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Tuesday Tales – Ten on the Sled

Posted on November 9, 2010 4:43 pm by TheAngelForever

The other day, I pulled out a book to read to the boys during dinner. Yes, I did a read aloud as we ate our meal together. It was the perfect time. I had my audience sitting with me at the table. NHL (7), JSL (3), and TechyDad were all listening as I cracked open the new book called Ten on the Sled by Kim Norman. Please humor me later and tell me that other people do read aloud stories at dinner as well (or maybe this is just a teacher thing)!

About Ten on the Sled:

Author Kim Norman (Crocodaddy) and illustrator Liza Woodruff have whipped up a rollicking, jolly, snow-filled adventure!

In the land of the midnight sun, all the animals are having fun speeding down the hill on Caribou’s sled. But as they go faster and faster, Seal, Hare, Walrus, and the others all fall off…until just Caribou’s left, only and lonely. Now, a reindeer likes flying-but never alone, so…

one through ten, all leap on again!

An ideal picture book for reading-and singing along with-over and over.

Ten on the Sled – Written by Kim Norman – Illustrated by Liza Woodruff – Sterling Children’s Books – On sale October 2010 – ISBN 978-1-4027-7076-0 – $14.95 – Ages 3 and up

If you are interested in purchasing the book, the widget below is a link to my Amazon Store where I receive a small percentage for the sale.

What we thought:

My boys love animals. Ten on the Sled served as a great artic animal introduction for JSL, and a review for NHL. We were watching the story of the ten which included the caribou, seal, hare, sheep, walrus, fox, squirrel, wolf, moose, and polar bear. The boys all sat there listening to the repeating rhythmic nature of the words on each page. The kids really enjoyed making predictions about what may happen next. As the story kept going, they were able to see the pattern forming and guessing which animal would end up going off the sled in a new manner.

NHL enjoyed the book so much that he asked to take it to the couch to read again after dinner. I sat down with him and he read the story pointing out the animals and telling me what he knew about these creatures.

As I was glancing at the pictures, I was mesmerized with the details on the animals and the fun and colorful accessories that each was wearing. It isn’t every day that you see a moose wearing rainbow leg warmers, or a squirrel with a winter pirate hat on his head. Liza Woodruff captures the essence of the animal group with her illustrations and bring you onto the sled for the ride.

TechyDad noticed another item as we were reading along. He saw something in the corner of a few pages. It looks like a snowball that was slowly getting larger. Sure enough, it was a recurring item that shows what happened to each of the animals as they fell off the sled. Check it out when you read the book. Hint – it has something to do with the snowman that is seen on one of the first pages of the story.

I would definitely recommend this book for families to read together. It would make the perfect book to read when snowed inside this winter and drinking some hot chocolate while keeping warm.

So what have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Tuesday Tales and/or leave a comment below. Include something you read on your own, with a child or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sterling Publishing in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. One widget within the review is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.

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books my boys nhl photos Product review Tuesday Tales

Flushable Moist Wipes

Posted on November 7, 2010 9:53 am by TheAngelForever

For over seven years now, wiping the rear ends of my children has been part of my daily routine. When we potty trained my oldest son, over five years ago, we knew that we needed to look into some moist flushable wipes. The products available at the time were far from the ones available now. At that time, they were fruit scented, thin, and did not have much wiping potential if you know what I mean.

Fast forward to when we started potty training my youngest son this summer. Now there were moist wipes made for adults. No longer did I have to worry about fruity smells after helping my little guy in the bathroom. One of the products that I bought was the Cottonelle brand Flushable Moist Wipes. These are made to help adult, and kid tushies feel fresher and cleaner than plain TP. We tried these out and really liked them. They were thick, had just the right moisture (not too dry – not bubbling with suds like some brands), and did not have a kiddy scent associated with them. ,

I know, this is an odd topic to talk about. Let’s face it, we all wipe our rears and as a parent many of us help wipe other deririeres.

When Mom Central asked me to participate in their Cottonelle brand Flushable Moist Wipe tour, I signed up since we had already used them. I was happy to share our experience, along with give some information about their current Get Fresh With a Friend campaign. Since this campaign started in September, they have sent out over half a million samples of their product. Another way of looking at it is they have given away 15,000 wipes per minute!

About the Cottonelle brand Flushable Moist Wipes:

With a Pop-Up® Tub for single-sheet dispensing, Cottonelle Fresh® Flushable Moist Wipes remove what dry toilet paper leaves behind. Cottonelle® brand provides a shower-fresh feeling that leaves you confidently clean every day.

And now, it’s never been easier to get hooked on Cottonelle Fresh® Flushable Moist Wipes, thanks to the Cottonelle EasyReach™ hanger with Command™ brand strips from 3M for damage-free hanging. With Command™ strips’ strong hold, the EasyReach™ hanger stays where you put it.

Get a hanger free with every tub of Cottonelle Fresh® Flushable Moist Wipes for a limited time in specially marked packages.

I know that we will continue to purchase the Cottonelle brand Flushable wipes. After all, you never know when you may need that extra little bit for the kids or adults in the house to feel fresh and clean.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of the Cottonelle brand and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate. As mentioned in the review, we had already been paying consumers of this product and will continue to. All opinons expressed are 100% mine and not influenced by the blog tour.

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Blog Tour Product review

Mastermind Game – Review and Giveaway

Posted on November 4, 2010 11:44 am by TheAngelForever

In August, TechyDad and I went to BlogHer in NYC. While there, we had time to go to the Expo Hall to connect with some amazing companies. One booth that intrigued us was Pressman Toys. The area was set up with their items on display. Betsy, their PR representative, came over and talked with us for quite a while. She introduced us to their products and showed us the revamped version of Mastermind Game and Animal Mastermind Towers (Review and Giveaway coming soon for this). TechyDad and I were immediately interested in them since our oldest son, NHL 7, loved items like this.

A short time after BlogHer, we received both of the games to review. They came just before a big family reunion for my grandmother’s birthday. I packed up the games and took them with us for everyone to play. Here are some photos of my cousin J and Aunt A playing Mastermind. They were quite competitive and tried to make it even more difficult as they got going.

More about Mastermind:

MASTERMIND® Classic Edition

Will you play the part of the codemaker, or the codebreaker? In the classic edition of our MASTERMIND game, the codemaker chooses from six different colors and sets a code of four colored pegs, which are concealed behind a flip-up shield. The codebreaker’s task is to replicate the code in ten moves or less. With each of the codebreaker’s attempts, the codemaker gives clues about the pegs’ color and position. There are more than 2,000 possible code combinations, making every round of this codebreaker logic game an exciting, brain-bending adventure! For 2 Players. Ages 8 to adult.

The Classic Edition of Mastermind retails for $15.00. There are also other versions of the game available including Advanced Mastermind, Ultimate Mastermind, Mastermind Travel Edition, Mastermind for Kids, Disney Mastermind Towers, and more.

What we thought:

TechyDad and I love games that make you think. Before we had our kids, we used to have game nights playing games similar to Mastermind. After taking Mastermind to the lake to use with family, TechyDad and I also tried it out on our own. The first item that I noticed was the compact case that holds all of the pieces. All of the colored pegs are within a storage compartment that keeps them secure. There was no need for an annoying plastic bag to hold them or worries about pegs flying all over the place. In addition to this, the board itself is small and easy to store. When space is limited, this game is perfect to take along, or tuck away.

Game play was a lot of fun. It makes you competitive not only as the codebreaker, but also the codemaker. When you are the codemaker, you have to be able to use the smaller red and white pegs seen above to give hints to the codebreaker about their guess. It was not difficult to figure out how to use these clues and fun challenge to use them to break the code faster each time. TechyDad and I have said we would like to try this game with our 7-year-old one day soon. We think NHL would really enjoy it and is probably ready to try the deductive reasoning skills. We have also said we may step it up a notch and try repeating colors in our codes for an extra challenge.

I highly recommend this game. It will keep you on your toes, make you think/use logic skills, and have a good time. This would make a great gift for anyone for Chanukah, Christmas, or a Birthday. I even think it would be a fantastic item to donate to a teacher for a classroom (the inner teacher in me talking here). Teachers are always looking for educational games to have on hand for students when there is a little bit of down time in the day.

Giveaway:

Thanks to Pressman, one lucky winner will receive their own Mastermind Classic Edition to play.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Tell me what your favorite board game is and why.

The following Bonus Entries may also be done. Please be sure to leave separate comments for each that you complete below to make sure you get the right number of entries.

1 Bonus Entry – Who will you play Mastermind with and do you want to be the codemaker or breaker first?
1 Bonus Entry – Tweet the following about the giveaway (May be done once a day): Put your thinking cap on and enter to #win your own @MastermindGame http://bit.ly/97A3NbMastermind Great for holidays! #Giveaway
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the month of October/November. Leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done three times per person.
3 Bonus Entries – Add my blog button to your website and leave a link with the location. Be sure to give yourself 3 comments for credit.
5 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the giveaway. Be sure to leave 5 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries.

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today November 4 and ends at 10:59 EST on November 18, 2010. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. residents only.

Disclosure: This review and giveaway was made possible by Pressman Toys and their PR company. They provided me with Mastermind Classic Edition to facilitate this review. The opinions of this review are mine and I received no other compensation.

Categories:
BlogHer family fun giveaway looking back photos Product review

Tuesday Tales – The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Posted on October 5, 2010 1:45 pm by TheAngelForever

When I was teaching 6th grade Language Arts, I tried hard to keep up to date on books that my students were reading. Thanks to the kids, I was introduced to The Series of Unfortunate Events, Harry Potter, and even Twilight. I loved reading the books and keeping up with the latest and greatest children’s chapter books. These days, I am not as in the know, but am working on it since NHL is now 7 and being pushed to read chapter books. I know he likes to read, but the larger number of pages, smaller print, and lack of illustrations scare him. We have found some books and are working our way there since I know he is ready.

A few weeks ago, my friend Nancy (Life with My Boys) mentioned a book on her blog that caught my eye. Her mysterious review made me especially intrigued. Within the comments section, several other people raved about the book. Moments later, I went and requested the book from our local library. Going to pause here to say something quickly. Nancy – Thank you, thank you, thank you!

So, what was the book? It was. . .

I purposely read little about the book and just wanted to wait to read it myself.

A little about The Invention of Hugo Cabret:

ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl and the owner of a small toy booth in the train station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message all come together…in The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

This 526-page book is told in both words and pictures. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is not exactly a novel, and it’s not quite a picture book, and it’s not really a graphic novel, or a flip book, or a movie, but a combination of all these things. Each picture (there are nearly three hundred pages of pictures!) takes up an entire double page spread, and the story moves forward because you turn the pages to see the next moment unfold in front of you. (From the web site on Hugo Cabret – which also has details about the upcoming movie)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret – Written and illustrated by Brian Selznick – Scholastic Books – January 2007 – ISBN78-0439813785 – 544 pages – Ages 9-12

What I thought:

As I mentioned, I knew less than I mentioned above about The Invention of Hugo Cabret before reading the book. The only item I knew was that it had won the 2008 Caldecott Medal. This made me even more intrigued since it is not typical for a book of this type to win the Caldecott Medal. If you are not familiar with the Caldecott, here is the criteria for the award (via Wikipedia):

The book must be published in English in the United States during the preceding year.
The illustrations must be original work.
The artist must be a citizen or resident of the United States^.
The book must be considered for the artistic technique employed; pictorial interpretation of story; appropriateness of style of illustration to the story; delineation of plot, theme, characters, setting mood or information through the pictures; and recognition of a child audience.
The book must display respect for children’s understandings, abilities, and appreciations.
The book must be a self-contained entity, not dependent on other media for its enjoyment.

The book arrived quickly and I started reading late last week. Within two days, I had finished. I can not recall the last time that I was so engaged in a book. I literally could not put it down and wanted to go further and further into Hugo’s world to solve the mystery of the book. I loved how Selznick incorporated the illustrations and words to create a unique book experience. When you see his simple, yet detailed drawings you will understand. I know that it sounds like I am contradicting myself, but I really am not.

Like Nancy, I think I am going to be vague in my review. All I will say is that I highly recommend this book. I think adults and children will appreciate the unique mix found within this novel. For me, the historical flavor blends well with the storytelling skills of Brian Selznick. If you have read the book, there are also games and items available from Scholastic on their website.

** Linky coming soon. The website hosting them is down right now.

Disclosure: I took this book out of our local library compliments of our tax money. The opinions expressed in the review are my own and were in no way influenced by anything. The widget within the review is an Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.

Categories:
bloggy friends books looking back Product review school Tuesday Tales

Hosting a HEXBUG Party

Posted on October 4, 2010 1:31 pm by TheAngelForever

Hexbug logo

Did you ever look at a toy and wonder how it would keep the attention of a child? That was my initial reaction of Hexbugs. They looked cute and seemed like fun, but how would they keep hold up to my kids and our neighbors? Let me cut to the chase here, my boys and the neighbors were outside playing with the Hexbugs for over four hours! Yes, you read that right. On a nice fall day, the Hexbugs kept them engaged for the entire time.

Thanks to Mom Select, we were selected to host a Hexbug Nano Party. They sent us enough Hexbug Nano for each child to have three to keep. In addition to this, we received the Nano Bridge BattleHabitat Set, Nano Habitat Set, and a myrid of extra Hex Cells, Straight/Curved Bridges, batteries and more. We seriously had everything to create the ultimate Hexbug Nano celebration.

So you may be asking yourself, what is a HEXBUG? Here is a quick explanation:

Basically, HEXBUGS are mini-robotic bugs without the ick factor. Yes, these are MY kind of bug. Ones that will not bite, damange items or cost me money to hire an exterminator. In addition to this, kids (and/or adults) can register their HEXBUG online to track their collection, play games, learn about real science. We have not had a chance to do this yet, but NHL (7) is anxious to see what it is all about.

As we were setting up the pieces for the party, we noticed something immediately. The Hex Cells and bridge pieces were easy to connect. Seriously, our 7 year old had no issue, and even the 3 year old was almost able to do it alone. The other part we liked was that the small moveable pieces on the hex cells were attached. In other words, no little pieces floating around if you were connecting parts.

Then we took the Battle Bridge, extra habitat, hex cells and bridge pieces outside. While we waited for the neighbors to arrive, NHL and JSL set their HEXBUGS up to battle. Here is a video.

Then the neighbors started to arrive. The kids had a blast making up stories about their HEXBUG habitat. The battle zone was above a mall, the Hidden Mickey within, was the house for the girl HEXBUG population. It was hilarious to watch them play for hours. Here are just a few of the photos that captured our outdoor HEXBUG party.

Since I mentioned it before, here is our own version of the Hidden Mickey in our HEXBUG Nano Habitat!

The kids really did have a great time. Just listen to the excitement as the bugs raced around their habitat:

Oh, if you think the HEXBUGS are just for boys. Think again. Check out the littel area of the HEXBUG Nano habitat that our neighbor made – pretty creative if you ask me.

I know the kids look forward to playing outside together again with all of their HEXBUG Nano critters one day soon. A huge thank you to Mom Select and HEXBUG for making this possible. We will definitely be purchasing more HEXBUG products this holiday season to give away to family and friends.

Disclosure: This review and party HEXBUG was made possible by MomSelect and HEXBUG. They provided me with all of the items shown above to throw the ultimate HEXBUG Nano Party. The opinions of this review were mine and I received no other compensation.