Elefun features four butterfly nets, a whole mess of “butterflies” and an elephant with a 4 foot trunk. You fill the trunk with the butterflies and turn on the elephant – whose trunk will extend outward – shooting butterflies into the air.

It’s pretty, the fluttering butterflies raining down on your living room in rainbow colors.

But then – in the blink of an eye they’re all out of the trunk – and the game is over. (Whomever caught the most wins). Now guess what? You have to reinsert all of the butterflies into the nose of the elephant. Which is a hassle because the end of the nose is narrow and you have to shove them in, then stand up and straighten the nose and shake them into the bottom.

Now, turn it back on again to play. POOF it’s over.

The reloading takes longer than the actual game, and my kids interest waned quickly.  It’s a great concept but if we never get it out again, I’m ok with that. It may make it into my fall garage sale. Thumbs down, we didn’t love it at all.

Written by Gidge, who is a mother of a 7 year old boy and 5 year old twin boys. A transplanted Hoosier, die-hard Colts fan and professional call center manager, she likes long walks on the beach, penguins and playing ping-pong. Her turn-ons include sleep and silence. Read all about her life here.

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I popped into the nail care section the next time I was there and yes indeed, there was this huge array of really inexpensive nail polish in great colors.

I didn’t ask her the important questions though – such as – how does it wear? How often do you have to touch it up?

Because, had I asked I would’ve learned that even with a nice heavy top coat this polish seems to be designed to chip. After trying multiple kinds of top coat/bottom coat/sealer products I could never get this polish to STICK on my nails for more than 1/2 a day.

It’s not a bargain it’s a waste of time and money. Big thumbs down to Pure Ice nail polish.

Written by Gidge, who is a mother of a 7 year old boy and 5 year old twin boys. A transplanted Hoosier, die-hard Colts fan and professional call center manager, she likes long walks on the beach, penguins and playing ping-pong. Her turn-ons include sleep and silence. Read all about her life here.

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You can taste the delights of SNEAK ATTACK, or POTION OF HEALING. How about some DWARVEN DROUGHT,ILLITHID BRAIN JUICE,BIGBY’S CRUSHING THIRST DESTROYER or ELDRITCH BLAST?

At $10.99 for a six pack of these excellent fun flavors, I’m not sure how I can resist.  You can pick them up online at Jones Soda online.  It’s a really festive gift for the gamer you know.

This is a Freaky Find worthy of a big Prop! Fun idea Jones Soda!

Written by Gidge, who is a mother of a 7 year old boy and 5 year old twin boys. A transplanted Hoosier, die-hard Colts fan and professional call center manager, she likes long walks on the beach, penguins and playing ping-pong. Her turn-ons include sleep and silence. Read all about her life here.

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The Oral B not only comes with several brushes, but there are also additional brushes available for your specialized needs. My husband, who has been going through toothbrushes at the rate of one a month for as long as I’ve known him never seemed to believe me when I told him he was brushing too hard. However, let the Visual Pressure Sensor tell him that and he’s a believer! The toothbrush has a built in timer so you know when you’ve brushed long enough.

One of the included brushes has a polishing head – the kind the hygienist uses to clean your teeth. I can tell a huge difference in my husband’s coffee stained teeth after he’s used it for several weeks. Be forewarned. The power this toothbrush packs is enormous! Having bought a “professional” toothbrush, I was astonished at the power and rotation the Triumph offered. It flosses, polishes, massages and gently sweeps away plaque. Your gum’s will be healthier and your mouth will thank you.

There is a handy covered storage case, a rechargeable unit and it fits nicely in your hand when you’re brushing. One bit of advice I learned right away. Look for replacement brushes on eBay as opposed to your local discount stores. That’s what I did and saved almost two-thirds of the cost of what I would have paid at Wal-Mart. There were also several different types of brushes available on Amazon.

My review for the Triumph could not be any higher. I count myself lucky that I was chosen to receive this fabulous toothbrush. Thanks Oral B!

Written by Perri, a homeschooling mom of 6 kids – 2 that are grown and out of the house and 4 younger ones who help wreck and clean the house. Perri also has two precious grandchildren. She spends a lot of time doing ministries with her church, volunteering in the community and baking a mean cheesecake. She blogs about her family’s life at My Life in Bits & Pieces.

As a last thought, maybe “crap recommendation” was a bit strong regarding my former dentist’s thoughts that I should buy a Rotadent. I’m sure I can use it to scrub the shower grout.

The Oral B Triumph is by far the best toothbrush I have ever used. Ever. I remembered electric toothbrushes as clunky and ineffective, but obviously that is no longer the case. Straight from the horse’s mouth here are a few things Oral B says the toothbrush will do:

• Improves gum health: Helps prevent and reverse gingivitis
• Provides ultimate plaque removal
• Delivers superior teeth whitening and polishing action in 21 days
• Penetrates between teeth to sweep away plaque for a floss-like clean
• Helps reduce excessive brushing force, which can lead to gum recession, by up to 88% in only 30 days
• Guaranteed better checkups, or your money back
• Helps you brush for two minutes

I don’t know about the better checkup, but the rest I agree with completely. When is the last time a product actually did what it claimed? My husband and I both used it (more on this later) and the whitening was more noticeable for him, but what I liked most was the plaque removal. It really was very effective. The timer also makes the whole toothbrush buzz when it’s time to switch quadrants of the mouth, even if you are in a different room, ensuring that you brush the whole two minutes. I don’t have a single bad thing to say about the performance of this toothbrush. It is simply awesome.

That being said, it is also very expensive. I just don’t know anyone willing to drop $130 on a toothbrush. And while one of the cool features of the toothbrush is that it lets you know when it’s time to change the brush head, the new ones cost over $10 in the store. Each. So for my husband to use it too was more money, and then in three months we are looking at another $20 to replace them. That’s $80/year in toothbrush heads alone for just two people! We did find some heads on eBay that were cheaper, but who wants to go online and hope you can get lucky on ebay every 3 months?

Really I’m stumped on what to summarize this product as. Is it a prop? Is it a pan? I think it’s both. The performance can not be faulted, it is a wonderful product that could really revolutionize the way people brush thier teeth. The problem is that the people have to be able to afford it first!

Written by Andi, who teaches local high school students about abstaining from sex. She has also had two kids in 16 months. Andi’s husband thinks she needs to practice what she preaches. You can read about her adventures (or misadventures) in motherhood at her personal blog, Parenting 101.

During a busy day at work I was typing and apparently using the space bar with my left hand a lot,  because it was screaming at me by lunch time. (Ever try to use the space bar with the wrong thumb as you type? If you took typing class you know it’s nearly impossible, but I digress.) So I wandered off to the medicine cabinet in search of antibiotic ointment and a band aid or two.

One of my coworkers saw me perusing the cabinet and pointed out that we had packets of Band-Aid Liquid Bandages, raving about how great they are when you are typing and I should check them out. Which I did. A swab-like item soaked in some chemical (the liquid band aid I presume) pops out of the pack and I slathered it over the gash in my left thumb.

I let it dry and then went back to work. It then promptly cracked back open again, but more painfully this time. Which is when I went, washed my hand really well, dried my hand really well and re-applied another liquid Band Aid swab to it. And the same thing happened again.

I can only surmise that these things are great for scrapes, but not for cuts. Using it for a cut was not only disappointing, but I genuinely disliked the results. This one is a big pan from me. Ouch!

Written by Gidge, who is a mother of a 5 year old boy and 3 year old twin boys. A transplanted Hoosier, die-hard Colts fan and professional call center manager, she likes long walks on the beach, penguins and playing ping-pong. Her turn-ons include sleep and silence. Read all about her life here.

The first thing I noticed and loved about this book was the 500 beautiful color photographs. You could literally spend hours just looking at the photos. There are a multitude of styles photographed, from rustic to modern; each one full of ideas. You can’t help but feel immediately inspired once you open the book.

The Home Book is essentially divided into three parts. “Understand Your Home” teaches you how to work with or improve your home’s existing architecture and layout. “Elements of Design” gives you decorating concept advice on color, texture and pattern. “Room by Room” goes into furnishings, finishes and those minor details that complete a room.

Throughout its 464 pages, you will also find insider advice on design, decorating tips on all rooms (including indoor-outdoor rooms), walk through sample design projects, layout tips and more.

The Home Book retails for around $40.00, which isn’t bad considering its huge size and quality. It’s one of those books you can put on the coffee table, and pick up over and over again for new ideas. It would also make a great housewarming or Christmas gift!

Overall, I love The Home Book and recommend it for those suffering from bland design like me. It is seriously packed full of information and photos that can help any size house or room. Now that I’m all inspired and energized, it’s time for me to get to work!

Written by Amy, who is a SAHM of two boys, 10 months and 8 years, and has been married for 10 years. She owns Surprises by Amy, a business that creates custom baby gifts, and founded Mom Spark in July 2008. When Amy isn’t wrangling the kids or cooking for her husband, she enjoys selling on eBay, reading, writing, blogging (of course), listening to music and buying anything retro.

The box says they contain flaxseed, and I don’t do flaxseed. Good news, I couldn’t taste it. These cookies are a great source of fiber and they don’t have any artificial sweeteners or coloring. I also found them to be conveniently packaged in serving size bags. When I open a box of cookies I just can’t stop.

The first flavor I tried was the apple cinnamon. I liked the flavor but the apples were very chewy. I’m also not a big fan of crunchy cookies so that was two strikes against the apple cinnamon. Then, I tried the blueberry and I loved it. I was thinking to myself this one is going to be my favorite. The next cookie flavor I tried was the oatmeal raisin, it was really yummy too replacing my favorite. I also liked the cranberry and thought it can only go downhill from here, but finally decided that the multigrain was my favorite.

These cookies are very crunchy and they all have a hint of cinnamon which I greatly enjoyed. I think they would be great for breakfast as a cereal. They won’t get soggy. Yum!

by Louise

We received samples of all-natural, whole grain cookies from World of Grains. I know, I know…”whole grain” and “cookies” don’t usually go together. Honestly, the Multigrain (just a plain cookie) was my favorite, but my sons (4 years old and 2 years old) plowed through the Oatmeal Raisin, Apple Cinnamon, Cranberry and Blueberry like there was no tomorrow. To me, the flavored ones were trying too hard, but there was nary a crumb left so my sons had no such qualms.

These cute little cookies have super-good-for-you things like quinoa, flaxseed and millet, and they are sweetened with evaporated cane juice (not a bit of high-fructose corn syrup to be found). With only 130 calories, 15 grams of whole grain and 3 grams each of fiber and protein per pack, this is a snack that I would feel good about buying.

by Christine

Personally, I like looking through O Magazine but this was overloaded with information. The content was good and definitely interesting, but I can’t take a 366 page magazine. It was overwhelming. For long-time Oprah fans, this may be just what they wanted. I’m a sideline watcher of her show and not a follower. Certain topics interest me, but many don’t. This would make a great gift for someone who is a loyal fan.

by Emily

As much as I adore Oprah and all the glory she brings with her media empire, I have to scratch my head to figure out what the latest Big Book Of Happiness is all about. If you already watch Oprah on her syndicated daily show and subscribe to her monthly magazine you will find this book repetitive. How many times can you read about the same people and their motivational stories?

I initially thought this was a coffee table book with beautiful photography images showcasing all things Happy, but I was wrong. This big book is not really meant for just skimming the pictures, and it is more of a bound version of the magazine, minus the commercial advertising. I am sure this will be a best seller for those who worship Oprah, but I am not recommending this for anyone else.

by Helene

Imagine my disappointment when two days later Target randomly canceled the order. Apparently they made a pricing mistake. While pricing mistakes are bound to happen I find this particular situation hard to believe since the item was listed at $42.99 for 3 days before the error was supposedly “discovered.” Amazon.com also offered these seats on behalf of Target and honored the advertised price, shipped the merchandise and kept their customers loyal.

Instead of offering a good will coupon for a future car seat purchase or a discount on the Britax Marathons, or even a small gift card to use on an in store purchase, Target is just pretending the transaction did not happen at all. No accountability, no sense of a “make good” or genuine concern that they disappointed their loyal shoppers. From a business standpoint Target has a lot to learn!

Written by Helene, who is a “fly by the seat of her pants” mom with 6 kids, well really 7 if you count her husband. She is a die-hard bargain shopper, designer-clad domestic diva who writes reviews to maintain a sense of sanity and unleash her creative side. You can also keep up with their busy family at their blog.

I hate buying baby shoes. There, I admitted it. They never fit the way they should. Lets face it, most kids have anatomically weird feet. They are either way wide, very thick or abnormally small, or a combination of the three. My kid has thick and small feet, so when Stride Rite sent me a pair of Natural Motion Walkers to review, I was skeptical. The only shoes I have ever really loved before were the soft sole ones that stayed on with elastic, and these shoes had leather sides, rubber soles and a tongue. There was no way they were going on, or if they did go on they would fall off right away.

I could not have been more wrong. These shoes have the widest opening for a foot I have ever seen. They are incredibly easy to put on, even when your baby is less than thrilled with being laid down to have shoes put on. Even more miraculous, they don’t fall off. Period. And the rubber on the soles is so flexible that it’s like having suede sole shoes. My son will wear them all day, can’t take them off, doesn’t pull on them and they really seem to help out in his daily endeavor to learn to walk. I am overjoyed with their performance, and the fact that they are some of the cutest shoes I have ever seen only adds to my immense satisfaction with this product.

If all that were not enough, they have fantastic customer service. I was initially sent the wrong size and one simple phone call remedied the problem and my new pair arrived post haste. Stride Rite, I’ll be coming back and bringing some friends.

by Andi

I’ve pretty much always been a fan of Stride Rite shoes since my son started wearing them a couple years back. They were the only brand I could find that carried xxw that fit great. I was excited to get the chance to try the Natural Motion Walkers from Stride Rite for my 14-month-old daughter who is just starting to walk.

I don’t think that these shoes help your child learn to walk that well. They have great skid protection on the bottom, but because of this my daughter seemed to get them caught easily since she doesn’t pick her feet up perfectly yet and discouraged her from continuing to try. They are also a bit heavy on her feet making it harder to get around with her just learning to walk. I found that when she wore these she definitely would try to crawl to get where she wanted to go or would easily take them off with the Velcro.

I think these shoes would be great for a child that is still a beginning walker but has already learned the ropes of balancing and getting around that way. However, for a child that still wants to crawl with a few steps here or there, it’s better to go with something lighter like a soft-soled shoe.

by Andrea