Zak Morgan's The Barber of the Beasts CD Review & Giveaway!

Zak Morgan brings all of his life experiences and a simple delight in words and music to his fourth family music album, The Barber or the Beasts! 

Zak Morgan was born in Cincinnati, Oh in 1970. His sense of humor and penchant for wordplay are gifts passed down from his grandfather, George "Bud" Rooney. Listening to his grandfather invent yarns, limericks and even new words had a profound effect on him. Now as a successful entertainer, Morgan has been compared to Shel Silerstein and Dr. Seuss because of his wit and child friendly sophistication. Morgan began writing songs in high school. By 1991 he has released two singles that were p-layed on over two hundred radio stations. In 1992 his topical musical parodies were heard daily on Cincinnati's most popular morning radio show. At that same time, he had many inspiring adventures, including the ascent of Mt. Rainier and a transatlantic voyage with the Challenge America racing team. 

After earning a B.A. in English from Kenyon College, Morgan worked at Paradise Guest Ranch in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. By day, he entertained children and at night he performed for family audiences. There, the seeds of his career as a children's performer were planted. In 1995 Morgan moved to New York City to work for Recorded Books, Inc., a leading publisher of audiobooks. Within four years he had risen to the position of Director of Rights Acquisitions and had immersed himself in the rich offerings of children's literature.
During his last two years at Recorded Books Morgan combined his humor, musical talents, and expertise in children's literature and began writing the songs for his first CD, Bloom. His debut album was met nationally with rave reviews and many prestigious awards. With its success, Morgan was launched into a full time career in family entertainment. June 1, 2003 marked the release of Morgan's second CD, When Bullfrogs Croak. The CD was nominated for a GRAMMY, a rare feat for an independent release. In 2007 he released his first DVD, ZakLand, with Hollywood director and producer Jay Silverman. In 2011 he released The Candy Machine, a concept album about temptation and the golden rule. The project was a collaboration with acclaimed bass guitarist David LaBruyere.
In February 2012, Zak signed a recording contract with myKaZoo Music/Universal Music Enterprises. He released his fourth album, The Barber of the Beasts, on October 30th, 2012.

The Barber of the Beasts by Zak Morgan is a super cute and super fun children's CD. 

Track titles:

• Overture
• First Grade
• The Barber of the Beasts
• Minor Miners
• Snow Day
• The White Shark's Chum
• The Case of the Dry Marker w/Bootsy Collins
• Nancy Jane 
• The Cricket  & The Coin
• Mister E.
• Swinging on a Star
• Let Me In
• Winter March

Here is the super fun and silly music video for The Case of the Dry Marker w/Bootsy Collins!

Grnadma Lucille in The Case of the Dry Marker music video is Zak Morgan's real live Lucy "Grandma Lucille" Rooney!! How cool is that?! 

Ezio of course is a year old, Cade is two and a half and Jedilynn will be seven in January, they all loved Zak Morgan's The Barber of the Beasts. It was so cute to see them all dancing around to the songs. Jedilynn is getting better at reading and loved that the lyrics are in the booklet, she has been carrying around the booklet reading and singing the lyrics, she can't read quite fast enough to read the lyrics along with listening to the songs just yet. I love that in the back of the booklet there is a glossary for some of the larger and "weird" words. Helped me out a bit with polyphloisboian from The Case of the Dry Markers, which according to the back of the booklet polyphloisboian means making an incredible racket or anything that makes a terrible noise. I had NO clue!

Visit Zak Morgan and check out some of his other CDs.

Connect with Zak Morgan

FACEBOOK

TWITTER
NEWSLETTER

What CD of Zak Morgan's would you like? What was your favorite part of The Case of the Dry Markers music video?

Disclaimer: We received a copy of Zak Morgan's CD in exchange for this review, I was not compensated in any other way for this review and all opinions are solely my own!

Enter Ezio's 1st Birthday Bash! 

Ezio's 1st Birthday Bash GIVEAWAY EVENT!!! 12/23-01/06

Reviews & Giveaway by: Mami's 3 Little Monkeys

Mami's 3 Little Monkeys and all other blogger hosts are NOT responsible for the fullfillment of any prizes for this giveaway. 

Happy 1st Birthday Ezio!!

HUGE thank you to all of the wonderful bloggers celebrating this awesome event with us and especially to all of our AMAZING SPONSORS!! 

This giveaway is open to the US and will run from December 23rd til January 6th! Enter through the Rafflecopter form below, please allow the Rafflecopter some time to load and if it has not after a few minutes please try to refresh the page. Thank you and good luck to you all!!

     

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Skinny Pop Popcorn Review & Giveaway!

Skinny Pop Popcorn has NO artificial ANYTHING! Only 39 calories per cup, ZERO trans fat and cholesterol FREE! Preservative FREE! Dairy and Peanut FREE! Tree Nut FREE! Gluten and GMO FREE! All natural and a good source of fiber! Meaning you may indulge guilt free! High cholesterol? But you love popcorn? No worries with Skinny Pop Popcorn! Any and everyone can enjoy Skinny Pop Popcorn!

We received a case of Skinny Pop Popcorn and shared some at Ezio's 1st Birthday party. Most of our guest enjoyed the popcorn, others preferred their not so healthy buttery and salty popcorn with way more calories, etc. We enjoy the Skinny Pop Popcorn and I felt it was a good snack for our children, even our 1 year old Birthday Boy!

Find a store near you to buy Skinny Pop Popcorn and try it for yourself! 

Connect with Skinny Pop Popcorn

FACEBOOK

TWITTER 

Who would you share your Skinny Pop Popcorn with?

Disclaimer: We received a case of Skinny Pop Popcorn to taste test and review. All opinions and experiences expressed in the above review are solely my own. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. 

Enter to win your Skinny Pop Popcorn in Ezio's 1st Birthday Bash!

Willow Store's Sprout Change Review & Giveaway!

Generations after generations have lived on our Earth, with the understanding that all things will return to the earth, all things are reusable. 

Catherine Bolder, Founder

Recently in our history, our people have gotten off track, and have forgotten our future. We have created single use materials that cannot be returned to the Earth, that disrupt this natural cycle and change our future. We cannot continue to treat our planet as though it is single use. We must care for our planet, preserving it for our children.

 Now is the time to move forward with this basic principle. Catherine Bolden, founder and mom behind The Willow Store, created this company in 2005 to share her dedication and respect our Earth, for our children and our reusable future.

All of the products used and created by The Willow Store, are ethically manufactured in the US, they strongly support small business and living wages. They choose only the highest quality materials and organic whenever possible, sourced in the US whenever possible.

 

Sprout Change Cloth Diapers are unlike any other diaper on the market. They are truly innovative, patent-pending, reversible one-size diaper systems. The system is the easiest, most convenient reusable diaper available, that also happens to give you the best fit and ultra-trim absorbency. It's premium without the price. Sprout Change Cloth Diapers are made in the USA! These diapers are one-size, custom fit, easy and fits your lifestyle and your budget!

After years of research and cloth diapering her own children, Catherine Bolden created The Willow Store. Dedicated to promoting a more reusable future, she created natural and common sense products that are easy to use, and complimented a more natural lifestyle. In 2005, Willow Sprouts was born, and offered organix hemp diapering products to the cloth diapering world. Catherine spent years trying different cloth diapers to find the perfect fit for her son, who has special needs. Each diaper worked well for some things, but nothing gave that perfect combination of fit, absorbency and ease of use. So in 2010, she created Sprout Change.Sprout Change came from this need for a better diaper. There are plenty of cloth diaper out there and they all pretty much work. Sprout Change is a compilation of all the great things cloth diapers can be. The system is a hybrid unlike any other that combines pocket diapers, prefolds and all-in-ones to make the least confusing, most economical diaper available! With a price that almost anyone can afford!

Features of the Sprout Change Cloth Diapers:

• One-size and Custom fit
• Fits 5-40+ lbs
• Get the right fit, fast
• Easy size adjustments
• Leak-free

The ease of using Sprout Change:

• Innovative snap positions, anyone can figure out!
• Daycare Friendly!
• No more guessing
• Breathable Shell keeps baby rash free
• Unbeatable leakproof protection
• Seamless gussets for mess-free cleanup!

 Sprout Change diapers are affordable and fits your lifestyle and your budget. Fewer Shells means less cost for you, without compromising on quality. A unique reversible shell has two colors in one. Made with TWO layers of PUL instead of just one, making these diapers last YEARS longer!

We received two reversible Sprout Change diapers in Clover and Cherry Berry! 

 The Clover diaper cover is to the left and is brown on one side and green on the other. The CherryBerry cover is to the right and is red on one side and blue on the other side.

 To use the Sprout Change diaper is just like using any other diaper cover, you can use this diaper with pretty much any prefold or flat or you can use a Super Saver insert from The Willow Store. Reuse the same cover all day or until the cover is soiled. If the cover becomes soiled with urine, you can simply wipe it down with a wet rag or hand wash in the sink and hang dry, then reuse once the diaper has dried. 

 Adjusting the shell to fit your baby is really simple! Put the shell on your baby to insure you will get the best fit for baby the first time! Yes, that is right, no more guessing and re-adjusting 100 times!! How awesome, hey? First you will want to find the single snap on each wing, unsnap the small pocket on one of the wings. Pull out the button and elastic ends. Unhook the waist elastic, pull the elastic until gently snug around your baby. Button it on the new setting. Repeat for the second button on that side to adjust the leg size as well to a gently snug fit for your baby. Then go to the other wing and adjust only the leg setting as you have already done the waist on the other side. And your done!! You wont have to readjust until baby grows more or baby's next growth spurt. This coupled with the single snap setting makes these shells super easy for any and everyone to use! Even in a busy daycare! As you don't have to guess and determine which snap setting to secure the diaper with to get a snug waist AND leg fit. 

 We absolutely love our Sprout Change shells and use them with prefolds. If it is near nap time I wrap one of our microfiber inserts in a prefold. The diapers are nice and soft against babies skin and leave no marks or irritation unlike other PUL covers we have used which is a huge sigh of relief for me as our boys have eczema and sensitive skin, so one less thing to irritate their skin is definitely a plus for me. Adjusting the shells are so simple! It's a one time task that will last quite a while and for us, our boys, who are 18 months apart can wear the shells on the same settings for almost the perfect fit. Cade stated as soon as we received the shells that the green one was his and the blue one was baby's. So we have the Clover shell to fit Cade's skinny waist and slimmer thighs and the CherryBerry shell to fit Ezio's more chubby waist and belly and thunder thighs.

The only thing I would change about the Sprout Change shells is I would make the wings a bit wider so it is easier to pull the elastic through to adjust, but that is the only flaw I found.

Visit The Willow Store and check out some of the other color options for the Sprout Change shells along with the other products they have.

Connect with The Willow Store
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
NEWSLETTER
BLOG

Which color option would you choose for the Change Sprout shells? Would you like any other product(s) from The Willow Store?

Disclaimer: We received two Sprout Change shells from The Willow Store to reviews, all opinion and experience in the above review are solely our own. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. 

Enter to win your very own Sprout Change shell in Ezio's 1st Birthday Bash!!

Ella's Kitchen Organic Baby Food Review & Giveaway! 12/23-01/06

 

The company's goal is to build a healthy range of natural foods for babies and young children, under a trusted and respected brand, that leads to a positive change in their eating habits. Ella's Kitchen will always put our children's needs first and use organic ingredients. They prioritize in health and taste. Ella's Kitchen will always be honest in their communications and conduct their business with respect and fairness. They also believe that it is better to pass on values rather then money to children. They will NEVER use anything in their products that has no nutritional or health value! Neither will they ever add sugar or salt or use E numbers or GM products.
They have always worked closely alongside and taken guidance from nutritionists who specialize in children's diet as well as with other experts, baby food retailers and manufacturers. Most of all they listen to real moms and dads and have drawn their inspiration from real kids.

 We received a box from Ella's Kitchen with some Stage 1 and Stage 2 products along with Ella's Cookies.
Ella's Kitchen has Fruit + Baby Rice Stage 1 pouches, great for a quick breakfast for babies four months and up and children. They also have Baby Brekkie Stage 1 for babies six months and up, which is a yummy nutritional blend of fruit, yogurt and wholegrain rice, also making a yummy breakfast option! Ella's 1 Baby Food pouches are Stage 1 for babies six months and up, they are made with 100% organic ingredients. Ella's first Tastes are also Stage 1 for babies four months and up and are single flavor pouches great for babies first tastes and can be mixed with yogurt and baby cereal or even regular oatmeal. We love adding baby food purees to pancake mix and other batters to give them flavor! You can also make a smoothie out of the puree pouches! I like more simple smoothies and tastes, so I personally would only use one or two of the Ella's Tastes pouches to make a smoothie with, but others may like to use Ella's 1 Baby Foods. Smoothie Fruits are great for babies and children as a quick snack or to toss in to lunchboxes! Ella's 2 Baby Foods are for babies seven months of age and up, they are more so meals then snacks, for the younger babies anyhow. And last, but not least, Ella's Kitchen also has Nibbly Fingers and Yum Yummy Baby Cookies. All of Ella's Kitchen pouches are made with organic ingredients, NO add water, preservatives or thickeners, E numbers or GM products, gluten and wheat free and no lumps or bits and no artificial flavors. They also are not sweetened with added sweeteners nor are they salted.

Ella's Kitchen products are just if you were to make them at home in your own kitchen!! But with the ease and convenience of not having to steam the fruits and veggies and blend them. Mess and hassle free homemade food!!! How awesome hey!? And even at a great price!!

We LOVE Ella's Kitchen, Cade and Ezio eat pouches all the time! Jada also loves the pouches, but she only likes them cold, the boys eat them at room temperature. Ezio is a year old now, but has been eating the pouches on his own with little to no mess since about 8 or 9 months old and has done great with them! We always try to keep a drawer full in the fridge. Dan and I don't always make a good lunch or dinner so on those days we just open a pouch for the boys. Ezio is still breastfed so one pouch is usually the perfect size for him. I love that our children are able to eat healthy even when we don't make the healthiest choices for ourselves. I also love that they can eat healthy with out me standing at our local organic/natural grocery store so lost out of my mind not knowing what to get for them!!

We do most of our shopping at Target as it is close to the house and cheap, we are always stocking up on Ella's Kitchen pouches! They are quite yummy, I've tried them my self. Anyone four months or older can eat the Ella's Kitchen pouches.

Visit Ella's Kitchen and take a look at their products.
Be sure to check out the printable coupons on Ella's Kitchen Facebook page (link below)!

Connect with Ella's Kitchen
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOOGLE+
E-MAIL

What flavor(s) do you think you and/or your children would like from Ella's Kitchen?

Disclaimer: We received a package with samples of Ella's Kitchen products to taste test for our selves. These opinions and experience expressed in the above review are completely honest and solely our own. We were not compensated in any other way for this review.

Enter to win your own package of Ella's Kitchen products in Ezio's 1st Birthday Bash!  

Dress Me Up Organics Blanket Review! (ARV $54.99)

Dress Me Up Organic products are Gentle, Natural and Safe!

Dress Me Up Organic is owned by Jen Campbell who is committed to sustainability and has two children of her own at home that love all of the Dress Me Up Organic products. the Dress Me Up Organic collection is brought to life by their small team of local crafters. Each of their organic cotton soft toys, Teething Bonbons and baby linens are meticulously crafted in small batches, ensuring confidence and loads of good energy in every aspect of creation and production.  

Dress Me Up Organic is a small independent toy company located in Victoria British Columbia, on the West coast of Canada. They specialize in handmade, natural, organic cotton soft toys, eco-teethers and baby linens for your young children. When you purchase from their website, you are directly supporting a small company! They are committed to creating safe, natural, heirloom-quality toys and accessories for babies and young children. Creating smart designs, embracing organically produced goods, and choosing their sources carefully, they know that their products are making a difference int eh hands of our little ones, and in the cotton fields and farmlands of the world. 

They are passionate about environmental stewardship. They choose organic and sustainable materials, designing and creating naturally-inspired products with years of well-loved use in mind. Their Certified Organic Cotton is USA sourced and their wool stuffing is from a small farm in Alberta, Canada, which is the oldest operating woolen mill in western Canada! They think of materials sourced closer to home as 'slow organics' encouraging a small production footprint and neighborly business relationships.

We received the Dress Me Up Organic, Organic Double Cream Blanket with the Blue Tree Rings!  

The Organic Double Cream Blanket is made with two layers of Organic Cotton Fleece. Three quilted leaves are finely adorned to the corner of every blanket. Making each blanket a treasure, soft, happy and healthy for baby. Each blanket is handmade, one at a time in Canda from 100% organic cotton, printed with their original drawing with non-toxic, water-based fabric ink. 

These blankets are reversible, however, only one side has the three quilted leaves and measures 35 inches by 35 inches, making this is a great size blanket for babies and toddlers. To clean the Organic Double Cream Blanket, simply machine wash on cold and line dry. 

These beautiful baby blankets are available in Red Tree Rings, Blue Tree Rings and Green Tree Rings (as seen to the right). 

Ezio and I both love his Organic Double Cream Blanket! This blanket is nice and warm, but not too heavy! We use this blanket as a nursing cover as well as a blanket. He loves to pull the super soft organic cotton fleece blanket up to his face while nursing and falling asleep. We use this blanket, at home, in his bed, while nursing, in the car and even in the stroller. 

The three quilted leaves are securely sewn on so I do not have to worry about those coming off anytime soon. Nor do I have to worry about strings or threads wrapping around his little fingers or toes cutting off the circulation. It is always nice for simple things as this to put mom's mind at ease while her little one is peacefully sleeping.  

Visit Dress Me Up Organic and place your order TODAY! You will receive FREE SHIPPING on orders over $50!

Connect with Dress Me Up Organic on

 FACEBOOK

TWITTER 

Which product(s) do you like from Dress Me Up Organic?  

 Enter Ezio's 1st Birthday Bash HERE!!

Disclaimer: I received the Double Cream Blanket from Dress Me Up Organic in exchange for this review. All opinions in this review are solely my own. I was not compensated in any other way for this review.

Bamboo Nature #diapers Review & Giveaway!

 

Bambo Nature puts both your child and the environment as their top priorities!

Bambo Nature diapers are the same as your ordinary disposable, but they have a much lower "eco footprint". Bambo Nature nappies are ultra-thin and ultra-absorbent with a unique layer to draw wetness away from baby's skin to keep baby dry and comfortable even with repeat wettings. These diapers have been designed to assure parents that the product has a practical design and are user friendly.

Bambo Nature diapers are available in FIVE sizes to suit all ages, from birth until naturally learning potty learning/full continence. The product line begins with a Size 2 and goes onto Sizes 3, 4, 4+ and 5. 

Bambo Nature Range	Bambo Baby Diaper Selection
Size 2 Mini – 6.5 to 13 lbs	Size 0 Premature – 2.2 to 6.6 lbs
Size 3 Midi – 11 to 22 lbs	Size 1 Newborn – 4.4 to 8.8 lbs
Size 4 Maxi – 18 to 40 lbs	Training Pants: Size 4+ Maxi Plus – Fits 30 lbs or more
Size 4+ Maxi+ - 26 to 48 lbs	Training Pants: Size 6 XL Plus – Fits 39 lbs or more
Size 5 Junior – 33 to 55 lbs

  

 Bambo Nature baby diapers carry the official environmental Nordic Ecolabel, the Swan!

They are certified FREE of harsh and dangerous chemicals. Certified non-toxic and hypoallergenic. Also eco-friendly and transparent manufacturing process.

Bambo Nature Baby Diaper Features

• Hook and Loop closure, for easy re-adjusting. Open and close the hook and loop closures as many times as necessary to get that perfect secure fit on your baby.
•  Easy fit, due to new innovative flexible side panels which stretch and ensures comfort and freedom to move.
• No elastic along the waist band to prevent skin irritation or rash.
• Efficient leakage barriers to ensure a snug fit to baby's body and minimizes the risk of leaks.
• The super absorbent core ensures high absorption capacity and a dry surface against baby's skin. One of the highest absorbers on the market!
• One of the only diapers with a breathable back sheet which ensures that the skin can breathe, keeping the skin drier. More similar to the breath-ability of cloth diapers opposed to other disposables.
• Wetness indicator, a very useful tool, showing how wet the diaper is! Note: The light blue writing on the surface of the back-sheet is the wetness indicator. The writing will run, blur or smear as the diaper gets wet. Other disposable brands only have a wetness indicator for smaller sizes.
• Bambo Nature has increased length and width, the largest on the market! Making them a perfect fit for tall children or children that need extra width. They also run slightly larger then competitor brands, here in the US market.    

  Here is a full list and explanation of the ingredients in Bambo Nature.

 

  We received two packages of Bambo Nature to try on Cade and Ezio. The red package on the left are the Size 4 MAXI, for 18-40lbs this package is a 50 count which usually retails for $23.95. The green package on the right are the Size 4+ MAXI-PLUS, for 26-48lbs and is a 46 count and usually retails for $23.85. I love the huge weight range the diapers are designed for. Now you may be wondering, as so was I, "My son is only 24lbs, wont the diapers be HUGE on him if they can fit a baby/child almost DOUBLE his weight?" My answer to that, is NO! They were not huge on my 24lbs, almost one year old, they were a great fit! Both the MAXI and MAXI-PLUS fit both Cade and Ezio, Cade is 30lbs, tall and a pretty skinny 2 year old, Ezio on the other hand is a 24lbs, short and chunky, but super skinny waisted 1 year old. 

 The diapers fit Ezio, perfectly with plenty of room to grow still! I love how they go further up his back, he is breastfed and still has the explosive poo diapers, but all of the yuck was contained in the Bambo Nature Baby Diapers!

Cade has some issues with food and eating, so he mainly drinks milk all day, every day, in which case causes him to be a HEAVY WETTER! Bambo Nature held up for him, without wet spots all over the couch due to a leaky diaper an hour after I just changed him, I have to say, I think that is the biggest plus for me! They also held up over night for him! 

Cade loved his new diapers was quite excited to try them on! 

 

Great fit on Cade as well! Nice and snug around his skinny thighs (which were once huge like Ezio's) and waist!

 

Cade and Ezio also have eczema and sensitive skin, which is what originally led me to Bambo Nature, yes we do cloth diaper, but with two in diapers and a house hold of five, sometimes I just want to be able to wash our clothing and not have to worry if I will have enough clean diapers for the day, plus I have to figure out what is causing their rashes with the cloth diapers. From a few days old til Cade was a couple months old, he has a chronic diaper rash, at the time we used Pamper's Swaddlers and were unaware of the harsh chemicals and other things in the larger brand diapers. After a couple months of changing him every 30 minutes and him still having a chronic rash that just would not go away or get better no matter what cream, lotion, etc we put on his little bottom to try and protect it, my mom suggested trying a Pure & Natural or Sensitive diaper, we did and it finally brought relief. Anyways, neither one of the boys developed a rash nor did I notice any signs of irritation!!! WOOHOO!!

Down fall, I believe it is due to the stretchy nature of the Bambo Nature diapers, but they seem to start sagging pretty soon after being put on baby. With Ezio still crawling and the diaper rubbing against the area rugs they did pil a bit. However, I'm sure not everyone's one and two year run around in just a diaper diaper 24/7. Although, I do hear it is a boy thing to hate clothing. ;) 

Over all, I really and honestly do love Bambo Nature diapers!   

Bambo Nature to me is sort of like a completely disposable Eco-friendly cloth diaper! Bambo Nature is 80% bio-degradable, that is almost THREE times that of other disposables diapers!! 

    

Visit Bambo Nature and purchase your own pack of Bambo Nature. Receive FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $50! While your there take a look at their other baby care products.

Connect with Bambo Nature on
 Facebook 
Twitter

Enter to win your own Bambo Nature Diapers to try HERE at Ezio's 1st Birthday Bash!

What did you learn or like about Bambo Nature Disposable Diapers?   

Disclaimer: I received two packages of diapers from Bambo Nature in exchange for this review, all opinions in this review are solely my own and I was not compensated in any other way for this review.