UPDATE:  7/31/10  Mark and I made a further inspection and found that the pillow actually does have a hole at one of the seams.  So, that solves the “where the beads are coming from” mystery.
UPDATE: Per a more recent post, I have had a problem with the microbeads in my pillow leaking out of the pillow. I’ve contacted the company and will update as to whether this is an isolated incident. Stay tuned!

(Update: I just added a giveaway below…scroll down and then leave a comment to be entered).

Total Pillow is a doughnut/flower shaped all in one pillow. This pillow can be used to support back, neck and head. It can be used anywhere from the office to the car to the bed.

Mark has listened and searched for a perfect pillow for me. It seems that we are constantly on the lookout for a pillow that will keep my neck from hurting or aching. I’ve tried everything from the most expensive to the least. Nothing seems to fit quite right and I’m constantly having to adjust or purchase a new pillow.

When I got word that I would be reviewing the Total Pillow, I was pumped. The pillow arrived in the mail the day before my induction. Perfect! I was about to enter a great environment to test out this pillow. All the nurses asked me about it and were quite interested in it.

So, off to a great testing ground, with my labor bag and Total Pillow in hand, I went.

I was a bit skeptical because of it’s size. It’s a tad small. However, it can be adjusted to fit in different ways from bending it in half to twisting it up. Let me say, I was super thrilled to have this pillow throughout labor and post partum as well! As I labored, I sat up and rested on the back of the bed, the pillow was a great face support through contractions. It was a great pillow to rest on in between pushes. And it slept very well, when I slept, in the hospital. I do believe this will have to go on my labor essentials list!

I’m now using it at night for my main bedtime pillow and it’s working pretty well. There are microbeads in the pillow which help it to stay firm and maintain the shape you put it in. It’s super comfortable. I’m still working on getting it in just the right way…but so far it’s not going flat and it holds the shape I put it in.

So, where can you get this super duper amazing pillow??? Total Pillow is sold here. And right now they have a buy one get one free deal. Plus, a few extras thrown in! The pillow (plus extras right now) are being sold for $19.99.

But wait…there’s more!!! Want to win your own Total Pillow??? The makers of Total Pillow are generously giving away one on our blog! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post…any ol’ comment (and no, you don’t get bonus entries if you tell me how adorable I look in my hospital gown or how totally beautiful our little one is…although you will make me smile). Comments will be closed at midnight on July 30th. I’ll randomly select a winner. One comment per email please. And don’t forget to leave a comment so I know how to give you your goody!

Disclaimer: This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by Total Pillow for this review.

And here’s a product I would have never thought to purchase but was so excited to try out.  It’s called Balance Benders.  This is a series of workbooks going from second grade all the way through twelfth.  Each workbook is full of grade appropriate logic and algebraic puzzles for children to work through either with an adult (if they can figure them out) or on their own.

I was a bit nervous when I received the workbook and realized we were talking Algebra here.  Algebra is a subject I loved…in the higher grades!  So, introducing this type of reasoning to my seven year old made me a little apprehensive that I would be able to give this a good review.  True, Zoe is only “technically” finishing 1st grade, but in some areas, her brain works on a higher grade level.

So, the book came in, and when Mark was home (since he’s the math whiz), we sat down and started working on the puzzles.  They start out very easy to follow and have great cheat sheets and lessons to review the algebra facts.  So, explaining it was a breeze.  I must admit that I  got stuck a couple of times and had to have Mark  and Zoe explain why the problem was such and such.  Yeah, that was great.  Zoe had trouble wrapping her brain around a couple of concepts but Mark and I were able to work together to explain them in a different term than what the book gave and that helped her work through it.  Believe it or not, when she got stuck, none of us freaked out (a very rare thing in our house).  We are working very slowly through the book as she grasps concepts that are pretty advanced, even for a second grader.  Not to say that a second grader could not work through the books.  I firmly believe they can (I’m of the opinion that we try to dumb down too much for children and therefore they don’t expect to be able to understand concepts, when in fact they do and they can if just given the opportunity.  Sorry.  I’m stepping off my soapbox now to get back to the review).  I also believe that they would benefit more to having an adult sit down with them to work through the problems.

If you have a child who absolutely loves to write in workbooks…or enjoys puzzles (Zoe does love a good Sodoku or word find puzzle), then Balance Benders is the perfect fit.  For those children who are more kinesthetic or visual, you may have to adapt the puzzles for them to understand and see them better.

Each balance bender puzzle book sells for $9.99.  There are currently four books in the series.  A definite good buy for children who need or want to be challenged.

Know someone who deserves to be recognized as a critical thinking hero?  Check out this contest that the Critical Thinking Co. has going on right now and nominate your hero today.

The Critical Thinking Co. is also holding a video contest.  Click here to get all the details and for your chance to win a year’s supply of educational products!

**Disclaimer:  This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by The Critical Thinking Co. for this review.

If you are looking for a sweet, luxurious indulgence for a tired, hard working mama…then Whish Body Products are the place to go! 

Whish Body Products were created by two brothers after one of their wives “whished” to have a better shaving product.    These products are unique because the ingredients are Paraben Free, Sulfate Free, TEA & DEA Free, and Petrochemical Free.  The product I reviewed contained organic beeswax, organic aloe, organic shea butter, and organic raspberry butter.  Each specifically added to give the user healthy, beautiful skin and not the oily, greasy residue left behind by other products.

I got to try out the Three Whishes Pomegranete Sugar Scrub.  It smelled wonderfully!  Worked beautifully!  And was a nice treat.  Now to see if the scrub really worked, I decided to try it on half of my body.  Yes, I said half.  I used it on my right arm and leg and left the other without.  I could immediately tell a difference in the smoothness and throughout the day there was a little bit of a noticeable difference. 

Now, being that I am not one to use multitudes of beauty products, I had a little bit of a difficulty trying to figure out exactly what you do with a body scrub.  I made up my own rules and just slathered it on.  It was a little hard to get on but using a loofah didn’t work to well.  So, I slathered it with my hands.  I may have used too much but it didn’t seem that using a little worked well…therefore, each time I used it I had to get a lot out to cover just one arm and leg. 

At $38 for 12 ounces of scrub, I would say this product is definitely a splurge product.  These products, for a mom of many and a single income family, would not be practical for everyday use, but as a chance to indulge and as a gift…would be very welcome in my home!  But, if you have the money to splurge regularly, you can check out the other yummy and fun products Whish sells, click on over to their website to see pamper yourself away!  You can also find their products at Nordstrom, Kitson, Studio at Fred Segal, Apothecary at the Wynn, and Zitomer.

This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by Whish Body Products for this review.

After having four children with perfectly non-irritating, non-sensitive skin, we had Ceili Rain.  And Ceili Rain, can get a diaper rash if you look at her funny.  Whether she has on a cloth diaper or disposable diaper is irrelevant…if she goes, well, poop, then you wait to say, wash your hands or finish pouring a drink, she’s got a diaper rash.

Now, I have friends who are pharmacists, and their excellent knowledge in all things medical comes in handy.  They introduced us to a diaper cream, right before Zoe was born, and we were sold on “pharmacist invented” diaper creams.  This diaper cream has worked wonders on the occasional outbreak from one of our kids.

And it’s worked wonders on Ceili Rain but never very consistently.  It helps to heal but it never really prevented any diaper rash.

Probably when Liam was a little baby, I started hearing about Boudreaux’s Butt Paste but never thought much about it because I had this other cream AND I cloth diapered and everyone knows that cloth diapered babys do not get diaper rash.

Then I had Ceili Rain…and as I stated earlier, she does wear cloth diapers and she does (boy does she ever) get diaper rash.

I got two different creams in the mail, the regular butt paste

and the all natural paste. 

And, since Ceili Rain is such a good baby, she decided to have her rash flair up a day or two later.  So, off to testing we went…

Both creams did exceptionally well at treating her rash AND preventing one.  In fact, we used it for a couple of weeks but now only use it when we start to see her rear get red.  They are no to low odor (I really didn’t notice any odor at all with either of the creams), which is nice.   When I’ve used a standard store diaper cream on Ceili Rain, I feel like I’m carrying around a hospital ward…it just plain stinks.   Also they are not greasy and stick on your hands after you apply them to the baby.  However, they do stick to their sweet bums…I’ve always noticed that there is still some on her rear in the morning after applying it at night…and she’s a very wiggly sleeper.  Ceili Rain dreads diaper changes when she gets a bad rash but as soon as I put the Boudreaux’s on, she calms down which, to me anyway, indicates that it’s soothing and doing it’s job. 

I think if I had a choice, though, I would go for the all natural cream.  The regular cream is a brownish color and it does stain diapers.  Not a big deal if you use disposables.  But I primarily use cloth diapers.  So, when someone asks to see the diapers we use, I always have to explain that the brown smear is not “poop” but diaper cream.  And I’m pretty sure not all moms believe me.  The natural cream, however, is a nice white color, therefore it won’t stain your diapers.  That’s pretty nice.  Add to the fact that it uses all natural ingredients and it makes for one happy mama to a sensitive skin baby!

I can definitely recommend Boudreaux’s Butt Paste as a great tool to help keep your baby happy (because diaper rashes make for grumpy babies.  Believe me.  I know.).  At $5.99 for a tube, it can be pretty expensive but a little bit of cream goes a long way.  It’s definitely worth it to have somethign that you know will protect and treat your baby’s rash.  I’ve also spotted a coupon, recently for the cream.  Something other effective diaper rash ointments do not put out!

For more information on Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, click here.

Disclaimer:  This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by:Blairex Laboratories Inc. for this review.

I had this great blog post about how I was supposed to review this but the post office lost it and all that…then I finally received it.  On Wednesday.  About an hour before we had to leave for our Thanksgiving trip (does it feel like we’ve been around the world???).   So we loaded it up and off Zoe went.

Typing Instructor for Kids is a software program designed to teach children to type.  I’ve been eyeing this software in the Timberdoodle catalog for quite some time.  The software is geared towards ages 6 to 12.  Prime age for Zoe to learn to type.  You can get all the technical information from the link provided above.

The graphics and programming of the software is very kid friendly and eye appealing.  A child must go to Typer Island and start out at a certain level.  And then by working through the letters of the keyboard, move on to another level and another.  The goal is to reach the castle on the island.  The software encourages both accuracy and speed, which being a typer, I know that’s important. However, it does emphasize accuracy over speed at first.  The thought being that as accuracy improves so will the speed.  There’s no adjusting, rearranging, and figuring out what level your child needs to start out on.  The program, through a series of different activities, can figure out the words per minute based on accuracy and speed and then sets the child at the appropriate level.  I did have to select where I wanted her to start off (learning the home row keys) at in the “settings” menu.

Overall, the program is wonderful!  It was easy to load and after a few rough starts, easy for Zoe to manuever through.  At the start, the “settings” area can be adjusted to follow a plan that is appropriate for the child.  I like that you can start where you want and where your child is.  For us, that meant the home row.  Zoe only had time to do the first four, “asl;” but she managed through them and after about fifteen minutes of play I could see a marked improvement in her ability to find the keys and not “hunt and peck.”

We both thought the animated characters had rather silly voices but they, in no way confused the user.  Another problem included trying to figure out exactly how to start the activities.  There was no user manual included, but after a few tries at different buttons, we were on our way!

Priced at $8.00 at Timberdoodle.com, Typing Instructor for Kids is a great way to introduce the keyboard and typing to your child.  I would highly recommend this software.  There are adult versions of the software as well and all are as reasonably priced as Typing Instructor for Kids.

Disclosure:  This product was provided by Timberdoodle Co. to MamaBuzz and it’s reviewers for reviewing purposes.

Books! Books!  I just love books!  Bonus for me, Zoe loves (and that’s putting it mildly) to read too.  I was ecstatic when I was accepted to review a book about a family and not only a family (pretty cool and hard to find) but not only a family but a homeschooling family!  I have found that it’s near impossible to locate fictitious books about homeschoolers.  Oh yes, I know they’re there, but they’ve been really hard for us to locate. 

Wright on Time:  Arizona by Lisa M. Cottrell-Bentley is not only fictitious but is chock full of educational tidbits. Wright on Time: Arizona is the first book in a series that follows the Wright family as they “road school” through the United States.  Of course, the first book is about Arizone and tha tis the book I was able to review.

This book is written for ages 9 to 12.  There are illustrations through the book which is great for visual learners.  I easily read hte book in a couple of hours, which is not bad for me (the slowest reader in our family).  I handed the book over to Zoe the following afternoon and she had it finished before the next day.

The book is well writeen and easy to follow.  It can hold the reader’s attention because of the short chapters and the mystery and intrigue throughout.  Zoe was thrilled with the book and is already asking for the next one. 

I wanted to learn even more about Arizona and was a bit disappointed that the book only touched on one aspect of the state:  the caves.  However, I can see where this book would be a great jumping off for children to want to learn more about the state after reading the book.

Zoe and I both felt the illustrations were great in telling the story.  However, the drawings of the people were not as appealing.  After showing the book to a family member, she felt the children’s characters were drawn a little too much like adults.  In Zoe’s words, the illustrations of the girl were a bit “freaky.”

The family dynamics, while not overtly Christian, are very positive.  The father and mother are portrayed as intelligent and competent which is not seen often in today’s media.  The children were respectful without acting like little adults and said things that were appropriate, not out of place, for children to say.

That being said, these books , and I believe, the following ones, are great tools to jumpstart a child learning about various states.  Entertaining, educational, and easily readable, Wright on Time by Lisa M. Cottrell-Bentley will definitely appeal to young readers.

The Story of Christmas  by Gwen Ellis
Illustrated by Steve Smallman
Ages: 4-7
Put out by:   Thomas Nelson
Price:  $10.99

***Disclosure:  Mama Buzz and reviewers, received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.

Hands down, the Christmas season is my most favorite season of the year.  The family, the smells, and the food…yumm!  Books, too, are one of my favorite things.  Combine Christmas and books, and you can hear me humming the song from The Sound of Music (“These are a few of my favorite things…).  

The Story of Christmas fits into two of my categories of favs, so I was delighted to be able to review it.  Based on the Read and Share Bible, this picture book recounts the events surrounding Jesus’ birth.  All the people who witnessed and worshipped Jesus as He came to earth as a baby are included in the book.  Each section summarizes an event and includes disccussion questions and Scripture references.  Throughout the entire book are beautifully illustrated pictures which capture the attention of even the youngest children.

As an extra bonus, the book includes a DVD with various events in Jesus’ life.  The animation closely resembles the illustrations in the book.  All of the children were eager to watch the video.  However, Josiah was a  little scared when the scene of Jesus being tempted by Satan appeared (A cloaked figure with human hands and no face can be pretty scary for a two year old.).

The kids ate up the book, as usual in our home.  They loved reading and flipping through the pages over and over again.  

I would recommend this book as a great way to introduce the events of Jesus’ birth to a very young child.  However, nothing can beat the actual account in the Bible as a way to help a child understand that these were not merely fictitious events but actually occurred in the not too distant past.   

(Disclosure:  I was provided these finger puppets for review purposes for Mama Buzz.)

From Five Star Publications:

Parents and teachers looking to inspire children to read more – and have more fun while doing it – get a hand with Five Star Finger Puppets. Handmade in the U.S. with soft, durable, hand-washable yarn, they are child safe with no removable parts and come in packages of five that include owl, snake, child, dog and cat characters. Retail: $12.95. www.fivestarpuppets.com.

Put out by: Five Star Publications

I am a big fan of the no frills, no bells and whistles toys.  I love toys that foster creativity as opposed to toys that have the child turn off their brain  while it does everything for them (not to say we don’t have some of those toys but I prefer the other better).  These adorable finger puppets are a great resource to encourage imagination.

The finger puppets we received included an owl, snake, cat, dog, and pig.  They are adorable and soft.  I allowed Josiah and Liam to play with them on a recent long car ride (not the one we most recently took…although they all enjoyed playing with them then).  Liam was able to entertain Josiah with funny voices stories and lots of giggles as he put the puppets on each finger.  They are made of a high quality yarn that is durable enough to withstand my boys outrageous tales of animal adventures.

These puppets are great for imaginative stories of the children or to act out stories based on a book.  Five Star publishes several books that would work well the puppets including, “True Stories about Saving Animals by Sam Lopez and Rattlesnake Rules by Conrad Storad.