Whatcha Doin' for the Long Weekend?

This weekend, I am home recovering from a nasty head cold, you know, the kind where your nose starts running like a faucet without you even realizing it's about to happen (too much information, I know, but I'm sure you've been there). I figured it was coming because a good number of my students have been sniffling, sneezing and looking generally miserable. There are only so many things you can do to prevent sickness when you are in a room with umpteen-zillion kiddos, and a good number of them are ill. I am just thankful it happened on the long weekend, so I didn't have to miss any work. I do fully hope/expect to be fully recovered when Tuesday rolls around. Until then, however, I am resting, eating soup, sipping on ice cold water and daydreaming about last weekend, when we got out to the boardwalk. Besides the beach, that is one of my favorite places to go.

Those are green parrots!! I was so surprised to see them.

This time around I thought of the wonderful blogger who runs Elephant's Child immediately upon our arrival. She often posts pictures of some of the beautiful birds that come to visit her house, and I think she would have been delighted to see all of the green parrots flying around while we there. I have been to the boardwalk many times and never seen them before, so I was surprised that there were so many!! They would come down, eat, and all fly back together into the trees, where if you hadn't just seen them, you wouldn't even know they were there. It was truly a spectacular sight to behold. I took this picture from far away with a telephoto lens so I wouldn't disturb them.

I told my son to go closer to get a look, but of course they weren't having that, and when he got too close for their comfort, they promptly flew away.

OurPact Parental Control App also has a Family Locator

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. This app, however, is one that I fully approve of, support and am happy to share with my readers. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

OurPact helps your child make digitally healthy decisions with ease.
So many great features, simple to pair and use, and it can be downloaded to iOS or Android phones and devices.

OurPact is an app we have recently come across that has allowed me to rest easy with my decision to get my 12-year-old son a phone. Quite honestly, I was struggling with the idea of him going from zero to one-hundred when it came to having Internet access, and while I have used parental controls in the home, I did not know if there was such a thing for a phone. Turns out there's an app for that, lol. Of course there is!!! And it works wonderfully well. In fact, it does so much more than I could have ever considered, and in addition to helping my son be safe online, it also helps keep him safe in other ways as well!!

This app truly allows you to feel good about allowing your child to own electronic devices. Everyone seems to have them, and you don't want your child to feel left out, and they really can be quite useful. There is a healthy balance that needs to be maintained, however, and making good choices with something so tempting is not always a given for this age group. My son, for instance, would much rather look up the latest information on a game he is smitten with, or his favorite basketball player than he would sit and focus on academics after the school day is over. Having a phone in hand can prove far too challenging for him to resist the urge to pull up something else when he is supposed to be doing his homework (some of which does require an Internet connection), so having an app that helps him see what healthy technology choices are, matters a lot to me.

Anne Frank: The Collected Works

Disclosure: this is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

You never know what is going to become such a fundamental part of history for the world. Certainly Anne Frank could have had no idea of the impact her journal would have made as she was writing while hiding in a secret room concealed behind a bookshelf during the time when people of her heritage were unjustly being persecuted. I am currently reading Anne Frank: The Collected Works. It reminds me of her story; one that mesmerized me as a youth. It is painful to read, because we now know how awful of a time it was that she lived (beyond awful), but we must be glad that she wrote it.

#SaveYourNose He's a Baller!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

He plays a lot of basketball. He's on 2 teams: one for school and one that travels. He tries to take a ball with him everywhere we go; he just naturally reaches for it when he gets out of the car, not even considering if it would be appropriate or not. We have 3-5 basketballs in the trunk of our car at any given time. In fact, he likes to go to the basketball court after a game, if he doesn't didn't do as well as he thought he should have, just to get some more practice in. Right now he's being coached by a person who used to coach a college team; which is extremely intense and very beneficial to him. But as a mom, I'm telling you, the first thing I tell him to do after a sweaty practice or game is to put a towel down before he sits in the car, and to keep his armpits down, sealed, closed, lol. I'm not even kidding. Nothing fills the car with a stinky smell faster than a tween boy who has been playing ball for a few hours (unless maybe it's a teen boy who has been doing the same, which I'm sure I will find out soon).

Leap Into Math (and Leap Year) with Casio!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

In just a few weeks we will have Leap Year again. In our family, that is a big deal because I have a child who was born at 2 a.m. on March 1st. Why does that matter, and how is it related? Because I went into labor at 10 p.m. on February 29th!!! As many of you know, 2/29 only happens once every four years. If my son had come 2 hours faster, he would have been a Leap Year baby, meaning he would be turning 8-years-old this year, instead of 32. Imagine the little (and big) issues that could arise! It makes me laugh to think about it, and I'm sure there are many simple ways to deal with things that come up as a result of being born a Leap Year Baby, but I'm still glad he waited just a couple of extra hours and made his debut on the first!

$50 StickerKid Gift Card Giveaway

Welcome To The Giveaway!

Teleflora for Valentine's Day with $75 Gift Code Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY ENDS TODAY!! HURRY TO ENTER AND PLEASE SHARE WITH A FRIEND!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

Teleflora's Pretty in Quartz Bouquet

Teleflora is always a good idea, but during Valentine's Day season they are a GREAT idea. These flowers always come fully bloomed and absolutely gorgeous. Plus, they smell so good!!  I have this huge Premium (because on Valentine's Day, you should go premium) Pretty in Quartz Bouquet on my kitchen table right now, and believe me, it is stunning. It's something people can't walk by without asking, 'ooooh, where'd you get those?!' They are put together so nicely, and then of course you have the vase. Teleflora has this huge array of great containers that you can use year round. The picture of this white and pink quartz vase really doesn't do it enough justice, because in person it is just so lovely. And heavy. It is solid, high quality, and again, heavy. I love it!! These kind of containers will remind your loved ones and friends of you and their pretty blooms, every time they use them.

Toys instead of Candy for Valentine's Day? Oh Yes!

My little baby grand is getting not so little these days!!
One thing that hasn't changed, is she doesn't like junk food (except ice cream, but that's a story for a different day).
That means she will be getting a toy for Valentine's Day from grandma!

If you have been around (my blog) for awhile, you know I have a granddaughter who eats very healthy. She is 6-years-old right now, and an absolute delight, and while her preferences have changed somewhat, since she has started school (and been introduced to junk food), she is still quite content to sit and have a plate full of healthy items in front of her for every meal. She still also only drinks 'ice cold water, grandma.' She makes good choices even at restaurants where she really wouldn't have to, and that makes me so happy and proud. I want her to be in the optimal of health! So when it comes to Valentine's Day, I want to make sure I'm getting her something she will love, but that isn't full of artificial ingredients and sugar. So...we're thinking outside of the box, and these 3 items below are perfect!

Welch's Valentines Day Fruit Snacks are Back!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

There are fruit snacks, and then there are fruit snacks. Welch's knows how to make the latter. Plump and juicy, and made with real fruit, these taste delicious, not gummy and they are hard to resist for children and adults alike. The good news is, you don't have to (resist)!! With Vitamins A, C & E, and no preservatives, this is the kind of snack you want to give your child! Now the seasonal Valentine's Day designs are back, and we couldn't be happier. I pick these up every year for our home and for my job.

Super Mega Gorgeous Wonderful Giveaway for Toddlers and Babies!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

How's that for a title full of positive adjectives? I am so excited to start the new year off with an amazing giveaway for toddlers and babies!! It consists of 4 wonderful items that will be mailed to you in two separate boxes. The first box will contain the following:

1. Box of 10 Rattles from iPlay iLearn

2. Randomly selected Longlegs Toy by Saro Baby (one item only)
3. Randomly selected Smart Care Cube character tissue box (one item only)

4. The second box will be the Oribel Cocoon High Chair! Wait until you hear about this chair!

Zak Designs Mickey and Minnie Mouse Drinking Glasses

 

I was poking around the Valentine's Day items on the shelves of Walmart recently, trying to see if there were some reasonably priced treats to pick up and take to work.  I did find what I was looking for, but I also noticed these and was instantly smitten. They were under $10. Then, I noticed they were from Zak! and that sealed the deal. I love that brand, and have many, many items in my kitchen from them. They make the best designs for holidays, and we were overdue to have Mickey and Minnie inside the kitchen cupboards. :)

I Love Bath & Body Works Wallflowers

I have an addiction to wallflowers from Bath & Body Works. If you get the right ones, and by the 'right ones' I mean the scents you enjoy, they are ahhhhhmmaaaazing. No kidding. The scent is not too powerful, but you can smell it, and it lasts for quite a few days (often weeks). I love them. They are the best long-lasting fragrance I have found. In fact, they have replaced my love of Scentsy. While I still think Scentsy is a great product (with so many good fragrances that DO last a long time, and great holders!!), the melting wax inevitably gets spilled and I have to scrape it off of things (which is often not easy or fun). Plus, BBW is in the mall, far more convenient than ordering from someone. :)

Photo Source

A few days ago, I took my son to the mall to see a movie, and then over to Game Stop. He was gifted a couple of gift cards for Christmas, and thought it would be a good time to browse the GS shelves. Of course, we stopped at BBW along the way because why wouldn't we?!?!? I wanted to check out the new scents for the 3-wick candles (the Unicorn Sprinkles had a pleasant scent), and the wallflowers. I love the candles, but rarely buy them. I do enjoy candles. I just prefer the wallflowers. They're easier...just plug them in your outlet and that is it (and you can leave them plugged in while you're gone, in fact, it's awesome to do so because then your house smells so welcoming and good when you return home).

Our First Trip of 2020: Disney World!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

It's easy to get into a routine when you visit an amusement park, and that's what we seem to have done at Disney World. We start by going down Main Street, take a right towards Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and circle around the park. We tend to stop at our favorite things and skip things we've never really tried. On our most recent trip, we decided to be deliberate about stopping to visit those things we usually walk by on a quest to get to the familiar. It was a good decision; adding an element of fresh to a visit we always anticipate.