I love companies who focus on making learning fun! That's why I appreciate Educational Insights and their large variety of playful products that offer great educational value! Whether you're a teacher or a parent looking for great toys that encourage kids to have fun and learn many different skills - Educational Insights has it all!

 

I'd definitely recommend you check out their user-friendly website if you've never taken the time to browse their fantastic selection of educational toys. I would also urge you to head over and "like" the Educational Insights Facebook Page because they are currently holding an amazing contest!

The contest is being held on their quest to 50,000 Facebook Fans! Every 1,000 fans they will choose one winner to win a prize pack worth $500!! How amazing is that?! WOW! When they hit 50,000 fants, they will reward ALL of their fans!

To celebrate their contest, pushing towards 50,000 Facebook Fans, they are offering one lucky reader a $50 Educational Insights Gift Code! To enter, simply enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below. If you don't see the form, click here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to US/Canada and ends 11/9

**Thank you to Educational Insights for providing me and one lucky reader with a $50 Gift Code to use at EducationalInsights.com!

When my almost 3 year old was around 18 months, he began struggling with eczema and skin sensitivities. It was at that point that we really started thinking more about the products we buy...shampoos, lotions, etc. We now try to get only the most gentle things to use on his skin...including detergents. That's why I was excited to learn more about Rockin' Green.

 

For those who aren't familiar, Rockin' Green is an award-winning manufacturer of eco-friendly cleaning products designed to make cleaning easier and greener. It was founded in 2009 by Kim Webb, an avid clothing diapering mom who desired a better way to clean cloth diapers and treat her kids' sensitive skin. They are now well-known for their cleaning-rinsing laundry detergent formulated for use on all fabrics - especially cloth diapers. They have detergents for hard, soft and normal water conditions and carry a variety of natural scents.


Finding products that are gentle and safe for Kaden's (and my other children's) skin can be a struggle. That's why I was excited to learn more about Rockin' Green and hoped that it would be the answer we've been looking for when it comes to "green" detergent.

We were sent the Rockin Green Classic Rock in the smashing watermelons scent.

When the Rockin' Green product arrived, I couldn't wait to try it out. Just reading the front of the package had me excited - dye free, naturally scented, no fillers, 100% phosphate free, SLS and paraben free, and does up to 90 loads!!

The first time I used it, I couldn't help but wonder if the scent would be overwhelming (or if the fragrance would irritate my son's skin). Thankfully, it did neither!! Upon opening the package I could already tell that the scent was not only amazing, but also light and not overpowering.

We have been using this green laundry detergent for a while now and have been thrilled. It not only gets our laundry clean and smelling wonderful, but it also gives me peace of mind when using it with my son's clothing. We have had no issues with irritation at all. I love that, because we're now able to use a detergent that has natural scents while at the same time a greener option for our laundry. It's perfect!

In the time we've used it, I can tell it will last us a long time too...which is always nice when it comes to detergent. Since we have an HE machine, we use 1-2 tbsp with each load. This makes the bag of detergent go a long ways which I love!

I've definitely been thrilled with our experience so far and look forward to trying other Rockin Green scents when the time comes to buy more! This would make a fantastic gift idea for any new mom as well. I would highly recommend it!

Buy It: You can purchase the Rockin' Green Classic Rock detergent at RockinGreen.com.

Win It: One very lucky reader is going to win a bag of Rockin' Green detergent in the scent of their choice!  To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter giveaway below. If you don't see the form, click here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to US only and ends 11/9

**The products for this review & giveaway were provided for free by Rockin' Green. All opinions are my own.

Caysen has been feeding himself finger foods for quite some time now. As with my other children, learning to feed himself has come with a lot of messes. We go through many bibs in a day, and never really find that one works very well. It's almost easier to take his shirt off while she eats. It would be great to have a good bib, not only for use at home but also when out to eat. That's why I was happy to learn about a new bib from Flirty Aprons. 

As many of you probably know, Flirty Aprons is best known for their stylish aprons at a great price! I have had the opportunity to work with them on reviews in the past and am impressed with their style and quality. They have experienced rapid growth and are continuing to satisfy their customers with great products - including a new one I couldn't be more excited to share with you about.

Flirty Aprons now has Toddler Bibs available! The bib is large enough to cover the shoulders, chest, waist and upper legs of infants and toddlers. It's cloth on the outside and waterproof on the inside. With three children four years old and younger, I was very excited to learn we were going to have the opportunity to review one.

We were sent the Tiny Trucks bib.

When the bib arrived, I fell in love with the adorable print right away. It's bright colorful, and the fun trucks on the front appeal to both my boys. My two year old does not like to wear bibs, but when he saw this...he was begging for it! YAY!

As I took it out of the package and laid it out flat, I was amazed with the size! It measures 14" x 24" which is large enough to easily cover the shoulders, chest, waist and upper legs of infants and toddlers. No more having to take the boys' shirts off when they eat (or worry how much food they'll get on them in public) thanks to this great bib!

Both Kaden and Caysen have used this bib, and let me tell you...it works like a charm! It helps relieve the stress of worrying they're going to get their clothes full of food out in public as it covers everywhere that needs to be covered.

The quality is also great. The bib is sewn with strong stitching, and is made with cotton on the outside and the inside is a liquid-proof material to help ensure that messes do not soak through to their clothing.

Aside from the cute factor and how well they work, they are also very easy to use. There is no Velcro, but instead a large snap make it easy to get on and off for an adult, but thankfully not easy enough where my two year old can pull it off. It's perfect!

In the time we've been able to use the bib I've been very happy. Now that we have such a great quality bib that does what every bib should do, I definitely want to get more of their Toddler Bibs ! We've been using it all the time.

**Special Promotion for A Mom's Balancing Act Readers** 

Get 50% Off all variations of Bibs at Flirty Aprons using coupon code BIB50 now through October 25, 2012! That's not long, so be sure to go ahead and order your bibs soon!

**The product for this review was provided by Flirty Aprons. All opinions are my own.

As a mom and former preschool teacher, I love to find educational activities for the kids and I to do together that help encourage their love for learning. I know how important it is for learning to be fun, which is why I appreciate companies like Educational Insights!

For those who aren't familiar, Educational Insights offers a large selection of playful products with educational value. Whether you're a teacher looking for educational toys for your classroom, or a teacher wanting more educational toys and games at home...with Educational Insights, you're sure to find everything you need.

As I browsed the Educational Insights website for the first time, I was impressed with their large variety of educational products. With everything from teacher resources to educational toys and games...they really do have it all! Whether you're a teacher or a parent, their site makes it easy to search by category, subject area, etc. I was able to easily find different products that I knew my kids would love, and couldn't have been more excited to learn we were going to have the opportunity to review a couple.

We were sent the Design & Drill Take Along Toolkit.

 

Features/Benefits:

• Helps children explore counting, colors and shapes while building fine motor and creativity skills
• Great for on the go
• Sturdy plastic wipes clean easily
• Includes 60 regular bolts, 3 bits, electronic screwdriver, Activity Guide with 10 patterns, and activity board that doubles as a carrying case.

When the products arrive, both my kids were immediately drawn to the Design & Drill right away! As we took everything out, I was extremely happy with the quality. Everything is durable which lets me know this is something that will last us a long time, even with a lot of play and use!

 

After getting 3 AA batteries (not included) to put in the electronic screwdriver, we got everything laid out and ready to play with. I love that the activity board doubles as a carrying case. One problem we always have with toys that have a lot of pieces, is that the kids typically lose them if they don't have somewhere to keep them when they're done playing. Thankfully, the fact that this has a carrying case has made keeping everything together a lot easier. When they finish they simply put everything inside and close it up!

The case even has a handle which makes it great for on the go to Grandma's or car rides as well! We have been playing with this educational toy for a few weeks now and absolutely LOVE it! Both my 4 year old and 2 year old enjoy it and ask to play with it nearly every day! I think Kaden's favorite part is being able to use the electronic handheld screwdriver because he loves tools! He enjoys drilling each bolt down and telling me which colors he's working on as he goes. Little does he know, there's a lot of learning going on as he plays with this fun toy! He's able to work on his colors while also strengthening his fine motor skills!

Kaelyn enjoys everything about this toy as well, especially the fun activity guide that comes along with it. It includes 10 patterns that kids can use to create the same pattern on the activity board with the bolts. It's a great way for her to follow directions, work on colors, shapes, fine motor skills and more! I love seeing her think and work through each pattern. And to see that excitement and sense of accomplishment at the end is priceless!

 

She also enjoys creating her own patterns and shapes which I really like as well. It allows her to get creative and use her imagination...something very important when it comes to play and learning.

Overall we've been thrilled with the Design & Drill from Educational Insights! It's portable, compact and can be used at home or on the go. It's a lot of fun, and the educational value is terrific! I would definitely recommend it to families with young children PreK+.

Buy It: You can purchase the Design & Drill Take Along Toolkit from Educational Insights for $29.99!

Win It: One VERY lucky reader is going to win a Design & Drill Take Along Toolkit of their own! To enter, simply enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below. If you don't see the form, click here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

This giveaway ends 10/31 and is open to US/Canada

 **The products for this review and giveaway were provided by Educational Insights. All opinions are my own.