Break out the Boas! (A cool new contest)

You're probably already planning your summer activity to-do list. Well don't forget to add "Go See Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia!"

Yes, THE Meryl Streep will grace the silver screen in this much anticipated remake. And Pond's is launching a cool new contest in celebration.

According to Mom Central, "Women 40 and older are invited to form a singing trio to perform their own take on the classics "Mamma Mia" or "Dancing Queen" and submit videos of their performances via the Pond's website, which also houses music and lyrics you can download to rehearse."

Oh the possibilities! My only gripe with this is that I was born five years too late. (Oh that and my singing sounds like a tom cat trapped in a trash can. )

The tidbit of info that has me salivating is the prize -- a very cool trip to London for you and your chicks to see the world premiere of Mamma Mia!

For more information click here. But you and your diva darlins' better hurry! The deadline for submissions is April 30th!

This post was written on behalf of Mom Central.

LiceMD - Get rid of unwanted "guests"

Have you ever seen a magnified photo of lice? I have. Just the thought of those little blood suckers (and their young) camping out on my son's head? Grosses me out far more than when I was a girl who'd first learned about sex --and then realized the reason for my existence boiled down to a night of "mattress mambo".

What does the thought of parental units "doing the deed" have to do with lice? Um. Nothing other than both have an "ick factor" of about ten thousand.

About a month ago, my son did bring home a note from school that sent my stomach rolling. There was a lice outbreak. I've heard plenty of horror stories about kids getting lice, only to have it return -- or to never have gotten rid of it the first time. And then there's the hours of extra washing and cleaning in an effort to rid the home (or school) of these sesame seed-sized parasites. YUCK.

As if that weren't enough? Most lice treatments smell and contain some very nasty chemicals. But not LiceMD. This product, according to their site, is odor-free, doesn't contain pesticides, works the first time around and conditions your child's hair.

I received my trusty-little sample this past Friday. Thankfully I don't have to use it. But it is nice to know I've got a product that's non-toxic and hypoallergenic. Also? The product claims to work in even the longest and thickest of hair. Plus, there's no expiration date on the product. A four ounce bottle retails for about $14.99.

This review was written on behalf of Moms Central.

Because heavy periods bite!

Most of the time, I can tell exactly when my period will strike. No, I'm not that regular. I will typically get a migraine the day before as well as encounter a few nights of insomnia prior to my visit from "Aunt Flo".

The span of my period, and even the day after, is peppered with headaches. Until recently, I'd throw myself a little "pity party" here and there. I thought my hormones were mean spirited little creatures. But then I found out about a condition that makes me feel like a wussy in comparison. I found out about women who have menorrhagia.

According to the website, Dare to Wear White, menorrhagia is a condition where women suffer excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding. Bleeding can be so bad that many women have to double up on their protection (wearing a pad and tampon) and change their protection more than every 1-2 hours. But one of the scariest (in my opinion) symptoms is that women can get blood clots in the menstrual flow or constant pain in the lower abdomen. And just as bad? Periods more often than every 21 days. Can you say "anemia?"

If you click on the Dare To Wear White website, you will find that many, many women deal with this condition. There's also a plethora of information regarding symptoms, causes, treatments, and even a button you can click to find doctors in your area who can treat the condition.

But the main purpose of this post isn't to just talk about the condition but to also discuss treatment options. For some, hormone therapy, hormone-releasing IUDs (Intrauterine Devices), D & C's (Dilation and curettage) or hysterectomies work wonders. Now there's another choice known as Endometrial Ablation.

According to the Dear to Wear site, NovaSure's Endometrial Ablation procedure is a safe, simple, one-time treatment that has been performed on hundreds of thousands of women. The procedure, which is minimally invasive, uses energy to remove the uterus' lining -- thus controlling the heavy bleeding mentioned earlier. The procedure takes less than five minutes and most women can continue their normal activities within a day or two.

For those of you who have menorrhagia, (and have decided you are finished birthing babies) there's a survey asking you for your input. The first 250 women who complete this survey (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB227MUNNJFG7) will receive a $10 Amazon gift certificate. Please remind them that the survey is for women who have heavy periods AND are done having children. (If these guidelines don't apply, please don't take the survey.)

This write up was written on behalf of Mom Central.

Shake your "groove thang" with Hip Hop Harry!

Who is Hip Hop Harry? Hip Hop Harry is a golden-colored bear with lots of bling and a thing for dancing. And he's encouraging children all over the nation to get off the couch and "bust some moves."

I'd never heard of Harry until Parent Bloggers Network offered up a chance to review the dvd, "Move those Feet". We are all about getting off our butts and shaking our booties to silly songs. So we plugged in the dvd an hour and a half before his afternoon kindergarten session. (It was raining and I'd hoped "the boy" would burn some energy and be better able to focus as a result.)

But Seth just sat there. He wasn't feeling Hip Hop Harry. (Course that could very well be due to the fact that the hubby saw the first five minutes of the dvd then loudly declared his negative opinion. "The boy" has a serious case of hero worship when it comes to his papa. Methinks he was vastly influenced by this incident.)

But I have to admit that the first episode of Hip Hop Harry left me feeling "meh". Harry and the rest of the cast remind me of Barney. There were lessons on hydration, competition, and on the importance of warming up before exercise. There didn't seem to be that much dancing. To me, that's too many lessons. I felt the writers were trying too hard to be all things in this episode.

But by the third episode, I felt like Hip Hop Harry was beginning to find his stride. By that point, there was more of a focus on dance moves. There was also a lesson about being open to trying new things.

After some cajoling during that third episode, my son did get off his butt and try some of the moves with me. I'm sure anyone who would've happened upon us would have had a good laugh --two lily white people (one of which is a mom WAY past "clubbing age") with no rhythm awkwardly trying to (unsuccessfully) copy the initial moves. But who cares, right?

When Seth finally gave it a try? He had fun. We BOTH had fun.

As a parent, I do appreciate Harry's positive character. I think most kids would really respond to his energy and his "I love to learn" attitude. Also, toward the end of each episode there's a quick recap and the kids discuss what they've learned.

So if you've got some little dancers (or wannabes at your house) with lots of energy to burn, you might want to give this dvd a try. This could save a caregiver's sanity when those little "wild things" are trapped indoors due to April showers, the extreme heat of summer, or icy winter weather. The dvd costs $12.99 on Amazon's site.

This review was written on behalf of the Parent Bloggers Network.

Eager engines and exciting escapades

Looking for a quick, economical, get-away that's child-friendly? Well, look no farther than the Island of Sodor.

Ok. So its not really travel. But this Thomas & Friends dvd, Engines and Escapades will keep any little train fanatics at your house busy long enough for you to get away to use the bathroom by yourself or raid your secret chocolate stash. What's not to love about that?

In this most recent dvd (priced at $9.99 on Amazon), we meet up with all of the regulars. But we also get to know a new character -- a very helpful and cheerful truck named Madge.

This dvd features six episodes -- Duncan Does It All, Sir Handel in Charge, Cool Truckings, Ding-a-Ling, Skarloey Storms Through and Wash Behind your Buffers. Since our local PBS station no longer features daily episodes of Thomas, these episodes were a big treat.

Thomas isn't a main character in most of these stories, but I don't think that will keep kiddos from watching. In fact, as a parent, it was nice to see some of the other characters featured. This gave way for new lessons to be learned. For example, Thomas doesn't have much of an ego but Sir Handel does. In the second story, Sir Handel is asked to find an engine to complete a certain task. Sir Handel becomes so enamoured with the idea of bossing the other engines around, he loses sight of his objective. Fortunately, he realizes his error before any big problems occur. (Have you ever encountered a "Sir Handel" in the work place? I bet you have!)

The lesson behind each episode is a great opportunity to open up a dialogue between caregiver and child. Its very interesting to see what message a child comes away with. What has been equally as fascinating has been how Seth's interpretation of the lesson has changed as he's gotten older.

Another great thing about the dvd, as well as most other Thomas & Friends episodes, is the different vocabulary children are exposed to. How often would a child hear the terms "buffer" or or "narrow gauge engine" otherwise?

All-in-all, a great dvd for the little transportation buff in your life.

This review was written on behalf of Parent Bloggers Network.

Space case -- Why we love The Zula Patrol

Anyone who reads this blog knows off my son's unyielding obsession with space-related subjects. He knows how many moons Saturn has, what the planet Mercury is made of and isn't shy about expressing his opinion on how Pluto should really be considered a planet instead of a star.

So its a no brainer that he'd be interested in The Zula Patrol's new dvd, "Explore Space!" (We had great luck with the last dvd.)

After a particularly rambunctious playdate, Seth and I sat down to watch the dvd which includes episodes: The Probe Who Came to Dinner, Forget-Me-Naut, Moons Mayhem, and Three Ringed Gorga. Frankly this dvd could be the worst in the history of children's programming but I'd still happily watch it because I'm just that sick of hearing about/watching Star Wars.

But Zula Patrol's newest endeavor was a big hit with Seth. (And the writers didn't even need to incorporate light sabers chopping off arms or space ships blowing up!) The characters are fun and quirky. The story lines are outrageous yet entertaining. And I love the way the writers breakdown various science concepts into information that can be understood by youngesters in kindergarten to second grade.

One of my favorite aspects of the dvd was the conversations different episodes sparked. When "Dark Truder" tries to steal all of the moons of our solar system, we talked about what kind of moon Seth would be. (In that episode we learn about how moons within the solar system vary in size, shape, color and temperature.) In another episode (Forget-Me-Naut) we talked about gravity and tried to figure out how astronaunts eat (and poop) in a state of weightlessness.

Oh and if you or the kids in your life get a chance to watch this dvd don't forget the special features (aka the music video and space adventure game)!

This review was written on behalf of the Parent Bloggers Network.

Bob-o-licious!

I don't know HOW Bob the Builder won a contract of this size, but the dude must have some serious presentation AND construction skills -- he's in charge of "Building Bobland Bay", an entire TOWN along the sea! And while he and his crew are building Bobland Bay, they are having all sorts of fun adventures (and a few misadventures) along the way.

My son, who will be six years old in three months, has always been a Bob the Builder fan. I've always loved Bob's "YES WE CAN" attitude. So when given an opportunity to a review this dvd, I jumped at the chance. Seth and I did what we love to do when we review movies together. We plugged it into the dvd player in the master bedroom, snuggled up and started watching.

Seth enjoyed the series of six episodes. (One of the things I love about Bob the Builder and Thomas the Tank Engine is the fact that their dvd's typically have several short episodes. And you can always use that as an incentive -- "if you brush your teeth and put on jammies right now, you'll have time to watch two episodes of Bob.")

But the questions I wanted answered was, "How did Bob get a contract like that? What were some of the unique challenges of the project? How did he address those issues? And above all else, did he complete the project on time and under budget?" (I used to do public relations for large, international engineering/architectural/construction management firm. I can't HELP but wonder these things, ok?)

The old gang and even some newer characters have been added (at least since we were watching on a regular basis years ago). And there's even a few entertaining episodes where a director visits the crew. (Don't worry, Bob and his gang don't become "Hollywood sell-outs".)

All in all, a pretty cute dvd for little Bob the Builder fans. Easter is coming up. If you, a grandparent or aunt/uncle are in the market for a sugar-free gift, this would make a great one -- appealing kids of varying ages -- from toddlers to early elementary students.

Oh and also? Seth also became very interested in the Fireman Sam episodes. (They are included in the Special Features.) I thought they were weird but Seth loved them!

This review was written on behalf of the Parent Bloggers Network.