Suburban Reviews

Mike Byster is a math genius. No, seriously, he is. Psychologists say he has ‘one of the fastest mathematical minds in the world’, and after seeing him in action, you can’t help but believe it. The things this man can do without pencil and paper is both amazing and highly entertaining, making you wish he would both teach your children and attend your next dinner party. That mix of talent and charisma makes him a fantastic teacher, and the reason I see his Brainetics program for kids becoming a huge success.

The Brainetics system is a 5 dvd set that focuses on various tricks for doing math mentally as opposed to on paper or with a calculator. The theme of all this is ‘learning out of the box’, and I have to agree- math was never taught like this when I was in school. Learning how to calculate what day of the year someone was born? Magic squares? Card games? I probably wouldn’t be quite so math-stupid myself if we had been taught like this. In fact I found myself getting more and more interested as I watched the dvd’s, and even starting to understand the Fibonacci sequence, sort, after I watched it twice. (I will admit to being terrible at math, so I consider even slightly grasping the concept a step forward.) Still, the kids in the video picked it up pretty quick, so clearly it can be done.

My only real complaint with the program is that the videos move along pretty quickly, causing me to need to back up fairly often to review the concept. For a child’s short attention span that is probably a good thing, but if you are having trouble picking up the lesson being taught, all that rewinding can be a bit discouraging. Additionally, the number of steps to each of these tricks is a bit daunting, and would take a LOT of practice to memorize, which sort of defeats the point of being able to do it mentally. If I have to write down the steps, why not just work it out on paper to begin with?

All in all I think the Brainetics program is great, if a *bit* above the level of my current 4th grader. While all the tricks taught are certainly great for entertainment, the real value comes in the ability gained to look at a problem and figure a solution beyond the typical rote and recitation methods of the past. Thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network and Brainetics for a tool I’ll be using with all three of my children for years to come.

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In a world of large classes, school uniforms, and those every-teacher-despises-them standardized tests, the concept of individuality in the classroom is almost a thing of the past. The educational system has become much like an assembly line of ‘get them through and move them out’ on the largest of scales. Not surprising then that Jennifer Fox’s new book “Your Child’s Strengths: Discover Them, Develop Them, Use Them” is being hailed as ‘groundbreaking’ and ‘completely out of the box’. With her approach of focusing less on fixing the problems, and more on using the positive traits to work around them, she encourages parents and teachers to approach their children in a way that flies in the face of everything the current system considers ‘normal’. The Parent Bloggers Network encouraged us to check out this groundbreaking new book, and I have to say it is completely changing the way I look at kids and the educational system in general.

It’s almost funny that as I sit here writing this review, my 9 year old daughter is at school taking a test that will be counted as 20% of her final grade. This is not something the teacher cooked up, but the well-intentioned-failure called No Child Left Behind. Thanks to this reform, schools now spend a third of the school year teaching a test with the weight of the world riding on it. With this kind of mounting pressure on everyone from the principals to the students, its no wonder teachers are forced to pack as much information as possible into as little time as necessary, with little time left to work one on one with their kids. In situations like this, ‘problem children’ really stand out, whether the issues are behavioral or with their learning abilities. These kids take time away from the classroom at large, and its almost understandable the focus then goes to getting these children back in line with the norm, whatever that takes. Unfortunately the ‘what it takes’ puts so much focus on what’s wrong that almost no emphasis is put on what’s right, and the end result can be disastrous for a child’s self esteem and self confidence.

Ms. Fox feels the answer to this is to take a completely different approach, and get to know the child’s strengths in ways that very few of us really do. Through different questionnaires and activities, in addition to general observation, answers can be gotten from the kids that help you understand how they think and how they learn, enabling you to figure out the best way to teach them. I could list a few random examples from her book, but I’d feel almost remiss if I didn’t instead mention a good friend of mine who is living this very idea. Heather has a 7 year old son who is absolutely brilliant, but behaviorally is not like other kids his age. His teacher this year started out by doing everything possible to point out to my friend how ‘wrong’ and how ‘different’ her son was, to the point of making an example of everything he does, including his distaste for fiction books. Apparently at age 7, every child loves fiction, therefor something must be wrong with him. My friend, instead of trying to push these imaginary tales on him in an effort to make him conform, simply asked him why he disliked them. His reply? He doesn’t learn anything from them. Truly, how can you argue that? Instead of possibly damaging his love of reading (non-fiction), she encourages him to develop his imagination in other ways, such as the incredible stories he loves making up. My friend as far as I know has not read this book yet, but she is a living example of it’s principles, and an example to me of truly knowing your child.

This book is truly a inspiration, and one every parent and teacher should read. With the current state of the educational system, parents and teachers are more than ever having to make schooling a partnership venture. I think this book is a fabulous way for both sides to help kids reach their fullest potential while not losing their sense of self to the establishment as we know it today.

Kids are a fickle lot- today’s favorite shirt is tomorrow’s floor-warmer, favorite foods are discarded as quickly as they are discovered, and don’t even get me started on the toys that were begged for for months before being played with twice and relegated to the bottom of the toy box. Not many things are able to stand the test of time where these short people are concerned, which is why it is so amazing a personal favorite of mine, Highlights Magazine, is celebrating their 60th anniversary this year. 60 years! Proving you are only as old as you feel, Highlights has launched a brand-new magazine for the 2-5 year old set called High Five. I got to check out the new magazine courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network, and I’ll say already, it has knocked my socks off.

With High Five, Highlights has done an amazing job of taking the best of their regular magazine, and bringing it down to a preschool level. Each issue contains 6-8 short stories that are just the right length for a preschooler’s notoriously short attention span. I was incredibly tickled to see instead of featuring ‘The Timbertoes’ like they do in Highlights, the company has given the Timbertoe dog his own comic series in High Five called ‘The Adventures of Spot’. He always was my favorite character ;)  Remember doing ‘Hidden Pictures’ every month? High Five carries on the tradition with ‘My First Hidden Pictures’. Similarly, each issue also carries age appropriate crafts and activities to do with your little ones. The only thing I could possibly say is missing is the Your Own Pages section which usually has drawings and pictures sent in by readers. I think inviting parents to send in pictures of their kids with crafts they made from the magazine would be an excellent way to encourage participation and reader loyalty, and young children love seeing pictures of other kids their age.

Overall, Highlights has done a truly amazing job of creating a magazine for preschoolers that looks and feels like the classic reading material so many of us grew up with. By including the best features of the older magazine in their newer venture, they create the perfect bridge for kids to transition from High Five to Highlights as they get older, and in doing so encourage us long-time readers to keep subscribing.

Check out the Parent Bloggers Network for information on the blog blast on March 7th to find out how you can win a free subscription to High Five for your own family, a $30 value!  

Having been a nanny to a young boy and then having a couple of my own, I am no stranger to Bob the Builder. With all the trucks and tools and construction going on in each episode, its probably the only preschool-age show on tv that is aimed mostly towards boys. When I was offered an advance copy of Bob the Builder On Site- Roads and Bridges from the Parent Bloggers Network, my two little guys were over the moon excited.

Right up front I have to say this DVD took some getting used to, because it is NOTHING like the tv series. Oh, Bob, Dizzy and Rolley are there, but everyone else seems to be missing in action. Where is Pilchard? Where is Spud? And where oh where is his are-they-or-aren’t-they partner Wendy? Not once is her voice heard in this movie, quite odd since she is a regular on the tv show. While I’m sure plenty of little girls would still watch it without her, it is nice to have a relateable female character, something this episode lacked. On the other hand, the live action mixed with the usual animation proved to be a novelty that kept both boys watching the entire hour.

The best part of this movie was by far the scenes that showed the real trucks. We have a couple of movies about trains and trucks, but this was the first I’ve seen that tells what they are and how they worked, rather than just saying what they do and moving on. Whether due to the content itself, or being stuck inside with 2 sick boys, I was strangely fascinated by the explanation on when you use a large cement mixer and when to use a small one. Who knew they even came in different sizes?

Despite missing the regular supporting characters, the video was a hit here all the way around, and one I’m sure will be getting plenty of play time with my two wanna-be builders

A better sex life and a better relationship in 30 days, by NOT having sex? Sound a little kooky? I thought so, and so when the Parent Bloggers Network offered to let me check out Sex Detox by sex therapist Ian Kerner, I decided to take them up on it. At worst I might get a few laughs, and at best maybe a new spark to a nearly 10 year relationship.

The concept behind ‘Sex Detox’ is fairly simple- by stepping back from boring, run of the mill sex and starting your sex life over, you are able to have a fresh appreciation for the intimacy you share with your partner, and ultimately improve your relationship. Through a series of daily exercises and quizzes, couples are encouraged to explore their feelings about themselves and their partners. Some of it is sexual in nature, but a lot if it touches on emotional aspects also. For those not in a long term relationship, the book also has a plan for something of a dating detox, with the addition of exercises to help you figure out what you look for in a partner. (Not being single, I admit I only skimmed this part.)

I know a lot of husbands might not be on board with being told “No sex for 30 days”, and while that may be the simplest explanation of the book, the truth is sex is not really disallowed. The author says he does not say no sex, he says no boring, mechanical sex. (Ahhh, now the truth comes out!) By going through the steps in this program, you learn to become more aware of your desires, and are better able to communicate them to your partner, leading to a better sense of intimacy and in theory, more satisfying sex for both. Not to mention the fact that being told NOT to do something is usually the fastest way to get them to do it, and I suspect many a reader of this book will get a boost in their sex life from that aspect alone.

I’d definitely recommend this book to any couple that has been married or in a long term relationship for more than a year or so. Emotional intimacy is key to a successful marriage, and what better way to facilitate that than great sex?

I love you
You love me
We’re a happy family
With a great big hug
And a kiss from me to you
Won’t you say you love me too?I love you
You love me
We’re best friends
Like friends should be
With a great big hug
And a kiss from me to you
Won’t you say you love me too?

The song is in your head now isn’t it? Welcome to the world of millions of parents everywhere. The big purple dinosaur we so love to make fun of has turned 20 years old, if you can believe that! I personally discovered Barney at the age of 13 when I took on my first babysitting job. I liked him then and I liked him now. Yes, he’s dorky, and yes the acting is terrible, but there is something comforting about a show so completely innocent into today’s MTV world.

In celebration of Barney’s 20th birthday, Fox has released Barney: Celebrating Around the World on DVD. The story takes Barney and his friends on a magic train ride around to the world as they explore ways other countries celebrate. They visit Rio de Janeiro for Carnival, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan, India for the Festival of Lights, and several other destinations that include Ireland to learn the Reel, and tribal dancing in Kenya. Along the way they make new friends an explore some of the food, music and language that makes each place unique.

For the age 2-5 preschool crowd, this is a very beginning step to learning about the differences in various cultures, and I have to say I enjoyed it. Its not terribly in-depth, but keeping in mind the age range, the 60 minute movie did well here as far as my own expectations. The costumes were cute, the music was lively, and overall its just a fun film, as long as you are not expecting award winning acting. My only complaint would be that there was nothing about Mardi Gras! I know, I know, its more about other locations, but being in Mardi Gras season here in the birthplace of the holiday, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it Overall this movie was a hit with my 3 year old, and I wouldn’t mind watching it a time or two again myself. Barney may be 20, but I suspect he’ll be delighting children for many more years to come.

“Boost your metabolism, shrink your appetite, and kick-start remarkable weight loss”

At first glance, the above quote sounds like a line from a cheesy infomercial for diet pills doesn’t it? It seems like every diet plan out there makes these same claims, and none of them work as a long-term lifestyle solution. To restrictive, too expensive, too hard to follow; you get the gist. To be honest I’d given up any real attempts at losing weight, until the Parent Bloggers Network offered me the chance to check out Mark Ukra’s The Ultimate Tea Diet, and I figured what the heck, what have I got to lose?

Let me start out by saying, this book is not what I expected. Instead of delving right into how to follow this ‘tea diet’, it was actually an interesting read on tea itself. In fact most of the book is about the history of tea, the different types and how they are used, and all the various health benefits of tea. Being a southern girl, sweet tea practically flows through my veins, but even I had no clue about half the information presented. I’ve been drinking herbal teas for years thinking I was getting those health benefits touted on the news, only to find out herbal tea is not ‘tea’ at all, and thus does not give the same antioxidant boost. Who knew?

The meal plan itself is facinating, in that the author lists it as nothing more than a suggestion based on what has worked for him. He doesn’t insist you follow it, and in fact states that “the only two dictums of the Ultimate Tea Diet are: 1) add tea to your day, all day; and 2) say you can lose weight.”  Never in my life have I seen a diet that was so loose. On the the contrary, most of them seem to be full of lists of ‘acceptable foods’ you can eat on whichever ‘phase’ of the diet you happen to be on at that time.

How can it work? Simple. By following his direction to drink as much tea as you can with and between meals, you soon find yourself so full you have no desire to snack. Whether this is because of the chemicals in the tea working as an appetite suppressant as he claims, or just because of the sheer volume I have no idea. What I do know is that when I am filling up on tea I’m not grazing or drinking sodas, and that alone made a difference. (Tea has very few calories on its own, compared to the 140 or so in every can of Pepsi I was drinking.) Pair that with being more conscious of what I was eating, and heading back to the gym, and I found myself losing weight quickly. Even though I didn’t get to really start the tea plan until after Christmas due to the holiday rush, I have been on it a week now and have lost 4lbs.

I know I know, I might have lost that just by working out and eating better. Who’s to say the tea had anything to do with it? Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t. While I’m not ready to say this book changed my life and the way I eat, I can say it was worth the read just to help me kick a year long soda addiction! I am now drinking tea almost exclusively, and pairing that with sensible eating and working out, I expect to see the weight continue to drop. Here’s to a healthier 2008!

I have never been a home-printing kind of gal where my pictures are concerned. With the ease of uploading prints online and having them delivered to my door, who needs the hassle of buying ink and paper, dealing with software, and printing them out myself. Who needs it? Apparently I do, because thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network, I got the chance to try out the HP Photosmart A626 photo printer, and I am hooked.

I currently own a Photosmart 2610 All in One, which I bought for the scanner/fax capabilities. Coming from that, it was a huge surprise to see this tiny little machine HP was calling a printer. I like to carry small handbags, and this printer is about the same size as my purse, 5.2 x 6.6 x 8.7 inches to be exact. Just like my handbag, it also has a sturdy handle, making it the first truly portable printer I’ve ever owned.

Wait, you say. Printers can’t be portable. They need a computer hooked to them! Software! USB cables! Big heavy manuals in 5 languages! Not this one my friends. While you can use a USB cable(not included) to hook the printer to your computer and design neat little scrapbook-like pages for your photo books(more on those in a bit), those are considered bells and whistles, and are not actually required.(Just a tip, if you already own an HP printer, check your USB connection. I was able to use the USB cable I already own from my 2610 with this printer.) For the true minimalist, this printer is as easy as plugging in the power cord, inserting your camera’s memory card, and printing. That’s it! Not a fan of memory cards? The printer is also PictBridge compatible, or for those truly on the cutting edge, has an optional Bluetooth capability via an adapter sold separately. For the ultimate in portability, check out the optional rechargeable battery and go truly wireless!

Some of the coolest features of this printer are the result of the touch-screen interface. With the included stylus, you can now load your memory card in, and do basic photo editing right from the screen, including the ability to draw and write on your photos, great for those of us with no clue how to set the date function on our cameras In addition to scribbling and framing, you can crop, rotate, and do excellent red-eye removal without ever having to boot up your computer. Can we say time-saving for busy moms?

Ok, so the printer is fun, but how good are the pictures? I have to be honest, and say that we did run into an issue. For whatever reason, we really had to bump the brightness settings up, almost as high as they would go, or the pictures would come out darker than they show on the screen. Once we accounted for the 2-notch bump, we were really impressed with the quality of the prints. I won’t go as far as to say they looked exactly like pictures processed professionally, but for something like making quick prints for friends(great party favors!) or filling the photo books to give as gifts, the quality is way more than adequate.

Speaking of fun, you can’t possibly look at this printer without considering the line of photo books HP has just released. Can’t think of a gift for Grandma or that aunt you see twice a year? How about designing your own scrapbook-like pages from the included software, printing them, and clipping them into the beautifully-bound photo book right in your own living room? With no wait time and no worries about mistakes, you can make your own photo books that have previously only been available from professional printing services. The books come in 2 sizes, 4×6 for this printer, and I *assume* the 8×10 is made to go with larger printers like my 2610.(Did a little elf tell them I had one? Those 8×10 sheets certainly aren’t going to fit in the A626! ) If you order them right now, you can get 20% off photo books in the HP store here.

While I can’t say I will be doing *all* my printing from my new A626, I will certainly be putting some mileage on it. This would be an excellent gift for the grandparents, or busy moms who want to be able to print pictures at home without a lot of fuss. (I’ll include busy dads as well, because my husband LOVES this printer!) Together, we give the HP Photosmart A626 a very enthusiastic 2..err, 4 thumbs up.

Anyone who knows me can tell you I was obviously absent the day organizational skills were being passed out. I hate making lists, because I know darn well I will probably just end up losing them, if I remember I made them in the first place. It’s a bad place to be my friends. Needless to say I was excited when the Parent Bloggers Network teamed up with Day Runner to try out their new Family Matters system. Maybe this will be the answer to my terribly unorganized dreams?

The basic premise here is color-coding. Each family member is assigned a color, and each piece in the system works with that. The undated erasable wall calendar is double sided, with one side having color coded boxes down the side of a traditional view, or for the busier family, the colored boxes rule, with the dates going down the side. Sound complicated? I promise it isn’t.

For those used to a regular wall calendar, there is a normal dated one for 2008 and beyond. Always on the go? Check out the color-coded planner. Also included in the system are storage boxes for those loose papers in each family member’s color, durable activity folders, and a really neat door hanger set(you guessed it, color coded as well!) for jotting down reminders.

There are only a few downsides that I can see with these products, and they are somewhat minor. The door hangers did not fit right, and I realized anyways how foolish it would be to hang anything with a marker on it that low in a house with two preschoolers. My plan is to hang these a little higher on a nail or tack, out of reach of the little ones. Also, the size is perfect for my family of five, but what about those with larger families? The more kids you have, the more organized you need to be, so I would highly recommend Day Runner consider some kind of expansion packs for this system.

Beyond that, I have to say I am very much in love with these products, and will be buying the wall info center when it becomes available. Hopefully Day Runner will help me make 2008 a little more organized!

…then I’m going to make eating candles a disease too.

Before you click away thinking I’m crazy, you must smell this candle. Once you smell it, you’ll be eating right along with me like it’s the sanest thing in the world.

What kind of candle smells so good that soybean wax sounds (and smells!) like a perfectly plausible meal replacement plan?

That would be the Swan Creek Candle.

I discovered this candle while Wally and I were on our Free-At-Last! shopping trip in the fa-fa city of Fairhope, AL. As we walked hand-in-hand, in and out of the most child-unfriendly stores around, our noses discovered the most wonderful scent. We breathed deeply, following the scrumptious aroma until we found the source.

One of the fa-fa stores was burning the Swan Creek Candle in a gingerbread scent.  It smelled so unbelievable that Wally had to keep me from falling down on my knees and licking the candle in the store.

The candle made our car smell great just by sitting in the bag. Once we were home, I lit it and within 10 minutes, my entire house smelled so delicious. Just 1o minutes! And for only $10, it’s an incredible bargain to have my house smell like I slaved the day away in the kitchen baking homemade goodies.

By the way, you could still smell the scent in the kitchen by lunch the next day, even though I only lit the candle the one time the day before.

Needless to say, the Yankees can keep their candles.

This Dixie chick is all about Swan Creek from now on.