Parents® Critter Conga

Parents® magazine is one of my favorites out there. It is full of great parenting advice, kid activities AND they have a FABULOUS line of toys!

My current favorite is the Parents® Critter Conga. It is a super fun Conga Drum, filled will percussion instruments. The Drum looks like a leopard, with an easily removable tambourine lid, slithery snake drumsticks, giraffe themed maracas, crocodile cabasa and clacker, elephant conch, and antelope slide whistle, and a water bird warble that sounds like the real thing!

The Critter Conga is designed to encourage tots to create and enjoy music and rhythm. My toddler is in love with the set and I am reaping the benefits of watching him enjoy and learn a love for music.

The only thing I don't like? My toddler is in love with the drums, and my 6 month old loves the tambourine....except the tambourine is the drum top, so the boys can't play with them at the same time. Parents® already thought of this though (ah yes, I love Parents®) and have made it so you can buy extra instruments without having to buy a whole new drum set, perfect for families with multiple kids that will want to jam! You can buy The Critter Conga instruments individually at Target under the collection name Safari Song for $10.00 each.

Want to know where to get your Parents® Critter Congo? You can get The Critter Congo at Costco for $30.00, and it is recommended for ages 18 months and up.

Delgo

I love movies. In fact, I still dream of running off to be an actress (hey, moms can have space out moments too)and anytime I go to a movie I watch the credits. Oh yea, I am that person in your row that won't move, so you have to crawl over me or go out the other way. I LOVE to watch the credits-to see all the names of the people who worked so hard bringing the story to life. I know just a little of how hard they worked too, because I have been an extra before for movies; let me tell you, making a good movie is hard work for everyone!

So, when I come across a GREAT movie-I am in love and fascinated with learning all about it. What great movie have I come across lately?

Enter the visual feast of Delgo. Delgo is a stunningly artistic animated movie with hints of a Romeo and Juliet type love (though in a little kid and a family friendly way) intertwined around wonderful messages: the importance of family, the importance of our differences, and the importance of embracing those differences. Learning to value family, work together and use our differences as strengths to reach a common good is the major theme.

What more of a loving moral and ethical lesson could we hope to teach our children? And though the magical world of Delgo, that lesson is easy to pick up on and learn, even for the youngest in our family without being overly obvious they are trying to teach a valuable lesson to our youngest of citizens (and perhaps even some older ones that missed the lesson when they were younger)

What I love the most about Delgo? The ART. Oh my goodness. The whole world seems like a dream scape-with rich and interesting colors that bring as much to the story as the characters. I would actually say the tapestry of colors and visual feast presented by the background, it itself a character. You really can't take your eyes off the screen because of all the details. I just know that the next time I watch it; I will pick up on more and more details I missed the first time around.

For a wonderful family film, Delgo is going to become an instant classic.

Delgo will be coming out nation wide December 12, 2008 and is the first production from Fathom Studios, an independent film studio. I have to say, Fathom Stuidos has reached the stars with Delgo, and I am very excited to see what future movies they will dream up. The stellar voice cast includes Freddie Prinze Jr, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Anne Bancroft (in her last performance), Val Kilmer, Michael Clarke Duncan, Chris Kattan and more.

To learn more, and see a sneak peek movie trailer, go check out www.delgo.com! And don't forget the popcorn; once the trailer starts, you aren't going to want to leave your computer. And then you are going to cry for more.

The Bender Ball

After having a baby, the biggest thing most moms are thinking about is getting back into our skinny jeans.

Well, through a good diet and exercise, we all can achieve goal, my problem is when to find the time to workout! I have two little kids and recently realized that trying to push two kids in a jogging stroller is HARD. And not very motivating to working out.

So what is a new mom to do? The Bender Ball!


It is a great exercise ball that gives you the perfect position for Core Training, Ab and Body Sculpting and Pilates! It works by giving you a bigger range of motion while doing normal crunches, stretches, sit ups and more-so you get more impact with a simple, quick workout. I am in love too, because I simply pop in the DVD, get out on my mat, and in a quick 1/2 hour I am able to get through all my tough to sculpt areas, get my heart rate up, and feel more energetic.

I have yoga and Pilates DVD's that I enjoy; they are calming, relaxing; however, sometimes I just don't feel I have gotten my heart rate up to the target workout rate. With The Bender Ball, I don't have to worry, I know I am getting a great workout, and I can feel my heart working out too, but it isn't so hard or strenuous that I dread doing it.

Results started showing up fairly quickly for me-which we all know is the key to sticking with a workout routine!

You can learn more about The Bender Ball by visiting their website: www.benderball.com. You can order your own, check out free meal plans, tips on maximizing your workout results, and a healthy eating guide.