Horsing Around {GIVEAWAY}

Life with two toddlers pretty much guarantees that your home is filled with brightly colored plastic toys that take up way too much room and totally negate any semblance of style you've tried to give your space.  So with the holidays just around the corner, I went on a quest to find some gifts for Gabrielle and Alaina that wont' require me to put on sunglasses when I enter my own house, and I was so excited when I found just the thing.

Hobby horses from Manely Recycled!  Just look at the cuteness!

I know, I know, you're probably thinking that you can get hobby horses anywhere but the ponies from Manely Recycled are really unique.  Each one is handmade by Amy, a mom to three boys under 4, from recycled and upcycled materials she buys from thrift stores, which makes every horse one of a kind. She says her boys fall in love with each pony she creates and they love to see photos of them in their new forever homes.  Does it get any sweeter than that?

I can totally see how Amy's little guys would be head-over-heels for this Puff Dragon version:

Your little princess will love riding off on the Pink Leopard pony!

Or these fabulous unicorns.

And the plaid reins on the Molly horsey make me smile.

Amy very generously sent me a pony for Gabrielle and Alaina to try out.  I was immediately impressed with the details.  The yarn mane is super soft and the length of the dowel is perfect for toddlers.

And our guy has a pretty brown button eye!

It was love at first sight for Gabrielle.  She gave the pony kisses.

And stroked his mane.

She even took him for a ride on her rocking cow.

Unfortunately, I can't show you what Alaina thought because when I tried to give her the pony, Gaby held tight and gave me this face:

Yeah, we're still working no that sharing thing.  Obviously, I'll be ordering another hobby horse from Manely Recycled before World War III breaks out at our house!

If you're like me and like buying mom-made green products then the ponies from Manely Recycled should be going on your holiday list, which is why they're one of our HOLIDAY GIFT PICKS.

And if your little one loves polka dots or is all about the color yellow, Amy can make custom a pony to your specifications (provided she can find the right materials).  Because each horse is totally handmade, make sure you place your order before December 5th to guarantee delivery in time for Christmas (you can pay for expedited shipping after the 5th too) or if you miss the deadline, you can buy the little cowboy or cowgirl on your list a gift certificate instead.

And boy am I glad to find a great gift that my kids love without any bright plastic or batteries required.  Hallelujah!

Amy has graciously offered to give away one custom-made hobby horse to a lucky AFOMFT reader!  To enter, visit Manely Recycled and post a comment here telling me what you'd like your horse to look like if you win (this is mandatory).  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber.
• Visit Manely Recycled on Etsy and add the store to your favorites.
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook 
• "Like" Manely Recycled on Facebook and leave a comment that A Few of My Favorite Things sent you.
• Ask your friends to "like" AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does.  You'll earn one entry per new friend who "likes" our page and names will be cross-checked.  
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  It's the Holiday Happening on @AFOMFT w/ a giveaway-a-day all month! #Win an upcycled hobby horse 4 your kiddo - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Grab our HOLIDAY HAPPENING button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog or post on Facebook about this giveaway with a link to this post (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and make sure your comments include a link to your status or blog post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends November 30th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on December 1st. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Please note that Manely Recycled sent me one hobby horse for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation was received.  The opinions I've shared of their products are my own and yours may differ.

Images: AFOMFT & Manely Recycled

DEAL ALERT: Sales Around the Web

Here are a few great deals you can score this week!

At The Mini Social:

Toys and Puzzles from Mudpuppy from $4!  My favorites?  This Sporty Girl Magnetic Dolls set:

And the Where the Wild Things Are First Puzzle.

While you're at The Mini Social, check out their Crocs sale too!  Prices start at $15 for boys and girls styles.

At Zulily:

You can score Rockabye Rockers at 40% off!  My girls got two of them for their birthday and they LOVE them.  There are lots of styles to choose from.  My picks?  The bi-plane.

And ladybug.

Zulily also has great clothing from Wild Mango in infant, toddler and boys sizes.

As well as for girls too.

And last but not least, it's Buy More, Save More time at The Children's Place!  Spend $40 and save 15% with code SAVE15, spend $50 and save $20 with code SAVE20 and spend $60 or more and save 25% with code SAVE25 online.  Get the same savings in store, no coupon needed!  Get your holiday shopping done early.

If you're not already a member at The Mini Social or Zulily, please use the links within this post so I get referral points.  Thanks!

BLOGMANIA SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Joe's Toy Box {GIVEAWAY}

We're just a week away from BLOGMANIA, a two-day event where hundreds of blogs will be offering great giveaways, totaling more than $30,000!  AFOMFT will be hosting two giveaways during BLOGMANIA.  The first is called MARVELOUS FOR MOM and will include more than $500 worth of products that any mother will love.  From jewelry and clothing to beauty products and stationery, you'll want every single item in this great gift pack.  You'll learn more about each piece of the package over the next few days.

The second giveaway is currently valued at $550 and the theme is THE WHOLE KID CABOODLE.  This fabulous prize is chock full of goodies for little ones - custom bedding, clothes, note cards and much much more.  And what's a kid's giveaway without toys?  Well, here's one of the coolest ones around!

I am so excited to have Joe's Toy Box as a BLOGMANIA sponsor!  This family run Etsy shop was started when little Joe asked his father a simple question - "Daddy, can you make me a castle?"  That got his parents thinking, and before Joe knew it, he had a castle of his very own.

Armed with some crayons and a whole lot of creativity, Joe set out to make his castle a home.

And after seeing how much joy this fun fort brought to kids:

 
Joy's Toy Box was born!  In addition to the original royal dwelling, they also make a Country Barn Playhouse.

And my personal favorite, the Whimsical Cottage.

How cute is that lopsided chimney???

Each playhouse is made by hand and can provide hours of imaginative play for your little ones.  And guess what?  The lucky winner of THE WHOLE KID CABOODLE prize is going to score their very own King's Castle Playhouse!  You won't want to miss what else we have in store so mark your calendars now.

You'll be able to enter to win THE WHOLE KID CABOODLE prize package, including the Playhouse from Joe's Toy Box, on September 15th & 16th here on AFOMFT.  To make it simple to enter all of the BLOGMANIA giveaways, there will only be one means of entry on those days but you can earn extra entries over the next week.  Here's how:

You can do any of the following once and earn one entry for each that you complete.

• Visit Joe's Toy Box and make the store a favorite

You can also earn bonus entries daily by:

• Tweeting this: Joe's Toy Box is giving away a King's Castle Playhouse during #Blogmania2010 at @AFOMFT! September 15th & 16th - Don't miss out! #PPRO
• Clicking here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to note one entry for each one.
• Post about the AFOMFT BLOGMANIA giveaways on your blog or Facebook.  You must include a link to AFOMFT in your post and include a link to your post in your comment.

To record your bonus entries, leave a comment for each one on this post and they will be included when I draw the BLOGMANIA giveaway winners.  Want to earn more bonus entries?  Be sure to visit our other BLOGMANIA Sponsor Spotlight Posts for additional chances.


For more information on BLOGMANIA including more sponsors and the other blogs participating, visit the Blogmania Central Website, "like" Blogmania on Facebook and follow @Blogmania2010 on Twitter.  And stay tuned - we'll be featuring more of our wonderful sponsors on AFOMFT this week!

Images: Joe's Toy Box

BLOGMANIA SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Lakeshore Learning Materials {GIVEAWAY}

I've got the scoop on another of my fabulous sponsors for BLOGMANIA today - Lakeshore Learning Materials.

There are so many things I love about this company but let's start with how it was founded.

Way back in 1954, Ethelyn Kaplan, an Omaha homemaker, decided to pack up her family and move to California to open a toy store. Talk about an unconventional move for a woman in 1950s America!  Initially, Mrs. Kaplan focused on selling toys to parents, but before long, local schools started calling her for art materials and other classroom supplies. Sensing an untapped market, she sold the store and started Lakeshore Learning Materials.

Lakeshore now includes more than 50 retails stores and an online store and is still run by Etheyln's sons and grandsons.  Every product they make is distinguished by its quality, safety, educational merit and play value, and is backed by their ironclad guarantee:  If you are unhappy with any item for any reason, you may return it for a full refund or exchange, no questions asked.  Who can argue with that?

One of my favorite things about shopping on the Lakeshore site is that you can sort products by category (active play, arts & crafts, block play & manipulatives, dramatic play, language, science, etc.) and by age or grade.  So if you're looking for language tools for toddlers, they're easy to find!  And the products that Lakeshore carries aren't only educational, but also tons of fun.  I love the Three-Way Tabletop Easel which also has a dry erase and chalkboard:

What kid wouldn't go nuts for this Indoor/Outdoor Croquet Set?

Gabrielle and Alaina love the Baby Bowling Dinosaurs.

And the Shapes Discovery Boxes.

I'll be adding the Stack & Learn Counting Board to the girls' birthday list.

Along with the Toddler Dress Up Trunk.

And you there's so much more on the Lakeshore site than just shopping.  They have an amazing selection of free resources, including printable flash cards, math puzzles, word searches, awards and more.  Your kids will love to learn with all of these great goodies.

I could go on and on about this company but let's get back to what this means for BLOGMANIA.  I'm very excited to announce that Lakeshore will be giving the winner of our WHOLE KID CABOODLE prize package a $50 gift certificate to their store!  And that's not all.  During BLOGMANIA, we'll also be announcing a coupon exclusively for AFOMFT readers that will allow you to buy one item at Lakeshore and get a second for half price.  Just in time for holiday shopping!  How great is that? 

You'll be able to enter to win THE WHOLE KID CABOODLE prize package, including the $50 store credit to Lakeshore, on September 15th & 16th here on AFOMFT.   To make it simple to enter all of the BLOGMANIA giveaways, there will only be one means of entry on those days but you can earn extra entries over the next month. Here's how:

You can do any of the following once and earn one entry for each that you complete.

• Visit Lakeshore and sign up for their newsletter on the lower left of the homepage.
• Follow @LakeshoreLM on Twitter
• "Like" Lakeshore Learning Materials on Facebook

You can also earn bonus entries daily by:

• Tweeting this: @LakeshoreLM is giving away a $50 store credit during #Blogmania at @AFOMFT! September 15th & 16th - Don't miss out! #PPRO
• Clicking here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to note one entry for each one.
• Blogging about this giveaway or mentioning it in your Facebook status including a link to this post.   

To record your bonus entries, YOU MUST FILL OUT THE FORM HERE.  You can fill out the form every day to record new tweets and/or votes on Top Baby Blogs.

PLEASE NOTE: Your entries will not show up as comments on this post but will be recorded in a spreadsheet that I will use when I draw the BLOGMANIA giveaway winners.  DO NOT POST YOUR ENTRIES AS COMMENTS.

For more information on BLOGMANIA including more sponsors and the other blogs participating, visit the Blogmania Central Website, "like" Blogmania on Facebook and follow @Blogmania2010 on Twitter.  You can follow all of the AFOMFT BLOGMANIA news HERE and stay tuned - we'll be featuring more of our wonderful sponsors very soon!

Images: Lakeshore Learning Materials