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  "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014."

Lincoln - Crown Center Magic. Kansas City is awesome at Christmas time.

Addie - sharing a snack with a friend.

 

Linking up at Practising Simplicity. 

Happyville Smart Mat + Wonky Wheels from PlaSmart - #HolidayGiftGuide2014

Disclosure: I received sample products for review. No other compensation was received and all views expressed are my own.

Our collection of toy vehicles is vast. And when I say vast...I mean kind of overwhelming. Lincoln doesn't play with cars quite as much as he used to, but there are still little cars everywhere in my house a good portion of the time. I've always wanted to have a nice road map that Lincoln could use to drive his cars on, but every time I've come across one, they have been pretty small. When you have 200+ cars....you need some space to drive!

So, you can imagine my delight when I was given the chance to review the Happyville Smart Mat from PlaSmart. Measuring in at 78"x46", this floor mat is perfect for our huge collection of little vehicles to call home.

Made to last through many a toddler driving toys and crawling rambunctiously across it, the Happyville Smart Mat features quality, coated EVA foam that is immensely brighter than any other "road rugs" I have seen on the market. The colors are vibrant and inviting, and both of my kids had eyes as wide as saucers the first time I pulled out this mat for them to play.

Driving cars along the windy roads of the play mat has quickly become a favorite pastime for Lincoln and Addie - and even Daddy gets in on the action sometimes!

The mat takes up a fairly large space in our living room, but it rolls up for storage so easily that it has never been even a minor issue. My only concern is that my kids may use the cars to poke holes through the foam - we have a couple of spots on our mat where it is obvious someone felt the need to have an attack car strike. In spite of my destructive little ones, however, the mat has held up extremely well.

Kids (and grown ups) of all ages can enjoy this mat, and with a $29.99 price tag, it's not a steep investment!

There is also a Castletown Smart Mat available. Either mat would make an excellent playroom addition, or fit nicely into a classroom play corner! We think it's great fun to drive cars around our Smart Mat all day...wouldn't you?

PlaSmart was also kind enough to send along a Wonky Wheels Finger Car for Lincoln. They must have read his mind - when he saw it, he said "it's blue because my favorite color is blue!" and proceeded to examine every inch of it. He automatically knew that the indentation on top was meant for his finger, and he has spent hours since that day driving this car around - on not only the Smart Mat, but every surface of our house!

Wonky Wheels (which he calls his "wonky car") has become one of his favorite toys and he brings it along with us on adventures outside the house all the time - it was even the sole toy he picked to bring on vacation this December! If that's not love, I don't know what is. I love that the car seems to move in a new way each time you play with it, and it helps develop motor skills. Toys that help kids learn without realizing they're learning are the best...don't you think? Wonky Wheels would make a great, unique stocking stuffer!

We love our Happyville Smart Mat and the Wonky Wheels car! Visit PlaSmart to find out more about these and other great titles. You can also follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, G+, and LinkedIn for all the latest updates.

Giveaway

One Director Jewels reader will win a Happyville Smart Mat and a Wonky Wheels Car! This giveaway will end on December 31 at 11:59pm CST. This giveaway is open to US readers only. Winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or prize will be forfeited.

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below (you may need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)! Once you complete the first entry, the other options will open up so that you can complete them as well. All of the "extra entries" are optional - you can do just one, or as many as you want! Winners will be contacted by email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Thank you to PlaSmart for providing my review sample and the giveaway prize! I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Giveaway Policy and my Disclosure Policy.

12 DIY Handprint, Footprint & Fingerprint Kid Christmas Crafts

Each year, around this time of December, I say to myself...ahhhhh! We need to make a cute craft to give all the grandparents next week for Christmas!

Yep. I'm a super procrastinator. In case you're struggling with time this holiday season as I am, I've gathered up a bunch of adorable, easy kid crafts that may just inspire some holiday joy in your home over the weekend. Take a peek at these handprint crafts, footprint crafts, and fingerprint crafts to see if you can find something that your kids would love to give! These are perfect quick and easy gift ideas for parents, teachers, and grandparents!

DIY Christmas Felt Handprint Wreath | Director Jewels

Mistletoes Footprint Christmas Craft | Director Jewels

Handprint Christmas Tree | Moments That Take My Breath Away

Footprint Penguin | Crafty Crafted

Footprint Reindeer | Sippy Cup Mom

Fingerprint Christmas Tree with Poem | The Neighborhood Moms

Handprint Santa Craft Holiday Pillow | The Nerd's Wife

Handprint Snowman Ornament | The Neighborhood Moms

Jesus in a Manger | Crafty Morning

Olaf Christmas Ornament | Our Kids Mom

DIY Angel Handprint Craft | Crafty Morning

DIY Fingerprint Snow Globe Craft | Crafty Morning

Which of these projects is your favorite - or what's the best gift your child has ever made for you? 

Clickin' Moms Gifts for Photographers - #HolidayGiftGuide2014

Disclosure: I received sample products for review. No other compensation was received and all views expressed are my own. 

I wouldn't call myself a professional photographer, but I do dabble in the art whenever I have the chance. And even without a professional job description, I love to receive photo-related gifts! Maybe it's the scrapbooking obsession I carried for years? Something about photos just makes me happy.

Clickin' Moms, a one-stop photography resource, offers online workshops, a professional level application only program, a print magazine, a blog, and a store that's loaded with unique gifts for photographers and photo-loving mamas. They kindly agreed to send me a few items to check out, and all three of them top my would-love-to-receive-this list this year!

Mom's Gonna Snap Tee - perhaps the best shirt with a double meaning ever, this tee is so comfortable that I wear it all the time. Literally. It's like my new go-to errand- or under-a-hoodie- or pajama-shirt. Particularly fun is watching someone else's lightbulb moment when they notice the camera above the phrase and "get it." 

Let's face it. I try to be an awesome mom, but I don't have it together all the time. This shirt is a reminder to me to take myself and my kids a little less seriously. Life is easier when you're laughing!

Lenspen - this clever little tool is small enough to fit in a pocket or camera bag and is so nice to have on hand. I hate cleaning my lenses and don't keep up with it nearly the way that I should. It features a retractable dust removal brush and a special non-liquid cleaning element, designed to never dry out. It's super easy to use and my photos are all much clearer as a result of having it on hand!

Wooden Toy Camera - is there anything cuter than a child who likes to mimic mom and dad's hobbies? This brilliant wooden camera, designed by Twig Creative, lets Lincoln and Addie tag along and take photos with me - without the noisy and flashing lights of every camera toy I've ever found on a store shelf.

I can't even handle the cute.

It's available in a variety of colors and measures 2.25"H, 3.5"W, 1"D. The lens twists (just like mommy's camera!) and there's a spring loaded shutter button so that kids can get used to the action of taking a photo. The 30" cotton strap can be removed when used by kids younger than 3 who might unwittingly hurt themselves.

I love that this toy gives them a realistic glimpse at being a real-life photographer! Simple toys are definitely the best.

You can follow along with Clickin' Moms online, shop the photography gift ideas in their store, or keep up on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the latest updates!


Disclosure: Thank you to Clickin' Moms for providing my review samples! I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Disclosure Policy.

Gifts that Men will Actually Use from Mission Belt Co. - #HolidayGiftGuide2014

Disclosure: I received a sample for review. No other compensation was received and all views expressed are my own. 

I have a hard-to-buy-for man on my Christmas shopping list - do you? Sometimes, it is hard to figure out what to buy Andrew outside of books and movies. I don't want every gift I give him to be shaped like a rectangle and easily predicted! Some years, I do better than others, but this year I was excited to give him the Mission Belt Co. belt a little bit early!

Mission Belt Co. is a socially responsibly company, which focuses on helping people break out of the poverty cycle. This is their mission and that's actually the reason behind the company's name! One dollar from every belt sold goes to fight global hunger and poverty through micro lending. 

I had Andrew browse the selection and he ultimately chose the Chocolate style - a brown leather belt featuring a brown buckle. 

Mission Belt was featured on Shark Tank last year, and with good reason - their design is unique and pretty awesome! Andrew has had the opportunity to wear this belt for the past couple of weeks, and he is definitely pleased with it.

Most belts feature holes at pre-determined distances, but the Mission Belt offers a buckle design that allows the wearer to adjust the size in increments as small as 1/4".

There are sizing instructions included on the website, and even instructions to resize if you need to shorten your belt once it has arrived. Andrew figured out how the buckle system works right away, without any issues.

Most of Mission Belt's belts are priced under $40. If you need to stock up, they offer free standard shipping on all domestic orders over $50!

Andrew really likes the unique buckle system - he says that he usually falls somewhere between the pre-determined holes on other belts, so this is a much more comfortable option. I think we'll probably be purchasing from Mission Belt Co in the future - though it looks like this belt we received is going to last much longer than any other belt he has owned before!

You can check out the selection at Mission Belt, or keep up on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the latest updates!


Disclosure: Thank you to Mission Belt for providing my review sample! I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Disclosure Policy.