So sorry everyone for the extended absence here on NKT. Last week was probably the busiest and craziest week for me since leaving my job last October. I’ve been out of town basically since last Wednesday, and I’m just finally catching up and getting back into the swing of things.
Wednesday and Thursday morning we were busy focusing on family events, and then Thursday evening-Saturday, I was busy with the events at BlogHer ’09 in Chicago. I came away with so many fun memories and learned a ton of great ideas and perspectives.
Tag: News
Follow history on We Choose the Moon
History and humanity was forever changed on July 20, 1969: today marks the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon. In honor of the anniversary of when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped out of Lunar Module 5 (known as Eagle) onto the moon’s surface, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum launched the interactive website, WeChooseTheMoon.org.
WeChooseTheMoon.org, which went live on July 16, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. and took off at 9:32 a.m. – exactly 40 years to the minute after the historic launch is recreating the Apollo 11’s lunar mission, using archival audio, video, photos and real-time transmissions on the site and via Twitter.
Twitter Feeds to Follow
Apollo 11 to Houston = AP11_Spacecraft
Houston to Apollo 11= AP11_Capcom
Eagle to Houston & Columbia = AP11_Eagle
In honor of the 40th anniversary, be sure to check out the cool interactive site that’s powered by AOL and commemorates that “giant leap for mankind.” It’s a great educational resource for big kids, especially since it incorporates history and current technology. I’ve been on it all morning, and the graphics are transmission feed is incredible!
Giveaway winners
TruKid Sunblock sticks- Brandy, Kim and Melissa, please email your address at jen [at] nextkidthing [dot] com!
Kooky flash drive- Melissa, congrats! Brett, you’ve got some fuzzy slippers coming your way.
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Everyone else, thanks for participating as usual. Also, I’ll announce last week’s cd winner once I post the next Music Monday. Also, I’m busy writing up a slew up articles AND really great giveaways in honor of my trip to BlogHer this week, so stay tuned!!!
Giveaway winners
Congrats to Madonna for winning the Glop and Glam products! Please email me your information so we can get these out to you.
Congrats to Natasha for winning the OnTray! And ditto, send me an email!
Please don’t forget to check out the Kooky USB and Funky Kidz cd giveaways that are going on right now! And of course, be on the look out for even more good stuff!
EMTEC Kooky USB flash drive
Kooky Klickers, the crazy collectible pens, now have a USB flash drive counterpart. The Kooky USB flash drives by EMTEC come in a range of fun and bold designs, emulating the popular pens that have sold millions since they hit the market. The unique pens, known for their springy hair and often worn with a lanyard, have been a big hit with school-aged kids, especially tweens and teens.
At 2 gb, the Kooky USB flash drive can hold homework, projects, photos and other media. Just like the pens, the USB drive features its own take of the crazy hair and funky faces. An interesting change from colorless USB drives, the Kooky USB flash drive is just as portable as the Kooky Klickers, and even has a place where it can be added to a key chain or lanyard.
Fun in the sun with TruKid Sunny Days
I’ve joked before how, as kids, my brothers and I used to race to see who could get the most tan. In retrospect, it wasn’t the safest “game,” even with our darker complexions. It was the 80s, afterall—y’know, the decade of excess… But now, as a mama (with a very fair-skinned mestizo babe) naturally, like many other mamas, my perspective on sun safety has since changed.
According to Kidshealth.org, most kids rack up between 50% and 80% of their lifetime sun exposure before age 18.
That’s a lot of fun in the sun, which is also why my mom friends and I often compare notes on the best natural sunscreens for our kids. Kiss My Face, California Baby and Jason products are often mentioned, but since being introduced to TruKid products, I can’t say enough great things.
A small family-run business, TruKid was born as a result of a mother who sought to fill a void. After searching for safe, but effective skin products for her five active kids (now six), Jennifer Adams Bunkers created TruKids. TruKid uses natural ingredients and essential oils, and it’s no surprise that he Environmental Working Group has given TruKid’s entire line, 
(including the products I’m about to review) the safety rating of 0-3.
Just as I started this blog, TruKid was one of the first companies to reach out to me after a mention on my Toxic Tub post. Yeah, they’re that awesome. I’ve spoken highly of the Happy Face and Body Lotion in the past, (seriously, can’t get enough of that fun apple scent and I love the smell of my clean boy) but with another long and SUNNY holiday weekend upon us, I wanted to share a review about TruKid’s Sunny Days, which comes in a fabulous sunscreen lotion and super-convenient face and body stick.
The Sunny Days sunscreen lotion comes out thick and creamy, yet not greasy or oily. Because of its creamier consistency, with just 2 dollops, the boy is good to go. I’ve used much watery sunscreens in the past, and I feel like all I do is squirt, squirt and apply.
The facestick is definitely a favorite for us. We have it tucked away in our diaper bag, stroller pocket and even our beach/playground bag. About twice the size of a tube of chapstick, the facestick, is easy to apply with just a few swipes. It, too, isn’t too thick, but light enough to apply and smooth on with one or two swipes. Because the kid thinks the facestick is actual chapstick, I tend to wipe some on my fingers to avoid unnecessary sunscreen-licking.
LeapFrog Text and Learn giveaway winner
Thank you everyone for entering the LeapFrog Text and Learn giveaway! This giveaway yielded our biggest response yet, so thank you for participating. Congrats to Natasha for winning the Text and Learn!
Just a few housekeeping notes, for the extra entries, please don’t forget to comment for each additional entry. For this giveaway, I manually added the extra entries for the stories. I don’t mind, but I can’t promise I”ll do that in the future. As for shipping, I will always consolidate my trips to the post office, so those of you who are waiting for your giveaways, they’re coming! I don’t have a set timeline or anything, but I aspire to get these out within a few weeks. I appreciate your patience. Those waiting for giveaways that are to be shipped directly from the companies, those shipments tend to take longer, as a general rule of thumb. Patience is a virtue. I’m just extending some giveaway goodness, and as they say, good things come to those who read NKT 
(and to those who wait, too.)
Handy Manny’s Superstar Summer Saturdays
Yesterday marked the official first day of summer, but this past weekend the gang at Sheetrock Hills started the summer fun with a Quinceañera. Handy Manny, the popular Disney Channel show that stars Wilmer Valderrama as the voice of handyman Manny Garcia, has a lineup of new summer shows that are set to premiere every Saturday at 8:30 a.m. this summer.
The first Saturday of new Handy Manny shows, dubbed Superstar Summer Saturdays, featured pop star Ashley Parker Angel who needed some help before his concert in the park. Everyone’s favorite cartoon handyman, Manny, and his crew were tasked with helping to fix a flower situation for Señor Ayala’s niece’s Quinceañera after a fan threw a wrench into things.
Going beyond helping popstars, Sheetrock Hills’ go-to guy, Manny and his quirky buddies, the talking tools, have a new set of tasks and adventures to accomplish this summer, including overcoming a blackout, saving the turtles and enjoying a day at the beach. The list of new shows included in Superstar Summer Saturdays are as follows:
Saturday, June 20 (8:30 a.m., ET/PT) – “Danny Starr / Quinceañera”
Saturday, June 27 (8:30 a.m., ET/PT) – “The Good, The Bad, The Handy”
Saturday, July 4 (8:30 a.m., ET/PT) – “Lyle & Leland Lopart / Blackout on the Block”
Saturday, July 11 (8:30 a.m., ET/PT) – “A Day at the Beach / The Party Dress”
Saturday, July 18 (8:30 a.m., ET/PT) – “Singing Salon / Manny’s Makeover”
Saturday, July 25 (8:30 a.m., ET/PT) – “A Night with Abuelito / Canine Case”
Saturday, August 1 (8:30 a.m., ET/PT) – “Saving the Turtles / Abuelito’s Siesta”
Saturday, August 8 (8:30 a.m., ET/PT) – “Picture Perfect / Some Assembly Required”
giveaway winner
Congrats to Courtney for winning the Green to Grow giveaway! Courtney, I’ll be in touch later to get your info so I can send this Green to Grow bottle your way!
Everyone else, please don’t forget the LeapFrog and Yummi Bearsgiveaways! Be on the look out next week for some more great goodies! Apologies for slacking off on the posts yesterday. It was a hectic day over here, but things should be back to normal next week!
Matthew Broderick guest stars in Cyberchase
Matthew Broderick will guest star as the voice of Max in a special Father’s Day episode of Cyberchase, premiering June 19 on PBS KIDS GO! In this episode, Hacker sets out to ruin Father’s Day while Max and the CyberSquad try to stop him.
If you’re not familiar with Cyberchase, here’s this special episode’s description from PBS:
Cyberchase features a trio of smart, curious kids who outwit the dastardly villain Hacker (Christopher Lloyd) during his mad quest to rule Cyberspace. With help of their bird pal Digit (Gilbert Gottfried), the CyberSquad uses math and brain power to foil Hacker’s evil schemes. This time, it’s the annual Father’s Day Parade in Tikiville, and Max (guest star Matthew Broderick) is this year’s Cyber Dad of the Year. Max was once a schoolmate of Hacker’s – and continually bested Hacker in all of their endeavors. Hacker has decided it’s time to get even. His dastardly scheme is to replace Max with a Max robot and make the robot do awful things during the parade. The CyberSquad must use number patterns to crack a series of coded messages sent by Hacker to save the day in Tikiville. Matthew Broderick voices both the easy-going, likeable Max and the evil Max robot in this thrilling Father’s Day Cyberchase adventure.
Following the June 19 on-air premiere, the Father’s Day episode with Matthew Broderick will be available for streaming at Cyberchase Online and on the PBS KIDS GO! video player.