Category Archives Product review

Back to School with Mabel’s Labels

Labeling school items is a sporting event for me. I remember enjoying it when I helped organize my items as a student. Then, it was fun to have fresh items for my own classroom. Now, as the mother of a fourth grader and kiddo going into kindergarten it really gets interesting. I want to make sure that the kids know what is their own and that it stays that way for the entire school year.

A lot of my friends have been raving about Mabel’s Labels for a long time now. I would see their items on websites, and, more importantly, on their personal items at conferences and be impressed. When Mabel’s Labels reached out to me to try some of my own I jumped at the opportunity.

Since JSL was heading to kindergarten, I asked for his name. We received the Ultimate Back-To-School Combo package. This is what it looked like in the package (name obviously blacked out):Mabel's Labels Ultimate Back to School Combo

JSL does not start kindergarten until after Labor Day, so we have not completely gathered his items to label yet. Of course, he HAD to test them out. So we pulled out a new doodle notebook that he has for practicing his writing in. Here is what Skinny-Minis looked like on there. His name is partially removed, but you can see the easy to read font and great hockey icon (how did they know he liked hockey?):

Mabel's Labels with hockey icon

For a closer look, I went to their website and made a test view of the different items that we received in the combo:

Ultimate Back-To-School Combo from Mabel's Labels

What I love is that Mabel’s Labels are durable. After seeing them used by other children and people that I know, they last and hold up to use. They are waterproof, so they will not run if they get wet. They can go into the dishwasher, so the new thermos for lunch can immediately get a hockey label for JSL. I can also use the tag mates to label clothing without ironing or sewing (bonus points in my book). One of the Teeny Tags will be heading onto JSL’s generic looking lunch bag that you can not write on.

The Ultimate Back-To-School Combo pack is only available until September 28. The items seen above sell for $42. There are also Back to School items including a Tween Pack, Preschool shoe labels, and Book Label packages. Of course, there are many other durable items available from Mabel’s as well. I think NHL is now jealous and wants us to order them. After my experience this time, I am sure there will be an order in our future.

As a teacher, I recommend that you do not skimp on labeling. The better you prepare the items in September, the less likely you are to need to replace them later in the year because they are lost.

It's Me

Disclosure: I received a complimentary Ultimate Back-To-School Comb package from Mabels Labels in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own.

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Tuesday Tales – Croc Capers

Crikey mate, are you a fan of Australian adventures? What about a book where you learn about life in the outback from a child who grew up at the Australia Zoo? I should probably mention the author is also Bindi Irwin, the daughter of the late Steve Irwin (aka The Crocodile Hunter). One of my first book reviews, when I first started blogging, was the memoir that Terri Irwin wrote about her life with Steve. TechyDad and I used to watch Steve’s show and later our boys loved seeing him (along with Bindi) on the Wiggles DVD where they learned about Australian animals. As you can see in this video below from The Pet Collective, Bindi really has her father’s passion for animals within her zoo home.

As a long time fan of the Irwin Family, I knew that Terri, Bindi, and her younger brother Robert had been working hard to keep the legacy of Steve alive and well. Bindi is now an author, television personality, and clothing designer. We have watched her grow up and take on her role as a nature conservationist. When Sourcebooks contacted me to tell me about her latest book Croc Capers: Bindi Wildlife Adventures, I immediately agreed to review the book.

Tuesday Tales - Bindi Irwin Wildlife Adventures Croc Capers

Croc Capers: Bindi Wildlife Adventures (#7) – Written by Bindi Irwin with Chris Kunz – Sourcebooks Jabberwocky – On sale August 1, 2012 – ISBN 9781402273735 – Paperback 112 pages – Ages 7+ – $4.99

The book begins with Bindi and her younger brother Robert out in the nature reserve. They are there with their family to study crocodiles. While wandering around the reserve and watching cockatoos, they find a campsite with two people. Over time, they befriend the young girl and her father. Bindi and Robert overhear some bad news and it becomes their quest to educate and save their beloved area named for their father. Will they be able to make it happen? You will have to read Croc Capers to find out.

This is the seventh book in the Bindi Wildlife Adventures series. JSL and I decided to read it together. He is about to start kindergarten and loves reading small chapter books together. Even though we had not read the other books in the series, we were able to follow along with no problems. JSL loved that Bindi and Robert were talking about Cockatoos. He could relate to them because Nana and Papa have one of these native Australian birds. The book kept both of us guessing and wondering how Bindi and Robert would save the day. The writing is easy to follow and has a lot of educational tid-bits. I know that the extra “Animal Fact File” was great to continue JSL’s interest. He has actually asked me to look for more of the books and found them in our local book store.

I would definitely recommend these books for fans of the Irwin family, animals, or kids that want to read something a little different. I am sure there will be more of Bindi’s adventures during story time in our house as we get ready for kindergarten.

What books are you reading right now? I would love to know.  Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

It's Me

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sourcebooks in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. An Amazon Affiliate link is included in this post for the book mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through that link.

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Tuesday Tales – Vote For Me

I rarely talk about politics on my blog or in general. The other day, I actually mentioned that I would love a filter on Facebook to get rid of the political chatter that I keep seeing from so many after the Supreme Court ruling. Reality check, this is only going to get worse on Twitter, Facebook, the news, and beyond as we head into a presidential election. Please hold me!

While at the library the other day, something caught my eye and now I do believe I may buy this book to give to adults, especially politicians.

Vote for Me - Election Day picture book

Vote for Me! by Ben Clanton (link to the author’s fun website with more of his work) is a perfect read for children and adults heading into this election year. Although the target audience is 4-8 year old children, I think it may be even better for older children who are studying elections at school. Let’s be honest here, kids hear the negativity, whether they read the newspaper, see the national news, or listen to their parents. They are taking all of this in and this book will show them in a nice way how foolish both side look, how we need to work together, and can compare read world items to Donkey and Elephant. This could lead to conversations about how they think candidates should talk about their views of the important issues, rather than simply name calling and saying what is wrong with the the other person.

Here is an extended book trailer of Vote for Me! from Kids Can Press that gives you a nice version of the story. If you are wondering, you have to read the book to find out how it ends.

 

The book is definitely a satire, but it does strike a nerve with readers that are fed up with the campaign tactics that we see these days. I highly recommend this for adults (especially politicians) to read with some younger children to see the light.  TechyDad and I both read this book with our boys and we had a lot of laughs. My guess is that NHL will appreciate it even more once they start to talk about the election in fourth grade this fall. A little bit of caution, beware your children may use some of the name calling that is “funny” in the book. Sunday, the boys were calling each other Booger Breath several times. We ignored it hoping it would fade away.

As always, Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books. What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else.

It's Me

Disclosure: As mentioned, the book was taken out of the library and I am thinking of gifting it to some of my political friends this election day. One Amazon affiliate link is included and should you purchase the book mentioned I will receive a small percentage from the sale. As always, all opinions are my own.

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Tuesday Tales – Walter Foster Disney Drawing Books

Summer is almost here and while I hope to spend a lot of time outside with the boys, the weather can be unpredictable. We love to read and explore location destinations, but I also want to let my little artists express their creativity. I love to have art supplies and items to use inside the house for just this reason. NHL and JSL both adore drawing. For Chanukah, we bought NHL a Walter Foster book that teaches how to draw Phineas and Ferb characters. He adored it and it made us pull out another book that we had purchased while visiting Walt Disney World before that.

My post about NHL drawing caught the attention of the social media team at Walter Foster. They wanted to send him some more items to work on his new found love. It was an absolutely sweet gesture, with no strings attached. A bounty of new Disney drawing books arrived.

Mickey Mouse Drawing with Walster Foster

One of the items was a Learn to Draw Disney Mickey Mouse and His Friends Drawing Book & Kit. This kit had everything that you need to draw favorite Disney characters. This book would make a great gift for a child that likes to draw because of the items included. Of course, the book is also fantastic with great step-by-step instructions to help budding artists.

Inside the Mickey Mouse Kit

NHL wanted to dive right into this book. He decided to start with Mickey Mouse of course.

Learning to draw Mickey Mouse

While NHL was busy with this, I checked out the other books that came. They included (links to the Amazon affiliate page with these books):

Walter Foster Disney Drawing Books

One of NHL’s favorite characters is Piglet. On a past trip to Walt Disney World, he bought a little stuffed Piglet doll. Thanks to this, I jumped right to the Piglet page in the Winnie the Pooh book.

Drawing Piglet

Of course, once JSL saw that I made something for his big brother, he had a request.  He immediately picked a character from the same book (I wasn’t up to trying Buzz Lightyear just yet). So here is the bouncy friend that I made:

Drawing Tigger

I know I am looking forward to more drawing time with the two boys. We have colored pencils, crayons, markers, and other items to make our Disney friends come alive. No doubt, we will be adding more Walter Foster books to our collection. Do you have any drawing books from Walter Foster?

What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

    It's Me

Disclosure: My kids received these four books complimentary of Walter Foster with no strings attached. No compensation was given and no review expected. We enjoy these books and wanted to share them with others. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. Four Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post for the books mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy any of the books through my links.

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Smartphone Charging Solution

As a blogger who just finally entered the world of Smartphone ownership, I knew that keeping my phone charged when out and about would be critical. I have often seen other bloggers at events running around to find an outlet to plug in their phone. With Disney Social Media Moms Celebrations, TechyDad and I  knew that we would challenge our phones. The reality is that Violet, my Droid Bionic, does not keep her battery charged for a full day at home. I knew that I would be doomed at Walt Disney World.

Thanks to TechyDad doing a lot of research we finally ordered two Anker Astro 5600mAh Backup External Battery Packs and Chargers from Amazon. They arrived shortly before our trip. This gave us time to see how many times we could use them with our Bionics before we had to recharge the main unit. Here is a photo of Violet sitting on the passenger seat of my car charging while picking the kids up at school.

Charging Violet on the go

We quickly found out that we could get two recharges from about 15% to fully charged. What I liked was I could use the phone during the conference as it was gaining strength, it could go into my purse and gain power while waiting on lines. This is Violet on the table while waiting to hear author Ridley Pearson speak.

Charging Violet at DisneySMMoms

In a typical day, I do not have the photo opportunities that we saw in Disney World. While TechyDad had his regular camera with us, I was often busy snapping shots with my phone to send to Twitter and Facebook via Instagram. If my phone was not charged, I never would have captured these amazing memories and others.

Magical Memories captured on my phone

The things we will do for our Techy Toys! All I can say is thank you, TechyDad, for finding this must have to keep my phone alive.

It's Me

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event. We purchased the Anker Astro with our own money and wanted to share how it helped us while traveling.One Amazon affiliate link for the Anker Charger is included in this post. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy this item.

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