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.