Intuition Plus Razor by Schick

Product Name: Intuition PLUS by Schick
Submitted by: Sher Birmingham; Valley, AL
Rating: 9
Where to buy: Amazon.com

Description: This is a razor with the soap or shaving product around the blade of the razor. Intuition Plus is Fragrance Free. It has Shea butter, aloe and vitamin E and is Moisture-Rich. Intuition has a pivoting action. Intuition® Plus™ lathers, shaves and provides extra moisture* to your skin in one easy step. No needs for shave gel, soap or body wash.

New! Skin Conditioning Solid™ with Shea Butter lathers and provides extra moisture* for a smooth shave Enriched pivoting head glides smoothly over curves Triple Blade self adjust to level of Skin Conditioning Solid™. New! Sleek, light and comfortable handle. All Intuition® cartridges are interchangeable, but enhanced pivoting works only when Intuition® Plus™ handle is used with Plus™ cartridge.

Review: I didn't like Intuition Plus the first time I tried it. There was so MUCH soap on it I felt I needed to shave with my regular razor to get the hair. But every other time I love it. I don't have to be in the tub or shower...a quick shave on DRY Skin! I wet the Intuition Plus and shave! It works great! I am lathered up and get a good shave. I rinse off with a wet cloth and ready for the day! Intuition leaves my legs feeling like I have washed, shaved and lotion them! But yet it is not too much for my underarms. I think that the reason I didn't like Intuition at first is because there was TOO much soap to get a close shave. I have the Intuition with razor & travel cap. The cap sits nicely on the side of my tub.

Pretty Pretty Princess Dress-Up Board Game

Product Name: Pretty Pretty Princess Dress-Up Board Game by Hasbro
Submitted by: Faith Martin; Howard, PA
Rating: 10+
Where to Buy: Amazon.com

Description: The object of this game is to be the first player to collect and wear all your matching colored jewelry and the crown. Once you have collected all your pieces with the crown, you are the Pretty Pretty Princess.

Review: This game is so simple . . . children do not have to be able to read to play. Although, if you have a child who likes to stick small objects in his/her mouth, you may want to wait until he/she is a bit older (small pieces). You may notice I referred to boys as well . . . this is the ONLY game I know of that you can get a grown man to wear costume jewelry. This is what makes this game so much fun. We have owned this game for a little over a year now. I have watched my 6 year old daughter play this game with her dad, her 8 year old brother, and her 68 year old grandfather. I never once heard any of the "boys" complain about having to adorn the beautiful jewelry. I have, however, heard groans when they didn't become the Pretty Pretty Princess. So, grab your daughters, sons, and a few good men for a good time, plenty of laughs, and photo ops. And, my daughter is not the only one who requests to play this game. Enough said.

Here is how the game is played . . . You place your colored marker anywhere on the board to start. The youngest player gets to go first, of course. When it is your turn, you spin the spinner and move your marker that number of spaces on the board. The spaces on the board are marked with pictures of the various pieces of jewelry. Whatever you land on is the piece you
collect (in your color) and wear. The plastic play jewelry includes rings, clip-on earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. I think the hardest pieces to acquire are the earrings, because you are only allowed to take one at a time. So, remember this when you land on a space that says you may choose any piece you want.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, watch out for that black ring! For even if you have collected all your pieces and the crown, you cannot win the game until you have rid yourself of the dreaded black ring. This can only be done if someone else lands on the black ring space or if you land on the space that tells you to put one piece back.

The playing pieces, jewelry, and crown are easily stored in a round jewelry box that is placed in the middle of the playing board (a 4-piece puzzle assembled). The lid of the jewelry box has a mirror on the outside and a spinner on the inside. So, once your royal highness is crowned the winner, he/she may flip the spinner over to gaze at his/her magnificence in the mirror. We often continue play to see who will be the "lady-in-waiting".

This game was well thought out by its creators. It is easy to set up, progresses quickly, and promotes well-being through healthy laughter.

Oops . . . I almost forgot. Don't think you are safe once you have attained the crown. Your fierce opponents have the right to seize the crown from your head during play unless you have already been proclaimed the winner.

Criticism: One minute problem - some players prefer not to wear the earrings (usually the children due to a comfort issue with the clip-ons). However, the earrings can be placed in front of the player or clipped onto his/her necklace.

Insulated Kids Animal Lunch Box

Product Name: Insulated Kids Animal Lunch Box
Rating: 10
Where to buy: Amazon.com

Description: These adorable kids lunch boxes are great. They are made of Insulated PVC and come in various animal designs.

Review: Your child will love taking this cute lunch box with them wherever they go.

The lunch box itself is made of PVC making it very easy to fold and store. Cleaning is a breeze also. Just use a damp cloth and wipe clean.

It is very lightweight so it’s easy for your child to handle. There is a shoulder strap or a handhold to make it even easier for your child.

There are six different animal designs. They come in a duck, frog, dog, ladybug, elephant or penguin design. So, if your little one has a special animal they like you will probably find the right one just for them.

It is also great for those first graders who can be a little skeptical about taking their lunch to school. Being able to take an “old friend” like a dog with them will relieve some of the leeriness they can feel.

It is also well insulated to keep things cold. That makes it great for taking snacks and drinks on a long drive or even to Grandma’s house. They are wonderful to take on a picnic too. Your kids will love this lunch box made just for them.

Homeschool Help: State Study - 50 States Complete Set

Product Name: State Study - 50 States Complete Notebooking Set with Bonus Pages
Rating: 10
Where to buy: Homeschool estore

Description: A complete notebook set of the fifty states. This notebook contains facts about each of our fifty states plus a bonus set that includes 13 colonies, national parks, monuments and memorials, Washington DC and much more.

Review: I was overjoyed with this set. I needed something to help in teaching my children about where they live and the United States in general. This was perfect for my needs. It will help my children from preschool through their high school years.

This set tells about each of our states. It includes information on topic ideas, directions, state facts and more. There are templates that you can use, some of which are blank so your children can create the own ideas. My favorite was the State Symbol pages. These templates allowed my children do draw the State Symbols the way they saw them.

There are also cutouts and graphics included with each individual state. These were very helpful for my children also. It helped them design their own notebooks on each of the states.

These can be bought individually or as the set on CD. You can also go to the site and download all the information. I preferred the CD but for some of us the download is just as simple.

If you are looking for a great teaching guide at a reasonable price I recommend this set. I wouldn’t be without it for my children.

Danger Rangers Mission 547 Safety Rules! DVD

Product: Danger Rangers Mission 547 Safety Rules! DVD

Reviewed by: Tracy Ebert, founder MomsNiche.com

Rating: 10

Where to Buy: Amazon.com

Description: 40 minute animated DVD showing children safety rules through the use of superheroes named the Danger Rangers

Review: This DVD gets my two thumbs up! I viewed it with my 3-yr old daughter over the weekend and couldn't believe the reaction I got from her. I try to keep our usual viewing to semi-educational shows that help teach values, manners, songs, etc... This one was right down our alley - she was humming and singing the songs by the second go-round.

These animated superheroes called the Danger Rangers are housed in their secret headquarters (cleverly disguised in the head of George Washington in Mt. Rushmore). The Danger Rangers are organized by a super computer named SAVO. The Danger Rangers are alerted when safety oilations are being committed and they rush to the rescue to teach families and children the different safety rules regarding: home, biking, strangers, calling 911, fire, and pool/water.

Their motto...SAFETY RULES!

This DVD has Spanish and English available on one disc and there are some cute bonus songs such as "911," "Wheels," and "Rules of the Road" that have catchy tunes and lyrics to help the kids learn and retain the safety rules.

The viewing range covers a broad age bracket as my 10-yr old also enjoyed sitting with his little sister to watch and sing along.

Garmin StreetPilot GPS Navigator

Product Name: Garmin Street Pilot GPS Navigator
Submitted by: Marie Ynami; Redlands, CA
Rating: 9
Where to buy: Amazon.com

Description: It is a small, convenient, portable and easy to use automotive GPS navigator. It has three-dimensional map graphics, is voice-prompted and tells you turn-by-turn directions through a built-in speaker.

Review: I love this gadget. I feel more confident leaving the house knowing that I will not get lost.

I like the fact that I do not have to stare at the map while I am driving as the "voice" tells me if I need to make a left or a right, get on the freeway or which exit to take. It also tells me the distance and my estimated time of arrival.

We have 2 cars and since this is portable, I can move it from one car to the other with no hassles. I simply un-mount it from the windshield of the one car and mount it onto the other car - so easy!

Now, my husband and I do not need to stop and ask for directions! The driver can choose from either a three-dimensional mapping perspective or the standard overhead bird's-eye view.

It has a neat touch-screen which allows for quick access to features such as addresses, recent locations, food, and lodging and it automatically puts you back on course when you make a wrong turn or run into traffic problems.

It includes a SD card slot and 128 SD card and Map Source City Select street data on CD-ROM. You can upload detailed maps using your computer and the Map Source City Select street data on CD-ROM.

It can be charged too because it has an internal lithium-ion battery. It also includes a vehicle suction cup mount w/integrated power cable and PC/USB interface cable.

Product Review - Crayola Color Wonder

Product: Crayola Color Wonder products

Rating: 12 out of 10!

Review: Have you seen this stuff? I swear, this is the best invention since Velcro sneakers!

My daughter received some of the Crayola Color Wonder markers, finger paints, themed coloring books (Little Mermaid and Backyardigans) and drawing paper for her birthday yesterday. This stuff is SO COOL! You can color and paint without making a mess. She is just infatuated with the MAGIC and I'm excited about the clean hands. These fingerpaints are really cool too. You just dip your fingertip in and color the page - magically, the color appears on the paper.

I don't know how it works, but I LOVE IT!

Product Review - Burt's Bees Facial Cleanser

Product Name: Burt's Bees Lemon Poppy Seed Facial Cleanser

Submitted by: Carrie Lauth; Atlanta, GA

Rating: 7

Where to Buy: Amazon.com

Description: This product is a creamy cleanser great for removing makeup and cleansing dry or normal skin. It contains poppy seeds for a mild exfoliating effect. It's made from 98% natural ingredients and smells heavenly, good enough to eat!

Criticism: While the product has a nice texture and left my face feeling smooth and well cleansed without drying, I probably won't be purchasing it again. You can't use it around the eye area which is inconvenient since if you wear eye makeup, you must use a separate cleanser. If you don't use eye makeup however, then this might be a nice cleanser for you.

The facial cleanser is applied to the face and removed with a warm washcloth. Splashing with water doesn't remove the cleanser well despite what the packaging says.

Toy Review - Leap Frog Fridge Phonics

As you know, we like to bring you up to date product and book reviews from time to time. Here's a great review - especially if you're thinking of getting this toy for your little one this Christmas!

Product Name: Leap Frog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Play Set

Submitted by: Dana Beitlich; Oro Grande, CA

Rating: 10

Where to buy: Amazon

Description: The Fridge Phonics magnetic letter set teaches letter names, letter sounds and learning songs. This set of 26 colorful, easy-grip magnetic letters and magnetic letter reader that attaches securely to your fridge. Each letter talks, sings and teaches letter names, letter sounds and learning songs. Put a letter into the reader to hear its name, its sound or a fun phonics song.

Review: I gave this to my 2 year old son for Christmas this past year, and I am beyond impressed with this product. It is always hooked to our fridge and he plays with it all the time. He knows all of the letters and the sounds they each make. It’s so amazing and so much fun for both of us. I recommend this to any family; it’s been wonderful for us.