Hot Wheels Power Loop Stunt Zone

As a child some of my favorite toys weren’t exactly my own.  I still remember my brother and I having so much fun putting together his hot wheels race tracks and racing them (or trying to get the cars to crash).  Hot Wheels has continued to offer reliable and sturdy products including two new racing sets the Trick Tracks Triple Stunt Starter Set and the Power Loop.

EBoy coud not wait to start putting together the Triple Stunt Starter Set and with a little direction from the instructions he was easily able to help assemble this cool interactive toy.  Not only was it fun to see the car race around and try to figure out new ways of making it zoom through the loops but he also was able to fine tune his motor skills as he learned to gently place track pieces together.  He created his own imaginitive scenarios incorporating the crane and loops, enjoying creating new games and races along the way.

Both sets were well made and the cars have continued to run very well even with daily useage.  ETot has gotten in on some of the racing action and the tracks have even held up to him trying to “help” his brother assemble everything together.  ETot’s favorite thing about these racetracks was the fact that we were able to use the plethora of hot wheels cars we already have to race on the tracks as well.

For an interactive toy which will get your child’s imagination and engineering skills racing you can’t go wrong with Hot Wheels.  This is an awesome gift idea for the holidays and be sure to check out each one on Amazon which is currently offering free shipping.

This review is courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network

In celebration of World Egg Day which is on this Friday, October 10, 2008 the ebony family decided to get in the kitchen to create something great with eggs.  EDad is our dessert expert so he and the boys chose to do an a Fruity Oil Ice Cream recipe by one of our favorite tv personalities Alton Brown.  The name isn’t nearly as appealing as the flavor of this rich and creamy ice cream, helped in its smooth creamy texture by the addition of 6 egg yolks.

The ingredients:

We seperated the eggs and added all of the ingredients to a sauce pan in order to cook the base together.  If you look closely you’ll notice we chose Roasted Hazelnut Oil as our fruity oil:

And EDad had vanilla bean sugar he used to add an extra bit of flavor to base.  The boys had a blast using our food processor to chop up the roasted almonds to add into the recipe which gently soaked as the base cooked.  We then cooled the base and added it to our ice cream machine:

Which turned our incredible egg base into a creamy flavorful confection!  While this is definitely more of a special occasion treat, we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate World Egg Day than with our delicious roasted almond ice cream.

Here’s the full recipe in case you’d like to try it:

Thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network for our egg-cellent adventure in ice cream!

Car seats are a crucial item for any parent that must travel in a car. There’s a myriad of car seat options on the market but Britax has been the pinnacle of comfort and safety in child car seats for years now, making their products top choice for many. When we were contacted by Britax to try out their newest car seat the Britax Boulevard CS we jumped at the opportunity to try out their latest innovation.

First of all the Britax Boulevard is very well constructed. I love the way you can literally see the interior padding wrap around your child for an absolute snug and comfy fit. ETot might have found the seat a little too comfortable considering that he fell asleep immediately the first two times we placed him in it. The seat is made to be adjustable without forcing you to completely uninstall the seat to change it’s fit. The headrest is easily maneuvered up and down just with the click of a knob- but the knob is placed far enough back so that while parents can easily reach it busy little toddler hands can not.

The tangle free harness is made for the utmost of safety while making it easier to get your child in and out of the car. For those with little Hodinis that like to unlatch their own harness, most likely your child is going to have a difficult time getting out of the 5 point latch system. The harness height is also easily changed with the same knob used to adjust the headrest, and a good fit of the harness is crucial for the emergency performance of carseats of any type. The side impact protection built into this carseat is an innovation that every parent can appreciate- elevating the protection of your child in the event of a side collision accident.

While the style and comfort of the Britax Boulevard were highly appreciated- what’s most important is having a seat that can withstand even the most difficult safety issues. For style and safety the Britax Boulevard CS is a definite winner taking your child from infancy all the way through childhood (up to 65 pounds) with ease and reliability.

V-Tech games on the V-Smile system were the very first video games my sons were ever exposed to. Both EBoy and ETot have been thrilled to learn a variety of math, reading, and learning skills all while playing and having a great time. V-Motion has taken the fun and mind building to a whole new level.

Instead of typical sit and move a joystick play, the V-Motion has finally added physical movement to the mental strength building their products have provided for years. The system comes with the Action-Mania smartridge which is packed full of learning adventures. The wireless joystick has multiple modes so that if your child is not quite ready to incorporate motion you can let them get adjusted to working in the standard joystick mode. Both of my boys enjoyed the moving portion of the game.

My favorite part of this system is that it is truly a multi sensory academic experience. Not all children learn by simply sitting and reading things. This systems requires using their fine motor skills to move the joystick while navigating motion with gross motor skills, impacting different areas of the brain at once. In any classroom with young children you are apt to find a child who learns better while moving around or tapping a foot. Motion can truly reinforce learning for some children, helping them focus more than most could ever conceptualize. This system utilizes this important concept in a unique way.

The game system is also expandable in that as your child completes different tasks you can take the included USB V-Link and connect online for bonus game packs and updates. The V-Link will also track your child’s progress online, so you can find ways to encourage and strengthen their academic performance. My boys were also very excited to learn that the V-Motion is backwards compatible and works with all of the smartridges from their old V-Smile system. The motion capability only works with the newest smartridges of course, but it is nice to know that the investment in their previous games is not wasted and can now be enjoyed wirelessly.

V-Tech has hit yet another home run. The action packed learning adventures of the V-Motion will keep your 3-7 year old excited about expanding their minds. Gaming, movement, and mind enrichment have never been quite so entertaining- V-Motion is an excellent idea for a gift which will be healthy for their bodies and their minds.

Review courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network.

Both of my children have unique tastes when it comes to food. My oldest would take a huge salad over a hamburger anyday, the youngest eats fresh fruit like its candy (we have to literally do a limited fruit bowl each day or he’d eat through every piece of fruit in our house), and for most of their little lives neither had any interest whatsoever in drinking milk of any kind. Since my oldest has never cared for cheese or much else dairy yogurt has been our one dependable source of dairy in their diets.

Yoplait kids provides healthy kid friendly yogurts with a great variety of flavors. Their products use real sugar instead of the horrible high fructose corn syrup which we try to avoid in our diet as much as possible. I also love the use of natural coloring ingredients like turmeric and beet juice instead of the questionable high octane colors used in other products.

The Yoplait Kids website is currently offering a great coupon for $1.50 off their products. Check my main website for a giveaway from Yoplait Kids. Review and giveaway courtesy of the Parent Bloggers network.

Ready for the Day from Freespirit Books

Most parents of small children can agree that the ages of 2 and 3 years old can be a bit trying at times. Part of your child’s development is forming their own opinions and their own voice in all facets of their lives.  There are many schools of parenting education and disciplining techniques and Freespirit books offers some wonderful options to helping your child adjust as they evolve emotionally and mentally.

Ready for Bed and Ready for the Day are two books which follow the conversation between a young child and one of their parents as they go through their daily routine. Each book provides specific examples of how the parents validate feelings, offer choices, and provide encouraging words to assist their child in getting focused and ready to accomplish their daily tasks.

The appendix of the book then gives detailed explanation of these tenants of positive disciplining and ways of integrating them into your daily life as well as how important they are to your child’s development. Each book is beautifully illustrated and held the attention of my 3 year old quite nicely. These books would be very helpful for new parents as well as those in throws of two year old development.

I’ll never forget when I finally figured out the importance of offering choices. My then 2 year old oldest son didn’t believe in naps at all but being pregnant with my youngest at the time made them a much required necessity. I finally asked him one day “Would you like to take your nap in mommy and daddy’s room? Or in your own room?” He carefully thought it over and chose mommy and daddy’s room. My non-napping son calmly went to lay down and took his first willing 2 hour nap that I’d ever experienced. I then praised him for his great choices and was able to rest at a time when my body needed to more than ever.

Language is so important in interacting with your children and Ready for the Day and Ready for the Bed provide guidance on exact discussion for encouraging your child’s emotional health and intelligence. At the same time the tips, which are all very straightforward and well explained, will expand your parenting skills to hopefully reduce the tantrums and meltdowns which can frustrate even the calmest moments of life. If you would like a cultural diverse parenting tool to positively impact your child’s learning and your own parenting skills definitely give these books a try.

Thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network for the opportunity to review these very helpful books.

Bob the Builder Can Doo Zoo is a learning experience your little one will be begging to play again and again.  This educational software is presented by Brighter Minds Media and is packed full of skills your preschooler will benefit from.  Not only will your child increase their dexterity and coordination by utilizing the mouse to complete the games and tasks they will also build foundational skills for learning shapes, colors and patterns.

The game also has a book mode where Bob will tell your child a story while integrating different games and video clips from the actual show.  While the book mode was very exciting to my boys who enjoyed following the story of the zoo and compenents needed as Bob builds special homes for the animals my only disapointment was that the actual words for the story were not there for the child to follow along.  Even though younger toddlers may not be able to read all of the words having them there would be of great benefit.  While younger children will definitely enjoy the different sorting, color, and shape related games each skill set comes in multiple difficulties so older children can also practice and learn as well.

For a great way to introduce your child to computer learning try Bob the Builder Can Doo Zoo.  The integration of the show’s characters with animals and tasks will appeal to both boys and girls as they prepare for preschool and kindergarten in an interactive entertaining game.  Download a trial version of the game from Beanstalk Media to try it for free.

This review is courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network.

Over the last decade Leapfrog has provided products to help children learn to love reading.  Both EBoy and ETot learned basic phonics thanks to the Letter Factory  and we’ve had much success with each product we’ve tried.  The new Tag reading system is no exception to the hands down best products to help your little ones achieve reading success.

The Tag reader has removed the bulkiness of some of the previous learn to read systems.  Instead of needing a full lapsize pad to utilize books and learning products you have one light and easy to use Tag reading pen.  The pen is compact and very durable even standing up to much testing by our resident destructive 3 year old.  There are a variety of titles available and EBoy has been thrilled to go through the books again and again as he worked on learning each word.  ETot is always focused when we allow him to use the Tag and its also been a great instrument as he learns to strengthen his manual dexterity for writing.

By far my favorite part of the Tag system is the comprehension enhancements provided.  Along with the words being sounded out by the pen (there are different mode options from the child using the pen to read along, to the pen reading full pages with page turning prompts) there are sounds which connect the pictures on the pages with what’s going on with the story.  So if the story tells about someone falling in water you hear the sound of splashing along with the picture of the person providing the same sound when selected by the Tag reader.  The books have several other enhancements including games and phonics instruction, so its not just a simple read the book and be done, the activities are endless as your child learns in depth reading and retainment of concepts.

The Tag Reading System website provides more details about this wonderful tool and as you purchase additional books you can easily download the stories and activities that go with your story.  The system also includes a free website tool which will help you monitor your child’s reading progress.  The Tag Reading System is truly built to provide the maximum level of reading development and success for your child.

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If you look over in my right sidebar you’ll see another educational endeavor sponsored by Leapfrog.  The Savvy Source is a resource created for parents by an exceptional group of parents and educators.  Try out a free quiz and you will be directed to a plethora of free resources, paid resources, and activity ideas for implementing all aspects educational and learning succes for children from preschool to kindergarten age.

The most remarkable thing about the quizes is the depth of information each quiz examines.  I completed several quizzes on topics such as visual arts, language development, and science and honestly the quizes were comparable to the therapy level questionnaires we answered when figuring out EBoys developmental and sensory issues.  Not only will the quizzes help you figure out if your child is on the right track it offers specific ideas and books that you can incorporate into your daily life to strengthen their skills.

The level of assessment and detailed activity were the exact same thing you’d pay an educational therapist quite a bit of money to attain.  The activities are parent or educator created (and marked as such) with an easy to download form you can print off and use.  Within the science plan the evaluation determined that a water activity would help ETot in his cognitive development.  Not only did ETot love the sink or swim activity where we dropped different items in water, he retained what we discussed and repeats his findings often.

 Savvy Source is an extraordinarily helpful resource that any parent who is interested in how their child learns and helping them to advance to even greater levels will find an absolute treasure.

This review is courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network.

Fruit rollups are a fond memory from my own childhood. My brother and I were always ecstatic to have “real fruit and fun wrapped up in one” in our lunchboxes for school. Today’s fruit rollup creations have more exciting designs than ever before. MyFruitRollups.com is adding even more fun to fruit rollups by allowing you (or your child) to design your very own fruit rollup creations online.

The interactive website is very easy to use. You can chose from multiple different layouts with a variety of characters, hobbies, themes, and personalized wording to design your fruit roll up. EBoy had a blast designing some science themed fruit rollups and has requested to play with the website several times since our intitial tral. Even though we don’t order every one of his creations its been a great way for him to practice his spelling, utilize patterns, and reading as he navigates through the fruitrollup design process.

Once you have completed your design you can order 1 box which will feature that single creation. The box includes 30 fruit rollups and currently they are running a special which takes $8 off the price. Designing your own fruit rollup is a great idea for a unique favor for a birthday party, graduation, class project(valentine’s exchange, etc.), church group, or myriad of other ideas. The box we ordered features EBoy’s design for his upcoming 6th birthday. Simple, fun, and it actually has his name on it (which he loves!)

For an entertaining and easy way to create a unique gift be sure to visit MyFruitRollups.com Be sure to check my main website where I am hosting a giveaway of a free box of 30 fruit rollups.

This review courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network.

We received the most fun spanish DVD yet from the makers of Whistlefritz.  These entertaining dvds introduce your children to Spanish immersing them in full Spanish for an entire program.  When showing this to a group of 2 and 3 year olds I was surprised at just how focused they became on watching the colorful characters, puppets, children and animals as they stated the Spanish words in sentences and songs.

I really liked the fact that the program repeated the words in multiple contexts so that the children could get several variations for true comprehension.  The integration of music was very well done- the songs were memorable and energetic, great for the toddler who is learning as well as the parent working with them.  Whistlefritz also offers cds of the songs from the dvds which is another wonderful way to incorporate Spanish education into your everday life.

Teaching your children in Spanish is an adventure in fun with the award winning Whistlefritz.  Check out their website to sample songs, DVDs, and their newest product offerings.