Actual Unretouched Photo Product Reviews

GameStop

2008-07-25T00:20:00.000-07:00

My children are always longing for a new video game of some sort or another. We've recently discovered our local GameStop--my son wanted to see if they carried old games for the original Nintendo game systems. (They did not, alas.)

But they have a large selection of games for all the current systems (XBox, Nintendo, PS2, etc.). In fact, when I stopped by to shop with a gift-card given to me just for this promotion, the two employees both asked me if I needed anything. I browsed for quite awhile, then asked if they have Wii Fit. (Out of stock.)

I purchased a Nintendo DS game for my daughter--a game where you take care of up to six "babies." I'm hoping this will entertain her during long car rides. (She's five and a half, but since she has older brothers, she is quite the video game player. Once she can read, she'll be unstoppable.)

So, all in all, a great experience. Nice store, helpful staff, excellent place to buy video games to keep the kids occupied.

Nana Star

2008-07-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

When we received the package containing Nana Star--including a doll, stuffed Moonman, two books and accompanying CDs--it was like Christmas in summer.

My daughter is five and a half--and funnily enough--was immediately attracted to the Moonman toy rather than the doll. She did take the book and CD upstairs right away to listen to and "read." Later, then, she asked for the doll to be removed from the package so she could play with her.

Nana Star and all the accompanying items are really darling. While I am partial to Nana Star the doll, my daughter is still very fond of Moonman. The book is a delight with its lovely illustrations and my daughter loves listening to the CD on her Hello Kitty CD player.

You can see a little preview of Nana Star on YouTube. Check it out here.

We love Nana Star. So do the reviewers on Amazon. Maybe you will, too.

Schlage Keypad Lock Review

2008-07-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

I recently received a Schlage keypad deadbolt to review.

I am thrilled to report that installation of this deadbolt was super-easy. My handy-man friend said the hardest part was getting the old deadbolt out. He was able to install it with one tool, a screwdriver.

We put it on an exterior door that leads directly into the teenagers' room. (It used to be a garage, then was turned into a rec room and we use it for a bedroom.) The door has been inoperative for a long time because of a dead doorknob, but we bought a Schlage doorknob to match our new deadbolt and couldn't be happier.

Just now, I went out to program the thing. This is the cool part about this particular lock. I took out the instructions and within a few moments was able to program two entry codes: one for the boys and one for me. You can program up to 19 separate codes--so say someone's coming to house-sit. Instead of giving the house-sitter a key, you simply assign him or her a code. And then later, you can erase it. Easy as pie!

It's awesome, I think. I am very happy with my Schlage deadbolt.

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I received a complimentary deadbolt and a $20 Amazon gift-card for this review, but that doesn't change the fact that I am very impressed by the quality of this item. I will look for this brand in the future.

Review: GoPets Vacation Island

2008-06-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

We received a GoPets: Vacation Island Nintendo DS game to play.

First, I handed it over to my 5 and a half year old girl. She was highly motivated to play it and loves these sorts of games where you have a virtual pet and you can buy items and make friends. Alas, because she cannot read yet, she was not able to play this game independently.

So, then I gave it to my 10-year old boy to play. He is not fond of this type of game, but despite his declared dislike for it, he played it for a solid two hours. He enjoyed the arcade area of the game.

My 15-year old son told me he'd play it and give me a review, but we didn't get that far.

What I thought was cool about this game was the ability to customize your pet and collect accessories and items (up to 700). You can also interact with other game players (if you have two games). I think my daughter will continue to enjoy this game as she gets older and can read it for herself. This is exactly the kind of game she likes. (She plays similar games on the computer.)

The age range says "E for Everyone" but the truth is that reading is necessary for continuing game playing fun. I'd recommend this game, despite my 10-year old's opinion. Perhaps it's not the perfect game for an active 10-year old boy, but it's kind of funny that he played for two whole hours before deciding that.

Book Review: The Cure for Modern Life

2008-04-10T00:12:00.000-07:00

I'm midway through this book, even though I only started it a few days ago. (I had another book to review a couple of days ago, plus a different one last week--or was it the week before?)

Anyway, the book is Lisa Tucker's The Cure for Modern Life.

Here's what Publisher's Weekly says:

This is her best novel yet, with captivating characters, a progressively intricate plot and unexpected twists that grabbed me and did not let me go. The hip, funny and cynical protagonist, Matthew Connelly, who works for a pharmaceutical company and undergoes a transformation after meeting a homeless 10-year-old boy, is so fully realized that I wondered who Tucker had been talking to, to get such insight into the male mind. As Matthew's definition of happiness and success is upended, the reader confronts serious questions about what the good life is and how we decide what is right and wrong.

Now that we have all the appropriate links in their proper places, let me tell you how I feel about this book. I would rather read it than sleep. I have been reading it while eating my dinner. I considered reading it while working. (But resisted that urge.)

I began reading it with no preconceptions about the plot and no familiarity with Lisa Tucker at all. But from the first page, I was drawn into the story. What will happen next? What will happen to the homeless children and their drug addict mother? Will the protagonist self-destruct? Will the self-righteous heroine (heroine?) bring down the big evil corporation?

Even if I knew, I couldn't tell you, of course. But I will tell you that I am enjoying this book and even though my obligation to it ends with this blog post, I am going to read every single page.

Book Review: Road Map to Holland: How I Found My Way Through My Son's First Two Years With Down Syndrome

2008-04-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

This book, Road Map to Holland: How I Found My Way Through My Son's First Two Years With Down Syndrome (Paperback), by Jennifer Graf Groneberg is the story of a mother's first two years with her son, Avery, who was born with Down syndrome. She describes the details from the early days of the shocking news and draws you into the story of how life with Avery changed her and her family.

Jennifer is a lovely, lyrical writer. She blogs here.

You can try not to cry after reading the story about the cover photo here.

Here's what other people say about her book.

If you are interested in mothering, children who have Down syndrome, love or any combination of the above, you'll want to check out this book.

While I read Jennifer's book, the old days of having twin babies in my house flooded back to me. The entire world revolved around nap-times and feedings and baths in the kitchen sink. You see, Jennifer's baby, Avery who was born with Down syndrome, was one-half of a set of twins. Raising twins is challenging enough, but Jennifer also had an older child and the unexpected news that one of the babies was born with Down syndrome.

She writes in present tense of journeying through the first two years of her twins' lives, so you do feel as if you are in the middle of her life, if only for a moment. And isn't that what reading is all about? Trying on someone else's life to see how it feels?

Product Review: Cranium Bloom Games

2008-01-23T11:24:00.000-08:00

Cranium has introduced a new product line: games, books, puzzles and toys for preschoolers. I'm a fan of Cranium already, so I was delighted to receive two games to test with my preschooler (and her friend, a kindergartener).

We played "Let's Play Count & Cook Game" first. The object of the game is to collect all the ingredients in the recipe. You use a simple board, a dice and a cook (as your game piece). The game is very cooperative--you all work together to collect the ingredients from the board. The "winner" is the one who lands on the last ingredient, but it's very non-competitive. (Which I appreciate when playing with preschoolers.)

The kids wanted to play it again, but I rushed them on so we could try out the next game.

"Let's Go to the Zoo Seek & Find Puzzle" comes with a 24 piece puzzle, a dry-erase pen and two books of cards. The idea is to find the items pictured on the cards and then locate them on the puzzle and circle them with the pen. We started the game together, then I left to write this review--and they are still happily searching for items and circling them. Again, they are working together. I love games that are cooperative.

I must confess that I hate playing board games, but these games are very attractive, easy to play and fun for the kids. Plus, they do not drag out forever and a day like some games we own. (My husband is the game player around here. That is why I married him.) (Oh, and I love what Anna Quindlen says: "Maybe I had three children in the first place so I wouldn't ever have to play board games. " I wholeheartedly agree.)

But as far as games go, as far as preschool games go, these are delightful and even I, a game curmudgeon, approve and recommend them to you.

Book Review: Persian Girls

2008-01-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

I didn't expect to like Persian Girls: A Memoir as much as I did. This straightforward book by Nahid Rachlin weaves the tale of her life as a child born in 1946 growing up in Iran. She convinced her father to allow her to come to the United States for college. (I am still surprised that he allowed her to do so, actually.) She never returned home to Iran again to live, but instead created a life for herself in the United States.

I learned and understood more about what it must be like to live in a country where women have very little freedom to choose their future. I have a better understanding about Iran as a country. Rachlin tells her story and the stories of those in her life with simplicity and direct prose. Her story is often one of loss and regret, but ultimately, a hopeful story of a woman who overcame great obstacles to create a life of her choosing.

I do recommend this book. Once I got past the first chapter or two, I hated to put the book down.

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New bookclub discussing this book over here.

JumpStart World 1st Grade

2007-12-05T19:34:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago, I installed JumpStart World (for 1st grade) onto my computer. I was sure that I would really love this program because we've had Jump Start products in our home before. However, I had issues getting the program installed correctly. My whole computer stalled.

But the next day, I tried again and succeeded in installing the program.

This game is an "evolving 3D learning environment full of whimsical lands, lively activities and friendly characters. JumpStart World's personalized learning system actually responds to your child's progress, so kids learn at their own pace and there's always a new challenge to keep them motivated." --from the package

My daughter (age 5) was interested in playing the game and might have done better than I did--kids seem to instinctively know how to manipulate computer games. I, on the other hand, didn't notice that I was supposed to use the arrow keys instead of my mouse and spent several minutes wondering aloud why my character wouldn't move.

The game includes 40 learning games and missions which involve 20 skills. The kids earn gems which they can use to "buy" things. I tried out a couple of the games which were fun enough, but I had an issue with the long lag time between games. (Thirty seconds or longer for the game to respond to a command can seem like forever when you are accustomed to high-speed internet responding immediately. I actually left my computer impatiently to clean up the kitchen while I waited for the game to move to a new area.)

However, the graphics are cute and the game quite comprehensive.

Which almost makes me overlook the fact that within hours, I got the Blue Screen of Death, informing me that a new software program had caused a serious problem on my computer and that Windows had shut down.

Yikes! So, I uninstalled the game before my daughter got a chance to play it. I have no idea what went wrong and I have read only glowing reviews from other blogger, so I assume my problem was an exception to the rule.

I will try this game again, but on the kids' computer where the Blue Screen of Death won't be quite as devastating. (My computer ended up working fine, once I removed this program from it.)

Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2007

2007-12-03T11:37:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium is the most remarkable product for students (and parents of students). The Amazon website details the features of this product which

"provides students with integrated homework tools and content. Features include online math homework help, a graphing calculator, Microsoft Office templates and tutorials designed specifically for students, foreign language help, and a Web search companion with trusted Encarta content to help them achieve academic confidence and success."

I downloaded the program (which took a couple of hours) and showed it to my teenagers. All of us kept saying, "Oh, cool!" and "Wow!" Have an equation you can't quite solve? You can plug in the problem and the program will solve it for you . . . and show you the all-important steps.

The language section includes templates so your student can easily come up with a character study or plot timeline. If only I'd had this product when I was a student. Look at it and you will say the same thing.

Now, aside from the homework helps (which are impressive), and the projects section (which is amazing), you'll also find a section called "Discover and Learn" where you can explore Encarta by subject, check out College and Career and play with "Games and Fun Stuff." A special area for kids called Encarta Kids is intended for kids from ages 7-12.

I really love this product.

It is worth every penny of its $40.00 retail price. (Really, scroll down and read the list of features on the Amazon page.) Did I mention that I love this product?

Book Review: The Right Words at the Right Time

2007-11-15T19:59:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed Marlo Thomas's new book, The Right Words at the Right Time.

Publisher Weekly says:

"Thomas follows up her bestselling inspirational volume, which collected stories from luminaries describing times when well-chosen words impacted their lives, with this collection of personal essays from more than 90 'ordinary Americans' selected from thousands of submissions to a national contest. From the experience of a naval officer who comes to a major career decision in a Burger King to a woman's epiphany at a Zen Buddhist Monastery in Japan, these simple, touching stories highlight the moments when the right phrases or comments made a life-changing difference. Divided into thematic sections like "At a Crossroads," "Taking Chances," and "Letting Go," Thomas's new title may be a little Chicken Soup-esque, but this is no canned concentrate-this is genuine, home-cooked comfort food. Proceeds benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital."

This collection includes 108 stories, each about two pages long, by different unknown authors who share how hearing or reading the right words at the time time made a difference in their lives. This would be a great book for the bathroom (don't you love to read in the bathroom?) or for the coffee-table . . . each story is a quick read, a little morsel of inspiration.

I'm probably going to pass my book along as a Christmas gift (it's the thought that counts, right? not the amount of money spent?). I really enjoyed it and I know someone in my family who will enjoy it, too.

Two thumbs up!

Entertainment Software Rating Board

2007-11-08T11:41:00.000-08:00

My boys are huge fans of video games. The 14-year olds push the limits, as teenagers like to do, and ask for games unfamiliar to me. What's a mom to do when she wants to protect her children from inappropriate images and sounds?

That's when I rely on the rating systems provided by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Each game is rated into one of six categories (ages 3+, 6+, 10+, 17+ and 18+). If you have children and you are concerned about what they see and hear, you can check out all the information provided in the links above. I know I will be educating myself more on this issue.

Last weekend, I heard Kim Komando on the radio advise parents to avoid five particular new video games. Click and read what she has to say about them.

As I tell my children, "you can't unsee things," so be careful what you allow them to see in the first place.

Care.com

2007-11-06T10:21:00.000-08:00

Finding a trustworthy babysitter is one of the tough tasks of parenthood. My husband and I tend to rely on my mother, paying her handsomely to hang out with our children. We used to have a fantastic sitter, but she had the nerve to go to college. So, I found the idea of Care.com intriguing.

Care.com is "an innovative new website which helps busy Moms connect with trustworthy caregivers matched specifically to their family's needs. We'd like to offer you the opportunity to sample this site with a complimentary 3-month premium membership (a $60 value!).

Hiring a new caregiver can be fraught with anxiety. With significantly more services and security than you would find on a virtual bulletin board like craigslist.org, Care.com offers you peace of mind by posting extensive information about each caregiver-age, certifications, education level, and years of experience. Care.com helps to ensure that you find someone qualified and trustworthy by providing you with references from other clients and free driving record and criminal background checks for anyone you're considering for a job."

Care.com is not just for finding a babysitter, either. They also have categories for pet care, tutoring and senior care. You plug in your zip code and category, and up pop provider names with information. And to safeguard everyone involved, you'll find background checks and references as well as other information.

I personally have not found a childcare provider using this site (my lucky mom!), but I am happy to know about this website. Excellent idea!

BOB Books

2007-09-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to own a set of BOB Books. They're reputed to be among the best for children learning to read, so I sat down with my own little guinea pig today (my 5-year old daughter) and read her as many as she'd permit.

I'd finish and book and she'd say, "That was short!" And she resisted my attempts to get her to sound out the words, but hey, we can't all be Reading Superstars, I guess. But here are some cool features of these books:

* A few letters are added in each sequentially ordered book, with only five sight words introduced in the whole set (12 books per set);
* As the books progress, all letters of the alphabet (except Q) are introduced with consistent sounds throughout.

I love these books! And my daughter did, too, though she wanted to go outside and play (read: bug her brothers) rather than read. I know that we'll be reading them frequently over the next year as my daughter (who missed the kindergarten cut-off by a day!) learns to read.

You can purchase these books on Amazon. There are several sets: Set 1 Beginning Readers, Set 2 Advancing Beginners, Set 3 Word Families, Set 4 Compound Words and Set 5 Long Vowels.

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I was compensated for this review with an Amazon gift card, but the opinion expressed is entirely my own.

Book Review: The Splendor of Silence

2007-09-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

This book, The Splendor of Silence, is the third novel by Indu Sundaresan. (You can find an interview with her by clicking here.) Here's what Publisher's Weekly had to say about it:

Sundaresan (A Feast of Roses) returns to her native India for a sprawling story of forbidden love set against the backdrop of WWII and the struggle for Indian independence. U.S. Army Capt. Sam Hawthorne comes to the small kingdom of Rudrakot in the Sukh desert of western India, ostensibly to recover from an injury suffered during a rescue mission behind Japanese lines in Burma. Sam has secrets, however. He's a spy, a member of the fledgling OSS, and he's looking for his brother Mike, who disappeared while serving in a local regiment, the Rudrakot Rifles, where "even his name was false." Complicating matters, Sam has a brief but torrid affair with Mila, the daughter of the kingdom's Indian political agent, who is betrothed to the local prince. As Sam plots to free his brother from a nearby detention center, Mila's brother Ashok becomes involved in a nationalist plot to bomb the car of the local British representative in Rudrakot. The myriad subplots and some overwriting detract, but Sundaresan renders Rudrakot vividly and the sympathetic (if doomed) characters generate enough friction to keep the pot boiling. (Sept.)

And so I started this book with high hopes and interest. I'm not an avid fan of historical fiction in particular, but I do love good writing.

About three chapters in, I realized I was really laboring to read this book. I struggled to stay awake. I looked ahead to see how much longer the chapter lasted. I wanted to love this book, but Sundaresan's fiction was sometimes convoluted, forcing the reader to stop and say to herself, "What? What does that mean? What is she talking about?"

I hate to say this, wondering if Sundaresan (who is practically my neighbor, living in Seattle) will read this and feel the sting of a negative review . . . and it's not that I hated the novel, just that it might have benefited from additional editing. I love the idea of this novel--exploring the history of your parents' relationship--but I haven't yet finished it because reading it was such a chore. (I'm about halfway through and I read the last chapter.)

Now, I have to point out that most recently, I read Elie Weisel's Night and before that, Mark Helprin's amazing A Soldier of the Great War. In light of these excellent books, most any novel would pale in comparison.