http://www.mommyq.com MommyQ

“Calling all bugs! Calling all bugs! Do not come within inches of this fresh meat!” If my OFF! Clip-On device could speak, that’s what it would say. It might also say, “Paging Dr. Ryan.” It kinda looks like a pager or something. A pager/fan/Walkman without the headphones.

I bought it a few weeks ago and just tried it out for the first time. You see, if I walk outside for 3 seconds, I get 1,000 mosquito bites and my oldest child is the same way. I read once that bugs sense anxiety and that’s why they bite. I’m not buying that particular brand of logic, but I’m a victim nonetheless. No matter how much repellent we wear – be it sweet-smelling-lotion or peels-your-skin-off harsh – nothing works.

The Clip-On is very easy to use and is just a tiny fan that circulates repellent. It even has a nifty “use-up indicator” to tell you when you need a refill. You can clip it on or place it near you if you’re sitting still. I clipped it on my kiddo and it seemed to work. It’s totally odorless and very quiet. Just make sure you turn it off when you’re done. One of my friends said it’s just a silly gadget and accused me of being a marketer’s dream. That may be true, but if they made an animal-print Clip-On I’d be wearing it to outdoor events with heels & a cocktail dress.

I’ve gotta blog about my holiday shopping experience with The Land of Nod because it has been a pleasure. In my recent post, “Moms, what’s under your tree?” I mentioned that I bought the Home Sweet Play Home reading tent for one of my kids. I saw it at a friend’s house many months ago and loved it. My oldest kiddo loved it too and played in it throughout the afternoon. I made a mental note – “Get this for Christmas!” Believe it or not, my brain remembered.

I ordered the Blue Home Sweet Play Home and the cushion online. The website said both items would arrive by the 24th. I was a little bit worried, but the items arrived in plenty of time. When I took the cushion cover out of the box, I noticed the directions said to wash it before use. When I unzipped the cover to find the washing instructions, I was pleasantly surprised. The directions ended, “Do not dry clean. Do not pass go. Sleep tight!” Well, that was such a clever little treat. Making laundry fun – what a novel idea!

Last night, I put the clean cushion cover on the cushion and was so impressed with the fluffiness of it all. This is one luxuriously fluffy cushion! The play tent is beautifully made and it is quite stunning in person. I am so thrilled with this purchase and only hope it is as pleasing to my child on Christmas morning.

Find the tent online at The Land of Nod for $99 and the matching cushion for $49. It also comes in lavender, pink and green.

To make a long story short, I lose. There. I just blew the ending for you. You’re welcome.

As you can imagine, my kiddos got a hold of the crayons and found some serious wall space. Yep, they drew all over the wall upstairs in the playroom. Oh my, what a mess.

I know it’s not a huge surprise as these things happen with little kids and crayons all of the time. I guess I’m just surprised because I mistakenly thought we had made it through that wall-scribbling era without a problem.

Nope, they just waited and waited until the time was right. Luckily, one of the drawings was a huge jet that started at one end of the wall and went all the way to other end. And it’s magenta! What fun. All I can say is I love my Clorox Wipes more than ever.

Win on of the cutest iPhone apps for youngsters, Peekaboo Wild, at Droolicious!  I announced this great giveaway today – a free Peekaboo Wild app for five lucky winners. This game is a lifesaver if you have extra time to spare waiting in line at the grocery store, at the doctor’s office, at the restaurant – anywhere!

We discovered Peekaboo Barn a few months ago. Now those quirky farm animals have gone wild! Instead of barnyard animals, it features friendly animals you would find in the wild. Instead of peeking out from behind the barnyard doors, these critters pop out from behind the waving grass in Africa. The illustrations are endearing and the activity makes for great learning opportunities. Remember, you can play it in Spanish too! Thanks for the fun, Night & Day Studios!

I was thumbing through Parents Magazine and spotted some cute cupcake toppers. When I went to the site, Cupcake Swirl, I was immediately in love. From adorable tea towels to retro-inspired aprons, Michelle serves up some yummy fun. In fact, those awesome aprons even make me want to cook or bake. Well, maybe a little bit.

There are lots of cute, tiny decorations to choose from, as well as cupcake liners and wrappers. It’s certainly worth a click or two! Hop on over to CupcakeSwirl.com.

MommyQ is in love with a hilariously simple game for iPhone called Sheep Launcher Free. My hubby, DaddyQ, downloaded this entertaining game on his iPhone and when he showed it to my kids, they went bonkers. The game is quite simple, yet quite contagious and amusing. Your goal is launch the sheep as high into the stratosphere as you can by tapping him before he “falls” off the screen.

The sound he makes at blast off sends my kids into hysterics. And when they laugh like that, we laugh too! My four-year-old plays it by himself and thinks it’s just great. After the kids go to bed, my hubby and I play it too. I think the best part is the old fashioned helmet. That is such a clever twist.

You can read more about it and download it here. I guess I’m just a sucker for a flying sheep. Read about it on Droolicious here.

The trend in baby products has thankfully moved far beyond cartoon characters and babyish themes. The more grown-up baby gear looks, especially crib bedding, the better. There are a few items that have been overlooked during this process. One in particular is the activity mat. The majority of them seem to be really tacky with horrible bright colors and cheapo plush animals. My son had one with an orange and yellow, Ostrich-looking, plush bird that was downright creepy!

That’s why I really like this fun option from Skip Hop. It’s the Funky Farm Fun Activity Mat and although it’s quite colorful, it’s cute. The animal characters are quirky and sweet, while the mat itself has lots of great eye candy for baby. I love the plush, striped carrot with the bunny and the goofy pig that is actually just a circle with a snout.

Find it at BabyEarth for $60.

You can have too many baby clothes, baby shoes, baby socks, baby clippies and baby blankets. And you can certainly have too many toys. But it is impossible to have too many books. After a trip to Barnes & Noble last night, I found a bunch of adorable baby books to write about. I’m calling it my “Bookworm Series” and I’ll blog about a few of my favorites.

Taggies Books – Yes, it’s the blanket in a book version!

I love Sandra Magsamen! Take a look at her Snuggle-Me books.

Little Green Books for the eco-tot.

Say “howdy” to Nacho the Party Puppy!

Sweet little faces book with rattle.