Crayola Review/Giveaway

Oh my goodness, has it been a whirlwind two weeks!  School is back in session....and I'm worn out.  I have been a school-shoppin', form-fillin', scheduling BEAST.  Do you feel my pain? Is it AWESOME to have the kiddos outta my hair back learning for SEVEN hours a day?  Lemme give you a resounding YES!  But I actually do miss 'em.  Don't get me wrong....after an entire summer of entertaining three kids (and all their friends) 24/7 I am definitely enjoying a little peace and quiet.  But we're only two weeks in and I'm already kinda missin' 'em.  Not so much so that I'm gonna homeschool - let's not get CRAZY!  But it is (perhaps) just a little TOO quiet.

Did you have a wonderful summer?  We had a blast, and spent a ton 'o time in the water - be it the pool, the water park, yard sprinklers, a good-old-fashioned slip 'n slide, or the local fountains....if we weren't in the water we were MELTING.  And it is still a scorcher out there.  I'm not sure how much longer I can take this Texas heat.  Seriously.  (Maybe I'm going thru menopause!)

Before summer was out - as we were planning back-to-school, I was contacted by Crayola about doing a little back-to-school shopping on them.  They wanted me to find some deals for ya and (here's the good part for you) do a giveaway!  So I said "SURE, I'd love to!"  Because I'm not crazy.  You want me to shop on your dime?  Sure, I can do that.   :)

Once I committed to Crayola, though, I kinda got to thinking....maybe my kids aren't really appropriate for this.  I've got a high school senior, a 6th grader, and a 3rd grader.  Crayons aren't really their thing.  But I had already committed, so I was in. We hit the stores - with Zach firmly grasping the Crayola-provided gift card ('cuz that's how he rolls).

We hit Walmart, Staples and Target.  What struck me first & foremost is how much Crayola has evolved, and really kept up with the times.  Yeah, sure, they've got all the school basics covered...crayons, colored pencils, etc.  But I saw TONS of new Crayola products that I'd not noticed before.  It was pretty impressive, and the boys wasted no time picking out all the things they REALLY (absolutely) NEEDED.  We went with a lot of their dry erase products because we're trying (always) to stay organized.  So we got a big dry erase calendar with some wonderful Crayola dry erase products.  We got a bunch of dry erase markers and crayons with plenty of colors for every person in the house.  Who knew that Crayola has dry erase crayons?!?  Totally cool!  They each also got a little individual Crayola dry erase kit.  Zach uses his to practice addition and subtraction tables on it in the car. See?  Even when we're en route we're still being productive!  It turns out they're not too old for Crayola.  :)


In addition to back-to-school essentials like crayons and markers, keep an eye out for these great new Crayola products: 

• SuperTips Washable Markers Kit - This super-colorful collection of Crayola Super Tips Markers and paper includes 65 pieces in a durable, portable carryall case. 
• Twistables Colored Pencils Kit - This “twisted” colorful collection of Crayola Twistables Colored Pencils and paper includes 65 pieces in a durable, portable carryall case. 
• Wild Notes Black Notebook - Older kids and even young adults can have fun infusing color into note-taking as they head back to school. 
• Wild Notes Black Journal - A smaller 5”x7” size is perfect for taking notes, keeping a personal diary or writing colorful ideas. 

You should be able to find plenty of back to school sale & clearance items very soon.  I'm keepin' my eyes on Target.  I always stock up after the big back to school rush and hold onto 'em for when the kids need supplies refreshed in the Spring.  A couple fun Crayola facts - Did you know that Crayola’s washable markers are the World's Most Washable?  And that Crayola colored pencils are made with reforested wood?  True.

Here's the fun part for you:  Crayola has graciously offered up a $25 Visa gift card to one lucky Brenda Writes A Blog reader.  YAY!  You can put that to good use, right?  Because if your school experience is anything like ours has been.....my kids are STILL coming home from school saying "Ms. So & So said I need to bring a (insert random school supply here) to school TOMORROW."  Sheesh!  So how can you win?  Simply email me at brendalpark@gmail.com by midnight on Monday, September 9th and tell me which Crayola product is your favorite. You can check 'em all out on the Crayola website, the Crayola facebook page or their Twitter feed.  I will randomly select a winner and announce the lucky person's name in a post on Tuesday the 10th.  Good luck everyone!
NOTE:  The Crayola product, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by Crayola.