Get a Hobby! (A PBN Review)

Got some free time on your hands? Feel a bit restless or unfulfilled but don't know what to do with yourself? Get a Hobby!

From African violet cultivation to whittling, Get a Hobby! author Tina Barseghian, offers "101 all-consuming diversions for any lifestyle."

Before checking out the list of hobbies, you can initially take a short quiz to help identify personality traits that determine your hobby personality. As you flip through the book, you can then match your traits to the personality characteristics of the many people who gravitate to and enjoy that hobby.

Each hobby segment gives an overview, a history, a list of materials needed, how to get started, a list of resources, and a project idea. For certain hobbies, like ant farming, there's also a sidebar regarding hobby hazards.

The book is an easy, speedy read. And hobbies are alphabetized so you can easily find an interest. Plus? The hobby list includes a bit of everything -- whether you have plenty of money and time to devote to a new hobby or not much of either -- you'll be able to find something of interest. (Featured diversions that sparked great amusement with my hubby and I were dumpster diving, taxidermy, and urban animal husbandry.)

While I do understand that Tina is trying to provide snippets of information to keep the reader engaged, at times, I wished for more information regarding certain hobby sections.

But overall? Get a Hobby! was a fun book to browse through.

This review was written for The Parent Bloggers Network. If you have a product you'd like PBN to review, click on this link for more info. To be entered to win a copy of the book and a $100 gift card to Michael's Arts and Crafts, visit the Parent Bloggers Network site and leave a comment in the Get a Hobby! campaign launch.

What a Vue!

When Parentbloggers asked for interested reviewers to test-drive the 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line (a four-wheel drive hybrid), I was all, “Oh! Oh! Pick me! Pick meeeeee!” We plan to buy a new vehicle soon but were unsure as to what exactly we wanted. But with gas price soaring, we (like tons of other people) are seriously considerating a hybrid. And besides, I really like Saturn’s “no haggle” sales policy.

When the Green Line Vue was delivered to our front door and we were told we could “treat this vehicle as you would your own”, I felt a bit sorry for Saturn. They obviously don’t realize we have a spastic dog with a shedding problem who LOVES to go for car rides. Nor did they realize how many meals we actually eat in the car while on the run.

We did treat the vehicle as our own. (They are probably still finding cookie crumbs and dog hair in the seat creases weeks later.) But as a result, we drove the vehicle everywhere we needed to be (even took it on a few date nights). And by the end of two weeks, we were sad to bid our peppy little friend farewell.

What I liked:
First off, it felt like such a luxury to drive a vehicle that doesn’t smell like vomit. (Our son threw up in our current vehicle three times in the first 6 months of ownership. What didn’t help was the summer heat that baked in the smell. So even after almost two years of ownership, there’s still a lingering scent.) We loved the hybrid’s leather seats. The temperature controls quickly heat or cool to one’s liking. Plus? The interior seems surprisingly roomy for a mini suv. And the radio/cd player sound is great. Just those basics were enough to keep us happily reaching for the Vue keys.

The Green Line Vue arrived at our house with a full tank of gas. Since the vehicle boasts a fuel efficiency of 27 city miles per gallon and 32 highway miles per gallon, I was eager to see how far that amount of gas would take us. I usually need to fill the tank of my 4-cylinder Honda CRV once every five days. With the Vue’s hybrid engine, I was able to extend that by an extra two days!

And speaking of the engine – it is fairly quiet at faster speeds. When the vehicle stops and energy is drawn from the battery, the hybrid is so silent, some reviewers have thought the car stalled! (But it didn’t. The hybrid is as eager to get moving as you are!)

A few other mentions:
While the engine is peppy enough for city driving (going from 0 to 35 mph within a short distance), the biggest complaint for us was how sluggish the vehicle was when on an interstate going uphill. While there were no problems reaching a speed of 65-70 miles per hour on a flat stretch of interstate, the vehicle couldn't maintain that speed while driving up a fairly steep incline. (If you don’t do much highway driving -- especially in hilly regions – this is probably a non-issue. But being that grandparents live on the outskirts of the Ozarks, we tackle hilly terrain at least once a month.)

Also, while I found the steering to be very responsive, the turning radius wasn’t as tight as the vehicle we own now.

And another thing...
The Green Line Vue (which starts at $22,370 standard retail price) got a lot of attention wherever we drove. Our son’s preschool teachers, other preschool parents, neighbors, family members and friends all asked about the vehicle. (You wouldn’t believe how many times I was stopped in parking lots or even at a traffic light and quizzed about the hybrid’s handling, gas mileage and price.)

All in all, we did enjoy our stint as Saturn Vue Hybrid drivers. And by the overwhelmingly positive responses we received, I think a lot of people are looking upon the Saturn Vue Green Line with great hope and interest.

This review was written for The Parent Bloggers Network. If you have a product you'd like PBN to review, click on this link for more info.

In the Motherhood!

Is it just me or do ya'll roll your eyes at most of the fall previews for new comedies? Many of the shows just seem to be the same. Oh look! A tubby, bumbling, clueless guy and his hot, good-natured wife. Ohhhh. There's the single guy who's always got an angle and his one friend with a conscience. Gag.

(Thank you Jesus for "The Office". Oh how I love thee.)

I've often thought, if scriptwriters want some fresh, funny, material they should check out the mom blogs. With moms living out loud, there's tons of funny antics and shenanigans in the blog-o-sphere.

Well, some wise person figured this out. And they put a cool plan in motion. That plan is "In the Motherhood." We? Supply the stories. Professional screenwriters develop the characters and story lines. The final product? Some pretty funny (and highly-entertaining) webisodes.

Typically, the site will have a featured topic like "child's worst meltdown" or "funniest mother-in-law childcare advice." Moms write their stories in paragraph form. The on-line mom community votes and nominates the best entries. And Viola. Your story could be brought to life! But at least this time, that horrifying/humiliating/unbelievable moment isn't happening to YOU again.

Leah Remini stars and if you check out the YouTube on their site, you will see that it IS hysterical. (And I'm not even a big fan of Leah. But I DO like her in this venture.)So go check it out and have some fun!

The business of being a boy...

Remember digging in the dirt in hopes of discovering buried treasures? Or finding yourself mesmerized while watching the various insects scurry for cover after you'd pick up a rock? Remember those long summer days when your parents would force you outside, "to let the stink blow off ya." (Or was that just MY parents who said things like that?)

Well, brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden do. And they used those childhood memories to write The Dangerous Book for Boys -- a tome that could soon be considered the bible of boyhood.

The brothers leave no stone unturned when it comes to topics of boyhood interest. And there's a plethora of tips and "how-to's" as well.

Want to know how to fine tune your paper airplane design? Its in the book. Want to know how to build a supercool treehouse? Again -- in the book. There are even lessons on correct grammar usage, a list of books every boy should read, and advice on how to talk to girls. But if grammar and girls aren't of particular interest? A boy can always read about pirates, how to hunt/cook a rabbit or even learn the finer points of poker.

What I liked about the book:
The book has a very easy-going, enthusiastic feel to it. The chapters are short so you, or the kids in your life, won't feel so overwhelmed. And the brothers' endearing sense of humor shines through. (The way they write reminds me of my father-in-law -- an incredibly intelligent, loving man whom I dearly admire and respect.) And you get a sense that the brothers have a great relationship. It is obvious -- creating this book was a labor of love.

And they do offer some very cool tips. The book isn't limited to just boys. Anyone can read it. And regardless of age or gender, there are chapters of interest to everyone. And although, growing up, I wasn't into "Famous battles" or "The rules of soccer", I still would have loved this book for the chapters like "Dog tricks" or "Growing sunflowers" or "Insects and spiders".

My little man takes the business of being a boy VERY seriously. Most boys inherently do. I know that as he gets older, he and his friends will delve into this boyhood manual -- especially when they find the chapter on how to build a go-cart! (God help our neighborhood when THAT happens!)

What you should know:
This book is best for boys about nine and older. Also, with some of these projects I would highly recommend adult supervision, lest you WANT to spend a few hours at your local emergency room. But the sorts of projects that require supervision are obvious. People with common sense (and are majorly paranoid like me) won't allow 'tween-age kids to try to make a tree house or build a workbench completely on their own.

This book is perfect for:
Boys (and many girls) of all ages will find something to love about this book. And it would make a fabulous Father's Day gift -- especially for grandfathers. It might spark some wonderful boyhood memories for the dads and grandpas to share with their young-uns. And for those fathers or grandfathers who find they have a hard time relating/connecting with their boys -- reading this together may inspire some spirited discussions or interesting projects.

TO WIN A TWO-MAN TENT by NORTHFACE go to Parent Bloggers Network and leave a comment on The Dangerous Book for Boys campaign post.

This review was written for The Parent Bloggers Network. If you have a product you'd like PBN to review, click on this link for more info.

Get a Kick-Start on Kindergarten

August will be a BIG month at the house of Midwestern Mommy. In four short months, "the boy" will be skipping off to Kindergarten. He can't wait to go. (I plan to celebrate the day by doing a little happy dance. But I'll likely cry my fool head off.)

While Seth is ready socially and emotionally, I wasn't sure if he was academically. That is, until I was sent a cool little book called Let's Get Ready For Kindergarten by educator/mom Stacey Kannenberg.

Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten touches on everything from letter and number identification to learning to tell time and identifying the seasons. The book is a great tool for gauging your preschooler's strong and weak points -- something most moms really appreciate.

What I liked:

The pages are brightly colored and visually appeal to kids. Seth dove into the book right away and got quite a kick out of "Mrs. Good and the Cedar Valley Kids". Lately, we've been using the book at night before bed. We curl up and go through a few pages. Its a good way to get him to sit and slow his little boy body down. But he's not the only one who's a big fan.

At one point, I introduced the book during one of Seth's playdates. It was a big hit with that child as well. In fact, Seth and his friend fought over the book!

Also, one of the coolest features of the book is that kids can use dry erase markers to practice writing their letters, numbers and contact information. And when you wipe the marker stuff off, it actually comes off! YEAY! Oh and if your child has sticky, dirty, chocolatey fingers? That stuff comes off too.

What I didn't like:

Unfortunately the pages rip easily. The pages aren't fragile but I thought they'd be a bit more durable.

This book is perfect for:

This is a great book to have on hand this summer. Are you going on a summer vacation? Take the book with you in the car or on the flight. Do you have time to kill in between your children's sporting events? Here's something to do. Its also a great book for grandparents and daycare providers to keep on hand.

And when your kindergartner graduates, there's a Let's Get Ready For First Grade edition as well.

TO WIN COPIES OF BOTH BOOKS GO TO http://www.parentbloggers.com/. Post a comment (on the entry about this product) as to why you'd like these books. A winner will be picked once the campaign is finished.

This review was written for The Parent Bloggers Network. If you have a product you'd like PBN to review, click on this link for more info.

Teach your child Spanish the Boca Beth way!

It started on our family jaunt to Mexico -- our son's interest in the Spanish language. And ever since, he takes great delight in asking a daily barrage of questions like, "What's 'dog' in Spanish?" or "How do I say, 'booty-butt tormado' in Spanish?"

So when the opportunity to review the Boca Beth program arose, I jumped at the chance.

To give you some background: The Boca Beth program uses puppets (like the one shown in this photo), music and movement to teach Spanish to kids of varying ages. The founder, Beth Butler, has spent more than 10 years in preschool and elementary school classrooms and has even lived in Mexico. She's produced two bilingual educational movies and speaks nationally with parents and educators on how to make learning a second language fun. So yes, she does know what she's talking about.

I decided the best way for Seth to start off the program was to act as if he "owned" it. When the package came, I told him it was a surprise for him. After opening and explaining the contents, he begged to watch the video. We watched it together, ate popcorn and snuggled. When it was finished, he begged to watch it again. (We bypassed the second part of the DVD -- the interactive class the first time.) We were off to a fabulous start!

What I thought:

The videos are cheerful and enthusiastic. Butler's passion for the project is very apparent. She does make it easy for children (and even numbskull adults like me!) to quickly pick up various Spanish phrases. And I like how she mixes Spanish phrases into popular children's songs. In fact, I was astonished -- Seth started singing the Spanish words to "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" after watching the video just three times.

Children play an active part throughout the video. They sing, they dance, they have fun. And they speak Spanish too! For my son, seeing the bigger kids speaking Spanish was a big sell.

The puppet, shaker, and bilingual coloring book that came in the package are terrific additions. In fact, Seth has proudly shown off the shaker and puppet to his best friend, cousins and grandparents when they've visited. And being that he loves books, we often go through the coloring book at night before bed.

What "the boy" thought:

At five, Seth is a self-proclaimed "big kid". He realized during the second viewing that alot of the kids in the video are younger than he is -- in his words, "babies." He was put off. And when he saw the interactive spot? He complained about the children being babies. The video I received is targeted to toddler-aged kiddos. I think he would have been much more interested if there would have been more kids ages six to nine.When he heard the first few songs on the Boca Beth CD, he promptly labeled them "baby songs". So he fussed up a storm until I stopped the CD. But I do plan to keep reintroduce the CD again soon.

Frankly, he would have also been more interested if Boca Beth came out with a 'How to Speak Spanish Potty Talk' edition. But its a good thing she hasn't because I really don't want to hear him say, "poopy-diaper bed head butt" in Spanish 100 times a day. Its bad enough hearing it so often in English. (But that's a post for another day.)

Overall:

I don't think the younger children's appearance in the video is a shortcoming. But I do wish the video and CD would have been available a few years ago. I KNOW that if I would have introduced the program to Seth when he was 18-24 months, he would have LOVED it as much as his Baby Einstein vids.

While watching the video, don't expect the editing, shooting and graphics to be as "slick" as the Disney's Baby Einstein movies. They aren't. But that's OK. I don't think little ones will notice. Plus? Boca Beth has got to start somewhere. And I think she's on to something big.

This review was written for The Parent Bloggers Network. If you have a product you'd like PBN to review, click on this link for more info.

Good Night (and how to sleep tight)

Most people who read this blog, at some point, have caught a post where I whine and moan about my sleep issues and the resulting migraines.

Typically, I slog through the day with a mind that feels as fuzzy as a mohair sweater. But when 9 p.m. comes around, I have enough energy to run a marathon.

I’ve researched this topic many a time. I’ve even been to a sleep doctor who got testy when I told him I’d rather not go on various prescription sleep medicines. So when an opportunity to review “Good Night” came up, I was jumping for joy -- with visions of being alert and energetic dancing in my head. I was hoping Dr. Michael Breus, Ph.D. – the superhero of sleep -- would be the answer to my prayers.

What I liked:
Dr. Breus has a very approachable and friendly writing style. He goes into great detail as to WHY sleep is important and HOW it can help you look younger, lose weight, give you energy and avoid future health problems. And when it comes down to the business of improving the quality of your sleep? He offers practical solutions – even mentioning products you may not have known existed to assist in your endeavor. But he also emphasizes in the beginning that if you want to succeed? You must commit and make the quest for a good night’s sleep a priority.
As you advance in your reading, you can put various tips you pick up into practice. A better night’s sleep? Is merely a flip of a page away.

I found the “Sleep Hygiene” information very insightful. The doctor gives some great advice on how to transform your bedroom into a heaven – a place you associate relaxation and sleep. While I know we need our bedroom to be dark and quiet to ensure the best sleep, I never thought about how temperatures, smells or general clutter could affect my rest.

Once I followed his “bedroom makeover” tips, I did feel more at ease in our sleeping space. After I bought new pillows (based on his recommendations), and an air purifier, I noticed even my husband (a man who rarely has sleep issues) was sleeping better.

Dr. Breus also talks about the people who “steal” your sleep. My husband? Champion sleep stealer. For years, I’ve thought the only way I’d ever get a good night’s sleep on a consistent basis would be if I: a.) died or b.) divorced him. And like many couples, we’ve tried separate bedrooms but stopped after feeling the intimacy in our relationship wane. “Good Night” offers some wonderful ideas on how to deal with these kind of spouses. For example, I had no clue there are alarm clocks out there that vibrate to wake someone – no more awful screeching sound at 5 a.m. (Which is great when you can't seem to fall asleep until 2 a.m.) And sound machines to drown out extreme snoring? Best. Invention. Ever.There’s even tips on how to deal with those little slumber-swiping critters we call children!I also found the "smart napping techniques" extremely useful as well as information on exercise times based on whether a person is a “morning person” or a “night owl.”

He even discusses the best foods to eat, the best times for sex and has a plethora of relaxation methods to employ to gain a restorative night’s sleep.Also, according to the good doctor, you don’t have to give up caffeine or alcohol. He gives some very smart advice on how to balance your “love” of both and STILL get a good night’s rest.

What I didn’t like: I tried to keep a journal to figure out how many hours of sleep I need in order to feel “well rested.” I found this difficult. What do you do when you typically wake up each morning with an achy noggin due to sinus problems or migraines? How do you calculate your sleep when you’ve got a child who’s now in bed with you because he’s had a bad dream and repeatedly kicks you in the face throughout a night? What about those times when you've been up so many times you've lost count?

This book is PERFECT for:
There are many who will benefit from this book -- mainly anyone who's tired on a regular basis. Even people who sleep well at home but not on the road can use the travel sleep tips listed. I’ve mentioned this book to several women I know who have sleep issues. I’ve got three people who are dying to get their hot little hands on my copy of this book.

But if you can’t get the book just yet, the doctor has two great websites: http://www.yourbeautysleep.com/ and http://www.theinsomniablog.com/.

In short?
The book offers a plethora of solid advice. I started reading the book at the beginning of what ended up being a long period of stress and upheaval within my family. (Illnesses, a time change, many migraines, a family vacation, husband’s travel, back problems, and our son's trip to the emergency room.) So it was difficult to be consistent to the sleep boot camp schedule. But I still got a lot out of the program. And for the record? I plan to return to the boot camp schedule in a few days.

This review was written for The Parent Bloggers Network. If you have a product you'd like PBN to review, click on this link for more info.