Thank you to who?Comics for sponsoring this post and encouraging my child to read biographies in comic book form! Please click here to learn more about the app. And follow who?Comics on Twitter for updates
I know there are a good deal of iPad apps out there that will better stimulate my children’s minds, I just have not yet explored. (I’ve added that activity to #549 on my to-do list.)
However, I do read to and with all three of children daily. Bring on the frozen Trader Joe’s nuggets, the bakery-ordered birthday cupcakes, even online games with burping candy, but I hope that the reading every single blessed day will somehow get me a passing grade when mothering report cards come out.
So when the Clever Girls asked if I would check out the Who?Comics biography iPad app for children, it seemed a worthwhile activity to share with Charlie (eight, in second grade) and Eve (nearly six, kindergarten). My husband Chris and I use the iPad primarily to read newspapers, magazines and books, as well as research the new headway made daily by app developers. Why not involve the kids in also using the iPad similarly?
Official Who?Comics description:
Read about the lives and achievements of some of the greatest people in history, both past and present, in a 150 page long comic book form.
These comics are educational and fun to read. Instead of boring plain text, give your children a new, enjoyable reading experience that is light and easy to read in comic book form. But even before the children can start, parents won’t be able to stop turning the pages, too.
Who?Comics series contains the life stories of 10 of our greatest leaders of today and 19 historical figures of the past. Read and learn about the amazing lives of Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, Steven Spielberg, Joanne Rowling, Barack Obama, Warren Buffett, Stephen Hawking, Nelson Mandela, Jane Goodall, Bill Gates and much, much more.
You can even collect badges easily as you read the comic books and even try to find and collect hidden badges for each great figure.
Who?Comics provides a fun badge collecting experience that both children and parents will enjoy. Everyone can get caught up in the fun of badge collecting and eventually discover and develop their new found reading habit.
The who?Comics app costs $9.99 on iTunes. There are two free biographies included in this price, Bill Gates and Oprah. Additional biographies to store on your who?Comics bookshelf are $4.99 each. or you can buy the entire set of biographies – 30 titles – for $29.99.
Charlie was intrigued by the notion of learning history comic-book style. This was his first experience with a graphic book that was not a superhero or Super Diaper Baby. He chose J.K. Rowling’s biography as our first Who?Comic to read together. He’s a huge Harry Potter fan, and he has been intrigued by the idea that one person thought of all those stories and spells and fantastical names and plot twists. Although the comics are geared toward children age 8 and up, Eve heard us reading the comic in the other room and she jumped in the bed with us too. The J.K. Rowling was a great story to “hook” Eve since the beginning involves young Joanne “Jo” Rowling’s imaginative childhood and her little sister.
My kids loved reading this 150 page biography together. I read aloud, they read along with me and looked at the graphic manga-style drawings (podotree, the developer, is based in Seoul). I thought the fictionalized dialogue was a bit cheeser at times, but my kids responded to the dramatizations. I think they will better remember the stories because of the funny jokes and awkward lines. I have no idea how much of some of the lesser plot items in the biographies are based upon research, and which items were filled in by the authors in the spirit of items gleaned from interviews and other biographical sources.
But then, most of what I know about Mark Zuckerberg I learned from The Social Network, so who am I to judge.
Since I let Charlie choose the first Who?Comic, I chose our second and selected the biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. I thought this biography was appropriately meatier. Charlie and I read this one without Eve, although I believe it was not too much for her. But reading about Dr. King one-on-one allowed Charlie and me to have some solid older kid discussions about civil rights, segregation and race. I read this one solo before involving Charlie, because I wanted to ensure that those topics were handled with age-appropriateness while not glossing over the severity and horrors of segregation and discrimination. I also wanted to see how Dr. King’s assassination was handled in pictures, and I believe it was portrayed accurately but not sensationalizing the violence. (The accompanying picture shows Dr. King wincing and falling as a bullet non-gorily enters his cartoon body.)
In summation, I think this is an entertaining and educational app. The proof for me? The kids enjoyed this app even more than me.
Thank you again to who? Comics for sponsoring my post. Please click here to learn more about the app. Visit Who? Comics for updates. I was selected for this opportunity by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own. #CleverWhoComics #spon
I want to be as healthy as possible and use organic products on my skin whenever I can.
I also want to look as pretty and young as I can non-surgically, and I look wistfully at all the high-tech skin treatments in the beauty magazines and dream of magical “zappings” that will make my face look like it did 10 years ago.
I thought that when it came to facial treatments, that you had to choose one or the other. You either go organic and holistic, which is good for you but won’t “zap” all the old, sagging, aging guck, or you succumb to a high-tech dermatologist up-sell that costs a fortune and works, or costs a fortune and makes you look weird.
Thankfully, I was wrong.
I had an organic facial AND microdermabrasion Sol Facial at The Still Point in Takoma Park. And now my face looks awesome! It is smoother, less fine-lined and freckled, more glowing and I have had a decrease in blocked pores. From the moment I left The Still Point until now, three weeks later, my facial skin has looked better than ever.
The Still Point’s holistic skin treatments incorporate an exclusive assortment of organic and natural skin care products to focus on what your skin needs to become healthy and beautiful. We offer 3 levels of facial treatments: graduating from the mildest, most soothing experience to the highest level of intensity to give long-lasting and dynamic results. Please let our experienced estheticians know if you have any concerns so that they can guide you towards the custom service that best suit your needs.
I have never before had immediate results from a facial.
I have had lots of facials in my lifetime, usually at Aveda and at some other independent salons or spas. My experience previously was that it was fun to take time out and be pampered, drink tea and cucumber water, but then the estheticians spent a lot of time on the “extraction” (aka professional blackhead mining and pimple picking.) And then there was the end of facial trying to get me to sign up for an expensive series of treatments and products. That part always made me panicky. Of course I want to look better, but as I am signing the receipt for a $100+ facial is not the time to tell me that unless I buy a small jar of $80 cream I will be a sun-damaged, zit-infested mess.
This time The Still Point esthetician Angela Spicer (pictured with me, above) soothingly assessed my skin, created a womb-like experience with massage and comfort, and made me completely relaxed as she applied completely organic, food-grade products by The Body Deli to my skin. There was no extraction. Then she used sonic microdermabrasion resurfacing to refine the texture of my skin, smooth fine lines, lighten age spots and acne scars. This was the Sol Facial, The Still Point’s “ultimate anti-aging skin and most intense, results-driven facial.”
The Sol Facial and Angela unearthed my baby skin, especially around my nose, upper cheeks and eyes. It is visibly smoother and my pores look smaller. I look younger. Now, I’m 36, not exactly geriatric. But this was the perfect treatment for me, as I have been lately seeing some big changes on my face as sun damage is catching up with me.
After discussing the facial products I currently use, Angela did recommend a new face wash for me…a HUGE bottle of Sage and Grapefruit cleanser by The Body Deli that only cost $28 and will last a long while, and it smells so fabulous, containing all natural ingredients including kale juice, tea tree oil, dandelion and importantly, 2% salicylic acid to control breakouts. I also picked up an affordable anti-oxidant-packed Osea Sea Minerals Toner for just $15. Now, those are the kind of product recommendations that will not make a girl panicky!
Then Angela, also an accomplished makeup artist, gave me a quickie 7 minute eco-makeup application, using all eco-makeup products offered at The Still Point. I looked naturally great. If I ever have a big event to attend, I will definitely be contacting Angela to give me a glamourous, eco-savvy look that I know will stay put without a bunch of bad chemicals and not result in a big breakout the next day.
The Still Point and Angela also provide professional eyebrow styling for just $25, and I will be taking my nail-salon-lopsided-wax-now-super-grown-out visage to her STAT.
Additionally, if you are following my new passionate love affair with acupuncture (My First Acupuncture Session Changed My Life), I have since had the Full Body Acupuncture treatment/new client intake session with the incredible Justine Short. My experience was phenomenal. And my results were even more dramatic this time. I have had lasting relaxation and peace, less anxiety, less urges to stress eat, and a dramatic desire to make healthier eating choices…this all in the midst of a VERY packed, anxiety-inducing week of work and baby and volunteer commitments and husband out of town. And after an affordable deductible is met, my health insurance will be reimbursing me for 80% of my treatment. Check with your own plan today!
Disclosure: The Still Point provided me with a complimentary Sol Facial, valued at $145, and a quickie eco-makeup application (thanks Angela!) for journalistic review for this website. However, I would have happily purchased these services and will be returning soon on my own dime for continued treatment. All products were purchased by me. After the initial gifted review Intro to Acupuncture, all acupuncture treatments I receive at The Still Point are purchased by me.
The Still Point Yoga
13380 Clarksville Pike Highland, MD 20777
in Highland Crossing at route 108 and 216; above Twist and Turn Tavern
301.854.1013 Group Class Schedule The latest expansion to Highland, MD, just two miles west on Route 108 from our Clarksville Spa location. Two spacious studios gorgeously appointed to elicit calm, focus, and pure positive energy into your practice. There are currently have 24 classes for all levels at convenient times throughout the week and feature hot flow, flow, Hatha, power, prenatal, kids and teen yoga (coming soon), Qigong, and more. LIKE The Still Point Yoga on Facebook for deals and information
The Still Point Mind + Spirit Center
7009 Caroll Avenue, Lower Level
Takoma Park, MD 20912
301 270 2801, and you can book appointments online Located in the original location at 7009 Carroll Ave, The Still Point’s Mind + Spirit Center is a thoughtful mix of services including Psychotherapy, Life Coaching, Hypnotherapy, and Guided Imagery (with new modalities being added all the time).
Charlie was a little cuckoo with the excitement of having eight families with kids over for the Mega Bloks party
Recently I had the opportunity to host a Mommy Parties party for some friends and their children featuring Mega Bloks. Mega Bloks sent a big bin of toddler and preschooler blocks for the party guests to play with, and also provided each family that attended a Mega Blok gift pack.
The group that came to my house were the mothers and children of my regular Tuesday morning prayer group on a day when many of our kids had the day off from school, and so I didn’t even have to send a special invitation or do any out of the ordinary planning beyond the usual “it’s my turn to host” straightening up, coffee making and banana bread baking. The kids in attendance loved the vacation day atmosphere and the chance to be “toy testers” of the new big bin of Mega Bloks.
If you think getting some family-friendly products for free and a party kit to host friends sounds awesome, well, you are my kind of gal and we would totally be friends. But also, you can register with MomSelect to be a Mommy Parties host. Anyone can do it, you do not have to have a psycho crazy exhibitionist mommy blogger. And if you are already the type to host playdates at your pad, coordinate MOMS Club outings and the like, I highly recommend throwing a Mommy Party. You’re already super social, and who doesn’t love free swag?
Anyways, at the Mega Bloks party, the little attendees enjoyed playing together with the Maxi System Farm provided by the generous Mega Bloks folks. It has 95 plastic building and farm-themed pieces, and its own big bin for easy organization and clean up. Since I baked the banana bread and vacuumed up the cat hair, Alice gets to keep it. Here’s a picture of her enjoying eating it playing with it.
I have one each of the Jungle Friends and Garden Friends Maxi Blok sets leftover from the party to give away to two lucky readers! These make for a sweet holiday gift or a super toddler and preschooler item to stash in your birthday gift closet.
To win one Mega Bloks set:
Leave a comment below mentioning who you would give the set to if you win. Be sure to leave your email address or login via Facebook so I can contact you if you are drawn.
I’ll randomly draw the two winners on Cyber Monday, November 28. All winners must live in the United States, as I am handling the shipping myself.
Disclosure: My children received a tub of Mega Bloks as thanks for my hosting of this Mommy Party on behalf of Mom Select. My guests received Maxi Blok sets. However, I did this promo not for the toys but because Charlie and Eve think hosting a party with a goodie bag for their guests is the bees’ knees and I was already having a house full of kids, so why not? No other compensation was received. Facebook is in no way responsible for this giveaway.
My son Charlie loves himself some Lego Star Wars Wii, Beyblades, Kung ZhuZhu pets, Bakugans and Pokemon cards.
Notice a theme here? He loves futuristic toys that also provide a challenger-style game he can play with his sister or a buddy.
Which is why the new Mechatars toys are right up his alley. They are remote control robots who complete R/C-powered missions and “battle” each other, and then using the nifty USB port on the toy, you upload the toy’s activity to a parallel online world. The online gaming takes the toy up a notch from just another R/C toy languishing in the basement, gives a purpose to the R/C play and translates the offline activities it into an interactive online computer game, WebKinz style.
Charlie looooves it. To give you a sense of how Mechatars work, here’s the 30 second TV spot (the camera work is much more clear than my home movie attempts).
Charlie likes how Mechatars take the in-person, interactive battle games he loves, combines them with cool R/C remote and offers the online game feature that connects the “work” his robot performed in real life with the robot’s avatar performance online. He likes how in both battle and mission modes, he can select from the remote the weapons his Mechatar will use, “just like in Lego Star Wars Wii.” (And that is high praise from Charlie.)
I like how the gaming online is age-appropriate and safe, while still feeling cool and mature to my son. I also like how the toy provides different ways for Charlie to play. He can play with a friend (we will be getting his sister a Mechatar too so the two can play together), he can take the toy on missions when playing solo, and he can also choose Mechatars.com for his limited computer play time. I also like that at $39.99, this is a deluxe-feeling gift for my kids that is still less than fifty bucks.
I have an EXCLUSIVE Clever Girls Collective coupon code for you guys: MECHMOM gets you 10% off your Mechatar purchase at iloverobots.com, good until 11/30/11.
And one lucky reader will win a Mechatar for his or her child!
How to Win
Go to www.Mechatars.com and leave a comment on this post below with which Mechatar your child would love and you would like to win! (Note: In order to see the Mechatar toys, visitors to the site need to click on “play now” then “register” but fortunately no information needs to be submitted.)
The winner will be randomly-drawn from all comments in one week on Sunday 9/25 at midnight.
Disclosure: I was selected to participate in this #CleverRobot #spon sponsored post series by Clever Girls Collective.
Thank you to Fooz Kids for providing me with an All-In-One pack to review. The opinions I’ve expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint.
I am very choosy about the websites I allow my children to visit. Charlie received a Webkinz as a birthday present and loves interacting with his animal. Eve is a big fan of playing Super Why! games on PBS Kids.org. When they have a question about a topic, often we will visit Wikipedia and How Stuff Works.com to learn more. We look at photos of family online.
At age seven and five, I have yet to simply turn over a computer and web browser to my children and let ‘em “have at it.” I feel much more comfortable controlling their online visits down to the URL. However, at nearly eight years old, Charlie especially is interested in more independent screen time. I personally do not have the time to sit next to him every single second while he plays games, no matter how benign and educational. And he’s starting to get that mature twitch when someone is looking over his shoulder all the time, to which I completely relate.
my kids liked creating their own avatars in the virtual world
So I when I had the opportunity to review Fooz Kids, I said “sure.” Fooz provides a safe web browsing environment for kids, providing them with educational games, an avatar “Webkinz” style virtual experience, the ability to watch mainstream children’s shows, and explore printable arts and crafts, all in one space.
It also has a parent-controlled dashboard so I personally can choose the items I say they can play, watch and do. If there is a specific show I do not want Charlie and Eve to watch, or a specific game I do not approve, I can remove it. The kids feel like they have access to a larger web and browsing experience, but it is just as controlled as if I had hand-picked several websites.
They also have a controlled email feature, where kids can receive messages from and write messages to only specific approved email addresses. I like that.
But the coolest feature? The kids cannot leave the Fooz Kids website! No sneaky browser changing when a parent is not looking. The only way a child can go to another URL is if the parent enters their unique password.
I liked the controls. The content was good. Since there were offerings from PBS, Disney, Nickelodeon and other networks, it felt as if the kids were playing games from several family-friendly websites they like all in one place. I also liked how from the Parental Dashboard I could track my children’s developmental progress playing the games. The Parental Dashboard also helped me find games and activities to suggest to the kids which were age-appropriate and work well with the milestones they are working on in school.
All in all, I like having the Fooz Kids browser on our family computer. It simplifies safety online to have the Fooz icon for the kids, right next to Chrome and Safari ones for me. I do not think our children will be logging increased or too much screen time since we installed Fooz. However, there will definitely be less whining for moo-ooom since they can no longer accidentally click over from Curious George to Frontline, and less nervousness from me since they will not be able to leave the web for an inappropriate destination.
Please click here to learn more about Fooz Kids. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own. #cleverfooz
Thank you to who?Comics for sponsoring this post and encouraging my child to read biographies in comic book form! Please click here to learn more about the app. And follow who?Comics on Twitter for updates 
In summation, I think this is an entertaining and educational app. The proof for me? The kids enjoyed this app even more than me.
