Run For Your Life

Want to win a 5 pack class pass to be used at any participating Fit4Mom location (Greater Denver, North Metro Denver, and Northern Colorado franchises)? Head to Facebook to enter! Giveaway ends 5/12!

Fit4Mom is an organization near and dear to my heart! I have never been athletic or much into working out but in 2010, when we lived in Maryland I heard about a Couch to 5K at our local running store and I signed up. Something in me changed! I set goals and beat them! I loved socializing with the other participants and successfully ran my 1st 5K race that summer.

The next fall I signed up for their 10K training and ran my 1st 10K race and just kept on running! In 2011 when I got pregnant with our 4th child, I knew I didn't want to lose this fitness I had built up. I was determined to run as far along in my pregnancy as I could manage. I ran until about 24 weeks when a cold snap hit Colorado and I was starting to really show.

The problem with stopping running is it is hard to get back into it! During our 2011 move from Maryland to Colorado and my subsequent pregnancy, I never did find a training group that was my speed. Then came a baby who never slept and was very high needs and running and exercising did not happen for this mama!

Two of my friends, who didn't know each other both opened Fit4Mom franchises in the area. I checked out their openings but I wasn't sure it was my thing. One of the owners, Darcy Peters, persistently encouraged me to sign up for the Fit4Mom marathon and half marathon training. If she didn't persist I would have never said, "yes"! A marathon seemed beyond my reach but with some time, a lot of hard work, and some encouragement, maybe, just maybe I could run a half marathon. 

That was December 2013 and I am currently training for my 4th half marathon! Running is my outlet. It keeps my mind clear when my world is chaos. It keeps me exercising. It keeps me connecting with other moms. It keeps me setting goals and working towards them. It keeps me doing something for me and me alone.

Fit4Mom was the group I needed. It was structure, it was accountability it was experienced coaches, it was friendship, and it was encouragement. I would have never crossed those finish lines without those ladies who logged all those miles along side with me. We have laughed and shared way too many TMI moments. There is something about running together, where you just bond. Running friends are the best friends!

May 2014 Colorado Half Marathon Fit4Mom Team

In May, 2014 I successfully completed my 1st half marathon, the Colorado half marathon. I started my race with all my teammates but one teammate stayed with me the entire race. She likely could have finished several minutes ahead of me but she never left my side. We finished together and it was an awesome feeling to have accomplished something that many people will never come close to!

My 2nd oldest and my youngest cheering Ginger and I on the race course

Happy Finisher!

I took a short break from training but started back in July to train for the Denver Rock n Roll half marathon in October. Fit4Mom was there again, along with my awesome teammates and friends. Training for a half marathon, you log a fair amount of miles over about 4 months. Not only did these ladies faithfully show up each week for our long runs, we often met up once or twice during the week to get in our shorter, midweek training runs. 

The Denver Rock n Roll half I was on pace with a great friend of mine, LeAnn. When she struggled, I encouraged her along, when I struggled she encouraged me. I beat my 1st half marathon time by several minutes and came in about 2 minutes under my goal. I was a happy runner!

Fit4Mom Northern Colorado Denver Rock n Roll Team!

LeAnn and I proudly holding those medals we earned!

After almost 10 months of training I was getting mentally fatigued and needed a break. A lot of my team mates went on to train for the 2015 Colorado Half Marathon but I needed a break. Darcy Peters, the Northern Colorado Fit4Mom franchise owner encouraged me to try a BodyBack class. I was hesitant to say the least. I had come to love running but don't love exercising otherwise. I had never dieted but becoming healthier and losing weight was appealing. Plus I loved these ladies and two set dates each week to see my mom friends sounded like a bonus!

From the end of 2014, all of 2015, and the beginning of 2016 I took 3 sessions of BodyBack and I came to love the HITT style workouts. The diet part was hard for me but I saw results! My family loved the dinner recipes and some are still in our regular rotation. It was awesome to do assessments at the beginning of BodyBack and measure how fast you could run a mile, how long you could hold a plank, etc. and then at the end of the session seeing how much you had improved. Then there is the before and after photos and inches and pounds lost. I always saw great results and it was awesome to do it in a supported, fun atmosphere, with women who had become my friends.

Then these crazy friends of mine, talked me into a race I thought I'd never do. Horsetooth Half Marathon. Those of you not from Fort Collins may not realize but this is a tough, tough race! You run up a mountain, partially down, then back up another mountain. I am social person and once several of my friends who I had made through Fit4Mom committed to Horsetooth Half I signed up. The training was great. Yes, lots of cold days in January and February but we were ready to race. The day of the race it was snowing like crazy, blowing sideways, not the type of weather you want for a big race you've been preparing for 3.5 months for. With my Fit4Mom teammates and friends, Joni and Dara by my side, the 3 of us crossed the finish line of the Horsetooth Half Marathon. I am still so proud that despite that weather, all 3 of us finished! It wasn't our fastest half marathon but we ran a half marathon, up a mountain, in a snow storm. There was nothing we couldn't accomplish!

Still smiling after a snowy and hilly Horsetooth Half

Fit4Mom isn't just running training or BodyBack, it is friendship and support, and healthy lifestyles and healthy families. Their flagship class, Stroller Strides allows you to workout while you bring your baby in the stroller with you. They also offer Fit4Baby, pregnancy fitness and StrollerBarre, classes for moms with baby. I have so many great memories with these ladies. Not only of running and exercising together but of ladies night out and fun times together.

One year Fit4Mom had a team at the Color Vibe 5K

Being part of the Fit4Mom family the past 3 years changed me and my approach to fitness. It has grown my love of running and it has shown me that I can dream big and accomplish those dreams. There is nothing I cannot do if I put my mind to it and work hard towards my goals. 

Another bucket list item, hubby and I climbed not one but two 14ers

Want to learn more about upcoming Fit4Mom events?

Greater Denver event- Anniversary Class for all mamas at all locations to attend 

https://www.facebook.com/events/418331361857974/

North Metro - Stroller Strides Lafayette Grand Opening at Waneka Lake Park

https://www.facebook.com/events/765420033639358/

Northern Colorado - Mother's Day 5K

https://www.facebook.com/events/615751518635929/

All opinions are my own and based on my own experience participating in Fit4Mom programs. I was compensated for my time to prepare this post and share it via social media.

Go Toddler Go!

I was given the opportunity to review the Bobux i-walk shoes. i-walk shoes are the perfect shoes for toddlers. The i-Walk line is made for toddlers who are confidently walking and are perfect for running and jumping. Bobux makes tennis shoes, sandals, and boots, making it the perfect shoe for every season. Bobux i-walk shoes are available in toddlers sizes 4.5-11.5 (U.S. equivalent). 

Orion is 3 years old and I have always chosen to purchase him 1-2 pair of quality shoes at a time rather than 10 different pair of shoes to match everything. He's a boy so 1 pair of tennis shoes, 1 pair of snow boots, and 1 pair of sandals. Between those 3 pairs we can get by all year.

Bobux is based out of Castle Rock, Colorado and I love the opportunity to work with another local, Colorado company.

i-walk Attica Flame

Fun, orange and gray shoes

These shoes didn't disappoint! Orion was so excited to put them on and run, run, run. Orion has been wearing them daily for the last couple weeks to preschool both for outdoor playground time and indoor P.E. time and they are working great and holding up well. 

Buying shoes online without trying them on first can be tricky. I used the Bobux i-walk sizing guide provided on their website. Orion measured 6 1/4 inches but I decided to go with the size 27 because he had outgrown his last pair of tennis shoes in 9.5. The 27 is a bit big and the size 26, which was recommended by the sizing chart would have fit him perfectly. My advice is go with the measurement size even if it doesn't correspond to the U.S. shoe size you typically buy your toddler. Even being a little big Orion has been able to wear the shoes just fine and they'll end up lasting him longer.

Happy boy modeling his new shoes

Watch Orion run in his fast, new Bobux shoes!

Check out Bobux's website for their full selection of shoes for babies and toddlers. You can also follow Bobux on Facebook where they partner with other companies each Friday for Friday Freeday giveaways.

I was provided this pair of shoes at no charge in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Valentine's Gift

Valentine's Day, it seems like it's a holiday that people love or hate. On one hand you have people who are hopeless romantics and love to celebrate love! On the other hand you have people who don't like Valentine's Day. They think it is a commercial holiday or they're single or have lost in love. 

Nate and I fall somewhere in the middle. With my birthday falling exactly one week before Valentine's Day we don't often do a separate Valentine's celebration. With 4 kids at home, sneaking away for 1 day in 1 week is about all we can muster. We will often do a big birthday/Valentine celebration in between my birthday (February 7th) and Valentine's Day. We even got engaged on February 10th 9 years ago on one of our birthday/Valentine's Day dates. 

This year our Valentine's gift came a little early. In looking for unique and fun gifts I cam across this fun site: www.uncommongoods.com There were so many different things: Valentine's gift here, anniversary gifts for him that would make great Valentine's gifts here, or anniversary gifts for her that would make great Valentine's gifts here. There were so many fun things it was hard for me to decide. Uncommongoods endeavors to feature unique designs and handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment and without harm to animals or people.

Scratch Map packaging

Instructions

Scratch Map laid out

I decided on the scratch map because I have a bit of wanderlust. Travel makes my heart happy and I can't wait to see more of the world. I am always planning our next trip. Right now we have a March National Parks camping trip, a July National Parks camping trip, and a Disney Cruise next January, already planned.

Ready for fun

Before the scratching began

A lot of my travels have been within the United States with the exception of Mexico and the Bahamas. I do plan to visit all 50 states and want to add many more countries to my list of places visited. 

Hard at work

Revealing all the places I've visited

Orion was excited to hear about all my adventures

It was so fun to think about all the places I have visited. All the different states. We even had to pull out a road atlas and think about a few. That is a lot of blue showing in the United States. It looks like I need to plan 4 road trips to hit the rest of the states I haven't been, Northwest, Great Lakes, Southeast, and Northeast. Can't wait for that to happen!

Western hemisphere has a good start

So many states!

I can't wait to get the scratch map from Uncommongoods put up in my loft so we can scratch off our adventures as we take them.

I was compensated for this post by Uncommongoods and provided a product for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Fitted Sheet Battle is Real!

So easy, a 3 year old can do it all by himself!

The battle is real! Fitted sheets can be a real pain, especially if you have a racecar bed like my toddler or even a crib or bunk bed. With the racecar bed I literally have to climb into the bed, struggle with the mattress, sometimes even pull out the entire mattress. What a pain!

Orion's racecar bed

I recently learned about a product that makes changing fitted sheets a breeze. QuickZip makes sheets that zip on and off for easy changing. The idea is simple, there are two pieces: a base and a zip on top sheet. The base should never really needed changed. If the zip on top piece gets wet or dirty, simply zip on a new one. How much easier is that? Especially in the middle of the night, which is when it always seems like kids sheets need changing.

So soft

The sheet we received was a super soft, white minky fabric. All my toddler keeps saying is, "Mom, my sheets are SO soft!" He loves them. The bed still looks neat, and clean. The sheet fits well. The sheet is also safe for infants and toddlers. It cannot just pop off.

Bed is all made up and ready to go

Close up of the soft minky and zipper pull system

The zipper and zipper pull are both sturdy and can withstand toddler style tugging and pulling (as you saw in the video). We've only had the sheets a couple weeks but I would think they would last for a long time. If you are frustrated with trying to wrangle your fitted sheet onto your crib, bunk bed, or specialty bed, like Orion's racecar bed, this is a great solution. Orion and I are very happy with his new sheets. Visit the QuickZip website for more information about how to purchase the QuickZip sheets. 

Ready for a night of racing!

Disclosure Statement: I was paid for this post but all opinions are mine only.

*Giveaway Closed* Custom Photo Thank You Cards: Review and Giveaway

We decided to use evite for Orion's birthday invitations to make it easier for people to RSVP. I knew I wanted to make custom thank you cards so people could see one of Orion's cute 12 month photos. I am just learning photography so the photos didn't turn out great. Even early in the morning the sun was very bright but I did capture some cute expressions from Orion.

Tiny Prints has the cutest custom cards and highest quality of any of the companies I have used. There were a lot of non-photo options but I knew I wanted something with his photo in it. After browsing the site a bit I decided on the Daydreaming Today: White folded thank you cards. I was able to even have the envelopes printed with his name and our return address. I've already received several compliments on how the cards turned out.

Giveaway:

Tiny Prints is giving away 30 free thank you cards to one of my readers! Simply comment below with your email address and name and you'll be entered to win. Giveaway ends 6/9/2013 at 9pm MST. Giveaway open to U.S. residents.

Discount Codes:

Tiny Print discount codes can be found at: http://www.tinyprints.com/promo/tiny-prints-coupon-codes-promotions.htm

*I was provided with a set of custom thank you cards in order to facilitate the review. Tiny Prints is providing the 30 free thank you cards for the giveaway. This review is not paid and all statements in the review are solely my opinion.

*Winner chosen through random.org was comment 8: Sarah. Congratulations!

*Giveaway Closed* Orion's Birth Announcements!

I am so happy with how Orion's birth announcements from Tiny Prints turned out! I love receiving baby announcements from family and friends and knew I wanted to send some out announcing Orion's birth. A lot of people are on Facebook and use the internet to spread the news of their baby's birth but nothing can beat a high quality print in your hand with all the baby's stats. I still can't get over how stinking cute these are. Having such an adorable baby doesn't hurt anything either.

We hired a photographer to do a newborn session with Orion at 6 days old so we had professional photos to use with our announcement which made the announcements even better. We had so many great photos it was hard for me to chose just one but I do like the look of one big photo on the front of the announcement. I was really happy that there was an option with Tiny Prints to print photos on the back of the announcement as well. This way I was able to choose my favorite photo for the front of the announcement and put three smaller photos on the back of the announcement.

Such a precious memento of my sweet boy's birth! I've received many compliments on the announcements already.

Want to win 30 free party invitations plus free shipping?

Tiny Prints is giving one of my readers 30 free party invitations plus free shipping. Just leave a comment on this post with your name, email, and what party you would order these invitations for (baby shower, birthday party, etc.). Giveaway ends Friday, July 6th at 9pm Mountain Time and is open to U.S. residents.

*I was provided with a set of baby announcements at no charge in order to facilitate this review. Tiny Prints is providing the party invitations for the giveaway. This review is not paid and all statements in the review are solely my opinion.

*Kaitlin Boles is the winner as chosen by random.org. Kaitlin please email me at comichelle51 at hotmail dot com by 7/12/2012. Your email address is not listed in your comment or in your profile. If I do not hear from Kaitlin I will draw another winner.

Maternity Clothes

Finding cute and stylish maternity clothes is quite the challenge. 12 years ago when I was pregnant with Brennan maternity clothes were even more frumpy. I was excited to be contacted by Seraphine, maker of stylish and fashionable maternity clothes. Their clothes are even a favorite among celebrities .

The hardest part about finding cute maternity clothes that fit well is the different stages of pregnancy. This being my 2nd pregnancy I began to show early, around 10 weeks along. I was pretty thin before getting pregnant and wore a size 4 or 6 depending upon the brand. According to all the maternity sizing charts this would make me a size small. I am also tall though so in pants and long sleeve shirts small typically doesn't fit me. I did buy some size small stuff at the beginning of my pregnancy because my pre-pregnancy clothes didn't fit and medium and large seemed huge at that point. Those things lasted until about 25 weeks when some of them began to feel very snug. I then invested a a few medium and large items which lasted me through the middle stage of my pregnancy. I am now 39 weeks pregnant and for the last few weeks not much fits or is comfortable anymore.

I decided to review the Blue Wash Straight Leg Maternity Jeans when I was first contacted by Seraphine, in my 22nd week of pregnancy. At the time it was cold outside and I have a few pairs of cute knee boots I was dying to wear but tucking my boot cut maternity jeans into them wasn't going to cut it. A cute pair of skinny jeans was just the right thing. Based upon their sizing charts of my pre-pregnancy size I would wear a Seraphine size 1 (US size 4) or Seraphine size 2 (US size 6). I went with the Seraphine size 2 because I had gained some weight and didn't want the pants to be too tight. Shipping was very quick but unfortunately the jeans were too tight to be comfortable. After talking with my contact at Seraphine and describing my fit problems they suggested going up two sizes to a Seraphine size 4. My contact indicated that the smaller sizes are cut slimmer through the butt and hips and that was where the jeans were too tight. I am glad I went with the size 4. They are comfortable even at this stage in pregnancy and don't look sloppy at all. Colorado has had an unseasonably warm spring so I haven't gotten to wear them with boots but I think they look cute with ballet flats too. Another thing I like about not having a full belly panel is that these jeans will work for the postpartum period when my pre-pregnancy clothes still don't fit but I don't want to be wearing frumpy, full belly panel, maternity jeans. 

Check out the pictures yourself, the jeans are super cute, even at 37.5 weeks pregnant!

Disclosure statement: I was provided a pair of jeans at no charge by Seraphine in order to facilitate this review. All statements and opinions are my own.

*Giveaway Closed* Review and Giveaway: SmartSeat Chair Protector

The winner is:

Amanda

I could have used those back when we has WHITE cloth seats. What were we thinking?

Random.org

2

Thanks to everyone who entered!

I was recently contacted by Rebecca Rabson from PB&J Discoveries regarding their SmartSeat Chair Protector. Becky is a stay-at-home mom and recently started a small company to manufacture waterproof, stain-resistant, and machine washable chair covers for dinning room and kitchen chairs. I like to try to support small businesses when I can, especially mom-owned so I thought this product was right up my alley.

Becky sent me a chair cover for review and is doing a giveaway for one of my readers!


Review

My original dinning room chair

The SmartSeat installed snugly

Front

Back

Side

Other side

Straps as they are installed on my chair

Pros:

-Protects your chair! This is the biggest pro and by far most important. We got our dinning room set on Craigslist from a family with 4 kids. Our 3 kids have beat it up. The only reason the top picture looks good is because that is our 6th chair that no one ever sits in. When I invest in a good, new dinning room set I will definitely consider some sort of chair protectors, especially for the 3 chairs the kids sit in.

-Attractive. Besides the navy cover shown, there is also a tan cover available. I would suspect either tan or navy would fit into the decor of most homes.

-Easy to install. The chair cover took me less than 5 minutes to install. I skimmed over the instructions, installed as suggested and was done. They also have how-to videos on the SmartSeat Chair Protector website.

-Affordable. $14.99-$19.99 per chair cover depending upon how many you purchase.

-Washable. A waterproof chair cover that is machine washable, how great is that?

Cons

-Fit varies from chair to chair. For my chair I used the "small chair" installation guidelines and crossed the straps for a tighter fit. I was able to get the top, front, and back, smooth and almost perfect. The only part that had some gaping was the side. On my chair I think I small piece of scotch tape would do the trick to hold it in place.

-Look. While made to look like original cushion, when looking closely you can tell there is a cover on the chair.

Overall I was very pleased and thought it is a great, innovative product.

Giveaway

PB&J Discoveries is giving one of my readers one of their SmartSeat Chair Protectors in your choice of tan or navy.

First entry: leave a comment regarding how a SmartSeat Chair Protector could help you; tell me how messy your kids (or hubby) are, tell me how you hate your current dinning room cushions, anything. This entry is mandatory and must be made before any other entries will count. Your email address must be in your comment as well.

Additional entries, you must leave a separate comment in each entry:

-Subscribe to or follow my blog. Current subscribers and followers count.

-Follow me on Twitter @dishes_laundry

-Follow PB&J Discoveries on Twitter @SmartSeatCover

-Tweet about this giveaway. Once a day, leave a comment for each tweet. Just copy and paste into Twitter: Got messy kids? Want to protect your chairs? Win a @SmartSeatCover from @dishes_laundry http://tinyurl.com/23eyofz

-Like SmartSeat Chair Covers on their Facebook Fan Page.

-Blog about this giveaway, linking to both There Must Be More To Life Than Dishes and Laundry... and SmartSeat Chair Protectors.

Giveaway ends Monday, November 29th at 9:00PM EST. Contest is open to U.S. residents only. Winner will be chosen via random.org. Winner will be contacted via email and have 48 hours to claim their prize.

Good luck!

Disclosure statement: I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are mine and mine alone. I was sent one chair cover to test out to facilitate the review process.

*Giveaway Has Ended* Review and Giveaway: Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind

By: Phillip Done

My Review

This book is a cute, fun, easy read. Having worked with children for the past 16 years and having three elementary aged children myself, I found the book quite amusing.

Phillip Done organizes the book into the months of the school year and includes sub topics in each month. Chapter titles go from August-June, with subtopics such as Fly on the Wall, Vanilla Wafers, The Tooth Fairy, Cursive, and Lunch Time. Each chapter is filled with little stories and events that coordinate with that month in the school year.

Having elementary aged children myself I appreciated the insight into the day-to-day classroom life of a teacher. Teachers have a hard job and as parents I don't think we can truly appreciate all a teacher does unless we have done it ourselves.

Kids truly are hilarious, often without really trying to be. The book is filled with cute stories and funny things kids say and do. Having volunteered in my daughter's 1st grade class weekly, I can attest that kids really are this funny.

The book is very lighthearted and easy to read. Several of the incidents that happened or things kids said to Mr. Done, truly made me laugh out loud.

At the end of the day, the book put a smile on my face, and made me appreciate even more what teachers do for our children. I would highly recommend it!

Giveaway

Hachette Book Group has agreed to giveaway a copy of Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind by Phillip Done to one of my readers!

First Entry:

-Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite book is and why. This entry is required for your other entries to count.

Additional Entries:

-Subscribe to my feed and leave a separate comment.

-Subscribe to my feed via email and leave a separate comment.

-Follow my blog via Google friend connect and leave a separate comment (current followers also count).

-Blog about this giveaway and link back to the giveaway. Leave a comment with the link to your post.

-Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Leave a comment with a link to your tweet. You can tweet once a day for an additional entry. Just copy and paste: @dishes_laundry is giving away a copy of the book Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind http://www.dishesandlaundry.com/2010/04/review-and-giveaway-close-encounters-of.html

Please leave your email address in your entries. You cannot win if I cannot contact you!

Contest ends 4/25/2010 at 9:00pm EST. Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada. Mailing address of winner cannot be a P.O. Box. Winner will be drawn using random.org. Winner will be contacted via email and have 48 hours to claim their prize.

Good luck!

*I was provided a copy of the book by Hachette Book Group to facilitate the review. Hachette Book Group is also providing a copy of the book to one of my readers for the giveaway. This is not a paid review and all statements in the review are solely my opinion.

20% off at Kaskey Kids (Sports Action Figures Set)

I did a review and giveaway of the Kaskey Kids Sports Action Figures product back in September. You can read the review here.

They are offering my readers 20% through January 1st. Just use the code "holiday" at checkout for 20% off http://www.kaskeykids.com/ . I know a lot of you are trying to finish up your holiday shopping and a lot of you are shopping online so I thought I would share the wealth. Who doesn't enjoy 20% off?

Happy shopping!

Disclaimer: As indicated in my review/giveaway post I was not compensated by Kaskey Kids but simply provided one Sports Action Figures Set ($24.99 value) to review. In the end I even donated the product to my children's school after one of my readers commented how her students would love this for indoor recess. With all the rain here in Maryland my kids get a lot of indoor recess.

*Giveaway has ended* Kaskey Kids Sports Action Figures Review and Giveaway

I was contacted by Kaskey Kids inquiring about whether I would be interested in reviewing their Sports Action Figures product. This is my first product review so I was very excited. Kaskey Kids is also offering a discount to anyone who purchases this toy during my giveaway as well as giving away any of their sports action figures of the winners choice to one of my lucky winners (value $24.99)

Review:

The product says it is for ages 3-9 but to be honest with you I was not sure my 9 year old son would be interested in this product. I had him look at the website with me and asked if he was interested or if he thought we should get the Soccer Girls product for FiFi to try since it seemed more age appropriate for her (she is 6 years old). He said get the soccer girls so we sent off our request.

Neither of my girls has been very into action figures per se but they do like Polly Pockets and Littlest Pet Shop which are similar to action figures. B was very into action figures from the ages of 4-6 and would've loved this product at that time.

The kids were very excited when we got the package in the mail.

Here is what the box looks like:

Funny part was B was most excited and was intent on setting up the toys and reading the rules.

Here is a shot of the soccer match ready to start:

Wyn and B in the midst of their tough competition:

The good:

-The toys are sturdy and look like they would last many years.

-The game has no set rules and encourages imaginative play. Big plus!

-The toy is unique. I haven't seen anything similar in stores.

-They offer several different choices of sports depending upon your child's interest, football, college football, baseball, hockey, soccer girls, and soccer guys.

-The soccer girls is a great toy for girls interested in sports. It gets away from the typical gender roles and the girl action figures are even a variety of races.

The Drawbacks:

-The company markets the toys for ages 3-9. I think these toys are better suited to children ages 3-6. In my opinion those are the ages are most interested in imaginative play.

-While my kids really enjoyed playing with these toys I have to be honest they haven't came out of the toy box since. I think this mainly has to do with my kids being in the upper part of the age range. My kids are at the age that they rarely play with anything in their toy boxes. They are more interested in reading, playing outside with their friends, playing DS, and watching TV.

The Discount:

Anyone who purchases any of the Sports Action Figures from the Kaskey Kids website
http://www.kaskeykids.com/ will receive 10% with the code "GoGuys".

The Giveaway:

Kaskey Kids is giving one of my lucky readers a Sports Action Figure set of their choice.

Here are the details:

Visit their website http://www.kaskeykids.com/ and let me know which set you would choose if you win. This entry is mandatory and other entries will not count unless this entry is completed first.

Please leave your email in all your entries.

Additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

-Follow my blog. Current followers also count.

-Blog about this contest linking to both my blog and Kaskey Kids.

-Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can tweet once a day for an additional entry each day just don't forget to leave a separate comment for each tweet. Just copy and paste into Twitter: Win Kaskey Kids Sport Action Figures Set @brennbug http://brennbug.blogspot.com/2009/09/kaskey-kids-sports-action-figures.html.

Contest ends at 8:00pm EST Friday, October 2, 2009. Contest is open to U.S. residents. Winner will be drawn using Random.org. Winner will be contacted via email and have 48 hours to claim their prize.

Good luck!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated to provide this review and giveaway besides being provided one Sports Action Figures Set (value $24.99). All statements in this review are my personal opinion and not the statements or opinions of the Kaskey Kids.