The good folks at Kids Love Spanish and Parentbloggers have teamed up again to offer some of us a chance to review their DVD series that teaches kids to se habla espanol.
I jumped at the chance because we've really been wanting to offer M the opportunity to learn other languages but are realistic to know that as long as we are only speaking English that's all she is going to learn. J jumped on these DVDs when they arrived and he and M settled in front of the TV and lo and behold, M LOVED them. They sat for over an hour watching various DVDs and practicing words. M took to it like ants on sugar - she can now count to 10 in Spanish, say about 10 animal words in Spanish, and can practice the Spanish alphabet (ha, I hadn't even realized all the extra letters until I watched the DVD myself...)
I think the repetitive nature of the DVDs really work - things are repeated again and again which gives the child a chance to say it over and over. And M will sit and talk back to the TV (not that I am necessarily proud of that) repeating azul, caballo, pez, uno, dos, tres...and I think it's pretty cool.
The graphics are pretty low tech and the videos can seem a bit hokey sometimes, but my initial reaction was minimized when I realized exactly how much M was learning. She will say words in Spanish when she's not watching the videos as well which is really amazing given the exposure hasn't been near what her exposure to English has been.
It goes to prove their brains are little sponges and the more we can show them the more they can learn.
Con Mucho Gusto, Compadres.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Friday, August 31, 2007
print your kid
I had the great pleasure of reviewing Print a Kid recently. They create personalized books for children and the good people at Parentbloggers gave me a chance to give it a spin.
The end result is a fantastic, personalized book that your kid will love. And the website is so easy to use. You choose from a selection of books and they walk you through the personalization, from the skin/hair color of your own child to the names of friends and family. M is having a birthday next week so I chose their birthday book and now she has a really cool book memorializing her name with a personal dedication from us, her birthdate, and a story about a party with all of her friends and family in starring roles.
I love this book so much that I keep taking it out after she goes to bed to look at it over and over. I cannot wait to give it to her next week because I know that she will absolutely love a whole book (a real, honest to god book) all about her and her friends. And the illustrations are terrific too. The story is basic, but it's secondary to the fact that it is personal and fun and a really great idea. I have a feeling we'll be reading it over and over.
This is one of the best products I've reviewed so far and I've never had so much fun doing it. If you are looking for a gift for your kid or for someone else's I highly recommend this as a fun and affordable way to go. You can check it out for yourself at the website above and if you do, I'd love to hear what you think.
The end result is a fantastic, personalized book that your kid will love. And the website is so easy to use. You choose from a selection of books and they walk you through the personalization, from the skin/hair color of your own child to the names of friends and family. M is having a birthday next week so I chose their birthday book and now she has a really cool book memorializing her name with a personal dedication from us, her birthdate, and a story about a party with all of her friends and family in starring roles.
I love this book so much that I keep taking it out after she goes to bed to look at it over and over. I cannot wait to give it to her next week because I know that she will absolutely love a whole book (a real, honest to god book) all about her and her friends. And the illustrations are terrific too. The story is basic, but it's secondary to the fact that it is personal and fun and a really great idea. I have a feeling we'll be reading it over and over.
This is one of the best products I've reviewed so far and I've never had so much fun doing it. If you are looking for a gift for your kid or for someone else's I highly recommend this as a fun and affordable way to go. You can check it out for yourself at the website above and if you do, I'd love to hear what you think.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
the wonderful world of words
We all know TV is the devil but it's the devil we know and love, some of us more often than not. We've really taken a hard line lately because if M is watching it I want her to be learning something and not simply running around the house screaming "To The Rescue!" So when I had the chance to check out a preview of a new PBS series called Word World courtesy of the good women at Parentbloggers I jumped at it. I wanted to review it especially because M is really on the verge of putting letters together. She's just starting to realize that letters actually add up to something and that something makes for a bigger something. A way to read. And that my friends spells freedom for her imagination.
So we settled in with some bananas and our DVD. There were two 11 minute shorts and each was a vignette of sorts with a variety of brightly colored characters made out of distorted letters themselves. I tried to see if M would notice the letters in the shapes but she couldn't figure it out. The cartoons themselves were engaging and slightly annoying to me but less so to her. We watched them twice and M seemed to like them well enough but I was hoping for more chances to create words. Each piece had one or maybe two words it actually spelled, and after watching it twice M was able to say which word they were spelling which was pretty cool but not as cool as it would be if there were several words spelled during each show.
But these are just 11 minutes long and I think the show will be in 30 minute segments which will most likely lead to more spelling. All in all it was interesting enough to make me watch an episode when it comes out in September but I'll mostly be watching to see how educational it ends up being. If the shows practice spelling 4-5 words per episode I think it might be something we'd let M watch. Because spelling is where it's at and I'll take it over River, Backpack, Map! or however that non-educational type formatting goes any day of the week.
So we settled in with some bananas and our DVD. There were two 11 minute shorts and each was a vignette of sorts with a variety of brightly colored characters made out of distorted letters themselves. I tried to see if M would notice the letters in the shapes but she couldn't figure it out. The cartoons themselves were engaging and slightly annoying to me but less so to her. We watched them twice and M seemed to like them well enough but I was hoping for more chances to create words. Each piece had one or maybe two words it actually spelled, and after watching it twice M was able to say which word they were spelling which was pretty cool but not as cool as it would be if there were several words spelled during each show.
But these are just 11 minutes long and I think the show will be in 30 minute segments which will most likely lead to more spelling. All in all it was interesting enough to make me watch an episode when it comes out in September but I'll mostly be watching to see how educational it ends up being. If the shows practice spelling 4-5 words per episode I think it might be something we'd let M watch. Because spelling is where it's at and I'll take it over River, Backpack, Map! or however that non-educational type formatting goes any day of the week.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
feed your head
One of the reasons I enjoy participating in Parent Bloggers is because I have the chance to explore books that I'd not otherwise dive into. One such book is the 24 Hour Pharmacist by Suzy Cohen.
At first I was skeptical. Another "self-help" book marketed to help us with our ailments while quietly getting us to buy into their gimmick. How their way is the right way to live and if we just followed that way, we'd all feel a heck of a lot better.
Suzy is different. A pharmacist, sure. But pills aren't always her answer. Instead she challenges her profession and the use and often overuse of prescription medication. Her book covers a wide array of health issues: fatigue, stress, PMS, sexual energy, heart conditions, joint issues and sleep. She offers a fairly objective perspective, when pills might be useful, how supplements, herbs and non traditional treatments might also be a solution. And how overall, our goal should be to listening to our bodies and not looking for a quick solution to fix everything.
Seems obvious, right? But so hard to put into practice. Take for example her chapter on anxiety and stress. I have not known one person to not be anxious or stressed in some fashion (and that alone is alarming if you really think about it) and she begins, as she does in each chapter, to break it down. She offers working definitions for what ails us and then talks about how commonly prescribed drugs might be contributing to the problem instead of the solution. And then she takes it further by talking about how our life choices - the food we eat, how we sleep - can also be contributing to the problem. Then she ends with solutions, natural ones from teas and food and supplements and activities that can help combat anxiety and stress in a more holistic and naturally congruent way than a pill might. And how if we practiced these things regularly, our need for intervention might actually decline.
Because let's face it, pills don't last forever and aren't a solution for every issue but rather something that numbs the effects of the issue itself. Obviously that isn't true for every person or every illness - we all know drugs routinely save lives and cure disease. And her point (in my humble opinion) isn't to discount that but rather it's to elevate our thinking when choosing the course of treatment rather than just going along with the standard solution.
I plan to refer to this book again, especially in terms of preventative measures I can take to make myself healthier. As a (relatively) new mom any sort of preventative caretaking I once did for myself has gone out the window and what a shame that is because it's more critical than ever before that I DO remain healthy and have a long life. I owe that to my daughter and I owe it to myself.
PS. Points to you if you know the song I stole the title from. And more points if you head over to Parent Bloggers, I hear they are giving away a free book over there.
At first I was skeptical. Another "self-help" book marketed to help us with our ailments while quietly getting us to buy into their gimmick. How their way is the right way to live and if we just followed that way, we'd all feel a heck of a lot better.
Suzy is different. A pharmacist, sure. But pills aren't always her answer. Instead she challenges her profession and the use and often overuse of prescription medication. Her book covers a wide array of health issues: fatigue, stress, PMS, sexual energy, heart conditions, joint issues and sleep. She offers a fairly objective perspective, when pills might be useful, how supplements, herbs and non traditional treatments might also be a solution. And how overall, our goal should be to listening to our bodies and not looking for a quick solution to fix everything.
Seems obvious, right? But so hard to put into practice. Take for example her chapter on anxiety and stress. I have not known one person to not be anxious or stressed in some fashion (and that alone is alarming if you really think about it) and she begins, as she does in each chapter, to break it down. She offers working definitions for what ails us and then talks about how commonly prescribed drugs might be contributing to the problem instead of the solution. And then she takes it further by talking about how our life choices - the food we eat, how we sleep - can also be contributing to the problem. Then she ends with solutions, natural ones from teas and food and supplements and activities that can help combat anxiety and stress in a more holistic and naturally congruent way than a pill might. And how if we practiced these things regularly, our need for intervention might actually decline.
Because let's face it, pills don't last forever and aren't a solution for every issue but rather something that numbs the effects of the issue itself. Obviously that isn't true for every person or every illness - we all know drugs routinely save lives and cure disease. And her point (in my humble opinion) isn't to discount that but rather it's to elevate our thinking when choosing the course of treatment rather than just going along with the standard solution.
I plan to refer to this book again, especially in terms of preventative measures I can take to make myself healthier. As a (relatively) new mom any sort of preventative caretaking I once did for myself has gone out the window and what a shame that is because it's more critical than ever before that I DO remain healthy and have a long life. I owe that to my daughter and I owe it to myself.
PS. Points to you if you know the song I stole the title from. And more points if you head over to Parent Bloggers, I hear they are giving away a free book over there.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
the green machine
Both of our cars are over a decade old, and we've kept them because both get relatively good gas mileage and because we are cheap. Lately though, we've been wondering what we'll do when one of them finally takes it's final bow.
So when parent bloggers offered a chance to test drive Saturn's new hybrid, I jumped at the chance. If there is any new car in our future, it has to be a hybrid. We can't stomach it otherwise, the knowledge that we could do our small part in this way is obvious.
And what a car it is. The Saturn Vue Greenline is awesome. It's a hybrid SUV, but on the smallish side, which in my opinion is a very good thing. It doesn't get the gas mileage of a Prius, but it does boast the best mileage of any SUV on the market - 32 miles to the gallon - which might be as good as a smaller car but if you require a larger vehicle to hold a few kids and a dog, you can still do your part for the planet while avoiding a minivan. It's a win-win.
Aside from the gas mileage, what I really liked about the car was how quiet it was. At stoplights the engine would shut off for a period of time (thus saving the planet) and it felt like we were in a library, it was that quiet. It was roomy, comfortable, and practically drove itself. And it's reasonably priced for this sort of car - $23K or so with all the fancy bits.
My family doesn't require a car this big, but if I did, I'd consider this over a gas sucking SUV any day of the week.
So when parent bloggers offered a chance to test drive Saturn's new hybrid, I jumped at the chance. If there is any new car in our future, it has to be a hybrid. We can't stomach it otherwise, the knowledge that we could do our small part in this way is obvious.
And what a car it is. The Saturn Vue Greenline is awesome. It's a hybrid SUV, but on the smallish side, which in my opinion is a very good thing. It doesn't get the gas mileage of a Prius, but it does boast the best mileage of any SUV on the market - 32 miles to the gallon - which might be as good as a smaller car but if you require a larger vehicle to hold a few kids and a dog, you can still do your part for the planet while avoiding a minivan. It's a win-win.
Aside from the gas mileage, what I really liked about the car was how quiet it was. At stoplights the engine would shut off for a period of time (thus saving the planet) and it felt like we were in a library, it was that quiet. It was roomy, comfortable, and practically drove itself. And it's reasonably priced for this sort of car - $23K or so with all the fancy bits.
My family doesn't require a car this big, but if I did, I'd consider this over a gas sucking SUV any day of the week.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The Long Overnight
As anyone with a baby or toddler knows, one of the more frustrating things is the amount of laundry that you have to do. It's a strain on you, and more importantly, the environment...all the washing and drying has an impact on our energy usage, and beyond that, it's just not cool.
I've used Pampers since M was born and felt they've worked well until the last six months or so. Recently she's been soaking through her diaper about 20% of the time, so that 20% means I am washing blankets, sheets and pajamas at an abnormal rate. More so, my poor child is sleeping in some seriously wet ick.
So when I was offered the chance to try Huggies Overnights I jumped at the chance. M took to them immediately; her new diapers with LIONS on them. LIONS! The world was alight with the sounds of a happy child strutting around the room in her new sleepytime diapers and all was well with the world.
The first night was epic. Not only did M wake up with what J termed the biggest load in the history of the world, but she was perfectly dry. I was in love. Huggies and I were a match made in heaven, I was sure of it.
But things went a bit downhill after that. We used the diapers every night for the next two weeks and M soaked through her diaper at least 60% of the time. Each morning it happened I would wake up in anticipation and more than half the time I was crushed. Why was my new love foresaking me? What had I done? Where had it gone wrong? Was it me?
The questions mounted. We tried different strategies; a looser fit one night, a tighter one the next. At one point J put his foot down. No More Huggies. It's not a move he makes often, so I knew it was serious.
Mayhem insued. The LIONS! M was hysterical. She loved her new diapers. She needed her new diapers like a kitten needs milk. The LIONS! But J wouldn't budge. And my washer and dryer were begging for a reprieve.
I was left with no choice. Huggies Overnights and I had to break up. But I've read a number of other reviews and others are having much more success. I think it's safe to say that no one diaper fits all. So don't just take my word for it - be sure to check out all the reviews at Parent Bloggers. I hear if you leave a comment at Parent Bloggers you have a chance at winning a free package and then you can see for yourself.
I've used Pampers since M was born and felt they've worked well until the last six months or so. Recently she's been soaking through her diaper about 20% of the time, so that 20% means I am washing blankets, sheets and pajamas at an abnormal rate. More so, my poor child is sleeping in some seriously wet ick.
So when I was offered the chance to try Huggies Overnights I jumped at the chance. M took to them immediately; her new diapers with LIONS on them. LIONS! The world was alight with the sounds of a happy child strutting around the room in her new sleepytime diapers and all was well with the world.
The first night was epic. Not only did M wake up with what J termed the biggest load in the history of the world, but she was perfectly dry. I was in love. Huggies and I were a match made in heaven, I was sure of it.
But things went a bit downhill after that. We used the diapers every night for the next two weeks and M soaked through her diaper at least 60% of the time. Each morning it happened I would wake up in anticipation and more than half the time I was crushed. Why was my new love foresaking me? What had I done? Where had it gone wrong? Was it me?
The questions mounted. We tried different strategies; a looser fit one night, a tighter one the next. At one point J put his foot down. No More Huggies. It's not a move he makes often, so I knew it was serious.
Mayhem insued. The LIONS! M was hysterical. She loved her new diapers. She needed her new diapers like a kitten needs milk. The LIONS! But J wouldn't budge. And my washer and dryer were begging for a reprieve.
I was left with no choice. Huggies Overnights and I had to break up. But I've read a number of other reviews and others are having much more success. I think it's safe to say that no one diaper fits all. So don't just take my word for it - be sure to check out all the reviews at Parent Bloggers. I hear if you leave a comment at Parent Bloggers you have a chance at winning a free package and then you can see for yourself.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
sleep to dream
I have yet to meet a person who has said they get enough sleep. Or that they are perfectly satisfied with the quality of sleep they get. It's funny, how the lack of sleep affects us all at different times and in different ways.
I just finished reading Good Night by Dr. Micheal Breus. You can also find him here and here for more information about him and his passion for sleep. I am not much of a self-help book girl, but Dr. Breus impressed me with his open and conversational style and pragmatic approach.
And the brother is seriously committed to people getting a good night's sleep.
His book offers several assessments, checklists and questions to help you identify what your barriers to a good night sleep are (mine is worry and an inability to quiet the mind). Yours might be the irregular hours you keep, the lack of sleep ambience, a poor diet or lack of exercise. (ok, mine is probably some of those too). Whatever it is, it's outlined in the book along with a few I'd never thought of.
After exploring the reasons we don't get enough sleep, Dr. Breus then offers a sleep routine; one you can follow and if you do, should assist you with a better night's sleep. There are a variety of good ideas which tackle each sleep inhibiting issue holistically. He's got a four week regime you can follow, easy to maintain and a lot less annoying than a lot of self help books on the market.
But what the good doctor is really talking about is mindfulness. And the benefits of being mindful when caring for one of your most precious resources. If we aren't sleeping, other things will stop working, too.
I am not an insomniac. In fact, after reading the book I realized I get more sleep than I thought. I am grateful for that. But I am also not caring for my body as much as I could. The connections he makes about diet and sleep, about exercise and sleep...none of it is rocket science and yet all of it together makes all the difference.
If sleep is a problem for you, this book may very well help you work it through. One of the things the (rather cute) doctor talks about is quieting your mind before bed. I don't do that. I blog or read or what have you and then expect to fall asleep when my mind is still racing. He suggests giving yourself an hour to do things that are less cerebrally stimulating (hey, that gives me an idea) in order to quiet your mind.
I like that. I tried it. I fell asleep faster after working on it for a few days in a row.
It's a mind-body-spirit deal. We need to feed all of our parts or we'll suffer for it. If you suffer from a lack of sleep, you owe it to yourself to do more than take a pill.
The Sleep Doctor is in.
I just finished reading Good Night by Dr. Micheal Breus. You can also find him here and here for more information about him and his passion for sleep. I am not much of a self-help book girl, but Dr. Breus impressed me with his open and conversational style and pragmatic approach.
And the brother is seriously committed to people getting a good night's sleep.
His book offers several assessments, checklists and questions to help you identify what your barriers to a good night sleep are (mine is worry and an inability to quiet the mind). Yours might be the irregular hours you keep, the lack of sleep ambience, a poor diet or lack of exercise. (ok, mine is probably some of those too). Whatever it is, it's outlined in the book along with a few I'd never thought of.
After exploring the reasons we don't get enough sleep, Dr. Breus then offers a sleep routine; one you can follow and if you do, should assist you with a better night's sleep. There are a variety of good ideas which tackle each sleep inhibiting issue holistically. He's got a four week regime you can follow, easy to maintain and a lot less annoying than a lot of self help books on the market.
But what the good doctor is really talking about is mindfulness. And the benefits of being mindful when caring for one of your most precious resources. If we aren't sleeping, other things will stop working, too.
I am not an insomniac. In fact, after reading the book I realized I get more sleep than I thought. I am grateful for that. But I am also not caring for my body as much as I could. The connections he makes about diet and sleep, about exercise and sleep...none of it is rocket science and yet all of it together makes all the difference.
If sleep is a problem for you, this book may very well help you work it through. One of the things the (rather cute) doctor talks about is quieting your mind before bed. I don't do that. I blog or read or what have you and then expect to fall asleep when my mind is still racing. He suggests giving yourself an hour to do things that are less cerebrally stimulating (hey, that gives me an idea) in order to quiet your mind.
I like that. I tried it. I fell asleep faster after working on it for a few days in a row.
It's a mind-body-spirit deal. We need to feed all of our parts or we'll suffer for it. If you suffer from a lack of sleep, you owe it to yourself to do more than take a pill.
The Sleep Doctor is in.
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