Slimygloop Slimy Sand Review + Giveaway!

With how long many of us have been stuck inside with our kids, it can be difficult to keep them entertained the entire time which is where Horizon Group USA comes in handy. They crate a number of fun products to help keep you and your children busy and active. I recently joined their Influencer program and I am now a Giveaway Guru which means that when ever I review one of their products I get to give one to a lucky giveaway winner as well.

I was recently sent two containers of Slimygloop Slimy Sand in blue and pink. At first when I saw "Slimygloop" in the brands name, I was a bit hesitant because I know how messy slime can be so I had the kids play with this in the kitchen over the tile so if they did make a mess, it would be easier to clean up. I was happy to find that it isn't sticky like regular slime, instead it feels like soft squishy sand. 

This sand is so soft! Even I sat down to play with the sand for a while, it is a lot of fun and it can be stretched, squished, and molded. When you stretch it out, it reminds me a lot of cotton candy in look and close to it in texture as well. One of my favorite things to do with it was stretching it out, folding it onto itself, and repeating the process because it made it turn into a fluffy blob of sand that was neat to squish. 

Cleaning up after we were done playing was easy, I do want to note that if you ended up leaving any little bits behind or don't put the lid on properly the Slimy sand will dry out. I know you are thinking, "It is sand, so isn't it already dry?". This item has more of a putty than a sand so when the bit of moisture it has vanishes it will become a very fine sand that will easily track all over. Aside from it being fun to play with, one of my favorite things about it is that it is only $7.99 for a tub of 1.5lbs which is available over on amazon.

Now for the best part, Who wants to win a tub of blue sand plus a tub of pink sand? Fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter to win.

PRIZE ALERT:

One lucky winner is going to receive 2 tubs of sand. 
This is open to US Residents only! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! 

This giveaway ends on 07/03/2020

Giveaway entry question: Leave me a comment letting me know another color you'd like to see this sand. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Horizon Group USA for the giveaway + review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Some of our favorite CMOP spots!

As part of the Playfluencer team at the Children's Museum Of Phoenix, I write a blog post each month featuring different areas, events or programs at the Museum. This month I wanted to highlight a few of our favorite things and spots at the museum.

The first stop on our trip is always the giant play structure when you first enter the museum. It is large enough for adults to fit in, but I want the kids to explore so they are free to play in it on their own. The play structure runs all the way to the top floor of the museum, and it has lots of different areas you can visit. Oddly one of my favorite parts about the play structure is a boat they have that has a bunch of legs/feet with different socks on sticking out from it, I also love the flying bathtub. You can see the bathtub in a photo on the post I made of 10 Reasons why you should buy a CMOP season pass.

My oldest is too big for this year now and my youngest is starting to get to that point, but they have a section with a "car wash" where the kids can ride a bike along a set path through a car wash. The whole area is really cute, and well done. There are lots of bikes in a few different sizes so your child is sure to have a lot of fun in this spot.

The reading spots! There are a few different reading nooks and spots to stop to enjoy a good book. They have this really cute mushroom shaped reading spot on the second floor near the fort building area. They have a small selection of books in the room, and more books in different areas of the museum. Upstairs is a small library area that has more seating and cushions to relaxing.

Okay so technically this next spot isn't a favorite spot for us, but I am sharing it because I love that they have the space for those who wish to use it. On the top floor near the library tucked away in a corner that is normally not as noisy as the rest of the museum, there is a nursing corner. The corner is a small room with a chair, table, etc and a curtain to pull across if you are in need of a spot to nurse your baby.

Puzzles, games and interactive spots. Through out the entire museum you'll find dozens of spots that are interactive along the hallways. You'll find musical instruments to play, a look and find spot, fake food carts and more. There is so much to do you'll want to spend more than a day here really enjoying everything.

Check back again next month and I will explore more of the museum with you! There is so much to see and do, I can't fit it all onto one post.

Disclaimer- I am part of the PLAYfluenster team at the museum and I was provided a year membership by the Children's Museum of Phoenix for a monthly review, free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

10 Reasons why you should buy a membership to the CMOP!

My children and I love driving downtown to visit the Children's Museum of Phoenix, it has so many amazing things to offer! It is officially a new year so I wanted to share my top ten reasons why I think my Arizona based readers should sign up for a membership to the Children's Museum of Phoenix (CMOP) and make the most of your new year. If you aren't in the Arizona area, I highly suggest looking into your local children's museum as well. My top ten isn't in any particular order, and I will provide info on membership costs at the bottom of this post (Number 10).

1. Members only night - On the third Friday of every month they have an extended hours members night, from 4-7PM the museum opens up after their normal hours to allow pass holders into the museum to explore for three hours.

2. Escape bad weather - Arizona can get extremely hot during the summer so going to the park or participating in other outdoors activities isn't always an option. Kids and parents can go a little crazy after being cooped up inside for too long during summer break, so the museum allows a place to escape to that is fun and has air conditioning.

3. The Art Room - If your kids are anything like mine, they love getting messy and they love doing crafts. I have to admit, after a day of work or cleaning up I don't always like cleaning up a big craft mess at home. The museum has a huge art room where your child can paint, work on crafts and even read a book if they want. There is usually 2-3 crafts set up for children to do, and the crafts change often so you aren't always working on the same thing when you visit the museum.

4. The Kidchen - The museum has a full kitchen set up where staff members and chefs set up food demonstrations for kids, not only do the kids get to watch the food or treat being made, but they get to make it as well. The kitchen activates cost extra (cost varies) however museum members get a discount. We've participate in making a candy apply and a gingerbread house and both were so much fun! Plus there was no mess to clean up afterwards aside from throwing away our plates.

5. The Staff - We've visited the museum a lot and I don't think I've ever run into a single issue with the museum or any of the staff members. The staff is always alert, friendly and helpful if you have any questions or need some help. I like that they spread staff out across the museum so there is always one in sight helping keep an eye on the children playing.

6. Monthly Programs - Every month you'll find a large assortment of programs for various ages, offered in different rooms at the museum. Some have to do with the theme for the month, for example this month the museums theme is Dinosaurs so you can build your own Dino tail, and others are programs they like to hold regularly. It is always a lot of fun seeing the new programs!

7. Hands On! - One of the thing some children don't like about normal museums is that you can't touch anything, for a child that can sometimes be hard to do. The Children's Museum of Phoenix is pretty much a free for all, there are TONS of hands on activities, things to touch, see and explore. You'll find a noodle forest to explore, a shopping center with a giant pinto bino bin you can play in, a pizzeria where you can make cloth pizza, a room to build forts, cozy nooks to read a book, a three story tall playground and more. The museum offers three floors packed with fun.

8. Food & Drinks - Some museums and attractions has a strict policy on not being allowed to bring in food or drinks which is kind of a bummer especially for families trying to save a little extra cash. Kids get hungry often and they can't all at the same things due to allergies, etc. so I love that fact that the museum let's you bring in your own sack lunch or a drink, as long as you eat it in their café. If you choose not to bring food, but end up wanting lunch they do have a café that serves a range of food including lots of healthy options like fruits, milk, crackers, and more, plus they have coffee for the adults.

9. Your child will love the museum - The museum is wonderful for infants all the way up to I'd say about 14 years old. I visited the museum with my children several times when my children were younger, and we still visit often even though they are getting older. My son is about to be seven and my daughter just turned eleven, both still love coming to the museum because they offer programs and areas that are entertaining even for the older children. Both of my kids love the art programs, the kidchen programs, the noodle forest, playground and extra activates they set up. Last month they had a "Snow Much Fun" day where they brought in a mountain of snow the kids were able to play in. There is something for everyone to do! Even I enjoy visiting with them, plus it helps wind down all of their extra energy to help them get a better nights sleep because they will be tired after a long day of play.

10.  Save yourself $$$ - Buying a membership will make it to where you'll save a ton of money on visits, programs, the gift shop and more. If you visit the museum without a membership you'll be spending $14.95 per person (seniors are $14.95, children under 1 are free). So let's say you have four members of your family visiting the museum, you'll be spending $59.80 on admission for one visit. For the same family of four you could purchase a one year membership for $195 which allows you unlimited access to the museum, you can visit as many times as you want. My family and I like visiting at least once a month but if we can make it we try visiting 2-3 times a month, especially in the summer when it is 100+ degrees out. Prices vary depending on the size of your family and pass that you want, membership prices and info can be found Here.

As an added bonus for adults once every few months the museum hosts what they call a "Date Night" where it is a adults only night at the museum. It is NOT included in a membership, but I wanted to mention it because it is a lot of fun. They have a DJ, food trucks, alcoholic beverages for those who like to drink, crafts for adults and more.

Disclaimer- I am part of the PLAYfluenster team at the museum and I was provided a year membership by the Children's Museum of Phoenix for a monthly review, free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Fun in the art room at the CMOP!

My kids love doing arts and crafts projects so it is no big surprise that every time we visit the Children's Museum of Phoenix that they want to visit the art room. The art room is located on  the third floor of the building near the staircase on the south side of the building.

When you enter the room the first thing you tend to notice is all of the gallons of paint, and how many supplies the room is stuffed with. You may also notice that there is a giant robot in the middle of the room covered in paint. This room offers several different activities! You'll find several tables spread through out the room, there are generally at least two projects set up to complete and the projects change from time to time so you aren't always making the same thing when you visit.

Why is there a big robot covered in paint in the middle of the room? Your child is able to grab an apron and go wild painting the inside and outside of the robot using buckets of paint the staff supply. If your child doesn't feel like painting you can sit down at one of the tables to do a craft. You'll find a sign in the middle of the table that explains the craft and gives an example of what you'll be making. Everything you need to complete the project is either on the table or located in the room and the staff are pretty good at keeping everything cleaned up and organized through out the day, so you aren't walking into a giant mess when you visit the room. The staff are also more than happy to answer any questions you may have, or will assist you with any issues.

I like that the kids are free to explore and use their imaginations to create a master piece, several of the crafts such as the "Thing-a-ma-jigs" don't have a distinct end look, instead every single piece is as unique as the child who creates it. For projects like this they have a shelf with about a dozen plastic bins filled with odds and ends that have been donated to the museum, your kids get to "shop" for what they'd like to use for their project. My kids love looking through the bins to see what is new.

There are also a ton of books in this room that you can read if you want something to do with your child aside from just crafting. When you stop by the museum I highly suggest stopping by to check out the art room! The best part is that you get to keep what ever you make.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Children's Museum of Phoenix for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

CMOP Members Only Night!

Many Arizona families have heard about the Children's Museum of Phoenix and how they have three floors of fun child friendly exhibits to explore, but did you know they also offer yearly memberships that can save you a ton of money? If you plan on going to the museum often I highly recommend purchasing a membership for a year, not only do you get unlimited visits to the museum for an entire year but you also receive gift shop discounts + discounts on extra offered activities & everyone month they host a members only night. As part of the PLAYfluencer program with the Children's Museum of Phoenix, Each month I will be posting about different aspects of the museum. Last month I posted about the entry area into the museum and this month I want to talk about the members only night + two of their current offers.

On the third Friday of every month the museum stays open from  4pm-7pm for families who are membership holders. Members of course get free access into the museum and are able to explore during the evening hours. This month their newest exhibit opened on the same day as Members only night and it will run until October 18th. The exhibit is called BOX Mania and is located in the entry way near the giant play structure, children will be able to explore boxes, and create anything they want from a vast amount of cardboard boxes. There was a huge assortment of box sizes, some could fit several children in them and it was a lot of fun seeing the kids building tunnels, castles, space ships, robot suits to wear and more.

The BOX Mania event isn't just for members! It will be available daily and is free with admission to the museum so there is no need to worry about missing out on it. The boxes used in BOX mania do eventually get smashed or cut to where they are no longer used, however the staff come out with a cart frequently through out the day to pick up some of the smaller scraps and replenish the boxes so you don't have to worry about showing up to unusable boxes. During this members only night we also decided to go check out the KIDchen for the first time.

The KIDchen is a fantastic spot for kids who love to learn how to cook and decorate different food items. During the week and on the weekends the museum offers different foods to cook and taste, some events are hosted by the museum staff and others have special guest chefs who visit to cook with the kids. Seating is limited so reserve a spot early! This program does cost extra it is $6 for members or $8 for Non-members. For our KIDchen experience we were able to decorate caramel apples!

After arriving to the KIDchen with our cooking pass, the kids were provided with a sink to wash their hands before beginning their apple decorating. The kids were able to select their own toppings for their apples and were able to select from either a red or green apple to create their caramel apple. The caramel is made inside of a crock pot and is kept hot so a staff member will dip the apple into the caramel for you and hand it to you on a plate. After receiving your apple you can take a seat and begin decorating. The KIDchen was open during the duration of the member only night event so we didn't have a ton of people in the room with us, at first it was just us then two families joined so I can not say how full their normal cooking activities are. When we were finished decorating our apples and letting the caramel cool a bit we were provided with a take home container. The kids had a blast with both events and really enjoyed the members only night.

Membership prices vary depending on the size of the membership you are thinking about purchasing. They start at $125 a year for 1 Adult + 1 Child and go up to $335 a year for 8 guests including the cardholder, You can learn more about becoming a member Here. If you would only like to stop by to check out the museum for a day to see what it has to offer tickets are $14.95 per person.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Children's Museum of Phoenix for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Candlewick Press Review!

**This was not a paid post. My honest opinions were used, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.The products mentioned below have been provided by Candlewick Press for the review free of charge.**

I love books and reading so it has always been something I wanted to instill in my kids as well and now they are both bookworms along side their mama. Any chance I get to receive new books for our collection it is hard to say no so when I was offered a chance to review some books from the Candlewick Press I jumped at the chance. All of the books I received in this batch are Christmas themed and you can read about all of them below:



Press out + Color; Christmas Ornaments (Retail value $15.99). This isn't a book you read, instead it is an activity book that comes with 20 ornaments you are able to pop out, color and piece together to create one of a kind ornaments. Each page has one to three ornaments that range in size, pattern and style, each one is made from a thick cardboard and has holes pre-punched into them to make adding a ribbon easier. This book is illustrated by Kate McLelland.

Make & Play; Chritmas (Retail Value $11.99). This book is slightly cheaper than the press out and color ornaments but it has more to do for small children and as a family. This book includes 20 pop out play pieces/ornaments that are already full color on both the front and back as you can see from Santas backside above. Along with the pop outs there are also nine pages of songs, recipies and winter activities that you can do as a family. Each play piece is made from thick cardboard and is easy to remove from the page.


  

We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Sling along with me! (Retail Value $8.99). This is a fun childrens chunky slider book featuring a classic and memorable Christmas song, "We wish you a Merry Christmas". I remember singing this as a child and I sing it every year with my kids, this book helps give a fun spin on the song by adding adorable graphics and characters that slide out of or along the pages of the book which is a lot of fun for small children. The book is eight pages long and has five interactive sliding tabs, the book also comes with a free download of the song to listen to while looking through this book. I think this book is a lot of fun even as an adult! The sliders may feel a little stuck at first but after a few uses you won't have them stick any longer.

We're Going On a Bear Hunt (Retail Value $16.99). This unique book not only has a 3D snow globe on the front cover but it is also a pop-up book. There seemed to be a small gap between the snow globe on the front and the actual book cover but it seemed sturdy enough that it isn't going anywhere. The book features 20 pages full of creative and fun illustrations that will capture your child's imagination. It is a fun and simple book they can follow along with and enjoy for many years to come.



Gift Boxes to decorate & Make; Christmas (Retail Value $15.99).  This is my personal favorite out of all the books I received because I enjoy coloring, it helps me relax and unwind after a stressful day at work. It includes 24 flat boxes with various designs that is waiting to be colored in, each one ranges in the amount of details it includes so some will take longer than others. After you've colored both the inside and outside of the box you can pop it off the page and fold it up into a box, I used clear packing tape when I was done to help make sure the box stayed together. Once your box is build you can use them to gift small trinkets, baked goods, spa boxes, etc to your loved ones and seal it with a "To/From" sticker that has been included in the back of the book.

All of these books can be purchased on Amazon or Barnes and Nobles and all of them would make wonderful Christmas and Pre-Christmas gifts for families with small children.

Wee Blessing Review!

****This was not a paid post and my honest opinion was used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others.The products mentioned below have been provided by Wee Blessing for the review free of charge in exchange for the post.****

I've received several different subscription boxes in the past and Wee Blessings has made it's way to my top three with just a single box. Wee Blessing is a children's clothing subscription box customized to your child(ren), the process is easy and fun to do. First you will fill out a style profile for your child which asks information such as their clothing size, favorite colors, favorite hobbies, clothing dislikes and more which they will use to customize a box for your child. Each box comes with four outfits per child, the survey lets you add additional children if you wish. I filled out this survey for my daughter, it was a fun process and my daughter loved the box.

Wee Blessing put together my daughter's clothing box fairly quickly and got it sent out to us. Right away we knew it was from Wee Blessing because the box was stamped on the outside, I was excited because it came on a day when she had been extra helpful and could use a big thank you. I hurt my back earlier this week and my daughter has been very helpful with house hold things and with her little brother so it came just in time to give her a little gift because she wasn't aware a box was even coming for her. When you get the box open there is a thank you note, a checkout form/return bag and a tissue wrapped stack of clothing, her name was on the sticker but I edited it out for the review. How the box works is you receive a checkout form with the box, it shows a list of the clothing you received along with the retail price and the discounted price you will pay through Wee Blessings. You have a choice to keep what ever you would like and send back the items that don't fit or that your child doesn't like (a prepaid envelope is provided for you to mail back the unwanted clothing, there is no fee for returning or restocking the items you don't want), you will only be charged for the items you keep. If you decide to keep everything you will get an extra 10% off. You are able to pick a budget per outfit, you can select $1-$15, $15-$20, $20-$35 or pick send me a variety so there is something to fit everyone's budget.





My daughter had a lot of fun unpacking everything, she pulled out one thing at a time and looked it over as she was pulling them out. We chatted about what her favorite thing was about each item and I asked if there was anything she didn't like. I had a bit of a laugh when she went to pull out a pair of jeans and explained "Aww mom this one has holes in it", she didn't realize the jeans were made to look worn and had a patch under the parts with the factory tears she thought the pants were actually ripped. Once she took them the rest of the way out of the box and looked them over she thought they were pretty neat. She loved that one of the shirts and the dress came with a matching necklace she was very excited to wear them and had a great time trying on all four outfits. She received three shirts, two pairs of pants, a pair of yoga pants and a dress. One pair of pants and the yoga pants were slightly too big on her otherwise everything fit perfectly and looks wonderful, I also like the feel of the materials selected and the nice variety of colors/designs. They really paid attention to our survey when putting together a box for her, they hit the ball right out of the park and made my little girl quite happy.



Wee Blessing offers an assortment of different clothing brands that may end up in your box ranging from Disney to Old Navy. Everything you receive is brand new and will have the original price tag attached, don't be afraid when you see the price tag because that isn't what you will pay if you keep the product, you will only pay the discounted Wee Blessing price. For example my daughter received a pair of Guess Ripped Fashion Denim jeans in a size (10) the price tag shows $49.50 but the Wee Blessings price is only $20. Retail wise our box comes out to $260.50 but with the Wee Blessings price it only comes out to $109 and don't forget if your child likes everything and wants to keep the outfits sent you will get that extra 10% off making your total only $98.10 plus the $9.95 shipping and handling. Note this is also for the higher end pricing for outfits if you select the $1-$15 your total cost will be significantly lower. If you refer a friend you receive a free outfit on your following box, you can select a monthly box, Bi-monthly box or a quarterly box depending on your budget. This is a fun experience and it helps busy moms finding exciting new clothing for their children. Wee Blessings offers both girls and boys clothing from size Newborn to 14-16XL so there is something for all ages and sizes, they also offer a option to add a pair of shoes to your box. If you get more than one box and ever need to send anything back you can write why you sent it back and it will help them better select items for your next box.

What do you think of this subscription box?