| Editor's Note |
Wow, can you believe it’s August already? Summer is just flying by….
You may have noticed that things are changing around Punky Moms lately. We’re redefining what it means to be a Punky Mom (see last month’s news letter). And along with that redefinition we have adopted a new look on our home page.
You will be seeing other changes and improvements around the site within the next month or so. Other things in the works include an updated About Us section which will be accompanied by a new press release. This will undoubtedly bring some fresh air into the community, so be prepared to meet some great new additions to our Punky family.
Also new is our Never Mind The…. line in the store. At the moment we only have stickers to offer, but shirts will be arriving soon and hopefully more goodies not long after that.
Lastly, keep your eyes peeled for our Green Campaign which will be starting soon.
Enjoy the last part of summer and see you around the boards.
Winter, Jenn & Sarah |
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| Latest News |
7/13
Punky
Moms has an official FaceBook
7/17 The
PunkyShop has re-opened!
7/21 Added post tags to the main site!
7/25 Added a complete Quick
Link post to tech support
7/28 We've got a new look to the main site! Go check it out!
The shop is open! It's a sticker! It's going to be a shirt soon! We need a few more weeks for our goods to come in, but for your current Punky Pleasure...
and introducing... Your Wicked Words!
This is the chance to tell your fellow Punky's anything that crosses your mind. Any fun pictures you want posted? Congratulations to be told? Inside jokes to be made public? Pictures of your SO in a cape and nothing else? It's all fair game!
You must be logged into the shop and be approved as a Punky Moms Forum Member to be able to see Your Wicked Words!
Coming soon are more shirts, hoodies, bags and other goodies! |
| Happy Birthday! |
| 4
EarthMama
5 nilufar; auclaire; lula; Suzy
6 spiralmama
7 leanimal
8 ccurn94; evilanna; Mama Misha; leah_o; iheartruby
9 dianajeanne; solareclipse357; Rhiana; Jessie; machinegunbettie
10 mamacrikt; TripleP
12 Servicefam
14 Aodan; gratefld; girlie13
15 Malachai; isarahi; littleskimo1021; zarafly72
16 Eljae
17 weave; Princssangl0204; BroBoo's Mom; trixie
18 dirtyprettything
19 Gwenaa
20 Invictus; jennarndt; tifferbell; Debralynnn
21 JadeMoon
22 Nicholas' 1st B-Day!
24 girlrandi
25 ghettobootie; pynt
26 mojokitty; Treja
27 Kelli/inked.mama's B-day
28 (just)jess; Tinker
29 redink
30 Mariah; daniegirl
Has your birthday passed and you never saw it here?
Well go set up your birthday in your profile! We pull
the birthdays from the board calendar (not the event
calendar) and they are automatically added when you
add your birthday to your personal profile. |
Tags & Comments on our front page
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In order to better search our site, and be better indexed (and therefore better found!) by the search engines, we've got tags!
What are tags? "A tag is a (relevant) keyword or term associated with or assigned to a piece of information (e.g. a picture, article, or video clip), thus describing the item and enabling keyword-based classification of information."
Along with the tags are some images that should look familiar to you if you have seen the site in the past few months. They are social bookmark tools for sites such as Digg and Del.ico.us. Use them! No, not an order, just very excited over how dynamic our site has become, and will continue to become in the future. We are very much a part of "web 2.0" and I'd like to continue to stay on the leading edge of that curve.
Se an article with no tags? Think it needs some? Add them! Our site is all about being dynamic and user-friendly and user-made! It is currently set so we do need to approve new tags, but rest assured, if you add one (or two, or ten) they will show up as soon as I see them and approve them. Once I see that everyone has the hang of it, I'll probably take it off of needing approval (like we did with the comments).
Speaking of comments, go comment! Because our advertisers cannot see us discussing products or using the board at all really, I would like to present them with the strong community I know we have. Read an article and think it was great? Let the author know, and let the rest of the world know too. |
Product Review - RockPaperPencils.com |
Written by Rev. Fish
Well, it is just about that time again. No, not the time to sacrifice virgins to uncouth gods. That isn't for a couple more months. It is almost time to go back to school and if your teen is tired of being swamped in the miasma of cutesy or plain school supplies, you should check out Rock Paper Pencils.
Rock Paper Pencils produces writing needs for those who are not ashamed to show off their choice in music. They specialize in notebooks, die-cut notepads, journals, pens and pencils emblazoned with artwork and logos for some of your favorite artists
The items that I had the opportunity to check out were some of their spiral bound notebooks, pens, and, of course, pencils from Danzig, The Misfits, Social Distortion and My Chemical Romance. The notebooks are my favorite as each page is printed with a light version of the image on the cover. My personal favorite in this is the Misfits version. The is just something cool about jotting down notes and seeing the ever-awesome Crimson Ghost skull in the background at all times. The pencils are your standard #2 writing pencils except instead of your stock yellow paintjob that is all too reminiscent of the yuppy Hummer, they get a much cooler custom hotrod finish in Soulless Black with the band's logo and artwork all around. The Social Distortion pencils are the ultimate in smooth. I can't let them be anywhere but at work where they are in constant use. The pens are a capped pen with the same kind of artwork that is on the pencils. My only regret was that the pens could have been a smoother write, but I am also spoiled by high-end writing instruments. These pens are more than adequate for jotting down your teacher's notes or passing notes in class.
For your average school kid trying to make an impression or stand out from the crowd, Rock Paper Pencils definitely rocks. Save the virgin sacrifice for after you graduate.
Rock Paper Pencils
http://www.rockpaperpencils.com |
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| Contest Sponsors and Winners |
We have a big, bad ass contest coming in the middle of August! Want to know how to enter it? Read on my friend!
Enter to win an interactive Comfy Easy PC learning system - designed to help your child to reach their full potential.
To
be entered with a chance of winning a Comfy learning system for your little
one simply click on the link below, play the comfy demo and
answer the following questions.
- How many languages does the Comfy software come
with?
- How many buttons on the keyboard are "clickable"
on the online demo?
- What does the bear like to do and how many times
does he do it?
- How many blue flowers are on the tree at the beach?
- What color is the dog house roof?
Click here to see the Comfy demo
To enter, send the answers to the questions above, along with your full name and mailing address to contest@punkymoms.com .
All entries must be received between midnight EST August 14 2007 and midnight EST on August 31 2007
A winner will be chosen at random from those entries received on September 1
2007
Click here to read our coontest terms and conditions.
The
prize contains a Comfy keyboard and CD "First steps" for beginners
which is suitable for children approx. age 1 through to age 3 as well as an assortment of software suitable for ages 1 - 5.
Comfy Easy PC is a unique interactive learning system that encourages toddlers (1-5 years old) to learn through play on their home PC.
It
creates a rich and exciting multimedia world for young children, in
which they can play and interact with the lovable comfy characters.
Playing with the Easy PC system
provides toddlers the opportunity to explore a dynamic, colourful and
interactive environment - without requiring parental assistance.
According to The 3C Development cycle, the Easy PC system, thanks to its rich content, will stimulate and Challenge your child's natural born Curiosity.
The specially designed keyboard enables him or her to remain in full
control, mastering activities as the plot evolves, thereby improving
his/her sense of self Confidence.
Always
trying to imitate Mum and Dad, young children today show more and more
interest in exploring the world through the medium of computer, which
undoubtedly is now an everyday item found in nearly every home. The Easy PC
specially designed keyboard and age appropriate content are fully
adequate for toddlers' motor and learning abilities, tailored to their
specific area of interest.
Apart from the learning skills, Comfy
puts a lot of emphasis on important aspects of social behaviour, such as helping
friends and being part of a group in its vivid
stories. The Easy PC is a major contribution to your child's development and
will help develop a positive, independent personality, socially conscious, giving
him or her the tools to help get on with his surroundings.
 | The
award winning Easy PC system is a great alternative to passive TV
watching. As parents, we look to give our children many different types
of experiences and learning opportunities. Comfy combines "good old"
educational and social values with advanced interactive modern
capabilities. |
For more information on the Comfy Easy PC Learning system click here.
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| Product Review - Comfy Easy PC Learning System |
Written by Jennifer Johnpoll
I love this product. My toddler loves this product. My older kids love this product. Oh, got your attention, hm? It's the Comfy Easy PC Learning system. It's a keyboard system for your PC that your child (ages 1 - 5) can use all by him or herself. Talk about great! Who doesn't have a headstrong toddler who is all about "me do it!"? You don't need extra special knowledge to set it up - just plug 'n' play!
The keyboard comes with one software title; others are available and at approximately 20$ per title, they aren't too expensive. They come in various themes and levels. Each title has multiple levels and multiple languages too! My kids learn in English, Spanish, Hebrew, German, French, and more. Wow!
The keyboard itself is very durable. It got dropped a few times, of course my toddler was leaning on it, banging on it and otherwise abusing it. Not a single problem with it! Nothing was broken, busted, cracked, unattached or lost! If you know my kids, you know that's nothing short of miraculous.
My two year old took right to it. No coaching, or having to show her what to do. It freed up my time to make dinner, clean, do laundry, whatever. The Comfy characters kept her totally entertained for at least twenty minutes, but usually much longer, to the point I had to tell her it was time to stop and turn it off!
We sampled quite a few software titles, and they were all a hit. I can't even suggest one over another. Each title has it's own merits, and own reasons to be touted. I think our favorite was the music title, we were loving "playing" the drums and piano and other instruments.
I honestly want to sing it's praises. The characters didn't get annoying the way some do and neither did the songs or other sound effects. My daughter keeps asking for "sleeping moon" over and over and over again. I love that it teaches beginning computer skills without the worry of breaking a typical keyboard. I didn't have to tell the kids to get off or be careful. I could leave them be and go do what needed doing or I could actively engage the game with them. Every button brings a reaction, and every reaction brings a smile. I couldn't ask for a better learning system to compliment the computer we already have.
Try an online demo of this fantastic product now!
www.comfyland.com - If you are planning on purchasing this product, please use this link. A portion of your purchase directly benefits Punky Moms.
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| Newest Articles |
1. Nevermind the... shirt coming soon!
2. An article on natural/healthy living
3. Can I advertise with Punky Moms? (re-written)
4. Do Something!
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| Just A Reminder |
It is posted not only in the Punky Policies on the board, it is also posted on the site itself now.
It has come to our attention in the past that people may be sending content from our post-protected boards (private boards) to people who do not have access yet or are no longer or never were members of Punky Moms.
If you are doing this, you must stop now. If you have thought about doing this, don't.
We have these protected boards for a reason - to provide a secure place for our members to post sensitive information. Disseminating that information to people without access to those boards is a security violation, a betrayal of the trust of your fellow Punky Moms and a violation of our rules.
We ask that you respect your fellow members and our rules. If you can't do that, then maybe you don't belong here.
Anyone caught doing this will be immediately deleted and banned from Punky Moms.
Exceptions to this are if you have express permission from the author of the post to re-distribute the contents of their post. This must be given on a post by post basis.
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In addition to not sharing posts in private boards, please do not share posts from any board with a non member. Technically they are all private, as guests cannot view our boards. Do not share your private messages. Do not share anything from the calendar which is anything other than the "general" category. The "general" (if it has a black colour bar, it's general, any other colour can only be seen by logged in and active members) category is the only category that is public. All other categories are viewable to active Punky Moms members who are logged in.
It has filtered back to us that some of our ex-members (recent and otherwise) are actively being spoon-fed our posts and playdates. I won't have it.
Punky Moms is a safe environment. I, Winter and Sarah bust our asses to keep it that way. The three of us are so emotionally vested in this place, so tangled up in it's roots, that a little piece of us lives here, and to pick away at it, to poke it and push it and test it to see how much we'll take, is unfair to us personally. It isn't "just a board" we can walk away from when it gets a little hot around here. We're on the phone with most of you, or emailing, or sending smoke signals to communicate. To make sure you are ok when you hit a rough patch. To congratulate you when you have a baby or console you when you lose someone. We are a full service operation here, and if you don't appreciate what we have to give you, use that self-delete option and go over to BabyZone or iVillage or someplace far away from here, because if you can't respect that, you don't belong here anyway. |
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| Ask the Punky Moms |
Need special advice? Want it to be a little more annonymous than the forum? Ask The Mama is the place for you! Just send an email to askthemama@punkymoms.com and we'll print your letter here, sans name, with the kind of sage advice only a Punky Mom can dish out.
Q: When should I start giving my baby solids and what should I start with?
A: There is no magic age, it depends on the baby.
Pay attention to your child’s cues. When he starts showing a marked interest in what you’re eating, then it’s time to start introducing solids.
When you do start giving solids, remember it’s just for practice, your child is not really getting any nutrition from the first solids, they are still relying on your milk or formula for that.
As for what to give your baby first, well that is also debatable. Many people prefer to start with cereal. However, there are a few things you should know if you are going to go this route. First of all, you should use a whole grain cereal instead of a rice based one because the rice cereals tend to cause constipation in young babies.
Other people prefer to forego the cereal and start with something else. Some other great first foods include specially formulated baby yogurt (Yobaby is one such brand) and avocados.
For more information on this topic: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html
Disclaimer: All material provided at PunkyMoms.com and PunkyMomsForum.com is provided for educational purposes only. Consult with your health care provider, lawyer, or other professional regarding the advisability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your individual situation. You are solely responsable for the outcome of any services and/or advice given. PunkyMoms.com and PunkyMomsForum.com is not responsable for any services and/or advice given by the consultants or members, and shall not be liable or responsable to any person or entity for any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly by the information or ideas contained, suggested, or referenced. Your participation in this service is solely at your own risk.
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| Ask The Mama is being tested as a fun little advice column. Please treat it as such. |
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