Month: October 2017

13 1/2 Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything

DK Canada

This myth-busting visual encyclopedia will amaze kids with 13 things they need to know about every topic they love and one “half fact” that dispels a common misconception or half-truth.

13 1/2 Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything

About 13 1/2 Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything

This myth-busting visual encyclopedia will amaze kids with 13 things they need to know about every topic they love and one “half fact” that dispels a common misconception or half-truth.

Extraordinary images and irresistible fact snippets on each topic spread—from space to gemstones to the food we eat—make learning fun, but it’s the “13½” fact that kids will be most eager to know. Does cracking your knuckles really cause arthritis? Do ligers really exist? Are scorpions really deadly to humans? The answers to these questions and many others are revealed and will have kids digging for even more information behind the truths.

A perfect gift for curious young minds, 13½ Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything will stimulate the imagination of young readers, satisfy their thirst for knowledge, and allow them to look at the universe from a new perspective as they explore a wide variety of topics and discover the truth.

13 1/2 Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything

My Thoughts

Children love to learn and explore the world around them. This book covers everything and anything that a young mind can think of or would want to know!

This large, hard covered book covers topics from animals to planets to technology and everything in between (ex) hot rocks, blood rush, chocolate chunks and busy bees are topics to name a few! Each topic comes with thirteen interesting and unique facts (think: a tiger’s claws are made up of the same substance as human nails, who would have known!). It also includes that very important 1/2 fact that clears up common misconception we may all have.

This is an excellent book for both young readers and more mature readers. Even adults will enjoy this book – I learned quite a few new interesting facts myself. I love this about educational books, if I can learn something new then I know it is a must read for my children. The illustrations are perfect and well suited for each topic. They are very realistic and seem to pop out of the page.

13 1/2 Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything is a fantastic educational resource for your child and makes a perfect gift for the young child.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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My Little Pony: Holiday Hearts DVD Giveaway

Shout! Kids Factory

Get ready for the holidays with your favourite little pony characters in My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Holiday Hearts DVD!

My Little Pony: Holiday Hearts DVD Giveaway

About My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Holiday Hearts

‘Tis the season to celebrate with family and your very best friends – the My Little Ponies!

But you know that no holiday in Equestria is complete without a little adventure. Join Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy as they embark on six exciting adventures sure to put you in the holiday spirit!

Gather Around For Six Hearth-Warming Holiday Tales including:

  • Applebuck Season
  • Winter Wrap Up
  • Castle Sweet Castle
  • Hearthbreakers
  • A Hearth’s Warming Tail
  • Not Asking For Trouble

Bonus: Sing-Along

My Little Pony: Holiday Hearts DVD Giveaway

I love the My Little Pony series, I was a huge fan as a child and my love has only grown as I have become a parent and an Aunt (I know – my kids make fun of me because I love movies geared for children more than they do sometimes). These series are excellent for young children as they not only feature some of their favourite characters but they teach excellent life lessons that are crucial for this age group in a fun manner. Not to mention the awesome graphics and plot lines! This DVD does not disappoint at all.

This DVD, which is slightly over two hours long, has been released in North America on October 3rd from Shout! Kids Factory – just in time for you to purchase to add either under the Christmas tree or as an early Christmas surprise to help get your child in the Christmas spirit. You can purchase a copy of this DVD on Amazon or on Shout Factory.

The Giveaway!

Do you have a HUGE My Little Pony fan in your house? Or maybe a niece or nephew that this would be a perfect gift for? My Canadian and American readers can now enter to win one of two DVDs just in time for the holiday season. Please enter via the Rafflecopter form below – good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a DVD copy of this movie. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Good Night, Baby Moon Book Review

DK Canada

A special bedtime story that follows a family of curious rabbits on their nighttime walks to explain the phases of the moon, with a charming design that includes a light-up LED moon.

Good Night, Baby Moon Book Review

About Good Night, Baby Moon

A special bedtime story that follows a family of curious rabbits on their nighttime walks to explain the phases of the moon, with a charming design that includes a light-up LED moon.

When we first meet the family of rabbits in Good Night, Baby Moon, the moon is full and shining bright, but as the days wear on and the nights come and go, the baby rabbits ask their parents why the moon looks different and worry as it disappears and loses its glow. Their parents reassure them that all will be well and that soon it will be back, for this is not farewell.

This delightful story teaches little ones that the moon will always return, and is a fun and exciting way for them to learn. The sweet illustrations and light-up moon make it the perfect gift and will cause little ones to swoon.

Good Night, Baby Moon Book Review

Our Thoughts

A very special bed time story can be found in this book. Children are always full of questions and wonder, this book tackles the topic of what happens when something/someone goes away? Will they come back? These are honest fears in children and can sometimes be difficult for them to voice and understand.

This book uses the moon and its cycle to tackle the topic of leaving and coming back. The little rabbits love basking in the glow of the moon but are puzzled when it disappears. It isn’t until the next moon phase that the moon returns to their delight! It helps them to learn that things sometimes go away but they will always come back.

This book is done in darker tones which suits the story line. It also includes a light up moon on the cover to really help engage your child in the story! The story is easy to read out loud together with your child and flows very well together.

This is beautiful bedtime story perfect for children up to the age of seven.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and DK Canada.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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How to Turn Your Mom Into a Monster Book Review

iRead Book Tours

Guess what: Mom can be a monster too! It’s up to you to make your mom’s monster come out to play!

How to Turn Your Mom Into a Monster Book Review

About How to Turn Your Mom Into a Monster

Do you like smearing your lunch all over yourself? Do you fight with your sister just because she’s there? Do you find yourself unable to go to bed because mysterious ninjas keep stealing your pajamas? Then you’re a little monster! Guess what: Mom can be a monster too! It’s up to you to make your mom’s monster come out to play.

Our Thoughts

Have you ever read the title of a story and saw the front cover and knew that you were going to love it? Even better that your kids would love it too? This is that book!

We are forever teasing our boys that they have this special magic power that can turn us from nice, quiet parents into grumpy monsters. But it is way too hard to stay mad at them because they are so cute as they do naughty things. Or when they are driving us batty! Those sweet little smiles just can’t help but make us smile too.

This was an awesome book to read together as we could make silly voices and we would alternate turns reading the story. The plot of the story is fantastic and I am sure that both parents and children alike can relate to each page. For example, tooting in public and your child blaming you. Yup, we can definitely relate!

This is a laugh out loud book that is perfect for bed time and basically anytime during the day. Our boys were begging for more! Our youngest even added in his own suggestions for turning Mommy into a monster, boy were they good!

This book is in paperback format and done in bright colours, greens, oranges, purples and blues. The monsters were adorable (just like your child) and not scary at all which is great for all ages. The actual length of the book makes it great for reading any time of the day and the wording is perfect for reading out loud to your child or together. This book is a definite must have addition to your child’s personal library.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Aurora Whittet started out as a wild red-haired girl in Minnesota dreaming up stories for her friends to read. Today, she has completed Bloodmark, Bloodrealms, and Bloodmoon of the Bloodmark Saga trilogy, Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love, and How to Turn Your Mom into a Monster. She’s a national award-winning graphic designer in her day job. Aurora lives with her family in Minnesota.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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The Key to a Perfect Night Sleep: Your Pillow

The Key to a Perfect Night Sleep: Your Pillow

We all know the awful affects that a rough night of sleep has on our body the next day. We are left feeling drained, irritable, exhausted and sometimes just unable to function the next day. When you add a family and the responsibilities of child care and work into the mix, it can be a disaster.

So how do we find and achieve that perfect night sleep?

The key is in your pillow!

You may be asking how and why your pillow helps with a great night sleep. How many times have you woken up with a stiff neck? A headache? Poor head and neck support during the night can cause a greater occurrence in these types of symptoms the next day. Poor sleep can also lead to increased pain throughout the day, irritability, exhaustion and difficulty dealing with stress. Combine this with young kids and it makes for a perfect storm, with usually your loved ones taking the brunt of it.

So what makes a perfect pillow?

The Key to a Perfect Night Sleep: Your Pillow

Research has been done comparing traditional pillow design vs a roll pillow vs  water based pillow and has actually found that a water based pillow is associated with improved quality of sleep and increased pain relief (research can be found in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cervical Pain).

Mediflow pillows are water based pillows that combine the water technology with the softness of a foam or down filled pillow. There are three versions of the Mediflow pillow: Fiberfill, Gel-Memory foam and down. The Floating Comfort pillow falls under the Fiberfill category and has an amazing ten-year warranty. Water based pillows work by the water adjusting and moving direction as your head moves during the night. This ensures your head always has the same amount of support no matter which way your body moves.

The Key to a Perfect Night Sleep: Your Pillow

What I loved the most about the Floating Comfort pillow is that you can customize it to suit your needs. All of us need a different level of support while we sleep and that is okay. This design allows you to choose your level of support by the amount of water you add to the pillow. If you like a firmer pillow (which is me) then you add more water – softer pillow, use less water. The choice is truly yours as you decide your comfort level. I recommend filling it up with less first and then test it out to see if it works for you. Adding the water is simple, so you don’t have to worry that it will be difficult to go back to add more water. We filled it up with the recommended amount first, tried it out on the bed laying in different positions and ended up adding a bit more in after we tested it.

The pillow was soft to the touch which our youngest loved (of course he had to steal it from me on the first night!). On top of the water base is a layer of soft fabric that gives you that traditional pillow feel. This pillow is actually softer than the pillows we currently own! It is a bit heavier than our other pillows but that doesn’t affect sleep or how we used the pillow.

I fell in love with the Floating Comfort design, it was soft and provided the exact support I needed. I didn’t have to fold it in half to get the extra neck support and I wasn’t waking up constantly throughout the night to adjust it (win win, right?). This is the perfect pillow for parents of young kids and babies who crave (and most definitely need!) a good nights sleep.

Make sure to follow Mediflow on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest news and more.

Disclosure: I received the Floating Comfort Pillow in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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