Wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy Holiday Season

HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

(image taken from Chiccanvas.com)

I was offered the chance to check out Chiccanvas.com. I sent in a photo of my girls, and they sent me a beautiful canvas print! I have always wondered if these things are as good as they seem to be online.. and Chiccanvas.com definitely has a great quality product. The photo is very clear, and it’s printed very well. The colors are vibrant, and I love that it’s a large picture of the girls that can actually take a very prominent space on our photo wall! I’m going to love showing mine off during the holidays!

Buy It!: Chiccanvas.com offers the perfect keepsake gift solution for  any family member by turning precious memories into art by taking any photo and reproducing it on to a canvas. Canvases range in sizes from 8 x10 to 40×60 with price points starting at $79. Each finished product can be personalized and stylized with captions and borders.

Win It!: Chiccanvas.com is actually offering one canvas of size 11×16 just like mine, with your own photo of course, to one lucky reader! Here’s what you’ll need to do to enter!

• One mandatory entry- visit ChicCanvas.com and tells us which canvas is your favorite, and what photo you’d put on it.
• One additional entry – come back everyday, and leave an entry! It is that easy!
• 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 all 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

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Being a Computer Information Systems major you would assume that I would think to backup important things like music, documents and especially photos. But unfortunately, I never remember and that has led to me losing a lot of photos. I’ve tried to keep things backed up using external hard-drives (which always end up getting dropped) and CD’s (which always end up getting scratched). What I need is something that is harder to break – like a flash drive.

Cue the Picture Keeper which makes backing up your precious photos completely idiot proof (hey look even I can use it!). All you have to do is plug this puppy into your USB spot on your computer. The software installed on the Picture Keeper will automatically find all the photos on your system and back them all up. Yes, I said automatically!

There are no special programs to download to your computer because everything is installed on the Picture Keeper. The photos are backed up and organized in their original folders so you can always find any photo you are looking for. This little gadget is amazing – trust me – I’m the one always (always) losing my photos!

The Picture Keeper comes in several sizes including 4GB (which saves around 4,000), 8GB (which will save around 8,000 photos) and the 16GB (which saves around 16,000 photos). There is also a larger version – the 160GB – that can hold 160,000 photos! All you need to run the Picture Keeper is Windows XP/Vista or a Mac and at least 512MB memory.

Buy It:  You can purchase the Picture Keeper via its’ website  and also on Amazon.

Win It : Here’s your chance to win a 8GB Picture Keeper worth $59.99! Just follow the requirements below:

• One mandatory entry – It’s so0000 simple. Just tell us why you need the Picture Keeper.
• 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 blog about this giveaway and link back to this post. Please leave your post url in the comment section.
• Entry is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway closes on  31st December 2009 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 : http://cmp.ly/0

Parenting Spike: The seriously difficult child- Hanging Out With The Wrong Crowd

by Andrew D. Gibson, Ph.D.

Spike has friends. Spike is ten years old and a behavioral tsunami. That means, he doesn’t hang around the house any more than he needs to. He resents his parents so he makes himself scarce as a way of coping. It would, of course, be better if he hung around and tried to make things better but that isn’t the way the behaviorally disturbed think. So he exits.

Spike exits to a place that he thinks is safer; his friends. His friends are not gems, not by any means. They all have their dysfunctions. They all have their psychiatric diagnoses. They all have been dragged from program to program by their parents in an attempt to straighten them out. The dragging didn’t work. They all find one another as a kind of bottom feeding refuge. These kids are all losers; they are not tolerated by the normally adjusted peers. They live in a limbo that has labeled them as part rejected and part neglected. They have reputations as bad boys and bad girls. The good boys seek out the bad girls for a little slumming. The bad boys find their own bad girls.

Everyone needs someone. They are few genuine hermits out there. So these kids gravitate towards one another. They are various ages, genders and levels of craziness. It doesn’t matter. They can’t be real choosy. They are at or near the bottom of the social barrel.

These kids aren’t the hoped-for influences on one another that parents would prefer, although in large part these kids are secrets. They aren’t often brought around the house. They certainly don’t stay for supper when they do come by. As a result, parents don’t know a lot about these kids but what they do know they don’t like.

Parents are powerless to do much of anything about these companions in delinquency though they tend to act as though they do by saying silly things like, “I don’t want you hanging around with Zeke!” as though that has an ounce of impact.

The good news is that the bottom feeders are often temporary. The bad news is that temporary is largely in the hands of parents. The way that parents react to Spike, in general, makes all the difference in the world. If they chose to react, whether he is nasty or kind, in always the same, low-keyed, non-judgmental way, they will find that Spike will respond. As he gets more confidence he will gravitate away from this group.

Spike won’t give his pals up because his parents tell him to. He will give them up if you can strip away any sense of threat, criticism or rejection. It is a big job but it is a doable job.

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!

I don’t have a sweet little baby girl – so when I receive awesome ‘baby girl’ things to review my best friend Angie usually gets to help me try them out. She’s got three little girls – age four, age three and age one. Angie’s little one got some beautiful shoes from See Kai Run this time around – just in time for the holidays!

The “Jennifer Lee” style makes a gorgeous edition to your little girls holiday outfit. The shoes are metallic gold Mary Jane’s with bronze toes. They have a flexible rubber sole that are great for new walkers, comfortable yet extremely sturdy and ready for outdoor play. The shoes have a Velcro closure – so while your ‘babies’ can’t undo them the older kids will be able to put on these shoes by themselves.

See Kai Run shoes have even been awarded the American Podiatric Medical Association’s Seal of Acceptance which means their shoes are beneficial to foot health. Other adorable ‘holiday’ shoes from See Kai Run include (for girls) the Elise, the Naya, the Sadie and the Vilma. For boys, there is the Elliott and the Hugh.

I’ve tried out a pair of See Kai Run shoes with my son Xander last year and we just loved them. He literally wore them every day! They lasted over a year with constant (and I mean seriously constant) use.

Buy It:  If you would love a pair of See Kai Run shoes for your own little one you should check out their website at SeeKaiRun.com

Win It: Thanks to See Kai Run, a regular giveaway sponsor on our site, one lucky reader will win a pair of shoes from the See Kai Run or Smaller range.

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

TO THE WINNERS OF

“Mommy, Draw Stars on my Tummy” Book

Adrian #39

AND

“Busy Day at The Zoo” Felt Tales

Andrea Kruse #89

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 22nd December 2009, we will do a second draw.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAD PARTICIPATED!

cforms contact form by delicious:days

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

When you have little boys you can’t hold off on the Dinosaur obsession for too long. There are cool television shows starring Dino’s, and lots (and lots) of awesome walking, roaring toys too. How about a cool ‘toy’ that can teach your kid about each period in history where these amazing animals?

Xander and I got to try out an awesome playmat / book called the “Giant Evolution Timeline – Playmat and activity guide” from Charlie’s Playhouse!

The book features a storybook style narrative of all the evolutionary headlines, lots (and lots) of awesome pictures, geologic boundaries (and names) of the 12 geologic periods, fun trivia, size comparisons and creature names with pronunciation guides. It spans 600 million years of evolution, and features 67 bizarre ancient creatures.

The “perfect” age for this cool activity book is 4 to 10 although babies and even teens can learn from it. My son began asking tons of questions about different dinosaurs and since one of his very favorite shows on television right now is the PBS show “The Dinosaur Train” I have something I can refer him to when he asks those questions!

Another similar product to check out at Charlie’s Playhouse is the 12 foot long Giant Evolution Timeline Poster. This is great for homeschooling!

We love science at our house and really love our new Timeline activity guide! I think your little scientists will also!

BUY IT! You can purchase the Giant Evolution Timeline Playmat (and other awesome products about evolution) at the Charlie’s Playhouse.

WIN IT! The Giant Evolution Timeline Playmat will make a great stocking stuffer. Check out how you can stand a chance to win one:

• One mandatory entry – Visit www.charliesplayhouse.com, have a look at this playmat’s  product features and tell us which one appeals to you the most.
• Three additional entries - If you tweet this giveaway. Please leave your twitter id/thread.
• Three additional entries – If you place our Mega Xmas & New Year Giveaway badge on your site (please leave blog url)
• Entry is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway closes on  23rd December 2009 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 : http://cmp.ly/0

Parenting Spike: The seriously difficult child- Fighting with the little sister

by Andrew D. Gibson, Ph.D.

Mrs. Longobardi in Hartford writes that her Spike, a ten year old terror, attacks his younger sister without provocation. There doesn’t seem to be anything she can do to stop it. She has tried everything she knows. The kid pounds on the little one at will.

Mrs. Longobardi didn’t give a lot of other information, but we can surmise that if Spike is assaulting his sister that other things are going on. The beatings probably aren’t isolated.

Older kids generally attack younger siblings because they can. It is an old abuse story: victims are sniffed out because they are perceived to be weaker. Certainly a younger sister will fit that category.

The attacks happen in families in which there is a lot of anger and the tension that surrounds it. Generally the anger is a reciprocal problem between parents and a specific kid, in this case Spike. But, it is very likely that Spike’s resentment means that he wants an easy target on which to vent his own frustrations.

The assaults on the younger sibling have less to do with the younger sibling that they do with the atmosphere of the home. Sure, the younger one may be setting Spike off more than you think. The presumption of innocence has probably been over extended to the little one. But that likely fact doesn’t change much.

Spike is hypersensitive, hyper-threatened and hyper-reactive. He feels as though everyone is bearing down on him (they probably are), that he is always accused of things which he may or may not have committed (that’s true, too) and that no one gives him a break (again, probably true). Since he made himself into the dysfunctional family centerpiece, they react accordingly.

Their reaction keeps him on edge. If anything happens that even remotely looks like criticism, he swings into full defensive mode. Part of the way he defends himself is to smack the snots out of his little sister. Spike goes after her partially because she is complicit in making him feel lousy. He also goes after her because she is easier to overwhelm than his parents. This doesn’t meant that he treats his parents gently.

Oh, no. But it does mean that he can get more bang out of his assault buck by shoving her against a wall than his parents. She can’t fight back effectively. The meanness he feels needs expression, so he will find outlets where he can and use them.

The antidote is, of course, to reduce the tension in the household by removing Spike as the centerpiece. His parents may say, “Well, he puts himself there by his ratty behavior.” but that is only one half of the equation.

The other half is how they react. So, the educated guess is that Mrs. Longobardi reacts to every negative thing that Spike does. She reacts because she thinks she is supposed to react.

But if she will just step back a moment and examine this scenario, she will probably determine that her reactions do not make anything better. They don’t stop Spike. They probably just prolong the fight. In that case, Mrs. Longobardi needs to seriously experiment with not reacting.

Mrs. Longobardi should maintain whatever household standards she can but she can also do it in a way that is essentially neutral. If she violates her neutrality, that is a sign that she is ineffective in some specific situation.

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!

Back in July 09, I was given the opportunity to review the Teach Your Child the Multiplication Tables workbook. It’s been a few months now, and my son has improved by leaps and bounds. He has a clear understanding of the concept, and is still enjoying the workbook and applies it to alot of everyday things. Like when we were preparing to make a huge batch of choc chip cookies to be given away for his birthday, he was given the task of working out how many cookies we had to make.

Was pretty cool seeing him work the answer out. Which was 3 cookies x 30 people. You do the math.

Here’s a short recap of the original review :

Now, as a parent, I have to admit, I really suck at teaching Maths. Perhaps I’m too impatient with my kids and think ahead of myself. The easy stuff like Addition and Subtraction was taught with much frustration, on my part, and much dismay, on my kids’ part.  I dreaded the idea of teaching Multiplication and Division! When the book “Teach Your Child the Multiplication Tables, Fun, Fast and Easy with Dazzling Patterns, Grids and Tricks“, arrived, I looked at the front cover with much skepticism. How “fun” could it be?

I completely forgot how amazing it is, when the brain opens up, finds a pattern and starts working furiously at the numbers. Until this book arrived. My 7 year old saw this book and immediately wanted to work on it. I knew he learnt some multiplications at school, but I wasn’t sure how much.

Buy it! : Teach Child Math is available online at this website and has a Spanish version too. They even have teacher’s packs and various value packs for sale.

Win it! : For this Mega Xmas & New Year Giveaway, 10 Value Packs (includes 1 workbook, 2 learning Aids and 1 Times Table Diploma) will be given away to 10 lucky readers and all you have to do is :

• One mandatory entry- visit her website and tell us her son’s name.
• 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 – Tweet this giveaway (please leave your tweeter id)
• Giveaway is open to ALL shipping address and closes on 24th December 2009.  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

New Year Publishing recently gave 6 Parent Reviewers the opportunity to review “Quickly, The Magic Spatula”.

“Quickly, The Magic Spatula” is about a charming and nostalgic story about a handy kitchen utensil, the spatula. “Quickly” and Mommy ( who then became”Grandma Darling”) makes the best pancakes in this house, with its green handle and shiny flat surface. When “Grandma Darling” passes away, “Quickly” is boxed away and kept in an attic. When the grown-up kids rediscover “Quickly”, a rush of memories come flooding back and they went on to recreate the magic themselves!

I’m sure everyone has a special memory of their childhood and mine is pretty much similar to this story, only that it was a measuring cup called “Tala” that reminded me of my mom baking her wonderful cakes. The very image of this measuring cup, takes me back to a time when my mom would teach me everything about baking. I especially liked the part where I’d lick her spatula quickly (behind her back, because salmonella was quite prominent then). Ahh, how precious these memories are.

About the authors

Quickly the Magic Spatula is written by Jeryl Abelmann & Miriam Kronish and illustrated by Chason Matthams.

Jeryl Abelmann is a retired elementary school teacher and recipient of Teacher of the Year for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District in California. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Carmel Bach Festival. She loves the theater, loves to write, travels extensively, and is a member of Screen Actors Guild. She lives in Northern California with her husband and has two sons and three adorable grandchildren.

Miriam Kronish teaches at Lesley University and Cambridge College in Massachusetts. She is a retired principal from the Needham (MA) Public Schools. Her interests are music, math, brain compatible learning, accelerated learning, and multiple intelligences. She is the recipient of the National Distinguished Principal’s Award and is an honored Principal in the State of Massachusetts. She loves to write and is a Past President of the Rotary Club of Needham. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two cats.

Buy It! : Now, as a mom myself, I know creating these experiences for my kids will have a positive influence as they grow up. We have a ritual, whenever I start gardening, we all bring out our spades, forks and lil wheelbarrows out. I hope they too will remember these times, when they’ve all grown up into men. This book does inspire you to create memories for your kids to hold forever. It also has a section where your child can write down his/her favourite family story and even the mouth-watering yummy pancake recipe that Quickly whipped up!

“Quickly” has a rather quaint website too over here, so do check it out.  You can submit your favourite family recipes there and “Quickly The Magic Spatula” has also won the Moonbeam Spirit Awards 2009 given for dedication to children’s literacy and inspired writing, illustrating and publishing.

Here are our panel of reviewers who had a chance to read it and what they have to say:

Moody Mama Says : This story is such a touching story. It brought tears to my eyes. It makes me want to spend more time with my children in the kitchen (and less time at this computer). I love that the story is real and true to life.

Connie’s View : Quickly: The Magic Spatula is a heartwarming book that reminds adults of stories from our childhood and how important the little things in our family really are. For children, this book helps create memories and start discussions about family, love and imagination.

Idaho Jill : I just really loved the nostalgia, simplicity, and illustrations in this book.  The back of the book has pages to write down memories, and the authors want people to email them their special stories, too.  Such a great idea, don’t you think?  The book was completely believable, very heartwarming, and a must have children’s book.

5 Vinez Monkeys : My kids loved the book. And they have all decided not only to name the spatula in the kitchen drawer, (Flipper is the name of choice), but we now have an entire drawer full of named utensils. There’s Beater (the whisk), Smasher (the rolling pin), King Cut (the kitchen shears), and about a bazillion other names that the kids will remind me of every day from now on.

Loving Heart Mommy : I love that something as common as a spatula can spark childhood memories. How it takes me back to remembering something from my childhood that was truly magical in my eyes! This is a story for children of all ages, I enjoyed reading about Quickly and how he is brought to life, how memories were made and how the memories were continued to be preserved!

Thanks to New Year Publishing for giving us the opportunity to review them.

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