A Parent in Silver Spring Reviews

GIVEAWAY: Giggle, Giggle, Quack ... and More Stories By Doreen Cronin on DVD

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Fri, 21 May 2010 00:56:00 +0000

One of my kids' all-time favorite books is now on DVD - with a bunch of other fun stories! It's Giggle, Giggle, Quack ... and More Stories By Doreen Cronin on DVD.

I love love films for kids that aren't all loud bells, whistles, violence and puppy love, but age-appropriate narrated stories, more akin to a book on (video) tape than a movie. Which is why I'm a huge fan of Scholastic Storybook Treasures adaptations of children's book to film. These DVDs support reading comprehension, vocabulary and problem solving. I always turn on the read-along function on these DVDs so the kids can follow along with the words as the stories unfold.

Giggle, Giggle, Quack ... and More Stories features more than an hour of animated storytelling by celeb voices like Abigail Breslin (Olive) and Randy Travis. Kids aged 3 - 8 are the target age.

Official DVD synopsis:

The title story is the hilarious sequel to “Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type”. This time, Farmer Brown’s animals pull their old tricks on Farmer Brown’s brother, Bob. Duck instigates the action, ordering pizza with anchovies for the hens and renting “The Sound of Moosic” for the cows.

Also included are four additional stories, animated from the original storybook illustrations of Betsy Lewin and Harry Bliss: “Dooby Dooby Moo”, “Duck for President” and the best-selling “Diary of a Worm” and “Diary of a Fly.” As an exclusive bonus, the DVD also includes an interview with illustrator Harry Bliss and Spanish versions of “Giggle, Giggle, Quack” and “Duck for President.”

So if you think every pig deserves a bubble bath, and every cow deserves a good long cry at the end of "The Sound of Moosic", well, this is the DVD for you. I mean your kids.

Leave a comment before May 31 and you'll be entered to win your own copy!

The good people of Scholastic Storybook Treasures sent my children their own copy to review.

Wedding Season Approaches

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:23:00 +0000

For those of you on the wedding, groomsman and bridesmaid (or like me, the bridesmatron *shudder*) circuit, I give you this deleted scene from I Love You Man (via Love Life Images):

Here's to jumping the air while wearing a strapless bra and a bright turquoise prom dress!

(And my apologies to my girls for making them wear those silver sheaths in 2002. I know you never wore them again.)

The View Alert March 12 - 19

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:56:00 +0000

The View Alert

• Friday, March 12 - Kate Gosselin is back with her extensions and will join the girls as guest co-host.

• Monday, March 15 - Jessica Simpson and all of her oft-lauded body parts.
• Tuesday, March 16 - Marisa Tomei teaches the girls the pole and lap dance techniques she intensely studied for The Wrestler.
• Wednesday, March 17 - Kate minus 9 again...but Dr. Drew's coming on with his patented subtle snark that the gals won't catch.
• Thursday, March 18 - It's all about Joy! She gets to do stand up and not get interrupted...kind of like her other show.
• Friday, March 19 -Olympic gold medalist and Dancing with the Stars contestant Evan Lysacek visits. Kristi Yamaguchi stops by too, looking even cuter than she did 20 years ago. Bitch.

Next week explores a slew of different chick looks. Find which one works for you, take notes and work it!

Friday - MILF gone wild...aka Kate trying to snag a date on network television. Don't get me wrong, she's cute. But she also has EIGHT KIDS.
Monday - Bombshell on the Verge. Cleavage, cleavage, everywhere. Bring popcorn.
Tuesday - Please Call Me the Next, More Italian Susan Sarandon - Cheekbones and charm.
Wednesday -See Friday.
Thursday -The Gal With A Great Personality. (And two shows, a honor held by goldmines Ellen and Kelly Ripa, so no bagging from me.)
Next Friday -Hotties On Ice.

I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other The View branded items to facilitate my review. I'm hoping for a boob shirt.

The View This Week - March 1-5

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:33:00 +0000

The View Alert for This Week

• Tuesday - Edward Cullen, I mean, Robert Pattinson
• Wednesday - Lisa Kudrow will try and teach the ladies comedic timing
• Thursday - Incredible shrinking woman and target of my 4th grade Eddie Van Halen crush jealousy Valerie Bertinelli and the cute girl who plays Alice in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland
• Friday - Oscar squeeeees with Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes and Oscar predictions (by entertainment journalists)

Things to look for when you watch:

Tuesday - Cougarful fawning
Wednesday - Rapt attention and note-taking (I'm hoping); references to Elisabeth and Lisa's shared blonde-ness (I'm dreading)
Thursday - Snarky references to alumn Star Jones own methods of weight loss?
Friday - Wonder if Whoopi will bring her Oscar? That would be cool.

I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other The View branded items to facilitate my review. I'm hoping for a boob shirt.

I Love The View and I'm Proud

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:34:00 +0000

OK, OK, SNL is great but I love The View, the real deal, even more. Of course, I dressed as Barbara Walters for Fourth Grade Career Day in 1984, borrowing my mom's big career woman bow-tie blouse and begging my grandma to style my stick-straight hair in hot rollers for that on-air coif. I started watching The View in 1997 as a college senior, the very first season when Debbie Matenopoulos was the twenty-something voice of America. No thanks to working office jobs, I had to take frequent View hiatuses from 1997-2004, checking in only via Talk Soup and those rare sick days when I Barb and the girls comforted me as I moaned from the coach.

But one of the perks from dropping out of corporate America to raise my kids (Elisabeth would be so proud) is that I have been able to be a semi-regular View-er since Charlie was born. And when we sprung for DVR in 2005, whoa-ho, I got to jump on the regular-viewing View bus (just like Whoopi!) again and girlfriend, I've never gotten off.

Are you a big fan of The View too? Then you've got to enter The View sweepstakes for moms. One lucky winner will be randomly selected to receive a trip to NYC (without the kids, natch) to watch a live taping of The View, squee!!! The sweepstakes is open until February 28th. Enter here!

And guess who's coming on the show tomorrow people?

THE JERSEY SHORE!

(Go ahead, run to your DVR remotes. I'll still be here.)

Oh yes, tomorrow 2/23 the controversial cast of MTV’s Jersey Shore will be joining the Women of The View LIVE. No MTV editing. (I'm sure the 5 second delay will be in full effect.) Can you IMAGINE the guys dancing with Sherri? Freaking on Joy? Styling Barbara with a Snooki-style Bumpit?

You know who else is going to be on The View this week? OCTO-MOM, Danielle Steele, local Montgomery County, Maryland-girl Guiliana of E! and husband reality TV dude from Donald Trump's show, and then for a Friday grand finale, Regis and wife Joy are going to perform a song from their new album.

Seriously. You don't have to wait until late on Saturday night for great TV.

Original Art Sale on Jasmere Tomorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:51:00 +0000

Although I'd love to be able to display original pieces of art in my home, usually the artists' works I love are so expensive I end up framing the creations of my children instead. (Seriously avant garde, I know.) And besides, I need plenty of wall space to display photographs of my beautiful children - our family's best works of art, right?

Well get this - Jasmere.com, my favorite discount daily deal shopping site and a local business run by parents in Silver Spring - will be featuring professionally-commissioned art by amazing artist Lisa Golightly of Kiki & Polly

on extreme discount.

This means that you'll be able to commission a professional piece of art painted from a photograph of your kids for 70% off...at least!

All those photos pictured above? They were paintings of real childen that Lisa painted for their parents. And when you hang that original piece in your home, you'll be displaying an art investment piece and portrait of your kid.

I think this is the ultimate gift to a parent or a highly personal design item for a home.

Just sign up at Jasmere.com to receive their daily deal alerts (by the way, today's is REUSE denim jeans and jean skirts for $42 or less and this high-fashion, eco-friendly denim is butter soft and usually costs $100 or mor.) The Kiki & Polly artwork sale is tomorrow, Wednesday February 17. Don't miss it!

And check out more incredile art at Kiki & Polly to see examples of what you could have commissioned for your home.

I was not compensated in any way for this post.

LunchSkins - Eco-Friendly Design for Lunch Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:33:00 +0000

I don't even want to KNOW how many plastic sandwich baggies I've used over the years packing lunches for myself and now, my two kids. What a waste.

But there's a solution - and they're so freaking cute: LunchSkins.

Three local green moms, co-founders Kirsten Quigley and Cristina (Cris) Bourelly and creative director Jennie Stoller Barakat, developed these reusuable lunch bags for sandwiches, snacks and more. These eco-mamas were inspired by the fact that every day, more than 20 million sandwich bags from school lunches go into landfills in the US. And their products are making an important environmental impact - in just this first year since they launched, LunchSkins customers have saved more than 12 million plastic baggies from landfills.

If you'd like to help this mission - as well as save in the long run on the purchase of those blasted sandwich bags - you can shop for snack, sandwich and sub bags here.

Kirsten and Cristina sent my kids and I two sandwich bags and a snack bags to test out, and they're durable, easy to clean and very well made. And they're so cute, there's no way my kids will be throwing them out. My son Charlie says that his shark-patterned sandwich bag is the hit of the kindergarten lunch table. Not only eco-savvy, LunchSkins also have the bento-box-effect, in that my kids are more likely to eat healthy things when cutely packaged. I have since shopped for a few more and we're total LunchSkin converts.

Highly recommend! You can pick up some for your kids in their favorite colors and patterns here.

I was sent 3 LunchSkins for my children to use...and then I promptly bought 3 more!

REDOING THIS GIVEAWAY: Three Pairs of The Princess & The Frog Slippers (Size Big Kid - Adult)

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:19:00 +0000

UPDATE: The winners are Julie, Meg and Sharon!

I am ticked that I have to do this, but I have to re-do this giveaway. Here's why.

I used to have all my comments for A Parent in Silver Spring and A Parent in Silver Spring Reviews handled by Haloscan. When I would log onto to Haloscan, I would have access to the email addresses of commenters and comment entries for giveaways. This software was free, all I had to allow was one ad at the bottom of my first post.

I initially installed Haloscan because Blogger does not do trackbacks and would only allow comments from those logged into Blogger, and I wanted to be able to both send and monitor trackbacks and allow comments from everyone. And keep my cheapskate booty on lovely, free, SEO-friendly Blogger. Over time I came to really appreciate Haloscan's commenting system over the commenting system provided on Blogger and was very glad I had installed.

This week I logged on to Haloscan to access the email addresses of commenters and draw winners' names for giveaways. Upon arriving at Haloscan I was informed that JS-Kit had acquired Haloscan, and I could either download all comments, or pay $9.95 for all my data to be converted to Echo and receive uninterrupted service.

JS-Kit and Echo have received favorable coverage in the media and I knew that companies like Discovery were using this commenting software. I wasn't aware that JS-Kit had acquired Haloscan, but then keeping up with tech news isn't my top priority. I quickly caught up on Tech Crunch and then blithely plopped down my credit card info, logged onto Echo and went to my new Dashboard to access your comments and email addresses.

My websites' data wasn't there. And my data still is not there. Over one week later. I should have downloaded the data. But I didn't. I took them at their word that my service would be uninterrupted. They did not say the data would be lost or delayed.

I cannot get a response from Support, Customer Service, have not had any of public forum questions answered. From the Twitter searches I've done, I'm not the only one that is disappointed.

I do not know if I upgrade to either the White Label or Echo Pro (which does not publish prices...hmmm, I bet the sales team would get back to me!) if I will have access to them. Or if I will receive a response and better customer service.

Maybe it's just taking JS-Kit awhile to convert all the Haloscan info over. But I did not receive an email from Haloscan or JS-Kit alerting me to the change over until after I had already paid for the conversion. I didn't even get an emailed receipt for my purchase. I haven't received an email letting me know about any timeline of service.

However, I was led to believe that by paying for the formerly free service, that all would carry on as before...and better. And it has not. In their sole email to me, JS-Kit wrote:

While Haloscan has a been a trusted friend for many, the reality is that the servers and the software are beginning to fail and our small startup is unable to continue to support two platforms. We recognize that change is always difficult and daunting, however we hope that the new features, great support and constant innovation on the Echo platform will offset the challenges of any switch.

I hate going ranty. It's just so bloggy. I'm a freelance writer...right?

Well, today I am very bloggy ranty low-techy ignoranty. Pretty soon I'll start talking about health care reform.

But it's all to explain to you why you'll have to send an email to apissgiveaways@gmail.com with Slippers in the title and your mailing address in the body of the mail to receive the free Princess and the Frog slippers before Christmas. In my mommybloggy giveaway.

Now I'm off to go find some Precious Moments clip art to paste in my margins and a plug-in that will play Taylor Swift when you arrive at my page!

LOL.
ROTFL.
WTF.
BFK.

Here I am modeling the slippers. They are almost too small on my big flippers.

Courtesy of the Disney folks that are bringing us the fabulous The Princess and the Frog film this winter (we LOVED it), I have three pairs of exclusive frog slippers for giveaway.

These will fit kids age 9 and up through adult to size 8 (they are stretchy and conforming, but can have room at the toes for a more pronounced froggy flop.) Leave a comment for a chance to win your own to keep or give as a gift this holiday season to your fave princess.

If you give a pair to a girl you love, maybe she'll smile just as widely as Eve here:

Eve in front of the Princess Tiana display at Carols Daughter

GIVEAWAY: Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie Extended Edition and Wishing Stone

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:23:00 +0000

The winners have been emailed and sent the movies - I have the list of Random.org-ly drawn winners somewhere and will update here once I find it!

I'm giving away 10 copies of Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie extended edition with movie-tie-in jewelry included (a mood ring-like wishing stone with clip for backpacks and such.)

Here's the official DVD synopsis:

Wizards Of Waverly Place The Movie Extended Edition features exclusive footage, behind-the-scenes bonus and awesome extras that take you deeper into the mysterious world of wizardry! Embark on a supernaturally exciting adventure as the Russos, your favorite family of wizards-in-training, join together on a quest full of heart-stopping action and hilarious magical mishaps! While on vacation, Alex (Selena Gomez) accidentally casts a spell that threatens her family’s existence! Max (Jake T. Austin) tries to keep his parents together while Alex and Justin (David Henrie) use every trick they know as they search for the “Stone of Dreams” to reverse the spell and save their family.

Anywhoo, if you'd like to win this DVD gift set, you must live in the United States and email me at apissgiveaways@gmail.com with Wizards in the title and your address in the body of the email. The winner will be randomly drawn on Monday morning and then sent by me Priority Mail on Monday or whenever mail in the DC area resumes.

Yes, I'll only mail and yes, I'll be shoveling my driveway and taking my desert booty (um, it's 80 degrees in my hometown right now) to the P.O. on Monday morning. Which means that yes, you'll probably receive before Christmas but don't burn me in effigy if you receive on the 26th.

GIVEAWAY: G-Force DVD BluRay Triple Set

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:03:00 +0000

The winners have been emailed and sent the movies - I have the list of Random.org-ly drawn winners somewhere and will update here once I find it!
I have 9 copies of G-Force (a triple Blu-Ray, DVD & digital copy set) for giveaway...who wants one?

G-FORCE is a rated PG children's film about special agent spies...that are guinea pigs. It's also a Jerry Bruckheimer live-action/animation hybrid in 3-D with ground-breaking special effects. Voiced by Sam Rockwell, Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, Tracy Morgan, Jon Favreau and Steve Buscemi, its got comedy as well as action. The concept sounds crazy, but what's really nuts is how much my kids (and some of yours too that we saw at the APISS free screening) love this movie.

Hey, remember the hamster dance? ZhuZhu pets, gerbils as life metaphors/blog mascots...what is it about domesticated rodents these days?

Anywhoo, if you'd like to win this DVD set, you must live in the United States and email me at apissgiveaways@gmail.com with G-Force in the title and your address in the body of the email. The winner will be randomly drawn on Monday morning and then sent by me Priority Mail on Monday or whenever mail in the DC area resumes.

Yup, you'll probably receive before Santa takes off. And yup, that's the only way you're gonna get it. No way will I meet you in a dark alley to give it to you, sorry!

Toy Gift Guide - Last Minute Gifts for Kids You'll Receive Before Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:29:00 +0000

Fad Fun

Pillow Pets - back in stock on Amazon from $30
Littlest Pet Shop Clubhouse
My Little Pony Ponyville Pinkie Pie's Balloon House
ZhuZhu Pets 3 Pack for $55
Bakugan Battle Set
Princess Tiana "Barbie" just $12.99

Classic Toys

Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon set (small size)
Easy Bake Oven
Lincoln Logs
Little People Play N Go Farm
Rock Em Sock Em Robots
Mr. Potato Head Silly Suitcase
R2-D2 PlayDoh Set

APISS Gift Hits

Build It Space Explorer Set from The Pajama Squid

Little People Hanukkah/Seder Meal Set
Little People Nativity Set
Klutz Window Art Set
Handmade Living Bracelet Kits from The Pajama Squid

Move It Toys

Skuut Balance Bike
Razor Spark Scooter
Disney Princess Bike
Tony Hawk Skateboards
Adjustable Basketball Hoop, Little Kids - Pro Height
Nerf Dart Tag Fury Fire

GIVEAWAY: My Storytime Friends Gift Set

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:30:00 +0000

UPDATE: The winner is Alexandra T!

Here's a brand new product for kids ages 3 -8 that you can win and receive before Christmas - it's called My Storytime Friends.

This beautifully packaged learning kit and gift set includes a plush stuffed animal, a beautifully illustrated hard cover story book and membership to My Storytime Friends online and Book of the Month club.

Your membership means you'll receive a new, free book each month, online games, learning tools and audio versions of all stories. The books are written by award winning author Andrew Wolfendon and have uplifting themes about overcoming challenges, helping others and achieving dreams.

The kit retails for $39.99 and I've seen it - it's a great gift set for young kids that like hearing stories, and early readers too. And everyone loves a new stuffed teddy bear to cuddle with, and the My Storytime Friends plush animals are top quality.

If you'd like to win this set, you must live in the United States and email me at apissgiveaways@gmail.com with My Storytime Friends in the title and your address in the body of the email. The winner will be randomly drawn on Monday morning!

Last Minute Gifts - What I'm Giving My Family (Adults, Extended Family & Teachers)

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:20:00 +0000

I have a husband, three brothers, a sister, six brothers in law, six sisters in law, nineteen nieces and nephews, two living grandparents, five parents/parents in law. Yes, we draw names, but there's still a lot of grown up gift giving going on!

Here's what they're getting. Most of these gifts can still arrive by December 24th...many with free shipping!

(Hey Family - Don't peek!)

Gifts for Men

Zappos Wear With Free Next Day Air Shipping

Hiking Backpack Day Pack by Columbia
The North Face Men's Apex Bionic Vest

Books from Amazon - hardcover for less than $15, free shipping

Under the Dome by Stephen King
SuperFreakonomics by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner
Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman

Discovery Channel DVD sets in HD
Time Warp Season 1 (Season 2 available Dec. 29)
Doing DaVinci
Man vs. Wild Season 3

Gifts for Women

Handbags
by Sondra Roberts Handbags on the maker's site and Endless.com (Endless has free overnight shipping)

Cuff Bracelets
at Hayden-Hartnett (free shipping until Dec. 31) and Kate Spade (click that link for exclusive 15% off AND free shipping on all orders!)

Books - Hardcover and free shipping
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving
A Year of Mornings by Maria Alexandra Vettese, Stephanie Congdon Barnes

Gifts for Young Hipsters

El Jefe Design 4 Posters for $25 Grab Bag

Sir Alistair Rai Tees & Scarves

Mistral Soaps at anthropologie

Gifts For New Moms

Digging to America by Anne Tyler
See Mom Run edited by Beth Feldman
Twinspiration by Cheryl Lage
She's Having a Baby DVD
Away We Go DVD
Baby Brewing Tees & Onesies

Gifts for Families

Slippers for the whole crew
from WalMart and Target (cheap shipping, guaranteed by Christmas, easy for families everywhere to exchange if the sizes are guesstimated wrong)

Edible Love
Honeybaked Hams Delivered
Hope, Faith & Gluttony Holiday Bark & Cookies
See's Candies Chocolates & Lollypops
Reindeer Ranch Red wine

Family Games
Rummikub Kids
Splashy the Whale
Guess Who? Star Wars & Scooby Doo editions

Target Nutcrackers
just $9-12 and choose surfers, boarders, rockers, athletes, military officers from all branches, pirates & traditional designs too

Gifts for Teachers

Wooden Apple Bottle Openers (I found mine on sale at anthropologie ages ago but these have free overnight delivery) &
Beer brewed by Trappist monks (local beer & wine stores with wide arrays of fine brews)
(Since my kids go to a Catholic school, this is acceptable...and wholly necessary after a semester dealing with my cuckoo children.)

Whew! I think that's it! Happy shopping from home with the snow...and look for the last minute toy gift guide coming soon this weekend!

Jasmere - Latest and Greatest Online Shopping Site for Exclusive Deals

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:20:00 +0000

I love a sale.

I love being a dorky mom on the inside, but through the power of information and shopping, being able to pick up a fashion item that transforms me into a hot mama.

And now Jasmere is helping me with both!

The brainchild of a parent in Silver Spring Katrina Emmerson Kugel, Jasmere seeks out lesser-known specialty retailers that deserve national attention and offers us exclusive discounts of up to 70% off retail prices. A new fabulous brand is featured every day, and every time someone makes a purchase on the deal of the day, the price goes down.

For instance, this week Beija-Flor premium denim jeans that usually cost $170 were offered for the incredibly-reduced price of $75...but by the time my credit card was charged at midnight the price had dropped to the $60s. (Um, that's about the same price as the jeans at Target, but I'll be wearing hot starlet style jeans in my minivan, thankyouverymuch.)

Today's awesome deal is Aromachology Scents, luxury fragrances that can be matched to your personality for a signature scent. Katrina generously chose the Sophisticated and Sensual fragrance for me (stop laughing, I can dream!) because "to her, I am creative, empowering and uplifting." Hey, I'll take it! And best of all, the perfume actually does smell like the scents I'm naturally drawn to - fresh lilies and clean woodsy sandalwood. And the price right now is $38 for the perfume...usually $80...and the price is still dropping.

So definitely sign up for Jasmere and watch for the wonderful daily deals. Become a fan of Jasmere on Facebook, subscribe to their RSS feed or email feed, or sign up to receive their updates on Twitter,

Thanks Jasmere and Katrina for keeping us parents in style, without going in the red!

GIVEAWAY: Toys for the Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:43:00 +0000

UPDATE: The winnas are Ashley & Amy - Thomas DVD gift set, Mommy Jones - Printies Pets, Tina - girl Smiley Central, Harley - Boy Smiley Central, Geoff - Putumayo CD.

Here are some cool toys I was offered to pass along to you guys for the holidays! Leave a comment, one winner for each of the five toys available for giveaway.

Thomas & Friends Holiday Express Classic Story Time Collection AND Exclusive Holiday Train Thomas Engine
This DVD is a compilation of classic holiday-themed Thomas & Friends episodes, and also includes a Take Along Thomas (not a wooden one), making for two gifts in one. Leave a comment to win the set!

Printies Pet Design Studio is a high tech craft set where kids can design oodles of different pets, then print on the fabric sheets included, stuff and then show them off. This set includes the stuff to make six different printable creatures. This toy/craft set is new, popular and on gift guides and stocked in toy stores galore. Leave a comment for the chance to win your own kit!

Smiley Central Emoticons Plush Dolls
You always stick a stuffed animal in your kids' stockings – it's a family tradition! But after years and years of bears, bunnies and the occasional pig, you need to add something new to the mix. These stuffed smileys are super for texting tweens and teens – they're definitely icons your kids see, and use, every day. Leave a comment to win a boy or girl large Emoticon plush doll! (One of each available for giveaway.)

Putumayo Presents A Family Christmas CD - World music for Christmas the whole family will enjoy. If the Chipmunks' harmonizing for a hula hoop's got you going crazy already, then you'll love these new holiday tunes for your kids. From Big Bad Voodoo Daddy singing "Is Zat You Santa Claus?" to Deana Carter crooning "Winter Wonderland", you'll love this album of standards by out-of-the-ordinary and very cool artists. Leave a comment to win the CD!

Tech Savvy Mama's 2009 Holiday Gift Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:55:00 +0000

The amazing, incredible, WOW she's so tech savvy Tech Savvy Mama has published her 2009 Holiday Gift Guide and the GIVEAWAYS and gift ideas are to die for.

You could win a Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 ($89.95), a TI-Nspire calculator (MSRP $179.99 or $140.92 from Amazon), a set of Scholastic books tailored to your child's age and more!

(These giveaways are just so cool, I'm going to hold off on posting any more here tonight...so I can go over there and enter too!)

Enter here!

Giveaway: Santa Buddies, The Legend of Santa Paws

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:31:00 +0000

The winners are Jenny, Courtney, Tricia and Bill! Thanks everyone for entering!

On one of our bi-monthly visits to the public library (to pick up books, not play Madden NFL) my daughter Eve brought over a DVD from the video section with a bunch of golden retriever puppies wearing spacesuits on the front. Since borrowing it was a) free and b) it looked harmless, I agreed.

And thus my kids' Buddies obsession began. Lord help me.

The Buddies franchise is a spin off of Air Bud. In short, they're his litter. Perpetually live-action puppies and using the technology developed in Babe, these doggies talk, crack benign jokes and get into scrapes. They refer to each other as Buddy incessantly. As in, "Somebuddy help him!" "Everybuddy for himself!" The dogs' names are Budderball (the fat one), B-Dawg (the ghetto fabulous one), Rosebud (the chick), Buddha (the zen one) and Mudbud (the dirty dog), to give you an idea.

I thought I was raising cat kids. You know, the kind that love their pets and are loved with feline affection in return, but also enjoy cats' independence and cleanliness, the thrill of leaving for a weekend with ne'er a call to a kennel, revel in not having to get up at 3am to walk a large animal in the snow or scoop up dumps larger than an elephant.

But now all my kids want is a golden retriever puppy STAT. Preferably one that talks and makes cute remarks after it breaks wind. My daughter sleeps with a huge stuffed golden retriever from Build-A-Bear that she's christened Rosebuddy and every night in her God Bless asks Jesus to make it come to life like Pinnochio.

As you may have seen from the marketing campaign, the latest in the franchise is this season's Santa Buddies, The Legend of Santa Paws. My kids have already watched it 5 times.

Please take one of the four Blu-Ray/DVD combo packs of Santa Buddies I was sent off my hands. Leave a comment and the four winners will be drawn in one week.

Just don't say I didn't warn you.

Disclosure: My kids received a free copy for review. Franks a rot Disney.

Crafty Christmas Cool

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Grandma gave the kids their own arts n crafts table one Christmas

I'm not the craftiest chick in the coop, but I do love making handmade gifts and cards with the kids. They in turn love giving their creations to family members for Christmas. So I get by with a little help from my (retail and webby) friends. Here are my and my kids' greatest hits for handmade gifts:

Christmas Ornament Photo Kits - So cheap, so cute, everyone can use a new ornament with their favorite kids' faces inside. This is also great for using up all those duplicate and random photos floating around or as fun gift tags.

Button Flower Bouquets - These are a huge hit with everyone. I like to use floral wire when I make really fancy-schmancy ones for friends, but when making them with the kids we use easier-to-maneuver brightly colored pipe cleaners and big buttons with large holes. Use up the buttons you already have, raid grandma's sewing basket or pick up a grab bag of buttons at a craft store. I also favor adding a really cheesy rhyming poem with these like "Here's a bouquet of flowers/Always in bloom/To merry your Christmas/Or brighten your room." You can go barf now.

Paint-your-own pottery studios like national franchise Color Me Mine and local businesses like The Mud Hut in Olney, MD are a way to combine making a unique holiday gift and the killing of a rainy afternoon.

Free mandala printables give endless possibilities for make-your-own presents. Print, color, cut out and tie to string as ornaments or decorations, or transfer to tracing paper and fill in with colored pencils for stained glass window decorations.

And for ultimate gift wrap that's both sentimental and save-y, I use the kids' hundreds of paintings at school and our household easel. Around November I make sure the kids have lots of red and green paint on their palettes and by December 20 or so, we have Christmas wrap coming out of our, well, eyeballs.

So that's how I satisfy the kids' craftiness even though I can only draw stick people. Happy holidays!

GIVEAWAY: New Curious George Feature Film, A Very Monkey Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:49:00 +0000

The winners are Tracy and Laura - thanks everyone!

Ladies and gentlemen, set that DVR: A new feature length film from PBS Kids is premiering on PBS Kids this Wednesday, November 25 (the day before Thanksgiving.) ) Check here for your local listings channel numbers and air times.

(If you tape it, you'll have something for the kids to watch on Thursday when your buttered arms are lost in a naked, dead turkey's most private of body cavities.)

The movie is A Very Monkey Christmas starring good old Curious George and The Man With the Yellow Hat.

My kids and I were happily asked to preview the film with a screener copy that made us feel like members of the Academy. My children loved this sweet, calm tale about how neither guy can figure out what to give the other for Christmas. The Man is having trouble reading George’s wish list and George doesn’t have a clue about what to get for The Man who has everything. In the meantime though, they have fun trimming the tree. There are elements of The Gift of the Magi and A Christmas Carol for the parental units, and lots of George's sweet and silly antics to entertain even very young kids in PBS Kids' educational media style.

The PBS peeps also kindly tucked in a pack of microwave popcorn, some fun holiday recipes, a couple coloring pages and other fun stuff. You can get many of these freebies in the Curious George area of PBS Kids, and if you leave a comment below you'll also be entered to win one of two fun prizes:

a brand new DVD (fancy consumer edition that will make a super holiday gift, not our screener copy) of A Very Monkey Christmas
a brand new CD featuring all the holiday music and original tunes from A Very Monkey Christmas (sadly, there's no Jack Johnson this time but all the songs are still pretty cute)

AND I also have 3 coupons for $2 off your purchase of the DVD, so email me if you are going to be buying this flick and I'll send you a coupon to use.

I'll draw the winner of the DVD and CD in one week, but the in meantime, don't forget to watch s A Very Monkey Christmas on Wednesday, November 25 (the day before Thanksgiving.) Check here for your local listings channel numbers and air times.

50% off Holiday Cards with Vista Print

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:11:00 +0000

The front of our holiday card this year from Vista Print. Photo by Kristin Callahan of Adelaide Photography.

If you have kids and send out holiday cards, it's likely you may want to feature their photo on or inside yours. It's a great way to keep loved ones and old friends up to date on your kids' beauty and growth. I'm not knocking cards with baby Jesus, Mary, dreidels, menorahs, Kwanzaa flags, peaceful doves, Santa or snowflakes, and we appreciate those that we receive very much. But my family and I love receiving photo cards of growing families and smiling kids during the holidays, and those are the kind we send out too.

Last year I reviewed several different holiday photo card companies, based soley upon my experience ordering and purchasing photo cards out of pocket from from Pictage, Snapfish, Shutterfly and Vista Print over the years since having kids. (Here's that exhaustive review of the pros, cons and price differences. Prices have undoubtedly changed since last year.) I also priced out options at from Tiny Prints. At the end of my review I concluded that Vista Print had the lowest price for great design options and that's who showed up on my American Express bill.

This year, Vista Print contacted me with a special discount for readers of APISS: 50% off the published prices of holiday cards!

The Vista Print peeps found me when I linked to them last year. Guess corporations like it when you, unbidden, help their marketing plans. But even though this post sounds like they've paid me to gush about them, I received simply the same discount as you guys above, plus an additional 20 free cards to review/as a thank you (a $15.98 value. Which is fabulous and I am grateful to receive. But this year we ordered 350 more cards, paid for totally out of pocket. So there's still a nice Vista Print charge on ye olde AmEx, don't worry.)

But even if they hadn't contacted me, gifted me some cards and given all of us that read APISS 50% off the published price, I would have used Vista Print again. Their prices are still way cheaper than most holiday cards out there, and there's the cool option of being able to place a second photo and greeting on the backside of your card for a low price (free if you order a small number of cards.) You can also upload multiple photos to the front or back of your card and you can customize your greeting to wish your recipients whatever type of holiday, wish for peace or corny saying you please...in the font and color you like best.

The paper quality is great and you can choose glossy or matte finishes. I also think the photo resolution is outstanding for a company that does not specialize in photography. If you upload a photo with resolution that will not translate well to the card, their software will tell you. You can order various sizes of cards, flat or folded, and upload multiple photos to the front or back. You can also turn a design so that it's vertically oriented with your greeting below the photo, or horizontally oriented with your greeting next to your photo. Vista Print has really expanded and updated the available options for customers to customize their holiday cards.

This year there are also TONS more patterns and designs new to Vista Print for 2009, and I really think they have improved the chic-ness of their designs to compete with the upscale look of card designs on sites like Tiny Prints. But instead of $1.25 a card, usually the cheapest option at the haute-y looking sites, Vista Print's cost is a mere .37 per card for a look I think is just as fancy.

The back of our holiday card from Vista Print. Photo by Kristin Callahan of Adelaide Photography. Cute saying was one of the suggestions of the Vista Print software.

Additionally, Vista Print is offering all APISS readers lots of free holiday gift stuff HERE. No joke, totally free stuff! I just ordered myself free sticky notes, a personalized note pad, return address stamp, a photo wall calendar for the grandparents...free family holiday gifts and stocking stuffers!

So, even though they didn't pay me to do it, I've totally been drinking the Vista Print Kool-Aid. But it's just so tasty...and cheap. I heartily recommend Vista Print for adorable and reasonable and high quality holiday photo cards, and again, click this link to get 50% off!

New Stuff I Love

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:15:00 +0000

Not only am I vehicle for companies to give free products away to you guys, I'm also sometimes a giveaway winner on other websites myself. (Wait, that sounded suspiciously like those old Hair Club for Men commercials.) Here are some reviews for stuff I've won or received for free.

Hana Mini Flat Iron
Sometime after my 30th birthday I started getting hangovers after more than two adult bevvies, realized that having a professional waxer on speed dial was essential and learned that it was no longer possible to simply roll out of bed and have my hair look acceptable. (Aging...I so love it!)

But who has time to painstakingly blowout or flat iron their hair every freaking day? I received the answer to the look-cute-in-no-time quandry when I received the fabulous Hana Mini Flat Iron for review. This professional ceramic straightening iron is only 5 inches long when collapsed for storage or travel - but it extends to 8 inches - the length of a standard hair straightener. Its 5/8 barrel is perfect for smoothing out sections of hair for a fast, polished look. No time for a shower? Already blowdried your 'do yesterday but slept weird on one side? Here's your quick fix. And if you travel a lot, you'll love the heat proof travel case and compact, collapsable size.

Hana Shine Shield Serum
The generous Hana peeps also sent me the Hana Shine Shield serum to protect my hair when heat styling. But I'm using a drop of this lightweight smoother even on days I air dry. It's the perfect consistency for making flyaways and split ends obey, or tucking stray pieces into a bun or pony. And though I have fine, light hair that can easily look greasy, this stuff is super lightweight. And it really makes my straightened hair look Pantene commercial shiny. I've used other clear serums from Redken, Rusk, etc. over the years, but sincerely, this Hana Shine Serum is my fave so far. Although the $18.99 price tag looks high, the bottle's a whopping 2 oz. so it will last for-eva. My bottle's still full to the top and I started using daily in July.

Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse
This summer on a fabulous Tech Savvy Mama giveaway, I was the proud winner of this fabulous mouse...in the color of my choice. I chose green, and my husband was so green with envy of this wireless mouse's super sensitivity to the slightest movements that he bought one for himself too. As a longtime desktop PC user with large hands for a girl, I really need a full size mouse, even when using a laptop. All I have to do is plug in the USB port to whatever computer I'm using and the mouse immediately works - there's no software to install. At only $20-22 on Amazon (dependent on what color you choose), I'll be picking up lots of these for siblings and teenage nieces and nephews this Christmas.

Mabel's Labels
Thanks again to Tech Savvy Mama's naming me as the buddy she wishes had attended BlogHer with her (awww, sniff sniff) in the Mabel's Labels Wish You Were Here contest (check out her adorable video entry), Mabel's Labels sent my kids a fabulous School Pack of personalized labels. And seriously, they are GENIUS. These special labels stick to fabric inside clothing, on the outside of Sippies and water bottles, and after dozens of washings since September, the labels have not disintegrated one iota. The text is so much clearer than even the neatest printing with a permanent marker.

I especially love the Tag-Mates that have guaranteed that Charlie and Eve don't come home with other kids' sweatshirts from school or lose their jackets to the anonymous lost and found pile. Although I was so fortunate to receive these for free courtesy of Tech Savvy Mama and Mabel's Labels, as soon as they're gone I will be purchasing another order for a School Pack and am now a total groupie. (I'm also going to suggest our school implement a Mabel's Labels Fundraiser, so that we earn cash for every order the parents place.)

As stated above, I either won these items in an online giveaway or received free review product. I did not receive any additional compensation.

New Website With Listing of Kid-Friendly New York Hotels

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:51:00 +0000

Dreaming of taking your kids north to see the Rockettes, hit the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, ice skate at Rockefeller Center or other Big Apple winter activities that are so much fun, who cares if they're huge clichés?

A new hotel review site, Oyster Hotel Reviews, has a great listing of the Best Kid-Friendly Hotels in New York City.

Oyster states that if you're looking for a hotel near Central Park, the Natural History Museum and other historic jaunts on the Upper West Side, The Buckingham is a safe bet. The rooms are touted as actually bigger than broom closets (in a town where even a fancy business trip can garner you a hotel single so small you can touch both walls,) so you'll be able to accommodate kid gear. If you snag a suite with fold-out couches and a full kitchen, invite Grandma and Grandpa along for the ride and you'll have on-site babysitting when you and your guy want to hit the town at night. Cost: about $283 per night.

In Midtown and near the Theatre District, Oyster has the 411 on the Affinia Fifty's Jet Set Kids package. With this promotion, each child in your party receives a backpack stocked with a Frommer’s NYC guide book for kids, a deck of 52 city adventure cards, their very own child's digital camera and a New York scrapbook to store their memories of the trip. (Jet Set Kids package available through 2009.) The hotel lobby also has a “Fun-For-Family” chest packed with board games, family DVD’s, arts and craft kits and bedtime stories that you can borrow during your stay. Cost: about $305 per night.

I'll see you on the Chinatown bus!

This review of the new website Oyster Hotel Reviews is a TravelingMom dedicated post. I have been compensated for writing this piece.

GIVEAWAY: Where the Wild Things Are & More Stories By Sendak DVDs

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:50:00 +0000

UPDATE: The randomly drawn winners are Kate R., KMM & Leida. Thanks everyone!

No offense to the genius of Spike Jonze, but my kids more heartily enjoyed watching Maurice Sendak’s beloved classic story "Where the Wild Things Are" and five more stories animated in Sendak's own hand than the much-hyped feature film this weekend.

The DVD they adore and want to watch over and over is Where the Wild Things Are...and 5 More Stories by Maurice Sendak from Scholastic Storybook Treasures. And I have 3 more copies for give away to you guys!

Each story on the disc has an enhanced read-along function which highlights the words as they are read. My early reader Charlie loved reading along with his favorite tales.

Do you remember watching film strips or television specials as a kid in the '70s and '80s of Sendak's stories, with the books sung by Carole King? Her musical compositions to Sendak's words are included in the DVD along with the Sendak tales“Pierre,” “One Was Johnny,” “Alligators All Around,” “Chicken Soup with Rice,” and “In the Night Kitchen.” Also included are special Where the Wild Things stickers (2 pages, so my kids didn't even have to share) and a behind-the-scenes interview with Sendak himself on the special features.

This DVD is part of the Scholastic Storybook Treasures line of DVDs that animate and bring to life kids' favorite classic tales.

Want to win one of three copies of the Sendak DVD for your kid (and admit it - yourself)? Just leave a comment below and you'll be entered for the random drawing in one week. Tweet about this contest for an extra entry with something like "@jessicaAPISS is holding wild rumpus of a giveaway Sendak DVDs: http://bit.ly/apisswildrumpus."

Note: My kids and I received a free review copy.

GIVEAWAYS: Great Games for Young and Old

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

UPDATE: Carrie won Silly Socks, Allison won Rummikub Kids and Kim won Rummikub Large Size - all via Random.org's Integer Generator.

Silly Socks Game $19.95
One of the favorite games of my three year old is the Silly Socks Game. Kids try and find socks with patterns and colors that match exactly, and I'm thinking these skills of of recognizing the differences between pink and purple polka dots will help her in determining the differences in letters that look similar too, such as "b" and "d." But mainly, this game turns laundry into laughs, because if you pull a pair of underpants out of the "washing machine" draw pile, players lose a turn! Since there's no reading required, we've even played this game with toddlers that have come over and they too have a blast sorting and matching.

Rummikub Large Numbers Edition $24.45
My grandpa's turning 93 this week, and his sight isn't what it used to be. (In fact, he's only got one working eye.) But that doesn't stop him from loving a good game! Although I grew up playing gin rummy with him, his hand coordination also makes holding and picking up playing cards difficult. That's why I'm giving him this Rummikub Large Number Edition game for his birthday this year. He'll have a blast playing with his grandkids this Thanksgiving and beating their pants off, but he'll still be able to easily see and move the extra large tiles. And at less than $25, it's a reasonable gift that still feels special.

Rummikub for Kids - Rummikub Start Right $10.99
After watching their great-grandpa and all the adult relatives play Rummikub, my kids want to get in on the act! They have no idea they're learning important sorting and categorization skills by playing the kids' version of the game. Kids group their tiles by colors, numbers and shapes and develop logical reasoning...and have hours of fun. Game experts, this one is currently reigning supreme in our house, with both my three year old and almost six year old begging to play with us every night!

Thanks to Pressman Toys, I have one of each of these games to give away to you guys! Leave a comment with the game you'd most like to receive and the three winners will be randomly drawn next week. Mention on Twitter "@jessicaAPISS is giving away cool board games: http://bit.ly/apissgreatgames" and you'll get a second entry in the drawing!

Note: My kids and I received free review copies of these 3 games.

GIVEAWAY: Holiday Season DVD Gift Sets With Thomas, Barney and Bob!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica McFadden) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:41:00 +0000

UPDATE: Ashley won the Thomas Three Pack via Random.org drawing!

Are Ralphie and Rudolph already wearing thin, and there's still Halloween decorations up?

Need some new holiday special movies in your house?

Check out these three DVD combo packs - each pack has THREE DVDs with your kid's favorite Lionsgate/HIT Entertainment characters:

Thomas & Friends: Sodor Friends Holiday Collection
"There’s fun around every turn in these joyful wintertime adventures! Catch the holiday spirit as Thomas & Friends prepare for the grand opening of the Toy Workshop. Laugh and play along as Percy tries to fool his friends into believing he’s Jack Frost. And hold on tight for some of Thomas’ most thrilling races, rescues and runaways in this heartwarming holiday collection." - Amazon Product Description

Barney Tee-riffic Holiday Collection
"Bundle up with your best friend Barney™ for this special collection of wintertime favorites! Take a musical journey to the North Pole with Barney, BJ™, and Baby Bop™ in "Night Before Christmas." Sing along to your favorite Barney tunes in the fun-filled game show, "Can You Sing that Song?” And join Barney, Bob the Builder™, Thomas & Friends™ and more for the magic of "Winter Wonderland” in this tee- riffic holiday gift set!" - Amazon Product Description

Bob the Buil der Building Crew Holiday Collection
"Just in time for the holidays, discover why "the fun is in getting it done” in these action-packed, fun-filled adventures! Join Bob and the Can- Do Crew as they rescue their friend from a winter storm in "Bob’s White Christmas.” Then it’s time to build a log cabin and smooth the ice rink for the Winter Games. And finally, come along as Bob and Scoop hunt for buried treasure – and make some amazing discoveries – in this one-of-a-kind collection that's the perfect holiday treat for Bob the Builder fans."- Amazon Product Description

Leave a comment and one winner will be randomly drawn to win one of these 3 DVD packs of her choice! Winner drawn in one week.

Note: My daughter received the Barney 3 pack.