Win The Heart of Christmas DVD!

It's only October and I know a lot of people have already seen holiday items in the stores. If you've been to Target, you know exactly what I'm talking about - the Halloweeen merchandise is right next to all of the Christmas stuff. I think they're rushing into Christmas a bit too quickly, but, at least it's a nice segue into my next giveaway.

One of my readers will win a touching DVD called 'Heart of Christmas. This is a movie that I haven't seen yet, but it sounds like my kind of chick-flick that's sure to get the water works flowing. I was sent a press release with some info about the movie and it sounds incredibly heart-warming.

"The Heart of Christmas tells the story of Austin and Julie Locke, who are devastated to learn that their young son, Dax, has been diagnosed with cancer. With courage, determination and faith, they decide to give Dax one last Christmas – even if it has to be in October. When the community sees the holiday decorations and learns the heartbreaking truth, what happens next is a miraculous outpouring of care and support.  The Heart of Christmas will touch your heart and bring home the spirit of the holidays.  The Heart of Christmas tells the story of Austin and Julie Locke, who are devastatedto learn that their young son, Dax, has been diagnosed with cancer. With courage,determination and faith, they decide to give Dax one last Christmas – even if it hasto be in October. When the community sees the holiday decorations and learns theheartbreaking truth, what happens next is a miraculous outpouring of care and support.The Heart of Christmas will touch your heart and bring home the spirit of the holidays."

You can check out a YouTube clip here, and enter to win a copy below using the Rafflecopter form!

UPDATE: THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED. THE WINNER IS CHRISTINA S.

The Benefits of Unreal Chocolate Candy #getunreal

Confession time... I'm a bit of a chocolate snob. I don't know how it started, but I guess I've tasted enough chocolate over time to develop a taste for the good stuff. So, when a new candy company called UNREAL was looking for people to check out their new line of chocolate, I jumped at the chance and invited some of my friends over to taste test with me.

If you've never heard of UNREAL, take a look at this YouTube video.

This chocolate (or candy, as they call it) is really good, and my friends agree. UNREAL Candy's slogan is Junk food, UNJUNKED™ which is perfect for moms like me who are trying to eat more real food with better ingredients, but still want a treat sometimes.

When my friends and I were tasting all of the UNREAL candy, I asked them what they thought of the candy and here's what they had to say:

  • "The candy tasted delicious! I like how it has less sugar and less calories than other popular brands. The fact that their are no artificial food dies is great too!"
  • "I love the natural, healthy ingredients.  It's so much better for the kids.  The colors are very earthy too.  Love the non-GMO aspect of it."
  • "I really like the creamy texture of the peanut butter and that it's not too sugary."
  • "I love that there is no high fructose corn syrup and no hydrogenated oils!"
  • "It's unbelievable! I love that there are no artificial food dyes in there."
  • "I would buy unreal candy rather than the competitor because of the ingredients and it tastes great!"

As you can tell, the UNREAL candy was a hit! This new brand enables us to treat ourselves and our kids, but without the junky ingredients. Now, a mom can give her 18 month old a candy coated chocolate without having to worry about the artificial colors. There is more protein and fiber, no artificial preservatives and real milk. It's a candy revolution!

Disclosure: These are my honest opinions. I was sent UNREAL candy to share with my friends, and compensated for this post. But, I truely do enjoy this candy, and I will be buying it in the future.

Preschool, Homeschool & Elementary Kid's Activities

Do you ever have a week where you have done so much, but can't pinpoint where all the time went?  That was my week. How about you? Instead of chatting about what I've done, I'm looking forward to a new week and a fresh start. Let's kick it off with a new Kid's Co-op!

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Win Cadbury Screme Eggs!

Just when you thought you've seen it all... here comes Cadbury Screme Eggs! They're a fun new version of the traditional Cadbury Creme Eggs that appear in stores every spring for Easter. These are just like the original, with one exception: an oozing green yolk in the center, instead of the original yellow-ish color.

But, what's even better than reading about chocolate? Winning some for yourself, right? My friends at Hershey want to spread the word about these cool new Halloween treats, and offered to send one of my lucky readers Cadbury Screme Eggs to try for themselves! Take a minute to enter below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check out Hershey’s Boo Blvd where you can find even MORE craft and recipe ideas for Halloween!

Kid's Co-op: Halloween is just around the corner

Is it just me, or did October come around so fast? I feel like we just started getting the kids ready for back-to-school and now my house is decorated for Halloween and Thanksgiving!

Do you have Halloween costumes picked out for your kids yet? Luckily, neither of my boys have their hearts set on a specific costume this year, so we're going to improvise with costumes we already have or make something. I'm 100% okay with that! I'm sure my parents bought me some costumes when I was growing up, but I also have fond memories of dressing up as a punk rocker, dancer and other homemade or recycled outfits. 

If you're not in the Halloween spirit yet, there are so many cute ideas in this this week's Kid's Co-op.

Check it out!

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Local Family Fun: Star Wars Reads Day

Do you have a Star Wars fan in your house?  If so, here's the scoop about Star Wars Reads Day which is this Saturday all across America!

StarWars.com says:

"On October 6th, 2012, fans will come together to celebrate reading and Star Wars. Join in the fun by finding an event near you. All events will have giveaways and a raffle. Select events will have authors and/or costumed characters on hand from the 501st Legion, the Rebel Legion, the Mandalorian Mercs and the R2 Builders Club."

Visit the official Star Wars website to find your local participating store or library for details. And, check out StarWars.com/Reads for free downloads of activity sheets, craft project ideas, trivia and more!

 

What Would Your Kids Say?

When my son started preschool, one of the teachers half-jokingly said "Don't believe everything your child tells you about us, and we won't believe everything they tell us about you."  I had to laugh, because sometimes, the world through a child's eyes can be quite amusing.

So, today, I'm going to give you a glimpse of my life through the eyes of my kids. Melinda from Look What Mom Found thought it would be fun to interview her kids and ask them questions about her. I was curious to see what my kids had to say, so I, along with a few other Philadelphia area bloggers, decided to join in and ask our kids too.

Here is what my kids had to say when I asked them about me:

What is my favorite t.v. show?
My 4-year-old: "Girl shows"  
My six-year-old: "Rachael Ray"

What is my favorite food?

My 4-year-old: "Zucchini"   
My six-year-old: "All of your dinners"

What is the most favorite thing I do for you?
My 4-year-old: "Help me open the garage"   
My six-year-old: "Put me to bed"

What makes me laugh?
My 4-year-old: "The joke: quacka-doodle-do"   My six-year-old: "If I tickle you"

If I had my own t.v. show, what would I be doing?
My 4-year-old: "Acting"  
My six-year-old: "Cooking & Travelling"

How are you and I the same?          
My 4-year-old: "We watch the same t.v. shows."   
My six-year-old: "We like the same food."

Where is my favorite place to go?
My 4-year-old: "The Herr's factory"   
My six-year-old: "The beach"

What Would Your Kids Say About You? Use these questions and interview your own kids and see what they have to say about you and your relationship. Check out the what the other bloggers kids said here.

Autumn & Halloween Crafts for Kids

Happy Friday!

I want to thank Tina, from Mamas Like Me, for featuring my Gauze Ghosts in her round-up of October Kid's Crafts.  These homemade Ghosts from Gauze certainly brought the Halloween spirit into our house last year, and they were pretty easy to make too. If you're feeling crafty, be sure to check out Tina's blog post 31 Days of October Crafts and some new ideas in this weeks' Kid's Co-op linky below.

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Label Your Kid's Stuff With Mabel's Labels

When you have a child in school or daycare, it's important that they come back with everything you sent them with, so labelling everything properly is a must!

Years ago, when my son went to daycare for the first time, it was really important to me to make sure he had everything he needed to make him comfortable and happy, including: extra clothes, blankets, and his bottles. I knew his stuff wouldn't get mixed up with any other child's stuff because I decided to get some dishwasher & washing machine safe labels. This stuff is expensive and I'd much rather spend a little bit of money to label everything instead of contantly buying replacements.

Getting these labels was one of the best things I ever did because it gave me peace of mind that my baby was getting his bottles and all of his favorite things while he was there.  Since everything was clearly marked with his unique labels with his name, I knew his bottles, blankets, and other baby gear wouldn't get mistaken as someone elses stuff. Now that my kids are older, it's still top priority to properly label their gear.

This year, we got Mabel's Labels for all of my son's back-to-school stuff. They make wonderful labels that are extremely durable, dishwasher & laundry safe, high resolution, and customizable to your needs.

Award-winning Mabel’s Labels is the leading provider of personalized labels for kids and adults. Their custom labels include sticky labels for clothing, personalized stickers for tweens, school labels, name labels, iron-on clothing labels/name tags, book plates, label stickers/adhesive labels for the home, and children’s labels for look-alike items sent to school, daycare or camp.

Check them out on their website www.MabelsLabels.com!

 

Disclosure: Thanks to Mabel's Labels for providing labels to review.

Take a Child Outside Week: September 24th - 30th

Here in the Philadelphia area, this is the ideal time to celebrate Take a Child Outside Week! Today was cool, but not too cool, and sunny, but not too sunny. It was the perfect fall day for playing outside. My 4-year-old spent time playing with friends, digging in the dirt, and pretending he was a fireman. My 6-year-old spent some quiet time swinging on the playset and relaxing after a busy day at school. 

Without knowing it, we were celebrating Take a Child Outside Week. It's an initiative by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences "designed to help break down obstacles that keep children from discovering the natural world." The goal is to "help children across the country develop a better understanding and appreciation of the environment in which they live, and a burgeoning enthusiasm for its exploration."

Sometimes, when my little guy is out playing, he surprises me with a flower that he picked from the garden. That always makes my day! Do your kids love playing outside too? What's your favorite thing to do outside with your kids? 

Save Money With Ebates

When I'm shopping for back-to-school clothes or holiday gifts, I completely dread having to wait in long lines with my kids.  A really easy way to avoid that & also save some money is by shopping online using Ebates.  Not only can you do your shopping as you normally would, but you can actually get money back, just by going through the Ebates site to make your purchases.

Here's how Ebates works: First of all, it's FREE. You just sign up on their site, and then go through Ebates to connect with over 1,500 stores including Target, Land's End, Walmart, Kohl's, Toys R Us, Macy's, Disney Store, and The Childrens Place.  Every time you shop online through Ebates they give you Cash Back (a percentage of your purchase that varies depending on the store).  Four times a year or more they will either send your rebate money via check in the mail, or transfer the money to your PayPay account

I have used Ebates and it really is as simple as that.  We even booked the hotels for our vacation through ebates.  Click here to sign up with Ebates today!

SIGN UP FOR EBATES HERE!

 

Disclosure. Ebates referral link is included in this post.

Why Kids Need Freedom To Play

I'm usually an open-minded person, but there is one thing I will stand firm on: I do not want to over-schedule my family. I want my kids to have the freedom to play, read books, dig in the dirt, and ride their bikes with friends. I want to sit down and eat dinner as a family. I want my kids to have time to think about life. I want a chance to talk to my husband and sons without rushing from one place to another. This isn't because I'm selfish, it's because I want healthy, loving kids that have the potential to become great innovators.

Reserving free time for my kids is very important to me and there is research to back up this theory. According to a new article in Psychology Today, As Children’s Freedom Has Declined, So Has Their Creativity. A recent  study done by Kyung Hee Kim shows a continuous decline in creativity among American children over the last two or three decades. Kim says that we are in a "creativity crisis." In the past, I've read article after article to know how important it is for our children to have the freedom to play. 

  • The American Academy of Pediatrics states "Some of the best interactions occur during downtime—just talking, preparing meals together, and working on a hobby or art project, playing sports together, or being fully immersed in child-centered play." (source)
  • "A study of more than 11,000 eight- and nine-year-olds, led by pediatric researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York, showed that kids who had at least 15 minutes of recess a day (even just 15 minutes!) behaved better in class." (source)
  • An article from Scientific American says “Free play,” as scientists call it, is critical for becoming socially adept, coping with stress and building cognitive skills such as problem solving. (source)
  • Dr. Peggy Drexler says that "alone time is a crucial, and too often forgotten, part of development. The real world is not a constant party, or a day at camp. Real world includes downtime, and it includes alone time." (source)

As a mom, I want my children to be smart and physically fit, but I also want them to be expressive, creative, caring, imaginative, passionate, funny and socially aware. My kids are only 4 and 6, so I don't know exactly what the future holds for them, however, I do know that their personal success is not solely dependent upon their standardized test scores or how many extracurricular activities they are signed up for.

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.”

- Kay Redfield Jamison

Kid's Book Review: Dick and Jane and Vampires

Never in a million years would I think I'd be raving about a book called Dick and Jane and Vampires, but this is a fantastic book for early readers.

At first, I didn't even know how this book arrived in our house. It seemed to appear out of nowhere, until I realized that it came home with my son after a trip to his Grandparent's house.  My mom must have slipped it in his bag as a treat, but at first I was a bit skeptical.  

I'm pretty traditional and I definitely didn't want to scare my son while we were reading before bedtime. But, this book was not scary at all.  The author incorporated bats and vampires into the story as if they're just another member of the family. The placement couldn't have been more natural, and, you don't need to be a fan of vampires to enjoy this book.

Most importantly, this book was a tremendous help in reinforcing my son's reading skills over the summer. The Dick and Jane books have been popular since the 1930's and now I know why. The short sentences paired with repetition of simple words made it easy for my son to follow when I was reading. It didn't take long before he was reading with me, and now he is reading this book completely on his own. 

I am so happy this book found its way into our home and I will never forget the title of the first book my son ever read all by himself: Dick and Jane and Vampires!

Note: The link to Amazon is an affiliate link

Back to the Kid's Co-op!

Welcome back!  Last week, I didn't get a chance to post the Kid's Co-op, so I'm excited to highlight it on the blog today.

I know a lot of my readers have been getting their kids back-to-school too, and these past few weeks have been hectic. We're all getting familiar with new routines and getting back into the swing of things. For some reason, I feel like this year has been busier than last year, but everything seems to be falling into place nicely.

If you were following my blog about diet and exercise, don't think I gave up!  I may have taken a break from writing about it, but it is far from on the back burner.  As we get settled into the school year, fitness and healthy eating are a huge priority for me and I promise to share my progress with you.

So, keep checking in, because there's much more to come!

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What is "No Kid Hungry?"

As the anniversary of 9/11 wraps up, I can't help but feel grateful. It's inevitable that there are moments when I 'sweat the small stuff', but overall, my family is blessed and it's not something I take for granted. I know that there are people who have significantly more than we do, and I know there are people who have much less as well. But, I have to admit, I was a little surprised what I learned from the Share Our Strength Teachers Report.  

Here's one of the most important findings from this report:

"The study finds that 98% of teachers believe there is a strong connection between eating a healthy breakfast and a student’s ability to concentrate, behave and perform academically. That statistic may not surprise you but here are some that will: 65% of K-8 teachers see students coming to school hungry because they are not eating at home, and 61% of those teachers use their own money each month to buy food supplies for the hungry children in their class. Overall, six in ten teachers say hunger in the classroom increased last year. "

So, What is "No Kid Hungry?" The No Kid Hungry Campaign is a national effort by Share Our Strength to end childhood hunger in America by 2015.

We often hear about the obesity epidemic, but there are also millions of American kids who are not being sufficiently fed. So many moms already feel stressed by their own personal responsibilities, but, if you can, there are some easy ways to help. For example, your school, church or organization can Host a Great American Bake Sale or Dine Out for No Kid Hungry September 16th-22nd. So, please take a minute and find read more about the No Kid Hungry campaign. It is a lot easier than you may think to make a difference!

View & share the infographic
Help protect funding for effective nutrition programs
Download the Hunger in Our Schools report

Gifts for Kids: CuddleUppets Review

I can't tell you how many times I've stood around in the store gazing at the toys and wondering what to buy for a kid's birthday present. There is just so much STUFF! A lot of parents will even tell you "my kids have too much already, they don't need any more toys." So, it's pretty refreshing to see a new kid's product that is functions as both a practical blanket and a fun toy at the same time.

If you've never heard of Cuddle Uppets, they are a fun cross between a blanket and a puppet! Your kids can play with them during the day and sleep with them at night.

CuddleUppets first caught my eye thanks to their super catchy jingle that's always on t.v. Of course, my were both begging for one. So, when I finally got one for each of my kids, I knew they would be excited.

The thing that really surprised me about CuddleUppets was the quality. They colors are rich and they are incredibly soft. My son had his on a recent car trip and I even borrowed it from him when he wasn't using it.  It is a really nice, thick blanket, but it's not too big, so it's perfect for the car. Plus, kids can use the animal head as a little pillow.

If you're looking for a gift that is more than just another toy, this is a great option. Perfect for the kids who have everything!

Disclosure: I received a CuddleUppet so that I could conduct this review.