It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my son and his cousin (whom I had to babysit this week) so engaged in their games. I’ve been dreading the rainy season as I don’t want to encourage them to watch DVDs all day long. Since I got the Beyblade Metal Fusion Super Vortex Battle Set for them, I’ve had to drag the boys away for their meals. In fact I’ve had to insist that they watch a DVD just to calm down a bit.

Beyblade is now the new rage amongst boys, replacing The Bakugan. The boys have become very involved with making strategies and game plans to knock their opponent out of the arena or even the game that they hardly find something else to talk about.

I must say that I’m pleased with the way that that they improved their strategic and deductive thinking. It’s also helped their creative thinking abilities.

The kids love the fast pace, the excitement and the constant, non-threatening, challenge. I’m afraid that my daughter is also getting in on the game and sometimes one of them has to sit out.

The Beyblade Metal Fusion Super Vortex Battle Set comes with Metal Fusion Beystadium, two Beyblade tops, two assembly tools, two launchers, two rip cords, rule book, tournament tablet, two online code collector cards, and instructions. You can yours at Amazon.

Please Explain “Anxiety” to Me! is co-written by the Feelings Doctor aka psychologist Dr.Laurie Zelinger who herself had gone through an anxiety phase when she was a kid. The book explains anxiety to the reader by using the characters of dinosaurs and then moves on to compare them to human reactions. The story, written in an easy to understand and simple language will benefit young children who are trying to have a better grasp of the biological reasons behind anxiety. I like that the author actually pointed out that anxiety is not ALL BAD. It’s when there is too much anxiety that causes some upsetting responses.

As a parent, I learned something new in the book too! Did you know that we have a “sympathetic nervous system” ? It’s like a switch in our body which gets turned on when we feel that we are in danger. This “switch” is NOT supposed to be on all the time. To counter this reaction, the authors have recommended some simple activities to relax the mind and body such as breathing more slowly, blowing a giant soap bubble, doing jumping jacks, playing jump rope or even daydreaming something fun. You can find four fun rhymes at the end of the book which will help children remember these therapeutic techniques.

I like that Please Explain “Anxiety” To Me! covers the “why” and “how to” of anxiety in a kid friendly manner. Knowing what causes anxiety in children is not enough as it is equally important that the child suffering from it, understands this as well. Just as important is the fact that as parents, we know HOW TO teach our children to deal with anxiety.  There is also a special page on “Notes To Parents” which I find pretty informative.

Overall, Please Explain “Anxiety” To Me! is a good book with beautiful and colourful illustrations which will serve as a useful tool for parents to help TURN OFF the anxiety switch of children who are suffering from it. You can get your copy from Amazon.

Disclosure : I received the above book courtesy of Parent Reviewers to facilitate my review. I was not compensated for this post and all  opinions expressed are 100% my own.

In the past few decades attacks on women and girls have escalated to an alarming number. Attacks in parking lots, deserted roads, at school and even at home have become almost the norm. Prosecuting assailants is also very difficult due to a lack of evidence or the victim being intimidated so much that she withdraws her charges.

It is therefore essential that women – and specifically girls – learn how to protect themselves. There are a myriad of ways that girls can prevent attacks but, more importantly, there are many things they can do when an attack is inevitable.

Learning self defence has a number of advantages. The first advantage is that it teaches the girl how to defend herself when under attack. It teaches her the skill to remain as calm as possible and think about what her options are and how to maximise any advantages that she may have. Being able to protect yourself, also leads to a higher sense of confidence in one’s own abilities which, in turn, leads to higher self esteem. The most important aspect of self defence is that the girl can leave an attack virtually unharmed.

When a girl knows how to handle herself in threatening situations, her parents can also feel more relaxed about her health and safety when she goes out for a party, on a date or late-night work. Self defence knowledge will take a lot of stress out of these situations and she can still enjoy life – safely.