Cold and Dreamy Treats To Beat The Heat

It's hot. Being outdoors after 9am and before 8pm is just not sane. Car seats are hot, swing sets are hot, backyards are steamy, tempers are short, bickering is plentiful, and fall seems so far away.

I would like to spend the daylight hours of summer indoors, basking in cool, air-conditioned comfort. Pudding Pie and her friends do not. They clamor to be outdoors. They want to be sprinting through the sprinkler, whizzing down the slip 'n slide, splashing in the pool, digging in the sand, hanging out on the back porch, daubing paint on anything they can, and so on.

Every day, they laugh, squeal, and play their way through their various sweaty outdoor activities while I lug toys around, set up the paints, wash off the paint, fill the pool, apply sunscreen, arbitrate disputes - and gently wilt.

I have my secret weapon though; it lives in the freezer and summer cannot be conquered without it: ice cream!

I recently tried the new Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Chocolate Caramel Brownie ice cream bars. I was not disappointed, and neither were Pudding Pie and her friends. the bars are rich, creamy and delicious!

The Breyers Smooth & Dreamy ice cream bars and sandwiches also come in five other rich and creamy flavors, including Vanilla Caramel Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Vanilla Fudge Brownie, Triple Chocolate Chip.

These tasty delights are not only the perfect refreshment on a sultry summer day, they also contain no artificial flavors or colors, are 160 calories or less and have only 4-6g of fat per serving.

Think you'd like to try a new Breyers ice cream bar or sandwich? Leave a comment before midnight on Friday, August 6th, letting me know what you love most about summer, and you could win a couple of Breyers coupons!

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

Drop those extra pounds the Smart way

Twenty years ago, when I wanted to drop a few pounds, I cut back on the junk, ate sensibly, exercised more frequently - and watched the pounds disappear in a relatively short space of time. Today, banishing those extra pounds is a far more challenging task. Back then, I had no real commitments other than to myself, my career, my personal goals. When I needed to accomplish a task such as weight loss, I applied myself completely. Today, I begin each week filled with resolve, determined to get off the fat wagon, convinced that this time I'll stay the course and fit back into those 'skinny me' jeans. Usually I don't make it past noon on Monday.

Why have I continued to fail in my struggle to drop the unwanted pounds? Well, aside from being rather weak-willed in the face of glistening jelly donuts and the like, I have a far different lifestyle from the one I had twenty years ago. Today, my well-laid plans to follow a strict diet and exercise regime are tested and then sabotaged by daily life. I always begin Day One well: I crunch on my breakfast apple and feel good, sated, pleased with my iron will. Then I prepare breakfast for Pudding Pie and the other kids I care for. Perhaps this is Bacon and Cheesy Scrambled Eggs day, the smell wafts around the kitchen, I can't help but have a quick taste ...

I serve my pint-sized customers and they eat but, at the end of the meal, there are still a few forkfuls left. I can't bear to toss out good food so I gobble up the last few bites. And so the day goes. By evening, my diet has been abandoned. I am supposed to go for a brisk power walk when we get home from work, but Pudding Pie wants to come too - and bring her bike (which she is just learning to ride). The power walk turns into a slow, bent-double walk as mommy ends up pushing a suddenly tired Pudding Pie after the first five minutes of the excursion. We return home, I concede that my new diet and exercise regime has failed, so I console myself with a bowl of icecream. This is a typical Day One ...

Before you start feeling awful for me and my endless cycle of failed diets, let me tell you about a breakthrough in this sad cycle. I've shed a several pounds over the last week and a half! I am so excited! My will power cannot take all (actually any) of the credit. I have had help in the form of some great products from underWAY and Smart for Life.

I tried the underWAY supplement drink, which works naturally to suppress appetite while it quenches your thirst. The drinks work to curb hunger in two ways: the underWAY formulation takes longer for the stomach to absorb - and it also slows the absorption of what is already there, making you feel fuller for longer. Each drink is infused with a special HeroFiber and heart-healthy vitamins and contains no preservatives, sodium or caffeine. I sampled the Acai Pomegranate flavor and the Grape flavor. I found the Grape on the sweet side, but the Acai Pomegranate was just delicious.

I also tried out several of the Smart for Life products. These products are all natural and 60% organic, containing Omega-3 fatty acids and HeroFiber. Working on a 7-meals-per-day schedule, the Smart for Life philosophy is a perfect fit for someone who likes to snack throughout the day - that's me! The 7-meals-per-day schedule features 6 cookies or other products, plus a balanced dinner. This allows the body to maintain steady blood sugar and glucose levels, and burn more fat for a longer part of the day.

In a recent study done at Boca Raton Smart for Life Weight Managment Center, 46 people visited and used a portion-controlled, protein-rich, low fat cookie with fiber technology. All 46 lost weight, with the average being 13.1 pounds in 35 days. Five subjects lost over 20 pounds in 35 days and 20 subjects lost over 15 pounds in the first 35 days. The 46 participants lost a combined total of 601 pounds, with one participant losing 38.7 pounds in 35 days!

I loved the oatmeal raisin cookies. They were perfect for keeping hunger pangs at bay and they are really tasty, too. I also tried the THINADVENTURE cupcakes: Carrot Sunshine and Chocolate Mountain. I really couldn't say which I preferred, they were both good and it was hard to believe I was still on diet! I was pretty possessive over my Smart for Life products, but I had to share a few bites of my Chocolate Berry cereal with Pudding Pie as it was so good. I also tried the vanilla shake, (yum!) the Smart Bagels and Momma's Chicken Noodle Soup. All tasty and all worked well to keep me feeling pleasantly full.

I'm thrilled with what is finally a decent start to healthier eating habits. Now I've got to keep the momentum going - guess I'm going to be stocking up on those tasty cookies and the Acai-Pomegranate underWAY drinks!

If you're looking to drop those extra pounds quickly and safely, both underWAY and Smart for Life products can be purchased with a 10% discount! The discount code for underWAY products is MCUS100FFUW at http://www.underway.com/. and Smart for Life products can be purchased at http://www.smartforlife/, with the following discount code: MCUS100FFSL. The codes expire on August 30th.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of underWAY and Smart for Life and received samples of the products to review.

Tips to Keep You and Your Family Safe This Summer

Summer is here, which means that Pudding Pie and myself are immersed in a frenzy of outdoor activity. If you can't find us at the pool, look for us at the park - anyplace there is outdoor fun to be had! Pudding Pie especially loves the pool, and spending our mornings or afternoons splashing in the cool water is a delightful way to pass time. However, with an over-confident Pudding Pie continually testing her boundaries and refusing to let a small thing like lack of swimming skills hold her back, I am always on alert.

Less than a month ago, a dear friend of mine had a scare. She'd taken her three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son to go swimming in a friend's backyard pool. Just before swimming time, my friend asked the other mom to keep an eye on her kids while she dashed to the restroom. The other mom has triplet three-and-half year old boys and she herded all five kids outside to play until my friend returned. The pool is fenced in and has a locked gate.

While the kids were playing, the other mom turned her back and busied herself with fixing some window screens. When my friend opened the door to the backyard, she was greeted by the sight of all five kids standing inside the pool fence, on the edge of the pool, looking into the water. The older four already had on their water wings, but her baby boy had on nothing to help him stay afloat - and there he stood, inches from the water, contemplating his next move.

My friend screamed and ran - and a tragedy was avoided, but things could so easily have had an unimaginable ending. Turns out, her friend's husband had temporarily removed the lock from the gate and he'd forgotten to tell his wife! The kids had quickly and easily let themselves in to the pool area. What sent more shivers down my spine was discovering that the husband had removed the lock some days earlier and his wife, not realising that their pool was now easily accessible to her boys, allowed them to play by themselves for a bit, in the backyard, while she worked in the kitchen ...

Spine-chilling stuff for any parent I'm sure and, in this instance, the story ends well. However, there are plenty of similar stories where the endings are not so fortunate and each time summer rolls around and kids are at play, whether in the pool or on the play set at a park, in their own backyard, they face potential danger. Approximately 4,200 people go to the emergency room every year due to pool or spa-related injuries and more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger go to the emergency room each year for play set-related injuries.

This summer, Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a leading product safety testing organization, has put together tips to help keep us and our children safe around the pool and play sets.

Pool Safety At Home

• If you have a pool at home, install a fence. The fence should be at least four feet high and have a self-closing, self-latching gate that has a locking mechanism beyond a child's reach.
• Cut overhanging tree limbs and remove chairs or ladders from the pool area to prevent children from climbing over the fence that surrounds the pool.
• Keep grates and drain covers in good repair and secured in place.
• Alert your family and guests to stay away from these devices, as the suction from drain outlets can be strong enough to cause entrapment of hair or body parts, which can potentially cause a person to drown.
• Make sure you know infant and child CPR if you own a pool.

Be Safety Smart While Swimming

• Supervision is a must.
• Follow the 10/20 rule when you’re at the pool. The 10/20 rule states the supervising adult needs to position themselves to be able to scan the pool every 10 seconds, and reach the water within 20 seconds.
• Always have rescue devices, such as UL-LISTED life preservers, nearby.
• Flotation devices, toys and inflatable swimming aids are not safety devices. They are toys and can easily puncture and deflate.
• Always drain wading pools after children are done playing. Infants can drown in just a few inches of water.
• Have a telephone nearby and appropriate emergency numbers posted.
• Remove all toys when you leave the pool. Toys may attract children to the unattended pool.

Before Installing A Backyard PlaySet

• Make sure your backyard is large enough for playground equipment. The site must also provide good visibility and security. Before setting up equipment, look out for obstacles, such as the garage, tree branches, utility poles and wires.
• Read and follow the manufacturer’s directions when setting up play set equipment. Be sure your child's weight and age fall within the manufacturer's recommended limits for the equipment.
• Install protective surfacing, such as rubber tiles or mulch under the play set, at least six feed in all directions, to prevent serious injuries should a child fall.

Before Heading Out To Play

• Carefully inspect backyard playground equipment. Make sure equipment is anchored safely in the ground, all equipment pieces are in good working order, S-hooks are entirely closed and bolts are not protruding.
• Check for spaces that could trap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs. These spaces should measure less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches.
• Always supervise children on play set equipment to make sure they are playing safely.
• Never attach ropes, jump ropes, clotheslines, pet leashes or cords of any kind to play set equipment. If used improperly, they can be potential strangulation hazards.
• Watch for potential trip hazards, such as rocks, tree stumps and concrete footings. Make sure you’re children are aware of them as well.
• Do a sandbox check. Before letting your child dig in, rake through the sand to check for debris or sharp objects. Also, inspect for any animal contamination or insect problems.

UL and Disney produced a pool safety video featuring Timon and Puumba from The Lion King teaching kids how to stay safe while swimming during the summer, and all year long. Check it out, I thought the video was entertaining and full of great safety tips, and Pudding Pie thought it was wonderful. I think she absorbed more water safety information from that animated short than she has from me all summer - I guess I don't have Puumba's charming delivery!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Underwriters Laboratories. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

SMART Technology For Today's Teachers

SMART Technologies has launched their SMART Board interactive whiteboard: an incredible tool for today's teachers. Coinciding with the launch of the SMART Board is "SMART Love of Learning" to acknowledge and celebrate those teachers who have impacted individuals around the world.

Who do I think is the the best teacher in the world? I haven't seen her in twenty plus years but I say without a moment's hesitation, my high school English teacher, Connie Zaayman.

By the time I met Mrs. Z, I already had a love for literature. Mrs. Z nurtured this; she showed me how you can love Chaucer, Wordsworth, Marlowe, Kafka and The Bard, and still be cool.

Our mutual love for literature aside, Mrs. Z is my nominee simply because for me - and most of my class - brilliant as she was, she was also so much more than our English teacher. She was passionate about English and passionate about life. She genuinely cared about us, her students. Mrs. Z knew us and she was in touch with us. Many a classmate confided in her about subjects not related to literature at all, and she kept all of our confidences.

We were all anxious to please her. I had other teachers - kind and dedicated - but my teen self didn't care if they were irked by assignments turned in late, nor did I glow when they doled out praise. Mrs Z. was different. A few words of praise scrawled in the margin and I felt buoyed up and invincible. A comment along the lines of "not your best effort" and I was red-faced and chagrined.

Under her guidance, I allowed myself to believe I had the talent she assured me I had. After high school, I majored in English at college, writing my post-grad thesis on Chaucer.

Today, over two decades later, I can still hear Mrs Z's voice when I read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. I can still hear her telling us, her riveted students, the final sad details of the life of poet and novelist, Sylvia Plath. I can still clearly hear her recounting for us the love affair between the gifted poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning.

Mrs. Z is my example of how a great teacher can influence the course of our lives. Every student needs such a teacher and I hope my daughter encounters her own Mrs. Z along the way.

Like I said, my high school days were many moons ago, and so much has changed since then. Gone are the days of chalk and blackboards. Our children can look forward to classrooms with incredible interactive whiteboards from SMART Technologies. To find out exactly what the SMART Board interactive whiteboard is all about, check out The Magical Classroom.

Join the SMART Love of Learning Facebook group and enter to win a SMART Board interactive whiteboard for your child's school. or a school of your choosing! Check out the Parents Toolkit for tips for parents who are looking to raise money so that they can get a SMART Board interactive whiteboard for their school.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of SMART Technologies. In addition Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Shrek Forever After is Interactive Fun For The Family

I remember the first time I encountered Shrek. I was on board a transatlantic flight, resigned to 19.5 hours of boredom and fitful sleep. I decided to watch the movie, hoping it would lull me to sleep. Instead, the plot, the humor, and those wonderful characters kept me riveted and I found myself snorting and chuckling all the way to the credits - I loved it!

We haven't hit the theater to watch Shrek Forever After yet, but we have been fortunate enough to check out the Activision Shrek Forever After, The Final Chapter video game. The game extends the film into an interactive experience for the whole family to enjoy.

I wanted to get a child's impression of the game and, since Pudding Pie isn't quite ready for an E10+ video game, I sought out the opinion of her nine-year-old friend (and idol), Aiden. (Pudding Pie was not short-changed - we also received the Shrek Forever After movie storybook, and this has kept her entertained - we love to screech at the scheming Rumpel when he appears .) The always enthusuastic Aiden was delighted to test drive the Shrek Forever After Wii game (and to try his hand at the Shrek Forever After Mad Libs and coloring book). He gave me his sage words on the experience:

"The Good: I like the treasure chests, they give you money. The power ups are a great help. Its fun to be able to change characters. I like the fighting in the game.

The Bad: It would be nice if I could jump. There could be a few more things in cookie's store. It gets a little violent sometimes. "

Aside from Aiden's nuggets, this is what I got: This is a multi-user game that would definitely be the most fun with more than one player because some of the puzzles can only be played with 2 players, not one. Also, with more than one player, family members or friends can choose between Shrek, Fiona, Puss In Boots and Donkey - each with their own skills to help the team progress to the next level. Players meet up with a variety of challenges, working to solve puzzles and navigate mazes, tackle enemy armies and explore Shrek's normal world and his new alternate reality.

The graphics are excellent and there is dialogue/interaction between characters as you play them (they respond, basically). There is some violence that is a bit disturbing to a mom. (No blood, more cartoon-like, but the graphics are so good and the sound effects too, that a hit looks and sounds like a hit.) Of course it could be that I am just not accustomed to what seems to be the norm in video games ...

Overall a challenging and fun game that gets the player thinking about solutions. After two hours of play, Aiden quit only because his mom told him it was time to stop. He gave it a thumbs up and I have a feeling this game is going to be a big hit this summer!

Activision's Shrek Forever After video game is available for the Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

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

A New Secret Weapon For Moms

I used to brag a little about my incredibly un-picky eater. There wasn't much you couldn't set down before Pudding Pie. She'd give it all a go - within reason. I (smugly) sympathised with friends who lamented they couldn't get their kids to move beyond chicken nuggets or PBJ sandwiches, and I eagerly suggested ways to help them solve their dinnertime dilemmas. Of course I patted myself on the back for instilling such excellent eating habits into my adorable child.

Then one day, when I wasn't paying attention, somebody slipped my precious girl the toddler memo about refusing to eat anything healthy. The memo that recommends refusing to eat bread crusts, gagging at anything green and healthy, clamping ones jaw shut at the very thought of whole grain, eschewing any food not loaded with carbs and sugar ...

I was horrified. Where did my model eater go? Who was the dinnertime tyrant pretending to be her? I finally realized that it was not my child so much as her age; she has entered the realm of picky-eaterdom. Whatever that toddler memo said, its authority trumps her previous desire to please mom and eat whatever she is served.

I realized I had to up my game and find cunning new ways to get the daily required amounts of goodness into her stubborn little body. Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice is a wonderful tool in my arsenal. It is the first and only whole grain rice that tastes just like white rice, and looks like it too! I get to feed Pudding Pie a good serving of fiber without her knowledge, and I still manage to cater to her new-found aversion to anything brown and healthy-looking.

This evening was our traditional Sunday dinner: burgers and hot dogs on the grill. Pudding Pie got her hot dog, but she also got her fiber and vegetable when I served her a mix of Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice and broccoli. It was simple, yet delicious, and she loved it!

I was lucky enough to be able to share Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice with four other moms, with kids ranging in age from 12 years old all the way down to eighteen months old and the verdict was the same - a roaring success!

*Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice products will be available at grocery stores nationwide starting July 2010.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben’s and received samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Teach Your Tweens Not to Fret the Sweat

Pudding Pie has a few years to go before she enters her tweens and we have to think about things like using deodorant, but Meisie is a dear friend of mine, who is also mom to three tweens, and she keeps me chuckling with her tales of life with her tween girls.

I asked Meisie how things went down in her family when it was time to introduce the subject of odor control. Her ten-year-old is not quite there yet, but her twelve-year-old twin daughters are. The twins lead energetic lives between school, their varied afternoon activities and their beloved T-Ball. Meisie said that when she realized, after one enthusiastic afternoon hug (and a private wrinkle of the nose), that it was time to introduce deodorant, she made sure to turn a matter of necessity into a fun outing - and a sweet rite of passage.

She asked her twin daughters to join her on a trip to their local grocery store and, after picking up a few mundane essentials, she suggested they check out the deodorants. The girls were enthusiastic and they all had fun investigating the dizzying array of choices before Meisie gently guided them toward choosing the right deodorant. They ended their expedition with a stop for Sundaes at the local ice cream parlor, where they giddily 'toasted' their latest foray into their teens. My smart friend took advantage of her girls' giddy mood to stress the importance of regularly using their new deodorants to keep themselves free of odor and thus avoid any discomfort and embarassment.

Recently, Unilever released the Tween Confidence Index, which suggests that tween confidence is short-lived but can be safe-guarded by maintaining strong communication between tweens and parents. With this and other resources available at DontFretTheSweat.com, Unilever aims to show parents that they can talk to their tweens about how the right deodorant can keep them free from odor, embarrassment and discomfort along the way.

I shared the site with Meisie and we both love the expert advice section from the "perspiration pros" - great tips and stories! the stories are not just about how not to fret the sweat, but are also on how to handle those moments when you realize, with a gulp, that your tween is becoming a teen.

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

A Must-Have for all Hot Mamas To Be

When I was pregnant with Pudding Pie, it's safe to say that I was the poster child for the not hot mom to be. My sister was pregnant at the same time and we'd compare notes over the phone. She was happy, energetic, confident and always stylish. I was nauseous, exhausted, anxious and a complete style disaster. Of course I did gain 70 pounds - around twice the recommended amount, and this didn't help. I also had 'morning sickness' most of the way through my pregnancy and, while it really wasn't pleasant, it was also my excuse for the saggy, baggy, blotchy, bleary disaster I presented to the world each morning. I kept waiting for the 'glow', and it did show up eventually - the morning that Pudding Pie emerged and my pregnancy was over!

I had piles of pregnancy books but what I needed was one easy-to-read book with punchy, bite-sized bits of valuable info: The Hot Mom To be Handbook delivers exactly this. Author Jessica Denay addresses a host of pregnancy topics, including the right way to tell your boss you're pregnant, how to deal with those legendary pregnancy mood swings, and keeping the spark in your relationship even when you feel like baby hippo.

The book is wonderful for its "Yes, I know exactly what you mean!" moments. Denay touches on Pregnancy Brain; cravings; nausea that simply won't go away (Denay does give us a list of what mom says works best if you're afflicted); the angst over choosing the.perfect.name(s); how to have a memorable shower; decorating baby's room.

I particularly love her Hot Mom Checklist: Focus on what you can control (healthy eating and drinking, limiting caffeine, eliminating smoking and alcohol), and let go of what you can't! (Other people's reactions/pregnancies, your mother-in-law ...) I was always comparing myself/my pregnancy to other moms and moms-to-be and it was never a good idea. Denay reminds us that there is no perfect pregnancy and that we should strive to find our own balance. Oh boy, I could have used this advice four years ago!

One of my favorite chapters examines Baby 'Crap" and here Denay is not referring to the stuff that diapers are made for, but rather the mind-numbingly long list of must-haves that we decide we need for baby. I know exactly what she is talking about ... The more I prepared for baby's arrival, the longer my list of essentials grew. To be fair, I was discovering things that I really did need, but I also spent precious pennies where I didn't need to.

There are invaluable sections on how to select the best and most apropriate strollers and diaper bagsfor you/your lifestyle. My husband and I were bewildered and baffled by the array of choices when we decided to select a stroller. We ended up choosing a beast that barely fit in my trunk and took several minutes to set up each time we used it. It wasn't too long after Pudding Pie was born that we acquired two more strollers: a jogging stroller and a light, compact stroller that requires no more than a deft flick of the wrist to get it roadworthy.

We got lucky with the diaper bag. I received a Petunia Picklebottom as a shower gift and I never looked back. I have a friend who had her son just three weeks before Pudding Pie arrived and she went through several diaper bags all in his first year. It is easy to underestimate how much use that sucker will get! In her Handbook, Denay lists her favorite diaper bags in every price range.

I found myself nodding feverishly in agreement when I got to the line where Denay says, and I quote " ... getting supportive bras during your pregnancy for the time being and beyond is a MUST!" (page 171). At first it didn't occur to me that I'd actually need to throw down cash and get new, decent bras for during pregnancy. I decided I'd be fine with what I had. Besides, I couldn't afford it, I needed to save the money for more important baby stuff (yet another cute blanket, extra refills for my diaper disposal unit, a bottle sterilizer for my exclusively breast fed baby.) As my pregnancy progressed and those bras began to bite into my increasingly more fleshy shoulders, and as these same bras began to sag helplessly under an increased load that they were never meant to uphold, I was forced to re-visit my initial decision. I gave in and I bought pregnancy bras. A few months later, I was that mom, racing into the store with a wailing newborn, frantically searching for decent nursing bras because I was so focused on getting all the baby gadgets, I'd forgotten about the important stuff for mom - again!

At the end of each of the nine chapters, Denay poses some monthly journal questions and they are a great way to help a mom-to-be get her thoughts on paper. I wish I'd kept a pregnancy journal, perhaps I would have if I'd had questions like these to help get me going. Also neat are the Bump On A Budget and Eco-Minded Mama sections (I love the tip to squeeze a lemon into your diaper bucket as a natural way to neutralize odor!) found near the end of most of the chapters.

If you're swimming in a sea of pregnancy advice and you need a candid read that'll have you smiling, while it dispenses valuable advice, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Jessica Denay's The Hot Mom to Be Handbook - you won't be disappointed! Also, the last chapter has a sweet bonus: the Hot Moms Club Exclusive Directory: punch in the discount code andget access to thousands of dollars worth of online discounts at Denay's favorite companies - ooh!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of HarperCollins and received a copy of The Hot Mom to Be Handbook to facilitate my review. Mom Central also sent me a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Say Hello to Bright, Bold, Comfortable and Confident U!

Pudding Pie has a few years to go before I sit her down and talk to her about women's health issues, but I clearly remember my own mom earnestly sitting me down and attempting to open up a discussion about the beginning of menstruation and related issues. We are very close, but on that afternoon, I wanted to be anywhere else but where I was. I was an awkward teen, embarassed by the mere thought of having a period. I had so many questions, but I couldn't bring myself to address them with my mom - not even when she was offering answers!

As a teenager, I had a close friend who declined to discuss the matter at all with her own mom and instead chose to deal with the onset of her menstruation as best she could. Months went by and her mom became puzzled at the large bills she was receiving from our boarding school pharmacy. She questioned my friend and discovered that the poor girl believed that once you began your period, you had to wear bulky sanitary pads every day - forever! Imagine her relief when her mom gently informed her that this wasn't the case!

When its time for our mother/daughter chat, I want Pudding Pie to feel confident and relaxed, I want her to see our conversations about women's health issues as direct and informative rather than uncomfortable and embarassing. Most of all, I want her to feel at ease enough to ask questions, so that she never has to suffer the misconceptions that my dear friend did all those years ago!

We need to challenge the climate of secrecy and embarassment surrounding an event as mundane as monthly menstruation and, with this in mind, Kotex has launched the bold and bright U product. U by Kotex is a new line of tampons, pads and liners, with a slim, thinner design, making them easier and more comfortable to use. U is also a product line with a mission to help girls become more educated about their period, to learn how to better take care of themselves, and to refuse to go along with the norms of secrecy, embarassment surrounding menstruation.

Visit http://walmart.com/ubykotex to learn more about the U by Kotex line, get some free samples and download a fun Daily Journal iPhone or iTouch application that lets you take pictures, add play lists and geo-target your location for each entry. I clicked through the Period Know-How quiz and learned a few new facts myself. U by Kotex has also aired some very clever and funny commercials which address the myths - and realities of having your period, check out this one for a good chuckle: http://bit.ly/dsdQ0c.

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

Mom Central's Mother's Day Gift Guide and Giveaways!

Its time to celebrate! Yup, its time to celebrate your own mom, time to celebrate being a mom - and its time to enjoy being celebrated as a mom! Mom Central is helping us with all this celebrating by offering their own fab guide on what gifts to give mom this coming Sunday, May 9th. They are also hosting a bunch of giveaways - so fun! Click over and scroll through their great ideas, then get your name in the hat for a chance to win a fabulous prize!