A New Way to Read Children's Books

At the tender age of one, my daughter is starting to show great interest in reading. It’s a task she does every chance she gets—whether its after lunch, or during bedtime, Little Lady loves the whole concept of a story and the pictures that go along with it.

That’s why I was so excited when Crayon Crunch approached me with their idea for children’s books. Their philosophy was simple: every kid deserves an adventure. So, with the brilliant minds of Tim Osterbuhr, Kai Schmittat and Friederike Geiken , they were able to launch a concept for a customizable printed children’s book unlike any other.

While some companies limit character customization to just a child’s name, Crayon Crunch’s concept goes a bit further, allowing all features of the main character to be completely customizable. That means your child can quite literally place themselves in his/her very own fictional adventure!

From hair color, to eyes, clothing, skin tone, Crayon Crunch’s marries innovative technology with traditional picture books, through its intricate and unique process. Through an image matching algorithm, readers will able to match the exact features of their child with a click of a button and flick of a mouse. In fact, their in-house technology even allows options for special needs such as glasses and wheelchair, and limb differences. These further highlights their philosophy of EVERY child deserves an adventure. In addition, it also promotes, not only the importance of reading, but also a much-needed diversity in modern children’s literature.

The plot is a mixture of excitement and endearment. In it, your child finds a box with a lock shaped with his first initial. To unlock it, he/she must go on a quest to find the key that matches the lock. Along the way, he meets more characters to help on his quest. The contents of the box won’t be visible until the very end: when the main character finds a letter written to him/her from one of the family members who’s purchased the book.

With all this innovation and promise of a new era in children's book printing, I'm proud to announce that Crayon Crunch has launched a Kickstarter to promote and fund their venture, and your support is very much appreciated. Your child's well-deserved adventure awaits!

Note: Collecting Moments was not financially compensated for this post nor will I be receiving any commission from their campaign. Rest assured, all your support will fund Crayon Crunch’s effort 100%.

35 before 35: My Bucket List for my 30s

30—that’s twenty nine more than my daughter’s age, seven more than my sister’s, and  twenty-seven less than my mother’s. It’s the exact amount of days in a typical month; and the exact minutes it takes for my daughter to get sick of a toy.  It also totals the amount of birthdays I will have, counting the one this coming Friday. 

Ah yes, the milestone birthday. Next to the proverbial 18^th and 21^st, this is by far the most significant I’ve had. I’ve accomplished plenty in my thirty years, but to quote one of my favorite poems, I still have “miles to go before I sleep.” And in the spirit of motivation, I’ve decided to come up with a list of 35 things to do before 35. Call it cliché or simple minded, but these are the things I’d like to accomplish in five years. It’s not meant to be boastful or arrogant. This list is an incentive; to ensure that I live out my 30s in the same fervor that I lived my 20s.

So in no particular order of priority here it is…

1. Own a piano
2. Teach my daughter how to play at least one song (or more) on said piano
3. Have at least 2 pieces of my writing published (in a medium other than my blog)
4. Ride a hot air balloon
5. Continue to grow my blog through writing and building its solid following
6. Continue to document my daughter’s growth & my adventures in motherhood
7. Finish my novel
8. Start looking into publishing possibilities with my novel
9. Take a family vacation (a short one—a weekend, or a long one—a week)
10. Get a dog
11. Get down to my wedding weight
12. Go to a concert and have a backstage pass to meet the act
13. Stay in a fancy hotel suite for more than a day
14. Travel to the West coast (stopover from a flight doesn’t count)
15. Cook a meal on the grill
16. Host a holiday meal (Christmas or Thanksgiving)
17. Bake a cake from scratch (no cake mix!)
18. Stratle state lines (like the one in Hoover Dam)
19. See Shakespeare in the Park in NYC (Central Park)
20. Cook/bake with my daughter
21. Sleep under the stars (preferably during the summer)
22. Cook a family recipe without help
23. Continue to make our house a home
24. Read as many books from the 100 books to read in a lifetime
25. Watch as many of the AFI top 100 movies
26. Go hiking
27. Buy a DSLR camera
28. Learn how to use said camera
29. Watch a sunrise on the beach
30. Conquer my fear of the beach
31. Do random acts of kindness
32. Go on a road trip 
33. Try ideas I've pinned on Pinterest (at least 5 or more)
34. Learn how to balance my time
35. Be thankful for all that’s happened

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The One on Quality and Practicality

 

I’m a big proponent of practical and well made products. And Puro Sound Labs fits this mold perfectly. Their purpose is simple: to bring awareness to Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL), a condition that is on the rise among our youths. But they don’t stop there: they’re also looking for ways to eventually prevent it.  Their journey started in 2014 with the launch of their Healthy Ears initiative—a suggestion from a mother (the wife of one of the company’s marketing executives) that they make kid-friendly headphones that promoted the same quality and safety standards as their adult ones.  

Hence, their Puro Sound Labs Kids Wireless/Wired Headphones was born. We were lucky enough to receive this product to try, and it did not disappoint. Quality and Practicality are its main function, and the fact that it’s for a valuable cause makes it all the more worthy to try.

The Basics: 

As part of the company's NIHL prevention and awareness initiative, these Puro Sound Kids Headphones was designed with a volume limiter, which exceeds no more than 85 decibels—the healthiest level deemed safe for children by the CDC. Don’t fret, however. Just because the decibels are at a “safe” level, does not diminish the quality of sound. In fact, they made it a point to make the sound quality studio grade, thanks in part to their Puro Balanced Response technology. The idea is this: the better the sound quality to the ears means less urgencies to turn the volume higher (read more about it here). And speaking from experience,  whether it’s movies, videos or music, the sound is absolutely perfect (take it from me who blasts a 30 second video clip into full volume for the “experience” of it all). And though the volume is, technically, “low” I can attest first hand that I was able to enjoy every bit of my Netflix binge watching and Spotify listening sessions without even so much as an urge to turn up the volume.

Puro Sound Labs understands their target audience: kids & teenagers. After all, no one is better at blasting their music to the highest volume, but those young’ns of today,  right? So their approach to the aesthetic of their Kids Wireless Headphones is very clever: sleek, hip, and cool. With the option for the basic white or the tan/gold, it resembles the unmistakable design of the latest and greatest headphones and music players. So whether it’s an Apple or an Android, these headphones can look just as slick and lustrous as the best tech gadgets out there. Its protein leather and aluminum design adds to its “cool” factor, further surpassing their counterparts’—whether Beats or Skull Candy—appearance ten-fold. 

The ear cups and cushions also serve dual purpose. Their soft leather structure practically cradles the ear when used—a useful feature, especially when a kid falls asleep while leaning their head against the seat or the window (no more uncomfortable ears when they wake!). But it also helps to reduce the ambient noise for better quality sound as mentioned above. 

But appearance isn’t everything. These headphones are also fairly durable. Believe me: it survived a one year old--whose sole mission was to bang it on every hard surface before her mother catches her. If it can survive that ordeal without so much as a scratch or a blip in the quality of sound, I believe it can survive almost anything.

This is where Puro Sound Lab impressed me beyond expectations. There are the simple things in the product: like the fact that I was able to fit, what was deemed to be children’s headphones, on my adult sized head; thanks due in part to its adjustable bands. Or the fact that this very option allows its owner to literally grow into the product—using it  from childhood, to teenage years and onto adulthood!

There’s also the Bluetooth option, which allows me to play a slue of songs on my downstairs office without being tethered to a wire. This means I can tidy up on the second floor, make dinner, and even fold some laundry all while my favorite playlist is playing safely downstairs. Of course, the headphones also comes with an audio jack, so the option to connect with older devices (that may lack a Bluetooth option) is also available.

I’ve mentioned how these headphones limit ambient noise through Puro Sound’s technological advancements, a component that certainly helps deliver the sound quality safely and efficiently to the listener. But what I most admire about this feature is this:  I am still able to hear sounds from the outside world—like the doorbell buzzing, my phone ringing, and even the baby monitor at my side. Though it’s not the prevalent sound in my ears; it’s just enough to truly enjoy what I’m listening to without the risk of tuning out the rest of the world or damaging my hearing. The same reason can be argued for those preteen and teenagers who want to drown out their mother’s request to come to the dinner table, or their father’s insistence in taking out the garbage. There’s no more stomping down the steps and barging into their rooms; no more tapping them on the shoulders as they flail their arms in shock for the contact. They’ll be able to hear you and their music safely and reasonably.

Bottom Line:

The Puro Sound Lab team did a phenomenal job with this product. From its design to its function, their Kids Wireless Headphones combines the perfect balance between practicality and innovation without sacrificing quality or value. It’s the perfect blend that very few can achieve, and I will adamantly and enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who shares the same merit.