Congratulations to the following email subscribers who have won a copy of Chicken Soup’s Extraordinary Teens:

1. Laureen Marston
2. Stacey Kostich
3. Tammy Walker
4. Tiffany Larson
5. Erin Daly
6. Lisa Garner

October is a great month for pet lovers because we’re giving away a total of 12 Chicken Soup books*** – 6 copies of What I Learned From The Cat and another 6 copies of What I Learned From The Dog. Wohoo hoo….we’re gonna have 12 winners this round thanks to the generosity of our sponsor.

I did not receive any copy, so am unable to share my review with you this round. Nevertheless, I’ve included the book synopsis below:

Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Cat

101 Stories about Life, Love, and Lessons

Cats have always been wonderful companions and playmates that brighten and enrich our lives but they are also amazing teachers. In this book, cat lovers, both lifelong and reluctant, share what they have learned from their furry companions. Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Cat will delight readers with humorous, heartwarming, and inspiring stories about lessons our feline friends and family members have taught us.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog

101 Stories about Life, Love, and Lessons

Dogs have always been considered companions and playmates that brighten and enrich our lives but they are also wonderful and amazing teachers. The lessons we learn from our canine friends come in all shapes and sizes, just like they do. In this book, dog lovers share what they have learned from our greatest heroes and healers. Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog will delight readers with humorous, heartwarming, and inspiring stories about lessons our canine friends and family members have taught us.

Remember, just subscribe to our feed via email and you will stand a chance to win our monthly prizes. It’s that easy!

***Note : Prizes will be shipped within North America only.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Our family loves stories about animals! So when I heard that I had the opportunity to review Winter’s Tail by Juliana, Isabella and Craig Hatkoff I jumped at the chance! I grew up in Central Florida – so I am familiar with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium where this story takes place.

About the Book:

When Winter, an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, was found trapped with her tail badly damaged, she was not expected to survive. This is her miraculous story, from her rescue to learning how to swim again to her unprecedented success using a prosthetic tail. This is also a celebration of her indomitable spirit.

My son is a couple months away from being five – so the story kept his attention and I was able to engage him more by asking him questions about the story. I don’t think I would recommend the book to kids much younger than five though, since it is a long story and might upset little ones with its details about Winter’s injuries. However – for kids older than five up towards tweens and even teens – Winter’s Tail is a wonderful true story. My son and I loved all the beautiful photos of Winter and her dolphin friend Panama!

Winter’s Tail teaches about acceptance and learning to live (and even thrive) even if you have a disability. Her story is helping to de-stigmatize disabilities of all kinds in a natural way. The book adds a dimension and a new set of tools for kids, parents, and teachers to deal with difficult subjects or topics.

Winter as of right now is on her 7th tail and it is expected that she may need up to 25 or more tails as she grows, and as the engineers keep learning more and improving the technology. This month, October, Winter celebrates her 4th birthday!

Win It: Thanks to Scholastic, one (1) of our Parent Reviewers readers will receive a Winter’s Tail prize pack including:

Dolphin Plush

Dolphin Key Chain

Winter’s Tail game for Nintendo DS

Copy of Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again Book

To enter to win, here’s what you need to do:

Disclosure : Christine was sent a copy of the above book in exchange for this review.

Parenting Spike: The seriously difficult child – Siblings

by Andrew Gibson, Ph.D.

Spike, a ten-year old out of control boy, has a sister. He likes her about as much as he likes his parents which is not at all. His sister comes in handy as a punching bag. Why not? She is just as good as gold. Her behavior is unnatural and it gets under Spike’s skin. Nobody can be that good. They even call her ‘Angelique’. Is that disgusting or what? The reasons it is disgusting is that it isn’t entirely true. That little girl is a con artist. So, Spike feels perfectly justified in punching her whenever she is foolish enough to walk by. Then she screams, “Mama! Mama! Spike’s hitting me again….save me!!” And Mama runs to her rescue yelling, “Spike you horrible child! Take your hands off Angel’s throat this instant! You’ll hurt her!” Oh, really, Spike hadn’t thought about that. If home weren’t so chaotic this fighting wouldn’t be happening. Sibling fighting happens in homes that are filled with tension. It doesn’t happen in calm homes. There is a urban legend out there that says that sibling fighting is a natural part of growing up and that parents just have to put up with it. That’s wrong. Sibling fighting is atypical and can go away. First, parents have to accept that Spike is an angry kid. Then they have to understand that he is directing his anger at them, whether they deserve it or not. Then they have to do something effective about it to make it go away. An end to sibling fighting is a by-product of parenting that can get this kind of situation under control. It will happen when everyone starts taking the bull’s eye off Spike. Spike’s role in the house is to be the resident monster. Everything naturally is his fault. For that reason, Angel can poke him with a quiet verbal stick and get a way it. Everyone assumes the centerpiece is that horrible Spike so they all rush to Angel’s aid, cursing Spike along the way. Well, Angel is just taking advantage of a situation that she understands quite well. She can both victimize Spike and turn herself into the victim at the same time. How do you take the bull’s-eye off Spike’s back? By resolving to no longer let him stimulate you into a negative reaction when something happens. That’s it in a nut shell. You stop making him a center piece and he will get off the table.

About The Author

 
Dr. Andrew Gibson was born in Detroit at the close of WWII. He grew up in the midst of farming country in central Michigan. Both parents were teachers. He keeps a picture of his childhood companion, Wags, to this day (you had to see the tail to appreciate the name). After discharge from the Navy after the Viet Name war, he graduated with a BA and MA from San Diego State University and earned his Ph. D from the University of Connecticut. He has taught at Portland State University, n Portland Oregon, at the University of Maine, Presque Isle and at SUNY New Paltz. He resides in Eastern Connecticut, with his wife of 41 years, where he conducts a private practice in parenting seriously difficult children. His book “Got An Angry Kid? Parenting Spike-A Seriously Difficult Child’ is the first of a series examining seriously difficult children at various age and emotional disturbance levels. He invites you to find him on the web at DrAGibson.com.

Nothing says CUTE like Zooni and their new line of ConFEETi  3D Socks is no exception. Since babies enjoy playing with their feet, these animal socks will serve as  delightful “feet puppets” with their three dimensional little paws, tails, heads and a fun design. Rest assured that you can start your baby off on the right foot with these cute, comfy socks as they  also feature non-skid bottoms ~ just perfect for those first steps.

BUY IT : Zooni ConFEETI 3D Socks are available in 6 designs ~ Panda Monium, Chunkee Monkee, Sock Hop, Teddy B, Tabby Toes and Puppy Love.  You can purchase them in individual pairs as well as gift sets for boys and girls. The gift set comes in an adorable circus theater package with animal paper cutouts. While you are checking out these socks, remember to feast your eyes on their super cute Mop Top Hats as well. You’ll love them just as much, if not more!

Our reviewers were totally in love with the socks! Check out their raves:

Katydid and Kid -We got to try out the Puppy Love ConFEETi socks on Sojo, and he adores them. He loves pointing out puppies whenever we see dogs on the street, and he also loves to hug stuffed animals, so these socks are a hit. The only “trouble” I have is that he likes the puppy so much that he wants to take the socks off and cuddle them.

Reviews By Heidi – Though Ian likes these socks “just because they’re cute”, I like them because they are “something different” and I appreciate the attention to detail by the folks at Zooni. These socks are 3-D! The front portion of the teddy has paws and a face (including ears) that stick out; the back portion has paws and a tail that stick out. They look cute on the picture, but they’re even cuter on a real foot (you’ll have to trust me on this!) The colors of this particular pair are blue, brown, and white; so they will go quite well with lots of the more trendy, stylish clothing that is available for boys (and girls) these days.

5 Vinez Monkeys – Parker didn’t know what to do! He’s never worn a pair of socks or shoes before, so this was all new to him. He immediately noticed the monkey, and he wouldn’t stop touching it. It was adorable! After getting used to the socks, he would walk a few steps, and then stop to point to them. He absolutely loved them. When I took them off, he grabbed them, hugged them, and carried them around with him, everywhere he went. Obviously, he was smitten. Apparently the monkey-love runs deep around our house. Now, if he sees them, I have to put them on, and he just giggles the whole time! So cute.

My 3 Wisemans – I love the cute 3D ears, feet and tails that stick out on each sock. And I really love that the tail and back feet were also 3D on the heel of the sock…so cute. The ConFEETi 3D animal socks are very soft and have rubberstamped soles so little ones learning to walk won’t slip. I also think the packaging for the gift set is too cute.

Miche Reviews – Now though, after having SO much fun with the Zooni ConFEETi 3D Socks, I had to buy a couple more pairs for the boys. I received one pair free (see the picture of JR wearing them on my main blog) that fit JR, and so I ordered 2 pairs for Little Dude and another pair for JR. The best part? The size is on the sock.

Creative Writings 101 – I was impressed with the quality and thickness of the socks-not to mention that the cute little 3D design in the front was adorable. My little grandson is about 4 months old right now, and very into his feet. When we put these on, he immediately wanted to touch them and check things out. I will say that they were a little big for him right now, so we are waiting for his feet to grow into them some more. I have never seen 3D socks before, so this definitely was something new for this old Grandma!

Plus Size Mommy – When my daughter who is 3 received these Zooni socks in the mail, she was so excited. She put them on right away. Now I have to make sure to keep them washed because she wants to wear them everyday!

Mom Start – She would not take them off. I think she wore them two or three days straight. I finally just took them off of her feet and told her we had to wash them. Now why didn’t I think to get a picture of them before I put the in the laundry where they still are. I don’t know.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

GoPicnic is all about providing nutritious delicious meals, without the inconvenience of heating or cooking! They provide a great combination of all your favourite brands, like Barry Bakery, Mrs.May’s Naturals, Sensible Portions and lots more,  and put them all into a neat lil box, which fits well into your laptop or your bag!

About GoPicnic :

GoPicnic’s founders developed the concept of the shelf-stable picnic meal in 2004 for a major US airline whose existing buy-on-board fresh food service program was costing it millions of dollars annually due to high levels of waste from unused meals as well as incremental personnel expenses stemming from the need for in-flight food preparation. The shelf-stable snackbox solution that the GoPicnic founders created to address these issues generated profit for the airline for the first time in its food service history and provided customers with a reliable quality product at a good value. Recognizing the many benefits such shelf-stable “picnic” meal programs could bring to a wide array of other industries, the GoPicnic founders expanded on the original concept, making nutritious high-quality shelf-stable meal solutions available to new markets and clients.

One of our co-editors, Monica Brady, had a chance to review them and here’s what she has to say :

We recently had the chance to try out a product that is totally new to me, called Go Picnic. They’re ready to eat meals that are filled with natural ingredients, and require no refrigeration or preparation so both children and adults can simply open and enjoy.

GoPicnic sent us four of their meals to try out:

• GoPower: Bagel Chips & Cream Cheese
• GoDeli: Salami & Cheese
• Sports Munch: Turkey Pepperoni & Cheese
• JungleMunch:  Beef nuggets & pita chips

My husband had a week of training where he didn’t have a microwave or refrigerator available. I suggested that he take the GoPicnic meals with him to try out. He first took the GoPower, one of the smaller meal packs, with him. He told me that he really liked the combination of items in it, but he wasn’t quite full. So the next day, he took the SportsMunch, which is a little bigger than the GoPower from the previous day. That one was more filling, and again, he really liked the choices of items in the pack. My girls and I tried the JungleMunch and the GoDeli the other day, and thought they were a great pick-me-up for that afternoon hunger!  Because of their portability, they’re great for camp, school and when you don’t feel like cooking!

GET IT! : They have thought of everything! From allergens to personal beliefs where they have specialty diet meals available such as gluten-free, vegetarian, kosher or halal. Honestly, you will not be able to find a single box you did not want to try! Check out www.GoPicnic.com if you are going camping or like Monica’s husband, going to a place where food would be difficult to find.

WIN THEM : We’re so excited Go Picnic has generously sponsored giveaways to THREE lucky readers. Each selected winner will have the priviledge to choose SIX of their favourite GoPicnic meals!!! Woo hooo!!!

To enter to win, here’s what you need to do:

Parenting Spike: The seriously difficult child – Raising Your Voice

by Andrew Gibson, Ph.D.

To live with Spike is to yell. Spike is your ten-year old out-of-control son who delights in making you miserable. You’ve tried everything that you can to calm him down. None of it has worked. He has you backed into a corner. You can’t think of alternatives. There seem to be none. Like most cornered animals you react, generally with yelling. It seems like a defense but it isn’t really. You’d think your kid would care if you got angry or not. But Spike doesn’t care. In fact, Spike encourages you to flip out. He thinks it is kind of amusing. He knows you don’t have a lick of control over him and he rubs your nose in it. Everytime you yell at him, he chalks a point for his side. He somehow knows in his ten year old brain that he pushed you into an ineffective tantrum. That’s really what it is: an adult tantrum. If you boiled down your reaction to one of Spikes outrages, you’d see a parent out of control. The only thing missing, from his persepctive, is you throwing yourself on the floor while kicking and screaming. It is a mistake to display yourself to Spike as out of control. It makes you seem, well, pathetic. He doesn’t respect you and an adult tantrum won’t make him change his mind.

Respect is essential if you are to turn the clock on Spike. We respect strength, not weakness. There is nothing in principle preventing you from regaining control over Spike. However it was that Spike got to be Spike, he really only stays that way because you enable his behavior. Sound outrageous? It isn’t. It is as common as rainwater. Everything we do in the name of parenting an out-of-control child is likely to maintain his terrible behavior. Everything. Don’t believe it? Think about your recent confrontations with your Spike. Did you win or lose? What do you suppose Spike would say about those confrontations. Is he adding more chalk marks to his scoreboard? You can’t govern an abnormally developing kid with normal parenting techniques. They will beat you up every time. You need another strategy. Try NEVER raising your voice. Promise yourself, that no matter what (except an bona fide emergency) that you will seem so calm that you can not be heard in the next room. You should apply this to situations that anger you and situations that don’t. Even calling the little monster to the table is now forbidden. Do it faithfully for a month. See what happens. You can impose the calm you want. Don’t wait for Spike to do it. It won’t happen.

About The Author

 
Dr. Andrew Gibson was born in Detroit at the close of WWII. He grew up in the midst of farming country in central Michigan. Both parents were teachers. He keeps a picture of his childhood companion, Wags, to this day (you had to see the tail to appreciate the name). After discharge from the Navy after the Viet Name war, he graduated with a BA and MA from San Diego State University and earned his Ph. D from the University of Connecticut. He has taught at Portland State University, n Portland Oregon, at the University of Maine, Presque Isle and at SUNY New Paltz. He resides in Eastern Connecticut, with his wife of 41 years, where he conducts a private practice in parenting seriously difficult children. His book “Got An Angry Kid? Parenting Spike-A Seriously Difficult Child’ is the first of a series examining seriously difficult children at various age and emotional disturbance levels. He invites you to find him on the web at DrAGibson.com.