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A Unique Birthday Gift

Posted on April 1, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

There have been many times that I wonder what to get someone for their birthday. Whether a family member, or a special friend I am often stumped. Many times, I give people photos of special memories, but would love to do more.

Thanks to Family Review Network, I recently had the opportunity to find out about a great new online gift option called LifeOnRecord.

Imagine making a unique birthday gift for someone in your life. The gift would be a CD with familiar voices of family and friends leaving birthday wishes or recalling a humorous story from the past. Thanks to LifeOnRecord, making this CD is now possible all within one convenient website.

I am currently in the process of using LifeOnRecord to make a special birthday gift for someone in my life. Detailed directions, along with fabulous suggestions, for using my account were sent to me. A toll-free number has been set up for people to call in their messages. Upon calling in, everyone will hear a greeting from me asking them to leave a favorite story, memory, or wish. When the caller is finished, they also have an option to review what they recorded and re-record if they wish. As the coordinator of this memorable gift, I am able to sign into my account on LifeOnRecord to listen to all of the messages as they come in. Then I can toggle the order of the messages and how to put them on the final CD gift.

Using LifeOnRecord is easy to do. Once you set everything up, you simply tell people what they need to do. Anyone can call the toll-free number when they have a free moment to record their message. The best part is the voices of friends and loved ones will convey their personality within a special CD gift.

Facts about LifeOnRecord:

Guests simply dial a toll-free number and leave a message.
Fast and convenient to use, compared to writing a memory for a person.
Callers can call in at their convenience and are not limited by their lphysical ocation.
Surprise gifts are easy to collaborate without the birthday person suspecting anything.
Flexible for coordinator to organize and play the stories and well-wishes over the internet, through iTunes, or download them to their MP3 player.
Present from the heart allows people to express emotion, thoughts, and feelings that are often not shared in other gifts.

I look forward to receiving recordings from people soon. We are still working on rounding everyone up to participate in the gift and explaining what they need to do. I am sure that the recipient of this will cherish this memorable gift for years to come.

Categories:
birthday Product review

Story time at Chez Angel – Otto Grows Down

Posted on March 31, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Story time is extremely important at our house. I have been reading to NHL and JSL since they were infants. Now that NHL is in kindergarten, he is also reading to us. Thanks to being a teacher, I love to actively engage NHL in the story. I know that this helps to expand his comprehension of the book. When we read, we talk about the characters, make predictions and then when finished we think about what we have read. Typically, we think about whether or not there are any connections to our lives. A new feature that I am going to do from time to time is going to be called Story time at Chez Angel. I will share books with you that I read with my boys.

Recently, we read the book Otto Grows Down by Michael Sussman. When you open the book you are immediately brought into Otto’s world thanks to the vibrant illustrations by Scott Magoon. Not only was NHL (5) intrigued by the story, JSL (22 months) also stuck around to hear more.

When you begin the story, you meet Otto, a six-year-old little boy that is celebrating his birthday. Like many other children his life has recently been turned upside down thanks to the addition of his baby sister. Even at his own birthday party, her presence spoiled everything. Otto gets so upset by her attention stealing that he makes a wish while blowing out his candles.

"I wish Anna was NEVER born!"

Ironically earlier in the day, NHL had made a similar declaration about his little brother. So it was nice timing. We were able to use this statement and the next events to discuss what was said.

Unlike NHL’s desire, something odd happens to Otto. Suddenly the candles on his cake lit up again. Then more bizarre items take place. His watch is moves backward and Otto rewraps his presents to give back to his friends. He finally realizes that time is going backward.

As you continue to read the book, you witness Otto’s life in rewind mode. While he is getting younger everything in life is opposite. There is mess-up time at school, his hair gets longer by the barber, he spits up his food, and Anna is brought back to the hospital. Otto thought that would be the end, but he continues to get younger and younger. Each year he wishes to be six again, but it does not happen. The reader watches as Otto takes a bath to make him dirty and then . . . I’ll leave the bathroom scene (a favorite of my 5 year old son) to your imagination.

While Otto grows down he starts to feel bad about his sister Anna. When he turns one again, he is also worried that he would soon disappear.

What happens to Otto? I am not going to ruin that for you, you have to read it for yourself.

I will tell you that we thoroughly enjoyed the book. Otto Grows Down helped to teach NHL more about consequences of your words/actions. Sure, we will not grow down if we wish it, but he definitely got the point. The humor of the book and the situations that Otto encounters help to teach children a very valuable lesson about sharing the spotlight with a sibling.

Go get yourself a copy of Otto Grows Down. Happy reading!

Categories:
books Product review Story time

Exergen Temporal Scanner – Review & Giveaway

Posted on March 29, 2009 10:22 am by TheAngelForever

As the mother of two children that have now had four febrile seizures, I have quite the collection of temperature taking materials. Just one weekend ago, we put a lot of these items to the test. My youngest son, just 22 months old, had two febrile seizures in a 30 hour span of time.

Thanks to the Family Review Network and Exergen, my family recently had the opportunity to try a Temporal Scanner. We were very excited to try this because it was noninvasive, quick to use, and could be done while a child slept. The timing of its arrival would prove to be a blessing in disguise.

The first time I saw a temporal scanner was in February 2008 when my youngest was hospitalized for four nights. At that time he had a febrile seizure, stopped breathing and needed rescue breaths to get him going again. The first night in the pediatric ward of the hospital, one of the nurses stopped by to do vitals. He was hooked up to numerous tubes and machines. I was afraid they would need to wake him for a rectal temperature. Thankfully, they had the temporal scanner and could do it without bothering him. With a quick scan across his forehead and behind his ears, we were done. We instantly knew if we were in the fever "danger zone" of sorts.

My Review:

When the Temporal Scanner arrived, I immediately took it out of the package, read the instructions and was ready to test it out. We always test new thermometers with the boys to obtain what their "normal" reading is with each. This is very important with my youngest because JSL’s normal temperature is quite low. Worse yet, he does not exhibit signs of fevers most of the time. He will be playing one minute and wham – febrile seizure takes place. Very scary as a parent.

The boys were fascinated with my new little device (hubby included). I went around and took each of their temperatures. All I had to do was take the cap off, place it on their forehead in the proper location, press the button and move it over so slightly. It was quick, easy and the temperature reading was consistent with other thermometers that we have.

Last Saturday, after my son’s initial febrile seizure I had a difficult time with the temporal scanner. My son was barely able to sit up, hardly conscious, his temperature was spiking, and he was sweaty. All things that will alter the readings on a temporal scanner. At that moment in time, we waited for the ER where they did an official reading and started to treat my son.

It is my belief that given the circumstances at the time, nothing would have been a great means to obtain a temperature. When the body is recovering from a febrile seizure and extreme spike in temperature, all bets are off. I know that in our house we will still be using the Exergen Temporal Scanner as one of our strategic defenses against fever detection.

Important Facts about the Exergen Temporal Scanner:

Exergen Temporal Scanner is the first infrared thermometer made to measure the body temperature via a reading from the temporal artery.
Least invasive method of temperature taking, using a simple sweep over a patient’s forehead.
Given typical circumstances, arterial temperature is close to rectal temperature.
Takes over 1,000 readings per second and selects the most accurate to display.
You can obtain a reading within two seconds.
A red LED light and beep allow you to know if the scan is done properly
Powered by a 9-volt battery.
Additional Facts, including an Introductory and Educational video, may be found here.

You can purchase your own Exergen Temporal Scanner from Amazon, WalMart, Babies R Us and many other retailers nationwide. The price at most retailers is between $30-35.

A Chance for you to win!

Thanks to Exergen, 1 lucky winner (US Residents only) will have a chance to win their own Temporal Scanner.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Visit the Exergen website and then come back and leave a comment telling me something you learned about the temporal scanner and who would you use this for.
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1-2 Bonus Entries – Stumble this post and/or my main blog page and leave your Stumble name in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Follow me on Twitter @TheAngelForever and tweet about the giveaway. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and Exergen Temporal Scanner in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Add TheAngelForever to your blog roll and leave a separate comment.
3 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the Exergen Temporal Scanner giveaway. Be sure to leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra credit.

To enter, just follow the rules above within the comment section. Be sure that I have an e-mail address that I can contact you for a mailing address once the giveaway is over. All entries must be received by 10:59pm EST on April 11, 2009. I will pick the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, another winner will be selected.

Categories:
giveaway Product review sick kid sickness

DaBib Review and Giveaway

Posted on March 25, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I will admit it, my boys lived in bibs for much of their first year. Whether we were combating spit up, drool from teething, or eating their first solid food a bib was a must. JSL is almost two now and bibs are still much needed accessories for meal and snack time. I do not know about you, but most toddlers are very messy eater. As they learn to self feed, clean up often becomes a hassle.

We have many plastic/vinyl bibs that we use when feeding JSL. Recently we had the opportunity to try out DaBib thanks to Family Review Network.

My Review:

The first thing I noticed about DaBib is the collar. The collar is made of a soft material that scrunches up at the neck. A big problem we have with JSL is food going down the neck of his bib. This patented feature stopped that from happening as he ate. Then I realized that the crumb catcher was not permanently on the front of the bib. For kids that do not need it, the catcher is located on the back of the bib when not being used. If you need it, you simply unfold it forward and the wide mouth of the crumb-catcher is ready to go. As I was putting the bib onto JSL for the first time I was impressed with the large adjustable velcro strip. This bib would definitely fit not only my almost two year old, but a teeny tiny infant and also a child older than JSL.

JSL liked the bib. He did not complain about putting it on and the real test was that he did not try to yank it right off. The nice feel of the soft material kept him happy (me too). JSL was not a fan of the crumb catcher while sitting in his high chair. As you can see in the photo below, he asked us to tuck it in. Clearly if we were dining out and he was in a restaurant chair without a sliding tray, the crumb-catcher would be a wonderful asset.

When JSL was a baby, I would hate bibs that were not thick and absorbant. I so wish I had DaBibs when he was smaller. We used to go through so many bibs and outfits a day thanks to the thin nature of most baby bibs. I would definitely recommend DaBibs to people with or expecting little ones and will purchase them as part of future baby gifts.

Important Facts about DaBib:

All of DaBib are shrink-resistant and machine washable
Have the patented "Scrunch Collar" that helps to minimize leakage of food and drinks onto the children and their clothing
Crumb-Catcher found on the back of the bib and automatically pouches when folded forward to catch food and liquids
Front closure on DaBib has an adjustable strip that allows it to fit infants to toddlers
Waterproof bib backing and micro-fiber terrycloth front make it highly absorbant and easy to clean
DaBib is extra-long and wide to cover children from shoulder-to shoulder
Non-toxic, lead-free – meets and exceeds the new US requirements

DaBib is available in two styles. DaHugs (which we received) is made with a super-absorbant micro-fiber Terry front and waterproof back. It is great for the first year when absorbancy is the key.

DaGiggles is a wipe-off, waterproof style. This bib is comfortable and a great option to replace plastic and rubber bibs when your child is eating solid food.

DaGiggles

DaBibs are currently available to purchase for $12.99 on their website. If you buy three or more shipping is free. Soon DaBibs will also be available at Babies R Us.

A Chance for you to win!

Thanks to DaBib, 1 lucky winner (US and Canada only) will have a chance to win their own DaBib.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Visit the DaBib website and then come back and leave a comment telling me which DaBib (color as well) you would select and who it is for.
1-2 Bonus Entries – View one or both of the DaBib videos Vitto Gottabone or DaBaby, DaDoll & DaBib Via e-mail to the_angel_forever at yahoo dot com answer the following question for Vitto Gottabone: What is the name of the little girl in the video? For the video DaBaby, DaDoll & DaBib: What is DaBaby sharing with DaDoll. Leave a comment for each e-mail response that you send me.
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1-2 Bonus Entries – Stumble this post and/or my main blog page and leave your Stumble name in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Follow me on Twitter @TheAngelForever and tweet about the giveaway. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and DaBibs in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Add TheAngelForever to your blog roll and leave a separate comment.
3 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the DaBib giveaway. Be sure to leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra credit.

To enter, just follow the rules above within the comment section. Be sure that I have an e-mail address that I can contact you for a mailing address once the giveaway is over. All entries must be received by 10:59pm EST on April 5, 2009. I will pick the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, another winner will be selected.

Categories:
giveaway jsl photos Product review Web business

Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canisters – Review & Giveaway

Posted on March 23, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As a mom of two little boys, quick clean ups are frequently required. Whether it is wiping up the messes by the bathroom sink, cleaning up misses by the potty, or getting pasta sauce off the stove top. We always have disinfecting wipe containers in the house for just these types of occassions. Hubby and I would always get frustrated with them because of the dispensing container. The small round hole at the top always managed to rip the sheets (and hurt our fingers), rendering the wipe useless.

Thanks to Family Review Network, my family recently had the opportunity to try the new Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canisters. I must admit, I was skeptical at first. I figured that they would be exactly like the other Clorox wipes I had used in the past at home and in the classrooms when I was teaching. Boy was I wrong!

My Review:

When I opened up the box of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canisters, I noted several items. Of course, the size and shape of the canister was quite different. Then the opening within was much different. Unlike the other wipes I had used in the past, these wipes were easy to get out. The opening was wide enough for adult fingers to comfortable get into and not get cut on the plastic side. I never wasted one thanks to it shredding while removing it from the container. I also noticed the texture on the wipes. The wipe itself had a textured area and seemed a lot thicker and more durable. When I used the wipe to clean my stove top the first time, it held up beautifully to the test. It lasted for the entire job, did not dry out and the texture on the wipe really helped to remove the dried on sauce.

Here is a view inside the container and of the textured wipes themselves:

A bonus to me was the pretty canister that I could pick to match the room. We liked the wipes so much, we actually went out to purchase another container for the bathroom. Here are all eight of the different decorative canisters that are available:

Important Facts about Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canisters:

Combining both fashion and function, the Clorox Disinfecting Wipes new Décor canisters will make the days of hiding cleaning products under the sink a distant memory.

Clorox Disinfecting Wipes new Décor canisters:

Come in eight unique color palettes to match any home décor
Feature a sleek new shape and wider mouth
Have a new effortless single sheet dispensing system
Has the same disinfecting power of their namesake wipes
Are fashionable enough to be left on the countertop
Available at retailers nationwide this month
Better cleaning in a thick, textured wipe
Low-streak formula for use on shiny surfaces like glass and mirrors
Effective against common bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (Staph.), Salmonella enterica, and E. coli*
Pre-moistened disinfecting wipes that kill 99.9% of germs including viruses that cause colds and flu (Rhinovirus and Influenza A2)*

A Chance for you to win!

Thanks to The Clorox Company, 3 lucky winners (US addresses only) have a chance to win a coupon for their own free Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canister.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Visit the Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canister page and then come back and leave a comment telling me which design you would pick and what room you would put it in.
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1-2 Bonus Entries – Stumble this post and/or my main blog page and leave your Stumble name in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Follow me on Twitter @TheAngelForever and tweet the line below and leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment.
Win your own Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canister from @TheAngelForever http://tinyurl.com/dl9omd
1 Bonus Entry – Add TheAngelForever to your blog roll and leave a separate comment.
3 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the giveaway. Be sure to leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra credit.

To enter, just follow the rules above within the comment section. Be sure that I have an e-mail address that I can contact you for a mailing address once the giveaway is over. All entries must be received by 11:59pm on Tuesday March 31, 2009. I will pick the winners using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, another winner will be selected.

Enjoy and happy cleaning!