When we reviewed the Leapfrog Little Leaps system back in September, we did not have any technical issues with pairing the controller to our Playstation 2, or with the games running. The only issues we had were with some of the actual game discs. You can read our update on the Little Leaps system for more information. However, given the number of people who contact me about their issues with the Little Leaps system, here are two easy ways to get customer support from Leapfrog:

1. Read their troubleshooting questions & answers to see if your problem is addressed there - if not, then…
2. Go to the support tab on the bottom of the main Leapfrog page, then click on Ask A Question, then find the Little Leaps in the drop down product listing.

Oh yes. After my brand-new Christmas laptop (a MacBook Pro with my fancy wireless mouse), which plays the Cars movie with a beautiful picture, regardless of where we might travel, Lil’ Duck has decided that I am very cool indeed. BUT, if I had this pink Nintendo DS which the Crazy Hip Blog Mamas are giving away, the handheld button-pushing goodness would just send me right over the edge into “coolest mom ever” land.

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For all you last minute shoppers - Amazon has their Great Deals under $50 list out, they still have a lot of other products in stock as well.

We had the chance to try out the new Philips Norelco Bodygroom this week and Amazon still has it in stock for only $29.99! Daddy Creature’s help was enlisted as this product is mainly meant for men’s use - he was thrilled to finally get to try one of the cool products (I usually hog the product review things ;)). (more…)

Since it’s the holiday season and many people are visiting me regarding my previous review of the Leapfrog Little Leaps system, I wanted to post a little update on how the Leapfrog system has held up over the past three months.

The controller has taken a beating, but nothing has chipped, broken, or stopped working. I haven’t had to replace the batteries yet, despite his heavy use of the buttons and repeat play of the games. He loves both sides of the controller and actually prefers to play one of the baby games, Play & Move over the toddler game, Leap Ahead (even though he is over 2 years old now).

The DVD’s are, like most, easy to scratch, so some of the games do jump around a little (my little monkey climbs the shelves to get at the DVD’s…. being shoved into a VCR isn’t recommended for any DVD, ahem) but if you lock them up, you’ll be just fine.

I’d definitely encourage you to check it out, especially for younger toddlers/older babies who can benefit from both the baby games and then the toddler games - might be a nice Christmas idea and it’s a nice break from the millions of toys….

Be sure to visit the Blogging Chicks Holiday Recipe Carnival at Another Chance Ranch!

Swiffer is doing a Holiday Home Tour Sweepstakes - you can win a home makeover or some Swiffer products - you can even show off your holiday decorating! This runs through December 30th, so enter soon.

As part of their promotion, they sent us a Carpet Flick for review. It was initially startling to see all the parts come out of the box, but assembling it was reminiscent of my childhood tent camping experiences - locking in the metal parts of the pole for the handle. It took all of a minute to assemble and stick the little cartridge in there, then we were off! It scooped up a few stray Cheerios, but balked at the gingerbread crumbs. After applying a little more force and a few extra swipes, it eventually relented. (more…)

Lil’ Duck got to try out one of these personalized books from Printakid last week - he got the “Fantastic Birthday” one as he’d just had a birthday and it had cute animals in it that he chattered at on the screen while I ordered it - what else can the little guy want?? The reading level on this book was more preschool than toddler - he likes me to read it to him, he likes the illustrations, but I think some of the concepts are a bit over his head. That just means it will last longer, right?? Speaking of lasting longer, these pages are extremely durable and very hard for my little book destroyer to rip.

These books can be personalized with your child’s name, appearance, family and friends names - it is rather odd to be reading along and hear “Lil Duck’s mommy, Lisa” and I’d like to see an option to leave off the parents names for younger children, but otherwise he delighted in hearing “Grandma” and things like that in his very own book.

All in all, it’s a very unique idea and will be a great gift idea for little ones overloaded with toys and extended family looking for a unique gift this holiday season - we enjoyed reviewing it for sure!

“I find that consumers (toddlers???) are naturally drawn to foods that are more attractive.  Now it’s easy to make eye-catching brownies, cookies, candies and cupcakes thanks to FunShapes Baking Cups,” said Betty Morton, manager, Reynolds Kitchens. “FunShapes Baking Cups are a fun way to make unique baked goods, and bake sale customers (hungry toddlers) will love the creative treats!”

We just got an amazing kit from the lovely people at Reynolds - it has all sorts of fun shapes in it, a tablecloth (which works great on the floor for messy playtime by the way) and other goodies. Now, it’s really for bake sales, but hey, works great for toddlers too! I can’t wait to actually use it - he’s definitely going to at least taste something that looks that fun, which is a big deal for us! I’ll post photos of the finished product for sure.
I’m thinking that this recipe could be adapted for a healthy but tasty chicken and veggie snack that he would try - check out all the recipes for your own ideas! If you want this kit for yourself, go register to win one in the “Shape Up Your Bake Sale” contest!

After getting our Senseo, I couldn’t imagine enjoying regular coffee as much ever again, that cute little machine just makes my morning! However, Folgers sent me some of their new Gourmet Selections coffee & now my coffee machine is back in business. This line is inspired by life’s simple pleasures, which suits me perfectly. The warm vanilla biscotti taste inspired me to go clean up that disaster that used to be Lil’ Duck’s room, while the Morning Cafe variety was perfectly light and delicate, just the way I like it. The rich flavor of the Lively Columbian version was a little strong for me, but my husband, the strong coffee lover, enjoyed it immensely (perhaps more because he now gets the whole bag ;)).

You can get your own free sample here - perhaps it will make your morning a bit better as well ;).