First Meals

First Meals – Fast, Healthy, and Fun Foods for Infants and Toddlers
Written by Anabel Karmel
Published at DK Canada

About the book

Give children the best start to life with the hundreds of recipes in this bestselling easy-to-use cookbook from children's food guru Annabel Karmel. From flavourful first purées and easy-to-make family meals to finger-licking picnic and party noshes, First Meals features over 200 enticing recipes for babies and toddlers.

Helpful tips from Annabel as well as nutritional information and tips on how to handle food allergies and fussy eaters complete this delicious book. Crammed with delicious recipes, practical advice and time – saving tips, this is an essential cookbook for all families with young children.

• Recipes tried and tested by a panel of babies of toddlers
• Nutritional breakdowns of recipes included

My Thoughts

When I had kids, I thought I would feed them the processed food found in stores.  After all, I was raised on such items and I turned out fine.  But after a couple of months when my oldest son joined our family, I discovered the possibility of making his purée food at home.  We got a book titled First Meals and proceeded to making out-of-the-ordinary purée for him (and eventually his siblings) with the help of our blender.   My husband was so amazed with the quality of the food made with this book that  he quickly told me to keep the book so that I can feed him good things if he ever has to eat only purée food.   Needless to say that the book is safely tucked in a box in our basement for the future – hopefully more for our grandkids than for my husband…

The new edition of the book contains over 200 tasty and healthy recipes that have been tested on babies, toddlers and young children.    These recipes will help you to assure that your child is getting all the benefits of a balanced diet from the younger stages of his/her life.     The book is packed with mouth-watering recipes that will develop the taste buds of your little one as he/she grows up.  From the creamy vegetable purée to the  sticky mango chicken you will find a huge variety of ideas that will allow you to introduce new flavors and textures in the mouth of your kids.   Since we cracked open our older edition of the book, I find new recipes that I want to try out – like that sticky mango chicken found in the 3 to 7 years old section which sounds delicious if you ask me… 

Let’s explore the table of contents together so you can see what the book covers;

• Early Nutrition
• Healthy Eating
• Food Allergies
• Kitchen Basics
• Weaning your Baby:  Starting solids, exploring tastes, first tastes recipes, new tastes and textures recipes
• 9 to 12 months: growing appetites, a varied menu recipes
• 12 to 18 months: changing needs, food for the senses recipes
• 18 months to 2 years: the active toddler, fast food for toddlers recipes, the picky eater recipes
• 2 to 3 years: early childhood, fun foods recipes
• 3 to 7 years old: preschool and beyond, healthy snacks recipes, family meals recipes
• Menu planner

Here’s my four kids in the age of purée food – they all tasted recipes found in the First Meals book we had back then (born in 2001, 2004, 2005, and 2007).

Now my kids are all grown up – respectively ages almost 13, 10, 8, and 6 – and though they are far from having kids of their own, I cherish my older version of this book (and the new one obviously) so that my grandkids have healthy options when they grow up.   Already the two oldest wants a copy of the book for their own kids (*grin)  and I told them they could share.  I also truly believe that my kids are not fussy about food and willing to try a variety of new flavors because of us being proactive in presenting numerous recipes from the older version of First Meals when they were young.

The author has also published other titles like More First Meals, Baby’s First Year, Mom and Me Cookbook and The Toddler Cookbook.   First Meals is a great idea for baby showers or new parents.  

First Meals is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

DK Canada is offering numerous books that are baby related in their April Baby Boutique.  Check them all out to see which one you think would be beneficial to you or someone in your family.

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned title for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Phonetic Zoo Level C

I was introduced to the Phonetic Zoo by another homeschooler in town who shared how it was helping her sons with their spelling.   I wasn’t too sure about it but she then mentioned that I could test my oldest child with their placement test.   My curiosity was picked and I was wondering how Alexandre, who is in grade 7 this year, would do in this placement test.  So one day back in early November 2013, I sat down with him at our dining table and proceeded in giving him the placement test.   At first, he wasn’t thrilled about it because he knew that he might have one more subject to do.   But he complied and wrote the test.

The placement test is quite easy to do.  You first give the spelling placement test I which would challenge kids from grades 3-5 (Level A).   Immediately, I knew that he would have facility in doing this spelling placement test but we went with it anyway.   Turns out that he had two errors with one of them was just because I had not given him a sentence using the word.  The word was wait but Alexandre had written weight.    So technically, he had only one wrong.   Because he missed between 0 and 6 words, the placement test suggested that I give him the third test (Level C).   So that’s what I did and started giving him the words in the Spelling Placement Test III.   As I gave him the words, he dutifully wrote them on a piece of paper.   After he finished the 50 words, I took his sheet of paper and started correcting the ones he missed.  Based on the Spelling Placement Test III, he had missed 10 words.    With this score in hands, I knew that if I wanted him to use the Phonetic Zoo, he would have to start at the level C (which is for high school and beyond).

What is Phonetic Zoo?

Phonetic Zoo is a phonics-based program that uses auditory input to ensure that the correct spelling of each word is absorbed by the brain.  The program is based on audio CDs which allow students to work independently much of the time, while allowing for the repetition in order to achieve mastery.

A package of Phonetic Zoom would include:

• 6 audio CDs
• Spelling and the Brain DVD with the following:
  • Spelling and the Brain video seminar
  • Introduction to The Phonetic Zoo video
  • The Phonetic Zoo teacher’s notes PDF file
• Lesson Cards with all three levels of spelling words and jingles
• Personal Spelling Cards to keep track of your student’s typical misspellings
• Zoo Cards, which serve as a way to practice jingles or as rewards

This program is designed for children ages 9 and up. If your student is younger, begin with All About Spelling.  There are three levels of the Excellence in Spelling program: Level A (primary), Level B (intermediate), and Level C (highest).   By giving your child one or more of the three spelling tests available on IEW, you can determine at which level he/she should begin. http://iew.com/spellplacetest

Our Experience

Now, when I gave the placement test to Alexandre it was impossible to purchase this right away.  However, I figure that I could always ask to review it.  Imagine my delight when I got a positive answer and received the Phonetic Zoo Level C in the mail one day.   Now, my son wasn’t thrilled at first.  But seeing how easy it was to use and how flexible the program was in term of progression, he agreed to do it.  

Phonetic Zoo Level C is specifically geared for grades 9-12 students.  However, my son, being in grade 7, had done the placement test and could comfortably use it at his level.   So we embarked on a journey of discovery in using Phonetic Zoo Level C late in November.   It has been four months we are using it on and off because of Christmas and the Olympics in February, but so far I like the way the program is presented.

First the child has to use a CD in order to get the list of words to spell in the notebook we had purchased.   Once he had gone through the first lesson, Alexandre was able to correct the ones he missed by himself.   Afterwards, the student has to redo the lesson until all the words are mastered.   Let me tell you that initially, my son wasn’t too happy about the fact that he had to redo the lesson, but to be honest I think it is the best way to learn.   After all, isn’t there a saying that tells us that practice makes perfect?   Anyhow, one of the lessons he had to redo three times.   But when he finally got all the words right, he was very happy about it.   Each lessons will challenge the child to spell correctly 15 words.  The pronunciation of the words is well done and allow the child plenty of time to write the answer in his notebook.   Following the spelling test, the next track on the CD will guide the child in correcting any words that he has missed.   If one or more words are not spelled properly, the child will have to redo the lesson until mastery is achieve and all the words are spelled correctly.

In all the level we have received has 6 discs of lesson containing over 47 lessons.   At intervals during the lessons, the child has to spell words from a personal spelling list.   At that point, the student and his teacher can select 15 words from previously done lessons that need to be correctly spelled two days in a row.    Once that is achieve, the student can continue the lessons with the CD until the next personal spelling test.   The last CD also contains the final exam divided in two parts and asking the child to spell correctly a total of 70 words.  If the child is able to spell correctly 63 words from that list, they are considered a mature speller.   However, if the result is less than 63 correct words, the child is asked to go through the whole set of CD again in order to better grasp the spelling rules, jingles and hints that had to be memorized.  The goal of this curriculum is to achieve excellence in spelling.

I am very impressed with the quality of the Phonetic Zoo curriculum.  To be honest, the more I see my oldest son using it, the more I look forward for my younger kids to use the lower levels.    And just the other day, I decided that I would also go through the Phonetic Zoo curriculum in order to deepen my English vocabulary (I am French Canadian).   So I asked my son to give me the placement tests and I also need to start at Level C.  

I highly recommend the Phonetic Zoo curriculum to anyone who would like their kids to improve in their spelling abilities.   It is a great tool to have that will also teach the child to become more independent in their lessons as they grow up. 

The price tag for Phonetic Zoo Level C for the CD alone is 79$.   If you wish to purchase the CD with the printed materials (Lessons cards, personal spelling cards, zoo cards) then expect paying 99$ for them.   (Note:  all prices are in US dollar).    Also available are Level A for grades 3-8 and Level B for grades 3-8.   Phonetic Zoo Level C is also available in Canada via Excellent Resources. 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Excellent Resources for sending me the above mentioned title for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Captain America The Winter Soldier Toy Line

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Toy Line
By Hasbro Canada

If they are movies that my husband and I are waiting patiently to come out in theatres – its definitively the ones that involved comic characters.   And this coming Friday – April 3rd, 2014 – the new Captain America movie will be out.     Along with the movie, Hasbro Canada has released numerous toys based on the character found in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  Being comic books fans, we are looking forward for the movie to come out and see it in theatre.    It’s a date that we never miss, my husband and I.   We always go see a comic book movie at the theater.   Our two oldest boy would love to see it as well but they will have to wait until the movie is out on DVD.

Once again, Hasbro has come out with fun toys based on the new movie of Captain America.  The characters from Captain America: The Winter Soldier will more than likely find interest in boys and girls throughout the country.   For the purpose of this blog post, I have received three items from their new selections of toys based on the movie.

Captain America Marvel Platinum 6” Legends Assortment

I specifically requested Black Widow as my girl loves Super Heroes movies just as much as her brothers.  Knowing that we have previous Captain America figures, I thought it would be nice to get one for her.   Imagine my delight when I opened the box and saw that I did received the Black Widow character.    

This Black Widow figure is no ordinary super-spy! She's got the same combat skills and weapons that make her so effective against evil. But she also comes with a torso that you can use to build a menacing Mandroid figure.   You will have to collect all the parts (other figures sold separately) to complete the armored droid, then send him and your Black Widow figure and her partners into battle.   This figure is much larger than the regular ones that we usually see everywhere.  Also included in the kit are an extra head and two hands which are good to have if you loose one.

Captain America 3.75” Super Soldier Gear Assortment

For the 3.75” figure, I was very happy to discover the Winter Soldier in the box.    Because we are comic book fans, we know who this character is but I won’t give you the mystery just yet in case it is clarified in the movie.     As we know, in the fight for freedom, Captain America battles foes packing an array of diabolical weapons. Your Captain America figure will  his match when he battles against the Winter Soldier who is armed with a precision strike weapon which will launch a missile right against him.

Captain America Quick Launch Vehicle Assortment

Finally, I also received  a Combat ATV vehicle on which Captain America will be way too fast for his enemies to handle.   On this heavy-duty combat vehicle, Captain America will be protected from behind with his shield on his back and chase his enemies down.   Thanks to the launcher, Captain America will be able to take them down in a matter of seconds.  

As you can see, there are numerous new toys based on the new Captain America The Winter Soldier movie.  You will be able to also find numerous other characters in the 3.75” and 6” size.   Don’t forget that in order to be able to build the Mandroid, you will need to get other 6” Captain America Marvel Platinum figures in order to build it.  Other vehicles are also available as well.

Each of these toys – as well as the others one available in this new line – are available at your favourite toy store through the country as well as on amazon.com.

  

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Hasbro Canada for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.