I’m all for saving a few dollars here and there. Living on a tight budget we have to watch our nickles and dimes. Whenever I can shop for my family and save money I feel great.

We have a lot of nieces and nephews, as well as friends with young children. There is always a birthday party to attend and presents to buy. When it comes to gifts I always try and find items that look expensive, but really aren’t. No one needs to know that I picked up something on sale or clearance. As long as they get a beautiful gift that is all that should matter.

There is a new mom-friendly deal site that features discount boutique quality fashions for both boys and girls, aged newborn to 9 years old. It’s called KidsExclusive.com.

What makes KidsExclusive.com special you might ask? Well for starters they offer one, low shipping fee. Shipping can really be expensive when ordering online. I like knowing that I have one, low shipping fee rather than trying to guess what shipping would be or limit my purchases so as not to have a heavy package to ship (the heavier the package usually the more it costs to ship).

KidsExclusive.com appears to have much better deals than similar sites. They also allow you to return the items for a store credit.

Another thing I like about KidsExclusive.com is that they ship quickly. Other deal sites take forever to ship products, sometimes as long as 3-4 weeks! With KidsExclusive you can expect your items to ship to you with 5 business days (plus delivery time). I recently placed and order and I had my package delivered to me within about a week.

My recent shopping experience at KidsExclusive.com was a huge success. I was able to pick up A LOT of items for $100.00. Eleven items in total. Not bad for $100.

KidsExclusive.com has a great clearance section where you can find items for $10.00 or less. I shopped the clearance section and I was able to find some lovely pieces for our friends little girl and for another little girl we know whose parents don’t have much money. It feels good that I was able to get her beautiful clothing and it didn’t cost a lot and reap havoc on our budget.

Here are a few of the items I picked up. All of them were UNDER $10.00.

I picked up eleven pieces in total for around $100.00 (some were only $7). Each piece is just as lovely in person as it is in the photos. Some of them are very soft and snugly too, perfect for a chilly day.

Each day KidsExclusive.com had new sales. Today’s sale features this beautiful pink princess-like dress from the designer Isabella & Chloe for only $19.90 (regularly $44).

You can even get a peek at upcoming sales so that you can plan accordingly. 

Many designer brands are featured on KidsExclusive.com including One Kid, LA Made, Alphabet, IT Jeans, Me Too American, Lucky Jade and One 90 One.

KidsExclusive.com has wonderful clothing for both girls AND boys.

I love their baby items too!

You can even earn a $20.00 KidsExclusive.com for every person you refer to the site too. For example, if you refer your sister and she places her first order, YOU will receive a $20 credit. If you refer 5 people and each of them places and order you will receive a $100 store credit. With beautiful, quality clothing at great prices it shouldn’t be hard to find people who would love to purchase from KidsExclusive.com.

T0 check out KidsExclusive.com yourself visit www.KidsExclusive.com. You will have to join in order to see the clothing and prices. Membership is FREE.

You can also follow KidsExclusive on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/KidsExclusive) and on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/Kids.Exclusive).

Kimberly

*I received a free gift code in order to place a sample order to review. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is not my usual type of post. Whenever I feel strongly about something I feel the need to share that with others.

There is an adorable little 4 year old boy name Kyle (pictured above) who needs YOUR help. Kyle has been diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. It’s a life threatening condition where your body does not produce enough red blood cells. Red blood cells are needed to carry oxygen to your organs and every cell in your body. Aplastic Anemia can be fatal if not treated right away.

The best course of treatment for Kyle is a bone marrow transplant. The problem is out of the 9 million registered donors there are no matches for Kyle. What Kyle needs is someone who is of Asian and Caucasian decent. Kyle is half Chinese, half Caucasian.

Here is how YOU can help Kyle. If you are of Asian and Caucasion, please consider helping Kyle. All you have to do is take a bone marrow test. It’s easy and painless. All they need is a cotton swap sample of the inside of your cheek. There is no pain involved in testing to see if you are a match. You must be between 18-60 years old and in good health.

If you know anyone who is of Asian and Caucasian decent please tell them about Kyle and see if they can help.

To learn more please visit KyleNeedsYou.org. You can also find more information on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/KyleNeedsYou and on Twitter, www.Twitter.com/KyleNeedsYou.

Even if you are not a perfect match for Kyle, or even if you are not of Asian and Caucasian decent, please consider being a bone marrow donor. For more information please visit Marrow.org.

Kimberly 

*I was not compensated for this post. I posted this in order to help this little boy.

Do you have a picky eater in your household? When my kids were little they used to give me a hard time about eating certain things, most especially my daughter. In order to get them to eat what I wanted them to eat I had to make things fun and exciting for them. To do that I would cut things into different shapes, turn meals into funny faces or animals, or give foods silly names to make the kids more interested in them.

There is a new product on the market that is geared towards children in order to make meal time more fun. They are called, appropriately enough, Fun Bites.

Fun Bites are, in a way, like cookie cutters. They are used to cut out shapes from sandwiches, toast, cheese, fruits and just about anything else you can think of.

Currently Fun Bites is available in two different shapes – square (Cube It!)  and heart. (Luv It!).

Fun Bites are plastic “cutters” that resemble ice cube trays, in a way (the Cube It! one certainly does).

Using Fun Bites is easy. Simply put the item you want to cut on a firm, flat surface. Next take your Fun Bit and press it down firmly on the item you want to cut. The rock the Fun Bite back and forth a few times to make sure it’s cut all the way through. Next, place the insert piece into the Fun Bite and press down to gently remove the pieces from inside the Fun Bit cutter (which, by the way, doesn’t have any sharp edges).

Hopefully I explained it OK. If not, here is a visual of the Luv It! Fun Bite and a cheese sandwich.

The cuts that the Fun Bites makes are very small. They are ideal for toddlers and small children, but not very practical for older children, no matter how picky they are.

Fun Bites are great for making bite size appetizers. You can cut out cubes (for example) of various meats, cheeses and bread, then stack them up to make tiny bite size sandwiches.

I did encounter a few times where things got stuck inside the Fun Bit cutter, even after using the insert. They easily peeled out so it wasn’t that big of a deal.

These work great with cheese, bologna, bread, omelets and many other food products. I suppose when your child no longer enjoys food cut up in bite size pieces they can use the Fun Bites to cut out fun Play Doh shapes.

Over all I think it’s a cute idea, especially if you have little ones at home, or if you like to entertain and create fancy finger foods. I personally don’t think I’ll have much need for them since my kids are older and I don’t entertain like I’d like to. I’m going to pass these along to my neighbor who has a toddler. This would be perfect for her.

To learn more about Fun Bites, or to make a purchase, please visit www.FunBites.com. You can also find Fun Bites on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/FunBites), Twitter (www.Twitter.com/FunBites) and on YouTube (www.YouTube.com/FunBitesCutter).

Save 25% off your order using the discount code 25%OFF at check out.

Kimberly

*I received a free product sample in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

You may not know the name Alberto Corral, but you most likely know of his work. He worked as an animator for the movies Kung Fu Panda 2 and Shrek Forever After. Alberto also has another entry on his resume – author.

Alberto Corral has written an adorable children’s book called My Monster Burrufu. It is illustrated by Alessandra Sorrentino. I’m surprised that he didn’t illustrate the book himself since he also does animation.

My Monster Burrufu is the story of a 7 year old girl name Olivia. Olivia lives with her father Steven who is a successful author.

Steven decides that he would write better out in the country so him and Olivia pack their bags and move far out into the country. Their new home reminds me of the Adam’s Family house, based on the illustration.

Olivia doesn’t have much to do in the new house so she roams the hallways with her dog Tula.

Late one night Olivia had a late night snack of milk and cookies. When she was finished she returned to her bedroom, only to realize she neglected to put the milk away. So she headed back downstairs to the kitchen. As she got closer to the kitchen she saw something unusual – a monstrous, hairy arm reaching for the cookies from the shadows. Without thinking about it Olivia started to chase after the mysterious being, only to have him disappear into the darkness.

The next day Oliva sets out to find their house guest. She happens upon a secret door into the attic. Is is there that she meets the creature she saw the night before – a huge, hairy monster name Burrufu.

Burrufu has lived in the attic for a very long time. He used to go outside but people taunted him, forcing him to hide away in the attic. To pass the time away Burrufu wrote stories. Olivia was impressed by the wonderful stories he wrote.

Olivia new that she couldn’t let her father, or his agent Mark, know about Burrufu. She knew he would have to be her secret friend.

On the days that her father wasn’t around Olivia would try and persuade Burrufu into leaving that attic. At first it was outside of the attic to enjoy some cookies. Not long after that she was able to convince him to go outside into the tree house. Burrufu was almost discovered when her father’s agent, Mark, showed up.

How long will Olivia be able to keep Burrufu a secret? What would happen if he was discovered? What does Mark take from the house that might expose who Burrufu really is? To learn the answers to these questions you’ll have to pick up a copy of My Monster Burrufu.

This is a charming story that is sure to delight any young reader. The book is around 100 pages long so it can easily be read in a day or two. There are chapters within the book making it an ideal bedtime story too.

I love the illustrations. Burrufu is not scary at all. He’s adorable!

I thought I knew the direction the story was going but it actually had a few twists and turns that I didn’t expect. The ending was unexpected too.  

I think the reading level for this book would be from 6-10 years old. Younger children might need to have it read to them.

Look for My Monster Burrufu where ever books are sold including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Kimberly

*I received a free sample copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

One of the greatest gifts I ever received when I was a young girl was a brand new box of crayons. Usually every holiday season my mom would give me a  new box of crayons and a couple of holiday coloring books. For such a simple gift it gave me great pleasure.

Even though I’m not longer a child I still enjoy coloring. Believe it or not my husband and I have been known to sit down at the coffee table and just start coloring. We have several holiday coloring books and I think my husband and I must have colored in more pages then my kids have. We especially like images that have a lot of details to them. We also share the same box of crayons, which is in pristine condition, compared to the crayons my kids use (they always break them).

Did you know that Crayola crayons have gone high tech? It’s true! Crayola has a new application for the iPad called ColorStudio HD. It turns your iPad into an interactive coloring book and features some of the most beloved Crayola crayon colors.

I have a couple of coloring applications on our iPad, but NOTHING compares to the Crayola ColorStudio HD application. With this application things come alive and it features music, sound effects and other special surprises. 

Crayola even has a really cool device called an iMarker that is like a marker for the iPad. It doesn’t leave a mark on the iPad, it just works within the Crayola ColorStudio HD application.  

You can choose from 64 colors in the digital Crayola crayon box and then use the iMarker to create the look of Crayola crayons, markers, paints and colored pencils as the stylus interacts with an iPad. The digital coloring pages respond with movement and sound as the pages come alive as kids color. It’s really cool!

Your child can save their artwork and can e-mail it to family and friends, print it out or upload it to Facebook (with a parent’s permission of course).

Children can even play games, draw free hand or create their own coloring pages that they can print out and color with “real” crayons.

The application is free at the iTunes App Store with the purchase of the iMarker for $29.99 at Toys R Us, Best Buy, the Apple Store and www.griffintechnology.com. The iMarker is recommended for children ages 3+. It comes with batteries and a FREE download of the ColorStudio HD application. 

Another cool “high tech” product that Crayola has available is called Crayola Story Studio. The Crayola Story Studio turns your child into a coloring book character. It’s the coolest thing!

Currently there are three different Crayola Story Studio “kits”.

- Crayola Story Studio: Spider-Man lets kids upload a photo and transform themselves into a superhero that stars with Spider-Man in personalized comic book they create and color. A free access code inside the kit unlocks the Story Studio application at Crayola.com/storystudio. Kids can choose a super power, story-line, and one of six villains to battle alongside Spider-Man in their own web-slinging adventure. When they finish their story, they can save it, share it or print and color it. The kit includes paper, glossy cover sheets for printing comic book-style covers, binding strips and 15 Twistables colored pencils to create three complete books.

- Story Studio: Disney Princesses lets kids star in a fairytale with a Disney Princess. Crayola Story Studio: Disney Princess lets kids create fairytales starring them and a Disney Princess! Kids upload a photo to transform themselves into a character, then create a story with their character and a Disney Princess! Story Studio includes everything kids need to create personalized storybooks and unlimited coloring pages – just print, color and bind the pages. They can choose storylines from Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, the Little Mermaid, Tangled, Sleeping Beauty, and Princess and the Frog. With the free on-line access code that comes inside, Pip-Squeaks markers and glitter glue, blank sheets and binding strips, kids create three complete story books!

- Story Studio Adventure Maker: Cars 2 lets kids join the pages of a story with Lightning McQueen, Mator and the Cars 2 characters form Disney Pixar. The set includes 10 Pip-Squeak Skinnies markers, 3 Pip Squeak broad line markers, 2 Pip-Squeak glitter glue tubes, 30 story sheets, 6 glossy cover sheets and 3 comic binding strips to make three complete story books.

How much would you pay for this awesome technology? $40? $30? $25? How about only $9.99 per kit! WOW!

These kits would make a perfect holiday gift AND it won’t “break the bank” either.

I’m currently trying to make a book for my nephew with the Story Studio: Spider-Man kit. I am making him a coloring book. It took a bit to find the right photo to use but I think it’s going to turn out perfect when I’m finally done with it. I think a personalized gift like this is a lot more enjoyable then some random toy I picked up from the toy store. Plus he can keep it and read it like a book too.

I love that the kits have everything you need to create a fun coloring book, including the binding strips (they are a little tricky to work with but I finally got it right).

I love all the little Pip-Squeak accessories. They are basically miniature versions of markers and glue. 

All of the new Crayola products are a lot of fun. It’s nice to see that Crayola can move forward with the technology while still holding on to the products we grew up with.

Crayola products are sold at many retail locations across the country. 

To learn more about these and other Crayola products visit www.Crayola.com.

Crayola and MyBlogSpark have generously offered an awesome prize package featuing these high tech products. The prize includes:

- Crayola Story Studio: Spider-Man

- Crayola Story Studio Disney Princesses

- Crayola Story Studio: Cars

- Crayola iMarker for use with the iPad

- FREE download of the ColorStudio HD application for the iPad

To enter please comment on which of these new products most excites you and who the prize package would be for.  

For extra entries you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each that you have done. Extra entries are optional. 

- Subscribe to She Scribes (E-mail or RSS). Both options are found on the right side bar.

- “Like” Crayola on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/Crayola.

- “Like” She Scribes on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/SheScribes.

- Follow Crayola on Twitter, www.Twitter.com/Crayola.

- Follow She Scribes on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/She_Scribes) and tweet about this review and/or giveaway. Please include @She_Scribes in the tweet so I can see it too. This is limited to three tweets per day.

- Share this review and/or giveaway with others on Facebook, Digg, Technorati and so forth. Be sure to tell me what you did and please provide a name and/or URL so I can verify.

- Leave a thoughtful comment on a non-giveaway post on She Scribes and tell me which post you commented on. There is a limit of one comment per post, but you can comment on as many posts as you want for an unlimited extra entry option.

- Post about this review and/or giveaway on your site and please link back to this post. Please provide the URL.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on December 22, 2011 at 11:59 PM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries. The winner will be notified via e-mail and will have three days to reply with a name and mailing address (no PO Box). Failure to do so will result in a new winner being chosen.   

Other great giveaways can be found on the right side bar under “Win It”.

Kimberly

*The Crayola High Tech Holiday prize pack, product information and prize pack for giveaway have been provided by Crayola through MyBlogSpark. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

I have a confession to make… I have never stepped foot inside of an IKEA. I want to! I really do. It’s just that we don’t have one local to us.

I LOVE the IKEA catalog. I get just as excited to receive that catalog in the mail as I did when I was a child and the Sears Wish Book would show up in our mailbox. The IKEA catalog is my grown up “wish book”. LOL!

IKEA is the world’s largest home furnishings company with over 320 stores globally including 38 stores in the USA. Sadly none local to me.

IKEA was founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad. The vision of the company is to create a better everyday life for the many people. The business idea is to offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishings at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.

I was shocked to learn that IKEA stores have an average of 626 million visitors during a year. WOW! That is a lot of visitors.

I didn’t know that IKEA was very involved in charities. I think that is wonderful. Knowing that inspires me to find a way to make it to an IKEA some day. I like to support businesses that support charities.

The IKEA Foundation, the philanthropic entity at IKEA, works in partnership with UNICEF and Save the Children to make a difference for millions of children in need around the world by reducing malnutrition and infant disease, and by dramatically improving literacy. The Soft Toys Campaign for Education (a UNICEF and Save the Children program) aims to improve the education of the most disadvantaged children while recognizing that education is one of the best investments for them.

The IKEA Foundation also aims to improve the opportunities for children and youth by funding holistic, long-term programs that can create substantial, lasting change, and enable them to take charge of their own future. IKEA works with strong strategic partners applying innovative approaches to achieve large-scale results in four fundamental areas of a child’s life. Currently funded programs benefit an estimated 100 million children.

If you would like to learn more about the IKEA Foundations please visit www.IKEAFoundation.org.

This year IKEA is running a campaign called IKEA Soft Toys for Education. From November 1, 2011 – December 24, 2011. For every soft plush toy that is purchased, IKEA will donate one Euro (approximately $1.35 in US Dollars) to the IKEA Soft Toys for Education campaign.  

IKEA Soft Toys, which includes stuffed animals, finger puppets and books, range in price from $.49 – $19.99 and are available in all IKEA stores and online. You can see the full collection here, http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=soft+toy.

These incredibly affordable and cuddly creatures will certainly put a smile in the hearts of children, while supporting millions of others in need of a quality education.

IKEA Soft Toys for Education is actually an annual event. Since 2003 this campaign has donated 35.2 million euros ($47.5 Million US) to UNICEF and Save the Children. This contribution has enabled approximately 8 million children in nearly 40 countries the great opportunity of having access to a quality education. That is amazing!

We have a couple of soft plush toys from IKEA. My kids each have a Vegetable plush. My daughter has a plush carrot and my son has a plush broccoli. They are not only super soft and huggable but also incredibly cute.

We also have an adorable clown dog called Klappar Cirkus on the IKEA site (my kids call him Clown Dog).

All of the plush animals and dolls available at IKEA are not only adorable but super affordable too. Currently our veggie plush are on sale for $3.99 (normally $7.99) each and the Clown Dog is on sale for $2.49 (normally $4.99). These are NOT small plush toys either. The vegetables are HUGE (almost 2′ tall!) and the Clown Dog  is big too (not as big as the veggies but still a big size). Even at their non-sale prices they are a great deal. Where else will you find a nearly 2′ tall plush for $7.99?

Even though these plush are very affordably priced, their quality did not “suffer” at all. When you purchase inexpensive plush animals, like those at low-end department stores or the dollar stores, they tend to fall apart easily, have lose threads or rip easily. The IKEA plush, although priced incredible low, are NOT low quality. If you told me they came from a high end department store and cost $$$$ I would believe it. They are made exceptionally well.

When it comes to giving the gift of IKEA plush this holiday season it’s a win-win-win situation. You can save money purchasing these adorable, quality plush, someone gets an fun gift and you are helping IKEA send money to great charities.

To find an IKEA location near you visit www.IKEA.com.

Kimberly

*I received free product samples to review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.  

I love it when I can share cool things with my readers.

I learned that Education.com is offering families a FREE Thanksgiving activity book. When I heard about it I just had to check it out for myself.

The activity book is 36 pages long. You can view it online, save it or print it out. Whatever is most convenient for you.

If you are viewing it online you’ll have to play around with size (+/-) to adjust it to fit your screen.

Check out everything you’ll find inside the book.

For Grown Ups

Thanksgiving Myths Debunked!

The Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet

Making Time for Thanksgiving

For Kids

Holiday Word Search: Thanksgiving

Draw Your Thanksgiving Dinner

Turkey Coloring Page

Pilgrim Paper Doll

Thanksgiving Banner

Play the Thanksgiving Dinner Table Challenge

Thanksgiving Place Cards

For Families

Make Thanksgiving Finger Puppets!

Make a “Handy” Thanksgiving Wreath

Make a Paper Plate Turkey Photo Frame

Make an Apple Turkey!

Turkey Cupcakes

Make a Thanksgiving Table Runner

You have to check out the Apple Turkey. It’s really cute and a great use for Marshmallows.

To check out this fun FREE activity book visit http://bit.ly/vz9MT2.

Have fun and enjoy!

Kimberly

*I was not compensated for this post. I posted this for the benefit and enjoyment of my site readers.

By now most kids have probably handed over their holiday wish list. My daughter’s list is a mile long where as trying to find out what my son wants is impossible. He really doesn’t want anything more then a huge blizzards and for the government to say school is pointless and shut schools down. Ha Ha.

As Black Friday and the holiday season approaches, Apple appears to be the consumer electronics brand to beat. A recent Nielsen survey shows kids’ holiday gaming and electronics appetites are whet by a number of top-selling Apple devices – with the iPad leading the pack.

Consistent with U.S. kids’ 2010 wish lists, the Apple iPad is the most desired consumer electronic among kids ages 6-12 for holiday 2011. In fact, the iPad increases its stronghold, with nearly half (44%) of kids expressing interest in the product, up from 31 percent in 2010. Two other popular Apple devices – iPod Touch (30%) and iPhone (27%) – round out kids’ top three, with computers and other tablet brands each appealing to a quarter of younger consumers.

Many kids will also ask for gaming devices this year, with two products that offer unique gaming technologies – Nintendo 3DS (25%) and Kinect for Xbox 360 (23%) – leading the way. Given the 3DS’ spring 2011 release date and the surge in Kinect interest versus last year (up from 14%), parents can expect both devices to be frequently requested this holiday season. Beyond these, older Nintendo DS models continue to resonate with young gamers (22%), while the PlayStation 3 (17%) and Xbox 360 (16%) edge out the Nintendo Wii (11%) as the most desired gaming consoles.

Here is a breakdown, by age groups, as to what kids want. You can click on each photo for a larger view.

I hope this helps make your holiday shopping a little easier, although not less expensive. All of the items on these lists tend to be very pricey.

Have fun shopping!

Kimberly

*I was not compensated to post this information. I posted it for the benefit of my site readers. Any opinions expressed are my own.

When I first heard about Jake and the Never Land Pirates I was a bit sceptical. It’s a cartoon spin off of the Disney classic Peter Pan. It’s not a TRUE spin off, but it does have a lot to do with the characters in the beloved movie. I am one of those people who feel that sometimes its best to leave the classics alone.

A few months ago I stumbled upon an episode of the series on Disney Junior. Out of curiosity I watched the episode. To my surprise I really enjoyed it. Even though the characters are pirates, they talk about Peter Pan and Captain Hook is in almost all of the episodes (at least all I’ve seen), it’s nothing like the actual Peter Pan movie.

If you have never watched Jake and the Never Land Pirates before, here is a brief description.  

A music-filled interactive treasure hunt, Jake and the Never Land Pirates introduces a crew of kid pirates – leader Jake and pals Izzy and Cubby – and follows their Never Land adventures as they work to outwit two infamous characters, the one and only Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, from Disney’s classic “Peter Pan.” Along the way, they model teamwork, problem-solving and physical activity, earning gold doubloons as they conquer a variety of tasks. The series features original “pirate rock” music performed by Sharky and Bones of The Never Land Pirate Band.

Did you know that Jake and the Never Land Pirates is cable’s #1 series for Boys 2-5 since its launch and on track to be Disney Channel’s #1 preschool series ever. Not only do young boy enjoy the series but it’s also among one of the most co-viewed preschool series, with 45% of moms watching with their preschooler. I find that very interesting. Plus I’m thrilled that many moms are watching the shows with their children, and hopefully developing a meaningful conversation from it.

I think the show is really cute. I know that pirates are a favorite with young boys. I can’t think of any pirate show that would be appropriate for the preschool level. Jake and the Never Land Pirates is the only show I can think of that would be age-appropriate.

The characters are all very likable including Jake, and dare I say Captain Hook. Captain Hook was the character your loved to hate Peter Pan. In Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Captain Hook is not a bad guy. In fact he’s kind of cute too.

The show is very colorful and the animation is well done. I love all the little critters. There are even female characters in the series which should appeal to little girls too. One is Izzy, who is part of Jake’s crew. The other is Marina, the mermaid.

I can see why the series is very popular. It’s enjoyable and entertaining to watch. Some “kiddie” shows can be rather boring (or in some cases annoying) for adults. I did not see that being the case for Jake and the Never Land Pirates. I think even older siblings could enjoy the series just as much as their younger brother and sisters.

There is even a Jake and the Never Land Pirates DVD available, which was released back in September of this year. Also available is a music CD inspired by the series.

Jake and the Never Land Pirates is such a huge success that they even created a holiday episode called It’s a Winter in Never Land! / Hook on Ice. It’s Christmas time and Peter Pan has left some gifts for Jake and his crew. Even Captain Hook is in the holiday spirit inviting Jake and his crew to g on a Winter treasure hunt. Your child will even get to see Jake and his friends riding a sled on the sand.

It’s a Winter Never Land / Hook on Ice will air on Friday, December 2, 2011 at 8:30 PM (ET/PT) on the Disney Channel.

Check out a clip from the holiday special (below).

I love how even the Christmas tree is decorated with sea shells and other things you would find along the sandy beach. Very cute!

In Hook On Ice, Jake and his crew wake up to find that Peter Pan left them some presents and a Christmas tree to help them celebrate the holiday. In the other holiday epsisode Jake and his crew join Captain Hook as he goes on a Winter treasure hunt. 

In January Jake and the Never Land Pirates will debut the first ever 45 minute series special before the second season begins.

Other exciting news is that Disney Junior will launch it’s on 24 hour channel early in 2012. Currently Disney Junior can be seen on the Disney Channel weekdays from 4:00 AM – 2:00 PM (ET/PT) and on the weekends 4:00 AM – 9:00 AM (ET/PT). In early 2012 you’ll be able to catch all your favorite Disney Junior programming 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.

Disney Junior offers a delightful array of programs that not only entertain but also include learning components such as math, language, healthy eating, lifestyles and social and emotional development. Another words the programs you find on Disney Junior are not “fluff” but rather meaningful programs that are educational too.

If you would like to learn more about Disney Junior please visit www.DisneyJunior.com. You can also find out more information about Jake and the Never Land Pirates at the Disney Junior link too. You can also follow the channel and programs on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/DisneyJunior.

You can also follow the conversation on Twitter with the hash tag JakePirates.

Kimberly

*I received free branded samples and a free DVD from Child’s Play Communications and Team Mom in order to do this review. There was no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

The holiday season is just about in full swing. Most people are making their lists for what they need to get for the holidays, from gifts to holiday decor.

Personally I try and avoid stores, and most especially the mall, this time of year. I will go to the mall to stroll around and look at the decorations but I won’t do any shopping. The idea of standing on never ending lines does not appeal to me. I know I’m missing out on some great sales but I have yet to want or need something THAT BAD where I had to stand on line at 2:00 AM to get it for a good price.

I prefer to do most of my holiday shopping from the comfort of my own home. I much rather sit at my computer in my fuzzy bunny slippers (yes, I do have a pair), sipping coffee or hot cocoa, and surfing the ‘net to find what I am looking for. Many online shops offer free shipping and great deals so I don’t feel like I’m missing out not shopping at the mall.

Wouldn’t it be nice to not only do most of your holiday shopping online, but also help your local school earn money at the same time? Talk about a win-win situation.

In the past I have written about the importance of collecting Box Tops for Education. I am sure most people have seen them on products that they have purchased. Box Tops are found on a variety of products from Cheerios to Ziploc and from Green Giant to Betty Crocker. Take a moment and look through your pantry or fridge. I’m sure you will come across some Box Tops.

For a more detailed description of the Box Tops for Education program you can check out a post I did about it by clicking on this link, http://www.shescribes.com/2011/04/box-tops-for-education-its-more-then-just-a-piece-of-paper-giveaway.html. PLEASE NOTE that the giveaway appearing in this post is over.

Most people are familiar with clipping the Box Tops for Education labels off products and sending them into school with their child, but did you know you can earn Box Tops simply by shopping online?

Box Tops for Education has an online marketplace where your purchases are translated into Box Tops for your school. Shopping at the market place is easy and you don’t have to do anything more then simply shop. There is nothing to cut out, no forms to submit, simply shop like you normally do.

You will first need to have an account with Box Tops for Education. Signing up is free and you won’t get spammed but unwanted correspondence. You need to have an account so Box Tops for Education knows what school will benefit from your online shopping.

Once you have your account set up you can start shopping. You will need to visit the Box Tops for Education website first. Once you are there you will click on the “Earn” tab on the top task bar. Scroll to where is says “Shop Marketplace” and click. On the Marketplace page you can find all participating websites, websites that have special double Box Tops offers and more.

Some people might be under the impression that the stores featured in the Box Tops for Education Marketplace are places most people wouldn’t normally shop at. That is not the case at all. The Box Tops for Education Marketplace feature popular online destinations including…

- Walmart

- Victoria’s Secret

- JCPenney

- Ugg

- Children’s Place

- Walgreens

- Target

- Sephora

- Sears

- PetSmart

- Old Navy

- Kmart

- iTunes

- Avon

And many, many more. You will also find some lesser known online shops who carry some amazing products including I See Me, Game Fly, Fragrance.net, Cherry Moon Farms and the Giant Party Store.

In order to have your purchases count towards the Box Tops you will need to enter the websites through the Box Tops for Education Marketplace page. When you are on the Marketplace page you simply click on the retailer you wish to shop at and Box Tops for Education will forward you to their website. It’s THAT easy!

The Box Tops credits you earn range from .5 (half of a Box Top) to 25 Box Tops (or you can say “virtual Box Tops”) for every $10.00 you purchase. Take for example the Popcorn Factory. You earn 5 Box Tops for every $10 you spend online in their store (does not include tax or shipping). If you spend $30.00 your school will earn 15 Box Tops (5 Box Tops for every $10 spent). If you shop at Sears (2 Box Tops per $10 spent) and spend $100.00 your school will earn 20 Box Tops.

Each Box Top is worth .10 cents. That might not sound like a lot but if you do your regular online shopping through the Box Tops for Education Marketplace, and continue to clip the Box Tops off products you buy, they will really add up. If most of the families from your school did the same thing your school could earn hundreds, if not thousands of dollars each year through the program.

I have already started my holiday shopping using the Box Tops for Education Marketplace. I’ve purchased many things ranging from music to gifts.

One Marketplace store I shopped at was Current. They carry a lot of wonderful stationary products. They also offer gifts and decor too.

From Current I purchased a Snoopy Holiday Clock and an adorable “Welcome” mat. I bought these for friend’s of ours who just got married and moved into a new house. They don’t have many holiday decorations yet and I thought these would make a great gift. The clock plays one of twelve different holiday tunes at the top of every hour.

From the Current website I also purchased a beautiful fleece throw blanket as a gift for a family member. I wish the picture was better. It’s beautiful.

I also picked up some things for my home including snowflake window clings (they were buy one get one free on the Current site) and a fun Christmas Tree magnet set for our fridge. It’s cute. I’m tempted to put it on my fridge now.

I was thinking about picking up some holiday cards too but I’m still not sure if I want to go with traditional cards or photos cards.

I had fun shopping for holiday decoration at the Giant Party Shop, also a Box Tops for Eduction Marketplace retailer. I have never heard of the store before. They have some really fun and very inexpensive decorations for all occasions.

Here are a few of the goodies I picked up. I’m sorry I don’t have the actual photos. My order has not arrived yet.

The items pictured above are cardboard cut outs, I am going to hang the snowflakes from the door frames. The tree is for my kid’s room. They want a Christmas Tree (I’m figuring they need a 4′ – 5′ tree) but Christmas Trees are too expensive. I thought a giant Christmas Tree cut out on the wall would be a nice alternative.

I am going to put the life size Santa cut out in the sliding glass window to make it look like Santa is waving to everyone outside. The Santa sled is going in the bathroom. We just redid the bathroom and the walls are currently empty. I thought this large cut out decoration would look nice in there.

Also from the Giant Party Shop I picked up these huge fake windows (plastic) to put in the kid’s room. These are 5 feet long! Wow!

My son loves snow and the Winter. I thought for the holiday season I could put the Christmas one over the TV to make it look like they are looking out a window. After Christmas I’ll swap it for the Winter scene.

Of course the holidays would not be complete without some holiday music. From Drugstore.com I purchased two 4-disc Christmas music sets. They have not arrived yet so I have to use a stock photo.

I also did some shopping Oriental Trading, also a Marketplace member. I know a lot of teacher’s who shop at Oriental Trading for classroom accessories, prizes for the students, stationary and more. It seems only fitting that a teacher shop online at Oriental Trading through the Box Tops for Education Marketplace so they could help their school too.

I actually found two gifts for my son on the Oriental Trading website. He LOVES weather. He wants to put on his own weather forecast show. I found a weather related bulletin board set from Oriental Trading that will be perfect for him. I’ll buy him a cork board too so he can put today’s weather (or this week’s weather) on the board.

I also found a weather map with reusable/repositionable weather stickers that he might enjoy.

For something fun for my kids I picked up pre-cut paper strips so they can make the Christmas countdown paper chain. Each day the kids pull a link off the chain so they can visually see how long until Christmas. My kids used to love to do this when they were younger. Now that they are older they don’t necessarily get as excited about the chain but it has become a tradition so they like to make one each year. Instead of cutting out the strips of paper I thought buying pre-made strips would be easier.

I’m still not done shopping through the Marketplace. I have my eye on some yummy holiday cookies on the Walgreen’s website and I’d like to get some holiday outfits for our Build-a-Bears off the Build-a-Bear website through the Marketplace. I am also thinking about checking out Sears, Kohls or Macy’s for a holiday outfit for myself.

So far I have earned a total of 47 Box Tops for my son’s school. That translates into $4.70 for his school. Think about how much money could be raised if every family shopped through the Marketplace. If 10 people could earn a similar amount of virtual Box Tops, $47.00 would be raised for the school. Imagine how many virtual Box Tops could be earned if 100 people could shop through the Marketplace and earn a similar amount of Box Tops.  Most schools have hundreds of students so earning Box Tops, both virtually through the Marketplace and by clipping them off package, should be easy.

With so many stores found in the Box Tops for Education Market place I can get all my holiday shopping done, from gifts to decor and from yummy treats to entertainment. Knowing that my son’s school is going to benefit from my shopping it only makes perfect sense to do all my online shopping through the Marketplace. The Marketplace is available year round too, including the summer when school is not in session.

Be sure to check out double Box Top offers too. Sometimes Marketplace retailers will double your Box Tops earnings. You can also find special sales and discounts on the Marketplace page too.  

To learn more about Box Tops for Education or their Marketplace please visit www.BoxTops4Education.com. You can also “like” them on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/BoxTopsForEducation.com and on Twitter, www.Twitter.com/BTFE.

Kimberly

*I received gifts cards to shop at the Marketplace in order to do this review. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.