Product Reviews by The Experimental Mommy
Mom and Baby Product Review and Giveaway Blog
Congrats to all the recent winners! I will be emailing you today. Please see my winners’ policy in order to claim your prize!
Sand Gone: Kimberly
Feel Goodz: Brenda
HawthoRNe: Marilyn L.
1800FLOWERS: Kim B.
Channellock: Susan
Reese’s: Twanda
MobiGo: Jodi
KidCraft Rockers: Tara V.
TwinLab: Gianna
Vincent Shoes: Nicole C.
My family and I love visiting the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans, but they are missing one little things…. dolphins! So, when we learned that Portofino Island offered dolphin cruises, my girls could not wait (and I will admit that I was a little excited, too!). At 9:30 am, we boarded the 63-foot catamaran, the Portofino I, and headed into Santa Rosa Sound. In only just a few minutes, it seemed like our boat was surrounded by dolphins! The crew was fabulous and pointed out the pods of dolphins searching for food. Some of the dolphins surfaced right next to our boat and the girls just shrieked with excitement! The resort photographer, Jordan, captured some great shots of the dolphins and even some of our family! Check out the Portofino Blog to see the amazing sites. They also shared some dolphin facts, pointed out some Pensacola landmarks and gave the kids a chance to be Captain of the boat! For two hours, we searched (and found!) many dolphins and also boated through Pensacola Pass before turning around and heading home. This was a great excursion for my family! My girls were thoroughly entertained, there was a potty on board (a must for my potty-training two year old) and drinks were available from an on board bar.
After landing back on shore, Renee and I got the family fed back at our condo and down for naps before we made our escape to the Portofino Spa for a little Mommy Time! Renee enjoyed the mani/pedi service and I relaxed with an hour long Swedish Massage. Both Renee and I enjoyed the experience and were glad we had the time to relax and rejuvenate before rejoining our families at the end of naptime.
For dinner, the crew of Portofino I recommended a family friendly restaurant called Flounders. We decided to check it out and we loved it! The restaurant has a covered patio which is next to a sandy play area. After ordering, the kids got to run and play while we waited for our food. The food quality was excellent and the prices were very reasonable. This is definitely a great choice for families with little ones!
If you are considering a trip to Portofino Island in Pensacola but are worried due to the media coverage of the oil spill, I hope you reconsider. The beaches are beautiful right now, but even if you wanted to be super cautious and avoid playing in the Gulf of Mexico, there are still many things to do here! Since we arrived, we have only been on the beach for one hour and have managed to have a ton of fun taking advantage of the resort amenities (and we’re not done yet!).
GIVEAWAY
As you know, I have two daughters and they MUST have cute beach shoes. One of the places I love to shop for quality shoes for my girls is Vincent Shoes. Actually, I just did a sandal review a month ago and we brought these sandals to the beach! Vincent Shoes has a great selection of Summer Sandals and what’s even better is that they are currently running a sale! Check out the shoes that are available for up to 75% off!
Do your kids need new summer shoes? Vincent Shoes has generously donated a $50 gift card to one lucky reader!
How to enter:
1. Visit Vincent Shoes and tell me how you would spend your $50 gift card!
Additional entries:
1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and Vincent Shoes (10 extra entries).
2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and (@PortofinoIsland) and (@VincentShoes) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)
3. Subscribe to my blog.
4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Portofino Island on Facebook.
5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.
6. Subscribe to my Feed.
Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on July 1st. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.
Vincent Shoes will be my one stop shop for all of Lily’s Spring/Summer Shoe needs. I believe I am bound to find the PERFECT sandal which will be a great backbone to her Spring wardrobe.
One pair of Sandra Sandals in white, a 5 year old girl who is anxious to wear “grown up” shoes, and a need for functional spring and summer sandals. About Vincent Shoes:
“In August 1999, Vincent Shoe Store opened, exclusively selling the full range of their children’s shoe designs – all of them fashionably styled and done in high quality materials and construction. There have been a Spring/Summer and a Fall/Winter collection every year since the debut. Patrick and Thomas derive their inspiration from global trends and the runway fashions of Paris, Milan, London and New York, though the shoes are 100 percent focused on kids.
Fall/winter and spring/summer collections both range from soft pre-walkers and comfortable indoor shoes to day and dress shoes as well as boots for girls and boys up to about age 8.”
I was fortunate enough to review Vincent Shoes in August of last year as we searched for the perfect shoe for Lily’s cheerleading class. We found them and she STILL wears that shoe to class each and every week. So when it was time to build her Summer wardrobe, I knew exactly where to begin!
I took a look at the Spring and Summer line and fell in love with the white Sandra sandal! Now that Lily is 5, she has all of a sudden taken an interest in fashion and definitely has an opinion on what she wears. She loves the Sandra sandal mainly because of it’s small heel and the hint of sparkle. Vincent Shoes describes the sandal as, “Sandra’s heel is cushioned on both sides by a rubber sole. Its fashionable wooden riser lets your little one feel a little more grown-up while still offering the comfort of a girl’s sandal. What your daughter may love even more than the heel on this shoe is the toe appliqué. A daisy-shaped flower with a glittering sequin in the middle will make this the shoe of choice for almost any special occasion.”
The shoe fits Lily very well and goes with just about any Spring outfit including her Easter dress!
Vincent Shoes doesn’t only have sandals for Summer! Take a look at a few other of my favorite styles including a Mary jane shoe and an adorable slip-on sneaker! You will also find a great selection of shoes for boys, girls, toddlers and infants! Not sure what size to get? Check out the online Shoe Fitter!
I will find the perfect Back to School Shoes for Lily from Vincent Shoes! With the selection of great boys and girls shoes, I am sure to find exactly what I need for school, play and Fall activities!
One pair of Hampus Shoes in Pink (of course), one excited 4 year old and a cheerleading lesson. About Vincent Shoes:
“In August 1999, Vincent Shoe Store opened, exclusively selling the full range of their children’s shoe designs – all of them fashionably styled and done in high quality materials and construction. There have been a Spring/Summer and a Fall/Winter collection every year since the debut. Patrick and Thomas derive their inspiration from global trends and the runway fashions of Paris, Milan, London and New York, though the shoes are 100 percent focused on kids.
Fall/winter and spring/summer collections both range from soft pre-walkers and comfortable indoor shoes to day and dress shoes as well as boots for girls and boys up to about age 8.”
This Summer, Lily’s feet hit a major growth spurt! When trying on shoes that fit her a few short months ago didn’t even slide onto her feet, I knew she was in need of an entire shoe makeover. So, when I was contacted by Vincent Shoes, I was more than excited to try out their products on Lily!
We looked through the website and found the perfect shoes for her cheerleading class, the Hampus. Described on the website as a, “sporty style with lightweight man-made material and breathable mesh accents make it easy for your child to zip around the field.“ My first impression was that the shoes just looked like a cheerleader would wear them, athletic but fun. Lily tried them on and it was a perfect fit as the shoe did run true to size. The material and construction of the shoe appear to be first rate and I love that the sole was flexible. Another great feature of this shoe is that the Velcro strap allowed us to adjust the width to ensure a perfect fit. We would definitely purchase another pair of shoes from Vincent Shoes!
Vincent shoes is debuting their new Back to School line as well as their Fall/Winter ’09 shoes. We found the quality, style and price of the Hampus shoe to be wonderful and our experience with Vincent Shoes would keep us coming back! Take a look at the great selection of shoes for boys, girls, toddlers and infants! Not sure what size to get? Check out the online Shoe Fitter! If you haven’t gotten your child’s Back to School shoes, make sure you shop at Vincent Shoes!
Here in New Orleans, the weather is getting warm and the summer clothes have come out of the closet! Both of my girls are growing so fast that I knew we would need new summer sandals this season. Quality shoes are very important because we plan to do a lot of outdoor activities with the girls! Fortunately, I came across Vincent shoes while I was shopping online.
Vincent Shoes prides themselves on creating fashion-inspired shoes with a definite focus on fit. The shoes are designed to support and protect your child’s foot and encourage healthy foot development. Their collections range from soft pre-walkers to dress shoes for older boys and girls. The wonderful Spring & Summer ’09 collection includes great toddler shoes and the most adorable kids’ rain boots.
I was a bit nervous ordering shoes for Lily online because I generally take her into the store to be fitted. But, Vincent Shoes has a comprehensive Shoe Fitting Guide that made deciding on size a snap! I finally decided on the Kim sandal in white for Lily. This shoe is a comfortable leather closed toe sandal with a looped Velcro strap.
I was very pleased when the shoes arrived. Out of the box, the shoes appear to be created with high quality materials. The shoe fitting guide worked wonders because the shoe fits Lily perfectly. The looped Velcro strap is a little hard for her to get on and off by herself, but with practice, she will be fine. Lily said that her shoes were very comfortable and the closed toe design was perfect four our day at the park.
Does your child need a summer shoe makeover? Vincent Shoes is now offering The Not-So-Blog readers a 20% discount off any purchase (excluding shoes in the Closeout Cubby). Please click on the following button:
and use the code NSB-20-OFF at checkout! This offer is only valid from Monday, April 13 through Sunday, April 19.
Happy Shopping!
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In 2009, Bridgette co-founded a consultation service, Double Duty Divas, LLC in order to connect brands and bloggers. Expanding on this business, she will host the first blog conference geared towards product review bloggers, Reviewer's Retreat in May of 2010. [Read More …]
