It’s that time of year again! Here are some of my favorite gift suggestions for the upcoming holidays! Actually, the first one would be perfect for before Christmas!

PLAYMOBIL 1.2.3 Advent Calendar – Christmas Manger (70259): 

Create the story of Christmas with the 1.2.3 Advent Calendar – Christmas Manger. With a bright and colorful design and large, rounded pieces, this PLAYMOBIL 1.2.3 Stage 2 – First Challenge set will help your toddler develop language and social skills as they play out this classic Christmas tale.  The calendar contains twenty-four surprise items leading up to Christmas. Set includes six figures, manger with star, horse, cow, sheep, and other accessories. 

Available: Now   Perfect for ages: 1 ½ – 4 years

Retailer: Playmobil.us   Retail Price: $24.99 Amazon

Barry & Jason Games and Entertainment’s Game Night In A Can celebrates its 5th successful year with a special edition of the hit game.

Game Night In A Can – 5th Anniversary (MSRP $22.99 for ages 7+) is a brand-new shiny gold edition with all new magical art, gold, silver, and bronze medals, and 35 party-starting games of creativity and skill.

I really like this one because it is fun for the whole family! (Ages 7+)

This next one is sure to be a hit with coffee lovers!

Chances are you have some serious coffee drinkers on your holiday gift list. Wouldn’t it be nice to make them happy (SO happy!) and introduce them to the newest trend in specialty coffee at the same time?

For thoughtful gift ideas that check all the boxes, look no further than Steeped Coffee (www.SteepedCoffee.com). The innovative startup is committed to premium coffee, convenience, and environmental stewardship in equal measure. So when you introduce the coffee lovers in your life to Steeped, it’s a win-win for them and the planet. It’s also Eco-friendly! Now, how cool is that? I tried them and love the flavor!

Kids love bubbles and this next product is sure to be a hit! To create a safer and healthier space for the kids without interrupting the fun that every kid deserves, the American Bubble Company came up with the first-ever eco-friendly sustainable bubble system that uses a non-toxic bubble solution made in the USA – The Bubble Tree. A brand dedicated to changing the way we play with bubbles forever. In addition, the refillable bubble system saves parents money by not having to repurchase a bubble wand and container when they run out the first time. 

ABOUT BUBBLE TREE:

For over 70 years, bubbles have all been created equal until now. American Bubble Company and Bubble Tree’s mission is to create eco-friendly, sustainable products made in the United States. Their goal is to eliminate one-time-use plastic bubble bottles that currently saturate the current market. Bubble Tree is the very first patent-pending, eco-friendly, and sustainable bubble system made in the USA. The original refillable bubble system features the first manufactured aluminum bubble bottle and a refill box made of corrugated, entirely recyclable.  

Each year, more than 300 million one-time-use plastic bubble bottles are imported to the United States. Many will contain bubble solutions from foreign countries with formulas and ingredients that often fall below the safety, sustainability, and quality levels that modern American consumers demand. Bubble Tree’s mission is to enhance bubble safety and solve plastic pollution, waste, and the overuse of one-time-use plastic bottles.   

Bubble Tree’s packaging is made from aluminum, the most recyclable and sustainable material on earth, and 100% recyclable corrugated. By eliminating single-use plastic, they are helping the environment reduce plastic pollution. 

Bubble Tree Bubbles can be purchased online (www.bubbletreeusa.com) and in retailers across the country. 

Looking for a gift for Mom or a friend? They are sure to love these candles! They smell soo good!

RareLumiere

Price: $39.00

Nothing sets a more comforting mood than lighting up your favorite candle. Fill your home with scents that instantly make you feel a sense of luxury and wonder where you can start planning your next adventure. Each hand-poured creation is elegantly packaged with a corresponding handwritten note included in the box. The beautiful slow-burn wax creates very little pooling, reducing the need to relight used wax or generating additional smoke. Enjoy 55 hours of burn time for each candle with 100% cotton wicks designed for the style of each glass vessel. I received the Tahiti fragrance and love it!

Looking for a gift for your toddler? How about a really cool hat?

You have to check out Posted, a new youth hat company for boys and girls aged 6 months to 10 years. Founded by sisters, who are both moms, the company’s goal is to create stylish hats for kids that inspire families to enjoy the outdoors together.

Posted is passionate about creating memorable family experiences, and looking cute while doing it doesn’t hurt.‍ Giving back is also a passion. For each hat sold, Posted donates $1 to the  State Parks Foundation, with the recognition of how important parks are for our children and future generations.

To learn more about Posted visit www.postedaca.com. To shop hats visit https://www.postedca.com/collections/all-products.

Stay tuned! Our next holiday gift guide posts next week! Happy Holidays!

Self Disclosure: I received samples of the above products. Images were also provided to be featured in this holiday gift suggestion post.

GoodPop® Frozen Pops, the leading better-for-you frozen treat brand that exists to do good in the world, celebrates National Cookie Day by giving away free boxes of its top-selling Cookies n’ Cream pop on December 4.  Fifty people that take the Pledge Good Challenge to do a good deed will receive four boxes of Cookies n’ Cream pops. 

“Everyone loves a “cookies and cream” pop and so three years ago we set out to make one, but with ingredients our customers could trust,” said Daniel Goetz, CEO and founder, GoodPop. “We couldn’t find a cookie that met our quality standards so we created our own cookie for this pop that is gluten-free, vegan and organic, and meets standards of all of our pops. We tested grain-free flours, fair-trade cocoa, different plant-based milks and oils to eventually come up with the right combination and flavor for our own cookie that is used in these pops.”

To celebrate the “cookie” in GoodPop’s Cookies n’ Cream, GoodPop is hosting a giveaway to encourage its fans to do good deeds this holiday season. Through its Pledge Good Challenge, the brand donates $1 per pledge to various non-profit partners. Fifty do-gooders that make a pledge at https://www.goodpops.com/pledge on December 4,  will receive a four pack of Cookies n’ Cream pops. Winners will be selected and notified on Monday, December 6.

“The good in our name isn’t just about the ingredients we use or the way our products taste, it’s an integral part of GoodPop’s mission to use our frozen treats as a vehicle to do social and environmental good,” said Goetz.  “We are committed to donating for every person who pledges to do something good. Our goal is to create a ripple effect that brings more into people’s lives and creates positive change.”

GoodPop has also launched a series of poptail recipes in collaboration with Austin-based Tito’s Handmade Vodka to celebrate the holiday season with twists on holiday cocktail and mocktail classics using popular GoodPop pops and Tito’s vodka. The National Cookie Day recipe is Santa’s Milk n’ Cookies Spiked Shake, which can also be made as a mocktail, is a vegan and gluten-free twist on Santa’s milk and cookies made with GoodPop’s Cookies n’ Cream pop, Tito’s Vodka, oat milk, and dairy-free vanilla ice cream. Check out the whole recipe and other holiday poptails here.

The Cookies n’ Cream pops come in packs of four per box, and are part of GoodPop’s collection of plant-based pop flavors, such as Orange n’ Cream and Strawberry Shortcake. The pops are USDA certified organic, dairy and gluten-free and made without HFCs, GMOs, refined sugars, or sugar alcohol sweeteners. Like all GoodPop products, the Cookies n Cream was thoughtfully crafted with the highest quality ingredients available. 

GoodPop Frozen Pops are available for a suggested retail price of $4.99-$5.99 and can be found in natural and conventional retailers in 40+ states and GoodPop’s online store that ships to all 48 states in the continental United States. For a full list of retailers and to shop, click here.

Credit: GoodPop.

With more than 48 million kids (K-12)* returning to school this year and our world opening up again, fall trends indicate 1 in 4 of those kids have already or will return to sporting activity.** While sports provide countless physical and health benefits – health, teamwork, community, discipline – one drawback is the funky odors that come with it. The smelly equipment, clothes and bags can make your home and car unbearable. Cheryl Leahy, lifestyle mom expert, shares some easy mom hacks on how to clean and get funky smells out of sports gear quickly and effectively, a perfect solution for saving time and frustration.

Top 5 Sports Gear Cleaning Hacks

• Make sure your washer is clean. Periodically run your wash cycle using two cups of white vinegar.
• Wash your kids’ jerseys inside out. If you wash the jerseys inside out, you’ll avoid wear and tear on any writing or artwork on the uniform.
• Remove the stinky smells – the first time! Use a max strength laundry booster like FunkAway along with your regular detergent, that breaks down the odors and eliminates them.
• Get a sports hamper. Buy a hamper for sports-only gear to keep the stink and bacteria into one spot vs. letting it spread to other clothes.
• Fumigate that smelly bedroom. Lots of times, the clothes don’t make it to the laundry room, they end up hiding in your kid’s room – which can lead to lots of funky smells. Use FunkAway odor eliminating beads to freshen up any stinky room.
• Don’t forget about the gear that can’t go into the wash! Don’t forget to treat the stains on gear that can’t go into the wash with products like FunkAway Aerosol Spray to prevent odors from taking over your space. Perfect for shin guards, football pads and any other sports gear that needs to be refreshed.

“The versatile OM Complex™ formula in our FunkAway products are essential must-haves this fall as kids are getting back to sports,” says Kyle Bolke, CEO, FunkAway. “This proprietary complex attacks odors on a molecular level, encasing it and eliminating the funky smells. It’s great for parents who are trying to eliminate foul odors from multiple uniforms and gear, allowing them to get the “funk” out by breaking down odor at the core and eradicating it at the source versus covering it up.”

FunkAway has a solution for anything that stinks, including powerful sprays for shoes and gear you can’t put in the wash, a Max Strength Laundry Booster, and supercharged Odor Eliminating Beads that work where others fail. FunkAway offers a family of products for any odor and retail for:

• Pump Spray for Shoes (8 oz.), $7.99
• Odor Eliminating Beads (12 oz.), $10.99
• Odor Eliminator Spray for Big Jobs (13.5 oz.), $9.99
• Max Strength Laundry Booster (32 oz.), $15.99
• More products coming soon!

FunkAway, with more than 10,000 5-star ratings, is the complete odor elimination solution, comes with a money-back guarantee and is made in the USA. To learn more, visit FunkAway.com.  

About B2Z Products and FunkAway:

B2Z Products, Inc. is headquartered in Waukegan, Illinois, and creator of FunkAway, a line of odor elimination products that remove the horrible effects of bad smells. Guaranteed to work on clothing, shoes, gear, pet products, car interiors and more, FunkAway allows users to renew and refresh, rather than throw away. Find FunkAway on Amazon and at thousands of other retailers, including Walmart, Jewel and Meijer. To learn more about FunkAway, visit funkaway.com and connect on Instagram and Facebook.

Credit: FunkAway.

The holidays are here and that means lots of holiday cookies, candy, cakes, and other sweets! So, that means it is very important to take care of your teeth! I had the opportunity to try out a new toothbrush and was very impressed! Doctor Plotka’s Mouth Watchers Antimicrobial Toothbrushes with Flossing Bristles is a definite must-try!

Featuring silver-infused bristles, this innovative toothbrush self-sanitizes between brushings. Its long, thin flossing bristles reach deep between teeth and into grooves to brush out what your favorite treats leave behind. Silver-infused bristles naturally eliminate 99% of bacteria, viruses, and fungi on your toothbrush within 6 hours after use! Now, how cool is that?!

Other great things about this toothbrush:

• Flossing bristles reach deep into grooves, under the gumline, and between teeth to break up plaque and brush away food residue before it gets a grip on your teeth! 
• Ergonomic comfort grip handle is easy to hold and puts pressure in all the right places
• Youth size is perfect for smaller hands and Adult size is great for larger hands – even those with arthritis!
• Resilient polyester bristles last up to one month longer than a typical nylon bristle
• Developed by Dr. Ronald Plotka, DDS, a nationally-renowned Boston area dentist and Veteran of the United States Dental Corps.
• Works well with braces, dentures, and other dental hardware.

Enjoy the best flavors of the holiday season while protecting your teeth with the BEST. BRUSH. EVER.

$4.99 and up – Pick them up for the whole family on Amazon.com. You can also find Doctor Plotka’s at Sprouts Farmers Market, Wholefoods Market, or online at www.mouthwatchers.com!

Self Disclosure: I received free samples to facilitate this post. Images were also provided.

Check out pediped’s latest blog post:  “Healthy Footwear is Served.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

Credit: Pediped.

Cozy Collection Includes Fleece Blanket & $30 in Rubio’s Meal Cards

Rubio’s Coastal Grill is offering a limited-edition “Spreading Taco Cheer” holiday gift box, specially curated for the ultimate taco fan. Available beginning on Black Friday, November 26, boxes can be purchased at www.rubios.com. Each gift box is $49.99, plus tax & shipping, (valued at $120), and features a unique collection of hand-selected items, perfect for a tacos & chill night this holiday season. The box includes:

·      $30 in Rubio’s free entrée cards, redeemable at any Rubio’s location

·      A 50″ x 60″ fleece blanket

·      Beanie with custom-embroidered taco

·       Lined, 5″ x 7″ notebook  

·      18-oz mug, perfect for sipping cocoa

·      Exclusive dessert taco recipe card, created by Rubio’s culinary team

“Last year’s gift box sold out in 24 hours,” said Rubio’s Co-Founder Ralph Rubio. “This year,  we’ve created the ultimate box for taco fans and expect the boxes to go quickly. Our “Spreading Taco Cheer” box is filled with specially curated items to send holiday warmth and good vibes to family and friends this holiday season.”

For more information about Rubio’s Coastal Grill, visit Rubios, Facebook and Instagram.

Self Disclosure: Information and images were provided. Some form of compensation was received to post.

It’s time for the Fall Baby Round-Up! Here are the products that I recommend! The ergoPouch Cocoon Swaddle will surely be a hit with babies and parents!

The zip-up swaddle sleeping bag from ergoPouch is designed to be both easy to use and difficult to escape from. The TOG-rated Cocoon Swaddle Bag will keep your newborn snug and securely swaddled without the need for complicated wrapping or blankets. For more information visit www.ergopouch.com

Isn’t the pink one simply adorable?

Looking for cute and comfy shoes for your little one? pediped has your covered! The new pediped Betty Rose Gold shoe is so stylish!

About Originals® Betty Rose Gold

Sizes newborn-24 months

Coated Shimmer upper

Breathable leather lining

All leather soft-sole with non-slip diamond tread

Mary Jane with hook and loop fastener

Approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association for promoting healthy foot development.

You can buy them at https://www.pediped.com/

Developed with Pediatric Feeding Specialists, the soft silicone Evenflo Feeding Balance + Cylindrical Pacifier helps promote healthy sucking skills for infants 0-6 months. The cylindrical shape of the Balance + Pacifier allows your baby to mimic the tongue shape they make while breastfeeding. This 1-piece, 100% soft silicone pacifier is ultra-lightweight and flexible, helping to decrease mouth fatigue. The integrated vent holes helps keep skin dry, while the easy-grip handle makes it convenient for both you and your baby to hold. Evenflo pacifiers are 100% free of BPA, polycarbonates, PVC and phthalates, and are also made of FDA-approved food grade material.  For more information visit www.evenflofeeding.com.

The above products would be perfect for holiday gifts but stay tuned! The Winter Holiday Baby Round-up is posting later this month!

Self Disclosure: I received free samples to facilitate this post. Images and information were also provided.

Halloween is almost here! Are you ready? Here are a couple of great items to pick up for the fun holiday! Welch’s Fruit Snacks are sure to be a hit with the kids! Welch’s Fruit Snacks NEW 72ct Halloween Box features snack-size pouches with custom Halloween graphics on the packaging as well as fun, festive fruit snack shapes including a bat, witch, ghost, haunted castle, and pumpkin. Made with REAL fruit, these snacks are perfect for trick-or treating, lunchboxes, boo-baskets and more. (Available on Walmart for $9.98)

This next one will be a hit with everyone!

The perfect bewitching sip for themed parties, Halloween movie nights and beyond, Flying Cauldron’s Butterscotch Beer is made with the enchanting flavors of butterscotch and creamy vanilla – serve over ice cream or enjoy straight from the bottle! (Available on Amazon for $18.99/4-pack). My family had the opportunity to try these and loved the taste! If you like butterscotch and cream soda, you have to try one! It is delicious with vanilla ice cream! Yum!

Self Disclosure: I received free samples to facilitate this holiday post. Images were provided.