Adventures of Ai Review: PLUS A game you have to try

    Oh my gosh! I couldn't wait to do this post today! I'm so excited! Yesterday was the launch day for a new book targeted for children ages 9-12, called Adventures of Ai. It was written by Craig Bouchard who happens to be a New York Times best selling author. I really wanted to post this yesterday, but unfortunately I was having a hard time with everything electronic for a while, which put me back a bit. Serious frowny face! :( However, I finally got everything to work so that I could read the book and review it for everyone! Needless to say, I did a ton of reading in a short amount of time, and I'm so happy to share this with you all!

     Without giving away the entire book, I'll share some of what I enjoyed.

      A father has these amazing bedtime stories for his daughters who, by the way, cannot be fooled with cheesy stories. I think we all know how kids can point out when our stories stink on ice. He describes to the reader how he tells stories of the past to his daughters, who think the past was boring. When he gives his account, he does it with such color and description that the  characters are easy to relate to and they feel like old friends. I think it would be a great story to read to your children at night, in segments. I can imagine my younger self begging to hear just one more page! Just be warned, none of your stories will be this good. However, I don't feel like this is a book just for kids. It was very enjoyable and had plenty to keep adults turning the page. Overall, there is a lot of wonderful material here. It's more than just a story, and when you read it, you will understand why.

     I love the way the writer blurs the line of reality. It makes for a very interesting story and is the reason I feel adults will enjoy this tale too. There are illustrations as well as photos included, which adds depth to the story and really gets you involved. I was a huge fan of the artwork. It's a true journey that I really enjoyed being part of, even just as a reader.

       Thats not where the fun stops, because there's also a game for iOS, Android, and Kindle  to complement the book called Ai Adventures. Here is a preview of the game, which is now available for free download. I've played it and it's great and quite addicting. The thing I love best is this (and, yes, it's worth putting in bold letters): You can help your team win money for charity!

     Once you start the game, you'll see an explanation for the World Cup Charity. You can visit www.adventuresofai.com to see the charities being represented by each territory as well as rules. Once you know which territory you would like your points contributed to, you then click the area of the map that territory belongs to and then the flag and this will be your "team". Each time your play ends, your score is calculated into an average. The territory with the highest average points at the end of the contest wins cash for the associated charities. 

     I can't think of any way to make playing a game more productive.

     Here are the links to where you can find the ebook and app:

For the ebook:
From iTunes 
From Google Play
Google Books
Amazon for Kindle

For the game from the App Store:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ais-adventure/id874619193?mt=8

     Thanks for reading Amerimommy and please spread the word about these two products. I'm so glad Pulp PR reached out for the review of the ebook and game! I think it's incredible. Let me know what you think!

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My Reading Eggs Review: Why I think you should try it

    Helllooo, all! I'm here to share yet another review! Those of you who are fans of the Amerimommy Facebook page  will also find more posts in the future from Reading Eggs. Reading Eggs is pretty much a game that helps your child learn to read or build upon their current reading skills.

     The website states that the program is suitable for children ages 3-12. Luckily for me, I have friends and family with children on all ends of that age group to test this out on! I'm going to jump right into the review and say the kids loved it! The first thing that happens after signing up is a fun test to see how much the child already knows so they can start at a comfortable stage in the program. I really liked the way this was done. If you have a child on the younger side, you can opt to skip this and just let him/her start from the beginning.

     The activities were very colorful and entertaining with stories, music, and games. Each child really enjoyed the time s/he spent playing. I was also very impressed at the way it was set up. The best way I can describe it is that it was like a fruit smoothie with vegetables secretly blended in for a picky eater. They were having fun and were excited to get to the next level and it didn't seem like work.

     Here is the strangest thing - after only a couple hours, the child who couldn't spell before knew more letters and sounds and knew how to spell three words. That was the biggest shocker for me. Wow! It wasn't even a day and already there was a huge amount of progress. I can only imagine what would happen a few months down the road. Every child will pick it up at a different pace and that's important to remember. Upon reviewing the website, you will see that it states 97% of people notice improvement in their child's reading ability. I can definitely believe that from what I saw with my mini study group.

    Reading Eggs also offers a program called Mathseeds, which I haven't yet tested but I am so excited to try.

     So, yes, I do recommend trying this out! Here's the best part, you can still get a free 14 day trial on the website. You can test it out and see how much your child enjoys the program. That website is here. I know there are a lot of very expensive programs that make very large promises. It's nice to have one out there that offers a free trial with no credit card required - you just get to try it. You can really tell there was a lot of time and effort put into this by people who really know what kids are craving from their entertainment and studies. Reading Eggs is okay by me and most definitely gets a stamp of approval.

     ** In case you were wondering, it's been a month since I started testing this program and the child I described learning to spell can still spell the learned words. **

     Has your child tried the program? Share your experience with us!

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Smile of the Week at Amerimommy

     Have you all 'Liked' Amerimommy on Facebook? If not, you can do that at the Amerimommy Facebook page here. This is a good spot to go to find extra recipes and crafts, fun posts, giveaways, post alerts for the blog, and even spoilers for upcoming blogs.

     I will also be starting a smile of the week on the Facebook page. If you have a picture of a really cute smile you just can't help but share with the rest of us, you can post it on the Amerimommy Facebook wall. Each Monday I will choose a smile to post on the smile of the week tab. Don't be discouraged if your smile doesn't make it. You can post a new one each week.

    This is in no way a competition or sweepstakes. It's just a fun little present for all of you. I know how much moms and grandmas love to show off their cuties! So please have fun. Of course the pictures have to be within Facebook guidelines. I look forward to sharing the smiles!

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Gender Specific Toys: Why I feel they don't exist

     I wanted to write this post to share my opinion with all those who are unsure or think they're extremely sure how they feel about this topic, but also to hear how others feel too. I'm going to address the biggest fears I hear from parents concerning whether or not their child should play with toys aimed at the opposite sex.

     First, I'll start with my first-hand experience. When I was a child, my dad bought me every toy I  think he ever wanted as a kid. I played with giant water guns, the coolest bikes, RC cars, army men, and many more "boy toys". Most of the kids I played with were boys just because that's who was around. I enjoyed playing in the dirt and rough housing.

     Despite all these things, I still grew up a girl and evolved into a woman.

     Don't get me wrong, I loved playing with baby dolls and pretending to cook. I enjoyed playing school and hop scotch - things you might imagine a girl doing, but my parents always allowed me to choose which types of toys I wanted to play with and I always had an assortment to choose from.

     Do I think all girls have to play with pink and purple toys? No. However, I'm not offended by them. Pink has been representative of girls for many years and I don't think that will go away any time soon. On that same note, I don't find it offensive nor neglectful when I see a parent letting their son play with a pink toy. I also don't find it terrifying when a boy chooses a pink lollipop, balloon, bracelet, or any other object when given a choice.

     You may already know where I'm going with this. No. I don't think it's wrong for a boy to play with dolls or a girl to play army men. In my opinion, this isn't going to ruin their character or make them confused about who they are. It may even help them to be a little more well-rounded. A boy
caring for a baby doll or watching a "girly" movie might help him relate to the opposite sex a little better. Just as a girl who plays with cars and dirt may learn that superficial things aren't as important as people make them seem.

     It's also my opinion that there is a lot of influence today making girls feel like they have do do girly things like paint their nails and put on makeup. It's starting at such a young age it actually makes me ill. I don't want my daughter to grow up thinking these are the things that make her who she is or that these are the qualities that make girls valuable. Likewise for boys. There is so much pressure for them to be "men". They are taught not to cry or show emotion and that if they pick up a toy meant for a girl, it's a bad thing. They are shamed into believing it's wrong.

     Why have we made it this way? We're so afraid of our children not growing up to be "normal" that we forget to let them be THEMSELVES.

     The next most common fear I hear about is their child becoming homosexual. Really?! Nope. I'm pretty sure no toy ever has made a child gay! I think that's enough said for that topic.

     These are my opinions, and my personal advice is to give your child the freedom to be his or herself.  Give them the opportunity to be individuals. Children play to learn. If you are judging them by the toys they play with, they are learning that they can't be themselves around you.

Don't stifle a young child's IMAGINATION for fear of individuality. 

     What's your opinion?

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My Hair One Review

     A few weeks ago, a family member was going through her things for a big move and gave away what she had not used in a while to lighten her load. Fortunately for me, I was the recipient of a 3/4 full bottle of Hair One. You may all remember my past posts for trying the no poo method, if not you can check it out here and here.

    

     Using Hair One is helping me stay true to the no poo method. I have the Hair One cleanser and conditioner with olive oil. It's not a "normal" shampoo full of chemicals. Here is the description as it can be seen on sallybeauty.com:

cleans with an astringent and antibacterial properties

No damaging detergents or harsh chemicals

Formulated with natural herbs and oils

Sulfate Free

Hair One is a salon quality product that provides a new all natural approach to hair care and hair detox that leaves hair cleansed, conditioned and in optimum shape. This conditioner has no damaging detergents or harsh chemicals. It's made with an elixir of natural herbs and oils that clean with astringent and antibacterial properties through a luxurious, penetrating cream without the stripping of detergents. Hair is left with remarkable shine, moisture, manageability and polish. With continued use, Hair One Cleanser Conditioner will stimulate the scalp, promoting better blood circulation, allowing for healthier hair growth and prevention of hair loss. Hair One is available in four formulations.   

http://www.sallybeauty.com

     So now you are all wondering if it truly is what the site is describing. Here are my thoughts: I love it! My hair feels wonderful after I use this product! The cleanser feels like a very thick cream and is actually quite easy to spread around in your hair. There is also menthol in the cream, so while it's sitting in your hair it tingles your scalp. I'm guessing this is one of the ingredients that helps with the blood flow that is mentioned in the description. I also rather like the smell of it, which doesn't smell like any menthol product I've ever smelled.

     You do have to use quite a bit in one washing. I use around 20 pumps, which is why I alternate between this product and other products I have. I try to use this once a week. I also thought that with all the oils in the cleanser that my hair would end up oily faster, but that was just not the case. That made me very happy. I ended up with nice, soft hair and it wasn't weighed down-even without blow drying. I think this is my new favorite hair wash. I find the description on SallyBeauty spot on.

     I would definitely recommend this to any of my friends trying to go a more natural route or just trying to get healthier hair!

     Have you tried Hair One? What are your thoughts?

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