Olas Books are a fantastic find.  They are geared towards the ever popular surfing and skateboarding sports.  They use bright colorful graphics and fun rhyming words to teach your kids about safety.  As fun as these sports are, it’s important that we teach our kids right from the start about being cautious. No one is a fan of the emergency room.

When we teach our kids to surf, it is incredibly important that they respect the ocean, because the ocean can be a powerful and unpredictable place.  Before they put their toes to the nose, they need to stop and watch the ocean for at least 10 minutes.  Once the swells are assessed, and rip tides ruled out, it’s safe for the kiddos to attempt to catch a wave. Skateboarding can be just as dangerous if you do not take the right precautions.  Always, always wear a helmet and pads, no matter what anyone says.  Peer pressure can be tough for kids to handle!  These books are wonderful tools for parents, a bookshelf staple.

“We want kids to have fun, but most of all to be safe,” says auther, Diaz. “As a surfer and a parent, these are my biggest concerns.  I want my son to surf and to be safe.”

The books also teach our kids to protect our Earth by keeping our beaches, oceans, and parks litter free.  Proving their dedication, the books are printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks.

Portions of all proceeds  go to the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit, environmental organization that works to protect our oceans, waves, and beaches.

Purchase your own Olas Books here

Thanks to Olas Books for providing samples for review.

Some of us have stroller addictions, you know know who you are…ahem…chele…cough, and seriously need a few BuggUps.  But even just your typical mom has a few strollers.  You need several just to go about your life, strolling around the land.  First and foremost, you need your everyday durable, fancy stroller with storage and cup holders for shopping expeditions and strolls down the sidewalks.  Then, of course, you need a jogger, for that rough terrain or morning runs.  And then there is the ultra lightweight umbrella stroller for trips to places where you may “lose” your stroller.  Case and point: Disneyland, Six Flags, the Zoo, or in some instances, The Gap when the elevator is broken and you’re forced to abandon your stroller downstairs.  That’s a story for another day.  Next comes the dreaded double (or triple) stroller that becomes necessary when baby #2 pops into the world.  What I’m getting at is that moms have a lot of strollers.  There’s no one stroller that can work for every situation, and even if there was, I guarantee most of us would still have a few just because we love the different looks and functions.

So what is a gal to do besides setting up a stroller parking lot in their garage?  Well my garage space is precious to me, and the sight of  strollers rolling all around, getting bumped into, is not my idea of organization.  We also invest a lot of money in these strollers, as we should, since they carry our most precious cargo.  These are items that should be kept up and away from harm, extending their lifespan and maintaining their original beauty.

BuggUp is what you all have been looking for.  BuggUps are specially made for your buggies: strollers and umbrella.  They keep your strollers off the ground and out of the way… much like the bike and kayak racks on the garage wall.  I find the BuggUP so pleasant looking that I would even place it on the foyer near the door for fast departures.  The wall bracket is made of steel so it is super strong and durable.  I tried out the Stroller BuggUp, which holds up to 75 lbs!  It was easy to mount, and my Bee sat comfortably on it.  I placed mine right inside the garage door, easily accessible and out of the way.  Our most used stroller is now in a super convenient place, and safe from the claws of Simon cat.

Buy your own BuggUps here for $30-$40.

Thank you to BuggUP for providing a sample for reviewing purposes.

As my girls keep growing and deciding they need to be doing more risky activities I must keep their little noggins safe! My 3 year old is still learning to ride her trike so she isn’t going too fast yet but I know the time will come when her need for speed will overcome her logic in safety practices.  Finding Nutcase Helmets line of Little Nutty toddler helmets has been great. Their unique and colorful designs cater to our artistic taste.  Nutcase Helmets offer a wide selection of quirky, colorful and pretty designs for the whole family.  Whether you are a water sports, snow sports or street sports family they have the helmet for you.

Erin: My experience with helmets is an interesting one. I’m fairly certain my daughter’s noggin is average size, but every time I purchase a helmet from the store in the size made for her, it’s uncomfortable and doesn’t fit. They seem to have a lot of rigid plastic pieces inside them that poke her and make it too hard to even get on her head. I can’t tell you how excited I was to see how easy Nutcase helmets were to adjust the size on. Shockingly enough it was a perfect fit on the smallest setting too! The helmet is extremely comfy and she actually enjoys wearing it. We’ve used it for our bike rides with her in the trailer and also when she rides her bike up and down our street. They’ve completely won me over, I’m a loyal Nutcase Helmet customer now.

GIVEAWAY:  One winner will receive one helmet, Eight Ball design in size small pictured, right.  To enter visit Little Nutty or Nutcase Helmets and comment here on which design you love.   

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Contest ends Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at Midnight PST.  Winners will be chosen by Random.org and emailed.  If they do not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

Special thank you to Nutcase Helmets for supplying samples for this review.

This is the BIGGEST crib recall in United States history says U.S. Today. 2.1 million cribs from Stork Craft Manufacturing are being recalled after four babies have suffocated and died in their cribs.  About 150,000 of these cribs have the Fisher Price logo on them.  What is really scary is that the recalled cribs start at a manufacture date of 1993 and up to the recent October 2009.  These drop-side cribs have issues with their hardware which can break or become deformed and can be assembled incorrectly which creates a dangerous space between the side of the crib and the mattress. This space can trap a child.

These cribs were sold at Sears, Wal-Mart, Target, Cosco, and BJ’s.  The cribs sold for $100-$400.  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is asking parents to stop using the cribs until they are able to receive a free repair kit from Stork Craft.

Consumer advocates have complained for years about drop-side cribs. More than 5 million of them have been recalled over the past two years alone, associated with the deaths of a dozen young children.  Toys R Us started phasing out drop-side cribs this year and no longer will carry them next month.  If you have a drop-side crib, please be advised, and if your crib is manufactured by Stork Craft, please contact them toll-free at (877) 274-0277, or log on to www.storkcraft.com. Repair kits to make drop-side crib panels stationary appears to be the short term solution, but in the long run, parents might be advised to avoid this style of crib altogether, much like the cribs with the wide railing openings or slats used by a previous generation.