Category Archives: product review

>Smartboards and Smart Love of Learning

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>I entered this blog tour with a touch of envy. I’ve sample the joys of interactive boards in other classrooms and I am registered for training before the next school year starts. I don’t have one in my elementary classroom – yet – but I do have access to an interactive board in another location down the hall.

Currently, I have an oldfashioned chalkboard and overhead projector in my room. I share a media cart (laptop and projector) with the other teachers in my unit. My fourth grade students have grown up with technology; they consider a computer as natural as a telephone. Many even have their own cell phones, email accounts, and even Facebook pages. Maybe they’ll friend the Smart Love of Learning page! If you’re not on Facebook, you can find the Smart Love of Learning here.

A Smart Board does much more than provide a writing surface. In fact, it takes the computer and projector several steps farther, incorporating technological options into the projecting surface. This video on YouTube showcases the Smart board’s potential for fun. In addition to its use as a teaching tool, my school also uses the technology in staff meetings to project everything from test statistics to crisis intervention plans to inspirational videos.

MomCentral asked its bloggers to talk about the best teacher ever. I’m biased, of course; I’d like to think I’m the best teacher ever! If you talk to the student who drew the picture below, I think she’d agree. Maybe I’ll keep a small chalkboard around just for kids like her.

I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Smart Love of Learning and Smart Technologies. I did not recieve a Smart Board to facilitate the review, but I did receive an Amazon gift certificate to thank me for my time. I can, however, enter the contest on Smart Love of Learning’s web site with prizes including (you guessed it!) a classroom Smart Board. PTA moms and other advocates, pay attention! Click on the apple, enter the relevant information, and you could win one for your child’s teacher.

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>Mother’s Cookies: the circus kind

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Do these cookies bring back memories?

No? Then you were a deprived child. They’re Mother’s Cookies, the circus kind, with pink and white frosting and sprinkles. The company is expanding into the Kansas City market, so they asked MomCentral for a little help generating excitement for their brand. Of course I said I’d help!

These cookies are a little sweeter than standard shortbread animal cookies, but they’re still mild enough to eat a handful as a snack without overdoing the sugar. Young kids like them with milk. I like mine with coffee. My teenager likes his with Mountain Dew and a computer. Well, he didn’t eat the computer.


If Mother’s Cookies aren’t in your market yet, you can find them at Amazon. You won’t find them at my house until we go shopping again; the two bags provided for the review went quickly. I’m finishing the last of the batch right now – for breakfast. Shh; it’s okay. I’ll have a grapefruit later.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Mother’s Cookies and received two bags of cookies and a $20 Amazon gift certificate to facilitate my review. Good timing; I can put it towards an order for Father’s Day. Chuck hinted about a train book….

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>Noodles & Company, Pasta and Vegetables

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>When MomCentral asked me to be part of a blog tour that reviewed Noodles & Company, I emailed La Petite, who was still at school:

“When you come home, we need to make a trip to Noodles & Company for a product review. Darn. Such a sacrifice. I hope you’re up for it. “
She was up for it. She replied, “I just can’t say No to Noodles.”

Our opportunity came sooner than we thought. I picked her up at her roommate’s home in the Madison area after a big graduation party. On our way out of town, we looked for a place to have a light lunch. We didn’t want to sit down and have something heavy, but we wanted something better than fast food. Lo and behold, we spotted a Noodles & Company outside of Madison’s East Towne mall.

I hear you thinking, “What a coincidence! Did you plan that? Come on, Daisy, out with it.”

No, we didn’t precisely plan to go to Noodles & Company that day. I did pack the bowl coupons in my purse, though, because I knew our route would take us down an immense Strip with just about every restaurant option you could want. Luck was with us; the Noodles & Company was on the right side of the road at the right time.

At the suggestion of Mom Central and because it was in season, I ordered the Asparagus and Lemon Linguine dish. It tasted as good as it looked. Feta cheese on top, snap peas to join the asparagus, simply delicious. Those are La Petite’s sunglasses, by the way; you didn’t think I was that fashionable, did you?

Daughter had her “usual,” the pesto cavatappi with chicken. She let me try a bite of hers, and she sampled mine. Both were delicious.


Prior to this review, I hadn’t been to Noodles & Company for a long time. Our local Noodles restaurant isn’t close to home, it’s close to the mall. I’m not a big mall-goer, so we end up there on rare and special occasions. I’m glad I took the time to go; I really do enjoy their menu. Speaking of menu, you can go to their web site and check out the menu before you go. I highly recommend clicking on the Farmers Market link and then playing the little veggie/ noodle musicians’ video. It’s adorable.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Noodles & Company and received five Noodles & Company bowl cards to facilitate my review. Mom Central also sent me a thank-you gift certificate.

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>Tweens and Body Odor

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>I sent the following note home in my class’ weekly newsletter.

“I’ve noticed an increase in body odor in the room. Are your children ready for deodorant? It may be time to have the personal hygiene talk with your child!”

The best version of this “talk” came from a school nurse who had a son in sixth grade. She was a middle school nurse, so she had street cred with my students at the time: the dreaded 6th graders. She talked about face washing, astringent, and acne. She informed them that only 30% of kids their age washed their hands after using the bathroom, and challenged them to become part of the elite 30%. She taught the kids that as they reach their preteen years, the body starts producing hormones. Those hormones combined with sweat create (drumroll) Body Odor. She explained the difference between antiperspirant and deodorant. When she was done, they were psyched.

I now teach 4th grade, so the *ahem* odors in a spring-time classroom are not as intense as a room housing 6th graders between its chalkboards and walls. However, after an intense afternoon recess of kickball and jump rope, the scent still wafts through the air.

Socially, it’s not popular to smell of sweat and body odor. As children get old enough to use deodorant, sometimes I need to approach the awkward subject and tell them it’s time. So when MomCentral offered a blog review tour for Unilever products geared for preteens, I offered to check out the products.

In addition to the products (Dove deodorant and body spray), Unilever presents a web site devoted to talks between parents and teens about this uncomfortable subject. It’s called Don’t Fret the Sweat. I suggest browsing the site together and then leaving it bookmarked for further perusal, er, surfing.

You may find a less, er, aromatic home and a more confident tween or teen. Trust me; your child’s teacher will be relieved, too.

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. The deodorant and body spray went by way of our school counselor to a girl in my class who is socially awkward and developing body odor. She’s a sweetheart, and this little tool might help her feel more confident. The scent is light, and she won’t be conspicuous while wearing it, either.
In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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>KinderCone; plan ahead for next fall!

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>A child’s first day of school can be a bittersweet moment in a parent’s life, but in Germany and Austria it is a day of celebration and appreciation. On that day, families present their first grader with their very own Schultüte. Inside, the child finds little gifts, treats, and school supplies. KinderCone wants to inspire every family and their young children to enjoy learning by celebrating this special event in their lives.

The KinderCone company sent me a modern-day Cone to see and review. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of it; I’d expected something smaller. It’s bright, colorful, and exciting: just the atmosphere to help a new student feel confident and enthusiastic about the coming year.

The first kindergarten in the U.S.A. opened in Watertown, Wisconsin; the town still maintains a museum dedicated to this important innovation in early childhood education.However, Kinder in Kindercone doesn’t stand for kindergarten; it represents the German term for children. In our American school system, we start kids in kindergarten rather than first grade. Many, though, consider grade one to be the first year of serious schooling.

But on the serious and sweet sides, a kindercone is a gift to inspire and excite, something special for young scholars. Motivating a child is important, and a special first day gift is a wonderful idea.


I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of KinderCone and received KinderCone samples to facilitate my review. The samples are going to my school, where many children are not lucky enough to receive such wonderful gifts. Mom Central also sent me gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate. Maybe a Teacher Cone is next: filled with coffee beans, perhaps?

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>Chicken Soup with Melba Snack Crackers

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>You know me. You know I don’t teach by the script in the book, and I don’t make recipes precisely by the instructions – well, not often. When MomCentral sent me two boxes of Melba Snack Crackers to review, I looked up a few recipes and made one – in my own way.

It was a dark and stormy Saturday, the kind that encourages sleeping late and staying indoors. It was the perfect day for chicken soup in the crockpot. I used chicken stock from the freezer combined with water and stock mix from a nearby corner market, and then added two carrots, two stalks of celery, and a little onion from the freezer. A small frozen jar of chopped leeks fell into the soup, too. Okay, it wasn’t an accident. I thought leeks would enhance the flavor of the soup.

The melba recipe had specific spices listed; 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon turmeric. I added these and a little lemon pepper. When summer arrives, I’m sure I’ll use fresh thyme. Mmmm.
The vegetables and stock simmered all day. Mid-afternoon I added diced chicken, chicken breasts I’d thawed and partially cooked over the dying coals from the grill the night before. The original recipe called for okra; with none in the pantry, I left it out. Southern friends, please try it and let me know if okra makes a difference in the flavor.
To serve, I followed the instructions (really, truly) and served the soup over Melba Crisp Crackers, the Spicy 3 Pepper flavor. Results: delicious. The Melba Crisps were a little like croutons; more flavorful than saltine crackers, a little more fun with the soup.

While I waited for the soup to simmer, I sampled the Sea Salt flavor with cheese and summer sausage. It was delicious. Chuck tried the Spicy 3 Pepper for snacking. True to form, I thought the flavor was just right, and he thought it was a bit bland but good.

In their mission to encourage healthy eating and exercise, the people at Old London Melba Toast are also sponsoring a dance contest. “Dance Your Way to Hollywood” will send one lucky winner and a guest to Tinseltown for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, including private dance lessons and tickets to watch the taping of a highly popular television show. The four-day, three-night, all-expenses-paid experience includes air travel and accommodations at a popular Hollywood hotel. Sweepstakes entries will be accepted March 17 through June 30, 2010.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Old London Melba Toast and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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>Photoworks and Baby Phun

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Babies and pictures and photo albums go together like a horse and carriage, peanut butter and jelly, or green eggs and ham.

I have a new baby niece, so when Mom Central asked if I’d like to try out the new Photoworks site and build a baby book, well, of course I said, “Please, pretty please, may I?” Then I gathered all the photos I have of our new little sweetie and uploaded them to the site.

Uploading was easy. I created a login and password, chose my book style, and then filled my own photo album with any and all potential book pictures. Placing the photos in the book was as easy as ABC, 1-2-3, do-re-mi, or drop and drag.

As soon as I got started, I recruited La Petite to help out. She’s the most talented photographer and layout pro in the family, so I shared my password and let her go to town. But people, you don’t have to be a tech expert or a professional photographer to make this work. Photoworks albums are simple to make and produce high quality results.

And that just gives me another excuse to visit and take more photos of our cute little dumpling!


I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of American Greetings PhotoWorks and received a free photo book to facilitate my review. I feel lucky to be a part of this tour; it’s such good timing for my extended family.

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