As I mentioned in the most recent Fun Fact Friday, I love a clean house but I hate cleaning. Also, I love green products but am not big on the colour green unless it’s bright, sunny and limey. Or is it lime-y?

Anyhoo, people keep sending me green cleaning products to try out. Which? Is cool. Though I still use vinegar 99% of the time, I do enjoy analyzing ingredients, testing out efficiency and sharing these products with my ‘wanting to be greener’ friends when I go back to ye olde vinegar.

I don’t actually so much hate cleaning as I hate the time it takes away from doing other stuff, like playing with my kids, digital scrapbooking and, um, reading blogs.

My latest acquisition came in the form of TerraCycle cleaners. I received full size samples (because do you really think I’d write about a company who was so cheap they sent me minis? I think not. I’ll take their freebies but they’re not getting a type-written word out of me…) of the all purpose cleaner, the window cleaner and the drain maintainer and cleaner. Thanks for not being cheap, TerraCycle! (You know I mean stingy, right? TerraCycle products aren’t any more expensive than any other cleaners, and are cheaper than some natural cleaners I’ve used.)

The Good:

+TerraCycle cleaners are non-toxic, biodegradable, environmentally friendly, and have a zero footprint.

+They’re the first consumer products to earn the right to carry the Zerofootprint™ seal, signifying that the materials and manufacturing processes have virtually no negative environmental repercussions.

+They’re packaged entirely in waste (reused pop bottles, completely unchanged form their original pop-bottle state) and are sold at OfficeMax and The Home Depot.
+Made from concentrated essences of plants, shrubs, fruits, herbs and grasses with natural minerals and water, TerraCycle cleaners are EcoLogo certified, the strictest certification given by the Canadian Government for environmentally sound practices in production and formulation.

+They work. The all purpose cleaner did just as good a job as potent vinegar in removing pet grubbies from the floor, kid-prints from the walls, dried on kitchen crap from the cupboards and more. The window cleaner left less streaks than plain vinegar (which are now covered in doggy noseprints and kidprints, but whatever) and the drain maintainer and cleaner is my new lover. Well, not really, but you know what I mean. We have drain issues in our ensuite bathroom. If you’ve never had drain issues, be glad. Be very very glad. Both the tub and the sink have their issues, but the sink is way worse, probably because the tub is used only rarely. (Not that we are dirty. We’re not. Not usually, anyway. We have a separate shower stall in the ensuite that we use daily.) Oh yeah, back to the sink. It doesn’t drain optimally and we end up with old toothpaste crud and shaving specks in there which, if you’re wondering, is really really gross. We use a vinegar and baking soda volcano in there often, but it doesn’t work when it gets really bad and we have to resort to Drano or some other toxic crap. The TerraCycle drain maintainer and cleaner arrived just after my last application of Drano so I’ve been using it every 4 days religiously. (Probably overkill, but I’m trying to prevent a return of the grossness. If you’d seen it, you’d vote for the overkill too.) So far, the drain is running completely free. Rather like wild salmon in spawning season. Or something like that. Previous to TerraCycle, we would have noticed at least a mild ’slowing of the flowing’ by now and that’s not happening, so I’m very happy. I’m easily pleased.

The Bad:

-The smell of the all-purpose cleaner is kind of piney (or is it pine-y?) and a little nasty. It’s reminiscent of a camp kitchen when the delicious smell of baked beans and apple turnovers has dissipated for the day. Or maybe an elementary school on summer holidays. It’s not my favourite smell, that’s for sure.

The Ugly:

-Nothing!

The Verdict:

+Great company, great cleaners. Almost enough to convince me to switch from vinegar. But…at only $4 for a huge jug and edible, it’ll always be my fave.

The Giveaway:

TerraCycle is giving one MMTaM reader one of each of the following:
·Drink Pouch Bag (Made from 100% used drink pouches - how cool is that?)
·Target ReTote Bag (Made from 20 formerly loved “disposable” bags fused together. Wicked cool!)
·All Purpose Cleaner
·Bathroom Cleaner
·Window Cleaner
(Each of these five items is pictured at right.)

To enter, just leave a comment on this post. I’ll draw one winner in a week or so - I’ll close comments when I do the draw so if you’re able to leave a comment then the contest is still open! (It’ll be at least a week…a little longer if I’m busy or forget to do the draw. Hey, I’m honest.)

Good luck!

…But I probably never will be. I’m a yoga pants mama from way back - long before I was even a mama. This book, though, is fantastic. I was sent a copy of The Yummy Mummy Manifesto by Anna Johnson via MotherTalk, and thoroughly enjoyed the 75% of it I was able to finish before my scheduled review day. It’s very well written (with a British bent - memories of my childhood!) and offers some great tips for women from pregnancy through the early mothering years. It’s not a book that tells you what to eat and how much to work out, but instead encourages you to be yourself and not lose yourself in the abyss of motherhood. It’s about no-guilt parenting, which I love. It’s pretty hard to sink yourself into the sheer joy of being with children if you’re feeling guilty all the time.

The book also includes delicious sounding recipes and fun craft projects that I’m going to try with my own kids. Whether you’re a fashionista-mama or a yoga-mama like myself, this book would be an enjoyable read. In fact, I think it would be a great gift for the newly pregnant friend. It gives some great insight into what’s to come - in a good way!

Thanks to Mom Central and Ragu, my family recently tried a sample of Ragu Fresh & Simple All Natural pasta sauce.

The Good:
+It comes in a 90 second microwavable pouch - one less pot to clean, and fast - if you’re cool with microwaving plastic.
+The ingredients really are all natural.
+It contains a full serving of veggies in every ½ cup, many of which are red and therefore high in antioxidants, lycopene and other awesome stuff.
+No sugar.
+No preservatives
+It tastes great!
+Each pouch contains the perfect amount for two people. And a kid or two if they’re small eaters.

The Bad:
-It comes in a 90 second microwavable pouch. I would never suggest that anyone microwave plastic, particularly if you’re feeding children. We just heated it in a small pan and it worked great. It took more than 90 seconds, but just a few minutes and was well worth it.

The Ugly:
-As far as I can tell, these bags are un-recyclable plastic. This means that they will be sitting in landfills for generations to come. Now, that’s ugly. (However, the original Ragu is in recyclable glass and plastic jars…)

The Verdict:
+I’d buy it for both convenience and taste, but I’d never microwave it in the pouch. It would be great for camping, hotels or just a quick meal at home if you don’t want leftovers.

Ragu has put together a free, downloadable recipe booklet that has a bunch of great time saving tips and meal planning suggestions for healthy meals for your family. The booklet includes recipes and tips from the Food Network’s Robin Miller, celebrity fitness trainer Kathy Kaehler, and last but certainly not least, our very own Stacy DeBroff. You can download the booklet from www.FeedOurkidsWell.com.

No, that’s not my knees you’re hearing. Well, okay, it might be…

It’s the sound of everybody’s favourite childhood cereal! If not the cereal, then the squares for sure. Am I right?

Mom Central sent out this little ditty on behalf of Kellog’s (who will be sending me rice krispies as a thanks for posting this, fyi, but because I live in freaking Timbuktu I’ll get them in a month or so…)

To help parents and kids embrace childhood, Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® brand team created the “Childhood Is Calling™: Celebrating Kids Just Being Kids” report. The report offers expert and real-mom insight on the importance of savoring childhood and advice for families to find simple moments of joy and connection. As part of Operation Spark, Childhood is Calling is an educational initiative devoted to providing parents with ways to create meaningful memories with their children.

You can access the full “Childhood Is Calling™: Celebrating Kids Just Being Kids” report, information on the Operation Spark program and tips on how to relish the everyday fun with your kids by visiting www.ChildhoodIsCalling.com. The Web site also provides games, stories and recipes, including great twists to the old favorite Rice Krispies Treats® squares for parents to share with their kids.

I don’t buy rice krispies, but I’m sure going to enjoy the free box with some of the recipes from that site! Snoop around - there’s some really cool stuff!

We received a full copy of Norton 360 from Symantec and Mom Central to try out. The Big Guy planned to write this himself since he’s the real techie around here but he didn’t have time so here’s the joint effort…

Norton 360 Version 2.0 provides all-in-one protection for up to up to three PCs by verifying trusted Web sites, blocking fake ones, and securely managing user names and passwords so you can safely shop, bank, or browse online. Norton 360 V2.0 also helps keep your PCs running at peak performance and protects your data by making it easy to automatically back up and restore files locally or to a secured online storage service.

So, what’s new and improved in V2.0?

* Industry-Leading Layered Security helps protect you against advanced threats through a combination of definitions and heuristic and behavioral technologies give you confidence that your PC is secure.
* Network Monitoring protects your home network against unauthorized access by detecting whether your connected wireless network is secure or not secure, providing you with a visual picture of your network and each device that is connected to it and let’s you view the security status of the Norton protected computers on the network.
* Backup provides for new backup destinations including HD-DVD and Blu-Ray disc and iPods, while continuing to support the widest range of mapped and networked storage drives and an included 2GB of online storage, providing more options for backup than any other product in its class.
* Registry Cleaner helps optimize performance by removing unneeded Windows registry files to help keep your computer healthier and running more efficiently.
* Phishing Protection for Firefox: Phishing Protection guards online attempts to steal your personal information using real-time analytics to identify and block fraudulent web sites, and now supports both the Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers.
* Diagnostic Report provides a convenient system snapshot for easier troubleshooting and problem diagnosis of any PC issue by collecting detailed system information including operating system, installed applications, startup applications, hardware configuration, and more and delivers it to you in a viewable, printable format that you can save or email to whomever you go to for help.
* Fast, Easy Access to Settings and Tasks means that although Norton 360 does all the work for you automatically and quietly in the background, you can choose to do things manually such as run a scan, modify a backup job, query status, check for the latest updates, or just do some cleanup and optimization.

The Good:
+All of the above.
+Great features.
+Easy to install and use - pretty much dummy proof.

The Bad:
-It eats up a lot of memory and the computer slows down quite a bit while running it. Not so bad if you have a top notch machine, but if you don’t this could be an issue for you - particularly if you use other demanding programs. Like Photoshop, for example.

The Ugly:
Nada. It’s pretty darn impressive for only $79.99.

The Verdict:
Other than being a system hog, Norton 360 V2.0 is a really versatile and useful program.

I received a box of Frosted Flakes Gold from Mom Central/Kellogg’s. The BG was so excited when he came home and saw them - apparently he was allowed sugar cereal as a child and these brought back good memories.

As always, before feeding them to Primo I read the the ingredient listing and was disappointed again. So much unnecessary crap. However, I let him taste a few dry pieces and he liked them.

The BG had a bowl for breakfast and said that, while they’re good, they aren’t as good as the old fashioned ones (which are even less healthy so I suppose that’s why they were good when he was eight.)

The Good:
+No saturated fats
+No trans fats
+No cholesterol
+Some fiber
+First ingredient = whole grain corn

The Bad:
-Second ingredient = sugar

The Ugly:
-High fructose corn syrup
-BHT as a preservative - a well known carcinogen.

The Verdict:
-Do you think they’ll keep sending me stuff if I keep telling you the truth about it?
-If all of us spread the word of moms about what we want, do you think they’ll listen? I do!
-Does it really matter if it tastes good when it’s contributing to cancer and heart attacks?
-Do people really call this breakfast? No wonder so many kids in our schools have trouble learning.
-As usual, a slightly better alternative to the original (other than the taste, according to the Big Guy) but I recommend you spend your money on unprocessed foods for your family. Preferably organic.

I swear, this is not turning into a review blog! There are just some products that don’t fit the bill over there and if I still want to tell you about them this is my only avenue.

What do you think of when you hear the name Clorox?

Bleach, right?

A highly toxic and carcinogenic substance that many people still have in their homes. That makes me sad, but it makes me angry when those homes also have children in them. Particularly when vinegar does the same thing and you can eat it without calling poison control.

Thankfully, one of the most popular providers of household bleach has come out with a healthier alternative in the Clorox Green Works series of products. The line include five products that claim to be at least 99% natural and made form ingredients derived from coconuts, corn and lemon oil. The company, however, is not 100% transparent with their ingredient list so I couldn’t confirm this. If you click on the links below for each product, you can see that they do include and ingredient list but it’s the same list for each product and doesn’t contain colours that are obviously in there or reveal what the other 1% is. I emailed the publicist that sent me the samples and she was fantastic - she sent a complete ingredient listing and some additional information:

All of the Green Works cleaners are 99 per cent natural, with the remaining 1 per cent coming from added colour, fragrance, and preservatives.

Research showed that consumers prefer coloured product because it reinforced efficacy and was easier to find on a store shelf and currently, there are no stable natural colorants available. Clorox is currently working with its suppliers to develop natural alternatives in order to convert as soon as one is available.

The preservative is important for keeping the formula stable and preventing micro-organisms like bacteria from growing in the cleaner. For example, if you make your own cleaner by combining lemon juice and water, bacteria will grow over time.

Here’s the full Green Works Ingredient List:

Green Works Natural All-Purpose Cleaner (99.93 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), corn-based ethanol, glycerine, essential lemon oil, biodegradable preservative, blue and yellow colourant

Green Works Natural Dilutable Cleaner (99.20 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agents (anionic and nonionic surfactants; alkyl polyglucoside, cocodimethyl amine oxide and sodium dodecyl sulfate), corn-based ethanol, natural alkalinity builders for enhanced performance (potassium citrate and potassium carbonate), fragrance with essential lemon oil, blue and yellow colourant

Green Works Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner (99.99 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), citric acid, lactic acid, essential lemon oil, natural thickener (xanthan gum), blue and yellow colorant

Green Works Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner (99.84 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), soda ash, corn-based ethanol, glycerine, and fragrance with essential lemon oil

Green Works Natural Bathroom Cleaner (99.05 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), glycolic acid (hydroxyacetic acid), and essential lemon oil

I tried all five products and they work really well. They don’t smell overly chemically, which is a nice change from commercial cleaners. (As far as I can remember, anyway. It’s been a long time since I’ve used anything but vinegar and baking soda.) They certainly weren’t gentle on my skin, however. They were nothing like bleach, but as someone who doesn’t clean with rubber gloves these cleaners did a number on me and are listed as an “Irritant” on the bottle. I’m not sure which ingredients are irritants, but there’s something in there that I’m not a fan of.

The Good:
+They’re 99% natural and are working toward 100%.
+The ingredients come from renewable resources.
+They’re biodegradable.
+They’re free of petrochemicals.
+They work.

The Bad:
-The other 1%. Why is colourant necessary? People seriously want that?
-They don’t have a disinfecting product yet (but are “evaluating natural disinfecting ingredients” and hope to add one soon.) (Hello! VINEGAR! THYMOL! You have millions of dollars. I have ten. I shouldn’t have to tell you that.)

The Ugly:
-Whatever irritated my hands.

The Verdict:
I’ll still be using vinegar, but for those of you who spend money on commercial cleaning products I would recommend, at the very least, switching to the Clorox Green Works series. It’s the least you can do for the earth and our children.

The Giveaway:
I’ve got a gift package to give away to one reader! You could win a full sized bottle of all five of the Clorox Green Works products packaged in a reusable shopping bag and a galvanized steel bucket.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post. I’ll leave it open for a week.

UPDATED TO ADD: Congratulations to commenter #11, Leah! Email me with your mailing address and your Clorox products will be on the way as soon as I get off my fat butt and over to the post office. muchmorethanamom at gmail dot com

…and it’s a good thing too, because I’m a little late with this. I was planning to post a little review of my new fave (well, one of twenty faves - I’ll tell you about the rest eventually!) book from Harper Collins, Gorgeously Green, on Earth Day, but forgot until almost midnight. (Great minds think alike.)

On Tuesday night I was watching Oprah on one of our HD channels where it’s on at 11:05 pm (weird time? I think so.) and she had Sophie Uliano, Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock on. I’m not an Oprah fan like I used to be. I find her rather annoying a lot of the time, but she occasionally has shows I really like that I can catch a few minutes of and this was one of them.

Why was I up that late when I have an amazing baby who sleeps from 10:30 pm until morning? I was finishing the exceedingly long two year letter and also realized the 21 month letter was still in point form so I had to finish that too, and get it ready for scrapbooking.

Anyhoo…

Gorgeously Green is a book written by an environmentalist and mom from Hollywood that details an easy 8 step program toward living green. It’s absolutely brimming with tips for a more earth friendly life. Some are easier than others, but it’s a very non-judgmental book in that she recognizes that nobody can do everything and it’s better to do something than nothing.

We really try around here to be as green as possible, particularly since having children, but we’ve got a lot of work to do.

One of my favourite quotes reminds me of my responsibility to Mother Earth, if for no other reason than to save it for my children and their children and their children after them.

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
Native American Proverb

Some things I do well:

+I clean with only vinegar and baking soda. Occasionally I use Dr. Bronner’s organic soaps, but that’s it. (Well, I also have Nature’s Miracle for the damn dog pee.)
+Instead of disposing of my old cleaners in the trash or using them in my own home, I gave them away on Freecycle to someone who would have used that stuff anyway. (I bet you have a local group too - click and see!).
+I give tons of stuff away on Freecycle, actually. It keeps it out of the landfills and I don’t have to bother listing it to sell.
+I wash my laundry with Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap. It works awesome, smells great and is great for the ocean! I also have a few other natural ones around the house that I’ve picked up to try when I run out of my giant Tide that I’ve had for a year.
+I use green light bulbs.
+I recycle everything I can. Our city’s program sucks so I can’t recycle Styrofoam or plastics that don’t have numbers on them, but I do my best.
+We’ve always gardened, until this year. We now have a teeny tiny yard so this year I’m going to be doing pot gardening just like when I was in an apartment, and growing strawberries beside my house.
-We don’t use any chemicals in our yard. We fertilize organically and do everything else with elbow grease.
+We use all natural and/or organic lotions, shampoos & conditioners and as many body type things as we can find locally.
+We eat a lot of organic food - especially the important ones. ALL baby food (mostly homemade from organic produce), 90% of dairy, as much meat as we can find, snacks and produce. I carry this guide or this guide or this guide in my wallet to help me shop smart. I am often swayed by Costco berries, grapes and pears, but I do my best.

Some things I need to work on:

-Dishwasher detergent. I still use the terrible phosphate filled stuff. I’ve tried 7th Generation and Nature Clean and neither of them get my dishes clean. I’m going to try homemade next but haven’t gotten around to it yet.
-I don’t compost. I think this is just a combination of laziness and a kid who would be digging in it before it had a chance to compost. Some day I hope to change this one.
-I use too much paper towel. This is one I can definitely change. I’m going to put “cut rags” on my to-do list for this week.
-Since having a second child, I suck at cloth diapering because I’m rarely home and too lazy to carry around a pee soaked diaper. Hey, nobody’s perfect.
-I’m sure there’s lots more!

I need to re-read this book and make myself a list of goals. Another thing to add to my to-do list! I highly recommend this book if you’re interested in greening up your life. Please do. Our kids will thank you.

While you’re buying Gorgeously Green, pick this one up for the kids - it’s fabulous too!

As an elementary school teacher I’ve seen my fair share of lice.

They like clean hair, not dirty hair. Anyone can get them. If your kids haven’t had them, I hate to tell you this but they probably will. Perhaps repeatedly. And there’s no way around it - they’re freaking disgusting.

When Mom Central offered a sample of Lice MD as a pesticide free alternative treatment, I jumped on it. We don’t have lice in our home now, thank God, so I’ll be stashing the sample away for future (and hope to hell I don’t ever need it). It doesn’t expire, so it’s all good.

The only other natural alternative to the gross drugstore stuff that I’ve ever heard of I learned from a parent of one of my students who for some reason was loved by the lice. She used olive oil. I’m all about using things I can eat on the human body so I do love that idea. But? She had to saturate her hair and sleep with her head in a plastic bag, comb it out in the morning but not wash, wear a bandana all day, comb again after school and wash and then repeat that again 7 and 14 days later to make sure all the eggs were gone. I’d certainly do it to avoid having to use pesticides on my kids, but I’d sure rather use Lice MD since it’s clinically proven to eliminate lice, eggs, and nits.

It’s a liquid gel formula that actually detangles hair, “so you can concentrate on removing lice, eggs and nits, instead of fighting to get the lice removal comb through the child’s hair.” Amen. Having done that for a few children, I can tell you it’s about time!

Lice MD is completely odorless. It is hypoallergenic, dy and harsh chemical free and is safe for all household members. It’s gentle enough that it can be re-applied as needed, and takes only 10 minutes to eradicate the lice.

On top of all that, it’s easy to use. Watch the instructional video and see for yourself if you don’t believe me. Are you questioning me? No? Okay then.

The Good:
See above.
And? They’ll give you your money back if you’re not satisfied.

The Bad and the Ugly:
Other than the lice, I’ve got nothing for you.

The Verdict:
Buy it. Keep it in your medicine chest in case of a creepy little bug emergency. Trust me when I tell you that you won’t want to waste time driving to the store to buy this stuff when you find out you or your kids have lice. You’ll very likely be wigging out and itching from head to toe. Just head to the bathroom and put it on.

Thanks to Mom Central and Kellog’s we received a parcel in the mailbox this morning containing a box of Cheddar Townhouse Flipsides. (They’re also available in original.) (Does the period go inside the bracket there, just like the question mark does here?) (Probably.) (Right?)

We opened the package right at the mailbox in our van on the way to meet friends at the mall. Without reading the ingredients (Shock! I know! But I was driving…) I tasted one and passed one back to Primo. We both liked them well enough. They’re very salty, but that’s to be expected with something that’s intended to be half pretzel. They’re cracker on one side and pretzel on the other, and sure enough - if you put the cracker on your tongue salt side down, it tastes like a pretzel. The other way, it tastes like a full fat cheddar ritz cracker. We had two or three each while driving to the mall and I was quite impressed. We generally eat only Triscuits, organic rice crackers and a few other 100% whole grain crackers, so these definitely had a processed taste compared to what we’re used to but they were still yummy.

When we got home, I finally took a moment to read the ingredients and nutritional information. High fructose corn syrup. Partially hydrogenated oils. Nope - won’t ever be buying them for my family.

The Good: These taste really good. They’re a neat combination of flavours and it’s cool to be able to put a piece of cheese or tomato on top of a pretzel. No cholesterol and no trans fats.

The Bad: There are 70 calories in 5 crackers with almost half coming from fat.

The Ugly: High fructose corn syrup. Partially hydrogenated oils. There are 200 mg of sodium in just 5 crackers. (The recommended intake in a whole day is only 1000-1500 mg depending on your age.)

So, there you have it. My take on Townhouse Flipsides from Kellog’s.

Have you tasted these? Would you buy them? Would you think to read the box carefully before tossing them in your cart or would you be wooed by the new take on pretzels?

I’ve been playing around
with the newest software from Kutoka that they sent me to review. It’s called Mia Reading both at home and with a few former students. (Former because I’m on mat leave and don’t actually have any students right now.)

It’s made for kiddos from 5 to 9 years old and has 12 different activities and 4 levels of difficulty. The story goes that Mia Mouse lives in a Victorian house that has been invaded by stinky, noisy pests. Pests that are sure to be noticed and cause someone to call the exterminator. But if that happens, Mia and her friends and family would be out on the street so the Bugaboo Bugs must go. Kids are challenged with the task of helping Mia Mouse get rid of those pesky bugs and saving the day for Mia’s family.

The software contains, according to the manufacturer:
- 12 activities that follow the educational curriculum
- Four difficulty levels (from kindergarten to 3rd grade)
- Easy to consult evaluation report to follow the child’s progress
- Surprise animations and many new characters to discover!
- Topics covered: Associating images to words, vocabulary, spelling, sentence structure, vocabulary, phonics, word recognition, rhymes, reading comprehension, and much more!

Most of all, though, the software contains fabulous graphics that gripped the kids and I from the get go and some great activities that really do support the curriculum yet are fun enough that the kids didn’t care one way or the other!

I actually liked this product enough that I picked one up as part of the surprise package for JJ and Fa when she won my e-naming contest!

You can buy it and the other titles at the Kutoka online boutique.

Wanna win one? Leave me a comment telling me why, or since so many of you seem averse to commenting, you can email me too! I’ll choose one winner at random and contact you via email for your address. You’ve got until Monday at midnight MST to enter!

Thanks to Mom Central, our family was given the opportunity to review Giftventure. If you, like I did at first, think “What the heck is a giftventure?” have no fear. Here’s the explanation from their site:

A Giftventure is a personalized treasure hunt service where all of the materials are custom made and delivered to you! You simply choose an adventure, a character, and a hiding place for a gift that you provide. Enter the location where you have the hidden gift, some of the child’s personal interests, (such as a favorite game, or a local landmark), and you’re all set! Using the information you provide, we create and mail a series of letters and puzzles addressed to the child who must solve the puzzles and follow the clues in the letters to discover the location of your hidden gift.

There are a variety of adventures to choose from. We tried out the treasure map adventure which consists of three letters mailed to me but addressed to my kids. If I had chosen the standard delivery instead of the package delivery, the letters would have come directly to the kids every three-ish days until they had received all of the letters. With the package delivery, though, they all came in a package to me and I was able to choose when to give the kids the letters. Obviously Bella’s to young to get it so it was primarily about Primo.

I chose to have the kids’ letters come from Gunther the Dragon (one of several character choices). Though even Primo was a tad young for this package (it’s intended for ages 4-8) he still loved the whole experience simply because I totally hyped it up and he got a present at the end. He loves to open presents and it really could have had anything in it. I just bought him a new car because that’s what he’s in to now, and put in a stuffy for Bella. He loved that there was something in there for her and gave it to her right away. Directly into her face.

The Good: What’s not good about this? I’m totally saving these letters to do another adventure in the future since Primo will totally have forgotten in a few months. As long as I hide the gift in the hall closet again, they’ll totally work for re-use. They’d be easy to make yourself too. Not that I’m recommending that. You should totally support Giftventure. But…you know. They have special birthday and Easter adventures that look extra-cool. Can you imagine making the final destination the garage and giving a child their first two wheeler this way? I love it!

The Bad: The Giftventure service is not yet available in Canada, but they’re working on it. My kids were the very first Canadians to experience a Giftventure. How cool is that?

The Ugly: Nada!

Thanks to Mom Central, last week I received a couple of boxes of the new Whole Grain Pop Tarts for review. We tried the cinnamon and the strawberry.

The good: The first ingredient is whole wheat flour. Everyone should be eating more whole grains so this is awesome. I’m glad to see there are more and more alternatives containing whole grains. And damned if these don’t actually taste good! They’re reminiscent of the crappy for you but tasty processed foods from my childhood that I’d eat at the homes of my friends whose parents weren’t as health conscious as my mom. The Big Guy, after eating two with his lunch and hearing me talk about the ingredients, said I must mention that “…The first ingredient is taste, because these are awesome.”

The bad: The second ingredient is enriched flour. Why? These could have so much more than the one serving of grains that they provide. As someone who doesn’t ever buy white flour, I know it doesn’t affect the taste much at all and 99% of the time it’s for the better.

The ugly: That darn ingredient list again. Enriched flour is followed by corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup (hfcs) which are horrible for you. They’re also full of hydrogenated oil and artificial colours and flavours. I know it’s a processed food and all, but if you’re going to try to make it healthier, I’d like to see you do a little more than add a little whole grain flour to the mix.

The bottom line: Though these taste good and are slightly better than the non-whole grain alternative, I’d never buy them or feed them to my family because of the reasons mentioned above. I let Primo have half of one and told him it was dessert junk food and he could have just a little bit. He, of course, loved it and wanted more. However, it’s my job to keep my family healthy and we’ll never have these again. If you’re someone who buys pop tarts anyway, though, then these would be the better of the two evils. But please remember - these are not breakfast. They’re dessert.

I have loved playing Cranium since I got it for Christmas a couple of years ago. I’m a total dork and I love board games - especially when I get to act goofy, draw and make things with clay all in the same game. So when I was given the opportunity to try out some of the children’s games from Cranium I jumped at the chance.

Cranium Bloom is ‘a new line of preschool games, books, puzzles, and toys.’ According to the website, “this product line’s unique development approach, Create-Discover-Perform-Connect, cultivates the full range of your child’s natural abilities through a wide variety of playful activities.”

There are currently 14 products in the Bloom series (including games, puzzles, activity toys and activity books) and they’re available at Target for you American folks and in Canada they can be ordered by phone.

I was sent samples of the Let’s Go To The Zoo Seek n’ Find Puzzle and it’s fabulous! A perfect fit for our family because our son is just getting into puzzles, loves animals and loves to write on things that he’s not usually allowed to write on! It says it’s for ages 3 & up but at 21 months he already loves it. I’m sure he’ll get even more enjoyment out of it if we pack it away and pull it out again in 6-8 months, which is what we intend to do after playing with it a few more times. It’s just $10 and includes 24 puzzle pieces, 30 cards and an erasable pen. You build the puzzle with your child and then the cards tell you what to do next. Hop like a kangaroo, circle something yellow, find the flamingo…you get the idea. It’s a great twist on the old puzzle and doesn’t every kid love animals?

We also received a sample of the Count & Cook game which retails for $13 and is for 2-4 players (again, age 3 & up). It takes only about 10 minutes to play and is great for kids who love to help in the kitchen. As I said, my son is only 21 months old but has a learning tower and helps in the kitchen every day so even though he can’t take full advantage of this game yet he did enjoy the parts we shared with him (and apparently loves to roll dice!). The box includes the game board, 20 ingredient tokens, 4 chef movers, a recipe book and a die. The idea is that you “Count your way around the board. Gather food for the recipes in your cookbook. Add your secret ingredients — then pull the tab for something funny to do!” I know many parents who often discourage their young children from helping in the kitchen regularly because, admittedly, it makes a bigger mess, takes more time and is sometimes just plain annoying. However, it’s also one of the greatest learning opportunities for kids in mathematics & measuring, taking turns, following recipes and so much more. I have a feeling that this series of games might have a positive impact in the cooperative playtime of many families and I love it for that.

Many thanks to Mom Central and Cranium Bloom for the great activities!

At the end of last week I received my gift from Michelle in the Much More Christmas Swap and, just as in her blogging sweetness, she sure didn’t disappoint! Check out all of my new Christmas goodies in the pic above! Lots of ornaments, Christmas towels, a mug, a door hanger and a special book that Kayla picked out for the boy! She seemed to know that I really like snowmen. Thanks so much Michelle, and Merry Christmas! (She also blessed me with an easy delivery which y’all know how badly I really need this time!)

I was recently sent a bottle of Dawn Direct Foam to review. The claim is that you pump just one pump of foam onto the included (or any) sponge and it washes your whole sink of dishes. Here’s what I thought…

*I received the fresh rapids scent and it was very light - hardly noticeable even - which I appreciated. I hate strong chemical smells and I really hate fake smells trying to cover up chemical smells. This was actually pleasant!
*A sponge? Gross.
*It did wash a lot of dishes with one pump on the sponge, so that claim was totally true. A sponge isn’t “scrubby” enough to get off the tough stuff, but for things that were just greasy it worked great.
*I need soap in my water to feel like the dishes are really getting clean. And, honestly, if it doesn’t fit in my dishwasher it usually sits long enough that it needs a really good soak in soapy water to come clean. The Dawn Direct Foam doesn’t work worth a crap in the dishwater. However, it doesn’t claim to so I suppose that’s okay! You’d need to have two bottles of soap though, which sounds like too much work for me.
*I won’t be buying it, but for those of you who wash your dishes promptly it seems like it works very well. Just remember to boil your sponge or toss it in the dishwasher daily because those are dirty little suckers.