For those of you with older kids who may not have heard of Dinosaur Train, well, it’s big.  I would call it the Rollie-Poli-Olie of today. Meg was a big Rollie fan (a decade ago EEEK!).  In this animated cartoon a family of dinosaurs ride a train each episode to a new place in time.  The Jim Henson Company is the creator of the series, so you know that it is full of fun, color and learning.

In The Spooky Scavenger Hunt  (Published by Grosset & Dunlap), the conductor takes the kids (all dinosaurs) on a scavenger hunt and they learn to use their senses of sight, hearing, smell as well as touching on nocturnal animals.  The pages are colorful, though not to bright – the darkness helps with the spooky theme.  Of course the book is not to spooky to read to the little ones and is aimed at ages 4-8.

Elle (my 6.5 year old) enjoyed reading the book along with me. She does watch the show when her older sissies surrender the TV!  We will be reading the book the next few weeks before Halloween and then passing it on to the nephews I’m sure.  That’s what I love about books: They last for a long time and are never out of date for the most part!

Elle and Friend

Also coming up on PBS:  Sid the Science Kid – Spooky Science Special on October 17, 25, 30 and 31st

Dinosaur Train: Haunted roundhouse/Big Pond Pumpkin Patch on October 20, 24, 30 and 31st.

Here are links to patterns for Dinosaur Train or a Sid Halloween costumes!

Okay, giveaway details!  A copy of The Spooky Scavenger Hunt will be sent to you if you are the winner (US addresses only please.) .

Mandatory Entry:  Leave a comment to the following question:  Do you think that dinosaurs trick or treated? Explain your answer….seriously, just leave me a comment!

Extra Entries:

Follow PBS Kids on Twitter and leave me a comment that you did so with your Twitter handle.

Like PBS Kids on Facebook and leave me a comment that you did so.

Like FourAgainstTwo on Facebook and leave a comment that you did so.

The winner will be drawn via Random.org on October 19th at noon. I cannot guarantee that you will get it by Halloween, but there is a good chance!

(Disclosure:  I received a free copy  of above mentioned book ($3.99 US) from Three Sixty Marketing and Communications and the opportunity to give one copy away.  I was given no other compensation and my thoughts are my own.)

The Hallmark Room at BlogHer11

It is no secret that  I adore Hallmark cards. My mom and I used to go into Hallmark when Meg was in her stroller, and just read cards. We would pick one out and laugh and then insist that the other one read it…right now!  We would laugh until our sides hurt.  I hope that someday that will become a regular occurrence again.  Maybe once the kids are old enough not to trash Hallmark by pulling out all of the cards then putting them back in a totally different category.  I’m talking about school-age kids here, but I digress.

At BlogHer11 Hallmark had a lovely little room with fluffy comfy couches to rest upon. They had a selection of awesome cards that we could select and mail out or give to another attendee.  Purple is my favorite color and they were handing out purple shirts that said, “_______is a special occasion.”  We filled in the blanks. I wrote in that “Good Morning Hugs are a special occasion.”  I do love me some cuddling in the morning, stinky breath and all.

@OutnumberedMom

What I adore about this campaign is that it is so simple. We need to celebrate all of life’s little moments as well as the big ones. I am not an advocate for throwing an expensive party over a first lost tooth or having a pinata tournament for a first bicycle wreck, but a thought, a hug, an extra space of time to recognize how special life is:  I am all for.

To win your own purple shirt and a selection of Hallmark cards:

•  Leave a comment on this post saying what your special everyday occasion is!
• Like Hallmark on Facebook and tell me about you did it.
• Follow Hallmark on Twitter and tell me about it and leave you Twitter handle so I can follow you to!

That is three chances to win! Yippee :)  Giveaway runs from August 23rd to  August 29th noon.  Winner will be picked by Random.org.

Don’t forget to enter my TheraBreath Giveaway!  Ends 8/25

(Disclosure:  I received no compensation for this review of Hallmark or hosting a giveaway. I met the Hallmark people at BlogHer11 and got a purple t shirt and two free cards at that time.  My feelings for Hallmark are mine and not sponsored!)

Bad breath

Elle has giant tonsils and can have quite the stinky breath at times.  Like me, she isn’t into the  heavy minty taste that tooth paste and mouth wash can have.  I have been using TheraBreath mouthwash  for over a year now and love it. It works well without burning my mouth.  TheraBreath is a oral hygiene line created by Dr. Harold Katz.  This line was created to treat the cause of bad breath and also works for people with chronic canker sores.

At BlogHer11 I was able sample Therabreath’s mouth lozenges. They are great for dry mouth and bad breath. They taste light and again don’t have that heavy mint taste that simply covers up the bad breath. I like the Mandarin Mint flavor.  Save $2.00 on th e Lozenges at TheraBreath.com with the coupon code BPREF210.  If you have a real problem with bad breath you can also get a free copy of Dr. Katz’s Bad Breath Bible to help you out.

Elle uses the mouthwash as times, but really loves the lozenges. I now keep them in my car and my purse for those times I realize my kids forgot to brush or didn’t do such a great job at brushing. I admit that I don’t always get out of the house having checked all of their breath, it happens with four kids. I’m lucky to get out of the house at all really!

TheraBreath has been awesome and sent me a sample of the mouthwash, toothpaste and lozenges.  I’m loving the toothpaste, which I had not tried before.

Want to win a pack of TheraBreath mouthwash and toothpaste to try? You have up to three chances to win:

1) Like TheraBreath on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did so.

2) Follow TheraBreath on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you did so as well as your Twitter handle so I can follow you to!

3) Leave a comment telling me about a time you had really bad breath and could have used a TheraBreath Lozenge!

Giveaway is for US addresses only.  Contest ends on August 25th, 2011 at noon EST. Random.org will be used to find the winner.

(Disclosure: I received product samples in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was given to me.)

Way back in February, during Black History Month I posted on some books I gave to my girls’ classrooms. I also mentioned that like to make sure the class rooms have the Mancala game in them. This new game  Path to the White House is a new one for the classrooms I am excited to give out.  When searching for ways to put Black History in my kid’s class rooms I find books, but not a lot of interactive things that actually teach facts.  I think this game will help me fill that gap in the older classrooms.

Path to the Presidency: From 1619 to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is for ages ten and up and 2-5 players can play at one time. There are four historic eras in this game: Slavery, Building Democracy, Civil Rights and the Modern Era.  There are also Adversity and Overcoming cards that effect the game as you try to move your pawn to the White House. 

The games cards are filled with history and trivia that is easy for kids to learn and remember. The Modern Era cards feature figures such as Serena Williams and Colin Powell while the Adversity cards tell of facts about things like Plessy V. Ferguson (1896 “Seperate but equal” is legal.”)   From Jamestown to Motown the trivia and facts cover a lot of territory.  The game board is covered with illistrations and pictures of Black History that are sure to get kids asking questions as well as identify with history they allready are familiar with. I think it is important that we teach our kids history, both black and white together.  Unfortunately the black education is rather lacking in our school books and a game such as this could help with that gap.

I like that this game is easy to play and makes learning about history enjoyable for kids. My three older girls really enjoy playing.  The age  range is 10 and up, but I have found that if they team up the eight year old is holding her own as well.  Playing with an adult helps to add some experience to the game as well.  You can also use the cards as trivia cards and forget the board game if you kids just want to learn some fun and easy facts.

The one drawback to the game is that from the packaging it looks like a game about President Obama. While I am more than fine with learning about our current President, I fear that many will overlook the game simply because of the emphasis of Obama. Whatever your feelings are for our President, Black History is important for us to learn.

Path to the Presidency can be bought here.

Pressman Toys is letting me give  four games away two games for two readers, one to keep at home and one to giveaway to a school or community center. You have two ways to enter: 1) Simply leave a comment on where you would donate your second game to.  2) Like Pressman Toys on Facebook and tell them FourAgainstTwo sent you and come back here to tell me you did this.  Winners will be chosen by Random.com.  Easy as pie! Make sure I have your correct email address.  Giveaway is from July 10th through July 15th 5pm.

(Disclosure:  Pressman Toys sent me two copies of the above game (one to play, one to donate to my daughters’ school) for an honest review of the game. They also are offering four copies to two winners on my blog, again one to keep at home and one to giveaway.  I recieved no other compensation.)

“Love goes toward love. “

Valentine’s day means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Traditionally it is a romantic holiday, for lovers only, but I challenge that train of thought. Love is not just for the romantically involved. To me Valentine’s Day is another day to remind me to show those I love that I love them in a special way.

 I love my girls, my parents, grandparents, my brother and sister-in-laws, my nephews and nieces, my friends as well as my Hubby.  So why just leave Valentine’s Day for dates and school parties?  Those of you who know me, know that I love celebrating the little moments. Valentines Day presents itself the perfect opportunity to tell my girls that I love them with a cute little something (this year, heart necklaces).   I also like to do little things for my friends and family. Candy, cards anything that spreads the love.  Little love notes to the kids at breakfast or in their lunch boxes are great ways to celebrate Valentines day. A phone call with a Happy Valentine’s Day message will always be welcome to any loved one.

Of  course I think that Valentine’s Day is a bit commercial and that people spend a lot of money when they don’t necessarily need to. I do, however, refuse to become pessimistic about the holiday.  So I  celebrate Valentine’s Day. I make sure that one more time my loved ones hear those three magic words.

Now that I have told you what Valentine’s Day means to me it is your turn! Simply comment on this post about what Valentine’s Day means to you and I will randomly draw a number and give away 25 FREE Shutterfly cards just in time for Valentine’s Day! You all know how I love Shutterfly. They make great, quality products that are really fun! Check out their V-Day cards here.

One Valentine’s Day I gave the girls luggage tags from Shutterfly with their pictures on them! They loved it and still use them years later! Check out photo gifts from Shutterfly here.  Also look at their selection of thank you cards. It is always nice to have Thank You cards handy when you  need them.

Giveaway Rules:  Leave one comment answering the following “What Valentine’s Day means to me…” by February 5th Midnight. I will use Random.org to pick the winner.  Winner has 24 hours to get back to me, after that I will pick another winner.

Extra Entry: Follow me on Twitter @FourAgainstTwo and leave a comment saying you did and your Twitter handle.

Good luck!

Disclosure:  Shutterfly is giving me 25 free cards to keep and 25 free cards to give to one lucky reader in exchange for my post about what Valentines Day means to me and sharing the Shutterfly links posted above. I, of course, love my Shutterfly and was happy to write this!

Clipart Credit

I do not have to have a mammogram just yet, but I will in five years.  I’m actually looking forward to it. I’ve heard all of the jokes about getting a mammogram. I’ve also heard the complaints. As a general rule I am not intimidated by medical procedures (see RN degree).  Since I’m also almost a certified Boobologist, aka Lactation Consultant, breasts and the tests of said subject only give me more experience to share with others. 

This October we will see waves of pink everywhere. People will wear pink, participate in walks and raise money for breast cancer research as well as breast cancer services.  There is something else you can do that is free and will help with future breast cancer research. Go to ArmyOfWomen.org and sign up to help. I did.  It is easy.  Just offer your information to a breast cancer research study if you qualify.  Not everyone will qualify to be a study participant, but you will be on the list for future studies. The goal is for 1 million women to sign up.  Be one in a million!

Win this set!

Watch this video and get motivated.

To honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month I am also giving away an AVON package of crusade socks and foot cream.  If you don’t win and still want them the cost of these are only $7.99 and $6.40 goes towards the AVON Breast Cancer Crusade campaign.

I must note here that we have a local AVON distribution center in our area and they have donated $50,000 to  Genesis HealthCare Systems (Hubby works there) to go towards  a Breast Cancer Nurse Navigator. A nurse navigator is invaluable to those who are diagnosed with this cancer and are trying to find treatment and care.  Thanks AVON!

So now you have three things to do:

1) Call your OB-GYN or family doctor if you have not had your yearly breast exam and make an appointment.  Now! I ‘m waiting!

2)  Sign up at ArmyOfWomen.org and offer your help for Breast Cancer Research.

3) Enter my giveaway!  There are three ways to win

* Leave a comment about how breast cancer has effected your life.
* Leave a comment telling me you have signed up at ArmyOfWoman.org
* Tweet or Facebook my post and leave a link/note in the comments.

Giveaway is open from October 1st through  October 15th, 2010.

(Disclosure: I am an independent AVON rep and the links above to AVON are to my store.  I do not profit from Breast Cancer Fund-raising products.)

Why can't they stay little?

You may have noticed that I have four kids.  Four girls actually.  The oldest is ten and the youngest is five.  Social networking for kids ten and under? This question was a no-brain-er for me…at least until about six months ago.  My kiddos were happy playing on Webkinz and I was happy they were on the computer on a site I trusted (we don’t do the premium Webkinz, so I cannot say anything about that feature.).  Enter in the new school year with requests for IPOD touches and laptops computers as Christmas presents.  Even if we had not given a trip to Disney to the girls for Christmas, we knew that the girls would not get their requested gifts.  Why?  Am I cheap? Am I mean?  Yes and yes.  I also don’t want my kids to have unlimited access to the Internet.  When they are online it is on the family computer in the study that is open for all to see.  We also have the girls on their own desktop, so they cannot access our banking, pictures and anything else they could get on and ruin change.

So when I heard about YourSphere, I honestly didn’t pay much attention to it.  I thought I had a few years to worry about social networking and my kids.  Well, soon enough the girls started wondering what Twitter and Facebook was.  Then the founder of YourSphere, Mary Kay Hoal, contacted me with an offer that was to good to pass up.  A family membership for an year…free!  Okay why not!

So what is YourSphere?  It is a social networking site for kids (tweens through 19) that costs an annual fee, which gets rid of unwanted advertising  and provides a safer site to let your kids on.  Parents have control of their children’s activities. I can monitor comments, blogs, pictures and what Spheres they are hanging out it.  I can even block my child’s access if she is grounded from the computer!  I will not pretend to know all about YourSphere and I encourage you to check it out for yourself at YourSphere.com.

The Spheres are  groups with a theme.  There are a lot of them and the kids can start their own as well.  Meg started a sphere about Ethiopia and a lot of kids joined up and learned some things about Ethiopia. One kid said he had to look at a map to find it .  I was floored that a child actually looked up something educational while playing!

Meg has also entered a contest and won!  She got a $25 gift card to Best Buy and was able to get the sixth Harry Potter movie with it.  She was convinced after that!  The annual fees help buy prizes.

I like the fact that I can monitor my kiddos more and that they are learning “internet manners” under my supervision.  We have had many talks on internet safety since starting on YourSpere and talking to your kids is priceless!  I cannot tell you how many times I have told Mita not to change her username and password. She fought me on this and changed it anyway.  Then she promptly forgot both of them and I had to help her out.  I like that she is learning these things with me at an early age and not doing them at school or college!

The kids get more points the more they play and can buy things with the points they earn.  Of course my girls are after the IPOD touch to get…since it will take a few years to earn it, I’m okay with that!

Here are some things my girls have said about YourSphere :

Mita age 10,” YourSphere is really fun, I love listening to the music and watching videos.”

Meg age 10,”It is really fun talking with others and making new friends.  I love the contests especially!” ” The Spheres are the best!”

Enu age 7,” I like being able to design my own page, talking with friends and all the games!”

I have to emphasize that letting your kids on YourSphere does not mean you can let your child on line without checking on them.  This site is for teens and some teenage music and videos are not for a 10 year old.  Mita especially gets lost sometimes and ends up on a YouTube video that she doesn’t need to see.  My kids think  I have eyes on the back of my head and in the walls of the home, and I keep this theory alive and well with my supervision!

So check out YourSphere and see if it is right for your family.  There is a first month trial period that is FREE!

Do you want to win a year long membership for you kids?  (Great Valentines gift!) To enter please leave a comment on how you monitor your child’s internet usage or any comments you may have about your experience on YourSphere. Only one comment please.  You can get additional entries by Tweeting the following,

” Win a year  membership to YourSphere for your kiddo from YourSphere and @FourAgainstTwo”!

and post your tweet to the comments section. You can do this as often as you would like.

Contest ends Friday, February 12th at noon and the winner will be picked at Random.com.

Good luck  and have fun!