Review & Giveaway – Pajama Monsters

When I came across Pajama Monsters, I had high hopes that these little dolls would help my daughter sleep. Recently, she has expressed a fear of the dark, which a cute dragonfly nightlight we purchased did not help her overcome. Kieran and I checked out the Pajama Monster website, read the stories of each monster, and in the end she picked Daisy—a little green monster with long eyes, green skin and pink pajamas. When her Daisy arrived, it had a butterfly sewn on the eye. Kieran was a fan of this as anything with pink or butterflies is generally a good thing in her almost 3-year-old eyes. An unlikely friend, Kieran insisted I lay Daisy next to her on the pillow the first night after her arrival and said “but don’t cover her eyes! Her eyes are special so she can see in the dark.” When Kieran joined us in our bed at 6:00 am the next morning, she had Daisy and her first sleeping toy in her arms. The next morning, a repeat performance. Daisy has since become a permanent fixture in Kieran’s bed, sitting up, so she can keep watch over her in the dark. I’m not saying Daisy cured her fear, but it has sparked some fun dialogue between us. Plus, whenever Kieran brings up her fear I can remind her that Daisy is there with her “special eyes” to protect her, and this quells her fear most of the time.

I like that Daisy came with a personalized card and story. The card was addressed to Kieran, handwritten, and came with very useful instructions-“She needs lots of sleep to have all her big adventures!” This is an idea I have always reinforced with Kieran when trying to get her down for a nap or bedtime, so I made sure to read these instructions out loud. The card also includes original artwork on the front, hand-drawn by one of the owners (Hank). A nice touch, I thought. They also sell all their cards (blank inside) and some T-shirts on the website. If you prefer, they will put a message inside the card for the recipient (Happy Birthday, etc).

Pajama Monsters are made by Megan and Hank Champion, parents to 7 year old, Ethan. Their tagline is “the Boogey Man is not so scary…when your best friend is a monster.” All Pajama Monsters are handmade in the USA. They currently have 5 monsters, all with unique personalities and adventures you can follow on their blog. Each monster retails for $30.00 USD.  This is truly a family business, as Ethan is currently developing his own Pajama Monster for the company.

thatsITmommy friends, Heather and Kieran

A few questions for Megan of Pajama Monsters:

1) What do you love about your mom?

Her wackiness! Along with her invaluable talent of turning everyday nothingness into something really spectacular. Being the mother of seven children and skillfully using the meager offerings my dear Daddy brought home every week.  Moms need to pinch a penny coupled with her amazing creativity she rewrote the meaning of valuable resources, washing out and reusing zip lock bags, 1001 recipes for beans and rice, walking to save gas, she was green before green was cool. When I make my most savvy business decisions, I thank God for what I learned from her.

2) What do you love about being a mom?

It thrills me that this lovely creature absorbs and then disperses whatever I teach him. The more books we read, the more time we spend in the garden, the more museums we visit, the more life I show him the more wonderful he becomes. I love that being a mother doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, as my husband puts it, “children are very resilient creatures.” and as long as you give them your time, they adore you. It’s almost like cheating.

3) What or who inspired you to start your own business?

I have always been entrepreneurial but Ethan (my 7 year old) was definitely the motivation for Pajama Monsters. I wanted to spend more time with The Bert as we affectionately call him but corporate America kept telling me that was impossible. Meanwhile my husband had the prototypes for Stinky and his friends in the top of our closet collecting dust. One day I told Hank, “Hey, I think I can market this, turn your hobby into a company…” Every day when I get frustrated with all the business of running a business, I am quickly reminded of the inspiration. It’s easier to do when it is for the good of our family.

4) What advice do you have for women who are afraid to start their own ventures?

I love the Nike campaign (can I say Nike?) JUST DO IT! Really. Who cares what happens, you just have to go for it. Hank and I used our savings and sold off personal property to finance our company. This is it, our chance to see if Pajama Monsters will work and if it doesn’t. Ok, at least we tried. And we will never have to look back and wonder what if. If you have a good idea, then you need to put it out there and see what happens. And guess what? Some of our friends still think I’m crazy for giving up corporate America to spend more time with Ethan and chase a dream. You have to make some sacrifices to live for you and your family, live for today. And whatever happens, take advice from Hank’s Mom … “Don’t let the Turkeys get you down.”

Win Fluffy!

Pajama Monsters is offering one (1) winner Fluffy (pictured above). Ends 5/26.

MAIN ENTRY – Visit www.pajamamonsters.com and tell us something about Fluffy or one of the other Pajama Monsters AND who tell us who you would give Fluffy to if you won?  Come back here and leave your comment in the comment box below. (Remember if this MAIN ENTRY is not followed then no other entries will count)

Extra entries – Lots of ways to earn more entries. Please, leave each extra entry in a separate comment.

* 1 Extra Entry – Follow Pajama Monsters on Twitter and let us know.

* 1 Extra Entry – Friend Pajama Monsters on Facebook and let us know.

* 1 Extra Entry – Follow us on Twitter and let us know.

* 1 Extra Entry – Like on us on Facebook and let us know.

* 1 Extra Entry – Follow us on Networked Blogs

* 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to our RSS feed or by email (or let us know if you already subscribe).

* 1 Extra Entry – Tweet this giveaway. – The Boogey Man is not so scary…when your best friend is a monster. Win a Pajama Monster! @thatsitmommy http://wp.me/pAWsG-U3 #GIVEAWAY

** Let us know that you tweeted in a separate comment. Come back daily!

* 2 Extra Entries – Have a Blog? Blog about this giveaway and leave the url of your post in a separate comment below.

This giveaway will run through midnight on May 26, 2010 (PST) with winner being announced sometime on or before May 28, 2010 (PST). Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact us before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. (18+).

* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review.
* Heather received a Pajama Monster to facilitate this review.
This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.