October is almost here, and you know what that means: us grownups have an excuse to dress up in costume, all month long! I'm not just talking about Halloween night, I'm talking about all those Halloween parties. And if you are taking a date with you to your party, it's a lot of fun if you have coordinating costumes. I'm not into the gag-type costumes like ketchup and mustard, or tacky tourists, I prefer adult costumes with a hint of naughtiness. Here are some of the matching costumes for women and men at EdenFantasys:
Both of you can dress up as police offers -- but who will be the good cop and who will be the bad cop? And who is in charge of the handcuffs?
Male policeman costume:
Here's a female fire fighter costume. What can I say, it's hot hot hot... :)
And here's the matching male firefighter costume:
Another fun holiday to celebrate in October is Oktoberfest. What's not to love -- sausages, beer, music, and late night partying with family and friends! Some friends of mine recently attended an Oktoberfest gathering, and they had to search long and hard on Ebay for their costumes. Had they told me, I could have pointed them to this adorable beer garden girl costume:
Disclosure:EdenFantasys is providing me with a gift card as a thank-you for writing this post. The views and opinions expressed here are my own. Tweet this!
Has your school had its first lice check yet? Any dreaded pink slips in your kid's backpack with the words LICE on them? Any parent whose kids has had lice knows that an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure! Fortunately, Lice Shield is giving away 5 sets of Lice Shield Shampoo & Conditioner, and Lice Shield Conditioning Spray. It keeps your child's hair clean gently, and repels lice with natural essential oils like citronella, rosemary and lemongrass. Here's how to enter: Required Entry Leave a comment on this post and share a tip for preventing or getting rid of hair lice. Extra Entries For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.). 1) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Blogger (1 entry)
2) Follow bonggamom on Instagram (1 entry) 3) Follow bonggamom on Pinterest (1 entry) 4) Pin this giveaway on your Pinterest board (1 entry -- you can use the "Pin It" button at the bottom of this page!).
The Rules This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on October 10, 2012; I will draw 5 winners at random on October 11 and post their names after they confirm acceptance. Continental US and Canada residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Are you worried about lice in your neighborhood? Check out Lice Shield's Lice Watch app on Facebook!
Disclosure: I received a product sample and other promotional goodies from Lice Shield as a thank-you for posting this information. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Kids love dinosaurs and kids love vehicles -- so why not combine them? That's the idea behind VTech's new Switch and Go Dinos transforming toys. Each Switch and Go Dino transforms from a vehicle to a dinosaur in just a few moves. Each one has an LCD screen with customizable dino eyes and vehicle drivers, and each one gives off unique sounds and dinosaur facts. There are seven Switch and Go Dinos:
Race Car / Sliver the T-Rex
Sports Car / Horns the Triceratops
Rally Car / Tonn the Stegasaurus
Zip Car / T-Don the Pteranodon
Tow Truck / Attila the Ankylosaurus
Jet Plane / Span the Spinosaurus
Car Carrier / Brok the Brachiosaurus
VTech and Mom Central sent us Attila, Span and Brok to review, and even though 3Po and Jammy are at the top of the age range (3-8 yrs), I was pleasantly surprised by how much they are enjoying all three! Here's what they love about Switch and Go Dinos:
When in auto mode...
* Each dino has its own cool auto feature. When Attila the Ankylosaurus is in tow truck mode, it can tow any vehicle. When Brok the Brachiosaurus is in auto mode, the boys love launching the race car and the pterodactyl into the air!
* They think it's really cool that the toy knows when it is in auto mode, and the LCD screen on the windshield shows a graphic of a truck driver. They also enjoy toggling through the different kinds of drivers.
When in dino mode...
* They like how wheels beneath the dino's feet make it really easy to glide him around
* They think it's really cool that the toy knows when it is in dino mode, and the LCD screen on the windshield (now the face of the dinosaur) shows the dinosaur's eyes. They also enjoy toggling through the different kinds of dino eyes!
Best of all, it is really easy to transform from auto to dino mode, and back again. They figured out how to do it on their own, without having to read the instructions. Younger boys will probably need a parent's help, but the transformation process is really simple, so after you teach your son how to do it, he will be able to do it on his own. The parts are quite chunky, and there aren't too many complicated moves, so it won't be too frustrating, even for a 4 year old.
To show how easy the transformation is, 3Po and Jammy made an entire series of videos for all the Switch & Go Dinos we own! Check them out:
How to transform Span the Spinosaurus into a jet plane...
.. and how to transform the jet plane back into Span the Spinosaurus
How to transform Attila the Ankylosaurus into a tow truck...
... and how to transform the tow truck back into Attila the Anyklosaurus
How to transform Brok the Brachiosaurus into a car carrier...
... and how to transform the car carrier back into Brok the Brachiosaurus
The sound effects and moving parts (when in dino mode, you can press a button and will swing his neck to and fro) will probably appeal more to the younger kids. In my opinion, it's not VTech's most educational toy (yes, the dino does spout some dino facts, but I'm not sure if the kids are listening), but it's certainly one of their most entertaining! The more inexpensive models (Sliver, Horns, Ton and T-Don go for around $15) are a no-brainer top purchase. The bigger models like Span ($30) and Brok ($50) are more expensive, but if you have a younger child, I think it is well worth the price since he will get many years of play from it.
Check out VTech's Facebook page for the chance to win a lifetime supply of VTech Toys including the Switch and Go Dinos, and the chance for your child to appear in a VTech commercial! Aside from the grand prize, 25 winners will each receive Switch and Go Dinos for their very own! You don't even need to own a VTech Switch and Go Dino to enter! The Show and Tell with Switch and Go Dinos video contest ends October 1.
Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for VTech. I received VTech Switch & Go Dinos product samples to facilitate my review. The views and opinions expressed here are my own. Tweet this!
We are all looking forward to the opening of Tim Burton's new movie, "Frankenweenie", so when I heard that Disney Publishing was releasing a free interactive Frankenweenie eBook, I downloaded it to see whether it was just an extended movie trailer or something that could legitimately be called an eBook. After a not-so-quick read-through, I'm happy to say that it's definitely worth the download. Frankenweenie: An Electrifying Book is like the eBook version of a beautifully illustrated coffee table book that gives readers a glimpse of how the movie was made. It's filled with preliminary sketches, photos of character models, photos of sets, and more. And since it's an eBook, you can watch video clips of Tim Burton talking about the history behind the film, listen to music from the movie, even purchase physical books and tickets to see the movie. Frankenweenie: An Electrifying Book is like a collection of special features on a DVD -- photo gallery, "The Making Of.." featurette, etc.. -- in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it did end up on disc 2 of the Frankenweenie DVD.
Below are a couple of photos from the book. An entire chapter is devoted to showing how they recreated the scenes in the movie, like the pet graveyard, Victor's classroom, Victor's attic and Victor's kitchen. Since the movie was filmed using stop-motion technique, they had to create actual physical sets.
Another chapter introduces the main characters in the movie: Sparky, Victor, his parents, their neighbors, his science teacher, his classmates, their pets. The photo below shows how the camera captures the animated figures on the set. I had just assumed that Frankenweenie was a computer-animated film, so I was amazed to see how much effort has to go into making a film via stop-motion animation!
About the book: It’s alive!!...and on your iPad! In anticipation of the much-talked-about stop-motion animated film directed by Tim Burton, “Frankenweenie,” (in theaters October 5, 2012), Disney Publishing Worldwide is excited to release Frankenweenie: An Electrifying Book for the iPad. Available on the iBookstore, the fully interactive book integrates videos, vibrant music, and original sketches to offer readers a fully immersive behind-the-scenes look into the making of the movie. This is Disney Publishing’s first project created with Apple’s iBooks Author software.
“We’re thrilled to give fans a look at how Tim Burton and his creative team brought Victor Frankenstein and Sparky to life in the town of New Holland,” said Lyle Underkoffler, vice president, Digital Media, Disney Publishing Worldwide. “Using iBooks Author, Disney Publishing was able to include more digital content than ever before—including previews of animated storyboards documenting the transition from sketch to screen.”
Disclosure: I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post. The views and opinions expressed here are my own. Tweet this!
Yesterday I attended the Eat Real Oakland festival in Jack London Square. I was in foodie heaven, sampling all the amazing dishes and wandering through rows and rows of artisanal cheese, chocolate, bread, spices and more. The place was packed with people enjoying good food -- but it must have been a nightmare for parents navigating through the crowds with a stroller, and it must have been pretty boring for kids who wanted something to do other than look at jars of jams and bottles of microbrew.
Fortunately one of the presenting sponsors, Toyota, had a great booth -- the Creation Station -- at a less crowded section of the festival where families could stretch out and enjoy family-friendly activities between courses. Since I'm a member of Toyota's TWIN (Women's Influencer Network) group, of course I had to check it out!
Since this summer, Toyota has been using the Creation Station as a way to showcase their family-friendly vehicles like the 2013 Avalon, the Highlander, Highlander Hybrid Limited, Landcruiser, RAV4 EV, Prius v, Prius Plug-in, Prius c, Sienna and Yaris models. It's a great way to see how these models can fit into families' lifestyles -- without the annoying sales pressure that you have to endure at an auto showroom. The Toyota Creation Station team did a great job of getting attendees to check out the vehicles via some fun activities:
Toyota Entune Demo
Attendees could ask Toyota personnel at the booth about Entune, Toyota's revolutionary in-car technology featuring popular mobile applications and data services.
Toyota Cargo Challenge
Attendees could form teams of up to four people and pack a bunch of items into the back of a Prius V. The quicker you can do it, the better, because you could win prizes!
Toyota 3D Photo Booth
You could get your photo taken while sitting inside a Toyota Prius. Actually, they snapped 2 photos of you, then combined the 2 photos into a singular lenticular 3D photo that "moves" as you tilt the photo in 2 directions. It was such a cool souvenir!
After completing each activity, you get a stamp on your card. When you get at least 1 stamp on your card, you can play their Giant Dice Game, where you roll a giant (beach-ball sized!) pair of dice, and win a prize corresponding to the number you roll. You get as many rolls as you have stamps on your card (so if you did all 3 activities, you got 3 dice rolls and 3 prizes).
At the Kids' Craft area, kids could create Spin Art Cards....
.. and make Shrinky Dinks. Remember those? Toyota had a bunch of cute designs for kids (and grownups!) to color in, then they punched a hole in them, baked them in a toaster oven and hung them on a string.
Everyone likes having activities and freebies, and there was no sales pitch, so I think Toyota did a good job combining brand promotion with entertainment. I guess I'm not the only one with that opinion, because there was a good-sized crowd at the Creation Station -- big enough to attract the interest of passers-by, but not overbearing. Just the right combination for a festival!
You can check out Toyota's Creation Station at these upcoming family-friendly festivals: Sept. 28-30: Brooklyn, NY at Dumbo Arts Festival Oct. 26-28: Denver, CO at Boo at the Zoo Nov. 23-25: Rancho Cucamonga, CA at Bass Pro Shops Dec. 1: San Diego, CA at Miramar Children's Christmas Carnival
Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of Toyota.
I love duct tape. I'm no handyman, so duct tape is my go-to solution for all minor household problems. Broken storage bin? Fix it with duct tape! Did my kid's toy golf club snap in two? Duct tape! Need to prop up the Halloween skeletons against the side of the house? Duct tape! The Pea and her friends love duct tape too, but for a different reason: Duct tape is all the rage, and people are using it to create everything from pillows to phone cases to prom dresses. These days, duct tape isn't limited to the ugly silver kind. There's such a wide range of colors and patterns for duct tape, so you can make something you'd be happy to use and show off to your friends.
The Pea has been begging me to buy her patterned duct tape for months now, but I've never gotten around to it. So she's really happy that Scotch sent us several rolls of colored and patterned duct tape recently -- because now I'm hooked! It's so easy to create cool stuff that you can actually use. There are tons of duct tape how-to videos on YouTube, and Scotch even has their own gallery of projects using Scotch Colors and Patterns duct tape, complete with photos and instructions.
The Pea made her own little foldover purse -- so chic with the black plaid pattern and green piping! See the bow accent? She likes to make those into hair ribbons by gluing the bow onto a hairpin. She and her friends love it! I'm going to make one of those purses (minus the bow, probably!) to store our van's insurance and registration cards, and store it in the glove compartment.
By the way, the green and black plaid are sold together as a combo pack, which The Pea loves. The rolls of duct tape in the combo packs are just 1" thick, so you can do more intricate patterns and projects without having to cut the standard 2' width tape in half. One roll in the combo pack is a solid color and the second roll is a complimentary pattern (i.e. blue solid + rainbow, purple solid + multicolored hearts, black solid + black and white lace pattern, etc...), which makes it easy to create perfectly color-coordinated projects.
I made a larger version of The Pea's purse, this time using a Halloween-themed pattern. It has a wrist strap, so I can carry it around with me when we go trick-or-treating on Halloween night. The Scotch Duct Tape website has instructions on how to make a variation of this clutch purse -- but frankly, the instructions are pretty vague, so I've decided to write up a set of instructions of my own, with more detailed step-by-step descriptions and photos. Stay tuned, I'll be posting those soon!
I designed this Halloween treat bag all by myself! It's made with 3 kinds of Scotch brand duct tape: orange, black, and monster-patterned duct tape. Isn't it cute? You can find instructions on how to make my Duct Tape Halloween Treat Bag here. I've even come up with a tiny version for The Pea's American Girl dolls! Watch out for the instructions, I'll be posting those soon!
I'm definitely going to be buying more of this....
Disclosure: I received product samples from Scotch/3M to facilitate my reviewThe views and opinions expressed here are my own. Tweet this!
Did you know that National Clean Out Your Garage Day is celebrated on September 8? Even though that date has come and gone, there's still time to clean up your garage before winter hits -- don't wait until the Spring Cleaning urge hits! We do a big garage clean-out every 1-2 years, regardless of the season. It's amazing how much JUNK our family of 5 can accumulate in just 2 years! Whenever it gets too difficult to park Alfie's motorcycle, we know it's time to clean out. It's not just a clean-freak issue, it's a safety issue. Check out some statistics from a recent home safety survey conducted by The Lehigh Group, manufacturer of Crawford branded garage organization products:
* Nearly four in 10 (39 percent) have tripped over an item in their garage
* More than a quarter (27 percent) have hit an object when opening a vehicle door
* 22 percent have accidentally hit something when parking
Yikes!
Win a Clean Out Your Garage Day prize pack
To help people prevent accidents like these, Crawford, Ace Hardware and Quickie are giving away some essential tools for garage organization to one lucky Bonggamom Finds reader! The Clean Out Your Garage Day prize pack (ARV $83.16) includes:
Crawford 16” Adjustable Storage Organizer: Designed for use anywhere in your home, garage, workshop, tool shed or basement, this system is great for hanging brooms, rakes and other lawn supplies.
Crawford Sliding Spring Grip Organizer: Grips slide into position anywhere along the bar for maximum use. Guaranteed to never lose tension, the grips can hold hardware, garden tools, shovels and more.
Quickie 2-in-1 Squeegee Pushbroom: This 2-in-1 pushbroom is designed for both indoor and outdoor use. Effortlessly sweep away dirt and debris or use the built-in professional-grade squeegee to push away excess water.
ACE Multi-surface Pushbroom: This durable pushbroom is perfect for sweeping heavy debris, including caked-on dirt, gravel and construction materials.
Lysol Sponges: Super absorbent and safe on most surfaces, these sponges can help tackle any tough mess.
Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me the last time you organized your garage (or main storage space).
Extra Entries For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.). 1) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Blogger (1 entry)
2) Follow bonggamom on Instagram (1 entry) 3) Follow bonggamom on Pinterest (1 entry) 4) Pin this giveaway on your Pinterest board (1 entry).
5) "Like Bonggamom Finds" on Facebook and write this on my wall (1 entry): I entered the Clean Out Your Garage giveaway http://bit.ly/QmWcVD 6) Follow @bonnggafinds on Twitter and tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day): RT @bonggafinds: Enter to win a Clean Out Your Garage prize pack worth $80! Giveaway ends 9/30 at http://bit.ly/QmWcVD #giveaways
The Rules This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on September 30, 2012; I will draw a winner at random on October 1 and post his/her name after she/he confirms acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.
Disclosure: Thanks to Ace, Quickie & Crawford for providing the giveaway prize pack, as well a second prize pack for me. The views and opinions expressed here are my own. Tweet this!
If you're on your school's yearbook committee, be sure to check out Shutterfly Yearbooks, as a great way to preserve those school year memories. It doesn't even matter what your school size is! Whether your child goes to a school with hundreds of other students, or even if you belong to a homeschool group, you can Shutterfly yearbooks of any order size. You can even order single copies! Of course, if you order 10 or more books, you get a volume discount, and for big school-wide orders, yearbooks can go as low as $6 per yearbook.
When it comes time to create your yearbook, Shutterfly has you covered. With their online Photo Book tool, the layouts practically create themselves, and you end up with a yearbook just as beautiful as the Shutterfly Photo Books you create for your own family. They even have a section with yearbook photo suggestions, timelines, and other tips to create an A+ yearbook.
Even if you're not on the yearbook committee, you can use Shutterfly to preserve your child's school year memories. Here are 3 ways I came up with:
1) Skip the other classrooms and grades, and make a yearbook just for your child's classroom! That way, your child and his friends will be featured front and center, and every page will be chock full of people he knows and loves.
2) Make a Shutterfly "artbook" featuring the best art projects your child created throughout the school year. My kids always want to save their artwork, but all of that paper takes up way too much space. A Shutterfly "artbook" saves their best work in a single book that your child can proudly show off (and avoids the big fight about throwing their artwork away!).
3) For a long-range project, collect First-Day-of-School photos of your child throughout the years, from preschool through high school. Many parents even have their child stand in front of the same background, year after year, and hold up a sign saying which grade they are entering! Then compile of those special photos into a single Shutterfly yearbook that you give to your child when he graduates from high school. Don't forget to make a second yearbook for yourself!
Win a Shutterfly Photo Book
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will receive a code fora free 8x8 hard cover, 20-page Photo Book from Shutterfly, including free shipping to the US or Canada!
Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and share your favorite school year memory. Extra Entries For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.). 1) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Blogger (1 entry)
2) Follow bonggamom on Instagram (1 entry) 3) Follow Shutterfly on Instagram (1 entry)
7) "Like Bonggamom Finds" on Facebook and write this on my wall (1 entry): I entered the Shutterfly yearbook giveaway http://bit.ly/S6UTMv
8) "Like" Shutterfly on Facebook and write this on their wall (1 entry): I entered to win a free 8x8 Shutterfly Photo Book on Bonggamom Finds! Giveaway ends 9/26 at
http://bit.ly/S6UTMv 9) Follow @Shutterfly on Twitter and tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day): RT @bonggafinds: Enter to win an 8x8 Photo Book from @Shutterfly! Giveaway ends 9/26 at http://bit.ly/S6UTMv #giveaways #backtoschool
The Rules This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on September 26, 2012; I will draw a winner at random on September 27 and post his/her name after she/he confirms acceptance. Continental US and Canada residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.
Disclosure: Thanks to Shutterfly for providing the giveway prize, as well as a gift card and free photobook for me. The views and opinions expressed here are my own. Tweet this!
That minty-fresh part is especially important for me in the mornings, because I like to sleep in until the last minute, and I really need that blast of cool mint in my mouth to wake up. In fact, brushing my teeth is the one thing I absolutely need to do in the mornings -- I can get up and go without taking a shower, brushing my hair or even grabbbing a bite to eat (I know, that's a bad thing but sometimes I like a nice workout before breakfast), but I cannot seem to wake up without brushing my teeth. Here's a video showing how I've incorporated Crest & Oral-B Pro-Health products into my routine:
The Crest & Oral-B Pro-Health regimen consists of 4 products: the Crest Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control Toothpaste, Crest Pro-Health Clinical Rinse, Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Pro-Flex Toothbrush and Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Protection Floss. You can read my previous Crest & Oral-B post for a more detailed description and review of each; suffice it to say that I think they're great. I use the Crest Pro-Health toothpaste every single morning and night! I use the Oral-B Pro-Flex when I travel (because at home, I use a sonic toothbrush), and I alternate between buying the Crest Pro-Health rinse and my other favorite mouthwash. As for the floss, truth be told, I prefer woven floss, but it's so difficult to find these days, I almost always end up buying the Oral-B floss instead. I love it when products I've discovered via reviews end up as a regular part of my household!
Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blogger review campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Crest and received product samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central Consulting sent me a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate. The views and opinions expressed here are my own. Tweet this!
One of the most inexpensive items you can get at American Girl Place stores is a souvenir tshirt for your girl and doll. It's a great way to remember that special visit, and get matching girl-and-doll items at the same time! And now it's even cheaper, because souvenir items are on deep discount at the American Girl online store!
You really can't get any cheaper than $3 for an American Girl doll tee. In fact, I don't think you can get ANY 18" doll tee for $3, anywhere! They are so cheap, I simply had to get souvenir doll tees for The Pea. First and foremost, I got Chicago (worn by McKenna in the photo, on the left) and LA (worn by Mia, on the right) tees because The Pea has been to those stores. I also got her a New York tee (worn by Marie-Grace, center) to match the souvenir cap that I bought for The Pea a couple of years ago when I visited the American Girl NY store.
Unfortunately, by the time I got wind of the sale, they had already run out of large sizes of the girls shirts for Chicago and LA. So I got her a New York tee instead, in red, to match the NY doll's tee. She hasn't been to the NY store (yet!), but the shirt was jut $6, so who cares??
Hurry and grab an American Girl Place tee for your girl, plus a matching tee for her doll, before they sell out!
Disclosure: I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post. The views and opinions expressed here are my own. Tweet this!
When the school year begins, it doesn't just affect kids -- it affects parents and the whole family dynamic. Parents have to get up early, pack lunches, schedule parent-teacher conferences, do library duty, arrange carpools, avoid (or seek) the PTA. But all that hassle does have a few benefits, at least for stay-at-home parents and work-at-home parents -- a couple of hours to themselves while the kids are at school.
For my third and final Back to School Membership Rewards post, I'm curating a look for moms whose kids have finally gone back into the classroom and given mommy a few hours of peace and quiet! The best part is, there's no cash outlay if you're an American Express cardmember -- you can redeem all the items below from the Membership Rewards catalog. Here's how Moms can celebrate Back to School with 50,000 Membership Rewards points:
SUIT UP: 5,000 POINTS
Why should kids get all the new outfits? Mom needs to outfit herself in the latest yoga tops and pants, which as everyone knows, are the standard mom uniform for back-to-school morning drop-offs :) Gap and Athleta always have great sales, so you can get a cute yoga outfit for as little as $50 (that's 5,000 points!).
SWEAT: 26,900 POINTS
After drop-off, Mom can finally go for a power walk on her own, without worrying about little feet tripping up on the sidewalk or slowing down to watch a caterpillar crawl across the driveway, or abandon the entire outing for a potty break. And while you're getting that cardio workout, instead of whining and screaming, tune in to your favorite songs with this iPod nano and wrist holder.
STRETCH: 6,100 POINTS
Put that new yoga outfit to good use and spend a couple of minutes (and just 6,100) points finding inner peace, with a Gaiam yoga mat.
SPA: 12,000 POINTS
After all that exercise, it's time for a little pampering with a Spa Finder gift card (12,000 points). Actually, even a morning in a dentist's chair can feel pampering, as long as it's kid-free, but it's so much nicer to be having a massage than a root canal, don't you think?
Disclosure: This is a compensated post. Thanks to American Express for providing the prize for this giveaway. I curated the "Back to School" looks on this post, and on my Pinterest page, using options taken from the American Express Membership Rewards Catalog, but the choices were solely my own. The views and opinions expressed here are my own. Click here for full disclosure. Tweet this!
A few years ago, my daughter contracted a case of head lice, and getting rid of the little buggers required craftiness and dedication worthy of a Sun Tzu military campaign. You know, the guy who wrote The Art of War. Yes, it was a war -- combing through The Pea's thick hair and methodically pulling out each and every nit, one by one, boiling her sheets, sterilizing her stuffies -- when it comes to lice, you can't leave any prisoners!
Dealing with head lice was such a pain, it left me completely paranoid about future outbreaks, and a firm believer in the old adage, An Ounce of Prevention is worth a Ton of Cure. So now, whenever I hear of a lice outbreak at school, I immediately remind The Pea that she must never share combs or hair ties with her friends, and instruct her to switch to a lice-repelling shampoo. And wouldn't you believe it, this year, on the night before school started, one of her friend's moms called me to say that her daughter had lice! Ugh. I was gearing up for another nit-picky battle, but fortunately this time around The Pea didn't get it. Phew!
Back to school is stressful enough without having to worry about lice. That's why I think lice-repelling hair-care products like Lice Shield ought to be on every parent's Back to School shopping list, along with erasers and crayons and scissors! Hey, it's just one more way to help prepare your child for a new year at school, right?
Are you worried about lice in your neighborhood? Check out Lice Shield's Lice Watch app on Facebook! They have a map that shows you where lice infestations are high around the country. If you register with the app, you'll be entered in a weekly drawing to win a full-sized (10 oz) bottle of Lice Shield Shampoo & Conditioner in 1.
Disclosure: I received a product sample and other promotional goodies from Lice Shield as a thank-you for posting this information. The views and opinions expressed here are my own. Tweet this!
The latest issue of American Girl magazine is out, and it's full of lots of crafts, advice and activities to keep girls busy throughout the fall. We received a copy of the September/October issue (available for sale as a single issue at the American Girl online store, or via subscription), and it looks like a lot of fun! Here are some highlights:
The Classroom Confidential guide helps girls tackle back-to-school challenges like making friends or forgetting locker combinations, and start the school year confident and happy.
The Fearless article inspires girls to try new and exciting things by featuring three brave girls who try karate, flying and soapbox derby racing.
The Monster Cake tutorial teaches girls how to make and decorate a fun monster cake for Halloween
The Haunted Hotel Party guide has everything girls need -- crafts, treats and game suggestions -- to help them through the ultimate Halloween bash.
American Girl Magazine is a wonderful resource for girls 8 and up. The Pea treasures each and every one of her issues! She has gotten inspiration for organizing her locker and decorating her room. She has even tried making some of their healthy breakfasts by herself to get out of her daily cereal rut! And she's not the only one who loves the magazine.....
McKenna and Marie-Grace love American Girl magazine too! Whenever they can get their hands on an issue, they read it from cover to cover.
Even Coconut likes to read American Girl Magazine! With all the fun crafts and recipes inside that girls can enjoy, Coconut wants to make sure he gets in on the action.
Want to make your own American Girl magazine for your American Girl dolls? It's easy! Just print out the printables and follow the directions below to make a 2.5"x3" magazine ......
1) Click on each of the images below to view full-size, then right-click to save the image to your desktop. Print both images.
2) Cut each pair of pages on the dotted lines. Make sure you cut around the tabs.
3) Arrange the pages with tabs A & A1 back-to-back, so that the printout shows on both sides. Glue together. Do the same for B & B1, C & C1, D & D1.
4) Stack the pages one on top of the other, with the tabs A, B, C & D facing up, with A at the bottom, B on top of A, C on top of B, and D on top of C. The "American Girl" magazine cover should be at the top of the stack.
5) Fold the stack of pages in half along the solid line in the center. Run your finger down the folded edge to help the pages lie flat.
6) Open the folded stack. Staple along the center line. Cut the tabs off. You're done!
Now your dolls can enjoy their own doll-sized copy of American Girl magazine as much as your girl enjoys hers!
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the Sept/Oct 2012 issue of American Girl Magazine.. The views and opinions expressed here are my own. Tweet this!
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