THERA°PEARL Children's Pals - Keepin' it Cool (or Hot)

In the world of children, "boo-boos" happen daily. Between stubbing toes while attempting early morning coordination to falling down repeatedly while learning to walk, you are bound to encounter bumps and bruises constantly once your child is on the move. Your job, as a parent, is to cushion those falls with words of encouragement and love. If not, you look like a bad parent, or one that is trying to raise their child to be the next Terminator. Most parents choose to go for the soothing option, and that being said, there are SOOOOOOO many products on the market to help with that. How do you choose? Do you make your own Boo-Boo Bunny at home to hold ice on those bumps and bruises? Do you buy the tackle box sized first aid kit? Or do you take the middle ground and buy something a little less homemade and a lot less dramatic? This is probably answered by the number child you are on too. If it is your first child, you most likely bought the tackle box filled with an entire lifetime's worth of band-aids and ointments, gauze rolls and defibrillators. If it is your sixth child you stopped reading after the second sentence of this post, and if you are somewhere in between, you are waiting to hear what the "middle ground" is. And here it is: THERA°PEARL Children's Pals!!!!

Ribbit the Frog

Buddy the Puppy

Pearl the Pig

Ping the Panda

How adorable are those little guys (or gals)?!?! They retail for ONLY $5.99!!!!

I got to try a THERA°PEARL Children's Pal for review purposes through Tomoson, and let me tell you, they are great! For inquiring minds, I got Ribbit the Frog, but it was hard to choose jut one. First of all, they are kid-friendly because they are so fun! Have you ever noticed that the second a child gets hurt they immediately become skeptical of every little thing - What are you putting on me? A band-aid. Will it hurt? No, it never has before. Why do we have to do that? Because we don't want your cut to get infected. No, I don't want that! And so on.... It can become quite the battle just to apply some Neosporin and a band-aid to a simple scrape. With these little hot/cold packs, you don't get that kind of interrogation. They are made with little beads inside of them which makes them unique from most products on the market that serve it's same purpose. This in and of itself makes it appealing to children of any age. They can squish them and move them around, and they are brightly colored inside the see-through casing so they can watch themselves manipulate the little beads. One of my favorite things about these little packs is the fact that they can be used HOT or COLD. This takes their versatility to a whole new level, as most products can only do one of the two. What I love even more than that is the fact that independent lab tests have suggested that they contain no heavy metals, no VOCs (volatile organic compounds) or BPAs (Bisphenol A), making them safe, hypoallergenic and reusable. Plus, they will not leak or drip or tear (unless abused, that is), making them that more reliable. With so much controversy over what is safe for our children, it makes product choices much easier when they leave out these questionable ingredients and make higher quality products. Plus, these cuties won the "Parent Tested Parent Approved" (PTPA) award for quality and appeal! 

I give the THERA°PEARL Children's Pals 10 stars!

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You can find more information about THERA°PEARL and the products they offer here. Be sure to show some support for them by "liking" them on Facebook, following them on Twitter, checking them out on Pinterest, and adding them to your circles on google+. 

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Summer Unplugged - Get Your Bowl On!

My son has a Summer birthday.... Right smack dab in the middle of Summer. Anyone who has a "Summer baby" knows what a great deal of time is spent planning a party while trying to juggle the kids being home 24/7, weekend barbecues, family vacations, and a few fun activities to keep the kids occupied. We enjoy spending a lot of time outdoors, but because of the ever-fluctuating weather here in the great state of New York, we never know what we are going to get. It is almost impossible to plan outings because if anything is set in stone, one of two things WILL happen: 1) It will pour - not rain, not sprinkle- it will monsoon! or 2) It will be so humid, that leaving the house to go anywhere that doesn't have air conditioning is a death sentence. You are better off making last minute plans and being entirely flexible-two characteristics I would never use to describe myself. 

For the kiddies

We are fortunate enough to have an AMF Bowling Center (or five) in our area, and even more grateful for their Summer Unplugged Program. What is that you ask? Well, in an effort to keep kids from driving their parents insane active, and combat the bi-polar weather here, AMF Bowling Centers has made bowling the obvious solution to any Summer problem. Too hot and muggy? Bored of the same old routine? Register your kids (age 15 and younger) here to bowl 2 games for free, each and every day, from May 13, 2013 to September 2, 2013, anytime from open to 8 PM. On top of that, you can register up to 6 children per account. If you have more than 6 children, you must be crazy register them under another e-mail address to accommodate your brood. Because I am not the trickster-type, I will disclose the fact that you will need to pay to rent bowling shoes for each participating child. That being said, it is a small price to pay for the memories that will be made. Have you ever seen the face of a child who has bowled their first strike? Beat their older sibling? Accidentally throw the ball down the wrong lane?

For the adults

For all of the parents, grandparents, babysitters, nannies, or just adults in general... AMF Bowling Centers has thought of you too! For the one time cost of $34.95 you can purchase the Summer Pass, which allows you to bowl 2 games per day from May 13, 2013 to September 2, 2013. Additionally, you can include up to 3 guests (16 years of age and older) per visit to the bowling alley. Again, the cost of rental shoes is not configured into this price, but do the math... For almost 4 months of bowling, and up to 8 games per day (if you completely utilize your guest allowance), you could have your pass paid for in just a couple of visits! Go here to register today and get the most for your Summer bowling adventures.

Astonishingly enough, this deal gets better! New, this Summer, is the "Stay and Play"  option. If you are a Summer Unplugged or Summer Pass subscriber, and 2 games is too few for your satisfaction, you can bowl your little heart out for only $1.49 per game over your daily 2. Plus, AMF Centers have made this a hassle-free process. You sign up once and you are good to go! No coupons, no emails, no printing, etc... Walk yourself into your nearest AMF alley and present your membership card (which you will receive on your first visit after signing up), or simply give them your name so they can look you up - that is all that stands between you and a fun, comfortable afternoon of bowling! Simple enough, right? What are you waiting for? Sign up here for your very own Summer Pass, or the Summer Unplugged program for those special kids in your life.

To find your nearest AMF Bowling Center click here - With over 250 centers, you are sure to find one near you!

Disclosure: I participated in this campaign as a member of One2One Network and am eligible for a prize drawing. All opinions stated in this post are my own.

Summer Reading Part II - Crime & Passion by Chantel Rhondeau

Have you ever read a book, and regardless of the fact that the main question was answered, you want it to continue? That is where I am right now.... I recently finished Crime and Passion by Chantel Rhondeau, and I want more! Lucky for me, I have a small library's worth of cheap and/or free books on my handy-dandy Kindle app. Which, is another thing worth mentioning.... I have only recently gotten on board with this whole digital reading thing. I tend to prefer to physically hold my book and turn the pages between my fingers, but that is becoming less popular apparently. I still love to have a good paperback, but I have definitely enjoyed the simplicity of reading on my phone. I can read while feeding the baby, laying in bed at night (without a light), and while walking the dog.... Ok, not quite while walking the dog, but you get the point. There is this guy who walks around the neighborhood reading a book-like literally, his nose is in a book....How has he not been hit by a car? And should he get some kind of prize for 1-not getting hit by a car and 2- working out his mind and body at the same time? Definitely more ambitious than myself, but I digress.... I may not have walked the dog while reading, but I certainly did test my multitasking capabilities while reading Crime and Passion because I couldn't put it down!

I LOVED this book. I am typically the play-it-safe kind of reader. You know, the one who finds an author, reads each and every one of their books, and when they run out searches the New York Times Bestseller list or Oprah's Book Club reads to find another author to stalk read. I am grateful that I have been able to read some authors that I otherwise would not have (from sites such as Tomoson); the author of my latest review, Chantel Rhondeau, being one of them!

I think that the title of this book fits it perfectly. If I had to describe this book in two words, I am pretty sure that CRIME and PASSION would be the two that I would choose. It starts out on the beach of a small ocean side town, where the town newbie, and dog walker (Madeline) finds the dead body of a local child and wife beater, and also gets a glimpse of the possible murderer fleeing the scene. The responding officer (Donovan) is a well-known player, and I'm not talking football. In a thrilling story line, you find out that Donovan has strong feelings about men who abuse women and children (making him a possible suspect), an even stronger interest in Madeline, and a tattered past. While they work together to solve the mystery of who killed this man, they learn a lot about one another, and the lengths they will go to persevere and stand-up for what is right. A murder, mixed with some love and conflict is the perfect recipe for a romantic thriller!

I enjoyed that this book was told from both Madeline's and Donovan's perspectives. I appreciate when an author can do that and have it remain cohesive. It is so intriguing to get into the heads of the characters individually versus experiencing it all from one point of view. The text was very easy to read as well. I found myself breezing through chapters without even realizing it. The characters are very personable and believable; easy to relate to. If I was not the parent of two young children I may have finished this book in just a day or two, however it probably only took me four or five days total.  

If this sounds like your genre of choice, or you like to read any and everything, you can grab yourself a (digital or print) copy on Amazon, and I highly recommend you do. I give this book 10 stars!

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Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.