Scrutiny by the Masses

Zula Patrol: Weather can be FUN!

When the lovely ladies over at The Parent Bloggers asked me if we'd be interested in reviewing The Zula Patrol: Explore Weather!  I jumped at the chance.  My kids are constantly asking me about weather - CONSTANTLY.  Selfishly, I hoped that the dvd would answer some of their incessant questions, and keep the illusion that I was really more intelligent about weather than I appear.  You know, all of the "I dunno" answers get old after a while.

Aimed at children from preschool to second grade, Explore Weather was a huge hit with my four youngest children, who all eagerly sat through repeated viewings.  Unanimously, their favorite section was the one that explains seasons.  My second grader's favorite fact - the one that was repeated to me again and again?  The tilt of the planet determines the seasons. This show even refreshed my knowledge of weather.

One thing I really enjoy about The Zula Patrol is that it is shown on PBS, which happens to be one of my favorite channels because everything shown on it represents good clean values.  There isn't any name calling, no fighting and all of the shows finish with a strong lesson.  This dvd was no different.

This dvd became a van dvd - which is high praise indeed in our house - only the truly fun dvds make their way out to the van, to be watched again and again as we make our way from school to soccer, from scouts to the grocery store. 

I highly recommend this dvd.  Pick up a copy for your young ones, and get ready to be blown away by the bright colors, crisp lines, fun filled facts and engaging dialogue of The Zula Patrol: Explore Weather!  You can pick up your copy at Borders. 

Senseo - Truly, A Gift from Above

I love me some coffee.  Love it, love it, love it - want to marry it and have it's little espresso bean babies.

Oh, sorry, getting a little carried away.

I was sent the Senseo to try out.  I took it to work to have my boss give me her opinion, and we both loved it.  A truly fresh, frothy cup of steaming goodness in under a minute - really, what's not to love?  The set up was the hardest part, and that really wasn't too bad.  My only trouble was that the directions didn't tell us to make sure it was clamped down and I ended up flooding her desk.  But, hey, it's all good in the name of coffee, right?  Doubling the pods makes two cups - a genius idea, so that you can avoid waiting while your boss drinks and sighs ecstatically.  The clean up is a breeze; simply dump the pod out and you are free to go again, with no loose grains to clean up.

I brought the machine home and we tried several different pods - the thought that my coffee comes from a pod cracks me up each time - including the tea and the espresso and the milder coffees and the Barista blends - the list goes on and on.  With that kind of variety, I can use the Senseo every day. 

And I do.  And so does my mom.  We are one happy Senseo coffee drinking family here!

I've got five $20 off coupons to give away, so leave me a comment if you are interested, and check out this link for your chance to win your own system!