Meet Cecile

There's a new heroine in the world of historical fiction, and she's upsetting all the stereotypes. Cecile Rey is an African-American girl living in New Orleans in the 1850's. She's not a slave, she's a free person of color, and her family is among the most influential and affluent around town. She has a brother studying in France. She loves to...

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Pringles Grab N Go

Alfie and I grew up on opposite ends of the world, and our childhoods could not have been more different. But apparently there are some things about childhood that are universal. And no, I'm not talking about friends and balls and teddy bears -- I'm talking about Pringles. When I was growing up, Pringles was THE potato chip, and any kid who had...

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Bonggamom's Friday Finds -- list your giveaways here

Welcome to Bonggamom's Friday Finds! So feel free to leave links to your giveaways, everyone. And don't forget to get cracking and enter everyone else's, t...

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Southern Living Style

It has been almost seven years since our big remodel (we added a second floor to our home, nearly doubling the square footage), and after seven years of use, certain areas are starting to show wear and tear, notably the kitchen, the living room and the guest room. The walls could use a fresh coat of paint, the living room sofa needs upholstering,...

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Green Works cleaning products review

One of the simplest ways a household can reduce their impact on the planet is to switch to environmentally-friendly cleaning products. Simple, right? Except, not really. Many of the eco-friendly cleaners out there don't actually clean too well, and they were expensive to boot. So when I first tried Clorox Green Works cleaners , I got all excited....

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Moon Dough review

I have a love-hate affair with modeling compounds; basically, I love how the stuff inspires creativity, but I hate how it dries up and makes a huge mess. For the sake of creativity and imagination, I let the kids play with it and just suck it up (literally, with a vacuum cleaner) -- but now that Moon Dough has hit the scene, I no longer have to...

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Scotch-Brite Botanical Wipes Giveaway

Each classroom in my kids' elementary school maintains a Wish List of items that the teacher would love to have: pencils, printer ink, printer paper, wipes, that sort of thing. Parents check out the Wish List and buy one or two items so that the teacher and the class can focus on learning.One item that's always on the Wish List is disinfecting wipes....

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Roar! with Pottery Barn Kids and NatGeo Wild

NatGeo Wild and Pottery Barn Kids are teaming up to raise awareness of the plight of big cats in the wild. You can make your own voice heard by filming your child's 10-second roar -- and get a chance to win fame and fortune in the process! Just go to PotteryBarnKids.com/roar and upload your child's roar video to enter the Roar Off! contest. The...

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Tiny Prints Holiday Cards are here!

Can you believe it, we have 100 days to go before December 25? The holidays will be here before you know it! I am determined not to wait until the last minute to get our holiday cards together. In fact, later today we are heading up to San Francisco for a holiday photo shoot with my friend and photographer Erin. And I'm already browsing the Tiny...

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Bonggamom's Friday Finds -- list your giveaways here

Welcome to Bonggamom's Friday Finds! I took a six-week hiatus from this weekly post series, but it's back now, and I hope you all continue to leave links to your giveaways. And don't forget to get cracking and enter everyone else's, t...

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DaGeDar

All boys are fascinated with balls. I learned this seven years ago, when 3Po and Jammy were just ten or eleven months old, yet spent most of their time playing with (and fighting over) the few toy balls in our household. To this day, their love affair with spherical objects continues -- they love soccer balls, basketballs, inflatable beach balls,...

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American Girls' newest dolls: Cecile and Marie-Grace

Let's give a big, warm welcome to American Girls' latest characters, Cécile Rey and Marie-Grace Gardner!American Girl introduces two different historical characters, Cécile Rey and Marie-Grace Gardner, in one six-book series set in 1850s New Orleans . The new characters, one African American and one Caucasian, show the power of friendship and...

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Quest for Zhu Party Tips and Activity Sheets

The release of the new Zhu Zhu Pets movie, Quest for Zhu, is only 5 days away, so you parents of Zhunatics are probably already planning your own Zhu Zhu movie parties! We hosted our own Quest for Zhu preview party last week, courtesy of MomSelect, and it was a great success. Based on my experience hosting the party, here are some tips you can use...

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Eden Fantasys -- original, outrageous and open

There were quite a few memorable brands at BlogHer 2011. Some were old favorites and others were new discoveries. Of the new discoveries, I have to say that none of them were quite like EdenFantasys. They got my vote for the most outrageous (in a good way) party at BlogHer '11, as well as the naughtiest swag at BlogHer '11 (again, in a good...

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Mechatars Robot Review and Giveaway

My sons have become the model of good behavior. Every morning they get up, dress up, have breakfast, brush their teeth and make their beds. After school, they put away their things, do their homework, read for 15 minutes, practice piano, and water their plants. I can't really claim all the credit -- they do it because they want to earn the right...

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Lite Sprites giveaway

Last month I blogged about one of this year's most fascinating toys, Lite Sprites. These color-changing fairies that take on any color of the rainbow is sure to be one of the holiday season's must-have toys for little girls. Even my sons love using the Lite Wand to pick up colors from everyday items, then changing the Lite Sprites to that exact same...

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Quest for Zhu DVD Giveaway

Just one more week until the release of the new Quest For Zhu movie! I'm sure Zhunatics all over the world are excited to see the Zhu Zhu pets hit the big screen. We had the opportunity to host a special pre-release Quest For Zhu movie premiere party at our home last week, and everyone who attended enjoyed the movie. I would highly recommend it for...

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Betty Crocker Molasses Cookie mix review and giveaway

Fall is a great time of the year, with so many distinct sights, smells, tastes and textures. I love the tastes of fall, with all the fragrant spices and hearty textures. Butternut squash soup, pumpkin bread, apple pie, beans with molasses and gingerbread make my mouth water!Gingerbread and other spice cookies are super-yummy, but I never make them,...

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American Girl introduces Cecile and Marie-Grace

I always get really sad when American Girl discontinues a character in their Historical Characters line. When we said good-bye to Samantha, I was devastated, because Nellie (Samantha's friend) was my favorite character, and I was secretly nursing a hope of buying Nellie for The Pea one day. Then Kit and Elizabeth left, and so did Kirsten. Other...

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