*sigh*

I've been thinking a lot about Toyotas since posting My Toyota Story.

We don't just own Roxanne.  We also have a Tacoma that we sent to Aruba over 8 years ago.  It was a few years old when we shipped it, so I'm thinking it's circa 1999ish.  My husband was given a work vehicle to use at the time and we no longer needed it here.  He didn't have the heart to get rid of it.  He gets a little attached to his vehicles.  Are all men that way?  Or just him?

Anyhow, this Tacoma, Blackie, it's a great little truck.  Perfect for us to have on the island.  It seriously just keeps going and going and going.

Since posting the original article, I've heard from a number of family members.  They, too, love their Toyotas.  They are blog-shy though and won't leave a comment. 

My husband's first new car was a Toyota Corolla.  He commuted to work an hour each way every day.  It's the vehicle he drove when I first met him.  He needed to upgrade to a truck and bought the Tacoma.  He was so attached to his Corolla, he would only agree to sell it to a friend.  He was even a little angry a few years later when she traded it in for a new model.

In the late 80s/early 90s, my grandparents had a great little Corolla as well.  My older cousin drove it for years when she first got her license.  My sister drove it for a bit, too.  Although the only memory I have of that is her puking out the window.  We were in high school.  PMS...or so she said.  That was a great car.  I think my cousin drove it to Florida with her when she moved years and years ago.

So, the feedback I have received: Toyotas are reliable, dependable, comfortable vehicles that are quailty in line with price.

Have a Toyota story that you'd like to share?  Add your Auto-biography to Toyota's Facebook page.

Disclaimer: I'm participating in a Toyota/TwitterMoms campaign, which inspired this post. My opinions, thoughts and feelings are my own. As a TwitterMom, I'm eligible for a courtesy gift of $50.



The microphone is exactly like the one Sid carries around, complete with theme song, applause, echo and silly noise buttons.  They played with the microphone until the batteries ran out...which gave me an idea...

You see, there's this contest.  Energizer® Recharge Smart™ is offering (2) $2,000 BlogHer’10 sponsorship opportunities through An Island Life and Barefoot Mommies.  Have you heard?!  Well, I entered a few days ago with a post that explains why I would be the perfect blogger for the job.

So...the Sid Microphone needed new batteries...I needed to show Energizer that I would be a great brand ambassador...and...

Voila.  Inspiration struck.

I present you with the first ever Mommycosm Review video:

If you have NO idea who Sid is, but you want to see hilarious footage of my kids - scroll to the last minute.  Trust me, it's worth it;)

Have a Sid fan in your house? If you would like a Sid the Science Kid Gotta Know Microphone, click on the link.  (Disclaimer: Yes, that's my Amazon affiliate link.  Nope, still haven't accumulated enough affiliate $$ for them to cut me a check.  I'm pretty much providing the link for your convenience ~ you're welcome.)

A little over a year ago I traded in my Honda mini-van for a Toyota Corolla.  We purchased the S model, a 5-speed manual.  I did a lot of research online before hitting the dealerships.  I was a Web Researcher at the time, afterall.  Based on features and pricing, I narrowed it down to the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla.  When it came to test driving the vehicles, the Corolla felt much more comfortable to me and was more *ahem* visually appealing.

According to Max: She's beautiful.

She really, really is.  We named her Roxanne.

Proof:

photo source: www.toyota.comThere are many things I love about Roxanne.  I mean, look at her. What's not to love.  Right?

The practical side of me loves that my gas consumption went way, way down.  She has an 11ish gallon tank and I usually get just under 400 miles between fill-ups.  I see that as a 2-fer: good for the environment and good for my wallet.

We originally purchased Roxanne with the intent to move to Aruba and ship her with us.  We knew that we would still have access to Toyota parts and service on the island.  Unfortunately, another round of lay offs happened - this time around BOTH of our jobs - and that move is off the table, for now.  So, do I regret my decision to downgrade to a smaller vehicle?  Not at all.

I've been driving Roxanne for 16 months now.  My initial concern: she would be too small for a family of 4 living in the US.  In fact, I had a mild panic attack when my son started playing soccer last summer.  I was accustomed to driving around in larger, 8-passenger vehicles.  I had a Suburban before my mini-vans.  My concerns were quickly dismissed. 

Roxanne has enough room for the entire family AND all of our softball, baseball AND soccer gear.  I haven't felt cramped once.  AND, as a reader nicely pointed out: I get to say NO to carpooling everyone else's kids around because we have just five seat belts.

I'm sure you've all heard about Toyota recalls in the news.  Yes, mine was included.  However, I must say that our Toyota dealer has been very proactive.  In fact, just yesterday while getting an oil change, they had me flagged for another gas pedal recall and took care of it right then and there.  I hadn't noticed any issues.  It was a "just in case" upgrade.  I seriously have no complaints about my car or how Toyota has handled the situation with my family.

The Toyota Corolla is perfect for our family of four.  The gas mileage is great.  There is ample space for all of our stuff.  An added perk: even when I'm driving around with my kids, I don't feel as if I'm driving a "Mom Mobile."  The S model is sporty and has a sun roof and really helps me in my quest to steal small moments to myself.  In fact, when I climb into the car sans kids, it's a much quicker transition from Mom to ME than the mini-van.  Hands down.

Do you own a Toyota?  Check out their Facebook page and Tell Your Story.

Disclaimer: I'm participating in a Toyota/TwitterMoms campaign, which inspired this post. My opinions, thoughts and feelings are my own. As a TwitterMom, I'm eligible for a courtesy gift of $50.

I recently received an email from an author - not a PR agency; not a publishing company...an actual author.

Jane Buckingham has already written two bestselling "Modern Girl" books.  She had just finished writing this third one about "Sticky Situations" when a friend of hers was diagnosed with ALS.

I can't do the story justice.  Here's what she had to say:

...ironically just as I put the book to bed, I discovered that there were some situations neither practicality nor wit could fix. A dear friend had been diagnosed with ALS, one of the cruelest diseases I have ever seen. It wasn’t sticky, it stunk.
 
I asked my husband if we could offer to move her and her family into our house in LA. They lived in NYC but living in a fourth floor walk up while her husband’s job would take him to LA was untenable.  So they packed up and moved in for what we all thought would be a 10 week period.
 
6 months later we’ve all been living together in a new sort of reality. It only hit me that there were eight of us when I had to fill out the census (and should I count the two visiting family members stuck here for 2 weeks by the volcano??). And while I love my book, it made doling out advice on a philandering husband or a burnt chicken often seem trivial. So the only thing that made sense was to donate the proceeds of the book to her family. The medical costs are high, and whatever happens I want her children to be well cared for.

Publishers and traditional outlets don’t understand this but moms do. SO I am asking for your help to spread the word. 

The web researcher in me went to work and I googled Jane Buckingham.  She's legit...and this is certainly a cause I can stand behind.  Even if the book sucked, I would probably ask my readers to help out in some way, shape or form.

But here's the thing.  The only thing that sucks about this book: the sticky situations we find ourselves in at least once in our lives.  She has pretty sound (and sometimes hilarious) advice on how to gracefully get out of those situations.

The situations vary from "Your family expects you to name your baby after a particular family member, but you don't want to" to "You boss wants to be BFFs and you want to keep a safe distance" and "Your slingbacks won't stay on."

My favorite (so far) is: "Your bra wire is popping out and stabbing your boob."  I'm going to assume that since this plight is listed in a published book, I'm not the only one looking for a solution?!

Let me just repeat that the author is donating all proceeds from the book to her friend.  The picture above links to the publisher.  I didn't use my own Amazon affiliate link this time.  I figure she will get a larger cut.  Any little bit can help.  Even if you can't afford to buy the book yourself, please help spread the word...or just think positive thoughts for her friend.  We all know that alone can work miracles.

And...

In addition to the free review copy, she gave me a SIGNED copy to give away to a lucky Mommycosm reader :)

Want to win?

Leave a comment on this post by midnight (my time, east coast USA) on Sunday, June 20th.  Each person can leave up to 3 comments for a total of 3 entries.

Also...

For an additional bonus entry, tweet: "Check out The Modern Girl's Guide to Sticky Situations #giveaway over at @Mommycosm http://bit.ly/arE9kH"  Then leave an comment with the link to your tweet.

It's that easy :)

If you haven't seen it, the show takes place in the world of Toobalooba where Noonbory and his team of super-hero problem solvers save the day.  Each superhero uses their super sense, such as: sight, sound, taste, touch and smell.

The story lines are cute and my 4 year old is really into the show.  I like the messages of sharing, patience, teamwork and helping.  I'm glad this show catches Max's attention because I need alternatives to that stupid sponge guy that clearly does not administer social messages, ahem.  He's figured out the remote - so I'll set the TV on something I deem acceptable, leave the room and come back to THAT.

Noonsbory, thumbs up from the preschool crowd.  My too-big-for-her-britches 2nd grader thinks the characters are cute, but would rather die than admit to her friends that she eagerly watches along with her brother.  She's too cool.  Take it with a grain of salt because Dora is falling into that category for her, too.

Another note: my husband is currently driving his sister's SUV.  It has a DVD player and the kids have been bringing movies with them on longer trips.  Max has been bringing Noonbory with him...even above Scooby Doo.  My regular readers know that he looooooves his Scooby Doo.  Enough said.

The review copy that NCircle Entertainment sent me is the first DVD release of the Noonbory series.  It includes 4 episodes and a bonus track.  For what it's worth, I'd pay the $6.99 for it...if I didn't already receive it for free.

If you would like a copy, check it out: Noonbory & the Super 7: They're Sense-ational!

Disclaimer: I did receive a free review copy, however, I do not receive a kick back if you purchase the DVD.

If you have a daughter between the ages of 6-12, you MUST check out Fashion Playtes.

Their beta site is up and running and it is WAY cool.  Girls can go online, create and design their own t-shirts, dresses, skirts, jackets and accessories that can actually be produced to wear.

How cool is that?!

They are celebrating their anniversary by hosting a Red Carpet Anniversary Party next weekend.  They offered me tickets to bring Sarah, but she is in her school play, so we cannot attend.  I'm a little sad.  I think we both would have really enjoyed the event.

The good news?

They have now given me a 2 sets of tickets to the event to give to 2 of my lucky readers.  Each ticket is good for a mom and daughter between the ages of 6-12.

What else?

Each mother/daughter duo will also receive:

•  A $25 gift certificate to Fashion Playtes
•  A sneak peak at their spring line while watching a Fashion  Show
•  Model Shots where the girls can get styled for personalized photos in Fashion Playtes outfits.
•  They offered to interview you (if you're OK with that!)
•  They will take pictures and post them on their site (again, with your permission!)
•  Refreshments and treats

In other words, you will get the celebrity treatment!

Check our the event's Facebook page for more information.

I know that Sarah would be ALL OVER a special day like this.  So much so, I didn't even tell her what I passed up.  She may have been tempted to skip her school play.

So, if you have a daughter (or granddaughter, neice or friend) betwen the ages fo 6-12 and can be in Salem, MA on Saturday, March 13, 2010 from 1-3pm, please leave me a comment.  If I have more than 2 comments on this post, I will choose winners via a random number generator.  Not sure when to give for a deadline since the event is next weekend.  Let's say Tuesday, March 9th or until I get 10 comments. 

Oh, and you MUST leave your email address as a way for me to contact you!

Good luck to my readers.  And thank you to Fashion Playtes for this opportunity!

I mean, seriously.  Who doesn't like warm and fuzzy puppies? Right?!

This 70 minute DVD shares facts about 25+ breeds of puppies.  Besides being incredibly cute to watch, it is very educational.  My kids both thoroughly enjoyed it.

We have 2 dogs, an Australian Cattle Dog and an Australian Shepard.  My kids are very dog saavy.  As they are all growing, the dogs are appreciating the kids more and they are all becoming the best of friends.  There's nothing like having a doggy companion when you're sick on the couch or scared in the middle of the night.

My kids also know that dogs can drool, shed like crazy, bark way too much at times and can even steal your pizza.  They can be a lot of work.  So despite their campaign after watching this video, we are NOT getting another dog.

I dare you to watch Puppy Party without saying "Awwww" at least a few times.  Nay.  I double dog dare you.

This special DVD contains 2 episodes with a holiday theme.  My kids really enjoyed both.  Quite frankly, I get a little OVER the standard holiday movies this time of year.  We've already watched that famous train one 5x and the one about the grouchy green guy at least 3x.  Love them both and they're classics, but I can only take watching a movie so many times.

This WorldWorld DVD is educational and entertaining.  It only lasts 33 minutes, so it's great for a quick fix while I'm making dinner.  Perfect.

I would highly recommend this DVD.  It's not too late to buy and enjoy before Christmas - and would make a great stocking stuffer.  It's only $6.99, not a bad price.  Hear that Santa?

The NCircle site says the DVD is on backorder, but here's my Amazon link for your convenience:

WordWorld: Happy Holidays WordFriends!

Recently, Max's preschool teacher made it a point to tell me how well he's doing in class with his letters.  He has an August birthday, so he's one of the youngest in his class.  But, he is really ahead on the curve when it comes to sounding out words.  I definitely give WordWorld some of the credit.

We were psyched to open another WordWorld DVD, but this one?  Is the jackpot.  It is a Box Set and contains 180 minutes of 16 WordWorld episodes.  I grabbed my Amazon affiliate link and noticed it is selling for $15.99.  That's under $1 per episode.  Definitely a deal.

If you want to buy it, click onto the picture.  

(Disclaimer: If you do buy the DVD via my Amazon affiliate link, I might get a few pennies back.  Literally.  So, if you think I'm just promoting the DVD to make money...yeah, not so much.)

Sometime between when Max was born and when he was old enough to watch and enjoy movies, my poor old VCR died.  It was a slow, painful death.  On its last day, it ate a tape. 

*sigh*

So sad.

I never really stopped to think about it, but Max has missed out on many of the classics.  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs included.

When One2One Network offered to send us a free copy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to review, my kids were SO excited.  So was I.  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs hasn't been released in any form by Disney since 2001.  Before my kids were even born.  So, unless I wanted to scour yard sales for a used DVD, we would have never owned this movie.  Score!

Sarah was home sick yesterday and we were stuck inside for the day.  We all sat down to watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  Sarah and Max giggled at the dwarfs and were afraid of the witch.  A classic reaction from a new generation of children watching a classic movie.  It was awesome.

Now, I'm going to admit something here and it's going to make me sound like I live in the rock ages. Ready?

I don't own a Blu-ray player.  In fact, I wasn't even sure what the hype was about Blu-ray.  I get that it probably has better picture, but we get good enough picture with our DVD player on our 42" plasma that I seriously didn't care to spend the extra money to upgrade.  And we've collected a number of DVDs, it seemed like such a waste to change to another format.

BUT when I read on the PR letter that Blu-ray discs are more scratch resistant and kid-proof, OhMyGod, I was SOLD.  My kids aren't allowed to touch discs (yeah, right).  They have managed to destroy many of our favorites. Oh, and apparently, regular DVDs work in Blu-ray players.  Whodathunkit.

Needless to say, we WILL be getting a Blu-ray player.  Mark.My.Words. 

And to anyone in marketing for Blu-ray players: you really, really need to emphasize this whole kid-proof bit.  I had heard about the higher quality picture and better sound, blah, blah blah.  Whatever.  More scratch resistant?  Bring it.

You may be wondering why they are calling this the "Diamond Edition Combo Pack."  I was.

According to the press release:

The Blu-ray Diamond Edition Discs will be comprised of 14 of Walt Disney's most treasured animated classic titles to be released through 2016.

Way cool.  I'm looking forward to collecting these.  Although, by the time I have all of them again, there will probably be new technology and Blu-ray will be obsolete.

The combo pack includes both Blu-ray and DVDs.

It was released for sale TODAY :)

Buy it.

(Disclaimer: Nope, I don't get a penny if you do buy it.  Just the free video in exchange for an honest review.)

If you don't want the Blu-ray and DVD Combo pack, they will be releasing a standard definition DVD on November 24th.

Want to expose your kids to Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, but don't have extra money to purchase the movie right now?  The economy stinks right now.  I feel ya. 

Check out the official website.  They have some really cool (free) online games and printables.