Su had reviewed Dana Lehman’s  “A lesson about Teasing” and “I Double Dare You!” a few months ago, and had plenty of good things to say about both books. So, I was looking forward to receiving the latest title in the Walnut Grove Series called “I Can Do It“.  My 6 year old daughter was in the stage where she has learnt enough vocabulary to enjoy reading books on her own, so the timing couldn’t be more perfect!

First of all, hardcover books are my favourite for young children as they are more durable. So, I was glad to see that  ”I Can Do It” came in hardcover. That’s extra brownie points! ”I Can Do It“  is a story about Sammy the squirrel  with racoon eyes, who decided to bring his cousins and friends to Whispering Willows for a visit. On their way to the enchanted forest, Bucky The Beaver overcame his fear of swimming and managed to catch a giant frog in Paradise Pond. And when they finally reached Whispering Willows, Sammy revealed that they were going to build a tree house. Everyone was excited except for Silly, who was not confident of his building skills. Readers will discover how Silly, with the encouragement of his friends, finally gained his confidence and accomplished his task.

My daughter loved the beautiful illustration and also had a lot of fun searching for the hidden frogs and snakes in each page. What a fantastic fun idea! There were also questions at the end of the book which are meant to help young readers understand the  lesson behind the story. As a mom, I felt that it was indeed important to build up a child’s self esteem and confidence from a young age and “I Can Do It” is definitely a great tool to use to convey that message.

Buy It! : You can purchase “I Can Do It” the third book from the Walnut Grove Series , together with the 1st and 2nd book, directly via Lehman Publishing’s website at www.lehmanpublishing.com

Win It! : Lehman Publishing was kind enough to let two lucky readers win the “I Can Do It” book from the Walnut Grove Series, and here’s how: 

• One mandatory entry – Visit www.lehmanpublishing.com and let us know one fact about the author.
• Three additional entries – Tweet this post “Win “I Can Do It!” Book  by Dana Lehman“. Tweet this once a day, entitles you to three additional entries daily! Please leave your twitter ID.
• Five additional entries – If you share this on FB, please leave your FB name in the comment section. 
• Entry is open to all international shipping addresses.
• Giveaway closes on  30th August 2010 (11:59pm) 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/2

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

They’re here! They’re finally here!!

We were so excited when we were asked to check out these cute little creatures called Squinkies! From the moment I saw them, I knew that my girls were going to love them…. and I was right! Squinkies sent my girls a large pack to check out, and they really did like them. They wanted to play with them as soon as I opened the package! It was so great watching them and listening to them playing with the Squinkies. Their imagination just ran wild as they played, and some of the conversations their Squinkies had were just too funny! They must’ve played for hours with their Squinkies, I can’t imagine if we had any of the larger playsets or more Squinkies! What are Squinkies??? Well, they’re a soft, squishy surprize!

There’s hundreds of them to collect, and series of Kitties, Pets, Friends, Puppies, Ponies and Babies. The pack that we received even had some surprise Squinkies! The fun thing about them, is that my girls can play with them as stand alone toys, or with these very cute play sets that are also available. My favorite so far is a little puppy Squinkie that we received, my girls favor the kitties, and a teeny little elephant!

We did also receive the Cupcake Surprise Bake Shop, which is so cute! I also like that it provides a little bit of storage for the Squinkies when the girls aren’t playing with them. Squinkies also sent us the Under The Sea Surprize, and the Princess Surprize Bracelet. My girls were just so excited. I wish I would’ve had the video camera running when I took the play sets out of the box. My girls were screaming with excitement that they had play sets to play with their Squinkies!

Buy It! : I can’t wait to check out more of these Squinkies! Learn more about Squinkies at their very cute website, www.Squinkies.com and check out all of the great coloring pages on their activities page! Find Squinkies on Facebook , Twitter & YouTube !

Win It! : Squinkies is offering 1 grand prize, consisting of a deluxe playset of the winner’s choice plus a collection of dolls and accessories, and 5 runner up prizes consisting of a blister pack of 16 dolls!! Isn’t that just awesome?!!! All you have to do is :

• First Mandatory Entry- go to the Squinkies website and check out their great products.  Then come back and leave us a comment telling us which squinkies and playset you would like to win.
• Two Additional Entries- Follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway.  Please leave an additional comment including your twitter id and your tweet url. Do it everyday with this “Win a Grand Prize of Squinkies dolls and deluxe playset from parentreviewers.com“
• Three Additional Entries- Go read one of the fabulous parenting articles on our website and leave a comment on the post.  Then come back here and leave us an additional comment including the post url that you read.
• Giveaway is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends 23rd August 2010   (11:59pm) and winners 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/2

Here are our winners of Chicken Soup For The Soul : Runners:

1. Cathi Crismon

2. Asha Pena

3. Melissa Cleaver

4. Annette Taylor

5. Pending for reply from winner

6. Pending for reply from winner

With over 112 million books sold, there is no doubt that Chicken Soup For The Soul provides the best family friendly stories that will truly inspire and entertain people of all ages. Being a fan, I am delighted to hear that Chicken Soup For The Soul has licensed Screen Media Films, one of the premiere independent suppliers of motion pictures, to release feature films on DVD and VOD as “Chicken Soup for the Soul Presents.”  Screen Media has already acquired 11 feature films for this label and as readers of Parent Reviewers, you will stand a chance to win a copy of the DVDs listed below. Now, how cool is that?

Smile – Starring Mika Boorem, Beau Bridges, Sean Astin and Cheri Oteri

Lin resides in a world of quiet hardship in rural China, longing to live without fear or shame. Katie lives in a world of pampered ease in Malibu and strives for something new and challenging in her life. When these two worlds come together, through a charity called, “Doctor’s Gift” (based on Operation Smile), their lives are forever changed. Smile is an uplifting story powerfully told and beautifully acted that will inspire your soul and warm your heart. 108 min. PG-13

Canvas – Starring Marcia Gay Harden and Joe Pantoliano

When Mary’s mental illness puts herself and her family in jeopardy, her husband and son helplessly watch as she is torn from her family by the police. Forced to raise a boy on his own and cope with his wife’s schizophrenia, father and son learn what it is to truly be a family. Inspired by a true story, this critically acclaimed and award winning film is as full of hope and humor as it is heartbreaking performances. 100 min. PG-13

 School of Life – Starring Ryan Reynolds and David Paymer

Ryan Reynolds lights up the screen as the charismatic and hip Mr. D, a teacher whose lessons extend far beyond the classroom. A heartwarming tale of learning to appreciate every moment we’re given, School of Life, is a funny and touching story about life in school, but more importantly, the human spirit. 110 min. PG.

Buy It :  Screen Media has created a special coupon code for our readers. If you are interested in purchasing copies of the DVDs, you can do so at http://screenmediafilms.net/chickensoup/. When you checkout, use the code “CHICKENSOUP” (without the quotes) and your DVDs will be $9.99 each

 Win It : For August, we’re giving away 3 DVDs from Chicken Soup For The Soul, one copy to each winner. To enter for a chance wo win, all you need to do is subscribe to our feed via email. Button is on the top right side bar. We have different prizes each month and as long as you are subscribed, you will stand a chance to win these prizes. Yes, it’s really that easy!

Disclosure : Giveaway copies of the above DVDs are proudly sponsored by www.chickensoup.com.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

I love to entertain- during the summer it is not uncommon for us to have a group of friends over every weekend.  One of my least favorite parts of entertaining is the clean up- either washing a bunch of dishes or cleaning up the spills from the cheap paper plates that were used.  No Fun!!

I was approached recently to review a great company called Smarty Had A Party- and boy was I excited.  Smarty Had A Party has the solution to my problem- they provide an amazing selection of elegant disposable dinnerware!!  The package we received had a sample selection of many of their wonderful dinnerware pieces and I was truly amazed!!  The items were such wonderful quality and they were so impressive.  The disposable silver flatware had to be my favorite- I truly thought they were real silver until I picked one up and discovered it was plastic- amazing!!

Our sample selection also included dinner dishes, amazing folded napkins, cups and tumblers, and so much more.  There are also table linens, candles, centerpieces, placecards and serving accessories available on the website.  Smarty Had A Party provides everything you could possibly need to host an amazing party or get together.

Here is the Biography of Paper Plates from the Smarty Had A Party website:

This is the story of plastic plates. Once upon a time, being a plastic plate meant you were a cheap little throw away party plate. You were not elegant, you were not fancy, and you surely weren’t proud of yourself. People found you to be, well, frankly, disposable. They preferred china plates, and would have never considered plastic plates to be elegant. Oh, no, they would have said! We would NEVER use disposable plates at our elegant party! Plastic plates are just not fancy enough!

Enter Smarty Had A Party, aka Smarty Pants. Smarty realized that there is a better way to party and plan an event. This party supplies, catering supplies and wedding supplies store decided to put together for you the most amazing selection of plastic dishes and unique catering supplies for excellence in presentation. Smarty has now become synonymous with elegant party supplies, and elegant disposable catering is now at every party planner’s fingertips.

So now, years later, the plastic plate has grown up. Suddenly, plastic plates have matured into beautiful, elegant disposable dishes that you would be proud to use at your elegant wedding or party. These party plates cost less than a rental! And they are much more beautiful! You don’t have to wash your party dishes anymore – you can now party with beautiful, fancy, elegant disposable plates, cups, napkins & cutlery.

Party guests and party planners began taking notice. Brides realized that they can have the most stunning and care-free weddings using plastic plates and tumblers! Smarty has exquisite plastic disposable stemware, and the wedding supplies and catering supplies to make that champagne toast party perfect.

At last, plastic plates have taken their rightful place in the world of elegant parties. Finally, wedding supplies are convenient as well as beautiful. Plastic dishes are respectable! The plastic plate was a true elegant wedding and party plate, and drank from plastic wine glasses happily ever after.

The End.

Here are just a few of the amazing selection available at Smarty Had A Party:

The products available at Smarty Had A Party are great for any large gathering- weddings, showers, cookouts, birthday parties, the list goes on and on.  We are big fans of Smarty Had A Party and will be using their amazing dinnerware for our next great dinner party!!
 

Buy It! : You can purchase all of the amazing dinnerware by Smarty Had A Party on their website.  Be sure to check them out for your next big gathering!!

Win It! : Smarty Had A Party had generously donated  A Party Kit For 10  to one of our lucky readers.  To enter:

• First Mandatory Entry- go to the Smarty Had A Party website and check out their great products.  Then come back and leave us a comment telling us your favorite product on the website and what event you might use it for.
• Two Additional Entries- Follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway.  Please leave an additional comment including your twitter id and your tweet url. Do it everyday with this “Win a Smarty Had A Party Party Kit For 10 from Parent Reviewers“
• Three Additional Entries- Go read one of the fabulous parenting articles on our website and leave a comment on the post.  Then come back here and leave us an additional comment including the post url that you read.
• Giveaway is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends 16th August 2010   (11:59pm) 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.

Good Luck!!

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/2

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

A few months ago, we had the opportunity to review the first volume of Rock ‘N Learn Phonics DVD.  Now, the 2nd Volume from this music-licious DVD is now available and we had a blast reviewing. The core (and very serious) review team included a 5 year old and a 8 year old. It had the upbeat rock n rollin’ music that my kids are very familiar with. Having learnt lots from the previous volume, this 2nd volume introduces several new phonetics like long vowels (a,e,i,o and u), practicing them in sentences like ire, are, air, and phonemic segmentation (counting the number of syllables), and of course, the stories and songs.

The reviewers absolutely loved dancing to the beat, and also mimicking “Mr. Lips” (or so they’ve nicknamed it). When it came to the story-reading, it got a little too fast for the 5 year old, but the 8 year old kept up to it. I think given time, the 5 year old would have no problem catching up to a faster level. The combination of the catchy music with the longer words do seem to help them with the various rules.

About the creators of Rock ‘N Learn :

Working as a school psychologist in 1986, Richard Caudle saw the need for multi-sensory learning programs using the styles of music that kids love. He consulted his younger brother Brad, an accomplished musician, to record their first program to help kids learn multiplication facts. Strong sales of this recording in the school specialty and book markets led to other programs and the start of a successful company.

Richard and Brad never varied from their number one goal of providing children with programs that would make learning easier as well as fun. Brad’s wife Melissa, a former second-grade teacher, writes material and coordinates educational research for Rock ’N Learn. Richard’s wife, Kathie, manages sales and marketing.

Buy It! : My kids really loves (re)playing Rock ‘N Learn Phonics DVD Vol. 2. There are several ‘ah-ha’ moments on why certain words are pronounced differently even when the spelling of the words are seem pretty straightforward. The boys really enjoyed the combination of music, rhymes and graphics in this DVD. I think this would make a great teaching aid for parents or educators, when it comes to phonetic reading. Now, Rock ‘N Learn has made it easier for you to rent these DVDs via youtube.com. Check out their website for more details! It is available for purchase at $19.99. Right now, they are having a special promotional price for both volumes, at $34.99, with a savings of $5.

Win It! : Here’s a great chance to win the newly launched “Rock ‘N Learn Phonics DVD Vol.2″! Thanks to Rock ‘ n Learn, we’re giving away a DVD of your choice. Read on for details :

• One Mandatory Entry- visit Rock ‘N Learn and leave a comment letting us know which of their fabulous and fun DVD  you would like to win.
• One Additional Entry- read one of our parenting articles. Leave a comment about it in the post and return here, with the article’s URL.
• Two Additional Entries- follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please leave us a comment including your twitter id and your tweet url. A TWEET A DAY, GIVES YOU 2 ENTRIES!! Tweet this : “Win this fabulous Rock ‘N Learn Phonics Vol.2 at parentreviewers.com“
• Giveaway is open to all shipping addresses.
• Giveaway ends 9th August 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 : http://cmp.ly/2

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Kidz Bop 18 is the newest release in the Kidz Bop franchise (which has been around since 2001). Kidz Bop are compilation albums of popular songs, covered by children singing rather than the original artist. They are edited to remove the blatantly “questionable” things so that kids who want to listen to what’s hot on the radio can without constantly hearing the “bad” stuff the songs may discuss.

For instance; on Kidz Bop 18 there are two Lady Gaga songs performed – Alejandro and Telephone – both having some major lyrics changes (I only really caught them because I am a HUGE Gaga fan and have heard both originals many, many times).

Another edit I caught is on the “Billionaire” song – original lyrics are “I wanna be a billionaire so fricking bad.” Kidz Bop changes the “fricking” to “very” which is more appropriate.

Then on the song “Hey Soul Sister” I caught “like a pop star you’re Madonna” instead of “like a virgin you’re Madonna.”

It’s actually fun for me to catch the rewrites – don’t judge me, lol.

Songs on Kidz Bop 18 include:

• Baby (Justin Bieber)
• Telephone (Lady Gaga ft. Beyoncé)
• California Gurls (Katy Perry)
• Hey Soul Sister (Train)
• Do You Remember (Jay Sean ft. Sean Paul & Lil Jon)
• Naturally (Selena Gomez & the Scene)
• Whataya Want From Me (Adam Lambert)
• Nothin On You (B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars)
• Break Your Heart (Taio Cruz)
• All The Right Moves (One Republic)
• Two Is Better Than One (Boys Like Girls ft. Taylor Swift)
• Evacuate The Dancefloor (Cascada)
• Billionaire (Travie McCoy ft. Bruno Mars)
• Alejandro (Lady Gaga)
• Breakeven (The Script)
• Single Ladies (Beyoncé)

Now – my son (who’s 5 years old) and his friend (who’s 6 years old) both were jamming along to this cd – and I could get into it a little also since I listen to a lot of the songs on the cd anyway. But – this is really for parents who want to censor their kids music a little. I personally don’t care what music my son gets to hear for the most part. The company says that the Kidz Bop cd’s are geared towards ages 5 to 12 but I would think age 8 would be more appropriate since by 12 they’ve certainly heard the real lyrics and may question why they are listening to a bunch of kids since edited versions.

Buy It: You can find Kidz Bop 18 both at “local” stores like Target or Wal-Mart or at online retailers including Amazon and even the Kidz Bop website.

Win It: We’re giving away THREE copies of Kidz Bop 18! If you would like to enter for a chance to win this CD, here’s what you need to do:

• One mandatory entry – Visit the  website Kidz Bop and name another of their album (besides Kidz Bop 18).
• Two additional entry – Follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway “Win this awesome Kidz Bop 18 CD“  with a link back to this post. Please leave an additional comment including your twitter id and your tweet url. You can do this daily until the giveaway closes.
• Two Additional Entries- Post this on FB and share this piece of good news with your friends!!!! Let us know if you’re a fan too!
• Giveaway is open to US  shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends  August 2nd (11:59pm) 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/2

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

My boys (aged 5 and 8 ) were estatic when we received the Wii Jumpstart – Get Moving Family Fitness (Sports Edition), for a review. They love playing the Wii, but unfortunately, don’t get to play much because, well, of this Mama here. I don’t want them to be Wii addicts, so I had earlier imposed a schedule when they can play. This time, because of this review, there were exceptions. Exceptions ,that my boys were happy to abide with.

About Wii JumpStart – Get Moving Family Fitness (Sports Edition)

Brooke Burke, a mum of 4 and fitness expert has teamed up with JumpStart’s Get Moving Family Fitness, motivating players into getting active, and having fun! There are 15 sports challenges, including basketball and speed skating, in 11 exotic arenas, such as the moon, a dinosaur jungle or a volcano. Players can design their own characters to race and play, keep track of personal best calories burned, engage in routines for an extra challenge and compete head-to-head or play solo. The game can be played utilizing the Wii Balance Board™ or simply with the Wii Remote™ and nunchuk.

My boys loved creating their own lil avatars, as they got to choose different hair color, eyes, skin color, and trust me, they chose the wildest combinations ever. I think they just love creating alternate versions of themselves, which makes it more fun for them.

With a bit of direction from Brooke, the boys were off with all the various challenges. Favourites included tire runs (football), shooting hoops (basketball) and flying. While it didn’t seem like they needed to keep track of the number of calories burned…guess what? This mama here took up the Wii Remote and nunchuk..and did some exercisin’ herself. I have to say, IT WAS HARD WORK! I tried dodge ball, running and of course, shooting hoops (had a little competition with the hubby ~ who incidentally found himself perspiring, as well). I definitely loved the the fact I knew just how much I was burning off, although I secretly thought it should be more, seeing that I was sweating buckets by the end of the hour long session.

Buy It! : The Wii Jumpstart – Get Moving Family Fitness was recently released on 15th June 2010, and is available at most retail stores (Walmart, Target, GameStop), or on Amazon.com at $29.99. It is definitely a keeper in the family, especially during those wet and rainy days and my boys always have a blast competing against each other.

Win It! : This is so exciting! One reader has a chance of winning the Wii Jumpstart – Get Moving Family Fitness (Sports Edition) game, and all you have to do is :

• One mandatory entry – Visit the Jumpstart website and tell us, what other products do they offer.
• Two additional entry – Follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway “Win a Wii Jumpstart – Get Moving Family Fitness“  with a link back to this post. Please leave an additional comment including your twitter id and your tweet url. You can do this daily until the giveaway closes.
• Two Additional Entries- Are you a subscriber? You get 2 extra entries just for that! If not, best you subscribe right now!
• Two Additional Entries- Post this on FB and share this piece of good news with your friends!!!! Let us know if you’re a fan too!
• Giveaway open to all international shipping addresses.
• Giveaway ends 26th July 2010 (11:59pm) 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.
• Please do note that only the game is the prize and the Wii, Wii remote, nunchuk and balance board are not included. Only compatible with US Region or unlocked Wii consoles.

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of JumpStart® Get Moving™ Family Fitness at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.