Little Bird Reviews

Social Skill Builder: software that teaches life skills

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:20:00 +0000

Social skills are a tough concept for folks on the Autistic spectrum. It is not something that comes naturally as it does to many of us. Every day we read people through what they say, through body language and through facial expressions. My daughter spends her day relying only on what people say as she finds the other 2/3 of communication to be tiresome and cryptic.

My Community by Social Skill Builder is geared towards kids ages 5-15 and features over 350 videos with varying ability levels. Parent Blogger Network sent the software my way to check out with my daughter, who is turning 7 this month.

Mira found level 1 to be a bit under stimulating, she liked when we moved on to level 2 with the multiple choice questions. Level 3 and 4 started to fuel frustration and I had to sit with her and make her stay on task. Both 3 & 4 involve reading visual cues, which is something she's rather avoid all together. Level 5 is fill in the blank, we didn't get very involved in level 5, as 3 and 4 made her so agitated.

Overall, I like this software. The scenarios are helpful and applicable to every day life. At Mira's age, I think one of the school geared titles offered by Social Skill Builder might be more appropriate as school makes up 75% of her life right now.

OOOOO, Pretty!

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:47:00 +0000

So there is this giveaway going on over at Chocolate and Steel and YOU are not allowed to enter because that gorgeous ring is MINE, all mine MUHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHA... or at least I hope it's mine because I've been drooling over it all day today.

I'm not a big jewelry wearer. I have to absolutely love a piece to pant over it and this ring, well it 100% has me panting. I have even been stalking the Chocolate and Steel Etsy store, just in case I don't win.

So STAY AWAY, FAR AWAY. It's MINE! (I hope).. ok, click over and enter too, you just have to promise to send it to me if you win

Bunnytown, a hopping good time

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:41:00 +0000

Bunnytown is a fun colorful singing and dancing adventure. I had it pegged as perfect for my 2 year old, but what I didn’t realize is that all my kiddos from 9 months to almost 7 would be mesmerized.

We’ve watched Bunny town several times now and the pirate song is one we find ourselves singing around the house because who doesn’t love pirates? Especially when they are pirate bunnies.

This Easter, if you are looking to super hero mom and save your kids some holiday cavities (and be able to hoard all the candy for yourself), you should consider stuffing their Easter basket with a Bunnytown DVD

Strawberry Shortcake!

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:28:00 +0000

Looking for classic princess tales with a sweet twist? Then Strawberry Shortcake: Happily Ever After is just what you need.

Parent Bloggers Network sent a copy on over for my girls to check out. It arrive on a cold and stormy day, perfect for curling up on the couch. We ended up watching it 5 times that day- yes 5. My girls loved the story lines and my 2 year old son developed a wicked crush on Strawberry Shortcake (he's been sleeping with the case every night).

Parent Bloggers Network , also feeling the love, has so kindly offered to send a copy of Strawberry Shortcake: Happily Ever After to one of my berry sweet readers. Click on over and enter today!

Recall: Prental vitamins and iron suppliments

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:01:00 +0000

A voluntary nationwide recall has been issues for prenatal vitamins and iron supplements:

Prescription Iron Supplement Products:

Chromagen® Caplet
Chromagen® FA Caplet
Chromagen® Forte Caplet
Encora® Capsule
Niferex® Gold Tablet
Niferex® 150 Forte Capsule
Repliva 21/7® Tablet

Prescription Prenatal Vitamin Products:

PreCare® Chewable Tablet
PreCare® Conceive Tablet
PreCare Premier® Tablet
PremesisRx® Tablet
PrimaCare® Capsule/Tablet
PrimaCare® Advantage™ Capsule/Tablet
PrimaCare® ONE Capsule

Please see the FDA recall site for more specific information

Recall: Fisher Price Rainforest portable play yard

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 04:06:00 +0000

Name of Product: Rainforest™ Portable Play Yards manufactured by Simplicity Inc. and SFCA Inc.

Units: About 200,000

Manufacturer: Simplicity Inc. and SFCA Inc., of Reading, Pa.

Hazard: One or more rails can collapse unexpectedly, posing a fall or entrapment hazard to young children.

Incidents/Injuries: Due to Simplicity Inc. and SFCA Inc. being unresponsive to consumers via their Hotline and Web site, a significant number of complaints were recently reported. There have been at least 1,350 reports of one or more rails collapsing. There were numerous reports of children receiving bumps and bruises when the side rail collapsed. There were five reports of injuries which included a broken nose, a broken wrist, a mild concussion, a cut to the hand which required stitches, and a chipped tooth.

this line has been wildly popular so I'm sure this is affecting many homes with young children.

More information is available on the government recalls website

Are you holiloaded?

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:44:00 +0000

Holiloaded is my oh so clever little term for holiday overload. With Christmas less then a week away I can feel the noose of expectations tightening and my sanity waning.

While the feeling of impending doom is never awesome, I have to say it's nice that it is only just now beginning. In years past, I have made candy and cookies like a crazy woman, over committed to holiday parties, volunteered to babysit friends children, made schedules impossible to keep under the guise of holiday fun- in short I've pushed things too far and been half crazed by December 5th.

This year though, I decided to take a breather. I've started saying "no thanks" to invitations that work out to be more work then fun, I told everyone on my goodies list that I'm taking a baking breather this year, and I even decided to forgo sending holiday cards.

To some, this may sound like I've totally shirked off the holidays but it's quite the opposite. I've embraced my family- you know the one that lives with me and I used to yell at to hurry up and get stuff done because OMG grandma Bettie is expecting us to bring over 8 dozen cookies and a newly knitted sweater!! Yea, that one. The one with my kids who need a little more calm and magic in their Christmas holiday and now I actually have free time to devote to doing that.

How about you? What are you doing to relax the holidays? Parent Blogger Network and Families for Depression Awareness want to know.

Recall: Arizona® Newborn and Infant Denim Pants

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:06:00 +0000

Arizona® Newborn and Infant Denim Pants sold at JCPenney's have been recalled. The metal snap at the waist can detach posing a choking hazard to infants. Find out more and see pictures of the pants included in this recall on the CPSC website.

Littlest Pet

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:51:00 +0000

Last Christmas my girls went bananas for the Littlest Pet Shop. Santa so kindly left 10 or so of the little buggers under our tree and the girls lives were filled with tiny bobble-headed glee. Over the course of the last year, they have infiltrated the doll house, taken to driving Barbie's corvette, and kicked the little people out of their own carnival. I think it is safe to say that my girls are fans. So, when the Parent Blogger Network asked if I was interested in checking out the Littlest Pet Shop
game by Electronic Arts on our DS, I jumped at the opportunity.

Personally, I did not have high expectations. The few girl oriented games we've tried so far have been pretty boring. The Littlest Pet Shop: Garden though, has surprised me.

Offering an array of mini games, the ability to dress up the pets and the ability to do virtual pet upkeep without the required devotion of some virtual pets, Littlest Pet Shop: Garden offers a lot to do.

My girls love the matching game and the coloring game (though we wish there were more designs to color). My 4 year old has some trouble playing independently as parts of the game require reading but my new reader (6 going on 7) has rarely need me to help her figure out what she needs to do.

I have to admit to sneaking into the girls room and swiping their DS when everyone is sleeping. The graphics are so cute, I can't resist the opportunity to dress these little critters up!

The game comes in three versions: Littlest Pet Shop: Winter , Littlest Pet Shop: Garden , and Littlest Pet Shop: Jungle and in my opinion makes a great gift.

Recall: Lean Cuisine

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:42:00 +0000

Lean Cuisine recall:

Nestlé Prepared Foods Company, a Springville, Utah, establishment, is recalling approximately 879,565 pounds of frozen chicken meals that may contain foreign materials, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

LEAN CUISINE PESTO CHICKEN WITH BOW TIE PASTA, LEAN CUISINE CHICKEN MEDITERRANEAN, & LEAN CUISINE CHICKEN TUSCAN

for full Lean Cuisine recall info click here

Recall: Mylicon infant gas drops

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:30:00 +0000

Mylicon recall issued 11/10/08

Johnson & Johnson • Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals Company (JJMCP) is voluntarily recalling approximately 12,000 units of Infants’ MYLICON® GAS RELIEF DYE FREE drops (simethicone-antigas) non-staining sold in 1 oz. plastic bottles that were distributed after October 5, 2008 nationwide..... the company is implementing this recall to the consumer level as a precaution after determining that some bottles could include metal fragments that were generated during the manufacturing process.

please check your medicine cabinet if you have an infant.

For more information on the exact lots recalled see the Mylicon website

Talking turkey, the best part of the holidays

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:08:00 +0000

Tis the season for turkey, sweet potatoes, buttermilk cornbread dressing, pie, apple crisps, cheese cake, handmade candy and 43 hours in the kitchen. In the Little Bird household we go all out for our festive feasts. I can't help myself, it's ingrained.

Starting around the age of eight, I can clearly remember the all day cookie bake-a-thons. There were also the day before Thanksgiving piefests, the turkey roast-a-thon. For hours we'd hover over open cook books, measuring, mixing, laughing and sharing.

At the ripe old age of 29, it's a rare to remember what gifts I got but I can clearly remember who sat at our table, broke bread with us and in many cases had their hands in the dough too, kneading away the stress and jabbering on with my mother and I, like a bunch of hens.

Last year, we couldn't make it home for the holidays and though I baked, sauted, and roasted just like every year, it just wasn't the same. I missed talking turkey with my mom, my sister and our hodgepodge of friends.

“This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Butterball.”

Baby loves Skwish

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 03:05:00 +0000

Meet the Manhattan Toys Skwish Classic. At first blush, it doesn't look like much. Nothing lights up, no synthesized classical music ekes forth, and there are no space aged chewing surfaces. A tech savvy parent might be inclined to overlook this little gem for something more overtly educational but don't do it!

The Skwish is just what baby needs. It's easy for tiny hands to clutch, maneuver and shake. The wood beads sliding along the wooden dowels makes a soft sound much like a rain stick. The Skwish is designed to take a beating, bouncing back to it's original shape after being flattened. And, with a bright happy paint job, it's eye catching for little ones.

My son, Boden, finds the Manhattan Toys Skwish to be exciting, infinitely mouth explorable (it's fantastic for teethers), and counts it among his favorite toy picks. Bo is my 4th child to love this simple yet fully engaging toy.

At under $15, this is an impressive and economical baby gift for a baby shower, birth or Christmas.

Take the Chicco Trevi Twin Stroller for a Spin

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:40:00 +0000

Back in July, I did a quick little post to promote a giveaway by Lala Girl. Up for grabs was the Chicco Trevi Twin stroller and I won!!!

Now that I've had this puppy out for a few road tests, I thought I would bring you the skinny. The short of it? just one word: awesome. No, really. I consider myself a double stroller connoisseur. From my days as a nanny through my mothering of girls 18 months apart and now my boys who are 15 months apart, I've pushed my fair share of double duty kid containment units and the Chicco Trevi Twin has been my favorite by far.

The Chicco Trevi twin is light weight, compact folding and easy to handle. It's taken a bit for me to get used to the fold and unfolding procedure. I'm more adept at the spin handle mechanism but I must admit that the Trevi's folding procedure is actually easier once you remember how to do it. No more wrestling with a rotating handle that just won't rotate. I've never had to try and shove the unfolded Trevi into my vehicle because I couldn't get it folded and everyone was melting down- unlike some other double strollers I've dealt with.

When folded, this double stroller rules all. I can easily dump it into my trunk and load grocery down on top of it. My other double stroller takes up the entire trunk and if I want the hatch to shut I have to hurl the entire weight of my body down onto the door to coax it into latching.

In the past I have avoided purchasing a side by side stroller. I vividly remember my days as a 'tween shoving my brother and sister's ~~plow~~ stroller, grumbling about the sidewalks/doorways/hallways being too narrow. The Chicco Trevi Twin is nothing like the kid plow of the past. It's nimble on it's wheels, can smoothly skirt through a doorway, and prance down my neighborhood sidewalk. This stroller is such a pleasure to use, I've started walking my daughter the 2 mile round trip to preschool.

The only downside I've discovered with this stroller is that my kids are right next to each other. This gives my nearly 2 year old open access to harassing the baby. I've found though, that this happens much less then I anticipated. I had visions of every outing ending in a hair pulling, leg pinching, nose grabbing battle. Over the past few months we've only had a problem 2 times- not bad considering how often I've got them riding around.

If you are in the market for a double stroller, take the Chicco Trevi Twin for a test spin and don't be surprised if you fall in love. Priced around $219, it's a good quality double stroller with the potential to bring you much glee as it will make your life as a mom to two little ones much easier.

Sleep Beautifully

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:36:00 +0000

This is my youngest wee little angel, Boden, curled up in dream land. No doubt, dreaming happy little thoughts. Maybe Boden is dreaming about catching up with big brother Levi and moving into his very own big boy bed, something along the lines of the Summer Breeze bedroom set?

Hey, maybe it won't have to just be a dream after all! 5 minutes for mom is giving away a bedroom set and this is our entry. Click on over and you can enter to win too. maybe your little angel will soon be sleeping in style thanks to 5 minutes for mom !

A Yoplait A Day

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:05:00 +0000

For the last two years I have had to trick, prod and cajole my children into consuming a daily dose of omega 3s. They aren't into oily fish so instead they were getting these grossly overpriced little berry flavored bubbles filled with the stuff. Despite their yucktatude, I was adamant that the children get them every day. My oldest is on the autistic spectrum, I have asthma and we all have crazy allergies, omega 3s can improve all these conditions. Omega 3s are also well known for their brain boosting abilities.

Recently, I started seeing Yoplait yogurt with Nickelodeon characters in the dairy case but what I didn't notice was that these Yoplait kids yogurts HAVE omega 3s right in them! Then I found out they have 25% LESS sugar then other kids' yogurts and to sweeten the deal, there is even a printable coupon for $1.50 off!! Color me impressed.

How does it taste? YUMMY! I no longer have to bargain with or pin my kids down to make them eat their daily omega 3s and I feel better knowing that their snack is lower in sugar.

Thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network for hooking me up with some tasty samples and pointing us all to that fantastic Yoplait kids yogurt coupon!

Win! the Micralite Fastfold

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:04:00 +0000

Click on over to Chic Shopper Chick for your shot at winner an uber cool Micralite Fastfold stroller

You can enter until August 29th.

Pier 1 win

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:41:00 +0000

I had too much fun doing this!

Double the restraints... uh I mean seatbelts!

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:18:00 +0000

Click on over for a chance to win!

Win a baby wearing wardrobe!

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:32:00 +0000

You may have noticed it's been mighty quiet around here lately. I went on maternity leave! Yes, even bloggers can go on maternity leave! I'm proud to welcome my newest little bird Boden

and now I'm hoping to win a baby wearing stash from along for the ride ! But, hey, if I can't win maybe YOU can so click on over and check it out.

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

Skill Building Buddies

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:39:00 +0000

When Parent Bloggers Network asked me to check out Kibble's Rockin' Clubhouse, they also suggested we give Skill Building Buddies a look since my daughter is on the edges of each DVD's target age.

Skill Building Buddies is a lively mix of animated hosts and live action snippets. The skits are short, to the point, and cover accepting daily change- a big problem for many kids on the autistic spectrum. Music and topic repetition are effective in communicating the point.

My daughter just turned 6 though and only recently has expressed interest in watching real people verses cartoons, because of this she struggled to stay interested in the DVD. I had her take the DVD to school to share with her older classmates, all who have ASD, and it was well received among the slightly older 7-9 crowd. The teachers and therapists have also started utilizing some of the songs with the kids during those tougher moments of the day.

There is a section that includes parental instructions and like some other reviews, I feel 'meh' about what they had to say. I understand that you can't let your ASD kid playing video games 24/7 but I also would not discourage my ASD kid from coloring for an extended period of time. It brings her joy and offers her a break from the constant pushing she gets all day long in school and therapy.

At $19.95 Skill Building Buddies is well worth the price.

Kibbles Rockin' Clubhouse

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:02:00 +0000

I love opening my email and finding messages from The Parent Bloggers Network. I always get a wide variety of fun, funky, and practical products offered to me and this product is no different. Actually, allow me to correct myself, it's very different.

You may have noticed me occasionally yammering on about my kids over at Finding Yourself Despite Yourself and might just recall that my oldest (now 6!) is on the autistic spectrum. Mira is officially diagnosed as PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified). What this means is that across the board she is affected by autism- speech, motor skills, social skills. I'm always on the prowl for affordable therapeutic items that can help her along the way so when The Parent Blogger Network asked me to check out some new autism DVDs I jumped right on board.

Kibbles Rockin' Clubhouse, Expressing Yourself by NoteAbilities is a 40 minute trip into the world of Handy Sam and friends- including Kibble the dog. The show is full of songs from learning how to say hello to learning how to use your mouth to ask for what you need. Each lesson covered is something that ASD kids typically struggle with and while some of it seems SO SIMPLISTIC you have to remind yourself that what comes so easily to you is an enigma to these children. A straight forward and fun delivery allowed my daughter to easily absorb the meat of the matter and have fun acting it out with me.

I also noticed the DVDs are quite popular with my other two children and that they too were benefiting from the show. Sometimes I forget that having a sibling on the spectrum deprives them of regular interaction, that their relationship is based on a different sort of understanding and that it occasionally can cause confusion when dealing with other neurotypical kids. I've noticed this most with my 4 year old. She is a bad habit of rarely offering eye contact, something she's never needed to do with her sister. Kibbles made it fun for her to practice making eye contact and after a few weeks of watching it, her preschool teacher even commented that Tessa had been doing better with eye contact.

Kibbles Rockin' Clubhouse impresses me, so much so that all of my friends with ASD kids have been hearing about it and my daughter's autism classroom will soon have their very own copy to enjoy.

Lice MD

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:52:00 +0000

*Warning, facts that may make your skin crawl up ahead*

80% of schools have at least one lice outbreak a year- yes I said that EIGHTY *jaw drops* and there are between 6 and 12 million cases of head lice each year!! *gags and scratches at head*

Now that 2 of my kids are in school, lice is a REAL threat in our home. About a year ago I started seeking out alternatives to treating it should we be unfortunately enough to come down with an outbreak. I had been hearing that they were becoming resistant to those harsh scalp burning, nose hair singing chemical shampoos that were most commonly used to treat and outbreak and my heart sunk. How the heck do we get rid of them if they won't die? I half heartedly book marked a bunch of homeopathic remedies and have basically just prayed ever since that we would be fortunate enough to avoid it.

This week my daughters school sent home a paper about an outbreak but ironically last week I was contacted about Lice MD. I liked what I saw on the website so I agreed to receive some sample product to hold on to *just in case* Turns out we may end up needing it - I'm still hoping NOT but at least if we do I won't have to worry about toxicity or chemical resistant. LiceMD is pesticide free, odorless and there is no pesticide resistance on the part of the lice. Their website is also very helpful showing the life cycle of lice and tips on preventing the spread of lice.

Your Child's Strengths, Helping Them Achieve

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:13:00 +0000

The other day I found myself throwing her things out- old bottle caps, broken sea shells, bits of colored tape and tiny mismatched beads that all were swimming in the rancid juice of a moldy deflated orange from our backyard tree. Later, when I had a few moments, I sat down and resumed reading Your Child's Strengths by Jenifer Fox sent to me courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network. There on page 76 was my light bulb moment "Amelia's strength is noticing and collecting things that others may discard as useless"

My mind did not immediately jump to my daughter, no instead it jumped to me.I did that! I still do that on occasion when I just can't stop myself. Hey wait I use those things in my art projects!! It's not all useless, it's a strength. Tessa does this too! The very thing about her that drives me completely batty is a trait that she and I share and not only is it something that we share, it's something that I have turned into a useful skill. My child's strengths are right there before my eyes and yet, despite my successfully utilizing the same skills, I have been discouraging her from doing the same. *smacks self in the forehead* With that revelation, I pushed on, determined to uncover the secrets to helping her and my other children live up to their potentials.

The book outlines a plan for discovering and nurturing your child's strengths. It starts with simple observation and encouraging self introspection. The next goal is to stimulate their imaginations by encouraging play but not hovering or over-directing their play. Creating positive memories though tradition and rituals and documenting them through written accounts and photographs also plays an important part. One of the biggest elements, and the one I need to work most on, is modeling a positive outlook and approach to life- find and nurture your strengths and in turn inspire them to do the same.

The book is sensible, thorough, and do able. What really makes me nuts is that I was already following this type of approach with my autistic daughter, anticipating that school would be hard for her, but was neglecting doing the very same thing for my other children and even myself! I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book. When you use it as a tool to help shape your child's future, you will have a totally different perspective on their habits and hobbies that sometimes may just make you nuts.

Bob The Builder- Yes You Will!

FidgetBlogs@gmail.com (Fidget) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:00:00 +0000

Recently, The Parent Blogger Network passed along an advance copy of Bob the Builder: On-Site - Roads and Bridges. While my son is a bit young yet, I knew that this would interested my 4 year old fix-it daughter. What I failed to realize until I popped this DVD in was how much cool live action there is going on.

Bob takes you right into the middle of all that action you see happening but can't ever stop and get a good look at. Kids are take on a tour of big machines doing big jobs. Thinking exercises are added in and really get the kids going. After watching Bob and real kids work on bridge designs Tessa had me drag out the blocks so we could work on creating our own bridge designs. Even my almost 6 yr old, who considers herself "too old" for Bob, got caught up in the road and bridge building action and my son who is still on the young side for tv viewing (1 yr) toddled over and started making truck noises.

The DVD couldn't have come at a better time as the county recently started a large road expansion project near my home. Now my kids have a better understanding of what's happening and Tess has wanted to stop and ask if Bob works there too. This gets a thumbs up and comes highly recommended for all the boys and girls in your life who are facinated with big machines and construction projects.