We’ve had a very busy summer with little time to sit down and blog, but we’re doing our best to get back to writing some reviews, see dance party fun below, and we’re really excited to announce a new giveaway sponsored by our friends at fawn & forest. f & f are one of our favorite online retailers. We love that they’re not huge fans of plastic, formaldehyde or toys with a million buttons. They sell thoughtfully made brand name and handmade products for eco-conscious kids and their families. These adorable mobiles by The Modern Baby Company are made from laser cut birch wood are simply beautiful and minimally difficult to assemble. They make a perfect addition to any nursery or kiddo’s room. And we’re giving one away. So sweet. Giveaway ends at the end of the month and as always, we love to hear from you on facebook and twitter, even though we’ve been twitter slackers of late. Sign-up, follow, tweet and let us know who needs one of these sweet mobiles, you may just win.

We recently toured a preschool with a special dark room for children to explore and have fun with flashlights. We had a hard time getting our tot to leave the room, she was having such a blast making shapes on the ceiling and dancing about that we decided we’d better bring this entertainment home. We were initially hoping to find a solar-powered flashlight, but we couldn’t find one that we thought would work for a toddler, so we settled on Melissa & Doug’s Sunny Patch Bibi Bee Flashlight. It’s lightweight, brightly colored and the handle is easy for small hands to grasp, plus the on/off switch is pretty easy-to-use. No eco-friend here, but we’ll keep searching. Meanwhile, our toddler can continue her flashlight dance party and strobe light simulation with this sweet little flashlight and it can also be used outside at night or when camping. $12.48, here.

Another score for Nana, who bought this tutu for our kiddos second hand. Everytime our tot hears music, it’s “tutu time” and “tutu time” has become an intergal part of our dance party routine. We aren’t especially girly or into pink, but there’s just something to be said for dressing up in a frilly outfit and dancing. Any tutu will do, of course, but we like Danskin’s all-in-one tutu+leotard combo with a sweetheart neck and attached tulle tutu. It’s perfect for burgeoning ballerinas and recreational dancers alike. We also appreciate that this one piece saves us a step when getting dressed, leaving us more time for dancing. Yay. Turn up the music, it’s time to dance. Available in sizes 2T-6x-7. If you can’t find used, $29.00 & up, here.

No dance party would be complete without an instrument or two. We say the drums are the perfect instrument to help our kiddos get their groove on, so we’re bringing back a cleeo & bea fave this week. And since our dance party instrumentals started with a set of pots, pans and wooden spoons, it quickly became clear we needed to upgrade. Plan Toys makes a great starter drum kit, perfect for toddlers. It comes equipped with drumsticks, two toms, a guiro and cymbal. Made from reconditioned rubber wood, this kit is durable and stylish, though the cymbal is a little wonky, and is the perfect size for storing in our kiddo’s tiny room. As a first drum kit, Plan’s set is not too loud and satisfies our tots. Dance on little ones! Not cheap, but will provide solid entertainment, priceless. Measures 13″ x 13″ x 10″. $50.00 here.

We’ve always loved surf music and now The Venture’s play Telstar is our kiddos’ number one summer jam. We had no idea our little ones could cut such a rug until we put this record on. This awesome 60s soundtrack music reminds us a little of summers past, watching Gidget reruns with Grandma, eating jello pops and slip n’ slides. If you can’t get to the beach (sometimes you just can’t), this record is a great alternative in a pinch. Originally released in 1962, like most Ventures releases, the songs on Teltstar are surf versions of familiar songs. Try listening to “Percolator” or “Let There Be Drums”, both are silly and will turn any tot’s frown upside down. And “Green Onions” has been a family favorite for years, plus seeing our tots dance to these songs is pretty great. If you can’t find it any other way, get it in tandem with the Ventures In Space, $8.95, here.

We never thought it would come here in Portland, but summer has finally arrived and it’s been a scorcher. With so many sunscreens on the market and as many as we see at playgrounds around town, the cleeo & bea mamas have been doing some very official research to get to the bottom of which ones will protect our tots skin without harsh chemicals. One of the most important facts we’ve learned are to avoid these two ingredients, oxybenzone and retinyle palmate (vitamin A) as both have been linked to cancer. Here are a few of our favorites and their differences, with our preferences and why. We’ve been big lovers of Badger’s sleep balm for restless little badgers, but haven’t tried their sunscreen until recently when one of our neighbors suggested it. This sunscreen lives up to Badger’s stealth reputation and we do like it. And a little goes a long way, which we love. naturally water resistant, safe for children of all ages, blocks both UVA and UVB rays, and thoroughly moisturize while they protect your skin. Natural, organic ingredients sunscreens create a physical barrier with zinc oxide instead of chemicals to protect from the sun. A little gritty, water resistant up to 40 minutes. main ingredient is zinc 20.5% . Consistency is pretty greasy, everything is going to stick to it and takes awhile for it to absorb, but has an excellent rating on the skin deep website of a 1. Smells great and works like a dream. Not cheap, but we think worth every penny. 2.9 oz. $16.00, here.

Most of the sunscreens we’ve been testing are pretty thick and sometimes downright sticky. We really like the way alba’s very emollient SUNBLOCK  with mineral protection for kids goes on the skin and absorbs. Unfortunately, alba’s sunblock doesn’t earn a great rating on the skin deep website, so even though it’s effective, it may be moderately hazardous and not as protective as some of the other sunblocks we’ve been testing. Still, this product is paraben and tear free, hypoallergenic, contains long-lasting UVA/UVB protection, is lightweight and has  a fruity fragrance. Contains certified organic aloe vera and calendula to nourish and soothe skin, Green Tea and vitamin E provide rich antioxidant protection. 3 oz., $9.95, here.

California Baby sunscreens have long been a favorite of the cleeo & bea mamas, but after testing and reviewing a few others like the CB citronella SPF 30+ Sunscreen, there are a couple of things we might change. This sunscreen (rating of 2 on skin deep) is scented with non-toxic essential oils like citronella, lemongrass and cedar, but we’re not too crazy about the fragrance (a little bit strong for young sunbathers) and actually prefer the fragrance-free version, which also has a lower rating of a 1 on skin deep. The active ingredient is titanium dioxide and the formula is made without gluten, oat or dairy. It works for up to 80 minutes while in the water, too, so need to drag your tots out of the water to reapply. This sunscreen is tear free to boot, which is HUGE in our book, since our little ones have a habit of rubbing sunscreen in their eyes. Note: need to apply 30 minutes before going out in the sun. 2.9 oz. $19.99, here.

One of our favorites is Loving Naturals Sunscreen, especially for our youngest wee one. It’s made from 100% natural and organic ingredients with the highest level UVA and UVB protection and earns a very high rating of 1 on the Skin Deep website. This mineral based sunscreen is water resistant and not greasy. Contains mild and effective ingredients including grape seed oil, USDA certified organic sunflower oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides (derived from coconut oil), soy wax (non-GMO), organic sesame oil, organic plum kernel oil, candelilla wax, organic cocoa butter (fair trade), organic hemp seed oil, organic macadamia nut oil, organic cocoa (fair trade), organic green tea, sea salt and water. 3 oz. Great price, $9.99, here.

We’re on vacation (and will be for another week or so), but we had to share the results of our Soul Mates photo shoot giveaway. Our winner was kind enough to let us post the photos of her tot taken by the fabulous Melissa Tomeoni, so we had to follow-up. Melissa has an amazing photographic eye and it really shows in these pics. We love that we were able to partner up with her for this giveaway and now Melissa is offering another great promo to our readers, fans and followers. She’s been kind enough to offer a 15% discount on any photo session fee. We’re planning to take advantage of this great opportunity and we hope you will, too. Just let Melissa know cleeo & bea sent you. We’ll be back soon with more great reviews and giveaways starting in July, just taking some much needed family time and travel. Check out more photos of cleeo & bea’s photo shoot giveaway winner on our facebook page.

If you don’t live in Portland, you may not see the appeal of a t-shirt emblazoned with a steel suspension bridge, but if you do live here, you’ll know exactly why a Portland papa may love it. The St. Johns bridge, in lovely St. Johns, Oregon, is iconic. Built over a two year period from 1929-31, this gothic looking bridge was (at the time) the longest suspension bridge built west of Detroit. It’s huge and pretty amazing to both drive across and stand under. We recently bought this tee for a friend and he won’t take it off. Another reason why we thought dear old dad may think it’s pretty nifty. Printed from an original illustration by Colosso on an American Apparel t-shirt. Hand screen printed on order. Lots of colors to choose from. Just a note, AA tees are a bit snug. $23.00, here.

Oh, how we love the Tenenbaums, actually any film directed by Wes Anderson, but the Tenenbaums kind of took the cake. We saw this film long ago with the men who our kiddos now call papa, and we were obsessed with this wacky family for awhile. We love these prints by Etsy artist Retro Whale of the Tenenbaums. They would make the perfect Father’s Day gift for any Dad who holds a soft spot in his heart for Gene Hackman and Bill Murray. Set of 4 hand drawn and then digitally colored art Prints. Measure 5″x 5” each with a border for framing. Printed on Epson archival matte fine art paper with pigment inks. Prints are signed and shipped in a bend proof mailer. $48, here.

We can’t think of a sweeter gift for papa. “Daddy Cuddles” authored by Anne Gutman and illustrated by Gorg Halle is one book that our tots love to read with their dads over and over again. We love the cute illustrations, are particularly smitten with the daddy monkies and our kiddos have learned the names of baby animals from this book, too. A great way to express love between babes and their papas, a great book to give any newbie papa, or really any papa for that matter. Board book, perfect for toddlers and younger. $5.95, here.

We’re not terribly attracted to cologne, but a fresh smelling papa is pretty great. We love Burt’s Bees products for men and so do the papas we know. BB’s soaps are not too manly, natural, but still do the job of lathering and cleaning, and we find ourselves using them when we have them in the house. In particular their bar soap. It smells so good. Contains vegetable soap base, kaolin, citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot) fruit oil, citrus medica limonum (lemon) peel oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, pogostemon cablin (patchouli) oil, citrus reticulata (tangerine/petitgrain) leaf oil, abies sibirica (fir needle) oil, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil. No junk, hooray. Perfect small gift for papa. 4 oz. bar, $4.00, here.