One of the most important things to set the tone for your child’s birthday party is the official Birthday Invitation.  When Dolcetto Designs contacted me to see if I was interested in a review, right away I knew that I wanted to give all my daughter’s family and friends not only an amazing invite, but also something they can keep and put up on their fridge.

The process of ordering my daughter’s personalized birthday invites was so easy.  I simply leafed through her website, found some of my favourite designs (in any category) and let her know that it was my daughter’s 2nd birthday with a Princess theme.  Shari went straight to work and within just a few hours, I had a beautiful invite.  Not even a single edit required.  The best part was, I included a personalized picture of my daughter in the invite (if only I could have gotten a better shot of her).

Here is the part that is wonderful about Dolcetto Designs, either Shari can print the cards for you and ship them to your home, or you can take the digital image and bring it in to get printed, or just send your friends and family the digital image.  I decided to get the good old fashioned printed pictures so Genevieve could hand out her invites to all her friends (it was really cute to watch her invite people to her “birday paty”. I also kept a copy in her keepsake book.

The compliments I received on the beautiful invites were endless.  Grandparents, other family members and friends all loved the idea.  They all were sure to let me know how adorable the invites were.  It also let everyone know that my daughter’s party was  princess themed, so we did receive some princess related gifts.

My husband has one uncle that always impresses me.  He sends a Thank you card for each and every gift that he and his family receives.  Much like a newlywed couple sends out “Thank you” cards.  Although I don’t currently do this, it’s never too late to start.  When Shari asked if I wanted a Thank You card as well, I thought it was an excellent idea.

The Thank you card is the same theme as the birthday invite.  Rather than getting these ones printed off, I sent them electronically to each and every guest that came to the party (and even those that couldn’t make it to the party, but still sent a gift).  It was a simple and easy way to let everyone know that we appreciate them attending her very special day. The quote says “Thank you for your generous gift, love and presence in my life”.  How beautiful!

Dolcetto Designs makes birth announcements, baptism cards, holiday cards, wedding invitations, Thank you cards and just about anything else you can think of.  There are many great design choices and she even makes personal items.  I am so so so pleased with the outcome of our invites and Thank you cards.  Shari is also located in Canada, so for my fellow Canucks you’ll bonus out on cheap shipping.

Dolcetto Designs is truing 1 and is having a huge giveaway ($400) worth of prizes, so make sure to check them out.

They are also up for the savvy Mom of the year award, you can check them out and vote for them as well.

Giveaway: One lucky reader is going to receive a $30 Gift Certificate to Dolcetto Designs

To Enter: Visit Dolcetto Designs and make a comment back here about your favourite design (it’s ok if you have 2 or 3 favourites)

Bonus Entries:

• Follow My Wee View on Twitter, and ReTweet this giveaway RT @myweeview Personalized wedding invites, birth announcements, thank you cards & more Dolcetto Designs $30 GC #giveaway http://bit.ly/drOhra (you can tweet this once a day for extra entries)
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Giveaway closes September  17th @ 11:59 pm PST.  Open to US and Canada.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

**Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on My Wee View.  The product features expressed in this post are those of My Wee View and have not been influenced in any other way.  Please see the full Terms of use.

Raspberry Kids is a Fresh, Healthy and Fun Canadian online store that is eco-friendly and all natural.  School season is just around the corner.  Packaging children’s lunches can make a lot of waste. An easy way that you and your family can help make this world a better place for your kids is to use things like re-usable bags and containers.  Plastic bags, big and small, probably make up the bulk of waste in our dumps.

Raspberry Kids is helping families make it easy to pack eco-friendly lunches.  I received the cutest reusable sandwich bag by Lunchskins for review.  This is a simple idea, that everyone will love.  The super fashionable sandwich bag is just like a plastic bag, but it’s reusable because it’s made with a durable pastry cloth. I have been bringing my sandwiches to work in this adorable bag, and have received so many compliments on it.  It makes me want to bring it in each day with a sandwich – even if it’s just peanut butter!  The bag doesn’t have a ziplock, but is secured with a very durable velcro.  If you plan on using this for your kids lunches, there is a place to write your name on the outside of the bag.  One thing that I should mention is that the bag should be washed inside after being used.  It’s easy to wash with a wet cloth.  If you are super paranoid, you may want to throw it into the washer, but I can’t see that it’s really necessary.  Another option would be to throw it in the dishwasher.

I also received the Kinderville Silicone storage jars for review from Raspberry Kids.  Kinderville products are BPA-, Phthalate- and Lead-free.  These are an excellent storage/ snack container.  It’s made with silicone so it has a bit of a “stickable” texture -this means snacks stay in the jar and not end up on the floor.  I give this to my daughter with snacks like apple slices or small crackers and all the treats stay in the container.  The best part is nothing lands on the floor which means nothing to clean off the floor and all the snacks make it from the jar straight to my daughters mouth.  It’s really the absolute best for car rides.  The jar also has a little cover  made with silicone so it is bendy and fits perfectly on top of the jar.  It actually creates a suction, making it stay in place.  Although it’s “just a jar” it is my favourite one that my daughter uses.  It’s small enough to fit in her hand and all her treats stay inside.  I wish I had a few more of these containers for my daughter, it seems that it is always in the wash because it is used so frequently.  (They do come in a pack of 4, but I was just given 1 for review).

Packing for lunches doesn’t have to be difficult.  With the products at Raspberry Kids, it’s easy to make simple, fun changes that will make a big impact to our environment.  They have created a special Back2School category to make shopping easy. http://www.raspberrykids.com/back-to-school

Buy it: To purchase, visit Raspberry Kids online

COUPON CODE” “myweeview15″ for 15% off your order (except electronic gift cards, vapur bundles dale items) valid until September 30,  2010

Giveaway: One lucky reader is going to receive lunchskin sandwich wrap and set of 4 little bites  - exactly what I reviewed.

To Enter: Visit Raspberry Kids Back2School section and make a comment back here about another back to school product that you like on their site.

Bonus Entries:

• Follow My Wee View & Raspberry Kids on Twitter, and ReTweet this giveaway RT @myweeview @raspberrykids #giveaway Back2school sandwich wrap & 4 little bites – save $ & look smart at school & work http://bit.ly/bUuY3S (you can tweet this once a day for extra entries)
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Giveaway closes September  17th @ 11:59 pm PST.  Open to US and Canada.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

**Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on My Wee View.  The product features expressed in this post are those of My Wee View and have not been influenced in any other way.  Please see the full Terms of use.

Have you ever bought or received something and it turned out to be completely different than you imagined?  This recently happened to me – and it was a very good thing.

I worked with Pop Art Toaster in the past, I reviewed the 5 in 1 tasty baker and really enjoyed it.  When they contacted me again and asked if I would like to review a Hannah Montana sandwich maker, I wasn’t sure what to say.  We were in desperate need of a new sandwich maker, but what would my husband think of Hannah Montana?

When the sandwich maker arrived it was in a pink box with the Disney star plastered across the front.  However, once I opened the box, I was pleasantly surprised that the sandwich maker was simply white with pink clasps, Hannah Montana was not on the maker at all.

The sandwich maker comes with two different sets of plates.  One set is “Hannah Montana”  and the other is a grill/panini plate – this was super good news.  My husband could enjoy sandwiches without feeling like it was make on a teenaged sandwich maker.  The Hannah Montana plates aren’t even super “girly” it’s just some music notes and the words “Pop Star”.

The plates are so easy to change as will.  It’s simple to go from panini press to the classic style sandwich maker.  There is a little button that unhooks the plates and if you want to put a new plate in, just snap it in place.  When my kit arrived, one of the plates was missing a little clip that allows the plate to click in place.  I let the company know as soon as possible, sent them a little picture (because sometimes those things are hard to explain) and within a week I had the piece I needed.  The sandwich maker worked without the clip, however the plate easily came out.

The Hannah Montana Pop Art Sandwich maker is super simple to use.  Just plug it in, and wait for the red/orange light to turn green and your sandwich is done.  I would suggest putting butter on both sides of your sandwich so it doesn’t burn.

The Sandwich maker and plates are easy to clean because each of the plates are completely removable.  If you over load your sandwich with cheese, some might end up on the machine itself – just make sure to clean it off as soon as possible.  If you leave it on too long and make another sandwich, it’s harder to come off.  I’m sure you all know what I am talking about – we’ve all done this with a sandwich maker before.

Overall, I am very happy with the Hannah Montana Sandwich maker.  If you are not a Miley fan – not to worry, Hannah Montana isn’t plastered all over, in fact other than the box, you wouldn’t even know that it’s all about Hannah Montana.

If you have a true Hannah Montana fan in your home, they will be very happy to know that they are using a “special” sandwich maker.  The rest of us will just be happy to have a nice warm ham and cheese sandwich.

Buy it : To purchase, visit Pop Art Toaster

Giveaway: One lucky reader is going to receive a Hannah Montana Sandwich maker

To Enter: Visit Pop Art Toaster and make a comment back here about another product you like

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• Follow My Wee View on Twitter, and ReTweet this giveaway RT @myweeview #giveaway Pop Art Toaster – Hannah Montana Sandwich Maker & Panini Press http://bit.ly/aCkevC (you can tweet this once a day for extra entries)
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Giveaway closes September  10th @ 11:59 pm PST.  Open to US and Canada.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

**Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on My Wee View.  The product features expressed in this post are those of My Wee View and have not been influenced in any other way.  Please see the full Terms of use.

When Sharp contacted me about reviewing one of their all in one Air Purifier and humidifier I was more than happy to put it to the test.  Having a small child at home (and a husband with really bad allergies), I know the important of having fresh, clean air for everyone to live happily ever after in one home.

The Sharp NEW Plasmacluster Ion (PCI) Air Purifier has all kinds of features that I would have never even known were available for a purifier.  I was always under the impression that an air purifier would clean air from dust particles and smoke, however it also purifies the air of:

• mould
• viruses
• bacteria
• mould spores
• germs
• fungi

Although the Sharp Purifier that I received for review tends to sit in the background in my house, it is doing a very important job.  Much like the other “maids” in my house (the dishwasher, washer and dryer), the air Purifier works hard at keeping the air that my family breaths clean.  During the summer time we have all the windows open to let the fresh air in, however during the winter when all the windows are closed and the same air is circulating throughout the house I can completely see the extra need to purify the stale air.

The Sharp Purifier has all the bells and whistles needed to ensure your breathing clean air.

There are 3 fan speeds, high medium and low.  The highest speed makes a little bit of noise, although it is quieter than our oven fan.  The other speeds are very quiet.  When the lowest fan is on, I can hardly hear it.  There is also a quick clean setting which you can use for a fast fix for things like smoke or anything burnt.

The Air purifier can also humidify and purify at the same time.   To get the humidify function to work, you have to add water to the machine.  There is a little section in the back of the purifier that comes off, then all I had to do was twist the cap off, add water, put the cap back on and put the part back onto the machine.  Once I press the humidify button, the machine goes to work and you can hear the water glugging away.

My favourite function of the air purifier is the light up display.  I can see the level of dust in my house, there are little green circles and as the level of dust rises the green circles turn yellow.  I’m sure they would continue to change to orange and red as my house were to get dustier, but I even have a breaking point when I know I have to dust – so it’s never gone beyond yellow.

The light up display also lets me know the humidity in the house.   I don’t know too much about humidity and the proper level that it should be at, I just know that when it’s really dry the inside of my nose cracks and bleeds and my legs look like alligator skin.  It seems to be especially bad during the winter, so I am really looking forward to using the humidifier in the wintertime.  Right now, the light up display says that the humidity in the house is 60, my nose and legs are doing fine, so during the winter I am going to try to keep it at the same level.  The light up display has a little faucet picture which turns red when I have to add more water – how easy is that?

If all these buttons and levels seem too complicated for you, there is also an automatic setting.  For myself (a non-technical) person, I think this is probably the best setting for someone like me.  I can just let the machine do it’s thing, and take a peek every once in a awhile to see if I need to add water.  So far, that is where I have kept the settings and once in a while the machine turns on, does it’s important air cleaning, and then sits until the next time.  I love how simple, yet effective it is.

Although this doesn’t apply to my house, I also wanted to mention that the Sharp Air Purifier can clean the air of pet dander.  Thankfully, we have a non-allergic and non shedding dog (a toy poodle), but if you have an animal that does shed, then this type of air purifier should help anyone with allergies.

Overall, I like how easy the machine is, and also like how effective it is.

Buy it: To purchase, visit Sharp

Giveaway: One lucky reader is going to receive the same Air Purifier that I received for review ($499)

To Enter: Visit Sharp and make a comment back here about another product you like that they make

Bonus Entries:

• Follow My Wee View on Twitter on Twitter and ReTweet this giveaway RT @myweeview Sharp Air Purifier ($499) #giveaway  http://bit.ly/ajiZNN (you can Tweet this once a day for Extra Entries)
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• Make a comment on a NON giveaway post

Giveaway closes September 24 th @ 11:59 pm PST.  Open to Canada

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

**Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on My Wee View.  The product features expressed in this post are those of My Wee View and have not been influenced in any other way.  Please see the full Terms of use.

EcoMom COUPON CODE: “SBBL104″ for 15% off all orders

One of my very favourite sponsors is back, EcoMom, with some more fun and eco-friendly products for my daughter to test out.  EcoMom carries all natural products for babies, toddlers, children and adults.  It has all things eco-friendly for the whole family to enjoy.  I recently learned something new about one of my closest sponsors, Jody, the brains behind EcoMom is a man!  I think it is so lovely for a man & hopeful Dad to be is breaking into the all-natural children niche – and I think we can all agree that he is doing IMPRESSIVELY well.

Here’s a little bit about why Jody Started the company:

“I think the work you all (moms) do is the hardest and most important job in the world. Raising the next generation in a healthy and more conscious way is going to be critical.  We don’t have the luxury of getting it wrong and I want to help, in whatever way I can, by creating easy access to (and solid information about) products that are authentically good to put in, on, and around your family.”  Way to go Jody – we <3 you!

For review this time around, we received products from Say Yes to Carrots.  These products are made with all natural ingredients.  I would have thought that carrots were included somewhere in the mixture, but it turns out, it’s just a cute, clever name.

My favourite (and my daughters favourite) product is by far the gentle foaming shampoo and body wash.  This 300ml bottle of shampoo easily foams with each pump of the nozzle.  What I love about this foaming soap is that my 2 year old daughter washes herself with it by herself.  I just squirt the soap onto her hand and she washes her body.  It’s actually a really great time to learn.  I say things like “wash your knees”, “Wash your feet”, Wash your armpits”, and she washes all the right parts.   She continually puts her hand out for more and more soap so she can wash herself.  We went completely overboard in using this product and it still lasted over a month.  My husband and I were trigger happy with the nozzle, and were squirting the foam all over the tub and her.

The Say Yes to Carrots Shampoo and Body Wash doesn’t have much of a scent at all.  It has a slight hint of something, but I can’t seem to put my finger on it.  The scent is not intrusive and really is barely there.  If you are sensitive to smells, you should have no problem with this.

The soap doesn’t foam up as much as some other soaps, but please don’t let this fool you.  Suds are not a sign of how well things clean.  Don’t get me wrong, it does get pretty sudsy, but just not as much as some other shampoos and body washes.  When tub time is over, Genevieve smells fresh and looks clean.

Say Yes to Carrots is an excellent all natural product.  My family really enjoyed tub times with it while it lasted.  Another excellent product, from an excellent company – EcoMom.

Buy it: To purchase, visit  EcoMom online

COUPON CODE: “SBBL104″ for 15% off all orders

Giveaway: One lucky reader is going to receive either a $25 GC or a Say Yes to Carrots prize pack that includes:

Bubble Bath, Shampoo & Body Wash, and Baby Lotion.  Winner picks.

To Enter: Visit EcoMom and make a comment about another product you like

Bonus Entries:

• Follow My Wee View & EcoMom on Twitter, and ReTweet this giveaway RT @myweeview@EcoMomCEO – $25 GC or Say Yes to Carrots Gift Pack (you choose)  EcoMom #giveaway http://bit.ly/ct9Y9b(you can tweet this once a day for extra entries)
• Like EcoMom on Facebook
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Giveaway closes September  10th @ 11:59 pm PST.  Open to US and Canada.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

**Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on My Wee View.  The product features expressed in this post are those of My Wee View and have not been influenced in any other way.  Please see the full Terms of use.

I’ve been a fan of Veggie Tales way before I ever had kids.  I can remember watching some of the movies with my friends and we must have been teenagers.  I love the classic “Where is my Hairbrush” song (That’s how far I’m going back).  Now that I have a child of my own, it gives me a good excuse to watch some of these great Christian shows.

The latest movie is Sweetpea Beauty.

Here is a synopsis:

Once upon a time, there lived a royally sour blueberry, a fair rhubarb maiden and a dastardly deceptive mirror!  Sweetpea Beauty knows that what’s on the inside is what matters most, but insecure Queen Blueberry can’t see past her own reflection!  So, when a decree is handed down that only the most beautiful can rule the land, the Queen gets nervous and things turn ugly!  Banished to the dark forest, Sweetpea’s fate seems bleak until a charming prince, a band of merry minstrels and seven snow peas come to the rescue!  Will Sweetpea and her friends be able to warn the Queen in time to save her from the clutches of the tricky mirror – or will the crumbling kingdom and the Queen’s own heart be lost forever? Find out in this fairy “Veggie” tale about the real meaning of true beauty.

To say I love the story of Sweetpea Beauty and Snoodlerella (the other feature in the movie), would be a complete understatement.  Both Stories are about how important it is to be beautiful on the inside and not the outside.  Many people can have a very beautiful and deceptive outside but on the inside are not so pretty.

Not only is this important for my daughter to hear, but it’s also good for adults to remember this too – this is why I love Veggie Tales.  Because the stores have a bible verse or two included within the stories, it sends us simple reminders as well.  For example, in the case of Sweetpea Beauty, the message was something like this:  people who are mean are generally unhappy with themselves (and jealous) and feel better by putting others down.

Over all, I love Veggie Tales.  I usually like to watch a movie alone before my daughter watches – you just never know what might in the movie that isn’t healthy for kids to watch.  But Veggie Tales is one of those shows that I completely trust, and do not worry about.  I know that the story lines are positive and have a great lesson and values.

Although the movie does have Bible Verses and talks about God, it has such a positive vibe for kids (and families), that I would suggest it for everyone.

Buy it: Sweetpea Beauty is available ion DVD July 31st.

**Disclaimer: This post was written for Family Review Network & ToiletTree who provided the complimentary product in exchange for my honest review The product features expressed in this post are those of My Wee View and have not been influenced in any other way.  Please see the full Terms of use.