Winner is the next person to respond

I'm not sure why, but no one entered my giveaway for the trial premium membership to the Jumpstart website. Please check out my last post for more info. I was thinking about extending it a week, but decided to give it to the next person to comment that they want it.

Jumpstart Review/Giveaway

I was really excited to get the opportunity to review Knowledge Adventure's first browser-based virtual world at www.JumpStart.com for kids aged 3-10. Knowledge Adventure has been creating award-winning educational products for use in the home and classroom for more than 15 years. I asked Abby if she wanted to try it out, and she jumped at the opportunity. She was excited right away to make herself an avatar, known as Jumpeez in the game. She loved picking out the various features of her avatar, especially the hair. Right now, she's sporting a cute pink bob. She immediately set off on her adventures, including exploring the worlds and unlocking games, videos, and storybooks. When involved in all of her fun adventures, she is practicing skills like math and reading.

It's been a great success as far as Abby is concerned. She tells me her favorite things are the videos and storybooks, as well as the ability to adopt her own pet. I really love how user-friendly it is. She only needed me to show her how to log-in once. Since that first log-in, she has not asked me for help one time! The instructions are spoken, and if she gets lost or confused, all she has to do is click on the question mark icon.

You can purchase a premium membership for $7.99 per month on the site to get access to all of the features, but you can also make a free account that provides lots of fun as well.

Would you like to win a 3 month premium membership? Please take a look at the Jumpstart website and leave me a comment about something you learned that I didn't mention in my review.

Fore more chances, you may do the following and leave comments for each additional entry.
-Tweet about the giveaway
-Follow my blog
-Post about the giveaway on your blog and link back to this post

The giveaway will end at 12:01am on Monday, June 29th. I will contact you via email and you will have 48 hours to respond before I move on to the next person.

Diane Birch: Bible Belt Review

One2OneNetwork provided me with the opportunity to review the new CD entitles Bible Belt by Diane Birch. I didn't know anything about her, but I love all kinds of music and so was happy to take a listen and provide a review. The first thing I actually noticed was her picture on the CD cover. It's very unique and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I guess you could say that the CD lived up to the picture. I found the music to be different and unique. At times you get a jazzy feel, and at times it's somewhat bluesy.

Bio:

For singer-songwriter Diane Birch, music was a refuge. Although Diane was born in Michigan, her childhood was spent on the move as the daughter of a preacher, living between Zimbabwe, South Africa and Australia, before her parents finally settled in Portland, Oregon. When she was in her early teens, Diane absorbed a unique and cosmopolitan perspective on life that shines through her music and makes a simple categorization of it impossible.

The result? Diane Birch sounds like an old favorite, with all the sparkle and magic of a breakthrough talent. People says she sounds like a combination of early Carole King, Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks, with a little Joss Stone and Cat Power mixed in. Bible Belt is only her first record, but it’s one of the most accomplished albums you’ll hear all year. From the opening track “Fire Escape” to the closing “Magic View,” Diane’s stunning voice is mesmerizing.

Written entirely by Diane, Bible Belt was recorded in New York City and New Orleans with an impressive team of Grammy-winning producers: S-Curve Records founder Steve Greenberg, soul legend Betty Wright and Mike Mangini, in their first project together since producing Joss Stone’s first albums.

This is an album that you'll go to when in the mood for a low key vibe. I enjoyed listening while working on the laptop. The ultimate question is whether I'll go back to it now that my review is complete. I definitely will be enjoying this album in the future.

Funny kid story

Kids really do say the darndest things. I have to put this down in writing so I can remember it in the future. I work 2nd shift and now that school is out Abby will hang out in our bed with daddy and watch some TV until she falls asleep. Hubby calls me last night at work. He said that he and Abby were chatting and she got mad at him about something. She made a comment and he told her what she said was a lie. Well, she had a mini breakdown and told him to take it back. Of course, he wouldn't and she kept telling him to. He said she got quiet and started watching TV. A few minutes later she let out a big sigh and said, "Well, I guess I have to go get in my bed if we can't work this out". Hubby said she was so serious and it took all he had not to laugh. Coming from a 5 year old, that is such a grownup thing to say. They chatted a little more and worked everything out so she could stay with daddy.

Heidi and Spencer

Can someone please tell me what the fascination is with these two? I find them to be 2 of the most self-absorbed, annoying people I've ever seen on television. What is their talent? Is it just to be annoying? I've been watching "I'm a Celebrity....", and I was once again reminded of why I can't stand those 2. I really just want to punch Spencer right in the face. Why are all these talk shows having them on this week? I don't know anyone who cares about anything they do or are aspiring to do.

Piano Recital

Abby had her first piano recital last weekend. She was so excited. This girl loves to perform. She has always been shy, and it was really bad when she was a toddler and young preschool age. That's the main reason I put her in dance at 3 years old. I used to feel bad for her because she couldn't stand for someone she didn't know to even look at her. I wasn't sure how she would do in that first dance recital. She really surprised me, though. She absolutely loved being on stage and putting on a show for people. We've really worked to not reinforce the shyness but also not to force her into being someone she isn't. Anyway, she was excited for her first piano recital. I asked her why she likes be on stage. Her response was, "When I'm onstage I feel like a star". It was really cute. She's also informed us that she wants to be on American Idol. Here's the video of the recital.

Back from break

Well I had to let a few things go the past couple of weeks because life has gotten a little crazy. There's been a death in the family, hubby hurt his back, and my mother-in-law got laid off. Abby is gearing up for piano recital and dance recital. The child is only 5 years old, but is in 3 separate songs for the dance recital. This pregnancy has drained a lot of my energy, and it doesn't help that we're short staffed at work right now. I failed my glucose test and had to do the 3 hour glucose test. All I can say is that it really sucked. I drank the nastiness at 9am and stayed in the doctor's office until 12pm, when I left with 2 holes in each arm where blood was drawn 4 times. I was completely useless the rest of the day. The only think I can compare it to was a really bad hangover from my college days. I was happy when I found out that I passed, but then I got a little pissed that they tortured me for nothing. At least I'm in the home stretch now. My third trimester actually starts today. I should get hubby to take a couple of pictures of my belly, since I haven't taken any. Abby is so excited about baby Ava coming, and the other day she told me she wants to be there when she's born. That's not gonna happen because I'd be too worried about her the whole time. I told her mommy would be in lots of pain and that I might be crying a lot. Her response was "I can handle it". She can come visit after the drama. Well that's about it for the craziness that is my life right now.

Happy Mother's Day

Being a mom is one of the most difficult, yet one of the most rewarding jobs I've ever had. Although I probably complain more than I should, I'm proud to be Abby's mommy. She gave me 2 pictures she's been saving all week. What I treasure most is the look on her face and how proud she was to give me those pictures. Baby Ava will be here before I know it. It will add a lot more stress to my life, but also so many more blessings. I think of the coworker trying to get pregnant without success. I don't take my kids for granted. I'm more proud of my role as mom than anything else I've ever done in my life. To my fellow moms, take a moment to reflect on how lucky you really are and give the kids a big, slobbery kiss.

Free KFC chicken!

In case you haven't heard, Oprah is teaming up with KFC to give away a free 2pc Kentucky Grilled Chicken meal. It comes with 2 pieces of chicken, 2 sides, and a biscuit. Go to the KFC site to print your coupons. You only have until May 6th (tomorrow) at 9:59pm CDT. It can be used until May 19th (except on Mother's day). Enjoy!

Cinco de Mayo yummy recipe

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the day that 4000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico on the morning of May 5th, 1862. In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I posted a recipe for Churros on my Examiner.com column. Please check it out and enjoy!

BabyGanics Review

I had the pleasure of reviewing some products from BabyGanics and was asked to review them on my blog.

BabyGanics is a line of products developed by a couple of new dads who where not happy with the cleaning products available to them. They felt that even the products that were so-called "green" still had ingredients that were too harsh. They state on their website that the BabyGanics products "clean like crazy and are safe around babies: earth safe, people safe and picky mother-in-law safe". This is a plus to me considering the fact that I have a young child and a baby on the way.

I was surprised when I received my package at all the products I received. They included the All Purpose Cleaner, the Air Freshener and Odor Eliminator, Dish Dazzler, The Germinator, The Grime Fighter wipes. I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the effectiveness of the products. They all worked quite well. I wasn't sure if I'd like the dish soap, but I was happy with the results I got. It had a very clean smell to it and actually made lots of bubbles, which I wasn't expecting. The Air Freshener has a great smell that lasts for awhile. I honestly couldn't tell a difference between the All Purpose Cleaner and the cleaners that I normally use. My favorite product was the wipes. They were large and didn't fall apart while in use. They had a great smell and cleaned quite well. I must say they were my favorite product.

Please take a look at the BabyGanics website. They have a lot more products that even the ones I tried, and you can order from the site. The prices are reasonable, and I don't think you'll be disappointed with the cleaning results.

Provided for review by Southard Communications on behalf of BabyGanics