Busy Mom Reviews

I received two CDs from Kiddio to review.

These audio stories are intended for kids 3-7, and, it's refreshing that all you have to do is listen, reminiscent of radio shows long ago. It's nice that kids can listen to an exciting tale, yet, it doesn't get them hyped up like some music or movies can.

We listened to Billy Brown and the Mystery Package" and Billy Brown Goes Hiking". Billy is a big, friendly talking bear, and, he and his best friend, Emma, are always having adventures. Each CD is about 45 minutes long, and, there's a full cast of voices, imagery and realistic sound effects.

Older kids might find the music corny, but, there are some older kids who found themselves into the stories, anyway, but, I won't mention any names.

A Parenting Media Award winner, Kiddio Audio Adventures are great, and, they seel for $10.99 each plus shipping and handling.

Get them now for your Spring Break or Easter road trip!

Triple Play, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and Kraft Foods Inc., is a dynamic wellness program currently being offered in Boys & Girls Clubs of America that demonstrates how eating right, keeping fit and forming positive relationships add up to a healthy lifestyle.

The goal of the Triple Play program is to improve Club members’ knowledge of healthy habits; increase the number of hours per day they participate in physical activities; and strengthen their ability to interact positively with others and engage in positive relationships.

It is the largest wellness endeavor ever undertaken by BGCA and the first youth-focused program of its kind developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The program’s curriculum was developed by an advisory council formed by BGCA and included experts from diverse fields such as nutrition, physical fitness and medicine.

It also emphasizes the role of parents (parents guide in .pdf format) in making sure kids learn about healthy lifestyles.

The "triple play" in the name, refers to the fact that a healthy lifestyle involves mind, body and soul.

While it is sponsored by Kraft and Coca-Cola, it's not stuffed full of advertising, and, I think it's good that these sponsors have stepped up and helped provide information like this for children and their families, especially for those families who might not have had the opportunity to get quality information like this elsewhere.

Baby Dagny is an online baby boutique for "just cool stuff".

It's the kind of stuff you can't find anywhere else for newborns up to 24 months old.

Their products come from all over the world, and, there are several exclusive items that you can only get at Baby Dagny.

I received a Purple Frog Pacifier (featured in this year's Oscars gift bags, I might add) that was packaged in a beautiful green linen box. The pacifier is sewn into a soft stuffed animal (washable), making them easy for babies to hold, and, hug, helping to keep them off the ground.

You can get one too, if you create an online gift registry, and, mail it to 10 or more of your friends. There's free shipping on registry purchases, and, you get gift certificate rewards after your due date, 10% of your registry purchases.

There are so many more cute, and, unique items, go check them out!

Sweetleaf Baby is a new bath and Body Collection from Thymes, a manufacturer of bath and body, home care, and, home fragrances.

I received a sample of the Baby Wash and Shampoo and the Instant Hand Cleaner, both packaged in a lovely wooden, slide top box.

The Thymes company prides itself on attention to detail, and, wonderful fragrances, and, these products are no exception.

The Sweetleaf Baby Collection is a calming blend of lavender, chamomile, and, honey that is dermatologist tested, and, formulated for sensitive skin. The Baby Wash and Shampoo is tear free.

Both of the products I tried smell wonderful, and, indeed the Baby Wash and Shampoo was tear free and gentle. My youngest has very sensitive skin, and, it didn't irritate it all.

Incidentally, the labels on the products are very pretty, and, would look nice out on the shelf in the nursery.

Other products in the line include lotion, bar soap, diaper balm, blanket wash, and, nursery mist.

Any of them would make a great baby shower gift, or, a treat for your baby.

Check these and all the other products at Thymes.com.

It's Back to School time for many kids, and, Lands' End, maker of kids clothes, and, other back to school items such as lunchboxes, and, backpacks has some tips:

In the coming weeks, 53 million K-12 students will soon prepare for a new year of school. Needless to say, it is a hectic time for kids and parents!

At Lands’ End, we know a few things about back to school time. To help you mitigate morning mayhem, I’ve included seven simple tips that help kids get out the door on time and off to a great day:

1. Establish a Sleep Schedule. According to Sleep for Kids, a service of the National Sleep Foundation, school-aged children ages five to 12 need 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night. Summer schedules often allow for fluctuations in bedtime routines, so getting back on track when school starts is essential. Getting in the habit of going to bed early and waking up early will help kids wake up refreshed and ready to go. Ease into the new sleep schedule before the first day.

2. Coordinate Clothing. Make getting dressed easier and less of an argument with outfits that coordinate from top to bottom. Coordinated outfits allow parents and kids to easily select and lay out clothes the night before, so everything is ready to go the next morning.

3. Go For Comfort. If it’s not comfortable, kids won’t want to wear it.

4. The Perfect Pack. Picking a backpack that best fits the needs of child is critical. Kids struggling with packs that are oversized, or too small will take longer to get out the door. A good rule of thumb is that their backpack should weigh less than 10 percent of their weight. Kids that are constantly hauling overloaded packs should protect their backs with a wheeled backpack.

5. Beat Surprise Messes. Nothing slows down the sandwich line like discovering yesterday’s gooey yogurt leftovers. Select lunch boxes that are easy to clean to help lunch packing go more quickly.

6. Keep Track of Things. Choose backpacks and lunch boxes with features that make them harder to lose. Personalizing backpacks and lunch boxes with initials, numbers or other icons on the outside will help kids quickly identify their belongings.

7. Skip Traditional Shoelaces. Avoid time-consuming shoe tying and retying with shoes that have elastic or rip grip strips.

I received an Ergo Pack from Lands' End for review.

I've always been a believer in getting quality backpacks, even for young children, and, the Ergo Pack doesn't disappoint. It features:

* A back panel that adjusts for the best fit
* Extra comfy memory foam shoulder straps
* 360° reflective trim to improve visibility
* Hip belt to help stabilize the load
* A MP3/CD player pocket and cord port
* Two sizes - the Ergo - 17″Hx14″Wx7 1/2″D and the Ergo Jr. - 14 1/2″Hx14″Wx7 1/2″D

We love Lands' End around here. They make some really sturdy kids' clothes, we even have several items that all 3 kids have worn. So, be sure to check them out for your back to school needs.

Tonka is celebrating its 60th anniversary!

Playing with Tonka trucks has been a rite of passage for boys (and girls!) all over the country since 1947. These durable trucks have

Tonka Fun Fact: Each year the Tonka brand uses more than 119,000 pounds of yellow paint and 5.1 million pounds of sheet metal to make its trucks and vehicles.

Tonka is celebrating it's birthday with the 2007 Tonka Truck Tour featuring a real, life-sized Tonka Dump Truck and be sure to check out Tonka.com for games, puzzles, coloring and more!

I think it's hard to find good kids bedding these days.

Seriously, we have a few sheets around our house that were mine when I was growing up. Though they are wearing thin (no age jokes here), they feel ten times better than the muslin stuff that passes for kid's bedding today.

I discovered Kukunest and loved the 100% cotton kids bedding and the great designs.

Busy D. has the Intergalactic (shown) set, and, it is as cute and bright as it looks in the picture. The color has held up nicely with a few washings, and, they really feel great, even at 200 thread count.

Kukunest products are an ec0-friendly choice, too, as they are Öko-Tex certified, a "European standard that was created to ensure no negative effects from the manufacture or use of certified textile products", and, they pledge to use as little shipping packaging as possible.

Just in time for Halloween, Hasbro has a variety of spooktacular items this year from some of its most popular brands like Transformers, My Little Pony, Littlest Pet Shop and more.

Celebrate Halloween with Spider Man masks, boo-tiful Play-Doh creations, a festive Mr. Potato Head and much more!

We have the Trick or Tater Mr. Potato Head, and, it cracks me up.

Other fun Halloween items for 2007 include:

Play-Doh
o GHOST AND PUMPKIN CHARACTER TWO-PACK

(Ages: 3 & up/Approximate Retail Price: $1.99)

Celebrate Halloween this year with PLAY-DOH compound! Open up one of these plastic Halloween characters and you’ll find two ounces of squishy modeling compound inside that make great hand-out treats!

* HALLOWEEN BAG ASSORTMENT

(Ages: 3 & up/Approximate Retail Price: $3.99 - $4.99)

All of the treat without the sweet! Surprise the kids in your neighborhood this Halloween with a fun-size can of PLAY-DOH compound instead of trick-or-treat candy! Each bag contains 20 one-ounce cans of PLAY-DOH.

My Little Pony

* MY LITTLE PONY HALLOWEEN ASSORTMENT

(Ages 3 & Up/Approximate Retail Price: $4.99)

Join ABRA-CA-DABRA and her friends for some Halloween fun in Ponyville! This year ABRA-CA-DABRA is dressed up as a friendly witch, and her festive candy corn cutie marks make her a perfect trick-or-treating pal.

Littlest Pet Shop

* LITTLEST PET SHOP HALLOWEEN TUBE

(Ages 4 & Up/Approximate Retail Price: $4.99)

Trick-or-treat! Instead of the usual chocolate this Halloween, hand out some cute, collectible LITTLEST PET SHOP figures. Each tube comes with three adorable Halloween-themed pet figures with bobblin’ heads and accessories. Choose from a tube that features a bunny, turtle and black cat or a tube that features an owl, sugar glider and spider.

Transformers

* TRANSFORMERS OPTIMUS PRIME VOICE CHANGER HELMET
(Ages: 5 & Up/Approximate Retail Price: $29.99)
The OPTIMUS PRIME VOICE CHANGER HELMET, authentically detailed to look like the character in the movie, allows kids to imitate OPTIMUS PRIME and sound like a TRANSFORMERS robot for the first time! The OPTIMUS PRIME VOICE CHANGER HELMET features 3 modes:

· VOICE CHANGER: Make your voice sound like a robot!

· BATTLE PHRASES: OPTIMUS PRIME speaks iconic phrases

· CONVERSION SOUNDS: Hear OPTIMUS PRIME change from a truck to a robot and back!

* TRANSFORMERS ARM BLASTER assortment

(Ages: 5 & up/Approximate Retail Price: $29.99)

Quickly changing from either STARSCREAM’S jet or OPTIMUS PRIME’S truck, these powerful TRANSFORMERS ARM BLASTERS offer kids the unique opportunity to role-play the galactic battle which AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS have waged for centuries! One pull changes the toy from vehicle mode to blaster mode, unleashing the power of a Nerf dart blaster. OPTIMUS PRIME comes with 3 Nerf darts and STARSCREAM comes with 4 Nerf darts.

Spider Man

* SPIDER-MAN 3 SPIDER-MAN MASK AND WRIST BLASTER

(Ages: 5 & up/Approximate Retail Price: $19.99)

This SPIDER-MAN 3 role-playing kit comes with everything you need to battle evil as the amazing SPIDER-MAN! Shoot streams of web fluid, load your Dart Blaster to rapid fire darts or launch stretchy webs. There’s even a reversible mask that switches from red to black, just like in the movie! This cool costume comes complete with an adjustable web blaster strap, a 5-ounce web fluid canister, Dart Blaster, five web darts, three stretchy webs, a stretchy web holder and belt clip, and a reversible Spider-Man mask.

* SPIDER-MAN 3 VENOM MASK AND WRIST BLASTER

(Ages: 5 & up/Approximate Retail Price: $19.99)

Battle with the amazing SPIDER-MAN as VENOM, the alien nemesis from SPIDER-MAN 3. Disguise yourself as the scary symbiote this Halloween and collect lots of treats! This role-playing kit includes a Venom Mask, Venom wrist blaster, and a 5-ounce web fluid canister.

Tiger Electronics

* TOOTHTUNES

(Approximate Retail Price: $9.99)

The TOOTHTUNES brush features proprietary technology which will encourage people of all ages to brush for two full minutes – the amount of time generally recommended by dentists. TOOTHTUNES’ safe and patented technology transmits songs and music vibrations through the teeth, which are then heard in the inner ear. Users will hear two full minutes of the hottest music from today’s biggest stars which will keep them brushing. The revolutionary toothbrush uses a micro-chip that provides hit music from the industry’s hottest artists, including Black Eyed Peas, Hilary Duff, Destiny’s Child, KISS, Kelly Clarkson and The Cheetah Girls, among others.

Other items

* The Perfect Pumpkin Storybook

(HarperCollins Publishers/Ages: 3 to 6 years/Approximate Retail Price: $6.99)

Celebrate Halloween with an adorable, seasonal MY LITTLE PONY storybook.

* Trick n’ Treat… Friends are Sweet Sticker Book

(HarperCollins Publishers/Ages: 3 to 6 years/Approximate Retail Price: $6.99)

Get stuck on Halloween with this seasonal MY LITTLE PONY sticker book.

* TRANSFORMERS Trick or Treat Baskets

(PTI Group/Ages: 3 & up/Approximate Retail Price: $7.99-$12.99)

Trick or treating is more than meets the eye with the TRANSFORMERS Trick or Treat Baskets. Choose from two different baskets, available in plush and plastic.

* OPTIMUS PRIME Halloween Costumes

(Disguise, Inc/Ages: 3 & up/Approximate Retail Price: $16.88-$39.99)

AUTOBOTS, roll out! TRANSFORMERS fans of all ages can transform into the AUTOBOTS heroic leader this Halloween with the OPTIMUS PRIME Halloween Costumes.

* MY LITTLE PONY Plushie Halloween Basket

(PTI Group /Ages: 3 & up/Approximate Retail Price: $7.99)

Enjoy a whimsical Halloween with MY LITTLE PONY a Plushie Halloween Basket.

Battle Wheels (has sound) are high-speed radio controlled combat warriors who fight to control the universe!

You choose an offensive or defensive pose, and, your weapon, and, go at it one on one, or, with up to 5 other figures. The goal is to hit the button in the center of the robots chest which causes the robots head to pop off. The first robot to lose its head loses the battle.

Each battle warrior comes with five removable pieces of armor, two weapons, a controller, and, a cardboard training dummy.

The website makes them sound kind of violent, but, it's actually pretty funny. We've been enjoying the ones I was sent to try out, but, as with many toys, be prepared to pick up some pieces, and, stock up on batteries, kids of all ages will use them a lot.

Check them out (has sound) here,and, there's even an online Battle Wheels game.

My kids love them, and, Battle Wheels would make a great Christmas gift for an older child who could put them back together, and, who can control a joystick, but, younger kids can play, too, the controls just take a bit of getting used to,and, you may have to help.

They are available at Toys R Us, Target, K-Mart, and, on Amazon.

The Alphabet from A to Y With Bonus Letter Z! by Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) and New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast isn't your average ABC book.

It's a hilarious ride through the alphabet with some funny, funny alliterations from Maniacal Marvin to Owen the Oboe, and, more. It's one of those books that you see something different in the illustrations every time you read it.

Busy D. (age 5) laughed, and, it's a refreshing change from "apples" and "zebras" while kids learn their letters and sounds.

The Alphabet from A to Y With Bonus Letter Z! would make a great Christmas or birthday gift for children and the parents who read to them.

The V-bot is a remote control robot that can transform into a car, and, it's also an mp3 player speaker.

I received one for review, and, this thing is fun!

It's huge, and, is great to watch. The kids figured the controls out very easily, and, it's been a big hit. It goes from RC care mode to robot mode and has lots of action either way. It's kind of like a great big transformer.

It's got some serious packaging (be patient, or, release it before a young recipient gets it), and, requires a bit of set-up, but, it's lots of fun. It requires 6 - C & 1 - 9V batteries, so, don't forget those for Christmas morning, and, it's wise to have plenty on hand!

The best part is that it dances to your mp3 player's music, it's hilarious. See for yourself:

V-Bot is one of the hottest toys around this Christmas, and, it retails for about $129.00 US,

Looking for a few things for the Easter Basket? Hasbro's got you covered this year.

How about:

Transformers Robot Heroes - Race into action with the galaxy’s greatest collection of mighty metal warriors! The most powerful heroes from the planet CYBERTRON are here to battle for the fate of the universe. With incredible ability to change into everyday objects and technology beyond your wildest dreams, these ROBOT HEROES are more than meets the eye!

Jenga Pink Girl Talk - In this cute edition of the classic wood block game, you pull out a block, then answer a question, such as: If you had one wish, what would you wish for? or Who is your closest friend?

You still can't let them topple, though!

Furreal Friends Newborn Duckling - Bring home this lovable, cuddly baby duckling that really comes to “life” as it responds to your love and attention. Just like a real duckling, this electronic toy bird flaps its wings, raises its head, opens its beak, and makes “real” duckling sounds.

Keep interacting with your duckling, and it becomes more playful. Be sure to “feed” your duckling with its bottle. Take care of your baby duckling and you’re sure to be the best of friends!

This is totally cute, and actually my 11 year old son loved it.

Martian Matter Alien Maker - this was a BIG hit at our house.

Pop open this alien spaceship to discover all sorts of alien-making technologies, including LUNAR LAVA gel and reusable METEOR MUD compound, which are used to create alien forms! Mix and match the 14 different half-molds to create more than 90 different wacky alien combinations! Place your finished alien creations in the spaceship’s pods to “fly” the aliens home!

Or use the tools to flatten or dissect your alien creatures! Dream up endless adventures and experiments for your aliens and creative fun that’s completely cosmic!

Check out all the other cool toys at the Hasbro Shop!

Playskool Easy Dunk basketball set is a min-backboard and net that hooks over any doorknob, just the right height for little players starting about age 3.

It's easy to assemble, kids can hang it up by themselves and the goal is nice and wide for easy scoring.

Be sure to check out all of the toys in Playskool's Kid Motion line.

Spring 2008 has arrived with lots of new toys from Hasbro, and I was sent several of them to try out.

Littlest Pet Shop has a fun VIP line. They are virtual interactive pets and kids can cuddle them and play online with them in cyber form.

Don't forget all the other Littlest Pet Shop fun things, too. They are all the rage with the kindergarten set around here.

The Fur Real Friends are a big hit at our house, even with my older kids. The Tea Cup Pup is adorable and there's lots more.

The Classic Easy Bake Oven (which my boys were knocking each other down to get to) is 45 years old! It's just like you remember and it allows young bakers to create cakes and snacks for everyone to enjoy.

Baby Alive has lots of additions to the family this spring. Each new member of the family showcases a different stage of a baby and toddler’s development from playing peek-a-boo to potty training.

The new for 2008 Baby Alive Newborn Assortment had dolls that sleep, sip from a bottle and even ones a "mommy" can pat and burp.

Hasbro also has another birthday. Did you know that My Little Pony is 25 years old? They have a contest to celebrate where you can have a chance to win a $25,000 savings bond.

These are some great gift ideas for girls, but be sure to check out all the other great toys and games as well!

I was delighted to be able to attend the first ever meeting of the Precious Girls Club (has sound) last week.

The Precious Girls Club is a new virtual world website and chapter book series for young girls from Precious Moments. It has been carefully crafted with input from kids today as well as their parents and it features age-appropriate characters and messages.

In addition to the virtual world, there's also Precious Girls chapter books that are inspirational and age appropriate.

Check it out for the little girl in your life today.

I. Love. This. Thing.

The Vtech Kidijamz Studio is so much fun. It's an interactive music station where kids can compose their own songs and play them back as well as interact with built-in familiar songs (don't worry, it comes with head phones) and there's an audio input jack so you can play other devices through the speaker.

There are rhythm keys too add background as well as filler keys with cool musical riffs to round out your musical creation. Don't forget the turntable that makes scratching sound effects!

There's also 10 different musical instrument buttons and kids can even learn about musical stylings such a reggae, jazz and more. It also has an iPod-like detachable music player and headphones with a record/playback feature.

The Kidijamz Studio has a microphone to sing along with as well as a song book and a light-up keyboard to learn to play along with the built-in songs.

It retails for $59.99 and would make a great Christmas gift for you your child.