it was a long hot summer this year, don't you think? i got so annoyed by the kids asking me for drinks. it seemed like i would pour them a drink, put the container in the refrigerator, turn around and there they were, asking for more! i got a cooler for the kids to pour their own drinks, but tommy had too much fun trying it himself and making huge messes on the table. i'm trying to break the sippy cup habit, mainly because the brand i use is not sold in japan and i have a lot of trouble replacing the valves. so i was really excited when i was offered a chance to review the twist 'n pop straw cups from born free. they are bpa free--as are all born free products--which is reassuring when you are handing your child a big cup of something to drink!

so, what do i think? so far, we love them! for this review, we got three bottles in different colors. yellow for hiro, pink for sasha, and blue for tommy. there's also another color, green, but pink, yellow and blue is very popular at our house! i found them to be a great size, big enough for hiro, which was important to me. i even sent it to school with him this week (yeah, since i got back from the hospital i haven't been able to find some things, including hiro's thermos for school!) and it closed so tightly that it didn't leak. you can close the top by twisting it, which pushes the straw into a grove and keeps it closed. it's also easy to take apart and clean, and it's dishwasher safe! the only drawback for me was the instruction pamphlet included with the bottle, which was only in japanese. otherwise, i think it's great! now, if only the kids were big enough to open the refrigerator and get the tea themselves....

this month, born free products will be available for purchase in japan! you can find them at toys r us*, but you can also get one from me! i can offer three cups up for grabs! all you have to do is leave a comment and a way for me to reach you (such as an email address!) and let me know what color cup you would like. i will leave the give-away open until 6 pm on friday, september 10th. since this is for promoting born free in japan, i'm afraid this is only open to residents of japan. good luck!

**edit**

i will chose three names, so be sure to throw your name in the ring!


*CORRECTION: these cups are available from babies r us online store, not in the actual stores.