Compass KidZ calls itself an “online penpal club”, but it is so much more than that! Created by Jennifer Apy and Nancy Daniels, Compass KidZ began as an educational initiative to support classroom teachers in bringing contemporary cultures of the world into many areas of the curriculum. The Compass KidZ™ Project is designed to encourage kids to share and compare their lives with other kids, and in the process, cultivate appreciation for similarities, build respect for our differences, and inspire reflection.

Each Compass KidZ set starts your child off on a world TreaZure Quest as they collect exclusive, limited edition CKidZ™ Medallions. For each country, your child will “meet” a CKidZ Ambassador, who is an 11 year old child living in that country. Each set includes a Medallion that highlights a world treasure proudly chosen by a CKidZ Ambassador - an important landmark, world contribution or vital aspect of world culture today. The 24-page photographic Passport (same size as a real passport!) introduces the Ambassador that chose the Medallion, who shares what it is like to live in their country today with stories and photos. As a BONUS, the set also includes a Mystery Medallion — from another Ambassador whose identity is revealed on the Compass KidZ website. Lisa at Kidstuff PR sent Ryan the Egypt kit, which looks like this:

Speaking of the website, there you and your child will find links to information about all of the countries in the series, info on the medallions, a PenPalz Club, even a Forum that lets your child answer the question of the week and earn points (email address is required). For kids who love studying the culture of other countries, as a supplement to school or just for fun, I strongly encourage you to check out Compass Kidz!

Bookmark This Post:

I have so many giveaways to do, I’m bringing this one over here to give my Table for Five readers a chance to enter and win! Today I am giving away a copy of THE HOT MOM TO BE HANDBOOK: Womb with a View By Jessica Denay, Creator of the Hot Moms Club
Foreword by Trista Sutter, Words of Wisdom by Rebecca Matthias (A Pea in the Pod, the nation’s leading maternity brand).

Being pregnant doesn’t have to mean checking your sense of style at the door! Having tried hundreds of products herself and working daily with successful moms and pregnancy experts, Denay shares her spirited advice, stories from Hot Mom members and highlights her favorite pregnancy resources, including websites and products in THE HOT MOM TO BE HANDBOOK. THE HOT MOM TO BE HANDBOOK is small enough to fit in your purse, but is packed with round the clock insights and information that every hot mom-to-be needs to know. Rebecca Matthias, the woman behind A Pea in the Pod, the nation’s leading maternity brand, offers her fashion advice and Trista Sutter from ABC’s The Bachelorette, details her pregnancy experience in a letter to herself that reflects all of the things she knows now about pregnancy that she wished she knew from the moment she and her husband Ryan decided to have a baby. THE HOT MOM TO BE HANDBOOK also includes a free CD single of “Beautiful Now” (the Hot Moms song), from emerging artist Alex Woodard and a $25 coupon for Trista Baby eco-conscious diaper bags designed by Trista Sutter.

All Hot Moms know that being a mother means radiating a strong sense of self from the inside out. Since the release of THE HOT MOMS HANDBOOK, Denay has encouraged mothers everywhere to toss aside their overbooked schedules and frumpy sweatpants to discover a confident and empowered new way to live. How do they do it? THE HOT MOM TO BE HANDBOOK has all the answers, including:

·Keeping it Hot When You are About to Pop:
Write a Love note on your belly and other fun ways to keep your man involved during the pregnancy process.

·Managing Your Expect-ations:
Focus on the things you can control and let go of the things you can’t, like how Angelina Jolie is having her baby and the number of fat grams in a chocolate truffle!

·Life of the Potty:
Learn to make Hot Mom Martinis and a Mommy Mojitos!

·No McSteamys or McDreamys allowed:
Why you should McRun away from OBGYNs that are too handsome!

·Milking it:
Tips on how to ‘work’ the perks of pregnancy and play the ‘Ive Got to Pea card to avoid unsolicited advice or conversation.

·Decoy Baby Names:
Stop the name-calling! Tricks to avoid unsolicited baby name suggestions.

·A Passion for Fashion:
How a rocker mom (not soccer mom) makeover can change the way you feel!

·Body By Baby:
Rediscover your vibrant self. There is no reason to keep her in hiding just because you are a plus one!
***********************
GIVEAWAY-One lucky reader will win a copy of THE HOT MOM HANDBOOK signed by Jessica Denay, which includes a free CD single of “Beautiful Now” (the Hot Moms song), from emerging artist Alex Woodard and a $25 coupon for Trista Baby eco-conscious diaper bags designed by Trista Sutter.

For ONE entry, leave a comment on this post with your real first name or blog alias, a valid email address, and whether the book will be for yourself, a family member, or a friend.

For TWO entries, leave a comment as above plus Subscribe to this blog’s feed either in a reader or by email, links in sidebar. If you are already a subscriber, stumble the post by clicking the SU icon at the bottom of the post OR submit the post to Kirtsy OR to Digg.

For THREE entries and a big virtual smooch from me, leave a comment, subscribe or submit this post to social bookmarking, AND mention this giveaway in a post on your own blog. No blog? No problem! Earn THREE entries by commenting, subscribing or submitting, and posting this giveaway on a contest site.

Terms and Conditions: Open to U.S. only, one entry per person. Enter by July 24th, 2008 at 9:00 AM EST. The winner will be contacted by email for their mailing address, the book is shipped by the sponsor. Good luck everybody!!!

Bookmark This Post:

You know those flyers that come in the mail and are tucked into the pages of parenting magazines for Gerber Life Insurance, the ones with the cute Gerber Baby on them? I bet you think that is just insurance that you can buy for babies, right? Policies that can be renewed as the child gets older so they will always have life insurance coverage? Well, Gerber Life also carries Term Life Insurance that is meant for adults ages 18-60, and I’ve got some information on it for you.

First of all, why would you need to buy Term Life Insurance? If you have recently been married, had a baby, purchased a new home, or are taking care of aging parents, that’s a major life event. You want to have protection in place to take care of dependents in the event of, well, your death. I know! No one wants to think about that! But it’s going to happen eventually, and you don’t want to leave your loved ones unprotected financially. A Gerber Life representative, who does not work on commission and will not sell you insurance you don’t need, can give you a Term Life Insurance Quote over the phone, and discuss your needs for coverage. They will help you determine the level of coverage you need, the length of time you need it, and a price that fits your budget.

In most cases, no medical exam is required, but if one is for some reason, Gerber Life picks up the associated costs. A medical exam is required for applicants who are 51 or older who choose $100,00 of coverage or more. Once you have been approved, your policy remains in effect for the term you select, regardless of changes to your health, as long as the premiums are paid. You can choose coverage of $25,000, $50,000, $75,000, $100,000, $125,000 or $150,000, and terms for 10, 15, 20, or 30 years. There’s a plan that fits your needs and your budget!

After the duration of your chosen policy, your right to renew is guaranteed, for the age you are at that time. You can choose to renew your current policy annually, or call Gerber Life and discuss additional Term Life Insurance Quotes. Remember, this is for adults ages 18-60. If you’ve had a life-changing event, call Gerber Life and talk to a rep about your policy needs. I know it’s not something that’s fun to think about, but it’s so worth it for the peace of mind it will bring you.

Bookmark This Post:

I just sent my kids down to the elementary school in our neighborhood to play on the playground. Including the two and a half year old. Ryan, my oldest, who is 11, is so responsible, it’s not much different than if I had sent her down there with my husband.

And good gods did I need the peace and quiet.

They played Halo 3 with two of their friends on Xbox Live, and there was so much shouting and discussion of what they were doing and it just went on and on and on…

Finally after I actually HOLLERED at Nathan to get his attention, I informed them that video game time was over and they were going to go OUTSIDE and PLAY like the CHILDREN they are.

Sheesh. Anyone else remember getting on your bike right after breakfast, popping in quickly for lunch (usually with a friend in tow), then going back out until you heard your Mom or Dad yelling from the front porch to come in for dinner? And you had spent that whole time riding bikes, playing tag, building forts out of whatever you could find, and you were dirty and exhausted?

Man, those were the GOOD OLE DAYS, I tell you.

Bookmark This Post:

When I travel, I always take a book. And a magazine. Sometimes more than one of each, because I read so quickly and I’ve usually got at least two books going at the same time. It weighs me down somewhat, but what else can I do? I need to have reading material with me at all times!

Well, problem solved. A marketing agency for Sony contacted me about reviewing the Sony Digital Reader, and I jumped at the chance! Being able to carry around hundreds of books at once, plus photos, audio, and video? Yes, please! I received model number PRS-505 in Silver, plus a soft cover in light brown with white stitching. Because my computer-tech husband wasn’t home when the package arrived, I decided I would get it working all by myself, I mean sheesh, I can charge a camera and a laptop, and upload photos, right? I should be able to get a digital reader working.

I immediately had one rather embarassing problem-I couldn’t figure out how to turn it on. I intuitively looked for a button somewhere near the screen that said power-nope. I turned it around in my hands until I noticed a slider bar on the top edge with the word power and an arrow pointing to a…SD port? I was confused. I actually emailed my contact at the marketing agency to ask her how to turn it on-DURRR. Once she explained that I was to slide the slider bar over in the direction the arrow was pointing, it made sense.

I also appreciated the fact that the USB cable was also the charger. I have way too many black cords in this house as it is, and I can never remember which one goes with what.

The Reader synced up with the Sony site, and then informed me that I also got 100 FREE Classic book downloads! Awesome! I had to install the Digital Library software using the included disc, then I worked my way through an English Major’s Dream Book List, adding “Heart of Darkness” and “Jane Eyre” among other titles to my Reader. The display is organized in a list, with corresponding buttons running down the length of the screen. Pushing the button for a certain book title brings up the title of the book, “Begin”, “End”, “Bookmarks”, “Table of COntents”, “History”, “Info” and “Utilities”. It took me a while to figure out what each of these do.

You begin reading and what you see on the screen looks just like the title page of the book. A small graphic of an open book with a page being turned and arrow buttons underneath is how you “turn” the “pages”. Oddly, there’s also a large round button underneath the screen with the same graphic and arrows, maybe it’s just for wherever it feels comfortable to rest your hand while using the Reader. The font is smallish, but a magnifying glass button offers two larger fonts, although that does limit the number of words on each page. I was sure that I was going to be completely frustrated by the pace, that I would be reading faster than the buttons could turn the pages, but NO. I had absolutely no problem reading the excerpt of “The Other Boleyn Girl” that came with the Reader. In fact, it made this 400 year old book feel more contemporary to be reading it on a digital device!

The background of the screen is a light grey, so there’s no glare from a white screen. You hold the Reader just like any other book, but in some ways it’s actually EASIER to read on it. The bottom of the screen displays how many pages are in the book total and what page you are on. The best part? It has a bookmark feature. Just like you might turn down the corner of a page to mark your place, you can bookmark the page you are on, using a button that looks like an open book with the corner of one page turned down. Brilliant! I tested it out by bookmarking page 16 of the book I was on, then pressing the Menu button.

Sure enough, on the main screen, next to the words “Continue Reading”, it shows page 16 as the starting point. But I wanted to know what the point was then of having Bookmarks as opposed to just the Continue Reading option. So, I opened another of the pre-loaded book excerpts and started reading it. It also took a minute to figure out what to use the second round button at the bottom of the Reader for, it has four arrows and a smaller round button in the middle. It does not, however, navigate internal pages but is rather just for navigating the menu.

Anyway, I bookmarked page 6 of Michael Connely’s “The Concrete Blonde”, and then went back to the menu screen. Ahhhh. So what you can do is bookmark more than one page in the SAME book and then when you touch the “Bookmarks” option, you’ll see all the different pages of that book that you marked. Say, for example, you are looking for quotations from Shakespeare’s King Lear-you can bookmark each page and then go back and find those pages again. That’s pretty cool. Although I have to admit, I was hoping for some kind of central organization where I could see which pages I had bookmarked in more than one book.

The Sony Digital Reader is only compatible with PCs, but there is a free Mac application that makes the books possible to download a different way, in case you are wondering. Thumbs up to the Sony Digital Reader, it turned this die-hard book lover into a DIGITAL book lover, and that’s saying a LOT.

Bookmark This Post: