October 22, 2008

What’s the latest to be leaving the Disney vault?  It’s Tinker Bell, a pixie spectacular which features the famous Tinker Bell of Peter Pan and chronicles her first days as a fairy (after being born of a baby’s laughter and joy, nonetheless), learning, well, to be a fairy.  For the first time ever we are introduced to her internal conflict about what she’s truly meant to do (hell, who doesn’t go through that?).  I was given a review copy of the BluRay, and I have to say the movie is great!  Although…I must admit I’m biased towards Disney movies.  I think it’s near impossible to match Disney’s ability to constantly put out family classics.  (P.S. – Keep reading for more info on how you can score your very own Tinker Bell DVD and a set of fairy wings for your little pixie from MamaDivas.com)

Available in both BluRay and DVD on October 28, 2008, Tinker Bell is full of high def animated goodness as you follow Ms. Bell on her quest to find her true worth as a Tinker Fairy in Pixie Hollow.  Unlike in Peter Pan during which Tink is silent save for that pixie bell sound we’re so familiar with, Tinker Bell is fully vocal in this full length feature.  Plus, there’s no misplaced pixie jealousy!  We’re introduced to a totally good hearted but somewhat gullible Tinker Bell who’s just not convinced that she’s destined to be a Tinker Fairy, which is a fairy engineer of sorts, working in the fairy background putting seeds and nuts together and not out in the sun frolicking with dancing tulip bulbs or creating breezes through the leaves (which she’s obviously convinced herself is not only more important but more glamorous).

Tinker Bell tries with all her might to mold herself in to what she thinks she should be, but with help from her fairy friends Rosetta, Silvermist, Iridessa and Faun, and thanks to a lesson learned from her frenemy Vidia, she learns the very important lesson that all she needs to do is be true to herself and that’s how she’ll realize how special and important her own gifts and talents are.  In the end, our petal sized heroine saves Springtime with the help of all the other fairies of Pixie Hollow.

I’m a sucker for that classic romance you find in Cinderella or Doris Day’s Pillow Talk, and although Tinker Bell contains no romantic elements, I still enjoyed it.  I think it lacked a bit of the suspense I was hoping to see, but it was still good.  Besides, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure is coming out soon and that promises to be filled with adventure.  It’s a great movie to share with your family because it teaches two somewhat familiar but nonetheless valuable and super important lessons: Be true to yourself and the importance of working together.

Here are my favorite parts of the movie and what I think are the best features of the BluRay (and DVD):

• The introduction when we see Tinker Bell come alive and the fairy job assignment process- it’s magical!
• Did you know that Disney BluRay’s have this kick butt movie chat and movie mail feature?  Seriously!  Through the BD interactive features you can pretty much sync a movie party with friends and relatives across the country and send messages with clips of your fave scenes of Tinker Bell to your friends.
• Tink tries so hard to coax a baby bird to fly, but instead she gets it so irritated and frightened with her gung ho attitude, that it quickly rearranges its broken shell around itself to hide from her.
• Tinker Bell’s epiphany at the pixie dust pool during her conversation with the “pixie dustkeeper guy” Terrence – It’s the turning point where she realizes exactly how wrong she is to ignore her own natural talents.

*There are also a bunch of extra features like deleted scenes, exclusive previews, a game where you can test your Tinker fairy skills, and a music video of Fly to your Heart by the Wizards of Waverly Place’s Selena Gomez.

Now how would you like to win your very own copy of the Tinker Bell DVD and a pair of super cute fairy wings?

(Read the rest of the entry…)

Giveaways, Previews, TV, DVD & Movie Reviews 8 Comments

October 21, 2008

I’ve been tagged by the Glamorous Housewife!

Here’s the game: If you’re tagged, you must tell your readers 7 things about yourself that your readers don’t already know.

1. I work for a telecommunications company. Ugh, day job.
2. My favorite book EVER is Petals on the River by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss.  It made me fall in love with historical romance forever.
3. My natural hair color is midnight black, so when I attempted to do an at home bleached blonde job, it looked…. orange.
4. I drank chocolate milk (made with dark chocolate hershey’s syrup at least twice a day pretty much every day throughout my pregnancy with littleQ.
5. High heels so definitely rock, and I love love love how my feet look when I have them on, but I’m a flip flops and sneaka’s type a gal.
6. I absolutely, positively cannot stand the taste of melon, either by itself or in some sort of smoothie.  My tongue has this radar that catches it trying to sneak up on me and alerts my gag reflex.
7. I used to waitress at TGI Friday’s.  Did you know that this smell, it’s this smell that only those in who work in the fast food or casual dining chain food service industry can understand, and it clings to your skin, your hair and every exposed portion of your body and clothes until you scrub it off yourself or run your uniform through the wash about three times. Geww.  I don’t miss that.

Here’s my list of tag-ees

Tag, you’re it!

• Mom of 3 Girls
• My Inner Bitsy
• Domestic Divapalooza
• Goodies for Mom
• AlyCat’s Claws
• Peapod Squad Stuff
• Mommy Meryl

woohoo!

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October 20, 2008

Although I haven’t posted about it in awhile, I did previously write about my concerns about littleQ’s speech development.  Since a month or so after his second birthday back in February, he’s been getting speech therapy twice a week, and he’s also been going to group class once a week.  The class is really just a one hour separation class, but with a very low teacher to student ratio (1 teacher and 2 assistants for 3-6 students), so each child gets a ton of individual attention.  I’m happy to say that since the first time I posted about this, he’s improved immensely!  His vocabulary has widened considerably and he’s now able to construct 3 word sentences on his own, definitely a big jump from his single word generalizing one short year ago.

I know, I know, some people are thinking that well, he would have just progressed on his own.  You know what though?  The fact of the matter is, what is considered “slightly delayed” today was considered “normal” or at least didn’t cause even a raised eyebrow twenty years ago.  Many kindergartens and preschools have such surprising expectations for children upon entry.  Just think about it: what seems like the emotionally and socially better situation to you?: Taking a few hours out of your day while your child is a tot so he can receive therapeutic services, or having your 8 year old being individually taken out of class in front of all his classmates to go to a speech or physical therapy session and miss the day’s math lesson?  Now what if you could possibly do anything to lower the possibility of the latter happening?  What if you could lower the possibility of your child just not being able to communicate with the other children in his kindergarten class?  What if you had the power to make sure your child was as ready for elementary school as he’d ever be?  Wouldn’t you do everything you can to make life easier for your child?

For children under 3 years old who have with slight delays, like in littleQ’s case, early intervention definitely helps nip a problem in the bud to avoid any more serious issues, just in case the issue isn’t resolved on its own, and it helps you make sure that your child avoids falling through the educational system’s cracks once he’s in elementary school.  Early intervention will help parents of tots with more serious delays make sure their children are learning with the necessary support.  Either way, parents are also empowered with knowledge along the way, and I started the process without any knowledge of what would happen or how he would improve or progress, but I was well aware that if I wasn’t happy or if I felt that services weren’t necessary any longer, I didn’t have to keep on with it, so there was no downside.

Each state’s early intervention program is run by individual counties through the Department of Health’s special education division.  Just do a google search for your state or county’s Department of Health division or your state plus early intervention and you should be able to find more information about services there.  Here in New York, they’ll take your insurance information, and if your insurance covers services, then wonderful, but if they don’t, then it’s covered through the Department of Health.  Even if you go directly to a private agency or early childhood center as I’d originally done, being absolutely in the dark about the process, they all (as far as I know) work with the DOH, so you’ll have to go through the same process.  Basically, whether your child has a speech delay, a sensory delay, or anything other type of delay or disability, this is your first step if you’d like to try to get help before your child is preschool age (3+) and therefore under your school district’s special education department (with the school district’s funding, of course).  Individual districts’ process for providing children with special education services are totally different, and in many cases it is more difficult to qualify for the level of service your child may need.

I’ve spoken to other mothers who, like me, were worried about the speech delay but were unsure of what to do about it.  Most of them didn’t know about the services available through early intervention or didn’t realize it was available for these issues., and had felt lost just as I did, until they just happened “stumble” upon the information.  I’ve had a great experience so far, but then we’ve worked with some incredibly knowledgeable speech therapists and early childhood development experts.  These resources aren’t always common knowledge, and even when we ask questions, we don’t get the answers we need – like with my pediatrician who didn’t think I had to worry because littleQ’s hearing is perfect, but told me to contact my school district if it seemed to be a problem… totally wrong information as littleQ was too young to go through the district.

For more information on Early Intervention, do a search for your state or county + Early Intervention, or click on the following links:

• About.com – Early Intervention
• BabyHearing.org
• Kidsource.com
• EIFA
• NICHCY

Technorati Tags: early intervention, toddler development, toddler speech delay, speech therapy for toddlers, toddler, baby, developmental delay

A Mama's Life, Education 3 Comments

October 19, 2008

A few weeks ago I posted about Inkubook, and I received mine earlier this week.  It arrived via UPS Ground 11 days after I ordered it.  So, about a week and half, but the website did say it would take up to 6 days for printing and binding and then 3-5 days after that for actual shipping with that option.  It was still within the timeframe, but I have a feeling the only reason why it may have taken that long anyway is due to their free book offer (worth up to $43.98 depending on the # of pages and the type of book you choose, and you pay only for shipping).

The photographs all came out pretty much true to my computer screen.  My only caveat to you, and this definitely applies with any on demand photo book printing service, always make sure your photographs and images are optimally adjusted before uploading.  The reason why I say that is because one photo that I hastily added to my photo book was dark and shadowy around the face, but then I checked the file on my computer and realized that silly me, it was too dark to begin with.  Bad quality photographs will ruin your photo book, no matter how great the printing process and the binding.)

Overall I’m happy with my Inkubook.  It looks and feels like a hardcover storybook you buy at the bookstore, but with my photographs inside!  The picture quality is great and every single page within the book is perfectly neat and as you ordered it.  The cover seems a bit loose along the spine, something that I’d like to see improved in the future as this “looseness” actually causes the spine to wrinkle (and stay that way) as you open and close the book.

Inkubook is still offering a free book for new members, so check them out today

Technorati Tags: Inkubook, photo book, review

Reviews 2 Comments

October 18, 2008

Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin – It had me hooked like a Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novel, but instead of hot, steamy sex and romance, I fell in love with the blatantly unapologetic tone with which these two bitches shelled out their straightforward advice on how to have a healthy (and therefore probably happier) pregnancy, as per the tagline of the book: A Gutsy Guide to Becoming One Hot and Healthy Mother.  Yes, yes, I know that some people without a sense of humor don’t see or would rather not acknowledge the irony of the title, but isn’t that part of the allure?  The title alone is so incongruous to, well, pregnancy, that you’re enticed to find out more.  As the authors do explain in the book, that was pretty much the point.

Alright, so on to the meat, or shall I say, organic tofu-based meatless patty of the matter.  Most of this book is a nutritional guide for pregnant mothers and their extremely detailed and diligently researched reasons as to why they say the things they do.  For example, after reading chapter five, you’ll never look a glass of milk the same way again.  Once you’re done with chapter six you might be rethinking that burger you had planned on scarfing down.  Once you’re done with chapter ten, you might be convinced to go completely vegan and organic, or at the very least you’ll start really thinking about why South Koreans think American beef is über nasty or why PETA says milk is cruel and unhealthy.

This book will give you lots of tips and pointers and advice on how to to be a healthy mommy by making smart decisions with your food choices as well as other products you buy.  The bitches teach you that it’s not crazy or over the top to pay attention to what’s on food and product labels (like baby wash and lotion), because, repeat after me, “you (and you baby) are what you eat” and drink and breathe and otherwise ingest.

• Does the book give me pointers on how to be supermodel thin while pregnant?  Absolutely NOT!
• Does the book push towards a vegan diet?  Yes. 
• Can you get anything out of the book if you don’t feel like going gung ho vegan?  Of course!  Come on, it’s a book, and nobody’s going to force you to strictly adhere to any dietary guidelines you glean from reading it. 
• Is there anything ELSE besides preggo nutrition info in this book? Yeah-huh, but that does take up most of the book.

Overall, the information provided is monumentally more helpful and insightful than much of the nutrition and product safety information, facts and advice (pregnancy related or otherwise) I’ve found from other sources.  Plus, Freedman and Barnouin back up their facts, figures an claims with a very long, detailed works cited so you can go straight to the source if you’re skeptical.

I for one don’t mind the foul language, and while it isn’t something you’d want to read to your toddler during story time, I don’t think that it’s as full of curse words as some would like us to believe.  But hey, that’s all relative.

Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven gets a big, loud hell yes! from me.  Read more about the authors and the Skinny Bitch books at SkinnyBitch.net.

Buy Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven at Amazon.com or at BarnesandNoble.com.

Technorati Tags: Skinny Bitch, Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven, pregnancy, prenatal, parenting, books, health, vegan, diet, pregnancy book, pregnant, Rory Freedman, Kim Barnouin

Here’s an excerpt from the book:

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A Mama's Life, Book Reviews No comments

October 17, 2008

The winners of the Pillsbury Savoring the Moments wine party prize pack are Karen S of Midland, MI and Genevieve L of Fountain Valley, CA!

For newsletter subscribers, there was also a giveaway for Morning Chicness Bags, and each mama had to send over a haiku.  Each winner will receive a 20-pack of Morning Chicness Bags! 

Sara of Exton, PA:

Ah. Let’s go to sleep.
Love you in my heart, Mommy.
My heart loves you, too.

Marie S. of Beach Park, IL:

Fingers so sticky
and sweet butterfly kisses
It goes by too fast

If you’re one of the winners, please look out for an email from me in your inbox, and watch your mailbox in the next week or so for your prize!

If you want to make sure you know about every single possible giveaway here at MamaDivas.com, including exclusive ones just for newsletter subscribers, be sure to subscribe to the newsletter.

Technorati Tags: blog contests, blog contest winners, giveaways, giveaway winners

Giveaways 1 Comment

October 16, 2008

By now I hope you know that we’re in the midst of Breast Cancer Awareness month, because you really should, unless you’re under a rock that’s wedged behind a giant sequoia.

We all know or know of a woman who has battled with breast cancer.  You may have even had to deal with it yourself.  The National Cancer Institute estimates that about 12.7% of American women born today will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point.  That’s a more than 1 in 10 chance that each woman has of being diagnosed with the cancer.  That’s a bit scary… And while it is much more rare and you may have a hard time believing it, men CAN get breast cancer as well.  YIKES!

Fortunately, there is a way we can all help while doing something we all do every day: while shopping.  There are so many companies that have taken the initiative to offer a line of products supporting breast cancer research, usually if not always in PINK. 

When you buy the products or from the stores below, a portion of the purchase price is going to breast cancer research and support:

Crocs for the Cure 

Bionic Beauty’s Pink T-shirts

Tatas Brand – Save the Tatas t-shirts

Anything from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Promise Shop

A Little Pink Gift Card from Bloomingdale’s 

Conair Power of Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Ionic Dryer

Susan G Komen Pink Nintendo DS

Avon’s Pink Ribbon line

.. and there are plenty of others products you can buy that’ll help breast cancer research.  Go to the yogurt aisle in the supermarket, or head down the soup aisle.  Just be sure to keep a keen eye out for the pink ribbon when you’re at the mall or supermarket, and buy the products you usually do, but think pink while you’re at it!

For more resources about breast cancer and helping to raise awareness and to support breast cancer research and treatment:

• The Breast Cancer Site – support the Click to Give Free Mammograms program!
• Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
• Avon Breast Cancer Crusade
• Breast Cancer Research Foundation
• Breast Cancer Network of Strength
• Living Beyond Breast Cancer
• BreastCancer.org
• National Breast Cancer Foundation

Technorati Tags: breast cancer awareness, breast cancer foundation, breast cancer, breast cancer support, products that support breast cancer awareness, cancer, research, support cancer research

Shopping 2 Comments

October 15, 2008

I am a naturalized citizen of the United States, and I had emigrated to New York from the Philippines when I was but two years old, so essentially I am a New York girl through and through.  I have to say, as one who has had all the benefits of a good education, the access to all our technology and the ability and freedom to pretty much do whatever I want to as long as I work hard and stick to my goals, it’s not difficult to drone through life with woes and complaints about crappy cable service or pens that run out of ink mid caffeine fueled writing rampage.  It’s not hard to forget the fact that so many mothers in the very same world we live in can’t even gather together enough money to keep their children from starving or from dying from an infection caused by the only water source they have available – contaminated drinking water.

So you may ask yourself what you could possibly do, or maybe you feel that the amount you can contribute is just such a small amount that it’s not even worth it to make an attempt at helping those stricken with poverty and have little or no way nout.  Sure, you can sit there and say you can’t do a thing, because hey, you can’t make that trip with Habitat for Humanity to Guatemala, you can’t join the Peace Corps to go help the situation in Darfur, it’s not possible for you to uproot your family to become a missionary.  But hey, the green stuff talks and we all know that even completely legitimate and helpful non-profits need a substantial amount of money to cover operating and business expenses.  Even a few dollars can help.  Instead of spending $2 every day on those triple chocolate glazed and chocolate filled donuts that are just going to make you fatter and much unhealthier, not to mention clog your arteries, save that money and aim for putting half of your donut fund into a charity of your choice.  (Hell, I need to work on that too!)

A great website that you can check out is CharityNavigator.org, which gives charities a score from 1 star to 4 stars (the highest rating) and shows a breakdown of a charity’s expenses, or Give.org, which labels good charities with a seal of approval. To help international causes, you can give to charities like ADRA.org, an organization that makes it part of their mission to provide nutrition, healthcare and basic education, as well as promote and stimulate economic development by providing families with the training in the necessary business and basic math and reading skills, as well as small loans so that families have the stepping stool they need to pull themselves out of poverty.  Support organizations like Ten Thousand Villages, which promotes the sale and purchase of fair trade products and treasures created by artisans all over the world.

You can sign up with Kiva.org, where you can lend as little as $25 to entrepreneurs and mompreneurs (not unlike many of us) in third world countries who need a few hundred dollars to get their local business up and running. 

To help right here in the US, especially in times like these, don’t forget to donate a few non-perishables (it’s time to clean out that pantry!) to your church or temple’s food drive or give to charities like the Center for Economic Progress, not just a charity but a movement to help people take control of their financial situations, not through handouts, but through proactive coaching and counseling (I believe this has a trickle down effect, and the more people who become responsible with theirfinances, the better it is for everyone).  The Center also provides basic tax training for small business owners.  Many of us might have to tighten our belts a bit this Christmas season, but we still have food on the table, still have our homes and our cars and our cable TV service and our PS3s and LCD flat screens.  Why not lend a helping hand with a small donation?  You can’t heal a family stricken by poverty in one day, but the efforts of many can make a big difference.  Remember: what goes around comes around.

Technorati Tags: Blog Action Day, good charities, poverty, charity, economic development

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October 12, 2008

Salba Smart Natural Products, LLC offers a delicious, nutritious and altogether healthy line foods that includes tortilla chips, salsa and more.  Dubbed “Nature’s Perfect Whole Food,” Salba itself is a fiber rich, certified gluten free and Omega-3 rich whole grain grown in Peru can be used in smoothies, shakes, trail mix and other recipes.  It’s also certified vegan and kosher, so it can be used in any and all types of cooking.  Aside from having Salba Grain in all its whole food glory available in 6.4 oz and 12.7 oz packs, Salba Smart Natural Products has also rolled out yummy snacks like organic tortilla chips available in a variety of flavors, whole grain tortilla chips, organic salsa and pretzels, and the company is working on debuting even more products.

We had a chance to try Salba Smart’s organic tortilla chips in the white corn and blue corn varieties, as well as the Salba Smart 100 calorie bite size tortilla chip packs.  The 100 calorie packs virtually disappeared once the hubby got hold of them.  At first he was skeptical, voicing his doubts as to whether or not the Omega-3 fortified chips with the bright yellow packaging screaming “HEALTHY!!” and seasoned with nothing more than natural sea salt would satisfy him.  As the little bags disappeared though, it was obvious that Salba Smart tortilla chips had passed his flavor test.  He and littleQ practically devoured the bag of white corn tortilla chips in one sitting, which was really quite piggish, but at the same time proved that children also enjoy the all natural delicious flavor of Salba products. 

The 100 calorie bags of Salba Smart Tortilla chips will so be a much healthier alternative for your child’s lunch bag than whatever he can find in the vending machine, and get this: each 0.7 oz 100 calorie pack is equal to one bread serving, but with a healthy punch of 280mg of Omega-3.  I haven’t had a chance to try the organic salsa or the other products yet, but judging from the surprisingly flavorful and fresh corn chip flavor of the tortilla chips, I have no doubt that Salba Smart will deliver that fresh healthy taste.

Technorati Tags: salba, salba smart, natural products, organic, fiber rich, whole food, omega 3, organic tortilla chips, whole grain, gluten-free, vegan, kosher, organic, organic snack

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October 9, 2008

Enter the MamaDivas.com Yoplait Kids Yogurt Prize Pack Giveaway!  Courtesy of Yoplait Kids, I’m holding a giveaway for 2 prize packs, each with 1 coupon for a free pack of Yoplait Kids yogurt, a Yoplait Kids cooler/lunch bag and a Brain Quest game for 2-3 year olds.  (Keep reading for the details on how to win!)

I’m all about the Omega-3 DHA goodness for the developing brain, and so is Yoplait Kids.  Each serving of Yoplait Kids is going to provide your kiddo with 16 mg of naturally sourced (go lifesDHA, again!) DHA.  You don’t have to be worried about giving your kiddo a sugar rush, because Yoplait kids products do after all have 25% less sugar than other kids’ yogurt, and they don’t contain any artificial sweeteners or flavoring agents.  You can rest assured that it’s healthy (everything in moderation of course), and it’s a great source of protein, Calcium, and vitamins A & D, wrapped up in yogurty goodness that your child is going to loooove.

How can I honestly say that your kid is going to like it?  Maybe it was the Dora on the side of the package that caught his eye, but last time I bought a pack of the Yoplait Kids yogurt drink, just as he did a few months ago with the regular Yoplait Kids yogurt cups that had Diego plastered all over them, he would run to the fridge to ask for “Dora yo-gut!”

So now I know you just want to know, well how do I win one of these prize packs so I can get my hands on a free pack of Yoplait Kids yogurt?!?!  Click on this link to fill out a short form to enter to win a Yoplait Kids Prize Pack!  You must have a US mailing address to qualify, but the coupon is NOT valid in the following states due to state laws and regulations: CA, ID, LA, NV, NJ, ND and TN.  The deadline to enter is October 19, 2008. Good luck!

Technorati Tags: Yoplait Kids, yogurt, Dora yogurt, Diego yogurt, Nickelodeon yogurt, giveaway, yoplait kids prize pack, Brain Quest, Omega-3 DHA, lifesDHA

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