Reviews by Friends of dsunshine610

Katrena says "My Kids Love This Disney Princess Step Stool" about Disney Princess Step Stool

Katrena — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:28:45 GMT

The Disney Princess Step Stool is a cool stool for little girls who like pink and princesses. When I happened to see this one on sale at 75% off at Dollar General, I grabbed it and made a beeline for the checkout. I knew my girls would love it.

What I like about the Disney Princess Step Stool:

My daughters love Disney princesses and pink.
It has rubber tipped legs, which makes it less prone to slide.
It is fairly sturdy but wouldn't hold large amounts of weight.
I got it on sale at the end of the summer.
It's pretty lightweight and easy to move.

The Negatives on the Disney Princess Step Stool:

My 2-year-old can now reach things that she knows I put out of her reach.
It wasn't a terribly high price before the sale (less than $5) around here.
My kids (8, 5, 2) seem to always want to climb on this thing, and the 2-year-old usually sets it right on my foot before standing on it.
It has tipped a few times.

I'm pretty sure the label on this one said that this is for sitting and not standing...shouldn't...

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Jolie says "buyuggsboot.net is a scam! Ugg Boots from China that are fake." about www.buyuggsboot.net

Jolie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:22:46 GMT

Background on Buyuggsboot.net

A friend of mine at Viewpoints recently passed along a site called www.buyuggsboot.net. She found it online. www.buyuggsboot.net is a web site that sells all styles of Ugg Boots at discounted prices.

We werent certain if www.buyuggsboot.net were the real or not. But after a thorough review of the site, we thought it was legit. Buyuggsboot.net looks like a reasonable reseller of Ugg Boots. The page is designed well, the pictures look authentic and they make claim to having the real deal. They also consistently site throughout the web site having customer satisfaction commitments.

To add to the thought it was authentic, the pricing seemed good but not amazing. As you probably know a typical pair of Ugg Boots cost about $110. On Buyuggsboot.net the cost was $89.00- approximately a $20 savings. Seemed like a good deal, but they werent so cheap that I thought it could be scam. As an aside, last year Nordstrom had a similiar sale on Ugg boots so the pricing seemed...

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Katrena says "Smartvalve Toilet Fill Valve Left Me Feeling Pretty Slow & Dumb" about American Standard Smartvalve Toilet Valve Model 3198.000

Katrena — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:12:13 GMT

The American Standard Smartvalve toilet fill valve box says "Installs in under 15 minutes." I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. I figured that even if it took my husband an hour and a half to get home that I would be able to smile and say "I already fixed the toilet!"

I am not a plumber. I do not have a plumber's tools. I don't make the money that plumbers do; therefore, I went to Lowe's and bought this thing that used to have a floating ball in it but newer versions now go straight up and down on a rod. It is supposed to cue the water to stop running after the back of the toilet fills to the appropriate level.

What I Like about SmartValve:

Height adjustment is easy--just twist the yellow part and lift or lower and then twist back to lock.
Opening the top for maintenance is easy, although I wouldn't recommend doing that while the water is running like my husband did. :)
There aren't many parts, but the directions didn't really talk about where to put all of the parts.
I can now flush...

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Katrena says "Rudolph is a Favorite Christmas Movie at My House" about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:49:07 GMT

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer has the charm of an older movie with a story that never grows old. This movie focuses on how being different really isn't bad at all.

Sam the Snowman sets the stage and narrates the story beautifully. The characters are lovable, even the Abominable. Although Santa is a bit grouchy in places, he begins to cheer near the end. Even the relentless elf boss decides to soften at bit. The technology used to make the characters is quite interesting and really appeals to kids. Even the scary characters don't look all that scary.

The Story:

Rudolph is born looking different from the other reindeer because he has a shiny red nose. His father decides Rudolph should wear a cover over his nose, and Rudolph is showing great promise as the young ones try out for the sleigh team. Unfortunately, his cover pops off and Rudolph is no longer welcome by the other reindeer his age...except Clarice, who has a crush on him and decides he looks better without the silly cover.

Eventually...

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Katrena says "Twenty-six Princesses is a Fun Twist on an Alphabet Book" about Dave Horowitz - Twenty-Six Princesses

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:22:11 GMT

Twenty-six Princesses [2008, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN: 978-0-399-24607-4] by Dave Horowitz is a 32-page children's picture book that covers the letters of the alphabet as the story of these princesses develops.

Not all of the princesses are being particularly ladylike, and I think that's why my girls like this one. The book also incorporates rhyming and lots of humor. My girls got a kick out of Princess Nell, who apparently passed gas and they also started laughing about "Princess Ruth, mithing a tooth."

The illustrations are colorful and compliment the story.

My Viewpoint:

Twenty-six Princesses is an alphabet book that shows lots of princesses, many of which are behaving badly. This can be a fun book and my kids liked to look for the letter of the alphabet that was somewhere on each page. The rhyming words made the book fun to read. People who are looking for well behaved princesses in their storybooks would probably do better to try another children's book.

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Katrena says "Find Moon Phase Image for Any Date 1800-2199: Cool!" about Moon Phase Images Virtual Reality Web Site

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:36:20 GMT

The Moon Phase Images Virtual Reality Web Site offers visitors the opportunity to find out the moon phase for dates between 1800 and 2199. According to the web site, the lunar images were created by R. Schmidt.

How It Works:

The home page shows a virtual image of the moon as it appears at the present time in universal time that is updated every four hours. Users may also choose to see the moon as it appears at another time by choosing:

Century
Year
Month
Day
Hour
Time Zone (Universal, Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific)

What I Like About This Web Site:

Easy navigation--users can go back and reset with another date quickly
Very simple--doesn't have advertisements or other topics
Easy to use--my 8-year-old learned how to use it in just a few minutes
Wide range of dates available
Seems to be accurate but I

What I Don't Like About This Web Site:

The default century is the 1900s
It doesn't list the name of the phase--just shows the picture

My Viewpoint:

My daughter has had an assignment to...

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Katrena says "104.7 fm Radio "The Fish" Has Great Christian Christmas Music" about 104.7 fm radio "The Fish" Web Site

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:11:35 GMT

Radio stations don't like the area in which I live. I'm in a rural area where even cell phones often do not pick up. It's not unusual to see people walking around outside their homes when they try to talk on the phone. Radio? Well, if it's not clear, sometimes it's just not worth the effort...unless I try to pick up a station on the radio.

I love to listen to Christmas music. I came across the web site for 104.7 fm "The Fish" in Atlanta by accident, and I'm glad that I did. This Christian radio web site is very user friendly, and at this time they are playing all Christian Christmas music. I particularly enjoy listening to the Christian Christmas music, both older and newer songs, and this station is playing both. They are playing a few secular songs like Frosty and Sleigh Ride. They advertise that they are kid friendly, and so far I would agree with that.

I can easily find the area to click to listen to the station live, and I can also see the last 15 songs played. The song list has...

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Katrena says "Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress & Sweater Combo Has Pretty Style" about Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress and Sweater Combo

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:39:49 GMT

This Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress and Sweater Combo has a unique style with five layers cascading down, alternating white algodon with blue and white print fabric. Each layer also has a pretty patterned strip to separate the layers with a small lace ruffle at the bottom. Daisies encircle the bottom edge of the dress and a matching soft white cotton sweater can be worn with the dress.

I'm not sure on the price of this dress, but I thought it made a cute gift.

What I Like About the Dress:

It is a very pretty style that looks so cute!
The blue doesn't fade onto the white fabric.
The sweater is separate, so it can be worn sleeveless on really hot days.
This dress has been durable--my daughter loves to climb and crawl and usually puts her clothes to the test.

What I Don't Like About the Dress:

The daisies aren't sewn completely down and tend to curl up.
The dress and sweater both have tags--my 5-year-old absolutely HATES tags.

My Viewpoint:

I think this Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress and Sweater...

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Katrena says "Tinkyada Grand Shell Pasta is OK but Hard to Cook Properly" about Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta Grand Shell (with Rice Bran)

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:18:21 GMT

Tinkyada brown rice pasta grand shells with rice bran is a very small box of very large pasta shells.

What I like about Tinkyada brown rice pasta grand shells:

I do like the way this product is produced and packaged. It has clear labels regarding multiple allergens and includes the following information:

wheat free
gluten free
kosher certified
cholesterol free
low far
low sodium
source of fiber

This product is manufactured in a factory in which the entire factory only produces rice products, so there isn't the risk of cross-contamination of wheat products, which is great. I've bought quite a few Tinkyada pastas and they seem to be consistently labeled and it's nice to have the peace of mind to have something absolutely gluten-free. I believe these are also organic because they are sold at Whole Foods, which specializes in organic products.

What I don't like about Tinkyada brown rice pasta grand shells:

The package says these are not mushy--that's an understatement. It seems to take forever...

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Katrena says "Pioneer Sisters Gives Glimpse of Life in the Past" about Melissa Peterson and Laura Ingalls Wilder - Pioneer Sisters

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:39:17 GMT

Pioneer Sisters [1935, HarperTrophy, ISBN: 0-06-442046-9] by Melissa Peterson and Laura Ingalls Wilder and illustrated by Renee Graef is a 73-page children's chapter book about two sisters, Laura and Mary, from The Little House on the Prairie. Although this book was originally written quite a few years ago, it has a wonderful charm and can give kids a glimpse of what life was like before TV and computers.

The book has eight chapters. My kids particularly liked the one about a fire in the house and how the two sisters decided to use a haystack as a sliding board, even after their Pa told them not to do so. The chapter about Christmas surprises offers a stark contrast to the numerous presents that children often get today.

My Viewpoint:

I have an 8-year-old who is now reading chapter books. She recently discovered the collection of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and enjoys them. I've also read some of these books out loud so that the 5-year-old can enjoy them as well. Pioneer Sisters focuses...

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Katrena says "A Very Strange Dollhouse Was Too Strange for Me" about A Very Strange Dollhouse

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:29:08 GMT

A Very Strange Dollhouse [1996, Grosset & Dunlap, ISBN: 0-448-41346-9] by Jennifer Dussling and illustrated by Sonja Lamut is a 48 page children's chapter book designed for beginning readers ages 6-8.

A little girl makes a new friend and goes over to her house to play. The little girl has a dollhouse with real people in it. It seems as if that girl's parents have made her mad and the little girl decides to make her parents into tiny dollhouse sized characters. Will this new friend end up changing the main character into a doll as well?

My Viewpoint:

I guess I'm not a big fan of scary and weird books. I'll admit that I stepped on a few cracks as a child in the hopes of breaking my mom's back but A Very Strange Dollhouse seemed to border on voodoo or witchcraft or something of that nature. That's just something I'm not interested in nor do I want my kids to be reading about it.

I'm giving this one a thumbs down for content, although the writing technique and illustrations do compliment...

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Katrena says "Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids is Very Informative" about Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:13:28 GMT

Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids [2002, Little Brown and Company, ISBN: 0-316-30903-6] by Gail Gibbons is a 32-page children's book about trees. It is loaded with illustrations that compliment the information covered.

This book tells interesting facts about trees, such as how to tell a tree's age, in the first section. Kids who are interested in tree facts can learn lots of basic information here.

The second main section of the book shows illustrations of trees and shows how to identify them, including:

live oak
weeping willow
tamarack
cottonwood
lombardy poplar
white birch
elm
sweet cherry
red oak
beech
sugar maple
white pine
pin oak (I had thought that this one had long skinny leaves but learned differently here)
canary palm
black walnut

The last section of the book contains ideas for leaf projects, such as pressing a leaf and doing leaf rubbings and bark rubbings. It also gives interesting tree facts. I didn't realize that the famous sequoias may weigh up to two million tons and...

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Katrena says "Pouch! is Cute Children's Book about Bravery & Separation" about Pouch!

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:48:12 GMT

Pouch! [2009, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN: 978-0-399-25051] by David Ezra Stein is a 32-page children's picture book about a baby kangaroo who is trying to get up the courage to meet others outside of his mother's pouch.

The Story:

Baby Joey has discovered a whole new world outside of his mom's pouch, but that big world is awfully scary. Each time he encounters another animal, he yells "Pouch!" and hops back into the safety of his mother's protective pouch. He is frightened by a bee, rabbit, and then a bird.

Then another baby kangaroo approaches with the resulting "Pouch!" yell from both baby kangaroos..but wait, will little Joey and the other kangaroo decide to venture out again and make a new friend?

The illustrations are colorful and compliment the story nicely.

My Viewpoint:

Pouch! is a cute look at venturing out to test out the big world. The book allows little Joey to work at his own pace and in his own way. Sometimes I wish I had a pouch for my little ones! I think that a paren's job...

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Katrena says "Little Rabbit's Christmas Encourages Kids to Share" about Little Rabbit's Christmas

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:34:34 GMT

Little Rabbit's Christmas [2007, Peachtree, ISBN13: 978-1-56145-419-8] by Harry Horse is a 32-page children's picture book about sharing at Christmas.

The Story:

Little Rabbit wants a sled for Christmas, but when he wakes up he is disappointed that no sled is in sight. He looked in his stocking, under the tree, and even up the chimney, but he didn't get a sled...but wait! There's something red outside, and Little Rabbit is thrilled to see exactly what he wanted for Christmas.

He decides to go sledding right away, and several of his friends appear and show him their presents of tools and paint, but Little Rabbit isn't very interested. He wants to go sledding. The others might break his sled, so Little Rabbit decides only he can use his new Christmas toy.

Unfortunately, Little Rabbit's wild ride down the hill ends in disaster for his brand new sled. His friend appear...will they laugh, say "I told you so," or find a way to help Little Rabbit?

My Viewpoint:

Little Rabbit's Christmas features...

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Katrena says "Leaf Man Looks at How Leaves Can Resemble Other Things" about Leaf Man

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:18:30 GMT

Leaf Man [2005, Harcourt, Inc., ISBN: 0-15-205304-2] by Lois Ehlert is a fun children's picture book that shows how leaves can resemble people, animals, and scenery. It has 36 pages, and some of them are cut out at the top and/or side to add interest. The illustrations are colorful and fun and encourage kids to look for the various characters formed by the "Leaf Man."

Here are some of the items formed with the leaves:

ducks
geese
pumpkins
squash
turkey
vegetables
cows
prairie
fish
butterflies
birds

Leaf Man also has a section at the back that shows various leaves and identifies what type of tree they represent, including:

beech
elm
poplar
cottonwood
hawtorn
linden
birch
and more

My Viewpoint:

Leaf Man is a pretty quick read with just a small amount of writing on each page, but kids can enjoy looking at the pictures for quite a while. Some characters are easier to see than others. I found the identification of the leaves at the back to be quite informative, and this book could spark a...

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Katrena says "ABC Dentist Gives a Dental Twist to the Alphabet" about Harriet Ziefert - ABC Dentist

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:56:04 GMT

ABC Dentist [2008, Blue Apple Books, ISBN: 987-1-934706-31-2] by Harriet Ziefer and illustrated by Liz Murphy is a 32-page children's picture alphabet book. Each letter of the alphabet takes on another dental-related topic as the book progresses. It is actually quite informative as it talks about topics such as:

types of teeth
parts of the teeth
vitamins
yellow teeth
dental chair
and more

ABC Dentist also adds a bit of humor. I had to smile when I saw "wad of cotton" for the W page. The illustrations are very colorful and provide nice detail for the parts that have diagrams and such.

The book is kid-friendly and makes going to the dentist look like a fun adventure. (My kids actually enjoy going to the dentist, but I know many kids and adults who don't exactly look forward to dental visits.)

My Viewpoint:

ABC Dentist is a colorful and informative alphabet book with a dental focus. This would be a teaching tool in a class preparing to learn about the dentist. It might also help a child...

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Katrena says "My Forever Dress Shows Interesting Way to Help the Environment" about My Forever Dress

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:41:31 GMT

My Forever Dress [2009, Blue Apple Books, ISBN: 987-1-934706-45-9] by Harriet Ziefert and illustrated by Liz Murphy is a 36-page children's picture book about a grandmother who makes her granddaughter a dress and beging tweaking it each year rather than making a new one. The pages are thick and the illustrations are colorful and engaging and compliment the story nicely.

The Story:

A young girl goes to her grandmother's house and is fitted for a new dress. She is thrilled to get the chance to pick out the material and to help make the dress. The next year, Grandma decides that she can just add a bit to the dress rather than to make a new one since the granddaughter is only a little bit taller. This can help save the environment, Grandma points out. She offers to make a new dress the next year, but the girl wants to go green again and Grandma takes the dress apart and re-works it into something else, and the handmade dress is dubbed the forever dress...but the little girl doesn't wear it...

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Katrena says "Booming Bella is About a Very Loud Girl in a Very Quiet Place" about Carol Ann Williams - Booming Bella

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:05:53 GMT

Booming Bella [2008, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN: 987-0-399-24277-9] by Carol Ann Williams and illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss is a 32-page children's picture book about a little girl with a big mouth.

The Story:

The school class is going on a field trip to a museum, and Bella is excited...too excited. She practically yells about each thing that catches her eye, much to the dismay of her teacher and classmates. After arriving at the museum, the teacher reminds Bella to be quiet, and she is...until they get in the door. Finally, the person talking to the class at the museum gets frustrated and says that she cannot continue if Bella keeps blurting and shouting out the answers to all of her questions.

Bella gets the message loud and clear and clams up. She doesn't talk for the rest of the tour and hangs her head. Suddenly, she notices that children are getting on the bus ready to leave and she hurries in to sit down but realizes that she is on a bus full of people she doesn't know. The bus is...

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Katrena says "Museum Shapes Intruduces Kids to Art While Teaching Shapes" about Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.) - Museum Shapes

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:48:21 GMT

Museum Shapes [2005, Little Brown and Company, ISBN: 0-316-05698-7] incorporates various paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in order to teach kids about various shapes. The book has several pictures of paintings and asks if the child can find the matching shape in the picture.

The shapes covered in this book are:

square
circle
rectangle
triangle
oval
arch--this one was a little bit hard for the kids to figure out
crescent
diamond
heart--my kids particularly liked the heart-shaped book on one page
star

The back of the book shows the pictures and gives details like the name of the painting, the artist, medium used for the artwork, if it was dedicated to someone, etc.

My Viewpoint:

All of my kids (ages 8, 5, and 2) found Museum Shapes to be interesting. They were all looking for the various shapes and would ask for me to go back so they could look longer at the pictures. This book is interesting because it shows famous paintings and gives background information at the end of the...

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Katrena says "The Three Bears Christmas Combines Christmas with 3 Bears" about The Three Bears Christmas

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:33:49 GMT

The Three Bears Christmas [2005, Holiday House, ISBN: 0-8234-1871-5] by Kathy Duval and illustrated by Paul Meisel is a 32-page children's picture book about a new visitor to the Three Bears' house.

The Story:

The Three Bears decide to go for a walk to let the food cool, but Goldilocks is not the mystery visitor this time. It is cold outside and as they walk, Baby Bear hears and sees things that are suspicious, but Mama and Papa just think those strange things are actually normal wintery phenomenon.

When they get back to the house, they are surprised to see that someone has nibbled at their food, sat in their chairs, and rumbled the beds. The mystery visitor left several red clothing items along the way, and Baby Bear notices each one. Finally, they see someone outside that is up in the air--minus a few clothes! The bears don't stay upset for long...after all, the mystery visitor did leave presents.

My Viewpoint:

The Three Bears Christmas is a fun Christmas book that combines parts of...

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