Scrutiny by the Masses

The Teen Whisperer - is he all he's cracked up to be?

Yes, yes, he is. 

Written by Mike Linderman, this book was honest, forthright and compelling.  Linderman has a straightforward style, with no sugar coating and definitely no superiority complex that so many self help authors exhibit.  I have a normal relationship with my teens - which means that it's often rocky and unsettled, and then we revert to best friends.  Peppered with true life stories, I couldn't put this book down.  Did you know that 95% of all discipline problems in children have their roots in a child's attempt to achieve power?  Me neither.  Lightbulb moment #1.

At first, I found this statement hard to believe: "What parents might find surprising is that the one group their kids want most to belong to is their family."  Thinking back on my own teenage years, I was humbled to discover that he was correct.  Sometimes, being a parent means remembering your long lost teenage years.  Lightbulb moment #2.

"Just because you screwed up doesn't mean you ARE a screwup."  Lightbulb moment #3.

Linderman's book is broken into four parts - an introduction to him and who he is, The Five Primary Needs of Your Teen, When Teen's Needs Aren't Being Met, and Developing the Right Approach.  He states right in the beginning that no two children are the same and his approach reflects that.  He learned his lessons the hard way - by working with more than 25,000 troubled youth. 

I literally couldn't put his book down.  I'd recommend any parent of a preteen or teen, troubled or not, get this book and devote as much time as possible to improving their relationship.

MonkeyBarTv

I was asked to review MonkeyBarTv - a new interactive website put out by Hasbro.

My 10 year old daughter liked the site, the three times I asked her to look at it.  With videos, games, online comics to read and free screensavers to download, there was a lot to look at and it was easy for her to lose an hour or so.  My 8 year old son really enjoyed the Spiderman and the StarWars segments.  Even my 15 year old spent a few minutes on the site playing"Peyton in the Middle".  There's even a section to buy toys.

This website is well constructed and colorful, and enjoyable for kids.  It's on our list of "favorites".

Nature Valley Roasted Nut Crunch Granola Bars

I was sent two boxes of Nature Valley Nut Crunch Granola bars - the Peanut version as well as the Almond version.  I'm not a huge fan of granola bars, as I feel that they are usually full of junk and aren't really good for you.  My kids, however, adore granola bars, and so I enlisted their help in reviewing them. 

These bars are different than most.  Containing five or six ingredients, all of which I can not only pronounce but spell, they were a hit with my label reading self, but I was curious to know how they'd fare with my kids.  They are pretty receptive to healthy foods, but granola bars are sacrosanct and we just don't mess with them. 

According to Nik, age 15: "  These bars are delish.  I ate three or four for a snack.  I really liked the almond ones, but the peanut ones didn't meet my expectations."  Note from Mom - he ate a box in two days.   He also ate so many of them that  he broke a bracket off of his braces.  They are certainly crunchy.

According to Allegra, age 12: "  The bars were very tasty.  However, they broke easily in my lunchbox.  They were delicious and a good snack.  I think that they were pretty healthy and I'd like my mom to buy the almond ones again."

We will definitely buy these again and again.

Cascade versus Electrasol

I was sent two bottles of automatic dishwashing detergent to sample, and to decide which was a better product.  I had to put this one on the back shelf for a while - I received them the day after my dishwasher died.  But it is repaired now, and so, for the past two weeks, I've been alternating loads to see which is a better product.  I have to say that I usually use the Cascade products. 

On first pour, I have to say that I liked the Cascade better.  It's thicker, which means to this sloppy mom that I pour less. The Electrasol slid out quickly, and every time I used it, I felt as if I'd overpoured.   Less pour = less waste, so one point to Cascade. 

Load by load, though, there was absolutely no difference.  Both the Cascade and the Electrasol cleaned equally well.   Even with baked on, stuck on food, the dishes came clean.  So, one point for each.

Price wise, the Electrasol is cheaper in my market. 

Overall, I think that I'll stick with the Cascade.  It may be more expensive, but I'd pour less, which to me means I'd use less, so I'd actually save money.

Cascade wins in my book!