[JessFinds] Traveling with Wild Animals

Car travel with kids can be daunting, especially when your children start whining within moments of hitting the asphalt. Mine yell things like: "I feel like I am gonna barf." It is their charming variation on "Are we there yet."

I am building up an arsenal of go-to travel toys for when we depart for our cross country adventure. I plan on keeping these toys hidden until we are actually on the road.

Here are some of the newest additions to my bag of tricks:

The Victorian Wonder Ball has been a time eating joy for parents since the 1800's. Each of my girls will get a ball to unwind, gather the trinkets, play with and then attempt to strangle each other with the yarn. I picked this up from ThinkFastToys.

These little card sized games were picked up for under $2 each. Also at ThinkFastToys. I love the little Magnetic Mini Dozer - you use the magnet to push the dirt in to piles. Catch a Mermaid has you flipping the little plastic mermaids in to the net.

A certain Uncle and Auntie are sending the classic Etch-a-Sketch and a Crayola Glow Board. A certain grandmother has tended to their comfort w/ soft car blankies and fleece coats.

Now all I need is that tranquilzer dart gun... (it is a joke people)

[JessFinds] Backpacking through Europe seems like much more fun.

My moving truck arrives in 2 and a half weeks. Gulp.

Today I started attacking my wardrobe. So painful. I figure if it has not been on my radar in a season or two, it is outta here. Lots and lots of clothes will be donated. I am working on a travelers wardrobe that all coordinates together for our month of living out of suitcases. Minimalism! Everything else is being boxed up and shipped.

I have one guilty pleasure I am holding on to: a beautiful medium gray wool sheath dress that is lined in bright sky blue satin. I have not fit in to it in 3+ years. But I will. Oh yes, I will.

Preacher and I spent six weeks traveling in Europe living out of backpacks. These backpacks specifically:

Rick Steves' Classic Bag / Backpack

Now, admittedly I was never in the same place for very long so I did not worry too much about fashion. We traveled during the Spring so we had to layer, but most of it was light layers. Still, if I can do six weeks out of that, I can certainly handle four weeks! With two children and two angry cats... Sure. No problem.

[JessFinds] Open letter to my family and friends

Dear Family and Friends*;

There is no tactful or polite way to say this, so I will just blurt it out: Unless you plan on sending seasonal clothing or travel toys ... please hold off on the kid presents until we are in our new home. I know they are darling girls who deserve lavish gifts that would embarrass the Hiltons and Trumps of the world. I know that you wanted to send the full-size carousal and the matching set of twin ponies. But we just can't pack a carousal and the ponies on a big moving truck. Okay. We could, but it might be a bit inhumane for the ponies. I am sure PETA would take issue with that.

To put it plainly... I don't wanna pack it. I would also feel cruel giving a great toy to my girls only to take it away promptly and put it on a truck for a month (we will be living in extended stay corporate hotel housing while our stuff will be living on the truck until our new home is ready for move in).

*Friends: I love your babies. I know you love mine. I would love to spoil your offspring rotten but this season is all about the move for us. You are off the hook!

We are planning a much scaled back version of Christmas this year.  Not even sure if we are breaking out the decorations as, well, they are already boxed up and it seems like an exercise in redundant packing.

• Travel toys are greatly appreciated as 4 and 6 year olds don't generally take well to being strapped to a seat for 7 hours out of a day while careening down the interstates at 80mph with two angry cats.

• Clothing - comfy! Soft! Gonzo loves pairing a cotton dress with legging/pants. Crab is all about soft pants and tops. Both girls could use some fleece. Gonzo is a size 4 T and Crab is a size 6. Adjustable waistbands are a big deal because as much as Crab loves wearing pants, the pants like falling down to her ankles. Gonzo loves everything and anything pink. Crab still likes purples and greens. Anything that coordinates is great for being on the road. 

So that is my tacky open letter. Thank you for holding off on the ponies this year (and the custom embroidered personalized saddles).

Love to all,

[JessFinds] Adopt a Zoobie Pet™ - GIVEAWAY!!

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED


The winner (#13) has been emailed and has 48 hours to respond! Congratulations!

Remember how I mentioned that I was on Team Zoobie?

As if I could not love them more, the fine folks over at Zoobie headquarters have generously offered to provide a Zoobie Pet™for a JessFinds.com GIVEAWAY! (Insert screams, fainting, clapping, ovations and hurrahs here.) Could those Zoobie-makers be any cooler? I would quit my day job and move to Utah to work for them, but my day job right now is "mom" and quitting that is generally frowned upon. Okay - back to the GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY! Ends on Monday, October 11th at 11:59pm EST. Seven (7) chances to win a Zoobie of your own!

Image courtesy of Zoobie Pets™Online Store

Zoobies are incredibly well-designed toys with multiple uses. A Zoobie is a plush toy, a flat pillow and a cuddly blanket. Zoobies are recommended for ages 3 and up but safety tested for all ages.

As mentioned in the previous post, Miss Crab has Kojo and Gonzo has Raj. When I told them we were doing a Zoobie GIVEAWAY for a lucky family they were very excited. Then Gonzo got quiet ... "But I don't have to give Raj away, right?"

No honey, you don't need to give Raj away.

Okay - so let's get to the good stuff. You really want one. I know.

MANDATORY ENTRY REQUIREMENTS - US ONLY

• EASY! Visit www.zoobies.com and look through their collections. Choose a Zoobie Pet™ and in the comments section of this post, write (1) First Name, Last Initial (2) Your email (3) Your Zoobie Pet of choice and (4) who the recipient of the Zoobie will be.

Sample "Bonus Entry" Comment

BONUS ENTRIES BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU! We use a random number generator to pick a winner and you can get up to 7 total entries. That means, you can leave SEVEN separate comments on this post. Just label them as Bonus Entries! Follow the instructions for each bonus entry to be valid. Have fun! If you alrady fan or follow us, just mention it in your comment. You don't have to be a new fan to win.

• BONUS ENTRY 1: Follow JessFinds.com via Google Friend Connect (GFC) or Networked Blogs (links on right hand column). Include your details as above and add "I follow you on _____" Then let us know via comments.

• BONUS ENTRY 2: Become a Fan of JessFinds.com on Facebook and comment on our Facebook Page that you are now a fan. Then let us know via comments.

• BONUS ENTRY 3: Become a Fan of Zoobies on Facebook. Leave a message on their wall saying: " I am a fan thanks to @Jess Finds." Then let us know via comments. 

• BONUS ENTRY 4: Follow Zoobie Pets via Twitter - www.twitter.com/zoobiepets. Let us know via comments and include your Twitter handle. 

• BONUS ENTRY 5: Follow JessFinds.com via Twitter -www.twitter.com/jessfinds. Then let us know via comments and include your Twitter handle. 

• BONUS ENTRY 6: Copy and paste:  I entered to win a Zoobie Pet™ from www.JessFinds.com! @zoobiepets @jessfinds #giveaway  on your own Twitter. Or Blog about it and link to this giveaway. Then let us know via comments! 

A total of 7 possible ways to win the Zoobie Pet™ of your choice! Good luck!

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PROBLEMS OPENING UP COMMENT BOX ON BLOGGER? Some people have reported that Internet Explorer will block the pop-up comment box or mess with the verification. No problems with other browsers have been reported. 


THE IMPORTANT DETAILS IN SMALL PRINT:

This GIVEAWAY is for one (1) Zoobie Pet™. Does not include the Jumbo Zoobie Pets™. Winner will be picked via Random.org and has 48 hours to respond before I re-draw a name. I will include a screen capture of the winning random number. This givaway is for the US ONLY.  International entries will be discarded (sorry). Giveaway is valid for those 18 and over. Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM EST on Monday, October 11th. Zoobie Pets™ will be responsible for shipping the product to the winner. I will provide Zoobie Pets™ with the address, winner's selection and additional contact information if needed. Prize selection subject to availability (you may need a second choice, be nice about it).

I did not receive any compensation for this review or giveaway. I am just a great-big fan of the product and Zoobies LLC offered to provide one to a lucky reader.
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[JessFinds] Zoobies

 I am on Team Zoobie.

Website: www.zoobies.com

A few months back, we recieved two Zoobie animals (Koko the Croc and Raj the Tiger). Miss Crab and Koko partnered up. Gonzo chose Raj.

Any child facing airline travel as the - gasp - holidays approach? Keep this in the back of your parent travel arsenal. The animals are soft and cuddly, easy for my 3.5 and 6 to carry through airports. They function as cozy travel pillows with the added bonus of a soft fleece blanket inside the animal that can be removed and re-stuffed easily.

Without fail, every child we encountered in airports pointed and yelled "PILLOW PETS!!" which just shows how effective that TV commercial is AND how susceptible kids are to advertising! We did encounter a few Pillow Pets on our travels, but my girls were standouts with their Zoobies. And they educated every child (and adult) on how theirs was special along the way. My little marketers.

The big difference? Zoobies have the blanket. Pillow Pets do not have a blanket inside.  Zoobies also look like "normal" stuffed animals, not like folded in half pillows.

We were out of town for about two months and were staying with various - tolerant - friends and family during our travels. These functioned as insta-beds for my kids as well as soft companions for all of the car and plane travel. We even saw a few being sold in the various airports we passed through, so travelers are on to the idea. Me? I. Will. Do. Anything. To. Keep. My. Kids. Behaving. On. A. Plane.

I am also a fan of any product that serves multiple purposes. There is a huge selection to choose from on their site. I have not encountered any discount codes or giveaways of late but a friend suggested I contact the company to see if they would be willing to do a giveaway for JessFinds.com.


Disclaimer: I did not recieve any compensation or free products for this review.

(MarieFinds) Wealth and Hellness, Part II

Ah... the non-stop glamour that is working motherhood. I had to spend a couple of days visiting a client in SoCal. A great couple of days of meetings, actually. Lots of good stuff that we will be able to use over the coming year.

Downside: I left The Lawyer at home with an ear infection. And two kids who were both rocking ear infections, as well. Nothing piles on the mommy guilt like that, except ... the call from the Lawyer on Wednesday night that they were headed to the ER. Squirrel had hurt her arm.

Now, in a former life, Lawyer was an Army medic. He's pretty non-reactive to childhood bumps an fevers. S this means something is up.

Diagnosis: Nursemaid's elbow, AKA dislocated. So I'm on and off the phone with him while he is juggling both kids in the hospital. Answering questions only mommy can answer during admit (shots? Primary docs name?) Listening to the doctor pop her arm back in place. Hearing my beautiful girl scream.

But then she got a race car bandaid and everything was OK. Yup, sent her home with a dose of ibuprofen, a dose of tylenol and a bandaid.

(MarieFinds) Beach Weekend

We did it. We escaped for the weekend to the Coast. This is something The Lawyer and I really suck at ... carving out time for just us and the kids. No work. No grand parents. No Aunts and Uncles, just us.

Lawyer's Dad left on Tuesday, and Saturday we packed up and went to the beach. We have had fulltime house guests since April, so it was kind of nice to get away.

Most of week was over 100 degrees here, so 65 and foggy felt brilliant. Squirrel built sand castles, Baby Boy ate sand. Squirrel ran like a mad girl around the Aquarium, Baby Boy got sad that he couldn't play. Kind of the theme to the weekend, but a good time was had by all.