1. Will The Courageous: A Story About Sexual Abuse by Amy Barth

Will is a typical six-year-old boy: he loves to tell “knock-knock jokes”, collect bugs, and play with other kids. On most school days, Will goes to Nana Winnie’s until his mom returns from work. Will enjoys having his Nana as a babysitter. Recently, Nana’s cousin Perry has come to visit and suddenly Will no longer wants to go there. He starts having nightmares, acting out in school and wetting his bed. Will’s parents are worried. What is wrong with Will?

Chanel’s Journal : After reading this book, I as parent must make sure we equip ourselves in educating our kids. Also, we need to take time to be close with our kids to ensure them that we are there for them so that they are feeling secure and not in fear. Be our kids’ good friend whom they can rely and trust on.

It is a great book for me to read with JL on our journey of learning and understanding…

2 Thumbs & A Dummy -We think that it was definitely well written and once again, simple and easy to understand for school going children. In my opinion, some bits of the story were somewhat graphic but I think this is totally unavoidable due to the message that Ms. Barth wants to bring forth. I think even when Arianna is old enough to understand, it is going to be uncomfortable for me to read it to her but it will be done because we need to educate our children about these sadly, common encounters.

It is better to be safe than sorry.

Mom 2 BB Reviews – The number of sexual abuse cases among children are on the rise but yet, this is a subject that many parents find difficult to broach. With books like Will The Courageous, it helps ease the communication of such issue between parents and young children. It enables us to teach our young children and make them aware of the difference between the touch of someone who is showing them affection and the touch or approaches of someone who is trying to take sexual advantage of them.

Rambling Moo – This book is very helpful for those who works with children such as counselors, doctors and staff working with children as well as parents of young children. The author has written this book in a very easy to understand manner which is suitable for any children between the age of 6-9. Children in this age group will understand about what  “inappropriate touching” is about and how they can relate their experience to their parents or caregivers should they are a victim of sexual abuse.

Jamerican Spice – This book is easy to read and understand without sharing too many explicit details so it’s perfect for a child. The illustrations are expressive and interesting and the book is written very well. I would definitely recommend this book!

Tsue ~ That’s What She Said -As uncomfortable as this topic is, the statistics indicate that all children need to be educated about appropriate touching, in an age appropriate manner, and to trust their internal alarms.  Will the Courageous ~ A Story About Sexual Abuse is an excellent resource for accomplishing this difficult task.

Shelly’s Bits and Pieces – This book is written in a way that everyone should be able to understand it.  It is well written, and handled in a loving manner!  The illustrations by Richa Kinra are interesting go hand in hand perfectly with the story.  Small children can have things explained in a non-explicit manner, and they are shown that it is not their fault.  I applaud Amy Barth for writing this book, as it is a very delicate subject matter to explore.  Families need to be aware that these things do happen.  Parents need to watch for signs, and they need to give their children the voice to speak out and tell someone!

2. What Do You Use to Help Your Body?  Maggie  Explores the World of Disabilities by Jewel Kats

Maggie and Momma love going for walks. During every outing, Maggie learns about something new. Today’s no different! Momma has arranged for Maggie to meet lots of people in her neighborhood. They all have different jobs. They all come from different cultures. They all use different things to help their bodies. Maggie doesn’t just stop to chit-chat. Rather, she gets to the bottom of things. By asking the right question, she discovers how many people with disabilities use aids to help them out. Let’s find out how they work, too!

• Children will learn that disabilities occur in every culture
• Parents and teachers can accurately explain how various disability aids work
• Children will realize that working with a disability is a possibility for some
• Therapists can use this book as a motivational tool for patients with disabilities
• Kids can satisfy their curiosity about disability aids in an unimposing manner

Chanel’s Journal : Overall, this help Maggie to learn of all the different disabilities each person have and how they go through with their daily routine using tools to assist them to lead to normal life. Each person is special in their own way and need to do things differently. They also need to be respected too like normal people. This book would also help our children to recognize others’ differences with respect and never look down or make fun of others.

2 Thumbs & A Dummy – I really like that they covered a wide range of disabilities because it was an eye opener for my kids. It also teaches them to be sensitive and not point out someone’s special need. Though I’m not too sure how Grandpa would react if she told him that he was disable since he uses a walker and a cane! lol But for the moment, we’re enjoying it!

Mom 2 BB Reviews – The book is written in a simple and easy to understand story which is ideal for children aged 6 years and above. I thought the illustration were also a big help as they clearly show the disability aids, which many children may not have seen before OR have seen before, but are not aware of what they really are.

If you are more observant, you may also notice that the characters in the book consisted of people from many different cultural background. Thumbs up to the author and illustrator for including that.

After Meal Gossip -Only when I started reading it to my 7 years old daughter, I realised how nicely thought out it was. The illustration was nice and full page, clearly indicating the body parts which needed help.

Captain Fussybuckets – I read this book to Captain Fussybuckets and he was very intrigued to learn about the different devices people use when they have a disability. I don’t think he pays much attention to these things yet, but there will come a day when he will have questions. It’s definitely a good idea to pre-teach this kind of stuff, in hopes that he will be respectful if he sees someone with a disability in real life. This is a good starting point to teach kids that all people are different and there are many different disabilities and devices that we have, but that we are all the same on the inside and we should treat everyone with respect.

Rambling Moo – This is such a lovely book in explaining why certain people with disabilities require special devices to help them along in their life. Young children will have better understanding why certain people require “assistive devices” and why some don’t.

The Truth About Mummy -The book is soft cover but has large colorful pictures which my girls loved. It’s 24 pages long and rather wordy for little ones but perfect for the 5 plus age group. Middle pink, who is 5, found it particularly engaging and asked a lot of good quality questions. What I like best about What do you use to help your body? is that it’s a perfect discussion started. It inspires all sort of questions and gave me a great way to encourage the girls to think and begin to form their own opinions.

In this Book Blog Tour, our great group of reviewers had the opportunity to review three books by Loving Healing Press, namely :

• Please Explain “Anxiety” to Me: Simple Biology and Solutions for Children and Parents, by Laurie Zelinger (Author), Jordan Zelinger (Author), Elisa Sabella (Illustrator)
• Reena’s Bollywood Dream: A Story about Sexual Abuse, by Jewel Kats (Author), Richa Kinra (Illustrator)
• The “O, MY” in Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy: how to prepare your child for surgery, a parent’s manual, 2nd Edition, by Laurie Zelinger Ph.D. (Author).

I had the privilege to review “Reena’s Bollywood Dream : A Story about Sexual Abuse” by Jewel Kats, and illustrated by Richa Kinra. After years of exchanging letters, 8 year old “Reena” is delighted to finally meet her “Uncle Jessi”, who, migrated from India to US and is staying with her family. “Reena” dreams about being a bollywood star, but her parents had higher hopes of her being a doctor. With “Uncle Jessi” ‘s arrival, he brings her gifts and a new Bollywood movie. Luring the young girl to his room whilst her parents are out, with a secret surprise, it slowly turns into a complete nightmare for “Reena”.

Buy it! : While the storyline captures a family from a different culture, the underlying message is clear. A child needs to understand that sexual abuse is never their fault. Sharing how they feel with an adult, will not only stop the abuser, but it helps them recover in a safe way. We always have a fear that a stranger is the main offender, but most often than not, sexual predators/abusers are close members/friends of the family. This is a great introductory book to any child, to provide awareness on this subject.

As I mentioned earlier, our panel of reviewers had opportunities to review and here are their excerpts :

Please Explain “Anxiety” to Me: Simple Biology and Solutions for Children and Parents, by Laurie Zelinger (Author), Jordan Zelinger (Author), Elisa Sabella (Illustrator)

• ISBN-10: 1615990518
• ISBN-13: 978-1615990511

Rambling Moo : I highly recommend this book if you have a fidgety child at home. My son gets worried all the time and I using all the information in this book to help him feeling less nervous especially when we will be moving to another country soon where everything will be so different.

Mom2BBreviews : As a parent, I learned something new in the book too! Did you know that we have a “sympathetic nervous system” ? It’s like a switch in our body which gets turned on when we feel that we are in danger.

Atomic Mama : I enjoyed this book a LOT when it came to teaching Xander about anxiety and ways to deal with it. The author uses a story about dinosaurs to break down anxiety in easy to understand ways.

Reena’s Bollywood Dream: A Story about Sexual Abuse, by Jewel Kats (Author), Richa Kinra (Illustrator)

• ISBN-10: 1615990143
• ISBN-13: 978-1615990146

Almanac Queen : As soon as she finished reading it, she started relating to me the story and managed to identify all the important educational points for sexual education for someone as young as her. I think this book is very important for young girls who may be reaching puberty soon.

The “O, MY” in Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy: how to prepare your child for surgery, a parent’s manual, 2nd Edition, by Laurie Zelinger Ph.D. (Author)

• ISBN-10: 1615990534
• ISBN-13: 978-1615990535

Pookie and the Boys : She keeps it very basic with steps on how to explain it to the child without causing immediate panic. I wasn’t worried about my son panicking, I was worried about me! I got ideas on how to approach the subject with him, pep talks for use prior to the surgery , all the way up to days before and the day of surgery.

Moomettes Magnificents : This is an informative reference source for parents, grandparents or daycare providers to sooth a child’s fears before undergoing surgery for a Tonsillectomy or Adenoidectomy.

 

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

Our selected team of reviewers recently had the priviledge to review two books, Entertain Like A Gentleman and Aurora Fee, thanks to New Year Publishing.

First off, Entertain Like A Gentleman, written by David Harap is one of those very much needed guidebook for men who are not as ”talented” when it comes to entertaining and cooking. The book starts off with Entertaining 101 which includes a list of 25 things to do to ensure a stress free entertaining. For those who are totally clueless in the kitchen, the book also provides an explanation of the basic tools in the kitchen ranging from food processor to mixing bowls to measuring scale as well as metric conversions. Trust me, these morsels of information may be pretty useful to some.

As far as the recipes are concerned, I am ashamed to admit that I have so much to learn from David Harap. I like the way the recipes are divided into different occassions, for example, Super Bowl/March Madness, Cheese and Wine Party, Pool Party, Double Date Night, Romantic Dinner (Spring/Summer) and Romantic Dinner (Fall/Winter), etc. My favourite of course was Cooking With Kiddos, which I would never have expected to be included in this book. Overall, the recipes are not what you would call simple and neither are they intimidating. I’m just a bit surprise that there aren’t any pictures to accompany the recipes which would have worked better.When it comes to recipes,  I’m one who believes that  a picture speaks a thousand words   If your man is showing hints of interest in the kitchen, this might be just the book to get him started.

Here’s what some of our reviewers thought of Entertain Like A Gentleman:

Confessions of an overworked mom – Now if your husband is like mine, you might expect this cookbook to be filled with recipes for buffalo wings, frozen pizza and chocolate chip cookies. You couldn’t be more wrong! The recipes in this book are going to put your cooking skills to shame. At least they’d put mine to shame. Just thinking about dates stuffed with blue cheese mousse and fennel and spinach strudel has my mouth watering!

Pookie and The Boys – Most men wish they had the ability to cook for their woman and give her the wow factor. Entertain Like a Gentleman by David Harap tries to give a little boost in the kitchen department for men. The thing is to remember this is for a gentleman, not a man. There are no recipes including a bottle of beer, and some of the recipes require up to a week of prep. The recipes have easy to read measurements and it seems that most ingredient choices are conveniently found in your local grocery. Instructions are detailed letting you know the “do ahead” and the actual “night of the dinner” steps for preparation.

Mom Most Traveled – Entertain Like a Gentleman has 75 original recipes appropriate for all types of themes; from Super Bowl parties to Scotch tastings to intimate dinner parties.

Recipes in Entertain Like a Gentleman use common and accessible ingredients, and you also get tips about how to make your evening flow…like butter.

Heavenly Savings – The recipes by David Harap are not your basic everyday recipes. Each dish looks and smells appetizing and the taste is to die for! You will be wining and dining your guests in no time with these timeless romantic recipes! There are also parts of the book that will help you know how to organize and set up your foods in the most spectacular and passionate ways!

Adventure in All Things Food – Mmm… all delicious recipes, and easy to make. These simple, yet elegant ideas will have your guests singing your praises! Each chapter has a full menu of ideas, a shopping list and equipment list for each recipe. Some chapters even have added suggestions for making your gathering more enjoyable. This book helps to plan everything out for the host or hostess. I have to say that I am always looking for ways to make entertaining go more smoothly.

Renaissance Culinaire – The recipes are written in an easy to understand fashion, intended to help aid in a less-stressful entertaining experience. Included in the book are shopping and equipment lists, with blank pages after every section to allow you to jot down thoughts or notes – making Entertain Like a Gentleman perfect for the cooking inept or the seasoned culinary traveler.

Happy Healthy Families – I know this book is aimed towards men, and yes, it is perfect for the man who needs some step by step guidance in the kitchen, but really, I think just about anyone would love reading it. There are tips and secrets throughout the book that will make even the most novice host feel ready to take on a party for family and friends!

Acting Balanced – I really like how the recipes are laid out – with the instructions first and the ingredients and equipment listed down the right hand side, with the ingredients listed like a shopping list – ingredient first, amount second. The tips are great too – for men or women – and help you to break down your entertainment planning and cooking chores into easy to accomplish steps. This book is all about being impressive without being difficult.

Mom of 2 Dancers – There is no stronger way to impress someone than by showcasing your culinary skills. Bachelor Chef and culinary instructor David Harap has created a series of menus that any man can make his own. This book helps men create unforgettable meals for their guests without stress or needing years of cooking school. In addition to many exciting recipes for every occasion, that are tons of tips and secrets on how to become the ultimate host. Memorable meals made easy.

Aurora Fee was written by Megan Barnes when she was just a high school senior. It tells the story of an ordinary  teenager with centuries old deep dark secret. The truth is, Aurora is no longer a human but a CAT to be exact. She could transform herself from a human into a cat, has the ability to read minds and is immortal. Aurora also has to be careful with her emotions which may result in different parts of her cat personality appearing out of the blue, such as happiness will trigger the appearance of the tail, embarrassment triggers the whiskers, etc.

Aurora Fee is definitely geared for the tweens to teens but as an adult, I did enjoy reading it too. The story involves typical teenage issues such as  high school, cliques, jealousy and romance. Aurora Fee kind of reminds me of James Patterson’s Daniel X.  As far as paranormal fiction goes, I give it the thumbs up and will definitely be looking forward to a sequel.

Read what our reviewers had to say about the Aurora Fee below:

The Sewing Mom – While Aurora has to contend with her shape shifting, she also contends with typical teenage issues, school, friends, and even love. All of these things cause angst and can peak emotions particularly in a teenager, so it’s even more of a challenge for someone who doesn’t want their cat ears giving them away! As the parent of a teenager, I found it easy to relate to the teenage issues in the book. I found some of the story to be a bit far fetched and naive, but overall, it is a very enjoyable book. I am very impressed that the author, Megan Barnes, was just 17 when she wrote the story and had it published. On that alone I recommend the book! I admire anyone that follows their dreams, but to do so at such a young age is absolutely a triumph!

Creative Writings 101 - Aurora suffers from normal teen feelings, wanting to be loved, and of course, the fear of being different. Something we all can relate to in one way or another. I was surprised to see that the writer of this book is only a teen herself, I think she did a great job and had a great handle on the emotions and experiences that teens face on a daily basis. This is a good book for a tween and/or teen to read, and fits the young adult paranormal genre perfectly.

Adventure in All Things Food – This was a fast read, and I am sure as a teenager I would have consumed it in one sitting. At 240 pages it is not a long read, but a perfect serving of feline adventure. I enjoyed that it was a great mixture between usual teen conflicts, and life and death action. It is a great story I would recommend for tween through teen readers, especially girls interested in paranormal fiction.

Happy Healthy Families -My daughter loved this book, and basically had it in her hands from the time she started reading it to the time she finished. Though shape shifting is a big part of the story, it also follows Aurora’s daily struggles being a teen and dealing with normal teen situations such as school, friends, falling in love, etc. This would be a perfect stocking stuffer for young teens and even pre-teens. My daughter gave it two thumbs up!

Acting Balanced – Aurora Fee is full of action and fun. The book is well written and I could possibly see a sequel. The only change to this book I would make is to add a prequel, but that might give away to much. I can’t believe that this book was written by a high school senior. I would recommend this book for anyone 11 and up.

Mom of 2 Dancers – Besides this being a great book, it a good read for most ages. I’d let my 9 year old daughter read it since it isn’t graphic, etc. It is probably geared more towards later tween years and teens. Plus of course, us adults that love young adult novels. I still can’t get over the other being in high school. Congrats to Miss Barnes for writing a fantastic novel. I hope to see a Aurora Fee become a series!

Maria’s Space -This is a young adult book and is written by a young adult. So, the dialogue is youthful and easy. This is a quick read and the characters aren’t very deep but in this very creative storyline, I give kudos to Megan for her shout outs for one of my favorite books. Obviously a Twi-hard like me, Aurora is looking for her “Edward”. Aurora and her boys (Kartik-Edward and Zane-Jacob) was very Twilightish. She is in love with two boys who will do anything for her yet, in the long run. She remains friends with Zane and chooses Kartik.

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

ISBN-13: 9780061346637

ISBN: 0061346632

When the good people of AJG first contacted me for a review, I had my interest piqued just seeing the title of this book You’re Not The Boss of Me : Brat Proofing Your 4- To 12-Year-Old Child. I have a 5 year old and  a 10 year old who are a constant challenge to me, so this book was certainly right down my alley. I was all pumped up to see what I could learn from well-known parent educator and author, Betsy Brown Braun.

I skipped the first few pages of  testimonials provided in the book as I didn’t want my judgement to be clouded by these positive reviews. I like that the author recommended the book NOT to be read in one sitting but instead, to begin with the first chapter “Did You Hear Me?  : How to talk to your kids”. I wondered which mom had the luxury of time to finish a book in one session anyway. As suggested, it was certainly more practical to flip to the chapters which matters most to each individual reader.

For me, it was Chapter 4.  “Where’s My Jacket?” sounded like it was written for me to address the issue with my absent minded son. You see….each day, after school, he goes straight to his tuition centre for lunch, a bath and then tuition. He stashes his dirty uniform and socks in a bag to bring home but lately, he has been coming home either without his socks OR with only ONE sock OR with one side that does not belong to him! It has become such an irritating habit that I find myself constantly nagging at him for not being responsible.

In Chapter 4, Betsy Brown Braun highlighted that a parent can be the saboteur to their very own child’s development of responsibility. Very often, out of impatience or due to lack of time, I had helped my daughter or son to do the tasks that they were supposed to do themselves.  Guilty as charged   This was something I have to work at. It was a small but essential step to guiding my children to become more responsible. Betsy Brown Braun was not only able to demonstrate that she understood my plight but she also gave concrete advice about how to deal with it.

I must also compliment Betsy on the fact that she never talks down to you. With some other books that I had finished reading, they seemed to convince  me that I’m a bad mother that needs to change. I never got that idea from this book.  Instead, Betsy explained things as they really are. Sometimes children play up but there are things you can do to fix this.  I expect that I’ll be dipping in and out of this book in the future as I enjoyed how how easy it was to use this book as a reference. You will also find tips and examples in each section of the book, telling you how to effectively implement the strategies that was taught.

BUY IT : I would happily recommend You’re Not The Boss Of Me : Brat-Proofing Your 4- To 12-Year-Old Child to any parent. You’ll not be disappointed.

WIN IT : We’re giving away a copy of You’re Not The Boss Of Me : Brat-Proofing Your 4- To 12-Year-Old Child to one lucky reader. If you’re looking for a parenting resource that really works, this is one book you must not miss. To enter for a chance to win, just follow the requirements below:

• One Mandatory Entry- visit  Betsy Brown Braun’s website and tell us one fact about the author.
• One Additional Entry- For every tweet (once a day) that says “WIN YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME HERE” and link back to this post. Pls leave your twitter ID and tweet URL.
• Two Additional Entries- Are you a facebook fan? Share this on FB and  you’ll get TWO extra entries in!
• Giveaway is open to ALL!!
• Giveaway ends 19th July 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

I just got back from an 8 hour plane flight, with three kids (2, 4 and 7) and 60kg of luggage, by myself. Not only that, I managed to watch 3 movies, eat the meals and enjoy myself. The best thing was, the 2 year old did not scream or yell (unlike the first time we went, where he screamed non-stop for 2 hours) and instead, entertained himself and the other passengers. To be honest, as I was planning for our 19 days trip, everyone asked if it would be alright, traveling with kids. Well, to be honest, the best answer to that is to not to have any expectations on how your kids will behave. They will not sleep if you want them to. And they will sleep when you least expect them to. I gave myself a big pat on my shoulder, and for remembering to take double of my anxiety relaxant pills.

However, if I had read “Wanderlust and Lipstick – Traveling with Kids” by Leslie Forsberg and Michelle Duffy, it may have given me more ideas on how to relax even further!

“Wanderlust and Lipstick – Traveling with Kids” is a collection of real-life experiences by moms who travel with kids. By travel, it could mean interstate or international. It doesn’t matter. What really matters, is your sanity and maintaining it. Reading this book WILL. HELP. YOU.

It covers from pre-travel (yes, even if you’re just thinking about it) right up to post-travel, where it mentions recovery from jet-lag. It includes an extensive list of websites, which is pretty handy since it’s all laid out in one book! While alot of us moms just worry about the logistics, the food and water supplies, we often forget about the enriching experiences our kids go through. Like just letting them play and make friends with the local kids, is enough to fill their memory banks for a lifetime. The book is peppered with “hot tips” for short trips that are 1 hour drive away or super long ‘around the world’ trips!

About Wanderlust and lipstick :

Our mission is to increase your passion for travel by providing inspiration, tips and words of wisdom from experienced Wanderlusters who’ve seen it all! Here you can find travel stories to whet your appetite for adventures around the globe; join a WanderTour to Bhutan or India; peruse posts from the ever expanding group of WanderBloggers; read travel tips from experienced globetrotters; learn about Wanderlust and Lipstick-recommended travel gear; and salivate over the glorious photos in the WanderGallery submitted by travelers the world over.

More about the co-authors : Leslie Forsberg and Michelle Duffy, please go here!

Buy It! The Wanderlust and Lipstick series is specifically targeted to women, and I only wish I had known about it earlier. I have so many girlfriends who have the ‘wanderlust’ in them, and have traveled far and wide, and this would have made perfect gifts for them. Series include :

• The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo – 2nd Edition
• For Women Traveling to India

These books are available at the Wanderlustandlipstick website and also at Amazon.

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

1. Donna Culbreth
2. Anna Kee
3. Danielle Garcia
4. Justin Beam
5. Abi Buening
6. Pending for reply from subscriber

How appropriate to giveaway this title for the month when we all celebrate Mother’s Day. When I first became a mom, I was overwhelmed with the experience and the challenges I had to go through. It was truly a turning point in my life and that experience taught me to appreciate my mom even more.  Thus, I am proud to have this opportunity to share with you the latest title from Chicken Soup For The Soul : Thanks Mom. This book is a collection of 101 short stories contributed by daughters and sons like you and me, to honor and celebrate the most important woman in their lives.

Chicken Soup For The Soul : Thanks Mom comprises of the following sections : Following In Her Footsteps, Mom Knows Best, Making Sacrifices, Favourite Moments, Mom To The Rescue, What Goes Around, One Of A Kind, Gifts Of The Heart and My Mother’s Legacy. To put it simply, I was enthralled by the heartwarming stories in this title from start to finish. Chicken Soup For The Soul : Thanks Mom has also been a great motivator for me during the times when I am having a bad day with my kids. I just needed to pick it up, read a story or two to remind me that  all that sacrifices and willingness to always put my family first will eventually be worth it….and thus, making me feel more appreciative of my role as a mom.

A word of caution though, there are definitely some tear jerkers in those stories of real life experiences such as chapters like ”My Mother, My Friend”,  “Finding Joy, In A Time of Loss”, “Nobody’s Chid But Mom’s”, to name a few. So, be sure to have your Kleenex handy.

A treasure chest of inspiring stories, Chicken Soup For The Soul : Thanks Mom is a definite WINNER! And here’s your chance to win a copy*. Simply subscribe to our feed via email (button on the top right side bar) and you will automatically qualify for our draw.

*Prizes will be shipped within US only.

Disclosure : Review and giveaway copies of the above book is proudly sponsored by www.chickensoup.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are solely my own.

Laundry is not my favorite chore- in fact with the multiple loads I have to do daily- it is pretty low on my list of things I like to do.  I am always on the lookout for new products that make this chore faster and easier.  Thanks to Parent Reviewers I was recently given the opportunity to review a great new product- well a new to me product.

Robby Wash is a great alternative laundry detergent product that has been used in Europe for years. It is third party tested, proven and guaranteed to clean better than traditional powder laundry detergent.

Sounds good right?  Well it’s better than good- it is also eco-friendly, hypoallergenic and made with no harsh chemicals.  In fact it is often used in Europe for baby laundry- safe and effective.  This fact was extremely important to me as my youngest child has very sensitive skin and often reacts harshly to even the gentlest detergents.

I was given the opportunity to try Robby Wash for myself and I must say I am amazed. The Robby Wash system includes two plastic balls filled with Robby Wash laundry detergent. The blue ball is recommended for use with hot or cold washing loads while the fuchsia ball is recommended for use with cold water/colored clothing.

I was a bit skeptical at first, but once I washed our first load (white towels) with the blue Robby Wash ball I was hooked. The towels came out clean, fresh, and with a wonderful, very light scent. I was equally as pleased with the results of the fuchsia Robby Wash ball- no fading on our bright colored clothes and the same amazing results.

Most importantly, my children had no trouble with the clothing that was washed using the Robby Wash balls.  There was no skin irritation or itching- simply soft, sweet smelling clothing.  I was truly impressed.

In addition to its great cleaning power, Robby Wash is also extremely environmentally friendly- 10 ounces of Robby Wash can replace 75 pounds of traditional laundry detergent and Robby Wash detergent last for up to 12 months.  At a price of $32.95 per Robby Ball, you can easily save hundreds of dollars a year on laundry detergent.

Although laundry is still not high on my list of things I like to do, Robby Wash has made it much easier, faster, and more financially friendly.  I am hooked on Robby Wash and know I will be using it for many years to come.

Here’s even more great reasons to buy Robby Wash Balls:

The Practical Laundry Washing Ball

Top 11 Robby Wash Ball Benefits

To Buy: Robby Wash Balls are available for purchase on Oransi.com.

To Win: Oransi.com has offered the Robby Wash System to TWO of our lucky readers.  Here’s how to enter:

• One Mandatory Entry- check out Robby Wash on Oransi.com and leave us a comment telling us your favorite benefit of the product.
• Two Additional Entries- Follow us on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway.  Please leave a separate comment including your twitter id and tweet url.
• Five Additional Entries- Read one of our parenting articles. Leave a comment about it in the post and return here, with the article’s URL.
• Entry is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends 26th April 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/0

Good luck!!

The Magic School Bus has long been a favorite in our home. Our personal library is filled with the many books, movies, science kits and more offered by The Magic School Bus series. I was, of course, thrilled when we were offered a chance to review one of the newest additions to the series: The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge.

From the first page this story my children were hooked.  Ms. Frizzle takes the class on yet another amazing adventure, this time to explore the concept of Global Warming.  With her wonderful sense of wit and humor, Joanna Cole brings this topic to life in a new and easy to understand way.  Accompanied by amazingly bright and action filled illustrations, Bruce Degen truly brings the scientific concepts to life and makes it so much fun to learn!!

The pages are not only filled with wonderful information but also many challenges to children offering ways they can make small changes to help affect this worldwide problem.  After reading it numerous times, I have found my own children reminding us to turn off extra lights and to unplug unnecessary items when not in use.  The truth held in this little book really made an impact and my little ones are now proponents of change in our small sphere of influence.

About The Magic School Bus and The Climate Challenge:

Ms. Frizzle’s students are putting on a play about global warming, and they need some cold, hard facts. The Friz knows just where to find them! A hop on the Magic School Bus takes the kids on a whirlwind tour.

From the Arctic to the equator, they see telltale signs of climate change. But to get the really big picture, the class has to get really small – so they can see exactly what is in the air and why it is making the world warmer.

What they find gives them a real cause for concern!

Don’t forget to check out The Magic School Bus on Scholastic.com for many wonderful activities and resources to bring science to life for the little ones in your life. You can also find out more information on Ms. Frizzel’s April 20th Webcast here.

Buy It: You can purchase The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge as well as other great Magic School Bus products at many local bookstores and online at Amazon.com.

Win It:  Scholastic Books has generously donated the following prizing….. just in time for Earth Day:

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive:
Paper Recycling Studio
Copy of The Magic School Bus and The Climate Challenge

Two (2) additional winnerswill receive a copy of the book!

Here’s how to enter:

• One Mandatory Entry- Visit The Magic School Bus site and leave us a comment including your favorite Magic School Bus product.
• Two Additional Entries- Follow us on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway.  Please leave a separate comment and include your twitter id and your tweet url.
• Five Additional Entries- Read one of our parenting articles. Leave a comment about it in THAT post and return here, with the article’s URL.
• Entry is open to US shipping address only (Iinternational readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail.)
• Giveaway ends on April 19th 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/0

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.

Growing up, I was never really good at Maths. Until, I had the benefit of getting to know an excellent Maths teacher, who showed me the good side of Maths. It was astounding. I never thought Maths could be so interesting and from then on, each time I found a pattern or a sequence, Maths got easier and easier. I have to say, by the time I ended High School, the only thing I really excelled in, was Maths (and English ~ but that didn’t count somehow).

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.

He attacked the first grid….working all the multiplication numbers from 1 to 10. Just like that. I was amazed. He had read and glossed over the book, (I assumed he was just looking at the pictures) earlier…and when he started doing the numbers, he seemed to understand the underlying patterns under each multiplication.

And here I thought I would have a hard time teaching him the Multiplication!

About : The book starts with a story about a Circus in mayhem. The Ringmaster needs the child’s help in counting his animals, but it would take too long to count them, one by one. One needs the magic of multiplication to help him account for all his animals!

Eugenia Francis created this fun, colorful and imaginative way of working with numbers. She spent 15 years developing creative teaching materials. She taught both high school and university students (University of California at Irvine) and mentored other teachers. She received a B.A. and an M.A. in literature from Southern Methodist University and has done graduate work at UCI. Faced with the challenge of teaching her son the multiplication tables, she developed her own innovative method, discovering patterns and tricks to the multiplication tables.

This book also works very well for children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. Patterns provide structure.  Children with ADD/ADHD need structure. These children have a difficulty memorizing the times tables.  The visual-spatial method of patterns and grids works better.  Patterns also help dyslexic children as they strictly order number sequence.  Special needs children can better visualize and recall where a number is placed if they see a pattern.  Do check out her blog for any updates or tips!

Buy It : There are also other versions, the Teacher’s version and the Spanish version. Wipe-off Learning Aids are also available. The books are available on Amazon, while the books and the Learning Aids are available at Eugenia’s website.

Win It : Goody! Here’s the fun part : 7 very lucky readers will have a chance in winning this. All you have to do is :