Fail.

Tuesday: Completely forgot it was Little Man's day at the library. Even more, it was the first day in the new library at school. I forgot to send his book so he "had to sit and read a magazine the whole time."

Wednesday: Forgot about Santa's Secret Workshop. Thankfully, some sweet parent gave him $5 to spend. Unfortunately, he has no idea who it was. So I just sent an envelope with money to school and asked the teacher to repay the mom or give it to another kid who forgets.

Realized it was December 1st at about 1:30. Scrambled to create an Advent Calendar in under two hours.
Thursday: Sent Little Man off to school without gloves. It was only 30 couple degrees outside, so he was forced to wear a pair from the teacher's stash. He only acted a little overly dramatic about the whole thing.

Friday: Was so excited that I remembered the food drive started today. Had the bag of boxed goods sitting at the door ready to go, impressed I was sending the requested items on the right day. Double checked the calendar. And the food drive started two days ago.

I am so thankful the weekend's almost here.

Bink & Gollie: Book Review

My son is an avid reader. He'll gobble up any book he can get his hands on. My niece on the other hand, couldn't be more different. She is definitely the reluctant reader, the one who needs a little incentive, needs books she can fall in love with.

Bink & Gollie, by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, is one of those books. Following two little girls, "one tiny, one tall, and both utterly irrepressible," the book takes you along on three of their adventures. In the first story, Bink has to have a new, outrageously colorful pair of socks. Gollie, however, is not a fan. They eventually have to find a way to compromise with one another. The second story follows Gollie's adventure hiking up the Andes, even with Bink's constant interruptions. And finally, the third story introduces us to Fred the goldfish and takes us along on his interesting journey with Bink.

The second I started reading the book, I couldn't believe how much the girls reminded me of my niece and nephew. They get along one second and are stomping off the next. They struggle to compromise, but always do in the end. They are silly and sweet and imaginative. They are the best of friends.

Written for ages 6-8, the book is captivating. The illustrations by Tony Fucile are beautiful and make the girls that much more lovable. I would highly recommend Bink & Gollie to any young reluctant readers.

Buy It: Bink & Gollie is available in hard cover for $15.99

A copy of the book was provided for review. All opinions are my own.

Free Movie Night on General Mills: Giveaway

***Closed: Congrats to katychick***

Going to the movies is a big event in our house. Little Man is always ecstatic to hear that we're heading out to the theater. He loves the excitement of the big screen, the overly buttery theater popcorn, and hanging out as a family. (Thank goodness he's still young enough to want to hang out with his parents.)

The only problem with family movies out? The cost. It seems that ticket prices keep going up. Add in the cost of popcorn, a soda, and the mandatory box of gummy bears and it feels like you're breaking the bank for two hours of fun.
General Mills understands that family movies are a great way to spend a night together. So they are offering consumers a movie night on them. Starting now, you can receive a free movie ticket when you purchase two specially marked packages of Big G cereals including:

• Honey Nut Cheerios (17 oz.)
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch (17 oz.)
• Lucky Charms (16 oz.)
• Trix (14.8 oz)
• Reese´s Puffs cereal (18 oz.)

After purchasing two of the participating cereals, visit the General Mills e-Movie Cash site to enter the unique code found inside each box of cereal. Then print your free Movie Cash certificate (good for one admission of up to a $12 value at participating theatres). To find a participating theater in your area check out the theater locator tool.

Win It: Win a "Family Flick Night" gift pack which will include two boxes of the participating Big G cereals and four Movie Cash certificates.

Mandatory entry: Which Big G cereals are you looking forward to purchasing to earn e-movie cash?

Want extra entries? (Leave separate comments for each)

• Follow me on Blogger
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Giveaway ends 12/7 at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be notified via email. Open to US only.

Thanks to MyBlogSpark and General Mills for providing the information and giveaway in this post. All opinions are my own.

The Numbers of Miscarriage

Studies say that 1 in 4 women will bleed in early pregnancy. But 85% of them will go on to have a healthy baby.

Sometimes I wonder why I have to be the minority.

5 1/2 The number of years we've tried for baby #2.
6 The day of October our dreams looked like they were finally coming true again.
2 The number of tests I took. Just to be sure.
6.11 The day I should have been due.
7 The week the bleeding started.
5 The number of blood tests I've had to take.
5 Also the number of times someone's called with results that broke my heart.
314 The number of times I've questioned what I did wrong, what I could have done differently.
6432 A rough estimate of the number of tears I've cried.
16 The number of blow ups I've had at my husband in the last few weeks.
25 The number of pregnant women I've caught glimpse of in the last few days.
3 The number of times seeing said pregnant women have made me bawl. In public.
4 The number of my last hcg quant.
0-5 The hcg level that means I'm absolutely no longer pregnant.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away.

Wordless Wednesday: My Soccer Star

DOLE in the 2011 Rose Parade

I've mentioned before just how much our family loves DOLE fruit products. They are healthy and convenient, and being constantly on the run, I love that they offer a simple way to get in our servings of fruit.

DOLE is proud to be the first major brand to pack its Fruit Bowls and multi-serve Jarred Fruit in 100% fruit juice. There's no syrup, no refined sugars, and no artificial sweeteners.

To celebrate, DOLE will be joining in the 2011 Rose Parade with a Living Well in Paradise float. And, they are offering one lucky DOLE fan and their guest the chance to attend the 2011 Rose Parade!Entering is easy, simply “Like” DOLE on Facebook and fill out the sweepstakes entry form. One lucky Dole fan, plus one guest, will win a four day and three night trip to Los Angeles from December 30, 2010 to January 2, 2011 to attend the 2011 Rose Parade with premium VIP seats in the grandstands during the parade. The sweepstakes will also randomly award 100 DOLE Rose Parade Limited Edition Commemorative Pins each week between Nov. 4, 2010 to Dec. 23, 2010.

Good luck!

Information was provided for this post by DOLE. All opinions are my own.

The Last Ornament: Holiday Gift Idea

One of my favorite parts of the holidays are all the wonderful books that go along with the season. Every year, I pull out a huge bin of Christmas books the last weekend of November, and Little Man is so excited to read the books over and over.

We recently added a new story to our holiday collection, The Last Ornament by Judith Vicary Swisher. The book tells the tale of one family's tree and adorning ornaments. After the excitement of decorating and celebrating, it's time for the ornaments to be put away for the next year. Unfortunately, one ornament doesn't make it back to into it's box. All the other decorations are so sad when the find that Little Blue Engine is missing!

The story is a very sweet holiday tale. It also encourages a fun tradition, searching for the last ornament on the tree. I can't tell you the number of times we see a missed ornament as the tree is on it's way out the door. So I think we may start a "last ornament" search in our house this year.

The Last Ornament is filled with bright, fun illustrations and personifying the ornaments gives the story a new perspective on the holiday celebration. I'm sure we'll be reading the story of Little Blue Engine several more times before the Christmas season is over.

A copy of the book was provided for our review. All opinions are our own.

Wordless Wednesday: Halloween

Lost.

My Name

It’s cold in here feels like everything’s upside down
I can feel you talking but I can barely make out the sound
I been kicking around these parts, feels like a year
I’m gonna change this world if I ever get out of here
She wants to dress me in pink, paint’s my bedroom blue
And I just laugh to myself, because only I know the truth
This love is my only emotion
Haven’t learned any fear any pain
It’s kind of funny with all this commotion
I guess they’ve got me, to blame
And they don’t even know my name
And they don’t even know my name

Well I’ve never felt so ready, think it’s finally time
Cause that big old world is waiting, and it’s mine all mine
Just then everything got real quiet, it got real bright
And a man took my hand said don’t worry, your momma's gonna be alright
Then he opened the gate & I followed him in
Said you can wait right, here till it’s your turn again
And his love is the one true emotion
Heaven knows no fear no pain
I never got to set my wheels in motion
But they loved me just the same
And they never even knew name
Didn’t even know my name
You loved me just the same
And you didn’t even know my name

-George Canyon

Wordless Wednesday

Viper Comics for Kids: Review

Viper Comics has been publishing comics since 2003. To date, they have put out over 100 comic books and 30 graphic novels. Four of their graphic novel titles have even been recommended by the American Library Association.With Little Man's new-found love of comics, he was more than excited to receive three new stories to read. Battle Smash Vs. the Saucermen from Venus was apparently such a hit in our house, that he has hidden away in his room, to read when he wakes up in the morning. The comic follows the five superheroes who make up Team Battle Smash as they save London from the attacking Saucermen. The story is easy for him to read and follow. With it's upbeat pace, he was captivated with the storyline from the first page to last.

Stu Bear in the 25st Century is the story of a lazy bear, trapped for hundreds of years when an avalanche buries him during hibernation. When Stu is discovered, centuries in the future, he finds that nothing is the same. Humans are being kept in zoos, high-tech cities are floating above the Earth, and an incurable plague is threatening all life.Written by the Beverly Hills Chihuahua movie screen writer, Jeff Bushell, Stu Bear is an imaginative glimpse into animal-run future. My 6 year old enjoyed the idea of animals running the world and was excited to see if Stu would be able to save the day.

Odd Rods is based upon the trading cards of the 1960s. Mac Short is having nothing short of a bad day, he's lost his job, his wife left him, and he's next to broke. When he sees a car for sale for only $500, he thinks his luck has started to change. Then he accidentally pulls a lever in his car and learns that doing so turns the car into an Odd Rod.Since Little Man is only 6, I skimmed through the first few pages with him, figuring their was no reason to ruin the thrill of the book with negatives, like losing a job and having a spouse leave. He really enjoyed the illustrations throughout the book and loved when the cars and drivers transformed into Odd Rods.

Battle Smash Vs. the Saucermen from Venus can be purchased for $3.25. Stu Bear can be pre-ordered for $7.95 and Odd Rod for $5.95.

We received product for review. All opinions are our own.

The "Our School Needs" Contest from Bing

I love being active in my son's classroom. Not only does it give me a chance to peek in on how he behaves (or misbehaves) at school, but it lets me see how he interacts with his teachers and classmates.

Education is so important, yet every time you turn around, it seems like the school budget is getting smaller and smaller. And it doesn't take long before the budget cuts impact our kids. More and more, I've noticed teachers asking for more contributions to the classroom, teachers buying supplies out of their own pocket, and kids finding ways to go without.

Bing believes every student deserves a great education, and they are asking: What does your school need?

Before Friday, October 22nd, teachers and students can head over to the Bing website, and tell them what they dream about for their school. Teachers and students can submit their story, along with photos and videos. Entries will then be rated online and the top 5 from each category (grades k-6, 7-9, and 10-12) will have a spot in the finals. Voting will begin October 27th.

You can view a video about the submission process as well.

In the end, four winners (1 grand prize and 3 first places) will be selected, winning $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. And Bing will be donating up to a million dollars in prizes and donations to schools in need.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Bing and received a DonorsChoose.org giving code and gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Ook & Gluk: Review & Giveaway

Last week, when The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future arrived at our doorstep, Little Man was instantly in love with it. The cover drew him in, with the silly characters and comic-book look, and the story throughout the pages kept him hooked. In complete honesty, we sat and read the book cover to cover (all 175 pages) in one afternoon.The book comes from the creators of the Captain Underpants series (which we have suddenly started reading in the past week). The Adventures of Ook and Gluk follows two cavemen as they encounter an evil corporation leader, who has come to the past to steal trees, oil, and water. Their comical adventures include helping out a baby dinosaur, meeting new friends in the future, and battling killer robots.The Adventures of Ook and Gluk accomplishes everything the cover promises: "action, laffs, and flip-o-rama in every chapter." The flip-o-ramas were a huge hit with my 6 year old. With titles like "Mechasauras Wrecks" and "Regergitation Animation," what 6 year old wouldn't love making their own mini animated scenes within the book?

About the Author:
Dav Pilkey has written and illustrated numerous popular, award-winning books for children, including the Captain Underpants and Dumb Bunnies series; Dog Breath, winner of the California Young Reader Medal; and The Paperboy, a Caldecott Honor Book.

Win It: Three lucky readers will win a copy of The Adventures of Ook and Gluk (retail $9.99)

Mandatory entry: Check out the other Dav Pilkey books and tell me another title your kids would enjoy.

Want extra entries? (Leave separate comments for each)

• Follow me on Blogger
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Giveaway ends 10/22 at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be notified via email. Open to US only.

A copy of the book were provided for our review. All opinions are our own.

Wordless Wednesday: From '08

If I think of how much he's grown in just 2 years, I can't decide if it breaks my heart or just amazes me.

Coaching U6 Soccer

Three days a week you can find us on the soccer fields. We are usually the first to show up and among the last to leave.

I grew up loving soccer. I played from the time I was 4 until I graduated high school, going from a rec team to a traveling team to the varsity squad. Playing soccer is the one (and maybe only) thing I miss from high school.

Last year, when Little Man expressed interest in playing, we signed him right up. Somehow, I got talked into coaching the team. Now I'm on my second season coaching. (Even though I said I wouldn't be this year, I didn't really get a chance to say no.)

Coaching little kids' soccer is different than anything else I've ever done. I once heard someone say, "you don't need to be a soccer player to coach this level, you need to be a daycare director." I can see some truth in that, but I also believe you need to know the sport more with this age group than with the older ones. You have to be the one to teach how to play correctly. I strongly believe that good habits start early, but bad ones can start even earlier.
My tips for coaching a group of 5 and 6 year olds?

1. Have patience. You will need to tie shoes, allow more water breaks than you can imagine, listen to stories about so and so's sister, hold hands, and direct them towards the bathroom at least once a practice. You will also need to remind them which goal is theirs and learn to smile when they kick it in the other one anyways.

2. Have fun. At this age, kids don't come to win. They really don't even come to practice soccer. They come to have fun. I judge the success of my practices by how many kids are smiling and laughing at the end and how many can't wait until the next practice.

3. Offer lots of praise! Kids will respond to positive reinforcement. They need to hear that they are doing well, that you know they're trying their best. And the next practice, they will come back and try even harder. All I can ever ask for is that they do their best.

Do you coach your kid's sports team? Any tips to add?

Wordless Wednesday: Goodbye Summer

We were still hanging on to the very last moments of summer. But this week, fall hit from out of nowhere. Hello, fall!

Have you voted for my Big Hit recipe today??!

Flourless PB-Free Cookies

These cookies may be flour free and peanut butter free, but they are delicious. The biggest perk? Everyone in our family can safely eat them.

Momma may or may not have eaten two for lunch today.Flourless PB-Free Cookies
(Makes about 2 dozen)

1 cup Soy Nut Butter (You can sub PB or another nut butter if your family can have it)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
Chocolate Chips or Hershey Kisses

Preheat oven to 350 and grease cookie sheet.

Combine soy butter and both sugars in mixer. Blend on medium for about two minutes, or until well mixed.

Add egg and baking soda. Continue mixing about 2 more minutes.

Roll dough into golf ball size balls and place on cookie sheet. Make crisscross pattern with a fork.

Bake for roughly 7-8 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. As soon as you remove from oven, press Kisses or chocolate chips into tops of cookies.

Allow to cool before removing from cookie sheet.

Enjoy!

Have you voted for my Gluten-Free Big Hit recipe today??!

Bedtime Books: Review

Picking out bedtime books, is a huge process for us. Little Man always seems to have such strong opinions about which stories he wants to hear (or read to me) before going off to bed.

We recently received two new bedtime books: Switching on the Moon and Moon Dreams. Both of which got Little Man's bedtime book approval.

Switching on the Moon: A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems (collected by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters) contains a variety of poems that can easily lull a little one off to sleep. Topics covered in the book range from going to bed, dreams, and nighttime. Little Man adored the poem "My Bed," where the poet describes the things his bed could become, such as a boat, a car, or a submarine. I'm sure Little Man loved it since he never goes straight to sleep, he lays in bed "daydreaming" for as long as his little eyes will stay open.
The book contains beautiful, captivating illustrations from G. Brian Karas and is designed for younger children, from birth to age 5.

Moon Dreams by Ruth Martin tells the story of Luna, a little girl in love with the moon. Luna knows the moon watches over her at night, but before falling asleep each night, she wonders where the moon goes during the day. Moon Dreams follows Luna's imaginative journey as she tries to discover where the moon spends its days.
We loved the artwork throughout the book (by illustrator Oliver Latyk). It depicts Luna's dreams and thoughts in such a fun and creative way. The story, aimed at kids 4-7, was a hit with Little Man, and we were able to discuss what really does happen to the moon during daylight hours.

Both books are now available for purchase from Candlewick Press and would make a great addition to any bookshelf.

Books were provided for our review. All opinions are our own.

Eating Gluten Free

Every time someone finds out I don't eat wheat or gluten, they act like I'm crazy. You don't eat pasta? You can't have cake? You won't even try a bite of pizza?

People always see negatives. But the thing is, I do eat pasta, and cake, and pizza. I just have to make it myself, without gluten. To be perfectly honest, I eat better now than I did before going gluten free.

I wake up and make myself eggs with lots of veggies and a side of sliced tomatoes. Instead of eating something from a microwavable box for lunch, I have a salad with leftover chicken or I make a quick stir fry from whatever's in the fridge.

For dinner, I serve grilled or roasted meat, a potato or rice, and lots of veggies. If we want pasta, I make a rice pasta. Pizza? I use a gluten free crust mix. Which, by the way, makes some delicious cheesy bread.

When it comes to sweet stuff, I love experimenting with gluten free desserts. There's been brownies, cake, and donuts. My favorite so far?

Chex Treats
1 bag marshmallows
1/4 cup butter
7 cups of Chex (I mixed rice and corn)
handful of chocolate chips

Melt butter and marshmallows in microwave. Start with 1 minute, check every 20-30 seconds until marshmallows are melted and smooth.

Stir in Chex.

Put mixture into a well greased 13 x 9 inch pan, press until even.

Top with chocolate chips and press them into treats.We won't discuss how quickly a huge batch disappeared in our house this week.

Have you voted for my Gluten-Free Big Hit recipe today?

Wordless Wednesday

And as a friendly reminder, can you vote for me today? Puh-puh-puh-lease as my little one would say!

This is me. Begging.

At the end of August, I shared my recipe for Cheese Steak Taquitos with Avocado Cream as part of the Big Hit contest through the Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association. Then a few weeks ago, amazingly, I found out I was chosen as one of the 8 finalists.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of papers, photos, anticipation. For me, it's definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity. My recipe is now posted over at The Big Hit along with the only professional picture I've ever had taken.And this is where you come in. I need your votes! The top prize is $5000. Yes, $5000! I don't think I've ever seen that amount all once, and can only imagine how much it could help us out.

Head over to the Big Hit and put in your vote. (My card is yellow: Staci) Pretty, pretty please.

Complete Randomness and Fall

Fridays are chaotic around here. Well, lately, it seems that every day brings a little chaos with it.

The phone rings the second I sit down, the emails pile up, then it's time for soccer, for dinner, for work. It seems that I should have so much extra time with Little Man being at school every day, but 4 o'clock rolls around and I realize I haven't crossed a single thing off my to do list. Which grows and grows every minute it seems.
But, I did take the time this week to notice fall making an appearance. Even though the temperatures are well over 90 today, there are still hints of fall out there. The leaves have started to change. The pumpkins and gourds are growing.
Fortunately though, the tomatoes are still coming on. I picked two huge containers full this week and now have "sun-dried" tomatoes in the freezer for winter.
Peppers are cut up in the freezer too.
And Little Man is on his fall field trip today. I'm trying not to be too annoyed that there were too many volunteers for chaperones and I couldn't enjoy the day with him. (It's not working so well though.) But I'm hoping he had fun and didn't melt in the heat.
Yay for fall! Now if only I could find a few more hours in the day. I might actually feel like I got something done.

Wordless Wednesday: More Bugs!

Mad Science KNOW Magazine for Kids

Between my son and my nephew, I think I hear "why?" a million times each week. These two boys wants to know about everything, and sometimes their questions catch me off guard.

This past weekend alone, we discussed how caterpillars become butterflies, how tsunamis occur, why people used to make clothes from flax, and what alligators eat. Definitely a huge range of topics.

KNOW is the science magazine for curious kids. KNOW helps answer those what, why, where, and how questions all kids ask. KNOW is engaging, fun, and full of ways to satisfy the natural curiosity of children ages 6 to 9. Each issue is packed with news articles, experiments, puzzles, dinosaurs, astronomy, the human body, and more.
Sounds like the perfect magazine for the boys in my life who are always asking why. Plus, what little one doesn't love finding something in the mailbox with their name on it?!

New issues of KNOW are sent out every two months, and each one contains fun facts on a variety of topics, such as the solar system, the four seasons, scientists, and technology.
You can check out a sample issue online or learn more about KNOW as well as YES magazine, which is geared towards kids ages 10 to 15.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Mad Science and received the products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Totino's Box Tops for Education & Giveaway

***Closed: Congrats to Jen!***

With school and soccer in full swing, I'm always on the look out for quick after school snacks. Even if Little Man isn't starving after school, his daddy is usually ready for a snack at that point in the day.

Totino's Party Pizza and Pizza Roll Snacks are great for the moments when we're in a huge hurry. Both are easy to heat up and are ready in minutes.Currently, Totino's is offering two Box Tops for Eduction on their products. But you have to hurry to take advantage of this offer as it ends today! We keep our Box Tops in an envelope on the fridge and Little Man loves taking a huge pile into school with him during the collection times. He's so excited to be able to help out his school (while eating foods he loves.)
Win It: One lucky reader will win a Totino's prize pack, including coupons for Totino's Party Pizza and Pizza Roll Snacks, a backpack, school supplies, and 25 Bonus Box Tops.

Mandatory entry: What's your best tip for making back to school time easier?

Want extra entries? (Leave separate comments for each)

• Follow me on Blogger
• Grab my button
• Add me to your blog roll
• Follow me on Twitter (Leave your username)
• Tweet this giveaway (Leave link/Once a day only)
• Blog about the giveaway with a link to this post. (Leave your link)
  

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Giveaway ends 9/22 at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be notified via email. Open to US only.

Thanks to MyBlogSpark and General Mills for providing the information and giveaway in this post. All opinions are my own.

Wordless Wednesday

When did he grow up?!

End of Summer Smoothies with Dole

While I'm loving the sudden onset of fall weather these past few days, I was far from ready to say goodbye to summer. To celebrate the end of the season, we recently hosted an end of the summer party with smoothies from Dole.

Dole offers a variety of frozen fruits including Blackberries, Blueberries, Dark Sweet Cherries, Mango, Pineapple Chunks, Raspberries, Sliced Peaches, Sliced Strawberries, Sliced Strawberries in Sugar Tub, Whole Strawberries, Wild Blueberries, Wildly Nutritious Mixed Berries, Wildly Nutritious Mixed Fruit, and Wildly Nutritious Tropical Fruit. We picked up a few different varieties so that everyone at our party could design their own smoothie.

So which smoothie creations turned into favorites?

First of all, the Dark Sweet Cherry Smoothie was a hit. We combined vanilla yogurt, Dole's Dark Sweet Cherries, cherry juice, and a little ice in the blender to create a smoothie that was a mix of sweet and tart.
The second favorite was the Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie. We used Dole's Blueberries and Whole Strawberries, plain yogurt, and apple juice. Everyone agreed that it was a delicious combo.

Another smoothie that was quickly devoured was the Wildly Nutritious Mixed Fruit Smoothie. Using Dole's Wildly Nutritious Mixed Fruit as the base, we added yogurt, and pineapple juice. The Wildly Nutritious Mixed Fruit includes pineapple, strawberries, peaches, honeydew, and mangoes. Yum!Saying goodbye to summer is tough, but celebrating definitely made the end of summer a little better.

Dole's frozen fruits are easy to use and good for you. I love that I can easily store a few bags of Dole's frozen fruit in my freezer and have custom smoothies any time throughout the year. Plus, I bet the fruit would taste amazing on top of ice cream sundaes!

Product was provided for us to host a Dole Smoothie party. All opinions are our own. We really do love our smoothie creations!

Comics for Kids: KiZoic Review

I love fostering a love for learning in my little one. Over the last few years, I've learned that one of the best ways to keep him reading and learning is to show him how fun it can be, and that reading doesn't always have to involve a book. We read the Sunday comic strips, cereal boxes, billboards, anything we see.

But I realized, I've never found a comic book I wanted to share with him. Many are too grown up, too violent, etc.

I was recently introduced to KiZoic, who offers comic books designed just for kids. Some available titles include Little Green Men: Go Big or Go Home and Shrek. They also have produced Scratch9, Mecha-Nation, and The Penguins of Madagascar comics.
We have loved every Shrek movie that's come out, so it was a given for us to thoroughly enjoy the comic too. The artwork is entertaining and the characters' personalities shine through the words. The characters from film really do seem to come back to life in the comic.Out of all the comics, Little Green Men: Go Big or Go Home was my son's favorite. He has begged to read it every single night since we received it. The comic follows three odd little aliens on their mission to conquer Earth. When things never go as planned, they have to survive obstacle after obstacle in their attempts to take over the world.I would say it's meant for kids a little older than my own. At six, some of the conversations are a little harsh for me to read to him. But skipping a word or two here and there (things like "crap" or "sissy-pants" that I don't want repeated at school), I'm able to read it to him. There's also a little adult humor in the book, like an alien drunk on cow's milk, but it goes right over his head.
Overall, the KiZoic comics have been a fun way to get my son even more excited to read. He loves seeing what the characters have to say and what will happen next on their adventures.

KiZoic and Ape Entertainment have plans to expand their comic line for kids next month. So keep an eye out for what's to come from them!
Buy It:
You can purchase KiZoic comics in their online store for $6 to $9.

Samples were provided for our review. All opinions are our own.

Wordless Wednesday: Exploring

This is how we spent labor day...