This Full House Reviews

Blog Carnival: Review Bloggers 10th Edition

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas - welcome to the December 24th Edition of the Review Bloggers Carnival!

It's no secret. I like getting stuff. I like writing about the stuff that we like and perhaps make my family's life a little easier. Especially, if it works!

Or, I haven't managed to break it...YET!

Do you have a review blog - or, perhaps found a product (or, service) that you really, really like and you're aching to share with the rest of the blogosphere - then, you may be interested to learn that the Review Bloggers Carnival has come to This Full House!

Clean off a chair and come on in - mi casa, y su casa - as we canvas the blogosphere and share together in the ultimate consumer experience....window shopping!

Favorite Find of the Day: The Office at 360 Public Relations

Thing One, Thing Two, The Boy and Mini-Me take a pose
in the backyard and the best Christmas picture, evuh!

The holiday season, for many, is a time for some serious reflection and  - especially, if you're a parent - allows us the perfect venue to celebrate each other's milestones with family and friends.  This year, I am very thankful to have been given the opportunity to travel and meet some very interesting people.

Through the support of my dear husband, Garth (not his real name) my SIL Wayne (not her real name, either) and my in-laws (yes, I happen to like them a lot) I was able to attend BlogHer '07, visit Disneyland and represent the good folks at Family.com, and then finally return to Chicago for another round of conferences with M2Moms.

Honestly, blogging has been a pretty cool gig and it's taken me to places where even my kids wish they could have, you know, gone too.

If I had to pick just one company, out of the hundreds I've come into contact with in the last year, I would have to give props to 360 Public Relations for, you know, finding me and pulling me deeper into the blogosphere.

I love blogging (it IS my drug of choice) and I really have learned a lot from, reading and listening to what other people have to say - especially, if they are parents, like me.

One woman I especially admire and had the pleasure of traveling with is Victoria Pericon - the one AND only Savvy Mommy - and if you haven't visited her website, already, you should.

It's where I learned the team at 360 PR produced a special video edition of their annual holiday greeting:

"The Office - 360PR Style" runs just two minutes, doesn't require you to download or sign up and through December 27th, 360 PR is making a donation for every view to The Home for Little Wanderers and The Women's Lunch Place, two organizations making a difference during the holidays and all year long.

I urge everyone of my readers - new and, you know, the not so - to view "The Office - 360PR Style" and see just what I mean.

You're right, Victoria, it IS too cute!

Happy Holidays from the gang at This Full House!

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Alphabet Rockers: Brings Hip Hop to Children's Music

I have four children - I know, that you know, but my husband some times STILL needs to be reminded - and we probably own ten times the amount of music tapes and discs.

I'd give you an accurate count, if I could, but they're ALL in my car and scattered throughout the house.

Last week, I received a package from the nice people at School Time Music.

"Oh, look, ANOTHER children's CD!"

For those of you who do NOT know, Thing Two had a terrible case of colic and did NOT sleep for the first 8 months after she was born.

[shiver]

Seriously, I was at my wit's end - nothing funny about a colicky kid - until, I figured out that strapping her into the car seat and driving her around town, while listening to [GULP] a freaky-looking dinosaur with the totally annoying voice WAS the only thing that would soothe the child!

Me?

[gag]

After listening to about two tracks, I wanted to shoot myself.

"Let's play it, Momma!"

Mini-me (she's 6) is my youngest and probably spent a large portion of her preschool years in the minivan, too.

"Go ahead and pop it in, then."

Because, I am a DORK and - you know, sort of break things - besides, kids are so far advanced these days, yes?

Listen up everybody this day is live!
Before we get into the mix
Let's get our bodies moving,
And sing along, for kicks!

Hey, wait a minute and what the...

"Momma, are you playing rap music!?!?"

I'm a little bit classical and Thing Two (formerly known as the colicky one) is totally hip hop.

"Boy, you go Miss Thang, that's DEF!"

If she means good, then yes - and I'd be lost without my Urban Dictionary - but, Alphabet Rockers is definitely a children's CD that even a parent (like me) can listen to.

This is the first of a series of cool children's CDs Former 4 Non Blondes drummer Dawn Richardson and Kaitlin McGaw, a Harvard graduate who also sings for Suite Love Express, partnered to write and produce.

My opinion - the concept of giving parents (and teachers) a fresh new way to introduce children to letters, words and numbers, combined with rhythm and rhyme - this cd is nothing less than BRILLIANT!

The downside - besides the fact that a 14-song CD just doesn't seem enough, NONE.

"The CD has a vibe of Salt n' Pepa, Run DMC and the Beastie Boys all rolled into fun for the classroom."

With that said, not only did these two artists create a fun new way of getting children interested in learning - heaven knows, The Boy could have used this - Dawn and Kaitlin ARE commanding educators' attention, worldwide and on the web, and HAVE sparked my interest in, you know, cool music!

For that, my children thank you ;o)

Alphabet Rockers is available at Amazon.com for $14.99.

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Favorite Find of the Day: Sittercity

Thing One - she's 14 - recently started babysitting and has saved up enough money to buy her own Christmas gifts, this year!

No, not for herself - puhleeeze, I'm not THAT mean - I mean, she's actually taking care of buying gifts for her sisters, brother and has eluded to the fact that there might even be a little something under the tree, for me.

If I continue to behave nicely, that is.

Thing One is my oldest and, from a very early age, has always been a very easygoing and - unlike, her mother - a patient and nurturing soul.  She loves children and other parents want to, you know, adopt her.

All it took was for one referral - from a parent/teacher/organization type leader - and Thing One's babysitting services are NOW in high demand!

Which just goes to show that, even in the parenting world, there is a place for word-of-mouth of marketing!

Which is why I am totally blog-crushing on Sittercity:

At Sittercity, our mission is to connect parents with caregivers in their area to give each side what they want - some time off for adults-only activities and access to a multitude of child and pet care jobs.

Sittercity has one of the largest and most easily accessible database for babysitters, nannies and pet sitters I've ever seen and offers a number of referral services:

• A four-step screening process
• Comprehensive sitter profiles
• FREE access to background checks
• Sitter video interviews

There are community message boards, interesting and informative reading in their articles library (like, Parent-How (and What) Petsitters Charge, Parent-Babysitter Interview Checklist and Babysitter Safety Training Process) and tools, like a Babysitter Cheat Sheet and Rate Calculator.

Did I mention that they host Dance Party Fridays?

[puts down the clicker and places lampshade on head]

Take a quick tour and see for yourself.

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Favorite Find of the Day: The Cradle

The Cradle (www.thecradle.com), an exciting new lifestyle destination for new and expectant parents, with a fresh approach to planning and preparing for a new (or growing) family.

Seriously, I found the website to be very informative and a great way to get family involved in the "big event" - think The Knot, meets parenthood - and I wish The Cradle was around when I was expecting.

The Cradle offers:

Easy-to-use, rich social networking community with tools designed especially for expectant parents.

• Customizable functionality with daily updates on your pregnancy progress.

• Extensive product showcases and retail giveaways.

• Individual web page creation offering photo galleries, blogs, links to baby gift registries and more.

• Special focus on eco-living.

• Fresh, relatable, expert-approved content by stage and topic, with special areas for dads-to-be, friends and family and pop culture.

In my opinion, this site is just what the doctor ordered and should help give new parents the peace of mind they most desperately crave - trust me, I know - The Cradle totally rocks!

The Cradle is still in "beta," but is looking for our readers' feedback - because, you know, they know, that we know - in addition, The Cradle is also giving away some of the most sought after baby products on the market.

Visit The Cradle (beta) Launch Giveaway page and enter for a chance to win!

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Battle Wheels: A remote controlled warrior even a mother can love!

Here's the thing - I have three girls and a boy - my kids fight, a lot (I know, act surprised) and I like to think that I'm not the only parent in the world who finds themselves resorting to yelling (and screaming) in order to be, you know, heard.

[sound of crickets]

There are times, however, when I feel less than a mother, and more like a referee - trying to keep cool, while everyone is in your face - constantly encouraging my children to be more civil towards each other, without actually wanting to, you know, bite each of their little heads off.

This is NOT one of those times.

"You fight each other, until one of your heads falls off!"

Battle Wheels is marketed as the ultimate in radio control battle and it took a few seconds for The Boy (he's 8) and Mini-me (she's 6) to understand that these toys were sent to us, by Learning Curve, that they were about to be destroyed, and that it was, you know, okay!

Watch your feet, these little robot dudes move fast and each Battle Wheels warrior includes:

• Controller with multi-band feature; battle with up to 6 warriors at once.
• Articulated figure; pose your warrior to attack or be on the defense.
• Battle Weapons. Two weapons include (1) Ball and Chain Mace, (1) Dual purpose Sword/Lance.
• Removable armor; five pieces include (2) Shoulder

There are four colors and battle warriors to choose from - think, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots on wheels - and these radio controlled toys were easy enough for me my 6-year-old to work.

Although, her warrior DID take the brunt of the battle - older brothers can be so relentless - Mini-me calmly reattached his head (the robot, not her brother) and started battling him all over again.

Battle Wheels comes with interchangeable parts - yep, even warrior robots must feel the need to swap armor, every now and again - and is enhanced with multi-band radio technology that lets 6 players battle at once for true, ultimate radio control combat!

Yes, there's enough armor piercing and flying shoulder pads for everybody!

Battle Wheels has an awesomely cool website - at least, that's how my son described it - where visitors can choose a warrior and battle transforming-type robots against each other, in a friendly-cyber sort of way.

Warning:  Pets, however, will NOT like this toy and dogs will either try to eat it, or bark the ears right of your (not the robot's) head!

With a MSRP at $29.99, Battle Wheels is MUCH less expensive than other radio controlled toys we've had (and broken) and comes with a bonus cardboard target (the better to practice controlling with, my pretty) and run on four AA batteries and one 9-volt battery, not included.

Of course, I left that operation up to the hubs.

Why?

Because, I don't have patience for such things, anymore and tend to, you know, break stuff. 

Needless to say, Battle Wheels were a hit in our house and - although, judging how manufacturers package their products, toy companies MUST truly hate parents - the kids and I believe that these are one of the best radio controlled toys, evuh!

Stop by Learning Curve and check 'em out, today!

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Blog Carnival: Review Bloggers 9th Edition

Welcome to the December 10th Edition of the Review Bloggers Carnival!

It's no secret. I like getting stuff. I like writing about the stuff that we like and perhaps make my family's life a little easier. Especially, if it works!

Or, I haven't managed to break it...YET!

Do you have a review blog - or, perhaps found a product (or, service) that you really, really like and you're aching to share with the rest of the blogosphere - then, you may be interested to learn that the Review Bloggers Carnival has come to This Full House!

Clean off a chair and come on in - mi casa, y su casa - as we canvas the blogosphere and share together in the ultimate consumer experience....window shopping!

WHAT'S HOT?

Tee presents SWIMS..."The Modern Galosh" and Rock Band!!! posted at Things We Like.

Tiffany Washko presents BPA and Glass Baby Bottles - Siliskin and Wee Go posted at Natural Family Living Blog.

Amanda presents Kamibashi String Doll Gang posted at Pajama Mommy.

Ryan Russell presents Gift or Gaffe - Interesting Gift Card Facts posted at My Money Thinks, saying:

"Before giving a gift card this holiday season, read these gift card facts.  Many gift cards carry expiration dates."

BOOKS

SJ Yee presents The FAQ Book on Public Speaking posted at Personal Development for the Book Smart.

Pat B. Doyle presents Publish an Ebook in Amazon’s Kindle Book Store! posted at Pat B. Doyle, saying:

"Publish your book in Kindle format and be listed on Amazon for free."

CONSUMER EXPERIENCES

Michael Rosen presents Bioshock Review posted at The Gaming Critic, saying:

"One of the most hyped games of 2007, Bioshock turned out to be one of many games to live up to most of it's hype."

Michael Rosen presents PORTAL posted at The Gaming Critic, saying:

"One of the most enjoyable and thought provoking experiences you will encounter in 2007."

Jenny presents The Senseo Experience posted at the so called me.

ELECTRONICS

historyiselementary presents I’m In Love With My Lobie™ posted at History Is Elementary, saying:

"I love these things and so do students!"

GOOD THINGS

Maria Fernandez presents Rosetta Stone Spanish - product reviews posted at Learn a foreign language - blog, saying:

"A review of the Rosetta Stone software packages by an experienced Spanish teacher."

Jo presents I'm Dreaming Of A Victorian Christmas? posted at Fickle Food.

MEDIA

Jenny presents The 4 Books Battle - Battle Two posted at the so called me.

Larry Russell presents Publish your blog news articles on traditional media center and newspaper websites posted at THE SKILLED INVESTOR Blog saying:

"Bloggers can get published on media and newspaper websites. Newspapers are picking up web content through blog content consolidation companies. My blog articles get republished regularly through one such effort, BlogBurst.com BlogBurst screens established bloggers, and then they place certified bloggers’ real-time blog content onto multiple traditional media websites."

OTHER

Jenny presents Family Chef in Training posted at the so called me.

TIPS & TRICKS ONLINE

Warren Wong presents How To Start A Successful Blog posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying:

"Tips on how to start a successful blog and what it takes to succeed."

j blu presents For Bloggers, By Bloggers:  Blogging Zoom posted at Fresh Geeks.

That concludes the 9th Edition of Review Bloggers Carnival - thank you ALL so much for your terrific submissions, this month - you can submit your blog article to the next edition of review bloggers (deadline is December 23, 2007) using our carnival submission form and reviewing our submissions guidelines.

Go ahead, it's easy - past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page - just write about the things you like and share it with the rest of us!

Happy Reviewing!

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Clinique Custom Perfume Bottle: C'mon and get Happy!

What DO you get a mother - not to mention, a woman - who's proving to be difficult (AGAIN!) this holiday season?

Oh, wait...I didn't mean...uh...NOT that I was talking about you, Mom!

[awkward silence]

Something to show her how much you really LOVE her and remind her that she, you know, really DOES have everything, of course!

Heads up dad, Clinique has come up with a cool and unique gift idea for those busy mom(s) in your life.

Now, you can personalize your perfume with pictures of whatever makes you (or, her) smile.  Imagine, gazing upon the picture of your in-laws on a Clinique Happy bottle.

Sweet!

[sound of crickets]

No offense, but you can use whatever photo you like:

For a limited time, beginning this month, simply go to www.clinique.com and follow the CLINIQUE HAPPY Personalized Photo Bottle links to get started.  Upload your digital photos, which can be rotated and cropped according to the dimensions of the bottle.  Preview the final image before ordering your new bottle, which will be delivered to your door in two weeks.

My mom is recovering from a double-knee replacement and has survived several health scares, in the last year.  So, we invited my parents (and the in-laws!) to Thanksgiving dinner and had a really great time.

In fact, it was the happiest I've seen my mother in...well, you can see just how great she looks, surrounded by her grandchildren...yes, they ARE all mine...and man, that's a lot of purple!

Add it to her favorite perfume...yes, it really is the reason why I was so excited to do this review...and VIOLA!

Looks good, right?

Finally, a gift that says, "HEY, I got you a little Happy" and I can't WAIT for her to, you know, get it!

 

The custom bottle costs $52.00 ($2.50 more than the non-customized version of Clinique Happy.

Oh, and just so you know, "Get Happy Day" is on December 14 - Clinique will donate $100k to Big Brothers, Big Sisters (a cause that is very near and dear to our hearts) and an additional $10k based on sales of the Customized Happy bottle!

 

So, please don't forget to get Happy this holiday season and - for the love of Garth - don't worry, I (or, your mom) will be more than happy to, you know, remind you!

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Favorite Find of the Day: iParenting.com

iParenting.com is an Internet community for, you guessed it, parents and - as media networks, go - this is perhaps one of the most comprehensive sites in the blogosphere.

Clean off a chair, grab a hot beverage and start surfing their channels - customizing the information you want, through rss feeds on hot topics, such as holiday recipes and family fitness - and you can even create your OWN blog, for free!

Hit the bookmarks, kids, this site is definitely worth a click!

[For more This Full House Favorite Finds, click here]

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Favorite Find of the Day: Save the Toast!

I've been a mommyblogger (mom blogger, blogging mom, mom with blog, etc.) for 4 years, now and as a review blogger (sounds more official-like, I know) - not to mention, my affiliation with Family.com and membership on their Parenting Advisory Board - NOT only have I had the pleasure of meeting thousands of very interesting people (literally, some of my best friends are bloggers) we've also been very fortunate to have been given the opportunity of testing and providing feedback on quite a wide range of products and services.

You know, about the stuff that really works and we think other families (like us) would like, too.

I'm also of the opinion that it IS the best part of blogging and participating in an online community - like, parenting blogs - plays a vital role in what average, everyday people (like me) are talking about, or buying into, today.  Not to mention, the possibility of the Internet becoming one of, if not, the best resource for marketers and corporations looking to "get in touch" with their customers.

Some companies get it, most are still trying to.

I have my favorites - see sidebar on right - but, I'm also finding new sites that are fun AND informative, every day.

So, I've decided to make the commitment of sharing them with you - yes, YOU - the wise and wonderful Internets and posting one of them, every day.

[crosses fingers]

Barring a family emergency, or reoccurring bouts of the creeping crud, of course!

If you are a blogger, with a company blog, or know of one, please feel free to email me your link and I will be happy to pass it along.

For today's inaugural post, I'd like to share with you my favorite find of the day:

CountryCrock.com - yes, I am one of their BEST customers - has launched a campaign and Toast lovers (like me) are gurned to visit www.SavetheToast.com to learn how to live stick-butter-free, watch toastamonials from the bread victims and sign a petition to Save The Toast.

Okay, so it probably doesn't help us any on global warming, but it IS a fun way for us to connect with a company, that manufacturers a product, that my family just happens to have in the fridge, right now.

Spread the word!

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Robopanda: No Bamboo Required

No, my kids have NEVER been to Disney - I know, and they're probably just as shocked as you are, no doubt - so, they haven't had the opportunity to experience the wonders of animatronics, up close and personal, like I have.

However, they have taken several trips to Washington, D.C. and absolutely love everything about our nation's capital; especially, visiting the zoo.

I'm NOT just talking about Congress, either.

[snicker]

The National Zoo is one of our favorite places and, on our last visit about two years ago, we were lucky enough to get to see the Giant Pandas - apparently, they're not as sociable as one might think and can be a little camera shy - but, my youngest absolutely fell in love with them and has since adopted "the masked teddy bears" as her favorite animal.

Mini-me is 6, now and I was very excited to be offered the chance to play...um...I mean, introduce you to her little friend, Robopanda.

   

To be honest with you - I know, some manufacturers are still trying to get used to the idea - electronic toys tend to scare me and I was a little hesitant about embracing the idea of a hardware advanced and totally assimilated animal, like Robopanda.

"I dunno, it sounds something a Cyborg would befriend."

Actually, I really didn't know what to think - I'm a dork and kids break things, remember? - but, we were both a little surprised to learn how big (and cute) Robopanda really is.

"Wook, and it comes wif a panda teddy bear!"

Once we got it out of the box - the most difficult part of the whole review process, I might add - and "fed" him his batteries, Robopanda was fully functional and I was, again, surprised at how incredibly expressive (and cute) Robopanda really is.

His eyes light up, his eyebrows and ears are totally animated and he has characteristic panda-like movements such as sit, the ability to crawl on all fours and then sit back up again.

All four of Robopanda's limbs move independently and, with you (or, your child's help) he can even stand and interact with his panda teddy bear.

"Oh my gosh, how cute is he!?!?"

My two older girls (they are 14 and nearly 12) joined Mini-me in playing games with Robopanda (touching the sensors on his body to help navigate through the menu) and then The Boy (he's 8) joined them, when he heard Robopanda talk about his many features:

• No remote controller needed
• Realistic actions and interactive personality
• Direct touch sensor and sound control
• Interactive stories and games
• Advanced artificial intelligence and awareness
• Recognizes and talks to his own little toy panda (included)

Not to mention, three different play modes:

• Training mode: Learn how to play with him while he guides you through      his many features.
• Friend mode: Interact with his many conversations and enjoy his jokes.
• Menu mode: Robopanda will tell you stories, play games with you and even sing you a song or two! You can even teach him tricks that he will perform for you.

                                

You can see his features at work, here.

Robopanda is manufactured by WowWee (think one of last year's hottest toys, Robosapien) it is recommended for ages 8 and up (at 8 pounds, Mini-me does need some help carrying him around the house) and it comes equipped with two "activity and story" cartridges and is currently available for the approximate retail value of $149.99.

Yes, I admit, it may sound like a little much - especially, if you have more than one rugrat to, you know, feed, like me - but, considering all that this toy can do (and say) I also think Robopanda is absolutely captivating and believe that it would make any child very happy, this holiday season.

I'm not feeding you a load of bamboo, either!

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