August « 2007 « The Parent Bloggers Network

ImagiTales Personalized Children’s Books - Hey, That’s a Picture of Me!

Tuesday, August 21st, 2007

It’s unanimous: the kids adore ImagiTales.

In all fairness, we knew they would. Kids love to see their names and pictures in print; it’s a validation of their burgeoning identities. As one blogger described her daughter’s affinity for photographs and ImagiTales alike: “It doesn’t matter where the picture was taken, as long as she’s in it or someone she knows is in it, it’s worth looking at. So imagine her total delight when she received a book in which she is pictured as the main character. A book! With her picture! And her name! And a picture of her favorite parent! Let the giggles begin.”

A couple bloggers even recalled their own childhood personalized books. One reminisced that “there were no pictures of me in my books, but my name was mentioned throughout the book, and that was enough for me to designate this my favorite book. I still have the personalized books that my mother bought for me, and I’m 37 years old.” Another described them as “standardized stories with typed text, with child’s name filled in here and there, and perhaps a mention of your town and state somewhat awkwardly as well. Good literature, they were not. Smooth transitions, they were not. But they were ours, and we loved them, didn’t we?” With such fond memories of their own admittedly flawed books, it’s not surprising that our bloggers were excited to get an up-to-date version for their own children.

ImagiTales made both parents and kids giggle. The books are “printed on glossy paper and include lots of funky hand-drawn illustrations. Some of the illustrations are a bit quirky, but it adds a certain comical charm to it. After all, it’s going to be a bit funny anyway - we’re talking about heads Photoshopped onto cartoon bodies here - but the point is to make books and reading more enjoyable and engaging for little kids.” Another blogger agreed, noting that “the drawings are simple and cheery, with the body sized so that the face is emphasized, in a cartoonish but pleasing way. The stories are simple and appropriate for a two- or three-year old, as designed.” The first blogger reiterated the entertainment value: “I have to tell you that the cartoon body cracks me up. Especially paired with the fact that [my daughter] has such short hair. The Tiger Suit? I think it’s hilarious, and for sure this book will definitely be making the rounds in 13 years when [she] starts bringing boys over to the house.”

But none of them were laughing as they cropped photos - by far the most difficult part of the ordering process. “The pictures must be uploaded to the site and the parent/friend ordering must do some digital cropping to trim the photo down to the face itself. This consists of pointing and clicking 15-30 dots around the face; more is better, as in most digital image processing. It’s not hard, but it does take some time.” Another blogger admitted that “this activity frustrated me no end. I tried and tried with several different pictures of my two girls…Twice I finished the cut out and the site glitched, and I lost the work. Each time I lost the work, it made me want to close my browser and forget the project. I persevered though, and my girls are glad I did.” Sounds like an activity that might be more tolerable - if slightly less accurate - with a glass of wine at hand. But as one blogger summed it up, “the look on your child’s face when they see a story featuring themselves is worth it.”

While we may gripe about the photo editing and giggle at the cartoons, ImagiTales personalized children’s books are a far cry from the personalized books we enjoyed thirty years ago. And considering how much we loved our books, it’s no wonder our children love theirs. The final consensus: “The concept is a cool one, and obviously a success, judging from the fact that I ordered three books and my girls are sleeping with all three in their beds.”

Check out ImagiTales personalized children’s books yourself - the first eBook is free!

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Posted in Books, Kids, Pre-school, Toddler | 1 Comment »

Word World - Here’s What They’re Saying So Far

Monday, August 20th, 2007

PBS may have branched out in all sorts of directions over the years, but their core competency (as those corporate-types like to say) is literacy education. And while many of us children of the 1970s may miss the old days of The Electric Company, it’s good to see that PBS is still encouraging a love of words - most recently via the new show, Word World.

Not surprisingly, many of our parent bloggers’ children have become big fans:

The bloggers were enthusiastic as well:

But even though parents like to have a little time to ourselves now and then, we won’t plop the kids down in front of any old so-called children’s show. Put simply: “I feel that used properly, as any other tool in a parent’s arsenal, [TV] can be educational and fun. But I also recognize that TV is different now than it was when I was a kid.”

One blogger was admittedly skeptical: “I know I can’t keep my kids away from television forever, so they may as well be watching something educational. And Word World comes with a pedigree - it was developed by leading literacy experts and partly funded by the Department of Education.” Another blogger (after my own heart) commented that she’s not anti-TV “as long as the little angel is not glued to it for very long. Like me, she gets cranky if she watches too much TV.” The first blogger went on to state that her “totally personal, unprofessional opinion is that if we’d spent the time actually reading or just interacting instead of watching the DVD, that probably would have done more good. Most experts recommend that you watch these kinds of shows with your kids, but if you’re anything like me then you watch these shows while you can take a break to do something else.” Finally, a third blogger weighed in on the pacing of the show: “Because I’m one of those moms, I did count seconds between scene cuts just to see if the show was perpetuating the fast-paced visual addiction that has become all too common in visual entertainment. For the most part, scenes are on camera for at least three seconds, with several instances of long shots where the camera pans out and refocuses on something else.”

In general, the parents had as much fun with the show as their kids did. One quipped that “it’s no accident that Dog can’t talk - much like Pluto, it seems like dogs in cartoons are always actually dogs, while everything else is human. Sheep was my favorite character. I think she must be loosely based on Ellen DeGeneres. Duck, much like Daffy, had a speech impediment. Clearly, some of these Disney themes found their way into the Word World creative meetings.” And another…well, she tells it best:

“After my kids burned through 45 minutes of Word World on the first day, [my son] had to go poopy on the potty, where he proceeded to poop an L. He was so excited he had to tell me all about it and have me admire it…Over the next few days he proceeded to poop a C, a T, and an X. I think he was most excited about the X.

We’re very proud…Because anything that gets my son excited about both letters and going to the potty is worthy of adulation. And cake. Lots of cake.”

Tell me again, when does Word World start? September 3?

Sounds like a great day to begin potty training!

More reviews coming up, along with the Round-Up Review here on PBN. Check out the schedule below!

Monday, 8/20 - Karianna and Daddy In a Strange Land
Tuesday, 8/21 - Little Bird Reviews
Wednesday, 8/22 - Mayberry Mom
Thursday, 8/23 - One Plus Two
Friday, 8/24 - Motherhood Uncensored
Monday, 8/27 - Rookie Moms
Tuesday, 8/28 - Radioactive Girl
Wednesday, 8/29 - Mother May I
Thursday, 8/30 - Toddler Planet
Friday, 8/31 - Plain Jane Mom
Tuesday, 9/4 - Suburban Oblivion
Wednesday, 9/5 - Round-Up Review on PBN

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Posted in Kids, Media, Pre-school, Toddler | 1 Comment »

KINeSYS Performance Sunscreen: Here’s What Our Bloggers Are Saying So Far

Saturday, August 18th, 2007

If you’ve chased after your greasy half-lotioned kid at the pool or beach, you’ve probably t thought that there’s just got to be a better option. Certainly the aerosol sunscreen sprays have helped to make life easier, but other than that, you’re still left with a greasy lotion and worse, a greasy child.

So our parents have been checking out KINeSYS, a performance sunscreen that is touted as being non-greasy and fast drying. If you haven’t heard of it, that’s probably because thus far, it’s only been available online or at your favorite speciality sports shops. So, if you don’t make regular trips to REI, chances are you haven’t seen it.

But if there’s a suncreen that makes going to the pool or beach just a little bit easier, it certainly might be worth checking out.

Well, it’s always a good start when no one in this round of reviews burned. Even though application is recommended 30 minutes prior to hitting the sun and reapplication is recommended every two hours (this is similar to all major sunscreens), many of our bloggers pushed the limits and found they were fine. And if reapplication was needed, the process was painless. “As it turns out, I didn’t burn and neither did soccergirl, even though she was in and out of the pool throughout the three hours.” “I am happy to report that I have not gotten burned since trying KINeSYS. Neither have my kids.”
”

Our bloggers noted that the suncreen is not “lotiony” — an extra benefit for this blogger. “it goes on without being so creamy that I have to spend ten minutes trying to rub it in, so that I won’t look like Dennis Haysbert in kabuki makeup.” This blogger noticed a significant difference between KINeSYS and other “lotions.” “When I was done, I didn’t feel like I had stuck my hands in a pot of grease because the lotion really isn’t greasy or oily at all! And after park time was over, the kids were still dirty but they were “normal kid” dirty, not “I coated myself in oil then rolled in the sand” dirty. That was a nice change!”

We had a mixed response in terms of how long it took to dry. On some folks, it only took around a minute, while others found it took longer than the 2-3 minutes that was noted on the bottle. The general consensus was, however, that when it did dry, it was definitely dry; no residue! “What I didn’t like is that I found it took longer than 2-3 minutes to completely dry. This of course could be entirely me. Particularly when the kids start hopping around because…well they’re kids and they don’t like to stand still, some body parts can get pretty heavily sprayed by accident. When it did dry though, it was really dry. It wasn’t oily or greasy.” “The kids took to it immediately. For one thing, it only took a short time to cover three kids. Spray and go. No rubbing means to crabbing and fussing - from me or the kids. It dries quickly, and doesn’t leave a greasy feel. They’ve taken out both the oil and the alcohol, allowing skin to breath normally.”

While the products are alcohol, oil, and PABA free (with some also being fragrance free), they aren’t specifically for folks with sensitive skin. Many bloggers had a positive experience on their sensitive skin. “…the nice thing about the non-kid spray was that it didn’t irritate my skin nearly as much as sunscreen usually does.” “In the end, I might consider purchasing KINeSYS because of our continued skin issues. We didn’t have reactions. We didn’t burn. We’ve had reactions to other sunscreens.”

All around, the light scent (it also comes in a fragrance free version) was pleasant and not distracting as some other sunscreens can be. “All the sunscreens worked as advertised without being icky. The mango scent of the adult spray wasn’t overpowering, just a nice, light scent.” “The smell didn’t gross me out. I also sprayed myself down, giving it a decent feeling rating. I didn’t feel overly greasy. The smell is mango which is nice. “Some of the kids were actually able to apply it themselves. “The spray dries quickly. It doesn’t leave a funky or oily residue. Instead, my kids (and my) skin feels soft post-application. With other sunscreens, I get a heavy feeling; not so with KINeSYS. It does not block pores. My kids are very into doing the sunscreen application all by themselves; with the spray, I don’t fear the safety of my van’s carpeting the way I did with runny, messy lotions.”

One blogger noted that if you have the spray in your purse, you’ve got to keep it upright otherwise you might have a sunscreen protected diaper bag. But even after the spill, she had plenty left; even though she and a few others felt the sunscreen was on the high price end, she got a lot for the perceived price.

If you’ve got a kid with specific sensory issues, as one blogger noted, KINeSYS is great, mainly because it’s so light and very easy to apply. And overall, aside from various issues that have been mentioned, the KINeSYS product was something the parents would recommend.

If you’d like to see what other parents have to say, stay tuned for more reviews of the product.

August 20: Lawyer Mama / Her Bad Mother Says

August 21: Midwestern Mommy / Mommy’s Must Haves

August 22: Musings & Misadventures / Radioactive Girl

August 23: Rookie Moms / Three Kid Circus

August 24: Snarky Momma / Mama Maven Says

August 25: FINAL ROUND-UP

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Posted in Bath & Beauty | 1 Comment »

Mr. Dad for Schoolchild Fathers: Here’s What They’re Saying So Far

Friday, August 17th, 2007

As a parent of a soon official preschooler, I’ve been grasping at whatever I can get my hands on to help ease the transition.

For me, not for her.

But I’m not the only one parenting my daughter. But trying to find a book for my husband, let alone a book that he will read is nearly impossible. However, I feel strongly about his role in my daughter’s life, particularly as she reaches this new phase of her life.

That’s why I (along with ten parent bloggers who voluntarily agreed to check out this book) was curious to see what Mr. Dad had to say about this topic. Known for his work for expectant fathers (does sold millions mean anything to you?), Armin Brott’s new book for fathers of a school aged child was certainly of interest to many of our parents (moms and dads alike). And so far, here’s what they’ve said about this book.

The book is broken down year by year, not in age groups. The bloggers found this to be an excellent approach. “I really like the fact that it is broken down year by year. So often, children are grouped together as 3-5 year olds and 6-8, but there is a lot of difference between a 3 year old and a 5 year old.” Additionally, parents could read about what was going on specifically with their kid, and not have to estimate due to an age range. “I have a five year-old so I was immediately drawn first to that chapter. I loved reading what to expect of my five year-old and proudly checking off that, “yup - she does that too.””

The bloggers (including two dad bloggers) noted that the book was clear and concise, but still packed with fantastic information, and a lot of it. “Most of you who read my blog know how serious I am about being a dad… well, Armin Brott is serious about it, too, and has given us dads a very clear and concise primer on some things for us to pay attention to when it comes to our young school-age children.” ”It’s chock-full of specific ideas for involvement in everything from education to physical activities to reading to video games and beyond. He talks about how household issues can affect childrearing and vice versa, and brings in issues such as gender roles (for child and parent), step-parenting, single parenting, raising developmentally disabled children… It’s a lot to pack into one book, or even a series of books, and I appreciate the effort.” ”This book has an incredible amount of information that will help a father know what is happening in the development of his child educationally as well as emotionally.”

This dad noted how easy it was to use. “[This is a] comprehensive and well-researched handbook for any dad - first timers or even third-timers (like myself). As with most handbooks, one can read FYSAC flipping around forward and back to areas that interest you and or are relevant to current problems or concerns.” So did this blogger’s spouse. “He also liked the way the book was broken down into manageable parts. It was easy for him to find just the right information he was looking for.”

A couple of the dads noted that there was a lot of research used to back up Brott’s points. While they felt this was understandable, they actually felt it was unnecessary. It certainly didn’t deter from their enjoyment of the book, but they did note that it’s okay to let dads read about their kids without having to know that 99% of other dads agreed.

A few bloggers specifically noted the amazing resource list at the back of the book. “Probably my favorite section was the Resources, at the back of the book. Many topics were covered - adoption, discipline, Fathering your Special Needs Child, Sex, Stepfamilies. Every topic had books, websites and organziations to contact for more information. There was also an AWESOME additional reading section, with books geared for both kids and parents.” ”The resources towards the end is an endless list of books, magazines, and websites where you can find information about almost any parenting subject you can think of. Talk about research!”

And finally, one dad appreciated how the book was current — particularly impressive since kids always seem to be one up on their parents when it comes to technology. “And it’s up to date! Those instant message acronyms that older kids use on their cell phones are translated by Mr. Brott on page 175. I knew a few of them already, but this kind of information is very useful to monitor development and potential problems.”

Overall, this book was recommended by moms and dads, summed up well by this dad:

This is an excellent resource for any man who is truly interested in doing a real man’s job: Being an involved father to his children

I’m looking forward to checking out the next set of reviews. And make sure to check out Brott’s website for information on all his publications.

8/17: Toddler Planet

8/20: Mommy Needs Coffee Buzz Review Blog

8/21: Mama Maven Says

8/22: The Domestic Diva

8/23: Lipstick to Crayons

8/27: Final Round Up - Launch of Mr. Dad Tool Box DVD!

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Posted in Books | No Comments »

Your Baby Can Read, Volume 2 - Never Too Young To Have Fun

Thursday, August 16th, 2007

Throughout the reviews of Your Baby Can Read, Volume 2, I’ve been most struck by how much the kids adore this program - DVD and flash cards alike. One little girl (who’s not yet two years old) “loves this DVD. LOVES. As in loves it so much that she asks for it by name - baby read? Peez?…She shouts along as words are read - COW! CUP! HAT! - and then sings and dances when the songs come on.” Another one, who is just past her first birthday, “likes the flash cards. To her, it is a really fun game to go through them, and her attention span allows her to use them for up to 30 minutes at a time.” A little guy who has a big brother “opened the flash cards, and [his brother] immediately provided the answers. Unfazed, [he] took the sliding flashcards, turning his back on [his brother] so that he could try them himself.”

As before, the DVD was a big hit with both parents and kids. One blogger stated that: “[My daughter] loves the songs (Old MacDonald, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and I’m a Little Teapot) and she loves watching the children and animals. I love that there are no commercial characters, it is not too fast paced, and I especially love the way [my daughter] and I have fun yelling out the words with (or before) the pronunciation voice-over.” Another commented, “I have to say this was the most truly interactive video, ever. It kept them watching and participating through the entire 30 minutes.” She went on to note that the DVD has also functioned as “a wonderful speech therapy tool! My four year old has verbal apraxia, and has been in speech therapy for nearly two years. It has become second nature for us to incorporate sounding out words and having him repeat things in our day to day life, and this has become a wonderful supplement to that. When the narrator reads a word on the screen, my son will immediately repeat it back, and with him, repetition is key.”

The sliding flash cards were also a useful tool. One blogger described how her son used the cards: “When horse appeared on the screen, he grabbed the horse flashcard, said horse! and looked back at the DVD to watch the horse on-screen and to listen to the associated sentence. He did the same thing with duck, and several other words. I was surprised at how instantly he found the flashcard given that I would have assumed he’d have little recognition yet for the written word.” Even for younger children, the flash cards were an enjoyable supplement. “It was very easy to engage [my daughter] in the sliding cards but the word-only cards didn’t interest her…The sliding cards are superior to any other flash cards I have tried, and [she] is game for playing with them any time.” Another blogger did have some trouble with one of the cards, but used the rest of them easily: “They are very durable, but one of them stuck for us, and I still do not know what the horse looks like, as we’ve not been able to open at that card at all. Other cards had minor sticking that we were able to open without breaking, and overall I thought they were well-made.”

Does this program push kids to do too much, too soon? One mother doesn’t think so (and she went to battle with one of her commenters on that point): “I do believe that the earlier she reads, the sooner she is exposed to the great big world of books, and that can only mean good things. I am certainly going to buy the rest of the program for her.”

Are the kids really reading, or are they just having fun? One mother sees the fun as an essential precursor to a love of reading: “She throws her little self right into the fun of shouting words and singing words and dancing to words and - yes - learning words (many of which she can now recognize). But what’s most important about this, I think, is not the learning so much as it is the passion-building…Loving words - thinking that words are fun - is the first and most important step to loving reading and books and all the wonderful things that words make.”

In summary, “How can something so much fun be rote?”

Thanks to all of our bloggers who participated in this campaign! If you’d like to purchase the series, or any of the DVDs in it, please click here!

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Posted in Baby, Kids, Media, Toddler | 2 Comments »

The Bilingual Edge - Here’s What They’re Saying So Far

Wednesday, August 15th, 2007

(If you want to know who won the Wii and the three copies of Boogie, keep reading!)

From the reviews we’ve seen so far for The Bilingual Edge, this book has been nothing short of inspiring for our parent bloggers. Some of them (or their spouses) came from bilingual families, some acquired fluency on their own, and some never made it past Spanish II. But they all share the same desire to expose their children to a second language, for a variety of reasons:

While the title may give the impression that authors Kendall King and Alison Mackey (both PhD linguistics professors at Georgetown University and both parents) see bilingualism as “an edge against other children“, that is certainly not the focus of the book, nor is it a primary reason given for teaching children another language. Instead, the authors and our bloggers are very much on the same page where it comes to their reasons. Additionally, one blogger “found it fascinating to learn that people with advanced knowledge of more than one language seem to be more creative….Something about knowing more than one language seems to make children both more creative and what researchers describe as more mentally flexible.”

As for when a second language should be learned, “King and Mackey, while agreeing that young children can learn two or three languages easily and simultaneously, also stress that it’s never too late for a child—or an adult—to learn a new language. Younger children have the advantage of discerning different sounds more easily, and they aren’t afraid to make mistakes when they talk. But older children can still become very proficient, provided they receive explicit instruction (vs. the osmosis approach you might take with a baby or toddler) and lots of encouragement.” Additionally, the authors soundly debunk the ideas that teaching children two languages at once confuses them - “The book points to decades of carefully conducted research studies point to the fact that young children distinguish early on between their two languages.” - and causes speech delays - “He knows who is speaking what and when and why, and even more importantly, he now knows what is being said. He completely gets both languages. He’ll speak them when he’s ready.”

Now to the fun part - all of the ways in which parents can effectively teach their children a second language. Here’s a hint: “Dora no es buen profesor.” The authors “emphasize that learning a new language must be fun. Sing songs, read books, or count in another language each time you walk up the stairs,” and present research that shows “babies and young children don’t learn language through television; instead, they respond to and learn the most from interaction with other humans.” Many of our reviewers wrote of their own specific plans to integrate a second language into their children’s regular routine:

The most inspiring story came from a blogger who was raised in a multilingual family, yet struggled through her years of language courses:

“Before reading The Bilingual Edge I knew I wanted my daughter to learn another language, or five, but I had no idea where to begin. I found myself incredibly confused, frustrated and futile. I even put off reading this book for fear that it would throw me off more. I’m so glad I did read it because it has not only clarified my questions but started in-depth discussions with my family and husband about which language we are choosing, why and how we will now go about it. It’s like the weight from my extreme parenting has been taken away. I’m a planner and my inner organizational freak now has a plan for her present age, her future development with French, and reasoning behind it.”

She went on to conclude that reading The Bilingual Edge “re-emphasized how important it is to me to pass on this part of our family’s heritage and use it every day. It is something special once again and now no longer something I’m afraid to use.”

We have several more blogger reviews coming up - please refer to the schedule below and check back for the Round-Up Review here on PBN.

Wednesday 8/15 - Quarter Rest

Thursday 8/16 - Soul Gardening

Friday 8/17 - PunditMom and Her Bad Mother

Monday 8/20 - Mom to the Screaming Masses

Tuesday 8/21 - Seabird Chronicles

Wednesday 8/22 - Mama Drama Stephanie

Friday 8/24 - Karianna

Monday 8/28 - Round-Up Review on PBN

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Congratulations to the winners from last Friday’s Blog Blast - Let’s Boogie While We Blast!

Jodifur won the Wii and a copy of the new game, Boogie.

Meta-Dad, Working Momma 24/7, and It’s My Life all won a copy of Boogie too!

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Posted in Books | No Comments »

ImagiTales Personalized Children’s Books - Here’s What They’re Saying So Far

Tuesday, August 14th, 2007

Based on the reactions of our bloggers’ children to their newly created ImagiTales books, I was right about the inherent narcissism of little ones:

The process of creating these books is sufficiently detailed to yield truly personalized results, yet not so intricate that parents (who are often at the ends of their ropes anyway) will give up in frustration. As one blogger summarized it: “The process involves uploading photos, cropping the heads (their connect-the-dots system is a bit tedious but overall not too time consuming) and inputting a few personalized terms into the text, like names of parents, siblings, favorite toys, etc.” Another blogger cautioned: “As soon as you’re finished, you get to see a proof copy of your book. Read it very carefully. I did not. Somehow I accidentally replaced the word sister with the word sleeping. One page reads, Daddy and Mommy hold the baby because my little baby sleeping is so little. Another says, I read my favorite book to my baby sleeping.”

Obviously, the kids loved the books. But what about the parents?

One blogger lauded the idea behind the books - “The concept is fantastic. Who doesn’t love the idea of his or her name and mug emblazoned across the printed page? My daughter certainly does.” - but suggested some improvements to the finished product - “The 5×7 size is a bit on the small side, and the pages, though relatively sturdy, are unlikely to stand the test of toddler time.” Other bloggers echoed the wish for a hardcover version. One commented that “After a few weeks, they really showed the wear and tear…I would have been happy to pay a bit more for a board book,” and another suggested, “I’d love to have the option of having a collection of them all bound together in hardback.” Finally, one blogger ran into a minor technical glitch: “The only hiccup I had in this whole process was my Flash player…I needed to uninstall and reinstall to be able to use the ImagiTales site.”

Regardless, the parents appreciated the two different reading levels that were available - “Each title comes in both a standard version and a beginner version. The latter is written by a speech-language pathologist for kids who have speech delays or for beginning readers.” - and noted that “Since the story is typeset using the personalized information, the fonts and spacing are as though the book were created just for that child.”

Overall, the ImagiTales books were a grand success with this first set of reviewers. As one blogger put it: “My daughter is far less critical than I am, and she enjoys her personalized books tremendously. I also created one as a birthday present for [my daughter's] four year old friend, and I know without a doubt that she will love it.” And a final blogger enthused: “ImagiTales is perhaps the coolest thing that my child has received in a long time…not only does it feature your child as the main character but they actually get to see their picture in action.”

We’ve got more reviews coming up, along with the Round-Up Review here on PBN!

Monday, 8/13 - Creature Bug
Tuesday, 8/14 - Mid-Campaign Post on PBN
Wednesday, 8/15 - Mom to the Screaming Masses
Thursday, 8/16 - Toddler Planet
Friday, 8/17 - Suburban Oblivion
Tuesday, 8/21 - Round-Up Review on PBN

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Posted in Books, Kids, Pre-school, Toddler | No Comments »

Printakid Personalized Children’s Books - Campaign Launch

Monday, August 13th, 2007

Kids love to feel special, and it doesn’t take a bounty of toys or an endless supply Happy Meals to make them feel that way. Taking the time to recognize and embrace their uniqueness is a far preferable way to demonstrate our appreciation for their individuality.

One of the greatest ways to send that message is by personalizing a gift. No, not an engraved silver picture frame or a set of monogrammed bath towels, but a gift that’s all about the child and what’s important to them. And the greatest gifts are those that are used every day, even by kids.

The personalized books for children from Printakid, a Montreal-based endeavor founded by former management consultant Noemi Berlus, are a fantastic example of how to help kids feel special with a gift that is all about them. Twenty-seven of our parent bloggers jumped at the chance to create their own personalized book through Printakid, and they’ll post their reviews over the next several weeks. Please refer to the schedule below, and check back here for our mid-campaign post at the beginning of October.

Wednesday 8/15 - Slouching Mom
Friday 8/17 - Crazy Momcat
Tuesday 8/21 - Sarah’s Dandelions
Thursday 8/23 - Mama Maven
Monday 8/27 - PunditMom
Friday 8/31 - One Plus Two
Tuesday 9/4 - Jumping Monkeys
Thursday 9/6 - Self-Made Mom
Monday 9/10 - Chaos Theory
Friday 9/14 - Mother May I
Tuesday 9/18 - Bananas and Toddlers
Thursday 9/20 - Mom Reviews
Monday 9/24 - Buzz Review Blog
Friday 9/28 - Rookie Moms
Monday 10/1 - Mid-Campaign Post on PBN
Tuesday 10/2 - Quarter Rest
Thursday 10/4 - Binkytown
Monday 10/8 - Ebony Mommy
Friday 10/12 - Jennster
Tuesday 10/16 - Builder Mama
Thursday 10/18 - Marketing Mommy
Monday 10/22 - Metro Mama
Friday 10/26 - The Delaney Diaries
Tuesday 10/30 - Mommy’s Must Haves
Thursday 11/1 - Mummy’s Product Reviews
Monday 11/5 - Mommy Off the Record
Friday 11/9 - Mother Bumper
Tuesday 11/13 - Three Kid Circus
Thursday 11/15 - Round-Up Review on PBN

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Posted in Books, Elementary School, Kids, Pre-school | No Comments »

KINeSYS Performance Sunscreen Campaign Launch

Saturday, August 11th, 2007

With the sun getting hotter than ever thanks to our thinning ozone, it’s ever so important to get sunscreen on our kids and keep it on them all day long. The only problem is that they’re kids, and trying to get them to stand still for anymore than two seconds is a feat in and of itself.

Thanks to spray sunscreen, life has become a lot easier for careful parents. However, lotion can be greasy, difficult to manage, and not-so-fun in the sand. And while I love pina coladas, I’m just not a huge fan of that smell all over my kids.

So enter KINeSYS, a performance sunscreen with products aimed at adults and kids that is oil, PABA, and alcohol free. And it’s quick drying, so no slippery kids, and as the official sunscreen of the Ironman, KINeSYS has been tested on the world’s best athletes. So now our parent bloggers and their kids are going to give it a try.

Check out their reviews and visit the KINeSYS site for more information about their products as well as where you can purchase (store listing as well as online store).

August 13: Bananas & Toddlers / Chaos Theory

August 14: Creature Bug / The Hatfields

August 15: Little Bird Reviews / Fishy Girl

August 16: Formula Fed & Flexible Parenting / Kari’s Couch

August 17: In the Trenches of Mommyhood / Gunfighter’s View

August 18: MID-RUN ROUND-UP

August 20: Lawyer Mama / Her Bad Mother Says

August 21: Midwestern Mommy / Mommy’s Must Haves

August 22: Musings & Misadventures / Radioactive Girl

August 23: Rookie Moms / Three Kid Circus

August 24: Snarky Momma / Mama Maven Says

August 25: FINAL ROUND-UP

More »

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Let’s Boogie While We Blast!

Friday, August 10th, 2007

Soon we’ll be launching a review campaign for “Boogie”, Electronic Arts’ new Wii video game. And since this game is designed to get the whole family singing and dancing, laughing and cheering, we can’t think of a better way to start the party than with a Blog Blast!

Anytime today - Friday, August 10 (before midnight PDT) - write a post about how your family plays together and you could win a Wii and a copy of “Boogie” yourself. Check out the specific details below:

What are your favorite family activities and how do you find the quality family time?
And if you don’t have quality family time, how do you make up for it? What challenges do you face?

1) Your post must include this blurb at the bottom:

This post is brought to you in conjunction with Parent Bloggers Network & EA’s Wii-Boogie, a family gaming experience. Shake it. Sing it. Create it.

*please hotlink “Parent Bloggers Network” with blog.parentbloggers.com*

*please hotlink “Wii-Boogie” with www.wii-boogie.com*

2) Make sure to send your post’s URL to parentbloggers@gmail.com along with the post’s title - that’s how we’ll link them on our site.

From all the participants, we’ll choose one person at random who will win a Wii console and a Boogie game. And three other winners will get the Boogie game!

Feel free to spread the word and encourage your readers to join. In the meantime, check out all the participating bloggers’ posts linked below!

A Family That Plays Together…

A Family That Plays Together, Stays Together

All Together For Play Time!

Blue Light Special: Double Post Friday

Bonding With the Family

Books, Walks & the Park

Family Time?? What’s THAT?