All posts by Alicia

Review of Joobles – the cutest little animals, from FairIndigo.com

Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Toys, , , ,

 Joobles from FairIndigo.comThese are the cutest little animals!  

I recently got Bella, a huggable little bunny with lots of personality, to review and think moms are going to want to keep these to themselves.  Don't kid yourself.. you're going to be jealous of your kids if you don't buy a Jooble for yourself.  I am a huge snuggler and always have something in my arms at night.  I found my new favorite!

Joobles are made of 100% soft organic yarns and eco-friendly dyes and are about 11 inches tall making them super snuggly and perfect for little hands to hold.

Joobles are very special in that they are made fairly in Peru under fair trade conditions which is a rapidly gJoobles from FairIndigo.com
rowing movement dedicated to paying workers fair wages rather than minimum ones and to providing workers with a safe and healthy working environment.

Joobles are GREAT stocking stuffers!

Price: $29.99

Where to buy: FairIndigo.com


Win a Jooble of your very own!
Go to the Fair Indigo website and click on the Meet the Joobles link, choose your favorite Jooble, AND then click on the About Fair Trade link in the top right area of the site.  Then come back here and tell me which is your favorite Jooble and something you learned about Fair Trade, in the comments box below.  Or blog about this post and send me the link and you will be entered to win the Jooble of your choice.
I just learned that they are out of Icy the Penguin and Jiffy the Giraffe so be sure to choose an available Jooble.

View more photographs of the kids with their Jooble, Bella the Bunny.

invisibelt: get rid of belt buckle bump + giveaway

Clothes - mom & dad, , , ,
All belt, no bulk.  That's the tag line for invisibelt and it's absolutely true.  If you wear belts, there is a good chance that the invisibelt will replace your favorite belts.  Don't you hate the bump that appears under your shirt from the belt buckle?  I do.  It kind of takes away from the purpose of the belt.  Why wear a belt with a bulky buckle that makes your shirt look funny when you can wear a belt that is flat and smooth and won't give your tummy that weird bump traditional belts do.

Invisibelt

The invisibelt is adjustable like a bra, comes regular size fitting sizes 0-14 and plus size fitting up to 4x and is available in clear and noir (black).  See the invisibelt in action here. 

Price: The invisibelt is $19.95 for one color or get both colors for $34.94.

Where to buy: invisibelt.com

We have 3 invisbelts to give away! 
Two regular size and one plus size.  Here's how to enter to win an invisibelt:  Choose one

1) Write a post on your blog linking to this post then email the link to me (alicia @ themommyinsider.com) along with the size you want.

2) Tell me what you think of invisibelt in the comments box below – don't forget to tell me what size you want.

3) If you are on Twitter, retweet my invisibelt twitter post. You can follow me on Twitter here twitter.com/mommyinsider.
The format of your 'retweet' will be RT@mommyinsider 'then paste my original tweet after'.  I will find your tweet on the search.twitter.com page and will notify you via twitter if you are the winner!  More about retweeting here.

Movie review: Delgo – a mom’s review and an exclusive movie image

Film, Holiday, Television, , , , ,

every battle.   every journey.    every adventure.    needs a hero

Just reading that gives me the shivers.  Delgo, an action packed, family-friendly (rated PG), romantic, and humorous movie is truly one-of-a-kind.  Delgo features a voice cast of Freddie Prinze, Jr. (Delgo), Jennifer Love Hewitt (Princess Kyla), Anne
Bancroft (exiled Empress Sedessa) as well as Chris Kattan (Filo), Val
Kilmer (Bogardus), Lou Gossett Jr. (Nohrin King), Michael Clarke Duncan
(Lockni Stonesage Council), Kelly Ripa (Kurrin), Burt Reynolds (Delgo’s
Father) and Sally Kellerman (Narrator).  Very impressive for a production not made in Hollywood.  Delgo was created by Atlanta based Fathom Studios with a small but extremely talented staff and is the first feature length CG film created outside of the studio system. 

Here is an exclusive image from the film, Delgo, thanks to Team Mom.

Delgo

A mom's review (me) of Delgo – based on the trailers – The variety of character types includes fairy, dragon, dinosaur, and sea creatures. Delgo's characters are colorful, and their impeccably smooth motions bring them to life in a way that I've never seen in a computer animated movie before.  I can't wait to see the entire film!

Press release excerpt –
"The
story takes place in the magical land of Jhamora which is divided
between two cultures – the Nohrin, winged masters of the skies, and the
Lockni, the terrestrial tribe who harness the mystical powers of the
land. When Delgo, a reckless Lockni teenager, forms a forbidden
friendship with the spunky Nohrin Princess Kyla, hostilities between
the two peoples escalate, setting the stage for an exiled empress to
exact her revenge and reclaim her rule. Falsely imprisoned, Delgo and
his best friend, Filo, must put aside their differences to join forces
with a sworn enemy, Bogardus, and travel to the mysterious land of
Perran to rescue Princess Kyla. Here they encounter fanciful creatures
and discover more than just a kidnapped princess, they learn the value
of different cultures and the importance of working together."

Delgo teaches children about the need
for people to come together, despite their culture, history, and backgrounds, to
work for a better future for everyone and that it can be done.  Delgo is rated PG but there is violence in the form of a war.  As far as I can tell from the trailers, you won't see blood or other distressing signs of bodily injury.  

Delgo looks very sci-fi which I like because I think that gives younger children less chance of taking the characters as reality and holding on to the more violent parts of the film which are far surpassed by the funny, romantic, humorous parts.

Click on 'Downloads' on the Delgo.com website to download free Delgo Wallpapers for your computer, a Delgo screen saver, and Delgo buddy icons.

Go to Delgo.com to watch two trailers for the movie and check out the Scrapbook while you are there.  It's really interesting.

I would love to get your feedback on Delgo after you've seen it!

Jumpstart 3D Virtual World – My First Adventure

Educational Toys, , , , ,

JumpStart Virtual World My First Adventure

JumpStart made the first PC games I had for Sebastian years ago.  8+ years later, JumpStart still rocks the computer game world for kids. 

Their new PC game, 3D World, My First Adventure, combines a whimsical 3D world of imagination, and adventure, with interactive learning.

There is a Movie House where players complete missions to unlock storybooks providing the player with a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Skill and activities include ABC's, counting, planting flowers, sing-along music videos, and games that are appropriate for kids ages 3-5.  I have to admit though, that Sebastian, my 9 year old, enjoyed this game a lot!

Parents have access to personalized progress reports and advice from educational experts.
The Virtual World concept adds extra excitement as kids love to interact with characters and feel like they are part of a larger adventure!

Price: Can be purchased for about $10 at Amazon.com

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Bounce & Spin Pony

Age 3-5, Toys, , , ,
Madelyn had the first Fisher-Price bounce and play toy, it was a zebra.  It Bounce and Learn Pony
stayed in our living room for over a year and half and it was so cute because she would randomly get on and bounce and spin. 

Now, we have the Bounce and Learn Pony in our living room and it's a totally different experience and she appears to be having just as much if not more fun with it.

The Bounce and Learn Pony is an active learning toy that interacts with the television.  The Pony uses a wireless device to connect with the TV delivering animated content.  Madelyn interacts with the toy and TV by bouncing up and down and spinning a roller on the handle bars.  I can choose the level of play and audio options (really handy!) so as she has learned skills it is easy to move up to the next level.  There was a little bit of a learning curve so you will want to stay in the room the first few times your toddler gets on the Bounce and Learn Pony.  After that, you should be able to run into the kitchen to fix dinner or vacum a couploe of rooms.  The Bounce and Learn Pony doesn't have to be connected with the TV to be interactive.   It will still play songs and sound effects from the pony itself.

Price: About $55 at Amazon.com