I admit to feeling a lot of envy toward people who live in the same location as their parents. I’d love for my kids to see their grandparents more often, but I count my blessings that the times they do have are fun and filled with tons of love. Being only a few hours away, we never have to go more than a month or two even during the busiest times of year – thank goodness. Whether children see their grandparents once a day or once a year, everyone wants those times to be memorable and positive.

The new book Super Granny: Great Stuff To Do With Your Grandkids (Sterling, March 2009), author and grandmother Sally Wendkos Olds presents a treasure trove of activities and ideas that help grandmothers connect and communicate with any grandchild. (Sorry Gramps, maybe your book is coming?) The book is a compilation of stories from real-life grandparents about what they do with their grandchildren to create memories on ordinary and extraordinary days. While there is the requisite chapter on knitting, it’s overshadowed by chapters on skiing, email and so many more ways to create those special connections with the generation once removed.

If you’re a grandmother, whether you’re babysitting to give parents a break, texting the grandkids from hundreds of miles away, or keeping them for a week at a time, this book has an idea or two for you. From infancy to adolescence, with something for the most computer-savvy granny and kid and also some more traditional projects, Super Granny has it all, and many of the ideas are free or practically free. It’s perfect for this economy!

I love the way the book compares grandmothering to mothering. According to Sally, grandmothers can concentrate on a child on child in an almost Zen way that mothers cannot. I’m pretty sure that’s because they know they’re giving them back before the witching hour hits.

Win it! We’ve got a copy to give away to one reader who comments before noon mst on July 6, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Nozin is a new all-natural, cold and flu prevention product. It’s a homeopathic “nasal sanitizer” (ugh, right?) that’s been clinically proven to fight germs for up to eight hours and can help reduce the risk of infection by cold and flu germs at the site where it is most prevalent – the nose.

It’s used by swabbing a few drops of the Nozin antiseptic on the inside of your or your child’s nostrils before you go somewhere germ ridden or to a playdate with some snot nosed kids. It’s like a bubble that keeps the germs out of your nose, but without the actual bubble. The solution is made of pharmaceutical grade ethyl alcohol and natural, plant based compounds rich in antioxidants and with antimicrobial properties. Despite the alcohol, it smells more like citrus than vodka (but I still recommend you be very cautious with use on or around children since so much of what goes on our skin is absorbed into the bloodstream).

My daughter happens to have a nasty cold right now and she never fails to share her colds with me, so I decided to try using Nozin for a couple of weeks. So far, no cold! My son hasn’t caught it either, and he hasn’t been using Nozin because I’m not comfortable putting alcohol in the nose of a three year old, but she does share a lot more snot with me than she does with him. Either way, I don’t have a cold and I’m very happy about that. I think Nozin would be wonderful for people who travel via airplane or other congested forms of public transportation, and I’m looking forward to using it to fight off the colds & flus that my students always give me when we head back to the classrooms this fall.

A box of Nozin containing 60+ doses and 30 swabs sells for $14.95 at the Nozin site. Q-tips work fine to finish off the bottle.

Win it! We’re giving away a box of Nozin to one reader who leaves a comment on this post before noon mst on July 3, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

When I’m sent CD’s to review, I always feel horrible because they take me forever. No matter how much my kids and/or I love the music, I just don’t feel like writing about music very often and I don’t feel that it’s exactly my forte. However, I just couldn’t wait to tell you about The Boogers. When their front man, Crusty Booger, emailed me about their debut CD Road to Rock, there was no way I was turning him down. I mean, Crusty Booger and his buddies Greenie Booger and Sticky Booger? Wouldn’t you want to invite them into your home?

Crusty Booger is actually developmental psychologist and musician Paul Crowe, who was a “real” punk musician for more than a decade before becoming a husband and father and adapting his style to mesh the two.

The Boogers have been described as “The Ramones meet Mother Goose” and after reading that, I couldn’t come up with anything better. That’s absolutely & totally what they sound like, and I LOVE the Ramones. Check out their version of The Wheels On The Bus (and a few more tunes) on their music page. There’s nothing like it. It’s freaking awesome.

Win it! To enter to win one of the FIVE copies of this CD we’re giving away, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on July 1, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNERS EMAILED

I’m not much into celebrity worship. I have no idea what they’re wearing, with whom they’re fornicating or, in many cases, what their names are. They’re just people, after all, and are no more special than you or I. They just have different jobs. I just read a new book, though, that reminded me that they really, really are just like us – including their struggles with confidence & self esteem. All that money to pay for surgery and maids doesn’t change that.

Exactly As I Am: Celebrated Women Share Candid Advice with Today’s Girls on What It Takes to Believe in Yourself was written by Emmy Award winning journalist and weekend co-host for “Access Hollywood” Shaun Robinson. She includes such women as Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, Queen Latifah, Martina Navratilova, Diane Sawyer, Oprah Winfrey and more, who share their own struggles with self-esteem and body image. Through short & readable interviews with these women and many average young girls too, Exactly as I Am shows young women how to achieve a balance between accepting how they look and appreciating who they are on the inside. Shaun talks about her own journey of self-esteem, the pressures women everywhere face every day—even women at the height of their professions and fame, how to seize every opportunity to build confidence and learn to be comfortable in your own skin and how, no matter what happens, every female (and yes, male, but they can get their own book) can and should reach for their goals, no matter what they are.

It was a great read for me, but I think I’m pretty confident and don’t struggle much with self esteem – mostly thanks to having great parents, a great childhood and now a great husband. Almost everyone Shaun talked to for her book mentions the impact of their families on their confidence and self-esteem. The responsibility we bear as we raise children is huge. Magnificent, even. Larger than most of us even know. This book was great for me, yes, but I think it would be even better for a young girl. Any young girl. Perhaps EVERY young girl. My own copy will be set aside for my toddler daughter to read as she approaches those dreaded tween years. For a young girl to read the words of these people she sees airbrushed in magazines and to know that they feel or have felt exactly they way that she does on her worst day is an awesome gift. To be cherished exactly as you are by the people who are entrusted raising you is even more awesome. Go hug your daughters and tell them they’re stunningly beautiful inside and out, and that you love them exactly as they are.

Win it! To enter to win a copy of Shaun’s book, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on July 1, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

A birthing book is an appropriate next step following Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein’s groundbreaking movie, “The Business of Being Born”. The movie was an eye opener, it left you with your jaw wide open and I think it had a tendency to attract “birth junkies”. That is a phrase that Ricki Lake used to describe herself in “Your Best Birth”. As soon as I read “birth junkie” I knew I found a fabulous book that was written by someone who shared my passion.

Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein’s book, “Your Best Birth” is a must have for all expectant mothers. Its pages are full of heartwarming and empowering stories about real life “Birth Goddesses” including Cindy Crawford and Melissa Joan Hart just to name a couple. They present information from a variety of highly regarded experts in the field of birthing, including Dr. Michel Odent, Penny Simkin and my personal idol, Ina May Gaskin. You’ll find everything you need to know about the decisions that you may have to make, including birth location, labor support, interventions and postpartum support.

The book includes a wealth of information that many of the more mainstream books neglect to address. Included is a great section on fear surrounding childbirth, a section on routine newborn procedures, and even a portion dedicated to c-sections and vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean). I was thrilled to read about midwifery, homebirths, and doulas right alongside the information on hospital procedures. It’s great to see a book that has it all!

Lake and Epstein are not afraid to tell it like it is about birth and how you can make your experience an empowering one. It took me three births to finally get that empowered feeling that I read about in “Your Best Birth”, I can only imagine how things may have been if this book was available 9 ½ years ago. It was a pleasurable read and I will recommend the book to everyone I know! – by Andrea

Being pregnant with my third child, I was very eager to read “Your Best Birth” written by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein. I haven’t had the opportunity to see their film “The Business of Being Born” yet, but totally want to view it soon.

As a Canadian, with access to universal health care, a lot of the book’s focus does not pertain to me. Our options for child birth are not as vast, due to smaller populations and our system. We are tax payers rather than a pure consumer, so we cannot shop around to the same extent.

That being said I learned so much from this book. Many misconceptions and things that we take for granted as women truly jeopardize our ideal birth situations. The book is definitely slanted, favouring home births, however the authors do present hospitals in good light under the right conditions.

I absolutely love reading other women’s experiences and birth stories. I feel we have so much to learn from each other. The birth stories in “Your Best Birth” were awesome and inspiring. In fact the entire book is written to be empowering, so as women we can take back control of our birth experiences.

The book allowed for extreme cases in which medical intervention was necessary and I respected that. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of judgment that is passed on women when it comes to birth choices. Ultimately knowledge is power and “Your Best Birth” is full of traditional, midwife and medical knowledge to help you and your partner make the best decisions for you and your baby.

There was one part in the book that discussed the baby entry into the world form the baby’s perspective. I really enjoyed that, all too often we think in terms of the mother’s condition and fail to think of the baby. For 40 odd weeks that little bean has been all tucked inside you, perfectly maintained in the perfect womb. The transition from that to the world has to be a rough one!

“Your Best Birth” by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein is a must read for pregnant women and their partners! – by Chelle

Win it! We’re giving away FIVE copies of this book! To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on June 30, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNERS EMAILED

I recently received a CD by a 13 year old artist named Casey Jame. Having been told that Casey’s music is very positive and very safe for kids, I figured it would be the usual kids’ CD.

Let me tell you, it’s not. It’s wonderful, and really is positive and safe, but it’s also really, really good. I put it on while I was working & the kids were playing, and I actually forgot it was playing because it sounds like, well, real music! There are only five tracks, but that’s five more than 99.9% of thirteen year old have got.

Show your support for a teenager living out her dream. Check out Casey’s MySpace page and buy her stuff from CD Baby

Win it! We’ve got 5 copies of Casey’s CD to give away. To enter, just leave a comment on this post before noon mst on June 29, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNERS EMAILED

How’s that for a title?

Robin Sax is a parent and a prosecutor of people who commit sex crimes against children. Read that again. Sex crimes against children. If that doesn’t make you throw up in your mouth a little bit, you’re probably dead.

Robin’s newest book, Predators and Child Molesters: What Every Parent Needs to Know to Keep Kids Safe takes the form of a Q&A session. Robin answers 100 of the most asked questions about child molesters and the processes involved in what they do and in what we do to get them off the streets from the perspective of a Los Angeles sex crimes D.A. who is a mother herself. While I wouldn’t call it an enjoyable read, that’s not a reflection of the quality of the book. It’s well written, succinct and a very easy read. It’s just a very unpleasant topic. However unpleasant, it needs to be added to the required reading list for all parents and everyone who works with/cares for/loves children.

The book is organized into six sections: Recognizing predators: molesters, pedophiles, and opportunists; Talking to kids about risks and identifying potential problems; Recognizing abuse; Reporting sexual abuse; Going to court; and Healing and moving on. She teaches that the job of protecting our children begins with parents in the home. “Parents must view protecting children from the potential of sexual assault as a priority. Teaching children preventive measures should be viewed as important as teaching kids how to dial 9-1-1.” It makes you think, that’s for sure.

One of Robin’s tips that we’ve implemented in our home (before I read this book, but I was glad to see I was right) was to teach them that they, and only they, own their bodies and they can say ‘no’ to anyone. If they say no tickling, there’s no tickling. If they don’t want a hug, there’s no hug. Of course, usually they want all of the above from us, but it’s important thaw we empower them and stop if they test those waters by asking us to stop.

In short: Read this book as soon as you can get your hands on a copy. Twelve bucks could help you save the innocence of a child.

Win it! We’re giving away a copy of Robin’s book to one reader. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on June 26, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Sick and tired of playing “find the soother” when your baby is screaming? Or maybe you’re not so fond of the “I throw it, you pick up eleventy gajillion times” game? Sure, it’s cute at first, but it gets old fast. Especially when you’re outside and the surfaces onto which things are thrown are absolutely repulsive.

Momtrepreneurs Michal Prevor and Irit Maor have developed a stylish & affordable solution to this problem. Through their company, Tutim NYC, Michal and Irit developed their Paci Sitter and Toy sitter in an astounding array of colours & patterns that have been stylistically influenced by the inventors’ international upbringing.

The Tutim NYC sitters prevent children’s pacifiers & toys from getting dirty, lost or swapped with the local booger-factory. They can attach to any outfit, stroller, car seat, carrier or high
chair. The clip on the Paci sitter is plastic covered which greatly reduces any marking of clothing, and the loops on the Toy sitter are adjustable in size – perfect even for the clunkiest of strollers.

At only $10-$12, one of each makes a great small gift and a super add on to a nice shower gift. With their huge selection of trendy matching fabrics, there’s something every parent will love.

Win it! We’re giving away a set of the Paci & Toy sitter to TEN winners! To enter, simply choose your fave fabric patterns from Tutim NYC & comment with one or two of them before noon mst on June 25, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNERS EMAILED

“Too old for toys, but too young for boys.” That’s what newly launched company Mia My has to say about tweens today. They need support as they deal with physical and emotional changes, and they need their voices to be heard. They also need to express themselves in ways that those of use who aren’t in their headspace find difficult to understand. Mia MY’s mission is to positively influence the lives of girls by creating stylish products that reinforce positive messages:education, creativity, empowerment, friendship, cooperation, and self-confidence.

The first product launched by Mia MY is their signature Mia MY jacket – a white jacket that comes with a package of write-on-wash-off markers so that your daughter can express themselves in their own way. As girls are wont to do, if they change their minds just toss it in the wash and start all over again! The jacket is made in the USA and is 97% cotton with just enough spandex for easy care and comfort. It comes in sizes 4-14 and sells for $49.99 at Mia MY dot com.

We gave a Mia MY jacket to a local grade one student to check out for us and here’s what she had to say (with her newly literate spelling left intact – I love it!):

Thank you very very very very very very mush for my awsum new jacket from Mia MY. It was a reelly nice jacket before I dezined it and it’s comfy but after I drew on it it was the nicest jacket in my hole scool. I did flowers and butterflies and my name ALL over it. Then my Mom washed it and now I’m going to write a message for my teacher on my back to surprise her on the last day of school. My friends can write on it too. I loooooooooove it!

So, there you go. Nicest jacket in the school, and certainly the most unique! She’s not even a tween and loved being able to express herself on her clothing, so imagine what that would do for an eleven year old? Wicked cool.

Win it! We’re giving away a Mia MY jacket to one of you! Comment with who you’d give it to (and what size you need) before noon mst on June 24, 2009 to be entered.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Due to a family funeral (my amazingly awesome 98 year old grandmother), I’ll be without technology for a week or so. I’m going to do my best to pre-schedule as many reviews as possible, but there may be an interruption in posting. Though we’ve got a team of 20+ writers, I’m a one woman editing show so life occasionally gets in the way.

On that same note, I’ll be working full time in the fall after three and a half years at home so if posting is a little lighter at times, you’ll know why. I’ll always do my best, but blogging comes last on a LONG list of priorities. Family first and all that.

Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

Have a great weekend, and love each other!

Well, maybe not swaddle. That might be a little too straight-jacket-ish for me, but I’d certainly like to be draped in the stuff. Unfortunately, Aden + Anais doesn’t make muslin wraps or sleep sacks in my size so I’m stuck with regular old sheets & blankets, but your baby is in luck!

I happen to love and use my muslins all year long, even in the great white north, but it’s in the summer that I am particularly thankful for them. They’re perfect for keeping the children covered and protected without making them sweat. We totally dig our sleep sack ($30). As soon as the thermometer hits about +20, it’s time to pack away the thick winter Grobag and pull out the muslin. It’s one of the great signs of summer, and the sizes range from newborn through the toddler years which is absolutely awesome for those kids who move so much they wake up crying because they’re uncovered & cold. Cursed air conditioning.

For those of you who perhaps don’t want to invest in a package of Aden + Anais’ fab (truly! fab!) wraps, Aden + Anais has just introduced a new single wrap that’s available in both conventional ($20) and organic ($35) muslin.

Celebrate those summer babies with some awesome muslin baby gifts – you’ll be the star of the baby shower, I promise.

Win it! Aden + Anais is giving away one winner’s choice of both a sleep sack ($30) and organic or regular single wrap valued at $50-$65. To enter, choose your sack & blanket from the links in this block and let us know what to send if you win! (Yes, you actually have to choose. No, “anything will do” will not do, actually. But nice try.) Comment before noon mst on June 23, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Over two years ago (stone age in the blog world) we reviewed the Your Baby Can Read early literacy system.

We enjoyed it then, and my children are still enjoying it now. (Disclosure: Me? I find it highly annoying after over two years, but I have very little input into what the daily dvd is.)

We probably get more emails about this program than any other review we’ve done in well over three years.

Wanna try it?

Win it! Your Baby Can Read is giving one of our fab readers a complete YBCR system valued at $200! To enter, just leave a comment on this post before noon mst on June 22, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Having never used a frame carrier before but having seen a ton of them, I was utterly shocked to find out they don’t all come from MEC and that I don’t have to look like I’m headed out for a full day hike with a kid on my back when wearing one. The classic carrier from Kokopax ($179.99) is a super hip & fresh take on the frame carrier. It’s made with 100% cotton canvas over an anodized aluminum frame. The shoulder straps are way more comfortable than I imagined they’d be, and the frame is adjustable in order to easily fit any user. It features a padded waist support, a handy storage pocket and a kickstand for easy loading. Your child is very secure in a 5 point harness, and being next to you will make them happier than any stroller ever would. It weights under three pounds and fits in the overhead bins of airplanes for easy travel. It’s intended for kids 6 months to to 2 years or up to 35 pounds, and each carrier comes with a carry bag that’s great for storage or travel. It comes in the same great six colours as the Blakely ring tote.

Not that the people we love aren’t worth several hours of folding, drawing and colouring, but sometimes that’s why they get an impersonal dollar store card instead of a handmade one – it either takes too long or the kid can’t draw much more than a stick figure independently. With the ingenious KidCards, any child can quickly & easily create a card for any occasion that’s perfect for their own skill level.

Volume 1 is perfect for my kids who are 1 and 3. There are 20 cards with envelopes for a variety of occasions (birthday, thank you, get well, congrats & friendship) and they’re ready to colour & decorate. Even if you have a kid who just does a little scribble, the recipient is sure to appreciate the gesture, and the child learns the concept of card giving and kindness from a young age. Volume two also contains 20 cards with envelopes in the same variety, but only features a themed frame on the front, leaving much more room for creativity for the older child. Also available are a special edition Christmas set and three sets just for teachers (Mother’s Day, Father’s Day & thank you) with a card & envelope for each child in the class. I just happen to be an early childhood educator in “real life” and these cards are just perfect for a class of K-2ish kids to quickly create an occasion card that doesn’t tie up an entire double art period. If you have an extra large class, the cards are easily double-side copied (they’re just black line masters, really). They remind me a lot of the cards we teachers create all the time in MS Publisher, but now we no longer have to spend the time doing that. They even come pre-scored for easy & straight folding – a huge bonus if you want the card from your three year old to fit in the envelope.

At just $15/book, they beat even the dollar store prices and mean a heck of a lot more to the person receiving them.

Win it! Your choice of volume 1 or volume 2 is up for grabs. To enter, let us know which one you’d like via comment before noon mst on June 17, 2009. Canada & US only please.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Mother Talk sent me a copy (PDF – now that’s a pain the butt to read…) of Stephanie Snowe’s first book, Meeting Mr. Wrong: The Romantic Misadventures of a Southern Belle. Like Stephanie’s blog, which I love, her book is hilarious. It’s like a trainwreck you can’t look away from – vicariously living through some of the worst, and therefore funniest, dating adventures to ever befall a young woman. Ever. She shares in witty detail her experiences with internet dating after a surprise divorce as an mother of twins in her early twenties. She writes about the crap – and I do mean CRAP – she endured with an amazing air of grace.

She’s without a doubt one of the next great humour novelists and if her first book is any indication of what’s to come, I’ll be reading everything she writes.

Check out Stephanie Snowe’s blog for a snippet of her writing style – she’ll quickly be in your feed reader, I guarantee it.

About this time last year, we reviewed the first three games from the awesome Around the Table Games. They’ve since developed two new games, Buddy Talk and Teen Talk, which are designed for school aged children to use with their friends.

Buddy Talk is intended for kids aged 7+ and is perfect right through the tween years. It would be an awesome gift for a group of girls for a sleepover night, and I can just imagine giggle little girls making a tradition of pulling out their cards each sleepover night as the parents head off to bed and the kids are just beginning. Teen Talk is, obviously, for teens, and is a great way for them to really get to know the people they talk to all the time. With “deeper” questions, these cards actually make kids think while they’re hanging out – a much better alternative than the latest version of Grand Theft Auto.

Both of these games were created BY kids FOR kids, and would make awesome, unique and very affordable (only $8!) birthday gifts for your children’s friends.

Win it! We’re giving away one of each of these games to one randomly selected reader. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on June 15, 2009.

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here. Leave a comment with the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate comment from your other entry).

AND/OR
2.

or

 Subscribe in a reader

Leave an additional comment to let us know that you did this for your extra entry. Be sure to leave a valid email address so we can confirm your subscription. Current subscriptions count too! Just let us know how you subscribe…Bloglines? Google reader? Email? They all work.

AND/OR

3. Place our button in your sidebar or add us to your blogroll. Leave an additional comment to let us know that you did this for your extra entry. Be sure to leave a valid url so we can confirm the addition. If we’ve been there all along, that counts too!

Maximum four entries total per person.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Remember Lullaby Island?

“…a wonderful mix of lullabies that transports children to far away magical places…”

To celebrate the 2nd birthday of her album, Julia Norton is offering it for just $10 on her website http://www.lullabyisland.com until the end of June.