Rave and Review

Tegu Blocks Asks "How Do You Roll" {Review & Giveaway}

If you’ve come to my house to play in the past few months, chances are you were immediately asked if you wanted to play with Tegu Blocks. If so, you probably had the same reaction everyone else does when asked if you want to play: a shrug and an “I guess”. But, once the felted Tegu tote is pulled out that houses our beloved Tegu Blocks, immediately everyone is excited.

“Whoa, are these magnetic blocks?!?” Why yes, yes they are.

I vividly remember the first time I saw them at a store; I probably played with them for a good 20 minutes, blown away by their simple design that makes them so incredibly awesome and fun to play with. They may look like a beautiful set of wooden blocks upon first glance, but once you hold them, connect them, and build with them, you will be hooked.

Because let me tell you, Tegu Blocks are not your average building blocks. Instead of buildings held together simply by gravity and luck, Tegu Blocks are very different in that you can build some truly amazing stuff with the power of magnets. You may not be able to see the magnets, hidden deep within the wooden block, but the satisfying click they make when they connect tells you it’s there.

Although Tegu Blocks are, admittedly, toys, it certainly hasn't stopped all of our adult guests from playing with them as well.  In fact, the adults seem to like them just as much as the little guys do {which is a lot} and play with them just as much.  Whether this comes from a void that we all felt with a lack of magnetic blocks in our own youths or merely the fact that these little blocks are a great stress reliever is anyone's guess, but I'm willing to bet it's a combination of the two. 

While our kids showed us that these blocks not only stick to each other, but they also stick to the fridge, the washer and dryer, and anything else magnetic, we taught them that putting them away is almost as fun as playing with them... seriously.  I guess it's no wonder that Tegu Blocks have just been awarded our favorite Seal of Approval, the PTPA Media Award!   

So, with how much fun we've had with our Tegu Blocks over the past few months, I didn’t believe it when I first heard that Tegu Blocks were going to get even cooler.  But even I was surprised that the claims were actually true. When a small box holding one of the new Tegu Mobility packs – the Maddy Micro – arrived, I knew our fun with Tegu was just beginning because now our creations were now going places.

The Maddy Micro has removable magnetic wheels that allow it to roll across the floor, but the real fun is when you remove the wheels and add in some traditional Tegu Blocks for even more squeals of glee. Because Tegu Blocks are all magnetic, you can simply pop the new Mobility Wheels onto any Tegu blocks and see what kind of good times you can create.

Speaking of getting creative, Tegu loves to see all their young fans' creations and has even created an awesome contest called "How Do You Roll?" that lets your kid design the next Tegu car!  The contest is open to kids aged 4-10 and the prize is simply amazing - as in a trip to Honduras cool.  You can enter to win right from their "How Do You Roll?" sweepstakes site, but before you go...

How would you like to win one of these new Tegu Mobility Cars?  Of course you would!  Here's where it gets cool - for every 25 entrants Tegu will giveaway a car to a lucky Rave & Review reader! {i.e. 25 entrants = 1 winner, 50 entrants = 2 winners, etc!}

To Enter: Visit the "How Do You Roll?" sweepstakes site and comment below to let me know that you have entered to win the amazing Tegu Honduras grand prize {not to mention their awesome runners-up prizes}! Ready, Set, GO!

Here are the prizes you can win in the "How Do You Roll?" Sweepstakes: 

One (1) Grand Prize: The design experience of lifetime for your child. Design, Name, Package, Produce, and Share the next Tegu Magnetic Wooden Car (watch video for more details)

Two (2) First Prizes: $480 value for you and three friends. One each of the Tegu Mobility line: Dart, Hatch, Maddy Micro, Riley Roadster

Five (5) Second Prizes: $194 value. One Mahogany Original Set + Wheels + Travel Tote

Want more entries?  After signing up on the Tegu sweepstakes website, login to gain additional entries by doing the following {this is not through R&R, these additional entries are through Tegu ONLY}:

20 entries: Email friends
10 entries: Share on Facebook {Please tag Tegu Toys and Rave & Review on Facebook}
10 entires: Share on Twitter using @Tegu and @RaveAndReview
25 entries: Submit designs for the next Tegu car {great activity for kids!}

There’s no limit to the number of entries you can earn. Do each action every day to maximize your chances!  The sweepstakes ends at the end of January {1/31/2012}, so get going today and you might just be on your way to the Tegu factory and the memory of a lifetime.  Terms & conditions in the sweepstakes can be found here.

On January 31st at 11:59pm PST a winner(s) will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner(s) will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.

A big thank you to Tegu for sending the Maddy Micro for review and for offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers.  All opinions remain 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this very Rave Review.

Build Anything With Roylco Straws and Connectors {Review, Giveaway & Discount Code}

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide – Day 25

All of us at Rave Central are big builders.  We’ve often said that the only thing better than using your imagination to build whatever inspires you is building your masterpiece and then playing in the structure you’ve just created.  While up until now we’ve used furniture and bed sheets to make our life-size creations, now we’ve got a better way utilizing Roylco Straws and Connectors, an easy way to make your creations into play structures.

So, how much fun is it?  Our 400 piece package of Roylco Straws and Connectors had literally been in our house 15 minutes and we already had a house and car built using nothing but straws, connectors, and our imaginations.  Even though the pieces were built from uniform straws and connector pieces, I was simply amazed at how easy it was to make them into recognizable shapes of all kinds. 

Even better for creating masterpieces with your Straws and Connectors is the fact that the straws are bendable, able to be cut, and folded completely in half if you would like.  This allows you to make curved pieces, abstract shapes, and smaller designs easily using the same pieces you would use for the larger and geometric designs.  While we didn’t create any permanent bends in the pieces or cut them, I did utilize a nice curved “canopy” for our coupe and windshield and it worked out nicely.

Since the Straws and Connectors arrived at our house, we’ve been playing with them quite a bit and seeing how creative we can get as a family.  We love that we can make just about anything we can dream up, and we also love that the fun only gets more intense after we’re done building and the imaginative play starts.  And, since we are so big on forts, I am really excited that we could still easily throw a bed sheet on the top of a sturdy little structure and it would become an enclosed play space that the kids could design and play with. 

If you have a budding architect, inventor, or simply loves to use their imaginations, Roylco would be a huge hit for the holidays.  From creating play areas like spaceships, boats, and houses  to learning about math and science using a fun and captivating toy, you really can’t go wrong with a set of Straws and Connectors.  Just be prepared ahead of time that you may have as much fun as the little ones!

Bonus: Roylco is also offering a 20% coupon off Straws and Connectors now thru December 20th on their website, www.roylco.com, using coupon code STRWS20.

 
One lucky Rave and Review reader will win a Roylco Straws and Connectors 400 piece set!

To Enter: Let me know what other Roylco product you love

And, as always, there are extra entries available!  {Please leave a separate comment for each completed}

1 Extra Entry - Like Roylco on Facebook

1 Extra Entry - Post on your Facebook wall about the giveaway {http://t.co/G8pE0vkO } and tag Roylco and R&R on Facebook

2 Extra Entries {per method} - Follow Rave & Review! Subscribe by RSS feed, Subscribe by email, become a fan of R&R on Facebook or add R&R to your blogroll or sidebar.

1 Extra Entry {daily} - Twitter.  Simply tweet the following after following us both:

Just dreaming of the fort I would build with @Roylco Straws and Connectors if I #win the #giveaway from @RaveAndReview http://t.co/G8pE0vkO

2 Extra Entries - Blogger Bonus.  Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post and leave an address where I can find your writeup

1 Extra Entry - Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!

On January 10th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Open to US and Canada.

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered and congrats to:

#149 Rosey said...I am an e-mail subscriber.

This review & giveaway was made possible by the awesome Family Review Network.  A big thank you to Roylco for sending the Straws and Connectors for review and for offering the giveaway to our fabulous readers.  All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this very Rave Review.

Something About Silver Hand Stamped Jewelry {Review, Giveaway & Coupon Code}

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide - Day 22

Everyone close to me knows I’m a huge sucker for handmade, especially when we’re talking about jewelry.  I love the imperfections and character of items created by hand and I love that each purchase has a unique story behind it.  This, of course, means that I was enthralled with the Something About Silver website upon first glance.  They literally had everything I was dreaming of that I hadn’t found in stores near me and I was blown away by cuteness overload. 

As a mom, I can’t think of anything more special than handmade jewelry celebrating my kids, so I loved window shopping at the site and taking in all that cuteness.  Whether you are creating a custom jewelry piece from their extensive catalog of charms, tags, and baubles or you are buying a pre-designed piece that is ready for shipping, you are creating a silver keepsake sure to be cherished.

While I simply adore their bracelets, rings, ornaments, and charms, my favorite pieces are their hand stamped silver necklaces that I feel should be part of every girl’s jewelry box.  With stacked pieces, brag tags, wax seals, charm necklaces and more all personalized with initials, names, dates and even birthstones, their silver necklaces are the perfect gift for any woman in your life.  No matter what design you choose, you can be sure that it is destined to become the most beloved piece in her collection. 

We got to review the Little Petals hand stamped silver necklace this past month and I love it so much that it hasn’t been taken off since it arrived in its gorgeous linen packaging.  I’ve gotten so many compliments on the necklace and everyone has been raving about how unique and fun it is with its dainty flower shaped tag paired with a small circular tag.  I personally love the concave design of the charms which adds some dimension and interest as well as the dual shapes that make it unlike any other personalized pieces I have seen before. 

The Little Petals necklace is both fun and feminine at the same time, and I love that it goes with absolutely everything in my wardrobe.  Thank goodness it is so well made with rounded edges, smooth stamping, and gentle concave design that all make it completely comfortable for all day wear.  Unlike other necklaces I own that pinch, pull, or don’t lay quite right, the Little Petals necklace from Something About Silver is just perfect and I don’t even notice I’m wearing it until I get yet another compliment. 

But, not only do I love the beautiful and quality pieces you can find at Something About Silver, I also love that their designs are also completely affordable on any budget.  Whether you want to design a Mother’s Necklace, a family tree set, or you want to mix and match their various designs to create a one-of-a-kind custom piece, Something About Silver is the perfect place to really get creative.

If you’re looking for a personalized present for you or for a special someone, you should definitely check out Something About Silver and create a completely personal gift that is sure to wow.  While it’s too late to create a custom piece before the holidays, you can still order their other gorgeous pieces that are in stock and send them with rush shipping to make it here in time.  Or, better yet, create a little card that tells your recipient that you would like to design a custom piece from Something About Silver with them – that way you can be sure you get the exact right keepsake they've been dreaming of.  Bonus: use coupon code "raveandreview" for 10% off your jewelry and keepsake order when you do start creating!

 
One lucky Rave and Review reader will win a $40 gift certificate to Something About Silver!

To Enter: Let me know what you would most like to create in their extensive catalog

And, as always, there are extra entries available!  {Please leave a separate comment for each completed}

2 Extra Entries - Sign up for the Something About Silver Newsletter {left sidebar of website, half way down you will see the link to sign up}

1 Extra Entry - Like Something About Silver on Facebook

1 Extra Entry - Post on your Facebook wall about the giveaway {http://t.co/feih7EZ1 } and tag Something About Silver and R&R on Facebook

2 Extra Entries {per method} - Follow Rave & Review! Subscribe by RSS feed, Subscribe by email, become a fan of R&R on Facebook or add R&R to your blogroll or sidebar.

1 Extra Entry {daily} - Twitter.  Simply tweet the following after following us both:

Dreaming of personalized keepsake jewelry this year. Would love to #win @SASJewelry GC #giveaway from @RaveAndReview http://t.co/feih7EZ1

2 Extra Entries - Blogger Bonus.  Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post and leave an address where I can find your writeup

1 Extra Entry - Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!

On January 15th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. 

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered and congrats to: #38 kjasus said... i tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/raggammuffin/status/148027542857723904

A big thank you to Something About Silver for offering the giveaway to our fabulous readers.  All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this very Rave Review.

Have Yourself a Merry Little... Pillsbury Potluck

This last weekend we hosted a little party for some family and friends to celebrate some December birthdays and enjoy the start of the Holiday season.  We had each guest bring a recipe they had gotten from Pillsbury.com so we could all try it and ultimately vote on the recipe we liked the most.

As each guest arrived, we set out their creations so everyone could sample them and start picking a favorite.  We had cookies, rolls, pizza, pepperoni and cheddar twists, broccoli veggie pizza, chicken pot pies, and more that we sampled during the night and all of us were stuffed by the time the night was over.  During the party, every single person was raving about the same thing: they couldn’t believe they could make all these dishes with Pillsbury refrigerated dough and they were thrilled to find the Pillsbury.com site for recipes during the holiday baking season.    

The great thing about the Pillsbury recipes you can find at the site is that there are quick and easy recipes, impressive recipes, and ones that fall under both categories.  I love that they have so many 30 minute or less meals that now I have a go-to site for easy weeknight dinners.  Many guests noted that they have also bookmarked the site and will be returning regularly to find new meals they can make. 

Even with the numerous recipes listed on the site, we did have two guests that made the same dish and brought Crescent Dogs {one with hot dogs, one with Lil’ Smokies}, but no one seemed to mind one bit and they both were gone by the end of the night.  In fact, these dishes were named the best of the bunch and everyone said they were the staple of their holiday parties.  It wasn’t that the other dishes weren’t delicious {because they really, really were}, it’s just that Crescent Dogs are so great for party-style potlucks – kids love them, they go well with other types of food, and they have almost zero mess.

Of course, the guests also really loved the pot pies, pizza and the twists, but I think those work better as a weeknight meals since they need utensils and plates.  Not that anyone minded at all… and those were also gone by the end of the night, especially once the guys got to them.   

As guests were leaving, they were thrilled that they got some “favors” to help with their holiday meal planning that included recipes shared at the party and some coupons for Pillsbury products. 

Want to host your own Pillsbury Potluck or plan for the holiday meals?  Check out Pillsbury.com for more quick and easy dish ideas for parties, desserts and quick meals for the family.  Be sure to like the Pillsbury Facebook page to keep up with new recipes, promotions and more.  Bonus: when doing your holiday shopping, you will love that you can print a coupon for Pillsbury products here.

Here's some other great recipes perfect for entertaining this Holiday Season:

•   Crescent Cranberry Wreath

•   Tomato-Pesto Appetizers

•   Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Pies

•   Italian Crescent Casserole

•   So-Easy Chicken Pot Pie

•   Spicy Chipotle Twists

The Pillsbury product, information, food ideas, online coupon link, and prize pack have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.

HABA Color Play Building Blocks {Review & Giveaway}

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide - Day 9

There’s nothing like creativity to help trump boredom.  I truly think it’s impossible to feel bored or restless if your mind is busy creating something grand and using your imagination.  It’s during these rainy and cold fall days that I like to encourage the kids to get creative right here at home.  So, we spend our time building with blocks together, playing “guess what I made”, and learning all about physics as we build up and defy gravity. 

This means that our HABA bin never really gets put away these days as it seems like someone is always playing with the collection of brightly colored beech wood blocks in all sorts of shapes and sizes.  Recently we added the Color Play Building Blocks from HABA and they have brought even more fun to our playtime.  

The Color Play set comes with 6 half-square blocks {or bridges} in various colors and patterns and then 3 small cubes that fit perfectly inside the pairs of bridges.  Then, in each one of the 3 small cubes is a special surprise in the design – whether it’s a ball in a gem, a rattle, or a squishy ball – that cannot be removed.  These extra special additions, of course, make these cubes the treasure when we are on a hunt or simply add to our creativity while we build our designs.

The Color Play Building Blocks are fun to mix and match as a puzzle and fit each of the cubes and bridges together, but they are also fun to stack and play with as building blocks.  And it’s because of the 6 uniform size and shape bridge blocks in the Color Play set that have allowed us to build a more stable base for our creations and thus build up taller and taller… which is more fun for us to build and all the more delightful for little one to knock down.  Naturally, this also makes our “guess what I made game” so much more fun as we now have uniform pieces to add to our collection that are perfect for making cameras, beds, telephones, and more.

Although incredibly fun to play, construct, and discover with simply on their own, when added to our HABA Animal Arranging Game, our buildings have taken on a whole new dimension.  The fun lopsided and off-square designs of the Animal Arranging Game allow you to create some truly funky towns, buildings, towers, and structures with the HABA Color Play Blocks.  The animal friends can then be seen peeking around corners, hiding on structures, and helping hold the town’s buildings together and add a fun touch of whimsy to whatever we’ve built with the Color Play Blocks.

Then once “Brozilla” {brother + Godzilla} knocks down the town, we gather up the small cube treasures to shake, observe, and bring some tactile fun to our block play.  Luckily the HABA blocks are age 1 and up which means that Brozilla doesn’t hurt the blocks, he just challenges us to build better and more stable buildings… hopefully on higher ground.

If you’re anticipating a long a cold fall followed by a long and cold winter, you will definitely want to make sure you have some HABA blocks on hand to help make cooped up at home feel fun and exciting.  The HABA Color Play Building Blocks are for Age 1 and up and retail from $31.49.  You can find both the Color Play Building Blocks as well as the Animal Arranging Game Blocks at Maukilo.com.   

One lucky winner will win the HABA Color Play Building Blocks! 

To enter simply visit Maukilo and tell me a favorite HABA toy that they carry {good luck choosing one!}

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review, top of right sidebar (2 extra entries, must be verified to count)

2) Tweet about this Giveaway after following us both (daily Tweet, just post link here)

I love HABA wooden blocks from @maukilo & @raveandreview. Check out #ravereview and #giveaway to #win: http://tinyurl.com/88jf3rx

3) "Like" HABA USA on Facebook - Bonus: they have an awesome FB page that has tons of product info, places to purchase, and a real person that can answer any questions you have about the brand or products - gotta love that!

4) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage (2 extra entries, just post the URL where I can find your writeup)

5) Place my button in your sidebar on your blog or website  (2 extra entries, must have an active link to R&R)

6) Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!

7) Email love.  Share this Giveaway with friends and family via email and cc Leanne (at)raveandreview (dot) com (I will never, ever contact your email recipients)

8) NEW!  "Like" Rave and Review on Facebook! {3 extra entries}

On December 20th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US Addresses.

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to: #100 Anne N. said... entered Discover the True Spirit of Christmas with World Vision {Review & Giveaway}

A big thank you to HABA for sending their Color Play Building Blocks for review. All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

Our ActiFry Holiday Party {Giveaway}

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide - Day 8

Have you seen the ActiFry multicooker before?  We were introduced to this PTPA winner a few months back and have been simply amazed at all the entrees, appetizers and desserts you can create with little or no effort.  This amazing appliance is launching this week at Costco, so to celebrate we hosted an ActiFry Holiday Party at our house this past weekend to show friends, family, and neighbors what all you can cook in it. 

In the past few weeks that we’ve been busy planning, hosting, and recovering from our ActiFry Holiday Party, we have been more and more impressed with the ActiFry every day.  When people see the ActiFry box the first time, everyone thinks the same thing: French fries.  And, yes, the French fries and JoJo potatoes you can make in the ActiFry are simply delicious – the perfect amount of crispness, fluffiness, and just a tiny amount of oil – but that’s nowhere near the end of what you can make. 

While we, too, originally fell for the ActiFry just for the fact that it could take our homemade French fries and make them mouth-wateringly good and good for you, we continually are finding that the ActiFry can improve upon other recipes that we have loved for years, too.  From Asian inspired broccoli beef to hot wings to perfectly done veggies, every single recipe we have tried has become a new family favorite.  One look through the included ActiFry cookbook and I guarantee you that your mouth will be watering; they really do have everything from comfort food to gourmet entrees and even dessert. 

It actually took a long time to decide on the final menu for the party because everything looked so good and we wanted to try it all, but we finally made our choice of 7 recipes and gathered all the ingredients so we could try them out with our party guests.  By the time guests started arriving, we had most of the dishes for the night prepped, had roasted the pumpkin seeds and had the French fries cooking so we could start snacking right away.  And, as guests arrived at the party they were immediately hungry after smelling all the great smells coming from the kitchen.  The first response was always the same: what is that that smells so delicious?  The answer: everything! 

Since we wanted everyone to help cook in the ActiFry over the evening, we had recipes set out at each station and bowls full of the ingredients to make them all.  Our first recipe was an appetizer to start things off, the Sweet and Saucy Meatballs.  http://tfalactifry.com/recipes/view/sweet-and-saucy-meatballs-2  We improvised a little with the recipe by adding different fruit juices and varying the amount of pineapple and peppers in our three batches we made, but each finished dish was gone in minutes after coming out of the cooker and everyone was raving about how delicious they were. 

The next recipe we started was the Tuscan White Bean with Sausage, which was one of the more gourmet recipes we tried out.  With ingredients such as escarole, which is something I had never heard about before the party, I was a bit worried that it was going to be a little fancy for our cooking party, but my worries were unfounded.  We made two batches of this recipe because everyone loved it so much, and many guests said it was their favorite recipe for the night.  

Next we did an all-vegetarian recipe, the Rainbow Vegetable Medley, and even though it was competing with French fries, meatballs, and sausage and beans, everyone was still raving about the medley.  I especially liked the lemon juice in the recipe as it added a light and healthy flavor to the veggies and made them amazingly flavorful.  I expect that this will be one of our regular week night dinner recipes as it was so great and so easy to make as well.

Even though we probably had enough food at this point, I really wanted to try out the “fried” chicken wings in the ActiFry, so I had the guys make up the Asian Style Chicken Wings for all of us.  The recipe really couldn’t be easier – you just put them in the ActiFry for 20 minutes and then add sauce and cook for 2 minutes.  While it’s simple {and ambiguous, since you could pretty much add any sauce you would like}, it really was the rave food of the party.  I can’t even tell you how many of the guys came up and said they had never had better wings before, and this is from a group who knows their wings.  I would call that a ringing endorsement

The last dinner recipe we tried was the Green Beans with Almonds and Parsley, which was one of my very favorite dishes.  The green beans were just perfect in their doneness and their flavor was simply amazing.  As with the vegetable medley, the recipe also called for lemon and zest, and it really added that extra kick to the dish, as was the addition of the almonds.  This is the perfect side dish for the upcoming holidays and I plan on making this recipe for a few gatherings. 

Yes, at this point we had plenty of food and really could have stopped cooking, but that would have left our party without dessert, and we can’t have that, right?  And, this dessert was simply amazing, we really wouldn’t have wanted to miss it.  If you like apple pie or apple crisp, you will adore the Chef Ming Tsai’s 5 Spice Crumble.   

While it is nearly impossible to describe just what this machine can do using only text and pictures, once you see it in action you will be simply amazed.  I know our friends were once they saw all that we were cooking for our party.  Even though we had been using the ActiFry for a few weeks before the party, even we were impressed after we tried all the amazing recipes.  In fact, we loved using it so much that we have made a spot for the ActiFry on the counter so we can use it for quick week night dinners and desserts, which is a very big thing for us!

Price: $250 ARV.  Find out more about the ActiFry, its many features and recipes, and where to buy at tfalactifry.com.

Want to win an awesome ActiFry for yourself?  Of course you do!

To enter, simply visit the ActiFry recipe site and comment on this post telling me what you would make in yours if you win!

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!  {Please leave a separate comment for each completed}

2 Extra Entries - Like ActiFry's Facebook page and comment with what you would make in the ActiFry if you win and @ tag PTPA and Rave & Review

2 Extra Entries {per method} - Follow Rave & Review! Subscribe by RSS feed, Subscribe by email, become a fan of R&R on Facebook or add R&R to your blogroll or sidebar.

1 Extra Entry {daily} - Twitter.  Simply tweet the following after following us all:

Make healthy "fried" foods easily with the super cool @ActiFry #giveaway from @RaveAndReview & @PTPA! http://tinyurl.com/7xqb8a2 ARV $250!

3 Extra Entries - Blogger Bonus.  Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post and leave an address where I can find your writeup

1 Extra Entry - Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!

For more entries, please visit my PTPA ActiFry Party blog post for more ways to enter to win this awesome prize!

On December 6th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US and Canadian Addresses.

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered and congrats to: Teressa Bignell, you are the lucky winner!

A big thank you to ActiFry for providing the information and giveaway for one lucky winner.  All opinions are 100% ours and no monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

How to Host a Dinner Party, ActiFry Style

This weekend I’m hosting my first cooking party ever. 

I’ve hosted potlucks before, cocktail parties, and I’ve had dinner parties, but I’ve never done anything as crazy as let my guests cook. 

We’ll be cooking everything from appetizers to desserts in the PTPA Winning T-Fal ActiFry and would love to have you join us virtually as we see all that this little machine can do!  All Saturday evening you can follow our tweets at #actifryholidayparty to see what we’re up to!  {Bonus: anyone tweeting about the party using the hashtag over the weekend will get extra entries into the super secret giveaway we are hosting next week... woo hoo!}

Does anyone have any advice for me on ways to get it to run smoothly?  Any suggestions on recipes you would like to see someone try out in the ActiFry?

No compensation was received in exchange for this post.

Superstructs Wacky Machines from WABA Fun

Holiday Gift Guide - Day 1

I’m sure you remember wooden rod and connector building sets from your youth, but chances are that you have purged all of the annoying things that come from building with those wood sets.  I was recently reminded of all of these as I sat down to build with my nephew and we opened the box to find 90% of the pieces were broken.  Of course that didn’t deter us, so we set out to create a kid-sized soccer goal that we could use as part of our indoor “field day” we had organized.

One sliver, a lot of frustration, and a lopsided structure later and we were ready to play… at least until the whole thing crumbled underneath itself because the wooden pieces no longer fit together tightly.  Really, is there anything more frustrating than seeing a structure you built topple before you were ready to destroy it?  Not, apparently, to a 5 year old.  Luckily aunt Leanne remembered this and got the coolest replacement ever for us this year – a case of Superstructs Wacky Machines from WABA fun!

If you’ve never built with Superstructs before and think they look like those same wooden building sets from when you were young, look again.  See how there are no broken pieces and the connectors fit together snug enough so you can actually play with your creations?  Yes, that’s how they are different.  Instead of wood that can splinter, break, and lose its shape, Superstructs are different in that they allow you to create playable structures.  With designs and directions to make cool things like working fork lifts, rolling race cars, lawnmowers with “blades” and more, it gives you the ability to create all sorts of works of art… that actually work. 

Superstructs may start innocently enough with a bunch of brightly colored plastic rods and connector pieces, but it’s all the accessories that make it seriously cool.  Their newest set, the Superstructs Wacky Machines takes playable construction even further with the addition of different sized gears and special EVA foam pieces that can take your creations to the next dimension and bring motion to your design. 

Since we absolutely adore Superstructs and how fun they are for kids and adults, we were thrilled to receive the Superstructs Wacky Machines set this holiday season to see what kinds of masterpieces we could create.  What do you think, did we do amazing or what?  Yes, that’s a lawn mower… with a moving “blade” and wheels.  Impressed?

The best part is that in addition to being the coolest building sets anywhere, their high quality construction holds up to everything kids can dish out {including being run through the dishwasher!}.  No more broken wood or cardboard pieces and no more models that do nothing but sit there, Superstructs are designed to be hours and hours of fun as well as encouraging creative thinking on a whole new level.  In fact, our kids have been mowing our carpet daily since we created this {not always at parent-approved speeds} and it still looks great and is holding its shape.  You certainly can't say that about most building sets. 

With all this coolness, is it any wonder that we have decided to kick off our holiday gift guide with the 175-piece Wacky Machines set?  Just ask the reviewers at Oppenheim Toy Portfolio who have awarded Superstructs Wacky Machines its coveted Gold Award all about the set and they will tell you it’s “like Tinkertoys on Steroids”.  I couldn’t have said it better myself. 

Check out the full line at http://superstructs.com/ and don't forget about their great customizable Superstructs sets that we were raving about last year that are perfect for holiday gifting!

A big thank you to WABA Fun for sending their Wacky Machines set for review.  All opinions are 100% ours and no form of compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

Baking with White Whole Wheat Flour {Gold Medal Prize Pack Giveaway}

Cozy At Home Event – Day 3

We’re all trying to eat better these days, making things from scratch whenever we can and substituting healthier ingredients when possible.  This is where Gold Medal white whole wheat flour comes in, as it’s a fabulous way to get your family to eat whole wheat products… without them having any idea. 

Traditional whole wheat flour is brown in color and has a different texture than all-purpose flour, thus leaving your baked goods looking and tasting a bit different than you might be used to.  While this doesn’t bother me or my family a bit since we’ve been eating whole wheat for quite some time and substituting Gold Medal whole wheat flour whenever possible, there are certain foods that are hard to make with whole wheat flour because of the different texture.  Gold Medal white whole wheat flour is 100% whole grain but with a lighter taste and color, which makes it a great substitute because it not only looks more like traditional white flour, it also produces great baked goods that are moist and flaky like all-purpose white flour.

I was thrilled when I received a Gold Medal white whole wheat flour pack a few weeks back in the mail and got to try it out in my own kitchen.  After using traditional whole wheat flour for so long, it was really fun to try a white flour to compare in some of our favorite dishes.  It’s been a long time since we have had white bread around the house and I think I actually forgot how delicious it can be for sandwiches and more. 

The Gold Medal white whole wheat prize pack we received not only included a coupon for free flour, a canister to store it in, and some great recipe cards, it also had a conversion guide for you to follow.  The white to whole wheat conversion guide from Gold Medal walks you through substituting it in your family’s recipes, gradually introducing it in place of your traditional white flour for more delicate items.  This is something I love since it’s hard to know how to best use a new pantry ingredient and it’s always nice to have a guide. 

The included recipes are also great because they certainly don’t look or taste like foods made with healthy whole wheat flour, they are just like what you might find in a bakery case or restaurant.  Seriously… gingerbread cupcakes and double-chocolate lava cake?  Don’t mind if I do!

As much as I love the Gold Medal white whole wheat flour, my favorite thing in the prize pack would have to be the Gold Medal ceramic canister with its retro charm.  Since we have Tupperware overload in our cabinets, we decided to use the canister as a “cookie jar” of sorts for goodies in the house that we could keep on top of the fridge.  Not only is it completely adorable, the kids now know not to even try digging through the pantry because the foods they are looking for are up too tall for them to possibly get at unassisted by us. 

If you haven’t had a chance to check out Gold Medal white whole wheat flour, I would highly recommend trying it.  Not only is it a healthy substitution you can make easily for your family, it’s also really great tasting – in baked goods and everything else you use flour for.  Check out the Gold Medal site to see tips and tricks for mastering the use of the new Gold Medal white whole wheat and for recipes, nutritional information and more!

Tips for Baking with White Whole Wheat Flour
•    Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour looks more like all-purpose white flour because it’s made from a different kind of wheat—hard white spring wheat. Most whole wheat flours are made from hard red spring wheat.
•    Substituting some white whole wheat into recipes will enable you to sneak some whole grain into baked goods while maintaining a similar taste and texture of those made with all-purpose flour.
•    For recipes that depend on the flour for most of the flavor, such as bread and pizza dough, or baked goods that call for sugar and fat—such as cookies, muffins and brownies start by substituting white whole wheat for 25 to 50 percent of the recipe’s flour content.
•    White whole wheat flour absorbs more moisture than all-purpose flour, which can make for deliciously moist and flaky recipes, but also means that baked goods won’t stay as fresh as long as those made with all-purpose flour. If your family won’t be eating what you baked in a day or two, consider freezing the freshly-baked goods until you need them. Place cooled baked goods in a resealable plastic freezer bag.  Freeze quick breads (like scones and muffins) up to 3 months, or unfrosted cookies up to 12 months.
•    Chocolate Chip Cookies are a great recipe to freeze to keep on hand, whenever you want homemade cookies. For a “fresh-baked” cookie anytime, simply microwave a frozen cookie on a paper towel on Medium-Low (30%) about 1 minute 45 seconds or until the edge of the cookie is heated; then move the cookie and paper towel to the counter to stand about 30 seconds or until the chips are cool enough to eat. (Time may range slightly, depending on the wattage of your microwave.)

Want to win a Gold Medal Prize Pack filled with goodies to get you in the baking mood?  Of course you do! 

To enter, simply tell me what you would make with the new Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour {click for inspiration}!

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review, top of right sidebar {2 extra entries, must be verified to count}

2) Tweet about this Giveaway after following us both {daily Tweet, just post link here}

Have you tried White Whole Wheat Flour? Enter the prize pack #giveaway from @raveandreview! http://twrt.me/bjimi9

3) NEW!  "Like" Rave and Review on Facebook! {2 extra entries}

4) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage {2 extra entries, just post the URL where I can find your writeup}

5) Place my button in your sidebar on your blog or website  {1 extra entry, must have an active link to R&R}

6) Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!

On November 21st at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US Addresses.

This giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congrats to: #62 Amber said... I "like" r and r on facebook #2

The Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour product, information, and giveaway have been provided by Gold Medal through MyBlogSpark.  All opinions are 100% ours and no monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

Positively Proud - Lunch Box Notes Parenting Pack {Review, Coupon Code, & Giveaway}

Experts agree that positive reinforcement really works – no matter what age you’re working with.  As the mom of a toddler and a preschooler, I do my share of positive reinforcement throughout the day and the results have been quite amazing.  Instead of kids that cry, whine, and fuss to get my attention, I’ve got little ones who can {usually} hang out in adult settings and situations and still manage to receive compliments from the other parents in attendance. While I can’t take credit for most of their good-natured attitudes, I do feel like the style of parenting my husband and I have adopted and the ways we reward positive behavior has played a role.

Because this style of parenting has worked so well for us, I have long been on the search for some positive reinforcement tools that could grow with our kids, allowing us to make the sometimes difficult transition into school, independence and self-sufficiency as easy as possible.  I found all those tools {and more} at Positively Proud, a company that is all about making kids feel special, loved, and important. 

Positively Proud is the most comprehensive system we looked into, complete with everything you could need to help keep things organized and your kids motivated – from toddler on up to high school.  Just one look at their site and you will find numerous ways to connect with your kids and show them how much they mean to you, and in ways that are age appropriate.  From sticker charts for younger kids to trivia and conversation starters for older children, there are all sorts of great tools for parents available at Positively Proud. 

The Positively Proud Packet is my favorite of our new tools and now is a vital part of our “parenting toolbox”.  The Positively Proud Packet contains awards, stickers, incentive charts, postcards, tickets, coupons, and even a few small prizes and is all packaged in a great accordion-style file system that allows you to quickly glance in and grab out what you need.  Not only does this make the kit completely organized, it also means it can fit easily on the kitchen counter, in the office, or even in a tote bag.  This portability is great because it allows us to use the system at home, while we are out, or even when we’re apart. 

As part of our Positively Proud sampling pack, we got to check out the book Lunch Box Letters that was written by Carol Sperandeo and Bill Zimmerman, two parents who swear by the benefits of lunchbox love for children.  Not only does the book tell you how {and why} to write to your child, it also includes 75 colorful sheets you can use to write your letters on.  When paired with the package of 30 fun pull-tab inspired Lunch Mail Miniature Greeting Cards, you could potentially have over a hundred days of special letters tucked into the lunchbox {or backpack, overnight bag, etc} for your little one, your husband, or someone else special.

Also included in our pack was the card set Kids TableTopics To Go, which is a spin-off of the classic TableTopics game.  Kids TableTopics includes conversation starter questions such as “On a scale of 1-10, how strict are your parents” and “what’s the secret to being happy” that would be good questions for that tween/teen age group that’s so hard to get talking.  There are some questions for the younger group as well, but as the aunt of quite a few tweens and teens, I think the game will be a great tool for helping break the ice and will definitely be using it more with them than my younger kids. 

We’ve only been doing the Positively Proud system for a few days now but I can honestly say that there has been a whole lot less coercing that needs to be done to convince my oldest to clean, stay organized, and listen, and we look forward to celebrating her successes together.  By using the incentive charts and sticker rewards with the fill-in-the-blank awards, it makes it easy to see what areas we are doing well in, what we still are working on, and where we should focus our energy next. 

One of the biggest benefits, though, has been that my husband can see, at a mere glance, how my day has gone when he gets home from work.   One glance at the fridge and he can see whether breakfast went okay, how smoothly we transitioned from school, and whether we should even attempt to leave the house that evening as a family.  Positively brilliant, Positively Proud. 

Here’s what was included in our pack, which is just a sampling of the Positively Proud line:
Lunch Mail: “I believe In You” theme * Lunch Box Letters Book * Positively Proud Packet * Kids Table Topics To Go 

BONUS - You can get 15% off by entering coupon code "blog15" at http://www.positivelyproud.com/

Want to win a $25 Gift Card {plus free shipping} to get your own Positively Proud products of your choice?

To enter, simply leave a comment on Positively Proud's Facebook page telling them your favorite product or what you would buy if you win the gift certificate.

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review, top of right sidebar {2 extra entries, must be verified to count}

2) Tweet about this Giveaway after following us both {daily Tweet, just post link here}

Tell your kids you love them all year long with a great Positively Proud #giveaway from @raveandreview! http://t.co/Zq6sDTwz

3) NEW!  "Like" Rave and Review on Facebook! {2 extra entries}

4) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage {2 extra entries, just post the URL where I can find your writeup}

5) Place my button in your sidebar on your blog or website  {1 extra entry, must have an active link to R&R}

6) Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!

On November 12th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US Addresses.

This giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congrats to: crystal allen who said: like you on fb crystal l allen

Thank you to Positively Proud for sending their awesome pack to be revewed.  All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.