The digital age has bridged the gap between families in many ways. Cell phones, email, and the internet have expanded our connections to new levels. Kinzin is a new online service which is making it even easier to share special moments with loved ones no matter how near or far they may live.

We take a lot of pictures in the Ebony household but unfortunately much like the shoemaker’s children have no shoes, this photographer’s children rarely have actual printed out photographs. And contrary to my digital imaging, slide photo show, blog having self, several members of my family actually still like to get regular photos to put in frames or albums. With kinzin I was able to upload pictures to a private and secured website, add stories or comments to go with each image and email family to view my online book. This was nice in itself but for an additional $2.99 kinzin will take 10 images each month and print them to mail directly to a family member you specify.

The website was very easy to utilize and the pictures uploaded very quickly using their file system. Adding the addresses for picture delivery was very efficient and easy to update for future picture sharing. The only thing I would have liked is to be able to determine differnet pictures for different recipients., but not one family member complained they were just happy to receive actual pictures.

I chose a surprise tactic in the actual sending of my pictures just to get my family’s first reaction to receiving the images. Each grandmother was thrilled to get pics of their grandsons- one was so excited she called me immediately gleeful in the surprise of these recent pictures. She stated that while she enjoys getting pictures online having the real tangible photographs is something she really treasures. Getting through the protective layers of wrapping to get the special pictures of her boys made the moment even more exciting. Her strong hint that this is the perfect gift idea for families who live apart from grandchildren and loved ones definitely let’s me know we’ll be using Kinzin again in the future.

If you are looking for a fun and easy way to share your precious moments with those near and far try out Kinzin. The 4×6 pictures were sharp, crisp and clear and packaged to safely arrive even in the most extreme weather. Currently there is a send 10 pictures to two people for $2.99 each and get them sent to a third person for free special.

Review courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network

We love books here in the Ebony household and both of the Ebony boys have definitely blossomed thanks to some new book findings.  Gymboree Play and Learn is a fun guide that has interesting for your child from infant all the way up to 5 years old.  EBoy simply couldn’t contain his excitement about all of the different activities outlined from nature adventures, science experiments, simple food recipes, and imaginative play.  My favorite part about this book is that instead of wasting space with long lists of accompanying ingredients or big pages full of pictures each idea is presented in a compact paragraph with everything included succinct and to the point.  This  summer we are looking forward to incorporating play and learn ideas into our daily routine.

ETot’s favorites of the books are the two board books- Gymboree Shapes and Gymboree Colors.  ETot has always loved to be read to but his instant attachment to these two bright and colorful little books was very surprising.  What was even more surprising is that after a few days of reading them with us he could name every shape and color in the pages of the book as well as in person.  Being able to point out a crescent in the book as well as relate it to real life items is a skill I didn’t expect him to develop quite so quickly.  Each page presents the idea(shape or color) in a memorable way with the last 2 pages featuring a full index of all of the shapes (or colors) along with their name in English and a myriad of other languages.

As a parent who is always looking for new and fun ways to incorporate education into our daily lives these 3 books are great tools which will be very well utilized in our childhood library.   Check out all of the books on the publisher’s website.

I’ve discussed with several blog friends just how difficult it can be as a parent to expose your children to appropriate music that you can also enjoy. EDad has an extensive hiphop collection but the majority of the artists are either pre-2000 or from Europe. Not just because of the music involved (we both definitely lean towards a jazzier sort of sound) but also because of the content of the lyrics. There’s a new group in town composed of some oldies but goodies that not only meet our taste but are a great learning experience for kids.

The Dino 5 are featured on the new cd Baby Loves Hiphop and while the songs and idea are new the artists featured are not.   Here is a rundown of the cast of characters:

M.C. T-Rex is played by Chali 2na of jurassic 5.

Tracy Triceratops is played by ladybug mecca of digable planets.

Teo Pterodactyl is played by Scratch from the legendary Roots Crew.

Dj Stegosaurus is played by Prince Paul.

I have to admit to be absolute tickled to hear Ladybug on this cd. Digable Planets is a long time favorite and her voice is still just as smooth and sweet as it was back in my Cross Colours wearing days.  The Roots are another family fav and Prince Paul (of the classic Stetsasonic) contributes his voice and his prolific producing skills.

The cd is presented in the format of a story- with snippets of narration so that a lesson is infused into the infectious beats. ETot immediately bobs his head when the songs come on- you can sample a few and catch their first video at the Dino5 website.

The biggest seal of approval? EDad listens to this cd now when he has the boys in the car! Without any prompting from me. The Dino 5 take hip hop to a whole new level and although the cd is titled “Baby Loves HipHop”, kids of all ages will truly enjoy bobbing their head to the music.

When I received a package in the mail from the Parent Bloggers to review the latest Thomas the Tank Engine DVD you would have thought we won the lottery from the excitement and dancing of my two boys. We sat down to watch Thomas in his newest adventures learning things about politeness and the good things an engine should do.

Working together is something we are diligently learning in our household with a know-it-all 5 year old and slightly Napoleonic 3 year old, and Thomas gave some good examples to talk through on the importance of working together. It was nice to also be able to discuss lessons from each episode with my 5 year old to learn from as he navigates his daily world. Many of the characters featured in the stories are rarely heard from, including a new engine named Marge. My 3 year old pointed out different engines, sometimes by name but also discussing color and vehicle type. We also pulled out our Thomas books to see if we could find various characters in the books, integrating even more learning opportunities.

6 episodes are featured on this DVD which you can find at Amazon for $9.99. It’s a great gift idea to package with a Thomas toy or Thomas book to really excite the little Thomas fan in your life.

Can we build it? Yes WE CAN! Bob and his team’s newest adventure will spark the teamwork efforts of your toddler as they enjoy Bob the Builder- Building Bobland Bay .

Although EBoy tries to act like he’s too old and cool to watch Bob, who was his former favorite, he immediately jumped with interest to see this movie. ETot was beyond thrilled to not only watch an entertaining movie but also point out each construction vehicle and tool. This movie has some brand new machines which must learn to work together with Bob’s crew. Children learn about how to interact with new friends, brainstorming to reach a goal, and just how great it feels to get the job done.

I was able to integrate the DVD with some of the Bob the Builder books we already have so that ETot can further develop his knowledge of colors, counting, and other preschool skills. We were even able to take out his play tools and use them as we watched Bob and the crew building in the movie, hammering has never been quite so exciting. He enjoyed the storyline and discussing what was going on so that he could really involve himself in the scenes as they played. Bob the Builder is presented in such a way that children can not only visually enjoy the colorful claymation characters and scenery, but also really comprehend and understand the lessons as they are being presented.

Bob the Builder- Building Bobland Bay . is an adventure your 2-5 year old can enjoy and learn from in a myriad of ways. Definitely a great purchase for the little builders in your life.

One of our favorite science shows is back with new exciting episodes. The Zula Patrol is a colorful entertaining way for your child to immerse themselves in science. With interesting characters, integration of music and dynamic graphics learning about the weather has never been so fun as in “The Zula Patrol Explore Weather”.

Scientific facts are presented in a way that not only demonstrates detailed phenomena of weather but also repetitiously provides accurate definitions. Zula Patrol is a program that is easily viewed by little ones who are brand new to learning details about science as well as older children learning in an educational setting.

Just as the importance of exposing your children to other languages from an early age can be developmentally advantageous, exposing them to the language of science can be key in our technologically advanced world. EBoy was easily able to explain to me what a cumulous cloud is after watching this show, something I personally don’t remember learning until an advanced grade school age.

The vocabulary used within the episodes is key not only for early exposure to advanced language concepts but could also be vital to helping older children work on spelling and language. The Zula website has a reading initiative program as well as activities and worksheets for free download. Great tools for homeschoolers as well as teachers to develop key foundational science skills in their students.

Check out the newest Zula DVDs available at Borders. It’s never too early to make learning about science fun!

EBoy has been working dilligently to improve his reading skills over the last few months. He was very excited when given the opportunity to review a great kids magazine called High Five. This very well put together publication is focused on children ages 2-6. Before you start to worry about what sort of advertising is being thrown your way- let me calm your fears there are NONE! No toy ads, no attempts to enforce bad cereals or fast food snacks just the chance to view real educational material in a fun and interactive format.

High Five incorporates some of the same activities from its sister magazine Highlights. I rememer my own subscription to Highlights as a chid and was so pleased to see EBoys enthusiasm when receiving his very own mail to read and enjoy. There are a variety of puzzles, stories, and activities presented in each magazine not only focused on themes for the specific month (i.e. Valentine’s Day) but also reaching beyond to expose children to a variety of real world environments and concepts.

When I asked EBoy what his favorite part of his new magazines were it was definitely the science experiments included. He also enjoyed the recipes and fun puzzles. We happened to one of the magazines while at church one weekday and I had a crowd of children gathered around to listen to the stories and do the puzzles from the ages of 3 up to 8. Our 8 year old friend borrowed the magazine to sit down and read herself, thoroughly enjoying something so focused on making learning fun.

The cost of High Five is just under $30 for a year subscription and on this Friday you can participate in the Parent Bloggers Blog Blast on Friday March 7, 2008 for a chance to win a free subscription of your very own. High Five gets an A+ review mark from me for presenting an exciting colorful way for children to learn to love reading.

As someone with severely sensitive skin which breaks out in hives if I even glance at products filled with certain ingredients I’ve learned to research very thoroughly anything mentioned on a product label. Shea Radiance not only met my picky ingredient requirements but provided exceptional quality with texture and scents I fell head over heels for.

The Green Tea whipped body butter and soap were my absolute favorites. The body butter has a smooth and luxurious texture, easily melting to moisturize even the most parched skin. The handmade garden soap provided a rich emollient lather with a more subtle scent, green tea is a favorite addition to my fragrance wardrobe. The other scents I experienced included wild orchid, pomegranate, and brown sugar each just as divine as their names. I’m not sure how so much wonderful scent was layered into each product but the scent combined with the nourishing butters and oils kept my skin looking and smelling great all day long.

The Mother and Baby collection provides mothers who are looking for a natural, healthy way to soothe the skin of babies with sensitive skin heal a variety of conditions naturally. ETot’s favorite little playmate (his WonderTwin) has some of the most severe eczema I’ve seen. Her mother has struggled to find products that will put an end to the constant itching, scarring, and welts she has from her eczema with little success even from prescribed creams. Not only did the Baby Butter soothe her dry irritable skin but much of her eczema scarring was healed and eliminated entirely. At just 2.5 years old she’s taken a definite liking to her Baby Butter “cream” and will ask to have more whenever she feels an itch. The Baby Soap also proved very useful providing clean moisturized skin. The scent of the Baby Butter was fairly herbal upon first smelling but most of the scent evaporated quickly once applied to skin.

Shea Radiance is a skin experience that your body will surely thank you for. The natural and organic ingredients are of the very highest quality focusing on providing the best from the African continent. This company has a mission which not only includes producing healthy skin products but also giving back to impoverished African nations. By purchasing Shea Radiance you can make a positive difference in your skin as you make a positive difference in the world.

With the new year many become focused on ways to finally rid themselves of bad habits and get healthy. Whether you are looking to get back in shape or regain your focus for other areas of your life tea just might be the missing ingredient to attaining your goals. The Ultimate Tea Diet is a fresh new approach to health and weight loss based on the goodness of tea.

Author Mark Ukrah (known as Dr. Tea) presents a thorough background of preparing tea along with a vast array of medical research showing the multitude of benefits tea provides. Not only has it shown to be helpful for things such as controlling appetite and improving metabolism but it has a positive impact on your health from everything to your brain reducing incidence of stroke and Alzheimer’s to preventing multiple types of cancer. He introduces the importance of positive thinking in approaching any sort of addiction or challenge in your life and how to incorporate tea into healthy habits to overcome obstacles.

EDad and I have loved tea for some time now and have frequented tea houses from coast to coast in our travels. Learning more in depth about the types of tea and their impact on health encouraged us to incorporate some of the aspects of the Ultimate Tea Diet into our daily lives. We both drink multiple cups of tea - mostly white and green tea on a daily basis. The book provides several recipes for brewing different teas including how to incorporate fruits in steeping tea for flavor or adding bits of chocolate or caramel for dessert tea. We definitely liked the flavor enhancements and were surprised at just how refreshing even subtle additions can be.

A full eating plan is also provided in the book including a multitude of recipes. Each and every recipe incorporates tea in some way, none of which overwhelmed the flavor in our opinion. If anything the chicken and fish dishes we tried from the book were very delicious with multiple layers of wonderful tastes infused throughout. Eating well has certainly never tasted quite as delicious as it has with tea.

As far as results- I increased my tea intake(unsweetened white and green tea at room temperature) without any extra working out and immediately noticed a weight loss of 5 pounds within the first couple of weeks. I’m at the end of month 2 of just incorporating some of the eating plan and increasing my workouts while drinking tea daily and am down 10 pounds as of my last weigh in.

Tea is a very wholesome addition to daily life and the Ultimate Tea Diet sheds light on how deeply beneficial it can be to your health both physical and mental. I’ll be continuing to drink tea in my weight loss efforts and will make sure to post progress in the future.

In our day to day lives we’ve all seen how important it is to pay attention to what we put in our bodies. Food has come to the forefront of our nation’s conscience from what it contains, how it is grown, and what we consume. Just as important as the interior of our bodies is the exposure to the environment which surrounds us. With skyrocketing rates of skin disorders and allergies for ourselves and our children, one place we might really need to examine closely is our chemical exposure to cleaning products.

Babyganics is a line of all natural, organic products for all aspects of cleaning your home. The most amazing thing about the products was not how natural they are but the fact that they actually work!! We were sent the All Purpose Household Cleaner, Glass and Surface Cleaner, Floor Cleaner Concentrate, and Tub and Tile Cleaner. I am very scent focused when it comes to my cleaning so I was very happy with the very slight clean scent most of these products had. The Tub and Tile Cleaner is lavender scented- although I typically like lavender I wasn’t terribly thrilled with the cleaning bottled version (EDad really likes the scent of it though) but it worked so incredibly well it will most certainly all be used before we purchase the unscented version.

My glass shower enclosure has gone from ridiculous amounts of soap scum no matter how often we cleaned it to suddenly being crystal clear on a regular basis with simple weekly cleaning. The All Purpose Household Cleaner came in handy in a multitude of uses, and was gentle enough to work well on our granite counter and wood table. We were amazed at how well it cut through oil and grime on our stainless cooktop, making it effortless to clean even after extensive holiday meal cooking. It’s nice to know that all of the surfaces in our food preparation area are not only clean but also environmentally friendly.

While you are looking to care for your family’s health with diet and exercise it definitely would be beneficial to look at taking a natural approach to cleaning your home. Its great to incorporate the recommended ingredient alternatives for cleaning (baking soda, vinegar, etc.) but Babyganics products were designed to work on even the toughest jobs. The job of cleaning your home will be easier and healthier thanks to
Babyganics. Be sure to check their retailer search to find the products in your area, they can also be purchased on Amazon.