WISHING ALL THE FATHERS, DADS & PAPAS AROUND THE WORLD

Attention all BlogHer 2010 Moms! Do you need a time-out and some quality “me” time? Well, BornFree wants to give you a well deserved break!

BornFree is offering one lucky mom going to BlogHer 2010 in NYC this August the Ultimate Indulgence Package at Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon & Spa, Dinner for two at The Russian Tea Room & a $1,000 NYC Shopping Spree! Here’s the link to enter & win.

Everyone in our family are huge fans of Baskin-Robbins ice cream but we only get to enjoy them ocassionally as it can be quite costly to bring the whole troop out for such a night out. Thus, when I received the inside scoop on Baskin-Robbins 31 Cent Scoop Night, I was ecstatic that I could share it with you guys.

Dunkin’ Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation has partnered with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and is donating $100,000 to the organization to further support the firefighting community. The NFFF honors America’s fallen fire heroes and their families by developing and expanding programs to recognize fallen heroes and assist their families and co-workers. Area firefighters will be at local Baskin-Robbins stores teaching children and their families fire safety tips and enjoying ice cream with their community. It’s a fun, inexpensive way for families to spend time with each other and get to know the men and women who dedicate themselves to protecting their community every day.

Full details of the event are below.

Event Details:

Who: Everyone!
What: Baskin-Robbins 31 Cent Scoop Night. 31 cents per 2.5oz scoop – any flavor!
Where: All Baskin-Robbins locations nationwide (US)
When: Wednesday, April 28 from 5pm – 10pm
Why: To serve those who serve others: Baskin-Robbins has partnered with the NFFF who support families and co-workers of fallen firefighters
The Inside Scoop: Looking for a flavor to try? Fan favorite Cotton Candy is April’s Flavor of the Month. This pink and purple Cotton Candy-flavored ice cream is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.

In today’s world, information is everything. Not only is information powerful, it is actively looked for by a greater number of people for a wider array of purposes. More and more people are trying to make better choices with their money by gaining more and more information on the products that they might purchase. Here, product reviews make for a very important source of information. One needs to be able to understand this need in order to be able to write a good product review. This is especially true for those products which are family oriented, as more and more people will have a say in the utility and other aspects of the product, and their priorities might clash. Here are a few things to keep in mind to enable you to write a product review that will stand out!

In the United States, nearly eighty five percent of the consumers depend upon and go though product reviews before finalizing their purchase. Therefore, it is always a good idea to have a description of the product by the customers who have already bought the product and are using it currently. Their comments, testimonials and complains can make your product review shine with authentic and useful information which will be highly appreciated both by the potential customer as well as the company which sells the product and markets it.

The product description should be accurate and contain as much details about the product as possible. Try not to be too lengthy to the extend that it bores your readers. Use language which can be understood by an average member of a family. Too many technical details and use of jargon is just going to make the whole review painful and useless. However, using simple words to describe, say, the functional capacity of a washing machine or the speed of a hard drive is a good idea.

Positives and negatives should both be included, but try and keep the language as neutral as possible both ways. The positives should be backed by personal experience as a user, and the negatives should be followed by possible solutions or even alternatives. It is always a good idea to include a photograph of the product you are writing a review of. A photo of you or your family members actually utilizing the product is a definite plus. This helps the reader connect more to the review, and makes the whole thing look more professional.

Finally, your review should sound honest, neutral and where possible, unbiased.

Toys are an essential component of a child’s developmental years. Not only do they form an important component of early education for the child, they are also highly prized and desirable objects for the child, who can often spend hours together in the company of his or her favourite toy. The importance of toys in a child’s life is thus underlined by the large amount of time that a child spends in physical and emotional contact with these. Therefore, while buying toys for children; two major aspects should be thoroughly looked at – the physical safety of the toy, and the emotional and cerebral impact of the toy on the child.

Talking about the physical safety of toys, it is important to look at the material, design and construction of the toy in question. Materials like cheap plastics, lead paints and brittle plastics should be avoided at all costs. The design of the toy should be age appropriate. That is to say that small components and parts should not be present in the toys of younger children. These obviously constitute a choking hazard, and the child tends to lose these small components quite easily, rendering the whole assembly worthless. Look out for allergies to synthetic fur used in stuffed toys. The construction of the toy should not have any sharp edges or vertices. These can hurt the child.

Children tend to put toys inside their mouth quite often, so if your child is below approximately six years of age, avoid buying toys like putty, clay and paints unless you are absolutely able to supervise playtime. The educational aspect of any toy is perhaps even more important than the physical aspect. It is a proven fact that children learn through play, and also gather information about things as mundane as touch, smell and taste to more complex aspects like social expectations, gender roles as well as natural instincts. Do not force your male child to discard playing with dolls if he likes to play with them. Also, it is advisable to look out for features that can be counter productive to a child’s development. These include spelling mistakes on board games, utilization of retrograde and antisocial language and/or violent components.

Look out for the age specifications given on the toy by the manufacturer. Most importantly, do keep your child’s interests in mind.

“What would you give up to end cancer?”

In 1938, the March of Dimes asked Americans to donate just ten cents to polio research. It was a resounding success. Sixty years later, Stand Up To Cancer is asking for just five dollars, with the aim of getting 10,000 five-dollar donations in a month.

Remember, we make not be able to make a huge difference alone but IF WE JOIN FORCES TOGETHER, WE CAN!  Your $5 could be the crucial donation that finally makes it possible to end cancer.

What would you give up today?

• A latte
• A beer
• A movie
• An ice cream
• A smoothie
• Two gallons of gas
• A sandwich
• A magazine
• A video game

Parents may find this video helpful. In the video, Dr. Joe Bresee, with CDC’s Influenza Division, describes the symptoms of swine flu and warning signs to look for that indicate the need for urgent medical attention.

From now through the end of October, everyone will have the opportunity to show that they’re taking a stand against breast cancer AND raise money for the cause by going to http://www.oneaday.com/takeastand/, and creating a customizable character in honor of someone special. The program goal is to urge women to start taking the simple steps to support their breast health, and offers tips on how and what to do.

In addition, for each character created, One A Day will make a donation to an donation to a breast cancer cause selected by consumers. The organizations that will be included are: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the American Cancer Society and Breast Cancer Network of Strength.

Check out the above widget, it’s fun to join the virtual march. Anyone can create a character and you can even upload a photo straight from Facebook! Help a good cause and spread the word about this campaign.