Almost a year ago, our now 6-1/2 year old son tried out his first scooter. It was during the middle of fall, so he did not get to ride his new scooter very much before the snow and ice came along. Luckily his new Shox Scooter from Shred Sled was better-timed and arrived for late summer, so our son will be able to enjoy riding his shock absorbing scooter throughout the next three months.

Our son is not a hardcore biker or skateboarder, so he had to start off slow. That being said, he did travel much faster on the Shox Scooter than he did with his previous traditional scooter.

I have to say that this scooter seems very structurally sound. It is made mostly of aluminum and steel. The Shox Scooter actually only weighs about 7lbs, so it is easier for a child to handle. I like that the deck has good traction because I do worry about my son's foot slipping, which could cause him to have an unwelcomed fall. I also like that the foam handles are thick and easy to grasp.

There is a foot brake at the rear wheel that can be activated with the heel, if necessary. The polyurethane wheels seem to be extremely durable.

The handle height is adjustable. We did have a slight problem where the handle was jammed too far in during packaging. My husband had to pound on the handle repeatedly before it would allow him to extend the height. Luckily, this did not damage or affect the scooter's performance in anyway.

I was very pleased to find that our son grew comfortable on the Shox Scooter right away. Because he weighs under 50 pounds, he really could not feel the shocks at work. He would really need to go airborne and land before he would feel the bounce. He is working up to that, but is not quite there yet. The scooter does fold compactly in half, so we can easily fit it into our already packed car for trips to the park.

The Shox Scooter retails for $59.99 and can be found on ShredSled.com, as well as at major toy retailers, such as Toys R Us and Amazon.com . You can also find out more about this product by visiting The Shred Sled on Facebook.

Thank you to The Shred Sled for sending us a sample product free of charge to base this review upon for this Team Mom campaign.

We have three contests to draw the winners for today! Two were sponsored by small businesses who offer some great gift items, so please think of them as the Holidays approach this year.

Out of 1177 entries, the winner of the Target Gift Card & Bonus Box Tops Prize Pack contest is . . .

#972 - amweeks

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Out of 395 entries, the winner of the Happy Tiffin Stainless Steel Divided Plates contest is . . .

#63 - Ms. Joy mH

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Out of 296 entries, the winner of the San Lori Stationary contest is . . .

#294 - Penny W

Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter these contests. I will be sending out official email notifications right away. Please respond within 48 hours to claim your prizes. As always, I will reply to confirm that I have received your information.

It's been awhile since we've put on some music and just let loose. Part of the reason is because this summer has been so hot and humid. Luckily, we had a short break from the heat for a few days, so we decided to pop in a new CD one morning. Jake started dancing right away. His little sister Makenzie was too dignified to dance and his little brother Luke was content to just run around his big brother in a circle waving his arms around while Jake danced.

I went back and looked to see when I last posted photos of our children dancing and it was almost one year ago exactly.

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This August, Blip Toys launched a new product line called Squinkies Surprize Inside that taps into children's fascination with collecting, trading, and sharing. These toys also have another draw. There is a strong gumball machine theme. Each of the mini dolls or figures come inside a little plastic bubble and the majority of the larger playsets resemble gumball dispensers. Do you remember always wanting to spend your coins in those vending machines as a child? I do. I also remember wanting a gumball machine for my bedroom so very badly as a little girl. A Squinkies playset would be an excellent sugar-free substitute for an actual gumball machine.

Our boys immediately felt the need to figure out how the Cupcake Surprize Bake Shop worked. They filled it with as many Squinkies as they could fit. Then they figured out that by inserting one of the two included plastic tokens and turning the knob, a Squinkie would appear out the opening on the front.

Our daughter was more interested in the mini figures themselves. There were so many different animals and characters to discover. Each figure had a hole on the bottom so that it could sit securely on a piece of Squinkies furniture or even on top of a standard pencil.

Although I love that Squinkies are soft and squeezable, they are a choking hazard. So, if you have a child who likes to put things in his or her mouth, regardless of age, you should supervise your child very carefully. Our daughter has a bad habit of absent-mindedly putting things in her mouth, whether it's a tip of a pen or a toy. We did catch our daughter with one of these figures in her mouth. Now we can only allow her to play with Squinkies when we are sitting right there next to her.

Although the customizable jewelry was really adorable, both the bracelet and ring were too large for my daughter. In fact, because the ring is also soft and flexible, it could actually fit on an adult.

What you can win:
ONE lucky reader will receive the Squinkies Grand Prize containing 5 products (ARV $57).

FIVE lucky readers will each receive one 16pk of Squinkies (package contents will vary).

Limitations:

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

How to Gain Entries:

Browse the selection of Squinkies toys. Then leave a comment telling me the name of the toy you think would appeal to a child the most. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2)

For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, subscribe to the Squinkies Blog by email. Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments telling me you did so. (If you use a different email than what is in your profile, please include it in your comments. I will be verifying these entries.)

4)

For 1 extra entry each, if you are a Friend of mine on Facebook and/or if you have "liked" the 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires Facebook page, then leave a separate comment here telling me so with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 1 extra entry each, follow Squinkies on Twitter and/or "Like" Squinkies on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment for each with the link to your Twitter or Facebook profile.

6)

Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7)

Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8)

Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9)

Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

10)

Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

<br /> <a href="http://www.3garnets2sapphires.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd206/Busymonkeez/Graphics4Me/NEWBlogButton125x125.jpg" /></a><br /><br />

(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:

This contest will be closed on Monday, September 20th, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

With fall coming, I have been starting to think about starting to shop for the Holidays. My goal every year is to be mostly done by Halloween. Of course it never happens, but I always make a good effort.

I know that Grow Pals come in a variety of different figures, but I only saw the Princess at A.C. Moore. Perhaps you'll have better luck at your location, as I'm sure the stock must vary from store to store.

No compensation or products were received in relation to writing this article, which was base on my own personal shopping experience.