Daniel X: Watch the Skies

For those of you who have boys who loved The Dangerous Days of Daniel X, the neXt installment, Daniel X: Watch the Skies, is now available! James Patterson, with Ned Rust, has once again created a story that will be engaging for boys and girls alike. The father of a young boy himself, Patterson, founder of 'ReadKiddoRead' wanted to create a series that would help fill the need for literature that makes reading fun for boys. Mission: Accomplished.

Daniel is an alien hunter whose family was killed, and his parents left behind for him 'The List' of aliens on planet earth that must be eradicated. The books follow his adventures in pursuing them and taking them out, while mixing in everyday boy dilemmas about friends, girls and life in general. Daniel X has powers that allow him to conjure people and things, which helps him defeat the aliens along the way.

As the list gets shorter, the higher-ranked aliens are harder and harder to kill, which means he's at more risk of getting killed himself. The aliens methods are creative, and the character names (the nasty landlord is Mr. Gout) will make the adults that read it have a little giggle.

One thing I like about this series so far is that the chapters are really short, so if a parent wanted to find a chapter book to read to a child that was maybe 10+ years old, they'd be able to read a couple of chapters a night. As with most books you're going to read aloud to your child, I'd recommend reading it first to see if they're up for the gore factor, but overall, it's aimed at this age group so I'd feel comfortable reading it to my kids at that age.

While it's definitely a simplistic adult read, I appreciate that it's not too juvenile in that Patterson still uses words that they'd have to occasionally look up and has some complex sentences so that the kids reading the books would be challenged and also empowered to keep reading higher and higher level books.

"Daniel" also maintains a blog, if your kids just keep wanting more...right now, he's promoting the sci-fi thriller District 9.

I have a 12 year-old nephew who will be getting both Daniel X books, and I'm sure he'll love them; Good Morning America recently rated it America's best book for boys!

*I received a copy of Daniel X: Watch the Skies from Mother-Talk in order that I could review it.

Automoblox Minis Design System

Do you have a hard time finding the right toy for everyone when the plethora of holidays, birthday parties and other gift-giving occasions arrive? Sure, there are age guidelines on the box, but they're not always easy to find, and even if a toy is geared for 3+, would a 6 year-old like it? I first heard of ebeanstalk, a website dedicated to selecting good, safe baby toys, when my sister-in-law sent two gifts in a row to H and Charlie from it. The presents were a hit, and also came with a little card explaining what each toy did to aid in development (i.e. sensory stimulation, fine or gross motor development).

I was intrigued when I got the first email from them saying that they need help from moms like me to pick the toys. I already knew that I liked their site content and was excited to be part of their test panel.

The toy they sent is called Automoblox Minis 3-pack (T9, S9 and C9) from Manhattan Toy, who makes great developmental toys. Packaged in a sleek rectangular box, you slide out the inner portion and I found my first positive: no plastic twine encasing every inch of the toy making it a nightmare for parents in the opening process.

The automoblox are wooden cars that are made to be interchangeable, so that three cars can be made into several different ones by simply pulling them apart (they're hooked together by two color coded male/female plugs). For instance, H's set came with a red, green and blue car. Each of them came apart into 2-3 pieces plus the tires and plastic bubble, which looks like the top of a car, are interchangeable and color-coded as well. H is just at the age where color identification is important, and he was able to see the 'right' way to put the cars back together because all the plugs, tops and tires matched. (The set also comes with four black tires)

This toy is marked for 3+, and I felt like it was a really appropriate guideline. The tires come off easily, which is great because it wasn't frustrating for him to pull any of the pieces apart, but they also don't come off so easily that it falls apart as you're rolling it across the carpet. For this reason, though, it's a toy that will be played with out of reach from my 14 month-old. There is a choking hazard warning on the box for small parts.

There were no weird plastic-y smells, and the wooden bodies had some fun details such as drilled out holes where the head and tail-lights will be. The body is made of German beech wood that's triple coated in a non-toxic lacquer so even though your pre-school may be beyond sticking things in their mouths it's just as important that their toys be toxin-free.

The set we were sent can be found for just under $30, and I would absolutely spend the money on it as a gift for Christmas or a birthday. H was occupied for THREE HOURS while Charlie napped...he is a pretty good kid when it comes to entertaining himself, but these three cars kept him busy the whole time! There are also larger toys that come in a single pack. At the very least, we'll be getting the other mini sets (the m9, X9-X and A9-S) so that there are more parts to interchange with.

Gather 'Round!

It seems like every time I turn around, I'm getting another email to join a social networking site. So far, I've briefly had, but never used and later cancelled, a mySpace account, am obsessed with maintaining a facebook profile and all the fun that goes with it, and tweet occasionally.

When I got the notice from MomCentral about a new site called Gather.com, I was wondering what was different about it. I'm not big on have 1,000 different sites to maintain, but I was intrigued by this one.

My main focus in using Facebook has been to reconnect with friends from the past, and keeping up with what they're doing now. But what if you want to start looking for others who share your interests, views, challenges and dilemmas? Sure, there's meetup.com, but that's all about getting together in person. What if you just want a quick message board, or ways to chat with people all over the country? Trying to go green on a budget and need cleaning solutions? Want a quick recipe, or ways to cope with your crazy toddler while cloth diapering your infant? How about discussing the newest in thriller fiction, or terrace gardening?

Gather.com has created a vibrant and diverse social networking community where you can meet some amazing people who are, you guessed it, gathered together around shared interests and unique passions. Gather hosts thousands upon thousands of groups and conversations on topics ranging from how to cope with your rambunctious toddler to creating a thriving organic garden; from books that you’ll want to stay awake all night reading to the latest pilates moves; and from cooking without recipes to taking the challenge of creating movie reviews in Haiku (tougher than you’d think!).

Does this still sound like it might be something you've already got an account with? Well, here comes the difference...wait for it...

On Gather you earn points for the content you contribute to the site, which can be redeemed for gift cards to stores like Home Depot, Gap, and Target, and even for PayPal cash. In an effort to encourage a free-flow of ideas, the more recipes, tips, stories and advice you share with others in the community, the more points you earn. Now that’s a great incentive!

*I wrote this review while participating in a blog and giveaway campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Gather. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Cross-posted at Sexandtheknitty

Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
So far, there are a couple of reasons I really like Smashed. First, she's exactly my age, so when she's talking about things that happend in highschool, etc, it's kind of fun to see the social parallels, but secondly,she's from New England. I'm more than a little obsessed with all things New England since I'm a transplant. (I've watched The Departed and the Dennis Lehane movies more times that I can count). Her bio says she grew up in the 'suburbs of Boston', but when she's talking about a girl who goes to her regional high school andsays "Billie lives in the bordering town of Clinton..." I gasped in excitement, because that's just up the road!

It's a bio that I'm hopingdoesn't turn out to be bogus like that of James Frey.

I wanted to read it before sending it off to my 15 year-old niece as a'cautionary tale' (yep, I'm *that* aunt) and have found that it's really good, frank, and I think that most parents would benefit from reading it even if your kids aren't there yet.

Even though the 'times are different' it hasn't been all THAT long since I was in high school, but I feel like I've forgotten a lot of the nuance. Oh yeah, and I never drank in high school.

The above was written when I was only about a third into the book...I have to say it went downhill from there. She was either grossly exaggerating her drinking in parts, or in fierce denial in others because she'd talk about slugging drink after vodka-filled drink for hours on end on a regular basis, while maintaining a certain level of function; but at others would say things about how 'some' people could tolerate 3 long island iced teas while she was blasted after just two.

I also felt like she never, really, admitted that she had a problem. Saying instead that she didn't have a "genetically based reaction to alcohol that addiction counselors call 'a disease'" or "I drank for the explicit purpose of getting drunk, getting brave, or medicating my moods."

Even though the book is aimed at being a cautionary tale for teen-age alcohol abuse, it's more a cautionary tale for not owning your alcoholism. She was/is an alcoholic. Period. I'm disappointed that she never admitted that. She only says that she stopped drinking because her husband enabled her to feel in a way that she formerly couldn't without alcohol...um...that's alcoholism.

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There's a Moon in my Room!

After one too many nights of a pre-schooler in my bed, I was desperate to find a reward that would make him stay in the bed in that one room in the house otherwise known as his bedroom. When I was sitting for a friend, her son had this nightlight in his room and I asked him about it. He was very eager to show me all the things it could do by remote control. Yep. This nightlight is the size of an average wall clock and can either be turned on to a full moon, or through each of the phases. I really like it so far, and lo and behold, the child has slept in his own bed for two nights in a row! A great feature is that it turns off automatically after a couple of hours so that batteries will last longer. I just let H keep the remote on his headboard, and he's come to get me once in the night to help him turn it back on, but at least it's not on all night...

Family Friendly's

I remember when we first moved to New England and someone was talking about a frenzy...everywhere I went people were talking about a new flavor of frenzy and I didn't get it, so finally I spoke up. Turns out, it was Friend-z which is one of the signature items at the iconic New England chain Friendly's.

For anyone not from here, it's kind of a mix of Red Robin and Dairy Queen; the Friend-z being the same idea as a blizzard. Once I started going, it's become a favorite for my kids. The options for families are pretty extensive, and the kids meals include an ice cream treat at the end, that kids get to pick themselves and they go way beyond the plain hot fudge sundae. When we went last week, H chose the Monster Mash Sundae which is carefully decorated to look like a monster head. In addition to having a lot of choice, the cost is really reasonable. I usually get one meal for both kids to share with an extra side of apple sauce, then I did the 'create your own for 9.99' so we got out spending just over $20 for three people, including tip!

At one point they were featuring "Sprinkle Vision" which were 3.d glasses that the kids could wear to identify codes on the menu and paper place setting that they could then enter at the website when they got home.

On Saturday, June 6th, they're having a free ice cream day so stop in to Friendly's for a fun family day!

The Skinny Cow...Moooovelous!

I love ice cream. No, really. I loooooooove ice cream. One year I gave it up for Lent, and I struggled with whether or not Jesus' sacrifice was comparable. (Oooooh, I can hear my Mom's disapproval from over 3,000 miles away!)

Anytime a healthy (read: less unhealthy) ice cream treat comes on the market, I'm all over it; Double-Churned, Slow-Churned, Fro-Yo, I was even subjected to Ice Milk by my parents when I was in high school.

I was offered the chance to taste test Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches by MomCentral, and after some arm-twisting, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. Okay, fine, I couldn't sign up fast enough!

I had already tried the chocolate version at a friend's house, so thought I'd get a package of Vanilla and a package of the chocolate-filled at the store. Little did I know there would be so many choices! I settled on a package of mint-filled and a package of chocolate/peanut-butter; both of which had the chocolate cookies outside. I was also tempted by the Cookies and Cream (my true fall-back flavor) and Strawberry Shortcake which have a vanilla cookie and strawberry ice cream...yum!

My family will concur that they were both good, but we all liked the mint better. I don't know that I'd get the peanut butter again, because I've tried the others and liked them more, but if I was offered a pb Skinny Cow, you would certainly not find me turning it down!

I was pleasantly surprised at how filling they were. Ringing in at just 140 calories for most, 150 for some (2 Weight Watchers points; excepting Chocolate Peanut-Butter and Cookies & Cream, which are 3) they are a sensible choice that is also fulfilling flavor-wise. I get discouraged with 'diet' foods that are low-calorie because they're only one bite's worth of food...it doesn't help much when you eat four or five of them! These were definitely satisfying with only one, and I would most likely have felt sick with two.

While they are on the spendy side (mine were about $5.50 at Stop-n-Shop), since you'll be eating an actual serving each time, they're actually cheaper in the long run. Mine have been in the freezer for over a week with all three of us around to eat them. When you can only grab a certain amount instead of scooping to your heart's desire, I'm far more likely to eat what I'm supposed to and be done with it.

I remember last summer when we got the Good Humor variety pack from BJ's and there were several nights that we'd have an ice cream sandwich and a cone, or another treat. I feel like the Skinny Cow treats are just bigger and more filling.

The Mint, Vanilla and Chocolate-Vanilla Combo are all Best Life approved treats.

One thing I don't like is the after-taste of artificial sweetners in my post-dinner (or anytime of day, really) sweet. I love Diet Coke and really don't drink any regular soda, but something about the taste of NutraSweet in ice cream, yogurt or any other food is just not good to me. For those who like the sugar-substitute option, they do offer the Vanilla in a no sugar added version, using Splenda.

The Skinny Cow website has a lot of information, including a bunch of stuff for scrap-bookers. I'm not sure of the connection, but there are scrap-tips and some other fun things.