If you tracked down a copy of my high school senior year yearbook, there’s a mini-interview with me where I declare I’m going to be a marine biologist when I grow up. I didn’t want to study dolphins or train whales or anything – I just really really liked the ocean. After just ONE college-level biology class I realized the actual sciencey biology stuff wasn’t something I wanted to make a career out of, but that didn’t changed how much I love the ocean one bit. It’s why we go to the aquarium at least once a week and why my kids have seen the episode of Diego with Baby Humpback Whale more times than any other episode and why Star Trek IV is indisputably the best (original) Star Trek movie. It might also have something to do with why I married someone in the Navy, but don’t tell him.

Sterling Publishing sent me – well, the kids – a copy of Shimmer & Splash: The Sparkling World of Sea Life a couple weeks ago and it’s been in heavy read and fake-read rotation ever since. Caroline likes to lie on the floor and open up all the cool fold-out pages while she points out all the animals she knows. “Look! Orca! Look! Barracuda! Look! Fishy!” (she’s only two, I can’t expect her to know the proper name for EVERYTHING yet.)

It’s more of a reference book than a story book, with interesting facts and information on various types of sea life from jelly fish to whales and everything in between. The pictures are very detailed and include cool stuff like life-size shark teeth and big fold-out pages. The drawings are gorgeous and life-like – besides the amazing color drawings there are pencil sketches of extras, like the anatomy of a sting ray. It’s like a visit to the aquarium without leaving our house.

I can already tell it’s going to be a much-loved book for many many years. I recommend it to anyone who has marine biologist dreams (past or future), loves the ocean or even just really loves beautiful drawings.

Sterling has kindly offered a copy to one of my readers. To enter just leave a comment on this post and I’ll draw a winner randomly on Monday. You can find the book on Amazon here, and check out the author’s website here.

Reading about whales in her narwhal shirt. LOVE.

I received a review copy of Shimmer & Splash for the kids but no other compensation was provided for this post. Links are not affiliate links.

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I love when a company reaches out with a brand and an idea I’m happy to support – and it doesn’t hurt when my kids love their product too.

KinderStuff is the kind of company you can stand up a cheer for. They make organic, eco-friendly and socially conscious kids’ clothes in America and Germany. Then they cut out the middleman and sell them straight to you to keep the costs down – so you don’t have to take out a second mortgage to dress your kids in a way you can feel good about.

On top of selling super-cute, fashionable clothes, they’re working to solve one of the most frustrating kids’ clothes problems – they grow out of them so fast! From KinderStuff:

Kids grow, clothes don’t. Some say that children outgrow almost 1,500 articles of clothing in their first 18 years. That’s a problem!

With KinderStuff, every item you purchase gets you a discount in the future. When the clothes no longer fit, send them back and get a discount coupon for your next purchase. We even pay for the shipping back to us! Returned clothing is then donated to charity, recycled, or resold as hand-me-down on our website. All this doesn’t only benefit you, but society as a whole.

KinderStuff just launched at the beginning of the month and right now they’ve got designs for babies and toddlers up to size 24 months but they’ll be rolling out new designs and products up to size six years over the next few months. I can’t wait to see what they come up with for 4 year olds (and if you have a good idea, they’d love to hear from you!)

Caroline has worn her Stella shirt four times since we got it (which means it’s been washed 3 times) and it still looks great. The cotton is thick and obviously very high quality. There wasn’t any significant shrinking or fading. The colors are still bright and the “oonie-corn” is still the cutest. I’m very impressed.

Now I’m going to post a bunch of pictures of Caroline in her shirt, but you can scroll to the bottom to enter my giveaway to win the item of your choice from KinderStuff!

KinderStuff is a new company in the US and they would really love your support on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. I was sent the Stella shirt to review but no compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Argh! Ahoy Mateys!

Evan is kind of a big fan of pirates. “Kind of” might be an understatement – he is obsessed with pirates. It might be a universal boy stage, or it might be thanks to Jake, Cubby and Izzy on Disney Jr. So you can pretty much imagine how excited he was when he found this on the kitchen counter:

That is our very favorite snack – Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar - combined with our very favorite show – Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

The Limited Edition Jake and the Never Land Pirates multipack features Pirate’s Booty’s best-selling product – Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar.  The pack also features Jake and the Never Land Pirates characters and games to keep the crew engaged during snack time.  The little treasures half-ounce size of Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar is just 65-calories and is the perfect portion for the lunchbox or when on-the-go.

Our treasure chest came with some pirate swag too – an eye patch, some temporary tattoos and a super cool foam sword, perfect for all your toddler swashbuckling needs. The kids loved all of it. But the biggest hit was definitely the booty.

Caroline takes her puffed snacks very seriously.

Well, the pirate’s booty AND the eyepatch:

I was going to send the adorable little single-serving bags to Evan’s school for his special helper day (which means he brings snack) but they’re…mostly gone. The kids ate the first 12 within 24 hours. OK, maybe I helped a little. But it’s Pirate’s Booty! It’s so delicious!

Do you want to win your own treasure chest of new limited edition Jake and the Never Land Pirates Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar snacks? Plus the other fun swag? Of course you do!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was sent a prize pack to eat and enjoy but no other compensation was received in exchange for this post. We just really love Pirate’s Booty. All opinions and photos are my own. Winner will be chosen by random.org and Rafflecopter.

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It looks like we’re getting another winter storm this week which, COME ON MOTHER NATURE. Even if it’s 75% ice (ugh) and sleet (UGH) it’s going to mean another weekend of inside activity with 2 kids desperate for a day at the park. Where’s my early spring, Punxsutawny Phil? Imma about to take off my earrings and make myself a nice groundhog fur hat. I need it for the storm, obviously.

I have fond memories of spending my early-April birthday at the beach in South Carolina back in college. And not “at the beach” in the sense that we were on a beach in winter coats, but at the beach meaning bikinis and trashy magazines and trying to get a nice even tan long before Memorial Day. In New England you’re lucky if you’ve pulled out your capri pants before Memorial Day, never mind a bathing suit. It’s going to be cold here for a while, is what I’m saying.

Luckily I have two hardy Yankee children who are happy to put on 6 layers of clothing and stomp around in the snow and ice for as long as their wimpy mother will let them.

A few weeks ago the kind people from One Step Ahead asked if we’d be interested in some winter gear to help keep Caroline warm for these next few looooong months. They sent us the Cozy Cub Vest and a Stay-Put Reversible Fleece Hat with Earflaps. She loves them both and I know they’re keeping her warm and cozy while she plays – especially since she asks for the hat and keeps it on her head.

I’m a huge fan of One Step Ahead (their catalog might be the only thing I ever read cover-to-cover these days) and the Cozy Cub products are the same great quality you would expect from their baby and kid’s gear (lifetime guarantee ?? I think so!). The vest is great now and is going to be perfect as we (hopefully) transition into spring. She can wear it over a sweater as an extra layer on the playground or under an unlined raincoat on cool, drizzly days. Plus it’s pink, which makes it an automatic favorite in her wardrobe. Pink is her jam. You can check out the whole Cozy Cub collection here!

To help you make it until spring too, One Step Ahead is offering a hat and vest to one of my readers! Leave me a comment on this post telling me what you’re most looking forward about spring. Honestly, I just want to see the grass again – although our first trip down to the beach is going to be a highlight too. I’ll pick a winner on Friday, March 1st using Random.org and notify them via email so be sure to use a valid one when you comment. Good luck!!

Fine print: Giveaway open to residents of the United States ages 18 and over. Winner can chose size and style of in-stock products. I receive a hat and vest to review but no other compensation. Links are not affiliate links. All opinions and photos are my own. 

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*Giveaway now closed*

I am blond-haired, blue-eyed, very freckled and of Swedish and English decent…but compared to the rest of my family I have a fantastic tan. E isn’t so much “pale” as “transparent” and the kids definitely take after him. With all that paleness comes the usual complaints – dry itchy skin, sensitivity to all sorts of soaps and additives and cleansers, and chapped cheeks from runny noses and cold air. On top of that, my husband has a mildish case of rosacea (I say mildish, since it doesn’t bother him much – “vain” is not a word in his vocabulary – but it is persistent.)

So when Aquaphor emailed me and was like “Hey, can we send you some Aquaphor to try?” I was like “You mean send me MORE Aquaphor? Since I already buy it in the giant tub since we ran out of the giant tub the Navy prescribed to E for his face? Yes, yes you can.”

They sent me the Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment and the Aquaphor Baby Gentle Wash & Shampoo, both of which are favorites already in our house. The Healing Ointment is great on diaper rash, itchy spots and especially on the chapped skin on Evan’s face:

7:30 pm, right after bath. Poor baby. His nose runs and he wipes it with his right sleeve so the right side of his face is always the worst (We’re working on using tissues, I promise).

I used a teeny tiny bit of the Aquaphor Healing Ointment right before bed and…

8:00 am the next morning. Still a little dry but SO much better. Luckily a tube of Aquaphor lasts a long, long time so I just dabbed some more on throughout the day.

It even worked wonders on my thumb last night, after I burned myself lighting E’s birthday candles at 1 am (free tip: don’t play with fire when you’re really, really tired).

The Baby Gentle Wash & Shampoo is tear-free, fragrance-free and washes out really easily – all very important factors when trying to wash two squirmy kids who FREAK when you get water in their eyes or ears. Now that Caroline has hair long enough that I need to Deal With It regularly I appreciate that the Aquaphor Wash & Shampoo leaves it soft and shiny. It also took the marker right off both kids hands (and arms and knees and faces…) without drying or irritating their skin. We are Aquaphor devotees and I couldn’t imagine going through a whole winter without it.

To help YOU and your family enjoy your winter, Aquaphor wants to send one of my readers this amazing prize pack:

Bundle of Joy Package 

•  $50 Visa Gift Card
•  “Warm Buddy” to cuddle with
•  Ice Age Continental Drift (2012) DVD to watch with your family
•  A Pottery Barn kids picture frame to keep and share your memories!
• Godiva hot cocoa mix, perfect after a cold day
• Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment  is a dermatologist and pediatrician trusted product that helps protect and relieve dry, cracked skin. It provides effective soothing relief for dry skin and its mild formula is safe for external use on your baby’s delicate, sensitive skin.
•  Aquaphor Baby Gentle Wash & Shampoo is a mild, fragrance free cleanser that gently cleanses both skin and hair. Enriched with soothing chamomile and provitamin B5, the tear-free formula is specially designed and clinically proven to be gentle for baby’s sensitive skin.

To enter, just leave me a comment on this post sharing something you’re excited about this month!  I’ll pick a winner on February 19th and notify them by email, so be sure to enter one when you comment! The giveaway is only open to US Residents who are 18 years of age or older.

p.s. The Warm Buddy in the prize pack is fantastic – it has a bean bag in the middle you can microwave and then tuck inside. Both kids love cuddling it after we’ve been playing outside and I swear it leads to extra couch naps. Exhibit A:

If you find that Aquaphor #WorksWonders, we’d love for you to take and share pictures of how your family is able to enjoy time together with us on Twitter and Facebook!

I was provided with the prize pack listed above as part of my review but no other compensation was received. All opinions are my own. 

And the winner is…Comment #1! (I love when Random.org choose #1)

Congrats to straderspiel for winning the prize pack! Watch for an email!

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