CHEEKY MONKEY PLAY

Play is work.

2011-09-28T11:45:00.001-07:00

Saturday was the Worldwide Day of PLAY!

Love.

Play is the work of childhood.

Say it again.

and again.

Please us join the GoGo Gang on Facebook simply by uploading a photo of your playtime. When the GoGo Gang is 100,000 members strong, GoGo squeeZ will team up with Action for Healthy Kids to renovate a play space in an under-served community.

Want to share your story? Post your photo on your blog and tell us what got you moving.
Then share your post by adding your link to the #GoGoDayOfPlay challenge at Story Bleed Magazine.
We love play. It is the glue of family. xo

*GoGo squeeZ kindly compensated me for this post.
I’m thrilled to find out they not only make an awesome product
but have awesome hearts.

ARM & HAMMER® Spin brush® My Way! ™ GIVEAWAY. Love those clean chompers!

2011-06-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

update ******** winner ********* "The Sunshyn" thanks all xo

Art reigns supreme in this house. We do a ton of crafts and art type lessons each month. My kids love it all but one of the favorite activities involves glue or stickers lately and when I was offered to review the new ARM & HAMMER® Spin brush® My Way! ™ for Boys and the Orajel ® Kids My Way™ Toothpaste I knew they would love it because the toothbrush and paste comes with great decal stickers for the child to personalize their toothbrush and toothpaste tube. The great thing is there was a ton of sticker decals and they had fun using the decals later in other projects. I asked them to make the toothbrush look like they designed it. I guessed who made each brush and they were busy being little artists with the stickers.

We talked about oral health while we did this project together. It was a great 10-15 minute time frame to teach and have fun. The boys loved having their own toothpaste that was personalized and fun. I have to disclose that they did not love the taste of the toothpaste as much as their usual brand but they are still using it.

I would give these kits to my kids when it was time for a new toothpaste or brush because it got them jazzed about brushing their teeth. I think any type of excitement around oral health is ace for kids in the 4- 11-age bracket. I think they would make great additions to Easter baskets and holiday stockings. They are simple kits that are both fun and healthy.

For a chance to win 100.00-gift card from BlogHer and ARM & HAMMER please see rules:
Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
This giveaway is open May 12th - June 9th.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Visit the Official Rules

Visit the Official Spinbrush® MY WAY! ® site

Visit the Official Orajel® MY WAY!™ site

Visit the Exclusive Offers section

Euro Tote Review {5 products for three years in 1 system}

2010-12-08T05:32:00.000-08:00

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER Hillary!!!!!!!!!

OK. So I am a desperate mother.
I have a colicky baby and any carrier or wrap on the market I am game to try out for wee Scout!
Enter the Lilliebaby Euro Tote

The thing is like getting Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket.
This carrier is quite amazing.
The EuroTote isn't just a bag... it has five functions in one product:

Cradle Carrier- (up to 25 lb)
Bunting Bag- adjusts to baby's size
Stroller Bag- ideal for jogging or strolling
Play Blanket - a clean place to play, anywhere
Travel Bedding - a nest of familiarity and security

OK. The magic ticket for me is the cradle carrier function of the tote.
Scout nestles in and loves the warm little nest it makes him. I think it has been the only product that has made the colic go away for us here in the mad house. We nestle him into it and the straps buckle around him and he settles down almost immediately. The tote has been a lifesaver for me. It is a nice quality product and the versatility is really ingenious. If I could only have three baby gear items it would be in the mix for this baby of mine. We use it every day and will recommend it to friends. My husband raves about this product too! He LOVES the carrier function and how simple it is to carry Scout upstairs and downstairs without waking the wee one. We love the Euro Tote!

But guess what? You can win one here! today!
Just leave a comment to win!

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media,
but the thoughts and opinions I express are my own!

{Holiday Gift Guide Day FIVE- MAMA K's Aromatic Play Clay}

2010-11-12T05:47:00.000-08:00

Ok this company ROCKS!

1.THE BEST STOCKING STUFFER EVER
2. It's What to Give this HOLIDAY
3. The Complete PLAY CLAY SET

A little about Mama K:

Mama K's Play Clay is a kid-safe clay with subtle aromatherapy oils to soothe the mind. Ingredients are basic and natural: they include certified gluten free flour, extra virgin olive oil, vegetable colorants and pure essential oils. Available in seven scents, including soothing lavender, relaxing chamomile and tension-easing bergamot.
The ingredients are 100% natural and Mama K’s Play Clay is suitable for kids with Celiac and Autism Spectrum disorders.

Check out her AWESOME Blog HERE

Check out the FACEBOOK page HERE

You cannot go wrong with picking up some MAMA K for this Holiday season!

LEAVE A NICE MESSAGE ON MAMA K FACEBOOK WALL AND BE ENTERED TO WIN A LITTLE ALOUETTE TOY! XOXOOX

{Holiday Gift Guide Day FOUR Treasure Hunt}

2010-11-11T05:34:00.000-08:00

Suzy is an amazing artist who is represented by the divine Lilla Rogers.

1. Crate and Barrel coolness

2. Crate and Barrel coolness

3.Chronicle Books

4. Heliotrope

5. Zeppe sister

6. Etsy Shop

FOLLOW the treasure HUNT STARS **********************

Leave a comment and WIN THIS:

{Holiday Gift Guide Day THREE- LISA LEONARD DESIGNS}

2010-11-10T05:33:00.000-08:00

1. Brave LOVE necklace
2. True Love necklace
3. Custom Lisa Leonard
4. Through my Lens necklace

These are the real deal folks!
A great holiday gift idea that I really wear and love and purchase for others.
I hope you will check out this family company and check out Lisa's blog.
She is a talented lady and her blog pulls you right into her beautiful life.

Check out her SHOP
Read her gorgeous BLOG
Tweet with her

Lisa says:

Our custom, handmade jewelry is beautiful and full of meaning.
Create the perfect keepsake to wear next to year heart every day!
Our necklaces, baby spoons and leather cuffs make for a cherished gift.

Lottie Da- This one is for the GIRLS!

2010-11-09T06:01:00.000-08:00

1.enchanted forest dress
2.autumn fox jumper
3. lil red holiday dress

OMG HOW ADORABLE!?

Lottie Da Baby Boutique is an amazing whimsical wonderland of gifting...
Check out the gorgeous clothes and toys and find something for yr little one.

WIN A HANDMADE DRESS OF YOUR CHOICE BY LEAVING A COMMENT!

(extra chances for following on twitter and saying hello to Amy the owner!)
follow the stars *******************

***dress and sizes must be available in listings***

WINNER IS MAKING IT LOVELY! twitter followers + comments:
True Random Number Generator Min: Max: 41 Result: 12

HOLIDAY 2010 {IGLOO LETTERPRESS}

2010-11-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

1.Bicycle Pattern No -SEW refillable journals

2. Primary Colors ABC poster

3. VOWELS AND CONSONANTS Holiday card

4. Suzy Ultman Recipe Cards

Igloo Letterpress is a wonderland here in my little town.
Allison Chapman is a letterpress printer and book binder goddess.

In addition to being a great source for unique handcrafted work, Igloo Letterpress is also an active art studio where customers can tap into their creative ideas. Project-based classes, interactive tours and open studio time give visitors a chance to try their hand at making everything from pop-up books to wedding invitations.

www.iglooletterpress.com
info@iglooletterpress.com
@iglooletterpres

Leave a comment to win a PAIR OF GORGEOUS REFILLABLE BOOKS

{*********GO HERE for another chance to WIN!**********}

CSN STORES Stroller Review

2010-07-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

OK. So you know we are having another baby soon! (less than six weeks!)

CSN stores contacted me for an opportunity to review a baby item and you know I said YES!
I love my old Maclaren stroller but after two boys and lots of road it is about to bite the dust.
A new stroller sounded just like an item I would love to review so I chose to upgrade to a Maclaren Triumph 2010 Stroller in Red!

I loved the way it looked and the fact that it had a lot of features that my old Volo did not.
I wanted a stroller that would work for the new baby and our three year old.

The stroller is great! I love the features like:

Washable and soft
For 3 months-55 lbs
Removable, washable seat
Lifetime sovereign warranty
Protects from wind and rain
Provide extra sun protection
Attaches quickly and securely
Lightweight aluminum frame
Baby sections includes 2 pockets
Versatile style and ultimate comfort
Keep baby warm on the coldest days
Reversible liners with solid and pattern side
5 second one-hand fold, foot operated brakes
Central section includes removable nappy bag
2 large pockets, 1 zipper pocket and card carrier
Pocket for wipes,nappies and secure zip pocket
Handles twists, turns, and small spaces with ease
Stain resistant, washable bag with shoulder strap
Insulated bottle bag, wet bag, central storage area
Liner for comfort, safety, and ease of use
Adjustable shoulder harness, carry strap, water resistant hood

This is such a nice stroller and I am very pleased that I now own it.

Here are some thoughts:

It is lightweight (although heavier than the umbrella version I had- the VOLO) and it handles really well over city streets and driveways and gravel.

The seat is padded and luxurious in comparison to the VOLO mesh seat. Nice!

It's super sturdy and the recline seat will be wonderful for the baby (3 months plus) but also for tired toddlers or preschoolers.

The sun shade is average and I still have my kiddos wear a hat and shades but that seems like most shades of strollers.

The harness snap is quite tricky I must admit and one of the negatives for me- but that is a good thing for my 3 year old as he cannot escape the stroller!

The shoulder strap is simple to use and the 11.5 lbs of the stroller is easy/light enough to carry and load in and out of vehicles.

My son loves it and we have been putting it to use all over our town!

Here is a comparison between my old VOLO and the new Triumph!

Thanks to CSN STORES and this is the third time I have shopped with them (via reviews and my own personal shopping) and I LOVE them!
The customer service is great and FREE shipping is a very big incentive for me!
I love me some free shipping. Don't you?

I need to just carry that Flip camera in my handbag everyday!

2010-05-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Flip Video.

Flip video cameras are the BEES KNEES.
I have one that I got last year for a job and it has been a life saver!
It's portable and simple to use. It captures AMAZING quality videos.
I still miss things though...
Life is full of moments that are (alas) right out of reach of a video camera.

Like when we sat together here and all of the sudden Blaise just started singing to me so sweetly like his brother used to do:

blackbird finn from Amy Turn Sharp on Vimeo.

Or last week when Blaise danced like Michael Flatley with leggings on and I nearly died from the laughing. I would loved to have had that for days of gloom and doom.

Or when Finn and Blaise played this adorable game involving baby dolls last week together.

Or when Finn pulls his underwear up his butt and walks around with a wedgie.

Yep, these are the days.

And there is NOTHING like sending a video to a friend via email.

I love to make small odd little slices of my life:

Easter madness from Amy Turn Sharp on Vimeo.

WHAT HAVE YOU MISSED?

Win a $200 Gift Card
Leave a comment
Twitter the link @amyturnsharp
Blog yr heart out
Let me know about a time you WISHED you had a flip camera!
WIN $200.00 so that you can buy your own Flip Video camera to insure you capture the moment next time!

JUST TELL ME THINGS! :)

OK the Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Contest runs from May 17 to June 14, 2010. Good luck! Visit the Official rules!
BlogHer.com exclusive offers page

There are FOUR other chances to win on the BlogHer round-up page! Click here to find out how!

I invite you to visit Flip’s official website for more information of the Flip HD
here: Flip Video website

thredUP and a FREE BOX OF SWAP! Don't wait!

2010-04-09T06:20:00.000-07:00

DUDE!~

Do you know about thredUP?

Here is a COOL INVITE for my readers:

http://kids.thredup.com/dooblehvay

The first 1,000 boxes of kids clothes listed on the site will earn parents free swaps (up to $65 in swaps). Once we hit 1,000 boxes of kids clothes on the site, the swapping will commence...

FREE PEOPLE! free!

The Problem

Did you know that kids grow out of a set of new clothes every 6 months? That by age 17, kids have outgrown over 1,300 items and parents have spent nearly $20,000 on their clothing? Kids are expensive and they grow fast! Yet one of the most valuable things any kid has – clothing – typically gets given away when it’s outgrown because no great option exists to swap out the old for the new.

We also know that coordinating clothing swaps is hard – especially among your closest friends who live all over the place. Getting parents together and getting all the sizes right is always a challenge. Hand-me-downs always leave someone empty handed!

What is thredUP kids?

thredUP is where America’s busiest parents exchange boxes of clothes that no longer fit their kids for stylish ones that will. We coordinate swaps among a group of your closest friends or connect you with thousands of families nationwide. There’s no bidding, no auction lots, no rifling through consignment racks, and absolutely no trips to the post office. All swaps are done online, with scheduled home pick-up and delivery. thredUP is the next generation of swapping - a kids clothing revolution!

So what can I do on thredUP? Pick. Pay. Prepare and Send.

· Pick a box of gently used clothes you’d love to receive for your child.

· Pay for shipping

· Prepare and list a box of clothes your child has outgrown

· When someone picks your box, send it free of charge (we even have the Postal Service pick-up the box at your house).

We manage the quality control and review process and take care of all the details to make sure you get a quality exchange.

thredUP is green

Americans discard two quadrillion pounds (that’s a two with fifteen zeros!) of used clothes and textiles into landfills each year. thredUP lets you GO GREEN by swapping with like-minded moms and dads. By sharing what we already have, parents can make a huge step towards sustainability. Create a “thredbank” – the place for kids to save outgrown clothes to exchange when the time is right. thredUP allows you to teach your kids the importance of green living and lighten your family's overall eco-footprint.

“Together they make perfect scents”

2010-03-10T06:41:00.000-08:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Gain.

Me and my JOE.
We are a great team because we compliment each other.
I am so glad I married someone who keeps me grounded
but also makes me laugh until I cry on a daily basis.

Joe and I are better together because
we lean on one another and make each other believe
in the dreams and schemes we have.
We PUSH each other. We hold each other up. We stand on each others shoulders. We see the world together from vantage points we might have been fearful of without each other.
It's always the best when you find a person you can be 100% yourself with at all times.
That Cheesy Jerry McGuire movie really did capture it all though in one sentence:

YOU COMPLETE ME

Like for sure ever single day

I have this partner in my life that I can say anything to.

who will dance with me in shop isles without flinching who will stand in the rain and kiss me who will work side by side with me in our family business who will parent with me through thick and thin who will thrill me who will love me for me (the real messy me)

We fit.
We make sense.
Who do you fit with?
Tell me in the comments and you can WIN:

$100 visa gift card
AND Gain laundry detergent!
OH YEAH!
GO!

More info

· There are six other chances to win $100 from your fellow review bloggers individual sweeps

· There is a GRAND PRIZE of $300 to win on the BlogHer round-up page!

Please check out the other COOL posts here: HERE
Thanks guys xo Amy

aden & anais GIVEAWAY

2010-03-01T05:36:00.001-08:00

I love aden+anais!
I used the muslin swaddles with Finnian and I LOVED them.
The company is cool and easy to contact and communicate with and I love their charity work.

I am giving away PRIZE package for you of over $100.00 in products.
(like the gorgeous items above! Squuuueeeeeee!)
If you are expecting how exciting!
If not!
These make wonderful gifts for the babies in your life!
(you will be the hit of the next baby shower)

So. Leave a comment telling us what product you like best from the WEBSITE.
Follow aden & anais on TWITTER for a second chance!
Good luck and thanks for celebrating today!

xo Amy

I will use random.org to pick a winner on FRIDAY! xo thanks!

Staying in Touch with Family ideas this 2010- THE TOP TEN IDEAS

2010-01-05T07:20:00.000-08:00

WINNER WINNER: happyenchilada THANKS! xoxo

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Sprint

We are all busy.
BUSY is a word that we throw around without much thought in life...
It is important to find the time for family no matter how BUSY we are.
It is important to connect and feel tethered to our lives.
How do you do it?
Here are some cool ways we are trying to stay connected
and some awesome ideas I have noticed in the blogosphere:

The family meeting:
Seriously. We need a come to each other night once a week. Family dinners are ace but I think one night a week as a family is so important. Make it a movie night or a round table meeting with ice cream at the end. Just do it.

Smartphones:
For reals. Mom and Dad can stay wicked in touch with what is going on with smartphones. If We did not have blackberries in our house we would not be as in touch as we are.
Life is easier with the technology we have.
For real.

The family notebook or sketchbook:
Love the idea of a family notebook to write to each other- leave messages, ideas, problems. Questions...OR just cool art like this family.
Ownership is a big thing here. Buy in comes from use.
It is awesome.

The calendar of Life
Buy a gorgeous calendar and display it prominently in your home.
Even little ones can see their names and start to understand the concept.
Busy Body Books are great because they separate everyone
and make it a at a glance station for the family.

Little Love notes in lunches
Don't forget to woo your mate. Woo your kids too. Love. Spread it around in wee notes tucked in lunches or pockets. It means the world to them. Leave a word of the day written on lunch bags. Tell a joke on a napkin. Tell yr spouse little saucy sentences on a tiny slip of paper. GO!

Blog it baby!
The big and small parts of life can be documented and shared with loved ones near and far.
We all know the power of the blog. This year let younger members of the family start a blog or teach grandparents how to blog to tell the history of their lives to the family. Blogging is powerful.
Harness it.

Staycations local love affairs:
Explore the local amazing place you live together! Make memories by visiting one new place nearby each month. Make a scrapbook or take photos and make memories. Stimulate the economy where you live. Learn! Live!

The family that gives back together:
Find a charity and work it in 2010.
You will bond over giving back.
There are so many charities that need you!

Sykpe Time:
Faraway family no longer means huge phone bills and stress.
We skype all the time to our UK family and love it! It is simple and so MUCH FUN!

Hobby Time:
Take a leap into a new year of learning.
Photography is a great hobby for kids and adults.
Try something new together! Sushi making? Art? Sports?

Check out the Family Connections Group at BlogHer for more ideas!

OK Wanna WIN a $200 Visa gift card?

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me What are your best tips for keeping your family connected in the New Year? - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 1/13/2010` and will end 2/9/2010. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US-residents, aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Please see the official rules here: Official rules

We will use the awesome random dot org to draw a winner!

All Modern GIVEAWAY

2009-10-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to send you to this amazing place.

All Modern is giving a lucky reader a beautiful modern kitchen accessory!
I chose this funky large kitchen jar to giveaway!
(It reminds me of those gorgeous coral hooks and such that were out a few years back! swoon!)

I am going to do some reviews for this site and I thought it was only fair to give readers something from the site too.
All Modern is super pleasant to work with and I am kinda swooning over some things on their site like the kitchen accessories!

The jar is bold and fresh and measures: 6.22" H x 4.13" Diameter, holds 33.81 oz.

Please leave a comment and tell me something you love
over at the kitchen accessories page?!

Twitter it and get an additional chance.
Blog about it and get another!
Just leave a new comment with link!

HomeGoods and Blogher

2009-09-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

CONGRATS to our winner~
♡DIANE TAYLOR
Thanks to Homegoods, blogher, & YOU! xoxox

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and HomeGoods

We buy the house on the block no one wants. We have done it three times now. We buy that sad old wreck of a house and we put it back together again. It is thrilling when it is all finished, but the middle of the matter can be difficult.

I am living through a rehab right now and one of the most thrilling times is when a room gets finished. I felt this way about my nearly "done" living area in this home. We are insanely busy with our small business and have not put much time into the true finishing of any room in this house. We were happy to have new walls, floors, and paint!
So when I was offered by HomeGoods and Blogher to be a part of the amazing HomeGoods Review Program I jumped at it! I know from experience how amazing HomeGoods stores are and I was dying to try and use $500.00 to redo our living area.

I used a quiz to help me figure out my style:

StyleScope Quiz

I knew my issues were:
I have old furniture and must make it look fresh again.
I have little storage.
I have no color drama.
I have little lighting in the room.
I need space for kids toys and relaxing.
I need space for adults.

Check out Open House - HomeGoods' blog "for anyone that loves their home."

The morning I shopped at HomeGoods I prepped myself with loads of coffee, measurements, and a notebook of ideas. The thing with HomeGoods is there is so much stuff that it can be a bit overwhelming if you are not prepared. I found myself drifting off to other parts of the store quite easily. I spent two hours in the store and was helped numerous times by clerks and by the handsome and super strong young man that appeared to be a stocker and heavy goods lifter.
I honestly found most everything I was looking for in the store.
Two items I wish they would carry:
curtains and sofa covers.
I like the idea of changing the look of a room on the cheap with covers and window treatments. I did find alternatives though with my creative brain!

I found these lovely items:
3small/medium/large wood nesting tables, candles, amazing lamps, ginormous solid wood mirror, rug, two quilts, two throws, accessories, many pillows, and storage baskets galore.
I got a lot for $500.00.
I could have easily bought one large item there as they have big ticket gorgeous swoony things, but it was much more practical for me to spread the love throughout my large room and really make the biggest bang for my buck.

The thing I like most about HomeGoods is that even for $100.00 someone could walk in with some ideas and issues and be inspired and really make a change for 100.00.
The store is loaded with low price amazing things.
They have a clearance area that was awesome and if I had been bathroom or kitchen shopping I would have been in trouble.
OK. So are you ready to see what happened?
I had a blah room.
I took the quiz and found out what I already knew inside of my gut:
Amy Turn Sharp, you are a Global Modern!

Here is the scary before:

(it is truly frightening how we adapt to a way of life so easily- ah the life of a wife of a carpenter. It is almost like the cobbler's children. they have no shoes.)

Well, this is embarrassing- but the before is really so much better than the way we found the house. It was a large dirty carpet, drywall mess with low ceilings and two crazy dark wood type beams mess. The beams were scratchy like coconut shells and the whole place felt like a nightmare. I am really happy with the HomeGoods opportunity to make my large living area feel like a home. I was able to make two distinct areas (children play and sitting/TV) for us to actually use and enjoy. Functional and beautiful. It has not been this way for a long time. Thanks.

And here is the reveal:

I just love how our room has use now- We have a family TV room and a big area for the children to play. Storage baskets from Homegoods make things tidy and neat. We had our TV on the floor for over a year!

The mirror makes the room come alive. We had lived so long with a blank wall and now the room opens right up. It is huge and heavy and I was so thankful to HomeGoods for wrapping it and helping me load it in my truck. Great customer service.

We made a reading nook corner with comfy big pillows and the kids love it.

DO YOU WANT A HUNDRED BUCKS to spend too?
Come on! You want to make a change? Yes!

Check out what the rest of the BlogHer Reviewers found at HomeGoods - you've got 8 chances to win a $100 HomeGoods gift card.

To enter to win a $100 HomeGoods gift card - take the StyleScope Quiz
(StyleScope Quiz) and tell me what your style is in the comments below - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at September 14th and will end October 14th. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:
* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US residents, aged 18 and over
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here:

I will use the Random Number Generator to pick a winner!
Good Luck! Please Play!!!!

RULES ARE HERE

Check out what other bloggers did to their spaces here!

I would stroke my Trapper Keeper with love

2009-08-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

Listen up. My son Finn starts Kindergarten in one week and as excited as I am for the world of school to enter all of our lives I nearly passed out as I took a gander at the school supply list.
Geez.

Schools nowadays are really hurting because when I was a kiddo in the elementary period of life we had to bring PENCILS... and that was about it.

I know my parents bought me new crayons and a trapper keeper and such, but they really didn't have to. Things are so different now. I had a 50.00 list of items to bring. I even have to buy hand sanitizer and Ziplock bags for the classroom.

Geez.

So I started to think about how the school shopping adventure was going to go down. I wasn't sure what kind of kid Finnian was going to be as there are two kinds:

The kid who is seduced and titillated by the back to school isle at Target and screams and holds hands towards the dizzying array of gorgeous trinkets lined ever so pleasingly
OR
The kid who really doesn't get too jazzed about that kind of stuff and is instead focused on the fact that he is certain this is the store where Power Rangers hang from shelving.

Lucky for me he is a Power Ranger freak.

But still- I wanted him to know what all of these items cost.
We are very luck as Grandma was kind this year and bought 90% of his back to school needs,
but I made the whole experience some sort of learning for him.
I took the Target newspaper ad and book they sent and circled items and talked to him about how much these items cost. I tried to break it down to his level.

Dude. These crayons and this pack of markers cost the same as Power Ranger Fury Red guy.
OK?
He totally got it because he was saving for like forever (um- three weeks) for that one.

Dude. These left handed scissors and this here art smock cost the same as Spiderman figurines.
OK?

Yes- he started to understand.

I wanted him to realize that these things costs money and we need to be thankful to grandma and responsible with them as I am not Mama Moneybags as of late.
Do you know how long it has been since I stepped into Church? I mean, Nordstrom?!

Seriously. Taking care of personal belongings is something that we must teach our children and if we are able to attach meaning and start the dialogue of money and responsibility at a young age I think we will benefit.
I was a spoiled only child and it hurt me in the long run.
Honestly. I did not have a good framework and it was a major learning curve for me.
I don't want my children to have to deal with that.

Check out This site for some ideas on how to talk to kids about budgeting and finances.
PBN will also have some cool tips and tricks!

17 hard bolied eggs sitting in a bowl in yr fridge?

2009-04-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

I have issues with throwing out food. I have already eaten 4 hard boiled eggs and I really don't think the boys will touch another one.
What am I gonna do with these eggs? EGGGGGGGGSSSSSSS!

GREEN EGGS AND HAM!
Yep- the week after Easter is the perfect Dr. Seuss week for yr kiddos.
Plan a family learning week around him with The Lorax for some Eco green talks, the audio recording of Seuss for rest time one day, imagination day with this , lesson plans of gratitude with this , and OF COURSE GREEN EGGS AND HAM with a dinner of yr leftovers!
COOK this and make them laugh as you allow reading at the table one night with the book we all love!

Here is my recipe ( I use this term loosely)
Large bag frozen spinach, cooked and drained
8 hard-cooked eggs, halved
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped fully cooked ham
2 tablespoon onion
I saute the spinach and onion and slice up the eggs and add everything in a casserole baking dish and top it with a filo dough crust.
I bake it for 30 mins or so on 350.
I also use bits and bobs of whatever is on hand to add to it. (I add potatoes/veg-anything)
You get the idea. I am sure there are tons of great recipes out there! Have you been to this site:
http://www.incredibleegg.org

THE KEY is getting the buy in for a great week of learning and being frugal and wasting less! Learn! And talk to older children about the creativity involved in solving problems- no matter how small (like using up eggs instead of wasting)
Be a creative family with a full tummy of Green Eggs and Ham this week!
I hope all the cool folks over at PBN
LOVE this- It works!

like this post! It really works!

SYLVANIA PalPODzzz Portable Nightlights -My Review

2009-03-04T13:48:00.000-08:00

When Parent Bloggers Network asked me to try out Sylvania's new PalPODzzz portable nightlight, I was over the moon as we have a bit of a flashlight fixation in this house. Flashlights are a massive source of power for little hands and I think they make nighttime so much better for mamas and papas.I was excited to try out these new Sylvania's LED nightlights and I am happy to report that I like the unit very much. The nightlight has a sturdy little base that recharges the cool rocket ship and doesn't look too junky sitting on my sons nightstand. The cord is a little fumbly and it gets knocked off the nightstand daily, but it is not terribly annoying. Finn can easily work the rocket as it is simple to remove and attach to the base. I like this. Finn has been using it each night and the LED light is a strong beam that bounces across the wall as he makes his nightly visits to the potty for just one more drink of water. I love the fact that it does not take batteries and is safe for little hands.

Finn likes it because he says, I can use it like a flashlight, a night light, and a toy."
He is quite smitten with it and so am I.

They also have a ladybug version that is super cute and some other other bloggers are chatting about it too!

It would make a great shower gift for a baby shower.
I liked getting gifts that had a lot of life.
A new mom could use this and then the wee one could start using it as a toddler.
Not too shabby for a 20.00 gift!

Hylands! Saved me from the antibiotics!

2009-01-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

OK. So I am the mom who never gave my kids any teething medicine and really never gives out Tylenol without a high fever. I like to keep it pretty natural and not give put OTC, but I realized that every time my kids have had earaches and go to the doctor they get antibiotics. Every single time. I dispense the antibiotics freely and it has started to make me worry a bit as I really don't want to have my kids taking these antibiotics so much. I read about antibiotics resistance issues and it freaks me out so when Hylands offered me some products to try for the cold and Flu season I could not refuse.

It was perfect timing to try the Earache Drops as our whole family was coming down with a cold and my own ear was jabbing in pain. You know the kind of pinprick like sensation that makes you cringe every 20 minutes or so. (Yeah it was deligthful.) I used the drops on the whole family and although I did take my son to the doctor that week he did not have to go on antibiotics! ( a first!!!!)
I also had relief from my ear ache in 48 hours and was pretty darn happy with the result. It was a simple ear drop application and it really worked for us. I was somewhat skeptical as I am with most things natural. I do not believe in rock deodorant or the use of baking soda for teeth cleaning, but I really dig these drops. I am going to stock this in my arsenal always.
I like that I have a safe, natural, homeopathic choice now for the whole family.
Go Hylands!

keep warm

2008-12-23T18:04:00.001-08:00

Old Man Winter
Originally uploaded by waytoocrowded

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Screw all the lists. Save yrself people! Follow yr bliss!

2008-12-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

I run Little Alouette, LLC but Joe also has a contracting business to run and lately we have been less than chilled out and calm. It really has been crazy round here. I think the most upsetting thing is the lack of family time. We have always had a good balance of work and family life even when I worked a rather stressful career path prior to our second son being born. We have done so well until this year. Life much like everything is a steep learning curve and we are dangling precariously from the curve right now.

I just wanted to put it out there to the universe and other small business owners…how do you it?

What are some good ideas for being able to separate work and life?

And the holidays!!!

I don't know about you but I am LOVING Simplemom's Holiday Guide THIS ROCKS and reminds us to look around and KNOW what is important.

I am trying to get my TO DO list ticked off so the evenings can really be free.
I am Saying NO more. (really try it is is liberating)
I am doing less Martha Flipping Stewart crafts and decor and stress this year.
I am sending NEW YEARS cards for the first time.
I am not cleaning my house like a maniac this month.
I am feeling obligated. My kids will only be almost two and 4.5 years old NOW.
I am also trying to kiss my husband passionately as much as possible.
It helps.

If I go over the edge I can reach out the these folks
or call my mom.
PBN is a good resource to for me. They are all crazy mamas too. I will just email them and we can all rock back and forth while we glue cotton balls on red construction paper together.

This Handmade Life

2008-11-14T05:30:00.000-08:00

PBN has teamed up with Klutz, creators of activity books and other great stuff for kids ages 3 to 103. With award-winning and bestselling how-to-books for the wee ones!

I wanted to chat about about handmade presents and such that kids can make for the holidays. Last year we made soft trees and felt birds and they turned out great! This year we will make the kids blocks from our shop and let them paint them for friends and family. We also plan on making calendars too! It is always fun to create with my kids, but sometimes it makes me a bit nuts I cannot lie. My trick is to have few glasses of wine on Holiday Crafting night. It works!
I hope you take the time this season to create and give from the hand and heart! xo

COOL BEANS:
Check out this special offer from Klutz - free shipping and a free copy of the award-winning Activity Book (a $14.95 value) when you order $50+ via this link. Just click it! And feel free to share it with your readers too - the more, the merrier!

Positive Spin Press is my new GO TO for the Holidays!

2008-11-10T09:34:00.000-08:00

The Parent Bloggers Network sent me three amazing books to review!

The three holiday books from Positive Spin Press are fabulous! There were three books to review: All Hallows Eve The Story of the Halloween Fairy, Christmas Eve The Joy of Giving, and Winters Eve Love and Lights by Lisa Sferlazza Johnson.

I sat down and read All Hallows Eve first with the boys as it was a few days before Halloween and I was hoping there would be something more than candy to think about! I was so pleased with the character Eve. She was delightful and kind and good and just what we needed during a rocky month. I try and fill my children up with good when they are being naughty. Don't you? Eve provides a wonderful alternative to scary Halloween with her toy making and I also liked the idea of celebrating other things instead of just candy candy candy! It is an adorable and engaging story. My 4 year old loved it and had to read it about ten times!

We all enjoyed the Christmas Eve book as well. I liked the message in the book of celebrating more than the Christian view of the holiday season and the idea of giving thanks. When I choose books that deal or touch upon religion for my children I like it very much when more than one view is represented. These books do this in a light and happy tone. The third book Winters Eve which talks about winter light festivals including Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and the Chinese New Year was a bit over my 4 year old's head. He loved the pictures and when I stopped and explained and chatted about ideas then he seemed interested, but I think it is geared a bit more for the K-4 age group.

The author Lisa Sferlazza Johnson and illustrator Tucker Johnson have created a wonderful series within the small character of Eve. She is appealing to families that like options with the somewhat dogmatic Holiday season. I will buy more of these titles to teach my children to look beyond their home for what makes the world go round! Great books! You can purchase these books at amazon.com and check this out: PBN is giving away three copies of each book! Go find out how to win!

I want moist Breasts and Perfect Cranberries!

2008-11-07T04:23:00.000-08:00

DUDE. I cannot take the pressure of Thanksgiving. It makes me buckle at the knees. I like a holiday like Valentines Day where the focus is really on my sexy self and the food is just a precursor to the evening. Thanksgiving is HARD!
It is all about the food. I watched in horror as my family ate dry turkey the first year the family dinner was in my home. You could tell they were trying in vain to drown it in gravy to resuscitate it. Agh! I should have called Butterball!

This year I am going to call. I hear you can chat this year with some famous bloggers who must have moist and succulent breasts coming out of their own kitchens. Call 1-800-BUTTERBALL to virtually talk turkey with their holiday meal preparation experts, or visit Butterball.com for Web chats with a few bloggers we all know and love - Chris Jordan (Notes from the Trenches), Susan Wagner (Friday Playdate), and Roxanna (Miguelina) on November 11, 18 and 25 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. CST. They'll answer all your turkey related questions.
I love PBN for giving me cool options like this!

So- Where do I start with the perfect menu? Any suggestions?

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Butterball.

Have you been to games.com lately?

2008-10-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

I work from home and most of my work is online. I like to be able to take a walk around my house, chat with a friend, or disengage and hang out with my family when I need a break- but sometimes I just need to open a new browser and veg out with some eye candy window shopping or a few games of solitaire. I need to not think for a few times a day. It is why we read shallow magazines or watch reality TV right? Just mindless resting really.

I signed up to check out and do a paid review for Games.com
over at Blogher and found myself quite sucked into the online gaming community. The games are pretty simple and have tutorials and I love that you can just jump right in as a guest and not have to sign up for some handle and password that you will soon forget anyhow. I swear, I spend half my life online typing out a myriad of passwords or proving to someone that I am not a robot. I digress.
I tried out card and casino type games and I discovered that I like single player games better than the community game set- up because I get sweaty pits and nervous stomach if I appear ignorant in the forum. How dumb is this as I am anonymous!? I was so nervous to play Spades that I had to study the tutorial like a test would be given. I did have fun with the Hearts game and even beat a few folks with obvious beginners luck. I loved solitaire, poker, and I did get sucked into Bingo although it was a bit campy with the old cartoon dude calling and even a chat room to chat and play? I don't know about chatting with the strangers in the online Bingo hall. Who has time to chat and search their BINGO cards? Whatever floats yr boat I guess.

I think the best part of these games are that they really take yr mind off the issues you might be dealing with and recharge you for a moment. They might even stimulate yr grey matter. I am a big game and puzzle believer. My gran is 88 years old and smart as a tack because she blows through like three puzzle and crossword books a week. She keeps sharp. Use it or lose it they say. I like the mindlessness best though, I like to escape from my work for a bit.
Don't we all? The problem with some of the games was I think I could get sucked in for quite a chunk of time. I was going nuts for poker and pretending that I was actually making that money. I was getting all kinds of depressed at the the reality of not really winning that two thousand dollars in slots.

I think Solitaire is my game. It makes me think a bit yet is not so seductive that I would pilfer too much time away from writing or my small business. I will pop in and out of games.com for a quick break every now and again. I might even play Gin rummy with ya if you ask.

Check out this roundup at Blogher!

Zoo Keeper for Hire! Must love Monkeys!

2008-09-28T05:02:00.000-07:00

I am living with monkeys. The climb all over me and jump from the coffee table to the sofa and I even caught one on top of the table attempting to swing from hanging pendant lamp yesterday. They use their monkey toes to pinch me and they threaten my sanity. They are age 20 months and four years and they are my monkey boys.
It is funny how they cannot keep still for long before the jumping resumes. I bought books and got DVDs out of the library about monkeys for them because it is uncanny how my home seems like a jungle sometimes. I tried to show them that even monkeys sometimes sit around quietly and pick dirt and groom one another. I tell them monkey's nap and monkeys relax. My monkey boys just laugh and bounce up and down on the couch.

Since they love animals these little guys I thought we might try this:

Parent Bloggers network has teamed up with Generation Next this week to announce their brand-new product - iKnow Animals, Letters & Sounds. I love how this media kit looks like a great mix of graphics, gorgeous tunes, and fun video to promote literacy and keep children mindful of the animal world and our planet. I really want this. I also really want a zookeeper some days.

and yr little for a little while

2008-09-27T09:39:00.001-07:00

breaking my heart to today
watching my wee one dance to this
beautiful song

winner winner chicken dinner

2008-09-27T03:55:00.000-07:00

Amy from Pretty Babies won the amazing Scott's Giveaway and Erin from Hammer and a Nail won the copy of Matrimony!
Yahoo!
Sorry to post a few days late guys!

Year Supply of Scott Bath and Towels/Win it now!

2008-09-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

The kind folks at Scott Common Sense Community have offered up a years supply of bath and towel tissue to my readers who check out the Scott Common Sense Community!
(Approximate Retail Value - $144)
FREE TOILET PAPER RULES!
All you need to do it go over to this cool new site and check out all the tips and leave a comment about something on the site that seemed interesting or cool to you. I encourage you to dig a round a bit bc I actually found quite a few tips there. It is an interactive site that wants you to leave yr best tips and tricks too. Yay come on- this is what we do all day long. We share information over the blogosphere...right?
Good Luck!
I will close the give away Tuesday at 10pm.

Matrimony Giveaway!

2008-09-12T05:17:00.000-07:00

Leave a comment and win an autographed copy from my pal Joshua Henkin.

Description of Matrimony from website:

It is 1987, and Julian Wainwright, aspiring writer and Waspy son of New York City old money, meets beautiful, Jewish Mia Mendelsohn in the laundry room at Graymont College. So begins a love affair that, spurred on by family tragedy, will take Julian and Mia across the country and back, through several college towns, spanning twenty years.

From the moment he was born, Julian Wainwright has lived a life of Waspy privilege. The son of a Yale-educated investment banker, he grew up in a huge apartment on Sutton Place, high above the East River, and attended a tony Manhattan private school. Yet, more than anything, he wants to get out--out from under his parents' influence, off to Graymont College, in western Massachusetts, where he hopes to become a writer.

When he arrives, in the fall of 1986, Julian meets Carter Heinz, a scholarship student from California with whom he develops a strong but ambivalent friendship. Carter's mother, desperate to save money for his college education, used to buy him reversible clothing, figuring she was getting two items for the price of one. Now, spending time with Julian, Carter seethes with resentment. He swears he will grow up to be wealthy--wealthier, even, than Julian himself.

Then, one day, flipping through the college facebook, Julian and Carter see a photo of Mia Mendelsohn. Mia from Montreal, they call her. Beautiful, Jewish, the daughter of a physics professor at McGill, Mia is--Julian and Carter agree--dreamy, urbane, stylish, refined.

But Julian gets to Mia first, meeting her by chance in the college laundry room. Soon they begin a love affair that--spurred on by family tragedy--will carry them to graduation and beyond, taking them through several college towns, spanning twenty years. But when Carter reappears, working for an Internet company in California, he throws everyone's life into turmoil: Julian's, Mia's, his own.

Starting at the height of the Reagan era and ending in the new millennium, Matrimony is about love and friendship, about money and ambition, desire and tensions of faith. It asks what happens to a marriage when it is confronted by betrayal and the specter of mortality. What happens when people marry younger than they'd expected? Can love endure the passing of time?

In its emotional honesty, its luminous prose, its generosity and wry wit, Matrimony is a beautifully detailed portrait of what it means to share a life with someone--to do so when you're young, and to try again, afresh, on the brink of middle age.

Daniel X Review

2008-08-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

I was excited to review this book because I worked in the education system for a long time and found it very frustrating finding books that boys would want to read. I have always been a bookworm and was relentless in seeking out "beyond the Potter" as I called it for my male readers. I worked hard to show my male students that reading could be pleasure and it could be a wonderful escape. I tried to recommend lots of genres and authors to them, yet often felt guilty because just until recently rarely ventured into the trade/mass publications and fiction bestseller lists myself. I was a canon snob, a voracious reader of the classics and up and coming creative nonfiction and poetry. I just hadn't let myself fall right into book club mania or Barnes&Noble list of what's hot. I had never read James Patterson and was interested in reading something as many friends loved his work.

I loved The Dangerous Days of Daniel X! The book is very well set up for a young reader with super short chapters that can be a great aid in allowing readers to feel like they are "doing well" and reading a book quickly. In my experience, reluctant readers need this as they start to pleasure read so as they do not get lost or bogged down with the feeling of "never being able to finish" a chapter. Readers cultivate the craft of reading and through quick paced YA novels like this one they gain the confidence that they are good readers.

Daniel X is a pretty amazing and sad little dude. It felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders as he set off to seek revenge upon his slain family. A boy who is gifted with super powers goes out on this amazing archetypal quest for revenge and vision quest. The journey is cool and imaginative. His character is so very likable and the writing is quick and speedy enough to keep the interest easily. I like the way that Daniel can conjure up people when he needs them and his shape shifting abilities are awesome and no doubt very appealing to kids. Daniel X who is stronger than a typical human, and wicked smart has problems when up against the list aliens who are vastly more superior even to him- but in the novel he shows the reader how he taps into his intellect to solve problems- not a bad lesson to be learned here.

The only issue I had with the book was the pop culture references and this is most likely because I am an old lady. I know it is hip and cool and a nice "buy in" for the young readers to be able to relate to these references, but I feel like it may date the books if they are to become an iconic series. It was really my only beef with this gem.

My husband who is a Sci-Fi reader himself adored the book too. We sat and chatted about how no matter what adults or Patterson fans might say-we loved the book for what it is. A new series of books that may do something to bring the kids back to the paper. To bring the noses into a new world, a world where they can believe again.
Bravo Mr.Patterson!

Book website here
Mothertalk review here
Amazon page here

swinging high

2008-08-02T06:06:00.001-07:00

swinging high
Originally uploaded by wireful

what are you playing this weekend?
Enjoy one another!

naughty naughty

2008-07-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy gal. I tend to think I can do one million things at once and then POOF- a lot of things crumble. I am so sorry I have not posted more summer ideas. We plan on coming here and telling you more about our busy summer soon. You can visit doobleh-vay anytime- it is a place I try and stay focused and consistent. I also have some shop updates here.
Thanks.
Kiss Kiss xx

Week Three Summer Mini Camp

2008-06-12T07:17:00.000-07:00

All around the world!

I like to create a passport for the kids during weeks that study other countries.
In previous summer school days I would take a piece of card stock and fold it in half and glue a photo of the child on front. I would make spaces in the inside for "stamping" each country as they took a visit. It was a nice daily routine for World week.

Monday:
UK
Fact Finders:
(Read Frommers travel guides and this too
Fable- Finn M'Coul (The giant of knockmany hill book by Tomie De Paola)
Craft -Make Christmas Crackers!
Snack- High Tea! Serve tea and bisquits (cookies)

Tuesday:
Japan
Fact finders:
( Read Frommers and we like these books: A Family from Japan by Julia Waterlow and National Geographic Japan)
Fable: The Star Festival
craft: Poetry Strips
Snack- Sushi oh yeah! Visit to a sushi restaurant or grab some sushi from the grocery for a treat.

Wednesday:
India
Fact Finders:
(Frommers and this one)
Fable: ( I love Indian Tales a Barefoot collection by Shenaaz Nanji!) many to choose
Craft: Rangoli
Snack: nan bread! Make yr own- check out this great post about nan!

Thursday:
Africa
Fact Finders:
Frommers and When the World Began by Elizabeth Laird
Fable: Anansi is great here- check the library for tons of books!
Craft: Batik -check this out
Snack: Make Injera ( sponge bread)

Friday:
Greece
Fact Finders:
Frommer and A Visit to Greece by Connie Roop and Welcome to Greece by Meredith Costain
Fable: Mythology all the way here! Get some ideas here and here
Craft: Evil eyes! Make some evil eyes and hang from the windows
Snack: Yumm! Make A Greek Village Salad

I also like to have a welcome home party! Celebrate what is cool about yr state/town/country on Friday at dinner time! :)
Don't forget to wake yr child up each morning and say Welcome to ______
Learn a phrase each day of the language!!!

girl!

2008-06-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

Technorati Profile

Mother-Talk Book Review

2008-06-06T05:27:00.000-07:00

The Fertility Journal by Kim Hahn (founder and CEO of Conceive Magazine was a pleasure to review. I have a wonderful friend who is dealing with fertility issues at the moment and I wanted to review this so that I could share it with her. I talked with her about the book and we looked through it together. The book is a real hard cover journal type book that would be a lovely gift for a woman in your life who announces she is going to start trying.(um- 8 months average- did you know?) She said it looked like something she would really be into at this point in her life(at the one year mark of trying and being able to have doctor info in one place and not an old ratty notebook). The beginning of the journal is quite no nonsense and takes the approach of teaching you all about your fertility as if you are clueless. Well, often we are clueless as women right? We think we will stop worrying about getting pregnant and then just get pregnant when we announce it to the world or abandon birth control. We often fail to recognize the purely scientific and wondrous workings of our bodies. This journal, although it may annoy some with it's matter of fact lessons, I am sure they will be impressed with the overall product design.

The book and it's design with two parts (one for "Trying to Conceive" and one for "Fertility Treatments") has covered most topics that my friend has been dealing with or thinking about as a woman trying to become pregnant for over a year.. The first part is broken down into 12 monthly sections and has basic and necessary information with a small box for each day where you can write down your cycle day, medications, vitamins, and your BBT and other facts. She liked the tracking and journaling space provided. In the latter half of the book we thought that the sections for IVF could be longer and have more spaces as most of the friends we know took more than two treatments to become pregnant or cease treatment. It felt that the latter half of the book was strongly assuming that the next step for all women was IVF. My friend is exploring acupuncture and other alternative methods as she is healthy and so is her husband and it is just taking longer than expected. She did not talk much about the IVF treatments section as I think that she feels like this is the final frontier to most women in this situation. Many women might not be able to afford to pay the high costs of or even those who might not want to "pay" the emotional costs of IVF treatments may find this section of the book hard to read.

This journal is full of great knowledge and is presented in a modern and smart way. I will be giving this as a gift to friends and I know that any woman could benefit from information in this journal. The great thing about this book is it is the real deal and does not sugar coat the facts of life. It announces that getting pregnant is not simple for all woman and it should be looked at as a type of health and knowledge mission. This author is true to science and reality as the book urges you to think and unlike other books on the market, it will arm you with facts and not just the hope.I think that perhaps the publishers might want to think about a companion journal for the women struggling with infertility longer than a year and explore deeper the issues they face. I think this author would be able to talk frankly and yet with compassion and insight to women. My friend is using The Fertility Journal daily now and loves it. Check out Mother-Talk for more reviews!!!
Thanks Mother-talk!!!

Week Two

2008-06-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

Bugs and Critters! ( I would love some ideas as bugs are not my thing but Finn really wants to do this theme! Please leave tips?) Merci!

Monday
Check out insects.org and insectworld.com. These books here and here are helpful!
Get some large sheets of drawing paper and brainstorm with yr kids about bugs and critters. I am going to talk about bugs and worms and insects and all sorts to my kid. Read some books together and plan yr bug adventure. Talk about vocabulary words like exoskeleton, invertebrate, and molted.
I like to have the kids help assemble a discovery kit. A discovery kit is a net, a magnifying glass, a glass jar with holes in top, a notebook, and some crayons or colored pencils. It can be as spartan and thrifty or as elaborate as you like. I like a nice safari hat to get into the mood myself :)
*Simple lesson is to talk about bug classification and choose some of the type of bugs you want to learn about for the week. Classification is something that is good for them to hear and explore as they will do so in school. Make a small chart and color it.
(each day use yr notebook to journal about bugs)

Tuesday
Ants!
Ants are easy to find outside and a good non threatening insect to begin yr week. You can talk about the three body parts of the ant today. ( head, thorax, and abdomen)
*A great art and science lesson is to construct an ant out of clay and toothpicks and talk about the three distinct body parts that all insects share.
* Have a cootie game? Play it today! talk about parts!

Wednesday
Butterfly's!
Metamorphosis is a simple and fun lesson. I am going to make a wheel of metamorphosis out of cardboard (cut two identical circles from a cereal box and use the blank sides- take an xacto knife (don't ya just love any excuse to get it out?) and cut a two inch square on the top circle near the edge. Attached the circles together with a paper fastener or a fancy brad if your a scrapper. Place simple drawings of a butterfly metamorphosis on the wheel and watch the butterfly emerge as you spin the wheel.) ( Like I did here for an emotion wheel)
*A great art activity would be to cut butterfly wings from cardboard!!!!

Thursday
Bees! Wasps!
Kids love to learn about bees and honey!!!
Have some tea and honey and talk about all things buzzy!
Make yr own bee catchers!

Friday
make a bug box here ( I love this site!!! free stuff!)
take a bug walk and collect some!!!

****Worms too here if you have time...We vermicompost and love it!

RANDOM BITS...on ebay you can get a ton of cheap insects in glass paperweights and look for Man Vs. Wild at the library for older kids to watch insect as food gross out facts and fun! Also check this out!(http://www.craftsforlearning.com/bugs.htm)
Have fun~~~

week one of dooble-vay's summer mini camp/Our neighborhood & Safety

2008-06-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

I like to start off any camp experience with a safety angle and for young children it is important to start early. I also think that the exploration of one's neighborhood can unearth so much treasure and knowledge.
(Also- thanks so much for wanting to hang out with us and do this mini camp- just try and make it yr own...change things...adjust..whatever- just think of this as inspiration platform!!!!)

Monday-
We are going to go on an observation walk and "take in" the neighborhood. We are going to try and look through new eyes and pretend it is our first time ever walking around there. We are going to talk about what we like and what we think about all that we see.
Our lesson today will be practicing our address and phone number and gently talking about emergencies and 911.

You can make a simple worksheet for the home like the above.(tragic sorry)
We will end the day with a simple lesson on red/yellow/green lights and playing "driving in the yard" with a kids car or a box you decorate. I like to set up a little "Safety Street"(colored masking tape and cones and bowls) and talk to the kids about traffic lights and pedestrians(throw as many big words as you can at yr kids this summer!!!!)and rules of the road.
Allow yr child to go around the "street" set-up and then go back around with them and expand the "look both ways" info to include stop lights, signage, and pedestrians. My K/1/2 class last year played safety town for two hours!

*Art for the day could be sign making from cardboard and letter recognition.

Tuesday
Visit yr local Police and/or Fire Station. All communities will arrange a tour for children if you call and schedule. This field trip can be very educational and exciting for little ones. It is a good day to go over the emergency 911 concept again and talk about how these emergency folks help us.
*Art for the day could be make a fire fighter hat out of newspaper- Here are some firefighter ideas.
*Have some Stop/Drop/Roll exercise together on the lawn

Wednesday
Make a neighborhood of cardboard or clay. Here is a cool link.
Talk about city neighborhoods and rural neighborhoods.
Here are some books about city life.
Here are some books about Farm life.
*Write a story about how yr life would be different if you lived in the city or on a farm!

Thursday
Arrange in advance to visit a senior center or home in your neighborhood. I always took my classes to one each year as a "random act of kindness" project. Even if yr kids are very young it is a good thing to do for yr own soul. Bring some tea or a veggie tray and some handmade love notes to share. Pack a backpack of books and volunteer to read to the adults. I know that this type of activity gives so much to the elderly who might not have many visitors each week, month, or year and I believe that human connection like this can foster such good for all involved. Children have loved this activity and I am planning our first family visit now. Finn is going to make paper flowers and we are taking some Nancy Drew books down to our local senior center to read. If you are unable to go in person, contacting the activities coordinator of these facilities is good because you can find out about donations might be needed, or where to send a care package of love letters. Here is some great info on a visit like this!

Friday
Take another observation walk and talk about what you have learned this week.
Contact a local business (for me it was nearby Starbucks and a hardware store) and inquire if you can take a tour. Children love seeing the "ins and outs" of what makes a business run. Starbucks will allow us to make a drink and be a cashier!!!
*A great art activity for the close of this week is making a map of yr neighborhood. Add landmarks and street, neighbors, stores, safe spots, nature, and anything else that makes yr neighborhood special.

Courtney over at Two Straight Lines had a great camp last year. She has some community ideas here.
Villagemama has a great game for signs and letter recognition on flickr.

I hope you have a great time in yr neighborhood!
xo amy

The Yummy Mummy Manifesto Review

2008-05-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

I thought this book was going to be fluff. Seriously. I even told my husband that I already knew what it was going to be like. Wrong... I loved this book. Anna Johnson is brilliant. The book is a lovely journey through motherhood with advice, reflection, inspiration, and humor all mixed together in a really readable way. I found that I could relate to the book on many levels as it was not just telling me to be fabulous because I could be, but it was giving me tips and tricks to remembering that person I used to be. It was urging me to recapture my diva in real world ways. Hello- get dressed/pamper yrself regularly and feel better! It is a good gentle reminder of self love. I adored her humor (Cleavage as silencer./People tell you that carrying a baby is sexy, liberating even, and it is hard to believe them. The physical inconvenience and the inflated scale are not images we associate freely with pleasure. But pregnancy is hot, as well as heavy.) I loved her ideas that ranged from breastfeeding to eco friendly lifestyle to home decor. This book has a lot going on and it perfect for a new mummy.
I liked how she wrote in the preface:
“Osho, the Indian mystic, once wrote that when a child is born, a mother is born too."
This is so true. We are born again and must find ourselves.
I think this book holds truths for each kind of mummy. I can see Earthy mums and Manolo mums equally enjoying this as the author has balanced the book well for all of us. I was delighted with her style tips, frankness about most subjects, and her down to earth voice. I think she is probably a fabulous mum to be friends with and we are lucky that she has compiled this mother of coolness for us. I was feeling a bit blah when I read the book and have since picked up a bit more vavavoom. Yay for the Yummy Mummy!!!!!
Check out more info here at Mother-Talk.

pea in the bed?

2007-10-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

Looks so cute for kiddos
I like that it has a story to tell!

small dolls on the cheap and good

2007-10-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

Planethappytoys.com

Larson's

2007-10-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

I heart Larson's toy store.
larsonstoys.com
It is so old school and they wrap it up and I just about die every time I walk in.
I have been shopping there since Finn was a baby and today I went for October bday shopping for Willow and Brady and had a ton of fun. I want to buy the shop out...
I saw so many cute ideas for the newest little baby that is about to be born soon in our circle. Little baby girl toys are so cute. I have decided I love Haba toys. They are my new fave.
Blaise got a Haba pacifier keeper
and he sure as hell needed it

Round and round birthday wishes

2007-10-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

I think these are amazing and I think I want one. Birthdays are amazing and this would be perfect...

http://www.willowtreetoys.com/category/0001/

A traditional piece in Europe, our Birthday Ring creates special birthday memories. A figure is removed each year and a candle added in its place. Our beautiful birthday ring includes 12 solid brass candle holders which make the addition and removal of candle easy and safe. Start a new tradition in your family! Candles and figures sold separately. Imported from Germany.

Positive life and beautiful items for kids...

2007-10-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

http://optimist.typepad.com/optimist/ is a cool blog.
I am really digging her cool toy suggestions. Check her out.

More fun than the playground for sure

2007-10-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

OK. I grew up in the sticks and had loads of fun near my creek bed with vines and such- but this....THIS would have been ace! I found this and tons others on amazon.com that can support up to 250lbs. Come one- I am crazy with ideas...What about a zip line from our bedroom window into the garden? It could be used as a fire escape too. I am swimming with ideas- how can I make my husband buy into this one? I love it. I am also sure that crafty folks could make one at local hardware store...I did high ropes courses one summer when I worked at a camp in the thick of the woods and this sensation of flying is amazing. So fast. So free. I want my sons to have one of these someday.

Christmas 2007 Ideas/Swing Ikarus

2007-10-07T12:01:00.001-07:00

This looks fantastic for Fun times in a playroom. Ikea's looked crap and were a bit pricey

This one from Haba looks great.

I like that it is indoor/outdoor.

Sillygoosetoys.com-love it.