As an animal lover, I am always excited to review DVD’s that feature real animals. When the opportunity to review When Animals Talk with Jane Goodall came up, I was super pumped because she has been someone I’ve greatly admired since I studied her work and heard her speak when I was doing my first degree.

Jane Goodall believes that all animals can talk, as do I. We don’t often understand what they’re saying, but when we do it is truly amazing. In When Animals Talk, Jane shares the amazing stories of animals that have changed the lives of the humans they’ve touched. She shares instances of animals learning our language and shares how we can learn their languages through science. Watching the inspiring human-animal relationships that are shared in this DVD will make you feel good and you’ll learn how communicating with animals brings humankind closer to the world of the gorgeous animals that we can learn so much from.

Continue reading “When Animals Talk Jane Goodall Is Listening”

Baby, our Maltese, was lucky enough to get a custom collar from Feline Fido. However, this wasn’t just another pretty collar to add to her ever-expanding wardrobe, it was a collar with a purpose. This collar helps raise awareness for a growing problem, Autism.

The collar is made very well out of sturdy nylon webbing with a fun and colorful “jigsaw puzzle” ribbon around the outside. The side release buckle makes it very easy to put the collar on or take it off when needed. They offer other options as well, like a metal clip on buckle that you can have engraved. Feline Fido also carries a lot of other designs and has something for everyone. They even provide a variety of holiday designs, as well as offering cat collars!

Every purchase of the Autism awareness collars help a 3-year-old boy reach the fundraising requirement to bring home his autism assistance dog. At least 15% of the proceeds from each autism awareness collar, leash and keyfob will be donated to 4 Paws for Ability in honor of Trapper Leeth.

Continue reading “Feline Fido Provides Custom Collars & Raises Awareness”

Welcome to Must Have Monday’s. Every Monday our reviewers will let you have a sneak peak into what we use in our homes and our lives. Here we will tell you about the things we can’t live without. If you have a “must have” item to pass along please e-mail us. We welcome contributions from our readers and are always looking for new reviewers.

Be forewarned, the following product is addictive. You will look at it every single day, morning and night, and sometimes will even stare at it for extended periods. The “it” in question is the Grobag Egg from Keen Distribution. The Grobag Egg is a digital thermometer for your child’s bedroom which changes color based on the temperature, telling you if the room is too hot or too cold.

Why is it addictive? I find myself adapting behaviors according to the egg. When it turned red (too hot) I added a fan to my daughter’s room. During a cool spell last week the egg turned yellow, so I decided it was time for pajama bottom pants. I’ve even carried it around the house to watch it change color! It’s like my own personal Goldilocks, and I always know the temperature in my children’s rooms are just right. This is a must-have for your home!

Continue reading “Must Have Monday’s 38″

A recent long, rainy spell was saved from being a free for all by The Jeff Corwin Experience. We had received Season 2 to review and thankfully all four of my kids (ages 8 - 11) found it mesmerizing. Over a period of 2 days they sat and watched the 9 hours on the DVD and there was never even one utterance of, “I’m tired of this. Can we watch cartoons?”

Jeff is a very personable host who draws you into to his world almost instantly. He has, in fact, won an Emmy for his performance for Outstanding Performance in a Children’s Series. My children enjoy watching Jeff as he gets into and out of situations that most of us only dream about as children and realize we want nothing to do with as adults. His vast knowledge of the creatures he just stumbles upon as he is on his adventures is very impressive and you find yourself learning about many different insects, reptiles and mammals in every episode.

Continue reading “The Jeff Corwin Experience Mesmerizing For All Ages”

Hot tea is often overlooked for coffee in a popularity contest. Given the choice I would always choose tea as long as someone else is preparing and serving it. I love the tea pot, the lumps of sugar and all the girlie aspects of hot tea. Plus it is more drama than a cup of coffee and some may say I like the drama.

I discovered the most beautiful, floral, entertaining and dramatic hot tea blossoms. These make traditional tea bags seem boring and wrong. Rariteas crafts delicate white tea leaves around a dried floral bouquet that comes to life when hot water is added. After the water is added to your clear glass pot or large glass brewing container the bulb expands and blooms showcasing the inner flower. This makes for a conversation centerpiece to your table or buffet.

The white tea itself brews to a light, pale amber and has a smooth and simple flavor. The varieties of leaves and blooms provide different aromas and colors. They are soothing, gorgeous and oh so girly.

Continue reading “Rariteas Offer Dramatic Flare To Normal Tea”

Props & Pans is giving three lucky readers the incredibly cute Care Bears bedding we reviewed. You can read our review of the bedding here. We’ll pick three random names from the comments. This bedding set giveaway contains everything you need to decorate a new room.

The first winner will receive: 4 piece bedding set, musical mobile, 3 pack of flannel receiving blankets, two different plush blankets, “Once Upon A Time” blanket and hat and fitted crib sheet! The second place winner will get everything above, minus the “Once Upon A Time” blanket and hat. Third place will receive everything above minus the receiving blankets and “Once Upon A Time” blanket and hat.

To enter leave a comment here telling us which Care Bear is your favorite character. The contest is open until August 26, 2008.

You can receive a second entry by blogging about the contest (linking to it) or adding us to your blogroll. Just e-mail us with a live link or let us know you have it posted on your site. You do not need a blog to enter, just leave us your e-mail address so that we may contact you. As always, it is Props & Pans policy NOT to distribute any information you give us (including your e-mail). Thanks for entering!

I have no plans to hold my child to gender specific toys. Bird (my baby boy) can have a kitchen set and a dump truck for Christmas. I have Baby Legs that are worn with the cute handmade onesies even if his daddy protests.

However, I recently forgot that Care Bears are for girls. Since Bird loves his womb bear so much and I loved Care Bears as a child, I was overeager to review a set of the new Care Bears crib bedding.

It’s incredibly pink. Don’t get me wrong, it’s also incredibly cute. If you are looking for character themed bedding for your nursery, you can get no cuter than the Care Bear set.

Continue reading “Care Bears Bedding Set Dolls It Out In Pink”

Welcome to Must Have Monday’s. Every Monday our reviewers will let you have a sneak peak into what we use in our homes and our lives. Here we will tell you about the things we can’t live without. If you have a “must have” item to pass along please e-mail us. We welcome contributions from our readers and are always looking for new reviewers.

Do your shoes get scuffed fairly easily? The nice ones I wear to work and special places seem to get marked up quite often. It could be that clingy 6 year old who has issues with placing his feet on top of mine. I’ve tried the usual cans of polish before, but they always seemed to create more mess than it was worth. Recently though I came across Shine to Go shoe polish that comes in a unique portable little package.

It is beyond convenient and makes shining your shoes fun. All it requires is for you to open the package and rub the pre-applied conditioning polish that is already in the applicator (which is a cloth) on your shoes. One package will clean one pair of shoes.

Continue reading “Must Have Monday’s 37″

Clearly trying to compete with the more expensive, heavy moisturizing body washes, Suave has launched a line with “exotic” scents such as sandalwood and cinnamon. For less than half the price of similar products on the shelf at the big box store, Suave boasts that it provides the same sort of benefits as body washes costing $7 or more a bottle.

So I picked some up and I have to say, it’s not bad.

I think it’s a given that as far as moisture goes, you tend to get what you pay for, so no you’re not getting the moisture of pure shea butter that was prepared by the light of the moon on virgin shores by blind monks or whatever tale they like to tell us about the expensive stuff. But, I have pretty sensitive skin and many soaps make me just miserable as soon as I step out of the shower wanting desperately to slather on the moisturizer. That was not the experience with this soap. It goes on very thick and smells delicious.

Continue reading “Suave Exhale Body Wash Works Well At A Lower Price”

From a woman who uses generic whenever possible, this advice comes as high praise - skip the generic brands and go for the good stuff.

The first dishwashing detergent that I tested was the Cascade Complete, which advertises, “Cleans so well….no need to pre-wash.” I’ll go along with that claim. It completely cleaned dried up spaghetti sauce and scrambled eggs which is something that’s is hard for me to do even using a scrubber. It dissolved completely with no residue caked up and left in the dispenser. It is also designed to help protect glasses from etching. Cascade Complete has the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval and it’s no wonder. It’s a great product.

I also reviewed the Electrasol Advanced dishwashing detergent. This detergent is the #1 detergent recommended by Whirlpool, Bosch and Maytag. It also claims to have an etch protector. It has a slightly less phosphorus content than the Cascade Complete. I know this only because I was going to compare the ingredients to see if they were exactly the same, because in my opinion the Electrasol Advanced worked every bit as well as the Cascade.

Continue reading “Cascade Complete vs Electrasol Advanced Equals Battle of the Detergents”