More than 230 million people play these games via Facebook, Yahoo and the iPhone. If you’re among them, then you’ll be excited to learn that you can earn in-game gifts by simply purchasing specially marked 7-Eleven foods and beverages, and then entering the code at www.buyearnplay.com. You can get Neapolitan cows, combat helmets, candy stands … and lots more.

And to help get you even more excited about their partnership with Zynga, 7-Eleven is offering 10 of my readers the chance to a win prize packs filled with Zynga collectors cups, a t-shirt, and a stash of coupons for Free 7-Eleven products such as Slurpees, Big Gulps, Big Bites, Taquitos, and Iced Coffee.  Each prize pack is worth at least $50. To win, enter the contest below.

Giveaway Guidelines

To enter the contest, you must “like” 7-Eleven on Facebook. You can do so by clicking here. This is a mandatory first entry. Once you do that, leave comment below telling me you did so. After completing this mandatory first entry method, you can gain additional entries by doing any or all of the following (but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do):

1. Subscribe to this blog.
2. Blog about this contest
3. Tweet this giveaway on Twitter
4. Favorite Lipstick to Crayons on Technorati
5. Stumble this post
6. Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar
7. Become a fan of Lipstick to Crayons on Facebook.
8. Post a link to this contest on your Facebook page.

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time June 18, 2010. Be sure to include a valid email address with each of your entries. Winners will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If any winner does not claim the prize by June 21, 2010, he/she will forfeit the prize to an alternate winner who will be drawn at random.

USA residents only.

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What is a squiggle? Well — a squiggle is a a random line. It can be squiggly, wiggly, wavy or just wacky! It’s simply the start of something. A squiggly line may blossom into a beautiful flower, speed off into the shape of a race car or simply form a funny face. It’s up to you and your imagination to transform it into something . . . maybe a work of art!

And RandomLine.com has taken the concept of “squiggles” and turned them into mind-exercising games and activity pads that encourage children and adults to be creative. Their Award-Winning products are known as the SQUIGGLE Series, and they adorable, portable-sized fun for kids to take in the car, to doctor or orthodontist appointments, or anytime when quiet play would be preferable.

Squiggle pads come lots of of varieties — educational (alphabet, colors and shapes) and drawing pads with different themes such as fashion or barnyard, etc. The pads are suggested for ages 4 and up. You can buy them at many retailers and specialty toy stores, and they would make great little gifts to put in an Easter Basket. But one lucky Lipstick to Crayons reader can win a Squiggle Pad of his/her choice for free by entering the contest below:

Giveaway Guidelines

To win, visit  Randomline.com then come back here and tell me in the comment section below your squiggle pad. This entry method is required.

Receive additional entries by doing any/all of the following, but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1. Blog about this contest
2. Subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed
3. Tweet this giveaway on Twitter
4. Favorite Lipstick to Crayons on Technorati
5. Stumble this post
6. Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar
7. Become a fan of Lipstick to Crayons on Facebook.

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time April 5, 2010.  Be sure to include a valid email address with each of your entries. Winner will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If winner does not claim prize by April 7, 2010, he/she will forfeit the prize to alternate winner who will be drawn at random.

U.S. residents only please.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. Congratulations to Leanna, comment #19.

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Walmart says if you order online by Sunday, Dec. 20, you can do “site to store” shipping and get it at the store by Dec. 24, or standard shipping gets the package to your home by Dec. 24. Ordering on Dec. 21 means you need to do 2-3 day shipping, which gets it to you by Dec. 24. And you can even wait until Dec. 22 and do 1-day shipping to get it by Dec. 24.

Check out these deals:

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S930 Silver 10 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom, Bonus Case Included, 2.4″ LCD, Image Stabilization, Face Detection for $89 and just 97-cent shipping to your home!

Apple iPod nano 8GB, Blue, 5th Gen (Newest model) for $133.99.

Step2 Deluxe Canyon Road Train and Track Table for $83.

High School Musical CD Board Game
from Cookies Kids for $12.99.

Monopoly-Simpson’s Electronic Version Board Game
from Cookie’s Kids for $23.99.

Amazing Allysen Interactive Doll
from Cookie’s Kids for $39.99.

Happy Shopping!

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Players of Petz Nursery get to work through giving their petz milk, keeping them clean and helping them grow while also building relationships with the animals and influencing their personality. Progressing in the game involves unlocking more exotic baby animals.

The game certainly demonstrates to kids that caring for an animal involves playtime and responsibility time.

The game works with other DS games such as Petz Dog Talent Show, and it is rated E for everyone.  It might be a little tricky for a younger play to learn to use at first, but with some help from Mom or Dad, the game promises to please even the youngest DS players in the family.

Petz Nursery and other new Petz® games, including Petz Hamsterz Superstarz, launched as part of Petz Sharing and Caring Month with the ASPCA and famous pop band Honor Society.  Kids and their parents can go to the Petz Cause House on ubiworld.com to play a variety of Petz mini-games and earn “pointz” to show their support for the ASPCA in protecting animals.  And, to further support teaching kids about responsible pet care, Ubisoft’s Petz will donate funds directly to the ASPCA.

You can buy Petz Nursery here for $27.99.

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Leapfrog has long been a leader in creating educational but FUN toys, and now they’ve gone and created one that even a two-year-old can enjoy. The Tag system makes it fun for toddlers to connect words with pictures and other thoughts. By pressing the Tag Junior Book Pal onto the pages of specially designed books, the words and pictures come to life.

 The Tag Jr. is easy for a toddler to use because all she has to do is touch the  book pal (which fits perfectly in a toddlers chubby little hand) anywhere on the page and she will be rewarded with a response. Each Tag Jr. book has a theme and focuses on a skill.

The Tag Jr. system is geared toward young preschoolers ages 2-4. Leapfrog
also lets you create an account at LeapFrog’s Learning  Path site where you can track your child’s learning progress online and download and print free activities to compliment your child’s Tag Jr. books.

LeapFrog toys are always fun-forward and engaging with educational benefits and skill-building fundamentals that last well beyond the holiday season. In other words, they’re invaluable.

Upsides:

• Easy for a toddler to use
• Great learning tool
• Encourages reading
• Portable – great toy for road trips and hotel stays
• Reasonably priced

 Downside:

• The process of downloading the audio from the Leapfrog site to your Tag Jr. Book Pal was a little tricky for me, but there is lots of online support on the site.

You can buy the Tag Junior here for $24.99 and it comes with a book. You can buy extra books here and here.

Also from Leapfrog is the Text & Learn. Tech-savvy preschoolers on your shopping list can imitate Mom and Dad (Big Sister in our house) with this durable, just-for-kids learning PDA.  Games focus on letter recognition, shape matching, and QWERTY keyboard skills, allowing preschoolers to exchange text messages with Scout, check Scout’s planner, and explore in a pretend browser mode. You can buy it  here for $21.99.

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“The Grandparents Handbook” by Elizabeth LaBan offers modern grandparents a variety of fun pastimes and educational projects to share with their grandchildren. The book also provides a refresher chapter on various baby-related tasks such as changing a diaper, swaddling a newborn, and giving kids a bath. Plus it includes some advice on respecting your children’s decisions on how they raise their children. (The full book title is “The Grandparents Handbook: Activities, Tips, How-Tos, and All-Around Fun.”)  

The book is divided into four sections:

• Bringing Up Baby: A Grandparent’s Refresher Course
• Indoor and Outdoor Fun and Games
• Crafts and Cooking
• Sharing and Exploring the World Together

The Grandparents Handbook features such activities as:

• How to Baby—and Kid—Proof Your Home (page 30)
• How to Handle Toddler Tantrums (page 50)
• Holding a Backyard Olympics (page 60)
• Planting a Fairy and Goblin Garden (page 85)
• Creating Your Own Ice Cream Cake (page 107)
• Making Homemade Pickles (page 109)
• Planning a Special Meal Together (page 178)
• Creating Your Family Tree (page 180)
• And much more!

With dozens of interactive projects and featuring whimsical illustrations, this book will lead grandparents down surprising paths of discovery as they teach the youngest generation about family, friendship, and the world around them. It is the perfect gift for modern grandparents and grandparents-to-be!

The book retails  here  for about $12 but one lucky Lipstick to Crayons reader can win the book for free by entering the contest below. (Don’t count on this contest to deliver the book to the winner by Christmas  — it’s not happening.

Giveaway Guidelines:

Tell me in the comment section below why you want to win The Grandparents Handbook.

Receive additional entries by doing any/all of the following, but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1. Blog about this contest
2. Subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed
3. Tweet this giveaway on Twitter (you can tweet daily if you want, but make sure you leave a comment each time you do).
4. Favorite Lipstick to Crayons on Technorati
5. Stumble this post
6. Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar
7. Become a fan of Lipstick to Crayons on Facebook
   

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time Dec. 22. Be sure to include a valid email address with each of your entries. Contest open to United States residents only. Winner will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If winner does not claim prize by Dec. 26, 2009, he/she will forfeit the prize to an alternate winner.

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Playskool recently launched a “More Than Play” campaign, which is an educational initiative to share how play lays down important foundational skills needed for advanced learning like reading, writing, mathematics, critical problem solving, and conceptual thinking, to name just a handful. 

You can learn more about child development facts and the benefits surrounding the skills associated to different Playskool toys at the Playskool More Than Play Web site. And the More Than Play campaign has developed several videos demonstrating the toys and their play benefits. Here is one for Helmet Heroes, which is the toy I’m giving away below:

You can buy Playskool Helmet Heroes here. , but one lucky Lipstick to Crayons reader can win one for free by entering the contest below.

Giveaway Guidelines:

Tell me in the comment section below why you want to win Playskool Helmet Heroes and what you think your kids have learned from their toys. 

Receive additional entries by doing any/all of the following, but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1. Blog about this contest
2. Subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed
3. Tweet this giveaway on Twitter (you can tweet daily if you want, but make sure you leave a comment each time you do).
4. Favorite Lipstick to Crayons on Technorati
5. Stumble this post
6. Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar
7. Become a fan of Lipstick to Crayons on Facebook
   

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time Dec. 16. Be sure to include a valid email address with each of your entries. Contest open to United States residents only. Winner will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If winner does not claim prize by Dec. 18, 2009, he/she will forfeit the prize to an alternate winner.

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Fortunately, 2K Play has developed a Wii game to help Moms and Dads create an affordable birthday party at home. It’s not necessary to have huge parties to celebrate the kids’ birthdays, complete with clowns, helium-filled balloons and other expensive fun and games. And it’s not wise in today’s economy, either. With the help of Birthday Party Bash, parents don’t have to take out a second mortgage to have a successful party for their kids.

Birthday Party Bash is a complete party in a box for under $40. The game also comes with 12 invitations, a party planning guide and coupons from Duncan Hines. Best of all, there are 20 modern and traditional games that up to 12 players can play, like Hot Potato, Piñata Blast, Present Frenzy, Sack Race, and Musical Chairs, so the game can serve as the entertainment for the entire duration of the party. Before the party, you can even have your child pick his or her party theme from 10 virtual theme rooms, like Glamour, Pirates, or Music, and use that as a blueprint for party planning. They even have a karaoke version of the Happy Birthday song!

You can buy Birthday Party Bash here but one lucky Lipstick to Crayons reader can win the game for free by entering the contest below.

Giveaway Guidelines:

Tell me in the comment section below why you want to win Birthday Party Bash.

Receive additional entries by doing any/all of the following, but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1. Blog about this contest
2. Subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed
3. Tweet this giveaway on Twitter (you can tweet daily if you want, but make sure you leave a comment each time you do).
4. Favorite Lipstick to Crayons on Technorati
5. Stumble this post
6. Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar
7. Become a fan of Lipstick to Crayons on Facebook
   

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time Dec. 18. Be sure to include a valid email address with each of your entries. Contest open to United States residents only. Winner will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If winner does not claim prize by Dec. 21, 2009, he/she will forfeit the prize to an alternate winner.

This contest is closed. Congratulations to Jennifer, comment #63.

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This kitchen has all the bells and whistles that would delight any kiddo — oven, microwave, refrigerator, sink with faucet and accessory set. It comes with frying and boiling sound effects and cabinet and drawer space. I think I might be spending some of my toddler’s Christmas gift money on this item from which I’m sure she’ll get plenty of years of play.

Walmart also is offering some other amazing online specials. Check them out:
Save on Amazing Online Specials at Walmart.com!

Huge Savings on Holiday Rollback Electronics at Walmart.com!

Holiday Rollbacks in Electronics, Toys and Video Games at Walmart.com!

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Because of the hundreds of times we’ve “played puzzles,” my toddler can recognize EVERY letter in my 14-year-old’s name. I’m afraid she’s going to have a serious “hand-me-down” complex. Can’t you just hear her whining to her therapist someday, “I didn’t know how to spell my own name until I was 10 because the letters in MY name weren’t in the hand-me-down puzzle I had to use.”

So, I decided it was time for her to have her own name puzzle, and I also wanted to have a full alphabet puzzle because she’s starting to show some real interest in letters (Did I mention that she’s very bright?)

Anyway, one of the problems with letter puzzles is that so many of them have funny-shaped or fancy letters. Those are pretty, but they’re not the best puzzles to use if you want your child to learn his or her letters. However, the educational puzzles from Puzzle Man  ARE shaped properly. Plus, the puzzle pieces are thick and the puzzles are sturdy. In fact, they will probably last long enough for my toddler to hand them down to her children someday.

Ed (the puzzle man) and his wife, Suzanne, have been making wooden puzzles and selling them at craft fairs and through the mail for more than 20 years. All of their puzzles are individually hand-crafted with quality and education in mind. They use only the highest quality, furniture grade plywood that is domestically made from replenishable forests. Each puzzle is cut one at a time, then sanded and stained using a non-toxic, water-based stain. The puzzle is sealed with a clear, non-toxic finish so that it is BABY SAFE and may be cleaned using a damp cloth.

Now get this: they offer FREE REPLACEMENT PIECES for all of their puzzles. That’s amazing! All you have to do is send a tracing of the missing space, type of puzzle, color if known, and $1 for shipping.

Their puzzles are more substantial than most you’ll find on the market, and  they are stained and not painted, so the color penetrates the wood and won’t chip.

They offer educational puzzles such alphabets, numbers and maps, personalized puzzles, plus a host of other adorable items. Prices start around $20 ($15 for a name puzzle, plus $1 per letter), to up to $65 for a map of France and Italy puzzle. You can order the puzzles here, and if you want to talk to Ed or Suzzanne, call the number on their site and they’ll answer the phone personally!

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