Category: product reviews/giveaways

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My Living Stories: A Review by MaM ( & a $25 iTunes gift card giveaway)

8/6/10: This giveaway is now closed! Random.org picked lucky number 3, so congrats, Elizabeth! Mom Central will be getting you your gift card shortly!

Earlier this month I was invited to try the new My Living Stories Apps for my iPhone. I jumped at the chance, because MaM (who will be five in one.short.week) loves playing with my phone. I toss it to her when we are in the car, or when we find ourselves waiting for something without much entertainment. Being the new-millennium kid she is, it took her all of five seconds to learn how to use these apps. Since they are geared for her age group, I thought I’d invite her to share her thoughts.

“What do you like about my iPhone?”

“It has games and stories.”

“Do you like to use my iPhone?”

“Yes.”

“When do you like to use it?”

“When you’re not using it.”

“Is there a time when I don’t use my phone?”

“When you’re working on your computer and when you’re driving.”

“So you had some new stories on my phone yesterday. Did you like them?”

“Yes.”

“What did you like about them?”

“They had Goldilocks and the three bears, and the bears were so mad she ate the porridge. And in Little Red Riding Hood, she learned not to talk to strangers anymore–the wolf was a stranger. “

“Did you like the pictures?”

“Yup.”

“Would you like to get the other stories available?”

“Yes.”

“Would you eat all of your vegetables if I bought you the other stories?”

“NO!”

**At this point in the interview, we take a break to listen to the stories again, and to play with the “record a story” option. **

“So MaM, do you like the part where you can record the story?”

“Yes.”

“What do you like about it?”

“Ssh! I’m recording now!”

And we’ve found the part of the app that MaM loves best–the part where she can practice reading (or making up) the story, and record what she is saying, and then, most importantly, play back what she’s said.

There are currently five My Living Stories available for the iPhone and iPod Touch in the iTunes store, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, “The Tortoise and the Hare”, “King Midas”, and “The Princess and the Pea”.

THE GIVEAWAY

Would you like the chance to try these out??

Simply leave me a comment telling me which story you think your kids (or heck, yourself) would like, and you’ll be entered to win a $25 iTunes gift card!

Fine print:

  • Contests open to Canadians.  Readers may enter the contest on multiple blogs but are only eligible to win one iTunes gift card as part of the My Living Stories contest.
  • Contest is open until August 6th. I will use random.org to select a winner.
  • Disclosure – I am participating in the My Living Stories program by Mom Central on behalf of Decode Entertainment. I received 3 free apps and a gift card as a thank you for my participation.
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John Morell Introduces Allergen-Free Line

My year of  label reading and obsessing over what to feed MaM when she was two years old has forever changed me, for the better, I think. I have become an avid label-reader in general, and much more conscious and accommodating when planning events for guests with food allergies/sensitivities.

When Mom Central sent out call to promote John Morell’s new line of allergen-free meats, I signed up, because I feel it’s important to support food manufacturers who make a true effort to understand food allergies  and a good product that is safe for all to eat.

John Morell has done just that. Their new line of allergen-free products is are made in an allergen-free facility, which is so important for families dealing with severe allergies. Their products are milk, fish, soy, egg, nut and wheat free. It might seem like those allergens shouldn’t be around processed meat anyway, but as I learned when Mam was so sensitive, milk and wheat do sometimes find their way into processed products when you least expect it.

The new allergen-free line is easy to identify with a blue ribbon on the package. You can learn more about their products on their new Facebook Fan page, where you can also print coupons to try these great tasting products!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of John Morell and received a John Morell coupon to facilitate my review. Mom Central also sent me gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.” www.momcentral.com
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Trying New Foods with Toddlers & Beyond

A few posts back, my pal Stork suggested a post on trading ideas on how to get kids to try new healthy foods. I told her to stay tuned….because today’s the day!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted on behalf of  Sunsweet Growers and was given the opportunity to try a Sunsweet product.

I have to admit, I was skeptical. When I think of prunes, I think of my grandparents kitchen. I can picture the box sitting on top of their refrigerator, and I associate them with my Pop-Pop. Past that, I’ve never thought much about them. I didn’t feed them to my kids as infants, for I’d heard tales of their magical digestive powers and chose to steer clear.

So yesterday, with some hesitation, I opened a 60 calorie pack of cherry-essence prunes. Guess what? They aren’t dry and sticky like I thought they were. They are sweet and juicy. They are actually kind of delicious. I actually kind of have to pace myself to make sure I don’t eat too many!

Today we packed a picnic to take to the park, and MaM immediately noticed the foil package in her lunch bag. I told her they were healthy fruit snacks. She ate one and ran to the playground. She said she didn’t really care for it. Later, when Jr. was interested in his lunch, she showed him the new fruit snacks, and encouraged him to try it. He did, and then she tried it again. This time, they both ate two and were laughing hysterically the entire time. Success!

SunSweet has consulted with dietician Carolyn O’Neil and together they are offering 10 Tips for Tiny Tummies. It’s a good list for starting to introduce new foods to children who may be resistant.There are also resources on digestive health, an issue I know many moms take seriously. In a house where goldfish crackers and string cheese rule, trust me, I’m familiar with those struggles!

In our house, I was surprised about the first thing I had to get across to my children:

1) Be polite about the food on your plate. This means, not using words like “disgusting” in relation to foods I’ve chosen to serve.

After about 18 months of enforcing this rule, MaM is fairly polite most days about foods with which she’s not familiar. I am still working on getting Jr. not to throw food he’s not interested in, he still has a way to go in that department!

2) I’m sure each child is different, but for MaM, I’ve learned not to draw attention to any new foods. I’ve learned to serve just about anything with a dab of ketchup, and probably she’ll dip it and try it. Tonight she tried a samosa (she told me she didn’t care for it, and nicely put it aside on her plate) and she tried tilapia and she ate every bite I had given her. I was kind of amazed, and thought it was good timing, considering this post.

So tell me…what do you do to introduce new foods to your little ones?? Do you have tried and true methods for keeping your kids regular?? Please share!

Disclosure: Thanks to SunSweet for the free product coupon and reusable shopping bag in exchange for this review. The opinions in this review are expressly my own.