Speed

I have been trying to teach the Hotrod Princess how to skip count for a couple months now. This seems to be something that she is having a hard time understanding. I have been looking for different ways to help her get the hang of skip counting and I have finally found a fun game that seems to work. Its called "SPEED". its made by highhill educational supplies and you can find it on amazon for about $18.99. You can click HEAR to find it.  "Speed" is  a fun card game that teaches kids to multiply and how to multiply faster. It even helps teach skip counting. Once kids are familiar with the numbers in a game, multiplication gets easier. The game consist of eight decks of cards 2's - 9's in which kids learn skip counting. Its a two player game where players play against each other to see who can get rid of all of their cards first. "Speed" is a great hands on multisensory game that is short and quick. Its perfect for kids that have short attention spans. The repetition of the game helps kids with memorization. Its great for all learning styles.

one of our games 

We have been playing "Speed" for a few weeks now and I can already tell that it is helping the Hotrod princess with her skip counting. We are still working with the 2's right now. I went over the directions a couple times to be sure I understood how to play the game and what the rules were. I explained it to the Hotrod princess and then showed her what we had to do. She picked up how to play the game very quickly.  Over the last few weeks she has gotten faster at playing "speed".  She now makes less mistakes when skip counting by 2's. I can only see things improving from hear as we advance through the game. I think my skip counting is even getting better. I have noticed that I am getting faster at figuring out what cards I can play next.  We have so much fun playing "SPEED" that she often chooses "Speed" over many of our other games. Its a very fast game so we can usually squeeze in a game or two while we are waiting for it to be time to go some place. It has become a great rainy day activity that we really enjoy . I cant wait for Snoopy to start skip counting so they can play together. She is already sitting with us when we play.

I wanted to see how my sisters son who is autistic would like the game. They came up this weekend and we played a few rounds. He did very well with it and seemed to enjoy playing the game with us. It was easy for him to understand how to play and I think it will help him get better with his multiplying skills. He learns best with hands on activities and "SPEED is very hands on. It's a fast game so his hands are constantly moving. This is very good for his need to fidget,  it keeps him moving and doing quickly which also helps with concentrate.

Their is also a "SPEED" app for the I Pad the light version is free and the full version is 99 cents. You can click hear to read some more about it hear on her blog.
You can also check it out on facebook

All in all "SPEED" is a great educational game that I am more than happy to have in my house. Its worth every penny.


Disclosure: I received this product at no cost for review. All opinions are my own or what my kids thought of the product.

The Quietest classroom Pencil Sharpener

Its no secret that I love a great classroom product and I love sharing them with you. On my quest to find something new this year I came across  http://www.classroomfriendlysupplies.com the makers of The Quietest Classroom Pencil Sharpener. That's right folks a pencil sharpener that's actually quiet. The Quietest classroom Pencil Sharpener has a sleek retro design an all metal frame and blades. Automatic stopping once the perfect point is formed. It works on all standard sized pencils. Has a clear disposal try that comes out for easy cleaning. Its so easy to use even my five year old can do it on her own. I also love that they sell replacement blades and they are very affordable. A single sharpener sells for $24.99 and comes in Blue, Red, Green, and Black. A package with one replacement blade sells for $14.99. They also sell a Teacher Specials where you get 3 sharpeners for $53.97 that's $17.99 each a great deal if you need more than one sharpener.

Me and the girls have been needing a good quality pencil sharpener for a while now and we were very excited when it arrived. We received the blue sharpener to try out in our home class room. The color is a tad lighter than what it looked on my computer screen but we all know how screens vary in color. It came in a box like most things that are shipped to you. Then the sharpener its self was in a clear flexible plastic box We are currently using it to store our sharpener tell we get the shelf for the classroom built. Then it will be clamped to the shelf. Assembly was super easy you basically have to put the blades in through a hole in the back and turn the locking ring. There is a hole on the front of the sharpener that you can insert the provided clamp into so that you can clamp it to a table or you can leave it portable. We are truly in love with the Quietest Pencil Sharpener. Its simple to use my kids cant keep sharpening the pencil away to nothing. It hardly makes any noise at all. Its a beautiful color so it looks cool in my class room also known as my living room. It can be clamped to a table or shelf or it can be left portable did I mention its got grips on the bottom to help keep is from slipping both when clamped down and portable. Its sharpened every pencil in the house several times over now and the girls are both writing more just because they want to use the sharpener to sharpen their pencil again. Its so easy that even my 3 year old can do it on her own. She says its hard to turn but she always gets the pencil sharpened. The only slight issue I have had with the sharpener is the clamp. The part that goes into the sharpener its self needs to be a bit longer. We have had it slip out of the hole a couple times. Its really not that big of an issue and would not stop me form buying the sharpener. because it really does do a Wonderful Job. Check out the video clip below to see it in action.

Disclosure: I received this product at no cost for review. All opinions are my own or what my kids thought of the product.

Wink Shape Wear

As a mom of two I know what pregnancy can do to your body. I know what its like to work to get back in shape, and I know exactly how long it takes to achieve that. Their is this in between time after you have baby  where your not pregnant any more but you just haven't quite got your belly back in shape. Where everything is just a little lumpy and bumpy. We all know about the mommy pooch at the bottom of your belly that never really seems to go away no matter how much you work. Wink has just made the pooch a little smoother. They have smoothed out the lumpy and bumpy. With the Wink ultimate belly & hip shaper. These are the key features of the ultimate belly and hip shaper:

• It has two layers of silky medical compression
• it extends above the waist and below the hip
• It has six panels of Hook and eye closure for adjustment and tightening. 
• Thick wide band at the top and bottom to prevent the garment from rolling up or down
• A seamless design allows band to be worn under clothing. 
• Comes in 3 sizes XS-S, M-L,XL-XXL

You can click hear to get it. the ultimate belly and hip shaper sells for $54.99 and comes in two colors black and nude. It is also suitable for all body types.

This wonderful undergarment came to me two weeks a go. I pulled this contraption out of the package and I thought there is no way this stretchy piece of  material is going to help me look any less lumpy and bumpy. I was anxious to give it a try and ran in to put it on. Ten minutes later me and the girls were headed to church. I was hoping that I wouldn't have any issues with ultimate hip & belly shaper in the middle of church.  I even gave it a real good test when I wore it to the park and chased the girls around for an hour.  The slide the swings a game or two of tag, the teeter totter no matter what I did it stayed right where it was meant to. No slipping no bunching and no rolling. This is the first shapwear garment that I have ever wore that did not role up when I sat-down. The length is perfect, it comes from about the bottom of my ribs to an inch below my hip bones. It gives me a nice smooth even look that I love. The best part is my jeans are too big. I could probably go down a hole jean size If not for my thighs I could go down two sizes. I have to put a belt on just to keep my jeans up. It makes me look a lot smoother and slimmer in a dress too.

I would like to talk a bit about sizing I measured my waist hips and thigh like the sizing chart said. I used those numbers to determine what size to get. I believe I should have gotten a size smaller as it is as tight as it will go so If I louse any weight the shaper will be too big and I wont be able to use it any more. Sizes go as follows Extra Small/Small, Medium/Large and XL/XXL.  I got the medium large due to my measurements when I was more of a small medium. I am apparently in between sizes, a Small/Medium would have been perfect for me if they would have come that way. It still fits me well (at least tell I louse weight :), the ultimate hip and belly shaper does its job well, and gives me a very nice slimming look I defiantly louse some inches with it on. I can't wait to try a pair of booty shaper shorts or the ultimate thigh blaster then I could go down two sizes in my jeans. I thought everyone would love to see some actual before and after pictures. If you notice in the after pictures my jeans are actually slipping off me a little.

       

Disclosure: I received this product at no cost for review. All opinions are my own or what my kids thought of the product.

Crayola's Big Colorful Birthday Adventure.

Crayola is celebrating their 110th birthday, the 8 original crayons are going to be throwing a birthday bash at the new fun-omenal Crayola Experience, the world's only interactive Crayola family attraction. Right now, they're out on a colorful adventure to spread the news, and you're invited to join the fun!How can you join in on the fun? You can FOLLOW the crayons on their adventure, LEARN more

about each color and enter to WIN a trip for 4 to celebrate their birthday and the Grand Opening of the all new Crayola Experience this coming May, 2013!

Visit the Crayola Facebook page and click "enter now" for your chance to be first in line when the Crayola Experience reopens.

The new Crayola Experience features four floors of new interactive exhibits and one-of-a-kind attractions that will bring the magic of color and your child's creativity to life! The winner will be among the first to experience the fun, along with a three- night, all-expenses paid stay. It's an experience your kids will never forget - and neither will you!

Disclosure: Crayola provided the information for this post in exchange for a box of the limited edition 110th birthday pack! 

GRIPAD weight Lifting Gloves

This year, I started a quest to get in shape and live a healthier lifestyle.  Everyone knows there are lots of

good benefits to exercising. Their are also some not so great benefits. One problem is the blisters, and calluses that come with lifting weights.  I have now found the solution to the problem.  GRIPAD weight lifting gloves is the newest product in my workout collection. I've had GRIPAD for about a month now and I now find my self reaching for them instead of my other gloves.  GRIPAD is an amazing invention they take weight lifting gloves to a hole new level. Gone are the days of ill fitting gloves. Any woman knows how hard it is to get a good fitting pair of lifting gloves.  The fit of GRIPAD is just about perfect and there is no sizing required. No more blisters, no more calluses no more sweaty slippery palms they are easy to slip on and off. Allowing me to change to change from one exercise to the next with ease. Most importantly they help me to keep a good grip on my weights and sand bag. I also found that they help my hands get traction when doing push-ups and planks. GRIPAD is made of 100% neoprene material they provide the strongest most moisture-free, most slip-proof grip. They have a soft and flexible,  three finger loop design that leaves your thumb and little finger free so you have a great range of motion. This also gives you the ability to grip you weights with ease.  GRIPAD is the best pair of weight lifting gloves that I have ever tried. They sell on http://www.gripad.com/ for $16.99 so the price is very affordable. I love that they come in several colors, Black, Blue, Red and Pink so there is a color choice for men and women.  GRIPAD gives you a good bang for your buck and they are now one of my must haves for working out.

Disclosure: I received this product at no cost for review. All opinions are my own or what my kids thought of the product.