Gombby Channel App $50 Amazon Giftcard Giveaway

As I mentioned before, my son likes to watch tv and play different apps. He also has many other interests that do not require an on or off switch.  When I do allow him to watch TV or use our tablet or my computer, I make sure what he is doing is educational. He is not allowed to watch a certain show about a sponge and I am very careful monitoring him on what he is seeing and doing.  I learned about a cool channel called Gombby. They have a really cute show called Gombby’s Green Island.  I am so excited that they have a new app that just came out a couple days ago! 

Here’s more information about the new Gombby App:

Gombby Channel gives you access to a selection of the best episodes from Gombby’s Green Island, the 

family friendly educational and entertaining TV Show.

Green Island is home to Gombby, Strawy, Celeste and all their friends! Wheat fields, woods and wonderful caves to explore are the backdrop to their adventures and discoveries all over the island. Gombby, the little baker boy, loves to take the lead in those adventures! The answers to life’s big questions, the mysterious Bugaboo or the Green Island funfair – are just some of the stories that Gombby and his friends live through as they learn about the world around them. Re and Mi - two fabulously colored birds - regularly accompany them on their adventures and Gadget Man never ceases to be their favorite inventor, inventing curiosities such as gravity simulators, paint-making machines or Ferris wheels! Green Island, a world where Gombby and his friends learn about the importance of friendship and sharing. A pro-social series - but not just that! Gombby’s Green Island builds children’s general knowledge and gives them confidence to make healthy lifestyle choices too!

Gombby Channel offers three full episodes that you can download to watch anytime, anywhere, even when no connectivity is available. Additional Gombby’s Green Island episodes are available for a charge.

Features:

• Watch the adventures of Gombby’s Green Island on your iPhone/iPad
• Engaging and Educational adventures that your children will love
• Fully available in 3 different languages – English, Spanish and Portuguese
• Download and store your favorite episodes to watch on the go
• Additional episodes available through in-App purchase
• All the stories are family friendly and are reviewed by a professional team

The Gombby App is available on iTunes

Be sure to like Gombby on Facebook

 Follow Gombby on Twitter

 Check out Gombby on Pinterest

 For more information please visit the Gombby Website

To celebrate this release I have teamed up with Gombby to give away a $50 Amazon Giftcard! Entering is easy, just use The Rafflecopter entry. This is my first time using Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open worldwide! It ends on Feb 13^, 2012 at 12:00 AM Eastern Time

Cookie's Kids Solves Your School Uniform Problems

When I registered Noah for Kindergarten, I found out that he has to wear a school uniform.  Wearing a uniform is no big deal because a lot of schools have switched to it for different reasons. When I was in school it was a huge deal if your school had a uniform policy, mine never did. I started looking for polo shirts and shorts because after all we do live in Florida and it isn’t that cold here.  When I started shopping I had no idea that it would turn in to a quest. I went to seven stores to find bits and pieces of uniforms. I wanted to have five complete uniforms so I wouldn’t have to laundry in the middle of the week unless I absolutely had to.  I went to all the children’s stores, department stores, and big box stores and they were pretty much wiped clean.  We live in a huge school district and while not all the schools require a uniform a lot of them are.  We even had family members and went out of state and looked there. We were finally able to find enough shirts and some shorts for Noah. It was definitely a stressful experience for me because I didn’t want him to get in trouble for being out of dress code. I thought about calling the school and asking but I figured they would either offer to give me old uniforms, which someone else could really need or send me to a store I had already been to. It wasn’t their job to find me uniforms. My poor friends had to listen to me whine about the uniform situation.  I was lost and his size was really hard to find. They either had small stuff or like 10/12 sizes.  I didn’t want to get him white polo shirts because he would mess them up like the first week.  He does have art class and he has come home with paint on him. 

  

I was so relieved to have the clothes crisis solved and then about a month ago I noticed his powdered blue polo shirts were starting to look worn. The school year is half over and well, he is six and his shirts were definitely starting to need replaced. They weren’t ragged or full of holes but I dreaded starting this process again.  I had kind of been looking thinking they might have some in his size later in the year, I guess those other kindergarten parents are in need of new uniforms too. Then something happened, I learned about Cookie’s Kids.  If only I had known about Cookie’s Kids in August there would have been no stress.  Cookie’s Kids specializes in school uniforms and other kid’s clothing. They have any style you could want. They have many different brands, big brand names.  They also have long sleeve polo shirts, which was something I really wanted for Noah on the cooler days.  Cookie’s Kids also has a bunch of different colors. 

Here is the story behind Cookie's Kids:

In 1972, a young man named Cookie and his brother Marvin went into business together. They rented a 1600 square foot store in Jamaica, Queens, fixed it up, bought inventory and Summer and Fall, and opened a day after Thanksgiving with a full stock of holiday toys. The toys were a success and they put the extra money toward buying children's clothing for the next season. When that did well,they bought more clothing. The business was on it's way. As, he brothers Cookie, Marvin and Sonny, who had come in as a third partner in the business, began to open new stores in new locations, inventory expanded. Besides the latest fashions, our customers wanted shoes, toys, backpacks and accessories and we were prepared to deliver. By the late 1990's there were six superstores throughout the NYC area, and though they previously had different names, by that time they were all named Cookie's Kids. Also in the late '90s came an important addition to Cookie's Kids' inventory: school uniforms. It was the steady success in uniform sales that paved the way for founding CookiesKids.com in 2007, which originally sold uniforms and soon after the entire Cookie's Kids Inventory. 

I was amazed at the prices. I love a good bargain and their clothes are so inexpensive. They don’t have the department store mark up. I was so impressed with ordering. It was really easy to find what I wanted.  I didn’t have any trouble checking out and it was a breeze. The shipping is only $5.95. I hate when I am shopping online and the shipping is the same price or more than what I am ordering.  I am sure you are wondering what I ordered.  I ordered 2 powder blue polo shirts, 1 long sleeve navy polo shirt and 1 long sleeve powder blue polo shirt. I got all of that including shipping for 29 dollars. They have great sale prices too. If you sign up for the newsletter, you can learn about the sales and special coupon codes. Right now you could possibly win an iPad by just receiving their emails. I will continue to use Cookie's Kids to purchase uniforms  for the rest of Noah's elementary school days. 

Take it from me; check out Cookie’s Kids for all your uniform needs. Bookmark it. You have enough stress with your child starting school; their uniforms should be a breeze and with Cookie’s Kids relax and breathe and save all your tears for the first day of school. Cookie’s Kids have 7 stores in the NYC area in Bronx, Brooklyn and Jamaica as well as online.

Please check out my Google + Story for more photos

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and CookiesKids.com #CBias #SocialFabric All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Connect 2 Happiness with GaiamTV in 2013

I want to share with you what happiness means to me. It means spending time with my family and friends. Even if I can’t physically be with them, just talking to them makes me happy. My happy place would probably be the beach on a hot day with my son watching him play in the sand or us in the water.  I haven’t always been the most positive person in the past but I am really trying to think happy thoughts. A good way to help me remember to be happy is to use tools to encourage myself to watch videos and learn from others. There is a service called GaiamTV that you can stream videos that encourage you on your path to happiness and health.  Gaiam TV is the first streaming video subscription service designed to reach those interested in health and happiness. With over 2,000 titles, Gaiam TV is like Netflix for the mind, body and spirit!

 Gaiam has started The Connect 2 Happiness Challenge. It is January and the start of a new year. You can make 2013 the best year by participating in the GaiamTV challenge. I watched the video Happy For No Reason and it taught me that I can be happy without having a reason I don’t have to have something happen to be happy. A lot of times we look to other things to make us happy, a raise at work, getting something new but really you can just be and be happy.  I think that I can find happiness in any situation and that it is my attitude that really controls my happiness and that I am control of it. I definitely feel that this will help enrich my life and I will start making sometime to practice what I learn. I will also share these exercises with friends and family. 

GaiamTV’s $9.95 per month subscription fee allows subscribers to stream unlimited content. The subscription to GaiamTV is no strings attached; there is no commitment, and members can cancel at anytime. GaiamTV offers a free 10-day trial. ­Gaiam TV’s entire library of thought provoking movies, top documentary films and fitness videos is available anytime, anywhere.  Streaming capabilities for Gaiam TV include personal computers, iPads and smartphones.

I would love for you to sign up for the GaiamTV Connect 2 Happiness Challenge and check out GaiamTV

This post is sponsored by GaiamTV. My thoughts and opinions are my own. 

iTrace iPad App Review

 Now that Noah is in school he has to write a lot more. His handwriting isn't the best but it is legible.  He is only six but handwriting is something he needs to practice. He knows all of his letters and how to read but he hasn't mastered how tall to make a lowercase t. Sometimes he forgets how long the lowercase p is. He needs to have a way to practice more. I have him write it on paper. If he does it wrong I ask him to try again.  He is always in a hurry so I think that has something to do with it.  I am having him slow down and make sure he is making the letters the proper size. 

He loves to spend time using technology. I think that with the educational apps that in moderation he can use them as a learning tool.  It doesn't replace traditional learning but it can supplement it. A great app called iTrace came out yesterday. It is definitely the answer for us. It teaches Noah about letters and how big they are supposed to be. I am sure it will help him and let him have fun at the same time. I used to teach at a Montessori school  and I know that when a child learns letters they trace them a couple times. They also write them in sand a couple times. It is kind of the same concept but a lot less messy. 

Here is some information about iTrace from the developer:

iTrace Features
- 600+ different rewards
- 50 animated objects
- Supports multiple players
- Saves the entire history of each child's progress
- Supports multiple methods of writing the same letters
- A simple switch adjusts the entire system for left-handed kids
 

Not only does iTrace teach your child how to write letters. It also teaches your child to write words. There is a really cool option where your child can write their name and include their picture. You could do this for other members of your family. It would be a great tool to teach your child how to spell and write different names. iTrace also teaches your child how to write sentences. They do it a few times in a row to help them remember. I love that there is a left handed system. I am left handed and I know how much trouble lefty kids can have in a right hand world.  Practice makes perfect. It also has great graphics  and teaching tools so your child will learn maybe without realizing it. 

I am confident that with iTrace and some practice that Noah will improve his handwriting skills a lot. 

iTrace is available on the iPad for $3.99. You can find it in iTunes here.

For more information please visit the iTrace website.

Fiction or Nonfiction?

Noah doesn't like fiction books. He prefers nonfiction and knows the difference. When I was young I loved fairy tales and fictional things. Noah prefers books about fish, science, and space to name a few. When we go to the library, he always looks for nonfiction books. Of course there are some fiction books he likes but if he had a choice it would be nonfiction books. He loves to learn about new things. He also doesn't like when fish or animals have smiles. He knows that fish do not smile so that would make them fiction. I used to draw happy faces on everything, especially the sun. He doesn't mind if people have smiles. He thankfully likes to watch shows that are fiction like Octonauts and Doc McStuffins but also loves to watch NASA and fishing shows.

Kindergarten Update

Noah is half way through Kindergarten. Where has all the time gone? It seems like only yesterday he was a newborn in my arms. Time flies when you are having fun. I wanted to talk about how he's doing in school. I really like his teachers a lot and I couldn't have asked for better teachers for him. I am so happy that he is in the class he is in. The kids in his class are all really awesome too. He is blessed that he has such a great class. He is doing great in school. He reads at a second grade level. He is really good at math, very advanced and loves to learn. He is an awesome kid and I am so proud of him. He is full of questions and loves space and sea life and is really great. I feel blessed and lucky that he is my son.

I Took The Jeopardy Online Test

I love trivia and I love game shows and since I watch Jeopardy all the time, I decided to take the online test. I am pretty good at answering questions so I thought I would give it a shot. I did it just for fun because I knew the chance I would be able to audition would be slim to none. I just wanted to try.  I told my mom that it would be funny if I had questions about the order of presidents. When I was in 6th grade we sang The President Song that sings them in order. I used to always say that it will come in handy when I am on a game show. I had to wait until 11 pm to take the test after registering. I had a headache and was tired but I was determined to take the test. I had 15 seconds to answer each question.  So singing my song wouldn't have worked but there was a question about presidential order. Thankfully it was one of the easiest ones. The 22 and 24th president was Grover Cleveland which happens to be my favorite part of the song. So I got that one right. I also got The Bible question right and I didn't put a S on revelation. The Jeopardy online test was really hard. Partly because you only had 15 seconds and Alex Trebek didn't read you the question. You are asked fifty questions from fifty categories.  Some of them I had no clue and didn't even have time to answer. Some I just guessed. There was a question about who plays a guy in Les Miserables and I guessed for some reason Christian Bale. Of course that was incorrect, but Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are the same right? They both played comic book characters. I know that I probably didn't pass and that is fine. They don't tell you your score. They take the people who pass and do a random drawing for the auditions. I am proud that I did it though. I would be more suited for Wheel of Fortune or Pyramid. I never did get to go on Supermarket Sweep as I dreamed of as a kid.

What game show would you want to go on? Have you ever been on one?

Spider Attack!

It was purple and black and totally adorable.  Noah thinks its funny to scare me by checking out books about snakes and talking about snakes which I am very scared of. I tell him that it's not nice and he wouldn't like it if I showed him Sammy Terry videos on YouTube. He of course agreed with me. I wouldn't do that obviously because its not nice. So, he thought he would put a spider in my bed this morning. Oh the joys of having a six year old son. At least he isn't putting real things in my bed or near me or I would have to go all Miss Nelson on him and buy either a green wig and become the green haired lady or a red hooded cape and green face paint and become Sammy Terry.....,

I Have No Interest in Awards Shows

I know that we are in awards shows season and Facebook and Twitter are buzzing with awards talk and who is wearing what. As much as I love movies, which is a lot, I have no interest. I am not really big in to fashion and I couldn't really tell you who's purse is who's. I am not up to date on shoes or clothes so the whole red carpet thing to me is just like whatever. I also think that if a movie wins an award doesn't make it a good movie. There have been great movies that have never won an award or even been nominated.

I did used to love watching The Kid's Choice Awards on Nickelodeon when I was younger. I used to get really excited to watch it and I would be glued to my TV with snacks. My sister and I would watch it together and of course kids were talking about it at school. Other than that I just can't get in to award shows. I wouldn't watch something because it won an award, I would watch it because it looks good. So, during the awards I will be watching something else. They would put me to sleep because I find it boring.

Do you watch awards shows? Why or why not?

Noah's Lego Pathfinder

Noah loves to build things with Legos. He also loves NASA. He watches the NASA channel more than any other channel. He likes to make different vehicles out of Legos. He recently made The Pathfinder and asked me to Tweet it to the NASA Twitter handles. He gave me suggestions of people to follow on Twitter one day including the International Space Station. I wanted to honor his request of taking a picture of The Pathfinder he made and tweeted it to NASA and NASA Langley. I checked my mentions and sure enough, NASA Langley not only Retweeted Noah's picture but tweeted me too.

That was pretty freaking cool and Noah was ecstatic. I wonder if Kevin Ford saw his Pathfinder. Yes we know the commander of the International Space Station's name and that he went to Notre Dame. We love NASA and the fact that they connected with us!