Books to boost your child's self-esteem and relationships

The Mouse, The Monster and Me is a book written to help kids understand different character traits, and find out who they are. This book encourages kids to be themselves and teaches them how they can better themselves. This book talks about how some people can act like a "monster": which is someone who is pushy, aggressive, mean or bully, and they are not very thoughtful. This book also describes "mice" people: which are the very nice people, the ones that are sometimes too nice to people that people can take advantage of them. Mice like people are those that are afraid, timid, passive and non-assertive, and may not stand up for themselves. I think this book does a great job explaining how kids can better themselves and be happy who they are. The book defines different ways on how to be yourself using strength & power, compliments and criticism, and knowing your rights and responsibilities. In the book, there are questions that you can answer to help you think more about the topic: for example, you can write down your strengths, write down what people say about you/and write what you believe you are, and write down some decisions you would like to make. I think this book is a great resource for kids to really think about what they feel, how they are with other people, and think about if they need to change anything. If kids recognize they maybe are acting more like a monster-type or mouse-type, I think this book could be a great tool to help them make some positive changes in their choices with how they respond. Overall, I think this is a great book for pre-teen/teen age kids. I think it makes a great workbook for kids to do and helps them use the information to work on themselves strive to exceed. I like that this book gives ideas, helps kids think/talk about their feelings and attitudes, and in general gets them thinking about so much. I highly recommend this book!
Liking Myself is a great book that reassures the reader and listener that it is great to be who you are. Here is a glimpse into what this book covers:
What you feel, who you are, being your own friend, letting your feelings be known, being your own person, knowing how your body is responding to what you are going through, and letting others be who they are. There are a few great games in this book to help kids do some hands-on activities to help learn the concepts described in this book. One of the games that I liked was the "I think, I feel, I want game." With this game kids are asked to have a partner and go back and forth sharing their feelings using the three phrases. This game is to teach kids that they own their feelings, their feelings don't hurt others, and what they feel isn't wrong. Plus, they learn a lot about the other person using these phrases. This book can be used as a great resource to build a conversation with your child about their feelings, and the feelings of others. I think this book is another great book to work through with your child.
These books are widely recommended by teachers, school psychologists, counselors and guidance groups. The Mouse, the Monster and Me, by Pat Palmer, Ed. D. (ages 8 and up) $12.99 Liking Myself, by Pat Palmer, Ed.D (ages 5-9) $12.99

Dr. Pat Palmer, author of many books for children and teens, and adults, offers compassionate, positive ways to handle and express feelings, be assertive, and be confident. A therapist and former Director of the Assertiveness Training Institute in Denver, she continues to write at her home in Hawaii.

Liking Myself and The Mouse, the Monster and Me are available from UpliftPress.com (free shipping).

This review was provided from Parent Reviewers and UpliftPress.com. They have provided me with two books to review and information to share with my readers. I was given the books for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

Sleepy Bear from Sleepy Wrap

I love the Sleepy Wrap for "wearing" my babies! I have found it to be the most comfortable wrap for me and my babies while I carry them around! Baby wearing is such a great way to not only provide comfort and protection to your babies and children, it is a great way to free up your hands for other tasks. I fully agree that babies are a lot happier when they are close to their parents after birth, so when you carry them in a wrap/sling/pouch, they are way more content. Sleepy Wrap carries one of the best wraps, in my opinion. Their fabric is stretchy, and fits most all body shapes. The colors that they offer for their wraps are multi-colored, so moms and dads can both feel comfortable wearing them. I love that I can wear my babies in the Sleepy Wrap, have a happy/content baby, and "save" my back from pains with the distribution of weight with the wrap. Well, Sleepy Wrap /NAP, Inc. recently introduced The Sleepy Bear, their very first stuffed toy to help promote baby wearing. I love this new little addition, and so do my children:
Madelyn loves the little Sleepy Bear. This adorable, cream-colored and 100% organic-filled bear is so soft and cuddly. The bear is wearing an Organic Khaki Sleepy Wrap and is baby wearing the baby bear. You can get the same Organic Khaki Sleepy Wrap from the Sleepy Wrap website for your baby wearing, too. It is an adorable stuffed animal, and I love that it promotes baby wearing. The Sleepy Bear is the first stuffed toy to promote babywearing! Plus, I love that this bear is safe with material it is made and filled with. I don't have to worry about my youngest getting his hands on a choking hazard while playing with the Sleepy Bear either, because it isn't made with any buttons or snaps. The Sleepy Bear's eyes, nose, and mouth are all stitched on so that my baby's little hands won’t have anything to pull off. That is reassuring!

Madelyn gives lots of kisses and hugs to her new bear. She loves the little baby inside the wrap, too. I wore Madelyn in many pouches/wraps/slings and loved "wearing" her! The Sleepy Wrap is our favorite wrap, especially for a long day at the zoo. She loves being held, cuddled and carried, so she is a big-time promoter of baby wearing, too!

The Sleepy Bear has found a good home here. I highly recommend this adorable and cuddly bear! Our children can see the baby wearing idea, and know that it is a great thing! Plus, they can see that their Sleepy Bear loves to wear it's baby, too!

These adorable, baby wearing, stuffed animals are only available from these retailers for a SRP of $29.95:

Tadpoles & Butterflies

Sherwood Park, Alberta CANADA

info@tadpoles.cahttp://www.tadpoles.ca/

1.888.312.6554 S

Supermommy’s Superstore

2411 Ring Road, Suite 105

Elizabethtown, KY

accounts@supermommyssuperstore.comhttp://www.supermommyssuperstore.com/ 270.769.6693

Sweet Infant

1007 S. Country Club Rd.

Lovington, NM

support@sweetinfant.comhttp://www.sweetinfant.com/

575.441.3005

Nurtured Family

8525 Jackrabbit Rd., Suite B

Houston, TX

support@nurturedfamily.comhttp://www.nurturedfamily.com/

832.239.5140

Heavenly Hold

510 Briarfield Crossing

Marietta, GA

amber@heavenlyhold.comhttp://www.heavenlyhold.com/

404.849.5394

Baby Carriers-n-More

265 W Cimmarron Way

Erda, UT

robyn@babycarriersnmore.comhttp://www.babycarriersnmore.com/

801.671.5740

Attached to Baby

Seattle, WA

sara@attachedtobaby.comhttp://www.attachedtobaby.com/

800.887.1461

Thanks to Parent Reviewers, I was given a Sleepy Bear to review for my article.

Trebellina DVD: and introduction to music and instruments!

I come from a very musical family, and we were all raised with music composition, piano playing/practicing, and we all love music. I am a big time believer in exposing my children to music, instruments, and rhythm/beats. I was happy to review the Trebellina DVD when I was asked from Parent Reviewers.
Trebellina is a child friendly DVD to introduce your child to music, instruments and musical concepts. I enjoyed watching this DVD with Caleb (almost 4 years old) and Madelyn (2 years old). We had a great time learning about the different instruments, and what they sound like. Trebellina shows you the notes on the piano keyboard, and sings the note. My kids liked singing (matching the note) with Trebellina. My kids liked this DVD and request watching it. I think it is an easy way to introduce the basics at an early age. The graphics aren't high quality, but the lessons and teachings are of great quality.

Here is an excerpt from their site:
Vivacious Trebellina leads the note lessons. Along with Rock Bassey, she teaches your young child how to read the note in the treble clef and identify the corresponding key on the piano. Fun Rhythmo leads your child through a basic rhythm lesson, encouraging movement. Fascinating live action segments introduce percussion instruments from cabasa to cow bell so that your baby will quickly learn their sounds and see how some can be played. Other segments introduce the sound of various instruments in the context of foot-tapping music, coupled with relevant visuals. And, of course, parents will love the music as much as their children!
The engaging music and sound with oral explanation caters to auditory learners. Visual learners will especially appreciate the beautiful pictures and cleverly styled words. The upbeat dance and rhythm scenes encourage kinesthetic learners.
For the preschooler or older toddler, the Trebellina and Friends series is the perfect precursor to formal piano or other instrument lessons.

Trebellina has won many awards and accolades from “noteworthy” organizations, including Dr. Toy, iParenting Media, Aegis, Dove and The National Parenting Center. If you are looking for a program to introduce music, instruments and theory to your child, I would like to recommend Trebellina to you. Trebellina is retailed at $19.95, and you can also purchase other products from the Cristofori Baby website.