Showing posts with label Activities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Activities. Show all posts
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10 Ways To Get Fit After the Holidays

Tuesday, December 29, 2009 0 comments


Like most people I have a ton of New Year's Resolutions.  Most probably will never come to fruition, however staying fit and healthy are a top priority for me.

Twitter Moms has yet another fabulous contest going on for blogging moms, where they are giving away 5 EA SPORTS Active™ Personal Trainers for the Wii.  Share 10 ways your planning to get fit after the holidays on your blog and you could win too!

So here are my 10 ways to help get and stay fit after the holidays.

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Kid's Toothbrush Design Contest

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 1 comments

Be A Dental Inventor!

Dr. Fresh® Sponsors Fourth Annual Toothbrush Design Contest In Honor Of February’s National Children’s Dental Health Month

Imagine a toothbrush so much fun to use that kids would brush your teeth without a single reminder from Mom or Dad.

Dr. Fresh is asking second through fifth graders across the U.S. to dream up just such a toothbrush with “Be A Dental Inventor” – the fourth annual toothbrush design contest celebrating National Children’s Dental Health Month this February 2010. www.drfresh.com.
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You Can Make This ♦ Believe Pillow Pattern Giveaway

Sunday, December 13, 2009 17 comments


Oh my only 12 more days until Christmas!!  I thought it would be fun to showcase some quick and easy gift ideas you can give to friends, neighbors, co-workers, and oh yes…even your family! You can enter to win eBooks from www.YouCanMakeThis.com and learn some fun new techniques, tips, and ideas not only for the people on your list, but also creative ways to decorate your home!
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Myachi Giveaway

Saturday, December 5, 2009 46 comments


What do you get when you combine the play value of toys like Frisbee, yo-yos and hacky sacks?  You get Myachi.

Myachi is an extreme sport that won't leave your kids with broken bones or blood, it's about the cool moves and having fun.


Myachi combines the fluid hand motions of Martial Arts with the full-body coordination of Action Sports.  It teaches discipline, respect, self confidence, patience and determination.  There's one caveat....No Palms Allowed!  Free-Style on your own, or with friends, there are hundreds of tricks to master, which can be seen at http://www.myachi.com/.

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What are Your 5 Favorite Holiday Activities to do with Your Kids?

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 4 comments

I'm part of  Twitter Moms and they sent out an e-mail asking us to share our top 5 favorite holiday activities that we do with our kids, as part of the Dora Christmas Carol Contest.   I thought this would be a fun thing to share so here are our favorite things to do with Amber at Christmas time.

1. Making gingerbread houses.  This is something fun we do every year, but had a really fun time doing it on our Disney Cruise last December.  Check out our "mini house" compared to the "huge" one they had built as a decoration for the ship.  And yes that is real gingerbread!


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Draw Star Wars The Clone Wars Book Giveaway

Friday, November 13, 2009 167 comments

Grab your lightsaber (okay, just your pencil) and get ready to draw!

In a book not so far away, you will master the art of drawing all of your favorite Star Wars The Clone Wars characters.

Klutz's Draw Star Wars The Clone Wars is what you definitely want to get if you've ever wanted to draw your favorite characters from the show.
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Sort It Out! The Game of Putting Things in Order

Thursday, November 12, 2009 1 comments


Once again University Games has come up with a fast paced game that makes social interaction for teens and adults alike fun.  Trivia and entertainment are paired to together in Sort It Out!, a unique way to look at people, places and things and put them in their place!

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The Encyclopedia of Immaturity Giveaway

Monday, October 26, 2009 151 comments

Be Prepared to Giggle and Never Grow Up! 


Amber is one of those people who doesn't like to admit they're getting older, and want to keep being...well....a kid.

Klutz sent her the second volume in their Encyclopedia of Immaturity series, to see what she thought of it. She enjoyed reading and snickering at many of the articles, and she is planning on sharing it with her best friend the next time she comes over to hang out. I'm pretty sure they'll find many activities to keep themselves amused within the covers of this book.

She already has a couple of the entries down pat like the
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Magnificent Manicure Kit

Thursday, October 22, 2009 2 comments

What a perfect item for your tween's next sleepover!  Girly-girls will want to check out Magnificent Manicure Kit by Elmer's.    This isn't just any old manicure kit though, this will have them learning while they're getting there hands and feet all made up!

As a matter of fact Scientific Explorer partnered with UC Berkeley's Great Exploration in Math and Science (GEMS) program to create fun educational science kits like the Magnificent Manicure Kit.
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COME TOGETHER with Macy's and Feed the Hungry

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 198 comments







One of the things I am most thankful for all year round is that the Lord has provided my husband with good health and a job that provides us with a salary, where buying groceries is never a struggle.

During this time of the year when the holiday's are approaching and food and festivities seem to be in sheer abundance for some of us, I am acutely aware that this is not the case for everyone. Much of what I see in the places that I partake food at gets wasted; and at the same time many families go to bed hungry at night.

Macy's is taking up the cause to help feed 10 million people suffering from hunger.  The number seems large, but if we all do our part the effect will be profound. 
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You Can Make This Fall Giveaway!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 67 comments

I love fall! It is always fun to see harvest decorations up, walk across the fallen leaves and prepare for the holidays. This is the month where the pumpkins reign supreme!  I bought myself some Pumpkin Spice creamer for my coffee, am looking forward to the first of many pumpkin desserts and am enjoying the beautiful orange hue that they bring to everything.



And now I am introducing a special giveaway from You Can Make This to roll out the fall season. Its a GREAT ONE! And if you're fortunate enough to win, you'll receive your prize in time to get started and finish creating for your celebrations.

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Lamaze Space Symphony Motion Gym

Monday, October 5, 2009 3 comments

I was very excited to have the chance to review the Learning Curve Lamaze Space Symphony Motion Gym, and add it to the infant side of our church nursery, which is where our newborns to walkers are cared for.

I was a bit worried at first when I saw the packaging that I would need to
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Disney World - What Will You Celebrate? Giveaway!

Sunday, September 27, 2009 205 comments

Disney has been a celebratory part of so many special occasions in our life.

It started when we got married, we honeymooned there.

We took a Disney cruise for our 10th anniversary.

Amber's 8th birthday was celebrated at Disney World.

Next year we will celebrate our 16th anniversary with yet another Disney cruise!

And then of course there is are all the trips we took just to celebrate being us! (Yes, if I count correctly it places us at 10 trips in 15 years!)

Yesterday we had some folks in to celebrate a birthday in Disney fashion!  And while the party was for one of the "Moms"  the kids had an awesome time partaking in the festivities.  She got free admission to our party, just like she would have gotten free admission to Walt Disney World since it was her birthday!

Mom Select (Mickey Mom's Club) and Walt Disney World Resort, sent us some very fun party items to have a celebration.  Typical of Disney, anything can be a celebration.  An anniversary, graduation, special accomplishment, or a birthday like we celebrated.  Disney can put just the right "magic" to make the ordinary, well extraordinary!


We began our party with Amber being a cast member to welcome our guests.

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Car Boredom Breakers

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 0 comments

Turn the "Are We There Yets" into Giggles!



You make sure you have blankets, candles, matches and flares, but every travel survival kit should also have Rand McNally's Boredom Breakers. Because when traveling with children, inevitably the "Are We There Yets" will spawn. The passable hours getting from Point A to Point B can be made enjoyable for the whole family with these traveling games.

Three of the Boredom Breakers we received to review were:



Story Starters - this CD features 72 minutes of different styles of audio entertainment, combining the best of radio style drama and audio to get families telling stories together.











Travel Card Games - don't require a flat surface and are perfect for any road trip. 3 decks of cards are included featuring: 30 Second Interview, I Saw It First and Tough Choice.













Car Game Countdown - try and beat the clock with 18 car games and activities. Old favorites like Padiddle and Alphabet Hot Potato are combined with new car games destined to become classics. Included is a car shaped digital timer with electronic sound, and ten laminated dual sided game cards on a clip ring.








We had a lot of fun reviewing these, and they definitely will be coming with us on our trip up to Canada in October.

We used the Story Starters first, which has so many activities on it. particularly we liked the "Finish the Story", it's amazing what the imagination will come up with when you tie a turtle to a skateboard....


Also fun is the "I Saw It First" from the Travel Card Games. Anything competitive in the car makes the miles (or kilometers) go by quicker! The rarer the item that you spot, the more points you get!

Two other Boredom Breakers are Car Karaoke and Magnet Message Makers.

Moms and Dads if you are planning on taking a Labor Day road trip or perhaps have plans to take the vehicle out over the October long weekend, pick up a least one of these Boredom Breakers, your wiggly kids transform into giggly and happy ones!

Turtle Photo Credit to Psyberartist and Skateboard Photo Credit to Hive.
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Hello Dreamer Party Kit Giveaway

Thursday, August 13, 2009 72 comments



About a month ago, I blogged about a new book series entitled The Fairy Godmother Academy. The first book in the series Birdie's Book will be available August 25th where ever books are sold.

In anticipation of the release of Birdie's Book, Random House is giving one of my readers the chance to win a Hello Dreamer Party Kit.

In this kit you will find;
  • Birdie’s Book
  • Iron-on Transfers
  • Music CD
  • Book Pages
  • Book Cover
  • Wisdom cards
  • Stickers

Take a look of just some of that stuff....there is so much more that I didn't take a picture of!

Imagine the one-of-a-kind Fairy Godmother Academy t-shirt that young girl in your life could make with the iron-on transfers! And I have to say it is fun to dance to the Hello Dreamer dance mix on the CD!

If you visit http://FairyGodmotherAcademy.com/hellodreamer you can watch videos, download extra goodies like a map of Aventurine, puzzles and games and extra excerpts of Book 1: Birdie's Book.

To enter this giveaway leave a comment letting me know if you could have a wish granted from a Fairy Godmother what would it be?

For extra entries (leave a comment for each you are eligible for):

1. Follow me and Fairy Godmother Academy on twitter, and tweet about this giveaway (this can be done daily).
2. Become a fan of Fairy Godmother Academy on Facebook.
3. Follow me publicly.
4. Subscribe to my feed via e-mail or reader.
5. Add my button to your blog.

This giveaway is open to US Residents ages 13+ and will end on August 21, 2009 at 11:59 pm cst. Winner will be notified by e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond with their shipping details or a new winner will be chosen.

I was provided a Hello Dreamer Party Kit by Random House to review prior to writing this post. Read the full story

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A Trip to the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Museum

Thursday, August 6, 2009 4 comments

Last Thursday we took a little day trip and went to LeMars, Iowa to visit the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Museum. It was a neat experience with much learned about one of my favorite treats!





The drive through the rolling hills and farmland of eastern South Dakota and western Iowa was beautiful. And we stopped to take a look at the Dordt College Campus as well, one of the colleges that Amber is looking at applying to in a few years.

If you would like to see more photos and information about our field trip to the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Museum, check out my post at The Homeschool Classroom:

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Three Different Directions: the Spotlight is on Me!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009 0 comments

Spotlight

I've always been known as a "talker". From little on I'd share my opinion with anyone who would listen...and many who didn't, lol! If I couldn't find a real human to proclaim my wisdom to, I'd line up my stuffed toys and tell them what I thought! Really did not all these people realize that "Strawberry Shortcake" was a much better toy than "Rainbow Brite"?

Now that I'm all grown up, I still like to share my opinion, but in a less annoying way. No more latching on to legs while people try to shake me off. I have become the go to person in my family when it comes to opinions on products and services, slightly ironic as those were the people with cotton stuffed in their ears when I was younger!


I became somewhat of a geek by necessity when I got married, as my husband's prime entertainment is computers and technology. I also believe that it's genetic! My daughter is also a lover of all things computer, technology and video gaming! With popcorn and nachos I can lure them into the family room on occasion to watch a DVD or play a (gasp) board or card game. Late at night when she should be in bed, the light is showing under the door and if I peek in chances are she's busy drawing her latest creation or writing a new story.


When I'm not homeschooling my delightful teenage daughter, I am a clean freak (really some days I think I need a 12 step program), and I'm always giddy when I find a new cleaning product of sorts. Actually that goes right along with curriculum and books for school as well. It's like Christmas around here when I get to shop for school books and supplies.


So let's see when we're not homeschooling, cleaning, video gaming or sleeping....we're eating (did I mention I love trying new food products? Oh maybe not..okay then, I love trying new food products...). Oh wait I meant to say, we're probably not here.


We're likely in a car, on a plane, or a ship. Traveling is a passion. It has been for me since I was very young. I'm up to 12 on the country count up till now and next year when we take our transatlantic cruise on the Disney Magic next April, it will go up to 15!! Finding new and awesome travel products is a must for our family to get the most out of our vacations.

Phew, if you've read this far, thanks -- now you've learned a little more about me, my family and what I blog about. If you're interested in learning even more you can view my media kit for statistics or you can contact me!
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Gather.com

Monday, July 27, 2009 0 comments

Just the fact that you're reading my blog is proof that social networking is where it's at these days. There are so many social network sites out there, that it is tough to choose which ones to join, know how they're different, and figure out what they have to offer you. If you need to check just one more let me introduce you to Gather.com if you haven't already heard about it.

Even prior to this Mom Central blog tour, I was a member of Gather.com, and I knew I wanted to share with those of you who have never checked Gather.com out. Much like other networking sites after signing up, you build a profile, find your friends and join groups with people who share your interests.

There's a twist to Gather.com though that makes it stand apart from other social sites, you get points. The more you participate within the network, the more points you'll rack up.

Once you find the groups to join that you're passionate about, you'll watch your
points grow just for chatting about stuff you love. How easy is that?

With your points you could give a donation to charity or you could get gift cards to: grab a coffee at your favorite place, get stuff for your latest home renovation or get that book you've been wanting to read (and then you could chat about it with other book lovers on Gather.com and start all over again!)

So what are you waiting for? You have nothing to lose and gift cards to gain, so head over to Gather.com, get an account and don't forget to take the laundry out of the washer, because you may get caught up in all the gatherings!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog and giveaway campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Gather. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.” Read the full story

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It's a Horse of Course! Bella Sara Review & Giveaway

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 44 comments

Has your daughter ever begged you for a pony? Well now you can indulge her fantasy without the mess or the price tag!

Girls 5 and up will love to take care of their own horses on a safe online place, the world of Bella Sara.

Horse lovers can head over to BellaSara.com and sign up (children under 12 will require parental permission), and they will receive a free virtual horse that is theirs to take care of.

Amber was sent two packages of Bella Sara trading cards to review in connection with Team Mom. The Bella Sara trading cards are how you add more horses to your stable in the online world. At about $2.99 a pack, it's significantly cheaper than that pony ☺. Each package has a card with a code that allows your child to choose a horse to add to their collection and horseshoe currency that enables them to buy things to furnish their online cottage.

BellaSara.com also has games, puzzles, coloring pages, desktop wallpapers and other fun things.

The cards themselves are much like other trading cards, fun to collect and along with the virtual horse and horseshoe currency, come with a card of tattoos and a card of stickers.

New this month to the Bella Sara trading cards is Bella Sara Royalty. This is the 9th series in the line. Wow, 9th in a series, that shows just how popular this franchise is! The Royalty series allows children to experience the royal realms and fantastic castles in the magical land of North of North.

Amber said the website was easy to navigate, and she had no problems getting her horse from the codes on the cards. There is some reading required so younger kids may need a little help. The graphics are enchanting and colorful.

My 13 year old, while trying to stay low keyed and feign too much interest in the Bella Sara cards and website, was heard saying "oh cool" and spent more time playing with her new horses than she would probably admit in public ☺.

Bella Sara trading cards are available at retailers all over North America.

Please Read **About Reviews at the bottom of the page.

Win it!

I have a Bella Sara Prize Pack featuring Royalty, Miniatures and Treasures collections to give away to one lucky winner. To enter:

Stop by Bella Sara's Amazon web store, come back and mention in the comments one of your favorite products from the site. That’s it! (This must be completed before any extra entries will count).

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed via email or reader

* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and to Bella Sara

* Follow my blog publicly

* Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway

* Place my button in your sidebar

This giveaway is open to ages 13+ US Residents only. It will end at 11:59 pm cst June 16th. The winner will have 3 days to claim their prize after they are e-mailed. Good luck!

Thank you to Team Mom and Bella Sara for this great review opportunity!

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June is Sleep Month!!

Sunday, June 7, 2009 1 comments

I've officially declared June as SLEEP MONTH on my blog! Many nights I don't sleep well. A lot of times it is because Hubby is snoring, sometimes I'm agitated and my brain is in overdrive and other times, well I don't know why, but I just don't. So I stay up late (and blog!), and then I'm tired the next day. If I'm able to I catch a nap, but then that begins a vicious cycle because often I can't sleep at night because I'm not tired enough, and it starts all over again!

SLEEP MONTH doesn't mean I'm going to stop posting the rest of June lol! It just means I'm going to dedicate Saturdays in June (I know it's Sunday today, I thought two posts yesterday was enough already, I didn't want to overwhelm all of you) to posts on how and/or why you should be getting a better sleep and resources to help you do that!

I found some insanely scary facts over at U.S. World & News Report in their Living Well section on what can happen if you don't get enough sleep!

Heart disease is at the forefront of my mind a lot, for a couple of reasons, both my in-laws died because of it. Did you know that heart attacks are 45 percent more likely in women who sleep for five or fewer hours per night than in those who get more?

Or how about that 20 percent of serious car crash injuries are caused because of sleepiness (that are not alcohol related)?

There are more facts and statistics in that article and I urge you to check it out.

U.S. World & News Report has a whole area on sleep in their health section. Some of the articles are really fascinating to read. There is one that has 10 Ways to get a Better Sleep.

A couple of the ideas are; to create a "safe room", a room you go to when you can't sleep but you don't "do" anything in it. No lights, tv, books or music. Just chill out there and see if you get sleepy. The purpose is, to not associate your bed with frustration. Another idea is to make sure you don't exercise too close to when you go to bed. Again if you have trouble sleeping and need some more tips, you may want to read the sleep section at usnews.com.

I'm hoping that by the end of June all the discoveries I make that I share with you will help all of us have a more beneficial sleep. Make sure you read this coming Saturday's post (June 13th), where I'll introduce you to a website that could help you sleep at night! Read the full story