January « 2008 « The Parent Bloggers Network

Pingu On Thin Ice: Here’s What They’re Saying So Far

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

I must have been the only person on the planet who had never heard of Pingu, the mischievous and extremely popular Penguin, who stars on his own show on the PBS Sprout Network. But as the 2nd most watched show on the network, Pingu must be doing something right!

If you, like me, aren’t familiar with Pingu, here’s how one mom described him:

Pingu is a collection of claymation shorts featuring a penguin named Pingu who is constantly getting himself into some mischief or “on thin ice”. The penguins speak in a pretend language that had my kids inquiring about what language it was. Actually it is more like giggles, grunts, and sounds that aren’t anywhere as annoying as the Teletubbies. Despite their mostly unintelligible language their message is unmistakable through expressions and gestures.

Sounds adorable, right? So as you might imagine, our parents and their kids, were chomping at the bit to check out Pingu On Thin Ice, the new 60-minute DVD, available now! Here’s what our first set of bloggers had to say about this new DVD.

Overall, the parents commented on the real life situations Pingu found himself in and enjoyed how he worked to get himself off of the “thin ice” as one mom put it:

Pingu faces many situations that your average kid does. He has a little sister that annoys him at times, but at other times he annoys her, too. He tries to hide his stinky fish soup when his mom won’t let him leave the table until he eats it. He is sent to get milk for his little sister and naturally takes the long way home, resulting in him nearly losing the milk in a snow cave. He gets into snowball fights with his friends.

In the bloggers words, here’s how much they enjoyed Pingu!

- “All my kids were giggling up a storm during the entire 59 minutes of the DVD. I even found the cute little penguin quite humorous and entertaining as he got himself in and out of all kinds of trouble.”

- “She. loves. this. DVD. Cordy is now obsessed with Pingu. There are eight short episodes on this DVD, and at the end of the first one, she looked at me and said ‘Again? Play it again mommy?‘”

- “We found Pingu On Thin Ice to be 100% hilarious and actually enjoyable for The Hubster and I to watch with the kiddos but there is potty and toot humor so if you are a little more discriminating or high brown then us simple folks, you may need to have your skip button poised for those scenes. ”

- “The claymation action is fabulous. There is something satisfying about seeing the fluid motion of skating and sliding performed by shiny smooth clay figures (and of course the clay-collisions are funny.)”

Stay tuned for more reviews, and purchase your copy here.

Friday 2/1 - Cheese Party, Taste Like Crazy
Monday 2/4 - Chicken and Cheese, Radioactive Girl
Tuesday 2/5 - Creature Bug
Wednesday 2/6 - Lawyer Mama

Thursday 2/7 - Final Round Up

Don’t forget about the Blog Blast tomorrow. And today’s the last day to sign up for our mailing list and be entered to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card. You’ll receive our blog blast notifications and our newsletter — that’s it!

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

Blog Blast This Friday: Healthy Living — The Perennial Resolution

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

Each year, many families resolve to cook, eat, and live more healthfully. For some, that means cooking at home more often instead of eating take-out. For others, it means going organic and reducing processed foods. These are laudable goals, but how many of us truly live as healthfully as we’d like?

Being parents, we’re pulled in a dozen directions at once - and often that means making a choice between the healthy option and the easy option. Unfortunately, in spite of our resolve and good intentions, the easy option usually wins.

Wouldn’t it be great to find healthy options that are actually easy too?

Kroger’s new website is ready to help you do just that. You don’t have to be located near one of their supermarkets in order to take advantage of the benefits of their site, such as:

Hundreds of recipes, including nutritional information
Guidance on the selection, preparation, and storage of fruit, vegetables, meat and seafood
Food preparation safety guidelines (far too few families do what they should!)

This Friday, February 1, we want to know:

What does your family plan to do differently in 2008 to live more healthfully?

Going organic? Cutting back on fast food? Incorporating more fruit and vegetables into your daily diet (puree? juicing? raw?)? We’ve all got goals - we want to hear about yours!

1) Write a post on your blog discussing this topic with your readers anytime before Midnight PST on Friday, February 1.

2) Make sure to link http://blog.parentbloggers.com in your post.

3) Additionally, please link to Kroger via this link somewhere in your post:

http://www.kroger.com/Pages/default.aspx?cid=pbn200801*

*Please note: This link is different than the one sent in our email blast!

4) Email us the link to your post (parentbloggers@gmail.com) and we’ll be rounding them up all day on our blog.

What can you win? One of FIVE $50 Kroger gift cards! Use it yourself, or if you don’t have a Kroger nearby, you can donate it - either via the Kroger site or to a charity of your choice.

We look forward to hearing about your goals for healthy living!

And if you’d like to be on our mailing list to learn about our upcoming Blog Blasts, make sure to join up. You’ll get these announcements, plus our monthly newsletter.

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Posted in Blog Blasts | 1 Comment »

Barney & Friends: Celebrating Around the World — Final Round Up!

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

Thanks to Barney’s 2oth birthday, our bloggers and their kids have had a renewed relationship with everyone’s favorite purple dinosaur. Taking his friends around the world on a magic train ride, Barney exposes kids to different cultures, all through catchy songs and fun-filled dances.

The first group of bloggers enjoyed this 54-minute extended version DVD, and the second group of bloggers had similar sentiments to share about Barney’s tour around the world. Even I, a certified not-so-lover of Barney didn’t mind it. Of course, my daughter loved it. Isn’t that what matters most?

- My son is 5 1/2. He’s not into Barney anymore. (Well, unless he could pretend Barney was Darth Mol and chop off his leg with light sabers.) But kiddos who are neck-deep into their love affair with Barney will really get a kick out of this newest addition.

- As expected, the DVD also features plenty of music and singing, and most of the actors are children. So The Poo gets to hear other kids from different cultures singing. She picked up the tunes after one or two viewings, and I get a Barney-themed concert each night while she takes her bath.

- I’m sure that one of the reasons why Sydney loves the movie so much is because of the dancing and the singing, and I love that she also gets to learn a little bit about other cultures in the process of that. Sure, the other little dinosaur pals are sort of strange (I find myself wondering who the people are inside the costumes…), and there is one song that I’m not real keen on (about getting nervous), but kids love to watch other kids perform, and that’s what endears Barney to children.

Check out the DVD for yourself, available now for $14.98!

And make sure to check out Susie J’s review of Brainetics, a cool new math program bound to make you and your family smarter. Or at least your kids.

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

Sex Detox Campaign Launch

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

Whether you’re a bona fide sexual god or goddess, or you haven’t had sex since you conceived your last child, sex is something that definitely makes us human, and in many situations, parents.

I mean, isn’t that how many of us got in this situation in the first place?

But for many people and parents, their sex lives are not healthy ones and they continue on in their path of unhealthy intimacy and intercourse.

New York Times bestselling author Ian Kerner, a well-known sex and relationships counselor, offers a revolutionary way to revitalize your sex life with his new book Sex Detox. Learn how to approach your sexual history in a positive way, as well as renew your sense of passion and possibility.

All without having sex! WHOA.

How did our bloggers and their partners fair with Dr. Kerner’s Sex Detox “diet plan?” Check out the reviews of this new book as well as Dr. Kerner himself on the Motherhood Uncensored Podcast 2/20 from 9-9:30pm EST! And get your copy of his new book, available TODAY!

Wed 1/30 - Midwestern Mommy
Thurs 1/31 - Suburban Oblivion
Fri 2/1 - Gunfighter’s View
Monday 2/4 - One Chic Mama
Tuesday 2/5 - Halloween Lover
Wednesday 2/6 - Life With Heathens
Thursday 2/7 - Cheese Party
Friday 2/8 - Ruth Dynamite
Monday 2/11 - SusieJ & Mid Run Round Up
Tuesday 2/12 - ValuewIT
Wednesday 2/13 - Taste Like Crazy
Thursday 2/14 - Motherhood Uncensored
Friday 2/15 - 24/7
Monday 2/18 - Baggage Reviews
Tuesday 2/19 - My Two Cents
Wednesday 2/20 - Final Round Up

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Posted in Books | 1 Comment »

Pingu On Thin Ice Campaign Launch

Friday, January 25th, 2008

Pingu, a mischievous little penguin, has made his way to the DVD world with his new release “On Thin Ice.” Rated the second most popular show on PBS Kids Sprout, Pingu is a loveable character making light of life with his sister in his snowy Antartic world.

Our parent bloggers jumped at the chance to check out Pingu’s new release. A favorite among kids and their parents, we’ll be tracking their thoughts on this new 60-minute DVD, set for release on 1/29/08 ($14.98). Check out his website, and our reviewers’ posts!

Monday 1/28 - Karianna
Tuesday 1/29 - Lipstick to Crayons
Wednesday 1/30 - Mommy’s Must Haves
Thursday 1/31 - Little Bird Reviews/ Mid-Campaign Round-up
Friday 2/1 - Cheese Party, Taste Like Crazy
Monday 2/4 - Chicken and Cheese, Radioactive Girl
Tuesday 2/5 - Creature Bug
Wednesday 2/6 - Lawyer Mama

Thursday 2/7 - Final Round Up

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

Barney & Friends: Celebrating Around the World — Here’s What They’re Saying So Far!

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

For the tough rap that Barney gets, most parents will agree that Barney is friendly and educational, and his shows offer the opportunity for kids to learn a variety of skills. Plus he’s been going strong for 20 years now. He must be doing something right! As one of our parents said “Every child should know Barney and the truth is, kids love him. My toddler is no exception.”

And you have to appreciate that in honor of this new dvd and his 20th anniversary, he’s going on a 20-city tour of Children’s Miracle Hospitals.

Go Barney!

Our bloggers have been viewing his new 20th birthday/anniversary dvd “Barney & Friends: Celebrating Around the World” for the last few weeks. Here’s what they have to say about this new title in the Barney series ($14.98, available next week!).

As the bloggers mentioned, Barney takes his friends on a magic train ride to different countries where they sing songs and learn about new and exciting cultures.

Overall, the parents felt that it was a good introduction to different cultures for the preschool set. “For the age 2-5 preschool crowd, this is a very beginning step to learning about the differences in various cultures, and I have to say I enjoyed it.” Even one child who was determined not to like it was won over. “We popped the DVD in and he was determined not to like it. Interestingly enough, he sat and watched the entire thing with great interest. Occasionally, he yelled out “we are in Africa now!” or wherever they were in an excited voice. ”

The parents commented on the catchy music. “The music was engaging and Cara really enjoyed seeing everyone dressed up. Cara spun in circles and clapped her hands to the music.”

Bloggers mentioned some of their favorite destinations. “Our favorite destination was Japan where the Cherry Blossom Festival is held complete with authentic kimonos and traditional Odori dances.”

Check out the rest of the reviews here:

TODAY!: Midwestern Mommy

1/25: Motherhood Uncensored

1/28: Chicken & Cheese

1/29: Creature Bug

1/30: Barney Final Round-Up Post

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

The Ultimate Tea Diet - Here’s What They’re Saying So Far

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008

Unlike most of the PBN reviewers who read The Ultimate Tea Diet by Mark Ukra, I’ve never been a tea drinker. I’ve tried to be - especially iced tea, that quintessential summertime drink - but I’ve never acquired a taste for tea. I keep a box of mint tea in the pantry for when I’m not feeling well and want a soothing, hot beverage. I think I’ve had the same box for two years.

But after reading this first set of reviews, I actually dug out that box of tea. So it’s plain old Bigelow herbal tea - not what Dr. Tea advocates - but it’s a step in the right direction.

And that’s the gist of the book: “a gradual change in one’s eating and exercising habits.” As this blogger described it: “So often, we quit and change things cold turkey and then have a hard time sticking to them. With a gradual change, you slowly build something into your daily life, so that by the time you’ve totally taken the idea on, it’s old hat. A part of you, so to speak.” In this sense, it’s easy to integrate the tenets of the book into your daily life: “The diet is simple and straightforward. Drink all the tea you can drink each day, and eat a sensible diet. The more tea you consume, the more it will help you…” Or, as another blogger simply and humorously put it: “Essentially, the idea of The Ultimate Tea Diet is to consume tea all day and night. Drink it hot. Drink it cold. Drink green tea. Drink black tea. Drink cheap tea. Drink expensive tea. It matters not. Just drink the hell out of tea.”

But what kind of tea should you drink? If my Bigelow herbal tea isn’t the right stuff, what is? “…ANY tea - green, black and white teas - as long as the tea comes from one plant - the Camellia Sinenis plant. Herbal teas that do not contain leaves from this plant are called tisanes.”

What’s really amazing though is the variety of teas that are available. Dr. Tea has created many himself, including the famed Candy Bar Black Tea. “Other flavors of tea include Peach Pie, Pineapple Coconut, Strawberry Pie, and Black Apple. Apparently, those who crave french fries may be satisfied with Tai Ping Green Tea, and BBQ lovers should try Lapsang Souchong Black Tea.” There really is a kind of tea for everyone. “And if you’re new to the idea of tea? There’s even a quiz as to what type of tea would best suit you.”

The Ultimate Tea Diet also contains dozens of recipes - for actual food - that incorporate tea. How about “Oven-roasted tea tomatoes, anyone? Tea Crab Salad in Endive Leaves?” Somewhat less adventurous, but still effective, is using tea as an ingredient in rubs for meat: “I created rubs for both pork and chicken on a couple different nights and it was darn tasty! I had never even considered using tea to cook with in that way, and I’m glad to have been introduced to a new cooking method.”

What does tea really do for you? One of our bloggers, a scientist by training, was truly impressed: “The health benefits are amazing, and the twelve-page list of citations is convincing. Dr. Tea says he could list many more studies; I believe him.” Specifically, “Caffeine, L-theanine and EGCG are the main components linked to tea’s weight loss properties.” But the latter two are linked to other health benefits as well. EGCG is “a chemical compound that cleanses the blood of additional triglycerides before they’re deposited into the fat tissues…” and L-theanine “naturally relieves stress, anxiety and tension, and activates neurotransmitters in your brain to promote a state of calm relaxation.”

Does it work? Did any of our bloggers lose weight?

One blogger, who was already a devoted tea fan, joked that: “I already have a bunch of tea, and I already have a big butt! Why not let one take care of the other?” But on a more serious note, she enthused: “The plan is complimentary to other weight loss plans, which is nice. I’m starting back to Weight Watchers next week, and by adding tea and tea recipes to my plan the book claims I can enhance my weight loss results.”

Another lifelong tea drinker stated: “By following his direction to drink as much tea as you can with and between meals, you soon find yourself so full you have no desire to snack. Whether this is because of the chemicals in the tea working as an appetite suppressant as he claims, or just because of the sheer volume I have no idea. What I do know is that when I am filling up on tea I’m not grazing or drinking sodas, and that alone made a difference…Even though I didn’t get to really start the tea plan until after Christmas due to the holiday rush, I have been on it a week now and have lost 4lbs.”

In fact, trading soda for tea seemed to be a common theme among the reviewers. Another blogger commented, “I’ve lost two pounds in the last week and that is with only adding a few cups of tea in place of a three of my usual glasses of Wild Cherry Pepsi…” She went on to invite others to join her in her pursuits: “If anyone decides to try The Ultimate Tea Diet please let me know. We can have fun with this together and hold each other accountable.”

Although coffee proves to be a harder habit to break: “If you’re like me…you’ll find the book interesting and compelling. You’ll briefly consider detoxing your body with gallons of tea. You’ll go as far as making a tray of tea ice cubes. And then you’ll brew up an extra dark pot of shade grown, certified organic, fair trade coffee,” that’s why the book is focused on making small changes. One cup at a time.

More reviews of The Ultimate Tea Diet are coming up!

1/23 - Ebony Mommy
1/24 - Modern Mamma Marvels
1/25 - Lawyer Mama
1/28 - Cool Stuff con Queso, The Silent I Speaks
1/29 - Snarky Momma
1/30 - Radioactive Girl
1/31 - Mayberry Mom
2/1 - Get in the Car, Mother Bumper
2/4 - Mummy’s Product Reviews, Taste Like Crazy
2/6 - Round-Up Review on PBN

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Posted in Books | 3 Comments »

Wheels on the Bus: Mango’s Big Dog Parade Final Round-Up

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008

For the last few weeks, our bloggers and their preschoolers have been viewing this new dvd, the third in an award winning series of educational DVDs aimed at children 2-4. Featuring the voice of “The Who” member Robert Daltrey as Argon the Dragon and Bus Driver, the DVD features a mix of real and puppet characters to help children address social skills in a fun way.

Our first set of bloggers enjoyed Wheels on the Bus: Mango’s Big Dog Parade, or really, it was a big hit with the kids. This group of bloggers had similar sentiments to share. Here are some of their thoughts:

“Once it arrived from Parent Bloggers it became regular and frequent viewing fare at our house and I couldn’t get her to watch much else. And really, why should I mind? The songs are catchy, the lessons taught in the DVD are good and appropriate ones for her age (taking turns and getting along) and she loves singing and dancing along with the kids in the video.”

“This DVD was surprisingly entertaining, while also providing a lot of educational value. The Wheels on the Bus series is designed to teach kids basic socialization skills through music and song. In this particular DVD, concepts such as taking turns and getting along with others are covered. More than one pair have trouble sharing toys, requiring a discussion about how to take turns so both can enjoy the toy.”

“I wish I could say that my boys are suddenly behaving like perfect angels, but of course they chose this evening to be particularly contrary. Still, I think that seeing social stories like this will reinforce lessons taught by parents and educators. Tales like [this dvd] provide an “opening” for parents to discuss the various concepts introduced. Otherwise, some of those catch-phrases parents use like “take turns” or “don’t procrastinate” may not have much meaning: but attached to the story, they may.”

“Personally, I was digging the whole “taking turns” theme. We’re working on that in our house right now and BigBrother even turned to me once while we were watching and said, “Mommy’s turn!” Of course, it doesn’t always work (see also this post) but hopefully he’ll learn someday!”

The lucky winner of this DVD is: Four Silly Sisters Drop us an email and we’ll get that right off to you. Didn’t win? You can purchase the DVD on the website ($14.99).

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Posted in Kids, Media, Pre-school | No Comments »

A Shower for Parent Bloggers Network Co-Founder, Julie Marsh

Monday, January 21st, 2008

If you’re feeling generous or just in the need to offer your advice about raising boys, come visit a virtual shower being held in Parent Bloggers Network Co-Founder Julie Marsh’s honor. Only three short weeks after clearing her house of all her baby stuff, she found out she was pregnant.

With a boy!

So we’re helping her bring her third baby and first boy into this world by collecting funds for a gift card, and giving away a couple of fun shower favors, including an iPod shuffle.

So, hop on over and say hello!

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Posted in Administrative | No Comments »

Brainetics — A Program Developed by Mike Byster: Campaign Launch

Monday, January 21st, 2008

We’re pleased to introduce you to Mike Byster. He just looks like an average guy, right? You wouldn’t think that at the age of 4, Mike was able to rattle off every single president’s birth and death date. In order.

This man with an amazing memory and a mission to share his ability with others, particularly children, has been featured on 20/20, as well as numerous other shows. Mike has a fantastically quick mind that solves math equations and memorizes complicated sequences (just to name a couple) in a matter of seconds.

After 10 years of touring classrooms across the country, Mike has created Brainetics so that parents and teachers can get them right in their classroom or living room in an instant. As part of the program, parents and teachers get a five-dvd set, a playbook, parent guide, flashcards, playing cards, and an extra 2-dvds.

If you’re looking to recharge your brain, tweak your math skills, impress your friends at parties, or enhance your child’s overall ability (and their brain power), Brainetics might just be the program for you and your family. Aimed specifically at children in 4th - 7th grade, the Brainetics program can be used with the whole family.

Out with boring math lesssons and in with Brainetics, a breakthrough mind and memory program that will get your brains ticking faster than you ever thought possible.

Check out what our bloggers have to say over the course of the next few months as they’ll be testing out Brainetics with their own families. And make sure to check out the Brainetics website for more information about the product, testimonials, sample games, and a video of Mike in action!

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Posted in Elementary School, Kids, Media, Pre-teen | 4 Comments »

The Parent Bloggers Network

Archive for January, 2008

Pingu On Thin Ice: Here’s What They’re Saying So Far

Blog Blast This Friday: Healthy Living — The Perennial Resolution

Barney & Friends: Celebrating Around the World — Final Round Up!

Sex Detox Campaign Launch

Pingu On Thin Ice Campaign Launch

Barney & Friends: Celebrating Around the World — Here’s What They’re Saying So Far!

The Ultimate Tea Diet - Here’s What They’re Saying So Far

Wheels on the Bus: Mango’s Big Dog Parade Final Round-Up

A Shower for Parent Bloggers Network Co-Founder, Julie Marsh

Brainetics — A Program Developed by Mike Byster: Campaign Launch

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