I reviewed a Casio keyboard last year on my other blog, which helped Davey learn to play the piano.  There is a lot of musical talent in our family, and Davey can now sound out pretty much any song he wants to on the keyboard or piano.  My younger brother is extremely talented and can play pretty much any instrument he tries.  He has been playing the alto sax and guitar for several years, has played the baritone for a couple of years, and can play other instruments if he had more access to them.  He can pick up an instrument and figure it out pretty easily.  We have had a piano since I was a kid, but my brother, being a teenager, stays up in his room most the time and has not played on the piano very much.  He recently asked me to see if I could get another keyboard for review so that he could start playing and could take it to college with him this fall.  He has had this keyboard about a month and has been sounding out music and composing his own music during this time.

Casio sent us the CTK-3200 portable keyboard for review.  This keyboard has a lot of great features, but my brother said his favorite is the touch response keys.  It is like playing a real piano, where the harder you hit the keys the louder it is.  If you touch the keys lightly it plays softly.  It also has an input for an MP3 or CD player, so you can play along with your favorite music or sample a sound and then  play it back on the keyboard.  There are 400 built-in tones, 110 songs in the song bank, including 20 exercise phrases, and 150 rhythms and auto-accompaniments for Latin music and other styles from around the world.

This keyboard features Casio’s Step Up Lessons:  To master a song, it is best to break it up into short phrases, master each of the phrases, and then put everything together. Step Up Lesson does exactly that, providing you with the support you need to improve your play.   This is how Davey has learned so many songs, although his keyboard has lighted keys and my brother’s does not.  My brother said this is still a great feature without the lighted keys and he has been learning songs himself.  For a younger child you might want the lighted keys but for an older child, teenager, or adult, any portable keyboard with the Step Up Lessons will work great!

Here are a couple of videos of my brother playing the CTK-3200 Portable Keyboard:

Buy it:  You can buy the CTK-3200 portable keyboard on Amazon for $129.95.

Win it:  One lucky US reader is going to win a CTK-3200 Portable Keyboard from Casio!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yes, Davey is still in diapers, although he recently turned 4.  I have had no luck with potty training and he just does not seem to be ready.  He asks to sit on the potty some days but he doesn’t “go” in the potty.  I have even tried making him sit there til he goes and it just does not work.  I am so ready for him to be out of diapers, but it apparently isn’t happening any time soon.  So I was excited at the chance to work with Pampers on a review and giveaway!

I actually had never tried Pampers before.  We usually use store-brand diapers to save money, some of which I like and others I don’t.  We tried out Pampers Baby Dry Diapers in size 6.  We had no leaks with these at all, and Davey wears his all night and through part of the morning because lately he doesn’t want to have his diaper changed first thing in the morning so I leave him in it until I have a couple of cups of coffee before changing him and getting him dressed.  I would say he’s in the diaper about 10 hours overnight, with no leaks!  These diapers boast up to 12 hours of overnight protection.  The diapers we usually used, I had to change him first thing in the morning.  Davey loved that these diapers have Elmo and other Sesame Street characters on them.

The package we got also included Pampers Sensitive Wipes.  These are really nice wipes and I may just have to switch to them from now on!  They feel like they have lotion in them and were great for Davey’s sensitive skin.  They are perfume and alcohol free, and are dermatologist tested.

We also received a Twilight Turtle, and 3 books — Goodnight Moon, Where the Wild Things Are, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  Davey loved all 3 of these books.  Brown Bear had been one of his favorites when he used to have board books and I had not replaced it with a hardcover yet.  He had ripped up all his board books months ago and I had to throw them away.  So he was so excited to get that book and loved the others as well.  His Twilight Turtle makes stars all over his walls and ceiling and he has me turn it on every night when I put him to bed.  It shines in blue, orange, or green light and he always wants it in blue.  This was a great addition to his outer space themed bedroom!

One lucky US reader is going to win all of these items:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Davey never would take a pacifier, and there were times where really nothing pacified him and I wished he would take a pacifier!  I wonder if he would have taken one if he had a WubbaNub.  WubbaNub makes cute plush animals with a pacifier attached at the mouth.  I requested this to give to my friend’s disabled baby Wade, who recently came home after his first 9 months of life spent in the hospital.  Since they live an hour away, I haven’t been able to give it to baby Wade yet, but plan to do so when I am out that way in about a week or so.  I already know baby Wade will love this Red Dog WubbaNub though!

I chose the Red Dog because of the bright color, sure to capture Baby Wade’s attention.  It is super soft and cuddly and perfect for a 9-month-old baby like Wade.  It is the perfect size for younger babies to grasp on to and the pacifier itself is a design many babies use and like the ones used in hospitals.  Here is a photo from their website of a baby using the Red Dog WubbaNub:

WubbaNub comes in so many cute types of animals.

Check out the full WubbaNub collection to see them all!

Here is their Giraffe WubbaNub:

I highly recommend WubbaNub for anyone with a new baby, or for expecting moms.  This would make a great baby shower gift if you know someone who is expecting!  Every home with a baby should have a WubbaNub!

]]> http://www.justdaveyandme.com/?feed=rss2&p=1020 0 http://www.justdaveyandme.com/?p=1014 http://www.justdaveyandme.com/?p=1014#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 17:15:15 +0000 justdaveyandme http://www.justdaveyandme.com/?p=1014 Thank you Luv Chicken and Celebrity Trend Expert, Rachel Florio-Urso, for providing me with a booster cushion, free of charge, for review.  These are my own honest opinions.

I had Davey in a high chair or feeding seat actually until just recently, even though he just turned 4.  My mom kept insisting he is too old for that so I finally gave in and stopped using them.  The problem is, he’s not quite tall enough to sit in a chair at the table.  He normally sits on a bar stool we keep at the table so he will be the right height, but he is not very careful and I am always worried he is going to fall off that bar stool with his wiggling and squirming around.

Luv Chicken had the perfect solution!  They make booster cushions for kids.  It is a square cushion, about 3 inches thick, which just sits in the chair seat, putting your child at a good height to eat at the table.  They have original size cushions and the new mini cushions.  We chose the Pirates Mini cushion for review.

The Pirates Mini cushion has a cute treasure map design, with blue stripes around the sides.  It also has a Toughtek® non-slip bottom.  The material is coated and easy to clean and it has an easy-carry handle.  It is lightweight and easy to carry around or take with you on the go.  This would be great to take to the movie theater or kids’ shows where your child could see better with a little boost.

Davey was excited to be able to sit at the table in a “big boy chair” with his Luv Chicken cushion!

You can see it puts him at just the right height, with his arms resting on the table.  He was able to climb up into it easily since the bottom is a non-slip material which held it steady in the chair.  We’ve been wanting to replace the bar stools at the ends of our table with chairs like the one pictured above, and now we can without worrying about how Davey will sit at the table!  No more baby-ish high chairs or feeding seats for us!  And no more worrying about him falling off the bar stool.  We love our Luv Chicken Mini and I highly recommend it for anyone with young children!

While Davey is not a baby anymore, I love any excuse to review baby products.  Tiny Love is a company I have wanted to work with for quite some time, and the perfect excuse to review baby products came along recently, and I was very excited that Tiny Love agreed to work with me!  Some friends of mine have a disabled baby, Wade.  Actually they were not even sure if he would live at birth and it was a miracle that he did.  However, he needed several surgeries and intensive care throughout the first 9 months of his life and spent all that time in the hospital.  He only just recently came home at 9 months old.  He still needs a lot of medical care and he is developmentally delayed due to his health problems.  He still has more surgeries he will have to have, but he is doing well enough that they can wait awhile.

Baby Wade is not an outwardly very happy baby.  I mean, he seems well enough, but he doesn’t laugh or smile a lot.  I can imagine if I had a tracheotomy and other medical equipment hooked up to me most of the time I would not be the happiest person either.  Tiny Love changed that for baby Wade.  They sent their Take Along Mobile, which attaches to a crib or infant car seat or stroller, and baby Wade absolutely loves it!  It completely made his parents’ day to watch Wade watching the mobile and smiling at it and even laughing at it when it makes a certain noise.  This toy has changed this little baby!

You can see above, they hooked it up to his crib.  He is not in his car seat or stroller much because of the medical equipment he is normally hooked up to.  They are unable to take him out and about very much.  Here is a better picture of the mobile itself:

And here is a stock photo of the mobile attached to an infant car seat:

I really wish I had had something like this when Davey was a baby!  And I am so happy that I was able to get this one for review for baby Wade.  The Take Along Mobile spins and gives 30 minutes of continuous music and 5 different tunes.  It fits pack & plays, travel cots, infant carriers, strollers and bassinets and has designated connector for each baby gear product.  I was told it is used in many children’s hospitals and they hear a lot about disabled or sick babies having a similar reaction to it as baby Wade does.  This is a truly amazing product and I would highly recommend it for anyone with a baby!

Buy it:  You can buy the Take Along Mobile at Tiny Love for $24.99.

Win it:  One lucky US reader is going to win a Take Along Mobile!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Before hearing about this DVD, I had only heard of Doc McStuffins from a blogger friend a few months ago who was looking for Doc McStuffins products for a young family member for Christmas.  We don’t have cable, and pretty much only watch TV and movies on our streaming device, which means we don’t get to watch any current shows out there.  When I got the press release and announcement for Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Check-Up it really looked like something Davey would like, so I requested it.  I have to say this has been the best review movie we have owned!  Davey stopped watching his other favorite shoes and watches almost nothing but Doc McStuffins now!  He goes back and forth between this and another Disney Junior movie we recently got for review and watches nothing else.

I love that Doc McStuffins is educational.  Davey is learning about playing doctor and about what to do when he is sick or hurt.  Doc McStuffins teaches kids in such a fun way — playing doctor with her stuffed animals and toys!  What could appeal to a young child more??  I have found Davey playing doctor with his toys and favorite bear lately too.  And he tells me that his favorite bear is his new patient.  It is helping with his vocabulary tremendously, which is something he has been behind on.  I give this show 5 stars and am looking forward to more Doc McStuffins DVDs as they come out!

Here are some clips from Doc McStuffins:

And some fun Doc McStuffins activities:

Read below for the press release for more information, but be sure to scroll down for the giveaway!

Arrives on DVD – May 7, 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

While Davey has not had many situations where his sippy cup needed to be labeled so far in his life, he will be starting preschool this fall and I was excited to try out some Kidaroo Crew sippy cup labels for review.  Kidaroo Crew offers write-on and custom bands that go around your child’s sippy cup.  We received both, the Write On SippyGrab KoalaLabels:

and the Custom Snugaroos KoalaLabels:

These have a sports theme which will appeal to most little boys.  Even though Davey doesn’t know much about sports, he gets excited about any kind of ball and knows what the different types of balls are, so he was pretty excited when he saw these!  The Snugaroos have his name already on them, and I was happy to see that his full name would fit on them:

The SippyGrab are a write-on kind, which makes them a little less permanent, which would be great if you have multiple kids, or want to use them for future kids.  You can write on them with a permanent marker, though it will eventually wear off with cleaning.

Davey does not use an actual sippy cup.  I got annoyed with all the straw sippy cups out there, and he has never understood turning a cup up to drink and can only use a straw.  So he uses a Thermos funtainer cup with a straw, which is a little larger around than most sippy cups.  The SippyGrab and Snugaroos both fit just fine on this kind of cup, though it took a little stretching and maneuvering to get it on and in a good position.  It was not too hard to put on though, and should be much easier if your child uses an actual sippy cup.

I’m looking forward to being able to use these at preschool, knowing his cup will not get mixed up with anyone else’s.  Davey can read his name and will know which cup is his even if another child has the same cup.  I also will not have to deal with writing his name on his cups every day if I didn’t have a label, or having to deal with label stickers that will come off in the dishwasher.  I highly recommend Kidaroo Crew if you have a child in daycare of preschool!

I love wall stickers, but I had never seen any quite so unique as the ones at Butch & Harold.  They have Stickr Frames to put photos in, Stickr Corners to put artwork or photos in, the Stickr Message Board I received, and so much more!  This Stickr Message Board is truly one of a kind.  It is a mirror and a message board in one.  It even comes with the marker and a holder for the marker that sticks on under the message board.

Putting it on the wall was simple, just peel and stick.  We did have one little problem though, our wall was a bit textured and we didn’t realize it.  So when we look in the mirror it is distorted a bit from the texture.  However, it looks really neat and I plan to leave it up anyway.  I put it on a narrow wall in my room just inside my door.

The marker holder sticks on, and folds out a little bit to rest the marker on it.  I thought that was a really neat touch.  I have seen message board decals before, but never one with a marker holder, and never one that was a mirror!  This is a truly one-of-a-kind message board!

Check out Butch & Harold for some very unique Wall Stickrs!

Davey usually only has one pair of shoes each season, but as he gets older he is getting more and more rough on his shoes.  And now that we live in a house with a nice yard he plays outside and gets his shoes filthy, which means more washing and more wear and tear.  So I was excited to get to try out Bailey Berry shoes for him!  These are made of recycled materials which can be hosed down or rinsed in the sink when Davey gets them dirty.

We received the Navy BBStars Kids’ Shoes, which came with a mesh shoe bag, a bracelet, and 2 reversible straps that can be interchanged with the ones already on the shoes.  Davey loves that he can change the look of his shoes however he wants!

I went by the sizing chart, just comparing the US size to the European sizing that another brand he wears uses, and these were actually just a little big when we got them.  But Davey has been growing like a weed and these shoes fit perfectly now.  The straps can either go above his heel, or across the top of the shoes.  I try to get Davey to wear them above his heel so they will stay on better, but he likes them better on top of the shoe, easy to slip on and off.

These shoes have held up so well with Davey’s rough-and-tumble lifestyle, and being able to just rinse the shoes off helps make them last longer I think.  I can wash these shoes in the sink and they look brand new again!  They are antimicrobial, ergonomic, lightweight, and I really love that they are made of recycled materials.  They are designed for kids ages 1-8.  Check out Bailey Berry for more information or to order your own!

It’s that time of year again…  yes, that time to think about graduation gifts!  ProFlowers has so many great products for graduation gifts, not even just flowers — they also have some sweets and gift baskets!  I was given a gift certificate to choose an item from their graduation gifts.  Since I didn’t think my brother would really appreciate flowers for his graduation gift, I chose some flowers for my mom.  She loves Canterbury Bells but can never get them to grow here.  So I ordered the Canterbury Bells Garden in the Victorian Tin for her.  She absolutely loved it!

It looks great sitting on our kitchen table, and I am sure if my mom decides to repot them or try to plant them outside, we will find some great use for the pretty tin it is in!  This is a great gift idea if you want to give a lasting gift of flower.  A bouquet of flowers will soon need to be thrown away, but these are potted and as long as you keep them watered and care for them, this is a gift that will last for quite some time!

If flowers don’t seem like the right gift for the graduate in your life, you might consider the Chocolate Covered Cookie Collection:

Or the California Groves Fragrance Spa Basket:

ProFlowers has more than just flowers, and you might just find the perfect graduation gift there, so be sure to check them out!