Rave and Review

Blog Hop Tuesday - Three Things You Didn't Know About Me

Welcome to Blog Hop Tuesday, where you can hop from link to link to read some really great blogs.  This week's post is "Three Things You Didn't Know About Me", which was harder to think of than I thought it would be!

1) I am a PC now, but I yearn to be a Mac.  Not sure if the grass just always looks greener or if I really should switch.  Thinking about switching teams has me scared, but I'm fairly certain I'd be able to take most, if not all, of my electronic goodies with me to help ease the transition.

If I could get the courage up, I would get this:

2) I am a handmade fiend with almost zero artistic ability, so I surround myself with others who do.  Someday I would love to create even one thing half as cool as the stuff these folks churn out:

 

Fernworks Jewelry.  Quite possibly my biggest obsession.  I visit her booth at every craft/ihr event and create a wishlist that is three pages long. 

 

Felted Style handcrafted felt accessories (pillows shown here).  Hubby surprised me with a set of super soft and personalized (*swoon*) Felted pillows for my first mother's day.  Clearly he knows the way to my heart.

3) One Summer when I was in elementary school, I read 100 books and was personally congratulated by the mayor.  That's the last the mayor and I have kept in touch.

While you're here, you should check out my giveaways!

TeleNav GPS Service Review and Giveaway

A good road trip is dependent upon the proper designation of roles.  Available positions: the driver, the DJ, the navigator, and the backseat driver.  Some are clearly more important than others, but the best road trips usually at least have the first three.  Unfortunately, there are times when the navigator can’t come along, or when the navigator is also the driver, which is why GPS in vehicles is the new must-have.  What if there was a better option for voice instruction GPS that was portable and took up zero extra room in your purse (or pocket)? 

The best way to accomplish this feat is by using TeleNav GPS Navigator, a downloadable program that turns your GPS enabled phone into more than just a phone.  Need to find an Indian restaurant in an unfamiliar town?  With just a few clicks on your phone, you will have turn by turn directions, a map of the route and an estimated time of arrival at the nearest curry joint.  And on top of all that, there is even a friendly voice that will guide you there, all along the way and through every turn. 

One of our favorite parts of the TeleNav service is that traffic warnings are updated every 5 minutes in real time and then are automatically sent to your mobile phone.  When traffic is detected, the TeleNav prompt will tell you to press “O” to avoid the backup, and thereby rechart your route to your destination, saving you sitting bumper to bumper any longer than you have to.  So many times we’ve been traveling in a new town and completely underestimated how long it was going to take to get from point A to point B.  It would have been so nice to have TeleNav to let us know that we were going to need 4 hours to cover 35 miles of highway 101, and it would have been a lifesaver to be able to press “O” to find an alternate route, free of traffic, that could have gotten us to the Hearst Mansion or back to the airport in a fraction of the time.  Unlike most other GPS services, TeleNav does not charge extra for this service, it is merely included in the standard monthly charge.

One of the biggest drawbacks of most GPS units is that maps are outdated faster than you can say “new construction” and that 45 minute indirect “only way around” could be avoided if your GPS knows the new highway is open. For instance, the road we live on was created in 2005, but still is not listed on any of the street view or map software programs we could find, or at least that was true before we found TeleNav, which has our home right where it should be.  With the TeleNav service, you don’t have to update the maps and points of interest yourself, since you are merely accessing a secondary service.  This also means you don’t have to store information on your mobile unit, freeing up your phone’s memory to capture pictures along your route, not to store random town information that you may or may not come across in your travels. 

We found the search functions to be quite intelligent, allowing us to look for businesses by category, name, or even by item.  And, you can also choose to enter this information either by typing it in, or speaking it into the phone.  In one instance when a business name was given to us completely misspelled, the actual business we were looking for still came up in the results as the first one found.  This is leaps and bounds more effective than other GPS units we have used in the past where the search function seemed to require you to have so much knowledge over your query that it seemed unlikely you would need the GPS to begin with. 

With TeleNav Navigator you get all the functionality of a GPS unit without having to purchase yet another electronic gadget that you have to carry with you wherever you go. No extra cables or mounts in your car, or worrying if you have the right batteries.  And best of all, you won’t have anything sitting out in your car to tempt thieves.  We found this out the hard way when my brother’s car was broken into last year and the only item stolen was his GPS.  The policeman that came informed us that vehicle mounted GPS units are the most commonly stolen items from vehicles.  If that’s not enough to pique your interest, here’s a bit more:

Raves:

• Fast at finding your location
• Easy and intuitive to use
• One less device to carry around
• No initial cost, simply use the phone you have and pay the subscription
• Very accurate, even when dealing with tricky Seattle off ramps with multiple converging routes
• Save trees, don’t print maps
• Save seats, don’t bring navigators, TeleNav will do the trick
• Biz Finder gives you the best POI, including listing the lowest cost gas station and hundreds of restuarants, services and businesses
• Voice prompts get you there without you having to watch the screen
• Smart searches, even when your associate gives you the wrong business name (not to name names)
• Linked to other programs within your smartphone, such as your contact list and email, saving you the time and hassle of cutting and pasting addresses into the program
• Real time traffic updates
• Voice recognition enabled so you can navigate without typing
• Maps and POIs update automatically so you will always have the correct route
• Low monthly cost

Not so Raves:

• Drains battery - bring a charger and turn down your screen brightness
• Voice prompts were not muted on my Blackberry when in the holster where everything is supposed to switch to vibrate, a potentially embarrassing situation
• Voice recognition only worked so-so with numbers
• Voice prompts don’t work when you are on the phone, but as much of the map that was previously rendered and the route summary are still there

We love the TeleNav service for road trips, work use, business meetings, exploring around home and more and want to thank TeleNav for their 6 month subscription trial. 

www.telenav.com

Price: $9.99 per month for the TeleNav GPS service.  They also offer a whole range of other services, including tracking and monitoring programs for small fleet vehicles and employers and other GPS services to fit virtually any need.

Looks: Just like the GPS you’re used to, but the size of maps are dependent upon screen size of mobile phone

Overall: An inexpensive and safe way to navigate your route

And now for the Giveaway…

TeleNav has generously offered a reader a 6 month subscription to the service free of charge.  To enter, just leave a comment below letting me know that you have visited the TeleNav site and confirmed your mobile phone is compatible with the service and let me know what makes you most excited about this service. 

And, as always, there are extra entries available!
    1) Subscribe to Rave and Review (1 extra entry, must be verified to count)
    2) Tweet about this Giveaway (1 entry for every Tweet, just post link here)
    3) Blog about this Giveaway (1 extra entry)
    4) Place my logo or link in your sidebar on your blog or website (2 extra entries, must have an active link)
    5) Comment on any of my posts and then come back here and let me know (1 entry per comment)
    6) Share this post on Facebook (1 extra entry)
    7) Email love.  Share this Giveaway with friends and family via email and cc Leanne@raveandreview.com for two bonus entries (I will never, ever contact your email ricipients)
 
Please leave a comment below for each of the extra entries
On July 31st at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email

Maternity and Nursing Wear by Japanese Weekend - Review, Discount Code and Giveaway, oh my!

For an adorable and smart maternity wardrobe and beyond, look no further than Japanese Weekend.  They have truly stylish options for any taste, the kind of clothes that you wish you could wear well after you delivered.  And you’re in luck, because now it’s okay to wear them after you are spending your days snuggling your newborn.  Yes, you read that right, even after the birth, you can guilt-free and unselfconsciously wear your Japanese Weekend fashions thanks to their wonderful During and After collection.

When I was pregnant, my thought was that I would try to make do without maternity clothes for as long as possible, thinking that maybe I could get through most of the pregnancy without having to buy a whole maternity wardrobe.  In theory, the plan was going to work – I was going to wear baggy clothes for the first 6 months of pregnancy and then switch to maternity muumuus after I could no longer fit in regular clothes.  The problem with the theory is that NO ONE wants to wear baggy clothes for 6 months that make it look like you’ve had 2 or 45 too many cheesecakes.  And even fewer people want to wear muumuus, pregnant or not. 

A smarter plan, and one I wished I had come up with, oh, two years ago, would have been to buy maternity clothes that were also nursing wear.  To be completely honest, I went into the whole pregnancy/nursing thing with very little forethought (wait, not the pregnancy itself, no, I’m talking about the clothing).  Had I thought about clothing for even a few minutes, I would have bought the entire Japanese Weekend During and After Maternity and Nursing collection and started wearing them the day I started to notice my little baby bump. 

Japanese Weekend has some of the most adorable maternity fashions I have seen anywhere, a good number of which are also nursing tops.  You know the drill: Dual purpose means that you can save some serious money not having to spring for a whole wardrobe of both.  Really, spending tons of cash in the mall maternity section doesn’t make much sense, considering that the absolute longest you can wear the clothing is 9 months, and that’s assuming you look pregnant the day you see that pink line.  If you’re like me, you won’t look really pregnant until somewhere in the 6th month, which means your maternity wardrobe only needs to last 3-4 months.  But, unfortunately, that doesn’t mean you only pay 1/3 of the price at the mall.  Nope, you still have to pay full price, you just get 6 months less use out of it. 

And, not to completely kick them when they are down, but I don’t have one good thing to say about the quality of maternity clothing I was finding at mall retail shops.  Even though I only wore the clothing for approximately 4 months, I had so many quality issues with the clothing I did purchase.  Holes in one (seriously, holes? after 3 months?), scratchy here, shrinking there (no, it was not me growing that made it look like it was shrinking.  It really did shrink.  I swear.)  In addition to spending far too much of my hard earned money on ridiculously overpriced and low-quality maternity gear, I was still thrilled to retire all the maternity drabness and old women fashions (*shudder*) as soon as baby was here.

Now, let’s say you take caution from me and you buy the majority of your maternity wardrobe at Japanese Weekend instead, choosing either their regular fashions or their During and After clothing.  You could be enjoying cute and quality maternity tops for months and months (and months) after you deliver, making breastfeeding your baby easier and letting you continue to wear their gorgeous designs.  Makes sense, right?  Even if you’re not planning on breastfeeding, splurging on a few adorable and comfortable maternity fashions from Japanese Weekend just makes sense. 

For one, they are stylish, adorable and make you feel as much like the old pre-pregnancy you as possible, even while carrying around a never-to-be-named amount of excess pounds.  No matter what style you pick, they can be smart-looking, maybe even a bit sexy, and leagues cuter than then other maternity fashions I ended up purchasing (and, apparently, destroying).  This leads me to my next rave – the quality of their fashions.  I was sent their Nursing Hoody and Cross Front Nursing Top for review and promtly fell in love with the comfort of the clothing and the ease of nursing my daughter.  The detail of the Japanese Weekend line is perfection; with their soft fabrics and immense attention to detail, it is truly a well designed collection that you can enjoy for well over 9 months.  It almost makes me want to be pregnant again.  Almost.

http://www.japaneseweekend.com/

Price: From $40 and up, and until August 14th, Rave and Review readers can get 20% off all clothing at Japanese Weekend by using the code "RAR20"!

Looks: As un-maternity as you can get.

Overall:  If only I had found Japanese Weekend sooner, I would have been a much, much happier pregnant woman and new mom.  

And now for the Giveaway...

To enter, just leave a comment below with a top or shirt you would love to win at the Japanese Weekend site.  While we can't promise that you will receive the exact style or color requested, the great folks over at Japanese Weekend have graciously offered to work with the winner to choose a style that they adore from their available stock.

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!
    1) Subscribe to Rave and Review (1 extra entry, must be verified to count)
    2) Tweet about this Giveaway (1 entry for every Tweet, just post link here)
    3) Blog about this Giveaway (1 extra entry)
    4) Place my logo or link in your sidebar on your blog or website (2 extra entries, must have an active link) 
    5) Comment on any of my posts and then come back here and let me know (1 entry per comment)
    6) Share this post on Facebook (1 extra entry)
 
Please leave a comment below for each of the extra entries

On July 30th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email

Sophie the Giraffe and Chan Pie Gnon Friends

Meltdown Averted, Baby Distracted

What would you do for an extra 5 minutes of baby glee during your cousin’s very formal wedding, an impromptu phone call from your boss, or during a meltdown after a long day?  What if I told you that the going rate for glee is under $20?  Sophie and the Chan Pie Gnon Friends have arrived and have brought hours of joy with them.  They are one of our top rated secret weapons for when we desperately need just a few more minutes of silence, and why we are raving about Vulli Toys from France.

When baby was really little, I thought baby toys were rather silly.  Sure, they were cute, but they seemed somewhat unnecessary since baby seemed content to snuggle with my calculator.  In all my many shopping excursions preparing myself for baby’s arrival, I must have seen Sophie a half a dozen times and each time I talked myself out of purchasing her.  Instead, I bought a handful of cheaper teething toys and called it good. 

But once baby arrived, I found that she couldn’t hold teething rings very well and then once she could, she was completely uninterested in them.  Then, a few months after she was born, a salesclerk handed baby a Sophie to play with while we shopped and baby refused to let her go.  We not only ended up leaving the store with Sophie, baby also insisted on carrying her out in hand.

As with all items you place in a small child’s hands, Sophie went directly to the mouth.  But, what really amazed me was that baby completely went to town gnawing on her Sophie, reaching all the way back to her gums where her molars would eventually pop through.  Since her teeth have taken forever to fully emerge, Sophie has proven to be a lifesaver over and over again.

More than just a simple teething toy, Sophie the Giraffe stimulates all the senses:

• Sight:
Sophie’s high contrast coloring is perfect for new babies whose eyesight is still developing.  Sophie is easily recognizable to young children and keeps their attention longer than any other baby toy we have found.
• Hearing:
Sophie has a gentle squeak that baby loves and mama doesn’t mind a bit. It took baby quite a while before she associated the squeak with her immediate actions, but once she did it added a whole new level of play. 
• Taste:
Sophie the Giraffe is made from 100% natural (phthalate-free) rubber from the Hevea tree and is colored using food paint, giving her a distinct and pleasant taste and making her completely safe to chew. 
• Touch:
Her texture is similar to the old school brown rubber nipples and is just as pliable and chewable.  Baby absolutely loves the feel of Sophie and still snuggles her in her sleep. 
• Smell:
The unmistakable scent of natural rubber from the Hevea tree makes Sophie the Giraffe instantly recognizable, even to the youngest babies. 
• Easy to grip:
Sophie’s legs and neck are perfect for babies that are just learning to grasp objects.  At just around 7 inches and very lightweight, Sophie is small enough to take everywhere and big enough to not get lost during your outings. 

How many other chew toys can you say even half of that about?  It really is no surprise to me that since her creation in 1961, Sophie has been wildly popular in France.  Over 20 million happy babies (and parents!) have been delighted by their own Sophie La Giraffe, making it one of the best selling baby toys of all time.  Recently gaining in popularity in the US, Sophie the Giraffe is quickly becoming a staple for parents looking for a natural and safe alternative to conventional teethers.  

Vulli, the makers of Sophie the Giraffe, have guarded the secret of how this amazing toy is made for 48 years and show no signs of giving up their trade secrets.  The bummer is that means there are only a handful of toys made using their traditional 14 step process.  The good news is that Vulli also makes other products, the most exciting of which is a new line of soft and squeezable toys made with the same special formula as their Sophie offerings.  They are called Chan Pie Gnon, which comes from the French word champignon, meaning mushroom and are just as adorable as the original Sophie.  Not quite as easy to hold as the original Sophie La Giraffe but easier for baby to squeak, any of the three Chan Pie Gnon line would be the perfect friend for your baby’s Sophie the Giraffe.  

Still not sure you need a Vulli Toy for your little one?  Visit any one of the Vulli dealers in your area and offer a Sophie or Chan Pie Gnon for baby to hold.  Be prepared to leave with Sophie or Friends in hand.

http://www.vulli-toys.com or http://sophiegiraffeusa.com and available at numerous local stores and boutiques.  See listing of stores here.

Price: $15 for the Chan Pie Gnon series and around $20 for the original Sophie La Giraffe.  It may be a bit more than other teethers, but well worth the money if you consider baby won’t touch any of the 4 other cheaper teethers we purchased for her.

Looks:  Adorable on all counts.

Overall:  If you’re looking for a natural and safe alternative to plastic teething toys or you just love classic toys, Sophie and Friends were made for you and your little one. 

 

Thank you to caliSSON for introducing me to the newest Vulli Toys line.  As you can see, baby's not keen on sharing her Vulli Toys any time soon.

Nutcase Helmets and Little Nutty Helmets Review

Little Nutty, Lotta Safe

If you were to guess what my least favorite thing about biking would be, what would you guess?  No, it’s not spandex, there’s no law forcing me to wear that.  What I really, really dislike are the helmets.  I’m sure we can all agree that no one likes wearing helmets.  We do it because it’s safe, it’s the law, and most of all, we do it because we would never, ever let our kids go without and we feel we should set a good example… at least in one aspect of parenting. 

When we found Nutcase Helmets, we were so excited that we had finally found a full line of helmets that fit the entire family – in personality and in size.  Nutcase Helmet’s mission is simple: bringing personality (and tons of it, at that) to street, snow and wheeled sports of all kinds.  Sure, they have your traditional styles and basic colored helmets available, but what makes Nutcase Helmets so cool is that they have so many other options available as well.  They have by far the most extensive selection of designs and patterns I have seen in any helmet line, making it easy to find one that fits your entire family’s style and individuality.

When I was shopping for helmets a few years back, I made hubby go to 6 different stores looking for one that wasn’t bright red, severely pointed (either front or back) or uncomfortable.  Notice comfort was last on my list, because I really wasn’t expecting much comfort to be found in a hard plastic and dense foam hat.  I finally found the most basic helmet on the market - plain black and boring and completely mismatched with my bike.  My beautiful and adorable bike that has personality to spare was being brought down by a black monstrosity that was just as uncomfortable as I had imagined it would be.

Enter Nutcase Helmets, here to save my bike from black and boringness and make wearing a helmet fun while still being functional.  Their helmets come in a full range of styles and colors, so you’re sure to be able to find the perfect match for everyone in your family.  And best of all, after you fall in love with the looks, you will be absolutely elated by the level of comfort.  On the larger helmets this comfort is provided by the included extra pieces of foam liner in varying thicknesses that allow you to fine tune the fit to make it just right. And on the Little Nutty line of helmets, there is the Spin Dial System which allows you to dial in the perfect size as your child grows.  Even our littlest reviewers kept their helmets on without complaints, which is a far cry from the ear splitting screaming that followed our helmet shopping excursion just weeks earlier.  Better yet, the kids wanted to wear the helmets after seeing us in ours.  Parents, rejoice! 

Nutcase Helmets has a broad range of designs that can please everyone from a 3 year old to the pickiest teen.  From bright and colorful to demure solid colors, you are sure to find a helmet that fits everyone’s personality and matches their set of wheels or sport.  They have retro style patterns, tough looking decals, and the most adorable floral patterns that a baby (or mama) could ever find. 

Random Rave:  There are zero pointy ends on any of the Nutcase designs, which serves two purposes.  1) They are far more stylish than their supremely aerodynamic counterparts and 2) The flat design allows kids to rest their heads comfortably against bike trailers and toddler seats without having to hold their head at an awkward angle to keep it upright.  In fact, one of the quickest ways to get kids to sleep is to pop a Nutcase Helmet on them and ride. 

Random Rave #2: A Multi-Sport Helmet means that you don’t need to purchase and store multiple helmets for your entire family.  Good for bicycling, skateboarding, scooter and in-line or quad skaters, Nutcase Helmets cover just about any wheeled sport your kids can take up. 

http://www.nutcasehelmets.com/

Price: $45 - $50 in the Nutcase Website Online Store, as well as available at numerous local retailers near you

Looks: Unique and original designs for you and all your little noggins.

Overall: Bringing style and comfort to little Nutcases of all ages. 

Rave and Review is a Parent Reviewers Best Review Blog Finalist!

I was so excited to see that Rave and Review was chosen as one of Parent Reviewers Best Review Blog Finalists that I couldn't even contain myself.  Who would have thought that I would ever be listed with the likes of the other 9 review blogs given this honor? 

Congratulations to the other finalists: 3 Kids and Us, Life Starring The Kids and Me, SuperMom Central, Potamus Prefers, Mom Most Traveled and Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House. 

And the winners: A Family Completed (Winner), Lille Punkin’ Reviews (1st runner up) and Just A Mom’s Take On Things (2nd runner up).

{Please note my new Best Review Blog Award on the right sidebar}

I cannot thank Parent Reviewers enough for choosing me and completely making my day.  It's so nice to know that someone out there is reading and enjoying Rave and Review!

Lilly Bean Felt Foods Giveaway!

Back by popular demand, Rave and Review is profiling Lilly Bean Felt Foods again!  This time we're sharing some Lilly Bean love and will be giving away a Lilly Bean 3 piece Felt Cookie set (4 piece set is shown on right) to one lucky winner. 

All of Lilly Bean’s Felt Foods are made with a high quality wool felt that is super soft and durable enough to withstand whatever kids can dish out.  Lilly Bean has an amazing variety of felt foods available, by far the best selection I have seen anywhere in retail stores or online and all of their designs are absolutely adorable.  See full review here.

How to Enter:
Visit the Lilly Bean website and let me know what your favorite Lilly Bean Felt Foods are.

http://www.lillybeanmarket.com/
 
And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1. Subscribe to Rave and Review (1 extra entry, must be verified to count)
2. Tweet about this Giveaway (1 entry for every Tweet, just post link here)
3. Blog about this Giveaway (1 extra entry)
4. Place my logo or link in your sidebar on your blog or website (2 extra entries, must have an active link)
5. Comment on any of my posts and then come back here and let me know (1 entry per comment)
6. Share this post on Facebook (1 extra entry)
7. Email Love.  Forward this post or link to any friends you think would love Lilly Bean Felt Foods and cc leanne@raveandreview.com (I will never, ever contact your email recipients).  

Please leave a comment below for each of the extra entries

On July 18th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email

Bella Sara Giveaway Winner Announced!

Congratulations to Terra who won the Bella Sara Giveaway!

Terra said: One cool thing is that you can print out posters, activities, and coloring pages. Thanks.

I am sending you an email right now!

JJ Cole Essentials Travel Blanket

With fireworks mere days away, you’re probably thinking blankets.  If not, then you should be.  Specifically, you should be thinking about J.J. Cole’s Essentials Travel Blanket for the holiday and beyond.  This is the Blanket for claiming your territory at your favorite park or fireworks display and celebrating the Fourth in style. 

What do you think of when you think Blankets?  Most likely, you think of some big and bulky old comforter that consumes your entire linen closet and only gets touched a few times a year.  At least that’s what I always thought of until I saw the J.J. Cole Essentials line and realized that Blankets don’t have to be boring, or require a whole linen closet shelf.  Really, calling this little padded and portable picnic and play mat a Blanket is the undersell of the year. 

At a generous 5ft x 5ft, the Essentials Blanket is big enough for the whole family to sit on, lay on, or play on without being too big.  Made with an exceptionally durable and heavy-duty ground layer that is lightly padded, the J.J. Cole Essentials Blanket adds a little cushioning between you and what lies beneath and makes it unquestionably more comfortable than your average outdoor throw.  Although the J.J. Cole Essentials Blanket may be durable and rugged, it doesn’t look like a utilitarian throw with its stylish inner fabric options and contrast trim.

Not only is the J.J. Cole Blanket adorable, it’s also extremely practical and destined to be the go-to Blanket for the whole family.  The Essentials is perfect for home, park, beach use or just about anywhere.  You will never worry about where you set the Essentials Blanket since dirt, sand, crumbs and grass shake off with no effort at all.  Instead of having to launder that big and bulky old comforter after each use, the J.J. Cole Essentials remains maintenance free and still looks as great as it did the day it arrived on my doorstep. 

When you are ready to transport the Essentials Blanket, clean up is simple and easy.  Folding so that the inner lining never touches the areas that come in contact with the ground, the Essentials stays clean no matter where you were lounging.  Once folded, the Blanket is secured by a Velcro closure and comes complete with a detachable shoulder strap for carrying.  Compact and lightweight, it is the perfect size to keep in the car or hook onto the stroller when on the go, so you will always be prepared for an impromptu picnic or play date at the park.       

We enjoy our J.J. Cole Essentials Blanket in all sorts of places, including an evening spent lounging in 12 inches of snow with only the Blanket in between us and frostbite.  While snow is probably not what J.J. Cole had in mind when they created the only slightly insulating Essentials Blanket*, doesn’t it just make you feel better to know that it can handle just about any weather or condition you throw at it?  Sure, you’ll probably never need a lounging Blanket for snow, but you might be on similarly cold ground someday if you use your J.J. Cole year-round like we do.  And then you will be grateful that your Blanket is tough enough to handle real life.

http://jjcoleusa.com/

Price: Perfectly priced at $29.95.  Available online and at numerous local stores throughout the US.  Search for stores here. 

Looks: Clean and modern with style to spare

Overall:  A great pick for play date and picnic lovers everywhere.

*J.J. Cole in no way suggests you sit in the snow for any length of time, under any circumstances.  We are professional product testers and took all sorts of frostbite precautions, such as having a heated house 10 feet away.    

Layers $25 Gift Card Winner Announced!

 Congratulations to Jessi who won the Layers $25 Gift Card Giveaway!

Jessi said: Wow I love everything on that site! My favorites would have to be the Whitney top and the Cami in Cocoa

I am sending you an email right now!