A Great Resource For Moms

Have you ever felt alone in struggles you face as a mom? Or have you ever just needed some wise advice of a mom who's walked the same path as you?

I can definitely answer yes to both of those questions. And I've found those great connections and resources all across the blogosphere. I truly feel fortunate every single day to have this huge community of women at my disposal, 24 hours a day.

So I always get excited when I find a new resource for moms online. And when that resource is filled with wisdom, interactivity, tips and ideas, I know I've really found something great.

That is the case with Mom's Homeroom from MSN.

Over the past few weeks, I've spent quite a bit of time exploring all the resources at Mom's Homeroom and I've been really impressed. I think my favorite feature is the videos. They've been fun to watch. One video in particular on helping kids adjust at school was very timely for me as we prepared to send Isabelle off to school instead of homeschooling.

I tend to have a love/hate relationship with all forums because they become a time suck for me; one that' not very productive either. The Mom's Homeroom forum board was like most other forum boards to me in that it provided some valuable advice and conversation, but there was also a lot I could do without.

Overall, I really enjoy visiting Mom's Homeroom. I'm sure it will be a resource I turn to a lot in the future. I definitely recommend spending at least a few minutes looking around and seeing if there might be something of value for you there.

Disclosure:
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

All thoughts of Mom's Homeroom are a true and honest reflection of how I feel, irregardless of compensation or product sample.

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Ah...Milk...

I have had a love-hate relationship with milk since I was a little girl. I blame my grandma for that one. When my sister and I would eat dinner at my grandparent's house, my grandma would pour our milk at least 30 minutes before we actually sat down to eat. Room temperature milk is just not good. And unfortunately that experience kind of ruined me on milk for good.

But I know milk is so good for you. When I was pregnant, I would force myself to have a little bit of milk every day. Drinking just a glass of it didn't work, but I was usually able to get through a bowl of cereal with milk.

I made it a priority right from the time the kids turned 1 to make sure they drank plenty of milk. The last thing I wanted to do was pass off my bad habits on them. Fortunately they have all turned into lovers of milk and drink at least 2 glasses a day. And for my part, I always make sure I serve up cold, straight from the fridge, milk. No weird habits of mine are going to get in the way of their good health.

I would love to some day be able to sit down with a glass of milk again. I need to find a way to re-wire my brain. Reading through all of the information on the Why Milk? website has been a great start for me.

The Why Milk? site is full of milk facts and tips. Isabelle, as my child who loves to know everything about everything, had a great time perusing the site and sharing all her new found milk knowledge with her brother and sisters. They all know the health benefits of milk now and I am just waiting for the lectures from them as they try to get me to drink milk.

And I want to set a good example for them, so one of these days I'll have to give milk a shot again. The kids aren't going to let me off the hook.

This post is part of a review campaign for Why Milk? through Mom Central.

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Organizing My Blogging Work Space

When I first began blogging, I had no idea I would someday need designated space to keep all of my bloggy stuff organized. But that is certainly the case now. Up until this point, although I knew the need was there, I've avoided getting organized. Why? I don't know. Maybe I just enjoy not making my life easier.

Fortunately for me, I've found the answer to all of my organizational woes.

A few weeks ago I received some products from a new organizational line by OfficeMax and Peter Walsh. This [In]Place System is going to do wonders for getting my desk all set up to make my life easier. And I can't wait to get started.

As part of the review campaign for the [In]Place System, I was honored to take part in a webcast featuring Peter Walsh last week. Peter showed off his wonderful new products and shared lots of tips for using them effectively and making the most of our organizational efforts. I am so excited to share some of those ideas with you now.
Here are a few of the tips that really stood out for me from the webcast:

1. File name consistency. Physical and electronic folders should have the same name label.
2. Get the kids involved in the organizational routine.
3. Use what works for you when it comes to organization.
4. Visibility and accessibility help keep things organized.
5. Declutter before buying organizational tools.

Now for some more information on the InPlace system:

• The Durable File Folders work with Post-It Super Sticky Notes instead of pre-cut tabs. This helps to keep files neat and allows for color coding.
• The InPlace erasable marker makes it easy to write notes on folder that will not smudge and only erase when you need to erase.
• The Interlocking Hanging Files prevent documents from falling between files.

I love the versatility offered by this system. I know beyond just getting my blogging stuff organized, I can also use it to organize homeschooling and household papers. Everything can fit together yet still be easily distinguishable thanks to the color coding offered by the sticky notes. That definitely works for me!

And now that I think about it, I bet I could use the [In]Place System to organize all my recipes and cooking magazines to help keep my baking cabinet organized.

For more information, visit Peter Walsh's page on the OfficeMax site, or head over to your local OfficeMax and check it out in person.

Then stop by We Are THAT Family for more WFMW.

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Review & Giveaway: Exergen TemporalScanner Thermometer

More times than I care to admit, I've called my sister in a panic and asked her to remind me the fever rules for all the different ways there are to take temperatures. That's because temperature taking is always a pretty traumatic event around our house. I forget everything else except getting that accurate reading.

With the Exergen TemporalScanner thermometer, that is all about to change though. This thermometer is so easy and quick to use. The kids don't mind it all. It's not invasive. And there is nothing traumatic about the experience!

The thermometer works by measuring the temperature of the skin surface over the temporal artery, a major artery of the head. According to the Exergen website, the temporal artery "is the only such artery positioned close enough to the skin surface to provide access needed to take an accurate measurement. It is easy to use because it is ideally located at the front portion of the forehead."

Taking a temperature with the Exergen TemporalScanner is super easy too.

1. Hold the termometer so that thumb or index finger is positioned over the SCAN button and place the probe flat on the center of the forehead.
2. Press and hold the SCAN button. Lightly slide the thermometer to the left or right from the center of the forehead to the hairline, keeping the sensor flat and in contact with the skin for the entire scan, about 2 to 3 seconds.
3. Release the SCAN button, remove the thermometer from the forehead and read the temperature.

That's it! No more trying to convince a baby or child to stay still or to hold their mouth closed.

I know having the Exergen TemporalScanner thermometer will be so nice when my children are sick. There have been so many times I did not want to wake a sleeping child to take their temperature to see if they needed more medicine. Now I won't have to wake them up uneccesarily.

I definitely recommend this thermometer for everyone, whether you have children or not. It makes taking a temperature so painless and convenient. So what do you think - would you like to try the Exergen TemporalScanner?

I am giving away one Exergen thermometer to a lucky reader. To enter the giveaway, just leave me a comment. You can earn extra entries by subscribing, following on blogger, or tweeting about the giveaway. Please leave an extra comment for each extra entry. You're also entitled to the extra entires if you are already a subscriber or follower. Just make sure you let me know.

This review and giveaway opportunity was provided by the Family Review Network.

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Veggie Tales - Abe And The Amazing Promise

My children really enjoy two things - singing/listening to music and watching movies. Veggie Tales always provides a wonderful way for them to combine the two. And the newest Veggie Tales movie, Abe and the Amazing Promise, carries on with that fine tradition.

Abe and the Amazing Promise is scheduled to be released in stores beginning on February 7th. Thanks to Family Review Network, we had the opportunity to watch an advance copy, and I can't even begin to tell you how excited my kids were when we received that package. The begging begin instantaneously!
As a mom with kids varying in ages from 9 to almost 2, I really appreciate that they can all watch this movie together and equally enjoy it. Abe and the Amazing Promise had all of their rapt attention right from the start. They laughed, they sang, they danced, but most importantly, they learned!

They learned, along with Bob the Tomato, the importance of patience via the story of Abraham and Sarah. Even my 3 year old was able to tell me why patience is important after watching the movie. I was thrilled when she used an example from the movie, patiently waiting for cookies, to explain the principle. An important biblical and moral lesson presented in a fun and engaging way - what could be better?

The DVD also includes a wonderful new silly song - "Sneeze If You Need To." This song was a huge hit in our house. I know this because it is sung about 400 times a day by my kids. And surprisingly, I am not tired of it yet.

You can see the trailer of the movie (and lots of other fun stuff) here.

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Bloggy Giveaway #2 - Boogie Wipes

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

A few weeks ago, our family was excited to participate in a review opportunity from Newbaby.com. We reviewed an awesome product called Boogie Wipes. (You can see our video review of Boogie Wipes here.)

I think Boogie Wipes are an ingenious product. They are made with a unique formula which includes saline, vitamin E, aloe and chamomile. This formula means that the Boogie Wipes offer quick and gentle clean-up for tender noses dealing with colds and allergies.

Gracie tends to wake up with a very dry nose every morning and lots of crustiness. The Boogie Wipes have been a wonderful tool for getting her cleaned up without her complaining. In fact, our youngest three all love the Boogie Wipes.

I plan on keeping Boogie Wipes around the house and in my purse/diaper bag. I know they will come in especially handy the next time a cold moves through our house.

Boogie Wipes has generously offered to send 2 30-count packages (1 grape scented and 1 original) to one of my readers.To enter this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post. I will randomly select one winner on Sunday, Feb. 1st.
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!
And make sure to visit the Bloggy Giveaway home to enter over a thousand more giveaways this week!

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Vaseline Clinical Therapy Review & Giveaway

It started in Kodiak; one of Alaska's many small towns, with a population of 6,000. Due to the location, Kodiak endures an extremely icy climate leaving many of its residents with dull, dry and cracking skin. This very reason is why Vaseline thought the demographic would be perfect to demonstrate the effectiveness of Clinical Therapy Lotion.

Vaseline turned to Petal Ruch, a voice coach and 50-year-old mother of four, who tried the product and felt it really worked, to start a word-of-mouth campaign for new Vaseline Clinical Therapy Lotion. If she liked it, she could then freely "prescribe" it to anyone else she thought needed it. Through word-of-mouth, her experience spread to more than 600 townspeople—including 39 cousins, a Russian music group, a knife maker, police detective, owners of fishing vessels, and many others-- whom also discovered that Clinical Therapy works.

View her story here.

Clinical Therapy Lotion provides 60% more moisture than a prescription lotion, and is available without a prescription. The best part is that it's not greasy, watered down or too thick and is available lightly fragranced and unfragranced making Clinical Therapy great for the entire family.

Vaseline has offered to send a sample of 2 bottles (fragranced or unfragranced - you choose) to one of my readers. If you'd like to prescribe yourself or someone you know with this amazing lotion, leave me a comment on this post. You can receive one extra entry each for doing any or all of the following: subscribe to my blog, follow my blog on blogger, tweet this giveaway on twitter, or stumble any of my posts. Just make sure you come back here and let me know which of the above you've done. If you already subrscribe or follow, just mention that for a second entry.

I'll announce the winner Monday, January 12th.

Thanks to Family Review Network for this review and giveaway opportunity!

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Delgo - An Unique & Exciting New Movie

Exclusive image from Fathom Studios' Delgo, opening in theaters
December 12, 2008

It is a difficult thing to find a movie that all of my children will sit down and watch together. Either the content is too young for Isabelle at 9, or Alex and Olivia (4 and 3) quickly get bored. However, from what I've read and seen of the new movie Delgo, I think I may have found a great option for the whole family to enjoy together.

Both the storyline and the animation are unique and extraordinary. I know my youngest (perhaps even Gracie) will really be drawn to the characters and animation. I know Isabelle will appreciate and learn a lot from the interesting perspective. I can tell that Eric and I will really enjoy it also.

Here is a description of the movie from a recent press release:

Fast-paced action and adventure, a mystical land, an unlikely hero, a princess and a message of acceptance between different cultures make Delgo the perfect family-friendly movie this holiday season.

...The story takes place in the magical land of Jhamora which is divided between two cultures – the Nohrin, winged masters of the skies, and the Lockni, the terrestrial tribe who harness the mystical powers of the land. When Delgo (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), a reckless Lockni teenager, forms a forbidden friendship with the spunky Nohrin Princess Kyla (Jennifer Love Hewitt), hostilities between the two peoples escalate, setting the stage for an exiled empress (Anne Bancroft) to exact her revenge and reclaim her rule.

Falsely imprisoned, Delgo and his best friend, Filo (Chris Kattan), must put aside their differences to join forces with a sworn enemy, Bogardus (Val Kilmer), and travel to the mysterious land of Perran to rescue Princess Kyla. Here they encounter fanciful creatures and discover more than just a kidnapped princess, they learn the value of different cultures and the importance of working together.

I think the voice cast is exciting and intriguing. It will be interesting to see how the combination of different actors are used.

You can head over to the Delgo website to watch 2 trailers from the movie. If you do watch them, I would love to hear what you think!

I am thinking that this may have to be an outing for us during Eric's few days off at Christmastime. I think this movie would be a perfect option for taking the whole family to the movie theater for the first time.

One caveat: According to the website, the movie is rated PG. We will have to do a little research into the rating before we take the whole family.

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