When I first saw the newest tote from Sacs of Life's FAUXSOL Line, I really could not believe that it wasn't real leather. I knew I had to test it out in person and give all my followers the latest scoop on a new syn-leather purse.
The Mid-Western Retreat Tote (as seen above in Camel) is the perfect size for all your purse items and still room for some baby gear. It is a medium-sized tote that is much lighter than you would expect if it were actual leather. I thought the overall appearance of the "leather" was pretty comparable to the real thing with only a touch more gloss. I really liked the woven sides and how they didn't hinder the interior structure in any way; however, I was disappointed with the thin straps and how they would cut in slightly into my shoulders if I filled the tote to capacity.
I tested out this tote in Orange (not shown above) and was shocked (and not in a good way) at the color; however, with that said...I am not a fan of the color orange in anything and my SIL will probably love it to death!
Here are some of the features listed online:
Weathered faux leather
Attached/secured front locking magnet/snap pocket (6″x 5.75″x 1.5″) with faux leather knotted pull
Fauxsol Bronze logo plate
Antique bronze gromets (eyelets) with detailed faux leather strapping weaved through gromets
Includes three interior compartments and middle zippered/padded sleeve
Interior pockets including two open on front wall and one zippered pocket on back wall
Interior compartments are secured with magnetic snaps
Includes bonus Fauxsol City Bag
Overall, I really liked this tote and the price being under $100 is great for one of such quality.
Now that the kids are really getting into bike riding I just love taking them to the various parks and bike tracks around town, but my one dilemma has become...what do I ride? I was thinking about getting a bike for me, but good ones with gears tend to be really expensive and seriously have you ever tried to jump of a bike quick to grab a kid? I have and it is not pretty! So, on my exploration to find a good alternative (other than running, ugh) the perfect solution fell into my lap-The Kick Scooter for adults from Micro (check out the video below)!
The White Kick Scooter is by far the best scooter for adults (and kids models too) I have ever seen. I knew I loved the Mini Kick Scooter that all 3 kids fight over because it glides like it is floating, turns on a dime, and is VERY difficult to tip over due to the 3-wheel design. The adult line of scooters (offered in white in black) are everything I love and more. These 2-wheeled scooters fold completely flat and take up hardly any room in my trunk (even the handlebars fold in), are light enough to carry anywhere, and glide effortlessly. The rear bumper is your brake and easy to use to slow or stop completely, and the wheels and base are incredibly stable making even a beginner rider feel at ease.
We tested the White Kick with a prego Mommy (yeah, that was me...and it was only a short ride so no worries), a 70 year old man, a 92 year old man, a 40-something man, and a 5, 4, and 2 year old. They all said it was the most smooth scooter they had ever ridden....except for the kids who cried when Mommy said it was hers!
I can't say enough amazing things about this scooter other than this- Micro Kickboard Scooters put any Razor Scooter to shame for about the same cost. I know we will have these for life, and that I will be getting more in the future for myself and friend's and family's celebrations!
I give The White Kickboard a 5 out of 5 for being one of the best products I have ever reviewed!
Thanks Micro Kickboard for making an amazing product!
Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie is the latest release by Randy Kaplan that had me thinking Disneyland's New Orleans Square from the very first song! This album is very unique in the kid's music genre which doesn't usually boast songs reminiscent of the ragtime and blues of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.
LaLa (age 4.5) said it reminded her a lot of Tiana, and LoLo (5.5) liked the little stories included in the extensive liner notes. I appreciated that this album was unlike the dozens of others we own, and that each song was not too long that the kids would lose interest. I really liked "In A Timeout Now" in which portions of the song copy "In The Jailhouse Now", too funny!
The story-telling of Kaplan had the kids sitting in silence and imagining the plot....loved that! They would then ask me great questions about the songs and we had some great new things to discuss from a different era.
Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie has 24 songs (most in the 2-3 minute range), so you definitely get your money worth!
This 10 song album seems to keep with the same tone throughout the disc and just had me wanting a little bit more. The kids on the other hand enjoyed hearing children chant and sing along with Barry G and enjoyed the cute lyrics with such song titles as:
You know what I like in a children's music album? A little bit of education thrown in! So when I was asked to review Nathalia's album From Here To There I was excited about the bilingual component.
This 10 song album offers songs in English, Spanish, and a nice mix accompanied by guitar and other instruments that upbeat and VERY dance-worthy! My kids loved dancing to the Animal Bop where
they pretended to be various animals....and I loved that they learned the Spanish words for each one!
I really liked the consistency of this album in that all the songs were happy and mostly upbeat, and all had my kids learning Spanish without even thinking about it! This disc is sure to be one of our new favorites, and I even thought at times Nathalia was very "Laurie-Berkner-esk!"
I give From Here To There by Nathalia a 5 out of 5 for it's educational dance mixes that the kids and I BOTH can enjoy!
The Sugar Free Allstars are best known for their funky mix of high-energy dance songs from their previous albums, and their third release All On A Sunday Afternoon is much of the same (available June 2012).
The album contains 10 new "kid-friendly rhythm-and-blues songs" that my kids enjoyed and were bopping along too. I found that some of the songs were a little long (over 4 minutes), and the frequent drum solos were a little too...um, frequent! I did appreciate that this album was extremely unique and contained rock, gospel, disco, funk, soul and pop- very diverse.
All On A Sunday Afternoon also comes with a bonus concert video DVD that was a huge disappointment. The poor video quality of the band performing to dancing kids in a friends garage (yes, think no set and concrete walls), was not what I would hope for from a professional band; however, since it was a "bonus" and not added to the price I didn't mind too much.
