Lucky Stars #1─Wish Upon a Friend

     Lucky Stars #1─Wish Upon a Friend is a magical new series by author Phoebe Bright.  As our tale begins, Cassiopeia, Cassie for short, is very anxious to be turning seven.  While Cassie knows that her birthday is a very important day, she has no idea what kind of magic awaits.  Cassie is magically transported away on a mystical adventure in the starry skies by Stella Starkeeper.  Stella tells Cassie that soon, she will become a ‘Lucky Star’─ someone very special who makes wishes come true!  Every time she helps grant someone a wish, Cassie will collect a charm for her sparkly new bracelet.  But, these charms are not like those found on a typical charm bracelet.  Oh no! These charms will give Cassie a new magic power each time she grants a wish!  But, a question remains at the end of our tale─ can Cassie earn all seven charms to officially become a ‘Lucky Star’?

     Each book in this delightfully whimsical seven book series (with lovely illustrations by artist Karen Donnelly) comes with a charm, just like Cassie’s bracelet.  I also appreciated the fact that the author included a section on how your child can make their own sparkly star wand just like Stella’s. 

     Lucky Stars #1─Wish Upon a Friend is published by Scholastic Paperbacks.  Retailing for $5.99, Lucky Stars #1─Wish Upon a Friend can be found in Barnes & Noble booksellers nationwide and online.  For further information on this, as well as other young adult series, please visit the Scholastic website at: http://www.scholastic.com

Lucky Stars #1:  Wish Upon a Friend

By Phoebe Bright

Illustrated by Karen Donnelly

For ages 7 to 10

Publisher:  Scholastic Paperbacks

ISBN: 978-0-545-41998-7

Retails for $5.99

Big Little Games™ Super Shooter Basketball™ from Patch Products

Big Little Games™ Super Shooter Basketball™ from Patch Products

     Recently, we have experienced multiple days of constant rain, with absolutely no letup in sight.  And while these types of dreary days can easily make kids very antsy (take it from Momma!), simple games that don’t require a lot of hassle to set up and long instructions to pile over, can help pass the time and make your life (and your sanity) much more enjoyable!
     Needless to say, Big Little Games™ Super Shooter Basketball™ from Patch Products   totally provided our family with a fun and easy way to chase those rainy day blues away recently. This game comes with the following items:

Instruction sheet

Three (3) mini basketballs

Net with a fold-down backboard

An attachable basketball shooter

     The game takes a few minutes to assemble (best if mom or dad or other adult puts it together) the game by pushing the pieces in for the basketball net.  Simply aim the shooter where you think you will have a good chance to get the ball into the net, and press down.  There are three different games to choose from to play─ Horse, Around the World and 3-Point Shootout). And with a little bit of practice, your child will be able to dunk a ball in just like the pros!  Best of all, at least for me, there are no batteries required to play!

     Word of advice─ as this game contains small parts (tiny basketballs) there is a choking hazard for children younger than three years of age─this is game that is best played by children ages five and up (younger children may also get frustrated more easily if the ball does not go into the basketball net right away). 

     Big Little Games™ Super Shooter Basketball™ from Patch Products retails for $8.99 and can be purchased directly the Patch Products website. For further information on this, as well as other playfully amusing family-friendly games, please visit Patch Products at: http://www.patchproducts.com/

Big Little Games™ Spurtle Turtle™ by Patch Products

     Poor little Spurtle Turtle has his coins all confused, and he needs some help to match them all up again!  Your little ones will delight in this simple, yet adorable game of memory match.  First off, have an adult apply the stickers onto the 20 tokens, and then place each token inside of the happy little turtle.  To start the game, the first player chosen must press the middle button in the center of the turtle to express the tokens.  Two tokens will come out, and your child will need to turn the tokens over to find out if there is a match. If there is no match between the two token, turn the tokens over and then the next person goes.  On their turn, if there is a match, the next person goes. If the two tokens that come out do not match, but may match with another token that has been turned over previously, the player needs to try to remember which token it is.  We have found that Spurtle Turtle plays best with two to three players, and it makes an excellent game to take on day trips (it is easily portable, fits into any medium/large tote bag), as well as for longer vacations, especially during these summer months away from school.

    Ideal for children between the ages three and up, you can purchase Big Little Games™ Spurtle Turtle™   for $8.99 directly thru the Patch Products website.  For further information on this, as well as other playfully amusing games, please visit Patch Products at: http://www.patchproducts.com/

Minette's Feast

     Minette’s Feast is a truly ‘appetizing’ and delightfully appealing tale by award-winning author Susannah Reich, which introduces children to the life iconic American chef Julia Child as seen through the eyes of her cat, Minette (otherwise known by her full name of “Minette Mimosa McWilliams Child’). As the story begins, readers find Julia and her husband Paul enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and dishes of their new hometown of Paris, France, but something is missing.  The French saying, “Une maison sans chat, c’est la vie sans soleil,” (which translates to, “A house without a cat is like life without sunshine”) takes resonance with the Child’s, and they soon adopt a brown haired, speckled coated cat, who quickly charms and delights her owners with her unique and energetic personality.  While Julia is in the kitchen trying learning how to develop her skills as a chef while enrolled at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu, the only food that Minette desires from her soon-to-be famous chef owner is in the form of a mouse that lives in the walls of the Child’s Parisian apartment.    

     The librarian in me delighted in the additional information prominently featured in the back of the book, as Reich provides her readers with further details on Child’s life and career (a helpful pronunciation guide translates the French words used throughout the storybook.  With delicately charming illustrations by Amy Bates, Minette’s Feast is a lovely, spirited tale of an American culinary legend that you and your children will delight in reading time after time.

Minette’s Feast

Written by Susannah Reich

Illustrated by Amy Bates

Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers, New York

ISBN: 978-1-4197-0177-1

Retails for: $16.99 (Hardcover)


For Further Information, please visit the Abrams Books website at:

www.abramsbooks.com

For Ages 3 and up

Thinkfun's Turnstile--A Revolving Maze Game

     Thinkfun's innovative games have provided my family with hours of challenging, yet fun times during our family game nights.  Recently, we received a sample package of some of Thinkfun's newest releases, and this morning, the temptation was too much for my son and I, as we couldn't wait until our family fun night, to try out Turnstile™.
.

     The challenges of Turnstile ™ will hook you and your child, and just about anyone else who plays the game with you, instantaneously.  Each Turnstile ™ game comes with the following pieces:

• 1 Game Grid.
• 4 Color Tokens: 1 Purple, 1 Orange, 1 Green, and 1 Blue.
• 4 Gray Tokens.
• 40 cards with Challengers & Solutions: Beginner through Expert.
• 10 Turnstiles: 1 X, 3 singles, 2 L’s and 2 T’s.
• Instructions.
• 1 Game Go Bag.

     We started with the ‘Beginner’ level cards, and set up our color tokens and turnstiles to match the first card we picked, and right away, our color tokens set off into the maze of turnstiles. If your token hits a turnstile, you are allowed to push it through the turnstile so your token can rotate one quarter turn.  But, if your token is blocked by another turnstile or token, then you will have to quickly don your thinking cap to come up with another way to move around. Continue to move your tokens through the maze until they reach their color coordinated corners.  As you move thru ‘Beginner’ to ‘Expert’ cards, you will find just like we did that the gray tokens can either work for you or against you as the maze challenges increase.  You have to constantly think on your toes!  Very soon, my son and I found that the more we played (warning─Turnstile ™ is addicting!) we quickly worked our way up to the ‘Expert’ level cards. 

     Thinkfun has a great how-to-play video available on YouTube forTurnstile™ , and here is a link to this helpful introduction to the game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KHQ3WnFshs&feature=youtu.be



     My son liked that the game was quick to figure out, and was very simple to set up, and I appreciated the ways that this game enhances a child’s visual and strategic thinking skills in an addictively fun way! Turnstile ™ is perfect for ages 8 and up, and the game retails for $19.99.  Look for this, as well as other games from Thinkfun on their website, http://www.ThinkFun.com

Melissa & Doug Debuts Free Virtual Camp

    

     It’s that familiar time of the year when parents everywhere are asking themselves the age-old question─ how on earth am I going to keep my kids busy this summer and not break our bank?  Melissa & Doug, the creators of innovative, educational and fun children’s to the creators of innovative, educational and fun children’s toys, have recently announced the debut of their latest venture─Camp Sunny Patch—a week-by-week activity guide to a summer full of active, imaginative play. Hosted at blog.MelissaAndDoug.com, Camp Sunny Patch features a team of blog ambassadors as “camp counselors.” These counselors host themed “camp sessions” in diverse categories such as water play, arts & crafts, scavenger hunts and other familiar camp favorites, through free printable play guides.

     Every week, families can visit the blog to download a guide that provides a multitude of age-appropriate and fun activities, games, crafts and more. The blog also includes printable camp badges, and if you also become a fan on Facebook or follower on Twitter, camp-themed surprises will be featured on each of these social media networks. In a time when families (like mine) are searching for fun, yet inexpensive ways to keep their children busy during the summer break from school, Camp Sunny Patch provides a valuable and enjoyable way to spend time together. Join Camp Sunny Patch by visiting the Melissa & Doug blog today!

100% Pure Yummy Ice Cream Vanilla 2 in 1 Wash

When I became a mother, I can honestly say that my number one job besides caring for and loving my sweet healthy baby boy, was to become more conscious of the health and well-being of my family.  With so many harmful ingredients found in the products that we use on our bodies, especially when it comes to children’s skincare products, my mission to keep synthetic and harmful ingredients away from our family took great importance.  With this always in mind, I recently came across a company called 100% Pure, and quickly became a fan.  I take comfort in the fact that all of the 100 % Pure products are natural, 100% vegan, gluten free, and are never tested on animals. This environmentally conscious company also packages their products in biodegradable materials made from post-consumer recycled plastic, glass and aluminum materials. 

The folks at 100% Pure kindly sent a package containing some of their newest products, and when I opened their package, which contained the Yummy Ice Cream Vanilla 2 in 1 Wash, I was shocked to see that it was contained within a 19oz pump. And, from the first moment it was used, I was completely enamored with this product.

 The Yummy Ice Cream Vanilla 2 in 1 Wash smells heavenly─lovely aromas that will instantly remind you of delicious vanilla.  After a shower, our whole bathroom literally smells like a heavenly bowl of vanilla ice cream, and the scent surprisingly does not vanish away quickly.  My son hair as well as my own was left shiny and clean, without stripping away the natural moisture from our scalps like other heavily artificially fragranced products have in the past, and our skin was left smooth and moisturized.  

Retailing for $15.00, the Yummy Ice Cream 2 in 1 Wash also comes in scents of Strawberry and Chocolate, and can be purchased directly thru the 100% Pure website at: http://www.100percentpure.com/default.asp

100% Pure Acai Berry Antioxidant Facial Cream

Like many women in my age group (pushing 40), my skin has become highly sensitive to products containing artificial fragrances and synthetic ingredients, and I am always on the lookout for natural, organic ingredient-based products for myself, and for my family.  Recently, I received a package from 100% Pure, containing what has now become a must-have product in my daily skin care routine.

100% Pure Organic Acai Berry Antioxidant Facial Cream contains non synthetic chemicals, artificial fragrances or chemical preservatives. Richly filled with the antioxidant properties of Acai Berry, soothing aloe, calming rose flower water and extracts of healing herbal oils combined to literally feed your skin with the highest level of nutrition.  This nourishing, gluten-free facial cream has greatly assisted in easing the redness in my cheeks, something that I have suffered with for years since we moved to the South. 

This lotion is very thick, and from the moment that I put it on my face, I can feel how quickly it sets in, immediately setting out to moisturize my dry skin tone.  It actually penetrates my skin, instead of settling up on top of it.  I use it in the morning, under my makeup and at night before I go to sleep.  After using this ‘miracle’ product for two weeks now, I can see the difference in my skin tone.  It has greatly assisted in easing the redness in my cheeks, and my blemishes are virtually non-existent.  I cannot speak more highly of this all natural product. 

100% Pure Organic Acai Berry Antioxidant Facial Cream, available for $32.00 for 1.6 fl. Oz,  can be purchased directly thru the 100% Pure website at: http://www.100percentpure.com/default.asp