Archive for the ‘Product News and Reviews’ Category

So – we’re knee deep into winter now, and this is right about the time that everyone in my household succumbs to the Sickness to some level. It usually has to do with the temperatures dipping to negative AreYouKiddingMe? degrees, and my teenagers inability to actually WEAR the coats they own. Because, like, that’s SO uncool, mom… (coughhack sneezeshiver fevergroan).

The ever lovely Mary Ann dropped me a line recently (and I’ve been a BADBLOGGER, and kept her waiting while I hibernated! So sorry, Mary!) to let me know that Triamimic totally has our back once again. Worried that it’s not just a cold, and it’s that dreaded flu everyone’s talking about? Wondering just how much danger of contracting said flu you child is in? Absolutely fascinated to know exactly where all these flu germs are coming from in your state?

No problem! You can keep tabs on the spread of flu in your state by clicking around on the little map basted on data from SDI Fan and track the activity levels in your area so that you can prepare, and hopefully get YOUR teenagers to wear their coats! Maybe even a HAT that like, won’t totally mess up the ‘do! Though, if you discover how to make Teenage Boys wash their hands regularly, you may have done the impossible, and I might have to beg for lessons…

Not only that, but if you click on the image above, you can get a coupon for Triamintic, and you can click here to play with the map (those darn Anchoragites are in the red! Maybe I should move to Wyoming!) to check out the Could and Cough guide, get tips on how to fend off the Flu, and even FAQs about Triaminic itself!

See – I TOLD you they had our back! Check it out today!

Hey parents! Here’s something just for you!

There’s a new show premiering on TNT tonight, that all of us can relate a little too. It’s the story of our husbands, brothers, best friends – here’s the official blurb:

John Lennon once wrote, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” For three men entering the second act of their lives, those words are starting to hit home in TNT’s newest original series, Men of a Certain Age.

The show follows three longtime friends as they navigate the changes and challenges of parenting, relationships and careers in mid-life.

Men of a Certain age stars Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap, Star Trek: Enterprise) and Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street).

The ever lovely Deana sent me a preview of the first episode (on the COOLEST little mix tape USB, that I am completely in love with!), and for fans of Ramano and Bakula like me, it is sure to be a winner! It has the same qualities in the men we love, and I’m sure we can all recognize some of our husbands, best friends, and brothers in the stories of Joe, Terry and Owen.

Check out this preview:

Men of a Certain Age premieres tonight at 10/9c on TNT. Check it out!

…for lots of candy, fa la la la la, la la la la…

Raise your hand if you bought a bag of Halloween candy, and you and the kids have already eaten it! Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Ok. Just us then. Fortunately, what I got in the mail the other day will save my Halloween stash – if I can keep the kids out of the box.

My husband had a few loves in his life: Me, His Kids, Sharp and Pointy Things, Things that Go BANG, and sweets. Not necessarily in that order, all the time, either! His all time favorite was Oreo Cookie Stuff. No, not the COOKIES, but the Stuff in the middle. In fact, our kids were 3 or so before they discovered that Oreos had Stuff, because Daddy would lick the stuff out and give them the chocolate cookie! Oh the look of shock when they first got that delicious lick… Priceless.

The other thing was something I NEVER understood: Necco Wafers. I’m just a Reeses kinda gal. Kevin and the kids though, they LOVE them. Love love LOVE them. They’d flick them at each other like coins, they’d suck and crunch and exclaim over how good they were, they’d pile together on the couch and share a tube of them while watching TV. He even shared them with the dog. It was something that was theirs, just theirs, because Mom is a total weirdo and didn’t want any. I always made sure when he was home from work to have a package (or 10) on hand.

A couple week ago, I received notice that the first 50 lucky mom’s to email the lovely Danielle would get to try the all new All Natural Necco Wafers, just in time for Halloween. I couldn’t send the email fast enough then crossed my fingers. (Crossing them FIRST would have made it difficult to type, see?) Then? Then they came in the mail this weekend. I knew once the kids knew what was in the box, it would be all over.

So I hid them.
And ate them all myself.
(No, not really.)

Of COURSE I had the kids be my taste-testers – and have had to smack little (and not so little!) hands away from the box ever since – lest I not have any left over for Halloween! It started a lot of “remember when..” too, and I was thrilled to bring that little bit of their dad back to them as they crunched away happily on the wafer treat.

Necco Wafers has a rich 145 year history, and are the first mass produced candy brand to go all natural – and are proud to be made with only natural flavors and colors, with no high fructose corn syrup or other artificial ingredients. And? They’re fat free! All Natural Necco Wafers come in 7 great flavors that are Lessa’s Kid’s Approved: Orange, Lemon, Chocolate, Clove, Cinnamon, Wintergreen and Licorice. We also received a handful of All Natural Chocolate Necco Wafers, which come in 4 flavors: Dark, White, milk and Mocha, and have the kids clamoring for more!

So – if you or you’re loved ones are the type to go clamoring for Necco Wafers, be sure to hit my house come Halloween. If we have any left, I’ll let you try some! If not, or if you think the trek to Alaska might be a bit far for the wafer, be sure to check them out at their website, facebook, and even follow them on twitter – and get some Necco Wafer’s today!

One of my favorite shirts – and my kids favorite too – depicts a bird and a bee whispering, with the caption above their head saying “We do WHAT?!” It never fails to make my kids giggle, and I get a lot of snickering looks from folks when I parade it around town.

Because, you know, I’m really 12. Or something.

Anyway – I’m sure you’ve noticed that pretty little button there over to the side, the one about My First Period Kit – which you can now buy through that link right there. We featured the kit before, and while it gave Peppermist and myself a snarky giggling fit like you wouldn’t believe, I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get one for the Pup and possibly my Niece too. Now I’ve never been shy about laying it all out there for my kids – but Dr. de Freitas helps those who are a little less open than us, talking in a frank and open way that makes it easy to open those discussions with your girls.

And boys – especially with her new guide for parents – The Birds and the Bees with Ease. In fact, HealthyChats.com is offering a free 40-page Ebook to parents! Dr Chrystal de Freitas based the book on her mother-daughter seminars. She (and I!) feel that by the time those hormones kick in for puberty, the kids should already have the basics down, but a lot of moms at her seminars have never quite brought it up.

Here’s the official Blurb!

“The Birds and the Bees with Ease!” covers which details are appropriate to relate to a child at what age, starting at 5 years old, moving up to ages 6 through 9. The information is also useful for parents who have not yet discussed these topics with children at the cusp of puberty. “When we start the conversation at the appropriate age of 5 or 6, we can leave out all the details of dangers and pleasures associated with sex,” explains Dr. de Freitas. “This is not too early because if we parents don’t initiate this conversation, others – like the kid next door or the media – will do it for us. As our children grow, we can continue to add on more information before they get to their health education class at school. Explaining to children how their amazing bodies work empowers them and keeps them safe. This knowledge is all part of the journey to healthy, responsible adulthood.”

The e-book’s clear-cut chapters tackle topics including: Where Do Babies Come From? and How Do they Get Out?; How are Babies Made?; Sexual Curiosity; Modesty; Touching/Exploring; Foul Language; HIV and AIDS; Puberty; and other vital discussion areas to enable parents to easily have healthy chats with their children.

So head over to Healthy Chats’ The Birds and the Bees with Ease page and download your copy of the Free E-book, today! Don’t forget to check out the other features of the site too – such as Dr. de Freitas’ blog, Q and As for Moms and Pre-Teen girls, and other information for parents and kids alike!

And, like I preach continuously around here – TALK TO YOUR KIDS!
…and provide condoms. Just in case.

Have you entered our sweepstakes today? Why not? It’s right over there —> !

And just in case you’re worried about what to do with your old appliance when you win the sweepstakes (because you totally will – as we’re all about the positive thinking around here, right? right!) – Hank and Lisa have come to our rescue for some fabulous recycling ideas for that old busted up range you can’t wait to kick to the curb! Truth of the matter is, you can help out those in need by donating your used appliance to these national charities:

* The Salvation Army: With thrift stores located throughout North America, The Salvation Army can schedule a pickup from the thrift store nearest you. Check with your local Salvation Army office to see if they accept appliance donations in your area. Learn more at www.salvationarmyusa.org

* St. Vincent de Paul: St Vincent de Paul is a national organization with thrift stores throughout the country. Contact your local chapter to arrange for a pick-up or drop-off. The number will be listed in the Social Service Organizations section of your local yellow pages. Learn more at www.svdpusa.org

* American Council of the Blind: American Council of the Blind has thrift stores in a number of major metropolitan areas. You can call them at 1-800-866-3242 or visit www.acb.org

* Habitat for Humanity: Habitat ReStores are retail outlets where quality used and surplus building materials are sold at a fraction of normal prices. For more information, call 1-800-HABITAT or visit www.habitat.org

See? You can get a new GE appliance, and help someone else get some good use out of your used appliance too! Remember, you can enter once a day every day until NOVEMBER! That’s a lot of entries – and each betters your chance to win! So scoot over to the right and get your entry in for today!

My girls are all about projects: drawing and creating and writing and coloring and painting and everything in between. I have boxes and boxes and piles and walls FILLED with their masterpieces, each one special and unique and showing another part of my daughters’ creative spirit – something I love to encourage.

The ever-lovely Marissa contacted me recently with a new site to check out – The Creative Park for Creative Minds site, sponsored by Cannon. It’s fun, free, and has a TON of craft projects for you’re little budding artists to try. They have ideas and templates for any lesson plan (for those teachers among us!) and helpful tips too! There’s 3D Paper Crafts, scrapbooks, calendars and even some tips for your digital photography! There are interactive projects that help teach kids about geography, history, social studies, science and more! Who doesn’t want to teach our kids something when they don’t even realize they’re being taught? Sneaky teaching is fun!

To help take those projects to the next level, check out the Learning to Create site, and then pop over to the Cannon Creative Park for even more ideas and projects for the whole family!

Ooooooooooooh this is good! Remember that important bit of news I said I had coming? It’s here!

A while back, I was contacted about the new humorous look at the strength of GE’s appliance line, GE Stainless Steel Kitchen Appliances. Strong as Steel is a funny take on the strength of the new appliances, with some fitness experts – AND Ali Sweeny from the Biggest Loser! (LOOOOOOVE HER!)

I was in the process of getting my sites moved and back up to speed, so wasn’t able to participate in the original announcements and discount period – but Deana, lovely lady that she is, made sure we were included in the next step – and it’s a BIGGY…

Here – I’ll let THEM tell it:

Dude – it’s like our name in LIGHTS! It certainly made me grin, as does the entire Strong as Steel site and videos! AND! Parenting Teens Blog was chosen to be one of the places to post this sweepstakes – one of YOU might be the lucky winner! So be sure to sign up using the above bridgit every single day! I would be THRILLED to have one of you win a new appliance!

What are you waiting for? Enter Today – and help me spread the word, too!

If you live with a young teenager or tween, who happens to be of the girlish persuasion and addicted to the Disney Channel, chances are you know exactly who Hannah Montana is. For those one or two people in the world who don’t – Hannah Montana is the name of Mylie Cyrus’ alter ego on the show, aptly named Hannah Montana, and Disney’s media darling. Of course, as with all Disney Darlings, there are the talks, the scandals, the questions, and more Disney events and concerts than you can shake a stick at. These events and concerts are attended by a metric TON of teenage and pre-teen girls, squealing and screaming and bouncing as if they were meeting… I dunno, the Beetles, if your of my mom’s generation, or maybe Metalica or Jon Bon Jovi (OMGYUM) if you’re of mine. Heh.

ANYWAY – What I’m trying to say is that if you DON’T know who Hannah Montana is – you’re living under a cable and internet free rock. Don’t worry though – I’ve got your back! Watch this!

The song is totally stuck in your head now, isn’t it? Welcome to my life.

Recently I was contacted by the ever lovely Libby on behalf of Lenox, who was sweet enough to send us one of the brand spanking new Hannah Montana Ornaments to show off to you all! It arrived yesterday, and when my youngest saw it, I had a time prying it from her gleefully clutching “IS IT MINE OMG CAN I HAVE IT” fingers in order to tell you all about it. The lovely ornament is crafted of ivory fine Lenox china, hand-painted, and shaped like a guitar, with a delicate golden chain to hang it from – it will shine on the tree in ways that only be rivaled by the smile of the fan who receives it!

If you’re a family who enjoys getting specially chosen ornaments every year to add to the tree – this is a can’t miss item for the Hannah Montana fan nearest you. Purple with delicate swirls in pink and blue, with rhinestones to catch the slightest glimmer of light, sporting the stars and rock star feel – any fan would be pleased to have this as their pick on this years’ tree! You can order it through Macy’s online, for $36. Get yours today, and tell them Lessa at PTB sent ya!

Trust me – your young fan will love it, if the possessive gleam in The Pups’ eye in any way matches that of your own Hannah Montana fan!

~~~
I’m still looking for any other gift ideas for the Teenage boy and girl, so we can put together a nice list of possible items to look for in the upcoming Holiday Shopping Panic! What is YOUR teenager begging for this year? Hit up the Contact Me link over there, or leave me a comment and let me know!

Yup, it’s review day here at Parenting Teens Blog! For the past few weeks, the lovely Melissa and I have been chatting back and forth about the brand new Neopets Puzzle Adventure! I had to admit that I was a hopelessly behind the times mom, and had yet to give my kids a Nintendo DS, and thus couldn’t get my hands on an advance copy – but I do have a PC copy coming soon, where I’ll be able to give a complete review in the weeks after Christmas.

In the meantime – I invite you to test out the online demo of the game, which is surprisingly addictive and easy to use – and you can play it RIGHT here, after the cut below! (Click the “more” link!)

The Neopets Puzzle Adventure will be available on Wii, DS and PC, and will be launched officially on November 25th. It’s fun, and challenging as well (UGH! I will NEVER manage to beat anyone at this flipping the tokens game. It’s infuriating! My 14 year old, however? Loves to point over my shoulder and tell me what I SHOULD have clicked on…)

Check out some of the images below (click to bigafy!) – the colors are stunning, the characters engaging, and you get to pick your own species, color – customizing one of 12 Neopets, and name them when you begin to play. The game is like a classic Reversi and Go – but with a unique Neopets spin on it – along with a lot of fun, mini-games like match, etc. Not only that, but as you unlock more puzzles and areas in the game – you also unlock secret codes that can be redeemed at Neopets.com for exclusive virtual items and accessories! And there’s not just one or two quests, either – for the single-player alone there are more then 150 quests to go on!

Neopets.com has an active virtual economy based on the caring and raising of your virtual pets, collecting Neopoints and taking part in daily and weekly creativity contests. There’s discussion boards, quests and thousands of virtual items that appeals to the Tweener audience! There’s an indepth and exciting storyline, an entire virutal world to explore, and as part of it, Neopets Puzzle Adventure is the ultimate puzzle adventure game for tweens, teens (…and me! I mean, adults!) alike!

(I’m gonna have to get me one of them newfangled DS thingys, huh?)

Hit up the demo above, and be sure to put this on the Christmas list for your DS loving Tween/Teen today! And keep checking back – I’ll be sure to write of our adventures as soon as our PC copy arrives!

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