to specific sounds and letters.

I think our favorite was an activity that had my kids taping letters to things in the room that started with certain letters.

Jack had the cutting honors.

"I" was for, well, it was for "I".
And that Star Wars toy evidently starts with an "A". All three kids agreed.

"B" stands for Brain.
"B" also stands for Blurry, but I liked the concept, so you get the blurry photo.

There were many other activities and worksheets, all of which were fun and engaging.


We got a Super Why puzzle with hidden words inside it when we attended the presentation. Sam found all the words.

What I'm trying to say here is that if your kid is going to watch TV and you have access to PBS Kids, give Super Why a try. It's probably better for your kid than other, non-educational shows. For a little extra reinforcement, check out some of the online activities as well. Additional Super Why activities are available here.

Honesty Clause: When we left the Super Why presentation and luncheon, each attendee received a backpack filled with materials and some other fun stuff. Honestly though, mostly what I came away from that luncheon with was trust in the PBS Kids people.

Chiquita Smoothies

There are two things I'd like to share with you that relate to my family and smoothies.

(1) My six-year-old, Jack, does NOT voluntarily consume fruit. If he were to find a raisin in an oatmeal cookie, he would spit it out. He eats around raisins in his Raisin Bran. He refuses to eat melon, apples, citrus, and everything else we've tried. He will drink juice. Usually. Without his daily vitamin (and maybe with?), he is not meeting his nutritional needs for fruit.

(2) Even though my pediatrician suggested making smoothies for Jack, I am very lazy and have never been successful in consistently remembering to mix together fruit, ice, yogurt, or whatever else is involved in smoothie making. Fortunately, Jack seems resistant to scurvy.

Well. Along come new Chiquita Smoothies, with their full serving of fruit and 100% DV Vitamin C in each 8-ounce serving. They are fat free too, with only 120 calories a serving. See?


That takes care of part of problem number one. But what about problem number two? You need exactly three things to make these smoothies: the smoothie itself, a blender, and the ability to make ice. The smoothie is a frozen concentrate that you mix with a 1/2 can of water and two cans of ice. Then blend.


And even though the can says there are three servings inside, it makes a whole lot of smoothie—enough to feed an entire playgroup AND a happy mom and dad too. Trust me.


So they have fruit content and are fast and easy to make, but how do they taste? The smoothies are fruity and tart, not creamy like some people might prefer, but they taste really good. They come in four flavors: Mixed Berry, Peach Mango, Strawberry Banana, and Banana Colada. Strawberry Banana was my favorite. My husband sucked down a lot of the Mixed Berry.

But what about Jack? What about Mr. No Fruit? I'll tell you this: he was willing to taste it, and that's a big deal for him. He even came back for a second taste, leading me to believe that if I keep making them that he will eventually come to enjoy them. In fact, when he was trying our second batch (the Strawberry Banana), he said, "It tastes like candy!" I think that's a good sign. I'm going to keep making these and keep him sampling them.

And even though he already eats plenty of fruit, my youngest was probably our household's biggest smoothie fan!


Find coupons, recipes, and a contest to win a trip to Jamaica for a family of four on the Chiquita Smoothies website.

Honesty Clause: The Chiquita people told me they were going to send me some stuff about smoothies. I kind of expected a recipe card about how to mix Chiquita bananas and ice. Instead, they sent an almost comical amount of items including several of their smoothies, as well as an Oster blender with a smoothie "Blend N'Go" cup in which to make them. Plus they sent cups and tiny spoons. And napkins. So there you have it: full disclosure. Chiquita Smoothies retail for about $2.69 a can.