Archive for the ‘For Dad’


The Cure For Placenta Brain?

Everyone I know who’s ever been pregnant has experienced preggo-brain to some extent. Sadly, it only gets worse once the kid is out. My brain hasn’t been the same since conception, quite frankly.

As with any other part of our bodies, our brains need exercise. The sudoku craze has to be doing something great for our species, but what do you do if you aren’t a fan? Or can’t figure the damn things out?

Check out Brainiversity. It’s one of the best brain training games I’ve tried to date. Edison the talking light bulb accompanies you as you play, and he can be muted at any time (which can be a very good thing). There are a huge variety of games to play and more are unlocked as you progress. If you play daily, you’ll take a quiz each day composed of 4 tests which is recorded on your personal graph.

Many games in this genre are ridiculously easy for the intelligent among us (ahem) but this one is neither simple nor repetitive. It’s incredibly enjoyable, actually. It would be too easy for advanced brain trainers, but for kids, the average adult (particularly those with kids) or seniors, Brainiversity is fabulous! We talk a lot about baby shower gifts here, but I think this would make an awesome retirement gift.

Buy it for less than $20 at Amazon.

Win it! We’ve got a copy of Brainiversity to give away. To enter, leave a comment on this post by 11:59 mst tonight - August 7/08.

Additional entries available - up to four per person. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED AND WINNER EMAILED

Once You Pop, You Just Can’t Stop

We’re back from our Heritage Day long weekend. Our apologies to our American and overseas friends who were looking for us yesterday. It was a long weekend here and we didn’t think to check if everyone else had one too.


The Opinionated Parents have been trying out Pop’rs, the newest way to get your kids to eat…anything!

Pop’rs come in one ounce shaker jars and are available in eight flavours and are incredibly versatile in their uses. Imagine the Pop Rocks of your youth with a variety of flavours and vitamins added. Some need to be added to food to taste good. Others, like the red Color Burst, taste exactly like Pop Rocks and if you’re anything like me your kids won’t get any and your tongue will be blue for a few hours. (Yes blue. I was confused too…)

Check out their blog for more information, and read on for our writers’ opinions and a reader
giveaway.


With seven children I have faced more picky eaters than I would have ever liked to have seen. Normally, if you can just get them to TASTE the food you know they will like it, but getting that bite into their little clamped-shut mouths is nearly impossible. Until now!

Pop’rs are just the trick to get those mouths pried open and show those little ones that food DOES taste good. Pop’rs are like the candy Pop Rocks, they explode on your tongue. With 8 choices to choose from, any food can become a tasty, fun treat for your child. I was so happy to see great flavors for the adult child, too, such as Buffalo flavoring, which is amazing on pork.
Butter flavoring on veggies and potatoes may not seem exciting, but when the kids start hearing the crackling they just have to give it a taste, and their mouths a treat.
Across the board, my entire family enjoyed Pop’rs on nearly everything. Potatoes, meat, oatmeal, ice cream, vegetables; you name it, we sprinkled it! - Lisa


Want a better way to jazz up vegetables than smothering them with cheese sauce? Would you like your kids to devour yogurt without it having to be in a squeezable tube or frozen on a stick? Would it be nice to make less-sugary and more-economical tub oatmeal just as jazzy as the individual packs? Enter: Pop’rs. Pop’rs is like nothing you’ve ever seen or heard of before — I guarantee it. It’s probably something you’ve never even dreamed about.

What are Pop’rs? Imagine Pop Rocks as a food topping. They’re not candy, though….they’re better than candy. They even have vitamins in them! Imagine carbonated, fizzy vitamin granules in a variety of flavors that your kids will love sprinkling on everything.

They currently manufacture eight flavors: Strawberry, Color Burst, Butter, Cocoa, Taco, Cinnamon, Buffalo, and Raspberry. We tried the Buffalo Pop’rs on our broccoli and chicken. Very authentic buffalo flavor, and an amazing, fizzy kick, for sure! Kids will delight in the fact that sizzling noises erupt from their plates before them, as well as within their mouths as they gobble up their meal!

There are a wealth of other ideas for Pop’rs: Butter Pop’rs over popcorn, Strawberry Pop’rs over cereal, even Cinnamon Pop’rs over stewed apples. The possibilities are endless!

-Meg


I confess, when I was first asked to review Pop’rs®, I was confused. What is it exactly? Flavored sprinkles? How can sprinkles help encourage healthy eating? After trying all eight flavors, though, I’m a believer. Pop’rs sounded like Rice Krispies when added to milk and every flavor tastes like the old pop candy you remember from years ago.

Rachael Ray is also a fan. In her May 2008 magazine, she said Pop’rs “…add pop to anything! We like the cinnamon on buttered toast. FIZZ FACTOR: full fireworks …”

Pop’rs are available in EIGHT FLAVORS: strawberry, raspberry, color burst, cinnamon, cocoa, taco, buffalo and butter.

–Sprinkle Color Burst on any flavor of yogurt (and sprinkled on vanilla ice cream, it turns plain vanilla into something a lot like cotton candy)

Chocolate’s a super flavor on top of pudding (my husband tried it on milk and we both laughed at how much it sounded like “Snap, Crackle and Pop!”)

–Introduce Strawberry to your kiddos’ cereal in the morning.

Raspberry is a treat with yogurt & ice cream.

–Corn & other veggies take well to Butter (so does popcorn! Yum!)

Taco can’t be beat on mashed potatoes.

Buffalo (as in the seasoning used on wings) goes hand-in-hand with broccoli & its kindred spirits.

Like what you hear? Go here to purchase Pop’rs at some VERY reasonable prices and get to popping! -CPA Mom

Win it! We’re giving away a a complete box of Pop’rs - all eight flavors valued at $14.99 - to one lucky TOP reader! To enter, simply leave a comment on this post before 11:59 mst on August 12, 2008.

Additional entries available - up to four per person. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

May The Force Be With You

www.playjishaku.comNot only did I lose all of my contacts and files, but I haven’t even been able to use the 15 minutes per day that my kids are both asleep to attempt to recover them because I’m totally addicted to Jishaku.

What’s that, you ask?

Don’t worry. So did I.

Jishak, the Japanese word for magnet, is a portable strategy game like chess or checkers that can be played anywhere. Unlike any other game, though, there is an element of surprise when the magnets jump out of position without warning.

All magnets have North and South poles. Jishaku magnets do too, but they aren’t marked. As you carefully place your magnet in a hole you can feel the tug of magnets all around the board. Skilled players (apparently…I’m not there yet) learn to use magnetic force in their favor- repelling the magnets closest to them without forcing them into other magnets.

Depending on which version of the game you choose to play, I’m Out, Roundup, or Elimination, your goal will vary. The suspense that you feel as you place your stones, though, never changes. Even when you play it all by yourself as I’ve been doing.

See it in action here and then tell me you don’t want to buy this game. Trust me. You do.

Save 10% through 7/31 with the code TOP100.

Win it!We’ve got a game of Jishaku for one randomly selected winner. To enter, simply comment on this post before 11:59 MST on August 4/08.

Additional entries available - up to four per person. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Goin’ Cruzin’…and taking all my files with me.

sandisk cruzer gator black reviewThey’re not just for Moms.


I have to admit, in living the small town life, technology is often something that we get terribly behind on. So, a flash drive is something I was definitely excited to try! However, I was a little scared that it would be something I would have a hard time figuring out. Not so, with the SanDisk Cruzer Gator. From the time it arrived, I loved it! The stylish mock alligator skin gave it a real look of sophistication. I received the black, which would be perfect for the guys on your shopping list (Hint, Hint….Father’s Day is right around the corner!), but the Cruzer Gator also comes in great red and pink colors for us girlie girls.

The functional features of the Cruzer Gator were equally as impressive as its looks. They come in 2MB, 4MB, and 8MB capacities to fit a variety of needs and uses. I was able to save virtually anything to it, and securely I might add. With the Security-One click password protected access control I was able to save my files without worrying that any outsiders could access them. That really gives me a piece of mind, especially when it comes to family pictures and any documents with sensitive information such as Account Numbers, ID Information, etc. Another neat feature is that it allows you to take your files plus your U3™ compatible programs wherever you go. There is no PC installation required to run the applications, so using this gadget is a breeze! Using the U3 technology you can make virtually any computer your personal computer. Pretty awesome, huh? And when you unplug it, none of your information is left behind, which I found even more impressive!

The Cruzer Gator came at a pretty neat time for us. My husband was about to leave for a business trip. I did some research and made him a spreadsheet of important contact information, local restaurants with phone numbers, and hotel information. I added in some family pictures and a couple love letters, then sneaked it into his bag. He absolutely loved the surprise! All the info turned out to be very helpful, the pictures gave him a little feeling of home, and the love letters were just the perfect extra touch. (Wink, wink!)

SanDisk really hit the nail on the head with this one! The Cruzer Gator is stylish, super-easy to use, and very secure. There are virtually endless possibilities when it comes to uses, so they are great anyone….From traveling businessmen to stay-at-home moms! I was just amazed at the day to day uses I found for this awesome gadget…How did we ever get along without it? I was very impressed with using the Cruzer Gator and plan on buying some for gifts very soon…Starting with some special men on my list for Father’s Day! - Sara


My husband is the hardest person to buy for. With Father’s Day quickly approaching, I wanted to honour all the amazing things he does for us with something special.

The SanDisk Cruzer Gator is the perfect solution! Not only is it fast, with its USB 2.0 Flash Drive, it is cute and compact. I have already quickly set up a folder and filled it with pictures of the kids and a couple of songs that I thought he might enjoy. I am not going to tell him about the folder, so it is a nice surprise when he uses the SanDisk Cruzer Gator for the first time.

Maybe this will help the greatest Dad ever get home in time for dinner! -Chelle


As the lone father-figure contributor at T.O.P. and a tech guru in the real world, Shayne gives you the “real man’s’ perspective on the SanDisk Cruzer Gator..the software that’s included is really good. If you install a web browser on it you can take your favourites and bookmarks with you and run it on any computer as you would at home. You can also install a virus scanner on it and scan any computer you’d like to use it on which takes away the risk of taking home someone else’s problems. There’s also a website full of applications that you can install on it that are specialized for this drive.

The compact size is nice and it fits great in a pants pocket or a small briefcase pocket. My only complaint is that there’s no option to attach it to a keychain which, for me, means it’s likely going to be left somewhere it shouldn’t be. -Shayne