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Smucker’s Uncrustables to the rescue

Posted on October 3, 2010 11:55 am by TheAngelForever

Swim lessons, school clubs/events, and Hebrew School often mean late dinners where we need to have something quick that the kids will eat. The little guy is especially fussy. Last year while shopping, I saw a grilled cheese Uncrustables variety that we bought. These are great for quick meals at home, but not on the go. Thanks to Mom Central, I heard about the new Smucker’s Uncrustables and signed up for their Blog Tour.

We received a coupon and bought a package of the new PB and grape jelly on whole wheat Uncrustables. I think we would have preferred the ones with strawberry jelly, or perhaps the PB and honey. Still, the grape jelly ones were good. I liked that they were easy to prepare and contain trusted ingredients for my family.

I can already see us getting a package and tossing them in the car for our amusement park trips. It will be a nice easy, cost effective lunch on the go. Since they will defrost while going, they are perfect for road trips and even brown bagging field trip lunches for school. I know we will be buying these again in the future.

We were also sent a coupon for a new product from Smucker’s called Snack’n Waffles.

We have not been able to find these locally yet, but I hope to soon. The waffles are ready in 15 seconds in the microwave and come in the four varities above. Once we try them, I promise to update.

Thank you Smucker’s for helping to make family life a little easier with some items that are convenient for families on the run.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Smucker’s and received products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition to this, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate. All opinions are 100% mine and in no way influenced.

Categories:
Blog Tour food glorious food Product review

Tuesday Tales 1 + 1 = 5

Posted on September 28, 2010 11:42 am by TheAngelForever

Books that are about math and science are huge in our house since we are self proclaimed and proud geeks. Over the summer, we received a complementary copy of the book 1 + 1 = 5 (Amazon affiliate link) from Sterling Children’s Books. When we opened the package, NHL (7) immediately gravitated toward the book. He ran off to check it out since he was wondering why it stated that 1 + 1 = 5.

As you can see, JSL joined in to read the book with NHL. The two of them sat there looking at the illustrations and giggled. When NHL was done reading, we talked about the book. He liked how there was a twist to the traditional math rules. Since he had just finished first grade, he was able to understand the concept behind the book. We also talked about making our own pages to our own family version of 1 + 1 = 5.

I loved how it made NHL think outside of the box. He quickly picked up on how 1 + 1 = 5 since 1 set of triplets + 1 set of twins = 5 babies! The books continues on with over a dozen other addition problems in this fashion. It involves problem solving with the initial page that has illustrations to give clues to children that may assist them. Then, on the next page, the new found addition problem is explained. Here is an example from the book:

Over all, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it for children that are 5 years old or older. I think that children need a basic knowledge of early mathematics to truly appreciate the book. As a teacher, I love that there is already a guide to use with the book that you can download. Of course, even before that my brain was racing a mile a minute with extensions of the activity. One night, I used Picnik to create my own Halloween page for 1 + 1 = 5 to share. Here it is:

As you can see, children could use a technology connection to make pages for a class book online. Truly, the possibilities are endless and can go where ever your creativity leads you.

More about 1 + 1 = 5:

How much is 1+1? Think the answer is 2? Not always, as this playful approach to addition proves! David LaRochelle takes children on a joyful mathematical journey that will engage their minds and teach them to think about numbers in a creative, outside-the-box way.
Brenda Sexton’s wild and wacky illustrations add layers of witty fun to LaRochelle’s clever game.

These wacky equations don’t add up…or DO THEY?
1 goat + 1 unicorn = 3 horns!
1 set of triplets + 1 set of twins = 5 babies!
1 duet + 1 quartet = 6 musicians!
1 ant + 1 spider = 14 legs!
1 century + 1 decade = 110 years!

1 + 1 = 5 – Written by David LaRochelle – Illustrated by Brenda Sexton – Sterling Children’s Books – On sale September 2010 – ISBN 978-1-4027-5995-6 – $14.95 – Ages 5 and up

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.

BTW – Be sure to check out the Fall Festival of Children’s Books on FiveMinutesforBooks. Just click on the button below to see more details about the festival. Have fun and please link up any books that you have read this week and see you back here next Tuesday. (Ooops – just realized this ended yesterday Sept. 27th. Still a great resource with links to books for children)

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 link 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 books mentioned.

Categories:
books Educational photos Product review Tuesday Tales

Engage young Scientists with KNOW magazine

Posted on September 19, 2010 6:51 pm by TheAngelForever

Early on in life, I was fascinated with all things related to science. I was lucky that my mother, a biology major in college, engaged us in experiments at home, trips to science museums and ordering magazines. My fifth grade teacher was also a HUGE science buff. He spurred not only my desire to do bigger and better science fair projects, but to become a teacher.

For months now, TechyDad and I have been looking for just the right magazine for our son. NHL just turned 7 and is always asking questions about the world around him. He wants to know why items look the way they do and how machines work. When Mom Central introduced me to a new science magazine for children called KNOW (A Mad Science Publication), I immediately signed up for the blog tour. The teacher in me wanted to see this new and fun looking resource for elementary ages children.

More about KNOW Magazine:

Geared to children 6 to 9, KNOW Magazine provides kids with age-appropriate articles, fun science and technology facts, games, puzzles, and experiments. With six issues per year all free of outside advertising, the magazine covers everything from dinosaurs and animals, to the solar system and the human body to keep kids engaged year-round. The magazine’s educational focus combines learning and entertainment in a way Moms can feel good about.

Right now, the publishers of KNOW magazine are allowing people to download a free copy of the September/October issue of the magazine. You can obtain your own copy, like I did, from their website. A one year subscription (6 issues) can be purchased for $26, and for older children there is also YES Mag.

What I thought:

As a parent and teacher, I adored exploring the free copy of KNOW magazine with my son. We were both drawn to the article about the glass frog. NHL and I both liked the crisp, detailed photos with this and other articles. Too many times, children’s magazine have less than average pictures. The Shapes and Patterns issue was chock full of information that was developmentally appropriate for children in the target 6-9 year audience. The featured theme section about A World of Shape and Pattern had a wealth of information. Rather than explain it, I encourage you to download the magazine yourself to learn about stripes, spots, fractals and even Fibonacci! NHL has asked to read more of the magazine together and is curious what will be in the November/December issue that we will be receiving down the road.

Another nice item to note, KNOW magazine is not filled with constant ads for toys and other items. Children do reviews of science related books, but only a small page is sectioned off to introduce people to products and classes from Mad Science. The magazine is interactive and allows children to help out with monthly projects like "Comic Captions" within the publication. Some of the articles may be short, but they are a great diving point to encourage children to research more about topics that they are interested in, while exposing them to many new and wonderful science related items.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Mad Science and received the products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition to this, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate. All opinions are 100% mine and in no way influenced.

Categories:
Blog Tour Educational Product review

New Salads at Wendy’s

Posted on September 16, 2010 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

When I was little, I loved going to Wendy’s with my mother. We would go inside, order a potato and get the salad bar. Of course, salad bars are a thing of the past at Wendy’s. These days, Wendy’s has a wide variety of specialty salads available for people to select from. A short time ago, they introduced four new salads. I was contacted by a PR person representing Wendy’s to review one of their new salads and agreed. They sent me a gift card and asked me to head to the nearest location and order the one that intrigued me the most.

More about the four new Wendy’s Salads:

Apple Pecan Chicken Salad – A blend of fresh lettuce and spring mix salad greens, topped with real blue cheese crumbles, U.S. grown, hand-picked Granny Smith and sweet red apple pieces, roasted pecans seasoned with sea salt, cayenne pepper and sugar, dried Ocean Spray cranberries and warm grilled chicken. This salad comes with all natural, preservative-free Pomegranate Vinaigrette dressing.

BLT Cobb Salad – A blend of fresh lettuce and spring mix salad greens, topped with two strips of Applewood Smoked Bacon, freshly chopped tomatoes, real blue cheese crumbles, chopped hard boiled eggs and warm grilled chicken. This salad is served with all natural, preservative-free creamy Avocado Ranch dressing.

Baja Salad – A blend of fresh lettuce and spring mix salad greens, topped with natural cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, guacamole made with Hass avocados, freshly prepared Pico de Gallo, all natural tortilla chips, and Wendy’s famous rich and meaty chili. This salad is served with all natural, preservative-free Creamy Red Jalapeno dressing.

Spicy Caesar Salad – A bed of fresh romaine lettuce topped with vine ripened grape tomatoes, natural shaved Asiago cheese, French bread croutons seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and garlic and Wendy’s famous Spicy Chicken. This salad is served with all natural, preservative-free Lemon Garlic Caesar dressing.

Wendy’s new salads are available nationwide at the suggested retail price of $5.99. Prices will vary. For more on the nutritional information, head online to Wendy’s for details.

What I thought:

Confession, I went to Wendy’s alone and took my salad home. After going out for the first time without kids (the little guy was in nursery school), I stopped by Wendy’s with my giftcard to purchase one of the new salads. I knew going in that I was going to order the Apple Pecan Chicken Salad. I had watched on a morning news show that this was a pretty good pick if you are trying to be conscious about your food intake.

The salad traveled well. When I got it home, it looked just like it did when they packed it into the bag at the restaurant. The first thing I did was unpack my items and took some photos. Here is my lunch:

I was most excited to try the Pomegranate Vinaigrette dressing. It did not disappoint. It was light, tangy and just sweet enough. It complimented the different types of greens, blue cheese, pecans, chicken, dried cranberries, and apples perfectly. It was not too heavy and once I mixed it up I thoroughly enjoyed it. Most of the time, I am a romaine lettuce person, but I really thought the mix of salad greens in this were nice. Nothing was biter, too leafy and my children probably would have tried it.

Next time I head to Wendy’s, I know what I will be buying. The best thing is that I can now go to their online nutritional guide and personalize my salad to see calories, fat, fiber and other details the way I decide to eat my salad. If I leave off the pecans, I know what it will do. This is extremely nice and helpful to those on Weight Watchers and other programs.

Disclosure: I received a Wendy’s giftcard complimentary of Wendy’s in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own.

Categories:
food glorious food me moments photos Product review yummy

Tuesday Tales – Chicken Cheeks

Posted on September 14, 2010 10:17 am by TheAngelForever

I will be the first to admit it. I enjoy books that are clever and make you laugh. As a teacher with a science background, I can even handle ones that use a little bathroom humor and/or items about body functions. I am a firm believer that we need to get children to read and why not learn about things in a fun manner.

One of NHL’s favorite books, when he was about JSL’s age (3), was Everyone Poops. He thought it was amazing and wanted everyone to read it to him. Thankfully, he expanded his horizons into many other books since that time. The other day, we all went to the library together. NHL and I immediately stopped at the new book cart. We picked up a lot of interesting titles that we have been reading. As a second grader, NHL is asked to read 100 books by the end of the school year. He did well over 200 last year since he enjoys reading so much.

While we were busy in the new book section, TechyDad and JSL were looking in another area. When I went over to them, TechyDad proclaimed that he had a book that Papa had to read to the boys. Here it is:

Yes, Chicken Cheeks by comedian Michael Ian Black has the subject matter that you think by looking at the front and back cover of the book. Page after page of fun and new ways to describe posterior parts of animals. Nothing inappropriate for kids and gets you thinking and giggling, of course. I could certainly see using this as a spring board for a lesson on synonyms. This book alone gives you countless options for your child to use rather than butt! The other part that makes the book even more special are the amazing illustrations by Kevin Hawkes.

More about Chicken Cheeks:

Some bears will go to any length to get some honey. This one recruits every animal that comes along to form, well, a stack. The result? Tail of the duck to the gluteus maximus of the duck-billed platypus (with many other rears in between). Readers will giggle with delight at the bird’s eye view of some hysterical animal bottoms. Follow this back-sided journey up the tree – where the real surprise awaits. The pairing of Black’s minimal text with Hawkes’s visual story line will keep you chuckling from the bottom up.

Chicken Cheeks – Written by Michael Ian Black – Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes – Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing – Published January 2009 – ISBN 978-1-4169-4864-3 – 40 pages – Ages 3-7

Photo from inside the book:

Although this book may not be everyones taste, we really enjoyed it. Sometimes, just having a fun book that makes you laugh as a family is well worth it. Thank you to Chicken Cheeks for a fun read along with Papa!

Disclosure: My family 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. Two links within the review are Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the books mentioned.