You are here: Home / Archives for Kids

Books for Kids- Little Skink’s Tail

November 12, 2009 By

Skink_187In Little Skink’s Tail written by Janet Halfmann and illustrated by Laurie Allen Klein, a little skink is attacked by a crow and in order to get away, snaps off her tail!  Little Skink is happy she got away, but she misses her bright blue tail, so she daydreams of having a tail like the other animals in the forest. None of the tails seem right though, one is too fluffy, another too stinky!  Then, Little Skink gets a surprise…and doesn’t have to daydream anymore.

This book has terrific illustrations and teaches a wonderful lesson about the importance of being happy with who you are.  At 32 pages, it’s recommended for ages 4-8 and is published by Sylvan Dell publishing.  Little Skink’s Tail was chosen as one of the three Best Children’s Books of 2009 by the Mom’s Choice Awards, as well as receiving Gold awards in the Educators’ Choice and Animal Kingdom categories. The book also won the 2009 Teacher’s Choice Award from Learning Magazine and was named Best Picture Book and Best Overall Book for 2008 by the Florida Publishers Association.  Suggested retail price: hardcover- $15.95, paperback $8.95.

Thank you to Sylvan Dell publishing for sending us a copy of Little Skink’s Tail for review!

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: , ,

Terrific Toys for Babies and Kids

May 18, 2009 By

I’m a big fan of toy website Ebeanstalk, because the toys they carry are carefully selected to match each age and stage of development. Ebeanstalk has child experts  that select the best baby toys matched to a baby’s development. To see great information on how a baby grows up, check out the info on their baby toys page.

Picking toys for a baby is not as simple as it sounds. Here are some quick baby facts:

  • Toys for a newborn baby: A newborn baby is briefly looking at objects and attempting to imitate facial expressions. They can follow objects with their eyes and usually quiet down, when they are picked up.
  • Toys for a three month old: They will enjoy ‘frolic play’, reaching for objects and will repeat enjoyable activities. Believe it or not, they will respond to ‘no’ (about half the time) and will start babbling.
  • Toys for a six month old: They’ll search for hidden objects (object permanence). They’ll reach for themselves in the mirror, play peekaboo, crumple paper, roll from their stomach to their back and even respond to their name.
  • Toys for a nine month old: They are pushing toy cars, playing pat-a-cake and looking for hidden sounds. The baby toys they are playing with are also getting more fun.

Don’t need toys for a baby? No problem! Ebeanstalk has toys matched to the developmental ages of children from age 1 to 7, and for your first purchase from the site, here’s a discount code you can use to save 15% off- TGS345

I’ve personally shopped from Ebeanstalk, and I’ve always been happy with the quality of the toys I’ve bought. Take a look at the site for perfect toys for your baby or child!

Filed Under: Website Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Products Moms Will Love

May 14, 2009 By

Moms, I’ve been reviewing products that you can really use!  There are so many that in order to get them all posted, I’m going to do a big review round up for you.  Ready? Here we go!

FOOD:

O Organics is a line of organic foods that was once a private label for Safeway but is now being rolled out to stores around the country.  We sampled airplane graham crackers, freeze dried apple and strawberry bites, strawberry cereal bars, and bite size cheese crackers.  If your a Mom who likes buying organic products, O Organics won’t break your budget, and there’s a wide variety of foods including beverages, dairy products and cereals.  Everything we tried was delicious and I would buy them again.

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter cooking and baking sticks have 50% less saturated fat than butter, 0g trans fats, 0 cholesterol, and are an excellent source of omega-3s. I received a package to sample, and I don’t know how they do it, but I found no difference in performance or taste. I put dabs of it on our cooked veggies at dinner, spread it on toast for the kids, scrambled eggs in it, and even used it to make grilled cheese sandwiches, with no difference that I could taste or see. Don’t eat saturated fat if you don’t need to! You should be able to find these at grocery stores for around $2.99 for four sticks.

CLEANING

Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canisters- I gotta be honest here, I appreciated getting these to review but I wouldn’t buy them again. Unless there was a sale plus a coupon that made them free.  Not because they don’t work, I mean, it’s a wipe with clorox cleaning liquid soaked in, which is the only thing that makes my boys’ bathroom clean on a daily basis.  The problem I have with this is 1., the part that the wipes are supposed to thread through so you can pull out one at a time? Is kinda flimsy and I end up just grabbing and yanking out a bunch at a time. Second,  I’m not going to look at cleaning wipes canisters as a complement to my “decor”. I’m going to keep them in the closet with all the other cleaning products, up on a high shelf where Kaitlyn can’t reach them. Sorry, Clorox!

CLOTHING

PeaceLoveMom sent me a wonderfully soft and comfy baby blue t-shirt that says “Happy Mom” on it with a big smiley face, and a matching ball cap. When they contacted me about the review and I went to the site, I was happy to see that they offer a “Fuller Cut” women’s tee. For, you know, us fuller-figured gals.  At $40, PLM tees are more expensive than ones from Target, BUT they are also made in the USA with 100% cotton and won’t shrink. I love mine!

PERSONAL CARE

Softsoap liquid hand soap has come out with a great idea for keeping at least a little plastic from being thrown away more often, their new Softsoap Ensembles feature refills that you use with the pump from the finished-up bottle of soap. They come in different designs and colors for a little splash of color in your bathroom. I like Softsoap, I buy it anyway, and I like the idea of being able to just take out the pump and put it in a new base.  Great idea!

I’ve got more reviews of products Moms will love coming up in the next post!

Filed Under: Food, House & Home Tagged With: , , , , , ,
« Older Posts