The Mamahood Reviews

The New Nano

I do feel a tiny bit bad for my husband, who often gets hand-me-down technology. This week, I gave him my old iPod classic (he needed more space for his vaster music collection), and traded up for the new Nano. You know, the one with the built-in video camera and pedometer?

So far, I'm really happy with it...it fits my music collection just fine, it's super tiny so I can slip it into my pocket to measure my steps each day with the pedometer, and it's nice always having a video camera with me—without having to splurge on a new iPhone (I have the first-gen iPhone, which still suits me just fine). It has built-in speakers, too, which is great for those desperate times when my daughters need entertainment when we're stuck somewhere. I've downloaded a few podcasts of episodes of Sesame Street and Super Why, and they can watch those or listen to a few kid-friendly tunes.

The only downside? My fancy headphones don't appear to fit it that well, so I was apparently "polluting" the air of Starbucks with the latest U2 album, according to the cranky old man next to me. (I was horrified that I had been playing it out loud, and honestly thought the headphones were working.) I just wish he'd given me a minute to explain before he went into a 15-minute tirade about inconsiderate people at the Starbucks. Next time, I'll be bringing the headphones that came with it...and double checking that they're plugged in.

Tag, You're It

I shied away from all those "book reader" programs for my kids—I thought they were the hallmark of lazy parenting. They were for the kind of parent who sits there watching the game on TV while their kid tries desperately to get them to read a book with them for five minutes.

But that was before I tried out the Tag products (disclaimer: they sent me a few fabulous books and Tags to try). They do help kids my oldest's age, who are just starting to read—they can start to read a page, then just get a little help with the words they can't sound out on their own, and they can play games to help them recognize letters. And for the youngest kids, the new Tag Junior lets my youngest learn colors, shapes and other concepts by answering questions that the book poses at the end of each page.

And the books are just as lovely to read to your kids yourself, if you're so inclined.

No Sand You....

I consider myself a laid-back kind of mom, for the most part. I'm cool with letting the girls pick their outfits, willing to overlook the Cheerios in the crevices of the couch, to let my kids paint and play with Play-Doh at will. But there is one product I cannot stand: Magic Sand. A kind of always-damp, sparkly sand you're supposed to be able to mold into shapes. Except, it isn't as moldable as they show on the box (at least as far as I've seen). It's weird to have sand that always maintains this damp feel (even though it isn't damp)—which makes me wonder what the company who made it put in the stuff. And the sand makes a horrible, horrible, horrible mess.

The first time, we were silly enough to let our daughters play with it in our dining room. Six months later, we were still vacuuming up sparkles. We vowed to ban it from our house—except my aunt unwittingly provided our daughter with a deluxe set for Christmas.

We saved it for this summer, and let the girls and their friends go to town with it a few weeks back. And today, even now, I'm still trying to sweep away hunks of the purple stuff from our patio. I almost have to use my fingers to dig it up, tiny hunk by tiny hunk. This, apparently, is my mom's version of Kryptonite. And so I'm forewarning you—avoid the stuff like the plague.

Hair Apparent

NOTE: This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Pantene Full & Thick.

My family is follicularly challenged on both sides, so it was no surprise when my hair started to look thinner. Still, I wasn’t prepared to take the action my dad did—shave his head—and I was too vain to simply grin and bear it.


I was just starting to look into some more drastic hair-growth measures when I was given an opportunity to test drive Pantene’s new Pantene Full & Thick product line. I wasn’t so sure a simple shampoo and conditioner would do the trick—but they did. From the first application, my hair looked fuller and my scalp wasn’t shining through. Even my bangs looked thicker—almost too thick for the look I wanted.

Subsequent applications made my hair feel even thicker and stronger, and even added a little wave to my hair. I don’t know what magic ingredients they’ve included in their formula, but I love the results.

The best part of this review? It comes with a fabulous giveaway, allowing you to win a $100 Visa gift card, along with a year’s supply of Pantene (ARV $47.88). To enter, leave a comment below to share the worst hair mistake you made—or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. (I’ll confess to a wicked-bad spiral perm and a bad, “non-permanent” black dye job that wouldn’t disappear.)

The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) July 1, 2009 and will end 5:00 p.m. (PST) August 1, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct. Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US residents, aged 18 and over
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Please see the official rules here: Official Rules

Check out the rest of the BlogHer reviews for 8 additional chances to win!

Oh, and good luck!!!