Blast Off with I See Me! Personalized Storybooks

It is Cinco de Mayo!

As much as I love any good reason to celebrate, today’s holiday is one that I never quite took much part in. Perhaps it’s because I’m not of Mexican descent, or maybe it’s simply because I’m not all too fond of the chaotic party scene.  Regardless, for me, today is just another Monday… or so I thought.

You see, my little ones have recently gotten hooked on all things space related. After getting them a small telescope a while back, they have loved getting to look up into the night’s sky to search for different stars, constellations, planets, and then some. Recently, we even had the chance to see a few rocket launches, both, with and without the help of their handy little telescope. Since then, outer space is one of the many things that peaks their interest and I love that that is the case. Any opportunity in which I can take their interest in a particular topic and turn it into something educational is always a huge bonus. From the simple things like using the North Star to find your way to the more complicated things like trying to explain to a toddler why the planet from “I love you all the way to Pluto” has been declassified as a planet, outer space is full of wonder for children and adults alike. One thing that both little ones were particularly excited about was finding out that you can actually walk on the moon! Even though it is “super, far, far away” just the thought of bouncing and floating around kicked their little imaginations into overdrive and, now, travel by way of space has become their preference for most imaginary adventures. Wanting to be able to answer the hundreds upon thousands of toddler “why?” and “how?” questions, their seeking of knowledge led me to do some learning of my own. And that, well, that brings me back to today – May 5^th.

Did you know that today, on May 5^th, back in 1961, the first American mission into space occurred?

It was a Friday then, and the Freedom 7 space capsule sat there in Cape Canaveral, Florida awaiting the launch countdown. Inside – before famous astronauts like Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, John Glenn, and Sally Ride – sat 38-year-old Alan Shepard, Jr. On this day, he became the second person in history to make that unbelievable journey through our atmosphere and into space and he was the first American to accomplish that feat.

“Asuronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr. sits in his Freedom 7 Mercury capsule, ready for launch. Just 23 days earlier, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first man in space. ‘That little race between Gagarin and me,’ Shepard said, ‘was really, really close.’ After several delays and more than four hours in the capsule, Shepard was ready to go, and he famously urged mission controllers to ‘fix your little problem and light this candle.’”

After growing up in a small town in New Hampshire, this ordinary boy lived and extraordinary life and proved to the world that if you put your mind to it and follow your dreams, you truly can accomplish everything. Even if your dreams take you to farfetched places and on out-of-this-world adventures, you can do – and be – anything.

And that mantra is the underlying message in a favorite book of mine. It is no secret that my family and I are huge fans of the I See Me! company but, when I learned that they offered one of their incredible personalized storybooks that featured an educational tale that depicted the ideology of becoming whatever it is that you may be dreaming of – including an astronaut counting backward until takeoff – I jumped all over it.

The I See Me! 1-2-3 Blast Off With Me personalized book will surely allow your child to have an out-of-this-world reading. This book, personalized with your little one’s photo, teaches basic concept of numbers, letters, colors, and shapes and does so in an exciting way to keep hold of a child’s interest. Through the pages, your little one will follow along with their own image as they wander through amazing illustrations, fun learning, and exciting scenery.

With my own little ones being such big fans of space, the astronaut pages are quite easily their favorite of the book. After all, with a trip into outer space where almost anything is possible and the cool factor of being able to count backward, this book quickly made the bedtime story lineup time and time again. It really is such a sweet book and I am so glad that, much like the topic of space in general, this book is not only entertaining but it is educational.

BUY:
You can purchase I See Me! 1-2-3 Blast Off With Me direct from the website at www.ISeeMe.com for $29.95. Additional outer space items are available as well as a plethora of great storybooks from the I See Me! brand. And now through May 30th, you can save 10% on all orders by simply using the code “SPACE10” at checkout.

CONNECT:
Be sure to keep up with I See Me! on social media via their Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, pages to stay up to date on all of the latest news, new product releases, sale prices, giveaways, and more!

And, speaking of giveaways…

That’s right! In honor of today’s celebration and the May 5^th anniversary of Alan Shepard’s launch into space fifty-three years ago, one lucky Eighty MPH Mom reader will win their very own copy of I See Me! 1-2-3 Blast Off With Me.

THE GIVEAWAY
One (1) winner will receive an I See Me! 1-2-3 Blast Off With Me personalized storybook.

Giveaway open to US residents only. Ends 5/20/14. ARV of $29.95.

No purchase necessary. Open to residents of US only. Giveaway ends May 20th, 2014 at 9:00 p.m. (PST). ONE ENTRANT PER HOUSEHOLD/IP Address! I check all entries – cheating will not be tolerated. Winner will be notified via email and needs to reply within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. Please make sure you check your spam folder – I will not be responsible if you did not receive winning email notification. Winners name(s) will be displayed on the post, and will also be posted on Winners List shortly after drawing has occurred. Winners will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter. Screenshots of winners available by request. Prize will be shipped directly from sponsor or their PR Agency unless otherwise noted. Eighty MPH Mom is not responsible for prizes lost in transit, although every attempt will be made for prize delivery.

**By entering this giveaway, you confirm that you have read and agree to my giveaway rules. Sponsor reserves the right to limit one prize per person/household (of this item/prize pack). Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of prize {though it is usually much sooner}. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability. Odds of winning: The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. All prizes will be awarded. Void where prohibited by law.

*Randi received a complimentary product from the company, in lieu of the above product (which she already owned), in exchange for this review. All opinions are those of the reviewer only.