Littlest Pet Shop, is full of cute, quirky pets that magically come to life in an exciting digital world. It’s a one player game chock full of fun, girly things to delight my eight year old who seems to be the perfect age for this game since there is reading involved.

There is a total of 32 pets to collect and name. The game starts out with three pets and as my daughter fed, dressed, and played with each one she earned a ticket to take the train to adopt another pet. There are four unique worlds to unlock and play in along with 16 mini-games that have different levels of difficulty to choose from. The winter games are my favorite… I mean my daughter’s favorite.

The other worlds include the jungle, a garden, and the pet shop. The Kibble she earns while playing and taking care of her pets is used to buy other pets, toys, and accessories.

The graphics are vibrant and crisp and I must say adorable. Just look at this cute little face:

This is one game sure to please any young animal lover! It did mine.

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I have four kids aged two to ten. Three of them have attention and auditory processing issues and my oldest has issues with impulsiveness along with her ADHD. Dealing with her discipline issues has not been easy and those issues are compounded with my ineffective parenting and all three of my oldest children respond disrespectfully to not getting their way.Obviously I am not doing a good job of teaching them that we don’t get everything we want in life. It’s not that I give in all the time because that is not the case. My problem is that I am not consistent and I let them negotiate which are two huge no-no’s in effective parenting. I know better but sometimes I’m tired or busy and it’s easier to give in.

Let me be an example of what not to do. You can’t give in. Ever.

James Lehman understands ineffective parenting and has created The Total Transformation Program; a parent’s program for managing challenging behaviors in children.

The Total Transformation Program is a simple step-by-step multi-media program that comes to you on DVD and CD with an interactive workbook.

The program includes:

1. Jump Start DVD
2. Parent’s Workshop DVD with live question and answer session
3. 7 audio lessons on CD
4. 118-page workbook

James Lehman recommends taking one lesson each week because it will be too difficult to learn all the techniques if you hurry the program.

I started with the Jump Start DVD then took the pre-tests in the workbook where the questionnaires helped me identify the behaviors of my kids that I need to focus on with the program. I also learned what are my ineffective roles that fail to promote responsibility, accountability or change. I was not at all surprised that I fit the Over-Negotiator and The Martyr parenting roles. The question is how do I change it?

James Lehman knows how to transform ineffective parenting roles into effective ones. The skills he teaches in the program are excellent and make sense to me. I especially like his analogy about how adults are expected to follow laws just as kids should be expected to follow the family rules. One of his examples is when he received a speeding ticket. The policeman gave him his ticket and walked away. There wasn’t any negotiating. He broke the law and the ticket was the consequence. That was an a-ha moment for me among many as I did the program lessons.

The program also helped me change ineffective parenting styles with my toddler such as responding to a tantrum in a way that teaches her that she is responsible for her behavior. And no negotiating!

What I liked best about the program was the 7 audio lessons. I listened to them over and over in the car. Listening to what James has to say makes so much sense to me and I absorb the information better than just reading it in the workbook.

I also like the “A Note From James” sections in the workbook about his real life scenarios with his clients and how their behavioral issues were solved.

The Total Transformation Program also has a parental support line that is only $1 for the first 30 days. I never used it but I came close in the first weeks of the program. One of my daughters was very resistant to her consequence of being sent to her room. She stood at the door and whined about being hungry, called out repeatedly about how many more hours, minutes, seconds she would have to stay in her room or begged to be let out with the promise to act better. She was relentless. We continued to ignore her and eventually she gave up and went to bed. I’m not sure if we handled it right but she at least learned that we gave a consequence and stuck to it.

The biggest downside to the program is the cost at $327 which seems a bit steep to me. Fortunately they offer a 30 day trial and 100% guaranteed satisfaction so if you don’t see a dramatic difference in your child and in your confidence as a parent, send it back and you’ll never be charged for the program. You’ll pay only for shipping and handling.

The flip-side is if you have unmanageable kid that you fear is one step away from a mugshot then the hefty price may be worth it.

~Kristie

This review was made possible by The Parent Bloggers Network.

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I’ve been reviewing many products of late that have to do with puberty and sex but so far none have impressed me like the My First Period Kit & DVD that I recently reviewed for PBN.

This must-have for parents includes:

	An informative, 99-minute DVD to view WITH your daughter featuring the Healthy Chats for Girls™ seminar with a sensitive-yet-fun presentation of the changes associated with puberty, basic pad and tampon demonstrations, and more.
	The bonus DVD Extra: The Birds & the Bees with Ease!™ The comfortable, age-appropriate explanation you’ve been looking for!
	Gifts for your special girl: A handy Butterfly Pad Purse to slip into her schoolbag and a fashionable Butterfly Wristband.
	Added help for you: A detailed Parent Guide, a convenient Quick Reference Card, and 1-year Healthy Chats Online/Interactive Subscription with insightful newsletters and email access to Dr. de Freitas.

Dr. Freitas recommends that parents should view the DVD prior to watching it with their daughters but since I’ve already talked to my girls about the birds and the bees and all related already I figured I would be pretty comfortable with what is on the DVD.

Not only was I comfortable but quite impressed. The seminar with the doctor, mothers and their daughters is set up like a chat. Dr. Freitas uses slides and props to explain puberty and menstruation while asking for input from the girls and their mothers.

I liked how Dr. Freitas gives age appropriate information in a language that children understand. Some may balk at her using the word “potty” rather than toilet but I think her silliness and gift to speak like children adds to her charm. It definitely makes everything seem so less medical and more personal.

I also liked her use of props such as a balloon to represent the uterus and vagina and red dyed water to show how much bloody fluid is lost during an average period.

Dr. Freitas not only discusses the physiological aspects of puberty and menstruation but also the emotional. She also goes into great detail about how to wear a pad, dispose of a pad, make a pad out of toilet paper (what woman hasn’t had to do this at least once in her lifetime?), and used the balloon to show how to insert and remove a tampon. She also discussed how there can be a sudden gush with standing up, coughing, or sneezing. Early on I can remember worrying that I was going to bleed to death when that happened to me. These are all things I wish my mom had shared with me but probably never thought to. It certainly would have saved me a lot of embarrassment in my trial and errors.

During the entire “chat” I couldn’t help but to feel like my daughters and I were part of some exclusive female only club. Call me premenstrual but I couldn’t help to tear up when Dr. Freitas told the girls, “Welcome to the club.” She really had a great way of making the whole business of menstruation feel like an amazing thing that shouldn’t be feared but celebrated. When I was growing up menstruation was considered “the curse” and most of the women in my life treated it like it was a dirty secret that happened to women.

I teared up again (I swear I’m not premenstrual. I don’t even have a uterus anymore!) when she told a story about a girl whose father gave her a dozen roses when she got her period. How sweet is that? I’ve made a mental note to encourage my husband to do something special for our girls when their time comes.

The second part of the DVD features a chat just with the moms about talking to their girls about sex. It was interesting to hear about how the mothers felt about “the talk”. I couldn’t help but to laugh at the mom who told her daughter that she could get pregnant by shaking a boys hand. I realized that I’m much more open and comfortable about talking about sex with my girls than I thought.

The cool thing is Dr. Freitas never made any of the moms feel like their views were wrong however she did a great job of explaining that giving information doesn’t mean giving permission. I couldn’t agree more. I would rather my kids find out from me and to know my beliefs than hear the wrong information from a friend.

I also have to agree with Dr. Freitas that the earlier we tell our children the better. My oldest daughters were 7 and 9 when we had “the talk” and my 7 year old was much more intrigued and interested than my 9 year old who couldn’t get over her embarrassment.

The birds and bees chat is a separate segment on the DVD for those parents who aren’t comfortable yet with the topic or would like to save it for later. Either way I think at some point it should be viewed because Dr. Freitas does an excellent job of explaining it and getting her message across that sex is a big thing that can have big consequences such as pregnancy or diseases. She does talk in the traditional sense that you need to be married but at that point parents can elaborate on their values if they differ.

My First Period Kit & DVD is designed for girls ages 9-12 can be purchased here for $19.95.

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We’ve recently added a new one to our collection. Meet The Sight Words 1 from the Preschool Prep Series is a DVD recommended for ages 15 months to 6 years which makes it a good fit for two of my kids who are two and six.

The DVD introduces sight words by repeating them several times as each word transforms from a memorable character to printed text. This is done by first showing the word in full color as the narrator repeating it several times then transforms into an animated character which doesn’t always have anything to do with the word. I don’t think the point of the DVD is to teach the meaning of the sight words so much as to teach them what the word looks like.

That must be why they are called “sight words”.

I never said I was the sharpest tool in the toolbox.

After the sight word has finished its animation it transforms to black and white much like it would be on a printed page.

It all sounds and looks impressive but I’m not so sure my kids agree. The only way I could keep them interested in the DVD was to play it in the car where they had no choice but to watch it. But I can say this about all our educational DVD’s. I guess they aren’t the sharpest tools either.

My two year old did repeat the words with the narrator and seemed entertained but like most two year olds she checked out after 15 minutes.

My son who is six needs this DVD the most. He has some auditory processing issues and is barely sounding out words so I had big hopes for this DVD. Having him learn the sight words would be a great start to helping him be successful at reading.

Unfortunately he felt the DVD was a bit too babyish and was embarrassed to act interested in it when his big sisters were around. Three to five year olds are probably the age group that would get the most out of this DVD with all its adorable animations.

My hope is that in the very near future there will be DVD’s geared towards the older child who is struggling to learn how to read. My son will be seven in a few months and I have to agree with him that the animation is a bit young for him. He would have been much more interested if there were IRL kids his age or graphics similar to video games.

Overall I love the premise of Meet The Sight Words 1. It is great for preschoolers and would be a great teaching tool in the classroom. I also really liked the flashcard feature. Those are my kind of flashcards!

I’m not so sure that the DVD will actually teach a child the sight words but I do think it’s perfect for supplementing and reinforcing the memorization of the them.

Bonus features include:

• Select ’special case’ “” or traditional ““

• Short lesson selection for classroom use

• Video Flashcards

Featuring “of, play, it, he, you, in, I , to, have, and, a, said, is, the, for & that”

~Kristie

A Parents Blogger Network product review.

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I cannot thank you enough for coming up with a no ride-up panty that actually does as it promises. I’ve been at my wits end with my eight year old daughter. She has this sensory thing where her clothes never feel quite right. She hates tags and anything that creeps up her crack so naturally this would make underwear her most hated item of clothing.

Underwear not feeling right has caused more temper tantrums than I care to remember. Mostly my daughter was the one throwing them but embarrassingly I was known to throw a few myself. It was just so frustrating. I bought hundreds of pairs of different name brands, bikinis, briefs, boy cut, low cut, patterns, solids, Disney and Pixar characters. I was desperate. She would try each one on to see how they feel casting the bad ones away into a pile until she found “the one”.

For a long time her favorite was a Hanes brief with Curious George, tagless of course. She wore them every day straight for months. I had to hand wash and dry them while she took a bath. She wore them until they were thread bare, developed holes and turned a nasty gray color. She was forced to give them up.

We were back to square one to find another pair she could tolerate. None of the other Curious George undies fit the bill. Go figure!

She decided to make her own pair by cutting out the shorts of a skort and decorated them with permanent marker.They fit like a snug pair of boxers. Have you considered making a boy boxer for girls?

I was praising the heavens when your tagless Girls’ No Ride Up bikinis and briefs hit the market. I was especially excited about the “Comfort Fit Promise” whereby if the undies are not comfortable, you can get your money back!

We tried the nine count packs of the briefs and bikinis. I made a really big deal about how Hanes made them just for girls like my daughter. The very first pair she tried on was a hit. How could it not be with her knowing that Hanes understands girls like her?

It’s a good thing that we have eighteen pairs because she wears a pair for only a few hours before she needs to change into a fresh pair. A drastic improvement from her only wearing one certain pair. I’d much rather have extra laundry than hand washing under pressure.

My daughter also loves your Shaped to Fit ankle socks. No surprise that socks are also a huge source of discomfort for her. She refuses to wear any sock that has the slightest bit of excess material in the toes or heel. The Shaped to Fit style hugs her foot perfectly and I love the EZ Sort color coding that makes them easy to sort since my son wears the Comfort Fit crew socks. He also loves his No Ride Up Briefs and No Gap Fly Boxers.

Thank you Hanes for your dedication to making comfortable undergarments and apparel. My daughter is a testament that Hanes undies are truly wedgie free.

Sincerely,
A mom who was at her wits end

A big thanks also to PBN who hooked me up with all these fabulous Hanes goodies who will be having a Blog Blast on August 22 where you can win wedgie free undies for your kids!

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The premise is very cool. You set the trap, and it catches the bugs. There is a motion activated sensor that detects when a bug has entered the chamber, and snaps the mouth shut. Seems easy enough but it fails to mention that you need a plethora of flying insects in order to catch something.

Unfortunately we’ve had enough rain this spring to keep the bugs at bay. Usually we have quite a few bumble bees buzzing around our house which is what my kids were hoping to catch. How cool it would be to see a bumble bee up close!

Obviously the bees are smarter than we think and are not falling for our seductive trap. We have tried several different types of fruit, honey, and even a cookie (my two year old’s idea) as bait but we are not giving up. Before long the rain will be replaced with our typical hot, muggy days and lots of flying insects. Normally I dread the bugs but the Venus Fly Trap has me looking forward to it in hopes of finally catching something.

My son checks on our Fly Trap everyday and has become so discouraged that today my husband placed an unidentifiable flying insect that is not much bigger than a gnat inside the trap. My son was so excited about that little bug which has me more determined than ever to catch something. I’m hoping it will be something big, ugly and normally would send me running!

*This review was brought to you courtesy of Parent Bloggers Network*

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I was so excited when Parent Bloggers Network offered Family Matters for me to review. I was hopeful that the Family Matters color coded products by Day Runner could help me get my life organized.

I’ve had the products for a couple of months now and I have managed to get organized and stay organized.

Exhibit A

This is my desk prior to receiving my Day Runner Family Matters products. As you can see it was a complete disorganized mess.

Exhibit B

Isn’t this much better?

I lined up the color coded storage cases with the activity folders on the right. I assigned a color for each of my kids except the baby and two for me. One for personal paperwork and the other for business. Every day after school my kids put important papers from their backpack into their color assigned storage case. This has eliminated the stacks of papers on my counters and the loss of important forms.

The undated erasable wall planner was on the wall to the left until my kids got a hold of it but it was nice for the short time I had it. My only problem was that I didn’t update it as often as I should. Maybe that’s why it took me a week to realize it was missing.

I love the erasable door hangers that are also color coded. I gave my husband one so he can jot down things he needs me to pick up at the store but he kept misplacing it. I think a magnetic strip on the back would be a great addition to the hangers so they can be placed on the refrigerator when not hanging on a doorknob.

My kids use theirs to remind them of things they need to take to school. They are the perfect last minute reminder as we walk out the door to the garage.

My favorite Family Matters product is the wire bound monthly/weekly appointment book that I had no idea how much I needed until I had it. The planner is also color coded and is divided up into monthly and weekly sections. It doesn’t begin until January 2008 but I’ve already started filling in important dates. I prefer the monthly view but I can see the weekly view being useful during very busy weeks. I keep it open on my desk so it’s handy for jotting down notes and important dates. There is also a very helpful priority to-do list on the bottom of each page of the weekly view.

Overall I really like the products. The color coding is a great way to keep a busy family organized and my kids think the color coding is fun which also helped keep them organized. My only complaint is that I would prefer the products to be a bit more stylish and offer patterns or bolder colors.

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