Scatterpillar Scramble is a cute dancing caterpillar with four sets of hands.  The game is for 2-4 players, ages 4 and up.  Each player has a color coded set of tongs and marbles.  The goal of the game is for each player to place all of their marbles into the caterpillar’s hands before their opponents.

My 3 1/2 and 6 year old children love the game, but they find it discouraging to play the game according to the directions.  My husband and I even have a difficult time placing all the marbles while the caterpillar gyrates around to lively music. My kids like to race to place the marbles when the caterpillar is still, then turn it on to do a celebratory dance for the winner. The kids like to laugh and join in, then play again. They also like to play with their grandmother and anyone else who comes to visit.

This game would be excellent in a retirement home or rehab setting for people trying to improve their fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. It would also make for an interesting time at a college party.

What games or toys do you like to play with your preschooler or school age child? Please post a comment below for a chance to win Scatterpillar Scramble AND Giraffalaff Limbo. Special thanks to MyBlogSpark and Hasbro for giving us the opportunity to review this game as well as providing a set of games to a lucky reader. The winner will be announced on Monday, November 16th. Thanks for reading!

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I recently posted this on my facebook page along with a link to USA Today’s article “H1N1 and seasonal flu: Multiple doses, many questions“.

An overwhelming majority of my fb responders were NOT planning to vaccinate themselves or their families against the potentially deadly H1N1 virus. Some believe that they could survive the swine flu just like they would any other flu. Many feel that the vaccine is just too new and has too many unknowns. Several feel that the thimerosal component of the vaccine cannot be overlooked due to it’s association with autism.

A nurse practitioner friend posted that she has had some experience with the anti-viral drug Tamiflu believes it is very effective against the H1N1 virus. She believes that contracting and treating swine flu outweighs the risk of the vaccine itself because the previous round of the swine flu vaccine was associated with Guianne Barre Syndrome.

Guianne Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a paralyzing illness that at worse can cause death, and at best has a long, painful recovery with lingering paralysis or weakness. My friend Cricel’s husband Khalil was diagnosed with GBS last year. She documented Khalil’s struggles and his miraculous progress in order to share her family’s experiences with GBS. Cricel e-mailed me, “We are not sure what caused Khalil’s GBS, so we cannot really make a link between his case and a flu vaccine. But I did know that the old swine flu vaccine was linked to an increase in GBS incidence. Scary…”

USA Today reports:

“The government’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) … recommended that (the H1N1 vaccine) be given to pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months old, health care workers, people ages 6 months to 24 years and people 25 to 64 who have chronic illnesses or immune problems.”

When I asked my pediatrician’s office last month what their recommendations were regarding the swine flu pandemic vaccine, they said they were waiting for the American Academy of Pediatrics to make a statement before finalizing their medical group’s opinion. I plan to ask them again soon for their recommendation. My children usually get the seasonal flu vaccine, but I request the thimerosal-free vaccine that is normally reserved for smaller children. If the H1N1 vaccine does not come in a thimerosal-free version, we will most likely NOT get the swine flu pandemic vaccine.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says:

“The H1N1 virus is a hybrid, with genetic elements of swine influenza, avian influenza, and human influenza…Because this is a new strain, seasonal flu shots do not protect people, so good hygiene is important to help prevent the spread of germs. The influenza is spread by coughing, sneezing and unclean hands.” They continue, “If you suspect your child has influenza, call your pediatrician. Antiviral medication, if taken soon after infection, can shorten the duration of the illness. These medications are effective against swine flu.”

My husband and I will carefully weigh the pediatrician’s recommendation along with pros and cons of the H1N1 vaccine before making a final decision about vaccinating my preschool daughter, my kindergarten son, my husband, and myself against the expected swine flu pandemic.

What are you planning to do to protect yourself and your family?

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My kids tasted Honey Kix cereal for the first time today. I poured their milk into small bottles so they could pour it themselves without spilling. I transferred the Honey Kix into the cereal pitcher and called them to the breakfast table. For once, instead of listening to arguing and playing, I heard the quiet sounds of crunching and slurping.

My picky daughter ate two bowls of Honey Kix, while my hungry son ate four! They served themselves, so I’m not sure how full each bowl really was. My son has already requested the same breakfast for tomorrow, the first day of Kindergarten.

If you would like to receive a Honey Kix promotional pack from MyBlogSpark for yourself, please leave a comment below to be entered in a random drawing. Comments must be posted by Friday, August 28th to be eligible. The winner will be notified by e-mail on Sunday, August 30th.

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I am trying to steer my children away from the gummy, sticky snacks that can cause cavities, so these Nature Valley Nut Clusters are the perfect alternative. They are 100% natural and great for healthy snacking. They come in zip-top bags that are convenient for picnics, etc. I often leave a bag in my car for the inevitable, “Mom, I’m hungry!”

Stay tuned for more MyBlogSpark product reviews!

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Ingredients:
1 (15 or 16 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained OR 1 cup frozen corn kernels OR 2-3 ears of fresh cooked corn
1 can black olives, drained and sliced
1 large tomato, diced OR 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, peeled and cubed (seeds removed)
2 avocados, cubed
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 of a medium red onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup prepared italian dressing (reduced fat or regular)

salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste
1/4 tsp cumin (optional)
sweet or spicy peppers (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently. Serve chilled with tortilla chips or with your favorite TexMex dish. Can even be eaten as is for a salad or side dish.

If making in advance, add the avocado just before serving to prevent browning.

This recipe can be easily altered to your tastes and diet restrictions, or just to what you have on hand.

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Marlo got this creative recipe idea from an old friend, so I tested it out on my playgroup this week.  The Octo-Dogs were a hit!  (Thanks to Kathy W. for the clever name!)

Octo-Dog Recipe

Ingredients:

1 package of hot dogs, any kind, preferably one without nitrates
1 package of spaghetti noodles, preferably whole wheat or multi-grain
1 cup of spaghetti sauce, jarred or homemade

Directions:

1. Fill a large pot with water.  Add a pinch of salt and bring the water to a boil.
2. Slice each hot dog into 6 or 8 pieces.  If serving to toddlers, first slice the hot dog lengthwise to reduce the risk of choking.
3. Skewer each hot dog piece with 4 pieces of uncooked spaghetti.  Center the hot dog on the pasta strands, as pictured below.  Children could help with this step. 
4. When the water is boiling, cook the Octo-Dogs according to the pasta package directions.
5. Gently warm the spaghetti sauce on the stove top or in the microwave.
6. Drain and rinse the Octo-Dogs with lukewarm water to prevent sticking.
7. Serve warm with pasta sauce on the side for dipping.

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Reduced Fat Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Recipe Summary:
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30-35 minutes for muffins, 20-25 minutes for mini-muffins
Yield: 18 regular size muffins, or 2-3 dozen mini-muffins
 
Ingredients:
DRY:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
 
WET:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 large or extra large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups raw shredded pumpkin, fresh or previously frozen
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prep the baking pans with: butter and flour, nonstick cooking spray, or paper cupcake liners.
2. Sift the dry ingredients together:  flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients:  sugar, applesauce, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla.
4. Combine the wet and dry mixtures.  Do not over-mix or you’ll get large air pockets or tunnels. 
5. Fold in the shredded pumpkin and chocolate chips.  (If using thawed shredded pumpkin, be sure to squeeze out the excess liquid and discard it.)
6. Once the ingredients are all incorporated, pour or scoop into muffin tins.  I like to use a small cookie disher for this.
7. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes for regular sized muffins or 20-25 minutes for mini-muffins. At this point, a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean.
8. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack.  I found that one chopstick in each hand is a very effective way to remove warm mini-muffins without getting myself sticky.
9. Serve as breakfast, dessert, or snack.  Great with coffee and/or ice cream.
10. Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat in broiler or toaster oven for best results.  Can also microwave them in 15 second increments until the muffins are warm and the chocolate is gooey.  Yum!

Variations:

• Substitute the semi-sweet chocolate chips for chopped up pieces of holiday chocolate.  Every Easter, Halloween, and Christmas, my kids always get tons of chocolate from family, friends, school, etc.  If I bake the chocolate in these muffins, they eat less candy and more fruit (pumpkin and applesauce).
• No need to peel the pumpkin before shredding!  Just wash and cut the pumpkin, then shred it in the food processor or salad shooter.  This adds color, texture, and probably fiber and vitamins as well.  Thanks to readers Sandy and Jeff for the suggestions!

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My kids love to wash their hands with foaming soap pumps.  They don’t need to spend as much time lathering up their hands, and the foam rinses off easily.  The problem is, the pumps empty so fast and replacing them can get expensive, not to mention wastefully and environmentally unfriendly.

I have yet to see foaming soap refills at the stores, probably because a special dispenser is required to make the foam.  My solution is to just refill the bottles using regular liquid soap.  You need one part soap for four parts water.  For example, one ounce of soap and four ounces of water.  The first time I did it, I accidentally used 2 ounces of soap and 6 ounces of water to fill my 8 ounce bottle.  The foam was thicker, but still worked fine.

Refilling Foaming Hand Soap Pumps are especially useful for those parents concerned about super-viruses and mutated bacteria caused by all the anti-bacterial products in use these days.  I’ve only seen anti-bacterial versions of the foaming hand soaps in the stores near me.  Now anyone can now make non-anti-bacterial foaming hand soap with any liquid soap.  Leaps and Bounds sells a foaming soap pump bottle that has fill lines for easier measuring.  The reviews for the actual bottle are mixed, but most people like the measuring lines and the refillable concept.

I prefer the Bath and Body Works Pumps.  I usually buy 1 foaming bottle and the rest regular liquid soap bottles when there’s some kind of promotion or coupon (3 for $10, 5 for $15, etc.).  Though they are antibacterial, my family likes the scent.  I purchase all the same variety so no one even knows that the bottles were refilled!  Bath and Body Works also has a Kid’s Signature line, but no refills or regular liquid soap available.  They do sell 16 oz refills of their regular antibacterial foaming soaps in certain scents for about $5, but that’s really about 3 oz of soap and 13 oz of water.  It’s much more economical to make your own foaming soap solution.  Even more so if you stay away from the brand name products.

What other ways do you encourage your children to wash their hands?  How else do you stretch your dollar at home?  We’d love to hear your ideas!

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We discovered a new recipe when we hosted a pot luck Christmas party with friends a few weeks ago. Our dear friend Anne borrowed our kitchen to make her new salmon dish. She brought three ingredients, assembled them, and popped them in the oven. About 30 minutes later, a delicious main course was served! By the end of the night, every delicious morsel had been eaten.

Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise (may use regular or low fat)
1 packet onion soup mix (any brand)
1 large salmon fillet from Costco

Preparation:
Stir the onion soup mix into the mayonnaise. Refrigerate the sauce until ready to bake.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the salmon on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet. Be sure the pan is deep enough to catch any drippings.
3. Cover the top of the salmon with the onion-mayo sauce.
4. Bake approximately 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. When your kitchen fills with the scent of onions and salmon, start checking the fish. The internal temperature of the thickest portion should reach 140 degrees. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, the fish should flake easily with a fork when fully cooked.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. The sauce will turn into a tasty brown crust that keeps the fish moist and tender. Delicious!

Serve over a bed of rice and a side of steamed spinach for a super healthy, easy meal.

We’ve also prepared the salmon by seasoning it with salt and pepper and grilling on a hickory plank as well as sprinkling it with Hawaiian salt and olive oil before baking. We’d love to hear how you prepare your Costco salmon.

Please check out our other recipes.  Many of them have 5 ingredients or less!

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I just loved wearing both of my kids in the BabyBjörn  and Hip Hammock.  It had nothing to do with being trendy and everything to do with comfort and convenience for my baby and myself.  As long as I adjusted my babycarrier properly, I did not need any pain medication because of it.

The online babywearing community is outraged and vows never to buy Motrin brand ibuprofen again.  Barb, a babywearer and former Motrin user, posted a transcript of the commercial on her blog.  Jessica believes that Motrin is picking on fragile, new moms thus angering many moms.

I have not purchased any Motrin brand products recently, and I do not plan to in the future.  There are many other brands and generic options available for both adults and children that work just as well, and are often a lot less expensive.

Update 11/17/08: 
Motrin and it’s parent company McNeil Consumer Healthcare have heard the voices of the many outraged moms who have e-mailed, blogged, twittered, etc.
 
The Motrin.com site went down sometime on Sunday, November 16th.  As of Monday evening, the following message replaced the controversial Mom-Alogue:

“With regard to the recent Motrin advertisement, we have heard you.

On behalf of McNeil Consumer Healthcare and all of us who work on the Motrin Brand, please accept our sincere apology.

We have heard your concerns about the ad that was featured on our website. We are parents ourselves and we take feedback from moms very seriously.

We are in the process of removing this ad from all media. It will, unfortunately, take a bit of time to remove it from our magazine advertising, as it is on newstands and in distribution.

Thank you for your feedback. It’s very important to us.”

Sincerely,

Kathy Widmer
Vice President of Marketing,
McNeil Consumer Healthcare

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