Glow in the Dark Fun with GloWubble

In continuing with the Wubble Bubble brand fun, the next product we tried was the GloWubble. We tried playing with the GloWubble indoors at first but realized that it is better suited for outdoors. It's size is much larger than the Wubble X and seems like it can take much more of a beating than the Wubble X (my kids actually tried sitting on it and it held up).

 

What I liked is that the package comes with the reusable pump (you will need D batteries, which I had to scrounge around for in my house). Inserting the pump nozzle into the ball was a little tricky because I was afraid that I would pop the GloWubble but a few tries and success. It takes much longer to fill the GloWubble (the recommended size is 3 feet) and with anxious children, it can seem a little tedious but it is worth the wait. 

In order for the glow in the dark feature to really work, you really need to leave in a brightly lit room for a while. I saw mentioned somewhere that someone left in the sun which sounds like a very good idea especially since you can play during the day and once it gets dusk, then the glow in the dark feature probably works much better. I tried to get a good photo of the glow in the dark features of the GloWubble but my camera wasn't cooperating with me.

The kids loved this and it stood up to their abuse. I will say that they are on the younger side so I don't know how it will hold up if older kids try to sit on it. They enjoyed throwing it around and the novelty of throwing something almost their size didn't seem to grow old to them. When it was time to go inside, I was able to deflate the GloWubble and store back in the box to use again. The outside seems to have a sticky texture to it and some dirt stuck to it but I cleaned it off once it was deflated. Now that it is getting a little colder I am not sure how many more times we will get to use this but that doesn't stop them from asking me. 

Diclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." The company who sponsored it compensated me via a gift, cash payment or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: " Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

1...2....3.....Lift Off to Fun - Wubble X Review

In our technology driven world of today, I am always looking for toys that spark imagination and play. It is certainly easier to get kids moving and active when it is nice weather but as we are coming into the colder months, finding such a thing can be a little more difficult. While on a cold and rainy day (or a day where I am cleaning), I have handed over the tablets and turned on Nickelodeon many a time, it is nice to find something fun and new for the kids to play with indoors. I was given the Wubble X to review and I think this is a great indoor fun activity for the kids for that rainy/snowy day.

First let me say that when you purchase the Wubble X, you will have to purchase a can of helium separately from the Wubble X box but the cans are located with the display and aren't that expensive. The only drawback for me is that the helium can is basically a one time use can only good for one inflation of the Wubble X not like the GloWubble that includes a battery operated pump good for inflating and deflating the GloWubble (I will post a separate review of that in a little bit). 

When you open the box, everything that you need besides the helium is included - the Wubble X, a small tube of petroleum jelly, a patch for the closure of the Wubble X, stickers to decorate your Wubble X and a handy little set of directions. The directions were pretty easy and I also went to Youtube to get a brief tutorial. At my first inflation, I was a little too helium happy and went one spray too much. Thank goodness I have low ceilings because it went straight to the top. Thus why this is an indoor toy only! I was able to grab it down and put the patch on to prevent air from slipping out and the fun began. My kids loved it! They played catch, they let the balloon (as my son called it) rest on their fingers and it was all fun and games.........until my youngest decided to squeeze the Wubble X and it popped. Totally not the Wubble's fault. They were just so excited to play ball in the house and mommy not freak out about them breaking something. The sadness was too much, so the next time I was out running errands, I headed over to Toys R Us and purchased a new Wubble X and a new can of helium.

Second inflation, I was a pro and didn't overdo it on the helium. Again, the kids loved it and enjoyed playing with it. It also gave me a chance to explain a little science to my oldest. Until...........the serial balloon popper struck again. This time I think he was trying to sit on it. But they still got a nice amount of time playing with the Wubble X and I might just include one in their stockings this holiday season.

Enjoying the customizing of the Wubble X with the stickers that were included.

 

Diclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." The company who sponsored it compensated me via a gift, cash payment or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: " Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Silhou...what? Silhouette Time

Recently I purchased a Silhouette Portrait machine from Silhouette America and I am in love! For those of you who may be unaware of this machine, it enables you to cut paper, card stock, vinyl, fabric, heat transfer vinyl to make the most wonderful projects. It is similar to the Cricut machines but you do not have to purchase cartridges for your machine. You simply have to download the software to your computer (which is free unless you decide to upgrade to their Designer Edition). I was super intimidated by the machine but with the help and power of YouTube, I have watched some awesome video tutorials. Granted there are some hiccups along the way (very far from a pro here) but I am excited to post some cool projects that I have been working on and will be working on......an awesome time for some homemade goodness with Mother's Day, Father's Day, Graduations and end of school teacher appreciation gifts all coming up. Stay tuned!

It's my Shark Boomius!!! (GoldieBlox Blox + Bits Expansion Pack)

So all the promos for Sharknado, Discovery Channel's Shark Week and Disney Junior Octonaut's Shark Episode have filtered into my daughter's creative brain. I decided to open the Blox and Bits from GoldieBlox. I received this from the NYC Blogger Bash Sweet Suite event in my swag box. The expansion pack is for use on it's own to make projects but also can be used with other Goldie Blox items.

She decided to make something for the sharks, she calls it her Shark Boomius! Not really sure what the Boomius does even though she mentioned it spits out cheese sticks to the sharks in the water. Who knew they liked mozzarella and colby jack??

The kids really enjoyed the kit and it kept them entertained for quite a while. Even the little one wanted to partake in the fun (the recommended ages for these toys seem to be 4-9) so I kept a close watch on him. 

It's a great little kit and although I never had one as a kid, reminiscent of what Tinker Toys seem to me. I would definitely think of adding onto the kit to make bigger objects and getting one of the story book sets. The expansion kit comes with 32 pieces (3 wheels, 8 blocks, one crank, 4 washers and 16 axels) and it gives you some ideas for things to start making.  It retails for 9.99.

The product was given to me as part of the swag but the opinions are 100 percent mine.

Thanks all!

NYC Blogger Bash Sweet Suite 2014 #SweetSuite14 #BBNYC

So excited to share the amazing box of swag from this year's Sweet Suite! Lots of amazing things and tons of great items coming to shelves this year. The event was amazing and a great opportunity to speak with various brands. I am really glad I went this year and hope to go next year as well!

So upon opening the great box, there were tons of great treats so I tried to group by categories. 

The first group was a variety of arts and crafts materials and since I have shown a few crafts on here, I thought this would be a good starting point. 

Crayola Ultra Clean Markers are first on the list for trial! The kids love markers and coloring and drawing and anything that is easy to clean gets a grade A in my book. Also excited for the Sands Alive and Blok and Bits and will give a follow up on those two items. 

The second batch of art and craft items were from Faber-Castel. I had a fun time at their booth at #SweetSuite14 and they had tons of amazing crafts and art materials. 

Those gel sticks and crayons look pretty cool and always looking for new art materials for the kids. 

There were a great bunch of games included.

I am excited to open the Bananagrams!!! It seems like a great way to build skills while playing! I also can't wait to play some of the other games as well. 

There were some items for the younger set. Who doesn't love TMNT?? And Paw Patrol is becoming a new favorite in the house too. 

For the little girls, some cute items as well

I think we might have to open that manicure kit pretty soon! 

There were lots of other great items included in the box:

Can't wait to try the Tiggly product! The people at the booth were super informative and it seems like a great product too.

And this seems like a great rainy day quick craft project. Perfect!

Thanks to all the staff at The Big Toy Book! I am looking forward to seeing some of the great products from the event like the adorable Lum Lum dolls, a cute new product that I saw at the event which should be hitting stores soon. Plus lots of cute items from Lalaloopsy, Disney, Leapfrog and Vtech for the holiday season!! 

And check out recaps from other Blogger Bash attendees:
Here's the link - /

Yummy Yummy in my Tummy

So, the past month has been a busy one and when I started this idea, I thought that making a weekly entry on a blog would be easy peasy. But trying all these new things, finding the time remembering to take a decent picture and write about it, has been a bit of a challenge (I guess that's why I started this in the first place, huh?). But I have been pinning and will be adding some cool things but in the meantime, I wanted to address the deliciousness I find on Pinterest.
My bookshelf is stocked with dozens of cookbooks with hundreds of delicious recipes, but I never crack them open and always find dinner to be a chore. What am I going to cook seems to be a nightly drama and I constantly wish for the Dinner Fairy to leave me magic pots that cook on their own (and do their own grocery shop too, and dishes). Now I think I am a pretty decent cook but I find myself in a dinner rut from time to time, making the same dishes and being so bored with the meal the first time that I don't even want the leftovers. Enter Pinterest.....
I have pinned soooo many yummy meals from there and in the midst of crafting, I thought, wait a second, why am I not making any of these recipes? Is this board my online bookshelf, that I will never crack open? So I printed a handful of them, made a shopping list and have been trying a new one each week. Tonight, I went for broke and made two new ones, lasagna roll-ups and low-cal artichoke dip. The dip was so good, my darling picky eater kept coming back for more. I have just printed out a few new ones, plus pinned a few so I am excited to see what comes next.
What are your favorite Pinterest recipes??

Ribbons, Ribbons Everywhere

So in continuation of the baby shower theme, this next project was inspired by an item I saw online and I decided to see if I could find a tutorial and do it myself. The ribbon topiaries came out amazing and exactly like the ones I wanted to order but each one took me about three hours, a ridiculous amount of straight pins and about 60 feet of ribbon per centerpiece. You can find some amazing tutorials like the one I found on Polka Dot Birthday (Ribbon Tutorial). I changed things up a little by using an all-in-one topiary form that included the ball, dowel and base that I found at AC Moore (see here). I trimmed the excess of the form and placed it in a painted terra-cotta pot that I painted with acrylic paint and kept them in place with a little hot glue gun.

I will say that I think using these forms made the centerpieces a little larger than I originally thought and if you are planning to make a smaller version, then I think you will probably use a little less ribbon and will have to use the styrofoam ball, dowel and foam base as mentioned in the tutorials as I found the pre made forms only in the size. So I cut 6 rolls of ribbon into 3" pieces. Each roll of ribbon was roughly 9 feet of ribbon and I tried to pick a variety of ribbon that complimented each other and had three solids and three prints for the first piece and then switched it up for the subsequent pieces. 

I started in little clusters and then kept adding making sure to not keep too many of the same color in one spot and make things even. It is a little time consuming and the larger you make the balls, the more time and more ribbon you will need. Lastly, I hot glued some of the same shapes from the lollipop boxes to the pots so it would continue with the nautical theme.
They came out a lot better than I expected and they were a hit at the party!!!!