Children’s Christmas Books- #BookishCountdown

Posted on by Mandy

Would you LOOK at all of these amazing children’s Christmas books?  Each night since December 1st, my son has been opening a book before bedtime as we participate in A Bookish Countdown To Christmas, thanks to HarperCollins Children’s.

 

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My son has excitedly ripped into each day’s gift and he has been thrilled with every book received so far!  It’s been a wonderful way to make some precious memories with him, reading to him something about Christmas each night before bedtime as we count down the days.

We’re a little more than halfway into our books, and I will show you our final collection once Christmas is here, but I was so excited about how well this has been going that I just had to share an update!

 

I received books from Harper Collins Children’s to facilitate this post. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Berenstain Bears Christmas Books Giveaway

Posted on by Mandy

berenstain bears christmasnothing ever happens at the south pole

 

I think out of all of the picture books in my library, the Berenstain Bears’ series is definitely one of the most popular.  This holiday season, HarperCollins Children’s offers two great books for kids to enjoy during the most wonderful time of the year, both written by Stan & Jan Berenstain, creators of the popular children’s book series The Berenstain Bears.  We received both of these copies as part of the Bookish Countdown to Christmasthat we are participating in, and I guarantee your children will love them both!

The Berenstain Bears’ Old Fashioned Christmas- Stan & Jan Berenstain

Christmastime is here! The Bear family is visiting Grizzly Gramps and Gran for the special holiday. This year they’re going to celebrate the old-fashioned way! With no TV to watch or video games to play, the cubs enjoy learning all about Gran’s Christmas figurines, listening to Gramps’s player piano, and even cutting down their own tree. Decorating the house and singing merry Yuletide songs fills everyone with the holiday spirit. This is Christmas the way it was meant to be celebrated.

Nothing Ever Happens At The North Pole- Stan & Jan Berenstain

There’s a lot going on at the South Pole! There are slippery slopes and frozen floes and wild animals all around. But when one penguin goes looking for adventure, he doesn’t see anything exciting at all going on. Could it be he’s just not looking closely enough?

 

GIVEAWAY

I have a copy of each book to give away to TWO lucky readers!  To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below.  Giveaway ends December 21, 2012 at 12:00 AM EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was provided with these books to facilitate this post and copies to give away.  All opinions are my own.

VTech InnoTab 2S WI-FI Learning App Tablet

Posted on by Mandy

Last year my husband and I seriously contemplated buying our son a learning tablet for Christmas.  They were all the rage and by the time we had decided to purchase one, they were nowhere to be found and all sold out online.  I was so disappointed, but I decided I would try again this holiday season.  Thanks to Mom Central, I was recently chosen to review the new VTech InnoTab 2S with my son and if you are considering purchasing one for your own child or a child you know, I think you should know something right up front.

They will love you for it! 

 

 

InnoTab2S Blue and Pink

I wish a thousand times I had my camera ready as I called my son into the room to show him the VTech InnoTab 2S.  There were gasps, screams of excitement, and a smile so big I thought he would implode right where he was standing.  After we opened the packaging, we quickly got to work registering the tablet and setting it up, which will take you a few minutes to do.  You will need access to a computer in order to register the tablet and download the VTech Learning Lodge Navigator software.  The final step was setting up the WI-FI connection in the Settings Menu. 

So what exactly are kids getting with the VTech InnoTab 2S?  This tablet has an E-Reader, an MP3 Player, Rotating Digital Video Recorder and Camera, Photo Viewer, Video Player, Art Studio and Microphone, plus access to hundreds more apps in the Learning Lodge Navigator download center.  The InnoTab 2S comes loaded with 15 apps plus 2 free downloads.  It features 2GB of onboard memory and an expandable SD card slot available to accommodate SD cards up to 32GB and comes with 2 styluses.  If you have children who have to share, this tablet can store up to 4 user profiles and one guest.

 

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E.B. setting the date on the InnoTab 2S

So what are my son’s favorite features?  He loves the camera and the Art Studio software.  He actually had this tablet figured out before I did!  He loves to show me the funny pictures he takes around our home and I love the fact that this tablet is really capturing his attention, all while being so portable enough to take along just about anywhere.

 

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What I also love about this tablet is that it’s WI-FI capable.  There is no need to purchase a million game cartridges to use with this because everything can be downloaded right to the tablet through WI-FI.  Of course, extra game cartridges are available should you decide you want to go that route.  Our VTech InnoTab 2S came with one cartridge to get us started.

Besides the WI-FI capability, I also love the fact that my son can read e-books on the VTech InnoTab 2S.  The e-books can be purchased and downloaded from the Learning Lodge Navigator.  While all of the games and other apps are loads of fun, I also appreciate that he can get in some reading practice with this tablet. 

Overall, my son and I are both extremely pleased with the VTech InnoTab 2S tablet.  It’s easy for kids to use, easy for grown-ups to add apps, features a bright screen with appealing graphics and is totally portable. I would additionally suggest purchasing the AC adaptor or rechargeable battery kit because it is not included.  The InnoTab 2S retails for $99.99 and is recommended for children ages 3-9.

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for VTech and received a VTech InnoTab 2S to facilitate my review.