Dad of Divas' Reviews

Thursday, July 26, 2012

DVD Review - The Angry Beavers: Season 3 Part 2

About the DVD
Bon-vivant beaver brothers Norbert Foster and Daggett Doofus continue their sidesplitting adventures in this uproariously funny 2-disc collection. Watch these two wild bachelors take the town in such memorable episodes as “Kreature Komforts,” “Das Spoot,” “Practical Jerks,” “Euro Beavers,” “Finger Lickin’ Goofs” and more! Season 3 Part Two will be released on DVD August 14th, 2012 with a suggested retail price of 19.93. Join in the revelry as you laugh your way through the final 11 episodes of Angry Beavers hilarious third season!

The Angry Beavers features an all-star voice cast, including Richard Steven Horvitz (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Nick Bakay (Sabrina, The Teenage Witch) and Charlie Brisette (The Ren & Stimpy Show).

My Take on the DVD
This was a fun new continuation of season three! For anyone that has seen part one of this season (like I did) you were left hanging out there a bit at the end of the last DVD, so I know that I, for one, was definitely holding out hope that this DVD would come out sooner than later. Now that I have seen it, I have to say that it was worth the wait. You get such great humor within this series and within these episodes, and I love the artistry as well! I have some friends that do not completely understand the humor, but for me, I find the series, fun and entertaining and one that I would highly recommend!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Book Review - The Gray Garden: Aunt Nancy's Garden

About the Book
The bug-a-loupe are the guardians of a well tended garden. Mitzi is a bug-a-loupe, and she, along with her aunts, are on a mission. They have been asked to find a lost diamond ring that is somewhere in their garden. While searching, Mitzi discovers many new creatures that she never knew existed, and discovers a new found courage in herself. The bug-a- loupe also manage to bring some joy into the lives of a troubled family that live in a cottage next to the garden.

My take on the Book
If you enjoy stories of fantasy, adventure, mystery, and imaginative characters, you will find this book written by Morgan Kostival just the right blend for a good family story.

A young boy, his sister and mother join their Aunt Nancy for the summer. While gardening Aunt Nancy loses the diamond out of her ring and so the search for the stone begins. Our main character meets Mitzi and her aunts who are small creatures who live and take care of the garden. Mitzi in turn meets other imaginative creatures in the garden who help her in the search for the diamond. There is adventure for Mitzi as well as new confidence as she locates the lost stone.

Morgan has created the scenes with his hand made creatures. Your children will delight in his imaginative characters and maybe think of making some of their own.

You will see how the Gray Garden, in the mind of our main character, turns into a beautifully picturesque garden by the end of the story. Join the fun of using your imagination by reading Morgan Kostival's story.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

K5 Learning Offers Great Online Learning Tool

K5 Learning has an online reading and math program for kindergarten to grade 5 students. I've been given a 6 week free trial to test and write a review of their program. If you are a blogger, you may want to check out their open invitation to write an online learning review of their program.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

Singapore Math Supplementary Workbooks for Summer Learning

About the Books
More and more schools are using the Singapore math curriculum to improve their students’ math performance. Singapore math uses a unique concrete-pictorial-abstract approach along with problem-solving strategies and word problems designed to train students to connect different mathematical ideas. A number of carefully selected key topics are covered each year, allowing for in-depth learning and concept mastery. Originally created in Singapore, the official textbooks co-developed and published by Marshall Cavendish -- Primary Mathematics and Math in Focus -- are now in use around the world, including all 50 states of the U.S.

Marshall Cavendish has just introduced a series of supplementary workbooks. They are great for practicing or enriching math skills at home over the summer. The Math Practice the Singapore Way and Math Challenge the Singapore Way workbooks are arranged topically according to the latest Singapore Math syllabus.

Each series offers individual workbooks for grades 1 through 5. The exercises aid students in progressing systematically and the step-by-step answers provide them with an opportunity for self-evaluation and learning.

The exercises in Math Practice the Singapore Way help students focus on the essential skills required for today’s standardized testing, while the exercises in Math Challenge the Singapore Way enable students to reinforce concepts and enrich their understanding of math.

In addition, a free trial of Math Buddies Online www.mymathbuddies.com is available with the purchase of any workbook.

The Marshall Cavendish Singapore Math supplementary workbooks are $12.99 each and can be purchased at: http://www.marshallcavendish.us/marshallcavendish-us/education/catalog/workbooks/index.xml.

My Take on the Books
These workbooks were very thorough. I was amazed as I received books that were both 2nd & 3rd grade as my daughter has done quite well in math in school so I thought these would be a breeze. I was mistaken. These books were challenging and in some of the sections the concepts were far beyond where she left off in 1st grade, so we worked with her to understand the concepts and she was able to progress with no problems. I have to say that I am impressed with the workbooks thus far, and though I have yet to try out the Math Buddies Online world, if it is anything like these workbooks, I can tell that it will provide great learning fun for my daughters to enjoy!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

My Mobile Mishap Story

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Have you ever had a mobile mishap, I know that I have! for me my mishap looked very much like what you see above. It was a normal day and I was walking by a lake near our home when I received a phone call. I decided to pick up the call and was talking for a bit, when one of my daughters came from behind me and ran into me. Needless to say I was startled as she gave me a bit of a jolt and I dropped the phone. I tried to grab it while it fell, but gravity got the best of me. Unfortunately, instead of falling only on the dock, it fell in about 2 feet of water. I fished it out as soon as I could, but the damage was done, and unfortunately I did not have coverage like what Asurion provides on the phone as I did not think I would need it (I was wrong). I looked into Asurion and was surprised to find out all that I did about it, and the price was quite reasonable in the scheme of things. If you are looking for mobile protection, I encourage you to check it out for yourself!

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Asurion.

About Assurion

Stats and Facts

Asurion reports that 60,000,0000 people in North America will lose, damage or have their phone stolen this year. That is over 164,000 per day or 114 every minute or nearly 2 every second.
According to mobile device technology protection expert Asurion, 50 percent of loss, thef or damage claims occur within the first 6 months of activating a new phone. That number jumps to 80 percent within the first 12months.
People don’t often understand that if your mobile phone is lost, stolen or damaged, without insurance you’ll have to pay full retail price to replace that mobile device. In the case of an iPhone4S, that can cost more than $700.
Best and easiest way to have peace of mind and to protect your phone is to purchase insurance from your wireless carrier when buying your phone or within 30 days of activation.
According to a recent Asurion survey, 50 percent of parents said they have at least one child at home under 17 who uses a mobile phone for personal use, and nearly 30 percent of those required a replacement in the last year due to handset loss, theft, damage or malfunction.
Savvy parents and guardians are putting their desire to stay in touch with their children well above their own needs, with 36 percent purchasing cell phone insurance for their children's phones, as compared to 26 percent of those who have protection on their own phones, according to Asurion.
Understandably, people are eager to start using new mobile devices just as soon as they get them, but with more than 60 million phones lost, stolen or damaged each year, purchasing phone protection during the first 30 days of device use should be a priority. After that, the only chance to buy the carrier-supported insurance would be during an “open enrollment” period, and you never know when those might come along.

Protection Tips
Asurion offers these easy summer tips to help minimize the damage to children's phones this summer:

A good case or silicone protector can help protect the back and sides against scratches and provide some impact protection.
A transparent film screen protector can prevent the screen from scratching and can also help remove glare.
A growing number of waterproof cases are on the market designed to protect phones when submerged in water for a limited amount of time.
Purchase cell phone insurance to protect your investment and stay connected with children. Many wireless carriers now offer Asurion’s downloadable application that can remotely locate, lock or wipe a phone, along with the insurance coverage.

Content and/or other value provided by my partner, Asurion.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

Save electricity, save money & save the planet with EnergyBuddy

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Book Review - The Flowering House

About the Book
Is "something more" calling to you? Are there dreams you're longing to fulfill? Now is your time to begin. Camilla's house reflects her inner life. She is always busy making her front yard immaculate, but she lives with the hidden truth of sealed-off messy rooms and a backyard filled with trash and weeds. One day, Camilla hears a ringing bell behind a closed door and courageously chooses to enter. The transformation that follows reveals all that is possible when we listen to our hearts. Opening with a simple, inspiring story, The Flowering House provides the reader with a guided journal for personal explorations, and calls to all who long to awaken to and more fully express their purpose.
In this book, Stirling Fox is telling women that the best moms recognize and follow their own dreams, too. The book features a brief fictional story of a young woman who is too harried to accomplish her dreams--much like many moms today.

Stirling Fox then features a series of journaling prompts that encourage readers to take the book’s themes and apply them to their lives.

Peppered throughout are truly vibrant, engaging visuals that connect what’s happening on paper to the transformation within the reader.

The journaling section doubles as conversation prompts, making the workbook a perfect companion for both personal and group reflection.

About the Author
Paige Stirling Fox is a life coach and facilitator of numerous personal growth and spiritual programs and workshops. She believes in the power of circles of women and has created and led many programs, including Women Circling the Earth, a year-long retreat and coaching program; and Breathing Space, circles for women who have survived cancer. Paige earned an honours degree in psychology and a certificate in adult education, and she has completed coach training with Coach U. She is a Reiki master and a certified labyrinth facilitator. Paige currently works as an early literacy specialist and lives with her husband and two children in Ontario, Canada.

Website: www.thefloweringhouse.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PaigeStirlingFox
Twitter: @floweringhouse

My Take on the Book
The book itself was a poignant story that brings out so much for the reader to reflect on. While the story is aimed at women, as a man in a home of women, I can see the relevance in many women's lives. I can tell that this book can definitely help a person redefine the way in which they are living and want to live their life. The nice thing is that the book makes this process both fun and easier to attain through an easy to follow story, but so many guiding questions that will make the reader look inward to make decisions that will help them move in the right direction for their life. This is a great book for anyone looking at redefining their own life!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.