What's Better Than Dancing Puppets?*

*Mira would tell you that NOTHING is better than dancing puppets.

Most of you already know that I'm a bad parent who lets her children watch TV. Mira, suffering from second child syndrome, is very familiar with all of the offerings of the TV at only 16 months. Once Cordy was in school, we tried showing her only videos made for her age group, like Baby Einstein, but she had already sampled the older kids shows and while she loves puppets, those puppets moved too slow for her.

When I received the My Baby A to Z - Come Explore Shapes With Me DVD from Parent Bloggers, I worried it would be just as slow and she would have no interest in it. The puppets on the cover looked cute, though, and everything deserves a chance, so we put it in one morning when Cordy was at school to try it out. Cordy is a little smarty pants who already knows all of her shapes, so I decided Mira would be the only test subject.

Mira's attention was immediately captured with the dancing puppets on the title screen. As it started playing, she climbed onto my lap and continued to stare at the screen. The DVD features two puppets who serve as hosts as they explore different kinds of shapes with the audience. It's not too fast or slow paced, but just right to keep toddlers engaged and following along. There are plenty of opportunities to interact with the video, too: the puppets go out into the world and explore to find shapes, asking the children to find the shape, and sometimes asking the children to move their bodies to mimic certain shapes, like the roundness of a circle or the angular nature of a triangle.

Other puppets also join in to help demonstrate the shapes, as well as occasional clips of computerized stick figures creating shapes and playing with them. Mira loved all of the puppets, but she was especially fond of the two primary ones.

My favorite part has to be the occasional moments when the puppets announce "It's time to move!" and then groove to the music. It's a reminder for kids to get up and move instead of sitting passively watching TV. All I can think when they say this is "STOP...Hammer Time!" and I'll confess I'm saying that every time to get Mira to dance along. I love the random dance party segments, and think more videos for children could benefit from move 'n groove time.

Cordy, who is 4 years old, did see the DVD a few times, and she thought the puppets were cute. But as expected, she already knew all the shapes and was pointing them out before the puppets. Like I said - smarty pants. They recommend the DVD for ages 2-5, but a 4 or 5 year old might be beyond the subject matter.

Mira is just at the age where she can learn the subject matter, so this video is perfect for her. She's just beginning to notice different shapes, and My Baby A to Z - Come Explore Shapes With Me helps reinforce what I'm already teaching her. I'd recommend this DVD to anyone with children as young as 15 months. And for adults, I can report that I've seen this several times, and I'm not sick of it yet - a very important measure of a DVD for children.

Win a copy! I've got an extra copy of My Baby A to Z - Come Explore Shapes With Me to give away to one reader. To enter, leave a comment below by the end of the day on October 27, telling me your favorite puppet or muppet from your childhood. (Mine has to be Animal from the Muppets.) One winner will be chosen at random on October 28. Make sure I have a way to contact you if you win. And if you want more chances to win, check out Parent Bloggers - they're giving away 20 more as well!

Revisiting The Potty Struggle

It's been a full two years since we first tried to introduce the idea of using a potty to Cordy. We've tried nearly every technique to get her to use the potty, and while she will use it and stay dry at school now, she still resists at home and won't do it at all on the weekend.

I was offered the chance to review the old favorite Once Upon A Potty from Parent Bloggers, and decided that it was worth a try. The book has been around for years, and I think nearly everyone has heard of it, but we still didn't have it.

The book is actually two books - one designed for a boy, and one designed for a girl. The girl book follows the story of Prudence, as told by her mother. It tells of how Prudence has always used diapers since she was a baby, but now she's been given a potty to use and at first is very confused. But with a lot of patience and a lot of sitting, she eventually figures it out.

I really like that the book begins with a very brief and age-appropriate anatomy lesson of where each bodily excrement comes from. It was also nice to see that Prudence was allowed to play with the potty at first while she tried to figure out what it was, even wearing it as a hat in one picture. The images are simple but clear and get the point across easily.

Cordy enjoyed reading the book, listening all the way through and then asking to read it again over and over. She especially loved the part where Prudence sat and sat and sat...she giggled and repeated it with me as we read an entire page of "sat and sat..." And she showed a lot of understanding about where everything comes from.

She didn't recognize the potty in the picture at first, insisting that it wasn't a potty and it didn't look anything like her potty. The potty in the story is a little old-fashioned looking - it looks more like a Victorian chamber pot than the plastic potty you might find in a store. I also changed the words a little when reading it to her - the book refers to Wee-Wee and Poo-Poo, but I preferred to call them pee and poop, since those are the words we use.

Has the book helped at all with her potty training? While I'd love to report she's completely potty trained, that still isn't the case. But it has shown her that sometimes she has to sit for a while before anything happens, and she'll now give it a minute or two before declaring she's done and asking to leave the bathroom. And more importantly, her little sister Mira has been following along as well, and now follows me into the bathroom to sit on the potty (fully-clothed, but still) every chance she gets. I think Mira might be potty trained faster than Cordy.

The book also comes with a CD, including the Joshua and Prudence Theme song, The Potty Song, and a read-along of the book. The songs are very jazzy in nature - not bad at all, but Cordy also wasn't very interested. She did like the read-along, though.

There's a reason Once Upon A Potty is one of the most read potty books over the years - it's clear in message, it explains the process without pressure, and it helps make the idea of the potty less frightening.

Want to win one? If you have a boy, or know someone with a boy of potty training age, leave a comment below to win the boy version of this book and CD. One winner will be selected at random after Friday, October 24.

Trying to Green Up My House

You may have noticed the new little icon in my left sidebar. I'm currently participating in the Green Works 30 Days to Natural experiment. In the past few years I've been wanting to make better choices for our family that helped us live healthier and protected the environment.

For this challenge, I'm trying out the Clorox Green Works line of cleaners, all made with biodegradable ingredients and free of phosphorus, bleach, and other toxic chemicals. None of the products are tested on animals, also. I'm replacing the remaining harsh cleaners we had with Green Works products to see if they clean just as well as the old products. I've already been using them, and so far I can tell you that I'm liking what I'm seeing. (And smelling!) Reviews will be coming soon.

The 30 Days to Natural website encourages you to sign up for an account, and in return provides you with a wealth of tips to live in a healthier, more environmentally-friendly way. You can have daily tips e-mailed to you or sent to your cell phone. And you can watch videos from three moms who are vlogging their 30 day transformation to a greener household.

It's been fun so far, and several of the daily tips have been useful and reminded me that it doesn't take a lot of effort to make eco-friendly choices.

Win A Lands' End Fleece Pullover!

*Contest has ended. Congrats to the lucky winner, Firemom!

Cold weather will be here in a matter of weeks, so if you haven't started pulling out your winter gear, you might want to think about it. I'm going to have to buy some new winter gear this year because I've lost some weight since last winter's postpartum blahs.

If you're looking for some new winter gear, too, why not start with winning a pullover? I'm giving away a Lands' End Women's ThermaCheck 100 Half-Zip Pullover to one lucky reader this week. These pullovers are made from a special fleece that is not only very soft, but the only permanent antistatic fleece out there. That's right - no shocking someone just by walking across the room, and no looking like a lint trap after a week or two. It's also incredibly lightweight, making it perfect for layering in the winter.

To enter the contest, visit Lands' End and decide what color you like best, then leave a comment on this post telling me which color is your favorite no later than Monday, October 20 at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random (random.org) after Oct. 20.

And if you're in the mood to shop, be sure to take advantage of free basic UPS shipping at Lands' End now through October 20. (My advice? Check out their shoes. The Chalet Shoes look so cozy, and they're on sale, too.)

Free Shipping Code: OUTERWEAR
PIN: 1013

Good luck!

Lands' End Contest & Free Shipping Code!

Did you ever wish you could get all your family together - you, the kids, maybe the grandparents, too - and all go on vacation together? (OK, I also wish I could go on vacation without all of them, too, but that's beside the point.) With the economy tanking right now, vacation money is hard to come by, but you could always try to win your vacation.

Lands' End's Great Get Togethers contest is running through noon, October 30, 2008 for an all-expense paid vacation to The Resort at Paws Up in Montana.

The grand prize is 7 nights of fun at the resort for up to 12 members of your family. This includes not only the resort stay, but also airfare, meals, four half-day wilderness adventures, and a set of Lands' End Windfall outerwear for each family member. I've never been snowmobiling, but I'd be willing to learn for a vacation like that!

Second and third place winners get a Lands' End clothing package, also for up to 12 family members.

To enter, visit Lands' End and fill out the Great Get Togethers contest entry form, including a 300 word essay about your most memorable family get together. Winners will be chosen after October 31, 2008.

And if you're starting your winter outerwear shopping like me, you should take a look at Lands' End this week for some great sales and free shipping. Using the code below at checkout, get free standard UPS shipping on any order from now until October 20!

Code: OUTERWEAR
PIN: 1013

A Review For The Bedroom

Let's begin by asking all members of my immediate (and not so immediate) family to please click away at this point. Trust me, you don't want to read a review that discusses my sex life. Those who also really don't want to read about sex might want to click away to a happier place for you, too.

OK, just the rest of us now? Good.

We may not talk about it as much as we did when we were wild and childless, but moms do have sex, too. While the public would prefer to place moms in the holy Madonna category of women, the truth is that we're just as sexual as our childless friends. Well, maybe we're more tired and as a result we don't have sex as much as we did, but when we do we want it to be good. I'm not saying that things are boring between my husband and I, but we're both open to trying new things to keep it from ever becoming boring.

I was invited by a fellow mom blogger to try out a product from Eden Fantasys, and encouraged to not let modesty hold me back. So I decided to go for it, asked my husband to help me pick something, and selected the Abelio vibrator.

The first thing I was impressed with was how discreet the packaging was when it arrived. A plain box, with no identifiable information about where it was from. I actually had no idea what the package was until I opened it.

The Abelio is a great looking vibrator. If I have a toy that will be used solo as well as with my husband, I want it to not look so realistic, if you know what I mean. This vibe looks so nice you could have it standing on the table in broad daylight and mistake it for some modern art piece. There is no large dial at the bottom, either - to turn it on, push the base and hold for a couple of seconds. To switch between different vibrations, just tap the base again.

Pros: It has several settings, ensuring you'll find just the right one for you. It's also made of medical grade, velvety-soft silicone, making it one of the safest toys available (no PVC, or jelly-like material that can harbor bacteria and be hard to clean). It's not waterproof, but it is water resistant so it can be used in the shower. Vibrations are strong but not numbing or jarring. It also makes a quiet humming noise, enough to hear in the room but not behind a door.

Cons: While it can be used internally or externally, I found only a couple of the different vibration settings were strong enough for external use. It's also really easy to tap the base when using it, which switches the setting it's on.

Overall, the Abelio is a really nice toy to add a little spice to our sex life, and we're very happy with it. I'm also pleased with Eden Fantasys. The site is easy to navigate, there are reviews of many of the products to help you decide, and if you're still having trouble, there is a forum where you can ask questions without fear of sounding weird. If we should look into any new bedroom toys in the future (likely), I think this will likely be the first place we look.

Cordy & Daddy's Egg-cellent Cooking Adventure

Did you know that Oct. 10 is World Egg Day? I didn't either, until Parent Bloggers asked me if I would like to help celebrate by making a recipe that features eggs and preferably has a world theme to it. The Egg Board is trying to get the message out about World Egg Day by featuring egg recipes from around the world.

This of course, was a challenge for me. First, I'm a lousy cook. Second, I'm the only one in my family who eats eggs. Cordy and Mira have both tried eggs and turned their noses up at them. I had to find something that used eggs but didn't look like eggs, and it had to be simple enough that Cordy could help and I wouldn't burn the house down.

So what did we make? French toast! OK, so it's not exactly international, but hey, we even printed out a French flag for inspiration. That counts for something, right?

The one problem with the traditional french toast recipe is that it contains cinnamon, which Cordy is allergic to. So we used Jenna's cinnamon-free french toast recipe for this experiment.

Here are the ingredients:

Wine in the background not an ingredient, yet as many parents know, always necessary...

2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 tbsp brown sugar, slices of bread, and a generous sprinkling of nutmeg

Step 1: Put eggs and milk into a bowl and beat. Or stir, if you want it to take forever. Cordy preferred to stir, so we had to help her.

She loved stirring. (And see the French flag on the stove?)

Step 2: Add vanilla, brown sugar and nutmeg and stir. This can take less than a minute, or a full 5 minutes if you have a child who loves to stir.

Stir the vanilla in...

Add in brown sugar (Mira's only task in this process)...

Stir some more...

Add in nutmeg, and then - you guessed it - stir some more!

Step 3: Now comes the fun part. Heat up your griddle, or in our case, use a frying pan with the burner set at medium high heat and a spoonful of butter added. Dip the bread, covering both sides in the mixture quickly, and place in the frying pan or griddle until both sides are lightly brown.

If your child is in charge of dipping, keep a close eye on her to keep her from dipping it too early. One piece of french toast turned out a little squishy due to being drowned in the mixture when left in for over a minute.

Dipping is tough when you have sensory integration disorder, but she was very brave. She even got her fingers into the mixture a few times and didn't get upset.

Aaron does the cooking to ensure this remains a safe experiment

Here's our dipping process in action:



Step 4: Add powdered sugar and syrup.


Step 5: Eat! Yum!

And now the moment of truth: will she eat it?

Thumbs up!

We had a lot of fun making french toast, and Cordy got to try a new breakfast food that has a lot more protein than a waffle, thanks to the eggs and milk. And now that they've had eggs in this form, maybe we can move up to scrambled eggs soon.

If you like eggs, go find a new egg recipe to make for your family for World Egg Day on October 10. The Egg Board has several recipes available that look delicious. Who knows, you might just find a new meal for your picky child, too.

Party Supplies and A Chat With Elmo

Right before Cordy's birthday party, I was contacted by the Solo Cup Company, asking if we would like to try out their new line of Sesame Street cups, bowls and plates. Specifically, I was asked if I had an upcoming party that needed supplies. I replied that Cordy was having a birthday party that weekend, and we didn't have any supplies yet. Candace then overnighted me a box of cups and bowls to use for the party.

The kids loved the cups and bowls! We used the bowls to serve ice cream and cake, meaning less was scooped off plates onto the floor or small laps. I liked that they were strong bowls and the cups held up all day long, despite several refills with ice. The cups also came with tops and straws to minimize spills. At the end of the party, we had a large bag for people to throw all of the paper products into for recycling, making clean-up a piece of...well...cake. The Sesame Street paper bowls and cups were perfect for the party.

Also, right now Solo is putting a toll-free number on each package of Sesame Street party products. Dialing that number will put your child in contact with Elmo, which if your kid likes Elmo will make you officially Coolest Mom of the Year. Sure, it's a recorded message, but will your child care? Probably not. The Solo Sesame Street website also has activities to print off, including recipes and coloring pages.

We Start Our Gamers Young Here

Cordy loves watching TV, but for the most part it is a passive activity. She's never been one to talk back to the TV, even if the characters on Blue's Clues were prompting her for an answer. TV is for watching, and nothing else.

My husband, however, loves to play video games. At first Cordy protested, but when he bought Lego Indiana Jones, she became interested. She loved to watch him play "Cowboys in the Jungle" (her name for it), but the game is far too complex for her to play along with. And there's no way we'll let her near our Wii - too many stories of preschoolers throwing Wiimotes through TVs.

At BlogHer this year, I had the chance to see the new V-Motion Active Learning System from VTech, and I fell in love with it. When PBN then told me they were looking for reviewers, I practically climbed into their laps and begged. I've been wanting to try a game system for Cordy, but wasn't sure if she would ever like it. I didn't want to spend $40+ for something that may be completely ignored by my fickle child.

The V-Motion is the newest game system from VTech. It's designed for children 3-7 years old, with games that are simple, fun, and designed to teach children while they play. The controller is far more simple than a Playstation controller: one big button and a joystick control most of the action, with four smaller colored buttons that are used less often. What's unique about this system is the gyroscope in the wireless controller that lets you direct the action simply by moving the controller side to side or back and forth or up and down. It's like a Wii for the preschool set.

While I was totally sold on the idea, I wondered if the actual play would live up to the hype. I set it up quickly by plugging it into the TV, and popped in the Action Mania Smartridge that came with the system. The game is a series of different games, like driving a car, sledding down a hill, playing tennis, and backyard games such as sorting different colored balls. (It reminds me a lot of Wii Sports.) Your child has the choice of using the joystick and button combo to play the game, or using the motion sensor to play.

At first Cordy didn't understand how to use the controller. She kept pushing the joystick to one side, or turning the controller sideways and not moving it. I stepped in and tried to show her, which just made her mad. At the end of our first attempt, I was the one racing the car while Cordy stomped away, asking to watch Super Why again.

But later she was asking to try the game again, and she did a little better with it. I wondered if maybe she wasn't that interested in the game itself (she's more likely to play something if it features a character she recognizes), so I bought her an early birthday gift of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse game for the V-Motion. We ended up doing the entire adventure game together, and this time we made it all the way to the end without anyone stomping off in frustration. (Actually, there is nothing quite as funny as watching your kid dance around and twist her entire body to turn the controller right and left. Hil-arious!) I had to help her with some parts of it, but she really had a lot of fun, and cried when I told her it was time to stop.

She loves her game system now, and asks to play it every day. I still have to be right with her, helping her through each challenge, but she is only three years old, which is the bottom of the age range for this system. I think as she gets older she'll be able to play the games without my help. And actually, I think it's been good for both of us to work together as she learns the fine motor skills needed to use the controller. Playing games with the V-Motion is not too different from some of the therapy exercises she does with her OT.

I only have two complaints with the V-Motion. First, the AC power cord is not included, and has to be purchased separately for an additional $10 if you don't want to run through your entire supply of batteries to keep it powered up. And second, while I like that each game gives you a choice of using the joystick or the motion sensor, I wish it didn't ask right before each new mini-game or puzzle. It was hard for Cordy to know how to select the right one, and often she'd be trying to turn the controller side to side when the joystick mode had been selected. Choosing your option once when the game begins and sticking with it would be enough, I think.

As for features that I like: I think the controller is awesome. It's wireless and the motion sensor is very sensitive and accurate. The system also supports game cartridges (Smartridges) from all the regular V-Smile games, giving you more options to choose from. (Note that only games designed for the V-Motion can use the motion sensor function.) The games are fun, age appropriate, and teach colors, shapes, numbers, letters and more. Also included is the V.Link device. I haven't used it yet, but it's essentially a flash drive you plug into the game system that tracks your child's progress on games. You can then plug it into your computer to play games online at VTech and your child can compare scores against others who have been online.

Overall, I'm giving the V-Motion Active Learning System by VTech a big thumbs up. We've been toying with the idea of getting an early learning game system for over a year now, and I think this is the perfect system for Cordy. We've bought one game so far, and I know it won't be the last, either. There are a wide range of characters in the games, including Disney characters, Thomas the Tank Engine, and Dora. Each game incorporates learning with game play, so that I don't feel like game time is mindless fun time. And anything that can give Noggin a run for entertaining and educating my daughter at the same time is welcome in my home.

Find more reviews of the V-Motion at the Parent Bloggers Network blog.

Help For Everyday Toddler Battles

I go through battles with my three year old on a daily basis. It used to be far worse, when I didn't understand where this rebellion over every minor detail came from. I mean, does it really matter that much if I hand over her snack before her juice?

The hardest part of the day for us is morning, when Cordy wants nothing to do with getting ready for school. Despite loving school, every day begins with, "I don't want to go to school!" She drags through each task of the morning, unwilling to move at anything faster than a slug's pace.

It's because of this that the books Ready for the Day and Ready for Bed are now regular reads at our house. These books from the ParentSmart/KidHappy series feature tales of getting through these two difficult transitions at the beginning and end of the day. They're like a lesson for both me and Cordy in parent/child relationships.

Ready for the Day tells the story of a little girl who at first is resistant to getting ready for school. But her dad uses several different techniques to encourage her to get ready, and as a reward they have time to play before going to school. Dad gives her choices when getting ready, like asking which of two outfits she wants to wear. He also expresses understanding of how she feels, and points out when she uses her manners or otherwise behaves appropriately.

I can vouch for the technique of providing choices. Once I learned how to do this, it cut our battles down by half. Given a choice between two things or activities, Cordy feels in control and it often disarms her stubbornness. I just have to be careful not to give her too many choices, or she feels overwhelmed.

In Ready for Bed, a mother and her son go through all of the bedtime activities. The boy is grumpy and doesn't want to comply, but his mom makes it fun by doing many of the same techniques in the other book. She offers him a choice of which PJs he wants to wear, sympathizes when he doesn't want to get out of the bath, and encourages him when he remembers his manners. Bedtime ends up being fun, without tantrums and resistance.

The illustrations in these two books are beautiful and lively. The action is drawn well and the characters' feelings can easily be determined by looking at their faces. I'm also glad to see diversity in these books, both in ethnicity and including a dad in one book. I haven't seen many picture books that feature a dad in a primary care role.

Cordy really enjoys both books, too. She celebrates each accomplishment along with the young characters, and when a choice comes up in the story, she tries to make the choice as well. I think that seeing the positive interactions modeled by the parent and child in each book has made her think more about her own actions. The dialogue does seem a little forced at times, but otherwise it flows naturally and could be words spoken by a parent and child. It's been a good refresher for me, too - I'm consciously trying to offer more choices and encourage her when she does good things, rather than focus on the negative.

These books also provide a script for how early morning and bedtime should run, and can provide a sense of security for a child. I often remind Cordy of the little girl in the story, asking her, "What did she do next to get ready for school?" It's helping her remember which tasks need to be accomplished each morning.

Thanks to Parent Bloggers Network for this review - you can read more reviews of Ready for the Day and Ready for Bed at their blog!

Ju-Ju-Be Winner!

Thanks to all who entered the Ju-Ju-Be diaper bag giveaway!

Random.org determined that the winner is:



Wisconsin Mommy!

Stay tuned, more giveaways will be coming soon!

A Printer For Any School, Work, or Home Project

With the beginning of the new school year, I knew I needed a new printer. My old printer, an HP all-in-one, has been a reliable printer for over 4 years, and still works fairly well despite heavy use and abuse.

But my desktop computer has reached a point where it needs to be retired, and my printer is connected to that computer - a computer that no longer has access to the internet. Printing required us to load anything from our laptops to a flash drive, then upload it to the old desktop and print. I wanted an easier system, I wanted to get rid of the desktop, and I also wanted to print photos. I needed something new.

So when HP e-mailed me to tell me about their new products for fall, I immediately told them I needed a new printer. Originally I asked about the Officejet J4680, but my friends at HP asked me to try a similar printer to suit my needs. Less than a week later, I opened the box of my new HP Photosmart C7280 printer. This is an all-in-one printer that offers printing, scanning, copying, faxing, and photo printing. It has one other important feature, though: it can connect over a wireless network. I immediately set it up and decided to put it through a tough test.

Set-up was fairly simple (aside from network set-up - mentioned later), with a small color graphics display that guides you through most of the process. It does most of the work on its own. There are 6 ink cartridges for this printer that produce brilliant colors. The software was also just as easy to install.

The big question: can it print well? Yes! I can now print from my laptop in a different room from my printer, without the use of a flash drive. The HP Photosmart C7280 prints quickly, quietly, and brilliantly clear and colorful. The on-screen menus are intuitive and easy to use. It also has some added features, like built in templates for lined or graph paper, should you need some for school projects. (That will be extremely useful for my statistics class next quarter.)

On the top of the printer is a document feeder that lets you scan or copy more than one page without needing to manually switch out pages. Scanned images can be saved to a flash drive or saved to a computer on your personal network. Ports on the front of the printer can accept most memory cards (including the SD card from my digital camera) and USB flash drives.

The paper tray holds up to 100 sheets of paper, plus there is a smaller tray built in that holds up to 20 sheets of photo paper (4x6 or 5x7). Photo printing produces very good results - not as good as some photo labs, but still perfectly acceptable for framing or giving to grandparents. I'll continue to play with the photo settings to see if I can get the look I want.

The networking feature is by far the feature that thrilled me the most. With this printer, you can connect to your computer via a USB cable, an ethernet cable, or wirelessly using a wireless router and home network. The printer's network card can find and access your wireless network - you can enter your security code using the LCD panel to connect through any wireless security.

I had only one small problem with this printer, and it also involved the network. At first I had to deal with my computer constantly losing the printer in the network, even though it was visible on another computer. I solved this problem by not only adding the printer to my computer using the supplied HP software, but also by using the Add a Printer wizard from Windows XP and adding the printer's IP address. I haven't had any problems with it since I did that.

Overall, the HP Photosmart C7280 is a dream printer for a family. It can do anything I need it to do - print school papers, make copies of coloring sheets for my daughter, scan images, fax paperwork to Cordy's school, and print photos from my digital camera. With the power of wireless networking, it's also perfect for the busy family who all need access to the printer from different computers.

It's original retail price is about $300, but you can find it cheaper at Amazon and other online retailers. Amazon has it right now for $194.02 and free shipping. I consider that an excellent price for a multifunction printer that offers wireless access as well.

This printer is a very successful replacement for my old HP - it does many of the same things my old HP printer did, only now with higher resolution and additional features. I think it will do a great job under the pressure of my last year of nursing school as well as 2 years of preschool and hopefully a few years of elementary school to come.

A Diaper Bag That Holds Everything AND Looks Good

With two children still in diapers (OK, one is in pull-ups), I can't escape the house without a diaper bag. For short trips, one of my small diaper bags works fine - a couple of diapers for each of them, some wipes, and maybe a change of clothing.

But for an entire day out or an overnight, when I need full changes of clothing, snacks, sometimes meals, sippy cups, sunscreen, lots of diapers, and any accessories for the day, one diaper bag rarely holds it all. We often must resort to two diaper bags - one to hold diapers, clothing and supplies for changes, and the other to hold food, drink and eating accessories. It's a pain to lug two bags around, and the second bag is often our backup bag - the ugly diaper bag given out by the hospital.

Enter Ju-Ju-Be. I was asked to review their new diaper bag, the WannaBe, a bag designed to hold everything you could need for a day out. I was skeptical that it could really hold enough to take my two kids out for a day at the pool or for an overnight stay with a friend.

When it arrived, my first thought on opening the box was that the pattern is beautiful. I received the citrus/green, and the colors are so vibrant and bright they make me smile just looking at the bag. As I lifted it out, I was then surprised at just how large this bag is!

I'm happy to say, this diaper bag holds everything. It has several generous sized pockets to keep things organized, including a large insulated pocket for drinks and snacks. It even has a pocket for your iPod. A pocket on the exterior is useful for keeping items for yourself, while two removable, see-thru wet bags are great for keeping wet or soiled items away from everything else. (Or for keeping more delicate items away from wet items!)

If you're going to the beach, the WannaBe has an amazing feature. After loading up everything at the end of the day, unzip the bottom of the bag to reveal the Sand Trap mesh bottom. Give a good shake to get all of the sand out of the bag while keeping everything else in place. Genius! There's also a towel holder on the outside of the bag to hold a rolled up beach towel.

You can carry the WannaBe in two different ways. First, the tote shoulder straps can be adjusted for the most comfortable single shoulder or arm carry. But if you are hefting a full bag across a beach to get back to the car, use the backpack straps to distribute the weight and free up your hands.

The Ju-Ju-Be WannaBe is an amazing diaper bag, and I'm in love with just how useful it is. Even after the girls have left diapers behind, this will still be a go-to bag for trips to the beach. It's stylish design doesn't scream "diaper bag" like so many do. The bag is also waterproof, machine washable, and the lining has an anti-microbial treatment.

Want to win a Ju-Ju-Be diaper bag? I'm giving away one of the BeLight diaper bags (it's a small diaper bag, great for short trips) in the color of your choice! To enter, visit the Ju-Ju-Be site, then leave a comment here telling me which bag color you like the best. Contest ends August 29 at 11:59pm eastern. One winner will be chosen at random after that date. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win.

And if you aren't the winner, check out the Pink Room at the Ju-Ju-Be website for the Real Mom Giveaway. Each week Ju-Ju-Be gives away one diaper bag of the winner's choice (ANY bag!) - enter by answering the question of the week.

**This contest is now closed.

Confessions of a Children's Clothes-aholic

When Cordy was little, I was completely addicted to Gymboree. She was dressed in head-to-toe Gymboree most of the time, even sleeping in Gymboree PJ's. I couldn't pass a Gymboree in the mall without stopping and falling in love with some new outfit. I followed message boards about upcoming lines, looking at pictures and planning what I'd buy next.

If you've never been to Gymboree, I'll add in this: it's expensive. Children's clothing is already expensive considering you blink and that loose-fitting top you purchased a month ago is now a crop top. Most of the dresses are usually between $25-38, with very simple, plain tops often starting at $12. I suppose there are a lot more expensive clothing options out there, but for a middle class family, Gymboree was our high fashion.

When I switched from full-time to part-time work, I knew I wasn't going to be able to spend so freely on Cordy's clothing. So I searched online and found that some people had Gymboree buying down to a science. They purchased during big sales, took advantage of the Gymbuck program, and then sold their outgrown clothing on eBay or Gymboree message boards.

I started shopping with an eye for value. I shopped the sales racks, and often waited for the severe markdowns. I'd buy pieces during the end-of-season sales, buying an entire year ahead: for example, I'd buy fall and winter pieces in larger sizes when they started to bring in spring and summer lines, and then save them until the next fall and bring them out. I'd also plan my spending so that I could earn Gymbucks (which are coupons giving you $25 off each $50 you spend) and plan more sale purchases during the redemption period, using the Gymbucks to give me even better deals.

Once she outgrew an outfit, I'd decide if I wanted to save it or sell it. I always took very good care of Gymboree clothing, knowing it has a high resale value. Selling an item right before it comes into season (like spring clothing in February) usually gives you the best resale price. I sometimes traded for other clothes I wanted on special websites designed for selling or trading Gymboree, too.

I loved buying dresses that were originally $34 for $12 or less. If I could work in a Gymbuck, too, all the better. My best bargains, though, were the clothing I bought on sale at deep discounts that I then resold for more than I spent on them! I once sold a fancy Christmas dress on eBay for $30 - I bought it two years before in the after-Christmas sales for $10, then Cordy wore it once a year later for a holiday party.

Looking over all I've spent and resold, I've probably made back at least 3/4 of the money I spent on Gymboree clothing. And I still have several dresses, tops and leggings that Cordy wore that I've saved for Mira. Once Mira is done with them, I'll probably try to sell some of those items, too, saving the pieces with the most sentimental value in her memory box. I don't buy Gymboree much anymore, now that finances are tight, but I still have a lot leftover for Mira to wear, and once our situation improves I know I'll be drawn into it again.

If you like Gymboree, look at message boards and trading groups and learn how to follow the sales. There's no reason to pay full price for it, especially knowing that nearly all of their clothing has a regular markdown schedule. If you shop smart and can buy ahead, you can dress your kids in Gymboree without taking out a second mortgage for a new wardrobe!

You can find even more shopping tips this weekend over at the Parent Bloggers Network. They're running a blog blast featuring best bargain stories, sponsored by Couponers.com. Eight gift cards are up for grabs for those who participate!

Come Meet The Sight Words

Cordy has recently discovered the fun in letters and spelling words. Programs like Word World and Sesame Street on PBS are now the most requested in our house. She can spell words like rocket, water, bed, and any other word that was built on the latest episode of Word World.

When Parent Bloggers Network asked me if I wanted to review Meet the Sight Words I took a look at the packaging and agreed. The words looked like little people, so I figured Cordy would love it.

Meet the Sight Words teaches kids some of the most common "sight words" - words that children have a hard time reading without just memorizing them outright. The 40 minute DVD covers sight words that kids will use most often, like of, that, he, the, said, and play. Each word is shown one at a time on the screen, followed by the word morphing into an animated character (or two) and being portrayed in a little animated scene. For example, the word "for" becomes a camel, traveling across the desert in Egypt, and "of" is a little round guy with a wrench fixing a leaky pipe.

While I found the DVD to be a little dull for me, with no plot and the same words repeated over and over, my daughters both enjoyed it. (But hey, it's not for me, is it?) Once she figured out the format, she'd see each new word and ask, "What word is next, mommy?" She really wanted to learn the words. And the simple animations captured the attention of Mira, too.

My only complaint with this DVD is that many of the word animations have nothing to do with the word itself. I would have liked to see the animation tie into the words better, perhaps even using it in a sentence that explains what's happening in the animation to show kids where the word fits. The part I liked the best was at the very end, when a short story is read, with each word being highlighted on the screen, showing how they all fit together.

Overall, Meet the Sight Words is a good learning tool for helping your early reader memorize sight words.

Winners!

Here are the winners for all of my contests last week! All winners were chosen by random integer generator from Random.org.

Nintendo DS - theangelforever #104

Snapfish prints - janelle #66

ModMum baby sling - Faithful Mommy #44

Starbucks Vivanno certificates - ChristiS #29

Congrats, and thanks to everyone for playing!

Avoiding the Embarrasing Wedgie With Hanes

We're still currently teetering on the edge of potty training here in my house. Some days Cordy will go to the potty like clockwork, other days she decides the potty is the root of all evil and won't go near it.

However, I'm still trying to bribe her with stickers and big girl underwear, and if she stays dry for several hours, she then requests a pair of big girl underwear and I let her put them on. Lately we've been trying out the new Hanes underwear for girls with the "No-Ride Up" feature for the Parent Bloggers Network. These cotton undies declare themselves to be "wedgie-free" and so I had to put them to the test.

As expected, these briefs stayed in place. This kid does a lot of twisting and climbing and moving in ways that only a three year old can move all day long, but each time I checked her there was no bunching of fabric. Even her diapers give her wedgies, so I was surprised by this.

The waistband seemed comfortable for her, and didn't leave any red mark around her middle. They're also tagless - a feature that is always good for a child with sensory issues who can be put in a bad mood by something as simple as a tag rubbing against her.

Hanes has a Comfort-Fit Promise, where they will refund your money if they aren't as comfortable as you or your child expected. In our case, they lived up to expectations, so there would never be a need to seek a refund. The Hanes no ride-up cotton underwear for girls are cute, colorful, and fit well.

And in full disclosure, I can say that they soak through just as fast as other underwear. Ah, the fun of potty training...

Keep watching the Parent Bloggers Network blog for an announcement on 8/22 as to how you can win some Hanes-wear for your kids!

Starbucks' New Vivanno Smoothies

Have you been to Starbucks lately? I recently found out about their two new drinks and had to try them out. No longer limiting themselves to coffee and tea, they're now branching out into smoothies. I was kind of surprised they decided to try smoothies, but Ohio doesn't have nearly as many smoothie shops as other states, so I was intrigued.

The new Vivanno flavors are Banana Chocolate and Orange Mango Banana. Each is made with real fruit, 2% milk and ice with juice or chocolate flavor mixed in. A protein and fiber powder is added to give you additional nutrients, too.

I tried the Banana Chocolate at BlogHer, and it was delicious. I didn't want to miss out on trying the other flavor, though, so I stopped by Starbucks yesterday and gave the Orange Mango Banana a go. I loved that one even more. (As did Mira, who whined until I let her slurp up the last fifth of the cup.) I don't know the full nutritional data, but I will say I felt full after drinking the smoothie and it kept me going until dinner.

Neither has an caffeine (well, the chocolate one does, but it's a very small amount), so these aren't for caffeine addicts. But either of these could be great for an on-the-go snack with some nutritional benefit.

I'm giving away two coupons to try out the Vivanno drinks as part of the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival. To enter, just leave a comment on this post. I will allow entrants until Sunday, August 3, 2008 at 11:59pm eastern time. When you leave a comment, please make sure I have some way to contact you if you win.

One winner (so you can try out both drinks!) will be chosen at random and contacted next week. Contest is open only to US and Canadian residents. One entry per person, please. And good luck!

Be sure to check my personal blog for additional contests this week, too!

Multiply Your Box Tops For Education

Cordy's preschool is located in one of the district's elementary schools, and as a result we get pleas from the school to help with the Box Tops for Education program. The school district is vastly underfunded, and while I used to think the Box Tops for Education program was silly and probably didn't help much, I've since been taught just how much our school benefits from it. They've managed to buy many school supplies with the money raised from the little box tops clipped off of products we've already bought.

I recently was told about a contest being offered by Kimberly-Clark with a grand prize of 100,000 bonus box tops for your school (that's $10,000!). The Rock Your School sweepstakes has already begun and runs thru September 15, 2008. The grand prize is 100,000 box tops, plus a concert for your school with Radio Disney star Jordan Pruitt. (I have no idea who she is - but parents of older kids might know.) 100 other winners will receive 10,000 box tops for their school, 200 will win an autographed Jordan Pruitt CD, and 1,000 more will receive just the CD.

The kids may be wanting the concert, but seeing that I can help my daughter's school with this contest has me excited. You have to register on the website to enter, and then you can gain additional chances to win by entering each day after that. It's totally free, and you have the chance at making sure your child's school has the supplies they need to give kids the best learning environment.

(And don't forget to keep clipping those box tops from participating products to give to your school!)

With SavvySource, You'll Always Have Something To Do

I've already been promoting my new gig at SavvySource, Being Savvy Columbus, but you may not know about the other features of SavvySource. Aside from the city guides, SavvySource also offers preschool recommendations and a chance to rate your preschool. But by far one of the coolest parts of the SavvySource website is the SavvyQuiz and recommended activities as a result of that quiz.

You might have noticed the little SavvyQuiz widget in the sidebar. Clicking on it will start you through a long quiz about where your child is at developmentally. (Don't worry, if you can't finish the quiz in one sitting, you have the option to save and pick up where you left off.) You'll answer questions about your child's ability to do things for himself, number recognition, language abilities, musical recognition, gross and fine motor skills, and more.

Once you finish the SavvyQuiz, you'll receive a customized report showing you your child's strengths and where your child is developmentally compared to preschoolers in general. Best of all, each section has a link to SavvyPicks, where you'll receive a personalized learning guide featuring activities recommended for your child's level of development. These picks include recommended books and toys that can be purchased, or activities created by both experts and parents like you.

I'm a big fan of the SavvyQuiz because Cordy's abilities are all over the map. Cognitively she's sharp and needs to be challenged, but she lags behind in social skills and some gross and fine motor movements. The activities recommended to me are never too easy for her, but provide the right level of challenge to keep her interested and learning. Best of all - the quiz and many of the activities are completely free! The only cost is if you choose to purchase any of the toys or books recommend for your child.

As an example of one of the recommended toys, I was sent the Leapfrog Tag Reading System to try out. If you haven't seen this, it's an electronic pen that goes with a series of books that are designed to work with the pen. When you purchase a compatible book, you can download the book's contents into the pen, and then the magic begins. Your child can then "read" the book on her own with the help of the Tag pen. The pen can be touched to an image to read the entire page out loud, or if your child is already in the beginning stages of reading, she can touch individual words to be read the word, or select to sound out the word.

Knowing that I love cool gadgets, this has to be one of the coolest kids' gadgets around! I enjoy reading books to Cordy, but I don't always have the time to do so. Now she can take the Tag pen and let the pen help her read a book. The pen is chunky and easy for little hands to hold, and so far I have yet to see it not recognize something on the page. (Another cool feature? You can touch the characters in the illustration on the facing page and each character will speak the words they say in that page of the story.)

I'll admit I'm biased, since I work for SavvySource, but I really do believe that their activities and recommended products are high quality and worth a look, and the SavvyQuiz is an incredibly useful tool. I've used several of the activities recommended for Cordy, many of which are quickly becoming favorite games in our house. She loves the Counting Beans activity, where we sort and count dried beans into different cups.

The widget is also something you can have on your blog! The Parent Bloggers Network is looking for more people to spread the word about SavvySource and earn a little money in the process by displaying the widget. If you think this is something you'd like for your blog, leave a comment here with your blog name and I'll let them know you're interested in participating in the widget advertisement.

Win A Free BlogHer Pass!

The blog WonderSpot is giving away a BlogHer pass and hotel room stay for FREE to one lucky winner! All you have to do is leave a comment at her site, although hurry, because the contest ends tomorrow night at midnight Pacific time.

If you don't have your BlogHer pass yet, go now!

A Stylish Yet High-Tech Lock

Ok, I know door hardware doesn't exactly inspire excitement in a lot of people. Normally, I wouldn't care that much either. But that inner geek in me (who am I kidding - outer geek is more like it) loves to see a technology edge to anything. And when it works? Even better.

So that's why I agreed to review a new lock by Schlage, because an electronic keypad lock sounds like something out of a James Bond movie. And I loves me some gadgets.

When the lock arrived, I was really impressed. It's a stylish lock, with gentle curves in a satin nickel finish.

Honestly, the hardest part of installation was getting the lock out of the box. They provide very detailed instructions on how to install the lock, but nothing to figure out which pieces to unscrew in order to remove it from the styrofoam.

When I saw the first instruction was to line up and measure the deadbolt hole in the door to make sure it would fit this lock, I had nightmares of having to drill into my door with some drilling type device that I do not own. (I'm not much of a do-it-yourselfer.) Thankfully, there seems to be some kind of standard size, because the hole from the old deadbolt and the lock matched up perfectly.

The actual installation wasn't too bad. It took longer than the 30 minutes that Schlage says it will take, and it took two people, but as I've said, Bob Villa I am not. There were a few times I wasn't sure exactly what to do, and in these cases I turned to the video instructions provided on the Schlage website.

The lock comes pre-programmed with two key codes, although you can reprogram them to a code you can remember or add more codes if needed. Having at least two codes is a great idea. You can give the second code to a house-sitter, babysitter, or anyone else who needs access to your house, and then change or delete the second code when you no longer want them to have access.

I really like the keypad deadbolt so far. The greatest benefit to me is not having to fish out my keys when carrying a toddler and several bags up to the door. I also like the security of not worrying about a key that could be stolen. (They do provide a set of keys for keypad override, should you need them.) It has a useful backlight so you can see the numbers at night, and a low battery indicator to tell you when you need to change the 9V battery.

If you're looking for a new door lock, consider an electronic keypad from Schlage. I can see this lock being very useful when my daughters are older. Better for them to remember a short number sequence to get into our house than have to keep track of a set of keys.

Win a Huggies Summer Essentials Kit!

Edited to add: This contest is now closed. Congrats to the winners, Dorene and Misguided Mommy!

Have you been out in the sprinklers or the backyard pool yet this summer? We have several times already, because Cordy loves to be outdoors splashing in the water.

But if you've seen her, you know she's pale. Ghostly white. Meaning that if she goes outside on a sunny day she has to be coated in sunscreen, wearing light colors, and if we're lucky, we keep her in the shade.

Huggies sent me a gift pack of their summer products, including swim diapers, sunscreen (how did I not know they made sunscreen?), UV sensors, a shovel, a pail, and beach ball.

While we're already big fans of the Little Swimmers swim diapers (Cordy has to have them for school), I really haven't seen the UV Sun Sensors until now. They're stickers in cute sea-themed designs that change color to tell you when you need to get out of the sun. Stick them to an arm, a hat, or anywhere that gets good sun exposure, and then let your kid play. When the sticker changes color, it's time to go in for a bit or put on more sunscreen. I think we'll be getting a lot of use from these.

Fish-shaped sun sensor on Cordy's arm

You can win your own Summer Essentials Kit from Huggies! I have two to give away, and all you have to do is leave a comment here by 11:59 PM Eastern on July 3, 2008. After that date I'll pick two winners at random to receive their own pail filled with sunscreen, Little Swimmers swim diapers, Sun Sensors, a beach ball, and a shovel. Good luck!

Mabel's Labels Winner!

Random.org has given us a winner for the Mabel's Labels contest:



Congrats to Amelia Sprout, and thank you all for entering! Check back here for a new contest by the end of the week.

Save Some $$$ On Diapers

A while back, I asked people for recommendations on diapers, after Pampers had changed their design and were no longer as leak-proof as they used to be. After trying many types on Cordy, we found the Luvs had the best leak protection of any diapers out there. Rarely do we have a leak, and when we do, it's usually because someone gave in to her begging and let her have five cups of (watered-down) juice in a very short period of time.

Little did I know that we would also come to appreciate the cost savings as well. She's still in diapers, and the Luvs are cheaper than other brand name diapers as well as being better quality, too. Saving $4-6 per box of diapers adds up quickly.

I just found out that Luvs is offering a $5 off coupon starting June 25 (Wednesday). There are a limited number, so be sure to get to the Luvs website first thing on June 25 to snag one of those coupons. Sure, Luvs are already cheaper than other diapers, but why not get another $5 off, right?

To promote this coupon offer, Luvs brought in Anita Renfroe (remember her awesome Total Momsense video on YouTube?) and asked her to do a follow-up song. I love her, and the new lyrics she's created are a lot like the first song: funny and oh-so-true. Be sure to check it out - you can also forward it on to friends to let them know about the coupon, too!

Who Needs a Beach? We Have Sand & Water Right Here!

Summer didn't wait for it's official start here in Columbus. Last week it was hot - unbearably hot. And of course I had two children who wanted to go outside every day.

The problem, of course, is that any amount of time spent outdoors will melt the lot of us faster than a bucket of water on the wicked witch. Wait - water! Add water to a hot day, and suddenly it's not so bad anymore, right?

So last week we introduced the Step 2 Sand & Water Cart to our backyard, and the girls were very excited to try it. It required a little bit of construction, so I told the girls to be patient. (Never an easy task.) Thankfully, the pieces fit together easily, and the screws were easy to put in. I'm not good with building things, but this took only 10 minutes and very little effort with the well-written instructions.

The cart is very compact, yet still offers plenty of room for several kids to gather around and play. Wheels and a handle on the front make it easy to move around the backyard (we moved it to the shade), and a cute umbrella provides shade if the cart is out in the sun.

Cordy saw the water wheel toy on the cart and decided that no sand was needed. I was ordered to fill both sides with water, even though one side is designed for sand and I had a bag of it sitting nearby. Both girls immediately started splashing, pushing the boats around, and Cordy poured water into the water tower to watch the wheel spin. I splashed around with them for a little while (we had boat races by blowing on the plastic sails) and then I pulled up a chair nearby and relaxed in the shade for a bit.


An hour later, I had to drag them in from the backyard and deal with the wails that dinner wasn't important, because there was water to play with! Clean up was a snap: there's a spout on the bottom to drain out the water, and the toys can be stored inside or on the lower level of the cart. The cover fits tightly with bungee cords to secure it, keeping bugs and water from getting into your sand.

I really appreciate how portable this toy is. We don't have a deck or patio, so we have to move all of their toys to mow the lawn. Wheeling this cart out of the way is a breeze. And the cart can be used in several ways: sand and water, sand alone, or water alone. We added the sand this week, and they love digging in the sand to find things Cordy has buried. (And I get to practice my observation skills, as Mira tries to eat the sand every now and then.)


It's also a toy that both girls can use together. The one year old enjoys it as much as the nearly-four year old does. Mira enjoys the sensations of feeling the water and sand, while Cordy learns how water can make a wheel move and a boat float, and practices hiding and digging up toys in the sand.

I can see this cart will give us years of use, and I highly recommend the Step 2 Sand & Water Cart. Having this toy around has resulted in more time spent in the backyard and less around the TV. But I think we need to build a patio now just so I can relax at a table (with my computer, of course) during these extended outdoor play sessions!

Babybug: A Magazine For the Short-Attention Set

I'm sure Mira is a girly-girl in the making. For example, she has a strange fascination with shoes. Any shoe in our house is sure to be picked up and examined, and if she finds one that she thinks is pretty, she tries to put it on her foot. She loves satin ribbons, jewelry, and feather boas. And she steals every one of my magazines. Mira watches me read magazines, and has decided she needs to be doing the same. But Self and People aren't exactly ideal reading for babies, and I get tired of trying to read around the half-ripped pages.

Now she can have a magazine designed for her age group. Parent Bloggers told me about Babybug, a magazine designed for children 6 months to 3 years old. I'll admit I wasn't sure what to expect, since I didn't know how a periodical could be designed to interest someone who can't read or even understand that many words yet.

What arrived in our mailbox looks like a board book, much smaller than your average magazine. Each page is thick - not cardboard, but very thick paper. This gave me hope that each issue might survive more than a week without being shredded. The outer cover had an introduction to that issue for parents, discussing the theme of that month's issue and suggestions on how to make reading these stories and poems to your child more interesting.

Inside Babybug, there are lots of poems and very short stories. The longest story is 6 pages long, and it is the continuing adventures of Kim and Carrots. Kim is a little girl, and Carrots is her stuffed bunny, and the first pages of each issue feature a new story about them. Following that is a series of poems and rhymes, emphasizing simple words and lots of repetition.

Each page features large fonts and is filled with bright, colorful illustrations. I know the large font was probably intended for children, to help with letter recognition, but I appreciate being able to read the text without difficulty as I hold it out so Mira can see the pictures well.

The illustrations are beautiful, too. Some look like watercolor paintings, some look like cut out shapes and animals, and some are very detailed drawings. Lots of animals are represented, and I like that there is a lot of human diversity represented in the illustrations as well.

Mira loves listening to the rhymes and short stories. Like I said, the longest story is 6 pages, and there isn't a lot of text on a single page, so this is perfect for the short-attention span set. Sometimes we'll sit and read the entire issue. Other times I'll read a page or two and then she's off to do something else. She also will pull Babybug off the table and page through it herself at least once a day.

And my initial hopes about the weight of the paper came true. She cannot rip these pages! It takes a lot of effort to tear out an entire page, and even more effort to rip a page in two. Even my determined ripper has yet to pull out a page, although she continues to try. I can see each issue adding to our library, right next to her board books. With how well they hold up, it's like getting a new book each issue.

Babybug has 9 issues a year, and is only the first in several magazines for children published by Cricket. As children get older, they have developmentally appropriate magazines for each age group. I'm a big fan of Babybug, as is Mira, and I think we'll continue to enjoy this magazine as it fosters a love of reading in my little girl.

I'm Stuck On Mabel's Labels

**Edited to add: This contest is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!

Most parents know that the second you get more than one baby/toddler/preschooler together, stuff gets mixed together and often goes missing. More than once I've had to ask a friend, "Does this sippy cup belong to your kid or mine?" I've written Cordy's name on many items with marker, but the marker always fades after awhile.

Then I tried Mabel's Labels, and I'm in love. Have you seen these? They're personalized labels that can be used for all sorts of stuff. They have labels to use on hard items, like baby bottles, toys, and sippy cups, plus they have labels that can be ironed into clothing or stuck into shoes. Clothing labels are great for kids going to preschool or daycare - it's too easy for extra clothing to get mixed together if it falls out of a cubby or backpack.

Best of all? They don't come off. My one year old, who picks at everything, can't get these labels off of her sippy cups, and after many trips through the dishwasher, they're holding strong and still just as colorful as when I put them on.

The label colors are bright and the font is cute. When you place an order, you can choose a cute design to go with your child's name, too. Sticky labels come in two sizes to accommodate most items, and you can choose from the Standard, Princess, or Ocean color packs. We like the standard colors, but little girls who love pastels and soft pinks will love the Princess pack.

There's no question which items are ours at playdates now. The labels make it easy to spot our stuff when cleaning up, and if something gets left behind at a friend's house, they know who it belongs to. This has saved us so much money in replaced bottles and cups. I'm thinking about labeling our plastic snack bowls, too, since they seem to disappear at an alarming rate.

Also, if you're a bit of an organizer yourself, Mabel's Labels makes household labels for the kitchen, storage, crafts, or any other use.

I'm a big fan of this Canadian company, and can't say enough how durable and useful Mabel's Labels are. My older daughter loves looking at the labels on her stuff and spelling out her name, and while she can't read yet, she can recognize the butterfly and letters on her labels and know it's hers.

WIN IT! The lovely folks at Mabel's Labels have offered me a gift certificate for a Camp Pack of labels to give away to one lucky reader. This includes: 15 Sticky Labels, 40 Iron-Ons or 50 Tag-Mates (your choice), eight Shoe Labels and two Bag Tags, in your choice of color packs. Your child won't lose anything this summer with this set!

To enter the contest, leave a comment on this post telling me what baby or kid items you've lost or if you haven't ever lost an item (it must be a miracle), which items you think these labels could keep you from losing.

Participation is open to both U.S. and Canadian residents. One winner will be chosen at random (thanks to Random.org) and the deadline to enter is Tuesday, June 24 at midnight Eastern time. Good luck!

Send a Yummy Message With Fruit Roll-Ups

Edited to add: This contest is now closed. Congrats to the winner, janny226!

As a child of the 80's (well, born in the 70's, but went to elementary school in the early 80's), I remember Fruit Roll-Ups well. I always wanted one in my lunch bag each day. I loved how one side was rough, and the side against the plastic was so smooth. That smooth side was always the side you placed against your tongue - I'm sure it had more flavor.

Fruit Roll-Ups have come a long way since their launch in 1983. Back then there were, what, four flavors? Now they come in lots of flavors and shapes and cut outs and stamped designs and rainbows. It's amazing how much you can do with rolled out fruit paste.

Now you can add messenger to the list of Fruit Roll-Up accomplishments. The Parent Bloggers Network asked me if I wanted to try the new My Fruit Roll-Ups website and try making my own custom designs, and of course I said yes! It's probably been 10 years since I ate one, so I was only too happy to try this out.

The My Fruit Roll-Ups site has cute little animated characters walking you through how to customize your snack. They have a huge assortment of designs that can be applied to your Fruit Roll-up, in several different pattern combinations. There are animals, sports, hobbies, holiday icons, and general party images to choose from.

But if you want to really personalize it, you can also add text, in one of four fonts. There are so many ways to customize Fruit Roll-Ups with this option. Got a child's birthday coming up? Have them say Happy Birthday with your child's name printed on the fruit snack. Teaching your child to recognize her name? Print them on her fruit snack, along with her favorite animal. The possibilities are endless.

(And sure, you could use them for wedding favors, but I'd think you must really like them to do that. Or are planning an 80's pop culture themed wedding.)

The design process is extremely simple, with instant viewing of your Fruit Roll-Up as you click each image or enter text. It's easy enough that a computer savvy preschooler could do most of the designing herself. In our case, I did the clicking, but I let Cordy pick out the designs. She wanted a butterfly, a ladybug, and a dragonfly, so we used the three image option to create her perfect design.

Ordering is just as easy, with a checkout system that guides you through the process. Yes, these are more expensive than your regular box of Fruit Roll-Ups. But for a special occasion or a reward for your preschooler, they're still reasonably priced. Customized Fruit Roll-Ups are fun, easy to design, and have to be healthier than any of those personalized candies.

WIN THEM! Want to win your own box of personalized Fruit Roll-Ups? All you have to do is visit the My Fruit Roll-Ups website, then leave a comment here telling me which design(s) you would choose for your Fruit Roll-Ups. You have until Thursday (June 12) at midnight Eastern time. One winner will be picked at random on Friday to win a box of their personalized design. (One box equals 30 Fruit Roll-Ups.) Good luck!