A few weeks ago I was approached to review an up-and-coming product. It was developed by a Stay-At-Home mom of two little ones, Anne, and she was inspired by her youngest child’s fascination with the ceiling fan. It’s something so simple, and yet I never would have thought of it for myself.

Who doesn’t know an infant that could stare at a ceiling fan for hours at a time? I remember when Eli was younger it was one of his favorite things to do. Round and round it would go, and capture his mind as if by magic. Heck, he still likes to watch it, and always makes a point of telling me whenever he sees a fan at a store, friend’s houses, wherever. And it’s usually in a rather loud voice. I don’t know what it is, by babies and toddles love ceiling fans.

When Anne noticed her kiddo’s fascination with the ceiling fan, she decided to make the view a little more interesting. And then Fandangling was born. Cute stuffed animals that you can add to your ceiling fan to turn it into a living mobile. Brilliant! Right now you can pick from 5 different kits, including a new holiday kit. Or you also have the option to build a custom kit, where you can choose from all of the available animals, bugs, fish, etc.

I received the Puparazzi (which came in a pretty cool envelope) to try in our home, and Eli was right away a fan of the puppies. With two sassy pugs in our house, this was right up his alley. Dad-oo installed the Fandanglings in a snap, flipped the fan to the low setting and we were in business. It took minutes to set it up. Eli thought they were pretty cool and stared wide-eyed at them for quite a while, pointing and shouting “puppies!”.

This product came at the perfect time, I was able to convince my sisters to let me use their kiddos (ages 9 months and 2.5 months) as test subjects too, since they were in town for the holidays. This product has been well tested, let me tell you! Both of the babies were pretty intrigued by it, but the 2.5 month old was by far the most interested. He just stared and stared, we couldn’t get his attention away. I think that is his version of a thumbs up.

A few minor things that I think could improve the product.

If I could have a heart-to-heart with the owner of this company (oh wait, that’s kind of what I’m doing right now) I would suggest having a second line of Fandanglings that are a little more elaborate. Maybe add some streamers or vines with leaves. Just another element that would help grab a baby’s attention. Especially for the little ones who can’t see very far during the first few months. The web site could use more product photos, I wasn’t able to find a photo of the kit that I received. And, even though the envelope that the product came in was very cool, the actual packing of the product left something to be desired. But maybe that’s just me, I’m kind of a snob about that kind of thing.

Oh, and just a word of caution, make sure that you keep the fan on the lowest setting possible, or your kiddo (and you) could end up pretty dizzy watching the Fandangling spin round and round and round. I’m dizzy just thinking about it.

Want to buy a Fandangling?

Head on over to Fandangling web site to pick out your favorite product.

Want to win a Fandangling?

Head on over to Fandangling.com and leave a comment telling me what product you like best. This is a mandatory entry and must be complete before any of the extra entries count.

Want extra entries? Leave a separate comment for each one, worth one extra entry each.

1. Become an Alli ‘n Son Facebook Fan.
2. Subscribe to my blog or leave me a comment if you already subscribe.
3. Follow me on Twitter.
4. Follow Fandangling on Twitter.
5. Tweet about this contest. Include a comment with the link to your tweet.
   Enter to win a set of @Fandangling from @Alli_n_Son http://bit.ly/4QNwCP/ Ends 1/6/10
6. Join the Fandangling Facebook Fan Page – WORTH 2 EXTRA ENTRIES – MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE TWO SEPARATE COMMENTS

This giveaway ends January 6th, 2009. The winner will be picked by Random.org.

The Fine Print: The giveaway is open to readers within the US. The contest closes on Wednesday January 6th, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. CST. A winner will be picked at random using random.org and announced around Jan 8th, 2010. Winners must contact me within 3 days after receiving my email with their mailing address to confirm that they want to receive the prize. I received a sample of Fandangling but I was in no way paid for my review or opinion. Everything that I have written is my opinion, and my opinion only.

Happy almost New Years! I wanted to share this recipe for anyone looking for a little treat on New Years Eve. It’s homemade, delicious, and a little bit naughty. It’s super easy, but it does has to sit overnight, so you’ll want to put everything together now so it’s ready by the time the ball drops. Thanks Mom for sharing this with me!

Homemade Irish Cream

1 Cup Half and Half (or your favorite flavored coffee creamer, I used caramel  this year and it was delicious!)
1 14 oz Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1-2/3 Cup Irish Whiskey
1 Teaspoon Instant Coffee
2 Tablespoons Chocolate Syrup (I omitted this when I used the caramel creamer)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Almond

Combine all ingredients in a blend and set on high speed for 30 seconds. Bottle in a tightly sealed container and refrigerate. Let blend (rest) for 24 hours before serving. Shake well before serving. Keeps up to 2 months in the fridge.

A word of warning, this delicious alcoholic drink really sneaks up on you. Drink it with ice, make sure you have a driver if you are driving, or plan on staying at home. It’s impossible to have just one glass. Which is why I wasn’t able to share any of the batch I made with my family. Sorry guys.