For any kid who’s fascinated about the brain and how it works, there’s now music for him/her to enjoy….all about the cranium and the amazing stuff inside it!

Roger Day has released his new CD, Why Does Gray Matter?…and Other Brainy Songs for Kids!

Roger Day is a former camp counselor who began playing at college coffeehouses…and is now a renowned musician for kids, not to mention a Parents’ Choice Award winner.

He’s worked with several talented musicians and takes his musical inspiration from U2 and The Beatles. His music on this album in particular has been termed “Schoolhouse Rock meets Bill Nye the Science Guy,” and the expertly written lyrics prove that’s a valid description.

Our kids have fun with this album! The songs are fun and rock the house….yet the lyrics hold educational value and “brainy” facts that are sure to sink in! There’s the oft-asked question about why we get headaches when we eat ice cream in the track “Brain Freeze.” “The Left Brain/Right Brain Song” shows, with music of course, the difference in those halves of our head….and how each side controls different functions.

“The Brain Train” takes us on a tour of the brain’s anatomy…from the frontal lobe to the basal ganglia. Flashbacks of biological psychology classes appear in my memory’s recesses….why couldn’t learning that stuff have been THIS fun back then?!

You can purchase Roger Day’s Why Does Gray Matter? CD from his website, CD Baby, or Amazon.com for $15.

Win it! Thanks to Roger Day and Waldmania PR, I can offer one of you Roger Day’s Why Does Gray Matter? CD to enjoy at your house! Just tell me, in a comment below, the track you find most “intellectually stimulating” after listening to the track samples on his site. I’ll close the contest next Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 11pm EST. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

FTC info — Disclaimer: I received this product for free for review purposes; however, my review was honest and my opinions are my own. I only received the product itself; I received no other monetary compensation for this review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

When I heard about Primrose School’s Family Dance-Off via the folks at MomSelect, I just knew we had to submit a video of our own. We do a lot of dancing ’round here! Family dance parties are a great thing to do on a cold and rainy day. They’re fun, of course, but they also burn calories, help everybody keep in shape, and allow you to spend quality time together!

Primrose Schools, a leader in child care education, has partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network to encourage families all over the nation to get up and get moving….and get the camera!

From now till March 19th, 2010, upload a 30-second video of your kids (or entire family) dancing your hearts out. Invite family and friends to come and vote for your clip daily. There’s a $5,000 grand prize plus a $30,000 donation to your local Children’s Miracle Network hospital! Two runners up will each receive a Wii Fit Bundle, and a FLIP video camera will be awarded to each week’s finalist!

Beat back at childhood obesity while having the time of your life! Enter the Primrose Schools Family Dance-Off competition or vote for your favorite entry today!

(We submitted a 30 second clip as required, but here is the “extended remix version” for your viewing enjoyment:)

Dance Party from Megret on Vimeo.

FTC info — Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this review; however, I was given the chance to be entered into a drawing for an American Express gift card courtesy of MomSelect for participating in this program’s promotion.

You may have remembered my earlier post about Rainbow Brite — where I announced that the 80s childhood favorite is back and up to new adventures!

Rainbow Brite bounds back onto the scene this year with brand new characters, adventures, and even toys! Rainbow Brite and her friends are now available at Target, and will appear at Toys ‘r’ Us later this month. Aren’t these dolls precious? I don’t know who would love to have them more — me or my daughter!

This week, courtesy of Hallmark and MomSelect, I was sent a handful of Rainbow Brite CDs with interactive games, puzzles, and videos….just to share with all of you! My daughter and I sat down at the computer with our CD and had SO much fun with the art poster designing, customizable coloring sheets, and interactive games. I can’t wait to share some of these CDs with you!

Win it! I have FOUR Rainbow Brite CDs to give away to you guys! These CDs are both PC and Mac compatible. Here are the rules to enter: (Pay attention — I’ve added some extra entry possibilities, so be sure to take advantage of those!)

1. Mandatory for first entry: Head over to Hallmark’s Rainbow Brite page and tell me, in a comment, one thing you or your child liked about it — one of the activities, videos, products, or a favorite character.
2. 1 extra entry: Tweet about this contest (using @MuseReviews within your tweet), then leave another comment with the tweet link below.
3. 1 extra entry: Subscribe to Muse Reviews’ feed, if you haven’t already, by clicking on the feed button in the address bar above. Leave me a comment below telling me you’re a new subscriber.

I’ll pick the four winners next Friday, February 12th, 2010 and ship them out the next week! Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

FTC info — Disclaimer: I received this CD for free for review purposes; however, my review was honest and my opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Charity and the JAMBand is a funky, fresh, fabulous musical group that just likes to have fun, fun, fun. It’s utterly obvious when you hear their brand new 2-CD album, Party Like a Twinkle Star.

The bright colors and funky graphics on this fold-out CD’s cover catch your attention right off. Then you open it to find two very different, very unique music listening options: One disk (”Party”) is for dancing and playtime…the other, for settling down at night for sleep (”Twinkle”).

The ten “Party” tunes will get you moving, swaying, and singing along. Your kids will giggle at the intro track, “Get Your Booty Out of Bed.” There are songs about camping (and making ooey-gooey s’mores), fun at the beach, and a make-believe rocket ship. The music ranges from psychedelic-reminiscent guitar rock to more eclectic, tribal sounds with percussion galore.

The ten “Twinkle” tunes are hauntingly beautiful, with melodic interludes and soothing vocals. Soft guitar strumming and unlikely chord changes keep this “lullaby” album in a category of its own.

Charity and the JAMband is led by Charity Kahn, a Stanford trained mathematician, musican, and teacher. She’s also a mom of two boys, so clearly. she has much inspiration for her clever tunes! The JAMband’s music has been termed “Phish for Kids” by Sirius-XM radio. They’ve won Parents’ Choice awards and have received national heralding via magazines and the CBS Early Show!

It’s a hippie-esque album with earthy roots and fun riffs and words to sing. Your kids will certainly enjoy Party Like a Twinkle Star as much as ours do!

You can download the full Party Like a Twinkle Star album or order the 2-CD set — both options are $20 at their website.

**Be sure to visit their website for a free “Song of the Month” download and information about Charity and the JAMband’s upcoming live performances!**

Win it! Courtesy of Charity and the JAMband and Sugar Mountain PR, TWO of you will win the Party Like a Twinkle Star album! To enter to win, just comment below with your favorite song from the double album (you can listen to the song clips from the album page). I’ll close the contest next Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 11pm EST. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck, everyone!

FTC info — Disclaimer: I received this product for free for review purposes; however, my review was honest and my opinions are my own. I only received the product itself; I received no other monetary compensation for this review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Another fun children’s book from Chronicle Books has been turned into an iPhone app by PicPocket Books! Round Is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes by Roseanne Thong (and illustrated by Grace Lin) is a book that teaches shapes to young children while at the same time showing glimpses of Chinese culture. This app is just in time for Chinese New Year….a fun, interactive way to help teach your child about the Asian country and its culture!

Round Is a Mooncake tells of a small girl’s urban neighborhood becoming a dwelling for shapes of all kinds, some easier to spot than others. The illustrations are bright and beautiful. This is a perfect book/app to have on hand for lengthy waits in a waiting room or a car trip.

Like PicPocket Books’ other childrens’ stories for the iPhone, Round Is a Mooncake has controls for controlling the speed of the story being read, letting you pause, fast-forward or rewind at will with the touch of the screen. The text is highlighted as the narrator reads each word. Hidden sounds can be heard when certain objects or animals are tapped. The new vocabulary is explained and defined at the end of the story.

You can download the Round Is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes by Roseanne Thong iPhone app from PicPocket Books via iTunes for $2.99. Download once; play as many times as you like! (Click on the iTunes link at the bottom of this page to buy.)

FTC info — Disclaimer: I received a download of this iPhone app for free for review purposes; however, my review was honest and my opinions are my own. I only received the product itself; I received no other monetary compensation for this review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

We really like flash cards around here. They’re the best, hands-down, at helping our kids learn, memorize, and recognize things…especially, right now, alphabet letters.

I was super excited to learn that there was a set of flash cards out there that weren’t exactly normal or plain. Alphabotz, thought up and created by Pat Vining and Kelly Barton (Ideopolis, LLC) are not just flash cards….they’re “SUPERPHONIC Decoder Cards!”

Colorful robot guys and gals (”Alphabotz”) adorn these oversized flash cards, each with its own name, personality, best friend, and secret phrase. Your kids won’t just learn their letters with Alphabotz…they’ll feel like they’re a part of an exclusive robot club, a part of inside knowledge that is super, super cool.

Each box of Alphabotz cards includes 46 character cards. The characters are broken into squads — designated by a code appearing in the upper right-hand corner of each card. The 26 letter cards are marked with a star. The short vowels are also marked with short vowel notation, being called the Superphonic Shorts. There are a host of other squads, too, such as the Superphonic Longs, the Impersonators (letters that sound like other letter sounds), and the tricky “Silent E” character.

Four bonus cards include two characters that make up the backstory and will be appearing in the future storybook: Miss Spella de Books and Professor Ben Letterman. The last two are a decoder card (the “how to” go to) and a game and activity card.

The Alphabotz have won six stellar awards, including the 2009 Dr. Toy 100 Best Products award and the Tillywig Toy Brain Child Award. Their extremely fun-filled website offers coloring pages to enhance the letter learning experience, a downloadable Decoder Club Chart, a 12-page Superphonic Funzine, catchy songs, and more.

So….why do we like Alphabotz so much at our house?
- They’re robots! It’s one way to ensure robot-and-tech-minded boys like mine to want to look at and learn from this educational tool.
- They’re semi-nostalgic. They remind me and my husband of “The Letter People,” little guys and gals who had personalities and helped us learn OUR letters when we were in kindergarten!
- They’re sturdy. They are coated with a shiny surface and wipe-off marker ready.
- They’re cute. Yes, the cute factor is a big factor for us. Their names, their special abilities, their home names, and their secret phrases are about as cute as the Alphabotz themselves look.

You can purchase Alphabotz cards for $19.95 directly from their site or from Amazon. Alphabotz would be a fun addition to any playroom, a fun gift for a child you know, or a terrific tool for the classroom!

FTC info — Disclaimer: I received this product for free from KidStuff PR for review purposes; however, my review was honest and my opinions are my own. I only received the product itself; I received no other monetary compensation for this review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

When our son was almost a year old, he choked on a Goldfish cracker. Before I knew what I was doing, I had pulled him out of the highchair, had flung him, facing down, onto my forearm, and began to hit his back between the shoulder blades. After two times, the cracker flew out onto the floor, and he begin to cry.

At that moment, more than at any other, I was grateful that my husband and I took a choking aid/CPR class before G was born. I believe that what I learned there helped me know what to do on that scary afternoon.

Yet what if I don’t always react so quickly? What if I panic and freeze, not knowing what to do? I don’t like to dwell on “what ifs,” but I do believe that preparation and know-how is important, should an emergency spring up.

I’m thrilled to tell you today about a first aid kit that takes most of the guesswork out of those crucial situations: Intelligent First Aid. Intelligent First Aid is the most comprehensive, all-inclusive, and smart first aid kit I’ve found. Intelligent First Aid’s Talking First Aid kit not only includes cue cards with detailed drawings and instructions to let you know what to do with every type of injury or occurrence, but it also has recorded instructions which you can play at will to talk you through the actions required.

The Intelligent First Aid Talking First Aid kit includes talking care packs (including talking cue cards and medical supply packs) for all of the following injuries/conditions:

- Breathing/CPR
- Bleeding
- Shock
- Head & Spine Injuries
- Bone Injuries
- Eye Injuries
- Burns
- Bites & Stings

Also included is a basics care packet (with basic medical supplies), a fully illustrated instruction manual, a quick-start guide (also with narration), and a positionable flashlight, all housed within a soft-sided, zip-closure case with a handle and detachable strap. It’s an easy first aid kit to tote around as you go, and excellent for travel.

Here’s my demonstration of what is included within the Talking First Aid kit, as well as a sample of the narration you’ll hear on the cue cards:

Intelligent First Aid review from Megret on Vimeo.

You can order Intelligent First Aid kits directly via their online store. There are several other kits available, including a Safe at Home kit and workplace (On the Job) kits.

***And right now, Intelligent First Aid is running a winter special: 25% off everything on their site with the promotional code WINTER25 used at checkout.***

Win it! Thanks to the generous folks at Intelligent First Aid, one of you will win a Talking First Aid kit, a $149.99 value! To enter to win, just comment below with another one of their kits you’d like to have around or give to someone…or tell me about an experience you had where rapid first aid was required…..OR tell me something you read/learned from their website. I’ll close the contest next Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 11pm EST. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Congrats to the winner, commenter #6, Melissa, who said, “I think this would be wonderful for us because we have a swimming pool. It would be nice to keep in handy in case we ever did need to do CPR! (but praying to God that we never will).”
Thanks, everyone, for participating!

From Sadie Jones, the author of acclaimed The Outcast, comes a new novel portraying the effects of war on a military family. Small Wars dives you right into the muck of the battles between the British Empire and the Cypriots seeking freedom.

A bit of background is given, showing how the central characters, Hal and Clara, meet. You’re then plunged ahead to their later marriage and parenthood of twin girls and Clara’s joining Hal on the island of Cyprus. Right away I noticed the growing rift between the two of them, much of it probably springing from the way that women were generally viewed and treated during the mid-1950s. As the story ebbs, you begin to see evidence of Hal holding on to putrid memories of warfare and destruction, haunts of gory recollections and regrets of former days.

What Hal is truly suffering from is post-traumatic stress disorder, which was much less understood and diagnosed during that era. You have an inside window into the minds and feelings of both Hal and Clara…his torrential nightmares and inner anger, her bouncing between compassion and resentment. It is truly something that is never spoken of, never understood, by either of them…and it begins to tear them apart.

The tension and the drama escalates until a breaking point, an episode that jerks Hal out of his mire and brings tragedy home for real, forcing him to examine his character and his blessings, his most cherished relationship.

I found this book difficult to read. It was harrowing and sad, raw and edgy. It is full of explicit violence and has some crude language, both of which don’t bother me terribly. I was mainly affected by the depressed emotional weight of the entire book. Growing up a military kid, I saw and experienced first-hand that doing one’s duty for one’s country can result in some hardship. Though it was extreme, I was able to relate to much of this book, and that is probably why it moved (and disturbed) me so.

I kept reading passages that jumped off of the page at me, sentences and paragraphs I wanted to write down. I found myself saying more than once: Yes! She’s got it! She’s captured it right…so right!

It is not sugar-coated, it is not dumbed down. It is a frank and honest portrait of life for those who serve among troops as a profession…and the families and loved ones they live with (or leave behind).

You can buy Small Wars for $24.99 from HarperCollins, or look for it wherever new books are sold.

Win it! Thanks to HarperCollins, one of you can win your very own Small Wars by Sadie Jones. Just tell me, in a comment below, another HarperCollins title you’d like to own and read. I’ll close the contest next Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 11pm EST. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Congratulations to commenter #1, Staci A, the winner of this book!

FTC info — Disclaimer: I received this product for free for review purposes; however, my review was honest and my opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

With lyrics that are super catchy and a voice likened to both Norah Jones and Jewel, Bari Koral adds flair to the kids’ music scene with her brand new, very first full-length children’s CD, Rock and Roll Garden.

Bari’s beginnings lie within the realms of a touring folk/rock singer, cruising around from college from college performing year-round. Understandably, she began to miss family and home, but she was not sure how to support herself with her music if she returned home to her native New York. Her big break was when John Medeski of Medeski, Martin & Wood heard her perform at a local museum and suggested she write songs geared specifically toward kids. A recording session at his cabin led to her first six songs being written.

In 2007, Bari Koral and the Family Rock Band’s self-titled EP hit the shelves. Rock and Roll Garden isn’t just for kids, though — it’s music the whole family can enjoy and chum up to. She describes her tunes as “songs for kids that parents dig.”

Bari clings to vocals and guitar, but her band also includes jazz bassist Dred Scott and Broadway drummer Eric Halvorson.

Rock and Roll Garden’s songs are cute, clever, and enticing to little ears. There’s not much to keep your little ones from clapping their hands and dancing around to Bari’s lively voice and pick-me-up musical style. Our favorites? “Boom Boom” and “Colors.” I love that the track titles are short enough for kids to remember easily and request by name!

Bari Koral’s new album Rock and Roll Garden can be purchased at barikoral.com, Amazon, and at several specialty toy and book shops for the SRP of $10.99.

Win it! Courtesy of Bari Koral and Waldmania! PR, one of you can win a copy of Rock and Roll Garden for your family! Just tell me, in a comment below, something fun or interesting you read or found out at Bari Koral’s site. I’ll close the contest next Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 11pm EST. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Congrats to commenter #2, MJ! Thanks to everyone who participated!

FTC info — Disclaimer: I received this product for free for review purposes; however, my review was honest and my opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I was recently, along with 199 other bloggers, selected to become a Soft Scrub Captain. That means that I’ll be able to test first up and coming Soft Scrub products and share my opinions about them with you guys!

This past week, I was sent a bottle of Soft Scrub Total Bath & Bowl Cleaner to try out in our home. It was bathroom cleaning day, anyway, so it got a workout right away!

Right away I noticed that there was a flip-tab that lets you change from spray to foam. No more squinting to read the nozzle tip to know which way to rotate it for each cleaning task!

Soft Scrub Total Bath & Bowl can clean nearly every surface in your bathroom. It worked beautifully at removing soap scum from our ceramic and stone tiled tub walls, polishing the hardware, and cleaning the toilet. The bottle can spray upside down, which means that covering the toughest places to reach is a snap!

What I liked most? Honestly? The smell. The scent is clean and fresh — almost resembling aftershave or cologne. No harsh fumes that left my nose burning, either…just a pleasant, lingering smell. And when I say lingering, I mean lingering. Two and three hours after I’d cleaned, I could still catch a whiff of the clean scent when I walked into our bathrooms. Now that’s what I call deodorizing!

You can look for Soft Scrub Total Bath & Bowl at your local discount store or supermarket — it will hit the shelves any day now!

Win it! Courtesy of Soft Scrub and MomSelect, I have a coupon for one FREE Soft Scrub Total Bath & Bowl Cleaner OR Soft Scrub Total Kitchen Cleaner to give away to one of you. Just tell me, in a comment, the spot in your bathroom that you would tackle first with a bottle of Soft Scrub Total. I’ll pick a winner after 11pm EST next Tuesday, January 26th, 2010. US entries only. Good luck!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Congrats to commenter #12, Madonna, the winner of the coupon for a free bottle of Soft Scrub Total!

FTC info — Disclaimer: I received this product for free for review purposes; however, my review was honest and my opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”