Suburban Obsessions #33 -- My Magical World

Step right up and getcher kiddie crack here, ladies and gentleman (only one guy reads this blog).

A few months ago, I promised my friend Jordan* that I'd take a peek at My Magical World and let him know what I and The Ambassador thought of it. Okay, it was actually many months ago, but a few minor things, like an aneurysm, a baby and a constant state of forgetfulness got in the way. Trust me when I say none of those hurdles is a reflection of how The Ambassador and I feel about Georgia and her friends in My Magical World.

Yes, it's a kiddie video. Yes, my kid watches TV. If yours does, too, then this is a good one.

Georgia and her friends, Abra, Louie, Chase, Hase and Sammy guide kids through a variety of everyday situations, imparting values like sharing and listening. Your kid isn't going to smell any of that do-gooder stuff though, because he or she is going to be so caught up in the singing and dancing. The storylines are easy to understand, and the characters are engaging, but it was the songs that really sucked The Ambassador into the show. He even wanted to watch the bonus segments that included just the singing. After a couple of viewings, I was shocked to hear him singing along and doing some of the dance moves. He requested the show for weeks, and more often than not, he followed along with the book that accompanies the video.

A couple nitty gritty facts you parents will love: My Magical World was the 2008 winner of the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, and it was approved by Kids First, which puts it in the same ranks of Baby Einstein and Leapfrog videos. If you can get past Georgia's wig, and the fact that her song about sharing is reminiscent of the Laverne & Shirley theme song, you'll probably dig the video, too. If I had one complaint to lodge, it's that they try to cover too much ground in a single episode. In addition to listening and sharing, they tack on a couple extra lessons at the end that don't get covered with enough depth to really have an impact. But I'd always rather expose my kids to more, rather than less, so as complaints go, it's a minor one.

The original agreement was that I'd review the DVD. But when I saw how much The Ambassador loved it, I called my BFF Jordan and asked him for another one that I could use in a giveaway. So this is your chance for some free kiddie crack! Leave a comment here, and on Friday evening, I'll draw a name at random and select a winner!


*Jordan and I have never met, I've never heard his voice, and he probably won't ever talk to me again via email, because I took FOREVER to get this review done. I hope he has kids and understands.

Suburban Obsessions #30 -- Yummie Tummie

I know all of you are aware of body shapers and some of you might even own another brand that I won't mention, but rhymes with "thanks". As in, "thanks for rolling up on me when I bend over and reinforcing the magnitude of my muffin top, rather than minimizing it". Or "thanks for giving me a uniboob, because I don't have enough body image issues as it is, and I've always wanted to look like I was smuggling a stale loaf of sourdough bread in my bra".

Yummie Tummie is not that. For starters, it's longer than your average body shaper, which eliminates that problem of it rolling up every time you blink. But even better, it's meant to be seen. It looks like a normal tank top or t-shirt to any outsider, but the secret midsection panel smooths and shapes your rolls instantly transforming you into Kate Moss*. I ordered their nursing tank, and while you can't see it in these pictures, you can definitely spot the benefits:


Before (I want to read a few "that's pretty good for five weeks, Deb" comments in the comment section, by the way)




After




Notice the fabulous flat-like** shape of my jelly belly? Notice that I still have boobs, plural? No? Well, you can't see them from that angle, but maybe if you're nice to me in the comments, I'll send you a picture of the sisters***.

I'm still going to exercise once I get the nod. But in the meantime, I'm digging the extra help I'm getting from Yummie Tummie. Want one of your very own? Well, this is where sucking up to me in the comment section might benefit you. Leave a comment, and I'll enter you for a chance to win a $100 to spend on the Yummie Tummie web site. Get that? You leave a comment, and I make you look five pounds thinner like this:



How cool is that?

Hurry! The giveaway ends Friday night. Get your comments in by 5pm Eastern.









*Well, okay, maybe not Kate Moss. But a sleeker you, that's for sure.

**Flat-like. As in, not really flat, but appearing that way.

***But probably not.

Suburban Obsessions #29 -- Boogie SuperStar

The very cool folks at Electronic Arts sent us the latest version of their Wii karaoke game, Boogie SuperStar, and the Burbia family was pretty stoked to check it out.

To suggest that we are karaoke fans would be putting it mildly. While we don't get out to the bars all that often, Hubby and I have never been shy about embarrassing ourselves and our closest friends by putting our karaoke video games to good use at most of the parties we host.

After playing it, I have to say that of all the karaoke video games on the market right now, Boogie SuperStars is unquestionably one of the best. In this genre of games, it's pretty standard to pick your character and your song, and there are usually a few types of competitions from which to choose (head-to-head or multiple players). But Boogie SuperStars has definitely kicked it up a notch in every category:

- Customizing your SuperStar means head-to-toe customization, right on down to your shoes




- Making your sound your own means using some of the best and latest hits, including Natasha Bedingfield's Angel and Pocketful of Sunshine (one of Hubby's favorites)



- Then there's the element of the game that only a combination of EA and the Wii can provide. It's the kind of hip dance moves not seen since Kevin Federline performed with Britney Spears. Well, okay, maybe not that hip, especially since it was Hubby and I doing the dancing. But what makes Boogie SuperStar unique and particularly fun is that your score not only relies on your ability to sing, but you willingness to make a complete ass of yourself while attempting to simultaneously dance and sing. We had a blast trying to put it all together, and I can only imagine how much more fun this becomes when you've got four friends and a few glasses of wine added into the mix (we have a toddler and a regular babysitter, people. It's not like we're exposing adolescent children to booze-laden Boogie SuperStar parties)



The snarky judges make the entire experience very American-Idol-esque and totally worth the price of admission. This would be one of the hottest Christmas presents at your family party this year, so head to Amazon.com and pick up a copy.

Oh, and I can't convince you how much fun it is, maybe The Ambassador can:


The Ambassador Plays Boogie SuperStar from Missives Suburbia on Vimeo.

76 Days Until Christmas

I discovered Rattle-N-Roll when I was looking for birth announcements for The Ambassador. They were making the hippest announcements imaginable -- they are more rock poster than baby introduction -- and Hubby and I instantly knew that's what we wanted. In fact, with every card order, you get a free poster-sized print. We framed The Ambassador's announcement poster, and when we have one for Little Girl, we'll hang them in the guest bedroom as a reminder to practice abstinence while staying at our house. (I'm just warning you in case you're ever invited to stay over. Your choice is refrain or wash the sheets yourself.)

Last year, Andrea emailed prior customers to let us know Rattle-N-Roll was producing Christmas cards and donating a portion of the proceeds to the victims of the San Diego fires. We lined up immediately to order ours, and the number of calls and emails I received from friends about our cool Christmas cards was a little overwhelming.

As I mentioned on Missives From Suburbia, Rattle-N-Roll does all kinds of great custom work, too, including wedding invitations and actual event posters. The quality is fantastic. Your cards come printed on heavy cardstock, with plenty of white space on the back for notes and child support requests.

So check them out, and tell them I sent you. They won't have the foggiest idea who you're talking about, because I didn't warn them I was going to gush about their work. But maybe they'll be polite enough to nod along with you. You know, like how you just grin and bear the rambling stories of your aging parents and work-obsessed friends. (Oh, please. As if you don't do that, too.)

Chicken Soup Giveaway Winners

Thank you for all your comments! It was great to see some of my favorite bloggers responding -- I knew you were all a bunch of sentimental saps, despite your cynical, tale-wagging little blogs! Alas, I could only give away three copies, and the winners of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books are:

Gretchen (Moms & Sons)

Soapbox Mom (Like Mother, Like Daughter)

Katerina (Moms & Sons)

When you get a chance, check out their blogs. These three ladies also blog, and their writing runs the gamut of chatter about daily kiddie fun to thought-provoking topics that affect every family.

Oh, and to my dear winners: don't forget to email me your address so I can get your books sent out to you this week. (missivesfromsuburbia at gmail dot com)

Suburban Obsessions #28 -- Meet the Sight Words

I know it's a parenting cliche, but The Ambassador is a sponge. He'll cruise for a couple months at a time, then experience a learning explosion that leaves me floored every day with the number of new things he's doing, saying or thinking. Naturally, we encourage him as much as possible. It's not a formal teaching process, but we incorporate learning into everyday experiences like telling stories, singing songs and doing crafts.

Over the past six months, The Ambassador has shown more interest in shapes and numbers, but recently, letters have begun to get interesting. So I was pretty excited when Parent Bloggers Network asked me to review "Meet the Sight Words". (A new video is always welcome in our house. It makes fingernail trimming so much easier.)

"Meet the Sight Words" teaches kids some of the most common "sight words" or "instant words" - the words that new readers often find frustrating until they're memorized, because they don't follow basic decoding rules. The 40-minute DVD covers some of the most frequently used sight words like "of", "said" and "for". Each word is shown on the screen by itself and then used in an animated scene while the word is repeated over and over.

While The Ambassador was initially interested in the DVD, I noticed his attention waning after the first couple of words and he wandered off to find crayons and do other things. The animation in "Meet the Sight Words" is fairly slow, and he's used to following shows with a little more action and dialog like Blue's Clues, so that might have been part of the issue. But as I watched him closely, I think he simply might not be ready for it. While the age range on the DVD is 15 months to six years, and The Ambassador is now two, I don't think he's fully engaged enough in reading and letters to watch the entire video yet. I briefly ran the DVD by a friend's daughter who is three, and she clapped and repeated every word on the screen.

I'm going to try "Meet the Sight Words" again in a few weeks and see how The Ambassador does with it then. In the meantime, I think he'll love Preschool Prep's other videos, "Meet the Letters" and "Meet the Numbers", so I'm going to order those and add them to our collection. I suspect they'll be closer to his development level, and I'll let you know how they fare!

If you think your budding reader would enjoy "Meet the Sight Words" or any of Preschool Prep's other titles, you can order them here, along with books and other learning tools that compliment the DVDs.

Oh, and hey! If you're new to Suburban Obsessions, come check out my real blog at Missives From Suburbia.