If you’re looking for a personalized gift – flattenme might have something fun for you. They sell personalized shirts, books, wall art, cards and water bottles.

I was offered a customized shirt recently. Since my preschooler loves dancing I chose the ballerina design (It was also the same one she chose anyway). Other designs include fireman, astronaut, and superhero.

All I did was send a photo of my daughter and waited for the shirt to come in the mail. We received it pretty quickly and to be honest, was a little disappointed to find a Hanes shirt. The reason being -since the price is $27.95 – I expected a more high quality cotton shirt. The picture of my daughter’s face on the shirt is cute and she did do a double take when she first saw it.

That said, I think the best product they have are the personalized books. Check out their baby board book for example. It’s $27.95 for a paperback and $39.95 for hardcover. I think their books are a hit since if you look through the reviews.

I wish flattenme the best success. For me – the books are more of a hit..the shirts – a hit and miss. You can visit their online store flattenme and see for yourself.

Use coupon code T_10. It’s good for 10% off between now and June 30.

Top home brand MacKenzie-Childs now offers a full line of children’s furniture and tabletop items!

Check out the especially cute giant bean bag chair, cleverly shaped like a pear, below.

Prices start at $22
Courtly Check Bean Bag Chair. $395.
Enamel Child’s Dinner Set – Bee & Frog. $75
Toddler’s Bib – Bow Tie Frog. 22
Toddler’s Bib – Lamb. $22

Plus the Wee Wing Chair. $795

There are three store locations: Aurora, NY, Manhattan and West Palm Beach. Check out www.mackenzie-childs.com.

We always support products made in the USA. The Matching Dots is a clothing line that specializes in polka dot prints designed for girls from 12 months to 8 years. Shown here are photos from the spring/summer 2013 collection.

Price of the dresses are $59. However I believe that the quality is high and is worth the price. My daughter is wearing the Zoe style. Sleeveless, easy to put on, and super comfy. It’s a great dress that does not wrinkle! She’s 4 and wearing a size 5.

What I like about the line is that it’s different and recognizable. However – it’s not only cute dresses – the collection also includes clothes for women….

clothes for dolls….and dogs…

…and headbands…cool eh?

A nice thing with purchasing from the site or a retailer is that you have the chance to help give back. Get involved and make a difference by helping families and children in need. Like Matching Dots on Facebook to find out how and to follow their journey.

Just ordered from Zulily today…and wanted to share a couple of last minute picks on the deal site.

Above – Athletic Heather Tractor Personalized Tee ($12.99 down from $18)

Orchid & Black Cesario Sneaker ($15.99 down from $42)

Great daily deals you just can’t pass up. I’m a regular customer so recommend!

Click this INVITE LINK to order.

Summer is here so get ready for some sunscreen action. This morning before school I put Kiss My Face Kids Natural Mineral Sunblock SPF 30 ($14.99) on the kids.

The Kids Natural Mineral Sunblock SPF 30 is:

• Natural mineral sunscreen for fun in the sun

• Gluten free and bio degradable

• No nanoparticles, phthalates, fragrances, artificial colors or any other animal ingredients

When placing on you’ll get the white lotion but it easily absorbs away. No smell either.

Also check out the Kiss My Face Kids Sun Sticks SPF 30 ($10.99). Last year I used the blue and pink sticks and the kids thought it was fun to put on. No mess so great to keep at camp so they can use themselves. If you don’t mind the chalk look on your children then try these.

The Kiss My Face Kids Sun Sticks SPF 30 is:

·         Free of parabens, artificial colors or fragrances, phthalates and gluten

·         Water resistant

·          Organic Jojoba Oil, Beeswax and Cocoa Butter provide additional moisture to keep skin soft and smooth

·          This 100% natural mineral sun block works for kids’ lips, nose, cheeks and ears

·         Available in blue, white and pink (NEW!)

·         Provides extra protection for sensitive, over exposed areas.

·         Available in pink, blue and clear

The Kiss My Face Kids Sun Collection is available at Whole Foods and KissMyFace.com.

The Big Bad Wolf Goes On Vacation by Delphine Perret (Sterling Children’s Books) tells the story of a funny wolf named Bernard and his pal Louis. Louis and his grandpa are off to go on vacation at the sea and Bernard wants to go too.

Soon they’re off on a wacky road trip complete with car seats filled with cookie crumbs and lots of laughs along the way. The trip culminates with the perfect day on the beach where the three joyfully race into the sea.

The following are vacation tips from the big bad wolf:

·                     Don’t eat the children (you’ll have no one to play with!)

·                     Be kind to Grandma and Grandpa because they buy you ice cream

·                     Always use sunblock and sunglasses on the beach (to prevent pre-mature wolf aging!)

·                     Try not to get cookie crumbs on the car seat

OVERALL: Delphine Perret is the author-illustrator of numerous children’s books published in France. She does a good job making the wolf have a witty sense of humor.

Each page has plenty of drawings and conversations between Louis, the wolf and grandpa and the story does go by quickly – though it may seem like a long book at first glance. I would actually say this children’s book is sort of sophisticated…and not cutesy.

The book is available at barnes and noble for $8.25

I love coffee. Hot. Iced. anything caffeine I am all over it.

Genesis Today’s Skinny Coffee Vanilla Latté™ and Skinny Coffee Creamy Cappuccino™ are beverages that claim to support healthy weight, metabolism, cardiovascular function, energy, and optimal blood sugar levels.

They are blended with light-roast coffee, steamed milk and have a hint of flavor with 400 mg of pure green coffee bean extract per serving.

Per serving we’re talking only 90 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, and 12 carbs; plus, 5 grams of protein, 400 mg of Pure Green Coffee Bean extract, and 250% of DV of Vitamin B12! Moreover, Skinny Coffee is plant-based, gluten-free and soy-free and contains absolutely nothing artificial.

Overall: I tried the two drinks and I wanted to like them, but couldn’t. Perhaps I’m not used to the green coffee bean extract taste. However that doesn’t mean you won’t like these beverages though.

They are available at Wal-mart locations across the U.S.

Turn off the television and play some games! Blue Orange Games sell eco-friendly playthings that are simple and durable.

I was sent Zimbbos (suitable for ages 3 and up) to try out. It’s an all wooden stacking game that teaches colors and counting. Players take turns rolling the die to find out how many elephants to stack on to the pyramid. You have to follow the pieces in numerical order. Roll a star to add a balancing bar or circus character. The player to place the 10th elephant on the pyramid without it tumbling down is the winner.

 OVERALL: This is great for preschoolers – easy to learn to play and fun. My daughter always wants to play at least five rounds every time we take the game out. I’m picky about what games to play but this one I don’t mind getting involved with. You can play up to four players or solo.

Other games available are Keekee the Rocking Monkey, Gobblet, and Fasttrack.

Here’s background info on Blue Orange Games

The first recipient of Dr. Toy’s Green Toy Company award, Blue Orange Games respects the environment and is committed to their eco-friendly initiatives. Since 2007, the company has been planting two trees for every tree used in the creation of their wooden games and playing cards, planting over 125,000 trees to date. Blue Orange partners with Pur Projet to offset their carbon footprint. This organization provides native trees for the reforestation of small producers’ cocoa plantations in the Amazon, helping thousands of farmers cultivating Fair Trade and Organic certified cocoa to increase and diversify their earnings, while protecting lands and biodiversity.

Enter to win a Svan Signet Complete High Chair ($260)! This high chair was just featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show’s annual Mother’s Day special.

All you have to do is “LIKE” Svan on Facebook. You have until May 29 to enter.

New designs are out at Wall Pops! The line of removable wall decals includes a range of new peel-and-stick Chalkboards, colorful Dry Erase Maps, Growth Charts, Mix-and-Match and the popular Wall Art Kits.

I ordered the Rally Racers for my son’s room.

Site’s Description: For a racy room, decorate with racecars in red, orange, grey, blue and green with silver foil accents for a retro color palette; the Blox design includes cars over a grey checkered print; and Stripes feature the same checkered print that’s used for flags on the start/finish line in auto racing.

Here’s a snapshot of what the dots design looks like. My husband put these up.

Overall: Love them!! They are easy to move around the wall. No need to worry about chipping the paint. Colorful, fun…I would definitely order more decals from the company in the future.

Does your child like pirates? sailing? There’s also Argh Pirates and Regatta…plus much more cool looking designs.

The Growth Charts are fun too. There are two designs:

• Alphabet:  In a sea blue and soft green, the left side of the chart lists the ABC’s along with a corresponding object for each letter such as a cupcake for “c” with a ruler on the right and space on top to write a child’s name.

• Transportation:  A fire truck, school bus, helicopter and more are displayed on this growth chart with a red ruler on the left and a yellow ruler on the right to keep track of a growing child.

Don’t mind chalk? The Chalkboards decals can be written and drawn on. The boards do come with chalk. Designs include:

• Peel-and-stick Chalk Board:  One chalkboard sheet that measures 13- by 17.75-inches.

• Learn to Write:  A peel-and-stick chalk board with lines that allow kids to practice writing letters and numbers.

You can buy all the new designs at wallpops.com and at select retailers. Pretty much these decals will brighten up any blank wall. AGAIN I HAVE TO SAY I RECOMMEND THEM.

PRICES: WallPops for Kids Mix and Match are approximately $14.99 each.  WallPops Small Wall Art Kits are approximately $15.99 each and Large Wall Art Kits are approximately $30.99 each.  Growth Charts are approximately $20.99 each.  Dry Erase Maps are approximately $20.99 each.  The new peel-and-stick Chalkboards are approximately $15.99 each.