When Jenna McCarthy’s book, The Parent Trip: From High Heels and Parties to Highchairs and Potties came my way I was eager to get started reading.   Not only do I appreciate a good read but before this, all we had were the celebrities, Doctors and the ‘What to Expect’ series bringing us the same material over and over.

Then we have the parenting JOURNALS.  There are hundreds of them and they’re all exactly the same.  Write your thoughts, enter possible baby names here…what we as expecting mothers really need to expect is “Did I get those hemorrhoid’s in the first or second trimester last time?” and this book combines both Jenna’s journey into parenthood and provides a humorous journal section WAY more relevant to the entries I had filled out when I was pregnant!

I have a confession to make.  For YEARS, I’ve been wanting to write a book about my journey to parenthood and pregnancy because I read every parenting book and wrote in every journal available throughout both of my pregnancies and was SO let down by the content. (more…)

I can’t say enough about how wonderful Nintendo is.  This company has found a way to improve nearly every facet of my life.  From my 60 pound weight loss using the Wii Fit to expanding my repertoire in the kitchen with the help from Personal Trainer: Cooking.

Now they’re taking it one step further and have introduced Personal Trainer: Math, new software for the Nintendo DS^â„¢ that provides a fun and rewarding way for people to improve their basic math abilities.

“Personal Trainer: Math provides a fun antidote for math anxiety,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “People can keep their math skills sharp while tracking their progress every day to see how they improve.”

When I first got this, I thought it’d be perfect for my almost 4 year old to help him learn the basics of Math.  He’s still a little too young to do this on his own, but since receiving Personal Trainer: Math, both my husband and I have worked with Jacob to teach him the basics of addition and subtraction through playing this game on our Nintendo DS.

I decided to try this game for myself, since I’m absolutely terrible at Math and hear that activities like these keep the mind sharp as a person ages.  Since I’m about to hit the ripe old age of 32, I thought I’d better get cracking and stimulate the parts of my brain I just don’t use on a daily basis (mainly, 2/3 of it he he he).

I played Personal Trainer: Math for over an hour and had to force myself to put it down so I could go to bed!  I started with the basic tests and worked my way up.  Let me tell you this, folks, this game can be used for kids just starting to learn Math (with help from their parents) all the way to the graduate students looking to test themselves on elaborate multiplication tables and calculation ladders.

According to Nintendo, a new survey, conducted by Wakefield Research for Nintendo, confirms that math anxiety is alive and well among U.S. kids. In fact, of 400 children surveyed, one in five believe that they are more likely to grow up to become a professional athlete, actor or singer than they are to get A’s and B’s in math next year. Other results of the survey conducted Dec. 12-23, 2008, include:

• More than one-third of kids surveyed say that math is their most difficult subject.
• Nearly one-third of kids have very negative feelings about math: 18 percent called it “boring,” while 13 percent actually called it “torture.”
• 86 percent of parents surveyed say that math is important to their careers, even though more than half of them admitted they thought they’d never need the math they learned in school.

Personal Trainer: Math includes 40 fast-paced exercises, from basic addition and multiplication to more extensive multiplication tables and calculation ladders. Daily math drills keep skills sharp, while attendance records provide ways for users to see how they improve week to week and month to month. The Nintendo DS touch screen interface allows users to input their answers quickly and easily. Using wireless DS Download Play, up to 16 players can compete to finish their problems with the fastest time, even if only one player has a game card.

Don’t forget to check out the Cool Mom Guide Goes Green Giveaway, sponsored by ecostore USA! One lucky winner will receive the entire Baby Care line, including Baby Wash, Massage Oil, Moisturizer, Nappy Balm, Shampoo, Sleepytime Bath and Soap! (more…)

Yep, you read that right-there is a PRINCESS BRIDE VIDEO GAME!

When I was given the opportunity to review this game I practically jumped through my email to the lovely person on the other side offering it to hug her.  This is one of my all-time favorite movies and the fact that it’s back in a game (rated E for Everyone) warms my heart.

There are some movies that should never be forgotten and watched by every generation.  By creating The Princess Bride Video Game, the tech-savvy kids of today are gaining a new interest in watching the movie and their parents (ME!) get to take part in playing as well. (more…)

Wondering what to get your child for Christmas?  Think about heading over to Target and checking out the line of toys brought to you by Parents Magazine.  The philosophy at Parents is ‘When the toy does less. the child does more’ and I couldn’t agree more.

My kids are the only in the family right now.  They are therefore overloaded with toys.  We have toys that beep, move and hurl objects.  Blasters, computers, a full size arcade Basketball set.  My boys have it all.  What are their favorites? (more…)