Maven says: Discover this

This is the first time I've ever written a review where I had to fight for time to actually look over the object d'review. My kids are fascinated with the Discovery Store Spark Talking Microscope. The recommendation on this microscope is ages 5+ but I can tell you my newly 4 year old loves it. In fact, at her preschool they use it as part of the science curriculum and her teacher says it is a sad day when it is not a part of the lesson plan.

Since it arrived at our house it has been constantly in use. When other kids come to play they gravitate towards it. The microscope comes with slides that your child can slide into the microscope and look at under 5x magnification. Then the microscope tells them all about it. When they are done, there is a quiz mode. Learning and fun all wrapped up into one!

When I asked what their favorite things about the microscope were my 6 y.o. immediately said, "It's really cool because it tells you neat stuff about what you are looking at." My 4 y.o. said "I don't know, why are you asking me that." You win some, you lose some. I do believe that Discovery has a winner here, I am sure it will be on lots of lists this holiday season.

Check out what others have to say about the Spark Microscope as well as the Telescope at

Parent Bloggers in the mid-campaign round-up. Be on the look-out soon for the final say. Younger kids? Check out what's available for kids 3+.

Maven Dares You

Any book where the back cover says "For every girl with an independent spirit and a nose for trouble..." is a must read at my house. If there are two words that sum up my girls they would be independent and trouble. The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz was inspired by The Dangerous Book for boys by Conn & Hal
Iggulden (which you can check out reviews for here). I wasn't sure quite what to expect but enjoyed the combination of trip down memory lane, reference source for information on interesting women and provider of new ideas to try with my own girls.

I found the book broke down into four kinds of information--things I did as a kid, things I wish I did as a kid, interesting facts on stuff (gotta love a good list) and stuff that needs to wait until my girls are a bit older (they are 4 & 6).

Things I did as a kid and want to remember to do with my girls:

• The sit-upon is a fond Brownie memory. Mine was red Naugahyde bound together with twine and a string long enough to wear it around my waist. I have a vague memory of using it on a Brownie camping trip where we slept in platforms tents and "foraged" for breakfast by getting our little boxes of cereals off trees where they had been suspended by string.


• The God's eye was a Vacation Bible School and summer church camp staple with its brightly colored yarn and variations from popsicle sticks to tree branches depending on the venue.


• Campfire songs, although I can't carry a tune in the bucket I have been blessed with a memory for all of the words and a voice that carries.

I found that many activities in the book like this reminded me of good stories to tell my girls--like the Brownie camping saga for my little cookie seller. Sometimes it is hard to pull those memories from the recesses of the aging mind but the book was a good memory jogger.

Things I wish I did as a kid...

• Read a lot of "classic" books. I fancy myself a relatively well read person but when I looked at the list of Books that Will Change Your Life I hadn't read many of them. I did finish the entire Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden series though and wondered if that started my love of serial fiction.


• Building a tree house or fort. In my house the closest we got to this was draping blankets over chairs.

Seeing those things that I might have "missed out" on is a good reminder of more things that I want to experience with my girls or encourage them to experience for themselves.

Interesting Stuff...

• A table with the states, their capitals, flower and tree


• Women spies from WWII


• Greek & Latin roots of words


• Fourteen games of tag


• Instructions for Sun Salutation


• French terms of endearment


• Spanish phrases
  

Its nice that a book that I would have considered things to do also covers a wide range of things to talk about. Although I am sure I could find most of this stuff on the internet, finding it in print on my shelf holds a different weight for me. I like seeing the words on the page rather than the screen.

Things that can wait until later....

• How to change a tire


• Robert's Rules of Order (although I am not sure we're ever old enough for this!)


• The basics of finance


• How to negotiate a salary

I found The Daring Book for Girls to be a surprisingly wide ranging reference for all kinds of things to do with girls and to talk to them about. It spurred my own memories as well as giving me good ideas of things to do with my girls now and as they grow. I am sure I'll tuck it away on the shelf and refer to it on those rainy days when I am short on patience and good ideas.

You can check out what others have to say at the mid-campaign wrap up over at Parent Bloggers.

Maven Says: Books are Moovelous

My girls love videos, especially on long car rides. Along came Wilbur from my friends at Parent Bloggers just in time for our vacation drive. It was Boobah's turn to pick the first movie, she chose Wilbur. PDQ complained before it started that it was a baby video. Thankfully, once Wilbur and his friends Ray, Dasha and Libby started things quieted down. I even caught my thirteen year old stepson watching along with the girls. Although he didn't watch for long, anything that doesn't involve live action that can get his attention for a moment wins in my book. The girls stayed engaged with the show until the end and Boobah was crushed when it was over and PDQs turn to pick. Boobah picked Wilbur again later in the trip and insisted on sharing it with her toddler cousin once we arrived at our lake house. He enjoyed it while running around the room, as he generally enjoys everything!

Wilbur and his puppet animal friends were created by a group of Moms who noticed the limited TV programming for preschoolers. They do a great job of promoting early literacy skills, the calf Wilbur reminding us frequently that "books are moovelous!" I love that Wilbur reinforces my goal of having my children develop an early love of books and reading. I grew up with books everywhere and parents who always had a book laying around the house--sometimes more than one. My husband didn't have that same experience and rarely reads (for his own pleasure) today so I am very concious of reinforcing the value of reading with the kids. Its important to me that their other entertainment options send the same message so its not just something Mom wants me to do.

Two moos for Wilbur and his friends and their positive, entertaining reinforcement of the importance of reading! You can catch them on TLC or Ready, Set, Learn on the Discovery Kids Channel.

Maven & PDQ Say: Personalized books are cool!

PDQ is really happy that Parent Bloggers Network gave her Mommy the chance to review a Printakid personalized book for kids. Printakid offers 6 different titles at two different levels--preschool and elementary school. Although we didn't receive one to review Printakid also offers personalized CDs to go along with the books.

I ordered the Laughing All the Way to School book for Abby at the elementary level. The preschool level books are aimed at kids 3-6 and the elementary books for kids 7-10. PDQ is 6 and entering the first grade and I wanted her to grow into reading the book so I went for the elementary level. She is able to read all but a few words in the book.

PDQ loves the fact that the girl in the book looks like her--there is an opportunity to pick eye, hair and skin color when ordering the book. It also asks for the names of Mom & Dad and three friends. There is room for a personalized message on the opening page of the book, on the page facing the first page of the book has the child's name, birth date and the date the book was printed. At this point PDQ believes the world revolves around her so having a book that includes her and all of her friends is perfect for her. When we received it she immediately opened it up and began trying to read. Any book that encourages her to read is good with me. The story is a little silly but it engaged PDQ and although Boobah was quite disappointed she isn't included in the book she enjoyed listening to it as well.

I think the book or book and CD set is the perfect gift for a birthday or other holiday. Kids like things that are about them. As a gift giver or parent the opportunity to offer a personalized message to an important child is nice. The book is high quality from cover to page, not easily destroyed by frequent reading. Compared to other personalized books I've seen, this one is heads and shoulders above the rest. I know that I'll need at least one more book from Printakid--Boobah is quite jealous and wants a book about her!

Maven Says: Watch Word World!

Parent Bloggers gave me the opportunity to review Word World, a new PBS show for 3-5 year olds debuting September 3rd (coincidentally my daughter's fourth birthday!). I opened up the new DVD on our vacation trip hoping that the new-ness would keep everyone occupied. Much to my delight--it did! Boobah, my soon to be 4 year old, is not much of a TV watcher, she likes to have the TV on but not much catches and holds her attention. She watched the two, eleven minute, Word World segments without a peep.

I pulled the DVD out again today to watch with my girls. My six (going on sixteen) year old declared "I really like Word World, even if it is a baby show." High praise from the child who is into shows that I think are much too old for her. The characters (shown down the left hand side) are cute and their bodies are made up of the letters that spell their name. A very cool concept, my only concern was that the word is sometimes backwards when the animal is facing left--I know, not something your preschooler will notice but I did. In addition to the animals, many of the structures spell their names as well--see the house with dog? I thought the gate and dock in the Runaway O episode were really well done so its not distracting that the object spells a word.

When the characters build a word they pull out the letters, put them in order and sound out the word. This is preceeded by a catchy little tune and funky "build a word" dance. I'll tell you a little secret--I generally don't like kids TV shows and find it torturous to watch them with my girls. This show was entertaining, educational and it didn't make me want to run screening from the room. I may have to put it on the DVR list for rainy days--I'd much rather have my kids watch this than a lot of what is on today. The fact that they BOTH like it is a definite bonus!

Keep your eye out for Word World on PBS starting September 3. Check out Parent Bloggers for the full list of Word World reviews to see what others think.

Maven Says: Check out Noah and His Pals

The Lord said to Noah, there's gonna be a floody, floody
The Lord said to Noan, there's gonna be a floody, floody
Get those children, out of the muddy, muddy...

I teach Sunday School on occasion and that song and the story of Noah's Ark are one of the few things that I can go to at a moments notice so when I was asked by Parent Bloggers Network if I'd be interested in taking a look at Noah's Pals I jumped at the chance to add another dimension to my Noah story. Shortly after they arrived I had the perfect opportunity to put them to use--I was responsible for our summer one room schoolhouse and the director hadn't gotten me the books to teach from. A few minutes finding a easy to tell story online and a coloring page or two and I was set.

I grabbed Noah's Pals along with the ark, animals and people from our Little People ark (they all played quite nicely together). The kids ranging in age from 2-6 loved the animals. A parent remarked how detailed they were and wanted to know more about them. One little girl in particular loved the cards that came with the animals and wanted to know where she could get some (the answer, only with your Noah's Pals animal sets at Amazon.com). The cards include detailed information about the animals as well as geographic information and codes that allow you to keep track of your collection on the Noah's Pals website. I did hold back the doves that came with Noah, they were on the tiny side and I was concerned about them ending up in someone's mouth or lost. Each pair of animals comes with a designation of common, vulnerable or endangered. Only 10,000 of the endangered and 20,000 of the vulnerable animals will be made. If you collect the entire set you'll be awarded with a Caboodle secret prize pack. Since bringing them home from the classroom they've joined our herd of other play animals so they would be just as suitable for non-religious folks.

If you are interested in hearing more about Noah's Animals, check out Parent Bloggers Network for other reviews (the mid-campaign round up was July 18). Noah's Pals are available only through Amazon.com where you can get the entire set for $269, that's $30 off the normal $299 price.

Maven Says: Even June Cleaver Would Forget the Juice Box

Whenever I have an issue, my first thought is to go read all about it--the bookstore, library or the Internet. With one exception, my dirty little secret I typically avoid parenting books. Pretty early on in the parenting gig I figured out that a lot of the books I read made me feel bad about what ever I was doing even when my gut was telling me that it was right. Battling through PDQ the sleepless and trying all those other ideas, I finally decided that the combination of my gut and Gman's many years of experience we'd be okay. That theory has worked pretty well but in my avoidance of reading of the parenting genre I have totally missed Mommy reading. If there were nothing else of value in Ann Dunnewold's book Even June Cleaver Would Forget the Juice Box: Cut Yourself Some Slack (and Still Raise Great Kids) in the Age of Extreme Parenting) the reading list I accumulated as I read would be so worth it. The reading list is just the tip of the iceberg though, the real life, common sense tone of this book alternately made me see the silliness of some of my SuperMommy thinking and made me feel better about the majority of my parenting choices, a very fine line when you think about it. Kind of like telling me to go to hades and me wanting to go there!

Right after I agreed to review the book I had the taking time for yourself discussion with a couple of friends and wrote about it here. When the book arrived I immediately carried it up to my room to begin reading. I saw myself in the first pages of the first chapter doing things like staying up all night making the perfect cookies for a preschool party to assuage my Mommy Guilt for working. There have been many occasions where I have not been able to be present at an event and to make myself feel better I have WAY overdone it on the cookies/goodie bag or whatever other thing I've taken on. I always knew it my gut that it was silly but reading it in print made me cringe just a bit and maintain the ability to laugh at myself. The concept of the "perfectly good mom" was introduced and I was hooked. Perfection is impossible, being "clearly good" or "as good as is necessary" are doable and who doesn't want to feel successful as a parent? Life overcame my reading time and I wasn't able to pick the book up for over a week but in that time I must have had half a dozen discussions with other women (and a guy or two) about the concept of not trying to be perfect but perfectly good. It provoked many insightful conversations, particularly with the older, wiser, been-there-done-that women that I am lucky to have in my life. As I finished the book I found that I had worked ahead, the last chapter was about building a strong support network and spreading the word and actively speaking out and standing up for yourself in the insane competition for Mommy of the Century.

Dunnewold explores the messages we are inundated with that encourage us to be perfect. She lays out the traps of overperfecting, over protecting, and overproducing. As I read about these I could certainly see a little of myself and nearly every other Mom I know. Some of us more than others and each with our unique quirky take on the madness. The mantras like, "there are no perfect mothers" and "parenting is not a contest" seem like common sense but for me, and I am sure many others they are easy to forget everyday in the trenches. I appreciated that Dunnewold left room for each of our own idiosyncrasies, we can each have one or two things that we obsess over and if we can just chill out about everything else, that is fine. Its that tone that makes this book a real winner for me, no judgement just showing the reader that what they think is right probably is and its good to follow your mind and heart. In that vein she encourages you to look at your values, know them and follow them.

I would recommend Even June Cleaver Would Forget the Juice Box to anyone who feels the pressure of the Mommy Olympics. There is no us vs. them in this book, I could see the SAHM struggles more clearly and I felt that it represented the issues of the working mom as well. Instead of pitting us against each other Dunnewold calls for us to work together for our health and to raise healthy kids in today's world. I'll offer up just a bit of my own insanity in my posts about staying up until midnight to get into Summer Camp or spending months picking out the "right" preschool and the huge allergic reaction that I wasn't there for. This book reaffirmed for me that I need to chill out, know what I believe in and follow my gut. Interested? Want to hear what someone else has to say? Check out Parent Bloggers Network for 24 other reviews!

Maven Says: Land's End Hydro Trekker Big Disappointment

Last summer I ordered the last model of these shoes and they were perfect for the kids. For school and camp there is a no open toe rule and these fit the bill of being cool and comfy while keeping the tootsies nice and covered. The kids loved them, I loved them and they didn't start to smell bad until the end of the summer. They were reasonably priced too so one full summer of wear was totally worth it--not something that could be passed down after day in, day out wear and I was okay with that.

So this year I ordered the new version as soon as the weather started to warm up. Unfortunately not nearly as useful as last summer's design. The heel strap unbuckles from the shoe. You see where I am going here? The last thing I want my 3 & 6 year old to have is the ability to lose part of their shoes. Its already been a battle with my 6 year old who likes to make them into clogs. I am also getting fights about wearing them, they aren't very comfortable she has declared.

I guess that just goes to prove that continuous improvment is sometimes just change and not actually improvement. This years version is shown below, cute but sadly, not nearly so functional. Do I give in and order a pair of last year's overstocks? Hmmm, why didn't I think of that in the first place?!

Maven Says: Blink...and its done!

When I got my box of Blink products I had a master plan. I'd take a picture of my Mommy-mobile and then I'd spiff it up using my nifty new box of cleaning and organizing stuff and give you before and after shots. Then my mother came to visit and I left her in the Mommy-mobile with the kids for 10 minutes after skating lessons to run into the grocery store for milk and bread. When I came out my carefully preserved mess wasn't such a mess any more and my plan had to be revised. I am a working Mom, with 3 & 6 year old girls and 12 & 18 year old stepsons. We spend a lot of time in the Mommy-Mobile, running to the boys' other house (and they sit in the back where no one looks into the seat back pockets for far, far too long), running the girls to school, skating, church, and daycare, just to name a few. We eat, sort mail, watch DVD's, drink coffee, sneeze, and more or less live in the van so there is no shortage of mess

We didn't have any flying lattes, major roadtrips, or mini-disasters, usually a good thing, a bit of a disappointment though when you've got new stuff to try out. Then, I remembered, the big red stain! Not too long ago we moved oldest daughter's booster seat to the back of the van to accomodate an adult in the middle seats. When we moved the booster we found a red mark on the seat and all over the back of the booster. My lame attempts thus far yielded no results.

BEFORE PICTURES

I decided that the Mess Lifters, stain removers were the best ammunition for this particular job. I pulled out the booster and gave it a shot. The stain on the car seat came right off (I will admit they were stain treated 3 years ago when we bought the van). I was surprised, I thought it would take at least a little muscle or leave a bit of a stain but nope, all gone! Then I tackled the booster seat. It took a little more muscle, mainly because there was a LOT more stain. My best guess is red marker that had soaked into the fabric cover. It took two wipes but it got most, if not all of the stain. Certainly enough to keep it from turning my car seat red again!

AFTER PICTURES

Most of the packages come with neat, clips that let you easily store them in the map pocket on the back of your seat. I wasn't too keen on leaving the stain removers or smudge cleaner where little hands were likely to find them but it was perfect for putting the Trash Tossers where I'd use them most. I love the concept of small, garbage bags with a draw string to clean up the debris of a day in the car with the kids. Where were these things when I had kids in diapers?I giggled a little when I read that there was Smudge Cleaners, fingerprint remover. Really, removing finger prints or smudges were the least of my problems, icky sticky week old latte is much more my speed. I did toss the smudge cleaner into the under seat storage area in my van though, its the perfect thing to clean off the dash board or front windshield when I'm sitting in the parking lot at school or waiting in a long drive-up line and with it stashed under the front seat-I can get to it easily.

The Tidy Totes are lime green mesh bags that spoke to me when I pulled them out of the box---oh, a way to organize the stuff in the van pockets. Alas, we haven't been on any trips so I haven't used them other than to put the headphones and remote for the DVD together, in one place, hoping that we could avoid stepping on them, yet again. My one concern is they do seem a bit thin so I'm not sure how they'll deal with being stuffed full of girly toys on long car trips. They should be fine for markers and coloring books though.

I can pretty safely say I wouldn't have picked up the whole suite of products on my first trip out to the store but the Trash Tossers and Stain Lifters are definitely here to stay. The verdict is still out on the other products but I am itching to use them on our trip back from visiting my parents at Easter, I'll update you and know what icky, sticky messes we manage to confront! The products themselves and the packaging are well thought out. They store conveniently--either hanging off the map pocket or in my van neatly tucked away in the under seat drawer. Its a HUGE improvement over my drawer full of recycled grocery bags and towels for unexpected spills. Although targeted at the Mom crowd, I can definitely see them crossing over, my father would love the Smudge Cleaners, he is a bit of a car perfectionist, obviously NOT a trait I inherited!

Although, it may not be what they had in mind for tiding up the car, I love the fact that my underseat drawer went from this...............................To this:

If you have a particularly messy vehicle (and a really cute kid or two won't hurt), don't miss out on your chance to enter the MessMaker contest sponsored by Blink...and its done. The contest runs through April 15!

First Review: Good Kids, Bad Habits

Check out my first review over at my main site, Mama Maven. I'll give you the dirt on Good Kids, Bad Habits. After this I'll keep all the reviews over here at Maven Says.