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September 17, 2008
Horizon Organic Milk
If you pack your child’s lunch, then you know that it’s next to impossible to pack milk. It’s either a juice box or they have to stand in line to buy milk. Now there’s a solution.
Horizon Organic milk offers single serving sizes, complete with a straw, just like juice boxes. They also come in a variety of flavors including vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and original. The best part about them is that they are shelf stable. You can feel confident sending one of these great flavors along with your kids to school and that they’ll have a healthy drink with their lunch.
Although I wasn’t able to taste all of the flavors (because the girls beat me to it), I must say that the vanilla one I tasted was pretty fantastic. Think vanilla milkshake but healthier.
The Horizon Organic company has a great website where you can view all of their products and even organic recipes that sound fantastic.
Because it’s about time that someone made a shelf stable milk drink that’s packed lunch friendly, BBM gives Horizon Organic milk. . .
September 15, 2008
Noodleboro Learning to Listen Pizza Palace Game
My son has a habit of answering me when he’s not really listening. He somehow hears what I ask, answers one of the options I have provided, then promptly freaks out when I hand him the milk he said he wanted, or the tortilla chips, or the shoes, etc. I kind of thought this behavior wouldn’t start occurring until he was at least an adolescent. Not so.
Hasbro has created series of games set to address the listening issue, as well as other issues that challenge children. Thank you!!!! The Learning to Listen Pizza Palace game is a blast! My son was excited to sort out the pieces and begin playing. The game includes the parts of the game, as well as a book and a CD to enhance play. My son loved the pizza boxes and silly toppings. While he did stray a bit from the directions (instead of placing the pizza order, we had a full-blown delivery service), he followed the concept of listening in order to get the correct pizza toppings on the pizza. I thought it was exciting to see where his imagination went after starting to play the game. And frankly, I didn’t think he was listening to my pizza order, but he was and did a great job baking my pizza and delivering it in 30 minutes or less!
There are two other versions of the games…Learning to Share and Learning About Manners. This game was such a hit in our house, I will definitely be seeking out the Learning about Manners game. Boy do we need help with that! You can actually enter to win one of 200 games that Hasbro is giving away. And if you don’t win it there, you can get this game in stores already.
Add this game to your holiday shopping list! I give this game a:
September 8, 2008
Responsibility Project
As a teacher, I have always struggled to get kids to see how their actions directly affect others. I also run a service program at our school where this concept is even more important. Now as a parent, I struggle with how to teach my child responsibility, being a good citizen, and working for the greater good. That’s a lot for a little guy to understand!
The folks over at MomCentral hooked me up with some info about the Responsibility Project from Liberty Mutual. Grab your kids and head on over to The Responsibility Project. Once there, you will find short films for all age groups (although my four year old lost interest quickly), resources to help guide conversations with your kids, and a blog that brings up pertinent issues we deal with each day as parents. The films are especially fun, and although this is aimed at school-age children, I personally think that "Hot Seat" film should be a part of corporate training!
Kudos to Liberty Mutual for a creative way to encourage those difficult to navigate conversations with our children. I will be handing out this info to my parents at "Meet the Teacher Night" at my school. For a great community service, I give The Responsibility Project a:
September 7, 2008
25th Anniversary Cabbage Patch Kids
Alyssa Aileen.
Ruby Anne.
Noah Carter.
What do these names have in common? They are the names of my Cabbage Patch kids. The first one was the most difficult for my Mom to obtain. She knew it was going to be rough but she happened to walk into a store as the right time and was able to snag one for me and one for my sister, many years ago.
We adored those dolls. We took them everywhere with us. Then came Ruby and finally Noah, a preemie Kid. I played with them non-stop and now my kids do.
Big I got one the year Lil C was born. Then came one just for Lil C.
Ollie is a 25th Anniversary Cabbage Patch doll and he is exactly as they were 25 years ago. These dolls will be available for a limited time only. They come complete with a silver spoon, a birth certificate and each doll is exactly the same as one made 25 years ago. And they are fabulous. For more information, go here.
Because he is adorable and has the softest fuzziest head of hair I have ever seen, BBM gives the 25th Anniversary Cabbage Patch kids. . .
September 1, 2008
Cabbage Patch Kids
As a child, while I will not say I was spoiled, I will say that I rarely wanted for anything. My parents had an interesting philosophy on spend money and allowances-my sister and I received no allowance. My parents believed that paying a child to do what they were supposed to be doing anyways was ludicrous. They gave us spend money when we needed it and always within reason. We had enough toys to play with, lots of books, and tons of love. HOWEVER, (you knew there was a ‘however’ coming, didn’t you?) I do have one memory of a desired toy that I did not receive.
Back in 1983, when I was a mere 11 years old, people were fist-fighting over the newest toy craze-The Cabbage Patch Kid doll. I wanted one. With a burning desire, I wanted my own little adopted doll with those adorable dimples, cute names, and lovable bodies. I WANTED ONE!!!! I begged and pleaded and bargained, but my parents, ever practical, refused to stand in long-lines or fight for a doll. They just wouldn’t do it. And so, I played (very begrudgingly, mind you) with a homemade knock-off. Harrumph!
Well, bitter memories aside, I am a proud, new owner of a 25th (gulp!!!) Anniversary Cabbage Patch Kid. It only took 25 years, but I got one! pthhhhhh! (That would be me sticking my tongue out at my parents in a very mature and un-spoiled way…) You, too, can have your own original Cabbage Patch Kid again (or like me for the first time) made from the original molds and using the exact same materials and bearing the same faces, clothing and names as the originals. These kiddos are hitting store shelves for a limited time. You might want to get one soon, though, to avoid the holiday rush! These special kids have a special signature from Xavier Roberts, a silver anniversary baby spoon, a commemorative silver-stamped 25th Anniversary Birth Certificate and adoption papers-all this for $29.99.
You can post your own Cabbage Patch Kid memory on www.cabbagepatchkids25.com . For giving me a memory 25 years in the making, I give the Limited Edition 25th Anniversary Cabbage Patch Kids a:
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