My little girl loves New York.

She was born there, and we lived in the city for six weeks until we closed on our apartment in New Jersey.  But even when we left the city, we could still see it every day:

And every night:

She knew which building was the Empire State Building.  She knew which building housed my office.  She knew about the Lincoln Tunnel, Central Park, and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan.  She rode the bus, the subway, and the NY Waterway ferry.  In the city, she was in her element.  When we took her apple-picking in Rockland County, she stamped her foot and announced that she did NOT want to pick apples; she wanted to ride the CAROUSEL.

We moved to Colorado just after she turned three, and although we’ve been here for nearly two years, she still asks me at least once a week: “When can we go back to New York?”

So when “Where Was I? New York!” arrived in our mailbox - addressed and inscribed to her by the author, Dave Carberry - she insisted that we sit right down on the driveway and read it immediately.

The book explores the highlights of a trip to New York.  Written in first-person, the simple descriptions of the sights and activities are a great way to remind kids of what they’ve done and seen - or even to get them excited about an upcoming trip.  The illustrations are bright and cheerful, detailed without being distracting.  From the Statue of Liberty to the subway underneath Grand Central Station, horse-drawn carriage rides in Central Park, Broadway shows and gigantic toy stores - “Where Was I? New York!” covers a lot of ground in only about fifteen pages.

Dave Carberry has more “Where Was I?” books in the works, including Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington DC.  “Where Was I? New York!” is currently available at Lulu.com, and you can get more information about his series of books at the official “Where Was I?” website.

As I keep telling Tacy, we’ll make it back to New York someday.  In the meantime, we can remember how much fun we once had there.

Both of my girls seem determined to buck the system.  While Tacy was talking up a storm by her first birthday, it’s only now that CJ has turned two that she’s begun to say more than just “No!” and “Bobby!” (aka SpongeBob).

Meanwhile, although I know Tacy is fully capable of sounding out words, she stubbornly resists our encouragement.  This was her MO during potty training too, so on one hand, I’m not too surprised.  But while both Kyle and I couldn’t wait to learn to read on our own (or so our parents tell us), our children seem perfectly happy to allow us to read to them.

Kyle and I (and Tacy too) are quite skeptical, so I was really interested in the “Your Baby Can Read” DVDs.  Could these DVDs spark interest in reading where little to none has existed so far?

While I don’t think that either of these DVDs (the Starter or Volume 1) - particularly in the short time that we’ve been watching them - have taught my girls to really READ, I can confirm that they’re engaging and interesting.  Simple without being infantile, descriptive without being overly dramatic - they’ve struck a balance that seems nearly impossible to achieve.

They’ve helped Tacy to recognize some basic words - connecting the letters to the word itself to the associated action or object.  Words like “eyes”, “nose”, and “mouth” - which even most toddlers can understand and identify by pointing - and “dog”, “cat”, and “gorilla” - again, which even most toddlers can recognize on sight, even if they can’t identify them verbally.

Likewise, they held CJ’s attention and elicited responses from her like no other educational program has done so far.  For example, she touched her nose when the word “nose” was shown on the screen.  And when a picture of a cat was shown, she said “cat” for the first time.  Granted, she’s saying new words every day now (thank goodness), but each one is significant - for her and for us.

I don’t expect my toddler to read (although I’d be thrilled if my nearly-five year-old showed more enthusiasm), but I still think these DVDs are a great tool.  Basic concepts and connections are presented in a way that kids can appreciate and parents can tolerate.  Very few DVDs can make the same claim.

Check out more reviews of “Your Baby Can Read” from the Parent Bloggers Network!

Much of my undergraduate coursework focused on microbiology, and the two most unnerving classes I ever took were Human Parasitology and Food Microbiology.  While I was fairly disgusted by much of what I saw, it certainly did convince me to take precautions to protect myself - and now my family too - against germs.

That said, I hate anti-bac gel.  It smells funny, it feels funny, it dries out your hands, and it leaks.  And for Pete’s sake, would someone please explain why there are anti-bac gel dispensers alongside soap dispensers and sinks in restrooms?  A quick swipe of anti-bac gel does not absolve you of the responsibility to WASH your hands after using the restroom.  And if you’ve already washed thoroughly and you don’t aspire to create super-germs, then why do you need the gel?

We moved to Denver nearly two years ago, and we’re still adjusting to the aridity of the climate.  It’s especially hard on my girls’ skin, especially in the winter.  Anti-bac gel is out of the question; regular handwashing (with hand lotion applied afterward) is our routine.

But I took the girls - and some CleanWell hand sanitizer - to the zoo on Monday.  I love the zoo, but let’s be honest:  it’s gross.  Nearly everything is outside, so it’s covered in grime.  Kids cling to the guardrails and press their noses against the glass.  And when you do run across a restroom, you really don’t feel any cleaner even after you wash your hands.  Other than Disney World, I can’t really think of a better place to try out a new hand sanitizer.

I’ll admit it; I’ve been converted.  This stuff is great.

It doesn’t smell funny.  It doesn’t feel funny.  It doesn’t dry out your hands - ask my older daughter, whose hands get dry and itchy thanks to mere handwashing - and the pump spray bottle and sealed towelettes eliminate leaking entirely.

Count me in with the rest of the anti-bac crowd, because I truly don’t see any reason NOT to carry and use CleanWell.

Check out the rest of the CleanWell reviews, courtesy of our fantastic bloggers at The Parent Bloggers Network.