STOP SELF-SABOTAGE! Get Out of Your Own Way to Earn More Money, Improve Your Relationships, and Find the Success You Deserve is a new book by popular clinical psychotherapist Pat Pearson. It really focuses on helping people grow in a variety of areas – primarily health, relationships and career. Pat’s premise is that we unconsciously sabotage ourselves because we don’t truly believe that we deserve happiness in every area of our life.

The book shares exercises, quizzes, and stories along with personal reflections on breakthrough moments from Pat’s own life in order to help readers break the tendency to self-sabotage and to make their dreams a reality.

Although I’m not big on the whole “deserve” mentality, I understand the gist of what she’s trying to get across – that people need to feel worthy of their desires. (Honestly, the life that I have is much better than what I “deserve” based on some of my past attitudes and actions. As such, I focus on what I want rather than what I deserve!) I do agree with Pat that practically everyone engages in some (or many) forms of self-sabotage. I think that being more aware of our patterns can definitely help us to stop doing this as much. The other thing that I really agree with in this book is when Pat writes about Self Talk. We really do have to be careful regarding the thoughts that we allow ourselves to think and the things that we say to ourselves. Study after study has shown that our thoughts affect our emotions which affect our actions! In any event, I recommend this book to those who are trying to work on various aspects of their lives, (After all, aren’t we all “works in progress”?)

To win this book, share one way that you have “sabotaged” your health, relationships or career in the past in the “Comments” section below by January 31st.

(To read about what others are reading this month, visit What’s on Your Nightstand. Also, don’t forget that the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival is this week!)

The off-Broadway kids’ musical sensation, Dear Edwina (from the creators of Theatreworks USA’s popular production of Junie B. Jones) is playing at the DR2 Theatre in Union Square through April 19th.

(FYI: Dear Edwina is also a great idea for birthday parties. Groups of 10 or more pay only $29 for individual tickets (regular price is $39). Groups of 20 or more can also party in the downstairs D-Lounge for an hour following the show at no additional cost! For groups fewer than 20, there’s a small fee for the party space.)

Mom in the City member and reviewer Atireme Matos went to see the show last weekend with her daughter. This is what she wrote about the play:

“What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon with my five year-old boss!

This weekend she and I went to see Dear Edwina at the DR2 Theatre in Union Square. A small, intimate theatre, without a bad seat in the house, full of what I’d guess were mostly 5-8 year olds and their families. The space helped to create the perfect environment for a fun, relaxed, entertaining event.

Dear Edwina is about a young girl and her attempts to help others while finding a niche for herself with her own family and friends. Edwina, a self proclaimed expert advice giver, produces a musical advice review out of her garage with the help of five colorful friends and two siblings who provide drum and keyboards for each of the musical numbers. Comparing herself to one sister who is some sort of math wizard and her musical siblings, who win ribbons which are posted on their home refrigerator, Edwina hopes to claim some recognition and a space on the fridge by winning a spot at Adviceapalooza- an advice giving state fair (and talk show host preparatory camp in my opinion).

A wheel barrel filled with letters seeking counsel from Edwina on pressing childhood matters like how to set a table, and what to say to your crush, lead the ensemble into both touching and humorous musical numbers, through which the cast and song lyrics manage to impart useful guidance to the young audience without coming across as lecturing. The large colorful props and quirky choreography help to keep the younger ones entertained when the dialogue and movements become a little quick and garbled at times, but these few moments are quickly made up for by catchy choruses and meaningful messages.

Overall, the performance ran just short of an hour, which was great for my kiddo, and just about at the time when you could feel the other little ones stirring in their seats. Free lemonade after the show and warm greetings and autographs from the cast were a sweet way to end the experience and definitely merit a recommendation.

So, I’d say this is a great way to spend some time with your child, although I would emphasize that they be at least 5 years old- due to the quick language and movements. Edwina also shared some meaningful talk about saying “No thank you”. Immediately after the show, we took a walk over to Barnes and Noble, just two blocks away from the theatre, and shared a hot chocolate at Starbucks just across the street. It was a nice afternoon all in all and definitely worth the trip. Go see it!”

Transformers Energon: The Ultimate Collection is available on DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment in a 7 disc box set (Price: $61.99).

You get hours and hours of great story lines and of course some mighty epic battles. The Decepticons are trying to win control of the Energon, the primary fuel source of the Transformers, so they can rule the universe. The Autobots, along with the help of their human allies, have to defend the Energon mining fields and battle against Megatron. In this series, Unicron is re-born, Shockblast escapes from prison to wreak havoc, Megatron is fighting for power, and Omega Supreme is reawakened to aid Optimus Prime. This series is action packed and a lot of fun for the newbie or the hardcore fan.

I do think this series is more appropriate for older kids. There is a lot of unkind language. They make comments like “this really bites” and consistently call each other “loser.” But besides that, it is a fun series.

-Review by Mom in the City member/reviewer, Lesley Thompson

At the end of 2008, my family met up with a group of friends to visit the Rockefeller Center Tree. Because that area is so crowded during the holiday season, we knew that it would be hard to find each other in the crowd. So, we planned to all meet up at Brookstone (which is right next to the tree area).

While waiting for our friends to arrive, we took turns sitting in a chair that had an iNeed™ Lumbar Massage Cushion on it. I didn’t really get much of a chance to experience the massage though because my friends seemed like they needed some relaxation even more than I did!

I thought that since this product was so popular with the women (and men!) in the store, that I would try to review it for this site. When I reached out to Brookstone, they were more than happy to send me one to review or giveaway. (Most times, when given the option between reviews and giveaways, I choose giveaways. Not this time though. I needed to cut professional massages out of my 2009 budget, so I felt “compelled” to keep the massage pillow. Sorry!) On a better note (for you), they also sent me another excellent item, the Tranquil Moments White Noise Sound Machine for Baby, that I will be giving away later this month.

Anyway, let’s get back to the massage pillow. I love it! It’s so easy to use. You simply plug the adaptor into the wall socket after connecting the plug to the pillow. Then, you hit a button and have a wonderful shiatsu massage taking away your stress. What’s especially great about this pillow is that it is portable and adjustable (it has adjustable straps in order to fit properly in a variety of chairs). You can take it and use it in whatever chair you like. I have it massaging my lower back right now as I type! (You can use it on your upper back or lying down too.)

The only thing that I want to warn you of in regards to this product is that it can make your back sore if you use it too often. It has an auto shutoff after 20 minutes, so it’s best to use that/take a break. Overall, I think that every massage-loving mom should have an iNeed Lumbar Massage Pillow (especially since it’s only $59.95 – less than the cost of one professional massage!).

The New Victory Theater is presenting Grammy® Award winner, former Del Fuego band member and beloved Brooklynite Dan Zanes for an all new celebration of the season during Holiday House Party WITH Dan Zanes and Friends at The New Victory from December 19, 2008 through January 4, 2009. Below is Mom in the City reviewer Alexandra‘s thoughts…

On Friday my daughter and I had the privilege to go see the HOLIDAY HOUSE PARTY WITH DAN ZANES AND FRIENDS a New York performance. The setting of the stage was an inviting living room with different Christmas decorations from a Christmas trees to a Hanukah chamber stick. This reminded us all that these are times to remember traditions and celebrate with family and friends.

As the different special guests arrived to the stage they just kept adding their own cultural touch to this wonderful musical journey, which was a celebration of diversity. There were musical artists joining Dan with Palestinian Arabic-jazz, tap dancing, Mexican Mariachis and more. One by one, they all delighted the audience with fascinating music that was filled with flavor and rhythm from their countries and culture.

The audience varied in age (predominately children). But the music and dancing kept everyone young and old dancing and singing. My daughter Liana is only three and she danced to every single song. To the point that at the end of the performance the band and special guest marched down the aisle of the theater. Liana just stood behind the last guest and marched with them down to the lobby.

That was one of the things that I feel the children mainly enjoyed – the warm and friendly atmosphere that was initiated by Dan and his crew with their first song and preserved during the whole presentation with different invitations to join in on the fun and celebration.

As a viewer, you are able to sense an excellent spirit of friendship and unity from the members of Dan’s band with the different performers that were brought on stage. I feel that children recognize this and feel motivated and invited to join the fun.

This is a fun and enchanting musical experience that I would recommend to everyone. Especially if you have children, this is a perfect age to introduce and expose them to the diversity that music can offer.

Dan Zanes & Liana

Earlier this month, the timeless tale of Peter & The Wolf was released on DVD from Magnolia Home Entertainment.

I saw the short film twice, once alone at work and the second time with the kids (ages 5 and 3) on our “Night at the Movies.” It was easy to know why this was an award winner last year. The music was tops (Sergie Prokofiev is my favorite composer). The story was classic and intertwined with the music. Historically, this story has been redone over the years periodically by the great voices and directors of the world. It had not been ‘touched’ for a while though (the last I remember was an album with Sting as the Narrator). The animation was realistic, and (wow!) how they get those characters!

This production highlights modern aspects. It is set in a Russian rural area during the cold (but not too cold) weather. You will see the change in the characters that we yearn to see: the oppressed teen breaks out; the kid who needs a lesson, gets one; etc. There is also a nice variation to the ending- a surprise. Don’t look for either subtitles or narration, but the plot is easily understood. My kids understood most of it. My past experience with the story derailed my first view. It was a confused comparison with all that I had remembered. However, my second view was much better.

The animation was vivid – the set/scenery was excellent. I thought it would scare the kids, but only once did I hear them mention being afraid. Many parts were fun while others were cute. The writers must not have liked the original heroism of the hunters though (you will see what I mean!). The musical score has also been stretched to include extra moments which were pretty realistic with good effect.

Bottom line – see it! Turn the lights down low, pick a quiet time and relax. My kids want to see it again. One liked the end the most, and the other liked the whole thing. The DVD also features some good “Behind the Scenes” moments. (Also, be sure to run the intro with the movie.)

(On a side note, we chose roles and sang the themes afterwards in the bathroom getting ready for bed. I was the grandfather, of course!)
-Toby Crane

Yesterday (December 16th), Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released THE LITTLE MERMAID II: Return to the Sea Special Edition.

As an adult I actually enjoyed the movie. I liked the way it started and ended with music. The kids always seem to enjoy that. There was a great storyline that definitely has some continuity with the original movie. It even brings back some of the old characters. At first my 3 yr old son resisted seeing it (as a “Princess” movie, but whenever the crab (Sebastian) …and sometimes even the shark (Undertow) spoke, both kids would laugh. They love the accent of the crab. The good thing is that the Disney movies always show the good guy winning and the the bad guy losing at the end. That is always a great lesson to the kids. Ariel and Melody appears to have some real to life mother/daughter family issues that we go through in today’s world………..while Melody herself also experience her own personal challenges just growing up on land and loving the sea so much. The credibility of the movie really pulls you into it and my 4 year old daughter was riveted in front of the screen until the movie ended. The movie finally ends with a victory for the family, even though at some points in the movie, there were hard times where the future really looked dim. These hard times however, really kept you at the edge of your seat while you hopefully wait for the victories. Overall both kids enjoyed the movie; however, at times Morgana (Ursela’s sister) scared my 3 year old son.

Bonus (After the Movie) Features:

1) Deleted Song – This was a great song, but it wasn’t missed from the movie. It would have probably been a bit too drawn out if they had kept the song in the movie.

2) Merbabies- The kids loved watching this short film. It has music playing the whole time with different sounds from different instruments. My son said this was his favorite as the Merbabies had funny little scenes going along with the music.

4) Games and Activities
a) Under the Mer-venture Challenge game
This involved three different challenges where you win a pearl at the end. The first one had someone hiding behind the seaweed, and then it was imitating the beat of the music we heard and finally learning to swim safely as a Mermaid. All 3 challenges were good and interesting to the child, except the last one seemed a bit weird where it would say “you are doing well” even when you did not press the remote to complete the challenge.

b) The Little Mermaid ll Trivia game
This consisted of questions about the actual story itself, which was a good game. It reminds me of being in school and learning to understand what you just read like “reading comprehension”.

c) The story narrated – I loved listening to this as a story and listening to it made some things a bit more explicit when narrated.

d) “What am I?” Game
Questions/Answers about things under the sea. This was also good for the child to learn and understand the story, similar to “b”

Bonus clips for you!:
Q: How many merpeople are swimming in Morgana’s magic bubble?

Q: According to the penguin, what is Melody probably allergic to?

Coco Bonbons is giving away two outfits (one boy and one girl) from their Fall collection to two lucky readers!

Have you heard of Coco Bonbons? It’s a great mom-owned line of children’s clothing that uses bright colors and “whimsical” designs based on objects that kids love. I was fortunate enough to be sent two outfits (one for Michael and one for Sean) to review in addition to the giveaway.

This was Sean’s outfit from their Helicopter Collection:

Price: $57.50/Sale: $28.75

Price: $42.00/Sale: $29.40

Price: $26.50/Sale: $13.25

I liked pretty much everything about Sean’s outfit. It was classically designed with a fun, unique touch with the embroidered helicopters. I also liked the “feel” of the 100% cotton pieces. It seems as if they will stand up over time to washings (and wearing) by my little Taz (that’s our nickname for Sean – he’s like Taz from Looney Tunes around the house!).

This was Michael’s outfit from their Bulldozer collection:

Price: $44.50/Sale: $22.25

Price: $36.00/Sale: $25.20

Price: $26.50/Sale: $13.25

The first thing that I thought when I saw the navy vest and bright red pants: Christmas photo! Once again, I also loved the quality construction/that the clothes were all 100% cotton. The only thing that I didn’t especially like was the bulldozer on the t-shirt. I think that the large images are best left for the younger set. (Although Michael still likes playing with trucks and such, he doesn’t really like large images on his clothing at the age of “four – almost five”.)

Overall, I really like this line and so do my boys. (I’ll be posting shots of them “modeling” their new threads next week.) I also love that Coco Bonbons constantly offer specials – free shipping; discounts, etc. on their site which makes the line even more attractive (to our pocketbooks!). To stay on top of their discounts and special offers, you can sign up for their “E-News” email newsletter here. (And if you think the boys’ line is cute…wait until you see the girls’ line…too adorable!)

Anyway, there will be two winners for this contest – one boy and one girl outfit. To enter, leave your name in the “Comments” section below along with the name of your favorite Coco Bonbons boys or girls collection or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Coco” and the answer in the Subject line by December 31st.

(If the randomly drawn winner happens to have a public blog, my only request is that you write a post about your prize including a link to both the Mom in the City site and the Coco Bonbons site. Thanks!)

Recently, I had a chance to review a new children’s toy, the new line of Groovy Girls RSVP dolls and pets from Manhattan Toy. I fell in love with the 8 dolls and 5 pets in the line after opening the box that contained them.

The thing that I like the most about the dolls is that they have on fashionable clothes that actually cover everything that needs to be covered! Unfortunately, that is not the norm with many dolls on the market today. I also like the diversity of the dolls. (I promptly put “Alesa” to the side – she’s a keeper!) The pets are super-cute too. I think that this is a great, age-appropriate line for girls ages 3+.

Each doll or pet comes with a RSVP code that can be used to get exclusive access the Groovy Girls RSVP Web site where they can get rewards, play games, join parties and much more. You can download a free exclusive song with each doll or pet’s RSVP code as well.

Additionally, there’s a special site for parents so that they can be in touch with their kids’ play, stay aware of actual Groovy Girl events and accumulate points towards a doll donation for girls in need (which is great!).

Lastly, the line is reasonably priced ($15/doll; $12/pet). FREE is even better than reasonable, right? So, I’m going to give one lucky Mom in the City member two dolls and one pet. (The other dolls and pets are accounted for already!)

Mom in the City newsletter subscribers can enter to win the bundle by leaving your name in the “Comments” section below along with the name of your favorite Groovy Girls RSVP or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Groovy” in the Subject line and the answer by December 15th (just in time for holiday gifting!).

Earlier this week (on 11/25), Paramount Home Entertainment released a “wrapped and ready” Kung Fu Panda DVD. (Basically, the DVD is already gift-wrapped for convenient holiday gifting.)

Well, I quickly opened the DVD, because our family had wanted to see this movie for a while. (It’s very rare that we go to see family movies when they’re out in the theater because Michael can’t tolerate the loud sounds.) It was well worth the wait! This movie had us laughing from start to finish and it had a really great lesson (the importance of believing in yourself).

Basically, the film (which is set in China) is about a big, clumsy panda named Po. Though he is in line to be a noodle maker, Po dreams of being a master kung fu fighter who fights with the skilled Furious Five (Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper and Crane). Through a comedy of errors, Po is prophesied to be the Dragon Warrior. He was destined to be the one to defend his community from a terrifying, evil snow leopard warrior Tai Lung who had escaped from prison. As the movie progresses, Po learns kung fu alongside the Furious Five from an initially reluctant red panda Master Shifu. He also learns the secret to being the Dragon Warrior. (I won’t tell you, but it starts with “n”.) Ultimately, there is a battle between Po and Tai Lung. (Seeing that there’s a sequel in the works, you can kind of guess who won…)

The cinematography of the film was beautiful…it’s amazing what they can do with animation these days! The voices for the various characters were also exactly on point. My husband was able to guess most of them: Jack Black as Po; Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu; Angelina Jolie and Lucy Liu as part of the Furious Five; and Michael Clarke Duncan as Commander Vachir (he was the commander of the prison guard that was initially holding Tai Lung). Our most favorite part of the entire movie though is the line when the tortoise Master Oogway calmly says, “There is no good or bad news, only news”. Then, after hearing the news (that Tai Lung had escaped), he says something to the effect of “Oh, that is bad news.” For some reason, that line just makes us crack up!

In any event, this is a great movie to give as a holiday gift and/or to add to your own family movie collection. (After watching the movie together, you all can pretend to kung fu fight each other. That’s what my family did!)