Ristorante Dr Oetker

Frozen food can make our lives easier especially with busy schedules and no time.  There are great products available and in my experience some not so great products.  Anything that I can taste the freezer taste as I call it in the food is not good.  I was pleasantly surprised with Ristorante Pizza, if I didn't know it was frozen I would not have been able to tell.  Every bite tasted fresh and very flavorful.  We tried the Mozzarella pizza and it was amazing.  It is a thin crust pizza and the cheese was gooey and stretchy.  Both of my boys (5 and 2) ate every bit of their pizza and asked for seconds.  This is a newer product in the US market as it is very popular in Europe.  So glad it is available here in the US, wonderful to have such a great tasting pizza option for a quick snack that the whole family enjoys.


***Sponsored by Bzz Agent and Ristorante Dr. Oetker and even though the pizza was free the opinions are my own.

Build A Bear Workshop

If you have never had the opportunity to go to Build A Bear Workshop you are missing out on a wonderful experience.  The attention to detail and care that go into each visit is above and beyond.  

There are so many choices at Build a Bear for girls and yes even boys.  They have superhero bears now.  

They have made the entire process very interactive.  You are able to choice attributes for your cuddly new friend; everything from intelligence to friendship.

We added a sound to our creation.  It was a twilight sparkle sound with a few phrases she would say.  

Then you head to the stuffing area where they fill up your friend with whatever squishiness you require.  They have a cute ritual with a heart that is placed inside that makes the process very special. At this point they place a bar code inside before sewing up the seam that makes it easy to locate the owner if you ever get separated from your Build A Bear creation.  Someone would just bring the Bear to a store location and they would track down the owner.  How nice is that?  With kids it is inevitable that some toys do get misplaced. 

Next it was bath time where you can brush away any fuzz and brush your new friends hair.  

Next was naming your friend my boy named his pony exactly by her name.  She could go by no other.  There is some basic information asked which is used to help make the birth certificate.  The attention to detail in Build A Bear is so much fun.

The last step before paying of course, is picking out clothes and accessories.  My boy chose some shoes with skates and a leash.  If you ever have any problems with your bear or if you get it home and you find it is not cuddly enough you can bring them back for a free surgery with more stuffing added. 

 If you are interested in trying out Build A Bear Workshop with your child I was given a special coupon to pass on to our friends of the blog http://www.buildabear.com/pdf/2000918_SmileyCoupon_US.pdf?sc_cid=aff:Smiley:5off25

***This post is sponsored by Smiley 360 and Build A Bear and my boy received a wonderful opportunity to pick out a pony with all the bells and whistles for free.  Although we received the items for free all opinions are my own.

The Mess Detectives and the Case of the Lost Temper

We recently got the opportunity to read a Zonderkidz book, The Mess Detectives and the Case of the Lost Temper by Karen Poth.  This is an I Can Read Book with a level 1.  Level 1 is for beginning readers who are eager to read on their own.  I will start off by saying both of my boys were very excited to read this book.  Both of them love Veggietales and look forward to any new products that come into our home.  The story was easy to read and follow and of course it had the silliness you would expect from a Veggietales product.  Even the cover was eye catching and silly.

What is funnier than fake glasses, nose and mustache on a tomato?  A cucumber in a chicken outfit perhaps.  There was a moral to the story which was simply control your temper when you are upset.  Great lesson for all children.  Both of my boys were entertained for the entire book.  Great early reader book with a great lesson.  

***I was given this book to review through Booklook Blogger and although the book was provided free the review was entirely my own opinion and my kids.

The Train Party: I have a 2 Year Old!!!!

I have been talking so much on the blog about Thomas and party ideas that I thought I would do one final post to show you guys the results.  We had the party this weekend and fun was had by all.

The food table I made a snack train and put Thomas in the front. There was a Produce car, Choo Choo Crackers, Log car, and Tender car I also made a fruit train with Watermelon and a cantaloupe.

Party Table and Set Up

Set up for Goodie Boxes

Train Track on the floor with black electrical tape

The Cardboard Train (All of the kids loved it)

Here are some links to the blogs I did in preparation for this party.  

Invitation:  http://learningtopeewiththedooropen.blogspot.com/2014/07/thomas-train-invitation.html

Favor Box:  http://learningtopeewiththedooropen.blogspot.com/2014/07/thomas-train-favor-box.html

Thomas Party Train:  http://learningtopeewiththedooropen.blogspot.com/2014/08/thomas-party-train.html

List of Ideas:  http://learningtopeewiththedooropen.blogspot.com/2014/08/thomas-train-party.html

Stonyfield YoTot

Sneaky moms need sneaky tools so I was excited to find that Stonyfield Farms brought out a toddler geared yogurt in partnership with Happy Tot.  My almost 2 year old wants to do everything himself so I love that the yogurt comes in easy to use pouches.  The yogurt has all the elements from the Stonyfield yogurt we love, great tasting, organic yogurt.  The yogurt has Vitamin D added and 13 mg DHA & EPA.  I have only found this at our local Super Target.  The great thing about this product is the veggies are included in the yogurt.

They come in:

Pear-Spinach-Mango

Sweet Potato

Strawberry-Beet-Berry

For further information go to http://www.stonyfield.com/products/yotoddler/yotoddler-pouches/pear-spinach-mango

**This post is in no way sponsored or affiliated with Stonyfield Farms I am just a mommy who loves the product and wants to share how great it is

Kidfresh

Kidfresh is a line of products that fit in perfectly with my food product posts lately.  Sometimes as moms we have to be a little sneaky.  Sneaky moms are necessary with picky eaters and noses turned up to vegetables.  Kidfresh has so many options to appease your picky eater.

There is:

Totally Twisted Pasta + Meatballs

Fun-tastic Fish-Sticks

Easy Cheesy Ravioli

Wagon Wheels Mac+Cheese

Mamma Mia Cheesy Pizza

Muy Cheesy Quesadillas

Spaghetti Loops + Meat Sauce

Mighty Meaty Chicken Meatballs

Muy Bueno Kids Buritos

Super Duper Chicken Nuggets

Rainbow Rice and Chicken

Each meal is made with 100% natural ingredients- no artificial colors, favors, or preservatives.  Plus they are non GMO and moderate in sodium, calories, and fat.  Every ingredient list was simple and easy to recognize every item used.

We tried the Mighty Meaty Meatballs and Super Duper Chicken Nuggets.  First off what I was impressed with was the taste.  I am not a huge fan of frozen foods normally but both of them were really great.  Both of my boys liked them as well.  Secondly, there is veggies in every meal they make and my kids didn't detect it (mommy win).  

These are found in the frozen foods section and can be quickly prepared for your little one.  To find additional info you can visit http://www.kidfresh.com

***This review was done in partnership with Mom's Meet and Kidfresh.  Although, I was provided with free product to try; all of the opinions and this review is completely my own.

Jonah and the Great Big Fish

My two year old and I got the chance to read a new book today while his big brother was in school.  Have I mentioned yet how much I like having the one on one time with him?  (I do)

We got the opportunity to read an adorable book called Jonah and the Great Big Fish, written by Rhonda Gowler Greene and illustrated by Margaret Spengler.    Clever rhyming and quick pace made this book an easy to listen to story for him.  There were lots of colorful illustrations and it kept his interest the entire time, which is not an easy task.  The story stayed true to the bible story and made it accessible to both my 5 year old and 2 year old.  The book lists the age range as 4-8 as suitable but I think toddlers as well will enjoy it.  If you are interested in purchasing this book I found it is available on amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Jonah-Great-Rhonda-Gowler-Greene/dp/0310732190

***I received this book as a Book Look Blogger and other than the book and the time that my little one enjoyed the book I received no additional compensation and my opinions all completely my own.