There are some things about past jobs that have really stuck with me.  In some cases, it has been a co-worker who has intentionally tried to make things difficult for me.  Other times, it has been a challenging project that has pushed me to learn something new.

At one of my jobs, they encouraged coworker bonding whenever possible.  Since we were accountants, trying to gather on a regular basis for lunch was virtually impossible.  Instead, for the monthly staff meeting, employees in the department would rotate who would coordinate the food items, the theme or whatever. 

I remember putting a lot of effort into the luncheon that I planned, only to have someone follow up by putting together a very extravagant "tea party".  She said that I had set the bar high for her and she ran with it.  It was awesome.  Staff meetings are a whole lot more tolerable when you have something to look forward to besides the usual, well, staff meeting agenda.

Other times, they just kept it simple.  Like chipping in and having someone run to pick up lunch  - or since it was California, breakfast burritos were a big hit.  One very memorable experience I had was when a coworker and I were brainstorming about something and we started talking about a rice dish.  It was one of those "Is it a breakfast or a dessert?" discussions. 

Growing up, I recall my mom making a rice and raisin dish all the time but I didn't remember the specifics.  All I could think of was rice, raisins, milk and cinnamon/sugar.   She used to make is specifically for us but I've never bothered to ask her for a recipe.  Instead, if I ever had leftover rice after dinner, I would mix it up as a dessert.  Wasn't as good as moms but it was a close enough resemblance to make me happy. 

Anyway... so this coworker and I were chatting about it and she said it's a staple around her house.  For breakfast.  Rice, milk, raisins, cinnamon/sugar and butter.  I was certain it was the same thing.

So what did we do?  Planned some bonding with rice.  We brought the ingredients to work, and I toted in my Sunbeam instant steam to cook the rice on site.  When the rice was ready, we set it all up buffet style and planned breakfast for coworkers.  Everyone could add whatever they liked to their bowl of rice... and we all enjoyed it.

Things have changed now.  I don't work full time and I seldom buy white rice.  We're trying to plan some healthier meals, so we switched to whole grain brown rice.  We also purchase microwave rice like Uncle Ben's Chicken Brown Rice in their Ready Rice microwave packets.  Brown rice has a different flavor (and texture in my opinion) than white rice, but I've really enjoyed the switch.

So when Mom Central sent out the request for reviewers to test Uncle Ben's rice, I immediately replied.  I was completely honest with them that I had switched to brown rice so if there was an option, that's what I wanted to review.  As it turns out, the review is for white rice.  Uncle Ben's new WHOLE GRAIN white rice.  Sounded like a perfect addition to our pantry.  Shortly after, Mom Central launched a blog tour for Uncle Ben's brown rice but since I was already working on the white rice campaign, I didn't sign up.  I've really enjoyed the brown rice and despite not participating on the campaign, I want to put in a good word for it.

As part of the Whole Grain White Rice campaign, Mom Central shipped several boxes and a few aprons to me to share with friends and family.  I gave one set to my mom then handed the rest out to the moms attending my Shrek HouseParty.  One box was destined for tonight's dinner...
 

The menu consisted of fish and rice (and a vegetable, of course).  Miss K helped DH make the fish - Talapia with Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb.  Miss M helped me make the Uncle Ben's whole grain white rice - long grain variety.  The rice took under 15 minutes and didn't require any additional ingredients... other than water.  I didn't add anything to it and figured if it needed something, we could add Mrs. Dash or something for flavor. 

When we all sat down, it was a hit.  Miss M isn't a big fan of rice but she said this one was really good.  I expected it to be very bland but was pleasantly surprised that it didn't need any additional flavorings added.  Being able to keep the meal simple is not only healthier but allows the kids to help easier.  DH said it was stickier than he expected but I'm not sure if that's normal or just the fact that I cooked it.  I'm not exactly the best cook in the house, you know.  Either way, I like rice a little sticky so it was fine to me.  He agreed that the taste was very good. 

The package says it yields 2.5 servings but we were actually able to feed all four of us - two adults, a 7 year old and a 5 year old.  Fortunately, for me, there was even a little bit left at the end.

Any guesses what I did with the leftovers?

Rice and raisin dessert.  Yum!

If rice is a staple in your diet, check out the various white, whole grain white and brown rice varieties on their website.  You can even sign up for coupons there. 

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Most adults are familiar with the concept of word-of-mouth marketing... You, know... Have a good experience with a product/restaurant and you'll tell one person. Have a bad experience and you'll tell 10.  In 2003, I started 'working' with BzzAgent.  When I started, it essentially harnessed the positive attributes of that concept, repackaging it into a very effective marketing tool.  Since that time, other companies have expanded on the practice.

HouseParty is a great example.  Select a hostess, ship her a box full of promotional products and supplies then ask her to invite friends over to share it with.  Brilliant.  I'm a huge fan of getting things for free... But getting free stuff to share with friends is even better.

And that is just what inspired our recent SHREKtacular party. HouseParty sent me a box filled with Shrek Happy Meal Toys and watches, Shrek the Third DVD, 2 collectible Shrek glasses from McDonald's, Shrek themed plates, napkins and cups, and a gift card for McDonald's McNuggets. It was a joint project to promote the crossover marketing of Shrek Forever After and McDonald's McNuggets. As a bonus, I've been working with Mom Central on a Shrek Forever After video game blog tour so we had additional Shrek gear to make the party extra fun, including a Shrek Mad Libs book, a Shrek Forever After story book and of course, Activision's Shrek Forever After for the Wii!

We proceeded to invite several friends (and their parents) over for an evening of all things Shrek. Multiple kids and their moms (plus two daring dads) made it to the party. Waiting for them was a stack of the new McNuggets of Fun Pack boxes which we had filled with the Happy Meal toys and watches along with some door prize coupons!

The kids were invited to head to the basement to play Shrek Forever After for the Wii while DH headed off to pick up fresh McNuggets from our local McDonald's. The game supports four players and kids from age 3 up to...ummm... more than 40, took turns playing. On the upstairs TV, Shrek the Third was playing for anyone who wanted a refresher before seeing the upcoming final movie.

We had contacted McDonald's ahead of time and arranged for our super-huge order of McNuggets.  To supplement the nuggets, we opted for potato chips and apple juice rather than take the chance of the fries not staying perfectly fresh all the way home.  When DH arrived with the McNuggets, we served up Ogre helpings for all the kids. 

The food went quickly and when the kids were filled up, they were invited to select a Fun Box from the stack.

The kids were excited to find a stash of goodies and a few lucky guests walked away with Shrek Mad Libs, McDonald's Stage M CD and McDonald's Shrek glasses. HouseParty also provided us with coupons for free Minute Maid apple juice and snack size McFlurry desserts. Rather than include those in the box, I opted to hand those directly to the parents so they wouldn't get lost. In addition, they also received a McNuggets of Fun  code to go along with the one from the kids' box, details on the website, information on the prizes you can get for entering Fun Codes at McDonald's.com/Shrek AND a coupon for $5 off Shrek Forever After video game!  (I also sent moms away with some Uncle Ben's Rice, compliments of Mom Central! Yes... a post is coming for that, also!)

After dinner, some of the kids played with their new Shrek McDonald's Happy Meal toys and watches while others returned to Shrek Forever After for the Wii. I grabbed a few photos during the chaos but getting the kids to answer questions during the party was impossible. I grabbed Miss M afterwards for some Shrek Forever After Wii details...

Here are some of her highlights:

"It's easy to change characters by pressing C"

You can pick from the characters - Shrek, Donkey, Fiona and Puss in boots.

From 1-4 players all play at same time helping each other out.

Only one of each character if 4 players. Sorry, but you can't have two of a given character. Miss M said, "Some kids got upset about not getting their first choice."

The game is similar in style to How to Train Your Dragon and as I mentioned, was easy enough for even the three year old guest to play. More details and screenshots regarding Shrek Forever After for the Wii to follow in a separate post!

Thanks to all the families who attended our Shrek HouseParty.  Thanks, also, to HouseParty, McDonald's, Mom Central and Activision for making this party SHREKtacular!

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Although my husband was considered an army brat, I had only moved once in my childhood  then again into an apartment after college. There was never a time when I was far from home and family - I went to college just blocks from the high school I graduated from. When we decided to make the move to California, it was a huge deal for me... it was the first time I would be away from everything that I knew.

DH moved out a few months before I did, lived in a hotel for the majority of the time before finding an apartment before my arrival. I was in charge of coordinating with the moving company, getting things packed, selling what we didn't want to take and wrapping up loose ends in Iowa.

We spent what little we had saved up in hopes that California would prove successful.

...At least we didn't have children at the time to make an uncertain situation even more stressful.

We knew we had a few safeguards. The job was lined up before we moved and we didn't have kids. Los Angeles is dramatically different from Iowa, but we looked forward to the cultural diversity and all that California had to offer.

When I hear stories like that of Ivette Meléndez, a spokesperson and member of Seventh Generation Nation, I realize that our journey could have been much more difficult than it was. Ivette ventured to the United States from El Salvador with a toddler and a suitcase. She found work cleaning houses until health issues plagued her and she was forced to find alternative work. After switching to products made from natural ingredients, her health issues subsided and she was able to return to her cleaning business.

"Natural" is the foundation for Seventh Generation. Stories like Ivette's are inspiring and as a result, Seventh Generation created the "Search for Mother Nature" contest. They're looking for a real life Mother Nature. Someone who leads by example in their pursuit of a greener, healthier home, community and earth. The grand prize winner will receive a $5,000 green home makeover and both the nominated "Mother Nature" and the grand prize winner will receive a year's supply of Seventh Generation products. The contest closes tomorrow so if someone naturally inspires you, then stop over and enter the contest at Seventh Generation.

Let me tell you, until recently I hadn't given a whole lot of thought to "green" cleaning products. With a new kitchen and a realization that not all cleaning products are appropriate for all surfaces, I'm changing my outlook. Seventh Generation shipped me a Mother Nature kit as a thank you for sharing the contest information so I've had an opportunity to try out some products that are new to me. I haven't reached the point of throwing out all the traditional cleaners but I am being open minded. I recall when natural products like this started hitting the market, the concern was that they aren't as effective - as an example, the dish soap wouldn't be sudsy. As you can see from my picture, that's not an issue. When I washed the dishes, I added the same amount that I would from my usual dish soap and achieved fine results. Then I started reading Ivette's tips, advice and myths and found "Myth #3: If a Product Doesn't Make Suds, It's Not Working". Guess I'm not the only person who still thought that!

My granite counters are new and I was instructed to use a "PH Neutral" product so I opted to stick to the cleaner provided from my contractor rather than the Seventh Generation. I did use the Seventh Generation multi-purpose cleaner to clean the wood kitchen table, the bar stools and even (spot clean) the floor with total satisfaction. It was strange not to have a strong smell wafting through the air though.

But I can only say so much in the short time that I've tested the products. My mom is currently long-term testing them out and a post will follow with more detailed responses to the various products. In the meantime, maybe if YOU tried them out, you could decide if that natural approach to cleaning is best for you, your family and the earth. What better way to find out than to win some.

The Prize: Seventh Generation "Mother Nature" cleaning kit

Participants -

...must provide a US shipping address
...must provide an email in the first comment, email me directly with an email address or have email accessible from their profile.

Sometime on June 9, 2010, a winner will be chosen at random from all valid comments left. Winner has 72 hours from posting/notification to respond. If winner cannot be contacted, I will move on to the next random selection.

How to enter:

(1) Subscribe to the SAHM Reviews feed via RSS or email
(2) Check out the Seventh Generation website.

(3) Leave a comment on this post at SahmReviews.com with which one Seventh Generation product is most important for your home.

-- Three Entries: If you have a blog or website, add my button to your page. (Here's the code:)

-- Two Entries: Publish a blog post regarding this contest and link back to it.

-- One Entry (Daily): Follow SahmReviews on Twitter and Tweet this contest by clicking here or copying the following text:

"Green and clean. I want to win a Mother Nature cleaning kit from Seventh Generation. http://bit.ly/aOSJm0 @SahmReviews @SeventhGen". Comment with a link to your tweet.

-- One Entry: "Like" SAHM Reviews on Facebook.

-- One Entry each: "Like" Seventh Generation on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, subscribe on YouTube or friend on MySpace. Please tell them SahmReviews.com sent you!.

-- One Entry: Follow SAHM Reviews using Google's Friend Connect feature.

-- One Entry (Daily): Read any non-giveaway review here at SahmReviews.com and leave an appropriate comment on that post. Come back here and leave a comment stating which product/post you left a comment on.

Thanks to Seventh Generation for providing a Mother Nature cleaning kit as the prize for this giveaway. For more information and coupons on Seventh Generation, stop by their blog, check out their website, join their community or visit their various social media outlets as noted in the giveaway above!

28 comments

When I was growing up, my brothers were active in wrestling.  Yes, I've talked about that before... but this isn't a repeat story, I promise.  My parents were great about encouraging us in our endeavors.  They coached when they could (baseball, softball, etc) but also did non-event things that helped us with our specific goals.

For anyone not involved in the wrestling world, weight is a total issue.  No matter how you do during the week, if you wake up the morning of the meet and are too heavy during weigh-ins, then you can't wrestle at that weight.

So my mom always worked to keep my brothers healthy while also staying within their weight class.  One way that she did that was to buy a yogurt making machine.  This was at a time when yogurt choices at the grocery store were nowhere near what they are now.  She made homemade yogurt and even added fruit to it to sweeten it up.

Despite my mom's greatest efforts, I don't recall that being when I developed a taste for yogurt. No offense to my mom, of course.

Now, we're bombarded with different types of yogurt in as many flavors as you can imagine. Most are pretty good, too. Of course, some are healthier for you than others. Recently, I've watched as slew of "Greek" yogurts hitting the shelves. I received an offer from MyBlogSpark to review Yoplait's introduction into this market and was shipped off a gift package along with coupons to purchase some at the store.

So off I went to the store... and I found two or three other Greek yogurts but no Yoplait. On my second trip to the local grocery store (after not finding it at two other locations), I finally located some. Literally only a few remained on the shelf - blueberry and honey. Blueberry yogurt has typically been my flavor of choice, seldom failing me. Honey? Wasn't sold on that one but I bought it anyhow. Figured that since MyBlogSpark had provided me with a full-value coupon, I might as well try it.  There are actually four flavors but the popularity of these has been amazing - at least at my store. I've yet to find Strawberry or Plain on the shelf.  Even from the time I purchased mine, I've been to the store again and the shelves are barren.

It's double the protein of "the leading yogurt" and it has zero fat.  Other than that, I didn't much care about the nutritional facts... I needed to know how it tasted because if it wasn't any good, it didn't matter how healthy it was. 

What did I think? It's thick. OMG is it ever thick. Like paste, thick. But I know some ice creams that can be held upside down and they taste great so I didn't associate thickness with taste. However, honesty is a big thing for me, so I have to say that I wasn't sold on the blueberry the first time I tried it. I have a pitiful sweet tooth and this certainly caters to the non-sweet-tooth-yogurt-lovers out there. After eating only half of the container, I covered it and put it in the freezer to use in a smoothie. I later tried the honey-vanilla flavor and despite the toned-down sweetness level, found it to be very tasty. Surprisingly refreshing, actually. So I gave the blueberry another shot and this time, it hit the spot. I think that it was simply a matter of my taste buds wanting something sweet that day.

The fact that it isn't as sweet is actually a selling point.  When I've looked at recipes that used yogurt as a replacement for other ingredients, it almost always required "Plain" which I don't like and won't eat the remainder that isn't in the recipe.  With the Yoplait Greek, I can see using the Honey-Vanilla in recipes as well as solo. As I said before, I really enjoyed the Honey-Vanilla flavor!

It's not an expensive yogurt, but it certainly isn't a cheap yogurt, either. As I've said on previous reviews (and an upcoming one for another brand), I love various yogurts but I enjoy a great bargain, too. I'm very cost conscious when making purchases like this. It will be among my list of products to watch hit the sales flier.

The Prize: Yoplait Greek Gift Package

Participants -

...must provide a US shipping address
...must provide an email in the first comment, email me directly with an email address or have email accessible from their profile.

Sometime on June 5, 2010, a winner will be chosen at random from all valid comments left. Winner has 72 hours from posting/notification to respond. If winner cannot be contacted, I will move on to the next random selection.

How to enter:

(1) Check out the Yoplait Greek website.

(2) Find the recipe section and leave a comment on this post at SahmReviews.com telling one recipe you would use Yoplait Greek yogurt for.

-- Three Entries: If you have a blog or website, add my button to your page. (Here's the code:)

-- Two Entries: Publish a blog post regarding this contest and link back to it.

-- One Entry (Daily): Follow SahmReviews on Twitter and Tweet this contest by clicking here or copying the following text:

"It's Greek to me. Greek Yogurt, that is... and I want to win. http://bit.ly/a12XCS @SahmReviews #giveaway". Comment with a link to your tweet.

-- One Entry: "Like" SAHM Reviews on Facebook.
-- One Entry: "Like" Yoplait on Facebook. Please tell them SahmReviews.com sent you!.

-- One Entry: Subscribe to the SAHM Reviews feed via RSS or email.

-- One Entry: Follow SAHM Reviews using Google's Friend Connect feature.

-- One Entry (Daily): Read any non-giveaway review here at SahmReviews.com and leave an appropriate comment on that post. Come back here and leave a comment stating which product/post you left a comment on.

Thanks to Yoplait and MyBlogSpark for providing the samples and the prize for this giveaway.

14 comments

I love to bake.  In fact, I love to bake so much I take photos of my baking and send photos to my friends via text to show them what I’ve made.  My favorites are chocolate chip cookies and brownies.
Do you find yourself baking or are you more of a cook?  I’m learning how to cook as I find a food I want to make for friends.  For my birthday I made pancakes for everyone that celebrated my birthday with me.  I called it Brinner, because I made breakfast for dinner.  It was wonderful.  This past Friday we made homemade pizza.  We made dough from scratch, with everyone bringing toppings for their part of the pizza.  I will admit now dough is not something I’ve made before, so one of my friends made it.  But now we know how long it takes to make homemade pizza!

After all my baking experience, I thought it was time to try and learn a bit more about cooking.  And since I love to read and want to learn about cooking some new recipes so when I was offered a copy of The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel, it seemed like a wonderful idea.

The storyline is two women, Lilly and Val, who reconnect  through email following the death of a parent.  After a few emails, we discover that Val has discovered the letters they sent to each other as young girls.  Along with their emails we now read the letters they wrote each other and learn that they started sending recipes to each other.

I admit that the beginning of this book had some tension between Lilly and Val.  This made it difficult for me to continue reading through their emails where they started arguing about the situation that stopped them from talking years earlier.  I wanted to take them aside and have a talk about how they should really be talking it out face to face.  However I was really enjoying reading the recipes and the letters they sent as young girls.  My favorite part would have to be the recipes they send each other.  The recipes I most want to try are Ben’s Brownie Sundae, The Nutty Professor Cookies, Chicken Soup with Stars, Homemade Moon Pie Cookies, Ga-Ga-Gai Pan, and Welsh Rabbit (which isn’t rabbit, but you’ll have to read the book to find out what it is!).  And as you can see the recipes I want to make are mostly baking but wow…Homemade Moon Pies!  Doesn’t that make you hungry? I'm ready to try some of those recipes...while I'm cooking perhaps you should check this book out.

Sound tasty? How about a shot at a free copy from SahmReviews.com?

Participants -

...must provide a US shipping address
...must provide an email in the first comment, email me directly with an email address or have email accessible from their profile.

Sometime on June 4, 2010, a winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) from all valid comments left. Winner has 72 hours from posting/notification to respond. If winner cannot be contacted, I will move on to the next random selection.

How to enter:

8 comments

Ok, I’ll be 100% honest. When I saw those two pink lines pop up on the pregnancy test, my first thought was, “Wait…we weren’t really ready, were we? I should take another test to double check.” A million thoughts quickly followed beginning with, “Oh my gosh, I’m pregnant! I’m going to have a baby! Oh…the pain?! Am I going to breast feed? How can we afford this? I hope everything goes ok? Oh my gosh, what are we doing? I’m not ready for this! I have to be responsible for another human! Oh my gosh!” And so on, and so on, and so on….until I could catch my breath, and finally smile!

My husband, Josh, and I had “the talk,” and both decided we were ready to start our family. But the talk had occurred just 8 weeks prior to finding out our wonderful news. So while we had decided we were ready, I had told myself it wouldn’t happen overnight and that we’d have to be patient. Discovering our pregnancy came as a shock, and we are so thankful that we were so fortunate to find ourselves pregnant so soon.

Shortly after celebrating the two pink lines with Josh, I remember almost immediately getting online and surfing the web about pregnancy and babies and parenthood. And during the first few weeks (and even still today), I couldn’t get enough of reading about pregnancy! As a first time mom, I definitely feel moments of information overload…sometimes I do it to myself, and sometimes not. But there is no lack of information out there for pregnant women be it by the internet, health care providers, books, family, friends, and even strangers!

Still, I find myself never being able to get enough of learning and reading about my growing baby and changing body, and I gladly accepted the offer to learn more from The Hot Mom to Be Handbook! I really had no expectations of this book. I hadn’t heard of Jessica Denay or The Hot Mom’s Club, but after reading her bio, I see she is quite well known. I have to admit I can see what makes her so popular. Her focus on making a mom feel great about herself and her body during pregnancy is commendable and makes her very likable.

Each chapter includes mini-sections covering a variety of topics, and includes humorous quotes and related excerpts from other authors and Hot Moms Club members. This made the book a quick read for me, and I enjoyed reading a chapter or two each night before going to bed. She also provides numerous websites to check out and recommendations for products, and I found myself folding the corners of pages so I can go back and reference those items. Each chapter also concludes with a series of journaling questions for the reader to consider and record.

I also really enjoyed the humor (and light sarcasm) throughout the book. I laughed out loud quite a few times while reading, and had to repeat what I just read to my husband. One of my favorite quotes was, “I just wanted to buy a few bananas and some ketchup but instead came home with a bag full of panic.”

What I appreciated most about this book was the overall message Denay is sending to pregnant women, which is that ALL pregnant women are “Hot Moms.” She really encourages the reader to feel good and confident about themselves, their bodies, and their decisions in life.

...and who DOESN'T want to hear how great they are every once in a while?!

In summary, I would consider this book to be a “light,” fun read, and packed with great references. I think it would make a wonderful gift if you know someone who recently announced their pregnancy.

For more information on the author, Jessica Denay, check out her website. Hot Mom's Club sound perfect to you?  They're on Facebook and Twitter, too! 

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It's a rite of passage... toothpaste on the mirror.  Not a gob or even fingerprints.  I'm talking full-on toothpaste graffiti.  Across the mirror.

And now my kids are among the adults and children initiated into this select group.

It's not just any group.  It's a group comprised of people who are concerned about their teeth.  We're Sonicare fans.  And splattering toothpaste across the mirror is something that every Sonicare owner I have talked to has done at least once.  Usually the first time using a Sonicare toothbrush before you realize that you can't use a Sonicare toothbrush with your mouth open.

I own one, my husband does too.  As do my parents.  All of us had toothpaste graffiti.  So when we received a Sonicare For Kids toothbrush from Mom Central, I laughed when the girls shot toothpaste across the mirror.  Welcome to the club, girls.

Before I go any further, I want to talk about Sonicare... I'm a firm believer in it and have touched on it here before.  Most look at it and lump it in with other electric toothbrushes.  But just because two toothbrushes need to be plugged in and charged doesn't make them equal.  A Sonicare, in my experience, is superior to other rechargeable toothbrushes!  I've been a fan ever since receiving a Sonicare as part of a BzzAgent campaign several years ago.  I've wanted to get one for my kids but the price has always been an issue.  I just couldn't justify spending over a hundred dollars for each of the girls for a toothbrush no matter how good it is.  The little things like what happens when they drop it.  No matter how careful a child is, it's a no-brainer that the item is going to get dropped.  Duh.  I tabled the idea of providing them such a tool until I felt they could be more responsible.

How well do they brush?  My dental hygenist said that I need to continue to brush the girls' teeth for many years.  Kids don't do a good enough job.  The pediatric dentist, however, disagrees.  He said that kids CAN brush on their own once they're able to actually do it.  To determine if they're doing a good job, get some of those tablets or the 'mouthwash' that shows the places they are missing. 

So along came Sonicare for Kids and it addressed two main issues that I've had.  First, the composite of the toothbrush is actually very different than that of the adult.  The mechanics are the same but the casing is more durable.  Woohoo!  I don't need to cringe about whether the girls are handling a tool that's designed for an adult.  The Sonicare for Kids was designed with kids in mind.  Second - the toothbrush helps kids learn the proper way to brush and for the correct duration.  Not only does it have a timer but it also divides the time into four segments so kids know to stay in one section of their mouth until the chime tells them to move along. 

Aside from the previously mentioned timer, there are two separate brushes.  One for ages 4 and up and the other for ages 7 and up.  Not only is one brush smaller - to accommodate a smaller mouth - but it also uses a different timer and mode.  DH refers to a Sonicare maiden voyage as putting a bunch of bees in your mouth.  At least with the modified modes for kids, this isn't quite as extreme.

How does it look?  Well, it has to be plugged in... It's not a battery operated toothbrush, it's a rechargeable.  Thankfully, the charging station is simple and has a docking area for the handle as well as two separate brush heads.  The main unit also has a few different decorative covers but we opted for the plain one.

So what did the girls think?  They loved it.  It's a fun way to brush and they like the music helping them along.  Anything that encourages good brushing habits is fine by me.  What did I think though?  Honestly, I was biased before I even received it.  Sonicare has been a household name for us for a while so I walked into the review knowing there would be little - or nothing - that I disliked.  We used it for a weeks with the girls brushing by themselves in the mornings and me brushing at night.  The girls loved doing it themselves, but using a brush that required them to keep their mouths closed made for a tricky two-person brushing experience.  It's harder to feel exactly where the teeth are in some else's mouth so I often would have to hand off the brush to them to finish up.  It's not something I was comfortable with.

Then today, I purchased some of the tattletale mouthwash to see how much plaque was building up in their mouths.  The kids swished it in their mouths before brushing and it was supposed to make their teeth blue in places where they needed to focus their brushing.  (Un)Fortunately, the Sonicare for Kids has been doing such a great job that there was very little blue to be found after using the wash.  I'm more confident in handing the brush to them at the beginning and saying 'It's all yours."  They liked that too.

As a bonus, Philips kept the price-point within reach.  At just under $70, it's a great investment.  And at that price, you receive two brush heads!

Just for reference, I've known about the Sonicare for Kids prior to actually receiving it - I read about it on a friend's blog and drooled about wanting one for my girls. My kids do an okay job of brushing but there's always room for improvement.  Even with a timer running on the counter, getting them to brush for the entire time is a challenge.  At one point, we purchased goldfish as a reminder that they needed to brush their teeth at least twice a day.  "You can feed your goldfish right after your brush your teeth."  Silly, I know but it helped.  At the time, I sooo wanted a Sonicare for the kids but I just hadn't committed to purchasing it.  I was extremely excited to participate in this blog tour to help me realize that I was talking myself out of purchasing a Sonicare until the girls were ready.  When I really should have rushed to the store when I first found out because it would HELP the girls develop great habits before they developed poor ones!

Now, I'm glad to say that everyone under our roof belongs to the Sonicare fan club - with the toothpaste  splatter initiation to prove it.

For more information regarding Philips Sonicare products, visit their website.  Already a fan or want to know what fans are saying?  Check them out on Facebook.

Disclosure:  I received a Sonicare for Kids toothbrush from Mom Central as part of a blog tour conducted on behalf of Sonicare.  My opinions are completely honest although my initial opinions of Sonicare products were influenced by other Sonicare products we already own.  No additional compensation was received for participating in this blog tour.

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