Fun in the Sun Day 7…CSNStores.com

Are you guys still with me?  I hope so because we have lots of great fun in the sun products still to come!  If you haven't had a chance to check out the other great products and giveaways then please do that as they are awesome! Today I’m featuring a company that I’ve worked with before and enjoy very much…CSNStores.com.  For those of you not aware of this company let me give you the lowdown.  CSNStores.com is a collection of over 250 online stores that offer a wide variety of products including home decor, health and fitness equipment, baby cribs and bedding, shoes and luggage, children’s toys and so much more.  You can check out the last review I did for them here.
Since this is the Fun in the Sun blog party I chose an item to review that I thought would be fun for the kids and easy for the adults!  CSNStores.com sent me the Kid’s Adventure Le Cafe Play Tent for my review.  I chose this item because I though it was adorable, fun, and affordable (at only $39.99).  Some of the features of the Le Cafe Play Tent include a front swinging door, shock-corded PVC poles, a striped awing and polyester cover. 

The Le Cafe Play Tent is so adorable!

Little Man figuring out how to latch the front door.

When the tent arrived I was very excited to get it set up so that the kids could tell me what they thought about it.  The assembly was a little more than I could do by myself (it actually took my husband, myself, and my oldest daughter’s to set it up).  The instructions were clear and easy to understand but the structure itself did not want to cooperate.  The poles used to construct the tent were simple enough to put together, but were not very sturdy, we had an issue several times getting the poles to stay up long enough to put the roof on the tent.  Once we had the roof in place the structure was a little more sturdy, but it still took all of us holding it to get the cover over it without it collapsing.  Once the cover was on the structure  and all of the Velcro snaps were together (another PITA)  the tent was actually very cute.  The hardest thing we had to deal with was the sturdiness of the tent, it was a little windy the day we set it up and several times the tent was lifted into the air…the problem was solved (temporarily) by placing rocks on the inside flaps.  Eventually we moved the tent onto our front porch where the wind would not be an issue—if you plan on buying this tent and have a playroom inside I would highly recommend placing it in there.  Once the tent was safely out of the wind the kids got to go inside and play and I have to say that they really enjoy the tent.  It’s very roomy (it holds up to 8 children) and the awning and roll out brick porch made the tent just absolutely charming.  

What I like about it:  I love that my kids like the tent…at the end of the day that’s all that really matters.  I also like the price…very affordable summer fun.  One big draw is how roomy it is…both of my oldest daughters, my son, youngest daughter, and one of their cousins fit in it very comfortably. 

What I think needs improvement:  I think one big drawback of this tent is how flimsy it is, maybe adding stronger poles would make the structure more sturdy.  I also dislike how it is not very outdoor friendly, one of the biggest reasons I chose the tent was because I wanted them to have a place to play outside and this tent is just not made to be used as an outdoor tent (unless it is placed on a covered porch or deck).  The Velcro closures also need work as they do not want  to stay in place, making the structure itself hard to stay together.
Buy it:  You can find the Le Cafe Play Tent from Kid’s Adventure at CSNStores.com.

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Sneak Peak at an Upcoming Review

With spring in full swing and summer right around the corner I seriously couldn’t be happier.  One of my favorite things about summer is being able to play outside with my kids…I’m just a big kid at heart!  I’m always on the lookout for great outdoor toys for the kids to play with that are affordable and fun—and I’m pretty sure I’ve found a great one from CSNStores.com.  For those of you who don’t know what CSN is, CSNStores.com consists of over 200 online stores that offer shoppers great deals on everything from cribs and shoes to outdoor furniture and of course great children’s toys.
Now I know you can’t wait to see what I’m going to be reviewing very soon…can you?  Well I guess I can give you a little sneak peak!

Is that not absolutely adorable?  Be sure to keep an eye out for my review coming soon!

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CSNBaby.com review...And the Answer to My Kids Clutter

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I wrote a post about an upcoming review that was going to solve my organizational issues with the kids “stuff”? Well it seems that the FedEx man is my own personal Santa (and I love him for it) because last week he dropped off what can only be described as the answer to my prayers. Alright so maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but in my house anytime I can see my floor through all the toys I consider a minor miracle has taken place.

A few weeks ago I was approached to do a review for CSNBaby.com. I have worked with CSN in the past and enjoyed the experience so I was more than happy to do another review for them. In case you’re not familiar with the CSN line of online stores let me tell you a little about them. CSN is an online retailer with over 200 unique stores to their credit; from baby furniture to office accessories if you need it chances are very good that one of the many CSN stores has it.

I was sent the Little Tikes Giant Toy Chest to review. Aside from this item being a Godsend for all the clutter in my family room, I actually chose it because I thought it would be a great item to review for the holidays and a nice change from all of the toys! One of the things that has been driving me crazy since we moved to our current house is the lack of room for our kids to play. I’m used to having a play room for them to stash all of their toys in and unfortunately there is no play room here. Given the limited amount of space I have to work with I’ve had to get pretty creative with the way I organize, unfortunately that meant my children's toys sitting in a wagon and a not so kid-friendly storage bin. Of course I have looked at toy boxes in the past but truth-be-told they were either too small or way too expensive for me. The thing I like most about the Little Tikes Giant toy chest is that is is HUGE, it’s overall dimensions are: 21.75" H x 23.25" W x 39" D, so it is more than big enough to hold all my kiddos toys and then some. It’s also quite cute, I hope you can see the detail from the pictures, it really is very charming. There is one thing I dislike and that is the fact that the lid is not attached (though many toy chests of this size are similar in that manner) it makes it a bit difficult for my little ones to open by themselves (which could actually be a good thing).

Since seeing is definitely believing I decided to show you my mess before (yes I may actually regret this one) and after so you can see for yourself how much this item has helped me.

My children’s toys before the Little TikesGiant Toy Chest. You can see it’s kind of all stuffed into whatever I could find to accommodate it…even an old diaper box.

My children’s toys inside the Little Tikes Giant Toy Chest. As you can see it is pretty big and can hold a lot of toys.

My little man seems quite pleased with his new toy chest. And as you can see my mess is gone!

Of course CSNBaby.com carries all kinds of amazing kids furniture, nursery decor, and so much more! So make sure you go check them out!

And don’t forget that you can find this item and so much more in Misadventures in Baby Raising’s Holiday Gift Guide 2009!

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Upcoming Review and An Answer to My Kids Clutter!

My living room has been taken over! By what you may ask? Well by my children and their “stuff”. I have always lived in a house that had a playroom, because well I demand order and my children are not orderly. When we moved to our current house I was very upset to learn that there was no bonus room, which meant no playroom, which meant my children's “stuff” would end up scattered throughout the house…fun times!

In an effort to transform my living room back to something that resembled MY living room I decided to go on the hunt for something to aid in that transformation. What I found made me smile (and I like to smile), but you’re going to have to wait and see what I found until next time. Until then I will give you a sneak peak of some nursery decor (the item I found is within the link…how’s that for cryptic) that is so amazing and functional I’m actually considering redoing the nursery now! One step at a time mom, one step at a time!

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