Just in time for the preschool summer camp that I'm directing, Parent Bloggers asked me to review the new My Fruit Roll-Ups...  a lunchbox favorite of my childhood is now available with custom designs!    (See details below on how you can get a free case!)

The ordering process is straight-forward - you go to the site and choose the graphics and/or text you'd like on the roll-up.  (There's a demo you can watch to discover all the options you have.)   And voila!  A couple weeks later you have custom made roll-ups at your door!  The site offers a wide variety of graphics to choose from (sports/animals/celebrations/etc.) and you can have up to images on each roll.  For the kids at camp I chose a fish and ladybug design:

They also offer Design Suggestions -- such as Hockey, Halloween, and Soccer -- where the images are already chosen and laid out.  For example, the Birthday design has party hats, cupcakes, and a place to add your own message (choice of four fonts, three font sizes, and three colors).

Note:  while you're at the site, little Fruit Roll-Up mascots are making little happy meep-meep noises - which I found amusing, but if you're at work you may want to turn off the sound.

And now for the GiveAway!  For a chance to win a free case of 30 My Fruit Roll-Ups, check out the designs at the My Fruit Roll-Ups site and leave a comment below with your favorites!  I will randomly choose a winner on June 20th - be sure to leave an email address so I can contact you!  You may enter as many times as you like, but only U.S. residents for this one.

UPDATED:  Congratulations to Jo, the winner of the Fruit Roll-Ups!  I'll be contacting you shortly!

Have you tried Edy's new line of Yogurt Blends?  Ours were buy one get one free recently so I bought Cappuccino Chip flavor of the Yogurt Blends and another Slow Churned flavor.  The Cappuccino Chip was reeeeally good!  They can't actually call it ice cream because it has less than 10% butterfat so they call it "frozen dairy dessert," and I guess the chips aren't really chocolate because they're called "chocolatey pieces," but whatever, it's very tasty.

And they have live and active yogurt cultures in them, too!  (Or, at least they were live and active before being over-processed and stuck in a freezer for a couple of weeks.....) 

(My reviews - including this one - are unsolicited and uncompensated unless otherwise stated.)

We received the "Your Baby Can Read: Early Language Development System" from Parent Bloggers to test with our boys. It included 5 DVDs and a set of several unique flash cards with basic words and phrases. After using them for a couple of months, here’s our feedback:

1. The quality of the DVDs is great - engaging and geared toward young children. No overly complicated sequences or gratuitous graphics, though I thought the pace was sometimes a bit too fast for toddlers and infants. The length is perfect and my boys were speaking back to the cute little girl who hosts the show!

2. The flashcards were a big hit! They slide open to reveal the written word so children associate one with the other. The blank card was a good idea, too. I wrote each boy’s name on one side and they liked flipping it back and forth --- though Jonah was miffed that his name didn’t have a “B.”

3. The way the system is marketed would not appeal to me in a retail environment. The box recommends that children watch the videos twice each day to help them develop reading skills, which seems to contradict most studies about the effects of television-watching on young children. I’m not convinced that teaching my boys to read as toddlers will help them academically/socially/emotionally. I would put more emphasis on the effective educational and brain-stimulating aspects of the video series. They’re certainly much better than most videos for young children.

4.  My boys sit still and watch the entire video when I play it.  Do you need more of a recommendation than that?!

Amazon carries the Baby Can Read DVD series - the $79.95 price for the five videos is a good value -- and the flashcards are an added bonus!

Check out Parent Bloggers to find out what other families think about the Your Baby Can Read DVD series!

We recently tested our new CARES belts on a flight from Miami to Dallas (we purchased one from Kids Fly Safe, and they provided a complimentary one for review purposes). They worked just as easily and effectively as advertised. We didn’t have to lug aboard our car seats, yet the boys were still well-secured for take-off and landing.

They didn’t wear the belts much during the flight – they’re toddlers after all. But we did fasten them in again udring some turbulence.  As the boys get older and more willing to sit still, they can wear them for most of the flight.

Both CARES belts fit into the small outer pocket of one of backpacks, which was nice because when traveling with small children, space is at a premium (diapers! snacks! wipes! books! toys! more snacks! sippy cups! extra outfit! crayons! and even more snacks!). We slipped each belt over the back of the seat, then connected it to the airplane seat belt. Then the belts were just as easy to remove.

One flight attendant did ask us if the belts were FAA approved, which they are – and they’re made by the same company as most standard airplane seat belts.

Jonah wasn’t taking any chances, though. He still studied the emergency exits closely before takeoff:

We’ll be using the CARES belts several more times this year – I’ll keep you posted as to how they work, especially on overnight flights!

If you fly with young children, these are well-worth the investment. For more information, visit the Kids Fly Safe web site.

The new PlaySkool diapers... terrible.  The little attachment velcros do not hold up to active toddlers moving around - these diapers are around both boys' ankles half an hour after putting them on.

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I recently ordered CARES safety devices for when we fly with the boys.  Since they turned two we have to purchase a seat for each of them (ugh), but with these devices we don't have to lug two car seats aboard (excellent).  I was amazed at how small and lightweight they are - not much bulkier than a belt for your pants - so they'll be easy to tuck into our carry-ons.

Since Jonah is only 22 pounds and children have to wear this device until they are 44 pounds and 40" tall, we're thinking he might be flying off to college in one at this rate! 

I'll let you know how the test-run goes!