Random Act of Zhu and Our Children's Homestead, spreading Christmas cheer

During the holiday season, we can often get wrapped up on what to buy, how much to spend, and all the commercialization of the holiday. But the holidays are more than stuff, it about giving back and spending time with friends and family.

Last week my son and I were able to spend a memorable afternoon with a wonderful organization Our Children's Homestead. It was part of Random Act of Zhu!

Our Children's Homestead is charitable organization located in Naperville, Illinois. This organization is committed to finding loving, permanent homes for our youth. Many of their placements are children with challenges. In addition to foster care placement, the organization provides mentoring and educational programs to help these children in need.




My son and I were able to donate lots of Zhu Zhu Pets and accessories to Our Children's Homestead. These toys will make Christmas merry for many kids who may not have a lot of this holiday season. Cepia, the makers of Zhu Zhu Pets, asked some mom bloggers to spread Random Acts of Zhu (random acts of kindness) to worthy organizations in their areas.

Many charitable organizations are struggling this holiday season. Many of us have been cutting back and trying to save. Unfortunately, that hurts the budgets for charities. The Random Act of Zhu provided an amazing gift during these holiday season.

What I love about this program is the surprise and delight that a simple act of giving can bring. When I first talked to Kirsten, the VP at Our Children's Homestead, I don't think that she believed me. Really, how often does a complete stranger offer to give a charitable organization 100 toys? But as we talked a couple of times, she was delighted to have all these toys to give to their deserving children.

I chose Our Children's Homestead because my son and I could visit their headquarters and speak with their staff. I love giving to angel trees and toys for tots, but sometimes you don't see the impact of your gift. Since I was bringing my son, I wanted him to understand the impact of giving to an organization. It became real; it was no longer the abstract idea of charity to him. This experience solidified to him that our family is extremely lucky. There are many kids and families that can benefit from our help now and all year long.

This whole experience taught my son a valuable lesson. While we talk about charity and donate, this hands-on experience really hit home. My son personally got to hand over the toys and see the smiles and the faces of everyone at Our Children's Homestead.

This holiday season maybe your family could consider a random act of kindness. It doesn't have to be a huge event like ours. Maybe you could shove a neighbor's driveway, hold open a door for a person carrying lots of packages or put a quarter in the Salvation Army bucket. Just the smallest act of kindness can inspire others this holiday season.

I would like to thank all those involved in this event including Zhu Zhu Pets, Cepia, MomSelect and Our Children's homestead for making this event possible. For more information on Zhu Zhu Pets, please visit www.zhuniverse.com.  To learn more about Our Children's Homestead, please visit www.ourchildrenshomestead.org.

Let's remember the spirit of the holiday season this year. A little act of kindness can bring joy this year.


Disclosure: The Zhu Zhu Pets given to Our Children's Homestead were provided by  Cepia, Zhu Zhu Pets, and MomSelect. I was not compensated for this event. For my complete disclosure policy, please visit www.more4momsbuck.com/disclosure. 

Zhu-niverse takes over Naperville's Ribfest

Summertime means summer festivals. A great festival in our area is Ribfest. A huge celebration of food, music and this year Zhu Zhu Pets and Kung Zhu.

The Zhu-niverse tour is stopping at Ribfest in Naperville, IL, which runs July 1 through July 4.

My kids loved the Zhu-niverse area. There was tons to do and see. It was our first stop at Ribfest and they definitely didn't want to leave.

There were two tables of all the Zhu Zhu pets and Kung Zhu toys. Whether your child likes Mr. Squiggles or Rivet, these hamsters were everywhere. They scurried through the Kung Zhu training grounds and primped in the Zhu Zhu pet salon.

Each of my kids got to figure out which Zhu they were. They each got a badge and answered questions about their likes and dislikes. At the end, they found out which hamster fits their personality. The badge allows us to go on-line later and see their picture on their personalized hamster. The kids loved the badges and didn't want to take them off.

Another big hit was the Kung Zhu training grounds. This life size obstacle course took skill and agility. The best part for my kids was ringing the gong at the end of the race.

Finally my kids made a stop at the Nintendo DS tent and played the Zhu Zhu Pets game. It was an easy game for all ages. I have a feeling that this game will be on their next wish list.

The Zhu-niverse tour at Naperville's Ribfest was a great event for my family.

Check out other stops on the Zhu-niverse tour this summer. For a complete list of upcoming tour stops, please see the Zhu-niverse website.


Disclosure: MomSelect and Zhu-niverse gave my family tickets to attend Ribfest. All statements in this post are 100% mine and were not influenced by anyone. For my complete disclosure policy, please click here.

Zhu Zhu Pets and Kung Zhu come to life at Naperville's Ribfest July 1 through July 4

We all know and love Zhu Zhu Pets and the new Kung Zhu hamsters. These cute little guys and girls hamsters play, laugh and giggle all day long. We watch them act silly and train for battle.

Do your kids wonder what it would be like to run the Kung Zhu training grounds or dance the Zhu Zhu dance?

Now they can. The Zhu-niverse tour will be making a stop at Naperville's Ribfest. Ribfest runs July 1 through July 4 at Knoch Park in Naperville, Illinois.

The Zhu-niverse area offers children a full sized interaction with Zhu Zhu pets and Kung Zhu. Kids can run the Kung Zhu training grounds, dance with Zhu Zhu pets and find their perfect Zhu Zhu pet for her. Whether your kids play with these hamsters or not, the Zhu-niverse Tour is a definite must stop at Ribfest.

In addition to Zhu-niverse, below is a list of family activities across the four days of Ribfest.

July 1:

* Circus: 12:30, 2:30, 4:30
* Balloon Twister in Hands on Tent: Noon - 3:00
* Kid Bucks: 1:30, 3:30, 5:30
* The School of Performing Art Dance Ensemble: 4:00-5:00

July 2:

* Circus: 12:30, 2:30, 4:30
* Balloon Twister in Hands on Tent: Noon - 3:00
* Sheer Magic Show!: 1:30, 3:30, 5:30
* Naperville Park District Dancers: 4:00-5:00

July 3

* Circus: 12:30, 2:30, 4:30
* Balloon Twister in Hands on Tent: Noon - 3:00
* Sheer Magic Shows: 3:30, 5:30, 7:00
* Interactive Children's Music with Dave Rudolf: 1:30 - 2:30
* The Scribble Monster!: 4:00 - 5:00

July 4

* Circus: 12:30, 2:30, 4:30
* Balloon Twister in Hands on Tent: Noon - 3:00
* Kid Bucks: 1:30, 3:30, 5:30

Ribfest of Naperville is located at Knoch Park. Admission is $12 per person. Children under 11 are free.

Parking:

* There is limited on-site parking, but shuttles are available at several local lots.
* Shuttles run starting at 11:30 until 10:30 on most days.
* Shuttles are available at the following locations Burlington/Kroehler Lot (after 6pm on July 1st and July 2nd), North Central College, Neuqua Valley H.S., Mary Lou Cowlishaw Elementary, and Naperville North High School - BEGINS AT 2PM ON JULY 1ST.

For additional information please see the Ribfest website.

Kung Zhu is ready for battle; so what Kung Zhu are you? Review & Giveaway

If your kids are like mine, they have probably seen the new commercials for Kung Zhu.

What is Kung Zhu? Kung Zhu is the new line of Zhu Zhu Pets from Cepia. These little hamsters are ready for battle. While the Zhu Zhu pets from Christmas were fun for little girls, this new line of toys is geared towards boys.

There are eight original characters in Kung Zhu. These characters are divided into two groups that battle. Each hamster is either a Special Forces member or a Ninja Warrior. Each Kung Zhu hamster can be sent to training grounds so that they will be ready to battle in the arena.

Our family received a Kung Zhu package to try. My boys have been playing with them a lot. They each got to chose a Kung Zhu for battle. We have the battle arena, two training grounds and some battle armor. The boys like to run the Kung Zhu through the grounds and imagine battles that they will fight. They like the battle arena where there are traps that spring hammers and missiles when triggers.

Kung Zhu has done a good marketing job targeting boys. These toys have everything that little boys like, action, battles and movement. Kung Zhu is definitely not the cuddly hamsters that were popular at Christmas. These hamsters are complete with tanks, swords and guns.

The drawback that I have with Kung Zhu is the battle arena and training grounds are large. It is best to have a large open space to set up the whole toy. Although it is easy to set up and take apart, it is more convenient to leave it together.  Personally, I liked the tank accessories. The tank accessories can not be used in the battle arena or training grounds, but they can be used on any flat surface. The Kung Zhu move the tanks around the floor and battle.

In addition to Kung Zhu toys, this summer Kung Zhu and Zhu Zhu Pets will be coming to summer festivals across the nation. The Zhu-niverse Tour will be at Naperville's Ribfest July 1 through 4. The Zhu-universe experience includes a dance stage, training grounds and much more Zhu fun.

Kung Zhu is available at Toys R Us, Target and other major retailers. Kung Zhu goes on sale June 20, 2010 and is available for pre-order. Kung Zhu ranges in price from $9.99 for a Kung Zhu hamster up to $29.99 for the battle arena.

Would you like to have Kung Zhu in your house? MomSelect has graciously given me some Kung Zhu products to give away to my readers. 

Included in your prize pack are: a battle arena ($29.99), 1  Kung Zhu hamster ($9.99), 2 battle armors ($9.99 each), and 2 Kung Zhu Traps ($19.99). A great way to get your kids started with Kung Zhu.

To enter: Tell me what Kung Zhu are you/ which is your favorite? Click here for www.kungzhu.com

Want bonus entries? Please leave a separate comment for each bonus entry. The first entry is required before you can earn any bonus entries.

1. Subscribe to or follow my blog
2. Tweet this giveaway
3. Follow me on Twitter @ More4momsbuck and tweet this giveaway
4. Blog about this giveaway (leave me the link in your comment)

One entry (plus bonus entries) per person, per email address. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States who are 18 years old or older. This giveaway will end on June 30, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. C.S.T. One winner will be chose by random.org from all valid entries. The winner will be contacted via email. Please leave a valid email address if your email is not available in your profile. The potential winner will have 48 hours to respond by email or another potential winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: As part of a promotion with MomSelect, my family received Kung Zhu to review and keep. All opinions are 100% mine and were not influenced nor  reviewed by anyone. For my complete disclosure policy, please visit www.more4momsbuck.com/disclosure.