Are you shopping for the DIY lady in your life? I have a wonderful idea for you!! Head over to Little Pink Tools and check out their selection. 

I was sent the Little Pink Tool Kit and the Cordless 18V Drill for review and have had a chance to work with both items.  Honestly, when these items arrived I could not have been more excited. I was finally getting my own tools! No longer did I have to dig through the hubster's smelly toolbox if I was working on something. I could finally have my own things to use and I loved that idea.

When I began to check out the items in the Little Pink Tool Kit, I was impressed how the tools were a perfect fit for my hands. You see, I can use the hubster's tools just fine, but I have found that it is much easier to use a tool that fits in my hands perfectly. {My hands are much smaller than a man's hands.}

The Tool Kit includes:

• Case 15" x 10" x 5.5"
• Hammer, 7 oz. claw
• Hex fold-up 5/64" - 1/4"
• Level, 9" with magnet & pop-out line level
• Plier, 10" pump style
• Plier, 6" slip joint with spring
• Plier, 6" long nose with side cut & spring
• Screwdriver, 6 in 1
• Screwdriver, offset ratchet with 8 bits
• Tape measure 25' with fractional legend
• Wrench, 6" adjustable with engraved jaw

BUY IT: The Little Pink Tool Kit can be purchased for $89.99

And as for the Cordless 18V Drill I received, the hubster was actually the first to use it. He actually had to use it because the battery on his drill was dead and he had a project to do. I'm happy to report, he told me how well it worked with a big smile on his face. He said it didn't have quite the same torque as his drill but it worked just fine and he said I'd have no problem using it for the projects I do around the home.

The Cordless Drill comes with:

• 18 volt cordless drill, 0-550 rpm
• Variable speed
• Reversing
• 16 torque settings
• 2-18 volt ni-cad batteries
• 1 battery charger
• 6 screwdriver bits
• 6 drill bits
• 1 reversible screwdriver bit
• 1 pink plastic carry case 14-1/2" x 10-3/4" x 3-5/8"
• weighs 7.5 pounds
• one year guarantee on the drill, batteries and charge

BUY IT: You can buy the 18V Cordless Drill for $59.00

There are many more items available for purchase from Little Pink Tools and 10% of all sales will be donated to breast cancer research.  Next on my list? I'd like to get the Little Pink Car Kit to keep with me while on the road.

THE GIVEAWAY!!

**Thanks to the company or pr agency, who supplied the items to facilitate this review and giveaway. I wasn't compensated in any way. In this post I share my thoughts and opinions of the item mentioned. Others may have a different experience or opinion.**

Holiday Gift Guide ~ Little Pink Tools {review and giveaway}

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 I've always made it a point to expose my daughter to as many different cultures as I can. I want her to see how beautiful every girl is no matter her skin, eye, or hair color. She's really taken to the dolls I've purchased for her and likes something different about each one of them.

This year, I found out about Hearts For Hearts Girls and fell in love with these dolls right away. Right now, there are 6 different dolls available who represent 6 different countries and cultures. The wonderful part of buying these dolls is that a percentage of the proceeds go to supporting the doll's home country through teaming up with World Vision to provide needs there.

Each doll can be registered online as well to open up a world of play where little ones can learn even more about their doll and the country she lives in.  Please read more about this on the  How You Help page.

Each doll also has a separate fashion available for purchase. For example, we were sent the Consuelo doll {pictured above} for review and I can purchase her Folklorico Dance Dress Set as well for $12.99. In the future, separate accessories will also be available for purchase. These dolls are 14" tall, made of vinyl, and are even more beautiful in person than they are in pictures. 


If you're looking for a great gift that gives back at the same time, check out the Hearts For Hearts Girls. 
BUY IT: Dolls are sold for $24.99 a piece and can be purchased through the website.

THE GIVEAWAY!!

Holiday Gift Guide ~ Hearts For Hearts Girls {with a giveaway!}

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It never fails. Every day, Eliana goes into her room to make me something in her play kitchen. She's made me everything from coffee, to burgers, to corn on the cob {in a cup} and she really enjoys keeping it tidy when she's all done with her play. 

This year, I'm sure she's going to be thrilled to see an upgrade to her little kitchen when the new, LifeStyle Legacy Kitchen from Step2 is assembled and waiting for her by the Christmas tree. This new kitchen not only gives her a bigger play area to work with, it also has accessories that she doesn't currently have. 

This kitchen comes with a recycling bin, a shopping tote, storage baskets, a stove top that sizzles when a pot is placed on it, a phone, a microwave, and more. Eliana loves to pretend to be myself or the hubster when she's playing in the kitchen so I'm excited to see how she whips around with her phone and her cooking or coffee making. 

The dimensions of this kitchen make it a great size while still not taking up too much room in the kiddos' bedroom. It measures 46" high x 39" wide x 16.75" Deep.

What I love about Step2 products is their durability. These things can handle all the play a child can give it for years on end and still stand strong. It's quite impressive, actually. The assembly process can sometimes get a little tough but I've never had an issue with putting something together on my own. It just takes a little extra muscle sometimes. Also, I love the variety available from Step2. There are many different sizes and styles of play kitchens, from massive to small, and with that comes a large range of price points.

BUY IT!! You can purchase the Step2 LifeStyle Legacy Kitchen for $125-$135. {prices vary from store to store.}

THE GIVEAWAY!! 

Step2 sent something for one of you to win!

**Thanks to the company or pr agency, who supplied the items to facilitate this review and giveaway. I wasn't compensated in any way. In this post I share my thoughts and opinions of the item mentioned. Others may have a different experience or opinion.**

Holiday Gift Guide ~ Step2 LifeStyle Legacy Kitchen {and a giveaway too}

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Whenever I'm shopping for gifts for my kiddos, I tend to look for educational items that are also fun for them to use. I think learning is so important and I want to do everything I can to bring tools into my home to help me encourage learning day in and day out. 

For this reason, I was pretty excited when School Zone reached out to be a part of the gift guide this year. Their catalog of items is huge and there's probably something for every little learner out there. To review, we were sent the Start To Read books and CD {level 1 and 2}, the Learn The Alphabet workbook, the Get Ready for Kindergarten workbook, the Alphabet Fun! Reusable workbook, and the Connect The Dots workbook for preschool learners. 

Alex loves the Start To Read books with the accompanied CD. He listens to the stories again and again while I point to the words that are being said. The books are very simple, with only a few words to each page. This is perfect for him as he begins to grow confident with letters and their sounds and beginning sight words.

Of everything we were sent, my personal favorite is the Alphabet Fun! book. In this book, Alex uses a dry erase marker to trace, write, and do other activities. Once he's done, he can erase his work and do it again. This matches perfectly with his preschool learning and helps me to encourage him as he learns a new letter each week. 

Alex tends to enjoy activities like mazes and connect the dots, to the Connect the Dots book we were sent gets a big thumbs up. Again, this is great for his handwriting as it helps him learn to control his hand movements and draw from one point to the next. After all, this is all letter writing is. When he's through with  a picture, he can color it. He really enjoys it.

These little books are perfect for on the go. The Learn The Alphabet book hass great practice for writing letters as well as activities and pictures to color. The Get Ready for Kindergarten book focuses on other skills like math and reading. It even helps Alex learn how to write his numbers. It fits nicely in a diaper bag or his backpack so I can bring it with me to a restaurant or doctor's office...really, anywhere there is waiting involved. At a price tag of $2.99 a piece, these books are perfect stocking stuffers.

You'll find all these items and more on the School Zone website. It's very easy to navigate the grade{s} you may be looking for and there are full descriptions/pictures of each item.

**Thanks to the company or pr agency, who supplied the items to facilitate this review. I wasn't compensated in any way. In this post I share my thoughts and opinions of the item mentioned. Others may have a different experience or opinion.**

Holiday Gift Guide ~ School Zone Learning Items {review}

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We're not a family who has very many Cable channels to watch which means that my little ones never watch Nickelodeon. However, they still like seeing Nickelodeon characters in the stores and somehow know who they are. SpongeBob is one of the characters my son knows...even though he's never seen a single episode of his show.

When I reached out to Nickelodeon to see if they'd like to include an item in the Gift Guide, they said they would send something out right away and this is what they sent.

The SpongeBob Squarepants Hangman Game is played just like the games of Hangman I used to play with my siblings when I was younger, accept it has a fun element of creating SpongeBob as guesses are made rather than creating a stick figure on paper.

This game is made for 2 players, ages 5 and up. For now, Alex hasn't played the game since he's 4 and not spelling any words {other than his name} just yet. However, I think it looks like something that I would have loved to play when I was younger and would absolutely appeal to the young, SpongeBob fan on any shopping list. Plus, at only $9.99, it's super affordable.

You can head over to the Cardinal Industries, Inc. website for more details and even more game shopping ideas.

**Thanks to the company or pr agency, who supplied the items to facilitate this review. I wasn't compensated in any way. In this post I share my thoughts and opinions of the item mentioned. Others may have a different experience or opinion.**

Holiday Gift Guide ~ Nickelodeon SpongeBob Squarepants Hangman Game

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Here's an idea of something that's super cool for the little ones but doesn't cost an arm and a leg to buy.

Transformers now has Rescue Bots that come in a few different styles. We were sent "Heatwave the Fire-Bot" for Alex since he's such a big fan of fire trucks and such.

What I like about these is the size of them. These aren't small, hand-held Transformers like the ones I've tried with Alex in the past. These are bigger and easier to manipulate so he can switch the toy from robot to firetruck with no assistance needed. In a four year old's world, this is a pretty big deal.


PLAYSKOOL makes all sorts of toys that are perfect for little ones. I like the brand because it always offers something fun and durable for my kiddos to enjoy. This is a winning combination in my book. I wouldn't want to buy something that looked neat but couldn't stand up to my kids playing with it.

BUY IT! You can purchase the Transformers Rescue Bots: Heatwave the Fire-Bot for $11.99

**Thanks to the company or pr agency, who supplied the items to facilitate this review. I wasn't compensated in any way. In this post I share my thoughts and opinions of the item mentioned. Others may have a different experience or opinion.**

Holiday Gift Guide ~ Transformers Rescue Bots {review}

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Do you have a little one in your home who loves Playmobil? My son is just crazy about this timeless brand and my 2 year old daughter is following right in his footsteps.

This year, I'd like to tell you about the Robo Gang Truck from Playmobil's Top Agents line. This line is something I know my son would love because he's all about "spies" and "catching the bad guys" when he plays.

The Robo Gang Truck comes needing a little assembly but the directions are very easy to follow. Once assembled, you'll see the fun features on the truck.

The top of the truck folds down, missiles can be fired, and a satellite can be attached or launched from the truck. It also comes with 2 play figurines. Also, a remote control can be purchased separately to make this truck come to life.

If you think this looks cool, you should check out the rest of the line. You'll find the agents' headquarters, jets, other vehicles, a spy camera set, and more!

BUY IT! You can purchase the Playmobil Robo Gang Truck from the website for $34.99.

**Thanks to the company or pr agency, who supplied the items to facilitate this review. I wasn't compensated in any way. In this post I share my thoughts and opinions of the item mentioned. Others may have a different experience or opinion.**

Holiday Gift Guide ~ Playmobil Robo Gang Truck {review}

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Have you seen the button on my sidebar? You know, the one that says "VeggieTales Official Mommy Blogger"? That means that I am A HUGE FAN of all things Big Idea. Their products enrich my family and teach my children important lessons in a way that speaks right to them at their level.

This season, VeggieTales has released the movie The Little Drummer Boy. My family has watched this again and again since we've received it and I'm happy to add it to the movies we watch together during the Christmas season.

Here's the synopsis from the press release.

In this Veggie-version of a holiday classic, Junior Asparagus stars as The Little Drummer Boy, a lonely child who fins the true meaning of Christmas when he stumbles upon the birth of the baby Jesus. A story of hope, love, and forgiveness, this timeless tale will warm the hearts of children everywhere! 

Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuP4Kx_nHIA

We all love this movie and I enjoy hearing my little ones laugh just as hard at the funny parts as they did the time before. These movies are so well made and really know how to hold a child's attention while making us big people laugh as well. 

BUY IT: You can purchase this movie in a number of different retail stores for $14.99

**Thanks to the company or pr agency, who supplied the items to facilitate this review and giveaway. I wasn't compensated in any way. In this post I share my thoughts and opinions of the item mentioned. Others may have a different experience or opinion.**

Holiday Gift Guide ~ VeggieTales The Little Drummer Boy DVD

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Oh, how Alex loves monster trucks. He thinks they're just incredible because they can drive over and through anything and do cool stunts at the same time. He's started a small collection of monster truck toys as well and these are things that he likes to run over his other toy cars or ramps that he and the hubster have made together.

Until now, Alex has had to push his trucks along to make them go. It's certainly not a "big deal" but he would prefer they drive themselves. Since we feel he's not quite old enough for a remote control truck, I think we've found the next best thing for him.

Defiants 4x4s trucks are battery powered trucks that drive in two gears {high and low}. Alex can choose how fast he wants his truck to go each time he turns it on. For races, he chooses the high setting and that little truck just speeds down the hallway. For climbing and doing ramps and such, he has learned to stick with the low setting as it gives the truck a little more control.

Defiants 4x4 trucks come in several different styles to make collecting them all as fun as playing with them all together. Speaking of playing with them together, there are different sets available for purchase that can create a small track, ramps, or even the monstrous Maximum Mayhem play set with one side for racing and the other for jumping.

Does that set not look amazing? This is right up Alex's alley and I'm sure he'll have nothing but fun with it after he opens it Christmas morning. He's also getting a few more trucks to play with. He requested that he have one or two more so he can share with his dad. {Awwww}. 

Hop over to the Defiants 4x4s website today to learn about all their products, watch videos of their toys in action, and more! Alex asks to see the website all the time. He just loves the videos.

BUY IT! You can purchase Defiants 4x4s trucks for around $7.99 a piece and the Maximum Mayhem play set for $44.99 . See the website for stores/websites!

**Thanks to the company or pr agency, who supplied the items to facilitate this review and giveaway. I wasn't compensated in any way. In this post I share my thoughts and opinions of the item mentioned. Others may have a different experience or opinion.**

Holiday Gift Guide ~ Defiants 4x4 Trucks and Play Set

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We do a lot of singing in my home. And recently, Alex has taken to writing and performing his very own songs. {It's so cute to see.} Naturally, with all of this creativity, the new Voice Rockrz microphone from First Act Discovery is a perfect gift for him.

We were sent the blue microphone to try but it also comes in pink. I'm sure Eliana would want the pink one if she were a bit older.

So what is this microphone all about? Voice Rockrz is battery powered and amplifies a voice the way a normal microphone would. It also has some sound effects that little ones can apply to their voice as well. Those three effects are "Hi-Note", "Echo-Tastic", and "Robot-Riffic".  To attain the different effects, a child just needs to tap the microphone on one of the accessories {pictured above}. Each effect is equally as fun as the next and I'm sure this will create smiles for hours.

Watch this commercial to see it in action!

BUY IT: Voice Rockrz microphone retails for $24.99 at a number of different locations. Be sure to buy this for the creative little one in your life. :)

**Thanks to the company or pr agency, who supplied the items to facilitate this review. I wasn't compensated in any way. In this post I share my thoughts and opinions of the item mentioned. Others may have a different experience or opinion.**

Holiday Gift Guide ~ Voice Rockrz from First Act Discovery {review}

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I hear it all the time. "When I grow up, mommy, I want to be a FIRE FIGHTER!" That's what Alex says whenever he sees anything to do with firemen. That's why this new toy from Matchbox is #1 on his Christmas list this year. 

Smokey The Fire Truck is an interactive toy that lights up, talks, and even sings and dances as children play. He comes with aqua-colored balls that represent water blasts and will say that he's thirsty so the child knows when to use them.

Is it any wonder my little fireman wants this under the tree? {Shhhh. Don't tell him he'll find it on Christmas morning.}

Mattel was generous enough to send this over and I've found time to check it out for myself. From a mom's perspective, I'm very impressed with this toy. There are no small pieces for me to worry about my son losing or my daughter putting in her mouth and the toy is constructed in such a way that I know it's going to be able to keep up with him as he plays. Alex is going to go bananas over this toy and I'll be happy knowing that it's safe and durable.

Want to see the toy in action? Visit the Matchbox website and view the video.

Here are some specifics on the toy's price and age range for you.

ARP:   $59.99                       

Ages:  3+ 

I think this will be pretty popular this year! Add it to your list if you have a little firefighter in your home too!         

**Thanks to the company or pr agency, who supplied the items to facilitate this review. I wasn't compensated in any way. In this post I share my thoughts and opinions of the item mentioned. Others may have a different experience or opinion.**

Holiday Gift Guide: Matchbox Smokey The Fire Truck {review}

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I'm SO excited for this year's Holiday Gift Guide! I've been able to team up with some great brands to offer a little bit of something for everyone.  Also, since I'm expecting my third child at the beginning of January, I've decided to piggy back the baby reviews with the gift guide making it even bigger and better!

Please flip through my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide to see the products being featured and keep checking back for the product reviews {and yes, even some giveaways}.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide & Baby New Year Celebration!

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