Bob Books App Review

“Bravo, Bob Books!”

Have you heard of Bob Books? Developed over 35 years ago by a teacher, these beginner readers have helped over 2 million children learn to read. (Numbers quoted from John Maslen, husband and co-founder to Bobby Maslen.) To quote the Bob Books website, these books were developed to facilitate that ah-ha moment when letters first turn into words. As their website states:

“By slowly introducing new letter sounds, using consistency, repetition and stories that fit short attention spans - your child will quickly find his or her own ah-ha moment.”

The print copies have had a wide range of success and acclaim for the past two decades but the good news is they’ve gone digital! Now you can purchase a Bob Book app for your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The digital version still includes the authentic hand-drawn illustrations and beautiful colors but in addition there is simple drag-and-drop interface that encourages even the youngest reader to sound out words.  Bob Books are known for their simple yet effective style but I think the addition of a drag/drop user interface makes these books all the better!

The Bob Book app includes twelve scenes for a total of 32 words. The feature I liked was the four game levels where I can set the level higher depending on my child’s reading ability. 

As a mother I want to do all that I can to encourage a love of reading in my children and I think Bob Books has created a great app for early readers that does just that.  My daughter had a great time playing with this app as seen below in the video.

To purchase the Bob Book app visit the apps section of Apple’s iTunes store.

I did not receive any compensation for my review of Bob Books app although I was given an application to facilitate this review.  Any and all opinions here are my own.

Heads Up: Handmade with Love Blog Hop Feb 2-6, 2011

I'm excited to announce that Moana Saves is participating in our first ever blog hop!  The Handmade with Love Blog Hop will begin on February 2 at 12:01 am EST and end on February 6 at 11:59 pm EST and will consist of 145 blogs featuring handmade item giveaways!   

Each blog will host their own giveaway. All the blogs will be linked up through the Handmade with Love Winter Giveaway linky so that readers can just hop from blog to blog with the theme of the giveaways being handmade products or gift certificates to handmade stores.  Some blogs may offer just one prize; some will offer more.  I'm excited to join in!  All of the Handmade with Love giveaways will start on February 2nd and run for five days, ending on February 6th. 

We would love to offer more than one handmade giveaway on Moana Saves and are currently looking for prize sponsors.  If you have a handmade business or know someone who does who would like to get lots of PR during this blog hop, please contact me at moanasaves at gmail dot com.  I would love to feature your product(s) during the Handmade with Love blog hop! 

This is what we can offer our giveaway sponsors who donate a prize of $50 or more: 

• We can put your button on the Moana Saves blog in the "advertise here" wide side bar for the entire month of February.
• Send out a tweet about your company every day of the blog hop and once a week for the rest of February.
• Include one or more of your social media accounts (liking Facebook or following you on Twitter for example) as one of a reader's bonus entries in your giveaway. 
• Write a feature article about your company (250+ words) to be posted along with your giveaway.

This is what we can offer our giveaway sponsors who donate a prize of $49 or less:

• We can put your button on the Moana Saves blog in the "advertise here" wide side bar for the entire week of the blog hop.
• Send out a tweet about your company every day of the blog hop.
• Include one or more of your social media accounts (liking Facebook or following you on Twitter for example) as one of a reader's bonus entries in your giveaway. 

We are also  open to other options you request for giveaway sponsorship.  Just contact me at moanasaves at gmail dot com.

 

Ruth's Brownie Kitchen Review and Giveaway

Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate! Mmmm...I'm in heaven!

I discovered a wonderful surprise in my mailbox the other day. Ruth’s Brownie Kitchen sent these decadent brownies for me to review and I was all too happy to comply.

Ruth's Brownie Kitchen is a "small, artisanal bakery located in the Hudson Valley region of New York state that specializes in baking handcrafted Gourmet Cookies, Biscotti and Valrhona Chocolate Cake-Style and Fudge Brownies." (Quoted from our friends at Ruth's.) Products include cake-style brownies, extra fudgy brownies, biscotti and cookies. Coming soon is a selection of Valrhona bars & squares, fine chocolates, cocoas, coffees and teas.

Have you heard of Valrhona chocolate? I had to look it up online. It is a high-grade luxury chocolate made in France! If that doesn't make you want to taste these amazing desserts maybe these facts will.

•    Ruth's uses only organic premium ingredients including farm fresh eggs, butter, milk and cream delivered daily.
•    No chemical preservatives or artificial ingredients/flavorings are used in their baked goods.
•    Shipping is quick and the food still tastes fresh! We live in Hawaii and eating FRESH brownies shipped all the way from New York state sounds unbelievable but it's a fact! (By the way, their website says they ship to “anywhere in the world.”)
•    Each item is made to order; no shipments are fulfilled with day-old or frozen goods.
•    Ruth's baked goods are shipped within hours of leaving the oven. If for any reason you are dissatisfied with their products you may return them for a replacement or a refund of the full purchase price. (See their website for details.)
 
My chocolate treat of choice was the Chocolate-Covered Cherry Extra Fudgy Brownies. Actually, my husband invited guests over the day these arrived so I had to share. All I can say is there were 3 happy men in my front room eating all of MY brownies! Our tastebuds voted unanimously that these desserts deserve a 5 star rating! The rich Valrhona cocoa melts in your mouth with a sweet yet savory flavor.  My husband's favorite quality of the brownies were that they are large, measuring 3 by 3 inches and weighing in at almost 5 ounces each. Ruth's Brownie Kitchen has such a great selection of brownies, from peanut butter swirl to caramel, mint lentil, toffee, cranberry, hazelnut, maple cream and raspberry swirl. Their cookie selection includes dark or milk chocolate chunk, white chocolate with cranberry, orange chocolate chunk with candied orange and a wide variety of biscotti too! I'm drooling now...

Do you have a certain someone on your Christmas list for whom you have no idea what to buy?  These baked goods are not like the proverbial recycled fruitcake left anonymously on a doorstep. To put it plainly, this is a food item I would definitely not be embarrassed to send to a loved one this holiday season.

BUY IT
To purchase these oh-so-tasty treats visit here. During the month of December Ruth's Brownie Kitchen is offering all customers FREE SHIPPING when they purchase $50 or more going to the same recipient shipped all at the same time. Here is the free shipping link.

WIN IT
Ruth's Brownie Kitchen has generously offered one lucky Moana Saves reader a $25 Gift Certificate that can be used to purchase any of their products online. The Certificate is not applicable to either shipping or taxes, if any; and cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or certificate. It has no cash value.

To earn a mandatory entry, subscribe to Ruth's Brownie Kitchen email alerts.  You can do so on the site's main page in the lower left corner. Mandatory means that if you don't do this first, all of your other entries will be disqualified.  Make sure to leave a comment saying you've done this.

To earn an additional entry, do one (or all) of the following and leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1. Follow Moana Saves on Twitter.

2. Follow Ruth's Brownies on Twitter.

3. Tweet about this giveaway (limit one tweet per day) using the following (leave the tweet URL in your comment):
#Win $25 GC to spend on yummy treats from @ruthsbrownies and @moanasaves ends 12/27 http://bit.ly/g9r7UY

4. Become a Google Friend Connect follower of Moana Saves (in the side bar).

5. Like the Ruth's Brownies Facebook page. 

6. Like the Moana Saves Facebook page.

7. Follow Moana Saves on Networked Blogs (in the side bar).

8. Subscribe to my feed via RSS reader and/or email updates.

Only one person per email/household/IPaddress can enter this giveaway.  He/she must be 18+ years old and reside in the U.S.  This giveaway ends on Monday, December 27th at 11:59 PM HST (Hawaii Standard Time).  One winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org.  I will notify the winner via email and he/she must respond to claim the prize within 48 hours or I will draw another winner.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Yes, I'm Teasing You!

I may or may not be hyperventilating right now.  It came! The fabulous thing I can't tell you about because first I have to review it came today via FedEx!  Its in my living room!  I'm overwhelmed with exclamation marks!

By mid-week, I'll be posting a review and . . . . (wait for it, wait for it) . . . a giveaway of the same exact product.  Hey, I'm not going to tell you what it is but I will include a picture of its bionic goodness below.  Come back later in the week to check out my review and enter the giveaway!

Review of Skin Peel TCA 10%

First off, I love this product. My skin is clear, tight, and even the little clogged pores on my nose are gone. Where has this product been all my life? Oh, I know! Hiding on the internet, is where!

I don't know that I was too enthusiastic about trying a skin peel at first though. Visions of my scabby-faced waxer danced through my head as I opened the package and decided to take a risk. Is it bad to reference a waxer here? Would it help you to know that she was talented and had a month long wait list? I had an appointment with her the day after her first skin peel and she was burned (and spurned!). My next appointment though proved that the pain was worth it to save her (proverbial) skin. She was glowing.

So I went to work applying the TCA Acid Peel 10%. And also got some questions answered. Some that you might be asking yourself as you contemplate the factors that I did when thinking about ways to look fresh, clean, and naturally GORGEOUS with this particular type of product.

Question: Does Skin Peel test on animals?

Answer: NO. No, it does not. YAY!!

Question: What of the chemicals?

Answer: Good question (if I do say so myself)! All I know is that the products are Paraben-free. Which may or may not be an issue for some folks. And for the most part, it's not so much of an issue for me. But for a skin-peel which is designed to penetrate pores, this added fact reassured me of the safety of this product.

Question: Does it sting? Like acidie, burnie, owie, and any other "ie" word that would show up as a spell check error?

Answer: TCA Acid Peel 10% does not sting me. I've used it several times and have kept it on a tad bit longer each time. I have not felt any uncomfortable sensations. Part of the skin peel process is to spritz their Neutralizer Solution Spray all over your face before rinsing the peel off. This may prevent the stinging, I don't know. I do know that this whole process takes under 5 minutes (actually, I think I'm up to 6 minutes now) and it was painless.

Question: Does SkinPeel require you to buy any of their other products in addition to the peel?

Answer: Of course they have other products, but they didn't seem to "push them" on to the consumer. For example, the application directions say to "wash face with mild clear gel cleanser" before applying the peel. And then after the peel is fully rinsed, Skin Peel says to "apply moisturizer. . . SPF 30 or higher." Both seem to allow the consumer to decide what product to use for their skin before and after application. These directions worked for me since I use a moisturizing lotion that has been tried and true for the last 10 years. So I was able to mix the products I already have handy with this new (and always to be used) product.

Question: But do these products come with a little carrying bag that zips up and will fit anywhere? I really need one of those because what if I go on vacation and want to pack it in my carry-on luggage? And what if I get stranded in Houston for three days en route to Washington, D.C because of a once-in-a-40 year snow storm? And what if the closest store to buy quality facial products is 10 miles from my airport hotel and I have no rental car so I pay 50 bucks to a cab driver to get me to a mega mall since I have been cramped up for two days straight watching reruns of I Dream of Jeannie . . . Why I Dream of Jeannie? Because maybe I've been harboring a secret crush on Larry Hagman since the 1st grade is why!

And it was either that or succumbing to an all day binge at the waffle bar. . .

Answer: Ahem. . .Why, yes it is packed in a fun little zip up bag! Also, if you happen to find yourself in a Hawaii-Houston-D.C pickle, Skin Peel has Next Business Day shipping. You could use that cab fare to get your facial needs met AND have a waffle while waiting for your package in the lobby!

In all, SkinPeel is a great addition to my skin care regime. And when I say regime, I mean my 5 minute, 5 step process . . . Now if only the company would come up with a home liposuction kit, that would make my holidays all the more happier!

And speaking of the Holiday Season, SkinPeel is offering a 20% discount on all of its products until December 31, 2010! The discount code is: SHEBLOGS.

By the way, the bottle lasts a long while. When it's done, I plan on posting before and after photos of my aforementioned nose. Up close. Up personal. Upchuck! (at least the "before" photo).

So on that note, I want wish everyone a very Happy Holiday time! May these next days be filled with love, laughter, gratitude and several painless, youthful skin promoting skin peels. Oh, Skin Peel, how I wish you came to me 25 years ago!

I did not receive any compensation for my review of Skin Peel TCA 10% although I was given the product (with the mini carrying case) to facilitate this review. Any and all opinions here are my own.

Review of Kids Math Fun App

I think flashcards are what you might call a “necessary evil” for children while learning math. I’m speaking from personal experience when I say that flipping through card after card is not fun. When I was younger I actually hid my flash cards, one by one, under my mattress. My strategy was I knew that hiding them all at once would be noticeable so I simply thinned out my stack one day at a time. (I’m sure glad my daughters are not old enough to read my blogs!)

Okay, now that you know my dislike for math let’s move on. Through my personal experience I am convinced that learning math is critical to eventual success in any endeavor. It is also my opinion that one of the best ways for a child to learn foundational math (basic addition, substraction, multiplication and division) is through repetitive practice and memorization.  Kids Math Fun has found a great alternative to flash cards! Their development of a fun application for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad helps children learn and practice math with each application specifically developed for an individual grade level.

We reviewed the apps for Kindergarten and 2^nd grade.  One of the features that I liked was “Double Dare” which helps children learn the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction. (Example: Instead of 5+3= ? the app shows 5+?=8) I also liked the “Minute Math” activities feature where my daughter can test her math skills in a set amount of time which can be adjusted from 30 seconds to 10 minutes.

I would highly recommend purchasing this app as a new and exciting alternative approach to your child's elementary math studies. 

These math applications are available here or in the apps section of iTunes.

I did not receive any compensation for my review of Kids Math Fun apps although I was given two grade level applications to facilitate this review.  Any and all opinions here are my own.

Review and Giveaway of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

Healthy Cooking Oil, skin moisturizer, and makeup remover all in one? In the Hawaiian climate I live in, the contents of the jar are a silky crystal clear liquid and mmmmmmnn, smell absolutely sweet & fresh! If I was given a blind “smell” test, I would NOT be able to tell the difference between the contents of the jar and a fresh cracked coconut picked from the tree in my front yard.

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Standard Virgin Coconut Oil is made from organic, fresh coconuts in rural areas of the Philippines. Only the highest quality organic coconuts are hand selected for use in the Gold Label brand, and the pure coconut water from inside the coconut is used to extract the coconut milk using traditional methods. This product has been tested repeatedly in laboratories to show that it contains the highest amounts of antioxidants available in Virgin Coconut Oil.

Check out the video below, “How we Discovered Virgin Coconut Oil- an Interview with Brian Shilhavy, CEO Tropical Traditions."

I used Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil 3 times so far and look forward to substituting it for other oils in my cooking and recipes and continuing it in beauty treatments!

1)The first time I tried the oil, I fried Taro . We often cook taro (for those of you who don’t know what taro is, its like a potato/ its also what Hawaiians use to make poi) by boiling it. After a day or two, we cut up any leftovers in small thin slices and fry it using vegetable oil. This time around, I used a thin layer of coconut oil and it was super yummy and crispy!
2) I made lowfat brownies and substituted vegetable with coconut oil and the batch came out richer than you would believe.
3) I used the oil as a makeup remover for my waterproof eye makeup. I simply dabbed a cotton ball in the oil and it worked just as well as my costmetic waterproof makeup remover. It is comforting and quite delightful, actually, to know that I’m using natural products on my skin.

The oil does have a strong smell when it is cooking which is expected because it IS pure coconut oil. My kids WERE curious and complained at the smell but then again they complain about anything new! Needless to say the food cooked with this new oil disappeared quick!

Excellent, kitchen-tested recipes can be found on the company’s Free Coconut Recipes blog: http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/

You can order Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil here.  Receive a complimentary copy of a Virgin Coconut Oil book with your first order.  When you fill in your account information, there is a place to choose "How did you hear of us?" In the drop down menu, choose "Referred by a friend." Below that, please enter user ID: 6672765 and your complimentary book will be added to your order.

The makers of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil have provided one quart-sized jar of their  product to give away to one lucky Moana Saves winner.   To WIN your own jar of virgin coconut oil, follow the mandatory entry requirement below and any optional ones you'd like with a separate comment for each:

To earn a mandatory entry, subscribe to the Tropical Traditions email newsletter here.  Mandatory means that if you don't do this first, all of your other entries will be disqualified.

To earn an additional entry, do one (or all) of the following and leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1. Follow Moana Saves on Twitter.

2. Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter.

3. Tweet about this giveaway (limit one tweet per day) using the following (leave the tweet URL in your comment):
#Win Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from @troptraditions and @moanasaves http://bit.ly/fQKkXY ends 12/21

4. Become a Google Friend Connect follower of Moana Saves (in the side bar).


5. Like the Moana Saves Facebook page.

6. Follow Moana Saves on Networked Blogs (in the side bar).


7. Subscribe to my feed via RSS reader and/or email updates.

Only one person per email/household/IPaddress can enter this giveaway.  He/she must be 18+ years old and reside in the U.S.  This giveaway ends on Tuesday, December 21st at 11:59 PM HST (Hawaii Standard Time).  One winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org.  I will notify the winner via email and he/she must respond to claim the prize within 48 hours or I will draw another winner.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.