A No-Mess Way To Fight Those Rays

For the past couple of weeks, Pudding Pie and her two friends have been enrolled in daily swim lessons. Our mornings are always chaotic and we usually skid into the pool just barely in time for our 10am lesson.

Pre-lesson you'll find me in a mad flap as I wrestle the younger girls into their swim diapers and swimsuits while cajoling/threatening Pudding Pie into hers. Then its on to hunting for everyone's flip-flops, gathering towels, clothes, extra diapers and all the other items that make a pool bag so unreasonably heavy.

I'm usually still trying to get the oblivious Pudding Pie to put on her swimsuit while I'm hustling to make the essential after-swim snack, fill the sippy cups and throw on my own suit.

Once we're poolside, there's no time for applying sunscreen, and the teacher stands, tapping her toes, as she waits for us to get it together so she can start class. Its no fun slathering 'gloopy' sunscreen onto three squirming girls who are itching to get in the water.

Starting last week, our routine has changed a little. I've begun using Shady Day Daily Sun Protection Wipes instead of our usual sunscreen, and the sunscreen application process has become far more pleasant!

I can put on my own sunscreen!

Now, just before we pull out of the drive, I hand each of my diminutive passengers a sun protection wipe and they busy themselves wiping wherever they can on their bodies while I ferry them to the pool. Who would have thought they'd actually enjoying applying sunscreen!

Once we're at the pool, it takes just a few mess-free minutes to finish getting all three girls sunscreened, then its into the pool with no fuss and a far less frazzled mama.

I confess that when I first tried these wipes, I was a little sceptical. I couldn't see how much sunscreen was actually going onto those little faces, so I hesitated and used our regular sunscreen lotion on the kids' faces and the Shady Day sunscreen wipes on my own face and everyone's bodies. I needn't have worried. At the end of our swim lesson, I realised we'd all been equally protected and now we use the wipes and nothing else!

Backed by a team of dermatologists, the hygenic pre-moistened Shady Day wipes contain broad spectrum UVA/UVB SPF 30 sunscreen, and are designed for the whole body.

Purchase Shady Day products at these retailers:

http://www.beautybrands.com/

http://www.ulta.com/

http://www.diapers.com/

http://www.rickysnyc.com/

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Shady Day and received a sample package of Shady Day Daily Sun Protection Wipes and a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Be Proactive In The Fight Against Cervical Cancer

As moms, it is our desire - and our duty - to do all we can to proactively protect our children. Cervical cancer is a serious health threat for women, but it is both preventable and curable if detected early. The National Cancer Institute estimates new cases of cervical cancer in 2010 at 12,200 and deaths from cervical cancer for 2010 at 4,210. Visit http://www.cancer.gov/ for more information.

Knowing that cervical cancer is both preventable and curable, I'll be using every resource available to me to protect Pudding Pie. HPV vaccines are for girls and young women ages 9-26. The vaccines act as powerful tools to help protect against the two types of HPV that are most commonly associated with cervical cancer. When Pudding Pie is the right age, she'll be getting her vaccine.

I have realised that its not enough for me to focus only on protecting Pudding Pie. For my daughter's sake, I have to be my own health advocate, stay proactive, and protect myself too.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women worldwide, but the good news is that it is easily preventable because we know its cause, HPV. To protect against cervical cancer, we need routine Pap testing and we also need to ask for the HPV Test.

The Pap Test looks at a sample of cells taken from a woman's cervix for any cell changes or abnormalities. Pap testing should begin at age 21. The HPV Test is conducted from the same sample as the Pap and identifies women with high-risk HPV infections that can cause cervical cancer. When used with a Pap in women 30 and older, the HPV test increases the ability to identify who is at risk of developing cervical cancer.

However, not all doctors automatically use both tests so, moms, if you're 30 or older, ask your doctor for the digene HPV test along with your Pap smear.

• If both tests come back normal, then the tests don't need to be repeated for 3 years. But remember to return each year for your annual health exam.


• If one or both tests come back abnormal, this doesn't necessarly mean you have cervical cancer. It simply enables your healthcare provider to monitor you more closely or treat pre-cancerous cells before cervical cancer develops.


• HPV testing isn't necessary for women younger than 30, because HPV infections in young women usually go away on their own without causing problems. Women under 30 will only have HPV testing if their Pap testing is inconclusive.

To learn more about the early detection and prevention of cervical cancer through HPV screening and Pap testing, visit http://www.thehpvtest.com/. The site is chock-full of information and includes frequently-asked-questions, patient stories, and tips on deciphering test results. Take a few minutes to test your knowledge of HPV in the Myths vs. Facts Quiz -I was shocked at how uninformed I was!
Follow on Twitter: @HPVinformed
Follow on Facebok: http://bit.ly/HPVTestFB

Be sure to check out these other helpful links on cervical cancer prevention:

http://www.theyellowumbrella.org/
The Yellow Umbrella Organization is founded by cervical cancer survivor and "rocker", Christine Baze, who takes her music and story on the road to educate women about cancer prevention. Visit Christine's http://www.savethehooch.org/ hooch.org site to putchase a Yellow Umbrella make-up kit to raise money for cervical cancer prevention.

http://www.healthywomen.org/
HealthyWomen is the nation's leading independent health information source for women. Recently listed as one of Forbes' top 100 websites for women, healthywomen.org has resources on many women's health issues, including comprehensive info on cervical and gynecologic cancers.

http://www.pearlofwisdom.us/
The Pearl of Wisdom Campaign To Prevent Cervical Cancer is a gobal partnership to raise awareness of tools for preventing cervical cancer and advocate for making them available to girls and women worldwide. Buy a pin, send an e-card, and download educational materials.

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

Go Back To School With Eco-Friendly School Supplies

Summer's been a blast but now it is time to start checking things off on those back-to-school shopping lists. I was just talking with a friend who is mom to three school-age girls, and she was bemoaning the endless list of school supplies to be tracked down as her girls prepare themselves for the coming year.

In the rush to get school-ready, we are so caught up in gathering the essentials for our kids, that we can forget about the negative impact all of those school supplies can have on the environment.

Paper Mate has not forgotten and now, to give us an opportunity to be proactive for the environment, Paper Mate has launched a new line of eco-friendly writing utensils, which include biodegradable pens and mechanical pencils. What an awesome idea!

To help demonstrate how products impact our environment, and to witness first-hand how eco-friendly these writing utensils are, we participated in the Plant-A-Pen Challenge. The Challenge was created by Mom Central, in partnership with Paper Mate.

For the challenge, we first separated the components of the pen into the biodegradable and non-biodegradable parts. (The packaging clearly explains which parts of the pen may be returned to the environment, and which may not.)

Next, we planted the biodegradable components of our Paper Mate pen on the edge of a nature reserve next door to our apartment. We marked the spot with our favorite Easter Bunny garden ornament, so we'll know where to go for our check up visits! Assuming all goes as it should, the planted pen will begin to break down over the next few months, and its components will biodegrade back into the soil.

At first, Pudding Pie was perplexed by this activity (she's never helped Mommy plant a pen before...), but now she's excited and she keeps wanting to check on its progress! This is such a great way to show her how something as small as a pen has an effect on our environment, and I confess that I am as excited as Pudding Pie to watch the biodegrading begin!

Pudding Pie marking the spot of our freshly planted pen.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Paper Mate 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.

A Natural Way To Restore a Healthier, Happier Mood

UPDATE: Congratulations to Mary Anne, you have won a 3-month supply of SAM-e Complete, plus a reusable water bottle and a mood journal! Thank you for taking the time to comment!

Life is busy. Those precious hours dedicated to sleep seem short and getting shorter. At the same time, those waking hours don't seem enough to get through the unending list of 'to-do's'. Sometimes, when you're feeling overwhelmed, its hard to keep upbeat and stay on track. I often find myself wishing for my own genie in a bottle to help me attack my more challenging days.

That genie has yet to show up but, lately, I've been feeling a new serenity. I haven't changed much in my daily life, the 'to-do's' are still coming at me thick and fast, but the tasks aren't seeming quite so insurmountable. I attribute this new, more centered attitude to Nature Made SAM-e Complete, a supplement I began taking a little over a week ago.

I've learned that, as we get older, our bodies start making less SAM-e, a naturally occurring compound, which ultimately works to maintain a balanced mood. Nature Made SAM-e Complete is a supplement clinically proven to naturally support a healthy mood. It does this by helping replenish your body's natural levels of SAM-e. For more information on Nature Made SAM-e, visit http://www.sam-e.com/.

Nature Made SAM-e Complete recently launched the "Give a Smile" campaign. They are working with Dream Factory, the second largest children's wish-granting organization in the U.S., to grant the wishes of three children suffering from a critical or chronic illness. Through this campaign, SAM-e will donate to a child's wish for every social action you complete (like uploading an image to their mosaic). The more social actions, the more SAM-e will donate. Click on this link to learn more about how your actions lead to SAM-e donations!

*How would you like to try Nature Made SAM-e yourself? Leave a comment before midnight on Sunday, August 15th and you'll be entered to win a 3-month supply, and a reusable water bottle and a mood journal!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Nature Made and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review.

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.