Motherhood Uncensored Reviews and News

Social Skill Builder My Community - Helping Kids with Special Needs

As a music therapist, I worked primarily with kids with developmental disabilities and spectrum disorders. And for the most part, our main goal was socialization. 

Many parents work together with their kid's teachers, because while school and special education classroom experiences can provide opportunities for kids to work on those skills, it still needs to be reinforced in real life situations.

However, those can be extremely difficult for many kids. Aside from requiring the verbal skills to interact with kids with typical needs, socialization in a relaxed, natural setting requires a variety of different skills that the kids might not have yet mastered.

Social Skill Builder My Community is a computer based software program for kids with autism, Aspergers, and other disorders where socialization is a prime goal. It utilizes real video, multiple questions, and other interactive experiences to help kids 5-15 learn and experience social situations in the comfort of their own home.

Created by two speech and language pathologists, the software allows parents to assist their kids in achieving social skills goals within a community and neighborhood setting by giving the kids an opportunity to "practice" and learn the life skills set required.

It's structured, easy to follow, and offers the kids positive rewards. Additionally, if you stop in the middle of a scenario, you can start up again from that point during your next visit.

In my own personal experience, the difficulty with social skills can be the most challenging for many parents. The lack of ability to do math is one thing, but to not be able to make friends, hold a conversation, or interact with others can be the most difficult to swallow. This program certainly gives parents the tools to positively affect their kids.

Truth be told, the program might be out of the price range for some parents. However, it cheaper than extensive therapy and afterschool programming. And it could certainly help facilitate faster change for kids who are in therapy.

Watch a free demo of Social Skill Builder My Community and purchase it on their site.

Read more great reviews of this social skills software from parents of kids with special needs at Parent Bloggers Network.

Lee Colorwashed Capri - Bring it on, Spring

I've long debated the coolness of capri pants. I'm just not a short shorts wearer anymore thanks to my post-partum thighs and butt (or remains of a butt), and while I do love a pair of bermuda shorts, it seems like I just can't get away from capris.

Since I'm tall, I think that I can get away with them, but I know from watching way too many episodes of What Not to Wear, I realize that fit matters.

So when Lee sent me a pair of their Colorwashed Capris, that was the first thing I keyed into. THE FIT.

Granted, I could barely get past the pretty wild strawberry color, which honestly looks more like a coral and that just doesn't do me well. But as far as the actual pants went, they actually fit me well, mostly thanks to the wider waistband and the stretch material.

I admit that I'm a pretty picky pants wearer and while these will probably not be my go-to bottoms for the summer, I think at the price point, they're a good buy, especially since they are made to fit a woman (hooray). And if you're in a post partum situation like me, you just don't want to be spending a lot of money on clothes since I hope *fingers crossed* I'll be out of this size in another month or two.

Over the next few months, I'm pleased to be working with Lee Jeans. And since I'm always changing sizes these days, I'm pretty excited to have an influx of pants to try out that actually fit me.  And guess what?! You will too. I'm giving away five pairs of these capris to five lucky readers. All you have to do is tell me what your go-to spring "bottom" is in the comments - are you a skirt wearer? shorts? pants? capris? Tell me and I'll pick one winner at random.

(US Residents only - winners announced on this blog Saturday, April 4, 2009. Colors and sizes may vary).

SYLVANIA PalPODzzz portable nightlights - Coming out of the dark

My two-year-old son has entered the nightlight stage. But all we've got lying around the house are the nightlights that require me to remember to turn it off in the morning or the ones that glow brighter than the actual moon is his room.

Sort of defeats the purpose, don't you think?

So when I got the SYLVANIA PalPODzzz portable nightlight, I was probably more excited than my son. This LED nightlight has three functions:

- Emergency back up light
- LED flashlight (sweet!)
- LED nightlight

No unplugging, turning off, or any work that requires brain cells.

Those are hard to come by these days.

And aside from being, pretty cute as far as nightlights go, it's also just bright enough to make him feel safe without keeping him awake due to the ridiculously bright glow.

And considering we can NEVER EVER EVER find a flashlight when we need it, this is pretty damn brilliant. You know, if you wanted my opinion and all.

I'd say it would make a great big sibling gift, birthday gift, or just "I need this now just because" gift. And at $19.99, it won't kill your budget.

Check out more great household light products at Sylvania. And enter to win two great prize packages worth over $200 with the Parent Bloggers Network Blog Blast this weekend!

Dream a little Dreambox with me

My 4.5 year old is just at the age where she's pleasantly occupied by computer games. In our house, it's a treat, since I do my best to try to limit the staring at the bright pretty screen that talks.

"Try" being the operative word.

And while she really only plays educational "type" games from her favorite television show websites, I'm always on the lookout for games that really are educational, BUT still feel like she's playing her favorite television show website.

Without the licensed characters and sometimes not so great graphics.

My complaint with most educational software out there is that while they try (and yes they do) to make it not feel like a lesson, it usually always does. It's slow, it gets incredibly boring after awhile, and the graphics and sounds are almost too childish - like huge congratulations that seem to be trying to beg them to keep playing.

But with Dreambox, an online math learning tool,  I instantly fell in love. And so did my preschooler.

The game is obviously different from the onset, with bright pleasing graphics, great sound effects, and an organized thoughtful approach. My daughter tried the "K" games, and was first asked to test out her "mouse" skills (which she loved). Her favorite part was picking her avatar (surprise!), and loved how you could change it mid-game.

We both loved the actual math activities, which for her included "more" or "less" in three different contexts as well as testing memory to "fill-in-the-blank" with a missing number of the equation.

Very little instruction is needed (which is fantastic) and she was off and running within minutes. Since the game senses her abilities based on her correct and incorrect answers, as well as how long it takes her to complete, it helps focus in on what she needs to work on, but still allows her to be successful.

And she's appropriately rewarded with coins, friends, and other goodies that she can claim whenever she wants.

The parental reports were invaluable, and I also loved that I could go in and play as a parent without messing up what she was doing with her own work.

Dreambox is a smart, savvy software system that will truly help kids beef up their math skills, as well as provide educational support for homeschoolers and teachers.

You can try the game out for free for 14 days. Or buy it and you've got a 30-day money back guarantee!

MilkBank - Breastmilk storage 2.0

I've been fortunate to only have to pump out of desperation and discomfort. My two daughters refused to take bottles, and thanks to a strained relationship (and life with living with my in-laws), I never really had to leave my bottle-taking son.

I've used a bottle maybe five times.

But my oldest would take milk from a sippy cup and we did use a bottle infrequently with Drew, and so, I'd dutifully pack milk in the fridge, watch it separate, and then toss it because it just didn't seem right, even after a day or two. Then I'd have to freeze it in the bags and leave my poor husband to try to defrost it in a cup of warm water as my kids screamed bloody murder.

Always makes for a successful mealtime.  Eep.

And quite frankly, I always felt like there had to be a better way.

And I was right! Well, I can't take the credit. Enter MilkBank, the new wave in breastmilk storage and bottles.

There's way too much for me to say about this system, other than "you need this now," but I'll try to hit the high points:

• Vacuum storage rocks because it keeps the milk fresh. Awesome.
• Everything is BPA, pthalate, and PVC free (phew!)
• The bottles are INSULATED, so they help keep the milk warm as you feed it (helloooo genius!).
• The storage hooks to the insulated bottles, which is also genius.
• Said bottles do not leak. AT ALL.
• And if you don't breastfeed, the vented bottles rock (and don't leak either) - of course, I don't know this from first hand experience, but a few of my other colleagues say it's true so I believe them.

Whether you exclusively pump or you just pump for emergencies (etc), you need this system. Add it to your registry. Tell your friends. It's absolutely a must-have.

And if you just need a good bottle, then get these. You can snag them at your local Babies R' Us!

GIVEAWAY! I'm giving a system away to a lucky reader. Just leave me a comment with your favorite breastfeeding accessory (like what you can't live without). If you don't breastfeed, tell me about the bottles you use. I'll pick ONE winner at random (via random.org). US/Canada residents only. Contest ends 2/18/09 11:59pm EST.

If you have the most recent BabiesRUs coupon mailer, there's a 15% off coupon for MilkBank products. I'm happy to send out my coupon (expires 2/21/09), so email me - first person who does gets it (motherhooduncensored@yahoo.com)

Hyland's earache drops - Ear and sanity saver

When I received a couple of samples of Hyland's earache drops earlier this fall, I stashed them in our overflow "will never use" box and called it a day. Since my kids have never had ear problems, I figured I probably wouldn't get a chance to use them. And with products like that, you're glad to know they're out there but you don't really want a reason to use them.

But then Quinlan had two colds in a row and I figured out (genius that I am) that she couldn't hear us, so I decided to use them just in case.

Plus, I'm all for trying to avoid antibiotics unless they're absolutely necessary.

They're super easy to use and my daughter, who is decidedly against anything being dripped or dropped in any of her facial orifices actually ran to lay down so I could drop them in. "It tickles!" she would say and go on her merry way.

Once I applied them, I did see a complete difference in her demeanor, which I totally attribute to Hyland's earache drops and lollipops. But mostly to the drops. I think.

I'm taking her to the doctor today to see what's going on. In my research, I found that over 80% of earaches will heal on their own within 4-7 days. And antibiotics don't work well for middle ear effusion (which is probably what she has - no infection, just fluid). So a product like Hyland's can do wonders for helping your kids make it through what could have been a long hard week of your kid being hopped up on Motrin and Tylenol. Don't get me wrong. I use them too. But a natural option is always my first choice.

We're already huge fans of Hyland's teething tablets. Add the earache drops to the list.

eebee's Adventures - A different kind of baby dvd

You could sit my daughter in front of a loop of informercials and she'd be completely entertained. She's definitely been a television watcher since an early age (I know, whip me with a wet noodle). Like many moms I know,  it was the only way I could get a shower or sleep in.

But my 23 month old son is a complete different story.

I'm certainly not one to complain about a kid who doesn't like television. We definitely limit what my daughter watches, and so for him not to like it at all does, in a way, make life easier. But when his alarm goes off at 6am, or you're trying to have a civilized conversation on the telephone, it would be nice if he would be entertained by a dvd or television show for longer than 30 seconds.

I mean, even when the kid was sick as a dog, he wanted nothing to do with it.

So, I wasn't that optimistic when I received eebee's adventures. I'm really not a huge fan of baby dvds anyway, mainly because I'd just as soon pop on PBS and let them get addicted to Sesame Street characters. However, I popped on this DVD an much to my surprise, he was entertained.

For about 10 minutes. But for him, that's a really long time.

The DVD is definitely very different than anything I've seen. Rather than entertain kids with puppets and songs, it features a friendly "mom" figure playing with a puppet like she'd play with a baby, in sort of a play therapist/parent sort of role. There are several different scenes where she engages the "baby" with various techniques such as imitation, call and response, and all sorts of other developmentally appropriate behaviors. There are songs and other babies, but for the most part, it's not a bunch of bells and whistles.

Which I actually really appreciated.

Now, the soft book was a huge hit, mainly because it had a ball (my son's obsession) and involved him using it in different ways throughout the book. It's the most unique soft book I've seen, and it was nice to see something different than the typical animals on the farm. He really enjoyed putting the ball through the hoop, tossing it into eebee's arms, and bouncing it off my head (that part isn't included in the book you purchase, however).

Honestly, I'd snatch this book up in a second for any new baby. Add the DVD and you've got a wonderful gift for any little one. And an educational one at that.

Vtech V.Smile Cyber Pocket - Video Games That Actually Teach

All hail the power of video games, particularly in my house where video games are a great distraction for my husband's stressful job. Therefore, it's not surprising that my daughter is pretty versed on most of the popular gaming products. Truth be told, most of the games that are geared for kids of her same age are fairly educational, however, it's always a tough decision for me to just tell her to "go play video games." I'd rather there actually a specific takeaway from the game itself.

Thus would be the case with the Vtech Cyber Pocket, a handheld gaming device aimed at kids 5 +. Admittedly, I'm not familiar with Vtech's products in general, mainly because my daughter is just under the age where I think the educational games that are offered appeal to. She's not yet reading or doing math, and so for her, those games look cool, but can be difficult to play on her own.

That was definitely the case with the Cyber Pocket -- having nothing to do with the game itself, but rather that she had not yet figured out how to use a "joystick" and the pen that most kids are familiar with thanks to the plethora of other handheld gaming systems out there. For example, she's used to using the stylus on the screen itself, so that was an adjustment for her.

The game itself was entertaining, and she certainly enjoyed it, although either myself or my husband had to play it with her. It's definitely geared towards the video gaming set, which is fantastic because kids can easily get sucked into playing mindless games and this one really does address all types of educational goals without kids even being totally cognizant of the fact that they are learning.

From the other reviews that I've read of the system, parents and kids both find it fascinating and enjoyable, and while my daughter got a bit frustrated with it (remember, she's on the young side), I can see her loving it over the next few months when we both have the patience to play it along with her.

It's a definitely must-add to your holiday shopping list, particularly if the grandparents are searching for "THE GIFT." Let them be the hero and snag this for them. Just know that if you've got more than one over 5, chances are they're going to fight over it!

For more reviews of Vtech's fabulous educational products, make sure to visit Parent Bloggers Network.

Mrs. Goodbee Interactive Dollhouse - Teaching Good Deeds Through Creative Play

Last year at Christmas we invested in an adorable wooden dollhouse that my daughter definitely got Santa's money's worth. But like most toys, it was relegated to the "not-so-popular" toy area after our move, mostly because we try to rotate our toys around for optimum usage. It currently takes up space in my office, optimistically waiting for a child to sit and play with it for hours while I do work.

But alas, it rarely sees the hands of my 4-year-old. Rather, my son uses it as a storage space for his cars.

So, when Mrs. Goodbee's Interactive Dollhouse entered our home, she was welcomed with open arms by both my daughter and my son. Granted, the color scheme is decidedly girly, and chances are, it would not be the first toy I'd run out and buy for my son, but truly they both get their fair share of enjoyment out of the this toy.

It's a hearty, large plastic dollhouse, which at first glance might turn you off, but unless you have taken an oath to only wooden toys (God Bless You and good luck), then it will fit right in with the gaggles of electronic toys you probably have stacked on your shelves and shoved inside your toyboxes. The combination of open space allows for your kiddos to engage in creative and imaginative play, but the interactive component (which does require batteries -- however they are included and are AA, so not too exotic or expensive) makes it a bit different than your average dollhouse.

The lovely British voice (Does this make it a multicultural toy? Maybe!) is activated with the doorbell and a few other cool features, all of which promote "good deed doing." Cheesy? Perhaps, but it's actually more charming -- at least if you're a 4 year old girl, and it's way better than some of the ridiculous crap that is marketed towards our daughters these days which actually do the opposite of promoting "Good Values" (well, unless you equate leopard print bikinis on baby dolls as good values).

At around $85, it's competitively priced with other dollhouses of the same kind, and it's a great way to combine a few life lessons with regular old play -- you know, without making your kid wear a "good manners" shirt.

*Stay tuned next month as we were given the awesome opportunity to donate a Mrs. Goodbee Interactive Dollhouse to a non-profit!*

Child Behavior Issues Solved - The Total Transformation Program

With all the craziness that is our lives right now, we're fortunate to not have major behavior issues. Major being life altering daily almost in need of a therapist issues. Granted my kids are only 4 and 2, so I've got some time to figure out my parenting style. But that's not to say I shouldn't be thinking about it, particularly since my 4-year-old seems to think she's about 12. 

As a therapist working with children for many years, I've seen parents struggle with how to deal with difficult child behavior. And while parents certainly play a major role in how their kids learn behavior, there are other factors that can be out of their control. And while therapy is a viable option, with the schedules that today's parents are carrying, it can be cost and time prohibitive. That's not to say parents should write off therapy altogether, but there are other options that might still take time and energy, but won't involve appointments, babysitters, and gasoline.

It's frustrating to watch your kids spiral into a place that you don't feel you can do anything about, but thankfully, there are programs, such as The Total Transformation Program, that can offer parents practical guidance.

The program, created by behavioral therapist James Lehman, is one such solution for parents struggling with kid's behavior. Now don't be afraid of his picture -- he's full of knowledge and fantastic exercises that parents can utilize and implement. Aimed at kids 10 + (but great for parents with elementary age kids that feel they might be entering this zone), the program includes a work book, audio sessions, and a dvd, all of which provide step-by-step assistance with everything from providing structure for your kids (yes, I know they need it, but how?) to understanding what it is that your kids need (problem solving skills, yes indeedy!).

What this program does well is not make parents feel guilty or even insult them for bad parenting. For the most part, parents feel terrible enough that their kids are having issues, so there's just no sense it getting beaten up. What the program does do is arm parents with all the skills they need.

Don't be fooled - there is a time commitment involved in this program. But you can pop the cds in your car while you're driving your kids around. And the workbook doesn't take much effort at all, but it can certainly help you process what you're learning.

Overall, the program can take up to 30 days or longer so be prepared to work, and while it is costly ($327), it's equal to about 3 therapy sessions (no kidding) and if you're not satisified after that amount of time, you can return it for a full refund (save shipping).

If you know someone struggling or in need of help, send them over to The Total Transformation Website. The free trial is absolutely no risk and it could easily change their life.

For more great reviews, check out what Anne-Marie and Kristie thought, and visit Parent Bloggers Network for more info.