GIVEAWAY CLOSED! 

Introducing three fantastic products from Sothys:

Sothys Aroma-Sothys Energizing Shower - Softly cleans and tones the skin. It contains essential oils of eucalyptus, cardamom, nutmeg, and neroli for an energizing fragrance while leaving your body feeling refreshed. Price: $24

SOTHYS Aroma-Sothys Energizing Bath Essences Tablets – Effervescent, playful and revitalizing bath pebbles which enrich the bath with their tonic and energizing fragrance… a particular moment of pleasure and wellness. Price: $26

SOTHYS Aroma-Sothys Energizing Essential Oils Elixir – Magical, this very concentrated dry oil is an invitation to happiness: when massaged, it restores tonus and felicity… the skin is divinely satiny and full of energizing active ingredients. Price: $29

Win it! Here’s a chance to give your body a little pampering without the need to spend. One reader will get to win all the above three products valued at $79. To enter this giveaway, simply follow the rules below:

• One mandatory entry – Tell us why you want to win these products
• Three additional entries -  Grab our Mega Xmas Giveaway badge on our sidebar and place it on your site. Leave your site url in the comment section here.
• Five additional entries - If you blog about this giveaway and link back to this post. Please leave your post url in the comment section.
• Entry is open to US and Canada shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway closes on  9th January 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : Giveaway courtesy of Sothys-USA

To wish our fantastic panel of reviewers and our loyal readers…

A Very Happy New Year filled with
Good Wishes, Joy, Health and Beautiful Journeys.
May 2010 mark the beginning of a Tidal Wave of Happiness, Prosperity and Bright Future for you and your loved ones.

Here’s a toast to “A BETTER YEAR AHEAD FOR ALL“!

CHEERS FROM,

   AND    

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Gone are the days spent waiting for creams and beauty products to work and show any visible sign of reducing wrinkles. Modern day women want results from their products not only immediately, but with satisfactory improvements. And who has the time during the fall and winter months to wait for products to work? AminoGenesis has the solution.

New for Winter 2009, Gone in Sixty Seconds by AminoGenesis Skincare is an instant wrinkle filler that contains a scientific blend of oxygenating peptides, micro-collagen and firming proteins that tighten, firm and reduce puffiness all day long. Advanced patented technology time releases key ingredients all day long.

Gone in Sixty Seconds features InstaFirm Protein, an exclusive protein technology that instantly starts to firm and plump wrinkles, creating younger-looking skin within seconds. Clinically proven OxyPeptides increase skin respiration and oxygenation by as much as 745%, and Gamma-Aminobutryic Acid (or GABA) is present to help the body relax the muscles causing wrinkles. Price $19.99

WIN IT : One lucky reader will win a bottle of Gone in Sixty Seconds, thanks to our sponsor, www.aminogenesis.com. Here’s how you can participate to win:

• One mandatory entry – Visit www.aminogenesis.com and tell us one fact about the company
• Two  additional entries- Tell us why you deserve to win Gone In Sixty Seconds
• Three additional entries – if you have our badge up on your blog or you can grab our Mega Giveaway badge from our sidebar. Please leave your blog url to qualify.
• Giveaway is open to US and Canada shipping addresses only and closes on 8th January 2010.  The winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : Giveaway courtesy of our sponsor, www.aminogenesis.com

Parenting Spike: The seriously difficult child- Hating Teachers

by Andrew D. Gibson, Ph.D.

Spike saves all his charm for everyone except parents and teachers. Teachers are just an extension of parents and he doesn’t like either one. Spike is a ten year old, out of control child with a psychiatric diagnosis and a long history of being a pain in the neck. Or worse.

Spike thinks teachers are annoying. They don’t like him. He doesn’t like them. He can find something wrong with any of them and use it for justification to say and act out anything that he wants. They get impatient with him easily. Sometime they yell. They are often sarcastic. Their tone of voice sounds like it was scraped off the street. They are disrespectful and often can not find the strength to be kind. As far as Spike is concerned, all they do is push him away. So he pushes back.

Teachers, it turns out, are parents. By and large they are no more effective in dealing with kids like Spike than any other set of parents. They think that when they have a kid like Spike in their classroom, that their obligation is to let the kid know, as often as he needs reminding, that he is wrong.

Spike gets the message all right. But it doesn’t make him want to conform to their idea of ‘right’ any more than his parent’s nagging will. Like parents, they are also stuck in the negative, thinking that there is where they are supposed to be. After all, a disrespectful kid can’t be tolerated, can he?

Not only do teachers commonly find numerous parent-like ways of rejecting problems like Spike, they are also quick to accuse parents themselves of malpractice in parenting. Parents feel this very sharply. Teachers want parents to do something that they themselves can’t. Teachers, like most parents, are stuck in punishment as though their notion of punishment actually punishes. Accusation, for instance, is a form of punishment.

But does accusation have its desired impact? Probably not. It just builds resentment. As most parents of the Spike’s of this world understand, just because you are a professional in the child business doesn’t mean you are a good model. But it is also true that parents can often see negativity in teachers before they see it in themselves.

So, what to do? There is no reason that teachers need to hide behind, “ But I have 25 other kids!” as an excuse for sounding unkind. The other 25 need kindness, too. There is also no reason a teacher can’t establish and can’t keep high standards while at the same time sounding accepting.

A kid may need to go to the office, but he doesn’t need sarcasm, a crappy tone of voice, anger or impatience to get him there. It won’t get him to the office any faster nor will it keep the kid from returning to class any differently.

Teachers need to set the model that they want to see in parents. They are in a much better position to advise when they do.

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.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Time for a little self pampering ~ Introducing Karite Special, an intensive treatment for restoring dry and damaged hair, is rich in Shea Butter, which revitalizes the hair’s capillary fiber leaving hair soft and silky as well as luxuriously fragranced. No more bad hair days!

Karite Creamy Shampoo – Formulated with Shea butter, one of the richest emollients available, the Karite Creamy Shampoo gently cleanses while restoring shine and silkiness to dry and damaged hair. Price $6.49

Karite Conditioner – Nourishes, protects and moisturizes dry and damaged hair while restoring elasticity, moisture and silkiness. Price $6.49

WIN THEM : Thanks to NuNaat, we’re giving away a bottle of Karite Creamy Shampoo and Karite Conditioner to one of our very deserving reader. To enter for a chance to win, this is what you have to do:

• One mandatory entry – Tell us why you need to win the Karite Creamy Shampoo and Conditioner
• Three additional entries – Grab our Mega Xmas Giveaway badge on our sidebar and place it on your site. Leave your site url in the comment section here.
• Three additional entries - If you tweet this giveaway. Please leave your twitter id/thread in the comment section.
• Entry is open to US and Canada shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway closes on  6th January 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : Giveaway courtesy of www.nunaat.com

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

The Young Scientists Club was started by Esther Novis, a mother of five and a former Harvard-trained biologist over a decade ago as a summer science camp for her then 5 year old son. Friends from other parts of the country told Novis they felt cheated that their kids couldn’t participate, so she packaged the experiments and sent them off. The ideas was such a hit that now subscription kits are mailed monthly to thousands of children around the world and the company’s retail kits are sold in hundreds of specialty stores worldwide.

We were thrilled to receive the Magic School Bus Diving into Slime, Gel and Goop kit by the Young Scientist Club. My little ones are budding scientists and could not have been more excited. I, on the other hand, was not so thrilled with the kit- Slime, Gel and Goop- sounded messy to me!! I have to admit, however, that I had more fun doing the experiments and activities than my children.

There are so many amazing aspects to this kit including step by step instructions, multiple exciting experiments, and hours of family fun. I loved this kit so much that we will be purchasing other kits from the Young Scientists Club for Christmas for other young family and friends. I would recommend these kits to anyone wanting a way to help young ones get excited about science and spend some wonderful time learning and laughing together.

About the Magic School Bus Diving into Slime, Gel and Goop kit:

TO THE WINNERS OF

Jr. Astronaut Suit & Embroided Cap

Heather #30

AND

Moms R The Best T-Shirt

sandra #10

AND

Tier Toy Animal Stacker

pixie13 #48

The winner is required to do the following:

1. Submit your relevant info via the Winner’s Submission Form Below; AND
2. Leave a comment in this post to let us know you have submitted.
3. If any winner does not claim her prize by the 31st December 2009, we will do a second draw.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAD PARTICIPATED!

cforms contact form by delicious:days

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Squeeze Blaster by Prime Time Toys is a game for boys (and girls) of all ages. We received a Squeeze Blaster game recently to review for our Mega Xmas by Parent Reviewers.

My 7 year old son and my 38 year old husband were both equally as excited when they first saw the box. They were equally as excited when they began playing it and realized how fun and competitive it could be.

Since that time, both my husband and my son have enjoyed countless hours playing Squeeze Blaster with wonderful results. The best part in my opinion is the fact that the ease of play allows both my son and my husband to be competitive and they have each enjoyed winning many games.

Another wonderful aspect of this game is the softness of the foam darts- when my son “accidently” shot one at his sister she was not harmed. She actually found it amusing enough to want to give the game a try and had fun playing with it as well. I found this one to be a win-win and I am sure that this will be a family favorite for a long time to come.

About Squeeze Blaster:

The Squeeze Blaster Target Game from Prime Time Toys is the dart game that challenges players to take aim at the colorful 11 diameter board, squeeze the soft launcher, and make the 3 foam missile fly towards the target. The player with the most points wins!

Includes 2-3.25L launchers and 6-3L missiles.

Buy It! Squeeze Blaster can be purchased here or via Amazon.com.

Win It! One lucky reader will win a set of Squeeze Blaster. Here’s how you can enter for a chance to win this prize:

• One mandatory entry- Visit our sponsor and let us know one feature of the Squeeze Blaster
• Two additional entries - Tweet this review/giveaway and leave us a comment with the tweet URL and your Twitter ID. You can tweet everyday and come back here to leave your twitter thread.
• Three additional entries – grab our Mega Giveaway badge from our sidebar. Please leave your blog url to qualify
• Giveaway is open to US  shipping address and closes on 4th January 2010.  The winner will be picked using Random.org.
• We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0

The above review is also cross posted by Jenn on her site One House School Room Reviews.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

My little guy is an avid builder. I think it runs in his genes as my husband is a carpenter and my father in law is an architect. Either way, my little guy is convinced the best job in the world is building houses. Imagine his delight when I gave him a set of CitiBlocs and told him he could build an entire city. He was thrilled!!

CitiBlocs are a fabulous, unique wooden construction toy that can be used to build just about anything. The amazing thing about CitiBlocs is that every piece is the same size and shape allowing for hours of creativity and fun while creating some amazing things. The pieces are made from high quality Radiata Pine from certified renewable forests in New Zealand. They are just the perfect size for stacking and creating all kinds of wonderful buildings, animals, anything your mind can create.

What are CitiBlocs?

CitiBlocs are a unique wooden building toy made of pine from renewable forests. These small rectangular plans measure 1″ x 4 1/2″ x 1/4″ and exist in seven different colors.

Kids (and their parents) can enter a creative world of building, fantasy and fun. The possibilities are infinite: a galleon fit for pirates and princes, monuments and palaces, villages and bridges and futuristic towers. Imagine and build dragons and crocodiles and multicolored exotic birds; a meadow filled with flowers and trees.

Build outside the box with CitiBlocs, enhancing awareness, vision and skill – engaging hands on experience, concentration and understanding. Introduce builders to the world of art and design, science and expression, mathematics and history – the joy of creating and learning all the time. CitiBlocs: the finest building blocks in the world!

The essential building and learning toy.

We were so pleased with CitiBlocs that we will be purchasing more for Christmas for family and friends. In addition to the 100 piece set we received, they are also offered in 52, 200, 300, 500 and even 1000 piece sets ranging in price from $14.99 to $229.99.

Buy It! Citiblocs 100 piece set will keep the beginning builder flexing his or her imagination while developing fine motor skills. It can be purchased online at CitiblocsStore.com, Glamma Toys and other specialty retailers.

Win It! We’re giving away a 100 piece set of CitiBlocs worth $28 to one of our readers. All you need to do to enter for a chance to win is ~  simply follow the requirements below:

• One Mandatory Entry- Visit Citiblocsstore and name one award that CitiBlocs had won.
• Two Additional Entries- Tweet this review/giveaway and leave us a comment with the tweet URL and your Twitter ID.
• Three Additional Entries -  Place our Mega Xmas & New Year giveaway badge on your blog and leave your blog url in our comment section.
• Giveaway is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway closes on 3rd January 2010. A winner will be drawn using the Random.org number generator.
• We will not be emailing the winner, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Good luck!!

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0

The above review was also posted on Jenn’s own site One House School Room Reviews

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Have you heard of HABA’s latest new game, Animal Upon Animal- The Duell? This game is supposed to help develop eye-hand coordination and  improve fine motor skills. It is a wobbly stacking game for 3 or more players.  Includes variation “All for one and one for all” for 3 and more players.

Our contributing editor, Jenn, had the opportunity to try out the game with her kids. Here’s an excerpt of the review she posted on her blog:

My daughter was so excited when we received this game at our house. She is the animal lover in the family and couldn’t wait to begin playing. She thought the box itself was fabulous with its bright colors and the wonderful pictures of animals. She loved the ease of play of this game as well as the challenging aspect which kept us all on our toes.

The wooden pieces are adorable and just the right size for little hands. The dice that accompany the game are a bit small- they could pose a choking hazard for very young children so this game is recommended for children 3 and up. I think this is another winner by the HABA company and I am sure we will all be enjoying this one for many years to come.

Buy it! It may be a little late for Christmas but it’s not too late for the next birthdays or just to reward your little ones. You can get your own set of Animal Upon Animal – The Duell here.

Win it! Thanks to HABA, we’re giving away a box of Animal Upon Animal – The Duell to one of our loyal readers. To enter for a chance to win this awesome game, here’s what you need to do:

• One mandatory entry- Check out HABA toys and let us know which is your favourite one.
• Three additional entries- if you have our badge up on your blog or you can grab our Mega Giveaway badge from our sidebar. Please leave your blog url to qualify.
• Three additional entries – Be our Facebook Fan (located on the sidebar), and share this giveaway link! Please leave your Facebook name.
• Giveaway is open to US shipping address only and closes on  2nd January 2010.  The winner will be picked using Random.org.
• We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0