Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Kohl's Holiday Collection

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:32:00 +0000

I have procrastinated REALLY badly this year.

Why? On hubby's side of the family we're going on a trip INSTEAD of Christmas, and so since I didn't have to get anything for a heapin' pile o' peeps, I sort of got complacent. Lazy, even.

The good thing is that smart retailers know that there are idiots like me who wait until the last second. I heard on the radio yesterday that HALF of all shoppers are still not done. So, half of us are losers I guess.

There's still some time to get stuff from Kohl's 2009 Holiday Collection. They have all kind of great picks and buys for you, you only need to look. You've been to Kohl's. You KNOW Kohl's. I love their store myself. This may be in the TMI department, but the most comfortable underwear I've ever bought were from Kohl's. I need more. Uh, Santa???? Got that???

And, if you are on Facebook, and I'm a little shocked if you're not, have you become a fan of Kohl's? I just did...click on over to your FB profile to get that little page looked at.

So, since I'm going to share this with my friends on Facebook and time is of the essence, you have until 5PM Central time on Monday, December 21 to leave a comment on this post and you will be selected at random to win a $50 Kohl's gift card. In the comment you have to tell what was the WORST present you ever got. Mine? I got an air tank. Yes....an AIR TANK. My folks thought it would be useful. I still don't know what the hell I was supposed to do with it.

Thankfully, even if you wait until the last minute, there is NO WAY you can get something that horrible from Kohl's. Seriously.

So, leave the comment!! Tell your gift-receiving tale of woe. Get it off your chest, it's safe here.

Hasbro Family Game Night 2

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:05:00 +0000

Last year, I got Hasbro Family Game Night, the original. I wrote about it in this space at that time, we played the heck out of that game with it's video game versions of classic family games.

Now, there's another offering with five new games: Bop It!, Connect 4x4, Operation, Jenga and Pictureka!

If you've been paying attention, in the last couple weeks the Midwest part of the country has been socked with inclimate weather which has kept my kids home from school 3 full days along with some late starts. Going into the busy Christmas season, not the most ideal interruption of routine. But, luckily for them, I got this game in the middle of all that madness and they took it out for a test drive on the Wii.

Highest marks go to Bop It! and Jenga. My teenager, who plays Jenga with his grandfather all the time, contends that the Family Game Night version is incredibly challenging. Pulling the Wii remote carefully, keeping it level, and steady...wow, sounds like the control necessary to pull a real Jenga piece out without failing miserably in a collapsing pile of wooden pieces.

My 11-year old, he with the ADHD and microscopic focus, LOVES Bop It! All I can say, being utterly unscientific, is that Bop It! appeals to his slightly spastic personality.

Hasbro Family Game Night 2 is worth a look if the games are ones you've enjoyed in the "real" world...and are trying to catch up to the video game world. As for me, if the kids will ever let me have a turn, I'm going to take a chance on Operation. That horrible buzzing was always a fun part of my childhood, I'll have to see if my surgical skills are up to snuff.

Buy Hasbro Family Game Night 2 on Amazon here.

***I was not paid for this review.***

SimAnimals Africa

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Sims Animals Africa for DS is the game my daughter has been playing since she got ovre H1N1.

Yeah, it's been an interesting winter so far and it's not even technically winter yet.

Her review in her words: "Well, you have to, like, take care of animals. And you can collect things like fish and there is a butterfly fish and a blue mbuna, which is a fish. There's pomegranates and mulberries. My favorite animal is the lion. My favorite thing to do on the game is feed the weasels and stuff."

As a mom, you know that abstractly the kids learn about animals during science class at school. And when they ask questions at home about things they read in books or see on TV. Really, though, you KNOW that EVERYONE has a favorite animal they look forward to at the zoo. How can you not? Hubby's favorite are the penguins. Mine are giraffes. And I didn't really realize it, but my daughter's favorite seems to be the lion. As she informed me after playing the SimsAnimals Africa game.

This isn't usually the kind of game she plays, the boys are the ones who like the Sims, but she's 7 and though her games are usually cooking or fashion related, I wanted to see what she thought of it.

Game play is like any other Sims games you are familiar with where you build a relationship with a variety of character options, play with that animal, collect badges, move about the African safari. If I can be sort of simplistic here for a moment, I think aside from enjoying the different fish and food items, she basically liked how colorful the game was. I think a game is more fun when it looks bright and fun in appearance.

My daughter, at age 7, I think is on the young end of the player spectrum. My 5YO picked it up to play and had far too many questions to play it alone. Your kid needs to be a pretty solid reader to play the game so they can follow it without getting frustrated.

If you like Sims and/or have an animal lover in the house, they'll like this one.

Buy it on Amazon here.

***I was provided SimAnimals Africa for review purposes. I was not paid for this review***

Febreze and Game Day

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:43:00 +0000

So I get this letter from Febreze and the NFL.

OMG. Know why? They love me. They called me a "Febreze Loyalist". Don't be hatin'. It's pretty darn true, really...because I have written about my love of Febreze three other times. They know me so well. (FYI: did you know that luminary now has some new scents? I got the Cranberry Pear....nice)

So, anyway, I guess knowing my track record with Febreze they wanted me to pass along to you a bunch of stuff that you might not know about but might be interested in.

First, Febreze is hooked up with Olivia Manning...mother of Payton and Eli. Now, I'm a college football fan, but I do faithfully watch the Super Bowl, and I don't even think you have to be a football fan or sports enthusiast to have heard of the Mannings unless you live under a rock. (This has nothing to do with their football prowess, but I do think their TV commercials are funny).

My best guess is that Olivia, the "Freshness Coach", herself has thrown a football party of two in her day. To that end, Febreze and the NFL want to share with you all the tips for having the most ultimate football party, which would include, making sure your house doesn't smell disgusting. Because you have stinky and/or messy family members. Isn't that awesome?

There's a Facebook page you need to get on. If you aren't on Facebook yet, you are probably the last person who isn't. Aside from the Amish. So go to the page and get in on what's going on. Become a fan.

Also, check out the Febreze Game Day website where they are having the Freshest Game Day Sweepstakes Ever. Febreze is giving away four tickets to the 2010 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV. Ummmmmmm, holy crap. I would wear Febreze as PERFUME to go to those games. For real.

I've got myself some cute little football plates and napkins. I've got a FEBREZE COOZIE to hold my drink. It looks like a football jersey with sleeves and everything. Awesome. Oh, and a nifty bowl to put snacks in. And last but not least, more Febreze-to-Go to be sprayig after the smelling guests. Which, if any of my teenage son's friends come over, would be ALL of them. (13 & 14YO boys smell really really really really bad. Really. Ick.)

***I was not paid for this review post. I was provided with a sample of Febreze Fabric Refresher from MS & L***

Charm Girls Club Pajama Party

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:16:00 +0000

It's apt that I finally am writing this review now. Why?
Because 3 out of my 4 kids got H1N1 this week and spent most of it in pajamas.
Not. Even. Kidding.

My older daughter started tanking Thanksgiving Day....then the rest of us, save for the grumpy teenager, started falling like dominoes.

However, when she (my older daughter Sammie, age 7) wasn't napping, I did let her play Wii so she could play Charm Girls Club Pajama Party. Because this game is right up her alley.

Allow me to flashback to the late 70s and 80s, if I can. Sleepovers were the epitome of girl fun-ness. There wasn't a slumber party invite I ever turned down, I LOOOOOOOVED a good slumber party. There was one in particular in I think 4th or 5th grade where a girl who wasn't like super popular (nor was she unpopular) had one. But she did invite a bunch of popular girls to her party. I tell you, her parents were really cool and we had this dance off that was just epic and all the girls at the party had so much fun, I think it gave her bonus points for a long time to come.

So, when you get a bunch of girls together to do fun things together, even if they didn't previously have that much in common, it can build a stronger friendship. OMG...I can't believe I'm doling out life lessons from a Wii game.

So my little Sammie played Charm Girls Club Pajama Party, and as I like to do now, here is her review in her words: "There are lots of games, I haven't played them all yet because Zach keeps hogging the Wii. But the best part is collecting charms. And I made my girl look like me, mostly, the hair was a little different than mine but then I gave her a white sweatshirt. I forget the pants. I won the game where you bounce on the bed. I lost the hair one so I want to do that one again. But my favorite thing is getting all the charms."

This is condensed. A lot. Because my daughter has got a talking gene inherited directly from my hubby's mother...who could talk about 18 different things for an hour and still not have told me the reason she called me in the first place. God bless her.

In a nutshell, somebody who knows what pajama parties are all about put it into game form. Although, I must confess I do not recall that many pillow fights. Maybe my friends were pacifists. lol

And, in true style, Sammie has marched herself downstairs to kick her brother off the Wii so she can play this again. Maybe we can interest him in the hair styling game??

Click here to purchase from Amazon.

***I was not paid for this review***

Littlest Pet Shop Friends

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:19:00 +0000

The hardest part of adequately reviewing games that my kids play on Wii is that their focus is not necessarily on the more bulletpoint issues in the game.

For example, trying to find a graphic to use I JUST HAD TO USE THIS ONE with the dog because he was totally the CUTEST! This, according to my five-year old who just plays with the cutest anything on any given game. By her standards, on Littlest Pet Shop Friends, the best characters to play are the dog, the pony and the ladybug. Why? Because they are the cutest. As if there were any other valid reason.

This gives no indication about game play, just cuteness levels.

Here is a summary of the game's activities, according to the 5YO reviewer: "There's a party. And you go meet new pets. And the party is for the ladybug. And they play games. The pony is my favorite but the bird is stupid and I hate the bird."

Got all that?

The point of the game are little jobs involved with planning a party. My kids have the "original" Littlest Pet Shop game and have played that one plenty. This one basically is a series of scavenger hunts to complete party tasks. That is something my girls can get behind.

Does it have amazing graphics and lifelike imagery? No. It's cute and bright and the pets look much like the real plastic ones I am forever stepping on or picking up so our dog doesn't chew them to fabricated shreds. In the first incarnation of Littlest Pet Shop, if I recall correctly, there was more attention paid to doting on the pets themselves. This one evolves to having the pets do little games and such instead. Which is fine, I think my girls have plenty of games that focus on the care of animals.

Littlest Pet Shop Friends is one I expect they'll continue playing, they really liked it except for "the stupid bird".

Buy it here on Amazon.

***I was not paid for this review***

My Sims Agents

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:42:00 +0000

Taking away first-person shooter games, there's not a whole lot of stuff for the Wii my boys won't play. I got My Sims Agents and my 11-year old son has been playing it like crazy.

First, let me back up by saying they (my sons, ages 11 & 13), have already been fans of the Sims games. We get them games for holidays and birthdays, but anything they desperately want they have to save up their own money for. Trust me, these are times when they must want the game pretty badly to cough up their own money for it. They bought the first My Sims game with their own money.

So, that was an excellent springboard to playing the My Sims Agents game.

The game itself is kind of Sherlock Holmes meets James Bond. Cases and clues but with more fun elements.

My boys LOVE the games where you can design your own character, they being artistic types. My 11YO son was happy to report that he found "his" hair from the originial Sims game to implement in the design of his My Sims Agent character.

Well....thank God. I'm sure that improved the level of play. lol

There are also multiple gadgets that you get initially, he informed me: crowbar, wrench, magnifying glass with the ability to, in the HQ, use a paint gun. Which, apparently, is AWESOME.

Another favorite feature of the game was getting assistant agents. Obviously, that will help you beat levels if you can get a little help, eh?

My kids play, aside from the Guitar Hero series, all games that involve different worlds and levels to beat rather than games of any other structure. Sims games definitely fall nicely into that category.

I assure you, if this game held the interest of my 11YO redheaded goofball with ADHD, it'll work for any kid you have.

Click here to buy this game from Amazon.

***I was not paid for this review***

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters - WE HAVE A WINNER!

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:10:00 +0000

I'm not sure I've mentioned it much yet (guess I'm sort of waiting until things get closer) but I've spent the last 3 months plus steadily training for my very first half marathon.

If you are a running person, you may not be that impressed.

I must say, though, as a one time track chick in high school that ran sprints, this distance stuff has been a huge challenge. That being said, my slow and steady progression toward my end goal has me in the best shape I've been in since those high school days.

That's saying a lot considering I'm a 37-year old mother of four.

But part of my training has also included eating a more runner-friendly diet. In my research and tips I've gotten from other runners, nuts are a good thing to snack on.

Nature Valley sent me a nifty little box full of goodies. Actually, more goodies than I anticipated because there was a drink bottle, binoculars, flashlight (which my girls promptly stole because it was cute) and a little backpack too!

But let's talk about the food items, the Granola Nut Clusters. As stated, I like nuts and I like granola when there are nuts involved. My FIL just had hip replacement surgery and there were some complications, so we ended up at the hospital logging more hours than anticipated. I grabbed the bags of Nut Clusters because I thought, depending on our ability to get to the cafeteria for a meal, we may need some sustenance.

Now, truth be told, I'd consider myself pretty damn picky when it comes to anything made with granola. Why? Because far too often it tastes like you're chewing a cardboard box. Blech.

These things are tasty, and I say that with a very discerning palate. The Roasted Almond one was my favorite. Also, the other thing that appealed to me was the serving size. What a normal person considers a serving size and what is sometimes listed on food products can vary a great deal. Especially, it seems, with chips and other high fat snack items.

The servings size here are seven or eight of the clusters, and if you haven't seen them, if you can picture a Rolo (those chocolates with the caramel in the middle), one of these clusters is slightly larger than that. And they're a lot more filling than you'd think. Simply eating them as a snack, I wouldn't even need to eat seven or eight. And that serving size is only going to be around 150 calories. So, whether or not you're watching what you eat, you're not putting a bunch of nasty in your system...so that's pretty good.

You may want to try some of these for yourself. In fact, I'm pretty sure you do. SOMEBODY is going to win the box full of Nature Valley goodies with all the loot I listed above. So for ONE of my lovely beautiful readers, leave me a comment (make sure there is a way to contact you via email if you win) about the biggest health-related thing you've done for yourself lately. And if you haven't, is there something coming up you're excited about?

Wish you could all cheer for me on my first half marathon! In the meantime, do something else healthy...leave a comment and you could WIN!

And the number random thingy distributed thusly, thanks to all who left a comment:

List Randomizer

There were 7 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

The Beatles

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:08:00 +0000

Remember I mentioned (as did the rest of the world, with great anticipation) that The Beatles Remastered had been released including songs from fourteen albums by The Beatles? Remember that?

I've listened, all right.

Not sure if you were one of those who ran right out and bought your own copy or haven't found time yet...hey, I get it, fall is a busy time of year.

But, is anything, barring death and destruction, more significant that The Beatles? No, of course not.

I spent my childhood listening to my mother's scratchy, ill-cared-for original Beatles albums. On a record player in my room. I remember the exact muffled spots in "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", which was one of my favorites from "Help!". And this may sound a little melodramatic, but when I got to that track on the Remastered CD, it was incredible to hear it in its pure form. Without the scratches, the shortcomings of vinyl, the sound from cheap speakers...the song still makes me feel that melancholy ache which drew me to it in the first place, but now it's even better.

I had "Rubber Soul", "Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper", "The White Album" on CD during my college years. The rest of the catalog came courtesy of the original vinyls.

I enjoyed having a stroll down memory lane listening to The Beatles again, some songs for what seems like the millionth time. But I'm thinking about how The Beatles have breached the generation gap - AGAIN. See, I was the daughter of a Beatles nut. And of my own choosing, fell in love with the music myself. And I'd been listening to the Beatles "Love" CD in my car some months back when my teenage son was interested in a couple of the songs. Now, we listened to the Remastered versions together and he's become quite a fan in his own right, asking for more and more Beatles music to add to his iPod.

It's probably come full circle when the other day he posted a tribute on John Lennon's birthday on Facebook for all his junior high friends to see.

Now, if you'll excuse me, my son needs to listen to "Glass Onion" just a couple more times.

Febreze Flameless Luminary

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:52:00 +0000

Some lovely person sent me the Febreze Flameless Luminary.
Why?
Because Febreze and I? We go way back.
I don't like stink.

Febreze makes me not want to get sick because things smell weird and I can't figure out why and I don't end up thinking about a bunch of strange germs and stuff it could be.

This luminary was pretty slick though...and I thought no way it would actually smell up a whole room nicely, but it did. And I got the Green Tea Citrus scent, which I didn't think I would like much but it's pretty nice actually...not something I would have picked myself, so I'm sort of glad I got it.

Probably the biggest bonus, is that my firefighter hubby isn't having a hissy fit about it because there's no flame. It's an illusion! It only looks like there is a flickering candle in there. So, since he HATES candles and I love them, it's probably the equivalent of a marital compromise.

Holla, Febreze!!

The Beatles Can Never Truly Be Remastered

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:08:00 +0000

You know all this awesome Beatles stuff is coming out now, right? As in, "yesterday"... which wasn't my favorite song, but it was up there.

There's a worldwide CD release of the digitally remastered works plus The Beatles: Rock Band. I would like to take this opportunity to beg the video game gods to offer this in Guitar Hero format for Wii. Thankyouverymuch.

I'm getting a CD sampler which I'll review. As a major Beatlemaniac, I trust I can tell you whether it's just as awesome as it was before...what am I saying? How can it not be awesome. So, be watching for a future post about THE BEATLES!

And that photo there? Yeah, the White album. I had that poster on my wall in high school when other people had Milli Vanilli or New Kids on the Block.

For all things Beatles, check their site

GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra for Wii

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:19:00 +0000

There are a few times when hubby and I are reminded, that despite our own perspective that we think we're pretty cool and hip and young....uh, maybe we're not.

We both grew up with Atari. What with it's painful joystick and minimal graphics. The games were simple. And I can tell you right now I could kick all your asses at Pitfall. I rocked that game.

Our kids have Wii, and while it's incredible just how far things have come, their games, quite frankly, some of them give me a headache just watching them! There is so much going on simultaneously that I can't figure out how they are keeping it all straight.

Hubby is the same way, which I guess is what makes us the geezers around here. He says, "It's so confusing, how can it even be fun". But our kids are growing up used to that intense level of stimulation. Makes me wonder if they'll be "normal". Probably not, which is why I make them go outside and play in the sandbox to offset the technology seeping into their noggins. But I digress...

The other night we finally got a night since school's started that they all had some time to play the new GI Joe game on the Wii. Hubby wanted to play since he himself was a GI (and had a younger brother who was a GI Joe nut back in the day, as did I), and he likes military games. Zach will play anything on the Wii save for something Disney Princess or My Little Pony. He has to draw the line somewhere.

Here's the "official" game description:

G.I. JOE The Rise of Cobra for all major video game consoles will feature an exclusive storyline that picks up where the live-action movie, from Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Hasbro, leaves off, allowing players to re-create and re-live the greatest moments from the film, cartoon series and action figure toy line. The game will feature 16 playable characters – including 4 unlockable COBRA characters – each with unique abilities and weapons. Adding to the adrenaline rush will be an intense single-screen co-op mode allowing two players to easily unite as a team in a classic struggle between good and evil to defeat the powers of COBRA.

They played for awhile then I hung out and watched them. Zach was enjoying it a lot. There's shooting other people and blowing stuff up and even though it's rated T for Teen, it's not disgustingly graphic like some other shooter games are. People just kind of fall over dead like some of those shooter games you might have found at the arcade. It's the blowing stuff up that's way fun.

For hubby, he was glad that he had the ability to hang in with it. The game has you seeking out objectives and killing enemies but not doing eighteen other things. And despite the fact that Zach's score was five times what his was, at least they could play together!!

So, for my younger son and my hubby, we'll be giving this one two thumbs up. They could play together and my son could show his dad a thing or two but at least his dad could kind of keep up with it. Heck, maybe he'll practice some and show up the kid next time!

Birthday Party Bash

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:32:00 +0000

Sammie has it both good and bad with a summer birthday. For one thing, it's outside the school schedule so she misses that awesome day at school reserved for when you're a little kid and it's your birthday.

And with a birthday smack dab in the middle of summer, all the usual summer stuff has been done by her party guests. They've done the pool thing, the going to the park thing, every kind of summer fun thing. They've had weeks of summer fun by the time her birthday rolls around.

So, when Mom Central sent the Birthday Party Bash for Wii, and I knew it'd come for us to use at her birthday party, I was pretty darn excited. Especially because it's hard to come up with something new and fun for birthday parties.

I had a few things planned for the party and implemented the help of the witless teenager of the house to get the game going for Sammie and her party guests. Yeah, they didn't need much by way of intro, once they got figured out which person had which controller they had a blast. And it's funny, the games were so varied, no one person was dominating by winning everything, which was nice. I mean, we're talking about 7 & 8-year old girls here, if there is a bit of competitiveness, there can be a little drama too.

Truly, I kept asking if they wanted to change to Mario Olympics or Wii Sports instead, and in unison, they insisted that they wanted to keep playing Birthday Party Bash. Hand to God, they didn't ever end up switching games. That's pretty good, to keep the interest of that many little kids when they knew they had other options.

I have photos, but then my camera had to hit the camera shop, so I will add later. But hubby did a little video, though his camera work needs some help, he shot the girls and not the game too. But, it's funny, look how hard they are concentrating on the game! It cracks me up.

The game itself came with invitations but we'd already sent hers out. But they're very bright and colorful and I think I'll have to save 'em for when it's the next birthday around here.

So, it got a lot of kudos from everybody involved...great idea for a kids' party! The girls had a real blast with the game.

Mom Central Summer Giveaway

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:28:00 +0000

I know summer is busy, it's been quite crazy around here as well, so I definitely know!

However.

Is it ever, EVER, too busy to want to win FREE STUFF? No, that would be a big fat no, boys and girls.

Mom Central, that I love, as a top notch site for everything under the sun that matters to me (and many of you) is having massive giveaways.

However, you can't dawdle and you need to check out the Summer Giveaway Bonanza pretty much RIGHT THIS MINUTE because some of the first week giveaway items end today to enter to win!

So, hurry hurry! You don't want to miss: shoes for your toddler, a Hoover vacuum, a Super Soaker, a Kodak digital frame, and lots more stuff as you keep checking back to enter to win.

Run, don't walk, to check out the giveaway NOW!!!

Look Good...Feel Better

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:42:00 +0000

Six years ago tomorrow, I walked with my best friend Teresa at Relay for Life. For her. And her cancer was so new she'd only had one chemo treatment and hadn't even lost her hair yet, that would begin to fall out just a couple weeks later. And my daughter, Teresa's goddaughter, hadn't even turned one-year old yet.

My daughter was too young to know how hard it was for Teresa to not only fight the cancer but to go thru all the surface changes. When she went to pick out a wig, she was terrified. She took about 8 of us along to help her...we made a party out of it. But she needed us there to help her pick out a wig, but more than that, to remind her that she was still so beautiful even without her hair.

Teresa, as a nurse, was the type of person who met her cancer full-on with research in hand. Once she got thru that initial denial, she met everyone armed with an arsenal of information. But, that was just about her disease, not about her...as a woman. Mom Central told me about this website and I wish I'd known about Look Good...Feel Better to give her information about all those other insecurities that come from having cancer.

What is it, exactly?

Look Good…Feel Better is a free, non-medical, brand-neutral, national public service program created to help individuals with cancer look good, improve their self-esteem, and manage their treatment and recovery with greater confidence.

But, wow, what a great source of information for everything from wig selection to how to put your eyebrows back on when you lose them to chemo. Teresa always seemed even more frustrated with the lack of eyebrows and eyelashes than she even did about the hair on her head!

Look Good...Feel Better is celebrating its 20th anniversary by looking for people to share their survivor stories as part of the "Women of Hope is Beautiful" campaign. There's an extensive timeline of what has been going on the past 20 years with LGFB if you, too, are learning about it for the first time.

Take a look though, there's a blog and a place for women to submit stories and photos. Cancer is never easy, but finding a support network to get some answers and some help with even something that seems silly like how to apply eyeshadow when the eyes seem to fade away with the ravages of the disease and the challenges of treatment.

Cancer is hard, but finding support should be easy.

Mamapedia: the Wisdom of Moms

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:53:00 +0000

I don't think I'll shock anyone when I mention the phrase, "opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one".

But you know what? Sometimes you're so fluxommed that you seek counsel. Advice. The OPINIONS of others, God forbid. It's that whole "been there, done that" philosophy.

Literally, three days ago a friend on Facebook asked about getting her son to sleep thru the night and starting to wean him from night breastfeeding. Another college friend and I both gave our methods and experiences, she having nursed three babies and myself racking up four former nursers. Our methods both included a minimal implementation of "crying it out". Yet another person the inquiring mom knows offered other options and was NOT a fan of any letting baby cry. (The other mom and I were virtually called out for being child abusers, definitely not a case where a difference of opinion was shared in a respectful manner)

Different strokes for different folks.

My biggest feeling is that while so many people have different viewpoints, the most important thing to remember is to be respectful of other people's choices. Especially when it comes to parenting. Isn't it a hard enough job already? We already second guess ourselves enough hoping we make the best decisions when it comes to care and discipline, that unless we're doing something harmful, it really isn't anyone else's business.

But what if there's a situation where you feel uncomfortable talking to your girlfriends or your favorite aunt, and you want a variety of information from other people who have already handled the same scenario? That's where Mamapedia comes in.

I have looked all over the site. I don't know how long Mamapedia has been online but the gamut of topics is already varied. Not only that, but some of my own kiddie "issues" are on the site with lots of detailed and thoughtful responses from a lot of moms.

My boy-crazy daughter Sammie....yeah, having a boyfriend in 1st grade is a topic. (FYI: the consensus of opinion being that it's pretty harmless...I agree). There's also a thread concerning getting kids a video game system or not.

From conception to adulthood, the Mamapedia site is broken down by age groups so that you can go directly to the age of the child you have where you may have an issue you are struggling with and find the topic already exists or post a new query.

Pretty slick.

If you're in a place where you need to get a little more perspective and just need a variety of advice, with all the feedback on Mamapedia, you're bound to find a voice in the crowd similar to yours that makes sense and is helpful. And the nice thing is, after you "solve" your problem, you can go back and update the thread on how things turned out.

Thanks to Mom Central for sharing this little gem...it just may help me survive the teen years. Maybe.

Frosted Flakes Plant a Seed

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:47:00 +0000

I like it when corporations put it in the hands of the people to have a say in where charitable dollars are spent.

I can't remember what the organization was last year that had a school project to help a school and there were like five from across the country and Parkersburg, Iowa that had been leveled by a tornado was one of them. I have family that live there and to think that something could happen that would help the town rebuild was great to be a part of.

This time, it's Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, which I eat myself if I'm being honest, I don't just buy them for the kids. Anyway, they have a Plant a Seed initiative where they want to rebuild playing fields for kids in towns where the funds aren't there for upkeep and kids are losing out on places to play.

Voting is currently going on and ends May 31st, so you need to boogie on over there. I went over and voted for a field that is in a neighboring town to where I was born and raised.

Check it out! You'll be GGGGGreat! (you knew I was gonna go there, right?)

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Big Splash & Imagination Movers: Warehouse Mouse

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:29:00 +0000

Some PRish type folks sent me a couple new Disney DVDs, just in time for the coming summer months when approximately 3.7 days after school gets out they will be whining about how bored they are.

The nice thing for me was that my 5-year old is a big fan of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse series and she liked that one and my 6-year old (almost 7, as she keeps reminding me) is an Imagination Movers fan and she liked that one.

Everybody wins!

The Mickey Mouse disc is raring to go with a summer theme with the stories on the DVD. Emersyn was quite a fan of the bubble bath episode. But, with the genius of promotional materials, you can actually take a sneak preview yourself of a little bit of the DVD.

If you've never been a big fan of Mickey but your smaller kiddie seems interested, you might want to consider it. I swallowed the bitter pill that was "Barney" back in the day when my oldest son was little because he really loved it.
Not to mention, apparently it's a fan favorite all over.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ranked as the #1 cable series with kids 2-5 in February 2009, with more than 24 Million unique viewers – over 42% of preschool kids age 2-5. It features the iconic characters of Mickey and friends encouraging teamwork and problem-solving.
(Source: Nielsen Media Research, National Ratings, Live +7, 1/26/09-2/22/09)

Not too shabby, even by Disney standards. There's some pretty stiff competition for what's on TV for the little kiddos to watch.

Next up was the Imagination Movers. I'm not gonna name names, but it seems the Imagination Movers are the dudes who get the moms all interested. Like, we're all supposed to have one guy we like...I'm just sayin, I've seen blog posts debating which mover is the hottest. I'm voting for Dave, myself, but to each their own.

That aside, my older daughter likes this show too and after a long couple weeks of soccer games and dance practices, she came home the day I offered up the DVDs for watching and plopped on the couch with her favorite blanket and chilled out. Didn't move a muscle 'til it was over. That's 88 minutes, folks. She both needed the break and it engaged her interest. I don't normally just let them do that...just sayin. Don't want you turning me in to child services for using the TV as a babysitter.

Anyway, as usual, the guys are up to solving the "Idea Emergencies" and getting on the crazy hijinks.

Sammie's favorite was the "Tooth Hurts" episode...watch the clip.

Both DVDs are good additions to your library, especially if your kids are already fans of the shows. Just in time for summer.

Nancy Drew for Wii

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Sat, 02 May 2009 02:31:00 +0000

Nancy Drew. Isn't it amazing there are still Nancy Drew products coming out?

I was sent the new game for Wii Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek and I guess at first I was kind of surprised Nancy Drew is still on the scene.

My kids have heard of her and not from the recent movie offering. No, from hubby's mother who loved nothing more than she loved Nancy Drew when she was growing up.

At first I thought I'd play the game with my girls. But here was the problem. It's for ages 10 and up and for my 6YO daughter, that did apply. There is some reading involved that is more than her current reading level could handle.

So, I asked my almost 11YO son to try it out. I was playing for awhile myself but, in a total switch of personalities, I wasn't catching on as fast as my son was.

My kids, the boys specifically, have always been more excited about games with different levels and worlds and basically anything where you have to make progress of some kind. They've never really been into shooter games or sports games. So my son was quite adept at playing this Nancy Drew game where there is a set of things to accomplish and tasks to perform to keep moving along. Whereas I, am ashamed to admit, was losing patience somewhat at having to go along so diligently.

It's been crazy busy around here so they haven't gotten a chance to play it long enough to beat it and my son promised me that that snowball fight was "pretty tough", so it's good to have a game that actually challenges them. If your kids like those problem-solving type games, they'll like the mystery spin appeal of this game.

To buy: click here

Sid the Science Kid: The Dirt on Dirt

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:44:00 +0000

My youngest kid is probably my dirtiest. After two boys and an older sister, the "baby" girl seems to be the one with the most enthusiasm for being outside.

The episode "The Dirt on Dirt" summarized:

In an Earth Day-themed episode, Sid wants to know what makies dirt so dirty. At school, Sid and his friends discover that dirt is really important to the Earth because it helps things grow, and it's also filled with tiny rocks, pieces of leaves, and even living things like bugs and worms!

I had Emersyn watch the Sid the Science Kid episode first. Then Sammie watched with her. Then Zach watched it with them when they watched it again a 3rd time.

The kids have all planted seeds in dirt and grown things during the spring during projects at school starting from when they were preschoolers. We live in Iowa. We know a lot of about dirt here since we're an agricultural state, so my kids may by osmosis know slightly more information than a kid who doesn't live in an area heavy with farming.

But in the usual PBS programming style, the show does a nice job feeding a kid's curiosity and speaking to them in their language but also not dumbing it down. The show is geared for 3-6 year olds (which fit with my viewers, my girls who are 5 & 6 quite enjoyed it but my 10-year old was outside the target audience) and I think it does well with the information for that demographic.

I particularly liked the song Sid sings in the car about how great his mom is. Obviously.

DO NOT MISS this episode of Sid the Science Kid, it airs tomorrow April 22 on PBS KIDS. Check your local listings to find out when it's going to be on in your area.

School House Rock! Earth & Handy Manny: Go Green Edition

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:59:00 +0000

Earth Day is coming up. I never heard anything about Earth Day until I was in high school despite it being started back in 1970. Then we got a day out of classes and spent time cleaning up trash and other earth-friendly activities, such as they were in the late 80s.

Certainly though, when I was a kid in the 70s, seeing litter in ditches was commonplace. I guess until somebody decided that to teach people to stop doing it, you'd get a ticket for littering. A penalty for being stupid with the planet.

Litter is so visual, though, it's an easy reminder about being nicer to Mother Earth. However, there are other ways that, as our society is becoming more environmentally conscious, we can do.

I've started thinking about the ways in our family life we can change. I've implemented things that are more "green" but also, more conservationist and save me money.

The Disney DVDs School House Rock! Earth and Handy Manny: Manny's Green Team have these themes for the kiddie set.
My kids get a lot of information at school about being good to the planet. And no, I really don't think it's some kind of left-wing, Al Gore, tree hugger conspiracy that they discuss it at school, but it does comes up. Even without having the kids watch the DVDs, they could already tell me a lot of things to do that are good for the Earth.

I got my kids the School House Rock DVD with all the songs from when I was a kid many moons ago. They've already become fans so I figured they'd like the Earth one too. The thing I like is that there are some old cartoons I remember but they've given them all the "old" vibe like the ones I watched as a kid.

The Handy Manny DVD is obviously, newer content. Handy Manny is something that's just been around here with my girls watching stuff (which is too bad, I think my boys would have liked it when they were small) but the show itself already has a "problem solving" vibe anyway where people work together...well, I guess really just Manny and the tools do. So an Earth Day theme for episodes isn't really outside the norm for Handy Manny. My younger son, who is almost 11, actually sat down with his little sisters to watch it and was enjoying it too. I didn't find that there's a suggested age for watching Handy Manny, but if that tells you anything, he liked it too.

So, for some kiddie entertainment for Earth Day, they just might learn a new thing or two from these Disney DVDs. These just came out, so should be pretty easy to find for your kids.

Listerine Total Care

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:00:00 +0000

I've had a pretty good variety of dental work done. As a kid, let's just blame it on all that candy I ate at every opportunity. The result? A mouthful of fillings.

Each time I was pregnant then my mouth went in the toilet. Well, not literally...you know what I mean. And the last time I was in with some tooth pain, my dentist threatened root canal in the near future. Not super excited about that.

And I take good care of my teeth, seriously! Well, I could floss more but I am improving in that department.

I got to try the new Listerine Total Care. And I'll be truthful, I've always used mouthwash for one purpose, and that was to keep my breath super fresh that much longer than simply brushing. And I'll be truthful, after many years of trial and error, I already use Listerine.

Want to hear something psycho? I like Listerine because it's so intense. Like, it tastes kind of medicinal and almost hurts. That's what I like. I don't like that stupid stuff that's wimpy and tastes like bubble gum or whatever.

OCD admission: they have it noted on my chart only to use mint when cleaning my teeth at the dentist's office. Why? Because if they use something like wild cherry, I don't feel like my teeth are clean. At all. I hate that. I know, it's apparently super weird because only me and one other freakshow have to have mint.

Anyway, so I tried the Listerine and at first glance I was nervous. It's purple (the color of the mouthwash) which is my favorite color in the universe! However, it's not normally the color of minty type stuff.
But, it was mint taste anyway! HOLLA!

I suppose I should divulge that it's called "Total Care" because it's more than just mouthwash where your breath smells super good. It does SIX things, so hey, that's pretty awesome.

Helping to prevent cavities
Restoring enamel
Strengthening teeth
Killing bad breath germs
Freshening breath
Fighting unsightly plaque above the gum line

Anyway, I appreciate Mom Central sending it. Because I just ran out of my own Listerine (I usually get Fresh Mint). Now I can get this because it's PURPLE and it still makes my mouth feel totally clean.

Current Cards for Teens by Discover

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:06:00 +0000

My oldest son is in 7th grade, which means a few things.

He's moody and unpleasant often. He grew five inches last year. He smells bad when he forgets about that nifty little invention that I introduced him to called "deoderant".

And with the fuzz accumulating on his upper lip, his seriousness about girls has increased somewhat. A lot of things about the freedom he has are scary for us as parents but at the same time, I know I need to start trusting him to make his own decisions.

He's had a cell phone for about six months but it's the kind you load the minutes on so I have some control over how many minutes he's going thru (which, unless he is interested in a girl, the phone gets little activity) and how he's using it.

And now that he is "on again" with a girl he's been interested in this school year, he's wanting to "hang out". Which basically entails going to the Mexican restaurant he likes with her and then walking over to the movie theater to see some sort of horror genre flick.

So, we get down to the money thing. He doesn't need much. He has everything he needs, besides the things we buy him his grandparents spoil him rotten. He really, like most other kids his age, doesn't buy much besides the frivilous.

That is, until he's thinking about spending his money to do stuff with his girlfriend. The movie theater doesn't take checks. Cash or debit/credit card.

Therefore, this Debit Card for Teens offered by Discover is a pretty slick idea because then he can start to learn to make some, though small, financial decisions. And maybe have a better place to put the money he gets from me occasionally for babysitting his siblings instead of the silver box in his desk drawer. Very weird. He'll be stockpiling some cash for his 13th birthday over the next month (his birthday gets spread out as we go to Arizona for Easter to see his grandparents and he likes to have his birthday with them there).

I like that his purchases can be tracked. I can deposit money on it. When he starts working, he can set it up with his employer for direct deposit. And, perhaps the best feature is that we can set spending limits so he doesn't try to buy strippers or something outside his budget (not that he'd be buying strippers because then I'd have to kill him). As an artist, he thinks the designs you can choose for the cards are pretty cool, he's picky about that stuff because he doesn't want to look like a dorky little mama's boy.

I think the only drawback, if you want to look at it that way, might be that it costs $5 a month to have the card. That's $60 a year. If the other features are appealing enough to you to offset that cost, then it's worth it. Personally, he probably loses $5 a month in that pig sty he calls a bedroom, so I think it's worth it.

Will let you know how it's going a few months down the road when he's been using it.
No doubt when he whips out the black card with skulls on it to pay for popcorn at the next scary movie, his girlfriend will be impressed.

Totally Fit Mel B

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:31:00 +0000

I spent 3 miserable weeks sick in February (well, a tiny bit into March, but who's counting?) and I must say, it's one thing to skip all that time exercising and say, "hey, isn't this great laying around and skipping my workouts because I'm sick" because you're delirious on medicine and don't know any better.

So, I got this workout DVD and wanted to try it right away but I felt like I'd been beaten with a baseball. It'd have to wait.

My first thing with Mel B a/k/a Scary Spice was that I didn't like her much. But then she was on Dancing With the Stars and when that casting decision was announced I was like, "desperate much, DWTS? A washed up Spice Girl who got impregnated and abandoned by Eddie Murphy? No thank you." But I'm an addict to DWTS and by God if she didn't end up being my FAVORITE person on the whole season. For one thing, she started off with some leftover baby fat which quickly melted off after all that dancing. So I liked her for being brave enough to wear those outfits without having the 6-pack from the get go.

Homegirl got fit in a hurry and you had to be blind not to see that she was in great shape, but still had real woman curves, and she's maintained it. Yeah, one of the things that I came to admire about her on the show was her ballsy attitude but that doesn't keep the pounds from coming back.

Anyway, when I checked out out her workout DVD, Totally Fit Mel B, I can see how she's stayed in great shape since she was showing up regularly on my TV.

Totally Fit is set up to serve to people who either don't have much time to work out, or those who want to focus on specific areas. There's a section that kind of explains how to use it, which my best guess is, many of us with ADHD are gonna skip because we want to get right to the good stuff.

Basically, you can use the various sections: Cardio, Advanced Cardio, Arms, Legs, Bums, Tums. There is a Warm Up and a Cool Down which you are encouraged to always, always, always do no matter what workout you choose. So, it's kind of a buffet style...pick the things you want, using your remote, it'll go right along the workout with the selections you choose in order.

The moves aren't hard or weird. She also contends that with her workout, you don't have to have expensive equipment, as for hand weights at one point they're using full water bottles. Certainly she's keeping the budget conscious person in mind.

Now, up until this year I took Pilates and Plyometrics classes at a local place. My instructor is one of my best pals and a former 2-time Olympic athlete. If you think she doesn't beat our asses hard during a workout, you'd be mistaken. Many of the moves in Mel B's Totally Fit have some of the same concepts as those classes: building a strong core, and also the repetitive motion of simple movements that build up muscle.

I'd recommend it for somebody who wants to look into a new workout. Especially the ability to easily concentrate your exercise on certain problem areas, that's very appealing.

And, if you want it quick, it's on Amazon for ten bucks. Yeah, the classes I was taking were sixty. Good deal!

Carpet Fresh

sonia.sunshine13@gmail.com (Sunshine) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:52:00 +0000

I have issues with smell and stink. I have mentioned this many times before.

Mom Central sent me some Carpet Fresh Carpet & Room Odor Eliminator Quick-Dry Foam (in Morning Rain scent) to try out.

I seem like when it comes to many household chore scenarios I'm either too busy or too lazy to want to put forth effort but I do anyway on occasion.

But dudes, when all you do is spray some foam and THAT'S IT. That is the serious slothful cleaner's dream.

I feel like my house smells godawful lately. A couple of us were sick for the better part of February. The dog stinks from both getting all her exercise done in the house (she's a small dog, she does that) and also the times she goes outside in melting snow and comes back wet. I didn't realize how nasty wet dog smell was until I owned a wet dog for myself. Not to mention, we've been doing some remodeling in our basement so things were smelling like paint, and other junk and I'm not giving it a good cleaning until it's all done.

There's multiple levels of stink around here.

I used this in two places over the course of a few days when the dog was extra smelly (there is a Super Pet version I'm excited to try next!) and when I did it, the foam dissolves into the carpet very quickly and the kids gave the smell major kudos.

I'm definitely getting more in the Super Pet version...we haven't seen our last days of wet dog! Check out the link for a downloadable coupon, woot!