The Daring Book for Girls: Don't Judge This Book By its Cover

Not that it's a bad cover, mind you. I happen to like the nostalgic feel of it; the weighty look of the title makes me think I'm going to find a map for buried treasure inside, or a spell for turning the mean boy next door into a toad. But my tween daughters? They thought it looked "old." That was pretty much the final verdict for us and this book: I loved it, my girls - eh, not so much.

First my side of the story, because not only am I their mother and know what's best, but I'm bossier and have more cash.

When I first got The Daring Book for Girlsto review for the Parent Bloggers Network I felt like I had been transported back to my childhood. Everything from the typeface on the cover to the line drawings inside were reminiscent of a set of child encyclopedias I remember having as a little girl. Remember that? Before Wikipedia? It's hard to imagine having to look for information without a search box and a cursor.

And if I could sum up The Daring Book for Girls it would be this: It has virtually every nostalgic activity in it that a parent dreams of doing with their kids, but don't always have the time. From setting up a lemonade stand to planting a secret garden, from bird watching to making a wooden tree swing. Throw in some yoga positions, a few math tricks and a recipe for making fake blood, and you've pretty much got the perfect book for getting your kids away from the TV and actually doing something. Why, it even made me want to consider pulling myself away from the computer for a few minutes.

And now for my girls' opinions. Keep in mind that they're 9 and 11, and don't know what's good for them yet.

They're first comments, besides the one about the cover looking "old", were that all the illustrations looked "old." Oh, and all the activities looked like they were "from a long time ago" and the type used for the body copy looked like "something out of an old book."

Do you see a theme here?

And on some of these points, I tend to agree with them. Let me explain.

I'm an art director. I enjoy good design, I totally get and appreciate the feel the authors were trying to achieve with this book, and I think they succeeded. But that's not to say that tween girls, who love a good iPod commercial and covet Japanese manga books with their slick graphics and mod colors are going to appreciate a book that looks like a throwback to a 1940's Girl Scout handbook. No matter how many times I threaten to ground them.

And though we all know you can't judge a book by its cover, I think that it's hard to expect children, who are bombarded with such sophisticated visuals these days to look beyond first impressions. Even when I showed my nine-year-old the section on 'sleep-outs (which she's been wanting to do) she had a hard time getting past the vintage silhouette illustrations. And don't get me started on her comments about the campfire songs, but I can hardly blame her - Darling Clementine was rusty even when I was a little girl.

My 11-year old pondered the list of Books That Will Change Your Life, and while she was excited to see her favorites Harry Potter and Nancy Drew included, she pointed out that not a single book on the list took place in modern day. She just did a book report on The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and wrote that it "taught her about friendship and conflict resolution" - so where was a nod to the modern 21st girl in this list? She had me there.

In spite of all our disagreements, I still love The Daring Book for Girls, but I concluded that, at least in our case, the book is really for moms to use as a guidebook in seeking out activities that they might bring to the attention of their daughters. When I mentioned to my youngest that there was a recipe for making a vinegar and baking soda volcano, she wanted to take another look, and even flipped to the next page to peruse the Rules of Bowling. There might be hope yet.

I found this video just as I was writing this review, and it's late now but I'm going to show it to my girls tomorrow. For me, this really captures the spirit of he book, and I think seeing these activities in a modern context would make them much more appealing for my jaded, modern girls. They might just reconsider that sleep out...



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tags: the daring book for girls | andrea j. buchanan | miriam peskowitz | book reviews | tweens | the dangerous book for boys | gifts for girls

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Deceptively Delicious: Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables, One Pureed Squash at a Time

Okay, don't hate me, but I've never had a problem getting my kids to eat. Anything. From every vegetable you can think of, to raw octopus, to fiery curry - they'll try anything once and they usually end up liking it. In fact, my biggest problem at restaurants is trying to keep our bill down while they attempt to order one of everything on the menu - bisques made with strange fish, appetizers that contain mysterious animal body parts - "Just to see what it tastes like." I know it's freakish. But if it's any consolation they won't eat the school pizza, because it's square-shaped. Can you blame them?

So when The Parent Bloggers Network asked me to review Jessica Seinfeld's new book, Deceptively Delicious, I was a little skeptical. Do we really need to 'deceive' our kids into eating vegetables by pureeing them, mashing them or otherwise rendering them unrecognizable and then hiding them in foods? When at the age of 18 they finally come upon a real vegetable in its natural state, say a bell pepper, will they become puzzled and wonder aloud what the 'hideous green bulbous thing' is on their plate? Are we setting our kids up to become ridiculed because they're the only ones at the senior banquet who don't know what a zucchini is?

But then I got the book in the mail and I have to admit I could see what all the hoopla is about. Even Oprah digs it, and I was starting to come around, too. It's full of straightforward recipes with easy-to-understand directions and basic ingredients. Right off the bat I applauded it for it's chic un-stuffiness. Not a truffle oil or duck tongue to be found, thank goodness.

The basis of the recipes are vegetable purees, the secret ingredients that Seinfeld recommends you 'hide' in the foods, but I see them more as nutritional boosts. Cauliflower puree added to tuna salad, spinach puree added to brownies - ingenious! Who wouldn't get behind the idea of getting some folic acid along with your afternoon chocolate fix? But at the same time, I still think it wouldn't hurt to still serve your kid a cauliflower floret dipped in homemade ranch dressing, or maybe some whole spinach leaves scrambled into eggs. Obviously things are alot more fun over at Seinfeld's house than at the Vegetable Lady's house over here.

Being a designer, I have to say that my favorite aspect of the book is it's retro feel. From the kitschy illustrations (reminiscent of '50's clip-art) to the photography, it brought back memories of cookbooks that my mother had used to introduce me to cooking when I was a little girl. Is it improper to use a cookbook as a coffee-table book? Because I'd like to leave this one out for everyone to see. It reminds me of my favorite entertaining book, Amy Sedaris' I Like You, but without the snark and tips on how to wash your private parts.

But I still think that only serving our kids vegetables that have been mashed and pureed robs them of experiencing the beauty of vegetables in their natural form - the crisp of a sweet pea or the adventure of eating an artichoke for the first time. Instead of hiding the vegetables, what about coming up with creative ways to serve them that would entice kids to try them? I've found that with my own two girls, a visual presentation is sometimes all that's needed. I introduced them to raw red bell peppers by slicing them into thin sticks, standing them up in a cup like a bouquet and serving it with a side of hummus. Worked like a charm, and I saved myself the trouble of hauling out the Cuinsinart.

But in spite of my differences with Seinfeld's "deceptive" tactics, I would still recommend Deceptively Delicious. Because when all is said and done, it's a beautiful book with easy recipes and wholesome ingredients aimed at keeping our kids healthy - shouldn't all books be so noble? And then I came down off my high horse (aren't you glad?) and thought, if it helps even one kid get a green bean coursing through his small intestine, I'm all for it.

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tags: jessica seinfeld | deceptively delicious | cookbooks | cookbook reviews | oprah |

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Cleans Dishes, Smells Nice And Is Fun At Parties, Just Like Me.

The next time you're in my kitchen and you notice a clean, fresh scent, it might just be my dishwashing soap and not the back of my neck. I've been using this ingenious invention lately, and now my kitchen smells like water lily and jasmine instead of stale coffee grounds and old fruit. Everyone's in a better mood!

Dawn Simple Pleasures has an air freshener built into the base. The scent isn't overpowering, and the bottle is a nice compact size that isn't an eyesore on the counter.

But did you know the really cool thing about Dawn soap? It makes the best, biggest, strongest bubbles, and that's on the sage advice of a bubble magician I talked to at a party. (Yes, I talk to bubble magicians - I'm such the social vixen) And here's a video (with an awesome Joe Jackson soundtrack) to show you how to do it:



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tags: dawn simple pleasures | how to make bubbles | kitchen products | bubble recipe

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The Little Black Book of Style: Take Two Birkin Bags and Call Her In The Morning

Don't let my current look fool you. I didn't always walk around in sweatpants, a faded Gap t-shirt and shoes that look like they were run over by a truck. You think I went out of the house without lipstick in my twenties? Back in the day I actually got my hair cut more than three times a year, had neatly pedicured toes and my belt freqently matched my shoes. I've got an Azzedine Alaia dress in my closet, an old Fendi bag on my shelf and even a Gaultier suit I had altered to fit. By a real tailor.

So what happened? Somewhere between then and now, I had kids. Plain and simple. Some people may say that's no excuse, but I beg to differ. Show me a woman who's style hasn't faltered since she's had kids, and I'll show you a woman who's got a full-time nanny and an assistant who irons her socks, I always say.

One of those women would appear to be Nina Garcia, author of The Little Black Book of Style and judge on the popular TV show Project Runway. When I was asked by The Parent Blogger's Network to review Garcia's book, I was intrigued by the idea of a handbook that could possibly help me on the road back to fashion enlightenment, a primer on regaining my taste for well-fitting skirts and expensive shoes. Do I always have to pick up the kids wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt with a jam stain on it? I think not!

Okay, maybe Garcia's assistant doesn't iron her socks, but by the tone of this book you come to suspect that the author has just a little bit more time than the rest of us to devote to picking out the perfect outfit in the morning. I guess I was expecting the book to have a little bit more of a tongue-in-cheek approach to fashion; I've never taken clothes too seriously and I thought Garcia, who has an infant son, would have a more user-friendly approach. I had to keep reminding myself that maybe I'm not the target audience for the book, although there's a small section devoted to dressing during pregnancy so you'd think she was expecting at least a few of us moms to be reading. A few of us non-model, non-celebrity moms, that is.

The book is well-written and the illustrations by Ruben Toledo are beautiful, but for me the book felt impractical and slightly elitist. I would love to have seen a chapter on everyday dressing - not all of us shop at Prada and need to put on our Manolos to walk out the door. I'm sure even fashionistas need to leave the house in a hurry once in a while to run by the post office or pick up ingredients for a casserole, don't they? And while I don't expect Garcia to advise her readers to buy their purses at Target (me, often), I thought putting only wildly expensive designer bags - the Chanel 2.55, Louis Vuitton Speedy, Hermes Birkin - under the heading "[Bags] Every Woman Should Have" a little unrealistic. A Hermes Birkin can set you back $6,700 - that's 231 messenger bags from Target.

Not that the book doesn't have some solid, useful advice. I found the second chapter, "The Basics" to be helpful in recognizing which core pieces make up a cohesive wardrobe; a trench coat, ballet flats, a classic men's watch - pieces I wouldn't think of buying but am seriously considering. And the advice about buying a pair of black high-heeled pumps has convinced me that a visit to the shoe store tomorrow is imperative, groceries and utility bills be damned.

One of the last chapters in the book, "Insider Tips and Tricks" would have been the perfect vehicle to pull in some differing and unique points of view on fashion and style. Instead, I was disappointed to see that everyone interviewed was a heavyweight in the fashion field - from Donatella Versace to Heidi Klum - and had frustratingly similar answers to many of their questions. Variations on 'confidence and inner beauty' seemed to be everyone's response to what constitutes a unique sense of style - how great would it have been if she had queried the high-schooler shopping in Chelsea, or the rocker buying his wardrobe on Melrose? Or me, putting together an outfit from the sale rack at Macy's? Okay, maybe not me, but those other two would have definitely worked.

As a point of reference, I have to say that one of my favorite movies of last year was The Devil Wears Prada, a film that skewers the fashion industry and makes the salvation of the heroine possible only when she realizes the transparency and superficiality of the industry that she had embraced. I started reading The Little Black Book of Style with that movie in mind, and was expecting a little bit more self-parody or humor. But I quickly realized that Garcia takes fashion very seriously, which, being that it's her profession, she has every right to. I just think she missed an opportunity to make her book more lighthearted, and in the end, more accessible to those of us just trying to get out the door with a clean pair of pants in the morning.

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tags: the little black book of style | nina garcia | project runway | parent bloggers network

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Get Down, Get Down: Wii Boogie Is In Da House

There's a song that's been on an endless loop in my head the past few weeks. No, it's not the latest Gwen Stefani song or that insidious jingle from the Advantix commercial (that was last week's loop.) It's You're The One That I Want from the movie Grease. I just watched it a few weeks ago, along with my two tween girls who were seeing it for the first time. They loved it, and the song from the end of the movie where Olivia Newton-John is rubbing her leather-clad butt all over John Travolta seems to be their favorite. Funny, I didn't think that was odd until I just wrote that sentence.

Talk about timing: a few days after our Grease viewing we received our copy of Boogie, the new karaoke game for the Wii. The girls popped it in, and saw You're The One That I Want on the song list. Needless to say the game was an instant hit, they played the tune over and over, and now that damn song is searing a path through my brain.

When the Parent Bloggers Network offered to let us try out a new Wii game before it was released I jumped at the chance; we'd had the gaming system for a couple of months and we were all getting tired of the sports games that come with the system and the selection of Wii games you can purchase are fairly limited. Boogie offered something for the entire family; the karaoke/dance theme was right up my girls' alley, and singing badly along to popular songs is something my husband and I do quite frequently.

As with most video games, I have no pretense of knowing how to set it up, learn the rules or work the controls. I pass it off to the girls, and if they run into trouble it's their job to find a willing, qualified ten-year-old to help them out. As I've told them repeatedly - that's what friends are for. They didn't have any problems with Boogie, though - it was easy for them to pop in the disc and start playing the game immediately. Of course, I give a thumbs up to any activity that doesn't require me to put down my cappuccino.

I have a suggestion for video game developers, and that is to make a game for tween girls that consists entirely of choosing a character and deciding which groovy hairstyle and funky clothes she can wear. My daughters and their friends spent more time doing this in Boogie than in any other part of the game. (The same goes for the initial setup of their Wii console, where one is able to customize their character, or Mii.) Finally after hours of "I like your bangs!' and "Your character looks too emo" I had to beg them to get down (no pun intended) to the business of singing and dancing.

A last quick note on the characters, though - my girls found them a little "too weird" and "childish." (Question: Can a nine-year old even use the word 'childish'?) There's only one female character who, while they enthusiastically dressed her like she had just spent fifty-hours in a virtual mall, they said was too 'Bratz-like' for their taste. Fine if you like Bratz, but if you're like my girls and sneer everytime they see them on TV, beware.

Along with the eponymous Grease tune, there were a few other songs that got my girls up and singing and dancing; Walkin' on Sunshine, ABC, Get The Party Started. For me, the inclusion of my favorite dance song of all time, Brick House, made me give a big high-five to the game creators. However, I didn't get as enthusiastic an endorsement from my daughters when I started singing, "Brick. House. She's mighty mighty" Kids these days.

Also, I had to put the kibosh on The Pussycat Dolls' Don't Cha. Something so wrong about hearing your tween daughter singing, "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me."

Besides the singing/dancing activity in Boogie, my daughters had a great time with the Video Maker, which allows you to create a music video using your character and a song of your choosing. Using the pre-fab effects, camera angles and backgrounds anyone can create a YouTube masterpiece. Unfortunately, my girls seized this opportunity to have a contest to see who could create the most awful video. making their character do a series of ridiculous leg-kicks and waist bends and dancing completely off-beat. Come to think of it, it bore a striking resemblance to Paris HIlton's music-video debut.

A few comments/suggestions from my kids: A DDR-type dance pad would be nice, and my nine-year-old would, and I quote, "like more songs from this century." I tried not to take her comments too personally as I sang enthusiastically along to the Ohio Players' Love Rollercoaster.


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tags: wii | wii games | wii boogie | parent bloggers network

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Glaceau Vitamin Water XXX: You Had Me At 'Reverse Osmosis Water'

Aside from my daily double cappuccino, the drink most likely to be seen in my hand these days is a bottle of XXX Glaceau Vitamin Water. And not just because it has this on the label:

c'mon on get your mind out of the gutter. we only named this drink XXX because it has the power of triple antioxidants to help keep you healthy and fight free radicals. so in case you're wondering, this does not cost $1.99 /minute or contain explicit adult content or anything considered uncensored. it has not gone wild during spring break nor will clips of it be passed around the internet like a certain hotel heiress, and it has never been seen live or nude, but is definitely au naturale.

And the first ingredient is listed as "vapor distilled, deionized, and/or reverse osmosis water." I kid you not.

And they've got a crazy website to boot.

In the interest, or lack, of disclosure, I was not paid or compensated to profess my love for this product. But if the manufacturers are moved to send me a case of XXX that may very well likely move my love to a whole other level.

Author's Note: No, I didn't write this review to see how many hits I would get by putting 'XXX' and 'love' in the same sentence.


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tags: glaceau vitamin water

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I Use It Everyday: FiberOne Cereal Has Put A Spell On My Family, And Made Us Regular, Too!

Recently I was asked to test out a new cereal, FiberOne Raisin Bran Clusters. Besides the cheapskate in me lusting after free breakfast food, the chance to use all those fiber jokes in a review was just too good to pass up, so I accepted. To top it off, the site is also called FiberSeekers.com - I imagined this review would just write itself.

I figured my husband and I would eat it but not the kids - there were no cartoon characters on the box and not a marshmallow star in sight. Although I was disappointed at the absence of any toy hidden inside - I thought for once I could have the magic decoder ring all to myself.

So imagine my surprise when my kids tried it...and liked it. They didn't seem to notice that each flake wasn't coated in an inch of sugar, or the fact that the word Fiber is mentioned like a gazillion times on the front of the box. Never mind that I didn't bother to explain the attraction of fiber for us, uh, older folks - why ruin a good thing? It would have been like telling them the story of Bambi's mother while they were enjoying the fawns at a deer park.

I like it because it isn't overly sweet - I don't like anything interfering with the bitterness of my cup of black coffee in the morning. In fact, I poured some in a bag and took it to the pool the other day to snack on while the kids swam - I felt extra smug watching the other mom's chow down on Cheez-It's when I knew that I was the only one improving my digestive system. Ha! Take that, über-moms and your fancy colonics.

Like most foods, breakfast cereal is cyclical around here and I'm sure sooner or later we'll get tired of this one and have a new favorite. But for now, FiberOne is da boss around here in the morning, and helps us get up and go. (It'd be a shame if I didn't get at least one fiber joke in here.)

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The Dark Dreamweaver: Endorsed By A Nine-Year-Old Summer-Book-Hater

Every summer it's the same with my two daughters - any activity with even the slightest association whatsoever with school is met with as much enthusiasm as a dental appointment. 'Educational' and 'learning' are struck from our vocabulary, and even one of their favorite activities, reading, takes a hit during the summer months. So when The Parent Bloggers Network offered me a chance to review The Dark Dreamweaver, a book aimed at tweens, I accepted but thought I may have to disguise it as a Nintendo game and attach it to a popsicle before presenting it to my girls.

So imagine my surprise when, after showing them a description of the book online, they jumped at the chance to read it. (Not saying it didn't have something to do with the fact that I told them that the book was free and wouldn't be coming out of their allowance.) But I will say that in this case, they did judge the book, at least initially, by it's cover - they reacted immediately to the mystical illustration that was similar in feel to some of their favorite series - The Chronicles of Narnia, A Series of Unfortunate Events. And then these two non-summer-readers did something unheard of - they played rock paper scissors to see who would get to read a book first. If that isn't a ringing endorsement from the start I don't know what is.

My nine-year-old won out (she says her secret is to just keep doing rock rock rock) and started reading it as soon as it arrived in the mail. She immediately became engrossed in the story of David, a young boy who discovers a caterpillar who claims to be a wizard named Houdin who hails from a world called Remin. She'd stop her reading to describe to me the various characters - a serpent, a jellyfish-man - but I'd have to say she was most excited to discover that her big sister shares a name with one of the main characters.

One of the first comments that my daughter made about the book was that the dream sequences in the beginning of the book were frightening her, and when I read them I'd have to agree that the images they conjure up may be intense for young readers. But beyond that there's nothing particularly violent or disturbing in the book that I've read thus far. I think author Nick Ruth does a good job of creating a magical world with his characters, although his writing may lack the flourish of J.K. Rowling or Lemony Snicket.

Another comment she made was that the book seemed to "jump around too much." I haven't read far enough to see this, but she says the story changes locations too many times and "it would be nice if the story was more calm in places." I'm going to make sure I bring this up the next time she's watching an episode of one of her favorite cartoons, the 'calming' Fairly OddParents.

But overall my daughter is giving the book a thumbs up so far, and she's now three quarters of the way through it. She seemed to lose interest in the story in the past couple of weeks until recently when she and her sister found a caterpillar in the backyard, named it Jerry and claimed it was of extraordinary intelligence. This seemed to light a fire under her to finish the book, which just goes to prove that as with most things, sometimes the key to a good read is all in the timing.

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The Animals Came Two By Two, And Thus A Fight Between Two Sisters Was Avoided

When they're not busy being incredibly cute and amazing, my two daughters, ages nine and eleven, like to spend their time arguing over "what's fair." This might involve who got the last Otter Pop, or how to equally divide up the stickers that grandma sent over in the mail. Sometimes the complicated process of making sure each one gets their fair share requires intricate mathematical equations, a scale and a protractor. It almost always ends up with one of them fuming, the slamming of a door and the calling of my name.

When I was asked by The Parent Bloggers Network to review a toy called Noah's Pals, I didn't realize then how perfect this toy would be for our situation. I only jumped at the chance because even though my daughters are getting older they never seem to tire of any toy or activity that has to do with animals. The miniature farm set, the toy pet shop all remain while Polly Pocket and her small, annoying plastic friends were sent packing long ago.

But when the box arrived with five sets of animals and my girls tore into them, I immediately saw the beauty of it: TWO of everything. And not to discount the Great Flood, but the real miracle was happening right here in my living room - the rustle of plastic as they unwrapped and divided the animals into two sets, with - gasp - no arguing.

Noah's Pals are sold separately (that is, as pairs) or as a complete set which includes 40 pairs of animals, Noah and the ark. I'm impressed with the craftsmanship - the animals are all made out of durable plastic, and are carefully painted and molded. My girls are older so choking isn't a concern (unless they're at each others' throats over that last cookie) but smaller animals, such as the dove we received, might be a problem with younger children. The toys are recommended for children 5 and up. And judging by my 11-year old's attachment to her pair of kangaroos, I'd say there's no age maximum.

While my girls are vaguely familiar with the story of Noah and his ark, I don't think a religious background is necessary to enjoy this toy, only a love of animals - and small plastic things. I even caught them dancing the animals around to a song on the radio the other day (The Frey, no less.) But the best part for me, of course, is the fact that there are two of everything - makes me wish the story had Noah taking pairs of Otter Pops and cookies on that ark.

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tags: noah's pals | noah's ark | parent bloggers network

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Beauty and the Bowl: My Shiny Adventures With Hi-Tech Bathroom Products

Awhile back I was asked by the Parent Bloggers Network to give my opinion on a toilet cleaner and a tub and tile cleaner, which they informed me they would be sending free of charge. I eagerly agreed, since everyone knows cleaning is high on my list of least favorite activities, right up there with jury duty and being picked last for kickball. It was like a dream come true - a clean bathroom, free of charge!

So imagine my surprise when I realized the 'cleaners' they were referring to weren't actually people coming over to clean my bathroom, but products. Deflated, I agreed. After all, free is free and that ring around my toilet bowl wasn't going to clean itself.

The first product I tried was the Kaboom Never Scrub Continuous Toilet Cleaning System. My husband was suspicious of this one, since he's wary of any 'unnecessary' chemicals coursing through our plumbing system. So, the hardest part was figuring out a way to do it behind the little tree-hugger's back. While other women wait until their husbands leave the house so they can empty the liquor cabinet or invite the FedEx man in for a back rub (okay, me neither) I get my thrills by illicitly installing toilet-cleaning devices. Hot!

I have to say it was remarkably easy to install, even for a non-handy person like myself. It definitely seemed to keep the toilet clean, although I was disappointed to see that it couldn't do a thing for that messy pile of Oprah magazines stacked next to it. One of the things I liked was that it didn't turn the water a hideous blue color that I've seen other cleaning systems do - to me this just screams to the world, "I'm not scrubbing my toilet!" Because ideally you want your toilet to look clean and still be able to complain about cleaning it to all your visitors.

The second product, Kaboom Shower, Tub & Tile Cleaner worked equally well, and actually did make my tired old tiles 'gleam.' It definitely worked best when you followed the directions to let the spray sit for a couple of minutes before rinsing, but if you're like me and two minutes seems like an eternity to spend cleaning your bathroom, an immediate rinsing still works well. My only problem with it was the spray seemed to come out unevenly, but that could have been due to a faulty valve, or the fact that my shower was so filthy it was actually scaring the spray back into the bottle.

The thing I liked best about both of these products was the mild scent. While most people like their bathrooms smelling like pomegranate essence or a field of daisies, I detest flowery, fruity scents and would prefer mine to have the ammonia smell of a hospital ward that can conjure up images of Nurse Ratched barreling down the hallway rolling an IV pole behind her. So the slightly soapy, mildly disinfectant scent of Kaboom is a nice compromise.

But don't take my word for it - try some Kaboom products for yourself. Check out their website at Kaboom.com and then go read what others have to say about these products at Parent Bloggers Network.

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tags: kaboom | parent bloggers network

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