Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Build A Dream Playhouses Brings Out The Kid In All Of Us.


I distinctly remember it from when I was a kid. 

It was my all time favorite toy. 

A giant cardboard box, taken from a neighbors trash pile when they got a new fridge. 

It was my castle. 

A cave. 

A bus to drive to anywhere. 

A dining room table for me and all of my stuffed animals. 

It was anything, and everything. 

I loved that box. 

I often worry that my kid's won't have experiences like that.

There seem to be less and less opportunities for them to be creative. 

I feel like video games and TV are sometimes sucking their brains out. 

When I found Build A Dream Playhouses, I was so excited! 

They are a wonderful company that makes children's playhouses from recycled cardboard. 

They are amazing! 

Each playhouse is made from 80% recycled cardboard, and is 100% recyclable when you are finished with it. 

They are made from durable, high quality cardboard that can withstand all the hours of playing that they will surely receive! 

They are a blank canvas for your child's imagination. They can color, paint, decorate them any way they like! 

I absolutely love this idea! 

I would like to take a moment to introduce you guys to all of their playhouses: 

This is the Dream Machine!

The Pop N Play Castle is so awesome! (This one requires NO ASSEMBLY at all!) 

This is the Cosmic Cruiser!

The Snack Shack is sooo cool!

I really wanted the Pop N Play Kitchen for myself, and not just because it requires NO ASSEMBLY!

But alas, we could not resist the charms of the Imagine Wagon!

I didn't bring it in as soon as it arrived, but after I got home from work, and the boys were already asleep. 

The next morning, Tater woke up to this giant box in the middle of the kitchen! 

As you can imagine, he was pretty excited! 

See? Told ya! 


Our selection was marked with a smiley! LOVE these folks! 

Dad was still asleep, and we all know that Mom can't even put a box together without Dad's help. 

But we were just too excited to do nothing, so we got to work on coloring our Imagine Wagon!
Awww, he wrote his little name all by himself! 

Hard at work! 

Well, needless to say, we didn't get all of our Imagine Wagon decorated before Tater got bored and we decided to go wake up daddy. 

He had the Imagine Wagon put together in no time! 

While I am not the "putter togetherer" of things around here, it looked really easy, and he said it was pretty simple as long as you followed the instructions. 

They are really easy to read, and have lots of details to make it as simple as possible. 

I was really impressed that the cardboard was as thick as it was, I was afraid that my super rough boys would destroy it in a matter of minutes, but I was really happy with its strength! 

Happy as can be, even though it's not finished! 


Can't keep anything away from The Bean for long! 

Like I mentioned before, we haven't finished decorating our Imagine Wagon yet, but we are planning a big painting party the end of this week (if Tater does his chores) to get it all fancied up! 

I am so very happy with Build A Dream Playhouses and especially our Imagine Wagon. So far it has been an ice cream truck, a pizza stand, a tent/cabin, a cowboy hideout, and the best way for a big brother to pop out and scare his little brother ever invented! 

I know that this toy will provide tons of fun for my boys in the future! 

A big thanks to Josh and all the fine folks at Build A Dream Playhouses for this wonderful idea, and for letting us review this wonderful playhouse! 

Be sure to follow Build A Dream Playhouses on Facebook  for all the latest news and chances to win a playhouse of your own! 


disclosure: I was provided with a sample product in exchange for this review post. Although a product was received, it in no way influenced my opinion of the product(s)/companies mentioned, and no monetary compensation was received. You can rest assured that all opinions are my own. Now go buy yourself a playhouse!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

WW: This Is The Life.




I wish they could stay this little forever.

Nordic Ware has my Heart.



Sorry Hubs. You're out. Nordic Ware is in. I am lovin' them. A lot. 

This is one company I can really see myself becoming obsessed with! (not ME obsessing over a company!?!)

 If you haven't heard of Nordic Ware, let me give you a little background: 

Nordic Ware is a family owned, American kitchenware company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 



Their products include kitchenware, bakeware, cookware, microwave and barbecue supplies. 

But their most famous product, was and continues to be, the Bundt pan.

You probably have one of these in your kitchen, since 2 out of 3 American households own a Nordic Ware product. 

I remember my mom using these when I was a kid. I wish that I would have been old enough for her to pass them down to me, because Nordic Ware pans are durable and made to last. They are actually perfect for passing down to future generations. 



When Nordic Ware agreed to let me do a review for them, I fainted. 

Okay, not really. But close. 
I received the Zoo Friends Pancake Pan. 

Oh My Goodness. Cutest. Thing. Ever. 

Tater went crazy when he saw it! 

He was so excited and he immediately wanted me to cook pancakes (which didn't happen.) 

This pan is really heavy (but not too heavy), when you pick it up you can tell that it is good quality. 


You can make seven small pancakes at a time with this pan. 

There is a giraffe, monkey, lion, rhino, hippo, elephant, and alligator.

I am so excited to use this pan! It is the most adorable thing ever, and I cant wait to make pancakes just like this for my boys! 


(Check back in a few days for pics of my attempt at making Zoo Friends Pancakes! We're giving it a whirl in the next couple days!) 

Would you like to see a few of my other favorite things from Nordic Ware? 

Of course you would! 

Here they are! 
This is the Dinosaur Cakelette Pan. And look what it can do! 

My dear. How precious! 
This is the Searing Grill. I totally need this so I can learn how to cook things without making the hubs use the big grill. :)


And look at what you can make with the adorable Brownie Bites Pan!!! Sigh. It's love. 

I could really go on for hours showing you all the things I love about Nordic Ware, but I am making myself hungry. 



A big thank you to Dana @ Nordic Ware for providing me with this wonderful pan, and my kiddies with pancakes that will make them smile!!!

Join Nordic Ware on Facebook and Twitter for updates about new products and promotions! 

disclosure: I received a sample product in order to write this review post. Although a product was received, this in no way influenced my opinion of the product(s) or company, and no monetary compensation was received. Now instead of reading this disclosure, you should be looking at Bundt pans!

ChicoBag's New Spring Collection: Review and Giveaway!

If you guys have been reading my blog for awhile, you already know that I am a big fan of ChicoBag and their awesome compact reusable bags.

I had the privilege of working with them on a review last year and I was so impressed with their products!

So, when they asked me to tell you guys about their adorable new Blossom Spring collection, I was totally up for it!

The Blossom collection includes four gorgeous new Spring time prints, and comes in the shoulder length Vita style. This is personally my favorite style of the ChicoBag, since it can be worn almost like a purse. It's super comfortable, and doesn't bug you, since it's in the same place as your purse!



Here they are:
Lotus Flower

Chai

Cherry Blossom

Green Tea

I absolutely love my new ChicoBag! I took ours with us when we went on our Family Adventure Day to Fort Harrod, for all of our picnic supplies! The Vita bag has a 40 gallon capacity (one gallon of milk is approx 7lbs.), so it can hold pretty much anything you might need!

I also love that all Chicobag's come with their own integrated pouch, and they weigh only 2 ounces. You can put them in their little pouch and then stuff them anywhere, your purse, glove box, diaper bag, wherever you might need them!


The Blossom bags from ChicoBag are available at retailers nationwide, but you can win one here at Flip Out Mama!!!


Here's how!

Mandatory Entry: 

Which Blossom bag would you choose if you were the winner? 

Extra Entries: 

+1 Follow Flip Out Mama via Google Friend Connect (right sidebar) 

+1 Follow Flip Out Mama via networked blogs (right sidebar) 

+1 follow Flip Out Mama on Facebook here

+1 Follow ChicoBag on Facebook here  

+1 Follow Flip Out Mama on Twitter @flipoutmama

+1 Follow ChicoBag on Twitter @chicobag

+2 extra entries PER DAY! Tweet about this giveaway, blog about it, post it on your facebook. Make sure to include a link to this post. Come back here and leave TWO comments telling me where you posted. You can do this entry method each day, making you eligible for two extra entries per day! 


*contest will end on 4/15/2011 at approx 10pm est. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to email notification or an alternate winner will be chosen. Prize will be shipped from the sponsoring company. I am not responsible for prizes that are lost, damaged or otherwise not received. 

disclosure: I received a sample product in order to conduct this review. although a sample product was received, this in no way influenced my opinion of the product(s) or company, and no monetary compensation was received. 

A big thanks to Sierra and ChicoBag for letting me try these adorable bags!

Monday, March 28, 2011

My Favorite Thing About Easter!

Wow, I can't believe it really is almost time for Easter!I don't know about where you are, but here it is still cold, sleety, gray and nasty.

I am so glad that Spring is here, but it just doesn't seem like it's time! 

This year is a special Easter for us, it falls on Tater's fifth birthday, so it will be a very special day in our house! I can't believe that my first baby will be a real live kindergartner!

That is definitely going to be my favorite thing about Easter this year, having a whole day to spend with my boys, with no work for either one of us. 

We hardly ever have time together, so it is really a big deal when neither one of us has to work! They have pretty much started to consider it a holiday when we are all home together!

I am not really sure if it is a good thing or not, but holidays are so important to me. I always go all out, and I think it's because the boys really don't have any family besides me and their daddy.

I always try to make birthdays, holidays, anything, really special for them. I hate to think that they missed out on anything just because we don't have a big extended family.

Aside from our big boy's special day, I really love Easter as a whole. 

I really like picking out things for the boy's Easter baskets. I can almost see their little faces light up when I am picking out the goodies to stuff in their baskets! 

Of course, coloring eggs is one of everyone's favorite parts about Easter. It is really special now that we have both of the boys. Messy, but special.


I don't know what it is, but something about sitting down at a kitchen table covered in newspaper and coffee cups with food coloring in them, it just takes me back to my childhood. 

I can remember doing the exact same thing with my parents. It's so weird. 

I guess I have a lot of different favorite things about Easter. There's just so much promise in the air, the beginning of Spring, and a whole new season. 

So many things to do outside, it's wonderful. Easter for me is just the start of playing outside, spending time together, flowers, trees, all that fun stuff!

I can't wait for Easter, it's almost here!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hop blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Friday, March 25, 2011

Weekend Blog Hops!



Just Married with Coupons
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So, It's been like a hundred million years since I have done a blog hop, so I thought, "Why not?" 

I have really been wanting to make some new bloggy friends, and I am totally itching to get to 1000 followers, so here I am hooking with some other bloggers! 

If you are a new follower, leave me a comment so I can be sure to follow you back! 

Have a great weekend everybody! 


Thursday, March 24, 2011

What We Did This Week!



If I was a good blogger, I would have taken a "before" picture, but alas, I suck. 

Yesterday, me and The Bean made our way down by the road (a long walk in the sticks!) and cleaned out the flower bed. 

I wish we would have been able to show you what it looked like before. 

It was bad. 

There were thistles and thorns and weeds taller than me. (not joking)

I don't think it had ever been cleaned out since we lived here. 

Sad. But true. 

But me and Baby Bean worked on it, and we got it looking so good! We are not done yet, but made great progress! 

It sounds stupid, I know, but I am really proud of it! 

Now, time to plant! :)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Have You Ever Heard Of: A Kiddie Pool Garden?




I absolutely love gardening.

I know right, who would've thought?

But, really it is something that I enjoy.

A couple years ago, we had a huge garden with corn, green beans, tomatoes, pumpkins, zucchini, watermelon, onions, and peppers, peppers, PEPPERS!

It was a giant garden, and turned out great.

Last year, we didn't have one at all, since I was mega preggo with The Bean.

This year, we don't have a tiller, and I really don't know if I am up for another gigantic garden, so we are going to try something different.

A Kiddie Pool Garden.

What the what?!?!? I know this is what you are asking.

A Kiddie Pool Garden is just that. A garden in one of those little cheap blue pools! 


I found some great info about these and a ton of other people who have had the same great idea!

Here's a blog post about it from Bug A Boo Corner, and another great one from It's a Dog's Life!

The only thing I might do differently, is to spray paint the pool.

But I'm not sure yet.

Food for thought, at least!


Are you a blogger? Do you like Gift Cards?

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As most of you guys know, this is one of my favorite companies to talk about! 

EdenFantasys is probably one of the most blogger-friendly companies out there! 

I absolutely love working with them, and I would recommend them to any blogger! 

If you have a blog of your own, and would like to earn gift cards to EdenFantasy's online adult store, it is super easy!

All you have to do is write a blog post about EdenFantasys. 

It doesn't have to be about a product, it can be about their site, their blogger program, their customer service, anything! 

Include 1-2 links to their site (you even get to choose the keywords and urls!), and then send your post to their contact person. 

They will email you a $25 or a $50 gift card, and you are good to go! 

Think their stuff is not for you? 

Even if you are a "mild mama", I'm sure you can find something you will like! 

Umm, do you like candles?
Or, how about bubble bath?

See, easy peasy! 

If you are a blogger that is interested in this program, let me know and I will let you know all the details! 



WW: Best Friends!


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