Review and Giveaway: Words to the Rescue, by Steve Fadie

Pros: Pleasantly designed, lots of choices for different occasions, funny and serious messages included,  fun to read, time saver when writing lots of notes or thank yous...

Cons: Several sayings I will probably never use; would love more sub-categories....

Summary:  If you are looking for a great little book to help you write extra-special notes to your friends, loved ones and co-workers on just about any occasion, this is a wonderful resource to have!

Full Review:
Have you ever found yourself wanting to write something meaningful to someone you care about, but had difficulty thinking of what to say?  This is the book I have often wished for when trying to find the right words for special occasions and situations!  Since I love being creative and I love saving money (Wow, greeting cards are expensive these days!), I often make homemade greeting cards or gift tags, but coming up with thoughtful messages to write inside is not always as easy.

This lovely little book is full of a thousand thoughtful things to say when you need ideas!  Words to the Rescue includes messages for so many occasions: Birthdays, Congratulations, Anniversaries, Apology, Encouragement, Sympathy, Weddings, Thank Yous, Romance, and many many more...  I like the fact that you can use the ideas word for word, tweak them to make them more personal, or just use them as inspiration to create your own.  This pleasantly-designed little book would look great in a gift basket or makes a great gift with note cards or stationery and a pen or even card-making supplies for a crafty friend.

A few examples I love:

Anniversary:  How much stinking happiness can one guy take?

Apology:  I hope these flowers get me in the door/ 'cause what I did I won't do no more.

Birthday: To my down to earth buddy who's older than dirt.

New Home: Kick back and relax. You'll be making regular trips to the hardware store soon enough.

There are several sayings in this book that I personally would never use, but since all it takes is one and there are so many to choose from, you're sure to find something good.  I also found myself wishing for more organizational sub-categories like in the card shop... for example: funny birthday, messages to children, how to write a thank-you for a gift you don't really like, etc...  ;o)

Overall, if you are looking for a great little book to help you write extra-special notes to your friends, loved ones and co-workers on just about any occasion, this is a wonderful resource to have!

Want to buy it?:  You can purchase this book for $9.95 here on Amazon.com or from the Words to the Rescue Website.

Win it! The Author has generously offered a copy of this book to three lucky Be Blessed readers!

Entry #1:  To qualify for this giveaway just visit WordsToTheRescue.com and leave a comment about the book there and then come back and let me know that you did.

You may also enter any or all of the following ways:

1.  Become a follower of this blog through Google Friends Connect and/or subscribe to emails. This counts if you are already a follower too! (2 entries)
2. "Like" Be Blessed on Facebook and/or vote in my giveaway poll in the upper right.
3. "Like" the post about this giveaway on Facebook and leave a comment here. (2 entries)
4. Follow ReviewMama on Twitter.
5. Post about this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and let me know that you did. (Enter daily if you'd like..) Tweet or facebook this:  Enter to win Words to the Rescue: The sentiment guide for the tongue tied http://tinyurl.com/5rwgvnm@ReviewMama #win #giveaway
6.  Leave a comment telling me about the occasions you would most like to use this book.
7. Let me know where you heard about this giveaway.
8. Add the Be Blessed button to your blog or website.. (3 entries)

This giveaway will end April 20th, 2011 at 11:59 pm (EST). The giveaway is open to US residents only. The winner will be chosen using random.org and I will be notifying you by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond or a new winners will be chosen.

***Please leave a separate comment for each entry, and also your email if it is not on your profile.  Happy Entering! :)

Disclosure: We received a copy of  Words to the Rescue to review.  The opinions I have expressed are my honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the free product.  No other compensation was received.

Book Review: The Portable Pediatrician, by William Sears, MD, Martha Sears, RN, Robert Sears, MD, James Sears, MD, and Peter Sears, MD

Do your kiddos ever wait to get sick until late at night, on the weekends, holidays, etc...or is that just our kids?  We could not have received this book at a better time!  My whole house has been full of germs the past couple weeks and we were able to really put this book to good use!  

If you are not familiar with material from Dr. Sears, he is a favorite resource in our house!  He and his wife Martha and his sons Robert, James and Peter have written numerous books and articles on birth, breastfeeding, childcare, health, nutrition, discipline, etc...  The Portable Pediatrician is a 575 page compilation of all kinds of health related issues for childhood from birth to adolescence. 

The main topics include:

1. Four Things all Parents Must Do to Keep Their Children Healthy: I love the fact that this book talks about preventative health, nutrition and natural ways to keep your children healthy!
2. Well-Baby and Well Child Exams: How to Get the Most out of Your Parent-Pediatrician Partnership: This section covers questions about the different stages of child development, vaccines and what to look out for at your child's regular check-ups. 
3. Pediatric Concerns and Illnesses: A-Z: This index is a wealth of knowledge listing hundreds of concerns and illnesses and is a great resource when trying to decide whether your child needs to be seen by a doctor or not.
4. Medicine Cabinet: A great resource for medicine safety, allergic reactions, dosing charts, and much more...

Overall this is a wonderful resource that will be used by our household for years to come!  This would also make a great gift! 

Want to read more?  Check out the AskDrSears website for lots of helpful articles on hundreds of childcare topics.  Find Ask Dr. Sears on Facebook.  The Portable Pediatrician has a suggested retail value of $21.99, but you can find it on Amazon right now for $14.95. 

Disclosure: We received The Portable Pediatrician to review from Hachette Book Group.  The opinions I have expressed are my honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the free product.  No other compensation was received.

Review and Giveaway: JumpStart-Escape From Adventure Island game for Wii

Why to buy: 
Entertaining learning tools cover a wide range of subjects; exciting, attention-getting, complex, cool graphics; incentives to keep learning; more age-focused than JumpStart World online, fairly priced, more motion-based interactivity with the program than with the computer; takes less time to load games than the computer

Why to blow off: 
Single-player mode only; cool graphics and entertainment “fluff” can distract from educational objectives

Where to Buy: You can purchase this game in many online stored including the Knowledge Adventure Store for $19.99

Full Review:  My kiddos and I were very excited about the opportunity to review Jump Start Escape From Adventure Island by Learning Adventure! We began the game by creating a completely personalized avatar called a "Jumpee".  There are lots of ways to dress up your Jumpee, but you will need to earn points by playing learning games and earn "sand dollars" in order to purchase and unlock all of the choices. Once you are in there is a whole island to explore, fun characters to listen to, and barnacle bay to swim through.  

If you've ever tried  Jump Start World online, this Wii game is very similar in that it is a seemingly endless virtual world full of kid games.  A couple things we prefer about the Wii game are first that it is more age focused (there are no toddler games for big kids to play and earn points on) and second that the Wii controller allows for more motion-based interaction. 

By playing the games, kids can practice over 150 reading, math and critical thinking skills.  A few of our favorites games are "Jet Pack", "Runway" and "Rubble Trouble".  In "Jet Pack", your Jumpee flies through space in a race to make sure that sentences are capitalized correctly.  In "Runway", kids practice following directions and listening skills by choosing the best clothing to match the occasion.  (For example: Finding all the parts to a yellow firefighter uniform.)  In "Rubble Trouble", kids learn math and counting by 5's, 10's, etc...

Being a four-kid household, we wished that this was not just a single-player game, but alas, another opportunity to learn to share and take turns.
  
Summary: If you are looking for a fun and entertaining Wii game that your 5-9 year old will love with a lots of learning games in the mix at a decent price, you'll love Jump Start World!

Win It!  Jumpstart has offered to give away a copy of Escape From Adventure Island for Nintendo Wii to one lucky reader!

Mandatory Entry: Visit JumpStart and let me what you would like your children to learn from this game.

Extra Entries: 

1.  Become a follower of this blog through google connect. This counts if you are already a follower too!
2. "Like" Be Blessed on Facebook and leave your username.
3. "Like" Jumpstart on Facebook and leave a comment.
4. Follow ReviewMama on Twitter and leave your username..
5. Post about this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and let me know that you did. (Enter daily if you'd like..) 
6. Tweet:  Enter to win a kids Iearning game for Wii by JumpStart: http://tinyurl.com/4e75fsb @ReviewMama #win #giveaway
7. "Like" this post on facebook:

This giveaway will end March 31st, 2011 at 11:59 pm (EST). The giveaway is open to US residents only. The winner will be chosen using random.org and I will be notifying you by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry, as well as your email if it is not on your profile.  Happy Entering! :)

Disclosure: We received JumpStart Escape From Adventure Island Game for NintendoWii by Knowledge Adventure to review.  The opinions I have expressed are my honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the free product.  No other compensation was received.

Fun Printable Worksheets and Puzzles for kids

I was looking for some fun worksheets to do with kids today and found this printable worksheet website on education.com.  Just type in the grade level and subject you are looking for and then choose a worksheet to print!

My bigger kids are loving the  Lion Sudoku puzzles from the 3rd grade math section today...and the preschoolers are working on Cutting Snake Spirals.


Use the widget below to find a worksheet and print!

Education.com worksheets

Worksheets and Printables

Get your own widget

Sick Day Activites For Kids...

Today we are home with lots of germs and sick kiddos. :o(  Although we would love to be out in the sunshine on a warm beach somewhere baking the germs away, it's cold here today...so we are thinking up lots of fun activities to do inside, instead of watching TV.

Here are a few of our ideas...

• Toy Car Wash:  Get a big basin of warm soapy water and clean sponges..  Add plastic toy cars or any plastic toys that could use washing and let kids wash and play.

• Read stories together.

• Make paint hand prints on paper and date and label them. (We never have enough of these and those little hands grow so quickly!)

• Make a blanket tent in the living room..

• String beads, macaroni or cheerios to make pretty necklaces and bracelets.

• Play a game together.

• Write a silly story and illustrate it together. 

• Make a smoothie with fruit and yogurt

• Paint fingernails and toenails

• Fill a plastic container with snow to bring inside, put mittens on and play!

What do you like to do on sick days?  Please leave a comment, we'd love more ideas!

Win a 3-D TV from Movies On Demand! Also Studio Poster Giveaway...

Movies On Demand would like to get the word out about Awards Season and their “How Many Have You Seen?” poll on their Facebook page with a survey and a chance to win a 3-D TV!  One winner will receive a 46 inch SONY Bravia 3-D HDTV and 4 weekly winners will get Movies On Demand for one year. Click here to go Movies On Demand's Facebook page to enter.

**Movies On Demand GIVEAWAY**
Also, Movies On Demand has offered studio movie posters to one Be Blessed reader... The winner may choose two posters of their choice of the following movies:

• Easy A

• Despicable Me

• The Social Network

• Burlesque

• The Tourist

• 127 Hours 

Mandatory Entry:  "Like" Movies On Demand's Facebook page, and leave me a comment that you did.

Extra entries:

• Leave me any comment about...
• Which movies are your favorites?
• Which movies you would like to see?
• Did you see one that you didn't like?  
• Follow this blog, "like" Be Blessed on Facebook,
  or 
• Tweet and follow ReviewMama on Twitter.

Poster winner will be chosen using random.org on March 7th, 2011 at 11:59pm EST.

Poison Control Safety Video for kids...

Here's a great video to show your kids and talk about poison safety!

TRON: Evolution - Battle Grids video game review (Nintendo Wii)

Note: this review is only for the Wii version of the game. The versions for other systems are somewhat different and are directed at different audiences. The Wii version is rated “E 10+”, while the Xbox and PlayStation versions (not referred to as “Battle Grids”) are rated “T”.

Why buy: fun, sci-fi, multiplayer, multi-game
Why borrow: some family-friendly games, solid graphics, some good Wii motion techniques
Why blow off: poor solo storyline play, not many customizing choices


In a world where one often asks “which came first – the movie or the video game?”, Tron simply answers, “Both”. Unlike the pod racing in Star Wars, the games in Tron are not ancillary to the movie; they are integral to it. The “Battle Grids” game is derived from the games in the movie and enjoins the player to enter into them.


The strength of this game is in its multiplayer mode. There are several games to choose from: Light Cycle Racing, Light Disc Battles, Light Runner Combat, and Hyperball. In each game, the players each choose a character, choose what they will use, and go through a basic primer on controls. Up to four players or AI bots are possible. This is where the first criticism came to light: there are only four characters to choose from and only two types of light cycles/ball launchers/discs/etc. available. Though this lack of customization is disappointing, it is not a show-stopper and it also gets players to choose quickly and get on to actually playing the game. There are ways of increasing the variety of choices, but they require significant investments in time and play (not straight out of the box).


The Light Cycle Race takes some new twists on the original from the movie(s), but is entertaining and challenging. Although it is difficult to truly go head-to-head with your opponent (like the original arcade game of the 80's) and one seems to simply run (and jump) around as if on crazy sci-fi dirt bikes, it is a lot of fun. It also uses the Wii Motion Plus capabilities fairly well.

Another game that uses the Wii Motion Plus capabilities is Hyperball. The purpose of the game is a bit murky, but it is best with four players where teamwork can be advantageous. It is not as action-oriented, but keeps a frantic pace of catching and throwing until someone misses.


One major disappointment was the disc throwing game, Light Disc Battles. It is nothing more than running, jumping, and shooting by pressing buttons, rather than throwing a disc using the Wii Motion sensor. The only major action that uses the Wii Motion is blocking. Yawn. I already have a Nintendo 64. Light Disc Battles is also the least kid-friendly as it features humanoid characters getting blasted, not cycles or tanks.

The remainder of the games are generally entertaining (though they don't use much of the Wii's motion capabilities) and may appeal to one reader or the other, but this reviewer found favorites and not-so-favorites...which is the point of a multi-game pack. This is double true for multiplayer games that get brought out when the guests come over. Easy-to-learn, not-a-lot-of-decisions, easy-to-have-fun, let's-play-a-different-one-now kind of get-togethers.


Overall, the graphics are solid. They are neither ground-breaking nor distracting, but simply do a fine job of creating the environment and projecting the gameplay.


Finally, the single-player Story mode is flat and uninteresting. It may be worth it for the die-hard Tron enthusiast who wears neon-emblazoned skinsuits, but your standard gamer will get a lot more out of a Wii Fit yoga workout.

In summary, the Tron: Evolution – Battle Grids video game for Wii is a solid, fun party game with something for everyone. The games are complex enough that their mastery is not easy and can be played for a while, but easy enough to have fun (and survive for awhile) out of the box. The focus is on multi-player fun, not gamer subtlety or sophistication.

Click here to see a demo of this game.

Disclosure: We received Tron Evolution: Battle Grids for Wii by Disney Interactive Studios to review.  The opinions I have expressed are my honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the free product.  No other compensation was received. 

Free Photo Books!

Has anyone tried this out yet?  HotPrints is offering 4 free photo books per month!  Read more about it here... Looks like fun, I am looking forward to trying it out!  These would make a great Valentines Day gift.