May « 2008 « The Parent Bloggers Network

My Fruit Roll-Ups - Campaign Launch (Plus winners! And babies!)

Friday, May 30th, 2008

Did your mother pack your lunch in a Strawberry Shortcake or Incredible Hulk lunch box back in the 1980s? If so, I’m betting that she tucked a Fruit Roll-Up in there along with your napkin. And while you probably threw the napkin in the trash (unused, of course), I’m sure you ate that Fruit Roll-Up.

Twenty-five years later, and Fruit Roll-Ups are still at the pinnacle of popularity among lunchtime treats. And now you can make them your own, thanks to the My Fruit Roll-Ups design site. You customize your own case of thirty strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups with pictures (hundreds to choose from!) and messages. Such a cool idea for special occasions, and lots of fun for the kids to participate in the design process.

Thirty-two of our bloggers got to create their very own My Fruit Roll-Ups, and they’ll report back on the design process in reviews over the next two weeks. Plus, a bonus reason to check out their reviews - each of them will give away a case of My Fruit Roll-Ups to a lucky reader! That’s right - if you visit each one, you’ve got thirty-two chances to win.

Those are some pretty decent odds, right? Go for it!

Mon 6/2 - Dana Reviews, Ebony Mommy, My Five Little Monkeys, Radioactive Girl
Tues 6/3 - Island Review, Lather Rinse Repeat, Missives from Suburbia
Wed 6/4 - Mama Maven, Metropolitan Mama, slackermama
Thurs 6/5 - Baggage Reviews, Midwestern Mommy, Sarah’s Dandelions
Fri 6/6 - Formula Fed and Flexible Parenting, Lawyer Mama, Mom to the Screaming Masses
Mon 6/9 - Mayberry Mom, Mommy’s Must Haves, One Chic Mama, SusieJ
Tues 6/10 - Karianna, Mom Reviews, Mrs Dub Reviews
Wed 6/11 - Jennster, Musings of a Housewife, Taste Like Crazy
Thurs 6/12 - Laura Williams’ Musings, Mummy’s Product Reviews, Seabird Chronicles
Fri 6/13 - Bananas and Toddlers, My Family Loves It, The Spohrs are Multiplying

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Thanks to everyone who participated in last Friday’s Blog Blast, sponsored by Huggies Little Swimmers. Our lucky winner is Stephanie from Creature Bug, with her post An Afternoon at Venice Beach. Congratulations, Stephanie!

Thanks also to all of our PBN bloggers who have participated in recent Blog Blasts. As an extra incentive, we offered up a BlogHer ‘08 conference registration as a prize to be randomly awarded, and our lucky winner is Marilyn from slackermama.com (whose tagline has to be one of our all-time favorites - go see!). Congratulations, Marilyn!

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Finally, congratulations to three of our PBN bloggers who recently augmented their status as parent bloggers by bringing some darling new babies into the world! Binky from 24/7 gave birth to a baby boy, and Catherine from Her Bad Mother gave birth to a baby boy as well (Want to read a harrowing birth story?). And just a few days ago, Fidget from Little Bird Reviews and Finding Yourself Despite Yourself gave birth to #4, a sweet boy named Boden. CONGRATS!

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Posted in Administrative, Blog Blasts, Food, Giveaways | 2 Comments »

Maiden America Non-Slip Hair Clips - Here’s What They’re Saying So Far

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

I don’t know a single mother who doesn’t bristle even the slightest bit when someone beams at her daughter and comments, “What a handsome young man!” Even mothers who’d sooner put lipstick on a toddler than dress their daughters in pink ruffles find ways to identify their little girls as…well, little girls. We also struggle with the merchandising of trends to our little ones that are age-inappropriate at best. Whatever happened to girlhood?

Maiden America seeks to hold on tight to girlhood - both figuratively and literally. These beautiful, handmade non-slip hair clips were admired by our bloggers without exception - all of whom have daughters with hair that doesn’t hold most barrettes. As one mother described it: “She rarely will leave a bow in her hair and rarely will a bow stay in her hair. Most days I admit defeat before even trying and don’t even bother. She pulls them out, gnaws them until they no longer look like a hair bow, and then makes me search her mouth for pieces of said bow. It’s not pretty.”

And it’s not just girls with wispy hair who struggle with keeping barrettes in place. Witness this little princess’s tale:

“Once upon a time, there was a little princess who had the most beautiful hair. Everywhere she went, the townspeople commented on her blond, curly hair. “What beautiful hair you have, little girl,” they would say. The princess, while sometimes a shy one, learned to say “Thank You” because that was the kind of good behavior that was expected of princesses. Surliness is definitely not princess behavior.

The little princess and her mother fretted about, trying to find ways to keep the curly hair in place. Then one day, there was a knock at the door. “Who could it be?” wondered the princess’s mother.

“Maybe,” said the princess, “it’s ice cream!”

In fact, it wasn’t ice cream.

It was, however, a gift from another maiden of the village. Maiden America had sent the little princess beautiful barrettes that wouldn’t slip, and wouldn’t slide. They would stay put, no matter how fine her hair was, and how fuzzy curly it might be.”

Both mothers and daughters thought these clips were beautiful. One mother described her daughter’s reaction upon opening the package from Maiden America:

“Mommy, how sweet!”

“You’re the best mommy in the whole wide world.”

“These hair clips are wonderful!”

“Daddy will be so impressed when he sees these!”

And her mother felt the same way. She enthused: “All three barrettes were beautifully produced with amazing artistic details such as the hand-crafted clay daisies and the perfect, little ladybugs.”

Even a blogger who described herself as “a recovering tomboy” commented that, “with a little searching I found a few different styles that were pretty without being too cutesy or over the top for every day use.” Another mother, who usually dresses herself and her daughter quite simply, agreed: “…normally these aren’t something we’d choose because of all the flowers and jewels but [my daughter's] been in a serious princess phase for the past several months…her first self expressions while different from my own are hers just the same.”

The bloggers also had high praise for the selection of clips and the ordering process:

The million-dollar question though, is: “Do they work?” Ask this mother:

“I was skeptical about the claim that these clips never slip, but dude. They don’t.

[My daughter] wore hers to school AND the playground, then she wore them to the mall and outside to play in the yard.

Those suckers didn’t budge.”

Another mother, whose daughter barely had enough hair for clips, concurred: “I literally put these barrettes in first thing in the morning when I’m getting her dressed, and they stay put all day long.” A third agreed: “They are a great combination of beauty and function and a great solution for thin, fine hair that refuses to be tamed by regular hair-dinis,” - “hair-dinis” being her family’s term for mysteriously disappearing hair accessories.

Even though one little girl’s fine hair did slip free from the clips after much rough play, her mother commented, “The nice thing is that my daughter is so fond of them that she notices when the barrette is slipping and immediately asks me to fix it because she’s afraid of losing it.”

But Maiden America is about more than just pretty barrettes that stay put. “Like their name suggests, all products are made in America using high quality materials and excellent craftsmanship,” commented one mother. Another blogger added: “Known for their non-slip barrettes (patent-pending), their non-toxic glue and other safe/good business practices, Maiden America is a mom-owned and operated company that not only cares about its customers but also the quality of their product.” A third quipped: “Maiden America barrettes really are made in America with non-toxic glues by moms who understand that you don’t want to spend your day in the ER x-raying pearls in your baby’s belly.”

Given the materials and craftsmanship involved, it’s to be expected that these clips aren’t cheap: “The prices were just a bit higher than I’d normally pay for hair accessories (around $8 for one bow).” But in the long run, they’ll cost you less than pack after pack of lesser hair accessories. As one mother noted: “I imagine by now I’ve spent the equivalent of one year’s worth of private-school tuition on glittery hair pretties.” And another mom cited the ideals of Maiden America as additional justification for the price: “Yet another reason I don’t mind spending a few extra bucks beyond what I’d normally spend for hair clips. I’m not only getting a high-quality, handcrafted product but I’m also helping to support work-from-home moms. That’s something I can always get behind.”

This mother summed up the essence of Maiden America perfectly: “It’s also nice to support a company who is pro-parent/pro-childhood. The company’s name came about when Tristan Benz explained to her daughter that, Maidens are everyday princesses with the freedom to learn, work, earn and do SO much more. How fortunate we are to be maidens! How sorry we feel for the princesses!”

So it’s not surprising that a few bloggers suggested that Maiden America non-slip hair clips “would make lovely gifts for girls in a wedding or for you upscale mamas who dress your kids to the nines.” In particular, “Maiden America has a Pony Pair™ of The Month Club that not only is convenient, but would make a wonderful gift for that special little girl.”

In short, “Maiden America offers a gazillion beautiful designs (for every kind girl), they live up to their no-slip guarantee which pretty much rules and they are a mom run business and the clips are made by moms. What’s not to love?”

Many more Maiden America non-slip hair clip reviews coming up - check them out!

TODAY! - The Chunky Purse
Thurs 5/29 - Bananas and Toddlers
Fri 5/30 - Lather Rinse Repeat and Marketing Mommy
Mon 6/2 - Mama Drama Stephanie and Mom to the Screaming Masses
Tues 6/3 - mothergoosemouse
Thurs 6/5 - Round-Up Review on PBN

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Posted in Baby, Bath & Beauty, Elementary School, Kids, Pre-school, Toddler | 1 Comment »

Discovery Channel Store: Bamboo Collection Games - Family Fun, Naturally

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

Browse the game aisle at any big-box toy store, and you’ll find plenty of options, even for the youngest players. But most of those games are based on licensed characters, include plastic or flimsy cardboard parts, and they bore grown-ups to tears.

The Bamboo Collection games from the Discovery Channel Store - Rapido and Rapelli - are a refreshing change of pace in all three regards. Made from bamboo, without a character to be found, these games are truly fun for the whole family.

First up, Rapido. This blogger gave a great description of how the game works: “The game itself is pretty simple. Everyone picks a colored cylinder and takes a tile with the colored dots on it. You put the rope on the floor or table in a circle (I recommend the floor); place all of the colored marbles inside the big wooden cylinder; lift the cylinder so the marbles go everywhere; and then see who can fill their cylinder with the marbles the fastest. The only trick is that you have to pick them up in the order they are on the tiles with the colored dots.” Another mother added: “It can easily be modified for younger players, by removing the time constraint element, or the element of competition, and there are enough marbles for everyone playing to each finish their patterns without squabbling over a particular color marble.”

Rapido is geared toward kids age four and older, but in practice the range differs. One mother lamented: “My youngest daughter looooves a good race so a game where you have to race to win is alright by her. Except when she can’t win…I think it was because each time she picked up a marble she would end up losing it out the top because she was tipping the tube and they were rolling out.” But since she herself was so pleased with the game, she added, “I’ll definitely be giving this game another chance in like a year when my daughter is closer to 6.”

On the other hand, this mother played the game with her not-yet-four year old son - with great educational results: “I admit that I wanted to review this game for the educational potential. [My son] has struggled with his colors. His pre-school teacher has noticed it and we’ve noticed it for quite some time…This game has helped. I have him tell me the color names as he picks up the marbles. Granted, it makes it much slower and less of a game, but it works. He’s definitely shown improvement in his color recognition and his teacher agrees.”

One blogger noted that “the enclosed rope is too stiff, making it difficult to really keep the marbles in the enclosed area. Since the marbles are so light, they tend to hop over or roll over the rope.” Other than that, the bloggers had no complaints about the construction or function of the game.

In fact, one mother reported that her kids “spent at least 40 minutes exploring the mechanics of the game, fascinated by how all the parts work, without the use of batteries, springs and plastic.” She went on to comment: “The game is beautiful for not only its natural materials, but also with its elegant simplicity…It’s the kind of gift I’m proud to give to another family as a birthday present.”

As big a hit as Rapido was, Rapelli might have been even more well-received. This blogger summarized the game perfectly: “The rules of the game are very simple: each person picks a color and puts their corresponding caterpillars into the tube. You then take turns rolling the dice which will give you a color and a direction to move with the number of moves. This directs you to move that colored caterpillar either in or out of the tube the number of segments show on the die. The winner is that last caterpillar in the tube.” Another blogger added: “If having players choose colors and sharing colors becomes confusing for some children, you can instead play with the goal of collecting the most caterpillars regardless of color.”

Not only was Rapelli fun for parents and older kids, the little ones enjoyed it too. One mother reported: “What we didn’t expect from Rapelli is how much my toddler son would love it! Too young to play with the dice, we put those away and let him have fun putting the caterpillars in the tree and taking them out (works his pincer grasp).” Another blogger agreed that the appeal of the caterpillars: “The caterpillars have elastic holding the segments together so they will wiggle when you shake them and look really cute. Even before playing the game the kids had fun playing with all the pieces…the only complaint we have is that the game will sometimes devolve into a caterpillar puppet show because the pieces are so cute and wiggly.”

The bloggers also lauded the use of bamboo in both games, as opposed to plastic or wood: “What I love about Rapelli most is the fact that it’s made from bamboo, a sustainably harvested material.” This blogger added, “Bamboo grows and matures quickly, making it easy to harvest and then plant another crop, unlike slow-growing trees.”

Check out Rapido and Rapelli at the Discovery Channel Store!

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Tags: bamboo, Discovery Channel Store, Games, Rapelli, Rapido
Posted in Elementary School, Games, Green/Organic, Kids, Pre-school | No Comments »

Were You Raised by Wolves? - Final Campaign Round-Up

Monday, May 26th, 2008

Is your bed still unmade after reading the first set of reviews about Were You Raised by Wolves? : Clues to the Mysteries of Adulthood?

Please read on, as our second set of bloggers were also enthusiastic about Mellor’s baking soda miracles, financial tips, and witty diagrams.

Rather than a dry how-to, Were You Raised by Wolves? turned out to be great bedtime reading for one blogger: “Every night, I waited for my kids to…you know…to FINALLY go to bed, poured myself a glass of wine, curled up in my favorite chair (the one the dog hasn’t made stinky, yet) and found myself getting lost in chapters like, ‘Getting Acquainted with Your Kitchen,’ and ‘How to Throw a Real Grown-up Cocktail Party.’ … in all seriousness, I loved this book.”

One reviewer remarked that “I’m not really the target demographic for this book — it’s really intended for the college and early 20-something set. So, as I sit here teetering on the edge of the number whose name I will not speak, I didn’t really need a lot of the advice.” Although she admits she would have liked to have owned it earlier: “So many pitfalls of entering the adult working world could have been avoided in my life if I had had this guide! I had no idea I could get those nasty water rings off the wooden TV trays with mayonnaise! I also didn’t know that while you CAN freeze vodka for that tasty martini, freezing gin is a bad idea!”

Another reviewer knew that Were You Raised by Wolves? was the right book for her: “As a clueless 20-something who felt completely out of her element, I would have welcomed this book with open arms. Even 13 years later, (and with far more life experience) I STILL welcomed this book with open arms.”

Our reviewers enjoyed the feel of the book. One explained “Overall, I liked the chatty, friendly tone of the book. The writer’s style is breezy and humorous. She infuses energy and wit into what could be a very stuffy and staid subject. I just want to invite her to a dinner party at my house, make her ‘the perfect martini” (yes she covers both areas in Raised by Wolves) and tell her that I now make the bed each day because of Chapter One.”

And another admitted, “Advice that comes via parental lips isn’t as revered as that which comes from your best friend, so I may not have listened to all of the wisdom my mom tried to impart. Thankfully, Mellor can be simultaneously a best friend and a mentor.”

One reviewer says it straight-up: “This girl is funny. And a wonderfully delightful writer. She says what we’re all thinking when the hordes of interns enter our worlds around this time each year…oh people, get a clue! And stop acting like you own the joint. And it’s not good to smell like joints. And the way you’re bodyslamming yourself to be cool is hurting my joints. So just stop. And read this book.”

As for the usefulness of the actual advice, our bloggers have wisely kept most of the tips to themselves so that new readers will pick up the book for themselves. They simply list several of the topics: “Useful kitchen tips include how to make coffee that is drinkable, how to hard-boil eggs, make basic soup and salad dressing, even how to make homemade mayonnaise.” and “Mellor gives advice on basic living practices, such as the importance of keeping your apartment clean, how to clean your bathroom, why it is important to make your bed, and the myriad uses of baking soda.”

While the drawings were fabulous, I had a hard time following along at times. I wasn’t alone. One reviewer explains, “Her illustrations were quite cute and surprisingly informative, like how to build a ‘bad boy bar’ and how to set a table, though no amount of detail in a drawing could teach me to tie a bowtie. Then again humans have not been able to teach me this skill either. Perhaps this is why I was not born a man and have not succeeded as a professional clown.”

As the book covers a variety of subjects, is the expertise spread too thin? Some bloggers remarked that some of the advice seemed to be researched-only and not actually from Mellor’s trusted experience. “I was less taken with advice that appeared to be based on stuff like stain removal that she read on the internet but had not actually tested herself. If there’s one skill a college graduate has, it’s how to Google.” reports one reviewer. As with many things, if the person giving the advice has actually found success with his or her method, I’ll be more likely to listen.” remarks another.

So knowing that Mellor is not a chef, would you trust her recipes, for example? One blogger reports “Although I realize I could open a cookbook and find recipes about anything I desire, there is something ‘easier’ about happening-upon a recipe in the midst of a humorous book.” While another wonders, “with books like these, I always wonder what to do with it next. I mean, when it comes time to poach that chicken, will I really remember to come back to the appropriate chapter, or will I head to an online cooking site? I just feel like all these new-age encyclopedias are too random to be a constant reference. But what do I know? I didn’t even know how to make gravy until I read this book.”

Mellor may not be a financial planner by profession, but one reviewer gives her finance section an enthusiastic thumbs-up: “One of the most important chapters is the one about finance. Look, in today’s economy, things are tough for families… we already know that, but we shouldn’t assume that things are free and easy for young adults, especially as they often start amassing horrendous debt early in life. Mellor’s advice on money is sound. So, pay attention.”

Like the first set of reviewers, the second set mentioned how perfect is for a graduation gift: “I would have definitely appreciated this book as a graduation gift. It would have given me a heads up on things to come and would have saved me a lot of headaches!” admits one blogger. “I gave the book to a graduating cousin of mine” says another, and “I plan on giving my copy to a certain college graduate. (I won’t say who!) And I also plan to make Mellor’s previous book, The Three-Martini Playdate my next read.” One blogger says simply “Were You Raised by Wolves?: Clues to the Mysteries of Adulthood is a book that every young adult she have.”

One former residence hall director wishes this book had been around in her day: “If only Christie Mellor had written Were You Raised by Wolves?: Clues to the Mysteries of Adulthood a decade earlier, I might have bought hundreds of copies to bestow on my charges. We had fires in the oven from ill-attempted cooking, were always totally grossed out when we went through rooms during breaks at the funk growing there, and cringed at the pathetic mating rituals of drunk young people. Mellor pretty much hits the high points on cooking, cleaning and behaving in the presence of alcohol.”

Alas, several bloggers mentioned how aside from a graduation gift, it might be tough to get the book into the hands of the people who would most benefit from it. One sums it up as follows: “All the unkempt jerks who should be reading it won’t read it because they are convinced that they’re perfect. Or, even if they realize they aren’t perfect, they’re perfectly happy to remain ignorant of the life lessons that have been condensed into one extremely useful yet screamingly funny book.”

Still skeptical about the bed-thing? Well, one of our reviewers was too: “For YEARS I’ve been asking the obvious question, ‘Why make a bed when you’re just gonna sleep in it in a few hours?’ This book finally answered that question.”

And the answer?

Pick up Were You Raised by Wolves? : Clues to the Mysteries of Adulthood to find out!

(But here’s a clue: “If people are so put off by what they see on the surface - including your unmade bed - they are not going to bother to find out what a wonderful person you are on the inside.“)

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Tags: adulthood, graduation gift
Posted in Books, Household | No Comments »

The Tao of Fertility - Final Campaign Wrap Up

Sunday, May 25th, 2008

Infertility. Unfortunately, it’s a term far too many couples become intimately acquainted with on their quest to become parents. While Western medicine holds many options for today’s couples, esteemed infertility expert Dr. Daoshing Ni believes traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can help.

The Tao of Fertility, written by Dr. Ni and former patient Dana Herko, provides a practical plan for conception by combining TCM and Taoist principles to carry a woman through pregnancy, childbirth and beyond.

The seven bloggers who reviewed this book are at varying stages of life. Some intend to grow their families, while others consider their families complete. A few of our bloggers experienced infertility themselves, while others had an easy time conceiving. But all of our readers found this book compelling and “worth reading if you are at all affected by infertility.”

The Tao of Fertility assumes no prior knowledge of TCM, writes one blogger. But Ni and Herko lay out fertility advice in a “straightforward, clear, and logical way.” Another blogger also pointed this out, adding that the authors “were kind enough not to fill the book with jargon that would leave my eyes bleeding and my head hurting. They wrote in plain speech, and didn’t appear to try to dazzle the reader with flashy prose. On the contrary, this book is written so that a person with no knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine could understand it, and glean very helpful… and healthful information.”

The book “includes a questionnaire to find your ‘fertility map,’ a 28-day fertility program featuring a healthy diet (with recipes!) and self-acupressure, a discussion of how acupuncture works and a special section on specific infertility problems.” One reviewer noted, “In less than 300 pages, it covers material, much that I’ve seen in other sources, but in a more direct, concise way. Its suggestions are helpful not just for those wanting to conceive but for anyone, male or female, who is interested in a healthier lifestyle.”

Dr. Ni believes a woman’s body, mind, and soul must be prepared for not only conception but pregnancy and beyond. He, reveals one reviewer, “encourages readers to make serious changes in their lives, from diet and nutrition, to herbs, acupuncture and exercise, and even examining your readiness toward having a child.”

The good doctor, who is a descendant of more than 70 generations of Taoist masters, doesn’t downplay Western medicine’s strengths in the infertility arena. One mother/reviewer thought this might be the case. At first, she was skeptical: “I didn’t feel like a diet change or some imagery exercises would be able to unblock my fallopian tubes or locate my missing ovary. But I got the impression from reading the book that Ni isn’t trying to say that. He admits that some fertility challenges require surgery. That IVF might be necessary. But he also offers some things you can do to help yourself.”

As women age, fertility drops. But just because you’re several years past the big 3-0, doesn’t mean your fertility window has closed. Dao has much to say on this topic. One mother who blogs remarks that “although I don’t share the same problems as the women in the book, I do share one important commonality: age. It’s harder to conceive after 35. It seemed all of Dr. Dao’s patients were in their 30s and 40s. He has good news about this — well, it seemed like good news to me — that good health has a positive effect on your eggs. Even a twentysomething can damage her fertility with an unhealthy lifestyle.”

Throughout The Tao of Fertility a few of the good doctor’s former patients share their gut-wrenching experiences with infertility as well as their experiences with the “east meets west” medical approach. It becomes quite apparent that Dr. Ni is more than just a doctor. He’s an advocate too. “The most interesting thing that the book hit home, for me, is the importance of having someone knowledgeable on your side. You can feel, from the women’s stories in the book, how much they’ve come to rely on Dr. Dao. It’s like what I hear from my wife and her colleagues when they talk about how and why they do what they do as family doctors-about how they transform their role of “doctor” into one of coach, friend, ally, guide, interpreter, all in one,” observes one father/reviewer “… After reading this book, my wife doesn’t just want to follow a written plan and use its shopping list to buy ingredients for tea-she wants to find someone like Dr. Dao who can guide us through this.”

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Posted in Baby, Books | No Comments »

Blog Blast - Be the first one in the pool with Huggies Little Swimmers!

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

It’s Memorial Day weekend, better known as summer kick-off and the day the pool finally opens. Summer is always a magical time of year for kids - a seemingly endless stretch of long hot days just made for playing.

For this week’s Blog Blast, we’ve teamed up with Huggies® Little Swimmers® disposable swim pants, and we want you to reminisce about your family summer adventures - especially those in the water! Let’s hear about your trips to the swimming pool or the shore. What summer water activities were the most memorable and fun for you?

Here’s how to participate:

Write a post about your family summer adventures. Post anytime this weekend - Friday, May 23 through Monday, May 26. Make sure to link http://www.littleswimmers.com/na and http://blog.parentbloggers.com somewhere in your post. Then email us the link to your post at parentbloggers@gmail.com.

We’ll be linking them up on our blog all weekend long, so be creative with your title!

What can you win?

A “Summer Fun Essentials Package” - a beach bag filled with summertime must-haves such as beach towels, pool toys, a sand castle building kit, and a cooler. Plus, products from the Huggies® Little Swimmers® line, of course!

Check out all the family summer adventure posts below!

An Afternoon at Venice Beach

A Smell of a Memory

Beach or Bust

Celery Seeds and Salt Water Pools

First Dip of the Summer

Fun, Fun Fun, All Summer Long Until Daddy Takes the Beach Toys Away

Gone Baby Gone

Iceberg Summer

I’d Rather Be By the Lake

I’m Coming Home to Get Some Needed R&R

Is That a Baby Ruth?

Lake Effect

Looking Back

Memorial Day Weekend - Better Known as the Day the Pool Opens

Mustangs, Beavers, and Hypnotic Eyes

No Beach? You Live on an Island!

Our First Year Ends with One Great Vacation

Picnicing on Sandy Towels

Red Right Returning

Resist the Beach Photo Conspiracy

Splashing Memories

Strawberry Shortcake - The Nudist

Summer Memories of the Water

Summertime Memories

Summertime: Swimming and Watching My Soaps

Vacation: Day 1

We’re Beach Bound!!

Kinzin: Making Families Happy Everywhere

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

With Father’s Day rapidly approaching, perhaps what Grandpa (or hey, Dad too!) is a little more access to those grandkids that are far away. I’m betting he might not bug the heck out of your for pics like my father-in-law does, but even so, Kinzin is opening up connections between families with their free and safe photo and information sharing website.

As families become more wary of posting pictures on the internet, services are popping up with amazing options that make it safe and easy. Our first group of bloggers had much praise for Kinzin, and this group of bloggers had similar comments.

In a nutshell here’s how Kinzin works, according to one blogger:

Kinzin is a social media site, but with a lot more control. You can create a page for your kids, or each of them, share updates and photos with your family. Or, if you have relatives who like to have a nice photo to put in a frame, Kinzin can do that for you too. You can also share your photos on a more public site like Facebook and Kinzin is free.

The bloggers found the web component easy to use. “Now I’ve never been shy about putting my kids’ mugs online, but as they get older it’s something I think about more and more. Kinzin makes it easy (both for you and the people you invite to share with) to keep things private. Plus the site is fun. If you already have your photos in a flickr account you can link the two services up to avoid additional uploading.” Added another mom, “The Kinzin interface for uploading, changing, naming and describing photos is so easy even the least ‘net savvy among us could do it with a quick click of the mouse. Bonus!”

Additionally, they appreciated that you could share info (not just pics) about the kiddos to only folks on your list. “Not only is it easy (and free!) to sign up, you can create a page for each child, listing stats about what they are up to. It’s a win-win. You can share fun information with friends and family and record details for you to look back on later as well.”

And if you’re a Facebook user, they even have an interface for that. “As as added bonus, if you use facebook you can make your kinzin page available to people already in your friend pool as well as us non-facebook users as well. I’m sure there is a better way to express that, but since I don’t do the facebook thing I don’t know the lingo. Sorry! If you are a facebook user definitely check it out.”

Of course, the most mentioned component of Kinzin is their photo printing and mailing service (which involves a small $2.99/month per address fee). Here’s what the bloggers had to say:

- With my mom in Georgia, my grandmother in Maryland and my in-laws just around the corner but hardly heard from, Kinzin has created a special connection after just one month. I could hear the happiness in their voices. So what if I didn’t get around to making this many photos in all of the first two years? I’ll make up for it now.

- My dad received the first batch of photos late last week. He said they look great and he and my mom are both laughing over the photo of Holden with the crayon up his nose. (See above.) I haven’t gotten my photos yet, so I’ll let you know what I think about the photo quality as soon as mine arrive.

- But the thing that sells it best for me is the mail service. While membership to the site is free, for just $2.99 per month you can have the ten most recently uploaded photos shipped to three separate addresses. Every month! As in real, true photos in my Grammy’s mailbox every month.

One mom summed it up well:

For the price of a combo meal at a fast food place, you can send out ten photos a month to three different addresses and show your friends and family just what your cute lil’ punkins are up to. I guarantee they will be thrilled and so will you!

For more information on Kinzin Photo Sharing, check out their website!.

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Posted in Internet Services | No Comments »

Huggies Little Swimmers Blog Blast: Be the First One at the Pool This Friday (and All Weekend Long!)

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

Before you head off for Memorial Day weekend (and leave your computer behind!), make sure to check out our super Blog Blast! We’ve teamed up with Huggies® Little Swimmers® disposable swim pants, and we want you to reminisce about your family summer adventures - especially those in the water! Let’s hear about your trips to the swimming pool or the shore. What summer water activities were the most memorable and fun for you?

Here’s how to participate:

Write a post about your family summer adventures. Post anytime this weekend - Friday, May 23 through Monday, May 26. Make sure to link http://www.littleswimmers.com/na and http://blog.parentbloggers.com somewhere in your post. Then email us the link to your post at parentbloggers@gmail.com.

We’ll be linking them up on our blog all weekend long, so be creative with your title!

What can you win?
A “Summer Fun Essentials Package” - a beach bag filled with summertime must-haves such as beach towels, pool toys, a sand castle building kit, and a cooler. Plus, products from the Huggies® Little Swimmers® line, of course!

We look forward to your pictures and posts!

——————————

Thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s Blog Blast - Does Grandma Need a Gift Consultant? Here’s hoping that well-intentioned grandparents will start referring to the Grandkids Gift Guide when birthdays and holidays roll around.

Congratulations to our Grandkids Gift Guide Blog Blast winner - Slouching Mom!

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Posted in Blog Blasts | 2 Comments »

Discovery Channel Store: Critter Habitat Toys - Here’s What They’re Saying So Far

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

Not surprisingly, based on the feedback thus far, the Bug Net Launcher and Venus Fly Trap from the Discovery Channel Store have been phenomenal hits with our bloggers’ kids.

In part, these toys are cool simply because they’re from the Discovery Channel Store: “I adore the Discovery Store folks. I mean, they have the coolest stuff for kids, so whenever Parent Bloggers Network sends out one of their emails with something new to try out, I jump at the chance. Who doesn’t love a good toy that also helps you learn?”

But they’re also big winners for appealing to some of kids’ (and - let’s admit it - adults’) baser natures. As one mother put it: “One might think that having two little girls bugs might not be a popular topic at my house. How wrong you would be, my girls dig bugs. Most everything else makes them whine or shriek, but not bugs, worms or caterpillars.” Another added: “We are unreasonably excited about seeing what else we’ll catch when there are more flying bugs about. Bigger, meatier ones.”

The Bug Net Launcher is a “galactic-looking device [that] resembles a tricked-out water pistol, except instead of shooting streams of water at a target, it launches four blunt-tipped safety darts attached to a large (18″ x 18″) square net into the air.” This same blogger went on to describe it as a “reincarnation of the good old-fashioned butterfly net.”

One family is practicing on easy targets for now: “We are unfortunately being overrun by tent caterpillars this year - they move very slooooooowwwwwwwly and make good targets” but another mother noted: “The launcher shoots the darts/net so fast, the critter won’t have time to react.” A third agreed, commenting: “If I were a Monarch butterfly or a Daddy Long Legs and I saw this dart-net bomb heading my way, I might just die of a heart attack right there on the spot. [Note to insects everywhere: An encounter with a Bug Net Launcher may well be the equivalent of donating your body to science.]”

This blogger cautioned: “If you’re hosting a playdate of more than one child, beware. Three boys + one bug launcher = drama. (Hey, quit hogging the gun! Its MY turn!)” and both she and another mother advised that “the key part here is just keeping the aforementioned boys from shooting siblings or animals.” But hey, “let’s admit it, how cool is it to shoot some big old bugs?”

The Venus Fly Trap doesn’t incite the same level of rambunctiousness as the Bug Net Launcher, but it still piqued the interest of the kids and the adults. As one blogger explained: “I always thought it would be very cool to have a carnivorous plant…It’s a plant, it’s entertainment, it keeps down the insect population in your home. Triple winnah. But apparently, the Venus fly trap requires more care than your average houseplant.” She went on to add, “That’s why the pretend Venus Fly Trap from Discovery Channel Store is a good idea. It looks and acts like the real thing, but it’s battery-operated and made of durable plastic.” Another mother agreed: “The Venus Fly Trap comes already assembled (thank you, Discovery Store) and all you have to do is feed it a couple of batteries and then bait the trap.”

What did the kids catch in the Venus Fly Trap?

“It caught a bug…it caught a bug and…EWWWW…it was a big ugg-wee one, too!”

I carefully lifted the trap and, with one eye closed, peered into the chamber and saw that…nope…there was no bug.

“Where did it go?”

[shrugs]

“I didn’t wook-wike it could buh-weave, so I wet it go.”

Apparently it’s not easy to catch the Venus Fly Trap in the act: “Despite careful observation, it didn’t perform on command for us, which was a bummer.” Even so, “it was still a thrill to return to our pet and see its leaves snapped shut and something flitting about its chamber.”

Perhaps most impressive of all was the poem inspired by the Venus Fly Trap:

“Oh, thing of nature, natural now no more!
The Carolinian bog you disavow;
the tannic waters gone, the smell of salt
now only beads of sweat upon my brow
as I struggle to release you
from this g*d-damned
clamshell packaging.

Oh travesty! Oh horticulture’s sin!
Your synthetic sprayed-red claws cannot aspire
to real-life crimson lobes like velvet lips,
twin labium carnivorous with desire
for bug flesh

and perhaps
that’s a good thing;
there’s only so much Georgia O’Keefe
I can explain in one afternoon.”

(Read the rest here.)

Wow. I never expected a review campaign to inspire poetry!

Check back for the rest of the reviews, as well as the final Round-Up Review!

Today! - Chaos Theory
Thurs 5/22 - The Not Quite Crunchy Parent
Fri 5/23 - Laura Williams’ Musings
Mon 5/26 - Sarah’s Dandelions
Tues 5/27 - Lather Rinse Repeat
Wed 5/28 - Karianna
Thurs 5/29 - Lipstick to Crayons
Mon 6/2 - Round-Up Review on PBN

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Posted in Elementary School, Kids, Outdoor, Toys | No Comments »

Mama Rock’s Rules - Final Round-up

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

The results are in… Mama Rock’s Rules: Ten Lessons for Raising a Houseful of Successful Children was a resounding hit amongst our parent bloggers! Overall, reviewers deemed it a refreshing read.