Celebration of Love Week Free PAJANIMALS Valentine's and DVD Giveaway 2/28 - US

Celebration of Love week is coming up fast marking the day of love with Valentine's Day.  Valentine's Day is a day for both children and adults as both get to participate and show their love.  I think children get to have a bit more fun since they can make lots of Valentine's Day cards and celebrate it with a group of their peers.  Even if children are not in school, they get to have a lot of fun and PAJANIMALS can be a big part of the celebration from free printable Valentine's Day cards to watching a cute DVD.

Watch Cowbella, Apollo, Sweetpea Sue and Squacky on their own television series which airs nightly on the 24-hour preschool television channel Sprout® during its The Good Night Show.  It also can be seen on NBC on Saturday mornings as part of the NBC Kids programming block. The Jim Henson Company co-produces this fun show along with Sprout and Sixteen South Television.  All those Muppets fans might see a bit of that flavor mixed in with these delightful characters.  You can catch up the PAJANIMALS activities and videos here.

The shows are colorful with playful songs which captivate the little one's attention.  They also have an underlying message such as feelings, everyone is different and tomorrow is another day.  The messages are cute and are at the level that children can relate to.  My two year old grand daughter and my five year old enjoyed the videos.  My five year old had fun with the Valentine's Day cards and other activities online.  As usual, Sprout hits a homerun with this one!  I'm glad that there are trusted sites I can let my girls explore and have fun while learning.

Pajanimals:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Pajanimals

Follow The Jim Henson Company:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/hensoncompany 

Twitter: @hensonparents

Follow Sprout:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sprout

Twitter: @SproutTV

The Giveaway:

One reader will win their own DVD copy of the PAJANIMALS!

To Enter:

Please use the Rafflecopter form below.  

Giveaways ends 2/28 - US only please.

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Check out my other giveaways here.

*Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this DVD for review.  The prize package and DVD were provided by the sponsor.

Sprout Organic Baby Food Review

I got on a health kick about a year ago as I was hearing more and more about how bad processed foods were for us. Namely, processed flour and refined sugars. They seem to be a culprit in so many health woes to include obesity. Coupled with that are all the concerns with preservatives and colorings and how they had possible long term implications. Once I started educating myself on the benefits of organic food, I became interested in organic baby food. I was also concerned given the alarming number of news events surrounding various baby products.

At my local Publix, they did have organic baby food much to my surprise. My little one loved it but it was not so convenient as it's frozen. It's nice that they did offer divided portions in little sections but it's hard to try to cut them apart to thaw out. I had little options until now.

I was given the opportunity on The Product Review Place, to try Sprout Organic Baby Food in five different varieties:

1. Roasted Bananas & Mango - my daughter loved this and the aroma was appealing. The texture was consistent with other baby foods but tasted much better. The mixture of different foods enhances the appeal.
2. Peas - I can't really judge this as neither one of us like peas.
3. Sweet Baby Carrots, Apples & Mango - she loves this one and again, the taste and smell was amazing. I had to try it too :)
4. Oatmeal with Roasted Cinnamon Applesauce - I'm an oatmeal fan along with cinnamon applesauce so this was another winner with both of us. I'm very pleased how Sprout takes a number of ingredients to make one great, healthy dish.
5. Baked Sweet Potatoes - again, great! She loved it.

Sprout was co-created by chef and father, Tyler Florence. With his culinary experiences and knowledge, he was able to create recipes that included multiple ingredients to offer a delicious complimentary combination.

What I like more about Sprout, is they set their standards based on Healthy Child Healthy World:

Products must:

• Not be chronically toxic – including not carcinogenic, not reproductive toxic, not endocrine disrupting, not neurotoxic, and not teratogenic
• Not contain toxic dyes
• Not contain health compromising chemicals - including alkylphenols, polyurethane, petroleum distillates, phosphates, chlorine, chlorinated or brominated solvents, petroleum-derived or petrochemical fragrances, parabens, sulfur oxides, organohalides, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (Perc), dioxins and furans, hexavalent chromium, organophosphate pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), 2,4, dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4, D).
• Not contain sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates, mineral oil, petrolatum, propylene glycol, artificial colors and synthetic fragrances, synthetic preservatives, petroleum-based ingredients, formaldehyde donors.
• Not contain PVC.
• Not contain bisphenol-A (BPA), PFCs, PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ethers)
• Not contain heavy metals – including lead, mercury, cobalt, chromium, nickel, beryllium, arsenic, and cadmium
• Not tested on animals
• Not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

"Most people want to consider the health and environmental effects of the products they buy, but lack the time to research high-quality, non-toxic options." Healthy Child Healthy World

Pro's:

1. Great tasting and healthy.
2. Convenient packaging as they are in pouches that allows you to serve what you need and place it in the refrigerator for later.
3. Catered to children 6 months and older.
4. Not frozen so readily available to use.
5. Pouches that are environmentally friendly (less waste) and less costs to produce.
6. Free shipping on orders of $75 or more.
7. Free Sprout Club membership where the more you buy, the more you save by automatic shipments.
8. Many products are available on Sprout such as food, baby products, books and items for moms.
9. A nice breakdown of common chemicals found in baby products are listed on their website.
10. Created based on year's of research and development.

Con's:

1. Limited availability in stores (select H.E.B., Publix and Central Market) but they are expanding and you can purchase online.
2. A little costly but most organic foods are since you are ensuring your children are digesting healthier, chemical/pesticide free products ($16.65 for 12 pouches).
3. Not available for toddlers.

In summary, I definitely prefer this over any other baby food. I would love to see foods at the toddler stage.