GetGlovd (review)

I think just about everyone has a pair of gloves in their home, for winter, or for fashion. I don't personally own a pair for myself, the kids have a couple pair each, and now I get to add another pair to that, a pair of GetGlovd. What are GetGlovd? They are gloves that are made out of bamboo, so they are soft, and they are antimicrobial and antibacterial! These gloves keep your hands warm in the winter, and cool in the summer! 

GetGlovd are so soft, I love to hold Jaylin's hand while she's wearing them. She's my child who get's cold easy, so it was automatic that I give these to her since I was sent 1 pair. After feeling them, I want a pair for myself! They are stretchy, which is great for a 3yr old who isn't so great at getting her fingers in the holes of gloves yet. Here are some facts about GetGlovd:

•  100% natural, sustainable fabric
• Naturally antimicrobial and antibacterial
• Inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi that cause odor
• Hypoallergenic for even the most sensitive skin
• Keep you cooler in summer and warmer in winter
• Breathable, provides excellent comfort through moisture wicking
• UV protection
• Maintains these properties even through multiple washings." - GetGlovd Website

My only issue with them, is they only come in one color per size, kids is black with green stripes (it looks yellow in the picture, but to me it's green in person), womens is black with a green stripe at the bottom and mens are all black. I would like to see different colors. I know I don't want to wear black in the summer time, even though it says it keeps you cool in the summer, even being near black makes me hot lol.

Get a pair of GetGlovd today for only $10.99 for childrens, and $19.99 for womens and mens. Each are one size. Buy 2 pair and get free shipping in the continental US!

I received free product to try out and review. Everything I have written is my honest opinion and not influenced by the free product.

Inky Zebra (review/discount code)

I love personalized stuff. I always know what's mine, what's Jeff's, Jeffery's, and Jaylin's. So when I was contacted to review Inky Zebra I was thrilled! Everything on Inky Zebra is able to be personalized with your or your child's name, or even a message.

The one thing that had me the most excited was the trace books. Jeffery already knows how to write his 1st name, it's a little sloppy but what do you expect from a 5year old? The trace books have the ABC's, then each individual letter has a page, little dotted letters that he traces, and then he can practice on his own with the blank lines. My favorite is that at the bottom of every page is his 1st and last name in the dotted letters, so he can learn to write them (write his 1st name better, and learn his last name all together) With each letter page, there is a little picture that starts with that letter (apple for A) that the child can color. When I ordered my review items, the only character they had for the trace books was the robot, but now they have princesses with different color hair, and skin, and they also now have numbers too!

I was also able to review the bookmarks, doodle books, notebooks, folders, journals and notepads. The bookmarks, I let Jeffery pick which character he wanted, he picked the penguin which is just plain adorable! He got 10 of them and when he saw them, then laid them down end to end and made them a road! Jeff and I have used them as well, we'll save them for him when he gets older he'll get plenty of use out of them if he's anything like me! I got a doodle book for Jaylin, and just like mommy, she loves monkeys! She loves to draw, she's just getting the hang of holding a pencil and still just scribbles, but she tells me she's drawing me, daddy, Jeffery and so on. She'll also ask me to draw something. I think it's neat that there is squares on the pages (some have 1, and some have 2) and then there are lines for the child (or whoever, can be for adults too) to write what the picture is, or name it, put the date or whatever. One thing I got for myself and Jeff was the notepads, you can personalize the top of it, I had it say "Jeff & Jackie's grocery/to-do list that will probably never get done..." Jeff loves it! I only wish it was like a post-it and sticky on the back, I am going to get a magnet and put on the back of one (it comes with 2 notepads with 50 sheets each). All of the products I got from Inky Zebra were made of durable materials, heck, my 5 and 3yr olds have tossed them around when mad, and pulled on them...and they are still around! The colors are bright and I love them! The characters are cute too, of course I especially love the monkey!

Since I got my review products, Inky Zebra has added more products to their list, such as stickers, door signs, and place mats! I wish they would have had those when I got the opportunity to review their products, my kids would love them. I'll have to go get some of them for the kids eventually, because they all look so cute, and if they are anything like their stationary products, I know they will be great!

Check out InkyZebra today, you can order a set of 1 bookmark for free, yes FREE!! Personalized and everything! That's not all, as a reader of my blog, enter the code MonkeyMayhem and get 30% off your entire purchase!

Giveaway Opportunity from Chicco

I got an awesome email today from Chicco and wanted to share it with you!

Chicco is holding a giveaway for a product that isn't even on the market yet, they haven't even told any media about it yet! You are one of the 1st to hear about it! Wanna know what it is? It's Chicco's new stroller, the Cortina Together Double Stroller! Like I said, they are holding a giveaway on their site, so you can click HERE to enter. The only thing is you have to wait until April to get it if you win, winner will be notified my March 22nd.

Here are a few details about the Cortina Together Double Stroller (copied from a press release sent to my email)

"For the first time, Chicco is offering a front-to-back double stroller that accepts one OR two #1-rated KeyFit Infant Car Seats 

ACCEPTS TWO KEYFIT/KEYFIT 30 INFANT CAR SEATS

·         Front seat folds forward to accommodate car seat without bar attachment!

·         Rear seat reclines to accept car seat

 

TAILORED, SLEEK DESIGN

·         Italian designed yarn-dye woven fabrics

·         Anodized aluminum frame, unique eliptical tubing profile

·         Weighs only 30 lbs!

 

EASY, CONVENIENT STORAGE

·         One-hand fold activation and automatic storage latch; self standing when folded

·         Spacious shopping basket zipper-accessible when seat back is fully reclined

 

ADDED COMFORT FOR BABY AND PARENT

·         Ergonomic, adjustable handle grips

·         Three-position height-adjustable handle

·         Parents’ tray has two cupholders and enclosed storage compartment

 

SMOOTH, SAFE RIDE

·         All- wheel suspension; front-locking swivel wheels

·         Mesh windows protect baby from weather while allowing them to see their surroundings

·         One-touch linked rear brakes

·         Five-point harness in both seats"

This would be a great gift to a mom expecting twins or another baby soon (I used a double stroller when I had Jaylin since her and Jeffery were close in age) For more information on this awesome stroller from Chicco you can check it out HERE. The link for the giveaway, incase you missed it up top, is HERE.

Blog Move

I am moving Monkey Mayhem, no, you don't have to worry about the URL changing. It's still going to be www.monkey-mayhem.net. I'm moving from Blogger, I already have my hosting and have had it for awhile, but I  wanted to play around with it before I moved my blog. It's a big move, and it's uncharted territory for me and other bloggers I talk to, no I'm not going to WordPress, and I'm not going be with Blogger anymore....I don't want to reveal where I'm going, but by process of elimination you can probably get a good guess since there aren't many blogging platforms out there. I have played around with it, and I enjoy it. It will make my blog different from other blogs slightly, yes still similar enough to where you won't think you are on another planet! haha!

There should be no problem with entering giveaways, or leaving comments at all. I'm up for a challenge and this seems to be the perfect thing. So, along with a new blogging platform, will come a new layout! Yes! I have Czianya (she did this layout) working on a new layout for me right now!!! I'm excited, you should be too!

There is a few downsides to this move, 1) I won't be able to keep my comments on these current posts, and 2) I may or may not be able to keep my followers in Google or Feedburner. Those are 2 things that I feel aren't too horribly bad, I think the good in this move outweighs those 2 bad things.

Customer Service Rant

I just had to call Verizon to settle something on my bill, it was saying I had roaming. This is not the 1st time, and I have called before and it was settled with no hassle last month. Was I expecting too much to get the same "no-hassle" customer service attitude? I don't think so. So here is how it played out:

-I inform customer service representative of my problem
- He tells me the number that was roaming was my number (I already knew that)
- He then informs me that I  made calls in Maryland and Pennsylvania
- I tell him I was never in those 2 states, and that I made calls TO them, and got calls FROM them, but was never there
- He tells me that's where I was (to me, he was calling me a liar)
- I ask to speak with his manager
- He tells me his manager is unavailable at the moment
- Then he tells me he will give me a "courtesy" credit for the amount (uhmm.....last month the representative give me the credit for that month and 3 other months and apologized for it being on my bill!)
- I ask again to speak with his manager/supervisor
- Now his supervisor is not there when I tell him I'm willing to be on hold and wait
- Then, apparently my plan is only good if I'm in Virginia (who would get a plan that is only good in 1 state? When I got my plan I was told I would have no roaming charges ANYWHERE)
- I give up, I said fine, just give me the credit

He probably thought he won. He was mistaken, he has never messed with Jacqueline Staples before! I waited a few minutes and then I called back, knowing that if I heard his voice I was going to hang up and call again to get a different person (luckily I didn't have to do that) When the person picked up, I asked to speak with a supervisor and she was nice about it, asking why and checking my account for any notes. I explained it, and she said she was going to email my number to her supervisor, I just asked if I could be put on hold and speak with her now (I honestly didn't believe anyone would call me back) I got the nicest supervisor! She looked at my account notes and then apologized a lot to me, then said she was going to contact his supervisor and have them speak to him, review the phone call and all!

Now, let me make it clear. I've never had an issue with Verizon service. I get decent signal for living in the boonies. We've been with them for about a year and only had a few minor issues (we started with Alltel who were bought by Verizon, so there were a few bumps) I was really upset because I put so much faith in these people the other week, that when they called and said I was eligible for a early upgrade of my phone (1 year early) I took it, even though it would add a year to my contract (pretty much starting a new 2 year contract) I decided to get a Blackberry (I'm excited to get!) and add a data package which will be $30 a month on our plan. None of it was cheap, but not overly expensive either. When I spoke with the supervisor I informed her that if that is how their customer service representatives were that I was going to send my phones back and then cancel my contract in a year when it's up. That is how mad I was. I hate the phone I have now, I want a new one, and am looking forward to my Blackberry....but I was going to give it up because someone couldn't talk to me with a little respect.

I'm still not 100% happy right now, the 1st guy I talked to said he was changing my plan from the local one (for Virginia only) to a nationwide plan, which is less minutes but the same price...made no sense to me...but it's hard for me to understand that type of stuff over the phone, I'd rather see it in-front of me. So for that I'm going to have to wait until I'm in the city and can go to the store and find that information out.

Verizon's prices are kind of extreme too! I like the fact that we get 10 friends and family numbers (which is what attracted us to Alltel in the 1st place), but we pay $110 a month for 2 phones, 1200 (or 1400) minutes, and unlimited text....now I'm adding $30 a month for unlimited data. It's kinda high, I wish it was a lot cheaper, especially since I have to wait 6-8weeks for the rebate on my Blackberry!

My Greatest Joys

Are my kids! Over the past week I have taken a couple hundred pictures of them. Yes, I said a couple HUNDRED! They amaze me each and every day, and I want to capture every moment of it. I would love to share with you each and every photo I have taken, but, that would take days and days to upload them all. I have done the hardest thing I've had to do this week, pick out a few of my favorite pictures from this past week.

Let's begin with my oldest. Jeffery who is now 5 years old. He don't like his picture taken often, so it's very hard for me to get a "perfect" shot of him. I finally got "the" shot I've been longing for with Jeffery.

Now Jaylin, 3 years old and she is my little princess. She loves to have her picture taken and that is why you tend to see more pictures of her. She is also very photogenic, I would love to have her model one day.

Jaxon....oh Jaxon! My 9 month old baby! He was a dream to take pictures of the other day while the kids were at school, he's so happy and for now, in the grass, he sits still! Made for one heck of a great photo shoot!

Now for the grand finale! A picture of all 3 of them looking at the camera!!! I think I'm a miracle worker! Or, it could be they were 4 feet off the ground and too scared to move so they sat there and stared at me while I told them "As soon as you look at me and smile, I'll get you down"

I love my kids! They are the best thing in the world! Not to mention, the cutest!!!!

1st Birthday Celebration

As you know, babies don't stay babies forever. Jaxon is coming up on his 1year birthday! But, he's not the only one, you see, while I was pregnant with Jaxon, Kristin (www.ourordinarylife.com) and Alex (www.thejakafiles.com) were also pregnant and we were all due around the same time. Kristin was due first, then Alex was due, then I was due last. But, our babies didn't want to be born in that order, Jaxon come first at the end of May, then Ariana (Alex's daughter) come 2nd at the beginning of June and then Brooklin (Kristin's daughter) made her fashionably late appearance the middle of June (actually, she was born on Jaxon's original due date)

So, to celebrate these 3 babies' first birthday, we are putting together a huge 1st Birthday Celebration! The big party start at the end of April with glamorous giveaways, great games and fun fun fun!

Make sure to add Jaxon's Birthday Banner to your blog for extra entries in all the party giveaways that we will be having! Also add Ariana's at The JAKA Files and Brooklin's at Our Ordinary Life for even more entries!





<a href="http://www.monkey-mayhem.net" target="_blank"><img src="http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/rr30/Monkey_Mayhem_2008/jackiejaxon.jpg" border="0" alt="1st Birthday Celebration" /></a>Code in the text box is for 160x120 image which is perfect for most sidebars.
It was awesome being pregnant with these 2 women, and it's going to be awesome to throw a huge party with them to celebrate our babies growing up! Come join us!
If you are a company and/or brand and would like to be included in the party I am offering free ad space for all sponsors!