My 1st Camera – Wooden Toy Giveaway

14. October 2009 · 129 comments · Categories: Contest, Toys · Tags: , , ,

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Win a My 1st Camera from Down to Earth Toys!

Win a My 1st Camera from Down to Earth Toys!

I love wooden toys!  My son’s favorites are often wooden, natural toys and I’m glad he favors them over the plastic stuff.  There’s something more warm and friendly about a good wooden plaything.  Take, for instance, My 1st Camera sold by Down to Earth Toys.  Made in the USA from reclaimed walnut, maple, cherry, and birch and finished with 100% pure tung oil, this darling toy gives your child their own version of a big grown-up camera.  

If you’re looking for toys made in USA, Down to Earth Toys has a wonderful selection; in fact, over 90% of their toys are USA made!  I can’t think of a better gift to give the USA this year than to purchase things made here.  It can be tough to find USA made items these days, but toy shopping can be pretty straightforward if you know where to look.  I’ve been dealing with Down to Earth Toys for a couple of years now, and I give them my thumbs up for being a solid and conscientious company.  Bookmark ‘em for the upcoming holiday season!  You’ll be glad to have them onhand.

Down to Earth Toys is giving away one of their My 1st Cameras ($22.95 retail) to a lucky dkMommy Spot reader!  

Multiple Options for Multiple Entries:toddler-with-camera

1.) Just visit Down to Earth Toys and tell me what else you liked there and why.  (***You may enter once a day, but please list a new item you like each time.) Remember, leave an interesting comment. If I cannot contact the winner, you might be chosen instead based on your comment.

2.) Blog about, Twitter, Subscribe and/or Become a Fan on Facebook! Get an extra entry for each of these activities.  This time just leave a separate comment for each (only one time for each extra activity completed), giving me a link to your blog post, your Twitter name, and/or a note saying you’re an FB Fan and/or subscriber.  SUBSCRIBE HERE!  

(Psst!  My Twitter name is dkMommy.)

Feel free to do all five to gather multiple entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Wednesday, October 21, 2009, to enter.

ImagiPLAY Safari Set Giveaway from Wild Dill

04. December 2008 · 294 comments · Categories: Contest, Product Review · Tags: , ,

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Congratulations to Alexia, winner of the Safari Set!  Have a nice trip and watch out for the lion – he’s cute, but hey, he’s still a lion.

As we become more and more aware of wildlife conservation and taking care of our great planet, our children’s dreams and playtime are ever more far reaching.  This Christmas you can give your kids an African Safari with this wooden ImagiPLAY set from online store Wild Dill.  We’ve been enjoying playing Safari on the living room floor.  Lions, elephants, and zebra have been making their way through our household as we putt around in our wooden jeep, in search of the ever-elusive Baobob tree.  (As if they hide.) Eventually we’ll even let my son play with it.

Okay, so we’ve let him play too.  After all, it’s made from chemical-free rubberwood and non-toxic paints, two things we love around here.  The colors are bright and the set is most decidedly imaginative!  This set is recommended for kids 3 and up; I’d certainly not hesitate to give one to an older child as well.  This is another one of those toys that could well make it to the next generation.  Can you say that about the usual plastic stuff pushed every year?  I think not.

Wild Dill has a great selection of items online, and not just toys.  They also carry clothing, gift sets, and organic bedding (some just perfect to complement that safari set!)  If you’re feeling chilly this frosty December, Wild Dill is ready to warm one of you up with your own African Safari Set!  So grab your camera, take some zebra snacks, and sign up for the giveaway!

4 Ways to Enter: 

1.) Just visit Wild Dill and take a look around.  Then come back here and tell me what special item you see that would be most loved by a little poopsie on your gift-giving list.   (You may enter once a day - following entries don’t require you to answer the question.) Remember, leave an interesting comment.  If I cannot contact the winner, you might be chosen instead based on your comment.

2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.

     Already a subscriber?  Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway. 

     Want to subscribe?  Just click here: Subscribe to dkMommy Spot by Email  (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you do not receive it, check your junk mail. Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to this post.  Come back and leave me a Comment with a link to your blog post. (If your comment doesn’t show up right away, don’t worry – I may have to approve it first.  My blog might think it’s spam but gosh darn, I certainly don’t!)

4.) I’m feeling Twittery.  If you Twitter a link to this giveaway, come back and comment here to let me know your Twitter name for another entry!

Feel free to do all four, and you have four entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Sunday, December 7, 2008, to enter.

Check here for other current giveaways at dkMommy Spot.

NMCToys Gift Certificate Giveaway

01. December 2008 · 280 comments · Categories: Contest · Tags: , ,

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Are you looking for a great online toy shopping experience where you don’t have to worry about the toys you purchase being recalled before Santa even packs away his sleigh?  I can happily recommend NMCToys to dkMommy Spot readers.  “NMC” stands for Not Made in China, and they have very strict standards.  If you already spent your Thanksgiving weekend shopping for toys in the stores, then you know natural toys aren’t that prevalent.  Sure, there are more that appear natural, but when I’ve taken a closer look, I’ve put them right back on the shelf.

NMCToys features all U.S. and European made toys, and they have a bigger selection than the North Pole.  And in the spirit of the season, NMCToys is giving one dkMommy Spot reader a $25 gift certificate to their online store.

4 Ways to Enter: 

1.) Just visit the NMCToys page and take a look around.  Then come back here and tell me what special item you see that would be most loved by a special someone on your gift-giving list.   (You may enter once a day - following entries don’t require you to answer the question.) Remember, leave an interesting comment.  If I cannot contact the winner, you might be chosen instead based on your comment.

2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.

     Already a subscriber?  Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway. 

     Want to subscribe?  Just click here: Subscribe to dkMommy Spot by Email  (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you do not receive it, check your junk mail. Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to this post.  Come back and leave me a Comment with a link to your blog post. (If your comment doesn’t show up right away, don’t worry – I may have to approve it first.  My blog might think it’s spam but gosh darn, I certainly don’t!)

4.) I’m feeling Twittery.  If you Twitter a link to this giveaway, come back and comment here to let me know your Twitter name for another entry!

Feel free to do all four, and you have four entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Thursday, December 4, 2008, to enter.

Check here for other current giveaways at dkMommy Spot.

KangarooBoo $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway

02. May 2008 · 166 comments · Categories: Baby Toys, Contest, Product Review, Toys · Tags: , , , ,

I’ve been searching for companies that I can comfortably recommend to my readers, and when it comes to toys, that means the best and safest I can find. (And let’s not forget fun!) I’ve recently discovered KangarooBoo, and I’m very happy to be able to share them with you.

Owned by Jennic and Justin Law, this entrepreneurial couple is above the mark in my book! Ten weeks after their wedding, Jennic was diagnosed with cancer (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma). She was 24. Her husband Justin stood by her every step of the way, and today Jennic is in her 6th year of remission! Add to that two gorgeous kids, and you can see why Jennic and Justin are such grateful parents. They show their gratefulness by donating a portion of every sale to child-related charities. The customer even gets to choose what charity their dollars go to! Jennic told me that last year they donated more than a third of the KangarooBoo profit.KangarooBoo carries unique wooden and handmade toys from around the world; you can even search their site according to country of manufacture if you choose. They have toys from some of my favorites like Haba, Green Toys, and Melissa & Doug. These toys aren’t heavily advertised on Saturday morning cartoons. They’re not loaded with batteries, and they won’t talk back or do all the playing while your child sits back and watches. These are real toys for real kids who want to play!

Now, here’s the fun part: KangarooBoo is giving away a $25 gift certificate to one lucky reader. I’ve checked the site, and there are plenty of great options at this price level. Or you can put the gift certificate towards a real dream toy, and believe me, there are plenty of those too! (I’m already eying some of those for my son’s second birthday. We’re really into wooden toys around here.) Browse the site and see what you like!

3 Ways to Enter:

1.) Leave a comment telling me what you like at KangarooBoo. It can be a specific toy, a brand they carry, or a feature of the site.

2.) Subscribers are automatically entered into this and all future giveaways. Just click on the green “Subscribe to dkMommy Spot by Email” button on the upper corner of the right hand column. (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you don’t receive it, check your junk mail.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to this post and www.KangarooBoo.com.

Do all three, and you’ve got three entries to win! You have until midnight on Thursday, May 8, 2008, to enter.

Wooden Toys and the Christmas Aftermath

31. December 2007 · 4 comments · Categories: Product Review, Toys · Tags: , ,

Well, I suppose my living room looks just like yours about now.  Something like an explosion in Santa’s workshop.  The toy selection on our floor looks like what you see on nostalgia-inducing Christmas cards.  That’s because we gave our son lots of wooden toys this year.  I’ve got to say I’m so glad we went that route because these toys have really caught his attention, and I mean for more than the standard five toddler minutes.  Unintentionally, all the toys we bought for him were from Melissa & Doug.  (They were even sold at our grocery store here.)  The Melissa & Doug company didn’t ask me to review their stuff, and I’m sure they don’t know I exist out here in the blogosphere.   But I had to share the Christmas shopping success with you because I’m so happy with the toys, and there was so much toy concern for all of us this year.   We didn’t have to assemble a single blessed thing.  And aside from a little shrinkwrap, there was no monster “unboxing” to be had.   Everything smelled like fresh pine when we opened it.   What, I ask, is more Christmassy than that?   I think the best part is my son plays with his toys instead of him watching battery operated toys doing all the playing for him.Now that all the presents have been opened and kid tested around your house, do you have any that stand out as real winners?  What ended up being the favorites?