Kidorable Ballerina Collection {Review & Giveaway}

A few months ago I was introduced to Kidorable and had the pleasure of reviewing some items from their Fairy Collection. I absolutely love their products and was so excited when I was contacted about reviewing their new Ballerina Collection!

If this is the first time you have heard of Kidorable, you must check out all of the adorable products they offer. They make clothing, rain wear and accessories for kids, toddlers and babies. Every single item on their website is so cute, and Rylie and I think their products are great!

We received the Ballerina Rain Coat for review. This new line is perfect for Rylie since she has been talking about ballet a lot lately. When I showed her the products on the website, she was so excited that she was going to get one of them!

The rain coat is absolutely adorable! Like everything else we have tried from Kidorable, the rain coat is high quality. It is made from PVC, with a comfortable polyester lining. No water is going to get through it. The design on the coat is so pretty, and is sure to delight the ballerina in your life!

Adorable, right? Rylie was excited to try it on, and didn't want to take it off, even though it is a little big on her. Her Fairy rain coat is a 2T, so I ordered this one in a 3T so she could grow into it by the time our rainy season gets here. The sizes on the coats run pretty true.

The Ballerina Rain Coat can be purchased from Kidorable.com for $36. Other items in the Ballerina Collection include a Backpack, Rain Boots and Umbrella. It is all so cute!

Kidorable also makes the cutest knitwear, including hats, scarves and gloves. From now through Valentine’s Day, February 14th, Kidorable makes it easy to say ‘I love you’ to the special children in your life with a FREE pair of their adorable Heart Gloves with any purchase of $20 or more. Just hop on over to http://www.kidorable.com/ and use coupon code LOVEYOU at checkout to get your FREE pair of Heart Gloves. You will need to add the heart gloves to your cart first.

I highly recommend Kidorable's products!

~*~One of my readers is going to win a Kidorable Ballerina Umbrella!~*~

*For another chance to win, enter the Kidorable Giveaway at Shibley Smiles!*

Mandatory entry: (This must be done in order for any optional entries to count) Check out all of the adorable products by Kidorable and tell me another product (including style) you would like to have.

Optional entries: After you make the mandatory first entry above, you can get one extra entry (unless stated otherwise) for each of the following (please leave a separate comment for each):

* Like Kidorable on Facebook (feel free to let them know The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! sent you)
* Follow @Kidorable on Twitter
* Follow my blog publicly with Google Friend Connect (left sidebar)
* Subscribe to my blog by email and confirm your subscription (left sidebar)
* Like The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial)
* Share this post on Facebook by clicking the Facebook icon at the bottom of this post
* Follow @thelifeofrylie on Twitter (leave your user name)
* Tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting this tweet and leaving me the link to your tweet (you can tweet daily for an extra entry each day):

RT @thelifeofrylie Enter to #win a super cute Ballerina Umbrella from @Kidorable! http://bit.ly/eWPgZR #giveaway

* Post my button on your sidebar or your blog roll for TWO extra entries (leave me two comments with a link to where I can find it)
* Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post for THREE extra entries (leave a link to your post in three separate comments)

Giveaway will end on February 15th at 9:00pm EST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. I will notify the winner by email within 24 hours, and you will have 48 hours to respond. If no response is received within that time frame, I will pick another winner. Please leave your email address or make sure it is in your profile so I will have a way to contact you. I will announce the winner once they have been confirmed. This giveaway is open to residents of the US.

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion. I received the Kidorable Ballerina Rain Coat at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. A big Thank You to Kidorable for providing the giveaway prize!

Goodbye Old Friend

Cosmo Canis Major

May 19, 2001 - January 28, 2011

It is with great sadness that I write this post. We lost a beloved family member last Friday. Just last week I introduced you to the furry members of our family, and it breaks my heart to tell you that Cosmo is no longer with us.

Friday was my off day, so Brian got up first like he usually does on my Fridays off. When he woke me up so that I could get up and get the kids ready he said "Cosmo isn't feeling good today. He won't even get up." I went out to the family room to check on him and he wouldn't even pick his head up. He didn't want to eat his breakfast, so I thought maybe his stomach was upset. When I was making breakfast for the kids and opened the peanut butter (they eat peanut butter on their waffles), he didn't come running out to the kitchen like he normally does. That is when I knew something was really wrong.

We got the kids off to school and decided that Cosmo needed to go to the vet. Since I had just gotten up and was still in my pajamas, Brian was going to take him. He put his leash on him and told him to come on, and Cosmo didn't move. He tried to help him to stand up and he couldn't even stand on his feet. His back feet just kept buckling under him. So the two of us carried him out to the truck (he was 80 pounds) and they left for the vet. I thought he was having a stroke the way he couldn't get up. I jumped in the shower, because I figured I would need to meet them there.

Shortly after I got out of the shower I got a text from Brian that said "Prognosis isn't good." I jumped into the car and drove to the vet as fast as I could. When I got there, Cosmo was laying on a blanket in one of the rooms. They had taken xrays and found that he had a tumor on his spleen that ruptured and he was bleeding internally. He had lost a lot of blood and was very weak. The vet painted a very grim picture. He said that it is very common for golden retrievers to get a cancer called hemangiosarcoma and he thought that is what it probably was. They could do surgery to remove his spleen in order to get the bleeding stopped, but if it was hemangiosarcoma it would spread and within three months would probably be in his lungs. However, if it wasn't cancer and was just a benign tumor, he would be fine and could live another few years, barring any other issues. He didn't say it in so many words, but he basically recommended that we put him to sleep.

I couldn't do it. I could not put Cosmo to sleep not knowing for sure that it was that kind of cancer. The vet even said they didn't see it spreading on the xrays they took, so there was a possibility it was just a benign tumor. I felt like we owed it to Cosmo to try to save him, and wanted to do whatever we could for him. He was healthy. He played frisbee every day, and never had any health issues. He had just played frisbee the night before and was running around like normal. There was a possibility that he would be OK, and I held onto hope that he would.

We agreed to the surgery and signed the consent forms. I told Cosmo that I loved him and to be strong and pull through. They had been pulling him around on a big blanket and when the tech started pulling him out of the room he looked at us and wagged his tail. The vet said they had to get some fluids in him and stabilize him before they could do the surgery, so they probably wouldn't be done until 3:00 or so.

At 1:30 my phone rang. When I saw the vet come up on the caller ID my heart sank. I knew it was too early for him to be calling me. He said that the surgery went well. There were a lot of tumors on his spleen and even some on his liver, but they removed the spleen and stopped the bleeding. As they were closing him up, Cosmo went into cardiac arrest and they couldn't get his heart started back up. He didn't make it.

My heart is broken. Cosmo was a trusted companion and a loyal friend. He was a member of our family. He was a gentle giant. For the last 9 1/2 years he has been by my side.

I wish I could say that I love all of my pets the same, but I loved Cosmo just a little bit more. There was just something about him. There was that special something in his eyes. I feel like I lost one of my best friends.

I feel guilty. I'm overwhelmed with guilt that I let my dogs take a backseat to my kids. There were so many nights that we came home and Cosmo was so happy to see us, but I just walked right past him because I had my hands full and had two hungry, cranky kids to deal with. There were many days last summer when he sat by the sliding glass doors longing to come swimming with us, and we didn't let him because it was too much to deal with since the kids were in the pool too. But he didn't hold a grudge. He was still overjoyed to see me every time I walked through the door. I patted his head every night and told him how much I loved him. Was that enough? Probably not. But I hope he knew how much he was loved.

He didn't suffer. That is the only good part of this tragic story. The vet said he wasn't in any pain when we brought him in. He was asleep when he went in to surgery and never knew what happened. I feel good about my decision to try to help him, and I'm glad that I didn't agree to have him put to sleep. We did everything we could to try and save him. My last memory of him was of him wagging his tail, and that is what I want to hold on to.

Brian did some research over the weekend and found that over 65% of golden retrievers die from cancer. Unfortunately Chloe is also a golden retriever, and even worse, she shares his DNA. I have to somehow put that out of my mind and not constantly worry about the same thing happening to her. I can tell that she misses her brother. She has been just laying around for most of the weekend, and she acts like she doesn't know what to do. Cosmo was definitely the leader of the pack.

Even though this post is so ridiculously long, I cannot even put into words how sad I am right now. A piece of my heart died along with Cosmo. I loved him so very much, and I will miss him terribly.

Yoplait Fiber One Blueberry {Review & Giveaway}

Who is still sticking to their new year's resolution to lose weight? I, personally, don't make new year's resolutions because I never stick to them, but I am still trying to lose weight. Losing weight is a constant battle for me. My biggest downfall is snacking. When I get bored, I eat. I find that even if I eat healthy meals, my snacks are far from healthy.

According to a recent survey by Yoplait Fiber One, Americans are fed up with flavorless, boring snacks – and claim they are a contributor to diet failure.

With 50 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat, Yoplait Fiber One Blueberry yogurt is a perfect solution, packed with real fruit and the great taste of blueberries that you’ll love. As an added bonus, the deliciously creamy yogurt also contains vitamins A and D and is a good source of calcium.

I was sent a Fiber One Blueberry yogurt gift pack to review. The gift pack included a VIP Coupon for a free sample of the Fiber One Blueberry yogurt, as well as a fitness journal and pen, sport towel, water bottle and blueberry stress ball.

We tried the yogurt over the weekend. Unfortunately, the first thing I noticed when I looked at the packaging is that the yogurt contains aspartame. I don't like any artificial sweeteners, but I wanted to taste it anyway. Yoplait makes great products that I eat regularly, so I wanted to at least give this new yogurt a try. I thought it tasted pretty good, but I could still taste the aspartame, so I have to be honest and say it isn't something I will eat regularly. My husband, on the other hand, doesn't mind artificial sweeteners and thought it tasted great. This yogurt will be a good mid-day snack for him. We both like the fact that it has 5 grams of fiber in it.

If you want to try this yogurt for yourself, you can download a printable coupon for $1.00 off the purchase of a 4-pack of Fiber One Blueberry yogurt today. Make sure you check out Yolplait on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with their latest and greatest product news.

~*~One of my readers is going to win a Fiber One Blueberry Yogurt Gift Pack!~*~

Gift pack includes a *VIP Coupon for a free sample of the yogurt, as well as a fitness journal and pen, sport towel, water bottle and blueberry stress ball. *The coupon  for Yoplait Fiber One Blueberry yogurt is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota and Tennessee.

Mandatory entry: (This must be done in order for any optional entries to count) Leave a comment and let me know what time of day you plan on enjoying the new Blueberry flavor of Fiber One yogurt.

Optional entries: After you make the mandatory first entry above, you can get one extra entry (unless stated otherwise) for each of the following (please leave a separate comment for each):

* Follow @YoplaitYogurt on Twitter
* Like Yoplait on Facebook
* Follow my blog publicly with Google Friend Connect (left sidebar)
* Subscribe to my blog by email and confirm your subscription (left sidebar)
* Like The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial)
* Share this post on Facebook by clicking the Facebook icon at the bottom of this post
* Follow @thelifeofrylie on Twitter (leave your user name)
* Tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting this tweet and leaving me the link to your tweet (you can tweet daily for an extra entry each day):

RT @thelifeofrylie Enter to #win a Fiber One Blueberry gift pack from @YoplaitYogurt! http://bit.ly/gxiu3d #giveaway #myblogspark

* Post my button on your sidebar or your blog roll for TWO extra entries (leave me two comments with a link to where I can find it)
* Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post for THREE extra entries (leave a link to your post in three separate comments)

Giveaway will end on February 14th at 9:00pm EST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. I will notify the winner by email within 24 hours, and you will have 48 hours to respond. If no response is received within that time frame, I will pick another winner. Please leave your email address or make sure it is in your profile so I will have a way to contact you. I will announce the winner once they have been confirmed. This giveaway is open to residents of the US. (The coupon for Yoplait Fiber One Blueberry yogurt is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota and Tennessee.)

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion. I received the Fiber One Blueberry yogurt gift pack from Yoplait and Fiber One through My Blog Spark at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. A big Thank You to Yoplait and Fiber One for providing the giveaway prize!

Relax & Surf Sunday - January 30th {Blog Hop Linky}

<a href="http://www.thelifeofrylie.com/search/label/Relax%20Surf%20Sunday" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2eSxTWKaaAE/TGbrQsbCvMI/AAAAAAAABPg/Ie5kUQ9qQVk/s320/SundayButton.jpg" title="Relax & Surf Sunday" /></a>

Welcome to Relax & Surf Sunday, with your hostesses The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! and Shibley Smiles! This is a great blog hop for everyone to make new friends! You can find some new blogs to check out, and also get your blog out there and gain some new followers.

Here are the rules...

Wait, there are no rules! That is the whole point behind "Relax & Surf". We just want you to relax, and surf around as much as you want to. You don't have to make a post. You don't have to post our button. You don't even have to follow us. Of course we hope you like our blogs and will want to follow us, and we WILL follow back! Just add your blog to our linky at the bottom of this post, and visit as many blogs as you would like to. If you decide to follow a new blog, make sure you leave them a comment so they will know you are following them.

Each week we will randomly select one blog from the previous week's entries to be our featured blog for that week. If that blog happens to be yours, you will get a cute little button to display on your blog, and you will also get the #3 spot for that week!

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Our Featured Blogger this week is "Deal"icious Mom!

"Deal"icious Mom is the place to go find the sweetest deals on and off the web from daily freebies and deals to money saving tips and coupons. Plus weekly giveaways and product reviews really sweeten the deals up as well!

As for me, my name is Sara. I am a wife, mom of two crazy boys (4 and 1 year), a special education high school teacher, a very dedicated deal hunter, and blogger. As you can see my life in nothing short of crazy! I love to share all my deals and steals with my readers so I would love for you to stop by and follow!

You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook

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Link up below and have fun! Thanks for stopping by!

This linky will be posted every Saturday night at 9PM EST. Please link to your blog's main page only.

Saturday Playdate - Clark Family

Welcome to another fun Saturday Playdate! Today we're playing with Nicole from Clark Family! Nicole is a super busy work at home mom. I don't know how she does it! She has three adorable kids - Kendric, Cadence and Kaelis. Her blog is a cute mommy blog about their lives, and there are always pictures of those cute little ones!

When you're done here, please check out Nicole's blog. Leave her a comment and let her know you stopped by from the playdate.

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I want to thank LeeAnn for inviting to the playdate. I was very excited when she asked me.

My name is Nicole and my blog is the Clark family blog. My blog is about life and the ups and downs and timeline of our life as now a family of 5. I enjoy blogging so much, but finding time to do it is tricky. I have enjoyed so much meeting other moms through blogging. I would consider them all my blogging friends. I wish I could meet all of them one day. I started blogging to keep my family updated with our lives, but then found that I enjoyed learning things from other moms and knowing that I was not the only one that felt overwhelmed at times and not being able to keep up with everyday tasks.

I am a mom of 3. Kendric is 5, Cadence is 31/2 and Kaelis is 4 months. I work full time from home and enjoy being able to stay home with my kids, but still have an income. I run a daycare out of my basement and enjoy it, but at the end of the day I am so exhausted from running after children, that it is hard to keep up with everyday duties and trying to be patient with my kids at night. I get excited at night because I know it is time to blog soon and catch up with everyone. It is like my relaxing bath at night. LOL! I just sit and blog. Awww! I would eventually like to host some giveaways and become a person who tries different things and then blogs about it.

My husband says I am a blogaholic! I am all for admitting it. He has his xbox, I have my blogs. What is the difference?

I hope you enjoyed your playdate with me. I enjoyed it and hope you stop by to say hi.

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Thanks for stopping by for our playdate! I hope you had fun! If you would like to come over for a playdate, let me know in a comment or an email.

Weekend Win It - January 29-30 {Giveaway Linky}

Welcome to Weekend Win It! This is a great way to spread the word about your giveaways, or find some great ones to enter! And remember...you don't need to be a blogger to enter these giveaways! All you need to do is know how to leave a comment. It's that easy!

I have a few great giveaways going on right now!

Fix droopy drawers in a snap with Dapper Snappers! These little toddler belts are awesome! Enter to win a $25 Dapper Snappers Gift Certificate at my Dapper Snappers Giveaway!

If you like to shave or brush your teeth in the shower, you need this awesome Fogless Shower Mirror by ToiletTree Products! It is truly fogless, AND it stays on the wall. For your chance to win one of these great mirrors, enter my Fogless Mirror Giveaway!

With over 200 stores, you can find just about anything you need for your home at CSN Stores! Enter for your chance to win an $85 Gift Certificate at my CSN Stores Giveaway!

EatSmart focuses on helping people obtain healthy lifestyles! Enter my EatSmart Giveaway for your chance to win a Digital Bathroom Scale!

Do your kids like candy? Do they like to make stuff? If you answered yes to both of those questions, you have got to check out these great Make Your Own Candy Kits from Glee Gum! Right now you can enter for a chance to win one of these fun kits at my Make Your Own Candy Kit Giveaway!

Here are some great giveaways that I found this week...

Cool Gear keeps your food and drinks cool! Check out this awesome Cool Gear Giveaway over at Shibley Smiles for your chance to win a Stay Fit Deluxe Cereal Bowl and StayFit Snack Mini!

Gift giving is so much easier with RedEnvelope and their selection of unique gifts! Enter the RedEnvelope Giveaway at Thanks, Mail Carrier for your chance to win a Valentine's Day Gift!

Remember the candy you ate as a kid? Old Time Candy has these really cool "decade boxes" that include all of your old favorites. Enter to win a box of candy from your decade at the Old Time Candy Giveaway at One 2 Try.

My kids love trains! I know they would love this great Wooden Railway Set from Melissa & Doug. You can enter to win one at the Wooden Railway Giveaway at A Mom's Balancing Act.

What are you waiting for? Head over and enter these great giveaways now! And if you are hosting a giveaway (or twenty), please link them up below! I would love to find some other great giveaways to enter! Please come back and let me know if you win a giveaway that you found at Weekend Win It.

Have a great weekend!

*Please enter giveaways in this format: Blog Name - Giveaway - End Date. Thanks!

Five Question Friday - January 28th

Yay! It's Friday! And it's an off Friday for me, so that makes it even better. This week started off pretty horribly with my sweet Rylie having to go through some medical tests, but everything turned out OK and the week got better as it went on. Thank goodness! We actually had a pretty good week. Rylie was in an exceptionally good mood this week, and our mornings went by with no crying at school and our evenings have been fun. Bryce is teething something fierce and tries to bite everything he comes into contact with, but he has managed to stay in a pretty good mood too, considering.

So what is everyone up to this weekend? Today I'm having lunch with a friend at one of my favorite restaurants. It has been long overdue and I'm looking forward to catching up with her. On Saturday Rylie and I are going to Disney World! One of my good friends used to work there and has some passes that expire soon, so she invited a few of us to spend the day there with her. Rylie LOVES Disney World (she keeps saying we're going to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse LOL) so I know we will have a fabulous day. Sunday will be a day of rest, or at least as much of a day of rest as it can be with two toddlers.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

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Now for some Friday blogging fun! If you would like to play along with 5QF, head over to My Little Life and link up!

1. If you had $1,000 to donate to a charity, which would you choose?

Hmmmm. This is hard. There are so many worthwhile causes out there. I would probably go with March of Dimes. Luckily my pregnancies were uneventful for the most part and my kids were born healthy, but that isn't always the case. All babies deserve a fighting chance and the March of Dimes can give them that. With all of the advances in medicine, even babies born severely premature can go on to lead normal lives, and I am happy to support any organization that helps babies in any way.

2. Snow days: Do you welcome them happily or are they a pain in your butt?

What are snow days? LOL We don't get those here in Central Florida. But if I lived up north where it did snow, I'm sure I would welcome them. I would much rather stay cooped up in the house than deal with shoveling my car out of the snow and driving on icy roads.

3. What talent did you wish you had and why?

I have never really wished I had a talent. I used to dance, I played sports, and I have done most things I wanted to do. These days I wish I was a whiz at blog design like my friend Colleen at Shibley Smiles. I would love to make this blog look nicer and maybe change it up every now and then, but sadly, I am a total dummy when it comes to that stuff.

4. Are you a news, politics or celebrity gossip junkie?

No. I used to like celebrity gossip, but I don't have time for that these days. I do like to have the news on in the morning while I'm getting ready for work, just so I know what is going on in the world, but that is the extent of my news, politics and celebrity gossip.

5. What is your favorite "cocktail"? (Are you a beer person, a kiddie cocktail junkie, or perhaps your more the "Cosmo" kind?! Anything flies...doesn't hafta be alcoholic!)

Mojito! Yum! (Only if it is made correctly, though.)

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Don't forget to stop back by after 10PM EST tonight for my Weekend Win It giveaway linky, where you will find some great giveaways to enter, and you can also promote yours! Come on over on Saturday for Saturday Playdate and meet a fabulous guest blogger. Then come back on Sunday for Relax & Surf Sunday, where you can link up your blog and hop around on your own terms, with no rules!

I Really Am A Dog Person

I think I messed up when I posted my Wordless Wednesday picture yesterday. I had taken a picture of one of my cats sitting on the floor with Rylie's little toy dog and I thought it was cute. I tried to think of a witty caption for it, but when I couldn't, I just posted "My Kind Of Dog". Well, I meant that from the cat's point of view. You know, because cats don't generally like dogs? I could tell by the comments that a lot of people thought that was my point of view. Which it isn't. I really do like dogs!

So I thought I would take the opportunity to introduce you to the furry members of our family. We have 2 golden retrievers and 2 cats. It's a freaking zoo around here!

~*~Cosmo~*~

Cosmo is my big goofball! His birthday is May 19, 2001. Wow...he'll be 10 in a few months! We have had Cosmo since he was 6 weeks old. He loves to play frisbee and swim. He is getting up there in years (as if you couldn't tell by his grey face) and is slowing down a little bit, but can still snatch that frisbee out of the air like he was a puppy! He loves all people and animals. He is a big chicken when it storms or when you vacuum. He is a big, lovable guy!

~*~Chloe~*~

Chloe is my sweet girl. Her birthday is July 16, 2002. She has the same parents as Cosmo, and we have also had her since she was 6 weeks old. She loves to play ball and think she's a lap dog. She also loves people, but isn't too fond of most other dogs that come into our house...she has to always show them that she is the boss, and that doesn't always go over so well. She was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroid, and is on daily medication.

~*~Morgan~*~

I rescued Morgan from the SPCA in May of 1997 when he was around 6 weeks old. I actually got him so that my other cat (Smokee, who is no longer with us) would have a friend, but she didn't care much for him. He is pretty skittish and doesn't like to be held, but he has gotten much better over the years. He is a typical cat, and loves affection on his terms. He doesn't go near the kids and I certainly don't blame him for that.

~*~Shadow~*~

I rescued Shadow a few years ago. We think he is about the same age as Morgan. He was declawed and his owner kept putting him outside, so a friend that works with a rescue group took him in. I swear he thinks he is a dog. He loves all people and animals, and even the kids. He takes all of their abuse and comes back for more. He doesn't like to be picked up or carried, but will sit on your lap as long as you will let him.

So there they are, the other members of our family. They are my babies, even though I'm ashamed to admit that they have taken a backseat to the kids. The only problem with this zoo that I'm running here is the amount of hair, especially from the dogs! We can vacuum every day and still have hair everywhere. I didn't mind it before the kids, but now if they play on the floor, when they get up they look like golden retrievers themselves. We should own stock in those lint rollers!

So see, I really do like dogs! :-)

Make Your Own Candy Kits {Review & Giveaway}

Rylie loves gum! Her grandmother gave her a piece a few months ago and she was hooked. She does really well with it and knows to never swallow it and always spits it out when she is done. When I heard about the Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit from Glee Gum, I knew we had to try it out.

Before I tell you about all the fun we had with the kit, I want to tell you a little about Glee Gum. This is the description from their website:

Glee Gum is all natural chewing gum made with sustainably harvested rainforest chicle. It comes in SIX great flavors: cinnamon, peppermint, tangerine, bubblegum, spearmint, and triple berry. Glee Gum is the #1 healthy alternative to synthetic chewing gum and bubble gum! With no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners (no aspartame), or preservatives, it's easy to chew Glee-fully!

If Rylie is going to chew gum, Glee Gum is definitely the one I want her to chew. It doesn't contain any of those unpronounceable ingredients that you will find in most gum. I also like the fact that Glee Gum does not contain any of the eight major food allergens: milk, egg, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, or soybeans. Rylie was recently diagnosed with a severe tree nut allergy, so this is very important to me. The gum tastes great and keeps its chewing texture.

We received a Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit and six sample packs of Glee Gum for review.

The kit came with everything we needed to make our gum - chicle gum base, confectioner's sugar, corn syrup, 2 flavor packets and a black plastic pan.

We washed our hands and prepared our clean flat surface to make the gum on. The first step was to soften the corn syrup in boiling water. Then we prepared our kneading surface by sprinkling half of the confectioner's sugar onto a cutting board.

We melted the gum base in the microwave until it was soft enough to work with, and then mixed the softened corn syrup into it. Once it was mixed together (and super sticky!), we emptied it onto the sugar on the cutting board.

Then the real work began! We had to knead the gum mixture just like you would with bread dough. Of course Daddy had to do most of the work, but Rylie sure did have fun trying.

We then divided the dough into two parts and added a flavor packet to each part. The flavors were supposed to be peppermint and cherry, but Brian and I were sure the cherry smelled and tasted like cinnamon. Once the flavor packets had been added, we added the rest of the sugar and continued to knead, tug and pull on the gum.

The last step was to roll it out really thin and cut the gum into pieces.

And of course we had to chew some!

We really had a lot of fun with this, and the gum tastes really good! This would be a great activity for a cold or rainy day, and is something all kids would have fun with!

Just a little disclaimer: the kit is recommended for kids ages 8 and up. Rylie had fun with it, but couldn't really do all of the steps the way they needed to be done, so Brian had to do all of the hard work. Oh, and then there is always the mess factor when you let a 3 year old play with sugar...

There are three different Glee Kits available - Chewing Gum Kit, Gummy Candy Kit and Chocolate Kit. They can be purchased directly through Glee Gum's website for $13 per kit, or at many local retail stores. You can check the store locator to find the products near you.

Kids (and adults) will have so much fun with these kits! They are perfect for fun and learning, at home, in the classroom or in any group activity!

~*~One of my readers is going to win a Make Your Own Candy Kit!~*~

(Choice of kit is up to prize winner.)

Mandatory entry: (This must be done in order for any optional entries to count) Check out the Glee Gum FAQs and leave a comment telling me something you learned.

Optional entries: After you make the mandatory first entry above, you can get one extra entry (unless stated otherwise) for each of the following (please leave a separate comment for each):

* Follow @gleeguy on Twitter
* Like Glee Gum on Facebook (feel free to let them know The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! sent you)
* Follow my blog publicly with Google Friend Connect (left sidebar)
* Subscribe to my blog by email and confirm your subscription (left sidebar)
* Like The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial)
* Share this post on Facebook by clicking the Facebook icon at the bottom of this post
* Follow @thelifeofrylie on Twitter (leave your user name)
* Tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting this tweet and leaving me the link to your tweet (you can tweet daily for an extra entry each day):

Make your own candy with @gleeguy! Enter to #win a Make Your Own Candy Kit from @thelifeofrylie! http://bit.ly/fMXZu5 #giveaway

* Post my button on your sidebar or your blog roll for TWO extra entries (leave me two comments with a link to where I can find it)
* Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post for THREE extra entries (leave a link to your post in three separate comments)

Giveaway will end on February 10th at 9:00pm EST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. I will notify the winner by email within 24 hours, and you will have 48 hours to respond. If no response is received within that time frame, I will pick another winner. Please leave your email address or make sure it is in your profile so I will have a way to contact you. I will announce the winner once they have been confirmed. This giveaway is open to residents of the US.

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion. I received the Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit and Glee Gum at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. A big Thank You to Glee Gum for providing the giveaway prize!