You may recall when I reviewed the Positive Parenting Solutions online breakthrough course back in October.

In a nutshell, it was freaking awesome. Still is, actually. I use what I learned from it every day.

It was so great that we’re sponsoring a free webinar for parents world wide to share one of the most requested topics…

Correcting misbehaviour without nagging, reminding or yelling.

Yep, that means it applies to EVERY parent I’ve ever met! And it’s FREE! For you!

Register at:http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/the-opinionated-parent

Amy McCready, Founder of Positive Parenting Solutions will present a strategy-packed, interactive, live online webinar designed to teach you…

* the real reasons behind why your child misbehaves
* how your personality can encourage and even escalate misbehaviors
* why you need to know the difference between punishment and consequences
* the proven formula for holding kids accountable for behavior without YOU being the bad guy
* how to structure effective consequences that you can use immediately

You’ll also discover new resources to reduce parenting stress as you correct misbehaviors and communication and get everyone on the same page.

And, you will be able to join in on the discussion via text chat.

Access: All you need is a computer with a speaker to hear the presentation. We’ll send you the log in instructions.

How It Works: Just take a minute to register here
and you’ll receive an email confirmation with the link to access the webinar. When you “enter” the webinar, you’ll see the session slides on your screen as well as a video box to see the presenter – but we won’t be able to see you! You can use the chat box to type questions or make comments. Print the note taking guide from the registration page so you can follow along and get the most out of the webinar.

Cost: FREE!

If you’re ready to eliminate the misbehaviors that have you feeling tired, frazzled and stressed, sign up today.

Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010

Time: 9:30 PM Eastern/8:30 PM Central/7:30 PM Mountain/6:30 PM Pacific

Register at: http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/the-opinionated-parent

Hope to talk to you then!

I recently received a great product from Mom Central for review – if you’ve got a newborn or even just a really booger-filled kid, this one’s for you.

I’ll never forget the days when my children were babies and had stuffy noses. It’s so horrible watching them gasp for air as they’re nursing, and elevating their cribs did not a darn thing to help them (or me) sleep better at night. I wish I would have had this product back then – I would have tried pretty much anything that wasn’t drugs, and even that was tempting!

The hydraSense® Nasal Aspirator and its filters were developed with pediatricians, as a gentle and safe way to relieve your baby’s nasal congestion quickly and effectively. It helps to maintain clear breathing and to facilitate eating and sleeping. Its soft nasal tip is specifically designed for babies’ delicate noses and its transparent design allows for you to see the amount and type of mucus that is being removed. hydraSense® Nasal Aspirator has a protective single-use filter that traps excess mucus, providing hygienic aspiration. The tip and base of the aspirator are easily removable for effective cleaning after each use. Unlike squeezable nasal aspirators, the hydraSense® Nasal Aspirator allows you to control the strength of the suction with your aspiration.

For best results, and to liquefy mucus prior to aspiration, use hydraSense® Easydose® or hydraSense®Ultra-Gentle Mist with Comfort Tip, a nasal solution composed of isotonic, undiluted, sterile, 100% natural-source desalinated seawater. hydraSense® contains more than 70 trace elements and minerals naturally occurring in seawater and is preservative free.

I don’t have a baby right now, but my preschooler son was pumped to try this out on himself. He didn’t let me help much so it didn’t really do the trick, but it was sure funny!

Visit the hydraSense® site by April 10, 2010 to sign up for the Dolphins Club. Once you sign up and log back into your account, enter the code MC2010 under the online coupons tab, in order to get an $8 off coupon (over 50% off!) to be used towards the purchase of your hydraSense® Nasal Aspirator (coupon itself expires December 31, 2010).

Check out this video on You Tube for more info as well.

Blankets make great gifts for all ages, from newborns to grandparents, but there’s a definite quality discrepancy out there. If you or your child has ever been the recipient of a high end blanket that didn’t come from a big box store, you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, you should. There’s nothing like it.

Fill in the Blankie (by Sonya Bebeblankee) blankets are uber-personalized blankets that are perfect for giving as baby, christening, birthday or just because gifts. Fill in the Blankie blankets are the kind you keep forever; not the kind that goes in your garage sale bin.

Fill In The Blankie recently sent a blanket for a school-aged child we know who’s in and out of the hospital right now. The “As Good As It Gets” blanket consists of two panels of 400 thread count Italian Frette sheeting (Frette produces some of the finest linens in the world) sewn together and wrapped with a 2″ wide satin binding. The result is one of the softest, most understated, yet elegant blankets I’ve ever seen. The 32×32 size ($123) would be perfect for a baby but is a little small to cover this child in her hospital bed. The 36×54 ($165) would have been better for this situation, but for a newborn or toddler gift the mid-size is just peachy.

The Fill In The Blankie company was launched in 2004 and is unique in many ways. While many shops, online and brick & mortar, offer personalization, it’s usually just a monogram or 20ish characters and takes at least a few weeks to reach the recipient. Fill In The Blankie blankets offer up to 200 characters per blankie and a 3-7 day turn-around. The FITB website is also brutally honest about what you’re getting when you choose a blanket with ratings on a scale of 1-10 for the cuddle factor and the quality of material and construction and lists the blanket weight (light, medium, heavy) and size. There are no shocks when you work with a company like Fill in the Blankie – except the shocked look on the recipient’s face when they realize the amount of thought you put in to finding the perfect gift.

Order your Fill in the Blankie here – select your favourite style, choose a blanket color and click on “personalize & check out.” They’ll run you anywhere from $39 – $123 for baby/toddler sizes and every penny will be well spent. Prices include complete ultra-personalization.

Win it! Email theopinionatedparent at gmail dot come with FITB in the subject line and your fave blankie in the body before noon mst on March 26, 2010 for a chance to win it!

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Kids. Whether they’re on the autism spectrum, have a sensory processing disorder or are just kids easily annoyed by seams, they and everyone around them will be grateful for our find of SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Socks. They’re the first I’ve seen that are 100% truly seamless and they’re also form-fitting ensuring that there are no wrinkles or bunches. A form-fitting design hugs little feet and makes SmartKnitKIDS perfect for infant & toddler socks. No matter how wiggly the child, the socks don’t come off. SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Socks do not have a heel so they can easily and confidently be slipped on and allows them to worn until they’re worn out rather than outgrown. They’re made of smart fabric that’s both antimicrobial and moisture wicking for comfortable and less-stinky little feet.

SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Socks are available from TheraWear for about $6/pair.

Win it! We’re giving away three pairs of gender neutral SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Socks. To enter, simply comment on this post before noon mst on March 22, 2010.

COMMENTS CLOSED & WINNERS EMAILED

Indiginous Crafts From Bolivia is a company started by Sue Berlove when following her dream of connecting with an artisan group from a developing country, purchasing their crafts and selling them in Canada. The idea appealed to her because it seemed practical, tangible and achievable; a way to combine her enterprising skills and helping values. In 2004 she travelled to Bolivia with a small group of Canadian women where she was able to make those connections. She returned with suitcases full of the crafts she had purchased and launched my new business.

One of her main products carried on Sue’s site are 3 Bags Full finger puppet pouches. Each set includes 8 animal finger puppets which snap into the painted scene on the front of a lovely knit carrying pouch. They area available in six themes— Arctic, Farm, Garden, Jungle, Ocean, Woods —and each theme’s pouch is specific to that habitat. These sets are appropriate for independent play for children 3 and up and are a great interactive educational resource for professionals and parents to use with children from birth to 6. Finger puppets are ideal for story telling, dramatic play, singing, language development and promoting early literacy and are great for home use as well as in daycares & dayhomes, and classrooms.

We checked out the Jungle theme, which came with a crocodile, elephant, giraffe, lion, monkey, parrot, tiger, and zebra. The puppets are very well made and the pouch is stunning in design and quality. They fit both a child’s and an adult’s finger well, and the designs are just perfect for free play and early literacy use. They retail for $40/set.

If you or someone you know had a baby this winter, you’re going to want to check out these fabulous fur lined Ministar brand boots from Bobux USA.

Ministar brand shoes have been sold in Target Stores for the past few years, and are a cute, slightly less expensive spinoff of Bobux designed shoes. The Ministar boots come in 3 colors, as shown. Sizes available are small (0-6 mos.), medium (6-12 mos.), large (12-18 mos.) and extra-large (18-24 mos.) They retail for just $20 which is much more affordable than most leather baby boots.

(Ministar is distributed by RT Nash, Inc. who also distributes Bobux USA & Canada and Silly Billyz USA & Canada. Bobux International ONLY provides the designs for the Ministar shoes. The Ministar brand is made in China – hence the lower price.)

For my daughter’s birthday invitations this year, we went a bit of a different route than usual. Rather than spend hours custom designing a card in photoshop, she and I created a caricature of her using PosePrints and we were both thrilled with the results. For just two bucks a card and fifteen fun minutes of your time, you too can have some awesome & unique personalized stationery.

PosePrints is comprised of a mother-daughter team. Denise (mother & business guru) and Jen (daughter and creative genius) have worked together to create this unique business. There’s a large selection of products, designs & poses available on the site now, but if you don’t see what you want Jen can do custom art work as well.

PosePrints offer everything from invitations for any occasion to baby stationery to magnets, notepads and even personalized recipe cards. (Ooh, I want some!)

In 2008 several of our review team checked out the first DVD from Prima Princessa and loved it so we were thrilled to hear they’d released a new one featuring the classic Nutcracker.

From the DVD creators:This Magic Christmas movie is the perfect Christmas gift for girls! Prima Princessa’s Family Holiday DVD is filled with snow fairies, toy soldiers, presents, sugar plum fairies, tutus, fairy princesses and more!!!

“Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker” is our first Christmas DVD and is the second show in the Prima Princessa Presents series, which is designed by two mom-entrepreneurs on a mission to bring the beauty and magic of ballet into the lives of children everywhere.

Our 40 minute Christmas movie is the perfect Holiday Gift for children ages 3 to 7. Join Prima Princessa, the adorable cartoon fairy ballerina princess, as she takes you on an amazing holiday Christmas adventure. Get on your pretty tutu and get ready to dance with the San Francisco Ballet as they perform excerpts from their world famous “Nutcracker.” Between acts your kids will get up off the couch and dance along as they learn real ballet steps demonstrated by students from the School of American Ballet, the official academy of the New York City Ballet, plus contagiously adorable tutu-clad children!

Buy it for only $6.99 at Amazon!