I’ve searched long and hard for something that will cover the head of my son’s toothbrush when we travel or he goes to spend the night at his grandparents. I’ve found the long enclosed tubes, but personally they gross me out after a few uses because of all the water and gunk that collect inside. They’re also harder to clean out and not every toothbrush will fit inside - especially kid’s brushes with fat handles for little hands.

Finally, I found these great covers made by Flipper. They’re genuis! Yet another things I wish I’d thought of. Flipper carries several designs and styles, so I’m sure you can find one to suit every kid you know. Personally, we love the Dino Eggs and have Gigano in our bathroom. Is it bad that a 31 year old mother wants one too?

These will make great stocking stuffers this year too! What I love is that they are convenient and easy to use, plus they protect your little one’s toothbrush from yucky germs. This is a must have if you have children.

by Emily

We used to have this plastic type resin box outside on our patio that the hose would wind up into and the darn thing kept making me mad. Usually the hose would get off the intended track when you wound it back inside and sometimes it would get stuck. Eventually I got rid of the box and went looking for something more simpler. I was guided to Plow & Hearth’s website and spent a great deal of time looking through their large selection. I wanted something sturdy and something functional. At this point I wasn’t expecting anything fancy or even attractive.

Then I found the hose holder with a stake bottom that plants firmly in the ground. It had a graceful scroll on the 3/8 inch wrought iron finish that is treated to withstand the weather. Out winters are fairly mild with only the occasional snow, so I’m anxious to see how it holds up this year. I was surprised to find that my new holder would handle 100 feet of hose with ease. This version can also be mounted on a wall if you choose. I thought having our hose within eyesight might be unattractive, but I actually prefer this over the resin box. It’s less bulky looking and so natural.

by Terry

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What’s new is that for the first time since Dora the Explorer premiered in 2000, there is a brand-new voice over cast. I thought (and I’ll only give my opinions on this part since my sons didn’t seem to notice the new voices or they just didn’t care one way) that Caitlin Sanchez did a great job sounding like Kathleen Herles, the original Dora. The only problem I had with Caitlin’s performance was that she said the Spanish words a little too quickly and I had to keep clarifying them for my sons. It’s kind of like when you were in High School Spanish class - it was easier to learn Spanish from the Anglo Spanish teacher because she had a tendency to speak more slowly and annunciate more clearly. A totally unrelated observation is that the Dora cartoon character this season has slimmed up and is losing her baby fat. Perhaps we’ll see Dora the Middle-Schooler next season.

Also new this season is that in every episode Dora will meet a friend from a different cultural background who will teach her a special skill. In this episode she met a boy from Peru who taught her to play different flutes.

Something that I appreciated in this episode was that after stopping Swiper from swiping Boots’ backpack (did I spoil it for you?), instead of just sending him on his way, Dora and Boots helped Swiper to find his very own backpack. Dora fans should eagerly anticipate the new season. From this episode it would appear that we have the same Dora quality and fun that we’ve come to expect.

Written by Christine, who is mom to two wild-and-crazy little guys and wife to one pretty spectacular dude. When she isn’t reading the same books over and over and over, playing cars, having a snack or blowing bubbles, she is trying to make her house and the products her family uses a little more people- and Earth-friendly.

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The story begins with Stiller the Elf (Ben Stiller) telling his friend, Snowball, about how Christmas almost didn’t happen that year. Stiller arrives on Sesame Street looking for the right individual to be in charge of the Christmas Counter-Downer, a tree-shaped advent calendar with 10 boxes that is used to count down to the start of Christmas. Scientific calculations lead Stiller to Oscar the Grouch as the perfect person to be in charge of the Christmas Counter-Downer. Oscar launches the Counter-Downer into the air and it breaks apart upon impact, causing the 10 boxes to fly all over Sesame Street. Without the boxes, Christmas can’t happen.

Throughout the 45 minute show, the Sesame Street characters find each of the 10 boxes. Bert finds one in his Christmas Eve oatmeal, Big Bird finds #7 wrapped up like a present, and Ernie finds one in his hat. Abby Cadabby an Elmo place the found boxes in the Counter-Downer, but Stiller remains pessimistic until the final box is found.

Elmo and Abby Cadabby Help Save Christmas features the favorite Sesame Street characters and is filled with an A-List cast which makes it fun for parents to watch with their children. Sheryl Crow, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, and Anne Hathaway sing some classic Christmas carols and original duets with the Sesame Street cast. Alicia Keys has a heart-to-heart with Elmo when he worries that Christmas might come and together they sing a duet of Do You Hear What I Hear.

Like all good childrens’ movies, this story has a happy ending. Stiller, Abby and Elmo find the last box and put it in place. Stiller declares a Christmas miracle and then Kevin James appears as Santa rocking out to a tune about believing.

Even though Christmas is still months away, the songs in the movie had my 2 year old dancing around the living room while his 4 ½ year old sister’s eyes got wide when the last box was found. Now if only Christmas would hurry up and come!

Written by Leticia, a part time working multitasking mama who loves spending time with her husband and two children, exotic vacations, and cooking great meals. Leticia writes about technology products and technology issues affecting children through her blog, Tech Savvy Mama.

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Preschool Prep Company’s Meet the Sight Words DVD is designed to help children learn common sight words. Sight words are those that commonly appear in the English language, but are difficult to decode because they don’t follow regular patterns. Recognizing letters, developing decoding strategies to figure out unknown words, knowing what sounds letters make (phonemic awareness) and sight word recognition are all important parts of learning to read.

Meet the Sight Words is 35 minutes of immersion with a set of words. We previewed Meet the Sight Words 1 which teaches children to recognize of, play, it, he you, in, I, to, have, and, a, said, is, the, for and that. Each word is presented in big and bold on the screen and turned around so kids can view it from multiple angles. Then, the letters in the word are transformed into colorful character that acts out scenes to help children remember the word. Finally, the word is seen again in big and bold font before the next word is introduced. All the words that are shown during the lesson are put together for a simple story at the end of the DVD. Each word is highlighted as it is read so children begin to make the connection between the written and spoken word which is crucial for sight word recognition. The story also helps children learn the word in the context of a story.

All kids learn how to read differently and while I thought my daughter would enjoy Meet the Sight Words, she didn’t. She’s a child who loves sitting down with a book and being read to. Her sight word vocabulary has increased dramatically because of the amount of time we spend reading to her and her love of using her LeapFrog Tag, which has helped her become a more independent reader.

Unfortunately, the format of the show didn’t really interest my 4 ½ year old reader. She could already read the words that were part of the first DVD and kept wondering, “When is it going to start?” I was surprised when she said, “Oh, I hate this because it is nothing but words I know,” since she rarely hates anything having to do with reading. She felt that it would be better for her 2 year old brother, “because he doesn’t know how to read.” Indeed her brother was fascinated by the DVD and repeated the words as they were being said and laughed at some of the short skits that featured each words, but he doesn’t have the attention span to sit down to watch something on the screen. He prefers having stories read to him.

Meet the Sight Words is designed for ages 15 months to 6 years. I think it would be worthwhile for children who need active visuals to help them remember common sight words that they will frequently encounter in text, but it wasn’t the right fit for our family.

Meet the Sight Words DVDs are available through the Preschool Prep Company’s website for $14.95.

Written by Leticia, a part time working multitasking mama who loves spending time with her husband and two children, exotic vacations, and cooking great meals. Leticia writes about technology products and technology issues affecting children through her blog, Tech Savvy Mama.

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I don’t know when you get tired and don’t have the luxury of crawling into bed, but for me it’s about 9 p.m. At that time I’m basically done, yet I’m not done. Not for a few more hours. A good friend turned me on to Shock Coffee. Their products contain 3X the normal amount of caffiene so if you are thinking “wired” - yeah, a little bit.

The coffee drinks are quite tasty and none of that overwhelming bitter hyper-caffeinated flavor you get with some energy drinks. I’ve been drinking one 8 oz. can in the evening and haven’t expereinced jitters or nervousness. I am getting a little pep in my step for the evening wrap-up though. Smooth and creamy latte and triple mocha are both very tasty and they keep me going for a few more hours until it’s time to drop off!

For a busy mom with lots to do and too little energy to do it, this is a nice pick-me-up to get moving again. As a side note, I don’t experience that “post caffeine crash” with this beverage either. I’ve had some drinks that have made me go, go, go…and then I just collapse when it wears off. None of that occurs with Shock Coffee Triple Hits. This very delicious drink would rock my world on the way into the office as well!

by Gidge

Whether it’s summer or winter, my kids have chapped lips. Or at least they did until I discovered Lip Stuff for Crispy Kissers from Stuff for Sprouts. All of the Stuff for Sprouts ingredients are fantastic! There are high concentrations of natural oils and butters, purified water and kid-friendly fragrances. Kids will love the fun flavors of PB&J, Frosting and Chocolate.

More notably, there are not nut butters or oils, mineral oil, spy, parabens, phthalates, chemical fillers, artificial colors or sparkles. They go on smooth, smell great (chocolate…mmmm…) and are the perfect oval shape to cover both lips with one swipe as your child is running by. The big wide tube makes it easy to apply to their lips or cheeks. This has quickly become a must have item in our house for my whole family.

by Nicole

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I myself was not all that impressed with the DVD, but my husband will beg to differ. He thinks it’s a great DVD that provides entertainment along with some fun action. I definitely would not say this DVD would not appeal to girls though, there are female characters and it is geared towards both male and female.

Save the Planets has three adventures that teach about envy, moderation and sharing in a fun filled way. Yet I do believe that the message is a bit subtle for a 3 year old to completely grasp, it is always good to expose toddlers to something that sends a faithful encouraging message. If you’re looking for something very similar to Veggie Tales but just a bit different I think 3-2-1 Penguins is a good DVD to try!

Written by Andrea, who is a stay at home Catholic wife and mother. She strives daily to perfect her vocation as wonderfully as possible. Andrea has two young children and hopes someday to have more. Her interests stem from being a mother and living her faith. She blogs for fun about things that interest her at Momma In Flip Flops.

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The Camelbak water bottle comes in many different colors and two different sizes, and I cannot go anywhere without mine. I even have two to make sure that one is always clean. I drink lots of water every day and I was going through plastic water bottles left and right. In order to help the environment and our budget I decided to use a plastic bottle all the time.

The Camelbak water bottles have a nice slender shape and fits in most travel cup holders. I am also able to clip it into a hook on my diaper bag, so I can always have it with me even if the diaper bag is full. They are BPA free and completely safe to put in the dishwasher. I also like knowing how much water I’m drinking and the measurement is on the side in ml or oz. This is a must have for me!

by Louise

I remember watching Care Bears when I was child and loving it. However I’ve noticed the new Care Bears aren’t exactly the same. I was very pleased after reviewing the Care Bears Care-A-Lot Collection though. It was just as I remembered and my kids love it. My son has been talking non-stop about the flying cars and the worm that eats clouds!

The Collection features 22 Care Bear episodes and what’s great is that you can stop it after just one episode if you don’t want your kids to be clued to the television for too long, but start it at the next episode when you’re ready to watch again. Twenty two little adventures instead of one long movie! Within the collection you get two great dvd’s; the enchanting adventures which includes 14 episodes and the heartwarming adventures with 8 episodes. I don’t let my son just watch any program, but I’m confident that Care Bears sends a good message with just as much entertainment as a lot of programs you find today. Definitely a great must have for our collection to watch!

by Andrea

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To enter visit their website and leave a comment here telling us which set of cards you would like to dish out. There are 5 sets in this first series and each offers something different. The contest is open until September 28, 2008.

You can receive a second entry by blogging about the contest (linking to it) or adding us to your blogroll. Just e-mail us with a live link or let us know you have it posted on your site. You do not need a blog to enter, just leave us your e-mail address so that we may contact you. As always, it is Props & Pans policy NOT to distribute any information you give us (including your e-mail). Thanks for entering!

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There was one instance when the note written on a yellow post-it note paper and placed on my sandwich between the meat and bread. To the unknowing eye it looked like a slice of cheese. This caused quite the uproar at my lunch table when I bit into the sandwich and realized there was paper inside. Leave it to my mom to do something like this.

Now that I have a child who is in school I find myself wanting to leave notes inside his lunch box, so when the opportunity came to review KidsLunchBoxCards I was very excited. Designed by KidsFunCards, these colorful cards contain all kinds of fun facts and cool ideas. They are packaged in sets of 5 and allow you a week’s worth of smiles from your child. Each set offers a different flair that provide a laugh and a smile.

I would imagine these sets are not reserved only for lunch boxes. They would make great cards to mail (they are post card ready, just add a stamp) or place one in the suitcase of a child who is headed on a trip without you. The potential is wide open to create memories. What kid wouldn’t want to know that In Michigan it is illegal to hitch a crocodile to a fire hydrant? I must say I was intrigued to learn from a lunch box card that astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space, because farting in a spacesuit damages it!

My mom started a tradition with me that included hiding post-it notes in my sandwiches, but now I can start a tradition with my son that gives him a laugh each day. I give huge props to this creative idea to bring fun to lunch boxes around the world!

Written by Emily, who is a married working mother of a very energetic 6 year old son. They recently moved out in the country and live on a rock road. Emily had to give up high-speed internet and she blames the realtor for not informing her ahead of time that it was not available. She writes at her personal blog, Fenicle and loves to review new things.

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This rugged pack is the scaled down version of L.L. Bean’s popular Original Book Packs for older children. Designed specifically for children ages 4 and up, this backpack is ergonomic and comfortable for little ones because they fit them so well. Junior Book Packs feature padded back panels and narrower shoulder straps for little bodies.

I think this backpack is an absolute bargain for $19.50. The high quality of the fabric, durable zippers, use of reflective materials to keep my kids safe and many organizational pockets ensures that my kids will be using this backpack until they outgrow it. If we ever become dissatisfied with the backpack before my children outgrow it, L.L. Bean’s lifetime guarantee ensures that we can replace it with no questions asked.

I love that these backpacks come in a variety of solid colors and prints such as floral and camouflage. We don’t stand in the aisle endlessly debating about the merits of different characters on shoddy packs that fall apart mid-year. I also love the ease of ordering from L.L. Bean despite the fact that we have retail stores close by.

To order I pulled up the product page, had each child select the color they wanted, entered the monogramming information and paid. Three to five days later the backpacks were at our door! Another tip is to apply for the no-fee L.L. Bean Visa to get free shipping, free return shipping, earn $10 coupons towards future purchases and also free monogramming.

Written by Leticia, a part time working multitasking mama who loves spending time with her husband and two children, exotic vacations, and cooking great meals. Leticia writes about technology products and technology issues affecting children through her blog, Tech Savvy Mama.

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