MomReviews

I am SO not having my fantasy birthday today. I was awoken at 6:30 AM when my son knocked on the bedroom door just to tell us that school was cancelled. Then my husband started making phone calls to his carpool buddies and his boss, having turned on the overhead light first. Sheesh!

I then proceeded to make my own coffee and breakfast, and then got a phone call from a friend who works wondering if her son could come here for the day. What was I going to say, no? Oh, and I was supposed to go out for lunch with my Dad and StepMom only thanks to the below-freezing temperatures and icy spots, that got cancelled too. Bitch, whine, complain.

However, I did get a delivery in the mail yesterday-a Senseo coffee machine for a product review! And the DVD I bought myself with money I earned from doing other reviews came from Amazon-the “Lost” Season One Box set! Plus the birthday comments are rolling in over on Table for Five, and I’m hoping to make a Texas Sheet Cake this afternoon (yes, I’m making my own Birthday cake, but still, CAKE).

So it’s not a fantasy birthday, but I’ve made it to year 41 of life, I have a great family, a house and a car and food on the table, and CAKE. Life is pretty good

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I’ve already bought Kaitlyn all of her Christmas presents, and believe me, she is going to flip out when she sees her “My First Dollhouse” and her “Musical Tea Set” and the Twin Babies baby dolls.

But look what I saw advertised on Nick Jr. today!

Stuffed WonderPets toys! And she LOVES Ming Ming! When she watches WonderPets, she sits on the couch giggling and shaking her head, saying “oh, Ming Ming”. It is so cute!

But my husband is a believer in the Less is More theory when it comes to Christmas presents, and I know he wouldn’t be happy if I bought this for her. My Dad has already bought her a present (another item she will flip out about), maybe her other Grandpa will give her some cash or something that I can use to buy it.

Wouldn’t it look adorable peeking out over the top of her Christmas Stocking though? I want it! Sigh.

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If your kids play video games, you might have noticed that the game box, and the screen before the game loads, display a rating such as “E” for everyone, “T” for teen, “M” for mature. Those ratings are developed by the ESRB, which stands for Entertainment Software Rating Board. The ESRB is a non-profit, self-regulatory organization that independently assigns ratings to video games.

I read through the page on the entire process that the ESRB goes through before assigning a rating, and it’s quite comprehensive. The game publishers have to submit answers to a detailed questionaire, provide a videotape or DVD showing all pertinent content, and then submit a beta version of the game for the ESRB’s testers to play. They then suggest a rating, and the publisher can make changes to the game if necessary to affect the rating. If your kids do play video games, click this link to read about how the ratings process works, it’s pretty interesting.

Now, to be honest, my husband and I let our kids play violent video games. I think Nathan was 7 and Ryan 9 when we first got our Xbox and they started playing Halo with their Dad. It was a personal decision that we made based on knowing what our boys were able to handle in terms of violence and strong language. We were careful to make sure they understood that what they were seeing on the screen was not real, and that they should never, ever imitate or repeat what they did in a game. We watched carefully for signs of increased aggression, and when we didn’t see any changes in how they behaved when they weren’t playing the game, we allowed it to continue.

But that does not mean that Halo and other games like it are appropriate for all children. The ESRB has a parent resource page that has links to sites that provide information about “family friendly” video games, websites that show screenshots and post reviews, information on parental control settings for videogame consoles, tips on online safety, and more. If your kids are asking for video games for Christmas, please check the ESRB Parent Resource page if you have any concerns about the appropriateness of the game. I want everyone to have a fun and safe Christmas!

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Traditional dental insurance often involves filling out claim forms, paying costly deductibles, and restrictions on covered services. Another option is to look into discount dental plans, which offer you discounts on many dental services in exchange for paying a yearly fee. I was shocked when I put in my zip code to get a list of discount dental plans in my area and saw the Sample Charges chart. A routine check-up that would cost $40 is only $21 with Aetna Dental Access, four bitewing x-rays are $57 instead of $104, and Adult teeth cleaning is discounted from $75 to $38! The yearly Family plan fee for this discount dental plan? $149.95 FOR THE YEAR.

If you’ve been putting off going to the dentist because you don’t have insurance, or because your deductibles are too high, consider buying a discount dental plan instead. DentalPlans.com is an industry leader bringing individuals, families and groups affordable and comprehensive discount dental plans. They are partnered with more than 30 regional and national discount plans and more than 100,000 providers in combined networks. Visit their website, and DentalPlans.com will guide you through searching for available plans and dental providers in your area, as well as show you savings on other discount plans for vision, pharmacy, and chiropractic plans as well. You will get significant savings over the costs of a traditional dental plan by purchasing a discount dental plan instead.

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One thing that many women forget to plan for when they are having a baby is what they are going to wear after the baby is born, especially if they plan to breastfeed. It is possible to wear stylish, hip, even sexy clothing that also allows for easy nursing, and one site that sells just that kind of clothing is NursingPJs.com.

Sure, the maternity ward at the hospital will provide the new mother with a nursing gown, but they are UGLY. A great gift for an expectant mother would be a pretty set of nursing pajamas to take to the hospital. It’s so much nicer to be in your own clothes, instead of a huge flowered hospital gown. NursingPJs.com sells a pretty gown called The Rebecca Nursing Nightgown which comes in three different colors and five different sizes. It looks nice, too. Check out NursingPJs.com for other stylish yet functional nursing clothing for expecting and new mothers.

additional info: With a flight tracker, you can easily track an incoming or departing flight. Inquire about cheap flights through your airlines. To reduce the cost of your trip even more, search for 5 star discount hotels. If you’re looking for a creative baby shower idea, plan a party at the finest miami resorts. The best gifts would be great vacation deals that include cheap car rental.

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