When we lived in our old house, the kids didn't have a whole lot of room for outdoor toys. We had a hilly yard and driveway, which meant things like bikes and ride-on toys could only be used on walks. When we finally sold our house this past August, one of the main things we were looking for in a new house...was a bigger, flatter yard for the kids to play in. Afterall, half of the year this is where we spend the most time. Thankfully, we were able to find the perfect house and the perfect yard and the kids have been LOVING it! It's been great for outdoor play, especially since we were recently introduced to a fun new Radio Flyer product!

A Chicago-based company founded in 1917 by Antonio Pasin, Radio Flyer is committed to bringing joy to every boy and every girl. What began with a dream, has since grown and continues to carry on the legacy by producing high quality and innovative toys, creating warm memories that last forever. With trikes, wagons, scooters and more...Radio Flyer is a name known and trusted by parents everywhere.

Like most, I am very familiar with the high quality, innovative products from Radio Flyer. We've owned several over the years and I am always impressed with the overall fun they provide my kids. When I hear Radio Flyer, I think of long-lasting, great toys that my kids will love. That's why I couldn't have been happier when asked if we'd like to review Radio Flyer's new Style N' Ride Scooter!

Features/Benefits:

• 1st ever customizable fashion scooter
• 10 interchangeable fashion bands in 5 fresh colors and over 70 stickers to choose from
• Wide, contoured deck for more control
• Adjustable handlebar
• Recommended for ages 5+

With so much more room to play outside now, I knew the Style N' Ride Scooter would be a big hit. I was right! The moment it arrived, Kaelyn was begging to try it out. I couldn't blame her, I was excited to see what it had to offer as well.

Out of the box, I found several pieces that needed to be assembled. I was a little worried it would take a while to put together, but thankfully, it couldn't have been easier. In no time I had it assembled and ready to use!

Before using it, Kaelyn and I decided it would be fun to personalize. The scooter comes with 10 customizable fashion bands and 70+ stickers, allowing children to create endless combination. Kaelyn decided to put her name on the bike along with a couple of images. It turned out really cute.

What I love about being able to personalize it, is that it's not like any other. It's unique and suits each individual child. I also appreciate the fact that the fashion bands can be changed easily, or even traded with friends.

Once we had it all ready to go, I was impressed with the quality and overall look of the scooter. It's really cute and sturdy, something I know will last a very long time which is great!

The deck is wide and contoured which makes it easy for Kaelyn to use and control. And, no matter if you're child is tall or short, the adjustable handlebars make it easy to get a comfortable fit for your child.

Something else I did not expect was that there is a back break. By simply stepping on the white part above the wheel, it's easy to stop. Kaelyn likes this feature, and so do I.

I really think Radio Flyer has thought of everything with this fun scooter. The quality is everything and more that I would expect from Radio Flyer, the design is innovative and the overall appeal for young children is unmatched. We just love it! Anytime we're outside Kaelyn is on her scooter. Now that the weather is cooler, she has even brought it indoors to use some too.

With Christmas just around the corner, I would definitely recommend the Radio Flyer Style N' Ride Scooter.

Buy It: You can purchase the Radio Flyer Style N' Ride Scooter for $39.99.

**The product for this review was provided for free by Radio Flyer. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

I love the giving and generosity that goes on this time of year, especially for our troops overseas. And, although it's important to let them know how thankful we are for their service, we also need to remember the millions of military families manning the fort at home while their loved ones are serving. It can be a challenging time, and a gesture of cheer is especially welcome this time of year. That's why I was excited to learn more about what Cheerios and the USO have done to show them we care.

Cheerios and the USO have launched "Cheer", a postcard campaign that spreads cheer directly to these honorable military families and supports USO programs. Through the rest of this month, specially-marked boxes of Cheerios cereal will feature Cheer postcards like the following, on the front of the box.

You and your kids can cut these out, write a message of gratitude on the back, add a stamp and mail the pre-addressed card to the USO. The USO will then deliver the Cheer card to military families across the country! How neat is that?!

Cheerios will even donate $1 to the USO for each Cheer postcard from specially marked packages received by November 30, 2012! As part of the Cheer program, Cheerios has already donated $150,000 to the USO and will donate up to an additional $100,000 based upon the number of postcards received. I think this is such a heartwarming program, one that will spread cheer to so many people. That's why it's so important to get involved, and it's such an easy way to recognize and thank military families who rise to the challenges on the home front while their loved ones are away.

If you'd like to extend a thank you and support our military families, I would recommend looking for the specially marked boxes of Cheerios and participating in this fantastic postcard campaign. Specially marked Cheerios boxes are only on shelves through November 2011, but you’ll have a year to mail in the postcards.

*I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Cheerios and received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to post.

I am always looking for toys that are not only fun and educational, but also encourage my kids to learn more about our faith and values. Things like this are not always easy to come by, which is why I was thankful when introduced to Wee Believers!

For those who are not familiar, Wee Believers began when parents of four, Joni and Steve Abdalla, wanted to give their children relevant and wholesome toys to play with before, during and after church. After one too many Sundays seeing kids run their racecars up and down the pew, they decided to create a solution. Wee Believers designs toys that reflect the joy, excitement and goodness of the Christian faith.

As I browsed through the great Wee Believers faith-based toys, I was impressed to find that many of them have the Certified Quiet seal, meaning they won't irritate or distract anyone sitting around you if your kids are using them in church. Plush dolls, coloring activities and pretend play toys will entertain, teach and inspire little ones to engage in their faith, all while keeping them quietly entertained so parents can sit through the church service without interruption.

I also noticed that there were products that would be perfect for home or school as well. With Kaelyn's love for educational, challenging toys growing, as well as the Christmas season upon us...I was especially drawn to the Nativity 2-in-1 Floor Puzzle.

Features/Benefits:

• Sturdy and glossy puzzle
• Measures 2' x 3'
• Challenging individual, classroom or team activity
• Double-sided
• 54 pieces
• Recommended for ages 3+

When the Nativity 2-in-1 Floor Puzzle arrived, I was already impressed with the quality just by checking out the box. It's sturdy and not something I have to worry about breaking apart and not having anywhere for our puzzle pieces. It makes the perfect place to store them, and serves as a guide with the pictures on the front so we know how each of the puzzles go together.

Kaelyn has just begun to show an interest in larger and more challenging puzzles, so I had a feeling she would love this! I was right. She was not only excited to see that one side was the Natvitiy celebrating the reason for the Christmas season, but also that there was a fun winter scene puzzle to put together too.

Upon opening the box, she and I were both impressed with the size of the pieces. This is an over-sized floor puzzle, and the pieces are perfect for little hands. They're easy to hold, maneuver and piece together.

Together, Kaelyn and I put together the puzzle...and with Christmas season here...she and I decided to do the O Holy Night side first. We used the box to help us and in no time, we had it put together...admiring the brightly colored picture.
We then flipped over the pieces and did the other side of the puzzle as well. The winter one was a little more difficult, but once we got it all done...we both agreed that it was absolutely adorable.

Both puzzles were so much fun to put together, and it was well worth it, seeing Kaelyn smile from ear to ear...so proud of what she had accomplished. It's a large puzzle and she felt very good having helped put it together. At four years old I don't think this is one she could do on her own quite yet, but it's been fun to do together as a family.

I've been really happy with the quality of this puzzle, as well as the faith-based theme and overall fun it provided. I will definitely be looking into other Wee Believers products after being so satisfied with this one and would recommend this company to other family with young children too. Whether it's something like the Wee Artist Color & Hugs Coloring Mats, the Wood Lacing Toys, or even the My mass Kit that would interest your kids...there's definitely a little of everything that would make fantastic gift ideas this Christmas season.


Buy It: You can purchase the Wee Believers Nativity 2-in-1 Floor Puzzle for $14.99.

Win It: One very lucky reader is going to win a Nativity 2-in-1 Floor Puzzle of their own!

Mandatory Entry - Visit Wee Believers and let me know another product you'd like to have.

Extra Entries: (Only valid after the mandatory entry has been completed. Leave 1 comment for each extra entry)

1. 1 extra entry - Like Wee Believers on Facebook

2. 1 extra entry - Follow Wee Believers on Twitter

3. 3 extra entries- Blog about this giveaway (linking to this post and Wee Believers) and leave THREE comments with the URL to that post.

4. 1 extra entry- Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (You can tweet once a day for one extra entry every day)! You can copy and paste:

#WIN a Wee Believers Nativity 2-in-1 Floor Puzzle! http://bit.ly/rvZzSH Ends 11/30

5. 3 extra entries- Post my Holiday Gift Guide 2011 button to your blog and leave a comment with the URL to your blog. (If it already is, leave me a comment letting me know)

6. 2 extra entries- subscribe to A Mom's Balancing Act via e-mail (found along the side column) and leave TWO comments letting me know.

7. 2 extra entries- 'Like' A Mom's Balancing Act on Facebook

8. 2 extra entries- Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect

9. Enter any of my other current giveaways running now. Leave me a comment on which one(s)....ONE entry for EACH giveaway you enter!!

Leave one comment for each entry you complete. Be sure to leave your email address with your comments or make sure it's visible in your profile so that I have a way to contact you if you win!

This giveaway will end November 30th and is open to US Only!

**The products for this review & giveaway were provided for free. All opinions found here are 100% mine and were not influenced in any way. The opinions of others may differ from my own*

With both kids having birthdays in November, we like to try and get their yearly pictures done around this time. It's always fun seeing how much they've grown and changed in a years time. Here are their 4 year and 2 year pics (taken a couple of weeks ago), along with the ones taken last year. Can't believe how fast the time has gone...

Kaden's 2 year pics ~ November 2011

1 year pic ~ November 2010

Kaelyn's 4 year pics ~ November 2011

3 year pic ~ November 2010