The Full Farewell

Dear readers,

As of July 8, 2010, we will no longer be adding new reviews at The Full Mommy. We have enjoyed writing here and we thank you for your support. In just under three years, we have published over 800 reviews, given away more than 200 prizes, and met some truly wonderful visitors, entrepreneurs, and PR pros. We very much appreciate our readers and the businesses with which we have worked.

Please continue to read our personal blogs (which include some product reviews):

• About Family Fitness
• Binkytowne
• Hormone-colored Days
• Mayberry Mom
  
• Multi-Minding Mom
  

We'd also like to thank our past contributors and writers:

• Mona at Kirida
  
• Jodi at Jodifur
• Lara at Life: The Ongoing Education
  
• Monica at Lady M
• Mrs. Chicken
• Tammie at Soul Gardening

The archives will remain available here at www.thefullmommy.com, and you can also shop our Amazon aStore. It includes many of the products we have mentioned over the years. (Yup, that's an affiliate link so we'll earn a fraction of a penny if you happen to buy anything; any income will go toward hosting fees so we can keep the site live.)

It's been full of fun. Thank you!

Leighann, Catherine, Amy, and Kim

The Mominatrix's Guide to Sex

As a younger-than-I-looked (and that's saying a lot) editorial assistant in my first job, I was once sent on an errand to a nearby bookstore. To buy sex advice books.

I think I turned bright red the moment I stepped into the elevator and didn't return to normal until I got home from work that evening.

Look at me now: Reviewing a sex-advice book—for moms. Even I'm curious about whether I can pull this off. But the truth is, I think all of us could take a cue from the Mominatrix, aka Kristen Chase and the author of The Mominatrix's Guide to Sex: A No-Surrender Advice Book for Naughty Moms. In the book, on Twitter, and in her advice column at Imperfect Parent, Chase talks frankly about sex from a mom's perspective and makes the point that sex doesn't have to end with conception. Where else would you find a list of cover stories to use when you're caught in the act by your kids? ("We were wrestling!")

The book includes chapters on sex during pregnancy, your "first time" (after giving birth, that is), and advice for single moms. It's all packaged with a clever, cheeky design (check out the chapter numbers to see what I mean), plenty of humor, and a refreshing matter-of-fact tone. Chase is a realist, but the Mominatrix doesn't take kindly to excuses either. She's here to help you get your groove back and she won't stop until she gets the job done.

Chase doesn't have training as a sex educator or therapist. She's a well-known blogger (disclosure—I've been reading her blogs, Motherhood Uncensored and Cool Mom Picks for years, and have talked life, motherhood, and blogging with her online and off. But I never asked her any sex questions!) and a busy mom who happens to enjoy sex. Imagine that! But she's done her research, too; check out the book's shopping list of sexy essentials and its collection of recommended websites.

You can read through this book in one naptime and get inspired for post-(kids')bedtime, or you can turn to it as a reference when you have a question or want to spice things up. I recommend keeping it on a high shelf, just in case you forget to move it before your little ones learn to read. But do keep it around, or the Mominatrix will come knocking, and she carries a whip.

I received a free copy of the book at a promotional event. You can buy yours at Amazon (that's an affiliate link) or directly from the Mominatrix. Please read our disclosure statement.

What I Would Tell Her: Essays on Fatherhood

Last year, I reviewed Andrea N. Richesin's anthology of writings on mother- and daughterhood, Because I Love Her. Now Richesin is back with a strong collection of essays from fathers, which her publisher sent me for review. The new book is What I Would Tell Her: 28 Devoted Dads on Bringing Up, Holding On To and Letting Go of Their Daughters.

As with any anthology, there are some standout pieces here and some that fade from the memory almost as soon as the page is turned. Frankly, I'm just not that interested in how much daddies love their little girls and how hard it is to let them go. That's not news.

But much of the writing here goes soaring far beyond the cliches. I was spellbound by James Griffioen's account of attending a "purity ball," and his thoughtful views on teaching his daughter (and son) about love and sex. (You may know Griffioen as half of the husband-and-wife blogging team writing at Sweet Juniper.) I admired Michael Kearns' moving, but saccharine-free account of the family he, an HIV-positive, white, gay man, created with his adopted, African-American daughter. I felt the frustration of Swan Anderson and Brendan Halpin, stepfathers reaching out to stepdaughters in very different ways and circumstances.

Richesin has gathered an impressive array of writers here, putting together a collection of original works (only two have been previously published) that portray the richness of the father-daughter relationship. Share it with your children's dad or your own.

WIN IT!
Giveaway Title: DADS
Prize: one copy of What I Would Tell Her, edited by Andrea N. Rchesin
Number of Winners: one
Entry Question: How many dad writers contributed to this anthology?
Enter By: 11:59 p.m., Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Entry Form: Click here

Winners will be notified by e-mail. Please read the official rules for entering our giveaways.

Mayberry Mom lives with Mayberry Dad and their two kids in, you guessed it, a small town reminiscent of Mayberry.

Please read our disclosure statement. The book's publisher provided one copy of this book for review and one for giveaway. The link to Amazon.com is an affiliate link; if you should click through to purchase this book or another item, the Full Mommy earns a few cents' commission.

Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice

I love the taste of white rice, but I always feel a little guilty when I cook it for my family.

So when I was asked if I wanted to try out new Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice, I thought, wow, the best of both worlds.

For a weeknight dinner for the family, I marinated a couple of wild Alaskan salmon fillets in a Hawaiian-style marinade. Yes, I think I have one of the only five-year-olds on the planet who asks for salmon almost every single night!

While my husband took my daughter to dance class, my son and I played in the backyard, losing track of time. Realizing they'd be back from dance in about 15 minutes, the little guy and I came back inside. I looked at the box of rice and was glad it takes less than 15 minutes to cook!

While the rice cooked, I threw the salmon into a skillet. This had to have been one of the easiest weeknight dinners.

My husband at first questioned the large scoop of plain rice, but I said I wanted to give it a try as is before making it again in a recipe. He said that the rice was actually the perfect accompaniment to the salmon.

My daughter said she was going to eat the salmon, but not the rice. I told her she needed to at least try it. Before I knew it, she had finished the entire bowl and said, "I didn't think I'd like it, but it was good."

So I guess I will feel guilty no more about white rice when I cook Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice.

We have taco night about once a week and I can't wait to buy the Taco Style. And as an added bonus, all but one of the new varieties are lacto-vegetarian! I'm so thrilled about that!

This was written by Leighann who can be read at Multi-Minding Mom where she dishes about family, food, foraging, frivolity, and more! Her family is "mostly" vegetarian. They eat a little fish and seafood.

Please read our disclosure statement. I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben’s and received samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Cute potty-training books ahoy!

Don't make me walk the plank, but this is not going to be an honest review. It's more of a gush. Or should I say flush?

Aarrrgh. Anyway, the point is I'm not going to be objective about these two completely adorable books because my sister-in-law, Amy Cartwright, is the one who made them so adorable with her cute and clever artwork. (See a spread from each book.) And gave us a copy of each book to treasure.

Pirate Potty and Princess Potty, written by Samantha Berger and published by Scholastic, both combine a fun, encouraging toilet-learning story with a fun twist on a sticker chart. Each comes with a punch-out hat (a tiara for the princesses, a black pirate's hat for the--you know--pirates) and a page of stickers. So each time little princesses or pirates do their potty thing, they can choose a sticker as a reward and place it on their hat.

The text is adept enough to charm kids without being too cloying for their parents ("The pirate pulls down his pirate undies and sits down on his pirate potty, which is just like a potty, except ... It's black as night, with three Jolly Roger flags, two cannonballs, and one big X marks the spot!"). The stories are identical in structure, with the wording and details changed to make them princessy and piratey.

The books are paperback and inexpensive ($5.99) but the paper inside is very sturdy and glossy (I bet water--or, um, other things--would wipe off easily, although I didn't want to test this theory with my copies). The front cover is tricked out with sparkly glitter letters (Princess) and shiny gold letters (Pirate). Each also has a list of basic toilet-training tips on the back cover. For example: "Remember that accidents can happen to even the most perfect princesses, but in time she will find her rightful place on the throne."

Mayberry Mom's children have, indeed, found their rightful place on the throne, but they still enjoy the pictures in these books and they bet you will too.

Please read our disclosure statement. These books were given as a gift to Mayberry Mom's children by the book's illustrator. If you happen to buy the books via the links above, The Full Mommy earns a very teeny tiny commission.

It's a Win-Win Situation With Reese's

When my husband says he'll get me a treat from the corner drugstore, I almost always ask for a Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Oh my...the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter. I tell you, whoever the first human was that put these two ingredients together should be awarded the Nobel Prize.

If you are on Facebook, maybe you signed the petition which helped make May 18th I Love Reese's Day. To help celebrate, Reese's is giving away cash prizes with specially marked products. As if you needed an excuse to reach for them!

(From the company:) Specially-marked Reese's® Peanut Butter Cups with the Reese's Loves You Back™ promotion. The promotion will give away up to $2 million in cash prizes in $10, $25 and $100 increments. In addition to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Reese's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Reese's Big Cup Peanut Butter Cups, Reese's® Pieces® Candies and Reese's Crispy Crunchy Bars will also feature promotional packaging. The Reese's Loves You Back promotion is available now through December 31, 2010.

And because we love to share the chocolate peanut butter goodness, we are giving away a selection of Reese's to one lucky reader. Yum!

WIN IT!  
Giveaway Title: REESE'S
Prize: A selection of Reese's candies
Number of Winners: One
Entry Question: What is your favorite Reese's candy?
Enter By: May 28, 2010
Entry Form: Click here
Winners will be notified by e-mail. Please read the official rules for entering our giveaways.

This was written by Leighann who can be read at Multi-Minding Mom where she dishes about family, food, foraging, frivolity, and more!  

Please read our disclosure statement. The company compensated me for writing this post by sending a few packages of Reese's. But I am a longtime customer!

New Release: Wonder Pets! The First Rescue

What's going to work? TEAMWORK!

Have you heard this refrain coming from your kids (or yet, yourself?) If so, then you must be fans of the Wonder Pets and this DVD is right up your alley.

While they are classroom pets by day, after school Linny (the Guinea Pig) Tuck (The turtle) and Ming-Ming (The dick) are not just your average pets -- they are Wonder Pets. In this new release you can discover how they met, learn all about their first rescue and how they learn that teamwork is the best kind of work.

These episodes are so well done. They appeal to little kids because of the cute characters and the great skills they show overcoming problems, but I love that these episodes come from far away lands like Bali and Tanzania.

What I think a lot of parents (and kids) may overlook as well is the music on the Wonder Pets episodes. Every one is a mini-opera with music written and developed by aware winning composers and performed by a live orchestra.

The new DVD features 7 new to DVD Wonder Pet adventures including the never before seen episodes for Happy Mothers Day and Save the Sun Bear.

Thanks to Nickelodeon for sending me a free copy to review!

This was written by AmyJo who can be read at Binkytowne.

Please read our disclosure statement.