Project Playsmart

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Mom Blog Society Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.


I'm always on the lookout for new toys and games for the little ones so I was elated to be chosen to review Project Playsmart.  Project Play Smart helps parents discover high quality, educational toys for their kids.  Join for free and receive a weekly email of spotlighted products, many at discounts up to 50% off retail. I was given the opportunity to pick my own game/toy to review and when I saw The Magic Labyrinth Board Game I knew that was the perfect game for my kids.

Approximately one week after ordering The Magic Labyrinth, it appeared in our mailbox. We all couldn't wait to play. Mr. E (with his new mohawk), Fingers, and Stinky joined me and we played it for the first time. Then we played again. And again. And they ask me every day to play again. The game was amazing and I wouldn't have found it if it weren't for Project Playsmart.

Each week Project Playsmart features new toys and games, all with an education base. Don't spend another moment roaming the aisles of games and toys plastered with licensed characters. The focus with those games is less on education and building skills and more on putting big bucks into big companies.

You can also earn and redeem credits to purchase more toys and games using the Project Playsmart referral program. A customized url is created for your account, and you can post links to your facebook and twitter accounts. For each person you refer that makes a purchase you will receive $5 in credit towards your future purchases.

Project Playsmart is revolutionizing the way we think about toys and playing games with our children. I know by now you are excited to check out Project Playsmart for yourself. Head on over to their website and set up an account. There's no obligation to buy- although you will find the toys and games too good to pass up!

Don't forget to visit Project Playsmart on Facebook and Twitter. Tell them SaMiE Designs sent ya!

Through Mom Blog Society and Project Playsmart, SaMiE Designs is able to offer one of our valued readers a $25 credit towards any purchase on Project Playsmart product. You can use the Rafflecopter below to enter for your chance to win!

Good luck and Game on!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Mom Blog Society Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

An App For That: Zoodles

If your household is anything like mine, you probably have 7 and 8-year-olds adding Ipads to their Christmas lists or 3 and 4-year-olds mimicking a cell-phone conversation with anything that fits in their tiny hands. I can't count the number of times those little hands have gotten to my phone- sending alien texts and pseudo-stalker breathing voicemails to all of my nearest and dearest. Heck, They've even managed to completely change my phone's settings and display!

As a mother of four I've taken the "we just can't have nice stuff" saying on as our family's own personal slogan. We do a lot of sharing, thrifty shopping, and we learn to live with less. It's very unusual that I purchase items for myself, but that does not apply to my phone. As the main (and sometimes only) source of communication to the outside world, most importantly my family back east, I like phones loaded to the 9's so I can call, text, or email all with the power device in my hands, without paying a hefty price.

So you can imagine my worry when those little hands are on my phone. I subscribe to many different magazines on parenting, including my fave, ALL YOU, so I have seen many articles about recommendations of phone applications for the little ones. There were always two things I looked for in a good phone application for my kids: 1. Is it educational? and 2. Is it FREE? My brother, who got his smartphone approximately 6 months before I did, once told me , "Never pay for an app. No matter what you're looking at, there's always a free version. Trust me." It's been the greatest piece of phone advice someone has ever given me and to this day I have never paid for an app for my phone. That being said, my phone is so tricked out with apps and the like I'm hard-pressed to think of something I can't do with my phone.

I searched long and hard for a good free app for kids. I didn't really love the idea of them playing with my phone, but if I knew it was going to happen I wanted to be prepared. Then one day it came along, a FREE Kid's app so good you'll think they paid me to talk about it. {They didn't, but if they're reading this I won't turn it down! :) }

Zoodles is an APP and Website that fits all of my needs and then some. On Zoodles you can add six profiles, so I have one set up for Mr. E, Fingers, Stink, and Bubby. (If you see in the photos one of them set up a profile for me. I had to laugh at that, but I wouldn't mind playing it when I need a break!)

Zoodles has so many fun features it's worth taking a few minutes to go over and check it out for yourself. I like how on both the phone app and on the website you can't easily exit the system and get into unwanted territories, like the phone's settings. There's also the parental controls, which lets you block networks, shows, and/or characters which is great when you don't want the influence of a particular show on your little ones. You can also limit the time they spend on a certain subject or area. Another great feature is the option to view and send video mail to family members too far to visit on a regular basis. The video recording feature also enables you and anyone you chose to record themselves reading a story to your kids.

I took a few screenshots to show you a few of the many great features of Zoodles. Check them out below then go check out Zoodles for yourself!

This is the screenshot of  what the kiddos see. If they press the little "x" they have to also type in "Exit" so it's very hard for the kids to navigate to a different site!

Zoodles lets you and your family record yourself telling a story that your kids can watch over and over. Here I am, reading an expanded version of the Three Little Pigs over a year ago!

The welcome page under the Parental View. This is Stink's profile. Notice her picture of her pout? We love it. :)

Zoodles tell you the themes your child has been learning on the progress report.

Zoodles breaks up how your child spends their time on the site- by shows, subject, and more...

Show me your GLEE! CD Board Game Giveaway!

I love Glee. I love all musicals. If I were a fictional character I would be Rachel and Kurt's best friend. I also love games. You can imagine my glee when I was walking down the aisle in a "super" store and saw the Glee CD Board Game sitting on the Clearance rack. Not one, but EIGHT!

Can you imagine finding 8 of these on the Clearance rack? Insanity!

This is probably the time to tell you I've been thinking about doing a giveaway and wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do. When I saw the Glee games, I just knew. I grabbed them all and now I am offering them up (minus one) to my readers, old and new.

I want to say, up front, that I am not being paid or sponsored by Fox, Glee, or any other company or person. I just love Glee, and would love to share this great fan with followers!

Contents of the game.

Fingers enjoying playing GLEE

I WAS able to play once before offering up this giveaway. Mr. E, 8, Fingers, 7, and Stink, 4, joined me to play. The box said 13+ but I figured they loved Glee, almost as much as I do, and they might be able to play a little bit to give me the idea of how to play. I was very pleased that with very slight change in the rules they were able to play just fine.

This game is like a mix of charades and guess who. You divide up into two teams, and each player alternates holding a card up to their forehead with the finger "L" card holder. That person asks yes or no questions to determine what character they are. (There are hard characters in there for kids, like Mr. Hummel, so we skipped those.) After you guess who you are then you have to guess the fact that is displayed on the card. your team mates can shout out clues but you have to give the actual terms. (I know this is another game, but my brain is farting on the title at the moment. Sorry. )

My favorite part was when my son, Mr. E., was holding up a card to his head, asking questions, each of which we said "no" to. I literally laughed out loud when he said, "Okay, it's like I don't know Glee that well, but I do really like it."

I had tons of fun though, no matter if it's young kiddos or adults, this game will sure fill you with Glee!

(Sorry for all the bad puns. Call me Carrie Bradshaw. Lol.  )