Bedtime for Mommy *Giveaway*

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by!  The winners are Susan, Some Lucky Dog, and Stephanie V.  Congrats!

Every night our routine is the same. After dinner, my son takes a bath, brushes his teeth, and we read him a book.  In the event that we get home late or our schedule is a bit off, my son immediately lets us know.  He depends on that routine.

Books are important part of our day, particularly during the evenings when we get home.  We recently received Bedtime for Mommy, a story that puts a unique twist on traditional bedtime routines.  Here is a brief summary of the book:

What if the (bedside) tables were turned and the kids put the parents to bed?

What if Mommy was the one asking . . .

. . . to stay up five more minutes?

. . . for help laying out tomorrow’s outfit.

. . . for just one more story, please!

Told with her trademark gentle humor, bestselling author Amy Krouse Rosenthal creates a charming, playful, and totally unforgettable role-reversal tale.

With adorable childlike artwork and irony that only a parent can truly appreciate, Amy Krouse Rosenthal creates a story that we’ll be reading for years.  It’s adorably funny and helps ease the tension and struggles that often surround bedtime.  I strive to make bedtime peaceful and enjoyable rather than tense and stressful.  A story is always a great way to relax into my son’s bedtime routine and this is one that brought smiles to his face.  And I think that if he asks me to read it “one more time,” I won’t protest.

Right now, you can send in a photo of your child reading to you for a chance to win a bedtime story phone call from Amy Krouse Rosenthal along with a bedtime basket of goodies (cocoa, cookies and more!) from Dylan’s Candy Bar and a selection of read-aloud favorites from Bloomsbury. Three winners will be selected at random by the author from entries received between April 15, 2010 and October 31, 2010. Be sure to email your photo to childrens.publicity@bloomsburyusa.com, with the subject line “Bedtime for Mommy Contest”, along with your contact information.

Win It! I have 3 copies of Bedtime for Mommy to give away.  Simply leave me a comment with you and your children’s bedtime routine. Comments will close on July 28, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST.  US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn. Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one.

Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.

Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about the contest.

Subscribe to my feed via email or reader.

Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.

Click on one of the very cute buttons below and digg, stumble, fav, etc. Just let me know what you did in the comments!

No compensation was received for this post.  Review and giveaway products were provided by the company.

Corky & Co. Online Warehouse Sale

As the mom of a little girl, I’m always looking for adorable outfits and dresses.  It’s rare that I shop for myself these days (with much of the baby weight still hanging on).  Besides, it’s much more fun to shop for my kiddos!

When I shop for my children, I try to buy things on sale because I know they’ll grow out of them quickly.  Thanks to Double Duty Divas, I was introduced to a company called Corky & Co.  They sell gorgeous dresses, coats, and swimwear for little girls. Right now, you can visit their eBay site and find 2500 dresses with starting bids of $0.01!  (yes…a penny).  Shipping for the first item is $5.85 and each additional item is $2.15 (so you can basically get a dress for under $10 including shipping).

For more information on Corky & Co., you can visit their main site here.

No compensation was received for this post. A product sample will be provided by the company via Double Duty Divas.

Sing Your Way To a Spanish-Speaking Kid

People always ask me where I’m from…my ethnic background.  My married name is very American, but I have this “exotic” look about me (at least that’s what my husband’s family says!).  While I’m 100% Puerto Rican, you wouldn’t likely know it from speaking to me.  My Spanish is limited to the three years I studied in high school and my very American accent.  Somewhere along the way, I realized just how important it is to be bilingual.  Spanish, in particular, is a very valuable language to be fluent in (especially as a health care provider).  Our country is very diverse and I believe that we could all benefit from learning a second language.  So, my husband and I are teaching our son some very basic Spanish.  Right now he can count to ten in Spanish, and say a number of words.  And recently, we’ve been playing En Mi Casa, a children’s Spanish CD by Sing A Lingo.

Sing A Lingo was founded by husband and wife team Piña and Michael Madera who decided to raise their children bilingual.  Their approach is one that integrates Spanish into a child’s daily life.  En Mi Casa is “a collection of songs written to entertain and delight kids.”  This CD is an introduction to basic phrases like Wash Your Hands, Good Night, and Are You Hungry?  It also includes a counting song (which my son already knows!).  The music is upbeat and catchy (but not in an annoying way).  The lyrics are simple enough for children without any Spanish language exposure.  The CD has won 3 National awards including The National Parenting Center and Parent’s Choice Seals of Approval and an iParenting Media Award for Outstanding Product. Check out this music video created by the founders:

Sing A Lingo offers a variety of Spanish language teaching tools including books, vocabulary cards, and kits.  En Mi Casa retails for $14.99 and is available from the site.

I did not receive compensation for this post.  A copy of the CD was provided via the Family Review Network, to facilitate this review.

Zippity Doo’s *Giveaway*

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by.  The winner is Lynn. Congrats!

In the spring, we’ll put our little boy back in preschool.  While I appreciate the fact that he gets education and social interaction at preschool, I’m not crazy about the germs and bugs he often brings home.  When I interned as a school nurse, I learned that lice is actually more prevalent that I thought.  When you get a group of kids in close proximity to each other (they don’t typically observe personal space), lice is not uncommon.

Zippity Doo’s is a line of hair care products designed to prevent head lice.  I’d much rather prevent those icky bugs than have to use medicated products to treat it.  The products are made with natural ingredients like Vitamin D, Rosemary, Cinnamon, Tea Tree, & Lavender.  I expected the products to have a “medicinal” smell, but surprisingly they smell good (sort of minty).  According to the company, they’re mild enough to use daily and help prevent lice infestation.  They also work to leave hair shiny and free from tangles.  In a sense, they serve two functions.  The product line includes the following:

• Zippity Doo’s Shampoo for Children
• Zippity Doo’s Conditioner for Children
• Zippity Doo’s Leave-in Detangler Spray for Children
• Zippity Doo’s Styling Gel for Children
• Zippity Doo’s Shield Spray for children

Weird But True *Giveaway*

This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.  The winner is Sandra. Congrats!

Did you know that a battery can be made out of a potato or that human bones are stronger than concrete?  These are just two of the three hundred outrageous, hard to get your mind around, facts you’ll find in National Geographic Kids new book entitled Weird But True.

I grew up playing Trivial Pursuit and find random facts and pieces of information interesting.  Adults and children alike will find Weird But True fascinating, educational, and entertaining.  Here is a short blurb from the site:

Weird But True is based on the hugely popular magazine page of quirky, fun facts that many readers of National Geographic Kids magazine turn to first.  All of the facts in this handy book will amaze friends and family: Animals Superpowers, Chills and Thrills, Eat or Be Eaten, Mini and Mega, Wild and Crazy, and much, much more.

I think it is a fun, creative way to get children excited and interested in the subject matter.  It opens the door for discussion and expansion on topics brought up in the book. The pictures are colorful and kid-friendly.  I think that it would be fun to read a fact a day (which would last approximately one year).    Weird But True is appropriate for children 6 and up, however, as an adult I found the book intriguing.

Weird But True is available online and at retailers nationwide.

Win It! One of you will win a copy of Weird But True.  Simply leave me a comment with the name of another book you’d like to read, from the site.  Comments will close on April 2, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one.

Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.

Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about the contest.

Vote for Rockin’ Mama for the Hot Blogger Calendar

Subscribe to my feed via email or reader.

Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.

Click on one of the very cute buttons below and digg, stumble, fav, etc. Just let me know what you did in the comments!

I did not receive compensation for this post.  A copy of the book was provided to facilitate this review and giveaway.

Raising A Multi-Lingual Child *Giveaway*

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by. The winner is Sherri.  Congrats!

It’s not often that I talk about my cultural background.  I’m actually embarrassed that most of you probably don’t know I’m Puerto Rican. I grew up with parents who wanted to “mainstream” me.  They wanted me to have as many opportunities as possible.  It wasn’t until I entered high school that I even thought about learning our native language.  I’m 32 years old and disappointed that I had the opportunity to be bilingual, but am not (but I can still learn!).

Learning a second language can only help your child.  Having spent some time living overseas, I was surprised at how many children speak more than one language.  Because my husband is Caucasian, my children will have that much more difficulty learning a second language because they won’t grow up hearing it spoken.  This is why it’s so important to me to start teaching my son basic Spanish at an early age.

Many months ago, I learned about a program called Boca Beth.  I actually had no idea that I could start teaching my son Spanish at a very young age.  I thought he had to master English first. Boca Beth products offer parents a fun way to introduce Spanish AND English to their children.  This is one of the only programs that teaches language in this way.  Bilingual education is optimal for children learning their native language.

The program is fun…which is important to me.  I wasn’t always thrilled about learning a second language as a child.  I didn’t see the need for it (how ironic!).  My son loves to learn.  We read and complete mini phonics lessons, so starting this program was something exciting for him.  The program seeks to teach children in a variety of ways by tapping into many of their senses.  They can watch the DVD, listen to the CD, color and complete the activity book, and touch the puppet and maracas.  Best of all, I don’t have to know a single word of Spanish to teach my children with this program (did you hear that hubby?).

Boca Beth has won several awards and was created by a teacher.  It’s been used in preschools, public schools and homes for over six years. Some of the benefits of the program include early reading skills and advanced communication abilities.  And best of all, it’s very affordable.

My son received the Boca Beth Beginner Set, which includes their first bilingual music CD, their first bilingual DVD, BOCA the puppet, a coloring book, and an easy reading How to Guide.  We try to do something each day (whether it be listening to the CD, watching the DVD, etc.). The only basic Spanish my son had coming into the program was familiarity with Spanish numbers (up to number 10).  Right now, he’s imitating several of the words in the program. We still need lots of practice matching the English and Spanish words.

One of my questions was, why a puppet?  I learned that puppets help to bring out native and new language in children.

Boca Beth is an effective, easy-to-use program that makes learning Spanish fun for both parents and children.

Win It! One of you will win a Boca Beth Beginner Backpack (ARV $49.99).  Simply leave me a comment with something you learned on the site.  Comments will close on April 1, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one.

Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.

Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about the contest.

Vote for Rockin’ Mama for the Hot Blogger Calendar

Subscribe to my feed via email or reader.

Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.

Click on one of the very cute buttons below and digg, stumble, fav, etc. Just let me know what you did in the comments!

I did not receive compensation for this post.  Product samples were provided to facilitate this review and giveaway.

Teach Your Child To Read *Giveaway*

This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.  The winner is Sandra. Congrats!

Some days, when I’m reading to my son, I think that I could do it…I think that I could home school.  No preschool is going to give him the one-on-one attention that I can.  In just two short years, my little boy is having full conversations with us, knows his alphabet, and can spell dog.  As a mom, I want to do everything I can to foster his growth and development in all areas.  One of the most important things I can do for my son is to teach him to read before he enters kindergarten.

I grew up hearing about Hooked On Phonics.  I even remember the commercials with children stating, “Hooked On Phonics worked for me!”  So, I had to check it out for myself.  I had been perusing the internet, looking for a reputable program I could do at home with my son.  Hooked On Phonics offers a new Learn to Read program which gives children a strong foundation in phonics and reading readiness skills.  The program focuses on helping children learn letter names, letter sounds, uppercase letters, lowercase letters and blending sounds…all of the phonemic basics for learning to read.  Here is a bit more information from the site:

Designed in conjunction with leading educators, award-winning authors, teachers and parents, the new Hooked On Phonics Learn to Read gives children the fundamentals to become confident readers. The instructional approach and techniques used in this program are based on research and address each stage of the child’s reading development. Hooked On Phonics Learn to Read systematically builds from introducing letters to sounds, then to words and sentences, incorporating more complex sounds and blends with each step.

Apart from the fact that the program’s principles are well-researched,  my son enjoys it, which is extremely important.  The best program available won’t work if my son won’t participate.  Every day for the past two weeks, my son asks me to work with him on his “lesson.”  A “lesson” incorporates a variety of activities to reinforce a particular concept (in our case, the letters). The suggested time frame for completing each lesson is approximately 20 minutes (but it usually only takes us about 15).  Each day focuses on a letter (starting with A) and includes activities designed to help children understand the shape of the letter.  We then practice saying words that start with that letter and my son traces the letter with his fingers. A variety of senses are used, which I appreciate, since children learn in a multitude of ways.  Engaging multiple senses increases the likelihood that a child will retain the concepts being learned.  The lesson also includes a video clip, a story, flash card review, and online content to practice and reinforce the skills he just learned.  At the end of the lesson, we celebrate with a sticker.  My son’s favorite part of the lesson (besides the end where we get a sticker), is the online component.

My son is 33 months (just 3 months shy of 3) and the recommended age to begin this program is 3.  However, my son has always been developmentally advanced for his age.  He came into this program with a knowledge of the entire alphabet.  He knows his “ABCs” and can recognize all 26 letters on most occasions.  So in a sense, some of the aspects of this lesson are too easy for him, while others are definitely appropriate for where he’s at right now.  For example, right now he knows that a is for apple and b makes a “bah” sound.  But we’re working on rhyming (which he doesn’t really grasp at this point).  Here is a summary of what was included in the Learn to Read, Pre K version:

6 original storybooks written to promote the skills your child learns in the program, including 2 books by the award-winning children’s book author and illustrator, David McPhail
2 workbooks that will guide you and your child through all of the lessons and many fun activities
2 DVDs filled with music videos and fun introductions to each lesson, where letters come to life
Quick Start Guide
2 sets of stickers to proudly display in the workbooks and celebrate reading success
4 sets of letter and picture flash cards designed to reinforce letter names and letter sounds

Hooked On Phonics is a program that offers parents the tools to help their children learn to read.  It’s easy, fun, and effective.  My son has enjoyed reading since he was a baby.  Teaching him to read is a natural progression of our time spent reading.

The Pre-K version is suitable for children ages 3-4 and the program retails for $59.95.

You can keep up with Hooked On Phonics on Twitter, Facebook, or their blog.

Win It! One of you will win a Hooked On Phonics Learn to Read Program in the grade of your choice.  Simply visit the site.  Then come back and tell me what you learned and what grade level you’d choose.  Comments will close on March 25, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one.

Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.

Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about the contest.

Vote for Rockin’ Mama for the Hot Blogger Calendar

Subscribe to my feed via email or reader.

Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.

Click on one of the very cute buttons below and digg, stumble, fav, etc. Just let me know what you did in the comments!

I did not receive compensation for this post.  Product samples were provided to facilitate this review and giveaway.

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas For Children: Personalized Gifts by Frecklebox

The other day, my son asked me about Valentine’s Day.  He’s two…and a half.  And I started thinking about this day that we celebrate year after year.  While I’m not entirely convinced that we need a special day to show our loved ones that we love them (since we should do this every day), it is a holiday that I look forward to every single year.  The romantic movies and roses and chocolate just serve as reminders that we should do something special for the loved ones in our lives on a regular basis.  I also think that this day should celebrate all kinds of love, not just romantic love.  Love between a husband and a wife…a mother and a daughter…a brother and a sister…friends…

I couldn’t talk about Valentine’s Day gift ideas without talking about gifts for children.  Even at his young age, my son understands the basic concept of this holiday.  He doesn’t know the day, but he most definitely knows that it involves hearts and candy and hugs.  This week, the four of us are going to do something special.  I thought about waiting to give him this adorable, Great Big Heart Personalized Book, by Frecklebox.

But I can’t keep anything from him these days.  This is one of their newest books and begins with a simple question from a child about how to share love with other people.  The mother in the story then proceeds to share the many ways he/she can express love including drawing pictures, baking cookies and going special places.  The book “brings the meaning of love to life for children.”

My son can’t read yet, but when I read this book to him and he heard his name in it, he was absolutely delighted.  We then continued to talk about other ways to demonstrate love.  The illustrations are colorful and attractive to children.  The quality of the book is remarkable.  And I absolutely adore the personalized nature of the book. Each page has my son’s name on it and it’s also written in the story.  It’s like I wrote the book to him.  The book is a beautiful description of love and a gift any child would cherish.

Along with the book, we received a personalized place mat that matches one of the pages in the book.  Apart from the fact that they’re just adorable, I like the size (11×17) and quality.  Each place mat has room for a child’s name.  Frecklebox took something very ordinary yet functional, and turned it into something unique and fun for children.  Here is a bit more information about the company.

Frecklebox offers truly unique, personalized gifts for children at affordable prices. Our entertaining selection of personalized books, posters, growth charts, journal books, coloring books, stickers, placemats, puzzles, and other personalized items, are designed to delight your children and friends.

For more information, or to order something special for your child, just visit their website.

I did not receive compensation for this post.  I received product samples to facilitate this review.

All About Baby: Your Baby Can Read

I started reading to my son when he was a baby.  I often questioned myself, but did “just as the books told me to.”  Out of all that time we’ve spent together, books open wide and well-read, my son has developed an incredible love for reading.  Naptime and bedtime routines are not complete without books.  Our little girl is also getting exposed to reading early since she hears me reading to her brother every day.

My son is 2 1/2 and I’m just now looking for more formal programs to further his intellectual development.  I recently had an opportunity to preview Robert Titzer’s Early Language Development System called Your Baby Can Read.  If you’ve watched preschool television with your children, then you’ve likely seen the ads for this program.  Contrary to what is taught in schools today, Dr. Titzer believes that babies and toddlers can read much earlier than what was originally thought.  You’ve probably heard that a baby’s brain develops rapidly (90% during the first five years of life).  The infant and toddler years are ideal for language acquisition.  According to Dr. Titzer, children who learn to read at an early age perform better in school, are more likely to stay in school, and have more self-esteem.

Dr. Titzer developed this program to help parents seize this window of learning opportunity in their young babies and toddlers.  He believes that starting early is advantageous and found that babies and toddlers have an easier time learning spoken, receiptive, foreign and written language during this time period.  According to Dr. Titzer, “the earlier the child is taught to read the better they will read and the more likely they will enjoy it.”

My initial thought was…how can my 2 1/2 year old (let alone a baby) learn how to read?  But I was so intrigued by the concept that I wanted to try the program out with my son. We met Dr. Titzer at a baby fair in Orange County last year.  He went through several of the flash cards with my son (who was about 2 at the time) and in just 10 or 15 minutes, my son was remembering (dare I say reading?) the words on the cards.

There are several components to the program including DVD’s (geared towards both the child and the parent), word cards, and books (geared towards both the parent and the child).  I started with the DVD to introduce my son to the words before moving to the word cards.  Here is a little video of him interacting with the DVD:

The Parents’ Guide is very informative and provides both the background and guidelines for using this system.  There are also numerous tips on how to make the most of the system with your child.  I truly think I should have started the program earlier (which I will do with our baby girl) as I felt like some of the content was a bit on the young side for my son.

So the question of the day is…Can your son read?  My answer right now is not yet.  However, as we work on this program I can see my son starting to retain the information on the “how to” of reading.  Repetition is a key factor in the program and I like the various ways of learning incorporated into it.  The Starter DVD we received is a bit young for my son but he still enjoys it and we still need to work on the 20 words presented on it.

My last question about the program was how long it takes to see results.  There are various levels to the program, each taking about 2 months to complete.  I found that my son recognized the words easily but had more difficulty “reading” them.  For more information on the program, just visit their site.  You can do a 30-day trial for $14.95 (something that is actually quite handy since the entire system retails for $199.95).

I did not receive compensation for this post.  I received product samples to facilitate this review.

Disney On Ice: Worlds Of Fantasy

It’s a cold, winter day in Southern California, and the perfect season to take the family to see Disney On Ice.  Worlds of Fantasy is finishing up it’s Southern California run in San Diego from January 27-31 at the San Diego Sports Arena.  If you remember, I was supposed to take our little boy to see this right before Christmas, but 2 days before the show I went into labor with our baby girl.

Disney On Ice is a touring production where figure skaters, dressed as Disney characters, whisk audiences away to four magical locations. There are five different shows, with Worlds of Fantasy making it’s last stop in San Diego.  The show (performed entirely on ice) features a live adaptation of Tinker Bell and life-sized animated characters from Disney/Pixar’s Cars.  The show includes four different stories, Cars, Tinker Bell, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King. Included with your ticket is a Disney Princess Pre-Show where you’ll have the opportunity to preview a dazzling display of gowns and mementos from the Disney Princess stories (bring your camera!).

Be prepared to be amazed by the skating, special effects, and characters your child has grown fond of.  I know my son is going to be most excited about Cars (which apparently are life-sized!).  Each car was built to include custom animatronics including blinking eyes and hydraulic lifts that bounce to the music.  The story begins with Mickey and Minnie set out on a journey to explore each world of fantasy.  Their plan goes awry when their roadster breaks down.  But as luck would have it, the Cars come to the rescue!  Their journey continues “under the sea”, up to pride rock, and into Pixie Hollow.

Disney On Ice: Worlds of Fantasy makes it’s final debut January 27-31 at the San Diego Sports Arena.  For ticket information, visit their website.

I did not receive compensation for this post.  I will receive tickets to the show, courtesy of the company.

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