Washington DC Mom Blog – A Parent in Silver Spring

December 20, 2010 | in: APISS reviews

SWAGG is a free mobile app (download here) that lets you shop smarter using your mobile phone. Buy, send or swap SWAGG GIFTS and organize your old school plastic gift cards. For every download of the app between now and Dec. 31, 2010, SWAGG will donate $1 to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) , up to $125,000.

Clever Girls Collective and SWAGG are sending a pair of movie fans to the Sundance Film Festival! Download the SWAGG app and then visit the Ultimate SWAGG Getaway Sweepstakes site to enter to win a trip for two to the Sundance Film Festival. Entry deadline is January 3, 2011, 11:59pm, PST.

Gifts. Although we should be filled with peace on Earth, goodwill towards men, the reasons for the season, etc., a lot of our waking moments these days are spent scrambling for gifts. Searching for them at 2am online, hinting for them to clueless partners, trying to cajole the coveted presents out of our young kids who simply say “Santa knows” when we ask them what they want.

And then after we finally order or pick up the darn things, there’s cursing when the FedEx guy leaves a “signature required” ticket on our door 2 seconds before we pull into the driveway, wrapping while trying to not get any pet hair on the Scotch tape with a dog in our laps, internally rolling our eyes at the little old lady in the post office line who asks 20 minutes worth of questions about the difference between Priority and Express.

But it’s all worth it right? The chance to tell a family member or friend that we love and appreciate them with a physical token. And even if the gifts we receive aren’t just perfect for our personalities, lives or bodies, hey, they’re still memorable, right?

Here are some of WORST, but still memorable, Christmas gifts I have received in my 35 years:

an XXL Pepto-pink sweatshirt with a psychotic looking teddy bear on the front
peanut brittle that broke off a bracket on my braces
a two-years expired package of instant guacamole mix
sparkly multicolored earrings that turned my earlobes aqua green
a man’s golf-logo baseball cap (that he proceeded to wear himself)
a singing bird clock (as seen on TV!)
a mug that said “Big Mama”
a book from a boy I hopelessly adored in which the male protagonist realizes he is gay
a big box of scrapbooking/baby book supplies (oh the guilt!)
bubble bath that acidly stung in all the wrong places
toys for my baby and toddler that had been prominently featured in the media as expired and containing lead paint

I know I sound ungrateful now, but I GUARANTEE that in all those cases I wrote a thank you note and was super gracious. (Well, except in the cases where I regularly swapped spit with the gifter — I think the saliva exchange cancels out the need for use of stationery.)

And here are some of the BEST Christmas gifts I have ever received:

a healthy baby boy born in December (yes, we considered the name Jesus – pronounced with the Spanish inflection – but decided that would be a tad too much)
not to leave out our other children: a healthy baby girl born right before Easter (this time, Magdalene and Veronica were considered) and a much-hoped for third baby on the way
visits from my family
airline tickets to visit family
the sacrifice of Christmas with one’s own family to spend it with mine
a five-foot high box stuffed with maternity clothes from my sister (this one is more of a loan but OMG, so awesome!)
an original oil painting from an up and coming Russian artist
a luxury leather handbag (when we were saving cash so diligently for a new house that I was adding old blush to Vaseline to mix my own lip gloss)
two huge Honeybaked hams when we were hosting 30 people for Christmas dinner
a big Santa in an airplane blow-up for the front yard (from my mom to 2 year old airplane-obsessed Charlie. It’s reverse chic!)
a Best Buy gift certificate for a new television, secretly wanted, even though I was in a phase where I publicly maligned television
leather-bound classic novels
a sapphire necklace
seven Christmases spent being a mother on Christmas morning

I know, I’m so cheesy. And really lucky.

But I have to say, I’ve been a lot less frantic this last week before Christmas thanks to the SWAGG app on my phone (available for iPhone, Droids and also you can just shop via their website). I’ve been able to quickly order last-minute gifts from local retail stores included in the 3,000 SWAGG merchant partners such as

1800Flowers.com (I sent my Grandpa his own mini-Christmas tree with lights!)
American Apparel (cute maternity tees for expecting sisters in law)
American Eagle (teen heaven)
Omaha Steaks (great all-around hostess or family gifts – give the gifts of filets!)
Crocs (however, I only endorse Crocs for little kids in summer)
Wet Seal (for iCarly fans)
Arden B. (I used to shop here. Then I grew hips.)
Steve Madden (I love these shoes, esp. the heeled booties)
Live Nation (tickets to concerts and games and performances at the Verizon Center, Lisner, DAR Constitution Hall, you can even get tickets to The Washington Ballet’s Nutcracker at the Warner Theatre through LiveNation on SWAGG)

Learn more about the coolest new app that revolutionizes the whole shopping, gifting, and gift card-organizing experience and Download the SWAGG app to your iPhone or Droid. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity.

0 Comments

December 13, 2010 | in: APISS reviews, getaways, giveaways, holiday fun, Washington With Kids

My family and I just returned from experiencing firsthand the Christmas on the Potomac package at Gaylord National Harbor. Staying at the Gaylord was an ideal one-night getaway for a family…or a couple with access to an overnight babysitter. We’re huge fans of the family or couples weekend or overnight getaway (previous weekend reviews here), and we’re now adding the Gaylord to our arsenal of drivable mini-vacation destinations. It’s superb.

We checked out ICE! with its How the Grinch Stole Christmas theme (note: we went on Friday night at 5:30pm and there was NO LINE, NONE!) bundled up and walked around the beautifully lit National Harbor by night, ate a fun family dinner at Cadillac Ranch, watched the lightshow and indoor snow in the spectacular atrium of the Gaylord National Harbor, and then retreated to the hotel room and its floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of the historic Potomac River and Old Town Alexandria by night. While we oohhhed and aahhhed at the gorgeous views in our PJs, we enjoyed a decadent snack of peppermint chocolate cookies and milk that were delivered to our room.

The next morning we had a grinchtastic Breakfast with the Grinch at the spacious National Pastime Sports Bar and Grill We’re veterans of the Breakfast with Santa circuit, so this was a super change of pace. And the food was goooood. Like premium breakfast buffet crazy good. And seeing the Grinch was really novel and special for our kids. The event was well-organized, no long lines for food or the photo, another great change of pace. Make sure to bring your own camera to snap your keepsake photo. There’s also Brunch with Santa (which we didn’t experience) that I heard is also superb and that Santa walks around the tables greeting families personally, fun!

The seasonal fun was fabulous, such as ice skating on the indoor rink within the ICE! tent, making crafts with Mrs. Claus, going on a scavenger hunt around the hotel, riding the holiday mini-train (for toddlers and preschoolers especially) and more.

But I believe that the Gaylord offers a great getaway location no matter the season. In the winter, if a trip to a warm-weather locale is not in your budget, you can get to the National Harbor in just 10-45 minutes, depending on your DC-area location and hunker down in this beautiful resort hotel. Bring your swimsuits and take a dip in the heated indoor pool. (Christmas movies are shown nightly at 6:30pm while the kids swim during the season!)

And we’re already huge fans of enjoying the National Harbor during the spring and summer. We love taking the wate r taxi from the Na tional Harbor to Old Town Alexandria any time of year, but it’s especially fun in summer. When the weather is warm we also adore The Sea Dog speed boat tours. (I’ll give you a full review of that experience when the weather, please oh please, heats up again and the tours reopen.)

My husband and I are also looking forward to spending a weekend at the Gaylord without the kids someday. With the Pose Ultra Lounge and lots of on-site restaurants, we’re all in! Maybe we’ll stay there for our anniversary – they have this great anniversary weekend package with the second night free!

Full disclosure: The Gaylord peeps comped our ICE! tickets, Breakfast with the Grinch, ice skating, parking, hotel room and cookies so that I could review the experience for you all. (We got out own dinner and other amenities.) However, I took the review very seriously and spent a lot of time interviewing other families staying for the night or weekend to ensure that they believed the experience was totally worth every penny. Not one mom, dad or grandparent had a negative thing to say about the experience. And if I didn’t really think the experience was worth it for your family budget, I would tell you. Seriously.

However, I shouldn’t be the only one getting presents, right? Leave a comment on this post to win ONE of these cool Christmas gifts for your family – there will be multiple winners!:

FOUR free tickets for ice skating in the ICE! indoor rink (on GREEN ICE) at National Harbor. These tickets do not include entry to the ICE! exhibit. ($48 value). Good for use until January 10, 2011.

Green Ice Skating Official Description – Everything’s gone green at Gaylord National…even our ice-skating rink! Practice your perfect figure eights on a rink comprised entirely of GREEN ice. Our super-cool indoor rink is fun for beginners, figure skaters and everyone in between. Open daily; same operating hours as ICE! Price: $10 per person (Gaylord resort guests); $12 per person (non-resort guests). Price includes skate rentals.* Ice Skating rink is located inside the ICE! Pavilion.

A brand new hardcover copy of How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss, courtesy of Gaylord National Harbor
A brand new DVD: Bob the Builder: The Golden Hammer–The Movie, courtesy of Lionsgate
A brand new DVD: Fireman Sam: Ready for Action, courtesy of Lionsgate
A box set of E.B. White books including Charlotte’s Web, The Trumpet of the Swan and Stuart Little, courtesy moi

The giveaway winners will be drawn on Friday night December 17th at midnight and contacted via email.

A PARENT IN SILVER SPRING’S NATIONAL HARBOR VISITOR GUIDE

Family Dining Recs at National Harbor

National Pastime Sports Bar and Grill - We’ve now eaten here several times for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Great options for the kids and yummy food for adults. Lots of high-quality screens to watch sports games…or if you do Breakfast with the Grinch, to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Pienza Italian Market - Five beautiful, family-friendly buffet stations.

Cadillac Ranch – This is where we ate dinner this weekend and our kids loved it: a real Cadillac in the dining room, crayons and activity sheets, license plates everywhere for the best “I spy”-abilities, nice waitstaff, big portions for the kids. The kids got a kick out of watching people riding the mechanical bull (very family-friendly version…which I guess reveals others I’ve seen). We loved that the kids’ menu was just $5.99. We also loved our own big burgers.

Elevation Burger – organic, sustainable, super-fresh burgers, fries and shakes with a superb taste that is becoming legendary as more locations open up around the DC area

Ketchup – Upscale/updated diner with an extensive kids menu for $8/kid.

Potbelly Sandwich Works – Your basic, yummy Potbelly. Located directly across from The Awakening, where its cheapo ice cream cones offer a nice respite after crawling all over the statue.

McCormick and Schmick’s – Always great, right? I’ve eaten at several locations of this dependable chain. My kids always like the kids’ menu options.

More To Do With Kids at National Harbor

All the family holiday fun at Gaylord your heart desires

Year-round kids activities at Gaylord

National Harbor Launch Zone – FREE open play, art and learning for kids. Here’s my review.

The Peeps Store – they’re not just for Easter baskets, there’s a whole store devoted to seasonal varieties of the marshmallow candy critters. Cute and fun (and a reasonable “since you’ve been so good!” treat incentive).

Build-A-Bear – Hey, if you’re up for dropping some dough to allow your kid to create a high-quality teddy/stuffed animal and dress her up, go for it! My kids could go here every. single. day.

Date Night Dining Recs at National Harbor

Moon Bay Coastal Cuisine

Old Hickory Steakhouse Restaurant

Bond 45 - an Italian Steak and Seafood House with a schmancy dinner club, date night fee. Looked cool.

Graces Mandarin – Chinese restaurant with other Asian dishes and a sushi bar. They do have a $10 kid’s menu too though.

Public House National Harbor – We waited with the kids here for a long while and were never seated. It didn’t feel very kid-centric. However, they do offer an $8 kids’ menu.

Rosa Mexicano – I haven’t eaten at this location, but the DC spot is excellent.

Thai Pavillion – Peeked in here and it looked cool and smelled great.

Check out more dining options in National Harbor here.

What to Do WITHOUT Kids at National Harbor

Relâche Spa – Located right in the Gaylord National Harbor, this pampering location looks luxe and heavenly.

Pose Ultra Lounge and Nightclub

Enjoy the five separate art galleries located in the National Harbor shopping district – all walkable and near each other.

South Moon Under – I love this store and this location is big and beautiful.

More shopping locations and activities.

Leave a comment here to WIN one of these fun Christmas gifts for your kids!

0 Comments

September 8, 2010 | in: APISS reviews, shopping

Favorite Back to School Dress for Girls: Gymboree Belted Denim Shirt Dress ($27, now it’s on sale!) This is what Eve wore on her first day. It will look cute with a cardigan and tights when the weather cools, and the fabric is really durable. My mom bought this for her – thanks Grandma!

Favorite Mom Cards: Mini Cards from MOO (100 cards for $19.99) Giving out a cute card with your contact info is sooo much easier than digging around for a pen in your bag. And it’s a sincere way to coordinate that playdate and really connect with the new moms you’re meeting at the kids’ schools and activities!

Favorite Class Favor for Parties: Number 2 Pencils from Oriental Trading Co. in Seasonal Designs (24 for $3.99) I love that we can actually use the leftovers, unlike a bunch of mini candy bars!

Favorite Toddler Shoes & Whimsical Toddler Tees: The Pajama Squid (various) The See Kai Run and Livie and Luca leather sneakers, and hilarious hippos and spaceships and retro diving beauties that decorate the tops for kids at this outstanding online store seem straight out of Alice in Wonderland. (I secretly think owner and fanciful frock finder Tiffany King is Alice.)

Favorite Fall Coat for Eve: Denim Military Coat from The Children’s Place ($34) I already got her a cute denim jacket at an outlet this summer, but OMG, this jacket just kills me. Maybe because I really just wish it came in women’s sizes.

Favorite Back to School Incentive for Good Behavior: Getting to Stay Up to Watch The Clone Wars on Friday nights (premieres 9/17 on Cartoon Network!)

Favorite Family Planner (paper): Busy Body Book ($12) I purchase one of these at the start of every school year after receiving my first one as a free review copy. I’m on my 3rd or 4th one – they’re awesome for keeping the family schedule of events organized!

Favorite Sandwich Bag/Lunch Accessory: Lunch Skins from 3 Green Moms ($7-11) I wrote about these last year too and am STILL devoted! Three local green moms developed these reusuable lunch bags for sandwiches, snacks and more. If you’d like to help keep plastic bags out of landfills – as well as save in the long run on the purchase of those blasted sandwich bags – you can shop for snack, sandwich and sub bags here.

Favorite Lunch Bag: The free insulated lunch tote that comes with the Junior Zookeeper Meal at the National Zoo: These last so much longer than those old plastic heads they used to have. Choose a panda, tiger or frog. Ribbit!

Favorite Button Downs for Boys: Polarn O. Pyret ($10 and up) I have no idea how this Swedish clothing company gets their colors so clear and bright and their cotton button downs so crispy. But whenever he wears one, my rough-and-tumble six year old looks smoothly pressed. (And I haven’t touched an iron since 1993.)

Favorite Backpack: Pottery Barn Kids Backpacks ($26-45) Charlie’s using in first grade the same PB Kids backpack I bought him before he started preschool when he was three, and it still looks nice and almost new. His has the Superman logo design, no longer made, but they now have Star Wars, Batman, Spiderman, patterns and classic colors with a monogram. I often really scrimp on the kids’ stuff (see Payless shoes, below), but this $30 backpack was a GREAT purchase.

Favorite Tees for Boys: Charlie Rocket Boys Rocker Tees ($9-15) These are indestructible! They’re over-dyed and super durable. Charlie has some that he’s been wearing for two years (they started out really big). Charlie loves them because the brand bears his name, and the prints are not “all babyish”.

Favorite Back to School Look for Boys: Missing Four Teeth in a Random Jack-o-Latern Pattern (free)

Favorite Shoes for Girls: Payless Shoes BOGO (buy-one-get-one half off). The Payless peeps will count a backpack, tap shoes, ballet slippers or soccer cleats as “one” too! You’ll simply get the cheaper of the two half off. I found a better selection at the little Payless in my local strip mall than online, but you can buy online and have it sent to your store and the shipping is free.

Favorite Dream Dresses for Eve: Kit + Lili (I haven’t bought these – her YiaYia gave her some as a gift and, I believe, found them via Gilt.com) I love these little girl dresses so much it aches. I want them for her closet almost as much as I covet the floor cushions for our family room.

Favorite Shoes for Boys: Bass (Exeter bucks on sale for $29.99) Boys don’t typically need as many shoes as girls, so they’d better be good quality. Every year when we go to the beach, we pick up a new pair of Bass shoes for Charlie at the outlet in Nags Head. We never spend more than $25, and we never have to get him another pair of non-tennis shoes for dress and school until the next August.

Favorite All-Around Back to School Product: Mabel’s Labels (The Ultimate Back-to-School Combo Pack is $44) Because you’ve got to keep all those great purchases from getting lost! These labels have saved me SO MUCH TIME over the past year. I just stick the packs for the kids in the catch-all tray next to our phone and plop the labels on the lunch bags, backpacks, inside all the clothing that goes to school, ESPECIALLY sweatshirts and jackets. I stick them on the water bottles, the bag bearing Eve’s extra clothes to be stored at preschool, the Tupperware bearing the cupcakes for class parties, I even used them to designate my own personal chargers and cords from my roommates’ at BlogHer (I ripped this idea off of Tech Savvy Mama, who in fact introduced me to Mabel’s Labels). They’re easy to read, don’t come off when you don’t want them to, but will peel off with ease down the road, somehow. You can also do a school fundraiser with Mabel’s. Awesome.

Disclosures: All companies featured here represent companies where I (or the kids’ grandparents!) shop with hard-earned cashola. Polarn O. Pyret hosted an event for A Parent in Silver Spring at Be With Me the Playseum and gave my kids each one clothing item, Mabel’s Labels gave each of my children an Ultimate Back to School Combo Pack and I received a swag bag from them at BlogHer, the Charlie Rocket and Busy Body Book links above are tied to my Amazon Affiliate code so theoretically I could make .05 if you purchase too, LunchSkins gave my family 3 lunchskin products to review last year and then I bought more. All companies featured in this post have received my personal retail purchases exceeding the value of any review copies received over the past three years.

What are YOUR favorite Back to School gear and clothes items?

0 Comments

July 31, 2010 | in: APISS reviews, BlogHer, giveaways, Washington With Kids

Favorite New Children’s Novel & Giveaway:

The Last Guardian and the Reject Bike by Darren Simon

This inspiring fantasy book about a misfit kid and a seemingly-hunk-o-junk bike that turns out to have magical powers was a big hit with my six year old son Charlie. Completely original, the story possessed some aspects of the time-traveling adventures of The Magic Treehouse and the magic of the Harry Potter series, as well as some Roald-Dahlish-preyed-upon-kid-conquers-all themes too. Charlie adored it from beginning to end. And what’s really cool: Author Darren Simon is from my hometown in Southern California! This novel is the first in The Gateway Chronicles series about main character Chuck and his magic bike. We can’t wait to read the next installment!

Disclosure and Giveaway: Author Darren Simon provided a copy of the book for our review. Still in new condition, he has generously agreed to give this book away to a lucky A Parent in Silver Spring reader! Leave a comment here to be entered to win this copy. The winner will be drawn on Tuesday, August 3rd.

Favorite Workout Wear & Giveaway

Marika Miracles Waist Cincher Tank With Built-In Bra

Just because it’s hot and humid doesn’t mean that we get a free pass on working out (don’t I wish!) So I’m loving this all-in-one tank and jog bra from Marika. It’s super flattering and super-supportive. I can pull this on and jog all over the neighborhood without bouncing around, or do headstands in yoga class while keeping my breasts in the same zip code. And it’s only one layer, so I don’t look lumpy or have to wash my usual two jog bras and tee. Also, with its side zipper and cinchy Lycra fabric, it’s super slimming.

Disclosure and Giveaway: I received a free Waist Cincher Tank from Marika for review purposes, and a second tank to give away to a lucky reader. Leave a comment if you’re interested in this ingenious workout wear piece. Winner will be drawn on Tuesday August 3.

Favorite Summer Anthems

Magic by B.oB. featuring Rivers Cuomo

Giving Up the Gun by Vampire Weekend (check out the cameos in this fun video)

All Together Now by Andre 3000 (b/c even 30-something suburban moms are allowed to feel like Kobe Bryant during a workout)

So you have your cute new workout tank that holds everything in check. Now you need some new songs that are so good, they keep you pounding the pavement, making you only stop to find the replay button on your iPod.

Favorite Beach Read:

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

There’s Chick Lit. And then there’s GRADE A Chick Lit. The difference between the two is like comparing canned tuna and sashimi-quality bluefin. And The Opposite of Me, the debut novel of local writer, mother and columnist Sarah Pekkanen, definitely falls into the Grade A category. I can’t stand a bodice-ripper, but an Anna Quindlen novel? Wendy Wasserstein (god rest her brainy, beautiful soul)? Jennifer Weiner? Bring it on! Here’s what Weiner herself says of Pekkanen’s best-selling story,

“Fresh and funny and satisfying. A terrific book about sisters that actually made me laugh out loud. I was completely drawn into Lindsey’s world and rooted for her from beginning to end.”

So, the queen hath spoken: There is a new duchess of Chick Lit in town. Enjoy this book on the beach, on your deck or in your bed with a glass of vino. It’s delish.

Disclosure: I purchased my own copy of The Opposite of Me. However, Sarah Pekkanen generously gifted 10 copies of the book to the MomzShare Silver Spring soiree where local women bloggers/writers became the lucky recipients of her generosity. Thank you Sarah!!

Favorite Pants & Coupons/Invitations to Special Event

Gap Slim Crop Black Pants, Gap Sexy Boot Jeans and Gap Faded Boyfriend Jeans

Finding great pants is a real chore sometimes. So I hope this information is helpful to you: my friend Amy of Teach Mama (a very slender size 2 with long legs) and I (a curvy size 8-10-12 –WHY can’t they just streamline women’s sizing like the guys?? — who’s all torso) both went home from the Gap today bearing the Slim Crop Black Pants. Proof they work for all sizes and body types. (I know Oprah is quoted all the time, especially by chicks in my demographic, but here’s a good line of hers – imagine it delivered in her best soul sistah voice to the camera, “Honey, ain’t NOTHIN’ wrong with a size 12.”)

I also fell in love with the Sexy Boot Jeans in the new dirty vintage wash (this wash is either sold out online or not yet avail online but it’s in the stores and featured in the new ad campaigns) as pictured at left. Got to love a pair of pants that has both “sexy” and “dirty” in the title. Meow! I also finally found a pair of super casual, super beat up Boyfriend Jeans that made me feel like cute Becky Thatcher, rather than a shady bus station lurker.

If you’re in need of pants but dreading hours in front of that three-way mirror at the mall, just go to the Gap. They have over 7 different types/cuts of ultra-flattering black pants as well as their countless denim options. I found today that the sales associates at Gap can usually eyeball you and then recommend the cuts of pants in the store that will work best for your figure.

Disclosure: Gap is providing the speakers at BlogHer 2010 with both #gapmagic black pants and denim outfits for the BlogHer conference. I know, lucky ducky me. Believe me, this stuff doesn’t happen very often. The Slim Crops and Sexy Boot Jeans were courtesy Gap. The Boyfriends I bought for myself. And I am so picky about clothes and fashion that I would not write about them unless I really dug them.

Coupon/Special Invitation Giveaways: I have two exclusive invites to a special event at your local Gap store that entitles you to 30% off all shopping on Thursday August 5th at 6pm and the screening of a new documentary, Blue Gold: The Story of American Blue Jeans. The event is only at Gap stores, not Gap Outlet, Gap Kids, etc. The 30% off coupon must be used on Thursday. Winners will be drawn on Tuesday morning.

Favorite Baby Gift:

Baby Sleeping Bag (aka a sleep sack) from Planet Chipoupine

I’m in love with Chipoupine’s exquisite handmade baby products, straight from France. Since I’m unable to head to Paris these days or hem my pants, let alone hand-sew anything for new nieces and nephews, I believe these baby products make for the perfect baby gift. Everyone’s putting their babies back to sleep and without loose blankets, so what better way to calm a new mom’s nerves and make her feel special than a hand-sewn sleep sack for her bebe? These sleep sacks feature arms that zip off – great for hot summers – and a zipper that’s cut on the bias, making it very easy to get onto, or off of, a sleeping baby. And that gorgeous baby in the picture at right? That’s my niece Abbey when she visited this summer with my sister Sarah. Both gals are so beautiful they deserve nothing but the best in baby swag. Click on the photo to see the detail on the sleeping bag (as well as the detail of Abbey’s cuteness!).

Disclosure: The generous Planet Chipoupine ladies, Theadora and Ghislaine (have you ever heard such fully French names?) sent me one sleeping bag to review and keep, which was promptly given to my niece. Abbey gives it two baby thumbs up!