Woogi World - the place to be?

When MomCentral put out a call for interested parents to review Woogi World, I was super excited. My son doesn't normally do computer games, but that's mainly because the boy can't seem to sit still for more than 30 seconds. I was hoping that maybe THIS website would capture his attention.

Woogi World is a website for kids filled with all sorts of educational games and ways to earn prizes. A child can chose a Woogi, name him/her, dress him/her and even decorate the Woogi's house (aka wigwam). Plus, there's some great information for parents as well as grandparents. And the site offers "basic internet training" for kids on how to navigate through cyberspace safely. According to the site, children can "safely experiment with and practice behavior in a microcosm that they’ll eventually need to know and display when they explore the much broader, unsecured and precarious online world." Kids can earn extra points for completing this training. Oh and? No advertising of any outside products. No advertising at all, actually.

So what did we think? It started out promising. There's a cute little game your child can play with the mouse while the site downloads. But overall, we found things a bit confusing.

At times, when it asks for user name, we'd enter my son's Woogi name. And when it asks to enter a passcode, I'd enter the one we had set up but it would get rejected. It would ask for an email address but sometimes that didn't work either. Then you are taken to the "Bulletin Board". There wasn't an obvious place for the games. (You have to close the bulletin board window to get to the game area.)

My son also had some frustration with some of the game stuff. All he wanted to do is let the Woogi roam around and explore what was on the site but soon found himself underwhelmed and frustrated. After hearing my son whine, "Mmoooomm. I can't get this to wwwooorrrrkkk" about eight times every five minutes, I'd get frustrated too. And we'd do something else. I went back to the site with him three different times and it was pretty much the same experience each time. (I went to the site several times more but I didn't get much farther than he did.)

But at one point, we did find a great game that we played over and over again. We had to work as a team and it turned into a really fun experience. Basic membership is free and the more advanced is just $6.95 a month.

But for kids like Seth, who aren't big on sitting still? You might want to wait a bit before you sign them up.

This review was written on behalf of MomCentral.

What a circus!

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Children of all ages. Welcome. To the greatest show on earth!"

You know what I'm talking about, right? The circus! The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Baby’s Circus to be exact.

And now, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey have created a little something called "Baby's First Circus". The program was created with U.S. parents and babies (12 months old and younger) in mind. If you go to the Ringling Bros site, you can sign up to receive a voucher for a free ticket to any Ringling Bros. performance, (valid for any date, any place) as well as a personalized certificate for baby. Sign up the older kiddos and they get a free personalized Ringling Bros. commemorative certificate. Visit the site to participate.

Thanks to the peeps at MomCentral, you an get a 20% discount code for Ringling Bros. performance coming your way. Enter code: MCC. (The code is valid for the circus shows in the following cities:)

Indianapolis, IN - Sept. 4-7, 2008
Kansas City, MO - Sept. 10-14, 2008
Grand Rapids, MI - Sept. 18-21, 2008
Denver, CO - Oct. 2-13, 2008
Boston, MA – Oct. 8-13, 2008
Cleveland, OH - Oct. 24 - Nov. 2
Chicago, IL - Nov. 6 - 30, 2008
St. Louis, MO - Nov. 6-9, 2008
Auburn Hills, MI - Nov. 12 - 16, 2008
Highland Heights, KY - Feb 27 - Mar. 1, 2009
Cincinnati, OH - Mar. 4 - 8, 2008

Don't forget to check out their website. (We had to keep refreshing the main page because my son loves the train and music!) Click on the "Amazing Animals" section then over to various animals featured to get great factoids. Or spend some time in the "Fun Zone" and play "Clown Cannon" or "CircusFit".

This post was written on behalf of MomCentral.

Do the right thing

I'd never heard of the Liberty Mutual Responsibility Project until recently through MomCentral. But it sounded interesting. So I took a gander.

According to the website, the project was created after an overwhelming response to a Liberty Mutual commercial about the kindness of strangers. According to the site, "we thought, if one TV spot from Liberty Mutual can get people thinking and talking about responsibility, imagine what could happen if we went a step further? So we created a series of short films, and this website, as an exploration of what it means to do the right thing."

My son and I looked at the site together, watching a few of the shorts. Sometimes the concept of "responsibility" can be difficult to describe. But the site did get us talking. The site lists questions you can ask your child or debate with others and it reinforced some of the ideas we've talked about.

We especially liked "Hot Seat." Anyone who's worked in an office can relate and will get a giggle out of this animated tale of office bunnies who, upon finding themselves in possession of a broken office chair sneakily pawn the chair it off on other unsuspecting worker bunnies.

The website isn't just for parents or kids. It is for everyone. And its a pretty great idea.

This post was written on behalf of MomCentral.

Pizza Hut's new pasta (easy-peasy and cheesy!)

Our family loves Pizza Hut pizza. So when offered a chance to try their newest pasta dish, "Premium Bacon, Mac 'n Cheese", I was very excited. I mean, who doesn't like free food? Especially when there is minimal clean-up afterwards?

We'd tried another pasta dish by Pizza Hut a few months back. It was ok. But we were especially interested in this newest product. You see, our son LOVES mac 'n cheese from a certain restaurant that the hubby and I despise. We only go there so "the boy" can eat his weight in macaroni. But the quality of the rest of the food the restaurant produces is getting so crappy that we've stopped going there all together. We were hoping he'd love this dish as much or more.

But he didn't. He ate a few bites then whined. (This is not uncommon so Pizza Hut, don't take it personally.) He's not used to the bacon taste. And that's a bummer because the hubby and I really liked this dish. Its very cheesy and the bacon gives it a very nice flavor. We think this boy is just plain strange. Really. Who doesn't like bacon?

This is a great dish to get when you have a casual party and don't want to cook. Order up a few pizzas, a few pasta dishes and make a salad. Easy Peasy. Or for those little kids who love hot dogs and macaroni? Cut up a few dogs and serve mixed in with the cheesy pasta. If you've got little bacon lovers in your family (who also love cheesy noodles) this is a good choice.

The Tuscan pastas are $12.99. The special comes with five breadsticks and feeds a family of four. (Although if you have teen boys who really like pasta? You'd better order an extra pan.)

WIN A GIFT CARD FOR SOME FREE PASTA FROM PIZZA HUT!

Leave a comment here or on my main blog between now and Tuesday letting me know you're interested. I'll choose three winners and Pizza Hut will send you the gift certificate!

Greenlight Greenworks!

Within the past few years there's been a growing focus on energy and waste conservation. Personally? Its uplifting to see that people AND corporations are thinking more about the earth. And they're doing so daily, not just every April 22.

Clorox recently debuted a line of natural cleaners, that according to their website, are "made using plant-based ingredients derived from coconuts, as well as essential oils. The products are formulated using biodegradable ingredients, are packaged in bottles that can be recycled and not tested on animals."

Thanks to MomCentral, I was recently sent a sample of the Green Works Natural Dishwashing Liquid. (Although they also manufacture an all-purpose cleaner, a glass cleaner, and toilet bowl cleaner.)

The site claims the dishwashing liquid will cut through greasy messes as well as cooked/baked-on foods. Plus, the dishwashing liquid is available in five scents: Original, Water Lily, Simply Clear, Lemon and Tangerine. (I was sent the Original scent.)

I do like the clean, fresh scent of the Original. For some reason I was expecting a watery consistency, but it feels like other dishwashing liquids. As for cleaning power? Being that I don't do much cooking or baking (the stove and oven don't get much use at our house. But our microwave sure does! Frozen, store-bought lasagna, anyone?), I'm rarely standing over the sink, scrubbing pots. But nonethess, I have gotten to test out this product on a few saucy, greasy messes.

The verdict? I likey! It did cut through the gross. My dishes were squeaky clean with little effort. In fact, I like it better than the other brands I've been using (cough, Ivory, cough, Dawn). I also really like that, according to Clorox's website, "the product line has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for using environmentally preferable chemistry, and carry the EPA’s “Design for Environment” certification logo."

Green Works™ Products The Green Works products range in price from $2.99 to $3.59:

To view their site (which includes tips for "going green", an ingredient list, as well as the science behind this new line of Clorox products.) click HERE.

The review written on behalf of MomCentral.

Josh-approved underwear

Josh, Seth's best friend, is very sweet kid. As we've gotten to know Josh (and his awesome mom, Kathy) over the years, we've learned that Josh's family refers to him as "Hugh" (Hefner) because the child spends more time in his jammies and underwear than his regular clothes.

The boy will strip down as soon as he gets home from school or a playdate. Even when he and Seth get together for playdates, they often change into jammies within the first 20 minutes of getting together.

But recently, Josh's mom was going crazy. Josh is very particular about his jammies and his underwear. (How the clothing fits, the feel of the fabric and whether there are any itchy tags rubbing against his skin.) It was getting to a point where he hated wearing underwear and his mom was buying all sorts of types and brands to accommodate him. (The boy was going commando alot. And being that school is starting soon, she was getting a bit nervous.) So when we got the Hanes package of boxers, boxer briefs and socks, I gave her a pack of the Hanes Classics Tartan Boys Boxers with the Comfort Soft Waistband and said, "Let me know how they work."

According to his mom, Josh is liking the Hanes boxers. The fabric is soft. And while Josh's biggest complaint with the other brands was an ill-fitting waistband, (either too tight or too loose) and not enough room in the thigh area, he didn't experience that problem with the Hanes boxers. In fact, his mom says he fit could easily move around in them. In other words, Josh-tested and Josh-approved. Hanes delivers on their "Comfort Fit Promise". And that's no small-feat.

The deal worked out perfectly because Seth got the Hanes Tagless Boys' Knit Boxers with Comfort Soft Waistband and is quite happy with the fit, colors, and feel of the fabric. Oh and neither type of underwear gaps -- no matter how much they move around.

As for the socks? Well, we've tried those once or twice. With summer in St. Louis, getting Seth to wear socks is alot like trying to give a cat a bath. We're saving those for when the temperature gets a bit cooler.

This review was written on behalf of Parent Bloggers Network.

Tag! You're it! (And Savvy too)

When Seth was almost three he still wasn't talking. Nor sleeping through the night. Nor able to self soothe. He seemed a bit clumsy and would freak out over the slightest thing, then scream for at least 25 minutes a stretch (many, many times a day). He was highly sensitive to temperatures. And water? And hair cuts? Nightmare.

When I brought some of these issues up to seasoned parents, they'd sort of blow me off and tell me it was normal behavior. A part of me felt like something was askew. I wasn't around kids much so I wasn't sure what was normal behavior versus the something to be alarmed over.

The point? I was totally lost on whether certain behaviors were normal toddler-type behavior or whether they warranted some intervention. It would have been a HUGE help (and comfort) having a website like SavvyQuiz around years ago.

Savvy Quiz is simple and direct. That tan box you see in my sidebar? That's it. You can take quick quizzes, answering various questions to gauge your child's progress. And they are questions I don't remember ever being asked or addressed by the books I'd check. They can measure your child's language development not just only by the vocabulary but by HOW your child communicates. (Example, can you child whisper? Does he or she emphasize certain words when speaking?) And its not just a test for language - there are tests for mathematics, science, social skills, time & space and movement! Oh and you can always save your results and get back to the site when you need to.

If I would have had this resource years ago, I would have been able to print out his answers to various questions within the eight categories. I think this would have been a huge help to the speech therapist and occupational therapists as they would have had a "yard stick" of where Seth was and could have skipped some of the more mundane testing.

But I'm not here just to sing the praises of the Savvy Quiz, (although I'd be happy to devote another thousand words to doing so.) I'm also here to tell you about the Leapfrog TAG website.

The Leapfrog Tag system is so cool, I don't even know where to begin. We were given a "pen" that "reads" the special books, two very popular stories as well as the software. The software (used so you can download stories into your pen) was a snap to install. No issues. Once the information regarding the story is downloaded, your child can point away. And its not just about this little pen reading the story. This little wonder pen, based on what icon your child grazes over, can ask varied questions too, thus checking on your kiddo's comprehension.

Seth loved this project. Since the voice reads once word at a time, he enjoyed not just reading the books and answering questions, but making up his own little sentences or repeating words over and over. He also was able to recognize his site words within the books and was really excited to point those out.

One of the many conversations we had centered around the product, "Hey mom! The computer said, "but." (And then he'd laugh hysterically and swipe over the word again and again and again.)

With all "buts" aside, this is one of those toys he's used quite a bit. But (there's that word again!) that's no surprise because we've cultivated quite a collection of Leap Frog toys over the years. The product definitely earned a "best products reviewed in '08" stamp in our book.

This review was written on behalf of the Parent Bloggers Network. To see more reviews, visit their site.